Wow, everyone had the same reaction to the last chapter. You guys are awesome, thanks so much for your reviews!

PS. Some people wanted to know about my late update. Reason: cottage plus camp equals: no internet for two weeks. Sucks doesn't it?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Chapter Eleven: Chance

Nothing was going the way it should be.

"Dammit chief," Sango muttered as stormed to the front double doors of a large house made of beige brick. A beautiful stone porch and walkway led Sango towards her destination and fully bloomed flowers of all sorts surrounded the narrow walk.

Sango ignored all of this.

Finally at the door, Sango stopped herself and took a deep breath, her fists clenching and unclenching as she tried to calm both her body and mind down. She needed to stop this and stop it all right now.

"It's not his fault," Sango whispered to herself. "It's not my fault. It's not anyone's fault but the one that killed her. I'm sorry Kirara…I'm so, so sorry."

Tears threatened to spill but Sango forced herself to regain her composure. Speaking to Naomi Nekomata, Kirara's mother was one of the most difficult things Sango had ever done in her life. Sango had known Kirara since birth practically and though their jobs and lives kept them at a distance some days, they never changed. They were best friends forever.

Even after death.

Since Sango's own mother died shortly after her birth, the closest thing Sango ever had to a mother was Naomi… And now that Kirara was gone, how would things be? Sango had a difficult time choosing whether to be professional when asking Naomi questions or casual.

At least, as casual as you can get when you're talking about your best friend's death to her mother.

Getting through that hour seemed more like an eternity and Sango wasn't sure of whether she was relieved or distraught when she walked out the door back into her truck to visit Shippo Watanabe, Kirara's…friend.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the worst, Sango knocked on the large wooden door and waited impatiently as the sound of footsteps on the other side grew louder. The door opened a crack and orange hair spilled out, along with the appearance of one emerald green eye.

"What do you want?"

"Mr. Watanabe, it's me, Sango. Can I come in?"

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Shippo…"

"I'm sorry Sango, but there's nothing I can tell you."

"There's a lot you can tell me," Sango murmured, taking a step towards the door. "I'm sorry for what happened to Kirara…I know it's hard. I'm suffering too."

"Then why aren't you at home drinking a bottle of scotch?"

Sango's eyes steeled and her jaw clenched with anger. "Because Shippo, it's my duty. I'm not going to sit on my ass all week drinking and sleeping, hoping to get rid of the pain. Kirara was my best friend, you and I know that. You and I also know that doing absolutely nothing to catch this murderer before it's too late is not what Kirara would want. So I'm doing the smart thing. I'm doing exactly what she'd want me to do."

"You think you're going to get him?"

"I don't think Shippo. Years of knowing me proved that. I don't think, I know."

Nodding, the door opened and Shippo's figure appeared. Shoulder length orange hair was kept up in a high ponytail and startling green eyes focused on her with intensity. His casual yellow t-shirt with a baggy pair of jeans would make anyone think he was having an ordinary day…until you noticed that his shirt was inside out and his jeans were cut up and ripped.

"Hurry up then," he muttered and turned away, walking down an open hallway into what looked like a small kitchen.

Sango scrambled in and shut the door quietly behind her, throwing off her shoes and following the young boy. Shippo was only around the age of twenty-nine, three years younger than her. He worked as a mechanic in the heart of Trite and was well known and polite to everyone. He was also a fox demon and his sparkling white fangs glistened as he smiled humourless at the calendar that hung on the fridge.

"It's Sunday," Shippo said absently, not looking at Sango. "Kirara loved Sundays, you know? It was her only day off…the only time I could see her."

"Did you…do you love her?" Sango asked quietly, noting the strange tone in his voice.

For some time, Shippo never answered, just merely stared and did nothing. At last he turned to her, his emerald eyes sharp but his smirk wavering. "I…don't know. I screwed up Sango; I really screwed up with her."

"You mean about what happened at the party last weekend?" One of the guys in Trite held an annual party, inviting everyone and anyone to come. Drinks, dancing, food, music…it was the perfect party and the talk of the town two months before and after it happened.

