InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The curse of the dragon ❯ Requiem for a dream ( Chapter 75 )

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

 

 

~<>~ Chapter 75 ~<>~ requiem for a dream

 

 

 

Rin stood outside the building that she knew held all the answers she sought. Her arms crossed over her chest, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. Letting out a long sigh, she clenched her fist and walked into the tall brick building. She feared this walk more then she feared anything in her life; it was one she didn't walk to make on her own…but this time she had no choice. She needed unadulterated answers and with someone else dictating the plot Yamaoto had hatched, they would be tainted, twisted. She needed to know the truth. She had trusted Yamaoto, she had told her things that she couldn't bring herself to tell Sesshoumaru. Now Sesshoumaru and Ryen spoke in hushed tones that Yamaoto was evil…that her medicine was poisoning Rin. It would have been easy to believe what the boys said and follow them blindly, yet isn't that what she had done her entire life?

 

Rin had been ruled over her entire life, dictated to, manipulated to see life as either black or white; there were no shades of gray. First, large corporations were evil and her father was good, then large corporations were good and her father God. Then it got nasty, both were evil and Diegosan was trustworthy. It was as they told her, as they dictated to her. Her father, Diegosan, the police, Naraku…Yamaoto…all of them told her what to believe and how to see society. They told her how to live her life. Her opinions had never mattered, they were locked into the back of her mind knowing that the shades of gray she saw were mere delusions; stupid dreams of a girl who knew nothing. She had trusted blindly again, never questioning what Yamaoto had told her, and she was beginning to feel the burn of the flame on her back for it.

 

`The hell this bitch will burn me over this. I'm through with playing innocent! I'm through with playing the victim. The boys think Yamaoto is working for Naraku, fine, let's find out. I'm doing this all straight forward…I'm not going to sit back and let them fight another one of my battles!'

 

Rin clenched her fist to her chest and tried to steady her heart. She loved Sesshoumaru and there wasn't a doubt that she trusted him with her life. Yet she wasn't going to sit idle…she wasn't going to allow him to get involved in her fight and win the battle for her, regardless of if it were his job as her mate. She was going to take a stand, and god be damned if it were her last stand, she would hold her chin high on this one. The plan had taken her all night to think of while she listened through the heat vent to Sesshoumaru and Ryen scream at each other. `I have to do this…and if everything goes how I hope it will…things will be better. But I need to do this…I need to do this alone!' She could feel her heart racing and could hear her blood filtering through her ears as she walked up the empty hallway. The hardest part of this was lying to all of her friends. She had lied to Kagome's face, had hidden the truth from InuYasha and had completely skipped around Sesshoumaru. It worked, she realized with a knot of dread building in her stomach, to her aid that Sesshoumaru hadn't been in school. He had called her shortly after lunch and told her that he would be back to pick her up after the play practice. If this meeting went according to plan, then she would have just enough time to get back to school not to be missed. Absently she reached into her pocket and shut off her cell phone so that no one could deter her from this mission. The last thing she needed was someone calling her when she was making her case.

 

With another deep breath, she pushed her way through the glass door with her doctor's name in big black letters on the translucent surface. `Here goes nothing', she thought with a rather dismal glower of uncertainty etched across her face. She rounded the corner to the pristine waiting room and dropped both arms onto the desk that Botan was seated at and immediately began to sob.

 

Botan, a girl maybe a year older then Rin, jumped a mile when Rin slammed her hands onto the desk; she hadn't even heard the door open. Once on her feet, she immediately reached out a hand to touch Rin's shoulder. “Takisho-san… Takisho-san, are you okay?” she threw a bewildered glance back towards the other inhabitant of the office, Momiji, who simply rolled her eyes and hit the intercom. Botan turned back to the younger girl and moved her hair from the side of her face. “Rin-chan, what happened?” Botan stiffed and glanced around the room wildly, almost sure a fuming Inu Youkai would be following in her steps as he always did and yet to her astonishment, they were alone.

 

Rin sniffed twice, letting the tears pour down her cheeks and forced out a deep sigh and tried to catch her breath. She couldn't believe how hard her heart was thundering in her chest but she was sure that if it kept up on its current course, it would lead to another rendezvous with the hospital staff. She sniffed again and futilely wiped away her tears, “I need to talk to…” she sniffed again and inhaled sharply, “please, I need to talk to Dr. Yamaoto!” she burst into a batch of fresh tears and dropped her head back to her arms.

 

Botan chewed on her lip and glanced back towards the office doors then back towards Rin. She rubbed Rin's shoulder absently and tried to offer a tissue. “She'll be right out, Takisho-san. Do you want to sit down?” she quickly made her way around the desk and took Rin by her arm to lead her to a chair.

 

Rin ripped her arm from the girl's grasp and threw her back against the desk, her eyes wide with panic. “No! No, please…god no!” Rin sniffed again and wiped her eyes furiously, all the while trembling. Like a mantra, she began repeating, “oh my god…oh my god…I need to talk to Dr. Yamaoto!”

 

There was the echo of footsteps before Dr. Yamaoto fell to her knees beside Rin, who had dropped to sit in the corner of the room. She flashed Botan a curious glance before regarding the girl again. “Rin…Rin!” grasping the girl's hands, she held them closer to her face and used her free hand to push some of Rin's wild hair from her face. “Rin, talk to me…what's going on? Rin, do you know where you are?”

 

Rin's eyes widened as she met Tsubaki's wide aqua eyes. “Dr. Yamaoto! Oh god…I need to talk to you! Oh god…I don't know what to do!” she took a few deep breaths; unable to contain the harsh sobs that ripped from the back of her throat she fell back into hysterics.

 

Tsubaki grabbed Rin's arm gently and helped her to her feet. “Let's talk back in my office…come on dear. It will be okay, I promise you!” she glanced around once then narrowed her eyes slightly, “does it have to do with Sesshoumaru?” Rin sobbed harder at the name and Tsubaki fought down the triumphant smirk that lingered behind her eyes. “Oh honey, you can tell me what he did in here, come on.”

 

Rin allowed Tsubaki to lead her back into the office and sat herself on the couch while Tsubaki walked around her large desk. Rin sat herself up and buried her face in her hands. “I didn't mean…oh god…I don't know what to do! I never thought he…that he…” retching a sob from her gut, Rin doubled over crying, her chest pressed against her knees and her head in her hands. “You were right…by the gods, you were right…”

 

Tsubaki opened her bottom desk drawer and removed a small bottle of pills. Dropping two into her hand, she walked to Rin and knelt down in front of her. “Honey, it will be okay. We'll work this out. Just tell me what happened.”

