InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Gray ❯ Rage against the dying of the light ( Chapter 28 )

~<>~ Shades of Gray ~<>~

 

 

~<>~ Chapter 28 ~<>~ Rage against the dying of the light

 

 

The molten gold sky was quickly fading into a dim nothingness as Kagome approached the portal to hell. The regulars were already anxiously awaiting the arrival of their lord and master at the doorway while others were slowly beginning to swarm like moths to a light. Standing beyond the eyesight of the lurkers, Kagome assessed the club. She wanted to wait until it was populated enough to avoid possible blood shed; Bankotsu wouldn't attempt his stunts in front of a large crowd or so she prayed. She wanted to be sure that someone would know this was where she made her stand. If he were going to drag her into a darker room to beat the life out of her, she would not go without a scene.

 

Brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her body, fighting off a chill. Her raven hair swung madly around her head, dancing in the harsh winds of the bitter winter. Glancing up into the dimming sky, she wondered why suddenly everything seemed so surreal. It was almost like watching a movie; she was aware of the plot and of the character's strife yet felt completely unattached. Had she given up, had she surrendered?

 

`No,' she thought with confidence, `I will not let him win.'

 

Then why hadn't she allowed anyone else to come with her? With a deep sigh of sullied regret and disillusionment, she took a step off the curb. Words echoed through her head, memories bled in front of her eyes; things she had done, people she had hurt, people she had loved, those who would be left behind, those who would mean a future, all of it crashed against each step she took.

 

“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light*,” she muttered as she came to the corner of the club and the main drag. Why was Dylan Thomas in her head at a moment like this? Sadly, she knew the answer without contemplation. She knew the truth before her; she knew what she had to do. Clutching an envelope, not unlike the one she left Sango, to her chest, she moved to step out into the front of the club. Undoubtedly, Jacques would be out front conversing with the regulars and be the first to recognize her. He would take her immediately to Bankotsu, and he would have his time with her before the regulars were able to step foot inside the club. Or would Jacques tell her to run; would he be the savior in her time of need? Could anyone save her?

 

Stepping back in the recess of the shadows quickly, she threw herself against the building, her chest heaving with a muffled sob. She wasn't ready for this; she wasn't ready to walk to her death. Pushing her head back into the cold concrete of the building she tried to control her nervousness. She had no other choice; others were involved and being harmed because of her actions. It was Kagome who had dragged Kikyo and InuYasha into this mess. Though either would have gladly stood at her side for this meeting, it would have been a wasted effort. Bankotsu would have had InuYasha arrested and would have convinced Kikyo that he had never laid a hand on her cousin. The man was a serpent of the worst colors and those would always disguise him to the faces of those who couldn't see reality for what it was.

 

With a deep breath and a determined grunt, she pushed herself off the building. She could do this, she could win this battle. `I will not be his puppet anymore, I will not be afraid. I can do this.'

 

Taking a step out into the street, Kagome nearly screamed when a hand wrapped over her shoulder and yanked her back onto the side street, behind the curtain of stone. Nearly positive she would be face to face with her executioner, she steadied herself with her last nerves.

 

“What the hell are you doing? Have you done gone retarded?”

 

Kagome's eyes snapped open, knowing that haughty tone and brash arrogance. Spinning around on a man she thought had no place in the likes of this, she stopped dead. She had been ready to deal with the black winged angel that had stolen her heart back at Monmouth, but instead came face to face with a demon. “Sha!” In honesty, she was shocked to see him. Having presumed that Bankotsu's punishment upon her head had been nearly thrice upon his, she hadn't factored him into her equation. Why she had mistaken him for InuYasha though, she couldn't explain.

 

InuYasha had almost expected Kagome to punch him in the face when she had spun on her heels. He had arrived nearly a minute to late. Watching Kagome take that step from safety, he had felt a piece of his heart break away and drop to the bottom of his being. Pushing her against the building and back into the safety of his presence, he got in her face.

 

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

Kagome blinked and attempted to make room between her and the demon. “I have to see Oberon.”

 

“The fuck you do,” he growled while closing in the distance between the two of them. “That bastard do this to you?” InuYasha knew the answers, but Kagome didn't know that he knew. `This game is going to fuck me,' he thought drearily as he looked over the marks that had faded quickly. The bruises she had received from the bastard should have lasted for at least another two weeks, yet mystically they had already begun fading into the rosy tones of her gorgeous face. InuYasha could only assume that it had something to do with those traces of miko-mojo he felt radiating from her everything his demon came close.

 

Kagome took another step away from Sha. The man was addictive and gorgeous and trouble with a capital T, but she could not get herself involved again. She was giving up this life, she was walking away from it all, and that included the demon before her. She had hoped for a clean break; the one time suck and run to be the end of their connection, but that dream evaporated before her in a mess of silver and amber. Averting her eyes, she sighed heavily. “Yeah, he did this to me.”

 

“And you let him?”

 

Kagome blinked and slowly lifted her head to stare at the hanyou appalled. “Do you think I just stood there and egged him on? No, thank you, I didn't let him but somehow, that didn't stop him.” What kind of question was that?

 

InuYasha backed off, sensing that dangerous Miko power flair up. Flicking his right ear, he leveled the adolescent with a glower of his own. “So what, you just gonna walk in there and demand peace? This ain't a cartoon, Babe, somehow I doubt you going in there is gonna solve anything.”

 

“I have leverage. And before you say it, because I can see it in those funny looking eyes of yours, don't try to talk me out of it; many have tried and all failed. You can't stop me.” She suddenly felt like Mel Gibson in the end of Brave Heart. Shuddering, she figured that was a horrid analogy.

 

InuYasha chuckled darkly, amazed at the girl's bravado. Kagome was quite the spitfire when under pressure; he had to give her that. “Somehow, Princess, I think I could stop you if I wanted to.”

 

“Go to hell.”

“Been there, took a bullet train there actually and then took the fuck over.” Shaking his head slowly, he nodded towards the club. “We're talking here and now, sweet heart. This man will destroy you if you walk into his territory.” InuYasha couldn't help fidgeting, he was highly nervous. Kagome seemed so set on walking to her own death that it was clouding her judgment. A part of him felt completely reassured that he could walk up to her, bat his eyes and lure her away with promises of a hard fuck. That would have worked a week ago, he noted dryly. Now here they were and there wasn't a thing in the world that he could say to stop her. He could tell her the truth about himself; expose his dirty little secret in lieu of hers. That would only complicate the matter though, he rationed. He would have to go with plan B…he hated plan B.

 

“Good for you,” Kagome snapped back as she spun on her heels. “Don't follow me,” she muttered as she inched towards the edge of the building, “if we go in there together, he'll kill us both.”

 

“Great, so you're telling me to run while you take the fall. You know that a wise man once said pride comes before the fall?”

 

Kagome snorted half heartedly, “and he wasn't more right.” Looking back, her brown eyes narrowed sharply, “I'm serious, don't follow me in there. I have my own problems to discuss with the Lord of the club.”

 

“What happened to your master? I thought that he was your lord above all else.”

Kagome shook her head once, determination filling in the nervous cracks in her master plan. “After tonight, I will never answer to anyone else again.”

 

“ `Cause you'll be dead?”

 

“Because I'm done with this. I thought I had this coming, I thought I had to be punished for what I did. Now I realize I just need to start taking some responsibility in life. Stay here and I swear to god, you follow me and I'll fry your ass like a god damned French fry.”

