InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The curse of the dragon ❯ Departure ( Chapter 67 )

~<>~ Curse of the Dragon ~<>~

 

 

~<>~ Chapter 67 ~<>~ Departure

 

 

Sesshoumaru knew there was something he was supposed to be doing. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that what was going on around him wasn't quite right. Yet he was absolutely sure that he had no clue what was going on around him. The atmosphere wasn't thick, as he remembered it being. There wasn't the plaque of angst in the air that normally accompanied the mansion. But to get his body to move, it was something he couldn't do. He felt lethargic, his body refusing to abide to his command. Trying to lift his eyes was like trying to lift a car. There was a loud echoing around his head, in his head and behind his eyes. He was pretty sure that he could hear the gurgling of his blood flowing through his veins and that worried him. `I feel like I was drugged. Where the hell am I?' he felt his heart rate begin to increase as his worries multiplied. `Where is Rin? Is she okay? I remember…I remember taking her to the shrinks but after that is blurry…shit! I need to get up!' His head hurt and he was seeing black. He let out a deep breath and fought down the urge to fall into a coughing fit. He heard something behind his head that resembled thunder and the breaking of stone and the sounds vibrated through his head tenfold. Scarcely containing the urge to whine under the pressure, he forced himself to begin to recover. The blackness in front of his eyes lightened to different shades of gray lined with multicolored dots as he tried to pry his eyelids open. His head alone felt like it weighted over a hundred pounds, he didn't even want to consider the thought of moving another part of his body. His sensitive hearing was going into overload with the rumbling sounds that filled the room. His right hand shot out and grabbed the edge of what he was lying on, hoping to obtain some type of idea as per to where he was. The couch was softer then the one in the living room yet wasn't micro fiber. That alone allowed Sesshoumaru the knowledge that he wasn't in the mansion, and that thought scared him. Voices echoed the room that he knew…but from where? A growl built in the back of his throat as he tried to fight with his body to gain back his lost eyesight. A sudden bout of screaming echoed through the smaller room, vibrating off each wall and grated on Sesshoumaru's last nerve. With a near howl of pain, he slammed his left hand over his left ear and twisted his body with his remaining strength to hold his right against a pillow. His eyes shot open as fear overtook him. “Rin?” he coughed once and was nearly sure he spit up blood with it. “Where the hell am I?”

 

“You…shall not…pass!”

 

Sesshoumaru blinked and shook away the haze in front of his eyes. `What the hell?' he tried to push himself up off the couch he was embedded in but couldn't really get his hands to coordinate right. Turning his head to stare out into the bleak room, he thought about the words that he just heard. “Gandolf?”

 

There was a deep chuckle from behind him followed by a voice he knew all to well…and wanted nothing more then to strangle its owner at the current moment. “Even in your sleep you can identify Ian McKellen's voice. Are you sure you're not gay?”

 

Sesshoumaru's right hand came into contact with a table and soon found the energy to fling the first thing that he was able to pick up at the sound of his brother's voice. That thing ended up being the remote. Growling deeper, Sesshoumaru's vision began to slowly filter back to normal. The walls were a faint shade of gray and scrubbed over to look antique. The giant wide screen television that graced the far wall held a picture frozen of Gandolf fighting off the demon at the mines of Moria. Sesshoumaru ran his hand through his tousled silver hair before slowly sitting up, pain racking his body with each move. Glancing around the strange abode, his eyes finally locked onto its owner. With a deep sigh and a resisted urge to wipe the fleeting grin off his uncle's face, Sesshoumaru groaned, “why am I here?” worry instantly overtook his features as he shot to his feet for the first time completely ignoring the pain that surged through his body. Hardly being able to articulate the words didn't stop him from yelling, “Where the hell is Rin? What happened? Where am I?” his eyes flashed with anger as he pointed a claw at InuYasha, “If that idiot is here, who is with the girls?”

 

Ryen was by his nephew's side before Sesshoumaru even realized he was about to fall over. Ryen grabbed his arm and evened out his weight as Sesshoumaru began to teeter on his feet. “Don't worry about it. You're here because you're a baka, Rin is home with friends, you were knocked off your ass and you're at my other home. Now for my questions; first off I want to know what the fuck happened to you. Now sit down before you hurt yourself and think about it.”

 

Sesshoumaru shoved off Ryen's arm and shook his head before slowly sitting down. `Shit, I'm more fucked up then I thought I was. But I can't be here. Why are these two baka's just sitting around watching Lord of the Rings instead of watching the girls? How did I get here?' Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Sesshoumaru warded off his unease and kept his weight distributed evenly on both feet. “What do you mean don't worry about it?” his eyes snapped open and honed in on his uncles, “Ryen, are you that stupid?” he hesitated while watching Ryen's face darken. Yet anger was playing into Sesshoumaru's disposition as well. His eyes filtered to darker amber as his voice rose, “Who is watching the girls? How the hell did I end up…here?”

 

Ryen narrowed his eyes and shut off the television then put one hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. With a light shove, he sent Sesshoumaru barreling backwards into the couch to sit down. He tossed the enraged demon a smirk before sitting on the coffee table in front of the teenager. “I said don't worry about it.” Sesshoumaru made motion to rise from his chair. Before he could even move, Ryen had one hand on his shoulder holding him in place. “Don't think about it pup. You were drugged and I want to get to the bottom of this. Who did it?”

