A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. Finally starting to move things along...
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
7. A Council of War
He took it a lot better than she'd expected him too. Actually, a lot better than any of them had expected him to. After all, no one likes to hear that the government is out to terminate their existence. But then, Inuyasha had a lot less confidence in the government than most...
"Those bastards," was all the commentary he offered after Kagome completed her story, "I always figured they'd come after me someday."
Inuyasha looked at the high school girl who was once again seated across from him in his chair. He hadn't really expected her to come back, and he'd spent most of the week trying very hard not to think about her. After all, if you didn't form expectations, then you didn't have to worry that they wouldn't be met. Nevertheless, he hadn't changed out of his clothes at the usual time that Saturday evening, although he had shut off the light and climbed into bed, ordering himself to sleep. He had reminded himself not to be disappointed if she didn't show up again. But she had come.
"There's one more thing," said the girl who was currently occupying his thoughts, looking up from the hands she was twining together to meet his eyes. "You should know that they have agents here watching you."
"Keh," Inuyasha snorted, "I've had agents watching me my entire life. Like this place'd be any different."
Kagome glanced at him. So he was going to play the tough guy was he? Well fine. If it'd been her who'd just learned that there were people watching her every move and people who were out to kill her, she would have been screaming and running around, probably even clawing at the door. But she could see that the tough guy exterior was important to the dogboy. "Just thought you should know," she said.
Suddenly he thought of something. "Hey, just wait a minute. How is it that you know all of this stuff?"
"Sango told me," she replied.
"Sango?"
"Yeah, she's one of the agents. I don't know if you've met her directly or not."
"I don't think so. Who's the other?"
"Miroku," Kagome answered.
"The night janitor?" one of Inuyasha's ears flicked. Kagome was beginning to suspect that the best way to judge the boy's emotional state was to watch the activity of his ears. In this case, the left-hand one had moved rapidly from front to side then back. She made a mental note of it.
"I know," she rolled her eyes, "he doesn't seem any more responsible than a cat with a mouse in its mouth does he? But Sango says he's good at his job."
In the monitoring room, Miroku nudged Sango in the ribs (for once), "You actually said that about me?" he asked.
"Don't let it go to your head," Sango replied, carefully avoiding his eyes.
Miroku felt a triumphant flush cross his face. So she did think something of him. Then he turned his attention back to the monitor where Inuyasha and Kagome were still discussing recent events.
"Oh, so Sango warned you did she?" an odd tone crept into Inuyasha's voice. "Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should ask her yourself. Besides, we'll need their help if we're going to get you out of here." Kagome said, without pausing to decipher the hesitation that had just marred the dog boy's usually confident tone. They would never get anywhere if she paused for every fleeting insecurity.
As Inuyasha watched with faint trepidation, Kagome turned her face to the left hand corner of the ceiling. "Sango, Miroku," she called, "we're ready for you."
In the monitoring room, Miroku chuckled. "Just where exactly does she think the cameras are, anyway?" he asked, watching the back of her head. Somehow Kagome had managed to find the one section in the small room that didn't have any recording equipment in it at all.
"At least it makes for a good effect," Sango said with a smile.
"I think we're going to have to give her a few pointers," Miroku added. And they both sobered up quickly, feeling slightly guilty about what they were getting the high school girl into.
Kagome and Inuyasha were both staring at the doorway as the two agents entered the room. Kagome with suppressed excitement, and Inuyasha with obvious mistrust.
"Hi, I'm Sango," said the tall woman with the friendly smile she had used on Kagome earlier that week. She crossed the room to stand directly in front of the teenager seated cross-legged on the bed and held out her hand. He ignored it and instead snapped out, "badge." Sango sighed, but she had expected this. Reaching her hand into a pocket, she pulled out her badge and flipped it open. Inuyasha scanned it quickly, then said, "Miroku?" The erstwhile janitor put a hand into his coveralls and pulled out a small black case. Flipping it open with the practiced ease of an agent who knows a badge will impress the ladies, he moved closer so the boy on the bed could inspect it. The badges looked genuine to Inuyasha which was really confusing. He had been sure that they had just been playing a prank on Kagome's too-gullible mind.
