Author's Note: Hello everyone, yes here it is the latest chapter at which I try to hold your imagination captive. Well, until you stop reading the chapter. LOL! Anyway, read and review. Until then.

Disclaimer: Located back at first chapter!

CHAPTER 3: AWARENESS

Kagome ran toward the stairwell with the small sign hanging above the door with the bright blaring red light reading exit. That is where the trail of petals had stopped. 'WAIT!' her thoughts screamed at her. 'What if he is hiding behind the door?' Kagome took a shaky breath with that thought. 'No, I will not hide from him. I'm tired of hiding from him. Eight years of oppression is enough.' Her hand went for the handle trembling slightly as it came into contact with the frigid steel. She was carelessly throwing caution into the wind this time. Kagome's hand pushed hard against the latch which released the latch. The door swung wide, and for a few precious seconds it was like the world stopped turning and Kagome was physically frozen. The only thing revving full steam ahead was her overwhelmed senses which could register the dingy gray brick that decorated the walls of the stairwell. Plus, the lights dimming on and off because of a power surge that was casting eerie shadows that were dancing murderously on the wall. Then there was the drowning of the halogen lights lining the ceiling of the stair well. She was so weighed down in thought that it didn't register to Kagome that the door revealed nothing, except more of the silk white petals. Kagome should have known better then to think he would be waiting behind the door. It was just too cliché for this supposed Romeo, however she kept going. Her heart beat was racing wildly with a mix of anticipation and adrenaline. The flight of stairs seemed to whirl by her in a blur as Kagome reached the exit door on the main floor. Kagome should to have known what lie in wait for her. It was the same thing that waited for her every other time he had left her these supposed gifts. But it clawed and tore at her soul the knowing that some innocent had died because of her. And it was all because some sick fuck thought he could immortalize her on this ungodly pedestal that placed her unfairly above all women. This high standard that no one could meet apparently even had Kagome even wonder if she could reach it herself. Oh, how she prayed that someone would knock her off that pedestal. It was something Kagome never wanted, and she would give anything to rewrite her past.

THUNK

She ran into the sliding glass door due to her inattentiveness. Kagome threw her arms up to cover her face in the last millisecond of a coherent thought. She slid down the cool glass with a groan until she landed on her knees. Kagome knew she was going to have a bruise on her hip tomorrow do to the pain radiating from that boney area.

"Damnit!" Kagome whispered. In the background she could hear feet pounding heavily against the metal stairs she just left not so long ago. Kagome blinked her eyes a few time trying to clear away the double vision she just acquired. 'How could I have been that preoccupied?! Come on Kagome, pay attention here.' She climbed slowed up off the ground. Kagome was still facing the outside. Her eyes could see nothing, nothing lifeless anyways. If she didn't step outside the dormitory now, Kagome would quickly lose her nerve. 'Outside.' The thought made her body tingle with fear. 'She has to be out there.'

Without realizing what she had done, Kagome found that she had walked through the threshold and was greeted by the cold morning air wrapping around her. The rose petals unrelenting lead the way at the door and further away from her safety. A trail beckoned her to follow, but she had ceased to. Kagome didn't want to go forward. To do so would only give him what he wanted, the undying satisfaction of knowing that he had her.

He pulled out the cell phone that had belonged to the late Yura, and dialed the number he grew to despise, especially the people that represented it. Romeo's latex gloved hand entered in a code which would connect him with Miroku Hoshi. You see everything that Romeo did was planned in a premeditated method. Miroku Hoshi was part of this nightmare Romeo created more then eight years ago. So, as a favor he kept Miroku in the loop. Every time he called to report a murder he made sure Miroku was the emergency operator he talked to. Romeo brought the phone to his ear and listened as the cell phone dialed through.

"911, what is your emergency?" Came a calm friendly male voice over the line.

"Yes, I would like to report a murder." He replied almost in a bored tone. Romeo was patiently waiting for Miroku to realize who it was that was talking to him.

