Prejudice

Written By: France Gamble

Chapter Thirteen

He stood across the busy street that was only wide enough for one way traffic, but the chinese people didn't seem to mind as they tried to squeeze their cars through going both ways. His dark eyes watched the hotel accross the way with intensity that could kill anyone in the line of vision. He waited patiently and at the same time was willing for his prey to hurry out. He needed to do this; to get even with the one family that ruined everything. He would just kill the man, but he did that already. He needed to finish what he started, and here lay his project. They had gone into the hotel hours ago, but soon it would be the time they left for their afternoon meal. He knew this, he had been watching them for the past two or three days. Ever since he had caught a glimpse of the woman in the market place. He found them, and only by following small scent trails from other youkai.

He was about to give up and turn away from the shadows. He was going to follow the wave of people in the street and come back later that night and just finish it, when he saw what he came for. The family that needed to be exterminated.

The woman came through the double glass doors first, followed closely by the rest of the family. Counting he wondered why two youkai were with them. What could they be doing with two youkai; a young cub and a male teenager? The little boy Higurashi, Souta he recalled as the name, seemed to be brotherly toward both youkai. It wasn't until the girl, Kagome, was pulled gracefully against the side of the white haired inu-youkai that he found the connection. They were either mates, or going to be soon, by the way he held possessively on the teen. He growled. He really didn't need the aggrevation of a male youkai on his hands, and he didn't want to kill a brother in species either.

O-o

She laughed as he pulled her closer to his side and wrapped an arm around her. "What's so funny?" he asked acting afronted. She just giggled more and couldn't seem to stop. He smiled slightly. If he got her laughing, then that was fine with him. He had originally pulled her toward him because he got the feeling someone was watching her closely. He didn't want to let any other people get any idea that the pretty human was free. He belonged to her and she to him. The feeling was mutual, she had made sure to promise him that when he had asked her if she still cared for him after he was unable to protect her. He remembered the conversation well.

FLASHBACK

He sat stiffly on the bed looking at his reflection from the vanity that sat on top of the drawers across from him. He felt awful. He had to have his brother save him! What kind of youkai was he? 'Not a youkai,' he reminded himself. He was a hanyou. A half breed that shouldn't have even lived passed the first breath he took of life. He could feel the angry tears start to swell in his golden eyes. It had been the reason he was unable to beat his brother for so long; why he had been picked on in school and had been unable to beat the bullys; it was why he had been unable to beat the stupid hanyou Naraku who had taken his Kagome away.

"InuYasha?" a sweet voice called from the door that seperated the rooms of the hotel. He looked up at the door next to the dresser.

"Yes?" he called out. Luckily his voice didn't squeek. The door opened and in came the woman he wanted to protect forever, but didn't think he ever could.

"Are you alright? Mom said you've been in here all day, and was snappy earlier to the boys," she informed him as she came in all the way and sat on the side of the bed next to him. He didn't look at her, just kept his face down looking at his hands. He knew she wore her night clothes, the pink ones with white bunnies on them. He liked them because she always looked so innocent in them. "InuYasha?" she asked again.

"I'm fine," he whispered. He knew that he wasn't going to run away from them, but he needed to get stronger. All his life his father and brother had fought his battles, and now he couldn't defend himself. He had been teased and beat up by youkai and humans alike, and he couldn't defend himself from any of it. Now he needed to get stronger so that he would be able to keep the one thing he now charished safe: The Higurashi family.

"You're not fine. I can tell. InuYasha, what's wrong?" she asked him. Her hand went out and touched his own on his knee. "Please tell me."

"I couldn't protect you," he whispered.

She didn't move for a minute. "InuYasha, stop it!" Her out burst made him look at her. "Just stop it! We love you here, and we don't care if you can't protect us. It's enough that you even came to the rescue in the first place! I love you for you, not because your a tough guy, or because you can beat up other youkai. I love you because your brave, because you know you might not win against them but you still come to the rescue. A mere human boy wouldn't have even tried to defend me at all against that ass hole, but you bursted right in."

