InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Smirking Revenge ❯ Fool Me Once... ( Chapter 35 )

Love's Smirking Revenge

- Chapter Thirty-Six -

Fool Me Once…

Kagome hadn't stepped foot in Furukawa-san's office since the day she was hired at VOSS and it still felt too soon. After speaking with some of the girls, she'd taken her time going through his drawers looking for anything she could use. It hadn't taken long to find what she needed. Furukawa-san had enjoyed a long and prolific career being a repugnant waste of space.

Amidst all her searching, she hadn't found a single shred of evidence to tie him to Rin. Apparently he'd learn some tricks along the way and knew how to make a person disappear. Whatever employee records had existed of her were gone, either burned or shredded. Whatever money had been handed over had disappeared without a trace, most likely pocketed by Furukawa-san himself.

He'd done a good job cleaning up after himself, but she was prepared to be relentless. What was a little extortion when it came to someone she cared about?

Sighing out of boredom, she sat back in his high backed leather chair and put her stiletto clad feet up on his desk. He'd been gone for far too long. The thought of spending any longer sitting in his chair or smelling the reek of his cheap cologne on the air was hardly appealing. She just wanted to get it over with.

As luck would have it, she didn't have to wait much longer. Hearing footsteps approaching, she adjusted her bra, flipped her hair back over her shoulder and put on her best flirtatious smile. Furukawa-san pushed the door to his office open and paused to take in the scene before him. His eyes travelled greedily over her long legs, tight outfit and ample cleavage. Her mouth pouted as she twirled a loose curl around her finger.

“Ahhh…Hitomi,” he purred, using her fake name. “This is unexpected. I was starting to think you'd turned cold.”

Kagome arched an eyebrow at the insinuation but kept a sly smile on her lips. Slowly, she lowered her feet to the floor and sashayed around his desk.

“You've just been too busy to notice me,” she pouted, tugging at his tie. Her playful anger worked exactly as expected. A leer crept across his face and he slipped a hand around her waist, pulling her in close.

“Come on now, don't be like that. How can I make it up to you?”

“Well, there is one way,” she teased, pulling him toward his chair. He went willingly, following behind her like a lost puppy. His hand wandered to her ass and grabbed a firm handful before she had the chance to swat it away.

“Take a seat,” she ordered, nodding at his chair. He obliged, loosening his tie as he did so.

“I always knew you'd come around,” he breathed, grinning at her in expectation. “You look clean but you're really just a kinky bitch on the inside. That's why I hired you.”

“Good call,” she purred, easing herself onto his lap. “You and I are overdue for some fun.”

Giving him a saucy wink, she pulled out a set of handcuffs and coyly cuffed his left hand to the arm of the chair.

“I hope you have a key for these,” he joked, jingling the chain.

“I'm sure I have it somewhere,” she replied, pulling his face into her cleavage. While he was otherwise distracted, she cuffed his right hand as well, leaving him momentarily defenceless.

“What now?” he gasped, finally coming up for some air.

“Now you tell me what happened to Rin.”

The way Furukawa-san's face contorted at her words was almost comical. He looked torn between fury, confusion and disappointment. Once he put two and two together, he settled on anger and jerked at the cuffs locking his wrists to the chair.

“What game are you playing at?” he demanded.

She eased herself onto his desktop and pushed him back against the chair with the toe of her shoe.

“What happened to Rin?” she repeated, her tone eerily calm.

“That's none of your goddamn business. Girls come and go, who gives a shit?”

She'd gotten to him. She could see it in the slow reddening of his face and the way he kept checking the door, like he expected the Devil himself to walk in. Eventually she caught his eye and stared him down, smiling victoriously when he looked away like the coward he was.

“Something was different this time, though, wasn't it? Someone bought her and I want to know who.”

“You can go to Hell,” he swore.

“I think it'd be in your best interests to co-operate,” she threatened evenly, lowering her voice.

Furukawa-san gathered himself together and lifted his chin defiantly, “I doubt it.”

Smiling wickedly, Kagome hopped off his desk and made her way to the door. She made a point to lock it before turning back to face her victim. He glared at her, looking rather foolish half-undressed and chained to his own chair like a dog.

