Disclaimer: Of course I own Inuyasha. Because I'm Rumiko Takahashi, coming onto fanfiction(dot)net to write alternate universe fanfics in English to somehow relive the glory days of writing Inuyasha the manga. I'm just cool like that.
A/N Howdy everybody! All three of you! Here's another chapter, hot off the press! See, you didn't believe me when I said I'd get this one out more quickly. But here it is, and 19 pages to boot! Enjoy!
Inuyasha tossed and turned, twisting in his sheets as images plagued his unconscious mind. A hallway stretched out before him, one whose end was out of sight. He vaguely recognized the corridor from his old house, but he couldn't seem to remember what was at the end of it. His brow furrowed in his sleep as stared down the hallway in his dream. A growing sense of dread filled him the longer he stayed rooted to the spot.
Eventually feelings of fear and panic overwhelmed him and he knew he could no longer stand still. He had to move, he had to get to the end of that corridor. He went to take a step forward...and the dream went hazy. His vision blurred and suddenly he was opening his eyes to his darkened dorm room.
..:V:..
"I had that dream again," Inuyasha told Kagome the next morning as they ate breakfast together.
Ever since visiting his old house, Inuyasha had been hounded by a recurring nightmare. He didn't understand it, but he knew in his gut it was important. When he was awake, he could fully remember the hallway from his dream as the main one that ran from the front door to the back of the house. But whenever he was asleep, it was the greatest mystery in the world. He knew there had to be more to it, and it might have to do with his lost memories. But for the life of him, he had no idea what his subconscious was trying to tell him.
"Still the same hallway?" Kagome asked, ignoring her toast in favour of questioning him.
Inuyasha nodded. "And I still can't go down it. Every time I take a step, I wake up."
"I wouldn't rush it," Kagome advised. "It's only been a week and a half since we visited your house. Already you've made more progress remembering than in the past ten months combined! I guess surrounding yourself in memories is really working."
Inuyasha held up The Outsiders that had a bookmark sticking out of it about halfway through. He made a face, "No matter how much I hate it."
"Morning, my wondrous companions! How fare ye on this fine day?" Miroku's voice broke into their conversation, effectively ending it. They turned to see him approaching their cafeteria table.
"Apparently he's a morning person," Sango grumbled as she appeared from behind him, shrugging apologetically.
"As should we all be, when such glory as the beautiful dewy morning is–oh ew, The Outsiders," he was brought up short, wrinkling his nose.
"Tell me about it," Inuyasha said in disgust, throwing the book down on the table.
"It's got nothing on the horror that is Where the Red Fern Grows," Sango said, setting down her tray and sitting across from Kagome. "I'll never recover from the trauma of that book."
"Oh middle school reading materials, what would we ever do without your dose of depression and tragedy?" Miroku sighed ironically.
"Be better off, most likely," Sango responded, biting into her bagel. "So what's new with you guys? Do anything for New Years?"
Kagome shrugged. "I read a bunch of a textbook."
"Thrilling," Sango remarked.
"I made an elastic ball!" Inuyasha proclaimed rather proudly, producing the object from his pocket.
"And we're all terribly jealous, I'm sure," Miroku said wryly.
The four chattered away for the next ten minutes, exchanging more stories of their vacation time and dreading the ring of the bell to indicate it was class time once more.
Eventually they had to face the music and get on with the school day. Later in their Physics class, Kagome turned to Inuyasha once more. "Did you bring all those things from your house back to your dorm room?"
"Yeah," he responded. "The picture of me and Jinenji is on my bedside table–"
"Jinenji and I," Kagome corrected mildly.
Inuyasha made a face and continued, "and I've been playing my Game Boy Colour and listening to my old CDs... You know, other than Mimic, I had surprisingly bad taste in music."
"It happens to the best twelve year olds," Kagome assured him. "I think it's something that can only be corrected with age."
"Clearly. Well, my movie collection wasn't too bad, though. Also, I remember that The Mummy was the last movie I saw in theatres before the coma. Maybe we should rent it or something?" Inuyasha suggested.
"Ooh, sounds like a plan!" Kagome said eagerly. "Good thinking, Inuyasha! Any other ideas?"
Inuyasha fiddled with a few sheets of paper on his desk. "Well...I don't know if I really like this idea...but what if...what if we found out a little more about 'The Night'?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...like, there's been a ton of investigation and such, right? But all we know is what you read in that article when it happened, and the little that Sesshoumaru told me when I woke up. But I don't think he told me everything," Inuyasha explained.
"He was probably trying to protect you," Kagome mused. "That's a lot of terrible information to take in at once."
"And I never wanted to know more about it so I didn't press him for the whole story," Inuyasha finished.
"If he even knows it," Kagome pointed out. "Police usually keep things pretty close to their chest."
"True," Inuyasha admitted.
After a moment of silence, Kagome had an idea. "What if...what if we went to the police station? Maybe we can ask to see the investigation file. It does directly involve you, after all."
"You really think they'd let us see?" Inuyasha asked.
"It's worth a shot. What do we have to lose?"
"I guess nothing. When do you want to go?"
"This weekend would probably work," Kagome replied. "Oh, and Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sticking close to you Monday night, and we're staying locked in the school. It's a new moon."
Inuyasha gulped. "Right..."
..:V:..
"Here we go," Kagome said, letting out a long breath as they stood gazing up at the imposing police station.
"Let's do it," Inuyasha said determinedly, starting forward.
Kagome rushed to keep up with his quick step as they entered the building. After a short talk with a desk clerk, they were directed to the fifth level, the homicide division. A couple more queries pointed them in the direction of a corner office with the name Captain Aoyama on the door.
After knocking, they were quickly admitted and then appraised by a portly middle-aged man sitting behind a large desk. He studied them for a moment before declaring, "Inuyasha Reijiro," with a satisfied nod.
Inuyasha stepped forward. "Yes, that's me. And this is Kagome Higurashi."
"Well, have a seat, my boy. You too, miss," Captain Aoyama said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. Once they were settled, the captain continued, "What can I help you with?"
"Well...really... It's about my own case. The night my parents and I were shot..." Inuyasha said, swallowing thickly.
The captain nodded sadly. "Terrible affair, that was. Simply horrendous. But I don't have to tell you that."
"I was wondering if you could tell us about it. I can't remember anything about that night and I didn't have any desire to know before...but I'd like to know now. What can you tell me about it?"
