InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chance ❯ Sango's Suffering ( Chapter 34 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: No!. Don’t own it. Oh well. Le Sob! Le Cry! Le Whimper!!



Chapter Thirty-Four: Sango’s Suffering







(I)




Kouga smacked her hands away from his head, his frown deep as the taller red-head laughed at him. “Bitch, if you keep this crap up I’m gonna-“


“Oh shut up,” Ayame laughed playfully and patted his head again. “You’re such a baby. There are a lot of guys who prefer taller women.”


“And just why in the world would I give a shit about that?” Kouga demanded heatedly. He ignored the laughter of the other officers and continued down the hallway. Their playful banter escalated into full scale arguing with them slap boxing in front of the canteen machines in the break room. Other officers soon gathered around and cheered and laughed whenever one got a good hit in. Their growling and snarling (plus the occasional whack of skin against skin) reached the sensitive ears of their captain.


“OK you two, knock it off right now!”


“Yes sir!” They jerked to attention, their bodies ramrod straight as the other officers in the room did the same.


“At ease men,” the captain growled with a hurried wave of his hand. “Ayame, stay here. Everybody else get lost.”


Ayame blanched, wide green eyes slightly panicked as the room slowly emptied. Kouga gave her a sympathetic wink before disappearing around the corner. She turned back to the captain, watching him as he paced the floor in front of her. He seemed to be thinking, his brow more wrinkled than normal and his bald little head glistening in the florescent light. He was about a foot shorter than her, but his temper was legendary among those in the precinct.


“Sit down.”


Ayame sat quickly, the force causing her to bounce slightly in the hard plastic seat.


“Now you listen, cause I don’t want to repeat this.”


“Alright Captain Totosai,” Ayame nodded in agreement. “Just what’s the problem?”


“Have you heard anything about the Lindsay kidnaping in America?”


“Um. . .no,” Ayame shook her head. “I haven’t heard a thing about it.”


“No, of course not.” Totosai sighed, his hand briefly rubbing the side of his face, and turned back to her. “The Lindsay kidnaping happened a month ago, when one of the American senators was here on vacation. His little girl, a Catherine Lindsay, was abducted when a masked group stormed their limo and attempted to assassinate the senator.”


“Oh, yeah, I remember hearing something about that,” Ayame replied as she recalled listening to a radio broadcast in her car. “So have there been any developments in the case?”

“Yes, actually.”


Ayame looked up at the new voice and watched as another man, dressed in a navy blue dress suit, crossed the room toward them and extended his hand. “Forgive me for barging in,” he said once Ayame’s hand encircled his own. “But you asked about developments and there has been one-“


“This-“ Totosai interrupted with an irritated growl. “Is Agent Roger Smith, the officer the America’s FBI sent over to assist in this investigation.” Totosai glanced from the officer to Ayame and back again before slowly rising to his feet. “I’ll leave you two to it then,” he groaned with a hand to his lower back. “I’m going to call that doctor my wife has been squawking on about. OH! My back. . .”


They watched him walk away before turning to each other, Ayame more confused than anything as Agent Smith took up residence in Totosai’s old seat. “I’m sure you’re wondering what you’re doing here,” he sighed and ran a nervous hand through his short, dark hair. His front bangs remained frozen in the air, the dark locks spiked dramatically above his forehead. “My office asked for a detective in this office’s Special Victims Unit yesterday morning. Its great to see that they found someone so fast. You’re-“ He opened his briefcase and pulled out a bright green folder from its dark, serious-minded insides. Agent Smith read through it, then looked up, ignorant of Ayame’s amusement as he read her name aloud.


“Yes, that’s me,” Ayame nodded. “I’ve only just been informed about the assignment. Where exactly will headquarters be set up?”


“Someplace in this precinct, though I’m not exactly sure where. Now, as far as the case is concerned. . .” Ayame sat back and listened, nodding every once and a while, and focused not only on the case but on the agent himself. His eyes were dark, almost black in his rugged face and she couldn’t help but find him extremely attractive. . .even with that spiked do quivering with his every movement.


“I’m sorry,” she interrupted suddenly as she stood up and reached for him. “But this is so distracting.” She held fast to his shoulder before he could pull away and used her other hand to gently straighten out his hair, her fingers lightly combing through the stick straight strands as he blinked in surprise below her.


“I thought you Japanese were a polite, reserved people,” he laughed suddenly.


Ayame frowned down at him. “Shouldn’t your job teach you not to make assumptions about people? Though we are a respectable people, we’re not simpering and-“


“I never said that,” Agent Smith responded, his hand gently wrapped around her wrist to get her attention. “I. . .um. . .gomi. . .gozon. . .um. . .-“


“Gomen nasai,” Ayame corrected with a gentle smile. “You’re not exactly good with Japanese, are you?”


