InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Zero-G ❯ Of Hounds and Hares ( Chapter 17 )

Author's Notes: Loooong delay. Sorry!

 

 

 

Zero-G

Chapter 16

Of Hounds and Hares

 

 

 

Jimbo was eating his children again. It happened at least twice a month nowadays, and Naraku was not going to put up with his antics any more. “Hey,” he commanded, tapping the side of the plastic tank. “Stop that this instant.”

But he wasn't all that sure if sea monkeys had ears or not. That was probably why they were so disobedient.

Someone knocked on the door; a pathetically weak sound that made Naraku sigh. He knew it was Jaken. “Come in.”

The door opened a crack, and the small toad stuck his beak inside. “Miss Kikyo is here to see you, sir.”

“Send her in, Ja-”

“Get out of my way, you warty little freak.” Kikyo strode through the door, knocking Jaken behind her in the process. She slammed the door shut and sat down abruptly in the chair opposite Naraku's desk.

A long silence stretched between them as Kikyo grimaced and clutched her chest. Naraku blinked at her slowly. “Well, hello,” he greeted. “Shouldn't you be in a hospital?”

Kikyo cleared her throat with another wince. “Do you realise how difficult it is to drive with two cracked ribs?” she gasped. “But I had to know.”

Naraku leant back and tented his fingers. “Had to know what?”

“How is Inuyasha going to be punished?” Kikyo's eyes were steely, and her fist was clenched so tightly against her chest that her knuckles had drained of colour. A scorned woman was not to be messed with, but Naraku didn't feel particularly sorry for her.

“You know, it's a sad day when I lose one of my best agents,” he began calmly, watching his tank of sea monkeys. “It's a terrible shame to lose a man to death… but to lose him to betrayal hurts on an entirely different level. I can't help but wonder if there was anything I could have done, anything I could have said that would have retained his loyalty.”

Kikyo shook her hair back from her face. “He doesn't deserve your grief.”

“Mm.” Naraku shrugged. “I can't help but wonder about this. Inuyasha will be dead by tomorrow morning, and what for, exactly? Because he failed to kill one girl and forgot to mention it?”

“He was protecting her!” Kikyo snapped.

“From you. I know.” Naraku rubbed a finger across his lips. “I'd also like to point out that he was assigned to kill the girl on an independent contract. Your contract, in fact. Whether or not he killed the girl is his own lookout, not the Coalescence's. The girl matters very little to us.”

Kikyo's eyes narrowed, and her breath rattled in her chest. “I'm one of your best clients,” she reminded him evenly. “He tried to kill me today.”

“But he didn't. You were wearing a vest, weren't you?” Naraku challenged.

“Yes, but he wouldn't have known that-”

“And what if he did?”

Kikyo bit down on her next retort and gathered her composure again, breathing deeply as she tried to deal with the pain in her chest - the pain that had nothing to do with broken bones or superficial bruises. “Inuyasha took sympathy with a pathetic brat of a girl. How many other of his `assignments' did he sympathise with?”

“None,” Naraku said shortly.

“How can you be so sure?” Kikyo steadied herself with a hand on the desk. “I know Inuyasha better than anyone alive - I know that he didn't develop sympathy overnight. He has a conscience. He has always had a conscience. It kills him. It eats at his heart every day, and I know that his dreams haunt him at night. What good is that kind of agent to the Coalescence?”

Naraku sighed, and his eyebrows tilted up in defeat. “That is problematic. But how can I trust what you tell me? Inuyasha has betrayed you, so naturally anything you say against him should be taken with a few tonnes of salt.”

“You know I don't let emotions rule my judgement.” Kikyo clasped her hands together and gave him a level stare. “As it stands, Inuyasha is a liability to us both. It is in our collective interests to have him destroyed.”

Naraku gave an empty smile. “You're fortunate in that my superiors agree with you.” He ignored the flinch of surprise from Kikyo at his admission. “Because if I were in charge of the network, you would have been the first to die.”

Kikyo's eyes were stony.

“Oops.” Naraku put a hand to his mouth in mock horror. “That was terribly rude, wasn't it? Well, too late now, I've said it. But a word to the wise, Kikyo: watch your back. You've just killed off one of the best agents we have, and even though your reasoning is valid, we brothers don't take kindly to people like you.”

“You're not the leader of the Coalescence?” she demanded coldly.

“There's the door.” Naraku pointed and swivelled around in his chair to face the window. “Try not to let it hit you on the way out. No need to make your condition worse.”

