InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shrine Prostitute ❯ Intrusion ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: FlameTwirler 
Kagome has to steel herself as the harsh realities of Inuyasha's life push into her world.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.01.2006 | Updated On: 03.14.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 7.7K | Status: Work In Progress
Kagome has to steel herself as the harsh realities of Inuyasha's life push into her world.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.01.2006 | Updated On: 03.14.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 7.7K | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: This chapter contains images of the aftereffects of torture/sexual torture. If you are uncomfortable with this skip until 3/4 through the chapter. Please be forewarned.
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Shrine Prostitute by FlameTwirler
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Chapter 4: Intrusion
-----entrance by force or without permission or welcome
~ ~ ~
After the first few days, Kagome’s time in the Shrine smoothed her nerves and anxiety. She was still a bit timid and easy to embarrass but she now had a level of comfort with Inuyasha she hadn’t thought would be possible with a mere prostitute. Of course, the fact he’d finally introduced her to the wonders of oral sex the night before, her fifth night, likely had a bit to do with that. Most certainly it had upped her enthusiasm as she found she was a big fan and couldn’t wait to try it again.
With a spring in her step Kagome made her way to the front desk, simultaneously blinding Ryu with her infectious smile.
“Good morning, Ryu-san,” she joked. The fact that everyone in the Shrine had a nocturnal lifestyle confused the greetings a bit and Kagome enjoyed making as much as a mess of it as she could.
“What time can you fit me in tonight?”
Ryu sighed dramatically and flipped open his schedule book to Inuyasha’s page, not even bothering to ask whom she wanted an appointment with. Tracing his finger down the page he grunted deep in his throat as he noted the name already on the sheet.
“Looks like he has one other appointment tonight -” Ryu chanced a glance up and had to hide a grin at the scowl on Kagome’s face, “- but I can schedule you for 3 a.m. How’s that work for you?”
She nodded absent-mindedly. “That’s fine. Ne, Ryu,” she said, looking up, “do you have any suggestions on what I can do until then? I don’t really know what’s around here…”
“You can always sleep,” he said nonchalantly, studiously scanning his schedule while a grin tugged on the corner of this mouth. “I’m sure you could use it, what with all the strenuous activity you’re involved with here.”
“Ryu-san!” Kagome gasped, turning a nice shade of pink, almost as shocked at his actually making a joke as the subject matter itself. She’d gotten better about controlling her blushing in front of Inuyasha, but this was Ryu! Not only was he middle aged, but he wasn’t the one participating in said ‘strenuous activity’ with her. Besides, she liked to forget about the fact that anyone aside from Inuyasha knew what she did while she was here. She still found the entire situation to be quite surreal and out of her realm.
He chuckled lightly and Kagome wondered at the fact that she’d never heard the sound before. He was always too serious.
“If that’s not to your liking then there’s a movie theatre down the road, in addition to a live theatre. I’m not sure which drama they’re performing currently, but the troupe is pretty decent. If not that, then there’s a mall two streets down and plenty of nice places to eat in between.”
When Kagome opened her mouth he held up a hand to forestall her. “And yes, they’re all open. The town grew up around the Shrine and caters to the Shrine’s clientele, so you’ll find it’s actually harder to find a place open during the daytime. You shouldn’t have any trouble filling your time until your appointment.”
Kagome glanced at her watch and shouldered her bag. “Then I suppose I’ll see you in five and half hours. For now I’m off to adventure!” Lifting her arm in the air over her head, fingers in the sign of victory, Kagome winked at Ryu, then turned and sauntered out the door.
On her way she missed Ryu’s whisper, “I think you’ll have more than your share of adventure tonight.”
~ ~ ~
At 3 a.m. exactly, as she did enjoy being prompt, Kagome arrived at Inuyasha’s door. Buzzing once to make sure he wasn’t naked, which on second thought she supposed wouldn’t really matter, she entered his room - and promptly stopped cold.
Inuyasha was naked all right. And covered in blood, a gaudy red color that clashed harshly against his skin and stained the sheets beneath him.
Inuyasha heard the door open and only barely suppressed a growl, knowing it would aggravate the cuts across his chest.
“What the fuck do you want?” he spat, eyes still closed. “How many times do I have to tell you fuckers that I don’t want to be bothered after sessions!”
Only too late did he register the suspicious lack of words from his intruder...too late did he recognize the scent, and it wasn’t any of the other workers he’d expect from the shrine. Kagome! he realized as his eyes shot open.
He turned his head as best he could from his prone position on the bed to see Kagome, stiff as the door behind her. Speaking of doors…
“Kagome, shut that thing will ya? I don’t want anyone else seeing this shit.”
She turned robotically to shut the door then turned back to him, still not saying a word, just staring.
Inuyasha was beyond uneasy. “Don’t worry about it, ne?” he said, struggling to sit up. “I’ll just clean myself up real quick and then we can get to it. Don’t want to waste -”
“Stop!” Inuyasha stilled immediately. Kagome hadn’t actually raised her voice but the tone in it made his hackles rise. Paying closer attention he could tell she was on edge and that her barely leashed emotions were slathering to break free.
“Lay back down – now – and don’t move.” Before he could form any sort of reply she was out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He flopped back on the bed, welcoming the pain as the gashes in his back protested, breaking back open where they’d torn from the sheets.
Of course she left, she must be utterly disgusted. Why the hell did you offer to clean up and then still service her? There’s no way she would accept to ever be touched again by anyone as weak and pathetic as you.
Resigning himself to the cruel truth of his reality Inuyasha closed his eyes and willed himself to not think about a certain raven-haired girl.
~ ~ ~
Kagome marched her way to the front desk, not sparing a glance or acknowledgment for anyone she passed or bumped on the way. Glad she found the front foyer empty, thoughbarely couldcared under the current circumstances, she continued until she was inches away from Ryu’s seated face.
“Bandages, towels, and water – now!” she demanded, hardly caring that she had no right to request these items in the Shrine.
Ryu didn’t say a word, just opened a large drawer in his desk and pulled out all she'd asked for and more, as if he'd been prepared for such a circumstance, knew it was going to happen. Kagome didn't allow herself to think on that as Ryu helped her balance all the requested items, a pitcher, bowl, and more enough gauze for an army, and instead only spared him a parting glare for his role in things before storming off in the direction she had come from.
She quickly paused, just long enough to make sure she had his attention, before shouting over her shoulder, “You’re meeting me for breakfast tomorrow morning. 9:30 a.m. sharp at Shogun’s. No excuses!” Then she was gone.
~ ~ ~
Kagome was seething. She made her way down the empty hallway focusing on her anger as much as she could. She was so torn, felt sadness trying to creep up the edges of her consciousness, but knew she didn't have the privilege of breaking apart right now; anger would serve her better in the long run. Falling into a sobbing, weeping heap wouldn’t do anything to heal Inuyasha’s wounds, and it would probably only end up making him feel worse for causing her tears.
No, she’d hold her sorrow until she was alone and let the seething mass of burning rage inside her fuel her energy. She knew she'd need it with the little she'd seen so far.
Juggling her load she threw the door open, stepped in Inuyasha’s room, then kicked it shut with her foot.
Inuyasha started from both the sound and the surprise of finding Kagome in his room once again, barely recalling himself quickly enough to cover the wince from ripping open a few scabs again.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, incredulity lacing his voice.
“What does it look like?” she replied, dumping her armload of bandages and towels onto the low table by his bed, pouring a small amount of water from the pitcher into the bowl. “I’m fixing you up.” She pegged him with a glare daring him to question her.
He, however, wasn’t about to sit by and let himself be coddled like some weak old ningen man. “I’ve told you about this before. Just because you see it tonight doesn’t make it any different. This isn’t the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last, and I’ve managed just fine on my own until now. I’m a hanyou, remember? I’m stronger than most and just because it looks bad doesn’t mean it’s really all that.”
He stared at her, hoping against hope that she would just leave, sparing him the embarrassment of having her see him like this.
Kagome, hands on hips, stared back, wondering how he could honestly expect her – or any being with a lick of decency or compassion for that matter – to leave him in thecondition he was in. Leaning over the bed she raised one hand and poked at the large gash over his ribs, smirking in morbid justification when he couldn’t help but flinch.
