Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Saimu no Ken	By : Gothic_Lust Category: InuYasha Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 1973 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines from InuYasha and Rurouni Kenshin belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Nobuhiro Watsuki respectively. I don't make any money off the writing of this fiction.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter Three:
The Price of Happiness
Kenshin tugged at the blue jacket of his middle school uniform hard enough to pull the pins from the unsown seams.
"Boy, stop struggling and stand straight," Snapped the tailor at his feet. "You're pulling all my pins out."
"But you're pressing them in so hard they stick me." Kenshin murmured.
"Learn to deal with the pain, stupid apprentice." Hiko sneered as he entered the open space of his office. He moved to sit behind his desk to watch Kenshin try to slide away again from the rough hands of the tailor.
"Don't just stand at the door, stupid girl, come in and close the door behind you." Hiko barked to the back of the room where Kenshin turned to watch as a tall, thin woman stepped through timidly, and with tiny hands, closed the heavy door.
She gracefully crossed the room, glancing briefly at him and the tailor at his feet before reaching his master's desk.
"Kenshin, this is Tomoe." Hiko motioned to the young woman before his desk as she bowed politely towards him. "Tomoe, this is my stupid apprentice, Himura, Kenshin. You will make sure that he does his school work and kata's when I'm not around, along with your other duties."
"Hai." Tomoe spoke softly, demurely, but none-the-less, to Kenshin, it was heavenly. Kenshin's face flushed red as Tomoe glanced up again at him beneath her long black lashes.
"Here's what you need to get started, your desk is outside the door." Hiko dismissed her, and as she crossed the room again, their eyes met. Kenshin didn't even notice the tailor's hands as he pricked and prodded him harder than usual, his sole focus was to the young woman he was sure to spend time with, even if he had to rush his missions and lose sleep. There was a certain need, a craving he could neither name nor describe, but he was sure it had everything to do with Hiko's newest secretary, Tomoe.
XxxxxxX
After her outburst with Miroku in the hall, the principal pulled them into his office and called the counselor, then, with a quick word to behave, escaped to his personal putting green in the next room he thought nobody knew about.
They sat in uncomfortable silence for nearly an hour waiting for the school's counselor to arrive. Apparently she liked to take very long lunch breaks on the other side of town. Miroku twitched in his chair briefly, but she didn't pay too much attention. She couldn't face him anymore knowing she intentionally tried to harm him for doing nothing more than looking out for her.
She was exhausted after crying like that. Her head throbbed with a serious headache from her anger and didn't know what to say, or how to apologize, after blowing up in someone's face like that. Could they just laugh it off as stress from a difficult term with demanding classes?
No, that wouldn't explain her bruises. Maybe she got so frustrated with her studies she smacked herself with the book, hoping that would let the information sink in? That might make him look at her in worse light than she already cast herself. Maybe the counselor could hand her a shovel when she walks in so she could be done with it.
"I'm sorry."
Kagome shot up from her seat, startled. Miroku had turned in his hard backed wooden chair to face her.
"What?" She whispered. What was he apologizing for?
"I'm sorry for sticking my nose into your business." His eyes seemed to hold a different light than before. There was no pity there. "You clearly weren't ready to talk about it. I apologize for trying to force you."
Kagome didn't know why, but this apology seemed to drain her completely. It made her feel guilty for yelling at him to mind his own and get the hell away from her.
She smiled as she answered, even though her eyes watered again. "Thank you, Miroku."
"Just know, if you ever need an ear or shoulder, I'm available." He smiled then, and his next words made her laugh. "I've got a special rate for beautiful girls that have gone a bit mad. I hear they'd say just about anything."
"I," Kagome broke her train of thought to stare back down at her hands for courage. "I don't' know when, or if, I'll be able to speak about it." Why was this so difficult? She just wanted to reassure him, so why was speaking to him so hard?
"I'll let you know." There she said it. "I'll let you know when I'm better."
"That's all that really matters." He said, and with that, they waited in silence for another fifteen minutes for the counselor to arrive.
The door burst open and shut to reveal a woman. She was tall and slender, dressed in blue scrubs that complimented the light green sheen to her long ink black hair. Her fair skin glowed pink beneath the radiant florescent lighting that magnified the iridescent sparkle of a large, sleek cut, diamond perched above an intricate gold detailing of a beautiful wedding ring.
She rushed across the room quickly, her sneakers muffled by the thick carpeting of principal Myoga's office.
