InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Laying Down the Law: Abuna i Dansu ❯ Rebetiko ( Chapter 10 )

Hey guys; I won't keep you waiting any longer.

 

Since it's been so long, here's a recap:

 

The fight between Ryuu and Bankotsu

Shikaruni's strange punishment of art class and the school musical

Shitora's drunken arrival at the Taisho house

Gan and Akago's waltz

 

Read on, oh ye faithful. (only the faithful would stick around after 2 1/2 months...sorry guys...)

 

9191919

 

Rebetiko: a Greek dance of grief, passion, romance and bitterness, symbolic of the many stages in a couples tempestuous relationship.

 

9191919

 

Kouga Ookami was a thoughtful person. In many respects, one might consider him an over-analyzer and, at a time like this, his sensible tendencies were ripping him apart. At the current moment, he was sitting in his kitchen staring out the open window, wondering if anyone else in ink-black Tokyo was hurting like him. The sunset had come and gone long ago and it was currently three o'clock in the morning; Kouga was, of course, quite tired, but something was keeping him awake. With a wry glance at his throbbing, burning wrist, the wolf demon let out a sigh and gave the moon a squinting glare. Someone in the heavens had it out for him, obviously.

 

"Kouga?"

 

The boy whipped violently to face the voice, readying himself to fight until his senses began to recognize the dim sight, the familiar scent, the air which came into the room. Frowning slightly at the smell of blood, Kouga steadied himself and murmured, "Jesus, Ranbou; freaked me out."

 

"Sorry," the larger wolf replied sheepishly as he entered the kitchen with a startling silence for his size. "I'm still in kill-mode. What are you doing up?"

 

Knowing his brother had just come from an assassination, Kouga bit back his protests and battled quietly with himself. Ranbou was wearing his typical killer's black ensemble, as per usual on patrol nights, and his shirt front was splattered with the blood of his victims. The sight was hardly as gruesome as the scent, which was murder on Kouga's sensitive demon nostrils; blood was a carnal copper, a deep and poisonous burn which infiltrated the very brain. Kouga hated that smell more than anything else in this world.

 

"You're gettin' in late," the younger Ookami muttered, hunching over the kitchen table as though trying to hide something offensive.

 

Ranbou paused slightly as he washed his hands in the sink, allowing the soap to run over his thick hands before he murmured, "I had a lot to do."

 

Kouga stayed silent for a moment, ice blue eyes a stunning midnight blue as he thought intensely on the subject of family. Finally, he managed to get out an unintelligible murmur.

 

Drying his hands on a towel, Ranbou glanced up at the low sound and raised a curious eyebrow. "You say somethin' Ko?"

 

"I said," Kouga reiterated, taking a calming breath, "That you've gone too far with the assassinations lately. I know it's your job...but I also know that Sesshomaru isn't assigning you every single one of those hits. Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."

 

As Kouga approached him, stopping a mere four feet away, Ranbou looked hopelessly at his younger brother and felt insignificant quite suddenly. Like his father, Ranbou was often dwarfed by Kouga's great presence of mind and this was one of those instances; he knew he was going overboard, especially in the last two weeks, but he just couldn't deal with his life any other way. A silence stretched between them, terrible and complicated, before Ranbou cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders nervously.

 

"I...can't just stop, Kouga, it's not like that." His voice was low and pleading, like he was begging for Kouga to understand.

 

Kouga narrowed his eyes and closed the gap between them, staring up at his brother's slightly superior height. "Don't play me, Ranbou. You know just as well as I do that you're using murder as an escape from your problems. That's sick, aniki. Sick and wrong. You should kill to keep people safe, not just to satisfy yourself."

 

Hearing his brother use the word "aniki" was liking being punched in the gut and Ranbou winced visibly. "Ko, I can't deal with things the way you do. This is all I have."

 

"Cold blooded killing? Good life decision, man. You need to get control of this little problem before it escalates and your suddenly sitting downtown in a jail cell. Or worse, at the bottom of the bay. Multiple weekly murders don't just go unnoticed," Kouga hissed, getting more irritated as they talked; his brother just couldn't seem to see reason and it was becoming more frustrating by the day.

 

Ranbou's frown deepened and his head began to throb; fighting with Kouga was like a physical workout for his mind and emotions. "I know. I'm trying to stop, just give it some time. Things weren't this hard before..."

 

When the large wolf trailed off and his eyes flashed with a deep pain, Kouga's anger dissipated almost instantly. The words Ranbou had been able to say were no great secret for the younger Ookami. Without Shitora, Ranbou was floundering; that summer he'd come to rely on someone he thought would never leave and suddenly he had to stand on his own two feet again. He'd become used to sharing his problems with someone who understood and could take some of that burden...but now he was back to the way things had once been. Murder, internalize, move on. Ranbou was no longer conditioned for that kind of stress and it was showing.

 

"Ran, I'm not saying you two don't have a chance, but you might not have Shitora again," Kouga said quietly, feeling like a murderer himself as these words left his mouth.

 

Ranbou's head dropped visibly and Kouga felt his heart rip. The large wolf seemed to compose himself for a moment, even though his younger brother was quite sure he smelled the salty, killing hint of tears in the kitchen air.

 

When Ranbou looked up at his brother, his eyes were red and his face broken, downcast. "Don't say that, Kouga. I can't hear that."

 

The kitchen was silent for so long that neither brother could remember the presence of sound. They stood like two statues in the eerie moonlight, Kouga's wrist giving a throb, throb, throb while Ranbou's heart felt absolutely nothing but agony. Like two broken toys, the Ookami boys dwelt in their own confusion; when had everything become so bad?

 

9191919

 

Kagome and Inuyasha rode to school in silence the next morning, faces downcast and eyes black beneath the lash. They hadn't slept but a few hours the previous night for, like the other nights preceding it, Shitora had come home drunk as a lore. Sesshomaru had swung her up into his arms and carried her to her bed with the trashcan nearby as he'd done so many times now. Not once did he a say a single word as he, instead, just returned to the television downstairs. Rin had grasped his hand and the two of them eventually escaped to Rin's house for angry, depressed sex. Rin had called Kagome at four in the morning, crying about her confusion and saying, "We can't help her, he doesn't want to help her," repetitively, like a mantra. Kagome, Inuyasha and Rin were suffering the pressure of Shitora's secret alcoholism and it made them all look so beaten. Sesshomaru seemed not to care.

 

"What should we do?" Kagome croaked out, voice still hoarse and tired.

 

Inuyasha glanced away from the stoplight and focused on his girlfriend in the passenger's seat. She was staring blankly at him, brown eyes pained and weary. Feeling that world-crushing pressure starting to close in on him for the umpteenth time, Inuyasha reached across the console and grasped Kagome's hand, managing a weak smile.

 

"Don't worry about it; she'll get through it, we just need to give 'er time," Inuyasha consoled his girlfriend, trying to simultaneously convince himself of the fact. He was trying to stay strong for Kagome's sake when, really, he was doubting the future just as much as she was. His sister was in deep this time, it seemed.

 

"Inuyasha, she's on her way to becoming an alcoholic," Kagome said stiffly. "Time is the one thing we don't have. I don't care if it's you or Sesshomaru, but one of you needs to talk with Kaede about this."

 

Inuyasha only continued to stare straight ahead as the light went green and he rolled forward towards the school, which was looming up in the windshield view. He and Kagome sat in silence for the remainder of the drive, at the end of which Kagome took her hand quickly from Inuyasha's grasp and stormed towards the double doors. Inuyasha could only watch sadly as his girlfriend charged off, unaware of the thoughts plaguing him; Inuyasha had known at the tender age of ten and he knew it well now: when a person decided that alcohol was the only way out, nothing would keep them from their cure. Shitora was no different and for the second time that year, Inuyasha was beginning to realize that his siblings were too broken for him to fix.

 

Kagome, meanwhile, was beginning to get incredibly frustrated. "Fucking Taishos and their fucking egos and their inability to understand that things are getting out of hand!"

 

She brushed her way into the French classroom and threw down her things, ignoring the questioning stares from several students. Miroku frowned slightly and settled back in his seat for a little bit of thought; his friends had been acting strangely and he had the weirdest feeling that something in the Taisho house had gone sour.

 

Sesshomaru seemed to ignore Kagome's entrance, which he unconsciously attributed to a fight with Inuyasha. Of course, the Fang leader knew that his sister was on the verge of developing a serious problem; this was hardly the point of the matter. The point was that this was a learning experience; his father had eventually lifted himself out of the shadows of drunkenness and Shitora would follow in his footsteps...eventually. Sesshomaru was beyond the point of getting his hands dirty. Considering his recent troubles with anorexia, he was hardly in the best position for this kind of emotional and/or physical counseling. He would let Shitora work it out for herself; his helping her to bed was enough for now.

