Dark as Day
Chapter Sixteen
Darkness slipped into her room. She stood numbly, the stillness of her room an almost eerie juxtaposition of the furious battle that had just come to a crashing halt.
Her anxiety seemed to fill her room in every nook and cranny as she watched Sha's form crash to the ground, his eyes falling shut slowly. The silence was broken only when punctuated by her deep, heavy breathing.
She dashed forward and knelt beside Sha, her fingers reaching out and brushing over the black hair in disbelief.
"Inu… yasha?" she murmured before her eyes widened. Apparently, Inuyasha hadn't been too original with his alias.
"Sha…" she murmured out, tears pooling in her eyes before spilling down her cheeks in disbelief. "Inuyasha!"
The ebony locks that spilled over her carpet were most certainly Inuyasha's. His demonic features had retracted, leaving a simple human boy in their wake.
'How could I have been so stupid to not have noticed this?' She mentally kicked herself. 'How could I have missed how much Sha and Inuyasha looked alike? I should have known that they were one in the same.' Kagome frowned at her own stupidity. 'Stupid.'
Now that she gazed down at the unconscious Inuyasha, she wondered how it was that she'd never been able to see that the curve of Inuyasha's face was uniquely Inuyasha; the way his eyebrows knotted together when he was frustrated, the way his lower lip jutted out when he was in deep thought, and how passionate his eyes were. How could she have not realized that she was always gazing at the same man?
He shifted as Kagome moved him towards her bed, half carrying, half dragging him onto her mattress. He sunk down into the warm down of her comforter and she rested against the wall, gazing at his sleeping form.
He looked so innocent, lying there on her bed, his breaths breezing small wisps of his black hair. Her eyes softened as she gazed at him.
'Now's my chance,' she thought sadly. 'I can turn him in to Sango and lock him away. He's dangerous if he's left to run free. I need to get him to HQ.'
But staring at the boyish face, face lax with his comatose state, Kagome couldn't bring herself to believe that he was capable of evil-doing. It had to have been all some big misunderstanding. She knew, deep inside of her, that Inuyasha would never do this to her.
A stray tear escaped her eye as she clenched them shut, willing her tsunami of emotions down. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling it clench beneath her skin. Why did it have to hurt this much?
'Why are you betraying me?' she wondered sadly, her blue eyes misting over and a small tear dropping onto his paled cheek. 'Why are you doing this?'
She contented herself with watching over Inuyasha's sleeping form. Her eyes occasionally darted to the window, as if expecting Naraku to appear and sweep Inuyasha away from her. She refused to give him up, not when she was so close to reaching him.
After a few moments, she reached out a hand and brushed over the straps that held the top half of his taijiya uniform in place. He was still bleeding, she realized with some distaste, and she would have to treat him.
Her cheeks turned a vibrant pink as she untied the strings of the collar of his uniform and peeled it off his body, the youkai hide sliding of his skin as if made of silk. She was instantly captivated by his flawless chest.
Being a taijiya, what should have been a scarred and disfigured chest was a majestically sculpted masculine form. Her face burst into flames and she had to turn her head away. The whole situation was a bit disbelieving. Here Inuyasha was, half-naked and asleep on her bed. She could very well have her way with him should she choose to.
She sputtered to herself at such a thought and occupied herself with inspecting the cuts and gashes she'd inflicted on him. Instantly she recognized the single scar on his body. The smallpox vaccine had left him vaccinated and scarred.
'Well, at least I know now that he didn't disappear because of smallpox,' she thought snidely and couldn't even bring herself to laugh at her own joke.
The thin, black choker around his bicep shielded his scent from enemy demons. Her fingers ran over the simple band of technology around his arm.
The pads of her fingers brushed over his tanned, toned skin. She blushed again and felt her thin pink lips curve into an embarrassed smile. Despite the humiliating situation, Kagome couldn't help but admire the beauty that was Inuyasha's body.
'I cannot believe I'm thinking like this,' Kagome berated herself mentally, squeezing her eyes shut and muttering to herself about how wrong this would look if someone were to walk in.