 

Rin held out a hand palm up and muttered, “he…he wanted us to…and I thought we could…so I let him and then I realized how horrible of a mistake it was! And then I begged him to stop…I told him I wasn't ready but he wouldn't listen! He…he told me I owed him and then said he loved me so much that it only made sense.” She choked on a sob and shook her head, her words failing her.

 

Tsubaki frowned and put her hand in Rin's. “He forced you to have sex?”

 

Rin wailed loudly, “I wanted to in the beginning, then…I didn't want to be a tease but when he started, it seemed all to familiar. I asked him to stop…I begged him to stop!” she paused and slowly began to shake her head; fat tears rolling down her red cheeks. “I thought I was screaming for him to stop…I think I was…I don't even know now. When he was done…when he was finished…he kissed me like it was okay. Maybe I didn't say anything…maybe I thought I was screaming.” she screwed her eyes closed and threw her head back against the couch. “Oh god, how horrible of a person am I? Why would I…lead him on and then…? He must hate me!”

 

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes, “did you ask him to stop?”

 

Rin jammed her eyes closed and buried her face, once again, into her hands. “I don't know…I don't know! I thought I did…but by time we were done and he…and he came…I was crying hysterically. I ran…I ran like my life depended on it! I got my keys and left the house!”

 

Tsubaki glanced out towards the parking lot. “You can here by yourself?”

 

Rin lifted her head and threw her hands up into the air. “Yes! I can't see him again! I can't! Not now…not after that!” The waterworks only poured harder from the frail girl's eyes.

 

Tsubaki nodded slowly. “Hold on dear, I'll get you a glass of water. You need to calm down before you fall into another fit and end up back in the hospital. You don't want to go back, do you?” Tsubaki smiled gently when Rin shook her head and patted her shoulder like one would an upset child, then dropped two pills into Rin's outstretched hand. “Wait until I get you some water to take these, they are only aspirin. You'll choke if you take them dry.”

 

Rin swallowed hard and nodded dumbly, her eyes focused blurrily on a spot on the floor, her chest shaking with every breath.

 

Tsubaki shot to her feet and walked out the door with a fleeting glance at the girl who was finally beginning to crack in her office. `Oh Sesshoumaru really helped us out here!' The doctor nearly skipped her way down the hall.

 

Rin waited until Tsubaki was completely out of view to cut the water works. With a roll of her eyes, she dug into her pants pocket to retrieve two Advil tablets, ones of the same color and size of the pills she took from Tsubaki and shoved Tsubaki's pills into her pocket. With a deep breath, she rolled her eyes then burst into new tears as she heard footsteps returning to the door.

 

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes as she reentered the room. Rin was still crying hysterically but there was something amiss in the situation. Would Sesshoumaru simply allow her to walk out of the house without stopping her? It didn't make sense; she would believe the boy dumb enough to sleep with Rin, that much was evident…but he would never allow her to run out of the house upset…or even continue having sex with her while she was in tears. Something was amiss. Touching Rin's shoulder, she gave her the water and watched her carefully as she swallowed down the Nembutal before sitting in the chair closest to Rin's seat. “Now…tell me exactly what happened.”

 

Rin wiped her tears away and took a few deep breaths. Her eyes turned to Dr. Yamaoto, pleading, pouring out her soul to the woman. “You were right…god you were right about it all. I never thought he would…Gods; I never thought he would…I know he didn't mean to and then…he saw me crying…and his face dropped. He seemed almost angry; he was shaking almost as bad as I was.” she slowly began to rock back and forth, her eyes never wavering from the floor. “oh god, I just want it to stop…why can't I find someone who won't hurt me?”

 

Tsubaki reached out and put her hand on Rin's shoulder, stopping her from rocking. “Tell me everything…I need to know what he did this time.”

 

Rin blinked away her shock and swallowed hard before sitting back and resting her head on the back of the couch. “I told you already! I thought we were ready…I thought I would be able to handle it!”

 

Tsubaki nodded slowly, “and you asked him to stop?”

 

Rin slammed her hands against her ears, leveling her head to stare at Tsubaki with tears in her eyes. “I said I think I did! I don't know!” she slowly began to rock again, shaking her head slowly, “I don't know…I just don't know…”

 

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes and tightened her grasp on Rin's shoulder. “Tell me how you got away from him. I know he would never allow you to walk away in this condition, let alone come here without him.”

 

Rin's eyes widened, as she resembled somewhat a deer caught in headlights. She averted her eyes and took a few deep breaths, her entire body shaking in her seat. “I…” she slowly shook her head. “I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in. I sat in the corner of the room crying hysterically. It took him an hour but he finally realized I wasn't back and kicked in the door.”

 

Tsubaki had a glimmer of hope spark in her soul as she slowly leaned in towards Rin. “Rin…what did you do? What happened?” it work out all to well if Rin had inadvertently killed Sesshoumaru…but then again, the girl wouldn't be here if she had, she probably would have gone into shock and had a seizure. Tsubaki let go of Rin's shoulder and slowly sat back, a hand cupping her chin in thought.

 

Rin sniffed and shook her head slowly, remembering about how long it always took for the pills to make her relax…to calm down. She had pretend to be under the influence of whatever Tsubaki gave her and from what she could remember, which was never that much, she was always numb after a couple minutes. “I…I saw Naraku again…when he walked in and I started to scream. He…he ran to me and knelt down in front of me and…and I screamed and kicked him. I guess he wasn't ready for it…I guess he wasn't prepared for me to lash out. I don't know why…he should have known…” her eyes trailed up to meet Tsubaki's glance and she gasped, “what if I really hurt him? He had a pulse…but he was bleeding. I ran…I…I ran as fast as I could. Gods…he fell back and cracked his head on the tub.” She shook her head slowly and began to chant, “oh, my god…what did I do?” she surged to her feet and made a dash for the door, “I have to go back…what if I hurt him?”

 

Tsubaki grabbed Rin's arms right before she got to the door and whirled her around to face her. “Rin…calm down. I'll call an ambulance right away to get over there. Just sit down…you need to calm down because if you don't, you know what will happen!”

 

Rin shook her head frantically, her eyes latching onto the door knob in desperate hopes. “No…he's hurt…I hurt him. I shouldn't have…I should have known…”

 

Tsubaki slowly brought Rin back towards the couch. “Relax, Rin…it will be okay. Sesshoumaru's Youkai…a small laceration to the back of his head won't kill him.” she patted the couch and sat Rin down slowly.

 

Rin shook her head then batted her eyes slowly, as if suddenly fatigued. “He must hate me! What did I do…? I thought…but then when he fell, I knew it wasn't Naraku. I was so afraid, Dr. Yamaoto!” tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as she caught a glimpse of the clock. `5:00…we need to move this along or play practice will be over and then they'll figure it out.'

