InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Patchwork Family ❯ Burning the Evidence, a Little Play Time, and a Little Trust ( Chapter 15 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Allannarose22 
The debris from a horrible night is put behind them, gone with the smoke. A little time spent in the sun at play can be healing for the spirit, and sometimes it must be accepted that going it alone is not always the best choice.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance / Psychological / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.28.2014 | Updated On: 02.14.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.4K | Visits: 632 | Status: Completed
The debris from a horrible night is put behind them, gone with the smoke. A little time spent in the sun at play can be healing for the spirit, and sometimes it must be accepted that going it alone is not always the best choice.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance / Psychological / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.28.2014 | Updated On: 02.14.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.4K | Visits: 632 | Status: Completed
A/N: All Inuyasha
characters and references belong to the creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko
Takahashi and published by Shogakukan. Any other characters are
more than likely my own creation. If I borrow directly from another
story I will do my best to make sure I give credit where credit is
due. I will also be pulling some material (ideas and inspirations)
from Burn Notice, Scorpion, Supernatural, and Lockwood &
Co.
I enjoy the show Burn Notice and have done a little research, but am not technologically minded enough on my own to come up with the ideas the show supplies. So thank you and give credit to Burn Notice, the super spy MacGyver of our generation. Please be kind. I’m sorta flying by the seat of my pants with that stuff.
First I want to thank sutlesarcasm for your review. The more often I hear from people and know someone is consciously looking forward to the next chapter, the more likely I am to put my time into thisrather than one of my others, or where it should really be spent (On my photography,illustration work….SLEEP) lol. In short, I greatly appreciate I dofull timethen some, and on top of it our apartment flooded due to nearly a foot of rain falling in a single night in an area that is totally not prepared for that kind of water. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to write but it means a lot that someone is enjoying it.
Also, thanks to abbygale for your review as well! I put a lot of time and thought into the characters I work with, both the ones that are mine and the ones that are canon. They become very near and dear, and it’s rewarding to know they are noticed. I think character development is my favorite part of writing. Sorry about the long note. It’s been a while, and my world has been a rather tumbling place. Without further ado… another chapter, enjoy!!
***
Kagome followed Inuyasha back to his rooms where he picked up the bloody pants and shirt from the coffee table. When he noticed her standing by the couch, looking unsure, he said, "you're welcome to come out with me if you want. I’m gonna go start the burn barrel. You can see the place in daylight and get some air."
Kagome seemed to brighten a little at the prospect and he looked down at her stocking feet. "You definitely have smaller feet than Sango. Let me go ask Rosie if she has something. What size do you wear?"
"Six and a half." she said, blushing again at the embarrassment of having nothing of her own and somehow felt the need to apologize for it. "Sorry."
He just shrugged. "No big deal. Maybe tonight we can run into town and get you a few things at the Walmart here in Eureka. It'll be safer to go when there aren't as many people and smells." Kagome just shrugged and waited while Inuyasha ran back to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with Rosalind in tow. She held a pair of plain black flip flops, looking apologetic, "I wear a size eight. But these might work for now."
She tossed them down and Kagome removed her socks to slide her feet into them. They were a little long but they would do the job for now. She smiled and thanked the girl, wiggling her toes in the sandals.
Rosalind shrugged. "No problem. I bought them a few weeks ago from a clearance rack and it's mostly been too chilly to wear them, so they aren't all gross or anything." Kagome shook her head. "They're fine. I'll scrub them down and get them back to you when I have something else." She looked from Inuyasha to Rosalind and asked, "are you coming out with us?"
Rosalind thought about it and then nodded. "I think I will actually, just for a little bit. Then I need to finish meal planning before we go into town."
Kagome paused when she stepped out the front door, taking a moment to appreciate the beautiful setting. She’d been passed out exhausted when they’d arrived the night before, so she’d seen nothing of the place. The sun was high in the blue afternoon sky and a breeze danced in from the sea; smelling of salt water. She followed Inuyasha and Rosalind along the sandy path through a green front yard to the wide, empty drive. She could see the endless expanse of ocean only a short walk away.
Inuyasha pulled one of the big garage doors open effortlessly and walked through to the workshop at the back. When he returned carrying a large rusty metal drum, he saw Kagome standing at the edge of the pavement, her eyes closed and her head leaned back, looking as if she were trying to soak in every bit of sunshine that touched her. Rosalind saw this too and flashed him a smile before she asked, "anything I can help with?"
Inuyasha nodded back to the shop. "Yeah. I'll get the stuff and set this up if you'll grab the starter and matches." She strode into the depths of the shop and he set the barrel up at the end of the driveway, in the center of the large concrete pad. Kagome opened her eyes and was watching as he picked up the bloody t-shirt and jeans from the ground where he’d tossed them. She asked, "anything I can do?"
"Not much to it," Inuyasha said. He pointed to the stack of newspapers and pizza boxes in the corner of the garage. "I guess if you want you can crush some of those up and toss them in. It'll help the other stuff catch and it needs to be burned anyways."
As she moved to comply, he went back into the shop and hefted the large black garbage bag over his shoulder. Rosalind followed him out with the matches and grimaced as he opened the bag and pulled out a big handful of blood soaked, and now somewhat crusted clothing. "Eww... you guys did make a mess."
Inuyasha snorted, a little bitterly. "Yeah... Shit happens."
Kagome stiffly set down an armload of newspaper began to crumple them into the barrel. He tossed the bloody clothing on top of it and helped her crumple more paper until there was thick layer. Then he pulled out the long rug and rolled it loosely so it fit in the barrel. Kagome frowned at it and sighed regretfully. "I wrecked your carpet. Sorry..."
Inuyasha shoved it into the barrel and starred at her. "I'm not upset about the rug. I just wish I'd shot the bastard before any of it could have happened." He averted his eyes then, focusing on his hands as they tucked Sango’s ruined clothing in around the newspaper and carpet. He tamped down his anger as best he could and said quietly, “I’m sorry I let it happen.”
Kagome bit her lip nervously and Rosalind leaned over to stage-whisper with a smirk, "it's ok. It was an ugly rug anyway."
Inuyasha snorted and Kagome managed a smile again as she tossed more newspaper in the barrel. Inuyasha emptied the garbage bag and stuffed that in as well before he handed the bottle of starter fluid and matches to Rosalind. "You wanna do this part? This stuff burns my nose."
Rosalind nodded with understanding and waited until he’d stepped upwind before she popped the lid and soaked the whole mess. Kagome stepped back as well when the barrel coughed up a gout of flame and black smoke. The girls stepped over to stand with Inuyasha, watching for a few minutes while the fire established itself and shrunk down until it was burning steadily just below the rim of the big barrel.
Rosalind began to head down the path from the driveway towards the beach. Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and said, "it's just gonna burn for a while now. I'll keep an eye on it. Are you up for a short walk to the beach? It might be good to work your leg a little."
She smiled faintly and nodded, following him down the path.
