InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Gray ❯ Cumulous clouds ( Chapter 21 )

 

~<>~ Shades of Gray ~<>~

 

 

~<>~ Chapter 21 ~<>~ Cumulous clouds

 

 

 

Kagome tapped the heels of her feet against the back of her ass while the scene of Leonardo Dicaprio chasing Matt Damon down an old Boston alleyway played out before them on the thirty two inch television. Shifting her weight off her chest, she redirected it onto her propped up elbows and turned to look at Rin, who was lying on the floor of her dorm room next to her.

 

“You know what I don't get about this movie?”

 

Rin's eyes were glued to the screen, but her attention was everywhere but. “How this plot is the most fucked up thing ever created by someone whose name is not Quentin Tarantino?”

 

Kagome grunted and sat up slowly, stretching her sore arms behind her. Spending an hour and a half watching The Departed lying on her stomach was not the most ideal form of fun she could come up with. Though Rin had made the movie all the better with her snide comments and whimsical outlooks. “I was going to say how both men don't just get the hell out of dodge when they realized that either way they're dead, but hey, that works too.”

 

Rin shrugged and sat up as well, cracking her neck slowly. Stealing a glimpse at the clock, she remarked; “I probably should go to work sometime today.”

 

Kagome laughed lightly and stretched out her legs. “Maybe you should, but this is more fun.” She had run into Rin after she got out of her Critical Discourse class while the other girl was on her way to work. With a little persuasion Kagome had managed to get Rin to watch a movie with her to abide some of her free time rather than show up on time to work. So what if it was all self motivated agendas? The girls had been laughing non-stop for nearly an hour. That had to be worth something in the end. Knowing Rin's boss wouldn't care either, being that it was her RA, Kagome had made her point and gained Rin's approval for their side trip.

 

Rin winkled her nose in though. As much as she would have loved to stay with Kagome for the day, she had other duties to attend to. Standing up slowly, she hit stop on the DVD player and turned to her friend. “We'll watch the rest when I get off tonight?”

 

Kagome glanced to the clock and scowled. “I have French at six so if you're not off before that, then we'll have to do it another day. It's another hour, so I doubt you want to be out that late.”

 

Rin pouted for a minute before grabbing her coat from the back of Kagome's chair. “I really wish I could, but I can't stay out that late. I have to get Kenny from daycare at five so as much as I would love to, I just can't.”

 

“So bring him over with you,” Kagome said after a moment. “I don't care and I'm sure Kikyo will be out with whoever her flavor of the moment is.” On a side thought, she quickly added, “Not that we could really watch the rest of this with a kid around, it gets really bloody.”

 

Rin's hesitation did not slip by unnoticed, nor did her quick change of the subject. “Flavor of the moment? What are you talkin' about?”

 

Kagome could tell that Rin was instantly changing the subject, but she allowed her to evade for the time being. With a deeper sigh than was meant, Kagome rolled her eyes and blurted out, “I think she's cheating on InuYasha.”

 

Rin raised an eyebrow, a cynical snort bellowing out of her lips. “And he's cheating on her, what's your point? You can't say she's wrong but condone what InuYasha is doing. You know that right? Even if she is cheating on him, he's cheating on her…with her cousin.”

 

Kagome's smile faltered for a moment before she quipped, “If Kikyo would come right out and say it, then yeah, I wouldn't care. But I mean she really went out of her way to make me feel like an ass for saying that she was cheating on Yash.” That was the truth, at least a part of it. Kikyo had brought Kagome's mother into the debate last time she dared to mention the thought of Kikyo cheating, and Kagome would be damned before she let that go.

 

Smacking her lips together, Rin knew that this could very easily turn into an ugly argument. There were points that Kagome was stating that were completely valid, and Rin wouldn't argue those, but this was also a very biased conversation, and an odd one at that. “Do you really think it would be an easy thing to admit? I mean she could be afraid of what you would say or do. She's probably scared shitless that you'd make her tell InuYasha or that you'd tell him yourself. Didn't you tell me that she was really nasty to you for a few years because of your mom's affair?”

 

Kagome grimaced, a rather sour taste entering her mouth. She knew her words came out more bitter than they were meant to. Just the topic of her mother's affair always left that taste in her mouth, and a lasting impression upon whoever dared to talk about it. “That is completely different. I wouldn't get nasty about it, and she should know that. I've known Kikyo my entire life; she's the bitchy one, not me.”

 

“Fear can outweigh reason any day, Kagome.” Rin slipped into her Skechers and walked to the door. “Just give her some time, and don't jump down her throat about it. She may need a friend more than you believe. Besides that, she's family and you don't want to push them away. One day, they'll be all you have left.” With a smile that spoke of the girl's inner knowledge, Rin nodded to the door. “I'm gonna run but stop down if you're not doing anything later. You know how boring it is down there and I'm always up for talking.” Leveling Kagome with a serious glare, she passed on her not too discrete meaning. Rin had been on Kagome for most of the day to talk more about Bankotsu and to get this mess off her chest to someone who could listen with a nonbiased opinion. Not that Rin was completely nonbiased about the situation; she had demanded the man's head on a platter originally, but she could tell by Kagome's reaction that there was more to it. She had to be there with rational thought for Kagome, and if it meant putting aside her own thoughts on the matter, she would.