 

A part of InuYasha wanted to cheer Kagome on. He wanted to let Kagome know how much he supported her and how much he loved her and that there wasn't shit she could say that could keep him from her side. The majority of him, however, just stood helpless. There was only so much he could do; if he grabbed her and tried to force her to listen to reason, he would hardly be above the man she hated. If he let her walk away, he would risk never having her in his arms again. Madness over swept his brain as he watched Kagome begin to trot off into the darkness without another word.

 

“Fuck,” he muttered while fisting his hair. What the hell could he do to stop her? Not thinking rationally, he yelled out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her from her path of destruction. “Kagome, wait!”

 

Kagome swung around wildly, her chocolate orbs wide with shock. “What?”

 

“Look, I can't let you do this! I can't just let you walk in there. You may have fucked around with this guy, but I've seen him for who he is. I've seen the brutal side of him when he decides he just wants a good fuck with a stranger. I was around when he took what he wanted from any girl he pleased, and I saw what he did to them. I don't…no, I can't…” InuYasha blinked as his golden eyes crashed against unblinking and very unfriendly brown ones. His words faltered and his sentence was left to hang in mystery. “What?”

 

Kagome yanked her hand away from InuYasha as if he had burned her. Backing up a step without breaking eye contact, she glared at him with complete distrust. “What did you just call me?”

 

InuYasha quickly revisited his prior claims in his head but couldn't figure out what he had done wrong. He had asked her to stop and had begun ranting. Why was she staring at him as if he was the enemy? “I…” what had he called her? He was quite sure he hadn't been derogatory, he hadn't been…. `Oh, shit.'

 

Kagome turned her face to the side and stared at the building's stone siding for a moment, willing herself not to begin screaming. Licking her lips she very slowly turned her head back to the demon before her, glaring at him with as much venom she had planned to use against Bankotsu. “How do you know my name? Don't give me some bullshit answer, either. I know damn well I never told you.”

 

`oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,' he was indeed fucked. Ration slipped from his brain as he simply stared at the girl before him. His mouth was agape and he wasn't sure if he was drooling, but he knew that he had gone completely blank as his brain processed her question. There was nothing he could answer to that, there was no reason that he could give. He could offer the truth, but she would hate him from that point on.

 

Kagome snorted loudly, assessing her own answers in response to his silence. “I don't believe this,” she muttered while running a hand down the side of her face. A large part of her wanted to cry; she had trusted this demon, she had fallen for him and all along… “Do you work for him? Are you his little scenario tester? Tell me, Sha, does Oberon have you try to lure away his girl friends to test their loyalty. Is that why the girl before died? Do you report right back to him as to how much of a slut he's raised?”

 

InuYasha's eyes widened as Kagome's mistaken conclusions worsened in severity. “No! It's nothing like that!”

Kagome shook her head, fire glowing in her mocha eyes. “Right, because I completely believe you. How was I so stupid?” Turning from him, she began walking back to the club. `He's the reason this all happened and all along…all along he was working with Bankotsu. That's great!'

 

InuYasha grabbed Kagome and instantly regretted it. It was like grabbing a stove; his hand instantly burned and he leapt back while clutching it to his chest. Though the burn was completely mental, it was enough to wake him up to her anger. She had just attempted to fry his ass! “Fuck!”

 

Kagome jumped slightly, shocked that she had been able to exert that much energy. Glancing to her hands that were faintly glowing pink she marveled for a second before glancing up at the demon. Not understanding exactly what just happened, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, just leave me alone. I'm done with you, I'm done with your boss, I just want out! Don't talk to me and don't look for me. I'm out, do you understand? I'm telling your boss…”

 

“He's not my boss!”

 

“Whatever! Just…I'm done! I'm done with all the lies and I'm done with the deception! I just want a normal life!” tears seemed to brim in her eyes as the pink flare died off her hands. “I don't know what that was, and I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you…” shutting her mouth, she turned and rushed away from the shocked demon towards the club. What the hell had just happened? She knew this was a question that only a few people could ever answer, and that was a battle she was not at all ready for.

 

InuYasha watched Kagome vanish into the crowd of people as his brain slowly drew itself back together. `Holy shit,' he thought as he slowly shook his head, `that bitch packs a punch!' Hating his demon blood at the moment, he was forced to wait out the effects of the warning tap that she had given him. It was as if his brain had simply stopped its basic functions beyond breathing for a short pause, but it was a second that could have meant Kagome's life.

 

As soon as his body was moving, he grabbed his cell phone and called Miroku.

 

“Sup, fool?” his friend's voice crackled through the phone.

 

“You're on, I lost that round horribly.” Shaking his head, he began walking around the back of the club. He would need to do this the old fashioned way.

 

“Do you want me to engage?”

 

“No, just stay close by, I'll be there soon. We can handle this together.”

 

Miroku nodded and hung up the phone. Pushing off the wall, he took the last drag of the cigarette that rested between his lips and then flicked it into a puddle. Hiding his face as Kagome stormed by, he quickly turned and followed a few people behind her; he had his mission, it was show time. This was one assignment he wouldn't fail.

 

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

 

Walking down the glass staircase, Kagome's eyes trained on the red velvet curtain dead ahead of her. Though it was pulled closed, she did not doubt the occupancy of the booth for a moment. Her boots echoed off each step with a dull thud, creating a completely different pitch than she was ever used to. Normally it was the stiletto heel clinking haphazardly against the glass creating a rhythm that she had grown so accustomed to. Innocent beats of chirping glass were now thunderous footsteps of experience as she reached the dance floor of the awakening club. Though the dance floor was yet to be occupied, the bar was already abuzz with vivacity.

 

A muscular arm materialized in front of Kagome before she could take one step towards her destiny. Closing her eyes, Kagome could only imagine who was trying to stop her from completing her mission now; perhaps it was Envy, or maybe even the Easter bunny.

 

“Ma Cheri, this is a large mistake on your behalf,” a voice hissed loudly into her ear. Feelings his body slide behind hers, she could just about taste what Jacques had for dinner as he leaned over her shoulder to whisper his words of caution. His warm breath sent shivers up her spine as he placed his hands on either of her shoulders. “ C'est une bonne idée, ma cherie, pour tu tournas autour et partes *. Make haste,” he whispered harshly.

 

Kagome straightened her back slightly, appreciating her friends warning yet brushing it off. It had to take everything in Jacques conscience to warn her about Bankotsu. The man was practically his brother, and this was utter betrayal. “J'irai bien,” she muttered back in French while bringing one hand up to place over his. It was heart wrenching to know that he cared so deeply for her. He had been her personal bodyguard for nearly two years now, and all along Kagome had merely assumed that he did it for Bankotsu. To see him worry so deeply over her now, and issue her warnings to turn around and run…it just tore her apart.

 

“He has us looking your for, my dear. If we see you, we are to report it directly to him. I do not wish to go against him, but …I cannot watch what he would do.”

 

Kagome pulled away from Jacques and turned to face him. With a kind smile, one that she had never truly offered him in all sincerity, she bowed slightly, “I thank you, Jacques, for everything. I would never ask you to stand by and watch him hurt me, and believe me when I say tonight he will not touch me. This is something that if I don't do now…”

 

Jacques nodded once quickly; obviously uncomfortable with the risk he was taking that was lying like boulders upon his head. “I cannot stop him, Ma cheire, once he begins.”

