Okay people, this one is extra long because I couldn't bear to be mean and leave you with a nasty cliffy that you all would have shot me for! Besides, since someone tells me I am "very suspenseful", and in other words, sure know how to drag out a scene for like, years, I thought you might like a little enlightenment into Kagome's point of view, if you will. And, since there have been a sufficient amount of reviews (I'm gonna piss my pants in giddiness), I have deds to make! Woohoo!
Deds:
anime-lover-forever2007 - Ah, forever faithful you are. I am glad to have such a fan in you. So glad, in fact, that I'm going to overlook your impatience, and hope this chapter tides you over...like, yeah, right! Anyway, can't wait to hear from you about how this one goes!
cookiemonsterks - Hahaha, about that...yeah, you'll find out. I may just disappoint you there...heehee...oops! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheheeheeheeheeheeheehee.
kagome555 - Well, since you are a first-time reviewer (and you have friends who like this too, oh, I die of happiness!) I will try not to suspend you for too long. As I mentioned above, I seem to have a knack for that...are you guys annoyed yet? Hahahaha! Anyway, enjoy, and I hope your friends like this chappie, too!
yoli05 - Yes, I laughed myself silly writing this, and I'm very happy that you like it. Very happy indeed. This has just been a good day for this story! EEEEEEEE!!! Oh great, know I'm acting like too much of a girl! Anybody got any extra braincells I could borrow??
P.S. Jen, you bum, I'm starting to freak out. Where are you? Have you been lost? Gack! Someone, call ISII!!!!(Whatever the hell that is. Personally, just call 911, k?)
Sweet Temptation
Kagome let out the breath she'd been holding, and tried not to smile as she entered the stage to the booming voice of the DJ, "Gentlemen, may I introduce…Miss Conduct!"
Whistles and shouts were heard all around as the smoke cleared and they all saw her outfit. She was wearing a black leather suit, covered with buckles and chains, with boy-cut shorts and a short sleeve, tight shirt. All one piece, if she wished to remove it, nothing would be left to the imagination, or so the men in the audience hoped. She began by taking small bits, one at a time.
The song she'd chosen, The Wretched, but Nine Inch Nails, grew louder as she progressed further out. She chosen it because she was feeling a little vengeful; knowing she was being watched inspired in her that very feeling, and she wanted her dance to reflect that. In the back of her mind, as she unzipped zippers and undid buckles on her clothing, slowly shedding bits of it here and there, she tried to imagine that everyone she could see looked like Sesshoumaru, and to her astonishment, it seemed to be working.
Up in the Security office, Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and the officer in charge stopped to watch her on the little T.V.'s on the large desk, which showed several different views, and they were silent as they watched her perform.
Naraku, in his VIP suite, sipped his champagne and slid down further in his chair, his hand snaking to the zipper on his cheap suit-pants.
Kagome had blocked out all the different faces by now, and all she was seeing were a lot of Sesshoumaru's watching her. She crawled along the stage, down to a bra and panties leather ensemble, having stripped away the rest of her outfit, and she leaned back over the stage, allowing the nearest patron to stuff a few bills into her cleavage as she caressed his jaw, before rolling over and gracefully hopping off-stage, to make her way through the audience to the bar, where she let a young man help her up onto the bar, getting a peck on the nose in return for his kindness.
By now, her bra was overflowing with cash, and she pulled out what she could quickly as her back was turned, and handed it to the bartender, who put it in a jar with her name on it.
Turning back to her audience, she did a slow splits on the bar, wetting her finger and dragging it over the lips of an older man, who smiled and stuffed a hundred under her bra strap. Smiling, she winked at him and made her way back to the stage, stopping at every steel pole along the way to give it all her attention, before finally disappearing behind a curtain in a cloud of smoke.
Her dance lasted fifteen minutes; the DJ had put her song on loop and now he crooned, "Let's hear it for Miss Conduct!" and a loud applause could be heard out on the floor.
Sesshoumaru blinked. Her dance had been the most sensuous thing he had ever witnessed, and looking around at the other two men in the room with him; it was easy to see her affect on them. He, too, was having a little difficulty hiding his lust.
"Wow," Jaken finally breathed, smiling at Sesshoumaru. "She really knows how to work an audience. No wonder Ken don't give her time off! She makes more money for him than any girl before her."
Sesshoumaru turned away, his brow furrowed. There had still been no sign of Onigumo, and he was starting to get desperate. His lust fell by the wayside as anxiety for her safety took over.
