InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty As Charged ❯ Manipulation ( Chapter 3 )

Guilty As Charged

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Chapter Three:

MANIPULATION

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"Someone up there really doesn't like me." Inuyasha stooped and picked up what seemed like the thousandth empty coke bottle off the ground. Amazing how much those private school pricks could litter. They obviously weren't above throwing their trash across the ten-foot concrete wall with barbed wire. He would bet on his life that "bottle throwing" was a popular competition on the other side.

His first day of punishment was not progressing well. His back was already aching. Soon he'd be hunched over like an old man.

He gave a short laugh. At least he'd gotten rid of that wench-the one that looked amazingly like Kikyo.

A growl escaped from his throat. He did not need the carbon copy of his murdered love hanging around this prison like a persistent specter. Whatever it took to get rid of her… if she was stubborn and decided to show her face here again, a few more sexual innuendos or threats should scare her off-forever.

He bit down on his lower lip so hard that his fang pierced it. He licked away the blood that began to trickle. Kikyo. God, he was a sap. How had he fallen so hard for a stupid woman?

And what killed him was that he was being held in this trap, with his handles literally tied. He had to find that bastard that killed her. There wasn't even a question of that.

"Dog Turd!"

He bit down even harder. The blood really started flowing now.

"I'm done for tonight," the wolf called from the other side of the yard, "you finish up the rest."

"What!"

The damned wolf was actually walking away!

"Get back here, you weasel!"

" 'Them's the breaks,'" came the mocking voice.

He was going to have to get that lip sewn up once he went inside.

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"You're WHAT?!" Mrs. Higurashi shrieked for the second time that week. "You're WHAT?!"

"Not going to volunteer anymore."

"First you practically beg me to work there, and now you're quitting?"

"I'm not quitting-"

"Yes, you are. You don't like to work there? Well, tough, Kagome. You made your bed, now lie in it."

"Mom!"

"No, Kagome. I will not allow you to not graduate because you slacked off on community service hours."

"But, Mom, you don't understand-"

"What's not to understand? Are you not telling me something?"

"No, but-"

"No. You will go back there tomorrow, you will get those hours, and you will do it with a cheerful attitude."

"Mom, you don't know what you're asking. Those kids are dangerous!"

"Did someone threaten you?" The mom radar suddenly whirred to life.

"No, Mom-"

"Did someone try and rape you?"

"No, Mama-" Not exactly…

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well…" Tell her and be locked up in the house forever. Don't tell her and be sexually harassed by a murderer. The first won out. "This one boy there-he was really annoying, he was mocking me and calling me names-"

"Kagome. You don't want to go back because of a boy with an elementary-school mentality?"

"No!" cried Kagome in exasperation. "Will you just listen to me, Mama?"

Mrs. Higurashi folded her arms and leaned against the counter. "Yes."

"Good."

"Well…see-I…"

Great, now she was unable to express herself adequately.

The newspaper. "Wait a second, Mom!" She dashed upstairs, grabbed the paper, and flew back downstairs, panting. "Look at this."

Kagome the emotions play across her mother's face watched as she read the article.

"This boy was there?" Mrs. Higurashi finally asked.

"This is the boy I was talking about."

"A murderer," said Mrs. Higurashi flatly.

Kagome nodded, holding her breath. "So-do I have to go back?"

Her mom frowned. "I would be the happiest woman in the world if you never went back-but where are you going to get those hours?"

"I'll find something. Maybe I can stay after school and grade papers for teachers or something."

"They'll let you do that?"

"Hopefully…if I beg them hard enough…"

"Fine. You don't have to go back." Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "No-how's this? I forbid you to go back."

Thank God. "Great, Mom," Kagome said, a big smile spreading across her face. "Want some cookies?"

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The darkness was closing in.

Her eyes narrowed as she picked up her pace. She knew those thugs were trailing her. She'd known it since she hopped over the railroad crossing and-literally-ended up on the other side of the tracks. The foster home was located in the worst part of town. Most of the kids that lived there had to fight to stay alive, steal to quench their hunger, and work to support themselves.

And those bastards sitting up in the State Court House thought this was a better environment for her brother?

The footsteps were coming closer. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and took off running. The echoing footfalls behind her told her that the goons were pursuing her, but she was counting on the fact that they didn't know the area as well as she did.