 

Kagome bristled at the words only after Rin walked out the door. How could she give Kikyo a chance to explain all of this? Kagome wasn't all together sure how to handle the situation that was in front of her, let alone adding more fuel to the fire over Kikyo's affair. If she ever got the nerve to look at her cousin in the face again, what would she say? Should she tell Kikyo to break up with InuYasha and just go on being happy? It was obvious to Kagome now, after seeing both sides of the equation that neither party really wanted to be with the other. Would she tell her cousin to break up with Yash for her own personal gain? A more serious question tore into her with a near wild abandon at that moment; `how can I ever watch InuYasha wrap his arms around Kikyo again without feeling…something?' What was that ambiguous something: a feeling of loathing and disdain for the woman who was not she? Would she honestly hold it against her cousin? After all, InuYasha was Kikyo's boyfriend; Kagome had to keep telling herself. If anything, Kagome was the one who owed a few Hail Marys and a couple Hello Dollies* for her sins.

 

Losing herself in thought, she hardly blinked when her cell phone began to vibrate across the floor. Reaching down to capture the small device, Kagome closed her eyes and put her head against Kikyo's bunk. She didn't even glance at the LCD screen and instead chose, rather unwisely, to pop open the tiny instrument.

 

“Hello?”

 

There was a silence that filled the room and pried open Kagome's eyes. She could hear fingers tapping against something on the other end of the line, and she slowly lost her color. Lifting her eyes to the faceplate of her phone, she nearly dropped it. Her mouth moved twice, three times, but was unsuccessful at producing any sounds. Suddenly the world took on a much clearer focus to the disenchanted young girl as she sat up straight. Contemplating shutting the phone and not answering it for the next ten years, she finally found her voice. “…Bankotsu?”

 

There was a sigh, one that personified a rather perturbed annoyance, before he spoke. His words were jagged and cut Kagome with each syllable, leaving more blood to sully their filthy past. “Where are you?”

 

Kagome blinked and slowly stood up. Walking unconsciously to her window, she glanced out towards the parking lot, praying to all the gods known to man that she didn't see one of his five cars out there. “I'm on campus. Where are you?”

 

His snort dictated the type of personality he was masquerading with today. `Better than thou' was how Kagome classified his days of mockery and scorn; it seemed to always fit him to a T. “I'm where I need to be, but something tells me that you're not. Or should I say that you won't be come tomorrow night.”

 

Kagome swallowed thickly, hating how much she was squirming at his words. Her entire body felt like one giant itch that couldn't be scratched, that his words were crawling up under her skin like a nest of spiders that she couldn't shake off. She knew what he was demanding of her, not just asking, and she knew that there was no way in hell she was willing to compromise anything with this bastard. She could too easily recall the fury that had welled in her blood when Jakotsu had come to the club to take her home. She could remember the promises that she made to herself about never allowing him to touch her again, and never going back to him. That anger had so quickly turned to fear, she hadn't thought about it until now. Telling him that she was done, however, was a much more volatile subject. “I'm where I need to be for the next two years, in my opinion.” Sticking with ambiguous answers gave Kagome back some power to the conversation; as little as it might have been though.

 

“Your opinions mean nothing to me, Chibi.” The way that he drew out his pet name for her sounded nearly hostile. `Shit, he's still angry,' she thought with a resigned dread. But wasn't she? She was still livid with the son of a bitch for what he did to her. “If I want you to have one, I'll give it to you.” Kagome could hear the faint sounds of keys being pressed and could only assume that he was in his office. At least that meant that he wasn't on campus. It gave her time to think. “You will be at the club tomorrow night; I'm just calling to make sure you understand this.”

Kagome grimaced; he hadn't set her a schedule since the start of the fall semester. He understood how important her education was to her and backed off of the demanded visits. To hear him now attempting to take back that control he willingly gave her, Kagome wasn't sure whether to allow her knees to shake in fear or to let loose the torrent of laughter building in her chest. `Wait, what the hell am I saying? I'm done with him; I'm out of his sick little world! Stick to your guns, Kagome; drop him like the trash he is!' Swallowing thickly, she found it oddly disconcerting that she couldn't get rid of him as easy as she wanted to. Her hands still shook as she defied him. “I'm sorry Bankotsu, but I can't join you. I have a lot of work to do and…”

 

“I thought we had this conversation about you lying to me, Kagome.”

 

Kagome grimaced, gnashing her teeth together in a fleeting attempt not to panic. That dull rage was building again in her chest, allowing her pride to speak before her ration. She was well aware that this man could easily make a phone call and she would be dead within an hour, but for some reason, it was the last thing she was worrying about. All she was seeing was red; he had forced her trust in him, forced her to submit to him, and she had. Now all she saw was his fists coming at her face with murder in his eyes. “Last I checked, Bankotsu, you talked and I barely listened, mostly because my ears were filled with blood.” So that probably was the greatest thing to say, but damn it felt good. Kagome swallowed thickly and walked from the window to fall into her chair by her desk. What was the worst he could do? Drive down to the dorms and attempt to drag her out by her feet? He'd have to get past…well…Rin but Kagome was sure that if she called InuYasha, he could be there in a heartbeat. `Do you want to involve him in this?' The answer was clear, but right now, it didn't matter.

 

There was a dry chuckle on the other side of the phone. Apparently she had said something humorous. `Solipsistic bastard,' Kagome fumed.