 

When Ranbou entered, he did so discreetly and with very little fanfare as per usual. His steps were heavy and his eyes half hooded with weariness; Ayame only noticed because his seat was next to hers. Biting her lip fretfully, the Wildcat core leader held in the many protests which seemed to leap so quickly to her vocal chords these days. Sesshomaru remained rather immobile to her right, reading over the day's French lesson and seeming completely unfettered by his assassin walking in looking like death. Ayame had overheard her boyfriend and his brother arguing in the kitchen the previous night and she was beginning to understand Kouga's vehement position. Ranbou looked like death warmed over and, whether or not it had anything to do with the recent loss of his girlfriend, staying out every night until three wasn't helping.

 

"Tout le monde prend vos places tout de suite," Kayo said officiously as he breezed inside, blue ponytail crisp and uniform neat as it always was. He hesitated a glance over the classroom but eventually drew his gaze back in; it was difficult to look at his hurting students these days. The man eventually opened his course book and scanned the room for empty seats, finding a large hole in the dead center of the room. "Sesshomaru, is your sister here today?"

 

The Fang leader glanced up from his book, replying, "No sensei."

 

There was a long silence as the other students furrowed their brows; Shitora Taisho couldn't be sick because demons didn't suffer that sort of thing. She wasn't traveling as far as anyone knew and, if Sesshomaru knew she wasn't attending, she obviously wasn't skipping. When Kayo simply donned his spectacles and started the lesson, the students shrugged and threw themselves half-heartedly into their advanced French lesson. All but one, that is.

 

"Shomo, where is she?" Ranbou asked quietly, blue eyes confused despite the dark bags beneath them.

 

Sesshomaru put on his own spectacles and murmured, "Resting." He seemed so disinterested by the fact that Ranbou almost let the subject drop, but his worry was too consuming.

 

"Wait, what for?" the wolf pressed, suddenly very uncomfortable in his uniform. He remembered how Shitora would reach up and loosen his tie, smiling impishly, her little hands delicate on his neck. The memory made him ache and he felt the very unmanly urge to cry, though of course he could not.

 

Sesshomaru, looking slightly irritated by the wolf's questions, replied shortly, "Because she's not feeling her best," before turning his full attention to the front of the classroom; Kayo was dissecting a verb on the board.

 

Though his friend and leader looked to consider the matter closed, Ranbou tried again, "But why n-"

 

"Mr. Ookami, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Kayo drawled from the front of the room, putting down the dry-erase marker and peering over his glasses at the offender.

 

Kayo's sharp eyes were commanding and piercing, but Ranbou managed to stare him down as he stood, replying, "I gotta go." And with this, the Reikon leader gathered his things in one brawny arm and walked quickly out the door in a flurry of movement and muted sound.

 

The students watched with wide eyes as Ranbou Ookami simply stood and left. Kayo looked mildly surprised as well, quirking his eyebrows as though wondering if that had actually just happened. Finally, he shrugged to himself and picked up where he'd left off on the board, muttering, "Damn kids and their impetuous urges."

 

Ranbou had a very good reason for leaving his French class; he was incredibly afraid. Fear wasn't a normal reaction to the Ookami boy, who was rather used to his usual brash demeanor and reckless nature. It was quite unlike him to feel apprehension and even less likely for him to suffer doubt. At the current time, as he swept down the hallway at a light jog towards the parking lot, he was feeling all of the above. The air outside was growing chilly as a storm blew in, assaulting the boy's nose with all sorts of strange odors; he paid the looming rain no mind as he climbed inside his car and threw it into gear.

 

The Taisho house was only a few minutes from the campus, which hardly allowed him any thinking time whatsoever. He'd only just begun to explore the possibilities that storming into his ex-girlfriends house demanding answers was hardly the best idea when he pulled up at that familiar curb. He was just wondering if this was the right course of action when he found himself standing on the doorstep. His heart was just about to tell his brain to stop, that he couldn't suffer the torture of seeing her and not being able to touch her, when his knuckled rapped on the door.

 

It opened to reveal Kaede in her apron, the scent of warming applesauce spilling out around her. She looked incredulously up at Ranbou before commenting lightly, "I knew you'd come, but I just didn't know when. Come on in, boy."

 

Ranbou seemed surprised by his own confidence as he actually entered the house, closing the door respectfully behind him. His body was practically moving of its own accord, doing everything that he begged it not too. Deciding to follow Kaede lest he actually think about the consequences of his actions, Ranbou entered the kitchen where the old woman was bent over the stove.

 

"She's upstairs," Kaede said without looking up from the steaming stewing pot.

 

The wolf furrowed his brow, looking like he were in incredible anguish. His normally square shoulders were slightly hunched and his barrel arms lay limply at his sides; for a man normally considered larger than life, Ranbou was looking pathetically small. He ran a hand through his hair, murmuring, "I don't know what to say to her."

 

"Tell her what you're thinking," Kaede replied, almost jovially; the old woman seemed unworried about the whole affair. "That's you're best bet most of the time: the truth."

 

And then Ranbou's feet began to move him again; without another words, Ranbou turned and began to make his way shakily up the stairs. They creaked beneath his weight, reminding him of the days he'd spent running up and down them with water guns, laughing happily as his friends ducked behind couches and ran for the back door. He's fallen on these stairs and gotten his first black eye. Inuyasha and he had once engaged in a game of tug-o-war from the landings and ended up in a pile of limbs on the bottom floor. These stairs held so many memories, as did this whole house. He could still remember the day he'd met Shitora; she'd been standing on the second floor looking over the balcony as her brothers and their friends played. She was so small then, but of course so was he. They'd been together so long without really dating...how could it all just end? It couldn't, he decided. Hopefully, he thought to himself, gulping as he made his way down the hallway to her room.

 

Ranbou was about to walk inside when he thought better of himself; they weren't dating anymore and somehow he felt as though he should knock. The knock was quiet and afraid, sort of like he felt.

 

Shitora, meanwhile, was lying alone in her bed staring at the wall, her drunken stupor had worn of a few hours ago and now she was left with the terrible aching of a hangover. To aid her hangover, a great flood of emotions had accompanied this pain and was currently reminding her that her life was terrible; somehow, the high she got just couldn't outweigh the pain afterwards. Curling her limbs tightly around her, Shitora sniffed pathetically and continued to stare at the wall; her life was empty and confusing. She couldn't remember anything about the past week, school, home or otherwise. What was she doing? Where was she going? The only thing that had ever been constant was gone...him. He was gone and it was all her fault. For a moment, Shitora thought she smelled that familiar scent, her Ranbou, coming closer. I really am going crazy, she thought to herself, tears clouding her vision as she buried her face in her pillow.

 

"Shitora?"

 

Blinking, the girl's dog ears gave a twitch and she glanced up; that certainly sounded like him. "Hello?" she called out tearfully, leaning up hopefully before her doubts got the better of her and she slumped down. He was probably just another hallucination; she always saw him these days, even when he wasn't really there.

 

"It's me," came his quiet, heavy voice from the hallway. "I...I was just, uh...checkin' on ya."

 

Shitora sat up in her bed, realizing that Ranbou was actually standing outside her door. She was so surprised that she replied incredulously, "You're shitting me. Ranbou?"

 

Taking this as an invitation to enter, the boy pushed the ajar door open and entered haphazardly, being sure to stay away from the bed lest she attack him. He could barely comprehend the sight of Shitora, half-dressed in her bed, ratty hair falling pathetically around her as he bloodshot eyes stared back at him from hollow sockets. Her sallow cheeks were just adding to his guilt as he grew cold; the room was freezing.

 

Shitora's heart clenched just seeing him there; he looked so tired it was incredible he could even stand. She knew the reason, of course; no doubt things hadn't changed since they'd parted on those terrible terms two weeks ago. He was wearing his school uniform, which brought Shitora's attention to a very important fact; it was 9:30 and neither of them were in class.

 

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not in a bitter way but simply a confused question.

 

Ranbou was about to answer when he realized he wasn't sure as to the answer. Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, the boy glanced down at his shoes and replied, "I dunno. I got worried when you weren't in French and I just sorta...ended up here."

 

"Did you...did you leave class?" Shitora asked, eyes wide; as a studious girl, she was having trouble comprehending this heresy.

 

It was at this moment that Ranbou realized how right she was. He had left class. "Oh shit, I totally did," he said mournfully to himself, dragging both hands down his tired face. "Yeah, totally wasn't thinking about it when I did it."

 

Despite herself, despite her fight, and despite every other circumstance, Shitora giggled slightly when she realized just how little he'd thought about it. This sound escaped her mouth but it sounded so foreign that she jumped slightly, clapping a hand over her mouth; she hadn't laughed in the two weeks they'd been apart. The boy and girl stared helplessly at one another, allowing an awkward silence to settle in, before Shitora cleared her throat.