The Security officer held his walkie to his ear and listened to the order issuing from it.
"Yeah, I'll check him," he replied, and turned to Sesshoumaru. "I'm sorry, but I gotta frisk you."
Sesshoumaru outright frowned now. "Why?"
"'Cuz our head guy downstairs got a report of a stolen watch, and you fit the description. It's just procedure, won't take long."
Sighing angrily, Sesshoumaru allowed the guard to frisk him, and Jaken winced sympathetically, but his jaw dropped open in shock when the officer pulled a solid gold Rolex from Sesshoumaru's left jacket pocket.
"That's not mine! I didn't take that!" Sesshoumaru protested, but the guard was already trying to cuff him.
"Jak, help me," he grunted, and Sesshoumaru looked to Jaken, who, despite his feelings, helped his superior cuff Sesshoumaru.
I can't believe it, her man's a thief, he thought, shaking his head in dismay. He would have never taken such a concerned boyfriend for a klepto…
S.T.
"Hurry up! Someone could show up any minute!" Inuyasha hissed.
"Will you shut up and let me do this?" Miroku bit back.
When Miroku had gotten the jumper cables out, they all assumed he would ask the nearest person for a jump, but, since they had been the only car in the lot, Miroku had put the car in neutral and he, Inuyasha, and Kouga had rolled it across the street to another parking lot, where several cars were parked in a row, and they had stopped at the first one with its front end facing out. Kikyou had operated the brake while they pushed, and she kept asking Ayame for the time until Ayame exploded, and Sango laughed out of extreme anxiety for their sister's safety.
Miroku had broken into the other car, popped the hood, and attached the cables, and now they stood around waiting for the battery to charge, but it was taking a really long time.
Kikyou leaned out the window and yelled, "What's the hold up? I thought this only took a few minutes, not until next Wednesday!"
"Shut up, we're working on it!" Kouga snarled, and Inuyasha smacked him.
"Don't talk to my woman that way, slimeball," he threatened, and Kouga glared at him, but held his tongue.
Sango climbed out of the backseat, and, observing the two cars, smiled, and began to giggle.
"What's so damn funny?" Miroku growled, pissed off that she could be laughing at a dire time like this.
"God, you guys are sooo dumb! You've never jumped a battery, have you?"
Walking around Miroku, she leaned on the driver's seat and pulled out the plastic cover under the steering wheel, and, sorting out the mass of wires, began to strike two together, until the engine started.
Getting out, she closed the door and smirked, "The engine has to be running if you're going to get a charge, dumbass."
Miroku blinked, and reaching around behind her, squeezed her ass. She glared, and smacked him hard enough to leave a red hand-shaped welt on his cheek, stretching over his nose and fringing on his right eyelid.
"What the hell was that for?" she demanded, her hands on her hips, and he rubbed his face, replying, "Took that smirk off your face, didn't it?"
Laughing, he backed up as she tried to slap him again, but was held back by his brothers, one holding each of her arms as she fumed, ready to claw his eyes out should he get within her range.
A few minutes later, their battery was good to go and Miroku was disconnecting the cables and shutting the other car's hood when he heard a shout.
Inuyasha looked up from where he leaned against their car chewing his thumbnail and said, "Did you guys hear something?"
Miroku turned around, and remarked, "Yeah, I see something, too. Get in the fuckin' car!"
Spinning, Inuyasha saw a very angry housewife storming toward them from across the street, her husband wielding a baseball bat behind her and heading in their direction.
"Shit!" He jumped behind the wheel, roughly shoving Kikyou aside as Miroku jumped into the passenger seat and Kouga clawed his way into the back, his legs still hanging out the open window as Inuyasha sped away, creating a black cloud of smoke as his tires burned rubber on the hot pavement.
Looking out the back window, Kikyou huffed, "God, I hope they didn't get your plate number."
Inuyasha blew her off. "No way, not with all that smoke."
"You hope," Miroku muttered, holding onto the dash for dear life as Inuyasha took the corner at eighty, literally tipping onto just two wheels as they turned.
Looking at the dash clock, Kikyou shuddered. Almost six-thirty. God, she thought, I hope we're not too late.
S.T.
Kagome smiled at Kaiko as she passed her; she was next on stage. Dressed in a white feathered leather get-up, she looked like a big swan, but Kagome would never tell her. She had many patrons who favoured her show, and Kagome would never begrudge her her talent, for she had been a ballet expert before she'd gotten pregnant by a boyfriend who left her and her life had gone to shit. Kagome pitied her, and was always sure to give her a kind word whenever they saw each other.
