InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Laying Down the Law: Abuna i Dansu ❯ Capoeira ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Here we go, first chapter! I'm adding the profiles slowly but surely, since dumping all of them in at once would be quite unprofessh. So, here it is, the first installment in the sequel! But first, we're going to answer some questions that I received:

What does Abuna i Dansu mean?

My bad. It means "the dangerous dance."

Is Ryuu's little sister going to have a love interest?

Yes indeed. Someone we all know, actually, so get ready for that one.

Just as a heads up, I'm adjusting some profiles to fit my own desires so if it's not completely the way you wrote it, don't get heart broken; I'm just trying to make it contextual. Alrighty. Awayyyyyyy!


Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes, staring at his ceiling and suddenly remembering that he was waking up in a strangely dark and different world. Ever since the battle, no matter what kind of beauty nature put on display, every morning seemed dreary and strange. Today marked the first day of school, though this had little to do with the actual events of the day; it was tradition that, on the first day of the school year, the gangs met at the Fangs warehouse for a grand meeting. Normally, it was a huge event with a good deal of pomp and circumstance, though Inuyasha had a distinct feeling that this year would be quite different. When the majority of the gang members gathered for the first time after the summer, back from vacations and working jobs, they would come to find that their leaders had all changed indefinitely.

Pushing himself off the bed, Inuyasha groaned; he was perpetually sore these days, as though his heavy thoughts caused him physical pain. He glanced at his bedside table only to find a framed picture of Kagome laughing joyfully at Race Wars. Sango had taken it and given it to him, wherein he'd promptly framed it, but he always seemed to forget it was there until he looked over by accident. He smiled slightly; she was so beautiful when she laughed. Feeling a certain strength enter him, he threw on a wife beater and jeans, grabbing his jacket on the way out the door; he could already smell eggs and bacon wafting up the stairs from the kitchen.

As he drew closer to the kitchen, Inuyasha overheard quiet voices.

"Just a mouthful of eggs, Sesshomaru. Please? For me?"

"Rin, please."

Inuyasha sighed, closing his eyes momentarily to will away the doubts and fears which seemed to be enveloping his conscious so often these days, and walked very loudly the rest of the way down. He entered to find Rin pouring herself a glass of orange juice, lips tight and normally bright brown eyes oddly dull. She was wearing black leather pants and a plain wife beater underneath her jacket, though this was her recent choice of dress. The boisterous Wildcat leader couldn't seem to make herself dress the way she had before. Not after being stripped and tortured.

"Morning," Inuyasha said gruffly, earning a grunt from Sesshomaru and a quiet hello from Rin.

As Inuyasha sat down beside his brother, he noticed the growing hollows of his cheeks and the pale color of his skin. "Hey, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha started, looking as though he were going to say something important.

Sesshomaru removed his reading glasses, setting aside the morning paper to observe his brother politely. "Yes?"

Inuyasha couldn't seem to find any words as he looked his brother right in his hollow eyes, framed by dull silver hair and the palest complexion he could remember seeing. Sesshomaru not only looked like a ghost, but the skeleton of a once strong man. Inuyasha didn't like to think this to himself, but seeing Sesshomaru sick like this hurt him. He couldn't possibly voice the worries festering inside of him out loud.

"Nothing, I forgot. I'll tell you later," Inuyasha finally managed to say.

Sesshomaru calmly replaced his glasses, which were looking oddly large on his now thin face, and resumed his morning reading. Inuyasha found himself startled as a plate of eggs, bacon and toast appeared before him on the table. He looked up to find Kaede's wrinkled face smiling warmly at him, despite the obvious tension in the room.

"Good mornin' to ye, Inuyasha," she said, bowing her head slightly and giving him a wink out of her good eye. She moved back towards the stove, red house dress fluttering slightly in the morning breeze which drifted in through the open windows.

Inuyasha filled his plate with food, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sesshomaru continued to read the paper serenely. "You want somethin', Shomo?" Inuyasha finally asked with a gesture to the food, looking inquisitively at his brother.

"No thank you," came the Fang leader's reserved reply.

Trying to seem light hearted, Inuyasha continued, "Oh c'mon, you expect to make the football team without any bacon for breakfast? Gotta have some meat, man."

"Inuyasha, I doubt that forgoing bacon will prevent me from making varsity for the fourth time."

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Inuyasha threw up his hands in defeat and glanced up at Rin, who had watched the exchange almost hopefully. The girl sighed and shook her head, forcing orange juice down her throat when all she wanted to do was cry out of sheer desperation. Kaede continued to cook silently at the stove, broad back unmoving.

Loud footsteps drew everyone's attention to the doorway as Shitora came sauntering in, jacket thrown over her shoulder. She was wearing around the same thing as Rin, though she hadn't worn nearly as much makeup as usual. After much deliberation, the hanyou girl had decided that wearing makeup in front of the other Fang members would make her seem girly and incapable, which was far from the truth. Without makeup, she looked remarkably soft and rather pretty, as opposed to her usual harsh features.

"Hey everybody," she said, throwing up a hand as she grabbed a piece of toast from the platter Kaede had generously set out.

"Hey Tora," Rin said brightly, taking a seat beside her friend to distract her focus from Sesshomaru; it was all she could do not to think of him wasting away before her eyes.

"Yo," Shitora replied between mouthfuls of toast. She threw her silver hair over the back of her chair as she began chugging straight from the milk carton on the table.

"Glass," Kaede said sternly, setting one down before her young charge before giving the girl a warning eye and returning to her cooking. Chastened, Shitora poured herself a cup and began quietly drinking from it.

"So," Rin began, crossing her arms on top of the table, "Ready for school?"

Shitora snorted. "The only reason I'm even going is cause I have to keep my GPA up to stay in dance."

Rin cocked an eyebrow. "So you're really serious about dance, then? I mean, I know you did it up at boarding school, but wasn't that just to fulfill your fine arts quotient?"

