InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Gray ❯ Ashes of Eden ( Chapter 25 )

 

 

~<>~ Shades of Gray ~<>~

 

~<>~ Chapter 25 ~<>~ Ashes of Eden

 

 

 

“Come on, Sango, you can afford to be away from the letch for a few hours. We haven't spent real time together since I introduced you to Miroku!”

 

Walking around the confined spaces of the dorm room, Kagome was nearly at her wits end. She had been cooped up inside nearly all day after sleeping through her first class. Kikyo was sprawled out on the floor of the room watching their thirteen-inch television and homicide was beginning to clout Kagome's thoughts. Her cousin was so blithely oblivious to Kagome's transgressions with her boyfriend that Kagome wanted to vomit. Maybe she was starting to feel bad, maybe it was her long buried conscious; hell, maybe it was the fucking ghost of Christmas past, but whoever was haunting Kagome's thoughts, it just redirected her ire to the dolt in front of her.

 

Sango was her last hope, her salvation from this fort of insanity. She needed to explode about her and InuYasha and get some real feedback from someone with more than half a brain. She hadn't seen Rin downstairs when she went down to check the mail and could only guess that it was her day off. She was half tempted to call the girl but she second-guessed herself when thinking of the baby that could be sleeping. That was another problem all on its own; she had to keep her mouth shut to InuYasha about Rin's son.

 

With all these secrets filling her brain, Kagome needed some mental relief and it was coming in the form of Sango whether the girl was ready for it or not. Switching her cell phone from one ear to the other, she shot a bemused Kikyo a flashy smile and then barricaded herself in the bathroom. Turning to push her back against the door, Kagome lowered her voice into a whisper. “Please Sango, I'm going insane. I'm stuck here with Kikyo.”

 

Sango groaned loudly and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Sitting up, she stretched and checked the clock. She had been having a wonderful dream when the cell phone had so rudely woken her from her slumber. Kagome sounded desperate and Sango could sympathize with any Kikyo-related problem. With a muffled yawn, Sango stretched again. “You're needy, I hope you know that.”

 

Kagome made a face at her phone and whined lowly. “San-go, please! Come on, onee-san! Gomen?” Knowing that the language card would be almost as powerful as her Kikyo card, she dared Sango to deny her after that performance.

 

With a very non-discrete grunt, Sango rubbed her face and glanced once more at the clock. It was Eleven o'clock and though staying in bed was a wonderful idea, seeing her long lost sister was an even better once. “You know, Kagome, you owe me; that means I was some really good gossip. Not the kid stuff; I want to know what is going on with you and InuYasha. I want to know where, when, why and how many times!”

 

Kagome was sure that her cheeks turned pink as she glanced at the closed door with a dubious glower, as if it would tell her secret. Bringing her mouth infinitely closer to the speaker, she whispered, “not here, Sango. I promise I'll give you all the gossip. Tell you what, I'll even drive! Let me get out of here and I'll come pick you up!”

 

There was a hesitation on Sango's part and what sounded like skin smacking against skin that caused Kagome's eyebrow to arch. “Are you there by yourself?” Kagome didn't wait for an answer. “Oh Sango, you whore! Oh, it sounds like I'm not the only one with stories to tell!”

 

Sango was about to tell Kagome not to bother coming to pick her up when a hand slithered across her flat board stomach and up her chest to rest against her right breast. Pulling her backwards into a warm chest, lips assaulted her neck opposite of the phone with whispers of, “tell her to wait twenty minutes, she'll understand.” Turning and slapping his hand away from her breast, her mouthed `shut up' was useless against Kagome's keen perception. With a roll of her eyes, Sango couldn't help the color that flustered to her cheeks as well. “I'm sure. Let's not call the kettle black yet though, shall we Pot?”

 

Kagome grunted with confirmation to her friend's statement. With a giddy laugh, she quickly made plans to meet up with Sango at The Inkwell in a half hour. “Be good,” she taunted her friend as they ended their conversation, “and tell that Letch to keep his hands off of you; you're mine and its Tuesday.”

 

“It's Friday and we've missed enough Tuesday's for that to be null and void,” Sango shot back. Their inside joke apparently struck something in Miroku, because the boy was all ears on the conversation looking like a child on Christmas morning coming to find a Pony under his tree; or in his case, a chance at a bi-encounter of the close kind.

 

“Bye Miroku,” Kagome shouted before hanging up her phone. Pushing the device to her chest for a moment, she sat in contemplation. Apparently Sango and Miroku were doing a lot better than she thought they would ever chance. Sango wasn't a whore, nothing near it as a matter of fact. For Sango to be sleeping with Miroku there had to be something serious in the works and Kagome couldn't wait to drag it out of her friend. Regardless of Kikyo's warnings, Kagome liked Miroku and was sure that he could be a good thing for her wayward friend.

 

Standing up, Kagome could only imagine the conversations that her comment must have conjured between the couple. Sango and Kagome had always joked of being lovers but only on Tuesdays. It was a harmless joke that had started after Sango left New Jersey; it was their illicit affair day that they would sneak away to spend together on the phone. The joke had lasted for nearly a decade, and Kagome was glad to see that it wasn't dying anytime soon.

 

Glancing in the mirror to her left, she assessed her bruises as she busied herself with washing her face. They had been lightening significantly over the past week, but the wounds were still just that. The swelling in her jaw had dissipated but her skin was still bruised in ugly shades of purple and yellow and in a rare case or two, puke shades of green. Her left eye was still a little swollen around her upper lid but beyond that, the bruises were the only marks of the hideous transgressions. Her jaw was still tender to the touch but she could live with that; what mattered was that she was alive.

 

It scared her how little she thought of all of this over the past four days: a week ago this morning she had nearly been killed. A week ago she was beaten and raped by the man she had once loved. A week ago a part of her life was stolen away from her; yet it hardly seemed like anything beyond a dream looking back. Ever since she woke up next to InuYasha he had been all that preoccupied her mind. He was her first thought in the morning and her last at night. It sickened her in some ways to see how little she worried for Jakotsu or for Sha. Both men had risked their lives for her and she hadn't heard from either. `I haven't thought of either,' she contemplated with growing agita. Knowing that she had some phone calls to make, at least to check on her beloved Jackie-boy, she took out a washcloth and began to wash her face.

 

From behind the bathroom walls Kagome heard a sound knock echo against the wooden planks that marked their door. With a grunt she hurried herself up. The last thing she wanted to see was InuYasha and Kikyo in one of their sessions. After the amazing sex in the dressing room and the impromptu make out session in his Hummer when they had returned to the dorms, she was sure that she couldn't see him with another woman. The thought made her hair stand on end and her nails extend. She would fight someone for this man, and it sucked that it would be her cousin.

 

“Just don't say anything to him,” she muttered to herself as she dried her face. She had to mentally prepare herself for the worst-case scenario. A month ago that would have consisted of her walking out to find her cousin and InuYasha in some sexual position; today that thought seemed completely illogical. If that were to have happened a month ago, she would have yelled about being blinded in part jest and stumbled from the room as fast as she could. Today if she walked out to find her cousin in anything less than a ten-foot distance from her man, Kagome was sure that she would claw her cousin's eyes out.

