Author's Note: Oh hey guys, I'm back! And what's this? 100 REVIEWS?! Haha, I love you guys, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad to be back with another chapter. Actually, this probably would have been done sooner, but I got caught up reading a fanfiction and couldn't seem to get anything done until I'd read it all the way through. Don't you just love/hate it when that happens?
Dedication: Time for another chapter dedication! This chapter is dedicated to Fiery Dancer, for posting the 100th review for YITM! Thank you for your reviews, Fiery Dancer! And thanks for sticking with me.
A special shout out to everyone that's been reviewing so far! You guys are awesome. No seriously. You are.
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Chapter 13: The Solution
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Kagome
"Here they come," Inuyasha muttered, placing the large piece of glass and frame on the floor and stretching his arms out above his head as he stood.
Kagome could hear the guards now, their heavy footsteps and jangling keys echoing loudly off the walls. A few seconds later she caught sight of the bobbing flashlights as they made their way down the stairs and rounded the corner. Inuyasha walked past to head them off, mumbling his spell words as he went. The guard nearest to him took out his baton, gripping it in his right hand while holding his left out in front of him.
"S-stay right there!" He called, eyes widening as he took in Inuyasha's unusual features.
Inuyasha didn't stop, he moved right towards him, even when the guard raised his baton, ready to strike him down. He lashed is hand out, his clawed fingers wrapping around the steel, and crunched it in his hands.
Kagome shivered, her mind flashing back to the rooftop, where those same hands had been oh-so-gentle, she now realized; those same hands that could crush steel to pieces. He'd pushed those fingers of his up inside her, filled her with them for only seconds before-
"He's doing it again," Sango whispered, and Kagome was yanked back to the present. Inuyasha was looking at both the guards now, his words specific and direct. He ordered them to calm down, that they had called him here themselves for maintenance on the mirror, and that they wanted to watch him work, which he would happily allow them to do. That same sort of glazed look settled over both guards, and they agreed readily.
Inuyasha turned and walked past the girls again, his eyes locking onto Kagome. She felt that familiar hitch in her breath when their gaze met, and she wondered, is that how he spelled her? Was he saying something to her to make her feel this way? Did she get that same, empty, I'll-do-what-you-say air about her when she felt overly compelled to kiss him? To run her hands up his chest and into his hair?
She would have to ask Sango later, when Inuyasha was off doing whatever it was he needed to do and she could get her friend alone. She frowned, her eyes still fastened to him. She didn't think she acted like the guards. Sango would have mentioned it. But then again, what was stopping him from spelling Sango too? How could they ever really know? What was to stop Inuyasha from erasing people's memories, just like Kikyou had erased hers?
He ripped his gaze away from her then, rolling his eyes as he passed by and muttering an agitated "Keh," before kneeling down in front of the giant glass shard and continuing his work.
He still thought she was judging him. What a jerk. As if the word racist could ever be described when it came to her! The idea was absolutely absurd. She wanted to rip his hair out and pull on his ears for thinking that of her. She wanted to tell him that she was the least racist person in the whole world. But then how could she explain her sudden unwillingness to look at him? She did not, in a million years, want to admit that she was so attracted to him she felt she might break apart at any moment.
Inuyasha started speaking again, words she couldn't understand this time, and she recognized it as the same strange language Kikyou had used when re-spelling him back into the mirror, the same strange language he'd used on the guards both times. It didn't sound like any language she was currently aware of. It was off somehow. Alien. Inuyasha had said it was an ancient language when he was out last, but that couldn't be the only different thing about those words. She could almost feel the power as he spoke. She shivered.
The air stirred around her as Inuyasha's voice carried on, gathering around him and whipping hair up off his back, giving the impression of weightlessness. He bent the golden frame around the piece of mirror he'd picked out, the lettering etched into the gold glowing, just as she remembered from their first meeting. The frame stuck to the mirror, and the air died down. He gave a shout of triumph and stood, picking up the mirror and holding it out at arm's length, giving it a good once-over.
"Looks about right," he said, turning back to both girls with a grin on his face. "I think this might actually work."
