InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Killer Inside ❯ Chapter 10: I walk alone ( Chapter 10 )

I'm updating again. I know! So soon! Ya'll weren't ready! Anyway, the song the title comes from has been stuck in my head for a while. I feel it's really appropriate for Inuyasha in general, not just for this story. Somewhere in my head there's a vision of Yash in modern clothes walking down an ill maintained street in Cleveland when I hear this song. Of course, that means most of the streets in Cleveland, but hey…

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Chapter 10: I walk alone

"I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk alone…

My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone…"

Green Day, Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Mid-morning sunlight lay in a stripe over her face, the heat filtering though her sleep fogged mind and setting off some internal alarm. Kagome groaned and squirmed a bit, trying to escape the uncomfortable sensation but the sun's heat had crept through the entire room, making sleeping impossible. She opened her eyes and for some reason was struck by the wrongness of what she saw. It's still my room, she thought blearily. No one's here that shouldn't be. Everything seems to still be here. What am I missing? She glanced briefly at the clock beside her bed and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh my god!" she shrieked. "I overslept! It's ten o'clock!" She bolted from the bed and ran to the bathroom, just barely remembering to snag her robe on the way out the door.

"Monday, Monday," she mumbled to herself. "Where do I go on Monday? Uh…. The Carter House and the Mayor's gardens. Quincy's back garden can wait until tomorrow, there was nothing too pressing there on Thursday." She opened the bathroom door, still talking to herself and proceeded to strip for her shower. "No time for Musashi today but I would like to see about Inuyasha's mom's garden and see about maybe planting around the guest house. Daffodils are pretty but the place is inhabited by primarily men so maybe just some grasses and flowering bushes?" She noticed that something was taped to her mirror but decided to ignore it for the time being in favor of a hot shower.

She could smell something sweet baking and the remainder of a pot of coffee warming in the kitchen below as she turned the tap on. The pipes had all been modernized about fifteen years ago and rattled a bit but still worked decently. "As long as I can get a hot shower," she mumbled, thanking the gods that the house had plumbing at all. The heat felt good on her still sore shoulder. There was definitely a large bruise there, but she could feel that no bones were broken.

She washed her hair quickly and then lathered her entire body with peppermint soap, hoping to combat the heat a bit. She scrubbed her face, conditioned her hair and brushed her teeth all in less than ten minutes. When she jumped from the tub, she nearly slipped on the damp tile before she quickly caught herself on the towel rack. In moments, she was drying off with a pale violet towel and wrapping her hair in another slightly darker one. Suddenly she remembered that something had been stuck on the mirror and went over to check it.

Three photos were neatly taped to the edge of the mirror with the tape on the back so as not to damage the images. All of them seemed to be pictures of her working in Inuyasha's garden. One seemed to have been taken from the far end of the porch, another from further out in the yard and the third seemed to be taken from under the porch. Kagome frowned. "That's weird," she said.

Did Inuyasha take these, she wondered. Maybe he stopped by earlier today and dropped them off with Kaede. She turned the photos over and looked for any writing that might tell her anything. All three had the same two words on the back. "Hello, Kagome."

"Weird," she said again, shrugging. She couldn't understand why Inuyasha would take pictures of her and then give them to her, but he wasn't the most crystal clear guy. Wrapping her robe back around her body she walked back to her room and looked over her choice of clean clothes. A pair of cutoffs seemed to be calling to her from the bottom drawer of her dresser. Looking through her closet, she picked a mocha colored tank and leather sandals.

In her opinion, there was one good thing about the heat of a Louisiana summer: the dress code was very lax everywhere. No one would argue with even the skimpiest attire because it was just too hot to wear much more. Kagome dressed and ambled her way down the stairs to the kitchen, drawn by the smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls.

Kaede stood at the stove with a pan of the sweet smelling rolls in her oven-mitted hands. "Good morning, neice."

"Good morning, Kaede-baachan," Kagome replied with a smile. "Hey, did Inuyasha stop by this morning?"

"No, child, he did not. Were you expecting him?"

