InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Let Sleeping Dogs Lie ❯ Beat down in the Alleyway ( Chapter 6 )

Author Note: Even though I’m reposting this (up until chapter ten, then everything after that will be brand new) I’m impressed with the reviews from MM. It used to be that fanfiction.net was always the bigger hub, but it looks like MediaMiner is huge now! Keep those reviews coming lovelies, I’m impressed!

Go, my minions! ::laughs:: Sorry, sleep deprivation. Enjoy!

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Chapter Six: Beat down in the Alleyway

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Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome were all in Miroku's car, heading back to Kagome's house. Inuyasha and Miroku were up front, with the owner of the car driving. (He had spent a good five minutes fiercely denying letting either of his friends drive, saying he would never put his "baby's" safety at risk like that. Apparently, Miroku liked his purple car.) Kagome had slipped off into a quiet nap in the back seat, and the two male companions had decided to take the main road leading back through the city in order to get back to the shrine.

The two sat in companionable silence, lost in their own thoughts. An unknown tune from the radio played softly in the background, and Inuyasha stared out into the city which had become his new home. Were any of the people aware that a hanyou resided in their midst? His friends did, obviously. But just how many other demons made their home in Tokyo? He had felt the faint twinge of awareness in his spine every time he had passed by a fellow demon, but there weren't that many that he had felt so far. It was amazing how easily the youkai slipped unnoticed into the human's world. It seemed like most demons had given up the legendary thirst for power and blood, choosing to succeed in the human world instead. Inuyasha turned, and sent a soft glance at the girl in the back seat.

Yes, humans were very entrancing creatures. Their ways were gentler, and love came to many of them easily. Love for Kagome was like a second nature. But could he do that? Would he be able accept and return the care of such a wonderful girl? He stared back out the window resolutely. 'I can make her happy,' he chanted in his head. But doubts lurked in the corners of his mind. Inuyasha had already come close to hurting Kagome a few times, and that hadn't even been in his... other form. What if he lost his control? What if... what if that other form turned on Kagome? What if he-

'Stop it’, he growled mentally. He told the darker side of his thoughts to shut the hell up, and continued his vigil on the quickly passing city.

"Crap! MIROKU, WE HAVE TO GO TO KAEDE'S!!!"

The car took a violent swerve and Miroku hastily tried to regain control of the wheel while Inuyasha yelped and held on for dear life. Kagome had apparently woken up, making her request to go back to Kaede's store loud and clear. As Miroku began to drive in a straight line again, Inuyasha shot a dark look at Kagome. "For the love of god, woman! You could have killed us all!"

Kagome snorted. "I trust that Miroku has better driving skills than that. Besides, you're a hanyou, you'd save us."

Inuyasha gaped at the girl, dumbfounded by her apparent and unwavering trust in him that she so casually stated. "Uh..."

Kagome winked. "You're right Inuyasha. Sorry you guys, didn't mean to shock the hell out of you. But can we please go to Kaede's store? My house is in serious lack of food, and all the groceries I bought are still there."

Miroku sighed, and mumbled a few words of encouragement to his car. "Sure Kagome. But only if I get to join dinner tonight, free of charge. " He grinned.

"Of course you can, idiot." Kagome bopped Miroku over the head playfully, rolling her eyes. "Like you'd leave without eating anyways."

Miroku voiced a sound of indignation, and Inuyasha let loose a short bark of laughter. "She's right you know! You mooch off of everyone you can. Not to mention your lecherous ways towards girls." Inuyasha smirked at his friend.

"Hey!" Miroku tried to argue, while still paying attention to traffic. Luckily, there weren't many people on the road at that moment. "I am not a moocher. At least, not really. Besides Inuyasha, you're staying with Kagome free of charge. What right do you have to talk? I'd say you were the moocher."

Inuyasha stuttered. "I- well...yeah, but..."

"How do you plan to repay Kagome, hmmm? Or did the thought even cross your mind, Inuyasha?" Miroku was slowly beginning to smirk in victory.