 

“I would hate to think we would need to digress back to that conversation, Kagome, so I'm going to ignore your prior comment.” After a moment to regain his power over the conversation, he mused, “I've been worried about you, my pet. You haven't checked in, you haven't visited; you haven't even checked your bank accounts or have spoken with your mother…” his voice died off with the rest of Kagome's patience. His point was well understood; he was tracking her every move.

 

Kagome bolted out of her chair, her knuckles beginning to turn white against her phone. “You called my mother?” the due outrage could not be kept from her voice as she nearly reached through the phone to slap the bastard on the other end.

 

She could just about taste the smile on his face. “I told you, I was concerned.”

 

“What did you say to her?”

 

There was a long silence that Bankotsu allowed Kagome to bask in, well…that was, to bask in fear about. Kagome was horrified at the thought of what he could have said to her mother. All she needed was for her mother to find out about her wild side and she would lose the only other family she had left. Her mother had sacrificed a lot so that Kagome could have a normal college life and was paying through the nose for it. To find out that her daughter had been turned into a common whore…she would die of shame.

 

“I simply asked how she was doing, how Souta was and if you were home. She volunteered the rest of the information.” Kagome was sure he could hear her sigh of relief. Too bad he couldn't see the tears dripped from her eyes upon his disclosure. “I would hate to have to call her back though, Kagome. Something tells me that she wouldn't be all to pleased to know how much class you have missed because of your late nights gallivanting around the city like a slut.”

 

Kagome's fist tightened as her tears changed from those of relief to those of frustration. “You wouldn't!”

 

Bankotsu slowly paced his giant office; his black hair slicked back with gel and tied in an immaculate bun at the back of his head. His black William Fioravanti** suit pressed perfectly to his sculpted body. The smile that lingered on his face, however, completely suited the businessman. Ruthless, maniacal, and callous, his cynical grin was nearly devilish in all reflections. “I think I've assured you in the past, Kagome, that I wouldn't bat an eye to disclose the truth to your mother…and family, the little you have left, that is, if you dare to disobey me. I overlooked your last transgression, Kagome, and let you off the hook with a reminder, but if you keep pushing this…”

 

Kagome snapped. Nearly throwing the phone across the room, she hissed, “If you do, then you better be damn well ready for me to talk to the press. I'm sure they would love to get the first story on the girl who was beaten half to death by one of the most notorious businessmen in the world.”

 

Bankotsu paused on his pace around his desk, his turquoise eyes narrowing to slits. “It would be wise for you to choose your words more carefully, Chibi, lest I hold you to them.”

 

“I have a couple choice phrases for you,” she shot back just as hotly, her entire aura radiating nothing but absolute anger, “The first one being go fuck yourself!” She was done. Let his muscle come, let him do his worst. She was ready to fight that last fight, if it meant getting to wipe that snide look off his face at least once!

 

Bankotsu stared ahead for a moment, his right fist balling hard enough to crack the receiver of his phone. After a second, he unclenched and let out a low chuckle. The smile that overtook his face was like watching one of the many personality shifts of Sybil. His chuckle turned rather dark very quickly. “You still have some life in you; that's good to know. For a minute, I was wondering if I had beaten it out of you.”

 

Kagome snorted indignantly and shot back, “No, but from this point out, the only thing you'll be beating is your cock. I'm done, Bankotsu, I'm out. I don't want to play your sick games anymore; I don't want to have anything more to do with you.”

 

Bankotsu slowly sat down in his leather chair, the smile still gracing his face. His tone became rather chiding, as if a parent speaking to an unruly child. “Kagome, do I need to remind you that this isn't a game? I've explained this to you before, Pet. You don't get to hit the off button when you feel that you've had enough and you certainly don't get the liberties that you're choosing to take right now.” His smile finally dripped off his face as his eyes took on an inundation storm, his features becoming rather weathered as he added, “you're forgetting to whom you belong.”

 

Kagome swallowed again, feeling her throat starting to swell. It was as if he was standing before her again, his hand clamped shut around her windpipe and she was struggling to breathe. How his words held so much power, she would never understand. What she understood at the current moment was that this was quickly going over her head. She would drown before this conversation was done. “Belonged, Bankotsu, past tense please. I belonged to you, and then you chose to violate our trust.”

 

Bankotsu's eyes widened as he actually laughed loudly. “I violated our trust? Who is the little whore who couldn't keep her legs closed?”

 

“You've never argued about my legs being open, at least not that I can remember.”

 

Bankotsu's patience was running thin. With a very hearty sigh, he relented, “I want to see you. I think we need to have a long talk.” The conversation was going nowhere, and the last thing he needed was to take a three-hour drive into New Jersey to smack the little wench who dared to challenge him.

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes, her fingers nervously strumming against her desk. “Funny, I think I just summed it up. We're done, finished, end of story, close the book, pack the bags and get out of dodge. I'm not coming back up there.” And she meant that from the bottom of her heart.

 

Bankotsu dipped his chin towards his chest, relying in those self-help books for keeping his temper in check. “Kagome,” he tried to reason, “I know I fucked up. I understand why you want us to be over, but you have to realize that my reaction was only because of your action. You know the laws of science, as well as the laws of my world; every action as a separate but equal reaction. You fucked around with a filthy hanyou; I beat some sense into you. It seems, however, that I must have pushed that envelop.”