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>

 

Waking up in handcuffs transported Kagome straight back to the first day she'd woken up and found Inuyasha leaning over her. At the time, she had been confused. She'd gone to bed on Tuesday night and had woken up in a stranger's bed.

But now she remembered.

She remembered changing the channels on the television, and she remembered Yuka telling her about her uncle's funeral. She remembered folding her notepad into her schoolbag and setting off home before curfew - and she remembered the bike. It had been standing beside the pavement, the same way it had earlier in the day outside the supermarket. It was Inuyasha's bike, and it had been Inuyasha who had hammered that rock into her head and stolen Zero-G. She remembered everything like it had only happened yesterday. In fact, it felt as if it had been yesterday. Now she thought she was waking up in her murderer's bed.

“Mama,” she whispered and began to cry, dragging on her restraints the same way she had done that morning so many days ago.

But it wasn't Inuyasha's hand that pressed against her forehead, and it wasn't his voice that crooned soothing words to her. Kagome, believing the woman to be her mother, relaxed under her care and gradually fell back to sleep. It wasn't until she woke up again a few hours later that her head was clear enough to absorb her surroundings.

The woman had gone, and Kagome's memories had faded to the back of her mind. They weren't overwhelming her anymore, but they had settled like a dull headache, refusing to leave her completely. Even as she sat up and tried to concentrate on the latest problem at hand, the image of that rock bearing down on her skull still haunted her.

The room she'd found herself in was strangely lifeless. It was so neat and clean that she wondered how on earth she'd managed to mistake it for Inuyasha's bedroom. The bed beneath her was decked with pristine covers of white and beige that were tucked in so tightly and firmly that even Kagome's restless slumber hadn't managed to wrinkle them. Beside her was a beside table with a lamp that matched the colour scheme of the bed. The carpet was cream, the walls were white, and there was nothing personal on the dressing table at the foot of the bed that indicated this room was lived in.

It wasn't until Kagome spotted the brochure beneath her right knee that she realised just where she was; a motel.

That woman brought me here, she realised. Is she working for Kikyo? Perhaps the Coalescence? Or have I managed to piss off yet another complete stranger?

More memories and hard truths bubbled up to the surface to confront her, and Kagome had to close her eyes and concentrate on more pressing matters. She needed to find a way to escape before her kidnapper returned… but it was hard coming up with a plan when all her thoughts started with Inuyasha and ended with Kikyo. The man she'd put her utmost trust in had turned out to be the person who had brought all this hell down upon her. The cousin she'd loved since she could remember had been behind the whole thing, and now she lay dead somewhere. Inuyasha had killed her. Was there anyone he hadn't killed?

Every name written in the black book had been the names of the men and women he'd killed, hadn't they? He'd spun a convincing lie about a crossword puzzle, but when he could lie about something as big as braining her with a rock, she really couldn't trust anything he'd told her. Her name and address had been in that book because Kikyo had given them to him.

Now everything made sense. She now understood how he'd known the Coalescence had been behind her `murder'. He had a fake ID because he was a criminal, and he had a police scanner because he was probably on a constant run from the law and needed to be three steps ahead. He hadn't wanted her to confront Kikyo or the Coalescence because it would have exposed him! He was selfish and loathsome… why had he bothered sparing her life at all?

And Kikyo. Kagome groaned aloud as her thoughts unavoidably turned to her cousin again. She's dead, and it's my fault. If I had only gone to the police the first chance I had and told them everything!

But like a fool, she'd trusted what she'd been told. She'd never been lied to before, so why would people lie to her now?

Kagome lay back down on the bed, feeling eighty years older than she'd felt twenty-four hours ago. She stared at the ceiling and wished and prayed that she could turn back time, right back to the day when her grandmother had died. If she could go back and change the past, she would have passed over Zero-G to Kikyo and gotten on with her life, oblivious to what Kikyo was capable of and what went on behind closed doors. Ignorance was bliss, and Kagome wished she could have that feeling once again.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, as if will alone could reverse all the cascading disasters that had followed her around for the past week. Maybe if she wished hard enough, she would open her eyes and find herself back in her family shrine, in bed, waking up after a terrible dream.

But when Kagome opened her eyes, nothing had changed. She felt bitterly disappointed, even though she knew it was silly to have expected anything different.

Kagome must have spent at least another hour on that bed, simply thinking and dreading. She didn't know what to expect of her future. It seemed bleak and empty… as if perhaps she didn't have a future.

