InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Lives ❯ New Friends, Old Exes, Future Corpses ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

It was hard for Inuyasha to keep himself under control.

Still, he held himself firm and comforted himself with thoughts of slaughter. Their deaths couldn't come too soon or none of the other humans would learn of it. He had to be patient; he had to! It was, however, very difficult given the state of uncomprehendable rage he felt.

~*~ Two Days Later ~*~

Just as soon as the sun set, she became more hysterical, both begging and screaming at them, at times threatening. He didn't hear the individual words after so long, but instead, he heard her fear and anger lacing the words. The most he could do anymore was simply hold her and let her cry herself out, so he kept holding her, wishing there was something else he could do.

He didn't look up again at the picture she was making.

~*~ That Night ~*~

"A cute, sweet jerk. A cute, sweet, strong jerk. Cute, sweet, strong, caring jerk. . ."

He was getting a headache. "I like how you arranged them," he said sarcastically.

She laughed. "Inuyasha, for all these reasons and more. . .I know you spoke to me last night."

"Back to that again!"

AE Forty

A lot had happened since that night the criminals were caught. A lot of it ended up on the news. Kagome, after hours of arguing, convinced Inuyasha to go back to his time until the day of the trial, which was a solid two weeks away. He spent those whole two weeks shaking his leg and tapping his fingers, pacing and growling. The entire village seemed relieved that Kagome was in fact okay, and that she was going to return here just as soon as she could.

Sango, especially, was relieved. She cried when she heard that Kagome was fine, and was recovering very well given everything that had happened to her. Miroku held Sango for a short while, leaving Inuyasha feeling pretty positive that there was something going on between them. Of course, no situation between Miroku and Sango can be intimate without failing somehow, and this time, it was the classic, 'I be Miroku. I grab ye butt. Ye slap me' routine.

Koga showed up, which of course worked its way into the typical brawl. Koga absolutely refused to believe that Kagome had chosen Inuyasha, and therefore, the standard pissing contest began. It continued with insults, growls and hits until Miroku broke it up and explained about Kagome. Koga shut up and stood frozen for somewhere around twenty seconds before going completely berserk.

"How did that happen?!" he snapped at Inuyasha. "Why weren't you there to protect her?! Are they dead yet?! Tell me you've already killed them!"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Where she comes from is different. I didn't know people from her village could be that way. I wasn't there because I was here, and no I haven't killed them yet. They have to be shown as an example first," he finished, darkly.

Koga seemed to completely understand. "Tell me your plans," he said after a moment.

Inuyasha shook his head again. "Where Kagome comes from is much different. You wouldn't understand all of it without seeing it, and it's impossible for you to get there."

"You go there," Koga accused. "Why can't I?"

"I don't know the rules, but for some reason only Kagome and myself can go back and forth from her village to here."

"Why don't you let me try, then?!"

"Because it won't work! For once in your skinny, mangy life, just trust me on this!"

"Bite me, dog-turd!"

"No way; I will only bite Kagome," Inuyasha snarled back.

Koga snarled in return. "You take that back!"

"Never! She's mine now; she wanted me!"

"She wants to slum!"

Off to the side, everyone watching went still. Shippo backed up a bit behind Miroku while Sango shook her head.

Inuyasha's mood went from bad to worse. Slum! He thinks Kagome's slumming with me! A long, low growl escaped his throat. "You may not want to hear this, wolf, but I think it's time you knew. Kagome loves me. She always has. The reason why we're together now is because she kept pushing at me! She wanted me long before I wanted her!"

"That ain't true, you take it back!" Koga yelled, punctuating his last word with a punch at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha leapt up with a smirk. Once landed he said, "You ain't so fast anymore without your shards, are you? Betcha you're just dying to get your paws on more."

"If this is some pathetic attempt at pissing me off, you're a little too late!" Koga snapped back, attacking again. "I love Kagome, she's meant for me!"

"She doesn't love you!" Inuyasha replied, leaping.

"Then why would she be so kind to me, give me things?!" Koga asked as he stood once more.