"No, for some reason I just thought he might have." Kagome frowned. So he didn't give them to Kaede. Maybe he just wanted me to see them? Again, weird. "Well, I'm going to need to eat and run, it's just after ten fifteen and I need to check the Carter's landscaping before coming back here for lunch with you and Sango." Kagome grabbed a still warm roll from the pan and dropped it in a napkin. "How much coffee is left?"

"A little more than two cups."

"Are you going to have another cup, Aunt Kaede?"

The old miko laughed. "No, you know I cut myself back to just half a cup years ago, dear. You go ahead and have the last two cups worth." She placed the pan of rolls on a trivet on the counter and turned back to her niece. "So, the Carters and who else today, Kagome?"

"Um… I'm supposed to see Mayor Bleudor's roses and possibly Quincy Tulane's back garden. Maybe Inuyasha's mom's garden, though I did four hours there yesterday and I think the soil might need to rest." Kagome took a bite of her cinnamon roll and paused to think. "I want to work in the green house here, but I might not have time today."

"You worked enough yesterday at Inuyasha's and our garden thrives just because you're near. Give your arm a rest today," Kaede cautioned. "It may not be broken, but you were injured yesterday."

Kagome sighed. "I know. I just hate not working on my own garden and I really liked seeing the groundwork Izayoi laid in her own garden. It's very intricate and unique."

Kaede smiled. "Each miko as her own unique style, even when powers are similar. No two miko are the same, Kagome." Kaede walked over to the cabinets and took out a mug. "Maire told me yesterday that I've done a poor job training you." Kagome blushed and shook her head, denying the claim. "No, child, she's right. I've coddled you for far too long, Kagome. Perhaps because I fear what you could become; perhaps because part of me wants to adhere to your mother's wishes and protect you from the life a miko must sometimes live." The old woman shook her head. "Regardless of why, tomorrow at dawn, we start the training I should have started with you years ago."

"Training how?"

"You'll see." Kaede poured the coffee for her niece and added just the right amount of sugar and cream. "Now finish your breakfast and go. The Carter House is waiting for you."

Kagome gulped her coffee, washing down the sweet roll, then grabbed her keys off the rack and dashed out to her car.

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He'd been staring at the phone for nearly forty-five minutes.

Fuck, if it takes this much just to call him… Inuyasha looked back down at the page with his father's phone number on it. He knew the number by heart, had known the number for years. There was no reason to have the phone book opened. His claws drummed out a staccato rhythm on the tabletop.

It was difficult for him to admit how much he valued his father's opinion, how much he loathed worrying or upsetting the older youkai. Would his father be disappointed in him because he'd failed to eliminate the threat to his life? Would he think his youngest son weak for mentioning it to him? Would it even matter?

Closing his eyes he dialed the number and pressed talk. Better get the damn thing over with, he thought. The phone had rung twice when someone picked up.

"Hello?" The voice of the Inu no Taisho was low and calm. Just hearing his father's voice helped Inuyasha relax and not feel so stupid for calling over what he considered a minor incident.

"Dad? It's me."

"Yash! It's great to hear from you!" It was clear from his tone how much he cared for him youngest son. Inuyasha smiled and relaxed a bit more. "How is everything in Louisiana? Is the house still there? How are you?"

"The house is still here, Dad," the hanyou replied with a grin. "I even remodeled the carriage house so I could rent it out. I've got a theology teacher living there right now."

"Theology?" Toga sounded surprised. "Well, at least a priest would be a quiet tenant, I suppose."

Inuyasha laughed. "He's a Buddhist monk who can't keep his hands off anything with breasts." Toga laughed along with his son. "The letch has been here a total of three days and already Kaede's niece has had to put him in his place. He also seems to have a thing for Sango, you know, Kenko and Delia's daughter?" Toga laughed harder. "She told him Sango would probably kick his ass."

"Sounds like Sango to me. Kaede has another niece living with her?" his father asked.

"Yeah, same generation as the last, different branch of the family, apparently. Her name is Kagome Higurashi. She's about twenty-one, mostly works doing gardening for locals." Inuyasha paused. "She was Kikyou's favorite cousin, actually, though I didn't meet her until recently. She's also a miko, a powerful one." The man on the other end of the line was silent for a moment. Inuyasha cleared his throat. "I've asked her to help me find Kikyou's killer." It seemed a lifetime before Toga spoke again.