Shippo nodded. "Did you know I never got drunk before in my life? Never, not once did I get hung-over or a little too happy."

"Until the party," Sango stated, knowing full well where he was going with this.

"Until the party," he agreed. "Kirara was drunk too. It's funny how in all the stories, all the movies and all the news that people's lives forever change in one instant. Well, it happened. We got drunk, we got a room and we made love. If you can even call it that," Shippo said, his tone disgusted. He seemed angry but the feeling seemed to be self-inflicted.

"She was always my friend," he continued, "nothing more, nothing less. I had just broken up with Nazuna that morning and then…that. What's worse is that gossip in Trite spreads like wildfire and once that occurs and grows, it's never like how it was originally. The flames are bigger, higher and hotter. Just like the lies."

Sango nodded. "Shippo…where were you last night? What were you doing?"

He looked vaguely surprised at the question but then his face turned grave. "I was here, alone. Ironically, I was watching Cops."

"When did you go to bed?" Sango asked, her mind already screaming that Shippo was not the killer.

"After the show, around eleven-thirty, I guess."

"Did you go to the café?"

"Of course I did Sango. It's my routine. I always get my finally coffee for the day there, made by Kirara. She…she told me to be careful. I don't know why since there was nothing dangerous on the road but… She told me all the same. I c-can't believe s-s-she's dead."

And it was then that the first tear rolled down Shippo's cheek.

---

Tsubaki Mizuka was having one hell of a day.

"She's dead! Jesus Tsubaki, she's dead!"

"Nazuna…calm down honey. Come on, get back in the car."

Nazuna whipped around, her right hand gripping the handle on the car door as if it were her final lifeline and her left hand covering her mouth. Brown eyes flashed harshly and the dead look she gave Tsubaki was one her friend knew all too well. She was going to flip. Her body visibly trembled and her knuckles on her right hand were ghost white. The colour in her face seemed to drain away like sand in an hourglass and the few whimpers that were let out sounded both regretful and painful.

"I killed her," Nazuna whispered, her mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to do. "I wished her dead, I wanted her dead…and now…she's dead. Gone. Finished. Goodbye and goodnight, oh hell Tsubaki, Kirara is dead."

Undoing her belt buckle and jumping out of the driver's side door, Tsubaki ran to her friend on the other side who was now sitting down on the gravel road. They had just come back from visiting some friends when they passed the café. Everything and everyone was there, forensics, police… It wasn't hard to see what had happened.

And it wasn't hard to hear what had happened either.

Kirara Nekomata was murdered.

"It's all my fault, it's all because of me," Nazuna sobbed and the second she realized Tsubaki was beside her, she threw her body onto her, gripping the girl's jeans tightly and rubbing her face to it. "My entire fault…it's all my fault."

Tsubaki looked down at her friend, her face saddened and pitiful. She knew Nazuna didn't kill her. Nazuna didn't have the ability, the power. So slowly, Tsubaki crouched down to the gravel road and sat down cross-legged, waiting patiently as Nazuna crawled in her lap.

"Hush Nazuna, it's all going to be okay. You didn't do it, you didn't kill Kirara."

---

Kagome woke up with a gasp. Her body was drenched, sweat poured down her face like buckets and her wild brown eyes were barely there, completely taken over by black pupils. Her mouth was opened wide, gasping for air as if the room held none and her face was so pale it looked like she covered herself in chalk.

Her breaths came in quick, in and out, in and out. She didn't stop and even though her throat was parched she kept gasping for air through her mouth. Hyperventilating, Kagome couldn't make out the mix of emotions that ran through her. Then she heard the voice of her imaginary friend, the calm eeriness of the voice of the dead.

He's going to die. Hurry Kagome, time's running out.

He… Inuyasha? Die?

What a laugh.

That bastard was going to outlive them all.

He's looking for it Kagome. He's looking.

He's looking for…the axe?