"A murder sir? Can you tell if the person is dead or if the person still breath"

Romeo cut off the emergency operator before he could ask anymore questions. "No, she is very much dead, I can personally assure you. The victim is located at Tokyo University near the dorms."

Miroku had this chill run done his spine. He tried again to get more information from the caller. "Sir, can you tell me your name? Where exactly on the campus…"

Romeo smirked as he interrupted the operator. "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" he scolded Miroku. "Here I thought you would have recognized me by now. Hummm, six month is really a long time to stay way."

If Miroku had any doubts about who he was talking to before, he sure as hell had them confirmed now. That bastard some how again was able to get a hold of him, and that made Miroku's blood boil. However, at the same time it scared him.

"If you don't send help on the way, I fear something terrible might happen to another person. Someone that is intimately involved with this case, and we both know who that is don't we Miroku." He ended the phone call. Romeo calculated that it would take the police about ten minutes to get to the University and a few more minutes to find them. Them being Kagome and the body.

Miroku about yelled a very foul expletive, but thought better of it due to what he heard next. He jumped in his chair when he heard that all too familiar voice, cold and stoic on the line. But, that didn't compare to the words the bastard had just said. The ominous threat which resounded loudly in the air spurred Miroku into action. His finger typed at a furious rate as Miroku called police precinct 47 to call the homicide. As Miroku readied himself to respond to the man, an earsplitting drone of a dial tone came screaming in his ear. 'Shit! Sango! Kagome!' he thought frantically.

He closed the Motorola flip phone closed and chucked it to his left a good 20 feet. 'That should keep those imbeciles off the trail for a while.' Romeo stood off in the side lines watching and waiting for 'his,' Kagome to come. She always had. His earth brown eyes observed her run down the last flight of stair and out of the corridor. Kagome looked so beautiful it almost hurt him to breath. Her wavy locks of onyx streamed out behind her like a trail of rich soft threads. Kagome's flawless face was marred by a look of worry, brows knit together with her full, lower cherry red lip being trapped down with her teeth. Her gray-blue eyes shone with innocence, at what she prayed would not come. Kagome's chest heaved up and down within the confines of that cottony black tank top showing off her amble bosom. His mouth watered with that thought. Images of lustful fantasy wandered through his mind fading out the physically world around him.

All of a sudden he was brought out of his lustful thoughts with a loud thud. His head shot up as he saw Kagome slide down the glass door. He nearly laughed out loud. 'Are we in that much of a hurry to see my gift Kagome?' Romeo continued to watch the puzzling reaction of the young woman. To him, it seemed that Kagome was having an internal conflict with herself when she finally was able to pick herself up off the ground. It felt like forever before her hand went for the door, open it, and then warily stepped out. His eyebrow arched up in mild annoyance and amusement at Kagome's change of attitude. She was no longer anxious like before. It all changed when she step out of the security of the building.

Kagome thought she heard someone talking in the distance over the blaring fire alarm screeching in the morning. It was faint but the breeze carried it to her ears, however; Kagome could not see anything. She strained her ears trying urgently to catch anything. Kagome began to walk forward with tentative steps quietly. White petals still showing her the way, but. She swore the sound was coming straight ahead around some of the shade trees blocking out the morning rays, and the petals did not go there.

'Can he be here?' A voice echoed deep within her. 'You'd better hurry because soon all your fellow students will be running out thinking there is a fire.'

Kagome wove between the clusters of multi-colored shrubbery surrounding the cement path. Farther way from the dorm, farther way from safety. Her heart beat resounded in her ear making it harder to discriminate the world around her. Every breath she took could be seen in an airy wisp as she exhaled. Goose bumps formed on her exposed skin as she tredged deeper on the path. Kagome trained her eyes, taking in all her surrounding. Listening and waiting.

The white silk petal course ended off a ways from the man made walk way into a well covered niche. From here, Kagome realized that no one would be able to see her if they happen to walk by.