“See? You are in pain. Granted, you’re taking this better than any human would – heck, they’d be screaming on the floor by now – but you’re still not getting out of it. I’m cleaning you up so you better just get used to the idea!”
“No you’re not!” he yelled back at her. “I don’t need to be taken care of by some silly ningen girl who likes to play nurse!”
Kagome crossed her arms, stewing, strategizing on how she could convince him to submit. She glanced at the clock, a brilliant idea hitting her, and she grinned.
“Inuyasha,” she began, her syrupy sweet voice instantly making him suspicious, “I paid for an hour of your time, right?”
He agreed grudgingly, already seeing where she was going with this.
“That means I can do whatever I want to you for the next hour, right?” She took his silence as affirmation. Dropping the coy note from her voice and getting down toshe continued, “Since that bitch can make you bloody during her appointment it only seems fair that I can use mine to clean you up, ne?”
Inuyasha was so shocked at her cursing that he didn’t even notice he was nodding his head until he saw the triumph gleam across her eyes. Her face didn’t show it though, not even a glimmer, remaining grim as she dropped a towel into the bowl then wrung it out.
She held his eyes and said, “Sorry if I hurt you,” before she turned to the task at hand and began wiping at the cut she’d poked earlier.
The job was grisly and tedious, especially since it was hard to find some of the wounds themselves under the layers of dried blood. Kagome just wanted it to be done but she didn’t dare rush for fear of exacerbating his wounds. Not only that but she had the compounded problem of his laying naked in a bed under her. Given the nature of their relationship up to this point she was being as calculated and professional as she could with her clean up, not allowing her touches to linger on his skin trying to transfer the warmth of a caring person. She couldn't permit herself to lean over and kiss the multitude of semi-healed lacerations covering his chest for fear that she might accidentally arouse him. Anything either did to grant him release would only harm him further and she'd heard of the discomfort associated with blue-balls and the last thing she could stand to do would be to cause him any further pain, no matter how minute. Besides, she'd also heard him mention how some of his other clients used that particular method as a part of their torture...
She had to shake her head to dispel the thoughts. Such a line of thinking was only going to agitate her and she needed to keep her hands calm so as not to agitate his wounds, so she mentally shielded herself and dipped the towel back in the bowl.
Inuyasha never took his eyes off her face, seeing small flickers of thoughts and emotions behind her eyes, but none lasting long enough for him to guess at what it was. She was methodical to the last, working her way down from his shoulders to his abdomen.
When she neared his groin he grimaced, preparing himself for the disdain that would show in her features as she bypassed the area. Whips and razors had lacerated all the skin surrounding his groin, from his abdomen to his thighs, but his penis itself was thankfully clean of bloody cuts - he knew from experience those were a bitch to heal. Instead it was sticky with a combination of bodily fluids from himself and his earlier client, plus blood spatters from the nearby wounds.
A quick flicker of new emotion softened the fire in Kagome’s eyes right before she reached for him, Inuyasha’s eyes widening as she cradled his limp penis in one hand while gently wiping it with the towel.
Kagome had to block the thoughts that were clamoring at her mind otherwise she knew she would flinch or be sick or fall down crying. She had to focus on anything other than the feeling of stickiness that encased her hand, not wanting to touch anything that had come from some psychopath, not to mention another woman, but much more adamant that Inuyasha no longer have to wear it either.
Taking care to use smooth even strokes, Kagome lifted his length in her hand in order to clean underneath and get at his sac when she noticed the horrid, grotesque carving. Zig-zagging across the bottom of his length were a myriad of razor thin cuts, just shallow enough to not bleed much, leaving a mere layer of skin intact while going through the top five. The cuts seemed sporadic to her at first until she noticed that they crawled back and forth across as much of him as they could, only avoiding spots where a large vein was prominent. As carefully as she could manage she worked at removing all sticky and crusted substances from around and inside the damaged areas, not wanting to even imagine him healing with that stuff still inside him. That couldn’t be healthy, physically or mentally.
Now she was more thankful than ever that she had tried extra hard to not arouse him. She was sure, from the little that she now knew about sex and male anatomy, that if he had gotten aroused the swelling would have been enough to break through the cuts and he’d have started to bleed everywhere.
She used her forearm to angrily wipe at the lone tear that escaped her eyes. This is no time to be emotional, dang it! He needs someone to clean him up, not some weak, simpering girl who won’t know what to do with herself.
Pep talk completed, she choked down the emotion piling up in her throat, easily shoving it back down when she remembered what she needed to do, and finally chanced a glance at Inuyasha’s face but immediately looked back down when she saw him watching her intently. She couldn’t deal with him mentally just yet and could only hope he’d missed her small theatrics.
For his part Inuyasha was incredulous. He hadn’t seen any tears, but he smelled the telltale signs of salt. Could she actually be crying because of him? Should he have shoved her out the door as soon as she stepped foot inside, or was the damage already done as soon as she saw him?
Kagome continued in the same manner until she reached the tops of his feet, then finished as well as she could with his front she braced herself to look up at him. “Your back?” she asked simply.
Inuyasha kept quiet, suddenly finding the ceiling a much better place to rest his eyes.
“Inuyasha…” warned Kagome, using a tone that showed she was losing patience and would have her way.
Keeping his eyes on the wood above him Inuyasha breathed a weary. “Hai. But the blood has dried; I’m stuck to the sheet, so you’ll just have to be done for now.”
If he thought he could be done with her so easily, he was sorely mistaken.
Kagome stood and went to the foot of the bed, releasing both corners of the sheet before crawling up between Inuyasha and the wall in order to get to the back corner. Smirking down at him she let the sheet go with an elastic ‘snap.’ “You think that’s going to stop me?” she asked.
She crawled back down the bed, careful to not accidentally jostle him, then walked back up in order to loose the final corner of the sheet from the bed. “Now sit up,” she commanded him, not even his overly-dramatic, world-weary sigh lightening her mood.
Now that he had a clear view of Kagome, Inuyasha fully grimaced. Her pants were stained. There were not only darker splotches of his blood, but there were lighter patches of other bodily fluids on the fabric and he damned himself for tainting someone like her.
“Kagome, I’m alright now, really, you’ve done enough -” She put a finger to his lips to still the words.
“I’m done when you’re all cleaned and bandaged. Not a moment before, so stop fighting me on this.” Kagome didn’t bother to watch for his reaction, just crawled on the bed behind him and started the arduous task of wetting the bloodied fabric enough for it to loosen and fall from his body. By then her one hour appointment time had passed, but neither dared to bring that up.
She had to make him stand for the last part, crouching on the floor behind him as she freed his legs from the sheet, hating that until she was done the full weight of the sheet hung from the top-most wound. She wished she'd had the foresight to start at the bottom and work her way up but then realized some of the wounds might re-dry to the dangling sheet and it was pointless. Finally she was done and wiped her arm across her forehead, grimacing as she looked at the bowl full of bloodied water.
Standing with the sheet she made her way toward his closet. “Where’s the laundry and where’s your fresh sheets?”
He took a step forward but Kagome pegged him with a hard glare. “I didn’t say ‘come here and show me,’ I asked where it is.”
Growling at the chit’s audacity to speak to him like that, he nonetheless gave her the directions and before he knew it she was placing new sheets on his bed. She fit the last corner onto the mattress and turned to look at him, still naked and bleeding, standing in the middle of his room.
“I’m getting the bandages. I don’t want you sticking to the sheets again.” Sliding off the bed she grabbed the first pack from the side-table and crouched down behind him. She supposed it would be more polite to wrap his legs from the front but she wasn’t sure she could bare the sight of his maimed privates anymore. If she had to look at it any more she was sure she’d either break down or run down Ryu to find thewoman'sname so that she could go on a homicidal rampage.
Once done with his legs and low back/abdomen, she let him sit back on the bed while she worked on his chest and shoulders. The two remained in tense silence the entire time: Kagome too caught up in her own thoughts to notice Inuyasha’s discomfiture, and Inuyasha too preoccupied with what Kagome could be thinking to notice much of anything else.
By the time Kagome was done with all the cleaning and bandaging it was nearing on 5:30 a.m. but she was far from tired. The emotional turmoil inside her would keep her awake for hours still, she knew, but she wanted to make sure Inuyasha got some sleep.
She scooted out from behind him then lightly pushed on his chest until he was lying against one of the newly cleaned pillows. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then merely shrugged and closed his eyes as he leaned further into the pillow.