This brought a slight blush to Shitora's cheeks and she tried to hide it behind her milk glass. "Well, dancing is pretty alright. I might try to get out there for real, you know, after school."

At this, Inuyasha glanced up almost belligerently. "Hey, you never told me that."

"And?" Shitora asked rudely, rolling her eyes as she downed the last of her milk and rose from the table. "I don't broadcast everything I think and do, Inuyasha. But if it bothers you, fine. Shitora is walking to the sink. Shitora is putting down her glass. Shitora is walking out the door to go wake up Ranbou at his house. Shitora will see you at the warehouse in half an hour. Shitora says goodbye." And with this, the silver haired girl grabbed her messenger bag from the door pegs and rushed out the door in a storm of jingling chains and zippers.

Inuyasha growled slightly. "Smartass," he murmured, rising dully to put his own plates in the sink.

Rin reluctantly turned her attention to Sesshomaru, forcing a smile. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, Koi," Sesshomaru replied obligingly, folding the paper into its original state and rising to put on his jacket. Rin noticed that the thing practically dwarfed his bony frame now and she gulped, fighting down cries and protests. "Let's go."

Inuyasha watched his brother and girlfriend leave through the front door and he shook his head, murmuring, "Bye, Kaede."

Kaede turned to address the middle Taisho child, nodding slightly. "Goodbye, Inuyasha. Have a good day." As an afterthought, she added, "And try not to get in any more fights this year. I hate receiving those calls and I'm sure you know that."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said dismissively, hurrying out the door without another word.

Kaede sighed and began washing the morning's dishes, noticing how strange it was to wash two and not three. Despite her skills in the art of medicine, not even Kaede could understand what was ailing Sesshomaru. Of course, not even she could dissect the enigma of his many complexities; even after eighteen years of caring for him, Kaede still found him to be quite the mystery.

Kouga sighed pleasantly, readjusting the comfortable hold he had around Ayame's naked waist. The two had yet to rise from bed, despite the growing sunlight and the progressing minutes. Ayame smiled as she interlaced her hand with Kouga's and lifted them, observing his tan fingers against her pale ones.

"You have small hands," Kouga murmured curiously, unlocking their hands and placing them palm to palm. Kouga's fingertips surpassed Ayame's by at least and inch.

Ayame cocked her head to the side, red curls sprawled out across the white sheets. "I've never noticed; they are kinda small. Or maybe yours are big."

Grinning wickedly, Kouga pushed himself up until he was suspended directly above a curious Ayame. "You know what they say about big hands..."

"Big gloves?"

With this, Kouga began to tickle Ayame ferociously and she burst into hysterical laughter, trying to squirm away from his grip but finding it ultimately impossible.

As Shitora entered through the front door, her sensitive ears were met with the sounds of what appeared to be incredibly giggly morning sex coming from Kouga's room. The girl grew rather red in the face as she mumbled mutinously to herself, dropping her bag on the table before moving through the Spartan living room towards Ranbou's room. She pushed the slightly ajar door open, peering inside to find the blinds closed and Ranbou sleeping quietly on. He looked rather peaceful, though this only made Shitora laugh; he was hardly peaceful when awake.

Leaning down, she kneeled beside the bed, which was consequently just a mattress on the floor, and shook Ranbou's naked shoulder gently. "C'mon, Bo."

The wolf demon snorted and rolled over onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow and continuing to sleep. Shitora let out a stream of air and repeated, "Up, Ranbou, get up."

When Ranbou still showed no signs of rising, Shitora crawled onto the mattress and prepared to give him another shake when her eyes caught sight of his left shoulder, which still bore the scars of the battle; she would always remember his cry of pain as the two demons ambushed him in the street fight. Unconsciously, the girl reached out her pale hands and just grazed her claws over the raised skin when Ranbou suddenly rolled onto his back and grabbed Shitora around the waist, flipping them over until he was staring down at her.

"Don't touch that," he mumbled, ice blue eyes twinkling with mirth as Shitora stared up at him, wide eyed.

His long black hair brushed her cheek as it fell over his shoulder and Shitora brushed it away, laughing slightly. "You dumb bastard, you scared the shit out of me! Pretending to be asleep, little asshole."

Ranbou grinned, full fanged, as he pushed off the bed, walking towards his chest of drawers. It was then that Shitora noticed his boxers for the first time; they were white satin, decorated with green shamrocks. "Nice man panties, wolfboy."

Glancing down at his boxers, Ranbou replied defensively, "Hey, they're lucky. Gotta wear 'em this week for football, make sure I'm captain."

Shitora rolled her eyes, leaning up on one elbow. "They voted you captain last fall, dumbass, Sesshomaru told me in one of his letters. It's not like they'll un-vote you."

As he buttoned his jeans, Ranbou let out a barking laugh. "You still remember letters about me from last fall, Sukini? How long did you have a crush on me for?"

"I didn't have a crush on you!" Shitora protested, narrowing her amber eyes.

"Yeah, okay."

"Seriously, I didn't!"

Ranbou just continued to grin as he pulled on his wife beater and ducked down near the bed, kissing the top of Shitora's head. "Right, baby girl. Keep on telling yourself that. But I'm irresistible."

Shitora sighed as Ranbou helped her to her feet and together they progressed into the living room, where the undeniable sounds of Ayame's laughter could still be heard. Shitora blushed once more and Ranbou cocked an eyebrow, walking boldly up to Kouga's door and banging on it with his closed fist. "Hey, pup! Get up, it's time to go! Stop screwing for like one damn second, good lord!"

With this, he walked calmly into the kitchen and retrieved a box of cereal from the cupboard, throwing a handful of cheerios into his mouth. Shitora giggled at the yelp of surprise and the sounds of knocking and banging coming from Kouga's room before she joined Ranbou in the kitchen. She pushed herself up onto the counter and let her feet knock gently against the wooden cupboards below, biting her lip as she observed the bags under Ranbou's eyes; she knew he was still turning out assassinations by the day, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was taking more of a toll on him than she knew.

