DISCLAIMER - I do not now nor have I ever owned InuYasha nor do I claim too
Hi All
First off I'd like to say sorry for the length of time between updates. Among the many/lots/heaps of dramas in my life over the last couple of months I've had a really bad case of writer's block. I mean I knew where I wanted this chapter to go......I just couldn't seem to get it there.
A big shout out of thanks to kikoronagomu, juusan'ya, whitetiger-isabella and flionnda wall for reviewing the first 2 chapters - your comments and thoughts were great. (I hope I've spelt the names right - I can't get on the other computer to check my emails and I've having trouble reading my chicken scratch)
Anyway I'll let everyone get on with the reading although I'll just point out that this chapter does contain one of my favourite lines - it's towards the end and something that Rin says to Miroku.
Thanks to all those who read and review and to those who have just added the story to their favourites.
Kai
PS Should I change the summary? I'm not sure if I like it anymore - what do you think?
PPS I've been fighting with this for the last hour and I'm at my breaking point so I just hope that it looks ok
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Previous chapter – 1st Strike
"But…but you're a woman" he stuttered.
The injured woman smiled slyly "Yeah"
Dumb struck the entire group didn't know what to say or what do and so they merely watched with opened mouths as she collapsed forward into Bankotsou's arms.
"Sango…help me" he cried out as her body slammed into his chest
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CHAPTER 3 – DISCOVERY of a NAME
The group watched in stunned silence as Bankotsou and the woman he'd called Sango carried the unconscious rider into the house. It would be a massive understatement; not to mention stating the obvious to say that their current state of shock was caused by the revelation that he was actually a she.
'It's a woman; I mean he's a woman, but…..why'd they…..how'd they hide that?' InuYasha thought. He glanced at his brother and knew by his blank expression that not even Sesshomaru had been able to sense that it was a woman. And that caused InuYasha's confusion to grow. 'But how's that possible? As a full blood he should've been able to at least sense something wasn't right.'
"Didn't see that coming" Miroku stated flatly as he absently scratched the back of his head "Pretty cute though….." he laughed lightly "….from what I could see"
"Pervert" Rin teased "Of course you'd notice something like that" She turned her face to stare up at Sesshomaru before asking "Is she a demon or……"
"I…I…can't tell" Sesshomaru answered truthfully; his voice unusually soft "Masked" he said almost to himself. He turned to stare at the bike now standing silent and alone in the darkness "Her scent…..it's masked"
Sesshomaru continued to focus on the bike as his mind raced with a million questioning thoughts. Why would someone want to hide who they were? Not to mention how they'd do that. What was it about this woman that needed to be kept a secret? Why did she want to lie about who or what she was? He remembered when they were back at house and his father had made as if to call out to the rider and Bankotsou had carefully interrupted him. Now that he gave it more thought he clearly remembered the look on his father's face when Bankotsou had referred to the rider as a man. Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he came to the realization that his father had known all along that 'he' was a 'she'. Why didn't he correct him? Was it really intended that they would never find out and if so…..why? Why keep the fact that one of their guards was a woman a secret? Was it because they didn't want them to worry about her not being able to protect them or that they may have thought she wasn't strong enough? No that can't be it his father obviously knew her so he would know just how strong and capable she was. Everything about this seemed to be that they didn't want InuYasha and himself to know about her, but why? Why didn't this woman want them to find out who or what she was? Was she somehow connected to them, was she connected to the woman who wouldn't see his father? Sesshomaru's jaw tightened as more questions continued to rage through his mind. Each question only serving to open up more questions and none of them brought him any closer to an answer. But one question seemed to scream the loudest and that was……what the hell was going on?
"Are you brooding?......Hey are you listening to me?" Rin asked as she tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve.
"No" he stated his eyes never leaving the bike "I don't brood"
"Ha" snorted both InuYasha and Miroku. The sarcasm was clear in both their voices.
"Yeah and the sun has an adventure theme park for bored field mice" snipped InuYasha
"What did you just say?" Asked Bankotsou as he returned to the group; his eyebrows were knitted in confusion and slight disbelief at what he'd heard.
InuYasha blushed at having being caught out by a stranger using that corny line "Oh that, it's just something our dad would say when he thought we were telling lies" he said as he scuffed his feet in the dirt.
