InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Virulence ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

"Chicks Dig Commitment"

Disclaimer: Thanks Rumiko! Thanks for owning Yasha…

A day without InuYasha was like a day without rain. More a day without thunder, but Kagome wanted to stick to conventional sayings.

In fact, InuYasha hadn't been back to the apartment in two days, leaving the girl to her own devices. She spent the days watching T.V with Buyo at her side, stilling whenever she heard movement outside, her eyes narrowing in unexplained anxiousness at what she thought could possibly be InuYasha.

When the movements ceased to proceed towards the front door, Kagome would relax, turning back to the telly with unseeing eyes. She knew her nervousness was not just because of Yasha.

No, even though he promised that no one would find her here, that he never hung out with Koga, she was deathly afraid that someone would run in, guns blazing, and take her out. Every once in a while, whether she was sitting on the toilet or laughing at something Buyo did, Kagome would feel a shiver run down her spine, her heart beating wildly in her chest. In those moments she felt like a wild animal, targeted for inevitable capture.

But still, Kagome was one of those lucky people who were able to 'bounce back' as it were. She couldn't stay sad for too long.

"Oh Buyo," Kagome sighed, tucking her legs underneath her bottom as she reclined on the couch, "What should we do today? Re-runs of Housewives...?"

Buyo looked up at her, his expression seeming to rely on various degrees of amusement. As though he was scoffing at her, he turned away, rubbing his head in Kagome's lap.

"Fine," Kagome grumbled, shoving the cat off her lap as she stood. Buyo hissed a sound which Kagome barely found frightening. "Hissssss back at you," she teased.

Walking into the bathroom, Kagome wandered over to the sink, groaning at the sight of circles under her eyes in the mirror.

'I look like I'm on drugs,' she thought, turning on the faucet and splashing her face in cold water. Gripping the edges of the sink, Kagome slumped forward, closing her eyes.

"I need to get out of here," she sighed. It wouldn't hurt would it? A bit of warm sun on her skin, the feeling of a Tokyo crowd, it was something she needed right now.

And she was going to get it.

Still, Kagome was smart enough to recognize the dangers of just wandering outside. She knew that demons did walk around in daylight just as humans did, and that was probably no different for Koga.

Making sure that Buyo was where she'd left him; Kagome went to the closet and opened the door, wrinkling her nose at the stale scent that assailed her. Various jackets -some with moth holes- hung on plastic hangers, along with hats that were attached to said hangers by a specially placed hook. Kagome doubted that Yasha actually organized his clothes. Her beliefs were confirmed by the price tags that still hung from most of the jacket sets.

As she browsed, the wheels in her head turned. Demons had a superior sense of smell, and she didn't doubt that Koga and others would recognize hers. The fact that she still wore the clothes from the day of her attack would only make it easier for Koga to find her as well.

Based on that, Kagome came up with two conclusions. First was that she had to pick a jacket that looked as though it had been worn, and also one that would cover most of her legs. And wasn't hideously ugly. This way, Yasha's scent would completely cover her, and she would be warm on a still freezing March day.

To her delight, Kagome found a jacket that worked perfectly. A long black trench coat, perfect for those black and white movie days. It came complete with a fedora, along with a pair of sunglasses. Shrugging it on, Kagome felt the tug of a smile on her lips at the sheer size of the coat, perfect for Yasha and gigantic to her. Lifting the wide collar to her nose, Kagome breathed, smelling him. Her nose twitched as the tell-tale stench of cigarettes also permeated the jacket.

'He smokes cancer sticks. Great.'

Shrugging -she would deal with that when she saw him next- Kagome placed her hands in the pockets, her eyebrows lifting as she pulled out both a pair of sunglasses and a wallet from both. Putting on the glasses, Kagome opened the wallet. In it were various cards and at least 20000 yen in cash. Not only that, but there was a license with a young man's picture. His long black hair ran past his shoulder, and his eyes were almost blue. The name listed was Takahashi Yoshiko.

Oh wow,' Kagome thought, 'Yasha mugged some poor guy and stole his wallet!'

