InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The S-android ❯ The Black Hole ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I neither own Inuyasha nor make any money by writing this story. That being said, the S-android belongs to me along with the numerous original characters and places you will be introduced to during this adventure.

Chapter 11: The Black Hole

The wind whipped Rin’s ponytail around as the glider flew over the bustling streets of Port Klaudron. The underground city was protected from the burning rays of the closest star by a two-mile-thick barrier that surrounded it in a semi-sphere. It was hard to tell the time of day, especially since the lights never went out in this place.

The inhabitants of Port Klaudron never slept, it seemed.

I wouldn’t sleep here, either, she mused as she watched two gangs engage in a gunfight in the middle of a crowded square several feet beneath her feet. With a curse, Kouga maneuvered the glider to escape a wayward laser shot. It hit a neon light instead of the wolf demon’s head, sending shards and sparks raining down on them. With a squeal, Rin tucked her face into Kouga’s back and tightened her grip on his waist while the festive aliens partying around them paid no mind to the ruckus.

She doubted they were coherent enough to notice.

“Hold on,” shouted Kouga and leaned forward on his seat. His hand twitched on the handle, and the narrow vehicle between their legs shot forward with a roar.

“Are you sure they’re still here?” asked the young woman, knowing that his pointed ears could easily catch her softly uttered question.

“The human captain says so,” yelled Kouga over his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” she muttered in irritation. “He’s such an idiot.”

The wolf demon’s well-built frame shifted as he shrugged. “Let’s hope he’s right this time.”

“Unlike the last several times,” grumbled Rin, remembering all the stops they made only to find that their targets had already left, always a step ahead of them.

She felt Kouga’s growl vibrate through his chest before he snapped, “If you’re tired of this shit, you should’ve stayed with the ship like I told you to.”

“Mind your tongue, wolf. I’m not one of your worthless pack mates,” she shot back. The ice in her tone shut him up, and Rin smirked at his leather-clad back.

Contrary to her companion’s misguided assumption, she was far from displeased with the fact that their group had missed Sesshoumaru and his new friends at every turn. By pure luck, they had not yet encountered the dog demon’s famous ship, the Dokuga, either. Even though she was looking forward to seeing Kouga’s face when he finally realized who he was racing against in pursuit of the hanyou thief, the young woman would rather have him oblivious to that fact for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t had an opportunity to warn her accomplice since the human soldiers had joined their party. It had been difficult to go behind a sizable pack of wolves, and the additional company had made it impossible to sneak around the ship. So, every time they left the ship to hunt, she had no choice but to insist to tag along with them in case they actually did come upon their unsuspecting prey.

Her musings came to an abrupt halt when she noticed the rapidly approaching wall of a massive building standing right on their path. “Watch out,” she cried.

Kouga’s only reaction was to snicker at her fear. The bastard. Only several feet away from the stone walls, the glider made a sharp turn upward and started ascending up the wall without losing speed. Rin felt the back of her seat extend to cover her back safely, but her muscles still burned from holding onto Kouga for dear life.

They glided up the tall structure for what felt like hours, passing terraces every few floors as the building narrowed gradually. From the corner of her eye, she caught flashes of the rest of their party as they raced up on their gliders.

They stopped on a large terrace a few stories below the roof. Fisting the wolf demon’s jacket for balance, Rin hastily dismounted the vehicle that still hovered in the air. She let out her breath in a long, relieved sigh when her wobbly feet touched the concrete floor. Their companions crowded the large terrace in mere seconds, laughing and hooting with the lingering effects of adrenalin.

Men, thought Rin with a roll of her eyes.

“Still here?” asked Kouga to Captain Hojo, who hastily shoved his sleeve to check the tracking device on his wrist. When the young human captain nodded in confirmation, a smirk appeared on the wolf demon’s face.

Rin’s heart skipped a beat, partially from anxiety and partially from excitement. Turning on her heels, she headed for the entrance with determined steps. “Well, what are we waiting for?” she yelled over her shoulder to the men who were busy checking on their weapons.