'Oh God!' Kagome thought abruptly, 'What is my mother going to say?'
The night had passed by slowly. The silence in Kagome's room was only interrupted by the gentle tick of her pink alarm clock. She alternated between watching the second hand's slow movement around the circular clock face and watching over Inuyasha's sleeping form.
He'd roused a couple of times within the last few hours but had not fully awakened. She knew that she hadn't caused his reaction. The combination of his human night and his physical exhaustion had drained him of all energy. That, and the fact that the piano wire Kagome had used against him had evidently been dipped in a small amount of poison. Usually she was on top of such things, but the notion had slipped her mind when attacking Inuyasha.
She begrudgingly admitted that she'd made a mistake, but save for the long hours of sleep, which also played into Inuyasha's exhaustion, Kagome knew that Inuyasha would be alright in the end.
Her night had preceded uninterrupted save for the time her family had returned home. Her eccentric grandfather and Rin both had slouched off to bed instantly while Souta and her mama remained awake and downstairs.
As Souta ascended the stairs an hour after he'd returned home, he banged against her door as he was prone to do. Normally, the attempts to scare her simply annoyed her and she shooed him away with a loud cry declaring his annoying nature. Tonight, however, she'd jumped and released a tiny squeak. She'd been captivated by Inuyasha's prone form and hadn't realized her brother was outside her door.
"Goodnight, Kagome!" his voice had filtered through her door. Kagome had returned his call, albeit shakily.
Afterwards, her mother had come to the door, knocked, and said goodnight to her daughter. Kagome had refused to open the door, opting to keep Inuyasha's presence a secret.
Now, in the dead of night, with the stars peppering the ebony sky, Kagome saw Inuyasha stir once again. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing the deep lavender of his irises.
His head shifted, staring at her, his eyes slightly hooded. He was still affected by the poison, evidently, because when he tried to speak, only a small groan escaped his mouth before he plopped his head back down onto his pillow, clenching his eyes shut.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome murmured, reaching out a hand and cupping his burning cheek. "How are you feeling?"
The hanyou-turned-human murmured something incoherent before his eyes fell open again. Misted violet eyes stared at her, almost pleadingly. He whispered out something again, his lips moving but no sound coming out.
"I can't hear you," Kagome whispered, her hand brushing over his forehead affectionately. "Everything is going to be fine."
He breathed deeply, his chest rising and falling with every breath. His hands clenched and unclenched nervously as he gazed hesitantly around the room. Despite his delirium, he knew of what was going on, too, it seemed.
It was nearly a quarter of an hour before Inuyasha's voice finally cracked and she heard his throaty, dry words. "I have to protect you."
Kagome paused at such a declaration, her blue eyes wavering as she stared down at the delirious boy. Did he mean it?
"You can protect me by staying with me," she urged quietly, her voice feather soft. She was disappointed to see Inuyasha's head shake from side to side. "Why not?"
"He'll get you," he murmured, his eyes falling shut. He was still after that, and Kagome was sure he'd fallen asleep again until, "and my mom."
"He has your mom?" Kagome questioned hesitantly, and then remembered the conversation she had with Sha so long ago, about how hard it was to lose parents. Her eyes softened and she ran her fingers through his long tresses of black hair. "You can get her back."
"I have to stay close to her, so I can rescue her," Inuyasha whispered, turning his head away to stare at Kagome's wall stubbornly. His eyelids fluttered and he struggled to breathe in again.
He moved his arms and struggled to push himself up into a sitting position. Kagome straightened and reached for him.
"Inuyasha, you should rest."
The halfling ignored her and crossed his legs, finally worming his way into a sitting position. Frowning, he motioned to Kagome to sit next to him, to which she complied. They sat silently, staring at the wall opposite them before Inuyasha sighed and leaned backwards, lying across Kagome's bed with his head hanging off the other side. Kagome followed after him.
"I'll do whatever it takes to win…" Inuyasha whispered. "I won't let this stop me."
She wasn't sure who he was talking about winning against, and she wasn't even sure he was speaking to her anymore. She shifted closer and rested her head against his shoulder, wishing for the physical contact. Evidently, Inuyasha seemed to want it to, for he shifted closer, too.
