InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Smirking Revenge ❯ Dancing With the Devil ( Chapter 11 )

Kesuke Yaguro wasn't a bad man. At least, he didn't think so. If he was completely heartless would he feel pity for the slip of a girl tied to the chair in front of him? A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck and he swiped it off irritably with his hand. No, definitely not. If he was that much of a monster he wouldn't feel anything for her and thankfully he wasn't there quite yet. He still felt frequent pangs of guilt for the things he'd done. They haunted him at night when he tried to sleep next to his wife, yet he couldn't deny the fact that he'd chosen this path.

 

Nothing in life was free. As long as he continued to play the part of the obedient dog, his family would remain safe and well provided for. As a man who came from humble origins, that was all he could hope for. The yakuza had a way of supporting their own, all you had to do was agree to give yourself over to them body and soul. He wasn't bitter about it; he just missed having the freedom to think for himself once in a while.

 

 

Kesuke studied his captive from beneath hooded eyes and brushed his fingers through his shortly cropped hair. He hadn't a clue who she was or what the Boss wanted with her. To be honest, he didn't really care to know. He'd seen dozens of girls like this one, granted most didn't look quite so well kept, but in his mind they were all the same. One after another they were brought in from the street and dealt with. Some were never heard from again and others released with nothing more than a few bruises. Why should this girl be any different than the rest?

 

 

There was something familiar about her though, something that he couldn't quite place and it nagged relentlessly in the back of his mind. Had he seen her somewhere before? With the Boss perhaps? Swiping a meaty hand over his darkly tanned face, Kesuke brushed aside that thought. He didn't have the energy to contemplate such things, not in the suffocating heat anyway. Shaking off a sudden wave of drowsiness he glanced down pensively at his watch. Late…they were always so goddamn late.

 

 

With a grunt he rubbed the knuckles on his right hand in a gentle caress. Cocking his head to the side he studied his captive appreciatively, his eyes memorizing the smooth curves of her face. She had such delicate features - a small button nose, large full eyes, rosebud lips - and were it not for the several scratches and swollen purple bruises marring her pale skin he would've thought her to be quite beautiful. It would be a true shame to have to break such a beautiful face.

 

 

That face…it was something about her face that had his mind whirring and searching for some elusive memory. His eyes narrowed in concentration but they couldn't see past the bruises left by her previous rough handling. Perhaps once he heard her speak it would come to him. She hadn't uttered a word since she'd been dumped here in the early hours of the morning but she hadn't regained consciousness either. For the present, all he could do was wait.

 

 

In the many minutes of weighted silence that followed Kesuke found his eyes and thoughts continually drawn to the girl, despite his best efforts to put her out of his mind. Without stirring she seemed to beckon to him, silently pleading with him to save her. A part of him wanted to, someone that beautiful didn't deserve this, but empathy was a dangerous emotion to have in his line of business. Just as soon as it appeared the urge to help her was gone, pushed out of his mind like so many other complicated thoughts that wormed their way in.

 

 

Slouching back into the tiny folding chair that groaned loudly in protest beneath his solid weight, he eyed the three-quarters empty beer bottle sitting on the floor next to him. With a long suffering sigh he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and snatched the bottle from the floor. The condensation that normally bubbled up on the glass had evaporated into the muggy air and when he took a swig he nearly spit it back out. Piss warm - his favourite. He swallowed the bitter brew down in a single gulp and grimaced painfully at the taste. With a look of dismay and frustration he set the bottle back down and glanced impatiently at his imitation Rolex once again.

 

Kesuke's eyes glanced longingly at the large set of double doors at the far end of the store house. He just wanted to get the hell out of here. He felt like a potato baking in a cheap metal oven and he was already sweating like a pig. The fabric of his shirt was drenched and clung uncomfortably to his back and his pants felt overly tight across his thighs. Staring at the girl's pretty face had been distracting for maybe a half hour, but every successive minute after that left him feeling more and more anxious to be home. He could already feel himself starting to resent the pretty captive who'd made him just as much a prisoner as she was.

 

The hinges of the rusted steel doors groaned loudly in protest as they were pushed open. Feeling the blast of frigid air from outside, Kesuke's head shot upright but he quickly cringed. The torturous sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the tin prison and set his teeth grinding together - it was like listening nails screeching across a chalkboard! He shuddered at the noise and glanced up expectantly at his newest guest.

