InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Past, Hidden Self ❯ Lost trust, lost love ( Chapter 24 )

I do not own any of the InuYasha characters mentioned in this fanfic. I do however own my original characters (Kane-Sakura, Setsuna, Ren-Tao) and my friends own their OCs. Steph owns Mika and Nakura, Nicky owns Michi and Ori, and Danielle owns Yuki, Akira, and Myrako.

 

To start things off, it's been a while since I've actually updated HPHS. My reason is in the last chapter. As I said, I starred in a musical called `Summer Song' which had never been produced in America before. We're done now, but then when I tried to recall the items I'd already written for chapter 24, I couldn't open the file on my disc. So, I had to delete it and start over from scratch. I'd had this great beginning to this chapter and it was going so well, now I've got to start over. And to let everyone know, our musical was a huge success. I eventually got over my fear of kissing someone I didn't know on stage and my singing improved ten-fold. I had to wear a wig and everything.

 

Now here's where I need your help. To my loyal fans (if there are any), I need REVIEWS!! There were twenty visits to the previous chapter and none of you left a review! I need to know if anybody's actually enjoying this or not. Please, please, PLEASE review!!!

 

Chapter 24: Lost trust, lost love

 

The door to the girls' apartment flew open with a loud BANG! Three pairs of eyes veered over to the entrance as Kane ran in and past them in the living room. She was sobbing as she ran by and tears were streaking her cheeks, making her eyes red and puffy.

 

“I guess the date didn't go as Kane had planned it.” Michi stated. “Mine went perfect…”

 

Mika threw a pillow at the monk to shut her up. “Pipe down will ya? I don't think Kane would cry over something like a bad date. Something must have happened.” She listened to Kane's sobbing and headed towards the door. “I'm going to talk to her. Whatever happened couldn't have been good.”

 

She rapped on the door twice. From within Kane cried out, “Go away! I don't feel like talking!” A door slammed within, signifying that she'd run from where ever she had been and into her bathroom. Mika then entered the room and found it empty. Kane had cast off her clothing and thrown it across the room in a heap. Picking up the shredded shirt, Mika got a sense that something serious had conspired between the two. And it wasn't anywhere near good.

 

“Kane, are you okay in there?”

 

“I told you, I don't feel like talking!” Kane called out from the bathroom over the running water.

 

Mika leaned her back against the door and slid down it to sit. “Come on Kane, I'm your friend. You can tell me what happened.”

 

Silence resonated from the bathroom. “Kane?”

 

“I thought Setsuna respected me. I trusted him with all my heart that he did…” Kane said barely audible enough for Mika to pick up.

 

“What did he do now?” Mika asked sarcastically. “Did somebody else hit on him or something?”

 

“I wish…”

 

Mika didn't like the way this conversation was going. Everything she had said so far hadn't been in sadness, but in a deep hatred that was colder than the ice that Mika could make. “What happened? Did he make a move that…?”

 

“Oh he `made a move' all right.” Kane spat out as she turned the taps to shut off the water. “A move that…that…” There were more sobs before she spoke again. “Mika, I can't believe he'd do something so careless! And without my permission!”

 

Mika turned to face the door. “What did he do? You can tell me, and if it makes you feel any better, I'll go strangle him when you're finished.”

 

There was a pause. “He…” Another pause as Kane put on her robe and tied the sash. She opened the door and looked down at Mika. “He almost…” Fresh tears spilled over as she collapsed onto her knees and sobbed. “He almost raped me!”

 

Mika's eyes opened wide in shock. As Kane curled in on herself, Mika gently took her friend into her arms and hugged her in a tight embrace. Stroking her hair, she let Kane cry on her shoulder, knowing that there were no words that could possibly make things better for her friend. She knew that just being there in her lonely hour and keeping her close would ease only a small amount of pain, but it would be enough knowing that she wouldn't be crying by herself in this lonely room.