What if I die today? It seems to be only a matter of time…

The scrape of a key turning in a lock reached Kagome's ears, and she quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep as someone entered the motel room. Whoever it was shut the door quietly and moved past the bed to open a window. Kagome could tell this was the same woman from before; she wore the same perfume.

Giving up the pretence of sleep, Kagome turned towards the window and met the eyes of her kidnapper. She was the same girl from yesterday with the bruised and battered face. The girl who claimed to be Sango Hara.

“Who are you?” Kagome asked. “Really? You're not Sango Hara at all, are you?”

The girl shook her head sadly. “I am Sango Hara. But I forgive you for thinking otherwise. I don't consider what I did to be upholding police behaviour.”

Kagome swallowed hard. “You went missing a few days ago. Everyone was looking for you, last I heard,” she said. “How are you even involved in my situation? I mean, why on earth have you kidnapped me?”

“For your own safety.”

“I've heard that one before,” Kagome said dryly. “The last person who told me they were acting in my best interests was the same person who gave me a massive head injury.”

Sango nodded in an understanding way. “Miss Higurashi, I know you've been through a lot, but you probably don't understand the extent of the situation you've found yourself in.”

“Oh, I know,” Kagome responded dryly. “I've been sweetly oblivious to everything, haven't I? Until now. Don't condescend me, Sergeant Hara. I'm well aware of who Inuyasha is, and why I've been holed up in his apartment for the past few weeks. Now if you don't mind, I really need to go find a phone so I can call the police and tell them-”

“The police are aware of your situation, Miss Higurashi,” Sango said, sending Kagome a shade paler. “Now, I need to go arrange something… I'll be back in an hour or two.”

She walked out of the room, locking the door behind her. Kagome was left with a million more questions bubbling over in her mind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >

When all was said and done, not much love was lost between Inuyasha and his fellow cell agents. They had never considered themselves friends or brothers; they had quite simply been rivals. An opportunity had presented itself to rid themselves of one of their closest rivals, and evidently his team mates were not about to waste it.

There were no lights in the subway tunnels, and the further Inuyasha ran, the dimmer it grew until not even his sharp eyes could pick up anything. He was simply running into a darkness that closed around him like a cold mist. The stench of iron was almost overpowering, and pollution had condensed on the bricks of the tunnel, smearing Inuyasha's hands every time he stumbled into them.

“Where you going, Inuyasha?” he heard Kouga jeer from somewhere behind him. “What's the rush?!”

Something squeaked with indignity when Inuyasha stepped on its tail in his rush to distance himself from his cell. He could smell that it wasn't the only rat in the tunnel. It gave him chills to think that they would probably be crawling over his dead body in about ten minutes.

The fast footfalls of Kouga, Bankotsu, and Jakotsu echoed around him, bouncing off the walls and making them seem closer than they actually were. But every time Inuyasha stumbled over the tracks, they gained another metre on him. Inuyasha closed his eyes tightly, knowing it made no difference since he couldn't see anyway, and tried to rely on his hearing alone to guide him.

The distant clakity-clak of a train reached his ears and set his nerves on edge. He had no idea how close the train was or if it was even coming his way. It certainly wouldn't be a pretty sight to behold if they met it head on.

But why am I bothering?

Inuyasha's pace began to slow down a little.

I can't escape. There's nothing waiting for me if I do.

He heard his team mates slowing down as he came to a halt in the middle of the tracks. He couldn't see them, and it was unlikely that they could see him either, but Inuyasha turned to face them nonetheless.

“Grew a brain cell at last, eh?” Bankotsu asked from out of the darkness. “Wise decision.”

“It seems silly to run,” Inuyasha admitted, sounding calmer than he felt. “Especially when Kouga has always been faster than me.”

The wolf chuckled. “True. I thought I'd give you a fair chance today.”

“Oh, don't let my running away for dear life fool you. I appreciate your consideration.” A train was gradually rumbling closer to their position. Inuyasha could hear its engines and the rush of wheels on metal… but he seemed to be the only one. The other three demons remained oblivious to the imminent danger.

“How should we do this then?” Kouga asked.

“We should cut him up into little pieces, real slow like,” Jakotsu announced eagerly.

“No - we cut his head off! Now!” Bankotsu demanded.

Kouga agreed with him. “I like that idea.”

“Do I have a say?” asked Inuyasha.

“No,” was the flat response from all three men. They had turned away to start bickering amongst themselves again when they suddenly fell quiet. In the next moment, the tunnel lit up, and Inuyasha was finally able to look upon the faces of his team mates, but they didn't seem interested in him anymore. Inuyasha turned, following their gazes, and saw two glowing eyes at the end of the tunnel that were growing larger with each passing second. The whole tunnel began rumbling and shaking as the metal monster approached, blaring its horn.