“Does it show?”

Ayame laughed, her body shaking slightly as she looked down. Bright green connected with his dark gaze almost instantly and her laughter died down into an awkward silence. “Um. . .” she finally said after a few minutes. “We can always speak in English. I’m quite fluent.”


“I would appreciate it. Now,” he began and stood up, waiting for a moment so Ayame could step aside before closing his suitcase. “If you don’t mind, we need to add one more person to our team.”


“Um, who’s that?” Ayame asked and followed Agent Smith out of the room.


“It’s a social worker near here, a Ms. Higurashi.”


“Higurashi-san?” Ayame replied with a smile. “Oh, I know who that is!”


“You do?” Agent Smith replied with a grin. “And Detective Cushin?”


“Yes Agent Smith?”


“Exactly how do we get out of here?” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I don’t remember how I came in.”



(II)


‘There’s that humming. . .again!’


Sango watched as Kagome practically fluttered around their office, her sister-friend’s bright humming the only odd sound in the room. The younger woman had been bouncing around the place for the past four days, the four days after she disappeared for an entire weekend. She accepted no phone calls, buzzes to her apartment went unanswered and -again- she made the younger males of the family worry, especially Miroku and Souta. Sure Kagome was always sorry for it afterward (“Always?! This is only the second time!”) but still. . .


What on earth did she do on those days she disappeared?


‘I just don’t know what it could be,' Sango said as Kagome sat down at her desk and began to type. ‘I mean, I want to say that she got laid, but I doubt it. Kagome’s not one to give in to wild urges like that. She’s always been the more refined of the cousins. Still. . .’


“Sango?”


Sango blinked, chocolate brown orbs clouded thoughtfully, before she gasped and turned toward Kagome. “Huh? Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

“Nothing yet,” Kagome replied and laughed at Sango’s absentmindedness. “It’s just that. . .how can you tell if a guy likes you?”


“I just knew it!”


Kagome jerked back in shock and gasped as Sango suddenly leapt from her seat and practically raced around her desk. She trapped Kagome into a tight hug before the younger woman could defend herself.


“I just knew it was about a guy!” Sango chirped happily. “I mean, you’ve been so happy and the humming and everything! You haven’t hummed-no less sang- in so long that-“


“Sango.”


“Um. . .yes.”


“Didn’t you hear my question?” Kagome sighed at Sango’s blank expression and repeated herself.


“Well, I don’t know,” Sango replied after a moment’s thought. “I mean, each guy is different. Is this about that dark haired hunk that came to the wedding or about that cop? Cause even I can tell that the cop likes you.”


“No, it’s not Kouga-“


“Well if it’s that other one then I know he likes you too. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Man, I’d love for a guy that hot to look at me like that-If I were still single of course,” she added quickly. “Besides, Miroku’s enough for me. Let me tell you about this new position he wanted to try Friday night. He was supposed to lean on the table and I-“


“OK, stop right there,” Kagome quickly interrupted with upraised hands. “I don’t even want to hear it. It’s just that. . .” Kagome sighed despondently, her bright spirit suddenly dimmed as she began to fiddle with the pearl buttons on the sleeves of her blouse. “Well, he’s so great and so handsome, and I’m so plain-“


“Plain my ass,” Sango replied with an unladylike snort. “You’re about as plain as the Hope Diamond, Kagome.”


“Not the best comparison, but thanks.”


“I’m serious,” Sango said and sat down on the edge of Kagome’s desk. “This guy is lucky to have a girl like you even look his way, no matter how fine he is. Kagome, you’ve got a lot going for you. If he thinks something’s better out there then he can just go screw himself.”


“Sango!”

“Don̵ 7;t give me that look,” Sango frowned down at her. “But. . .” she finally sighed and gave it more thought. “Everything about you is so exotic, Kagome. I mean, you’re not the average Japanese girl, you know. I don’t see why you’re worrying.”


“Still,” Kagome breathed and shook her hands away from her buttons. “I just don’t want him to get bored-“


“When you two finally do the dirty do?”


“Wha?”


“Never mind. If you don’t want him to get bored, then think of something new. There’s lots of ideas online and everything. As a matter of fact, I surprised Miroku with one last week. I bought this little cowgirl outfit, ‘cept it only came with boots, a hat and a holster with a pair of shotguns-and I had to buy my own rope-but I waited till he came home and-“


“Sango!”


“Excuse me.”


They turned, Kagome’s face as bright as a rose, and found someone standing in their doorway. One was a dark haired man dressed in a gray suit, and the other-


“Ayame!”