Tap- tap

She whirled around almost violently expecting someone to be there, but only found a wood pecker busily pecking away at the oak. Kagome's eyes lowered from high above the tree top and lowered slowly. That is when she saw it, the fluttering of something human in the eerie stillness.

Inuyasha and Kouga jogged at a rushed rate to their unmarked patrol car. The two detectives destination, Tokyo University. They were half way to Kouga's red Ford Mustang when Inuyasha's cell phone started going off. He reached for it, flipping open in a haphazard fashion before answering. "Feh."

Kouga pulled is keys out of his pockets and pressed the disarm button that unlocked the two doors to his pride and joy. He listened as Inuyasha answered the phone. The conversation, from what Kouga could tell was pretty one sided. Who ever it was that was talking, or should he say yelling at Inuyasha was really riled up. Kouga gave a cocky smirk as he opened the driver side door and jumped in. He could only imagine why someone was telling off is partner in such a heated manor. 'Mutt face probably got caught fucking some poor bastard's girl and is now challenging him. Whoa! I bet that girl had to be desperate to let dog turd touch her.' Kouga's thoughts provided him some mild entertainment at his partner's expense. It wasn't that he didn't like Inuyasha. It was just that the two where so much a like is some regards that they didn't mix well. 'I wager she was drunk off her ass and didn't know what she was doing. Then while in the middle of a wham- bam- thank- you- madam, her boyfriend walks in….' Kouga would have laughed but was interrupted.

"Miroku slow the hell down and tell me again." Inuyasha bellowed back as he got into the passenger side. Inuyasha noticed Kouga slow reaction time for starting the car so he growled at him. "Ookami! Get the lead out of your ass and start the damn car already. Yeah, yeah Miroku I heard you."

Kouga shot Inuyasha a look before igniting the engine, and pulling out of the police parking lot like a bat out of hell.

"Son of a bitch!" Inuyasha snarled with defined rage. The majority of his angry was at what Miroku was telling him. That bastard Romeo was or is still at the Tokyo University and had called Miroku letting him know. It was like Romeo was flaunting it in his face. Then he threatened to hurt someone else if they didn't send someone, and soon.

Kouga sped through the early morning traffic. The sea of vast amounts of cars parted like the red sea for them to pass through. Everything was going alright until they came to the intersection. Some fool driving a trash dump truck came barreling down the road apparently unaware of the siren or the red and blue light blazing there warning until it was to late. The trash truck was in the middle of the intersection crossing, at what felt like s slow speed as the red Ford Mustang came gunning full speed ahead.

"Fuck!" shouted Kouga as he slammed on his brakes and turned the steering wheel hard to the right sending the sports car into a tail spin.

Inuyasha felt his stomach dance uneasily around as the Mustang turned a full 360 degrees then came to a complete halt. The smell of burning rubber filtered in the car making all the more harder for Inuyasha to keep his stomach contents down.

What he really wanted to do was to give that idiot of a trash truck driver a few choice expletives, but because he was on duty he settled on reading the license plate number for later reference. Kouga took a moment and looked over at Inuyasha who suddenly was strangle quiet and started to turn an interesting shade of green. His hand was still clutching the cell phone to his ear but his knuckles were turning white. Kouga began to enjoy the look on Inuyasha's face and decided to give him the ride of his life.

The red Ford Mustang revved into high gear as it swirled back down the street going from zero to sixty in less then ten seconds.

Kagome knew it was her. She was located behind the tree waiting for her. All Kagome had to do was to walk straight around and confront the dead body. She had done it before. That's why she ran out here, wasn't it? No, Kagome shook her head trying to dispel the web of self doubt. 'I came out here to find the bastard.' Kagome looked to the side where the dormitory was located. She could hear students panicking as they rushed out of the building screaming fire. 'Fire,' she thought. 'There is no fire.' Kagome thought bitterly. 'The only fire is the one that is burning my soul. It serves as a reminder to that torments me. No, there is no it. It is he and he likes to serve me the reminder.' Instead of stepping around the base of the tree Kagome stepped forward. She was so close to the tree that there was a few inches separating her from the course bark.

