InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Welcome to The Age of Un-Innocence ❯ An Ominous Dusk ( Chapter 18 )

A/N: Wow, I can't believe it's already been 4 months since I last updated! I'm so sorry for the delay! I've had so much going on in my life lately that I just didn't have the proper time to devote to my stories and I really apologize for that. But all you guys have been so patient, it's really amazing! :D Well the bad news is this update is still shorter than I would have liked, but it's better than nothing. The good news is my life has finally chilled for awhile and I actually have more time now to work on my updates. So..yay! Hopefully I'll be getting back into my grove again soon, I've really missed writing. :] Thank you's!

 

Bluezinthos: Oh how I enjoy Kagome's more devious nature too, I really think Inuyasha is rubbing off on her. :D Haha and I do love your 20 questions but I'm afraid I can't answer them all, that just wouldn't be fun. I can tell you it's probably nothing like you're imaging it will be, but of course there is a meeting on the way! ;D Poor Kagome didn't go to all this trouble for nothing, unfortunately things aren't exactly going to go as she planned either. And how often does someone find a use for the phrase `bated breath'. Nice! But apparently the Japanese have decided it is just a fact. Men don't like milk chocolate or strawberry. :P I totally love you too because you're the only one that got that! XD Thanks for all your reviews as always babe! I'm sure I'll be messaging you on DA later hehe ;].

DarkMoonStar: Thank god for Rin indeed, she's an angel in disguise I swear. Thanks so much for the review and I'm glad you liked the chapter! Hope you like the update just as much hehe, things are about to get interesting. ;]

Silverwolfhalfbeast: Haha well Kagome definitely doesn't have any plans to visit Boston so no worries there. New York is a strange place though; you either love it or hate it. And sometimes it's quite a bit of both I think. Either way its fun to write about in a story ;D Hope you like the update and thanks!

Maelia8: I love you, and I know I already responded to this review via a huge MM message. Did you ever receive that though? I can't remember if you messaged me back or not. Be sure to let me know about that but yea, I love you and your review more than words basically. :D <3 <3 <3

Kagome789: Hehe thank you, I fully intend to! :]

 

Ok well I hope all of you enjoy the update and all the fun new developments to come. *winkwink* ~Laurell

 

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`This is it. I've gone crazy. I'm sneaking out of the country to run after my fake fiancée, who is possibly cheating on a super model with me.' Kagome vaguely wondered if her plane had crashed on its way back to Tokyo and this was all her last hallucination before she died in a coma.

 

Sulkily she slumped down farther onto the bench she had found in the most desolate corner of the huge bustling airport. `I'm insane,' she reconfirmed. `But at least I finally stopped crying.'

 

Pushing up the sleeve of her large jacket she checked her watch waiting for the check in time to open for her flight. She still had a couple of hours; it was just starting to show dawn outside and close to five am. Any other airport in the world might have had the decency to seem slightly quieter, but Tokyo as usual was as busy and noisy as ever making Kagome's pounding headache only intensify.

 

She rubbed her eyes wearily; they ached from being puffy with tears for the last two days. Sipping on the iced coffee she had bought from a vending machine to help keep her alert; her adrenaline was doing a fine job of it really though, she checked her phone again.

 

Another silent call was coming through from an unknown number and she gave it a pitiful look. It had been ringing off the hook all night as soon as she made her escape, which she already planned for. She tucked herself tighter into Inuyasha hoodie, it smelled like him and she sighed content at least with that very small controllable portion of her life.

 

Kagome tried to text message Sango to see if she was awake and would help her pass the time but as she clicked over the familiar keys a pair of shoes stopped directly in front of the tiny nook she had hidden herself in and a spike of fear shot through her. `Not yet!' She thought desperately, but when she looked up over the bill of Souta's baseball cap relief washed through her like she had been dunked under water.

 

Souta smiled and took a seat next to her. “I thought I might find you here.” Kagome wanted to throw her arms around him and sob again but she stayed jarringly quiet. She was relieved he wasn't one of her father's lackey's but that still didn't mean she was safe if he didn't want her leaving.

