InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Laying Down the Law: Abuna i Dansu ❯ Regency ( Chapter 14 )

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

So here I go again, adding to LDTL:AID after years away. I feel like my life is whole again :)
I thought it might be interesting for people to know that this story formed the way I think about romance and until I find the Akago to my Gan, I will be completely and totally without love. Sigh...
Kouga’s Number One Fan: HEY GIRL!!! Okay, so I only got your review when I was halfway done with this chapter; I totally see what you’re saying, the OCs are taking over. It’s exhausting. So, I tried to add a little more real character stuff and next chapter is going to be almost 100% real characters; I’m going to make it long enough that I get in a scene with all of the original Inuyasha couples!
Alas....we continue!
When Sesshomaru announced to the Southern cores that their presence was required at an early morning meeting, he found himself met with little outright resistance. There was only so much aggression you could direct at Sesshomaru Taisho before you found yourself on the receiving end of a terrifying death. But the underlying sense was one of dread: school was bad enough  by itself but surprisingly lethal when combined with early mornings.
Bankotsu, Hiten and Jakotsu stumbled out of their sports car at 5:23 on that fateful Thursday morning, bracing their tender faces against the cold as they jogged towards the warehouse door. The winter had arrived full force and was currently berating the poor city of Tokyo with sub freezing temperatures, which met cruelly with strong ocean winds. Jakotsu squeaked pathetically and grabbed Hiten's coat hood to keep himself from blowing away on a stray gust; winter in Japan was truly awful.
There were several thing Bankotsu enjoyed, a small inclusion being football, cars and the smell of Mizumi's hair, but the sounds of vomiting was most certainly not in the mix. This is one particular reason why his entrance into the warehouse that morning was a poor one.
Despite the early hour, the strains of gritty rock bounced off the rafters of the cavernous warehouse, echoing faintly off the kitchen cabinets. The strains of human wretching provided a ghastly harmony and the three demons found themselves frozen in the doorway, both literally and figuratively, as they observed the scene before them. A dark head was buried in an empty oil barrel, throwing up heartily, while a hand stayed limply at it's side, cluthing a rusty wrench. A strong silence rang out before the invalid decided he'd had enough and raised his head.
Bankotsu snorted. Of course it was Miroku Houshi.
The pale faced boy seemed not to have noticed his demon visitors and shook himself thoroughly, as though trying to shake the sickness from his organs like splatter paint, before he leaned back inside the open hood of an aging RX-8 and began fiddling away with the engine.
Jakotsu snorted softly and glanced at Bankotsu, who shrugged enough to upset his long braid. He wasn't an authority on human illnesses and wasn't about to tell Miroku what he could or could not do.
Hiten exchanged looks with his friend before he approached Miroku, trying to make his subvertive demon footsteps loud enough to raise awareness. Miroku looked up at the sound of company and gave Hiten a watery smile, eyes drifting to the two newcomers behind him.
"Morning, Hi, Bank, Jak," he said in his usual friendly tone, sniffing loudly; his voice was dull and muted, as though he had two baby carrots shoved up his nostrils. Bankotsu winced; that certainly didn't sound pleasant.
"Hey buddy," Hiten began slowly, as though he were attempting to talk down a suicidal maniac from a cliff's edge. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Working," Miroku replied blithely, trying to sound lighter than he felt.
When he continued to wrench away, seemingly oblivious to the confusion around him, Bankotsu stepped forward to give his two cents.
"I thought you had the flu, Roku?" he asked tentatively, removing his gloves and shoving them in his pocket. It certainly was toasty inside the hangar.
The boy in question shrugged carelessly. "Eh, it's not so bad." He glanced up with pale violet eyes and muttered, "Anything's better than sitting in my house all day, know what I mean? I can't even have Sango over to visit. She might catch it."
Jakotsu snorted a second time. "And coming into work, touching all the tools, and throwing up in a barrel is preventing the epidemic I guess?" He batted skeptical glitter lashes in Miroku's direction, hip popped saucily to the side. Humans were so ignorant sometimes.
Miroku was momentarily distracted by Jakotsu's pink puff coat, complete with white leopard hood lining, before he internalized the insinuation. He glanced at the wrench in his hand and then at the car's mess of parts before swallowing nerously. "Oh. Crap." He could practically see his nasty flu germs crawling over the parts like a hoard of spiders. He'd infected the RX-8.
"Um...um..." Miroku turned this way and that, staring around the warehouse for a fix to his problem as the others watched in silent amusement. Finally, his eyes landed on a bottle of Lysol. "Hah!"
Miroku grabbed the bottle and began spritzing the car's inards, the tools, the door handles, the tables, and his shoes (for whatever reason.) The smell was at first heavenly and then rancid as flower scented cleaning solution permeated the warehouse air and Bankotsu grimaced; it was time to retreat to the kitchen. Jakotsu followed swiftly while Hiten bared the odor, hoping to calm Miroku enough to send him home.
"Okay, everything's clean," Hiten said with as much triumph as he could muster. "Why don't you go home and rest?"
Miroku's eyes grew far away for a moment as he imagined the pestering of his maids and the irritating German singing of his cook, Wolfgang, before he shook his head violently.
"No! I've been stuck there all week! No way" Miroku was feeling rather hazy and confused but decided that, no matter how terrifying Hiten's lightening power's were, he could probably take him. Yeah, what was demon strength compared to his superior human ingenuity? No fear!
"Miroku, what are you doing out of bed?"
Gan's voice was enough to scare Miroku into his coat and out the warehouse door in about three seconds flat, something which amused Hiten to tears.
Gan and Akago had risen only slightly earlier than usual, gathering Halloween and James for the early morning core meeting in earnest. They were met with no resistance, something for which they considered themselves very fortunate; the Sharks were easily the most well mannered group of young men in the Tokyo gangs. Thinking about it made Akago feel like a proud parent and he smiled fondly.
The great white haired genius glanced to his left as Gan tried valiantly to look comfortable despite her lack of coat; he'd offered her his own, which she stoutly declined. Gan had once owned a coat, but it had disappeared in the past year for whatever reason and she was now left to brave the cold with just her skin. The blonde set her jaw determinedly, as though she could tell what Akago was thinking and not the other way around; she refused to give in.
"Aren't you cold, Kijo?" Halloween asked curiously, picking up on the present vibrations easily. He was sometimes surprisingly astute, something which caused James to snort. Never when it counted.
Gan looked up at the lanky demon's questioning orange eyes, twinkling like two great suns, before she finally stuttered out, "I'm n-not c-c-cold, Halloween, I just have that kind of c-countenance."
Akago practically guffawed, pushing his glasses aristocratically up to the bridge of his nose. "Yes, of course, she's doing quite fine Halloween. Her excess pride keeps her warm in want of a jacket."
Gan scowled, pretty violet eyes glittering madly. She shot Akago a warning glance as they proceeded around the numerous car carcasses towards the kitchen area. "Yes, that's right, and Akago's finds himself warmed by excess lard, in both his gut and his head. We all have ways of beating the cold."
Akago actually frowned at this, working his way around her words before he murmured in a stunned reply, "Did you just call me fat?'
Gan smirked triumphantly, eyes narrowing smugly as she replied, "If that's how you take it."
James snorted and plopped down next to Jakotsu, who looked likewise unamused. Hiten and Bankotsu were listening to the argument in rapt attention, finding the intellectual fight quite fascinating; if not for the fat joke, it was like watching to dukes fight over a tract of land.
Akago looked down at his midriff, quickly shedding his coat and poking his midsection. He glared up at Gan as he knocked on his own abdomen imperiously. "You call this fat?"
Gan choked back laughter, hoping to keep her ruse going as long as possible. "I wouldn't call you a model, no."
Akago's red eyes transformed into mere slits as he lifted up his shirt tail, revealing an ivory white six pack akin to those gracing statues in the louvre. Gan gulped as she found herself reminded of Akago's adonis-like qualities; she should never have started this argument. Now he might just take off his shirt, which would render her speechless with awe no doubt.
"What part of this is fat?" Akago demanded, looking for all the world as though he were insulted beyond belief. Bankotsu, however, was quick enough to notice the barely visible twitching of the demon's mouth corner. Oh, what an asshole; he's just showing off his muscles! And here I thought he was some sort of aristocrat in a 'courtly romance.' Well, I'm all for furthering their love affair and all, but this calls for some friendly competition.
Bankotsu stood brusquely, lifting up his own shirt to reveal a stunning set of tan muscles the color of caramel. Their definition was impressive and practiced; even Akago had to glare at them enviously, his own quite forgotten.
"Yep, definitely not fat, Gan. If he's fat, so am I," Bankotsu said stiffly, obviously joking but still rendering Gan spluttering.
The blonde grew quickly red, cheeks a lovely cherry color as her violet eyes sought anywhere but the two naked stomachs. "Um...well, that is..."
Hiten rose to get in on the joke, revealing a nice six pack all his own. "Yup, guess I'm a fat ass too."
Gan covered her face with two lily white hands, trying not to peek through her fingers at the tantalizing sight as the three boys continued to comment comically on their muscles, occasionally reaching over the poke each other jokingly. The door to the warehouse opened to reveal the Taishos, all three of whom looked pleasantly invigorated by the winter weather; dogs were, after all, quite fond of the changing in seasons.
Shitora rose her eyebrows at the sight before them; it looked as though Bankotsu, Hiten and Akago were trying to embarass Gan with the sight of their abs and succeeding mightily.
"What the hell," the small girl muttered, snow white eyebrows disappearing into her hair as her ears twirled like satellites, trying to catch the barest hint of an explanation from the kitchen.
Inuyash observed the scene as well, cocking his head to the side. "Feh. Bunch of gays if you ask me."
Sesshomaru shrugged elegantly out of his black peat coat and draped it over a chair, adjusting his school tie officiously as he addressed the crowd in the couch area. "What exactly is going on, might I ask?"
"Oh, Gan called me fat and we're trying to see who's the fattest," Akago replied easily, giving his friends the scantest wink before returning his attention to Gan. "Did you find any fat yet?"
Inuyasha picked up quickly on the joke and joined the line, lifting up his own shirt and rubbing his defined stomach eagerly. "Oh yeah, I'm pretty fat. See all that fat? It's like Chris Farley in a school uniform, it's awful."
