Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

He's My Girl	By : osherry Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 11937 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We own neither Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, the fandom, nor anything else that Rumiko Takahashi has created and we’ll never make any money off of it. We shall not covet Inuyasha or his super-cool ‘Tessaiga, ’ or dang...even that gorgeous bishie

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Disclaimer: We only use the Inuyasha characters for our own devious purposes. They will be returned (mostly) unharmed when we are done. Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and we make no profit from playing with and/or tormenting her characters.

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Warnings: Foul language and plenty of violence.

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Special thanks to our awesome betas SplendentGoddess and Theleb K'aarna.

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Written by Karaumea and Ai Kisugi

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Chapter 21: Dispirited

Takeshi’s knuckles whitened as he gripped coarse dog’s hair. Cold, salty wind whipped about his face, and his black trench coat lashed against his chest. He looked down to see the immense form of his friend, Toga the dog demon, riding the gales of air and clouds as if he were simply a dog frolicking through rolling hills.

He now knew that he should have confronted Rin when he had the chance instead of waiting for Sesshoumaru to pull his daughter from that hellhole, ‘the Seventh Heaven.’ They were all paying the price for that delay. Naraku had gotten his clutches on his dear daughter, and now, they were all rushing to try to save her on an island far from home, at a place that certainly contained a trap.

He swallowed. Did Naraku know that he was still alive? Was that why Rin was captured? Perhaps the mafia head had figured that a trap designed for both Sesshoumaru and himself would be far better than just taking them down one at a time. He had sworn that Naraku had thought that he was dead. The past two years had been spent in hiding, all so that his family would be safe from Naraku’s vengeance. It was only now, when it was too late, that he found that his eldest daughter had been so stricken with the need for justice and revenge that she had thrown away her life.

He didn’t know if it was the misty salt water or real tears that were trickling down his cheek. But he swore, today would be the day that he would right everything--even if his own life was forfeit.

Takeshi closed his eyes, trying to reach inside of himself to find his center, his place of peace, before the coming battle. They were minutes away from Takeshima Island. The duo had deliberately chosen to come in as a second wave. Hopefully, they would have the element of surprise.

As he concentrated on his task at hand, he was pleasantly surprised to find a wave of peace and tranquility pressing in at the edges of his aura. It felt like a warm blanket and it suffused him with calm. With a new determination, he opened his brown eyes and noticed that a dense fog surrounded the island. However, his senses told him that it was more than simple fog.

“A holy barrier?!” he exclaimed in dreaded wonder.

The immense dog under his fingertips growled in warning and lurched away from the fogbanks of the island before the purification barrier could singe his fur.

Toga was almost pawing at the clouds that drifted underneath them. The great dog demon’s hair bristled, and he shook his mane in agitation.

Takeshi couldn’t comprehend how such a powerful holy barrier had been placed around the isle, but he could understand why it was done. In one simple act, all of the men who had been placed on the island to fight had been horribly weakened and were now probably fighting for their lives. The only person who would be unaffected was Kagome.

“Damn!” Takeshi started to cuss as he began to take off his weatherproof trench coat. “Toga, take me down next to the water, as close as you can get to the island without scorching yourself.”

The huge form underneath him shook with disquiet. A low growl reverberated throughout the increasingly dense fog as the dog demon flew closer to the surface of the ocean.

Silent words of derision pooled in his mind. “Damn Naraku.” Takeshi was sure that he was the only one who could stop the immense purification barrier surrounding the isle.

He had been angry, but now he was starting to get worried. Kagome was caught in the middle of this, and not even Inuyasha would be able to defend her. Just as Takeshi was about to remove his gun and wrap it in his waterproof coat, he felt a subtle change in the air.

Without any intervention on his part, the fog around the island lifted, taking with it the sacred barrier.

His brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he realized the one person still on this island who could have taken it down.

“Kagome!”

A proud grin made its way onto his stern countenance, but he quickly wiped it away. He had to focus on his next task, Naraku.