 

She stood tall in the doorway, her slim figure silhouetted by the glow of the afternoon sun. After getting the nod from her personal retinue of bodyguards, she entered the store house with her back straight and a confident air about her. Her footfall was soft as she walked purposefully towards him. The haughty click of her Prada heels was deadened by the inch-thick layer of algae and other assorted substances covering the floor.

 

Kesuke swallowed convulsively and tried with great effort to keep an expression of disdain from showing on his features. Her blood red eyes hypnotized him, just as they did every other time he saw her, and he found himself unable to look away. He hated everything she stood for, despised her with every fibre of his being and yet he felt himself bowing low to her as she approached. His shoulders tensed as he waited for her to speak to him in that voice that sent chills down his spine.

 

“Has our little pet been well behaved?” she drawled languidly, her voice sounding too loud in the overlarge room. Not awaiting a response, she walked in slow circles around the girl, studying her intently while one hand worked furiously with her fan to blow the heated air against her face. After a moment she stopped suddenly and faced the girl, her fan snapping shut as she did so. Fixing the captive with a condescending sneer she used the edge of her fan to lift her chin upwards and cast her face into the light.

 

“Pretty little thing isn't she?” she asked, knowing that no one would answer her. They all feared her and rightfully so, she could destroy them without a second thought. Her ruby stained lips, which never smiled at the best of times, twisted now into a scowl. She didn't like the look of this girl one bit. She looked too much like the other one. Her features darkened as she remembered all to well how much trouble that little bitch had caused.

 

Without provocation she brutally snatched the girl up by the hair, jerking her head backwards to expose the delicate, creamy white arch of her neck. When the captive groaned and tried to move her head she held her fast, her fingers buried deep into her ebony locks.

 

 

“Wake up!” she demanded impatiently.

 

 

The girl groaned and her eyelashes fluttered but remained stubbornly closed. Kagura snapped her fingers impatiently and Kesuke stood wearily, already knowing what she wanted. Stalking over to a far corner of the store house he stuck a metal bucket beneath the lone rusted and leaking tap. He cranked it open and watched dully as the frigid water poured into the bucket below. After a moment's hesitation he dipped his hands beneath the ice cold flow and splashed it across his face.

 

The frigid water had an immediate cooling effect on his overheated skin and he quickly splashed another handful across it. The relief was brief though and within seconds the muggy air clung thickly to his pores once more. He used the front of his damp t-shirt to swab up the excess water and sweat that dripped off his chin before he turned the tap off.

 

The handle on the now full bucket squeaked loudly as he walked. The water sloshed over the sides with every step to splash across his feet, soaking his dirty sneakers in seconds. He looked down with disdain at the tops of his damp Nikes and sighed in defeat. As if he needed an excuse to be even more uncomfortable just now. He paused before the girl, his face grim, and waited patiently for his cue.

 

With a sadistic smile on her face Kagura released the captive and stepped backwards. At the same time, she gestured him forward with a graceful sweeping motion from her fan. Another inward sigh was quelled as Kesuke sauntered forward. Lifting the bucket in both hands he heaved its frigid contents directly at the girl, drenching her completely. If she'd been asleep before she certainly wouldn't be now. Directly on cue, the dark haired beauty sucked in a noisy, ragged gasp and screamed bloody murder.

 

The dark-haired beauty's pained cries echoed loudly off the algae coated tin ceiling and hung ominously in the thick air. Kesuke felt a pang of sympathy as he watched her struggle. He knew exactly what it felt like - like a thousand tiny needles piercing your skin simultaneously. He didn't envy her in the least and sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to drench her again.

 

“Oh good you're awake.”

 

Kagura's un-emotive voice cut through the heavy silence. She sneered as she stepped close to the girl's trembling form, careful to avoid the spreading puddle of fetid water on the floor. Her eyes studied the shivering mass in front of her critically and she began to circle her like a predator does its prey. With a flip of her fan she dismissed Kesuke without a second thought, banishing him once more to the sidelines. With a short bow he returned to his folding chair and watched the scene play out before him in temperamental silence.

 

 

Despite the thick humid air suffocating the room the girl was shivering from head to foot - whether if was from the freezing temperature of the water, shock, or anger he wasn't sure. It was only when she lifted her head and he saw her brown eyes glistening with rage behind a curtain of damp ebony tendrils that he understood. Exhaustion forgotten he leaned forward expectantly and rested his elbows on his knees.