 

Kagome's jaw fell open. Stealing a glimpse at the mirror next to her dresser, she could see the outline of the bruises set on her jaw and on her cheeks. The lacerations were still scarred over and she still didn't have full motion of her jaw back, but beyond that, she was still suffering from the knowledge that he would dare to do that to her. However, to sit there and listen to the son of a bitch make it sound like the abuse was an everyday product, she wanted to hit him hard enough to make him cry. “What makes you think you pushed it too far, Bankotsu? All the blood you had to have steam cleaned from your apartment or the fact that you said you would have killed me that night? Because yeah, I think you might have gone a little overboard.”

 

“I would not have, Kagome, if you had simply listened to me to begin with. I warned you about Puck, I warned you to stay away from him or something bad would happen.”

 

Sarcasm dripped from her lips as she snapped back; “I figured you meant he would try to kill me or something of that nature. A little less ambiguity would be a wonderful thing, Bankotsu. There's a lesson for you for life.”

 

Bankotsu opened his eyes and glared at his computer, willing it to burst into flames simply to abide his rising ire. “An order is an order, Chibi, regardless of how it sounds. If I tell you to…”

 

“Oh shove it, Bankotsu. I don't want to hear about your rules and regulations. I'm telling you I'm out.”

 

“And I'm telling you you're not. I want you up here to see me, and we will talk about this.” Taking a pause, Bankotsu slouched back in his chair and ran a hand over his face. “Kagome, this has gotten out of hand. I don't want you to be afraid of me…”

 

“Too late for that, Oberon. You made your bed, now you get to sleep in it. There is no way I'm going back up there to see you! I don't want to end up in some abandoned warehouse somewhere, thanks.”

 

“How…what…who…” Bankotsu was actually at a loss of words. He had never wanted Kagome to hear about his last servant and her untimely death. Her demise was something in the making for a few months, but nevertheless, he didn't want it to upset the relationship he had with Kagome, nor her induction into his fetish.

 

“Jakotsu told me the truth. You were cheating on me while we were dating, just like you've been cheating on your fiancée.” Only after the words slipped from her mouth did she really think about what she had said. Once again, she placed Jakotsu on the front line of danger.

 

Bankotsu licked his lips and attempted to repair some of the damage wrought upon his head. “Kagome, do you think me that much of a monster to just see you dead somewhere for what…my satisfaction? I still love you, Kagome…”

 

“Don't!” Kagome's eyes widened as she just about screamed over him, “Don't you dare say that shit. You don't love me, you jack ass! You don't do this to the people you love! You don't beat them until they nearly die, with the intention of killing them. And you especially don't do that and then tell them that you love them!”

 

Bankotsu stared at the phone for a minute, understanding that this conversation was dead. With an air of remorse, he quickly added, “Look, I will be expecting you here tomorrow. If you don't come up to see me, then I'll be down on Friday to see you.” Dropping the phone on the receiver, he ended the conversation, just like he ended the life of the monitor that rested on his desk as he abruptly flailed out his arm and sent the machine hurtling across the room.

 

Kagome stared at the phone's LCD for a moment before slowly snapping the device shut. Swallowing thickly, she quickly deposited it on the desk in front of her and stared at it in trepidation. For a moment she faltered, her synapses misfiring in an array of bright colors. Licking her lips slowly, she looked as if she feared the phone would flip itself open and the bastard himself would step from the tiny circuits. Tapping her hands against the back of her wooden chair, she stared at the phone for a moment longer. She could hear her pulse in her ears and feel the sweat beading on her forehead.

 

`What did I just start?'

 

Spinning on her heels, Kagome dashed for the door, not once looking back over her shoulder at the tiny device that was vibrating across her desk.

 

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*XX*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

 

 

Sulking across campus, InuYasha had his hands shoved into his pants pockets as he dragged himself in the direction of Kagome's dorm. He wasn't sure what he was going to say or do at this point; he was actually at a complete loss as for how to handle the mess he had dug himself into. Kikyo had talked to him the night before about fidelity and how she wanted to make a stronger commitment to their relationship and the thought had nearly made him sick. It wasn't that he despised Kikyo most of the time; he just wasn't overly fond of her. She was a good person, at times, but she had what InuYasha considered bad blood in her. He had it too with all thanks due to his father, but it was diluted by some strains of humanity, much like how his brother's wasn't. InuYasha knew that Kikyo was a product of her upbringing; she believed she was better than the world because her parents constantly told her that she was. That's how the bad blood worked; they would have this misconception about their lives that entitled them to believe that their shit didn't stink.

 

`What about Kagome? She had a father who was just as ruthless as yours and Kikyo's, but she's…perfect.' InuYasha hated that he had to make critical analyses to the voices in his head, but that damn youkai made sense. Kagome was raised under a blue-blooded mogul, but she had her mother to sway her away from her father's foul aura. From what Kikyo had slandered about Kagome's mother, InuYasha had to admit that she sounded…human. `I'd love to meet that woman and shake her hand for spiting in the face of money,' he mused as he passed by Edison Hall.

 

As the smile slipped from his face, he was cast back into the gloomy pit of despair. What was he to do about his situation? He was hardly able to keep from screaming Kagome's name when he was with Kikyo the prior night, and found it all the more difficult than ever before to even look at his long time girlfriend. As she spoke about making a stronger commitment and deepening their communication or some bullshit like that, all he could think about was how much he wished it was Kagome in bed with him. But it wasn't, and it wouldn't be; they were heading for imminent disaster if they kept it up and InuYasha had a sneaking suspicion that Kikyo was beginning to suspect something. Not about him and Kagome, but more so about him and his rather scandalous tendencies of the late.