“I've learned a lot of things about you Furukawa-san,” she teased, taking a seat across from him. Easing back, she put her feet up on his desk and fixed him with a cool look.

“It's funny what you can learn just by asking around. My favourite story is about that 13 year-old girl you raped and got pregnant. I hear she had a boy. Congratulations.”

“Like anyone will believe the word of a whore,” he sneered, obviously confident despite her threats.

Kagome smiled indulgently and nodded in agreement. “You're right, of course. What's the word of a whore against a man of your calibre?” Her sarcasm was thick and judging by the glower that took over Furukawa-san's features she'd thoroughly bruised his pride.

“I suppose it's only fair I introduce myself properly. My name's Kagome Higurashi, investigative reporter for the Asahi Shimbun. I think maybe you've heard of it?”

The colour drained from Furukawa-san's face. Of course he'd heard of it. It was only the most widely circulated daily paper in Tokyo. He looked like he was going to be sick. In the span of five minutes she'd stripped him of his vigour, leaving behind a sallow-faced shell of a man. Kagome held his gaze as she put her portable tape recorder atop the table. Inside the wheels whirred softly, ready to record every word out of his mouth.

“Now,” she purred, her eyes flashing dangerously, “Let's start from the beginning.”

xXx

He was late.

The fingers of her hand were numb from gripping her cell phone. Nervous, she checked the time and shifted her weight to her other foot. She opened the note that was balled tightly in her left hand and re-read the time and location in the red and green glow of the stage lights.

Club Quattro.

7 PM.

She was in the right place.

Blowing out a sigh, she shoved the note into the back pocket of her jeans and tried to focus on the band on stage. They were some indie group she'd never heard of, but their music was good - catchy hooks with soul and a hard edge.

Closing her eyes, she let the hypnotic beat of their electronic mix wash over her and felt the bass echo in her chest. It'd been a long time since she'd seen a band play live. She'd almost forgotten how much she loved the way her body felt the music - the pounding rhythms, the beat that forced her to move and sway in time. It was easy to lose yourself in it.

...But not tonight. Tonight her mind was far too distracted to appreciate what was in front of her. The waiting was torture. Anxious, she flipped open her phone to check for any missed calls. Nothing.

“He's going to come. You just have to trust that he's going to come,” she muttered quietly, closing her eyes as she closed her phone.

The music was good for one thing at least. It temporarily distracted her from dwelling on Sesshomaru. She kept telling herself that there was nothing wrong with what she'd done. She wasn't a prisoner and he wasn't her master. She had every right to leave his apartment and venture out on her own whenever she felt like it.

This was all true of course, but it didn't dispel the sense of guilt that was festering inside of her. The thought of doing anything to damage the fragile relationship they shared made her heart turn over in her chest. Whatever bad he'd done, she still trusted him. However inexplicable it was, she cared for him, maybe even loved him. But tonight she'd gone against her word and sneaked out of his apartment, leaving only a hastily scribbled apology note behind. Tonight she'd shown him that she was the one who couldn't be trusted, that she was the one who was dishonest.

She bit her lip and swallowed down the tightness in her throat. If she knew anything about him by now, merciful and benevolent were not words one would use to describe his character. He was proud and stubborn. He didn't bestow his forgiveness or good opinion easily and knowing that only made her feel worse.

They were such different creatures. What they had could only be described as unique, and here she was throwing it away for some thin shred of hope that the impossible might be possible. She didn't deserve his forgiveness or his mercy. She didn't deserve anything from him after this.

The sudden touch of a hand against her shoulder made her jump but it only took one glance at the drunken man stumbling away from her for disappointment to set in. How much longer would he make her wait?

She tried to remember exactly what he'd looked like the last time she'd seen him - lanky, tall, and smiling. He'd been 18 then, just out of high school and eager to start at his new university. She'd just turned nine and was spoiled, stubborn and pouty. It made her cringe to think of what her brother's last memory of her must be.

“Are you sure you have to go?” she'd pouted, looking up at his smiling face from somewhere around his waist.