He murmured something again, which Kagome couldn't understand.
Inuyasha continued to babble about odd things for the rest of the night, the poison manipulating his ability to think logically. He shifted from serious conversations to the babbling of an energetic toddler. It was an odd sight, and Kagome was finding difficulty taking anything Inuyasha said to heart. His delirium was affecting his words.
"But I don't care," Kagome whispered, crawling over him. He stared up at her with misted, hazy eyes. "I will not let you leave. I won't turn you in, either. You'll come back to the taijiya."
"Locked away," he whispered and laughed quietly. Kagome frowned.
He lifted his head, sitting up and causing Kagome to shift into his lap. His hands grasped her hips and she stared at him in alarm.
"Inuyasha… what…?"
She didn't finish because he leaned forward, taking her lips into his own. She didn't have time to respond, however, because he pulled away and shifted his head so it was pillowed against her shoulder.
Kagome felt a small smile fight against her lips.
"There's a hole in your ceiling," he whispered.
"What?" Kagome squawked out in surprise and swung her head upwards to look for the supposed hole. "No there isn't, Inuyasha."
When she looked back at Inuyasha, the boy was sleeping.
Kagome thumped to the ground rather abruptly, which was quite a disappointment because she was having a very wonderful dream before such a rude interruption.
Inuyasha was scrambling around the room, pulling the top half of his uniform back on, covering the bandages Kagome had given him rather effectively. The sun had evidently risen, dispelling any remaining poison from his system and extinguishing his humanoid features.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome began but was cut off by the said boy.
"Don't move," he snapped out, racing to the window and searching around before propping his foot onto the window's sill to disappear through.
"Wait!" Kagome called, standing up hesitantly. An ear swiveled back towards her, signaling that he was listening. "Don't go… I…"
"It will be best if you stay where you're standing," Inuyasha warned, turning his head and regarding her with cold golden eyes. So he'd slipped back into that mode, it seemed. Was this Inuyasha's true character, or was his true character shinning through last night?
"You don't have to leave. You can stay… and join our side again. You don't need to do this," Kagome urged, clenching her hands together, her blue eyes silently calling out for him.
Inuyasha snorted. "Why would I want to do that?"
"I know that you're not evil."
"I'm a hanyou," he growled out. "I'm evil by nature."
"No," Kagome protested, wanting to reach out to him. "Don't think that just because you have demon blood that automatically makes you evil."
Inuyasha snorted. "Stop preaching to me, wench."
The word stung. She'd grown used to hearing her name from his lips.
"You don't have to pretend to be like this anymore," Kagome murmured, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "I know this isn't you. I care about you. I want to help you."
Inuyasha turned his head away, hiding his crushed and pained expression. Stilling his quaking hands by grasping the window, he slid it open.
"I have no feelings for you," he finally spoke, his voice cold. Kagome lowered her eyes. "I have no desire to return to the taijiya. I belong on the other side."
He passed through, disappearing from her view. When she ran to the window and looked out, she couldn't make out Inuyasha's form.
Kagome frowned at his words. They bit at her and crushed her… but through that resounding disappointment, Kagome knew one thing was true.
"You're a liar."
"Good morning, Kagome," Souta called from the living room when Kagome dejectedly marched downstairs.
"Hey, Souta," Kagome murmured and flopped down next to her younger brother. Souta was watching the news, waiting for the weather report.
"If it's rainy today, I'm going to go to the movies," Souta explained when Kagome questioned him on watching the boring channel.
"With a girl?" Kagome giggled out and ruffled her brother's already untidy hair.
"No," he said sarcastically, "with two men. What do you think, Kagome?"
The boy was blushing. Kagome, satisfied with her daily Ignore-Your-Brother dosage, stood and left the room. Entering the kitchen, she was happy to see her mother preparing breakfast.
"Here you are, Kagome dear," her mother said brightly, handing a bowl towards her daughter.
"Thanks, Mama," Kagome spoke with a mouthful of her breakfast.