 

Sesshoumaru let the thought of him being drugged reign in his mind for a whole second before shooing it away. “That is impossible. No one would be able to get away with drugging me. It has been tried and they always failed.”

 

InuYasha lifted his head from the magazine he was reading to add, “and this time they didn't. Be glad they didn't kill you while they had the chance.” The cocky tone that filled the hanyou's voice did not go unnoticed. “If it weren't for my nose, you would probably be a branch off some fucking tree right now, Bastard.”

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and turned to glower at his younger brother. “And who did you leave in care of Kagome? Why are you not by her side?”

 

InuYasha rolled his eyes, “look, I know where my lines stand. I ain't getting involved with twelve sixteen-year-old girls. That just ain't happening. If someone wants to try to fucking break in there, let them try. Packs of girls are worse the packs of wolves.” InuYasha shivered and shook his head. “I know to give Kagome her space. I am not gonna be breathing down her back every fucking second of every fucking day...unlike some of us who just don't know the meaning of personal space.”

 

Sesshoumaru spit back, venom filling his voice, “that's because you're not breathing down her neck every minute. You have your face buried in her…”

 

Ryen cleared his throat, his eyes widening at the unfinished sentence. “I really do not need to hear about anything of that magnitude! I would greatly appreciate it if you just don't go there.” Noticing the dark glowers being shot between the brothers, Ryen waved his hand between them. “Pay attention… focus here for one moment! I know with the attention span of a amoeba, it's hard for the two of you…” not breaking the ice with the two, Ryen resulted to picking up a drinking glass and shattering it on the table. That disturbed the staring contest. With both sets of amber eyes trained on the older Youkai, Ryen continued, “that's better. Now…the girls are safe at home. I have one of my trustworthy guys sitting a couple blocks down in range of the house. They will be fine…as InuYasha said, packs of girls can be dangerous.” He fought down the grin that was threatening to break out on his face as he coughed to cover up the mirth. Letting all humor slide from his face, he zoned in on the older of the two boys. “Sesshoumaru, someone dropped a potion of Youkai sleeping powder into the vents of your car. You're lucky to be alive, honest. Like InuYasha so blatantly stated, you could have easily fallen asleep at the wheel. I don't know how you didn't succumb to the powder a lot earlier then you did. My guess is you were breathing it in for a little more then two hours. A lot stronger Youkai have fallen to that stuff in minutes.” He rolled his eyes at the sly arrogant smirk that crossed the demons face. “And a lot more idiotic have found the potion before allowing it to get that sever.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his right hand, “Youkai…sleeping powder? Who makes that stuff?” he shook his head and forced open his eyes. “What time is it?”

 

InuYasha yawned and answered, “two am. You've been out for about six hours.”

 

Sesshoumaru shot to his feet and began to walk to the door. “I have to find out what happened. Is Rin okay? I remember…” Sesshoumaru paused and narrowed his eyes. “I remember walking Rin towards Yamaoto's office but she…I don't remember her going inside.” He rubbed his head and then shook it. “Why don't I remember?”

 

Ryen grimaced and then shrugged, “can't really say. It could be an after effect of the drugs. My guess is that one of Naraku's cronies put it in the car for a reason. Whatever it was, it kept you busy and oblivious to whatever happened in the session with Yamaoto and Rin.”

 

Sesshoumaru actually blanched for a moment, his eyes widening half a centimeter before he rushed towards the door, ignoring the stumble in his step. “I have to get to her! What if something happened?”

 

InuYasha raised his hand then stifled another yawn. “I talked to her. She seems okay.” He left out the breakdown she had with Kagome in the kitchen for safeguard. The last thing that the girls needed was a fuming demon to storm in on their slumber party. “I also had Kagome talk to her. She's still…well…fucked up, for lack of a better term…but she's coping. Kagome said that after a few tears, Rin was happier then she has seen her in months.”

 

Sesshoumaru digestion of the news was like digestion after swallowing nails. “Something is wrong, I can feel it.”

 

Ryen nodded, “what you feel is that bitch's purifying power.” The demon closed his eyes and lifted his arm to scratch behind his neck, “Sesshoumaru…are you aware that the doctor that you are taking Rin to is a miko?”

 

Sesshoumaru turned slowly to stare at Ryen, “And? Do you think me a fool? I know what she is.”

 

Ryen closed his eyes. `Why am I related to idiots? How does he…damn.' with a deep breath and continued speaking as if trying to communicate with a child. “Then you are aware of the powers she can possess and what they can do when applied to the human mind.” Seeing the puzzle slowly beginning to form in Sesshoumaru's mind, he quickly added, “I'm not going to jump to conclusions, and you're not going to do anything stupid…but we need to get to the bottom of this. What I know is that Naraku is going to try to keep Rin from testifying. He's going to do whatever it takes.”

 

Sesshoumaru cracked the knuckles on one hand before staggering slightly to the right. He braced his back up against the wall and closed his eyes, “let him try. Though I may not be coordinated, I will be sure to rip him limb from limb.” There was a moment of silence before Sesshoumaru grunted, “Damn, when does this shit wear off?” he wanted to rush from the room, from the house that he was in but his body was starting to slow down again. His knees were beginning to wobble and he felt his entire body break out into a heavy sweat. Pushing his head against the wall, he took a deep breath, “how strong is this stuff?”

