InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Playing Dead ❯ Awaken sleeping beauty ( Chapter 2 )

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with -, the difference between the two being my tenses.

Author's Note 2: If someone could please explain to me how it is that I can format the chapters so the spaces come up between paragraphs, it would be greatly appreciated. I have tried tweeking settings with regards to file saving, layout and so on….

Chapter 2

A cool breeze came in through a set of open balcony doors, the wind making the silk curtains dance wildly into the large bedroom. The sleeping resident stirred as a chill fell upon her. Slowly her cerulean eyes opened, blinking quickly as they adjusted to the natural light that wounded them so. Groaning, the woman placed her hand to her head, rubbing it in some vain attempt to make the pounding stop. Looking about her, she scanned the room, taking in the tastefully furnished area with slight confusion. Nothing looked familiar. The blues of the various fabrics bled into one another, making her stomach flop. Pulling the blankets from her body she slid her legs over the bedside, her feet searching for ground. Cold wood greeted her searching toes, drawing a small cry from the girl. Standing, she had to support some of her weight by leaning against the oversized bed, her legs shaking. Step after step she made her way to the door of her suite, her fingers touching the doorknob gently. Painful shocks made her retract her hand quickly, sending the girl scurrying backwards.

Clutching her injured hand to her chest she took notice of the bandage that lay over a wad of cotton on her arm. Peeling it back she stared at the small needle hole, her pupils narrowing. Looking to the open balcony doors, the young woman took to the terrace, her feet padding quickly to the outside area. Walking to the railing she looked down, her heart falling as she stared down the fifty-some feet to the waterfront below. She could see men scoping the narrow shoreline, large dogs accompanying them as they patrolled the eastern grounds. The property seemed to fall into a small cove, trees blanketing either side of the estate. A boat zinged across the water, the craft circling the cove with its passengers looking anything but leisurely. Leaning out further over the balcony she caught a glimpse of gargantuan, stone fencing that had barbed wire facing both inwards and outwards. Her brow furrowed at the sight, wondering just what kind of place would try to not only keep intruders out, but also something in.

Tapping her nails against the marble railing, the young woman turned her attention back towards her room, or at least what she assumed was hers. Pushing away from the edge, she walked back into the bedroom, her fingers running through her black tresses. Sighing she sat down on the small couch that lay at the foot of the bed, sinking against the plush cushions as she wondered where the hell she was… and for that matter, who she was.

XxXxX

He had cradled her to his chest the whole way to his car, ignoring the questioning stares of staff as he walked by. His hair, now a deep black, appeared to be styled into a short, business cut. His violet eyes were hidden beneath sunglass, his outfit bland. After Naraku had left and the girl had passed out, Inuyasha had made sure to replace the youkai suppressing charm back around his neck. White hair and golden eyes generally drew more attention than need be. But he hadn't been expecting the Kumo-Dokushii bastard to be in her office, let alone on top of her. The beast in him had growled fiercely, causing the charm to glow hot. If he hadn't of taken it off, it probably would of broken. His aura had never reacted like that before, not even on his darkest of nights. Within seconds of it being off he had his full strength, and the puppet had been destroyed in minutes, shredded beneath his claws. The state the girl was in disturbed him. Her clothes were ruffled, her skirt pulled higher than it should have been. He face was already bruising. Tired and pale she looked nothing more than a waif. His eyes flooded red momentarily.

He had called his brother; let him know he had the girl. She felt so light in his arms, her eyes closed, her body limp. He deposited her gently in the front seat of the car, fastening her seatbelt before getting in and starting the car. He looked at her for a few moments, his lips drawn in a tight frown. He was not pleased with the overprotective feelings he was having for the girl. She was a human wench, one who had gotten her nose in where it didn't belong. Sure, she wasn't half bad to look at, but he had smelt the booze the other night. It had laid quietly in her scent, a permanent mark that no human could detect. She was too thin for his liking; the dark circles under her eyes making her seem gaunt and unhealthy. But even as he berated her, he couldn't help but admire the curve of her mouth, the size of her bust. Her fiery eyes played in his head, so full of fear, so full of pain. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Shaking his head he grunted, placing the car in reverse and leaving the parking lot. She was just a human.

