InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stealing Heaven ❯ Blindsided ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blindsided

Kagome checked the reference number again as she swept her fingers along the wide, dusty spines of so many books that hadn't been opened in gods only knew how long. Everyone on campus knew that Professor Tamaki was a hard ass and a bit of a slave driver . . . but demanding a research paper for which they weren't allowed to utilize the internet? That was simply madness!

This was very frustrating. She felt that she should know this place like the back of her hand after spending her freshman year volunteering as a clerk's assistant in the university library. Those volumes should be right here!

Crumpling the paper in her hand as her fingers curled into a fist, she turned and began- quietly, which wasn't nearly as satisfying- stomping her way to the reference desk, repressing the urge to scream bloody murder with every step. Again days had slipped by since her encounter with The Thief, but as had happened after the times before, she'd put it out of her mind, acting nearly as though it hadn't happened. It wasn't that she had to force the memories aside and pretend everything was alright, that was something she had to do to survive this without losing her mind- that was a fact she'd come upon and accepted early on- it was that by now a thing that had become common place for her.

So second-nature that she no longer had to think about the process as it happened, only able to recall in a distant hindsight that it was already done.

Sighing heavily, she set the scrap of paper on the desk and smoothed it out with the tips of her fingers. "Hana," she whispered to the clerk, waiting for the clerk's pale brown eyes to lift from whatever was on the screen before her. "I am going to start tearing this place apart if you can't tell me where these are."

Hana gave a surprised chuckle, though she quickly enough hushed herself and picked up the paper. "Nice to see you, too. Good thing you caught me, I'm about to run over to administration. Okay, what are we looking at? Ooooooh," she laughed again, sucking her teeth as she shook her head, "Tamaki's at it again, huh?"

"So it's not just my class he hates, but everyone that attends college?"

Hana waved dismissively as she brought up the catalog listing on the computer to search for the numbers. "I know it seems that way, but it's technology he hates. Very old school kind of guy, doesn't want the students to rely so heavily on 'easy answers' so he springs at least one non-internet paper on every class."

The woman's face fell a bit, prompting Kagome to frown. "I don't like that look."

Sighing, Hana handed Kagome back the slip of paper and shook her head once more. "We had to pull some of the least frequently used books to make room for newer inventory."

Letting her head fall back, Kagome rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me . . . ."

"Storage room . . . you could wait 'til I get back."

Kagome set her head level to meet Hana's gaze. "Or you could let me go get them and put the key back before anyone notices."

Hana turned quickly, skirting a glance around their immediate area. "Fine, but only 'cause you know this place better than most of my current assistants."

Kagome hid a triumphant grin as Hana pulled a massive ring of keys from her desk drawer and carefully selected one before working it free from the rest and holding it out. "When you return it, if I'm not back yet, just slip it under the mouse pad."

"You got it, boss-lady," Kagome said quietly as she took the key.

"I'm going to pretend I don't miss being called that," Hana replied as the girl turned on her heel and darted off.

She jogged out of the main doors and through the corridor toward the basement staircase, in an odd way relishing that the storage area wouldn't seem nearly as spooky as it used to for her- not now that she understood what it meant to really and truly find something spooky. Although . . . . Halting in midstep, she glanced over her shoulder before slowly sweeping her gaze around in a careful, broad circle, hardly surprised when she didn't see anyone.

If this place should no longer spook her than why did it feel like someone was watching her? Closing her eyes she spared a moment to take a deep breath and focus, centering herself. When she felt that deep, rippling calm within she began to push outward, searching for anything that shouldn't be, only to find that whatever had caused the sensation was either already gone, or had just been a figment of her imagination.

Opening her eyes again she gave herself a shake before entering the basement stairwell and proceeding downward. This whole mess had her turned inside out, though she thought she should be a little proud of herself for taking the time to see if it was actually something rather than simply brushing it aside as she once would have. She didn't bother to think on how much trouble she might have saved herself had she been so cautious before now.

Determinedly putting it out of her mind now that it had proven to be nothing, she tucked her hair behind her ears and fit the key into the lock so quick she nearly jammed it, turning it as fast as the mechanism would allow and all but throwing the door open. It may have been a nothing that she'd put out of her mind, but she still wanted to spend as little time in any place capable of making her imagination run away with her as was humanly possible.