When they got to the water line she saw that the beach was coarse brown sand dotted with patches of rocky outcrops. She stood for a moment, enjoying the sun and the sound of the surf. She would never want to be in the water out there, but to smell it, and feel it from here was glorious. She took her feet out of the flip flops and buried her toes in the sand, sighing happily. Inuyasha hadn't bothered with shoes and he didn't seem to care about his jeans getting wet as he stepped forward into the lapping surf. Rosalind stepped out of her boots, pulling her socks off and stuffing them in her shoes.
Kagome wrapped her arms around herself in the breeze, watching her companions. Rosalind had walked right into the surf behind Inuyasha and then let out a shrill little scream, jumping back. “Inuyasha! It’s so cold! Why didn’t you say something?”
Inuyasha smirked, one of his ears twitching in the wind as he turned to look at her. His sleeveless red shirt rippled around him a little in a gust of wind and he spread smoothly muscled, slightly tanned arms out in the sunlight. “It’s 70 degrees out here. What are you complaining about?”
At his teasing Rosalind gave a huff and kicked one foot at the edge of the surf, flicking sea water in his direction. “The water is still freezing!”
Inuyasha was grinning, and there was something in his expression that looked almost exuberant. Rosalind saw the look on his face and cringed, backing away. Kagome stiffened as Inuyasha launched himself at Rosalind, his feet splashing through the water as he scooped the young woman off her feet. Rosalind let out a screech as he slung her over his shoulder. His ears flattened to his head and he grimaced. “Not so loud wench!”
He caught sight of Kagome’s wide eyes as he turned, his arm wrapped tightly around Rosalind’s legs to keep her in place as she kicked, trying to squirm away. He gave her a reassuring smile and saw her relax a little when Rosalind laughed. He shot the dark haired girl a wink and then turned and began to walk back out into the water.
Rosalind quit squirming and clutched at his shirt. “Inuyasha, don’t you dare…”
He let out a triumphant laugh and continued to walk until the water was just above his knees before he pulled her around in front of him bridal style, lowering her slowly towards the water. Kagome couldn’t help the small laugh that spilled from her when Rosalind desperately tried to climb back over his shoulder again. Privately Kagome thought she resembled a ginger cat tying to claw her way up a length of particularly obstinate curtain.
Suddenly Inuyasha bent at the knees and Rosalind let out another screech as she fell towards the sweeping water. Kagome gasped in empathetic apprehension. It had really looked like he was going to drop her in the water, but somehow at the last second he pulled her up and swung her high. This was a maneuver she was apparently familiar with because she automatically adjusted in his hold and in another second she was settled, sitting balanced on his shoulders. It almost looked like a dance maneuver, she thought with amusement. She wondered if Inuyasha danced. Kagome loved to dance, though it had been a long time since she had. Things had been crazy, and then after she had been caught, she’d been in no condition for such frivolous enjoyments.
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as Inuyasha turned and she saw Rosalind was laughing again, a broad smile on her face. She watched them play in the water for a few minutes and her lips twitched into a bittersweet smile. It reminded her a little of how she and Souta used to play.
Souta.
Guilt gnawed at her insides, turning them to ice. She hadn’t thought about him since yesterday. Her situation had continued to change at such a pace that it seemed all she could to do to keep alive; to keep from being swept away. She looked out at the horizon and felt something in her chest squeeze painfully at the thought of never seeing her little brother again. Briefly she wondered if she might visit the cemetery in Portland where her grandmother had buried him. But she discarded the thought as quickly as it occurred to her. She didn’t dare go anywhere near her grandmother.
Grandma Kaede was the only family she had left. That thought brought a small tidal wave of nausea over her for a moment. She hadn’t come from a large family, but they’d been close. Her mother had gotten sick. She shivered all over again at the thought of the word. Cancer. It had seemed that her mother was healthy and vibrant one day, and within a few short weeks, she was gone.
Then her uncle and father had been killed, she was sure by Naraku’s men, though the police had said they were just collateral damage in a robbery gone wrong at a local convenience store. Her father had been the active guardian of the Shikon no Tama, and removing Koske, her father, and his brother, Akira, left the way to the jewel for Naraku. She was sure he’d never imagined she or her brother would be much of a barrier between him and the power he was after. But then, and she closed her eyes for a moment at the thought, they hadn’t been, had they? He had the jewel, and she was struggling to keep her head above water. She had been so close to retrieving the jewel, to ending him.
Souta had been far too young yet to be involved. Her father wasn’t even going to begin his training for guardianship until he was 16 years old. “Let him be a kid first,” her father had said once, when they had talked about the jewel. Koske had smiled at his daughter. Kagome had been 13 at the time, and in the midst of training with her grandfather. She remembered thinking her father looked a little sad as he said to her, “I’m sorry it couldn’t be that way for you. You’re needed as fast as you can learn. Let Souta and I worry about the Shikon no Tama. You’re magic is related, but different from ours. You are your grandfather’s granddaughter, and are meant to guard the world in other ways.”
No. She didn’t dare go near her grandmother until Naraku was dead. Something in her turned cold, but she realized that this conviction was hard as diamond. Naraku would be killed. She had to make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone else, and especially, that he never accessed the power in the Shikon no Tama. Despite her father’s intentions, it was her job now as its guardian. If that demon gained such power, it would be her fault, and she would be responsible for all the harm he did with it. She needed a little more time to recuperate, but she would have to stay after him.
Suddenly she felt tired all over again. She didn’t have the slightest inkling as to how she was going to make it happen. But she had to make it happen, or die in the attempt. She watched Inuyasha holding Rosalind’s hands to keep her balanced while he waded back towards the shore, and she wondered if she could trust him to finish the job if she couldn’t. The very idea surprised her. It shouldn’t even be a consideration. He was a demon.
All her life she’d been taught that it was her families’ job to make sure that precious stone never fell into the possession of anyone but its next guardian, particularly no one who was demon. She frowned a little, making a mental note to consider that angle later. It might be wise to try and find someone to secure as a backup in case something happened to her and she couldn’t finish the task. It was a more than possible scenario, but she didn’t have the first idea who she could ask for such a promise. The list of people who would be capable, much less willing to take on such a task had to be miniscule.
Despite her exhaustion, she did still want to carry out the mission herself. The additional thought that she actively wanted to see Naraku dead for all he had done to her and her family frightened her a little. She had disliked people in the past, and she’d seen a lot of terrible things in the course of her work. But she’d never wanted any living thing to die before.
Inuyasha reached her and knelt down to let Rosalind slide off his shoulders. The girl was laughing, face flushed, her hair coming loose from its knot. Kagome shook herself from her thoughts and smiled back. Rosalind gave Inuyasha a whack on the arm and said, “I have to go get some things done. See you later Yash. Kagome, we’re doing burgers and fries for dinner I think. Does that sound ok? If that’s a little rough for you yet, I can make a pan of soup as well.”
