So I'll not keep you waiting any longer. Here are the Review Responses:
Beautiful Massacre: ACK! don't die on me!
d-iirrty: Thank you. I'm glad you're not mad.
shadowww15: Yeah, the uber hotness seems to have dissapated since I left. It cools off at night enough to sleep comfortably. I still say it was Hilary Duffs fault... she's gone now so it must me true. I think you'll be happy with this chapter, if your review is any indication. XD
jade eyed neko: LOL! I'll give you the honour of killing/maiming the man after this chaper as this is the last time he turns up in person! w00t! Happy Maiming.
Star Gemini: Poor Ayame indeed. The story you voted for won! w00t! It could be a while before I get to it. I want to finish this on sometime soon. Only 6 more chapters.
Wolf Princess1991: Thank you. I hope there wasn't too long of a wait for this one.
kagomes pup: oh but I loves the cocane (jk, drugs are for thugs kids!). Lol, well, here's some more for ya.
All Systems Ago!
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
The house was silent. Ayame had long since finished her shower and proceded to lock herself in her room. Rin was distracting herself by cleaning the house, a frown ever present on her face. Sango was cooking dinner, occassionally looking up at the ceiling where Ayame's room was located one floor up. Kagome tried to block out the world and its problems by burying herself in a book.
When Sango called everyone for dinner, they all sat around the table for some good old Hamburger Helper. All of them that is, except Ayame, who was still in her room, quiet as a mouse. The meal was eaten in complete silence, the girls shooting glances at the one empty seat every so often.
"Let's kill him." Sango said enthusiastically, banging a fist on the table and effectively startling Kagome and Rin. The two blinked at her for a minute before she continued. "I'm serious. Let's go back to Tokyo, chop of his balls, feed them to him then maim him!"
Kagome gave a nervous laugh. She knew Sango well enough to know that she meant it. "Look, Sango," She started. "We need to be here for Ayame right now. And hurting Riku isn't going to change what happened, and I doubt it will make her feel any better."
"It'll make me feel better..." Sango muttered.
"When she's here with us, she's safe. He can't get to her." Rin said as much to herself as to the others. "We'll help her get through this rough patch and then we won't let him get to her again. That's all we can do."
Sango sighed slouching down in her chair and rubbing her hands over her face. "I know, I know. I just feel helpless, and I don't like it. Things were going so well. I mean, she was back to her normal self. All that's been ruined and there's nothing I can do and it's driving me crazy."
Kagome laid a hand on her friends shoulder. "We all feel the same way," she said, looking at Rin who nodded sadly. "We're just going to have to live with it though."
A silence fell over them again, each of them staring off into space, wishing they could do something. But for now, they knew there was nothing, and even the small comforting gestures such as a hand on the shoulder or a sypathetic look weren't enough to ease the pain they felt for their friend.
The silence broke as the back door slid open and three of the guys walked in. Miroku stopped dead when he saw the scene before him, causing both Inuyasha and Kouga to bump into his back. "Are we interupting something?" He asked.
Sango straightened up immediately and took a deep breath. "No, no," she said getting up and grabbing a few emty dishes. "We were just finishing up dinner, that's all. It's my turn to clean up." She added to Kagome and Rin who were still regainning their composure.
"Oh... right," Kagome hopped up from the table as if it were on fire. "I'm... uh... going to go out back and, eh, water the plants." She hurriedly rushed towards door the guys had just come in. She stopped momemtarily when her eyes connected with Inuyasha's, both of them turning away, faces red.
"I'll be in the living room." Rin said as she all but ran out of the room.
The guys stood there baffled for a moment, looking at one another in confusion. With a shrug, Kouga walked to the living room, secretly hoping to find Ayame there. Inuyasha mummbled something about needing to talk to Kagome and walked back out the door. Miroku, however, stayed glued to the spot, watching Sango, the woman he loved, shakily carry the dishes from table to sink.
"Sango..." He started, his voice soft, barely more than a whisper. She looked looked at him, her eyes wide as though she was a deer caught in headlights. With a small whimper she leaned up against the counter, eyes closed and shaking. "Sango!" Miroku rushed forwards, gathering her into his arms. "What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's nothing," She said, trying to push him away.
"Don't lie to me," He commanded. "There's no point. I know you well enough to know you're upset."