 

Ryen grimaced and shot a look to the clock. “Well…do you want the bad news or the worse news?” he slowly got up from the couch and walked towards his nephew.

 

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow but remained silent. The pain was growing and he was sure it was to the fact that he was pushing his body to keep going. Every bone in his body was telling him to lie down and sleep but he needed to get to Rin. `This has to be from Yamaoto! Why wouldn't she want me in the meeting with her and Rin? What did she do to Rin? If she is a miko, as I presumed when we met, then could she manipulate Rin? Is that why Rin has been having those dreams? I swear, I will rip that bitch's heart from her body if she is responsible for Rin's suffering!' He swallowed hard, his vision slowly beginning to blur. `Why didn't I think of this earlier?' he barely resisted the urge to run his head into the wall.

 

Ryen shot a worried glance towards InuYasha before slowly proceeding, “well…the bad news is you're going to have a killer headache in the morning.” He reached his nephews side and braced himself with one leg placed back bent, “And…the worse news is…you're going to pass out again in probably like two minutes.” He offered the boy a sheepish smile, “sorry…”

 

Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to zone in on his uncle. He cocked his head, unsure of why the blob of green and silver was standing in front of him. His words were slightly slurred as if under the influence of alcohol. “Why would I do that?”

 

Ryen shrugged, “don't know exactly. It's the powder. It takes different time to effect each persons system then a while to get out of it. You'll feel better then randomly pass out. You'll be out in a minute…I know you feel it puling at you…”

 

Sesshoumaru brandished a set of sharp claws at the blob that was his uncle, “how do you…” he paused, closed his eyes and was dead to the world. His body slumped forward and Ryen caught him with a loud grunt.

 

InuYasha shot to his feet and was by Ryen's side in a minute. “How did you know he was going to do that?” he grabbed one arm and helped Ryen drag the unconscious Youkai back to the couch. He would have poked fun at his brother if he didn't feel the severity of the situation. This was anything but humorous.

 

Ryen lifted his nephew onto the makeshift bed and stepped back, “I've had a lot of experience with the stuff. Some basic training camps require their cadets to push through a gas chamber to get used to the effects of gas used in riots and stuff, Youkai are forced to deal with this shit. Granted, they have a crew full of unconscious Youkai in a room afterwards but the drill is to find the bomb that is releasing this shit. It's pretty intense and had me fucked up for nearly twelve hours, which mind you is considered a very short recovery period.”

 

“Well, fucking whoop-de-do for you. You want a fucking medal or something?” InuYasha narrowed his eyes, seemingly unconvinced, but let it go. His eyes darkened as he stared at his brother's form. It reminded him of the days he spent with Kagome and Rin watching him in the hospital; needless to say, a time from that he would much rather forget. It reminded him of the mortality of their life; of the life of those they loved. He had almost lost his family and the love of his life to that bastard. Naraku had almost taken everything good from his life. Like hell he was going to sit back and watch that happen again. “You sure the girls will be okay? They know Sesshoumaru is out of the game right now…maybe I should go back to the mansion.” A sudden urge to have Kagome in his arms overwhelmed him and pushed him to his feet. The need to hold her was out weighing his grasp on reality and was lighting the fire under his ass to get home.

 

Ryen scowled and sat back on a leather recliner, “it's up to you pup. If you feel the need to go, go ahead. Just don't tell Kagome or Rin what we found out.”

 

InuYasha grabbed his coat and paused, digging through is pockets for the Porsche's keys. “Why not? I think Rin should know.”

 

Ryen nodded in agreement with a look of concern etched into his face, “in time she will know. But first I need more information. It's obvious that Yamaoto is working for Naraku, but we need to know the extent of the relationship. We also need to find out what she's planning for Rin. Obviously, we need to get Rin out of the area. If we jump in and try to intervene right away though…” Ryen's face darkened with worry as he turned to look outside into the bleak night. “Who knows what kind of fail safe methods Yamaoto has instilled in Rin. If we just jump in, it may inadvertently be the cause of Rin's death.”

 

InuYasha's breath caught in his throat as he paused at the door. He turned slowly to stare down his uncle. “What do you mean fail safe?”

 

Ryen looked to the floor and slowly shook his head, his eyes closing with his words…with his memories. “I warned Sesshoumaru a long time ago that the mind is a very fragile thing. I wish he had come to me for more information about psychologists for Rin to see. But not only did he completely write me off for helping, he didn't really investigate the person he sent her to. Now, this Yamaoto person has access to Rin by ways of drugs, mind manipulations and the power of persuasion. You know how bombs have detonators?” Seeing InuYasha nod with a look of dread etched in stone across his face, Ryen pressed on, “I'm worried that Yamaoto instilled one of those onto Rin. I've seen it done before, by powerful mikos. All it takes is one word whispered in their hearing range for the patients mind to literally go into overload.” He sat back and closed his eyes, “the world is a scary place InuYasha, yet the mind is even worse. If the reality in front of you melted away suddenly, exposing a new plain of existence, your mind would only last about three seconds before your synapses overload from all of the new sights, sounds, images, colors, smells and state of being before it would literally melt your brain. I've watched it happen once and it was horrifying. It was a case that I hate to think back to.