He'd laughed and tousled her hair. “Yes, but I'll be back soon, I promise!”

“Not till New Years!” she'd shouted up at him, then crossed her arms and pouted a little harder.

With a soft sigh, he knelt down on one knee and took her by the shoulders. “Rin, I know this is hard but New Years will come before you know it. If you're good I promise to bring you back something real nice.”

Instead of thanking him and giving him a big hug goodbye, she'd turned her back and sulked until he got into the waiting taxi and disappeared down the street. She never saw him again. Three months later a telegram arrived at the house saying her brother had been killed in a student riot in Korea.

Not a day went by where she didn't regret not turning around in that last moment to hold him tight. If she could do it over again there were so many things she'd do differently, but when you're nine you never think about those sorts of things.

The emptiness his absence left in her heart had become manageable over time, but it was always there. Nothing could replace him. And then out of the blue she'd received that call -

Your brother is alive. He's been searching for you. He wants to meet.

It was like she'd suddenly been transported into a dream she'd never dared dream. She'd been sceptical at first, as anyone would, but the man who spoke to her over the phone knew too much. For the first time in 10 years she dared to hope.

The sudden cool touch of a hand against hers made her inhale sharply. This was it. She emptied her lungs slowly and steeled her nerves before turning around. How different would her brother be, as a man of 28? Would he still have that same boyish grin? Would he still be lanky and a bit clumsy when he walked?

Holding her breath, she slowly turned around.

The man standing behind her wasn't what she'd expected. His skin was tanned dark and there was an attractive line of stubble growing along his jaw. She eagerly searched his face for signs of the pale, lanky brother she remembered. After all, people could change a lot in a decade.

His nose looked different and his mouth didn't possess the boyish grin she remembered. It was only once she looked into his eyes, expecting to see a warm shade of chestnut brown that matched her own and saw indigo instead, that she knew for certain. Those eyes weren't the eyes of her brother. This man, whoever he was, wasn't him. She instantly regretted not listening to Sesshomaru's warning.

“Come on,” he mouthed over the music and tilted his head towards the door. She nodded and slipped her jacket over her shoulders before following him out to the elevators. He took her down to the street level and made his way over to a motorcycle. She stopped a few paces away and eyed it dubiously.

“Where is he?” she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was tired of the run around and more than tired of this cat and mouse game they seemed to be playing with her. Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome tossed a motorcycle helmet at her and she caught it in time.

“Plans have changed.”

“I'm not going,” she announced, lifting her chin defiantly.

The man in front of her shrugged and eased himself onto the bike.

“Suit yourself. I was given instructions to take you to where he is. If you don't wanna go that's your choice. I'll let him know when I get there.”

Dismissing her, the man pulled his own jet black motorcycle helmet over his head and put his keys in the ignition. The bike roared to life and Rin felt her fingers press into the hard shell of the helmet in her hands.

Her instincts were telling her no, but her heart was screaming yes. What if this was her last opportunity to see her brother? She was so quick to doubt, but what if they were telling the truth? The lure of a reunion with her brother was too attractive to ignore. Uttering a frustrated groan, she shoved the helmet onto her head and walked over to the bike.

“You sure?” its helmeted rider shouted at her above the noise from the engine.

Face set in determination, she nodded and hopped onto the bike behind him. Her arms wrapped instinctively around his waist and held tighter when the bike jerked forward onto the road.

“Hold on tight!” he warned, and she didn't have to be told twice.

With her arms wrapped suffocatingly tight around the driver's midsection, she watched the cars and neon lights passing them by. And then, ever so slowly, they began to fade, along with the busy Tokyo streets, until it was just them, the night sky, and the roar of the engine beneath them.

xXx

His motorcycle came to a stop at the edge of a forest. It'd been a while since they'd been on any sort of city road and her anxiety had only grown stronger with each passing minute. Where was he taking her? Her gut was screaming danger, but what could she do? Once she'd climbed aboard the back of his motorcycle she was in it for the long haul.

He'd driven maybe thirty minutes through the urban center before venturing outside the city limits. She'd tried to memorize street names and intersections and map all the turns in her head, but after the first two dozen she'd lost count. Once he began jetting across swaying rice fields she'd given up completely. At the moment she had absolutely no idea where they were, not a clue how to get back and something told her that was exactly what he wanted.