 

“Who the Hell are you?” she demanded over the sound of her chattering teeth. She tossed her head to the side, sending wet strands of hair flying off her face, and sat up straighter in her chair, her rigid posture both defiant and foolish. She openly regarded Kagura with a look so full of contempt that it sent Kesuke's eyebrows soaring upwards. Just who the heck was this girl? She had to be either stupid or completely nuts to provoke Kagura that way! Didn't she know a yakuza lackey when she saw one?

 

His dark, beady eyes sliced quickly to Kagura's face and he leaned imperceptibly closer, intently curious on what her response would be. Her twin, blood red orbs regarded the defiant jut of the girl's jaw, the square set of her shoulders and the anger burning brightly within her eyes without the slightest bit of interest. She snorted derisively before letting out a loud, barking laugh.

 

“You really are clueless aren't you? Well no matter. It's not like I want anything to do with you. I'm just here to survey the merchandise.”

 

“Just what the hell's that supposed to mean?” the girl spat, either too reckless or naïve to realize she was already treading on thin ice.

 

Kagura turned and brought the edge of her fan down viciously across the defiant chit's mouth. She used the stunned silence that followed to examine her in more detail. She looked so much like the other, but did they have the right one? The last time…she didn't even want to remember what it was like to feel the brunt of the Boss' rage. Bringing her hand to her chest she rubbed it absently, still convinced she could feel the pain every so often.

 

“You talk too much,” she observed of the girl as she paced in front of her. Her fan tapped noisily against her palm. “Don't you know that prisoners are supposed to be quiet and do as they're told?”

 

“Yeah it's a bad habit of mine,” Kagome shot back. Tossing her hair off her face again, she straightened in her chair. Her eyes followed the woman's every step. She could feel the blood trickling down her chin from the cut on her lip and she slowly sucked the abused appendage into her mouth. The salty taste of her own blood reassured her that she was still alive but reminded her just as clearly that this was no dream. These people, whoever they were, were real and she was slowly starting to realize that her chances of getting out of this alive were dimming.

 

“I won't be here long,” she asserted boldy. “You have no idea who you're messing with. I've got people looking for me already and when they find me you're going to pay.”

 

The fan sliced open to hide Kagura's snicker. Kesuke could see it from where he sat and wondered what would bring out such a reaction in his normally emotionally devoid superior. So far, he was no closer to understanding anything about their captive or why the Boss wanted her and he found it immensely frustrating.

 

The girl seemed pretty hard headed despite her vulnerable position. And the conviction in her eyes - yes, she seemed pretty certain she was going to be rescued at any minute. He glanced over his shoulder at the retinue of guards stationed at the door, knowing there were at least half a dozen more posted outside. Well, if her people were coming he certainly hoped they brought some backup, otherwise they wouldn't stand a chance getting through the door. Kagura's voice drew his attention back to the verbal duel.

 

“Do you mean your little cop boyfriend? We took him out about forty-five minutes ago. No one's coming to save you Princess so you better start behaving unless you want to go swim with the fishies!”

 

“I don't believe you.”

 

Her tone was confident but Kesuke saw the flicker of doubt behind her gaze. Was that why they'd taken her? He'd seen it done before; the Boss would rough up an agent or someone in his family if they got a little too close to the truth. It was his way of politely telling them to back off and most times it worked. But if that was the case, they wouldn't have killed her cop boyfriend already. Things just weren't adding up.

 

“I don't give a damn if you believe me or not. He's dead and you will be too if you don't start behaving.”

 

Kagura touched her fan to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh as she turned away from the prisoner. For a moment her blood red eyes landed on Kesuke and he immediately felt his skin begin to crawl. She scowled at him before stalking past him. “Make sure you take good care of her. I know he'll want her in one piece.”

 

Kesuke felt his body bow respectfully as she passed and he swallowed the bitter taste that settled in his mouth.

 

“We're not done talking! I want answers dammit! Get back here you coward!”

 

“And keep her quiet,” she added as an afterthought, ignoring the girl's outburst. “You know how the Boss is when they get mouthy.”

 

Kesuke bowed his head again and heard the ominous sound of the witch's fan snapping open. With a quietly uttered word the inconspicuous looking item came to life and blasted a powerful jet of wind directly at the captive girl sending her hurtling backward, chair and all, into the far wall. A solid thud reverberated sickeningly throughout the tin prison and then all was silent again.

 

With a look of satisfaction the wind witch snapped her fan shut. Without sparing Kesuke a second glance she stalked past him and out of the store house, leaving him to deal with the mess. He glared with annoyance at the large metal doors as they creaked shut in her wake, knowing it meant yet another long sleepless night dedicated to the yakuza.