 

"Uh, you can sit down here if you want to talk," she said hopefully, croaky and hoarse. She patted the bed beside her lamely.

 

Ranbou looked at her for a moment more, sad and frail as she asked him to sit beside her; he did so without another word. His added weight to the bed was comforting and Shitora smiled weakly. He looked blankly at her for a moment before he too found himself smiling. After a moment they both laughed slightly and looked down at their hands; it all seemed too easy somehow.

 

That was when Ranbou really took a whiff of the air around him; where he'd first dismissed the strange scent as a product of Kaede's cooking, he was now beginning to realize that the strange odor belonged to Shitora.

 

"Do I smell...bourbon?"

 

"Do I smell blood?" Shitora countered quickly, giving him a caustic glare.

 

This only caused Ranbou to sigh deeply, replying, "Point taken. We're pretty sad...what the hell is wrong with us?"

 

Settling as soon as Ranbou dropped the subject of her drinking, Shitora realized that Ranbou's question was a valid one. "I don't know," she responded truthfully, shaking her ratty head. "It's not getting us anywhere."

 

"Nope," Ranbou agreed gruffly.

 

Together they sat, rolling their hands nervously in their laps, looking anywhere but each other, until Shitora mumbled, "So...do we have to stay...broken up now? Since we know we're being stupid?"

 

Ranbou snorted softly, chuckling at either his own stupidity or the awkwardness in the air. "I don't think I can take it any more, so no."

 

Shitora giggled slightly, observing her hands with renewed interest. "Yeah. Ditto."

 

Ranbou turned and looked as though he were going to kiss her on the mouth, but seemed to think better of the idea. He settled for kissing her on the forehead instead, grinning down at her with that typical Ookami smile. Shitora found herself smiling in return, almost out of habit but more from the altogether amazing quality of his smile. She enjoyed the recently unfamiliar feeling of her lips turning upwards and the glowing warmth which she felt from head to toe when he winked one of those ice blue eyes at her.

 

"We're okay," he said.

 

The very sound of that phrase was almost too good to be true, but she nodded. "We're okay."

 

"Now...you need a shower."

 

Shitora just laughed.

 

9191919

 

Bankotsu heaved a heavy sigh, staring at the slowly darkening sky as evening winds blew in; it was already the end of September and the fall was bringing in a cold front. He was currently rotating round and round on a merry-go-round, listening to the hinges creak and the leaves rustle. This park was a staple in his childhood; from the time he was born, his mother had brought him and his brothers to this very playground and now, it helped him think. He wasn't much of a musical man; this whole "join the school musical" think was a problem for him. Reputation, pride, ability, it was all a problem.

 

The demon lazily toed the ground, causing the revolving ride to spin a bit faster for a moment; he stared at the ground as it spun by in a paint-brush blur. A familiar smell perked his nose and Bankotsu glanced up, listening intently as small, delicate footsteps approached from his right; he knew those footsteps well.

 

Mizumi readjusted the groceries in her arms, sighing contentedly as she continued walking primly across the park. Shale had, only thirty minutes before, run out of milk and celery and Mizumi quickly volunteered to fetch some more at the corner store. Apparently, most corner stores in North Tokyo closed at 6 due to the high crime rate and, lo and behold, here she was in South Side just on her way back from the Mitsukoshi in Meguro. She felt oddly safe walking alone, even at night, but especially so in Meguro and South Tokyo. All of the areas near the port seemed so much lighter than her own home in the North, which, while near several shrines, seemed dangerous at best. Ryuukoytsusei had told her many times not to wander Akihabara at night and, after seeing what several of the men sold at their booths, Mizumi had agreed. Areas like Meguro, however, were just downright nice.

 

She was just crossing Ueno park at dusk when she recognized a familiar scent on the wind; to her surprise, Bankotsu was sitting on a merry-go-round only a few feet away from her.

 

"Bankotsu," she exclaimed, eyes widening prettily. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

 

"What do you mean 'out here?' I live five minutes down the road," the boy replied, grinning at the girl as he stood to his feet.

 

"Oh, right," Mizumi mumbled, blushing. "It's just I live a train ride away, I forgot..."

 

Bankotsu laughed, closing the gap between them somewhat. "It's cool; I would forget too, nothing really happens here."

 

"Well, plenty happens in Akihabara; we could trade," Mizumi joked, readjusting her groceries. "Can't get groceries in Akihabara after 6, anyway."

 

"No way, really?" Bankotsu was puzzled; Meguro convenience stores were open late, often until midnight.

 

"Unless you wanna get robbed, I guess it's for the best." Mizumi toed at the ground, foot perfectly arched. "I should be going, my train'll be at the station in ten minutes."

 

"Let me walk you," Bankotsu said quickly, startling the girl, albeit pleasantly.

 

Mizumi blushed slightly, though the smile on her face was telling. "Sure, if you want to."

 

The two began crossing the park towards the train station, footsteps the only sound across the concrete save leaves scraping and falling. The sun cast strange shadows on the concrete and caught their faces just so; it was a warmth they hardly knew. Mizumi glanced over, about to say something, when she noticed the numerous bruises on Bankotsu's face; in the dark of the carousel, she hadn't quite seen them. They made him look practically like a patchwork quilt and she knew precisely where he'd gotten them.

 

She looked down quickly, focusing on her grocery bag, but Bankotsu had already noticed. "Don't worry about it. Don't feel weird about anything just because your brother and I..." he trailed off, suddenly feeling useless. "Well...just don't worry about it."

 

Mizumi laughed slightly. "What, weird because my brother beat your face in?"

 

"Hey, he didn't beat my face in; I got him too," Bankotsu said defensively, shoving his hands in his pockets as his face flushed.

 

Though she reckoned she should've felt apologetic, Mizumi only snorted with laughter. "I know, that's not what I meant. Just...I wish he hadn't." The small girl sobered slightly. "It was a little embarrassing, to tell you the truth. I mean, suddenly my brother was in some stupid fight all because he couldn't keep his Tousen temper under control...I'm not used to it being someone I know publically humiliating themselves. People at dance school weren't like that."

 

Bankotsu furrowed his brow. "Oh, so dance school, huh? No wonder you kick Shitora's ass."

 

"I don't, really. I mean, in ballet, sure, but she's got so much natural talent that she pretty much surpasses me at jazz and hip hop," Mizumi admitted. She looked awkwardly down at the concrete as they walked, looking for all the world as if the world could swallow her whole.

 

Bankotsu raised his eyebrows menially, shrugging to himself. "Oh, I dunno. You're probably better than you think. Just because she makes a bunch of faces doesn't mean she's better."

 

Mizumi raised an eyebrow at the boy and he grinned. "That's right, weird faces. She makes really weird faces and I'm just sayin," Bankotsu replied to her unasked question.

 

As the girl laughed prettily, Bankotsu smiled to himself and took the bags gently from her arms, nodding at her thankful, sparkling eyes. She's the most fun I've ever had..

 

"Did you get in trouble for the fight?" Mizumi asked conversationally.

 

The demon beside her gave a snort, glancing boredly up at the sky. "Yeah, we both did. We have to participate in school activities of the principal's choosing to show pride in our school or something. Your brother is doing art stuff and I have to do the musical. Not really my thing...I kinda wanna shoot myself in the face, honestly, but..."

 

When he trailed off, Mizumi shrugged. "Musicals aren't so bad, I did them back home. What musical is it?"

 

"No idea. But really, it's not my thing; I can't just be doing stuff like musicals, it'll ruin my rep," Bankotsu continued.

 

Mizumi snorted with laughter, throwing back her green head jovially. "You're rep? Seriously, you just said that? Oh god, you gang people are priceless."

 

"C'mon, seriously, it's a problem," Bankotsu protested smiling slightly.

 

The two laughed together as they passed over the street towards the train station, still talking all the while.

 

*!*!*!*

 

"Miss Higurashi, can you please name the five nengos of Tokugawa Yashimune?"

 

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts and stood respectfully from her desk, bowing her head to the teacher before replying, "Shotoku, Kyohu, Genbun, Kanpo and Enkyo, sensei."

 

As Kagome took her seat, Gan glanced sideways at her friend and frowned; Kagome had been rather low-key for a few days and, after school, the cores were apparently gathering to discuss some kind of urgent matter surrounding the new Wildcat's future. Gan had mentally toyed with several ideas, many of them worse than the next; perhaps she'd broken some kind of strict rule and was being counseled. Maybe she'd offended someone and now had to sit through a leaders chastening. What if she had decided to leave and go somewhere else? Gan was almost afraid to ask; Kagome had become one of her closest friends, especially after she kept Gan's secret for so long. Losing her would be like losing the first person who really ever knew Gan...the real Gan at least.

 

"Thank you, Miss Higurashi. Now, moving on to the Tokugawa shogunate itself..."

