InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double or Nothing: Take the Money & Run ❯ Stockholm Syndrome ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Kaede feeling left out, turned and caught Sesshomaru in a tight embrace. He glanced down at the old woman wrapped around his lower chest and growled, �Get your hands off my ass.�

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.08.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 439 | Status: Completed

Okay it's been awhile (two or three months) since the last update so here is a brief refresher. Thank you all for your continued readership. Look for updates on average one a week. I'll stick with Double or Nothing for while then switch to Head Over Heels.

Kagome is a JR bounty hunter after Inuyasha who is a police officer on the run accused of gunning down his own partner.

Inuyasha broke into her apartment bearing pizza and beer then claimed he was after a group of thieves bent on stealing the Shikon Jewel and that these same thieves want Kagome dead. So Kagome's stuck with Inuyasha and all she wants to do is pay her bills, not lose her apartment and get a normal job at the local Buy and Bag. What's a girl to do?

Disclaimer: I own none of the anime characters in this chapter.

Chapter Fourteen

Stockholm Syndrome

The large plate glass window shattered in a diamond haze.

Hails of bullets lodged into the plaster wall behind the dining room table.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Miroku knocked Kagome to the floor. Her heart pounded in her ears as he pressed her face into the old shag carpet.

She opened her eyes and saw her mother and grandmother huddled together under the table. The wall shook and pieces of popcorn ceiling filled the air.

The head of Ayumi's Precious Moments Sheppard figurine rolled on the floor past Kagome's elbow. It was almost prophetic.

Kagome turned away and spotted Sesshomaru's Teva sandals near the ruined window, his whole demeanor blasé as he looked outside. He'd merely stepped into the living room as though it was an annoying salesman at the window. Now he was trying to see who was firing.

Kagome muttered, “He's gonna get shot.” But why should she care? He was a manipulative, psychotic monster and the world could use one less mob boss.

She didn't realize she'd spoken aloud until Miroku whispered, “He's saving our asses. Whoever's shooting at us will see him and piss themselves.”

Only an idiot would declare war on the Inu family. But then someone was after Inuyasha so Kagome was stumped. While framing Inuyasha the half breed might be some gangster's idea of amusing, shooting at Sesshomaru the taiyokai boss was a death sentence.

Squealing tires cut into the heavy silence. Sesshomaru turned his back to the window, “They're gone.”

Kaede and Ayumi climbed out from under the table while Sesshomaru sliced himself a generous helping of pot roast and drowned it in gravy.

Miroku pulled Kagome to her feet and straightened the hat concealing her bandage. He turned away and began barking into his walkie using police codes that might as well have been Greek.

Mr. Higurashi slammed the back door and burst into the room still carrying his roast beef sandwich, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph! What the hell was that? Is everyone okay?”

No one spoke. He opened his arms and Ayumi stepped into them. She pulled Kagome against her and immediately burst into tears.

Kaede feeling left out, turned and caught Sesshomaru in a tight embrace. He glanced down at the old woman wrapped around his lower chest and growled, “Get your hands off my ass.”

Kaede cackled, “Agnes is gonna be jealous as all hell, I'd like to see her beat this! I can't wait for church.”

She frowned then tilted her grey head back looking Sesshomaru directly in his golden narrowed eyes. “Pick up me for church tomorrow. We'll call it a date.”

Kagome thought she saw him briefly glance down her grandmother's blouse.

Sesshomaru's eyes closed. “Fuck no.”

_-_-_-_

Ten of Reading's finest stood around Ayumi's kitchen in full uniform taking statements, pictures and eating cake off antique china with clear plastic forks.

Kagome called Koga. Her fingers were shaky and it took five tries before she got his phone number right, then she was dropped into his voicemail.

She left him a fast message. His phone was off and while he was no boy scout, Koga wasn't the type to forget to charge his phone. Kagome slipped her cell back into her jeans pocket. She'd worry about Koga later. Come to think of it, did she really want to know why his phone was off? Probably not.

Sesshomaru, the roast, the remaining baked potatoes and a whole loaf of Wonder Bread all magically disappeared sometime before the cops arrived. No one seemed too upset by these events and Kagome certainly wasn't going to rock that boat.

