It was late out, but they didn't care. The sporty, black mustang in which they sat was spewing fuel onto pavement below them, effectively staining it, but they didn't care. The radio was blasting static, but they didn't care. There was no moon in the sky and they sat alone in the dark, but they didn't care. Cars zoomed past them from nearly every direction, but they didn't care.
But one couldn't go home, and she did care. And Higurashi Kikyou thanked her lucky stars that her younger sibling was staying at a friend's house.
Two sets of eyes peered out into an empty abyss lit only occasionally by the blinding glare of head and taillights. Aforementioned young woman and Senshi Sesshoumaru sat, tense, in the front seats of the car, lost in their own thoughts and not daring to attempt communication at such a time.
Kikyou's generally warm orbs of mahogany were now dull and glazed over, characterized by some unspoken sorrow, while Sesshoumaru's searing magma-like pools were a-swirl, violently turbulent. Both were obviously thinking of what had happened just little over an hour ago, though with quite different reactions.
Sesshoumaru's nostrils flared with every breath. Regardless of what they had told their friends, Onigumo's transgressions went far beyond simple passes at his girlfriend. It was far more than that, this tangled web they weaved...
Kikyou had gone through the pains to explain the encounter in full detail after they'd left, and while Sesshoumaru had been enraged before, he was now past the line that marked a normal person's sanity. And he was more than a little scared, too. Not for himself, and even his beloved, though.
"Why hello there, my dear," an oily voice sliced through the cheerful buzzing about her, prompting Kikyou to glance up with a wary expression.
"Onigumo..." she inhaled sharply, her murmur breathy. She seemed to get ahold of herself a moment later, however, and glared at the greasy-haired man. "What do you want with me?" she demanded; loud enough to command an answer but quiet enough so as not to attract attention.
He chuckled softly, and further approached her, carefully balancing a tray in his hands. "Now, now. No need to act so rashly, my sweet."
"Your sweet?" she sounded rather appalled. Then again, who wouldn't be?
"Yes. You're mine, Kikyou. You should know that by now..."
She snorted. "As if. Now would you be so kind as to fuck off?"
He fixed her with a level stare. "You're worth more than Senshi can offer. Ditch him and come with me, Kikyou. I'll show you what a real man can do." She made a disgusted face and started to say something, but he interrupted, "And if you don't take me up on my little offer, something real interesting might happen to that twerpy sister of Senshi's. Something real interesting..."
Her blood ran cold and her eyes were wide with terror. "You wouldn't."
"You know me better than that, Kikyou. Of course I would. And if you refuse even then, it'll be your dear, darling sister."
"You're a monster," she seethed.
He laughed again, this time catching the attention of Sesshoumaru, who had finished getting the drinks. "That may be true but I'm a damn smart one, my dear."
Everything had gone downhill from there and at long last, here they sat, in a silent gloom. Opting however, to breach the broken bridges of communication, Sesshoumaru's hand snaked out in the darkness and plopped lightly on top of hers, intertwining their fingers.
She broke out of her stupor and offered him a sad smile. "We're on our last life line, aren't we?"
He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid so."
She fought the urge to cry. For in doing so, not only would she be weak, but she would be good as well admitting their defeat. And though the situation looked hopeless, neither really wanted to do so quite yet. "Damn it..."
He glanced up in surprise and caught her gaze. It was not often that she swore; not often at all. "Kikyou..."
"I hate this," she muttered. "How can we just sit back idly and watch him destroy our lives like this?"
"But what can we do?" he questioned, throwing in the little reminder, "He pretty much is holding your sister's life in the palm of his hand. I mean, Rin is easier to be watched than Kaede..."
"I know," she sighed, succumbing to deep despair. "And back there...In the restaurant, I mean...He made me feel so helpless, so weak."
He gave her hand a little squeeze for comfort. "We'll think of something. Some way, some how..."
"I sure hope so," she mimicked his earlier sigh. "Ordinarily I'd take this straight to the police, but...It's not as simple as that, is it?"
"No," Sesshoumaru shook his head, anger creeping into his tone once more. "It's not. And that's what's making me so mad. Because like I said before; at the moment, we can't do one damn thing."
She slumped down in her seat, folding her arms as she glanced out the window to her right. Shivering suddenly, she eyed the clock. "It's past midnight already..."
"I know..." he responded shortly thereafter, fiddling with the steering wheel.
"I don't want to go home," she whispered. "I don't want to be by myself tonight."
He leaned over the divider and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I won't let you be alone." He assured her.
"But Inu-Yasha will be at home," she reminded him.
"He can blow it out his ass, for all I care." Sesshoumaru shrugged, turning the key in the engine even as he spoke, pulling out onto the road the next chance he got.
She just shook her head. "If you say so...I just hate sounding like a martyr."
"Kikyou," he shook his head in exasperation. "This very well may be the life or death situation he promised us. We're not being over dramatic and you're certainly not being a martyr. Now will you please calm down? Getting worked up is like handing him the cup."
"I...You're right," she took a deep breath and swallowed.
"That's better," he soothed. "Kaede is very safe wherever she is; he promised to come after Rin first, and she's at home with Inu-Yasha."
She nodded stiffly. "Yes, of course..."
The rest of the drive was pretty much spent in silence. They exchanged words a few times, but mostly they just spoke to reassure one another that everything was going to be all right. When they were safely there, and Sesshoumaru had made three rounds around the house, making sure everything was carefully locked, he turned on the kitchen range light and a lamp in the living room. Both of them canceled their plans for the next day.
The stately grandfather clock cheerfully chimed in every hour, and Sesshoumaru and Kikyou would creep up the stairs and check on Rin. When the crack of dawn finally came, Sesshoumaru grabbed some blankets and pillows from his room and set them up on the couch. Their late night vigil was over at last. Onigumo may be an odd one, but even he would not be foolish enough to try something when it was light out.
Once the two of them were settled - snuggled up under the blankets - their drowsiness began to show. It was not long before Sesshoumaru's breathing became even and his eyes fluttered closed. Kikyou flashed him a lopsided smile and reached up to brush the bangs from his eyes. But even as she gently traced the sides of his face and his high cheekbones, she fell prisoner to sleep herself.
A/N: Long time no update. Only seven reviews to go before I reach my career-long goal. Winter break's coming up in a mere four days, so hopefully I'll be able to work on this quite a bit. Then again, who knows? Since everytime I seem to say something like that I never get the time to or whatnot and turn out to be a liar. But anyway, the annoying amount of drama is starting to annoy me, as well as how I must portray Kikyou and Sesshoumaru, but hopefully that will improve starting with the next chapter. And oh: unfortunately there will be no Miroku/Sango direct interaction for the next two-to-three chapters. As mentioned in Chapter 10, Miroku's going on an impromptu vacation. But fear not, loyal readers; there will be some immediately upon his return, and soon after that, they will even evolve into...friends. ::gasp::
Please Review!