A muted curse was followed by hurried footsteps before she heard Kouga’s voice right behind her, grumbling about her choice of attire. Rin smirked, knowing that among all the men dressed in dark, nondescript clothes, her tight, white suit stuck out like a sore thumb. She preferred to be easy to notice in case the dog demon was indeed there.

After all, he had always been partial to her dressed in white.

Or so she believed.

The click of her heels drowned out the wolf demon’s mutterings as she marched to the double doors above where a neon sign flashed ‘the Black Hole’ with big, red letters. Just as she reached her destination, the doors swiveled open, forcing the young woman to take a step back.

Two tall figures came out. From their stoic faces and spiked hair to the dark suits they wore, they were mirror images of each other, causing Rin to doubt her vision for a moment. Their pitch black eyes — both pairs disturbingly larger than a human’s — glanced at the uneasy woman briefly before dismissing her.

“Stop it, you guys!” shouted a trembling voice from behind the duo. “I swear I wasn’t cheating!”

As the creepy twins stomped past Rin, she saw the tiny figure they were dragging outside. Clutched by his thin arms, the creature had purple skin that was a couple shades darker on his bald head. Bright green eyes were large in fear, and miniature fangs peeked out from his lipless mouth as he begged with his captors. Just as Rin opened her mouth to tell the men in black to leave the poor creature alone, they hurled him up. With a squeak, he flew over the edge of the terrace.

The young woman gasped in shock as she watched the little purple man disappear down the side of the building. Before she could recover, a shrill laughter reached her ears, and the helpless creature from a second ago rose to hover in the air, flapping four sheer wings on his back and sporting a smug grin on his face.

“So long, suckers!” he yelled before he saw the outraged twins draw their guns.

“He certainly cheated,” mumbled Kouga from behind her. “Don’t let appearances fool you. I hear the fuckers that hang around this place are the worst kind.”

With a shake of her head, Rin turned her back to the laser show taking place on the terrace. Two steps into the Black Hole, her gaze landed on yet another set of doors and her irritation with the wolf demon spiked. “Why the hell did we not use the elevator?” she spat as she glared at him over her shoulder.

Kouga blatantly ignored her question while his nose twitched like a mad dog. “I can’t catch any familiar scents in this shithole,” he grumbled with a scowl on his face.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Rin’s lips as she turned her attention to the crowd.

Let’s see what I can catch.

Inuyasha’s ears drooped under the hood of his cloak in a vain attempt to block out the boisterous laughter that rose from the table in front of him. The three ugly, big-mouthed ogres continued to cackle and holler, adding volume to the continuous buzz of the crowded bar.

The hanyou’s eyes scanned the dimly lit room, noting with relief that despite his shady appearance, he looked less conspicuous than the rest of its occupants. The Black Hole was a frequent stop for the unlawful, and among all the killers and gangsters gathered within those walls, a simple thief was just a small fish in a pond.

It was one of the safest places he could think of for a business meeting.

His date’s familiar, unwelcome scent reached his nose before her slim figure blocked his view of the green ogre’s bulging, floppy belly. Long, shapely legs tightly wrapped in sparkly silver fabric came to a stop several inches away from his face. With an irritated sigh, he looked up to glare at her crimson eyes.

Her painted lips twisted into an amused smirk. “You’re not very noticeable when your stench is covered,” she taunted as she slid into a chair across from him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes even though he was pleased to hear that his dark cloak indeed subdued his scent. “Hello to you, too, Kagura,” he grumbled.

The woman crossed her legs and threw one arm over the back of her seat, making herself right at home while staring at her companion’s barely visible face with a raised brow. “What’s with the get up?”

The hanyou snorted in irritation. “I can’t very well walk around without some cover thanks to your master and his damn pink ball. You have no idea what exactly that bastard got me into.”

A wide grin broke out on Kagura’s heavily made-up face, and her eyes sparkled with mirth. “You haven’t even met the man. How do you figure he’s a bastard?”

One of Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose under the shadow of his cloak. “He hired me to do his dirty work,” he spat with distaste. “That’s enough proof in my book.”