She sighed and leaned into his chest. She remembered that they were together now. So she let it out. "Something happened to Ayame last night. Something bad. And I can't do anything to fix it and it's just... frustrating."
Miroku pulled back a looked at her. "What happened to her?" His voice was laced with concerned.
"She..." Sango averted her gaze. "I don't think I should be telling you this. It's really personal."
"Damnit, Sango! If something happened to her, I want to know about it." He kept his voice hushed enough so that no one would hear. He sighed at Sango's suspicious look. "I mean that I concider her a friend now. And Kouga obviously has feelings for her. I want to know if somethings happened to her."
"She hooked up with someone at the party." Sango told him, her voice quiet. "She was drunk, really drunk and she hooked up with... with... Damnit!" She clenched her eyes shut in shame. "I should have kept a closer eye on her!"
"It's not your fault Sango," He pulled her back to him, comfortingly stroking her hair. "Who did she hook up with?" He asked patiently.
"Riku," She said, her voice barely audible.
"Excuse me?" He hoped he's heard wrong.
"Riku!"
---
Kagome growled at the silver haired man in front of her. How dare he? How dare he suggest that they just forget it ever happened! He looked so embarassed about it too. It just added to all the anger and frustration built up inside her.
"I... I just think," He stumbled, never quite looking her in the eye. "That it'd make things more comfortable between us, you know? We can still hang out and there wouldn't be any tension and we would just be friends."
She snapped, whirling around to face him. "Maybe I don't want to forget about it Inuyasha!" She yelled, her eyes burning with fury. "And maybe I don't want to be just friends!"
"What?" He blinked, taken aback by the outburst. He'd expected that she'd be embarassed and eager to forget about the kisses they'd shared the night before. The look in her eyes now had his mouth dry and sweat rolling down his cheek. "I... I thought-"
"You thought WRONG!" She said angrily. "God! How could you be so dense!"
"What are you talking about?" He asked, shrinking back.
"I LIKE YOU, Inuyasha!" She yelled. "I have for months! Everyone else knows! And I haven't exactly been hiding it from you either!"
"Bu... you... I... What?" He studdered, unable to grasp onto a slid thought.
She let out an exaspirated growl. "You are such an idiot!" She said behind clenched teeth. "I don't want to be just friends Inuyasha. I want to be with you. In a relationship. You get it?"
"You... want to be... with me?" He looked at her as if she's grown antlers or something.
"Come on, Yash, It's not that hard of a theory to grasp here." She said, rubbing her temples in frustration.
"I..." He gulped, his throught suddenly dry as a rock. "I w-want to be with you too." His face was such a deep shade of red, it was nearly laughable.
Kagome blinked. "You do?"
"Yeah," He cleared his throat. "The truth is, I've liked you for a while now too. I just didn't think you were interested is all."
The two of them stood there just looking at each other for a minute, completely silent. "So I guess that makes us a couple then..." Kagome said, then smiled and took his hand.
"Yeah..." Inuyasha smirked as he looked down at her face. The two of them headed back through the back door just in time to hear Sango yell.
"Riku!"
---
"Riku!"
Kouga and Rin looked towards the entrance to the kitchen/dining room. "What was that about?" Kouga asked, his expression puzzled.
Rin looked at him nervously. Why, she asked herself, did she have to be the one stuck with him when it came up? How was she supposed to tell him what happened. It was more that obvious that he liked Ayame. He'd either be crushed, or he'd do something along the lines of what Sango had suggested earlier. "Uhm..." She started.
A creaking on the stairs had everyone in the house shut up and look. There was Ayame, making her way robotically down the steps. Her hair was down for a change. She was dressed in sweats and a tank top, her face blank. She walked into the living room taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch from Rin and stared blankly at the ground. Sango, Miroku, Kagome and Inuyasha all made their way into the living room as well.
The girls and Miroku looked at Ayame uneasily, none of them speaking, while Kouga and Inuyasha shot eachother quizzical looks.
"What's going on?" Kouga asked finally.
Before anyone could answer though, a knock came from the front door. "I'll get it," Kagome said, turning and heading for the front hall. As she disapeared from the room, the knock turned into a viscous pounding. Whoever it was was getting impatient.
Nervous now, Kagome slowly started to open the door. She didn't get it halfway before it was pushed open and she nearly fainted.
"Where is she?" Riku yelled as he brushed by her, storming into the closest room, which happened to be the living room. Catching sight of Ayame he started for her. Sango and Ein instantly jumped up, trying to block the way while the others stood (or sat) there in shock.
