InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty As Charged ❯ Acquaintance ( Chapter 2 )

Guilty As Charged

.

Chapter Two:

Acquaintance

.

.

.

The large, boxy tan building was situated directly behind the most prestigious private school in the city. As Kagome signaled and turned onto the street that the two completely opposite buildings shared, she smiled at the irony the two buildings created. The epitome of "good" and the epitome of "bad"-stereotypically, that is.

She shook her head. Just go in there and get this over with. It's only for two hours a day…

She pulled up next to the guard's booth and rolled her window down, trying not to be intimidated by the barbed wire that decorated the tops of the ten-foot walls surrounding the center. "Hi…" she told the guard, who stared at her behind his large sunglasses. "My name's Kagome Higurashi and I'm here to complete some community service hours."

"Oh, you're the one," the guard said in relief, his eyes taking in the new silver Mustang and her fashionable clothes. Obviously, he was wondering what a girl like her was doing driving into juvy. "Right then. You can park in the Visitors lot and enter through the visitors door. Just show this-" he handed her a slip of paper-"to the receptionist and tell them that you've come to help out. She'll tell you what to do."

"Thanks," Kagome said, taking the paper. She rolled up her window and proceeded into the parking lot. She pulled into one of the many empty spaces, parked her car, and turned off the ignition.

And sat there.

The butterflies that started fluttering whenever she was nervous had decided to visit her again. What if Mom's right? I really don't belong here. These people could be dangerous-no, they probably ARE dangerous! What exactly am I going to do there? Play Pictionary with the inmates?

She snorted. "Well, you're never going to find out just by sitting here," she told herself. That said, she pushed open her car door with resolve, only for it to swing back and hit her in the knees.

"Ouch…"

This was definitely not her day.

.

.

.

"Yes?" the heavily made-up receptionist raised a carefully-plucked eyebrow at Kagome. "What is it you want?"

"Um…yes… I'm here to-to help out," she stammered, showing the lady the slip of paper the guard had given her. "For community service?"

The receptionist's brows lifted even higher. "Community service? You? Young lady, are you quite certain about this?"

"Well…" It's not like I have a choice… "Yes. Yes, I am."

"All right then," the lady said doubtfully, pulling a pencil out from behind her ear. "What'd you say your name was?"

"Kagome Higurashi. That's H-I-G-U-R-A-S-H-I."

"Thank you, dear." The lady penciled her name into a slot in her large planner. "And will you just be working for today?"

"Um… actually, every day if that's all right…"

"Every day?" the receptionist echoed incredulously.

"Yes ma'am, if that's all right."

"No, it's wonderful… just not that many people are willing to do such a thing."

"Eh heh…" Kagome decided not to go into all the details. "So, am I in?"

"You surely are. We need all the community service we can get, but we don't get many young people willing to volunteer here."

I'm sure. "So, what exactly will I be doing?"

"I'll let the head of the center know you're here. He'll give you the introductory speech." She stood and walked across the plain gray room towards the door on the side. "Follow me."

.

.

.

"How do you think the time periods that John Locke and Thomas Hobbes lived in effected their theories? Jeremy, what were these theories?" Ms. Halliday, the resident history teacher of the center, asked.

"Hn?" the spikey-haired boy jerked awake from his doze. "What'd I miss?"

"I said-"

"What class is this again?"

"European History-"

"Nevamind." The boy's head dropped back on his chest and he promptly fell asleep.

"Mr. McCormick!" Where Jeremy didn't answer, she sighed. "Fine, I'll just have to give you extra homework."

"Like that would make a difference," Shippo whispered to Inuyasha from their place in the back of the room. "He never does homework anyway. All that'll do is give him more homework to not complete."

Inuyasha grunted. For some reason, the kit seemed to consider himself Inuyasha's shadow and stuck to the hanyou like glue. The kitsune cracked some good jokes sometimes, but was generally an annoying little brat.

Just what I need, a whiny little brother. I've progressed from an older brother who threatened me daily with murder to a kid who would drive me to murder.

"Shippo, can you tell me the answer, since Jeremy is indisposed for the present?"

