InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Infatuation ❯ This Ain't A Scene ( Chapter 12 )

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

Sorry for the excruciatingly long delay between updates. I’ve had little motivation to write. Still dealing with my own personal hell, but I suppose it’s going to be this way for a while, so I’m trying to distract myself. Now that it’s summer and I’ve got nothing to do between summers, I’ll be trying to write more in order to keep busy.

Pay careful attention to section titles. There will be lots of going back and forth between the three weeks of the mission. A lot is going on, and can cause some confusion. But it makes a little more sense out of chronological order.

Special thanks to my friend Gabi for betaing this chapter. You’re a doll, luv!

Dedicated in memory of my brother.

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Infatuation
R ated M for language
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Recap:
“Arigato,” Souta whispered, before wiggling out of the hug to run to his beloved sister. Kagome held him for a long time, whispering words of comfort and assurance to the boy as she stroked his hair. Kohaku and Shippo crowded around, nestling down next to the siblings.

InuYasha paced around the room, securing the perimeter and guarding the room’s occupants, taking his job as protector very seriously. He watched Kagome closely, noting how naturally she took to her maternal instincts, and how each of the boys seemed instantly comforted and at ease in her presence. Although the traces of fatigue wore on her face, she hid it well from the boys and put their needs above her own, soothing fears, telling small jokes to distract them from the days heavy events. They were like a makeshift family.

InuYasha vowed then, as he watched the boys snuggle into Kagome and fall asleep, and she in turn smile and tug them closer, that Naraku would never be able to touch Kagome. He would protect her with his life, his heart and his soul.

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Chapter 12: This Ain’t a Scene
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It was another crapshoot, but Ayame just had to take the chance.

This was Kouga’s and her third week undercover since they discovered Naraku’s nasty plan, and every lead had led to a dead end.

She was getting desperate. A very, very bad sign on the whole, but she wanted something to show for her time down in Tokyo’s red light district, masquerading as Kouga’s “whore” in order to infiltrate Urasuae’s brothel.

She felt her eye twitch in irritation, biting back a growl at Kouga‘s knowing leer. At least this whole assignment got a laugh out of Kagome….

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Three weeks past, Slayer HQ, Briefing room

After everyone had sufficiently calmed, completed their rounds and ascertained the perimeters and the building were once again safe from breeching, the Slayers and Hunters returned to the Briefing room to discuss the latest twist in fate. Kagome and InuYasha had moved the sleeping boys to a small room where mats were kept and made makeshift beds for their comfort.

Once again, Rin pulled up the images and schematics she had discovered via hacking and displayed them on the Briefing room’s screen. Before their eyes was proof of an elaborate laboratory, equipped with a metal tub filled to the brim with green goop. The tub itself was connected to an array of multi-faceted wires, with a few hanging loose, awaiting hookup to their specifically selected specimen. The wires themselves ran to an enormous computer-run electrical board, complete with a wide arrangement of various buttons, dials and monitors. There was also a smaller, rectangular machine sitting beside the control board.

“It looks like a torture chamber,” Ayame whispered.

No one disagreed.

“From the schematics here,” Rin began, pointing to the blue prints, “This green substance is some sort of herbal mix concocted by the witch Urasuae, for the soul extraction. She obviously doesn’t want Naraku to have the recipe, because her list of ingredients is vague and far from complete.

“These wires appear to serve two purposes. One, to remove Kagome’s miko powers, probably to store them and utilize them later under better controlled and more easily manipulated circumstances. I believe it’s stored here,” Rin said, pointing to the rectangular machine. “Two, the other purpose is to siphon electricity into the tub to…”

“To kill me,” Kagome finished.

Everyone remained quiet.

“Well, it’s true. That’s what the sick-o wants to do. No need to dance around the subject. It’s not going to make it go away for crying out loud!”

“Kagome,” Ayame and InuYasha began simultaneously.

“No! You all need to stop acting like not saying it will make it better! We need to face this head on!”

“But Kagome--” Sango tried next.

“Guys, I’m scared, and I know you’re scared for me, but we’re in the business of beating the scary so we can’t let this get to us! I won’t! I can’t! So don’t avoid this. Do it for me, please?” she finished, focusing her eyes on Rin.

Rin sighed and nodded, turning to Sesshomaru to signal for him to begin speaking.

“I have uncovered Urasuae’s base of operations. We will have to send one group of partners down there, undercover, to sabotage her concoction and eliminate the witch. It appears that she runs a brothel in the seedier part of Tokyo,” the taiyoukai nearly sneered, lip curling (fractionally) in distaste.