“Well, shit.” Kouga said thoughtfully. “I didn't count on that…”

Bankotsu was the first to move. He grabbed Jakotsu and began tugging his transfixed friend backwards. “Come on…!” he urged. “We have to move.” But even he had to stop and stare as Inuyasha suddenly took off, charging towards the oncoming train without a second thought.

“He's crazy!” Jakotsu cried, stumbling back with Bankotsu. “Kouga - leave him - let's go!”

But Kouga ignored him and started running after Inuyasha. Both men seemed oblivious to the danger they were heading into. Bankotsu and Jakotsu stared, but after a moment, they simply wrote the other two off as dangerously insane and left them to their suicidal antics. They turned tail and dashed off in the opposite direction.

“Inuyasha!” Kouga yelled as he tried desperately to catch up with the hanyou. “I see what you're trying to do. It won't work!”

“Then go back!” shouted Inuyasha. The train was now only a few hundred metres away and closing fast.

Kouga was beginning to catch up to him, but the wolf knew very well that by the time he could grab Inuyasha's jacket, both of them would be pâté on the rails. However, Kouga had his orders, and he was not about to disobey them, unlike some people.

The train driver could see them. He sounded the horn, and the sound ripped through the tunnel like a blast of wind. There was a deafening screech of brakes, but it was simply too late. It would only be a few seconds before the train hit Inuyasha, then only a fraction of a second more before it hit Kouga, too…

Inuyasha suddenly stopped and crouched. For a moment, Kouga thought he was bracing himself for death, but when the hanyou launched himself at the roof of the tunnel and disappeared with a short scramble, it quickly dawned on him what was happening.

Inuyasha had fled through an alcove in the ceiling, and Kouga was about to be mowed down by a train. “Ah,” he said, knowledgeably, as the screaming train slammed into him.

………………………&# 8230;……….

The alcove above the tunnel led to a manhole. It had been sealed shut with reinforced bolts and probably hadn't been opened in decades. Inuyasha wouldn't have to expend much energy in forcing it open, but he didn't particularly feel like moving at that moment.

I just got Kouga killed…

As many times as he'd dreamt about such an event, the real thing was a little more humbling. He didn't care that Kouga was dead; that wasn't the problem. But this marked the end of life as he knew it, and there was no going back now. No way to correct his mistakes and return to the life he'd been living a few weeks ago.

Of course, it was all Kagome's fault. None of this would have happened if she hadn't walked into his life.

Don't be ridiculous, he argued with himself. You brought this on yourself, idiot. You've seen this coming for years. Not everything is about that stupid girl.

The train had come to a dead halt beneath Inuyasha, and the faint murmur of panicked voices could be heard within. He considered stepping down onto the carriage beneath him and walking back to the station… but he didn't want to cross paths with the remaining members of his cell. They probably wouldn't be too happy with Kouga's demise. With a sigh, Inuyasha dropped his forehead against the cold bar in front of him and closed his eyes in contemplation. What now?

Clunk.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. “What now?” He looked down as another metallic thud followed the first. His scalp crawled, and he squeezed his fists around the bar he was holding, his eyes glued to the train carriage beneath him.

Clunk. A bloodied arm thumped into view, dragging the rest of the body with it. Clunk. Kouga dug his claws into the metal roof beneath him, as if it were made of butter, and rolled over to grin up at Inuyasha. “Did you know,” he began with a voice that was oddly slurred, “that there's a gap between the tunnel wall and the train so that people on the tracks can get out of the way?”

It seemed as if Kouga had only figured this fact out after he'd been run over. Half of his face looked a little mashed up, and so did most of his left arm, but already Inuyasha could hear the soft crunching of his bones beginning to reset themselves.

Bloody full-bloods… he thought angrily, grinding his teeth. Only someone as thick-skulled as Kouga could be hit by a train and be able to grin stupidly about it a few minutes later. But at least the idiot wolf was about as intimidating as a sickly kitten right then, and Inuyasha felt no compunction in leaving him to it. “Goodbye, Kouga,” he said as he began to climb towards the manhole.

Kouga's hand caught his ankle with a grip that surprised Inuyasha considering the state he was in. He glanced back down at Kouga with a scowl. “Don't be stupid,” he warned. “You can't fight me like this. Just tell Naraku that you killed me, and I'll never trouble you again.”

