InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cereal Box Romance ❯ Target Practice ( Chapter 15 )

Edited by: thyme-cat

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any character created by Rumiko Takahashi. I do this for fun, not money.

 

A/N: Sorry I've been such a bum about answering reviews. I read and appreciate all of them. I'm behind in my reading, too.

 

I wanted to belatedly thank Snowfall for a bit of help she gave me - it came into play a bit last chapter but really comes later. And Sada, who made contributions of her own to that last chapter. Also, I want to thank Quirkyslayer for the IYFG nom for Best Comedy. I can't believe I've spanned three quarters with this fic. FYI, I plan to wrap it up by Ch. 20. Maybe before.

 

Chapter 15 - Target Practice

 

“I can't believe you didn't tell me you'd found her!”

 

“Ow!” Inuyasha howled as a bright-eyed young man yanked on a silver ear. “Shippo, damn it! Knock it off!”

 

“I thought you were my friend!” Twisting the ear in his claws, Shippo glared murder at his one-time traveling companion.

 

The kitsune had almost skipped the party altogether, not being much of a socialite, but something at the back of his mind had nudged him until he'd conceded with a frustrated sigh, gotten dressed and hopped on the subway. By the time he'd arrived, the party was in full swing and packed with beings, to the point that he didn't realize Kagome was there until the spotlight had illuminated her ethereal form. Stunned speechless with shock and joy, he'd just about peed his pants.

 

He still didn't know what to think about Kouga's proposal, though he resented the wolf for humiliating her like that. Kagome had seemed panicked and hurt, not how he wanted to see his favorite person for the first time in centuries. Unfortunately, the crowd had separated her from him during her flight from the stage and now he was reduced to bickering with Inuyasha while waiting for the elevator to come back up to the patio level.

 

With a balled fist, Inuyasha bopped the kitsune over the head, leaving a rising knot and freeing his tortured ear in the process. “I don't answer to you, runt!”

 

Shippo raised a red eyebrow at Inuyasha's insult; several inches taller than the hanyou with a deep barrel chest, the kitsune was anything but a runt. Wearing heeled boots to compliment his tuxedo, he appeared even taller than Sesshomaru. When asked how it was he grew to such an impressive height, for kitsune were not know for their stature, he credited it to a healthy diet of ninja food and the best of nurturing in his early years. Much to his chagrin, the ladies who usually asked such questions would already be gazing at him in glassy-eyed adoration before he was able to finish the sentence. Inuyasha assured him that chicks just dug his suit, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Inuyasha was just jealous.

 

“You better not be fighting over her with Kouga, you know how she hates that,” Shippo growled down at the hanyou, his glare belied by the excitement bubbling behind his eyes. He couldn't even hold the glare long; after a moment, his face broke out into a wide grin that unintentionally made several passing ladies' hearts melt. Shippo, of course, was oblivious.

 

Hoshi wasn't and he smiled to himself as he thought of the rave reviews his soiree would be getting the next day. Shippo was always a crowd pleaser, innocent hottie that he was, and added to the excitement of Inuyasha's public scolding, Sesshomaru's “accident”, and Kouga's failed attempt at proposing, it was the perfect recipe for a party that would be remembered for months to come! He'd have to make sure Kagome was always invited to his social events.

 

“Don't tell me you want a taste of sweet Kagome, as well,” Hoshi nudged Shippo's arm and gave him a broad wink, relishing the blush that instantly stained his cheeks.

 

“Wh-what? No! Gah!” Shippo recoiled in horror, his green eyes wide and slightly panicked.

 

“Reeeeally?” Hoshi laced the word with as much innuendo as he possibly could, which was quite a lot. “Then does that mean you're…?”

 

“Yes! I mean no! I mean, she's beautiful and all, but,” Shippo stumbled over his words in his haste to explain, “she practically raised me!”

 

“Oh, don't pay attention to that pillow-biter. He's just trying to rile you up,” Inuyasha turned back to the elevator doors with a loud snort, tapping his foot impatiently.

 

“Do I `rile' you?” leaning in close to one silver triangle, Hoshi let his breath tickle the fine hairs that guarded his ear canal and smirked when the appendage twitched of its own accord.

 

Inuyasha flinched and pushed the kitsune's face away with a clawed hand. “Don't you have something better to do than fuck with me?” At Hoshi's grin, he was quick to add, “Don't answer that.”