"Weird. Anyway…." Bankotsou threw the car keys at Miroku "You get the bags and you two.." he pointed to the brothers "Come with me" he said before turning back towards the house "We need your help"
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Sesshomaru and InuYasha followed Bankotsou as he led them into the house and down a dimly lit corridor. What struck them as they made their way was the lived in feel to the sparsely decorated home. And yet despite its warmth there was also something not quite inviting about it. There was a distinct presence contained within the structure. Something that wanted……no more like it needed to remain hidden and it gave the definite impression that it didn't want to be exposed. Something that was not quite a lie but not quite the truth. And that something; whatever it was left the brothers feeling that they had been warned not to delve into its mysteries. Maybe it had something to do with the numerous swords and daggers that adorned the walls.
As they neared the end of the corridor they could clearly hear the sounds of a struggle and the growling of a very unhappy dog.
"Shit" Bankotsou whispered as he opened the door "Si get back" he demanded yelling at the large dog who paid him absolutely no attention.
As InuYasha and Sesshomaru stepped into the room they were able to get a better look at the commotion inside. The woman Sango was on the floor struggling to remove the leather jacket that the as yet unidentified woman wore. Despite the injury to her shoulder the other woman kept pushing Sango away and every time she did the dog growled angrily at Sango and tried to push in between them.
As the brothers moved around Bankotsou to flank him on either side the dog reacted to their presence by retreating away from the woman. It was as if it didn't want the brothers to see it. Despite its large size the animal padded quietly over to the darkest corner of the room where its ink black fur seemed to darken the shadows that surrounded it.
Unlike the rest of the house this room was a chaotic mess; clothes, shoes, bedding and books were scattered haphazardly all over the floor. The only thing that seemed well taken care of was the floor to ceiling cabinet that stretched across the length of one wall. The glass fronted cabinet contained various types of hand guns, shot guns, semi and full automatic weapons. There were at least 20 different types of nasty looking daggers and shelves packed with boxes of ammunition. Even to the untrained eye it was obvious that these weapons were their owners pride and joy.
The room itself reeked heavily with blood and sweat; almost to the point where your skin felt saturated by it. InuYasha subconsciously wiped his hands on the front of jeans in an attempt to rid himself of the feeling. He felt an itch build in the back of his throat as the scent of blood began to drench his senses. His chest tightened as his heart thumped painfully against his ribs. Clenching his jaw he fought against the familiar pressure that throbbed within his fangs that signaled the shift of his inner demon.
The sharp stinging sound of flesh striking flesh brought his attention back to the struggle taking place in the middle of the floor.
"Hold still damn it" Sango hissed angrily as she held one hand to her reddened cheek "And stop hitting for Christ's sake"
"No" came the dry reply
"Bloody hell" Sango said as she grabbed the woman's out stretched hand "Ban help would you"
"I am I brought reinforcements" Bankotsou spoke as he gestured towards InuYasha and Sesshomaru
"GET THE FUCK OUT" yelled the injured woman before she finally collapsed into unconsciousness
"Thank god for that" sighed a very irritated Sango
InuYasha and Sesshomaru watched as Sango made quick work of removing the woman's leather jacket and boots. Using a long thin bladed knife she cut through the material of the singlet "Here comes the fun part" she said sarcastically as she slid a tray covered with a white cloth closer to the now silent patient "Ok" she looked up at the brothers and pointed at Sesshomaru "You; hold her legs and you" she pointed at InuYasha "Hold her shoulders down and you" she glared at Bankotsou as she spat "Keep Si the hell away from me"
"Ok, ok" Bankotsou said as he gestured with his hands for her to calm down
"I'm warning you; if she goes to bite me again you'll be more than sorry" she threatened.
Bankotsou nodded his head in defeat before walking towards the corner where the large dog was currently located. "Ok Si; you're gonna be a good girl aren't you?" He cooed as he crouched down beside the animal. He hooked one arm around her neck and the other held tight to the thick silver chain that hung there. "Please Si just stay calm and listen to me ok" he whispered "Don't make Sango hurt me…..again…ok"
The large animal gave no sign of acknowledgment to Bankotsou's request or his touch instead it keep its attention focused solely on the sleeping woman.
InuYasha and Sesshomaru knelt down on Sango as she positioned the woman's arm out stretched to the side. Sango then moved to kneel in between her body and arm.
"She's strong and as soon as she feels me trying to remove the bullet she's gonna kick like a son of a bitch. So use your demon strength and hold her down, ok" Sango held their gaze as she spoke.