 

Now Comes The Night

By Rob Thomas

(I recommend that if you have Rob Thomas's CD with this song, listen to it while you read this part of the chapter. It's a beautiful song, but it's kind of sad too. I thought it was appropriate to put this song here because of Kane's grief)

 

When the hour is upon us

And our beauty surely gone

No you will not be forgotten

And you will not be alone

No you will not be alone

 

And when the day has all but ended

And our echo starts to fade

No you will not be alone then

And you will not be afraid

No you will not be afraid

 

When the fog has finally lifted

From my cold and tired brow

No I will not leave you crying

No I will not let you down

No I will not let you down

I will not let you down

 

Now comes the night

Feel it fading away

And the soul underneath

Is it all that remains

So just slide over here

Leave your fear in the fray

Let us hold to each other

Til the end of our days

 

When the hour is upon us

And our beauty surely gone

No you will not be forgotten

And you will not be alone

No you will not be alone

 

Mika didn't emerge from Kane's room for twenty minutes. When she came out, she too had red eyes and was tear-streaked. Michi and Yuki looked on as she sat at the couch again, wiping at her eyes with the back of her palms. “Damn it…”

 

“What happened? Is she okay?” Michi asked, concerned for her friend's well fare.

 

Mika sniffled slightly. “I don't know what came over me. She told me what happened and then as I hugged her, I started to cry.”

 

Yuki laid a hand on her shoulder. “Do you think she'll be okay?”

 

Mika shook her head. “She's devastated. I don't know if she'll ever get over this since she loved Setsuna with all her heart. If she didn't, she wouldn't have cried so easily over him.”

 

“Did he break up with her?” Yuki asked.

 

“He might as well have. He attempted to rape her.”

 

“Good god.” Michi breathed. “Rape? That doesn't sound like him.”

 

“Apparently we were wrong. She loved him you guys.” Mika explained. “No matter how different they were, we all knew they were meant for each other.”

 

Nobody said any more. There simply wasn't anymore that could be said.

 

***

 

The following morning, the girls were sitting around playing a board game and watching the news. Yuki, Mika and Michi were all arguing over who was going to be the banker since Kane wasn't up to playing and she was normally the one who took that position because of her love of math. They eventually settled it with rock-paper-scissors, which Michi lost.

 

Kane had yet to emerge from her bedroom. The door had been locked tight and she had refused breakfast. No matter how much they had insisted she eat, Kane had rejected the food. Now it sat cold at the counter, the eggs hardening and the toast becoming crusty and cold. Lunch was fast approaching and no one felt like preparing it since it was a holiday. Then the guys had called and asked if they wanted to eat over at their place. They kindly declined.

 

“That's it! I'm through with trying to be the banker!” Michi stood and marched over to Kane's bedroom door.

 

“Michi leave her alone. She isn't in the mood to play.” Mika stated. When that failed to stop her, she called out, “Beg…” A loud thud accompanied with an “oof!” told the entire group that her charm still worked.

 

Suddenly the door to the apartment resonated with knocking. “I'll get it.” Mika stood and walked over to the door. But when she looked through the peep hole, her face crunched up into a scowl.

 

“Who is it Mika?” Yuki called when she hadn't heard the door open.

 

“Nobody of any real importance. I'll tell him off.” Mika stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind her.

 

“Hey, is Kane here?”

 

“I don't know if I should tell you. She came home last night crying because of what you did!” Mika brought her hand back and slapped Setsuna on the face. “You should be ashamed of yourself you bastard! She trusted…” She paused, seeing the hurt in his eyes.

 

He'd taken the slap as if she had only poked him with a finger. His normally green eyes had black circles under them, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. His hair looked as though he hadn't combed it this morning and he wore the same clothes he'd worn the night before. “Please, I need to talk to her, it's very important.”

 

“I want a reason and an explanation. Nobody hurts my friend and gets instant forgiveness.”

 

He sighed. “Last night was the night of my transformation.”

 

“A transformation? But you're a three-quarters, not a hanyou.”

 

“Mine's different from what InuYasha and Kane go through. Because I have more demon in me than human, I turn full-demon every six months on the night of the full moon.”

 

Mika huffed. “Full-demon? Why should I believe you?”

 

“I normally try to stay away from others when my transformation happens. But after we came here, I lost track of time.” Setsuna closed his eyes. “Mika, I need you to trust me on this. I would never try to do anything to Kane. She means too much to me.”