 

Tsubaki shook her head very slowly, “all right Rin…just listen to my voice and know what I say is the truth. I want you to lay back and try to relax…it's going to be okay.”

 

Rin obliged to do what Tsubaki told her to do, for the first time completely aware of everything that she was hearing. The good doctor had fallen right into the role Rin had known she would play and now Rin finally had the upper hand.

 

 

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

 

 

Sesshoumaru was out of the car the minute Ryen pulled in at the school and glanced around the parking lot. The first thing he noticed was the lack there of Rin's car. He glanced back towards Ryen, his eyes narrowing to slits, “Have you talked to my brother today?”

 

Ryen shook his head and put the car into park. He slid out of the car and removed his sunglasses. “No but I know he was around the school today, I personally talked to Kaede about allowing him to follow the girls for safety.”

 

Sesshoumaru's scowl deepened as he turned around and walked towards the school. Ryen fell into step behind him as they pushed through the school doors. Sesshoumaru headed straight for the doors to the auditorium then paused when a voice reached his ears. “What the fuck are you doin here? Practice ended like an hour ago.”

 

Turning around, Sesshoumaru found himself nearly nose to nose with Kouga. His eyes shifted to the two men behind Kouga and he nearly growled. “What the fuck are you three doing here? Where are Rin and that irresponsible brother of mine?”

 

Kouga wrinkled his nose and glanced back to the guys behind him. “Inu?”

 

Bankotsu took flank of the group, pushing Kouga away from Sesshoumaru. “Yash booked it out of here about an hour ago with Kagome, before the practice ended. Something about being in deep shit.”

 

Kouga turned to Hiten and muttered, “Wasn't InuYasha with you guys?”

 

Sesshoumaru snapped his head in their direction and raised an eyebrow, “he was with you two instead of watching my mate?”

 

Kouga exchanged looks with Bankotsu and lowered his head to scratch behind his ear. “Err…Kagome said that you took Rin to go see her shrink. She wasn't at…”

 

Ryen took the moment that Sesshoumaru was speechless to step in and interrupt Kouga. “Kagome said what now?”

 

Hiten groaned, only then to be pinned by a specifically nasty glower from Sesshoumaru. “The bitch said that…” he was silenced by a sharp jab to the gut by Bankotsu.

 

Kouga shifted his weight and repeated, “Kagome said that Rin told her that Sesshoumaru came and picked her up to take her to her shrinks. She didn't want Kagome to tell InuYasha because something about him not agreeing with you over the doctor. But Rin was never here…she never showed up at play practice.”

 

Sesshoumaru turned on his heels, out the door in an instant with his cell phone in hand.

 

Ryen nodded slowly as he zoned his gaze to meet the red eyes of Hiten. He took a step towards the boy, who instantly backed away, then paused. He shook his head once and mouthed `just wait' then turned his back to the crew. “The school closed over an hour ago, get your asses out of here or I'll have you arrested for trespassing.”

 

Kouga rolled his eyes but grabbed his book bag never the less. “Come on, I'm getting the fuck out of here.”

 

Bankotsu took his time as he picked up the guitar case. “Like I give a fuck…you do you, Kouga. I'm gonna go find Yash.”

 

Hiten scowled and crossed his arms slowly, “he's with his bitch, remember? Probably fucking the shit out of her somewhere in the school, since that's all they just about do.”

 

Ryen paused by the door and turned around the face the kids. “Did my warning sound like anything else? Get the fuck out, now!”

 

Kouga brushed past the officer, knowing full well the wrath of a dog demon and headed towards his car. The other two slackers were a bit slow on the uptake, glowering at Ryen as they past by him.

 

Ryen reached out and grabbed Bankotsu's bicep carefully and swung him around to face him. “Where the hell is delinquent number three?”

 

Bankotsu seemed baffled for a moment before gasping, “oh, Yash?” he laughed wryly, “Fuck if I know. He was getting all sappy with Kagome after singing to her so I booked it out of there before I had to witness L.A.P.”

 

Ryen raised an eyebrow as he walked towards his Shelby. “L.A.P.? Do I really want to know?”

 

Bankotsu added slowly, “live action porn. Not something worth seeing, ask Inu about it.”

 

Ryen seemed disgusted. “I think I'll pass thanks.”

 

Bankotsu winked once in jest then rolled his eyes and threw his guitar case over his back and walked towards his other friend. “Yo, you comin' with me to go find Yash?”

 

Hiten sneered for a moment, his face molding to that of someone who had sucked on something sour. He crossed his arms slowly and shook his head, “why the hell do you want to find that shit brick?”

 

Ryen rolled his eyes and headed for the car. “If you run into my nephew around here, tell him he better fucking call me; Kagome knows something that is going on.”

 

Bankotsu waved a hand at the demon as he and his friend walked towards the exit of the school. Bankotsu shoved his hands into his pockets as they watched Ryen slam the door to the car. Without looking at Hiten, he muttered, “I'm worried…”

 

Hiten sneered and lit up a joint. “Why…what the fuck does it matters about that cunt? Hopefully the bitch Rin, got hit by a fucking truck…”

 

Bankotsu stopped walking and dropped his chin towards the sidewalk to stare at the ground for a moment. Lifting his head, he brushed his long black hair from his face with a deep scowl. “What the hell is your problem, man? Why the hell do you have it out for her?”

 

Hiten paused and looked over his shoulder at Bankotsu, his red eyes narrowing, “look, Bank…I remember why the fuck were here. I fuckin remember it all…you, on the other hand, seem to have forgotten our mission. Don't you give a damn anymore about Yash coming back with us? Don't you give a fuck about the gang? Fuck that bitch…fuck those dikes that Yash hangs out with. We're his family! Us, not them!”

 

Bankotsu sat back on the balls of his feet and shrugged nonchalantly, “everything's different now, Hiten. When we came up here, I thought Yash would be…well…Yash. But he ain't…he's changed.”

 

Hiten glowered at his friend then hissed, “it must be in the water, this damn disease, cause you're growing fucking soft. What the hell happened to `take no prisoners, Yash needs to come home?' Wasn't that our plan…wasn't that one of the reasons we came here?”

 

Bankotsu shook his head and pushed his hair from his face. He slowly chuckled a rasp laugh then grunted and crossed his arms. “You really are being a dick, you know that? Can't you open those fuckin' glazed over eyes for like two seconds? Can't you see the truth that InuYasha is happy with Kagome…and that we really don't have a place to be interrupting?”

 

Hiten turned to face his friend and dropped the roach onto the floor and squashed it with his foot. “I don't give a damn. We're being paid…or did you forget that? We have a fuckin' job to do, Bankotsu…and I plan on doing it.”

 

Bankotsu turned and glanced back into the parking lot towards Ryen's car. “I…I can't.”