"Sure!" Shippo chirped, sitting up straighter. "Thomas Hobbes was raised during the reign of King Charles I, the beheading of the aforementioned by the soon-to-be Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, and then subsequent civil war that followed, while John Locke, on the other hand, lived during the time of the 'Glorious Revolution,' in which William and Mary of Orange were invited to become the monarchs of England-with a few stipulations of course-which was a 'revolution without blood.' Consequently, Hobbes viewed mankind as a naturally evil and self-centered creature, and in this case, a Leviathan, or absolute monarch was the only option for rule. Locke, however, saw man as naturally good, but corrupted by his environment: therefore, if one's environment was improved, the morality of man would improve."

The entire classroom was filled with slack jaws and black stares. Inuyasha had gotten lost after "beheading."

"Well…thank you, Shippo," Ms. Halliday finally said, leaning sideways a bit to look for the hidden textbook. "That was quite an explanation."

Shippo beamed.

"Suck up," Inuyasha said under his breath.

"Now, Mr. Takahashi, would you compare and contrast the theories of Marx and Lenin?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. Your name is Mr. Takahashi, is it not?"

He winced. Mr. Takahashi was what Sesshomaru had insisted all of his neighbors, friends, and even Inuyasha, call him. The hanyou shook his head, as if to clear it of bad memories. "Um, compare who?"

"Marx and Lenin. Their theories."

As in Groucho Marx and John Lennon? he thought humorously. Great, now he was cracking jokes to himself. Maybe if he acted stupid she wouldn't call on him any more? "Um…one believed in humor, the other in peace? What's that one song? Oh yeah, 'Imagine.' You-er-one could say that this particular song epitomizes the belief of Lennon." Inuyasha had heard Shippo use the word "epitomizes" that morning. He was quite proud of himself for working it into a sentence.

Ms. Halliday blinked rapidly, at a loss for words. "I…uh…I think that'll be all for today. Onto physical education, now, class…"

"Boy, Inuyasha, did you sound stupid," Shippo said, hopping onto the hanyou's shoulder. "Don't you even know who Marx and Lenin were?"

Inuyasha brushed him off. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? God, are you half monkey demon or something?"

"Ha ha, so funny I forgot to laugh."

"You sound like a school kid."

"I am in fourth grade."

"Theoretically, that is," Inuyasha mumbled.

.

.

.

"For now, your main tasks will be to clean the cells. They are in desperate need of a wash. After that, you can Windex the windows, sweep the hallways, scrub the bars of the cells, and then oil the hinges. Following that, we may have you tutor a few of the kids here-some are in desperate need of guidance."

Kagome bit back a sarcastic reply. I thought I was here to work with the kids, not play Cinderella!

Then again, this'll probably appease Mom. She'd rather me play maid than socialize with convicts.

"Great," she said with a rather stiff smile. "When do I begin?"

"Right now. You can start will Cell One. You'll find all the cleaning supplies you need in the closet down the hall."

Her smile became even more fixed. "Great…"

.

.

.

"No fair, Inuyasha!" Shippo squealed as the hanyou stole the basketball away from him for the tenth time that round. "You're bigger than I am!"

"Them's the breaks, kid," he said, tossing the ball into the net with a casual lay-up. "What's the score now, Ref?"

The Ref, a pudgy, slow pothead called Manten, screwed up his face in concentration. "Umm, 35 to 3, Inuyasha's team in the lead."

"Sweet." Inuyasha shook his long hair away from his face, causing beads of sweat to fly.

"Yo, Inuyasha, ever heard of passing the ball?" one of Inuyasha's team members groused.

"Do you want points or not?" he threw back.

"Just what are you trying to say?" The brawny boy clenched his fists and stalked towards the white-haired half-demon.

"Take it easy, dude," Inuyasha said coolly, "I wouldn't suggest grappling with a demon."

"Half-demon," another voice said from behind.

Inuyasha turned to find the captain of the other team grinning at him. "What of it? I can still kick your ass any day."

"Right," the wolf demon scoffed, throwing his long, black ponytail over his shoulder. "You're all bark and no bite, doggy." He turned and sauntered away, his ponytail swishing as he walked. "P.E. is over, kiddies. Let's all go back to our cells like good boys before the monitor has a fit."

"Your head is bigger than your boasts," Inuyasha shouted after him.

"Don't mess with me, hanyou," the demon snarled, whirling around to bare his fangs at Inuyasha. "Don't forget that I am full demon, descended from the taiyoukai Ken'ichi Ookami."