You have to get him Kagome.

Get up.

As if she had been slapped, her entire body jolted and a rush of energy surged through her. Before she knew it Kagome was off her bed, the light tie-up nightgown her only coverage.

"Kagome, you're awake!" Miroku yelled, appearing through the doorway with a coffee in hand. The coffee was soon forgotten though when he placed it on a table and ran towards his friend, hugging her tightly.

Kagome struggled out of his grip. "Miroku…Inuyasha's going to die. We have to get him. Come on!"

"What? Kagome, are you sure? I mean you just woke up…"

"My imaginary friend told me. Let's go Miroku, don't look at me like that!"

"Your imaginary friend…?"

Kagome growled in frustration and shook her head, realizing she was getting no where fast as the time ticked in her head. Inuyasha didn't have long to live.

"I'll explain in the car. Let's go."

Miroku looked reluctant, glancing at the bed before looking back towards her. "Your clothes are in your car. You go; I'll stay here and deal with everything else. Good luck."

"Are- are you sure Miroku?" Kagome asked. "I mean, I'll need help."

"But I rather not make any more ruckus then we already have. I'll deal with this stuff, you go warn Inuyasha. Now go before I change my mind."

Kagome smiled gently and looked towards the ground. Bags circled under Miroku's eyes and his hair was messy, not in its normal neat ponytail. It was then she realized she didn't even know what time of day it was…or what day it was for that matter. But she would learn that soon enough, for now, Inuyasha was more important.

Without hesitation, Kagome ran at Miroku and tackled him in a hug, squeezing him tight as he wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks Miroku, for everything. You've always been there for me."

"That's what big brothers do," he said with a smile as he let Kagome go. "We take care of our sisters that always get in way over their heads."

Kagome frowned, punched Miroku in the shoulder lightly and then dashed off.

Miroku did nothing but what her leave; a smile on his face with his left arm rubbing the other from where she punched him.

---

As the sun's light drained away, Inuyasha cursed at his stupidity.

How the hell was he going to find a bloody axe in the middle of the night?

Thankful for his good eyesight, he stepped out of his Tahoe and slammed the door, not daring to take another step as he gazed upon the café. The aftershock of Kirara's death started to sink in. He couldn't believe it, the reality that she was dead, murdered…by someone in his very own town.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath and shook his head. Walking to the door of the café, he gave an acknowledging nod to his two guards and walked in. The first thing that hit him was the blood. The pungent smell hit him and he coughed uncontrollably. No longer did it hold the smell of coffee and bread but now a strong metallic reminder. Inuyasha attempted to breathe through his mouth but readily dismissed the idea when he could taste it.

This bastard would pay.

Wanting to get out quickly, Inuyasha ran behind the counter and yanked open the closet door, searching thoroughly before closing it and moving on. Half and hour later, Inuyasha walked back to the center of the café, frustrated and angry.

Maybe Kagome was wrong. Maybe she really was the killer…

He couldn't forget the fact that she found two dead bodies before anyone without a solid alibi. And she had led them to Yuri's hideout…

But then, what happened when they got there? When they connected? What about today in the café? He couldn't easily forget that either…

A shout startled him from his thoughts and he whipped his head around towards the doorway. The sounds of his two guards Hiten and Manten were easy to point out but then there was a third. A high-pitched scream echoed throughout the room and without hesitating he ran outside, only to see his men pushing a woman with black hair to the ground.

"Kagome?"

"Get off me! I have to tell him, I did it! I did it!"

Nope, definitely not Kagome.

"I did it, I did it…" she went on and on, repeating the words over and over again like a mantra.

"Let he go," Inuyasha said quietly, giving both Hiten and Manten a short glance.

Doing as they were told, the two watched as she brought herself from the ground to look at Inuyasha. She walked up to him slowly, determined yet fearful as she approached.

"I did it," she whispered. "I killed Kirara."