“Two of you will need to appear as prostitute and pimp to infiltrate Urasuae’s business and gain access where we believe her private lab is located,” Kaede explained carefully.

“Now, who wants to volunteer for the mission?” Myouga cheerfully asked of the Slayers.

Sango, Rin and Ayame glared back glacially. Myogua shrunk back, nearly taking refuge behind Kaede.

“I, for one, think Lady Sango--” Miroku began, wagging his eyebrows.

Sango pulled her katana from her waist and swung, stopping it a hair’s breadth from his jugular. “Finish that sentence, and you’ll lose your vocal chords.” She then pointed the sword downwards. “Then, you’ll lose something even more precious.”

Miroku gulped and backed away, palms up in defeat.

Rin frowned. “I suppose I could--”

“No.”

Everyone gaped at Sesshomaru.

“But--”

“No,” he repeated with finality.

All eyes turned to Ayame. The female ookami sighed in defeat. Kagome patted her red-haired friend’s hand reassuringly. “It won’t be that bad.”

Ayame gave her an incredulous look. “Kouga will be my pimp.”

Kagome burst into a fit of giggles. “Oh kami, it will be that bad.”

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The brothel itself was something out of a cliché harlequin novel plotline, filled with too much satin, red and lace, with the scent of cheap perfume overwhelming the interior of the “parlor.” A few of the other girls wandered in and out, their clients trailing eagerly behind. One blonde with a particularly lush bottom was holding Kouga’s interest as she sashayed across the carpet, leading her customer toward a door covered by hanging black beads.

Now they had a chance, and Ayame was damned if they were going to miss it. Using her folded fan, Ayame whacked Kouga on the back of the head to get him to focus on the true subject at hand--the room where Urasuae was disappearing inside.

Both suspected that room was where she kept her particular potion making concoctions, from careful surveillance over the course of the assignment. The other rooms in the brothel had been checked over, and found to be as they appeared. Some of the more interesting rooms for the clients made Ayame blush and Kouga smirk while doing reconnaissance, and when Kouga suggested testing the equipment for authenticity Ayame warned him to stop talking or he‘d find out how well some of the restraints worked.

The male ookami found out that night that Ayame did indeed carry out her threats, as she left him tied up for another pair to find during the next shift. Kouga was so embarrassed he did not voice one single innuendo for two whole days.

“How can we get in there?” Ayame muttered behind her fan to Kouga, eyeing the set of muscle stationed near the desk, strategically blocking entrance to the room. Urasuae was no moron, obviously.

“Diversion?” Kouga offered.

“Like what?”

“You could flash those two meatheads.”

“Like they haven’t seen it all before. They work in a brothel, idiot, or did you forget where we are?”

“Oh.”

“Oh he says,” Ayame growled in irritation, grabbing Kouga’s arm and yanking him over to a settee, shoving him on it and plopping herself in his lap. She giggled and flapped her fan, keeping up the guise of “seducing” him, leaning over to talk unnoticed in his ear.

“We need something better than that, wolfling.”

“Hey, Sesshomaru and Miroku are the ones who come up with the brilliant thought-out plans that work perfectly. I’m usually just the extra muscle. Maybe we should call for backup?”

“No, they’d notice a new couple. We’re on our own for this. Maybe we could…No, it’s too easy. They’d never fall for it.”

“Fall for what?” Kouga asked in confusion. He watched Ayame lightly furrow her brow in thought, and carefully survey the guards when they weren’t looking as she fingered the lapels of his coat absentmindedly.

“That lamp…and that vase looks heavy enough…and I’ve got my chain…and they do look dumb enough…”

“Dumb enough for what?”

“We’re taking out Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum over there. Follow my lead,” Ayame smirked, allowing one fang to peak out over her lip.

Kouga nodded, eying her hand as it dipped to her waist to unhook the clasp that held the chain.

“Oh my goodness, it’s soo warm in here!” Ayame said in an overly loud and breathy voice. She began to fan herself rapidly as the back of her other hand pressed to her forehead.

“You okay?” Kouga asked forcefully.

The two lug heads looked up.

Bingo.

“I’m not sure…I can’t…I can’t breathe! Oh my!” Ayame began to flail around, then toppled over backwards onto the floor in a faint. Kouga leapt convincingly to her side.

“Fuck! Hey, I need some help here! I think she stopped breathing!”

