Disclaimer: You guys know what I'm gonna say. Nope… not mine.
Author's Notes: Okay, here we go again. I'm sorry for the format changes and all, but my computer is whacked. It's really hard to programme things on this. N e wayz. I'm trying. Thanks, to all you who reviewed on my first chapter, I appreciate it. Okay, now I shut up… (cricket noises)
Chapter 2: Endings and… Beginnings
The morning dawned bright and early for InuYasha… if you can call seven-thirty on a workday early. A long night of partying and… other activities had kept him up to the wee hours of the morning, and nursing a killer of a hangover. It was the sounds of his phone that woke him that morning.
"(bleep!) that stupid phone!" Came a growl from deep within the black and red duvet cover. When it seemed that the caller was truly serious after ten rings without answer, InuYasha snatched up the offending object and snarled into the mouthpiece, sleep and drink slurring his words slightly.
"This had better be good!"
"Yasha baby! Did you enjoy your night on the town?" Came the sickeningly sweet voice of Kikyou.
"Dang you, wench! Don't patronize me!" InuYasha growled threateningly.
"I'm sorry dear. I was just wondering how your romp with the ladies went. You know I'm always so concerned about your well being, just like you are of mine." Kikyou stabbed back, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
"Why the heck would you care, and why would I give a (bleep!) about you? You're the one that cheated on me, remember!?"
"Oh, such harsh words! I'm hurt Yasha! I thought we had a deeper relationship than that. I thought you really cared about me."
"How many times do I have to pound this into your thick skull, wench!? We… are… FINISHED!!" InuYasha shouted into the phone, causing the person on the other end to pull away momentarily.
"But Yasha love, I thought you loved me!" Kikyou tried her best to sound innocent.
"I NEVER said that! Maybe it came close to love at the beginning, maybe then I cared about you and your sorry (bleep!). But after you ran off with that (bleep!)Naraku, I definitely never will again! Woman, you have pushed me way too far and there is no getting it back after that!" InuYasha growled into the receiver
"But Yasha…" Kikyou whined pitifully.
"We're through!!" InuYasha cut Kikyou off with a deep growl and slammed the receiver into its cradle as hard as he could. It was surprising that the phone was still in one piece when he took his had off and combed back his unruly silver hair.
For several minutes InuYasha stared around his room, a frown etched deep into his lips. He and Kikyou had had a "thing" for about four months, which was a long haul for the hanyou, but that had been three months ago, and yet the wench kept on calling. He was seriously considering changing his phone number, at least then he could get a little rest. Now he was reminded of how he had spent his night with out care. The worst migraine he had ever had was now hammering away inside his skull, making his vision blurry and his ears ring.
"Where the (bleep!) did I put that bottle of aspirin?" He growled as he made his way to the bathroom in his boxers, his well cut torso glowing bronze from sweat in the early-morning sunshine.
After much scrambling about and cursing medicine cabinet doors for being too sharp, he procured the precious bottle and downed three of the fat red and yellow pills without even bothering with water to wash them down.
Clutching the sides of the sink, he gazed at himself in the mirror, his ears twitching back and forth. Who am I kidding? I'm a hanyou… a half-breed piece of crap! No girl in her right mind wants to be with me for me. They only want my brother's money or the rep of being with the fastest biker in Japan. Bitter thoughts like these had always plagued InuYasha's mind ever since he was old enough to understand the cruel words of the people around him. His mother and father had been the only one who really loved him. Now he was alone, completely and utterly alone. And there was no way on earth that he would go to Sesshoumaru for help. He had learned early on that his older brother was not the kind of man that one could go to when you need sympathy or help.
It was people, human and youkai alike, that had led him to racing street bikes. He felt as though people accepted him more when he played the aloof biker, not that the fact that he could turn a bike on a dime did not help a little. This was the life he had chosen, so he would either just have to keep searching for peace, or learn to live with the looks that people gave him no matter where he went.
xXx
Kagome's day started much earlier than InuYasha's. Six-thirty, to be precise. To make sure that she would get up on time, Kagome had strategically placed her alarm clock on the other side of the room, so that in order to turn it off, she had to cross cold tile floors. But it worked like a charm. (IB: I do that myself… really works.) When the little green alarm clock rang the hour, a groan had issued forth from the bed and the soft padding of feet was heard down the hall towards the kitchen.