 

`Damnit, what kind of hole have I dug myself now?' All the girls he had met at the clubs and dominated…those nightly relationships were merely for kicks. Kagome however, was something real; so real it actually scared him. He was starting to feel as if he needed Kagome to be by his side and the thought of relying on someone beside himself scared the snot out of him. This emotional attachment, however, was the first that he had ever felt that he needed more than air, and the hell he was going to let it walk away. `But how can I not? We can't be together. We can't make this work. If I get out now, I might escape alive.' But would he? Could he actually walk away from what he had started? The answer was dim.

 

“Yo, Yash, wait up.”

 

Letting his head roll back to his left shoulder, he closed his eyes and slowly turned to his left, knowing that hell was about to break against the cliffs of his life. He had tried to put all thoughts of Miroku out of his mind for the previous night, feeling awful enough with the mess he had already created. Seppuku*** was starting to look like a great escape plan at the current moment.

 

Miroku broke into a slow jog to catch up to InuYasha, Sango in tow a few steps behind. Reaching his friend's side, he grabbed InuYasha's left arm and dragged him away from Sango by a few feet, his eyes hardening to a steel blue. “What the hell happened last night?” He seethed once they were out of earshot.

 

InuYasha blinked wearily before drawing his chin to his chest and scratching his neck. “Yeah, about that…”

 

“Don't. I really don't want to hear it.”

 

InuYasha glanced up and immediately wished he hadn't. The look of anger didn't suit his life long friend, especially when it was directed at InuYasha himself. With a grimace, he slowly nodded, understanding Miroku's ire. “Look, guy...”

 

Miroku shook his head and moved a step closer to InuYasha in a feeble attempt to control the tone of his voice. “Don't guy me, InuYasha. You should have had my back last night and you know it! You stood there like some pussy whipped chump letting your bitch talk like that to me. Honestly, I really thought you were escaping Yzma's**** clutches, but damn man, you ran with your dick between your legs on that one.”

 

InuYasha counted backwards from ten but found it did little to settle that churning in his stomach. Stealing a glance at Miroku to find him fuming and awaiting an answer, InuYasha found himself at a loss. “First off,” he started rather indignantly after a moment, “I'm hardly pussy whipped by Kikyo.”

 

“That's a load of crap and you know it!”

 

“It is not! Look, you started with her Miroku. You're the one who always starts the verbal battles, so what do you expect?”

 

“I expect my brother to side with me.”

 

“Over my girlfriend?”

 

“No, over your whore.”

 

InuYasha pursed his lips and shook his head slowly, attempting to keep from lashing out at Miroku. Yeah, Miroku was right in some aspects, but damn it, so was he! “This is what I'm talking about, Miro. You get so bent out of shape over her that you can't even talk straight. What's your deal with her? I mean, you can't even be in the same room as her for five minutes. You're worse than I was with Kagome!”

 

“And you're now fucking Kagome, what's your insinuation?”

 

InuYasha grimaced and glanced behind Miroku to see a rather infuriated Sango. With a wince, he looked back at Miroku and clearly stated, “I have not, nor am I going to, fuck Kagome.”

 

“Right. And I'm going to join the Roman Catholic priesthood.”

 

With a grunt, InuYasha was slowly coming to the understanding that this conversation was about as pointless as a round table. “Look, Miro, honestly dude I know last night was a bust. You shouldn't have started with Kikyo, and Sesshoumaru might I add, and I should have stuck up for you more. There's no reason for you to sleep at Sango's…” raising an eyebrow, he slowly added, “or is there?”

 

The left corner of Miroku's mouth twitched, wanting to slide into his trademark lecherous grin, but he refrained. “We're discussing your fuck ups, not mine.”

 

“Miroku, I don't want you to feel that you need to stay with Sango, but let me remind you that it was your idea for me to chase after Sesshoumaru.”

 

Miroku rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “I never said invite the douche to live with us. I just said that you should listen to him. See, I can see past the end of my own nose to know what's right and what's wrong.”

 

InuYasha's eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. “Keep telling those lies, Pinocchio. Maybe one day you'll be a real boy.”

 

“I'm all man, InuYasha, and I'm not delusional. I see the real Kikyo, the one you can't see. I see the money grubbing blue-blooded snot-nosed bitch that you're too afraid to dump. I see that she's got fangs, claws and a blood lust for rich bastards. I'm shocked that she hasn't jumped onto your brother's cock yet.”

 

InuYasha decided to end the argument. Looking past Miroku at Sango, he inclined his head. “Thank you for letting him stay at your place last night, Sango.”

 

“Personally,” she remarked while crossing her arms, “I think it should have been you sleeping out on the grass.”

 

His ire crackled in his aura. “Good to see you too.” With a roll of his eyes, InuYasha looked back to Miroku. “And you say that Kikyo's less pleasant than that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With a defined sigh, Sango walked up to the boys and leveled InuYasha with a nasty glare. “Tell me what you're planning with Kagome.”

 

“Oh sweet Jesus,” InuYasha abruptly yelled before whipping around to stare at Sango, “Can't you leave me alone about that shit? I have no fucking clue what I want to happen there! All I know is that I'm …” he paused dead in the sentence, swallowed thickly and rerouted his train of thought, “…fucking everything up right now.” So it was the truth…in variation at least. `What was I about to say,' he wondered as he slowly reflected back on the comment.