Kagome sat beside him, transfixed by his face. How could anyone ever want to harm such a beautiful creature? She was beyond astonished; she simply couldn’t imagine who could have such a mindset and how they could justify it. She was sick with herself, for knowing what he’d said about his other clients but never really paying attention. She’d thought he was exaggerating, playing it up to make a good tale, or maybe she’d just purposefully put it out of her mind so she could pretend it wasn’t real, but now she saw the evidence herself, and she guessed this wasn’t even that bad on the scale of what he dealt with.
She leaned over him and brushed his bangs away from his face with her left hand, bending over to plant a light kiss on his forehead. Inuyasha’s eyes instantly shot open and he stared at her, the look in his eyes making Kagome swear she could see the lost child inside that he maybe once had been.
“Why?” he asked, pleaded. Why did you stay? Why did you bother to clean me? Why did you bandage me when you knew I would heal eventually myself? Why did you spend the time to do all you did? Why are you so on edge? Why does this affect you? he thought, but the words wouldn't make it past his throat.
The single syllable shot through her. She was sure that it was much more than that to him, but only one answer came to her mind that would suffice.
She jumped off the bed and switched off the light before coming back to lie on her side facing him. Her fingers fidgeted with the bandage on his left shoulder, making sure it would stay in place, then slid her hands down his arm to grab his hand, interlocking their fingers and holding it tightly.
“Because you deserve better,” she whispered into the dark.
Then they both fell into an uneasy slumber.
~ ~ ~
Kagome waited impatiently in a back booth at Shogun’s. She’d picked the place because it was where she’d had dinner the night before when Ryu had so kindly suggested what she could do with her free time, and therefore was the only place she knew of so far. It also just so happened to meet her specifications in what she’d want in a meeting place where she’d be discussing a less-than-savory topic.
The place was a bit of a hole in the wall, obviously dirty around the edges and catering to a slightly rougher clientele than the ritzy place across the street, but its cheap prices meant there was enough patronage to keep the cooks and cashiers busy, away from the corner she was sitting in.
If Kagome didn’t know better, she’d almost say this booth was set up specifically for this purpose as it was set apart from the others slightly, dim enough to give the feeling of seclusion, but bright enough to maintain a feeling of security.
Of course none of this really mattered at the moment, what with the bright morning sun streaming in through the windows and open front doors. Kagome sighed. She really was exhausted, and sick of waiting for Ryu – even though she’d only been there five minutes – since the only other people around were the drunks who were grabbing a quick bite before lumbering off in what they hoped was the direction toward their beds. At least that meant they’d be less likely to listen in, she supposed. If the man decided to show up she was sure that, despite her best efforts, there would be an explosion or two.
She’d awoken that morning clinging to Inuyasha’s arm, pressing his hand firmly to her chest while clasping it tightly with both of hers. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she quickly took stock of his wounds and bandages without yet moving, not wanting to wake him. She was satisfied to see no fresh blood, then ‘eep’ed when the arm against her was no longer sedentary, but moved up to her face, grasping lightly at her jaw and turning her to look at a very awake Inuyasha – a very awake Inuyasha who appeared to have been wide-awake for a long period of time.
For a split second she saw the confusion he tried to hide, but then he quickly covered it, quirking his lips. “I was wonderin’ if you were ever gonna wake up, sleepy head.”
Kagome opened her mouth, tried to form a reply, failed and stopped. He’s been watching me? For how long? Torn between finding that endearing or creepy she settled on the perfect compromise of feeling miserably embarrassed.
Mutely she sat up and quickly pulled back the wrappings on his shoulder. She gasped when she saw the progress the laceration had made overnight; it had nearly healed! The mark was still there, but it was far past bleeding and looked to be two weeks old from what she’d seen of human healing for this kind of wound.
She suddenly had a frighteningly clear mental picture of packaging up his blood and selling it like the next Neosporin. She pictured herself as a carnival caller in a striped coat, white trousers, a straw hat and a cane yelling Come and get it! Step up right here, my girl, and witness the amazing miracle potion that will heal your wounds in no time! Hanyou blood it is, ladies and gentlemen, fresh squeezed from the source, and guaranteed to heal what ails you! She shook her head to dislodge the disturbing image.
“Ho- How?” She managed to sputter out in her amazement.
“Keh,” Inuyasha scoffed. “I told you, wench, I’m a hanyou. I didn’t need all that coddling last night.”
Kagome glared at him and he again took a pointed interest in something on the ceiling. Seriously, there must be something pretty intriguing up there for him to stare at it so often, she thought dryly.
“I heal just fine, given time. That’s why I’m able to do this job and live, ‘cuz I’ve got amazing super hanyou healing abilities.” He grinned.
When she didn’t smile at his attempt to joke, his own faltered. “Whatever. Just don’t go blabbing about what you’ve seen here. I get enough crap around here as it is, I don’t need to go adding to that by letting anyone find out how much I was done in by asimple ningen female, nor how I was so pathetic looking afterward another ningen wench decided I needed charity – which I obviously didn’t.” He started pulling off his bindings to prove the point, showing how much his body truly had healed. Granted, he wasn’t in perfect shape yet, but she guessed he might be by that night.
Kagome grit her teeth even now remembering his arrogance from that morning. So fine, he healed better than most, but that didn’t mean he still couldn’t get an infection or should be left to wallow in the filth he’d been covered in. Stupid jerk.
She’d somehow controlled herself to leave without saying another word except for a reminder that she’d see him that night, somehow managing to avoid instigating any further arguing. She needed to save her energy for Ryu.
And speak of the devil, the man himself had just finally walked through the door.
Kagome glanced at her watch. Darn, she thought. 9:07 a.m. Guess I can’t harpoon him for keeping me waiting or trying to avoid me. In fact, now that she gave him more than a cursory glance, he almost appeared calm. Not quite collected, but certainly resigned to speaking with her and not showing himself to be the least bit nervous about it.
We’ll see how long that lasts.
He seated himself, having forgone ordering food at the front register so that they could get right down to business.
“How could you allow that woman to go to him?” she ground out, hands fisting on the table top.
Ryu was beyond surprised, he was stunned! Kagome, the one he had pegged as the naïve little innocent who didn’t know how to do anything other than smile, was almost physically shaking with suppressed fury; her anger was righteous, he knew, but strange to see it in her all the same.
Even more, he’d had his answer all prepared for her question – in fact he’d been thinking about it since she came demanding bandages earlier that morning. Problem was, it was the answer to the wrong question. He thought she’d ask about why he’d involved her in the situation at all, why he hadn’t warned her what she’d likely be walking into, not why Inuyasha was being subjected to what he was. Ah well, no one ever said women were predictable.
That’s good though, he thought. He’d been worried she’d fall into a fit of hysterics and barely be able to get the job done, but it seemed she was stronger than that. She doesn’t really appear it but maybe she’s got some steel inside her, this one. Looks like I made a good choice with her.
“What?” Kagome glared at him suspiciously. “Why are you stalling? You can’t honestly say you were surprised by my question, can you?”
Ryu exhaled slowly. “Actually, Kagome, I was. I knew we were going to be discussing this but I had imagined you’d ask first about why I gave you that appointment last night.”
She sat up straighter and blinked at him, all the rage temporarily gone from her face. “I thought that was quite obvious,” she told him.
“I saw that you recognized the name in the schedule before you told me my appointment time. Then when I marched up and demanded all the materials for Inuyasha you didn’t bat an eyelash. You didn’t look surprised at all, didn’t bring up anything about Shrine policies concerning what can and can’t be given to the guests, and not only that –you had everything on hand. Now tell me, how often do you keep a pitcher full of water in your desk?”
Kagome leaned back, folded her arms, and gave him a knowing look before continuing. “You wanted me to be there, you wanted me to find him like that, you wanted me to help clean him up.”
Ryu nodded the barest bit, confirming all she’d said. “I assume this means you succeeded. How did you manage to convince him to let you? He can be quite stubborn at times…”
“At times?” she asked, chuckling ruefully. “When isn’t he stubborn? Even when he’s lying in puddles of his own blood he says ‘Oh, I’m fine as rain!’ and refuses anything. Gah!” Kagome threw up her hands in surrender, then turning a wicked grin on Ryu she deadpanned: “I blackmailed him.”
