Hey everyone! Here I am again, with another update! Warning, this chapter is dull and very short compared to the rest of them. Only six pages! Anyway, I want to thank you all for not being mad at me for my absence. It means a lot that I still have so many devoted readers that like my story! Thanks a bunch! Oh, and for anyone who would like to talk to me through IM, please email me. I don't use AIM anymore ((for those people who would talk to me over that)) but I have Yahoo! and I might get MSN. So email me if you wish to chat! Enjoy!
Dedicated to sapphire-glass, my first reviewer! Luff ya girlfriend! (plays with fluffy boa)
23 - Getting Caught Up
Inuyasha suddenly broke his passionate kiss with Kagome and looked toward the door, ears perked up strangely high off his head. 'I could've swore I just felt someone watching us... Ah, I must be hallucinating! After being chased for so long, I've become paranoid! How idiotic of me...'
He felt the small tug of Kagome's dainty hands on his shirt and looked back down to her. She had her swollen lips curled into a pout and her doe brown eyes questioned his sudden actions. With a grin he bent down to bring his lips back to hers when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat at the door.
"Stop and gather your things. We're leaving." That was all Sesshomaru said as he looked at them suspiciously, raising one eyebrow in a look that make Kagome laugh out loud. He gave her his signature blank stare, then turned away from the door. "Five minutes," he told them as he walked back down the hallway toward Sango's room.
"Do you think... he... saw us?" Kagome said between giggles.
"... I'm not sure. Either way," Inuyasha said as he gathered Kagome's clothes, setting them in her arms, "it doesn't matter." He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently and pushed her to the bathroom so she could change out of the large hospital gown. "Hurry up, Sesshomaru's not the most patient guy in the world."
"Oh, I would've never guessed," she replied sarcastically as she locked the door behind her, leaving Inuyasha standing in her room alone.
He wandered over to the window and starred out at the quickly approaching dawn, thoughts rolling in his head like a boat in a hurricane. 'Kagome, I don't know what we're going to do,' he thought, truly thinking about what would happen once they got out of the hospital. 'We can get a house... or an apartment... I'll get a job... as... something.' He smacked his head against the window, suddenly realizing one of his worst fears was coming true. 'What... what if I can't provide for Kagome? I'll be damned if I let Sesshomaru help anymore than he has! I'll have to do it somehow...'
He practically jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Inuyasha? Are you okay?" Kagome asked, sensing his discomfort.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," he said, grabbing her hand as he strode toward the door. "I just want out of this place."
She frowned at his back as they walked down the hall, knowing all to well that there was something else bothering him. 'I guess he'll tell me when he's ready... or I'll get it out of him eventually.'
They entered another room, finding the rest of their companions. Immediately, Kagome ran to Sango and threw her arms around the ex-demon slayer. "Oh Sango! I can never thank you enough!" she pleaded to her friend, almost crying into her shoulder.
Sango smiled, her heart lightening with her friend's sincere sentiment as she patted her back comfortingly. "It's okay Kagome! Besides, I know you would do the same for me." Kagome nodded and smiled, untangling her arms from Sango.
"Are you all ready to leave?" Kagura asked from the door way. Next to her was Sesshomaru, holding a sleeping child in each arm.
The four teens glanced at one another and smiled, leaving the hospital room and heading toward their futures.
"Damn!" Tsubaki spat as she looked at her watch, her gray eyes narrowing impatiently. "Where is that-"
"Honey, I'm home!" a feminine voice called from the entrance of the office as Tsubaki slammed her fist down on the desk infront of her. Hearing the commotion, Yura knew instantly that she had stayed away far too long. 'So maybe stopping for a couple drinks from every bar in town wasn't smart... but at least I can hold my alcohol!' she thought proudly as she remembered the drunken slobs that drooled over her body all night. She giggled at the memory, knowing then that Tsubaki's rage would be worth it. Maybe.
"Yura, where the hell have you been!" Tsubaki yelled as Yura entered the room she was currently fuming in. "It's been nearly three hours since you called!"
"I just took... a couple detours. That's all!" she said cheerfully, which made the white haired woman even angrier. She stomped over to Yura and grabbed her chin with a strong hand, pulling her face forward as she sniffed her breath.
With a disgusted look she released her chin and curled her thin lips into a scowl. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, walking calmly around her desk and taking a seat. "I tell you to come straight back," she said with an unwavering calm voice, which intimidated Yura much more than her anger, "and you go wandering around like a slut at the local bars?" A small laugh escaped her lips, her steely gray eyes flicking open to reveal her inner anger.