 

“I am well aware of that,” Kagome turned away from the lumbering French man and continued on her path, aware of all the eyes that had suddenly become trained solely upon her. Glancing from the corner of her eyes, she could see that Envy had stopped flirting with the girls at his station and was watching her with an almost regretful frown engraved upon his face. Carlisle had come out of the coat check hallway to see if the rumors were true; had Oberon's slut truly dared to show herself again? Wiggling her fingers in their general direction, she wanted nothing more than to flip them all off. This was still a game for all of them, they hadn't a clue as to the fire that they were bathing themselves in.

 

Taking one last deep breath as she reached the curtain, Kagome pushed herself inside without any hesitation. The light was smothered by the shrouded darkness, only one small candle that flickered in its existence dared to light up this asylum. Mocha clashed against a sea of emerald as she slid into the booth across from the man of her nightmares. Resting both hands on the top of the table, Kagome bothered with no formalities.

 

“I want you to leave me alone.”

 

Bankotsu, or should he be called Oberon in the place so fitting of a dark lord, stared his escaped lover with feigned confusion. “Leave you alone? Whatever do you speak of, my Titania?”

 

Kagome wasn't shocked to watch one girl scamper out from under the table, undoubtedly kicked away from the powerful man she was servicing. Her eyes locked, however, in a dead stare with the beast before her. “You know damn well what I am talking about, you son of a bitch.”

 

Oberon's smile faded slightly as he leaned forward, bringing both hands to the table to fold neatly before him. “You would do well not to speak of my deceased mother.”

 

Kagome didn't flinch as he moved closer. “You would do well to stop fucking with me before I ruin you.”

The words hung heavy between them. It had been said; the gauntlet was cast to the ground and there would be no reprieve.

 

Oberon's reaction was one that Kagome was not at all ready for. He laughed. The devil shot his head backwards, and for a moment, Kagome was curious as to if the demon inside would crawl out his mouth and shed his skin to reveal his true nature. The cackle that rung from his torso sounded frightening. Kagome's hair stood on end as she tried not to flinch from his sudden outburst.

 

With a smile that had once torn apart her heart with another emotion, Oberon shook his head slowly, his eyes still laughing at the petite thing before him. “You slay me,” he muttered while wiping a tear from his eye. “My dear Titania, you're too much. This is why I have kept you around all these years. You never fail to disappoint.”

 

Kagome blinked, wondering just how long he would keep up this charade. His mirth at her disposition made the desire to leap across the table and strangle the man all the more real. “I'm glad at least one of us is entertained.”

 

Oberon waved a hand at her, begging her to cease her rant. “I apologize, my dear. You have come here with a very clear message and I have done nothing but berate that.” Taking a deep breath, he sat up straight with a smirk still lingering in his eyes. “As you were saying, you would ruin me.” A snicker escaped the recess of his mouth upon the recitation of that word.

 

Kagome nodded once, her lips pursed in a line of anger. “I can understand why you would mock me now, Oberon…”

 

“Do you really, Kagome? Do you really understand why I would laugh you out of this cove?”

 

Kagome glanced up at the man, her heart skipping a beat. Gone was the face of merriment and amusement at her disposition and in its place was one of complete anger. His forehead creased where his eyes narrowed, the dangerous slits staring at her menacingly. Swallowing thickly, Kagome attempted to hide her fear. “You think you can do whatever you want to me. You think that I am going to fall back to your side as your play toy. You think I'm going to let you break me.”

 

“But of course,” leaning into the table slightly, his words were filled with a bitter chill that left Kagome feeling just as violated as she had a week prior; “because, Kagome, you cannot stop me. I will do as I please and this was knowledge you held when you agreed to be my subordinate.”

 

Kagome didn't bat an eye, despite falling apart inside. His eyes were piercing hers and tearing her apart piece by piece. “Our agreement was that I would do as you pleased to an extent. You have pushed that envelope, Oberon; you have completely disregarded my well being for your pleasure.”

 

Oberon tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing in something that mocked confusion. “My pleasure? Do you really think that I enjoyed hurting you?”

 

“Without a doubt in my mind.”

 

Oberon shook his head in the negative. “I was punishing you, Kagome. I will not say I do not enjoy inflicting pain, but that is the reason that I am the dominant in the relationship. It is why I am the dominant above all in this club. All I ask is for obedience…”

 

“What you want is slavery. In case you missed the news flash, Lincoln freed the slaves a century and a half ago. It's time to let go.”

Oberon nodded slowly, as if rationalizing an argument in his mind. After a moment, he leaned backwards to the curtain ties that kept is sanctuary in the dark and pulled on one, exposing the couple harshly to the crowd that had gathered in the club. Oberon stood up abruptly and glared out about the club. The music stopped, the crowd turned and they hung on the silence that was before their master. Taking one step from the booth, he glared angrily about the club, his eyes reading every member in the direct presence. There were faces he knew all to well, some he didn't know at all but they all had one thing in common. Bellowing out so that all would hear, Oberon shouted, “Kneel before your Lord and Master.”

 

It was like a wave hit the club, knocking everyone off their feet at the same moment. Kagome could feel the ground shake as she stood in the opposite effect. Not a single person in the club besides for herself and Oberon remained on their feet. Kagome walked out of the booth, shrugging past Oberon as she waded out into the crowd of Goths. No one would look up, no one breathed a word; they sat on one knee like a warrior waiting to be knighted. Without taking a seconds hesitation, Kagome dropped to a squat next to one girl, grabbing her arm violently and attempting to tug her upwards.

 

“Stand up, he isn't lord and master! He isn't anything beyond for a cruel and sadistic man. You have seen what he does here, I know you have. How can you bow to that? What has he offered you?” Seeing her refusal to budge was not wavering, Kagome released her and walked to a man next to her. Black hair shaded his identity to her, hanging in clumps in his face. Kagome pulled harshly at his arm, attempting to get one to rise with her to stand against this beast. “What is wrong with all of you? You think this is a game? Do you think this is a joke? He is serious; he would ask you all to lie down and die while you sit here like cattle to him! He is not God! He is a mortal, just like all of us. This might seem like fun, but it's more than a game to him! He'd kill you over this,” the man was just as impartial to moving as the female was and Kagome released him and stumbled backwards towards Oberon.

 

Turning to face his grinning face, she shook her head firmly. Slowly placing her feet both firmly to the floor, she crossed in arms in defiance to his order. Tilting her head, she uttered her words. “I will not kneel to you. I know who you are, I know what you are, and I refuse to ever be a part of that again.”

Oberon ducked his head forward and shook it slightly as he stared at the ground. Looking up with a smile that could make Satan shy away, he scoffed. “You will always be a part of this, Titania. Whether it is with you standing here in our presence, or you hiding away in the corner of your mother's home, afraid of what may be wrought upon you; you will always be a part of this. You will carry the scars and the memories like badges for the rest of your life. You call this slavery, I call this a way of life. Either way, you enjoyed it until you touched the forbidden. Cast out of Eden, you cry at its gates claiming its judgment is unfair. You are no one to question God.”

 

Kagome turned to look at the crowd before storming back up into the secluded booth. Grabbing Oberon by his bicep, she wheeled him around and dragged him in after her. Minutes after the curtains were snapped shut again, the sheep of this master still remained routed to the floor.

 

Bemused, Oberon stumbled back into his seat at his table. With a flashy smirk, he shrugged light heartedly, “what can I say; they love me.”