Inuyasha's temper flared up. "Now wait a minute! What kind of... demon do you think I am? I mean, god, I'm not THAT rude! Of course I'm going to-"

A sly smile crossed Kagome's features. "Hey Miroku, what makes you think Inuyasha hasn't paid me back already?"

The two males paused bickering. "Huh?"

Miroku arched an eyebrow in question. "Well, how has he repaid you then?"

Kagome flashed a seductive grin. "By lending me his services, of course."

Miroku's eyes widened. "Services? What do you mean?"

Inuyasha sat in his seat, shocked. No way could he be interpreting Kagome's words right. No, it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Yeah, that's it.

Kagome winked. "Well, what kind of 'service' do you think I would want, Miroku?"

The poor pony-tailed boy prayed to heaven above that he wasn't getting a nosebleed. "You two slept together?!?!?"

At this, silence rang true in the car. After a moment, all the laughter that Kagome had been holding back burst out, as she gave into full fledged peals of laughter. Inuyasha face was beet red, and he smacked Miroku. "I don’t subscribe to your brand of perverted ways." He glared and growled at Miroku. "Bastard." Crossing his arms, he sulked in his seat.

As Kagome's laughter continued, Miroku looked confused. After turning down a side street to take a short cut to Kaede's, he cast an incredulous look at Kagome. "Well if you're not sleeping together, what kind of 'service' is he giving you?"

Kagome choked down her laughter as Inuyasha's face turned a deeper shade of red, and distinctive growling could be heard. "Miroku, I was only kidding. Besides, Inuyasha's helped me out a bunch so far. It's only been a few days anyways. He's taken me shopping, and he helps with stuff that I could never even dream of doing. Like in Walmart, when he picked up the kitchen table with one hand. I didn't even have to get a shopping cart! He also assembled it for me. Pretty handy, let me tell you."

Miroku gave a long suffering sigh and turned back to the road. Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, and I still have to kick your ass for beating me in Mario Kart, bitch."

Kagome merely laughed, giving a warm smile to the grumpy hanyou. "Dream on, dog boy."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help returning a small smile. As he turned back to staring out the window, he thought on Kagome's last words. She had said "dog boy," but for some reason, it hadn't really offended him. Normally anyone who insulted or made fun of him because of his dog demon nature would be pounded in seconds. But Kagome... he knew she was only kidding around, and "dog boy" had almost seemed like a term of endearment from the way she had said it. Inuyasha smirked. And she had said his ears were cute. Speaking of which, where was his bandana? Oh right... Kagome had pulled it off in the tree. Oh well, he'd just wait in the car while she got the groceries. He didn't want to reveal his demon nature for the millionth time that day. Not that Kagome actually seemed to mind...

Her voice intruded his thoughts. "What are you smiling about?"

He turned his head to face her inquiry, sending her a smile. "Nothing."

Kagome put her chin in her hand, studying the hanyou's face. "I'll bet." Looking out her own window, she frowned. "What in the world… Miroku, stop the car!"

"What?" Miroku slammed on the breaks, bringing the car to a screeching halt. "What's going on?"

Kagome pushed open the car door, and jumped out. "Some little kid's getting beaten up. Come on, we have to go help him!" Not wasting any time, Kagome raced towards the fight.

"Damn girl!" Looking beyond the racing Kagome, Inuyasha could tell that the "little kid" was actually a young demon, which meant that the people attacking him were probably demons too. Damnit! Kagome was no match for demons at all. Why did she just rush into things like this?!

Pushing the door open, Inuyasha moved to get out, but a call from Miroku stopped him. "Inuyasha, wait! You don't have a way to cover up your ears! They'll be able to tell you're a demon!"

Inuyasha grinned, showing off his pointy fangs. "Good. They're probably demons too, and I've been looking for a good fight all day." Smirking, he ran off to join Kagome.

Sighing, Miroku shut the car off, and pocketed the keys. Automatically locking the doors, he ran after his two friends, shaking his head. "The things I get myself into..."

"Let him go, you bastards!"