Kagome had half a mind to put the wallet back in the jacket, willing to stay in the apartment. But then her desperation came into play. She'd been wearing the same outfit for a while. All Yasha had in his bathroom was men's shampoo. She couldn't stay in this situation.

Not to mention every girl needs to go on a shopping trip every once in a while.

Walking over to the door, Kagome slipped her feet into her loafers, tapping them against the ground as she looked hesitantly at the front door.

'This is it', she thought grimly, staring at the doorknob as her hand reached for it, 'this is it.'

A few moments passed. Then, Kagome grabbed the handle, pulling the door forward with closed eyes. She stepped out, her eyes still shut. Looking around the darkened hall, Kagome walked towards the closed iron front doors. Just one more door.

Grabbing this second handle, Kagome pressed against it, cringing at the squeal of the door.

Instantly, her face was hit with warmth, opening her eyes, Kagome squinted as the street came into view. The cluster of houses looked no different from the door than it did from the window. White, prim and proper, despite being cramped. Each house had a concrete wall surrounding it, each with two floors.

Slowly closing the front door, Kagome turned towards the front steps and looked up at the apartment, committing its appearance to memory. A wide building, four windows on both levels. All the windows were darkened, as they would be if no one was present. It was the middle of the day after all.

Looking over to the window of Yasha's apartment, Kagome grinned at the small figure of Buyo, lying against the ledge. She waved, giggling as the cart yawned and jumped down, out of sight.

Sighing, the girl crossed the yard, reaching the front gate. Pulling one side back and walking through, Kagome smiled as she stretched her arms in the air. She was grateful for the long coat that kept her warm. Wandering onto the sidewalk, she looked around. In the distance, she heard a train.

'Time to get going,' Kagome thought, shoving her hands in her pockets as she hurriedly walked away from the apartment.

^.^

"As you know, the Prime Minister has just been re-elected. Hishimoto-san assures me that the Democratic Party is behind I. Corps one-hundred percent. For now, they'll have to leave that out of public affairs, but it seems they are quite willing to place youkai amongst the growing list of government offices…"

Yawning, InuYasha slumped back in his swivel chair, throwing his feet up on the table, scattering the paperwork before him. At the front, Naraku, CEO of I. Corps, raised his eyebrow.

"Do you have something to say, InuYasha?" he asked, voice smooth and undisturbed.

InuYasha rolled his eyes, ignoring both the question and the annoyed faces of the eleven department heads that surrounded him. Turning to his brother on his left, InuYasha whispered, "You think I can get out early? I have a show coming on soon."

Sesshomaru ignored his brother, turning back to his rival and boss. "Please continue, sir."

"Let's", Naraku replied, smiling placidly at his employees. Turning around in his seat, Naraku gestured up at a PowerPoint, which displayed a chart of finances.

"Now," he drawled, assessing the now uncomfortable faces of the board members that sat before him, "someone please explain what they see here."

The table was silent. Everyone could see the one bar that failed to reach the usual annual rate. All heads turned towards Sesshomaru, whose face was as steely and uncaring as ever.

Clearing his throat, the youkai in question leaned forward on his hands, looking at Naraku.

"I believe the Department of Affairs has missed its profit margin by 10.2%," Sesshomaru replied, his voice dry. "And that we have since last year employed at least 10 new employees in our department."

"Who," Naraku interrupted, "has been dragging us down. Can you think of any, Mr. Dai?"

No one missed the glint of anger in Sesshomaru's eyes, especially his brother. It had to be the first time InuYasha had ever rooted for his brother.

"I believe," Sesshomaru said, his voice losing none of its calm, "that the fault lies solely with the economy. Equipment prices are the majority of our expenses, and we all know that persuasive means nowadays means cash. I believe-"

"For God's sake! You guys are just a group of mercenaries!"

All eyes locked on the face of the Head of the Okami Department, Taru-san. The wolf-demon in question looked furious, glaring at InuYasha and Sesshomaru. Again, he slammed his fist on the table, upsetting his water glass and ignoring the frown on Naraku's face.