Your mother was just a human...

He growled, finding his eyes sneaking over to the woman's sleeping form. He imagined she didn't always look the way she did. With proper sleep, without so much pain, without those bruises... He shook his head again, focusing his eyes on the road. The drive took longer than he would have liked, the whole time he feared she would wake up and he would have to deal with her rage. But he arrived at their family's hidden estate without so much as a peep from the unconscious woman. He had driven the few kilometers up from the gate to the main house, leaving the car for one of the attendants to take care of. Picking up the girl, he carried her to the guest room just below his, depositing her in the double-king size bed carefully. He opened the balcony doors, allowing fresh air to enter the unused room. He called for one of the servants, instructing them to bring a clean shirt for the girl to sleep in as well as the family's healer. The servant had bowed respectfully and exited, fetching what his master wished.

The servant returned, a sleeping yukata in his hand, the healer trailing behind him. She was old, her body hunched over as she shuffled into the room. Her tongue was clucking as she looked over the girl, casting her one good eye up in him in disapproval. "Hitting women now are ya Inuyasha? If your father were alive to see this..." Inuyasha growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the old woman before him.

"I didn't touch her Kaede, so keep your judgments and your thoughts on my fathers opinions to yourself."

She shook her head, wondering where the respect for the elderly had gone. Touching the bruised cheek of the girl, she turned her face from side to side, mumbling low to herself. "What would ya have me do with he then?"

"I need you to get rid of those bruises and," He looked at the woman before him, "give her a dose of scopolamine." Kaede stared at him, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth between him and the sleeping girl.

"Why are you trying to get rid of her memories Inuyasha? The effect is only temporary, unless the dosage is continued. And I shouldn't have to remind you that this particular drug is highly addictive." His ears flattened at the harshness in her voice, at the pointed jabs in her words. But he held strong, his eyes hardening.

"She will be too much of a nuisance if we allow her to stay here, knowing the shit she does. Killing her isn't an option. Locking her up seems a little cruel. What would you have us do?" He was at the door now, his eyes dark as he looked on at the girl, his heart lodged in his throat.

Kaede shook her head; turning from the half-demon she grabbed the medical bag from the floor, opening it and retrieving the vile and a needle. She administered a proper dosage before going to work on the girls face, opting to use the healing methods of the ancient rather than the technologies of the new. She left the girl to one of the female servants to change, never looking at the hanyou as she left for her own quarters. She understood why he had ordered what he did. But, understanding and accepting are two very separate things. Approval is another matter altogether.

Inuyasha stared at the young woman for a while longer before retiring to his own room. He instructed to one of the holy men to place seal on the door, it's charm keeping her from leaving the confines of her room until it was removed. He wasn't sure if he could trust Kaede to do as he had asked, nor did he want her wandering the halls in a state of confusion and panic if the old woman had. His brother stood in his room, their eyes locking upon his arrival. "What the fuck are you doing in my room?" He didn't bother trying to keep the ire out of his voice. He brushed past his brother, walking to his balcony as he produced a smoke from his pocket and lit it.

His brother joined him, reclining in one of the chairs that decorated the patio. His Armani suit was immaculate, which was nothing short of a surprise to him. His elder brother prided himself on all levels of appearance, particularly his physical one. "Kaede told me you drugged the doctor. Why?" He searched his younger brothers face for answers but found it to mirror his own, stoic and void of all tells. "She's a human woman Inuyasha, not a tai-youkai. She could easily be contained until she is reasoned with. All it seems you are doing is sweeping the mess under the rug."

Inuyasha took a long drag, exhaling slowly as he too took a seat. "I don't think I should have to explain myself to you. This is my mess isn't it? How I should clean it doesn't matter, only that it gets done."

"A lazy answer from a lazy being."

Inuyasha growled, his face reddening as he glared at his elder brother. "There is something about her. Something not quite right. Until I figure out what that is, I would like her to be as agreeable as possible."