 

They both sat in the silence surrounding only the two of them; Kagome watched all the blurred legs passing by them with a cold disinterest. When it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything or make the call to their father, she cut to the chase.

 

“Are you…going to stop me?” Souta smiled softly, one that looked half amused and half regretful, but he shook his head.

 

“No, and I already gave mom and dad three false leads all over the city of your friends houses you `probably went to.'”

 

“Oh Souta!” Kagome did tackle him in a hug this time, practically toppling them both over. “So you're really okay with me going after him?”

 

“No. But I know better than to try and stop you when you've already outsmarted dad's security and clearly have no intention of stopping there.” She laughed quietly and hugged him tighter before finally letting go.

 

Souta moved his hands down to hold her arms, gently pinning her between his grip and stared down at her, a somber expression on his young face.

 

“You have to promise me something Kagome.” His voice was strained with worry and ache, matching the rest of him.

 

“Anything.” Kagome answered without hesitation.

 

“You'll be careful. You'll be beyond careful, and nothing will happen to you.” Souta's eyes were so serious as they moved along her face watching for her response. `It doesn't fit him,' Kagome thought strangely. `That look in your eyes never fits you anymore Souta.' Everyone was wearing that awful serious look recently.

 

“I'm just going to talk to him. I have his address and I'll be careful. I know how to take care of myself in the city, don't worry.” Souta sighed letting go of her and turned back to face the crowds as he bent over to rest his elbows on his thighs. He looked so defeated, like he was trying to hunch his body as low as possible and he just wanted to lie down on the floor, with no intent of getting up again.

 

Souta clasped his hanging hands together and opened his mouth briefly only to close it again and swallow. Kagome thought he was either struggling to say something, or not say it but even he wasn't sure which yet.

 

“I don't think he deserves this-you really, but I won't try and make your decisions for you Kagome. Just make sure you come back home safe.”

 

Kagome reached down to place one of her smaller hands over his, and he at last tilted his head slightly to look at her. “I will.”

 

“I need to get back to the house to tell them I couldn't find you at the airport. Or they'll come and look themselves.” Souta's eyes softened and he pulled her into a tight embrace. “I love you sis.” He whispered, hugging her tighter and Kagome felt her eyes stinging as she replied.

 

“You too, more than you know.” She hugged her not so little brother and ignored the familiar tears that started to spill when he released her. Souta stood up, rubbing a hand over the hat on her head, pulling it down into her eyes like she had always done to him as a kid.

 

“Make sure you call me when you get there. You know you're safe with me. You call me if you need anything. Hell I'll fly over in a second if you need me to.”

 

“I know, I will.” Kagome nodded to him and he smiled at her.

 

“Oh, and nice cap.” With that Souta waved and then was gone, melting back into the crowd of well dressed business men seamlessly and Kagome's heart hurt from the abruptness of it. Then she realized what he just said.

 

Not wanting to take the hat off for fear of being recognized still Kagome dug her compact mirror out of her carry on bag and flipped it open. Her eyes widened on the reflection of what she even recognized backwards and she paled. Right over the bill it proudly said in huge letters.

 

`Pokemon!'

 

Kagome sunk farther down onto the bench with a whimper.

 

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Kikyou's long legs swiveled into the leather seat next to her agent, the sharp Gucci heels she had strapped herself into coming to rest finally. She sighed in relief from being off her feet for the first time in hours.

 

“You did good work tonight, the show went flawlessly. I think you impressed several more of the designers.” Kikyou vaguely wanted to scoff in sarcasm but didn't have the energy for it and kept her icy silence. “I still can't say I'm pleased about that interview, or all the attention you drew to yourself…”

 

“Are you still going on about that?” She muttered in a clipped tone.

 

“I just wish you had stayed with the plan of promoting your new Chanel campaign and hadn't turned it into a gossip frenzy. It was tacky. You should have consulted me before.” She ignored this comment as well instead focusing on how many blocks the driver had covered.