Ryu raised his eyebrows to indicate she needed to extrapolate further. He'd had no idea the girl could have such gall! “I told him that if the psycho got to do whatever she wanted with him during her paid appointment time, then it was therefore only fair that I got to do the same – and I wanted to clean him. If he didn’t allow me I inferred I’d simply have take it up with management, but that would require me explaining the situation and how badly he had looked laying there mangled and weak on the bed…”
Ryu chuckled darkly in response. “I’m glad I sent you then.”
Suddenly she leaned forward across the table, lights dawning in her eyes, and she raised one hand to poke Ryu pointedly in the chest. “You like him, don’t you?” Awe colored her voice, amazed that she hadn’t connected it before.
When she saw him flush and nearly choke on his own tongue, she quickly amended, “I mean, well not like that, but…you wanted to protect him didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he said simply. He didn’t want to explain his connection to the hanyou just yet – that opened a can of worms he was not prepared to deal with at this point in time, and he knew she wouldn’t be either. She was just stepping into this world; there was no way she’d understand his or Inuyasha’s position and he didn’t want to see her eyes condemning him for his actions or choices for that matter.
“Why?” she breathed, her anger failing her for a split second as weariness clouded her eyes. Just as quickly it was back, fury igniting her to lean forward across the table, as close to Ryu as she could physically get.
“Why then?” she hissed. “Why would you send a she devil to Inuyasha when you knew what would happen?”
“There was no choice.”
She scoffed. “There’s always a choice.”
“Maybe for you, silly ningen girl you are.”
“But it’s inhumane!”
“Well and there you’ve hit the point on the head. He’s not human.”
Kagome stopped, her retort on her tongue, stunned. “What does that have to do with anything? So he’s not human, big deal! Demons don’t get treated that way either, do they? No – I don’t think so.”
She ‘harrumphed’ and sat back, crossing her arms in confusion and aggravation.
“You’re still not understanding,” Ryu said calmly. “Inuyasha is not human, but nor is he demon. The human rights laws only apply to humans; the same with demons. He is not considered either so therefore he is not protected by either.”
She blinked. “So what are you saying? That Inuyasha has no rights at all?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Kagome glared at him. “You actually expect me to believe that?”
Ryu shook his head slightly. This was going to take some work. “How much do you know about demon society, Kagome?”
“I know they have rights and don’t get treated like that.”
Ryu stared at her nonplussed until she squirmed.
“Alright, not that much, I suppose,” she admitted grudgingly. “The suburbs I live in are rather segregated between demon and human neighborhoods. The closest one to me is about 20 minutes away, but there’s still not much interaction. Separate schools, separate grocery stores, separate restaurants – although those I can understand.” She made a face. “I wouldn’t want to see the things some of those demons eat.”
“Do you know why things are so separated?”
She shrugged. “I figured it’s just because they’re different – like the food thing. It’s not required, it’s just more comfortable to be around people you don’t have to worry about grossing out or offending.”
Perhaps she was a bit more naive than he'd initially thought. “Actually, a lot of it is because of the law.”
Kagome sighed her frustration and slapped her palms on the table. “You cannot make me believe there are laws that demand segregation! And what does this have to do with Inuyasha’s situation anyhow?”
“Patience, girl, patience. I’m getting to that but there’s quite a bit of back story if you truly want to understand why he must be where he is and why there’s really has no other options for him at the moment. And no – the laws do not demand segregation, but they certainly lean toward it and make it the easiest means to get by.”
Kagome looked perplexed, silently demanding with her eyes for him to hurry and explain already.
“Demons and humans have different sets of laws. For example, if a human is seen skulking around on the top of someone’s house they’re taken for a burglar, yet a demon is not seen the same way because some jump across roofs in order to avoid foot traffic. The schooling is different to accommodate for different physical strengths and to prevent children from killing each other unintentionally. Even the work environment is different, what with retirement age law restrictions, since demons naturally live longer than humans and are functional further into life. See?”
She nodded hesitantly. “So that’s why there’s a separate demon police force and human police force? I thought they just didn’t like working together.”
Ryu confirmed.
“Then what happens if a demon cop finds a human committing murder or something?”
“The demon police must turn over all human criminals to the human courts so that they can be tried under human law, and vice versa.”
“…And where does Inuyasha fit into all of this.”
“He doesn’t.”
Kagome was about to have a brain aneurysm and had to stifle a scream. “What do you mean? How can he not fit in anywhere?”
“When was the last time you heard of hanyou law? Or the last time you met a hanyou? Or even heard of a hanyou?”
She wracked her brain, startled when she couldn’t come up with a single thing.
“He’s not fully human, so the human courts do not claim him under human law. He’s not fully demon so the demon courts don’t claim him either. Neither entity can force the other to take responsibility for the hanyou, so therefore they are left to no one.”
Ryu gripped the edge of the table until his fingers turned white, his voice taking on a dangerous, frustrated edge. “Hanyou are not seen as human, not as demon, so therefore can only be animals. Even the animal rights groups won’t protect them, so they become a species beneath notice, beyond contempt.
“With nothing else governing them they are under martial law, where even the most minor of transgressions, even falsified ones, can result in death. Cops are given permission to shoot on sight, under the acts of martial law, and even if that doesn’t happen and a hanyou is taken to whichever court that police man is part of, the trial is a mockery of justice and requires no evidence to come up with a guilty verdict, because, again, a hanyou has no rights.”
He grit his teeth. “As unfortunate as it is, the Shrine is the safest place for him, even under the conditions he is forced to live in. The Shrine has taken him in, offered its name, its protection as long as he resides there, works there, as the certain clientele he entertains are highly influential and very rich. It’s not much of a life, but at least it is one. He probably wouldn’t last more than three days in the outside world on his own.”
Kagome mind staggered at what had just been said. How could such a thing even be possible? There was no way such a loophole could possibly exist. She half expected to feel the first stirrings of wetness on her cheeks and wiped automatically at her face even though there was nothing there; her emotions remained locked inside for the time being, her face stony as she willed herself to hold on and concentrate so she wouldn’t miss a tidbit. Besides, there was no way she’d allow herself to break down in front of Ryu either.
“Why couldn’t he escape to the forest? He’d be alone, a hermit, but certainly that’d be better than being tortured on a regular basis?”
Ryu shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately that’s not an option either. There’s not enough in the little bit of forest left to be a sufficient food supply, the game would die out far too quickly. Aside from that, all the forest left is either on private property or is government preserved – both are carefully guarded and any poachers are quickly and harshly dealt with. So you can imagine what would happen to our dear Inuyasha if placed in that position.”
Kagome chewed on her bottom lip, lost in thought for a moment. Finally she sighed. “So you’re saying there’s nothing that can be done to save him?”
“Not yet, my dear girl, not yet, but we’ll see with time.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of the suspicious sparkle in his eyes, but quickly forgot it with other, more important matters pressing on her mind. Suddenly all her resolution and righteous fury was back in full force and she sat up straighter, her presence becoming more regal and foreboding. “I’ll find a way,” she declared, fully confident in her ability to do so.
With that she stood up and stalked away without a backward glance.
“I hope you do, Kagome,” he whispered to her retreating back, a wistful gaze shaping his features. And it might just happen if things keep going the way they are.
Smiling in what felt like the first time in years, Ryu stood up, stretched, and then walked for the Shrine, his home – ever since he’d kept Inuyasha there all those years ago.
~ ~ ~
Kagome was lost in her thoughts, still giving no notice to anyone she passed, even as she walked up to her room. Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted the door to her room, she ran the rest of the way. Feeling the first inklings of wetness gather she fumbled with her keys, hastily threw open the door, then hit it when the doorknob refused to relinquish her keys.
“Please,” she choked out, wishing the spirit in charge of all things metal and round and finicky would hear her and take pity. Finally they slipped out and she slammed the door behind her, falling against it as her knees gave out and she slid to the floor, fighting the panic welling inside of her.
She gave herself up to the torrent of emotions, erupting in choking, wailing sobs, sitting on the tile floor for what felt like an eternity.
Exhausted from everything that had happened she crumpled to the side, clutching her bag against her face, and fell asleep with tears still streaming down her face.