Her camouflage pants and sturdy boots gave her room to run and traction against the slick pavement. She ducked into an alleyway and felt along the side wall until she found the almost invisible door. Where was it?

"Hey bitch."

A thousand stars exploded before her eyes as she was hurled into the air and slammed against the wall. "Think you can outrun us?"

Although she was still nearly blind, she threw a well-placed kick towards the lower region of her attacker's body. The man cried out in pain and sunk to his knees. She immediately dropped to the ground and crawled towards the other wall. It was too dark to see anything. Where was the door?

The man's friend was groping blindly in the dark. "Where are you, whore? Only hookers like you'd be wandering around at this time of night. Where are ya? No use hiding."

Dammit, she thought, running her hands across the wall again. It had to be here somewhere. She'd opened it a million times, escaped through it another trillion.

She shrieked as rough hands encircled her waist. "Gotcha," the man crowded, his hands now fumbling with her shirt. "Let's get these damn clothes off of ya-"

She kicked and punched and scratched, trying desperately to free herself. "Get the hell off of me!" She tried to kick him in the groin when he was struggling to pull her tee-shirt over her head, but he was quicker than his companion. "Nice try, girlie."

"You got 'er, Dick?" his friend asked, having obviously recovered from her kick.

"An ironic name," she snarled, punching wildly into the darkness. "It suits you."

The man swore and pulled harder at her shirt, succeeding in ripping it off. "That's better."

Her arms now free, she launched herself at her attacker and managed to wrestle him to the ground. Grabbing his head, she began to pound it against the pavement, hoping that once she knocked one out, she could deal with the other.

Thug Number Two yanked her off his friend and slammed her against the wall. "Enough of this run-around," he sneered, his putrid breath making her gag. He tugged at her bra strap. She recoiled, sickened, again bringing her foot upward. Her attacker flinched but didn't let go of his hold.

Panicked now, she clawed at his face. Many had tried to rape her before, but this was the closet anyone had ever gotten. With renewed fury, she kicked and scratched harder, nearly breaking down in tears when the man just laughed harder and pressed his body against hers. "Settle down there, honey, this'll be over quick."

"No!" she screamed, punching with all her might. "Get OFF me, BASTARD!" In a last, desperate attempt, she bashed her head against his. He cried out in pain, his grip loosening a bit. Seizing her chance, she grabbed his head and swung his body around with all her might, hurling him against the wall. The man struck the stone and silently slid to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"HELP!" She abandoned all pride and frantically ran her hands over the wall, desperately searching for the door. "Help!"

The other man was shouting his companion's name, trying to awaken him. She'd never wished for anyone to be dead, but now prayed with all her heart that she had killed him.

She was suddenly thrown backwards onto the wall again, but this time not from her attackers. A blinding light was shining in her face.

"Who's out there?" a voice demanded.

"CHARLIE!" she screamed, running towards the light. "Charlie, it's me, it's me! Help, I-" A body slammed into her once again, knocking her to the ground.

"Oh no you don't," the man growled, his face inches from hers. "You're not getting away after what you did-"

A bullet whizzed by his ear, nearly searing it off. He gave a cry and tumbled backwards, his hand patting the side of his head, making sure the appendage was still attached.

"Come near that lady again," the voice from the doorway said calmly, "and I promise you that next time I won't miss."

"Son of a-" The man charged towards the gun holder, only to throw himself to the ground a minute later as another bullet zinged past him.

"Sango." The man named Charlie nodded to her. "Come here. Don't you worry 'bout this man, if he even moves a muscle, this bullet's goin' right through his head."

She slowly picked herself up off the ground and moved towards the doorway, giving wide birth to the crouched man. Her attacker growled as she passed him, and she jumped into the doorway. Charlie gave the man one last glare and slammed the door shut, bolting it behind him.

Sango's breath escaped her and she slumped against the closed door. "Oh my…god…"

"Miss Sango, what would your father say?" Charlie said, frowning. He slammed the gun into his palm over and over. "What are you doing out this late at night, anyhow?"

"Same thing I do every Saturday night," she retorted, closing her eyes. "Bastards."

"Were you comin' or goin'?"

"Coming. Work ran late."

"Miss Sango, your daddy would skin me alive if I didn't send you home this very minute."