"You leave her alone!" Sango yelled, but was easily pushed aside, as was Rin.
"Hey!" Miroku yelled, steading Sango, and glaring at the man.
"Why did you leave?" Riku questioned, glaring at Ayame who was simply sitting there, staring at the floor with increased concentration. "You said you would stay and wait for me to get back!" He yelled, reaching for her arm.
Kouga jumped up, pushing Riku back away from her. "Hey!" He yelled, taking up a defensive position in front of her. "What the hell are you talking about."
Riku shot him a cool and uninterested look. "Me and Ayame are back together now. So get the hell out of my way."
Kouga stiffened. "You're lieing."
Riku smirked coyly at him, cocking his head to the side lazily. "If I'm lieing then why is it that she spent last night with me?"
Kouga slowly turned to the redhead behind him. His eyes wide and unbelieving. "It's not true." He half asked her. But she sat there, that same blank look on her face. Slowly, her eyes looked up at him. He could see sadness and regret in them but she looked away, ashamed, confirming his fear. She'd given herself back to the man who'd hurt her. He clenched his fists in anger, both at Ayame and at Riku.
Riku laughed maliscously and started for Ayame again, only to be blocked by Sango yet again.
"You bastard!" She yelled, her fists ready to strike if need be. "How dare you come in here claiming that you're back with her! What happened last night had nothing to do with that! She was drunk and you took advatage of that! You should be ashamed-"
However, before she could finish her sentence, Riku was already being dragged outside by a seething Kouga. The man had taken advantage of the woman he cared for, was all that was going through Kouga's mind. And he would pay for it. The only place for a proper fight, though, was outdoors. After crossing the threshold of the house, Kouga's fist slammed into Riku's face.
Riku stumbled back, but managed to keep his balance. Witha growl, he spit out blood from his lip and readied himself for the fight. From there on out it was a flurrie of fist and feet, grunts and goans of pain. The group, who had followed them out, could only stand and watch, each of them silently cheering Kouga on. The fight had barely begun when Ayame came to her senses and rushed out.
"Stop it!" She yelled, pulling Kouga back before he could retaliate to the kick to the stomach Riku had delivered.
Kouga grunted and turned to her. His lip was bloody and a black eye was already forming. "How can you be defending him? After what he did to you!"
Riku laughed behind him. "I told you, we're back together." He reached forwards, grabbing Ayame by the arm and hulling her towards him.
Ayame punched him in the stomach and pulled her arm out of his grasp while he recoiled. "Don't touch me you bastard!" She yelled. "I'm not defending you. I don't want to be with you, not ever again!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at him in disgust. "Leave." She said. "Get out of my sight."
He looked at her and the group behind her. "Keh, you're not worth it anyways." He said and turned, limping back to his corvette which was parked across the road. When he finally pulled away, Ayame dropped to her knees and sobbed. Kouga rushed forwards, getting down on his knees to comfort her.
"No!" She screamed when he went to wrap her in an embrace. "Don't touch me!"
"Ayame-" He started.
"Go!" She yelled, looking at him, then at everyone else. "All of you just go! Leave me alone."
Kouga looked at the girls. They nodded at him, so he got up, sending one last remorseful look towards Ayame and left with Inuyasha and Miroku. When Rin saw that the men were in their house, she went to her. She got on her knees and pulled Ayame into a comforting hug. "It's ok," she said, rocking her friend like a mother would her small child. "It'll be ok, Ayame. You're safe with us."
Sango and Kagome helped Rin bring the sobbing girl into the house. They all knew, it would take some major fixing to get her back to normal. But things would work out. They had to.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
AN: Well, there ya go. The next chapter of the story. I'm sorry it sorta lost steam towards the end... or at least, I think it did. And I'm also sorry for all the errors in spelling and grammar I'm sure there are. I don't have word on the laptop yet for fixing errors. So... sorry.
I'm also sorry for the delay. I didn't end up writing while I was away. But I'm going t try and finish this before the end of summer, if at all possible. There are only 5 more chapters left now. That's including the epilogue. So... yeah.
I don't really have anything to say. I'm kinda tired. And yeah... and questions and comments will be answered if you have any, just review. I reply to every one. The next chapter will be out soon (I hope). So yeah. Toodles Everyone!
Next Chapter: Ayames Decision