The captain looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. "I can't tell you everything, I'm sorry to say. It's still an ongoing investigation and we can't let the whole file be open to the public just yet."
"But I'm the victim!" Inuyasha protested. "Don't I have a right to know?"
"Even so," the captain replied. "We have a strict policy on still active cases. I'll tell you what I can, though. My department was in charge of your case. We had the best detectives on it and we all worked around the clock for months. We interviewed countless people, but in the end, we were left with nothing solid."
"What were the facts?" Kagome asked. "What did the house look like when you found it?"
"It wasn't broken into, if that is what you're asking. Mr. Reijiro was found shot dead in the study, and Mrs. Reijiro and Inuyasha were found in the bushes outside the main entrance. Both were shot in the back. Nothing from the house was stolen, according to Sesshoumaru Reijiro."
"Except for the pistols," Kagome interjected.
"Hm?"
"The antique pistols Mr. Reijiro owned and kept in his study. We saw the empty box when we visited the house. Inuyasha said they were the same kind of guns as those used in the shooting," Kagome elaborated.
The captain pursed his lips together, clearly not too pleased this teenage girl he had never seen before was so intimate with the details of the case. "That's...true. The pistols were the one thing that was missing," he admitted reluctantly.
"And you think they must have been the murder weapons, and then taken away from the scene of the crime, right?" Kagome pressed the point home.
"That's unquestionably a theory," the police captain said evasively. "Obviously it can't be proven without the pistols in question. You cannot do a full ballistics analysis on a missing weapon."
"But why else would the pistols have been taken? Like you said, they were the only thing taken from the house. Undoubtably they're valuable, but there were many expensive things in the house – if the killer were looking to steal valuables, the pistols probably wouldn't be the first place they'd start. Therefore, he or she must have grabbed the guns in the moment, used them to kill, and then made off with them so he or she didn't leave any evidence behind..." Kagome mused as Inuyasha watched her in awe and Captain Aoyama shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"That's gotta be it," Inuyasha said after a minute. "But then... I mean...it still doesn't make any sense."
"Why not?" Kagome asked.
"If the guy – or girl – was there not to steal anything, but just to kill us...why didn't they bring their own gun? Why'd they have to take Dad's?"
"Good point," said Kagome. "It's like...he or she didn't come to your house with the intention to steal or to kill... So how'd they end up slaughtering your family and getting away with it?"
They looked to the police captain. He held up his hands in defence. "Sorry, kids, I've just about reached the limit of what I can tell you."
"You haven't told us anything," Kagome retorted. "You haven't said anything that's different from what we've already learned from the media. Inuyasha's a direct victim here. He IS your case. Doesn't he have a right to know what you know?"
"Listen, little lady. I hate to be the one to say it, but victims are often more of a hindrance than a help. The more they know, the more they're likely to try and exact personal revenge, or perform their own investigation and muck up ours."
"It doesn't look like your investigation is going too smoothly, with or without us," Kagome remarked snidely. "Other than the killer, Inuyasha is the only person alive with a memory of that night. Instead of trying to help him retrieve it, you're excluding him from the very information that could be the key to its recovery. This is ridiculous. Let's go, Inuyasha. This was a waste of time."
The captain looked mildly affronted, but wisely kept his silence and watched the two teenagers leave his office in a huff.
..:V:..
"I can't believe that guy!" Kagome continued to rant as she and Inuyasha walked up Sesshoumaru's driveway. "I get that it's an ongoing investigation, and I get that victims sometimes pound the crap out of any old suspect the police may happen to drag in, but come on! These are special circumstances. You're their best witness, for Pete's sake! You'd think they'd be telling you anything and everything to try to jog your memory. Best detectives on the case, my ass. I wonder if there was any talent on the case at all."
Inuyasha shrugged as he opened the door. "We knew it was a bit of a long shot going in. We knew the police might not be too...forthcoming."
"Yeah, but if the police won't even tell us what they know, how are we supposed to figure out what happened to you and your parents?" Kagome said in frustration.
"Police?"
Inuyasha and Kagome both looked up from taking off their shoes to see Sesshoumaru looking at them questioningly from the family room doorway.
"You went to see the police, brother?" he asked delicately.
Inuyasha glared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if he was looking for a fight. Finally he just shrugged. "Yeah, we thought they might tell us what they know about The Night. The more information we have, the more likely something in my memory will trigger. That's what we thought at least. But the police would hardly tell us anything. The captain guy pretty much just repeated what was in the newspapers. It was a waste of time."
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Captain Aoyama, I presume?"
Inuyasha looked at him sharply. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"
"He's the head of the case. I...pressed him quite a bit at the time of the incident for information. He probably grew resentful towards any and all questions asked regarding the case. It could be why he was so close-lipped with you."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Great. Another injustice I can blame you for. Will it never end?"
With a nasty look directed towards his brother, Inuyasha stomped out to the kitchen to get a snack. With an apologetic look at Sesshoumaru, Kagome quickly followed. They fixed themselves some peanut butter and jam sandwiches and sat down at the dining room table to eat.
"So what do we know?" Inuyasha asked. "Someone came to the house that night. Whether they were invited or not, they didn't break in. So either the door was unlocked, or someone in my family let them in."
"It seems like they didn't intend on doing anything bad to begin with, because they didn't bring their own weapon," Kagome continued.
"Or maybe they were a professional thief or something and didn't think they needed a weapon. But then my dad surprised them and they panicked and reached for the weapons on hand," Inuyasha suggested.
"But again, no sign of entry," Kagome pointed out. "There should have been at least some evidence of a break-in if in fact there was one, no matter how good a thief they were. And besides, nothing was stolen in the end, other than the pistols."
"Well, it could have been something that Sesshoumaru didn't know our parents owned. I mean, he was the one that had to account for all the possessions in the house. He could have missed something he didn't realize was there in the first place."
"Good point. There could have been a theft no one knew about..." Kagome considered.
"But again, no breaking in," Inuyasha sighed. "Either way, it looks like the killer had to have been let in by one of us. I don't know a thief that would do that."
"So they were let in, made their way to the study with your father... Then something happened and the killer shot your dad. Presumably you and your mother witnessed it and they then came after you. Once that was all over...they just left," Kagome recited.