"Yeah, well, Daddy's not here now, is he?" She glared at Charlie. "I have to go see him. I promised him. You can't stop me."

"Your father," gritted Charlie, running a hand through his unruly grey hair, "entrusted Kohaku's and your safety to me. What would he say if I let something terrible happen to you?"

"If he entrusted our safety to you," she said, "then why didn't he specify it in his will? Why, if it was so important to him?"

"He didn't get a chance," Charlie said quietly. "Sango-how many times has this happened?"

"What, me being stalked?" she said flatly.

"Yes."

"At least once a week. Usually I can lose them, or, if they're persistent, fight them off." She drew in a shuddering breath. "This is the first time they've gotten so-so close…"

"It was the same guys?" Charlie's voice sharpened.

"I think so. I never really got a good look at them…Charlie-" Sango looked up into his honest, grey eyes that matched his hair-"did I-kill…that man?"

"Don't matter if you did. It was out of self-defense. 'Sides I doubt that other attacker can recognize you if he wanted to."

"Right," she said quietly. She rested her head on her knees for a minute, then looked up with a calm face. "Find me a shirt somewhere. I can't go visiting Kohaku like this."

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"Morning, Kagome!"

"Hiya, Kag!"

"Kagome! Long time no see! How was juvy?"

"Fascinating," she replied dryly, smiling at Eri. "But I'm not going back."

"What?" cried Eri. "Kagome, you finally find a place to get those hours in, and now you're quitting?"

"Pretty much."

"I don't know what's gotten into you lately," she muttered. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Beg the Bio teacher to let me grade papers."

"Good luck."

Yuka was running towards them, pushing people aside. "Kagome, how was juvy?"

Kagome groaned. She had a feeling this was going to be the question of the day…

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"Guys, look at this!" Ayumi threw that day's newspaper on the table and pulled out a chair. "This world's gone crazy, man."

Her three friends momentarily paused their gabbing over their lunches to stare at her. The rest of the lunchroom was pulsing with noise and the clatter of utensils, but their section of the long, cafeteria-style table was silent.

"Did Ayumi just say 'man'?" Yuka confirmed.

"Yup," Kagome said.

"You going punk, Ayumi?" Eri asked. She held a hand to Ayumi's forehead. "Yeah, I think it feels a little hot."

"Stuff it." Ayumi flipped open the newspaper to the front page and shoved it in front of Eri's nose. "Take a look at this article and see what kind of world we're gonna have to raise our kids in."

Yuka and Kagome exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Ayumi was the most preppy and most sheltered out of their group-and not to mention the smartest. She was the exact definition of a private school girl.

"Lovely," Eri proclaimed, passing the paper to Yuka to examine. "Why is it always the hot ones that are the troublemakers?"

"He's demon, that's why," Yuka said. "All demons are troublemakers. If you ask me, we should put a limit on our immigration quotas for non-humans."

"Yuka," Ayumi chastised, frowning a bit. "That was really racist."

"Well, geez, Ayu, open your eyes. Look at the criminal stats: fifty percent of all crimes are committed by demons. They're an irrational, hot-headed race."

"Ohh, fifty percent. And guess what occupies the other fifty percent?" Kagome gasped in mock horror. "Humans! Dear me, that's the same number!"

"What's up with you today, Kagome?" Yuka said. "You're so sarcastic."

"Sorry. Just in a bad mood, I guess." She took the paper that Yuka handed to her and froze. "Oh, him?"

Guess whose picture was pasted across the front page?

"You've heard of him?" Ayumi asked. "He allegedly murdered this teenage prostitute named Kikyo."

"Allegedly?" Eri said. "He was found guilty."

"By circumstantial evidence," corrected Ayumi. "Bankotsu Shichinintai was the prosecutor and really pushed for time in juvy."

"So he wasn't really guilty?" Kagome asked.

Ayumi shrugged. "He probably was. Look at his background: fights at school, a few arson fires, consorting with druggies, may have even sold some weed himself…"

Wonderful. That definitely clinches the matter: there is no way in hell I'm going back there.

"Although," added Ayumi, "he claimed to have loved Kikyo."

"So?" Yuka said, her mouth full of sandwich. "Crazy people have murdered for love. Remember that case a few years ago? This man killed his lover because he was going to die of cancer; he didn't want to die and leave her behind, grieving without him. So he killed her."