 

Not much longer until she would be at her flat, and then she was free for the night at least. Free in the privacy of her home to do whatever she liked out of the camera's watchful eye and constant flashes. It was what she waited for every day. She thought about the brown vial sitting on her nightstand and she even briefly tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the door handle in excitement.

 

“You're staying in tonight I hope. You have a shoot tomorrow and I don't want them to be complaining about any bags under your eyes.” Kikyou didn't act as though she had heard her, or at least it wasn't worth a response. When the car came to rest against the curve she waited for the door to automatically open before stepping out gracefully and snapping across the walkway and past the doorman, without so much as a goodbye.

 

Kikyou's bored demeanor continued all the way up her elevator and swished down the hall until she got into her flat and had securely locked the door behind her. Setting her purse down on a side table she looked through the unfamiliar darkness reaching for the light switch but not making it.

 

“Hello Kikyou-sama.” A smooth voice snaked out from the dark and she pressed herself tight against the door. Kikyou's bottom lip trembled.

 

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The first thing Inuyasha noticed when he woke up the next evening was that his head was still pounding and his mouth felt like it had been filled with sand. The second was an odd feeling of déjà vu when he sat up and realized he was in his apartment. Like the entire trip to Tokyo had been nothing but a bad dream.

 

He squinted to try and make out the hour on the clock and winced when he realized it really did say seven pm. It felt like foghorns we're going off inside his skull.

 

`I need-' but he stopped because he knew what he was about to think, and that wasn't what he needed to make things better at all. That was what had made things get so fucked up in the first place, was him relying on drugs to make everything ok again; or at least tolerable.

 

Clawing his hands through his messy bangs, Inuyasha slouched forward to cradle his head with a heavy sigh. `But, I don't want to solve any of this because I just don't want to think anymore, I don't want to be conscious or awake or trying to put my life back together. I just want to be numb…for things to be easy and simple even if the escape is only for a few hours at a time.'

 

“No.” He hadn't realized he had even yelled it out loud until it echoed off his expensive high ceilings, making his ears ring and head hurt worse. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. There was no real point to rebuilding his life and staying clean when he had already been disowned from the only people who would have been proud of him for it.

 

He would just be losing all the people he had met here. Well maybe not Miroku, but he didn't even know that for sure, he had no idea when he really thought about it. Inuyasha had never really consciously thought about his drug use, or if he should stop it. He knew for most it would have been an obvious choice, they were horrible for him, most likely becoming a habit and had already ruined his life. But for Inuyasha it wasn't obvious at all, maybe because he just wasn't a good person, he didn't know anymore.

 

With another sigh he agreed to disagree with himself and put the issue on hiatus. It was too early for things that heavy and for now he was just going to take a shower.

 

Untangling himself from his sheets he stretched on his walk to the bathroom and paused to check his cell phone which was lying on the floor in the kitchen, he couldn't remember why exactly.

 

“No missed calls huh? Thanks New York, it's great to be home.” He muttered sarcastically, dropping the abused electronic on the table. Sarcasm aside he did linger on one thought, he hadn't spoken to Miroku in two days and he had never returned his call yesterday.

 

`Oh well, that's not that unusual for him. He's probably just holed up at some model's house for the weekend.' But he couldn't shake the weird feeling of it while he twisted the hot water on. Dismissing his suspicions on his overactive imagination he grabbed a towel and got into the shower.

 

He didn't know his phone was ringing on the table, and was even more unaware of a flight from Tokyo that was just coming in for landing high above the New York sky.

 

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Kagome floated through the crowds of JFK airport, still dazed from her last flight and focused on trying to find the baggage claim for the huge terminal. Moving with the bustling crowd she narrowed her blurred eyes reading the signs that directed her to baggage and was relieved to find the turntable already running. She wasn't sure how long she had even been on the ground but she found her small suitcase somewhat quickly and was thankful for that at least.