 

Hiten slowly raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

 

Bankotsu shook his head slowly, “I can't…I just can't do it. These people…yeah, they started off guarded, which can you blame them? But…they really aren't half bad.”

Hiten laughed loudly, barking out the chortles in deep eerie segments. “Oh, you're a trip, Bank! You think these people will ever accept you into their lives? You think you'll ever fit in? What happened to us being the only family we need…what happened to the bonds we made as brothers?”

 

Bankotsu shrugged, growing weary of the hurt in his friend's eyes. “We are brothers, Hiten…but sometimes…sometimes we got to go solo, ya know? At some point we need to move on. InuYasha did…”

 

Hiten shook his head and turned away from his friend. “Look…I got shit I got to do, with or without you.”

 

Bankotsu grabbed his arm in a second and turned him around. “You ain't gonna….” He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. “The other night…you were gonna listen, weren't you?”

 

Hiten shook off his friend's hand after a dark glower and moved closer to bring his face towards his friends. “What I planned to do don't mean shit now, you saw to that. Look, either you do it or don't…but don't get in my fucking way!” he turned and paused.

 

Bankotsu felt his mouth go dry as he took a step after his friend. “Hiten, you dumb ass…we can walk away!”

 

Hiten laughed darkly and shot back, “I don't walk away with my tail between my legs, asshole. But you seem so complacent with this new fucking society, so you stay here and play nice-nice and pray that one day they will accept you. You live your lie and tell me how great of a fuckin outcome it was at the end. I plan on doing what I promised! InuYasha will return to Kyushu…without that bitch of a girlfriend, his bastard of a brother of his and that cunt that follows them.”

 

Bankotsu numbly watched Hiten walk around the corner then cursed loudly and slammed his fist into the tree closest to him. It was not supposed to be like this…this wasn't supposed to happen. Grabbing his cell phone, he ripped it open and dialed a number. It was time to come clean.

 

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

 

 

Ryen reached the car and pulled open the door, Sesshoumaru was in the passenger seat with a crushed cell phone in his hand. Ryen regarded the device for a moment then its owner. “Couldn't get a hold of anyone, I take it?”

 

Sesshoumaru reached over the driver's seat and turned on the car. “Drive, jiji, I have a bad feeling.”

Ryen scowled at the demon but threw the car into gear regardless. “Where would she go?”

 

Sesshoumaru put a hand to his face and sighed, “Isn't it obvious? She went to Tsubaki.”

 

Ryen narrowed his eyes, “I warned that bitch to stay the hell away from Rin!”

 

Sesshoumaru turned slowly to stare at the older demon, his eyes ablaze with anger. “You did what?”

 

Ryen repeated himself slower, “I told Tsubaki to stay the hell away from Rin. This isn't just about Naraku, Sesshoumaru; this is personal. Tsubaki has a nasty vendetta against your family, ranging from my brother to me to your mother. We knew her in high school…I never put two and two together until I did a little research while you were in Kyoto. I found the bitch, cornered her and told her to stay the hell away from Rin.”

 

Sesshoumaru nearly put his fist through the dashboard. “Are you a complete idiot? Why the hell would you do that? Now Tsubaki knows we're onto her and if Rin is there, she's in even more danger then before!”

 

Ryen shifted his eyes to glare at his nephew while facing forward. “Calm your voice, Sesshoumaru. I'm not an idiot! She won't fuck with Rin…”

 

Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes nearly golf ball size. “The fuck you aren't!” he reached under the seat and pulled out a dashboard siren and shoved it into the window. “Make this car go faster, Ryen! Make it fucking grow wings and fly!” His frantic golden eyes latched onto the road in front of them. `If Tsubaki really has it out for us, and Rin is there alone…then she is in danger.'

 

Ryen reached out to grab the light away from Sesshoumaru and growled when the boy moved it out of his reach. “Sesshoumaru, first off don't tell me how to drive and second, don't fuck with me! Put away the light!”

 

Sesshoumaru moved the light again then reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun, training it on Ryen. “Drive the fucking car faster!”

 

Ryen glanced incredulously at his nephew and was nearly tempted to pull a power slide to the curb then beat the crap out of the boy next to him. His voice rose as his eyes widened, “are you really pointing that gun at me?”

 

Sesshoumaru cocked back the trigger, “drive, Ryen!”

 

Ryen slammed on the gas, speeding through a red light and continued down the residential road at about ninety miles an hour. Drifting around corners, it took them about five minutes to make a fifteen-minute drive. Power sliding in a near two hundred and sixty degree turn, Ryen pulled the car with perfect ease into a parking spot and turned to Sesshoumaru. “You are not still pointing that thing at me! What did I tell you about toys, Sesshoumaru? Put that shit away before I break your arm off along with the gun!”

 

Sesshoumaru growled and kept the gun trained. “Something doesn't sit right with me…” He unlatched the safety on the gun. “You come into our lives at exactly the right time that we need help…proclaiming to be our father's long lost brother. Lucky for you, we have someone here to help us out in believing that story; Kagome's mother. Can it be that you really are trying to take over this gang yourself? After seeing your brother dead, could it be that you've come back to inherit all of his money? You know as well as I do my father's name was worth billions.”

 

Ryen's eyes darkened considerably and narrowed to slits. “Just what the hell are you implying?”

 

Sesshoumaru met the glower with his icy stare. “I think that you are out to destroy Naraku…so you can take over his market. I think that you've been setting us up this entire time to take down Naraku for you and pledge our allegiance to you without a doubt, thinking that you're here to help.”

 

Ryen took a short breath and sneered while staring up the barrel of the gun at his nephew. “Son, you're starting to piss me off. Put away your toy or shoot me…either way, get it the fuck out of my face.”

 

Sesshoumaru merely stared. “I think you've been using Rin in this game as a way to keep connections open with Naraku. Once you have Naraku where you want him, you'll order the kill. Yet you had to use Rin, and for that there is no forgiveness.”

 

Ryen stared at Sesshoumaru for a long moment then began to laugh, loudly. “You're not half bad of a detective, you know that kid? I can't believe you think that I would have any type of allegiance to that son of a bitch!” his laughed died out as he slowly shook his head, “but what I can't believe more is that you think I would sell out my own kin.”

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly, “all you've done since you got here is get into pissing matches with me over my right to rule this family…my claim to the Taisho name. Why wouldn't you want us all out of the picture after Naraku is gone? Appear to be on the same playing field as us, under the title of ally, then turn and stab us in the back when we're not looking? Tell me, you say that you had no clue that our father was going to be killed by Launia…and yet you probably didn't even blink when you got the news. What was your angle in it? What did you have to do with my father's death?”