"Ka- go- me." Romeo sighed wordless in the autumn morn. He saw her coming the moment she stepped one dainty foot of the patio of the dormitory and come to the alcove. All she had to do was walk around the tree and come face to face with his gift. Or rather his apology gift for his indiscretion. However, Kagome didn't step around the tree to face his gift. Rather she seemed to be affixiated with the rough texture of the tree bark as if she was studying every nuance.

Kagome's hand made a fist and in a desperate attempt to control her swaying emotions. She brought her fist up and slammed it into the bark. "Damn you! Damn you!" Kagome chanted as she pummeled her fist against the tree until it was raw, cursing him softly.

Kouga slammed on the brakes when he found a cluster of ambulances and fire trucks littering the parking lot of the University's dormitory square barring entrance to them. "Shit! This just keeps getting better! We have a fire and a murdering sadistic psycho on are hands." he said sarcastically.

Inuyasha had some how managed to over come the bile that was rising in his throat when the Mustang came to a slamming halt. His body gained that momentary feel of weightlessness as Inuyasha came rushing forward toward the wind shield. Only to be restrained back by the seat belt now trying to become one with his body. He didn't hear Kouga remarks because he was to focused on telling him off about his driving. "Damn you Kouga! You drive like a fucking manic! You could have killed us you ass."

Kouga grinned at his foul tempered partner before answering. "Yeah, and if you were driving we'd still be at the police station. Open your eyes mutt face we have a serious situation on our hands." With that Kouga got out of his car.

Inuyasha finally looked out the passenger side window and notice the chaotic scene around them. Miroku's words came crashing back to him. 'Inuyasha, he's there on the campus! He's there and threatened Sango and Kagome if someone does come soon!' As if on autopilot, Inuyasha moved out of the car and started a rushed jog to the scene. Inuyasha's thoughts were in a fog, and he wasn't sure how to react to that little piece of information Miroku granted him with. But, he knew and had always known Kagome was involved in this. Inuyasha hadn't seen Kagome after Kikyou's murder, and now… Now eight years later he was going to see her. Damn, he wanted answers, answers to the question that had beleaguered his past. But, the circumstance of how they were going to meet was something Inuyasha did not desire, however; he was going to see her.

As the two detectives came closer to the pandemonium around them they could see hundreds of students standing around looking dazed and sleepy still in their pajamas. However, there were two students in particular that were not dazed or sleepy. They were frantic, and racing right at the two detectives.

"INUYASHA!" A shill voice yelled out.

He heard her curse him, but he couldn't do anything about that right now. Right now their was more pressing issues at hand like the red and blue flashing light in the background. The idiots were here. It is time to make his escape. 'We'll continue this later my Kagome.'

Romeo silently walked around the tree. Kagome's back was facing him and she still hadn't noticed him behind her. His footsteps where eerily quiet giving his obsession any indication that he was there. Romeo's hand dug into his pocket revealing his glock hand gun. It was a standard issue for the special agent in the police force. There were only about six thousand of them in Japan, and those that had them were police. 'Those bastards!' Romeo thought with loathing. He had to make sure Kagome wouldn't see him make is escape. 'I will come to you in time Kagome… But, not now.' His nimble finger flicked the safety on the glock. Just one good whack on the base of the skull would send his beauty into the land of slumber for at least on hour.

Kagome was ripped from her thoughts when she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise in a very telling way. Her tiny hand went to her nape and tried to smooth the ruffled hairs, but to no avail the feeling won't go away. Kagome had not other choice then to see what was the cause of her unease. She barely turned her head when a blunt end of the gun handle took aim at the base of her head. Kagome didn't even see stars, only blackness. She didn't hear the retreating footsteps jogging at the steady rate away from her, only the beat of her heart.

Kagome's body fell forward, scratching her delicate skin on the rough bark of the tree before her. She almost mirrored the poor girl located just around the tree, expect for one thing. Kagome was still alive.