Here's chapter six everyone! I don't have much to say except please review after reading; I'll really appreciate it. Oh yeah, and song (c) Pearl Jam. (One of my favorites besides Even Flow lol) Enjoy...

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; duh. XD
Rated: Mature For mainly crude language, sexual references, and mature situations.

CHAPTER 6

I silently slipped away from Sango a few hours later after tucking her into my bed. She was still shaking a bit and tossed and turned. I could tell that she usually didn't sleep well- but I doubt it was always this bad. The room was feeling hot and stuffy so I opened up the window a bit to let fresh air in. My head was pounding and I realized if I didn't get out of there I'd break-down myself.

Stepping out into the hallway, I ran into my mom.

"Oh, it's good to see you awake," she said brightly which was a nice mood to be in seeing as I had just left a sob-fest.

"Yeah, you too," I said stupidly, not really into it. She gave me a worried look.

"I…uh, heard some yelling up here earlier," she said with her brown eyes reflecting worry.

"Oh, that? …We were just arguing. It's fine now," I said, trying to focus.

"Well that's good," she said awkwardly. "I was getting worried- Sango's such a big girl and she's strong too. I was amazed at how easily she carried you upstairs last night."

I cleared my throat and started, "Don't worry about her mom; she wouldn't ever hurt me."

"Well that's good to hear," she said with a hesitant smile.

"Mom… about Sango," I started, hoping to clear things up.

"Oh, no, it's fine really. I have no problems with the two of you in a relationship- it's just a surprise really. I mean I never would've guessed that you liked girls. Sango, yeah- but you? It was a shock really," she began ranting as her face grew redder and redder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I stopped her with a matching blush. "Sango and I aren't… involved. We were just talking about some stuff and I've realized that I haven't been giving her the friendship she needs."

"Oh?" she questioned looking like she didn't believe.

"Yeah, that's all. You know I love Koga," I said with my cheeks flaming.

"Kagome…. Don't you think it's a little soon for you to be saying that you love him?" my mom questioned with the lift of an eyebrow.

"Ah, well I think I love him," I said with a blush.

She chuckled, "Young love. Well, do you want breakfast now? Kohaku and Souta are outside playing."

"I guess. Can I bring Sango's up to her?"

"Sure," she said giving me an odd look before continuing down the hallway.

I wasn't really in the mood for eating so I just made my way downstairs to pick up Sango's food. When I got to my room I found her sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked up 

at me with reddened, green eyes. She tried to smile- but it just made her look like she was in pain.

"I'm going home," she said, standing.

"I brought breakfast up for you," I set the tray down. "Wouldn't you like to eat?"

"I don't feel like it, sorry." Her voice was strangely soft. I frowned, a bit put down by this. I didn't mean to make her feel the way she did…. I just wanted to know- I didn't think this much harm would've come from it.

"That's ok. Kohaku's out back with Souta. They're playing soccer."

"I'll see you later."

She was gone.

After that, I didn't see Sango for a long time.

A very long time. I was beginning to get worried- she wouldn't answer her phone, she wasn't coming to school, she was never home when I was at Kagura's house. The only thing that was keeping me from panicking was the fact that Kagura didn't seem concerned. She told me that there were times that Sango just disappeared because she needed serious time to herself. She said she always came back and was better than before.

One night, I was sitting in the living room doing my homework. I heard the doorbell ring so I stood to answer it. I was surprised to see Kagura standing at the door. She looked distressed, but had overall worry etched into her face.

"Kagome. I've got some serious business to discuss with you," she said, allowing herself in. She took a seat on the couch heavily, dropping her bag onto the floor.

"Yes Kagura, what is it?" I was worried about my job.

"What happened to Sango?"

My breath hitched in my throat which constricted tightly. My heart skipped a few beats as my eyes met her dark brown. In an instant, panic settled in on me.

"I don't know, Kagura," I admitted. "She was at my house a few days ago and after she left, I haven't seen her since."

"I know that much, Kagome," she said seriously. "I want to know exactly what happened here. I need to know exactly what happened here before she disappeared."

Fear filled me to the brim at the intensity of which she was gazing at me. Could Sango had gone off and done something stupid? Would she do something stupid?

"Well just talked… that's all," I felt tears prick my eyes.

"About what, Kagome?" she demanded tightly.

"Miroku," I said hesitantly.

Kagura's eyes widened a bit, and she took a shaky breath. A tear slipped down my cheek.

"Shit," she muttered rubbing at her temples with her fingers. My eyes fell down to her cleavage before I looked elsewhere to find a bruise on her jaw. I blushed lightly.

