InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The S-android ❯ Cornered ( Chapter 12 )

[ 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 12: Cornered


“Are you sure you didn’t see him?” asked Miroku for the hundredth time. “Long silver hair, golden eyes… cat-like ears?” He put two fingers on each side of his head and wiggled them in a ridiculous imitation of the notorious thief. “Though, he’d kill me if he heard that,” he said with a low chuckle, before whispering conspiratorially, “He considers himself more of a canine, that one.”

Leaning her weight against the bar, Sango sighed in exhaustion. The merchant had been bugging the bartender, mostly repeating himself, for the last ten minutes. No matter how many times the poor guy said he hadn’t seen anything, Miroku wouldn’t give up. It was almost like he was stalling. The woman’s eyes narrowed at that thought.

“Sounds like he’s hard to miss,” drawled the bartender with a roll of his seventeen beady eyes that took up the top half of his face. His six arms kept wiping empty glasses and pouring drinks as he added sarcastically, “I’d remember seeing such a weird guy any time.”

Sango snickered under her breath while Miroku hummed as if in deep thought. A mischievous glint came to his blue orbs then, and a smile stretched across his face. “Well, my friend,” he chirped in a too excited voice. “Do you happen to have any Drozzt milk?”

Startled at the sudden change of topic, Sango gave him a look of disbelief, but the merchant conveniently ignored her. The drink he mentioned was known to have knocked men twice his size with a single shot, and it was strictly illegal in most civilized communities. Was he seriously thinking about getting drunk at a time like this?

The bartender shook his head in the negative, and Miroku schooled his features into an obviously feigned expression of shock. “Really? I could swear I saw a couple of guys up there enjoying that rare treat.”

The bartender turned in the direction he pointed with alarm, and Miroku took advantage of his distraction and climbed on the bar. “You don’t mind if I take a look, do you?”

Sango moved to put a stop to his ridiculous actions, but her hand froze in midair before she could grab the merchant’s shirt when a familiar name drifted to her ears.

“Captain Hojo’s nowhere to be seen, bro,” said a male voice a couple patrons down the counter. “He’s too busy trying to keep up with that grumpy wolf. Plus, this place is packed. It’s not like he can keep an eye on all of us in this madness.”

“I dunno,” replied his companion reluctantly. “Shouldn’t we be searching for the girls as he ordered? What if they’re here?”

“Nah,” drawled the first one. “They probably already left, like they always do. Come on, man; enjoy yourself for a few minutes. Who knows when we’ll get a chance again?”

Her heart in her throat, Sango peeked behind the hairy alien sitting on a stool next to her. Just as she suspected, two of Hojo’s troops were leaning against the counter, placing their order. Her first reaction to hearing the captain’s name was dread, which grudgingly but quickly turned into hope. Her father must have sent them after her and Kagome. This was good news. She was not happy with their current company. Miroku was annoying, but she believed he was mostly harmless. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, still gave her the chills. She didn’t trust that guy to keep her and Kagome alive once he got hold of the fugitive.

Captain Hojo would keep them safe, no doubt, even though she didn’t like the idea of putting herself and her young maid in the mercy of her cheating ex-fiancé. Sango scoffed at that thought before straightening her shoulders in defiance like the noble woman that she was. Hojo and his obsession with Kagome could be dealt with, she decided. She would just have to stay glued to her friend all the time, which she had been doing already since they left her father’s mansion.

Deciding they were the lesser of two evils, she took a step forward to let her presence be known only to be pushed back by a firm hand on her shoulder. Her startled gasp turned into a hiss of pain as a sharp claw dug into the skin of her throat threateningly. Her wide eyes found the narrowed golden orbs she came to despise, glaring at her in warning from under the shadow of Sesshoumaru’s cloak.

Sango swallowed uneasily, recognizing the promise of death in his glare, and remained silent as the two soldiers’ conversation floated into their ears.

“Stop fidgeting,” grumbled the first soldier. “Told you they’re not here. Look around you; do you think Lady Sango would linger in a place like this?”

“Lower your voice,” hissed his comrade. “We’re not supposed to mention her name.”