“What are we doing here?” she asked the minute she'd pulled off her helmet. She tossed it at him, hard, and he caught it easily before setting it down atop his bike. He moved more slowly, easing off his helmet and locking up his bike.

Frustrated, she paced a few steps back and forth. Every warning instinct inside of her had been set off. This was wrong. This was so far beyond reckless and dangerous. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep down a panicked sob and considered her options. Even if she ran now, she had nowhere to go.

Thinking that she might be able to bluff her way to freedom she turned on him and said, “I'll have people looking for me if I'm not back soon.”

She didn't want to dwell on the unsettling feeling that turned her stomach at the thought of Sesshomaru. Would he come for her? It didn't seem likely after tonight.

“It's only a matter of time,” she added, lifting her chin defiantly.

The man before her looked bemused by her assessment. He smiled just a little and then discretely moved his jacket to the side, revealing the handgun holstered at his hip. Her mouth fell open and she took a shaky step backward.

“What-?”

Her mind was reeling, desperately trying to fit the pieces together. Who the hell was this guy?

“I need you to come with me,” he said calmly, taking a step closer.

She swallowed hard. Her eyes were glued to his gun as he slowly drew it out, completely blind to the man behind it or anything else. The loud click of the trigger being cocked sounded around them and her body froze in place.

He motioned towards a path to her right, through the trees.

“Turn around and start walking down that path.”

Too stunned to argue, she obediently followed his commands. Her hands were shaking so badly she dropped her phone in the dirt, losing her only connection to the outside world.

“Wh-where are we going?” she managed, her voice tight.

“Just keep walking.”

With the feeling of his gun pressed against her spine, she did as she was told. They were only ten paces down the path before her eyes were so blurred with tears she couldn't see. It was probably for the best anyway. She wasn't sure she wanted to know where he was taking her.

They walked for maybe 15 minutes before they reached a clearing. It could have been longer, but she had no concept of time passing. She only knew that each minute felt longer than the last. There were so many things running through her mind but it all kept coming back to Sesshomaru. Why hadn't she listened to him?

If she made it out of this alive there were so many things she needed to say to him - starting with “I'm sorry.”

The clearing was empty but for a car. His car, she assumed, and quickly memorized the license plate. Not surprisingly, he led her over to it and opened the trunk. The inside was empty and covered in sheets of thick plastic. She'd seen scenes like this before - bloody murders made easier to clean up with the help of plastic sheeting.

Instinctively, she took a step away from the car, determined to run - gun or no gun. The sudden grip of his hand around her arm was like iron. He dragged her back to the car despite her meek efforts to move in the opposite direction.

“Why are you doing this?” she pleaded, digging her heels into the soft earth. He pulled her the rest of the way to the trunk with little trouble and put the gun to her head.

“Get in.”

She stared down into the darkened space, her body unwilling to move one inch closer to death.

“Don't make this any harder on yourself,” he warned.

Her eyes lifted and met his defiantly. Holding his gaze, she said with as much certainty as she could, “He will come for me.”

Her world went dark after that. He was so fast, she didn't even see it coming.

Author's Note: Thank you for your patience :) I hope the wait was worth it!

I want to extend a very special thank you to LuxKen27, landofthekwt, Joyouki, The Forgotten Child, MomoLaFey, KiraraKitty08, whoojuhooaglo, KatLady13 and LoVe23 for your kind words and reviews. I enjoyed reading every single one. Thank you for taking the time to write :)

Thanks to my lovely readers, this fic tied for 2nd place in the Feudal Association Awards for Best Inuyasha/Kagome Fiction!

Please stay tuned for more! What will happen to Rin? Who is after her and will Sesshomaru be there to rescue her? Will Kagome be successful in getting information out of Furukawa-san? All will be revealed next chapter. Coming to a computer screen near you very soon!

Selected Listening

toe - music for you (the Japanese group Rin is listening to at Club Quattro)

Kid Cudi - Solo Dolo (for atmosphere)