InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Such a Small World ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen

 

Sango noticed the instant that Hiei returned, since Jakotsu came bounding down the stairs declaring that, “Kagome's sweetheart was home!” in his extremely enthusiastic voice. He also said something about him bringing a present, but she had not paid much attention to him after that, since she had realized she was burning dinner—again, which was why she made Kagome cook. Really, she wondered when she was going to get a break, since her food never turned out that bad, but something always distracted her to the point that it burnt. As she turned off the stove, she supposed that at least this time she didn't have to blame in on Bankotsu.

 

Though, she could blame dinner being later than usual on that ass.

 

Having had Jakotsu set the table after he had put Kagome to bed, she knew that she would not need to worry with that, but turned to set her frying pan into its rightful place. At least with that out of the way, and the food covered, she would only need to see if Hiei was staying, and wake Kagome up. Though, she was concerned for a moment if Kagome might need more sleep, she decided that she needed to eat instead of allowing herself to starve. So, after making sure that mostly everything was in order, she turned to move up the stairs in order to reach the second floor.

 

“Ohh, it's so cute!”

 

For a moment she turned toward the door, but then shook her head and continued her way up the stairs. Jakotsu thought was lot of things were cute, but most of them she was not interested in knowing about. Besides, if it was something inappropriate she doubted that Hiei would tolerate it for long, and Jakotsu would leave him alone as soon as he realized that Hiei was going to pulverize him. And, though Jakotsu might make a few comments about him, he knew his boundaries when it came to Kagome's boyfriend.

 

A small smirk tilted onto her lips, for she rather enjoyed most of the things that came out of Jakotsu's mouth. Especially whenever he told her about things that Bankotsu did, since he liked to think that he could do everything by himself without her. She had busted him so many times with Jakotsu's help it was pitiful, but he would never know where her information came from, since that would ruin all her fun. Besides she still loved his stubborn butt, no matter how much he talked shit or tried to take care of serious problems on his own.

 

Traveling up the stairs and easily reaching the second floor, Sango moved down the hallway in order to reach Kagome's room. She could hear Kagome turn over, and knew from the sound that her sister was likely not asleep. A small frown tugged at her lips, since she remembered when Kagome had stayed up for three days after their mother had died, before she had finally collapsed. So, she knew that Kagome was probably not sleeping because Hiei had left and she was worried that another man would end up like Inuyasha. She hoped beyond hope that Kagome would see in time that Hiei and Inuyasha were completely different people, and Hiei wasn't going to do what Inuyasha did.

 

Finally turning the knob, she stepped inside as the door opened and watched as Kagome buried herself deeper into her covers, obviously trying to make it seem like she was in the land of dreams. However, as she rolled her eyes, she softly closed the door behind her and stopped, allowing herself to watch as Kagome pulled the covers down in order to inspect the door. “You've never been very good at this game, Kagome,” she said in slight amusement.

 

“Sango,” Kagome blushed, “I was trying to sleep, honest.”

 

Sango shook her head. “I know you, Kagome, and I also know that you weren't trying to sleep at all. However, I'm not going to bitch about it, since I know why you can't sleep—don't try to tell me that I don't—and the solution to your problems has arrived.” She noticed that Kagome was staring at her a little oddly, and blamed Bankotsu for making her sound a bit like him when it came to words. “What?”

 

“Nothing,” Kagome sighed.

 

“And dinner's done, and you need to come eat it,” Sango continued. “I'm sure that your stay with Hiei was very pleasant, but you need to eat sooner or later, Kagome, you can't just lay in bed with him all day.”

 

“Sango!” Kagome yelled, grabbing the nearest object in order to throw at her stepsister. The object turned out to only be her nice fluffy pillow, and Sango managed to catch it before it managed to slap her in the face, but she was slightly glad that her assault stopped Sango from talking. Her time with Hiei was personal, even if Sango knew most of it, and she did not spend most of her time in bed with him—only a quarter of it if she wanted to count it all. Sango did not need to talk about it in such a casual way, even if they were alone in her bedroom. “I don't need Jakotsu and you talking about stuff like that!”