"Whoever invented the alarm clock needs to be shot." Kagome mumbled on her way to the room of sustenance. Just then, the phone started ringing. She rushed to pick it up.
"Moshi moshi? Higurashi speaking."
"Kagome? Thank the kami! I totally forgot to ask you last night before we left if you could take care of Kirara for me while we're on the honeymoon. You don't mind doing that for me, do you?" Sango's desperate voice queried. Kirara was Sango's prized pet neko youkai that her dad had given her before the divorce and she meant the world to Sango.
"Not a problem. I'll go pick her up right now. Do you have any cat food left in the bin?"
"Yeah, it's underneath the kitchen sink where it always is. Thank you so much Kagome! I owe you a ton!" With that, the line went dead.
Kagome looked down at the phone in her hand and smiled. Sango can be so random at times. But before Kagome could leave to get Kirara, she had to get some ocha into her system. So, she hurriedly made herself some green tea, pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, and snatched her favourite tattered old hoodie from the coat rack. After grabbing the keys to Sango's apartment, she headed down to her car.
xXx
The traffic in Tokyo was fairly light for it being Monday, and eight o'clock. Kagome was enjoying it thoroughly though, no complaints about that. Her radio was tuned into her favourite station, traditional Japanese, while she sang along with the many songs that she had heard as a small child riding home from school with her father. At one point in her trip, she stopped at a red light and the music lulled to a dull whisper. Off to her right, Kagome heard a loud motorcycle engine revving up and she turned to see its source.
In the next lane someone wearing a white wife beater that showed off lean muscles and a pair of dark jeans sat astride a Yamaha street racer with a red and silver paint job. A black helmet blocked Kagome's view of the rider's face, but she could clearly she him nodding to her and she smiled back. The light flashed green, and the bike sped off.
"That is so like a guy to show off with something fast between his legs." (IB: O.o)
In no time at all, Kagome arrived at the three-room apartment that Sango was renting, and soon would be moving out of. After fiddling with the keys for a moment, Kagome managed to open the heavy door and stepped into the apartment.
"Kirara! Come here girl!" Kagome called out to the cat. Without warning, a ball of yellow and black fluff filled Kagome's vision and tickled her nose.
"Hey there girl! You ready to come stay with me?" Kirara mewed a happily reply.
Kagome went over to the kitchen sink and retrieved the half full sack of cat food, picked up Kirara, and headed out the door. The fluffy nekomata mewed in Kagome's arms almost as if she was saying something.
"What is it Kirara? Am I forgetting something?"
The tiny little bundle of fur jumped out of Kagome's hold and bounced over to her little cushioned basket. Jumping into it, she sat smack dab in the middle and looked up at Kagome expectantly.
"Right. I forgot your bed. Thanks for the reminder." Kagome laughed. Kirara stepped out of the basket so that Kagome could pick it up and then the pair made their way down the six flights of stairs to the parking lot.
xXx
"Hakudoushi, glad you could make it. Did you bring the amount agreed upon?" Onigumo Naraku's silky voice lilted around the stale air of the purple office.
Before him stood a boy barely older than twelve with lifeless violet eyes, pale skin, and long white hair. Hakudoushi was short for his age, and small too, but that didn't stop him from being the number one drug dealer in Tokyo. He, as the old saying went, had his hand in every pot in town. Now he stood before Naraku holding up a bag that contained at least a pound of white powder.
"Good… Good. I'm pleased. Kagura, get my scale off the shelf. I want to make sure I'm not being cheated." Naraku turned to his secretary and smiled evilly.
