~Dizzy Defense for an Underdog~

Chapter Two: Can't we be friends?

Kagome tapped impatiently on the high wooden table, her brow twitching in aggravation as she stared through the perforated glass in front of her. From her partitioned spot she had a clear view of the other half of the room and the hallway leading to the prison mess hall and gym. Guards and prisoners came and went down the passage, but never the one person she was waiting on – and had been waiting on for the past half hour. She had been told upon her arrival that he was finishing up his workout and would only be 5 minutes at most. Glancing at the clock, Kagome groaned in frustration and let her head fall back, breathing deeply and trying to bury her irritation in favor of a more professional attitude. She was still ashamed of how she had stormed out of the prison so rudely after that first meeting with Inuyasha, and didn't want another such outcome. True, he had provoked her, but that was no excuse for a licensed attorney to lose her head. Any chance of gaining his respect had neatly flown out the window at that act. How would he ever take her seriously now?

White and blue caught the corner of her eye, and Kagome righted herself to see Inuyasha being shoved into the room, his wrists bound with iron cuffs which he easily could have broken were it not for the holy enchantments etched into them. She caught his gaze, noting that he looked a little too smug for the situation, but he broke eye contact as the guard unlocked the cuffs and said gruffly "30 minutes, Mutt. You've got Mess Hall cleanup today." Snarling threateningly at the retreating guard, Inuyasha dropped into the chair on the other side of the glass from Kagome, glancing back for a moment to see the guard set up watch outside the room's long window. At the short leash of temporary freedom, Inuyasha leaned back in the chair with a sigh of relief, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, that smug little smirk returning. Watching him, Kagome was overcome by the strongest urge to push him over.

"Excuse me, Inuyasha, but this meeting is very important, and I don't have all day, so if you don't mind…."

He cracked a yellow eye open to peer at her with agitation, his lip quirked into a snarl that reminded her of the mugshot attached to his files. Honestly, was he always this unpleasant? Closing his eyes again and settling further into his chair, Inuyasha mumbled out a half-hearted "Yeah go on, I'm listening."

Drumming her fingers noisily on the wood table before her, Kagome waited in aggravated silence until Inuyasha once again glanced her way. At the slight eye contact Kagome said brusquely "I'm not a radio program Inuyasha, you can't just sit there and zone out. We need to have a conversation."

"Okay, doll-face" he said sarcastically, not bothering to move from his lounging position, "You say something worth answering, and I'll answer. Otherwise, tough breaks."

With growing frustration Kagome leaned towards the glass, her voice becoming more urgent as she said "Inuyasha, please, you're only making things more difficult for yourself by wasting time! The less productive these meetings are, the longer it'll take to get you another hearing, and the longer you'll be stuck here! Don't you want to get out of prison?"

His change in demeanor was so sudden and drastic that Kagome jumped back as he righted himself in his chair and slammed his hands onto the wood table, his snarling face almost touching the glass on his side of the partition. "What would you know about it, ya Shyster? You got it all nice and cozy out there in the city; you can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, whenever you want, and no one says a damn thing, do they? You with your little office job and your glad rags, probably lousy with lettuce too – you would never understand what it's like living here!"

He was positively fuming at the end of his tirade, but Kagome could no longer find it in herself to fight back. In a calm and quiet voice she responded "You're right – I don't understand. And hopefully, I never will. But don't you see, Inuyasha?" She leaned closer to the glass, almost wishing she could reach through it to comfort the troubled man and said softly "You should never have been in here to begin with. I only want to get you out of here, and get your name cleared, so that you can have that kind of freedom too." She smiled slightly, cocking her head to the side and asked "Is that so wrong?"

Inuyasha set her with a guarded stare, doubt hazing his yellow eyes, but he leaned back, sitting up alertly in his chair this time and crossing his arms over his chest. "Well?" he said after a moment, his voice still rough but not nearly as harsh as it had been, "What do you want to talk about?"

Kagome allowed her smile to spread a little wider and began "I've read through the old court records, and I've looked through your files, but honestly, they don't tell me much. I know you grew up in an orphanage, you're 28 years old, you're half human, half dog-demon, and from what I've seen so far, socializing isn't your strong point." With a crooked smile she gestured to the pile of papers and folders beside her on the table, saying "I've read the city's take on why you're in prison, and I've read the paper-thin defense they gave you." Pushing the stack of records aside, Kagome continued "But I don't trust that information much; I'd really rather hear what you have to say about all this, seeing as you didn't say much of anything in court."

"If I didn't tell those chumps, what makes you think I'd tell you?" Her raised eyebrow and stern expression had him rolling his eyes and recanting his dismissal a moment later with a forced sounding "Alright, alright, I'll play your little 'Q&A' game."