 

“If she means so much, why'd you make a move on her when she wasn't ready?”

 

“For the first fifteen minutes after I change, I have no control over my body. The only thing that changes though are my eyes. I have my father's eyes, and when I'm full demon, I get my mother's fiery eyes, only they're ice-cold and contain no emotion whatsoever.” Setsuna grabbed Mika's shoulders and looked into her eyes. “That's why I need to talk to her; to explain my actions and gain her trust back.”

 

`He's being sincere, I can smell it.' Mika opened the door behind her. “Come on in.”

 

The second he entered, two more pairs of angry eyes glared at him. “Mika, why's he here?” Yuki asked, giving him her meanest tone of voice she could muster.

 

“You guys, he's not completely to blame. He has a reason and it's one that is believable and one that Kane is going to hear.” Mika pulled him to Kane's door, then knocked. “I'll talk to her first. Just wait right here.”

 

After she'd gone into the room, Setsuna stood nervously by the door, avoiding the evil gazes of the other two girls from the table.

 

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Mika cleared her throat to get Kane's attention. She was sitting on her window seat, reading a book that was stuck on one page because she couldn't concentrate on it. Tears were running down her face as she stared out the window at the street below her. “Hey Kane, got a second?”

 

“I've already told you that I'm not hungry.” Kane sighed and dropped her book into her lap. Her wet gaze shifted over to Mika. “I'm not eating today, I just don't feel like it, okay?”

 

“I'm not here about that.”

 

“Oh, what do you want then?”

 

“There's…someone here to see you.”

 

Kane rubbed at her eyes. “Who is it? I hope it's not my study buddy. I know I told him to come by today, but he wasn't sure if he could make it.” She stood and grabbed her robe to put over her pajamas. “I'd hate to have him see me like this.”

 

“We all hate seeing you like this Kane.” Mika stated. “Should I send him in?”

 

Kane nodded and walked over to the bathroom. “Tell him to get comfy. I'm going to wash up a little first.” After the door was closed, Mika let Setsuna into the room.

 

“Good luck.” Mika said in a whisper as she closed the door behind her and left Setsuna in the room, to face his fears.

 

A few minutes went by before the bathroom door opened and Kane stepped out. She didn't see him at first because she was tying her hair back in a ponytail and had her hair flipped over her head. But the surprised look that registered on her face when she finally saw him quickly turned to anger. And it intensified after he asked, “Hey Kane, how're you doing?”

 

Kane brought her hands down from her hair. “Why's it any of your concern?”

 

“Because I…I don't know if I hurt you or not.”

 

Kane's eyes shimmered with angry tears as they threatened to spill over. “Don't know? Don't know?! You don't know if you hurt me or not when you…when you…!”

 

“Let me explain.” Setsuna said desperately, taking a step closer to her.

 

She moved back one pace away from his touch when his arms reached out. “What's to explain?! Don't you realize that you pulled a Trowa on me?! If that's how you truly feel about me, then I don't want any of it!”

 

He'd lost her trust. Never had she been so close, yet so far away from his touch. “But I don't want that from you unless you're ready for it. Kane, last night I changed to full demon. When that happens every six months, I lose control for fifteen minutes or so…”

 

“Why did you try to force yourself on me then?” Kane hugged herself at the memory of him tearing her shirt off her body. “Why'd you do that to me? I trusted you!”

 

At this Setsuna paused. “Because I care about you; you make me wild with desire.” Was what he wanted to say, instead he replied with, “I don't know.”

 

“Not good enough Hideik!” Kane strode over to the bed stand and grabbed his car keys. She threw them at his forehead. “Sorry I stole your car, but I didn't feel like asking you for a ride home!” Turning away from him, she hid the tears as they finally spilled over.

 

He approached her again and laid a hand on her shoulder. “But…”

 

She slapped at his hand and turned to face him, fear scorching her eyes and burning into his memory. “Don't touch me! Nothing you say will change the way I feel about you! Now just leave me alone, I never want to see your face again.” She walked over to her window.