“Only around those who might recognize it,” argued soldier number one before he took a large gulp from his drink.

“Doesn’t’ matter. It was a direct order from the senator, and you better obey if you want to keep your job.”

Soldier number one groaned at the reminder. “Damn, I’ve never seen the guy yell so loud. And, the look on his face…”

Sango cringed at the mention of her father’s ire. Having been on the receiving end of his tirades more than a handful of times, she knew well how unpleasant the experience was. She expected him to be furious, seeing how she failed to inform him of her departure under the watchful eyes of a certain dog demon. Not that she knew how she would adequately explain the reasons of her impromptu journey without giving the man a heart attack. However, she was confused as to why he sent troops after her and why he was adamant on secrecy. Did he already know more than she would like him to? How did they find them so far from home anyway?
And who was the grumpy wolf?

Part of her questions was answered when the second soldier spoke next. “What did you expect? An intergalactic criminal had taken refuge under his roof, and as if that wasn’t enough, his daughter runs off with the number one suspect. He won’t survive the elections if this scandal gets out.”

Sango’s shoulders slumped in defeat. So, her father knew and was fighting to salvage his reputation from the blow that her secret defiance had brought upon him. After all, it had been her brilliant idea to bring an outlaw into his home. The fact that she had no idea what ‘Yash’ really was made no difference. Perhaps she should have tried harder and warned him, but she had honestly believed that no one would be the wiser as to the fugitive’s stay at the mansion, seeing as the guy had left long before the girls did. Apparently, she had been wrong. But, how did they find out?

After a short pause, the first soldier picked up the conversation, bringing forth another aspect of the problem Sango had yet to worry about. “Wonder what’ll happen to the other girl, ‘the number one suspect.’ I remember seeing her a few times. She was a shy little thing, but hot as hell. Hard to believe she’d dare harbor a criminal under our noses.”

The number one suspect…? Kagome! Dread filled the young woman’s heart even as more questions bombarded her mind. How did they know so much? Even if they somehow found out the reason of their departure, wasn’t it safer to assume Sango was the one who dragged her maid with her instead of the other way around? This is bad news, she thought with a frown. Her father would protect her; she was practically untouchable due to her position, but the same could not be said for Kagome. Suddenly, her fears regarding the young maid’s future were not limited to the safety of the poor girl’s fragile heart.

Unfortunately, her worries were confirmed by the second soldier. “Maybe she did; maybe she did not,” he said nonchalantly. “In any case, she’s condemned to spend a few years locked up. All the evidence is against her. Besides, the senator needs a sacrificial lamb to save his ass. Better an orphan servant girl than his own flesh and blood.”

Sango’s blood ran cold. Hearing her fears voiced out loud with such a lack of concern made them all the more real. Would her father let Kagome, the child that had been left in his care, take the blame for something she did not do purposefully? Yes, he would, whispered the bitter voice of the betrayed young girl hidden in the darkest corner of her heart. Hadn’t he forced her, his own flesh and blood, to endure the constant presence of her ex-fiancé even when her wounds were still fresh, all in the name of retaining his political alliance with the man’s family? Even though Senator Tajiya was essentially a good man, his pride and career, unfortunately, came before everything else.

In trying to bring some happiness to the girl’s lonely life with a pseudo companion, she had unwittingly doomed her dearest friend to more sadness and loneliness than she had initially thought.

Tears of regret filled Sango’s eyes, and then the pressure on her neck disappeared. She would not go to their pursuers after everything she heard, and Sesshoumaru seemed to know that as his cold gaze finally left the young woman.

Then, he growled.

Startled, Sango glanced around in search of the source of his displeasure; it didn’t take long to find. Standing atop the bar counter and looking like a beacon to their whereabouts was Miroku, hopping from left to right as the bartender tried to shoo him away from his workstation. He was garnering a lot of attention with his moronic actions, and Sango was glad the soldiers didn’t seem to recognize him.

The merchant’s antics came to a halt with a deathly glower from their stoic companion. Grinning sheepishly, he climbed down the counter. “What?” he asked with a careless shrug of his shoulders. “I was just trying to see if our mutual friend is indeed here.”

