InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The curse of the dragon ❯ Insinuations ( Chapter 10 )

~<>~CURSE OF THE DRAGON ~<>~

 

 

~<>~Chapter 10 ~<>~ insinuations

 

 

 

InuYasha and Miroku had cruised around the city for over four hours, Miroku proving himself as a vastly knowledgeable tour guide, yet InuYasha hardly paid attention. His mind was spinning from the thoughts of a doe eyed vixen that wouldn't leave him one moment of peace to enjoy this adventure. Instead the hanyou brooded over the flavor of his week, deciding different ways he could entertain himself for the next four days at school, basking in the torment of one particular Perfect. By God he wanted to know what she tasted like, what her legs would feel like wrapped around his waist, and how his name would sound being screamed from her lips. Those thoughts alone had induced him into a nearly catatonic state for nearly an hour. The other three, most of which they spent in bumper to bumper traffic, were spent in silence, neither party overly thrilled with the other.

 

Miroku had absolutely refused to let InuYasha light up a roach in his precious car, and that set off the fireworks between the two. Miroku was adamant about protecting the leather seats and InuYasha simply wanted to get high. They argued, mostly in jest and jibes that were below the belt, and laughed it off in the end. Since that conversation, however, the ride had been quiet other then for Miroku's scenic descriptions. He took InuYasha past the best places in town to get food, the quickest places to get some ass, the local hangouts, the local places that if you were seen, your reputation would perish, and other places of such nature. Inadvertently, Miroku also showed InuYasha the best place to score drugs, not that it mattered to the hanyou. He had given up the more vibrant drugs that he had relied on for years. Pot was his drug of choice, the only friend that he needed, or so he told himself.

 

As the tour came to a diminished end, and the Taisho chateau was only a few miles away, they passed the club that had begun InuYasha's obsession with Kagome; Club Abyss. InuYasha cracked open one eye, knowing the stench of the night life scene to well, as his ear swiveled uncomfortably under the confining black bandana. His eyes flowed through the people waiting in line to get in, his eyes locking on to the back of a certain black haired individual. “Miroku…slow down,” he called casually as he turned his full attention to the club.

 

Miroku gently let go of the gas to cruise by the local hangout, his eyes searching for what InuYasha noticed. The line was already forming around the block, made up of classmates over eighteen who were more then ready for a night of dancing and pawing at the person closest to them. With a sneer, Miroku nearly gagged. “Don't tell me you're one of those losers that hang out at a club looking for an easy lay.”Miroku hated that hangout, it was gaudy and all the chicks there had diseases as far as he was concerned. Of course, the exception was his beautiful Sango, who could do no wrong in his book.

 

InuYasha ignored him as his golden orbs glazed over with mal intent. If Kagome was going to be at the club tonight, there was no way he was going to miss making a stunning appearance. Anything to get into the pants of that vixen, he had decided long ago. “I think I see Kagome,” he muttered as his hand went for the switch to lower the window. Licking his lips, he drown in the thought of tasting her.

 

Miroku rolled his eyes as his foot fell back on the accelerator, his left hand flipping the child lock to the windows. Ignoring the hostile growl from the boy next to him, Miroku lectured the teenager. “I think you scared her enough for today, Yash. Let her have some dignity today, for the love of God.” His eyes drifted from the road quickly, to steal a glimpse to see if the Goddess Sango had accompanied Kagome to the night club. Catching a glimpse of the mistaken Perfect, Miroku snorted outright. “No…no InuYasha, that's not Kagome!” He couldn't help but let out a deep chuckle as he stared at the skimpily clad girl who was hanging all over one of the bouncers. “That's Kikyo; she's kind of Kagome's evil twin of no relation, as she has so appropriately been dubbed. That girl has more STD's then the entire cast of Rent.”

 

InuYasha's eyebrow disappeared under his bangs, a snort making its way from his nose. “I can't say you're wrong about that.” Seeing Miroku's questioning glance, he waved him off. “So…that's the whore, huh? She sure does look a lot like Kagome, you sure they ain't related?”

 

Miroku nearly choked on laughter. He shook his head as he tried to answer his friend's question without hesitation. “They're about as related as Israel is to Pakistan. They hate each other with the passion of a thousand burning suns.”

 

InuYasha shot Miroku a dubious look and reiterated, “The passion of a thousand burning suns?” He scoffed and shook his head, humor lacing his words. “dude, you got to get yourself laid.”

 

Miroku rolled hi eyes at the comment, choosing to ignore the belligerent hanyou. “Kagome had a death in her family shortly after entering high school overseas. She had to go with her family to the funeral and was gone for about two weeks. At that same time, ironically, Kikyo joined our school. People thought that she was Kagome and for some stupid reason beyond me, she played along with it.” his eyes darkened, remembering those stressful months. Though he was no friend of Kagome's directly, he always felt bad for the shit storm that Kikyo rallied up against the girl. “Man did she smear Kagome's name.” With a wry smile, Miroku continued “she was caught in so many compromising positions, she should hold a world record; in the bathroom's, in the locker rooms, in the cafeteria, behind the stage, on the stage, in closest, and the best of them all, in the back seat of some unnamed vehicles. Kikyo is the reason we lost one principal already, if you get where I'm going with that.”

 

Miroku frowned, the laughter gone from his voice. “When Kagome got back to school, Kikyo had been suspended. It was kind of one of those comedic old movies…a real Abbott and Costello routine gone awry. Everyone teased Kagome and called her wicked nasty names. She nearly left school she was so embarrassed. The harassment didn't stop there though. A senior even tried to pull Kagome into the boy's room with him, expecting a little extra treatment from the poor kid. That's when Kikyo made her grand reentrance. People instantly understood the mix up but it took nearly two years for Kagome to clear her name. She wouldn't hold her head up in the hallway, looking people in the eyes, for the longest of time. It was a shame, ya know? Kagome was always such a nice person, and then bam, it was like she was broadsided by a semi. It was bad…real bad.”

 

With another sigh, Miroku drummed his fingers on the wheel of the car. “Kikyo is the slut-muffin of all slut-muffins. She has no regard for anyone around her, nor gives a damn about who she destroys. She's become pretty dangerous on top of that though. She's now associating with Naraku…”

 

InuYasha barely followed the story, his interest elsewhere until Naraku's name was mentioned. Unable to repress the growl in his throat, he hissed, “I know that asshole, I met him at the club last Friday night.” InuYasha quickly relived that night, seeing the scathing glare that Naraku sent him for touching Kikyo and even more so, hearing the names that he dared to call him. “I really don't like that guy. He's gonna get his ass handed to him one day. The question is whether it's by me or my brother. But one way or another, he'll be tasting dirt if he keeps up that cocky bullshit. I don't play games with ass hats like him.” Cracking his neck, he added, “oh, and I'd say that Kikyo's a bit more then an associate to Naraku: fuck buddy seems to be more likely of a term.”