 

“I had chased a serial rapist all around the United States for about a year. Finally he fell off radar and we thought we lost him. We found him again right before this happened. Apparently there was a miko in the town he was staying in that he had been seeing nearly his entire life. He had been seeing the miko as his shrink and she had been creating this illusion of a world for him since he was a teenager. She had built it up to a point where he saw the world exactly as she had created it; bright, cheerful, pallets of pastel colors. He raped because in his world, it was wanted and the victim was willing. The way he did it was atrocious. I'll spare you the details but in his wake he left hundreds of victims.” He swallowed hard and slowly shook his head, “I feel no sympathy for the bastard but I understand now better then I did then why he did it and what had been the control in his life's actions. He thought it okay because of how disillusioned he was. He lived completely different then we do. He was skewed in very aspect of life.” shaking his head, Ryen sipped the open beer he had on the table. With a sigh, he continued, “the miko waited until we caught up with him to whisper her `detonator'. She wanted him to suffer and to have your brain fry itself was the best way. His dream world shattered while he was in the middle of raping a teenage girl. Everything hit him like a truck and he died almost instantly.”

 

InuYasha's brows creased as he leaned forward, “that makes no sense. Sure, I can see that he lived in a dream world but how is that a shade of gray from the real world? How did waking up to see that girl destroy his mind? Wouldn't that just throw him into a coma?” InuYasha leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms.

 

Ryen shrugged and sat back. “No; his world was completely different from ours, it was so different that you can't even imagine it. I'm talking; you could talk to the fucking animals different. The sun never set, there was no blood, and there was no screaming or monsters. When he `woke' up, he was the monster that everyone feared. The blood of his crime and the screams of his victim sent him into shock and fried his brain. We found out later, after nailing the `murder' of the rapist onto the psych, that he had raped her daughter when he was fifteen. Instead of going to the police, she became a vigilante. It's like a drug; once a miko gets a hold in your mind, you're done. You are at their complete beckon and call.”

 

InuYasha slowly nodded, “and that's what you're afraid Yamaoto has done to Rin?”

 

Ryen nodded slowly, “yeah. If she dug her claws into Rin, it may be harder then we thought to pull Rin away.”

 

InuYasha slowly shook his head, “but she isn't in her own world and she hasn't seen Yamaoto for more then two weeks. Is that enough time to throw in a switch to destroy Rin?”

 

Ryen thought for a moment, his fingers pressed to his lips then shook his head, “no, but its enough time to form an addiction.”

 

InuYasha narrowed his eyes, “an addiction to what?”

 

Ryen scowled and looked towards his nephews sleeping body, “to whatever drugs she has Rin taking. She is setting Rin up to fall, and we both know that. She is getting ready to do something drastic. What we need to do is get Rin away from her for a while to offset the chance of her success.”

 

InuYasha scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest, “ain't no way she'll succeed.”

 

Ryen closed his eyes and sighed, “you will have to keep a constant watch on Rin. If Yamaoto has her claws in her, she'll want to go back for her session Friday and might become violent if she thinks someone is keeping her from it.”

 

InuYasha made a face and shook his head, “nah, she hates the sessions, she told Kagome this already. She doesn't want to go but feels she has to…she thinks Sesshoumaru demands it of her. But then again, she also thinks Sesshoumaru raped her so…”

 

Ryen let out a sigh of relief followed by a scowl. “It's good that she doesn't enjoy the sessions, though I'm not sure what to make of her fear that Sesshoumaru is her attacker. I've heard of transposing fears of one person onto another; it happens more often when a girl has a father who abuses her…she goes out and seeks out a man who ends up treating her just the same. But I don't doubt that Rin has fears over the two, though they are nothing alike.” stroking his chin, Ryen nodded, “it might not be to late to save her. But I will say this; when we get Yamaoto, Rin is going to have to go see a real shrink to get over whatever poisons Yamaoto instilled. It's like a snake bite, you need to get it out fast.”

 

InuYasha nodded then looked to his brother. “When do we tell him what we found? He'll be pissed as all get-out if he finds out we're keeping stuff from him…and the last thing I need is to be impaled again!”

 

Ryen scowled and pushed his fingers together to rest on his chin as a steeple. “Sesshoumaru is a lot like his father. If he feels something he loves is being threatened, he'll jump into action without thinking. If he goes after Yamaoto after learning this, he might risk Rin's safety. At this point, I think we should just tell him that with the attack on him, we should try to keep Yamaoto away from Rin for the weekend. I'll search more into Yamaoto's name and talk with that Kagura girl.”

 

InuYasha slowly lifted his weight from the door and nodded, “we have a game that we're leaving for in Kyoto tomorrow. The game is tomorrow night and they are letting us stay overnight in the city. At least Rin will be away for that long…I'll see if I can prolong it.”

 

Ryen nodded, “keep your eye on her, InuYasha, and Kagome as well. As much as Rin is a key witness in this, I still fear for Kagome's safety because she was Naraku's original desire.” He smirked as InuYasha's anger quickly became evident. “Just keep your guard up and protect them both.” He shook his head at the grin slowly tugging at his nephew's mouth. “And when I say keep your guard on them both, I am not talking lock Rin in a bathroom while you have your way with Kagome…that ain't protecting!”

