InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Torn Apart ❯ Chapter 20

 

Chapter 20:

 

“At least let me tell Sesshoumaru where we're going!” Shippou pleaded as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Kagome. Something got her into a snit, and the why of it completely escaped him. She had appeared to forgive his betting stunt before her friend called so it couldn't be that, could it? He only prayed she informed him before he left the estate.

 

Slowly, carefully drawing out the minutes, he turned on the car. He flinched at the rough sputtering noises of his little red Toyota. He really should buy a new car, but this little baby had been with him a long time. Sometimes, he hated change.

 

“Hurry it up,” Kagome snapped, completely ignoring his earlier question. He deserved it for betting on her marriage with Sesshoumaru.

 

Shippou sighed as he pulled down the long driveway heading towards the manned gate. At least the guards would inform Sesshoumaru of their departure, if not necessarily their destination.

 

“Are you sure I can't tell Sesshoumaru?” the kitsune whined one last time for good measure before he drew even with the rabbit youkai waiting with clipboard and pen to document his departure.

 

“Positive, and if we don't get out of here in five minutes, I'm kicking you out of this car and driving to the Ichii Chikyuu myself!”

 

She pretended to stare at the windshield wipers while inside, she struggled to smooth out the feelings of hurt. It seemed like no matter what she tried to do, someone was controlling her life or betting on the outcome of it.

 

Naraku had wanted her jewel shards and if she died in the process, all the better. Sesshoumaru couldn't decide which to follow, his heart or his mind. The former told him to let her stay, while the other wanted to push her as far away as possible to keep her safe. Didn't he realize she'd been taking care of herself for a long time now? At least allow her the chance to prove to herself and him that she was strong enough and powerful enough to be accepted.

 

A tear leaked down her face causing both the guard and Shippou to glance sharply at her before tidying up their conversation quickly. Her eyes stared unseeingly at the road as it began to blur underneath her vision, both from the ignored tears and Shippou's driving.

 

All she ever wanted was to settle down, finish high school, and maybe go to college. She wanted to be happy, not traipse around Japan killing demons and having demons try to kill her. What was it about her that painted a big red target on her back and shouted, “I'm here! Come and do your worst!” It wasn't fair.

 

Now that she had the opportunity to find that happy life, to settle down with the demon she thought she could grow to love whole-heartedly, he pushed her away and made their lives an entertainment for others.

 

Bitterness seeped into her silent sobs.

 

Shippou looked worriedly at Kagome. He never expected her to break down so completely. Not once had she done so before, not even when Naraku nearly killed Inuyasha or when she failed another one of her precious exams because she missed it completely. This wasn't like her.

 

“Kagome?” he whispered softly, afraid that any sound would upset her further.

 

“Sniff,” was Kagome's only reply.

 

Gulping, he tried again. “Kagome, what's wrong?”

 

Kagome sniffed again before wiping her eyes. “Sesshoumaru's never going to make up his mind. I wish he'd never come back into my life. All I've been, all I have ever been, is a nuisance and a pest. Everyone feels like they have to protect and coddle me. They never have enough faith that I can handle at least a few things by myself. And, there's always someone watching me, critiquing me, and telling me I'm screwing up my life.”

Kagome turned in her seat to stare pleadingly into Shippou's half turned face. “Don't you see? I can't handle it. I can't handle being a caged bird, told to stand up and sing a pretty tune for the guests. It's just not me!”

 

Shippou pried one hand off the steering wheel and let it plop into Kagome's lap to twine with her own. “We want to protect you Kagome, because we care too much to risk losing you. We might take it to an extreme, but you have to work with us. You have to compromise. If something happens to you, it's just not your own life you affect but ours as well.”

 

The kitsune held his breath, hoping that she'd accept his words for truth. He really couldn't handle the death of another of his kin anytime soon. If she went, half his past would be gone as well.

 

Clammy fingers clenched tightly around the kitsune's. “I don't know if I can,” she whispered. “A person can only be pushed so far before they break you know.”

 

Shippou nodded in understanding. “Is that why you haven't told Sesshoumaru yet that you've decided to stick with him?”

 

A gasp settled into the stillness of the car, filling it with pretentious doom. “I—I don't know. He, well, he hasn't exactly been all that open since we talked about the past a little bit. He's barely been at the estate since then, and he disappeared tonight…” Her querulous voice trailed off into thick silence.

 

Shippou sighed again. “Kagome, the only way to get his attention is to sit on him, or maim him, or somehow challenge his authority. If you don't, he'll just think everything is running smoothly and doesn't deserve his attention.”

 

Kagome's eyes flashed with ire. “Well, if I'm going to be his wife, he better not ignore me! Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean something's not bothering me!”