 

Miroku shrugged. “I'd be lying if I said I'm the least bit surprised. She lately climbed her way up the social chain of The Right Hand without much…”

 

InuYasha glared at Miroku with a look of confusion etched across his face. Cutting off Miroku's statement, InuYasha questioned; “the what now?”

 

Miroku licked his lips as he repeated Naraku's little gang's name. Sure, it was worth a chuckle at their expense, but it hardly fazed him anymore. “The Right Hand, it's Naraku's clique. Basically they're scumbags and druggies; kind of like the Elites but the darker more sadistic side of them. They think that because their demons, they can't associate with the Hoods, so they branched off, but never the less, their just like us.” Stealing a glimpse at the boy next to him, he paused from his dictation, reading the shocked expression on InuYasha's face. No, wait…maybe it wasn't shock; it seemed to be near elation.

 

InuYasha stared at Miroku in disbelief, before balking outright at the name. Laughter racked his chest as he sat back in his chair, howling in laughter over something foolish, no doubt. Miroku stared at the boy in awe, dumbstruck over what could have caused this euphoria. After a long bout of laughing, InuYasha struggled to get a sentence out without breaking out to laugh again. “The Right hand? Are you freakin serious? That's what they call themselves?” Shaking his head, he couldn't help but to jest about the name. It begged for someone to wank it, it screamed gay. “I can't believe that some douche bag like Naraku would actually assume an identity under such a gay name!” waggling his eyebrows, InuYasha shook his head, still overly bemused with the entire situation. “Well at least they got a part of the name right. We all know what they do with their right hands…” InuYasha made an obscene gesture and laughed once again before adding in an, “I'm sorry…that's just too good to let slide by without some sort of crack.”

 

Miroku sighed and shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He had a very similar reaction to the name when he had first heard it, and seeing InuYasha's humor with the situation, he relieved it himself. “I do believe they are trying to insinuate that they are the right hand of the Gods. Some crack at promoting themselves above us.”

 

InuYasha had finally broken free of his compelling laughter and was shaking his head. “Yeah, the right hand of God, I'm sure everyone knows that fable. And the left hand has been possessed by the devil…” he threw a glare at Miroku and quickly added, “You can't use that excuse for your lechery, just to make that clear.”

 

Miroku rolled his eyes and muttered, “I'm so misunderstood; I don't mean to grope, it is just something that happens.” Loudly, he cleared his throat and fell back to his point of the matter. “Anyway, Kikyo slept her way to the top of The Right Hand,” he threw an `I dare you to laugh again' glare at InuYasha before finishing the parable, “and has been Naraku's special pet ever since. Wherever he is, she isn't far behind and vices versa.”

 

InuYasha stared at Miroku for a moment before cautiously treading onto the thought that had scandalously popped into his mind. “You seem to know a lot about Kikyo and her…antics. Tell me, letch; you have a history of your own with her or something?”

 

Miroku pinned the hanyou with a disgusted glower and bellowed “I might be a lecher but I'm not an idiot. I would never, and I mean never, touch Kikyo! I love my penis and I value it not falling off my body.” The boy involuntarily shivered at the thought of touching that hideous warthog.

 

InuYasha scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, reclining back in the seat. “I had a run in with Kikyo at Abyss my first day in town. It's actually how I met Kagome.” He smirked in the memory of the girl on his lap, and the taste of her skin covered in sweat. Apparently his mind wasn't the only part of his body to react to that image as his pants grew a little uncomfortably tight. Noticing Miroku's questioning glare InuYasha depicted the night's events in full detail.

 

Miroku listened carefully to InuYasha's story and joined in the laughter when he was done. Now Miroku fully understood InuYasha's infatuation with the Perfect. He didn't strike Miroku as the type to be turned down by anyone, let alone a little girl like Kagome. It was doubtful that he was going to give up the chase any time soon. He had known a few guys like InuYasha over his years; they got one idea into their mind, or one image within their sights, and they didn't give up until they obtained it and corrupted it. Miroku was torn, he noted as his eyes narrowed a degree, on whether he wanted his new friend actually achieve his goal or to see Kagome escape his clutches. Either way, this was going to be very interesting.

 

Miroku swung his Ferrari into InuYasha's driveway and silenced its purring engine. Turning to InuYasha, Miroku's face had grown to a mask of amusement. Though he didn't all together approve of InuYasha's harassment of the girl, the story still put a smile to his face. “Kagome must have shit a brick! I can't imagine…” With a slightly wry laugh, Miroku continued, “If she only knew that you thought that she was Kikyo…” shaking his head, Miroku gazed at InuYasha in near endearment. “Man, I've never seen anyone get through Kagome's thick skin in a months worth of trying than you did in one day. I can't say that she hasn't had it coming, for the attitude she has built up over the years, but I think there are a few things I need to warn you about with Kagome.”

 

InuYasha shrugged haphazardly and kicked open his door, his foot connecting with the leather trim on the door. “Come on in, you can chill with me downstairs. I need a drink anyways.” The boy slammed the door shut, leaving Miroku wincing behind him at the overly rough treatment of the car. Miroku called out before closing his own door, “be careful with the wheels, Yasha! This car is my livelihood!” He ran his hand over the car's roof as if petting a slumbering pet and followed behind InuYasha.

 

Miroku had lived in Tokyo for almost all of his life, and with the time spent in the city, he was well aware of its history. The Taisho estate didn't evade that knowledge. Nestled outside city limits, the tiny estate built on enormous amounts of land was a local legend. A beautiful and luxurious outside was only out shined by the internal architecture and design. The floors of the mansion were made from a beautiful oak wood and the walls were doused in neutral beiges and tan browns. Empirical like molding and trims lightened the atmosphere along with some beautiful and vastly expensive art works and accent tables. The whistle that left Miroku's lips managed to evade InuYasha's attention, as he gawked around in awe.

 

“Who's there? Oh. It's only you.”