"So the question is...what happened to set them off in the first place? What happened in the study?" Inuyasha said thoughtfully. "How can someone come in as my family's friend and leave their murderer?"
The pair lapsed into silence as they thought the matter over. Everything seemed strange and illogical. They had more questions than answers and what they lacked most was information.
Both of them snapped out of their respective reveries when a stack of thick files thudded down on the table between them. Looking up, they saw Sesshoumaru towering over them.
"I think you'll find everything that you need in those," he said, nodding towards the pile.
Kagome gave him a confused look before reaching to take the file on the top. She noted the Confidential title before opening it and scanning the contents. After a moment, her eyes widened and she looked up at the other two. "This...this is part of the official police report!"
Inuyasha straightened up in his chair. "What?"
"It is all there. Every miserable lead the detectives ever had on the case," Sesshoumaru intoned. "Every piece of evidence processed, every suspect looked into, every dead end they ever ran into."
Inuyasha and Kagome gaped at the material before them. "Where...how...? The hell...?"
Sesshoumaru's expression didn't change. "Was there an intelligible question in there somewhere?"
"Where in the heck did you get all the official police files?" Inuyasha exclaimed. "They couldn't have just given them to you of their own free will!"
"It says Confidential on all of these!" Kagome added.
"Yes well... I have some contacts of my own," Sesshoumaru answered. "I needed to ensure everything was being done to find my parents' murderer."
Kagome looked doubtfully at the case files. "So this is probably illegal..."
"Did you or did you not want to know everything that the police knows?" Sesshoumaru pressed.
"Well...yes, of course," Kagome admitted.
"I have access to even more than that," Sesshoumaru replied, putting yet another file on the table. "This is everything the private detective I hired at the time found out. I wish I could say you will find it enlightening, but alas, everything in these files leads to nothing."
"Why...why are you helping us with this?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.
"These files are just trash to everyone else who reads them," Sesshoumaru said. "They are very thorough, but they ultimately did not turn up a thing. In truth, you are the only thing left about this case that could shed new light. You think you can uncover your memory by knowing as much as possible about the night in question. I can give you anything you need in order to do that. And I will. Because I want to catch the son of a bitch who slaughtered my family and got away without a lick of punishment."
With that, he strode from the room and left them stunned.
"Wow..."
"Yeah..."
"I guess we got what we wished for. Everything the police knows about the case," Inuyasha said.
"And then some," Kagome said, indicating the private detective's file.
"I guess we'd better get to work."
..:V:..
Two hours later had the pair making a good dent in the reading material.
"There weren't too many fingerprints in the study..." Inuyasha informed Kagome, perusing a file. "Just Mom's, Dad's and mine, and the cleaning lady's. Looks like she had been there recently to clean."
"It says here she came two days before the murders," Kagome responded, drawing the information from her own file. "She was 'shocked and horrified by the brutality against one of the most generous and genteel families she'd ever encountered. She hopes the bastard who did it rots in hell'."
Inuyasha nodded his approval. "From what I remember, she was always pretty cool."
"So unless Beatrice the cleaning lady gunned down your family, the perpetrator either wore gloves–"
"–Or didn't touch anything but the guns. So that doesn't really help any."
"There's hardly any forensic evidence at all," Kagome said, blowing out a frustrated breath. "No signs of a struggle... Looks like your dad was taken completely by surprise. There weren't any defensive wounds or indications that he fought with the perpetrator at all."
"And my mom and I were clearly running away. No opportunity to get a scrap of the guy there," Inuyasha remarked.
"No one really saw anything. The neighbours on the right side were gone on vacation and the neighbours on the left had music playing all night. Across the street one neighbour thought she heard a couple of bangs, but she had the TV on in the other room so she didn't think much of it at the time. One other neighbour left to walk his dog before the murders occurred and claims he saw a dark car parked on the street outside the Reijiro home. When he returned, it was after the time the murders had taken place and the car was gone. He said nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he wasn't even aware murder had taken place."
"Clearly no one was," Inuyasha muttered bitterly.
"Yeah... All of the other neighbours claimed they didn't hear anything that night. They were all shocked when the police showed up. The man who saw the car couldn't give any identification for it either. No licence plate, not even the make or actual colour. 'Dark' was the best description he could give. He wasn't really paying attention to it after all."
Inuyasha slammed a fist down on the table. "How did this bastard get so lucky? Not a shred of evidence and no witnesses! With no forethought whatsoever. It's not fair!"
Kagome rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I'm beginning to see why the police were so frustrated. It's not that they didn't chase leads down, it's that there were no leads to begin with. They couldn't even get out of the starting gate."
"And here I was, alive and a witness to the whole thing...completely knocked out in a coma. Five years later, I finally come to and they're all so hopeful I can solve the whole thing in the blink of an eye...and I can't remember a thing. The murderer catches yet another break," Inuyasha said.
"Some criminals have all the luck, I guess," Kagome responded ironically.
"When I find this guy, I am so going to make sure he suffers for every stroke of luck he encountered that night," Inuyasha said bitterly. "He's going to wish he never heard of the Reijiro name."
"Very nobly said," Kagome said with an arched brow. "Just don't go getting yourself killed. I think it would just be best if we figure out his identity and then let the police handle it."
"Yeah, 'cause they've done such a good job so far."
"Inuyasha. I don't want you doing anything stupid. If you keep going down this line of thinking, you're likely to end up like in my visions. I have to see you die most nights in my dreams – I don't need that happening in real life," Kagome said firmly.
Inuyasha reached out a hand to grasp hers. "Sorry, Kagome. I just–I can't stand to think of what this bastard did to my family and how he got away with it on a fluke. On a series of flukes, actually."
"He can't get away with it forever. We'll make sure his lucky streak comes to an end," Kagome assured him.
"The sooner, the better," Inuyasha responded despondently, looking down at the rest of the useless police report.
..:V:..
A gunshot echoed in his ears. The rustling of skirts followed.
"INUTAISHO!"
Blackness developed into vision. The hallway loomed before him. Panic overwhelmed him. He started running. He–
A soft knocking roused Inuyasha from his dream. He blinked blearily in the darkness of his dorm room. He distantly noted the sheets of his bed were bunched up around his legs as he focused on the source of the knocking.
When he saw a blurry Souta going for the door, he realized they had a visitor. He rubbed his eyes to chase away the sleep, but his vision didn't sharpen. He recalled it was the dreaded night of the new moon. He swore softly to himself.