"Great. Now what?" Sango asked, jamming her hands into her pockets.
"Now we get out of here. With the mirror, of course." He walked up to the guards, who waited patiently for his next command. "All done here, everything looks good. You'll let us out."
"Come on, I'll let you guys out." The guard said, his partner nodding enthusiastically.
Shaking her head, Sango rolled her eyes to Kagome and took her hand. They trailed along behind Inuyasha, who whistled blissfully, following the guards out. "You will go back to work and forget we were here. Erase the security tapes," he said as they stepped outside.
"Have a nice night now," the guard said, waving cheerfully, and then he was gone, back inside the museum.
"Well," Sango said. "I guess that's that. What are you going to do now?"
"Keh," he said, placing the bottom of the mirror down and leaning against it for support. "What do you mean, 'what am I going to do now'? I'm going after the jewel shards of course."
"I see. Okay, well, what's your plan for getting out of the mirror again come tomorrow night?"
He frowned, "I don't get what you're saying. Kagome is going to let me out again come tomorrow night."
"Er-" Kagome started to speak, but Sango jumped in for her.
"Kagome has school and family. She can't go with you."
His eyebrows shot up at her blunt words. "Oh really?"
"Yes, really. So unless you plan on keeping yourself in her bedroom closet during the daytime, you're going to have to come up with another plan."
"There is no other plan," he hissed. "She's the only one who can release me. You can't do it, no one else can do it. She can!" He whipped a sharp claw out to point at Kagome.
"If you think for one second that you can just-"
"Oi, shut up, bitch, this has nothing to do with-"
"Bitch?!" Sango exclaimed, fisting her hands at her at her side and falling into a stance. "I'll show you what a bitch is. I don't care if you're half-youkai, I'll kick your ass!"
He pulled his lips over his teeth, his grin showing his fangs, extending his claws. "I'd like to see you try, you-"
"Hey – HEY!" Kagome shouted, stamping her foot for good measure. Both Sango and Inuyasha whipped their heads around to glare at her. "Stop it! This is ridiculous, there's no point in killing each other over-"
"Keh," Inuyasha interrupted. "Like some mere human could ever hope to kill me."
"I said shut it." Kagome fumed, stepping in between them and glaring up at Inuyasha. "Listen, I'm sorry you've got all this… this crap going on, but I can't help you. I've got school and a family and a boyfriend, and honestly, I don't think I can handle whatever it is you think I need to do. So good luck, I'm going home."
He pulled his head back then, shocked.
Feeling somewhat empowered at her bravery for facing him head-on, Kagome grabbed onto Sango's arm and dragged her away. She could feel herself shaking. She'd done it! She'd looked him in the eyes and practically shouted at him and she'd somehow resisted the urge to throw herself at him. In fact, for a few seconds, she'd been so angry that all thoughts of his lips or his abs or his golden eyes had completely disappeared.
"Good Job, Kagome," Sango muttered, falling into place next to her, "but next time let me pound him."
Kagome smiled at her best friend. Sango's family were descended from a long line of martial-artists, and it was the one sport her parents had insisted that she and her brother Kohaku participate in, just as her father had, and his father before him, and his father before him. Sango still trained daily, and toured around the country participating in tournaments, which Kagome always thought was the coolest thing in the entire world. Still, it probably would have done no good against Inuyasha's youkai side.
"Not that I don't appreciate you sticking up for me," Kagome reassured, "but I'd rather not see Inuyasha rip your head off."
"Yeah, well-" Sango started as they turned the corner, walking towards their neighborhood, and then froze, her eyes wide, mouth open.
Kagome mimicked her expression. Inuyasha stood in front of them, looking pissed, the mirror tucked under his left arm. How had he gotten in front of them? She hadn't seen him pass them at all.
"Don't think for one second," he seethed, stepping closer, his eyes glued to Kagome, "that I can't fucking track you down wherever you go. You're not getting away from me, wench."
Sango immediately pushed Kagome behind her, fists coming up and dropping into a stance again. "Back off." She hissed.