He looked up at them. "So, why should I trust you guys? Why would you want to help me?"
The agents exchanged glances, then, as one, moved back to sit against the wall. The problem with attempting to free dog boys was that, having been isolated their entire lives, they'd never learned to trust anyone. Inuyasha was no exception.
"Well," said Sango, "it's like this." She paused to look at Miroku for help, but he was toying with one of his sleeves, obviously prepared to let her field that last question. "Ok," she continued as her foot accidentally became momentarily entangled with Miroku's shin, "we've been watching you for over a year now. And sometimes, when you watch someone else for that long, you sort of lose your distance towards them. That's why you get moved around every two years or so."
Kagome was nodding as she listened. It made sense to her. Of course Inuyasha was so irresistible that they had to move him around to keep everyone from getting too attached. She herself was having that urge to rub his ears again.
Inuyasha, perhaps a little bit more clear-sighted as to the extent of his personal charms, was a bit harder to convince. He crossed his arms and tried to look authoritative, "Go on."
"Well, so maybe we agree with Kagome that you don't deserve to be locked up."
"Yeah," Miroku had finally decided to be helpful, "I mean, we got to thinking, a life where the only other people you can...appreciate...are being paid to analyze you. Sounds like hell to me. Even if some of the people are really quite attractive," he added as an afterthought. Sango's foot twitched but she continued on.
"And then when they said they were going to kill you, that was just it. Enough."
"There are some lines that even I don't cross," added Miroku. "Plus you haven't done anything especially wrong."
"At least not yet," Sango said with a warning glare, "and we are not helping you escape just so that you can, understood?" Inuyasha nodded.
"Ok, I'm going to believe you guys. For now," he might've had reservations, but the fact was, reservations weren't going to do him much good if they never got outside of his twelve by fourteen foot chamber.
The preliminaries now over, they all turned expectant faces toward Kagome. She looked back at them, Sango and Miroku seated side by side on the floor, shoulders almost touching, Inuyasha lording it over them all from the bed. She was relieved to note that he was wearing clothes this time. Much less distracting.
Kagome took a deep breath. "Alright guys, so here's what I've been thinking. We're going to need your help, Sango and Miroku, to get him out of here. Next week my spring break starts, so if we can get him out of here on Saturday, I've made plans to 'visit' an old friend in the city. But then I'm really not sure. Where do we go? What do we do? How long will this last?"
"Wait a minute," a loud voice growled from the bed, "I don't need a babysitter. Why does the wench have to go with me?"
Sango frowned at him from the floor, "Yes, you do," she spoke briskly. "Miroku and I won't help you unless you are with someone who has not lived their entire life behind locked doors with a team of experts taking care of their every need. Besides, we need to be sure that we can get in touch with you if we have to."
Inuyasha frowned back at the brunette. Shit. Looked like he wasn't being given much of an option. After all, if he could've escape on his own, he would've done it long ago. So he would give in. For now.
"But," Kagome spoke up, interrupting the battle of wills going on around her, "I still don't know how to get him out of here and where to go once we reach the city. Plus we don't have much money."
Sango nodded approvingly. Kagome would do well, she was practical, she was able to move things along, and she was also able to ignore Inuyasha's occasional brash rudeness.
"Miroku and I can help with the money," she said as beside her, Miroku appeared to be counting on his fingers, "and we may know a place you can go to."
"What?" said Miroku, his head jerking up. Sango gave him a significant glance, which was not unnoticed by their two companions. "Oh, right," he subsided.
"Inuyasha, what do you think?" Kagome asked.
"Think of what?" he answered, "seems like a pretty incomplete plan."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's not done yet, stupid. We just wanted to know how you felt about everything so far."
He felt frustratingly passive--it was not in his nature to sit still and let everyone else plan his future for him. But he settled for a snort and a "keh."
"Good then," said Kagome and she turned back to the agents.
The four of them sat there, plotting for the next hour and a half. By the time Kagome left that evening, they had a rough plan of action for the following weekend.
Seven days until Kagome became an official criminal. Seven days until Inuyasha got to see what it was like not to be locked in at night. Oh boy.