Since Kagome had informed Souta about him being the boy in her visions, it was inevitable he also knew about his night of weakness. Inuyasha was slightly resentful that his secret was exposed so easily to the younger boy, but it was turning out for the best. It meant he no longer had to go hide in the recesses of the school for fear of discovery. And he didn't have to wear that blasted hat any longer. He could just hole up in his dorm room with his young roommate and not be bothered by anyone.
Except for Kagome of course. Because that was who was at the door. Apparently she wasn't content with his solemn promise that he would not stir outside that night and was taking steps to ensure he didn't step out of her sight.
He had known she was coming that night, but he had fallen asleep while he waited for her. Now her knocking at the door had roused him from another nightmare. He was beginning to see why she resented her own dreams so much. The emotional anxiety that accompanied each of these dreams lingered with him long after he awoke. He was pretty sure the voice in this most recent dream was his mother's. He shuddered.
"Inuyasha?"
He shook himself out of his reverie to look up at Kagome's concerned face. "Hey, Kagome."
Assuring herself that he was okay, she sat down determinedly beside him on the bed. She started digging through a bag she had brought with her. "Alright, I've got plenty of snacks, a few drinks, some books, a pack of cards and Monopoly."
Inuyasha yawned. "Are you seriously planning on us staying awake the whole night?"
She pouted. "Well, I'm definitely staying awake to keep an eye on you. I guess you can go to sleep if you want. I won't stop you."
Inuyasha could still feel his heartbeat racing in his chest. He dreaded the continuation of that dream. "I'll stay up," he decided hastily. He knew the dream was important, but he could catch up with it another night, he was sure.
Souta scratched his stomach and yawned. "Well, if you guys are staying up, I might as well too. We'll make it into a bit of a party."
"Excellent!" Kagome cheered. "Just...you know, try not to fall asleep in class tomorrow. And get plenty of sleep tomorrow night."
"Deal," Souta grinned.
They whiled away the night with games and conversation. Whenever they started to get tired, they would eat a few snacks or move around to keep themselves awake. As morning neared, Souta drifted off to sleep and Kagome and Inuyasha kept their conversation to hushed tones. They sat on the floor with their backs against Inuyasha's bed.
"I guess you're not dying tonight," Kagome said sleepily, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I told you it would be fine."
She scoffed. "I believe my visions more than you. You're...unpredictable."
"Unpredictable?" Inuyasha protested.
"Yeah. You do things I don't expect. For instance, I didn't expect you to be a big softie."
"Softie! Listen woman..." he growled.
She giggled. "That's the Inuyasha I remember. I thought you were a huge jerk when we first met. Well, no. I thought you were really awesome for saving me from Hiten. But then you opened your mouth and then I thought you were a huge jerk."
"Yeah well," he said lamely. "It was my first day back, what did you expect?"
"I didn't know that at the time," Kagome pointed out. "All I knew was that you were mean."
"Well in my defence, you weren't Miss Perfect either. I recall thinking of you as a giant bitch," Inuyasha said matter-of-fact.
Kagome raised her head from his shoulder and turned to face him in outrage. Then she paused, thinking about it. "Yeah..." she admitted. "I was a bit insensitive and self-centred."
"A bit?" Inuyasha said with a raised eyebrow.
She punched him lightly in the arm. "I admitted I was wrong, get over it. Besides, I had my own issues at the time. "I was searching for some 'mysterious boy', fighting with Sango, and here you were...getting under my skin at every turn."
"I am good at that," he admitted as if proud.
"You can't bother me anymore," she said, sticking her tongue out. "I know what makes you tick. I don't always know what you're going to do though. Like I said, you're unpredictable."
"I'm unpredictable, but whatever I do won't bother you? Because you know what makes me tick?" Inuyasha said, trying to get it straight.
"Well...yeah. I mean, if you do something stupid, I'll be bothered. But not like...agitated. You can't get under my skin anymore, is what I'm trying to say," Kagome said firmly, though sounding slightly confused herself. Must be the sleep deprivation, she thought.
A glint came into Inuyasha's eyes. "I can't get under your skin anymore? Not even a little bit?" He shifted rapidly in order to pin her against the side of his bed.
Kagome's eyes widened. "Noo–ooo," she said shakily.
His eyes sparkled as he leaned in to quickly kiss her lips. Pulling back an inch, he said, "Are you sure?"
She felt his breath skate across her lips and she shivered. "Not even a little bit," she said, the tremor in her voice betraying her.
A feral grin snaked across his lips as he lowered his mouth to her neck.
At the sensation of his lips moving over her neck, Kagome's eyes opened wide. "Inuyasha!" she shrieked in surprise.
The sounds of Souta stirring caused Inuyasha to jump back and once again resume an innocent position beside Kagome. She held a hand to her neck, her heart beating rapidly. Souta merely rolled over and fell back to sleep, completely unaware of what had just transpired.
Kagome's mind was still reeling. "I can't believe you just did that!" she whispered furiously.
Inuyasha was looking too self-satisfied to be abashed. "Got under your skin, didn't I?"
Kagome felt like arguing, but realized that urge was just to cover up the butterflies flittering in her stomach. Reluctantly, she gulped. "You sure did." As an afterthought, she punched him in the arm again. "You cad."
His mischief done, Inuyasha sank down on his back, laying his head on her lap. "That'll teach you."
Kagome let out an exasperated breath as she absentmindedly started to stroke his hair. "Teach me what, you dolt? You know, I think being in your human form makes you more frisky."
Inuyasha scoffed even as he leaned into her hand. "Ha! I have no idea what you're talking about."
Kagome giggled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he stubbornly repeated.
They sat in silence for another hour, Inuyasha relaxing as Kagome continued her administrations on his hair. As the morning light started to shine through the window, Inuyasha's black hair spun into silver between Kagome's hands. His dog ears poked their way through his mane and his nails grew once more into talons. He opened his golden eyes to gaze up at Kagome with a slightly dazed expression.
"Well, that's that then," Kagome said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Safe for another month at least."
"Are you talking about from the murderer or from me?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously, pulling himself up to face her.
"The murderer of course," Kagome retorted.
"Good. 'Cause you'll never be safe from me," Inuyasha intoned ominously, taking her face into his hands. He pulled her towards him and drew her into a lingering kiss. This time she didn't resist and it was several moments before either of them pulled away. "Do you think it's just my human side now?"