Sesshomaru gripped the woman's calf in one hand and her opposite thigh in the other; glancing at Sango he nodded he was ready. InuYasha looked down at the sleeping woman and took a deep breath before he gripped her shoulder with his right hand and placed his left hand flat against her stomach. His hand made a sickening squelching sound in the blood soaked material of her singlet and he cringed as the sticky substance oozed beneath his palm.
Sango shifted so she could rest her knee in the crock of the woman's elbow and picked up a pair of surgical tweezers that looked more like needle nose pliers. "Ready" she asked as the steel instrument hovered over the wound. "Forgive me" she whispered as the tip passed into the jagged and torn flesh.
The woman InuYasha held had barely flinched and he'd begun to wonder if maybe they had been over reacting. Her body felt so small and fragile under his grip and he seriously doubted if she could fight off a wet rag in her current condition. That was until the metal tool touched the bullet. It was as if lightening had struck the woman and she began to twist violently and aggressively against them. InuYasha tried to focus on holding her down but was distracted by the sheer level of force he had to exert. He could feel the tightness of her muscles under his grip and he marveled at the raw power they contained. Briefly he found himself wondering what it would be like to fight her.
The room echoed with the blood curdling scream that erupted from her lips and the savage roar from Si.
"Hold her" Sango ordered; her voice raised sharply to be heard over the growling "Keep her still….shit….sit on her if you have too"
Breathing heavily InuYasha cocked an eyebrow but realized that as strange as that sounded it maybe worth a shot. Before he'd even given it much thought he changed positions. Suddenly he was straddling her body; sitting just above her pelvis. He hunched over to cross his left forearm over the swell of her chest to grasp her uninjured shoulder. The fingers of his right hand wrapped around the span of her throat. She bucked under the weight of his body causing him to lean even further forward until his face was mere inches from hers.
The woman's eyes flew open wide with anger as she defiantly held InuYasha's gaze. Despite his weight she still continued to struggle furiously against him. InuYasha's demon side; already stirred by the heavy scent of blood; began to react to the woman's resistance of his dominance. As his gaze hardened he curled his top lip to expose his sharp fangs. A deep growl formed in the back of his throat. His growl increased in its volume and velocity until his whole body began to tremble against hers. The woman beneath him stilled and InuYasha felt himself becoming lost in her eyes as she continued to stare at him.
The look in her eyes was not one of fear or anxiety but instead it was one of acceptance and familiarity. 'Why aren't you afraid?' InuYasha wondered. His lip curled further to expose even more of his sharpen fangs and still she seemed unafraid. As she relaxed under his grip he felt pride flow through his body. He watched transfixed by her eyes as a look of sheer peace settled across her face. She slowly closed her eyes and titled her head slightly to the side; the movement elongating her neck and exposing the long line of her throat to him. His growl thickened to sound almost like a velvet purr of contentment at the action. Her lips parted with a whispered word that he failed to hear. InuYasha softened his growl as he felt her body go limp as she lost consciousness again.
He was unsure how long they stayed locked in this position but he felt exhaustion flood through him when Sesshomaru flicked his ear. InuYasha's cheeks flushed with a crimson color as he realized everyone was starring at him; save for the woman beneath him.
Sitting up and in a child like manner he absently scratched the back of his head and asked "What?" he gestured towards Sango with his free hand "She said sit on her"
"Umm…..yeah I did but…..but I was actually talking to Ban……about SI" Sango answered still a little shocked at what had happened. She couldn't believe that he'd not only thought she'd meant for him to sit on the patient but that he'd acted so quickly. Not to mention the fact that it had worked. Glancing down at her sleeping friend she thought 'You're not going to be happy when you hear about this'.
Bankotsou coughed lightly "Well at least you got the bullet out" The large animal at his side growled softly "And Si didn't bite you so all in all it worked" He made no attempt to hide the laughter in his voice.
Sango glared at Bankotsou who was grinning at her like an idiot "Whatever" she mumbled shaking her head. "Anyway I can take it from here so Ban why don't you take the boys to get cleaned up and I'm sure their hungry……" At that precise moment InuYasha's stomach rumbled loudly causing him to blush again under Sango's steady gaze "…..umm…..do think you could get off her now?"
With raised eyebrows and a stunned slightly confused expression InuYasha starred at Sango as if he was having trouble comprehending what she was talking about. Then he realized he was still sitting atop the injured woman. The color on his cheeks deepened as he scrambled to get to his feet.
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After Bankotsou and the brothers left the room Sango carefully brushed the sleeping woman's sweat soaked hair from her face. How are you going to deal with them being around? I warned you but did you listen? She thought to herself as she continued to stare at her friend.