“Hello Kagome-san,” Ayame said as she stepped from behind the dark haird main. “How are you?”

“I’m great!” Kagome said and practically shoved Sango off of her desk. “Where’s Kouga? Is he not with you today?”


“Nah, he and I were assigned to separate cases. Speaking of which-“


“I’m Agent Roger Smith,” the dark haired man finally said as he stepped forward to shake Kagome’s and Sango’s hands. “I’m from the-“


“He’s FBI,” Ayame interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “And he doesn’t speak a lot of Japanese, so I’ll have to do a lot of translating.”


“Oh, ok then,” they said and smiled toward the clueless investigator. “So what’s he doing here?”


“He’s on official police business,” Ayame replied after translating for Agent Smith. “And Kagome, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”


“Why?” Sango asked. “This is her office too.”


“Well, the case we’re working on only requires one of you, a Higurashi, Sango, and since that’s not Kagome then-“


“But why does she have to leave?” Sango asked again while Kagome gathered her laptop and purse. “I mean, that’s not exactly fai-“


“This case is a need to know kind of thing,” Agent Smith answered for Ayame. “And, unfortunately, as few people need to know as possible.”


“Ok,” Kagome replied and patted Sango’s shoulder. “That’s fine, Sango. I’ll just set up in the break room. Call me when you guys are done.”


“But Kagome,” Sango called out as Kagome stepped into the hallway. “What are you going to do? All of your casework is on your computer.”


“I think I’ll do some ‘research’ on something,” Kagome replied with a smile and a shrug. “There’s something you said that I think I’m going to try.”


“What did I-“ But Kagome was already gone, the door clicking shut behind her. Sango turned to Ayame, then to Agent Smith as he set his briefcase onto Kagome’s empty desk. He flipped open the laptop inside and waited until the welcome screen finally came up before explaining the entire case to Sango and Ayame. He told them about the senator’s daughter, about the people who kidnaped her and the people in the states who were helping from across the ocean.


“And last week we received this,” he said and clicked onto a small icon on the laptop. A video of a little girl began to play, the child playing happily in what could have been a little girl’s paradise. She turned to the TV next, her face beaming at one of the DVDs on the shelf underneath the pink TV.


“Hello, Senator Lindsay. I’m sure by now you must be extremely worried,” a man’s voice began from off camera. The little girl continued to play, unnoticed, while the man continued to talk. “As you can see, little Catherine is unharmed. It’s not in my nature to harm children. You however. . .” The man laughed suddenly, the sound dark and foreboding in the small office space.


“Dear Senator, I’m sure you’re wondering what it was you’ve done to deserve this. Well, I sure I don’t have to remind you of all the ‘errands’ you have me perform for you. Of course not. After all, a man as great as you should remember the little people you step on and those that help to sweep them from underneath your footfall. Yet you still dismissed me, shamed me in front of everyone we knew and respected. Payback is due and I’m not talking about a monetary reimbursement.


“For the next two weeks, Senator, your little Catherine will be save and sound. After that. . .” The voice paused, this laughter much quieter than the last but still as disturbing. “After that she’s someone else’s problem. I’m not sure where she’ll go really. She may end up with a family that’ll love her, or with someone who will only love. . .’parts’ of her. I’m not sure. Enjoy the next two weeks.” Here the voice, and the video feed, cut off, leaving Sango and Ayame to stare at the screen, whatever reply they wanted to make frozen in their throats.


“The senator identified the voice as one Retian Kim, a former aide of his campaign office,” Agent Smith replied after a few minutes’ silence. “Senator Lindsay fired the young man a year ago and he’s held a grudge. We tracked him all the way here, in Tokyo, but we’ve lost him somewhere in the city.”


“Is that all?” Ayame asked and frowned when Agent Smith nodded. “Great. What are we supposed to do now?”


“For now we have our lab boys looking at the video and-“


“Hey, did you guys hear something?”


“Hear what?” Ayame asked Sango as Sango reached for the laptop.


“It was something in the background, something weird. You guys didn’t hear it?”


The officers shook their head, but Agent Smith replayed the video and listened, really listened to the background of the recording. “You know what?” Ayame said after a while. “I think I hear something too. Can’t you make it so we hear only that?”


“Yeah, hold on a second.” Agent Smith opened a window and began to type, Sango and Ayame peering over his shoulders as he worked on isolating the sound. He leaned back when the background began to play and, other than some rustling of paper and drips of what could be water, couldn’t hear anything special.


“Is that what you two are-“


“Shhhh!”


He shushed just in time, just as another man’s laughter began.


“Do you think it’s someone else?” Ayame asked as Agent Smith turned up the volume.