 

The teacher's monotone drawl led Gan's mind astray and she continued to wonder about Kagome's troubles. Before she could get too deep into the mechanics of it all, the bell's shrill ring cut across the air and students began gathering there things, relieved to finally be heading home. The day had seemed practically endless.

 

"Kagome," Gan called out, throwing her bag over her shoulder and dashing after the dark haired beauty.

 

Kagome whipped around, looking almost frightened at the sound of her own name. "Yes?" she asked breathlessly, face belaying her fear.

 

Gan studied the other girl's face for a moment, taking in the wavering eyes and trembling lips. Finally, the blonde placed her hand placatingly on her friend's shoulder and frowned sympathetically. "Are you alright, Kagome? Your shaking like a leaf."

 

Kagome drew in a rather sharp breath and closed her eyes fretfully; ever since her mother's news a few nights ago, she'd been on edge. She wanted to help her family so badly but, as well, didn't want to know what her house looked like. She didn't want to think of strangers defiling the home she'd grown up in, pitting out the yard, rummaging through her things. The idea of it all made her sick.

 

"I'm fine, Gan, I haven't felt well," she murmured, placing a hand lightly to her forehead. She was indeed shaking.

 

"You look like you need to lay down...before the meeting," Gan explained needlessly, taking her friend gently by the arm and leading her quietly towards the locker room.

 

On their way, Gan briefly met eyes with Akago, who was withdrawing a few books from his locker. When he shot her a questioning look, Gan glanced up at Kagome and shook her head mournfully. Akago sighed, strong shoulders drooping slightly, before he continued about his business; it seemed like the entire school was headed for a breakdown. The Shark leader was about to head out to the car and wait for his second-in-command when his sensitive ears picked up an official sounding radio call. Several of the other demons noticed the same sound and looked up from their lockers, murmuring explanations to their clueless human friends. The sound became louder and Akago walked curiously towards the source of it, which appeared to be emanating from the French room.

 

Inside, Kayo, Bear and Principal Shikaruni were gathered around a radio, listening intently to the broadcast. Kayo was sitting upright in his chair while Shikaruni sat against the table's edge, watching his younger but much larger brother as he stared blankly out the class windows at the road.

 

"...and the parliament has presented a man named Kurokumo Tice who has comprised a plan to reunify and protect the great country of Japan, more specifically the cities of Kyoto and Tokyo. The plan, though drastic, is being called visionary by many political theorists."

 

Akago entered the room quietly, nodding to his teachers, who nodded grimly in return. The white haired boy squinted, finding his vision suddenly inadequate; Gan currently had his spectacles. As Akago stood stupidly near the desk, listening to the broadcast, Shikaruni glanced up and beckoned towards the door; there were several teenagers standing there, looking awkward and a little frightened. The room began to fill steadily as the students desperately craned their heads to get snippets of news, suddenly interested in the world around them. Madozu Towers had frightened the community into togetherness, though the next step would be to spark them into action.

 

"The parliament has concluded their meeting and is currently presenting a three step plan to rebuild and protect Japan," Shikaruni explained, addressing the students softly above the radio.

 

Sesshomaru seemed to appear at Akago's side, looking slightly confused, though Akago glanced up at his taller friend and shook his head; something about this all was foreboding.

 

"...and we now have a clip of General Kurokumo Tice himself presenting his plan in a press conference earlier this afternoon."

 

Those in the classroom would always remember General Tice's voice for the rest of their days, during and even after his time in office. It was strong, deep, commanding and powerful; it was like the belching of a fog-horn combined with the strong call of a trumpet. Everything he said was true upon utterance and everything he declared was immediately law. There was something absolutely unfaltering about General Kurokumo Tice and his voice was reassuring even to broken, bruised Japanese hearts. The room was silent and rapt.

 

"Japan is going through a political, social and military crisis; this we all know. The most important skill we possess is that of pragmatic reasoning; even when a man finds himself on the brink of death and destruction, pragmatism is his only saving grace. In light of this pragmatism, I have proposed a three step plan for the rejuvenation of Japan which has been recently sanctioned and supported by the parliament. The steps are very simple: control, protect, recapture. I will say these steps again: control, protect, recapture. We will first control our surroundings, make sure that our country's foundation is strong enough both in and outside of the government. We will then protect our people by whatever means are necessary. Lastly, we will recapture and reign in the prejudice running rampant and quell it immediately. Though this plan sounds vague, the specifics are still to come; this plan, ratified by parliament, is the future of Japan. The Japanese government is dedicated to protecting our people and will do anything in our power to ease the pain of Madozu. Healing will happen, we need only be still. Thank you."

 

There was a flurry of clapping over the speakers as the station faded out the broadcast; the students in the room were talking in hushed whispers for the most part while many were completely still. Kayo and Shikaruni exchanged glances as Bear's eyebrows nearly disappeared over his bald, tattooed head.

 

"Did anything about that seem strange to you, Sensei?" Akago asked Kayo quietly as Bear joined the other men at the table.

 

"Besides the fact that Tice just fed us lip service and the parliament ratified it? No, nothing," came the man's sarcastic reply. He ran a hand fretfully over his ocean-blue hair, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

"Tice has a presence about him, one that's obviously carried him into office. I've heard about him only once or twice before this, mostly concerning the military. He was of high rank," Shikaruni noted, polishing his glasses placidly.

 

Sesshomaru allowed his hands to rest in his blazer pockets as he murmured, "He seems like the military type, doesn't he? The steps of his plan don't sit well with me...they sound rather animalistic."

 

"Yes, what species is General Tice?" Akago asked curiously.

 

"Human," came Bear's flat reply.

 

The demons stood there mulling over the strange word, "human," staring blankly at the tile floor and wondering "why, why, why." Akago gripped the edge of the table; never before had that word sounded so hideous, so cruel...never had it inspired such fear in him before. He thought of the humans he knew, he thought of Miroku and Sango and Kagome and...Gan. He wasn't afraid of them..was he? Something about General Tice's vague words scared him to the point of immobility; even though he knew little about the man, he suddenly got the feeling that demons were in for a rough couple of years.

 

The other students were oblivious. They didn't seem to notice anything amiss with the broadcast and were murmuring amongst themselves; Akago could already see it coming into play. While he and the teachers seemed were becoming more and more aware of something major weighing down on the demon community, the normal populous only saw some government plan barely touching their city, their lives.

 

Kayo sighed slightly, seeming less perturbed than Akago, and patted the younger man on the back. "Batten down the hatches, boys. We're in for a stormy ride."

 

*!*!*!*

 

Sesshomaru stretched his back with a slight groan, popping open his gym locker as he began shedding his pads; this was only his second day back at football practice and he was already feeling the aftereffects of his sickness. His muscles and bones, stiff and unused, were grumbling quite consistently at him for the recent overuse. Sesshomaru was unused to being weak and, though he was becoming more accustomed to it by the day, leaving practice weary and beaten was starting to wear on him. The clicking of cleats and the slamming of locker doors began to harmonize with the steamy hiss of showers as boys poured into the room, stripping themselves of their grass-stained, sweaty clothes.

 

Ranbou sidled up next to Sesshomaru, opening his own locker and peeling off his pads wearily. Sesshomaru hesitated a glance at the wolf, who looked tired but rather more perky than he had for the past two weeks. Deciding that it looked like a rather good time, the dog demon started up what he was sure would be an unbearably awkward conversation.

 

"Bou, I was wondering if you could talk to Shitora about something for me; none of us are getting through to her," Sesshomaru said bluntly, keeping his eyes straight forward on the dingy insides of his rank smelling locker.

 

Ranbou glanced up from where he was shedding his cleats on the bench; he'd barely been listening, but the words "Shitora" and "talk" stuck out enough that he could more or less guess the specifics of it all. "Don't sweat it Shomo, I went to see her this morning; we patched things up."

 

Sesshomaru blinked dumbly for a second before turning slowly towards his friend. "Sorry, what was that? You patched things up this morning?"

 

"Well yeah, where did ya think I went during French?" Ranbou replied sarcastically, shaking his head slightly. "C'mon Shomo, please."

 

Not one to be surprised, Sesshomaru quickly composed himself and murmured, "Well, then I suppose I might as well move on to the next topic of conversation. I think I should assign you some help."

 

Ranbou's head snapped up as the power suddenly shifted back to his fearless leader. Sesshomaru was stonily rifling through his bag making room for his cleats, never bothering to look up towards his incredulous assassin, but Ranbou knew what the dog demon must be thinking: got you.

 

"Sorry, what was that?" Ranbou asked quietly, wondering for a brief moment if he'd actually heard correctly.

 

"I just think you're overrun, you're out every night, you never ask the core for help unless you know it's going to be a problem...I just think you could use some help." When Ranbou opened his mouth to protest, Sesshomaru added sternly, "And that's my decision on the matter. We'll talk about it over dinner at the warehouse; Shitora should be out of dance practice by then."

