Cloned

Chapter 2

By Demonsaya

Beep...Beep...Beep...

The loud, annoying buzz of her alarm clock caused her to roll over and slam her palm against the off button before she sat upright in bed, her hair disheveled, her eyes still heavy from sleep. Her pajama hung loosely on her body, making her slender form look even thiner than she was. Wearily, she rubbed her eyes and rolled from the bed in a very cat-like manner.

She dressed in her school uniform, and brushed her teeth, staring into the mirror, at a face that belonged to her, and probably a hundred others.

After all, her identifying number was 16. There were nine other's with her DNA on record after her. She never asked what had become of the 15 before her, and she didn't care. After all, if one of them had been successful, then she'd be aloud to go on with her life as a normal high school student.

Or as normal as the life of Clone could be.

As she brushed her hair, she saw the bar code that was stamped into her neck in the mirror, reflected from the mirror behind her. Lightly she ran her fingers across it, feeling the faintly scarred feeling of the flesh.

Her dark brown eyes closed and she sighed softly, walking out of her bedroom and down the stairs, to the kitchen.

Clones weren't treated particularly well in society. Because of the reasons they're sometimes created, they often were abused by the general populace. Worse yet, the police didn't usually care what happened to you if you were a clone. Rape, beatings, robberies, they'd just sneer and say it was okay, because you weren't human anyways.

Ki16, or Kagome, as her family called her, was a victim of such abuse every day, as she went to school.

The logic, or lack there of, behind it was simple. Initially, cloning had been given the government OK, because a virus had almost wiped humans, the primary source of food for most Youkai, off the face of the planet. Originally, they were only created to be sources of food, but the Morishima family changed all of that. Approximately 200 odd years ago, when the second Mrs. Morishima died giving birth, the demon gave the lives of those he'd taken in his rage back. He implanted them in circumstances exactly like they'd had before their death.

And so the 'companion' clones were created.

Now, they're used for almost everything. Labor, sex, food, as well as companionship, specifically for youkai who'd lost their human mate and are waiting for her to be reborn, or older humans, who'd lost sons and daughters, and wanted a second chance.

Kagome didn't know why she'd been created. She'd often asked Sesshoumaru Morishima, but he'd just tell her that she was an experiment. Then, about two weeks ago, during one of her check-ups, Inutaishou pulled her aside and sat her down.

He explained that she's been the only successful clone with her DNA. All the other's had snapped a short time after activation. He told her that he had to discuss it with the person the DNA had been collected for, but she might have to go to him.

"Ah, you're up!" Her mother came over and gave her a slight peck on the cheek. Kimiko Higurashi was a clone as well. In fact, her entire family was clones, her grandfather being one of the first successful companion clones. He would turn 90 that year. Kagome could see their bar codes as clearly as she could see her own. It was what set them apart from the others, what set her apart from those she attended school wit.

Gracing her younger brothers arms and chest were bruises caused by bullies at school. Two years ago, her grandfather had been pushed down the shrine stairs and luckily only fractured a hip. Her mother had been raped twice in 10 years.

Kagome herself had her own fair share of scars, both mental and physical. She desperately wished that someone would come along and start preaching for clones rights. But that would never happen, because clones weren't people.

The girl's appetite vanished at her thoughts. With a soft sigh, she smiled at her mother and walked over, grabbing her bento box. "I'm not very hungry, mama, I'm gonna head to school."

Her mother's face softened a bit and she nodded. "Go ahead, Kagome."

Quietly, she scooped up her school bag, walking out the door. She'd barely left when her mother rushed out.

"Sweetheart, you have an appointment at Morishima Inc. this afternoon."

Kagome nodded, her face rather serious. "Okay, mama." Then, she began to head towards her school. School was another nightmare. Most of the students there were 'born' humans, rather than 'made' humans, and it created a great deal of segregation and student favoritism.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled a magazine from her bag, and flipped it open. There, laying in a rather boneless manner in front of a fully customized Suzuki Escudo, was Inuyasha Morishima, in her own mind at least, probably THE all time most attractive man in all of the Japanese islands.

Unlike most of the girls her age, however, she bypassed the undoubtedly juicy interview and moved onto the information about the car. Everyone know who the youngest Morishima was, his name equally as well known as his father and older brothers. Oddly enough, with all the time she'd gone to the office, never once had she met him.

Inuyasha Morishima was the poster boy of the automotive and racing industries, as well as for the underground illegal street racing world. He was powerful enough that most in law enforcement looked the other way if he got caught. She and her brother had been to every single race he'd participated in in the last five years.