END FLASHBACK

She continued to giggle at him as he found out what was making her laugh. She was ticklish on the side where he had taken hold. Smirking playfully he wiggled his fingers making her try and get away. He had a good hold though and was just enjoying the game as they were making their way to the local market street. Yes, he loved her laugh. He thought back slightly to the past month that he had first met this family.

Had it only been a month? He couldn't think that it hadn't been more than that, but alas it had. How could a month feel like such a short time for them? 'Oh well,' he thought as his fingers once again gave a slight twitch into her side. It had seemed a life-time, but he wasn't complaining. If it meant that one human could change in a months time, like Kagome had, then maybe they all could one day.

Another thought ran through his mind. Over half of the world still was seperated from youkai. Only passed the Japan sea was their old home, and still a segregated way of living. They couldn't stay in China forever. This wasn't where they belonged, it was only what seemed like a long vacation. They were still living in a hotel, for the gods sake, and they hadn't even started to search for a real apartment. No, there still was the shrine back in Japan to attend to when everything calmed down enough to return. If everything ever calmed down again.

Now he was only thinking unrealisticly. There was no way that Y.E.S. would just back down against their family. How could they ever go back to their home country again and live peacefully together?

"Something wrong?" a voice asked from beside him. He looked down into her eyes. Shaking his head he decided that those thoughts could come around at another time. They would figure things out later, when they weren't in a crowded street. They made it to the market place and started to look around for their next three meals, like they did everyday.

Kagome laughed and said something to her little brother who was using the chop sticks at the cutlery shop as walrus teeth. Shippo took two eggs and placed them as eyes on this face and started to growl slightly and chase the "walrus" Souta around the area. Mrs. Higurashi was looking at the vegetables for that nights oden soup. Everything was perfect in his life.

Then the seven Hells decided to open up right in front of him.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N:

Well, sorry it's really late. I emailed everyone who left their emails in their reviews, so if you'd like to know when this is updated place your email in your review and you'll recieve the message. This chapter was kind of a filler for what is to come. I'll try and not fall off the face of the planet again. I'm so going to finish this real soon.

My reason for not updating on over a year? Writers block hit hard. My muses and mind just wasn't working right. I had a couple of mental break downs, gained a psychologist, got me some sleeping pills, moved jobs, moved houses (I now live in Takeyama instead of Yokosuka), worked my arse off for the military, lost my debt card in Australia, and lost a fiance and gained myself a girlfriend before I was finally able to come out with the right chapter. I started this chapter five different times, each one going to a place I just didn't like. I was going to just take all away and leave it alone for the rest of eternity, but my cousin (whose name changed to Tado666) told me she would kill me. Ironic, really, since that would really make it so no one would know what happens. Anyway, my muse is back. I'm home alone every afternoon before work so I have the time to write and get this finished. I've placed my other fanfiction "A Mother's Love" on hold until I can finish this one. I also have another one called "The Soldier Son" which is in progress, but on hold until "Prejudice" is finished.

Review answers for chapter eleven:

Trinity-33: Magick? Oh crap! I totally forgot all about my original stories... no, I'm kiding. I am actually going back and correcting them all right now. It's a work in progress, but I should be able to find my muse on those as well. I went through a lot of hell this past year, and am now just coming out of my slump.

Inu: Actually, Typhoons are an asian term for Hurricanes. I live in Japan, I know. Monsoon is the rainy seasons. And Tidal Waves are a freak wave that happens when the platonic plates under the ocean shift and cause an earthquake somewhere in the middle of the ocean. When this wave hit the beach, it's called a tidal wave.

Review answers for chapter twelve:

Un4given Miko: Actually, I move a lot but my pay sucks. I get about .85 American cents an hour when I'm working an eight hour shift in port. Underway I get less and work 12 to 15 hour shifts seven days a week. It's the military, so I can't complain since I ger medical benefits and everything. I also get food... even if I get poisoned from it half of the time. (Happened twice this summer...)

Well, there we go. I think everything was answered in that. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list to know when I update, then leave your email in your review. This story is almost finished, but I have two more coming out. Now I have to get ready for work. If we don't have much to do tonight, then maybe I'll knock another chapter out. Wish me luck!

France Gamble