4/15/13
I'm slowly making a comeback, and as you can see, I'm revising all my chapters to 1) Make the chapters/story a little longer and 2) To fill in some major plot holes I found in my original story (and to make it more interesting or entertaining). So for those of you who are familiar with this story it may help to read from about chapter 3 or 4 since that's when I started making the changes.
Next Door
Chapter 7: Deceit Among Us aka: A Deal with Rin
For the past week, Risa had not seen any sign of her neighbor Sesshoumaru Hiro. But even with the man's absence, the brunette still felt uneasy. When asked about the relationship by her parents, Risa would just reply with a shrug or a "Maybe he's busy."
Another noticeable change in Risa's behavior was the increasing amount of time she had been spending with Koga. Risa had told her family, specifically Miki that it was perfectly normal for two friends to hang out with each other. But it was understandable that Mr. and Mrs. Kuro would think there was something a little bit more going on between the two. Twice this week, Koga had been over for dinner. He also helped Risa with unpacking, studying, and had kept by her side while escorting her in-between classes and when they left the Hartman campus.
It was small tasks such as these that eased Risa, and at one point, the brunette thought that she would never have to deal with Sesshoumaru again.
That is until he called her one fateful Saturday night.
...Saturday a few hours before the call…
Sesshoumaru and Kagura had finally reached their destination; the main auction room. It was rather dimly lit; which, in Sesshoumaru's opinion, suited the shady occasion well. Bidders, mostly male accompanied by female 'plus-ones', were all making their way to the seats next to the wooden stage that was a few heads taller than the main host himself. Sesshoumaru's golden orbs scanned the room carefully as he was looking for a particular patron of interest.
Finally…
If a man such as Sesshoumaru could feel any type of emotion, he would say that the sight of the spider demon Naraku actually relieved him. Ever since the drug lord began his little 'business', Naraku was always his top bidder, leaving Sesshoumaru to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars. If he didn't know any better, the dog demon would say he almost had a partner on his hands.
But of course he did know better.
In this underground world, never trust a single soul; only pretend to have faith in one another.
Without a look to his right-hand woman, Kagura, Sesshoumaru waved for her to start the auction, and he handed the vial filled with Risa's blood to her; but not before keeping a small amount to himself, he still had some business to take care of.
With her entourage in tow, the demoness slinked her way through the crowd of whistling men toward the stage. Each time her heels would clack on the stairs, a booming echo was heard throughout the room, catching the attention of the bidders. Men who were more risk-takers sat close to the stage while the rest stayed a good distance away from it. Kagura then tapped on the microphone head a few times with her fan and cleared her throat before leaning in to speak.
"Gentlemen," She said before sneering at the women who were all sending her glares from their seats. "And ladies – I use that term lightly, welcome to our tenth annual drug bid. It's hosted by none other than Sesshoumaru Hiro and – heh – yours truly. Our first product up for auction is among our very finest. Some of you may already know what this is…" Kagura then held up the slender tube filled with Risa's blood, "Said to be a demon's equivalent to what humans call, steroids, Angel's Blood strengthens a demon's abilities ten, no… one hundred–fold! Contrary to the name given."
As the room began to rumble lightly with quiet laughter at Kagura's pun, Sesshoumaru stayed within the shadows of his bidding room; next to him, Naraku. With a head full of long, black, slightly violet-tinted locks, the spider's cold, dark eyes watched the demoness as she spoke highly of the newest narcotic that he, himself, had come to grow fond of. Taking a sip from his red wine that was the same color of his eyes, he slightly turned to look at the ever-stoic Sesshoumaru, though it looked like the dog had something on his mind.
"Wonderful show, as always." Naraku began. His voice was deep but a slight octave higher than Sesshoumaru's. "And yet, something that is troubling your thoughts is preventing you from enjoying it, no?"
Gold orbs shifted briefly to the spider before Sesshoumaru acknowledged his question. He lifted his hand to point in the direction of a man who sat a sizeable distance from the rest of his guests; a first at his auctions.
"It's just that, I've never seen him here before." Sesshoumaru replied.
"You believe he is of law enforcement?"
"No. No human cop would be dumb enough to go undercover alone, especially when surrounded by demons."
Naraku chuckled, "Hm… then I firmly believe he should be of no concern to you, hm? Now, if you will excuse me, I have a drug to bid for…"
As Sesshoumaru watched his guest leave his side, the dog returned his mind to what was really the subject of his deep thinking. He didn't want to confess that he had developed an idea to alter the genetic make-up of humans so they too, would become demons. If Angel's Blood did wonders for a youkai's body, what could it do to a mortal's? There was only one way to find out; live test subjects.
Good thing he already had one in stock…
Sneaking back through a secret door leading to the underground cells, Sesshoumaru couldn't contain his sadistic excitement as he made a beeline back to his hanging prisoner.