She brushed her hair over her shoulder, hearing the sound of footsteps following her. She took a steadying breath and pulled a small thin glove from her pocket, slipping it over her hand. Her teeth ground together as she noticed that she was still being followed and she shoved her magazine back into her school bag and hopped from one foot to the other, then broke into a dead sprint. If there was one thing Kagome had gotten really good at, it was out running slime-balls.

She glanced down at the back of the glove and saw the approximate distance to her school, her oxygen intake, her pulse rate, and even the level of fatigue in her muscles. All these things were monitored by a chip that was located at the base of her skull, just beneath the bar code. As the school came into view she breathed easier. She glanced back and found that whoever had been following her was gone now, but she didn't slow down until she'd reached the safety of the school's gates.

As usual, she walked quickly to her class, avoiding the 'born' humans and set her bag down on her desk, waiting for her friends to join her. Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri were all clones as well. Ayumi, like herself, was strictly a companion, while Yuka and Eri had been designed for sex.

As such, their topics usually strayed to more lewd grounds, while Ayumi was a romantic, and loved the idea of being in love. Kagome, meanwhile, who 'had no real purpose' to her knowledge, simply wanted to graduate, and travel far away, where there wasn't such a prejudice towards people like her.

If there was such a place.

"Any news about who you're being given to?" Yuka asked as she walked up, wearing a shortened school uniform skirt, and a collar around her neck. Her socks were baggy. All of these things were things that her 'owner' made her do. The collar was meant as for humiliation.

Kagome shook her head, smiling faintly. She noticed that there were a few new bruises on her arms and glanced away. Her eyes fell upon Ayumi, who was smiling, her face slightly red on one side, as though she'd been struck. She ground her teeth together, looking back at Yuka. "Where's Eri?"

Yuka's calm mask cracked slightly. "She had an appointment this morning...with her GYN..." She said softly.

Kagome's hands closed into fists. "Oh..." That could only mean one thing. Eri had been exhibiting signs of being pregnant for the last month, and she had to figure out a time to get to her GYN without her owner finding out. "If that bastard would figure out what a condom was, she wouldn't be having these problems..." Kagome whispered harshly.

Yuka nodded, sadly. "Or if he'd at least buy her birth control..."

The teacher entered, and class began, until the bell rang for lunch, and Kagome stood, grabbing her bag. "Hey, I'll meet you three at Wildcat Cafe, after school. I have an appointment today."

They nodded, smiling. "Tell us about it when we see you, okay?"

Kagome nodded, then walked out of the room. She reached the front gate and within five minutes, her mother was there, whisking her off to her appointment.

0o0o0o0o0

Kagome sat on the chair, her skin crawling. Although Sesshoumaru Morishima was in the room as well, that didn't soothe the fact that their chief scientist, Naraku, would have his hands on her, however brief the time. She understood the health risk the chips created, and respected it, and feared it, like any smart girl. However, the fact remained that every time she got 'examined' by Naraku, she always felt more like she was being felt up.

Sessoumaru kept his gaze focused on the strange hanyou, his face stoic, noting that Naraku was being unusually slow with the pelvic and breast exams. When the physical had ended and Naraku brought out a mechanical device used to check the settings on a clones ships, the other demon occupying the room stepped forward. "I don't believe that's necessary." Sesshoumaru said.

"All clones need their chips checked once a year until they reach full maturity..." Naraku said, as he continued fidling with it, moving towards Kagome.

Sesshoumaru's face darkened. "Need I remind you that I wrote that rule, or that every year since her chips were activated, my father and I have been the one's making sure they are functioning correctly?" He asked, snatching the device away from the hanyou. He glanced back towards where the girl sat on the table, and then at the tablet. His face turned down into a frown, and he dismissed Naraku with the wave of his hand. When the hanyou was gone, he moved towards her side. "It would appear you are correct. Naraku's acts were lewd and inappropriate."

Kagome nodded soundlessly as Sesshoumaru fiddled with the contraption, and then zapped the bar code on the back of her neck. Her brain scrambled itself for a moment and she put a hand to it to sooth the coming headache.

"No problems yet...hm..." He frowned, glancing back at the tablet. "Go ahead and get dressed, my father wishes to speak to you before you leave. There's a possibility there will be a use for you beyond my experiment."

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath, and nodded slightly.

0o0o0o0o0

Kagome stared into her parfait, the fruits creating brightly colored layers in the ice cream cup. She was shell-shocked from the news. They were going to gift her to someone. A 'family friend', Inutaishou Morishima had called the man. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or miserable, after all, there went her chances of meeting someone and falling in love.

She heard her name called and looked up to see her friends running towards her, Eri's face bright and relaxed. Either the test came back negative, or something else was up. She smiled weakly and waved at them, hoping they didn't notice her smile's forced nature. "How did your appointment go this morning, Eri?" She asked, as they sat down.

