InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 'life' and 'death' ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Inuyasha.

Previously:

A light breeze made its way toward the trees and down though her hair that was almost dry again. It flew softly through and moved all of her hair to her left side. The moon shone down and reflected off of her skin. She would have looked like an angel had it not been for the blood and tattered dress. The wind blew again but a little bit harder. Her whole body shivered causing her to bring her hands up to her chest, folded across one another in order to rub her hands up and down the lengths of her biceps. She looked like death that was cursed to roam this land forever, she was a tragic angel.

`I'm all alone,' was her second to last thought before a car made it's way to where she sat. `And no matter how hard I try, I will always be alone in the end.'

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Chapter 8

When Inuyasha had received the word that Kagome was okay, and had called Sango he felt a huge sense of relief surge though his body. He as even more happy when he found out that it was he who would be picking her up.

He snapped out of his little trance when he saw her sitting on the side of the street where he was told he would find her. She looked so lost, so alone. And yet, her beauty was not hindered. The moonlight glistened off of her pale skin and it brought one word to his

He stopped the car right in front of her and opened up the driver side door and stepped out of the car. She didn't even seem to realize that he was standing right in front of her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She jerked her body away, its natural reaction and looked up at who dare lay a hand on her. 'Inuyasha!' her mind screamed. It was a familiar face-a face of someone who did not want to kill her. She looked up at him with eyes that he could not decipher.

No one said a word as he lowered himself next to her and kneeled at her side. He visibly took in all of the physical damage that had been caused. Her forehead was had a huge bruise and was also cut. He could see the trails that the now dry blood had taken. Her cheek adorned several long scratches. Her arms and legs seemed to have various cuts and gashes. He looked down to her naked feet and saw them to be all bloody as well. `Who ever would do this to a girl was a heartless bastard and should pay dearly,' he told himself.

Inuyasha brought a hand up to Kagome's face and lightly cupped her cheek with his middle and pointer finger while softly caressing her unharmed cheek with his thumb. He started deeply into her eyes with anger and concern. "Who did this to you?" he whispered.

She didn't want to answer him but something within her forced her to answer. "My life," she whispered back. He didn't understand what she meant but he decided that she need not sit on the street for any longer.

"Come on, let me help you up, its time to go home." He stretched his arms out to her and she placed her hands on his shoulders as he carefully placed his hands on her sides and stood up. He pulled her up with the utmost care. He felt her shiver and immediately looked down at her. When he first saw her he hadn't noticed the condition of her clothes. Without even thinking he pulled off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He would have had her slide it on over her arms but thought that she might be in too much pain to move. He escorted her to the door, opened it for her, and helped her get situated in the seat. As soon as he was behind the wheel they were headed back into the city.

*************

Sango regained control of her emotions; she was embarrassed that she had broken down crying after getting off the phone with Kagome. She was embarrassed that Sesshoumaru had witnessed her raw emotions as he seemed to be void of them. She needed to change the focus of attention, her emotions, to something else, and quick.

"So does Kagome know you?" she asked.

"Yes." He answered.

She mentally rolled her eyes at him. He wasn't really one for conversation when he didn't fell like it was he? "How long have you known her?"

"Close to two years."

`And she never told me! What a bitch.' `Well I guess she never told me that she had started working jobs for Daichi and Nori either; I had to dig that information out of her like I was clawing my way up from my grave… yea, and instead of being buried under dirt, this would have been more like cement.'

Sesshoumaru let a small smile pass through his icy façade as he thought about Kagome. He was reminiscing about his experience with her. They got along perfectly. They didn't talk about their pasts, they didn't bring emotion to the "work place," and they didn't pry into each others lives; it was as simple as that. It hadn't taken them long to develop a mutual respect for each other.

/*Flashback*/

"Kagome, can you come in here, please?"

"Yes uncle Daichi?"

`Oh great, just what I need: my new boss trying to set me up with his little niece. I will not be subjected and forced to go out with those types of girls.

"I'd like to introduce you to Sesshoumaru Sugiyama; he will be clocking people as our watcher, consigliere to the consigliere so to speak."

Kagome looked him over, bearing no emotion, and nodded her head in approval towards Daichi. He was an extremely good looking man with an emotionless mask. `Good,' she thought. `We won't have any problems getting along.'

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sugiyama," Kagome dryly said.

"Like wise, Kagome." He politely kissed her hand in a quick down to business matter.

"If you'll excuse us Kagome, you may go back to the dojo if you prefer."

Kagome nodded at him as she spun around on one heel and exited the room.

"She's a very extraordinary woman, Sesshoumaru. Looks can be deceiving, remember that."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Why don't you go to the gym and train with her?" Daichi had made it seem like an option but they both knew that there was no option open for discussion. Daichi wanted to make sure that Sesshoumaru knew exactly who he was dealing with: Kagome.

