Disclaimer: The Inuyasha franchise is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, not me.
A/N: Hello again! Thanks to Sora7, who is not only my first reviewer, but also the first one to have looked at this fic. Last time's prompt: soap.
Sinner Angel
Inuyasha glared at the people staring at him in the execution chamber. He could feel the scratchy coarseness of the noose around his neck, and the small rash developing from it. There were precious few moments left in his life.
"Any last words?" the executioner asked. Her tone wasn't kind, nor was it cruel. It had an almost sad tint to it, like she was sorry to see him go.
He thought for a moment. His last living words.
A minute passed, then two.
Should it be something corny, like "I love you, Mom and Dad," or not? A protest that he wasn't guilty?
"I can only hold off so long," the person bringing death upon him said.
"Tell the chef," Inuyasha began in a brash tone, "that the ramen he makes sucks."
"Alright," the woman agreed. "Prepare yourself."
And he did. The last-minute nerves he had expected were absent. He accepted that he had been framed perfectly – even if the original sinner were to be found, he was the one who had already received punishment for it.
"Good-bye, Inuyasha." Just like that, the floor underneath his feet opened, the rope went taut, and everything went black.
-!-
There were three minutes left on the clock.
'Faster, faster…' that was the only thought in Kagome's head as she raced around the track at top speed. Her leg muscles were whining from oxygen deprivation, her lungs were dry, sweat was pouring from every pore in her body, and her nose was running. It was not a pretty sight. And it had only been twelve minutes.
"Come on, Kagome, you can do it!" her friend cheered from the bleachers. Eri was always optimistic like that. That was same cheer she had encouraged Kagome with when Hojo asked her out in middle school; the same one she chanted before every math test.
The coach's alarm beeped. "Okay, everybody, good work!" He stopped the running teenagers. Kagome collapsed gratefully where she stood.
Eri dashed over to her friend. "Are you okay? You look like death."
"I don't feel much better…" Kagome groaned from her position at Eri's feet.
"Abe, ten laps, Fujii, eleven and a half laps…" the coach rattled off the distance each runner had gone. Kagome dreaded to hear her score. "…Higurashi, six laps…"
Kagome emitted another dying groan.
"It's okay," Eri consoled her. "I'll still buy you an ice cream. Though," she reflected, "you still owe me twenty."