Flicking on the light switch she instantly frowned, gaping up at the shelves. "Crap," the word hissed out in a breath, "I forgot how big this place was."

Shaking her head at herself she jumped right into her search, cursing the assistants that had come and gone since she'd left the position. There was no semblance of order to the stacks of books piled haphazardly about the place.

Raising her gaze, she scanned the walls, looking for -what she knew to be- the lone window and stepped over to stand beneath it as she pulled her cellphone from her pocket, moving it about until she got a signal. Go without me, going to take longer than I thought. Satisfied the message said what it needed to without being considered too long she hit send, knowing Sango and Miroku were waiting for her to join them before heading to her and Sango's usual study-spot coffee place.

As she slipped the phone back into her pocket she heard it chime back to her, but ignored it, knowing what the reply would be. She didn't feel like reading some quick, mangled text lecturing her about how much she need to relax once in a while. It seemed like every time she heeded that sort of advice something new and spectacularly horrible happened.

After a few moments of mind-numbing quiet, she heard someone enter the room and glanced over her shoulder, immediately having the presence of mind to assure herself that it wasn't Nah Rah Ku. She vaguely recognized the man with the long, dark hair standing in the door way, looking just a little mystified.

"Oh, hey," she said politely, returning to her search, "you're Ookami Kouga, right? Ayame's boyfriend."

" . . . Ookami Kouga, yes," he said in a tone that sounded cautionary, "Ayame's ex- boyfriend."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but kept any comments to herself- it wasn't her place to judge, but honestly Kouga and Ayame were so off-again, on-again what was the big deal with even using that prefix? Male pride or something, she figured. If she asked, he'd probably swear that it was him that broke it off everytime, too, so he wouldn't looked like that one who'd been dumped. She cast another quick glance back at him. Yup, he sure looked like the proud type.

He also looked . . . odd. Kagome couldn't quite put her finger on just how- after all, she barely knew him, but something just didn't look right. There you go again, Kagome! Scolding herself, she put that aside.

"Did you need a book? Um . . . everything's a mess, but I'm pretty good with category reference numbers, if you tell me what you want I can probably find it for you."

". . . No, I do not require any book."

Kagome's brow furrowed- if he didn't need a book, than what on earth was he doing in the library storage room? And why was he speaking that way?

"Um, okay, then what are you doing . . . ."

Spinning on her heel, she watched in disbelief as he proceeded to close the door and lock it, never once taking his eyes off of her. "Do you recall the last words I spoke to you?"

Her eyebrows shot up into her bangs and she felt herself shrinking back against the shelving behind her as he began taking careful, measured steps across the room toward her. "We've barely even said 'hi' in passing, what are you talking about?"

The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a small, utterly humorless grin as he lowered his gaze from hers, looking into the palm of his own hand as though he'd never seen it before as he curled his hand into a fist and straightened the fingers again a few times. This caused Kagome to force a small gulp down her throat- it was like he was testing his own muscles.

"As I recall, I was quite rudely interrupted. You had asked me a question and I was answering and then you were suddenly gone."

"I really don't understand-"

Kagome yelped, finding him in front of her more quickly than she could duck away, though this was not like when The Thief moved. The one thing she knew for certain about Kouga was that he was a well-trained athlete, capable of moving with an astounding grace and speed.

"I was saying 'you have not earned such confidences from me,' I was saying that you are merely another . . . who has come between us."

Only now did she notice what was so very wrong about Kouga's face. Those pale eyes of his had darkened . . . echoing a bizzare blue-black shade. Instantly her mind snapped back to that meditation over the mountaintop, to that moment she'd been face to face with Lyka.

She understood now . . . Lyka had taken over someone compartively weak-minded, but who could probably kill her with his bare hands. Her head turned with small, shaky motions to see Kouga's arms lifting, to watch his hands brace on either side of her against the shelf.

"Dammit, Lyka!" Kagome was so sick of being scared, so angry with this . . . thing for taking pleasure from her fears. "If you're going to, I don't know, break my neck or something, just get it the hell over with already, okay, 'cause I cannot deal with your bullshit anymore!"

"You are so very fiesty," Kouga lifted one hand, brushing her hair away from her throat and gently slipping his fingers around the back of her neck, "I am sometimes surprised that we did not make better friends."

"Maybe it's because you disgust me."