The two guards exchanged glances, then lumbered over, peering curiously at Ayame. In the next moment, Ayame’s chain had snaked around their ankles and brought them crashing down. Kouga grabbed the lamp to knock Lug No. 1 out, and Ayame had spring for the vase to take out Lug No. 2. He was out cold seconds later.

The two tied, gagged and dragged them to a nearby closet, shoved them inside, shut, locked and braced the door.

Ayame and Kouga glanced at each other as they paused outside of Urasuae’s lab.

“Ready?” Kouga asked.

“Yep. Let’s go stop that witch-bitch and her soul-sucking potion.”

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Flashback to Day Two of the New Mission…

Kagome stood before the Taisho estate’s large gates, mouth agape. Shippo clung to her torso as Souta stood beside her, both with wide eyes. Rin’s mouth formed a small “o“ as her eyes began to glaze over. Sango dropped her bag on the driveway in shock, and Kohaku turned to look at Sesshomaru and InuYasha in disbelief.

Before them stood a gargantuan edifice, modeled after European palaces. It stood at least six stories high, spanned more than a decent-sized block in Tokyo, and was surrounded by beautiful sakura trees and native flowers and plants. A massive forest surrounded the estate, allowing for both privacy and security.

“This is where you live?” Souta asked in awe.

“Hai,” the taiyoukai answered stoically.

InuYasha just keh’d in response.

A squat green thing began to run down the rock driveway towards the group as the gates swung open automatically.

“Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Your lowly servant is so pleased to see you!” the green toad-like creature bowed on his hands and knees. “Everything has been prepared to your specifications.”

The taiyoukai nodded in response, striding forward along the path. InuYasha and the oddly quiet Miroku followed immediately, the new residents trailing behind in awe. Once the reached the inside of the estate, something Kagome heard the green toad thing call a foyer, five servants swept in, collected their bags and swept out before she could even blink.

“What on earth?” Rin asked in a daze.

“I think some one’s a little pompous,” Sango whispered into Kagome’s ear. Kagome rolled her eyes in agreement.

“I second that motion,” Kagome muttered, eyeing the expensive paintings, vases, fancy rugs and richly thick curtains. She’d never seen so much useless, pricey stuff in one place.

‘Sesshomaru needs to be told there are better uses for his obvious wealth than such displays…I doubt InuYasha would ever decorate like this…Kami, I hope he’d never decorate like this. It’s classy, but sheesh. I could fence all this and feed half a dozen third world countries.’

“Jaken will show you to your quarters,” Sesshomaru ordered, then disappeared down the western corridor.

“Where’s he running off to?” Rin asked, a little hurt that her own partner couldn’t stick around to show her where she’d be living until further notice.

“Hopefully to remove that stick up his ass,” InuYasha muttered. “Come on, let’s find the toad.”

“I am not a toad you vile hanyou!” the squat green imp known as Jaken wailed, causing them all to spin around and cover their ears. “You are only here because my honorable lord bids it so.”

‘Lord?’ Sango mouthed in mirth to Kagome, who had to stifle her giggles with her hand and a cough.

“Now you disrespectful vermin will follow me,” Jaken announced, leading the way up the grand staircase on the east side of the foyer. The Slayers and the boys trudged along, with Miroku and InuYasha bringing up the rear. (Miroku wanted a pleasant view; InuYasha was trying to prevent murder by keeping the monk in check when his hands decided to wander.)

In the guest wing, each of the Slayers had been given their own lavishly furnished room and bath. Kohaku, Souta and Shippo shared a boys’ dream room. Enormous, it was complete with bunk-beds, desks, the works. And to Sango’s satisfaction, Miroku’s room was in another wing.

Kagome found her belongings by the foot of her queen-sized bed. She pulled one duffle bag on top of the beautiful blue patterned duvet and began to unpack, placing her clothes in the light oak drawers. After setting the few picture frames she had on the dresser, she paused and picked up one. Four smiling Higurashis stared pack at her. Kagome traced the face of her mother and father with her fingertip as a tear rolled down her cheek.

‘Mama, Papa, I miss you both so much. It’s times like these I wish you were here so I could ask you for all that parental advice. Have I made the right choices? Am I doing the right thing? Was becoming a Slayer wrong? Oh, Mama and Papa…’

“So what do you think of your room?” InuYasha’s cool voice called from the doorway.

Kagome immediately set down the photograph and swiped at her eyes before turning to face him.