“Nuh-uh,” Smith shook his head. “It’s too far away, like it’s outside someplace. Plus it doesn’t sound human.”


“Yeah,” Sango agreed. “It’s weird. It stops, then starts again. Didn’t your guys notice this before?”


“Not that I know of,” Smith replied. “It’s weird.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ayame replied. She stood up straight, her hands momentarily rubbing her back as she glanced out the office window. “What could it be though?” she wondered aloud. “Where could that laughter be coming from. . .”


(III)


“Let’s see,” Kagome said as she rushed around her newly refurbished kitchen. “I’ve got the table set, dinner’s fixed and now. . .” She glanced at the clock anxiously, her hands wringing as Sesshoumaru padded into the room and sat down in front of the stove.


“Gah, I’m so nervous!” She brushed past the drowsy inu who, at the moment, was staring at her legs instead of paying attention to her distress. He smirked to himself at the memory of those long, graceful limbs wrapped around his waist and gave a doggie version of a smirk, even as Kikyou grimaced from his mind’s halls.


‘Dear Kami, do I have to be subjected to this?’ Kikyou crowed indignantly. ‘You’re little more than some horny dog now!’


‘What I am, and how I satisfy my desires is little to none of your concern.’


‘Ugh!’ With that she retreated yet again, surely plotting more ways to make the inu’s life a living hell. Sesshoumaru smirked after her, knowing that whatever she had planned wouldn’t spoil the weekend he’d just experienced. Kagome, as shy as she was, was certainly spirited when it came to carnal pleasures. She was inexperienced but willing and eager to learn, so much so that he feared that he would tire out before her. She was nimble too, and-


‘Amazingly flexible,’ Sesshoumaru sent towards Kikyou’s hiding place. Her horrified screech made him chuckle, golden eyes sliding closed as Kagome once again flounced past him.


“Chance,” he heard her whine from someplace in the kitchen. “Please, can’t you help do something?” Kagome huffed when he remained as he was, wondering to herself what made her ask a dog-of all creatures-for help before carrying a stack of plates toward the kitchen table. She gasped when the elevator’s bell rang, the plates barely making it to the table before she hurried toward the living room.


“Hey!” Inuyasha called out as Kagome rushed into the room. “Slow down would ya? You’ll hurt yourself on those heels if you don’t.” Kagome blushed and he grinned at her embarrassment, her hands instantly worrying the edge of her dress. She reminded him of a baby doll, a particularly sexy baby doll with her carolina blue and pale yellow plaid dress and strappy black heels. The dress was strapless, the top made of a cinching material that clung to her pert bosom like a second skin. The skirt of the dress flared from the high empire waist and fell just short of her knees. “Though I have to say,” he said with a low whistle. “I’d be more than happy to help you back up.”


“Yeah right,” Kagome said and turned away from him, the back of her dress kicked up slightly from the abrupt action. Inuyasha whistled again, then grinned and shook his head. ‘So wrong,’ he said to himself as he followed her to the kitchen. ‘Bad puppy: Do not lust after your brother’s woman.’


“I’m so glad you’re here,” Kagome said continued to hurry around the kitchen. Sesshoumaru looked up at Inuyasha’s entrance, his eyes narrowing slightly at the fading arousal on Inuyasha’s scent.


“Don’t worry,” Inuyasha said to the growling pup. “I don’t want her. You can chill.”


“Jeez, that makes me feel so much better,” Kagome growled irritably as she continued to set the dinner table. “Could you quit clowning around with Chance and bring the chopsticks out of the drawer beside the sink?”


Inuyasha agreed with a shrug and sat down the small bottle of champagne he brought with him. “So,” he began as he opened the drawer and flipped through the many sets of chopsticks inside. “When’s everybody gonna get here?”


“They should have been here by-“


“Higurashi-san?”


Kagome froze, sapphire orbs wide as Inuyasha strolled across the room to a small intercom box positioned near the kitchen table. “Yeah Ryu?”


“Taishou-san, Higurashi-san’s family is here.”


“Send them up.”


“Right away Taishou-san.”


Inuaysha turned with a grin, only to frown in concern when Kagome paled before his eyes. “Kagome, what’s the matter?”


“I-I don’t know,” she admitted with nervous laughter. “I mean, I don’t know what I’m so nervous about. It’s not like they’ll disapprove or anything. But-“


“But nothing,” Inuyasha said as he grasped her hand and pulled her away from the kitchen. “Stop worrying. You’ve got a great dinner in there-if the smell of it means anything-and I’m sure they’re going to love it here.”


“You think so?”


Inuyasha nodded. “I know so.” He laughed when she hugged him, her arms fiercely wrapped around his shoulders. He picked her up, earning a squeak of surprise before he set her down in front of the elevator.


