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Sleepy street lights dotted the dark alleys of a dozing city. Almost dozing. A girl in her late teens was walking alone, as fast as she could without breaking into a run. An October gale scattered some beer cans and broken glass bottles, releasing eerie echoes down the streets.
Kagome glanced at her watch. 3:30AM. This whole pub party had turned out to be a bad, bad idea. Her head was throbbing from the blasting stereos, flashing lights, and suffocating smoke from cigarettes and other things. She silently cursed herself for giving in to peer-pressure and her hopeless curiosity. Kagome took a deep breath. At least she felt more awake and refreshed by the night air.
An orange Corvette whizzed by and the driver shouted, "Nice outfit!" Kagome suddenly became self-conscious of her snazzy jacket, tight blouse, and the plastic-nylon slacks she borrowed. It would be her first and last time wearing anything like this.
Kagome was approaching a main avenue. Finally, she thought, I could call a taxi and go home and sleep. Her hands traced down to her pocket when she froze and found out – that it was unzipped. She desperately dug around and came to the crashing realization that her $50 cash was gone. Never mind the cab now. To top it off, she forgot to bring her cell. Not that any of her trusted friends would be awake at this hour, and… it could have been stolen as well. Fortunately, she found enough coins left in her pocket for the subway.
She turned on the main avenue and started half-jogging. On the walk to the subway stop, she saw a middle-aged man walking toward her. His black blazer shielded his gaunt frame and his hat covered the upper part of his face. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was walking fast, head-down. At the moment they pasted by each other, each seemed to tense and speed up. Kagome could hear her pulse hammering in her ears. Neither of them dared to turn back and look. Only after she saw the subway station sign did she calm down slightly.
Kagome got to the station, quickly descended the stairs and entered the turnstile. The stop was nearly empty, with two homeless people covered in newspaper and sleeping under the benches. She turned to her right and almost gasped. There was a guy in his early 20's with long silver hair, a cap worn backwards, a metal necklace and a chain hanging outside his jeans pockets. He was standing about thirty feet away from Kagome and seemed to be oblivious of her presence. He was nodding slightly and he seemed to be napping standing up.
Kagome turned her head back, but couldn't resist another peek five seconds later. Well, the train was going to come from the right anyway and she was growing more and more anxious.
On closer inspection, this guy didn't seem like an ordinary punk. He had a contemplative expression with his eyes closed, with well-defined and well-proportioned features. Kagome found herself staring dumbly before she gave herself a mental slap for letting her mind wander.
At one point he shifted his weight and creaked his neck and looked to his right for the train. Kagome followed his gaze but her glance lingered a moment too long. When he turned back, he looked straight at Kagome with his half-irritated and half-inquiring amber eyes. Kagome quickly turned away, heart pounding.
The rumbling of the train arrived a minute later. It crescendoed and screeched to a stop in front of them. A few cars had homeless people sleeping in them, so Kagome picked an empty car. The silver-haired guy trailed after her. Kagome thought she smelled a little alcohol on him…
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Inuyasha was done with his shift and clean-up at 3:25AM. He would have preferred an earlier one, but he needed the extra money for college. Inuyasha enjoyed bartending in and of itself, but sometimes cranky customers would really piss him off. Like tonight for example. Near the end of his shift, a middle-aged man started cursing about his recent divorce. He was grumbling really loudly and making a scene and yelling at Inuyasha to keep his hands off his wife… even though the drunkard was finally escorted out by security and nobody else paid them much attention.
Inuyasha was heading back by subway, his usual means. Along his customary route, he saw the two hobos grinned and nodded at him. Inuyasha greeted back. On his paycheck day each month, he would treat them to a burger and they would talk about anything and everything. One of them was a jazz saxophonist and the other a painter, somehow landed on the bad side of life.
At the station, he was mildly surprised to notice a girl about his age standing alone. Leaving the party early huh, thought Inuyasha.
From the brief moment he met her eyes right before the train arrived, Inuyasha noticed she had rather arresting features. Her sapphire eyes first caught his attention, and her hair matched the color of her rather ostentatious albeit seductive outfit. And she seemed obviously nervous and distressed. Instinctively he felt a sense of chivalry... despite the fact that he probably looked like a gangster to her judging from her reaction when their eyes met.
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Inuyasha and Kagome sat down diagonally opposite from each other, both of them approximately fifteen feet from the respective ends of the car. Inuyasha closed his eyes and catnapped a little, while Kagome remained awake with all her senses taut.