 

Standing up suddenly he kicked his chair over in a brief and uncharacteristic display of frustration. A guard at the door quirked an eyebrow at him in silent warning and made a show of resting his hand on the holster of his gun. With a grunt Kesuke retrieved his chair from the floor and righted it none too gently, shooting the guard a defiant glare as he did so. That done, he cast a disgruntled glance at the far wall and embarked on his next order of business - picking up the pieces.

 

 

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Fighting off a cold shiver, Kouga shoved his hands farther into his jacket pockets and hunched his shoulders towards his ears. The heavy pounding of his feet against the sidewalk was drowned out by the white noise of the busy street. A horn blared and a cab driver shouted loud profanity at the cyclist who'd cut him off.

 

Kouga cast dour glances at the bundled pedestrians that passed by him on either side and picked up his pace. He wasn't exactly in the best neighbourhood and the only thing he could concentrate on at the moment was getting the hell out of there. Unfortunately, he had business to take care of first - business he wasn't looking forward to either.

 

His feet instinctively turned the corner and took the stairs leading up to the first apartment building two at a time. Slipping through the heavily graffitied door at the top of the stairs, he let himself in and slipped up a second set of stairs. His foot idly kicked a beer can out of his way and he cast a disinterested stare at the blood spots decorating the grungy tiles.

 

He would never understand why he chose to live in such filth. It wasn't like he couldn't afford better. He made enough money with his salary to at least get out of the ghetto, but he stubbornly remained in this cess pit of an apartment. The only thing he could figure was that in a place like this there were no secrets. Everyone's faults were laid out in the open for all to see and perhaps that was what kept him here. Here he didn't have to pretend to be anything more than what he was and he didn't have to live up to anyone else's expectations.

 

With a heavy sigh, Kouga stopped outside apartment C17 and pounded his fist loudly against the paint-chipped door. “Takahashi! Open up!”

 

 

Silence greeted him on the other side followed by a muffled “Go away!”

 

 

With a snarl of frustration he pounded again and shouted louder this time. “I'm not going away till you let me in! You can't hide in there forever!”

 

 

A door opened at the far end of the hall and a woman stepped out dressed in an oversized t-shirt and nothing else. She sunk her fingers into her bed tousled hair and used the other to pull the cigarette from her mouth. “Hey asshole! You mind keepin' it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!”

 

 

“Get back inside!” he barked at her. “This is official police business.”

 

 

For a moment she looked like she was going to retort with some jab about cops but with another scratch of her head she decided against it. Putting her cigarette to her lips she narrowed her eyes at him warningly and scratched mindlessly at her arms. After a moment she retreated back inside, slamming the door behind her.

 

 

Kouga shook his head with a sneer of disapproval. Damn junkies…the place was crawling with them and they were always annoyingly over sensitive when they were coming down.

 

 

Well, since the stubborn mutt was playing hard to get, he just didn't see any other way around it. Taking a step backward he glanced warily down the hall again before launching his shoulder at the door. It burst open easily beneath his weight and he was soon stumbling into a paper strewn table in the middle of the apartment's make-shift dining area. Righting himself he kicked the broken door shut with a grunt and cast his eyes around the dishevelled apartment.

 

 

A general layer of filth covered every free space and a foul stench hung in the stale air. The rotting food he could see sitting on the counter likely had something to do with it, but there was more layers to the foul odour than just that. Stepping over a pile of newspapers thrown carelessly across the floor he stepped towards the inner recesses of the apartment in search of Inuyasha. The mutt was in there somewhere and he had a feeling that if he let his nose lead the way he'd find him soon enough.

 

 

Using the tip of his steel toed boot he tapped the door of the bathroom open and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight before him. “Kami you stink! What the hell have you been doing?”

 

 

“Shaddup! No one asked you!” Came the slurred response from the dishevelled and filthy looking figure sitting sprawled out on the floor. With his back against the wall and a three-quarters empty bottle of Jack Daniels nestled between his legs he looked perfectly content to drink himself into oblivion. Judging by his general appearance and the smell of unwashed body that was exactly what he'd been doing for the past few days.

 

 

Kouga heaved a sigh of resignation and stepped inside the cramped bathroom. Yet again his instincts had proven accurate. He'd known something was up. Crouching next to Inuyasha, he took a moment to examine the worn features of his face and the glassy far away look in his eyes. This was not good…definitely not good.