Kagome pressed her lips together, unable to suppress her smile. It felt like fire was coursing through her veins. "I suppose that would be a no," she grudgingly admitted. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face."
"Not a chance," he crowed, a fang catching on his lower lip.
Kagome sighed as she looked at the brightening window. "I should get back to my room before everyone gets up."
Inuyasha reluctantly nodded. "See you at breakfast?"
"Yeah," she said, stuffing everything back into her bag and hauling it over her shoulder. She leaned over to give him another quick kiss. "Love you."
Inuyasha watched as she exited the dorm, closing the door quietly behind her. "Love you too," he said softly.
..:V:..
On and off during the next week, Inuyasha was plagued by his dreams. They would start with the crack of a gunshot, and then the sound of skirts rustling. Only then would his vision form, always showing that endless hallway. He would start running down it, so anxious to get to the other end, but he could never reach it. He knew something terrible was behind him, and the end of that hallway was his only salvation. If only he could reach it...
His own restlessness would always wake him. He was often clammy with sweat, his bedding always in disarray. His heart was always racing and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself once more. The more dreams he had, however, the more he got accustomed to them. His dread slowly turned into curiosity and he became ever more determined to see what lay at the end of the corridor.
But, he thought ironically, that could be just like wondering what happened at the end of the movie Titanic. A disaster waiting to happen, and everyone already knew the ending.
He supposed he should instead turn his attention to the beginning of the dream, before his vision kicked in. That's where he should have seen the killer's face, wasn't it?
Still, he knew something was at the end of the hall as well. And he'd be damned if this dream got the better of him.
"Earth to Inuyasha! Anyone home?"
Inuyasha startled out of his reverie to see Sango waving a hand in front of his face.
"Huh?" was his unintelligible reply. He had been sitting alone at their usual breakfast table and had zoned out while waiting for the others.
"'Bout time you came back to reality," Sango said with a smirk. "I've been sitting beside you now for at least a couple minutes. Without even one word of greeting."
Inuyasha shook his head to dispel the last of his daydreams. "Sorry. Morning, Sango."
"No one else is here yet, huh?"
"Nope. Hey, what about you? Kagome didn't come with you?"
"Nah. I had swim practice early this morning so we went our separate ways. Or rather, I snuck out quietly at an ungodly hour and she kept snoozing away peacefully," Sango replied, a tinge of resentment in her voice.
"There's something I'm beginning to love about the smell of chlorine," Miroku said as he approached. He went to sit down beside Sango, smelling her hair as one of his hands roamed south to her behind.
She squealed and elbowed him lightly. "Not in public," she whispered furiously.
Inuyasha laughed. "Looks like you're making progress, pervert."
Sango's cheeks glowed red.
"Morning, troop," Kagome announced her presence with a yawn.
"Morning, Kagome," the others intoned.
"Finish the Physics lab, Inuyasha?" she asked, sitting down across from them.
"Yeah, yeah. I did my homework," he said, making a face.
"And you understood it?" she pressed.
"Tch, of course. I–" he paused mid-sentence, realizing what he was saying. Then, slower, "Yeah, I did understand it. Completely... Wow."
"Congratulations!" Sango cheered as Miroku reached behind her to clap Inuyasha on the shoulder.
"Thanks," Inuyasha responded sheepishly.
"So what's new on the mystery front?" Miroku inquired. "You went to your old house, got some vibes, then went to the police station, got rejected, received the report from Sesshoumaru, got dejected... Now what?"
Kagome sighed. "Who knows? I'm running out of ideas. I mean...the police were pretty thorough. But there was just nothing to go on. Nothing was left at the scene of the crime."
"My memory is starting to get jogged," Inuyasha inserted. "But I'm hitting a wall. Well, a hallway, really. Okay so that doesn't really make sense. What I'm saying is that I keep dreaming about this never-ending hallway that I'm running down. I know it has something to do with that night, but I can't seem to get any further in the hallway. I'm stuck. I think we should keep investigating."
"Investigating what?" Kagome asked in exasperation. "No forensic evidence, no witnesses, absolutely nothing to go on..."
The pair lapsed into silence, disheartened.
"Well, what about after the crime itself?" Miroku suggested.
Kagome lifted her eyes to meet his. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, think about it. This crime happened on impulse by someone who probably never meant to do such a thing. They luckily got away with it, but they couldn't have known that right away. They were probably on pins and needles, searching the news for any scrap of information they could get. Constantly trying to determine if some new evidence would point to them. And not to mention, here you were, Inuyasha, lying in a hospital bed still alive. If you ever woke up, you might be able to tell the police everything that happened that night. Just think of what must have been going through the murderer's mind," Miroku explained.
"He must have been frantic," Sango picked up where he left off. "There's no way he would do just nothing in that situation. I mean, what would you do if you had just shot three people and one of them lived to tell the tale? Or at least, would be able to tell it if he ever woke up?"
Kagome straightened in her seat. "You guys are geniuses!"
Inuyasha furrowed his brow. "Wait, are you guys saying...he might have tried to finish the job? Like...off me in the hospital or something?"
"He must have done something," Kagome said excitedly. "There's no way he would have just let you be, assume everything would be fine for him and totally forget about you."
Inuyasha frowned. "But obviously he didn't get to me 'cause here I am, in the flesh. I didn't hear about any attempts on my life either... Is there really any clue there to find?"
Miroku shrugged. "It's worth checking into, isn't it? Go to the hospital and ask the nurses that worked there five years ago if there was any suspicious activity, or figure out who visited you regularly and ask them if they ever saw something. It can't hurt, can it? And if nothing else, maybe the hospital will help jog your memory somehow."
Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, alright. It's a good idea. Though I really hate the thought of going back to that hospital. That's where I first found out...about what happened to my parents and everything. Not exactly good memories."
"Understandable," Sango said with a shudder. "If it were me, I'd never want to go near a hospital again. Your courage really impresses me."
Miroku mock pouted. "What about my courage, dearest Sango? Doesn't it impress you?"
Sango's voice was thick with scepticism. "Your courage? What have you done lately that required any courage–" She stiffened as she felt his hand roaming again. "–Except continue to grope me in public, you lunkhead!" A resounding twack! was heard throughout the cafeteria as Sango's fist connected with her boyfriend's jaw.