"Ooo, I'm really scared now," Inuyasha taunted. "Don't make me laugh, Wimpy Wolf-bloodlines won't get you anywhere in a battle."

"Don't make me prove my point."

"Bring it on."

.

.

.

Kagome sighed as she shuffled down the hallway. She glanced at her watch. She'd only been here for ten minutes. An hour and fifty minutes to go.

Slowing her pace to the point that it looked like she was moving though thick molasses, she focused her eyes on the Supplies Closet door. Let's see how long I can take to reach that door…

One of the guards passed her by, giving her an odd look. She flushed and sped up her pace a bit. Great. He probably thinks I'm a mental patient who somehow wound up in the wrong institution.

The door to the outside courtyard suddenly flew open with a bang. A harried-looking man with horn-rimmed glasses rushed inside the hall and nearly cried in relief when he noticed the guard.

"Sergeant Fitzpatrick!" he shouted. "A fight! There's a fight outside between two boys!"

"Then what the hell are you doin' in here, crying to me?" the meaty sergeant asked.

"I can't break it up! They're demons! It would be suicide to try and butt in!"

The sergeant swore and rushed out the door, followed by the frantic monitor.

Kagome stared after them, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Right. Definitely not going to tell Mom about this…

She finally reached the closet and opened the door-only to have brooms, mops, and buckets full of sponges crash and clatter at her feet.

This REALLY isn't my day.

Grumbling to herself, she picked up the fallen cleaning items and shoved them back into the closet, kicking the ones that she needed aside. She shoved the door closed (although she had to put a little back into it) and then proceeded down the hallway, her arms full.

The door to the outside banged open once more, only to produce the meaty sergeant and two young demons who were snarling and snapping at each other. The white-haired one had a black eye and bruises all over his arms; the black-haired one had an alarming amount of cuts on his face, and his shirt was nearly shredded. Neither one even glanced her way as they were herded past her.

Kagome shivered and picked up her pace. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

.

.

.

"All right, I'll cut to the chase and forget all that 'fighting is not the right way to solve problems' crap.' Who started it?"

"He did," Koga and Inuyasha said at the same time.

The director of the center leaned back in his cushiony chair and folded his hands over his stomach. "I have all day."

"He was being an ass," Inuyasha mumbled.

"He insulted me," Koga shot back.

"You are acting like school boys," the director said sternly, ending the blaming. "Hopefully you both realize that this cannot go unpunished. We do not tolerate fighting in this center. Perhaps, Mr. Takahashi, being our newest addition, you do not know this-but I will not let you off this one time."

Damn.

"Your punishment," he went on, "is to clean the entire grounds of this center every evening for a week."

The demons knew better than to protest this punishment. But that didn't stop them from glaring at each other accusingly.

"You will report to my office at seven o'clock this evening," the director instructed. "Sharp." He nodded curtly and picked up his phone, dialing. "You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," Koga said respectfully, rising from his chair.

Inuyasha followed suit, but said nothing.

Koga nudged him. "Thank the director, moron."

"Why should I? I shouldn't even be here in the first place."

"You were fighting just as much as I was."

"That's not what I meant," growled Inuyasha and stormed out of the office.

Koga stared after him. "What the hell was that all about?"

.

.

.

After Kagome had lugged her cleaning supplies down the entire length of the hallway, she finally reached Cell One. I'll bet he deliberately gave me the cell the farthest distance from where we were standing. Stupid-head.

She looked dismally at the cell. Since it was just "reform center" and not a jail, the cells all had simple locks that could be unlocked from the outside… and from the inside, if one just reached through the bars and managed to slide the bolt out of its holder. Though there were guards stationed in the hallway twenty-four hours a day…

She fleeting wondered why all the cells in this hallway (each hallway had ten cells) were empty. Shrugging the thought away, she bracingly moved into the cell, as if she expected some criminal to jump out at her. Obviously, nothing did… except a small brown mouse that skittered across the floor towards her feet.

Kagome shrieked and jumped aside, plastering herself against the wall.

Ugh!

It took her a whole five minutes to work up her courage to venture into the cell. Fifteen minutes, later, and she'd only managed to scrub one-quarter of the cell's floor with a mop. It took her another forty-five minutes to clean the entire stone floor.

Well, at least I only have an hour left now. Time really flies when you're working like a dog, huh?