“And what does that say about you since you’re the one who actually does the dirty work?” shot back Kagura as her grin twisted at one end to reflect the sadistic pleasure she received from her insult.

Her supposed prey wasn’t fazed, though. His lips twisted to match her expression, exposing one sharp, white fang to her gaze. “Oh, I’m the biggest of them all.”

Kagura chuckled heartily before she nodded her agreement. “Yeah, I’ve heard as much.” Her face turned serious, then. “I also heard that you have quick hands. What took you so long?”

Inuyasha sighed at the reminder of how much time he had lost in a task that should have been simple. “I can’t help it when there are complications,” he muttered indignantly.

A soft breeze blew from his back, no doubt due to more patrons entering the already packed place from one of the doors at the other side of the inn. With it came a wave of scents he had been trying to ignore since he had set foot in there. The nasty combination of sweat and smoke assaulted his nose, and he scrunched it up in disgust.

Until a very familiar fragrance registered his senses.

His ears perked up, and his eyes widened. His back straightened as his head snapped to the side, golden orbs searching frantically for the source of the sweet, flowery aroma. He took in a deep breath, expecting to catch another sniff of her. It wasn’t until that moment when he couldn’t detect it anymore that he realized how much he had been yearning for her scent.

So much that he started imagining things.

He had to be imagining it. After all, there was no way his sweet, innocent mistress could be there, in that dark, dirty hole where the scum of several galaxies gathered for a good time. Disappointment sank in, and he berated himself for feeling that way.

His distraction from the conversation had been momentary, but it felt like hours had passed since he had last spoken. He was startled when Kagura’s voice reached his ears.

“Complications?” she prodded. “What? Did you fall for her or something?”

Inuyasha blinked as he registered her question. “No!” he cried reflexively even as he wondered how in hell this woman knew about Kagome. When he realized that it wasn’t possible, he felt his cheeks heat due to the implications of his instant assumption. “Umm,” he mumbled as he adjusted his hood to hide his rare blush. “Who’re you talking about?”

Kagura rolled her eyes. “The oh-so-pure White Lady, of course. Who else?”

“Kikyo?” He snorted at the absurdity of her suggestion. “Pure, my ass,” he spat, remembering the woman he had stolen the jewel from and her holier-than-thou attitude. “She is a domineering, racist bitch. There’s nothing pure about that.”

“A man of taste,” purred Kagura as she leaned forward, crossing her arms on the stained table and pushing her cleavage up not so subtly. “I like that.”

Golden orbs paid no attention to the view the demoness presented, too busy scanning the crowd for a flash of long, raven hair, sparkling sapphire eyes or a warm, inviting smile. Coming up empty handed once more, Inuyasha returned his gaze to his current company with a resigned sigh.

“Enough with the chitchat,” he snapped, his irritation increasing by each second he had to spend in the damn hole that made him delusional. “Did you bring my money?”

Kagura pursed her lips in mild annoyance before she delved two fingers into the low neckline of her tight shirt and pulled out a small pouch from between her breasts. “Here,” she mumbled as she dangled the loaded piece of cloth in front of his face like bait. “The jewel?”

He patted his pocket with one hand while the other snatched the pouch from the demoness’ fingers. Easing the strings holding it closed, he peeked inside. Several pieces of tsecra greeted him, glowing softly within the confines of black cotton. Inuyasha’s eyes sparkled in response as he stared at the turquoise rocks that equaled a hefty exchange even in the remotest parts of the galaxy. However, his excitement died the moment he counted his payment.

“What the fuck?” he cried out in outrage as he recounted the rocks. “This is not even half of it!”

The woman shrugged nonchalantly. “Naraku says you haven’t earned your share yet.”

“The hell I haven’t!”

The hanyou’s punch landed on the table with a loud thud, causing even the rackety ogres to glance at him.

Kagura simply clicked her tongue at his outburst. “Easy, boy. I’m just a messenger. He wants you to deliver the jewel to him in person and without those idiots on your tail. When you do that, you can yell in his face as much as you want.”