 

The smile that suddenly grew on Sango's face completely offset the hanyou. “You're as confused about this as she is, aren't you?”

 

InuYasha couldn't help the word vomit that fell out of his mouth after that. “She's said something about me to you?”

 

Sango smiled for the first time at the boy directly. “No, but I can see it on her face, just like I can on yours. I know you think I'm a little crazy over Kagome, but you have to understand, she's like my sister. When I say that she's like my sister, I mean all we're missing is the same type of blood. We used to be how you and Miroku are, but then I moved back to Japan and things fell apart. We've always kept in contact and I know everything she's been through. There have been a lot of assholes, InuYasha, and I need to know that what you're planning isn't going to just set her back further than the others have.”

 

InuYasha suddenly found a profound interest in the girl before him. Leaning his head closer to her, his violet found her cinnamon and fiercely held her gaze. “What kind of set backs are we talking about?” Did Sango know who was hurting Kagome? If she knew this entire time and never told him, he'd have her head on a plate by morning!

 

Sango read his expression quickly and calmed his fears. “I mean that she's dated a lot of assholes. Bankotsu wasn't quite the winner that he was hyped up to be, and Kouga was a complete douche. Add in that asshole in Japan and…”

 

InuYasha wrinkled his nose and held up a hand to slow her down. “What asshole in Japan?”

 

Sango waved her hand, pushing off the issue with enough fervor to counteract her movements. She was nervous which only led InuYasha to believe that she had slipped. . “It's nothing; it was a summer thing a number of years back that she had with this older guy who was an asshole, much like you.”

 

InuYasha did the math quickly and came back with another question. “She hasn't been to Japan since she was fourteen. You mean that she found someone when she was out there for the summer?”

 

Sango made a face, still slightly annoyed that he knew her history that fast. “You have some unresolved stalker tendencies, don't you?”

 

“That was the year that I started dating Kikyo. I remember her telling me that she was supposed to go with Kagome but couldn't because her mother got sick.”

 

Miroku, who had remained oddly quiet, offered, “It's also when Kagome's mother cheated on her father.”

 

Sango rolled her eyes, her mouth twitching to say something, but she refrained. With something that looked like a pang of sadness swelling in her orbs, she switched back the conversation. “InuYasha, I know that you have feelings Kagome, I'm sure anyone who has seen you with her knows this, but you're setting her up for heartache if you keep it going.”

 

InuYasha snapped his head to look at Sango, his eyes narrowed. “Like hell, I'd never let her get hurt.”

 

He really didn't like that sad smile on Sango's face. “You might not want her to be hurt, but I'm telling you that it's going to happen. She's going to get attached to you and whatever it is that you're `not' doing to her, and when you can't get the balls to ditch Kikyo, she's going to be thrown to the side again like a piece of used luggage.”

 

InuYasha opened his mouth then shut it on a second though. She was right, and he hated to admit that. There was no way he was going to leave Kikyo, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't afford for his father to disown him from the family for `breaking an arrangement'. He had to suffer until he was ready to stand on his own two feet, and that would mean giving up Kagome. The thought made him sick. `Two weeks ago I wouldn't have given this a second thought. Why now am I so attached to this girl?'

 

“You really still want to be like your big brother, Yash?”

 

Turning his head, InuYasha leveled Miroku with a no-nonsense glower. “No, Miro, you know I gave up that nightmare a long time ago.”

 

“Have you?” leaning closer to InuYasha, Miroku mentioned; “You know he married Kagura because Daddy said so, and we've seen where that's gotten him. Can we say alimony for life?”

 

InuYasha's violet eyes took on a hue of indigo as he stared at Miroku. Shaking his head once, he pushed away from the group. There was no way he was going to compare himself to the Prince. Sesshoumaru chose his life piece by piece, and watching that fall to pieces made life seem desolate. “Look, I'm not going to sit here and talk with you about stuff that doesn't concern you. I'm sorry about last night, Miro, but you need to understand that everything you say will have a consequence. You can't go around bad mouthing the world then cry when it bites back.”

 

“Maybe you're right, InuYasha, and maybe I do instigate a lot of shit, but I do it because you can't and because you're becoming blind to it. I always thought it was by way of fault that you were blind to it but the more I see it, the more I'm realizing that you're choosing to ignore it. You have something good in front of you right now; Kagome's someone who could do you right, but you're going to miss it because you're chicken shit to stand up to your dad.”

 

InuYasha snorted. “Fuck if you understand any of this! You don't know what it's like to live up to Dad's rules. If I piss him off, Miro, we lose the apartment. He'll pull the lease faster than we can blink.”

 

“So then we get jobs and actually pay our on way. I'm all fuzzy inside that your dad's paid for us this long, but it's your life, Yash and if you keep living it for Daddy, it will be you on my couch in five years crying over an impending divorce and a fucked up life that you haven't lived.”

 

“You don't know how bad it could get if I cast off my Dad, Miro. I've seen it, it's not pretty.”

 

“What will he do? Come after you with a civil suit? Demand that you repay him for your education and car? He can't kill you, InuYasha. Somehow, I think you're blowing this all out of proportion.”

 

Sango, who had done her best to keep out of their personal conversation, threw in her two cents. “Miroku's right, InuYasha. You're too chicken shit to take control of your own life, probably because you're afraid you'll fuck it up.”