 

`Bad Kagome,' she thought with a whine. `You can't claim him, he's not yours! Damnit, this is why we said we're stopping this nonsense!' Taking a deep breath, she continued to prep herself as she walked out the door. This would be tough, but getting to see Sango made it bearable or at least so she told herself.

 

Taking two steps from the bathroom, she felt as if someone punched her in the stomach as she slid to a dead halt. Kikyo stood at the doorway, leaning against the wood with a giant smile plastered on her face talking a certain handsome black haired individual. Her body language and the sparkle in her eyes spoke of the flirtatious nature of the conversation. Her hand went out every so often to brush invisible lint off his jacket. Kikyo's laugher was genuine and all together made Kagome quite ill; so ill in fact that Kagome was shocked she had not yet spilt the contents of her stomach across the floor. Kagome let out a huff of air that seemed to be ripped from her lungs, a slight whimper attached to it. In the same moment, her entire body clenched as both parties turned to stare at her and her cell phone slipped from her hand and clattered nosily to the ground.

 

Kikyo's eyes followed the cell phone in curiosity as the device was nearly dashed to the ground before slowly looking back up to her cousin. Kagome had been in a mood that morning, sulking around the room and quite obviously trying to ignore her presence in their dorm. Kikyo was quite sure that Kagome's temper had to do with ditching her the day prior, but Kagome wouldn't understand what was going on; and if she would understand Kikyo was sure that she could never look the girl in the eye again. This was her mess to clean up; she didn't need her cousin's help dealing with her mistakes. Even in such a mood however, Kikyo digressed, Kagome was not nearly half as pale as she was at the current moment. Something about seeing the man before her had set Kagome off like a rocket, and Kikyo's full attention was now squarely on the shoulders of her friend and relative. “Kagome look who's come to see us!”

 

Kagome's mouth slipped open but no words would work on her tongue. Dragging her eyes away from her cousin, they crashed like a kamikaze pilot in the oceanic pool of aqua marine that stared back at her brazenly. “Bankotsu…what a surprise.” Her hand grabbed the side of the door as all of her bruises began to hurt at once. The wounds that had healed burned and the scars of her heart bled as she hung on for dear life to the doorknob. She was sure that she was shaking; if not visibly she would be shocked. What was he doing there? Their phone interactions two days previous sounded off in her head and the rest of the color in her face drained to her feet. `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'. He had warned her and she had ignored him. He had ordered her back to the scene of the crime last night and she had blissfully blown him off. Was he going to kill her this time? Was he here to end it all? Would he call her out in front of her cousin and bring Kikyo into this mess?

 

Bankotsu watched Kagome with a feigned look of concern. A smile still twisted the left side of his lips skyward regardless of the situation. She was scared; she knew that she was in deep shit. “Hey Kiddo,” he purred out in a voice smooth as silk. Seeing the way she completely shut down to his presence gave him an adrenaline rush that could have made him king of the world. She was a point away from groveling, and if he had it his way by time he was done with her, she wouldn't be able to do anything else but.

 

Kagome's mouth moved but no words volunteered to come forth. Somehow she was aware of Kikyo glancing back and forth between the two, her smile fading into a look of curiosity. Kagome had to say something lest she allow her body language to tell Kikyo the truth. Kikyo had suspected Bankotsu in part for the bruises, but waved it off. If she completely shut down here, Kikyo would know the truth and then the reality of Kagome's sadistic world would come out. That word vomit couldn't happen; too much would be discovered and even more would be destroyed.

 

Bankotsu gave Kagome a minute to wallow in the awkwardness before offering an intervention. “How have you been?” The snide smile that lingered just behind his eyes was enough to make Kagome want to hurl. He knew she was suffering, he knew she was scared shitless, and he was rejoicing in it.

 

Kagome closed her eyes and opened them again, praying to God that she would wake up. Yet the devil still stood before her, dressed in a Brioni three-piece suit that cost him nearly as much as one year's tuition to school for Kagome. Forcing herself to start talking so that Kikyo wouldn't get involved in matters that didn't concern her, Kagome swallowed down the rising bile that had made its way to the back of her throat. “Hey…stranger…what are you doing here?” She couldn't help that her voice shook with every word, the annunciation quickly becoming jumbled and strung together hap-hazardously.

 

Bankotsu's smile was vicious while Kikyo's back was turned to him. It was the smile of a predator that had successfully backed his prey into a corner. “Actually,” he stated in a very slick sophisticated tone that completely undermined his sadistic nature, “I was in a meeting in Deal and thought, `Hell, I haven't seen my two favorite ladies in quite some time'. So I took a gamble that you still had the same dorm room as you did in the fall and decided to stop on by.” As Kikyo rounded back to stare at Bankotsu with a growing look of indecisiveness, he allowed the fake smile to drop from his lips. Slipping past Kikyo and taking three long strides across the room, he walked straight for Kagome.

 

Watching Bankotsu approach was like standing on a porch in Kansas watching the F5 tornado come straight at her. There was nothing on God's green earth that she could do to get out of the way of this disaster and instead of trying she simply stood like a deer in headlights. He came to a halt a few inches before her, his smile dark and his eyes filled with danger. His right hand moved up so suddenly she leapt as his fingers connected with the bottom of her jaw. She tensed, expecting a blinding pain to follow the movement. Nothing happened except her realizing that she had closed her eyes.

 

Opening one eye, she came to find Bankotsu staring at the bruises that marred her jaw line and her eyes carefully, like a patron examining a piece of art…more to the point, someone relishing in the final draft of their own design. There was a dark smile that lingered in his eyes that made Kagome's knees weak as he stared down at her. It wasn't a warm and fuzzy feeling that melted girls to pieces; it was a cruel gaze of a person teetering on the brink of insanity.

 

“Who did this to you?”

 

The question was so ridiculous that Kagome actually barked out a terse laugh. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she remained quiet for a moment before forcing herself to answer the ludicrous question. “Don't worry about it.” Her answer was nearly as cold as his demeanor. Trying to right herself where she stood, she attempted to collect her wit. She had to be able to think to get herself out of this mess; she had to be able to escape.

 

Her eyes darted from his to shift back to her cousin, who had taken up leaning against the wall with her arms loosely crossed over her chest. Kikyo had a look on her face that Kagome couldn't place, nor did she want to even try. What she wanted was for Bankotsu to disappear.

 

Bankotsu turned her chin from where he held her in his grasp, staring at all the markings that marred her face and her neck. Kagome could feel his fingers tighten upon the sight of one of the bruises that InuYasha had left just below the collar of her shirt from the pervious day. Closing her eyes, she wished to God that he would walk into the room at that current moment; he could save her, he could rescue her. But there was no InuYasha; there was little salvation from this maniac. Her best chance stood in the presence of her cousin.