Yura's crimson eyes flashed with anger right back. "I'm not a slut! Just because I have the ability to loosen up and have fun, you have to ruin it! The only reason you don't is because of that ugly marking on-"
She had gone too far. Tsubaki flipped her desk over with the ferocity of her aura as her hands shook violently. Yura was speechless, but not surprised. 'This happened every time I 'accidentally' mention her birthmark on the side of her face,' she thought as Tsubaki started to calm down with slow, deep breaths. Yura stood, dusting off the small bit of fabric that clung to her body. "Geesh Tsubaki," she said as she pulled a mirror piratically out of nowhere and checked her hair, "Quit being so vain!"
At this Tsubaki stood stupefied as Yura blew a kiss lovingly at the mirror and put it away, causally glancing at Tsubaki with a questioning look of innocense. She just sighed and put a hand to her head, realizing that arguing with Yura would be useless. 'So what if I'm slightly insecure about this accursed mark?' she thought darkly as she ran a finger down her smooth cheek where she knew the tread-like mark was, silently damning her parents to hell for giving her the one flaw in her perfect beauty.
Suddenly a door slid open, causing both women's faces to drop and their jaws to go slack. "Are you surprised to see me so soon?" he said with a smirk as he watched his two top assassins bow respectfully toward him. He noticed the askew furniture and vaguely pondered over what he had walked in on, but found he really didn't care. He strode back the way he came, motioning for the women to follow.
He sat behind a large desk with numerous electronic devices placed atop it, looking at the women through his oily black bangs. The smirk never left his face as he watched Yura fidget with her slutty dress and Tsubaki stand as if she had somewhere else better to be.
"I understand there were some slight... problems with out plan," he asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes," Tsubaki told him. "We poisoned Kagome back in Japan, hoping that she would die quickly so we could extract the jewel from her care. Unfortunately, the demon slayer turned and destroyed your demon puppet."
"I thought she might," he conceded as he shuffled a couple papers on his desk, glancing over to the small fish bowl near the corner.
"Yes, luckily the poison appeared to work. But for some reason, it turned her into a hanyou, like Inuyasha," Tsubaki continued. "Taking things in stride, we quickly found out where they were headed and caught the first plane out. And we also sent out a team in search of Kanna, the little traitor." Tsubaki scowled at the thought to Kanna's betrayal. 'Pretending to kill Sesshomaru and Kagura, aiding our targets to escape... How dare she?'
Yura took her brief pause to jump in. "Once we arrived here in America, we discovered that the poison eventually worked, just not the way we had planned. It caused her blood to be split between human and demon, causing her body great distress. We had hoped they would arrive too late to the hospital, but we were mistaken. A blood transfusion was completed and Kagome became human again, still in the possession of the Shikon no Tama."
"Ah, I see," he muttered mindlessly as he watched a gold fish swim from side to side in the bowl, releasing little bubbles that popped as they reached the surface of the water.
"Well, you have one more chance, each of you." Both women gulped, knowing that their boss was serious. "Kill them or else."
"Yes, Naraku sir," they said simultaneously, bowing their heads quickly and exiting with silence.
"Hmm..." he hummed absently as he sprinkled food into the fish bowl. "This just might require my... personal attention."
"Okay, now talk! We want to know how you are still alive!" Inuyasha demanded. The children were tucked into bed and everyone else sat in the livingroom to the large house Sesshomaru and Kagura had purchased when they arrived.
"It was simple, really. Especially when you have the right... connections," Kagura said with a smirk.
"Kanna!" Kagome said from her place squished against Inuyasha's side on the couch. He hadn't let her go since she came out of the bathroom in the hospital. Not that she had minded.
"Yes. Kanna got herself assigned to murder us. Unfortunately for Naraku, she was on our side from the beginning. We planted the necessary evidence and fled the country. No one was the wiser."
"But why did you lie to us?" Inuyasha demanded again, his grip on Kagome's waist tightening with his slight anger.
"Yes, why was it necessary for you to tell us you were dead if we would meet up with you here?" Miroku asked from between Sango and Inuyasha.