"Yash, are you sure that's a good idea?" he finally asked. His voice seemed strained. "I understand how it feels to lose a mate but you can't let this rule your life-"

"Kagome's the only person here, other than Kaede and Myoga, who doesn't assume that I killed her." Inuyasha's voice began to shake. "Hell, Dad, even I think it's possible."

"No."

"But Dad-"

"No son of mine would kill their mate." Toga's voice was stern. Inuyasha felt buoyed by the faith in his father's voice. "Not willingly. No Inu-youkai would ever be able to kill their mate in cold blood or even out of anger, not and survive the pain of the broken bonds." Inuyasha closed his eyes.

"And if she refused the bonds?"

"What foolish woman refuses the bonds of-"

"Kikyou didn't want to have her soul tied to that of a youkai," Inuyasha interrupted. "She was just… I was probably the only youkai ever that she didn't completely loath." There was silence again on the other end.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"I'm getting over it." Inuyasha sighed into the receiver and ran a hand through his hair. "But you see why I have to figure out what happened. She was not my bonded mate, but she was still mine when she died. Weather she liked it or not, she was mine and I have to know. I have to avenger her." He let out another deep breath. "And if I killed her… I'm not sure what I'll do."

"Why do the locals think you killed her, Yash?" Toga's voice was a bit softer. Inuyasha breathed deeply and let it out very slowly.

"Because we argued, publicly and very heatedly, the night before she disappeared," he finally replied.

"About?"

"She…" Inuyasha took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I was early finishing up some papers and wanted to surprise her at work. When I got there, she hadn't arrived at her office yet and several of her students were waiting for her. I sat in her office and waited with them but the moment she opened the door..."

"What happened?" Inuyasha clenched his fists until he could feel blood dripping down his arm, he could feel himself growling. "Yash. Inuyasha." He took deep breaths of air, the pain still raw inside. "What happened?"

"She reeked of sex," he gasped, voice raw and guttural. "It clung to her like cheap perfume. And there was no hint of guilt." For an instant, Inuyasha could swear he heard his father growling. He took another deep breath and continued. "I literally dragged her to my car. We argued on the way back to the house. We argued at the house. She begged me to listen to her, to understand why she did what she did, but I refused to listen. I threw her out of the house. I literally picked her up and threw her out on the porch. After that, I went into my dojo and fought until I blacked out." Inuyasha took another deep breath. "The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital with her blood still on my hands."

"Why did you never tell us? Your mother and I, we would have helped you; you know we would have done anything in our power." His father's voice sounded hurt and pained. "Why did you try to carry this burden alone, son?"

"I- I thought I had to." The hanyou shook his head. "I've told one other person this, Dad. Just one. I never thought-"

"It's ok, son. It's ok. We'll figure something out. Maybe I can even help you?" His father paused. "Who was the other person you told?"

"Kagome."

"Why?"

"I trust her, Dad. It's… hard to explain," he hedged. "She's a miko, and she's Kikyou's younger cousin. Hell, the first time I saw her I thought she was Kikyou back from the dead."

"What? Son, you don't get involved with a woman because she looks like a dead woman. They tend to get upset over that."

"Dad, I'm not `involved' with her. Yet. I can't allow that to happen, not until I know what happened to Kikyou. And honestly, she is completely different from Kikyou. She fucking smiles and laughs. She heals things. She's just so different." Inuyasha stopped, at a loss. "Maire actually liked her."

"You're kidding." Toga paused a moment. "Maire's a very good judge of character."

"I know." Inuyasha smiled gently. "I took her to Maire's yesterday after she worked in Mom's garden for a while. I felt it was the least I could do to repay her. Then I told her all about Kikyou. Maire got a clear read off her in less than five minutes"

"You let her work on Izayoi's garden?" Toga asked, a little angered.