"This doesn't fucking concern you." He spat, narrowing his eyes at her. "You're like a fucking gnat: you're annoying. Get out of my way."
"You get out of our way!" Kagome demanded over Sango's shoulder. She wished she'd had her friend teach her some self-defense. She certainly did not feel as confident as Sango did at the moment.
He paused, then grinned, stepping to the side. Both girls tensed, as if waiting for a trap to spring, but he only swept his hand around, gesturing them to walk by. Slowly, Sango keeping herself between Kagome and Inuyasha, they moved past him.
"Keep walking," Sango muttered, keeping her eyes on the hanyou.
Would he really attack them? Kagome wouldn't have thought so, but she didn't really know him. He could be completely unbalanced, totally insane, and how would she know? Anger swept through her, that she had gotten herself so deep into all this. And now Sango was involved too! She wished more than anything that she'd gone straight to security that night, instead of hiding from them. Now that she thought about it, they probably would have believed her. The security tapes had probably caught Hiromi's attack. They probably would have simply called her parents and let her out. She was so stupid.
"Fuck," Sango bit out.
"What?" Kagome tensed for an attack.
"He's actually following us."
She sneaked a peek over Sango's shoulder to see that he was indeed following them. He strutted along a few feet behind, whistling that same nonsensical tune like he didn't have a care in the world.
"What are we going to do?" She asked, reaching out to grip Sango's hand. "He's going to follow me home."
Sango huffed. "No he's not, we'll go to my place again. Kohaku's there and he's just as good as I am. We'll be safer."
Kagome worried at her bottom lip, still not convinced. "I don't know, Sango, maybe we should just go to the police."
She shook her head once, sharp. "No. They won't believe us, and I highly doubt he'll show himself anyway. They'll think we're drunk. Or crazy."
"Okay, but-"
"Kagome," Sango said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you." She replied without hesitation.
Okay then, try to relax a little. I have a plan, but I need you level-headed. Come on," she bumped her shoulder playfully, "you're usually braver than this. Where's the Kagome I'm used to?"
"Sorry, It's just… I'm still overwhelmed."
Sango frowned. "I know. But we got through letting Inuyasha out of the mirror and you were fine. Although, I'm not sure we should have let him out at all, now"
Kagome agreed.
"However," she continued, "at least we know he'll be stuck again in the morning."
Oh, she hadn't thought of that! So they just had to get through tonight. Feeling strengthened by her best friend, Kagome nodded. It took a few minutes more to get to Sango's, and Inuyasha kept pace with them, whistling the whole way.
Approaching the last few feet to Sango's house, both girls sprinted towards the front door, Kagome leaping to the side as Sango slammed the door shut and locked it with both the knob lock and deadbolt. She placed her back against the wood as they took a second to catch their breath.
Kagome could hear Kohaku in the family room, playing a video game. Some sort of fighting game from the sound of it. He must have heard the front door slam, because he appeared a few moments later.
"Hey sis, what's up?" He asked, shooting a curious glance Kagome's way.
"Kohaku, help Kagome lock all the windows. I'll get the back door." Sango ordered.
He stiffened immediately, understanding that something was wrong. "What happened?"
"Just do it. Quick." Sango pushed off the door and headed towards the kitchen, and without questioning any further, Kohaku started towards the family room windows.
"Kagome, get the ones upstairs." He said.
Nodding, Kagome took the steps two at a time, starting with the bathroom window, which was the first door to the right. She made her way down the hall, going in and out of the rooms, locking each window as quickly as she could.
It won't make much difference locked or not, you saw what he did to that mirror, you saw what he did to the guard's steel weapon, her inner voice pestered, but she pushed it away as she entered Sango's parent's bedroom, heading towards the window. It was true, wooden doors and glass would not keep him out, but locking everything made her feel better anyway. And it helped to squelch the fear of what he might try to do.
Sango entered the room just as she finished the last lock, heading for her parent's closet.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, moving to stand in the closet doorway.
She glanced at her as she searched the top shelf with her hands. "I'm looking for my dad's handgun."