Again that small, humorless grin quirked as the tip of his thumb began gently stroking the delicate skin below her ear. "If that is how you perceive me than you will appreciate what I am about to do. I was going to choose your friend Sango and kill you in your sleep, but then I thought that was too quiet and simple . . ." Kouga's broad shoulders shrugged, "there would be no after affects, no misery for you to suffer through afterward."

He . . . she . . . whatever wasn't planning on killing her? Kagome found herself instantly dreading the implication of Lyka taking over a male body. Something in her eyes must have given away her thoughts because a deep chuckle rumbled up from the center of his chest.

Leaning down, he brought his lips to her ear and hissed in a lethal-sounding whisper. "I have wondered if his fascination with you has to do with your innocence. I believe if I sully you, he will no longer want you." Suddenly his fingers gripped into her hair, yanking her head back, "I will strip that innocence from you, Kagome."

Kagome tried to pull free from him, but it was no use, Kouga was a lot stronger than she was. Though her attempt had only caused another chuckle to escape him, the reminder of his strength brought back to her the memory of how he'd clenched his fist, testing the muscles in his arm.

Lyka's not used to a male body . . . .

"Sorry, Kouga," she muttered, wishing for his sake that he wouldn't remember any of this later.

Hoping to cause a split-second's distraction, she spit at his face. Frowning darkly he reached up with his free hand to wipe it away and Kagome latched her hands onto his shoulders, giving herself leverage as she brought her knee crashing upward into his groin.

The fingers gripping her hair loosened immediately as he cupped his hands over the point of impact and fell to his knees. She had to force herself not to get distracted with patting herself on the back. Looking quickly around, she pulled up the heaviest book that was within reach and brought it down on the top of his head with all of her strength.

He was still up, those strange eyes staring daggers at her in the most frightening mix of pain and anger as he bellowed something incoherent at her, but Kagome ignored it, bashing him over the head until he finally sank to the ground. Despite this, she held the book at the ready- not letting the tremble she could feel starting from deep within her free until she was certain- pushing at his shoulder with the toes of her boot.

When he didn't budge, she let her make-shift weapon fall to the floor, her entire body giving into a violent shudder as she slid down the shelves to land on her butt. She only gave herself a moment before shifting to dig her cell out of her pocket and calling Myoga- oddly, a number she had hoped she'd never have to use.

"What?" A flood of relief washed through her at the sound of the old man's squaky voice.

"It's Kagome . . . I got him . . . her- Lyka, I have Lyka here."

". . . You said you had 'him'."

"She possessed a guy. . . I had to bash him over the head with something."

"Good, good!" he said brightly- much to Kagome's surprise, "you need to keep him . . . 'them' subdued and get him over to me immediately."

"Seriously?"

"You have an odd idea of the appropriate time for jokes, Kagome."

"Sorry, sorry."

"Keeping her host unconscious renders her unconscious as well, in essence trapping her there. I don't care how you do it, but you keep him knocked out and get him over here."

Just like that the little old man was slamming the phone down. She slowly pushed herself up to stand, making sure her still-trembling legs would support her weight before going to the supply cabinet that was crammed into a corner of the room. After some searching she came up with a bundle of twine and a pair of scissors and ran to the window, dialing Sango and putting it on speaker. Setting it down on the floor Kagome listened to be certain it was ringing before she ran back and began the very bizarre task of binding Kouga's wrists behind his back.

"Hello?"

"Sango," she all but shouted toward the phone, looping the twine several more times than was possibly needed, but she wasn't taking any chances after what had just happened. "I need your help! And . . . " she paused for a moment, considering the likelihood of Sango and her being able to sneak the body of a full grown man out of the university basement and over to Myoga's house.

They were going to need some muscle . . . . "Bring Miroku, too . . . he's probably going to think we're both nuts, but you need to tell him the truth."

"Wait, what?"

Kagome was distracted suddenly with Kouga stirring and immediately picked up the closest book and slapped him over the head with it. "Look, Sans, I don't have a whole lot of time to explain," she yelled, dropping the book and setting to binding his ankles.

"What the hell is going on over there? Where are you?"

"Library store room, basement level- just get here, please!"

"Okay!"

Then the room was silent again and Kagome finished tying him up. Unsure of what to do, and not wanting to let him out of her sight, she sat herself delicately on his back, cradling a book in her arms, just in case, as she waited patiently for Sango, and what she expected would be a very bewildered Miroku.

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