The other three boys gave mock murmurs of agreement, shaking their heads comically, as Gan felt her face grow even hotter. She turned her back on the sight of them and attempted to cool her face with her stinging cold wrists but to no avail. For some reason, the sight of stomachs in the winter time made her unbelivably embarrassed. At least in the summer, boys started out shirtless. There was something so intimate about the removal of clothing that it tied up her tongue in knots. Groaning slightly, the blonde shook her head to clear it.
"You're quite right Gan, I see that they're all quite fat," Sesshomaru agreed, crossing his arms judiciously as he joined in on the fun. The great dog demon was not one for naked antics, though he would certainly aid Akago in berating the poor Shark's second. Her serious nature made it delightful to mess with her.
"That's not what I meant..." Gan began helplessly, voice frazzled and cracking.
"Oh, no?" Akago asked innocently, crimson eyes dancing. "Because she definitely called me fat Sesshomaru, I was devestated. I might need therapy to repair the emotional damage."
Kagome, Rin and the Kyoto Jackrabbits trickled in next, observing the scene before them with a mixture of confusion and delight. "What in the world...?" Kagome murmured with a growing smile, throwing her hood back as she watched her boyfriend patting his belly comically.
"Ab contest?" Rin asked curiously as the discarded their coats in the growing pile.
"Well, if so, don't leave me out!" Skull cried happily, highlighter yellow hair bouncing as he jogged up to join the party. Gan turned around just in time to see the Jackrabbit reveal perhaps the most impressive muscles yet. "Surfing'll fix you right up, lads!" he declared, baring his naked abdomen proudly.
"Let Gan be the judge," Bankotsu insisted, jerking his head in her direction. "Whadya think Gan?"
The blonde attempted to control her embarassment, clearing her throat officiously and crossing her arms below her bust line, smirking quietly to herself as she saw Akago's mouth grow slack; she was quite aware as to the location of his gaze. "Well, Skull is winning, that's for sure," she announced, gesturing to the blonde's washboard stomach.
"Wicked," he grinned, fangs showing as Bones joined him, shaking his head in despair. Skull looked to his partner in crime and invited eagerly, "Come on, Bones, show the goods now!"
Bones glanced at Akago, who winked broadly at the redhead before looking at Gan. Bones followed the Shark's glance to the flustered blonde, who was attempting a regal posture whilst her mouth wobbled pitifully. She was clearly unused to looking at men in such a sexual manner. And the Jackrabbits were always ready for a good tease.
"Well, Gan, the winner is right here," Bones anounced heroically, cherry bomb hair standing tall as he threw out a triumphant arm. "Behold!" Bones revealed his own thin stomach, which bore absolutely not fat and no visible abdomen muscles.
Gan blinked at the sight. "Bones, you're positively skeletal!" she exclaimed, aghast at the sight. The lines were defined but almost feminine, curving delicately around his nicely stretched belly button.
"That is a serious woman stomach, Bones," Inuyasha agreed, face screwing up confusedly.
"I am not ashamed!" Bones declared, ripping off his shirt in its entirety and strutting boldly about the circle. "This is a thing of pride!" His long legs rose and fell with the precision of a soldier as Skull gave him a wild cheer.
Shitora had begun to understand the goings on and gave a stern look to Kagome and Rin, who nodded stiffly; they had a duty to their fellow woman. The three girls flanked Gan on all sides and placed their hands supportively on her shoulders.
"You're all pathetic," Kagome declared strongly. "Not exactly pick of the litter, is it Rin?"
"Definitely not," the Wildcats leader agreed, shaking her head with mock despair. "It's a pity Gan has no attractive guys to choose from."
"Yeah," Shitora agreed, narrowing her amber eyes sadly. "Serious shame."
The boys pretended to be outraged, blustering about their fortitude and gesturing to their still naked stomachs. This is when Sango and Ayame arrived with the Ookami boys in tow, all four of them appearing tired at first and then invigorated by the strange sight that met them.
"What the hell?" Sango muttered aloud, eyebrow cocked as she stared at the goings on in the lounge.
"Aren't they pitiful, girls? Not a muscle to be seen. Poor Gan will never be able to pick a winner from this lot," Kagome continued, frowning at her newly arrived girlfriends as they joined the other three at Gan's side.
"Got to agree, it's just sad," Ayame laughed, emeral eyes sparkling as she found her spirits higher than they'd been in days.
Kouga snorted and marched up to join the men, announcing, "Sad? These are South Tokyo abs! There are none better!" He lifted up his shirt with the strength of a champion and found himself echoed by a hearty cheer from the other boys. Many leaned over to slap his hands and bump fists as the girls rolled their eyes.
Ranbou rubbed his eyes sleepily as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, still a little confused about it all; he was groggy from a late night on the town, performing assassinations he knew would soon be split with the new core. Her surmised that was the whole point of this meeting, though he'd been avoiding Sesshomaru since their awkward discussion in the locker room. He knew the Fang leader was techincally his superior, but he tended to stray from thoughts concerning the matter; Ranbou was no one's underling.
"And what about your abs, sir?" Shitora asked loudly, breaking Ranbou out of his stupor.
The wolf demon blinked his ice blue eys curiously. "Er, what?"
"Let's see 'em, Ran, we have to make an informed decision," Kagome goaded, gesturing in his direction.
Still confused, Ranbou glanced down and lifted his shirt tails sleepily, revealing the most perfect set of muscles ever crafted by the Lord. The others gasped and murmured incredulously at the sculpting of his not six, but eight pack; right down to the crevices of his hip bones, Ranbou was built like God himself. Shitora found herself drooling slightly at the sight of his perfect coffee skin, but attempted to roll her tongue back up inside her mouth; now was, unfortunately, not the time or place.
"I mean...we walked around shirtless all summer and it's still a fucking miracle that he looks like that!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pointing to Ranbou's abdomen with one clawed finger. "How the hell?!"
"It's called working out," Ranbou joked gruffly. "Try it some time."
The other chuckled and Gan found herself finally done with her terrible task. "Ranbou wins. Sorry gentlemen."
The men allowed their shirtails to fall as they murmured things like, "No offense taken," and "Have to agree on this one." Sesshomaru smiled at the sight of his friends heaving such fun in these hard times, shaking himself back into reality as the other made their way to their seats and he moved to address the room.
Eyes quickly lost their humor and many shook themselves physically to renounce the comical edge in the air. It was time for a core discussion and this called for a serious nature. Gan took a seat beside Akago, who smiled reassuringly at her, all laughing gone from his smile as he turned his attention to the great Fang leader. Gan took his cue and turned her violet eyes to Sesshomaru, who looked older than his 18 years as he placed his hands placidly in his trouser pockets and began.
"As many of you know, we've tidied up many loose ends from the summer's altercations with Naraku Onigumo, but there are still many issues waiting to be resolved. Ranbou and I compiled a list of those remaining Spiders and assorted allies who needed to be exterminated in August, but it's come to my attention that, of those 139 names, Ranbou could not be expected to do away with each and every one of them. I also regret not including the other leaders in our decisions, as they included life and death and that is certainly not a job for just two men. So, in light of this, I've decided to create a second assisination core."
The others exchanged glances at Sesshomaru's words, muttering to each other as the dog demon waited for the fervor to settle. Ranbou continued to stare at his hands, folded surreptitiously in his lap, as Shitora shot him a questioning glance from the opposite couch. He refused to meet her eyes and the girl furrowed her brow, taking in the tightness in his shoulders and tired glint in his eyes. What was all this about?
"I've created a list here," Sesshomaru said loudly, raising his voice above the mild commotion and bringing the volume level back to a minimum. "It has on it ten names. They are to be members of the new core, unless they are violently opposed to the idea. I chose them carefully and assume that they will, in fact, be pleased. Here we go."
Sesshomaru paused momentarily before retrieving his glasses from his shirt pocket. "Excuse me, allow me to don my old man spectacles." This lightened the air in the room slightly and elicited chuckles from a few, though most remained tightly trained on the paper in Sesshomaru's hand, wondering if their names were on it. The dog demon read the list aloud.
"In the soldier core I have Kouga and Kina Ookami, Mad Max, Axle and Sango Tajiya. Serving as assassins, I have Halloween and Gan Kiretsu. As muscle, I have the Macharyas twins. The core will be lead and commandeered by Shitora Taisho. Any questions?"
There was a short silence, during which aghast stared were thrown coldly in Sesshomaru's direction, before the uproar began.
"How the hell did you pick them out of everyone else?" Inuyasha demanded, claws chinking distinctively in his rage. "I'm as good a fighter as wolf breath, over there!"
Kouga scowled and picked at his ear wax boredly. "Save the drama for your mama, mutt," he growled arrogantly. He certainly wasn't going to question his leader and best friend's decisions, however much he disliked them.
"And why'd you putt Kina in there instead of Koto?" Skull demanded, trying to keep his voice civil but still shaking at the idea of his beloved girlfriend in danger. Bones, however, was quite pleased to hear that Kotone's name was absent; he knew well enough that despite her skills, the beautiful wolf demoness would be unable to scream should she find herself in trouble on the streets. She was unfit for such a job and he thanked Kami for Sesshomaru's forsight.
"Never mind that, why are there no Cobras on the list?" Hiten jumped in, pointing an accusatory finger at Sesshomaru. His red eyes were alive with rage, which he was partially manufacturing if only on Bankotsu's behalf. He knew his leader would never raise his voice in protest, despite the fact that his ego was smarting rightly. The Cobras always seemed to be forgotten.
"I'm sure Sesshomaru had a reason for his decisions," Rin said reasonably, hoping to assuage the damaged nerves in the room.
"Well you're his girlfriend, love, you're biased and blind to reason," Skull snorted, crossing his tanned arms across his chest as he leaned back into the couch; he was quite irritated by all of this.
"That doesn't mean I don't have a level head, I'm a leader just like you," Rin snarled indignantly, remembering the numerous times when other leaders didn't take her seriously because of her gender.
"She's right, that's not fair Tobi," Kagome agreed, giving Skull a disapproving glare with her normally warm brown eyes.
"That's not fair? I'll tell you what wasn't fair, not asking our permission first before you put our elite members on this list," Ayame entered, cheeks as red as her hair with rage. "Fennella is already highly destructive, this will just make her worse!"
"Lysander will keep her in check, I'm sure," Akago said peaceably, hoping to bring this fight to a halt before it escalated.
