I denounce my ownership of Inuyasha

Would you look at it, a quickie update! Enjoy.

Thanks to ALL who reviewed the previous chapter.

Chapter 6: Dead… Everything, dead!

"What the-!" Jakotsu croaked as he just about caught Sango in his arms. The tall effeminate man plopped down on the ground on his butt. "She passed out," he stated the obvious. "What did you do to her?" he pointed an accusing finger.

The man with silver-white hair stooped down. "I didn't do anything. I followed her after she hit me on the head. I just wanted to know why…"

Jakotsu gave Sango's cheeks small slaps. "Wakey, wakey, little missy!" he said in his most girlish tone, batting his eyes to the silver-haired man. "So… What's your name anyway?" Before the other man could answer, Sango stirred. "Oh, look who's now ready to join us," he giggled as he gently pushed the woman up.

Sango sat up, looking at Jakotsu in confusion. "What happened? Did I just pass out?"

"Duh!" the effeminate man stood up, dusting himself off.

Someone offered Sango a hand in assistance. Sango only stared at it, knowing full well who the owner was. She bit her lip.

"You intend to stay there on the ground forever?" the man said to her. Sango hesitantly took it. She came face-to-face with him the moment she straightened up. "So… Mind telling me why you slapped me on the head?"

"I, uh… Well, I was just, umm…" She stammered, unable to fit the right words to an explanation. It was a good thing a customer entered the flower shop. "I'm sorry, sir. I have to attend to a customer," she quickly dashed to the customer's side to attend to her needs. Jakotsu was left to entertain the man with silvery-white hair.

"Forgive my boss. She's very dedicated to her job as a florist," he winked at him. "I'm Jakotsu," he extended a hand, batting his lashes.

Inuyasha shook it. "Inuyasha. What about her? What's her name?" he pointed a thumb at Sango.

"Sango Meiyo. She owns this flower shop, and she's very good with flower arrangement. So, if you need flowers and flower arrangement for parties and such, don't hesitate to acquire our services, sweetie," Jakotsu handed him a business card along with a brochure.

"Jakotsu, I need your help here," Sango called to him through gritted teeth.

Jakotsu rolled her eyes at her direction. He wanted to talk more to this Inuyasha, who qualified as the man of his dreams. "Okie, okie! The boss is calling me. Hope to see you again. Ta-ta!" he tapped him on the chest before walking away.

Inuyasha glanced at his watch and realized it was high time he goes to work. He stole one last look at the said Sango, who refused to look at him. He would get his answers, sooner or later.

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Inuyasha tapped the steering wheel as he tried to come up with a decision. It was already eight-thirty in the evening; and he was aware his mother would start worrying if he was not home by nine. Ironic, he would be approaching his thirties yet he still had a curfew!

But there was something he had to do first, something that brought him to the City Plaza. He only realized it the moment he parked the car. It was as if the moment he got onto his vehicle, he automatically drove to the shopping district. He knew perfectly well the reason behind this out-of-instinct decision. He needed to talk to the woman from earlier. Damn! He forgot her name…

Inuyasha shook his head, choosing to put this woman-business the next day. It was not that important, anyway. She was just some random stranger who had the sudden urge to hit him on the head. But earlier that day, his first words upon gazing into her beautiful eyes were the words: "It's you!"

He said it not because he remembered a memory that involved her. He said it because there was something tugging in his mind that prompted his lips to utter such words.

Finally deciding to head home, he tried starting the engine. It did, only to die down in two seconds. He ignited the car five times, but it was no use. He cursed under his breath. Expect his mother's car to be in top shape! The vehicle was hardly used by his mother who hated driving. There was still oil left in the tank. He tried starting the engine once more but the car was totally dead.

"Shit," he muttered as he punched in his brother's number on his cell phone. He hated asking Sesshoumaru for favours, but he needed to this time. The moment his brother's monotone voice answered, Inuyasha's phone shut off. He had a low batt. "What the fuck is going on?" he complained out loud. He got off his car, slamming the door out of frustration.

He thought for a moment before deciding on what to do.

He strode towards the City Plaza, his legs carrying him to a flower shop.

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She was sitting behind the counter, head bent low while reading a magazine.

"Hi," Inuyasha greeted her in an informal way. Her head shot up, eyes widening upon seeing the supposed customer. She gave him a hesitant smile.

"H-how can I help you? Flowers?" she sputtered.

"Phone," Inuyasha muttered, realizing he was being vague. "I meant, uh, can I… Can I use your phone?" She nodded, pointed to phone on the counter. "Thanks," he held up the receiver in gesture. She sat down and bent her head lower. Inuyasha dialled his parents' number, eyes still on the woman who refused to look at him. "Mom?" he asked, when someone answered the phone. His gaze fixed on the woman on the counter. A familiar scene replayed in his mind, where he was walking in darkness and trying to find his way out. Inuyasha was not sure why he suddenly recalled the particular event. Worse, he could not locate when or where the event took place. A sudden thought jarred his mind: somehow this woman in front of him had something to do with the memory.

"Inuyasha?" his mother's voice bolted him back to reality.

Inuyasha blinked in confusion. "Why did you call, mom?" he asked.

"You called. What's wrong with you?" the other end of the line replied.

"Oh, I did? Yeah, I did. Umm… my car, I mean, your car broke down. Phone, not working. Umm… could you send someone to pick me up?" he scratched his head. Inuyasha was aware of how confusing he sounded. His senses were in jumbles at the moment.

"Okay. I'll try to call your brother, if not I'll have Jakken pick you up when your dad comes home. Where are you?" Izayoi said.