It was then that Inuyasha recognized her. It was Nazuna Orikasa, Shippo's ex girlfriend. Gossip within Trite probably exaggerated the tales of what happened between the two but from what he heard Shippo cheated on her.

And then again, Shippo told him himself that he had broken up with her that morning and then when that major party was thrown he got a bit tipsy. In other words, it was a mistake.

That gave Nazuna a motive, but would she be strong enough to kill Kirara?

God he hoped not, she was still so young. And she didn't even come close to matching the profile.

"I killed Kirara!" Nazuna screamed, tears streaming down her face as she wiped them away furiously. "I wished for her to be dead and now…she's gone."

Inuyasha didn't know what to make out about the girl but he didn't have time when all of a sudden she leapt at him, her two fragile hands gripping his t-shirt like a lifeline.

"Okay Nazuna, come on. Let's get into my truck and we'll take you to the station. Is that okay?" He tried to sound calm and soothing but when the words came out, they probably sounded like the exact opposite. Wrapping a supportive arm around her shoulder, Inuyasha literally dragged Nazuna to his truck. He opened the door that led to the back seat and helped Nazuna in. She was still crying and looked like an emotional wreck.

He didn't really blame her though he had a hard time believing she did it.

And then, something didn't feel right.

A sound from behind him made him spin around but he could hear nothing but the whisper of the wind on the summer's cool night. The sky grew dark and shadows danced within the alleyways, around trees and lurked at every corner. For reasons he couldn't explain his senses were on the very edge, tensed and at the ready. He shut Nazuna's door and then turned around, eyeing his surroundings.

From the right, he saw headlights of a car, approaching way too fast. The speeding car was in a direct path for him and Inuyasha stared wide eyed as he saw the driver.

"What the hell Kagome?" he yelled but no one heard as he jumped out of the way and rolled into a ditch. It was then that he heard a gunshot and the loud crackling of breaking glass.

Three more gun shots ensued and Inuyasha instinctively pulled out his gun, thumbing off the safety and looking alert. Scuffs on the pavement caught his attention and soon, Inuyasha was running down an alleyway, looking and listening for the intruder.

Nothing but the slight breeze could be heard and Inuyasha knew without a doubt that he lost him. He smelt the air and growled frustrated. The scent was barely there, fairly weak and in all honesty quite bland. If only it had been stronger he could've been able to figure out who it was. The alley was complete empty with only a small armour in the dump that was meant for garbage.

Was it the murderer? Why would he risk attacking in the day? Did he leave something behind? Was there a copycat?

Putting the safety back on, now completely positive the danger was gone, Inuyasha walked to the nearest wall and punched it, causing his knuckles to bleed and his anger to dissipate.

"I was so close," he yelled, bothered by the fact that a chance to help them came up and he failed to get it. "And to think that would've been shot through me if Kagome… Shit, Kagome!"

"Don't worry about little old me," Kagome distant voice sounded. "I'll get up eventually."

Inuyasha rushed out of the alley and to the main street where Kagome's car sat. It was half up on the curb and only a couple inches away from a small clothing store's window. As he approached he noticed Kagome wasn't in her car and his head whipped around to look for her. He cocked his ears and smelt the air only to come to the front of the café and see her with Hiten and Manten. She was lying on the pavement, despite the two's protests and every time they tried to touch her she shied away.

"I'm okay, really," she insisted and when Inuyasha approached she proved her point by jumping up and running to him.

It was then she realized she was trying very hard to resist the urge to leap on him and hug him to the death. It had really scared her when she heard the shot and she vaguely wondered what would've happened if she hadn't come. Shaking her head, she ridded the thought. Still the want to make sure he was okay was something fierce and Kagome told herself repeated to stop. Nothing had happened after their "date" last night other than some casual making out on her front porch. Then Kirara's death came up and all that just got pushed back.

It was then that Kagome realized his knuckles were bleeding.

It was then that Inuyasha realized exactly where the axe was.

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Next Chapter: Darkness- "It's so dark…just like back then. I don't want to die, I don't want to starve. Let me out, let me out!"

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