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
7. A Council of War
He took it a lot better than she'd expected him too. Actually, a lot better than any of them had expected him to. After all, no one likes to hear that the government is out to terminate their existence. But then, Inuyasha had a lot less confidence in the government than most...
"Those bastards," was all the commentary he offered after Kagome completed her story, "I always figured they'd come after me someday."
Inuyasha looked at the high school girl who was once again seated across from him in his chair. He hadn't really expected her to come back, and he'd spent most of the week trying very hard not to think about her. After all, if you didn't form expectations, then you didn't have to worry that they wouldn't be met. Nevertheless, he hadn't changed out of his clothes at the usual time that Saturday evening, although he had shut off the light and climbed into bed, ordering himself to sleep. He had reminded himself not to be disappointed if she didn't show up again. But she had come.
"There's one more thing," said the girl who was currently occupying his thoughts, looking up from the hands she was twining together to meet his eyes. "You should know that they have agents here watching you."
"Keh," Inuyasha snorted, "I've had agents watching me my entire life. Like this place'd be any different."
Kagome glanced at him. So he was going to play the tough guy was he? Well fine. If it'd been her who'd just learned that there were people watching her every move and people who were out to kill her, she would have been screaming and running around, probably even clawing at the door. But she could see that the tough guy exterior was important to the dogboy. "Just thought you should know," she said.
Suddenly he thought of something. "Hey, just wait a minute. How is it that you know all of this stuff?"
"Sango told me," she replied.
"Sango?"
"Yeah, she's one of the agents. I don't know if you've met her directly or not."
"I don't think so. Who's the other?"
"Miroku," Kagome answered.
"The night janitor?" one of Inuyasha's ears flicked. Kagome was beginning to suspect that the best way to judge the boy's emotional state was to watch the activity of his ears. In this case, the left-hand one had moved rapidly from front to side then back. She made a mental note of it.
"I know," she rolled her eyes, "he doesn't seem any more responsible than a cat with a mouse in its mouth does he? But Sango says he's good at his job."
In the monitoring room, Miroku nudged Sango in the ribs (for once), "You actually said that about me?" he asked.
"Don't let it go to your head," Sango replied, carefully avoiding his eyes.
Miroku felt a triumphant flush cross his face. So she did think something of him. Then he turned his attention back to the monitor where Inuyasha and Kagome were still discussing recent events.
"Oh, so Sango warned you did she?" an odd tone crept into Inuyasha's voice. "Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should ask her yourself. Besides, we'll need their help if we're going to get you out of here." Kagome said, without pausing to decipher the hesitation that had just marred the dog boy's usually confident tone. They would never get anywhere if she paused for every fleeting insecurity.
As Inuyasha watched with faint trepidation, Kagome turned her face to the left hand corner of the ceiling. "Sango, Miroku," she called, "we're ready for you."
In the monitoring room, Miroku chuckled. "Just where exactly does she think the cameras are, anyway?" he asked, watching the back of her head. Somehow Kagome had managed to find the one section in the small room that didn't have any recording equipment in it at all.
"At least it makes for a good effect," Sango said with a smile.
"I think we're going to have to give her a few pointers," Miroku added. And they both sobered up quickly, feeling slightly guilty about what they were getting the high school girl into.
Kagome and Inuyasha were both staring at the doorway as the two agents entered the room. Kagome with suppressed excitement, and Inuyasha with obvious mistrust.
"Hi, I'm Sango," said the tall woman with the friendly smile she had used on Kagome earlier that week. She crossed the room to stand directly in front of the teenager seated cross-legged on the bed and held out her hand. He ignored it and instead snapped out, "badge." Sango sighed, but she had expected this. Reaching her hand into a pocket, she pulled out her badge and flipped it open. Inuyasha scanned it quickly, then said, "Miroku?" The erstwhile janitor put a hand into his coveralls and pulled out a small black case. Flipping it open with the practiced ease of an agent who knows a badge will impress the ladies, he moved closer so the boy on the bed could inspect it. The badges looked genuine to Inuyasha which was really confusing. He had been sure that they had just been playing a prank on Kagome's too-gullible mind.