 

Fighting back away from the crowds Kagome leaned against a stray wall to turn on her cell phone, ignoring all the messages that came up. She glanced at the time that had already readjusted to her new time zone, and if she hadn't felt disoriented before she certainly did now.

 

She knew she had just literally spent the last 24 hours on planes with layovers she could barely remember she was so tired, in Minneapolis and Detroit. But she had arrived in New York only a few hours after she had left Tokyo on the same day. She had never even imagined a day could be this long or wearing.

 

Her feet were moving on their own accord again now, her brain feeling too numb, like it might have been boycotting any more work in favor of sleep. Kagome couldn't honestly remember the last time she had felt this bad, or the last time she had eaten and what city it might have been in.

 

Looking up and down the busy terminal but not focusing on anything Kagome debated if maybe she should get a hotel near the airport to rest and freshen up with the cash she had taken out of an ATM in Tokyo. It was tempting but even with how awful she felt she was too eager to find Inuyasha to actually consider it yet. The fact that she honestly was excited to see him only proved to her that she really had lost all sense and reason. She had just literally traveled half way across the world in a day to find a man who might take one look at her and slam the door, that was if she could even find him.

 

Feeling a little less determined and a lot more exhausted and hungry than anything Kagome reasoned with herself that finding a hotel near Inuyasha's place probably was a good idea. Considering the only person she knew in this city was him, and he more than likely wasn't going to be too thrilled to find her stalking him from country to country he probably wouldn't be opening his apartment up for her to sleep in. She didn't even know if he lived by himself, or even had somewhere for her to sleep.

 

She tried to stop those thoughts for fear she'd lose her nerve to find him at all if she kept thinking that way. Shaking her head Kagome sighed and made her way through the large doors out of the terminal. Following the crowd she waited in the line at the taxi stand and handed the address Rin had given her to the dispatcher.

 

“Manhattan,” he said in a bored tone pointing his hand over to a cab in the line up. Kagome said a quick thank you before hurrying through a few people to her taxi. The driver whose trunk was already open put her suitcase in and closed it while she hopped in and buckled her seat belt. Kagome had only been in a taxi a few times, even home in Tokyo. This one was relatively small and smelled stale but was overall comfortable which was good considering she knew she had at least a thirty minute drive to the famous borough.

 

“What's the address?” The driver looked over his shoulder to ask and Kagome politely handed the scrap of paper to him as well. He looked it over skeptically before setting it down on the dash and merging into the river of other cabs and transportations leaving the terminal.

 

Leaning against the window Kagome's thoughts drifted among the mess her life had become this past month. She tried to think more positively, but couldn't find anything good really to think about. So she let her mind go blank and found her eyes focusing on the sky above her. She noticed that the sun must have just set, as the beginnings of dusk were creeping into the sky and it was faded darker on the edges. By the time she reached Inuyasha's apartment she knew the sky above her would be black but she had a feeling it still wouldn't be dark anywhere near there.

 

`I always did want to visit New York, but I didn't think it would be like this…' Kagome thought sadly snuggling farther down into Inuyasha's jacket. She didn't notice how she was twisting the ring on her left hand, or had been for nearly the past hour.

 

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When Inuyasha got out of the shower he paused while running a towel over his long silver hair to listen; in his kitchen his cell phone was going off. Ignoring it he went back to drying off, wrapping the towel around his waist and shaking his hair out to let it dry.

 

He ignored the continuing ring the second time, and most of the third but by the fourth he growled and swung open the bathroom door walking into the chill of his apartment to find the damn thing and silence it. Flipping it open he snarled rather venomously, “What?!”

 

“Inuyasha, its Kouga. I need to talk to you right away.”

 

“You are talking to me.” He snapped, but paused when he took a second to think about how Kouga just sounded.

 

Kouga wasn't his boss or partner, they were associates more really, two people with a common interest and goal that helped each other and met when it was only necessary. He even thought calling him a friend might have been pushing it as they had never particularly liked each other, but he definitely wasn't an enemy.