 

“We'll talk about this later,” he whispered coldly as he released her chin and stepped away from the girl. “I don't like people messing with my girls, you know that.” The double meaning of his tiny speech was not lost upon his victim. Looking back at Kikyo, he nodded at her as well. “That goes for you too, princess. You know who did this to her?”

 

Kikyo's body language suggested otherwise but her smile was deceiving. “I have no clue, but I'm going to find out one day.” Kagome could hear a message behind her words; she could hear the bite that was engrained in them. Kikyo was issuing a challenge to Bankotsu, though as menial as it was.

 

For the first time in forever, Kagome wanted to hug her cousin. The glower that was starting to grow in Kikyo's eyes made Kagome question if she was beginning to piece things together. At the current moment, as long as she didn't walk out of the dorm with Bankotsu, life would be okay. If Kikyo put it together, it wouldn't be the end of the world; Kikyo would assume that Bankotsu beat her, she would get him out of the dorm and then grill Kagome as to why. Kagome would be able to lie about the nature of their relationship, she could concoct some story that would satisfy her cousin, and maybe this would all be behind her by tomorrow morning. A thousand thoughts were flying through Kagome's head at rapid speeds that made New York City Taxi's look like snails. Her brain was turning to mush so fast, she missed his response to Kikyo's jibe.

 

“I'm sorry, what?”

 

Bankotsu looked back at Kagome and smiled his cunning grin. “I asked if you two ladies had lunch plans. I would love to catch up with both of you.” His eyes tore into Kagome's, daring her to reject his plan. He knew that she was going to and she knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer. This was one hell of a serious pickle that no one was going to come out unscathed from.

 

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Was this a threat? Was he actually threatening to get Kikyo involved in their sick demented little world? Was he threatening to out her to her family for what she really was? `No, he's not that stupid. Kikyo's father is to powerful for him to play games with.' Sweat began to bead on Kagome's face as she questioned this man's intent. Would he tell Kikyo of Kagome's secret? Did it matter anymore? `Think of your mother and what she's lost to protect you, Kagome. Could you do that to her?' Her answer was dim and nauseated her.

 

Kikyo slowly shook her head no, her eyes now directly attached to her cousin's expression. “I do, I'm so sorry. Yasha and I are going to go to Olive Garden when he's out of class.”

 

Kagome was sure that Kikyo sensed her desperation. As soon as the statement was out of Kikyo's mouth, she was watching Kagome like a hawk to see if she would become even more nervous. `I'm giving this all away,' she realized at that moment. But did she really care? If Kikyo walked out of the room, there would be a cadaver there when she got back. But if Kikyo went with them, it would only put Kikyo in more trouble. Bankotsu could really lose his sanity and drag Kikyo into the mess head first, threatening her as he had half the people in Kagome's life. Her cousin was now onto the situation, and Kagome was unsure of how she felt about it. It would be best if Kikyo knew and was able to help protect her, but that stubborn pride inflicted by that bastard of a father of hers refused to let her dirty truths be known. There was too much on the line, to much shame for her mother to bear at the burden of Kagome's sins. She couldn't let Kikyo in on the secret. Her head was spinning with all these thoughts, all these contradictions. Should Kikyo know and save her, should Kagome keep the secrets with her to the grave?

 

Her best bet was to run, break into a full on run, knock Bankotsu down and just get the hell out of dodge. If she could reach the stairwell, she might be able to escape the situation. She could flee from it all; the lies, the pain, the truth, the tears and heartache that were doomed to ensue this situation. No matter what path she chose, whether to enlighten her cousin to her real life or to slip away and accept death by the hands of Bankotsu, she was doomed to a world of pain.

 

`But for how long are you going to run,' her mind questioned as she glowered at the man before her. `How long are you going to let him play you like a marionette? How long are you going to live in fear of this man?' A part of her just wanted to scream. There was no safe way from this situation; there was no easy solution or quick remedy. Someone was going to be hurt this night, and Kagome knew that she couldn't let it be Kikyo. She had no part in this, she had no role; if Bankotsu was here for blood it would only be Kagome's that he would receive.

 

Bankotsu stared at Kagome, reading her thoughts through her eyes before even she could internalize them. She was like the prey of a mighty hunter, staring death in its eyes. She was desperate for escape but there was none, and Bankotsu could see the reality of that knowledge creeping up from the shadows to smother her. She would be his and his alone to do with as he pleased…to dispose of as he pleased. She had dared to defy him again and this time there was no forgiveness. He would deal with her as he had others in the past. Though Kagome had meant the most to him out of the girls, there would be others just as beautiful and as tight as her.

 

Nodding his head towards the door, he held out his hand again to Kagome, beckoning her with his fingers. “Come, Kaggie, we'll have some lunch and catch up.” The sugary smile on his face was betrayed only by the darkness in his eyes.

 

Kagome swung around to stare at Kikyo, hoping that she hadn't picked up on her reluctance too much. Kagome didn't want her cousin to join them after all; it would be asking her to walk into a huge mess. Plastering a smile that was futile in its inhibitions, she had no words to offer. “Kik,” she ground out, trying not to sound overtly desperate. It was like trying to sum up her life's story in one nickname, one last word. She wanted Kikyo to understand that everything would be okay in the end, or at least cast that illusion over the situation. Kikyo had no part in this and it would stay that way.

 

With a slight hesitation, a light bulb popped on in her brain, casting a glimmer of light on this morbidly dreary situation. Nearly screaming out, she actually made Kikyo jump slightly at the pitch of her voice. “Sango!” Turning to cast Bankotsu an overtly cheesy grin, she batted her lashes and made a mad stride across the room for her purse. “I completely forgot! See what you do to me,” she joked with the driest tone, “anyway, I promised to pick her up for lunch! I can't leave without her and as much as I would love to…catch up…I just can't. Shucks.” Snapping her fingers and pouting, she tapped Bankotsu's shoulder with one hand and slid around him to head for the door. “Next time then, right?” She wasn't sure when her mouth took over and her body decided to follow it, but it seemed to have the right idea. Bankotsu would do nothing to Kikyo, he wouldn't risk that kind of war or inquisition by Kikyo's family. She was out of his grasp, therefore giving Kagome an open window to escape. If she could make it to the door without him interfering, she would just run for Sango. It was a plausible escape without seeming desperate or elusive; it wouldn't attract Kikyo's attention and she would remain out of harms grasp. He wouldn't wait around; he had to many important places to be. She would hide at Sango's, or Jackie's or hell, even InuYasha's until the next day and then reconsider how to respond to this. Right now though, she just needed out. She couldn't risk sitting around anymore. So with those quick words, she slithered out the door and took off down the hallway.