“The barrier’s down, Toga. You can thank my daughter for that,” Takeshi uttered. Then, he closed his eyes and searched with his soul, reaching for the black aura that was staining the island. He opened his eyes once he locked onto the foul darkness. “Now I need you to take us to the far-side of the island to the promontory at the top. I can feel Naraku; he is there.”

The huge dog underneath him shrugged and bounded off over waves and sea. For anyone who might have looked, they would have seen a dog as large as a dinosaur, bounding across the sea. It looked like an animal that was jogging on water.

Toga had made his way around, and for a moment, an incredible lightness of being permeated through Takeshi. If Kagome could stop the barrier on her own, then perhaps, he had underestimated the younger generation that was already fighting on the island. Perhaps today, Rin would come out of this alive...

Takeshi steeled his thoughts. Unchecked emotion was dangerous in the field of battle. He pulled his SIG-Sauer pistol, flicked off the safety and raised the gun to his chest, squeezing it lightly.

His mount skirted around the rim of the island. The great dog was far enough away that they would not be seen by the combatants already there. Though, any trained priest or priestess would already sense the enormous powers of both a supernatural demon and a priest circling the battle. Takeshi was already under the assumption that whomever had raised the holy barrier was working with Naraku and had already alerted him to their presence.

The malevolence that had only touched the borders of his mind now came to the forefront. He could feel the icy tentacles of evil reaching toward him. His mind met his foe before he could make visual contact.

As they neared the mountainous shape jutting out of the top of the island, he was able to make out two small figures. As he got closer, he saw a man with long ebony hair which whipped about his magenta kimono.

“Naraku,” he murmured in quiet anger. “I’m taking you down today!”

Without thinking, Takeshi took out his pistol and aimed it at the man’s blackened heart. It would only take a second to charge up the bullet that would otherwise be useless on a hanyou like Naraku. He quieted his soul and reached deep inside himself, then pushed the purification energy at his command into the gun. Soon his gun glowed blue-white. He steadied his aim and waited for a clear shot.

His daughter was a talented Shinto priestess, but these talents ran in families. She certainly didn’t get her abilities from her maternal grandfather.

Though his eyes were locked on his target, Takeshi couldn’t help but notice the diminutive girl beside the mafia boss. She was an albino child, clad in a white kimono and was holding a large mirror. He tried not to look at her as his mount jumped and nearly made him fumble his gun.

“What...?”

The girl’s pale gray eyes looked up at him with emptiness. Then, something went horribly wrong. Her mirror was shining in their faces. At first Takeshi thought the girl had meant to blind them, but her motives were far more sinister.

A moment later, incredible pain ripped through his body. Something was tugging at his very soul and forcing it into the mirror that the small waif held. It felt as if a torrential hurricane was dragging his inner being away into darkness.

While Takeshi struggled, a blinding white light erupted from the dog demon underneath him. The priest turned police officer could see the demon’s life force leaving its corporal form as the canine writhed in pain. The large dog convulsed, shrunk and reverted into human form. The mirror that was taking Toga’s soul seemed to also be dragging his demonic powers within its bowels.

Toga howled in agony as the last of his life force was ripped from his body, lingering like a ghostly thread before meandering into the bottomless mirror that the small girl held.

All that was left was the ashen body of a man spilled upon the ground.

Takeshi gritted his teeth as he too fell, his very essence being pulled away from him. His hand was still wrapped around his gun, but it felt heavy in his hands...

...almost too heavy for him to lift.

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The thick fog of poison stung Kagome’s eyes, aggravating the tears already gathered in her brown orbs. Mukotsu licked his chapped, smoke-stained lips as he firmly grasped the girl’s chin in his meaty hand. “Now, my dear, why don’t you be a good girl and introduce yourself?”

The miko’s eyes widened in disbelief. Did he really expect her to talk when she couldn’t even open her mouth? She could feel the greasy fingers of his other hand on her bare shoulder, making her skin prickle in revulsion. If she could move, she would be retching all over the disgusting mercenary at that moment.