"My department is being made to take care of your mess, Dai-san," Taru sneered, "and we waste our resources on you. We barely made our rate. The fact that we helped you and you still couldn't meet it just shows the incompetence that goes along with your department's head, which reminds me, is you. You only got your status because of your fath-"

"Enough."

Suddenly, Taru-san's face drained of color. The voice belonged to Naraku, who was now standing. Walking over to the wolf, Naraku placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No point in arguing about it," Naraku said pleasantly, "This year should see in increase in everything. Business is business my friend."

"Yes," Taru said, his face steadily growing paler and paler as Naraku's hand gripped him tighter.

A few moments passed. Beads of sweat appeared on the wolf's face, his fear apparent. This man beside him wasn't to be messed with, and it was obvious to everyone in the room that he was short on patience.

"Well," Naraku said, breaking the silence, "it seems as though we should adjourn."

Letting go of the wolf, Naraku went back to the head of the table. Looking over at his secretary, Naraku waved his hand, "End of meeting, Kikyou."

"Yes sir," the woman in question answered lifting her glasses up as she nodded.

"Alright," Naraku nodded at the table, "you may leave."

A collective sigh ran through the room, the assembled board hastily filling out of the room.

"Ah. Stay for a few moments Taru-san."

InuYasha looked back at the youkai in question as he walked out.

'Poor bastard,' he thought grimly. Turning to his brother, InuYasha tapped his shoulder.

"I think I deserve to go home after almost three days here."

Sesshomaru looked back at him, his face still hard with anger.

"You have another job."

"What?"

^.^

"And you know how men are. I mean, he asks me to come with him and I do, but I can't see how he can stand to be around me. He's never home, and I'm stuck cleaning all day. My mother never liked him you know."

"Oh, I understand," Kagome said, her face serious as she looked up at the girl cutting her hair. "I mean, I'm in a similar situation. Who knows what they're doing when they're not home! Who works that much?"

Sighing, the girl rubbed her forehead, reaching for hairspray.

"I don't know Kagome, I know that Miroku definitely can't handle an eight hour work day. He's too lazy for that. I just don't know anymore."

"Hey," Kagome replied, her face full of sympathy, "don't worry about it. I'm sure you guys can figure something out. When was the last time you sat down for a talk?"

Her eyes trained on Kagome's hair, the stylist grimaced.

"Maybe… a week or so?"

"Sango," Kagome gasped, "you guys really need to get to this. Promise me you'll talk to him tonight!"

"If he comes home at all tonight," the girl frowned, grabbing a brush and sweeping Kagome's neck free of hair. "Is this O.K?"

Looking at her newly cut hair, Kagome forced a smile on her face. Dyed brown and cut short, she looked almost completely different, according to Sango. Short to Kagome was just above her shoulders, and that's what she got.

It wasn't as though she'd really wanted to cut it, but she knew that Koga and his friends would recognize her long black hair. Especially considering she'd had those blue highlights before.

Now, after about five hours in the shops, she was sure no one would recognize her. Her eyes, thanks to a pair of nonprescription contacts, were a solid gray. Resisting the urge to buy skirts, Kagome had purchased a variety of jeans and leggings, including a biker jacket she couldn't resist. Harujuku was the center of crazy Japanese fashion, and that was where the train had taken her. All in all, Kagome had decided the best thing to do was abandon her frilly, pink lifestyle, something she would definitely be recognizable in. Everything she'd bought so far had been red, black, grey, or purple. A few white shirts were acceptable.

Then again, she had used up all the money in the wallet, so it wasn't really just a 'few' shirts. Even now, the clothes she'd chosen to wear seemed a bit expensive. A pair of snug black jeans, accompanied by a red shortened cheomshang shirt with silver embroidery. On her neck was a purple beaded necklace with fake fangs, an indulgence.

'All for 200000 yen,' she thought, surprised.

"So is it ok?"

Startled, Kagome looked up at her new friend, smiling.

"Perfect. Thanks Sango-chan! It's almost the same shade as your hair."