"Ran? Are you feelin' okay?" she asked.

Ranbou glanced sideways at her as he positioned his head under the faucet to drink the tap water. "Yeah," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Nothin', you just look really tired is all," Shitora muttered, ears drooping slightly; the very sight made Ranbou want to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but Ranbou Ookami wasn't a liar.

The wolf demon moved towards the counter and placed his hands on the table top, one on each side of his girlfriend. He leaned in closely, angling his head upwards at a handsome degree to observe her through narrowed eyes. "I'll be alright as long as yer here with me, Sukini. So if you don't leave, I'm fine."

Shitora looked rather stunned and was about to say something when Kouga and Ayame came rushing through the door, both pulling their wife beaters on in a panic. Ayame got her shirt unfortunately stuck on the clasp of her bra and was making strange grunting sounds as she attempted to pull it down. Shitora sighed and gave the shirt a yank, nodding as Ayame called a thank you and hurried out the front door without explanation.

"She's gotta check on the kids," Kouga explained, calmly pouring himself a glass of milk.

"Wow, pouring yourself a glass, I'm impressed," Shitora said wryly, remembering her own trouble that morning.

After downing his milk, Kouga replied, "Yeah, Bo and I made a deal to use cups cause I don't want his diseases or whatever the hell else is in his mouth. So we both do it."

As Kouga turned to put his glass in the sink, Ranbou mouthed, "I never do," complete with waving hand motions. Shitora giggled and Kouga shot her a strange glance, asking, "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, I was just thinking how if Inuyasha got sick, I'd be next; we both drink straight from the carton," she covered easily.

Kouga shuddered slightly, leaning back against the counter as he murmured, "Yeah, well you wouldn't want anything Inuyasha could pass to ya, seeing as though it might be one of the big five and those are no good."

Shitora's lips grew tight at the mention of the "big five," a colloquial name given to the five recognizable demon diseases. Since those with demon blood possessed a stronger immune system than humans, they were rarely susceptible to normal viruses like the flu or food poisoning. The "big five," known to demon doctors as Knockturn's Pentagram after the father of their discovery, Lewis Knockturn, were quietly feared amongst the demon clans because they were fatal more than 40 of the time. The diseases were Ropads syndrome, Casacht's disease, Fuar Influenza, Silim's Disease, and the most feared of all, Marbhan's Syndrome. Any mention of one of these names could send demon mothers into stern fits.

As the three processed out the door, Shitora mentioned regretfully, "Guess you heard about the Silim's outbreak in France?"

Ranbou nodded grimly. "Yeah, it was on the news last night. They think it started in a preschool. How sick is that? I mean, little kids with Silim's? That's..."

"Scary," Kouga finished for his brother, his voice a low murmur.

The trio exchanged rather nervous glances before they each hopped on their motorcycles, donning their helmets and racing towards the Fangs warehouse. Though they tried to put the recent outbreak out of their mind, something about it was haunting. Just like the battle.

Kagome anxiously placed a cigarette between her lips, lighting it and leaning back her head as she took a deep drag. The thundering sounds of restless gang members and the caustic smell of cigarette smoke were like a full on assault as noises ricocheted off the rafters of the warehouse; Kagome couldn't remember seeing so many people since the Gackt concert she'd attended.

All shapes and all sizes, the gangs had come together in full to attend the opening ceremonies. Kagome had known there were many members in totale, but Rin hadn't reminded her until that morning that more than half the gang population had the summer off. Those that had other jobs or things to take care of would leave for the summer, leaving only the core members and their close friends to work in the shop. Now, they were back full strength and Kagome had to admit: she hadn't been quite prepared. The girl was about to crush her cigarette and face the music when she realized that the only way to take Kikyo's spot was to borrow Kikyo's confidence for the occasion. Knowing that image was an important part about human perception, Kagome pushed down her sunglasses and unzipped her Wildcats jacket, revealing her tight fitting black corset top and tantalizing gap between shirt hem and low rise leather pants waist.

A sea of black and red greeted her as Kagome entered the warehouse, walking with purposeful boot clicks which made her ass rock side to side. She made her way easily through the crowd, which seemed to part for her as the men and women of the South laid eyes upon their new core leader. As Kagome neared the front of the warehouse, where Rin had assured her she would be, Kagome ran across a road block. A girl with mahogany brown hair and bright yellow eyes was standing unmoving before her, a few inches shorter than Kagome but none less fierce. She wore a short black corset dress with a shining white jacket, one which Kagome knew well, and the girl's mouth was hard set; she obviously wasn't moving and she stared Kagome down to prove it.

Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly. Removing her cigarette, she said calmly, "I'm trying to get through."

The girl snorted and crossed her arms, causing her ample bosom to raise slightly. "Yeah, I can see that. Don't hold your breath."

"Do you have a problem with me?" Kagome finally asked, cocking an eyebrow and looking not impressed, but irritated.

"Yeah, I got a problem with you," the girl hissed in reply, taking a daring step nearer to Kagome as their stares never broke. "You think you can come in here and take Kikyo's place? Well ya can't. Yeah, so you're whoring it up with Inuyasha, big deal; you can act like Kikyo all you want but you'll never be her! I don't know who the fuck you think you are b-"

But before the girl could say another word, Kagome lowered her eyebrows and pushed the girl dismissively to the side, continuing through the crowd without so much as a goodbye. Some of the onlookers concealed laughs at the brunette's miffed expression as she regained her balance.

"Guess she's tougher than you thought, Enju," said another brunette who'd witnessed the scene; her eyes were a startling Ookami blue with deceptive yellows and greens clouding the cerulean vision beneath. She watched Kagome's retreating back with a sort of wistfulness in her stare.

"Shut up, Katia, you stupid bitch," Enju snarled fiercely, stomping off towards the back of the warehouse with a storm in her step.