The breakfast group dispersed soon after.
..:V:..
"Okay, seriously bad memories going on here," Inuyasha gulped as he and Kagome looked up at the looming hospital.
"How long were you in here once you woke up?" she asked.
"A few weeks at least," Inuyasha said, making a face as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "I was really weak and disoriented. I couldn't remember much of anything and my speech was all out of whack. It took a while for things to come back to me. And I had to work with a speech therapist."
"Wow," Kagome blinked.
"Once I was released from here, I was sent to a rehabilitation centre for a bit, to continue with my physical and mental therapy."
"Jeez."
"Yeah, not really a happy time. First I had to remember who my parents were, and then realize they had been murdered."
"That...sucks," Kagome declared.
"Tell me about it. And though pretty much everything did eventually come back to me, the memory of that night never did. So here we are now, looking for the last piece. And I had to come back here to try and find it," he said, looking up at the building in disgust.
"Well, we might as well get it over with then," Kagome said, looping an arm through his.
After checking in with the front desk, they were directed to the east wing of the third floor where the coma ward was located. They ran into a young looking nurse who didn't look too busy and decided to ask her some questions.
"Um, excuse me?" Kagome started tentatively.
The woman looked up from a chart. "Yes, can I help you?"
"Well, we were just wondering – that is–" she looked at Inuyasha helplessly.
"You see, I was a patient here before," he took over. "I was in a coma for five years and woke up a year ago. We were wondering if anyone here remembers that period of time."
The nurse looked uncertain. "Er, I don't really know myself. I'm a new intern. But Keiko might know – she's the head nurse of this ward."
"Is she available to talk to?" Kagome asked.
"Uh, yeah. One sec, I'll get her," the nurse replied, rushing off.
After Kagome and Inuyasha awkwardly waited outside a comatose man's room for a few minutes, the young nurse came back with a distinctly older one in tow.
"Hello, how may I help you two?" the head nurse asked abruptly, giving the opinion she wasn't going to waste time.
"Hi, I'm–"
"Inuyasha Reijiro," she cut in. "I remember you. It took me a moment to place you. It's not often I get the pleasure of seeing one of my coma patients up and about. So what brings you back here, my dear?"
"Well I – we – are kind of looking into what happened to my parents and I six years ago. I can't remember that night myself and we were wondering if you could answer some of our questions," Inuyasha explained.
Keiko blinked. "Well, I can try but what exactly are you wondering about? As you know, you came to us after the whole thing happened. I'm not sure what I can tell you that can help."
"Well, for one... did anyone, um, you know... try to finish the job?" Inuyasha asked, swallowing thickly.
Keiko looked confused for a moment before it dawned on her just exactly what it was he was asking her. "Finish the job! Oh heaven's, no! Nothing of the sort ever happened on my watch. Well, I mean it's not like they could have anyway."
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.
"Why, Sesshoumaru – your brother – of course," she replied, nodding to Inuyasha. "He had two bodyguards posted outside your room at all times."
Inuyasha gave a start. "What – the...whole time? Like for the entire five years I was in a coma?"
"Why yes. Twenty-four, seven. You didn't know? He was determined that nothing should happen to you."
"We are talking about my brother, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha said slowly.
She gave him a quizzical look. "Of course. You were his only remaining relative. He was devastated by what happened. I've never seen such a lost soul."
Inuyasha almost choked on his words. "He was...emotional?"
Keiko frowned slightly. "Well no. Just...empty. He was like a shell. There were only a few things that kept him going."
Inuyasha was stunned into silence.
Kagome took over. "What were they?"
"His work, for one. I didn't know much about it, but I knew he was suddenly responsible for that entire company of your family's. It seemed to me like he threw himself into the work to distract himself from what had happened. That little girl he befriended on the ward also seemed to be a turning point, as I recall," Keiko reflected.
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. "Sounds like he really cared about Inuyasha..."
"Undoubtably. He was here constantly, checking in. And if he couldn't make it due to his schedule, he always sent that pleasant assistant of his...what was her name now?" she broke off thoughtfully.
"Kagura Ishitaru?" Kagome supplied helpfully.
"Yes, yes, that was it. She was in quite a bit, checking in on your condition for your brother."
"Can you remember any of the other visitors Inuyasha had while he was in the coma?" Kagome asked.
Keiko thought for a moment before shaking her head regretfully. "I'm afraid I don't remember. I was usually at my station and only saw Sesshoumaru or Kagura if they were questioning your status. The nurses responsible for your room would have a better idea of the normal, day-to-day visitors. Unfortunately, many have moved departments since then. Akemi would have a good idea – she was one of the regular day nurses – but she's off today. If you came back another time, you could talk to her."
"We'll probably do that," Kagome said cheerfully. "Thanks a lot, you've been really helpful."
Inuyasha nodded wordlessly, still in disbelief about his brother.
"Glad to help. But if you'll excuse me, I really have to get back to work," Keiko said, nodding to each of them before heading back down the hall.
"Well then..." Kagome looked down the hall. "Did you want to wander the ward a bit, just to see if any memories strike you?"
Inuyasha shook himself out of his reverie. "No... All I'm remembering from this place is not remembering anything. It's giving me the creeps. It was a very surreal and unnerving time. I'd rather just get out of here."
Kagome nodded. "Okay, let's book it."
Inuyasha blew out a frustrated breath as they exited the building. "But did we really learn anything? Other than...you know...Sesshoumaru's...weirdness?" He seemed incapable of articulating the words.
Kagome smirked to herself before responding. "Well, maybe not this visit, but we can come back again to question that nurse Akemi. And in the meantime we can go ask Sesshoumaru and Kagura if they know of any other visitors or suspicious activity that might have happened around your room at the time."
Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah, alright. If we call my brother, he can probably arrange for them both to stay later at work tomorrow night. We could pick up Rin from school and go over to Western Enterprises to talk to them."
"Sounds like a plan," Kagome nodded.
Silence stretched between them.
"You know you actually have to get out your phone in order to make a call," Kagome pressed gently.
Inuyasha started. "Who–me?"
"He is your brother," she reminded him.
"Half-brother," he sullenly muttered. All vehemence seemed to have escaped his voice, however.
"Yeah, that nasty half-brother who cared for you and checked in on you for five years while you were in a coma, not to mention spent incalculable amounts of money on bodyguards to make sure you were protected around the clock from further harm..." Kagome said airily.