 

InuYasha bit down the smirk that was rising to his face regardless of the situation and bit down his remark towards his uncle's rude but accurate assertion. “So if we're in Kyoto on a school trip, right…we're going to have to stay in separate rooms because it is a school function and they don't condone co-ed anything.” His eyes lit up at the thought, “can you get me something saying I need to stay with Kagome at all times? You know…for…protection?”

 

Ryen reached into his coat and pulled up a pack of cigarettes. Placing one in his mouth, he grabbed a lighter and lit up. Placing the lighter down the table, he grabbed a magazine, and in record time had in rolled up and whacked InuYasha over the head with it. “Baka! You think they would let me get you in there? You think I would stick my foot in my mouth and get you into their room? I already know more then I want to about you and Kagome and the facts that I've known breeds of rabbits that don't go at it as much as you two do. I ain't smearing my good name,” he shot InuYasha a glower when the boy scoffed, “to get you into your girlfriends pants quicker.”

 

InuYasha winced and backed out of striking distance, “you never know…and I wouldn't…”

 

Ryen rolled his eyes and responded; “don't give me that bullshit. I know you'll find your way into her room, so I'm not going to say anything anyway. Just remember that Rin needs to be there as well so at least be respectable about how much you drool over Kagome in the mean time.”

 

InuYasha scoffed, “I don't drool over Kagome!”

 

Ryen cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, “sorry, I meant watch how much you drool on Kagome.”

 

InuYasha flipped the older man off and turned towards the door. “If you excuse me, I have places to see and a girl to do.”

 

Ryen bit down his retort and simply glowered at the boy. After the door closed, he shook his head slowly and glanced at Sesshoumaru, “well, at least one of you have brains…even if you don't use them all the time.” standing up, he walked to his kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. “Sesshoumaru my boy, we have a lot to talk about.”

 

~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Kagome bit her lip staring down at the pile of suitcases in front of the main door to the mansion. Glancing up at the giddy girls, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “See…the issue is that I only have my mom's car…and to get to the Shinkansen*, it is about a forty minute drive through traffic. I don't see how I am possibly going to get all of your luggage into my car and actually be able to drive to the train station!”

 

One of the older girls, a senior by the name of Hitomi, spoke up, “well…why don't we all walk to the school and go from there?”

 

Kagome spared a glance at Rin then carefully pushed on, “well…my plan was that I was going to drive to the station…and…”

 

Another girl laughed audibly, “driving is so overrated Kagome! Just walk with us to the school and we'll take the bus with the boys!”

 

Rin rolled her eyes and muttered, “nothing like being stuck on a stuffy bus with boys for an hour to only have to ride a train with them for another three hours. That is my idea of fun.”

 

Kagome lightly elbowed the girl and laughed at her huff. “I suppose that would be easier…”

 

A voice echoed from the stairwell above all the girls. Kagome sighed and met the amused amber glare. “What's the matter Princess, pack to much to carry?” his eyes trained to the stack of luggage then back to the girls with an incredulous look on his face, “Oi, I guess she wasn't the only one to do so. What the hell do you all have that demands those fucking huge ass packs?” he winked at her and sat back. InuYasha had arrived home the night before around 3am to find girls sprawled out about the house. A month ago, it would have been dreams come true. But now…the only thing he was happy about was finding Kagome sound asleep in his bed in one of his tee shirts. He had sat up for about an hour watching her sleep, soaking in every detail about the way she smiled in her sleep when he would gently stroke her hair or touch her cheek. He memorized the patterns her eyes darted in while she dreamed and the way his name would roll off her tongue every so often in a breathy sigh that made his heart race. At some point, he had crawled into bed with her and taken her in his arms. The next thing he knew, Kagome was scampering across him saying they had to get to the train station.

 

Kagome blushed lightly and rolled her eyes again. “InuYasha…you could be of more help you know.”

 

InuYasha leaned on the banister railing, resting his chin between his hands and shot Kagome a cocky smile, “but it's so much fun watching you deal with this.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the girls, “all right, we'll walk to the school. Here's the deal though, everyone carries his or her own luggage. If there is too much, it stays. Make sure you packed what you need. We'll be there for two days, that's it, ladies. We're going down for the game tonight then getting on the first train out tomorrow morning. You know that we're staying at the Ryokan Seiki which is about four miles from the Kyoto station.” She stopped herself before she began lecturing like a teacher. Grabbing her suitcase from the pile, she walked to the mansion door. “I hope you all realize just how long of a walk we're up for. It's about five miles to the school from here.” All the laughter in the group died as they all turned to stare at Kagome incredulously. She shrugged and put a finger next to her lips, “did I forget to mention that?”

 

Another junior girl, Sakora, in the back groaned then turned pleading eyes towards the hanyou on the steps with a glimmer in her eyes that set off warning bells with Kagome. “Hey, gorgeous,” that earned a rather menacing growl from Kagome, “do you have a car you can drive some of us over in?”

 

InuYasha's face lightened with Kagome's jealous outburst and laughed, “maybe…” he gave the girl his trademark sexy smirk then turned eyes to Kagome, “but I think Princess there would bite someone's head off if they got into the car with me!”

 

Kagome's jaw dropped as she marched to the steps, “why you…” she paused and crossed her arms, “we'll take my mom's SUV and Rin's cars to help transport people to the school. Tell me you have one of Ryen's cars here from last night?”

