InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Persistence ❯ Cynicism ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: again, I don't own Inuyasha… I don't even have a job, and I'm saving up money to get a Christmas present for my mom, so please don't sue… or I'll set Fluffy on you… wait, that only works if he listens to me… oh well, you get the picture.

Warning: this is probably going to be one of the most serious chapters in the entire fic… just so you know *sobs* so sad… okay, well anyway… here you go.

Chapter 3

*"Shippou," a voice whispered, shaking the boy into consciousness. "Shippou, wake up and be quiet."

"Hmmm… Papa? Waz'za matter?" He looked up with clouded eyes.

"I need you to be very quiet Shippou. There are people here who are very dangerous. If you hear anything strange, I want you to climb out your window and run, got it?" Shippou hesitated, but agreed when his father's urgency finally settled in. "Good. I'm going downstairs now… stay awake."

The moment the door clicked shut, Shippou was out of bed, throwing on some clothes and a pair of shoes. Quickly opening his door to prevent a squeak, he tiptoed down the stairs and peered around the corner into his father's office. There were two men there, one standing behind his

father and the other standing near the doorway. The one behind his father was short, bald, and ugly, and apparently, unbelievably idiotic. The other was taller, and fairly handsome, but he carried himself in a way that he spoke of cruelty.

"You're through, Kitsune," the one near the door threatened. "Just surrender your, shall we say, investment, and you and your son won't be harmed, understand? Do we have a deal?"

"Not in your life."

"Okay then. Sayonara!" The gun was pulled and a shot before Shippou could even process what was said. The bullet, however, was off mark and his father was still alive. As the gun was raised again, Shippou ran up and bit the man. The gun went off. His brother fell. Shippou ran. *

***

It's been five months since the night Papa died and I still can't talk about it. I've only told one person and she won't tell. I can't even write what happened. I guess I really have distanced myself. My friends have decided to ignore my existence. Maybe I blame myself. Papa bled to death. I could have stopped that. I guess I'm just depressed and-

"Hello!" Souta cheered loudly, making Shippou jump. He finally collected himself and glared down from his place, clinging to the fence somewhere around three feet over the ground.

"H…hi?" He said uncertainly, slowly climbing down. "Something you want?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Souta said, grinning, as Kohaku and Kaede appeared behind him. Shippou sighed. It seemed everyone wanted something when they talked to him anymore. The doctors had a word for his current frame of mind. Cynicism. "We want you to come with us to my house after school."

"Why?"

"Why?" Souta asked, looking at him incredulously, "Because we can always use another friend, right?" He turned to the other two who cheered. "So wait for us by the front gate, okay?" Shippou, astonished by their answer, just managed to nod. "Ja ne!"

***

"Tadaima!" Kagome yelled, taking off her shoes at the door. Sango walked in behind her. Sango and Kohaku typically spent most of the evening at the Higurashi's before heading home for dinner and to sleep.

"Kagome," Souta yelled back from his room, "make ramen or something!" Kagome's jaw dropped. It was rare that Souta would be so rude. Straightforward, yes, rude, no.

"Make it yourself!"

"I have company!"

"So do I!"

"Sango's not company!"

"Then neither is Kohaku!"

"I know, but Kaede and Shippou are!" Allowing her brother to win the argument in her surprise, she made her way to the kitchen to take out a couple big packets of ramen.

"Shippou's here?"

Sango, meanwhile, had snuck into Souta's room where she and Kaede proceeded to terrorize the boys. Sometime during the torture, Shippou had slipped out and made his way to the kitchen to find Kagome deep in thought.

"Hey Kagome," Shippou said, a little more confident now that he was in the presence of a trusted friend. Kagome was like a big sister to him, and she was the only one he'd told what happened.

"Shippou!" She squealed, jumping in surprise before turning and hugging him. "I missed you! How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, even better now. What about you? You look like you've got a headache." Kagome rolled her eyes, turning back to the ramen.

"That's the understatement of the century. Inuyasha chased off another guy, so I told Rieko he wanted to go on a date with her. There's also a new guy, Sesshoumaru, Inu's brother, who insists on driving me mad. He's hot, though." Her hands would wave as she spoke, and her voice changed pitch to match how she felt about each thing she said. It was so entertaining to watch how she expressed herself, Shippou was having trouble choking his laughter, and as she continued to rant on this Sesshoumaru guy, he couldn't hold it back any longer. It was the first time in five months that he had laughed.