 

 

The night prior he'd run into an old friend from the 29th division at the local strip club. A bunch of the boys had gone down to blow off some steam after a particularly difficult homicide scene. Whenever kids were thrown into the mix it was hard on everyone.

 

 

After a few drinks the guy had casually mentioned Takahashi's situation - mainly, he hadn't bothered to call in or show up to work for a week. It was no secret he was walking a tight rope as it was and this was just the thing that would cut it out from under him.

 

The idiot had been put on probation the last time he'd decided to go on a week long drinking binge. It was a shame too, since the guy was a pretty decent detective when he laid off the sauce. When he first started he'd had one of the highest conviction rates of any cop in the city. But now…well that was another story altogether. Though not exactly a close friend, Kouga knew he couldn't, in good conscience, let the mutt throw his career away on something so stupid. The guy had saved his life once. He owed him at least this much.

 

 

The thing was, this time he just couldn't wrap his head around it. Everyone had their demons, and everyone knew Takahashi had struggled with his for years, but it didn't feel the same this time. Though he hated to admit it, Inuyasha had actually gotten better since hooking up with that reporter. He was making progress on his cases, seemed to have laid off the booze; things were looking up, which was exactly why it just didn't make sense that he was just throwing it all away. Unless…

 

 

“So she dumped your sorry ass did she?” Maybe the girl had opened her eyes and realized she needed a real man to take care of her? He tucked that thought away and made a mental note to look up her number later. Maybe he'd have better luck in round two?

 

 

“Fuck you. You don't know nothin'.”

 

 

Kouga shrugged. Okay so he hadn't exactly been delicate about it, but he knew from experience that Inuyasha only understood blunt. On that note, he made a move to grab the bottle of JD from his lax grip, but the temperamental hanyou snarled at him and shied away. Satisfied that he wasn't going to make another grab for the bottle, Inuyasha took a loud sip before slamming it noisily back down against the tile floor.

 

 

Kouga sighed impatiently and thought seriously of leaving. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stay in this cramped bathroom with its suffocating atmosphere and wretched stink. He moved to stand but as he did so his eyes caught sight of the tiny scar cutting across the mutt's chest. The white line of scar tissue was just barely visible through the opening of his shirt but it was enough to root him to his spot.

 

 

For better or worse he owed the mutt his life. He remembered all to well the long nights he'd spent next to his hospital bed, watching the shaky rise and fall of his chest. It wasn't that he had any particular affinity for the guy, he didn't then and he sure as heck didn't now, but when someone saves your life like that you can't just ignore them when they need help. If Inuyasha hadn't pushed him out of the way…well that scar was a very visible reminder of just how much he owed the slobbering drunk slouched in front of him. What was a few more minutes to help him get back on his feet?

 

 

“Well if she didn't come to her senses and kick your ass to the curb, what the hell happened? Has she seen you like this? You look like shit and you don't smell much better either.”

 

 

“Go home asshole. I don't need your help.” Inuyasha took another long swig from his bottle and gasped loudly at the burning sensation of the alcohol sliding down his throat. Though the room was spinning, he tilted his head towards the wolf and regarded him with glassy eyes. Two tanned faces swirled in front of him so he took a chance and addressed the one that seemed most in focus.

 

 

“Why the hell're you here anyway? No one asked you to come. So unless you're gonna help me find her you can get the hell outta here. This ain't no fuckin' pity party.”

 

 

Kouga's eyebrow knit together in confusion and his head cocked to the side. “Find who? Kagome?”

 

 

Maybe he'd been right, maybe there really was something more to this. He felt a knot of worry form in his stomach as he looked over the hollowed face of his comrade. For Inuyasha to fall this hard off the wagon it had to be bad. Had something happened to her? The thought of such a pretty woman being attacked and helpless at the mercy of some thug had his blood boiling. He'd kill the bastard with his bare hands!

 

 

“Do I have to fucking spell it out for you?” Inuyasha let out a loud groan of frustration and quickly drowned it with another swig of whiskey. His free hand slapped loudly against the floor between his thigh and the shower until it found what he was looking for. Snatching the polaroid up from the floor, he tossed it sloppily towards the wolf.

 

In the interim he took another swig and swallowed hard. No matter how much he drank it refused to go away. The tight feeling in his chest, the shortness of breath, the painful clenching around his heart…why wouldn't it just go away? His eyes cut blearily to the wolf's lap and he watched him flip the picture over in his hands. It was probably just as well he couldn't see it from this angle. The image was already burned into his memory but even so, he wasn't sure if he could handle seeing it again.