 

To her dismay, InuYasha shook his head no. “sorry, babes, I only have the ninja which is still out on loan.” He threw her a cautious smile, “but I'll take the girls one by one that way if you want me to.”

 

Kagome bit down her pride as she slowly stuck out her chin, “well…that could help…” she made a face and turned away from him, forcing herself to not think about his suggestion. `If this is a game of his…'

 

InuYasha stood up and breezed down the steps, only to pause next to her. Leaning closer, he whispered rather audibly, “all that will require is their bodies pressed up against mine…their arms around my waist with their face in my hair. I'm sure you don't care about that…” he pulled back an inch to study the color of red that quickly worked over his girlfriends face.

 

Kagome snapped rather loudly, “forget it, it was a dumb idea…” turning around flustered, she wouldn't meet any stares from the girls as she marched towards the front door.

 

InuYasha goaded on, “no it wasn't, Princess. It's a fabulous idea. Who do you want me to take first? Cause I'll take any of these girls any day of…”

 

Kagome spun on her heels and pinned him with a glower filled with physical pain if he continued that sentence. “No one…keep those hands to yourself! I swear you're as bad as Miroku!”

 

A sparkle of mischief flashed through his eyes as he took a step towards her, “only for you baby. But that's fine, if you don't want my help…I got ya, it's fine…”

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes, “what you're going to get is a black eye if you keep this up!”

 

InuYasha's grin widened to nearly split his face in two, “did I strike a cord in you, Princess?”

 

Rin rolled her eyes and stepped between the two, “you struck something InuYasha and to keep from being struck, I would back up!”

 

Sakora stepped forward and put her hand on InuYasha's shoulder and flashed him a seductive smile, “how bout you drive me over there. It isn't a long drive and I'm sure Kagome really wouldn't mind you helping out.” Her eyes quickly roamed over his body, soaking in the sight of the muscles that the shirt hardly clamped down around.

 

The room fell into a deep hush as Kagome's eyes widened and she stepped forward. Yet Rin beat her to the girl. Rin crossed her arms, standing a little more then a foot away from the girl and nearly growled, “back away from the dog! He isn't available and if you try that shit again, I'll make sure to knock you back to last week! Keep those hands to yourself. You'll have plenty of time to whore yourself out to two teams full of football players this weekend, Sakura, so just hold it! And keep your mitts off InuYasha!”

 

InuYasha let his eyes fall down to the spitfire by his side and he elbowed her lightly in the shoulder, “Rin, I'm touched. Standing up for me…”

 

Rin shot a glare that could melt ice at InuYasha, “shut it…I ain't standing up for you, you dog. I'm protecting Kagome.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes and handed the keys to her mother's Aztec to Hitomi. “I trust you to drive. My mom lent me the car knowing we would need to transport people. We can probably fit most of the luggage in the Porsche since it only seats two. The Aztec can probably fit about eight or nine people in it, if you're willing to cram. I'll ride with Inu. That should fit all twelve of us!”

 

There were a few groans, mostly from those who had gotten their hopes up for a chance to ride with the handsome devilish playboy. Kagome's poignant glower of mistrust shut them all up. Kagome crossed her arms and watched as the girls began packing Rin and her car with luggage when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. She glared at the face that appeared over her right shoulder. Beating him to the first comment, Kagome shot darkly, “I'm not happy with you.”

 

InuYasha kissed her cheek and murmured, “I was only teasing…you know that.”

 

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to bend to fit into his arms, “doesn't matter. It was rude to say and worse to put me on that kind of spot.”

 

“You're just jealous at the thought.”

 

Kagome snapped back, “I'm not jealous, I'm simply trying to keep my girls out from your lecherous grasp.”

 

InuYasha's smirk widened, “it ain't those girls I want in my grasp…”

 

Kagome jumped and hit him in the shoulder as she felt a hand slide across her ass, “Yash, you're as bad as Miroku, I swear it!” her grasp caught in her throat as she caught a glimpse of the smirk on his lips. It was the same type of smirk that he always got before doing something foolish…with her…publicly. She swallowed hard and backed out of his range. “What are you planning?”

 

InuYasha threw her an all to innocent smile and held his hands behind his back, “not a damn thing.” The gleam in his eyes answered otherwise but he chose to ignore it. “Now come on princess and lets get the caravan moving!”

 

Kagome closed one eye and squinted the other, as if trying to read his mind then shook her head and retreated back to the girls. “All right, girls…let's get the show on the road. Those who are going with Hitomi, go ahead and get out of here. I'm going to lock up.”

 

Watching as the girls somewhat reminded Kagome of clowns getting into a clown car the way the pushed and prodded their way into the Aztec. Yet they fit…they all fit. Rin took another sophomore girl with her in the Porsche and soon they were out of the driveway. Kagome ran a hand over her face then locked the door to the house. `This can be a good get away. Not only for me but also for Rin…she needs to get out. And not saying having Sesshoumaru around is bad, but with her mind in so many other places, being away from him can have its advantages for her.' So deep in her own thoughts, Kagome nearly forgot that there was someone else with her. Backing up, she felt herself bump into a rock solid chest. She felt her heart flutter as she was spun around on her heels to face the man she loved. Rough knuckles were forced under her chin and her face was lifted up towards the sky to meet InuYasha's gaze. He pressed light kisses up her jawbone, each a gently yet fiery affirmation of love. He paused at her ear, “I'm looking forward to this trip, princess. Not only because I get to be alone with you but we're getting away from all the bullshit.” His hands came to rest on her hips as he traced the outer rim of her ear with his tongue, “not that time alone isn't a good thought, because I can name a hundred different things right now I would die to do to you…and I do have a promise to live up to.”