“You’re always looking out for me,” Kagome said while Chance spread himself along the floor in the center of the living room. “Why’s that?”

“Because,” Inuyasha replied, his eyes leaving hers momentarily when the elevator rang out it’s first bell. “You’re my little sister now. I’m always gonna take care of you.”


Kagome wanted to ask what that meant but had the chance stolen from her when the elevator doors opened and her mother, the first to step out, threw her arms around her.


“Kagome, dear!” her mother squealed happily as the rest of the family poured out of the elevator. Grandpa Higurashi was the next to get off of the Elevator, followed by Souta and his girlfriend Uma. Sango and Miroku were the last before the elevator’s doors closed, Inuyasha’s eyes locking with Miroku’s surprised, then angered orbs before everyone surged around Kagome.


“So, this is your new crib huh?” Souta said as he gazed longingly at Kagome’s apartment. “Man, I’d give my right nut to live here.”


“Souta!” an entire family gasped with Inuyasha’s chuckle the only other sound in the room before Uma smacked Souta upside the head.


“What?” was Souta’s innocent reply while the rest of the family groaned and ignored him.


“It’s so lovely here,” Kagome’s mother said as she touched a nearby vase. “This Sesshoumaru fellow certainly knows how to take care of my baby.”


“Um, I had a hand in there, somewhere,” Inuyasha said and raised his hand when Mrs. Higurashi turned around. “Hi. . .again”


“I remember you!”


“Yeah,” Inuyasha replied, ignoring Kagome’s expectant and surprised gaze. “I expected you might.”


“Inuyasha,” Miroku said before Mrs. Higurashi could ask any questions. “How about you give me a tour of the place?”


‘Oh boy,’ Inuyasha said to himself as he and Miroku walked away from the rest of the family. ‘Here we go. I haven’t even thought about an explanations and this human is pissed.’


“So,” Miroku began once they stepped out onto the patio. “When were you going to tell me that you knew my cousin?”


“Well, I didn’t exactly know her-“


“And what, this whole art show thing was just a way for your brother to get into her panties?” Miroku continued without giving Inuyasha a chance to answer. “Cause if it is, I’m gonna tell her and-“


“Hey, wait,” Inuaysha interrupted hurriedly. “Are you nuts? Don’t tell Kagome!”


“Why not?” Miroku heatedly demanded. “I’m sure she already knows about you helping me sell my paintings, so-“


“No she doesn’t!” Inuyasha hissed. “I never told her and neither did Sesshoumaru!”


“He. . .didn’t?” Miroku frowned thoughtfully, confused as to why, and waited while Inuyasha explained.


“Look, Sesshoumaru saw one of your paintings in Kagome’s house one day,” Inuyasha began quickly. “He called me and told me to check you out. He never said anything about telling Kagome so I never told her and apparently he didn’t either or you’d know about it.”


“So,” Miroku replied with a wavering smile. “I’m not just some easy way for your brother to get to Kagome? I’m not some artist you feel sorry for?”


“Hell yeah I feel sorry for you!” Inuyasha responded with a heavy pat to Miroku’s back. “Have you taken a look at that truck of yours lately? You couldn’t sneak up on a hundred year old woman with that old ass junker!”


“Yeah well,” Miroku laughed and brushed Inuyasha’s hand away. “Don’t talk about my truck-“


“Or the fact that it’s burning a big ass hole in the ozone layer,” was Inuyasha’s tactful comment.


“Yeah, and that-HEY!”


Inuyasha laughed and slipped back into the house, nearly running into Sango in the process as Miroku came barreling in behind him. They answered the questions that came flying toward them, particularly the ones about how Inuyasha and Miroku knew each other, before they finally sat down for dinner. Inuyasha sat with them and watched the family interact. They were funny, Grandpa especially as he told tales of his earlier days working on the shrine and defending it from ghosts trying to defile the temple grounds.


“Those were squirrels, Ji-san,” Souta groaned with a gentle slap to his own forehead. “I don’t know who was more scared that day, you or the squirrels!”


Inuyasha laughed at the old man’s ire, watching as he and Souta chased each other around the table. ‘Man, this family is insane,’ Inuyasha said to himself as Kagome begged her grandfather to sit down just as the old gentleman picked up a roll of paper towels and started to beat Souta over the head with them. He turned when Sesshoumaru padded into the room, his brother’s wide swatch of fur almost calming against the chaos around him.


‘Is this the normal way families behave?’ he wondered, then laughed when Kagome finally wrestled the paper towels from Grandpa and proceeded to take over from where the priest left off. Inuyasha jumped and the room stilled at the sudden slap that quieted the room, all eyes turning to Sango as she glared at her husband.