 

“Why?” Sango asked. “If you love him so much, why are you so embarrassed?”

 

Kagome paused, knowing that Sango was right, and she grudgingly told her so. Then, she glared at her slightly, and in a soft voice asked, “You said he was back, right?”

 

“Sure did,” Sango said.

 

“And dinner's ready?” Kagome continued.

 

“Mmhm,” Sango nodded.

 

“I'll come downstairs in five minutes then,” Kagome said, a small smile on her lips.

 

“What's wrong with you coming down in your—” Sango began to ask.

 

“Kagome! Kagome!” Jakotsu's voice came from downstairs. “You simply have to come see this! Your cutie has brought you something that you simply have to see! Come on now, sugar, don't leave us waiting!”

 

“Or I could go down now,” Kagome said, sliding out of bed. Her pajamas—though Jakotsu had insisted for some time that she wear one of the nighties in her closest that Sango had insisted on buying—were quickly smoothed out and she moved to walk out her bedroom door with her sister.

 

“Kagome,” Jakotsu continued to yell, “hurry up! Your sweetie has brought you the cutest little creature that you're simply going to love!”

 

Jakotsu's yells continued until they made it to the top of the stairs and saw him waving excitedly at them. Hiei stood beside him, his arms crossed, and one hand strangely going through petting motions, as if he was trying to calm his anger, and they had no doubt that he was with Jakotsu yelling in his ear. Then, Jakotsu rushed up to meet them and grabbed Kagome's hand in order to drag her down the stairs and toss her in front of her bored looking boyfriend. His enthusiasm did not die as he stared happily at them, his gaze quickly darting back and forth as he waited, his hands clasped together in excitement.

 

“Kagome,” Hiei greeted. He felt the animal in his arms shift, obviously annoyed with the fact that he had held it down for so long. However, he did not refrain his hold on it, and wondered for a moment why he was cursed with stepping on its tail. In fact, he had a strange feeling that his deceased friend had something to do with it from wherever the dead went, just to get a laugh out of his situation. He would not put it past Kuwabara with how many times he had insulted him when he was alive.

 

“Hello, Hiei,” Kagome smiled. “I didn't expect you back until tomorrow with how Sesshoumaru normally likes to work.”

 

“Hn,” Hiei frowned. Then, without a care, he grabbed the creature in his arms by the scruff of its neck and held it out to her. He noticed instantly that the two women were staring at the small creature hanging from his fingers, blinking slightly in confusion. Jakotsu gave a squeal beside him, obviously not concerned for his ears or the animal's health, and clapped his hands a few times.

 

Kagome reached out hesitantly, and took the small kitten from Hiei's hand. The poor thing was shaking a bit once Hiei released it, and turned its head, its ears drawn back, seeming to glare at Hiei with its blue eyes. Raising the kitten to eye level, she noticed that it did not appear to be feral, and did not seem to even care that she was handling it. Its ears perked up as it stared at her, though the end of its tail was twitching slightly, and she smiled brightly at the small creature. “Oh, you're so cute,” she giggled.

 

“You can have it if you want it,” Hiei stated at that moment.

 

“It?” Kagome asked.

 

Sango sighed and took the kitten from her sibling. Inspecting it for a few minutes, she smiled, and gave the kitten back. “It's a boy,” she said. “And I know just what Kagome's going to name him.” She noticed that Kagome frowned deeply, petting the small kitten as she and Jakotsu cheered, “Buyo!” together.

 

“A boy?” Kagome muttered. Her last three Buyo's had only lived to about seven to nine years of age before they had either died of an illness, got hit by a car, or disappeared into the night. She would love to name the little kitten in her arms Buyo, but she had a feeling that doing so would end with Buyo IV disappearing on her too. “And you're wrong.”

 

“About what?” Jakotsu blinked in surprise.

 

“I'm going to name him Masayoshi,” Kagome smiled. “Shining goodness.”

