Chapter 8.
...The Assassin.
Kagome felt the air thinning around her, could feel the thundering of her heart at such a predatory look.
His well-trimmed bangs casted a shadow over his face, giving his scowl a dark overtone, one that spoke of the error she had just made.
"You lie."
The word alone spelled out her demise.
"N-No! I- I'm not lying! I didn't-"
Inuyasha stood then, his seat scrapping on the ground as he did so, calling himself to attention. His own dark glare was replaced by a look of boredom, his hand coming up to rebutton his jacket in a show of aloofness.
"That's enough, you're just playing with the girl at this point Sesshomaru. We're done- come on Kagome."
He reached for her and she was only too happy to take this out, but just as she went to place her hand in his, walked around the desk. His towering demeanor stopped both their actions.
"Not so fast, Inuyasha. There is still the matter of the gun."
Kagome swallowed hard, feeling the cold hand of dread touch her spine, quickly she turned to him for help. But Inuyasha had only shot her one last glance, before he sank back down on his seat, crossing his leg over his lap, and taking on the bored facade he had just moments prior.
"Miss Higurashi" His cool voice called to her, frightening enough without ever having to raise his voice at all, "If you'd be so inclined to let us in on the whereabouts of the gun, the one you used against Naraku, and please, no more lies."
"I did not lie!" Kagome insisted, for them or for herself, she felt the need to declare to them, "I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not with this Naraku fellow, as you two seem to think. I really did just stumble into the whole situation-"
'Literarily'
"As for the gun... It's gone, I don't have it, and that's the end of that."
She expected the anger to come from the sophisticated stranger, and was prepared to face it, but when she heard the growl rise from beside her, Kagome turned wide eyes to meet his narrowed gaze.
"Quit fooling around Woman, just tell us where that damn thing is!"
"Not you too" Kagome groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.
Sesshomaru leaned himself back against his desk, using it as a place to perch, arms folding over his chest as he analyzed the two. Inuyasha was issuing out a warning with his growl, but the girl would be left unfaced. She wouldn't know what it meant, or why he was doing it; Inuyasha knew this too, nevertheless he demanded submission from her anyhow with his deep growl.
"Damn it, girl. Don't make this any more difficult than it already is!"
Kagome huffed, meeting his glare with one of her own, the intimidating man momentarily forgotten. "What? You want me to spell it out for you? I. Do. Not. Have. The. Gun."
"But you know where it is? Don't ya!" Inuyasha pressed, the fire behind her eyes igniting his own.
"Geez! How dense are you, can you get this through your thick skull already? I don't have it, I don't know where it is, it could've fallen off the face of the planet for all I know!"
Inuyasha leaned over in his seat, smiling sweetly at her as he changed tactics "Look, just tell us where you've stashed it, and we'll let you go, simple as that. I can take you back home right now, if you just tell us what we need to know."
Kagome leaned forward, meeting him in the space between their seats, her face unimpressed. "Now who's the liar?"
His growl rose once more, "Why you insolent little girl, I could-"
"What!? What could you possibly say or do now, that you won't do, regardless of what I say?!"
She looked between the two then, feeling brave with her new found ire, "Am I wrong? Isn't that the point of this whole thing? You two think I have some inkling of what's going on here, when I don't, so you'll keep me here until you figure out what I'm hiding, right?
That's if either of you don't kill me before then, and here I was hoping you would tell me just what the heck happened that night.
I was just hanging out with my friends, having a small caffeinated treat, and the next I have a bleeding idiot on my hands! One who, by the way, refused medical help!"
"Watch the way you speak about me, Bitch. You have no idea what I'm capable of!"
Sesshomaru stood silent through their bickering, interested in the reaction the girl enticed In Inuyasha. It was entertaining to watch to girl push at him the way she was, but not enough to distract him, he prepared himself to stop the argument. No matter how curious at Inuyasha's sudden intensity towards her, Sesshomaru needed answers, and for that she had to focus.
"Miss Higurashi, I can assure we are grateful for your assistance, Inuyasha is a- fond employee of ours. Keeping him alive you have earned yourself some leeway, just barely, but if you do not give us an answer. I'm afraid we'll have to take drastic measures."
"Now wait a second-!"
"Quit your damn yelling, Woman!"
When it looked like the girl would pick their bickering back on, he made to separate them, but before he had a chance to break the pair apart, the quick approaching steps halted his actions.
