Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!
Disclaimer: Let's see. I've just about completed the theory on how to make pigs fly, and the hell freezing over project is coming along nicely. Next up is to own InuYasha.
XxX
Chapter 3: The Phone Call
What woke Kagome the next morning was not the alarm clock, but the shrill sound of the telephone cutting through another one of her nightmares. She bolted upright, gasping for breath as she shook off the lingering shreds of the dream. Kagome rubbed her eyes tiredly and reached for the phone, while InuYasha yawned tiredly from the next bed.
"Yeah?" Kagome mumbled. It was too early to be fully awake.
"Kagome, is that you?" Kagome's eyes snapped wide open. The phone call was for her!
"Uh, yeah…one second." Kagome hopped off the bed and took the phone into the bathroom, ignoring InuYasha's suspicious stare. (A/N The phone is cordless)
"Who is this? We can talk now."
"This is Keade. Are you settling in fine?"
"Yeah, but just so you know Keade, you shouldn't use my real name on the phone unless you are sure it was me. If my roommate InuYasha had picked up the phone that could have been trouble."
"Oh…oops." Kagome giggled. Sometimes Keade didn't act like a police officer.
"So, what are you calling for?" Kagome asked, feeling excited all of a sudden. Maybe they had caught the killer! Then she could go back home.
"Well, I have some good news and bad news." Kagome frowned. She always hated when people said that.
"Ok, spill. I guess I'll have to hear it sooner or later, right?"
"Well, we finally got a DNA match to some hairs that we found at the crime scene." Keade said. Kagome gasped. That was great news!
"You know who the killer is? But that's great! Now you will be able to catch him easier, and the sooner you catch him, the sooner my life might go back to normal." Kagome said happily. And the sooner I might stop having these nightmares! She added to herself.
"Kagome, you forgot that there's bad news too."
"Oh yeah…do I have to hear that too?"
"Yes." Keade's voice came out hard and firm. Kagome felt her spirits sinking. "Kagome, the man who murdered you family is called Naraku." Suddenly Kagome's brain kicked into overdrive. Where had she heard that name? Sometime last year… Then it hit Kagome in a flash.
"He's that serial killer…"
"Yes. He's been killing people for a couple of years now, but we have never been able to get our hands on him."
Kagome gulped. "Why…why was he after my family? What did we do?"
Keade hesitated, and when she spoke her voice came out soft. "He…he always targets young teenage girls. All his victims had long black hair and had similar body types to yours. In fact, his victim just last year, Kikyo, could have you're your double. Kagome…Naraku was after you the whole time." Kagome's knees buckled and she fell to the floor in shock. Her whole family…they had suffered…they had died because of her. She was the one he had wanted. Kagome's breath started coming in shorter and shorter gasps.
"Kagome. Kagome!" Keade said, her voice tinny and small on the other side of the line. "You have to calm down Kagome. Take some deep breaths." Kagome slowly calmed down, and came to her senses.
"Keade, he still wants me, right? He's not going to stop stalking me, is he? Tell me the truth." Keade was silent for a long time, then finally spoke.
"No, Kagome."
Kagome shivered. "What…what does he do to his victims when he finds them?" Again, Keade was silent for a long time.
"He…he rapes them, then kills them. Kagome, I'm so sorry. But as long as you keep your cover, you should be fine. Please, don't do anything drastic. We'll protect you." Kagome felt tears running down her face, and she was scared. Well, terrified was a better word for it, but she knew that Keade was right. She couldn't run. Her best option was to stay here, and try to wait Naraku out.
"Don't worry Keade. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I have Souta to think about."
"Good." On the other line, Keade breathed a sigh of relief. "All right Kagome, I have to go. Take care of yourself, you hear?"
" 'Kay. Bye." Kagome turned off the phone, and sat in the bathroom for a few minutes, digesting this new information. Her family's murder…it hadn't been random. Now she understood why Naraku hadn't just killed her when he had seen her in the closet, and why he had run off when he heard the police coming. He still wanted to kill her, but he wanted to play with her first, and with the police coming down the street, he wouldn't have had enough time for that.
Kagome realized something else as well. Naraku, this serial killer, he must have been watching her for a long time, before singling her out as his next victim. Kagome shivered. He must have watched her for months before that day, and she had known nothing. And now, it was too late. It was too late to save her family. All that she could do now was protect Souta with all her heart.
Kagome sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She checked the mirror to make sure that her eyes weren't red from crying, and marched from the bathroom to her bed. She had to be strong, for Souta.
InuYasha lay on his bed watching Kagome. "Who was that on the phone?"
"No one." Kagome just wasn't feeling up to arguing with InuYasha right now. She needed some time alone, just to think.
"Oh, no one? So why did you go into the bathroom to talk to no one?" Kagome ground her teeth.
"Look, it was no one important."
"Sure seemed like an important call. What, was it from a girl back home?" InuYasha sneered at Kagome. Kagome was about to shoot back a reply, but processed what InuYasha had said, and seized the chance.
"Yeah! It was from a girl back home. My girlfriend." Kagome almost gagged, but it would be a good cover up for whenever she got a call from the police, and right now, she just wanted to end this conversation.
InuYasha's eyes widened. Kageki…Kageki has a girlfriend?! Then InuYasha paused. Why was that so hard to believe?
"O-oh. Keh!" InuYasha flipped over to face the wall. Kagome looked at him, confused. What was his problem? She gave a small shrug and flopped into her own bed, falling asleep immediately.
XxXThat's all for now folks. Another short chapter, but again, I wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible. The next chapter won't be so angsty, so keep on reading, and review!