Mukotsu’s eyes narrowed down to slits before a maniacal grin replaced his frown, showing his crooked, yellow teeth in all their glory. “Well, perhaps a little help is in order,” the man mumbled before he started forcing her mouth open and closed while speaking in a ridiculously bad impression of a woman. “Oh, yes, my dear Mukotsu. My name is Hitomi, and I am very much in love with you. Please let me be your slave and make every naughty dream of yours come true. Please, Muki, please, please!”

If it had been under different circumstances, Kagome would have giggled at the man’s idiocy, maybe even pitied him. However, as tiny droplets of his spit landed on her face as he spoke each word, all she could feel was the growing terror of what was going to happen to her in his hands. Oh, God. He’s crazy!

The miko tried to move her arms, her legs, her head--anything that would’ve helped put a stop to his revolting touch--but her limbs were dead to her. Mukotsu’s thumb swept over her lips, making the girl want to bite the chubby appendage off. His grin returned full force, giving him the expression of a satisfied but still ugly as hell pig. “Why, my lovely,” he crooned, thankfully, in his normal voice. “No need to be so clingy. We wouldn’t want any strings attached, would we?” He stopped for a moment, and rage flashed in his beady eyes, sending a new wave of horror cascading through her insides. His uneven mouth twisted into a smirk. “But, I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun while it lasts.”

Kagome’s breath left her in a terrified whimper when the mercenary dipped his head low, the cold tip of his crooked nose skimming over her neck. “Ooh, you smell divine, my beauty,” he mumbled. “I wonder if you taste as good.”

Something warmer replaced his nose, leaving a wet, cool path on her skin as it moved inexorably along her neck. The moment she realized that he had licked her, a myriad of emotions intermingled with the horror that had been gripping her heart. She felt overwhelming regret that she hadn’t been careful enough to avoid this trap. Despair soon followed for not being able to protect what she knew belonged to the one she loved. She felt dirty as if the man’s actions left a permanent mark on her skin. And then, rage bubbled up in her chest with a vengeance. How dare this vile creature attempt to taint her body and soul with his ugly touch?

A surge of energy coursed through her veins, and the miko willed her hand to follow her orders for just a second. Even though she could feel Mukotsu’s lips moving down her collarbone and his hand groping at her thigh, hope blossomed in her chest when her fingers obeyed her command. Slowly and clumsily, they crawled along the only surface within her reach: the mercenary’s thick belt. Despite her revulsion, she was glad the guy was too occupied with assaulting her to notice.

While Mukotsu’s hand moved up her leg and groped the waistband of her hakama, Kagome’s fingers came in contact with the cold, smooth surface of something tucked in his belt. As the guy started fumbling with the ties to her hakama, the poor miko fought to ignore her rising panic and took hold of whatever was beneath her fingers. The momentary relief she felt when she realized that she was holding his gun was replaced by horror when Mukotsu’s hand snuck into her hakama.

Reflexively, the miko’s finger pulled the trigger.

The resulting gunshot echoed off the walls and was followed by a loud curse. Dropping the girl in his arms, the mercenary scooted away with haste. “Fucking bitch!” he screamed. “You fucking shot me!”

Kagome wanted to smile. However, having spent the last of her energy, she was left completely numb to her body. Even the rise and fall of her chest with each shallow breath was foreign to her. She had hit her head hard when he dropped her and she wished she could feel the accompanying pain in her scalp. Perhaps then, she could have crawled away from this place and away from this man instead of lying helpless like a puppet without strings.

From the corner of her eye, Kagome saw her attacker nursing a dark spot on his thigh as he alternated between whining and mumbling like a mad man. “Whores,” he spat. “They’re all fucking whores... lying, cheating, backstabbing whores!”

Focusing on the miko, he pinned her with his glare. “You!”

A fresh wave of fear swept over the girl when the wounded mercenary started inching his way back to her.