The tall woman with black hair and red eyes grabbed a little digital scale off the bookshelf and placed it on the large mahogany desk in front of her boss. Hakudoushi dropped the plastic bag down onto the scale and stood back. The meter read exactly one pound. Naraku nodded contently. He opened a drawer on the desk and pulled out a wad of money and tossed it at the boy. It fell short, and the boy quickly stooped to pick it up.
"It's all there. Three hundred and fifty thousand yen, just as we agreed upon." Naraku eyed the boy as he thumbed threw the cash.
"Pleased to do business with you. I'll be on my way now."
These were the first and last words the boy said in Naraku's presence, he did not hang around the office any longer than he had to. Naraku watched him like a hawk as he left. When the warehouse door finally slid shut, Naraku parted the purple shades that hung over the office's one window and peered out at the busy street below.
"They're having a race down there tonight. Motorcycles. Lots of people. Cameras. The police will be there too, of course."
Kagura could hear the wheels in Naraku's twisted mind turning at full speed. He had something evil planned. What was it now? A bomb in the road? "Accidental" gas leak explosion? It had been a while since his last malicious act had been committed. Last year, to be precise it was in December right before Christmas in the town square. A large nitroglycerin bomb hidden in the depths of the city's largest Christmas tree had blown away the crowds, literally. The blast had killed 150 people with countless others injured. Of course, being the snake that he was, no one had been able to pin the deed on him, though all the authorities knew it had been Naraku's doing. He enjoyed seeing innocent people suffer.
"What will it be this time?" Kagura sighed. Naraku's constant scheming was getting on her nerves lately.
"How about that one famous mercenary gang? The ones with the machine guns and such. They could do some pretty good damage. How's that sound?" Naraku never turned to face his secretary, but continued to stare out the window at the busy metropolis. "Get the Shichinintai. I want Bankotsu to do the dirty work." He chuckled darkly.
xXx
"InuYasha! Dog-ears! Guess what?" A young kitsune boy shouted across the empty parking lot at the man that just pulled his helmet off.
"What is it, half pint? Finally find a life?" InuYasha loved tormenting the orphaned kitsune Shippou ever since he had showed up at the hang out seven years ago. He thought of the little runt as a baby brother, but never would it do to let the kid know it.
"Kouga's hosting a motorcycle race tonight on Sakura Boulevard! It's gonna be awesome! There's even gonna be some reporters there!" The red haired boy bounded up to InuYasha, his bright green eyes twinkling with barely contained excitement.
"So? Your point is what?" InuYasha asked as he threw his leg over motorcycle in a dismount.
"Do you not wanna to go? There's a seven hundred thousand yen reward to the winner! And there's gonna be lots and lots of hot girls there too." Shippou had to take two steps for InuYasha's every one as they retreated into the abandoned warehouse.
"Why didn't ya mention the money before?" The hanyou growled down to the shorter boy.
"I knew you'd change your mind when I mentioned the reward. It starts at ten. I already told the other guys about it." Shippou smiled.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," There went his cell phone again. "Moshi Moshi? Tessaiga talking, spill it." InuYasha shoved Shippou towards the warehouse and walked over to the chain link fence.
"Hey man! It's Miroku. How's it going? I heard about that race downtown. You plan on going?" The deep voice flooded the speaker.
"Yeah, you bet. You know me, ain't no way I'd miss a race, 'specially when money's involved." InuYasha leaned up against the fence and raked his fingers through his messy mop of hair.
"Figured. You going with any one? Any prospective girlfriend?" Trust Miroku to bring up the girls.
"Maybe. Ya know that girl that was at your weddin'?"
"There were lots of girls at the wedding." Miroku replied dryly.
"Thanks for bringin' up the obvious. The one with the green dress and the camera. What's her name?"
"Oh, you mean Kagome! Higurashi Kagome. She's Sango's best friend. You interested? Don't think she's your type. Real clean… The type that gets in for the deep plunge." Miroku warned.
"I can change angels to youkai, man, I've done it before and you know that. I can take her. So where's she live?" InuYasha barked.