 

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to control her erratic heartbeat. She always got this way whenever he was this close. She felt her knees wobble in one direction and she fought with every urge in her body to swoon over his attention. `He really is like Kryptonite to me.' swallowing hard, she put one hand to his chest. “I…” a short gasp escaped her as InuYasha gently took the bottom cartilage of her ear into his mouth and traced the skin with his tongue. She nearly gave into the wanton desire that pull at her core to reopen the door and have another go at it on the couch. With determination set in her eyes, she pushed him away and righted herself, soothing out the wrinkles in the green skirt she was wearing. Unable to meet his lust filled gaze, she held her eyes steadfast on the motorcycle in front of her as she walked around him. “I think we should go.”

 

InuYasha smiled and nodded slowly, “sure baby, we got plenty of time to…kill…on the bus and train anyway.”

 

Kagome's blush resurfaced as she took in his unvoiced thoughts. He was planning something and she was sure she wasn't going to be happy...but then again… She avoided his stare. “You really are insatiable, InuYasha!”

 

Another cocky grin broke surface. “That's why you love me. I aim to please.”

 

Kagome grinned as InuYasha climbed onto the motorcycle. “So…how did I ride on this thing?”

 

“Like you would me…hard and fast.” InuYasha chuckled as her mouth dropped open and her face exploded in color. He reached over and pulled her towards the cycle by the bottom of her shirt. With a deep growl, he placed his right hand on her left knee and let his hand drift up her leg. Kagome slammed closed her eyes, her mind expecting more then what came. He wedged his hand between her legs then let his hand slide down the underside of her thigh to rest at right behind the junction of her knee. His voice deep and husky, he commented with a deliberate waggle of his eyebrows, “well, you got to straddle it.” she didn't miss the look of lust that passed through his eyes as the words left his mouth. He lifted her knee for her and nodded towards the cycle, “sling that leg over the bike.” His hand slid up her leg as she moved to sit on the bike as he instructed. She closed her eyes as he gently traced the underside of her leg with his claws yet stopped halfway up her thigh. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her burning nerves. `He's going to be the death of me, I swear to god. How are we going to be on the same bus for more then a half hour together?' she slid her arms around his waist and heard him gasp softly as her hand brushed over his abdomen. `At least I'm not the only one turned on by this.'

 

InuYasha put his hand over hers and called out, “just hold on tight, baby. Don't let go for anything, you got me?” sensing her unease, InuYasha laughed lightly as he kicked up on the bike. “Don't worry Princess, I'll teach you how to ride things right later.”

 

Kagome groaned at the obvious play on words then pressed her cheek up against his back as he started the cycle. She slid closer to him, her knees resting on his thighs and her core just about pushed up against the small of his back. She shivered as the bike roared to life and closed her eyes. Thoughts of how he expected her to last this tortuous bike ride flashed through her brain as her body responded to how intimately close she was to him. `What has he done to me?' a huff built in her body as her arms tightened around him. `How the hell did he expect me to let some other girl ride with him like this? Not over my dead body!'

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Sesshoumaru slowly opened his eyes, the entire conversation from the previous night…or morning…playing through his mind in a matter of seconds. Shooting to his feet, Sesshoumaru glowered about Ryen's apartment. He took a few steps into the kitchen then put a hand to his head. “At least he was right on this aspect…my head is killing me.” Sesshoumaru sniffed the air once, then like a bear taking its bait, he followed the scent of coffee into a small kitchen. Grabbing a cup that was sitting on the counter, Sesshoumaru poured himself a cup before slowly beginning to wander through the apartment. The place was small, a two bedroom condo that was overlooking the eastern section of Tokyo. There wasn't much design to the house and if Sesshoumaru hadn't known better, he would be to think that Ryen had just moved in. Boxes cluttered the hallway, filled with personal affects that had yet to be put away. `Maybe he did just move here. Maybe he really was following me and InuYasha on our every move.' He shivered once and then pushed open a door to a room in the back. He had smelt Ryen back there from the moment he woke up and had thought maybe it to be a bedroom. Yet this room was filled with computers and printers, surveillance material and other espionage gadgets. Ryen was sitting with a print out in his hands, studying the paper with the Taisho-trade mark scowl implanted on his face. Turning to see his nephew, Ryen removed the reading glasses from his face. “Good morning.”

 

Sesshoumaru sneered then turned his attention towards the computers. “Are you watching all of Tokyo from here or just where you chose to stick your cameras?

 

Ryen laughed, “No, just the places I need to keep my eye on. The main lockup where we have Naraku, the police headquarters, the outside of the mansion, places like that.”

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and pushed past Ryen to stare at the monitor with the mansion displayed. “Do you have camera's I should worry about in other places in my home?” he shot Ryen an accusing glower before sneering, “are you really some type of voyeur?”