 

XxxxxxxX

 

Sesshomaru stepped out of the men's room, the door swinging shut behind him as he scanned the party for a dead wolf walking. He'd heard Kouga's proposal over the running of the tap as he tried to wash red wine out of his pants. Though he hadn't been able to discern Kagome's answer, Inuyasha's exclamation had planted a seed of worry in his gut that had, in record time, blossomed into full-grown thistle bush. Had Inuyasha laughed or jeered, the thistle might still be a seedling, but no…he'd sounded pissed.

 

There was only one thing to do, the dog demon decided. To some, it may not seem honorable, but only because they weren't privy to the fact that the miko had belonged to him first. He would kill the wolf, Council be damned, and elope with Kagome. True, he hadn't fully examined this plan for faults like the strategist he was; it had popped into his head only minutes ago as he wrung water out of his slacks. However, uncertain times called for drastic measures and somewhere along the line, this whole miko situation had ceased to be about winning or losing. He wasn't quite sure what it was about, but he was positive that he would figure it out once he could take a moment to relax. He was bored with his work and needed a vacation anyway, and it simply wouldn't be worth his effort to deal with the Council and the fallout that would ensue from one member slaying another. Kagome might be a bit put out when he whisked her away from Japan, but she'd come around. He had a certain…talent…when it came to persuasion. Lots of talent. And did he know how to use it! Fortunately, it had gone down enough so that he hadn't caught it in his zipper when donning his now mostly stain-free pants.

 

Kagome was furious with him; he realized that. And their little encounter had been going so well! He'd smelled her distraction by his body, had been able to read in her face the naughty things she'd been contemplating when she'd run her eyes over his form. She'd resisted in her deliciously innocent, jealous (and at this, he allowed his lips a small curl of satisfaction) feminine way and he had been moving in for the kill when she'd brought up his little wager with Inuyasha. Really, she should've been flattered by his attentions and her ire caught him off guard. Not to be outdone in the airing of skeletons, he'd alluded to her indiscretion with a particular wolf. A blunder; he'd realized it the moment the scent of her hurt had reached his nostrils, but she hadn't given him a chance to rectify it. Instead, she'd caused him a slight…inconvenience (this Sesshomaru was not humiliated) and stalked off, leaving him with a mess to clean.

 

What a female!

 

And probably engaged to a fellow Cardinal Lord. That would not do.

 

He'd play poker, he decided. They would travel the world living on his winnings and christen one posh hotel room after the other. The Jacuzzis, as well. Maybe the elevators. Eventually, she would conceive and they would have to find more permanent accommodations, but that was far in the future. They had plenty of time to work out those details. First things first, prying her out of the wolf's claws and then reacquainting said wolf with his light whip.

 

Though Kouga was nowhere in sight, he did catch sight of Hoshi mercilessly teasing his half-brother by the elevators. Shippo, flushed with embarrassment, was wringing his long fingered hands and attracting more than his fair share of female attention. Though not the most powerful of youkai, the kitsune was a credit to his race, possessing a strong sense of honor and loyalty. How he had grown into such a handsome adult male and yet not influenced by Inuyasha's swinging lifestyle, Sesshomaru had no idea.

 

It didn't take a lot of guesswork as to why the trio was gathered by the elevator, so Sesshomaru swept toward them, his refined gait as elegant as ever, daring anyone to mention the pale pink splotch on the crotch of his pants. No one did.

 

“What do you want?” Inuyasha greeted him with a suspicious glower and pressed the elevator button several times with more force than necessary.

 

“Are you going after Kagome, too?” Shippo asked, surprise widening his jeweled eyes.

 

Turning his nose up in the air, Inuyasha turned to face his brother with his arms folded over his chest, “Keh! He ain't invited.”

 

“Inuyasha,” Shippo said in a patient, patronizing tone that had nuances of Kagome in it, “it's important to have the support of all of your friends after a distressing experience.”

 

“What's that bullshit you're spouting?” Inuyasha scoffed as he looked askance at the kitsune, who was shaking his head in earnest.

 

Sesshomaru tuned them out, one eye on the elevator dial as it edged toward the patio floor. Staring straight ahead, his face an emotionless mask, he pretended that the others didn't exist as he contemplated other places in hotels that he and Kagome would employ. Utility closets were right out, but perhaps they could break into the lounge after hours. Yes, they would find a hotel with a white piano in the bar and he would pleasure her on the top with her dark hair splayed over the glistening white finish…

 

As soon as the elevator chimed, he pushed between his brother and the kitsune, stopping short when he saw Kouga leaning against the back wall, heavy sadness darkening his blue eyes to slate and an irritated scowl twisting his features.