 

Both boys turned to glare at the toad like servant who mystically appeared behind them, tapping his chubby foot impatiently. InuYasha scoffed and crossed his arms angrily, his body posture screaming that he was ready for a fight. Watching InuYasha's body language, Miroku wondered what had set him off. Either way, he feared for the old man's health at the present moment. “Who the hell are you talking too, Old Man?”

 

Myouga hissed at the youth and pinned him with a dark gaze, his eyes nearly piercing through his soul. “Your mother is home and was wondering where her two bastard children were. You should have returned from school nearly three hours ago. Apparently, you are incapable of following simply directions. I can't say I'm surprised. So, where exactly is your brother? I did expect more from him.”

 

InuYasha's body posture never changed as he raised one of his eyebrows. “Why the hell should I know? The bastard does what he wants, when he wants. I ain't his keeper and you can tell that wench that too.”

 

Myouga's face lit with anger as his voice raised an octave. “The least you can do is to pay some respect to the woman who saved your life, you disrespectful lout. She doesn't have to care for you but does it out of the…”

 

InuYasha stepped up the heat in the argument, placing himself directly in Myouga's face. His voice fell to a dangerous tone that reverberated through Miroku's chest, his amber eyes lighting ablaze with indignation. “Actually, she does! See, you old flea-bag, if she kicks me out, she loses my father's trust fund. And poor Launia isn't quite ready to face the working world. I'm my step-mother's golden ticket. So shut your fuckin' mouth or I'll shut it for you!” Pivoting, he roughly grabbed Miroku's wrist and dragged him towards the basement, the boy barely to keep on his feet. His footsteps echoed throughout the hall like the furious thunder of God's wrath.

 

The two descended the basement steps, InuYasha having let go of Miroku's writst the moment they reached the door. As they came into the Great Room, Miroku's mouth dropped open. The entertainment center was the first of the many wonders that caught his eye, but the amount of expensive merchandise didn't evade the man's attention. “Holy shit…” was about all that could describe his awe. Turning to look at the boy next to him, he was shocked to notice InuYasha had removed himself from his side and was already behind a beautifully finished cherry wood wet bar. Blinking twice, Miroku let out a low whistle. “Damn, man, you really are loaded.”

 

“Sure…whatever,” InuYasha rolled his eyes as he broke out two shot glasses. “Name your poison.” Whipping out a bottle of Jack Daniels, he poured himself a glass.

 

Miroku slowly sunk into the micro-fiber L-shaped couch and turned on the plasma TV. Enthralled by the technology before him, he called back half heartedly, “just a coke, please. I don't really drink that much alcohol.”

 

InuYasha snorted and took back his shot, grinning maliciously as he felt the liquid burn its way down his esophagus. “Damn, you can't go wrong with that shit.” Cracking his neck twice, he raised an eyebrow. “You sure you don't want some beer? I mean, shit man, come on don't be a pussy.”

 

Miroku glanced over his shoulder, his eyes noticing the shot glass before drifting to the hanyou's eyes. “No. Thank you. If you don't have soda, I'll be fine.”

 

InuYasha scoffed but complied. He threw the boy a can of coke before walking around the bar and headed down the hallway. Miroku shrugged and turned back to the television, eyeing the rest of the goodies that were cluttered around the boy's castle

 

Entering the spare room that he had proclaimed his own, InuYasha began digging through the laundry he had yet to put away. Pulling off his black sweatshirt, he threw the shirt into the corner and headed back into the hallway. Attempting to pull the t over his sculpted chest, he called out to the boy on the couch. “Do what you want, letch. I've got some steam to burn off on the weights.”

 

Miroku glanced back over his shoulder and grimaced at the half dressed hanyou. Not exactly what he was expecting to see when he turned around, that was for sure. His eyes, however, zoomed in on a nasty scar on the boy's upper right shoulder. Curious, he quickly inquired, “What's with the scarring”

 

InuYasha let his eyes drift down towards his shoulder, and for a moment, it felt as if the wound was reopened, the burning hot pain temporarily blinding his senses, his entire body freezing. Behind his eyes, he lost himself to the memory and knowledge of what that blemish meant and the evermore painful scar that was carved into his soul.

 

InuYasha felt feverish and cold at the same time; he could smell the smoke again, he could hear his friends dying cries, he could taste the metallic tinge of blood. Shaking his head quickly, he broke out of his brooding in a mood that couldn't be rivaled. Anger and fury, pain and angst welled in the boy's molten gaze as he fisted his hands so tight his claws dug into his palms. Growling in a very primitive manor, his words could barely be considered language. “Mind you own God damn business Miroku.”

 

Miroku raised an eyebrow and held his hands out towards his friend in a peaceful gesture. Backing off of the subject completely, he flashed the boy an apologetic smile and quickly turned himself back around to watch a movie he found on HBO. After a moment, giving the boy a second to simmer, he called back, “If you ever want to talk…” Hearing a menacing growl, the boy sighed and returned to the movie in silence. Offering his help apparently wasn't much appreciated, and he knew a `do not enter' sign when he saw one. Mentally remembering that fact, he focused his attention solely on the program in front of him.

 

InuYasha eyed over the gym that Myouga had constructed for Sesshoumaru and himself. A simple lifting bench was the idle for today, but he quickly reviewed the white Galena home gym system and the treadmill. Testing the bench for a possible error, or for that matter, a blatant attempt to rig the device to fail, InuYasha nodded at the acceptable construction. Grabbing a two hundred pound dumbbell, he laid down on the bench.

 

`Damn that Pervert and his fuckin' curiosity!' InuYasha swore inwardly as he pushed out his repetitions. `He had to mention it, of all the days; he had to remind me of that.' It wasn't as if he ever forgot, or that those images weren't seared into his mind, but sometimes, he was able to escape it for a little while. Kagome had helped with this, and the conquest of working his way into her hot tight body, but no, Miroku just had to ruin the high.

 

InuYasha's eyes blurred in anger and in pain on the events that had changed his life…. that had forced him into the person he was now. As he trained his muscles, his mind replayed the movie before him, blinding him to reality as he lost himself to his worst enemy; himself.

 

 

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

 

 

InuYasha sat at the end of his bed, his legs behind him, with his four friends cluttered around the floor watching reruns of Will Ferrell's days of Saturday Night Live. The five boys, Nick, Hiro, Takeda, Dwayne and InuYasha sat laughing at the comedic acts oblivious to the happenings outside of his home. It was one of the blissful moments of childhood, one that was about to be violently, and permanently, shattered.