“Well, did you?” retorted the lady, seeing that Sesshoumaru’s attention returned to the crowd.

Miroku looked confused at her question. “Did I what?”

“See him?” she elaborated with barely restrained irritation.

“Nope,” replied the merchant merrily as he relaxed against the counter and folded his arms on his chest.

Sango rolled her eyes at the dopey grin on his face. She understood Miroku’s reluctance in joining their quest to find his friend, but did he have to rub his satisfaction in their faces every time they failed?

“Where’s the girl?” barked Sesshoumaru suddenly, startling the duo.

Sango blinked as she tried to make sense of the question. “The girl? Kagome?” A quick scan of their immediate vicinity revealed the absence of the young maid, and a temporary numbness that usually preceded panic spread through her limbs — including her tongue. “Sh-she was r-right here,” she stammered.

“Imbeciles,” spat the demon lord with a disgusted shake of his head before he pushed his way into the crowd.

“Hey! Wait,” called Sango after him, moving to follow, only to be stopped by a familiar arm around her shoulders.

She glared first at the offending appendage and then its owner, taking note of his soft smile and the slightly dazed look in his eyes. “Did you drink something?”

“Nope,” replied the merchant. The small lift on the corner of his lips unnerved the young woman as he brought his handsome face closer. “No need to; nothing can intoxicate me quite as much as your beauty does, my dear Sango.”

His supposedly charming words were a bucket of ice that quickly dispensed her momentary lapse of judgment. Handsome? What the heck? Narrowing her eyes, Sango snarled, “Hands off, bastard. And don’t address me as if we’re friends.”

Miroku’s free hand went to his chest in an exaggerated show of hurt. “You wound my heart, my lady,” he murmured so softly that Sango would have believed him if he didn’t perk up almost immediately. “But, let us discuss this matter another time. Right now we need to go,” he declared sternly as he steered her back to the doors in the opposite direction Sesshoumaru had taken.

“Go? Go where?” demanded Sango, fighting his hold on her shoulder for naught. “You said you didn’t see anything!”

His quiet chuckle tickled her ear before he whispered, “I lied.”

The double doors of the Black Hole slammed close behind him as the hanyou stomped into the terrace. The contents of the small pouch he’d received jingled with each angry step he took, reminding him of their measly amount. It only furthered his fury.

“Should’ve known he would pull something like that. The coward can’t even show his face. That son of a bitch,” he grumbled as his eyes searched for a way down the building. He had no desire to get stuck in the elevator with smelly aliens and no way to escape.

Not again.

A couple of gliders at the edge of the terrace caught his attention. Two bulky figures stood next to them, chattering animatedly. Sizing them up, Inuyasha smirked at his good luck. Too big, too slow…

Confident that he could snatch one of the vehicles before their owners even saw him coming, he bowed his head, hiding his brilliant golden orbs and shiny silver hair under the shadow of his hood. As he silently crept toward his target, he gripped his cloak tighter around him to keep it from swishing in the wind and catching attention. His fingertips came in contact with the round bulge still resting in his pocket, and his fury spiked anew. Caught off guard, he couldn’t stop the growl that build up in his chest. Immediately, the previously oblivious aliens paused their conversation and looked up at him.

“Dammit,” muttered Inuyasha as their wary gazes landed on his suspicious form. Eyes narrowed, their hands went to their belts just as another unexpected sound broke the tension.

“Yash!”

With a single cry of his name, time stopped for the hanyou.

“No,” his lips mumbled while the rest of him, including his heart, froze. Certainly, his newfound obsession was taking its toll on him. First, he had deluded himself into believing that he had caught her scent. And now, he was hearing things. She couldn’t possibly be there.

Could she?

‘Yes!’ cried out the bigger, treacherous part of him. The moment that slim chance registered his brain, his heart leapt in its cage, beating furiously as if to make up for lost time. Taking a deep breath, he slowly, almost fearfully, turned around.

