"So when does the Vanity Fair piece print?" Kagome asked me as she picked another French fry off her plate. We'd found a small diner nearby the hospital Kagome attended and had decided to try it out. It was around 8 o'clock at night and we were some of the only patrons in there. Sighing slightly, I picked up my cheeseburger before setting it down again. Who knew stressing over the past few weeks would cause my appetite to crash so much I couldn't even enjoy a burger? Blasphemy.
"I'm not sure, Kagome. We were going to be in this past issue, but they've been really focused on the government catastrophe in America, so maybe a month or so after the shutdown is finished?" I pushed my plate aside and glanced around the diner. Not much of a view, if I was being honest with myself. A few dingy blinds covered the giant windows, the stools and booths were covered in pleather like material, even the floor was old and stained from who knew what. I didn't want to think about what lurked in the kitchen. Kagome didn't seem to mind though. Doctor appointments always had her nervous the day before and as soon as she was done she would devour anything in her line of sight for days. I wished I were that lucky. If I ate like I'd have been as big as a house.
"Well," Kagome slathered a fry in ketchup before popping it into her mouth and chewing. "If the article doesn't print in the next few months, what are you guys going to do? I mean, weren't you waiting on that article to come out before you started all the wedding planning and actually announcing your engagement?" She looked at me thoughtfully.
"Yeah." I sighed again. "I don't really know, Gome. We haven't talked about it much, if I'm being honest with you."
"Yeah, I'll bet. You've been spending the night there almost every single day since you two reconciled at Sango's. Pretty intriguing stuff, little sister. Inuyasha painted him as this horrible monster, but he can't even sleep in the room without you?" A blush started forming on my face.
"Oh, you little horn dog!" Kagome yelled out. "I knew you two were shacking up! Why didn't you tell me?!" She playfully threw a fry at my head.
I brushed it out of my hair before answering.
"Well it's not like you tell me about you and Inuyasha! There are just some things we don't have to share with one another." Like Sesshomaru ravishing my body nightly. Or only getting a few hours of sleep a night. Or maybe when Sesshomaru growls and bites my neck. When I do it to him. It was REALLY no one's business.
I don't think that demon ever slept.
"Seriously though, Rin. When are you going to move up to that penthouse with him?"
I shrugged. I'd been trying not to think about it. So much of our 'planned' relationship had happened so quickly; it was nice to keep the engagement to ourselves. Keeping it quiet also meant taking pressure off of finding a house to live in, moving, deciding if I would still be his assistant, meeting his parents, all of that. "Who knows? We still haven't quite settled on a house yet. To be honest, Kagome, I'm just really enjoying taking things slow with him. Maybe we'll even go out on a date before people know we're engaged." We both laughed lowly.
"Doesn't that mean he would have to leave the office before seven in the evening?"
"Probably," I shrugged again. I sighed before leaning back in the booth and closing my eyes. Sesshomaru was bound to be working late again; he even had a meeting at 6 o'clock in the evening with a human at one of his companies in America. Skype was a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, that also meant he wouldn't be home until much later, and I would probably be in my own bed tonight. Unless…
"What do you think Sesshomaru would do if I just crashed at his place?" Kagome just stared at me. "I mean, if he came home and I was just sleeping in his bed unannounced." Her eyes widened in sudden realization.
"Oh. I don't know. He'd probably seduce you. If his appetite is anything like Inuyasha's-"
"Whoa, whoa," I cut her off, standing up abruptly. "That is way too much information that I don't need to know about you and your half demon lover." She laughed loudly. "Come on, the tabs paid for. Let's get out of here, Fry Monster."
"Alright, do you just want to grab the subway back home?"
We stepped outside, the street lamps the only thing lighting up the night. We were in a pretty shady part of town. Actually, we were about two blocks away from where we used to live before Sesshomaru moved us. It wasn't the best place to find a subway, especially with how we were dressed. We both had $700 purses on our shoulders, not to mention I'd taken Kagome shopping with me last week for clothes since nothing she had fit right anymore. Losing a dramatic amount of weight due to being ill did that to a person. Sesshomaru had agreed when I had asked, merely handing me a credit card that had my name on it. "Buy her whatever she wishes," had been all he said before rereading a document.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"I'm not sure, Kagome. Maybe I should just call Tony and have him pick us up?" That sounded like a much better plan.