Katia watched her go, sighing slightly and allowing her thin looking body to shrug; the dark rings around her eyes and animalistic markings above and beneath them betrayed her as a leopard demon and her White Jacket proved her to be a Wildcat.

"Guess you saw that?" came another girl's gruff voice, obviously muffled around a cigarette. The owner of this voice, a girl with long purple hair and a wild sort of air about her, joined Katia as she watched the last sight of Kagome disappear into the crowd.

Katia glanced up at the newcomer, whose white complexion rivaled the very color of snow. "Knight," the brunette greeted quietly.

Knight, who had a good four inches of height on Katia, looked down at her friend as she crossed her brawny arms, revealing the hint of a red tattoo on her shoulder blade. She held her Wildcats jacket boredly, looking almost unimpressed with the splendor of the crowd before her.

"Yeah, I saw it," Knight replied. "Enju's fighting the wrong battle. It doesn't matter if we like our newKijo or not; Rin chose her and we have to trust the Toumoku's judgment."

"Tigers always were obsessed with rank," Katia said almost disdainfully, meeting eyes with a rather miffed looking Knight who knew the shorter girl was half joking. Knight was indeed a white tiger demon and undoubtedly proud of the fact.

"Rank is important to leopards too, am I right? Or maybe you've just forgotten since none of us could respect our last leader anyway." With one last glance in the shorter girl’s direction, Knight turned on her heels and clicked away, donning her jacket as the Wildcat roared proudly from her back.

As Kagome arrived at the head of the huge crowd, she saw that the other core members were already lounging around in the couch area, talking together and almost looking normal for the first time in weeks. Kagome smiled slightly and walked towards them, blushing when Inuyasha gave her a crude wolf whistle.

"Yeah, good morning to you too, horn dog," she laughed, giving him a quick peck on the lips before sitting on the couch arm beside her boyfriend. Turning pointedly to Rin, Kagome said sourly, "I've only been here for 2 minutes and already I've got an enemy. She started spouting stuff about how I'll never replace Kikyo and I'm only dating Inuyasha to be like her. I mean, seriously. She doesn't even know me yet!"

Hakkaku and Ginta glanced up at this description and sighed in unison, murmuring, "Enju," before shaking their heads in what appeared to be shame.

The others chuckled knowingly, leaving Kagome to look around in bewilderment. "What? Who's Enju?"

"The girl who just said all that to you, did she have brown hair, yellow eyes, and stripper clothes?" Kouga asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," Kagome responded slowly, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at her friends.

"That's Enju," Ayame explained. "She's a wolf demon like us and we've all known her since we were kids. She's nice and everything, but she doesn't really take to strangers."

"You're telling me," Kagome mumbled, looking back out at the crowd; she could see several pairs of eyes attached to white jackets trained on her. "They look like they're perusing a meat shop. I'm finished."

"You're probably gonna have to beat one of em up before they get the picture," Ranbou said with a shrug, following Kagome's eyes to the front lines.

Miroku set down the beer he'd been sipping on, agreeing, "Yeah, we all had to set the assholes straight with a good ass kicking, Kagome. Just pick the time and place and lay down the law."

"Hit them?! Like get into a fight?!" Kagome asked incredulously, staring around wide eyed at the group.

They all shrugged and nodded, looking unfazed by the idea. Sesshomaru stepped in to explain, sounding as wise as usual despite his protruding bones. "Though everyone in this room has a brain, not all of them are putting it to use. Sometimes you have to establish your authority in an uncivilized way to bring about civility."

"Shomo oughta know; I think he had to fuck up five or six guys before they settled down," Inuyasha recalled, laughing slightly at the memory.

Kagome's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Five or six? I'm doomed." She covered her face with her hands as Inuyasha rubbed her back soothingly, being sure to rake his claws over her spine in that way she loved.

"Don't sweat it, babe, they'll love you. But don't look weak; head up."

Kagome's head shot up and she let her hands drop to her lap, realizing that she'd almost displayed weakness. She needed to remember that this was like being out in the wild, trying to assert herself as leader of the pack. If they smelled fear, she'd be eaten alive to feed the hungry pack members.

"Let's do this now, before it gets too late," Sesshomaru said resolutely, standing and making his way towards Jakotsu's pick up truck, which the boy had solicitously parked inside the warehouse just for the occasion.

The other leaders followed and Kagome watched them go, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Where's Akago?" she asked Inuyasha quietly.

Those sitting near her overheard the question and seemed to realize his absence for the first time; they all swiveled their heads about, looking for a shock of white hair but finding none. "No idea," Sango murmured.

"Should we tell Sesshomaru? I don't think he's realized," Kagome pointed out.

"No need, we're here."

The teenagers turned to find Akago and Gan striding purposefully towards them. Akago looked rather cheerful, though his lily white arms were laden with papers, and he walked with his normal air of dignified command. Gan, on the other hand, looked rather irritated; her long blonde hair was positioned in a high ponytail, several pieces falling across her face in a pretty sort of way. She was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, both of which fit her quite tightly, arms also filled with stacks upon stacks of paperwork. Judging by the way she walked, she wasn't having the best of mornings.

"Sesshomaru and the others just went that way," Kagome informed Akago, who nodded his thanks before depositing the papers on the lounge table and jogging after his fellow leaders.

Gan practically threw down her arm load, though careful enough not to upset each carefully crafted stack, and plopped down moodily on the remaining couch arm.

"Bad day?" Sango asked tentatively.

"Nothing unusually horrid, but I did start off the morning with an argument. King Akago decided to be an ass and I had to deal with it," the girl replied hardly, crossing her leather clad arms and staring at Akago so fiercely, she might've set him aflame.

"Well, you look nice," Ayame mentioned, glancing the girl over and noticing how every single curve was accentuated.

Gan nearly bristled at the comment. "Thank you, but that's exactly the problem. These," she said acidically, gesturing to her clothes, "were that pretentious jerk's gift to me for my birthday."