He looked up at them. "So, why should I trust you guys? Why would you want to help me?"
The agents exchanged glances, then, as one, moved back to sit against the wall. The problem with attempting to free dog boys was that, having been isolated their entire lives, they'd never learned to trust anyone. Inuyasha was no exception.
"Well," said Sango, "it's like this." She paused to look at Miroku for help, but he was toying with one of his sleeves, obviously prepared to let her field that last question. "Ok," she continued as her foot accidentally became momentarily entangled with Miroku's shin, "we've been watching you for over a year now. And sometimes, when you watch someone else for that long, you sort of lose your distance towards them. That's why you get moved around every two years or so."
Kagome was nodding as she listened. It made sense to her. Of course Inuyasha was so irresistible that they had to move him around to keep everyone from getting too attached. She herself was having that urge to rub his ears again.
Inuyasha, perhaps a little bit more clear-sighted as to the extent of his personal charms, was a bit harder to convince. He crossed his arms and tried to look authoritative, "Go on."
"Well, so maybe we agree with Kagome that you don't deserve to be locked up."
"Yeah," Miroku had finally decided to be helpful, "I mean, we got to thinking, a life where the only other people you can...appreciate...are being paid to analyze you. Sounds like hell to me. Even if some of the people are really quite attractive," he added as an afterthought. Sango's foot twitched but she continued on.
"And then when they said they were going to kill you, that was just it. Enough."
"There are some lines that even I don't cross," added Miroku. "Plus you haven't done anything especially wrong."
"At least not yet," Sango said with a warning glare, "and we are not helping you escape just so that you can, understood?" Inuyasha nodded.
"Ok, I'm going to believe you guys. For now," he might've had reservations, but the fact was, reservations weren't going to do him much good if they never got outside of his twelve by fourteen foot chamber.
The preliminaries now over, they all turned expectant faces toward Kagome. She looked back at them, Sango and Miroku seated side by side on the floor, shoulders almost touching, Inuyasha lording it over them all from the bed. She was relieved to note that he was wearing clothes this time. Much less distracting.
Kagome took a deep breath. "Alright guys, so here's what I've been thinking. We're going to need your help, Sango and Miroku, to get him out of here. Next week my spring break starts, so if we can get him out of here on Saturday, I've made plans to 'visit' an old friend in the city. But then I'm really not sure. Where do we go? What do we do? How long will this last?"
"Wait a minute," a loud voice growled from the bed, "I don't need a babysitter. Why does the wench have to go with me?"
Sango frowned at him from the floor, "Yes, you do," she spoke briskly. "Miroku and I won't help you unless you are with someone who has not lived their entire life behind locked doors with a team of experts taking care of their every need. Besides, we need to be sure that we can get in touch with you if we have to."
Inuyasha frowned back at the brunette. Shit. Looked like he wasn't being given much of an option. After all, if he could've escape on his own, he would've done it long ago. So he would give in. For now.
"But," Kagome spoke up, interrupting the battle of wills going on around her, "I still don't know how to get him out of here and where to go once we reach the city. Plus we don't have much money."
Sango nodded approvingly. Kagome would do well, she was practical, she was able to move things along, and she was also able to ignore Inuyasha's occasional brash rudeness.
"Miroku and I can help with the money," she said as beside her, Miroku appeared to be counting on his fingers, "and we may know a place you can go to."
"What?" said Miroku, his head jerking up. Sango gave him a significant glance, which was not unnoticed by their two companions. "Oh, right," he subsided.
"Inuyasha, what do you think?" Kagome asked.
"Think of what?" he answered, "seems like a pretty incomplete plan."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's not done yet, stupid. We just wanted to know how you felt about everything so far."
He felt frustratingly passive--it was not in his nature to sit still and let everyone else plan his future for him. But he settled for a snort and a "keh."
"Good then," said Kagome and she turned back to the agents.
The four of them sat there, plotting for the next hour and a half. By the time Kagome left that evening, they had a rough plan of action for the following weekend.
Seven days until Kagome became an official criminal. Seven days until Inuyasha got to see what it was like not to be locked in at night. Oh boy.