She leaned the mop against the wall, glaring at it in disgust and moved on to scrubbing the absolutely filthy window. You could barely see out of the glass-if it was glass; it looked more like sandpaper.

She stood up on her tiptoes, trying to reach the very top. She'd only been scrubbing for a few minutes when she suddenly got this weird tingly feeling on the back of her neck… like someone was staring at her…

She whirled around and nearly screamed when she suddenly found herself nose-to-nose with one of the demons she'd seen earlier. "I-I-I-" she stupidly stuttered.

"You what?" he said, staring at her with deep greenish-bluish eyes. "What are you doing in my cell? And who are you, anyhow? The new cleaning lady?"

"N-no!" she managed. "I-my name is Kagome Higurashi. I'm cleaning because I want to get service. I mean hours. I mean community service hours. I need them for school-"

"A volunteer?" He suddenly grinned, his fangs flashing in the light. "Pretty brave, aren't you? Most girls like you wouldn't set a foot in this hellhole."

"H-hellhole?"

"Can you say a single word without stuttering?" he frowned.

"Y-yes-I mean, yes." She took a deep breath. "Am I in your way? I can always go clean another cell or…something."

"You're fine. I don't get to see females very often. This'll be a treat for me." He flopped himself down on his mattress and fixed his gaze on her. "I'll just watch, if you don't mind."

"Um…" What am I supposed to say? "Actually, I do mind"? Yeah, right. She turned awkwardly, feeling weird about keeping her back to this guy-she didn't know who he was or what he was in here for-

Oh, God, please, don't let him be in here for rape…

.

.

.

Inuyasha forlornly shuffled into his cell, slamming the door behind him, ignoring the grumbled curses of the hall monitor who locked the bars behind him. He flopped onto his bed, closed his eyes, and pretended that he wasn't stuck in this kazaana. How the hell had it all happened? He'd never meant to fall in love with Kikyo-he hadn't even known she was a hooker when he first met her.

"Damned rain," Inuyasha grumbled as he shut the heavy church door behind him. Of course, the day he didn't bring his umbrella with him, it would start to pour. And the building closest to the school bus stop would be the catholic church.

He shifted uncomfortably in the foyer. Churches weirded him out. Even if he was just hiding from the rain. He was glad it was Thursday; the only people here would be him and the pastor. Maybe a janitor or two. But janitors were less scary than churchy people. And God. He hadn't thought about God in a while. Ever since his parents died and he was put under his half-brother's care. Sesshomaru didn't give a crap about God or heaven or hell, but he would have sold his soul to become CEO of the corporation he was working for. The current, and soon-to-retire CEO, was a devout churchgoer, and Sesshomaru's opponent was a devout atheistic. Fluffy couldn't care less about religion-or the lack thereof-but he could put up with a few sermons to win a position.

Of course, his sadistic brother would make Inuyasha go with him. That would equal eleven weeks (the CEO was a little too patient for his own good) of sitting through church sermons, preaching about God's love, wondering how the hell all those people could believe in such a thing.

He slowly woke from his musings when the sound of singing reached his ears. Confused, he looked around the dark, deserted church for the source.

And then his eyes fell upon a small figure in the corner, kneeling at the alter rails in front of the table that held the candles people lit, symbolizing their prayers.

Wary as he was of churches, he couldn't help but be drawn to the singing. His feet moved against his will, and he found himself kneeling next to the dark-haired girl singing girl. He shamelessly stared at the girl, who was singing with her eyes closed, totally oblivious to his presence.

" 'Gloria patri et filio, gloria patri et filio,
Gloria patri et filio, gloria patri et filio,
Et spiritui sancto, spiritui sancto,
Et spiritui sancto, et spiritui sancto-'"

Definitely not English, he thought. Wonder what it is?

Abruptly, she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He lost himself in those grey-blue eyes…they were so full of pain…

"What song was that?" he asked in a hushed tone. His voice took on an urgency that he couldn't explain. "What language was that?"

Her mouth curved up in a dainty smile. "It was Latin. I'm not sure what it's called."

"What do the words mean?"

"I don't know that either," she said, shrugging, turning her gaze back to the candles. She stared at the flames, mesmerized. "I heard it the choir rehearsing it a couple of hours ago. I liked it. It stuck."

"Are you part of this church?" His voice held caution.