 

Hiei allowed his lips to tilt slightly into a smile, seeing Kagome so happy as she and Jakotsu fussed over the small animal. He had known that the gesture would be enough to cheer her up, and he hoped that as she fussed over it and cared for it that her happiness would begin to return. Perhaps now she would see he was serious in his affections, and he was not going to dump her off to the side. In his opinion, there was no woman that could truly take the piece of him that she held so tightly in her grasp and twist it until it was their own. She was a single shining light, no one would ever compare to her.

 

OoO

 

Inuyasha frowned, flicking the lights of his apartment on. The darkness signaled that Kikyo was still out and would most likely go back to Emiko's house for the night. However, he had called Kikyo's cell, and Emiko's home number, and no one was picking up either device. He could understand if Kikyo turned her phone off if they were still out, her friends usually insisted on going to some place where music could drown out even the most frightened of screams, so he was not worried. That did not mean that he was not be a bit annoyed, though, since he had promised to make up his lost time with her, and she decided to go out with her friends and blow him off.

 

Throwing his keys onto the nearest flat surface, he moved into the living room area and turned the television on after snatching the remote from the couch. He flipped through the channels quickly, stopping when he noticed the bastard on the news, and scowled at his elder sibling. The words being exchanged between Sesshoumaru and the news reporter told him that they were speaking up the upcoming party. Not that he really cared, but it irked him a bit that Sesshoumaru, the ass, was constantly seen by thousands upon thousands of people—even when he tried to avoid it—while he got kicked the curb until he went to the stupid events Sesshoumaru insisted on throwing.

 

He snorted as his elder spoke of his company's progression after being asked by the pretty blonde holding her microphone up for him to speak into. Sesshoumaru showed so much indifference that it was hard to decide whether he was truly happy with what he was talking about, or pissed off with the news reporter standing at his side. Inuyasha would be willing to bet the bastard was hiding his hatred toward the blonde, deciding to remain civil and simply answer her questions after she had cornered him. The asshole always looked like he was in his element, but Inuyasha seriously doubted that anyone could actually be that uncaring about everything.

 

It was just another perfect reason for him to loathe the high and mighty businessman. Not only had his elder half-brother been praised constantly because of the fact that he was first born, but he had been given the greatest education money could buy him, and continuously got grades that would have made anyone jealous. He had instantly been named the heir of their father's company, without hesitation, when he had managed to surpass his entire class and graduate early, while he struggled to even pass his grade at the time as everyone ignored him. His father's eyes brightened whenever the cocky bastard stepped into the room, and though his father told him he loved them both, he had always had the feeling that Sesshoumaru was the better son.

 

Hell, the only thing he had gotten when his old man died was a good sum of money, and his prized convertible, Tetsusaiga. Even those were not very valuable in his eyes, since Sesshoumaru constantly challenged his right to his money, and he had nearly totaled the blasted car eighteen times. His money would be useless if he did not go with the agreement that his father had set down in his will, and the car did him absolutely no good if he managed to smash it to pieces. His old man had left him to fend for himself, while Sesshoumaru got everything else, from his company to his huge fucking house.

 

Wishing once more that he could just strangle both of them, he flipped the channel. There was no reason to make his hatred and anger bubble anymore until the stupid party started, because at least then he could pound his brother's face into the ground—then again, he probably would not be able to do that, since the bastard had taken so many martial art classes it was ridiculous. Besides, he could always laugh about the fact that Sesshoumaru was raising a child, even if she was adopted, and loveless, while he was getting sex almost every time he asked for it. The bastard might have his flings, but he doubted that he had many with long hours he worked and the kid living in his house.

 

Deciding that was good enough for him at the moment, Inuyasha chose a channel, tossed the remote onto the couch, and went to get himself a drink. If he had to spend the night alone, Kagura once again refusing to allow him into her pants, then he was at least going to spend it drunk. At least then he would feel better, and when Kikyo got back he would be able to fuck her into the mattress, since he was positive she would be willing either way—unlike that blasted bitch, Kagura.