Kagome had just reached the fight, where two men were beating a little boy. Or so it seemed. The little boy had a fox tail and pointed, elflike ears, and was valiantly trying to defend himself with an odd blue flame. The kid was a little youkai! As her eyes widened, Kagome quickly searched the two men's faces, looking for demon qualities. Sure enough, both had the ears, and strangely enough, Kagome got a slight chill down her spine when she was near them. Somehow, she could just feel that all three of these people were youkai.

Inuyasha appeared at her side. "Hey, that's my line," he growled. Pushing Kagome behind him, he faced the two men. "What the hell is going on?"

An anguished cry arose from the little boy. "Please! Help meeeeee!"

One of the men, the one with a long black braid, gave the kid a swift kick. "Shut up, brat! We're not through with you yet!"

Growling, the kid launched himself at the man's leg, sinking his teeth into it. The man let loose a sharp cry of pain, flinging the kid back into the ground. "Stay down!"

The other man, who was pretty much bald, let loose a terrible laugh. "Show them how it's done, older brother. Teach that brat respect, Hiten!"

The guy with the braid, Hiten, smirked at his apparently younger brother. "Don't worry Manten, I will."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Right. Whatever. Why are you beating up the brat?"

Manten jumped forward, a fierce expression on his ugly face. "Hey you punk, don't talk to us that way! Don't you know who we are?"

Inuyasha snorted, briefly glancing behind him to make sure Kagome was still behind him. Good, she was. Sighing, he turned back to the ugly brute in front of him. "No, I don't know who you are. Why should I care?"

Manten gave a cry of outrage. "We are the legendary Thunder Brothers, striking fear into all those that dare cross our path!" He gave a bellowing laugh, and slapped his brother Hiten on the back. "Nothing will ever get in our way."

Hiten rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, and faced Inuyasha. "Not that it's any of your business, hanyou," his eyes flickered to the top of Inuyasha's head. "But the brat's parents owed us some serious cash. We gave them plenty of opportunities to repay us, but they never did. The final straw was when they tried to file harassment charges against us. Needless to say, they never got the chance." Hiten grinned, flashing his fangs dangerously.

Kagome peeked out from behind her demon protector, meekly addressing the other demon. "What...what happened to them?"

Inuyasha shot Kagome a look, warning her to shut up and keep out of sight, but she didn't notice.

Hiten gave a wicked laugh, pointing to the other end of the dark alley. "Well, if you want to see what's left of them, just look down there." The Thunder Brothers joined together in sadistic laughter.

Kagome gasped. "You killed them? How could you? Just because they owed you some money..."

Suddenly, the little boy shouted from his battered position on the ground. "That's a lie! my parents paid back every cent you gave them, and more! You're just a bunch of murdering thieves!!" Inuyasha noted the kid's ears and tail, registering the fact that the boy was a young kitsune. The boy had a good set of lungs on him too. His yell made Inuyasha's ears flatten against his skull.

"I said shut up!" Hiten screamed at the boy, throwing a sudden bolt of electricity at the kitsune, making him cry out in pain.

"You bastards," Inuyasha growled. "He's just a brat, leave him the hell alone."

"Or what," Hiten sneered. "You'll stop me?"

"Damn right I will."

Suddenly Kagome shot out from behind Inuyasha, between the two Thunder Brothers, and picked up the injured kitsune. Tears shone in her eyes, doubled with the fierce hate she now held towards the Thunder Brothers. "You jerks! How could you do something like this? He's just a kid, leave him alone!" She cradled the kit in her arms, the very essence of her stance radiating defiance and protectiveness. Seeing the young kitsune helpless, afraid, and wounded had awoken something in her. She wasn't sure what was going on, but a new strength was raging through her blood, lending her the courage to stand up to the two fierce demons.

"Kagome, get back here!" Inuyasha yelled at the girl, trying to hide his current distress, but failing miserably. What was she thinking?! She had just thrown herself right in the way of imminent danger. Protecting the kit was brave, sure. But going up against demons by herself- that was pure stupidity!