Kagome squealed with delight. "It's your birthday? You didn't tell anyone! Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Gan replied, nodding her head slightly as a blush crept up on her cheeks.

"Big 18, huh?"

There was a slight silence as everyone looked at Gan expectantly. Finally, she responded, "No, big 16."

If the oblivious crowd of gang members had been quieter, one might have been able to hear crickets chirping in the background. Gan was met with such blank stares that she almost began to feel self conscious, but she finally found solace in her nails, which she began to chew methodically.

"16?" Miroku said finally, eyes the size of dinner plates. "Like, 16 years of age?"

"No, like Sixteen Candles, the eighties teen film," Gan replied dryly.

"Same difference," Kagome said in bewilderment; she was finding this morning more befuddling as it went on. "I thought you were older than me."

"Me too," Sango confessed, looking just as confused as her friend. "I mean, you're in our grade at school and you've been driving for two years now, right?"

"Well, I was trying to create an identity," Gan pointed out. "My fake ID in rather impressive."

"Oh, a fake idea? Fuckin' sweet! Can I see it?" Inuyasha asked interestedly, though Gan's reply was cut off by a familiar and gut chilling wolf howl.

All eyes turned towards the pick up truck, where Ranbou's head was raised to the sky, mouth emitting the frightening sound. Shitora had been asleep on the couch, but her slumber lasted no longer when her ears twitched and she shot up, nearly falling off the couch.

Sesshomaru stepped forward on the tailgate, the other leaders standing sternly behind him. Several questioning eyes in the crowd had landed on Akago, who appeared unafraid and undaunted by the stares. Others had noticed Sesshomaru Taisho's physical atrophy.

"Welcome back to another year in South Tokyo," Sesshomaru said strongly, smirking slightly; this almost reassured the crowd that he was physically sound and several whooped and cheered, earning chuckles from the other leaders. "It's going to be a good year for many reasons. First of all, as I'm sure most of you have heard, Naraku Onigumo of the North is dead."

The response to this comment was deafening; she warehouse echoed with the howls, cheers, shouts and cries of jubilation which erupted from the crowd; many jumped and laughed and others shouted harsh words at the spirit of Naraku's ghost. Kagome leaned over towards Inuyasha and murmured, "Aw, they miss him."

Inuyasha muffled a laugh.

Sesshomaru settled the crowd with a simple gaze, which everyone present could feel before they saw it; the amber eyes of a Taisho could freeze an entire room. "Another reason that this year will be great is the acquisition of a new gang here in the South. I'm sure you all know of the Sharks, formerly of the North, and their leader Akago Tsume."

Where their had once been a cacophonous racket, there was now complete and total silence. The gang members exchanged glances, wondering if Akago's loyalty could be trusted; he had, after all, once been Naraku's ally. Others turned their eyes to the group of about 40 Sharks which were lounging on the left most side of the warehouse, watching the proceedings politely and without a sound; they hadn't moved since they entered the warehouse promptly at 8:25.

"Akago helped us through a war and if you doubt his loyalty, then you doubt my word," Sesshomaru said, voice so thunderous it resembled that of God himself.

When met with the insinuation that Sesshomaru was doubt-worthy, the crowd quickly lapsed into claps and cheers for the Sharks; Sesshomaru's word was absolute.

"Akago and Gan the Gun will be available for any questions after this meeting. If you need to see visible records of the Shark's assimilation into the South, Gan will be waiting in the lounge; she's willing to show the records to anyone with quandaries."

This announcement was met with another silence, though this one was more confused than anything.

"Toumoku, you mean 'he,' don't you?" one of the Fangs in the front of the crowd pointed out politely.

"Well, that's a difficult question," Sesshomaru replied tiredly, rolling his eyes to the sky.

In the lounge area, Gan gave a heavy sigh and rose to her feet, walking with clipped steps towards the pick up. Akago saw her coming and took one look at her face before moving the others back towards the cabin; she was obviously in a foul mood and not to be crossed. Sesshomaru courteously offered her a hand, which she took with a short thanks.

She turned and adressed the gaping crowd, looking almost bored with it all. "I'm me," was all she said, throwing out her arms and walking patronizingly in a circle. It was hard for the crowd to tell if Gan was agreeing to Sesshomaru's word slip or if she was dressed in a wig for some light joking.

While most were stunned into silence, a rather garulous Cobra asked loudly, "What, are ya some kinda crossdresser? A fag? An alien?"

"I'm complicated," Gan replied coldly, crossing her arms and sending the boy such a scathing stare that he cowered back towards his laughing friends. "The papers have been notarized by the Shark notary and sealed with both Akago and Sesshomaru's seal, so no one should have any questions. If you'd like, you may come take a look at them just to prove it to yourself."

With this, Gan climbed down from the pick up and returned calmly to the lounge where she resumed her position perched on top of the couch arm. The crowd buzzed with questions and gossip, but Sesshomaru sent them another silencing stare and the quiet resumed.

"Thirdly, the Wildcats have acquired a new core member; Kikyo Watanabe has moved to Paris."

At this, the men in the room gave a noticeable face fall and the women exhibited mixed responses, though most of them seemed rather relieved; at least now they didn't have to worry about their boyfriends being led into unfaithfulness.

"Kagome, if you could come up here please."

Kagome was about to take an unsure step off the couch when she remembered her new persona: gang Kagome. She pushed herself boldly off the arm and strode confidently towards the pickup, wherein she hopped up before Sesshomaru could even lower down his hand for assistance. She stood and looked fearlessly out at the crowd, almost faltering; fuck, there's HUNDREDS of them! Where do they get all these people anyway? How big can the freakin' school be?! Though her mind was filled with uncertainty, she only crossed her arms and gave the crowd a smirk.

