InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Waiting on a Wish ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

CHAPTER 20

Kagome came awake slowly, easily, the way one does after an incredible night’s sleep when the body is well rested, and the mind is clear. The large, comfortable bed wasn't hers, just like the room surrounding it, but she immediately knew exactly where she was, and whose bed she was in. A quick inventory of her body revealed she felt much better this morning: no sluggishness, no weak muscles or sore body.

Satisfied, she drew a deep breath and stretched indulgently, enjoying the feel of bare skin against sheets; this sleeping with no clothes on was a new habit, too. It was surprising to find herself alone – for the first time, she realized, since the rogue attack. Another body beside hers every morning had become the norm so quickly that she hadn't even noticed how odd it was until she missed him. But at least she could move. With a wry smile, she sat up and hugged her arms around her knees, hoarding the comfortable warmth lingering in her nest of blankets.

Lazily, she scanned the room again for a clock, wondering how much time she had before she had to be at work. It took her a moment to remember with a slight, deflated huff that she didn't have to be anyplace today, thanks to last night's discussion with Miroku and Kaede. Their encounter with Nakamura at the clinic had become the media focus of the moment, and during her recovery nap some serious journalistic curiosity had been going into figuring out who she was and why a certain Alliance hunter would risk serious recriminations for her. But according to Miroku, the bigger problem was in the possible backlash from within the Alliance itself. There'd been murmurings of an inquiry into InuYasha's behavior – an event which could not only be dangerous to him, but which also had the potential to involve Kagome.

InuYasha's reaction to that had been anything but calm.

The final consensus? Barring a major emergency like the last rogue attack, she wasn't to step foot on clinic property for at least a week. Kagome felt her smile waver. Officially, she was taking an unscheduled vacation, though she she was a bit mystified why Kaede seemed as concerned – in her calm, measured way – about what had happened to her as InuYasha was. She'd been quite firm in overriding Kagome's protests.

After a few moments (and still no clock in sight – really, she was going to have to do something about that) the silence of the apartment struck her as being too settled. Her brows wrinkled in surprise. Had InuYasha actually felt comfortable enough to leave her all alone in his apartment? If he was there, she had the feeling she'd know; the atmosphere just felt empty. She wondered where he’d gone.

Gathering the sheet about her, she slid from the bed. After some careful searching, she found the remnants of her bra on the floor by the bedside table. Exhaling noisily, she tossed the scraps in the nearest trash can. Further searching yielded the same results for her panties and a brief spark of temper. If he didn't stop destroying them, she was going to run out of underthings.

Okay, we’re seriously going to have to have a little talk about respecting my clothes.

“Tsking” in exasperation, she let them join their match and opted for one of his discarded – but still whole – shirts instead. It buttoned up to cover all the indecent bits, and hung well past the tops of her thighs, allowing her to move around with relative comfort despite the fact that she remained naked under the thin cotton.

Decently covered, she started to wander. The apartment was comfortably large, effectively cut into two sections by a wall: the entrance, with the living room and kitchen open to each other, and the bedrooms and bath on the other side. It was really quite comfortable, if a little stark. While we're dealing with the lack of clocks, we're going to have to do something about the decorating, she decided, as she looked through several rooms that were completely unused.

The bath she’d already seen, several times now. She stepped inside and debated a quick rinse, wondering where she would find her toothbrush. A clatter and the jangle of keys from the living room nixed the idea. She called a good morning from the hallway. “InuYasha, you don’t happen to know what time it is, do you? And where did you put my bag? You know, you’re really going to have to stop cutting up my underwear like that. That stuff''s expensive and –”

She emerged into the living room and found herself staring across the room into a pair of very pretty brown eyes. Her feet stopped, her mouth dropped open, and she gaped, stunned into silence at the unexpected appearance.

The young woman (a teenager, she had to be) standing in the kitchen stared back, her lovely features more inquisitive than startled, the thick-lashed eyes taking keen note of her state of dress. A blue-and-plaid high school uniform fit her frame perfectly, and she wore the short skirt and loose socks that Kagome remembered so well from her own high school days on her beautifully slim legs. Black hair, a thick mass of it tied loosely with a ribbon, tumbled down the entire length of her back.

Kagome fidgeted, her fingers playing with the long sleeves of InuYasha’s shirt, feeling frumpy in comparison. Embarrassment skated a dull, hot red across her face as she realized the implications of her last words combined with the sight of her standing in the middle of InuYasha’s living room, wearing nothing but a man’s dress-shirt. All she could do was stand unmoving in complete and wide-eyed loss.

There's a strange high school girl in the middle of InuYasha's kitchen. Why is there a strange high school girl in the middle of InuYasha's kitchen?

The girl had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a bento box held in one hand, both of which she set on the counter next to the stove as she turned to face Kagome. A tiny frown wrinkled between her brows and she tilted her head for a moment, her expression pondering. Her brown eyes widened. “Ah! You're the doctor from the news yesterday!” A smile bloomed, replacing the frown. “I guess I should have known you'd be staying with brother InuYasha after all that fuss. You're name's Higurashi, right?”

Her eyebrows shot up, and her mouth snapped shut in surprise. Wait...brother InuYasha? “Um, I…yes?”

“Kohaku said he was upset when he saw the footage on television last night. Minister Nakamura shouldn't have put his hands on you like that, especially not with InuYasha right there.” The younger woman executed a deep bow. “I am Takagawa Rin. I am delighted to finally meet you. Kohaku says that Sango talks about you all the time.”

Kagome frowned, confused. Kohaku? Sango? “Umm…well, it’s nice to meet –” Wait. She blinked. “Takagawa?”

Rin straightened with a grin. “Yes. Just like brother InuYasha, right? I can’t remember what my original surname was, but since I’ve always been with Lord Sesshomaru, it’s never mattered. Then when I wanted to attend regular high school this year, I suddenly needed one to take the entrance exam, so brother InuYasha lent me his.”