"I'm not part of any church."

"You're Catholic?"

"I don't go to church."

"Why not?"

She looked away. "I'm not worthy of this holy, sacred place."

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked, rather rudely.

She turned on him, her look severe. "Because," she said in a hard tone, "I guess I hope that if I stay here long enough, some of the goodness will rub off on me." She sighed. "But I know that's impossible."

"You have a beautiful voice," he found himself saying.

An odd look flittered across her face. "Thanks," she finally said.

He shifted, becoming uncomfortable in his position. "Do you believe in God?"

"Yes."

"I don't."

"That's ignorant."

"…Excuse me?"

"How can you possibly say God doesn't exist?" she continued. "All the beautiful good in the world…how could that come to be without a maker of some sort?"

"What good?" he said coldly. "I have seen no beauty in my life." Except you, he added silently. " 'God is dead,'" he quoted.

She looked at him, those sad eyes staring into his. "I guess," she said softly, "those who desperately wish for beautiful good… tend to notice those who have it even more."

She suddenly stood. "It's getting late. I can't be late for work."

"At this time of day?"

She didn't answer. "I hope you find God. Even if you don't come to church every day or even pray-I hope you at least realize that you are not alone in this world."

"I don't believe in God because God is not good," Inuyasha said stubbornly. "Everyone says he is good-my parents died. My brother is the reincarnation of Stalin gone nuts, and my school career is basically going down the drain. How is that good?"

She looked him straight in the eyes. "It's good," she said, "because He is blessing you-and you don't even know it." Then she turned and walked out of the church.

Inuyasha stared after her, frozen in place.

He didn't even know her name…

::

Inuyasha grimaced and closed his eyes in pain. He'd met her again the next week, this time at a restaurant. It was pitiful how happy seeing her again had made him; he'd thought of nothing but her for the entire week. At the desperate state he was in, he would almost classify a second sighting of her nothing short of a miracle.

It was during their quick lunch that he'd learned her name: Kikyo.

They'd met every day for the next three months after that night.

It had taken her two weeks to actually reveal her job to him; knowing her absolute revulsion of her job, Inuyasha had not done with her what other men paid her to do. He'd given her the one thing she'd never gotten before: respect.

And she'd still doubted him. He'd asked her to marry him, dammit, and god knows that if Inuyasha was willing to undertake such a large commitment, he was serious. But she had turned him down.

She didn't trust me. The pain was still raw and fresh. He couldn't accept that she was dead-her memory still haunted him. He'd wanted to make it "all better"-and he couldn't. He wanted to make her his mate-she died before he could properly propose.

He groaned again, this time from physical pain. That wolf really could hit.

"Boy, you look a wreck."

"Shaddup, Shippo."

"Make me," the kitsune chirped, hopping over to Inuyasha's bunk. "Whatsa matter, Inuyasha? Do your bruises hurt?"

"Sure." I hurt inside and out. I'm a freakin' mess.

"You sure look down for just a couple of scrapes. They'll heal soon enough-especially cuz you're hanyou."

"Thanks for informing me," said Inuyasha dryly.

Shippo sighed. "We really need to stop this sarcastic business."

"Sorry, bud, no cigar."

Shippo suddenly bounced up. "Wow, look, a girl!"

"Ohmygod, I've never seen one of those before!" Inuyasha mimicked Shippo, his eyes still closed. "Don't get too excited, kit, they're not that great."

"Well, thanks a lot," a voice said. A female voice.

He still didn't open his eyes. "You're not welcome."

The girl huffed. "Can you at least open your cage so I can come clean?"

"Sure!" Shippo bounced over to the bolt, hopped up and down…and then realized he couldn't reach the lock. "Um…Inuyasha…?"

"Yeah, Shorty?"

"Can you-?"

Inuyasha sighed. "The things I do for you, kit." He sat up, grumbling to himself about cleaning ladies and annoying kids…

And then his gaze landed on Kagome.

He fell backwards onto his cot in shock, which promptly buckled on its feeble metal legs and crashed to the ground with a gigantic CRASH.

"What the hell-?!"

.

.

.

"What the hell-?!" the white-haired boy yelled as his cot collapsed under him.

Kagome watched the whole scene in bemusement. "Are you okay?"

The white-haired boy jumped up from his place on the ground and stormed over to the bars. "What the blazes is this?" he demanded. "Some kind of sick joke?"