Miroku found her sitting on the couch staring at a blank TV screen. “Hiya kiddo… you okay?”

Kagome hissed, “Yeah sure, this is only the third attempt on my life in as many days. I'm fan-fucking-tastic.”

Miroku frowned, “Third?”

Kagome winced, “Ah… I mean two.” She looked away and fingered the bandage still taped to the side of her head. It was easier to lie than explain.

Miroku sat down beside her and put an arm around her aching shoulders pulling her against him. “We're going to catch this bastard and make him pay. You don't have anything to worry about.”

Kagome's gut clenched. “Who would want me dead bad enough to try this hard? I'm not a threat to anyone except Inuyasha.” Not that anyone believed she could actually bring him in.

Miroku ran a hand through his hair, “I don't know. It's freaky. But I'm glad you quit, that has to make a difference.”

He leaned back into the couch cushions taking Kagome with him. “If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say maybe Sesshomaru cares more for his little bro more than we first thought.”

Kagome stifled an insane giggle then shook her head. “No. Sesshomaru wouldn't let his own guys shoot at him.”

“Yeah but he was here so he already has the perfect alibi.” Miroku frowned, “Why was he here anyway?”

She groaned and the thudding behind her eyes got louder. “God only knows why. He's taken a perverted interest in me.”

Miroku nodded, “You stole Inu's Jeep didn't you?” He hoped that was Sesshomaru's motive, he was reluctant to foster any other notions.

Kagome nodded and Miroku rolled his eyes, “We've been tracking that vehicle for days. It was our one major link to the Inu family's activities and you had to heist it. Of all the cars in this city why'd you have to steal that one?”

Kagome shot back, “Well I had no idea! What the hell!” Damn it! She was holding together as best she could but it was never enough.

Ayumi appeared in the doorway. “Kagome, would you like some cake?” In her family sugar, white flour, lard and frosting, were proven legitimate solutions to every problem. Tonight Kagome's stomach turned, forget the cake, she wanted a slug from her mom's secret stash in the pantry.

What if her mom had been shot? Where would they be now? Certainly not hosting a police officer cake and coffee social. Actually Ayumi was holding up remarkably well. Perhaps Kagome hadn't been giving her mother enough credit.

The stakes were climbing and Kagome pushed down the panic building inside her. She turned to Miroku, “Can you keep my family safe until…?”

Miroku scratched the back of his neck, “If you have somewhere else they can go, we can send a cruiser by to check on them every couple hours and give them a panic button.”

She wanted more but she knew that unless Grandma Kaede knew where Hoffa was buried, which was a distinct possibility, then this was the best they could do.

Kagome glanced up and saw Ayumi placing a slice of cake on the coffee table. Her hands were shaking as she set the china down onto the glass tabletop. “Hey Mom, why don't you guys go visit Aunt Mia for a few days?”

Kaede peered around the doorway at the mention of her younger sister's name. “I'm not staying with that woman. She's a… tramp and a ho! She stole my prom date!”

Kagome knew immediately that her parents had reinstated the cable. MTV did wonders for Kaede's already colorful vocabulary.

Her father was duct taping a plastic sheet over the broken window. “That was over sixty years ago and the lucky man's been dead of cancer for nearly twenty. Mia's probably lonely… maybe you should move in with her!”

Kaede stomped her foot then huffed off to the kitchen. Ayumi muttered, “It's like living with God damned teenagers!” Then she picked up the phone and dialed her Aunt.

_-_-_-_

It took a lot of convincing to get Miroku to drop her back at her apartment. Kagome argued her apartment was the once place where nothing had happened, at least not anything she was willing to admit.

After fifteen minutes of badgering and a threat to tell Sango about a certain strip club incident, Miroku relented. He gave her a tight hug, “Keep your cell phone charged and on.”

Kagome climbed out of the car and watched him drive away. Her apartment's only window glowed with a soft light. She sprinted up the steps and was surprised when her key worked, Inuyasha hadn't set the deadbolt. Maybe her luck was changing and Koga was sitting on her bed with Inuyasha in cuffs and Bartleby safe in his hedgehouse.

