Escaping Death
Note- Hey! It seems like you guys are enjoying it so far. That's great.
Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha.
Summary- Kagome is an average girl. But after a strange online conversation, a psychotic killer wants HER to choose his victims. She can't escape, not without sacrificing everyone she loves. So what can she do?
I hate to inform you all of this, but Broken Hearts is on hold for right now. I have lost interest in it, and I also have writer's block, but it will be back in progress before too long. I apologize sincerely to all of the fans of that story. Please bear with me. Thank you.
I hope you all enjoy. Please review and thanks for reading.
Escaping Death
Chapter Nineteen
Kagome kept fidgeting all throughout the morning news. She knew what was to come under the breaking news headline, but she tried to keep it hidden from her face. She had to act surprised so her mother wouldn't suspect a thing. She was sitting beside her on the couch, eating the breakfast she had prepared for herself before she ran off to work.
"Breaking News: Hiten Tamagachi was found dead early this morning in his home--"
Her mother placed her plate onto the table in front of them and murmured, "Oh my. The poor boy's family."
"Apparently, he was the only one awake at the time. When his younger brother, Manten, came downstairs, he found his brother by the front door, dead--"
Kagome covered her mouth and shot a side-glance at Inuyasha. He was just staring at the television with a fixed rage.
"We're taking you now, live, to the household of Hiten, where Manten is currently being interviewed."
The scenery changed from the nice news room to the house where Hiten and Manten lived.
"I was sleeping," Manten began. "And our dog came and woke me up. I knew that he wanted out, so I got up to let him out into the yard. But I knew Hiten was awake, and I wondered why he didn't let him out in the first place. And when I got to the door, I saw him…" Manten's body wracked with sobs and Kagome struggled to hold back the curse words she longed to release. "He was lying in front of the door, which was open, and he was bleeding everywhere." Manten could no longer speak as the tears overcame him and he turned from the camera.
The scenery once again changed, this time going back to the news room. "Hiten suffered many stab wounds to his chest and stomach area. No clues were left behind as to the identity of his killer. We will follow this story as long as we can and give you updates throughout the day."
Kagome's mother turned the television off as they began to discuss another topic. "That's just terrible." She commented, shaking her head woefully.
"Yeah, it is." Kagome was looking down at her hands that were in her lap. 'With these hands, I told Death to kill Hiten.' She turned and looked at Inuyasha. He was glaring out the window. He hadn't said a word to her in the presence of Ms. Higurashi. But he had come to Kagome's room when she had first awoken to say good morning.
"Well, dear, I'm off to slave away at work. Please be careful and keep everything locked up." Ms. Higurashi gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, grabbed her belongings, and went to the door. "Bye Inuyasha." When he didn't respond, Ms. Higurashi looked at her daughter as if to say, 'What can you do?' Then, she left.
And Kagome let loose.
"What's wrong with you?" She demanded, jumping to her feet. She grabbed her mother's dirty dishes and took them into the kitchen, but she could still hear Inuyasha when he asked:
"What do you mean, 'what's wrong with me'?"
"You have not bothered to speak to my mother, even once, Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. "She is the one who allowed you to practically live here." She began washing the dishes, angrily scrubbing at them. She was glaring down at the plates, but she wasn't actually seeing them, which caused her to continue scrubbing long after they were clean.
What Inuyasha said next, however, nearly made the dishes slip from her hands. "Well, maybe I should go back to my house!"
She sat the plates into the soapy sink, hurriedly dried her hands, and raced into the living room. He turned to regard her with a serious expression. "Are you crazy?" She wanted to know, her voice rising a couple octaves. "One: Your house is a crime scene. The police are staking it out and investigating. And two: There is a psychotic killer on the loose who, for reasons I don't understand, doesn't like you very much."
"Well," he began, rotating his left arm in circles in order to work some of the stiffness out of it. "I guess Miroku's will have to do."
"No!"
Inuyasha dropped his arm and looked at her curiously as she realized how loud she had screamed. "Why not?"
"I don't know." She said, running her fingers through her nappy hair. She hadn't brushed it yet. "I just don't really trust him."
For a reason he couldn't fathom, Inuyasha realized he was getting defensive over Miroku. "Why not?"