Their quiet morning was interrupted, however, when Souta gave out a quick call for his mother and Kagome. The two women rushed into the room, thinking he was in some kind of immediate peril.
Instead, they were rewarded with Souta's eyes glued to the television.
"Souta, what—"
"Shh," Souta urged and motioned wildly to the TV. "Listen."
"The two police officers were rushed to immediate care to check for any abnormalities the taijiya may have inflicted…"
"Souta,"Kagome questioned. "What is this?"
"Remember the two police officers who were found in the ditch?" Souta questioned, his eyes wide. Kagome nodded. Yes, she remembered them. Inuyasha put them there. "Well, they woke up!"
"Oh, my!" Kagome's mother marveled as she, too, was captivated by the television's report.
They'd moved onto an interview with the two police officers.
"Well, we were investigating a suspected member's house," the male officer spoke, his head held up high and a small smile playing on his lips. "When suddenly, this woman from the taijiya broke in and assaulted us. When we awoke… today… we were in the hospital. After the woman attacked us to protect her comrade, we don't know what happened."
The female officer nodded her agreement, looking like something sour had just been squirted into her mouth.
The television returned to the anchorman.
"And now, with information on a suspected taijiya member, Reporter Yukio Jinto is live at the scene of the crime. Yukio?"
The scene switched, yet again. But this time, there was a woman standing in Inuyasha's messy apartment.
"Thank you Ichiro," the pristine woman spoke into her microphone as she moved around the room. "As you can see, this apartment has been abandoned for quite some time now. Both windows have been broken into, and the apartment is incredibly bare. But, as I walk into the scene of the crime—the suspected member's bedroom, perhaps there will be a different story."
The camera showed the woman walking into the bedroom before scooping over Inuyasha's room.
"As you can see by the broken window, this is where the break-in took place before the officers were attacked by the female taijiya."
There were various men working around the room, searching for evidence.
"Excuse me, sir," Yukio interrupted a man working, who stood up, flashing the badge on his chest. "Can you tell us what you've found now?"
"Well," the man cleared his throat. "We've investigated the area, and though we have not found any uniform or ID badge, we've found various weapons used only by the taijiya."
"What kind of weapons?"
"Weapons that are beyond our time," the man said gravely. "The taijiya have been keeping this technology from the world for years. They're small, compact objects that hold huge power. Our two officers were attacked with very powerful sleeping powder tipped with poison. This left them sleeping and unable to speak."
"I see."
"We had to put them back into sleep while we figured out a way to extract the poison. We're proud to say that, as of this morning, they are completely cured."
"A wonderful thing to hear, indeed," the reporter agreed, smiling charmingly at the officer. The man nodded.
"However, we've found enough evidence here to pin him." The man seemed proud.
"You heard it here," Yukio spoke to the camera. "Inuyasha Takahashi is indeed a taijiya member."
Souta and Kagome's mother's eyes opened wide.
"A taijiya!" Mama exclaimed in shock. "Oh my… I never knew."
"Wow," Souta said, in awe.
Kagome shifted uncomfortably, staring at the television screen as they supplied information on Inuyasha, urging anyone with information to please contact the hotline number.
"I feel sick," Kagome murmured and toddled out of the room, clenching her eyes shut as she gripped the wall. She had to save Inuyasha but now everyone knew his secret.
'At least they don't know he's a hanyou,' Kagome finally decided. 'Yet.'
"You wanted to see me, Naraku?" Inuyasha questioned as he was shoved into Naraku's office. The shape-shifting hanyou, currently hidden behind his Prime Minister Musou disguise, glanced up at him from his paperwork, flashing a smile that would have been considered charming by anyone else's standards.
"Ah, Inuyasha. Just the man I wanted to see," Naraku laughed sourly before waving towards a chair. Inuyasha remained standing but the dark half-breed didn't seem to mind too much. He smirked at the dog demon arrogantly before leaning back in his chair. "I have a job for you."
It had been several days since his return from Kagome's home. He was not eager for another assignment. He'd spent the last few days dumping the mysterious, clear liquid into the waterways and kidnapping more humans for his sick hybrid army. His body was weak from the blood Naraku had been draining from him for the sinister purposes.