"Come on, Rin. We'll be fine, I promise. I've got my bow with me and everything." She patted the pocket of her jacket that contained her mace. "I never leave home without it." I sighed reluctantly before following her down the street. We cut through an alley as a shortcut. I looked down at my cell phone, pressing the number to Sesshomaru's office.
I slammed into Kagome's still form, dropping my phone in the process.
"Aw crap." I said as the phone slammed into the concrete. "Man, Kagome. Why'd you stop? Sesshomaru isn't going to be happy if I already messed up my phone." I wasn't going to be too pleased either.
I bent to pick up my phone, looking up as I did so. At the end of the alleyway there were two tall figures blocking the exit. I stood up quickly, phone all but forgotten as I grabbed Kagome's arm, pushing her behind me.
"Rin," Kagome whispered, "there's someone behind us too."
"Get out your mace," I whispered back before facing the two men in front of us. They approached us slowly, making cat-call noises as the drew closer. "Well, good evening gentlemen. If you'll excuse us, we'll just be on our way." I tried to step to the side, fear spiking as one of the men did the same.
"Now, now, pretty. Why are you off in such a rush?" They both stepped closer. Kagome's hand tightened on mine, indicating the other man was close as well.
"I've actually got to get home and catch the latest episode of Supernatural, so if you don't mind, we should really be out of here." I tried to step forward again, only to have the tall thin man in front of me grab my arm, yanking me away from Kagome. She let out a slight shriek. Startled, I glanced back at her. The man behind us had an arm wrapped around her waist. His other hand held a knife to her throat. "Kagome!" I yelled, trying to jerk away from the tall man, only to have him jerk my wrist.
I cried out as I heard a snap. Pain coursed through my entire body. I collapsed to the floor as his gripped tightened impossibly on my broken wrist.
The tall man knelt down into my face. "Now, no need to shout, pretty. I have other uses for your sweet mouth." He grabbed ahold of my neck, dragging me close until he licked the side of my face.
I nearly gagged in disgust.
"Stop. Let us go now." He applied more pressure to my wrist until I cried out in pain.
"You want to make demands of me, slut? How about I make some demands of you. You're going to sit here and watch as we play with your little friend over there. Kagome, was it? And when we're through with her," he grabbed his crotch suggestively before slapping me in the face. I fell back into an alley wall, slamming my head painfully. The sting on my cheek was nothing compared to the throbbing in my wrist. "When we're through with her, you're going to wish the only pain you felt was what you're feeling now, pretty."
"Why are you doing this," Kagome cried out as the third man approached her.
The tall man hauled me up to my feet, wrapping his arms around my waist and turning to me face Kagome as he held on to me. He breathed into my ear as he talked, nearly making me vomit. "We're doing this because you think it's fun to whore around with dogs. Unnatural creatures. We're going to show you two sluts what it's like to lay with men." His breath stank of booze. He grabbed my blouse, tearing it open before chuckling low in his throat. Kagome's eyes bulged, nearly going wild as she struggled to get free.
"Well looky here, fellas. She's been fucking a real wild one, I'll tell you that." He groped around my neck and the exposed part of my breasts; anywhere he could see bite marks he grabbed. "You like it when they bite you, huh, pretty? I'll bite you real good." I felt nauseous and dizzy as the man touched me anywhere he could. I would have to bathe for weeks to get the sensation away.
"Kagome," I called as the man opened his mouth to bite me.
Kagome reacted instantly, slamming her foot down on her captor's before spraying the man in front of her with mace. She whirled around, kicking the captor in the crotch before shoving the man who held his eyes onto the ground. The tall man grabbed me roughly around the waist before throwing me behind him, heading for Kagome. She held out her mace proudly, aiming straight for his eyes.
