Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha . . .
ROCK ON!!!
-------------------------
"Kill . . .you?" Inuyasha choked, his eyes widening. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, that was the only thing that came from his mouth.
Kagome, who previously was ready to jump into his arms from fright, now had an expression of regret on her face. . . . I shouldn't have said that . . .
"Kagome . . ." the hanyou started, seeing the change of look on her face.
The heiress turned her head away from his, staring off into the setting sun in the distance. The sky was streaked with pink, orange, red, and yellow, the blue fading into a darker hue. Reminds me days back when . . .
She shut her eyes, cutting off any tears that threatened to spill. Despite her efforts, she still felt the moisture on her eyelashes as she slowly opened them again.
I have to stop living in the past . . . A slight stir behind reminded her that her bodyguard was still there. I need to move on . . . I can't dwell on past events . . .
Inuyasha watched the woman carefully, his suspicions heightening. "We don't have to talk about it," he said in a gruff voice. He began to stand when a small, fragile hand reached out and grabbed his own rough, tanned one.
"Wait," a meek voice whispered.
Surprised, the hanyou looked down to see Kagome's face turned up to his, her eyes wide and shining. "Don't leave me."
The dog demon opened his mouth in surprise. "What makes you think I'd leave you?" he asked softly, his words of comfort rewarded with a small smile. He sat back down, never releasing the grip on her hand
Kagome relaxed, her muscles releasing some of the tension she had built up over the past hour. "Arigatou," she whispered, leaning in closer to him as a breeze picked up.
"Inuyasha, well, I--" she chuckled bitterly, "I don't even know where to begin."
"You don't have to tell me," Inuyasha said, "Not unless you want to."
The miko glanced at the demon by her side. "I wouldn't be wondering where to begin if I didn't want to tell you," she chided softly, her eyes briefly flashing amusement.
The hanyou frowned and began to retort when Kagome cut him off. "I was 16, only a junior in highschool," she began, her eyes glazed with pain from the memories.
"I was never much of the party girl. I prefered a quiet life, even after Jii-san named me to take over after him. My total number of boyfriends at that age was one: it was with Hojo, a boy I grew up with. He had a strange infatuation with me, and I thought I'd give him a chance. But, we soon realized that it wouldn't work out."
She took a deep breath to calm her already-shaking voice. "I didn't consider myself popular at school. I had a handful of close friends that I stuck with, but other than that, I hardly socialized. Eri, Ayumi, Yuka, and Sango . . . we were inseparable."
"At the time, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were dating; Sango and I weren't. There were countless numbers of blind dates and double dates that never did turn out well. After the first two I tried to avoid them, along with Sango, but that didn't last long."
"One week, Yuka suggested we go out to a nightclub on the following weekend. According to her, we were 'almost out of highschool' and 'needed to live our lives.' I was hesistant at first, but when I saw that Sango agreed, I decided to go."
"It was a regular nightclub. Dancing all over the place, dark corners where couples did who knows what. I clearly remember that I hated the place; it smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. I tried to find Sango, but she was off talking to an old aquaintance she had seen. Yuka, Ayumi, and Eri were all on the dance floor with their boyfriends, having a good time. I had never danced with a boy like they were doing, and their movements were making me blush. So, being the naive girl I was, left the club."
"I walked outside, intaking the fresh air. I was about to call a taxi when a lone figure leaning against the side of the building caught my eye. That was the first time I laid my eyes on him."
Kagome bit her lip, biting back the tears. She leaned closer to Inuyasha, the air around them suddenly cold. She felt his strong arm surround her petite form, but refused to look him in the eye. She kept on talking.
"We talked for awhile, and he seemed like a gentlemen. He came from a wealthy family, his surname familar to my ears. It began to get late, and when I realized that my friends weren't coming out any time soon, he offered to give me a ride home. And I accepted."
"A few days later, I bumped into him again, this time outside Jii-san's office. He was running an errand for his Uncle who owned Wada Inc., a well-known construction company. He invited me out to lunch, and he took me to a nice restaurant on the edge of town. Again, we talked, and got to know each other better."
"By then, I was giddy about him. He called me every single night, and began to pick me up from school. Soon, I could no longer hide him from my family. I invited him to dinner with me, Mom, Souta, and Jii-san. At first, I thought everything was running smoothly, until Jii-san asked him a question about the company his uncle ran. I didn't know why, but he gave him a very stiff answer and left soon afterwards."