 

Ranbou snorted from where he was sitting dumbly on the bench, grumbling silently. "Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

 

"She'll be leading the new assassination core, I've decided. I can think no better candidate," Sesshomaru replied, packing up the last of his things. He could just imagine the look of shock and derision on Ranbou's face, but he daren't look up to observe it because the great dog demon would surely laugh; this was the most fun he'd had in weeks. "See you in half an hour then." And with this, Sesshomaru left the locker room feeling decidedly more chipper. His aching muscles were beginning to soothe, actually...

 

Sesshomaru's face became slightly more stern as he walked towards his car; he'd been presenting the matter in a flippant way on purpose. Of course the idea of his baby sister charging out, armed to the teeth, to kill wrong doers in the middle of the night was hardly his preference, but Sesshomaru Taisho could see facts when they laid themselves out. During the great battle in the summer, she and Ranbou had fended off the entire Northern Assassination Core and not only lived to tell the tale, but obliterated most of their enemies. Surely something could be said for their team work. Sesshomaru's reasoning was as follows: Taishos were brilliant at evading death and one of them should at least be paying back hell for their inability to meet court dates.

 

Shitora was strong enough to hold her own...as long as Ranbou was there.

 

*!*!*!*

"So, do you think you can handle that for me?"

 

Akago stared blankly at the principal, who was smiling blithely back at him from behind his cherry wood desk. All in all, Shikaruni looked rather pleased with himself as he peered down at Akago over his spectacles, taking in the sight of the Shark leader looking lost and confused for once in his life. Akago blinked again at the question, which was obviously directed at him and not the potted plant behind him, and took in a scoffing sort of gasp of a breath as he shook his snow-white head.

 

"I...well, sir, with all due respect, I know absolutely nothing about...well, er..."

 

As the boy stuttered, Shikaruni adopted a Cheshire cat smile and interrupted smoothly, "Fun? You know nothing about fun? Because that's all I'm asking of you, Tsume."

 

Akago shook his head in near disbelief as he reached up to loosen his tie; it was suddenly rather hot in the dingy little office. "I have plenty of fun, Principal, just not at dances and things like that. And on the subject of the Homecoming dance? Well, I'm positively clueless. I don't know a bloody thing about it."

 

Shikaruni harrumphed as though to say "well, is that so," as he leaned back imperiously in his office chair. "You're the Student Council leazon to the faculty, Akago, so doesn't that mean you're supposed to be in charge of this sort of thing? I don't have time to plan a dance this year, not while the world is crumbling around us anyway, and you're a very organized young man besides. Why don't you try it out? You've got a few weeks, anyway. How hard can it be?"

 

"Quite hard, sir. I'll have to contact budget and pick a theme, not to mention reserve decorations and a DJ and escorts to patrol the parking lot...it's not going to be a simple thing," Akago explained breathlessly, voice adopting a slight sneer of irritation.

 

"Well, that's what friends are for," Shikaruni chuckled, twisting the end of his blonde ponytail around his forefinger like a prince observing peasants on their knees. "Ask Ms. Kiretsu, I'm sure she'll have a plethora of things to say."

 

Akago snorted, this time with dry laughter. "Gan? She knows less on the subject of dances than I do. She's only attended as a man, so I doubt she has a serious feminine opinion on the matter of Homecoming, Principal."

 

Shikaruni rose slowly from his desk, looking so officious that Akago thought he might've said something offensive. The principal finally said, "I'm leaving the planning and execution of the homecoming dance in your capable hands, Mr. Tsume. Achieve a golden end by whatever means possible; I'm Machiavellian and you should be too. You may go."

 

Akago stared at the blonde man for a moment before he realized the conversation was indeed over. Without another word, Akago rose smoothly from his chair and exited the room, leaving behind him the wafting scent of the ocean. Shikaruni smiled mysteriously to himself as he leaned gallantly against his desk as though posing for the most beautiful picture in the world. The phone on his desk gave an abrasive ring and he answered without a glance at the screen.

 

"Shikaruni."

 

"It's me."

 

The principal smiled blithely, eyes suddenly sparkling noticeably. "Ah, there you are. Tough sell?"

 

"Some rich French guy came in and swept out practically the whole collection, so I won't have work for a few days; it's delovely."

 

The woman's voice was ironic and laughing, the perfect blend of cream and chocolate. Shikaruni smiled at its familiarity and replied, "I just plugged Akago with the homecoming plans. He was...decidedly unpleased."

 

"I swear, Numa, nagging that boy isn't going to get him out of the business. The Sharks are his way of life, you understand that."

 

Shikaruni smiled lightly. "Why yes I do. Quite well."

 

*!*!*!*

 

"...so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know Kyoto isn't the best place for demons or, really, anyone right now, but my mom asked if I could bring friends because...well...the place is a wreck. So any help would be greatly...appreciated."

 

Kagome twisted her hands nervously, staring down at her feet; she suddenly felt like a preschooler addressing her judgmental class again. She didn't know the first thing about asking for favors since she normally didn't need them. She became painfully aware of every sound in the room, most noticeably the rustling of clothes and clinking of claws as they tapped the table top or brushed the metal chair arms. The warehouse looked quite odd to Kagome, empty if not for the lounge area which was now covered with gang leaders and cores of the South; they leaned against chairs and squished into overstuffed couches until there was nothing but breathing room. They cast an array of colors over the dull furniture. As they all seemed to debate within themselves, Kagome could practically hear her heart cracking.

 

Finally, there was a loud stream of out blown breath from the nearest couch and someone declared, "Well, after the game, I'm free."

 

Kagome's head shot up and she found Miroku smiling brightly at her, violet eyes sparkling. Sango took his cue and adopted the same casual air, acting as though Kagome was in fact inviting them to the beach and not her war-ridden home town to clean up her raided land. "Me too, just after the game would be a good time to leave, less traffic," Sango chimed in helpfully.

 

Miroku nodded, as though to solidify their save, and gave Kagome a friendly thumbs up. She smiled weakly back at her two friends, nodding shortly to show her thanks. There was another obstacle yet to overcome, however, since Miroku and Sango were human and in a great deal less danger than many of their potentially Kyoto-bound friends.

 

Ayame watched Kagome's eyes return to the floor; it was the first time the wolf demoness had seen her friend look so downtrodden. Ayame had supposed Madozu only affected her this way, but apparently Kagome was suffering too. It must be difficult to be away from her family during such a time of crisis, not knowing if they were okay or even alive...and no one had even lifted a finger to help her. Ayame bit her lip fretfully; she felt like a terrible friend.

 

"I'll go," she said suddenly, surprised at her own voice.

 

Kouga, at her side, glanced up as though considering this his signal. "Yeah, me too. Let's do it." He turned his bright blue gaze to his girlfriend, giving her a slight wink as he took her left hand gently in his right one.

 

Akago cast and eye over Gan and James, who were sitting quietly beside him on the farthest couch. Gan looked as though she wanted to leap up to Kagome's aid, but she knew her sacrifice would be nothing compared to, say, Akago's or James's if they were to go. James was looking stoic as usual beneath his shaggy brown hair and Akago leaned towards him slightly, as though trying to gauge his opinion. James glanced up, blue eyes unfocused; he'd been debating, apparently. When the two men met eyes, Akago found himself faced with a look of complete and total subservience; as usual, it was up to the Shark. Akago looked to his right as though to ask Halloween's opinion, but found that the tall, lanky demon was currently humming some silly ditty under his breath and patting his fingertips lightly on the couch arm; he was obviously on a different planet for now. Akago sighed with a smile creeping up on his lips.

 

"We're all in," Akago declared, gesturing to his core with one lily white hand.

 

Halloween stopped humming for a moment and nodded his head brightly, grinning like a small child. His orange eyes burned through the black fringe of his hair as he crowed delightedly, "I love road trips! May we take the van, Toumoku?"

 

"Oh, heavens," Akago murmured, a blush rising to his cheeks; he liked to forget that the Sharks owned a Volkswagen bus, nevertheless drove it on occasion. Halloween had once attacked the thing for a weekend and made a splendid mural out of the once orange car; it was now a beautiful but rather gay mural depicting the life and times of Freddie Mercury, Halloween's idol.

 

Several of the stony-faced demons began to snort with laughter and a good deal of sniggering was heard around the room. James rolled his eyes while Gan hid a smile at Akago's embarrassment, which was quite obvious at this point.

 

"It's a practical car sometimes," Akago argued the unspoken argument, huffing defensively.

 

Sesshomaru cut in smoothly with a twinkle in his eyes, "Well, if the Rainbow bus is going then I guess I am too; I must follow the call."

 

There was an outburst of full on laughter at this comment, which sent several demons off their chairs onto the floor or their friends, whichever was closest. Kagome laughed as well, feeling the tension leave her body as the rest of the demons lapsed into rather casual conversation about the logistics of the trip. It seemed as though she had many true friends after all.