As Kagome reached her private dressing room, she closed the door behind her and flicked on the light. To her surprise, and her chagrin, another large vase of roses sat on her vanity, their pungently sweet smell overpowering the entire space.
Persistent, aren't you, she thought, once again opening the card from in between the blood-red blooms.
Fine, you want me… I'm coming, she thought, plucking a single rose from the bunch and shredding it with her fingernails.
There was a loud knock on her door, and she jumped, and she hoped it would be Sesshoumaru, but was disappointed when Ken shoved his head into the room.
"Great show tonight, kid. You keep attracting this many men, and I'll promote you to Leila's room. She's getting old, anyway." He said more to himself than to her. She turned away and began to re-touch the make-up she'd sweated off and said, "That's great, Ken. I'd love a bigger room. Will the pay get better, too?"
He raised a brow at her, and she laughed. "That's what I thought," she said, shaking her head.
"I'm not going to work here forever, Ken. When I get married, I'm gone."
"Then you better not get married soon, kid, 'cuz you're my best girl. This club has never seen so many patrons until after you started. I don't want it to end, so dump yer boyfriend if ya got one and stay with me."
She guffawed. "As if, Ken! Gimme a break! No way I'm turning down marriage to a great guy to work at this dump!"
"Hey! Don't bad-mouth my dump," he smiled, closing her door behind him and sitting on a chair covered with discarded clothing. She smiled at him in the mirror, and he watched her touch up her face until he suddenly burst out, "Oh yeah, I forgot. We had a theft tonight."
She frowned at him in the mirror, and stopped what she was doing. "Oh yeah? What was taken?"
"A gold Rolex. Big shot up in VIP had it on when he got here, but when he went to check the time, it was missing. Apparently some white-haired guy took it. I personally don't know why, by the look of his leather jacket he certainly didn't need the money pawning it would bring him."
Kagome dropped her lipstick, and it clattered to the floor as she spun in her seat.
"Did he have long hair?"
Ken scratched his head in thought. "Yeah, he did, now that you mention it. Why?"
Kagome was about to tell him everything, but decided against it. No, she thought, I have to keep going as if nothing's wrong, or I'll blow my cover.
"No reason, just thought I saw him in the audience tonight. Good-looking guy, too. Why are all the good ones fuck-ups?"
She cringed inwardly as she said that. I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, she thought, her heart lurching even as she pasted a disgusted look on her face, and flossed her white teeth.
"I dunno, but I better not catch you with one of them, I'll tan yer hide."
She grinned at him in the mirror. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about my well-being, Ken."
He coughed, and cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I am not," he retorted gruffly, "I just don't want to lose a popular girl, is all."
She shook her head. "Sure Ken, that's what they all say," she drawled sarcastically, and got a small smile from him.
"Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but a VIP has requested my company. I probably shouldn't be late."
"I won't keep you, then. The VIP send these?" he gestured to the roses, and she crinkled her nose at them.
"Yeah. They stink."
"Don't you like roses?"
She glowered at her reflection, more Gothic than she ever wanted to be again, and murmured, "Not anymore."
Ken shifted his weight, and asked, "Can I take them, then? My wife loves roses."
"Be my guest, the smell of them makes me wanna mack."
Grabbing up the vase, he turned to her. "Make me look good up there, Kags. It's the executive VIP's that pay the big bucks, and I know how bad you wanna keep your house and sisters together. Don't disappoint me!"
She smiled a little and replied, "I won't. I don't know the meaning of the word. You'll get your money, don't worry. I got it covered."
He opened her door and jostled the horrendous mass of roses from one hand to the other, and remarked, "In your case, kid, it may get to uncovered." And with that said, he was gone.
Turning back to her vanity, she clenched her fists and teeth at the mirror. Goddamn you, Sesshoumaru! she thought, tears springing to her eyes, but she wiped them away before they could ruin her make-up. You were supposed to watch my back!
Sighing, she kicked off her high-heels and slipped her feet into knee-high heeled boots, and did up the zippers.
I guess I'm on my own, she thought, the air around her becoming heavy with her tension, and her gut clenched so bad that when she stood up, she felt like macking all over, but knew she wouldn't.
Alright you bastard, here I come. I promise you a night you'll never forget.
S.T.