Kagome gave her a dismissive wave. “No, please don’t go to any trouble. I’ll be fine.” She smiled ruefully and added, “A burger would be great. I haven’t had one in a long time.”
Rosalind grinned and crossed her arms. “Alright then, don’t let him wear you out. I’ll be up at the house for a while if you need anything.” Kagome gave her a grateful nod as she walked away.
Silence fell, but for the sound of the water lapping at sand and stone. Inuyasha stood, studying her for a minute and she felt her cheeks redden under the scrutiny.She wriggled her toes in the sand and smiled a little. Inuyasha had noticed her unease, but sensed the buzzing preoccupation in her calming as she watched the water.
“You like it out here?” he asked.
Kagome nodded,stepping forward and dipping her toes in the surging water. She pulled her foot back quickly, making a face at the temperature. She coughed to clear her throat and said, “I don’t know how you could stand out there. I’d never get warm again.”
Her smile became more genuine as she considered his question. She did like it here, though she still wasn’t more than vaguely clear on exactly where ‘here’ was.Despite her previous train of darker thoughts, she did have to acknowledge that she had rarely ever felt this much space for herself in her own head. Normally she was sacrificing half of her mental real estate to the whispers of the Dead Space, the DS, as her grandfather had called it.
The Dead Space was the layer of this world that lay most closely to the boundaries of the next. It was called many things by many people through the ages. The Gray, the Vale, the Void; there were too many names to keep track of. A constant noise that emanated from that space, but only a few could hear it. This noise consisted of more than could be described; cries, whispers, shouts and screams, laughter and song, yearnings, dreams and regrets; mostly all jumbled together. And Kagome heard it all, in varying volumes and densities.
Her mind was so used to filtering her thoughts around it, she’d never realized how loud it was. It was like she’d been near a room with several televisions turned on for all her life, and suddenly the power had been shut down. The quiet was almost deafening, but so very restful. She wondered if it was because she was nearly in rural countryside. She had never traveled much away from Portland and she wondered if the Dead Space was perhaps louder in higher population centers, or where there was more human deaths occurring. Inuyasha was speaking again and she had to focus her mind back on the conversation at hand, which she thought with a whole new appreciation, was a lot easier to do than it had ever been before without the distractions of the DS.
She rapidly backtracked in her thoughts. What had they been talking about? Right… he had asked if she liked it here, which she certainly did, but the water was cold.
Inuyasha shrugged, looking out to sea. “It has to be a lot colder than this to bother me. The water temperature will be warm and cold for the next two months until it evens out for the summer.” He paused for a moment and watched as she wiped her sandy feet on her pant legs to slide the flip flops back on. “It’s a good thing I’m a cold water swimmer,” he commented. “That’s what I was doing up near six rivers. Miroku and I took the bikes up that way for a ride. When he headed home, I stayed to swim that stretch of the river.”
When she looked confused he clarified. “Six Rivers is national forest land; it’s north east of here. That’s where I pulled you off the bank of the Klamath.”
She frowned, but nodded her understanding and let her gaze fall out to the horizon again.He watched her raven black hair twist in the breeze, almost dry now under the sun.She seemed to be thinking heavy thoughts again. Finally she said, “his demons go down there to run the park land, sometimes for days.”
Inuyasha took a seat on a rocky outcrop. “Down there? So is he headquartered farther north? We never did find his base of operation. We’ve only busted his stringers and projects here in Arcata and Eureka; occasionally as far south as Santa Rosa whenever we’ve gotten the chance. He was running some human trafficking projects here out of the port.” After a pause he said, “the address you gave me, that you heard Tsubaki give Naraku? That was Rose’s apartment. He tried to grab her a few years ago. We managed to get to her and a half dozen other girls before he got them on a boat. All we found out was he was looking to deliver to someone in Singapore. Light skinned red heads and blonds are worth some money over there, especially ones with green eyes like hers.”
Kagome looked back at the house over her shoulder, glad that she had shared the information. She hadn’t been sure at the time whether she should or not, but clearly she’d made the right decision. “She’s very kind,” Kagome said. “She seems happy here. But Naraku doesn’t like to let go of something once he decides he wants it. I’m sorry that happened to her.” She paused and then amended her statement, “is happening to her.”
Inuyasha nodded, looking down at the sand. “Yeah. Me too. She’s a good person. All she ever wants to do is take care of everyone else. I think that started when she was pretty young. She had a little sister at some point. I’m not sure what happened, but I get the sense that she died before Sesshomaru pulled Rose out of Chicago.”
Kagome raised an eyebrow curiously and Inuyasha went on. “She doesn’t really talk about her family much. When Rhiannon died, that was Sesshomaru’s mate, Rosie just stepped right in to help take care of Rin. Rose was only 12 years old at the time. There was a nurse hired for a little while, but I don’t know what we would have done without her. This was before Sango, Kohaku, Miroku and Shippo found their way to us. The crew was a little different back then, mostly guys. None of us knew what to do for a newborn pup with no mother...”
Inuyasha paused then, and seemed to consider his next words carefully before he let them loose. “Don’t tell anyone I said so, but Sesshomaru was a wreck. That’s the only time, in hundreds of years I’ve ever seen him totally damaged like that. Honestly, I didn’t think it could happen; not him. I think Rosie and Rin were the only reason her stayed back then.”
Kagome sighed, whispering the words, “it’s hard to lose people you love.” The roughness in her words wasn’t entirely from her torn up throat this time, but from her torn up heart as well.
His golden eyes cut back to her face and he pushed himself up. Her eyes had gone a little unfocused as she thought of her family again, but they snapped back to alertness as he moved in her direction. He held his hand out to her and after a moment of hesitation, she took it. Gently, he tuggedher to him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her, but keeping his muscles loose,trying to let her feel that she had the freedom to pull away if she wanted to.
She stood stiffly for asecond, but then relaxed a little, and he was gratified to feel her move her arms around hisneck and lay her forehead against his shoulder. They stood like that a moment before hemurmured into her hair, "I'm sorry about your brother."
Kagome didn't say anything, but turned her head against his shoulder, nodding. He continued hesitantly,"do you want me to find out exactly what happened?"
She looked up at him then, eyes shining a little with unshed tears. Her face was hard to read,so many emotions played across her features. Finally, she shook her head, whispering, "I spentenough time with him to know what happened. But thank you. It means a lot that youasked."
Inuyasha wanted at that moment to lean down and kiss her, but now wasn't the time,and he could feel her getting a uncomfortable in his arms. He let her go, his hands into his pockets. "Alright… you never said, do you know where the Anansi areheadquartered?"
Kagome looked at him for a long moment and he could see the wheels turning in her head.Even now, she wasn't sure how much she should share. She seemed to clutch information about herself, or anything else for that matter, as tightly as if it were something precious she wasn’t certain she could part with. He felt a moment of guilt for thefact that half of what he did know, he’d pulled from her when she was delirious withpain and blood loss.
"Silverton," she finally whispered.
Inuyasha frowned. “Where’s that?"