 

Ryen slowly nodded a small cynical smile building on his face. His eyes focused on the barrel of the gun as he spoke. “You want to know what I had to do with my brother's death?” He lifted his head to gaze at his nephew, his eyes the darkest that Sesshoumaru could ever recall seeing them. “You want the truth, you self-righteous bastard? I had everything to do with my brother's death.” With a near invisible move, he grabbed the barrel of the gun that was aimed at his head and avoided the shot that Sesshoumaru clipped off. The window behind his head shattered but he didn't care. Yanking the gun from Sesshoumaru's hands, he threw it into the back seat and reared back and aimed to slam his fist into Sesshoumaru's jaw.

 

The younger Youkai moved faster. His hand caught Ryen's fist and with power even he didn't know he possessed, he pushed Ryen backwards and out through the car door, which swung open with the pressure of the blow. Sesshoumaru just about ripped his door off its hinge as he swiftly got out of the car. He moved around the car and ducked under the roundhouse Ryen launched to put distance between the two. Sesshoumaru jumped away from another blow delivered by Ryen and grabbed Ryen's foot. With strength that he could marvel at, he swung the demon to his left and smashed his back into the Shelby. Before Ryen could recover, Sesshoumaru had him by his throat and slammed him backwards onto the car, his claws digging into the Youkai's throat. With a feral growl, Sesshoumaru seethed, “I trusted you! I trusted you with my mate's life! How could you?”

 

Ryen stared up at his nephew in near shock. He had it in his blood to fight the boy and the knowledge in his heart that if he so willed it, Sesshoumaru could be dead in a minute. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his body to lax in the boy's grasp. ` He doesn't understand…he doesn't get it.' With a deep sigh, Ryen shook his head, “you didn't let me finish.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled and tightened his hold. “Do I really need to? I know your angle…I know your plan, I'm already ahead of you on it! I will not allow you to hurt Rin though! Where is she?”

 

Ryen let out another sigh and shook his head slowly. “You do need to know, Sesshoumaru. You asked what I had to do with my brother's death. I told you everything; I had everything to do with it because I couldn't prevent it, I wasn't there to prevent it! I knew that Inuno was in trouble but I wasn't brave enough…I wasn't strong enough…to come back and protect him! I failed him, Sesshoumaru! It was all my fault!” his golden eyes snapped open and he grabbed Sesshoumaru's hand to pull the Youkai closer. His words seeped from his mouth like venom, anger and frustration coloring the picture vividly for Sesshoumaru to understand. “I failed him…and by the gods, I'm failing you as well! But I won't…I can't…fail you and your brother! I promised your father that I would protect you two, and I will!”

 

Sesshoumaru took a moment to seem to dwell over the words presented by his uncle. Slowly, he retracted his claws from the Youkai's neck. “Tell me now, and swear it on everything you hold holy, that you do not mean my mate or my kin harm.”

 

Ryen sighed and cracked his neck before pushing Sesshoumaru away an arms length. “I swear it on my brother's grave that I am here to protect you two…if not from the outside world then from yourselves.”

 

Sesshoumaru seemed hesitant then sighed and shook his head slowly, “you're a trip, old man. Nearly got yourself killed!”

 

Ryen laughed weakly and shrugged his coat into place. With a glance towards his nephew, he paused, “And by the gods, if you question my motives again I will severely hurt you!” he turned, not waiting for Sesshoumaru's response and glared at the damage inflicted to his car from his nephews anger. His driver's side door was completely bent in the wrong direction, apparent of a forced exit and the passenger door was barely hanging onto its place. His jaw dropped as his voice rose, “you know you're paying for that, right?”

 

Sesshoumaru pushed past Ryen and stormed for the darkened building.

 

A voice beat him to the door. “Ain't no one in there, Sessh…we tried.”

 

Sesshoumaru whirled to his left to find InuYasha sitting on the bricks with Kagome between his legs. The girl's face was pale, her cheeks and eyes flushed dark red as trails of tears still lingered. He narrowed his eyes and took a step towards the couple. He growled out between his teeth, “where the hell is Rin?”

 

InuYasha gently rubbed Kagome's shoulders as his eyes locked with his brothers. He seemed nearly pained, “I didn't know th—that she wasn't at practice. Kenchi kicked me out and…”

 

Sesshoumaru moved closer, his voice grew more menacing. “I didn't ask about you're fucking day. Where the hell is my mate?”

 

Kagome sniffed then burst out in a loud wail, “it's my fault. I lied to InuYasha! She told me…Rin told me that you were picking her up and I didn't question it! I know you always take her to the doctor! I'm sorry…gods, I'm sorry Sesshoumaru!” she closed her eyes as tears dripped down her cheek. InuYasha held her a big tighter and whispered soothing words in her ear, low enough to be of no meaning to Sesshoumaru.

 

Sesshoumaru sneered and pivoted away from the pair. He walked to the door and banged on them twice, then tried yanking at the doors. His eyebrows knit together in thought as he whirled around to face the older demon walking towards them. “This fucking building was open the last god damn time you two came near here, was it not?”

 

InuYasha nodded dumbly, “it was open because there is a clinic inside that operates late on Monday nights. It's closed today…so they locked up the building.”

 

Sesshoumaru lifted his gaze to meet Ryen's. “Get the fucking keys or by the gods, I'll rip down this door!”

 

Ryen walked past Sesshoumaru and put his ear to the door. After a moment, he scowled and pulled back, “there ain't no one in there, pup. It's pointless to bust in.”

 

Sesshoumaru looked as if he were about to throw a fit. “There could be some damn clues to where the fuck Rin is!”

 

Ryen held up a hand and nodded slowly, “or she could be at the mansion…or at her home. She could be anywhere right now. Let's…not go crazy yet.”

 

Kagome sniffled and buried her head in InuYasha's chest as InuYasha slowly shook his head. “Why don't I go check Rin's old house while Kagome heads home to wait at the phone or to see if she comes in.”

 

Ryen's voice overpowered the nod from Sesshoumaru. “No.” all faces turned towards the demon. Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to protest it but Ryen spoke first. “I don't want Kagome being left alone. I have a bad feeling and if Naraku's men are making a move, it's best to stick in pairs at this point.”

 

Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his hair and slowly shook his head, his eyes wide. “This can't be happening…that bastard is in jail! He can't…he wouldn't…”

 

InuYasha took a deep breath and intervened. “Sessh…Ryen's right. I don't want to jump to any conclusions…I would love to think Rin's home right now, which she could very well be, but we can't take chances. We'll go to Rin's old house then head back to the mansion.”