Kouga's reforming head moved slowly from side to side. “I won't lie to him like you did. I have orders.” His grip refused to loosen. “Besides, as you know, these things tend to leap up and bite you in the ass at a later date.”

Inuyasha stared at him for a moment. “That's too bad.” He kicked his foot out, breaking Kouga's grip in an instant, and began climbing again. He could hear Kouga struggling to sit up and follow him, but the wolf had little chance of catching up when he couldn't even walk.

One sound punch was all that was needed to pop the manhole open. Inuyasha crawled out into a dimly lit concrete tunnel which seemed just as long and foul smelling as the tunnel he'd left behind. He quickly nudged the iron covering of the manhole back into place, just to slow Kouga down a few extra seconds, and took off at a jog in the most likely direction.

If this corridor really was for tunnel maintenance, as he suspected, then he'd probably be able to make it all the way to the next subway station without having to surface. Kouga was in no condition to run after him, while Bankotsu and Jakotsu were probably whimpering and crying back at the station behind him.

I can do this, he thought with a growing air of confidence. I can get through this!

As Inuyasha jogged along the seemingly endless corridor, he began formulating a foolproof plan to make his disappearance complete. He could probably count on the Coalescence to have ransacked his apartment by now, pillaging all his belongings and savings along with his -gulp - bike. And even if it was in one piece, it was a sure bet that they were watching the place, waiting for him to make a stupid mistake and return there.

He'd have to find another method of getting money. Perhaps he'd break into a promising house and raid some poor woman's jewellery box. He could fence anything he found for money, and if it wasn't enough, he would just go out and steal some more until it was.

Another fake ID would probably come in handy when it came to boarding his plane, and as soon as he set foot in France, he would be safe. It was either that or continue skulking around alleys and sewers, hoping to any god that no one recognised him. Although, that was unlikely; the Coalescence were virtually everywhere.

And what about Kagome? asked a small voice in the back of his mind.

Inuyasha told himself that he didn't care. But he did… and that was a problem.

A door swung open a few hundred metres ahead of him, and a small crowd of people emerged into the corridor, clogging Inuyasha's path. He slowed instantly and narrowed his eyes, trying to see whether or not they were just a maintenance crew. But when one of them turned his way, raised an arm, and gave a short wordless shout that set the rest of them chasing towards him, he realised that he'd found Kouga's backup team.

A muttered string of curses escaped his lips, and Inuyasha quickly began pounding the concrete back the way he'd just travelled. There were eight of them giving chase - Coalescence cells 6 and 9, if he wasn't mistaken. He should have been flattered, he realised, that Naraku had thought so highly of him to send three teams his way. Or had Naraku sent them? He wasn't the leader, after all.

“Slow down, Inuyasha, we only want to talk!” one of the demons behind him shouted.

Kouga was up ahead, sitting behind the open manhole and looking drained. He was no match for Inuyasha, but the trouble was what stood behind him; Bankotsu and Jakotsu, to be precise.

Inuyasha slowed down, sensing that he had been effectively sandwiched between two mobs of demons, all thirsting for his blood.

“What happened?” Kouga asked him. Most of his face was back in alignment now, except for his nose. “A few minutes ago, you were quite happy to let us kill you.”

“I changed my mind.” Inuyasha glanced behind him briefly, taking note of the eight agents stationed there. “I don't want to die.”

Kouga smirked. “That's too bad.” He echoed Inuyasha's earlier words. “We can't let you live. You're a security risk.”

“Oh, I see.” Inuyasha looked at Kouga with a hard glare. “But you might have been a little too late for that one.”

A spasm of panic fled across Kouga's mangled face, and he suddenly struggled to his feet. “Kill him! Kill him now!”

Ten demons leapt forward at once, seizing any part of Inuyasha that they could find. The hanyou did not make it easy for them as he threw his weight around and twisted out of their reach. Two men who'd grabbed him by the arms went sailing over the heads of their comrades, while three more were thrown to the ground as they attempted to plant knives in Inuyasha's torso.

Kouga watched in growing exasperation as Inuyasha threw another man against the wall, hard enough to make the concrete crack and the pipes leak, before proceeding to head butt another. Each time someone lunged at him with a knife, he evaded and countered, evaded and countered. Every demon who went down picked himself up relatively quickly, but no one was landing a decent blow.

“Enough!” Kouga roared, and everyone glanced at him apprehensively. “Just grab him and hold him still.”

Before Inuyasha could react, ten pairs of hands grabbed him around the arms, neck, and legs. He struggled to break free, and while his strength was far superior to the collective strength of ten men, he was nothing against ten full-blooded demons. He heaved from side to side, but no one would let go.