"Because that's what Kagome does!" Inuyasha snapped as he landed once again. "She's overly caring, unbelievably compassionate; she takes pity on you when you're hurt or hungry, that's all!"

"Liar! Kagome loves me!"

"Right now it doesn't matter who she loves!" Miroku snapped. "You should both be counting your blessing that she is alright and will return!"

Inuyasha felt like crap at that. It was true; it was more important to be thankful that she was still alive rather than to fight over whom she loves more. Especially when it was so obvious that she loves him. "I agree," he said at last, reluctantly. "Kagome is recovering and that's what's important."

Koga looked away. "Yeah, I guess. . . So, she. . ." He looked at Inuyasha. "She's recovering?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Really well given everything that happened."

"What do you plan on doing to those. . .those men?"

A dark look came over Inuyasha's face, and he glanced away. "A lot," he answered. Simple, short, yet an obvious declaration of pain. Everyone understood it, even as it was just two words.

Koga looked away, too. "Well, since you seem to be the only one who can stay with her at all times. . ."

"Yeah?"

Koga looked at him again. "You be sure to give 'em hell for me, alright?"

"I'll give 'em hell for Kagome," Inuyasha replied, smirking. "I'll add in a few moves for you, though."

"Thanks."

Inuyasha nodded.

"Now that we're done, I have other things to attend to. See you later, mutt."

"Same to you, wolf."

Koga ran off then, and Inuyasha had the strange feeling that this encounter was much different from all of their others. What was left behind when Koga left was a feeling Inuyasha didn't recognize. He supposed this is what it felt like when you made friends with an old adversary. Kind of like play fighting with a comrade: glad that you got to test your skills, content with a draw, a little sad that you had to part ways.

Weird.

The day before he was to go back, another person showed up whom he truly didn't want to deal with. It was Kikyo. But she seemed to be seeking someone other than himself, and so Inuyasha did the obvious thing: he sought her out.

It was easy enough to follow her scent and the trails of Soul Gatherers. Of course, upon finding her, he was stumped about what to say. The last thing he wanted was to tell about himself and Kagome. Kikyo would never forgive him. Right? But then, what else could he say? Nothing else was new since their last encounter.

As it turned out, he didn't have to start the conversation.

"Inuyasha," she said. "Could you tell me. . .where is Kagome?"

That sparked his interest. "You. . .want to see Kagome?"

Kikyo nodded. "I wish to speak to her. But I haven't been able to find her lately."

"She's. . .elsewhere," he tried, looking away.

"I know that something happened to her."

He snapped his head back to look at her. "How would you know something like that?!"

"Rumors," she explained. "Someone told someone else that she was hurt and now the entire countryside knows. But what happened to her?"

He really didn't want to say it again. "Something bad."

She seemed to be thinking now. "How bad?"

He looked away. "Really bad."

Had he been looking, he'd have noticed that Kikyo, too, turned her head away. "But is she alright?"

"She should be okay by now," he tried. "Getting better, at least."

"So she was hurt."

"Yeah."

"By whom?"

"I don't know their names. But there were. . .six human men." He glanced at her then, noting her silence, and also noted her seemingly frozen pose.

"I imagine you would have killed them," she said, softly.

"Planning on it," he admitted. "Things work a lot differently where she comes from, so I haven't had a chance yet."

"You've made a vow of this?"

"Of course. You know how I get about revenge."

She smiled, faintly, and glanced up. "I know."

". . ." He didn't know what to say anymore.

"Inuyasha, is there. . .anything else I should know?"

If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that was a hint. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not you could accept it."

"So it's true as well."

"What is?"

"You've decided to be with her."

His mind went blank. "Well it's not. . .so much as. . .I mean it. . ."

She smiled again. "I understand. Inuyasha, I haven't come here solely to speak with Kagome."

"Then what else?"

"Lately I've thought a lot about my wish to take you to hell with me, and I've found a flaw."

"What's that?"