She took a deep breath and elaborated. "Naraku has an old farm property on the edge of the small town of Silverton, just outsideof Portland. He runs a lot of business from there, but has stringers all along the west coast anddown into Tijuana."
Inuyasha began to pace a little in the sand while he pondered this. Hepaused and phrased his question carefully. "How much information are you willing to giveus on this?"
Kagome frowned and bit down on her lip, looking into the distance as she weighed her options.She had virtually no resources. Her skill sets could get her some foundation to work with, and a place to hide maybe, but that would bemuch harder to pull off in the condition she was in right now, with poor health and a damagedvoice. And that was without considering that Naraku was actively looking for her. She sighed heavily, rubbing her throat and doing a little pacing of her own. She feltlike she could trust Inuyasha, and maybe the rest of them, to an extent, but she wasn'tentirely comfortable with that feeling yet and she wasn’t sure why it had developed so easily.
These were the first demons she’d ever met that had treated her so well- really muchbetter than she had any right to expect. There was the possibility, now that they knew about the jewel, that it was an effort to use her to obtain it for the Wardens. She couldn’t know for certain. But… she reminded herself that he’d saved her the first time and taken care of her, been kind to her, before he ever knew about the Shikon jewel. It might be possible to handle things alone, but itwould be a big MIGHT, and besides that… she was so very alone now, and she didn'twant to be. A part of her, after living with Naraku's crew for months, just couldn't standupright alone at the moment, and that shamed her a little.
Inuyasha watched her pace, and waited for her decision. After a few minutes she stoppedand turned to him, crossing her arms tightly again over her chest. The defensive stancewasn't lost on him. Most demons were instinctually sensitive to physical language. Hercracked a bit from the morning's use as she said, "I have to get the jewel back. That inevitably has to be my course of action. But it's going to take time to figure out how,now that he knows who and what I am. It’s going to be a completely different game."
Inuyasha nodded cautiously and said, "and until you’re up to dealing with that you're welcome to stay." Hetried not to let his sudden desperate discomfort at the idea of her leaving bleed intohis voice. The strength of the feeling surprised him. He didn’t generally feel attached to people this way, and never in such a short time.
Kagome bit her lip before she continued. "I appreciate that, but, I can't justtake from you, or the Wardens, when I have nothing to pay you back with. And it may take some time, I don'tknow how long. Not only that, but I can see it's like you said."
She looked a little chokedup for a moment, but pulled herself together again. "You guys are a pack, a family of sorts.There are children here, and what I’m doing will probably continue to be dangerous. What if Shippo or Rin had been at your apartment yesterday, or Kohaku that had walked through the door instead of Sango?"
Inuyasha straightened and frowned. "Don't use that as a reason to leave. We can take careour own. We were already in some cross hairs with Naraku. We’ve been dismantling hiswork wherever we found it for several years now and he’s caused grief of some kind for almost all of us. The situation between the Wardens and them would have come to a head, evenwithout you being here. You've done nothing but help.”
He was pacing a little again, restlessly, as he continued his tirade. “Without you, we wouldn't haveabout Tsubaki, and I suspect a few others leaking information. We also wouldn't haveknown Naraku was eying Rosalind again. Besides that, he's an evil bastard. I don'tknow a lot about the Shikon no Tama, but I hear it's pretty powerful stuff, and he's the last personany of us want to have it. I won't lie, we aren't entirely above board, but we don't movehard drugs or people, nor do we tolerate those who do on our turf, and those seem to be his preferredtrades these days. A creature like him, without any kind of ethics, is a monster that can't be allowed tothrive. And if I don’t have to try to get my information from Naraku’s armed errand boys, next time I can just shoot them without trying to have a conversation first."
Kagome looked a little cowed by his censure and he softened his tone. “It sounds to melike sticking together would be beneficial for both of us." He sighed heavily and dropped to sit on the dry sand, looking out at the water. After a minute of uncomfortable silenceKagome sat down next to him, her slim fingers clasped together in her lap.
He looked over but she kept her eyes on the water washing against the sand in front of her.Quietly, she said, "Naraku has some ongoing projects that he was relying heavily on my help to coordinate. Several ofthem are things that could be stopped with time and resources. Additionally, suchdisruptions in his business would distract him from the Shikon no Tama. It might divide hisattention and buy more time to figure things out."
Inuyasha picked up a fist full of sand and let it run through his fingers, hoping this was the olive branch it sounded like. "We have bothmeans and motivation," he responded just as quietly. "And you won't find anywhere safer to bethan with the Wardens. Sesshomaru and I talked about it. Naraku doesn't know anythingright now, besides that the man he sent hasn't come back. Only a hand full of ourpeople knew about you, and that you were at my apartment in Arcata. We'd like you to lookat some photos and tell us if you recognize anyone besides Tsubaki. For that guy to have found you so fast there has to be another turncoat."
Kagome nodded, coughing again when she started to respond. Inuyasha held out a hand tostop her. "You probably shouldn't be working your voice anymore right now. We cantalk about it more later. For now just..." he trailed off for a moment and thenturned to look at her. "Let us help. Do you have so many options right now that this isn't agood one?"
She bit her lip for a moment, then rubbed her hands through her hair and sighed, shakingher head. She had to admit that he was right about most all of it. Finally she whispered, "Ican't join the Wardens."
Inuyasha dropped the last of the sand in his fingers back to the ground. "I'm not asking you to. But…you should know there's a place for you, if you change your mind."
She frowned at him a little but he explained, "Sesshomaru agreed, or I wouldn't have broughtyou here. Sess would have pulled everyone in here and last night I would have taken offwith you to a safe house someplace else. And hell," he snorted with laughter. "Everyoneseems to like you; even the damn dog."
Kagome's lips twitched a little at that and she let loose a smile. After a moment ofquiet, Inuyasha said, "but if together, we can get this mess straightened out and dealt with, and you want to leave- we won't stop you." Something in him hurt at the sound of the words,but he was afraid that if she felt trapped in any way, especially now that she hadthe use of both legs again, she would disappear. Something told him that she would be capable of being very difficult to find if she put her mind to it.
Kagome seemed to study him carefully, almost as if she were trying to detect a lie. He watched as she stretched one leg out and slowly leaned forward to write in the damp sandwith her finger. In small, neat print lay the words, 'Thank You.'
Inuyasha smiled and said, "no problem. We'll talk logistics with Sess, and maybe some of the others later."
Kagome didn't look enthused at the prospect, but nodded. She looked up at the blue skyoverhead and sighed, laying back and straightening out her legs so her feet were just barelyin the reach of the surf when it rolled in. She straightened her arms and looked up at theclouds. She stretched and he felt the last of the tension leave the air. Laying in the sunlightlike this, she seemed to calm again. He let his eyes drift over her for a moment, his gaze pausingat the sliver of her flat belly that was bare under the sun where her clothing had shifted.
Inuyasha pulled his eyes away before he was caught staring, letting the companionable silencestretch on for a full five minutes before he asked, “ready to go inside?"