 

If looks could kill, Kagome was nearly sure that Bankotsu would have been dangerous enough to level a city block. He stood a little taller in his shoes, his back arched just slightly and his smile quickly dissipated into an indiscernible frown. Ignoring Kagome's bizarre reaction and Kikyo's confounded stare, he bowed slightly to Kikyo, “are you sure you aren't free, my dear? It really has been forever since I've spent any time with you.” Bankotsu had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out or ordering Kagome back to the scene. If he had turned on his heels and chased down the girl, Kikyo would have been too much a witness. She was already starting to slowly piece together these fragile shards of reality. He could sense distrust beginning to foam in her aura like a virus, infecting all those fond memories of the man in front of her. Acting brashly never got Bankotsu anywhere, besides for in to problems such as this. Therefore he kept his cool and casually restated his offer. He had no intention of actually seeing Kikyo to lunch that day, as he had no intention of dragging her into his problem with her cousin. She just happened to be there.

 

Kikyo smiled slightly, disillusioned to the truth of the serpent that lay before her. Though she was questioning her cousin's peculiar reaction, there were ways of explaining it. Bankotsu wasn't an abusive person, not in the least! There was no way that he could have inflicted those bruises, or so Kikyo kept telling herself. She had seen it in her cousin's eyes though; Kagome had been terrified and Kikyo wanted to know why. Forcing a feigned smile, she bowed out to Bankotsu in tradition. “I really wish I could, Bank, but I have so much going on right now…” letting her words trail off, Kikyo's head started to hurt. What the hell was going on?

 

Bankotsu nodded once and inclined his head. Turning to watch the tresses of Kagome's hair whip around the corner in the hallway as she made a silent escape, he cursed silently and began to head after her. “Give your family my regards, Kikyo, and keep in touch. I miss talking with you,” he winked as he walked from the room, knowing full well that Kikyo would not follow him. When Kikyo began to form an idea, it took all of her brainpower to try to cultivate it. She would sit there until her boyfriend arrived contemplating what all of this could mean. What it meant for Bankotsu, however, was that he had to be careful. Kikyo would be an eyewitness to Kagome's random disappearance if he didn't work this just right. It was going to be a lot more involved then he first thought, he realized with a guttural sigh.

 

Reaching the middle of the hall in time to see Kagome pushing her way into the stairwell, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned his attention to stare away from the girl. Now began the game of cat and mouse, and what a vicious game he could play. “Oh Kagome,” he called loudly as he rocked back just slightly on his heels, out of ear shot of the open door to Kikyo's dorm; “Jakotsu asked me to give you his best.”

 

Kagome was two seconds away from being free. She could run down the steps and get out of the stairwell before the elevator could even reach the bottom. If she got out of the building, she might just survive this encounter. Yet as those deadly cold words wrapped around her, they set her hair on end. Stopping with one foot into the stairwell, she turned to stare over her shoulder at the monster wearing the skin of a man. Had she heard him right? “What did you just say?” Her hand still firmly grasped the doorknob of the stairwell, her eyes wide with fear and anxiety. Had he done something to Jakotsu? She knew that she should have called him sooner. If he was hurt, it was all her fault and she would hate herself for eternity. Not hearing him repeat himself, Kagome stared longingly at the stairs that lined her golden path to freedom. She could ignore him and bolt out of the building like a world-class athlete and never the less, a chicken shit, but…if what he was saying was the truth… Jakotsu had come to her rescue, she couldn't just walk away now, and Bankotsu knew it.

 

Kagome rounded her way out of the stairwell, turning full around to face her attacker. Bankotsu was pure evil, if not a reincarnation of the devil itself, but one thing he wasn't was a liar. If he boasted about something to do with Jakotsu, it was because it had either happened or was going to happen. Bankotsu was threatening her again but this time, the threat was clear. She knew his unspoken words without even meeting his eyes, `If you don't do what I say, I'll kill him.' When had it come to this? When had it gotten this bad? It was a game, it was fun and sexual, it wasn't supposed to end up like this…none of this was supposed to happen.

 

Bankotsu was on her in less than a second. Pushing her against the wall that shadowed the staircase, they were just out of the view of Kikyo and anyone else who might be wandering the hallway heading from the dorms to the elevators. Wrapping one hand around her throat, Bankotsu slammed Kagome backwards into the wall, his mouth inches from her ear. “You have no idea how much I wanted to tell your cousin everything. I want to get her involved just like you did Jakotsu. He had no role in this but you had to bring him in. You've done this to yourself! You're lucky that Jakotsu is already scum to my family and no threat to my empire or me. You don't want to know what I would have done to you if you actually got someone I cared about involved. I'd write the truth about you on the fucking walls! You'd be on the floor right now, servicing your cousin to show her how much of a slut you really are!”

 

Kagome brought a hand to his and attempted to pry his fingers loose of her esophagus. His nails were biting into her skin and shortening her breath. If he squeezed any harder there would have been a chance of strangulation. “What…did you do?” She choked out while pulling at his wrist. She wasn't choking to death but the feeling had set her back a week mentally. The entire episode flashed before her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Everything that had happened and what Jakotsu had risked to save her played as well. She had to save Jakotsu no matter the cost; she owed him that.

 

Bankotsu squeezed a little tighter before releasing his grasp all together. Putting one hand on her right shoulder, he held her to the wall. His words dripped from his mouth filled with anger and rage. “I did what you forced me to do! You think I wanted my cousin involved? Did you think that you could just turn my family against me?” Taking a breath to recompose himself, he leveled her with a glower of daggers. “I've done what is necessary to ensure my financial future as well as my personal reputation. I will not have you slandering me to anyone, even my own family!”

 

Kagome couldn't help it as her voice became shrill with fear. Her hands slowly began to quake at her sides, all sorts of awful scenarios passing through her mind. This was far worse than anything she could ever imagine. The thought of this man killing someone for simply helping her live was making her physically ill. “What did you do? What did you do!” The words kept repeating from her mouth like vomit, she couldn't control it.

 

Putting a finger over her lips to silence the rant, Bankotsu smiled audaciously. Staring at Kagome as if she had grown five heads, he quickly addressed her conclusions. “Do you really think I would kill a member of my family for you? No, my dear, you are not that important. Jakotsu is learning how to keep his cock sucking mouth closed at the moment though. His punishment isn't anywhere nearly as sever as yours will be however.” Letting the future tense of his threat linger in the air, he basked in her fear.

 

Kagome couldn't help her fists clenching at his words. The urge to strike down the tyrant in front of her was becoming a bloodthirsty desire that could not go unquenched. If he had truly laid a single hand on her Jackie, she'd kill him. “What is his punishment? What did you do to him?”

 

“You'll see when you come to the club tonight.”

 

Kagome knew an order when she heard one. Ignoring the ludicrous bubble of laugher that spilled from her mouth, she tried to speak around it. “Are you crazy? There is no way that I am going to that club! I will never go there again, Bankotsu! You killed our trust, you broke the rules…”

 

“You're still sleeping around like a whore. I punished you justly then but apparently it taught you nothing.”

 

Kagome's laugher grew more maniacal. “Punish? Is that what you really think you did? Funny, somehow, I felt that it could be more of an attempted murder. You tried to kill me…”

 

Bankotsu shook his head, the smile that grew on his face set off Kagome's warning bells like fire alarms. “If I wanted you dead, Kagome, you wouldn't be standing here.”