“You’re the worst, Hitomi! You said you loved me, you lying whore, and then ran off with my fucking money! I forgave you, didn’t I, you fucking bitch?! Why did you do this to me now? Is it because I gouged your fucking brother’s eyes out with your damn engagement ring? Is that it? Did you want it back on your finger, you cheating slut?”

Finally reaching her side, Mukotsu straddled the miko’s hips. The rage in his beady eyes cooled instantly, replaced by the cold hardness of a professional murderer. “Oh but, I won’t be fooled twice, honey bunny,” he cooed as he cupped her cheek with one hand and her breast with the other. “In fact, I’ll make sure you won’t try it a third time.”

A sadistic grin contorted his face before he let go of her cheek. Rough, meaty fingers closed over her throat, squeezing harshly.

More tears rolled down Kagome’s temples as the reality finally sank in. No one knew where she was. No one was coming for her. And this monster...

He was going to kill her.

And rape her.

The miko prayed to Kami that it would be in that order.

Now that she knew her fate was sealed, she was thankful for the accursed poison that spared her the feeling of another man’s touch on her skin. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend, and perhaps even believe, that this was not happening.

She could still believe that the only man that touched her body was the one that owned her heart and soul.

Inuyasha…

A deafening crash kept Kagome’s eyes from closing though, and instead, they focused on a bewildered Mukotsu, still sitting on her legs with one of his offending hands frozen on her throat and the other on her breast. Her gaze followed the mercenary’s shocked one, and with much difficulty, she managed to turn her head enough to see the rays of light penetrating the fog from where a wall had been. Splinters of wood scattered everywhere, raining down on her hair and making it hard to keep her eyes open. She blinked as the poisonous gray of the gas dissipated fast, revealing the dark shadow of a figure standing a few feet away.

The first thing she noticed was the shape of two dog ears standing erect on the welcome intruder’s head before an angry growl filled the silence.

Inuyasha...

He had come.

For her…

Tears of relief blurred her vision, and Kagome willed them away to drink in the sight of the boy she had, only moments ago, thought that she would never see again. His long, silver hair was wilder than ever, and blood coated every inch of skin that was visible through his ruined clothes. His broad shoulders were tense, and the hand holding the great demonic sword in a tight grip shook with unconstrained fury. With fangs bared against her assailant and golden eyes promising death, he looked every bit of an avenging angel.

His sharp gaze washed over the scene, taking in the miko’s poor state, and his eyes actually flashed red the moment they focused on the hands still touching his girl.

Before the hanyou’s enraged cry reached Kagome’s ears, a gust of wind blew her bangs to her eyes. Disoriented, she blinked repeatedly until her muddled brain finally registered that her assailant was gone. From somewhere in the room, she heard a strangled whimper and then two distinct thuds. A dark object rolled into her peripheral vision like a distorted ball, but the scene was soon obstructed by silver and red.

Lots and lots of red...

Blood dripped from Tessaiga’s tip as Inuyasha stood before her, his eyes wide with a disquieting combination of rage and fear. His gaze raked over her disheveled form in a panic while he fumbled to sheath the giant sword with trembling hands, paying no mind to the dirty liquid staining his invaluable heirloom.

He crouched over her, his hands fluttering over her motionless body as if afraid to touch. His golden orbs darkened when they focused on the rapidly forming bruises left from her assailant. “Fuck,” he cursed, his coarse voice finally caressing her ears.

The miko had never heard a word more beautiful.

She wished she had the energy to cry out in joy. She wished she could tell him how much she loved him for simply existing. She wished she could erase the sorrow and guilt she saw in his eyes. But more than anything, she wished she could feel his touch when, after another colorful exclamation, he picked her up and easily carried her out of the ruined building.

Still, knowing that she was back in her beloved’s arms gave her strength. A low growl kept resonating within his chest, only interrupted by an expletive every few steps. The farther he took her away from the cursed place that terrorized her and the poisonous gas within, the easier she could breathe.