She shrugged, sitting up and combing any sand from her hair. He could see her disappointment at the idea. "Ifyou want to stay out here you can. It's safe enough on the beach here by the house. I havesome work I need to get started on inside is all."
Kagome looked around apprehensively and shook her head, moving gingerly as she pulled herself up and brushed off thesand. Inuyasha looked around too, and didn't see anything. Maybe she wasn’tcomfortable being alone in the open like this? He resolved to bring her back out when hecould, as much as she seemed to enjoy it.
I enjoy the show Burn Notice and have done a little research, but am not technologically minded enough on my own to come up with the ideas the show supplies. So thank you and give credit to Burn Notice, the super spy MacGyver of our generation. Please be kind. I’m sorta flying by the seat of my pants with that stuff.
First I want to thank sutlesarcasm for your review. The more often I hear from people and know someone is consciously looking forward to the next chapter, the more likely I am to put my time into thisrather than one of my others, or where it should really be spent (On my photography,illustration work….SLEEP) lol. In short, I greatly appreciate I dofull timethen some, and on top of it our apartment flooded due to nearly a foot of rain falling in a single night in an area that is totally not prepared for that kind of water. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to write but it means a lot that someone is enjoying it.
Also, thanks to abbygale for your review as well! I put a lot of time and thought into the characters I work with, both the ones that are mine and the ones that are canon. They become very near and dear, and it’s rewarding to know they are noticed. I think character development is my favorite part of writing. Sorry about the long note. It’s been a while, and my world has been a rather tumbling place. Without further ado… another chapter, enjoy!!
***
Kagome followed Inuyasha back to his rooms where he picked up the bloody pants and shirt from the coffee table. When he noticed her standing by the couch, looking unsure, he said, "you're welcome to come out with me if you want. I’m gonna go start the burn barrel. You can see the place in daylight and get some air."
Kagome seemed to brighten a little at the prospect and he looked down at her stocking feet. "You definitely have smaller feet than Sango. Let me go ask Rosie if she has something. What size do you wear?"
"Six and a half." she said, blushing again at the embarrassment of having nothing of her own and somehow felt the need to apologize for it. "Sorry."
He just shrugged. "No big deal. Maybe tonight we can run into town and get you a few things at the Walmart here in Eureka. It'll be safer to go when there aren't as many people and smells." Kagome just shrugged and waited while Inuyasha ran back to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with Rosalind in tow. She held a pair of plain black flip flops, looking apologetic, "I wear a size eight. But these might work for now."
She tossed them down and Kagome removed her socks to slide her feet into them. They were a little long but they would do the job for now. She smiled and thanked the girl, wiggling her toes in the sandals.
Rosalind shrugged. "No problem. I bought them a few weeks ago from a clearance rack and it's mostly been too chilly to wear them, so they aren't all gross or anything." Kagome shook her head. "They're fine. I'll scrub them down and get them back to you when I have something else." She looked from Inuyasha to Rosalind and asked, "are you coming out with us?"
Rosalind thought about it and then nodded. "I think I will actually, just for a little bit. Then I need to finish meal planning before we go into town."
Kagome paused when she stepped out the front door, taking a moment to appreciate the beautiful setting. She’d been passed out exhausted when they’d arrived the night before, so she’d seen nothing of the place. The sun was high in the blue afternoon sky and a breeze danced in from the sea; smelling of salt water. She followed Inuyasha and Rosalind along the sandy path through a green front yard to the wide, empty drive. She could see the endless expanse of ocean only a short walk away.
Inuyasha pulled one of the big garage doors open effortlessly and walked through to the workshop at the back. When he returned carrying a large rusty metal drum, he saw Kagome standing at the edge of the pavement, her eyes closed and her head leaned back, looking as if she were trying to soak in every bit of sunshine that touched her. Rosalind saw this too and flashed him a smile before she asked, "anything I can help with?"
Inuyasha nodded back to the shop. "Yeah. I'll get the stuff and set this up if you'll grab the starter and matches." She strode into the depths of the shop and he set the barrel up at the end of the driveway, in the center of the large concrete pad. Kagome opened her eyes and was watching as he picked up the bloody t-shirt and jeans from the ground where he’d tossed them. She asked, "anything I can do?"
"Not much to it," Inuyasha said. He pointed to the stack of newspapers and pizza boxes in the corner of the garage. "I guess if you want you can crush some of those up and toss them in. It'll help the other stuff catch and it needs to be burned anyways."
As she moved to comply, he went back into the shop and hefted the large black garbage bag over his shoulder. Rosalind followed him out with the matches and grimaced as he opened the bag and pulled out a big handful of blood soaked, and now somewhat crusted clothing. "Eww... you guys did make a mess."
Inuyasha snorted, a little bitterly. "Yeah... Shit happens."
Kagome stiffly set down an armload of newspaper began to crumple them into the barrel. He tossed the bloody clothing on top of it and helped her crumple more paper until there was thick layer. Then he pulled out the long rug and rolled it loosely so it fit in the barrel. Kagome frowned at it and sighed regretfully. "I wrecked your carpet. Sorry..."
Inuyasha shoved it into the barrel and starred at her. "I'm not upset about the rug. I just wish I'd shot the bastard before any of it could have happened." He averted his eyes then, focusing on his hands as they tucked Sango’s ruined clothing in around the newspaper and carpet. He tamped down his anger as best he could and said quietly, “I’m sorry I let it happen.”
Kagome bit her lip nervously and Rosalind leaned over to stage-whisper with a smirk, "it's ok. It was an ugly rug anyway."
Inuyasha snorted and Kagome managed a smile again as she tossed more newspaper in the barrel. Inuyasha emptied the garbage bag and stuffed that in as well before he handed the bottle of starter fluid and matches to Rosalind. "You wanna do this part? This stuff burns my nose."
Rosalind nodded with understanding and waited until he’d stepped upwind before she popped the lid and soaked the whole mess. Kagome stepped back as well when the barrel coughed up a gout of flame and black smoke. The girls stepped over to stand with Inuyasha, watching for a few minutes while the fire established itself and shrunk down until it was burning steadily just below the rim of the big barrel.
Rosalind began to head down the path from the driveway towards the beach. Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and said, "it's just gonna burn for a while now. I'll keep an eye on it. Are you up for a short walk to the beach? It might be good to work your leg a little."
She smiled faintly and nodded, following him down the path.
When they got to the water line she saw that the beach was coarse brown sand dotted with patches of rocky outcrops. She stood for a moment, enjoying the sun and the sound of the surf. She would never want to be in the water out there, but to smell it, and feel it from here was glorious. She took her feet out of the flip flops and buried her toes in the sand, sighing happily. Inuyasha hadn't bothered with shoes and he didn't seem to care about his jeans getting wet as he stepped forward into the lapping surf. Rosalind stepped out of her boots, pulling her socks off and stuffing them in her shoes.