Kagome backed away, not liking the look on his face. "I-what?"

"Who are you, bitch? I'll bet Onigumo hired you to mock me. Or maybe Bankotsu. Maybe both. Who's your employer, woman?"

"Huh? I'm not employed-I'm here for community service."

"Right," the demon snorted, his eyes never leaving her face.

She stamped her foot. She wasn't used to be called a liar. "I am! I'm only seventeen, you know."

"So? People start working at sixteen. Hookers start as early as thirteen."

"What exactly are you implying?" she said, her tone becoming dangerous.

He recognized that tone. "Nothing," he said sullenly, leaning his forehead against the bars. "Come closer."

"No!" She stepped backwards instead. "What are you planning?"

"Don't be so damn suspicious, I'm just going to smell you."

"Oh, of course, that's above reproach," she answered sarcastically. "Forget it. You call tell your jail warden that I'm skipping this cell. You can rot in your filth for all I care."

"That's uncalled for," the boy snarled. "And it's the 'director of the juvenile reform center,' not the 'warden.' Call him that and you'll be fired quicker than you can say 'juvy.'"

"Thanks for the warning." She still didn't move.

"What's your name?" Shippo piped up.

Kagome jumped and glared at the tiny fox demon. Why should I tell you? she felt like saying-but then, she had no reason to be rude to the little kit. Unlike some people, she wasn't rude without cause. "Kagome Higurashi," she said somewhat grudgingly.

"Pretty name!"

"Thank you." At least this boy had manners. From what she'd seen so far, some kids looked like normal schoolboys, and others-she shot a look towards the scowling white-haired boy-were the epitome of a delinquent.

"Well," she said, averting her gaze, "I don't see any reason to clean the cell of an ungrateful boy like you-so I'll just move along now-"

"Is this boy giving you trouble, Miss?"

Kagome jumped. The uniformed monitor had snuck up behind her. "I-er-sort of-"

"Don't let him hold you back from your work," the officer said, "go right on in and do your cleaning. I'll make sure they don't try and stop you." He gave her what was supposed to be an encouraging smile.

She managed a small, strained smile. "Thanks."

The officer slid open the bolt and pushed the barred "door" open with a ear-shattering squeak. Everyone in proximity to the squeaky door cringed.

"You might want to oil those hinges while you're here," the white-haired boy smirked. "May as well make yourself useful."

"Useful? You should be glad I'm even here!"

"Now, be nice to the lady," the officer frowned. "She's here on her own time, with no pay, helping out you cast-offs of society. Behave, or I'll report you to the director."

"Think I give a damn?" the boy retorted, although he retreated into tight-lipped silence after that remark.

The officer nodded in approval. "Go ahead, Miss-do your thing."

"Uh…right…"

The officer moved back to his place at the desk in the far corner of the hallway and returned to his newspaper. Kagome warily moved into the cell and dumped her cleaning supplies on the floor. She sprayed Windex on the filfthy window and started to scrub. Her paper towel turned into a big lump of brownish mud. She threw it on the floor.

"Some maid you are," the white-haired boy grunted. "Make the cell more dirty."

"I'm going to pick it up in a minute!" Kagome snapped.

"What's your problem, Inuyasha?" the little kit asked. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"What kind of freaking question is that?" the demon called Inuyasha growled. "This is the day from hell." He glared at Kagome. "And this bitch isn't improving it any."

That did it. Kagome threw her filthy paper towel at his face and smirked when it hit, dead on-target.

"You bitch!"

"Call me that again and you'll be eating this crap."

"Bitch!"

She ran over to him, yanked open his jaw, and stuffed the paper towel into his mouth. She laughed when he spit it out, coughing and gagging. "I don't make idle threats."

She wasn't laughing when Inuyasha suddenly flipped her onto the cot and braced her there with his body. Her mouth fell open and her heart started beating out of her chest with terror. "Y-you! G-get off of me!"

He smirked, his fangs peeking out. "Scared?"

"You wish!"

"I really don't like you, bitch," he whispered menacingly, his face only inches from hers. "In fact, it would please me to no end if you never came back."

"So you're trying to scare me away, huh?" It was working.

"Something like that." He smirked again. "Either that or the director will forbid you to come back."

No! "You can't do that! I need these hours?"