"That's a little conceited," Eri said. "She would have gotten over him eventually."

Kagome rubbed her temples. She and her friends had made a game of having debates during lunch over the years. Their diverse backgrounds allowed them to get all different views: Ayumi was the only child of a lawyer, Jewish, and extremely smart; Yuka was from a family of six kids and was devoutly Catholic; Eri lived with her grandmother, was Buddhist, and extremely liberal. Kagome-the offspring of a Buddhist and a Protestant-claimed no religion, lived with her mother, grandfather, and brother, and considered herself a moderate conservative.

Normally, by now Kagome would be in the thick of the debate, but today, and with this particular topic…

"Okay, new topic, guys," Kagome said, swiping a carrot stick from Ayumi's container. "This one's getting old."

Three surprised faces turned to stare at her.

"Kagome, what is up with you today?" Yuka asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"I don't want to talk about juvy or criminals or anything like that. Besides, that Inuyasha guy is an asshole."

"Well, yeah, he murdered his girlfriend-" Eri started.

"Wait." Yuka's eyes narrowed. She glanced at the newspaper, then at Kagome, and back at the newspaper again. "You met him yesterday, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Eri and Ayumi exclaimed together.

"At juvy. You met this Inuyasha guy, he gave you crap for looking like his murdered lover, and then you stormed out of the place and swore you'd never return."

Yuka was so scary when she was right…

"Yeah, pretty much," Kagome mumbled, twirling the carrot stick through her fingers. "But-hey, how do you know I look like his girlfriend?"

Yuka shoved the paper in front of her face. There, right next to the picture of a scowling Inuyasha was the prostitute, Kikyo.

"She doesn't look anything like me!" Kagome said. "Look at her-she's gorgeous!"

"You do bear a resemblance, now that I think about it," Eri said, stealing the paper from Yuka. "God, that's freaky. You're a prostitute's double, Kagome!"

"Shut up!" whispered Kagome frantically, as most of the conversation around them died down. "This is how rumors get started, Eri!"

"Oh…oops. Sorry."

"That is weird, though," Ayumi said. "She looks like your long-lost twin or something."

Yuka and Eri turned calculating eyes on Kagome.

"No, guys, this is not the parent trap-my parents did not have twins and separate us at birth."

"But Kagome," Eri said, "how do you know? You haven't seen your dad in ten years. And she was your age too!"

Kagome sighed and dropped her head into her palm. "This is not Hollywood, guys. Be serious. It's just some freaky coincidence. Though that does explain why he was so callous."

Her friends sighed too.

"I guess you're right," said Yuka in disappointment. "Thought wouldn't that have made a cool story? Your twin is murdered by the man who loved her, you meet him in juvy, and then he eventually falls in love with you…hmm…"

The calculating looks reappeared.

"Don't-get-any-ideas," Kagome barked. "This is not a romance novel. This guy is a murderer. Shall I repeat it? A mur-der-er. This is not a movie, Kikyo is not my twin, and he will not fall in love with me!"

Kagome didn't realize she was shouting until the whole table around her fell silent. "Eh heh…hi?"

When the conversations around her finally resumed, Yuka couldn't resist asking, "Could I use this in a story? Please? I'll change the names and everything."

"Sure," Kagome said, folding her arms on the table and dropping her head into them. "Why am I friends with you guys again?"

Ayumi patted her back. "Because no one else will tolerate our weirdness."

"Your weirdness," Eri and Yuka mumbled simultaneously.

"Want me to come with you to talk to the bio teacher after school?" Eri offered.

"Yeah, whatever," Kagome said. "As long as I don't hear the name 'Inuyasha' mentioned ever again."

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"Inuyasha!"

"Bug off, Shippo." Inuyasha collapsed onto his cot (there was absolutely no bounce in it-he fell hard as a rock) and closed his eyes. "I am going to kill that wolf shit tomorrow. Please tell me it's tackle football in P.E."

"Actually, I think field hockey's scheduled."

"Good enough. Those sticks could probably break bones."

"Inuyasha-"

"Who does that wimpy Peter Pan eared guy think he is?"

"Inuyasha-"

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath.

"Inuyasha-do you think that girl will come back?"

"Hn? What girl?" Note to self: add Koga on "to kill list" right under Bankotsu and Kikyo's murderer.