His comment only caused the redheaded wolf demon to snort derisively, however. "Oh please, Lysander's a surf bum with no motivation whatsoever, he'll just let her run around like a machine gun without the safety!"
"And what's wrong with being a surf bum, might I ask?" Skull challenged, normally light blue eyes a simmering royal blue.
Gang members jumped from their seats and began shouting loudly at Sesshomaru and one another, arms flailing and fangs bared. Kagome simply sighed and glanced over at Ranbou, who had yet to raise his gaze from the ground as his claws twiddled away; he looked exhausted by the very idea of all this.
Shitora, on the other hands, was staring wide eyed and opened mouthed at her magnificent brother, her silver head quivering with surprise and what appeared to be a mixture of fear and anticipation. She was clutching her tan knees fiercely, though she wasn't sure if it was due to her inability to steady her vibrating body or make sure her legs were still sitting and not sprinting out the door. Never before had Sesshomaru given her such an important job, though she hardly thought this was the time for a responsibility such as this. Hesitating a glance at her statuesque boyfriend, Shitora's breath quickened; she remembered how compromised their fighting had been during the takeover, what with the pair constantly looking over their shoulders. What if she failed miserably and brought shame to her family? What if her actions put others in danger, even perhaps Ranbou? What if she got him hurt?
Screams of rage and irritation deflected off the rafters and bounced around the room, creating a veritable vortex of hate around the small lounge area. Sesshomaru's face remained unchanging during the entire fiasco until he finally shouted, "QUIET!"
The others stared at him with a mixture of fear and dislike, obviously displeased with his choices. As they quelled under his calm amber eye, the others finally retook their seats, deciding it was best to remain collected than lose a limb to the famed Sesshomaru Taisho's unpredictable wrath.
"I'll explain myself," the dog demon implored as though speaking to a preschool, "but only if you all just sit down and use your indoor voices like rational adults." He attempted to avoid a patronizing tone but realized, with the arrival of many annoyed glares, that he'd failed. Sighing, Sesshomaru ran a restless hand through his magnificent silver mane and breathed out, "I have a reason for everything I do, this list included. I'll go one by one. First of all, Kouga and Kina are both very quick and strong. Despite the fact that Kinanme occasionally loses her head to anger, she will not hesitate to kill; this could be instrumental in the operation of this core. Inuyasha, you are a good fighter in your own right but Kouga is much faster; quickness could be everything where assassinations are concerned."
Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms moodily, seeming to accept the explanation as readily as he could. Kouga narrowed his eyes but nodded slightly, knowing that Sesshomaru's choice was not one of favoritism but of trust; he would do his friend proud.
The Fang leaded continue. "Max and Axle have seen their fair share of fights and have operated together for many years; I feel as though their close friendship will bring to this core what Hakkaku and Ginta have brought to the Reikon core: stability. Max's subsequent ability to detect bombs and Axle's level-headedness make them prime candidates for the job." The others nodded; no one questioned the two Jackrabbits' abilities.
"Sango is, in my personal opinion, one of the only human in our ranks strong enough to bring something to this team. That is no a slight to the race, but a commendation to her; she is swift, quiet and sure. She is also very anticipatory, something that will aid the core the world over. I know Shitora will make use of her when planning these excursions." When Sesshomaru turned his eyes to Shitora, who was still staring dumbly at him, she managed to shut her mouth and nod an affirmation, one which hopefully looked more steady than it felt.
"Halloween and Gan are the most obvious candidates for assassins, as I'm sure you all know. Gan has proven herself time and time again, not only in shooting but in planning and physical endurance and strength. Halloween..." The Fang leader trailed off and turned to observe the orange eyed demon, who was smiling thinly at him. The wisps of black hair falling cutely about his face seemed to shift slightly as a glint appeared in his gaze; he was imagining the kill. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and continued. "Halloween, suffice it to say, has many skills."
"Now, the Macharyas twins, as you all know, are lion demons, making them the strongest among us." Though a few made as thought to protest, Sesshomaru held up a pacifying hand and said sharply, "I once saw Lysander lift an entire school bus by himself. Can any of you achieve that?" When there was silence, Sesshomaru continued. "I thought not. He and Fennella are impressively strong, as well as symbiotic; they will know what the other is about to do before they even think it. My hope is that the chemistry inside this group will carry it half of the way with Shitora's leadership controlling the other half. That brings me to the leader."
Sesshomaru turned his gaze on Shitora, who found herself suddenly scrutinized by several pairs of eyes. Many looked encouraging though others looked skeptical; she found, much to her irritation and dismay, that Inuyasha was giving her a disbeliving look. She wasn't sure if it was his jealousy or true doubt driving it, but it made her slightly angry...almost as angry as the fact that Ranbou couldn't seem to look up from the floor. Didn't he have any say in all of this? When she returned her amber eyes to Sesshomaru's, she suddenly realized that Ranbou probably had no control over this situation whatsoever; Sesshomaru had taken it completely in his hands, if only to keep Ranbou from assassinating the whole city in a month's time. He would do what had to be done.
Sesshomaru's gaze softened ever so slightly as he witness Shitora's thoughts reflecting in her eyes. "I know Shitora to be a very capable and intelligent young woman. She posseses the perfect mixture of stealth, strength and precision when it comes to fighting and technique. She is also an excellent leader, as she has proven in many capacities, both inside and outside the cores. She has also shown great discretion when it comes to private matters, perhaps the greatest asset of all: the ten of you are to speak to no one outside this room about your goings on. I'm sure that was made clear by the nature of this assignment."
Those present nodded their heads, many meeting Sesshomaru's eyes while others looked down at their hands or feet as they concentrated on the task ahead. The dog demon seemed satisfied and turned to Ranbou, who seemed to feel the gaze before it landed on him. The wolf demon looked up at his leader, ice blue and amber clashing almost violently. Sesshomaru knew the wolf demon couldn't be happy about this turn of events but knew it was necessary, if only to keep him in check. This was about the limitations of one man and the necessity of many others.
"Ranbou and his elite will, of course, be instrumental in the training of the new core. I hope to have you all on the streets in a week's time. I expect that the five new core members not present will be notified by the end of the day, either by their leaders or by one of the others in their team, is that clear?" Everyone nodded dumbly, most refusing to meet the dog demon's steely gaze; though he opened the floor for discussion, they knew it was ultimately his decision. He was, essentially, the Fang Lord. Rin frowned as this thought entered her mind. That was certainly not the way he was supposed to act, however readily the others were accepting it. How could you raise a question when your leader could not be opposed?
"Everyone is dismissed to work. The core will meet in the warehouse every evening at 7 to prepare," Sesshomaru said with an air of finality, removing his glasses and turning to approach the kitchen table; he had papers to deal with.
The others watched him go, murmuring quietly to themselves and each other, as Sesshomaru's silver hair undulated powerfully behind his wide shoulders. His decision was final, it seemed. The gang members scattered to different parts of the warehouse to resume their mechanical and administrative work, though the air was not light like other mornings; it was heavy with thoughts, fears and resentment. The latter was abundant in quantity.
Kagome handed Inuyasha a screwdriver as he threw himself into his work, blindly scrapping away at a Ford Bronco that had arrived the day previously. His amber eyes were unfocused as he wrenched and tore away at the metal, jaw tight and angular. Kagome could tell he was not only furious, but hurt by his brother's neglect. Sesshomaru had made it perfectly clear that he'd chosen Kouga for speed, but Kagome knew his choice had been badly misconstrued by his brother. Inuyasha always felt like second best in his sickeningly perfect family.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kagome asked quietly, crouching down as Inuyasha began sliding himself underneath the car's chassis.
Inuyasha grunted slightly staring at the dull undercarriage before he replied, "Not much to talk about, it's the story of my fucking life. Sesshomaru passing me over for things I deserve."
Kagome winced slightly; so he was going to play it cold. Deciding it was best to play to his sympathies, she said quietly, "Well, I'm sort of glad he didn't pick you. It's bad enough with you gone every Thursday night...I would hate to have you gone every night, getting shot at and stuff. I mean...I know it's part of the lifestyle and everything, but I wouldn't want you, you know, hurt." Though she'd originally been aiming to use this as a tool for turning Inuyasha's attitude around, Kagome found how deeply she believed her own words as she said them. When she finished, she could almost feel the tears creeping up in her wide brown eyes; she'd certainly fallen hard and fast, that was for sure.
Inuyasha paused and rolled out from underneath the car, watching as Kagome composed herself quickly and turned away from him, brushing a dismissive hand across her face. He could smell the barest hint of salt: oncoming tears. She'd quelled them well enough, but his face softened all the same. He could feel the edge whittling from his own anger quickly and he sighed, sitting up and reaching for his girlfriend's hunched form.
"Hey Kags, don't cry. I mean, I won't be out there anyway." No matter how much I wanna be.
Kagome snorted with laughter, trying to ignore the pain in her throat. "Yeah, I know, I'm just really tired and stupid." She turned back around to face Inuyasha and smiled strongly. "It's fine. Really."
The hanyou smiled at her, his small fangs provoking an honest smile from her own mouth. He moved towards her, trying to ignore the fact that this moment was taking place on the warehouse floor, and reached up to brush a strand of black hair behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere, alright?" he asked, gazing expectantly at her as he cupped her cheek.
Kagome closed her eyes and leaned into his palm, breathing a quiet "Okay," as she covered his hand with her own. His skin was still warm despite the chill outside and she smiled. He might just be hot with anger. Who knew.
Nearer to the front of the warehouse, Akago had rolled up his sleeves and set to work on a discarded Hum-V, not usually prone to work on cars now that his duties lay elsewhere but suddenly hoping to focus on anything but his thoughts. Gan watched as the white haired boy tied up his hair and set to work, muscular shoulders broad over the expanse of the machines insides. Halloween had seen his Toumoku setting himself into one of his moods and disappeared back into the kitchens, hoping there were enough ingredients to cook up something peacefully. This left Gan to observe her leader and close friend, perhaps more, dallying away in attempts to outrun his mind.
The blonde sighed and tucked her hair restlessly behind her ear, violet eyes wide and irritable. After a few moments of silence, broken only by the clanging of metal inside the Hum-V, Gan spoke up.
"Akago, talk to me."