"Thank you" she said back, trying not to let her irritation seep into the words too much. They were starting to make progress, but she was sure that at any moment, things could go spiraling downhill once again. Deciding she'd better get the ball rolling or risk waiting another ten minutes for him to decide to open up, she asked "So you first met the victim, Kikyo, in the hospital, correct?"

Things were off to a rough start it seemed when he huffed angrily and turned away, his crossed arms tightening over his chest as he ground out "Do ya hafta start with her?"

Kagome's brow quirked in confusion as she answered "Well she's the victim in question, isn't she? Her murder is what you're in for. There's really no other place to start."

Inuyasha's growl was not encouraging, but through clenched teeth she heard him grind out "Yeah… that's where we met."

Pulling out a notepad and pen, Kagome poised herself to write before asking the next question. "So what were the circumstances of you two meeting?"

"She was a nurse, I was a patient. End of story."

Looking up from her notes, she saw his jaw set firmly, his stance defensive, and she sat quietly for a moment trying to think of the best way to phrase the next few questions to get him to loosen up more. If he kept up this attitude, they wouldn't get anywhere. "What were you a patient for, exactly?"

He scoffed and replied "Whaddaya think? I'm a half-demon. The whole world hates me: always has, always will. I was a young punk back then, I got into a street-fight with some west-siders, and I lost."

Jotting down his response, Kagome frowned as she thought over his words. A fight so bad it put him in the hospital… all because of his heritage? Squaring her shoulders and sighing angrily, she put down her pen and leaned against her hand, looking over at her reluctant interviewee with sad eyes.

Catching her glance, Inuyasha's eyes suddenly hardened, and he spat out "That better not be 'pity' I see. I don' want no one's pity, y'understand?"

"It's not 'pity'" she said distractedly, trying to imagine this rough and tumble man so vulnerable and hurt. She thought of him out on the streets, alone, getting picked on and beaten up, and her heart constricted at the thought. It wasn't right! "I'm just… sorry you had to go through that. No one should be treated that way."

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly at her words, but he didn't respond.

After a moment Kagome sighed again, tapping her pen absently on the table as she started "So she patched you up, correct?"

"Yes."

'Great' she thought sourly, 'we're back to one-word answers.' "How long were you in the hospital?"

Inuyasha fidgeted nervously in his chair and said "The first time?"

Nodding, Kagome parroted "The first time" and Inuyasha shrugged, saying casually "Couple days."

"You were admitted to the hospital several times after that, correct?"

At the silence following her question, Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha looking away, his face slightly red and expression embarrassed. She sat staring at him for a moment, unable to reconcile the harsh lines of the hardened prisoner with the soft blush on his cheeks. Eventually his gaze wandered back to her, and at her open stare, he bristled, saying loudly "What you starin' at? I got in lots of fights, okay? Kikyo was the only one willin' to patch me up!"

Her startled silence was broken by his return to being aggravated, and she quickly latched onto his comment, asking "So she was kind to you?"

Inuyasha scoffed, slumping in his chair and saying tersely "Yeah, she was kind… as kind as anyone would be to a half-demon anyways." At those words his face softened, and with a sigh he continued "Nah, actually… she was nicer than anyone had ever been. She… she always said that she couldn't abandon someone who had human blood in them."

The tapping of Kagome's pen against the wood slowed to a stop as his words echoed in her mind. That was the nurse's reasoning for helping him? That was the nicest thing anyone had even said to him? Lost in thought, Kagome didn't recognize her odd behavior until an abrupt "What?" cut through her musings, and she looked up to see Inuyasha watching her with offence clearly written across his face.

"Umm… what?" she responded distractedly, still thinking on what he had said.

He all but glared and said crossly "What's with the judgmental look? You think it's so crazy that someone would be willing to help a half-demon?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome retorted in frustration "Of course not. Haven't I been saying this whole time that you've been mistreated? I just…" she paused, looking into his hurt yellow eyes and trying to think of a way to explain herself without stepping all over the memory of the woman who had shown him kindness. "I don't think your having human blood should be the only reason for someone to help you." She looked away, fiddling with the cuff on her blouse, then forced her eyes to meet his again as she continued "Humans aren't the only lives with value. Even if you were a full-demon, you'd still be worth saving if you got hurt. I just… don't quite agree with her reasoning, is all."

Inuyasha snorted derisively, looking away pointedly as he said "You say that now, but you weren't there. You don't know what it was like for her to even think about helping me in the first place."

"You're right, I wasn't there." She responded in a soft voice, "But she's not the first person to have those kinds of thoughts about demons, and it does her credit that she wanted to help you despite what others thought. Still…."