 

Ranbou chuckled as a sort of afterthought as the room dissolved into quiet talking and he turned to ask Lysander about his driving preference. His best friend, however, appeared to be completely and totally focused on something else; the redhead's green eyes were fixed like two stones on something in front of him and, overcome with curiosity, Ranbou furrowed his brow and followed the stare. Right in Lysander's line of sight was the garrulous Halloween, limbs flailing pleasantly as he clapped his hands in a resolute manner. Judging by how animated his gestures were, the Sharks were still talking about the bus. Halloween's orange eyes sparkled and shimmered until the color was nearly indiscernible; the black wisps of hair curtaining his head swayed to and fro magically.

 

"Who is that?" Lysander asked finally, recovering from a suddenly dry throat.

 

"Who, Halloween?" Ranbou asked confusedly. "I guess you weren't here when he came. One of Akago's boys, real fluffy, you know; hear he's one helluvan assassin, though. You wanna meet him? You'll be seein' him around."

 

Lysander was silent for a moment before he said quickly, "No, no, we don't need to meet. That's fine, I just...was wondering."

 

Ranbou looked at his friend curiously for a moment before he finally decided that it wasn't a matter worth pursuing; Lysander was a pragmatic sort of guy and he probably had his reasons for asking after Halloween. Lysander kept his mouth firmly shut, lest he say something revealing and instead began to twiddle his fingers. The awkward moment would move on in a second.

 

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, had taken a seat beside Kagome as she explained the finer details of the trip to him.

 

"They did the most damage to the kitchen and the yard, mom said, but the whole house is a mess. I only say 'they did the most damage' because there's a hole in the wall and someone dislodged and stole our dishwasher and refrigerator. There's a lot of broken glass and the shrine house is apparently also damaged...it's going to be a weekend affair," Kagome said wearily, rubbing the back of her neck as she attempted to soothe the aching in her back; stress made her back hurt.

 

Sesshomaru mulled over this information and finally murmured, "Sounds like quite the job. We could use time away, however."

 

"No kidding," Inuyasha muttered mutinously, giving his brother a heavy stare.

 

Sesshomaru seemed not to care and only stood slowly from the couch, declaring, "We'll take care of it, Kagome. There shouldn't be a problem as long as we don't have to leave the house or something of that nature."

 

"No, no, you won't have to leave," Kagome said quickly, smiling to show how grateful she was. "Thank you so much."

 

"Of course," Sesshomaru said with a smile. "You're practically family." He turned to leave but then, as an afterthought, glanced over his shoulder and asked, "By the way, do you think your family will take to us?"

 

"Sure, why wouldn't they?" Kagome asked with furrowed brow.

 

As though to answer his question, Sesshomaru gesture to the adjacent couches and Kagome observed the scene. Many of the boys had beers in hand and others were smoking cigarettes, some both things simultaneously, while Kouga ran his fingers lustfully over Ayame's thong strap, which was showing just a hint of pink above her skirt band. Black Fangs jackets white Wildcats jackets were mixed together, thrown over couches and chairs, adding a musty scent of leather to the smoke and car oil. Just while she was barely listening, Rin said "fuck" four times and "va jay jay" six, not to mention the numerous times someone hollered out "sling me a beer, bitch tits." Kagome was just beginning to realize how difficult this was going to be when her eyes landed on Ranbou Ookami. The total came to one beer in hand, two on the table beside him, an ashtray with four smoldering butts while a fresh cigarette occupied his mouth, enough curse words to offend a sailor, and, lo and behold, he ripped off his shirt while declaring how hot it was. Kagome stared at the tattoos leaking over his tan skin and sighed heavily.

 

"Whoo boy. Um, I don't guess he owns any shirts with sleeves?" Kagome mumbled to Inuyasha.

 

The hanyou snorted. "Ranbou's arms are too big for sleeves, baby. He's lucky his school shirts don't rip open like the incredible Hulk."

 

"Well, my mom isn't big on drinking," Kagome confessed, gesturing to the beer bottles clinking together all over the room.

 

"What about smoking?" Inuyasha asked as he lit up a cigarette, allowing his smoke to add to the growing cloud.

 

Kagome shrugged, replying, "My grandpa smokes a pipe and my stepdad smokes too..." Kagome's face suddenly went white and she clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes the size of dinner plates.

 

Inuyasha asked urgently, "Kagome? Whassamatta? Are you gonna toss?"

 

"Oh, shit, I totally forgot!" Kagome replied without providing Inuyasha with an answer. "My stepdad's a cop. Oh shit. That's bad. Never mind, guys!" Kagome called out, waving her arms frantically. "Forget it, it's not big deal, I've got it; do something fun with your weekend."

 

"What? Why?" Rin asked snootily, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.

 

"My stepdad is totally a cop, it slipped my mind; don't worry about it," Kagome continued, grinning sheepishly. "Forget it."

 

The others exchanged glances for a moment, looking unsure as to what to do. Finally, Ranbou asked dully around his cigarette, "So he's a cop, big deal. It's not like we're gonna post a sign outside that says 'Southern Gangs Cleaning and Gardening service.'"

 

Kagome whined fitfully, "I know, but don't you think it's a little obvious that we're up to something...sketchy? I mean, when we roll up in Corvettes and Saleens and motorcycles, Tomo is going to know something's up. I mean, he spends his life enforcing the law, what do you think he would do if he found out I was in a gang and I'd brought all of my gang friends into our house?"

 

Skull and Bones exchanged a meaningful glance and finally, the former cleared his throat. He looked warily through his blonde bangs at Kagome, who was looking stressfully back. "Love, you don't mean Tomo Hokaido, do you? Chief of Police?"

 

Kagome drooped visibly, shoulders slumping like a pitiful child. "Yeah."

 

There was a general groan and several murmured curses which ran through the room. Ranbou looked down at the bottle in his hands and took a long swig; he was well on his way to drunkenness at only 6 in the evening, but there was really nothing wrong with that in retrospect. He could use a good drink at the current time.

 

Finally, Akago stood up and clapped his hands resolutely, calling out loudly, "Everyone, nut up. Stop whining about it and think rationally for a minute; as long as we keep everything under control, there's nothing that would say we're part of gangs anyway. I mean, how hard can it be to hide?" The white-haired leader strolled up to Inuyasha and jerked the cigarette from his lips, crushing it onto the ground. "None of this." Changing directions, he grabbed a trash can and swept the table clear of beer bottles, which landed in the bottom of the can with a loud clink. "And none of this. Shippo, come here for a moment."

 

At the front of the warehouse, a small head popped up from under a Corvette and Shippo came jogging up, tucking a greasy rag in his pocket. His red hair was disheveled and his face slightly red with the heat of the warehouse. "Yeah?"

 

"Dress like this," Akago commanded with an air of finality, gesturing the Shippo's current clothing; the gang members drew in the sight of slightly distressed jeans and a t-shirt, complete with a pair of black and white trainers. The boy had a cross around his neck on a modest chain and, besides the grease stains, looked like a normal middle school boy who could easily walk the streets of downtown and arouse no suspicion.

 

"See, it's not that hard; we all own these clothes," Akago reasoned, patting a confused Shippo on the back to release him.

 

As Shippo scratched his head and returned to his work at the front, Kagome began to look a little more at ease. "Yeah, I guess it won't be so hard," she said hesitantly, glancing around at her friends. "We should be okay, right?"

 

"We can always take the truck and Aya's got a Civic, I mean those are uncool enough to be normal cars, right?"

 

At this comment, everyone turned to looked at Ranbou, who had managed to keep his beer and cigarette during Akago's sweep. As he sat against the couch in jeans and unlaced motorcycle boots, smoking and drinking as sweat glistened over his inked body and light catching the gold hoops in his ears, the others raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances. This was going to be harder than they'd first thought, perhaps.

 

"What?" Ranbou asked rudely, throwing his arms akimbo and accidentally sloshing droplets of beer on his forearm. Cocking an eyebrow, he leaned down and licked it off.

 

Gan squinted and smacked her forehead with her palm as the others looked skeptically up at Akago. The boy was observing Ranbou, who still looked a little offended by all the attention. As if to punctuate the moment, Ranbou let out a hideous belch and giggled triumphantly to himself.

 

"Ranbou, stand up," Akago said commandingly, strutting towards the boy with his crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

Ranbou looked confusedly up at his fellow leader and stood, staring down at the Shark from his superior height. "Yeah?"

 

"Take out your earrings," Akago continued, crossing his arms imperiously.

 

The two stared unfalteringly at one another for a moment before Ranbou reached up and removed all six loops, letting the drop to the table beside him. "Anything else, your lordship?" the wolf asked sarcastically, looking like he'd rather spit in Akago's face than follow his orders.

 

"Put on some clothes," Akago replied, eyes narrowed.