"You better be here for a good reason." She said as she took a seat in the soft, leather high backed chair Myoga favored. She leaned back and draped her feet across the man's desk without a care for the delicately scribed notes on the principal's desk calendar. "So, spill it."
Kagome felt even less comfortable speaking to this woman that she had Miroku. Her lips felt instantly chapped and sealed shut. She leaned further back into her chair and curled in on herself slightly, crossing her arms tightly in front of her chest. Miroku noticed her swift change in posture and was about to speak out when the woman spoke instead.
"Okay, you're expecting introductions." She began playing with her wedding ring, uncaring to their reactions towards her. "My name is Megumi Takani. I got my PhD for Psychiatry at Tokyo University. I'm married with one kid, and I'm here to listen to anything you deem pertinent to burden me with."
"I'm…" Miroku began, and again was cut off.
"Yes, I've heard ot you. You're very popular with the ladies." Miroku smiled. "And Principal Myoga too. It may help if you stop causing problems for everyone."
Miroku lowered his head and didn't try to speak for several minutes.
"And you are Ms. Kagome Higurashi." Kagome curled farther into her chair away from the woman's calculating stare. Megumi had stopped playing with her wedding band sometime between her introduction and Miroku trying to speak again. She settled to watch Kagome and her reactions as she continued her assessment.
"Something traumatic happened to you," Kagome tried to sink further into the hard wood of her chair, but only succeeded in staring deeper into her white knuckles that had a tight grip on her left arm. "Am I correct?"
Kagome couldn't answer without bursting into dry heaves, tears having left her long ago. Her face seemed to drain of color quickly as her vision swam with every thrum of her head.
A plastic cup with water appeared within her blurry vision. Without looking for who gave her the cup, she latched onto it, and drained it. It refilled twice more before she even thought to glance around. Miroku held another cup, ready for her to take it should she even slightly reach out for it.
"Thank you," She mumbled. He took her empty cup and replaced it gently with the full cup and retreated back to his seat without another word when she finished the old one.
This time she took delicate sips, the ice freezing the tips of her teeth. Her headache was starting to clear and her lips didn't feel so dry. However, the blue eyes of their counselor never once left her.
"Feel better?" She asked. Her voice was soft, not as harsh as it had been before when she entered the room without a care. There was no pity in her eyes either, even as Miroku launched into the details about what happened in the hall. What was once concern turned strangely into, understanding?
"Yes, thank you." She finally remembered to answer as Miroku took a breath.
Megumi raised a hand as Miroku went to continue speaking. "I see there are problems, Kagome. Some, you may not know how to answer, but please, if you cannot speak with me, then please, speak with somebody." She stood from the desk and stopped before Kagome's chair. "My door will always be open to you." She shuffled around in her pockets for something, pulling out a pager, a cell phone, and a small can of mace.
She finally settled on a folded business card, read it over quickly before stealing a pen from the principal's desk to scribble something on the back.
"You can call me at any time, day or night, when you feel like telling someone." She handed Kagome the card with a number written neatly on the back. "That's my home number. Don't hesitate to call."
With muttered goodbyes, she left them just as the bell rang to dismiss the school.
Kagome quickly followed in the woman's wake, leaving behind a confused Miroku as she ran to catch the bus before it left her with a very long walk to the train station. She had missed the bus and the early train home. When she finally made the last boarding for the three thirty train, she was already late to arrive home.
She finally arrived home near four in the afternoon to find the door unlocked and open. Within her family was scrambling. Several suitcases blocked the entrance hall and the living room.
"Ka-san?" Kagome called from the doorway as she dodged Buyou as he ran underfoot. "Chichiue?"
Kagome made her way from the door to the living room with great difficulty. Within she found her brother trying to unplug his Nintendo™ system from the wall unit.
"Souta," Her brother jumped and smacked his head ontop of the upper shelves. He crawled out, rubbing the top of his head whilst glaring at her.
"What was that for?"
"What's going on?" Kagome asked, ignoring the glares her little brother sent her way. "Where's Ka-san and Chichiue?"
"They're upstairs. Ma's packing your things." Souta said as he tried to violently separate the gaming system from the wall again. "We're making a break for it."
The Nintendo™ broke free with a loud pop. Souta fell over with the rebound force into a pile of clothes.
"What do you mean?" Kagome didn't understand. Were they really going to leave? Could she really leave, consciously knowing that Kenshin was paying for their debts without gaining anything in return?
