Blood-Stained

A/N: Look who came back today!

Kirby: She found me and brought me back here, actually.

And then I dressed you up as a decapitated head! It's not entertainment, I swear- strictly business.

Kirby: I hate you.

I love you, yes I do! (huggles)

Chapter 14: Bring Me Back

Nghi


Kagome woke up in the afternoon two days later, smelling like body oil and sweat; her shoulder had been bandaged securely with a tourniquet, as she later discovered when a spasm of pain rippled across her chest when she attempted to turn over her side. She was drawing a blank until glimpses of dried blood speckled all over her shirt and arms caught her watering eyes, and hazy flashes of a hiding cloaked figure came to mind. She shuddered at how close it had been for him to permanently catch her if it hadn't been for… Inuyasha.

She froze as the vague recollections of two nights ago morphed into a full, horrific memory. It was like a bad nightmare—the first time he had actually touched her, physically harmed her himself. And then just like that, he disappeared when Inuyasha had emerged from inside the apartment, fleeing into the darkness for protection and-and power.

Kagome curled into a small ball, draping the covers closer to her; it felt safe, like he could not see her if she could not see him. But WHY did he run away like that? She was too curious, as having never seen him do many things, and one of them included running away. So of all things, of all time, why did he not outright kill her? HE is powerful… very capable.

"Is it possible—" she cut herself off quickly; he was watching her, watching for thinking patterns and signs, for any devious plans…. She didn't want to face him alone after that night's near-death confrontation. It was too risky to say anything; somehow- and she did not know the 'how'- he always seemed to know where and when she would do something. I don't want him to come near me again. Ever. Especially when I am alone.

Alone. She shivered, burrowing deeper underneath the fluffy cocoon. It was no surprise Kagome had developed a morbid fear of being by herself for more than five minutes. They had a term for that in psychology- it was called monophobia, and it had elevated to such great heights that she often had a case of panic attack if even left in a bathroom alone.

Alone. How horrible. To die alone. To be alone. To lose alone. To— And then it struck her out of nowhere, like a bright streak of lightning, and for the first time in many months, since all this had started, Kagome began to grasp something important, paramount, and chief about him:

He likes to isolate.

The strange thing was that it was true, and it had happened to many times in the past. Isolation was the key to him, she realized, greedily swallowing up this newfound revelation. The innocent brunette she had seen him kill that night— alone. Mr. Tsuyo, her wacky, 80's-lovin' neighbor— alone. Her family, all living in the deserted outskirts of the city—alone. Alone, alone, alone, they were all separated from big crowds of people. And just as quickly, she connected this concept to the car, and it was the most perfect explanation as to why he had fled when Inuyasha turned up.

HE has a weakness.

She was almost proud of herself for having figured out such an important detail. How had she overlooked such a faulty aspect to him? How had she let him get away with everything without trying to crack through his logic? I don't have to physically fight against him- I am equally as smart as he. No- I am smarter.

Kagome felt truly powerful, a first in a long time. Finally, an Achilles' heel she could strive to develop and, eventually, divide and conquer. "If he can do it, what's stopping me?" she asked rhetorically. For a moment, it was like old times, where she was not some terrified coward who fled every time something dreadful occurred. For a moment she felt like an actual force to be reckoned with, a considerable foe and not a stringed puppet for his entertainment. She smiled happily, shifting her head onto the center of the pillow.

Something soft crinkled underneath the cushion, and she stopped, confused. What was that? Maybe it was just imagined, and Kagome squirmed around again, trying to find a comfortable way for her head to rest. Stupid tourniquet—

Whatever it was, it made another crinkle again, and she sighed loudly, visibly annoyed. Using her good arm she patted underneath the pillow, and her eyes unconsciously rolled as her hand came forth with a folded paper in hand. "God, if they wanted to talk to me, why couldn't they just leave the note beside my head?" she muttered. "Having to be so discreet all the time…." She wasn't really angry—there was an actual highlight in her life after so many months, and she refused to let anything ruin her elation. "Let's see what they wrote here…."