By the time the hanyou’s angry strides halted, Kagome’s senses started coming back to her. He sat leaning against a tree and cradled her in his lap. “Fucking bastard,” he growled as his fingers gently traced the marks left on her neck and chest. “I should’ve cut his fingers one by one. I should’ve ripped his intestines out!” His eyes landed on hers then, a swirling mess of fury and agony. “What the fuck were you thinking, wench! Why the hell did you not listen to me?”

The anger in his voice cut through her trance. Of all the things Kagome had imagined doing once she regained control of her body, going into hysterical sobs was not one of them, but that was exactly what she did.

“Oh, shit,” cursed Inuyasha before hugging the miko’s quivering form closer to his body. “I’m sorry,” he exclaimed in a panic. “I’m so sorry.”

She looked so small in his arms and so broken with tears flowing down her cheeks. Her chest heaved with relentless sobs, bringing his attention, once again, to the bruises marring her creamy skin. The rage he had been fighting to control flared to life with a vengeance. Some slimy bastard dared put his hands on his girl, and he hadn’t been there to prevent it. “Damn you,” he snarled, unable to decide whom he was cursing, before he pulled on the miko’s shirt to cover the offending sight from his gaze. He kept murmuring apologies as he rocked them back and forth, his fingers threading into her hair and gently, soothingly combing the tangled locks.

After what felt like an eternity in hell, Kagome’s heart-wrenching sobs dwindled, leaving pitiful hiccups and soft sniffles in their wake. Letting go of her hair, he cupped her cheek and gently coaxed her to face him. Her red-rimmed eyes looking up at him with a mix of sorrow, adoration and gratitude only solidified his overflowing guilt. “I’m sorry I left you alone. I’m sorry I forgot how stupid you could be,” he whispered. Seeing a fresh wave of tears gather in her large brown orbs, he hurriedly added, “But for what it’s worth, whatever you did back there to get rid of that barrier, it saved my life, Kagome.”

When she looked down uncomfortably, Inuyasha leaned his forehead against hers, forcing her to meet his intense gaze. “You saved my life,” he mumbled softly, begging her to understand that he wasn’t upset with her. His hand glided down to her neck, and his trembling fingers traced the marks on her skin. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

Kagome’s indignant huff fanned against his lips. “Don’t say that!” she chided vehemently. “He-he was going to... he was...” Her words failed the distraught girl, and all that came out in the end was a whimper.

Needing to be there for his beloved but also dreading to hear the details of what she’d been put through, he shushed her gently, followed by a tender kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’m here now, baby. It’s over; he can’t touch you anymore--no one can. I’m here.”

Kagome bit her lip before taking in a deep breath. “Exactly,” she said determinedly. Her delicate fingers rose to frame his face, her thumbs caressing his cheekbones reverently. “You’re here,” she whispered with a relieved sigh. “You came for me.”

The small smile that graced her lips was short-lived, though, leaving him aching for more. Her eyes widened, and fear crept back into them as she asked, “What do you mean I saved your life? What happened? Inuyasha, are you all right?” Pushing back from him, she started fussing over the visible signs of his fight with Bankotsu. “Oh, Kami! You’re a mess, Inuyasha! How did this happen?”

The hanyou chuckled in disbelief. Only his Kagome would be concerned about a few shallow cuts on his person and forget about what horrors she had just been through. His bittersweet amusement died quickly when her fingers touched a rather tender spot on his chest, and his breath escaped his lips in a hiss. “Damn, woman, stop poking! I’m fine; it’s just a scratch.” Seeing her raised eyebrow, he grumbled in grudging resignation, “I’ll be fine in no time, anyway. Look, they’re already healing, OK?”

“O-kay,” she said slowly, frowning. She pursed her lips as her fingers hovered over a nasty gash on his chest. “Does it hurt?”

“Nope,” he replied without a pause and clenched his jaw when she pressed against the edge of his cut skin. When her eyes met his, he forced out a smile that he hoped was nonchalant.

Kagome shook her head and sighed in disapproval. “You’re so stubborn,” she mumbled before a small grin tugged at the corners of her delectable mouth. “But, I love you anyway.”