 

InuYasha blistered within two seconds. “Fuck you, bitch, you don't know shit about me or my family!” Shaking his head, he pivoted and stormed away, leaving Miroku and Sango in his wake. He'd show them, he'd take control of his life and live the way he wanted. And he'd do it with Kagome at his side; he just needed to figure out how.

 

*X*X*X*X*XX*X*X*X*X*

 

 

Kagome snuggled further into the chair next to Rin, her chin resting on the desk in the lobby of Birch hall. “I can't believe he actually had the audacity to ask me to go there.” Kagome's brown eyes still shined with unshed tears, her lashes still wet with the tears of her soul.

 

Rin swiveled around once in the chair, her eyes hardened on the wall in front of her. Putting down her feet, she faced Kagome and rested her cheek on the counter to look into Kagome's downtrodden eyes. “I'll call Sesshoumaru.”

 

Kagome snapped up from the desk, her mouth hanging open at the hinge. After a moment, she quickly fumbled out a mix of sentences, all constructed in haste. “No, you can't, you wouldn't, not yet, I can still fix this!”

 

Rin scoffed and sat back in her chair, slowly crossing her arms over her chest. “You're full of it, Kagome! There's no way in hell you could take him on and win. He'd play dirty the minute he saw you.” Seeing that she wasn't moving any mountains with her train of thought, she switched gears. “He threatened you, Kagome. He threatened you, your family, your friends, hell, just about everything that you are! You're seriously going to just sit on you ass until he makes a move?” Seeing Kagome's hesitation, Rin pushed forward, praying that Kagome would understand that she was standing on a precipice with no way out but down. “What will you do if he just shows up at your dorm Friday? What would you say to him in front of Kikyo? What's worse, what if he shows up and you're alone? How can you fight him off?” Shutting her mouth before adding in something along the lines of finding a body, Rin grit her teeth and silently pleaded that Kagome would come to reason.

 

Kagome shifted her weight in her seat, her eyes narrowing slightly in concern. “I'll figure it out. I mean he can't really just take me out in the dorm without expecting to get caught! I know…” she hesitated, knowing that she was starting to get to boisterous with his name. “I know him, and I know he wouldn't do that.”

 

Rin seemed eternally doubtful. “Apparently you don't know him at all, because I know he's done it in the past!”

 

“It's different with me.”

 

Rin exhaled loudly and slumped over, smacking her left cheek down onto the table. Lying halfway across the desktop, she stared up at Kagome. “Do you know how much of a victim you sound like right now? Those bruises must have gone to your brain, because girl, you're acting like some delusional abused girlfriend who keeps going back for more. You know what he did is wrong, right?”

 

At Rin's second prodding Kagome refocused her attention. “Yes, I know what he did was wrong. He broke our trust.”

 

“He beat the snot out of you, that's first and foremost.” Rin's lips dipped lower in their set scowl that had been engraved on her face since Kagome had come to her in hysterical tears. “I think you keep missing that point.”

 

Kagome glanced around the lobby, debating on whether or not to slip into politics for a moment. “Rin…” sliding her chair closer, she lowered her voice. “Abuse happens in Dom/Sub relationships. It's not abuse though, its punishment.”

 

Rin lifted her head to stare dead into Kagome's eyes. “If you say that you deserved it, I'll throw up on you…more specifically, on you.”

 

Kagome backed up almost immediately. Something told her that Rin was far from joking. “I'm not saying that he should have beaten the hell out of me. I knew that there would be some sort of retribution…but I never thought he would be capable of…” she paused and hung her head. “I'm more hurt Rin, that he broke our vow of trust.”

 

Rin scrunched up her nose. “I'd be more pissed that he nearly broke my face, but hell, that's my opinion.”

 

Kagome sighed, giving up on her argument. Rin would never understand the logistics behind her words, behind her explanation. She would continue to sound like some sort of abuse victim when in fact she was so much more. Letting her head loll back, she shut her eyes. “Can I just tap my heels three times and say `There's no place like home' and then vanish and none of this would have happened?”

 

Rin glanced behind Kagome and sat up a little straighter. “No, but you can say `fee fie foe fum?'”

 

Kagome raised an eyebrow before she heard her voice.

 

“Hey girls, you guys having a pow-wow or something down here?”

 

Kagome tensed up, her eyes slowly closing. This was the only other person she had yet to face and it was probably the one she was dreading the most. Turning slowly to look at her cousin, she watched Kikyo's face darken as she caught sight of the bruising around Kagome's cheeks and mouth. Opening her mouth to speak, she blinked when Kikyo beat her to the punch.

 

“What the hell happened? Oh my god! Kagome!” Kikyo dropped the bag she was holding from the Monmouth Mall and raced to her cousin's side. Nearly ripping Kagome's hair out, she grabbed the back of Kagome's head and tilted her face up into the lights. Examining the bruises thoroughly with her eyes set with brimstone, Kikyo slowly sat back and dared her cousin to lie. “I want to know exactly what you aren't telling me, and I want to know now. We're done with this game.”

 

Kagome winced, never quite hearing a tone so much like her father's come from Kikyo's mouth. For a moment, Kagome actually shrunk away from her normally airy cousin. “Kik, not here. I promise I'll…”

 

Kikyo stood up and grabbed Kagome's arm, yanking her up out of the chair. “No, I'm done waiting. I've pretended before like I didn't see the other bruises, I've laughed off your days that you go missing, but not this time. You're telling me everything, and I swear to God, if you lie to me I'll…I'll…”

 

Kagome snorted once, dragging her feet as she followed behind her enraged roommate. “You'll what? Ground me, not let me go out with my friends?”