 

Ryen nodded, “we'll scope out town then go to the police station. I have a few trustworthy men I'll get onto the streets to look for her.” he turned gravely to Sesshoumaru and nodded once. “We'll find her, son, don't worry. I don't smell blood or anything out of place…”

 

Sesshoumaru turned his head slowly to meet his uncle's gaze. “Just because you smell no blood does not mean she is safe. As you said, Naraku has minions.” His mouth hung open, all the worries in the world resting in his amber eyes before he snapped his jaw shut and shoved his hands into his pockets. It was taking all of his strength not to tremble; the thought of losing Rin was playing on fears he didn't know he had possessed in his body.

 

InuYasha hopped off the cement block he was sitting on and wrapped his arm around Kagome. Taking a glance at the two silent demons, he prodded, “So…either one of you going to tell me just what the hell happened when you pulled in?”

 

 

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

 

The jingle of the two gold bells betrayed Rin of her silent entrance into the tiny store. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down in its erratic beating. If feigning innocence towards Tsubaki's tactics of manipulation hadn't been hard enough to pull off, making it out of the doctor's office hadn't helped. Tsubaki seemed irritated by the end of the session, though Rin had obliged every whim that Tsubaki threw at her. Rin had never been so furious in her life and trying to act coy to the raging emotion had physically drained her. Rin closed her eyes and leaned against the cash register of the convenience store and took a deep breath. Tsubaki's words coursed through her brain like electric shocks, the anger still present in her blood. `Hate him, Rin…hate Sesshoumaru for what he did to you. Hate Sesshoumaru for leaving you in this situation, for forcing you…' Rin clasp her hands over her ears and began to hum, her eyes watering through her thick lashes. `It's not true…he never did this to me.' The knowledge that she had yet again been deceived weighed heavily on the young girl, but now she knew…she understood everything. She had been having these nightmares…these hallucinations…because Tsubaki willed it, because Naraku willed it. The drugs that Tsubaki had been feeding her had done something to her and Rin was slowly beginning to wonder if the effects would ever be reversed. But she did know one thing; she wanted to be in Sesshoumaru's arms now more then ever. With a resolute that not the gods themselves could break, Rin pushed off the counter and walked towards the only open pharmacy window in town. It had taken two hours of searching, of driving to nearly all corners of Tokyo to find one, but she was finally successful. She reached the counter that was up to her chin and rested her arms on it, allowing the wood to act like a crutch to support her weight. She found herself exhausted yet free. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, willing the dull pounding in the front of her forehead to cease.

 

“Oyasumi nasai, how can I be of some help, young lady?”

 

Rin cracked open one eye and shot the older Pharmacist a waning smile. “Oyasumi nasai…I was hoping you would be able to help me, sir.” She reached into her pocket and dragged out a small container. She had shoved the pills that she had taken from Tsubaki's office into an empty Advil container to transport them without the fear of losing them. She opened the container slowly as her gray eyes met the curious brown ones of the aged man. “I bought a container of Advil from a supermarket up town and found these pills at the top. The container wasn't sealed, and I thought these pills odder then the rest. I figured they wouldn't be safe to take so…I put them to the side.” she dumped the two pills into her hand and offered the man one. “Can you tell me what it is? I know it's not Advil, that's for sure.”

 

The Pharmacist reached into his front pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses. Putting them onto his wrinkled face, he took the pill from Rin and carefully looked it over. “Well, young lady, you're quite right. This is not Advil…but I hardly have the equipment to tell you what it is.”

 

Rin resisted the urge to bang her head on the counter as she sighed deeply. “What can you tell me of it then; anything…anything at all?”

 

The Pharmacist looked over the pill with extraordinary care. He held up a bony finger and nodded to the girl, “Hold on…I'll take a look at it under the microscope I have, but that is about all I can do.”

 

Rin smiled and bowed curtly, “Domo arrigato!”

 

The Pharmacist waved a hand and smiled at Rin before turning and walking back into his lab.

 

Rin sighed and turned around and searched the tiny store. With a sigh of relief, she dropped onto a miniature bench that was added into the Americanized building. Dropping her head into her hands, she still warded off tears. `This entire time Tsubaki has been lying to me. She conned me to turn me against Sesshoumaru and to forget Naraku. Why…so I won't testify against him?' she shook her head and then leaned back to rest her head against the cool wooden wall. `Even if she was successful, the nation will still prosecute Naraku for his crimes…for his gang activity! There is no way they would simply let him go!' she sighed loudly and shook her head again. `It doesn't make sense. Why go through all of this bullshit just to shut me up?' she heard the door to the pharmacy jingle again and her breath caught in her throat. Irrational fears panged through her mind as she felt her heart skip a beat. `What if Dr. Yamaoto knows I was lying? What if she knows I was faking it all? Would she come after me? Would she have Naraku's men come after me?' she leapt up from her seat and ran into a side isle to glance towards the front of the store. Grabbing a magazine, she thrust it in front of her face and lowered her head to cover herself by the paper. After a moment, she turned away from the racks of magazines to peer over the top of the paper.

 

There was an elderly woman by the register chatting away with the sales clerk. Rin let out a deep breath and then chuckled warily. `What am I thinking? It's like I'm stuck in a spy novel. Will the next guy through the door be the one in the trench coat with the ak47 poised against me?' she laughed wryly again and dropped the magazine back into place.

 

A voice in the back of her mind stopped her though, and caused her heart rate to once again escalate. `You may joke about this but you really are in a conspiracy. Someone is out to get you; they are out to shut you up. And if Dr. Yamaoto realizes that you were faking, death might be the next option. Laugh it up now, Rin…but you better watch your back until you have Sesshoumaru with you to watch it for you.'

 

Rin swallowed hard and opened her eyes slowly. She was right…she really was up shit's creek if she didn't get to Sesshoumaru fast; and driving around in a four hundred thousand dollar car didn't help. She stuck out like a sore thumb and anyone who knew her, Naraku, Vincennes, Yamaoto…they all knew the car. How easy would it be to track? How easy would it be if they still had their hands in the police department? Rin chewed on the inside of her cheek as she reached the desk. Looking over it and into the back, she called out hesitantly, “did you find anything?”

 

The Pharmacist returned a little red in the cheeks and his eyes narrowed. He fumbled with the pill in his hands before glancing at the girl. “And you say this was in your Advil container?”

 

Rin nodded dumbly, “yes sir.”

 

The old man rubbed his chin then shook his head. “Well, my dear, today is your lucky day. I would report this to the police right away! This pill…what it is, is a drug called Nembutal. If you really found this in a bottle of pain killers, you could make fortunes over a law suit!”

 

Rin's mouth slacked slightly as she took her time to collect her thoughts. “How…how so? What is it? What does it to?”

 

The doctor rubbed his eyes and set the pill on the counter top. “Well…it's a barbiturate that basically slows the brains functioning.” Noticing the slightly blank stare on Rin's face, the man relented, “it kind of works much like alcohol, while impairing a person's judgment and making them more susceptive to outside thoughts. If you take this with the right psychiatric drugs, it can make you a basic psychological doormat.”