***

"What the hell do you think you were doing? I swear, if I see you anywhere near her again I'll-"

"You'll what? Kill me? I seriously doubt you could."

"Don't push me, Fluffy!" A growl.

Tsuyosa and Inutaisho stood at the door, listening to the brothers fight on the outside. Slowly, prepared for any flying objects, they opened the door. Sesshoumaru walked in calmly, greeted his parents and disappeared up the stairs. Inuyasha remained where he was, glaring daggers at his brother's back.

"What now?" Inutaisho asked. The following was discernible from his grumbling: Fucking Fluffball… Kagome… gorgeous… attracted… hit pole…date with Rieko…Kill! And then he was gone. "I guess I should have warned Sess about Kagome."

"Why?" Tsuyosa asked, staring after her sons, biological and not.

"Inuyasha is extremely overprotective of her. I'm surprised he hasn't been charged with assault and battery yet."

"Oh, well I guess they're not going to meet tonight."

"Where is he anyway?"

"At the Higurashi's." A moment of silence was shattered by a surprised scream. It wasn't the shrill shriek of some girls, more like the wary yell that Inu sometimes released when Kagome turned her rage on him.

"I guess he's found Rin."

***

"Kanna," Kagura whispered to her sister as it finally became dark. "Come on, we need to hurry… Kanna!" The pale girl slowly opened her eyes where she stood, leaning against the cracked drywall of her sister's "room", though it bore more semblance to a cell. Her sister wasn't exactly favored. She clutched her mirror to her chest; it's rim decorated in silver pale as her own and its cloudy face slightly luminescent in the dark of the room.

"He's coming," she whispered. "He'll be here in a minute… we don't have enough time." Kagura nearly panicked at that, but, thinking quickly, she grabbed her sister's book and pulled her down onto the futon.

"Read to me," she whispered as they settled, a torn brown blanket covering the majority of their traveling clothes. As Kanna's calm voice filled the air, Naraku stormed into the room. He paused for a second before fixing his icy stare on Kagura.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, a familiar steely tone lacing his silky voice. His lips were pulled into a cold sneer. Kagura paused her sister, her face a mirror of his own.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm spending time with my little sister. Is there a problem with that… Father?" His glare intensified, but he kissed Kanna's forehead, and retreated down the hallway. Five minutes passed before either of the girls dared to breathe.

"He's gone," Kanna whispered. There was a flurry of movement and they were gone, out of the house, into the woods and they ran the rest of the night.

***

Jaken adjusted his seat again, attempting to see through the steering wheel and reach the gas pedal at the same time. He'd avoided three accidents by a hair and was still on his way home from school. He would never admit it aloud, but he really was stalking Sesshoumaru. He couldn't help it.

A honk of a horn and he swerved back into his own lane, only to swerve again to avoid hitting the two girls that had just decided to cross the road. What he didn't realize was that he had swerved back in front of the other vehicle.

The two girls were gone before the impact.

***

Sesshiria: Okiday, so that was chapter three. Be happy, I decided to update early. Typically I don't post a chap until I've got the next chap and half of the chap after that written, but now I only have a little over half of chapter 4 written.

Fluffy: Why should they be happy about that? That means you're not going to be putting up the next chapter for a longer period of time. Added to the fact that you lost chapter four… I don't think too many people are going to be happy with you.

Sesshiria: Oh shut up Fluffball, they wouldn't have to worry about the long period of time between chapters if you would do your job as a muse!

Fluffy: I never applied for this job and you're already forcing me to do more work than the contract indicates.

Sesshiria: What contract? I never had a contract with you? Besides, you're hardly doing any work as it is… Ah well, Ja ne!

MM.org -

LovelyGodess04, LabRat, Razor Blade Magarita - thanks, enjoy

FF.net -

LilAznAngel516 - here you go

Stoic Stella - lol, well thanks for staying with me, and I'm glad you agree with me on "someone"

Now, here's a special little review I received on FF.net that I'd like everyone to see and note how absolutely IDIOTIC some people can be:

someone -

omfg..what is it with you people thinking sess and kag are a couple? what in the series even makes you think they like eachother? let alone love eachother? im not even gonna read this -_-

Why flame if you're not even going to try to read it? Ah well, till next time!