She shook her head, still confused. Lord Sesshomaru? This girl, this human girl, was living with InuYasha’s brother? So why had she said something about –

Her eyes widened as snatches of conversations from over the years trickled back through her memory. “Wait. You’re not Kohaku’s Rin, are you? His friend from the Alliance, the one he’s known for years?” The girl confirmed with a nod and a cheery grin, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and even managed a smile. “Sango’s mentioned Kohaku’s Rin more than once. I’m…umm….” Well, actually, it seemed the girl already knew her name, and other than that, Kagome wasn’t really sure what to tell her, “…you can call me Kagome.”

The brilliant smile of acknowledgment Rin returned made her glad she’d said it.

Feeling slightly more comfortable now that she’d identified the younger woman, Kagome hesitantly joined her in the kitchen. She was embarrassed by her attire, but was unsure as to whether it would be better to go find something more conventional to dress in or stay with Rin now that she was already wandering the kitchen. After a moment of reflection, she decided the shirt provided decent enough cover as long as no one else she didn’t know came wandering in.

Besides, she was very curious as to what the girl was doing here. And how she got in. “I didn't realize that you knew InuYasha as well.” Another strange coincidence that made her chest feel almost painfully constricted with some vague and distant emotion.

Rin seemed to read her mind, because she pointed to her backpack, where a ring holding several keys was attached to one of the straps. “He doesn’t know I have a copy of his key yet. The landlady gave me one when she found me waiting for him to come home one day last month. She said that with all the rogues attacking lately, it was safer for me to wait inside than out, and she was sure he wouldn’t mind such a pretty, harmless girl as me having access to his home.” Her finger went to her lips, her grin turning mischievous. “Maybe we can keep it a secret a while, hmm?”

Kagome couldn’t help the answering grin that tugged at her own mouth. She gestured to the uniform. “What are you doing here so late in the morning, Rin? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

Rin shrugged. “My homeroom teacher always has us do self-study, so I can get in late. Besides, it's not like we've been doing anything important for the past few days anyway. Our school festival was supposed to be this week, but it's been postponed until the teachers can decide whether it's safe to hold one or not.”

Kagome looked uncertain. “But, doesn’t your school have rules about tardiness?”

Rin nodded cheerfully. “Yes. Usually they just close the gates after first classes start – and they've been more strict about it since the last rogue attack. But someone always lets me in.”

Kagome didn't even bother to hide her smile. She had the feeling that Rin rarely got in trouble for anything at all. Just finding someone who had the willpower to scold the girl would be impressive to see. “But why come here?”

Rin pulled the bento box forward, removing the lid to present the contents. “I brought brother InuYasha some food that I made for cooking class. It’s the one class I’m failing in, you see, and he promised to help me by tasting it.” She shoved a pair of chopsticks into Kagome’s hand. “Here, you try.”

Where she’d produced the chopsticks from, Kagome wasn’t sure. She didn’t really care, either, because she was still staring hard at the collection of food, trying to figure out what was supposed to be in the lunch.

Oh, dear.

She blinked at the chopsticks. “Oh, I guess....” With a tentative glance at the high schooler watching eagerly, she picked through the unattractive mesh of colors and textures, finally settling on a lump of greenish-yellow that she was pretty sure was supposed to be some form of an egg. Deciding not to look too closely, she quickly slipped the morsel between her lips.

Then she shot a desperate prayer to any god listening that she’d been able to keep her expression composed. The acidic, rather slimy chunk slid down her throat and landed like a stone in her stomach, leaving a distinctly unpleasant aftertaste in its wake. She immediately followed the prayer with the fervent hope that the questionable source of nutrition remained down.

When Rin’s look fell, she was pretty sure she’d failed in her first effort. With a dispirited moan, the girl leaned against the counter and dropped her chin onto her hand. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Kagome quickly but carefully placed the cover back on the box. “Well, it’s just….” Bad didn’t even begin to describe whatever she’d just put into her body. “…unusual.” Turning to hide her grimace, ordering the protesting twist of her belly to stop, she tossed the chopsticks into the garbage can. “You might want to try…something else. Something easier.” She tried to make her suggestion sound encouraging.

Rin gave another wail. “How much easier does it get than fried vegetables and eggs?” Her mouth twisted in a frustrated pout. “I can write English and do math problems better than most of the kids in my class – why is cooking so hard?” Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “My sensei is already convinced I’m a lost cause. I thought brother InuYasha might be able to tell me what I can do to make it taste better.”

Kagome stared at her uncertainly. “O-oh.” She messed up vegetables and eggs? The girl really couldn’t cook. She wondered if what she’d swallowed had actually been an egg or – Another struggle followed as she fought to keep the horrified thought from showing on her face.

It had been yellow…sort of.

Just don’t think about it, Kagome.

Greenish and stringy, too.

Ever again.

“Does…does InuYasha cook?”

Rin hesitated, then lifted her head from her hand. “Well, I think he knows how, but –” Turning, she threw open the pantry door.

Kagome eyes widened in surprise, then rolled to the ceiling. Instant everything, from soup, to rice, to an overabundance of cup ramen. He hadn't been kidding about that part. Upon opening the refrigerator, she found it mostly empty save for some long-bad leftover takeout. She sighed. “OK, if he does know how, he’s obviously not in practice.” She turned back to Rin, whose dejected expression roused her sympathy. “I’ll tell you what. How about if I give you some private lessons?”

Brown eyes rounded. “You would do that for a stranger?”

Kagome nodded, a small smile playing at the edges of her mouth. “I wouldn’t mind at all. I had some problems with cooking in high school too, you know.”

“Really?” Rin clapped her hands. “Can we start now?”

“Now?” Kagome hesitated. “But what about school? Don't you think you need to be there?”

