Thank you for the compliments in your reviews::feels uber happy: Yayness! I know that there aren't very many fics with this premise that are well written, much less consistent, but I'm glad you consider mine to be one of those few! Yay…

My truck is now fixed! My Jimmy is working wonderfully! I'm so happy -I can get around on my own now. You have one happy authoress right now!

Into the Fray

Chapter 8

Like Packaged Mail

"Hello again, Inu-Yasha," Stepmother said with her fake smile. She held her arms out wide, as if wanting to hug me. I didn't move from my spot, partially because I was still in shock, and partially because I was disgusted beyond reason.

I couldn't believe my eyes. The woman that screwed me over so royally was standing in the one place I thought she wouldn't be able to reach me ever again. I knew she saw the fear in my eyes, and in turn, it made her laugh inside. I retreated ever so slightly when she came towards me, and this made her foul smile wider.

"Inu-Yasha, is this any way to treat your Stepmother?" she asked pleasantly, to which my eyes narrowed. I felt something akin to a growl rumble in my chest, and I balled my fists.

"Why the hell are you here!" I shouted, which made the three Higurashis in the room jump. "Get out! GET OUT! GO AWAY!"

Stepmother's arms went back down and her fake smile turned back into that awful frown. She leaned in closer to me, so close that I could smell the foul perfume she always wore. "Quiet," she demanded in a harsh whisper, "Don't you be so disrespectful to me, brat." From behind me, Mrs. Higurashi put her hand on my shoulder and made her way to the doorway and in front of me. She was confused as well.

"May… we help you, Miss?" she asked. Stepmother leaned back and diverted her cold gaze to Mrs. Higurashi, which changed back into a warm, pleasant one.

"Yes, I have come to pick up my stepson." At this, I almost had a heart attack. The Higurashi girl beside me gasped and looked at me, worry in her face. I didn't really care about her at the moment. I was still trying to digest what Stepmother just said. "He ran away from me a few years ago, when he was thirteen and living with me in Chicago," Stepmother continued. "We searched everywhere for him, but we couldn't find him. I thought he was dead…" She took a little pause for effect and then continued. "But recently, I discovered something on the Internet and learned that he had somehow gotten here, back to Tokyo. I have come to fetch him. I've already informed his teachers about it and he is being transferred back to his old school in the States." I shuddered at that. The only other place I truly hated besides the mansion was my old school.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to me, her face holding an emotion I couldn't describe. "Is… Is this true?"

I snarled past her to my Stepmother. "Partially," I spat. "I didn't run away -you kicked me out, you heinous bitch. You knew I came back to Tokyo. Why are you here now? Your precious fame, money and mansion are safe -there's no reason for you to be here! Go back to Chicago and leave me alone!"

Mrs. Higurashi's eyebrows went up and Stepmother's threatening scowl grew. Mrs. Higurashi's gaze then went from me back to Stepmother, who's face had already changed to one of parental weariness. Said bitch sighed. "Teenagers these days," she muttered heavily. "Always stretching the truth."

Mrs. Higurashi looked lost and confused. "I think I need to sit down…" she muttered wearily. She put her hand to her forehead and made her way to the couch, and plopped heavily upon it. Stepmother turned to me, her fake smile back on and said pleasantly, "Go and pack your things. I'm taking you back with me to Chicago in the morning."

I was about to lunge and attack her, but I felt a heavy, strong hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the latest model of her personal goon staring down at me fiercely -huge, stocky stature, black hair, brown eyes. I knew then that if I even tried to lay a finger on Stepmother, I'd die by the hands of the giant standing behind me. Literally.

From all of the surprises, I felt my head start to swim. I leaned against the doorway for support since I didn't seem to be able to do it myself. I heard my breathing come out short and quick and I felt my pulse pound painfully in my temples. Stepmother then brushed past me, out the doorway. "See you tomorrow!" she exclaimed happily as she got back into her blue Lexus. The Higurashi girl shut the door and then looked at me.

"That… really was your stepmother?" she asked, but I couldn't reply. I couldn't do anything. I felt like I was about to pass out. The pressure in my head was getting to be too much.

"I…" I heard myself say weakly, "I… need to go upstairs…" With that, my legs pumped and I flew up the flight of stairs and into Sota's and my room. I collapsed on my futon face down, seriously about to cry in frustration. Why wouldn't she leave me alone? Why! She didn't have any use for me anymore -what did she want now?