"I won't go to hell. My soul belongs to Kagome now. When I die again, it'll return to her. I release you from your promise." She looked a little sad now, and glanced away. "Make no mistake; I want to be with you. I always have. But I have fully accepted that our time is over now."

"Kikyo. . ."

"And now it's time for you to be with Kagome. It's not such a bleak future, I assure you. I can still be with you. . .through Kagome."

He couldn't look at her anymore. Something about that speech got to him, and he felt unwilling to let her give up on them, even though he knew it'd been over for fifty years; now more than ever. "Kikyo, you don't have to. . .I. . ." What could he possibly say?

"I won't leave the village again. Let Kagome know I wish to talk with her, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Thank you."

He glanced back at her then, but she was already walking away. Half of him yelled at him to stop her, but the other half didn't listen. Kikyo said what she had to say to him; that was that. Right? In essence, she just told him that she was ready for her death and he was now free to be with Kagome. And he just stood there, dumbfounded, and let her.

The only problem left now was whether or not he thought this development was a good thing. In all honestly, he couldn't decide.

~*~ Next Morning ~*~

He was crouched beside Kagome's bed, watching her sleep, when she awoke. The moment her eyes focused on him, she jumped and sat up, then put her hand over her heart.

"Inuyasha," she sighed.

He didn't move. "Yeah. I waited two weeks. Is it time yet?"

She nodded. "But you scared me, there. Really close. . ."

He stood. "Sorry, but I was. . . just making sure that you. . .your dreams. . ."

She smiled at him. "My dreams have been visions of heaven since you spoke to me."

"Feh, you're delusional," he snorted, looking away and folding his arms.

"I've have some pretty pleasant delusions, then." She stood and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling his chest. "Sure you don't at least want to take credit for them?"

He put his arms around her and dropped his chin. "Only if it'll get you to stop claiming I gave them to you."

"Even though I know you did?"

"Keh."

She giggled and gave him a squeeze, which he returned.

It was mind-boggling, the way she acted. Kagome was just so incredibly pure that even a rape couldn't keep her downhearted. Sure, at the beginning she was scared and broken, but now it seemed she rebuilt herself fairly well. Although it was highly likely that it wasn't entirely her own doing, he knew for a fact that she was nearly back to her usual self.

Well. . .her usual self beginning after their little episode in the cave. Just remembering that morning brought a smile to his face. He chuckled and brought her closer.

"What are you laughing about?" she asked, smiling up at him.

Gods, but he loved her smile. . . "Thinking."

"About what?"

He grinned. "The cave."

She blushed and looked away. "That's a tease meant to make me kiss you."

"No, it's the truth meant to make you want to kiss me."

She giggled. "It's working."

"Is it now?" he asked, lowering his head a bit.

"I think you know it is," she replied, and stood on her toes.

The kiss was both short and sweet, but that didn't make it unappreciated. He fully enjoyed remembering the feel and taste of her lips. Afterwards he ran his fingers through her hair and pressed his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes. He really couldn't help the way he stared at her; her eyes were just so captivating.

And dreamy.

In all truth, he was scared at this very moment. Scared that the beauty of those eyes would turn harsh and cold if he so much as blinked. That the stars he saw now would fade out and leave him staring into cold emptiness. . .the cold emptiness he was promised since his birth. Rejection, hate, wrath. Knowing that Kagome wouldn't reject him, and believing it, still didn't erase his fears; the knowledge and belief merely put it aside.

And then Kagome blushed and looked away with a skittish giggle.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "What's the matter, Kagome?" he asked. "Am I making you blush?"

"No," she laughed.

"Then what's with your cheeks?"

"It's a trick of the light."

He laughed. For some reason, they both had a habit of denying things when they both knew they were true. Like his denying talking to her in her sleep. They both knew he did, but he denied it anyway.

"You should just admit that I make you blush."

"Only if you admit you talked to me in my sleep."

"But I didn't."

"Then you don't."

Luckily they were both spared a further tease-slash-argument session when her mother knocked on the door. "Kagome, dear?" she said through the door. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Mama," Kagome replied, taking a step back.