Sesshomaru laughed, his claws tapping on the arms of the chair. "And so you believe that wiping her memory will help her be agreeable? The human in you really does make you foolish."

"Feh. My reasons are mine, Fluffy. I don't need to KNOW her; I need to investigate what makes her the way she is. She isn't normal."

"Well of course she isn't. She is a Higurashi. The only daughter of Toishii. You must be able to draw the lines from there."

"And she had been off our map since her birth! You don't find that odd? Given the family she comes from, I'd at least have thought you'd be curious. She just suddenly shows up on our radar, a witness to set up planned by none other than Naraku and you think this is all just some fucking rinky-dink coincidence?" He lowered his voice at his brother's glare, his ears flattening against his skull. "In any case, the initial effects of the drugs will wear off. She will remember who she is, her first twenty-some years of life. It's the last while I want her to not remember. Once we get the dosage right we will be able to keep those memories at bay. And then we can have Kaede brew up a potion specifically for that."

"Why not just do that in the first place?"

Inuyasha frowned, rolling his eyes at his brother he growled. "It will take weeks for it to be properly brewed, and I don't know about you, but I think two weeks of her being confused than having her trying to escape, fighting us, screaming, crying, blah, blah, blah. Need I go on?" He put out the smoke, yawning as he stretched back in his chair.

"Do as you like Inuyasha. Just be careful with how you play this game. She isn't a common pawn that can be removed from the board at any time." Sniffing, Sesshomaru's ears twitched slightly. "She is awake now. I think it best you go to her before panic seizes her and we end up with a confused girl trying to escape, fighting us, screaming, crying, and how did you put it," Standing he walked inside, heading towards the door. "Oh yes, blah, blah, blah. Need I go on?" He left before the ashtray hit the door.

XxXxX

She looked in the mirror, her eyes, taking in her appearance. Her skin was luminous, flawless in such a manner that forced her fingers to touch it. Brilliant blue eyes reflected silver, large and bright, lost. Dark eyelashes lined her orbs thickly, dusting the tops of her cheeks as she blinked. Her hair hung in loose curls, framing her face wildly. The coal tresses danced a sheer blue as she moved about in the light. Her lips, a soft petal pink, were full and inviting. The yukata clung to her a little to snuggly for her taste, the hemline just barely covering her bottom. She watched her features morph in confusion, her mind trying to remember the face staring back at her.

Sighing she let her gaze wander to the closet, wondering momentarily if there would be anything more suitable for her to wear. Empty hangers and dust greeted her when she opened the heavy doors. Growling she walked back out to the patio. She wished in that moment that someone could give her some answers. She didn't think it unreasonable to know her name and certainly it was understandable that she would like to know just where the hell she was. Nothing looked familiar to her, no even her own reflection. Her doors were locked and the only other route of escape led to a steep drop into the ocean. She glanced back at her bed, contemplating tying the sheets together to make a crude ladder.

The door creaked, interrupting her plans for a linen ladder. Dashing behind the balcony doors, she peered past the drapery to watch a silver-haired man enter and look about, his nose and ears twitching. He spotted her and began making his way towards her, his hands out front of him in a silent offering of peace. Her heart sped up, pounding painfully in her chest. Short gasps left her lips as she tried to catch her breath. This strange man made her nervous, extremely so. "Please, come out." She retracted further into the safety of the drapes, her eyes warily watching him. If she couldn't remember her own name, but some part of her was still afraid of this man, then there was no chance in hell that she was going to go anywhere near him. "Look, I know you probably have some questions. I would be more than willing to give you some answers. But there is no fucking way that I am going to talk to a set of curtains. So please," His voice sounded strained, as if he was trying to choose the right words to say without a clue as to how to begin. "Just come out and we can talk."

She took a deep breath, trying to rationalize that one way or another she would have to come out from her hiding spot. A curtain was certainly no form of protection and he was right about her needing some answers. Damning her instincts she stepped forth from her safety net, her eyes locking with his. The look of bewilderment startled her, her blue orbs narrowing on his gold ones. "Ki…Kikyou." In an instant he was beside her, his nose sniffing at her as he moved in closer for a better inspection.