“Why me?” snarled Inuyasha between gritted teeth as he glared at the demoness with all that he was worth. “I already did the hard work. Why can’t you take it to him?”

“Are you serious?” she asked incredulously. “There’s no way I will touch that shit. No demon who was fool enough to try lived to tell his tale.”

The hanyou scoffed. “Is that why he hired me? Because he couldn’t touch it?” Receiving a blank stare that he took as confirmation, he growled, “That fucking bastard.”

Ignoring his grumbling, Kagura threw a small chip on the table. “The coordinates are here. Do not linger this time. He doesn’t want to be kept waiting for long.”

With that warning, she stood up, leaving the hanyou to fume alone.

Smoke filled the stuffy atmosphere in the crowded bar, making Kagome’s eyes water. The lighting was dim, and patrons of various species occupied the numerous tables as well as the narrow spaces between them. Everywhere, she was surrounded with bodies, pushing and pulling and eventually sucking her into the mass as she struggled to follow her companions. It was fitting that the place was called the Black Hole.

She kept her eyes glued to the back of Sango’s head, using the sight of her mahogany locks as her beacon, until a seven-foot-tall wall of rusty metal — a server robot — blocked her view.

“Excuse me,” she mumbled as she ducked under its outstretched arm only to bump into something soft and warm once she straightened.

Startled, Kagome took half a step back, almost losing her balance when her foot collided with the server’s wheels. A slim hand with three long fingers gripped her shoulder, steadying her before letting go. She looked at the unusual appendage in surprise. Her eyes followed the ruby colored skin stretched over it up to a long arm until they settled on what stood in front of her nose — a pair of breasts, each one bigger than her head, looking ready to explode any moment. The girl gasped in mortification when she realized what exactly she had had her nose buried in a couple of seconds earlier.

The two overinflated red balloons belonged to a woman — a female giant that was more than a head taller than the young maid. She was barely clothed; a tiny triangle of white cloth covered her womanly parts, and two flowers covered the centers of her breasts.

Kagome opened her mouth to apologize but forgot what she was going to say when she noticed that the flowers were moving, getting smaller by the second, until they disappeared completely to reveal two nipples.

They had teeth.

“Are you lost, little one?” asked a melodic voice, making the girl’s horrified gaze to snap up to the female alien’s face. It was angelic just like the voice, but Kagome could see razor sharp fangs peeking from between her full lips.

“No, she’s not,” came an agitated reply from behind the red Amazon before the maid was dragged away by a grumbling Sango.

“Stay close, Kagome,” admonished her lady. “I don’t like this place.”

Kagome sighed in response, refraining from making a promise she couldn’t possibly keep while she dutifully followed the path Sango cleared with her authoritative and more than a little hostile demeanor.

Once they found the two male members of their odd group, the girl received yet another warning in the form of a raised eyebrow from Sesshoumaru. Once the demon deemed his message was successfully delivered, he readjusted the hood of his long, dark cloak and returned to scanning the crowd with his piercing gaze.

Kagome stood awkwardly to the side while Miroku conversed with the barman in a language that reminded her of the crows she used to chase away in her grandfather’s garden. Oddly, the unpleasant sounds brought forth the yearning she had for home, for something familiar. However, more potent than that, and getting stronger by the second, was the feeling that she was close to something else that was undeniably familiar.

Or more accurately, someone else.

He was there.

In that dark, disgusting place filled with hundreds of strange creatures was the very person she had set out to find. When Sesshoumaru had asked a few minutes ago, she had denied it, but she could feel it, feel him. She had spent so much time purposely reaching out to him; it didn’t surprise her that she could tell without any conscious effort when he was near.

She looked to the intimidating demon, who she had noticed was in a silent communication with someone she couldn’t see in the crowd, and then to Miroku and Sango, who were yet again in a heated argument. A confrontation with those three was sure to scare the hanyou away.

That was a risk Kagome was not willing to take.