At the third stop, five gangsters entered the car. Kagome visibly tensed. Inuyasha opened one eye lazily. As soon as he saw them, his glance hardened and he pursed his lips. The five people ranged from early to late twenties, all of them have a skull-and-crossbones tattoo in front of their left ears.
Three of them spread out in formation, the braided guy in the center, the muscular one across from Inuyasha, and the sneakiest-looking one across from Kagome. One of the remaining gangsters took a particular interest in Kagome and plopped down next to her, while the last one took a particular interest in Inuyasha and sidled next to him. Kagome felt her throat dry up.
The man next to Kagome looked rather pale but refined, almost scholar-like except for his bloodshot eyes, languid posture, and rumpled clothing. She could smell cigarettes – no – weed probably. Kagome had no idea what marijuana is supposed to smell like, but this guy was obviously under some influence and it's not alcohol.
"Oh hell another one of those stoned idiots," thought Inuyasha as he peeked cautiously at the guy next to him. His worst nightmare was confirmed. Inuyasha groaned inwardly. Not him again, whats-his-name, Jacque the forever-hyper melodramatic who's in love with him.
"Inuyashie! Is tha' really you? Oh my you've become so 'andsome! So s…sexy and buff!" Jacque straightened out his drag costume and leaned closer.
"Aaack! Get the hell away from me!" Inuyasha scrambled away quickly, and Jacque collapsed on the seats and couldn't seem to get up.
The braided guy with a charismatic flair narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha. He walked up and stood towering over him. "Well well well. If it's not our mangy mutt from Rabid K9…"
Inuyasha glared at the gang leader, who was donning a black leather jacket and matching slacks and a smirk, "Not you bastards again. I've had it with you dead sons-of-bitches."
"Humph. As you should know, once a K9, always a K9." He lowered his voice. "Don't forget what you did to our Mike and Kev."
Inuyasha recalled a particular devastating round of gang warfare about four years ago. The K9's and the Mordantes were fighting on top of a three-story building in the slums. Mike fell under from Sesshoumaru's attack and became permanently quadriplegic, while Kev got his arm cut up by Kouga and survived only after an amputation.
Inuyasha growled. "Why are you talking to me? Why don't you go find the guys who actually did it?"
The leader contemplated this. "Those dogs have hidden themselves extraordinarily well. Even though the K9's disbanded soon afterwards and I've been in control ever since, I still couldn't find them."
"How embarrassing, the Almighty B-Sharp of Mordante."
"But I found you at last." B-Sharp grinned ominously. "Actually you know what, why don't we have a little chat first? It's been how long, four years?" He gave the muscular thug a signal, "Gin, guard that entrance next to the mutt." He sat down across Inuyasha and next to the sneaky-looking pimp in a brown leather jacket and a red bandanna. "You're gonna catch up with me and Lence here."
Inuyasha smirked. "Sure, just like old times."
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The train slowed and made a screeching stop. The conductor didn't bother to announce the stop this time.
The marijuana addict next to Kagome seemed to be slightly more awake now. "Heyyy purty face, I'm Sheq, what's your name?"
"Um, I'm Kate." Kagome gulped, trying to carry along.
"Nice to meet you Kate. Ya go to school?" Kagome nodded. "What, uh, major?"
"Bio." replied Kagome. She felt strange to be having a seemingly normal conversation with this guy.
"Goooood for ya! Ya see, I coulda been a doctor, cuz I went to the… Goddard Med School and all." Sheq rubbed his bloodshot eyes and stared into blank space. "But 'tis so damn em-bar-ras-sing when I started… rezdency training," He took a deep breath, "cuz whenever I saw blood I felt like pukin'."
Kagome raised her eyebrows. "That must have been rather difficult."
"Ya tell me awright. I was so depressed for awhile, but B-Sharp and Lence ther' took me in. And ya know what else? I discovered the incredible… Cannabis sativa, mor' commonly known az weed." Sheq grinned sheepishly. "Ya really should try it, 'tis good stuff." He offered Kagome a joint.
"Um… thanks… maybe later." Kagome shifted uneasily. She turned to her right and saw the silver-haired guy talking to the braided and the bandanna-wearing pimps. Kagome thought to herself, I'll never understand these gangsters.