“‘No one is looking’ is not a free invite to put your hands up my shirt!”


“My dearest Sango,” Miroku began, his smile happy and loving as he nursed the red hand print glowing from his left cheek. “I assure you, I was only trying to adjust your clothing. Your happiness is my only pleasure in life.”


“Great Kami-sama,” Kagome groaned with her face in her hands. “I’m so embarrassed.”


“I love your family, Kagome!” Inuyasha suddenly said with a burst of laughter. The Higurashi’s sat around him, their confusion evident in their faces before they all shrugged and joined the undercover hanyou in his merriment.


‘At least,’ Inuyasha thought as everyone returned to dinner. ‘They love each other, even through the madness of them all.”


(IV)


The Thursday afternoon sun was brilliant and there wasn’t a cloud in the beautiful blue sky. Sango glanced up and sighed, the beauty of the morning escaping her as she thought over the events of the morning. The case she, Ayame and Smith were working on seemed to have stalled, any leads that surfaced at the beginning of the investigation now gone. The noises that Ayame and Sango recognized remained a mystery, one that constantly nagged at the back of Sango’s thoughts.


‘I just don’t get it,’ she said to herself when Miroku stopped to peer inside a nearby music store. ‘What are we missing? The water and the paper are common things but that laughter. . .where’s it coming from?’ Sango frowned and chewed her lip thoughtfully. Even now she could hear that mechanical laughter, the sound on a mental laugh track that constantly recycled itself inside her mind.


‘Wait a second. . .I’m not remembering that! I’m hearing that!’


Sango whipped around quickly, nearly curling her ankle in the process, and searched the street surrounding her. People hustled by quickly, some stopping to stare at her as she cut between them, and traffic honked but in the mist of the noise and confusion was the laughter.


HA. HA. HA. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA. HA. HA. HA. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA.


“Where is it?” Sango whispered to herself as she scanned the area. “Where’s that coming from?”


“Sango!” Miroku cried out as he ran after her. “Sango, what’s the matter? What is it?”

“Don’t you hear it?” Sango asked him once he joined her in the center of the crosswalk. “That laughter! Where’s it coming from?”


“Are you kidding?” Miroku asked and began to gently usher her back across the street. “That’s that stupid mechanical clown-“


“What clown?” Sango demanded, dark eyes blazing intently as they jerked to a stop.


“That clown. . .um. . at Johnny’s Escape,” Miroku remembered suddenly. “We would drive past it when we visited Kagome at her old place, remember?”


‘Yeah, I do,’ Sango said to herself and turned, her eyes darting over landmarks until she found it: The mechanical neon sign that hung outside of a small storage building nearby. The clown grinned down at her from underneath it’s bright yellow, flickering cowboy hat and underneath it blazed another sign in neon red letters:


Johnny’s Escape: Where All The Best Gamers Want To Be!


“Holy shit,” Sango breathed as she stared at the building. Time stopped for her, the constant growl of Tokyo’s busy streets muted to the laughter, the buzz of the city streets forgotten against the sign’s mechanical, maniacal cackle. Sango turned without thinking, her cell phone flying toward Miroku’s head as she dashed down the street toward the sound.


“Sango, Sango wait!”


“Call Cushin Ayame!” she shouted back as she darted between people. “She should be number seven on my contact list! Call her and tell her to get her butt down here! I think I found the girl!”


“Girl!” Miroku shouted back as he struggled to follow her. “What girl?”


But Sango was too far away to hear, her heels clicking noiselessly against the pavement beneath her feet. Her eyes never strayed from the sign, not even when the crowd suddenly surged around her and threatened to push her backward. She soon found herself, tousled hair, sweat-drenched skin and missing shoe, standing in the threshold of Johnny’s Escape. The place was dark, dank, and had the scent of teenage sweat and frustration. All around her were the bleeps and chirps of the various arcade games.


Sango stepped inside cautiously, blinded only for a few seconds before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She kicked off her other shoe but kept it in her hands as she ventured forward. She searched the area carefully and after a few minutes admitted to herself that she had no idea what she was looking for.


She leaned against a nearby wall and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Great,” she grumbled aloud. “And it doesn’t look like I can ask anyone for directions either.” She stomped her foot in frustration then screeched as something metallic sliced through the sole of her foot. Sango immediately hopped backward, her foot clutched in her hand as she ripped off a swatch of her dress to serve as a makeshift dressing.