With a sigh of his own, Akago bent out from under the machine, a smudge of grease already staining his bicep. He turned to face Gan with his own bloody crimson stare, trying to keep the pain and worry from his eyes as he asked plantively, "Is something wrong, Gan? I'd like to contribute to the work load, if I can."
Gan frowned and grabbed the wrench from Akago's hand, tossing it carelessly to the ground. "I won't let you distract yourself so ridiculously. It's exhausting for me."
The two Sharks stared at each other, Akago hoping that his superior height would deter Gan at least for now. Instead of allowing his stature to threaten her, Gan actually took a step closer to her leader, eyes narrowed strongly. They endured a brief stare down, during which Akago lost his edge and accidentally fell right into her stare; it was like drowning in an ocean of lavender, the most wonderful, peacefuly death he could've ever imagined. Gan's eyes softened almost immediately as Akago unwittingly lost control of his emotions and she saw him for what he really was: a fearful friend.
"Akago...what's really going on?"
The demon stared down at Gan, who's bottom lip was trembling ever so slightly as it tended to do when she was confused. Confusion wasn't a common feeling for Gan the Gun and Akago surmised it made her rather pouty. For the time being, Gan was staring up at him with wide violet eyes as her beautiful little face contorted with confusion and the slightest bit of sadness. He felt guilt consume him as he wondered if he'd put that unhappiness there and he sighed, running a lily white hand over his eyes.
"I'm sorry Gan, I just..." he trailed off for a moment, wondering how best to explain the current situation in his tangled mind. He leaned back against the door of the Hum-V, eyes distant as he finally tore them away from her. "I suppose I never imagined a time or place when I wouldn't be with you to protect you. I know that sounds masogynistic and a whole assortment of other things you hate, but I like protecting you and, despite the fact that you're entirely capable on your own, I hate to think of you out there...in such danger."
Gan's eyes quivered as her mouth steadied and she felt her throat tighten painfully. Though she would normally find his overprotectiveness smothering and unnecessary, she suddenly found it to be a most beautiful sound. Feeling suddenly small, she stepped towards him and attempted a smile, which failed pathetically.
"No need to worry, I'm sure. I'll have a whole host of people there to make sure I don't waste away. The lioness will be there and, assuming we don't kill each other first, I'm sure we'll be able to keep others from killing us."
Akago smiled slightly despite himself, knowing Gan was using her wit to cheer him, which of course it did.
"I'd rather you not deal with killing at all. Killing is the devil's business and I wish he'd stay away from South Tokyo," Akago mused darkly, glancing down at the floor as hate collected in his eyes. He was world worn at this point, embittered by years of being ruthless and hard. He'd never been the cold hearted murderer he'd been made out to be and it was beginning to hit him: he wasn't cut out for this life anymore.
Gan seemed to sense the feelings gathering inside him and daringly put a hand on his shoulder. "Akago, don't sink into one of your funks because sometimes I don't know how to pull you out. Don't retreat so far inside your mind that I can't find you again."
Akago glanced up at his beloved Gan, perfect in every way, her hand hot even through his shirt; she was magnificent, looking all emboldened as she stood up to him. He smiled lightly and reached out, surprising her as he cupped her left cheek and brushed a thumb lightly across her skin.
"You, of all people, know all of my hiding places, Gan."
His touch rendered her speechless and she stared back him, amazed at how cool his touch was; this was one of the most intimate physical moments they'd ever shared and, despite the sheer innocence of a hand on the cheek, Gan could practically feel her resolve draining out of her fingertips. She was just reaching forward to touch him in return when a loud bang interrupted the moment.
The warehouse door had swung mightily open as other gang members began arriving for morning shifts, talking noisily and yawning over their early start. Akago's hand dropped and Gan sighed, almost laughing as Akago shot the crowd his most terrible of glares. They didn't seem to notice, however, and continued on their merry way, greeting leaders and dropping jackets on the couches.
"I made biscuits!" Halloween announced as he arrived at their side, clasping his artistically long hands together with joy as he flounced about.
Akago laughed at the happy demon, massaging the bridge of his nose as he turned to Gan and said resolvedly, "Biscuits it is."
"Sounds delicious," Gan allowed, smiling in return as the trio trooped towards the kitchen.
Ranbou had contented himself with working on the Ducati, which still wasn't running quite right; Race Wars had certainly done a number on their bikes that year. He mostly focused on busy work, lest Shitora try to get a coherent word out of him, which he most likely couldn't provide. Despite what he'd predicted, Shitora had disappeared under the hood of a Honda Accord twenty minutes prior and not returned since. He could see her strong dancer's muscles bulging as she stood on her tip toes to reach something in the upper reaches of the car's mechanical mess, though her face remained buried. He sighed; this was all just one big train wreck.
As the regular members began to pour in, Ranbou kept a careful watch for two very special redheads, the both of which were about to learn their fates from his very mouth. When he caught sight of the Macharyas twins entering in their winter coats, talking quietly to each other, he dropped what he was doing and hurried forward, hoping he'd catch them first; this wasn't news he wanted delivered by someone else.
Lysander and Fennella could tell by the wolf demon's face that something was amiss.
Shitora paused in her work and watched as Ranbou began talking quickly and sternly to the twins, who regarded him levelly up to a certain point. When Fennella's mouth dropped, Shitora knew the news had been delivered. She couldn't say she was entirely pleased to be working with the lioness, whom she personally disliked, but all things considered the team could've been worse. At least in this case she could actually order Fenella around. The hanyou smiled craftily, fangs glittering; this might turn out to be fun after all.
Tobi Skull and Benkan Bones were currently trying to tell Mad Max and Axle of their new assignment in the most delicate way possible. Throughout the whole delivery, which Skull tried to let Bones handle as much as possible, the two soldiers' faces grew steadily darker. Axle's tan skin stretched slightly as he frowned, trying to take in the severity of the situation and responsibility with the proper level of respect. Max, however, looked completely unwilling; his gnarled face screwed up in a dangeorus scowl and remained there for most of the session until he finally held up his scarred hands to Bones, who stopped abruptly.
"Wait just a fucking minute," Max snarled, eyes narrowed to slits. "You're saying I'm sort of fucking soldier for a fucking core made up of members in gangs I don't even fucking belong to?"
Skull and Bones exchanged glances, realizing they hadn't actually thought of that; they'd been allowing their allegiance to the Southern gangs draw them in to a point where they actually felt like members. But it was easy to forget that they had no real ties to Sesshomaru where business was concerned. They were simply friends who happened to be in a gang and offered to hang out. Sure, Sesshomaru's name alone offered them protection in a city where many were unlikely to accept Kyotoites peacefully, but they weren't exactly his underlings, were they?
"Are you saying you wouldn't enjoy this?" Bones asked directly, eyes boring holes into Max's distressed skull.
Max was about to answer the question with a rude reply when Axle interrupted him, yellow eyes almost murderous. "Of course he wouldn't. Neither of us would because it's sick. Killing is sick and unnecessary. It's presumptuous of Sesshomaru to set us out to kill men we have no grudge against."
But Max disagreed. "Oy, you idiot, we have plenty of fucking grudge! I don't fucking transform for any Joe Shit waltzing down the fucking street and they made me! Maybe you don't remember the fucking warehouse incident but I do. I'd fucking kill them all, just not on someone else's fucking time." Max looked convicted by his own words, which he spoke quickly and angrily.
Axle had, of course, not forgotten the final battle during the war; he and Max, along with many friends from the Southern cores, had been forced into demon transformations by Naraku and his cronies. While Skull and Bones had been thankfully unconscious for the situation, neither Max nor Axle had forgotten the total helplessness which accompanied the awful incident. If it hadn't been for Sesshomaru's superior strength, who knew what sort of atrocities they could've committed?
Sighing heavily, Axle ran a restless hand over his sky blue dreadlocks and thought quietly to himself; he wasn't much of a killer and never had been. He was a peaceable sort of man who preferred to keep to himself and his friends. He didn't participate in fights unless it was absolutely necessary. Was this becoming one of those times?
At this moment, he and Kagome met eyes across the warehouse and she smiled happily, waving blithely at him as she handed Inuyasha a wrench. At the sight of her wide grin and innocent brown eyes, Axle melted slightly; the reasons for that awful war were all coming back to him. Just the idea of Kagome strung up on a cross in her underwear set his teeth to a strict growl. Those men had done wrong and those who hadn't paid should do it soon and in full. Hurting someone like Kagome was unforgivable.
"I'm doing it, Max, and I suggest you come along. You know I can't fight worth a shit without you," Axle said finally, giving his best friend a significant look.
Max stared back at Axle's calm yellow gaze with a heated one of his own, finally throwing up his lithe limbs pitifully. "Oh, what the fuck ever. Who cares. At least it's something to fucking do, ay?"
Kina and Koto Ookami arrived at the warehouse late, Kina looked blearily around and Koto happily waving to Bones as she entered. At the sight of his wolf goddess, Bones smiled broadly and waved in return, muttering to Skull out of the corner of his mouth as he did so.
"Be as unbiased as possible when you tell Kina. And don't be an ass."
Skull snorted and crossed his arms moodily, feeling uncomfortable in his school uniform; he'd never been one much for uniformity anyway. Kina snorted at him when she arrived, ice blue eyes still like a frozen pond in winter.
"You look about as jazzed as I feel," she muttered, giving him a slight bump to the chest with her fist.
Chuckling darkly, Skull replied, "You have no idea, love. Get a load of this. We had this meeting this morning..."
Sesshomaru was organizing papers distractedly, trying to ignore the death glares floating his way ever so often, when a piercing yell broke the air.
"FUCK YEAHHH!!"
The great dog demon glanced up at the scene over his spectacles, taking in the sight of Kinanme Ookami as she jumped up and down, large chest bouncing rhythmically along with her. She was grinning and pumping her fists, the subject of many odd stares as she did so, though Sesshomaru could only smile.
"At least someone's excited about their assignment," he murmured aloud, causing Rin to chuckle.
"Well you can't blame them, Koi. Think about it: you made a list of names and told them to go kill people. That's not exactly something you should be deciding on your own, I don't think," the girl mused, doll features pursed as she signed off on an inspection renewal.