"Well, but ya should be informed about the wonders of THC, tetra… hydro…
canni-sumtin'." Sheq then drawled on to a lengthy talk about its medical uses and neurological effects. Kagome was impressed that a stoned guy could be this intellectually articulate. At one point, she actually became convinced that Sheq had med school training. He mentioned some of what she learned in classes a few days ago… acetylcholine concentration gradients in the synaptic region… and she was mildly reluctant to agree that it was a rather good review.
Nevertheless, after ten minutes, talking about biochemical pathways proved too taxing for the stoned med school dropout. He started mumbling about his former girlfriends and fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. In spite of herself, Kagome felt sympathy for this man.
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The train seemed to be having maintenance issues. It would clamber forward for ten seconds, and then screech… stop for thirty. Kagome was more and more worried that they might all get stuck here longer than need be.
Sheq was snoring rather loudly. Kagome slowly inched away from him, since the weed scent was making her light-headed again. Gin was leaning against a banister, arms crossed. His steely eyes scanned alternately over Kagome and Inuyasha, but more often on Inuyasha. Kagome was waiting for a chance to get out of the train safely, but something was telling her not to leave the mysterious silver-haired guy.
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Just after Inuyasha turned thirteen, his parents died as innocent bystanders in a gang shooting. Most of the perpetrators were caught, but a few still roamed free. He soon joined the K9's and lived the five years of his life that he wanted to erase.
They were teenagers banded together by common ties of unrequited disaffection. Led by Sesshoumaru "The Silver Comet," the K9's became famous for large-scale thefts. The Comet would always choose targets like corrupted officials or self-righteous fake philanthropists, and he seemed to enjoy the mere challenge of concocting schemes so outrageous yet brilliant.
The K9's would spend months planning each job and pull it off without leaving a trace. Rumors started among the local gangs about the K9's phenomenal successes. Many wanted to team up with them, including the Mordantes, but the K9's never agreed. Four years ago, the Mordantes threatened them using force, but it backfired. Badly. It put them on the retreating front for years, so a few of them went to college in an attempt to increase their intellectual capacity.
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"Feh. You people evidently put your education to good use." Inuyasha muttered.
B-Sharp and Lence smirked. "Of course. Pol-sci is a most useful major." B-Sharp replied smugly. Lence nodded. "My eco minor helped too, although the profs never knew how to deal business in real life." B-Sharp rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I know more about physics than all my TA's combined," Huffed Lence.
Jacque squealed a retort from his supine position, "But ya dunno squat about Cole-ridge or Doos-to-ev-sky. Heck… ya thought Dickens wrote The Thwree Mus-keteers! Heeheeheeehee…" he broke into a fit of giggles and rolled over on the seats. Inuyasha and Kagome had a most incredulous look, like he'd just sprouted wings or got a Pulitzer for his brilliant insights.
"Ha! Hahaha…" B-Sharp patted Lence on the back, "Really Jacque, you're too funny." Lence scowled and muttered, "Damn self-possessed bohemian liberal arts crackpot."
However, Jacque seemed to run of steam now. He suddenly became limp but somehow stayed on the seats, his chest rising and falling as he waltzed into slumber.
Inuyasha observed the two smooth pimps. "Heh. Mechanical engineering gives me plenty of chances to bang stuff together and rip 'em apart, beats all that nonlinear rheology."
"Why you're a disgrace to the altar of science!" Lence taunted Inuyasha.
"Why don't you shut your trap or I'll slam your head against that window there." Inuyasha growled.
"Oooh the puppy is getting violent." Grinned B-Sharp.
"I'm wipe that smile off your face you ugly pimp!" Inuyasha lunged and right before his fist made contact with B-Sharp, he felt something heavy crashing into his side.
"Fucking bastard!" Gin had darted up and punched Inuyasha near the kidneys. Inuyasha doubled over and staggered, while Lence directed a punch into his face. Inuyasha slammed against the seat and sprawled over.
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The train was moving more smoothly, and Kagome believed that the next stop should be coming up soon. She watched the fight scene a moment ago with horror. Inuyasha (she recalled Jacque slurring his name) seemed to be outnumbered.
She obviously couldn't help if she stuck around, and she debated whether to run for the exit or not. If she escaped successfully, she could call for help. They were getting closer to Brower University and the campus police. But these thugs probably have guns, she thought darkly.
At least Inuyasha seemed as riled as ever, Kagome observed. His silver hair flashed as he gave Lence an uppercut and Gin a side kick to the stomach at the same time. They both landed on the floor with a loud grunt. B-Sharp's fist was about to land, but the train lurched and he missed. Inuyasha wrapped his hands around the pimp's neck and slammed him against the window, putting his whole weight on him and tightening his grip.