 

Then abruptly, Sesshoumaru strode into the boy's room, slamming open his door hard enough to knock it off its hinges. It was the first time ever that InuYasha had seen such a blatant emotion written onto the older youkai's stoic countenance, it was an expression of Fear. It seeped off of his brother, pouring in waves like a raging waterfall. His golden eyes were opened wider then InuYasha ever thought possible and he was shaking. It was an image that every night InuYasha prayed he would never see again yet the nightmares always came.

 

Sesshoumaru grabbed InuYasha by his collar, lifting him off the bed in a single stroke. Sesshoumaru's concealment charm, the one that hid his claws, his fangs and his facial markings was gone in an instant, obtaining the undivided attention of the humans in the room. Slamming his younger brother into the closest wall, Sesshoumaru held him a foot off the floor, one hand wrapped around the boy's throat. Ignoring the shouts of the hanyou's friends, Sesshoumaru hissed, “Where is it?”

 

InuYasha gazed into his brother's wide eyes in absolute terror. Never had

Sesshoumaru acted in such a manner. They had their spats as any siblings would, but the combination of the deadly demand and his brother's fear put InuYasha's brain into overload. “Where is what?”

 

Sesshoumaru's fear morphed into fury as he pulled his brother towards him then slammed him back against the wall, shaking the foundation of the house. His voice lowered an octave as his eyes began to bleed red. “You know what I'm fuckin talking about, you little shit! What the fuck did you do with the drugs?”

 

InuYasha's eyes widened at the word `drugs' as he began to sweat. “Uhh…” was the most intelligible answer he could submit. His mouth worked silently, his eyes shifting to the scared faces of his friends. It was doubtful that they had ever seen a youkai before in their lives, and at an awkward moment, he wondered what this would do to their friendship. Feeling Sesshoumaru's claws biting into his skin, he quickly retuned his attention to his half brother's growing fury. The knowledge hit him like a truck.

 

InuYasha had snuck into his brothers room a week back and one of the dime sized bags of cocaine that Sesshoumaru had scored from his `friends', or at least that was his understanding of the situation. Not that either of the boys had used cocaine before; InuYasha just knew a few people who wanted it and were willing to pay top dollar for it. The profit had bought him a forty inch television and a play station 2.

 

Apparently InuYasha's silence answered Sesshoumaru's question.

 

Sesshoumaru growled furiously and threw his brother halfway across the room, gaining little satisfaction as InuYasha plowed into the wall, and slumped to the floor, bits of plaster snowing down on top of him. His eyes had dilated to the fullest extent and were completely a crimson red, his hair beginning to blow in the non-existent breeze as he felt himself losing control of his inner beast. “Do you know what you've done?” His voice was rasp and filled with insurmountable promises of agony and death. He stalked towards his brother and grabbed him once again by his collar, hoisting him into the air. Letting the boy choke around his hold, Sesshoumaru nearly bellowed; “Your stupid games nearly cost me my life! I didn't even know anything was missing until I was nearly a thousand dollars short on the payback!” He brought his brother inches away from his face, “Tell me you have the fucking money, Yash!”

 

InuYasha could feel the sweat running down his face as he stared blankly at his brother. With the utmost dread, he shook his head slowly, trying to think of a decent answer that would end with his blood being the new paint job on his walls. Admitting defeat, he nodded slowly towards the PS2 and the big screen TV he had bought with the payout that apparently wasn't as great as it could have been. He only got seven hundred for the drugs, they were worth a grand? Yeah, he was ripped off. If it weren't for the death threat by his brother, a sense of indignation would have sounded off the boy's temper.

 

Sesshoumaru threw the boy into the wall once again and screamed a bunch of slander at him in the language of their father. Storming from the room, Sesshoumaru called over his shoulder, “I have to fix your fucking mess again, InuYasha. When I am done with this, however, you'll be six feet in the ground. That is a promise.”

 

InuYasha stood up and ran after his brother, confused and aghast at the threat. Ignoring the shouts of his friends, he chased after the fuming Youkai. “Sesshoumaru, just give them the cash! It's not that hard! You're rich, or did you forget that?”

 

Sesshoumaru stalked out of his room, plowing into the hanyou. With what sounded like a primal roar, he swung blindly at the boy, catching him across his chest and created a shallow imprint that bled out immediately. Hissing in anger, Sesshoumaru shouted, “It's not the money, InuYasha, it's the trust and the fact that The Dragons now believe I'm stealing from them! Do you know the power they possess? Do you know what we do to those who steal? It's a death sentence, InuYasha, and you possibly could have signed mine.”

 

InuYasha chuckled wryly, his right hand coming to his chest to cover the wound and attempt feebly to stop the bleeding. “What does it matter to you? You're Sesshoumaru, the son of Inu No Taisho, or did you forget that? Isn't your credo to fear no one?”

 

Sesshoumaru gave InuYasha a stare that could turn anything to stone. “This Sesshoumaru does not fear individual humans. But as a collective, stupidity is much more dangerous then you give it proper credit for. I fear, InuYasha, their retribution.” His eyes darkened as he clenched a wad of cash in his hand, something he kept in his mattress in case of emergencies. “If you ever go into my room again, half breed, I will not be held responsible for your demise.” With those deadly words, Sesshoumaru spun on his heels and stormed from the house, leaving his brother in the wake of his anger.

 

With a growl of frustration, InuYasha stood up and made his way into the bathroom. Brooding in his own self loathing, he peeled off his shirt and began to work at the wounds Sesshoumaru had inflicted upon him. “Stupid dumbass,” he sputtered angrily to the empty room.

 

There was the gargle of someone clearing their throat and InuYasha's heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten completely about their audience of to whom he would have to explain the truth. Turning, he found Nick at the forefront of the group. , “Dude…what the hell just happened?”

 

With a deep sigh, InuYasha turned to face his long time friend Nick. He was the first person that InuYasha had made friends with when he arrived in the states. With the help of Takada and Hiro, they had taught InuYasha how to speak English, how to surf, how to skate…how to live and breath like a normal teenager instead of some street punk with an attitude. With Nick's friendship, he became inseparable from the boys he considered family. This was the one thing he never explained; living under the concealment spell, the only thing they questioned was his silver hair. It was easy to explain as a genetic thing once they met his step mother and Sesshoumaru.

 

“It's a long story Nick. You'll be better off if you pretend like you saw nothing and never say anything about it.” He hated to cover the demon heritage of his family but demon activity in the United States was low, and to explain it would be to difficult. Besides, no one believed in the monsters under the bed theory. The concealment charms were enacted the moment they left Japan. Tonight was the first time either of the boys had managed to break it.