Hiten gave the girl a quick once over, while his younger brother's eyes greedily roved her figure. Hiten snorted. "Nice bitch, Inuyasha. Figures you'd be into human women. She's got a great body, though. Mind if I take her for a ride?"

That was when Inuyasha reached his breaking point. If that bastard even DARED to touch Kagome... Inuyasha let loose a fierce snarl. "Shut the FUCK up!" Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha launched himself at Hiten. He landed a surprise punch to the boy's jaw, but that was the only freebie he got. After that, the two demons flew into a furry of fists and snarls.

Kagome gaped at the fight. Inuyasha was pissed, as simple as that. But Hiten... he had insulted her, not Inuyasha. Well, he had insulted them both, but it was Hiten's comment about Kagome that had really pushed Inuyasha over the edge. He really was protective of her, wasn't he? Kagome caught movement in the corner of her vision and whirled around, letting out a startled gasp.

Inuyasha had failed to remember one small detail; while he was fighting Hiten, that left Manten free to do whatever he wanted. Rather than attack Inuyasha from behind, he chose instead to advance towards Kagome.

"Such a beautiful girl..." he whispered. A dark flame was alight in the demon's eyes, speaking of pain and torture for the girl. Kagome backed up a step or two, running into a brick wall that encased the alley. A panicked fear began to take hold of her, and she quickly glanced towards the fight. "Inuyasha..." she whispered.

Sensing her distress, the kit began to stir in her arms. Manten made his way steadily towards the girl, the odd look still ablaze in his eyes. Anger grew in Kagome's mind, and her eyes sharpened on the advancing demon. If not for her sake, she had to protect the kit! The kitsune gave a weak cry, burrowing closer to Kagome's warmth. "Momma..." a plead from the kitsune that pierced Kagome's heart.

Now she was brilliantly pissed. How dare this monster kill this kit's parents! He had no right, and he was nothing but a murderer! Well, Kagome would set that right. Flames of anger raced through her entire body, fueling her desire to protect the kitsune, and make the bastard in front of her pay.

Manten had stopped a mere two feet in front of Kagome, grinning sadistically. He licked his lips, his eyes landing on the kitsune. "Give me the brat, and maybe I'll make this easier on you, girl."

Kagome gave an almost Inuyasha-like snarl, slapping away the hand that had reached towards her and the kitsune. "Don't touch me! I'd rather die before I give this poor boy to you, you bastard!"

Anger joined the emotions in the demons eyes as he snarled at the girl. "Fine... I can easily kill you. You and the kitsune!" His fist reeled back, sizzling with a bright electric power.

"No!" Kagome screamed. She threw her arm up in defense, her palm directly in front of Manten's face. "Just leave us alone!" She squeezed her eyes shut as anger and self defense joined together in one all consuming emotion. "LEAVE… US… ALONE!”

Suddenly, a brilliant pink light erupted from Kagome's palm, streaking towards the demon in front of her. The light smashed into Manten's face, throwing him against the opposite wall Kagome was backed against. He lay stunned for a moment, staring at Kagome. His entire face was mangled, and the few hairs he had on top of his head were gone.

Kagome glared at Manten, but her energy seemed to suddenly disappear. She slumped forward, landing on her kneels as she cradled the kit close to her body. Her vision was hazy, and she was extremely dizzy. What had she done? Where had that power come from? What was she, anyways?

Hiten and Inuyasha had stopped their furious fight to gape in shock at Kagome. Hiten snarled, landing a direct punch to Inuyasha's stomach. "Fuck, hanyou! You've got a miko on your side! You bastard, look what she did to my brother!"

Inuyasha grinned, spitting a bit of blood off to the side. "Yeah, that's my Kagome."

The girl in question was still trying to regain her bearings, but Manten was already up and shakily making his way towards her. His breath was labored, and his face was unrecognizable. Blood splattered his clothes, but his eyes were furious. "You... bitch..." He gasped. "I'm gonna tear you apart!!" He lunged towards the weakened girl, fully intent on killing her.

Kagome tried to summon the power that had protected her before, but she was exhausted. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the kit in protection. "Someone... help..."