"Rin has appointed Kagome Higurashi as a Wildcats core member. Those who were once in Kikyo's Nakama, please stay afterwards for a meeting with your new Kijo. As far as the rest of you go, the bulletin board will be back up within the next week and the job list posted. If you want to be rank reevaluated, please see Kouga or me. As a warning to you all, I will say this: Naraku may be dead but the majority of his followers are not. They are now under the rule of Ryuukoytsusei Tousen and you would all do well to watch your step. The North will rebuild itself in time and we must be ready. That is all."

Following this cryptic warning, the leader hopped down from the pick up truck and talking in the warehouse slowly resumed as gang members made their way out towards the myriad of cars and motorcycle parked in the large gravel pathway outside. Kagome had once thought the pathway was unnecessarily long and large, though she now saw that it was nearly too small.

She hurriedly caught up with Rin, grabbing her arm and hissing, "Hey, what are all these weird terms everyone keep using? What's a Kijo? Or a Nakama?"

Rin looked straight into her cousin's honest brown eyes, which were wide with terror, and pity filled her normally stern demeanor. "Okay, okay, calm down. Kijo is what you call a female core member, Teishu is a male core member, and Toumoku is any leader, male or female. A Nakama is the group which serves a core member. When the Nakamamembers talk about another core member or another leader, they normally add the 'dono' ending to be polite," she explained.

"Dono? But that's only for lords," Kagome said, puzzled.

"Um, yeah, normally."

"Holy, shit, Rin, I can't do this. I'm some kind of lord now? I can't do this!"

"Don't be silly Kagome, you're not a lord."

"Oh...really?"

"Yeah, of course not. You're a lady."

"I hate you."

Rin smirked slightly but threw a pointed look over Kagome's shoulder. "I know, I love you too. Looks like your Nakama is waiting for you. Better go face the wolves."

Scowling, Kagome growled, "Oh thank you Rin, you're making this much easier for me."

"Ta-ta, doll, I've got placed to be and people to see," Rin said airily, turning on her heels and marching away with a bounce in her step; seeing Kagome flustered obviously made her quite giddy.

Kagome could hear the murmurs of her Nakama behind her and she took a deep breath, thinking calmly to herself you can do this; time to face the music. Without leaving time for another doubt, Kagome turned on her heels and took in the sight of about 15 girls who were standing in a cluster some twenty feet away from her, giving her looks which could've meant a number of things. Knowing that she was only prolonging the inevitable by waiting, Kagome finally walked towards the group and put forth a warm smile, hoping it might throw some people off.

"Hey guys, I'm Kagome Higurashi and I'm you're new Kijo."

She was met with silence and the stares of fifteen obviously uncaring girls. Realizing that her warm smile had done nothing but make them skeptical, Kagome rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Okay, look, I know you guys already fuckin' hate me. I'm not blind or stupid or deaf. I just want to tell you that I'm not here to replace Kikyo or to make you guys forget her or to be better than her. Believe it or not, I know Kikyo and we're pretty good friends, so the last thing I want to do is be a bitch. Rin put me here because she thinks I can do the job, so I've got faith in her decision. I don't want this to be like a leader and followers thing, so if we all just act like adults and get along here, I think this is gonna work out for everyone involved."

At the end of her speech, several girls nodded and one or two even smiled, though the frowns stood out more than anything. One of these frowns belonged to Enju, who pushed her way forward with a scowl on her face.

"Listen, bitch, I don't know who you think you are, but we're not just gonna up and follow you like lost little pups. We were elected to Kikyo's Nakama and we're never gonna be part of yours! Kikyo will always be our leader!" Enju roared, leaning in so close to Kagome that their noses practically touched.

Kagome stared the girl down steadily, eyes half hooded and lips tight. When Enju finished her screaming declaration, Kagome asked coldly, "Are you finished?"

"No, bitch, I ain't finished!" Enju screeched, amber eyes nearly roving out of her head; several of the girls in the front line were preparing to look away for, if Enju leaned any farther forward, her ass was surely going to fall out of her corset dress.

"Give it a rest, Enju," Knight said sternly, moving out of the ranks until she was standing tall before the wolf demon like a strong white mountain. Her blue eyes flashed as she said proudly, "Kagome-dono is our Kijo now and you have nothing to say about it."

"Knight is right, Enju," came another voice, low and calm and resemblant of Sesshomaru. The girl who stepped forward to flank Knight was indeed a full dog demon, hair the color of midnight with blood red shocks running through it like liquids in oil. She, like Knight, looked strong and capable; Kagome felt as though they were presenting themselves as bodyguards, what with the way they were quickly providing a wall betwixt her and Enju.

"Of course you're gonna side with her, Kaira," Enju said rudely to the dog demon. "Just because she's dating one of your kind doesn't make her a fucking saint."

"Funny you should mention a saint, since Kikyo was far from one," another girl entered in. Her black hair shone a deceptive blue momentarily beneath the warehouse lights as she stepped up to flank Knight's left side. Her eyes were the color of the sky, mesmerizing and deep, though Kagome barely caught a glance at them before the girl turned her back to form another link in the bodyguard wall. From this angle, Kagome was able to see the girl's physique quite clearly and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head; this girl looked almost muscular enough to put Ranbou out of work. Toned, fit and formidable; Kagome felt nearly incapable beside the members of her Nakama.

"You too, Seila? The wolf clan should unite as one against this outsider!" Enju shouted harshly, though she took a noticeable step backwards; obviously Seila was one to be reckoned with.

"Gringa sawajra lashota menix rauhool, Enju," Seila barked in growling wolf's tongue. Her mysterious words were enough to make Enju pause and clench her fists before backing quietly towards the center of the Nakama, obviously finished with her outburst. "Do not mention the wolf clan if you plan to embarrass them," Seila concluded.

A silence met the confrontation, as though no one knew just how to start back up the conversation, though one of the friendlier looking girls in the front row offered, "You were saying, Kijo?"

Kagome felt a warm sensation embrace her as the girl addressed her as Kijo, as though she'd been given power and respect. It made her feel as though she could actually face these girls for, at least for the moment, they were willing to give her a chance.