 

Gan was holding back a laugh as Ranbou adopted a rather offended look, as though putting on clothes was a difficult task. Kouga just shook his head, marveling over his brother's stubbornness.

 

Finally, after a bit more staring, Ranbou reached down and donned his wife beater, which still allowed a good deal of his tattoos visibility. Akago sighed and asked disdainfully, "Do you happen to have any shirts with, say, sleeves?"

 

"That's a little difficult for me," Ranbou replied with conceit practically rolling off his back; he gestured to his muscular arms and said with a rakish grin, "Want a ticket to the gun show? Of course every day is the gun show pretty much."

 

Akago rolled his eyes plaintively and replied, "Look, either you wear a shirt that covers those ridiculous tattoos or you risk exposing us all, not to mention making Kagome's mother very uncomfortable. A nice woman like your mother would find this strange, would she not Kagome?" Akago asked while gesturing mildly to Ranbou's assortment of ink drawings.

 

Kagome shrugged and seemed to mull the thought over. "Well, we've never really talked about it. My biological dad had an entire holy scripture tattooed on his back, so I guess she doesn't really mind them."

 

"But it would be different if you came home with one," Akago reasoned, smiling at the thought.

 

Kagome was still and quiet for a moment before she finally mumbled, "Well, not exactly. I mean...she didn't mind it per say."

 

The others were incredibly silent, looking at Kagome with mixed looks of horror and wonder. Finally, Rin said with a touch of outrage, "You never told me you have a tattoo. Where is it? Lemme see!"

Kagome remained quite still, a blush tinting her cheeks. Finally, she said rather coldly, "It's no where I can decently show you, so just wait until we get home."

 

Several of the teenagers began to snigger and Kagome's embarrassment morphed into anger. "Hey! Everyone does stupid shit when they've had enough Jack Daniels to fill a tractor trailer, so shut up!"

 

The room went rather quiet as Kagome's angry face peered threateningly over her cheek bones at her friends; the quiet soon consumed them and not a laugh was heard. Akago recovered from the shock of Kagome's tattoo confession and murmured, "Well, that doesn't change to fact that Ranbou, you look like a common street thug."

 

Ranbou rolled his eyes and growled, "I am a common street thug."

 

"Well, try not to look like one. I'm sure Shitora will take you shopping," the Shark said with a dignified stare, eventually glancing down to pick his nails.

 

Several of the gang members present did double takes and hissed violently at Akago, making cut-off motions which clearly said "cut it out, that's a taboo subject." Kouga was just about to stand up and punch Akago with a murderous expression on his face when Akago rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Oh, come now, they made up this morning. He left French in a rush and came back smiling, what did you all think he did?"

 

"Jacked off?" Miroku supplied, shrugging. Sango hit him on the shoulder.

 

Ranbou actually blushed, a sight which many didn't live to see and mumbled, "Yeah, we fixed it."

 

"So you're back together now?" Kagome asked curiously.

 

"Yeah," he said even quieter.

 

There was a good deal of smiling and nodding, since the teens knew loud congratulations would just earn them an embarrassed punch from their wolf friend. Kouga retook his seat slowly, still keeping his eye on Akago; the Ookami children stuck together and were perfectly willing to do battle for one another. Akago noted this and nodded respectfully to Kouga, who nodded stiffly in return.

 

"Well, I'd love to chat, but I have to plan Homecoming because Shikaruni is getting apathetic in his old age. So unless you need anymore forceful motivation, I'm going to take off," Akago declared. Gan took her cue and rose from the couch, beginning to gather her things in a hurry.

 

Rin perked up at the word "homecoming," and began smiling brightly. "You're planning homecoming? Really?"

 

Akago glanced warily over at her. "Well, yes. Why?"

 

"No reason...just, if you wanted help with the theme I could-"

 

"No way, Rin, I don't want to go to some slutty Barbie homecoming dance," Sango interrupted, crossing her arms firmly.

 

Rin rounded on her friend and snapped, "Like you're one to talk, what if you got a hold of it? What would it be, crazy lesbian mechanic homecoming?"

 

The girls began to argue in shrill, high pitched voices and Akago looked on the chaos with an eye of intense confusion. Gan sighed heavily and took the boy by the shoulders, hurriedly leading him out of the room. As the pair ducked quickly into the car, sighing with relief as the screaming faded into a high pitched whine, Gan murmured mutinously, "Not smart to mention that in front of a bunch of women who are decidedly desperate to make their senior year homecoming good enough to satisfy their insecurities."

 

"Well pardon me if I'm not well versed in the ways of women," Akago replied mutinously as he threw the car violently into gear. "I haven't had much practice."

 

Gan narrowed her eyes. "Thank you for the slight, but at the current time I'm more concerned about Kagome and our situation this weekend. Shall we put James in charge?"

 

"Of course, I suppose that'll do fine," Akago replied absently as he rummaged around in the console for his glasses. "Do you have the glasses perchance?"

 

"Oh, they're on my head," Gan mumbled, taking them off and handing them to her friend.

 

The two talked business nearly the entire way home, completely oblivious to the fact that they're mannerisms and personal patterns together were entirely reminiscent of an old married couple. Even as the other teased, Gan and Akago would take time to admit the fact that, despite all planning and reasonable thinking, they were falling for each other. Hard.

 

*!*!*!*

 

Akago massaged his temples wearily, glancing haphazardly at the clock as the minutes ticked by; it was already 11:40 and he still had no leads on homecoming. Furthermore, he was supposed to be well practiced on "Themes on Paganini" for orchestra the next day. He'd only finished Kayo's grueling French homework half an hour ago and, even after all that work, was currently staring at a blank page. He could conjugate complicated French verbs but he couldn't organize a social event; how like me, he thought ruefully.

 

As he removed his spectacles to rub fretfully at his eyes, Akago's ears recognized the sound of a mug being set down before him. He glanced blearily up and drank in the scent of hot chocolate with a small smile suddenly appearing on his face.

 

"Thank you, Halloween."

 

The orange eyed demon nodded happily, silky black hair catching the light like ribbons. "I thought you might need it, Toumoku. You're making your grumpy face."

 

Akago couldn't help but chuckle as Halloween smiled widely and glided towards the sink to clear away some of the dirty dishes. It seemed that many of the Sharks were taking a late night as opposed to their usual 10:30 bedtimes; James entered the kitchen in his bed pants, opening the fridge to pour himself a glass of warm milk, which he set inside the microwave to warm. It wasn't a few seconds before Gan also appeared, hair restrained back in a French braid. She opened the freezer and withdrew a bag of frozen grapes which she began to pop into her mouth as she wandered towards the table where Akago was still struggling.

 

"Still caught up in the whole homecoming fiasco?" she asked conversationally, leaning back against the bar as she looked down on Akago's blank page.

 

The demon frowned slightly and angled his crimson eyes artfully up at her. "These things take time, Gan." When he returned his white head to his work, Gan only had to watch for a few seconds before it came up again. "Alright, go ahead and delight in it; I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

 

Gan shrugged, taking a seat across from him and readjusting the sleeves of her silky robe, which had been Halloween's birthday present to her just after her "coming out" as they'd taken to calling it. "I don't delight in it, I was just mentioning."

 

Akago was about to mouth off to her when he really looked at her for the first time; something about the tendrils of hair escaping the braid and dancing across her lightly freckled nose...it was simply beautiful to him. He must've looked for some time because Gan began to feel uncomfortable and cleared her throat.

 

"Oh," Akago murmured, blinking and adjusting his glasses needlessly. "Sorry, lost my train of thought. Your hair looks very good like that, Gan, did Halloween do that?"

 

"No, James did," Gan corrected, fingering the unbraided tip of her long blonde hair.

 

Akago blinked owlishly and then turned to address the kitchen area. "James, you old cad, I didn't know you were handy with things like hair."

 

James scowled, messy brown hair covering his eyes in the way that made him look decidedly like an axe murderer. "I had lots of sisters back home, Toumoku."

 

Knowing that "home" was practically a forbidden subject for James, Akago decided to change the subject. "Well, you've got quite the talent my friend; women would love you for it. Now, speaking of women, I should really work on this whole Homecoming thing. I don't even know where to begin, honestly."

 

"Oh, are we planning the dance?" Halloween exclaimed, head popping up from the sink where he was washing dutifully.

 

Gan cocked an eyebrow and popped another grape in her mouth, replying with her mouth full, "Why, do you have druthers, Halloween?"

 

"Of course! I've dreamed about my senior homecoming since...well, forever!" Halloween exclaimed, throwing his stick-figure arms akimbo. The way his face lit up made him seem rather like a little puppy with play-time creeping up.

 

Akago furrowed his brow, seeming generally confused by this idea, but he decided that beggars couldn't be choosers. "Well, come on over and help me then. You're better than a lot of crazy Wildcats anyway."