~ ~ ~
A/N: To all my reviewers:
Thank you so much. You have no idea how you keep me going. You think I’m bad at updating now? Just imagine what kind of motivation I’d have without you guys! Oi ve! ^_^
Special thanks to my lovely betas Akihana and seren1tystar01. You guys rock.
~ ~ ~
Original posting: November 1, 2006
~ ~ ~
Shrine Prostitute by FlameTwirler
~ ~ ~
Chapter 4: Intrusion
-----entrance by force or without permission or welcome
~ ~ ~
After the first few days, Kagome’s time in the Shrine smoothed her nerves and anxiety. She was still a bit timid and easy to embarrass but she now had a level of comfort with Inuyasha she hadn’t thought would be possible with a mere prostitute. Of course, the fact he’d finally introduced her to the wonders of oral sex the night before, her fifth night, likely had a bit to do with that. Most certainly it had upped her enthusiasm as she found she was a big fan and couldn’t wait to try it again.
With a spring in her step Kagome made her way to the front desk, simultaneously blinding Ryu with her infectious smile.
“Good morning, Ryu-san,” she joked. The fact that everyone in the Shrine had a nocturnal lifestyle confused the greetings a bit and Kagome enjoyed making as much as a mess of it as she could.
“What time can you fit me in tonight?”
Ryu sighed dramatically and flipped open his schedule book to Inuyasha’s page, not even bothering to ask whom she wanted an appointment with. Tracing his finger down the page he grunted deep in his throat as he noted the name already on the sheet.
“Looks like he has one other appointment tonight -” Ryu chanced a glance up and had to hide a grin at the scowl on Kagome’s face, “- but I can schedule you for 3 a.m. How’s that work for you?”
She nodded absent-mindedly. “That’s fine. Ne, Ryu,” she said, looking up, “do you have any suggestions on what I can do until then? I don’t really know what’s around here…”
“You can always sleep,” he said nonchalantly, studiously scanning his schedule while a grin tugged on the corner of this mouth. “I’m sure you could use it, what with all the strenuous activity you’re involved with here.”
“Ryu-san!” Kagome gasped, turning a nice shade of pink, almost as shocked at his actually making a joke as the subject matter itself. She’d gotten better about controlling her blushing in front of Inuyasha, but this was Ryu! Not only was he middle aged, but he wasn’t the one participating in said ‘strenuous activity’ with her. Besides, she liked to forget about the fact that anyone aside from Inuyasha knew what she did while she was here. She still found the entire situation to be quite surreal and out of her realm.
He chuckled lightly and Kagome wondered at the fact that she’d never heard the sound before. He was always too serious.
“If that’s not to your liking then there’s a movie theatre down the road, in addition to a live theatre. I’m not sure which drama they’re performing currently, but the troupe is pretty decent. If not that, then there’s a mall two streets down and plenty of nice places to eat in between.”
When Kagome opened her mouth he held up a hand to forestall her. “And yes, they’re all open. The town grew up around the Shrine and caters to the Shrine’s clientele, so you’ll find it’s actually harder to find a place open during the daytime. You shouldn’t have any trouble filling your time until your appointment.”
Kagome glanced at her watch and shouldered her bag. “Then I suppose I’ll see you in five and half hours. For now I’m off to adventure!” Lifting her arm in the air over her head, fingers in the sign of victory, Kagome winked at Ryu, then turned and sauntered out the door.
On her way she missed Ryu’s whisper, “I think you’ll have more than your share of adventure tonight.”
~ ~ ~
At 3 a.m. exactly, as she did enjoy being prompt, Kagome arrived at Inuyasha’s door. Buzzing once to make sure he wasn’t naked, which on second thought she supposed wouldn’t really matter, she entered his room - and promptly stopped cold.
Inuyasha was naked all right. And covered in blood, a gaudy red color that clashed harshly against his skin and stained the sheets beneath him.
Inuyasha heard the door open and only barely suppressed a growl, knowing it would aggravate the cuts across his chest.
“What the fuck do you want?” he spat, eyes still closed. “How many times do I have to tell you fuckers that I don’t want to be bothered after sessions!”
Only too late did he register the suspicious lack of words from his intruder...too late did he recognize the scent, and it wasn’t any of the other workers he’d expect from the shrine. Kagome! he realized as his eyes shot open.
He turned his head as best he could from his prone position on the bed to see Kagome, stiff as the door behind her. Speaking of doors…
“Kagome, shut that thing will ya? I don’t want anyone else seeing this shit.”
She turned robotically to shut the door then turned back to him, still not saying a word, just staring.
Inuyasha was beyond uneasy. “Don’t worry about it, ne?” he said, struggling to sit up. “I’ll just clean myself up real quick and then we can get to it. Don’t want to waste -”
“Stop!” Inuyasha stilled immediately. Kagome hadn’t actually raised her voice but the tone in it made his hackles rise. Paying closer attention he could tell she was on edge and that her barely leashed emotions were slathering to break free.
“Lay back down – now – and don’t move.” Before he could form any sort of reply she was out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He flopped back on the bed, welcoming the pain as the gashes in his back protested, breaking back open where they’d torn from the sheets.
Of course she left, she must be utterly disgusted. Why the hell did you offer to clean up and then still service her? There’s no way she would accept to ever be touched again by anyone as weak and pathetic as you.
Resigning himself to the cruel truth of his reality Inuyasha closed his eyes and willed himself to not think about a certain raven-haired girl.
~ ~ ~
Kagome marched her way to the front desk, not sparing a glance or acknowledgment for anyone she passed or bumped on the way. Glad she found the front foyer empty, thoughbarely couldcared under the current circumstances, she continued until she was inches away from Ryu’s seated face.
“Bandages, towels, and water – now!” she demanded, hardly caring that she had no right to request these items in the Shrine.
Ryu didn’t say a word, just opened a large drawer in his desk and pulled out all she'd asked for and more, as if he'd been prepared for such a circumstance, knew it was going to happen. Kagome didn't allow herself to think on that as Ryu helped her balance all the requested items, a pitcher, bowl, and more enough gauze for an army, and instead only spared him a parting glare for his role in things before storming off in the direction she had come from.
She quickly paused, just long enough to make sure she had his attention, before shouting over her shoulder, “You’re meeting me for breakfast tomorrow morning. 9:30 a.m. sharp at Shogun’s. No excuses!” Then she was gone.
~ ~ ~
Kagome was seething. She made her way down the empty hallway focusing on her anger as much as she could. She was so torn, felt sadness trying to creep up the edges of her consciousness, but knew she didn't have the privilege of breaking apart right now; anger would serve her better in the long run. Falling into a sobbing, weeping heap wouldn’t do anything to heal Inuyasha’s wounds, and it would probably only end up making him feel worse for causing her tears.
No, she’d hold her sorrow until she was alone and let the seething mass of burning rage inside her fuel her energy. She knew she'd need it with the little she'd seen so far.
Juggling her load she threw the door open, stepped in Inuyasha’s room, then kicked it shut with her foot.
Inuyasha started from both the sound and the surprise of finding Kagome in his room once again, barely recalling himself quickly enough to cover the wince from ripping open a few scabs again.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, incredulity lacing his voice.
“What does it look like?” she replied, dumping her armload of bandages and towels onto the low table by his bed, pouring a small amount of water from the pitcher into the bowl. “I’m fixing you up.” She pegged him with a glare daring him to question her.
He, however, wasn’t about to sit by and let himself be coddled like some weak old ningen man. “I’ve told you about this before. Just because you see it tonight doesn’t make it any different. This isn’t the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last, and I’ve managed just fine on my own until now. I’m a hanyou, remember? I’m stronger than most and just because it looks bad doesn’t mean it’s really all that.”
He stared at her, hoping against hope that she would just leave, sparing him the embarrassment of having her see him like this.
Kagome, hands on hips, stared back, wondering how he could honestly expect her – or any being with a lick of decency or compassion for that matter – to leave him in thecondition he was in. Leaning over the bed she raised one hand and poked at the large gash over his ribs, smirking in morbid justification when he couldn’t help but flinch.
“See? You are in pain. Granted, you’re taking this better than any human would – heck, they’d be screaming on the floor by now – but you’re still not getting out of it. I’m cleaning you up so you better just get used to the idea!”
“No you’re not!” he yelled back at her. “I don’t need to be taken care of by some silly ningen girl who likes to play nurse!”