"Think about it, Inuyasha," she chided. "He's been acting weird lately. He's much more calm about this than we are."
"Different people have their own different ways with dealing with certain stuff," he retorted. "And who said I wasn't calm?"
Kagome sighed in frustration. "Nobody said you weren't calm. But you're angry. You keep glaring at the television whenever someone gets murdered." She paused and took a deep breath. "I know you hate him just as much as he hates you. And I know it's because of me."
Inuyasha looked sheepish. "And what makes you think that?"
Kagome just smiled. "Never mind." She turned and went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes.
Inuyasha followed and leaned against the wall next to the kitchen doorway. "You know," he began casually, "psycho is going to want another victim, right?"
Kagome nodded, her back still turned toward him. "Yep. I know."
"Do you have anyone yet?"
She hated to admit it, but for a moment there, Kagome had actually been about to say Hiten's brother Manten. It was cruel of her to almost say -- or even think -- such a horrible thing. It was bad enough that Hiten had to be taken away, but how would his parents react if they lost their second son?
However, just when she was about to respond with a nonchalant, "Not yet," she paused in her actions of scrubbing the dishes. That's because she was hit with an idea. And idea so strange and bizarre that it might actually work.
Inuyasha must have noticed that she hadn't answered and that she had stopped washing the dishes, since he went, "Hey, you okay?" in a concerned manner.
"I'm fine." She responded.
"Good. I mean, you didn't answer my question. You just sort of spaced out." He said.
"I didn't space out," she said, rinsing the plate in her hands and putting it in the dish drainer and drying her hands. She turned to look at him. Her face was solemn. "I figured something out."
"And what," he wanted to know, "exactly, is that?"
"The next person I should tell him to kill." She answered.
"And who is that?" He asked.
"Me."
It took Inuyasha a moment to digest this bit of information. After he had, he exploded. "Hell no! You are not going to tell him to kill you!"
"Inuyasha," Kagome said with a half smile. "He won't kill me. He likes playing with me." She examined him for a moment. "And besides, you can't tell me what I am and am not going to do."
"This time I am!" He yelled.
She placed her hands on her hips and stuck out her chin defiantly. "Inuyasha. I know what I'm doing. Trust me."
"Kagome, you're crazy if you think I'm letting you go through with this." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not. It's stupid!"
"How is it stupid," she demanded, her smile now gone, and her tone hard, "to save lives by preoccupying a killer with yourself when he won't even kill you?"
"Because," he replied, looking just as defiant. "How do you know he'll even take the bait? What if he realizes what you're trying to do and keeps bugging you about killing someone else?" He sighed. "What if he kills me just because you do this?"
"Don't give me that," she retorted. "You said you wouldn't let him kill you and that you weren't afraid of him."
"I'm not afraid of him!" Inuyasha impetuously cried viciously, grasping her upper arms in a vise-like grip. "I'm afraid of losing Miroku, or Sango…" He paused, wrapping his arms around her tightly and embracing her. "And I'm very afraid of losing you."
Kagome, who had stiffened stubbornly in his arms, relaxed and hugged him back. "You won't lose me. I promise. And Sango and Miroku will be fine, too. I'll make sure of that." She tightened her grip around him. "You just have to trust me and let me do what I think is right."
She could tell that Inuyasha was very reluctant to let her do such a thing. She knew that he was afraid -- she could see it in his amber eyes. And, as she was logging in on her computer, she noticed that he was shaking. Whether it was from anger or fear, she wasn't sure, and she wasn't going to ask. "Don't worry," she said softly. He was online. She double clicked on his screen name and an instant message box appeared. "It'll be all right."
Miko17: Hey.
Death986: Well this is a surprise.
Miko17: What?
Death986: You just came out and sent me a message first thing.
Miko17: Yeah, well, I guess I got used to your threats. You know? "I'll kill at random if you don't give me your next victim."
Death986: I see. So I take it that you've chosen someone, then?
Miko17: Yes.
Death986: And who would that someone be?
She shot a glance over her shoulder at Inuyasha. He was staring at the screen in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe she was going through with such a plan. Then, she turned back to the computer.
Miko17: Me.
Note- Oh boy! Do you guys think Kagome is right and that Death will not kill her? Or will he even come after her at all? Please let me know. Thanks.