"No problem," the girl smiled, pulling back on her long brown ponytail, "I think I need a cut as well."

"No," Kagome urged, standing as she untied the bib that covered her, "I think it's beautiful."

"Yea well," Sango replied tiredly as she grabbed a broom, sweeping up the long strands of hair that layered the floor. The salon, save for herself, was empty. Looking up at Kagome, Sango smiled sadly. "Miroku used to say that."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, sighing as she realized the futility of it. Sango and her boyfriend had to come to a solution on their own. It was none of her business to interfere. Turning back to the mirror, Kagome's hands went to her hair, running her fingers through it almost sadly.

"So what's his name?"

Turning, Kagome frowned, confused.

"Who?"

Giggling, Sango gestured for Kagome to follow her to the register.

"Your troublemaker."

Taking the wallet from her newly purchased handbag, Kagome followed Sango, her meaning dawning over her.

"You mean-? Oh no! Well, umm, we're not really… I mean-," Kagome stopped short, sliding the money over to her new friend.

"I understand," Sango laughed, taking the money off the glass counter. "They take a while to commit huh?"

"Yea well," Kagome replied, her face flushed, "I guess. I mean, it's only been a little while since I started living there. He hasn't been home in a bit…"

"Hmm," Sango frowned, staring at Kagome pensively. "Well, I don't think you have to worry. You're too damn fine for him to go running off. What's his name again?"

Blushing even more furiously, Kagome went over to the coat rack and gather her bags, thinking furiously. Should she really be telling people his name?

"Yoshiko," she blurted, "Takahashi Yoshiko."

"Ah," Sango replied, smiling as she held the front door for the girl. "Nice name for a troublemaker. Take care!"

Walking out, Kagome turned to wave back. She watched for a moment as the door closed and Sango disappeared from view.

"I guess I could come the next time I get a chance to leave," she frowned, turning as she looked at the crowd around her.

'Time to get back.'

^.^

There. He was sure it was her.

His eyes narrowed, claws flashing as he cracked his hands in anticipation. If he had to kill someone, at least it was someone like her.

The bitch, InuYasha fumed, a snarl growing deep in his throat. The MURDERING BITCH!

His patience all but lost, InuYasha grabbed the woman, hearing her gasp. As he raised his hand, intent on ripping her to shreds, he heard a voice.

"Yasha?"

Releasing the woman, he turned. At the end of the street, looking at him with a confused look, was Kagome.

He knew it was her. The cloud of perfume, the stench of dye, and the contacts couldn't change her scent, a smell that was like a haze of flowers. Grimacing, InuYasha rushed forward, grabbing hold of her wrist. Looking down in her eyes, he saw that familiar look, the face she'd worn when he'd first met her.

Fear.

"What are you doing outside the house," he spit, his ear twitching as he heard his target sob and run off. 'Fuck!'

"I was just- who was that woman?" she blurted, eyes turning cold.

"Keh!" he replied, turning away from her as he watched the woman run. Making sure he knew her scent, he turned back to Kagome.

"She was just a bitch of mine," he replied coolly, yanking on Kagome's wrist as he pulled into the direction of their building, only a few blocks away.

"Do you always treat your…bitches… to a romantic night in the street? That's called exhibitionism…or something... anyway, it's illegal!"

"We were just talking, O.K," he answered, gripping her tighter. "Why were you outside?"

Looking down at her again, InuYasha's eyes widened. Aside from the huge assortment of bags she had, the girl was wearing one of those Chinese shirt things, red. The collar was unbuttoned, exposing the rise of her breasts. Not only that, but the short slits on the sides of the shirt exposed, her skin showing for all to see. The jacket she wore didn't even cover that, he realized, frowning as his eyes traveled down her tightly clothed legs.

'Damn', he thought, realizing that he was feeling…turned on. Gross.

Feeling a flush rise in his cheeks, InuYasha continued to stomp home, Kagome in tow.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," he growled.

A/N: Edited this on my own, after a bit of work. There are still problems, since I put this back up in a hurry due to a plot hole