 

“Whoopdy-fuckin'-do,” Kagome sneered, “a bunch of mindless children can fall for your horse shit. I'm sure that there has to be one police officer in the world who won't. You're not God and it's really sick that you think yourself this powerful.”

Oberon nodded slowly, looking more and more bemused at her growing ire. “I'm sure that you are right; but do you truly have the time to travel half way around the world? Everyone on the east coast is in my pocket, Kaggie. What part of this are you missing? There is no way for you to ruin me when my power is absolute.”

 

Kagome shrugged and sat back against the booth. “That may be, Bank,” she got minimal enjoyment watched his eyes narrow to slits in the blink of an eye, “but I think I found a few who aren't on your payroll.”

 

Holding his temper in quite check, Bankotsu raised an eyebrow and let his true personality come out to play. “Really? Wow, that's quite an accomplishment. And tell me, Kagome, what did you tell these said officers: That a man worth a quarter of a billion dollars is stalking you, threatening you even? Did you tell them that he beat you and raped you?” Leaning closer, he snarled, “Did you tell them that you liked it?”

 

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to keep her calm just as strong as the man before her. “I told them the truth. I told them that I wanted to file for a restraining order…”

 

Bankotsu barked out a terse laugh. “One that if they did issue you, you have already violated. So, in all technicalities, I could call them and have you arrested for harassing me.” Wrinkling his nose, the man sat back once more, “I love irony.”

 

“I told them I wanted to file a restraining order effective tomorrow. I gave them your name, your places of business and the reasons why. You'll find them all listed on here.” Pulling out her envelope, she slid him a copy of the papers.

 

Oberon glanced down at the papers slowly, his eyes narrowing as he read the top header. Kagome could just about stop time at the minute he caught wind of his name and her allegations. With a wave of his hand, the papers sailed off the table and took flight in a whirlwind of anger above their head. “What the fuck, Kagome! Are you fuckin' me?” Standing up to tower over the girl, he bellowed, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

 

“The girl who will ruin you if you keep fucking with her, but I thought I told you that.” Kagome's bitter retort tasted like liquid gold on her tongue. It was a moment in time that she wished that she could take a picture and cherish it forever.

 

Bankotsu growled in the back of his throat as his mind went over various methods to physically harm the vixen before him. Knowing that it would do him no justice at the current moment, he dropped down to his seat with a loud huff. “Watch your mouth bitch.”

 

“Or you'll what? Give the cops good reason to search this premises.”

 

Bankotsu stewed in his anger for a moment before daring to continue. His voice was hardly above a rasp whisper when he spoke again, flames blazing in his eyes and a hell fire brewing in his aura. “How dare you link my name to this club?” Grabbing a sheet of the offending paper from the table, he read off, “Petitioner has been abused by respondent as defined by NJRS. The abuse of petitioner by respondent has occurred in the last 180 days. There is immediate and present danger of further abuse to petitioner.” Glaring up at Kagome, he flipped over the page and began reading again, “respondent has assaulted the Petitioner at her college dorm, as seen in accompanying footage, as well as his place of business, Club Illusions.” Grinding his teeth so loud Kagome could hear the enamel scraping, he hissed, “What footage?”

 

Kagome couldn't help the smile that slowly broke out across her face. “It's the footage from the camera in the hallway that you conveniently decided to assault me in. Don't forget about the camera showing InuYasha coming to my rescue, which would completely unravel your case against him. All in all, Banky-boo, you're fucked.”

 

Gone was the calm and collected lord Oberon that belonged to the club and in his place was one hell of a pissed off Bankotsu. Standing up so fast that the table jerked close to Kagome, trapping her in her spot, he seethed, “What the fuck else did you tell them? Bitch, this will take months for me to clear up. What the fuck else did you do?”

 

Kagome threw a manila envelope across the table to the man before her. She shoved the table backwards with the hesitation he gave her to glance to the paper in front of her.

 

“That's a copy of the real restraining order I'm having issued to you. What you just read was some of what I got off the internet and edited. I thought after the last week of hell that you've put me through, I'd return the favor.” Watching the array of color seep across his face, she decided to continue her lesson in manners. “The reason for the restraining order you'll find stated is that your appearance at the dorm and the fight that you had with InuYasha, which by the way was completely unprovoked by either party, was to much for me and Kikyo to take. I filed one against you just to keep you away from the school and out of harms way when it came to crossing paths with InuYasha. You'll receive the court order with the effective date of tomorrow in the mail in about a week. You'll probably get a phone call about it in the morning.” She could see a momentary relief seep through his eyes, and she went in for the kill.

 

“I will however, without hesitation, give these forms to the detectives at the police station if you ever come near me again. They will have ever dirty little thing you've done wrong, every murder your name could be associated with, and all of my charges that I have evidence against you with listed.” Leaning closer across the table, she took her turn to intimidate. Swallowing the knot in her throat, she ignored the butterflies in her stomach and looked the devil in his eyes. “I don't want to ruin your career, Bankotsu; just like I'm sure you don't want to see me dead. So I figure a compromise is in order.”

 

Bankotsu read over the contents in the manila envelope slowly, his aura darkening with anger and hatred as the seconds clicked away on his Movado watch. Finally ripping himself away from the pages, he leveled Kagome with a stare that could wilt flowers. “That other form…”

 

“—is in the possession of someone who knows what to do with it. Along with photos, documentations, and a crap load of journals that tell a wonderful story of a couple of sick people. If she doesn't hear from me by the end of tonight and see me by tomorrow, she'll bring them to the police with an address of where to find you, this club and everything dirty secret you thought you hushed up.”

Bankotsu was on her side of the table in a second. A hand wrapped tightly around her throat as she was shoved backwards into the cushioning of the circular seat. “Give me one reason I shouldn't choke the life out of you here and now, Kagome. Tell me why I shouldn't murder you with my own hands and piss on your face for pulling some stupid stunt like this.”

 

Kagome brought a hand up to his hands that were loosely strung around her neck, she responded calmly, “bruises are a no-no also, Bankotsu. If my source sees one bruise on me, they take the package to the cops.”

With a growl worthy of a lion, he shoved her backwards into the couch. “Bitch!”

 

Kagome inhaled sharply, trying to gain control of her quivering nerves. Though she was holding her poker face well, she was dying inside. She thought she was going to wet her pants when he came at her, and was slightly awestruck that this was going so well.

 

“You're wagering a lot on this bet,” Bankotsu muttered from where he had stalked back and forth across the small den. “You must have thought of this plan all week. Is this all that has been going through your head? Or was this plan concocted between sucking Taisho's cock and taking it up the ass?”

 

Kagome felt her right eye tick at his comment. The bitter sarcasm that filled her voice was of his creation. “What's the matter, Bank, jealous?”

 

Bankotsu spun on her in an instant and slapped her open handed across the face. He recoiled instantly, and within that moment, Kagome knew she had won this war. Taking a step back, he turned his back on her. “I would never want back a whore who has been sucking off one of those worthless dogs.”

 

“Well that won't be a problem, now will it?” Rubbing the reddened spot where he had dared to slap her, Kagome got to her feet and pushed her way past him. “We won't be seeing anything of each other and we can both suck and fuck as we please, now can't we?”

 

Breaking out into the club's dim lights, Kagome turned to head for the steps. The faster she got out of his presence, the sooner she could vomit. Glancing around with only her eyes, she took note to all the eyes that had turned to stare at the couple.

 

“Kagome.”