 

Halloween clapped his hands girlishly and quickly took a seat beside his leader, orange eyes sparkling madly. James rolled his eyes and took a languid sip of his recently heated milk, watching the whole scene with dull disinterest.

 

"Now...where should we start?" Akago asked, sounding a little lost. Gan smiled slightly at the pathetic look on her friend's face. For some reason, she found it rather cute when he didn't know what he was doing. It didn't happen often for sure, but when it did...he was almost like a child.

 

Halloween replied promptly, "With the theme, Toumoku."

 

"Alright then, and do you have any ideas on-"

 

"Masquerade!"

 

The reply was so resounding that Akago nearly fell back in his chair. After readjusting the neck of his shirt and replacing his glasses on his nose, Akago muttered calmly, "Alright, no need to shout. That sounds like a perfectly reasonable theme with lot's of possibilities. Gan? Input?"

 

"Whatever," Gan replied indifferently, chomping down on another frozen grape as she threw her blonde hair over the back of her chair.

 

"You don't like it, Kijo?" Halloween asked, smile fading as doubt crept up in his thin face.

 

Quickly catching her mistake, Gan replied with a smile, "Oh that's not it, Halloween, it sounds like a lovely theme. It's just that I'm not going so I shouldn't really be involved in the decision making process."

 

"You're not going?" Akago asked blankly.

 

There was a silence that stretched out like a blanket across the kitchen, muting every little sound. Halloween looked stunned and depressed by the idea of his Kijo missing out on all the fun while James just shook his head as though wondering how the other two men could've thought otherwise; homecoming just didn't seem like Gan's style. Akago, meanwhile, was still watching Gan expectantly, looking slightly...disappointed? Was that how she should categorize that look? The one where his lips curved down and his eyebrow turned up as though he was trying to look uninterested but failing. Those crimson eyes peered through his bangs like blood on snow; she just couldn't face him in that moment for some reason.

 

"Well, I mean, I've never gone to a dance before, why start now?" Gan replied, shrugging as though it didn't matter and eating a few more grapes just to keep her mouth full.

 

Akago replied bewilderedly, "Because it's more important now. You don't have to act like you don't want to go because I know you do, Gan; you're a girl and it's what girls do. They dress up and go out, there's no shame in wanting to check that out."

 

Gan cocked an eyebrow; was he trying to lecture her on girlhood? "I don't really have that urge, but if you want to go dress shopping and find yourself a handsome football playing prom date, go have at it."

 

"But what if a good looking boy asks you?" Halloween probed, angling his head to the side like a puppy. "Like that boy you have the date with this weekend?"

 

Gan blinked dumbly for a moment. "Oh shit. I forgot about that. I promised Kagome I would go with her to Kyoto, oh balls."

 

Akago grinned triumphantly. "Well, you'll just have to tell him no, won't you?"

 

"You would love that, I'm sure," Gan bit back, blowing a few stray hairs out of her face.

 

"And besides, if that little brat tries to ask you to homecoming, you can tell him that you're already going with someone," Akago continued as though Gan had never interrupted. He continued to write down thoughts imperiously on his paper, which was becoming less blank by the moment.

 

Gan regarded him strangely for a second before she echoed, "Going with someone? You want me to lie? Or you have a suggestion?"

 

"Me. Go with me," Akago replied, looking up momentarily and allowing their eyes to lock. Gan's violet stare was intense but somehow watery. They continued this challenging look as they absent-mindedly weighed the pros and cons, wondering as they always did who was the smarter of the two. Could they possibly do this? Could they possibly take things to the next level?

 

"Yeah, alright," Gan said finally, not quite understanding the thoughts going on in her own mind.

 

Akago let out a breath, staring at her still, though the small smile which wove its way across his features was unmistakable. Halloween allowed his eyes to drift back and forth between the two and he grinned like a rather bright Cheshire cat, long fingers interlacing as though he were imagining the day Akago and Gan held hands.

 

"Right then, first problem taken care of," Akago said in a half joking manner, obviously trying to pass off the moment to avoid any awkwardness.

 

James made a derisive sound of the grunting variety, though it went virtually unnoticed by the homecoming planners.

 

Halloween sighed wistfully, exclaiming rather like a child, "You're so lucky, Kijo; you've got a boy now. I still have to find one!"

 

The comment came absolutely without warning and Gan began choking on a frozen grape, coughing violently as she spit the little green fruit into her water glass. Akago bent forward so suddenly that his pencil snapped in two, echoing in unison with the sound of crashing plates as James sent his class tumbling unceremoniously into the sink. The three pairs of present eyes faced Halloween so quickly that even the garrulous orange-eyed demon was momentarily struck.

 

"What?" he asked innocently.

 

"Boy?" Akago recovered, mumbling over his words. "You want...a boy to ask you?"

 

"Of course, Toumoku," Halloween replied, cocking his head confusedly to the side. "What's wrong?"

 

"Well, that's an odd way to come out!" Gan complained, observing the half-eaten grape bobbing languidly in her water. "You never even told us you were gay, Halloween."

 

Akago shot his second-in-command one of his infamous looks, this one being of the "that was too blunt, Gan" variety. The blonde girl looked unperturbed and just shrugged unabashedly, using her index finger to guide the grape around the glass.

 

Halloween certainly looked confused now. "Gay? What do you mean?"

 

When Akago's words seemed to fail him, mostly because of the oddness of the question, Gan held up her hands as thought to say "this one's yours." The two were saved as James entered the conversation, placing his hands on the back of Halloween's chair as he explained the world, as though talking to a three year old.

 

"If you're gay, that means you are romantically and sexually interested in someone of the same gender as you. In your case, that would be men; are you romantically and sexually interested in men?" James barked, imparting this information militaristically.

 

Halloween seemed to ponder this question honestly for a moment, limbs tilted gracefully like a fashionable skeleton. Finally, he replied thoughtfully, "Well, I've never thought about it sexually. Romantically, I like men."

 

"Then you're gay," James announced, rolling his eyes to the sky as he exited the room to retreat into his bed where everything was uncomplicated.

 

Halloween shrugged. "Alright."

 

Akago sighed very deeply, removing the spectacles he'd taken from Gan on the drive home, and began to rub his eyes fretfully; it was becoming a very strange night.

 

"Maybe we should stop for tonight," Gan said, observing her leader carefully. "We can think about this in the morning. Halloween, why don't you go to bed?"

 

"Okay! Goodnight Kijo, goodnight Toumoku!" Halloween said brightly, leaping up from his seat and waving as he swished off towards the bunkrooms.

 

Akago watched the boy go sadly, suddenly seeming much older in the vague kitchen light. The far off quality of his crimson eyes made them look like a deep, wooden mahogany and Gan became confused; that wasn't just fatigue.

 

"Akago?" she said quietly; it was almost a question, a plea for him to help her understand.

 

Akago said quietly, "He'll be teased."

 

Gan felt her heartstrings give a desolate pluck and she winced, clapping a hand to her chest. Akago cared for all of his men, Gan knew that, but this was just such a heartbreaking situation; Halloween had never really cared enough to ponder his sexuality and being gay didn't really register with him. He had the mind of a child for whatever reason and it frightened Gan to think that his innocence might be ruined by whatever came next.

 

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Gan said strongly, sensing Akago's fading hope. She was almost hoping for him to give her validation.

 

The two met eyes, new homecoming dates and old friends, yet the sadness there was not of the ignorable kind. They knew they couldn't be there every time.

 

9191919

 

I know, I know, sorry; I was graduation speaker and I got accepted into my top choice college, WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC CLASS OF 2012! I'm done now. But in any case, if you live in the Boston area, I will soon descend upon you. I love Boston so much and the thought of going to college just makes me SQQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

 

I'm done.

 

Here's Inuyasha's playlist as our second installment.

 

Inuyasha:

1. To See Where I Hide- Silvertide

2. Taylor- Jack Johnson

3. Dysentery Gary- Blink 182

4. Bubble Toes- Jack Johnson

5. B R Right- Ludacris ft. Trina

6. Falling in Love At A Coffee Shop- Landon Pigg

7. Can't Stop- Maroon 5

8. Highway to Hell- AC/DC

9. Remember the Name- Fort Minor

10. Fallen Leaves- Billy Talent

11. Papercut- Linkin Park

12. I'm So Sure- Puddle of Mudd

13. Should've Listened- Nickelback

14. The Fear You Won't Fall- Joshua Radin

15. Stricken- Disturbed

16. Butterflies and Hurricanes- Muse

17. I Eat Dinner- Rufus Wainwright

18. Size Too Small- Sufjan Stevens

19. Everybody is Someone- Lifehouse

20. My Hero- Foo Fighters

 

Okay, expect the other chapters quicker. I'm going to try to get a lot of work done on the story this summer, hopefully it'll all come together so that by the time I get to Boston, I'll just be tying up loose ends. Love you guys.

 

KOLU