Rin's eyes rolled in a moment of thought. “Well, because of the way postponing the festival screwed up our calendar, the teachers aren't really giving us real lessons. We've mostly been putting the finishing touches on booths and stuff. Since the only thing that's really important for me to be at today is the rehearsal for the play, as long as I'm back before early afternoon no one will care.”

The bright smile that lit Rin's face held a glint of mischief that made Kagome certain it wasn't as simple as the girl claimed. “Won't people get worried if you don't show up?”

“It'll be fine, I promise. It's just one day, and I'll be back before school is finished. We have everything we need right here.”

Another glance around the kitchen produced a wry grin. “I doubt that, considering the state of this kitchen.” She sighed and gave a fatalistic mental shrug. Even she had skipped out on the occasional class when she was in high school. “Oh well. I have nothing better to do today, so if you know of any stores nearby, we can probably get some supplies. Just let me get dressed and we'll make a list....” She turned around in a circle, taking in the surrounding kitchen and its dimensions, then she started a noisy rummage through the drawers. “Here, help me find a piece of paper and something to write with.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The supermarket they found was large, well-stocked, and not too far outside the wealthy area of walled-off houses. Since the day was clear and unseasonably and warm they walked, but Kagome noted a bus stop just a street away for future reference. Rin kept her entertained the whole way, chattering on about what it had been like growing up inside the Alliance: the ceremonies, the standards of behavior, the unspoken rules.

The subject brought to the forefront some of the questions she'd developed over the past few weeks. “Rin?” she started as they stepped through the sliding doors and into the cooler air of the store. It was quiet at mid-morning, populated mostly with young housewives or housekeepers doing the week's shopping. “I thought InuYasha didn't get along with his brother?”

Rin stopped to watch as Kagome tucked a shopping basket over her arm. A shadow had darkened the rich hue of her eyes. “No, they don't like each other, but they've learned to tolerate each other. Jaken says it was worse before brother InuYasha came back to the Alliance, especially right after their father died and they had to live in the same house. Jaken says brother InuYasha was lucky he was so young and weak, or Lord Sesshoumaru might have just killed him.”

Kagome blinked, taken aback at the almost matter-of-fact tone. They walked in silence, eyes wandering the aisles in search of specific items while she absorbed that. “If they hated each other so much, why did they live together? Surely they had other options.”

Tiny furrows creased Rin's brow as they stopped to examine some vegetables. “I'm not sure. I wasn't around back then, and Jaken won't talk about it much – there was something about a will, and their father's swords.”

“Swords?” The only sword she'd seen InuYasha with was that ratty-handled one he always seemed to have nearby.

“Mm-hm. They were part of the inheritance. I think they had to find them.” Rin shrugged, but still looked troubled, her fingers twirling round the brown-spotted stalk of a leek. “Brother InuYasha got Tetsusaiga, and Lord Sesshoumaru is never without...Tenseiga.” Her voice dropped to a reverent near-whisper, and Kagome looked up. Rin's eyes were still staring intently down, but they didn't seem to be seeing the greenery in her hand anymore. Kagome opened her mouth, but got distracted when Rin dropped the diseased-looking vegetable into the basket.

She showed Rin a better choice, then gave her another look. “So why are you cooking food for InuYasha?”

Rin's melancholy melted into a grin. “Brother InuYasha is Lord Sesshoumaru's only living relative and a skilled hunter. Just because Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't get along with him doesn't mean I can't.” Her grin widened a fraction, revealing a dimple. “Besides, I don't have many friends who aren't so afraid of Lord Sesshoumaru that they can't even be themselves around me.” Her tone made it clear the amount of respect she had for anyone so afraid of InuYasha's brother.

Kagome's lips twitched even through her growing curiosity about this supposedly terrifying relative of InuYasha's. Nothing she could imagine was anywhere near flattering and she said so, in a musing voice.

Rin's grin didn't waver. “Oh, don't worry. You'll see what he's like eventually.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “I will?”

“Of course. You're brother InuYasha's special person, right? The girl that he's been looking for all this time? Even if they don't like each other, you'll have to meet Lord Sesshoumaru eventually.”

Eh? “Looking for”? “All this time”?

Kagome's feet drifted to a halt in the middle of the aisle; Rin didn't notice and kept moving, her fingers skimming aimlessly along the stacks of canned vegetables that filled the shelves. Heart constricting around an anticipation she didn't understand, Kagome stared after her. “Rin,” she said, slowly, “do you mean to say that InuYasha has been looking for someone in particular?”

Rin stopped and twisted to give Kagome an odd look. “I think so. I heard Jaken asking Lord Sesshoumaru about it after the last time we saw brother InuYasha. He wanted to know if the scent Lord Sesshoumaru mentioned meant that brother InuYasha had found the girl he'd made such a fuss over when he was little.”

“Little?” Kagome sucked in a fine breath. “Then, 'all this time' means --”

Rin turned all the way around, dark brown eyes wide at Kagome's ambivalence. “Doesn't it mean his whole life?” A smile put a soft curve to her lips. “I think it's very sweet, that he would be looking for you all this time just to protect you.”

Kagome's gaze had drifted to the side as she pondered that startling possibility, but Rin's last words jerked her attention back to the girl in front of her. Just? “Protect me? Why would he need to protect me?”

The smile faded and Rin took a few steps closer, an uncertain “mm” leaving her throat. “I couldn't hear very well – I wasn't supposed to be listening – but Jaken said something about nightmares coming true, and Lord Sesshoumaru said something about Tetsusaiga being made to protect humans and whether brother InuYasha had grown strong enough or not.”

Nightmares.

Kagome's fingers tightened around the handle of the basket. Was she hearing this right? It was possible Rin had misinterpreted something with her eavesdropping. Except, Kagome couldn't dismiss the whiplash sting of truth in her words, the unknown certainty that she was hearing something important. And if Rin was right, then –

His fever from the night before, the one she'd never gotten around to checking, and the worry for her safety that seemed to plague him constantly: they were related?