It was Kagome's turn to stiffen. "What? A gun? Do you think you should-"
"Regular martial arts weapons aren't going to do much to him, even my Hiraikotsu probably won't do much damage." Sango snapped, her hands finding the box she was looking for. She pulled it off the shelf. It was black and secured with a padlock. "I might not be able to knock him out with my fists, but I know the bastard won't be immune to bullets." She carried the case to the bed and dropped it on the comforter, spinning the lock to the correct numbers and popping it open. "Don't worry, I've been taking shooting lessons for years now."
"How can you be sure it will work?" Kagome asked, "What if it doesn't injure him? What if he's like Superman, where bullets just bounce off him?"
Sango picked up the handgun. It was sleek and black, and Kagome shivered at the sight of it. Guns had always made her uncomfortable, and this was her first time seeing one so up close. She watched as her friend checked for bullets, cocked it back and released the safety, turning to lock eyes with Kagome.
"This isn't make-believe, and that asshole is not a superhero. Youkai bleed just like the rest of us."
Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. Sango was so fucking cool. Glad to have Sango as a friend rather than an enemy, Kagome nodded. "I have to finish the windows in your room." She said.
Sango nodded. "Let's go." And followed Kagome out of the door.
The last room at the end of the hallway was Sango's and Kagome reached for the knob, opening the door and stepping inside. She screamed when she came face-to-face with a very angry Inuyasha.
He stood with his legs set, his body seeming to fill up the room. The mirror was propped up against Sango's bed, leaving his arms free. They were crossed over his chest as he glared down at her.
"This game is getting fucking tiring." He growled.
"Kagome, back!" Sango shouted as she thrust herself between them, raising her gun like a professional, pointing it at his chest.
Inuyasha made no movement to get out of the way. His eyes shot daggers down at her. "And what the fuck do you think you're going to do to me with that stupid thing?" He growled.
"If you move, you're dead." She explained.
"Keh." He reached out with his left hand to grab the weapon. Sango whipped it two centimeters to the right and fired.
The sound was defining. Kagome clapped her hands over her ears as they rang, eyes wide, sickened by the spurt of blood that shot from his right bicep.
"FUCK!" He roared, clapping his uninjured hand over the wound. Blood oozed out between his fingers. Kagome watched as that same blood red color seeped into the whites of his eyes. She took a step back, terrified. She'd never heard of that side-effect from a gunshot before.
"Next one's in your head, asshole," Sango said.
He growled and knocked the gun out of her hands. It went flying across the room and thumped against the wall, falling to the floor, useless. His hand went for her throat next, and he picked her up by it and slammed her back into the wall, her feet dangling off the ground.
"Sango!" Kagome screamed, hearing the crack of Sango's skull, watching her friend struggle against his steel grasp.
"What happened?" Kohaku shouted, darting into the room. He froze, mouth falling open at the scene in front of him; the blood oozing from Inuyasha's arm, Sango's struggle to free herself so she could breathe. "Let go of my sister!" He cried, launching himself at the hanyou.
"Kohaku, no!" Kagome reached for him but he was too quick. He went for Inuyasha's eyes, his fingers coming together to form the shape of a spear, lashing out at his target.
Inuyasha reached out with his injured arm and gripped Kohaku by the back of his shirt, lifting him off the floor and tossing him onto the bed like a rag doll. Kagome's eyes darted to the gun, left forgotten in the corner of the room. If she could just get to it… She moved slowly, hoping he'd be too focused on Sango to notice…
"Hold it." He growled, red eyes searing into her. "If you fucking touch that idiotic contraption, I'll come for you next." He promised. She stopped, glaring at him. How had it come to this?
"Now," he said, taking in a deep, calming breath. Kagome watched with fascination as the red started to recede from his eyes, again becoming the golden color she was accustomed to. "Everybody calm the fuck down, and listen to what I have to say."
"...If you want to live, that is." He added with a menacing grin.
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Holy shit, that was crazy. Sango is a total badass. I love her.
Also, I've shot a gun like, once in my whole life, so please excuse any inconsistencies.
Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about or anything to mention or anything to say, I would love to hear it.
~SugarRos