 

“Oh grow the fuck up, Bankotsu,” she seethed suddenly. “I know what you did, and what games your playing at. I don't intend to play them. I just want out. I want us to forget ever meeting, I want you to let Jak go, I want you to forget I exist. In turn, I'll do the same; no one will ever know what you did to me, and we can both go on our merry ways. I want my life back.”

 

“And I want my slut back,” he responded just as hotly. “You were mine, bitch, and that mother fucker stole you away. I'll deal with Sha just as I'll deal with anyone else who dares to touch you.”

 

Kagome blinked and shook her head. The way he was speaking, he made it sound as if he was planning on keeping her alive. “Don't you get it…” she asked abruptly, “I'm done.”

 

Bankotsu smiled at her then averted his eyes to the floor. Scratching behind his neck for a second, Kagome was hardly ready for him to belt her across the face with an open hand. “It is you, my dear, who doesn't understand. You're not done until I send you away in a body bag. You're mine until I get bored of you and break you.” Grabbing her chin, he leveled his face inches away from hers. “You will be at the club tonight or when I show up here tomorrow, I won't care who's present: I will beat you half to death in your dorm room, drag you to my car, drive you back to the club, and torture you day in and out to the best of my ability. There will be no quick death for you, Kagome, only long and drawn out torture. I'll do things to you that you never thought humanly possible. I'm talking fists…bottles…anything I can shove up there and make you scream.”

 

The metal of grinding elevator doors punctuated Bankotsu's sentence. Pulling a foot away from the girl, he flicked the collar of his coat as a few wayward college students left the elevator in a complete stupor from their hour-long classes. No one took note to the two standing by the stairwell; one fearing for her life while the other so blatantly threatening it. His eyes never left Kagome's, not even for a moment, holding her captive in his gaze. He was daring her to walk away, daring her to defy him once more.

 

Kagome didn't doubt Bankotsu for one moment. She knew that if she did not do as he said he would follow through with his plan. She had prolonged punishment long enough; now was the time to make the decision. Would she go with him and pray to God that he spare her life, or should she run to the police and pray that they would believe her? Should she go to InuYasha and his brother for help, for someone to protect her from his extended arm? She needed someone who could protect her, someone who had the authority. Where was Rin with her promise of Sesshoumaru's help? Backing further into her corner, Kagome slowly nodded.

 

“I'll be there,” she whispered after a moment. It would buy her some time to figure things out.

 

Bankotsu smiled and ran two fingers down her right cheek, letting them linger over one of her bruises for a moment. “I know you are just saying that.” Wrapping his hand behind her head and catching her ponytail in between his fingers, he gave her head a hard snap back so that her throat was exposed to him. “I know that you think I'll just disappear if you tell me you'll be there. You think it will sedate me for the time being while you can figure out some other plan.” Looking at the stairwell, his grasp on her hair tightened. “That's why you're coming with me now.”

 

Kagome put her hand back over his, attempting to alleviate some of the pain. It felt as if he was about to rip her scalp off. With tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, she tried to reason with him. “Bankotsu, please! I have a lunch date and I can't miss it. If you make me go with you, Sango will know I'm missing! She'll call the police and…”

 

“What the hell is going on?”

 

Bankotsu instantly dropped Kagome's hair and turned to glance over his left shoulder. Kagome nearly fell forward from the sudden release of tension on her body, her eyes flooding with the restrained tears. Looking up, she was completely dumb founded to find InuYasha glaring daggers at Bankotsu. He looked about ready to take a swing at the bastard. `How much has he heard?' Kagome wondered as she tried to find the right words.

 

“I'm just talking with my friend,” Bankotsu muttered as he turned back to Kagome, shading his face from the intruder. It was obvious in his motions that he hadn't expected anyone to interfere with their conversation. “You can move along, son, this doesn't concern you.”

 

InuYasha hadn't been expecting to find Kagome at the hands of some asshole when he stepped off the elevator. What he had been expecting was a very long and awkward conversation when he got to the dorm that would only serve to fuck him up more in the head. Facing Kagome and Kikyo at the same time was torture, a real mind fuck, if you would. Knowing his feelings of lust and possibly something far deeper for Kagome and his proclaimed commitment that had evolved into a burden with Kikyo seemed to be knocking his entire world into another orbit. He had been dreading this meeting since he drove away, leaving Kagome at her dorm alone the previous day. He knew that facing the two of them would be unavoidable and highly unpleasant. The knowledge that he was fucking up two other lives while he was inadvertently pulling that damn drama tag only served to worsen his mood. He would have to figure out his mess and sadly to his utter dismay, there was no relief in sight.

 

As he stepped out last from the elevator, the scene that was presented to his keen eyes swept all those worries away, making them seem trivial to the base emotion that plagued his brain. Rage. He was nearly sure that his eyes bled red as he was presented with a scene from a nightmare. Seeing the bastard with his hands on Kagome completely annihilated any rational thoughts that could have ever crossed his mind. His ears registered the man's words but completely disregarded them, he might as well of been speaking a foreign language. Someone was attacking his Kagome, and by god, he was going to rip out his entrails and make the bastard eat them. As he broke into a jog to end the man's life, the very small percent of his brain that was refusing to release logic to the will of the beast welling within him assessed the situation. Taking notice to the position of the attacker's hand wrapped around Kagome's hair and posture that Kagome took in his presence and the way she refused to look at the assailant…. It only took a second to put it all together, and InuYasha didn't hold back after his snide remark. His right fist connected with the left side of the intruder's jaw and sent him wheeling sideways into the hallway wall by the entrance to the stairs.

 

InuYasha was on Bankotsu in a second. Slamming the man up to the wall by his lapel, InuYasha snarled, “so you're the bastard who did this to her, huh?” He didn't even wait for an answer. With a move that made Kagome pull back and cringe, InuYasha head butted Bankotsu dead on in the forehead. There was a sickening sound of bone crashing against bone as InuYasha dropped Bankotsu and took a step back, still as dangerous as lit dynamite. This man had been the cause of Kagome's bruising. This was the bastard who had nearly beaten her to death and instilled such trepidation in her. This man had threatened her life and InuYasha had no qualms about returning the favor three fold.

 

Bankotsu dropped back against the wall and brought a hand to his nose. Droplets of red seeped through his fingers within seconds. Kagome could only watch with some internal feeling of justice fizzling about her mind, overcompensating for the knowledge of impending doom if she didn't stop InuYasha. Seeing Bankotsu bleed made the pain of her experience almost worth it. But…this was wrong and she had to stop it. Kikyo had almost been dragged into this mess; she wasn't going to let InuYasha join in that wagon ride to hell. Bankotsu would have no problem suing and ruining InuYasha and his entire family. In fact, it would have been the perfect excuse to take down the Taisho Empire. Kagome's nausea worsened as the weight of InuYasha's actions weighed in.

 

InuYasha had Bankotsu against the wall within a second. While the millionaire was so busy obsessing over the fact that he was bleeding, InuYasha had wrapped his fist around the man's throat and held him an inch off the ground. He was nearly sure that his eyes were blazing amber as he stared up at the bastard who dared to lay a hand on Kagome. Had he his demon strength, he would have ripped out the man's larynx.