"Has Inuyasha come back?"

"Been here for an hour," Inuyasha said.

"Well, breakfast is on the table, sweetheart. You too, Kagome."

Kagome giggled as Inuyasha sputtered.

"Thanks, Mama."

"She just - but I'm not - she can't -" Inuyasha stuttered. "Sweetheart!"

"Oh Inuyasha," Kagome sighed. "She's just teasing."

"Sweetheart!" he repeated.

"Yeah. . . she said that cause you are." She pushed him towards the door. "Now I have to get dressed, so out."

"I am not a sweetheart!" he snapped as she shut the door. "You people are nuts! I should leave and not come back!"

"It'd be doing my time a favor," she muttered, obviously thinking he couldn't hear her.

He decided to let her think so.

It wasn't long before she finished and opened her door. But then she did something that was, in essence, shocking to him: She took off his Prayer Beads. The feeling left behind was strange, perplexing; he never noticed the weight before, but now it seemed his shoulders weren't weighed down anymore. He swore a part of his heart broke off when they were lifted above his head, and it was all he could do to stare at Kagome and wonder.

"I don't want to accidentally sit you," she explained. "While we're in court."

"It would create a scene," he replied automatically, eyes dropping to look once more at the necklace.

She nodded. "Exactly. After we're back, you can put them back on, if you like."

"I would like that." The words were out of his mouth before he could fully process her statement. "Can you use them anymore?"

"I don't know. I suppose I could ask Kaede next time I see her."

"Yeah. . ." His words trailed off and he glanced higher, looking in her eyes. "So, ah. . .breakfast?"

She smiled. "Yes."

"And the court thing?"

"At ten."

"And it is?"

"Eight-thirty," she laughed.

"Right." He looked down the hall towards the stairs. For a moment, it seemed he could see farther, forward in time. He knew the faces of those men, knew their scents. He knew what the courtroom looked like, where the judge and jury sat, where the prosecution and defense were seated. He knew where he'd be, where Kagome would be, where they would be. . .

And unless the jury-people were incredibly stupid and blind, he knew how they'd "find" the "defenders". . . They'd damn well better be found guilty. While their deaths had not yet ceased to appeal to him, their deaths without being known as a punishment for what they did simply would not be accepted. Inuyasha was striving for a greater good here, and by the gods, he'd make sure it got done.

~*~ Courtroom, three hours later ~*~

Inuyasha saw everything in a kind of slow motion. The moment those doors opened and he walked in with Kagome at his side his right side - as far away from the criminals as possible - things slowed down and he noticed it all with lightning-fast and blade-sharp senses.

To his right were people on the prosecutor's side, including Kagome's friends and family, who had been seated before them. To his left, people on the defense's side, likely friends and family of those criminals. There were significantly less people on his left than his right, which brought a smirk to his face. The entire place smelled of humans and wood, mixed with other scents of things he'd yet to identify. Before him stood a gate, with hinges on its left side. Beyond that, two tables, one for each side of the trial. The judge's stand, with a seat on either side, the one on the left currently occupied by a woman and type-wri-ter. Two police officers stood beside the witness stand on the right, the criminals were all handcuffed, and four more officers stood guard around their table.

The prosecutor's table was empty save for two lawyers. There were three unoccupied seats further right, beside the jury stand. Twelve people sat there and watched Inuyasha come closer, one arm protectively around Kagome, who was looking pointedly forward.

Hardly a touch and the gate swung away from him, and he turned his back to the criminals as Kagome walked past him and veered towards her seat. He sat down beside her, in the chair that blocked the criminals' view of her. Every move he made beforehand, every gesture, was planned. He was giving those men no chances to so much as glimpse Kagome, and now he turned in his seat to stare them down. They would not be left unknowing of who he was, what he was here for. They would know his contempt for them.

They would know what he planned on doing to them, what he had in store. He made damn well sure of it.

"Counselors," the judge said. Four people stood, including the two at his table. "State your names for the record."

"Shinomuto Akira," one of them said.

"Kagurane Setsuna."