 

Ryen whacked Sesshoumaru for good measure with the morning paper before yawning, “no, baka, simply the outside is enough. It's come in handy as well, if I may say so. I have feed from when Launia broke in, when Launia and Naraku broke in, from our first meeting,” he chuckled at the memory of Sesshoumaru and InuYasha both making the error to think they could simply take him down so easily. “Also I can watch what is going on…like the fact that all of our buddies left the house to head for Kyoto about an hour ago.”

 

Sesshoumaru turned around to face the wall. On it were about ten different clocks with all different time zones displayed. He found the one labeled Japan then shot Ryen a curious glower, “should I ask?”

 

Ryen shrugged, “obsessive compulsive disorder, I guess. I need to know what is going on and when.”

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head and made leave for the door, “I am going after them…”

 

Ryen sighed and placed the cup of coffee he had been drinking down on the desktop. “Sesshoumaru…be not a fool…Rin is getting a chance to get away from everything.”

 

Sesshoumaru paused and stared over his left shoulder, “and you think it foolish for me to go to ensue her safety? I know my baka brother is going to be to busy fucking Kagome to watch her…”

 

Ryen closed his eyes, wishing away the image of Kagome and InuYasha outside of the mansion. `Simply stuff to lecture Yash about later. I have to really make sure InuYasha understands that the motorcycle is not a toy…and god be damned if he does anything with her on it cause I will kill him.' finishing off the cup of coffee, Ryen stood up from his chair. “Look…I can understand you wanting to go, I really do. But Rin needs to get away from everything!”

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head and stormed off towards the kitchen. “I was drugged, right? That means that someone is still out to get us. And if Rin told Yamaoto that she is going out of town, they will expect her to be alone…without me. They might go after her. You said it yourself; Naraku will do everything in his power to keep her away from testifying. The day they hurt a strand of hair on her head is going to be when I'm six feet in the ground. I'll die before I let them near her.”

 

Ryen scratched behind his white mane of hair then sighed. Leaning on the pass through between the hallway and kitchen, he slowly began, “Sesshoumaru, I know you are trying to help her. But you keep saying `if this person hurts her' or `if that person hurts her'. Don't you realize that…that with how close you're demanding to be to her, you're hurting her as well? She's scared, Sesshoumaru. She's seeing all sorts of lies and she can't determine the truth from illusion and you're honestly not helping with that! She's running because she's scared. Let her come to you, Sesshoumaru.”

 

Sesshoumaru paused at the sink and closed his eyes, “if I wait for her to come to me, it may never happen.”

 

“And if you force her to, she may hate you like she does Naraku.”

 

Sesshoumaru winced and put his mug in the sink. “And if I don't do anything, I may always regret not fighting for her.”

 

Ryen lifted his head and took two steps around the wall and placed his hand on his nephews shoulder. “I am not saying don't fight. I would never say that! But you really need to be more discrete. You can't….i mean…damn, Sesshoumaru. I know you love her, and she's so confused about it, but if you slip up and do something foolish with her, you might just turn into the bad guy.” His eyes darkened as he moved around Sesshoumaru to put the coffee beans back into the cabinet. Pausing after doing so, he closed his eyes and braced one arm against the closet. “I know…first hand…what it is like to be the bad guy from the woman you loves point of view. It's the worst feeling in the world. And sometimes you just can't right it, no matter how hard you try.” Whipping around, his eyes burned into Sesshoumaru's, “don't lose her to this foolishness, Sesshoumaru.”

 

Sesshoumaru studied his uncle's face before turning about quickly, his hair snapping behind him, “I am not a fool, Ryen. I will do what it takes to ensue Rin's safety.”

 

Ryen watched as Sesshoumaru walked towards the door. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys. “Sesshoumaru, catch!” without turning around, the young Youkai lord caught the keys. “It's to the other cycle I have in the garage. They are taking the Shinkansen to Kyoto. If you get down there fast enough, you should make the train. I would highly suggest not being on the same one though. If Rin sees you, it might send her into another panic attack.” He took a step towards where Sesshoumaru stood. “Sessh…promise me you're not going to do anything stupid.”

 

Sesshoumaru glanced at the keys in his hand before closing his fist around them. “I will do no thing of the sort.”

 

Ryen rolled his eyes as Sesshoumaru stormed out of the house. Muttering under his breath as he turned to go back into the room, he muttered, “did he mean make the promise or do something idiotic?” he sighed and ran a hand over his face, “bakaism does run through his side of the family.” Shaking his head, he picked back up the print out. With a deep scoff, he threw it into the trash. The front page of it had a detailed picture of Dr. Yamaoto and under it, etched in English, “Tsubaki Yamaoto”. Ryen grabbed his trench coat that hung on the door and then clipped his Beretta to his side. “Time for a twenty year reunion…fun shit.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~

OFF>

Shinkansen- the bullet train that can take one from Tokyo to Kyoto in two hours and forty minutes.

 

So the next couple chapters will be a little bit lighter. I'll say it now, I have looked for three days for information, maps or anything as per to amusement parks in Kyoto but I have found nothing. So if anyone knows anything about amusement parks in Kyoto, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm gonna wing it.

 

Also, a challenge to artists. I'm looking for someone to do a simple sketch of what Ryen looks like, just call me interested to see what people come up with. If you're interested, email me.