 

Shippou unwound his fingers from Kagome's to massage his headache in hopes of reliving the tension. He never could understand why females wouldn't just come out and say what they meant. They always left little hints and prodded subtly until they broke.

 

“Well, I guess you'll just have to let him know that before you marry otherwise don't expect him to pick up on your moods all the time.”

 

Anger crackled in the air as Kagome fought to control her temper. She knew what Shippou was saying was right, but boy, did she want to strangle him for saying it! Why did she always have to compromise? Why couldn't it be the demon for once?

 

“Fine, whatever, I'll talk to Sesshoumaru when we get back.”

 

Relief cleared the air a little as Shippou smiled sweetly at Kagome. “Does this mean I can tell Sesshoumaru where we're going?”

 

“No,” was her firm and emphatic denial. “I want him to make him squirm.”

 

Shippou's fur deflated. He should have known a woman's ire was not so easily diffused.

 

—\-\-|-/-/—

 

Sesshoumaru glanced at the clock and noted the time, ten in the evening. He needed to get back to his guests and start breaking them up. They'd been there a full three hours already. Surely that was plenty enough time to terrorize the help.

 

Stretching, he cracked his neck. He was starting to feel his age at almost fourteen hundred years though he looked a year under thirty. It was long past time he had an heir. Tapping his claws against the wood of his desk, he pondered the past week.

 

He had sensed that Kagome was hesitant to speak with him, but he had delayed it as long as possible, hoping she'd get over her fear. Very little could cause her to hold her tongue based on past experience. He had hoped she would speak with him tonight, either before the party or while they were dancing, but something seemed to have captured her tongue. He half hoped, half dreaded she'd take him up on his offer to send her to New York with Inuyasha although the other alternative of staying by his side was beginning to look more and more pleasing by the hour.

 

`If only things weren't so complicated,' he scowled silently to himself as his nails gouged a tiny furrow into his desk. Hearing the scrape of nails against the hardwood, he looked down and allowed his internal scowl to show. He was going to regret those marks, just as he regretted getting into this whole mess as it was before things were settled.

 

He stood abruptly to his feet and crossed over to the window, disregarding the security cameras in preference for his keen eye sight. He could pick out the pacing steps of his sentries as they patrolled his land, guarding against an attack.

 

That was another thing that bothered him. The yakuza had yet to make an appearance and the evening was nearly over. Just what did the crafty old fool have in mind? It seemed they endlessly played a game of cat and mouse, him being the mouse always one step behind but allowed to graciously live for the meantime.

 

It was not a position he relished.

 

The short staccato note of his ringer cut off his musing, startling him into a soft growl. It was unlike him to let his mind drift like that, especially when Kagome might be in possible danger. Pulling the offensive cell phone from his trouser pocket, he flipped it open.

 

“Hello?” he snapped impatiently. He really did hate the blasted thing. Sometimes, convenience was too much of a convenience.

 

He could hear a loud gulp from the other end of the line before a thin, reedy voice spoke up. “Sesshoumaru-sama, sir, I wanted to report that Shippou and a young female left the estate twenty minutes ago. It has been brought to my attention this woman may have been the miko Higurashi.”

 

Sesshoumaru fought against the instinct to crush the phone in his hand. He needed more information first.

 

“Where are they heading.” His voice was cold, dripping with ice.

 

More nervous swallowing resonated through the phone's small speaker. “ They—They didn't say Sir! All I know was that they turned towards Tokyo. It's—It's why I waited so long before informing you Sir.”

 

Sesshoumaru's heart wilted at hearing that. He had been looking forward to crushing the foolish guard's throat as soon as he was done throttling his cell phone. “Very well. I will be there shortly.”

 

Snapping his cell phone closed, he slipped it back into his pocket. The mood to throttle was gone, diffused by the actual intelligent thinking of the guard. Eyes flashing, he looked at the door and wondered, just what drove Kagome off when all the guests were still in full residence.

 

Striding purposely from the room, he went off in search of Inuyasha and Sango. Surely they would know, and if they didn't, well, maybe a few heads would roll tonight after all.

 

—\-\-|-/-/—

 

The grungy downtown area stank of vomit, beer, and decaying flesh. It was not a pleasant scent. Shippou scrunched up his nose in a useless attempt at denying the smell from penetrating his nose. He could only imagine what Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would think if they were driving through this mess with their superior sense of smell.

 

Shippou looked back at Kagome, taking note of her tense shoulders and bunched skirt where her hands fisted into the loose fabric. “Are you sure you want to go here? I can still go back and drop you off somewhere safe for the time being.” He really was worried; she didn't look well at all.

 

Kagome violently shook her head no. “I can't. Ayumi needs me to find her! I can't believe she went to a place like this to begin with though.”