 

He felt a stabbing at his heart from the words she spoke to him. “Then I did rape you. Oh Kane, I…”

 

Kane turned to him. “Don't say my name like that! I HATE YOU!!!”

 

He backed away, his emerald eyes shimmering. Closing them, he slowly turned away from her and said before walking out the door, “I'm sorry.”

 

Once he was gone, she let loose her torrent of tears and collapsed onto her floor to curl in on herself. `Why? I thought I could trust him, I thought he loved and respected me? What went wrong?'

 

Mika was sitting outside Kane's door when Setsuna opened it and stepped out. He took no notice of her and headed for the apartment door to leave. “I hate to say this, but you should've waited until she cooled off.”

 

“It doesn't matter. She hates me now and always will for what I did to her.”

 

“She might've said that, but if you'd just listen in on her room…” Mika paused to listen to Kane's sobbing. “She's just upset from what happened. Give her some time to…”

 

“No, she deserves better than me. A three-quarters is much less than what she should get for a mate.” He turned and left the apartment.

 

Mika growled, and then stormed into Kane's room. Kane looked up from her floor position, tears streaming down her face as Mika started, “Everything that boy said is true! He cares for you and he's sorry he almost hurt you! Didn't you see the sorrow in his eyes, hear the pain in his voice?!”

 

“You believe that bull?! Of all the people, I thought you'd be the last to fall for his act!” Kane cried out in anger.

 

Tears welled up in Mika's eyes. “I know you're hurting, you were raped once before by your fiancé, then almost raped by someone you trusted. There's something I need to tell you and it may help knowing this.

 

“Back when I was little, I witnessed a raping between a demon and a young girl. The demon ravaged her, choked her, strangled her, then he thrust himself in her tiny body without any consideration of her feelings. This girl, she couldn't have been much older than me at the time and I wanted to save her. But I was too scared, so I just watched. Gods, I just watched in horror as the poor girl was raped by that demon. Then, when the demon had had his way with her, he left her to die. I tried to save her then, thinking I could cure her wounds and tell her everything was okay. But there was nothing to be done. She died beside me, crying into my lap at the torture she'd gone through.

 

“Kane, that man had never loved that little girl and had no intention of ever showing her what love was really about. But Setsuna loves you, and I would know since he came back to apologize for something he couldn't control.” She let a solitary tear fall down her cheek. As Mika explained everything, Michi and Yuki stuck their heads in to see how things were going. “Just forgive him; he's suffering knowing he betrayed your trust.” Mika sat down beside the hanyou as Kane continued crying herself. Once she was down by her, Mika took Kane into her arms and cried harder. “He cares for you, don't you care too?”

 

Kane sobbed into Mika's shoulder as Michi and Yuki walked in to comfort their friend too. “I do, I love him with all my being. But after…”

 

“Just apologize, say you forgive him and he'll take you back.” Yuki said as she sat in front of Kane's legs.

 

“Kane, you'll feel much better if you go to him.” Michi said from behind Kane.

 

She nodded. “I'll call him over at the apartment. This can't wait any longer.” Kane rubbed away the last of her tears. “Then we can all celebrate our day off of school together.”

 

“She's almost back to normal folks!” Michi exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, Michi, I am. And I'll be completely back after I apologize to Setsuna.”

 

***

 

“About time you show up. Ori's been driving me up the wall. All he talks about is how much fun he had last night with Michi.” Nakura said from his bedroom as a gloomy Setsuna walked into the apartment. “Where have you been anyway? If you were going to stay at Kane's apartment you should've called; we left the door unlocked last night.” Then he saw the gloomy expression on his face. “I take it something went terribly wrong last night.”

 

Setsuna shook his head, and then walked into his room. Once in the confines of privacy, Setsuna dropped his pants and pulled on his Feudal hakama. Tossing his shirt aside, he replaced it with his haori after his under kimono was on. When he was done, he exited his bedroom.

 

Ori appeared from the kitchenette, a bowl of instant ramen steaming in his hand. He held the chopsticks up to his mouth to savor that first bite of noodles, but stopped when he saw his friend dressed in his Feudal garb. “Setsuna, going somewhere?”