Sesshomaru paused and removed his spectacles, turning to stare at her. He hadn't expected resistance from her, of all people, but that was Rin's gentle way of telling him he'd made a mistake. She never simply stood there and told him "you screwed up." She laid it all out in a reasonable fashion and normally had him agreeing. He was currently trying to find the conviction he'd mislaid somewhere; it was absolutely necessary should he want to retain control of his gang.
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, all of us can't agree on one thing together, so I simply made the decision myself. Besides, I have the authority to do so," Sesshomaru replied imperiously, replacing his spectacles on his nose as he tried to calculate a sum in his head.
Rin only sighed, tapping papers on the desk as she shuffled them into a straight pile. "I think that's the problem, Sesshomaru; you think you have the authority to do things you really have no business doing. Just because the laws you laid out say you can do something doesn't mean you should. I think the nasty stares your getting should tell you something about the choices you've made, hm?"
And with that, little Rin Takeyama took her papers to the filing cabinet and began refiling them in the proper folders, completely ignoring Sesshomaru's gaping stare. Rin rarely told him off and this was about as close as she came to doing so in a civil tone. Anything past this would most likely end in a physical altercation, meaning one where she hit him and he stood there like an idiot. The dog demon sighed, massaging his temples wearily. This job was going to turn his hair gray...except for the fact that silver was already close enough.
Good. No one will be able to tell that the Fang leader is an old man.
Shitora watched her brother sink his head in his hands for the merest moment before he was back in top form, sigining papers like a regal monarch. She sighed slightly, rubbing a hand across her forehead; she was already disgusting from working on the car and would most likely feel disgusting for the remainder of the day. She just wanted to get to dance and twirl away her fears, if nothing else. The hanyou's thoughts bounced this way and that, never settling on one thing for more than a moment; she was desperately trying not to think of anything pertaining to the assassination core she was now heading, nor the organizational effort it would take, nor the time, nor the mental fortitude.
For now, she would simply content herself by staring at Ranbou, who was leaning handsomely against a truck door as he spoke with his best friend. She smiled softly; if the ab contest had proved anything, it was that her boyfriend was the hottest. Her grin grew toothy; at least she was winning in that respect.
Worry consumed her again as she realized that they would soon be fighting back to back on the battlefield. Certainly she hoped that few fights would ensue; assassinations were theoretically supposed to be quick and one sided, though she knew from experience that they didn't always turn out that way. Ranbou had the scars to prove it.
I'll just put on the tough Taisho face and get the job done. If I distract myself and everyone else long enough, maybe I can draw attention away from the fact that I'm actually scared shitless by all of this. Yeah. That's safe, right? Right.
The hanyou girl began to hum as she continued her work, blissfully unaware of the ice blue stare that had finally found its way to smiling face. Ranbou couldn't believe how blithe she looked; maybe she really could handle this after all. Maybe that made him the unprofessional one, come to think of it. He watched her work for a moment, admiring the curve of her lips and the beautiful height of her cheek bones. Her eyes were currently the placid color of warm honey and he felt enveloped by them, even from afar. It was only when he blinked and imagined her white face covered in rivulets of scarlet blood that his innocent dream was shattered.
The wolf blinked hurriedly, trying to dispel the horrifying image; he even went so far as to rub his eyes vigorously, trying to scratch the sight out of his corneas. Lysander, who had been working peacefully beside him, glanced up at his long time friend.
"Ran? Are you okay?" he asked quietly, trying not to draw unwanted attention lest Ranbou get flustered and unreachable.
Startling at the sound of Lysander's voice, Ranbou met eyes with the redhead, who was regarding him quizically. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good," the wolf lied dismissively, turning to continue his work on the broken door handle.
Lysander was hardly fooled. "Really? I've got the strangest feeling that you're lying through your teeth, man."
"No, I'm really fine, swear," Ranbou repeated, not daring to meet eyes with the only one who could see through his facade. Lysander was very dangerous in that respect.
"So you're completely cool with this whole extra core thing? That's all good with you?" Lysander pressed, straightening up and toweling off his hands on a grease rag as he watched Ranbou's twitching shoulders attempt to find a resting place.
The hulking wolf demon replied nonetheless, "Yup."
"And the fact that your girlfriend is heading it up doesn't bother you at all?"
"Nope."
"Not even the fact that she'll be in mortal peril almost all the time now?"
Ranbou threw down the errant door handle, growling fiercely, "Fuck, yes, it's all fine! Jesus, Ly!" The boy gripped the back of his head in a blind rage, teeth gritted and ice blue eyes a sudden navy as he seethed; he had his own secrets to keep, secrets not even Lysander could hear. He couldn't possibly tell him that Shitora Taisho was the very breath in his body and he couldn't stand the thought of her walking the world in constant danger from enemies, her pretty smile teetering as she was attacked from all sides, blood pooling at her feet...
"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Ranbou continued in a much calmer voice, so calm that Lysander felt his hackles rise at the sound of it.
Emerald eyes mournful, Lysander shook his head and muttered, "Alright, man, whatever you say," before returning to his work, hoping that all of these secrets didn't creep up to bite Ranbou in the near future. You could only keep so many things to yourself before you burst and Ranbou was already the king of explosions. Hopefully, this would all work itself out peacefully and end with a positive result.
Though Lysander just knew it wouldn't.
"Okay...lemme see here...what are we on, like the pluperfect tense? This book is so confusing."
Shitora thumbed through her French book as the room filled with the sounds of dialogue practice. She and Ranbou were currently looking for excercise 7b, though the hanyou had noticed that he boyfriend was thoroughly distracted. She was betting it had something to do with her appointment to the core, but she had more pressing things to worry about, such as her grades. And French. And school.
"Alright, this wants us to use the following verbs in the pluperfect tense in a sentence," Shitora informed Ranbou, who was tipping back his chair precariously on two legs and thinking about cigarettes.
He glanced down at the list, spotting the easiest one quickly. "Nous avions atteint une conclusion."
Shitora scowled, her amber eyes growing dangerously golden. "Really? 'We had reached a conclusion?' That barely even makes sense."
The wolf shrugged and glanced backwards as the tip of his ponytail almost touched the floor. "So what? It's just dialogue practice, who gives a shit?"
"I do," Shitora replied irritably, crossing her legs Indian style on the little chair as she peered down at the list. Souhaiter, the word meaning "to wish." She smiled craftily; perfect.
In a practiced French accent, she announced silkily, "Je ne vous ai pas donné un pipe comme vous avait souhaité."
Ranbou seemed to ignore this sentence, which included the word "pipe," something he wasn't familiar with, and soldiered on. Shitora grinned at her secret joke, which was sailing right over Ranbou's head, and decided to keep it up.
Ranbou made some strange half sentence with the verb meaning "to fly," and Shitora fired off another dirty French sentence.
"J'avais décidé de faire l'amour à vous quand un autre garçon a marché en. J'ai changé d'avis."
This one caused Ranbou's eyebrows to raise as he recognized the phrase meaning "to make love," thought he doubted she'd actually said it. He was drifting in and out of consciousness today, floating from one thought to another and not really caring what went on in school. He knew he'd eventually have to discuss this whole core business with Shitora, but was hoping it would all come down later rather than sooner. He was dead beat tired, after all.
After another of Ranbou's witless sentences about writing, Shitora decided on her crowning glory. The word "demander," meaning 'to ask.'
"J'aurais eu le sexe avec vous l'autre nuit si vous aviez demandé." She said this last one softly, looking at Ranbou with her golden eyes and her pretty face slightly flushed; in all honesty, she was perfectly serious.
Ranbou blinked mightily and sat up so fast that he almost sent his books flying. "What was that?" he asked blearily, cocking his head at Shitora's beautiful face. God, she was distracting.
"You heard me," she replied quietly, looking up at him so cutely that his legs almost turned to jelly. It's a good thing I'm sittin' or we might've had cardiac arrest on our hands, he mused.
"Did you say...that you would've...really?" he spluttered, looking stunned by the admission.
Shitora had just announced to Ranbou that she "would have had sex with him the other night if he had asked," 'if he had asked,' being her pluperfect phrase (conjugated quite well, if she did say so herself.) Ranbou was too busy worrying about the sentence's content to bother with the grammar. The couple had barely touched on the idea, since he was fairly sure she was scared of sex and he didn't want to push her, but this was quite the development. Ranbou wasn't afraid to admit it: having sex with Shitora Taisho would be the fulfillment of his most glorious fantasy.
Shitora only continued to stare at him, her eyes simmering dangerously; he knew that look well. She was waiting for him to make his move, in the metaphorical sense; she looked for all the world like a cat waiting patiently on the windowsill to be stroked. Ranbou groaned slightly and ran a tired hand over his eyes; he wanted nothing more than to rip her clothes off, but somehow he doubted that his close friends, Kayo, and Sesshomaru especially would appreciate it.
"I wish you'd told me that in a place where I could actually do something about it," he chuckled, smiling for the first time that day.
Shitora couldn't help but giggle, watching as Ranbou loosened his necktie helplessly, smoothing the top of his head near his samurai knot; she certainly knew how to push his buttons.
"Sorry, couldn't help myself. You're so distracted today," Shitora mentioned off handedly, hoping Ranbou would explain himself but knowing it was unlikely.
The wolf smiled slightly, ice blue eyes cutting swiftly to her core. "Yeah, just tired. Maybe having someone to help with the work load won't be all bad, y'know?"
Shitora eyes widened hopefully as she wondered if this could be considered his blessing. Her musings were cut short, however, as a shadow descended upon the pair in the form of Kayo, their terrifying ex-Shark French teacher.
"Well, well. Your French is so awful it's beginning to sound like Japanese," Kayo said stiffly, cocking one pierced eyebrow and looping his hands calmly before him.
Both Ranbou and Shitora stared fearfully up at him as their friends sniggered at the sight.
Shitora's quick mind brought about the most hopefuly solution. "Désolé, le rofesseur. Ranbou et je discutais la dichotomie entre français et Japonais; quelquefois leurs syllabes sont similaires," the hanyou said smoothly, bowing her head respectfully as she stood to her feet.
Kayo observed her silently for a few moments, crimson eyed narrowing coldly. Finally, he replied, "Very impressive, Ms. Taisho. But your French skills do not excuse you from the rules of the classroom. The next time I catch either of you slacking, it will be detention. Is that clear?"