 

A foreboding sense of unease settled over him. He could see the crazy lights of drugged up street waifs lurking in the hidden shadows of the passing alleyways. If any one of them saw how well him or Kagome were dressed, he would be hard pressed to ward them off. An outfit like the one the miko wore would fetch a good price to fund their addiction, assuming the thief lived long enough to make off with his prize.

 

At least his car was run down enough to escape immediate attention. It made him fervently wish to never replace the fortunate clunker.

 

“Over there,” whispered Kagome, pointing with a trembling hand at the flickering street sign. The Ichii Chikyuu, a bar extraordinaire for the low-down, run-down vagabonds of the streets. The dirt caked on the street and streaked window glass just begged for a condemnation having seen its best years as a slightly less then seedy joint a long time ago.

 

Shippou pulled the red Toyoto past the bar, parallel parking with the ease of many years of practice. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Kagome pull out her cell phone, cleverly hidden with GPS tracking in case of abduction. Sesshoumaru really had thought things out though no one would have predicted her stubbornness would lead her here.

 

Listening with one ear to Kagome's conversation with Ayumi, he palmed his own cell phone from his pocket and swiftly typed a text message. Ichii Chikyuu was all he had time to type and send before Kagome hanged up on her phone. It would be enough.

 

“So where is she?” Shippou whispered, childishly afraid to garner unwanted attention even though the car was fairly sound proof to begin with.

 

Kagome tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. “She said she'd meet us in the alley over there. There's apparently a backdoor that leads out into it that's fairly out of the way from the rest of the patrons inside and has a clear view into the street. She wants us to head over there to make sure the coast is clear.”

 

Unease settled lower in Shippou's innards. Something didn't quite sound right. Shrugging the feeling off, he turned his quick mind to determining the quickest way of extracting himself, Kagome, and her friend from the seedy area. If he left her in the car, someone could hijack it before he returned not to mention Ayumi may not follow him. If he took her with him, he risked a mob of street gang members jumping on them. Neither one was appealing.

 

Looking at her stubborn face settle into determination, he nearly groaned. The decision had apparently been decided without his input. She was going with or without him. “Fine,” he sighed, startling the miko who was prepared to fight tooth and nail over the situation. “We better get going then before she runs off back inside.”

 

Kagome nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt. Shippou followed suit as the idea settled more firmly in his mind. Perhaps it was better for her to accompany him. At least he'd be right there to protect her.

 

“Okay,” she said somewhat forcefully, false bravado deflating its tone. “Let's get Ayumi.”

 

—\-\-|-/-/—

 

“Hurry it up wench,” growled Ayumi's tormentor. When she had refused to answer the phone the second time, Shuukaku had nodded at one of his gang members who had been prowling around her the whole night, licking his chops in lust. The man had been rough, pawing at her breasts and tearing her shirt. Before he could do much more, she had consented.

 

Shuukaku merely smiled charmingly causing nausea to rise in her belly, sick at the thought his once gleaming teeth had nearly made her swoon not to long ago. When the man hadn't backed down though, he threw him across the room although she knew it was more because he needed to get closer in order to hold the phone to her ear while his lips caressed the other, whispering her lines one by one.

 

It had taken all she had not to gag at the smell of his cologne, let alone his proximity, but if she had then the dirty man would have finished what he started and a score of others would have helped. Tears fell continuously down her face as she sobbingly told Kagome to meet her outside in the alley.

 

With agreement echoing over the phone, she felt the gush of wind as the phone flipped shut, nearly pinching her ear with its proximity.

“Hurry up, wench,” snarled Shuukaku grabbing the rope binding that secured her hands behind her back. “We've got an appointment to keep.”

 

She was half pulled, half dragged through the back room towards the rather worn looking door. Ayumi thought it rather matched the weariness in her own soul, weary and roughly handled. A quick snap of a knife cut through her ropes as the door was thrown open, and she was pushed through it.

 

“Go on,” he said softly. “Go on and meet your friends. Tell them we said hi,” he said with a hint of amusement.

 

Ayumi shuddered as she rubbed her arms to regain some circulation. Eyes blinded in the darkness, she took a tottering step forward into the alley, looking for her friend, hoping she brought someone with her for protection. If she hadn't, neither one would make it out unscathed.

 

Another step forward brought her into the dim reflecting light of a street sign high above her, barely enough light to illuminate her silhouette. A third step brought her to her knees as she tripped over a box filled with garbage. Her hands landed in a pile of excrement, still warm and soft from recent expulsion.

 

Another sob racked her body as she turned her face and added to the waste littering the alley. The smell made her heave again, emptying out what little fluid she had left. Unsteadily regaining her feet, she hanged her head over her body, unable to wipe the dirt from her face for fear of smearing shit all over it instead. At least she knew what she had to eat that day. She didn't want to know what foulness was on her hands.