"I'm not giving you over to him." Before her eyes, her little brother grew up, gaining a hard edge to his eyes. "He doesn't deserve you. You shouldn't have to pay for anything that we do."
"We?" Kagome blinked.
"Dad and I." He replied, lifting the system into his suitcase that lay on one of the gray couches. "Women shouldn't' have to pay for the stupid mistakes we men make."
Kagome smiled. Her little brother was really growing up, even if he didn't know exactly what was going on, or exactly what he was saying. He would become a great man one day.
"Oh, Kagome, there you are!" Coming down the stairs was her mother. In one hand she carried a light purple suitcase, and in the other she held Kagome's old laptop, the fan still whirring and screeching.
"Ka-san?" Her mother shoved her laptop into her hands once she navigated the maze of suitcases and garbage bags of stuff lying on the floor of their once pristine living room. Kagome placed it down on large suitcase beside her.
"I packed some of your clothes, your favorite book and your journal from beneath your bed."
"You've read my—"
"Dear, I haven't read it, but placing it under the mattress is not exactly the most original hiding spot." Her mother smiled and handed Kagome a black trash bag. "Now go upstairs and grab whatever it is you want to keep."
"We're not coming back, are we?" Kagome said as she mounted the first steps.
Her mother looked down to the dingy carpet and wrung her fingers tightly.
"We're doing this for you dear." Her mother looked up and gave a watery smile. "We don't want to lose you."
"What about my friends?" The sudden change was difficult to grasp. Kagome didn't want to leave, yet at the same time, she wanted to hop in the car and drive faster than any visitor on the autobahn to get away from Kenshin and Hiko.
"You can always make new ones, dear." Her mother began to busy herself with shuffling through the clothes pile on the floor. "I'm sure you'll find them again."
Kagome made a brief glance to Souta. He was looking into the half-full contents of his own suitcase. She caught a glimpse of a photograph in his hands before he stuffed it deep into his jeans pocket.
Unable to linger any longer on the stairs, she began to climb them lethargically. Every step she took added another five pounds of lead to her shoes. She could see her father frantically running around his room as she passed the door. He was pulling things from drawers and closets and tossing them into a garbage bag that sat on his stripped bed. As she turned to leave, she saw him grab something metallic from a bedside drawer and place it into the waistband of his jeans.
Pushing the door to her room open fully, she walked inside to a room that was once full of pictures, posters and stuffed animals. Her pictures were piled up on her small desk. The posters were stuffed into a trash can beside her bed where her stuffed animals had been tossed onto.
Opening the bag, Kagome started to look through her closet and drawers, finding nothing she really wanted to keep, Kagome moved to her rather small collection of books and movies. She pulled a few from the shelves and placed them delicately into the bag with her pictures she tucked away into a folder. Some shoes made it into the bag as well as a few stuffed animals her friends gave her.
As she was about to toss in a floppy eared bunny her friends had given her when she was in the hospital after her accident at her grandfather's shrine, when she looked into the glossy black surface of the little rabbit's eye. Reflected on the surface was her pale face, red and blotchy from crying. The stuffed animal didn't comment on her broken appearance. The makeup on her cheek was nearly gone from where Miroku wiped it off exposing a dark bruise.
She suddenly felt heavy and tired. Her eyelids closed softly and with the bunny still in her arms, curled around it and lay back on her bed in deep, dreamless, sleep.
XxxxxxX
Kagome woke up a few hours later in the back seat of her father's large beat up van, the soft long eared bunny still clutched to her chest. She lifted her head lightly from the pillow cradled between her head and the windowpane to glance around the dark car. In the diver's seat, her father stared out onto the glittering highway, the passing lights of cars streaking colors on the droplets that stayed from an earlier shower. Beside him, her mother reclined in her chair fiddling with the radio stations, going from classic rock to jazz faster than her friends Ipod.
Souta shifted beside her. He was sprawled out on the back seat, taking up his spot and the middle seat with his long legs that seemed to never stop growing. His head was cushioned by a pillow she remembered that used to sit on his bed. The lumpy shape of a creature from one of his favorite shows was now dulled and muted from the many washes it went through to get clean after he spilled soda and chip dip on it.
"Oh, Kagome dear, you're awake." Kagome refocused her attention towards her mother. "How are you feeling?"
Kagome just blinked as an Elton John song played quietly in the background.
"I guess you're still tired. Don't worry, we'll be stopping soon."
"Where are we?" Kagome asked through a yawn as she glanced out the window again for road signs or landmarks.