"Hai, sensei," they both replied quietly, Shitora with reverance and Ranbou with slight confusion; he'd barely understood a word of Shitora's reply to the professor. Sometimes, the gap in their intelligence was disheartening for him. Ranbou sighed, sparing a glance at Shitora as she retook her seat, cheeks a hot red with embarassment.
He sighed, smiling slightly; she was still adorable.
The students of South Tokyo had decided to take their lunch inside for the first time since Kagome's arrival. She gazed around the lunch room, which was the a-typical wide linoleum space filled with benches and fold out tables. It smelled of cafeteria food, which always reminded her of dog food for some reason. It was odd that cafeteria food always smelled like meat, really; it wasn't always meat, was it? There were vegetables some times...perhaps not. She'd been bringing her lunch in a bag since her freshman year following a not so pleasant incident with school lasagna. Her stomach lurched just thinking about it.
After her time away in Kyoto, Kagome had decided that this was the perfect time to reunite with her Nakama. There was little turmoil between them, but she was slightly concerned about the lack of progress as well. It didn't seem promising that her most positive fact about leading them was "that we don't want to murder each other anymore."
There was a slight silence at the table as the girls ate their sandwiches in silence, glancing around at each other as though waiting for the first person to talk. Kagome was about to say something awkward about the weather when Katia interrupted her thoughts with an evil snigger.
The leopard demon's spots contorted as she chuckled, earning herself a punch to the arm from Knight, who was blushing furiously. She attempted to use her purple hair to shield her face as she growled, "Shut up!"
Kagome cocked an eyebrow and observed the pair, finally asking hesitantly, "Do I want to know?"
"Knight's in love, it's pefectly natural," Katia snorted, errupting with furious laughter as Knight allowed her head to fall piteously down on the table, forehead connecting with the wood with a "thump."
"Will you just shut the fuck UP?" she moaned pathetically, grabbing at her violet hair desperately.
Kagome smiled slightly, with just the nearest hint of confusion, before Katia leaned across the table conspiriatorially, whispering loud enough that the others could hear the news clearly.
"Knight has a little crush on one of the Cobras and it's eating her alive; it's great," the leopard simpered, smiling twisting upwards in a devious fashion.
"Kill me," came Knight's muffled moan from the table's edge.
Kagome smiled and announced, "Well, I think it's wonderful; crushes are healthy. Who is it, Knight?"
The demon lifted her pale face slowly and dragged her hands down her face, replying. "It doesn't matter since he doesn't even know my name. So just forget the bitch mentioned it. I don't do crushes; it's going away, I swear."
Katia grinned uncontrollably, replying, "Well, good, because he's coming this way."
Knight let out an "eep" and sat up straight, crossing her legs strategically and attempting to look as casual as possible; she only succeeded in looking mildly constipated, a fact which didn't escape Mixmatch's oddly discolored eyes.
"Do you need a laxative?" the monstrous girl asked, cocking her head to the side like a curious chihuahua.
Kagome hushed Mixmatch with one stern glare as the object of Knight Sukai's affections arrived at the table, smiling his usual blithe smile and winking warmly at Kagome.
"Hey Kags. Thought I'd see if you'd trade me desserts," Hiten Mitsarugi asked, hefting a chocolate pudding cup aloft in his skilled hand.
Knight paled visibly; he was standing just behind her, close enough that they could've touched. Kagome played it cool, cocking an eyebrow at her demon friend.
"You don't want chocolate pudding, Hi? What's wrong with you?" she joked, reaching into her lunch bag and withdrawing cherry jello to complete their trade. "Cherry okay?"
"Yeah, just great," Hiten agreed, braid falling over his shoulder as he leaned forward to barter with the Wildcat leader.
As he leaned over her shoulder, Knight's face seemed to lose all conceivable color and Katia could barely contain her laughter. She forced herself to bite down on the thickest part of her sandwich, using the meat and lettuce to silence her tongue.
"A girl never turns down chocolate," Kagome informed Hiten with a playful glint in her brown eyes. "I still don't understand why you're giving it away in the first place."
"Because he's allergic to chocolate," Knight replied before she could stop herself, biting down on her lip so hard that she almost drew blood. Damn, now she'd done it; nothing said "stalker" like knowing a list of foods he might be allergic to. The other girls muffled their assorted sound of hilarity, horror and frustration into various napkins and food items. If Hiten noticed anything strange about the Nakama's behavior, he said nothing.
Instead he smiled brightly and glanced down at Knight, exclaiming, "That's some memory you've got there, Knight! Right on." He reached down a hand for her to slap, which she stared at for several glorious seconds before returning the high five.
"Knight has a great memory. She's also good at history, fuel injection system repairs and plays first chair oboe in the orchestra," Kagome said brightly, ignoring Lea Skinner as she slapped her own forehead several chairs down.
Though Knight looked as though she might vomit right onto the table, Hiten only smiled quietly and replied, "Duh, Kagome; tell me stuff I don't know." With this he raised a hand in parting to the others and walked back to his own table, which he was sharing with Bankotsu, Kouga and Sesshomaru.
Katia watched him go eagerly, her leopard spots quivering with pressure, before she finally released a hearty string of laughter. Many of the other girls joined her, earning growls and hisses from Knight as she returned to her usual charming self. Kagome grinned at her girls, who were finally acting like average teenagers; it was refreshing when contrasted with their usual gruff and business like demeanors.
"That was very smooth, Kijo," Seila the muscular wolf demon interjected with the smallest of smiles, bending her black head over a strange looking meat dish.
Kagome exclaimed with mock surprise, "Did you just make a joke, Seila? Gasp! What is the world coming to?" And with this, Kagome leaned over and rubbed the girl on the head, earning even more laughs from her Nakama members as Seila blushed furiously under her Kijo's scrutiny.
"And even after Knight's freaky creeper comment, he didn't even make a face; I think you might actually have a shot," Mixmatch sniggered, different colored eyes glittering with something besides malevolence, for once.
Nana, who had be silent for some time, looked at Knight through her eery white bangs and announced, "He looked interested in you, actually." The others looked down in surprise at the shadow demon, who was usually known only for her violence; she was smiling, if only slightly. It was highly abnormal for her to get involved in matters such as this one, but perhaps she was feeling frivolous this day.
"I wouldn't go that far," Katia interrupted, frowning baldly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Oh no, Kijo, I agree with Nana," Mae'Ora agreed silkily, exchanging looks with the shadow demon for the merest second. Her electric blue eyes sparkled mysteriously as she announced, "His thoughts were of great interest."
"Well don't waste time, what was he thinking?" Knight demanded, leaning towards the water sorceress with a crazed look in her own stare; this was perhaps the only time she'd found the other girl's gift to be helpful and not terribly disturbing.
"No telling," Mae'Ora replied however, ignoring Knight's curses and pouts as she gave Kagome a knowing glance from down the table. Kagome grinned as well; she caught Mae'Ora's meaning quite well.
On the other side of the lunchroom, Hiten arrived back at his table in a rather tight hurry, sitting down with such force that Kouga actually dropped his granola bar in surprise. Bankotsu raised an eyebrow at his best friend, who looked to be somewhat nervous and somewhat murderous with rage, with only the tiniest hint of delighted in the mix.
"Is something wrong, Hiten?" Sesshomaru asked, silver eyebrow cocked as he tore his attention away from his grilled chicken breast and directed his focus on the Cobra second.
Hiten delicately ignored Sesshomaru's comment by turning to Bankotsu and asked tightly, "Bank, did you maybe share information that you promised not to share with another living person on this planet? Like about a girl? That I begged you not to repeat?"
Bankotsu stared at Hiten's handsome face, which was contorted with a melting pot of emotions, before replying slowly, "Um...no? Sorry man, you lost me at 'did you.' What happened over there?"
"Kagome knows something," Hiten continued, ignoring Bankotsu's question as well. The lightning demon looked conspiriatorially around the table, explaining, "She was smiling in that way she does when she's trying to be sneaky. And she gave me, like, a list of reasons why she was so great. It was weird."
Kouga interrupted with an upraised hand, "Okay, hold up. Who is she?"
"A one purple-haired goddess," Bankotsu joked good naturedly, earning an exasperated look from his best friend.
"Okay, see? That right there is what I was explicitly asking you not to do!" Hiten exclaimed, crimson eyes turning a dangerous marroon.
"What, you mean...Sukai? What's her first name?" Kouga asked, squinting as though trying to remember the name belonging to the pale and familiar face.
"Knight," Sesshomaru replied, politely covering his mouth with his napkin as he chewed. "One of Kagome's Nakama members." When Kouga looked surprised, Sesshomaru continued with a small shrug, "It's my job to know everyone's name and title. So sue me."
"And I tried to act like I didn't notice, but the other girls at the table were, like, cracking up. I couldn't see Knight's face cause I was right behind her, but I bet she was laughing too. She was sort of shaking, but it was hard to tell," Hiten moaned, allowing his head to fall to the table with a tiny thud. "I'm so fucked. Stick a fork in me, I'm done."
After a slight pause, Bankotsu hefted his fork and poked Hiten in the arm. When the other demon yelped and glared at his friend, Bankotsu replied dumbly, "What, you said to."
"Okay," Kouga interrupted, blue eyes laughing as he continued seriously, "Hiten, I'm pretty sure you could get any girl you wanted to and I bet she's no different. Just ask her out, not hard."
"This coming from the guy who didn't ask Ayame out for, like, 7 years," Hiten replied tersley, earning a chuckle from Sesshomaru.
"He's got you there, Kouga," the great leader laughed slightly, ignoring Kouga's well placed growl.
"Kouga's right, Hi, just do it. Don't think about it," Bankotsu reasoned, messing slightly with his braid as smaller hairs danced at the nape of his neck.
Hiten, who was on the defensive by this point, snorted and leaned back in his chair, crossing his muscular arms as he retorted, "And that coming from the guy who fucks everything in a skirt."
Bankotsu's smile soured. "I do not."
Kouga only laughed, grinning the garulous Ookami grin. "Yeah you do, c'mon Bank. What was it, 20 different girlfriends just last year?"
"I do believe you once claimed to 'never sleep alone, rain, shine or otherwise,'" Sesshomaru agreed, amber eyes almost severe but with a hint of humor.
"Well, I'm not like that anymore," Bankotsu argued, fangs glimmering slightly as he grew irritable with the topic of conversation.