Naraku paused, writing something down before signing a paper. He stood up and cracked his neck by rolling it from side to side. He was eye level with Inuyasha.
"I want you to kidnap Rin Higurashi," Naraku said finally. Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock as he absorbed what Naraku was telling him to do.
"What? Why?"
Was this another ploy to get Kagome's confidence to lower? Was this another attempt to get Kagome through her family? Inuyasha was starting to really hate Naraku's techniques in getting ahead of everyone.
"I want you to kidnap Rin and kill the rest of Kagome's family," Naraku continued, moving on as if he hadn't heard Inuyasha's outburst. "Kagome may prove to be beneficial to us in the future… especially with her aura tainted by her desire to avenge her family. Especially if you're the one to kill them."
Naraku chuckled at his own clever plan while Inuyasha stood in petrified shock. He was doing this to protect Kagome, but he had to draw the line at killing her family and kidnapping her only little sister. How much more could Kagome take before she snapped?
"I won't."
Naraku eyed him. "You know what will happen if you refuse."
Inuyasha clenched his jaw and squeezed his fists. He stood, his back rigid and his eyes flashing red for a brief moment before he controlled his emotions, breathed deeply, and nodded his head mutely.
"Good boy."
The rain splattered against her window, shedding a rather ominous feeling in her gut. It had been days since she'd seen Inuyasha. She was worried. The odd twisting in her gut wasn't something she felt was good.
Her palm rested against the glass of her window, leaving a palm print on the fogged surface.
"Something's coming," she whispered to herself, her breath frosting over her wet window. She pulled away and ran downstairs.
It was a lazy evening. Souta and Rin were playing video games, Grandpa was sleeping in his armchair, and Kagome's mother was dusting the shelves around the room. Kagome entered and flopped down onto the couch, watching as Rin and Souta battled over something on their game.
Kagome felt nervous and on edge. She knew it was coming. Whatever it was. Her aura extended, searching around the area of her home. Then, she felt him.
'Inuyasha.'
In that instant, the window smashed open, causing Rin to scream and Grandpa to jolt awake. Mama dropped the wet cloth she'd been using to clean the dusty surfaces and quickly darted forward, placing herself in front of Souta and Rin, still sprawled on the floor. Kagome stood slowly as Inuyasha nimbly jumped through the window.
Rin screamed again. Evidently, Inuyasha looked rather scary. His long silver hair, weighted by the rain, swayed behind him. The entire bottom half of his face was covered by his gas mask and the top half by protective goggles. He reached up to his elbow pad and opened the hidden compartment.
Kagome knew exactly what was happening before it happened. She lifted her shirt over her mouth, doing her best to block out the scent of the gas that rolled around the room. She clenched her eyes shut just in time for the flash bomb to light her room in a sickeningly blinding blast.
She could smell the putrid scent of the smoke and heard the thudding of her family as they collapsed to the floor. She heard Rin squeak one more time before falling silent.
When she dared to open her eyes, Inuyasha was standing over her mother, a poisonous dart in hand. Kagome's eyes widened in shock as he dug the dart into her neck before shooting one at her grandfather. Souta was already on the ground and Rin, to Kagome's horror, was tucked under Inuyasha's arm, limp and unconscious.
Kagome felt dizzy. Partly because her shirt was not a good gasmask and partly because of the situation. She ran to her mother, ignoring Inuyasha. She knelt, feeling her mother's forehead. It was bitterly cold. She pulled her hand back.
She looked up at Inuyasha, horror in her eyes. "What did you do?"
Inuyasha didn't respond.
She reached out and felt for her mother's pulse. She froze in shock when she felt nothing for several seconds.
"No…!" She whispered out and scrambled to her fallen brother, groping for a pulse. Nothing. Her grandfather. Nothing.
"Inuyasha…?" Kagome whispered, lifting her head and feeling tears fight against the tears in her eyes. "What did you do?"
He shifted Rin in his arms.
Kagome stood slowly and walked towards him. He backed away until his back was pressed against the wall. Kagome stood in front of the window, blocking his exit. She wished she could see his face, see his deep golden eyes.