The large animal waiting quietly in the corner began to whine softly drawing Sango's attention to her.
Sighing softly Sango leant back and gestured for the dog to approach "It's ok Si, she's ok"
Si padded over to the sleeping woman and nuzzled her hair gently before turning its attention to sniff the wound on her shoulder. Satisfied that Sango spoke the truth Si laid down and rested her head across the woman's chest. The room filled with soft rumble of Si's growl. Despite the noise being low the heavy vibrations in the air seemed to have a calming effect.
Sango carefully stitched the wound closed and tended to the task of stripping the rest of her friends clothing and washing the drying blood from her body.
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Rin watched Sesshomaru and InuYasha carefully as they ate in silence. Bankotsou had shown her and Miroku into the small kitchen while the brothers had showered and changed their clothes. She glanced across at Miroku and found that he too was studying the brothers.
Sesshomaru was too wrapped up in his thoughts about the day's events to pay much attention to their stares. It felt as if a memory kept trying to breach the edges of his mind but every time he tried to focus on what it was it retreated and dulled in its intensity. He felt like there was something important he was forgetting and the harder he tried to remember what it was the stronger the feeling of uneasiness grew. He began to silently curse himself in his thoughts; he was sure that if it hadn't been for the car accident all those years ago he would know what it was about today that was just beyond his grasp.
Absently he raised his hand to his face and began to repeatedly drag a claw across his brow. He continued to trace along a long since healed scar that had once existed just beyond the hair line. Rin caught the action and knew he was thinking about the past or at least he was trying to. If left to dwell too long in the past he would continue this action until he drew blood. She clasped his thigh in an attempt to stop his hand. At first she didn't think he'd felt the pressure on his leg and was contemplating whether she should squeeze harder when his hand stopped. Tentatively Rin offered him a shy smile as his eyes focused on her face. Seeing the look of concern in Rin's eyes brought Sesshomaru back to the present and he half heartedly returned her smile.
Growing tired of all the silence Miroku propped his elbow on the table and with an exaggerated sigh he placed his chin in his hand. "So do either of you plan on telling us what happened in that room?" When no one gave him an immediate answer he glanced from Sesshomaru to InuYasha "Come on guys spill….I need details….please…..pretty please"
Sesshomaru huffed at the whiny tone that had entered Miroku's voice.
"Will she be alright?" Rin asked softly. She shivered slightly as she remembered the sight of all that blood.
"I don't know" Sesshomaru answered truthfully
"Did you at least figure out if she's human or not" Miroku asked thankful that at least one of the brothers had starting talking again.
'Was she a demon or was she a human?' When they had first entered the room and Sesshomaru had gotten a decent look at the woman he had been sure she was human. If she had been a demon the noticeable scar that ran down one side of her face would have long since healed but…..but when he'd touched her…..when he'd held her legs…..when she had lashed out…..his inner demon doubted that assumption. Sesshomaru starred at his hand as he flexed it into a fist. He could still feel the raw power that had been contained within that woman's legs. He didn't want to admit it but he'd been startled when she had begun to move; the violent savagery was not something a human was capable of…..was it? It felt like pure energy had suddenly surged through her muscles and even now he swore he could still feel the electricity tingling beneath his skin. Uncurling his hand he thought again of the effort he'd had to put into holding her still that was until InuYasha had sat on her. Glancing at his brother he tuned out the million questions and the whining that Miroku had begun to unleash on Rin.
Studying InuYasha he noticed that one of his ears nervously twitched in the direction of the woman's room and yet his golden eyes stayed focused on the table. Ever since they had left the room InuYasha had withdrawn into his own thoughts. What concerned Sesshomaru wasn't his quietness now but instead it was the way he'd acted inside that room.
"I wanna know what happened inside that room?"
"They'll tell us when they're ready"
Sure his brother could be a hot head at times and they all knew that he had a slight problem controlling not only his temper but his excitement level. And it was a given that some of the choices he made were made out of impulse with little to no thought but Sesshomaru had never seen him act like that.
"But Rin I need to know. I mean what was all that growling about?"
"I don't know Miroku maybe that huge dog"
From the moment they'd stepped into that room it was as if InuYasha had become another person. Sesshomaru had felt the shift within Inuyasha as his inner demon had surfaced in reaction to the scent of the blood. But what had left him stunned was the way in which his brother had responded to the woman when he'd straddled her. The growling she had invoked in him was like nothing Sesshomaru had ever heard before; at least not from InuYasha.