"I trust her," Inuyasha repeated. "Not to mention her Miko power is so strong she could purify even you with just a thought. Anyway, it was a mess, Dad. She did what she could to uncover Mom's spells and enchantments and preserve them. She said that anything that intricate deserved to be preserved and maintained as beautifully as possible." Inuyasha laughed. "I watched her. It was amazing and you would be surprised to see the difference in the place. You know how overgrown it was five years ago when you last visited?" Toga replied affirmatively. "It's was ten times worse on Saturday, but Sunday morning made it look like the clock has turned back eight years."

"She's that good?"

"And then some." Inuyasha laughed. "The little fool tried to heal me Sunday afternoon. Wiped herself out because she's not fully trained and can't focus her power yet."

"She tried to heal you? Heal what? Why? Were you hurt?"

"Physically, not then. But emotionally, yeah, I was kinda falling apart."

"Not then?" his father asked. "Inuyasha, what the hell is going on? You call me up out of the blue, confess that you might have killed your fiancé, talk about her young cousin like some school boy with a crush and then insinuate that you were injured." Toga paused for breath. "What the fuck is going on, boy?"

"I'll tell you if you promise not to blow up."

"Which pretty much guarantees that I will, you know." Toga sighed. "Very well, I will remain calm. For now."

Inuyasha took a deep breath and prayed to al the gods he knew of and then crossed his fingers. "A demon named Goshinki tried to kill Kagome and myself on the way back from Maire's yesterday. He knew I was your son and said that he was going to `erase a mistake.' I mostly knocked him out of commission, but he got away."

Toga was silent for only a moment. "I'm coming on the next flight I can catch. Your brother should be there within the next two days."

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The house was quiet and empty. When she had left for her own small beach house up the coast, she took all the sunshine and color from the place. It was just a house again. While she had inhabited it, it had been a home.

Still, he thought to himself, she will return. The beginning of the mating bond was established less than two days ago. Rin would return to him; she had promised to be back this evening after work.

Sesshomaru paced. It was unlike him to be so… emotional. But gaining a mate changed everything in one's life, he found, even the simple things, things one took for granted, were different. I shall have to call Father, he thought suddenly, to ask his blessing and inform him of the new member to our family, if nothing else. Not that a blessing from the Inu no Taisho was strictly necessary, but it would be nice. With that in mind, he took himself to his office and opened his phone book.

No numbers had changed but he was not sure which house his father was currently using. The cell would be the best bet he decided and picked up the receiver to dial.

He was mildly surprised when the phone in his hand rang. Checking the caller ID, one eyebrow raised and he let a small smile escape. Father was calling him. He pressed a button and answered the phone.

"Hello, Father."

"Sesshomaru, I'm glad I caught you at home!" Sesshomaru had never been completely comfortable with his father's jovial manner; his own demeanor was much more like his mother's had been, cold and quiet. "How are you? Is California treating you well?"

"You could say that," the stoic younger man replied. "I had been about to call you with some good news, actually."

"Good news? Really, that would be wonderful!" Sesshomaru could hear the smile in the older man's voice. "Tell me your good news."

"I have taken a mate." He could almost hear his father's breath catch.

"You don't say," his father breathed. "What is she like? I'm assuming she's a youkai, considering your taste."

"Actually, Father, she's human." He counted to three, knowing that it would take that long for his father to assimilate the information. "Her name is Rin Shinuta. She is twenty and is the owner and CEO of her own company."

"Sesshomaru, as pleasant as this surprise is to me, I must ask. Are you sure? Taking a mate is a huge responsibility as well as a major life change and a human mate is... It's not so much a matter of your readiness as… well… her humanity."

"I understand your concern, Father. My feelings towards humans have always been adversarial at best." Sesshomaru paused. "I have killed my fair share of them and watched with no mercy as others slaughtered them. But Rin… is special."

"Special, you say?" Toga paused for a moment and when he spoke again, a smile was evident in his voice. "Rin is your soul mate, isn't she?"

"Yes. We met by chance were both aware of the connection instantly. Rin is… far more than I deserve." Sesshomaru allowed some of the joy at finding her seep into his voice. Toga had been absent for most of Sesshomaru's formative years but he was quite aware that the older man harbored some deep affection for him. It would bring Toga joy to know that at least one son was happy.

"I would love to meet her, son. What would you say to flying out to the Louisiana house and bringing her with you? Say, tomorrow?" Something in his father's voice alarmed Sesshomaru.