When his gaze landed on the small figure standing by the doors he’d just exited, the rest of the world faded away along with his plans to take off as quickly as possible. He blinked several times, expecting her to disappear like a mirage, and then rubbed his eyes for good measure. However, the girl he’d been begrudgingly obsessing about still stood in front of him, just out of his reach. Once the hanyou finally accepted that he was not hallucinating, his shoulders sagged and his breath left him in a long sigh, partly in relief and partly in surrender.

His wide eyes took in her tiny form that was hidden beneath a thick, dark cloak not much different than the one he wore. Under its hood, rosy lips trembled on porcelain skin; he would have recognized those lips anywhere. A thick lock of long, raven hair escaped its confines and waved in the wind. His nose twitched, catching her heavenly, but curiously subdued scent. It must be the cloak.

That solved one puzzle.

What surprised him almost as much as seeing her in flesh was the warmth that spread through his entire being, creating a pleasant but urgent tingling in his fingertips. When his eager eyes met her anxious blue orbs for the first time after so many weeks, he knew he was in trouble, albeit for a much different reason this time.

But as usual, he didn’t care.

He could feel a smile forming on his lips as he watched her stomp toward where he stood frozen. The skirts of her cloak ruffled with every step she took, revealing a set of long legs clad in black leather. He would’ve marveled at her unusual choice of attire if he could severe his gaze from hers for a moment; however, her eyes were alight with an emotion he couldn’t quite name, captivating him within their sapphire blaze.

The closer she got, the easier it was to pick up her scent even though it was still faint and slightly… altered? Yup, definitely the clothes, he mused as he caught another glimpse of shiny black fabric stretched over firm, but as he recalled well, soft skin. Instinctively, he inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring with the effort. Her gentle fragrance caressed his senses, soothing the tension he hadn’t realized he’d been harboring since he had left her behind. For the first time in weeks, he felt like he was home.

She stopped before him, letting him drink in the perfect combination of creamy skin, full, pink lips and soulful, doe eyes that was her face. His smile widened, and her name left his lips in a hushed breath. In a daze, he watched his hand move, the calloused tips of his fingers itching to caress the softness of her cheek.

CLAP!

The magic was broken abruptly with the sound of skin meeting skin rather harshly, followed by a sharp sting on his cheek. Too stunned to react, he gaped at her with his mouth hanging open while he digested the fact that she had actually slapped him.

He would have seen that coming had he not been caught off guard by her unexpected appearance. Now that he knew she was real and could still feel the proof of it on his abused skin, he noticed the fury radiating off her in waves. Her sapphire orbs were blazing. And with good reason, he acknowledged. After all, despite the common belief, he was not below admitting that he had wronged her.

It’s not like I had a choice, the stubborn part of him argued, but he pushed it to the background at the sight of the pain and uncertainty that flashed briefly in her stormy, and suddenly misty, orbs.

“Look…” he started, intending to explain how he had been forced to pretend and apologize for dragging her into this mess. He didn’t get a chance though for he was cut short by another slap to the same cheek.

To be honest, he did see that one coming. However, the blubbering mess he’d turned into in front of a puny human girl was unable to stop it.

And, it pissed him off.

His rapidly receding conscience reminded that he probably deserved that one too, but he wasn’t going to admit it for this one hurt down to his pride. Here he was, trying to say sorry even though he wasn’t one hundred percent convinced that it had been his fault alone, but she wouldn’t even give him the chance to do so.

What the hell was he doing, anyway? He had survived hell, fought his way out of blood and steel, and become the nightmare of the richest of the universe. And now, he was acting like a pansy for the sake of a pair of pretty eyes. This wasn’t like him.

Nope, not at all.

Clenching his jaw, he glared at the girl with all he was worth in a silent warning. Either she didn’t get the message or she didn’t care because she glowered right back at him. When her little hand rose for a repeat performance, he didn’t wait to feel the sting of her blow. He caught her wrist in midair and growled, “Stop hitting me, dammit.”

Her breath hitched, and fear crossed her features for a brief second — too short for him to even begin to regret his reaction. Her fury returned full force then, and she gritted out, “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

“You started it,” he shot back as he refused to release his hold despite her struggle to free her arm. He smirked, enjoying the tug of war and the flush that rose on her cheeks, but his fun was short-lived. The girl caught him off guard once again and stomped on his foot, using what felt like her whole weight to dig her heel into his poor appendage.