 

Kikyo pivoted around to stare at Kagome, her face a mask of misdirected anger. She was livid with whoever did this to Kagome, and unfortunately Kagome was the only person to direct the rage onto. It didn't matter though because by time she had the truth, whoever did this, would be sitting in an oubliette for the rest of their life. “I'm sure your father would love to know about this.”

 

Kagome actually blanched. Taking a serious interest in her cousin at the moment, Kagome waved her hands frantically. “No, no, no need to get hasty.”

 

Kikyo shook her head slowly before wrapping her hand around Kagome's bicep. “Rin, can you just get those bags for me and keep them down here? When I'm done with my cousin, I'll come back down for them.” Not bothering with courtesy, she pulled Kagome away from the reception desk. She wanted her answers and she wanted them now. Her cousin had been lying to her for too long and now Kikyo was worried. Why did it seem that within a day, her world was systematically falling apart?

 

*X*X*X*XX*X*X*X*X*X*XX*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*

 

-sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out. I've had a crap load of homework to do, but I am now done with school. ::does a jig:: Now all I need to do is pass my finals and I can graduate college. Best six years of my life….>.<

 

*- quote back to Eddie Izzard.

**- William Fioravanti- a designer for males in which the suits start somewhere around five to ten grand a piece. Can we say ouch?

***- Seppuku- ritual suicide that was a noble way to die during the previous eras in Japan.

****- Yzma: the bitch in the Emperor's New Groove who got Kuzco turned into a lama.

***- Oubliettes- serious types of dungeons from the French renaissance.

 

MM.org Shout outs:

 

Drake Clawfang: they can talk the talk, but we'll see if she can keep her word. As you can tell, he might not give her the choice. >.< I don't know how long I'm looking at. The entire end of the story was kind of off set by present day events so I need to reconsider. I'm hoping about 40 to 50. nothing more. LOL, yeah the hamster wheel one was something I read somewhere and just needed to shovel in. ^__^

 

Inukag_obsession: lol, it's not that easy. Refer back to chapter seven to understand why marrying Kagome wouldn't be like marrying Kikyo (she and her mother was excommunicated from the family because her mother cheated on the father. the father's the blue blood that Toga wants connections with). ^__^ but yesh, Yash is a baka. >.<

 

Oyuki: yeah, Rin and Kag know each other's secret, but we'll see if them telling was a smart move. because you know…things can always get around. >.< but yeah, it's great that they are close!

 

Inu_inu_luvluv: LOL. Kikyo will be around but as for the game, don't worry, it will be upped VERY soon. ^__^ WOO HOO, more cookies!!! ::dances around:: cookies, cookies, cookies!!! Sorry so long for an update, it won't be that long for the next one, promise. No more 15 page papers!!!

 

Silveraloria: yesh, Kenren is Sesshiles kid. But…inu doesn't know that. imagine the assumptions he can make. ~_^ I LOVE writing Miroku, he's just so damn easy and loveable. Being that Bankotsu is bad, I kind of took his personality from COTD and shoveled part of it into Miroku for this one. It fits. I can say that Miroku is going to tone down some in the upcoming chapters, but don't worry, he'll still be the wit of the group.

Leilachan: when the shit hits the fan, it's best to duck. Because all the shit is going to hit relatively close at one time. And that's gonna be a messy situation. Yah, miro has sesshophobia (that's GREAT!!!!) I couldn't think of anything greater then miro with scissors. I mean, come on…Sesshoumaru with short hair? Hehehhe.

 

Radhika: uh oh. ….hmm…promises…. ::runs away:: ^__^;;

 

Axel720: ::glomps Axel:: woot, you caught up!!! hehehe. I can't SHOOT Kikyo. …yet. ~_^ so why do I kill you?

 

2lazy2putmymanein: I want to see, I want to see!! ::whines like a child:: pueze? Miro's priceless. >.<

 

Toyas_gurl: nah, they'll meet up soon, but not this fast. Can't really Kikyo hate in this that strongly, cause both her and Yasha boy are in the wrong. She'll get to be more detestable though. Promise. A brawl? Not per say. But I'm sure it wouldn't be good for her to walk in on them, now would it? ~_^ thanks!!!! ^__^

 

Girl_X_16: Miro is my hero as well. If I can ever write in `Jiro, he'll take over that role but for now, Miro holds it. ^__^ he's the most fun to write. Yes, you will meet Kenren shortly, promise. I plan on drawing him, but we'll see. ^__^

 

Autumn_the_reviewer: sorry for such a long wait. I promise the next one will be a LOT faster!! Exactly! And it's good that Rin knows some people who have some power behind them, ya know? that's a much more important point. ^__^

 

TrinityK- you're right. the previous chapter was kind of a turning point for all, and this one only added to it for Inu. Like he keeps saying, it's not a game at this point, and they are both starting to grow up to realize that. But see, I like cunning bad guys. The type cast evil (like Naraku kind of was in COTD) are to…bland. When they can come at you without actually touching you, now that's a powerful bad guy. I love those types. I'm aiming for a young Anthony Hopkins psycho appeal with Bankotsu.

 

Jewell: thanks! I'm glad that you like it!

 

Kat8125: thanks! It's fun to write and I'm glad that it's accepted by others as adequate. ^__^