"Fine. The doctor said the test was negative, and she gave me a prescription for birth control to prevent any more scares. I got lucky. Any new news from Morishima Inc?"

Kagome smiled weakly and looked at her parfait again. "I'm being gifted." Her friends exploded into titters and such.

"Who is he!" Eri squealed.

Kagome shrugged. "They didn't say, and I haven't met him. Mr. Morishima called him a family friend."

"I bet he's deformed." Yuka said. "Half the people who get 'companions' have something horribly wrong with them."

"Don't be silly, Yuka, I'm sure there's absolutely nothing wrong with him." Kagome lifted her spoon, taking a small bite out of her parfait.

Yuka piped up again. "I bet he has personality problems, then. Like that really obnoxious kid in our class, Moroita? That's his name right?"

"No, no, Morishima-sama assures me that he's a nice young man 'once you get to know him', which could be said about anybody!" Kagome admonished her friend. Why was she defending someone she'd never met before? Probably because she was going to have to at least pretend to be his friend really well.

"They I bet he's hideous." Yuka giggled. "You know, lots of facial hair, like a werewolf, and big warts or scars all over him."

"Yuka, be nice! I'm sure he's not hideous!" Not that she knew, really, they wouldn't even let her see his picture.

Suddenly, Ayumi, who'd been almost silent until now, dropped her spoon and stared at something over Kagome's shoulder. "Ohmigod!" She squealed, grabbing Eri's arm. "Is that Inuyasha Morishima! He's looking right AT us!"

Kagome's eyes widened and she turned, finding herself staring at none other than her 'idol', the most important famous person in her mind.

Inuyasha Morishima.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she realized that he was even more handsome in real life than he was in the pictures. Then, something caught her eye and her heart skipped a beat, as she noticed that a car was barrelling down on him.

"WATCH OUT!" She screamed.

He blinked, and turned, and Kagome stared in morbid fascination with her friends as the car hit him at full speed, sending him up over the hood, into the windshield, and then he flipped up and over the hood of the car, landing in a boneless manner on the ground.

Kagome gasped, jumping to her feet, running towards him. She quickly dug her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 911. "Hello, yes, I'm at eighth and Moriyama, in front of the Wildcat Cafe. A man's been hit by a car, I think it's Inuyasha Morishima...Yes...yes...okay..." She reached him and dropped to her knees, pressing her fingers to his jugular vein. "Yes, he has a pulse, it's a little eratic..."

By now, people had been gathering around her and the fallen celebrity, crowding her slightly. She asked the person she was speaking to, to hold on for a moment, then looked at the people that were crowding them. "BACK UP!" She shouted, her face red. "An ambulance is coming, and the paramedics don't need you blocking the way!"

Someone behind her snorted. "Why should we clone."

Kagome flinched, and she got back on the phone with the operator. "No, ma'am. Yes, yes...I have the Morishima number on speed dial. Yes, I'll contact them. Alright, thank you, ma'am." She hung up and hit speed dial 7 on her phone, holding her finger in front of the hanyou's mouth and nose, checking for breathing. His breaths were hesitant. She checked his pulse again and her eyes flew wide. "Shit!" Without a word, she threw the phone away, straddling his waist, lacing one hand on top of the other, and placing them just below his breast bone. "One...two...three...four...five..." She checked his pulse again, getting nothing.

And now he wasn't breathing.

She cursed and leaned forward, pinching his nose and tilting his jaw down, placing her lips over his, trying to forget that this was a celebrity, pulling all her first aid knowledge to the front of her brain.

There was chaos around her, and she could faintly hear the sound of a siren heading towards her. Several women were screaming. After all, it was distinctly possible that the hanyou on the concrete was dying.

She breathed for him twice more and went back to the chest compressions. She did two more sets, till she got a pulse, and he took in a few unsteady breaths. She breathed a sigh of relief and climbed off of him, just as the paramedics managed to push through the crowd. She was shaken, and noticed she was developing symptoms of shock. She didn't say anything, simply tugging on the neck of her school uniform, as they checked him over and rushed him to the ambulance.

She was startled when another began guiding her towards the ambulance as well. "No, no, I'm okay...really..."

"You're exhibiting signs of shock. The operator said that you called the Morishima family?"

"As I was trying, he lost his pulse, so I started chest compressions instead." She said, shaking as she was wrapped into a blanket and they tied a tourniquet around her arm, before sticking a vein with a needle and starting her on an IV.

They nodded. "You have nurse training?" One asked.

"Something like that. I'm a companion clone. It's part of our basic knowledge in our chips. We have to know how to save our owners..."