The train slowed and stopped. The doors slid open.
"Get outta here!" Inuyasha shouted at Kagome. She instinctively ran for the door. But just as she was about to make it, she heard a gun clicking behind her, "One more step and you're dead."
Kagome whirled around to see Lence propping himself up with his left arm while holding a pistol in his right hand. The doors were sliding close and Kagome froze in terror. "Damn it," thought Inuyasha.
None of the passengers noticed the convenience store owner just outside the stop who witnessed the scene and immediately called the police.
B-Sharp was straining to breathe through Inuyasha's grip. He was also trying to grin. "I don't… wanna… kill… you…"
"Keh! What garbage are you spouting?" Inuyasha screamed. Then his face contorted in pain and shock as Gin punched him in the side of his neck.
Inuyasha slumped sideways over B-Sharp, barely conscious.
B-Sharp gasped and took in gulps of air before snatching Inuyasha up by the collar, "I meant, if I killed ya your dog friends would hunt us down, and right now I don't wanna deal with them," he croaked.
Lence got up and was sitting where he could easily shoot Kagome point-blank. Kagome was holding onto the banister and craning her head away from the gun. She was biting her lips and trying not to cry out loud... and just hoping that it would be all over soon like a phantasmagoric nightmare.
Meanwhile, Sheq and Jacque were snoring and completely dead to the world.
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Inuyasha snapped open his eyes and glared at B-Sharp, his two amber torches burning into B-Sharp's cold obsidian. In a sudden burst of strength he grabbed B-Sharp by the shoulders and shoved him right into Gin, who slammed hard against the sliding door.
"What the fuck was that…" Lence swerved at aimed his pistol at Inuyasha. Before B-Sharp could stop him, Lence squeezed out a shot that narrowly missed Inuyasha, who stumbled as the train careened from the previous impact.
"Hey I told you not to kill him you idiot!" screamed B-Sharp as he ducked under the shower of Plexiglas fragments.
"Ehh? What's going on?" muttered Jacque as he looked around in confusion.
"Bastard! I was just gonna wound him!" snarled Lence. Inuyasha took advantage of his momentary lapse and kicked the gun out of his hand. The gun landed on Sheq's side.
"Son of a bitch…" Lence was just about to land a fist on Inuyasha when… the train was arriving at the University station. And there were police waiting. Inuyasha punched Lence in the face and sent him stumbling backward.
Sheq was startled when he found something hard knocked against him. He groped at the spot and found the pistol. He leered menacingly as he held the gun snugly.
"Shit." B-Sharp muttered. "No clean getaway this time thanks to the mutt here."
The train braked hard and the door slid open. Out of the blue, Sheq extended the pistol and aimed at Kagome. Inuyasha shot out like a lightning and covered Kagome as they crashed against the floor, the bullet grazing Inuyasha's cap.
Kagome was in a complete daze and was vaguely aware of Inuyasha's weight on top of her. Crushing but protective. She could hear muffled footsteps rushing in, and shouts of "Freeze! Put your hands up!" before everything went black.
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"Hey, you okay?"
Kagome blinked a few times to clear her vision. She saw Inuyasha's concerned face glancing down.
"Uh where am I?" Kagome looked around.
"You're at the Brower University campus medical. I'm a student here, wasn't sure about you but this is the nearest place."
"Ohh." Relief washed over her face. "I'm a student here too… sophomore bio major. And I'm Kagome." She extended a hand.
Inuyasha shook her hand, "I'm… Inuyasha, a junior mech-E major." He blushed slightly and got tongue-tied.
"Thank you… for saving me." Kagome smiled at him.
"Eh…" Inuyasha turned away. "Actually… I… feel bad to drag you into all that…"
"It wasn't your fault," replied Kagome, locking his amber eyes with her sapphire ones.
Inuyasha swallowed and his blush grew a shade deeper.
Kagome grinned, "Um… are you free next Saturday? I know this great place for lunch that opened last month."
Inuyasha's eyebrows went up a little, "Urr… sure, I guess."
Kagome added, "It would be my treat." She nearly laughed out loud at Inuyasha's stammering response, "Y-You don't have to… really…" He turned away again. Kagome smiled and sighed. Maybe tonight didn't turn out that badly after all.
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End