"The one that looked like Kikyo."

"That bitch?" he snorted. "I hope she never comes ba-" His eyes flew open. "What did you say?"

"What? 'Do you think that girl is-'"

Inuyasha was off his bed and holding Shippo against the wall by the neck in seconds. "No, the name. What name did you say?"

"Kikyo?"

"Where did you hear that, you little prick?" he snarled.

"I, unlike some uneducated boors, actually read the newspaper," Shippo said defensively. "They stock the daily papers in the classroom-or did you not notice, being your usual unobservant self?"

"Newspapers? What has that got to-" The wheels in his head suddenly clicked together and whirled to life. "Don't tell me those damn reporters wrote something about the case."

"Hoo, aren't we clever."

Inuyasha swore. "How much do you know?"

"Everything that was stated in court. Did you really love her, Inuyasha? Or was that just a desperate plea to get you out of juvy?"

"None of your damn business!" Inuyasha threw the kit against the wall. God, the whole city probably knows about me and Kikyo now. Shit.

"Is that why you were so mean to Kagome?"

"Who?" The minute I get out of this freakin' jail, I am going to hunt someone down.

"The girl that looked like Kikyo. Were you acting like a bastard just because the two had a resemblance?"

"No. She was sent here to torture me; probably by Bankotsu. Maybe by the pimp. He lost one of his best hookers, after all."

"That's not Kagome's fault," scolded Shippo. "When she comes back, you should apologize."

"Forget it, kid. She's not coming back." He smirked a bit. "I made sure of that."

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The stone on the windowpane sounded like a boulder crashing through a glassblower shop. Sango shifted her weight, praying that no one besides her brother would hear it. A face appeared at the window, and then disappeared as suddenly as it came. She breathed a sigh of relief and snuck around to the back door of the house to wait.

Kohaku emerged a few minutes later. "Hey, Sis," he said, smiling.

Sango's heart squeezed. It was probably the only time he smiled all week. "Hey, squirt, how ya doin'?"

He shrugged. "Not too bad. I made a friend."

"Really?" Sango tried not to sound too suspicious. The last time he "made a friend" the kid had robbed him of all his chores money and used him as a scapegoat for all his problems.

"Yeah. This one seems okay. Her name's Rin."

"Her? She's a girl?"

"Yeah. She definitely can't beat me up, so I think I'm safe there." He cracked her a grin.

A joke. He'd actually made a joke. Sango ruffled his hair. "Don't you worry, squirt, I'll get you outta here."

"Okay."

She could tell he was humoring her. "Kohaku," she said, her voice taking on a warning tone, "I mean it. I don't make promises lightly."

"I know. Just…can we take Rin with us? Her parents," his voice dropped to a whisper, "were killed by wolf demons. They were trying to rob her house. I heard her cry at night. I don't like it when she's sad."

"Oh, Kohaku." She pulled him into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry this all had to happen. I'm sorry they took you away from me. Those bastards don't even care."

"It's okay, sis. I've been thinking…maybe I was sent here for a reason. Maybe I was sent here to be a friend to Rin."

"Kohaku. That's a very nice thought, and I'm sure Rin appreciates it, but there was no reason you were sent to this stupid foster family house except that the State Department was loose a few screws that day. You shouldn't have been sent here! You didn't deserve to be sentenced to this-this hell where the mother doesn't even care about you, and the father's a drunk, and kids beat up on you…"

She was crying now. Kohaku pulled her into his arms. Dammit, she was supposed to be the big sister! She was supposed to be strong, the one to comfort her hurting little brother…

"It's okay, sis," he whispered, patting her back. "It's okay."

No, it's not okay! It's not, it's not…

A light shown through one of the windows. Kohaku tensed and abruptly pulled away. "I have to go," he whispered urgently. "Mother dearest is up and probably satisfying a midnight craving. I have to get back in bed before she checks."

"Oh no…" That was all she got? She waits for a week to see her brother, not knowing how he's faring, not knowing if he's still alive, almost gets raped, and this was all she got? A measly five minutes? Ten, at most?

"Sorry, Sango," he said, scuffing his shoe in the dirt.

"D-don't apologize," she sniffled, wiping her nose on her shirt. "C'mere, you. Gimme a hug and then go pull the wool over that fat lady's eyes."