 

 

Kouga snatched the picture deftly between his claws and flipped it over in his hand. He blinked at the image staring back at him in silence, unwilling to trust what his eyes were showing him. It had to be a joke right? He glanced incredulously at Inuyasha, his bright eyes meeting the hanyou's unfocused gaze. There was a smug, drunken smile on his lips and he wasted no time ridding him of it. Grabbing him roughly by the shirt collar he punched him hard across the face.

 

 

“So you mean to tell me that someone out there has Kagome and instead of going to find her you went on a fucking drinking binge? Have you lost your fucking mind? She could be dead by now and you've done fuck all to help her. Shit! I knew I never should've let her get involved with you. You're such a waste of fucking space!”

 

 

With a disgruntled snarl, he threw the drunkard's limp form into the grimy bathtub and turned on the cold water. The shower hissed to life and along with the sound of water slapping against the bare ceramic came the surprised gasps of the inebriated hanyou prostrated beneath its spray.

 

 

Deciding it would be best to leave him in there for a few minutes to sober up, Kouga made a point to dump the rest of the JD down the toilet. After a moment of contemplation he flushed it and listened keenly to the shriek that came from behind the shower curtain as the water went from freezing cold to scalding hot and back again. Well, served the bastard right. If he'd done something about this days ago Kagome could already be back home safe and sound. He didn't even want to think about what she'd gone through these past few days while he was working and Inuyasha was drinking himself into oblivion.

 

 

His eyes fell to the picture now resting on the edge of the sink and stared at it for a long while. He slowly let out the breath he'd been holding and switched into detective mode. Though the terror in her beautiful big brown eyes made it difficult, he eventually managed to focus only on the clues and not the subject. From what he could tell there was nothing they could take from it. The background was dark, the hands holding her had no distinctive markings - in short, there was nothing they could use to identify where the picture was taken or who'd abducted her. Things were already looking bad. Not to mention the fact that they were well past the 24 hour window of opportunity. If they were ever going to find her, it was going to take some good, old fashioned leg work.

 

 

“Hey mutt face! You done getting rid of that stink yet?”

 

 

The tap squeaked noisily as it was turned off and a moment later a thoroughly drenched but sober looking hanyou stepped out, still clothed. His eyes screamed murder as he glared at the detective resting his hip casually against the sink. With a derisive snort he walked past him, slowly peeling off articles of drenched clothing as he went.

 

 

Kouga followed the sounds of wet material slapping noisily against the floor as various pieces were tossed off. Taking the picture with him, he stalked out into the kitchen area and took a seat at the folding table to wait. He debated making a cup of coffee, but after seeing the state of the kitchen and the mould floating on top of the previous brew he decided against take out was the better option.

 

 

Inuyasha emerged from his bedroom a few minutes later looking thoroughly displeased as he pushed damp tendrils of silver hair back off his face and tied them into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. The newly showered and somewhat sober hanyou wordlessly retrieved his leather jacket from the back of the couch and shrugged into it. Shooting his partner an impatient glance he nodded towards the door. “We goin' or what?”

 

 

Glad to see that his comrade had finally come to his senses, Kouga nodded in agreement and grinned triumphantly. Mission accomplished. He watched Inuyasha throw open the broken door and pause, one foot already in the hall.

 

 

“And Kouga?”

 

 

“Yeah what?” He responded dismissively as he tucked the only evidence they had into the breast pocket of his jacket. He felt his shoulders tense as he realized that the mutt must've noticed the busted door.

 

 

“Thanks.”

 

 

By the time he looked up, Inuyasha had already disappeared from sight. For a moment everything was noticeably quiet and he simply stared at the door in disbelief. The bastard had actually thanked him. “Well…I guess there's a first for everything,” he remarked with genuine surprise.

 

 

The walls didn't answer him, but just outside the door he heard the impatient shouts of a certain hanyou. With a smirk and shake of his head, he followed him out the door. The mutt was right. If they were going to find her they didn't have any more time to waste. He patted the pocket of his jacket to reassure himself that the picture was still there, safe and sound. Without it they didn't have a hope of finding her.

 

 

Hang in there Kagome. I promise we'll bring you home.

 

 

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Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter has taken so long to come out. I've been struggling with it since July no joke! but it's finally here. Please read and review. I'd love to hear your thoughts. And thank you to everyone who has given this story so much support in the past. You guys are great! Until next time…