With a pained cry, Inuyasha let her go, focusing his attention on his throbbing foot. A string of curses tumbled from his snarling lips as he bounced on one foot and clutched the other in his hands. “Fuck it,” he grumbled once the pain subsided enough to let him walk with dignity. “I don’t have time for this.”

Not bothering to glance at the infuriating girl, he whirled on his heels, determined to get the hell out of there — with or without a glider. The two aliens he had all but forgotten about were doubled over, silent laughter shaking their bulky shoulders. The hanyou scoffed, contemplating if he would feel less miserable were he to take his anger out on them and smashed their ugly faces.

Two steps into his retreat, a tug on his cloak halted his progress. “Oh, no, you don’t,” protested Kagome from behind him as she yanked him back with surprising force for such a delicate creature. “I’m not finished with you yet.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. She had slapped him silly twice already and almost broken his toes. What else did she want from him? He glared at her over his shoulder. “Try and stop me, princess.”

Panic flashed in her eyes, and the pull on his cloak eased for a brief moment only to return more forcefully. His hood fell back, and the girl seized her chance and went for his hair. A painful yank on his forelocks did the trick, and an involuntary cry escaped him as he turned to her. His hand flew up and grabbed her wrist to ease the tension on his scalp while a growl built up in his chest.

The girl didn’t let go, and neither did he.

“I knew it,” spat Kagome as she matched his glare. At his raised eyebrow, she kindly explained, “You’re a jerk!”

“Oh, yeah?” asked the hanyou sarcastically while inwardly warning himself not to squeeze the fragile appendage in his hand too tightly. He found the latter task rather difficult to accomplish at the moment. “Well, you’re acting like a bitch, so I’d say we’re even.”

Almost nose to nose with the girl, Inuyasha felt the rush of warm air on his lips when she gasped at his choice of words. She opened and closed her mouth, no doubt struggling to come back with the nastiest retort her pitiful vocabulary of profanities could provide, and ended up drawing his attention to her lips.

Eventually, she found her words, but he heard none of it as he considered how easy it would be to keep her from annoying him further. All it would take was to press his mouth to hers. He wondered if she would taste as good as he remembered. It looked like she would with those lips so rosy, so plump, so close…

…and, getting closer.

He realized with a jerk that he’d been leaning in to test that theory when the bubble she had inadvertently put him in was burst by a masculine voice.

“It’s him!”

The couple jumped at the unexpected sound, and Inuyasha winced as he felt the effects of the movement on his scalp. His eyes searched for the source of the interruption while he renewed his efforts to free his hair from her grasp.

In the far side of the terrace where it circled the corner of the building stood a man with a thin line of spiky hair sticking up like blades in the middle of his shaved head. Dressed in dark clothes, he was holding a gun in one hand and waving it back and forth as if to call someone over while the other hand pointed at the hanyou.

A quick glance to where the gliders had been extracted a curse from him. The aliens had left with his best chance at an escape while he had been distracted by the girl. In the meanwhile, Kagome was stubborn as a mule, refusing to release her hold.

She was quickly becoming the bane of his existence.

“What the hell are you waiting for, you idiot?” shouted a new voice as two more figures appeared from the corner to join the first one. “Shoot him!”

Three shots rang in the hanyou’s ears, one of them missing his shoulder by a mere inch while the other two dented the concrete before his feet. With no cover in sight and no way to make a hasty exit with the frightened girl still clutching his hair, Inuyasha did what every sane man would do to survive. He pulled Kagome to stand in front of him with her back to his chest.

After all, they wouldn’t want to harm an innocent female.

At least, that was the way it always worked.

The sudden action caused the girl to finally release his forelocks. Faced with three murderous strangers and their guns, Kagome gasped in shock. “What are you doing?” she hissed.

“What does it look like? I’m saving my ass,” he snapped before adding in a grumble, “…which wouldn’t have needed saving if you weren’t such a stubborn wench.”