I KNOW WHAT YOU SAW.

It was never old- no, not for her. Time and time again, she had always expected a note to appear, and it would never do so until she had let her guard down. This was no exception as an ancient feeling, habitually pounded down by a sickening form of tradition, escaped from the buried hatchet, and her hands actually began to tremble rather fervently. It was always the same every time- some form of self-knowing sentence that proved that this was real, and she was stuck in deranged reality. But now… now

He was here.

It was sick, almost to the point of nausea… to think that he was in this room, having planted the note right under her head, so close to her, could have touched her, could have stroked her cheek, her hair, could have done anything….

Kagome whimpered, the note in her hand slipping out of her clutch. Why now, of all times? Why did he always manage to find some way to terrorize her back into the corner? Why? Why?

The door creaked open in mid-thought, and her breath caught in her throat. He's here! She thought fearfully, and then it dawned on her that she was alone with not even the cute Shippo or the impeccable timing of Inuyasha or the feministic Sango. She was by herself in an empty room… the possibilities are endless for him, she recognized. I am so stupid- I should have gone outside where there are people.

Something padded softly down the hallway, and she began to hyperventilate, her inhales and exhales coming out irregularly and inconsistently. By habit Kagome ducked underneath her covers, although that did not help much. I don't want to die seeing his face. No no no no, please, just kill me while I'm under the blankets—

She flinched as the white covers were pulled back, and her hand flew up to protect her face. She quivered, curling even tighter in a ball, her eyes tightly closed. If she had a choice of dying in darkness or dying seeing his face one, last time….

"Kagome?"

It was a soft, female voice, and she peeked out from between the slits of her fingers to find… Sango peering down on top of her. "Are you all right?"

It's all right, Kagome. YOU'RE all right. She found herself having been holding her breath the entire time and released it loudly. "Yeah," she answered weakly, "I'm all right." For now.

The older woman smiled dimly, the edges of her smile never making it quite fully. But Kagome saw the dull, brown eyes that didn't agree with the grin—the twinkle was gone, and she wondered if Sango would ever catch that hopeful glimmer again.

"So the police wants to meet with you today," she said, rising from her kneeled position and heading into her bedroom. Her voice still carried out into the living room, clear and precise. "While you were unconscious yesterday, Inuyasha reported the incident to the police. So far he's managed to press charges of physical assault, attempted murder, and property damage."

Kagome struggled to a sitting position and managed to do so successfully just as Sango returned with a new batch of clothes. "You're wearing out my closet," she joked softly, placing the attire beside her. Kagome didn't hear, or if she did, did not make any attempt to laugh.

"Why would he do that?" she asked, confused. "We aren't the best of friends, as you can probably tell."

The military officer helped her to her feet and guided her towards the restroom. "He may not look like it, but Inuyasha was born pretty much rich. All his life his dad's been giving him orders and steering him in the direction of Success, but you can see that he's slightly stubborn." Kagome thought it was an understatement. "It was around the end of law school when he finally had an epiphany, if you will, about his life, and it could be summed up in one, concise sentence: it sucked."

No duh.

They had reached the bathroom, and Sango opened the door for her to enter. "So Inuyasha quit law before graduating, much to his dad's chagrin, divorced himself from his family, and started new. So now he's trying to find some way to survive in the world while taking on odd jobs. He hasn't really found his 'knack' yet, but all that work in law school wasn't wasted—he developed a sense of judicial duty, where it was not OK to let someone get away with flagrance."

Kagome was moderately surprised. Inuyasha, a lawyer? His first impression was a stupid brute with muscles to back up. It was pretty much unexpected of him to have such a distinguished past. "So he's helping me because…?"

"Inuyasha's a good guy, believe it or not. He may not like you, but that does not make it any right to allow something like this to happen, and he knows that. He's an incredible friend if you look past his gruff exterior." Sango smiled, and it wavered just a bit as her eyes clouded slightly, and it was clear that she was thinking of a certain someone else.