…
Rin Kyosuke dangled in the air for what seemed like days, though she was convinced that it was really mere hours. Her arms were becoming numb and she ceased crying out for help after realizing that her location was out of earshot to anyone who could help passing by. With her throat sore from futilely screaming, Rin sighed solemnly and took the time to think about how she ended up in this situation. She only left the house for a few hours so she could donate her blood. But then again, this world was full of dangers; day and night, it didn't matter. You could be picked up off the streets anytime, anywhere.
Suddenly, the sound of lone footsteps caught her attention, and she tensed. Through process of elimination, Risa figured that they weren't coming from Kagura since the steps didn't click as hard against the cobblestone ground, though at this point she had hoped and prayed for the demoness Kagura to turn the corner rather than the demon that actually did. The brown-eyed girl gasped as Sesshoumaru had made himself known; an ironically terrifying Cheshire Cat smile appeared on the dog's features. Every white, sharp fang could be seen and a gleam in his piercing amber eyes sent cold chills down Rin's spine. She noticed him flex his claws slowly before opening the bars to her cell, that terrible smile still planted on his face.
Before she had time to adjust to his new demeanor, Sesshoumaru already had his sinister claws wrapped around her small face. He freed her mouth from the cloth and she felt him tighten his grip on her cheeks as he forcibly poked out her lips. He leaned in closer; his hot breath slapped against her facial features and she whimpered upon hearing him growl before releasing her face. With his twisted smile now gone the demon pulled out his vial of Risa's spare blood and swirled it around, watching the liquid as if he was in a deep trance.
"Rin…" He whispered, "I have a favor to ask of you."
Rin remained silent, but she had to wonder what it was he wanted from her.
"I am in urgent need of a volunteer for a little project I am working on, and I am hoping you will comply?"
Rin still kept quiet, the eerie silence that formed in the air as Sesshoumaru looked her dead in the eyes was becoming too much to handle.
"Hn. I'll take the silence as a 'yes' then? I'm glad you understand dear Rin." He said.
… Two Hours Later …
With arms crossed and huffing angrily every few seconds, Kagura watched with a bored expression as the bouncers came in to deconstruct the seating area of the bidding room. She could not believe that Sesshoumaru had just disappeared on her like that! What was she to do if the bidders became too rowdy? What would have happened if one bold and brave soul decided to make off with his precious product?
"Kill them where they stand." Kagura muttered lightly, mocking Sesshoumaru's possible response to her mental questions.
Recalling the events of tonight's auction, the demoness unfolded her fan and waved it to and fro at a comfortable pace, the gentle breeze she created was easing her mind. To no one's surprise, Naraku had placed the highest bid on the Angel's Blood and she had watched with amusement as potential buyers left the club disgruntled and completely pissed off.
Suddenly a bodyguard from Naraku's entourage, donning a spider tattoo under his jaw, trudged up to her carrying a note.
"This note is from Naraku. He requested that I give it to you." He said passing the paper to the demoness.
Kagura raised a thin brow, waved off the man with a flick of her wrist, and proceeded to read her message.
Woman, keep up the excellent work by serving as my spy. Who knows, once that damned dog is out of the picture, you may have a place by my side as I take over this city; starting with the very product of his creation. Train those beautiful eyes on him and have an update for me by the end of the month. Let nothing slip past you.
-Naraku
Kagura smirked slyly before slipping the note into her dress. She needed to discard it in secrecy like the others lest dying by the hand of her 'boss' Sesshoumaru. Turning swiftly to walk through the tunnels, her footsteps stopped to look at the cell that held the woman named Rin. Noticing the cloth gone from her mouth, Kagura surmised that Sesshoumaru had paid the prisoner a visit before slinking off to take care of other business.
'Curses!' Kagura thought, 'He could have been working on something big and I missed it! He must have left me there to tend to the auction by myself on purpose!'
Kagura grit her teeth. She just knew that Sesshoumaru had given her his full trust, but obviously that was not so. She needed a plan. Kagura could not let another opportunity to witness something important slide again. Time was working against her; she could be killed and Naraku would send someone in her place, or Sesshoumaru would expose her as a spy and slay her on spot. Growling in anger, she opened her fan and sent blades of wind hurtling towards the stone wall to her left. Her attack left a myriad of clean cuts on the rocky surface but the sturdy wall had not come down.
As she composed herself, her beady, red eyes caught sight of a note, this time a Post-it, which hung delicately on one of the bars of the cell door.
'Kagura,
Feed the prisoner ample amounts of food. I will be starting my work in the morning. You, on the other hand, will continue to work my club upstairs as a waitress until your assistance in prepping for the auction next month is needed. Start tomorrow at 5:30 in the evening because you will be helping the other employees open the club. That is all.