 

OoO

 

“Kagura, is everything well?” came a soft, somewhat dull voice. “You look a bit pale.”

 

Kagura turned her head, and sighed. “I'll be willing to tell you when I know myself, Kanna. It's just something doesn't feel right whenever I'm around Inuyasha. I like him, but he seems to try too hard whenever he's around me. Like he's having a hard time accepting our situation, but also wanting it a bit too much.”

 

“Perhaps he is shy,” Kanna suggested, her voice still light.

 

Kagura snorted, turning her complete attention to the small albino sitting at her side. “I doubt that,” she replied. “He's practically tried to pounce on me twice now, but the way he does it is off. I know somethings wrong, but I can't figure out exactly what it is that's sending warnings into my head.” She watched as her sister's lashes rested lightly on her cheeks as she closed in dark eyes in thought, before they opened to stare at her once more.

 

“Have you tried asking him why he acts that way?” Kanna asked.

 

“There's no point,” Kagura sighed. “He's the type of guy that doesn't like to talk about his problems. Personally, I like it that he doesn't, since we have a lot of problems of our own to deal with—I don't need his added on top of it.”

 

“But if the problem is affecting you as well, perhaps you should reconsider your decision,” Kanna said. She stared deeply into her elder's eyes, knowing that her point was getting across. Kanna watched her as she thought, as she clasped her hands together, and then grabbed ahold of the bottom of her shirt. It was a reflex she had always had, wanting to feel something in her hands, even if it was simply her other one.

 

“Sometimes I hate the fact that you have become so intelligent,” Kagura muttered. “Whatever happened to the little girl that used to hang on my arm and beg me to take her to the park? Because I think I liked her better, since she didn't constantly try to screw up my logic.”

 

Kanna gave a small smile. “We have both changed, sister.”

 

Kagura's frown softened, before she reached out to wrap her arm around Kanna's shoulders, pulling her closer. Looking down at her when she looked up, Kagura nodded a few times in agreement. “Yeah,” she replied. “Yeah, we have.”

 

OoO

 

His calculating eyes took in the scene within moments, moving from the spreading blood to the twisted body of the girl lying in the middle of the alleyway. His brushed his hand subconsciously over his jacket, the black material smoothing out with the action. The fingers of his other hand twitched slightly, looking closely at the markings on the girl's neck. However, as he did so, another tapped him on the shoulder, and his focus was snapped away from the scene in front of him. So, slowly, he turned his head to glare at the one responsible.

 

“I'm sorry to bother you, Shimizu-san,” the woman said. “However, I was told to give you any assistance possible with this case, and I wished to ask if there was anything you might need at the moment.”

 

He snorted, glaring a bit more, before asking, “What I need at the moment?”

 

“Yes, sir,” she nodded.

 

“Tell me, what is your name?” he asked.

 

She frowned slightly at the question, but replied, “Ishikure, sir. Ishikure Tsubaki.”

 

“Well then,” he replied, turning his eyes back toward the scene in front of him, “I have only one thing I need from you, Ishikure-san.” His cold eyes began to take in the scene once more, flashes of what may have occurred going through his head as he ignored the woman for a moment. His fingers dipped lightly into the blood leaking from the dead girl's skull, wondering if her skull had been bashed into the pavement, or she had truly fallen, as they had first believed.

 

“What would that be, sir?” Tsubaki asked. She did not like this man already from his attitude. Once again she cursed her fate, wondering why they always chose her to be the one to help these pricks. She might look younger than she actually was, but she doubted that should matter while they were on the job. In fact, she rolled her eyes each time it happened, since they were just a bunch of perverts that liked to watch her hips sway as she walked away.

 

“Do not speak anymore,” he hissed. “Stay as silent as you possibly can, for I do not wish to hear your annoying voice in my ear while I work.”

 

Tsubaki gritted her teeth together, and nodded. Then, she growled, “Yes, sir,” before marching away. If he did not want her to speak, it was quite obvious he did not want her help either. Let the prick do whatever he wanted, she was not going to help him even if her superior told her to get her ass back out on the field.