"You wish me to train her?" Sesshoumaru asked him, trying to hide the arrogance in his tone. He knew the repercussions for disrespecting anyone higher in rank than you.

Daichi grinned but didn't reply. 'This is going to be fun.' He loved putting new people into place by teaching them a lesson with his young niece.

***********

After ten minutes of sparring, it was quite clear that Kagome was not an ordinary woman; he had never seen any woman move like that. He was starting to realize what Daichi had meant. He wasn't even sure if he could hold his own much longer against her. She was fiery and full of passion when she fought. All of the emotion that she managed to hide before seemed to be coming from her punches, kicks, and other attacks.

Daichi interrupted the match once he knew that his point had been proven, and that it could go on forever until both had worn themselves out completely. He pulled Sesshoumaru aside out of hearing distance from Kagome. She grinned for a few seconds but then regained her composer and continued on with her normal routine.

"She may be my niece, but I think of her more like a daughter. I send her on the utmost important business transactions with all of our top clientele. She can both communicate effectively and take care of problems when needed. People tend to respond better to her. We both know that she can take care of her self but there are some who I do not trust. You will accompany her when I feel needed; do I make my self clear?"

"Yes Mr. Hiragarshi," was Sesshoumaru's response.

/*End Flashback*/

*************

Sango spoke once again, interrupting his thoughts. "So what's the deal between Tai and Inuyasha? I asked him earlier but couldn't get much out of him"

"He and Tai used to be best friends, believe it or not."

Sango found this very hard to believe; from what she witnessed they appeared to be more like best enemies.

*************

Kagome stared straight ahead at the roads that stretched before them. The car seemed to eat up pavement markings as it sped down the long dark pavement. Her hands were crossed, gripping the sides of her arms underneath Inuyasha's jacket. Her jaw was clenched as if in deep thought about something. But really she was concentrating on the quiet music that the radio was playing

"And no one knowswhat it's like to be hated. To be faded to telling only lies….I have hours, only lonely…. My love is vengeance, that's never free…No one knows what it'slike tofeel these feelings likeIdo, and I blame you!No one bites back as hard ontheir anger none of my paincanshow through…"

It was if someone was singing directly through the radio to her. Several phrases of the song ripped at her heart. No one knew the pain that her life brought her. She was afraid to ever get close to anyone again. She feared that if that ever happened they would be taken away from her just as her family had. Even though she hurt so much inside, she couldn't tell a soul. The only person who had ever heard the most complete version of her past had been Sango. Sure the story got around, but no one dare spoke of it while in the presence of Kagome Hiragarshi. People were afraid of her, of who she was, who she was related to, and of how she was rumored to be.

Inuyasha was watching Kagome from the sides of his eyes. He took note of her inner turmoil that was silently displayed on her face and wondered what she was fighting about in her mind. He was about to ask when he heard that ever-so-familiar voice come through on what he called his "walkie talkie."

"Did you find her yet, Inuyasha? Or is driving your car to a certain destination just a little too tricky with all of the road signs, letters, and numbers?"

Inuyasha replied. "What's that asshole?"

"You heard what I said, asshole." Tai was getting fed up with Inuyasha as was Inuyasha with Tai. It was only inevitable before the truce between them was called off.

"Tai, unlike you, I am capable to complete a simple task when it's concerning Kagome." He knew it was a low blow, but all bets are off when it came to Tai.

"Oh shut the fuck up Inuyasha. It's not really my fault." He must have forgotten what he had confessed before in front of everyone, or maybe it was just because Sango and Sesshoumaru weren't present. "It was just a coincidence that I actually ran into her tonight. So fucking sue me for wanting to have a little bit of fun with her before I had to tell her about Ryo...ASSHOLE." Tai couldn't forget to call Inuyasha by his favorite address.

Kagome's head flew up from the head rest as she was awakened from her catatonic state of mind at the mention of Ryo. Her face was ghost white as she glared at the device in Inuyasha's hand with such hatred, such pain, and such malice. Her body went rigidly stiff. With a voice unknown to Inuyasha she yelled a command at him. "Stop the car…now."

"Good god Tai, can you go for more than one hour without fucking something up??? Now if you'll excuse me, asshole, I have to get back to protecting her. Oh wait, there's something else you couldn't do. I suggest you stay the fuck away. INUYASHA OUT!" he copied from Ryan Seacrest's trade mark sign off from the TV show American Idol that he had been secretly been watching on his satellite dish.

Inuyasha threw the "stupid devise" out the window; purposely throwing it down has hard as he could so that maximum damage would occur as it hit the pavement and pulled the car over to the side of the street just as she had asked, well ordered.