 

Nick's face shifted with InuYasha's words to mimic a pure expression of terror. “What is your brother?” With a soft scoff, Nick added, “Because he had fangs and claws and shit! That sure as hell ain't human traits! And what was with those tribal tattoos? Sessh didn't have those yesterday!”

 

InuYasha growled as he slowly shifted his attention from the mirror to glare at his friend. “Honestly, it's to long of a fucking story to tell you right now. All you need to know is that I messed up and took shit that I shouldn't have.”

 

Nick scowled, obviously not liking the idea of dismissing what he saw, but responded dryly, “does it have to do with how you managed to get yourself a forty inch television? Cause I was wondering the same thing myself.”

 

InuYasha nodded as he dropped his eyes to the floor, his hands fisting at the thoughts of his own carelessness. He didn't regret taking what he needed, but he regretted the fact that it could have caused Sesshoumaru trouble. As much as he didn't like the bastard, he was blood. “Look, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's just go back to watch…”

 

A loud explosion punctuated the boys' conversation, sounding off from in front of the house. InuYasha ran to the nearest window and stared out into the ominous blackness of night. At the end of their gated driveway, Sesshoumaru's corvette was ablaze with red and blue flames. It was as if InuYasha's heart died in his chest as he watched the car explode in a vivid array of flames that danced their way to heaven in the midnight sky. There was no way anyone could live through that. His breath caught in his throat, Sesshoumaru's warning echoing through his head. `They did this…they killed him because they thought that he...' the rationalization hit him will enough force to make him stagger backwards away from the window, stepping over Nick's feet. It was his fault that they went after Sesshoumaru. This was his entire fault.

 

As his senses prevailed, he screamed back to his friends as he tore down the stairwell, “Stay inside!” After that, he was sure that he was screaming his brother's name, but all he heard was the circulation of his own blood.

 

As he shot out the front door and onto his front yard, he could hear the collective stomps of his friend descending the stair. Swearing every curse under God, he screamed back as he ran into the thick fog,. “Guys, go back inside, this is dangerous!”

 

Time seemed to stand still at that point as everything happened at once. A red blotch appeared on InuYasha's bare chest…a potentially harmless laser point red spot that would be his undoing. His eyes widened as his demonic hearing intercepted the sound of the whistle of a small metallic object hurtling in his direction, intent on destroying him. Jumping to the side, the first bullet grazed his left arm; slightly singeing the skin and delivering the warning that everything was about to go to hell quite vividly. “Nick,” he bellowed over the roar of the fire, “get down!”

 

Turning to glare at his friend, his entire body turned to stone at the sight before him. Nick had stopped dead in his tracks as he was told to, however, two similar red dots appeared on his body; one on his forehead, the other squarely centered on his chest. Two pops echoed somewhere from behind the burning inferno that had become Sesshoumaru's car.

 

InuYasha's eyes watered as he watched in slow motion his friend take the first bullet through his chest, his head jolting back like a crash test dummy. InuYasha attempted to leap in front of the other bullet, praying for his friend to withstand his first wound. He was demon, one bullet hole wouldn't kill InuYasha, but a human…it would destroy him with a vengeance. The bullet caught InuYasha in the right shoulder and tore through his body with ease, severing all muscle and bone in its way. The tiny piece of metal then embedded itself in Nick's skull, sealing the boy's untimely fate.

 

InuYasha crashed to the ground and groaned in pain as two more red dots appeared on his body, the fate of his friend attempting to be his own. A figure stepped out of the smoke, materializing from the inferno like the devil himself, coming to claim InuYasha's soul as his own. In his hands was a high powered hunting rifle, an inferred scope attached to the top. The assassin fired two more shots at disabled boy, one penetrating his left leg, the other his chest.

 

InuYasha's head rolled back against his shoulders, his entire body subsuming to the pain as he watched a bright red light settle directly between his eyes. Death was standing over him, invisible to the eye, yet InuYasha could feel his presence, the cold metal of his staff pressing against his throat. Three loud releases popped off in succession over InuYasha's head, none of them impacting his body. He heard something hit the cement walkway to his house, something that resembled a pumpkin being dashed against the pavement. Letting his head roll to his right shoulder, his breath died in his chest, along with his heart. His three friends collapsed one after the other, blood pooling to the ground around their bodies.

 

InuYasha opened his mouth to scream to them, to tell them to run away, but all at once the rationalization crushed him; they were already dead. All autonomous reaction drained from his body with the crimson liquid that seeped through the holes in his skin. And with that surrender, his demon blood reigned.

 

Speeding blindly through his veins, InuYasha felt himself lose complete control of his actions. He was now in the passenger seat of his own mind, watching as the demon that he had suppressed his entire life take over his mind and body. His vision blurred to a distorted view of reality, the entire world taking n a crimson tinge. It was the same crimson that had marked the death of his friends, and of his kin.

 

Gazing at the bodies of the only people in the world he trusted, red eyes slowly turned and locked onto the figure in black in front of him. He heard a gasp, but it hardly registered in his brain. Brandishing his claws as the deadly weapons they were, he rushed the attacker. With the swipe of his hand, the man before him was no more, sliced to pieces before his very eyes. Then there was more pain; it was as if fifty thousand volts of electricity were conducted throughout his body again and again. The hanyou turned demon let out a primal scream, one that held all the anger for the unjust murder of his friends and he slowly collapsed away from the taser into a pool of blood that belonged to all those who died on that battlefield.

 

InuYasha felt another bullet pass through his chest, and could feel the footsteps approaching him from behind. He heard a deep masculine voice but the words were lost on him. A searing pain shot through his body, like a knife being sliced through his gut. A blade clattered nosily to the ground beside him, along with the splattering of a life threatening amount of blood. A body collapsed somewhere to the right of him, but InuYasha was unable to even focus his attention to the latest victim. As he slowly gave into the tempting darkness of unconsciousness, he watched his house go up in flames before allowing the darkness of the night claim his soul.

 

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

 

 

InuYasha's eyes were nearly that brilliant shade of crimson as he attempted to focus his attention on finishing his repetitions. Anger now pumped his adrenaline throughout his body as rage ate away at his soul. He could feel his arms buckling under the weight of the barbells yet his body refused to move, forcing him to hold the weight above his neck like a lingering guillotine. `My friends died that night, their lives wasted because of my fuck up.'