"Yeah, I was saying," Kagome said strongly, giving Enju a piercing glare. "Ladies, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. I want to get along with you, I want to lead you, and I want to help Rin make this the best year the Wildcats have ever seen, but I need everyone's cooperation to do that. Please, I don't expect you to trust me right off, but I can promise you this: I will earn my keep and your trust. You can take my word on that. And if someone wants to challenge me, I'm willing to meet them head on."

"Oh please, human. If one of us tried to 'challenge' you, you'd be dead before you hit the ground; you're no match for one of us," Enju interrupted, looking sour and irritated by her lack of support.

Kagome turned her stare to Enju, who met it insolently before the girl to her right nudged the wolf demon with her elbow, giving her a meaningful look. Enju scoffed and looked down at her feet, still looking mad enough to spit. Kagome drew in another breath and returned her gaze to the group at large. "I'll fulfill my duties as your Kijo. I only ask that you fulfill your duties as a Nakama in return. That's all; I would ask you all to say your names, but this is awkward enough as it is. I'll meet you all in turn when fate wants me to. Dismissed."

Kagome gave the group a nod and they all gave her one in return; with this Kagome turned to retrieve her bag from the lounge area. She'd only gone a few steps when she heard Enju's caustic voice say disdainfully, "'Dismissed?' What are we, some kind of fucking army? We're not your slaves, Higurashi."

Kagome rolled her eyes to the sky as she turned in one deft movement, removing a pistol from her belt and pointing it directly at Enju's forehead.

Their were gasps and curses as girls stumbled to get clear of the path between Kagome and Enju, all watching in horror as Kagome clicked back the release and half hooded her chocolate brown eyes. She still retained the calmness she'd procured that morning and, even in the face of a dissenting Nakama member, she refused to lose her dignified air. Enju's eyes had grown incredibly wide and, for the first time Kagome had seen, she actually looked frightened.

"Alright, Enju," Kagome said boredly, taking a slow step forward with her gun upraised as though she were going for an afternoon stroll. "You think you're pretty smart, think you know how this all works and how much of an idiot I am. You think I'm an outsider, a nobody, someone you can kick around until they finally leave and make way for the next Kikyo to jump right in and suck someone off. Alright. I guess you want to do this the hard way then."

With each word she drawled out, Kagome was drawing nearer and nearer to Enju, who by this time had began to raise her hands to the sky as though faced with an entire police force. The other girls watched in silence, wondering if Kagome was actually going to shoot Enju right before their eyes. It was then that Kagome did something strange.

She positioned the mouth of the gun right at her own temple and placed her other hand on her hip, staring coldly at Enju. Kagome could feel the cold metal against her skin as the others looked on in terror, wondering now if it was Kagome's life hanging in the balance.

"Let's play a little game, Enju," Kagome said, ignoring the horrified face on every surrounding girl. "It's like Russian roulette, only my gun is filled with bullets. I'll shoot myself if you can answer a single question about the gangs I ask you."

"What, are you fucking nuts?" Enju asked nervously, still looking shaken by the gun which had been pointed so recently at her own head. "You're the outsider here, Higurashi, not me."

"We'll see about that." Kagome began walking forward once more, the pistol still trained on her head and her index finger on the trigger. "Who held the fastest motorcycle race time in 1981?"

Enju faltered, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. Finally, she stuttered out confusedly, "Uh, Mr. Ookami?"

"Wrong, Tadeki Moriashi, Cobra member from 1978-1981. Who is the leader of the Kyoto Rhythms?"

Walking backwards to match Kagome's progressing steps, Enju guessed hesitantly, "Morokai Sting?"

"No, Razz Rukiano," Kagome shot back, walking with great authority towards the wolf demon girl before her; Enju was looking more frightened by the moment, as though she were being faced down by her greatest nightmare. "Where do Sango and Miroku go on the second Tuesday of every month?"

"Th-the leader's meeting?" Enju blubbered, stumbling backwards until she tripped and fell flat on her backside.

"Tai-Fujishu to gather parts. How does Bankotsu like his salmon?"

"Grilled?" Enju squeaked, skittering backwards on the floor as Kagome neared her.

"Trick question; Bankotsu is allergic to salmon. What is Ranbou's favorite band?"

"Um..."

"Nickelback. What year model is Jakotsu's pick-up?"

"I don't kn-"

"1987. How tall is Souten Mitsarugi?"

"How the hell-"

"4'6. What do we keep in the third file cabinet, fourth drawer?"

"I-"

"Yearly fiscal reports. What year were the Wildcats founded?"

Enju blinked, glancing up at Kagome from where she was cowering on the floor. The girl got a sort of twinkling look in her eyes and she smirked, pushing herself to her feet and staring her leader right in the eyes. Amber danced with brown as she answered smugly, "1971."

The others exchanged extremely anxious glances, wondering if this would be the end of Kagome Higurashi; they all knew the date well and each would profess Enju correct.

But Kagome merely stared her down, replying coolly, "Wrong. The Wildcats were originally the dance team at the high school but later united with local thugs for protection when gang activity became prevalent in the early seventies. It wasn't until 1975 that the papers were signed and the Wildcats were given full gang status. The original founding date is June 14th, 1975."

The group was wrapped in silence as Enju's face fell and she took a large step back, colliding with one of the other girls as her path veered to the left. Kagome, unfettered, removed the gun from her temple and said quietly, "Who's the outsider now?"

Enju's entire frame was shaking and the girl behind her supported her under the elbows, as though she might keel over at any moment. Kagome replaced the gun in its discreet holster on the back of her hip and nodded to the girls. "I'll see you at school in an hour, ladies." With this, Kagome Higurashi retrieved her things from the lounge and walked quickly and purposefully out of the warehouse, leaving her Nakama behind as they watched her with a mix of fascination, terror and respect. Obviously, Kagome was not to be crossed. Ever.