 

Rin felt her mouth go dry as she leaned forward, “What kind of drugs do you need to mix it with?”

 

The old man raised a thinning eyebrow and then shrugged. “well…any, really. You wouldn't stand a chance taking this for long if you were taking let's say Prozac or Xanax.”

 

Rin nodded slowly, her eyes blurring with tears. “Thank you so much, sir! This really helps me out!”

 

The pharmacist glanced from the pill to the girl in front of him. “If you were to mix the two for so long, it could quite possibly render someone unconscious…or even worse, comatose.”

 

Rin licked the front of her teeth and let out a short sigh. “I get it now…thank you!” she turned and fled down the isle towards the door, leaving the man with one of the pills and a look of disbelief on his face. Shrugging, he picked up the phone and called the police; an incident involving a barbiturate in an Advil container had to be reported.

 

 

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

 

Rin dashed out in the dark street and didn't stop running until she reached her car. Placing both hands on the hood, she ducked her head and vomited once into the street. `So that was how it was, huh? Yamaoto wasn't trying to get her to forget about Naraku, she was trying to kill her. The knowledge didn't really shock Rin; a numb feeling in her gut was telling her she should be getting used to the idea. Yet still…something still ate away at her insides, still told her to get the hell away from everything. Take Sesshoumaru with her and run, that was the clearest of the messages. Rin sighed and wiped her mouth then glanced around the blackened streets. It was well past eight o'clock and Sesshoumaru must have been throwing a fit. She had never know a desire so great in her heart as to be by his side right now, almost like a warning of the trouble to come that her soul craved comfort against. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her car key, realizing her cell phone was on her driver's seat. She would call Sesshoumaru and tell him to come pick her up; she wasn't about to go driving around if in fact someone was after her. She walked out in to the street then paused. It was a sound of metal hitting metal, maybe a can being kicked into a garbage can, but it came from the alley right next to the store. Rin froze, every muscle in her back contracting and making her perfectly ridged. She heard a footstep and that was all it took. Dashing around to the side of her car, she jammed her key into the lock.

 

An arm wrapped around her from behind and pressed her flat against her car as the assailants other hand pushed her face into the roof of her car. “Just don't say a fuckin' word, bitch, and I won't have to fuck you up.”

 

Rin loosened her grasp on her keys and allowed the metal to fall away from the lock she was trying to pry open with a short gasp. She took a deep breath as the man's free hand wrapped around her hair and snapped her head back, her throat exposed to the cold night air and to the man's angry eyes. She felt for a moment her heart stop in her chest as the eyes from under the ski mask met hers. She swallowed hard as she stumbled away from the car, tears easily forming in the corners of her eyes. In a fleeting hope, her hand wrapped around that of the one on her hair to balance herself as she felt one tear drip down her cheek.

 

The man smiled, his eyes watching the tear with a glimmer of pure sadism in his eyes. His voice was masked along with his face, for the one that escaped the lips of the mask was to deep, to gruff, to fit the eyes. “Didn't anyone tell you it's dangerous to walk alone at night, little girl?”

 

Rin closed her eyes and then jammed her hand backwards, imbedding her key into the man's inner thigh. With a howl, the man threw her forward. Rin barreled towards her car and pressed herself against the car to stop herself from falling on her face then took off running. The icy November night air stung her face, nearly crystallizing the tears that were dripping down her cheeks. She turned a corner blindly and continued to run. She heard footsteps behind her and more tears flowed. `What the hell was I thinking? I should have run into the store! Shit! Shit, shit, shit!' she wasn't an idiot, she knew that if her assailant had those colored eyes, that they were a demon or some punk kid trying to be a demon. Either way, she was in danger. Rin skid around a corner, her feet fumbling under her and her hands touching the pavement. She was up again nearly as fast as she had faltered and running for her life. The footsteps had ceased behind her but she knew not to trust that sense. She could just about feel the hot breath of her attacker on her neck and that alone gave her the inertia to run. Hopefully, she begged with every bone in her body, that he was just some mugger trying to get a buck. If that were so though, he would have grabbed the purse she had dropped. With a grimace, she rounded another corner and ran towards the subway station. Funny that there was no one on the street tonight, she noted with a sense of dramatic irony pumping through her veins. Taking the steps three at a time, Rin slammed herself down the stairs then hopped the turn style. Her eyes darted up and down the tracks before barreling towards the only train in station.

 

She rushed into the train and then ran towards the conductor's door. She was screaming at this point and hadn't fully realized it. “Go, Christ, put this train in motion! Go, just go!” yet the train didn't move. It was as if a slow motion horror movie gone wrong was happening in front of her eyes; she was the only one on the train, in the station…on the street. Her feet suddenly became weights of hundreds of pounds, her mouth becoming drier then any desert. She skid to a halt, her eyes the size of golf balls, as she slowly glanced around the train.

 

“Boo!”

 

Rin screamed and jumped away from the man dressed in camouflage pants, a black trench coat and a ski mask. Rin backed against the train's door, her hand groping the wall praying to find a switch to open the door that led to the empty tracks.

 

The man looked one direction, towards the windows then shook his head slowly. “I wouldn't do that…”

 

Rin slammed the emergency exit button and the door swung open as another train skid by the one stopped in station. Rin screamed louder and jumped further into the cab of the train, away from the open door that nearly killed her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she slowly turned to glare at her attacker, her hands balling into fists in front of her chest with the viciousness of a caged animal.

 

The man seemed to take this in jest. With a loud evil laugh, he sneered, “You want to fight me, bitch? You're actually gonna take me on?”

 

Rin narrowed her eyes as she slowly took in her surroundings. The man used the moment's distraction to his advantage. Taking a step towards Rin, he swung a hasty punch at her head. Rin ducked under the blow then jumped up. She latched onto the bars that lined the ceiling for holding onto and kicked at the man, catching him in the face. She dropped instantly and ran around him with a new burst of energy, heading for the door. Freedom was two steps away and if she could make it out of the train, there was a chance she might make it to surface.

 

A hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled the girl to the floor, her jaw cracking on the metal ground with a deafening crack. Her assailant stood up and brushed his pants off before cracking his neck slowly. “Stupid bitch, you going to make this hard by running again? It ain't like we won't find you later!”

 

Rin rolled over slowly, spots blazing in different colors in front of her eyes as she slowly shook her head, trying to clear her vision. She couldn't move her head, her jaw hurt so bad that it was a near blinding pain. She groaned and shook her head slowly, her eyes wide and trained on the man in front of her.

