Author: I am really happy that you all like it! Thank you all for your reviews! Generally, encouragements push the author going (wheeeee). I will try my best to make this fic good. I'm deeply sorry about the late update (eek). The Japanese translations shall be at the bottom, as some e-mailed me so I thought I should just put them up. (bows)
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Disclaimer: What would happen if I DO own Fluffy? (evil smirk) OooOo, bad question…it holds way too many possibilities…… But (sigh), as it is, I don't own Inuyasha. (the anime AND our fav hanyou) (Life just isn't how you planned…)(Okay, I'll shut up now X.x)
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Chapter 2 Homicide
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Inuyasha growled when he felt something licking his toes.
He turned over and pulled his blanket over his head, muttering, "Kagome……"
He shot up straight, shocked. Kagome?
He looked down to find a large white dog still licking his toes; it wagged its shaggy tail furiously at him, baring its sharp fangs in protest. In its jaws it held a chain leash.
Inuyasha growled again, but he got up.
How could he refuse his favorite dog its daily morning walk?
"Alright then you rug, come on, make it quick," Inuyasha may sound mean but, the dog, Taisho, understood.
Inuyasha named this amber-eyed dog after his deceased father, and there were times Inuyasha thought that Taisho could think like a human. He had always been a solitary kid back then, and not even Miroku can do much good. Taisho had been the one to keep him company, no matter what. Inuyasha would have still remained solo if it weren't for Kagome.
Inuyasha allowed a grin to be plastered on his face. Yes, whenever it wasn't public, Inuyasha always showed his affections, sometimes even in his insults and sarcastic comments. How couldhe do both at the same time nobody would ever know.
His thoughts on Kagome were broken when Taisho barked urgently. The dog whined a little, swinging its head in the direction of the forest near the garden. It dashed off, dragging a confused master behind it.
Inuyasha dropped the leash, completely shocked. Taisho was nudging a figure hidden by the shades, and it looked up pleadingly at the bloodied figure.
Inuyasha hurried to its side, and knelt down to inspect the unconscious figure. His heart clasped painfully at her wound.
Oh Rin………
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A small girl with endless energyjumped around in circles, squealing happily as she picked the flowers in the meadow. A couple stood behind her, gazing at their daughter lovingly.
"Mom, Dad! Look, Rin made a pretty bouquet for you!" The girl had a smile almost too big for her dainty face, holding up two very colorful and rather well-made flower rings.
The father bent down and patted her head tenderly, his brown eyes glinting in kindness, "Thank you, Rin-chan."
Rin squealed again when strong hands heaved her up in the air and she giggled. Her mother was complimenting on how good her craftsmanship is, and her father simply talked about the stars with her sitting on his shoulder.
The whole place was surrounded by a warm, peaceful feeling, and Ri had never felt so content...
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……… My parents? Is that…… me?
Rin opened her eyes groggily, shutting her eyes quickly at the invading light. Her whole body felt numb, and when she tried to sit up, her head would spasm in agony, and she had to bit her lips from screaming.
What was that? Could that be a memory of my past? And…where am I?
When she finally adjusted to the surroundings, she surveyed the room warily. It was a rather elegant room, brilliant chandlers hanging elaborately from the magnificent ceiling. The carpets were gorgeous, finely-embroidered patterns. The bed she was lying on is just as snuggly and warm, and Rin almost fell asleep again.
She grunted when she moved her left hand from under the covers, her right hand seemed to be immobilized, and it was connected to and I.V. Her fingers felt a foreign material around her head, and she realized they were bandages. Her hand felt wet and sticky, and her stomach lurched when she saw blood.
What happened? I was just walking back home…… and ……
The door opened and she squinted her eyes to see her visitors. Her mind shouted in relief when she saw the silhouettes of her friends.