She withdrew from him, her full lips trembling as she played with the name, savouring it on her tongue as she tried to place it to herself. It felt like trying to put a square peg through a round hole. "Is that…" Watching him carefully, noting the red that now tinged his amber eyes. "Is that my name?"

He watched her lips move, knowing what she had asked was fair and understandable. Yet, the rage that boiled in him seemed to say otherwise. His beast was snapping its jaws in ire, wanting to tear into the woman that had wounded them so. A part of him tried to reason with his anger, soothe the terrifying beast. Nothing calmed him. Before him, her eyes seemed to shift, blue turning into a warm chocolate brown. Her voice played with his ears, enticing him with a sirens song he had heard countless times. He grabbed her arms, his claws digging into her delicate flesh as he pulled her closer. Burying his nose in her coal tresses he inhaled, waiting for the scent of honey suckles and cinnamon to invade his senses. Instead, cherry blossoms played with his nose, lightning and rain following quick pursuit. He pushed her from him, staring at the young woman as she morphed back into the doctor. "I…" He was at a loss for words. She could have been Kikyou's twin. How had he not seen that before? Granted he had not seen her face the first night, not clearly anyway. The evening before she had looked so tired, her face swollen and bruised. His heart broke at the sight of her, partly wishing he hadn't been hallucinating. Yet, his demon was quick to remind him that she had betrayed them. She was dead. He had seen to that himself.

Blood began to seep through the sleeves of her torn yukata, ruining the fabric as the warm fluid traveled down her arms. She trembled beneath his gaze, her mind reeling. She needed to leave, to run, to hide from the monster standing before her. Tearing past him she bolted for the door, ignoring his calls as she ran through the hallway. Her journey seemed endless. Door after door appeared but no sign of exit was in sight. She stopped to look around, her heart pounding in her ears. A hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back and pushing her against a wall. Her back pressed firmly between it and her captor she forced herself to peer up at him. His gold eyes looked hurt, worried even. But the anger that danced behind his initial façade was all too apparent. With an arm on either side of her, she was effectively trapped. "Now, listen to me. I'm sorry for scaring you. You took me off guard. If we could discuss this like two adults, I would be happy to fill you in."

"I took you off guard? Are you fucking kidding me? First of all, I wake up, alone, in some random room that I can't get out of. Second, I have no memories of who I am let alone how the hell I got there." Pushing him from her, she kept her chin up, her eyes blazing. "Third, you barge in, without knocking I might add, scare the shit out of me and manhandle me like a rag-doll! Now you have the audacity to say that I took YOU off guard? That we should talk about this like adults? Well fuck you buddy!" Brushing past him she took a small amount of pleasure in the look of sheer bewilderment that had overtaken the mans face. Ignoring the little voice that kept telling her she had no clue as to where she was going, she kept her pace even and sure. She didn't know a lot at the moment, but one thing she did know; she had no desire to be anywhere near the asshole that stood shell-shocked behind her.

XxXxX

The raging beast in him had snapped the moment he had seen her. The face that had haunted him for five years had stared at him in ignorance, her face filled with a pristine innocence that only furthered his anger. The face that he had seen in so many ways; in pleasure, in love, in sickness, in heartache, in anger, in death…. She just stood there, her eyes frightened and questioning. All at once he wanted to take her into his arms, kiss the life from her and strangle the last breath from her lungs. His beast wanted to hear her moan in pleasure and scream in terror, to have he know what it meant to cross the son of the Inu no Taisho.

He had said he name, half of him wishing the mirage would disappear, just another ghost haunting his everyday life. But as he saw her silently test the name, trying it on to see if it fit, he had lost it. Rushing towards her, his claws bit into her skin, keeping her still as he greedily filled his nose with her scent. The illusion came crashing down when the smell of the doctor, of the Higurashi woman was found in its stead. He had composed himself almost immediately, stepping away from the frightened girl just as quickly as he had gone forward. When she bolted, he followed her, making sure to keep quiet as he let her tire herself out. The Taisho family home was huge, boasting over 100 sleeping quarters alone. She could run all she like, chances were she was going to get herself lost before she found a way out.