 

“You!” Inuyasha bellowed and lunged forward, bumping against Sesshomaru's shoulder to land a punch square in the wolf's face. Kouga howled in pain and surprise while clutching his gushing nose. With his free hand, he swung his elbow into Inuyasha's cheek, leaving a rising purple lump. The two males crashed to the floor of the elevator, each trying to wrap his hands around the other's neck. With a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes, Shippo stepped into the elevator over the struggling bodies and pressed the parking level button.

 

“What is with you dogs?” Hoshi groused and applied the tip of his pointy-toed boot to one of Inuyasha's kidneys with a firm, quick kick. The hanyou screeched as his back arched with pain and Hoshi wasted no time in planting the heel of that same boot into Kouga's already damaged nose. Howling, Kouga rolled away, clawing at his ruined snout.

 

“That,” Sesshomaru sent a bored flick of his eyes toward the wolf, “is not a dog.”

 

Relief had doused the taiyoukai's anxiety like a cool shower after a hard run and he took a moment to savor it before he stepped through, carelessly trodding on the wolf's family jewels as he made his way to the back of the elevator. Ignoring Kouga's laments and pained whimpering, he reflected (with an odd twinge of disappointment that he would have to examine later) that he would not be taking up cards, after all. No male, after having had a female such as Kagome accept his proposal, could look quite so downtrodden. He almost grinned at his own pun, tempted to rub the wolf's bloodied nose (and he silently congratulated Inuyasha on a job well done) in his defeat with another strategically placed foot, but he was Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, and he knew of much better ways to gloat in front of his enemies.

 

Inuyasha had rolled to one side of the little chamber and was now massaging his back with one hand. “Where the fuck is Kagome, you miserable fleabag,” Inuyasha grunted from where he had propped himself against a wall of the elevator.

 

In too much pain to play coy, Kouga whimpered quietly, and then managed to wheeze, “Car.”

 

Shippo gasped, rounding on the wolf and surprising everyone in the little room. “You mean you left her alone? In a parking garage?”

 

“She said-“ Kouga started but was cut off by Shippo's angry shout.

 

“Who cares what she said? Don't you watch TV? They're dangerous, idiot!”

 

“Oh shit,” Inuyasha cursed. “And knowing the Amazing Miko Trouble Magnate…”

 

Hoshi eyed the two with amusement and shook his head. “Quit clucking, you hens. It couldn't have been five minutes-“

 

The warm, yellow light that filled the compartment flickered once, and then went out, plunging them in darkness so complete that it was impenetrable to youkai eyes. The compartment shuddered to a halt with a deep, rumbling groan.

 

Shippo winced. Inuyasha cursed. Kouga whimpered softly. Sesshomaru wished that he had kicked the wolf in the `nads while he could still see them. Hoshi cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck, “So, this kind of thing happens often, does it?”

 

XxxxxxX

 

Kagome had been kidnapped many different times in her short life: twice to be a jewel shard detector, twice for marriage, several times as bait for Inuyasha, and once to be the main ingredient in a youkai hair growth serum. She was sure that she was forgetting another time or two, but she was absolutely positive that this was the first time a demon had nabbed her to pelt her with cereal toys.

 

She had to admit that she was confused by the motive of this particular miko-napping. What did they hope to gain other than seriously pissing her off? Not to mention Inuyasha, Kouga, and (she hoped) Sesshomaru. Whatever it was, it seemed linked to the Demon Decoder rings. Unfortunately, she'd been much too busy flirting with Sesshomaru in the past or pining for him in the present, not to mention missing her friends and, well, she didn't really need to go into what she'd been doing with Kouga, to analyze the mystery of the rings. It was an oversight that she now regretted.

 

“Thirty-four! Thirty-four decoder rings! Muahahaha!” her captor bellowed and chucked a yellow plastic ring at her. She sighed as it bounced off her forehead and landed in her lap, along with several other demon decoder rings of assorted colors. Two mouse youkai, who stood on their hind legs but were covered in thick white fur and sported long whiskers, once again broke out into riotous laughter at their leader's wit. Said leader, a raccoon youkai who resembled Hacchi, puffed up his barrel chest and grinned proudly, pulling another decoder ring from a plastic grocery sack at his feet.

 

“Thirty-six! Thirty-six decoder rings! Muahaha!” He tossed the ring underhanded and it landed neatly in the swag of her neckline, dropping between her breasts. The raccoon pumped a victorious fist in the air while the mice hooted catcalls.

 

`This is so far beyond stupid,' Kagome sighed to herself.