He smiled and embraced her once again. "Till next week." Then he ran inside, not even making a whisper in the night air.

Sango watched him leave, the tears still flowing down her face.

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't fair.

Wasn't it enough that her mother died of breast cancer? Wasn't it enough that her father had to be a bartender? Wasn't it enough that he tried to damn hard not to touch a drop, and then he ended being shot while trying to break up a fight?

She had been so heartbroken…her birthday had been the day before. She had turned eighteen. "I'm an adult now, Dad," she teased. "You have to treat me with a little more respect now." She had hoped that they would allow her to raise Kohaku, since she was technically an adult…

But they had shot down that dream as well. Since you are an adult, we will allow you to take care of yourself. But the boy… he needs guidance. A mere 18-year-old cannot give him such. This is for the best, Miss Tayija. We only want the best for you and your brother.

"Bullshit," she whispered fiercely. "How could they say that? How could they…"

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, crying her heart out. But when she finally opened her eyes, the darkness was gone, replaced by light.

She had spent the night outside the foster house that Kohaku had been placed in.

A quick look at her watch told her that she was over an hour late for school. And she was a good forty-five minutes away from the school.

Cold, clammy hands clamped over her mouth. Hard.

"You thought you got away, didn't ya?" Putrid breath filled her nostrils once again. "Nice try, honey. This time-this time you're not gonna get away."

Oh…damn it…

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"Kagome…? Kagome, where are you going? I thought we were going to see the bio teacher together!"

"I was called to the office," came the distant reply. "I'll call you tonight, Eri!"

"Uh…okay!" the girl with the head-band shouted after her. She shook her head and walked outside to where Ayumi and Yuka were waiting for her.

Kagome burst into the office, nearly knocking over the old, overweight secretary. Kagome grinned at the lady, who huffed and locked the doors with her nose in the air. The school secretary was notorious for her dislike of students; exactly five minutes after school let out, she locked the doors to the office with a special key that she kept around her waist.

"Is Principal Johnston in?" Kagome asked the old lady sweetly.

"In the office," the old hag grunted. "Help yourself."

"Thank you!"

Kagome moved towards the rear of the office, tapping softly on the door marked "PRINCIPAL."

"It's open!" a voice called from inside.

Pushing the door open slowly, Kagome said, "Miss? You called for me?"

"Yes; please come in, Miss Higurashi." Kagome stepped in the room, facing the platinum blonde forty-something-year-old woman. Mrs. Johnston nodded at a folding chair near her desk. "Have a seat."

Kagome sat. "Is this about community service?" Earlier in the day, she had inquired about other opportunities.

"Actually, yes it is." Mrs. Johnston pushed a piled of papers to the side and folded her hands on her desk. "Now, Miss Higurashi…you need hours to graduate, do you not?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"If I have my information correct, you went to the juvenile reform center previously?"

"Yes, ma'am-but it wasn't…what I expected it to be. Do you have any other options?"

The Principal smiled slightly. "Kagome, let me tell you something. Those children in the center are no different than you: just underprivileged. Because of certain circumstances, or varying causes that would break your heart to hear about, they landed in that place." She looked Kagome straight in the eye. "Did you run because you were afraid?"

"Afraid?" stuttered Kagome. "Well-not exactly…"

"Often," the woman nodded, "these kids are rude and disrespectful to outsides, merely because you are exactly their age, exactly like them-only you are not in a cage. Wouldn't you be a little resentful?"

"Well-yes, but that isn't-"

"Kagome, I would like you to try again. Please. For the kids' sake and for yours. And you have no idea how good that looks for our school-students from the Academy going out into the world to help the less fortunate."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. This woman was trying to send her back into that wretched place for the sake of the school? "Mrs. Johnston-you don't understand. I was threatened! I-you have heard of Inuyasha Takahashi?"

The woman didn't even blink. "I have."

"He was there. And not only did he verbally ridicule me, but he-uh-sorta threw himself on me and-and threatened me…"

God, she sounded like an idiot! Out loud, her reason sounded kind of stupid. "It's-I can't put it into words."

Mrs. Johnston nodded serenely. "I know it was a culture shock, but I really would appreciate it if you returned and tried again, Kagome. Would you consider that, please? For the sake of the school?"