"I asked Jii-san about the conversation a few days later, and he simply told me to stay away from him. 'He's no good,' he told me. But I was infatuated, and didn't listen. I continued to see him."
"We soon became an official couple. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were thrilled, while Sango . . . Sango felt the same as Jii-san. I ignored her warning as well, but my heart began to sink. Her feelings had a reputation of being right."
"Months went by, and everything went by smoothly. He was as sweet as ever, buying me roses and presents for no reason at all. I was on cloud nine, and it felt like nothing could go wrong. But I was mistaken."
"A few months before my 17th birthday, he began to act strange. He became short-tempered, and he began to yell at me for little things. At first, I did my best to please him just to keep him happy. But my efforts soon turned into a defense. If I didn't keep him happy, he'd hit me."
"I was so scared the first time he beat me. He called me names and spat on me, but I had no reason why he was so angry. I tried to talk to him, but that only added to the beating."
"He was careful at first; he didn't beat me in places where it would be visible. But soon he didn't care, and many times I climbed through my window to get to my room to hide my swollen face from my mother."
Inuyasha was stunned. "He beat you for no apparent reason?"
"That's what I thought." Kagome hung her head, her voice cracking. "One day, I summed up the courage to ask him about it. He laughed in my face, and said that I should be grateful that he keeps me as his girlfriend considering the whore I was."
"I never knew he thought of me like that. But he did. He went on to saying how I wore short skirts and tight clothes to catch the attention of other guys. I never thought that I dressed like a prostitute, but I made the effort to change. I began to wear business clothes, calf-length skirts and long sleeved blouses. I hoped that it would end the beatings, but it didn't."
"I was confused, terribly confused. And to make matters worse, Kouga started hanging around me more than usual. He was a a close guy friend, and I knew that his company would only make matters worse around my boyfriend. I was right."
"He continued to beat me, his words cutting deep. By then I had no self-esteem whatsoever. I felt worthless and dirty."
Kagome cleared her throat, knowing what she had to say next. "A few days before my birthday, Kouga asked to meet me in the park to ask a question about an assignment. I thought it kind of strange to meet at the park for an assignment, but I went anyway. He took me into the woods, where he tried to . . . tried to rape me."
"I tried with all my might to get away, but I just couldn't. I was half-naked by the time I was found. At first I was grateful that someone found me, until I realized who it was."
"He scared Kouga off, leaving me alone with him. His eyes flashed with a ferocious anger, and from behind a bush he pulled out a large rod. He began striking me, beating me until I was numb."
The hanyou felt the young woman shudder, and felt the tear drops fall on his bare arm. He hugged her tighter, his warmth comforting her.
"I don't know why, but he suddenly stopped. I was crouched beside a large bush, when he disappeared behind a large tree and brought back a handkerchief. I was too frightened to push him away, but he wiped away some of the blood and helped me sit up."
"He comforted me, telling me it was alright, and placed a cell phone next to my leg. Softly, he told me to speak of this to no one, or else he would come back and finish the job. And with that, he left."
Inuyasha's anger flared up within him. What kind of creature would beat a defensless . . .
"I must have sat there for an hour," Kagome choked, her sobs wracking her body. "I knew I couldn't call Jii-san or Mom. So I called Sango. I waited for her car to turn up in the parking lot of the park before I stumbled out of the bushes, and fell unconscious."
She let out a cry and fell back, Inuyasha's arms winding around her like strong bands. "Sssh, it's done . . . it's over," he whispered, stroking her hair. Her sobs subsided enough to let her continue.
"I was told I was out of it for two weeks. After I woke, I couldn't find the courage to speak. I remained silent for a period of time, but I knew I couldn't stay like that for long. Reluctantly I began to speak, but I was never the same. I felt dead, broken."
Inuyasha closed his eyes as he felt her tremble beneath him. What kind of bastard would do such a thing? She didn't do anything . . . I have a feeling that this guy was up to something . . .
"Kagome," he spoke softly, hugging her closer. "Kagome, what was this man's name?"
The bodyguard felt his heart break at the sounds that emitted from her small body. It took great control, but she managed to quiet her shaking body and cracking voice to blurt out,
"Wada. Naraku Wada."
----------------------------
AU: omg, I'm sooo sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. When I came back from camp, I found out that I missed so much work, PLUS it was midterm week! gaaah, I was in so much trouble. But camp was fun! Hopefully this chapter made up for the long wait . . .
dun dun dun! the truth is out! the events of the night is finally revealed . . . including the guy who did such a dastardly deed. how will Inuyasha take this?
Stay tuned!