She shook her head, trying to process it. “He thinks those fevers have something to do with me? But why? We hadn't even met until a few weeks ago.” As she said it, a part of her objected that, even if it was the truth, it felt like a lie. He'd never really felt like a stranger to her.

“Maybe,” Rin tilted her head, considering the question, “that was all it took for him to know?”

“But that doesn't make any sense. It's just a dream.” Kagome's sight had turned inward, and she didn't even realize that her eyes had directed a blank stare at the ground. “If that's true, why hasn't he said anything about it?” What did he think was going to hurt her? For that matter, why did he care so much? Even if all the rest of it were true, a lifetime is a long time to be focused on someone you've never met.

He did care, though. Of that she was certain.

Did he care only because a recurrent nightmare had convinced him he should?

The constrictive pressure around her heart squeezed and she inhaled sharply, suddenly eager for more oxygen; her fingers plucked absently at her shirt while her brow tensed with tiny lines of thought. Maybe...couldn't it be that she was just thinking it over too much? Wasn't the idea just a little too absurd?

And yet, she kept hearing the echo of his voice from the depths of a fever: You're alive.

“Kagome? Ah, it is you.”

It took her a moment – and Rin's surprised expression – to realize that the sweet feminine voice with the foreign accent had been talking to her. She pivoted, and came face-to-face with a familiar woman and her red-haired bun. Her eyes widened when she placed her. “Fina?”

The older woman wore a warm smile and a large bag over her shoulder. From the crook of one arm she carried a shopping basket of her own. “This is a surprise. I didn't expect to run into you while we were here.”

Kagome couldn't help returning the smile. “Yes. I'm also surprised to see you in the city. Don't you usually stay out beyond the city limits?”

Fina's smile dimmed. “Yes, usually. But Tokyo is having so much rogue activity right now that many hunters who usually work in other cities are coming here, so we've been busier than normal. Bunzo is off arranging some deliveries while I pick up some necessary things, and then we'll be leaving right away.” She hesitated, then glanced around searchingly. “Many people are talking about InuYasha and yourself today. I'm surprised to see you out...without him?”

Kagome closed her eyes and fought the urge to groan. Was there anyone who hadn't heard about the altercation with Nakamura? “It's fine. Rin and I are just picking up some groceries.” She stopped to introduce them, then finished up with, “Besides, InuYasha is the one who left me alone this morning – and after making such a fuss about that thing yesterday, too.”

The green in the older woman's eyes brightened with mirthful approval but she only nodded. “And so? Troubles aside, you are getting along, yes?”

Kagome hesitated; but Rin, with a mischievous little grin, decided to break her polite silence. “Kagome's staying with brother InuYasha now so that he can protect her better, since she's the important person he's been looking for all his life.”

But Fina's smile grew brilliant, the wrinkles around her eyes creasing gently. “Yes. It is a good thing, no? Those years he spent off with Myouga and Totosai – rest them both, it's a shame they couldn't meet you – learning about Tetsusaiga, and the training he did alone, are all well spent when he finds you, Kagome. His parents would have been pleased for him.”

“You knew?” All she could do was stare blankly. “When you met me, you already knew about all this?”

Fina was practically beaming. “Oh yes. From his parents before they died. The situation was always understood even though he never spoke of it.”

“But,” Kagome frowned, agitation making her restless. “But its strange, that his nightmares have something to do with me. I mean, how is he so sure it's really me – and not someone else who's just similar? And even if it is me, why would he spend so much effort just because of a dream? And why, why --” she stamped her foot, “-- hasn't he said anything to me about it?”

She realized they were staring at her, and cut herself off with a deep breath, heat rushing into her cheeks. Rin's brown eyes were wide, and Fina's expression had melted into something soft and sympathetic.

The older woman stepped forward and rested her fingers atop Kagome's fist, white-knuckle around the basket handle. “Did you know? When he was very small, his mother worried about how he talked about that terrible nightmare all the time. The ones who heard him thought he was sick or crazed – damaged as hanyou sometimes are, yes? She had to tell him to keep his secrets between them. It was hard enough for them to protect him as a boy without all his talk of duty and lost battles.” A tiny frown deepened the fine lines in her face, then cleared. “When he brought you to us, I believe it was him showing you to his parents through us, their old friends. Because only through them did we believe him.”

Kagome stared down at the fingers resting against her hand and felt the calm through the touch. “I don't know what to do with this. It seems so hard to --” she waved her free hand in the air, “--take in.” Then again, she thought ruefully, they'd only known each other a few weeks and already she was practically living with him, never mind the unusual things that had been happening around her since she met him. And besides, she couldn't deny the strange resonance she felt with him near, the familiar connection that had drawn her to him from her very first glance.

But what did that mean, exactly?

“Maybe you shouldn't do anything with it?” Rin had a finger to her lower lip and an earnest look in her eyes. “After all, it doesn't seem like there's much you can do about it even if you wanted to. I guess you could never have anything to do with him again, but --” She grinned, pleased with the immediate rejection in Kagome's expression. “It doesn't look like you want to do that.”

“She is right.” Fina tipped her head and studied Kagome for a moment. “It can be more difficult to love men such as ours, Kagome. The ones who have secrets or troubles in their pasts bring all of it with them, and it affects us, whether they want it to or not. But they are generally worth it. Patience is important. So is sacrifice.” Her fingers tightened reassuringly; she gave her a secret smile and leaned forward until her lips brushed against Kagome's ear. “Good sex helps, too.”