"Rin!" Kagome let out a relieved squeal and rushed at the bedridden girl "I am so glad you are alright. Does your head still hurt? Can you move? Do you need any help? Do you……"
"Really, Kagome-chan, you shouldn't overwhelm her when she just woke up," Sango scolded lightly, but she seemed equally relieved as her friend.
Rin grinned inwardly. Just leave it to Kagome to cheer her up with her concern. On the outside, all Rin could do was managing a weak smile, "Glad to see you guys too…… ne, what happened?"
"That should be our question, Rin. What happened to you? Who did this? Why, if anybody dared touching my dear Sango's beautiful body……" SLAP , "cough, cough. You get what I mean," finished Miroku proudly, his expression hilarious with his serious grave tone and a huge, red handprint on his cheek. Rin chuckled a bit.
Really. Rin felt extremely comforted by her, um, interesting friends.
Sango glared at the ero-houshi, and while trying to offended when she was actually touched by his gesture, "Seriously, Rin-chan……… at least you're still the same. Our Rin."
"What's that supposed to mean, Sango?"
"Well, you were out for three days, Rin-chan…… we thought you'd never wake up." Sango bit her lips. A dark shadow seemed to shroud over them. The three sat down on the carpet, looking at her anxiously. Rin blinked while trying to search for her memory. It hurts to just think. So, I've been unconscious for three days. Miroku's right, I need to know what happened…….
"Where is this place anyway?"
Miroku grinned with pride, "Well, this is my private hospital," his smile dropped, "I mean, it really scared me when Inuyasha just phoned me and told me to send a limo over. And I saw you… you……… look… with all that blood……" His usually perverted and hyper persona was so crestfallen that Rin wondered how she looked like. It mustn't be that bad, was it? Rin sucked in a deep breath. Or not. My head hurts like hell.
"You…you have like 27 stitches, Rin-chan……" Kagome whispered faintly.
"Kagome's right, so just fess up, Rin! What the hell really happened?" Inuyasha's gruff voice entered the room.
Rin stared into Inuyasha's amber eyes and an image flashed before her.
Yellow eyes staring into hers…… so cold…
Something heavy hits the back of her head……
A pair of wild, demon-like eyes with two green stripes on each cheek……
"Don't come here ever again………"
Rin's eyes grew wide and her only movable arm grasped wildly at her bandages, reopening the wound. Her gasps grew erratic, and she could only see darkness, feeling a chilling sensation down her spine…
"RIN! RIN! Snap out of it!" Inuyasha shouted rather worriedly, shaking Rin urgently. Somehow Rin had fallen off the bed during her flashback and was now tangled in the sheets, thrashing in imaginary defense.
"What's going on, Rin? I just walked in and you… kinda went into spasm…," if Inuyasha had puppy ears, they would be drooping in hurt. Rin's face flushed from embarrassment at her sudden weakness.
"Go…gomen, Inuyasha. Wadashi wa……… wadashi wa……," Rin stuttered hastily, trying think of something to say.
All of them stared at her warily, completely baffled.
"Are you sure you're okay? Is there something you want to tell us?" Inuyasha's usually irritable voice was low and soft in genuine concern. Kagome looked like she would love to rub Inuyasha's imaginary ears.
It pained her to move, but Rin slowly got onto the bed. Just such a movement drained the energy out of her. Well, the brain controls the body…… what did I got hit with anyways? Most importantly, why?
She felt the bandages delicately, and murmured unconvincingly, "Hai, minna. Hondouni daijoubu desu………… hondou."
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"Holy sh…… 27 stitches? What the hell did you do, eh?" Bankotsu's indigo eyes flashed in frustration as he remarked snidely to the tall man besides him.
When the other didn't reply, Bankotsu punched the wall directly besides the man's shoulder, since he could not reach the other's head. The wall cracked considerably,even thoughit is made of bricks. However, the tall man didn't even flinch.
"Cheh, you really are a cold-blooded kusoyarou, teme," Bankotsu spat vehemently, "She's just an innocent girl who happened to be dragged into this mess. There is no need to hit her like that."
