InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Passion Flowers and the Moonlight Path ❯ The Scent of Night ( Chapter 3 )

He sighed and poked a little at the string that had attached itself to its arm. It connected to a bag filled with a clear liquid and, since it didn't appear to be sucking out his blood so he let it be. For the moment. The instant it did, however, it would be gone. His ears swiveled slightly as he heard two people outside his room, talking. A man and woman, it sounded like.

'But what are they saying? All I can make out is hanyou and yes . . . Are they talking about me?'

He sat up slightly as the door clicked then whooshed open. Before him stood a golden-haired woman and a man of Japanese descent. The woman turned to the man and said something more. He bowed then left. She turned her gaze to him.

~"This is quite interesting, my friend. What am I to do with you?"~

~"What are you talking about?"~ he finally ventured to ask.

~"You're a long way from home,"~ she explained. ~"And you're in danger from one of my so-called employers. Tell me . . . when do you turn human?"~

~"What?!"~ His eyes widened and his body stiffened. ~"How did you . . . "~

~"I know Japanese folklore and mythology,"~ she replied. ~"I have family who are of Japanese descent. It would be best for me to know this so I can get you out of here and get you to relative safety. Please . . . this isn't just for your sake but the sake of others as well."~

He hesitated. What she had asked of him . . . it was a secret. HIS secret and he had guarded it very carefully for as long as he could remember. He trusted no one with it yet someone this strange woman knew.

~"What makes you say I'm in danger? I can take care of myself,"~ he retorted.

~"Are you sure about that?"~ she shot back. ~"If we wanted to, we could make you sleep. Indefinitely. And no one would be the wiser about it. No one other than the people who work for me and the scumbag that calls himself the boss know that you're here. Please . . . I wish to help but I can't unless I know when you turn human."~

~"Why should I trust you?"~ he snarled.

~"Because I'm the only standing in the way of them running tests and experiments on you,"~ she stated. ~"I'm the one keeping them from drawing out blood and other samples to keep them from developing weapons and Gods know what else. I'm your only chance of getting out of here."~

~"It . . . it's the night of no moon,"~ he whispered shakily.

~"Good,"~ she smiled. ~"Tonight then."~

~"What? It's tonight?"~ he exclaimed. She nodded.

~"Hai. Tonight. So be prepared to be smuggled out. Dr. Woo will have a car ready and your belongings in it. We can dispense with any formalities when we're on the road. Rest up. We'll bring some food in. Please eat. You're going to need your strength."~

Having said that, she walked out.

'Great . . . What have I gotten myself into?'

* * *

"She wouldn't dare!"

"She would, Mr. Ludlow. In fact, she's already making plans to get him out of here, though I'm not entirely sure as to how. His physical features give him away."

Peter growled under his breath. How could she do this to him? After all he and InGen had done for her . . . She had to betray them and at a time when they were being threatened with bankruptcy.

"Stop her. Don't allow her to leave with that young man. Throw up any blocks and get whatever samples you can from him. We need to know more about him. This is the greatest discovery this company has ever found. We can't let him escape!"

"Calm down, Mr. Ludlow. We have every safeguard in place," the geneticist stated. "There is no way for her to sneak him out."

"You better hope that she can't," Peter growled. "We can't afford to lose this specimen."

"Yes, Mr. Ludlow."

The geneticist, a scrawny man with scraggly hair and large bifocal glasses, nodded then hurried out the door. Peter sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples. He had to get rid of Torie and fast.

'But how? How do I get rid of her? She's a trusted advisor. Even with my uncle off the board, they still trust her. Almost fear her. Like her staff. What is it about her that makes everyone fear her?'

A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie. Putting his glases back on, Peter rose to his feet.

"Come in."

"Hello, Peter . . ."

"Well, hello, Uncle," he smiled greasily as John Hammond entered his office. "What can I do for you?"

"You can stop whatever it is that you're planning, for starters," John stated.

"Why, my dear uncle, I don't know what you're talking about," Peter faltered, turning away.

"I know you have a young man here, Peter. Torie told me about him and your plans to experiment on him. I'm telling you now, I won't allow it."

"You won't allow it, Uncle?" he turned on his heel to glare at him. "How can you stop me? You're no longer in control of InGen, not after the incident on Isla Sorna. I'm in control now, Uncle. Me. And I will do what I feel is in the best interest of InGen. This young man will save the company, Uncle, he and his healing abilities. We just need to know what causes him to heal."

"He has a family somewhere, Peter. You've ripped him away from that."

"He isn't even human, Uncle. Have you seen him? He has dog ears on the top of his head. Claws instead of nails. I can save this company with him and with rebuilding Jurassic Park. Just watch and see, Uncle. Just watch and see."

"I'm afraid, Peter, that you're the one who cannot see . . . I've seen this young man from Japan and he looks human to me."

"You haven't seen him," Peter scoffed.

"Yes, he has," a female voice chimed in. "In fact, so have I. He looks very human to me." Torie stepped inside his office, her eyes gleaming.

"I've seen him as well, Torie," Peter spat. "He is NOT human."

"Really? I think the doctors in Japan were trying to pull a fast one on you, Peter. Take a look."

She motioned with her hand then a young man with long, dark hair and amethyst eyes came into view. He wore a white gown and a white pair of pants. Peter narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked the young man over. His facial features were familiar but other than the shape of his face, he bore no resemblance to the young man whom he had brought back from Japan. The ears were gone, the silver hair, the claws and the amber eyes.