“Keh! You better,” quipped Inuyasha with a smirk only to have it wiped off his face by her lips.

The relief, the rightness he felt when her soft flesh connected with his was overwhelming, and for a few delicious moments, all the hanyou could do was just let her kiss him senseless. The miko’s tiny hands tangled into his already disheveled hair, tugging at the silver strands and earning a groan from the boy. She started wiggling in his lap, and before he knew it, she was straddling his legs as her lips continued to suck the breath out of him.

The hanyou didn’t know what to do with his hands. The urgency of her actions fueled the ever-existing fire in him, making him want to grab her hips and finish what she started. However, it also alarmed him to the fact that her need was not solely based on their mutual, unquenchable thirst for each other. He understood that she needed reassurance after what she’d been through, and Inuyasha would die to give it to her.

Unfortunately, there were more pressing matters at the moment.

With a will power he hadn’t known that he possessed, he pulled back from her lips. The miko didn’t seem to notice his dilemma as she proceeded to nibble on his jaw. “Umm... Kagome?” As if the feel of her gentle bites wasn’t enough of a distraction, her sneaky hands found their way into his shirt, tracing the hard--and thankfully still intact--muscles of his abdomen and making it difficult to talk for the hanyou. “A-Aren’t we fo-forgetting something?”

Her answer was a disinterested hum before her tongue flicked out to taste the skin of his neck. That was the breaking point for Inuyasha. “Baby, please stop,” he begged, holding her shoulders and gently urging her away. He looked into her glazed over eyes with regret. “Your sister...”

Kagome blinked dazedly before her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Oh, Kami! Rin!” What little color she had left drained off her face. “Have you seen her?” she asked while she struggled to stand up.

“No.” Inuyasha watched, stupefied at her immediate change of mood even though he was the one that triggered it, as she fell off his lap with a soft exclamation. The sudden loss of her warmth was unsettling, especially since he’d just started enjoying himself. “What are you trying to do?”

“We have to find her, Inuyasha!” snapped the girl as she clumsily rose to her feet.

Finally noticing that the miko’s limbs were still suffering from the effects of the poison, the hanyou jumped to his feet to help her stand. “Let me,” he mumbled with a soft chuckle, prying her fumbling hands off her shirt and adjusting it with his bloody but steady ones. Kagome huffed impatiently, but her gaze was full of adoration as she looked up at him.

No more than a couple minutes later, he had his girl on his back and his nose sniffing the air like a mad dog’s as they raced through the mass of trees in a blur of red, silver and raven.

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Takeshi had never felt so weak. Was this what newborn puppies felt like as they struggled to stand? His hold on reality and even his body was tenuous. It was as if his own form was rebelling against his very wishes. He clutched at his gun and tried to pull it away from his chest. If he could only aim it at Naraku…

A maniacal laughter filled the air. The police officer lifted up his weary eyes to spy upon Naraku and the small girl at his side.

Takeshi tried to focus his eyes. It was as if he were peering through murky waters. The images before him doubled and moved. He had the vision of a drunk.

The young girl looked at him blankly while she still held the large mirror in her tiny hands. The silvered surface pulsed with life, reverberating against its confines.

“Finish him off,” said Naraku with an oily cool. “He’s still conscious. I want him lifeless!”

The girlish youth next to him didn’t say a word, her robotic face turning to look slowly at Naraku and then Takeshi. No emotion betrayed her voice as she spoke, “His soul is too large. I have already trapped too many souls within my mirror. It has been filled to the brim and will soon spill if I add any more.”

Naraku growled, his voice rising with rage as he spoke. “You told me that you could suck up an entire army of souls with your mirror. Were you lying to me, Kanna?”

He brought up his hand to slap the girl, but her placid exterior stopped him. She looked more like a marble statue than a human being. Her eyes betrayed no fear as she looked at the man who towered above her.

“It can hold the souls of an army of mere men. But, this is not a mere man.”

“Then what is he?” Naraku bellowed.