*************

Simultaneously, Sesshoumaru, Sango, and Tai all heard the computerized voice inform them that "the link with communicator number 0000002 had been destroyed and is no longer capable of functioning." Sango and Sesshoumaru had not heard the conversation that had taken place between Tai and Inuyasha because Tai had sent the communication transfer privately between his and Inuyasha's devise.

"Tai," Sesshoumaru stated in a monotonous voice, "would you please do me the honor of informing me what just took place between you and Inuyasha."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sesshoumaru." He replied. "We both know that that asshole Inuyasha has got some serious problems going on for him." Tai secretly hoped that Sesshoumaru would buy his lie.

"Tai," he said once again, only this time more threatening, "it would be wise for you to remember that I seek out liars for a living, and that we are dealing with not one, but two of the most powerful men in the world's niece."

Tai gulped.

"I am taking Sango home; I have other matters to direct my attention towards. I highly suggest that you find Kagome and Inuyasha before her uncles' return to the city."

Tai didn't have a change to respond to Sesshoumaru's demand before he heard that computerized voice informing him that "communicator number 0000001 had been disconnected from the network and is no longer available."

`Okay, I'm screwed.' `I barely know my way around the city, I don't know where Kagome lives, and I don't know where Inuyasha lives…. This is going to be one hell of a long night.'

*************

Sesshoumaru did just that. He drove Sango back to her building. When they reached the complex he got out of his Cadillac Escalade and opened the door for her. She graciously took his hand that was extended towards her and with his help, exited the vehicle. Sesshoumaru usually did not act this way towards anyone but he knew that Sango was also someone who would have special privileges when it came to the Family.

Sango turned to face Sesshoumaru before saying goodnight. "Are you sure you don't need any help, Sesshoumaru? I am more than willing to do anything that will help Kagome."

"Do not worry about her. Inuyasha may be a fool, completely incompetent, and more than immature, but he is also my brother. He will ensure Kagome's safety; you have my word on this. Go to bed and get some rest, you are going to need it."

Sango wondered just what exactly he meant when he told her that she would need the rest. He knew more than he was telling her but she wasn't going to press him for answers just now.

"Thanks again."

He paid no attention to her polite gesture. As he began to walk back to the driver's side of the Escalade, he turned his head back towards Sango. "Inform Kagome that I will be back in a few days, give or take a day. I have things that need to be taken care of." After he said all he needed, he was driving off into the late nights or early morning's sky.

*************

He pulled the car over and looked over at Kagome with a hint of worry. In the short time that he had known her, she never came across with this demeanor. With the push of a button he turned off the radio and looked over at her.

"Kagome," he whispered as if anything above a whisper might cause her to fade away into nothingness, "what's wrong?" He tilted his head to the side awaiting a response.

She clenched her teeth even more but would not answer him.

"Kagome, why does the name Ryo bring that look to your face," he asked a little bit louder than his last question.

She looked over at him with cold and empty eyes. "How much do you know, Inuyasha?"

"About what?"

"About me, my life, more specifically."

"Well, I know that you're a Hiragarshi, if that's what you mean."

"And this doesn't make you flee at the mention of my name?" She asked with a bitter tone.

"Why would I, Kagome?"

"Because Inuyasha, it's what any normal, intelligent person would do. And I suggest you do the same if you know what's best for you. Just drop me off at the next phone booth and I'll call a cab," she said forgetting that she didn't have money to pay a driver.

"Well guess what Kagome; it's your lucky day. I'm no where near normal and I'm not known for making that many intelligent choices, just ask anyone," he said with pride and conviction. "So it looks like you're stuck with me because I'm not letting you out of my sight. Tai might be a stupid asshole but I am not."

"Tai was a mistake, Inuyasha," his face instantly turned up into a smirk at hearing her say that; his mind had come up with its own interpretation of her sentence while she was meaning something completely different. "It was my fault for letting my guard down. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving." She reached for the door handle and was about to open the door when she heard the click of the door locking.

"Sorry babe, I have strict orders to take you home and make sure nothing happens to you." `So maybe no one actually told me that, but she doesn't have to know.'

"You don't know anything! Just go away and let me handle things. I don't need you help. I don't need anybody else's help. Just stay the fuck away!" She could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes but she willed them all away. She would not let anyone see her pain, or see her cry. When she heard the name "Ryo" it tore the broken pieces of her heart to even smaller shreds. She felt as if she had just died by reliving her whole experience with just the mention of one man's name. To whom ever it concerned, she had died two years, three months, and twelve days ago. `Why am I even alive?' `Maybe if I didn't live it would take away all the pain that I know is soon to come.' `I could save not only my life from this "death" that seems to linger near by but also save the many who will inevitably perish for my mistakes.'

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