Her words trailed into silence, and it was only Inuyasha's curious prompting of "still what?" that got her to open her mouth again and add "I don't think your demon blood is anything to be ashamed of."

Inuyasha's face became stern, guarded, and Kagome could see his jaw clenching, but not in anger. He looked to be holding back, and Kagome wondered which emotion he was trying to suppress.

Kagome didn't even register the silence that had fallen over them until a sharp rattling of glass startled them both, and they looked to see the stern-faced guard outside the window hold up three fingers to indicate the time they had left. Frustrated that they'd be forced to cut the meeting short after finally making a bit of progress, Kagome said quickly "Alright, just one more question. And please understand: I have to ask this. When you first met Kikyo… did you know about her inheritance?"

"No." Inuyasha said flatly, his tone dangerously calm, "I didn't know about that damn gem, and it wouldn't have mattered if I did. We barely talked that first time. Besides… she wouldn't have told me then anyways."

There was something buried in his words… some deeper pain that he was glossing over, but Kagome didn't have the time to try and dig it out. Making a quick note of his response and adding a question mark to ask about later, she began to pack up her things. Hiding her confusion and putting on a smile, Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and said brightly "Thank you for your help. I hope next time we'll get a little further, but it all depends on you. Oh!" she paused, remembering her earlier irritation. "And next time you'd better be here on time. They won't let me sit here all day, you know."

His response was the same kind of grin he'd walked into the meeting with, and Kagome was lost as to why he wore such a teasing look, until he opened his mouth and told her "That was just payback for throwin' your smelly rag at my face last time. Don't worry – I won't hold ya up. So when's the next grilling?"

Mouth hanging open in indignation at his childish prank, Kagome could only glare at his fanged smirk, all thoughts of her schedule getting swallowed up in anger. 'Why you little….'

Standing abruptly and shoving her papers into her over-sized briefcase, the young attorney set the convict with a scowl and responded tightly "Expect our next meeting in two days, Inuyasha. If you've got so much time to spare that you can just sit back and twiddle your thumbs on my watch, then you can find the time to answer more questions before the week ends."

"I wasn't 'twiddling my thumbs'" he retorted, not bothering to hide his amusement, "I was lifting weights."

"Whatever" was her clipped retort as she lifted her bag and began to walk away. "Goodbye Inuyasha."

She was barely through the door when she heard him call out "Abyssinia, Doll-face!" and she rolled her eyes at his slangy farewell, thinking absently 'I wonder if he'll ever learn to use my name.'

"Well well well, looks like the Mutt's got himself a moll."

Inuyasha didn't bother to look up from the sink full of soapy water, though his grip tightened slightly on the ceramic dish in his hand as he scrubbed off a stubborn bit of meal. Bankotsu loved to rile him up, and with his hair-trigger temper, he'd become all too familiar with the punishment of solitary confinement. The human hitman was apparently eager to get the half-demon carted off to the stir again, but Inuyasha was in no rush to go. Not when he had an important meeting only a couple days away.

"Not that he'd know what to do with her though" the former gangster continued with a smirk as he brought in another pile of plates and set them on the messy steel counter, flipping his long braid over his shoulder, "after ten years in the slammer, I'm surprised you even know what a woman is anymore!"

"And why would he need a woman" came a high tenor voice from across the room, "when he's got me here, ready and willing?"

Inuyasha's dark eyes rose to glare daggers at the black-haired man scraping table scraps into the trash, and he fought the urge to wretch as the other prisoner sent him a kiss and a suggestive wink.

"Now now Jackie" Bankotsu said with a laugh, "remember what happened last time you tried to make a pass at the dog. He nearly ripped your hand off!"

With a pouting frown, Jakotsu lifted the offending hand and rubbed ruefully at it, saying with distress "I was so close, too! It took weeks for the bones to reset. And now they're all twisted!" He glanced piteously at his crooked fingers, before his sad expression morphed into a wicked grin and he said "The pain was pretty wild though. Totally worth the effort!"

The two gangster hitmen laughed raucously, and Inuyasha worked faster, trying to get his quota of dishes out of the way so he could escape the verbal torment. He was usually assigned to work in their timeslot, since he was considered too dangerous to be around most humans, but working amongst demons was too dangerous for him. The two murderous men had only been in for a couple years or so, and were still full of indignant fire at being incarcerated to begin with. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he was the perfect target on which to release their frustrations.

"I wonder how such a pretty young thing can stand to work with you" Bankotsu said mockingly, ignoring Jakotsu's shout of "She's not even pretty!" as he continued "I'm surprised she came back at all. Most people keep their distance with freaks like you."