"What did you do, Torie?" he hissed. "Where is the young man I brought back?"

"Right here, Peter," she smiled sweetly. "I told you. Someone in Japan tried to pull a fast one on you."

"How can you be sure, Torie? How can you be sure?"

"Duh! I run the genetics lab, don't I? That's where you took him, right?"

"Yes . . ."

"That's where I found this one. Lying on the hospital bed, in the genetics lab."

"This can't be . . ."

"I'm sorry, Peter, but it is."

"He was hit by a bus!!"

"Really?" Torie raised an eyebrow at him. "We ran some X-Rays on him, Peter. There isn't any indication that he was."

"That's because he has unnatural healing abilities . . . The doctors told me so . . . They'd seen what a mess he was . . ." Peter stared in frustration at the young man in the door to Torie to his uncle and back again. Somehow she had done it. How, he didn't know but she had done it. She had managed to rip out from underneath one of the only things that would save InGen from bankruptcy.

"Get out," he growled softly. "All of you. Get out."

"Of course, Peter. Whatever you say."

She said something, something in Japanese to the young man next to her. He nodded and they left, John behind them. He took a couple of deep breaths before clearing off his desk in one violent sweep.

"Damn her! Damn her to hell!!"

He jabbed a button on his desk.

"Security . . . I want you to follow Torie. Wherever she goes, you go. I want to know what she's doing, when she's doing it, and who she's doing it with . . . Yes. I don't care. Just do it."

He jabbed the button again then turned towards the window. One way or another, Torie would pay for the outrage if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

~"What was he saying?"~

~"He knows that you have unusual healing capabilities. Like I told you before, he wants to use that to his advantage. This is the only way I can keep you safe for now. Chances are, he'll start tailing me. I've seriously pissed himself off now."~

He held her hand as they practically ran out of the building. A cool, night breeze picked up as they exited and he shivered. He wanted his clothes back or at least something warmer.

~"Why did you do it?"~

~"Why did I do what?"~

~"Help me. You don't know me."~

~"Nor do you know me but you trusted me. Besides, I couldn't allow them to test on you. No one has that right to do that to another. No one."~

~"Thank you."~

~"You're welcome . . . What's your name, by the way?"~

~"Inuyasha."~

~"Well, Inuyasha. My name is Torie. Can you tell me what Peter was talking about? He said you got hit by a bus. Is that true?"~

~"I . . . I don't know . . ."~

They reached a small, metallic creature and she immediately ushered him. She got in on the other side. With the twist of a key, it roared to life and they were gone.

~"You don't know?"~

~"No . . . I don't know . . ."~ He took a deep breath. ~"I don't remember anything. Anything at all." ~

* * *

Torie cursed silently to herself as she sped away from the InGen corporate office. She knew that the young man seated next to her had, in fact, been hit by the bus, as Peter had claimed. The medical records had said as much - since the sun had gone down, she had decided to mess with Peter's mind a little. But the young man losing his memory . . . she had not counted on.

'Can't be helped, though. Something like this is always inevitable. I just have to help him stay human until I can get Peter off my ass.'

She swerved through traffic. Finding a safe haven for them was her first and primary goal. Then she could perform the spell that could keep him as human, until it was safe.

~"Where are we going?"~

~"Some place safe, Inuyasha. Some place where Peter can't find us . . . and I can keep you human a little while longer."~

~"He can find me if I'm hanyou . . . Can't he?"~

~"Hai. He can. Trust me, when it's safe, I'll take the spell off so you can return back to your normal state. I promise."~

~"You better. I'm going to hold you to it,"~ he grinned. ~"I do have one more question for you."~

~"What's that?"~

~"Do I have to wear these clothes from now on?"~

~"No,"~ she laughed. ~"I have some spare clothes in the trunk. We'll find a place to stop so you can change. We'll even stop somewhere and get some food. Sound good to you?"~

~"Sure does . . . Again, thank you. You didn't have to do this."~

~"I know,"~ she smirked. ~"I wanted to. Besides . . . you're rather cute."~

Torie chuckled at the tinge of pink on his cheeks as she continued to swerve through traffic and take many right and left turns. Finally, she pulled into a 7/11 and killed the engine. All he needed was a pair of pants and a t-shirt. All she had to do was ditch the car and get into another. By the time Peter's cronies caught up with the car, they wouldn't know where to begin to find her.

'I just have to be careful for them not to find me,' she thought as she got into the trunk of the car and pulled everything out, including a bottle of bleach water, a pair of latex gloves, and a towel. There would be no trace of Inuyasha in the car. Not if she could help it.

* * *

Inuyasha watched as Torie completed her spell, the small stone in her hands glowing slightly before the light dissipated. She put it onto a chain of silver then placed it around his neck and he shivered. Whatever she was, she had power. Great power. He could feel the magic she had woven into taking effect immediately. And in time, as well. The sun had begun to rise and it tried to peek in around the curtains.

~"You're tired,"~ he noted, brushing some stray strands of hair from her eyes.

~"Nothing I can't handle,"~ she grinned. ~"You're tired as well. Come. Let's get some sleep."~

Before he could protest, she crawled into the bed, dragging him next to her. His face burned as she curled up next to him, one arm draped across him, but he had to admit . . . he kind of liked it. She had a strong aura to her and it drew him like a moth to a flame. He inhaled deeply. She smelled sweet, like lavender and something else. Something of the night. Letting out a yawn, he curled up next to her, the scent of the night lulling him into a peaceful dreamlike state where the only people who existed were him and the woman sleeping next to him.