The other retorted without raising his husky voice, "Since when do you care, Bankotsu?"
Bankotsu withdrawn his fist and folded his arms. He scowled, "no I don't. Need me to remind you, that girl is underage. You know my policy. And, according to our informant, she's rather carefree."
"That she reminded you of her?"
Bankotsu's eyes blazed in fury, and hidden pain. He snarled viciously, "Shut up! Don't you dare……… you have no right to say that! You killed your……" He stopped, looking away.
The tall man's yellow eyes lit up in a brief fire, and as sudden as the emotion was, it was gone.
The two stayed silent for awhile. Bankotsu continued weakly, "Well, you haven't answered my question, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru stared down coldly, "Your brother did, not I."
Bankotsu rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "Care to elaborate? Couldn't hurt to just utter a few more words, can you? I swear it takes more energy to get words out of you than my job. Anyways… is it Jakotsu? He hates girls, I know that……"
"Iie. Suikotsu."
Bankotsu resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, "What? No way. That gullible, good-natured doctor? He's the kindest out of us all Shichinintai…"
"It was full moon, Bankotsu."
"Ah. His Rasetsu-personality seemed to prefer to come out at full moons the most. Well, I'm actually quite surprised that he didn't kill the girl," he commented mildly, scratching his chin. He glanced at the sleeping Rin through the window. He had seen this face somewhere……
"I stopped him," Sesshoumaru's voice was even icier than usual.
At this, Bankotsu smirked, "Ah, Ice prince does have a heart after all! Maa, it's none of my business. Good to hear that though," the man's voice dropped into a whisper, "Did Yura come back yet? I should hope not, you know what a weird-hair freak she is, hating Renkotsu just because he's bald……"
Sesshoumaru nodded at Bankotsu's implied message. The laughing man's eyes narrowed, losing the humorous glint.
He asked gravely, and a little sadly, "So, it is true?"
"Three weeks from now, at Kearney St., 7:15 p.m."
Bankotsu folded his arms, "Wagatta. Iku no, Sesshoumaru?"
Barely, just barely, the indicated man glanced over at Rin's peaceful, sleeping face. He nodded curtly, and they both disappeared.
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School was hectic. The reason? Rin. Rin had always wanted to be inconspicuous, yet, after three weeks of recovery, the school went into an uproar.
People she never talked to all asked her the same thing: What happened? She was touched by those who were actually concerned, but the otherswere just gossiping and plain annoying.
Apparently, a Miroku fan-girls club had secretly followed the limo when it transported Rin to Miroku's private hospital. And the news spread like a wild fire.
Kohaku had already visited her several times, each time bringing her bouquets of roses or lilies. Rin was exhilarated by this, but she was still clueless of Kohaku's feelings. And Kohaku had no idea that Rin's favorite flowers were actually simple sunflowers.
He had protested vigorously when Rin wanted to go back to school after three weeks of therapies. Inuyasha-tachi did, too, but Rin can be really stubborn if she wanted to. Sure, her head hurts every now and then, but it was more like a dull ache.
Every wincing and groan she made, the Inuyasha-tachi would jump in alarm, thinking that she would faint or go into a frenzy or something. Rin couldn't blame them; she did that a lot the past few weeks. Every time she looked into Inuyasha's eyes, she would remember the night she was attacked, and involuntary defense would ensue.
And she chouldn't remember the way to get to her classes. She suspected that her head injury head something to do with this, and she groaned in despair when her friends gave her more anxious looks as they led her to class.
Yeah, besides all that, her day is pretty much the same. Wait, there is one small detail bugging her. Kouga. Rin never liked him, but she doesn't know why.
Sure, Kagome loves Inuyasha, but they all know (Inuyasha knew too, grudgingly) that Kagome loves the 'wolf' man as well, in an older brother way. Rin had to admit that when Kouga wasn't proclaiming Kagome to be 'his woman', he was actually a pretty nice guy to get along with.