 

Youko grunted a bit, smearing the blood on his fingers with his thumb, wondering. He knew the girl had not fallen from a window, it was obvious from the lack of glass, but there was a possibility that she had fallen from the roof. However, as he turned his head upward, estimating the distance to the ground, his eyes narrowed. From her twisted limbs it was quite possible she had fallen, but that did not explain the bruising on her arms or her neck as he gazed closer.

 

His eyes became unfocused for a brief moment, his memory straying away from his job to the night before. He quickly shook his head, telling himself that he needed to focus, no matter how appealing the woman the other night had been. Though, her response was a bit more than he had expected from her, almost like she was more excited about being with him than anything else for some strange reason. In fact, her excitement even before he had taken her home, her eagerness to get her claws and fangs into him, had been a bit off. It was almost as if she had needed it, rather than simply wanted it, and that caused his mind to wonder even more.

 

He was a very logical being; it was what happened him with his occupation, as he gazed at all the possibilities over and over, checking and rechecking again and again. He calculated things to the dot, his eyes taking in as much of the outside world as they could while he did so. He gave every possibility a chance before throwing it out the window, and he was giving the possibility that the woman from the night before might have been a common whore a very thorough checking. It did not bother him if she was, but the way she had acted gave him another possibility.

 

He believed she might be cheating on someone.

 

Of course, he did not care if she was one way or another; it gave his little game a little more excitement. However, on who and why were questions that plagued him as soon as he thought of it. His curiosity simply would not let the questions go, no matter how many times he reasoned with himself that the woman would not hold his attention very long. She was like every other woman before her, one that would soon be tossed into the bin as he lost interest, yet his curious side refused to let him leave the mystery behind her alone.

 

He looked closer at the bruising on the woman's neck, his fingers twitching again, before he brought his hand up. Then, turning it slightly so that it was covering the markings from his view, he determined that the dead girl had been choked at some point. His eyes narrowed a bit more, the possibility that that had been the cause of her death coming to mind. He noticed then a small bruise that was out of place, and determined it to be some type of ring or band from around the other person's hand—male, if his estimate was correct.

 

Scanning her once more, he noticed her left hand twisted out from her body in perfect view. He had not been looking for it before, but he noticed the golden band on her ring finger. He knew there was a possibility she had put it on that finger, but he would not deny the fact that the bruising on her neck appeared to be from a left hand, the male's ring finger containing the band that had dug into her neck. A number of possibilities flared behind his eyes when they closed, many containing a male, possibly her husband, choking her and tossing her from the top of one of the buildings rising high above his head.

 

Rising from his position, he decided to think on it for a while as the others came to look the girl over now that he was finished. After all, he needed all the facts, and he knew that some that came from the lab would also help him piece together the situation. The information that came in within the next few hours would help him finish the job, as he had always done, just as the information he would be sure to get out of the woman from the night before would help him piece together her little life.

 

A smirk came to Youko's face, as he watched the others work. He was positive that things were going to be interesting, but he would make sure to take careful steps, and cover his tracks with such accuracy that no one would ever know he was there. He would be like a ghost, watching and waiting to strike, but never seeming to actually be there. That was what he was good at, striking from the shadows as others wondered where his assault had come from.

 

Dusting his hand over his jacket once more, he turned away from the scene completely. His eyes caught sight of the scowling Tsubaki, but did not linger there long as he moved away. He knew that when the information came in he would be the first they called. He had no doubt about that, so for the time being he could look over the facts he already knew about his new lover, as well as go over the facts he already knew from scanning the scene he had left. He knew from experience he could do both, and he had no doubt that in the end he would figure out the mystery behind at least one.

 

OoO

 

KibaSin: This chapter would have come out sooner but I got a little stuck with my Youko scene. I kept thinking to myself, “How would be react to this?” or “How do I make it seem like he's the best?” and stuff that really had nothing to do with the current spot I was at. However, though I'm not completely pleased with the chapter, I am happy enough with it to start the next one.

 

Kiba