As my mind was furiously trying to come up with reasons for her awful return, I heard the door open and close gingerly. "Inu-Yasha?" I heard the Higurashi girl ask carefully. "Are you okay?"

I sat up and looked at her. I knew my eyes were teary and my face was red, but at that moment, I really didn't care. "No, I'm not okay!" I nearly shouted. "That bitch comes back and wants to ship me back to Chicago like some fucking packaged mail! I hate her! I HATE HER! I thought I'd go insane the whole time I was living with her!" I leaned back to the wall and let my shoulders go limp. I drew my legs to my chest and I curled up in a ball, much like I used to do when she would lock me up in her closets.

I let my head fall back down into the small space between my knees. "I can't go back…" I muttered into my jeans. "I can't…" I heard the girl's soft footsteps come closer and then stop. She then sat down beside me, to my right. I felt her hand on my back.

"Why not…?" she asked softly. "What… did she do to you?"

I shook my head. I couldn't tell her that. For one thing, there were too many things to list. And, if I did, then that would just remind me of what I had in store for me when I got back. All of the mind games, the goons… maybe she would try to abandon me in the ghetto again. I shook my head again. I felt the girl's hand beginning to move on my back. She was rubbing it -probably trying to calm me down.

"Inu-Yasha, it's going to be okay," she said reassuringly. Yeah, when Hell freezes over, I told myself sarcastically. "I mean…" she continued, "She can't really be THAT bad."

I lifted my face and looked at her incredulously. How could she be so naïve? "Oh, yes it can, girl," I replied bitterly. "You didn't live with her. You'd be surprised at how well she screwed me over. All my problems are thanks to her. She hates me. She hates me with a passion. She never really got over the affair her husband had with her sister, and I am the product of that affair. She'll never show anything close to friendliness to me." I looked back down to the floor to let that bit of information sink into the Higurashi girl's head.

"…So…" she began, "…after your parents died, she took you in?" I nodded, and out of the corner of my eye, a smile formed on her face. "Then that means she cares about you, right?" I looked at her, wondering how she could have made such an insane conclusion. "I mean, she didn't put you up for adoption, so that must mean something."

I scoffed. "No, the only reason she took me in was because it was the ethical thing to do, and if she didn't, then there would be a scandal on her hands. She would've killed me, but she said there was never the right time for the perfect crime. So, she kept me locked up in my room most of the time. And when I turned thirteen, she booted me out and I found my way back here." I turned back to the floor. "What confuses me is why she wants me back after four years."

The girl frowned. "I doubt that she really hates you that much… I mean, no one's that heartless."

I turned to her, my fury getting the better of me. I slapped her upside the head and shouted, "Well, you know what? She is. The only thing she cares about is her bloody money, her bloody goons, her bloody mansion, and those damn people that come over that she tries to impress every other Saturday. She would lock me in that dark closet for hours, forget I was there, and then have her maids come and clean me up after a few days." The girl's expression turned from shocked to appalled. Maybe now she realized what kind of woman I had to go back to.

"I…" she began slowly, "I'm so sorry…"

My eyes narrowed. "Well, don't be. Your damn pity won't help anything." After what seemed a long, tense moment, I sighed, and then got up off of the futon. There was no stopping this. I had might as well begin packing now. "Now, unless you want to help me pack, get out."

I heard her get up off the futon. I then felt her hand on my shoulder again. "Inu-Yasha, why don't you just get out now, and run away?"

I turned to her, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Run away!" she replied, hope shining in her eyes. "If you're not here, then they can't take you away!"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Hopeless. It would only delay the inevitable. Besides, her goons are the human equivalents to bloodhounds. I wouldn't be lost for long."

The girl shook her head. "Only until your eighteenth birthday. Then, you'll be an adult, not a minor."

I sighed and continued picking up my stuff. "Look, if I pulled that, then I would have to be out there in the streets for seven months. I would be living out there with the hobos, eating old, half-eaten McDonalds burgers and sleeping by a fiery trash can in order to keep warm. And as appealing as that is, Stepmother would find me anyway." I threw a dirty T-shirt into one of my suitcases. Not that it mattered. Stepmother would find a way to lose it at the airport anyhow.

The Higurashi girl shook her head, utterly frustrated. "But… You can't go! You have commitments to the band! We have two shows this month! You need to be here!"