 

With a roll of her eyes, Kagome turned around to face the man behind her. “What…” her words stopped dead on her tongue as she found herself face to barrel with silver Colt .45 aimed at her head. Mocha eyes widened as they once again found themselves at the mercy of the menacing green-eyed monster.

 

“You forgot something.”

And his thumb moved to the hammer.

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

 

Miroku sat with his knee on the ground for only a moment after Bankotsu and Kagome had disappeared back into the confines of his tiny cave. Surprisingly, he was the first one to his feet as soon as the couple had vanished. Pushing his dark hair behind his ears, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. When Kagome had grabbed his arm, he had nearly shit himself. The fact that she hadn't figured him out amazed the boy, and he wasn't one to ask for a lot of miracles. Pushing his way up to the bar through the crowds of loyal sheep, he sat down and whistled once for the bartender.

 

`Jesus,' Miroku thoughts as he glanced up over the rim of the bar, `are these bastards on their knees too? Who ever would have thought: a room full of women on their knees and me too busy to entertain the idea?' With a wistful sigh, he cleared his throat. “Can I get a beer…or something?”

 

“Or something? Oh honey, no. That is an awful choice.”

 

Miroku felt something in his back twitch as that voice assaulted his ears. Why did he know that voice? As memory took the place of question, his question changed in theory; why was God punishing him?

 

“Not quite as awful, mind you, as daring to put on fishnet after the 2004 circuit. You're a newb, aren't you?”

 

Miroku kept staring straight at the liquor bottles as the male he had once mistaken for a female took the seat next to him. `Why, why, why, why do I let InuYasha talk me into these adventures,' he pondered while also contemplating suicide.

 

“You always want to order with a hard drink at a place like this, with some sort of relevance. Like ordering a God Father to show the dominant in you, or a Hop, Skip and go Naked, to show the submissive just begging to be spanked!” Not seeing a smile crack on the man's face, Jakotsu nearly flung himself over the bar in front of the man. Resting his head inches from Miroku's chest, he sighed dreamily. “You're not the least bit interested, are you?”

 

“Nope, not in the least. Sorry.” Miroku cleared his throat and looked away quickly, hoping to shade his identity to the girly man before him. If Jakotsu could link him to InuYasha, it could spell trouble. `Wait, why is that prissy boy here in the first place?'

 

Sitting up with a snap, Jakotsu wormed a hand around Miroku's jaw and pulled his face towards him. With a gasp, Jakotsu nearly fell off the chair. “Peter, Paul and Mary, you're that boy from the bar back in Jersey.”

 

Miroku glared around wildly before looking away. “I don't know what you're talking about.” Getting antsy, Miroku knew he had to get back to that tent that Kagome was inside of. Though things hadn't seemed that horrid yet, he knew that the shit would sooner or later hit the fan. He had promised InuYasha he would protect Kagome, and by God, he would do so with his dying breath. He had no time to talk of flowers and girly drinks with the transvestite before him.

 

“Oh honey, you're so full of it, you're eyes are brown.”

 

Miroku hissed back to the man, “Look, leave it alone, all right?”

Jakotsu glanced around once, eyeing the distance of the bar tender, he scooted his entire body closer to Miroku. Dropping his voice down a notch as well as an octave, he whispered, “If you're here to protect Kagome, you're in the wrong spot. She's…”

 

Miroku snapped back, “I know where she is. I just didn't want her to see me.”

 

Jakotsu nodded slowly. “She's an idiot, for the record. I told Ban…” clearing his throat, Jakotsu took a sip of the pink drink he was carrying, trying to cover his slip. “I told Oberon that this was a foolish idea, going to see Kagome to try to get her to come back here. I told him he was an idiot for even attempting it. Now look who the Jak-ass is.”

Miroku shook his head once. “She thinks she can stop him. She thinks she can make this all go away. We've been tying to talk her out of it. She thought that someone she was close with was in danger, so she decided to confront him and clear up the matter. We think she's nuts as well, but we also understand. I'm here to make sure she doesn't get herself killed.”

 

Jakotsu sighed with obvious annoyance. “He knew that she would come back if he said he'd hurt me. But…he wouldn't…he knows the shit he'd get in for it. He might not be my biggest fan but no one in the family deals with us hurting each other.”

 

Miroku threw Jakotsu a bewildered glower. “You really think this is all over you? I think you need to recheck your priorities, or better yet, your understanding of Kagome. It's not about you; he threatened the guy that she's in love with.”

 

Jakotsu's smile faltered slightly. “What guy?”

 

Miroku shook his head and took a large swig of the liquid that was dropped in front of him. Holding it in his mouth for a second, Miroku wanted to vomit it back out. Swallowing what he could, he turned to the bar tender and shouted, “A cement mixer, really?”

 

The bar tender just smirked and continued doing his job, muttering something about new people and their lack of respect.

 

Jakotsu tipped his head towards Miroku's half empty glass of disgusting. “Told you something was a bad choice.”

 

“Yeah but to give a man that…that's just wrong; it's unethical, this is…this is ridiculous…this is giant horse cock in a tiny mouth!” Sticking out his tongue and gagging once, Miroku tried to drag himself back to the topic before him. Why would Jakotsu be in the same club as this Oberon fellow? How was it that this spider web of interchangeable people kept growing and just why the hell hadn't he ever been invited into it?

 

Jakotsu smirked and glanced away. A surge of sorrow seemed to rip across his face as he gazed across the room. “So…what do you think they're talking about?”

 

Miroku wiped his mouth on his arm and shrugged before getting to his feet. “I would have to guess negotiating him letting her go.” With a snort, he shook his head, “I don't get what the hell she was thinking. I mean, I can understand a little bit of bondage and a good amount of Kinky to keep a healthy life style…but to become someone's slave? That's insane.”

 

Jakotsu cocked an eyebrow and pointed towards the dance floor. “Have you not opened your eyes to the life style around you? It's not about kinky or getting off, it's about power and dominance and giving yourself completely to someone else.” Standing up as well, Jakotsu slowly began to make his way across the bar, his hand wrapped delicately around Miroku's wrist. Stopping at the balcony, Jakotsu revealed the club to him. Directly his attention towards a booth on the far end, Miroku's eyes nearly fell out of his head. “Notice the three girls working on that one man's cock. See the collars on them…they are no better than dogs to him. They are treated as such as well; it's not a slave situation, it's not rape, they wanted to be his slaves. It's the life style they beg for every day. They signed on; they weren't abducted or born into it. It's what they chose to do.”

 

“That's as far as you know. They could all say the same about Kagome, but she wants to be free of him and he won't let her.” His eyes were trained on the three girls that were all just about naked. “Why the hell would three hot bitches' be all about that…that…fat ass?”

 

Jakotsu struggled to find the right answer. “This is…about cultivating the need to understand and power brought up by power and domination. It's a human trait to be demanding and some rise to be leaders while others only look up them. That happens in sex too; one wants to push the boundaries of how much they can control while another wishes to see how much they can give. They meet, they mingle, and they mentally fuck each other. It's not always about brutality and cruelty; it's about understanding and growth. There is normally a safe word, but sometimes, some people get corrupted. They think that they understand it all and they take it too far. That's…what Oberon did, and is continuing to do with this club.”