He was stuck.

Slowly, the will seemed to drain out of him all over again, and Inuyasha went lax in their arms. He looked up dully at Kouga to see the wolf stretching out his injured arm. It gave an audible crack, a small crunch, and soon Kouga was rotating it as easily as if he'd been warming down after a tennis match.

“Why do you insist on making this difficult?” he quizzed Inuyasha as he rubbed his knuckles against his palm.

“I'm not making this difficult,” Inuyasha said dryly. “It just is difficult.”

Kouga drove his fist into Inuyasha's stomach. The punch was so hard that stars burst before the hanyou's eyes, and he struggled to draw in breath. His lips went blue, and he tried to curl up, but twenty hands refused to let him move.

“Well, I for one am glad that you're a measly little traitor,” Kouga rubbed his nose until it gradually began to straighten out. Now all that was left of his run-in with the train were a few scrapes and cuts and plenty of dried blood. “With you out of the picture,” he continued, “I'll be the favourite.”

Inuyasha regained the ability to breathe. “You'll always be second to the sea monkeys.”

Another punch landed on Inuyasha, higher this time, and cracking one of his ribs. He groaned aloud and screwed his face up. Kouga had always been able to hit freakishly hard, even for a demon.

“Why did you do it, Inuyasha?” Kouga asked, crouching down to look into the hanyou's pained face. “Why did you help the human girl? What have humans ever done for us?”

“What did that girl ever do to Kikyo?” Inuyasha retorted, breathlessly.

Kouga growled. “They are the enemy! Did you forget what they did to us?”

Inuyasha closed his eyes, trying to block out Kouga's voice.

“It was the police, you know,” the wolf snapped. “They were the ones who triggered the April Shower. It wasn't a chemical factory explosion - it was a grade E chemical bomb! They didn't care that hundreds of human protesters died because they managed to kill thousands of our kind at the same time! You and I were both there, Inuyasha. We saw our families go down with the rest, and we saw all those bodies in the street, all being buried under ash and gas. No one helped us, did they? No one but the Coalescence. How could you turn your back on us now?!”

He punctuated his words by cracking his fist around Inuyasha's jaw. Blood leaked into the hanyou's mouth, but he swallowed it grimly and refused to let Kouga know.

“Why would you forsake everything the Coalescence has done for us… just to save one stupid human girl?” Kouga asked more calmly.

“She wasn't the only stupid human girl I saved,” Inuyasha admitted thickly.

Kouga's fist slammed into his chest again, not bothering to pause before he repeated the action. Another rib cracked, and he desperately tried to lean away from the assault, only to be pushed back upright by the people around him.

“I don't get you,” Kouga told him as he fisted a hand around Inuyasha's hair. “Maybe you side with them because you're half human yourself?

“They're not the same.”

Kouga blinked. “You what?”

“Maybe we were persecuted back then… and maybe we still are.” Inuyasha mumbled over the powerful taste of copper in his mouth. “But not all humans are vindictive and corrupt. Most aren't. The people we are sent to kill aren't. We're killing innocents… and I fail to see the point in that.”

“The point is that it sends a message to the ones in charge.” Kouga stood up again. “The corrupt ones.”

Inuyasha slowly shook his head, smirking. “What do they care if we kill a few civilians? It's just less mouths for them to feed. It's more money back in their hands.” He looked up at Kouga with a tilted eyebrow. “We're not making any impact on them, Kouga. We never have and we never will.”

But Kouga had a trick of being able to hear only what he wanted to hear. “You naïve piece of shit,” he scorned and kicked Inuyasha so hard around the head that something cracked in his neck. A sharp jolt of pain raced down his spine, quickly followed by a numb wave. The sensation spread all the way to his fingers, sending all his extremities cold and useless as the hands that supported him suddenly let go. Inuyasha toppled to the floor without a sound. He was aware of all the kicks and punches that rained down on his body, but he didn't feel any of them.

Perhaps that was a blessing.

“What's the matter, Inuyasha?” Kouga taunted. “Given up already?”

His clothes were being ripped off. His jacket and shirt lay in a tattered heap against the wall while one of his shoes was lodged between two pipes beside his head. Among the kicks and scratches, Inuyasha felt someone's hands pulling at his trousers. He knew what they planned to do. Leave him dead and naked for some poor loser, who'd undoubtedly need therapy for the rest of his life, to find the next morning. Something about that bothered Inuyasha enough for him to act.