She pushed open the door and saw the hanyou sprawled out across her bed watching her. Bartleby lay across his chest in a furry puddle, dead asleep. Kagome silently cursed the prickly traitor.

Inuyasha sat up and the hedgehog slid down his lap on to the mattress beside him. Bartleby glanced up at Kagome then yawned, obviously a victim of Stockholm syndrome.

Inuyasha's ear perked then he frowned, “Damnit wench! How could ya?”

Kagome dropped onto the couch exhausted and desperate for a beer. “How could I what?”

He jerked a claw tipped thumb at her. “You had good pot roast, with my bastard half brother and didn't bring me back diddley shit.”

Her jaw dropped. “How did you…?”

Inuyasha scoffed. “Keh, I can smell it.”

Of course he could. Between both Inu-yokai she would never have a moment's peace. Kagome's head fell back on the couch armrest. “Yeah well your brother also stole the leftovers.”

Inuyasha was indignant. “Kagome! How could you let him steal my dinner?”

She hadn't promised him dinner and he still had pizza. As kidnappers went he was pushy and damned annoying. She closed her eyes, “I dunno, but after the drive by shooting we were all pretty distracted. He could've stolen Grandma and we wouldn't have noticed.”

The floor rattled as he jumped to his feet. “Fuck! Is everyone…”

“They're fine.” Kagome opened her eyes and found Inuyasha leaning over her intently studying her face, his bright golden eyes only inches from hers. “It's real isn't it? Those guys think I'm hiding that stupid jewel.”

He pushed a strand of long black hair out of her face, and then began slowly winding it around his finger. “Yeah.”

Kagome frowned. “But why kill me if they want me to give it to them? You'd think they'd wait to kill me until after they found it.”

“They know you don't have it. They want to keep you from finding it. The thing's powerful, they don't want to risk that you'll use it against them.” His hand was cool on her sticky skin. Getting shot at was hell on her complexion.

She sighed, “How can I find something I'm not even looking for?”

Inuyasha's finger traced the round edge of her ear, “It'll find you. It's one of those destiny things.”

Kagome knocked his hand away, “Don't give me that crap. You don't believe in destiny.”

He stood and went to the kitchen for a beer. “I don't. But those assholes who framed me and want you dead, do. So I figure maybe it's important.”

Kagome groaned, “What are we going to do?” It all seemed so stupid. She was caught up in a game she didn't even know she was playing.

Inuyasha tossed her a beer. Kagome fumbled the catch and the cold hard can struck her foot. He laughed when he saw her wince. Kagome comforted herself by remembering how his ass bounced off the hood of her mother's car and smacked on to the pavement.

The hanyou flopped down on the couch next to her feet. “Well tomorrow while we work on keeping you in one piece, maybe you can catch a skip or two.”

Kagome sat up, “You want me out on the streets chasing after criminals in plain sight? Isn't that kinda dangerous right now?” Maybe if she was lucky a cartoon ACME anvil would fall from the sky and squash her flat. Then at least her death would be original and entertaining. “Yeah well your landlord also left a greeting card. Something about if he doesn't see some green in two days, you'll need to find a new home. So this'll give us something to do while we sort out this Shikon business.” His voice was muffled as he dug through her cabinets looking for God only knew what.

Why was she so pissed? She knew this was coming, but hearing it from Inuyasha somehow made it worse. Kagome's lips thinned, “Why can't I just turn you in for the bounty?”

He appeared in the doorway smirking then saddled off towards Bartleby, his new best friend. “Wench… anytime you think you're man enough, come get me.”

She smiled sweetly knowing he had to sleep sometime.

_-_-_-_

Notes:

This chapter is dedicated to Frimm, Cat and Tiger all who have put up with me these past two months.

Stockholm Syndrome is when captive start and identify with their captures to the point of loyalty despite the danger of the situation.

Many of you maybe aware that Dog Dwayne the Bounty Hunter is in some serious trouble. Since this is a bounty hunter fic it's only appropriate to say Free the Dog! Visit www dot freedogthebountyhunter dot com should you choose to support the Chapmans.

Iz sometimes watches his show for… research purposes. lol