 

“You skipped thirty-five,” she reminded him as she strained her wrists against the ropes looped around them. She had woken up in what looked like a brick basement tied surprisingly securely to a chair, her ankles bound together and her wrists tied behind her. They hadn't bothered to gag her, implying that screaming wasn't going to do her a lick of good. Not that she hadn't tried anyway, though after her current companions had come pounding down the rickety wooden stairs and had begun their game of throw-shit-at-the-miko, she wished she'd kept her big mouth shut. Of Snake-Woman, she'd seen neither hide nor scale.

 

“Shut up, human,” Pinky, as she had dubbed the mouse on her right, snapped as he pushed her head forward, loosening the knot of hair on her head. “He meant to skip it!”

 

The raccoon bounded forward, knocking the mouse away. “Don't touch her, you moron! She'll purify you!”

 

`Not a bad idea,' Kagome agreed with the insult and the sentiment as she rolled her eyes.

 

The Brain, the mouse on her left, bared long buckteeth at her and then addressed his fellows, “This human is harmless. You heard how easy she was to capture.”

 

“Only because she cheated,” Kagome complained, wrinkling her nose and turning her head away from the stench of the rodent's breath.

 

“Sakishima-sama don't cheat!” the raccoon shouted in her face.

 

“Oh yeah? Then what do you call spraying poison in your opponent's face?” she snapped rhetorically…or at least she intended it to be rhetorical. Apparently, she'd stumped her captors, as they all wore identically thoughtful (if they could be called that) expressions.

 

“Uhhhh…” Pinky scratched one of the rounded ears on the top of his head, “A facial?”

 

The Brain smacked him upside the head with a mocking snort, “No, nitwit, that's with steam.”

 

“Oh,” Pinky nodded sagely, his whiskered eyebrows still a bewildered knot on his brow.

 

“Hasn't Sakishima-sama taught you anything?” The raccoon inquired scathingly as he folded his paws into the voluminous sleeves of this shirt, which distinctly reminded Kagome of a beautician's gown. She squeezed her eyes shut, just in case her brain decided to wake up from whatever strange, surreal dream her subconscious had decided to foist upon her. She was probably on her Aunt's couch, dozing in front of late night infomercials, and this was all a product of a bag of extra-buttery popcorn, diet cola, and a crick in her neck. She'd better wake up soon, too, because she didn't want a mud mask forced on her by rodents. Or, heaven forbid, a seaweed wrap.

 

“So what do you call spraying poison-“ Pinky yelped in time with a heavy thump and Kagome cracked an eyelid to see him sprawled on the floor, a small dune of decoder rings burying his head and scattered about on the cement. The mouse groaned and shook his head, sending more rings flying. One bounced off her shin and landed by her foot. So much for being a dream.

 

“Somebody get me out of here!” Kagome hollered, craning her neck toward the basement stairs, not really caring who would come down them, as long as it wasn't the yahoos squabbling about whose fault it was that the bag broke.

 

“Sakishima-sama is soooo gonna kill you!” Pinky muttered from the floor, plucking a ring out of his ear.

 

“Not as much as she's gonna kill you for-“

 

Raccoon was cut off by a strangled squeak from The Brain, “She's coming! Quick!”

 

Three pairs of youkai eyes widened and Kagome would later swear that their fur paled slightly as they scooped up handfuls of rings and tossed them on her.

 

“Inuyasha!” she screamed as a last resort, dozens of rings pelting her on the head and tumbling down her shoulders, some landing in her lap, some sliding down her dress, but each one a humiliating annoyance that only served to convince her that she must have done something horrible in a past life to suffer through something this ridiculous. Straining against her bonds, she hopped in her chair, not really expecting to gain anything but unwilling to take this shit sitting still.

 

Where was that dog when she needed him, anyway? Not that she particularly wanted to be rescued; these youkai were weak to the point of pathetic and wouldn't have provided much of a challenge had she not been tied to a chair. She would much prefer it if someone simply untied her so that she could rain down some good, old-fashioned, Inuyasha-style waling onto their thick skulls.

 

As fate would have it, she hopped a little too energetically and one of the chair's legs fell into a crack in the cement. It wobbled for a moment and everyone held their breath as the chair teetered precariously on two legs. Knowing how this would turn out, Kagome braced for impact, not disappointed when her shoulder hit the floor painfully hard, the clatter of wood on cement an unnecessary reminded that she was still attached to the chair.

 

“Owwww,” she groaned under the laughter of her captors. Oh, were they going to get it. They were going to wish that she'd purified them. She didn't know exactly what she'd do besides the waling, but whatever it was, it would be painful. And long.

 

The basement door banging open interrupted Kagome's dark thoughts and a familiar, sibilant voice hissed into the gloom, “What is going on down here?”