"What's going on?" I finally found the courage to ask.

"Well, when Sango came back- she dropped Kohaku off at home and just left. Like I said, she usually disappears for days on end every few months- and she always comes back. She came back last night, Kagome….."

"She's back?!" I was relieved.

"Yes, but…."

"What's wrong? What happened to her?" Suddenly the relief I was feelings was lost.

"She was totally messed up Kagome. She had dirt everywhere; cuts all over, bloodshot eyes- she was gone in so many ways. She smelled awful. What's worse, though, was that she brought someone home with her. It's been a long time since she's done anything like that. I'll explain that in a little bit.

"Anyways, I was angry with her. She was high and drunk and had some random whore with her. I'm talking a major slut- she'd probably taken all of Sango's money. I walked into the living room to catch them about to go at it on the floor. I kicked the whore out and started arguing with Sango. She was so wasted, Kagome. She argued back and she tried to take advantage of me. Of course I fought her off, but it took a while…. She eventually gave up and fell to her knees crying at my feet.

"I held her in my arms listening to her cry about how much she wanted to just die but how she couldn't because Kohaku needed her. She eventually fell asleep," Kagura finished looking down at the ground. "I don't know what to do… when I took her in- she never had a problem with handling herself. Now that it's finally caught up with her I'm not sure if she should get her help- start therapy or something…. I don't want her to suffer so much….."

I didn't know what to say. All I could think was how I was the cause of this serious problem. All I could think was how I had somehow awakened Sango's inner demons.

"You said… that she's done something like this before….?" I asked hesitantly.

"Ah, yeah," Kagura said, seemingly returning from a mental reverie. "Right after Miroku had died… Sango was out every night. She'd come home real late and when I came to check on her in the morning I'd find her naked on the couch with some random guy. As the time wore on, I noticed that the number of men she brought home was dwindling and she was bringing women home more and more. I think that showed that she wanted to be in control of the situation more- that she wanted to take the wheel of her life.

"I never really confronted her about it. You have to understand that Sango's a very strong girl and I didn't want to get in her way," she said absently touching the bruise on her jaw. "Anyways, it wasn't like she was hurting herself or anything. I mean- yeah, it's not a good thing to have sex with so many different people so often, but she wasn't stupid. She was as careful as she could be and it wasn't really hurting her. She lost a lot of anger during that time- she 

became very quiet. She eventually stopped bringing anyone home at all. This was why it was such a surprise to find you at the apartment that time you had bruised your ankle," she finished glancing at her watch.

"What… what makes this time different from the others?" I asked with a pounding heart.

"The drugs and the alcohol. Not once have I even seen Sango drunk or high. Her coming back both drunk and high scared me. Not only that… but the lacerations. There were so many cuts on her wrists, Kagome. It was like she had tried to do herself in, but couldn't," Kagura sighed, adjusting her short skirt.

"And you said… that she tried to... um, take advantage of you…."

"Yes, Kagome. She did try. I mean- Sango and I have had sex before… it's not something that's strange to us… well maybe a little; but not as strange as it should be. We're both very carefree when it comes to things like that- probably because they don't mean that much to us. It's just physical pleasure- but I wasn't going to allow her to do that to me. We fought a bit. She hit me, a few times, hard. It hurt; but I wasn't expecting any less.

"I finally got her to lay off after she had pushed me down on the couch. She was… biting my neck," she said. I looked up to find red, bruising marks on her neck and blushed- proof of what had happened. "I had gotten a hold of one of her wrists. It hurt her and she let go long enough for me to push her off of me. There was blood on my hand….. She eventually lost all of her will to fight me."

It was silent between us and I had to wonder; where was Sango now?

"Um… Kagura? Where is Sango now?"

"She's at my house, sleeping off a terrible hangover," she said tiredly. "She's pretty much been asleep all day."

"Do you think it'll be alright for me to see her?"

Kagura was silently contemplating. Her red hued eyes were focused on my own in a deep stare. I blinked and looked away, unnerved a bit by her steady gaze.

"Yes, I suppose."

The drive out to Kagura's home was shorter than I thought- but it felt like hours as the tension settled in on me. I was worried about how Sango would look when I saw her. Would I be able to stomach seeing her hurt? Would I be able to look her in her listless green eyes without crying again? Would she even want to see me; would she be angry? These thoughts assaulted me as I walked up the stone porch steps, following Kagura faithfully.