Sesshoumaru bitched all the way to the police station over his innocence, and when they shoved him into his cell, he ran back to the bars and shouted, "This is ludicrous! I didn't take it! Dust it for prints, you'll see!" but no one paid him any mind.
Fuck! I let her down, he thought, sitting on the edge of the cot and staring onto the steel toilet bowl, clutching his forehead in his hands.
I'm so sorry, Kagome…
Fifteen minutes later, a familiar voice drifted to him from out in the precinct, and after a moment, an officer showed Kagura in to see him.
Opening the cell, he locked it behind her as she stood looking at him, her purse in her hand and a wad of cherry gum in her mouth, a devilish smile on her face.
What the hell? He thought, and his gut flipped over as she made herself comfortable against the bars, not speaking.
Finally, she asked, "Have they given you your phone call?"
Glowering he replied. "No. Why do you care?"
She made a face at him, and said, "My, my, we're surly tonight. I'd think twice about how you speak to me, Sesshoumaru, I may just be your ticket out of here."
He didn't deign to look up at her again and asked from under all his hair, "What's that supposed to mean? Have you come to bail me out?"
She pushed herself off the bars and began to slowly make a circuit of the tiny cell.
"Maybe I have. How badly do you want to get out of here?"
He smirked at the floor, and smiled as he glanced up at her dramatically made-up eyes, responding, "That depends on the price if your generosity, now, doesn't it."
She grinned. "You never were a slouch in the intellectual department, were you, Sesshoumaru?"
"I try not to be. Spill it."
She turned her back to him, and pretended to check her appearance in her compact.
"Well, for starters, I want you. Your loyalty to me, and everything that entails, and I want Kagome gone. Do that for me, and we have a deal. You never know, Sesshoumaru; I may seem cruel and cold-hearted now, but you might just grow to love me as I love you, given half a chance"
Sesshoumaru ground his teeth together. The cops had taken his jacket away, which had had the phone in the breast pocket, so he couldn't call his parents. He needed to get back to Kagome, but the cops wouldn't release him until his innocence was proven or he paid his bail, and he had no way to do either of those, not anytime soon. He sighed, and squeezed his eyes shut. It seems that once again Kagura has my balls in a vice, he thought, mad at her, mad at her Father, but most of all, mad at himself, for failing the only woman he loved as deeply as if she were his own flesh and blood, even deeper than he loved his estranged mother.
Fine, Kagura, he thought, grinning, have it your way. As soon as you get me out of here, you're going to have a hell of a time holding onto me.
"Fine."
She blinked, stunned. "What?"
"Fine, you win; I am at your mercy, Kagura. Do with me as you will, just don't hurt Kagome. You got what you wanted, leave her out of this."
Kagura grinned so widely that her eyes disappeared for a moment, before she pulled him close and gazed happily into his lacklustre eyes, their golden facets enchanting her.
"You've made the right decision, Sesshoumaru, I promise you won't regret it!"
Flagging down a guard, Kagura got out, paid Sesshoumaru's bail, and, her arm linked with his and her Father's watch safely ensconced in her purse, they walked out of the precinct, toward a black limousine.
S.T.
Inuyasha drove past the police station on his way downtown, and as he did, he thought he saw someone who looked an awful lot like Sesshoumaru get into a black limo with…Kagura? What the hell?
"Either I'm blind, or that's Sesshoumaru, and he's getting into that limo with Kagura. Can someone please confirm what I'm seeing? I don't want to be blind, I'm too young."
Miroku looked, and replied, "You're not blind, unfortunately your vision is perfect. Keep going."
Everyone in the car sat forward. "What?!"
Miroku said, "If he's getting in that car, he must've gotten caught, you guys. That is the only reason he'd be at the cop shop. Kagura must have bailed him out…but for what price? And how did he get in there in the first place?"
"Maybe someone planted something on him, or framed him," Kikyou said, voicing the first thing that popped into her mind, and Miroku turned to her, a giant grin on his face.
"You might just have something there, Kikyou! Those are two very valid reasons… and if Onigumo came up with them, he's effectively gotten rid of Sesshoumaru. You didn't see Kagome back there, did you?"
Everyone replied, "No..."
"Exactly. She must still be at work, and from what I gather…she's all alone."
A solemn silence fell over the group, and only the sound of the wind could be heard passing over the car outside.
Not one person in that car didn't feel real fear for Kagome in that moment.
S.T.
Kagome slowly climbed the stairs to the VIP suites, her booted feet clicking on the marble floor as she made her way down the hall. Slipping the card from under her bra strap, she flipped it over.