 

And in that minute three very important things happened. Bankotsu spoke, Kagome interjected and InuYasha understood. Bankotsu stared coldly down at InuYasha, annoyance splashed across his face amidst the crimson stains that decorated his features. His witty retort was lost on InuYasha as he stared up into the orbs of a man he knew by a different outfit and a different name. Kagome spoke but it was not Kagome he heard, it was the black haired vixen from the club that brazenly sucked him off in an alleyway. And he understood. He understood it all. Kagome was Titania; Titania was Kagome, they had always been one in the same. She was the one he met at the club, she was the one who had managed to captivate his thoughts and his dreams, and had been the one who had someone managed to turn his hatred for Kagome into lust. It was when he had started seeing that nighttime shadow of the female before him that he had noticed his growing attraction to Kagome. It made sense now; he had realized that he had always wanted Kagome after falling in love with Kagome, formally known as Titania, at the club. They had always been one in the same.

 

Positive he had grown sickly ashen, a rationalization hit InuYasha like a semi out of control on an icy precipice. He had been with Kagome the night before she had the shit beat out of her. She had been nearly raped on the train, another revelation that he refused to consider at that moment, and then she had gone down on him in an ally. He had tried to talk her out of going to see Oberon up in the city. He knew how Oberon was, he knew what that man was capable of. It was that crazy motherfucker who did it to her. It was….

 

InuYasha reared back and punched Bankotsu in the jaw with all his might. Blood splattered against the cold cement and InuYasha hit him again. No satisfaction was being achieved from this; it was just cold hard rage that seemed fathomless being unleashed. “Bastard!” His breath was in ragged thrusts, his heart threatening to leap from his chest. He did this to her. Oberon did this to Kagome. He had beaten her nearly to death for reasons that InuYasha was sure he could surmise.

 

It was his fault.

 

The bastard had nearly killed Kagome; he had nearly taken Kagome from him. And now, here they were, in the oddest of places with this revelation before him. Bankotsu would not walk away from this; he had to pay for what he did to Kagome.

 

Two sets of hands started pulling InuYasha away from Bankotsu, but it did little good. He shook off the feeble attempts with a hard roll of the shoulder. How had he missed this? It was in front of him the entire time, and he was blind to it all. Demon powers be damned, he hadn't ever formed a clue. At the current moment, he wanted to drown himself. Kagome and Titania, one in the same; the eyes were the same shape, her nose just as petite, her jaw just as curved. She had his fuckin' teeth marks in her god damned neck, why had he not noticed?

 

“InuYasha, stop it! What is going on? Why the hell are you beating Bankotsu? What happened? Get off him!”

 

InuYasha hesitated as Kikyo's banshee like screech made some sort of logical sense in his mind. Did she just say Bankotsu? Holding his fist back and ready to fire off another bone bending blow, he asked in a perfectly calm voice, “Bankotsu Koizumi?”

 

Bankotsu spit blood to the side and glared back at InuYasha. His cold demeanor had been just about beaten from his body. His breath was in labored pants as he answered meekly, “Yes.” Had he more strength, he would have added some long winded clause about law suits and jail time for assaulting a man of his stature, but at the currently moment, he was more concerned with breathing.

 

InuYasha nodded once. “Good to know.” His fist sailed forward. Cracking the man once again in the face, the pleasure of this encounter was beginning to weigh in on the boy. But as quick as the glee of avenging Kagome tasted bittersweet, it forcefully turned sour. Bankotsu Koizumi. The only man who had stood up against the entire Taisho family was in his grasp. Bankotsu Koizumi, the multi-million-if not billion-air was at his mercy to beat within an inch of his life. The only threat to his father's empire was the man of whom InuYasha had ever appeared as a demon around. Dropping Bankotsu as if he was really Johnny Blaze and had turned into the Human Torch, InuYasha put ten feet of space between them. If he could place InuYasha to Sha as easily as Yash had placed Bankotsu to Oberon, InuYasha's family would be undone. It was undoubted that the tyrant would make the press release before dinner if the knowledge came to him.

 

But he did this to Kagome.

 

“Fuck! Why is everything in life a fucking double edged sword!” Fisting his hair, InuYasha walked in a tight circle, ignoring the blank and horrified stares from Kagome and Kikyo and the grunting of the man he had just pummeled. Bankotsu could have him thrown in jail in seconds. But…the bastard had laid a hand on his Kagome. He over saw a club where a lot of illegal shit went down. Hell, he basically dabbled in drug smuggling, soliciting prostitution and a lot of darker shit that InuYasha wasn't about to list. As fast as Bankotsu could ruin InuYasha, InuYasha could just as easily ruin him. This was what they called a pickle.

 

Bankotsu regained his balance as well as his hubris. Turning blazing eyes on InuYasha, his business façade dissipated and in his place was a hot headed twenty-seven year old. “What…the fuck? Are you fuckin' insane, you dumb fuck?”

 

InuYasha turned and glared a stony gaze at the man. “You should be the last one to open your mouth. You really want me to lay all your shit out right here?”

 

The quick but deadly stare that was exchanged between Bankotsu and Kagome did not go unnoticed by InuYasha. Never again would he blind himself to the reality before his eyes. “Oi, asshat, don't look at her for answers. I know who you fuckin' are.”

 

Bankotsu cracked his neck and rubbed his mouth, attempting to dab off some of the blood. “Really? So not only are you insane, you're also an idiot. If you know who I fuckin' am,” thrusting out his arm to point at InuYasha with a very mafia like air, he hollered, “then you should know that I can make your life hell for laying one god damned finger on me!”

“Sorry buddy, I ain't one you can intimidate with your bull shit claims. You can't make me disappear.”

 

Bankotsu seemed to hesitate for a second, words forming on his lips that he was quite tentative to say. Eyeing him for a moment, Bankotsu slowly retracted his arm and crossed them over his chest. “Taisho, yes? The younger of the two bastards I take it. I know who you are as well.”

 

InuYasha snorted and took a step towards him. “I might be a bastard, but I'm pretty sure that's not my blood painted across the wall.”

 

Bankotsu didn't flinch. “Do you know,” he snarled, “what I'm going to do to you for this?”

 

“Send me a fuckin' fruit basket?” InuYasha closed the distance between him and Bankotsu and shoved the man back towards the wall. “You ain't gonna do shit to me because all I need to do is tell my brother that you're beating on women now. What's the matter, a fiancé ain't enough for you to shove around?” Seeing the anger beginning to fester over in Bankotsu's eyes, InuYasha kept prodding. “I'm sure the public would love to hear how you're cheating on your fiancé with an ex girlfriend and on top of that, beating her within an inch of her life.”

 

Kikyo, who had remained oddly silent throughout the fight, grabbed Kagome's arm as the men screamed obstinacies and empty threats at each other. “Did Bankotsu do this to you?”