She led me into the living room as we stepped into the house. The glamour of the house shocked me just a bit. Kagura seemed to be rolling in money and I wouldn't be surprised if she was an heiress of some kind. Lavish furniture suddenly became second in importance as I spotted Sango sitting there playing a video game of some sort. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top and looked quite comfortable sprawled on the couch the way she was.

"Sango, what did I tell you about using the plasma for video games?" Kagura sighed half heartedly.

Sango looked up with boredom and her eyes locked onto me. I offered a gentle smile and to my surprise, she smiled back. It was possibly the most radiant smile I had ever seen in my life.

"Hey Kags," she smirked before turning back to the big screen. "Come on over here."

I was frozen in the spot I was standing with a pounding heart. Where the hell Sango and what was this thing that was masquerading as her? She had called me "Kags" and smiled- was that some sort of nickname? Her bubbly attitude was certainly frightening me and I decided to approach her with caution. Perhaps when I got close enough she'd morph into a large mythical creature and devour me…. Well- not that, but I certainly had a right to be thinking such absurd things.

I stumbled forward in a daze and slowly approached her. I sat down beside her awkwardly. She was completely focused on the video game in which a character in a long red cloak with long black hair was shooting enemies. I silently sat next to her, watching her run through the level shooting and killing her enemies with deadly precision.

"What are you playing?" I asked hesitantly, as I looked down at her hands on the black control. Both of her forearms were wrapped tightly in bandages all the way up to her elbows. My heart ached at the thought of the injuries hidden beneath the pure white bandages.

"Final Fantasy," she replied, shocking me out of my daze. "It's pretty kick ass."

I didn't reply but merely watched on. She suddenly paused the game and looked over at me. I looked down to find dark green eyes pinned to me- the intensity within them made me uneasy.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Kagome?"

"Huh? No. Not at all," I stuttered.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty good at reading people… and I can feel your discomfort."

"Well, I am a little- but it's not because of you. I mean it is but, it's more because of what happened and not you, you know?" I struggled.

"Ok," she said with a crooked smirk before turning her attention back onto the game.

Seeking advice, I looked at Kagura making a face of pure confusion. The older woman shrugged and left the room. My palms suddenly felt sweaty because I just didn't know what to expect from Sango at the moment- she was just too weird.

"Do you want to play?" she asked not breaking her gaze at the screen.

I shook my head, and then realized that she wasn't paying attention to me. "No thanks," I replied still just a little unnerved by Sango.

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

"What?!" I spluttered, completely surprised by this.

"Ah, come on- I was only kidding," she laughed. "Gees, am I that unattractive?"

"Sango!" I chastised as she continued to laugh.

"Ok, ok, don't get all bitchy," she mumbled as she 'quick saved' the game. She put the control down and looked over at me. She looked ridiculously tired and beaten up; her smiles were what were brightening up her face in a way that I couldn't explain.

"So, what brings you here anyways?"

"I was… I was worried about you; so I just wanted to see how you were doing," I explained truthfully.

"Oh? Well, I'm alright, as you can see. A little messed up, but good all the same," she pressed a smile.

That was when I realized that she was merely putting up a front. Her gaze turned pensive as I watched her and then her right eyebrow lifted in a questioning way. It was odd to see Sango void of jewelry, but refreshing in the same way.

"You're not alright, Sango. There's no way you can be," I said, shaking my head hesitantly.

"You would've been right if you had been here this morning. I was still a total mess then, but then… but then InuYasha came by and… well it'll be easier to show you," she said pointing at the radio-intercom console Kagura had installed into the wall. I supposed other rooms in the house had these in them as well.

"He played a song for me, Kagome," she said, giving a sad smile. "It's called Last Kiss. You ever hear it? It's by Pearl Jam."

"No… I've never heard it," I admitted, not understanding how this had anything to do with her mood.

"Hold on then," she said, getting up. She walked over to the console and put in a burned CD.

Music started playing instantly. A short drum solo followed up by vocals filled the air. It sounded kind of folk-ish and old. Definitely not something Sango would listen to voluntarily.

"Oh, where oh where can my baby be? The Lord took her away from me," a male voice started singing to the catchy rhythm.

We listened to the song all the way through and I realized why Sango had even had been affected by this song. I looked up at her and she had a misty look in her eyes. She put the volume down after the song had finished and came to sit next to me on the couch.

"Do you get it now, Kagome?" she asked gently, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yes, I do," I replied equally as soft. "It was a beautiful song."

"Great. So are you gonna hang out with me today or what?"

"Well…"

"Oh, a date with Koga?" she asked me, looking away. Her eyes were running over the DVDs Kagura had.