Hiro'
As Kagura read on, she groaned as she found that she was to start work earlier than normal. Looking in the cell room, a smirk lied heavy on the demoness's face. Apparently the girl inside was awake and glaring daggers at the wind demon, but a simple hard look wouldn't faze this demoness. She instead opened the cell door, picked up a chair, and walked up to Rin before sitting down and crossing her legs.
"What the hell do you want Bitch?" Rin hissed.
Kagura cocked a brow. She was amused by the bit of fire this girl had in her spirit.
"Oh… nothing much. I just want to ask you a few questions is all…" Kagura replied coyly.
"What the hell do you want to know?"
"As you know, the man with the silver hair Sesshoumaru has been hard at work down here. Has he told you what his latest project is yet?"
Rin scoffed before turning her head away from Kagura, "That Angel's Blood nonsense right? You already know that right or are you just too stupid to understand anything that goes on around here? My guess is the second part."
"Now you just listen to me you little bitch!" Kagura snapped as she hopped up from her seat and opened her fan in the blink of an eye. "I'm actually trying to cut a deal with you, but if you cross me, so help me, I'll have your head cut off in an instant!"
"Tch, you don't scare me."
"Oh really? You think you're untouchable because Sesshoumaru needs a live prisoner here to work his little experiments on? Well, you're wrong. I can easily replace you with a subject that holds all your same qualities and more. Young and healthy is the criteria here, Little Rinny, and you're in no position to feign bravery. Especially while I'm around." Kagura then reached up to snag Rin's face and turn it to face hers. "So I'll ask again. What. Is. Sesshoumaru. Working. On. Now?"
Rin's eyes slightly widened as Kagura made her threat, and from the look in her eyes, the wind demoness didn't seem like the type who would hesitate on fulfilling death threat. With a sigh, Rin looked to Kagura and began to tell the demoness everything she knew – which was actually nothing.
"He didn't exactly say what he planned on doing to me, or with the substance he created. All he did was 'ask' me to 'volunteer' to be his guinea pig for his next experiment. Needless to say, I'm not too excited about it."
Kagura nodded her head before patting Rin on the cheek. "Good girl. Now, we can start the real negotiating." Kagura said.
Sitting down, the spunky demoness began fanning herself once more as she gathered her thoughts. "We have something in common with each other, you and me. It's our hatred for that bastard Sesshoumaru. You may never understand why I hate him, but I think I have a pretty good understanding why you do. So let's make a deal shall we?"
Rin narrowed her eyes and gave Kagura a sideways glance, but didn't question the woman before her. "I'm listening…" She responded.
With a smirk, Kagura began her deal, "Why don't you help me, help you? See, for reasons I will not divulge, I need to spy on Sesshoumaru. But the problem is, is he doesn't trust me. I need a spy of my own, which is you."
"What the hell do you expect me to do in these chains?"
"Nothing really, just keep quiet, act like you normally would when interacting in a hostage situation," Kagura giggled for a moment after realizing her first statement. "And report your findings when I come back to check on you."
Rin nodded but was still confused, "How will this help me?"
"Oh bunches, trust me. Or…" Kagura let Rin have a sideways glance of her own as half her face hid behind her fan. "Or do you want to stay here wondering when help will arrive, even though it never will?"
"Why not just call the police?"
"Oh no Little Rinny! A job like this is much too delicate for police to be involved. Besides you wouldn't want your hero behind bars would you?"
"But you were the one who kidnapped me!"
"All for the sake of acting my part, Deary! I needed to be in Sesshoumaru's loop somehow! Goodness, you have much to learn about the world. Specifically, the Underground."
Rin rolled her eyes before sighing and reluctantly accepting the demoness' terms. But what choice did she have? At the moment, it looked like Kagura her only means of escaping out of this hell hole.
'What can I say? The enemy of my enemy is my friend…' Rin thought. "Alright Lady, you got a deal."
…Meanwhile, A Few Hours Later…
Riiing Riiing…
Riiing Riiing…
Riiing Ri-
Inadvertently forgetting to check the caller ID, Risa picked up her phone. "Hello?" She answered.
"Hello Risa…"
Risa gasped as she heard the chillingly familiar sound of Sesshoumaru's voice echo through her ears. Why was he calling all of a sudden, and so late in the evening? At the moment Sesshoumaru called, Risa had just come in from hanging out with Koga at the movies.
"W-What do you want?" She asked him timidly.
"I'm calling for another date…"
Thank you for making it through to the end of the chapter! I hoped you guys liked it even though it was a bit slow. Thanks for the reviews and support from you all, I really appreciate it, and keep on the lookout for my next chapter!
Reese's 'Peaces'