Kagome felt a slight twinge of pity, but brushed it away. "Oh, never mind, sorry about that," the woman apologized, rubbing her eyes quickly. "I'm just a little emotional, that's all. You need to hurry up- you're scheduled to meet the police in half an hour."

The bathroom door shut in her face, and she was left standing there with a pair of slacks and sleeveless button shirt and an aching scalp, feeling grimy and dirty.

We all end up alone sometimes.

-

The town had mainly pedestrians and few cars, and Sango was one of those many pedestrians. However small the municipality may be, there were always streets that crisscrossed, and had it not been for the experienced officer, Kagome would have been lost long ago on some street named after the fifth prime minister. Dodging many people in scaly costumes and outrageous makeup, she was nearly punctured in the abdomen by a specific man wearing yellowed horns. They looked very much realistic, and she dimly wondered how long it had taken him to create the thing. No doubt it must be papier-mâché, but it was still sharp-looking. "Why don't you not wear that hazard in the middle of public?" she nearly snapped, but Sango pulled her along before anything could be said.

It took time and tested patience, but the two finally reached the police station in time, and it took just a few more seconds to climb the steps and head into the room. "Registered appointment with a police officer," Sango declared, pulling Kagome right beside her.

The woman nodded affirmative and pushed a few buttons on the intercom. "Officer Kurasaka, I have an appointment scheduled for three o'clock here— excuse me, what's your name? Oh, OK—by the name of Higurashi."

The intercom crackled a bit before a low, deep voice answered. "All right. Send her in."

She nodded and motioned for a door by the side. "Just up the stairs and to the right." And without further ado, Sango took charge with a gasping Kagome following at heel.

The man was waiting behind a desk calmly as the two burst in, and he nodded in recognition towards the older woman. "Sango."

"Officer Kurasaka," she replied, bowing quickly before turning to leave.

"You may stay if you wish," he said pleasantly to her retreating back, and she hesitated, looking at Kagome- she looked neutral, neither caring nor spiteful.

"No, thank you, I will wait quietly outside until further commands," Sango responded before exiting.

As soon as the door closed, Officer Kurasaka shifted slightly in his chair so he was looking at her. "Ms. Higurashi, nice to see that you've already settled."

"Yes," she said tersely. Kagome was already fidgeting under his slightly scrutinizing stare- it was uncomfortable, and she felt out of place with such an ordered room. The diplomas were arranged neatly in a row, and the papers were crisp and clean and straight-edged.

"What happened to the other man who saw to me?" she couldn't help blurting out. He may have been unorganized and cluttered, but at least he had an air of genuine friendliness.

Officer Kurasaka's face fell somewhat, and he cleared his throat in an regrettable manner. It's like talking to smooth oil, she thought disgustedly. "He has had an unfortunate run-in with another person and inevitably retired his position permanently."

You mean he was murdered. But she didn't say anything—just let him continue. "It is correct you are under current care of Inuyasha and Sango?"

"I'm not under the care of anybody," she responded flatly.

"But it says here you were caught shoplifting, so for the remainder of the two week parole, you are under their supervision for community service, correct?" He was deliberately trying to provoke her, and she grudgingly swallowed her anger. "Y-yes," Kagome ground out.

Kurasaka smiled patronizingly and shuffled his papers once more. "We are under the investigation of your pressed charges as of currently, and it will take a few days, if you do not mind waiting."

I do mind, actually.

"But for now, it says under this transcript that you had been referred to work as a helper under Miroku's self-owned ice cream business. Due to his sudden… death, you are now being transferred to another location to complete the rest of your parole." The felt-tip pen he worked with squeaked under heavy pressure, and she winced slightly at the grating noise.

"You will be located to… Kouga's grocery business," he finished with a capping of his pen. She nodded once to show her understanding…

and then did a double take. "You mean where Inuyasha works?"

-