"Well, I did have one but I think I'll cancel," I replied. A quick text was all I needed to tell Koga that the date was off. I quickly did that, and it was done.

"Kagome," Sango said. Her voice was strangely soft and I was still feeling wary; I wasn't used to her odd behavior. "You didn't have to do that."

"You're right; but I wanted to," I said and she smiled at me.

"Fuck yes!" she laughed. "Let's watch some movies."

So I sat there for hours, wondering how long Sango would be like this as I paid hardly any attention to the movies we were watching. It was strange- but I loved it. I loved Sango happy the way she was. I wished she would stay that way forever; but I knew that was completely selfish, so I settled with knowing that I was also very content with the badass Sango.

Sometime during one of the movies, Kagura had settled herself on the other side of Sango and she also leaned against her comfortably. Sango had wrapped an arm protectively around Kagura's waist and I noticed her thumb had been caressing Kagura's stomach. Feeling a bit unnerved by this, I tried harder to concentrate on the movie- it didn't work and I soon realized that I was simply jealous of Kagura. Would Sango have held me that way if I had lain against her?

Without wanting to, I found my body resting gently against Sango. She tried hard to slip her arm around my shoulder, but she found the task quite difficult. Finally, getting her arm out from in between us, her warm arm slipped over my shoulder. She was a lot softer than I expected and I found her embrace comforting. She pulled me a little closer and I was overpowered by her mere presence. Her smell, her warmth- it was intoxication. I snapped out of my sinful indulgence after hearing her pained release of breath. I felt bad, realizing that it must've been a strain on her wounded forearm.

Kagura murmured something, and Sango responded just as quietly. I couldn't hear them, despite the close proximity. The only word I could make out was from what Kagura had said and it was the word "hurt". I watched as Kagura brought her arm to rest on Sango's bandage clad one. One would think I was used to seeing them so touchy feely; but I had yet to get used to it. Sometimes it irritated me, sometimes it seemed adorable. My thoughts and emotions- when applied to situations involving Sango- never seemed to make much sense.

The movie ended and Kagura stood, stretching a bit. I could see Sango's eyes hungrily dance over the older woman's body. I suddenly felt very awkward in the embrace that had been giving me such an intense comfort until then. I pulled away from Sango, causing her to glance at me questionably then sigh.

"Kagura… I want to talk to you about something," Sango said, seemingly suddenly remembering something. I saw this as a plan to lure Kagura away so they could continue to be the strange couple they were out of the visitor's view. I was flattered that they'd spare me the show, but still all the same irritated.

They disappeared into the kitchen and I took this time to check my texts. I had already texted Koga and told him where I was and why. He told me to have fun and enjoy myself. I was surprised that he hadn't thrown a fit. This was usually the kind of thing that really pissed him off. Perhaps he had had alternate plans.

Sango and Kagura returned with a bowl of popcorn. The two looked cold with each other and Kagura seemed distraughtly lost in thought. Sango took her seat and handed me the bowl of popcorn which I readily took and Kagura put in the next movie. The older woman, however, didn't stay around and watch it with us. She walked off, her eyes hard and thoughtful. It was obvious that whatever transpired between Sango and Kagura had not been a good thing.

After the next movie ended Sango sighed and stood.

"I've got some things to do," she said, rubbing at her bandaged arm, trying to get at a scratch perhaps. "So I'll see you later or something."

"Yeah, sure," I said, making sure I had my things with me. I stood and gave her a hug wondering if I really would see her later.

"And thank you for hanging around; Kagura's got a one track mind sometimes," she smirked.

"I heard that," Kagura said, as she came down the steps. She grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

"No problem," I replied. I soon left the house and silently drove back to mine with Kagura.

"Kagome… I'm still worried about her," she told me as we turned onto the road my house was on.

"She may have seemed alright, but that was because you were such a welcoming distraction to her. When she's by herself, I can tell she's thinking things she shouldn't."

I was silent as I processed this, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"When we went to go get popcorn… She asked me to make sure Kohaku finished his education if something were to happen to her. I didn't know whether or not that meant she was going to die sometime soon, or that she feels she'll be leaving in some way. It's frightening, Kagome. I really think I should get her some help."

"Well… you should do what you think is best; but just know that it's Sango we're talking about. I have a strange feeling that she'd hate therapy," I said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that or she'll fuss about me paying for it," Kagura mumbled with a sigh as she turned into my driveway and parked. "Anyways, thanks for coming. I could tell she really enjoyed your company."

I smiled and exited the car, heading into my house.

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-Enigmatic Ethereality