Kagome crossed her arms, stewing, strategizing on how she could convince him to submit. She glanced at the clock, a brilliant idea hitting her, and she grinned.
“Inuyasha,” she began, her syrupy sweet voice instantly making him suspicious, “I paid for an hour of your time, right?”
He agreed grudgingly, already seeing where she was going with this.
“That means I can do whatever I want to you for the next hour, right?” She took his silence as affirmation. Dropping the coy note from her voice and getting down toshe continued, “Since that bitch can make you bloody during her appointment it only seems fair that I can use mine to clean you up, ne?”
Inuyasha was so shocked at her cursing that he didn’t even notice he was nodding his head until he saw the triumph gleam across her eyes. Her face didn’t show it though, not even a glimmer, remaining grim as she dropped a towel into the bowl then wrung it out.
She held his eyes and said, “Sorry if I hurt you,” before she turned to the task at hand and began wiping at the cut she’d poked earlier.
The job was grisly and tedious, especially since it was hard to find some of the wounds themselves under the layers of dried blood. Kagome just wanted it to be done but she didn’t dare rush for fear of exacerbating his wounds. Not only that but she had the compounded problem of his laying naked in a bed under her. Given the nature of their relationship up to this point she was being as calculated and professional as she could with her clean up, not allowing her touches to linger on his skin trying to transfer the warmth of a caring person. She couldn't permit herself to lean over and kiss the multitude of semi-healed lacerations covering his chest for fear that she might accidentally arouse him. Anything either did to grant him release would only harm him further and she'd heard of the discomfort associated with blue-balls and the last thing she could stand to do would be to cause him any further pain, no matter how minute. Besides, she'd also heard him mention how some of his other clients used that particular method as a part of their torture...
She had to shake her head to dispel the thoughts. Such a line of thinking was only going to agitate her and she needed to keep her hands calm so as not to agitate his wounds, so she mentally shielded herself and dipped the towel back in the bowl.
Inuyasha never took his eyes off her face, seeing small flickers of thoughts and emotions behind her eyes, but none lasting long enough for him to guess at what it was. She was methodical to the last, working her way down from his shoulders to his abdomen.
When she neared his groin he grimaced, preparing himself for the disdain that would show in her features as she bypassed the area. Whips and razors had lacerated all the skin surrounding his groin, from his abdomen to his thighs, but his penis itself was thankfully clean of bloody cuts - he knew from experience those were a bitch to heal. Instead it was sticky with a combination of bodily fluids from himself and his earlier client, plus blood spatters from the nearby wounds.
A quick flicker of new emotion softened the fire in Kagome’s eyes right before she reached for him, Inuyasha’s eyes widening as she cradled his limp penis in one hand while gently wiping it with the towel.
Kagome had to block the thoughts that were clamoring at her mind otherwise she knew she would flinch or be sick or fall down crying. She had to focus on anything other than the feeling of stickiness that encased her hand, not wanting to touch anything that had come from some psychopath, not to mention another woman, but much more adamant that Inuyasha no longer have to wear it either.
Taking care to use smooth even strokes, Kagome lifted his length in her hand in order to clean underneath and get at his sac when she noticed the horrid, grotesque carving. Zig-zagging across the bottom of his length were a myriad of razor thin cuts, just shallow enough to not bleed much, leaving a mere layer of skin intact while going through the top five. The cuts seemed sporadic to her at first until she noticed that they crawled back and forth across as much of him as they could, only avoiding spots where a large vein was prominent. As carefully as she could manage she worked at removing all sticky and crusted substances from around and inside the damaged areas, not wanting to even imagine him healing with that stuff still inside him. That couldn’t be healthy, physically or mentally.
Now she was more thankful than ever that she had tried extra hard to not arouse him. She was sure, from the little that she now knew about sex and male anatomy, that if he had gotten aroused the swelling would have been enough to break through the cuts and he’d have started to bleed everywhere.
She used her forearm to angrily wipe at the lone tear that escaped her eyes. This is no time to be emotional, dang it! He needs someone to clean him up, not some weak, simpering girl who won’t know what to do with herself.
Pep talk completed, she choked down the emotion piling up in her throat, easily shoving it back down when she remembered what she needed to do, and finally chanced a glance at Inuyasha’s face but immediately looked back down when she saw him watching her intently. She couldn’t deal with him mentally just yet and could only hope he’d missed her small theatrics.
For his part Inuyasha was incredulous. He hadn’t seen any tears, but he smelled the telltale signs of salt. Could she actually be crying because of him? Should he have shoved her out the door as soon as she stepped foot inside, or was the damage already done as soon as she saw him?
Kagome continued in the same manner until she reached the tops of his feet, then finished as well as she could with his front she braced herself to look up at him. “Your back?” she asked simply.
Inuyasha kept quiet, suddenly finding the ceiling a much better place to rest his eyes.
“Inuyasha…” warned Kagome, using a tone that showed she was losing patience and would have her way.
Keeping his eyes on the wood above him Inuyasha breathed a weary. “Hai. But the blood has dried; I’m stuck to the sheet, so you’ll just have to be done for now.”
If he thought he could be done with her so easily, he was sorely mistaken.
Kagome stood and went to the foot of the bed, releasing both corners of the sheet before crawling up between Inuyasha and the wall in order to get to the back corner. Smirking down at him she let the sheet go with an elastic ‘snap.’ “You think that’s going to stop me?” she asked.
She crawled back down the bed, careful to not accidentally jostle him, then walked back up in order to loose the final corner of the sheet from the bed. “Now sit up,” she commanded him, not even his overly-dramatic, world-weary sigh lightening her mood.
Now that he had a clear view of Kagome, Inuyasha fully grimaced. Her pants were stained. There were not only darker splotches of his blood, but there were lighter patches of other bodily fluids on the fabric and he damned himself for tainting someone like her.
“Kagome, I’m alright now, really, you’ve done enough -” She put a finger to his lips to still the words.
“I’m done when you’re all cleaned and bandaged. Not a moment before, so stop fighting me on this.” Kagome didn’t bother to watch for his reaction, just crawled on the bed behind him and started the arduous task of wetting the bloodied fabric enough for it to loosen and fall from his body. By then her one hour appointment time had passed, but neither dared to bring that up.
She had to make him stand for the last part, crouching on the floor behind him as she freed his legs from the sheet, hating that until she was done the full weight of the sheet hung from the top-most wound. She wished she'd had the foresight to start at the bottom and work her way up but then realized some of the wounds might re-dry to the dangling sheet and it was pointless. Finally she was done and wiped her arm across her forehead, grimacing as she looked at the bowl full of bloodied water.
Standing with the sheet she made her way toward his closet. “Where’s the laundry and where’s your fresh sheets?”
He took a step forward but Kagome pegged him with a hard glare. “I didn’t say ‘come here and show me,’ I asked where it is.”
Growling at the chit’s audacity to speak to him like that, he nonetheless gave her the directions and before he knew it she was placing new sheets on his bed. She fit the last corner onto the mattress and turned to look at him, still naked and bleeding, standing in the middle of his room.
“I’m getting the bandages. I don’t want you sticking to the sheets again.” Sliding off the bed she grabbed the first pack from the side-table and crouched down behind him. She supposed it would be more polite to wrap his legs from the front but she wasn’t sure she could bare the sight of his maimed privates anymore. If she had to look at it any more she was sure she’d either break down or run down Ryu to find thewoman'sname so that she could go on a homicidal rampage.
Once done with his legs and low back/abdomen, she let him sit back on the bed while she worked on his chest and shoulders. The two remained in tense silence the entire time: Kagome too caught up in her own thoughts to notice Inuyasha’s discomfiture, and Inuyasha too preoccupied with what Kagome could be thinking to notice much of anything else.
By the time Kagome was done with all the cleaning and bandaging it was nearing on 5:30 a.m. but she was far from tired. The emotional turmoil inside her would keep her awake for hours still, she knew, but she wanted to make sure Inuyasha got some sleep.
She scooted out from behind him then lightly pushed on his chest until he was lying against one of the newly cleaned pillows. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then merely shrugged and closed his eyes as he leaned further into the pillow.