Hiten ignored his best friend's irritation, only continuing to goad him with a large grin. "Oh, yeah, you're not like that anymore. For all I know you were riding away on some chick last night when we were on the phone."
Kouga laughed helplessly at the suggestion as Bankotsu growled, "Jesus, I wasn't! I haven't been with a girl since May, so give me a fucking break!"
As Bankotsu said this, many of the tables nearest him went silent and turned to look at the four boys, three of whom were wearing identical expressions of smug humor as Bankotsu sighed and covered his face with his hands; and the day had started out so well...
"Aw, got some blue balls, Bank?" Hiten asked, clapping the other boy on the back heartily.
Kouga snorted. "That's almost...like, five months, dude. Rough."
"That is quite a long time," Sesshomaru conceeded, musing quietly to himself; five months without sex wasn't exactly his specialty, as he hadn't gone without since his freshman year in high school. Of course, this seemed completely irrelevant, as he was currently dating the most beautiful and perfect girl he'd ever laid eyes on. So, case closed.
Bankotsu had apparently also decided that this conversation was over and rose abruptly, grabbing his bag and mumbling, "I'll catch you guys later, I have...stuff to do." And with this, the Cobra leader exited the lunch room quickly, braid whipping behind him.
Hiten watched his best friend go, sighing slightly. "I didn't mean to piss him off; damn."
"Don't worry, Hi, I bet he's just tired. Forget about it," Kouga urged, smiling disarmingly. Hiten just nodded unsurely, returning slowly to his lunch.
Bankotsu stormed down the hallways of the school, occasionally allowing his hand to cuff the doors and locks of the many lockers, sighing tersley ever so often. For some reason, talking about sex with his friends had seriously set him off; he was used to being the big man on campus where stuff like that was concerned, but the summer had been such a cluster of violence and business that he hadn't had the time. As for the current semester...his thoughts were suddenly invaded by a doll-like face and beautiful red eyes.
He blinked.
He'd been busy this semester. Yeah, that was it.
Bankotsu found himself drawn to his usual smoking place, right outside the east wing near the woods' edge. He couldn't help but remember the warm day of the waning summer when he and Mizumi had laid in the grass, coming so very close to finally kissing...God how he longed to kiss her.
Damn.
"Fuck!" he cursed violently, throwing open the door and finding himself rewarded with two identical grunts of surprise.
Bankotsu stared at Inuyasha and Ranbou as they stared at him in return, eyes comically wide and mouths closed around cigarettes. The two demons looked tensed, as though ready to battle whoever might come bursting through the door, but Bankotsu finally relaxed; he'd smelled their scents on the landing before and knew that his secret place wasn't quite so "secret." It didn't really matter in the end, as long as he could take a nice long drag of nicotine.
"Hey," he murmured, dropping his bag and allowing the door to close behind him as he lit a cigarette blithely, cupping his hands around the flame.
Ranbou and Inuyasha sighed in unison and relaxed as well. "Hey," the large wolf muttered in return.
The trio was silent for a while before Inuyasha turned to Bankotsu and asked boredly, "So what's your deal? You seem pretty pissed."
Sighing and releasing a stream of steady smoke, Bankotsu focused his crimson eyes on the treeline and replied darkly, "Just irritable. The guys were making fun of me at lunch because...hell, I don't even care anymore. It's...been awhile for me, you know."
Though he half expected Ranbou and Inuyasha, two of the biggest proclaimed "assholes" in the South, to laugh heartily and poke fun at him, they only nodded slightly, seeming unperturbed by his admission.
"Join the club," Ranbou snorted, drawing in on the cigarette like his life depended on it. His normally roguish tan face was solemn and lined.
"Seriously," Inuyasha agreed.
Bankotsu observed the pair for a moment, finally allowing himself to state the obvious.
"You both have serious girlfriends, what's the hold up?""
When they exchanged glances, Bankotsu realized that their presence on the landing wasn't a coincidence; they were enduring just as he was. Ranbou turned to face the Cobra leader and shrugged his enormously wide shoulders.
"Waiting for her. Dating Sukini is...a pretty new experience."
Inuyasha snorted slightly; he didn't necessarily want his sister to be anyone's "experience," but he knew that she loved Ranbou and would eventually lose her virginity to him. Inuyasha winced at his own thoughts; that sounded so awful. Like she was...actually a grown up, or something.
Ranbou, however, was attempting to keep his face neutral as Inuyasha seethed beside him. It just didn’t seem appropriate to bring up in front of her brother the fact that Shitora had practically offered herself to him during French. Somehow, the wolf assumed this would burn borders between Inuyasha and himself.
"No offense to either of you," Bankotsu continued with a respectful nod, "but Shitora seems like the kind of girl who would want to share that with you, Ran. You've got me a little confused."
"Can't really say for sure," Ranbou replied, shrugging as smoke was forcefully expelled from his nostrils. "She's not...experienced like she lets on. She's pretty new to this whole dating thing. Course, so am I," the wolf confessed after a moment. "I mean, there was Kikyo for like two weeks, but other than that, I just fucked around."
"Tell me about it," Inuyasha lamented beside him, shaking his silver head. "Kikyo was the only girl I didn't get bored of before Kagome; and let's face it, Kikyo was bat-shit."
"Yeah," Ranbou and Bankotsu agreed in a hearty unison.
"It's not like Kagome is a wilting flower, Yash; I mean, remember when she talked about her tattoo, which is apparently somewhere we can't see?" Bankotsu reminded the hanyou with a garrulous grin. "Come on, you should play 'find the tattoo.'"
Ranbou sniggered while Inuyasha colored brightly. "I dunno, we're both so fucking busy, there's no time for that.”
“Yeah, she was sitting with her Nakama today and I actually stopped to check out who’s in it. It’s insane,” Bankotsu marvelled, shaking his head until his braid fell over his shoulder. “I mean, Mae’Ora, Nana, Mixmatch, not to mention Seila...I don’t think Rin could’ve put a more powerful group of Wildcats in one place.”
“No offense to Kagome, but I think those girls should be with Sango or Ayame. You know, a fighter who could lead them off to take care of some loose ends,” Ranbou mused. He turned his ice blue eyes to Inuyasha and muttered, “You can’t tell me you’re not pissing your pants every time she’s with them. They’re crazy powerful.”
Inuyasha sighed; what was it with people insinuating that he was frequently wetting himself these days?
“I don’t like it, sure. But you know how Kagome is when she gets ahold of an idea, it’s like a fucking animal with a piece of meat. I don’t wanna get my hand ripped off,” the Taisho son replied snarkily.
Bankotsu laughed and then turned slightly as the door opened for the second time, revealing a rather haggard looking Akago Tsume. The Shark leader observed the boys momentarily before coming to a silent conclusion and allowing the door to close behind him; his cigarette was lit within seconds.
His translucent white skin glittered slightly in the pale autumn sunlight as he removed his spectacles, placing them dubiously on his head. When he sighed heavily, Ranbou chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, aren’t we all.”
Akago smiled softly and turned to face the company. “So, what brings you three out here?”
“Blue balls,” Bankotsu replied seriously before Ranbou and Inuyasha couldn’t help but laugh, causing him to do so as well.
The corners of Akago’s mouth turned up at the admission, which he knew was more an admission and less of a joke. There came a time in the life of a man when he was no longer embarrassed by matters of a sexual kind. Eighteen was just about that age and, lo and behold, here stood four boys of about 18. And all of them with his own sexual roadblock.
“Well, that’s certainly an epidemic recently,” Akago murmured, blowing an impressive set of smoke rings as the other three exchanged glances.
“Was that a confession?” Bankotsu asked curiously.
Akago only smiled mysteriously. “Certainly on your part, yes.”
There was a silence amongst the four boys for a second before Inuyasha couldn’t help but continue the subject. “I mean, have you even...you know?”
Akago met the boys curious amber stare with an equally curious one. “Have I what?”
Ranbou exchanged glances with his friends, making an odd sort of hand gesture as he tried to pick up where Inuyasha had left off. “You know...done it.”
Akago continued to stare at the boys in his aristocratic way, regal head cocked slightly to the side. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he finally said.
Ranbou and Inuyasha exchanged glances.
“You know...hiding the salami?”
“Doing the dew.”
“Buttering the corn.”
“Walking the dog.”
Akago only continued to stare at the boys as they listed several convoluted metaphors. The pair eventually grew quiet, staring at him with equal intensity.
Bankotsu laughed now. “Stop messing with them, Akago.”
When the Shark leader grinned widely, Ranbou and Inuyasha whined and barked irritatedly about “Sharks being smartasses” and tried to blow smoke in his direction. Akago appeared quietly to their left, startling the whole line; they hadn’t even seen him move.
“Nice try,” he murmured, winking one crimson eye at them.
Inuyasha shivered slightly; sometimes, Akago could be rather creepy.
“Well, have you?” Ranbou asked finally.
Akago was silent for a moment and finally replied, “Yes, of course. I lived...debaucherously for many years. The North was that sort of place.”
The others nodded, knowing that there must be things in the Shark leader’s past that they certainly didn’t want to know about. It was common knowledge that he’d been one of the Northern leaders for almost 5 years before he arrived in the South, bleeding and broken this past summer. But everyone tactfully avoided the subject, preferring to act as though he and Gan had been a permanent fixture there since the dawn of time. It was simply easier.
“I’m by no means an expert, as I hear Bankotsu is,” Akago joked quietly, earning whistles from Ranbou and Inuyasha as the Cobra leader tried to shrug away the comment.
“Eh, not recently. But I did have my day,” he allowed, managing a small smile.
“So I heard, even in the North,” Akago replied amusedly, red eyes twinkling. “But I’ve noticed you’ve been sort of withdrawn as of late. Is everything alright?”
Sighing deeply, Bankotsu crushed the butt of his cigarette beneath his heel and stared at a crack in the concrete. “I dunno, it lost its appeal. Sleeping around is only cool for so long. Eventually it’s just...monotonous.”
“Agreed,” Ranbou conceeded.
Inuyasha snorted and crossed his muscular arms, amber eyes glimmering with a miffed irritation. “Oh, boo-hoo, you both got laid so many times your asses went numb. My heart bleeds for you.”