This lady was a freakin' manipulator!

"But-but-I-"

"It's all settled then." Mrs. Johnston pulled her papers back in front of her and picked up a pen. "I assume you'll be putting in another two hours today?"

Kagome's jaw was slack. "Mrs. Johnston, really, I understand what you're asking, but-"

"But you would feel awkward showing up without alerting someone?" The platinum blonde hair bobbed up and down as she nodded her head. "I understand completely. I'll give them a call and let them know you're coming." She picked up the phone and dialed a number, waiting for someone to pick up. "Don't you worry about a thing, dear."

Kagome's back was as stiff as a poker. The nerve of this woman! Well, no one told Kagome what to do. She just wouldn't show up. She was graduating soon-what could the school do to her?

Screw the school's reputation.

As Kagome exited the office, she heard Mrs. Johnston's conversation. "Hello, Rick? Yes…yes, it's Cherie. Yes, hello. I have a student that's going to be coming this afternoon…yes, Kagome Higurashi. Yes, yes she did. Expecting her?...Great!...Thanks so much…oh the kids? They're doing well…"

Kagome slammed the door shut, blatantly ignoring the hostile stare of the secretary. She cursed under her breath as she stormed out of the office.

She was not going back.

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The moonlight filtered gently though the bars of the cell window. Shippo snored lightly, mumbling random words in his sleep. Inuyasha, however, was tossing and turning.

"Kikyo-it's me." He knocked on Door #12, just like always.

"Come on in." She knew it was him.

He pushed open the door and shut it with his foot. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hi, yourself." She was facing the window, reading a book. She was still a little shy.

Inuyasha smiled and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "How ya doin'?"

She turned, smiling at him. "I'm fine. And you, Inuyasha? How are you doing?"

He froze in horror, staring at the growing red stain on her white satin nightgown. Her face was smiling, and her tone was happy, but… "Kikyo! What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

He gave a startled cry and scrambled backwards. This wasn't Kikyo! It looked like her-it sounded like her-but her face was different!

Then something clicked in his head. "Wait-it's you! That stupid girl that came to visit me!"

"Inuyasha?" she sounded hurt.

Her eyes were blue! Kikyo's eyes were grey! What was going on?!

"Inuyasha, I…" she collapsed on the floor, a red pool of blood growing around her. Terrified, Inuyasha ran to the door, and flung it open. He gave a strangled cry as the corpse of Kikyo fell on him. "The hell-?!"

Two policemen burst into the room and held him at gunpoint. "You're under arrest for the murder of Kikyo Ito and Kagome Higurashi."

"Huh?" He looked down and found a bloody knife in his hand. "W-wait! No, you've got the wrong guy! I don't even know her…"

He was still screaming as they dragged him off to juvy.

::

Inuyasha sat up so fast that dark spots filled his vision for a moment. He brushed his bangs off his forehead. He was covered in sweat. A dream…

He fell back down on his rock-hard cot. Gods, she plagues me even in my sleep…Kikyo…

He kicked the wall, achieving nothing but a bruised toe. Why was that other bitch in my dream? Damn, even Kikyo's double tries to torture me.

Rolling on his side, he pressed his ears flat against his head and squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the tightness in his chest. Now he was even questioning his own innocence. What if he had killed her when he was sleepwalking or something?

"Goddammit," he muttered, kicking the wall again. "It was a dream, you loser. A f-ing dream."

The moonlight quivered and quavered around the bars. He squeezed his eyes tighter. "A dream…just a dream…"

.

.

.

At the same time, in the hallway on the other side of the building, a cell door squeaked open and clanged shut. The walls reverberated not with the clashing sound, but with the obscenities flowing out of a girl's mouth.

"Damn you!" The scream echoed off the walls. "You can't do this! It was freakin' self-defense! Come back here, you bastards…!"

She collapsed into a heap of tears. Letting her head fall back against the wall, she whispered brokenly, "It was just self-defense…"

Her eyes grew heavy from shear exhaustion. "Self-defense…I'm…so sorry, Kohaku…"

::

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Hello all! Just as a note, I've already posted most of these chapters on ff.net, so that's why I'm updating so fast. Normally, it takes me about two weeks to get a chapter out… yeah. Just thought I'd shed some light on my rapid updating spree. ^_^ Ja ne, review please!