Mizumi Tousen stood quietly beside her brother as he addressed a roomful of formidable tattooed men, each with his fair share of scars, muscles and leather articles of clothing. Though Mizumi looked innocent and naive, she was used to men like this; her father dealt with a good many of them on a regular basis and she'd learned not to judge a book by its cover. No, the real thing that surprised her about all this was her brother. She'd always thought that when he left home at age 14, he would make something of himself, something completely unlike the father he despised. As she observed the goings on with her observant eye, Mizumi sadly noted that Ryuu was turning out more like their father than even he realized.

"-but don't do anything stupid. We don't have the numbers to fuck with the Fangs right now, so just keep your heads on straight and don't disobey me, or I'll kill you. Alright, you can leave."

The Dragons all gave a resounding, "Hai," as though responding to a commander, before they began heading en masse towards the door, talking dully with one another. Ryuu watched them go with a stern crimson eye, casting a glance down at his younger sister before he realized there was another issue to be dealt with.

"Mizumi."

The girl turned her emerald green head up to face her brother, red eyes mirroring his as she asked politely, "Yes?"

"No matter what Kagura says to you, I don't wanna hear about you hangin' out with Vixens or even comin' close to them, alright?" Ryuu said insistently, remembering the vial, half naked Vixens which so eagerly forced themselves on the nearest Northerner to fit their fancy.

"Sure," Mizumi replied before furrowing her brow. "Kagura who?"

As though the answer the girl's question, the two dragons turned at the sound of Ryuu's name. Kagura came strutting up, blood red lips the same color as her eyes. She was wearing a leather mini skirt which Ryuu judged might've been the size of his grease rag in the garage and a halter top which showed off enough breast to be considered an undergarment. Mizumi looked at the woman in amazement; by her estimation, this woman could be quite pretty if she would put on normal clothes and not wear so much makeup. Come to think of it, she reeked of human perfume as well.

"I just came up to meet your darling little sister," Kagura cooed, bending down to level with Mizumi who was a good eight inches shorter than her, due to the height of the Vixen's heels.

"Hello," Mizumi said sweetly, not wanting to be rude to her brother's friend.

"I'm Kagura and you look like Vixen material, little girl," Kagura purred, reaching out one pale finger and tipping Mizumi under the chin.

But before another word could be uttered, Ryuukoytsusei gave a growl and smacked Kagura's hand away. "Don't touch my sister, Kagura. Don't even think about it; she's a Dragon."

Kagura's smile fell, replaced quickly by a frown as she stood to her full height, cocking one eyebrow skeptically. "This little girl a Dragon? I think you're dreaming, Ryuu."

"And I think you're a stupid bitch whore, Kagura. If I say she's a Dragon, then she's a Dragon. Don't fuck with me, woman," Ryuu replied in a tone he reserved uppity girls and petulant children. And sometimes crying men about to die at his hand.

Kagura scowled and gave a small "harumph," turning on her heels before storming away towards the Vixen's corner of the warehouse. It was decorated with stolen velvets and gaudy furniture, a small gypsy haven for lost girl's who wanted so much more than the life they currently lived on their knees. Ryuu watched Kagura go with a frown on his face, noticing that Kanna was still alive when he caught a glimpse of snow white hair and skin. He wondered for a moment why Naraku had let her live, even after Akago's betrayal, but he suddenly remembered. Apparently, she gave one hell of a blow j-

"Ryuu?"

Blinking, the Dragon leader glanced down at his sister, who was looking quizzically up at him. "Yeah, what?"

"Why were you so rude to her? She was just being polite to me."

"Kagura's never polite, kid. She sleeps around with everyone who wants a fuck, all the Vixens do. They were Spider sex slaves, but now they don't know what the hell to do because Naraku's dead and his boys've lost the heat. Don't mess around with them," Ryuu replied dismissively, running one hand over the stubble growing on his jaw.

"Right. Well, don't we have to go to school?"

For a moment, looking at his sister's almost sarcastic little face, Ryuu thought he was going to smile. It instead came out as a smirk. "What, starving for an education?"

"I just want to get to dance class," Mizumi replied quietly, obviously unwilling to deal with her brother's teasing.

Ryuu let out an irritated and thin sounding sigh before withdrawing his keys, muttering, "Yeah, well, good luck getting in with the dance crowd, kid. Kids are shipping in from China to dance at this school."

And it was true; South Tokyo High School had one of the most renowned dance schools in the nation and was thought of as a good stepping stone for aspiring dancers looking to pursue it as a profession in college. The dance program was led by a very skilled ballerina who had once danced on the stages of France, Italy and America. The dance program at South Tokyo was formidable and competitive.

"I know," was Mizumi's quiet reply, eyes narrowing cutely. Ryuu noticed that his sister seemed unfazed by the idea of a challenge. He smirked once more; then his first impression was correct. She really did have the dragon spirit after all.

"You dance a lot back home?" he asked.

Mizumi was almost touched by her brother's attempt at conversation and, in kind, she decided to humor him. They began walking towards his black Mustang GT as they talked. "Yeah, seven hours a day. I went to a dance academy."

"Seven?" Ryuu echoed, almost surprised; Ryuukoytsusei Tousen was never surprised, only amused. But seven hours a day?

"I was in the advanced class, so they were pretty intense; most of those girls had wanted to dance since they were babies."

Sighing a little, Ryuu ducked down into the driver's seat and murmured gruffly, "Well, you might be able to keep up then; just don't go crazy and stop eating like the rest of them skinny bitches."

"Okay," Mizumi said simply, smiling at her older brother so brightly that he thought she might break in two. She was really just trying to get him to freak out, but Ryuu did none of that and instead started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot and driving towards South Tokyo High School.

Hey everyone; well, one chapter under our belts! This is shorter than I normally go, but I'm trying to get off to a start which is the least confusing as possible. So, if you have any quandaries about any of this, just let me know and we'll get cracking!

KOLU