"Itskonomu Juro."

"Syrano Ichine."

"Shinomuto-san and Kagurane-san, approach the bench," the judge said.

Those were the two at his table. They stepped up to the judge's stand and they whispered back and forth, while Inuyasha caught every word of it.

"That is Higurashi-san?" the judge asked.

"Yes, that is her," Akira replied.

"Who is that man with her?"

"We don't know his name, your honor," Setsuna said.

"But both Higurashi-san, her mother and grandfather insisted he be here, with her, at all times," Akira finished.

"But who is he?" the judge snapped.

"As far as we know, he is the man who found Higurashi-san," Setsuna replied. "In all of the newspaper photos of her, he's there. We assume he's a bodyguard of some sort."

The judge sat back in his seat and thought for a moment.

The moment froze the instant Inuyasha heard someone at the other table move. He moved slow, narrowing his eyes and looking over at them with a glare that could kill.

One of the men had leaned forward in his chair, and seemed to be looking past Inuyasha at Kagome. Inuyasha growled low in the back of his throat, trying to keep the sound from becoming audible, and bared a fang. That man smiled in one of the creepiest ways Inuyasha had yet seen, and his buddies leaned forward with similar grins. One of the latter blew a kiss and beside him, Kagome shuddered.

Inuyasha looked back at her and found her staring at the table with shining eyes. He took her hand between both of his and held tight. Leaning close, he said, "Don't look. Just don't look."

"I'm trying," she whispered back. "But I can. . .I can feel them looking at me."

Inuyasha's protectiveness swelled at that sentence and he puffed up, looking back at those men while dropping his chin and struggling for control. They were now chuckling and nudging one another, and one of them made a gesture like he grabbed something and jerked it towards him, and Inuyasha saw red. He grabbed the table with one hand and clenched, making it crack under the pressure. His entire body had gone tense, and he no longer heard the judge speaking.

They were going to die. How could a human ever be so repulsive, so cruel, so uncaring? They were demons in disguise, evil spirits sent to harm, damned demi-gods with a penchant for human flesh. . .

"Inuyasha," Kagome was whispering. "Inuyasha, Inuyasha. . ."

He lifted his chin and blinked. His previous thoughts faded, and his grip on the table slackened. He looked at Kagome, who was looking a little worried. "Yeah?"

"You were gone for a second," she said. "Inuyasha, don't do that. . .it scares me when you look that way."

He couldn't believe he could do anything to scare her. A part of his mind panicked and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and trying to shield her from . . .from everything. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I don't mean to scare you. I. . .I didn't know I could."

"It was just that stare. . .and you didn't hear me at first," she said into his chest.

Now wasn't the time for this conversation. The judge finally nodded and sent the lawyers back to the table.

"I won't do it again," he promised, speaking as quietly as possible.

She looked up at him and slowly, she smiled. "I believe you."

The lawyers were talking quietly to themselves, and one of them stood up; Akira.

"This trial," she said, pacing before the jury, "is to prove that those six men you see there, kidnapped, assaulted, and raped this young girl here. It was such a horrible crime that it couldn't be counted along with the rest of their transgressions and warrants. It had to have its own separate trial. Each one those men are equally guilty of these crimes, but Hisochane Ishi is the ringleader of this band of criminals. I know that if I were the mother of this girl, I would demand a death sentence for him and let the rest of his affiliates spend the rest of their lives in jail.

"But since this outcome isn't up to me, I will simply have to prove to you good citizens that they did kidnap, assault and rape her. Although I used the word 'simple', I am not implying that it will be. My part in this is to question, show, and suggest. At the end of this trial, it's up to the twelve of you to go through everything we say, do and show, and determine whether those men are guilty of these crimes.

"I trust you'll make the just decision."

With that, she sat back down, and one of the two lawyers on the defense's side stood up. Juro, if Inuyasha remembered correctly.

"Why you are here," he said, "is indeed to determine whether these six men here kidnapped, assaulted and raped a young girl. My purpose is not to prove that they didn't or that she's lying, but to prove that we shouldn't be here in the first place. The police lack evidence supporting this claim, and this girl, Higurashi-san, refused to get tested by doctors to determine if it even was a rape.