Inuyasha gave the woman a smile when she looked up. "Okay thanks mom, bye." He placed the receiver down. "Thanks for the, uh, letting me use the phone," he said. She only nodded. He was about to exit the shop when he realized something. "Can I use your phone once again?"

She made a gesture in affirmative. Inuyasha quickly re-dialled the number. His common sense was in knots. "Mom? Do you know where to pick me up?"

"I asked you but you hung up on me," the other end answered.

"Oh I did? Well, I'm at the City Plaza right now. I'm calling from a flower shop here… so, yeah… I'll just wait for either Sessh or Jakken, right? Okay, bye mom." He hung up once more without waiting for his mother's reply. He tapped on the counter table, "thanks again." He turned to leave, then pausing once more and turned around. "Would you like to have some coffee with me?"

She stood up and nodded, "let's!"

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The two were seated on the small dark café in solitude. Neither one was talking. Both were acting so engrossed with the beverage they were drinking. Noticeably, they were in synch with their actions. They stirred their coffee at the same time. They put the cups to their lips and set it down on the saucer in unison. Then, both gulped down on their glass of water in harmony. Still, neither one uttered a single word.

"What's your name again?" both questioned each other in unity, resulting in chuckles.

The woman gestured to herself. "Sango."

"Inuyasha," he offered a hand to her, which she shook accordingly. "Florist, huh?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I work at that big pink building across from here," he said with nonchalance.

Sango nodded in amazement. "The network, cable, office thing? What do you do there?"

"Yeah… We basically handle the basic entertainment for the city: digital cables, Internet connections, and such," he paused, examining her face. A smile tugged on his lips. "Why do you look so familiar?"

Sango sheepishly smiled. "Well… maybe you've seen me before if you frequent this place?"

Inuyasha shook his head, stirring his coffee. "No, it's not that. I've seen you some place before, not here."

Sango sighed. Should she tell him? Before she came up with a decision, he had shifted their conversation to a more personal level. "Tell me more about yourself," he placed his head on his right hand that was propped up on the table. Interest and curiosity were playing on his expression.

"Well, I have a little brother. He's sick – leukemia… but he tries to reassure me he's okay. He's a pretty strong kid," she said.

"I'm sorry," he offered.

"It's not your fault. Anyway, he's the only family I have left. The two of us were orphaned when I was only eighteen," she told him with a smile. Sango was not sure whether it was right to divulge her life story to him. Anyway, it would not hurt her. Some even say that sharing one's burdens to a stranger was the best therapy. It was not like Inuyasha and she would talk to each other again… "What about you?"

"Me? Well, I have a father who enjoys reading his newspaper all throughout the day. I also have an older brother who's as cold as ice; and I have a mother who's so overprotective that it's scary. You see, I just recovered from a car accident and she would not let me do anything at all after I got off the hospital…" he trailed off, a word hitting a nerve in his memory bank. "That's right. I've seen you at the hospital, haven't I?"

Sango gulped. "Huh? Oh. Look at the time. I should go home or else my brother would get worried and such…" she stated, finding a way to escape the question. Lucky for her, Inuyasha did not push it further.

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The shopping centre was about to close. Cars parked in the lot can be counted on fingers. An old model white Toyota was sitting alone on the lot row. Inuyasha regarded it in annoyance.

"That your car?" Sango asked. She was walking her bike beside her.

"My mom's actually. It died down on me. I tried over and over. It was no use. I'll show you," he opened the door and hopped in. He inserted the key to the starter just so he could prove his statement to her. Unfortunately for his ego, the car's engine came to life. "Well, would you look at that," he mused, looking sheepishly at Sango.

Sango eyed him, a bit puzzled. "Well, I have to go. So, goodbye."

Inuyasha stopped her. "I'll take you home."

"I'm fine. I live near the area anyway. Plus, you have to wait for your 'supposed' ride, right?"

That was true. Inuyasha scratched the back of his head. He was so sure the car would not start earlier. A phone rang. His cell phone rang. He stared at it while the simple tune of his ringtone buzzed continually. "It was also dead… Low on batt – shut off," he stated in fragmented sentences, trying to convince Sango more than himself.

Sango only nodded, but a smile tugged on her lips. "Goodbye, Inuyasha. Have a good night," she waved without adhering to his protests.

The silver-haired man stared at the retrieving figure of the intriguing female. His eyes went back into staring at the ringing phone in his hand. What the hell happened here? It was as if some kind of force played with his sanity. He was sure the car would not start. As a result, he was stuck at the place, not wanting to take any other type of transportation. He was sure his phone automatically shut off because he forgot to re-charge it. As a result, he had to find other ways of contacting someone.

Could it be some kind of fate-thing that brought him here, causing both his car and phone to die at the very moment?

Inuyasha finally decided to answer the phone. Well, what do we have here? "Hey, Sessh!" a welcoming smile crossed his face.

A/N: any kinds of reviews is appreciated. Those 'pls update' ones boost up my morale. But… I would really appreciate if you guys comment on my writing, point out errors, even give out suggestions and ask questions - anything. Still, all reviews are greatly appreciated.

BTW. I would be posting my companion fic entitled "It's ALL your fault!" (temporary title). This fic focuses on Sesshoumaru and Kagura – my all-time fave pairing! Honestly, reading both stories would help a great deal, as I plan to make these 2 fics coincide. Meaning, some aspects of this story would be explained there – while some for that fic would be explained here. hopefully, you all get my drift.

Anyway, I'm in love with Sessh so I'm excited for this fic and I hope you all support it.

Thanks once again.