With a laugh, she bid them goodbye and left Kagome's red face to the mercy of Rin's keen eye and insatiable curiosity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

InuYasha caught a whiff of Rin long before he even reached his door. That alone was enough to get him to hurry with the key, but it wasn't anything compared to the panic of getting inside and seeing no one and hearing nothing. The scent traces were stronger inside, but still had the settled staleness that meant a place was empty. He tossed the paper bag of pastries down on the island as he skirted it on his way to the bedroom, then stood and stared in disbelief at the unmade, vacant bed. A quick search told him she hadn't sleepwalked into another room by mistake.

He stalked back out into the living room.

What the hell? She'd made such a damn point of him not having any real (her words, not his) food, he'd figured she'd appreciate something decent for breakfast. When he'd left, she'd been sleeping so soundly he hadn't wanted to wake her. He hadn't been gone that long. So how the hell did he come back to find her gone? And what the hell had Rin been doing here?

As if it had heard him, a small blip of white flashed at the edge of his sight, a brief flutter from a phantom curl of air. He hurried to the island and snatched the folded piece of notebook paper from where he'd missed it lying in plain sight not a minute before:

Rin dropped by to say hi. We went shopping. Be back soon.

Kagome.

Almost before he'd finished reading, his fist crumpled around the paper. Panic bloomed heavy in the back of his throat, leaving a sour taste on his tongue. He whirled, heading for the door. Kagome didn't understand how dangerous things were for her right now. Hell, even he hadn't known how dangerous things were until yesterday. She couldn't just go wandering out without some kind of protection; if something happened like what had happened at the clinic, she really would break. One more major strain, and the razor-thin shield that had been keeping her safe would shatter into a million sparkling pieces of nothing.

Old Kaede didn't think it was a matter of if, but when. As far as InuYasha was concerned, his biggest priority was to stop that from happening. Because if Kagome broke, he'd have to explain everything to her, and he didn't want to do that. It was incredible enough for him to believe, and he'd had a lifetime to accept it. If he told her everything, all the stuff he'd just known or figured out over time, she'd probably call him crazy and spend an annoying amount of time trying to get him help. Or she could walk away from him – that thought put a tight enough grip around his chest to rasp his breath. But really, what was most likely to happen was the worst of all possible results: she could actually believe him. And then....

Then she would understand how terribly he'd failed her.

The door slammed behind him on his way out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kag ome managed to distract Rin from the intimate details of her relationship with InuYasha by launching into a serious lecture on how to choose ingredients. They spent a good half an hour looking over vegetables and spices before they made their purchases. Bags in hand, they stepped out of the store—

—And Rin shocked Kagome by grabbing her arm and yanking her backwards just as a long, thick, purple body slithered through the space where they'd just been walking. Eyes widened in alarm, caught off balance, Kagome tripped and crashed into Rin, and they both tumbled to the concrete in a confused jumble of legs and scattered groceries. Shrieks and screams shot into the air, breaking into the afternoon quiet with the violence of gunfire. On her butt, her body jarred and throbbing from the impact, Kagome shook her head and glanced around. “Rin, what --”

Rin was beside her on the ground, also on her butt, her palms planted into the sidewalk to keep her sitting upright, but her expression was angry and focused, glaring out into the middle of the street. Kagome jerked her head around and sucked in a breath. Her body went numb.

A rogue youkai. It had the body of a giant serpent that had an eyeball in place of a head. It hovered just above the middle of the asphalt, body twisted and swirled upright in absolute defiance of gravity, it's head high enough to crest the roofs of the buildings in the area. The screams came from the people milling around the businesses along the street as they caught sight of the creature and panicked. Some ducked back into stores or behind vehicles, some just took off running.

Oh my --

The eyeball-head blinked, swiveled around, then focused on the two of them in their tumbled heap near the entrance of the store. The only unmoving targets in the area.

Beside her, Kagome felt Rin tense. “Uh-oh.”

The girl's voice was so soft Kagome almost didn't hear her, but it didn't matter because the rogue was already coming at them – very, very fast. Kagome moved without premeditated thought, muscles straining in an instinctive scramble, and this time it was she who grabbed Rin, dragging the girl with her, scraping skin and clothes as they barely managed a rough dodge to the side. The rogue crashed into the side of the store with a bone-crunching thud before falling into a heap of violent purple coils, but Kagome didn't stop to see if it had taken any damage.

“Come on!” A burst of energy and coordination, and she was on her feet, her hand still tight on Rin's arm as she made a dash for the nearest cover: the automatic sliding doors of the store, already standing open. If they could make it inside, the narrow aisles and bulky displays would severely hamper the maneuverability advantage of the rogue's long body. It might even decide they weren't worth the effort.

But wait. There were people still inside. People who could still get hurt if they led the rogue to them.

Kagome's steps faltered for a split-second, hovering just in front of the doors. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed the youkai to be de-coiling its body, shaking off the stun, its huge eye swiveling around until it once more narrowed with fury onto the girls. It let out a low, scratching-stones bellow, and the sound sent an unpleasant shiver underneath her skin. Heart nearly strangling her, skin tight with fear, she whirled again and jerked a white-faced, huge-eyed Rin behind her as she dashed in the opposite direction. “We can't stay here! This way!”

Rin nodded and followed her mad sprint across the street. But the rogue, with another low roar, shot after them.

They didn't have a chance against that kind of speed; a solid barrier of leathery purple skin sliced down in front of her and brought Kagome to a skidding halt. This time it was Rin who collided with Kagome and nearly sent them both to the ground again. The rebalanced quickly, and Kagome pulled Rin close behind her as the rogue's long body whipped around them, using its flexibility to corral them into a wide, closed-off circle.

They were trapped within a cage of youkai flesh.

Kagome stared up into the huge eye as it studied them, huddled inside the perimeters of its body, and made sure to keep herself between Rin and the eye. She didn't see a mouth, but she was sure it had one; most rogue youkai who ventured into the city were meal-seeking, and even if this one didn't look nearly to the level of dangerous as some could be, both she and Rin were still only human, with limited means of defense. And today it looked like they were prey; she could feel her body bracing, ready to flee, dodge, fight back – anything to keep from becoming food.