"How do we know that there even was a rape? How do we know she wasn't a willing participant? By her word alone? I'm not here to discredit her, just to point out the holes in this story. What I'm going to do, is question, show and suggest what I think really happened. And as Shinomuto here said, at the end, it's all up to you. I believe you'll find the lack of sufficient proof the evidence you need to determine that these men did no such thing."

He sat back down.

Inuyasha was back to squeezing the table in a deathgrip. He'd never felt so enraged before, he was sure of it. Even the shock of finding Kagome in that alley or meeting her assaulters didn't match. That fucking lawyer was trying to prove that Kagome made it all up! In fact, the man had successfully added himself to Inuyasha's DeathList. The numbers were growing, but so was the satisfaction to be had once they were no more than brutally slaughtered corpses.

"I call to the stand, Higurashi Kagome," Akira said, standing.

Kagome stood up.

:End Chapter:

(I just wanted to keep this part, cause I love it so much. . .)

Wow. Tense ending, yes? Well well well, I'm sure you're dying to find out who won my Weapons Contest, aren't ya?

First of all, in case I forgot to mention this, I'll be leaving friday. THIS friday. I'll try to update before we have to leave, but I don't know what time that'll be. If worse comes to worst, I'll just update the night before.

Well now, let's begin, shall we? My entries are as follows:

A shiny ruler (yes, beware the ruler). Toothpick and perfume (scares ME at least). Yamihamaga (made-up fang-sword). Sporks (dangerous). Ball and chain like from Kill Bill (loved that thing). Tamohawk, or Jaken's smell (XD gotta love THAT). Evil cheese with sharp teeth or the closet and dresser that traps you for 3 hours, 19 minutes and 55 seconds (Hmm, tempting). Slingshot armed with jelly (O.o maybe. . .). A helm that gives telekenetic powers (nifty). A whip (MWA HA HA!) Lazer-guided shotgun with atachable missle- and grenade-launcher with dual-firing and auto-matike reloading system (wow long name). Sharpened spaghetti noodles (seriously. . .those HURT. I speak from experience). Mr. Sheep: Cool red Cape, rockets on his side for fast attacks, goggles for both you and Mr. Sheep, incredible head-butting power, and the best and most useful feature of all... pre-installed rocket launcher! (Wow. Bet he could do a LOT of damage. Beware the sheep, mwa ha!) A spiked yoyo which also turns into a sword, the jell-o (XD THAT one I could use fairly well, I betcha. . .) Kohaku's weapon with poison on the tip (loved his weapon, too). Multi-colored Flame Thrower (iiiiiinnnnteresting. . .Mwa ha ha!) A large inflatable red herring, a bug-catching net, or a santa-shaped cookie cutter (wtf is a herring, anyway?) An old sock, and a half a carrot (see above XD)

So then. . . I have all these entries to sort through. Now, I know I said I'd pick one or two winners, but while looking over this arsenal, I came to a lovely conclusion. . .

I could use all of them at once! Mwa ha ha ha haaa! All of you who suggested these, come get your weapons and be my Personal Assaultors while I, in my infinite amount of story magic, will brandish the best weapon of all!

LIGHTNING! :Thunder roars overhead, the skies darken, lightning comes forth as my servant and takes the form of a giant tiger at my side: With THIS I shall rule all! Nothing defeats lightning, nothing I say, NOOOOTHIIIIINNNNGGGG! :Laughs maniacally while my new pet and Assaultors make you all review:

As per my agreement with Stacy, here you are. :Shows Sesshomaru, tied up in a tux: You may marry him now. And don't you worry about Naraku; he works for ME now. :Shows Naraku off to the side with a chain around his neck, snarling and swiping as passersby: Enjoy your present, Stacy. ;-)

See ya, my unwilling reviewers. . . . :Scene fades out along with sounds of screams, begs, and insane laughter from myself and my P.A.: