I've been gone a while... Sorry guys! But this time, I think the wait's been worth it! Welcome to my longest ever chapter of 5,161 words!
CH 6
"Your turn," said Souta, examining his hand.
Kagome plucked a card out of the deck and added it to the five already in her hand. Darn, she didn't have a match. She chose a card to put into the discard pile. "Go," she said.
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, and Kagome and Souta were sprawled on the floor in her room, playing cards. The sun filtered in steadily through her pink curtains, and the carpet was plush and soft against her bare elbows. Music played softly in the background, infiltrating her room from the living room downstairs, where her mother was listening to classical music.
"Oh wow, jackpot!" cheered Souta, throwing down his hand to show a neat array of matching cards. "I win!"
"Just fly to the moon, why don't you?" Kagome replied good-naturedly, scooping all the cards into her hands and shuffling for another round.
"Kagome, you have a guest!"
That's weird. I wasn't expecting anyone today. Nevertheless, she got up and called, "Coming, Mom!" before giving Souta the shuffled cards and warning him not to look at them until she came back. As she trotted down the stairs, Kagome tried to figure out who it could be. It can't be Hojo, can it? I mean, I already told him I couldn't go to the movies today.
She walked downstairs to greet her guest, prepared to issue another polite letdown to her handsome, but clueless classmate. But her smiling mother stepped back to reveal Inuyasha Hasu, a sophomore that she knew of but had never met.
"Hi," she said awkwardly, not having a clue why he was here. Then her eyes landed on the dark blue bundle in his hand. "Hey, is that my-"
"Take it," interrupted Inuyasha, shoving it abruptly in her chest. He turned, obviously eager to leave, but Kagome's mother barred the way.
"Oh no, please don't tell us you're leaving without tea and a little snack," exclaimed the middle-aged woman. "Do stay, just for a little while. Those shrine stairs are really quite steep. I know we're always tired after climbing them."
"I'm half demon," grunted Inuyasha, shoving right past her. Kagome's mother was knocked against the wall, where she stumbled and clutched at a framed picture for balance. Seeing this, Kagome felt the hot rush of anger in her stomach and raced after the hanyou, who was already halfway to the stairs.
"You stop right there!" she yelled, sprinting after him.
With a grimace, he spun around. "Leave me alone!"
"I can sue you for assaulting my mother!" she snapped, stabbing the umbrella point at his chest, which he dodged easily by stepping back.
"That's what you want, isn't it? Money!"
"Eh?" Taken aback, Kagome paused her rant. "Money? What are you talking about?"
"The reason you gave the asshole your umbrella is because you knew he rolls around in money and wanted some for yourself, huh?" Eyes narrowed triumphantly, Inuyasha jutted out his chin in an aggressive manner.
Kagome was bewildered. "What? That guy I gave this umbrella to? I let him have it because he was standing alone in the rain and his suit looked pretty expensive-"
"So it was the money!" crowed Inuyasha. "Well, too bad so sad, you little gold-digger, because he's not falling for it. And I dare you to sue me, see what happens!"
Her eye twitched. He was starting to really piss her off. Mouth hardened in a straight line, she stepped forward and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling them together nose to nose. Before he could throw himself back, she whispered harshly, "Listen here, asshole. Maybe in your cramped little mind, you think everyone thinks like you, but I gave your father my umbrella out of the goodness of my heart. I couldn't watch someone get soaked in the rain and not lift a finger to help, unlike someone obviously. I certainly wasn't giving it to him in hopes that I would receive monetary compensation. Again; maybe that's how you think, and that's why you're thinking that's why I did it. But I would never do that. So screw off, before I sic Buyo on you."
The stunned expression on Inuyasha's face faded to derision, and he wrenched his shirt out of Kagome's fist. "Buyo? 'Gnat'? What kind of name is that for scaring the piss out of someone? Besides, I don't smell no dog. All the animal I can smell around here is a fat old cat and a cow in heat."
Kagome was confused for a split second before she got it. "You…" Face darkening with anger and embarrassment, she clenched her fists and stepped back with her left foot. Before Inuyasha knew it, he was lying flat on his back, the imprint of the bottom of Kagome's shoe sitting squarely on his face.
What a jerk! fumed Kagome as she stalked back into her house, slamming the door behind her. Like father, like son, huh!
Back outside, something had just occurred to Inuyasha. "Wait a minute," he muttered groggily, unable to find the energy to struggle to his feet. "Did she just call the asshole my…"
Kagome, returning to her room to resume her card game with Souta, heard loud retching noises from outside.
Ugh, what's gotten into him now?
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Nine years later, together again in very different circumstances, Inuyasha plunked down a bowl of soup in front of her. "Eat," he demanded, shoving a loaded spoon in her face.
With a wrinkled nose, Kagome turned her face away without a word.
Perplexed, Inuyasha waggled the spoon under her nose. "Kagome, ya gotta eat. Or else you won't get better."
"It's canned."
"So?"
"Canned food is despicable," Kagome recited demurely. "Saturated with preservatives and chemicals, plus material from the can itself that flake off and soak into the food, it is a human-conceived abomination that is not even fit for pigs, lest their meat be contaminated."
Inuyasha stared at her for a long time, making her shift uncomfortably.
"Spit it out," she said dully.
"You're just like him," said Inuyasha, staring intently into her eyes. "You just quoted him word for word. I would know."
Kagome recoiled. "Don't say that again. Don't say that ever again." For the first time in a week, her voice was strong.
Inuyasha shrugged. "It's true." But he looked away. "Just eat your soup."
"But I don't want to. It's bad for you. My mother used to say that too. Not just… him."
Inuyasha snorted. "It doesn't reek any more of chemicals than any other food."
"That's because all you eat is ramen and junk food," retorted Kagome, a rare spark in her eyes. "Also, you're part demon. It probably doesn't affect you as badly as it would me, so your body isn't sending out any distress signals."
"Well, it's the best you got here," he snapped, secretly elated he had managed to coax Kagome out of her trance. Ever since she had been released from the hospital a few days ago, all she had done was sit around and make him feel awkward with her silences. "If you can get up and stroll down to the nearest five-star restaurant, be my guest."
She blinked at him, then looked away, not saying anything. The fire in her eyes sputtered out, leaving a glazed shell behind. Almost as if she had spoken over her word quota for the day.
Inuyasha wanted to rip his hair out with frustration. The old Kagome would have defiantly sprung to her feet and sauntered to said restaurant, just to spite him. Would have made him pay, too. He didn't like this. No sir he didn't, not at all.
He glanced at the bowl in his hand. He had to admit, the chicken noodle soup didn't look very appetizing. A layer of grease floated on the top, glistening in the mid-afternoon light. But what was he supposed to do? This was Japan; it wasn't like he could make the soup himself. He had to get the imported stuff that came in cans. The cheap Japanese imitations that tasted like crap weren't much of an option.
"Screw this," he said out loud. Walking to the kitchen, he dumped the soup down the sink. "I'm going to the grocery store. Buy something green for you. Is there anything you particularly want? Chips, candy, chocolate, ice cream?" She had always loved chocolate.
She acted like she didn't hear him. Maybe she didn't.
Exasperated, Inuyasha turned away, car keys swinging from a finger. "Won't be gone long." But as he stepped out of the apartment, an icy cold hand snapped around his wrist, making him jump.
"Kagome?"
She was standing there, trailing blanket clutched in her other hand, looking down at her toes.
"Kagome, if you want any decent food, you're going to have to let me go." Inuyasha tried to make it into a joke. His forced smirk vanished when the stench of her fear struck him head-on. "Oi, what's wrong? I'm only going grocery shopping. I'll be back in half an hour, tops. You can handle being here that long. You're a big girl, right?"
She shook her head jerkily. "No, I can't… Not alone. Don't… leave me."
"Then come with me. It won't take long to dress."
She shook her head frantically. "No. Stay with me!"
"Kagome, you're acting stupid," snapped Inuyasha. "Either come with me or stay." He was close enough to see her pupils dilate with fear.
"I… They're coming. They'll find me. They promised!" Her chest heaved as she forced out the words.
Instantly, Inuyasha understood.
He pulled Kagome into a rough hug. "Don't be silly. Those bastards will never touch you again."
"How do you know?" cried Kagome. "Easy enough for you to say." She was panting from the force of her terror. "You just don't get it!"
"I do get it!" shouted Inuyasha. "I'm seven hundred years old, Kagome. I may not be now, but I used to be helpless too. Sesshomaru didn't give a shit about me then, either. It was just me, a filthy hanyou, alone in the forest. The humans hated me, but all they did is drive me out. The big bad demons? To them I was their favorite toy to kick around and beat up on whenever they had nothing better to do. Every goddamn day, I lived in the fear that those demons would find me and torture me. At least twice a week they found me though, no matter how well I hid, and I wouldn't be able to walk for hours afterward. I was prey. Until I started fighting back. I sharpened my claws and my wits, and I trained myself to fight through any and all pain until my enemies were all dead. I started targeting humans who tried to pass through my territory, too. Soon enough, I was the big bad monster; I was such a good monster, in fact, that the fearful humans named that forest after me. 'Inuyasha's Forest,' they said. 'A wicked demon lives there. He'll kill you as soon as look at you.'
"The point though, is that I felt just like you. Always hunted, always fearful, always looking over my shoulder. But I became the hunter, Kagome. I became the top of the game. And that's what you need to do. Hit him hard, as hard as you can. You'll feel better. Those slimeballs? Hunt them down. As part of a demon pack, you are allowed to take violent revenge on an offender. I'll help you. You can do it. You can rise above them all."
The tears fell steadily at the unexpected confession. It was the first time Inuyasha had told her about his past. She had known it was bad, but it was just cruelty! How could Sesshomaru justify his actions? He could have taken in his half-brother, ensured his health and safety, trained him with all his extensive knowledge. Just… why?
How could anyone be so cruel?
"I'll do it," cried Kagome impulsively, squeezing Inuyasha in a fierce hug. "For me, for you. For us. I'll do it!"
Inuyasha basked in her warm embrace for a moment, then pushed her away jokingly. "What's with all the clingy, wench? I still have to get dinner." He paused, cautious of the response he might receive. His fears were for nothing.
"Let me get dressed! I'm such a mess!"
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"Welcome to Tokyo. Please feel free to visit the stores in the airport, and enjoy your stay!"
As the tall woman strolled confidently through the airport, heads turned to openly admire the dark beauty. Some, recognizing her, glanced fervently between their fashion magazines and the woman, their jaws dropping.
Kikyo Kuroyame glanced down at her slim watch. "He was supposed to be here," she said under her breath. "That ass. Probably forgot." She pulled out her phone and tapped leisurely on the screen. A twitch of her thumb short of the call icon, she changed her mind. "I'll just drop by and pay him a surprise visit. I want to see the look on his face. Oh boy, if I catch him sleeping…" Smirking, Kikyo twirled a key ring around her slender pointer finger, and glided out of the airport, calmly hailing an awed taxi.
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"Are you still in college?" asked Kagome, twisting a piece of Inuyasha's hair around her finger.
"Nah," said Inuyasha casually, flipping the channel. "I work part time and work out the rest."
"What are you going to make your career?"
Inuyasha grinned. "What do you think I'm working out for? I want to be on the ISLES."
"Ooh, cool," said Kagome, interested. "When are you applying?"
"Soon as I feel like I'm ready. I mean, they're not going anywhere. And I want to crack it, first shot."
"It'll be dangerous," said Kagome wistfully.
"That's what's so great about it!" cheered Inuyasha. "It's almost like the old days, back before all those stuffy laws."
The Interspecies Law Enforcement Squad was an elite group of fighters trained exclusively to take down the dangers to interspecies society-mainly rogue demons. Positions were highly envied by the older demons who wished for the old days when they could fight with their full powers on display and kill their enemies without discretion. Out of every force in the world, ISLES was only one of two internationally approved to kill in any situation. In fact, they were encouraged to kill.
This was an international organization, and so each country didn't have its own group. Rather, its members were assigned to divisions in specific regions. There was also no limit on members; if you qualified, you were in. But it wasn't as easy as that. The exams were exhausting, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. The training and regimen, if one qualified, were 'enough to make you wish you were in hell. More than enough,' to quote a representative from the Squad. Yet members enjoyed immense prestige and the coveted ability to kill at will without any repercussions. Not to mention they were incredibly desirable life partners. Many wanted the fame and prestige associated with ISLES members- not realizing the lonely days they faced when their life partner was away for weeks, sometimes months or even years, tracking down the scourge of interspecies peace. Some never returned. It was a dangerous job, but that was exactly why it was so coveted.
Kagome hadn't known that Inuyasha wanted to be on the ISLES. Back in high school, he had wanted to start a company and make it a huge rival of Sesshomaru's own massive one. However, it seemed his taste for it had been turned off.
"You know, you might be assigned to another region."
"Nah. I'll make it abundantly clear that I want Southeast Asia. No way I'm learning another language. English in high school was enough for me."
"Inuyasha, either way you're going to have to learn several other languages. If you're stationed here you'll have to know fluent Korean, Chinese, and more."
"Already learned Chinese a century or so back. As for Korean, how hard can it be?"
"Inuyasha, Korean has sounds that you couldn't make to save your life."
Inuyasha scowled. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Get assigned to a division in North America. All you'll have to know is English, which you already know."
"Japan is my home." Inuyasha looked away. "Besides, I have my pack."
"Then stay," sighed Kagome. "Whatever you like, Inuyasha." She smiled to show she meant no sting in her words. Quickly, that smile turned mischievous. "But I expect all your kids to call me Aunt Kagome!"
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"Thanks." Handing the driver a bill, Kikyo stepped out of the taxi and stood back to examine Inuyasha's apartment building. Not for the first time she wished he would move to a nicer place. Shaking her head, Kikyo entered the building and made her way to the top floor. Stepping out of the elevator, she walked slowly to the end of the hallway, taking care to be silent.
"And so the cat caught the dog napping, and gave him a nasty scare," she whispered with a seductive smile. "But he enjoyed it in the end." Smirking, she inserted the key into the lock and stepped fluidly through the door as it opened. Her smile faded as she scanned the apartment.
"What's this?"
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Kagome glanced up, startled, as the door to the apartment opened. "What…?" A tall, beautiful woman was staring down at her.
"What's this?"
Oh my god. Inuyasha has a girlfriend.
Instantly Kagome leapt to her feet, snatching her head off Inuyasha's lap. "Please, don't jump to conclusions!" she called, almost desperately. It looked bad. It looked really bad. If Inuyasha lost his girlfriend because of her, she would never forgive herself. "It's not what it looks like, it really isn't!"
Inuyasha was on his feet as well. "Kikyo! Dammit, I completely forgot! You should have called me!" His careless words couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.
The woman, who Kagome now recognized as a well-known model, surprised them both by stepping gracefully past them and setting her keys down on a table. She turned to face them, looking first at Kagome.
"Hello, I am Kuroyame Kikyo," she said pleasantly, extending her hand to shake as in Western tradition. "And you are?"
"K-Kagome Higurashi," she stammered, surprised by her cordiality. "It's nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine. Come, come, sit down," sighed Kikyo, motioning to the couch. When Kagome sank down onto the cushions, the model turned to her boyfriend. "Hello, Inuyasha."
"Ki...Kikyo."
"I'll make some coffee," she replied, smiling sweetly.
While she disappeared into the kitchen, Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged confused glances. Both expected to be defending themselves against a furious barrage of jealous explosives any minute.
When Kikyo returned, she presented Kagome first with a mug of steaming, fragrant, hot heaven. Kagome almost waited for her to throw it in her face, but the woman only smiled. Serving Inuyasha next, then herself, Kikyo finally sat back.
"So, Kagome, what brings you to Inuyasha's humble abode?"
Kagome looked nervously at Inuyasha. "Um… Well, things happened, and I decided I had to stay with Inuyasha for a while."
"What happened?"
Inuyasha interrupted. "She got into an argument with her husband."
"Ah." Her eyes cleared. Slowly, she took a sip of coffee. "How long ago was this?"
"About a week."
"Does the husband know she's here."
"...No."
"Tell me, Inuyasha, I'm only going to ask once. Did you cheat on me?"
"No!"
Kikyo nodded, satisfied. "I thought so. I was only making sure."
Inuyasha still looked nervous. "You're not going to freak out?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason for me to?"
He shook his head quickly.
She smirked. "Kagome, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you alone, outside on the veranda. It'll only take a minute."
Kagome exchanged a startled look with Inuyasha, then nodded. "O-okay."
Inuyasha watched helplessly as the two most important women in his life walked out onto the tiny veranda and shut the glass sliding door behind them. He trusted Kikyo, but he couldn't stop thinking something was going to happen. Weren't girls supposed to explode when they caught their boyfriend with another girl?
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Outside on the veranda, Kagome waited for Kikyo to say something, but the woman simply stood there, sipping her coffee slowly as she stared at the street below. After about five minutes, she couldn't stand it anymore.
"I… have a question. Is it okay if I ask you?"
"Sure."
"Well… I kind of wanted to know how you kept your cool like that. I mean, if I caught my boyfriend or husband with another woman in a position like the one Inuyasha and I were in, I would freak out. I wouldn't listen to anything he said. I would automatically assume the worst and throw him out." Kagome looked down in shame.
Kikyo laughed softly. "The thing is, I trust Inuyasha. All couples may say this, but I truly mean it when I say that Inuyasha would never cheat on me. We love each other, and would take a knife for the other. He's so devoted…" A dreamy expression slid over her face, one that photographers would murder to capture. "I believe that he is my soul mate. We trust each other with our lives. I admit, I was shocked to find a woman with her head in his lap upon my return from a week-long engagement. But one look at his face, and I realized that he hadn't betrayed me, that he would never betray me. I was ashamed of myself for thinking it for a moment."
Kagome stared at her, awed by the beauty of the woman's complete confidence and love in her partner. A deep ache began in her heart. I wish it could be like that for me… I want someone to share that beautiful trust with.
"The most important thing in a relationship is trust. It doesn't matter if you have amazing chemistry, it doesn't matter if you have known each other since birth. If you can't trust your partner, then you need to end the relationship."
Kagome blinked. Did… did I ever trust Sesshomaru like that? Did he ever trust me? Did we ever trust each other?
Kikyo gave her time to think about that, then said softly, "Can I ask about what happened to force you here?"
Kagome bit her lip. The details of her shameful flight were hardly something she wanted to tell one and all, but… somehow, she trusted this woman. It felt like she had known her forever. "My husband and I have been having problems for a while now."
"Sesshomaru Takahashi, am I correct?" At Kagome's startled expression, Kikyo laughed. "I do follow the magazines, Kagome. Please, continue."
"I… I was pregnant, but I lost the baby." Tears came to her eyes at the memory. "It was a son, a beautiful boy. Two months along, I just started bleeding, and it wouldn't stop… We rushed to the hospital… the baby was dead." Tears filled her eyes at the memory. "Sesshomaru's face, I'll never forget it. It was like rock, solid rock. Not a single tear, but he… he was devastated. We were devastated.
"We adopted a child, but things weren't the same. I think that's when it started. I think he realized that I could never be his mate, his Queen. There always were silences between us, but they were companionable silences. Now, they were cold silences. They were deafening in their absolute silence. It only got worse from there. Rin, the girl we adopted, didn't assimilate very well into her school. No one came to her birthday party. She would cry into my arms at night. Suddenly, one day, she was a changed person. She stuck to Sesshomaru like Velcro and completely shunned me. It was like a war in our house, father and daughter against the mother. The only good thing is that after she changed, she became the most popular girl at her school. Girls were begging to be invited to our house." Kagome chuckled bitterly. "She was all grown up. She gradually became actively disrespectful to every authority figure in her life-except Sesshomaru, who could do no wrong in her eyes.
"And then one day, it all just piled up, Sesshomaru's silent disdain, Rin's open hatred. I confronted Sesshomaru with a divorce. It… didn't go well. He basically told me that he owned me, that he wouldn't let me go. I yelled at him… cursed at him… And he hit me. He'd never hit me before. Rin was watching, and laughing and jeering. My system overloaded, I grabbed my keys and ran out the door.
"I drove around a while, then decided to leave everything behind and start anew. I parked my car, ditched almost everything he'd given me, and walked away, feeling so free.
"It was the stupidest thing I've ever done.