The half-demon’s eyes narrowed as he took in Takeshi’s appearance, flickering with a half forgotten memory. Then, the pallor of the dark hanyou’s face drained of color, leaving only whiteness and a look of disgusted shock.

“No, not you...” he muttered with disbelieving arrogance. “I ordered your death. You were shot and thrown into the sea. You can’t be...Higurashi. You can’t be the same undercover cop who dared to infiltrate my organization.”

The man in the trench coat tried to prop himself up with his arms. His words were as shaky as his body, but he managed to steel his voice. He sounded more confident than he felt. “The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated,” smirked Takeshi.

If only his body did not feel like leaden weights. He managed to swing his knees underneath him and attempted to stand up. But his body refused to listen to him, and he fell to the ground looking like a drunk.

Naraku paused and looked down upon the shaking form of the police officer before him. The mafia boss scowled. The man before him was obviously not a threat; he looked about as powerful as a rag-doll.

The police officer’s wilted form seemed to bring a haughty smile on the mob boss’ lips. “Can’t even stand on your own two feet, can you Higurashi?” scoffed the dark hanyou. “It is fitting that you live your last moments of life helpless.”

“Where is my daughter? Where is Rin?” Takeshi gasped as he finally managed to get to his knees.

“Rin?” The dark hanyou’s eyes drew back in perplexity as he mentally scanned his memories for someone named Rin. His eyebrows drew together in concentration before his dark eyes lit up with recognition. A slow, dangerous smile tugged at his lips. “Your daughter... It was Rin?

“Don’t tell me that you let your daughter star in my strip tease show? My, my...what has become of your baby?” The mafia boss paused before continuing. “She turned into a whore! It must have happened when her daddy left town.”

Takeshi growled in anger. “How dare you!” he yelled. He attempted to get onto his own two feet again and failed.

Naraku only laughed, seemingly pleased to have upset his long-time foe and to see him so helpless. “I actually didn’t do anything. I didn’t even know she was your daughter. Though, if I had known, I would have surely made more use of her. Sluts can be very useful in my line of work.”

“She’s my daughter; she’s not a whore!” yelled out Takeshi. His blood was pumping faster through his veins. He was shaking from adrenaline that rushed like a drug through his body.

Naraku seemed to find some sort of hidden merriment in mocking Takeshi. He simply continued on his condemnation of Rin.

“Ah, but she was a whore, and a lovely one at that!” Naraku laughed with derision. “If I had only known… Maybe then I wouldn’t have had Kanna suck up your daughter’s soul into her mirror. It is now too late for her. All that is left is a lifeless shell. But I made sure that I could make use of her one final time...”

A malignant smile erupted from Naraku’s lips. “She is tied up on the other side of the island. But I had my men set up a bomb next to her. The moment someone tries to move Rin or attempt to untie her... Well, I am sure that the explosives I have set up will create a blast that even a demon cannot escape from.”

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Once the foul purification barrier had lifted from the island, it didn’t take long for Sesshoumaru to dispatch the rest of the cadre of mercenaries.

The dog demon looked down impassively at his arm that had speared Suikotsu in the gut. The soldier looked down in horror to see sharpened nails erupting from his stomach. Red blood spilled and mixed with the demon’s green poison. The mercenary’s eyes seemed to widen with disbelief before they glazed over into nothingness.

Sesshoumaru pulled his arm away and shook the viscous red liquid away. He had no more time to deal with inconsequential battles. He needed to get to Rin, quickly.

The great dog demon didn’t even glance back to see Kouga finally finishing off the ponderous Kyokotsu. He barely registered the loud thump of the giant’s body hitting the ground as he sped away.

There was really only one reason why he was on this island--it was to rescue Rin. The mercenaries had been a momentary disturbance in his plans. Sesshoumaru’s ego would have never allowed his past predicament to be described as anything more than that. He would never admit to nearly being killed by a mere human.