 

Kagome completely missed her cousin's question as she stared hard the two men before her. Hardly acknowledging her cousin's presence let alone her words, she watched the two men fight. Though at the start Kagome had feared for InuYasha's life for attacking someone such as Bankotsu, she now knew better. He was surprisingly a stronger fighter and had enough political power behind him to be just out of Bankotsu's reach. Maybe all this time what she had needed to do was come clean to InuYasha.

 

It was to late.

 

He knew the truth now, didn't he? InuYasha knew who was hurting her, and in turn, it wouldn't be long before he knew everything. The knot in her stomach grew as she watched the two boys banter loudly. Bankotsu was going to blame her for telling InuYasha, yet how much could he really put on her? Bankotsu was the idiot who picked a fight with her in the hallway. It wasn't to hard to add one plus one and the bruises that still marred her face only threw in that much more of a hint. `He's still going to come after you,' something in her brain whispered, `he'll hold physical assault over InuYasha's head. Imagine the jail time he'll be facing for this. Then who will listen to him about Bankotsu really assaulting you? Undoubtedly Bankotsu will spin it that it was InuYasha who did this all to you.' Kagome swallowed thickly, her amazement quickly turning sour. This could be awful. Bankotsu might not be able to kill InuYasha like he could her, but he could make InuYasha's life hell, he wasn't lying about that.

 

The sound of flesh being struck roused her from her thoughts as came to find InuYasha bludgeoning Bankotsu once more. With a yelp, Kagome rushed forward. InuYasha wasn't going down for this…not for her. Throwing herself between them without really contemplating, she wrapped her arms around InuYasha's chest and bear hugged him in an attempt to stop the violence. “Stop it, please!”

 

Stunned for a moment, InuYasha stared down at Kagome in shock. She had tears trickling down her face and her body heaved against his. Stopping dead in his tracks, all anger seemed to fade from his aura as he fought back the rushing urge to comfort her and stop her tears. “Ka…Kagome?”

 

“Stop it, please! No more fighting!”

 

InuYasha kept his head tilted down, staring at Kagome for a moment longer before lifting only his eyes to meet Bankotsu's disgusted glower. “Get out, and don't ever let me catch you around these two girls again. If I see one more god damned bruise on Kagome, I'll break your face as well as your reputation.”

 

Bankotsu spit at InuYasha, missing Kagome's back by inches and wiped his face across the length of his arm. “You, my unfortunate friend, are going to pay for this dearly.”

 

“Are you really still talking?”

 

Bankotsu sneered once and then shoved his way around the two. Taking one over his shoulder, he called to Kikyo. “It seems, love, that your boyfriend has himself a little obsession. I'd check that, if I were you, before you wake up to find his dick in her ass.” Storming to the elevators, it was a very awkward minute that the four stood waiting for the car to reach their floor. Kagome was sobbing against InuYasha, tears flowed that just wouldn't stop. InuYasha remained torn on comforting Kagome, negating in bullshit lies to Kikyo what Bankotsu had just proclaimed, and following after Bankotsu to end his existence. He knew Oberon much more then he knew Bankotsu. Though they were one in the same person, he wasn't sure how much their personalities bled into each other. Like dealing with someone with a multiple personality disorder, he wasn't sure what one would tolerate where another wouldn't. Oberon wouldn't let this die; he would come after Kagome for revenge, even though she had no hand in it. He would see her held responsible and punish justly, and InuYasha knew how Oberon punished disobedience. Would Bankotsu do the same or would he wait for her to come to him?

 

Looking down back to Kagome, he forced down rising bile. He knew what Oberon made girls do. He knew how sick and twisted the motherfucker could be. InuYasha only measured up to half the dom and half the pervert that Bankotsu was. It could be said, with much vehemence, that Oberon had made InuYasha into Sha. Now Oberon was doing those things to his Kagome.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

InuYasha blinked slowly and sighed heavily. `No,” he spoke quietly, making both Kagome and Kikyo jump at the disruption of the frail silence. “I am the one who should be apologizing. I flew off the handle, I shouldn't have attacked him.”

 

Kagome pulled back slowly wiping her eyes as she did so. “I…he wasn't…he didn't…”

 

Kikyo walked up behind Kagome and wrapped her arms around her cousin's torso. “Kagome, you can't lie. You know you suck at it.” Forcing her mouth shut, Kikyo quietly contemplated her words. “I can't believe what he did to you.”

 

Kagome closed her eyes, sagging her shoulders forward. “It's really a long story…and it's not all his fault.”

 

`No, It's mine,' was what InuYasha really wanted to say. He put the hole in her jeans, he's the one who let her get back on the train without following her, he was the one who didn't figure this out fast enough. She was wading in a river of trouble and it was all is fault. `She's the one who was playing on the tracks', his mind shouted in retaliation, but he zoned it out. She may have found Oberon before InuYasha was involved, but he could have warned her. He could have done something, anything to warn her of the dangerous man of whom she made her acquaintance.

 

“Don't say that,” Kikyo chastised her as calmly as she could. Her voice cracked once and she took a moment to collect herself. Letting go of Kagome, Kikyo stuck out her chin and chastised her. “You can't be at fault for what he did to you. I'm calling my father,” she declared slowly, “he needs to know who this son of a bitch really is.”

 

“No!”

 

Kikyo jumped nearly a foot off the ground at the sudden gruffness of Kagome's retort. “But…” she stared flabbergasted at her cousin, her mouth running wordlessly.

 

“No! If your father cuts off ties with Bankotsu because you ask him to, there will be a whirl wind of trouble that I can't even begin to describe!”

 

“You're afraid of him? What could he do to you Kagome?”

 

InuYasha saw Kagome's hesitation and decided to offer her some support. It was obvious that Kagome was torn up over destroying a man that she had once loved and was afraid for her life at the exact same time. She needed time to think and time to act accordingly. Having Kikyo fly off the handle to daddy wouldn't be good at all. Kikyo's father was not the rashest of men on the planet and though he cared very little for his estranged niece, he might fear that Bankotsu did the same to her or would become more of a loose canon then he already was. He would see the man as a public liability and try to rid himself of the burden quickly. “Kik, baby, if you go to your dad with unfounded rumors that Bankotsu did this, he could turn it around on your father and sue him. This could turn very ugly in the courts to a `he-said-she-said' battle. Your father would have no legal ground. Kagome never made a police report; therefore his assault on her went unchecked. If he calls in this one, then it's on the books. For your dad to breach contract over what Kagome said happened…” It killed him to say it. All he wanted to do was rip that man's head from his shoulders and punt it across the goddamned campus. His blood was boiling at the moment, but he had to see logic. Kikyo could blow up this entire situation with one wrong phone call.

 

“But you saw….”

 

InuYasha held out a hand and pushed a few fingers against Kikyo's lips. “I know that bastard did this to her. I'm not questioning that, and trust me when I say he'll get him. What I'm saying, though, is that he would have me for assault, your father for breach of contract, and probably could also spin it to be a lawsuit against your father for defamation of character.” The words that ripped apart his heart had to follow. “We have no proof.”