 

Unfortunately, due to her current position (being trussed to a chair and laying on her side) Kagome could not turn her head to send a baleful glare at Sakishima. Instead, she settled for trying to melt the decoder ring by her nose into a puddle of green goo with the heat of her scowl. She wanted an explanation now.

 

“N-nothing, Sakishima-sama! Just doing like you said!” Raccoon would have been shaking in his boots, had he been wearing any. As it was, his claws clicked against the cement and his tail stuck straight out behind him, bushy as a bottlebrush.

 

Kagome squirmed futilely against the ropes, “You're going to regret this!”

 

“Oh, I very much doubt that,” Sakishima replied as the stairs creaked under her weight. Kagome didn't like not being able to watch her descend, for an unseen enemy is a more dangerous enemy, but as far as she could tell, the snake woman had reformed her legs. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Her suspicion was confirmed when two open-toed Italian leather pumps entered her field of view.

 

Rotating her neck, Kagome glared up at the woman who was now bending toward her. She tried not to flinch when long, manicured fingers pinched a ring out of her hair. “Now, let's see if my work was in vain,” she said with a slick, confident smile that belied her words.

 

Straightening, she held the purple ring between her thumb and forefinger and cocked her head slightly to the side. Her slitted pupils slid to Kagome and she grinned, revealing sharp, tiny fangs. “Yesssss,” she hissed gleefully. “Sometimes, even I am surprised by my own brilliance. I think I'll keep you,” she leered down at Kagome with a mouthful of malice. Kagome shuddered.

 

“Get the van ready, we're moving!” Sakishima snapped, bending down again to paw through the drift of decoder rings.

 

Her minions were quick to agree with bobbing, groveling little bows that reminded her of a certain green imp, which, in turn, reminded her of a rather splendid dog demon. She supposed that if she were to be rescued, then she wouldn't mind if Sesshomaru made an appearance. He would make a dashing figure, provided that he changed his pants (and she couldn't quite contain a small smirk at the look on his face when she'd poured wine on his crotch), and it would make up for him being such a snarky asshole. Not that she needed rescuing, because she didn't. She was the Priestess of the Jewel of Four Souls, housing that sacred item within her own body! She could do with a bit of untying, though.

 

Sakishima chuckled as she pulled a familiar blue ring out of the pile, displaying it under Kagome's nose before she straightened. “Waiting to be rescued, are we?” she sneered.

 

“No,” Kagome informed her somewhat untruthfully.

 

Grinning, the snake woman cocked her head and regarded Kagome with cold, gloating eyes. “By the dog whose pride you injured? Or by the hanyou you abused? Or how about the wolf that you fucked and then denied?” She motioned to her minions to clean up the rest of the rings as she stood triumphantly over Kagome's immobile form. “I'm sure they'd rush to come to your rescue,” she drawled sarcastically.

 

`She's just trying to scare you,' Kagome told herself as she tried to ignore the fact that Sakishima had been correct on all points. That woman knew too much for her own good.

 

She squirmed in her bindings, guilt and dread twisting into an ugly knot in her stomach as she recalled a certain omission she had committed during her last weeks in the Feudal Era. She should have known that it would come back to bite her in the ass. Why had she assumed that the problem would just go away? Why hadn't she warned someone the minute she had known she was carrying a potential weapon that saw into the minds of others?

 

Because she hadn't been thinking! She'd gotten carried away with her newfound power and had exploited it for her own selfish desires. Though she'd had circumstantial evidence, she'd never actually seen anyone else use the rings like she did and she hadn't bothered to find out if they could. Neither Souta nor Kouga had mentioned anything out of the ordinary, such as mass bouts of telepathy, so perhaps she'd simply assumed that they worked only for her? Whatever the reason, she felt blindingly stupid. However, with the hope of the fiercely optimistic (and don't forget foolish!), she tried to convince herself that there was no way that Snake-Woman could have what she thought she had. It had been five hundred years ago, for crying out loud!

 

“You don't know anything about it,” Kagome snapped, though her voice quavered with uncertainty for it was quite obvious that the woman did know something. And she had known something in the parking garage, as well.

 

“That's where you're wrong. You see, I do know.” Reaching into a pocket of her coat, Sakishima pulled out something much more terrifying than anything the woman had done to this point: a dingy white plastic ring. Slipping it onto her pinky finger, she waggled it under the harsh light of the basement lamp and eyed it appraisingly. “I know everything you know. And soon,” she slid the new blue ring next to the battered white one, “I'll know everything he knows.”