"Think I give a damn?"

"You-bastard! Get the hell off of me!"

"Wow, the perfect little NHS girl has a potty mouth. Does your mommy know you cuss?"

"How did you know I'm from NHS? And get off me!"

"I heard you talking to Wimpy Wolf over there. Think much of yourself, ne?"

"You couldn't possibly have heard me from all the way over there!"

"I'm dog demon." He laughed at her expression. "Booyah."

"What is your problem? You never even met me until today and you already seem to hate me!"

"Hate is a strong word."

"You're hedging."

"That I am."

"Are you a misogynist or something?"

"Or something…"

"Could you get off me now?"

"Nice try…"

"Dammit, Inuyasha, get off me!"

"Only if you say 'pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top-'"

"Inuyasha, I swear-"

Suddenly a little ball of fur came flying out of nowhere and landed on top of Inuyasha's head. "What the-?" He clawed at it with one hand. "Shippo, what the blazes do you think you're-doing-"

Kagome shrieked. While trying to get the kitsune off of him, Inuyasha had lifted both his arms…and fell full on Kagome.

"Get off me, you pervert!"

"Get off me, you little twerp!"

"Let go of my tail, you meanie!"

"What the devil is going on in there?" the guard bellowed from his desk in the corner.

"Nothing!" the girl, half-demon, and kitsune yelled simultaneously.

With the help of her legs, Kagome managed to shove the white-haired inmate off of her and onto the floor. He landed on top of the kitsune, who squealed in pain.

Huffing, Kagome got to her feet and stomped out of the cell, leaving the hanyou and the kitsune to squabble between themselves. She didn't even bother to move the cleaning supplies. She was done. She didn't care if she only got an hour in, she was not coming back to this hellhole-ever again.

"Are you leaving already…? Miss…?" the guard called after her.

Kagome slammed the door to the hallway behind her in response.

"Good going, Inuyasha," Shippo said, massaging the massive lump on his head.

"Aw, shut up," Inuyasha said moodily.

.

.

.

"Back so soon, Kagome?" her mother said as she walked in the door.

"Yeah… wasn't much to do there, being my first day and all…"

"Well, that's okay. You can just stay a little longer tomorrow."

"Yeah, guess that's what I'll do." She'd break the news to her tomorrow. Omitting certain details.

Kagome flopped onto the couch, leaning her head back against it. "Have you seen the paper, Mama?"

"The paper?" Her mother gave her an odd look. "Since when do you read the paper?"

"Eri said there was a picture of her and the orchestra in there…she wanted me to cut it out for her."

"Why can't she do it herself?"

"She doesn't get the paper. Her aunt can't read English. Eri moved from Kyoto with her aunt when her parents died, remember?"

"I don't think you ever told me that…"

"Oh. Sorry, I meant to. Well, she did. And where's the paper?"

"I think it's on top of the TV."

Kagome looked at the paper practically sitting right in front of her face. "Right…thanks."

She picked it up and waited for a pair of scissors to materialize. When nothing happened, she sighed and figured she better go find some.

She trudged up to her room and rummaged around her desk drawer until she found the sought item. She laid down on the floor and randomly started flipping through the pages, looking for the local section… when something a certain picture caught her eye.

Her breath caught in her throat and then she gave a little squeak. As she read the article, her heart starting sinking fast. "Oh my god," she murmured, jumping to her feet, and forgetting all about the scissors and the picture of Eri she was supposed to be looking for.

She ran to her door. She was going to break the news to her mom. She didn't care how loud her mother screamed, or how bad she needed those hours. She was not going back to that place ever again.

As she raced out her door and down the bedroom stairs, Buyo wandered through the open door and settled on her rug next to the newspaper.

Face up was a picture of a insolent-looking hanyou being dragged out of court, the headlines boldly proclaiming: "TEENAGE HANYOU FOUND GUILTY OF PROSTITUE'S DEATH."

.

.

.

As always, tell me what you think! Tell me the good, the bad, the in-between. ^_^ Reviews seriously do inspire me. Big thanks for all who reviewed last time! And, of course, a big arigato to my proofreader, Kissabirde. Till next time, guys!

Oh, and cookies to anyone who can tell me who said the "God is dead" quote. I by no means believe it, but it is rather historical… (Anne, don't answer this-I KNOW you know the answer. ^_^)