"Don't touch her!" Miroku chose that moment to join the melee. He landed a punch to Manten's already busted face, sending the demon reeling. "Don't you dare touch my friend!" He took up a protective stance in front of the girl, sending a calm smile to reassure her. "You alright there, Kagome? You really smashed his face!"

Kagome laughed weakly. "Yeah... thanks Miroku." She smiled softly, stroking the kit's fur for comfort.

"God damn you! You pathetic humans! Why can't you just die?!" Manten unwisely chose to dive at Miroku, who was ready and waiting. With a few punches, and a kick to the head, Manten was out cold. Miroku glared at the fallen demon. "That's what you get, you bastard. Trying to mess with my friends... ha. Yeah right." Miroku made his way back to Kagome, helping the girl to shakily stand on her feet. She held onto his shoulder for support, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to help her stand. At her accusing look, he grinned sheepishly. "Nothing perverted this time Kagome, I swear. I just want to help."

Smiling in acceptance, Kagome leaned on the boy for support. A sudden scream ripped their attention back to Inuyasha and Hiten's fight. Kagome gasped in horror, staring at the sight before her. "Oh my god...”

Hiten had punched his fist straight through Inuyasha's stomach, holding the hanyou up in the air. Hiten's fist sparked with electric energy, and Inuyasha choked in pain. "Inuyasha!!!!" Kagome's cry reached the hanyou's sensitive ears, and he painfully turned his head to look at the girl. She looked really weak, and was relying on Miroku for support. But her sole attention was focused on him at the moment, her eyes shining with tears and concern for his welfare. "Kagome..."

Hiten sneered. "Aw, look at your pathetic woman, Inuyasha. Look at how weak she is. All because you couldn't protect her. Well, once I finish you off, who's gonna protect her from me? That boy over there? Not likely." Hiten gave a cruel laugh, twisting his arm in Inuyasha, making the demon cry out in pain. "And there's no way you can stop me, hanyou."

A low growl came from Inuyasha, as his vision swam in and out of focus. "My name..." he growled, clenching his fists, "Is Inuyasha!" With a scream of rage, Inuyasha pulled his head back, slamming his forehead into Hiten's.

The full demon was thrown back a few feet, slumping on the ground. Inuyasha fell to his knees, one arm braced against the ground for support, the other clutching the wound through his stomach. He shakily got to his feet, smirking at Hiten. "No way to stop you? Just watch me." In a flurry of punches and kicks, Inuyasha tore into Hiten for all he was worth. He knew what was starting to happen to him. He could feel the familiar itching where the lines were beginning to show on his face. He knew that his other side was beginning to show itself, but he didn't care. All that mattered was stopping Hiten and protecting Kagome. Nothing else mattered.

As Inuyasha pulled the injured demon up from the ground, he pulled his fist back and paused. His gaze flickered quickly from Kagome back to Hiten, and he smirked at the demon. In a low growl, he warned him, "Don't ever threaten Kagome again. After all, she's the only reason I'm going to let you live today. I really don't think she'd approve if I killed you."

Hiten spat on the hanyou. "Like you could... I'll be back for her, you know."

Inuyasha grinned. "I dare you to try. I promise you won't survive that encounter." He forcefully kneed Hiten in the stomach, effectively knocking the demon out. Smirking in victory, he turned to Kagome and Miroku- he was totally oblivious to the blood that stained his hands and clothes; some of which was his own, the rest not. "So..." he stated with a cruel grin. "Shall we go?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha. Something was wrong... Inuyasha was... wrong. He was bloodthirsty, and seemed eager to deal out pain. What had happened? Kagome gasped as she looked at his face. Stripes raced across the sides of his cheeks, and his eyes... they were red, with only the barest trace of gold in the center. Something was seriously wrong...

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Inuyasha's demon form shows itself! What ever shall they do? ::cracks knuckles::  Let's see how much turmoil I can add into their lives, shall I? Don’t worry, there's plenty of fluff up ahead (I can't help myself- I luff teh fluff!) But I don't think the story will be too slow. ::crosses fingers:: I'm trying to make this interesting.