 

“Ayumi?” echoed in the alleyway, catching her attention. Tears streaked down her face, carving a path through the dirt. “We're over here!”

 

Kagome dashed forward, heart nearly stopping at the horrible state she found her friend in.

 

Shippou's head snapped up as Kagome ran down the alley, expertly hurdling over the debris. “Wait!” he cried as his body remained rooted in dread. Something was definitely wrong, and he feared it had something to do with Kagome.

 

Before he regained control of his body, he watched with horror as a black shape darted out of the shadows as youki swamped his senses. Fear caught in his throat as he screamed a warning, unable to use his kitsune-bi for fear of hitting his adopted okaa-san instead. Feet at last peeling off the pavement, he dashed forward only to be brought up short with a single snarl.

 

The rat had Kagome by the throat while Ayumi continued to bow her head in shame.

 

“It's nice to see you again, Shippou. So glad you could make it,” the black-furred rat spoke causing Kagome's eyes to roll back into her head in fright. She could feel his claws digging into her throat, poised above her aorta. She didn't dare move or call on her powers or the hidden demon strapped against her thigh. His claws were poised to close to death for her comfort.

 

Shippou snarled as he planted his feet smoothly into the ground. “Don't you dare harm her!” he cried, his demon blood fighting to overtake him. He hadn't felt this helpless since Rin died.

 

Laughter bounced maniacally off the walls. “But Shippou, it's only fair I take something from you just as you took something away from me.” His free hand gently caressed Kagome's shoulder, drifting down into her cleavage.

 

Kagome jerked away from his touch causing him to snap his teeth, nicking her ear with a long-toothed fang in warning. Kagome steeled her body to resist its revulsion. She would have to wait for her moment to break free. Her eyes drifted to her right, settling on Ayumi's listless body. When had she become so broken?

 

Shippou slid his foot half an inch forward, disregarding the refuse coating his feet and shoes. At least it gave him an easy surface to glide along. “I knew we should have tracked you down and killed you when we had a chance,” he said, hoping to prevent the black rat youkai from noticing his forward momentum. “It would have been a fitting revenge for Myouga's sacrifice!”

 

“You better stop moving, kit, otherwise the miko won't live another day.”

 

Shippou gasped and ground his feet again in frustration. “You bastard!” he cried, clenching his fist as his heart throbbed painfully in his chest.

 

“Now, now, Shippou. There are ladies present, and we wouldn't want to offend the ladies now would we?”

 

Shippou's eye twitched in answer.

 

Shuukaku smirked as he watched the fox battle himself for control. He always did enjoy making people squirm. It provided hours of amusement, necessary after the foolish demon before him managed to bind his blood, preventing the plague from spreading across the world to demolish the human race.

 

He had thought the kit would make a worthy addition to his gang. Working together, they could have succeeded, but instead the damn fool bound his blood with a sealing charm, forcing him to use other methods to culture the microbes that daily ate away at his insides. He had been forced to seek out the pestilence in the wild, culture them in the sewer rat, the mouse, the odd stray dog and cat. It made for a slow sweep of the world and was often combated by modern medicine. But after tonight, it would no longer be so.

 

Reaching back to caress the pale flesh of the woman Higurashi, he gripped the chain holding the Shikon no Tama around her neck. He would make his wish, unseal his blood, and unleash a new strain of plague to demolish the world in a sea of Black Death. It would be unstoppable, morphing into a stronger disease over the hundred years his blood was bound, constantly fighting against his natural healing abilities for dominance.

 

Yanking on the chain, he smelled the sweet tang of blood as it cut into her neck before snapping. Laughing in glee, he reached down and licked the sticky mess off her neck, smearing it in the process. Intrigued with the wild power hiding inside, he bit down on it, simultaneously breaking a vial of bacteria between his teeth. Letting the sweet microbes coat the wound, he grinned. If nothing else, the miko would die.

 

Pushing her forward, he bound off into the night as Shippou sprang forward to catch Kagome's body as it fell, Ayumi still standing in shock in front of them. Shrugging out of his jacket, he laid it haphazardly on the ground before letting Kagome settle on the pavement. Snarling, he turned his attention to the retreating coward, intent on seeking his revenge and ending things at long last. He had been a fool to allow the demon to escape the first time; he would not do it again.

 

Power flashed behind him, as he took a lunging step forward. He smiled. It seemed the inu spirit wanted to play as well. Another lunge forward was greeted with snarling and high-pitched yaps. A third was overrun as a thousand rats poured from the walls, converging on Kagome and Ayumi. Torn apart, Shippou hung in the air. He could feel the spirit next to him howl in anger as revenge was denied it for harming his mistress. His own soul resonated with anguish as his fire began to blaze a path through the sea of rats starving for flesh.

 

Grim determination settled in his face. He would protect Kagome, even if it meant he perished in the process.

 

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