 

Miroku gazed on the scene before him for a moment more before forcing himself to look away. It seemed so foreign yet not; he understood the want to take dominance in a relationship, he had a penis for Christ's sake. But after some of the things he had seen, he was reconsidering that statement. Guys who were dressed to be some woman's bitch lingered around the club almost as much as girls begging to be tied and fucked. “I feel like I stepped out of the real world and into something from an Anne Rice Novel.”

 

Jakotsu shrugged and continued looking around. “Most people come here for a night of pleasure. We have a lot of frequent customers and well known faces who are always here. We get people who come in who are curious, but they are normally turned away. Oberon likes to know who he is dealing with and if they aren't a friend of a friend, or a direct acquaintance they can be thrown out at the wave of a hand.”

 

Miroku raised an eyebrow and stole a glance to the man beside him. “So why am I still here?”

 

Jakotsu twisted his hands together into a mess of flesh and smiled in a rather flirtatious manner. “I saw you when you came in and thought you were cute. I told Jacques you were with me. Now I'm glad that I did…but kind of disappointed. Are you sure you're not…”

 

“I'm as straight as a pine tree.” Turning to watch a girl walk by in transparent garments, he shook his head slowly, “and nearly as hard. Excuse me…”

 

As Miroku made way to follow the girl, Jakotsu reached over and pulled him back. “Wait a minute there, Mr. Bond; you have a mission to fulfill. Keep it in your pants until you've blown up at least two buildings and saved one girl in distress.”

 

Miroku sighed and returned to Jakotsu's side. “I still don't understand this place.”

 

Jakotsu tapped a finely manicured nail to his lips and gazed around. Seeing a perfect example, he clapped his hands with pulled Miroku's hair to direct his attention. “Notice that girl; see the whip in her hand? She's the female Oberon of the club; she's all about the cock. But anyone who she calls over knows that she is the Domme of the situation. Even Oberon will bow down to her at certain times.”

 

“But I thought Kagome was his queen.”

 

Jakotsu sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Honey, you have so much to learn. Kagome is his pet, and though he may have dubbed her his Titania, she's still only his pet. It's like owning a dog; you love it, you feed it, you nurture it; but at the end of the day, it's still just your dog, it's your property. You wouldn't let your dog run away just because it's scratching at the door, would you?”

 

Miroku whistled under his breath. “Damn, man…that's kind of harsh, I'm not gonna' lie. She's…not a dog; she's not his property at all.”

 

Jakotsu shook his head in the negative. “He doesn't see it that way. Oberon and her have a consensual non-consensual contract between the two of them that is location based but relevant never the less.”

 

“Was that even English?”

 

Jakotsu digressed. “They have an agreement where rationality is kind of non existent. Her right to object to any of his actions is completely waved; he gets full rights within limit of what he can do to her; anything goes, anything can happen. She agreed to this when they started their relationship in the d/s world.”

 

Miroku scoffed and felt his eyebrow tick. “That's ludicrous. No one would ever ask to be beaten the way he abused the hell out of her.”

 

“And that, my forward friend, is why we are standing here.”

 

Miroku held up a hand with a glazed look of confusion blurring his already muddled mind. “Forward? What the hell does that mean?”

 

Jakotsu flashed Miroku a brilliant smile with a flap of his hand. “Always forward, honey, never straight. Anyway…” Seeing Miroku look as if he was going to object, Jakotsu clicked his tongue and talked over him, “He took it too far, he pushed her past her safe word zone. She used his name, from what she told me, which is basically the equivalent of their safe word. He didn't stop which broke the bond of trust. Now she wants out but he can't see past her being his property. He's suffering from Top's disease; he thinks he can rule it all, that he's omnipotent. He can't even see the humanity around him, he just sees his disciples. They live and breathe his word, in his opinion. I don't know how delusional he really is, but it's starting to get bad.”

 

Miroku scratched his head and turned to stare Jakotsu in the face. He was starting to get angry; not so much with the man before him but in general. How did anyone think it was okay to raise a hand to a woman in any circumstance? He had grown up with a firm respect for women and knew that within him, chivalry wasn't dead. He would never dream of physically assaulting a girl, and yet here in this world, it was common to watch a man beat a girl down to the floor only to stuff her mouth with his cock when he was done. And they seemed to like it. With a deep sigh, Miroku pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just don't understand.”

 

“It's because this isn't your world.”

 

Miroku whipped around, his mouth hanging open, as InuYasha took his place next to Miroku. “What…but how….” Shutting up immediately, he looked away. Jakotsu knew who InuYasha was, and the last thing Miroku wanted was his association with either personality of his best friend to be what gave Sha's identity away.

 

InuYasha flipped his silver hair over his shoulder and glared around the club. “Oi,” he growled darkly after a moment, turning his attention to Jakotsu, “homo, where the hell is the girl?”

 

Jakotsu eyed the two boys for a minute before letting any questions of association go from his brain. Now was not the time to question the relationship between the two of the storm of questions he had. Rolling his eyes to the obnoxious demon, he poked InuYasha in his shoulder. “You sir, might I remind you, are the reason she's in so much trouble. If any of the bouncers see you here…”

 

InuYasha growled menacingly and shut Jakotsu up in a second. “Ask me if I give a fuck if those fuck sticks see me here. I don't want to be a part of your fuckin' Boy Scout Troop FUBAR anymore. I just want to get Kagome and get the fuck out of here. She shouldn't be here, she doesn't belong anymore.”

 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Jakotsu reached over and smacked InuYasha up the backside of his head. Pausing afterwards to tweak his ears, Jakotsu jumped out of his swinging range. Trying to refocus his outrage, he pointed out a fact. “You put her in this position. Oberon told you she was off limits. You know how he gets, what did you expect?”

 

“He doesn't own her.”

 

Jakotsu frowned pointedly. “I think you and I both know that's not true.” He could see the frustration brewing on the demon's face.

 

InuYasha shook his head in anger. He was the fault behind all of Kagome's pain, and he understood that. If anyone could see how much it tormented him, they would hide in fear. “The fuck he does. He ain't touching her again. I'll kill him first.” And he meant every word. There was no way he would ever let Bankotsu hurt Kagome again.

 

Jakotsu rolled his eyes and planted a hand on his hip and a foot to tap against the floor. “You're going to get her in more trouble then she can take. You've done enough. You really should let me and Mr. I-stand-out-like-a-straight-guy-in-the-village handle her safety while you skedaddle your way out of here. You'll only complicate this.” Seeing the wrath about to descend up on his head, Jakotsu quickly added, “you can meet up with her outside and make googily eyes at each other out there.”

 

InuYasha opened his mouth to retort further when a voice cut through the air like an air horn. If they had been paying attention instead of bickering, they may have been able to impede the rapidly approaching stand off.

 

“Kagome.”

 

All three heads whipped around to watch Bankotsu pull a gun from the inside of his pants and aim it at their mutual friend. It was as if time simply stopped moving, that the entire earth ceased to rotate again. InuYasha felt his throat constrict, the bellow that left his throat was swallowed up by the roar of the club. He could swear that he was moving yet looking around him at the other two he found that they were standing gawking at the sight of the grim reaper as it took flight over the club, shrouding them with death. If Bankotsu pulled the trigger, there was no way that he would have enough time to beat the bullet. He would lose Kagome and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

 

Jakotsu and Miroku's screams of horror met the same fate as InuYasha's, while all stood with their feet implanted in the ground. Time had frozen, motion had stopped and they were rooted to their spot with terror etched into their eyes. Had they failed? Was there something more they could have done?