“That’s just perfect,” she griped to herself as she brushed away the grime and tied the lime green cloth around her foot. She looked down at the blood splattered floor and found a metal grate. Her blood, plus some water that was leaking from a nearby fountain, dripped between the rectangular openings to another level a couple of feet below. Sango kneeled down, grimacing slightly at the grit that dug into her knees, and heaved all of her weight against the grate. A metal clasp holding it closed flew open and Sango dropped without warning down to the next level of the arcade. She landed with a heavy thud, her head knocking against something hard in the darkness before her fall was abruptly stopped by the hard concrete floor.


Sango groaned and sat up, her hands barely supporting her weight. She gazed through the free strands of her hair, her sight blurry but determined as an odd shape walked toward her. It’s footsteps were heavy on the solid floor and the shape dark against the light that streamed in from someplace nearby.


“H-hello,” Sango wheezed as the figure kneeled down in front of her. “P-please, I-my husband. He’s someplace n-nearby and n-n-need h-“


“Shhhh,” the figure shushed her in a soothing masculine voice. “Everything will be fine. I’ll take care of you. I promise. . .”


)-(


Ayame ran into the conference room, her eyes wide as Agent Smith and the other members of the FBI surrounded the laptop in the center of the table. She glanced from them to the screen and gasped. The screen was split in half, with one half the little girl they were still searching for.


The other half of the screen was dark but it wasn’t hard to make out the bloodied form of a young woman lying unconscious on the floor. Her dress was little more than lime green tatters, bruises shone from the filth caked on her body and the cloth wrapped around her foot was now a dark crimson.


“Your people underestimate me,” the kidnapper’s voice taunted them from off screen. “And now, instead of having your daughter, Senator Lindsay, I now have two guests to entertain. My newest though, may not last as long. I give her, at the most, twenty four hours. After that. . .”


He tisked as if disappointed and Ayame shuddered in spite of herself.


“I fear she may be too broken to play with. I may have to throw her away.”


(V)


“I came to you first, Kagome,” Kouga said as he, Kagome and Chance stood outside the arcade. “The FBI and the other officers don’t have a clue as to where she could have gone. We searched the entire street for her and found nothing. We don’t have a lot of time left.”


Kagome glanced at her watch and nodded, her eyes briefly set to the rising sun before reaching inside her purse. She made Kouga promise to tell her whatever they knew about Sang’s disappearance and, though he protested in the beginning, finally agreed to do as she asked. Now they were on their way inside the last place Sango was seen, readying themselves for anything. In her right hand was Chance’s leash and in her left was a can of pepper spray.


She glanced toward Kouga, who in return for his information made her promise not to tell Miroku in fear of what he might do (amazing that he wasn’t worried about her) and watched as he pulled his service firearm from it’s holster. He nodded toward the entrance and gestured toward Chance’s leash.


Kouga jumped back at Chance’s snarl and jerked Kagome inside, his nose in the air and his ears pert. Sesshoumaru stopped beside a nearby game, his black nostrils quivering while his ears twitched and widened. He searched the area for Sango’s scent, his focus solely on the one scent that was different from the others, not because of its chemical makeup but for what it was lacking and the chemical scent of sweetness that came from her insulin.


Kouga and Kagome watched as Chance stilled, his head jerking fiercely before he hurried off, nearly jerking Kagome off of her feet in the process. Kagome “eep!”ed in surprise but followed close behind him, with Kouga behind her as Sesshoumaru lead them toward the back of the arcade, past a small lunch counter toward a smaller storage room with boxes lined against the stark white walls.


The lights were turned on and the bright florescent glow shone down on the crimson stained floor. “I don’t get it,” Kouga wondered aloud as Chance pawed at the grate along the right edge of the room. “What the hell? Why didn’t the guys at the precinct see this?”


“I don’t know, Kouga,” Kagome shrugged. “But I think you should-OH NO! CHANCE!!”


The grate popped free suddenly and Sesshoumaru tumbled into the darkness with a surprised yelp. Kagome let go of his leash quickly, afraid that she would hang the poor dog, and watched as he landed and rolled on the concrete floor.


“Chance!” Kagome screamed as she and Kouga peered into the hole. “Chance baby, are you alright? Kouga, is he ok?!”


“Yeah Kagome, he’s fine,” Kouga replied and gestured toward the hole. “See, he’s getting up and everything.”


Sesshoumaru struggled to his feet, his head woozy and his left side aching. He shook it off and looked around him, his nose and ears once again his guides as he searched the room for any signs of life. He heard the rattling of a chain and turned toward the sound. He heard a groan next and stepped forward, out of the light, and instantly nudged Sango’s injured foot.


“Owww. . .” she groaned miserably. “Who’s there? Can anyone hear me?”


“Sango!”


“Kagome?& #8221; Sango responded and began to cry when Sesshoumaru licked her cheek. “Oh Great Kami-sama, I never thought I’d see you again, Mighty Dog.”