His impromptu plan seemed to work as the enemy held their fire, unsure about how to proceed without killing ‘the hostage.’ Kagome squirmed in his grasp, chanting her version of curses under her breath and almost making him lose his footing in her endeavors. Moving quickly, Inuyasha let go of her wrist only to snake his arm around her waist and held on tightly. He took his gun out of his belt and fired a couple shots, forcing the attackers to take cover while he inched his way toward the doors.

“What is your fucking problem?” cried out yet another new voice as its owner joined the enemy. “Shoot the bastard before he gets away!”

“But, Kouga!” exclaimed the one with the spiked hair. “He’s got the girl!”

“What the hell?! Then kill the girl first, you imbeciles!”

The hanyou cursed inwardly as the one called Kouga yelled his order. Everything happened too fast then. His ears caught the sound right before he glanced back to see the doors to the Black Hole swing open. A tall figure covered in a dark cloak much like his stepped out. While his instincts screamed at him to run, Inuyasha stood paralyzed as a pair of golden eyes glared at him from the shadows of the stranger’s hood. A light green substance oozed from the mysterious man’s fingertips, taking the form of a whip in the blink of an eye.

It was only his well-trained reflexes that made the hanyou jump right before the whip landed where his feet stood a moment ago. The loud crack it made on the concrete was drowned out by a boom as a laser shot blasted exactly the same place.

Losing his momentum as he landed on the ground, Inuyasha rolled with Kagome in his arms until his head hit the short wall at the edge of the terrace. Disoriented, he lay there for a deadly second, taking in the flushed cheeks and wide eyes of the girl on top of him.

Sparks rained over the duo when his opponents blew out part of the railing, but it was his little mistress’ cry of terror that brought him back to his senses.  Scrambling to his feet, he crouched low in front of the girl, forcing her to stay between his back and the half-wall with a hand on her arm.

It seemed that the bastards that hunted him for stealing had no qualms about killing an innocent girl.

Fucking hypocrites!

His eyes darted between the group of incompetent hunters and the creepy whip-wielder as laser beams continued to fly around him. The hunters took off in his direction and the lone stranger raised his whip again.

Inuyasha didn’t wait to see where it would land. He whirled on his heels, grabbed Kagome by the waist and jumped over the railing in one smooth move.

As he rapidly descended the side of the building, the wind caressed his skin and ruffled his hair and cloak in his wake. He loved this — the adrenaline rush his ‘job’ never failed to provide him with. In the brief seconds he was in the air, he would have forgotten about his pursuers and enjoyed himself thoroughly were it not for the girl screaming in his ear. As it was, he chose to ignore her while he jumped from terrace to terrace on his way down.

Halfway down the building, she seemed to regain her composure, and her screams turned into outraged cries. “What do you think you’re doing?! Stop! You’re gonna kill us!” One of her tiny fists pounded on his chest while the other, ironically, clutched at his shoulder. “I said stop, you jerk! Let me go! I told you to not touch me!”

Here he was, endangering his life to keep her safe, and she still bitched at him about touching her. The ungrateful wench could hold a grudge, it seemed. He snorted at her stupidity. “How am I supposed to save your ass without touching you?!” he snapped as he rose in the air with yet another powerful push of his legs.

A pitiable growl came from the kitten in his arms. “I wouldn’t need to be saved were it not for you, you idiot!” He could almost feel her mentally piercing his skull with her glare. “Let me go!” she screeched while her hand flew up and yanked on his ear.

“Dammit!” cursed Inuyasha as the unexpected pain threw him off balance, and he barely avoided toppling over when his feet touched the floor on a deserted balcony. “What was I thinking?!” he yelled and dropped the girl before straightening up.

She fell on her butt with a surprised squeak.

 “Stay away from my ears!” he shouted with a finger pointing at the stunned girl.

This had been a bad idea. She had been nothing but trouble since the moment she showed up. She was, no doubt, going to cost him his life if he let her and she wouldn’t even appreciate his sacrifice. Stupid, ungrateful wench! His anger drowned out the voice of his conscience, and that was fine. He would be damned before he let that pathetic, mushy part of him dictate his actions again.