Room Ten.
She was outside Room Three now, and she paused. Her gut felt as if it was going to drop out her rear, she was so nervous. Turning to the nearest mirror, she noticed tiny sweat droplets clinging to her skin again. Furrowing her brow, she tipped the nearest vase, got a fist-full of water, and flicked it at her face, neck and chest, the cool drops making her feel a little bit better. Checking her reflection one last time, she took a deep breath and said, "This is it, girl. Don't fuck it up."
Continuing briskly down the hall, she came to Room Ten, and right when she was about to turn the door knob, something happened.
oOo
She looked around. Where the hell am I? she thought frantically, her hand still on the knob, but it wasn't the stainless steel knob of the VIP suite at High Thighs; this knob was old, really old, and made of…bronze?
Okay, I think I'm freaking out.
Looking up, there was a high ceiling above her, and ornate tapestries covered the walls between windows paned with several different colours of glass. She frowned, a comical sight to anyone, had they been watching.
"Hello?" she called, wandering slowly away from the door. She passed a mirror, stained around its bevelled edges from age, and she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her reflection.
I
nstead of the black leather Goth ensemble she'd chosen that night, her legs were covered by a long red skirt, and her chest hidden under a dull silver breastplate, with intricate designs in relief worked into the metal. On her shoulders were several plates, in layers, and at her waist a long, broad sword was strapped. Her shirt was white, and a red and white sash held everything together at her waist. On her feet were boots, but not her knee-high's - these were only ankle-high and fitted; she could feel the seams in the wood beneath her feet through them, they were so thin.
Lastly, on her head, she wore something akin to a crown, only it wasn't made of precious metal, it looked like steel, with its only adornment a red ruby just above her forehead. And her hair was about ten inches longer.
Holy shit. Have I entered another dimension, or am I losing my mind?
A loud bang was heard from somewhere ahead, in what she assumed was a castle she was standing in. What year am I in? she wondered as she passed the tapestries. The noise was heard again, and as she rounded the corner, the hallway spread out into a second-floor balcony, giving her a view of the large foyer below, where two large oak doors with enormous iron hinges stretched from the floor to the vaulted ceiling. It was from here the noises were issuing.
Leaning over the edge, she saw herself - or someone who was dressed exactly as she was, and the woman was slashing the large sword at a giant spider, but instead of a traditional spider's head, it had a man's torso where its head should have been, and amongst all the spider legs, green vines curled about, choking anything and everything within their reach as the demon battled the woman.
Kagome blinked as the woman sliced off a large leg, and two vines that came shooting toward her, shouting, "Nice try, Naraku, but you're going to have to do better than that if you want to get the Jewel, and even if you do manage to get it away from me, you'll never be able to awaken it's power, for I have bound it with a spiritual spell so powerful even you will never be able to break it!"
Naraku? Where had she…that was Kagura's father's name, and Sesshoumaru's boss! Suddenly what she was seeing made sense. She waved her arms in the air when the woman looked up at her, but got no response.
They can't see me; this is a vision…
Suddenly a white-haired man with a large fur ruff flung over his shoulder blew open the doors, blue light crackling up his long broadsword as he cut his way in, the demonic power making Kagome's hair stand on end with its electricity.
When the debris ceased to fall, and the dust from the fallen ceiling cleared, she got a good look at the newcomer. His long, silky white hair, his golden eyes, and his tall, muscular frame…
Sesshoumaru? she thought, her eyes widening. But this couldn't be him, his face was marred by two magenta stripes across both cheeks, and she could see that they slashed around his wrists, too. And his clothing was just as old fashioned as hers and the woman's below, whom he held tightly to him, his hand gripping her shoulder, the other pointing the large sword at Naraku.
When he spoke, his voice was deeper, like Daichi's, but essentially the same as Sesshoumaru's, too.
"This is the end, Naraku. Your descendents will never hold the power of the Shikon no Tama!"
Naraku laughed, a slow, sinister chuckle that grew into loud, raucous cackling.
"You two haven't beaten me yet. You may have managed to seal off the Jewel from me in this generation, but my sons will never stop searching for a way to break your spell, Midoriko! You got lucky this time, because your dog has come to save you, but one day, the Jewel will be mine once again!"
Midoriko smirked, and moved away from the white-haired man, who let her leave his protective embrace. Holding up the Jewel in her hand, Midoriko closed her eyes, and began to chant. As both men and Kagome watched, fascinated, the Jewel slowly dimmed from a shimmery, bright pink to a dull, solid metallic sheen, and no longer glowed with power.