 

Lost to his brooding, he was only snapped back to the morbidity of reality when the barbell slipped from his hands and crashed down onto his chest, stealing the breath from his lungs. InuYasha grunted on the impact, a rush of lightheadedness following the directly blow. Grabbing the barbell, he attempted to throw it from his body; but like kryptonite to Clark Kent, his memories of the death of his past paralyzed him in the present. It was as if his energy had been drained from his body, absorbed by that lingering memory that he could never evade. InuYasha coughed out roughly, trying to get Miroku's attention. It wasn't as if the letch could lift the weight, InuYasha doubted, but he could do something! Yet it seemed that his cry for help went unanswered, for the boy continued to provide his direct attention to his newest love affair: that damned plasma Television. With a throaty growl, he attempted once more to throw the weight from his body. He felt like he was drowning, the weight stealing his breath and the memory compressing his soul. It would be ironic, he noted, to die a fool's death, after surviving the hell that had engulfed his life for the past four years.

 

As if by divine intervention, or a sadistic will to keep him alive, the weight was relieved from his chest and deposited to the floor a few feet away. A stoic and cold voice met his ears, redefining how much of a horrible day this was turning out to be. “Are you so weak that you squander your life under a mere two hundred pound weight, you worthless half breed?” What made InuYasha nearly insane with rage was the drole undertone of his brother's words.

 

Shooting up and taking a deep breath, InuYasha couldn't control himself. He wanted to lash out, he wanted to hurt something. All the anger and the pain overwhelmed his senses; the indignation of watching his friends' die because of his mistake, the knowledge that he nearly cost his brother his life. He couldn't help the sudden burst of rage that engulfed his body. Lunging at the nearest thing to him, it was ironic that he was taking out his anger on the man whose life he had successfully ruined. “Asshole!”

 

InuYasha lunged at the full demon, who seemed mildly shocked at his action. He swung once at the Sesshoumaru's head, his left hook connecting with his brother's jaw. With a deafening crack, Sesshoumaru flew backwards ten feet before crashing into the back of the couch. Miroku was flung forward, sprawled out over the coffee table, and now vividly aware of just how absorbed he was in the Dane Cook Special he had been watching.

 

Sesshoumaru shot up off the ground, his eyes narrowed dangerously at his half brother. With absolute no emotion, he brought his right hand up to his jaw and roughly popped it back into place. Then in a very Sauvé move, he shrugged his shoulders, allowing his black leather duster to slip from his body, sliding off his arms in a scene that should have been in a movie. “You will regret that, half-breed!” With that said he flew at his brother with amazing speed and threw a kick at the hanyou's mid section. As InuYasha blocked his brother's leg with both hands, Sesshoumaru managed to rabbit punch him in the windpipe, the impact hurtling the hanyou back into the far den wall. Darting forward, Sesshoumaru's fist made firm contact with InuYasha's stomach. InuYasha crumpled to the floor and Sesshoumaru swiftly kicked him in the ribs for good measure. “You stupid fool,” he seethed, “did you really think you could beat this Sesshoumaru?”

 

Miroku watched the fight from the sidelines in sheer amazement at the speed and power that the two boys possessed. He had known a few demons in his time, but to see a fight of such diligence before his eyes was an entirely new experience. He winced as Sesshoumaru put InuYasha into the ground, noting the abusive relationship the brothers had. He also made a firm decision at that point that went along the lines of him never wanting to cross paths with Sesshoumaru.

 

InuYasha glared up at his brother, his face a vision of anger. With power he hadn't possessed more then moments before, he jumped back to his feet and threw a barrage of punches at his brother. The demon blocked them without any second thoughts and countered with a right jab to InuYasha's already abused stomach. The teen crumpled forward and met Sesshoumaru's kneecap halfway down, snapping his head backwards and his body followed.

 

Sesshoumaru stared down at his brother for a moment, his face an unreadable mask. With a slow shake of his head, Sesshoumaru shrugged his button down shirt back into place and wiped a piece of invisible dust from his shoulder. Turning on his feet, he made his way to the bar across the room and began to blend himself a drink, as if the fight had never happened. Making himself a jack and coke, his eyes finally shifted to Miroku's, demanding his immediate attention. “Dare I ask, what worked my brother into such a rage?”

 

Miroku's mouth dropped as he listened to Sesshoumaru's emotionless question. Was it even a question, he wondered; for coming from that Demon's mouth, it sounded as more of a statement. Choking on his response, Miroku flattered completely. Sesshoumaru was acting as if this level of physical violence was a common ground between the two siblings. The blood that dripped from InuYasha's mouth didn't seem to faze the Youkai in the least; it was as if this was their routine of saying hello to the other. Taking one more double take of the two brothers and their dispositions, he flocked to InuYasha's side, unsure of how to answer Sesshoumaru's question. Looking over the hanyou, he grimaced. “Are you all right, man?”

 

InuYasha grumbled incoherently as he attempted to sit up.

 

Sesshoumaru grunted loudly, his repulsion obvious in the scoff that followed. Sitting on one of the barstools, he leveled a glare at Miroku. “Don't waste your breath. He's irreconcilable at this moment. You'd be better off talking to a wall.”

 

Flashing a somewhat grateful smile at Sesshoumaru, he continued to try to help the hanyou despite the warning. Grabbing InuYasha's arm, he dragged the boy to the couch. Deposition him on the said furniture, he dropped to sit on the floor beside him. Glancing back at Sesshoumaru, he carefully asked, “Is someone going to enlighten me as to why you both nearly killed each other?”

 

Sesshoumaru turned very slowly to stare at Miroku in befuddlement. Amusement sparkled through those cognac eyes as he mused, “Are you foolish enough to question the motives of this Sesshoumaru?”

 

Miroku stifled the sigh that was building in his throat, his patience already worn thin for the demon's overly large ego. “I just want to know why.”

 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and sipped at his drink. He turned his icy glare to the back of InuYasha's head, as if trying to stare into his soul. “Why indeed.” InuYasha, who had seemed dead to the world, let out a rough scoff. Sesshoumaru let the slightest smirk wash over his hardened features but vanquished it not a moment later. “There's your answer human; he is an idiot.”

 

Miroku was beginning to firmly understand his brother's loathing for his older brother. Looking back to InuYasha, his eyebrows creased in worry. “Are you going to be all right?”

 

InuYasha waved a hand at Miroku to signify to leave him alone then closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the silence. It had been a plain stupid move on his part to attack Sesshoumaru. The older Youkai could hand him his ass any day of the week, not that it was something InuYasha would admit to vocally. But this had been quite the learning experience for Miroku at least. Remembering at that moment exactly why Miroku was even still at their house, InuYasha bated him; “So what shit did you want to tell me about Kagome?”