"See, that's just ridiculous. That's crazy speak right there. Completely unbelievable. I won't hear another word of your nonsense babble," Inuyasha insisted, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead.
"Inuyasha–"
"My brother's an asshole through and through. That's how I know and hate him. It's how it works. He hates me for who the hell knows what reason and I hate him right back. Because he's an asshole. And always will be. And I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"You don't want to talk about how he–?"
"Nope, not a bit! And I'll call the jerk later. Let's carry on. Hm, how about that Mimic concert? Only a week and a half away, isn't it? Lots to look forward to on that front. I can't wait!" Inuyasha said with forced cheerfulness, pumping a fist in the air.
Kagome looked at him sceptically out of the corner of her eye, but decided to let it go for now. They travelled back to the school, discussing the upcoming concert with anticipation.
..:V:..
"We have got to stop stopping and looking up at impressively looming buildings before we enter them," Kagome said to Inuyasha as they stood outside of Western Enterprises, inevitably looking up at the large building.
"It is happening a lot lately," Inuyasha remarked with a quirk to his lips. "Okay, let's go."
Rin skipped along with them as they had just picked her up from her elementary school. She was very eager to see Sesshoumaru and rattled off exactly what she was going to tell him about her day at school as they went up the elevator.
As they entered Kagura's office area, they saw the subjects of their search. Kagura was leaning back against the front of her desk, chatting with Sesshoumaru who was casually leaning on the doorframe leading into his inner office. Kagome spotted the hairpin Sesshoumaru had given Kagura as a Christmas present lodged firmer in the latter's updo. Likewise, the chain of Sesshoumaru's new pocket watch was visibly hanging between one of the buttons of his vest and his pocket. As the new arrivals made their presence known, the pair straightened immediately and gave them their full attention.
"Uncle Sesshoumaru! Kagura!" Rin singsonged, rushing over to give them hugs.
"Hey Rin," Kagura greeted, smiling fondly.
"Rin," Sesshoumaru nodded curtly, patting her on the head.
"So what's up, guys?" Kagura asked curiously. "Why the emergency chat?"
"Well, it's not an emergency per se..." Kagome started hesitantly.
"More like an inquiry...that we're impatient to find out about," Inuyasha tried to clarify. "You know we've been investigating–" he eyed Rin, "–stuff. We've hit a temporary roadblock and we were hoping you two might be able to help out.
"You see, we've gone through all the police files but there's really nothing to go on there. Then yesterday we went to the hospital I stayed in during the coma. We were trying to ask about any visitors that might have come by and acted suspicious, or of any attempts to like...take me out for good that might have happened. The head nurse told us she only remembers you two visiting...frequently...and the nurse who would know more didn't happen to be there that day. We were hoping you two might remember something about that time..."
Inuyasha had directed most of his speech towards Kagura as he couldn't seem to look his brother in the eyes. He was on edge, trying to capture any indication that Sesshoumaru might not be a total dick like he had always thought.
"If we're talking about remembering things in order to solve this mystery, shouldn't that responsibility fall to you, little brother?" Sesshoumaru asked flatly.
And there went that pipe dream.
Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Even so, brother, do you think you could just answer the question?"
Sesshoumaru gave an almost imperceptible shrug. "I encountered nothing suspicious on my infrequent visits. Really, Inuyasha, I was barely there enough to be able to see anything–"
"That's not true, Uncle Sesshoumaru!" Rin piped up. "You were there every day while I was there and you told me–"
"Yes, thank you Rin," Sesshoumaru said, looking as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "That's wonderful. Thank you for reminding me. How silly of me to forget." She beamed at him in response.
Inuyasha eyed his brother warily. "So you were there a lot?"
Kagura and Kagome shared a smirk as the brothers stared each other down.
Finally Sesshoumaru replied evasively, "I never saw anyone visit whom I thought was suspicious. And no one attempted to kill you while you were in the coma. I was waiting until after you woke up."
Inuyasha seethed. "Oh yeah? And why didn't you, you jerk?"
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. "Because you haven't solved the murder of our parents yet, obviously. What other reason is there to keep you around?"
Inuyasha fumed in silence, robbed of all words.
"In any case, while Inuyasha was sleeping his life away, nothing out of the ordinary was brought to my attention and no one suspicious could have gotten past the bodyguards to begin with. Satisfied?"
"I am," Kagome cut in. "How about you, Kagura?"
The older woman shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind. I mean, in terms of other visitors... Inuyasha's friend Jinenji came at first, before the family moved... Um, a few of his teachers. A couple of his parents' friends and colleagues came, but not many. They mostly just attended the funeral. I can't think of anyone else though, off the top of my head. We had a lot of issues with reporters and paparazzi, as I recall. Even with the bodyguards posted, it was a real challenge to keep them out. Eventually the craze started to die away and things settled down."
Kagome frowned, unhappy. "So you're both essentially saying that we're barking up the wrong tree here. And I thought Miroku's idea of the hospital was such a good one!"
Kagura looked apologetic. "I don't know what to tell you..."
"Unless that nurse remembers anything useful, it looks like we really will have to rely entirely on Inuyasha's memory coming back," Kagome said resignedly.
Sesshoumaru gave a delicate snort. "I highly doubt there is chance of that miracle occurring. If the mere fact that our parents were murdered in cold blood was not enough incentive for him, there is little your helpless sighs will elicit."
"You think I want to be this way?" Inuyasha roared. "You think I want to not remember that night?"
"Perhaps you think your constitution would not be able to handle it," Sesshoumaru baited him.
"You giant prick! You have no idea what it's like!" Inuyasha snarled, tears pricking his eyes. "My whole life changed overnight and nothing anyone can tell me makes it make any sense at all! You all tell me my parents are dead, but I can only remember them alive! You tell me I was shot and almost died, but all I can feel is this ache in my back! You tell me I saw the whole thing, but when I try to look back, all I see is blackness! I'm plagued by headaches and nightmares trying to tell me what happened at the same time as trying to shield me from it. I'm trying to find out what happened and all you can say is that I'm inept and a failure! You've never cared a jot about me or anything I do. I wish Mom and Dad were here right now...but they aren't...and they're never coming back. And I can't even remember why. But I guess that makes me weak in your eyes."