 

Breaking out of the binds of time, InuYasha crotched down and sprung forward, determined to find a way to break the laws of the universe, time and the way of things to save the woman he loved. There had to be a way. He would not stand there and watch that bastard put a bullet in her head. His golden eyes focused on the man's thumb that rested against the hammer, noting every small motion. He had yet to pull the trigger, there had to still be time. He could make the hundred feet before it was too late. He had to…. Glaring at his right, he found that Miroku and Jakotsu were running at his side, all with their eyes trained at Kagome and Oberon, all with panic and desperation swelling from their aura. As they were fifty feet away, they realized that their voices were the only in the club now. Even the music had been stopped abruptly as all took notice to the fiasco. There were a few who dared to whisper amongst themselves as they watched the girl who had dared to defy their master receive her just punishment.

 

Kagome glared at Bankotsu, her eyes narrowing on the barrel of the gun presented before her. She heard his words; she felt his threat and lived the terror for a moment. It was what he wanted, he wanted her fear, and he needed her fear. It was his last attempt to hold his control over her. Death was the ultimate leverage, and he was daring to play God once more. Wasn't this what she had come here to fight? Wasn't this what she told him she would no longer fall for? He was upping his ante; he was throwing in all the chips praying she would fold to his dominance. Her eyes fell to the barrel of a gun she knew had drawn blood before. He could kill her; he could end it all at this moment. `And he will fall if he does,' her conscious screamed. He could not kill her here in front of all the witnesses without losing his freedom. There would be no denying the truth; there would be someone who would speak up for her. There had to be at least one lucid thinker in the pack of mindless drones.

 

`That's why he showed you that they bow to him,' her fear retorted, `no one will stand against him.' Was it the truth? No, there had to be someone, life could not be this cruel.

 

Kagome stuck her chin out, strength that was not her own shined in her eyes, and she stepped forward. Unaware of the men who were slowly gaining ground behind her; Kagome grabbed the barrel of Bankotsu's gun and pointed it to her heart. Pushing the cold metal against her chest, she met his dead stare with fire and hatred that could rival the flames of hell. “Go ahead;” she seethed, “do it. Kill me in front of all these witnesses and prove my point. Show them that you are a crazy bastard; show them that I am right and your reign will end.”

 

Bankotsu glared down his nose at the wench in front of him. No one had ever bested him in negotiations; no one had ever stood ground against him. The biggest names in business had bowed before him. How could this bitch, this stupid insignificant fuck toy actually make him question himself? Not daring to waver his attention, Bankotsu fought down his urge to reconsider his position on things. “They won't see a thing because you do not exist.”

 

Kagome sneered once, her eyes narrowing to the likes of his. “Go ahead then, do it. You can't kill something that is already dead, though, you should know.” And it was, wasn't it? Her heart had died when her mistake had cost her parents their marriage. Her heart was mangled when she gave birth to a boy who would never know the truth. What more was there left to kill? Bankotsu had given her so much and in the end, it was poison. Now he was threatening to end her life. Though fear rattled her bones, outward she stood strong, weathering all of his terror like a cement statue, unyielding to his demands.

 

Bankotsu brought his thumb to the trigger once more before his rationality kicked in like a hoard of elephants. Glaring to his right and then to his left, he huffed out in anger. All activity had ceased and all eyes were trained on the piece of silver that rested in his hands. They knew what he was going to do, but would they support him? His eyes caught sight of the rapidly approaching males and his eyes narrowed. Sha dared to step foot into his club after everything he had done? What right had he to enter his domain once more? His anger made the threat to shoot Kagome all the more lucid; the demon half-breed should be forced to watch his lover die by Oberon's hand. She had been his first; it was only fair that he decide her fate.

 

Above the screaming trio, it was his cousin's voice that reached his brain first. “You'll ruin yourself.” Those three words grounded the business man, sinking him to earth with the weight of the universe on his head. With one more grunt and a bone chilling glower at the girl before him, Bankotsu raised the gun and took a step away from the girl. She had nearly cost him everything and he was blind to it. His rage had once again consumed him and was nearly his undoing.

 

Jakotsu and InuYasha flanked in front of Kagome, attempting to shield her from the being before them. InuYasha stepped to Bankotsu first, a feral growl building in the back of his throat. “I should rip out your throat for what you've done to her.”

 

“And I should have left you in the gutter where I found you,” Bankotsu retorted with a snap. “I taught you all there was to know about being a master, about being in control and you turned on me. Do you really think yourself more powerful than me?”

 

InuYasha brandished his claws, ready to lunge at the man. In his mind flashed the memory of Kagome wrapped in his arms crying hysterically in fear of this man. The bruises, the lacerations, and the mental scars that now marred the woman he had fallen for were all due to the bastard before him. Cracking his knuckles, he longed to sink his fist into the man again, pummeling him the way he did at the college. “I should kill you.”

 

Bankotsu noted dryly as he stood his ground, “and yet there you stand, and here do I. You'll not raise a hand to me, Puck, lest I ruin you.”

 

InuYasha wanted to push this fight further, he wanted blood. “You can't do shit to me, but look at all the evidence that can land you in jail for attempted murder.”

 

“Enough!”

 

Both males hesitated for a moment to glance back at Kagome, their eyes widening at the cold stare they were both at the receiving end of. Bankotsu quickly waved off InuYasha and took a step towards Kagome.

 

“Walk from these doors now, Kagome. You will never be welcomed back to this world.”

 

“Is that really a threat?” Kagome asked chidingly, “Because that's what I came here to tell you. I'm done, remember? When I walk out of here, I never plan on returning.”

 

Bankotsu sneered once and placed the gun into the side of his pants. Crossing his arms afterwards, he glared daggers at the girl before him. “Then leave. You wanted freedom, go; go back to that meaningless life that I saved you from. Go back to your self-hatred for being the cause of all the suffering that befell your family. Go back to being that no body that will only play second to her cousin. Go back to hell, Kagome, and know that salvation is lost to you.”

 

Kagome bit down the painful memories of the truth of Bankotsu's words and held strong. Now was not the time to worry about the future, it was the time to worry about escaping with her life. “I will keep your secrets, Oberon, as long as you keep mine.” Would he go to Kikyo with the truth of Souta, would he ruin what little was left of her life for her declarations? They held equal ground on either side for ruining one another's lives. Would he keep what she had confided in his secret as she would keep his?

 

Bankotsu laughed listlessly. “Your secrets mean nothing, you're dead to me. Just leave and never look for me again. If you ever come here understand that you enter hostile ground and will be treated accordingly. Leave.”

 

Kagome rounded, hearing what the needed to be able to sleep at night, and took a step away from the two.

 

InuYasha glared once at Bankotsu and then slowly pointed from his eyes to the human before turning to catch up with Kagome. Less then a foot away, he was nearly thrown back twenty feet when her aura snapped like static electricity at him. “What the fuck!”

 

Kagome glared at the man behind her, her eyes narrowing to slits. “I told you once…”

 

“I'm not with that fuck,” InuYasha growled, keeping safe distance between him and the miko. “You don't need to fuckin' zap me. I'm on your side bitch!”

 

Kagome spun on her heels, glaring at the demon before her. She wasn't sure his stand point on any of Bankotsu's tricks nor was she in the right mental state to deal with any more then she had. “I asked you to leave me alone, don't make me tell you again.”

 

InuYasha growled and pushed forward. Grabbing Kagome's wrist, he bellowed, “That jack ass just about blew your fuckin' head off. I was coming here to stop him!”