 

Sesshoumaru's attention shifted from his own brooding to the boys' conversation, as he continued to sit in silence, listening to what the boy had to say. Maybe he knew something about Rin, or about her current predicament.

 

Miroku grinned and slid onto the other end of the couch away from InuYasha and returned to the soda that InuYasha had offered him moments ago. Taking a swig, he propped up his feet on the coffee table, looking all too lax in the present company. “Well…oh yeah…Kagome isn't a girl who could be considered easy.”

 

InuYasha opened one eye to peer at his friend with a twist of sarcasm coloring his words. “No…you don't say?”

 

Miroku cleared his throat and asked quickly, “Do you want to hear this or not? I don't appreciate sarcasm.”

 

InuYasha closed the eye with a throaty scoff.

 

Miroku nodded once in approval and continued, “She has only dated two guys that I know of; both of whom were Perfects. The memo that got out about her after that was that she was prude. At one point, in our freshman year, the captain of the football team who was a senior,” just feeling the glower of the hanyou, Miroku rolled his eyes, “cliché I know.” Clearing his throat, he continued, “The senior asked her out but she turned him down. Apparently she felt that his actions were only driven by the want to get down her pants. She was right and the ass continued perusing her the entire year, pissing off the captain of the cheerleading squad, who I think was one of his conquests. No one appreciated him dating one of the non-varsity cheerleaders.”

 

InuYasha coughed hard at that moment, his mind getting the better of him. Seeing Kagome in that outfit was enough to harden his dick on the spot, but the thought of seeing her on her knees, dressed to boot in that uniform, with his cock nestled down her throat was enough to make him want to cum in his pants. “Kagome's a cheerleader?” His mouth twisted into a sick grin as he laughed maliciously, all the dirty images in the world coming to him at that moment. “That figures.” Oh the things he was going to do to her…

 

Miroku sighed once more and continued with the story despite his friend's obviously fantasy. “So the captain tried to pin her in the back of the bus after the homecoming game but failed miserably. Sango took care of revenge not long after that. She completely called him out on trying to fuck a minor, along with some beautiful insults that I could never forget, and kicked his ass in the middle of the senior lunch period. To have your ass handed to you by a girl is degrading enough, but by a freshman.” Miroku chuckled, “the bastard nearly left school he was so embarrassed.' Seeing that InuYasha was still in never-never land with his visions of Kagome in the cheerleading outfit, he cleared his throat loudly. “What I'm trying to say is that girl is the embodiment of purity. She's whole, InuYasha, and is very defensive of that…virginity.” Sure, Miroku had lusted after her for a point, virgins being one of his favorite toys, but his eyes belonged only for Sango.

 

Sesshoumaru suddenly stood from where he was residing. Finishing off his drink, he dropped the glass by the sink and paced across the room. Resting both of his arms on the couch, he glared down at his brother, slapping him across the back of his head to gain his attention. “This girl isn't going to be some easy whore for you to use and lose, InuYasha. Whatever devious thoughts you're concocting in that Hentai brain of yours, I would suggest you abandon them all now.”

 

InuYasha glared once up at his brother and snottily asked, “Why are you still here?” Turning his attention back to Miroku, he added, “So…Kagome's a virgin? That just makes this all that much fun. I wonder if she's still a virgin in all three holes.”

 

Miroku decided that he didn't like the gleam that glazed over the hanyou's eyes. It was disconcerting, to say the least. “I say good luck with all of it InuYasha, because you're going to need it. Hojo, one of the most popular kids in school, has tried to date this girl for the last two years but she won't even give him the time of day.”

 

“Keh, I've heard the same bullshit story before, and it always has the same ending; the bitch with her legs wrapped around my hips, screaming my name. By time I'm done with her, prude won't even be in her vocabulary.”

 

The last comment seemed to snap Sesshoumaru's attention towards his brother and friend. Growling darkly, he caught his brother's gaze and held it with a vice grip. “InuYasha, I am sure I do not need to remind you that if even consider forcing her…”

 

InuYasha returned his brothers glare and angrily cut him off, “I would never force her into sex, Sesshoumaru. I'll make sure she wants it, that won't be a problem.”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, the stifling silence quickly becoming stagnant. Turning his eyes back to Miroku, Sesshoumaru decided to take a plunge for knowledge. “Tell me, human, what do you know about a young girl in your grade named Rin?”

 

Miroku's eyebrows disappeared under his unruly bangs as he searched for feasible knowledge. “Rin? Oh, Rin Takisho. She's close with Kagome and Sango.” There was a pause as Miroku felt the ice prince's glare harden and he gulped in fear. Stuttering, he continued amended, “She is a nice girl…kind of a Perfect by association. She came to our school two years ago and immediately hit it off with Sango and Kagome. They have all been inseparable since then.” He could feel the demon's eyes burying deeper into his soul for more information. Unfortunately, Miroku hardly knew anything about her. He grasped for the minor details that everyone knew, “Well…she's a cheerleader as well, she's a fantastic alto and soprano, and comes from a really wealthy family. She's a good student and uhh…she isn't currently dating anyone.” He nearly smirked when he noticed Sesshoumaru's eyes lighten. As the prince nodded, requiring more knowledge, Miroku sighed. “She dated Kouga for a while, when he was on the popular side of the school. That ended abruptly though; a lot of rumors spread that he wanted to have sex and she didn't. Some say that he tried to force her into it.”

 

InuYasha propped himself up to stare at Miroku, an emotion washing over the boy that Miroku couldn't place. “That seems to be a running theme at your school. Any idea what's up with that?”

 

Miroku countered without a second thought, “Rape happens wherever money presides over logic. With money comes power…with power comes the ability to defy the law. Needless to say, kids take what they want…” Miroku paused as a moment of a very disturbing silence passed between the brothers, resulting in InuYasha's cheeks turning slightly red and dropping his gaze to the ground. Miroku cautiously continued, “Well…after that, Kouga popularity deflated like a Macy's Day Parade float and he became a hood, regardless that he was also a jock.”

 

InuYasha nearly yelled, “That cocksucker's a jock?”

 

At the same time, Sesshoumaru bit out, with enough disgust to exploit his point to the world. “She dated that weak wolf demon that I tossed across the bus?” He clucked his tongue three times and added, “and here I though that girl had an ounce of taste.”