 

“I'm sorry…”

 

InuYasha reached down and wrapped one arm around Kagome's side, taping his fingers against the bare skin just under the hem of her shirt. He was praying that Kikyo was to exasperated to notice the motion, and it seemed to slip by without flaw. “Don't you dare apologize, Kagome. This shit head is just to god damned sneaky to get like this. But you can take it to the bank that I am going to fuck his day up. I just got to think.” Thinking was the smallest word he could put to his actions. So much had just happened that he wasn't sure about anything anymore. Bankotsu was Oberon, Kagome was Titania, Bankotsu was going to ruin him and Oberon was going to beat the hell out of Titania. All together, there was a even bigger clusterfuck going on then he first assumed. `She was the girl this entire time.' InuYasha couldn't get over it. Staring at her for a moment, he wondered if she had any idea. Seeing the way that she stared off though, into the distance with trepidation, he knew that she hadn't a clue. As long as she didn't put him to Sha, he would be okay. He had enough shit to deal with; he couldn't even consider that tragic possibility.

 

Kagome opened her mouth to beg him to drop it but one glare from those azure eyes forced her mouth shut. He was lit and she was no one to play with fire.

 

“Can't Kagome go and file a police report now?”

 

InuYasha shook his head. “No, the injuries are over a week old. She could file a complaint but the bruising is to minimal for them to go after him for. It would be word versus word and he had the world in his pocket. They'd make a file, say they'd investigate and it would be gone. What she can do,” turning his eyes to stare hard at Kagome, he deepened his tone, “and will do is file a restraining order and a complaint of domestic abuse. Keeping the hell away from him and any of his friends would be a good plan as well.”

 

Kagome nodded slowly, unable to meet his gaze. Bankotsu would fry all of them alive for this. He could easily get InuYasha put in jail for battery within an hour. It was only a matter of minutes before he…

 

Feeling her pocket begin to vibrate, Kagome slipped out her tiny phone and glanced at the text message. O was the only evidence of the sender and Kagome's gut wound tighter, feeling as though her stomach was being put through a wringer. Pulling out of InuYasha's grasp, she walked a few feet away from the couple and flipped open her phone.

 

`Your boyfriend is going to jail, bitch, and then who will be there? You should know better then telling our secrets. If you want to save his reputation, be at the club tonight.'

 

Was life always going to be like this? Was it always going to be one thing after another that just landed her into deeper shit? Maybe going to the club was the only option left. If she ignored it, he would have the police arrest InuYasha and not even Sesshoumaru could save him from that fate. If she did go, there was a chance that she would be his next victim. Could he slay her now that both InuYasha and Kikyo knew that he was the one who had hurt her? The odds were better in her favor at that moment in time but the pain would be unavoidable. He would beat her in places that they couldn't, and shouldn't, see. The inflicted pain would be awful, but it might save InuYasha his reputation. The thought of InuYasha figuring out her night time fetish seemed very faint at the moment more so then the swelling fear of his impending imprisonment.

 

Putting her hands to her head, she let out a guttural moan. She was so tired of the drama, so tired of the bullshit and the empty threats and the fulfilled threats. There was just so much of an advantage that Bankotsu had over her, it just wasn't worth the fight anymore. He had Jakotsu; he had InuYasha now as well. The two men in her life that she cherished the most beyond family were in danger. She had no choice. Tonight she would walk willingly to claim her punishment. It would end one way or another.

 

Turning to the pair she swallowed thickly, trying to keep herself calm. “I have a lunch date that I am late to. InuYasha, please don't go after him, Kikyo, call maintenance to take care of this blood. Just…please…” Words failed her as she had no clue what to ask of them. What was left to say?

 

“And just where the fuck do you think you're going?”

 

“To have lunch with my best friend,” she said as she turned on her heels and pressed the button for the elevator.

 

InuYasha blinked in completely shock. How the hell could she walk away so calm after all of this? `She's the girl who was nearly gang raped and then gave you head not more than an hour later. Do you really want to start this conversation?' Kagome would weather a lot; he had to give her that credit, but to walk out of the building with that psycho outside? It wasn't bloody likely at all.

 

“The hell you're walking anywhere by yourself!”

 

Closing her eyes, Kagome sighed. “You are no one to tell me what to do InuYasha.”

 

In a move a little to slick for the man she had known for all those years, he reached around her and grabbed her right arm with his left hand. Jerking her around to face him, his lips grazed her ear. “You didn't seem to object last time I told you what to do. As a matter of fact, I think you enjoyed it.”

 

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she jerked her arm from his grasp. “Don't, InuYasha! Don't pretend like you understand what is going on. I can't keep having these conversations. I am not letting that asshole ruin my life and if I just lay around in fear that he might show up, then guess what, that's exactly what I'm letting him do. Therefore, I am going to have lunch with Sango and then I am going to the police station to file a restraining order.”

 

Kikyo blinked once and sighed deeply. “No you're not. You're going to go talk to him, aren't you?”

 

“No! I'm not an idiot.”

InuYasha stared at Kagome for a long moment before backing away completely. He knew arguing at this point was useless. If she was going to go to him, there was nothing more that could be said. He would follow her though; he would follow her to the ends of the earth if he had to. The hell she was going to face this demon alone. Seeing Kikyo's rising objection to his relinquished control, he put a hand on her arm to keep her at bay.

 

Kagome stared at InuYasha as she backed away, wondering if he was truly done with this. Studying his eyes as she slowly backed into the elevator car as it made its appearance, she could see the guilt swirling about his iris. She shook her head once, silently begging him not to follow her. She had to do this alone. She had to make it right.

As the door shut on the two in front of her, she wondered in all brutal honesty if she would ever see them again.

 

InuYasha felt the clash of the metal doors closing echo in his heart. She was trying to lock him out. Looking down at Kikyo, who had tears in her eyes, he slowly began to form a plan.

 

The silence that marked her departure was deafening.

 

“What he said…he was full of it, you know that right? I wouldn't…”

 

Kikyo closed her eyes and sighed lightly. Her voice was very less convincing then her actions. “I know.”

 

Turning, Kikyo walked back to the room and grabbed her coat. “So…lunch?”

 

InuYasha trailed behind her and walked into the bathroom to wash his hands. With a shake of his head, he wondered if the coldness of Kikyo's voice was her giving up on Kagome or a rage that was beginning to take root. “You still hungry?” How could Kikyo still be hungry after all of this? InuYasha was fighting down the urge to vomit.

 

Kikyo glanced into the mirror and flashed him a smile that screamed deception. “Famished. Hey, instead of Olive Garden, how does the Inkwell sound?”

 

 

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

 

 

-So…I really am still alive, I promise. Things in general have been so hectic, it's ridiculous. I'm sorry it's been forever for an update, this chapter was really rough to piece together. I'll try to be quicker, I swear it. I really want to thank everyone who's stood by awaiting updates and supporting me. if I wasn't running on seven hours of sleep over the last two and a half days, and had to be up in five hours, I'd do a comment section. But stay tuned boy and girls, I'll update soon.