Kagome wrapped her arms around herself in the breeze, watching her companions. Rosalind had walked right into the surf behind Inuyasha and then let out a shrill little scream, jumping back. “Inuyasha! It’s so cold! Why didn’t you say something?”
Inuyasha smirked, one of his ears twitching in the wind as he turned to look at her. His sleeveless red shirt rippled around him a little in a gust of wind and he spread smoothly muscled, slightly tanned arms out in the sunlight. “It’s 70 degrees out here. What are you complaining about?”
At his teasing Rosalind gave a huff and kicked one foot at the edge of the surf, flicking sea water in his direction. “The water is still freezing!”
Inuyasha was grinning, and there was something in his expression that looked almost exuberant. Rosalind saw the look on his face and cringed, backing away. Kagome stiffened as Inuyasha launched himself at Rosalind, his feet splashing through the water as he scooped the young woman off her feet. Rosalind let out a screech as he slung her over his shoulder. His ears flattened to his head and he grimaced. “Not so loud wench!”
He caught sight of Kagome’s wide eyes as he turned, his arm wrapped tightly around Rosalind’s legs to keep her in place as she kicked, trying to squirm away. He gave her a reassuring smile and saw her relax a little when Rosalind laughed. He shot the dark haired girl a wink and then turned and began to walk back out into the water.
Rosalind quit squirming and clutched at his shirt. “Inuyasha, don’t you dare…”
He let out a triumphant laugh and continued to walk until the water was just above his knees before he pulled her around in front of him bridal style, lowering her slowly towards the water. Kagome couldn’t help the small laugh that spilled from her when Rosalind desperately tried to climb back over his shoulder again. Privately Kagome thought she resembled a ginger cat tying to claw her way up a length of particularly obstinate curtain.
Suddenly Inuyasha bent at the knees and Rosalind let out another screech as she fell towards the sweeping water. Kagome gasped in empathetic apprehension. It had really looked like he was going to drop her in the water, but somehow at the last second he pulled her up and swung her high. This was a maneuver she was apparently familiar with because she automatically adjusted in his hold and in another second she was settled, sitting balanced on his shoulders. It almost looked like a dance maneuver, she thought with amusement. She wondered if Inuyasha danced. Kagome loved to dance, though it had been a long time since she had. Things had been crazy, and then after she had been caught, she’d been in no condition for such frivolous enjoyments.
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as Inuyasha turned and she saw Rosalind was laughing again, a broad smile on her face. She watched them play in the water for a few minutes and her lips twitched into a bittersweet smile. It reminded her a little of how she and Souta used to play.
Souta.
Guilt gnawed at her insides, turning them to ice. She hadn’t thought about him since yesterday. Her situation had continued to change at such a pace that it seemed all she could to do to keep alive; to keep from being swept away. She looked out at the horizon and felt something in her chest squeeze painfully at the thought of never seeing her little brother again. Briefly she wondered if she might visit the cemetery in Portland where her grandmother had buried him. But she discarded the thought as quickly as it occurred to her. She didn’t dare go anywhere near her grandmother.
Grandma Kaede was the only family she had left. That thought brought a small tidal wave of nausea over her for a moment. She hadn’t come from a large family, but they’d been close. Her mother had gotten sick. She shivered all over again at the thought of the word. Cancer. It had seemed that her mother was healthy and vibrant one day, and within a few short weeks, she was gone.
Then her uncle and father had been killed, she was sure by Naraku’s men, though the police had said they were just collateral damage in a robbery gone wrong at a local convenience store. Her father had been the active guardian of the Shikon no Tama, and removing Koske, her father, and his brother, Akira, left the way to the jewel for Naraku. She was sure he’d never imagined she or her brother would be much of a barrier between him and the power he was after. But then, and she closed her eyes for a moment at the thought, they hadn’t been, had they? He had the jewel, and she was struggling to keep her head above water. She had been so close to retrieving the jewel, to ending him.
Souta had been far too young yet to be involved. Her father wasn’t even going to begin his training for guardianship until he was 16 years old. “Let him be a kid first,” her father had said once, when they had talked about the jewel. Koske had smiled at his daughter. Kagome had been 13 at the time, and in the midst of training with her grandfather. She remembered thinking her father looked a little sad as he said to her, “I’m sorry it couldn’t be that way for you. You’re needed as fast as you can learn. Let Souta and I worry about the Shikon no Tama. You’re magic is related, but different from ours. You are your grandfather’s granddaughter, and are meant to guard the world in other ways.”
No. She didn’t dare go near her grandmother until Naraku was dead. Something in her turned cold, but she realized that this conviction was hard as diamond. Naraku would be killed. She had to make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone else, and especially, that he never accessed the power in the Shikon no Tama. Despite her father’s intentions, it was her job now as its guardian. If that demon gained such power, it would be her fault, and she would be responsible for all the harm he did with it. She needed a little more time to recuperate, but she would have to stay after him.
Suddenly she felt tired all over again. She didn’t have the slightest inkling as to how she was going to make it happen. But she had to make it happen, or die in the attempt. She watched Inuyasha holding Rosalind’s hands to keep her balanced while he waded back towards the shore, and she wondered if she could trust him to finish the job if she couldn’t. The very idea surprised her. It shouldn’t even be a consideration. He was a demon.
All her life she’d been taught that it was her families’ job to make sure that precious stone never fell into the possession of anyone but its next guardian, particularly no one who was demon. She frowned a little, making a mental note to consider that angle later. It might be wise to try and find someone to secure as a backup in case something happened to her and she couldn’t finish the task. It was a more than possible scenario, but she didn’t have the first idea who she could ask for such a promise. The list of people who would be capable, much less willing to take on such a task had to be miniscule.
Despite her exhaustion, she did still want to carry out the mission herself. The additional thought that she actively wanted to see Naraku dead for all he had done to her and her family frightened her a little. She had disliked people in the past, and she’d seen a lot of terrible things in the course of her work. But she’d never wanted any living thing to die before.
Inuyasha reached her and knelt down to let Rosalind slide off his shoulders. The girl was laughing, face flushed, her hair coming loose from its knot. Kagome shook herself from her thoughts and smiled back. Rosalind gave Inuyasha a whack on the arm and said, “I have to go get some things done. See you later Yash. Kagome, we’re doing burgers and fries for dinner I think. Does that sound ok? If that’s a little rough for you yet, I can make a pan of soup as well.”
Kagome gave her a dismissive wave. “No, please don’t go to any trouble. I’ll be fine.” She smiled ruefully and added, “A burger would be great. I haven’t had one in a long time.”
Rosalind grinned and crossed her arms. “Alright then, don’t let him wear you out. I’ll be up at the house for a while if you need anything.” Kagome gave her a grateful nod as she walked away.
Silence fell, but for the sound of the water lapping at sand and stone. Inuyasha stood, studying her for a minute and she felt her cheeks redden under the scrutiny.She wriggled her toes in the sand and smiled a little. Inuyasha had noticed her unease, but sensed the buzzing preoccupation in her calming as she watched the water.