 

Miroku smirked as he watched the emotions flicker across the brothers' faces. Both seemed to be lost on their choice of female party. The interesting fact to Miroku was that Sesshoumaru had questioned him about Rin and not Kagura. Everyone who was anyone had noticed the Youkai bitch strutting around the school with her eyes downcast, obviously put in place by the man before him. Miroku had figured that when Sesshoumaru demanded control of The Elites, he would have taken Kagura on as a girl friend. So why was he so concerned over a human, none the less; from everything he had gathered, Sesshoumaru hated humans. “She's also a feisty one; she can have more spunk then Kagome and Sango put together. She's barely afraid of anything, and has told off quite the number of males in her life. She has a good heart though; you can't take that away from her. She's loyal to her friends and has stood by them through everything.” Licking his lips, he added the rest of his knowledge. “She works at a bar downtown called Abyss, which I know you two have been to. She normally tends on the weekends.”

 

“Humorous to know, especially being that she is still under eighteen.”

 

Miroku nodded in agreement. “She's been there for the last year and a half. Rumor has it that her father has some link to Diegosan. And anything that has a link to Diegosan is not in a good disposition.”

 

Sesshoumaru felt his back go rigid at the mention of Diegosan. His features twisted to mirror sever distaste as he sneered, “What about her relationship with his son, Naraku?”

 

Miroku raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders, completely blindsided by the question. He had never stopped to wonder about that, regardless of the fact that Naraku was a year above them. “I think Naraku is more interested in Kikyo then anything else. I can't see Rin mingling with someone of his kind.”

 

InuYasha yawned and painfully stood from the couch. “As interesting as this conversation about Rin is, I'm tired…I don't give a shit…and oh yes…I don't give a shit.” He worked his way over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of Bacardi 151. “So you two pussies do whatever you want, I'm getting drunk, probably stoned and defiantly going to be unconscious in…” he glanced at the Rolex on his wrist, “…probably one hour.” He gave the pair a shit-eating grin and held up the bottle towards the two. “Cheers!” With that, he dove into his determination to get some type of rest that night, even if it was by means of liquid intoxication.

 

Sesshoumaru sighed and turned quickly to face his ignorant half brother. With awing speed, he grabbed the bottle from the teen's hands and cracked it over his head, sending InuYasha fifty-nine minutes ahead of schedule to the land of unconsciousness. “Baka!”

 

Sesshoumaru threw the remaining piece of the bottle into the sink behind the bar and glared down at InuYasha's crumpled body. Shaking his head, he turned to stare at Miroku, who was glaring at the two in utter shock. Sesshoumaru made the motion to lunge forward towards the startled boy, who reminded Sesshoumaru of a deer in headlights.

 

Miroku witnessed the older youkai's hostility, and as he turned his sights on the human, he hightailed it out of the basement, up the steps, stumbled over the Oriental rug in the hallway, and upon grasping his footing, shot out the front door like a bullet, not bothering with even closing it on his departure.

 

Sesshoumaru followed behind Miroku slowly, watching him scamper away as fast as his legs would carry him. Leaning on the doorframe, Sesshoumaru smiled as he watched the overly expensive Ferrari speed down the driveway leaving a trail of dust in his path. With a firm shake of his head, Sesshoumaru shut the door to the mansion, pivoted, and came face to face with his livid mother.

 

“It's nearly eleven o'clock at night, where have you been? I told you that you were grounded, along with that bastard brother of yours. You decided to destroy the house when I was gone, now you have to live with the consequences. You are to be home directly after school that was my order! Is there something you are incompetent of understanding?”

 

Sesshoumaru winced at the annoyingly loud nagging voice that echoed out of the woman in front of him. Rage began to boil in his blood, as he shot back, “You are no one to question me, Wench!” With a deep breath, Sesshoumaru struggled to regain his stoic control. He refused to lose his temper to his mother, which would allow her to think she won. As far as he was concerned, that would never happen.

 

Launia reached out and slapped Sesshoumaru across his face with her open palm. Her normal gray eyes began to change to an eerie cat like yellow, her concealment charm nearly subdued by her ire. “I am sick and tired of your antics, Sesshoumaru. It is time for you to show some respect! Learn your place!”

 

Sesshoumaru turned his head with the slap, his amber eyes turning molten in rage. Reciprocating the blow, he belted Launia across her face in return. Watching his mother reel to the floor, Sesshoumaru hissed, “Learn my place? Have you not figured it out by now? You have no say in what I do! You have no say in how I act!” Towering over the woman, he growled deeply. “Stop trying to intervene in my life. You were no mother to me when I was a pup, why be one now? Now that I am old enough to take care of myself, I have no need for you.”

 

The woman glared up at her son from the floor and with a piercing scream, she jumped to her feet and was in his face matching his anger. “How dare you blame me for not being there for you when you were young!” she spat back at the angry demon. “The only thing I have done wrong is to spoil you into this egotistical bastard who is standing in front of me!”

 

Sesshoumaru growled deeply and turned his back to the woman he called mother. “You were never there, Launia…never. All I remember of you from my childhood was your whorish behavior. You never gave a damn about my welfare, or that of my brother. All that mattered was father's pay check.” He narrowed his eyes as he took a menacing step towards Launia. “But once those stopped coming to you,” he snapped his fingers in front of her face and his tone deepened, “he was gone.”

 

His mother growled and clenched her fists, ignoring the butterflies that suddenly swarmed in her stomach. Staring her son in the eye, she demanded, “What are you insinuating?”

 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and turned away from his mother. Walking to the staircase to ascend to his room, he called back to her, his voice nearly a whisper, “Out, damned spot, out I say…*”

 

Launia had begun to walk towards the kitchen when her son's words fell upon her ears. Turning to face him, her face was blazing with rage. “What did you just say to me?”

 

Sesshoumaru continued to walk up the steps nearly reaching the second floor before he stopped. Still not looking over his shoulder, a smile played upon his lips. Calling back, Sesshoumaru quoted cryptically, “What need you fear who knows it, when none can call your power to account?--Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?*”

 

The color drained from Launia's face as she stared up at her son. As he vanished from sight, a gasp tore its way from her constricted throat, and a hand fluttered to her lips. `What words does he curse me with? How could he…' Drifting off into revelry of her thoughts, and knew not how long she stood in the stairwell, and yet the hours seemed to pass by unnoticed.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

-** taken from; Mac Beth, act V, scene 1.

 

Yay for revisions. I don't have any more betas'…but I think I did okay. Right?