 

He seemed to relax slowly by this notion of her injury and shook his head before cracking his neck again. “No bitch has ever landed a hit on me like that before…”

 

Rin rolled her eyes and slowly began to inch backwards. “Well…now one has. Does it hurt your pride, asshole?”

 

The man took a few steps towards her, his eyes darkening with an unvoiced warning to her futile idea of escape. “You pissed off the wrong people, bitch.”

Rin shrugged and slowly sat up, the terror in her eyes barely suppressed. “I…I guess I did. Oh well…that asshole Naraku deserved everything he got, plus some.”

 

The man took another step towards her then paused, “maybe…but you sure as hell won't be fairing better come tomorrow.”

 

Rin swallowed hard then stuck out her chin, her façade of pride beginning to grow stronger. If he meant to kill her, would he really be wasting this much time? “Who are you?”

 

The man shrugged, “does it matter?”

 

Rin's eyes narrowed as conspiracy theories began to swirl in her head. Suddenly, to Rin, she found it impossibly clear; everything that had happened over the last month, her day's revelations, Sesshoumaru, InuYasha, the dragons, Naraku's downfall…everything. She saw it all slowly, as if a movie without sound. She struggled to find a voice and what came out was startling strong. “I get it…I now just fucking get it. You guys worked this all out, didn't you, Bankotsu? Get rid of opposing gang leaders; use your friends to do so. Launia betrayed Diegosan by hiring you guys to…”

 

A harsh laugh was her response. “You're getting ahead of yourself, bitch. Good guess on my identity, thought, but still not quite.” The man reached up and ripped off the hood revealing a pissed off thunder demon. Hiten laughed at the snide look that swam across Rin's face. “But don't worry…I have enough shit set up to make it seem like Bankotsu did this…so that when Sesshoumaru is looking for a head to take off a pair of shoulders to blame for your abduction, InuYasha will have to intervene. It's just enough time to put your predicament off to the side and allow Naraku to walk from prison a free man.”

 

Rin swallowed hard and sat up to edge away from the man staring at her like a ravenous predator. Everything was starting to jumble in her mind as she tried to sort out what was going on. “Why…why are you working for Naraku?”

 

Hiten shrugged and backed Rin up against a wall. “Because…he has the cocaine I want…and all I have to do is hold you in one place for a matter of a few hours…and of course some other pragmatics but that shouldn't worry you.”

 

Rin shook her head slowly, her eyes beginning to dance around the cabin on the small subway car. “Why doesn't that comfort me?”

 

Hiten laughed wickedly. “Fuck if I give a damn. I offered to kill you actually…but Naraku said not to, he said he didn't want you dead yet. Probably wants to fuck you some more or something. Maybe make you watch as he…” Hiten deliberately stopped his sentence then shrugged.

 

Rin crossed her arms and slowly began to work her way to her feet. She ignored the jab from the demon, remembering quite well his vulgar accusations the previous night. Seeing her move, Hiten shoved her shoulder back to the floor. She hit the metal and grimaced, shooting Hiten an icy glower. “And when did you talk to Naraku? Before or after he became a prison bitch, much like what you'll be by time I'm done with you?”

 

Hiten knelt down in front of Rin and grabbed her chin roughly. Yanking her face to his, he sneered, “that's not for you to worry about. This entire time we've been operating under Naraku's orders. Keep InuYasha busy and his attention away from you and Sesshoumaru. It's worked.” He stared at the girl for a moment before slowly rubbing her cheek with two fingers. “You know, if you weren't such a bitch, I might actually feel something about this…but I don't.”

 

Rin's eyes darkened as she pushed her back against the car. “What the hell does that mean?”

 

Hiten shrugged and raised an eyebrow. “Not a damn thing. I think you deserve to have the shit beat out of you. You're a dick tease, Rin…someone who wants the attention but won't put out for it.” his eyes traveled down her body then back to her face. “Maybe I should do something about that before we leave this train.”

Rin sneered and narrowed her eyes, “I thought you didn't feel anything.”

Hiten shrugged and moved closer, “I don't…”

 

Rin shrugged then pushed her weight back onto her hands and brought her knee up in front of her, catching the demon in the groin with an echoing impact. Hiten screamed bloody murder and fell back into the fetal position and Rin quickly shot to her feet. “You feel that, asshole?” Rin whirled around to run and yelped as another hand grabbed her arm. Her eyes widened as she was shoved into the wall and something jabbed into her right bicep. The world instantly fell out of focus as she blinked rapidly. She could just about make out another figure and a black haired woman standing in the door, the woman looking quite smug. Rin's lips parted as she hissed out, “Yamaoto” before she got a strange metallic coppery taste in the mouth and fell over unconscious.

 

Vincennes let the girl slack against his chest before picking her up in a bridal style. Glancing down at the squirming figure of Hiten, He glanced at Tsubaki. “Guess she still packs a punch.”

 

Tsubaki didn't seem to care as she flipped her hair out of her eyes. “Whatever. We need to hurry up. No doubt that the jealous boyfriend has already made a mess of my office looking for her. Put Rin on the seat and get this fucking thing moving. We need to get to the hospital.”

 

Vincennes dropped Rin onto the row of ugly orange plastic seats and turned back to Tsubaki. “How long until she wakes up?”

 

Tsubaki smiled wickedly and shrugged. “The propofol was a concentrated dose, and will probably last for four or five hours…quite possibly if it reacts right with the drugs she's been on,” Tsubaki reached into her lab coat she was donning and pulled out a silenced colt .38. She shrugged her shoulders again and cocked the gun, “then she'll be out for about twenty-four hours. It's enough for us to do what we need to. Now get this fucking train moving.”

 

The man's eyes flowed from the doctor's face to the gun in her hands. “Uhh…doc…whazzat for?”

 

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow then turned and fired three rounds into the thunder demon that lay writhing in pain on the floor. Vincennes eyes widened as he watched the bloody barrage splatter against the silver floor as the three bullets entered the demon's head and shot his brains out the back. She put the gun back into her pocket without batting an eye. “Get rid of his carcass. I'm going to start this train”

 

Vincennes closed his eyes and muttered a quick prayer for the slain boy before picking him up and throwing him out the already open door into the opposing subway track. Sure, someone would find his body soon enough, after the people dared to venture from their homes and back into the streets, yet if they could figure out by what was left of it, it would be a miracle. For now…he was just another causality. Turning to glance at the unconscious girl, Vincennes could only wonder how much longer she had to live. With a scowl, he shut the door on the misguided boy's body and looked to the dark imminent future, one that was diminishing minute by minute for Rin and her friends.

 

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

 

Yes, I'm evil, and I'm horrid. I killed Hiten. I'm sorry…he just had to go. And the story beings! …Or ends….

 

Propofol- general Anesthesia that will cause rapid unconsciousness. Legal in 70 countries.