"What are you doing with Rin?" Kagome whispered, tears spilling down her red cheeks.
"Naraku has a need for her," Inuyasha said vaguely. Kagome frowned.
"Please…" she murmured, grasping her hands together as if in prayer. "Inuyasha…"
"I have my orders. Don't come near me or I'll be forced to kill you, too," he snapped out angrily. He'd fallen back into his roll as Naraku's henchman. Kagome knew he was lying.
But… But he'd killed her family. Kagome, shocked by such an idea, refused to believe it.
"I know you're not evil, Inuyasha. Please…" She reached out her hand, as if attempting to grasp him and hold him close. "I know this isn't what you want. I know you're a good person. Don't let Naraku… don't let Naraku do this to you."
"Step aside, or I'll kill you."
"Please… Inuyasha… you're not evil, you're not evil. You don't need to do this just because you're a hanyou. You're not evil."
"Step. Aside. Now." Her words had struck a nerve.
Kagome refused to relent.
"You're not evil just because you have demon blood," she urged, taking a step towards him. He stiffened. "You're a good person. I know you. I know that you don't want to do this… please."
She reached out for Rin, but Inuyasha snapped her little sister away.
"You shouldn't show sympathy for me," he growled out. Kagome swallowed.
"Please… don't take Rin away…" Kagome's eyes fell on her family.
It seemed to register what had happened. It seemed to register exactly what Inuyasha had just done. Her eyes widened and spilled over with tears. The blue gaze shifted towards him, biting her lip until she tasted blood.
"You…"
Inuyasha must have sensed the change in her. He darted forward and grasped her throat, preventing her from charging him, which she was about to do.
Kagome wept. "You killed my family!"
She screamed, she thrashed, she resisted, but in the end Inuyasha had the upper hand.
"Don't take Rin! Don't take Rin! Bring them back!" she screamed out, overcome by her misery.
Inuyasha squeezed her neck until her head lolled to the side and her voice ebbed away into sweet unconsciousness.
"Where am I?" Rin jolted awake, overcome by a nightmare. She struggled to sit up and her arms felt weak.
"Captured," a voice said beside her. She lifted her head and turned to look at the scary man who'd kidnapped her before. His long silver hair spilled over his shoulder and dark amber eyes watched her closely. "You were kidnapped."
Rin sat stupidly for a moment, rubbing her head. "What happened?"
"I attacked you and your family," the man said quietly. If Rin was able to comprehend things as complex as human emotions, she might have detected the deep regret and pain saturating the man's throaty voice.
"Are they… dead…?" Rin whispered, tears collecting in her brown eyes.
The man shook his head. "No. They're in a false hibernation."
"A…?" Rin trailed off, not sure what he meant. Did he mean like when bears slept during the winter?
"There's a poison that can trigger the unexpressed gene in the neuron's nuclei chromosomes, one that we share with bears. It can trigger a false hibernation that causes humans to decrease their breathing and their heart rate to eight beats per minute."
Rin stared at the man blankly. He seemed to realize he was talking to an eight year old because he gave her an apologetic smile.
"They're sleeping for a long time."
"Oh," Rin bubbled, seemingly unfazed by the fact that she was in a strange room with a strange man who'd taken her away from her family. "Okay then."
They sat in silence.
"Why am I here?" Rin asked.
"I wish I knew."
Rin bit her lip. "What's your name?"
"Inuyasha," the man said after a long pause of thinking.
Rin frowned. "I know someone named Inuyasha. My big sister Kagome likes a boy named Inuyasha."
"I know."
"I miss Kagome," Rin said forlornly. "And grandpa, and Souta, and Mama."
Rin's bottom lip quivered at the idea of her mother, all alone, sleeping on the floor. She began to cry quietly, wishing that she could see her mommy at that moment.
Awkwardly, the demon named Inuyasha shifted towards Rin and patted her head, unsure how to help a crying girl.
"Don't cry, everything will be okay. I'll make sure that nothing bad with happen to you."
Rin smiled through her tears. "Thanks."
The next morning, Rin was taken away by Naraku.