He lashed out impulsively with his claws, slashing at anything that got in his way. Several cries of pain surrounded him, and after a moment of mindless flailing, Kouga's boot slammed down on his arm, pinning it to the ground.

“You're really bothersome,” Kouga said flatly, giving him a sour glare. “I think you should die now.” He lifted his foot off Inuyasha's arm and turned to his comrades who were limping around with the occasional whimper. “Bankotsu, give me your knife.”

Inuyasha closed his eyes as the people around him retreated. He couldn't breathe, or move, or even think straight. He knew he was about to die, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Death would have been a pleasant relief.

“Any last words?” Kouga asked. “As if you haven't said enough already.”

“Uh…” Inuyasha swallowed with difficulty. “Yes.”

“Well, go on then.” Kouga stood above him with the knife poised, waiting with ill concealed anticipation.

Inuyasha glanced at him once before closing his eyes again. “My only regret,” he said with a sigh, “is sleeping with your mom.”

The hanyou didn't see the incensed rage that spread across Kouga's face, and he didn't see the knife that was lifted, or feel it when it embedded itself between his ribs. There were thundering footsteps coming towards them, but Inuyasha didn't hear them or the cries of “Police! Freeze! Drop your weapons!”

It was likely that he'd passed out during those vital few moments, but when he felt someone pressing their fingers against his neck, looking for a pulse, he roused himself enough to open his eyes. “Oh,” he would have said if he could speak. “It's you.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>& gt;>>>>>>>

Sango hadn't returned.

But as Kagome stared at the wall, her captor's location was the furthest thing from her mind. The faces of her family seemed to dance across the wallpaper, and once again, she was hit with a strong wave of homesickness. She missed her family so much that it hurt, but at the same time, she was afraid to see them again. Was she even the same girl who'd dropped her brother off at school that Wednesday morning? They might recognise her face, but when Kagome couldn't even recognise the person inside her, how could they?

The desire to go back to the way things were before was so strong that Kagome had to curl up on the bed and close her eyes. She was wishing for an impossibility, and her future was ugly.

How was her family supposed to live through this? Through the death of Kikyo?

The door of the motel room clicked open, and Kagome sat up as Sango's bruised face appeared. The police officer marched straight over to the bed where she lay and unlocked the handcuffs that chained her to the bedstead.

“I'm taking you to see someone,” she told Kagome. “Hopefully this will all be explained when you meet him.”

Kagome rubbed her wrists sourly and glared at Sango. “Who is he?”

“He's just down the hall in another room.” She avoided answering Kagome's question. “Come on.”

Sango led her out into the corridor, trusting that Kagome would fall into step behind her. The younger girl looked longingly at the windows that ran alongside her and sighed. It was awfully tempting to smash one of them and leap away to freedom, but she knew that she wouldn't. Partly because Sango would no doubt put a quick stop to her getaway, as people often did, and partly because she wanted to meet `him'.

She couldn't deny that one of the most prominent questions she'd been silently screaming to herself since she was brained with a rock was `What the fuck is going on?!'. If this person could answer that question, then she was in no mood to run away from it. Kagome needed answers, even though she knew she probably wouldn't like them.

B5 was the name of the room Sango stopped beside, and with a quick look around to make sure they were alone, she unlocked the door and ushered Kagome inside. The girl had to blink repeatedly to adjust her eyes to the darkness. With the lights turned out and the curtains drawn, the motel room was rather dim, lit only by the deep orange burn of a low sun through the curtains.

But it wasn't so dark that she couldn't see Inuyasha's form lying on the bed.

Like a cornered rat, Kagome tried to back out of the room. Sango's hands clutched her shoulders forcefully to keep her from running and whispered into her ear. “Please don't panic, Miss Higurashi. It's ok.”

“No, it's not ok!” Kagome fought back. “He tried to kill me!”

Sango's grip remained firm. “Kagome, he's hurt - look at him.”

Gradually, her struggles died down, and Kagome looked hesitantly towards the bed. He was hurt. She could plainly see that, even in such poor lighting. She could hear his breath rattling in his chest and noticed that his torn clothes revealed multiple injuries that made Sango's face look flawless.

“He's hurt,” Kagome said softly, trying to figure out the knot of feeling that had become lodged in her chest. She was scared and angry at him, she knew that. But why did she want to go to his side, stroke his face, and tell him he would be alright? It was an inappropriate reaction, so instead she looked uncertainly to Sango. “You brought me to see him?”

Sango shook her head. “No. He just rescued Inuyasha from the Coalescence,” she explained. “They turned on him.”