Kagome drew in a deep breath, trying to control both her breathing and her fear. She could feel the beginnings of a cold sweat gathering along her hairline and in the shallow dip of her spine; her teeth chewed hard on her bottom lip. Rin, still behind her, had decided to keep quiet and still, and Kagome was grateful the girl hadn't panicked: her body was alert and ready to move, but other than her harsh breathing she seemed calm. If they had to dodge or make a run for it, she was confident Rin would be ready.

Except the rogue didn't strike. It lowered its eye-head and glared at them, unblinking.

Somewhere, off in the distance, she could hear the wailing of sirens – police probably, but it didn't matter. For extra protection, most police cars carried weapons loaded with a special poison-coated ammunition designed to work on youkai bodies, but the poison had unreliable effects at best. It was the hunters who were supposed to take care of the rogues, not the human police.

InuYasha, she thought. He had to be somewhere in the area, right? Again, she felt that flash of frustration; when she'd woken he'd been simply not there, with no indication of where he'd gone or why. Her eyes widened – phone – but a glance off to the side showed her purse and Rin's backpack on the ground amidst their spilled groceries. People from inside the stores and hidden around corners or cars watched in horror, but they wouldn't be able to do anything even if they were willing to try. Besides the background sirens, the air seemed eerily thick and quiet.

Bated. Waiting.

Rin gave a tiny squeak and her fingernails dug into Kagome's arm and the sharp bite of pain wrenched her attention back to the creature surrounding them. The rogue youkai was moving, winding tighter, closing the circle that kept them trapped. If it kept going, it could very well crush them before they even had the chance to be eaten. Like a boa constrictor.

Kagome braced herself. “Rin,” she murmured quietly behind her, never taking her eyes away from the youkai. “Get ready to run.”

A high-pitched, big-cat scream ripped through the air. A huge, yellow feline body dove straight down onto the rogue from above. The giant eye-head smashed into the asphalt under the weight and it let out a low, spine-scraping groan, its body thrashing enough to smack against the cars lining the road.

Stunned, Kagome stared at the black-striped tails, the familiar flare of fire. “Kirara?”

Rin let out a sharp cry from behind her; Kagome felt the girl's hand wrap into the back of her shirt and she was yanked back off her feet – just as a thick purple arch whipped over their heads. The metallic clink-chink of chains joined the feline growling; from her backward sprawl, Kagome's gaze shot back to the struggle with the eye-head.

Kirara had the rogue pinned to the ground, its neck trapped beneath large paws and excessive canines, while her human companion had the chains of his weapon wrapped around the eye itself, inhibiting its main sensory ability. The chain had sickles-like weapons connected on either end, and one of the sharp blades was embedded into the thick skin right where the head met the body. Kirara's rider, fighting hard to get the blade to cut, didn't have the supple, rounded curves of Kagome's best friend, but the sturdier, more athletic frame of Sango's younger brother.

Rin gasped and tensed, ready to shoot to her feet. “Kohaku!”

At the sound of his name, Kohaku cast a quick look over his shoulder, his strain evident on his face. “Rin? What are you --” His eyes went to the slow progression of his sickle-blade through the struggling creature's neck, but flew back in a stunned double-take. “Dr. Higurashi?!” Blood spurted as Kirara's teeth made a sudden break through the rogue's tough hide; the creature bucked with a violent squeal, and Kohaku had to refocus or lose his precarious knee-grip around Kirara's neck. “Never mind! Just stay down!”

Kagome swung a protective arm around Rin's shoulders and the two women huddled together within the thrashing circle. Kohaku started hacking at the shallow wound he'd made, using the free blade to dig around the one already lodged into the neck. With visible effort, Kirara bit down harder, and a loud, echoing snap cracked across the street. One great final jerk, and the rogue youkai's body fell limp. At the same time, Kohaku's blade broke through the skin, and with a shoulder-straining rip, the eye-head separated from its snake-like body to roll for a few inches in a blood-oozing loll.

Kirara opened her mouth and let the rest of the rogue fall lifeless to the ground. Kohaku let out a loud sigh and slid from Kirara's back to crouch in the pool of near-black blood and examine the twitching remains. It wasn't until he stood again and shook out his shoulders that the onlookers from up and down the street gave their shouts and murmurs of relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The street had been cordoned off to await the arrival of a team from the Yanagimoto school that would see to the cleaning and transportation of the remains. Kohaku, after a brief discussion with the police and an even briefer phone call, had pulled Rin off to the side and the two had been engaged in a furious, whispered conversation for the past several minutes. All the other people who had been on the street (and a few who had come to investigate the commotion) milled in curious groups on the other side of the barricades.

Kagome stood with her back against the side of the store, breathing, watching, and being very grateful that the post-traumatic trembling had finally stopped. Since she and Rin had somehow ended up at the center of the attack, Kohaku and the police had assigned them to a corner by the store to wait. They had promptly set about gathering their nerves and their groceries, all of which had finally settled into a semblance of order.

Well, all except the eggs.

She held the dripping carton gingerly away from her body and cast a glance at her feet, where Kirara sat in her kitten form staring up at her with wide, curious eyes. “I don't suppose you like them raw?”

Kirara mewed.

And then Kagome caught a flash of white hair from the corner of her eye. Her head jerked up and she saw her missing hanyou storming at her from across the street, fury written across his face and a frantic (and somewhat wary-looking – he obviously recognized InuYasha) police officer trying to keep him away from the rogue. Her eyes went to the thin black sheath clutched in InuYasha's left hand and widened. InuYasha ignored the officer, and one of the other officers eventually waved his comrade off, apparently deciding that InuYasha's status as a hunter gave him the right to be behind the barricades they'd set up.

Kirara mewed again, this time in greeting.