 

“Yeah, away from here and back to the era I belong in.” Setsuna said blandly.

 

“Did something happen last night? You never came home.”

 

Setsuna stood silent for a moment. “I lost control and she…she hates me Ori. She said it right to my face.”

 

“Women are a complex species.” Ori stated, taking some of his noodles and slurping them hungrily. “Give her some time and she'll come around. Forgiveness is often the best reward after a period of time.”

 

“Eternity wouldn't be long enough to bring her around. But can you blame her after I almost raped her? I guess I half expected her to forgive me after I explained everything.”

 

Ori stopped with his second helping of noodles and stared at the Neko demon. “Raped? You forced yourself upon her? Now that she may never forgive you for…”

 

“I already know that. But thanks for reminding me.” Setsuna went over to the door.

 

“If she loves you though, truly loves you, she'll come back. Michi always did when we fought as kids.”

 

“Sure, but did you ever pressure her into sex?” Ori remained speechless, his answer an obvious no. “I thought so.” He turned the door knob to the apartment door. “If Kane ever stops by or calls, and she's looking for me, which I doubt she will, don't tell her where I've gone. I've caused her enough pain as it is, and I don't need to cause her anymore.” He opened the door and left the apartment for good.

 

***

 

Ori never did keep his promise to Setsuna. When Kane called, Ori told her everything the Neko had said to him and how he had left for Feudal Japan. It was after he'd delivered the grim news that Kane had dropped the phone into Michi's hands, rushed to her room and grabbed Teretsu and her Feudal kimono. She bolted for the car with Yuki, Mika and Michi close behind. Mika called the guys on one of their cells to meet at Higurashi Shrine; they were all going back in time. Kane drove there in a frenzy, only to find out from Kagome that he'd already dove into the well.

 

“How long ago did he come here?” Kane asked Kagome in desperation.

 

“About an hour and a half ago; is something wrong?” She had a quizzical look in her eyes.

 

“I just need to talk to him. Thanks for that bit of info!” Kane yelled as she ran to the well house where everybody else waited.

 

“I'm coming too.” Kagome said, grabbing her yellow backpack.

 

A nagging question loomed in Kane's worried mind. “Hey Kagome, is my brother still mad at me?”

 

She smiled. “He's been a wreck ever since you left. I'm sure he's not mad anymore.”

 

Reassured, Kane stood on the lip of the well, legs bent in a low crouch with her hands holding her steady in between her legs. “There's no time to waste, let's go find Setsuna.” She leapt into the dark depths of the well, feeling herself being swallowed in the warmth of the light as she traveled five hundred years into the past.

 

The landing was very gentle, but no sooner had Kane alighted on the bottom did she vault out of the well and onto the silky smooth grass. She ran with the speed of a lion hunting its prey, sniffing for Setsuna the entire way. His scent wasn't very fresh and it was scattered in the breeze, but it was enough that she had a trail to follow. He had gone through Kaeda's village first, so they stopped there to get leads. Kane was asking the villagers around when she saw a flash of red come before her eyes.

 

There he stood, tall, lean and muscular; amber orbs that matched hers, glowing in the setting sun. His long silver hair swayed in the breeze like he was walking; the haori he wore moved with his hair in a dance. The ears a top his head twitched in anticipation of hearing his little sister's voice again. After a few silent moments, he finally spoke. “Kane, I…I'm sorry.”

 

Kane rushed forward into his arms, tears spilling from her eyes. “Oh InuYasha,” She cried. “It's Setsuna, he's gone. He came here after we'd had an argument and I just want to apologize to him.” Kane breathed in her older brother's woodsy scent and felt reassured that they'd find Setsuna again.

 

“I'll help you on one condition.” He looked her directly in the eye. “Don't run off like that again. You had me worried.”

 

Kane nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Let's get going then. There isn't any time to spend standing around and talking. If we're going to find Setsuna, we need to keep marching onward.”

 

InuYasha let her go. “Got any leads?”

 

Mika stepped forward. “One of the villagers said they'd seen him heading south after stopping by Kaeda's hut.”

 

“All right then. South it is.” Kane said with determination as the group went onward.

 

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`