“It’s just fine. Little fancier than I’m used to, but hey, I’ll enjoy it while I can,” she joked.

“You okay?” he asked, stepping closer with concern in his golden eyes. He gently gripped her chin and titled her face up so that her gaze met his. “I can smell tears.”

“Just thinking about my parents for a moment. No biggie. The usual mess. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Well, how about I take your mind off of it then?” InuYasha smirked. “Let’s continue where we left off at the infirmary.”

“Oh? I’m not quite sure I remember where exactly that was,” Kagome giggled, running her fingertips up his chest to encircle his neck.

“It was a little something like this,” he paused to trace the outline of her hip and dip under her shirt to touch the small of her back and bring her closer. “Then this,” InuYasha growled sexily as he leaned down to capture her mouth. As the kiss deepened in passion, he walked them backwards until Kagome’s knees hit the bed and they tumbled backwards. Her lips parted in a cry of protest, and InuYasha used the moment to seek entrance into her mouth. His hand began to trace patterns on her belly, going higher and higher--

“What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Kagome asked, dazed from his kisses and confused as to why InuYasha had stopped.

InuYasha pulled Kagome’s shirt up to her ribs and retraced the scar his hand had just found. The scar was shaped like a half moon and sat just under her ribs on her right side. “What the hell is this? Do you need to go back to the Infirmary to have it looked at?”

“Oh. That. It’s nothing,” Kagome said flatly, sitting up and away from InuYasha.

“The hell it isn’t!”

“It’s an old scar, from the massive rouge attacks when I was 15. Claw mark or shrapnel or something.”

“It doesn’t look like a claw--”

“Will you just drop it?!” Kagome rounded on InuYasha, eyes blazing. “It’s in the past, leave it!”

“What the hell is your problem, wench?”

“Nothing. I better go check on the boys,” Kagome announced, pushing past the inu hanyou and escaping to her responsibilities.

InuYasha just stared at the empty doorway. ‘What happened to her during those attacks?’

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The Next Few Weeks at Headquarters

Work was tense. After the heavy new information, and Kouga and Ayame’s important undercover mission, everyone was clamoring for answers. And taking out repressed anger.

Sango was not on speaking terms with Miroku. The silence was deafening on a whole new level.

Miroku continued glancing worriedly at Sango, pondering the possible thoughts that the Slayer could have running rampant in her head over her best friend and sister. The monk was very adept at reading people, had had become especially skilled at interpreting his Sango’s emotions and thoughts after only knowing her close to a week.

“Sango--” he tried for the umpteenth time.

He was met with a sword at his throat.

“I told you to shut it, monk,” Sango snarled. “If you can’t remain quiet for the rest of the rounds, I’ll cut out your vocal chords.”

Miroku gulped and nodded. His darling Slayer was displaying rather exceptionally violent tendencies today.

‘I’ll just label it uncommon levels of stress at the office today. She has to release it somehow. Better it be on me. Though, I could think of more pleasurable ventures…’

THWACK. Miroku’s skull reverberated as the handle of Sango’s blade connected with the back of his head.

Miroku groaned, clutching the sore spot from his position on the floor. Sango glared.

“What did I do now?”

“I saw that perverted little smile on your face. You damn lecher! I took preventative measures!”

‘Kami, I’m getting punished before I even do anything wrong now!’

“Sango, I hardly think that’s why you are angry,” he said calmly, clutching his head as he stood slowly. “You and I both know the real reason you are truly angry is because of what Naraku plans to do to Kagome.”

“Shut up.”

“You have every right to feel angry,” he took a step closer to her. “You feel helpless and scared. You’re afraid--”

“I said SHUT UP!” Sango screamed, swinging a punch at Miroku. He caught it, and drew her into a hug. She struggled forcefully and fought against him, twisting this way and that, beating his chest and kicking her legs. She continued to scream and swear at the monk as well. But Miroku held tightly, allowing the Slayer to tire herself out.

Kagome and InuYasha seemed to be regressing in their relationship, after the small fight in her bedroom at the mansion, all the two did was fight and evade. They would go head to head in an explosive argument. Everyone at Headquarters had learned if they saw the two of them together, with clenching fists, they were to immediately relocate to a different work station. The two left battle zones in their wake.

After a blowout, each would retreat to rethink tactics to distract themselves from the issues. InuYasha preferred beating the hell out of someone or something, so he often stormed off to the Dojo‘s Training Room, dragging Miroku if the poor monk happened to be in the hanyou’s path. Otherwise, the Dojo’s punching bags received his wrath. Kaede ended up having to purchase a continuous incoming supply to replace all those InuYasha demolished.