“InuYasha.” An overwhelming sense of relief burst through the anxiety she hadn't realized she still felt, loosening the tight muscles in her body. “Where did you --”

“You okay?” He bit it out, still twenty feet away.

She hesitated. “Yes.”

Eyes, amber and so intense they almost glowed, narrowed on her. “You sure?”

A deep breath and a nod. “Yes, just a bit shaken up. Kohaku took care of it before anyone was hurt.” She saw absolutely no need to go into specific detail about how close she'd been when Kohaku “took care of it”.

“Good.” He didn't stop until he was right in front of her, his body forming an effective block between her and the rest of the street. His hand smacked against the wall behind her, making her jump. “You idiot. What made you think it would be okay to leave after what happened yesterday?”

“What?” Kagome stared up at him, struggling with the indignation that rose to battle her relief, and the more subtle jump of her pulse to have him so close. “Why does what happened yesterday have anything to do with a rogue attack today?”

“That's not the point!” Frustration tightened his features. “You're not being careful! I told you to be more careful!”

A tiny frown puckered her brows. “I am being careful.”

“Like hell you are! You reek of that thing!”

She winced. So much for keeping the details to myself. Skimming over the more dangerous parts would be pointless now.

But he didn't ask for details. He snarled, and the flash of his sharp canines caught her eyes, her fascination. “You go out for a damn walk and manage to find a fucking rogue running loose in the fucking city! You could've been eaten!”

It was amazing – absolutely amazing – how quickly she'd adjusted to reading him. Kagome could hear an echo of her own relief in his voice, was sure she sensed a faint trembling along the arm planted next to her ear. He might be yelling, but he couldn't completely hide the worry in his gaze.

The steam of indignation slipped away, and she almost smiled. “What do you want me to do – stay locked inside for the rest of my life?”

For a spare second, he actually looked like he was considering it, and for some reason his look did strange, warm things to her belly. She was forced to draw in a slow steadying breath or give the sparks of excitement away.

He snorted, his eyebrows two dark slashes over his eyes. “You got lucky this time, but next time --” His mouth clamped shut, his lips drawn into a thin line. He took a half-step back, angling his body until they both could see the mess in the middle of the street. The muscles around his mouth tightened, and she had to strain to make out his mumbled words. “Damn it. I'm supposed to protect you, but how can I if you keep putting yourself in danger?”

Supposed to?

Nightmares. A lifetime of searching. “Just to protect you”.

Kagome's unformed smile faded back into her consciousness. The unsteady tremble returned, and the muscles in her legs demanded extra concentration just to keep her body standing. The warmth was gone as quickly as it had come.

Apparently, she couldn't leave it alone after all. “Why?” She spit it out, soft, almost inaudible.

“Hm?” His grunt was distracted, his glare directed at the dead rogue.

“Why are you supposed to protect me? You keep saying that, but there are other people around who can do the job. Kohaku was here this time.”

“Don't be stupid. You're my responsibility.” He still wasn't looking at her, so he didn't notice the way his words hit her, couldn't possibly have seen the wide eyes or the parted lips.

Responsibility?

She bit her lip and looked down, reminding herself what an idiot he could be, that he didn't make a habit of thinking carefully before he spoke. Kirara still sat quietly near her feet, tails waving and eyes watchful and sympathetic. He does care, doesn't he? Her eyes lifted, from Kirara to the clenched fist next to her head, to the grim profile he presented to her. Of course he does. But why? What's pushing him to care? Was it really her, or just her safety that was most important?

“InuYasha.” Her chest lifted, sucking in air as if through a sieve. “What do you see when you have those nightmares?”

His eyes went wide and jerked back to her, and his face drained of all that angry color. “What?”

A flash of wariness in his eyes, but no confusion. No blustering. He knew exactly what she was talking about. “That fever from the other night. You called it a nightmare. What did you see?”

“That's--” He withdrew his hand with a scowl. “Stop trying to change the subject.”

Kagome felt dismay seeping into her body, adding weak knees to the trembling in her legs. “You're not going to tell me?”
“Why does it matter?”

Her gaze flitted down to the container of broken eggs in her hand and the slimy scramble seeping out from the corners before she jabbed it at him, helpless to prevent the accusation in her tone. “Shouldn't I be asking you that?”

Something – confusion? shock? – blanked out his expression. Then his eyes and mouth hardened and he stepped back, away from her, and turned to look over the mess of blood and body parts that stained the road. His back was rigid. “You almost got hurt. Again. You think some stupid dream is more important than that?”

And she just wasn't sure what to think of that: she couldn't read his voice or his stiff shoulders; she didn't know what he was thinking or feeling. He'd closed off from her so completely he might as well have been a thick, stupid brick wall. She felt a stinging ache in her throat, creeping down into her chest. It couldn't be all about “supposed to” –

Right?

“InuYasha.” Kohaku's gentle baritone broke in between them, a polite warning as he crossed the storefront towards them. Not certain whether she was grateful or annoyed at the distraction, Kagome looked up.

Kohaku was dressed in the dark body suit and light armor that his family's hunting garb consisted of, and he'd cleaned his chain-and-sickle weapon and secured it to his waist. He looked very different from the way Kagome usually saw him, with the carefree grin and casual air of a college student. At least his hair was always the same, gathered back in the short, high tail that seemed to be the preferred style in his family. Rin followed right on his heels, her head barely cresting his shoulders and her worried gaze locked onto Kagome and InuYasha.

Kohaku offered her a hesitant smile, but directed his words to InuYasha. “We think there were five, all in this area. My father says that Kouga and one of the Bear hunters took down three besides this one. That leaves one more.”

InuYasha's scowl didn't budge. “No it doesn't. I ran into bastard number five on my way here. But if there was a nest, then there could be more. Anyone have any idea where they came from?”