Sesshoumaru huffed at the comment, but quickly set about finding a way to free her while Kagome hollered down into the hole.


“Sango, are you ok?”


“No,” Sango hollered back with a pained laugh. “Next stupid question.”


“Can you get up here by yourself?” Kouga asked. “Is there a chair or something that you can use to boost yourself up?”


“Um. . .no,” Sango replied after a moment’s thought. “I’m tied to a chain.”


“Wha?” was Kouga’s answer, it coming just as Sesshoumaru found the rope. Apparently the kidnapper had run out of chain, or didn’t know how to attach Sango’s wrists to the chain, and had chosen instead to tie Sango to the chain using a thick rope. Sesshoumaru chewed through it quickly, then proceeded to check the young woman for damage as she rubbed her freed wrists.


‘I smell blood,’ Sesshoumaru realized as she attempted to push his nose away. ‘But she bears no cuts other than the one on her foot.’


‘She might be bleeding internally,’ Kikyou suggested. ‘She needs help, Sessho-‘


Sesshoumaru snarled suddenly, his eyes a fierce glowing gold as he turned further into the darkness. Standing in a doorway far away from the light was someone, someone he couldn’t see but he could smell and Sango’s blood oozed from the newcomer’s scent.


“Hm,” the man grumbled and threw down whatever it was he had in his hands. “I guess my playtime is up. What are you doing here doggie?”


Sesshoumaru growled, his lips pulled back viciously as he stepped his massive frame between the man and Sango’s trembling form.


“So, you’ve come for the girl huh?” the man guessed and looked toward the hole. “I would suppose you’ve come with friends, huh?” The man glanced toward the hole where Kouga and Kagome were still perched and waiting, and laughed.


“Hey!” Kouga yelled as he pointed his gun into the hole. “Who’s that?! Show yourself!”


The man continued to laugh, his brilliant white teeth the only thing Sesshoumaru could see in the darkness before something metal flashed in the sparse light. Sesshoumaru charged forward, snarled and clamped his teeth around the man’s wrist before he could fire the first shot. The man shrieked in terror and Sesshoumaru clamped down harder, his eyes blazing red comets as the man struggled to get free. He jerked and writhed against the dog’s ferocious hold but couldn’t get free. He finally stepped into the light and stopped, his eyes impossibly wide as two gunshots pierced the stale, musty air.


“Chance. . .”


Sesshoumaru growled lowly, his teeth sinking deeper into non-responsive flesh.


“Chance, please let go. . .”


Sesshoumaru glanced to the side and growled again, this time at the terrified brown orbs that stared back at him.


“He’s gone Chance. I’m safe.”


Brown orbs were replaced by a hand covered in blood and though Sesshoumaru shirked at the intrusion he quickly recognized the scent. He released his victim reluctantly, vaguely aware of shouting from someplace high above him as the hands beaconed him forward. A head rested on his side and he allowed it, crimson eyes returning to their normal gold as a weary body sagged against him.


“Thank you Chance,” a voice whispered. “You saved me. . .and you set a little girl free.”


‘But why,’ Kikyou wondered as a rope ladder suddenly dropped from the hole. ‘Why did you go after that man like that? Didn’t you realize that you could’ve been killed?’


Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and ignored her, this time because it would have been too tiring to answer her. His answer came anyway, when Kagome finally set foot on the lower level and cradled Sango into her arms. Sesshoumaru watched this with weary eyes. . .



Yet inside, despite how tired I was, I was glad for the woman’s safety. .


. . .and that I had not failed. . .


‘It is for Kagome that I protected her, for what she holds dear I value as well.’


(End Chapter)


SF: Wow! Did you guys see that?! That’s FIVE chapters!!

Silver: (wacks SF across the head) Five parts not chapters. Jeez, you’re so dizzy lately.


Sango: I can’t believe so much attention was paid to me. (Blushes) It’s kinda overwhelming. I kinda know how Kagome feels now.


Kagome: See, and you called me a baby.


Inu-chan: You are a baby, the both of you, so it takes one to know o-


Kagome: Sit!


>WHAM!<


SF: Oh well. -.-‘ Jeez, that look like that hurt. Speaking of hurting-


Shippou: (pushes the summary tv across the stage) The summary is below!


Chapter summary: Another night is spent, and for Kagome and Shippou the morning light comes too soon. Passion’s fire is stoked in the darkness underneath the stars while the light of a child slowly slips away.


Next chapter-Chapter Thirty-Five: Pain


Chapter 35 will be one of those split chapters, with the entire chapter on either A Single Spark or Mediaminer. The next chapter will be the beginning of the month of June.