But she still doesn't like him.
Her heart would beat faster in an unknown terror somehow, and her old scar would throb in warning. No one knows about the scar, not even Kagome.
She disliked him even more after her attack. She was getting more and more memory flashbacks somehow, and that her dislike towards Kouga increased tenfold for somw unknow reason.
And today, Kouga was staring at her strangely, as if speculating something. He offered to help, too, like carrying her bags and even offered to piggy-back her if it's too tiring to walk. Kohaku interrupted his suggestion right away and the two got into a heated argument.
It was infuriating that everybody was treating her like a glass doll, even though she was grateful at the gesture. She stormed away, leaving a guilty Kohaku and a pondering Kouga behind.
What Rin didn't hear was that after she left, Kouga took out his cell phone and whispered secretively, "Fine and same."
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"You are WHAT? Are you out of your mind, Rin-chan? You've just gone back to school for the first time and you're going back to work again?" Kagome nearly screamed in shock. Rin sighed. Oh dear. She's going into her maternal mode again……
"I totally agree with Kagome-chan. She's right, you know, Rin-chan. Take it easy," Sango commented. Rin groaned.
"Not you too Sango! Listen, I gotta work. I need money for the rent fee!"
"Well, we could always threaten Miroku into giving you some temporarily, you know, by using Sango-chan…" Kagome nudged her and Sango mock-glared at her friend.
Rin shook her head defiantly, "No. You know I hate owing people something, especially money. I will earn what I can earn, not relying on anybody else." Her eyes glazed over a little, staring ahead rather coldly, "That is what I have learned."
Kagome and Sango exchanged nervous glances. They had brought out a taboo subject for Rin. Kagome slapped her forehead inwardly. How can I be so tactless?
As if hearing her thoughts, Rins smiled slightly, "But thanks for your suggestion anyways, Kagome-chan. I know you are all doing this because you are worried, but I know I can manage."
Inuyasha popped up besides them, "Oi. How about the same guy attacked you again? What would you do? Are you sure you're going?"
Rin glanced at Inuyasha' fiery, amber eyes again before suppressing a shudder. She purposely ignored his other questions. Her tone was hesitant, "Yes, I am sure."
Rin waved good-byes and the Inu-tachi looked at her retreating silhouette, a strange feeling entering their minds.
Somehow, they feel that they would never see Rin again.
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Rin mentally berated herself for not listening to Kagome, again. Her best friend was always right, but Rin almost never listened. She questioned herself again why she insisted on going to work.
Renkotsu would be furious, that's for sure. I hope he doesn't decrease my salary.
Alright, this IS Kearney Street. Rin sighed in relief when the street sign confirmed her location. She was afraid she might forget how to get to the pub just as she forgot how to get to class.
Something seemed to come to her mind. Wait, didn't the person who attacked me warn me something? That I shouldn't come back again? Well, the nerve of him, hitting me like that and trying to order me.
She arrived at the pub, but she realized with shock that the normally crowded place was pitch black. She furrowed her brow and walked towards the back alley. Maybe he was sleeping?
Closer to her destination, her stomach seemed to somersault by some unknown reason. Her breaths hitched when something clicked ominously.
Three gunshots exploded in the serene evening even more furiously than thunder can ever do.
Her scream lodged at her throat, unable to get the sounds out.
Guns.
A terrified bellow.
A buzzing silence.
Rin resisted the sudden urge to hurl, as another flashback assaulted her senses.
Rin screamed in horror when her adoptive father dropped dead on the cold cement, blood splattering every where like a sickening spray. Gunshots continued to blast and her adoptive mother fell before her, and Rin saw the attacker briefly before spilling blood obscured her vision………
Rin couldn't move. She was petrified, just like that time all those years ago.