Kohaku shrugged and his uneasy glance swept all three of them. “Not sure yet. Someone called in a sighting a couple hours ago, and Kirara and I tracked them from a sewer, so they were probably holed up down there somewhere. We haven't figured out how they ended up underneath the city yet. ”

“A couple of hours? Why the hell didn't Miroku call me? This is my neighborhood.”

Kohaku looked troubled. “Miroku said he and Sister were taking the day off after all the--” another hesitant glance at Kagome “--activity yesterday. I'm not sure he knows anything about it, considering it's been contained without any loss of life or major property damage.”

“None?” InuYasha's ears pricked.

“None, from what my father told me.” Kohaku scratched at his head. “Actually, it is a little strange. The rogues didn't start rampaging or attacking until the hunters found them. They were just causing some public disruption as they moved through the area.”

“Damn it. Stupid things are acting weird again.” InuYasha sounded less than pleased. His eyes narrowed, then shot over to pin Rin with a glare. “And what the hell are you doing wandering around the streets during school hours? Not even the pretty bastard is that irresponsible – bet he won't be too happy when he finds out you were near a rogue.”

Rin looked properly chagrined. Kagome stirred herself to protest, but it was Kohaku who responded, lips twitching. “Don't worry, I've already yelled at her. She's staying with me until I can get her back to the house.”

Rin groaned and turned pleading eyes up at the young man beside her. “Or you could just drop me off at school and we'll never mention it again? I don't want to be forbidden from going to school at all.”

Kohaku angled her a skeptical look. “You think you'll be able to keep this from Lord Sesshoumaru?” He gestured to the spatters of blood dotting her skirt and blouse. “Even a good wash won't be able to get rid of that kind of scent trace, and Lord Sesshoumaru's nose is better than InuYasha's.”

InuYasha bit out another growl. “You wanna have this conversation outside of my hearing?”

“Oh, and his hearing is better, too, so if you say anything....”

“Hey!”

Rin seemed to visibly deflate. “I just wanted to visit brother InuYasha. I never got in trouble for skipping before. Lord Sesshoumaru didn't care as long as I kept up my grades.”

InuYasha shifted on his feet, restlessly, and pushed a growl through bared teeth. “Yeah, well, it's not like before anymore.”

Kohaku nodded, his freckled face troubled. “That's true. Things have been a little more strange lately. Father's even been giving me the lecture about coming back home and working full-time, and it's not like he didn't want me going to school in the first place.” His dark brown eyes went to Rin and softened. “Don't worry. I'm sure the Alliance will straighten it all out soon. Then you can go back to skipping school as often as you like.”

InuYasha snorted. “Don't encourage her. She's enough of a pest as it is.”

A big grin split Kohaku's face. “It's all right. I'll protect you from her.”

InuYasha's brows lifted, but Kagome thought he seemed amused. “Yeah? You gonna protect everyone else from her too?”

Kohaku's gentle smile didn't change, but his back was straight and his gaze filled with confidence. “Yes.”

InuYasha gave him a skeptical look, then rolled his eyes. “I'm not the one you should be telling that to.”

Kohaku's grin faltered and he sighed. “Yeah. I know.” He glanced at Rin, whose face had gone quite expressionless, and sighed again when she didn't meet his eyes. Kagome's curiosity perked at the undercurrent, and she made a mental note to ask the girl the next time she talked to her alone.

Kohaku turned his attention back to InuYasha. “You said you killed the last one? Is it nearby?”

InuYasha's eyes studied him for a moment longer before he nodded and cocked a thumb over his shoulder. “I left it back that way a few blocks with some local cops. Waste of fucking time. Not much left of it.”

Another grin touched Kohaku's mouth and he nodded down at the sword in InuYasha's hand. “Easy for you to say.”

“Keh. Testusaiga's just a part of me. If you fought like that with yours, you wouldn't have such a hard time with these bastards.”

“I know. I just haven't figured out how to use them yet. Totosai didn't exactly leave an instruction manual.” The chain rattled as Kohaku patted the weapons at his waist with a rueful grin. “At any rate, I'll make sure the team gets to yours too.” His brown eyes turned grave as he looked over at Kagome. “I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Dr. Higurashi, but you should probably leave now. With InuYasha here, you two are starting to draw attention. And it won't be too much longer before some reporter shows up looking for a story.”

“Attention?” Kagome blinked and glanced around. The onlookers from before had started to gather in small clumps, whispering and tossing speculative looks at the four near the store entrance. “Oh, no.”

InuYasha cursed. “And if they see either of us here, they'll have one.” He turned, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around her elbow. “We're going. The rest of this mess is yours.”

“Thank you, Kohaku, for saving us.” Kagome sighed, shot InuYasha a little glare as she tugged her arm away, and bent to gather up the bags with the salvageable groceries. “Ah! And Rin! Call me later and we'll find a time for more lessons, okay?”

A smile brightened Rin's face. “Okay!”

Kohaku nodded, then reached down to hand Rin her backpack. “Come on, Rin. Stick close until we can go.”

InuYasha didn't even bother to scowl at her for the delay. He just reached out again, snagged a couple of bags with the fingers that weren't holding the sword, and waited only long enough to make sure she was following.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Another chapter, in celebration of the end of the semester, of surviving the emotional turmoil with only minimal dipping of my GPA, and of the beautiful light at the end of the very long tunnel. All in one go, right? Also in celebration of a summer that I didn't want off, but am now glad I have off. I need it, darn it!

Multiple, multicolored, sparkly thanks to the marvelous blackberry for the continued patience with my flaky self and even flakier writing, and for her reassuring presence when I need the input, or simply just an ear.

And as for me, still plodding away on the chapters in my dark and depressing hole where no one can see the mess that I live in. I have every intention of finishing this monster by the end of the year, darn it! As always, feedback and communications are more than welcome and much appreciated. Thanks to all who are still reading, and thank you so much for being so patient.

~Quill