One of the EMT's nodded. "Yeah, my daughter has a companion, he's saved her more than once. Nice job miss..."

"Higurashi." She said softly. "Kagome Higurashi."

0o0o0o0o0

The police questioned her while she waited, and she answered them the best she could, despite of their hassling her. It didn't go on for particularly long, though, seeing as just as they were trying to force her to say that she'd hit him with her car, Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru Morishima entered the E.R. waiting room, and saw her there, being hassled.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as the cops left, grumbling under their breath. A short time later, a doctor emerged and Kagome stood, about to leave.

Inutaishou stopped her. "Kagome, stay. I'm sure you'd like to see that he is well." He said, smiling slightly.

The doctor frowned, noting Kagome's bar code. "Family only. It's our celebrity policy, I'm afraid."

Inutaishou smiled dangerously at the doctor, his over-sized canines gleaming in the brightly lit room. "Why doctor, she is practically family. Besides, I really do insist..." He rested a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Besides, she did save his life..."

"I saved his life!" The doctor snapped. "She wasn't in the operating room!"

"No, but she did chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth on the pavement where he was hit, giving you a still living body to work with..." Sesshoumaru said evenly. "She stays."

Kagome blushed darkly, hiding her face with her bangs. "Thank you, Morishima-san..." She said soflty.

0o0o0o0o0

Inuyasha was aware of a few people talking in the room, one was his father, another his brother, another an unidentifiable male, and the other...oddly enough sounded like Kikyou.

Isn't that funny?

After all, it wasn't possible that Kikyou was in the room. Kikyou was dead, the production of them had stopped three years ago. All the remaining clones were put in families far away, and would never have their chips activated.

He was in a lot of pain, however, perhaps that's why he thought that he heard his dead lover. He didn't have a single place on his body that wasn't screaming in pain. He heard the unidentifiable male mention that he had two broken ribs, a broken jaw, and his femur on one of his legs was broken.

Well, it looked like he wasn't going to be able to race Kouga next week. He'd still be on the mend, and he would be in no shape to drive his 'busa at insanely high speeds.

He strained to think of the last thing he remembered, and oddly enough, it was warm lips against his, and sweet tasting breaths pushing breath into him. Breath that smelled like lemon drops, and soft silk brushing the sides of his face, scented of lavender. Tiny fingers pressed against his neck, at his jugular, and a soft sigh.

He groaned softly, thinking farther back. How had he gotten put in the hospital? He hadn't been racing had he? No...he'd been looking for something, someone. Someone who sounded exactly like his old lover. He heard the door open and shut and the voices left him, or at least the male ones did.

A soft hand brushed his hair back from his face. "Hi..." The girl's voice said softly. "I'm Kagome. You don't know me...but I've followed your career for years. I saw that time you hit the side of Motegi Super Speedway at 490 miles per hour and hopped out of the car, cursing and fretting, but you had barely a scratch on you."

Heh, he remembered that one. One of the other drivers had forced his cars into a spin, and he hit the wall pretty hard. It caused the car to burst into flames, and there had been a lot of screaming, and panicking.

"That's why I know you'll be OK..." She said softly, and her hand came away from his face. "Right? You have to be OK because if you're not, my little brother is going to cry." She fell into silence, and for a moment, he thought she'd left.

Instead, He felt her hair brushing the sides of his face, and the scent of lavender wrapped around him. This was the girl who'd pulled him from the brink of death. He felt warm lips press against his forehead and he was stunned. Most girls would have taken the opportunity of him being completely defenseless to kiss him on the mouth, but instead he received a rather gentle kiss just below his hairline.

Then, something was wrapped around his neck and he felt hands tying something back there.

What on earth...?

Just then, his father's voice broke through the silence. "Kagome, your mother's here."

"Hai." She stood, and something dropped against his chest. "It's a charm..." She explained. "Sort of. I've always worn it. It's blessed by miko's and it's always protected me from harm..." Then, the scent faded, and he realized that she was gone.

Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness of the room just made his head hurt worse. He reached down and grabbed the charm she'd given him and lifted it before his gaze. For a moment, he stared at it in confusion. It was a lug nut.

Then, after a moment, he chuckled, then began laughing.

He'd really have to wake up faster next time that girl was here.

She was just too weird.

0o0o0o0o0

AN: Yeah, a lug nut blessed by miko's as a protection charm. Weird, right? I know a bunch of you are super duper relieved that Inuyasha's OK. Did you really think I'd hurt my favorite hanyou? Come on. Anyways, I thought this chapter, I'd give you Kagome's perspective on life. Oh, and as for what she did...how many of you wouldn't jump on the chance to save your favorite celebrity's life? I would. Just for the money XD But that's not why Kagome did. She's just that nice a person, right XD