"Okay, whatever you say. I'm telling you, you'll be sorry before the week's out, she's have you so whipped! She lives on Second Street, right next to the gas station. Apartment 8. Good luck Yasha. Don't come crying to me when you end up alone, I'm warning you." Miroku seemed to know what he was talking about.
"Thanks man. Talk to ya later." InuYasha squashed the red phone on the keypad, thus ending the conversation.
xXx
"You want some food Kirara? You haven't eaten since yesterday, have you girl?" Kagome poured out some cat food into a little glass bowl and watched as Kirara leapt up onto the counter and devoured the food, completely forgoing the normal pet behavior of waiting for the bowl to be placed on the floor.
Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door, causing both Kirara and Kagome jump. Kagome hurried to the door and peaked out the peephole. She hurriedly unlocked the three locks, starting with the deadbolt, but left the chain in, just in case. She opened the door as far as the chain would allow and looked at the person who was standing out in the hallway.
"Can I help you?" She asked timidly.
"InuYasha. 'Member me? From the wedding the other day?" InuYasha folded his arms crossed his chest and looked down at Kagome.
"Oh yes! I do! The bike racer! Come on in. Sorry, I'm not really dressed for visitors." Kagome shut the door and undid the chain lock then opened the door wide for the young rogue to step in.
"Doesn't make any difference to me. I seen girls in less. Hardly phases me you got on some shabby shorts and tank top." InuYasha said casually as he gazed around the little apartment.
Kagome blushed and tugged her coat a little tighter around her body, covering the light green spaghetti top she was wearing and pulled her boy shorts a little further down her hips. Looking at the man as he bent and pulled off his boots at the door, suddenly something hit her. It was InuYasha she has seen on the road early that morning!
"Can I get you some ocha, or koh-cha? I think I might have some coke too. Go ahead and have a seat." She ushered him into the living room.
"Thanks. I guess I'll just take a coke if ya have it." InuYasha sat down on the couch and looked over at the kitchen where Kagome was getting the drinks.
His eyes wondered aimlessly around her apartment. Everything was spotless. Several black and white pictures of Japanese scenery hung on the walls here and there, over by the window was a table covered in coloured pictures of smiling people, some old, some young. Littered all around the room, on every table, were crystal figurines of various different creatures, from horses to dragons. This girl liked order and simplicity.
"Would you like some ice? Or no?" Came a voice from the kitchen.
"No ice."
Shortly after, Kagome entered the living room with two glasses. She handed one to InuYasha and sat down on the love seat. He noticed how she pulled her feet up onto the chair.
"So, what did you drop by for?" Kagome asked after taking a sip of her water.
"Just wanted to see ya again. You got a great place here. How long you been living here anyways?" InuYasha gestured towards the kitchen and dining room, as well as the pictures hanging up.
"Thanks. I've tried to make it cozy. I've been here for about a year and a half. Not long really. How about you? Where do you live?" She asked, trying to make conversation.
"Over on the east side. Been there all my life... Or, since my mom and dad died. Okay, I ain't gonna beat around the bush anymore. You wanna come with me to this race up town? Starts at nine, I think." InuYasha said unabashedly.
Kagome was speechless for a moment, for the second time since she had first met this rag tag man. No guy had ever been so straightforward and forthcoming with her before. Now she was expected to give an answer before her brain could even process the request!
"Uh… sure. Why not?" Kagome finally managed to say.
"Great. I'll come and pick ya up at eight-thirty then. Don't bother with anything fancy, pretty casual affair."
The two continued to talk for quite a while afterwards, but Kagome could not shake the tingly feeling that had now taken a sharp hold on her stomach.
End of Chapter
Phrase Translation
Moshi moshi:Hello
Nekomata: Two-tailed cat
Ocha Green tea
Koh-cha: Black tea
Notes to the Reviewers:
Thanks to you who reviewed! petpeeves12: Yeah, there a lot of those sort of guys in my school too. Hope I got the whole look right though! IamHermioneGranger: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter just as much!