Tears were streaming down Inuyasha's cheeks at this point as he glared defiantly at his stony faced brother. The turn in mood had silenced Kagura and Kagome, but Rin was acutely affected. She had begun to cry along with Inuyasha, upset because he was upset, but not fully understanding why.
Kagura couldn't stand to watch the scene. She hugged Rin to herself, trying to soothe her. Then, looking up, she said, "Inuyasha, your brother doesn't think you're weak–"
"Let him think what he wishes," Sesshoumaru cut in coldly.
"So he can hate you for all eternity?" she snapped back. "Would you drop your macho front already? I'm getting tired of it, not to mention it's tearing what's left of your family apart! Can't you see that now is when you should stick together above all else? You shouldn't be hating each other, you should be hating that – that bastard who killed your parents."
Her voice was emotional and she made no effort to shield Rin from her language this time. Rin was so distraught, however, it was unlikely she paid any attention.
Sesshoumaru took a step forward, a conflicted expression on his face. "Kagura..."
Kagura's expression soon changed from angry to broken and apologetic. "I–I'm sorry. You just...you just can't let him win," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "You can't let him get away with it. He's–" Her face had gone completely white. She straightened up, seemingly trying to reign in her emotions. "He's just not worth it," she finished in a meek voice.
Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort, regret in his eyes. Inuyasha hung his head in shame, taking her words to heart as he wiped his tears away with his sleeve. Kagome took in the scene in shock, feeling like an awkward outsider. She could sense there was no room for her in this discussion and she wouldn't know what to say even if she felt there was.
The fight seemed to have gone out of both brothers and the silence stretched between them all. Slowly Rin's sniffles lessened and Sesshoumaru beckoned her to him. He knelt down to embrace her before wiping away her tears and stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that, Rin," he told her solemnly.
Rin sniffed a few more times, hiccuping once, before throwing her tiny arms around his neck. He patted her back until her distress fully calmed. Then she pulled away and went over to Inuyasha. He was still staring fixedly at the carpet, but looked up when she tugged at the hem of his shirt. Pain flickered across his face until she held her arms out to him. Then he knelt down and hugged her too.
"Sorry, Rin," he mumbled into her hair.
Kagome noted that neither brother was apologizing to the other, but nor were they like to. Apologizing to Rin was probably the closest they would get to showing their regret for their argument.
She felt frustrated at how they treated each other. In her opinion, they were both emotionally constipated. She could understand Inuyasha's feelings, but he was failing to see past his brother's barbs to see the truth of his actions. In regards to Sesshoumaru, Kagome couldn't see why the man was determined to throw those barbs out in the first place. It was as if the world would end if Inuyasha ever realized he actually cared about his younger brother.
They were both dunces. But as frustrated as Kagome felt inside, she just knew she couldn't interfere in their relationship. They would reach an understanding one way or the other and she would stay out of it. Neither of the brothers would listen to her anyway. Their stubbornness, at least, was something they had in common.
"Sorry, Kagura," Inuyasha said, looking up at the other woman apologetically.
Kagura looked as pained as the brothers. In a low voice, she responded, "You never have to apologize to me, Inuyasha... It wouldn't hurt if the two of you apologized to each other though."
"It's getting dark out," Sesshoumaru said abruptly, clasping his hands behind his back and striding to the large window overlooking the city. "You two should head back to the school."
Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other uncertainly.
"I'll call the chauffeur and the limo will meet you downstairs," he continued. "We will meet again for the Mimic concert next weekend. Good night." With that, he took Rin with him into his office and closed the door.
Kagura gave them a nervous smile. "Well, that could have gone better... I'm sorry we couldn't help with the hospital bit, and I hope you don't take Sesshoumaru's words to heart, Inuyasha. He just...well...we all have our defence mechanisms, I guess," she said with a helpless sigh.
Inuyasha's expression was still guarded, but he wisely choose not to argue. "Take care, Kagura. I'm sure we'll be seeing you again in the not so distant future."
They quickly embraced and Inuyasha nodded to Kagome, indicating he was ready to leave. Kagome felt like she was on pins and needles after that meeting and she almost had a heart attack when they ran into someone as they were exiting the office.
After a moment's pause, she recognized him as one of the men they'd met before – Mr. Hirozaki, the treasurer. He had some reports in his hand and looked just as startled as them when they bumped into him.
"Goodness! Inuyasha and...Kagome, was it? What are you doing here? Everything alright?" he asked earnestly.
Inuyasha gave a half glance back to the office they'd just been in. "Yeah...everything's just peachy. What about you? Still keeping late hours?"
The man sighed comically. "Working at Western Enterprises means your work's never done. Alas, I'm doing what I can. Excuse me, I was just going to lay these reports on Ms. Ishitaru's desk so that Mr. Reijiro can have a look at them in the morning."
"Yeah, no problem," Inuyasha said, moving out of his way. "Catch you later."
As they were riding down the elevator, Kagome slipped a hand into Inuyasha's and leaned her head on his shoulder. "That was positively undelightful. Let's never repeat that."
Inuyasha looked up at the elevator ceiling and let his head thunk against the wall. "I hear you. You do see why I hate my brother now, don't you?"
"Inuyasha, don't start," Kagome said tiredly. "I feel sick enough already. No need to keep going over it. Let's just get out of here."
Inuyasha felt her body slump more heavily into his own and looked down at her worriedly. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing shallowly.
"Kagome? Are you alright?"
She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "I think I'm just tired and stressed out. This investigation has been so intensive and we don't seem to be getting anywhere. And now this... Don't worry about me, I just need a good night's rest to get my energy back."
Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her comfortingly. "I think we need a bit of a break from this investigation," he decided. "We'll just relax this upcoming week, and then have fun at that concert. And then we'll get back at it. How does that sound?"
"Mmm, good," Kagome replied sleepily, snuggling into his side. "Mimic...can't wait."
"Me neither," he replied softly, kissing the top of her head.
The elevator ride ended promptly, and the two of them climbed into the limousine that was waiting for them outside the front entrance. Soon after, they were headed back to Madison College, countless thoughts swirling around in their sleepy heads.
A/N Oookay, folks! I'm moving to Japan in about a month so it probably won't be until I get settled that I crack into another chapter. But we've got about six more to go until the end, and you won't want to miss it! Hope you liked this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts! We're really getting into the heart of the mystery now – what new developments will unfold?