Kagome often stomped down to the Library to research with Sango, or--if she felt like putting up with the Ice King that day--to the computers to hack with Rin. She tried meditating a few times to work on her miko powers, but she was usually too angry to make any progress. She didn’t have to worry about the boys too much nowadays, since they were safe at school or the mansion, being watched over by Jaken and Sesshomaru’s other servants. So, she found herself literally begging Kaede for assignments.

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Present Day

“Please, there’s got to be something. More reconnaissance? Another undercover job? Some idiot you need watched? Please, Kaede, I’ve got cabin fever. I just volunteered for goon babysitting,” Kagome whined as she perched on the edge of the old miko’s desk.

“I’m sorry, Kagome-chan, but I cannot send you anywhere, especially alone, it’s too dangerous for you right now. And since you and your partner cannot be within 20 meters of one another, it’s impossible to send you out,” Kaede sighed.

“Dangerous? Since when has my life not been dangerous? I’m a walking, talking beacon for youkai. It’s part of the job title. Now that some whack job has a maniacal scheme starring me, I have to go back to grade school and play it safe and use the buddy system? Come on, Kaede, I’m one of the best Slayer’s you’ve ever had! You‘re wasting resources here!” Kagome nearly shouted.

“Child, I am aware of what you are capable. Your safety is merely the top priority at the moment.”

“Fine. Let me know when I’m off house arrest,” Kagome grumbled, throwing up her hands and walking out of the office, nearly colliding into Myogua.

“Kagome-san seems angry,” Myogua observed.

“She’s just frustrated at the inaction,” Kaede sighed.

Kagome stormed herself into a stairwell and plopped down on the stairs. She pulled the chain containing the fused shards of the Shikon out from her shirt and stared at the fragmented jewel.

‘This stupid, cursed thing. All because of this, Naraku wants me, my powers, the world, total domination. I hate just sitting here doing nothing. I can’t sit around anymore. I have to be proactive and get the shards before he does. I wonder…Rin’s computer has that list…That’s it!’

Kagome slipped quietly out of the stairwell and inconspicuously towards Rin and Sesshomaru’s office. She quickly peeked in their window.

‘Yes! They’re not there. Coffee break? I don’t think the Ice King drinks it. Oh well. Don’t jinx your luck, Kags. Get your ass in there and out!’

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Rin tapped her foot. She was tired of having to follow every command without protest. She wanted answers from the Ice King (as she and the other Slayers had been affectionately calling Sesshomaru for a little while now).

“Okay, explain to me why we are in the dirtiest part of Records digging through medical files? What are we looking for?”

“This.” Sesshomaru held up a thick manila file labeled Higurashi Kagome.

“What do you want with Kagome’s medical file?”

“Pull out your lap top.”

Rin sighed and complied, annoyed at being deliberately ignored yet again.

“The girl was in the middle of the massive rouge attacks in the city four years ago, correct?”

“Yes, she and her brother barely escaped. Her family shrine was located approximately 8 kilometers from where the epicenter of the attacks occurred. That’s where her family was attacked.”

“Precisely.”

“Precisel y what?” Rin asked, looking in confusion and annoyance at the taiyoukai.

“8 kilometers. None of the other attacks were that sporadically far from the epicenter. It appears to me as if the Higurashis were specifically targeted.”

“No,” Rin gasped, looked at the map on her computer, realizing the evidence supported Sesshomaru’s hypothesis. “So they killed her parents purposefully.”

“They killed her parents because they were in the way of their goal. Look at Kagome’s medical file: at the age of 15, around the time of the attack, a small, spherical-shaped wound was stitched up, just below her ribs on her right side.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Rin was getting angry now.

“In the story of Midoriko, the wound in which the Shikon escaped was small and spherical.”

Rin gaped at him. “Are you saying…”

“I believe that attack on the Higurashi shrine was to extract the Shikon no Tama from its hiding place in Kagome’s body. That girl is more intricately twined into all of this than any of us could ever know.”

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A/N: Special thanks to reviewers: MyInuYashaObsession, Bert8813, InuGoddess715, Kitz the Kitsune, lady Kcassandra, Cat, AnimeMew, Nikki09, Chissel, fire-Angel-of-death322, inuyashafanaticllmv and Kinezumi-Keikoku.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review! I especially need the motivation these days.

Thanks for reading!
~Lizzie