"Tomorrow is quite soon," the younger youkai murmured. "And Inuyasha is in Louisiana. What are you not telling me, Father?"

"Your brother is being hunted."

"Hunted? What fool would dare attack the son of the Inu no Taisho, even a half-breed son?" Sesshomaru asked incredulously.

"Do not call your brother that," his father growled. "My blood runs through both of your veins and I will not tolerate petty in-fighting between my sons, understood?"

"Understood, Father." Sesshomaru laughed humorlessly. "Actually, it seems we have similar taste in women. My Rin is a distant cousin of his late fiancé. Apparently, their great grandmothers were sisters." Toga was silent for a long moment.

"That family has a long history with ours, actually," he finally said. "Five generations ago, they followed us from Japan; I had protected their line from the days of Midoriko. There is little Japanese blood left; intermarriage is so tolerated here and that line has never been conventional. Still their hearts remain tied to older ways. I am not surprised that you both took mates from their linage."

"Fortunately for me, my mate is still alive." Sesshomaru paused for a moment. As different as he was from his brother, somewhere in his heart, there was still affection for him. "Has my brother healed much since Kikyou's death?"

"No," the father sighed, his worry evident. "Although he now keeps company with another niece of Kaede's, one named Kagome. But still, he has not healed. He fears that he was Kikyou's murderer."

"It is impossible for an Inuyoukai to murder their mate," Sesshomaru responded coldly. "The bonds prevent that, even in a case of adultery."

"They were not bonded. She refused. And she was an adulteress."

"Fuck."

"My sentiments exactly." The older man sighed and Sesshomaru was suddenly aware of the difference in age between himself and his father. He was nearly my age now when I was born, the younger youkai thought suddenly. And still he protects and cares for his sons. What kind of father will I be? The thought made him blink. He had never thought of having children before but it was quite possible that even now his heir grew inside his chosen mate. A new determination welled inside him.

"I will call Rin and arrange for a flight early tomorrow morning, Father."

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One of my reviewers (NinaWilliamsSilentAssassin) had a question about the nationality/background of the characters. Sesshomaru and Toga Taisho are Japanese immigrants; Inuyasha's mother was second or third generation, somewhat mixed. Kagome's family is mostly Japanese immigrants, but have some mixed backgrounds. Sango is also of mixed heritage, as is Miroku. Sango's mother, whom we will meet soon, Irish American but allowed her children to be given traditional Japanese names. I hope that answers your question. And I do promise Inu/Kag fluffiness and citrus at some point soon, if not out and out lemons, but not quite yet. Please note that only three days have passed in nine chapters. Too early for sex in my opinion.

Important Songs: Indifference and Dissident by Pearl Jam. With or Without You by U2. More Than This and Lovesong by The Cure. Judith, Magdalena and Blue by A Perfect Circle. North Main Street and Both Hands by Ani DiFranco. Yes, All Wrong and Saddest Song by Morphine. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Ice and Fear by Sarah McLachlan.

A bit huge thank you to all of my reviewers and a special thank you to Sutlesarcasm for her subtle shove to get writing again.

More recommendations? Well, any of smittin kittin's stories, they're lemony and fun. Terri Botta's The Lucky Ones and any subsequent stories in that universe; she's so incredibly awesome. I'm really fond of Del_Kaiden's stories, but I don't like all of them. Broadway Baby was great, as were Goodbyes and Hello, Again. I also liked Aburana, which she seems to have given up on. Scathach is awesome and I love all her stories (I'm a Trigun fan as well). I'm also really loving Numisma's Movie House Hanyou and most of her short drabbles are great too. Most of these are on Media Miner.

On FFnet I loved Chri's Settle the Score, 1025 FM by whoknoz, Beast by Ikustioa, most of the Inuyasha stories by ArtemisMoon and alandrem's Present Time, which is unfortunately on hold. You can check out my favorites on FFnet; it's pretty true to what I've been reading there. I'm also a big fan of Witch Hunter Robin and Trigun as well as Cowboy Bebop.

Anyway, Read and Review. Sorry for the long Author's notes!!