Her foot moved before she made the decision. One small step backward was followed hesitantly by another until the sight of her distracted companions was blocked by tall bodies of aliens. Before she could talk herself out of it, she turned on her heels and pushed her way toward the opposite side of the inn where her instincts screamed that he was.

Every few steps, she rose on her toes and looked around frantically. She knew he was there, right in that room. Her blood rushed in her veins in rupture; her skin tingled in anticipation; her body was more alive than ever, telling her that he was close by; and she could feel his pull on her soul. The farther away she got from her companions, the faster her heart beat. Her breaths came out in short gasps, partially from excitement and partially from fear.

Feeling dizzy, she leaned against a stone pillar. Her gaze swept through the scary faces surrounding her as she struggled to gather her bearings. Boisterous laughter broke through the incessant noise of the crowd, bringing her attention to a table occupied by three green ogres. The giant creatures sat on chairs that disappeared under their bulging forms and drank a steaming liquid from cups that looked more like pots. The one facing her had a shiny ring on his crooked nose, and something else sparkled at his elbow.

A short but careful inspection revealed that the glittery object actually belonged to a woman sitting at the table behind the ogres. She seemed pretty and confident in her skin by the way she sat there as if she owned the place and the daring clothes she wore. No matter how striking the woman’s appearance was, though, Kagome’s eyes were drawn to her companion.

A soft gasp left the young maid’s lips, and she put her hands on the pillar she was partially hidden behind as if the contact would stop her knees from giving out.

There he was, sitting opposite the pretty lady in a shadowy, back corner, hidden from prying eyes by a dark cloak concealing his most striking features. Nothing could hide him from her, though. Even if it was not for the inexplicable force that drew her to him, she would have known it was him by the angle of his jaw, the familiar smirk on his lips, or the faint glow of his golden eyes under the shadow of his hood as they stared at the woman in front of him.

She had found him.

A triumphant smile broke on her face but was quickly chased away by an uncomfortable feeling as she watched the dark-haired beauty laugh at something the hanyou said. Who is she? What is he doing here with her?

Dismissing the female for the moment, her eyes drank in his features that were visible to her. He looked tired just like she did. But despite that, he looked more handsome than she remembered, which was the closest to perfection her imagination could conjure. It was no wonder she had so easily believed the lie.

A soft breeze blew a few stray tendrils of hair to her face. She absentmindedly tucked them under her hood, her focus on the conversing duo and her mood turning sour. She saw the hanyou stiffen right before his head snapped in her direction. Stifling a yelp, the girl ducked behind the pillar. One of her hands covered her mouth while the other pressed on her chest, over her racing heart.

Even though she intended to confront him, she didn’t want to do so while he had company. And, she certainly didn’t want him to notice her and bolt before she had a chance to make her move. Taking a deep breath, she craned her neck to peek at his table only to sigh in relief when she saw that he was still there.

The woman took out something from inside her shirt, and in a flash of movement, the hanyou had it in his grasp. Whatever it was, it made him upset, and he punched the table in his anger.

The invisible rope that coiled around Kagome’s heart eased a little when she realized that what had seemed to be a friendly encounter was actually a business meeting. It was the same ugly feeling she had experienced whenever she had met or thought of his female acquaintances. An unpleasant emotion that made her blood boil and run cold at the same time and made her want to hit something.

Is this what jealousy feels like?

She scoffed at the turn of her thoughts, unwilling to admit how possessive he made her feel. Still, she couldn’t deny the relief that washed over her when the woman walked away with a stoic face.

Finally, Yash was left alone. This was her chance, but the thunderous expression on his face made her hesitate. Frozen in her place, she blinked a couple of times, realizing for the first time that he was a real person. She had known it for a while, of course. But knowing it was different than witnessing it.

He was real.

So was the murderous rage radiating off him, and it was suddenly difficult to approach him.

While the girl willed her hands to stop shaking and her feet to move, the hanyou dropped a few coins on the table. The sight of his back headed toward the exit with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched under the cloak snapped her out of her daze.

He was leaving.

Always leaving.

No, you’re not, she thought as she followed his steps, determined not to be left behind this time.


End of Chapter
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