Kagome sat beside him, transfixed by his face. How could anyone ever want to harm such a beautiful creature? She was beyond astonished; she simply couldn’t imagine who could have such a mindset and how they could justify it. She was sick with herself, for knowing what he’d said about his other clients but never really paying attention. She’d thought he was exaggerating, playing it up to make a good tale, or maybe she’d just purposefully put it out of her mind so she could pretend it wasn’t real, but now she saw the evidence herself, and she guessed this wasn’t even that bad on the scale of what he dealt with.
She leaned over him and brushed his bangs away from his face with her left hand, bending over to plant a light kiss on his forehead. Inuyasha’s eyes instantly shot open and he stared at her, the look in his eyes making Kagome swear she could see the lost child inside that he maybe once had been.
“Why?” he asked, pleaded. Why did you stay? Why did you bother to clean me? Why did you bandage me when you knew I would heal eventually myself? Why did you spend the time to do all you did? Why are you so on edge? Why does this affect you? he thought, but the words wouldn't make it past his throat.
The single syllable shot through her. She was sure that it was much more than that to him, but only one answer came to her mind that would suffice.
She jumped off the bed and switched off the light before coming back to lie on her side facing him. Her fingers fidgeted with the bandage on his left shoulder, making sure it would stay in place, then slid her hands down his arm to grab his hand, interlocking their fingers and holding it tightly.
“Because you deserve better,” she whispered into the dark.
Then they both fell into an uneasy slumber.
~ ~ ~
Kagome waited impatiently in a back booth at Shogun’s. She’d picked the place because it was where she’d had dinner the night before when Ryu had so kindly suggested what she could do with her free time, and therefore was the only place she knew of so far. It also just so happened to meet her specifications in what she’d want in a meeting place where she’d be discussing a less-than-savory topic.
The place was a bit of a hole in the wall, obviously dirty around the edges and catering to a slightly rougher clientele than the ritzy place across the street, but its cheap prices meant there was enough patronage to keep the cooks and cashiers busy, away from the corner she was sitting in.
If Kagome didn’t know better, she’d almost say this booth was set up specifically for this purpose as it was set apart from the others slightly, dim enough to give the feeling of seclusion, but bright enough to maintain a feeling of security.
Of course none of this really mattered at the moment, what with the bright morning sun streaming in through the windows and open front doors. Kagome sighed. She really was exhausted, and sick of waiting for Ryu – even though she’d only been there five minutes – since the only other people around were the drunks who were grabbing a quick bite before lumbering off in what they hoped was the direction toward their beds. At least that meant they’d be less likely to listen in, she supposed. If the man decided to show up she was sure that, despite her best efforts, there would be an explosion or two.
She’d awoken that morning clinging to Inuyasha’s arm, pressing his hand firmly to her chest while clasping it tightly with both of hers. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she quickly took stock of his wounds and bandages without yet moving, not wanting to wake him. She was satisfied to see no fresh blood, then ‘eep’ed when the arm against her was no longer sedentary, but moved up to her face, grasping lightly at her jaw and turning her to look at a very awake Inuyasha – a very awake Inuyasha who appeared to have been wide-awake for a long period of time.
For a split second she saw the confusion he tried to hide, but then he quickly covered it, quirking his lips. “I was wonderin’ if you were ever gonna wake up, sleepy head.”
Kagome opened her mouth, tried to form a reply, failed and stopped. He’s been watching me? For how long? Torn between finding that endearing or creepy she settled on the perfect compromise of feeling miserably embarrassed.
Mutely she sat up and quickly pulled back the wrappings on his shoulder. She gasped when she saw the progress the laceration had made overnight; it had nearly healed! The mark was still there, but it was far past bleeding and looked to be two weeks old from what she’d seen of human healing for this kind of wound.
She suddenly had a frighteningly clear mental picture of packaging up his blood and selling it like the next Neosporin. She pictured herself as a carnival caller in a striped coat, white trousers, a straw hat and a cane yelling Come and get it! Step up right here, my girl, and witness the amazing miracle potion that will heal your wounds in no time! Hanyou blood it is, ladies and gentlemen, fresh squeezed from the source, and guaranteed to heal what ails you! She shook her head to dislodge the disturbing image.
“Ho- How?” She managed to sputter out in her amazement.
“Keh,” Inuyasha scoffed. “I told you, wench, I’m a hanyou. I didn’t need all that coddling last night.”
Kagome glared at him and he again took a pointed interest in something on the ceiling. Seriously, there must be something pretty intriguing up there for him to stare at it so often, she thought dryly.
“I heal just fine, given time. That’s why I’m able to do this job and live, ‘cuz I’ve got amazing super hanyou healing abilities.” He grinned.
When she didn’t smile at his attempt to joke, his own faltered. “Whatever. Just don’t go blabbing about what you’ve seen here. I get enough crap around here as it is, I don’t need to go adding to that by letting anyone find out how much I was done in by asimple ningen female, nor how I was so pathetic looking afterward another ningen wench decided I needed charity – which I obviously didn’t.” He started pulling off his bindings to prove the point, showing how much his body truly had healed. Granted, he wasn’t in perfect shape yet, but she guessed he might be by that night.
Kagome grit her teeth even now remembering his arrogance from that morning. So fine, he healed better than most, but that didn’t mean he still couldn’t get an infection or should be left to wallow in the filth he’d been covered in. Stupid jerk.
She’d somehow controlled herself to leave without saying another word except for a reminder that she’d see him that night, somehow managing to avoid instigating any further arguing. She needed to save her energy for Ryu.
And speak of the devil, the man himself had just finally walked through the door.
Kagome glanced at her watch. Darn, she thought. 9:07 a.m. Guess I can’t harpoon him for keeping me waiting or trying to avoid me. In fact, now that she gave him more than a cursory glance, he almost appeared calm. Not quite collected, but certainly resigned to speaking with her and not showing himself to be the least bit nervous about it.
We’ll see how long that lasts.
He seated himself, having forgone ordering food at the front register so that they could get right down to business.
“How could you allow that woman to go to him?” she ground out, hands fisting on the table top.
Ryu was beyond surprised, he was stunned! Kagome, the one he had pegged as the naïve little innocent who didn’t know how to do anything other than smile, was almost physically shaking with suppressed fury; her anger was righteous, he knew, but strange to see it in her all the same.
Even more, he’d had his answer all prepared for her question – in fact he’d been thinking about it since she came demanding bandages earlier that morning. Problem was, it was the answer to the wrong question. He thought she’d ask about why he’d involved her in the situation at all, why he hadn’t warned her what she’d likely be walking into, not why Inuyasha was being subjected to what he was. Ah well, no one ever said women were predictable.
That’s good though, he thought. He’d been worried she’d fall into a fit of hysterics and barely be able to get the job done, but it seemed she was stronger than that. She doesn’t really appear it but maybe she’s got some steel inside her, this one. Looks like I made a good choice with her.
“What?” Kagome glared at him suspiciously. “Why are you stalling? You can’t honestly say you were surprised by my question, can you?”
Ryu exhaled slowly. “Actually, Kagome, I was. I knew we were going to be discussing this but I had imagined you’d ask first about why I gave you that appointment last night.”
She sat up straighter and blinked at him, all the rage temporarily gone from her face. “I thought that was quite obvious,” she told him.
“I saw that you recognized the name in the schedule before you told me my appointment time. Then when I marched up and demanded all the materials for Inuyasha you didn’t bat an eyelash. You didn’t look surprised at all, didn’t bring up anything about Shrine policies concerning what can and can’t be given to the guests, and not only that –you had everything on hand. Now tell me, how often do you keep a pitcher full of water in your desk?”
Kagome leaned back, folded her arms, and gave him a knowing look before continuing. “You wanted me to be there, you wanted me to find him like that, you wanted me to help clean him up.”
Ryu nodded the barest bit, confirming all she’d said. “I assume this means you succeeded. How did you manage to convince him to let you? He can be quite stubborn at times…”
“At times?” she asked, chuckling ruefully. “When isn’t he stubborn? Even when he’s lying in puddles of his own blood he says ‘Oh, I’m fine as rain!’ and refuses anything. Gah!” Kagome threw up her hands in surrender, then turning a wicked grin on Ryu she deadpanned: “I blackmailed him.”