"Close to Kyoto. It's nearly midnight." Her mother leaned back over the seat to rearrange a fleece blanket over Kagome.
"Kyoto? How long was I asleep?" Kagome looked out the window again but didn't see anything in the darkness.
"Nearly eight hours. You've been clutching that bear all night." Kagome glanced down at the white stuffed rabbit. In the dim light it almost appeared grey and lifeless.
"Get some sleep Kagome. We'll be traveling again tomorrow morning." Kagome only nodded, rearranged her pillow and lay her head back down, unable to sleep.
She heard her parents discuss the route to take to Oda City in Shimane Prefecture, where they were to meet an old friend and catch a ride into South Korea. Even as they discussed the plans, Kagome couldn't help but think that it wasn't going to work. She wanted to run, so desperately. She wanted to be free of the debt and the burden it made her bare. She wanted to never see Hiko, or Kenshin, ever again. But was running the best option, or even the right one?
Could they really make the long drive to Oda City? It was still another six hours or so from where they were. Would Hiko really not notice their departure long enough to get out of Japan? Would getting out of Japan even be enough?
Kagome didn't want to run her entire life, having to look over her shoulder in fear that Kenshin would be following her. No. She wanted a peaceful life with a caring husband, a wonderful career and adorable children. Could she get that with Kenshin, a known murder?
Her father pulled off the highway and into the outlying city of Kyoto. Houses, motels, cheap restaurants and gas stations passed them as they drove another few miles into the city. Souta was just waking up when they pulled into an old motel. Grateful for the stop, Kagome hopped out and stretched her legs, Souta right behind her.
"Where are we?" He asked, pulling his hands over his head. His back popped loudly.
"Kyoto." Kagome answered as she twirled around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. A hand on her shoulder stopped her from making her third turn.
"Stop that." Souta said. He was less than a head short of her, but his hands were already much larger than her own. "You're acting weird. People might call the cops."
Kagome blushed. "Oh. Right."
"Alright." Her father rounded the car, a set of keys in hand. "We're in 346. Don't bring anything other than a change of clothes, we're not staying long."
Kagome and Souta, after much difficulty, managed to get out a set of clothes each from the overstuffed trunk and back seat.
"Man, I'm glad this car seats eight or we would have been squished, Kagome." Souta said, yanking a pair of jeans from the tight confines of his suitcase that was sandwiched between her own and a heavy black bag.
"Yea, help me move your suitcase so I can reach mine." Kagome shoved the black bag on top of her brothers stuff, but only managed to shift it about a millimeter.
"Why can't you just use a pair of mom's jeans?" Souta wined, while he fingered a rip in one of his T-shirts. Kagome glanced down briefly to his bag, noticing a strip of red cloth that clung to the teeth of the zipper.
"Mom's taller than I am." Kagome said, trying to move Souta's bag again. "And besides, I have larger hips."
"You mean you're fat." Souta grinned, then dodged a black garbage bag that flew towards his head.
"I am not fat!" Kagome meant to pick up another thing to throw at him when their father stopped them.
"Hey, knock it off you two!" Kagome and Souta cringed as their father's booming voice called to them from the front seat, the bag clutched in his hands.
"Sorry." They both murmured and resumed trying to rescue Kagome's suitcase from the trunk.
After a few minutes, they managed to get enough space for her to squeeze out a pair of purple plaid shorts and a white tank top.
"It's a good thing classic converse go with anything." Kagome said as she zipped up her suitcase and climbed out the car.
"I still don't get you. Do you have to try and wear every color in the rainbow?" Souta pointed towards her plaid shorts.
"What's wrong with them? They're only purple and blue." Kagome asked, looking towards her shorts as they made their way to their room.
"And white." Souta added.
"White isn't a color, idiot." Kagome looked at the shorts again. They were cute. Why didn't guys understand that?
"Whatever. I still think it looks like a barfed up rainbow." Souta said, then walked faster up the stairs.
"Boys, I swear." Kagome watched her brother take the steps two at a time, reaching the third landing faster than her.
"I call the bed by the bathroom!" Souta then took off, laughing down the hall.
"Don't even think about it!" Kagome ran after him. "You're sleeping on the floor!"
XxxxxxX
Kenshin glanced briefly away from the scope of his long barreled rifle to his right. Beside him, Sanosuke lay with a pair of binoculars in his hands and a cell phone attached to his ear.