Wind whipped around his elfin ears as he moved swiftly toward Rin’s scent. He could make out her smell of clean waterfalls and verdant streams. She called to him on many levels: her proud and stubborn mind that constantly baffled him, her wondrous scent that soothed his senses and her petite, sexy form that set his body on fire with a single glance.

The demon lord never panicked, however there was something akin to immense concern and alarm that was taking a hold of his mind.

As he drew nearer to her scent, he caught the scattered layers of the stench of the human mercenaries. They had been next to his woman; they had even touched her... Sesshoumaru couldn’t help the feral growl that erupted from his chest. If he hadn’t already killed those useless human beings, he would have taken the time to slowly dismember them when this battle was won and Rin was safe. They had put his mate in harm’s way and they deserved no mercy.

He also found newer scents of his brother and his miko joining with Rin. Apparently, they had already reached her.

Soon, a clearing entered his field of vision. It was down the steep cliff-face, but it should only take a minute to reach it. Within the grassy meadow, Rin sat with her head held low, as if in defeat. The miko was before the girl and had fallen on her knees. He could hear Kagome shouting out “Rin!” in alarm.

His chest tightened as he wondered if Rin could possibly be dead. Her body was limp and lifeless. Tight rope bound her calves and arms. Her wrists were pressed against her back with her knees tied under her body. She was bound like an animal that was to be slaughtered.

Sesshoumaru did not scare, but his heartbeat did start to race and thumped through his veins. It was only after he was able to hear Rin’s slowly beating heart that he was able to quell the uneasiness inside of him.

Just as his form started to plummet down the sharp cliff, he saw the miko move to hug her sister.

Inuyasha was screaming at Kagome to wait. But the obstinate human wasn’t listening to her mate. She was simply sobbing Rin’s name and seemed too bereft to think coherently.

The miko’s arms, encased in long, billowing white sleeves, drew Rin into a tight embrace. Inuyasha yelled one more time, and his blade pulsed in the air. With a hasty leap, the hanyou was right above the duo when a loud explosion rocked the small meadow.

In what was once stillness, rocks flew, gray-brown smoke swelled and a loud blast careened through the atmosphere. The very cliff he was scaling started to reverberate as chunks of rock and dirt pelted the scene. It was only his incredible speed that enabled Sesshoumaru to evade the avalanche.

Within seconds, he was at the foot of the precipice. Smoke and dust still hung in the air, obscuring his vision, and Rin’s scent had suddenly disappeared. His ears were ringing from the sudden noise and he couldn’t discern any sounds other than a few rocks tumbling down.

Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees as complete disbelief pervaded his features.

“Rin...”

Lost in the smoky gray surrounding him, the agony in her whispered name echoed in the dog demon’s mind, shattering his heart into a million pieces.

End of Chapter 21

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Reviews are better than having a hot kiss with a golden eyed, silver-haired hanyou... Well, almost!

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Next Chapter: What happened? The bomb hit right where Rin, Inuyasha and Kagome were. I guess you’ll have to wait for the next chapter to find out if this story is morphing into a tragedy instead of a comedy…

Authors’ Notes:

#1: The scene where Mukotsu kidnaps Kagome is entirely different in the anime than the manga. There are many scenes in Inuyasha that were cleaned up for the television audience and this was one of them. In the anime, Mukotsu pretends to marry Kagome in order to make her his bride. In the manga it is revealed that he is attracted to Kagome and that he wants to get her alone. Then he attempts to rape her. Of course, in both the anime and manga, Sesshoumaru kills him before something too horrific can happen.

#2: Quote used in this chapter: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” was originally written by Mark Twain.

#3: If you haven’t already started to read, ‘Behind the Silk Screen’ by eien-no-basho then you owe it to yourself to read one of the best Inuyasha/Kagome pieces of fan fiction to grace the Internet.

#4: Ai and Karaumea will be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which takes place during November. We’re supposed to write a 50,000 word original novel within one month. Wish us luck and we’ll be back to ‘He’s My Girl’ in December. Only two chapters left!!!
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- 22
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He's My Girl

Chapter 21: Dispirited