 

“How can I be so sure? I don't know who anyone is anymore.” Yanking her arm away from the demon, she turned and made a direct line for the exit. “I'm done with all of this and I'm done with you. Good bye.”

 

InuYasha opened his mouth to argue but Miroku suddenly appeared at his side. Placing his hand on InuYasha's shoulder, Miroku silenced the rant. “Just let her go, she's been through enough.”

 

InuYasha looked as if he was about to argue but with a non-committal grunt, he pulled away from his friend and went for the side exit to the building with Miroku in tow.

 

Jakotsu grabbed Kagome's elbow as she neared the exit, latching on to support his close friend. “You did well, honey,” he cooed as they pushed out the large steel doors of the building.

 

As the cold air rushed the duo, a rush of emotions flooded Kagome. Hysteria, elation, fear and amazement tumbled over her like a tidal wave, drowning her beneath their wake. Was it over? Had Bankotsu dealt in reason and let her walk away? Was the nightmare really over? Kagome prayed that it was, but something in her gut told her different. Replaying the last five minutes of her life, she couldn't get a grasp on the reality of it all. “Did I really just…”

 

“Yeah girl, you did.”

 

“And did he really point…”

 

“—at your head.”

 

“And I just stood there?”

 

“Like an idiot.”

 

Kagome shook her head and put her hand to her forehead. Glancing once at Jakotsu, she hugged him tightly. “I'm so sorry I put you in the middle of all of this.”

 

Jakotsu returned his friend's embrace. “Poodle, I should have taken you out of this life years ago. You don't belong in that grungy setting anymore, Princess. You've outgrown it, and it's time for you to get moving on with your life and let go of the past.”

 

Kagome nodded slowly. “Maybe it is.” Thinking over the past experience, she watched from an almost third person view. She saw herself with the gun pointed at her chest. She saw Sha to her right and Jakotsu to her left. She saw Jakotsu's relief when Bankotsu turned and walked away, and as she spun, she saw a third face.

 

Snapping open her eyes, she questioned that moment again in her mind. “Jacky,” she muttered as they reached the parking garage where her car was, “who was that other guy with you?” That just did not make any sense in the world. Why would he be there?

 

Jakotsu glanced sideways at Kagome, wondering just how much she really knew about the friends she kept. He was going to have to do some digging when he got home. “No one honey,” he whispered as he sat her down in her passenger seat. He would drive her home, yet again, and maybe this time it would be the last. “Just a guy who wanted to help.”

 

Kagome nodded, exhaustion pulling at her heart strings. In the panic and overwhelmed state she was in, she was not going to question that answer. But God did he look a lot like Miroku.

 

`Miroku in leather pants,' she thought as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the head rest, `that would never happen.'

 

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

 

-so it took me nearly two and a half months to write this effing chapter!!! UGH!!! Talk about a rough time. Well, it's up and it's out and the explosion wasn't to nuclear. But there is still so much left to happen! Now…what about Sesshoumaru? >.< I want to throw a big thank you out to all those who reviewed.

Translations:

* C'est une bonne idée, ma cherie, pour tu tournas autour et partes- It is a good idea, my love, for you to turn around and leave!

* J'irai bien- I will be all right.

MM.org shout outs:

 

Langus: did I read your mind this time? That would be awesome if I did. >.< I'm sorry that Canada is always put off. It isn't meant that way…thank you and sorry it took so long to get the chapter out!

Drakey: yeah, you know how all that goes. ^__^;; thank you though, it's good to know that after two years, people are still following the story. I can't believe I managed to get 86 chapters of COTD out in 1 year, but only 28 for this in two. That's sad. Lol. Blow outs, yeah, it's all to come over time. Just so much to cover now. At least this should be the easy part, right? …..right?

Malitiadixie: LOL, I'm told that by a lot of people. Twisted yes, depraved, yes…but always fun. LOL. Angst is good in moderation, now if only my writing believed that. ^__^;;

Oyuki: yeah, the break up is coming soon. >.<

Loulou4729: Yay, it's always good to hear I made someone's day. It puts a smile on my face. Oh the show down took forever but it's finally partially done. …cause we all know…it's not over.

New Fan: big brother has no idea about Rin. I'm going to put a recap up for the next chapter, but I would suggest rereading a few previous chaptes to remember exactly why Inu is mistaking Jiro for Rin's baby's father. Thanks!!!

Inuyasha-obsessed67: god please don't tell me you've killed yourself. That would ruin my night…and possibly my writing career. That's to much power for one person to have. Transfer it to Bankotsu, he likes that kind of control. >.< I'm very glad that you enjoy the story. It is always good to hear that people enjoy this. Not a problem for writing, I'm just so sorry it's taking forever!!

Inuyashacutie: mmm…Bankotsu can't die. It's to much of an escape for him to get out that way. To live suffering is a fate worse then death, remember that. >.<

Autumn: LOL, it's sad that I can only write so much a a time. There really are so many plot points that I want to rekindle and bring back in and it just takes forever to gather them all together. As for Kagome realizing who yash is…well…that may take a while. I may have messed up slightly on the part with the creepy guy, in a way that some may take it and others may not. It's a canon character, and one of three faces of a character that we all well know. The red eyes came later, but in a sense, it took three parts to make the one. I'm sure you'll understand eventually. Email me if you REALLY want to know and I can explain it better. Besides, I miss you, I haven't talked to you in forever!!!

Leilachan: LOL, well, she was at the club in this one. Were the nerves on edge? It's always fun to hear that the writing elicits some sort of response. Jiro will be here very, very, VERY soon. I'm just working the kinks out of his character. Thank you!!!

Time for a change: can't say if he will ever spill the beans. Maybe in the future…

Blaccwolf123: soon, very very soon.

Kagome313: LOL, very very sexy. I can't wait to bring him in. and for the years he's lived…oh the experience. I'm just debating the final touches, like accents and stuff like that. I think I'm going Irish. Picturing him? Take Sesshiles' height, papa's build, inu's eyes and a mouth off satan. Maybe a Miroku hair cut? Throw in a little Dante Sparta into the mix? That's one helluva sexy man. You've got some pieces of the puzzle together with kikyo's mystery man asking question of papa taisho. It's in one of the chapters, a name drop only by way of chance. If you can find it, you win the prize. >.< happy holidays to you too…even though I'm a couple weeks to late. >.<

 

Silveraloria: Miro's my favorite to write. He has seriously become the embodiment of my boyfriend's personality. It's funny, really, because I've written miro all along the same and then I met my bf and he just kept saying lines that I have previous written for Miroku. It was hilarious.

Sexy_ Capricorn: hey stranger!!! Yeah, you missed a good amount, but it's good to have you back!!! Thanks!!

Szyska: sorry it took so long, family and the way of things get in the way of this. But here you go, present.

Brekay: LOL, thanks! I'm glad you like both my stories. Drama just happens to come out like word vomit. I can't explain it. I sit down and it comes to me. Go fig. the whole Miroku humping the car only happened because that happened when me and my bf were sitting in his work parking lot and one of his friends did it. Oh the motley crew I hang with. Other good writes? Email me and I'll give you a list.

Inuyashas_dreams: LOL, thank you. That is such a huge compliment! Present!

Beckyducky: thank you! I try my best, but brilliant is far off. LOL. Wow. 16 hours of straight reading? That's effing nuts!! Thanks though, I'm glad you liked it that much! Thank you again!