"No, I swear, I'm not- No.- Seriously, I'm with Kenshin-You know, Kenshin, the friend I told you about that- No.- Damn it, I'm not cheating on you!"
Kenshin sighed and flipped the safety of his rifle back on. He looked at his watch. Five minutes left. "Sanosuke."
"Look, I got to go.- No.-No.-I don't even know who Keiko is!-Fine.-Don't expect me to call back."
Sanosuke flipped his phone closed roughly. "Sorry about that Kenshin. She can be such a bitch."
Kenshin only nodded before turning back to the scope of his rifle. Within the cross hairs an old man paced back and forth. He was discussing a business plan with his company partner, a plan the old guy didn't even know was only a ruse to place him in such a convenient location.
"Why are you even sniping anyway?" Sanosuke looked down at his watch then back into his binoculars. "I thought you were beyond that now."
"I am." Kenshin replied softly as the night breeze pulled his hair into his eyes. From his pocket he fished out a hair tie, pulled the wayward strands back and tied them into a loose plait. "Hiko just want's me out of his hair as he finalizes the deal between the Higurashi's and myself."
"So its really going to happen? You're getting hitched?"
"Seems so." Kenshin flipped the safety off, waiting for the last possible moment before pulling the trigger. The bullet sliced through the air, shattered the fragile glass and tore straight through the brain tissue of a now dead business man. Kenshin watched as the partner glanced back in his direction. Deep red eyes set in a pale face framed by long black curled hair greeted him. The man gave a sharp nod then proceeded out the room where several other employees happened to meet him.
Kenshin fired off several more shots, purposefully missing the corrupt associate now owner as intended. Though he managed to get the red-eyed male in the arm, a superficial wound, but one that would solidify his alibi. What better way to avoid detection than to pose as a victim of an assassination attempt?
"Let's get going Kenshin. I can see the cops down the street."
Kenshin and Sanosuke packed their gear quickly, and hurried down the steps of the library. They made it onto the seventh floor and down an aisle dedicated to art history before the cops came hurdling down the corridor and up the open steps to the roof top. One cop stopped in the opening of their aisle briefly.
"You boy's didn't see anyone run down those steps have you?"
"No, officer." Sanosuke said as he placed a book back on the shelf. "Why, has something happened?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourselves with. You two just be careful." With a tip of his hat and a smile, the cop exited to follow his fellow officers to the crime scene.
"Good to know Hiko's got people in every department." Kenshin mumbled as he flipped through a French book on Renaissance artists.
"Yea," Sanosuke replied while touching the spines of different books. "Let's get out of here." He turned around, then with a grin, he added. "Akabeko?"
Kenshin smiled lightly, replaced his book and nodded. "I've got two hours before my next assignment. My treat."
"Good." Sanosuke's grin widened. "You can tell me all about this new wife of yours."
Kenshin rolled his eyes, but none the less, followed his friend out of the Library, handing the rifle bag to a man on the way out to be disposed of.
XxxxxxX
A sharp, deep knock on the door of their motel room woke Kagome. She shifted lightly on the springy mattress, her brother's soft snores from the floor between the beds stopped as he lifted his head.
Her father moved on the bed as softly as possible, reaching into the dresser drawer next to him and pulled out something heavy. Souta shifted aside as their father stepped out of bed and stopped before the door.
"Who is it?" He asked, checking the peep hole. "Don't you know what time it is?"
"Open up Mr. Higurashi. I'd rather not break down the door." A calm, deep voice floated through the door.
Kagome gasped, drawing the cover's up over her chest. Souta sprang up, jumping in front of her, just as the door was kicked in.
Her father moved back to avoid flying pieces of wood. Her mother screamed, ran towards Kagome, wrapping her in her arms.
A tall man stepped through the debris. His dark hair cropped short and green eyes sharp against the night. The lights flicked on, reflecting ominously from the silver barrel of a gun pointed towards the new man from her father's hand.
"Get the fuck out of here before I shoot you." He growled.
The man seemed unfazed by the weapon. He scanned the room quickly before his gaze landed on her. Kagome shrunk back from him just as Souta stood taller, trying hard to block the man's sight from her and his mother.
"You can't have her." Souta shouted shakily. His hands fisted at his sides as he tried to strike an intimidating pose.
The man just smirked. "You have a good presence." His smile disappeared now. "Move aside boy."
"Don't move." Her father shouted again. His finger nearly squeezed the trigger.
The stranger faced her father now, and with a quick movement, he was in front of him, the gun securely in his own hands and disassembled.