"Except for freaks like me!" Jakotsu said with a grin, earning a laugh from his friend.

"Maybe that's it" Bankotsu continued, approaching Inuyasha slowly. The half-demon had yet to even look at him, but his scrubbing had stopped and he held the plate in a white-knuckled grip. Easing up alongside the half-demon, Bankotsu daringly propped his elbow on Inuyasha's shoulder, leaning in casually as he said "Maybe she's warped like Jakotsu. She'd have to be, to want to talk to a half-breed."

The plate in Inuyasha's grip shattered, the shards falling into the murky water but failing to pierce the half-demon's tough skin. Bankotsu looked on in amusement, saying "Oh, seems I struck a nerve! Are you actually concerned about that broad? Ha!" He laughed, slapping Inuyasha on the back and earning a glare as the white-haired man looked over at him irately. "I had you doped for having some brains, but looks to me I was wrong! Tossed in the jug for seducing and murdering a woman, and here you're at it again, trying to finagle your way out of prison by preying on a crazy woman. If she falls for it, then she really is a sicko."

Bankotsu short laugh became a gurgle as Inuyasha grabbed him by the throat, bringing him close to his face as he snarled out "Shuddup already."

The busting in of a door distracted the half-demon, and Bankotsu tugged away from his loosened grasp as prison guards swarmed into the room, night-sticks raised and ready to beat down the fight. The two men stepped away from each other, one glowering, the other grinning, and the guards lowered their weapons. Rounding on Inuyasha, one of the guards said forcefully "One more slip-up, Mutt, and you can kiss any chance of acquittal goodbye."

Inuyasha's scowl moved from the guard to a triumphant looking Bankotsu, Jakotsu coming to stand beside him with a pleased expression. 'Damn bastards' he muttered in his mind, realizing he'd let them get to him again, 'If they keep me from meeting with Kagome, I'll kill 'em both.'

The guards filed back into the hall, one remaining behind as incentive for the aggravated prisoners to keep their peace, and the men all returned to their chores. Absently fishing out the broken remains of the plate and throwing them into the can beside him, Inuyasha let the world around him fade away and allowed himself to remember. His conversation with the young attorney had brought up a whole hat full of memories he'd been trying to avoid for years. Kikyo's soft smile appeared to him, her long black hair pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck and her white nurse's hat perched atop her head. He could see her laughing behind her hand at something he'd said as he lay in his hospital bed, and her feet shuffled on the floor as she sat on the edge of the cot beside him. He'd been happy then, hadn't he? It was as happy as he could remember being, but then he didn't have much for comparison. Her smiling face contorted into one of outrage and betrayal, blood splattered across her cheeks and matting the dark hair that fell over her eyes as she said hoarsely, over and over again "How could you? How could you?!"

His anger resurfaced at the memory; he'd been so incensed and so heartbroken over her words against him that he'd fought and injured the police who came to take him away, and when the moment came for him to defend himself in court, he didn't say a word. He couldn't. What reason did he have to fight back? He couldn't even be angry about his sentence to life imprisonment, because really, what would he be missing out on? His only chance at happiness had slipped bloodily through his fingers. He could still hear Kikyo saying regretfully to him one evening, as she sat beside him but not close enough to touch "If only you were human… I'd gladly sell this dumb necklace, and we could start a life together."

He'd been too full of hope at the time to realize what she'd really said, and after thinking on it for years in his cell, the hurt had morphed into an accepting sense of "what other option was there?" The fact that he'd never be 'human' permanently was the nail in the coffin of his dreams. What other fate was there for him than a life in a jail-cell?

But then that snippy little dark-haired lawyer, who smelled so wonderful and had the brightest smile, goes and says "I don't think your demon blood is anything to be ashamed of" as if it's nothing, as if it's a completely normal way to feel, leaving him a tumultuous mess of thoughts and feelings. Did she really mean that? Was it possible for someone to think like that? He knew his mother had – he'd had her long enough to know how much she loved his father – but she had been the only one. He hadn't thought people like her existed.

Apparently they did, and apparently his lawyer was one of them.

The sharp ring of a bell alerted Inuyasha that his shift was up, and he let himself be shackled and led away with only the smallest of growls, too immersed in his thoughts to have an attitude.

*Author's Note:

Some term explanations:

moll: girlfriend

Abyssinia: slang for "I'll be seeing you" (I'll be seein' ya)

lettuce: money

glad rags: fancy clothes

and there are about 10 different terms I used for 'jail' or 'prison' so... hopefully you can figure those out cuz I can't remember them all

Anyhow, thank you everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed! It means the world to me! I'm so excited for this story, and although it's gonna kinda unfold slowly, I think it'll be worth the wait!