"Your hearing is just as good as mine and you know that there were 2 sets of growls"
"Dogs have more than one growl Miroku"
"Not at the same time they don't"
Sesshomaru glanced at Miroku out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what they would think if they knew that one of those growls belonged to InuYasha. Hell….he; himself had been stunned by the savagery within InuYasha's growl. It wasn't the type of growl that was meant to instill terror in an enemy but there was a definite threat buried within it and for some reason that threat had only been directed at the woman. Briefly Sesshomaru wished he'd been able to see what color InuYasha's eyes had been.
"I know that"
"Aren't you just the least bit curious about what the hell is going on?"
"Yeah but I'm sure that guy Bankotsou will tell us soon enough"
"When? I mean who are these people And what's the deal with that woman?"
"I don't know but I'm sure…"
"Hey I wonder if she's single"
"What!"
Could InuYasha's reaction simply have been due to their current situation or was there something more to it? It wasn't as if they weren't used to threats. They'd received taunts at school, abusive phone calls and letters, hell there'd even been a petition in one of their old neighborhoods…..but…..but nothing could compare with this. Nothing this real or dangerous had ever happened before. This time real bullets had been fired and blood had been shed…..this time lives were on the line.
"Or maybe her and that Bankotsou guy have a thing"
"What?"
"Nar probably not I mean they didn't act like a couple"
"Miroku is your brain broken or something?"
Something about that woman concerned Sesshomaru; something other than whether she was demon or human. Why had their father entrusted these strangers with their lives? Sesshomaru was positive that he'd never heard mention of these people before and yet his father obviously had some sort of close relationship with them. The type of relationship that was close enough for him to ask for their help even though he knew it could put their lives at risk. How could their father have that sort of closeness with someone and neither InuYasha or himself know anything about them?
"What? She was cute although I really couldn't tell much at first glance but I'm sure under all that leather she has one truly fine body"
"Miroku!"
Sesshomaru's expression betrayed nothing of the confusion that was running through his mind. This night….hell the last 24 hours had done nothing but confused the shit out him. He decided that today would rank in the top 5 of his all time majorly guaranteed to screw up your mind bad days…..to tell the truth it would probably rank in the top 3.
"Hey I wonder if they had to undress her"
(Smack) "Pervert"
"What?"
"You know what"
Miroku; who'd had enough of the demon brothers ignoring him and Rin smacking him; stood up and lent across the table. He reached out with one hand and flicked InuYasha across the ear. The shock; not to mention the sharp sting caused InuYasha to snarl.
"What the fuck?" he roared as he held his throbbing ear.
Miroku smiled sweetly and opened his mouth to reply but unfortunately for him whatever words he was about to say died in his mouth as InuYasha grabbed the back of his head and pushed his face into the surface of the table.
"Got something to say Monk" InuYasha snarled playfully
"mmm……ffftt….." came the muffled unintelligible response
"What's that? I can't understand you" InuYasha released his hold on his best friend's head and sat back down
"I said I'm sorry" Miroku clarified as he rubbed his nose "So did you at least find out anything while you were in there?"
InuYasha ran a clawed hand through his hair before answering "Not a lot"
"What's not a lot mean?"
"Well the big dog's name is Si"
Miroku starred at InuYasha with a dumb founded look. "The dog's name…..all you found out is the dog's name"
"No" InuYasha snapped "I know she has a thing for weapons and she doesn't pick up her clothes or anything else…."
"Don't forget she kicks like a mule" added Sesshomaru
"Inu….Inu…..Inu" Miroku sighed "You guys were in there all that time and all you know is she's messy and violent"
"Pretty much" both Sesshomaru and InuYasha answered at the same time.
Miroku slammed both palms onto the table "Are you telling me that you don't even know her name?"
Silence was the only response Miroku received until a soft chuckle came from the door way. Bankotsou stood leaning against the wooden frame with his arms folded across his chest watching the foursome at the table.
"If you wanted to know her name you could've just asked" he said as he straightened up
When none of the boys made any attempt to move Rin asked softly "Will you tell us her name please?"
"Her name is….." Bankotsou glanced at InuYasha and Sesshomaru before turning to look towards the injured woman's room "….Kagome….."
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So.......what did you all think? My favorite line (in case you weren't sure) is where Rin asks if Miroku's brain is broken.
Please forgive any spelling or grammar issues but if you could can you at least let me know where they are so I can fix them on the original copy.
Again thanks for reading and don't forget to review (PLEASE)
Kai