 

He was more involved than Inuyasha, which essentially only meant he knew more powerful people and took more risks with them. Inuyasha picked up orders through him and Miroku, but he didn't follow his commands beyond that which was why he couldn't have cared less why Kouga had been looking for him up until now. He had assumed he was just being his usual nosey self wanting to know why one of his delivery boys had gone AWOL.*

 

But the thing bothering him was, he couldn't remember if Kouga had ever said he `needed to talk to him.' Kouga didn't need things from others, certainly not him. And whenever he had wanted to talk with him before, he would indifferently tell Miroku or someone else to have Inuyasha call him. It wasn't often he called him personally, because he didn't care enough to most of the time.

 

“Cut the shit. I've been trying to get hold of you for a month and you haven't returned any of my calls.”

 

Inuyasha switched the phone to his other ear holding it in the crook of his neck while he opened his refrigerator. “I've been busy. What's so important to have you calling me?”

 

"I think something's happened to Miroku.”

 

Kouga's voice wasn't panicked; it wasn't even raised above a normal conversational level. But Inuyasha knowing him as well as he did, and listening intently, realized that it was just barely strained; like it was tighter. Lacking the languid cocky tone he usually took, his voice sounded rather stiff. Despite denying it, even to himself that they were friends, Inuyasha had known Kouga long enough to immediately recognize what a bad sign this was. He straightened up holding the phone tightly to his ear, and paid complete attention. “What do you mean- happened?”

 

Happened as the kind of word you used when a freak accident `happened' to someone. If Miroku was in trouble, which was always a possibility, it wouldn't have just randomly `happened' to him.

 

“I can't talk about this on the phone right now. How soon can you be at my place?”

 

“Um,” his eyes shooting to the clock on his stove Inuyasha counted in his head. “Give me thirty minutes. Do you think Miroku's ok?”

 

“I don't know,” Kouga answered. His tone was completely neutral, and that's what worried Inuyasha the most. Hanging up and tossing the phone down, he quickly dug a pair of jeans, a black tank and a tee-shirt to go over it out of his opened suitcase. He got dressed as fast as he could taking a second to pick up his cell phone and wallet when he remembered in his rush he might need them if Miroku tried to call him.

 

Inuyasha's mind was racing with the possibilities trying to remember exactly how long ago he had talked to him. It was a quick conversation while he was waiting on a layover in Rome. He had called to tell him he was on his way back to New York and was hopeful that Miroku would make a joke about it and forget the whole thing. Then by the time he came home he'd be waiting for him in his apartment as usual, and everything would go back to normal. But that hadn't happened; Miroku had sounded upset and had hung up on him again. He hadn't spoken to him since.

 

Inuyasha wrote it off to him still being pissed about not telling him about the engagement but hadn't worried about it. `I thought I'd just explain everything to him in person, then he'd understand.' He frantically tossed his clothes around from the night before searching for his keys knowing he was only making things worse by stressing out. Finally he found them and tore out of his apartment, not taking the time to lock it as he ran down the hallway and took the stairs to the garage.

 

Now of all times, as he sprinted down the steps he was remembering Miroku calling him to warn him. About the people looking for him and the ones that had been trailing Miroku, and how he had blown all his speculations off and acted like an asshole to him for it.

 

“I've got a bad feeling, Inuyasha…”

 

`Please don't let that be my last conversation with him,' he thought desperately. Truly scared his only real friend might be dead because of him.

 

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*AWOL is a military term which stands for absent without leave. It means leaving without permission, or just disappearing basically. It's a pretty common used term so I'm sure most of you guys have heard it before, but if not, that's what it is heh.

 

A/N: No offensive to any Pokemon fans by the way hehe...I'm actually a fan of the games myself (Crystal rocks!) but I don't think I would ever wear any merchandise. Now doodle in the privacy of my sketchbook...well that's my business ;D.

 

Massive love to all of my WONDERFUL and patient readers and reviewers! You guys mean so much to me :D And as always I do not own Inuyasha, he owns me. Forgive me for how short this is and how long it took! I'll see you all again much sooner than 4 months, promise! ;D