"My daughters will never let your sons awaken the power, Naraku - only we can remove the spell. You will remain powerless, and when your sons die, your blood dies with them. Perish, Naraku!"
And, grasping the Jewel in her hand, she ducked, and the white-haired demon let loose an awful explosion of power from his sword, incinerating the demon Naraku and turning him to ash on the stone floor of the castle.
Midoriko stood, and, shaky, made her way to the demon, who caught her as she fell before him, holding her tightly in his lap, his steaming sword embedded point-first in the stone floor, forgotten by his side.
"Shirae, my darling," Midoriko breathed, and Kagome gasped. Were they all reincarnations of their ancestors?
"Midoriko, hold on, I've got you now, nothing will happen to you." Kagome could see the tears in his eyes, and her heart went out to the couple who were so much in love.
"The sealing spell has drained me of my spiritual power. I'm not long for this world..."
"I will not leave you, my love," he gritted, holding her to his chest. She smiled, and removed his hand from his sword, a second one in his waist sash that Kagome had not noticed until now.
"It won't work, Shirae, you've already used Tensaiga on me once, it will not revive me a second time, you know that."
"
I don't care, I will try it anyway," he sniffed, though he removed his hand from the hilt.
She smiled at him, and coughed, a tiny trickle of blood seeping from her lips. "Take care of my girls, Shirae. They need you now more than ever. You are the Guardian - remarry, and have many sons, so that my daughters may never have to fight evil alone. We are destined to replay this role over and over again, my love. I look forward to meeting you in my next life."
"I will search for you everyday, darling. I love you."
"And I, you."
Kagome felt her tears spill over and slide down her cheeks, soaking her white kimono under her armour where they landed.
The demon held the priestess to him as she died, and picking her up, carried her body out of the castle, and over the hill, out of Kagome's view.
Suddenly, her world became black, and she felt weightless, as if she were floating in space.
"What? What happened?" she said out loud, and a voice, gentle and feminine, answered her.
"Nothing has happened to you, Kagome, my great-great granddaughter, my blood…my reincarnation. You are about to embark on the battle of your life, and I made you have this vision to prepare you for what lies ahead."
Kagome felt fear wrap its icy cold hand around her heart and squeeze at the reminder of her future.
"What should I do? I'm so afraid, grandmother..."
"Do not be afraid, child. You have the power, you control the Jewel. At your touch, it will become pure once again, and all the years Naraku's family has held it will not matter, for all the accumulated evil will be washed away. You are its Master, Kagome; you cannot be controlled by it. He will try to get it back from you, and he will try to get you to call out its name. Do not call it out, for if he can get it away from you after that, all my work and those of your ancestors after me will be for naught, child. Do you understand?"
"Yes, grandmother, I understand. I'm just so afraid."
"You will do fine, Kagome. I have faith in you, as does Sesshoumaru; he is counting on you. He is Guardian to your Priestess; do not let him down, child."
"I won't, grandmother, I promise!"
"Then go forth and retrieve the Shikon no Tama, it is your destiny to protect it, and his destiny to protect you. Work together, and there will be no foe you cannot defeat!"
oOo
Kagome blinked. Looking around, she saw her hand gripping the knob of Room Ten so tightly that it had turned white, and her chest heaved from the fast pace of her racing heart. She looked down, and was almost disappointed to see black leather instead of a red skirt and beautifully-tooled armour, made to fit her and her alone. She experienced one last flash of a demon Shirae, before her Sesshoumaru flashed before her eyes, and hardened her resolve to do this thing right.
Preparing herself with a deep breath, she arranged her features in her most attractive pose and turned the cold knob, stepping into the darkness and closing the door quietly behind her.
S.T.
Intense, huh? I know, so was writing it! A few quick notes: Forgive my assumptions about the cars and jumping batteries. I've never had to do that before, and it has been so long since I've seen it done, I have no idea what I'm talking about, I was just making it up. Second, I know Miss Conduct is not an original name, but hey, gimme a break, it's all I could come up with, a new name means thinking, and I have to think about this story, not a freakin' stage name. Lastly, I would like to clarify Midoriko and Shirae's relationship: they were not married, and Midoriko's daughters are from a previous marriage. He was not their Step-Father or Father, cuz that would screw up their ties, cuz they'd be related...I think. Ewww. Okay, that just about covers it. You know what to do...