Knowing too well that he would change his mind if he kept glaring at her annoyed yet somehow hurt expression, he whirled on his heels and stomped to the edge of the balcony. “And, stay away from me, you bitch!” he shot over his shoulder before he jumped, leaving her gaping after him.

She would be fine. She wouldn’t be in danger if it wasn’t for him; she said so herself.

So, there…

In the short span of eighteen years, Kagome had lost more than she had gained, but she had always accepted her fate graciously. When she had asked about her parents, missing two baby teeth in the front and her hair in pigtails, she had eagerly listened to her grandfather’s tales of honor and bravery and never once had she resented them for not being there to chase away the monsters hiding under her bed. When grandpa had passed away, she had pushed away her loneliness by believing that he had joined her parents in heaven to watch over her. When her classmates had drifted away after discovering the meaning of social classes, she had tried to understand their obligations and accepted their decisions. When her only friend had built a wall between them, she had respected her wishes and loved her despite her aloofness.

When she had lost her virginity to a droid, she had chosen not to dwell on the lack of romance or how pathetic she was for not having at least a real lover for her first time. And when the said droid turned out to be a wanted criminal, she hadn’t cried over the loss of her dignity.

No.

But as she watched the hanyou’s retreating back from her spot on the floor, Kagome felt angry tears gather in her eyes. Why was it that one man — one reckless, infuriating, rude, arrogant, beautiful jerk — was able to make her want to revolt against her fate? Why couldn’t she simply accept that he wanted nothing to do with her?

Why was it so hard to watch him leave again?

As if in answer to her unvoiced questions, her trembling hand came up to cover her abdomen as the confusing mixture of dark and light, black and silver disappeared behind the half wall of the balcony. She swallowed a scream of outrage, choosing once again not to dwell on the unfairness of it all, and focused on her current state. Her bottom stung a little from the short fall, but otherwise, she felt fine. She wasn’t shot, and despite all the adrenaline-filled rolling and jumping around, Yash had surprisingly managed to keep her from taking the brunt of his actions, for which she was grateful.

Perhaps he is not as uncaring as he seems, she mused absently as her fingers caressed her belly in soothing circles.

As quickly as that thought came, it was drowned out by an undignified snort and a roll of her eyes. The man had used her as a shield, forced her to face barrels in his stead, and her treacherous heart was still fighting to find some good in that selfish jerk. She sure was a glutton for disappointment.

Unable to look away from the spot she had last seen the notorious thief, she shakily rose to her feet. What was she still doing here? She had abandoned the only home she had ever known, consorted with dangerous strangers, traveled halfway through the galaxy, and risked her life just to have a chance to confront him. She had gotten what she wanted only to find that everything she had gone through to find him meant nothing to him; the jerk just left her behind — alone and defenseless.

Again.

What reason did she have left to linger in this godforsaken place?

“None,” she whispered as both her hands splayed possessively over her abdomen. “I have nothing else to share with him.”

With a determined nod, she wrapped her cloak firmly around her form and turned to search for a way into the building only to bump into an unyielding wall of muscle. Her heart fluttered at the sight of dark leather stretched over a defined chest. She glanced up, stupidly hoping to see the twin suns that so callously broke her heart no longer than a minute ago. Cold azure orbs stared back at her instead, sending a chill down her spine. The man’s long, dark ponytail fell over his shoulder as he towered above her, and his cruel smirk revealed sharp, canine fangs.

“Well, well,” he drawled as he tapped the tip of his gun under the trembling girl’s chin. “What do we have here?”

End of Chapter

Author’s Notes:
1# Sorry, folks. This update came much later than I planned. Between traveling abroad and the laziness the Southern sun bestowed upon me in the last couple of months, I’m surprised I managed to update at all!
2# The latest craziness with FFN upset most of us. My co-author of ‘He’s My Girl,’ Ai Kisugi, also suffered the wrath of FFN mods when they deleted our shared work from her account. It was not unexpected, seeing she was harassed by a couple of dedicated readers about the double post. However, an official warning and a chance to discuss the lack of options concerning co-authoring would have been a more civilized and fair way of solving such an issue. My heart goes out to those who suffered the same treatment or lost their favorite fics to the ‘spring cleaning.’