Ryu raised his eyebrows to indicate she needed to extrapolate further. He'd had no idea the girl could have such gall! “I told him that if the psycho got to do whatever she wanted with him during her paid appointment time, then it was therefore only fair that I got to do the same – and I wanted to clean him. If he didn’t allow me I inferred I’d simply have take it up with management, but that would require me explaining the situation and how badly he had looked laying there mangled and weak on the bed…”
Ryu chuckled darkly in response. “I’m glad I sent you then.”
Suddenly she leaned forward across the table, lights dawning in her eyes, and she raised one hand to poke Ryu pointedly in the chest. “You like him, don’t you?” Awe colored her voice, amazed that she hadn’t connected it before.
When she saw him flush and nearly choke on his own tongue, she quickly amended, “I mean, well not like that, but…you wanted to protect him didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he said simply. He didn’t want to explain his connection to the hanyou just yet – that opened a can of worms he was not prepared to deal with at this point in time, and he knew she wouldn’t be either. She was just stepping into this world; there was no way she’d understand his or Inuyasha’s position and he didn’t want to see her eyes condemning him for his actions or choices for that matter.
“Why?” she breathed, her anger failing her for a split second as weariness clouded her eyes. Just as quickly it was back, fury igniting her to lean forward across the table, as close to Ryu as she could physically get.
“Why then?” she hissed. “Why would you send a she devil to Inuyasha when you knew what would happen?”
“There was no choice.”
She scoffed. “There’s always a choice.”
“Maybe for you, silly ningen girl you are.”
“But it’s inhumane!”
“Well and there you’ve hit the point on the head. He’s not human.”
Kagome stopped, her retort on her tongue, stunned. “What does that have to do with anything? So he’s not human, big deal! Demons don’t get treated that way either, do they? No – I don’t think so.”
She ‘harrumphed’ and sat back, crossing her arms in confusion and aggravation.
“You’re still not understanding,” Ryu said calmly. “Inuyasha is not human, but nor is he demon. The human rights laws only apply to humans; the same with demons. He is not considered either so therefore he is not protected by either.”
She blinked. “So what are you saying? That Inuyasha has no rights at all?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Kagome glared at him. “You actually expect me to believe that?”
Ryu shook his head slightly. This was going to take some work. “How much do you know about demon society, Kagome?”
“I know they have rights and don’t get treated like that.”
Ryu stared at her nonplussed until she squirmed.
“Alright, not that much, I suppose,” she admitted grudgingly. “The suburbs I live in are rather segregated between demon and human neighborhoods. The closest one to me is about 20 minutes away, but there’s still not much interaction. Separate schools, separate grocery stores, separate restaurants – although those I can understand.” She made a face. “I wouldn’t want to see the things some of those demons eat.”
“Do you know why things are so separated?”
She shrugged. “I figured it’s just because they’re different – like the food thing. It’s not required, it’s just more comfortable to be around people you don’t have to worry about grossing out or offending.”
Perhaps she was a bit more naive than he'd initially thought. “Actually, a lot of it is because of the law.”
Kagome sighed her frustration and slapped her palms on the table. “You cannot make me believe there are laws that demand segregation! And what does this have to do with Inuyasha’s situation anyhow?”
“Patience, girl, patience. I’m getting to that but there’s quite a bit of back story if you truly want to understand why he must be where he is and why there’s really has no other options for him at the moment. And no – the laws do not demand segregation, but they certainly lean toward it and make it the easiest means to get by.”
Kagome looked perplexed, silently demanding with her eyes for him to hurry and explain already.
“Demons and humans have different sets of laws. For example, if a human is seen skulking around on the top of someone’s house they’re taken for a burglar, yet a demon is not seen the same way because some jump across roofs in order to avoid foot traffic. The schooling is different to accommodate for different physical strengths and to prevent children from killing each other unintentionally. Even the work environment is different, what with retirement age law restrictions, since demons naturally live longer than humans and are functional further into life. See?”
She nodded hesitantly. “So that’s why there’s a separate demon police force and human police force? I thought they just didn’t like working together.”
Ryu confirmed.
“Then what happens if a demon cop finds a human committing murder or something?”
“The demon police must turn over all human criminals to the human courts so that they can be tried under human law, and vice versa.”
“…And where does Inuyasha fit into all of this.”
“He doesn’t.”
Kagome was about to have a brain aneurysm and had to stifle a scream. “What do you mean? How can he not fit in anywhere?”
“When was the last time you heard of hanyou law? Or the last time you met a hanyou? Or even heard of a hanyou?”
She wracked her brain, startled when she couldn’t come up with a single thing.
“He’s not fully human, so the human courts do not claim him under human law. He’s not fully demon so the demon courts don’t claim him either. Neither entity can force the other to take responsibility for the hanyou, so therefore they are left to no one.”
Ryu gripped the edge of the table until his fingers turned white, his voice taking on a dangerous, frustrated edge. “Hanyou are not seen as human, not as demon, so therefore can only be animals. Even the animal rights groups won’t protect them, so they become a species beneath notice, beyond contempt.
“With nothing else governing them they are under martial law, where even the most minor of transgressions, even falsified ones, can result in death. Cops are given permission to shoot on sight, under the acts of martial law, and even if that doesn’t happen and a hanyou is taken to whichever court that police man is part of, the trial is a mockery of justice and requires no evidence to come up with a guilty verdict, because, again, a hanyou has no rights.”
He grit his teeth. “As unfortunate as it is, the Shrine is the safest place for him, even under the conditions he is forced to live in. The Shrine has taken him in, offered its name, its protection as long as he resides there, works there, as the certain clientele he entertains are highly influential and very rich. It’s not much of a life, but at least it is one. He probably wouldn’t last more than three days in the outside world on his own.”
Kagome mind staggered at what had just been said. How could such a thing even be possible? There was no way such a loophole could possibly exist. She half expected to feel the first stirrings of wetness on her cheeks and wiped automatically at her face even though there was nothing there; her emotions remained locked inside for the time being, her face stony as she willed herself to hold on and concentrate so she wouldn’t miss a tidbit. Besides, there was no way she’d allow herself to break down in front of Ryu either.
“Why couldn’t he escape to the forest? He’d be alone, a hermit, but certainly that’d be better than being tortured on a regular basis?”
Ryu shook his head sadly. “Unfortunately that’s not an option either. There’s not enough in the little bit of forest left to be a sufficient food supply, the game would die out far too quickly. Aside from that, all the forest left is either on private property or is government preserved – both are carefully guarded and any poachers are quickly and harshly dealt with. So you can imagine what would happen to our dear Inuyasha if placed in that position.”
Kagome chewed on her bottom lip, lost in thought for a moment. Finally she sighed. “So you’re saying there’s nothing that can be done to save him?”
“Not yet, my dear girl, not yet, but we’ll see with time.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of the suspicious sparkle in his eyes, but quickly forgot it with other, more important matters pressing on her mind. Suddenly all her resolution and righteous fury was back in full force and she sat up straighter, her presence becoming more regal and foreboding. “I’ll find a way,” she declared, fully confident in her ability to do so.
With that she stood up and stalked away without a backward glance.
“I hope you do, Kagome,” he whispered to her retreating back, a wistful gaze shaping his features. And it might just happen if things keep going the way they are.
Smiling in what felt like the first time in years, Ryu stood up, stretched, and then walked for the Shrine, his home – ever since he’d kept Inuyasha there all those years ago.
~ ~ ~
Kagome was lost in her thoughts, still giving no notice to anyone she passed, even as she walked up to her room. Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted the door to her room, she ran the rest of the way. Feeling the first inklings of wetness gather she fumbled with her keys, hastily threw open the door, then hit it when the doorknob refused to relinquish her keys.
“Please,” she choked out, wishing the spirit in charge of all things metal and round and finicky would hear her and take pity. Finally they slipped out and she slammed the door behind her, falling against it as her knees gave out and she slid to the floor, fighting the panic welling inside of her.
She gave herself up to the torrent of emotions, erupting in choking, wailing sobs, sitting on the tile floor for what felt like an eternity.
Exhausted from everything that had happened she crumpled to the side, clutching her bag against her face, and fell asleep with tears still streaming down her face.
~ ~ ~
A/N: To all my reviewers:
Thank you so much. You have no idea how you keep me going. You think I’m bad at updating now? Just imagine what kind of motivation I’d have without you guys! Oi ve! ^_^
Special thanks to my lovely betas Akihana and seren1tystar01. You guys rock.
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Original posting: November 1, 2006