“Good. He deserved it,” Kagome said decisively, even though she felt sorry for him. Another inappropriate emotion. “But who saved him?”

A disembodied voice called from the adjoining bathroom. “That would be me.” A moment later, a man appeared; a basin of water in one hand and a flannel in the other. “Hello,” he greeted pleasantly. “You must be Kagome. This idiot here has been rambling on about you in his sleep for quite a while now.”

Kagome could have sworn she'd seen him before. “Hello…” she returned hesitantly, wondering if he was a friend or foe.

Sango had a tight expression on her face as she made an introductory gesture at the stranger. Her animosity towards him was blatant, but he didn't seem to notice. “Miss Higurashi, this is Miroku Hoshi.”

The colour drained completely from Kagome's face. “Oh.”

Sango looked at her sympathetically. “Do you understand now?”

Kagome glanced from Miroku to Sango, then finally to Inuyasha. “No. But I think I'm beginning to…”

 

 

 

 

Teh Fackyews

(So popular in fact that Channel Four stole the name for their new show `FAQ U' - pronounced `Fackyew') ::shakes fist::

 

Do you know Harry Potter?

Not personally, no. He's more of a friend of a friend.

How many Chapters are left now?

Ooh… er… I'm not sure.

Jaken/Kagome?! You sick sick little girl!!

You mean, you only just realised?!

Did you like the R.A.G present?

Loved it! I'm trying to get around to thanking everyone personally, but I don't have everyone's email. T_T But fear not - if you hadn't heard from me then know that I'm entirely appreciative! I'll find you eventually!

Who the bloody fuck is Kasumi and Inokku?!

I smell someone who needs to stop skipping important paragraphs…

What does IMHO stand for?

In My Humble Opinion, I believe.

It's amusing to see british terms like `lorry' in a story set in Japan.

Only about as amusing as it is to see American terms like `truck' or `mailbox' in a story set in Japan. If using British/American terms for things taking place in Japan were illegal, then we'd be writing these stories in Japanese.

“You what?” ::has spasms:: That response makes no sense to Inuyasha's statement!!

Something Aithril brought up, my poor Grammar Nazi of a Beta. I know I've used it in the past and I will probably use it again in the future, so rather than change it in this chapter, I'll leave it in and explain it's meaning. `You what?' is probably one of the those Briticisms that keep slipping into my work. I'm not deliberately trying to confuse people, as this is just the kind of language that I use in day-to-day life. When someone says something confusing, unbelievable or perhaps just too quietly to be heard, another person might respond with “You what?” It means the same thing as “Excuse me?” but is generally a bit more `common' and perhaps a little ruder given the tone of voice. It can also be a expression of disbelief. For example, Harry shouts “You WHAT?!” when he learns that Ron asked Fleur Delacour to the ball in book 4.

I thought Midoriko-sama was married to Numisma…

She is, but she's a bit of a bigamist. But I won't complain seeing as how I've gotten several swish cars and a few holidays out of her.

Are you going to write a new story?

You're the first person who's ever wanted me to do that halfway through a current story. Is it that bad?

Writer's block doesn't exist.

Perhaps, but then what do you call that feeling when you stare at the sentence you left off at and can't, for the life of you, think of what to write next? Anything you do write seems hackneyed and dogged, and even though you know where the story is heading, you still can't finish it. It may not exist, but it's damn annoying.

I know this fic is all against the "people who go with the flow"… but I believe even them are necessary. You can't have a world with only "bosses", the ordinary tasks have to be done by someone. We're all needed: the different and the simple people.

Actually, you might have misread a little bit. This isn't against people who perform ordinary tasks in society and don't stand out, it's against the people who ignore the problems and do nothing to help, even if it is within their power. For instance, a woman can sit on a bench in the middle of a busy street and cry for two hours before anyone will stop and ask her what is wrong. If someone sees a man attempting to break into a jewellery shop in broad daylight, they will skirt around him, even if there are terrified customers inside the shop. If a fight breaks out outside a bar, no one will make any attempt to break it up until it's over and someone's lying on the street in their own puddle of blood. Believe me, I've seen all of these things happen. It is these people who sit back, bitch about society's problems, yet do absolutely nothing to help, that I'm referring to.

You'll be disappointed with the HMC movie.

Not really. I've seen it already (the Japanese version) and it's just been adapted to Miyazaki's standard of film. I like Miyazaki films and I like Howl's Moving Castle, so while the film is different from the book, I still find it quite enjoyable. Except… what the hell was Disney smoking when they decided to call Michael `Markl'?!