Akago interrupted before Ranbou and Bankotsu could explain. “When you’re a leader, women just sort of fall down at your feet because they think it might land them somewhere important, somewhere of worth and power. It seems so glorious for a moment until you realize that not a single one of them cares about you personally. And then the bed is just a bed and you’re just alone and none of it’s worth it anymore.”
The boys were silent for some time following this comment before Inuyasha finally said, “Yeah, still sounds better than blue balls.”
The others sighed, allowing their eyes to drift towards the horizon as they mused over their current issues of lacking. Times certainly were hard in beautiful Tokyo.
Gan Kiretsu was never sick. It was simply a fact of her makeup and her nature, most likely also a product of her perfectionism and insistence that she be top form at all times. At the very least, Gan drank two glasses of milk a day and at least 3 oranges, knowing that calcium and Vitamin C intake would be the most organic way to avoid illness; it was bad enough being human, but being a female human gang leader was almost enough to knock her right off the horse. If she wasn’t top form, and that meant at her absolute most inpenetrable, she would never be taken seriously.
So as Gan sat in the warehouse at the table in the back, trying to focus her blurring eyes on the papers before her, she was actually beginning to worry. Sometime that morning she had begun to feel rather off, though she simply chalked it up to rising excessively early and then dealing with everyone’s high-running emotions following the announcement of the new assassination core. In fact, she’d been feeling fairly strange for the past two days or so but had brushed it off, deciding it must be the change in seasons; she didn’t have time to be sick, anyway. It would only slow her and, frankly, the rest of the Shark house down.
As she’d walked stiffly into lunch that afternoon and internalized the fact that the many food smells were causing her stomach to turn painfully, she’d begun to realize something was wrong. It wasn’t until now, some hours later, that she was really beginning to understand the depth of this issue.
Gan’s body was terribly cold though she could sense the fact that her neck was dripping with rivulets of sweat. Though she’d been slightly congested that morning and for two days prior, she was now barely able to breathe through her nose and was instead keeping her lips slightly parted to allow meager exchanges of oxygen. Something was pounding terribly inside her head, giving off a dull thrub which worked its way around her temples like a marching heart beat. The world was angry and dull and hot and awful; Gan had never felt so terrible in her entire life.
Kagome and Rin were tending to paperwork at the table when the most shocking thing happened: Gan the Gun fainted.
Because of the way she’d been sitting, Gan’s forehead knocked dully on the table and she slumped forward, body limp and slightly off balance. Kagome looked up at the sound and stared at the waterfall of blonde hair cascading over the table’s surface; she wondered briefly if Gan was sleeping, finding no other immediately logical solutions in her mind. Rin joined her cousin in staring curiously at the girl; the two exchanged glances before Kagome reached out a hand and brushed it over the crown of Gan’s head.
“Gan? Are you...okay?”
There was no response.
Rin and Kagome waited for a beat before rising in unison, chairs scraping violently on the concrete as they rushed to the blonde’s side. Mechanics in the front of the warehouse had, by this time, realized that something was occurring in the lounge and were glancing up from car parts, smudged with grease and eyes narrowed curiously.
Akago was wrenching away at a loose bolt inside the hood of an El Camino, mind working on several different tasks at once. He almost didn’t hear the yelling or the frantic rush of footsteps, but a sudden warning seemed to flash through his mind; his youkai was screaming at him. Akago stood bolt upright, nearly banging his head on the hood, as he scanned the area for trouble; he found it almost immediately.
Kagome had taken Gan’s face in both hands, noticing almost immediately the terrible scorching heat of her skin; the Wildcat core leader was currently trying to decide what to do with a sick doctor. She couldn’t very well call up Gan to examine herself. It seemed that this might be a job for Nanashi and Kei. Rin was currently taking Gan’s pulse as a small crowd of half naked gang members gathered around them, asking vague and persistent questions. Rin frowned; 48 bpm. Not great, but not deathly slow either.
“Out of the way!”
Akago came pushing through the circle, crimson eyes wide and white hair hastily pulled back in a high ponytail. He took only a moment to understand the sight of Gan, his best friend and second in command, eyes closed, head lolling against the back of the chair; her skin was paler than the clouds and her scent altered by something malevolent. He hadn’t encountered it yet during their time together, but he knew that scent anywhere.
“She’s ill,” he said breathlessly.
Kagome looked up at him and nodded grimly. “Very. I’m going to call Nanashi, why don’t you put her on the couch.”
Akago could only nod as Rin steadied Gan’s head, keeping her upright as Akago cradled her carefully in his arms and lifted her slowly from the chair; she was shivering in her sleep, he noticed, as he carried her quickly to the couched and laid her down upon the cushions. He positioned her head so carefully upon the pillow that Rin smiled delicately; it was almost as though he were caring for a porcelain figurine.
“Nanashi? It’s Kagome Higurashi, hey. Gan is really sick, she just passed out, we have no idea what’s going on...”
It was all simply background noise as Kagome explained the situation on the telephone and gang members buzzed with worry behind them, Rin muttering a prayer under her breath. Akago couldn’t hear a single, solitary word of it. He could only stare at Gan’s perfectly crafted face, the elegant slope of her nose, the gentle part of her lips, the incredible length of her eyelashes. She had a freckle just under her right eye, he noticed.
Notice...how had he not noticed something was wrong? He spent almost every second of the day with her and just that morning, they’d been joking about everyone’s abs as he pestered her to buy a coat.
Akago sighed; he was a fine leader but, perhaps, not as good of a friend.
“She and Kei are on their way,” Kagome said softly as she took a seat beside Gan’s still form, smiling quietly up at Akago. “I’m sure she’s fine, Akago; I mean, she’s so private...she could’ve been sick for days.”
Akago mirrored Kagome’s rueful, solemn smile with one of his own. “She’s so busy being the school physician...I’ve never thought about what to do when she needs one for herself.”
Rin saddled up beside Akago and wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder; she was smiling also, that confident little Rin smile that reminded Kagome of young days in the warm Japan sun. Akago was slightly startled by Rin’s physical show of affection, but the lingering after effect was a platonic one of absolute and total comfort. He sighed and reached up a hand, placing it atop her shimmering black head.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
Rin glanced up at the Shark leader, who’s height didn’t leave as frightening gap between them as most of the gang members; Rin spent most of her time in the warehouse feeling dwarfed. Akago’s crimson eyes were downcast and impossibly troubled; Rin knew he was more guilty than he was worried. Sickness could be cured and handled, however irritating it was, but one was unfortunately unable to go back in time and prevent it from occurring. That was his biggest regret, she thought.
The screeching of tires drew everyone’s attention to the front of the warehouse, where Kei and Nanashi’s black sports car had just arrived. In a flurry of flying red hair the couple arrived, still in their respective professional uniforms as they waved briefly to Shippo and Souten before hurrying to the lounge area.
Nanashi smelled of sickness, formaldehyde and death; the demons involuntarily took a step backwards, something the redhead didn’t seem to care much about. In fact, she welcomed the extra space. Her scrubs wrinkled as she knelt beside the couch, taking Gan’s pulse as Rin had done and examining her joints, bending them back and forth routinely. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a thermometer, placing it gently in between Gan’s lips and waiting for an agonizing 15 seconds or so; Akago exchanged glances with Rin and Kagome, who were now flanking him on either side and grabbing anxiously at his arms.
Nanashi whistled and stared at the device, waving it back and forth as thought to cool it. “I think we’ve got ourselves a live one here, Kei. 102.9 right now, but I bet you anything it’s climbing.”
Kei sighed nervously and crossed his elegantly clad arms. “That’s too high; hospital?”
Nanashi frowned and looked up at Akago, who was watching her levelly. “It would be best, Shark. Unless....”
“She can’t,” Akago said quietly, closing his eyes as though her were willing away a terrible pain. Kagome and Rin felt his arms tense. “She refuses hospice care because of outstanding business. If there’s any other way we can treat her...”
Nanashi sighed and stood, crossing her freckled arms as she addressed the group of teenagers. “Well, I wanted to run tests but only for formality’s sake. I can tell you, as a professional, that she has a nasty case of the flu and fainted from dehydration. If you let it progress like this, it will turn into pneumonia. If she doesn’t get hospital care for pneumonia, she will get increasingly worse until she eventually passes away. That’s the absolute worse case scenario and mostly for scare tactics, but I’m telling it to you anyway. I can get you Relenza from a friend at the pharmacy, but you will then be personally responsible for her care.”
Akago nodded stiffly, looking as though he took the responsibility quite seriously. Kagome had no doubt in her mind that he was considering this his fault; it was just Akago’s way when it came to Gan.
“Right now, you need to get her home,” Nanashi continued, looking slightly irritated that Akago was refusing to take her to the hospital; Akago only wished he could.
“I will, thank you very much,” Akago said graciously, bowing his head to Nanashi as she sighed and turned to leave, eager to be away from the warehouse that reminded her of so many summer nights those 10 odd years ago. Kei bit his lip fretfully, eyes dancing between his wife and Akago; he hoped the kid knew what he was doing. It was then that Kei noticed that familiar glint in Akago’s crimson eyes and he smiled slightly; Kei was actually in possession of that same glint and had been for the past, oh, 12 years? Glancing slightly at his wife, Kei decided Akago would be just fine.
“Alright, time to go,” Kei said blithely, ignoring Nanashi’s huff and waving happily to his son, who looked thoroughly confused by everything.
Akago picked Gan carefully up in his arms a second time and glanced at Kagome and Rin, who looked as though they were thinking their own private thoughts about the whole situation. WIth a nod to the others, Akago cradled Gan to his chest and managed to grab his keys from the table, exiting the warehouse as beautiful golden hair spilled across his arm and permeated the entire place with its beautiful floral scent. Akago Tsume had a job to do.
There we go! I tried to focus more on non-original characters, but I realize it didn’t really go as planned. So, I decided to take a few of them out of commission so that I absolutely had to focus on non-originals!
Just kidding, this is all part of a plan. But I mean...it works for everyone.
Thanks everyone for reviewing even after all this time has past. I’m so glad to hear from everyone and hope you’re all doing very well and enjoying life as we all get a little older. I started this my junior year in high school...I’m now a junior in college. Funny how time flies, isn’t it?
Also, funny how my writing hasn’t improved because I’m at music conservatory and don’t actually have to write. Ever.
So, I’m stagnant at age-18-writer. But, on the road to improvement again!
Love you guys!
KOLU









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