Kagome made to argue back, but noticed she lost the attention of both men, their eyes locked behind her. Inuyasha jumped out his seat, coming to stand directly in front of her chair. Kagome stood with them, turning in time to watch the chaos as it unfolded. A big burly man burst through the tall mahogany doors in a panic.
The two were in front of him before Kagome had a chance to blink.
'That speed...'
Nothing was said but then...
'This intense feeling.'
Kagome locked her knees, hand reaching back to hold the chair for support.
'What... is... this?'
Peeking up pass her bangs Kagome looked at the two in front of her, was this feeling coming from them? Or more like-
"Speak." Mr. Takahashi commanded and the tension she felt in her bones broke, she took a deep intake of breath, not seeing the sharp glance thrown her way by those calculating eyes.
"Lord Sesshomaru something went wrong, th-the prisoner, I didn't know- we didn't know!"
"That's enough Yoroishi" Inuyasha turned to hide more of the man from her, or maybe it was the other way around, still Kagome tried to see what was going on. "Yura, you were instructed not to bother us."
His voice was tight and controlled, furious. She didn't recognize it...
"Yes- well, I did attempt to restrain him my Lord" Kagome peeked pass broad shoulders to see her, Yura; the petite secretary could be seen from the door.
She was near the elevators, body bent backwards as she were holding something back, she tugged on thin air. As if she were a performer and this was her art, the big guy suddenly moved a yard back, now back in the lobby with her.
There was nothing around him, nothing that could've forced the bulking man back as so, and yet- she could see whatever force he was struggling with was too great for him.
It looked like he was being held down by an unseen force, his big muscles scrunched under the pressure from something just outside her sight, leaving her with only the indentations around his clothes for an indication as to what was happening.
Kagome tried to get a better angle on the man, but once more her view was obstructed when Inuyasha moved to block it.
"Sesshomaru."
"Hm... Yes, take the girl in."
She couldn't see their faces but something about the way Inuyasha tensed had her swallowing back her own fear, her mind running wild as to what a simple phrase like that could mean, would mean for her.
"I can help, send the girl home- you need m-"
"You have your orders Inuyasha."
Sesshomaru walked on, leaving his office to tower above the struggling man. "You have failed your Master, Yoroishi"
Inuyasha had her elbow in his grip before she had a chance to blink, he didn't give her time to think about what was happening or who this man was, she was being more or less dragged by his steel grip across the marble floor.
"I DIDN'T KNOW! How could I- you never told us that-"
Kagome tried to put weight in her steps, pulling on her arm to see the large man looking almost frail kneeling beneath .
Yura had moved and the man dropped lower, body bent in a forced bow, stopping his cries. The longer she looked at the three of them, the more Kagome felt she was missing something big; a piece that had yet to fall into place, keeping her blind to whatever was happening right in front of her.
"Foolish mongrel, our Lord does not require to inform you of anything." Yura hissed and yanked hard on thin air, looking at her closer there was something coming from her fingertips, she could just barely see a silvery gleam just above those manicured nails.
"You've ran your course and failed me for the last time Yoroishi."
A tug from him had Kagome crossing the lobby, Inuyasha being much rougher now, was rushing her towards the elevator doors.
Kagome tried to see pass him, even going as far as to crane her neck, just to catch a glimpse. She locked eyes with the strange man, his eyes wide and fearful, met her own frighten gaze.
"Wait... what's going-"
He had to force her inside the metal box, struggling foolishly within his hold like there was something she could do.
Sesshomaru rose a hand high above him, fingers tight together as something began to form at the tips, but the doors were closing and her view shortened by the second.
"Hold on Inuyasha, just w-wait a minute, wait-!"
Just before the elevator closed her in, she saw it. The dark strands immobilizing the man, wrapping around his torso, his legs and arms, even around his neck and across his mouth. She could also see the green ominous ooze from Mr. Takahashi, creating small swirls of white smoke as they dropped on the ground, and burned straight through the marble floor.
Her breath caught at the image they created; the petite pale girl, beautiful in her small black dress, but with a smile of one who enjoyed what they did. Beneath her laid the man, motionless, and looking much smaller than he actually was.
He looked resigned to his fate, eyes dulled with his acceptance, before him stood his reaper, the imperial Mr. Takahashi.
They could be painted and sold as a renaissance painting, with the face of death never before looking so angelic.
Then this beautiful man brought his hand down swiftly, creating nothing but a swift sound of cutting wind; the last thing she saw was a shower of red before the doors fully closed.
.
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Author's note: Trying to keep my hopes up even if the reviews aren't great on this one, I just hope some people out there are enjoying my story so far. Anyway, until next Monday, happy readings!