Nothing came out. Kagome shrieked loudly as he produced a knife, intent on slicing her up with it. She ducked and stepped backwards, tripping over one of the fallen men.
I stood unsteadily, shaking knees pushing me forward. I ran at the tall man, only to stumble forward as he turned around sharply, something hard hitting my stomach.
Time seemed to stand still as the thin man withdrew the knife slowly, a smug look on his face. I looked down at my blood soaked hands, barely understanding. Kagome wailed loudly as the man she had kicked slapped her in the face. She fell down again, looking up to see me on my knees. That was weird. I didn't remember sitting down. How had I gotten there?
"Rin. Rin!"
I looked behind Kagome as a flash of movement caught my eye.
"Clyde?" The dog demon rushed forward in a blur, long nails ripping out the jugulars of two men. They fell to the floor silently. Neither got up.
What was Clyde doing here? He looked pissed, that was for sure.
Kagome didn't even glance behind her, just ran toward me as Clyde grabbed the tall man by the throat, launching him into the side of a dumpster.
"Oh my God, Rin. You're bleeding everywhere." She pressed her hand to my stomach.
"Kagome, you're getting blood on you." I tried to push her hands away, the movement sluggish.
Clyde came to stand protectively over Kagome. His demonic eyes looked more worried than when I'd had a concussion a few months back.
"It's nice to see you outside of the elevator, Clyde. Although the circumstances feel a bit less than desirable.
"Thank God you're here. We need to get her to a hospital." Kagome said above my head.
Arms reached down and plucked me up. It took a few seconds to realize Sesshomaru held me as we launched into the air. His features were more demonic than ever.
"Sesshomaru…" I reached up, my unbroken hand stroking his cheek before pulling back abruptly. There was blood everywhere. God, why the hell was I getting my blood over everyone? It was definitely unsanitary. "Demons don't get sick from other people's blood, right? We should probably clean your face soon, just in case. Not that I'm toxic or anything like that." Sesshomaru just kept sailing through the sky.
Reality set in a moment later as pain started invading my senses. "Oh my God. That asshole stabbed me. Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm going to die. I'm going to bleed to death. We have to stop. Where are you taking me? Jesus Christ, I think he nicked a lung." I kept trying to breathe in and out, but something wasn't right. "Oh God, I don't want to die."
"You won't die," A more demonic sounding Sesshomaru said lowly as we landed in front of the hospital I had recently left.
He ran inside, shouting loudly. A few nurses rushed over, fussing with me until I was laying down on a gurney.
"I think he stabbed my lung. I can't breathe. Oh God, I can't breathe." I wailed loudly.
"It's going to be okay, ma'am. We're getting a prep room ready and we'll have you patched up in no time." A male nurse smiled down at me reassuringly.
"I can't breathe. Someone has to help me. I need an oxygen mask. He stabbed my lung!" Why didn't anyone understand? I WAS DYING.
A nurse wiped a few pieces of gauze around my stomach, cleaning away blood as she inspected the gaping wound.
"Ma'am, you're alright. Your lungs are fine. We just need you to calm down."
I turned to Sesshomaru. "I can't breathe. They won't listen to me. MAKE THEM LISTEN."
He was by my side in an instant, a whip made of light moving around languidly in his hand. "Explain her condition now or die, humans."
The male nurse gulped but continued pushing the gurney into an operating room. "Ma'am, you're having a panic attack. You need to calm down, do you understand? Just calm down and the breathing will get easier."
Panic attacks felt like that? I thought I was dying, as if there wasn't enough air in the room and any second I was going to suck in a big lungful of nothing.
"A.. A panic attack? That's it?"
"Sir, you need to leave now." A surgeon called out to Sesshomaru as he was prepped by a new set of nurses. "She's in good hands." Sesshomaru looked less than pleased but stepped back into the doorway, staring at me longingly.
An IV was hooked up to my good hand as they switched me onto an operating table. Suddenly I felt drowsy. So drowsy.
"Kind Fagome," I said to Sesshomaru before shutting my eyes.