I looked at her, slightly befuddled as to why she wanted me to stay so badly. And, to be perfectly frank, it was starting to piss me off. "Girl, you have to understand this one, little crucial detail. SHE. DOESN'T. CARE."

For a moment, the two of us were silent. She was staring down at the carpeted floor, and I was waiting for her to say something. She sighed and then went over to her brother's desk and scribbled something down. "If you're in any kind of trouble, I want you to call us, okay?" she asked. I took the paper, folded it, and put it into my poket. I was about to return to picking my stuff up when she grabbed me by the shoulders again and forced me to look at her.

"You understand? If you're in trouble, then call us. If that bitch even tries to hurt you, call us and we'll be right there. Do you understand?" She stared at me for a moment, looking desperate and concerned. I didn't really know what to make of it.

"All right," I replied wearily. "I'll call you if I'm in trouble, okay?" Though that seemed to settle her down, I knew deep down that Stepmother wouldn't even let me near the phone. And even if I did somehow manage to get a hold of the Higurashi's in the event I was in trouble, I would probably be dead by the time they got there. She let her hands fall from my shoulders and she smiled brightly.

"Good," she said happily. "Now, let's get you packed."

…………………

The night went slowly. The Higurashi family and I had our last supper together, and in light of that, Mrs. Higurashi cooked a feast for us all. It took me a while to be able to put it all away. However, despite the fact that I was leaving in the morning, Grandpa Higurashi still glared at me through the whole thing. After supper, we watched a movie, which happened to be "The Ring" -which scared the shit out of the girl and Sota. Personally, it made me laugh.

Though I was tired, I couldn't sleep that night. I lay on my futon, face down, and let my mind ponder on what awaited me at Chicago. I knew that the moment I got into that Lexus, I would get my ass beaten for something, and whether I was really responsible for it or not would be irrelevant. And what was worse -I couldn't do a single thing to stop it. I sighed into my arms and closed my eyes. I had might as well store my memories of Tokyo away until I turned eighteen, or else I would become the scared little kid that got locked in the closet again. Stepmother would just love that.

I don't know when she walked in, but it was late at night. At least midnight. I heard the door creep open, and then soft footsteps coming near me. I lifted my head to see the silhouette of the Higurashi girl. I blinked and then whispered, "What are you doing in here?"

She smiled and sat down on my pillow. "I couldn't but help think about those goons you told me about," she whispered back, "and so, I wanted you to have these little things that I've been keeping in my purse in case of an emergency."

She began to get things out of her pajama bottoms and I said dully, "I won't need tampons…"

She smacked me upside the head gently, and then held out her possessions. I saw a switchblade, a Swiss army knife, mace, and… I looked closely at the tiny test tube in her hand. It was about the length and width of my middle finger and held a clear liquid in it. The tube itself was wrapped in clear plastic, and corked. There wasn't anything for identification. "What's this?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Be very careful with that. I swiped some hydrochloric acid from the lab we did in Chemistry yesterday." I looked at her incredulously. She stole lab supplies? Much less -ACID?

"How in Hell did you get this home?" I asked in a harsh whisper. She giggled softly.

"I have my ways," she replied enigmatically. "Now, that glass is pretty tough, but keep it in a place you know it won't get broken." I looked at my newfound weapons with a bit of courage -they may come in handy. I put the blades and mace in my back pocket and the acid in a high, out of reach poket in my backpack. I always transported breakable things in there. None of them ever broke.

I looked at her smiling face. "Why are you giving these to me now?" I asked.

Her smile grew bigger. "Mom doesn't know I have any of that stuff. She'd freak if she saw them. Besides, I wouldn't want those goons of your stepmother's to know what weapons you have. You can have the element of surprise with those. Especially the acid. You can do a lot of damage with that."

I laughed with little mirth. "No shit."

She got up and then began to leave. "Goodnight," she whispered.

I gave her receding back a half-smile. "G'night," was my reply.

With a little bit of hope now in my soul, I lay down on my futon and slept.

……………………….

Yay… I'm burned… The tops of my feet are burned… I can't walk right -they hurt so badly! Gah…

Sorry about the wait. I actually had this chapter all fixed up and ready to go (along with ch. 9) but I couldn't find time to be able to update and when I did, I forgot my disk at home. Oops.

Ja!