When she had finally come to a stop, he had seized her, pinning her gently between himself and the wall. All he had wanted to do was sort this whole mess out, well, give her a story that would work until a more permanent solution could be made. In hindsight, perhaps his choice of words hadn't been the best. But, god the woman had a mouth on her! After tearing him a new one, she had just turned and stormed off, again. Not bothering to go over just when the girl had suddenly decided to grow a pair, he just stood there, wracking his brain over the last twenty minutes. Finally, after a few moments of awestruck stupidity and turned and chased after her, for the second time that day.

"Oi! Wench, maybe I didn't make myself clear. We have a few things to discuss. This isn't optional." She had some how found her room, and was standing out on the balcony, her back to him as she watched security patrol the beaches. "Hello, Kagome!" She turned to him then, her face pensive. His puppy dog-ears drooped, flattening against his skull. He knew she couldn't see him, not the real him anyway, but her eyes lightened a little when he had moved his ears. He wondered for a moment if maybe she could see him, maybe she was more like Kikyou than he had thought. But he quickly dismissed that notion. He had sensed no spiritual energy coming from the girl and her file hadn't said anything about her being a miko.

"So which is it, Kikyou or Kagome?" Her voice drew him out of his thoughts.

Uncomfortable he fidgeted with his hands, moving out to join her on the terrace. "I uh, it's Kagome."

"Why did you call me Kikyou before?" Straight to the awkward questions, he inwardly groaned.

"You look a lot like someone I knew once." She nodded her head in understanding before turning her gaze back out to the water.

"So I take it we do not know each other." He blanched. Her statement threw him off, making him pause in his advance.

"What would give you that idea?" He tried to play the question off casually, as if he was merely humouring some poor amnesiac girl rather than trying to cover his own ass.

"If you knew me, seeing that I resemble someone you once knew shouldn't have caught you so off guard." Her voice was monotonous, further making him feel uncomfortable. "This is obviously not my room. No pictures, no clothes." She let her voice trail off as she turned to face him, her back against the railing. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

He motioned for her to take a seat on the patio set. She reluctantly obliged, sitting across from him. Once they were both seated and he was sure her attention was on him he began. "Your name is Kagome Higurashi. You are a…" He paused, wondering for a moment if he should divulge her career to her. Shaking his head he continued. "You're a doctor at the Tokyo University Hospital. A couple nights ago you…" He paused to clear his throat. "You ran into some trouble with a Yakuza family. A silencer was sent out to obtain you and coerce you. He attacked you in your office, at which point I stepped in. You went unconscious so I brought you back here, to my family's estate."

"Mhm. Okay, so putting aside that this story conveniently paints you as a hero, I am just wondering a few things. One, why is there a fresh needle mark on my arm? Two, how do you know about me being in trouble with mafia in the first place? And finally, why were you in my office when I was attacked?" The whole time she was speaking, Inuyasha tried very hard to keep his poker face. Yes, he knew there were going to be some holes in his story, but the fact that this human woman managed to pick up on them so quickly made him extremely uneasy.

"The needle mark is from the sedative we had to give you in order for our healer to work on you. It's a combination pain medication that helps keeping you from feeling the full extent of your injuries. As for how I know about the whole you being in trouble with the mob bit, well, I've seen enough mobster movies to know when dirty business is going down. I was getting a new prescription when I heard you scream. I barged into your office and saw him on top of you. I fought him off and took you back here. I figured if your office wasn't safe, than leaving you there wasn't the best idea."

Nodding her head as she took in his story, Kagome fixed him with a hard look. "I just have one more question." He waited for her to go on, his mouth drawn into a smirk. He knew she had bought the story. Her body was more relaxed, and her heart rate had decreased. Whatever question she had for him he was confident that he would be able to answer it easily. "What are you?"

Or not.

((A/N Well that's chapter 2 for ya. Well, until next time!))