"I was alone in an ugly part of town. No police, stoners on the corner. These guys started following me around. I ran, and they gave chase. I didn't know where I was going, and I got caught in a maze of alleys. I ran as fast as I could… but I couldn't shake them off." She started to shiver. "They were getting closer and closer. I fell and dropped my phone. I remembered it then, and tried to call 119, but my phone was broken. By accident, I called Sesshomaru, my speed dial. I was still angry and hurt, but I was scared, so scared. I called him and I called him and I called him again, but he wouldn't answer." Tears were flowing freely down two faces now. "They caught me. They… they did horrible things. Made me scream, made me cry, made me bleed." She choked on a sob. "I thought I was going to die. I wanted to die. At some point, I blacked out. I don't know what happened after that. I think they thought I was going to die, and left me. I think I dragged myself here, half conscious. Inuyasha took me in… and that's that." Kagome fell silent. It was the first time she had said so much about that night. Talking about it brought back terrible memories, made them alive in her mind.
It hurt. The memories, they were eating her. Kagome clutched her head. "I… I'm sorry. I can't…"
Kikyo immediately wrapped her arms around Kagome for support. "Of course," she murmured, tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm sorry for pushing you like this. You should get some rest."
Kagome could only nod dumbly as they passed a shocked Inuyasha back inside. She stepped on a stray chopstick,but she barely felt the cheap plastic roll slightly under her foot. The moment she collapsed on the sheets, she was asleep.
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Inuyasha had been listening to the entire conversation, and he was furious. He saw red. He wanted to hunt down those bastards and rip their lives from them, even as they had ripped away Kagome's innocence.
"Inuyasha… Inuyasha." Someone was talking to him. He blinked away the scarlet haze and saw Kikyo looking at him worriedly.
"What?" His voice was rough with his bloodlust.
"I understand your anger, Inuyasha. I feel the same. But please answer my questions. How badly injured was Kagome that night?"
"She was bad," growled Inuyasha. "She was covered in bruises and cuts, and she had lost a lot of blood. She reeked of the bastards' filth. She wasn't even conscious when I opened the door."
Kikyo was frowning. "How did you know someone was out there?"
"Heard scratching noises. Scared the living crap out of me, too."
Kikyo swallowed. "And on her clothes, did you smell a particularly overwhelming amount of liquor or drugs? Like, say, however much would indicate a level of drunkenness or being stoned?"
Inuyasha scowled thoughtfully. "I don't remember all that well, because I was kinda preoccupied at the time, but I would say no, because if there had been, I would have been affected, what with my nose being as sensitive as it is. I've learned to numb it a bit over the years, especially in this day and age, but I have noticed at least." He tipped his head to the side, his dog ears cocked. "Why are you asking these questions?"
Taking a deep breath, Kikyo leveled Inuyasha with serious dark eyes. "Inuyasha, listening to Kagome's story and your own observations, and pairing them with my criminal psychology training from college, I have come to the conclusion that Kagome did not miraculously escape from those pigs, nor did they release her; there is no plausible way for either to have happened. The situation was hopeless, and if the textbooks mean a thing, they would have killed her for sure to close the case. And the nearest 'dirty district' from here is a decent distance. There is simply no way Kagome could have staggered all the way here, in the condition you described, let alone without being noticed. And I doubt those abominable filth offered her a ride."
Inuyasha was stunned. Now that Kikyo had connected the dots, t seemed so obvious that he was shamed by his blindness. "But… What exactly are you saying?" He had an inkling, but he wanted Kikyo to confirm it. And she did.
Gazing at him grimly, the breathtaking part time model and most aspiring law student at one of Tokyo's most prestigious schools, his intelligent and utterly beautiful girlfriend said slowly and distinctly, "Someone saved her that night. Someone rescued her from those monsters and somehow knew to bring her here. Maybe he recognized her, maybe she said something before she passed out, maybe that person just thought you were a Good Samaritan. Either way, there's no other answer.
"There was someone else that night in the alley."
Dun dun dunnn...
Who could it be? I wonder if any of you guys thought there had to be someone else that night. Anyways, a shoutout in advance to Halloween, that delicious holiday! For those of you celebrating it, have fun, trick-or-treating or handing out candy... and watch out for clowns! ;D
Cheers!
Philosophy Blue