“You like it out here?” he asked.
Kagome nodded,stepping forward and dipping her toes in the surging water. She pulled her foot back quickly, making a face at the temperature. She coughed to clear her throat and said, “I don’t know how you could stand out there. I’d never get warm again.”
Her smile became more genuine as she considered his question. She did like it here, though she still wasn’t more than vaguely clear on exactly where ‘here’ was.Despite her previous train of darker thoughts, she did have to acknowledge that she had rarely ever felt this much space for herself in her own head. Normally she was sacrificing half of her mental real estate to the whispers of the Dead Space, the DS, as her grandfather had called it.
The Dead Space was the layer of this world that lay most closely to the boundaries of the next. It was called many things by many people through the ages. The Gray, the Vale, the Void; there were too many names to keep track of. A constant noise that emanated from that space, but only a few could hear it. This noise consisted of more than could be described; cries, whispers, shouts and screams, laughter and song, yearnings, dreams and regrets; mostly all jumbled together. And Kagome heard it all, in varying volumes and densities.
Her mind was so used to filtering her thoughts around it, she’d never realized how loud it was. It was like she’d been near a room with several televisions turned on for all her life, and suddenly the power had been shut down. The quiet was almost deafening, but so very restful. She wondered if it was because she was nearly in rural countryside. She had never traveled much away from Portland and she wondered if the Dead Space was perhaps louder in higher population centers, or where there was more human deaths occurring. Inuyasha was speaking again and she had to focus her mind back on the conversation at hand, which she thought with a whole new appreciation, was a lot easier to do than it had ever been before without the distractions of the DS.
She rapidly backtracked in her thoughts. What had they been talking about? Right… he had asked if she liked it here, which she certainly did, but the water was cold.
Inuyasha shrugged, looking out to sea. “It has to be a lot colder than this to bother me. The water temperature will be warm and cold for the next two months until it evens out for the summer.” He paused for a moment and watched as she wiped her sandy feet on her pant legs to slide the flip flops back on. “It’s a good thing I’m a cold water swimmer,” he commented. “That’s what I was doing up near six rivers. Miroku and I took the bikes up that way for a ride. When he headed home, I stayed to swim that stretch of the river.”
When she looked confused he clarified. “Six Rivers is national forest land; it’s north east of here. That’s where I pulled you off the bank of the Klamath.”
She frowned, but nodded her understanding and let her gaze fall out to the horizon again.He watched her raven black hair twist in the breeze, almost dry now under the sun.She seemed to be thinking heavy thoughts again. Finally she said, “his demons go down there to run the park land, sometimes for days.”
Inuyasha took a seat on a rocky outcrop. “Down there? So is he headquartered farther north? We never did find his base of operation. We’ve only busted his stringers and projects here in Arcata and Eureka; occasionally as far south as Santa Rosa whenever we’ve gotten the chance. He was running some human trafficking projects here out of the port.” After a pause he said, “the address you gave me, that you heard Tsubaki give Naraku? That was Rose’s apartment. He tried to grab her a few years ago. We managed to get to her and a half dozen other girls before he got them on a boat. All we found out was he was looking to deliver to someone in Singapore. Light skinned red heads and blonds are worth some money over there, especially ones with green eyes like hers.”
Kagome looked back at the house over her shoulder, glad that she had shared the information. She hadn’t been sure at the time whether she should or not, but clearly she’d made the right decision. “She’s very kind,” Kagome said. “She seems happy here. But Naraku doesn’t like to let go of something once he decides he wants it. I’m sorry that happened to her.” She paused and then amended her statement, “is happening to her.”
Inuyasha nodded, looking down at the sand. “Yeah. Me too. She’s a good person. All she ever wants to do is take care of everyone else. I think that started when she was pretty young. She had a little sister at some point. I’m not sure what happened, but I get the sense that she died before Sesshomaru pulled Rose out of Chicago.”
Kagome raised an eyebrow curiously and Inuyasha went on. “She doesn’t really talk about her family much. When Rhiannon died, that was Sesshomaru’s mate, Rosie just stepped right in to help take care of Rin. Rose was only 12 years old at the time. There was a nurse hired for a little while, but I don’t know what we would have done without her. This was before Sango, Kohaku, Miroku and Shippo found their way to us. The crew was a little different back then, mostly guys. None of us knew what to do for a newborn pup with no mother...”
Inuyasha paused then, and seemed to consider his next words carefully before he let them loose. “Don’t tell anyone I said so, but Sesshomaru was a wreck. That’s the only time, in hundreds of years I’ve ever seen him totally damaged like that. Honestly, I didn’t think it could happen; not him. I think Rosie and Rin were the only reason her stayed back then.”
Kagome sighed, whispering the words, “it’s hard to lose people you love.” The roughness in her words wasn’t entirely from her torn up throat this time, but from her torn up heart as well.
His golden eyes cut back to her face and he pushed himself up. Her eyes had gone a little unfocused as she thought of her family again, but they snapped back to alertness as he moved in her direction. He held his hand out to her and after a moment of hesitation, she took it. Gently, he tuggedher to him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her, but keeping his muscles loose,trying to let her feel that she had the freedom to pull away if she wanted to.
She stood stiffly for asecond, but then relaxed a little, and he was gratified to feel her move her arms around hisneck and lay her forehead against his shoulder. They stood like that a moment before hemurmured into her hair, "I'm sorry about your brother."
Kagome didn't say anything, but turned her head against his shoulder, nodding. He continued hesitantly,"do you want me to find out exactly what happened?"
She looked up at him then, eyes shining a little with unshed tears. Her face was hard to read,so many emotions played across her features. Finally, she shook her head, whispering, "I spentenough time with him to know what happened. But thank you. It means a lot that youasked."
Inuyasha wanted at that moment to lean down and kiss her, but now wasn't the time,and he could feel her getting a uncomfortable in his arms. He let her go, his hands into his pockets. "Alright… you never said, do you know where the Anansi areheadquartered?"
Kagome looked at him for a long moment and he could see the wheels turning in her head.Even now, she wasn't sure how much she should share. She seemed to clutch information about herself, or anything else for that matter, as tightly as if it were something precious she wasn’t certain she could part with. He felt a moment of guilt for thefact that half of what he did know, he’d pulled from her when she was delirious withpain and blood loss.
"Silverton," she finally whispered.
Inuyasha frowned. “Where’s that?"
She took a deep breath and elaborated. "Naraku has an old farm property on the edge of the small town of Silverton, just outsideof Portland. He runs a lot of business from there, but has stringers all along the west coast anddown into Tijuana."
Inuyasha began to pace a little in the sand while he pondered this. Hepaused and phrased his question carefully. "How much information are you willing to giveus on this?"