"We had to make sure there were no loose ends, so we send two letters, knowing one would get intercepted. Kanna held the letter from Naraku until she was ready to take you all to the airport, and they were supposed to believe we were dead and continue searching futilely for you four throughout Japan. That's how it was supposed to go anyway," Kagura told them, her expression darkening. "But before that could happen, Kanna was discovered withholding the letter, causing Naraku to become suspicious. He somehow discovered her plan and showed up to kill you at Kaede's. But from there, we really don't have much information. All Kanna told us when she contacted us was what flight you were on and when you were going to arrive."
"So," Sesshomaru spoke for the first time in the conversation, "Fill in the blanks. What happened?"
Sango realized what retelling the story would mean for her, and Miroku squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She knew she would have to tell Sesshomaru and Kagura eventually, but her betrayal still constantly harassed her thoughts and dreams, regret becoming an everyday emotion. She took a deep breath and began to retell the most horrible week of her life.
To my Friends and Reviewers -
sapphire-glass - My first reviewer again! Aw, thanks! It's nice to know I haven't lost my edge for writing! And revising chappies had nothing to do with being a good writer... that's being lazy! (huggles Sapph) Hehe, you mean the storyline I'm making up as I go? Hehe! As stated above, I luff you, my furry sista! Love and Hugs!
Suaru - Aw, I missed you so much! (huggles Suaru) Yeah... Chel's back... she left me a review... that took me nearly five minutes to read! Geesh... Anyway, yes, the writer's block... (smashes writer's block with her sledge hammer) Man, that feels great! I've missed my sledge hammer... (huggles sledge hammer) Yay for new chappies! Can't wait, my friend! And thankies! What Naraku is planning... Muahahahaha... Luff ya! Fwee!
Devilchild34 - Thankies! I know how that feels... my user name became 'corrupt' so I had to delete it... causing all my files to be erased! (cries) That was horrible... but anyway, it's okay!
wh00t - Yay to you too!
pistachio564 - Thanks so much! Yeah... it's been awhile! Sorry, I just felt really unbelievably bad for keeping everyone waiting! Yeah, but it was part of the plot ((that I added once I thought about the storyline a little more)) that had to be there! Thanks again!
Hanyou Vixen - Thankies! It's okay, I'm not good at sending them anyway... I'm too impatient! Hehe! Luff ya! (huggles Vixen-chan)
Lanerz - Aw, thanks! I tried to make it seem natural, but still kind of quick! You're so kind!
Sangonesan - Thanks! Yay, rice and soy sauce! ... Now I'm hungry! Hehe!
wesley - Always!
eliteElite - Thanks a bunch for all the nice reviews!
HyperFoxChild - Aw, thanks so much! It's awesome that you would spend that much time on my little old story! Yep, everyone loves my twists! Hehe! (swallows brownie on one bite) Hehe... thank you again!
dragonspirit888 - Thanks! No worries, I hardly have any memory at all... what was I doing? Just kidding!
demon mind69 - Hehe, it was part of the story! I can't deny the story! Thankies for not being mad!
Anime-Devil-101 - Wow, and I thought I was bad... Just kidding! I was worried I lost my reviewers, but I guess I didn't! Thanks!
One&OnlyKagome - Hehe! It's the story! I can't deny it! And no worries, my story confuses me too... Yep, it sure does! Thanks a bunch! I will!
JadeElemental - (looks at uber long review) Ah, I missed you Chel! Hehe, cherrios! Miroku sensed your perverseness and came to help you... just kidding! You know I luff you! (huggles Chel) And you didn't kill me! (huggles Chel again) Aw... I want that sledge hammer... (drools) You know I can't deny the MirSan love factor! Hehe... will they die? Oh, the drama! Mwahahahaha! Oh, I know! There are a couple other Inuyasha fiction writers I know that he's bashed, too. I wouldn't mind if he would have left something CONSTRUCTIVE, but... yeah. Thanks so much! Your reviews always make me smile! Love and Hugs! . ((that's my favorite one!))
knifebladenails - AHH! Miranda! (huggles Miranda) It's been forever! Yay for you! Yeah, it hasn't been easy, but totally worth it! Hehe! No worries! Love and Hugs!
And that's the end of the chapter! What will Yura and Tsubaki plan? Will Inuyasha decide what he'll do? Will Naraku keep starring at his fish? Find out next time on... Lovers and Killers! ((bum-bum-bump!))
Just kidding! Anyway, thanks for all the REVIEWS! I would say there aren't that many chappies left in the story... not sure how many, but I would say we're starting to wind down. Thanks again for all your constant support! I love you all! Adios, mi bien amigos y amigas!
Ash