Renkotsu sprawled on the dark cement just like her adoptive parents did; limp and gagging in a pool of fresh blood, his white suit dyed crimson. Two masked figures stood over him. Their red eyes a murder's gleam, indifferent at what they just did.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the two turned their almost crazed gazes on her. They wore a bee's mask, their red eyes contradicting strongly against the yellow paint.
Rin whirled around and ran. She didn't get any other more steps when her vision blurred and her head throbbed in pain. She tripped and rolled a few meters before colliding into a cement wall.
The two killers advanced upon her gradually, as if toying and sneering at her terror. Each stood on each of Rin's sides, giving her a sudden sense of claustrophobia. One of them bent down and snickered disgustingly. Rin cringed and whimpered in fear when his finger trailed her jaw line almost playfully, andclasped her chin forcefully.
A metal click echoed behind his head, and Rin found herself covered with blood, and a dead body right in front of her. His blood slid down her cheeks, mixing with her involuntary tears. Another wave of nausea hit her, but this time she was unable to stop it.
A tall man towered above her coughing form, wisps of smoke steaming out of a pistol in his gloved hand.
He had unusual long, silver hair. He had wide shoulders, his black suit fitting his physique nicely. It was strange that he wore sunglasses at this hour, but Rin could feel his intense gaze even through those.
The masked man's partner also collapsed after a blinding flash. Another man appeared, holding a bloody sword in his right hand. He wore a headband, black suit and sunglasses as well. His long black hair was braided, but there was nothing feminine at all about this newcomer. The fact he was holding a two-meter wide sword was enough.
He shook his sword fervently, and he muttered with half anger and sadness, "Cheh. Those kuso Saimyoushosaren't even privileged enough to be killed by my Banryuu. Even Renkotsu's a traitor…… he's still my brother, and I had avenged him."
He began wiping at Banryuu casually, just as one would polish his car. He stared at Rin'strembling form with mild surprise, "Oi, Sesshoumaru, why is she here? Didn't you warn her?"
The man named Sesshoumaru kicked the corpse away nonchalantly and pulled Rin up none-too-gently. The blood on her uniform smeared onto his spotless attire. Rin could feel the vibrations from his chest when he spoke.
"She did not listen. Girl, why had you deliberately disobeyed my order?"
This voice. She had heard it before.
Her lips quivered as she looked up into his yellow eyes.
With so much happening in such a short time, Rin had reached to her limit.
Sheslumped forward and the man caught her firmly. Just before she was robbed of consciousness, a rather peculiar thought entered her mind.
He feels warm…………
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End of chapter 2
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Gomen- sorry
Wadashi wa-I or I am
Hai, minna. Hondouni daijoubu desu. Hondou- yes, everyone. I'm really okay. Really
Kusouyarou - bastard (excuse me)(well they DO swear)
Teme - a really kuasoyarou-way of saying 'you'
Maa- well,
Wakatta. Iku no - I see (i understand). (You) Going?
Kuso - damn or the f word
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-Questions/Answers
-Keelin- No, i'm not a Kikyo-basher.I don't like her now, but I think the Kikyo 50 years ago is really cool and respectable. So basically, i'm at a neutral sentiment about her. Though Kikyo-bashing fics are fun to read sometimes (relieves stress)XD
-School-hater- Ah, Ayame... no spoilers would be revealed ;)
-Dina- again, no spoilers revealed... and 7 years of age difference... well, Kenshin and Kaoru from Rurouni Kenshin have 11 years of age difference O.o And Aoshi and Misao have 10. (I love that couple) So,...yeah. (finishes off lamely)
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Another evil cliffy! Darker than the previous chapte, ne? Kouga seemed suspicious...as are other things.
Rin cornered by Saimyoushos and... (drum roll.) ENTERS SESSHOUMARU!
But not exactly a prince charming saving the damsel in distress type of romantic scene... (tee-hee)
It was hard to get the first few sections done, though. I hate non-action scenes, but they are necessary -.-
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Anyhow, review and tell me what you think! (waves)
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-Until next time
-ttyl
-Kaco-