Kagome frowned and bit down on her lip, looking into the distance as she weighed her options.She had virtually no resources. Her skill sets could get her some foundation to work with, and a place to hide maybe, but that would bemuch harder to pull off in the condition she was in right now, with poor health and a damagedvoice. And that was without considering that Naraku was actively looking for her. She sighed heavily, rubbing her throat and doing a little pacing of her own. She feltlike she could trust Inuyasha, and maybe the rest of them, to an extent, but she wasn'tentirely comfortable with that feeling yet and she wasn’t sure why it had developed so easily.
These were the first demons she’d ever met that had treated her so well- really muchbetter than she had any right to expect. There was the possibility, now that they knew about the jewel, that it was an effort to use her to obtain it for the Wardens. She couldn’t know for certain. But… she reminded herself that he’d saved her the first time and taken care of her, been kind to her, before he ever knew about the Shikon jewel. It might be possible to handle things alone, but itwould be a big MIGHT, and besides that… she was so very alone now, and she didn'twant to be. A part of her, after living with Naraku's crew for months, just couldn't standupright alone at the moment, and that shamed her a little.
Inuyasha watched her pace, and waited for her decision. After a few minutes she stoppedand turned to him, crossing her arms tightly again over her chest. The defensive stancewasn't lost on him. Most demons were instinctually sensitive to physical language. Hercracked a bit from the morning's use as she said, "I have to get the jewel back. That inevitably has to be my course of action. But it's going to take time to figure out how,now that he knows who and what I am. It’s going to be a completely different game."
Inuyasha nodded cautiously and said, "and until you’re up to dealing with that you're welcome to stay." Hetried not to let his sudden desperate discomfort at the idea of her leaving bleed intohis voice. The strength of the feeling surprised him. He didn’t generally feel attached to people this way, and never in such a short time.
Kagome bit her lip before she continued. "I appreciate that, but, I can't justtake from you, or the Wardens, when I have nothing to pay you back with. And it may take some time, I don'tknow how long. Not only that, but I can see it's like you said."
She looked a little chokedup for a moment, but pulled herself together again. "You guys are a pack, a family of sorts.There are children here, and what I’m doing will probably continue to be dangerous. What if Shippo or Rin had been at your apartment yesterday, or Kohaku that had walked through the door instead of Sango?"
Inuyasha straightened and frowned. "Don't use that as a reason to leave. We can take careour own. We were already in some cross hairs with Naraku. We’ve been dismantling hiswork wherever we found it for several years now and he’s caused grief of some kind for almost all of us. The situation between the Wardens and them would have come to a head, evenwithout you being here. You've done nothing but help.”
He was pacing a little again, restlessly, as he continued his tirade. “Without you, we wouldn't haveabout Tsubaki, and I suspect a few others leaking information. We also wouldn't haveknown Naraku was eying Rosalind again. Besides that, he's an evil bastard. I don'tknow a lot about the Shikon no Tama, but I hear it's pretty powerful stuff, and he's the last personany of us want to have it. I won't lie, we aren't entirely above board, but we don't movehard drugs or people, nor do we tolerate those who do on our turf, and those seem to be his preferredtrades these days. A creature like him, without any kind of ethics, is a monster that can't be allowed tothrive. And if I don’t have to try to get my information from Naraku’s armed errand boys, next time I can just shoot them without trying to have a conversation first."
Kagome looked a little cowed by his censure and he softened his tone. “It sounds to melike sticking together would be beneficial for both of us." He sighed heavily and dropped to sit on the dry sand, looking out at the water. After a minute of uncomfortable silenceKagome sat down next to him, her slim fingers clasped together in her lap.
He looked over but she kept her eyes on the water washing against the sand in front of her.Quietly, she said, "Naraku has some ongoing projects that he was relying heavily on my help to coordinate. Several ofthem are things that could be stopped with time and resources. Additionally, suchdisruptions in his business would distract him from the Shikon no Tama. It might divide hisattention and buy more time to figure things out."
Inuyasha picked up a fist full of sand and let it run through his fingers, hoping this was the olive branch it sounded like. "We have bothmeans and motivation," he responded just as quietly. "And you won't find anywhere safer to bethan with the Wardens. Sesshomaru and I talked about it. Naraku doesn't know anythingright now, besides that the man he sent hasn't come back. Only a hand full of ourpeople knew about you, and that you were at my apartment in Arcata. We'd like you to lookat some photos and tell us if you recognize anyone besides Tsubaki. For that guy to have found you so fast there has to be another turncoat."
Kagome nodded, coughing again when she started to respond. Inuyasha held out a hand tostop her. "You probably shouldn't be working your voice anymore right now. We cantalk about it more later. For now just..." he trailed off for a moment and thenturned to look at her. "Let us help. Do you have so many options right now that this isn't agood one?"
She bit her lip for a moment, then rubbed her hands through her hair and sighed, shakingher head. She had to admit that he was right about most all of it. Finally she whispered, "Ican't join the Wardens."
Inuyasha dropped the last of the sand in his fingers back to the ground. "I'm not asking you to. But…you should know there's a place for you, if you change your mind."
She frowned at him a little but he explained, "Sesshomaru agreed, or I wouldn't have broughtyou here. Sess would have pulled everyone in here and last night I would have taken offwith you to a safe house someplace else. And hell," he snorted with laughter. "Everyoneseems to like you; even the damn dog."
Kagome's lips twitched a little at that and she let loose a smile. After a moment ofquiet, Inuyasha said, "but if together, we can get this mess straightened out and dealt with, and you want to leave- we won't stop you." Something in him hurt at the sound of the words,but he was afraid that if she felt trapped in any way, especially now that she hadthe use of both legs again, she would disappear. Something told him that she would be capable of being very difficult to find if she put her mind to it.
Kagome seemed to study him carefully, almost as if she were trying to detect a lie. He watched as she stretched one leg out and slowly leaned forward to write in the damp sandwith her finger. In small, neat print lay the words, 'Thank You.'
Inuyasha smiled and said, "no problem. We'll talk logistics with Sess, and maybe some of the others later."
Kagome didn't look enthused at the prospect, but nodded. She looked up at the blue skyoverhead and sighed, laying back and straightening out her legs so her feet were just barelyin the reach of the surf when it rolled in. She straightened her arms and looked up at theclouds. She stretched and he felt the last of the tension leave the air. Laying in the sunlightlike this, she seemed to calm again. He let his eyes drift over her for a moment, his gaze pausingat the sliver of her flat belly that was bare under the sun where her clothing had shifted.
Inuyasha pulled his eyes away before he was caught staring, letting the companionable silencestretch on for a full five minutes before he asked, “ready to go inside?"
She shrugged, sitting up and combing any sand from her hair. He could see her disappointment at the idea. "Ifyou want to stay out here you can. It's safe enough on the beach here by the house. I havesome work I need to get started on inside is all."
Kagome looked around apprehensively and shook her head, moving gingerly as she pulled herself up and brushed off thesand. Inuyasha looked around too, and didn't see anything. Maybe she wasn’tcomfortable being alone in the open like this? He resolved to bring her back out when hecould, as much as she seemed to enjoy it.