"Using a gun in such close proximity, especially with women and children as potential targets, is highly unwise." He said, shoving out the copper-colored bullets from the magazine one by one. They fell to the carpeted floor with a soft thunk.
"Now, if you'd be so kind." He pulled his own weapon from the holster on his hip, showing it to all in the room. "There is a car waiting out front. Don't worry about your stuff, someone will drive it back home for you." Then he holstered his weapon again.
"Please, sir." Kagome spoke so low that it was almost hard to hear, however the man turned to her. "Don't hurt them, they're just trying…"
"No harm will come to your family Miss Higurashi." He said, nodding lightly towards her. "The Battosai wouldn't take kindly to it."
He stepped over to the bed slowly and stretched out his hand for her to take. "If you please."
"Kagome?" Souta asked softly. He didn't know what to do, none of them did. Kagome only knew that she had to go with him. It was the best choice for all of them. He had already kicked down their door, so what else was he capable of…
Her family watched on as Kagome slowly stretched her own hand to meet his. "You promise."
"I promise." His hand closed around hers and guided her off the bed and out the door, her family following behind her.
In the parking lot, a sleek black limo was sitting idle, the driver, dressing in a crisp black and white suit, leaned against the passenger side door waiting for them.
"Kagome, which luggage is yours?" The tall man asked just as the driver opened the door.
"First, I'd like to know the name of my kidnapper." She didn't know where she gained the courage, maybe it was because she was secure in the knowledge that they wouldn't do anything to her.
The man smiled weakly. "Shinomori, Aoshi." He gave a gentle bow that she returned in kind. "Your luggage?"
"The light purple one in the back seat. And the garbage bag just on top of it." She was about to enter the limo when she gasped. "Wait!" She said, and ran into the car. Sitting in the middle row was the white, long-eared rabbit her friends had given her. With out a thought she grabbed it from the seats, clutching it tightly to her chest.
"I'm ready now." She murmured.
Aoshi nodded, but said nothing with respect to the doll. She stepped into the limo, taking a seat next to her brother who was blinking rapidly to stay awake. Behind her, Aoshi stepped in, and once her luggage was stowed away in the trunk of the limo, they left the motel to wherever it was Aoshi was taking them.
XxxxxxX
They drove for nearly an hour until they entered a private airport. Aoshi quickly took them passed security and loaded them into a private jet. They landed in Tokyo airport shortly there after and were seated in another limo just as quickly.
"Where are we going?" Souta finally gained the courage to speak after nearly three hours of silence.
"The Crypt." Was Aoshi's quip reply.
"We're going to a graveyard!" The driver's laughter filled the silence of the limo but cut quickly with a sharp glare from Aoshi. The divider from the driver's cabin and the passenger seating went up before Aoshi answered.
"The Crypt is not a graveyard." Souta settled at that. "It's the name of the building where Hiko-sama and the Battosai run the organization. Wherever those two are, the name of the residence is always Crypt."
"Cool." Souta breathed out, but was immediately hit over the head by his father. "Sorry. Not cool."
Kagome just smiled at her brother's antics. Trust him to always find something interesting in odd situations. Even if they were, technically speaking, kidnapped by Yakuza.
Apparently he also amused Aoshi, because he too smiled at Souta. "How old are you, boy?" He asked.
"It's not boy," Souta snapped, seemingly comfortable in Aoishi's presence since he hadn't killed them yet. "My name's Souta."
"Aa." Aoshi blinked, still waiting for his answer. Not receiving any, he finally addressed Souta by his name. "Souta, how old are you?"
"Twelve years, ten months and two days." Kagome outright laughed at this. Souta raised his eyebrows and blinked. "What?"
"It's a good age to be at, Hiko won't be interested in you." Aoshi seemed to settle better in his chair. From where Kagome sat, it almost seemed as if he cared for what her family was going through.
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. Her husband just huffed and resumed staring out the window, though he was listening intently to their words.
"Simply put, Hiko will not involve your family any longer into the affairs of the organization." Aoshi crossed his arms and faced Kagome. Within his eyes, Kagome could read the sorrow and pain he held within. How long had he been apart of Hiko's group? How long did he still have to go?
"You mean," but Mrs. Higurashi was cut off by Aoshi. The hope she had gained from those few words died instantly as he spoke.
"I did not mean to imply that your daughter was also free. I only meant that from now on she is part of the organizations family. She will most likely have little to no contact with you once she takes her vows." He clarified.
Kagome frowned, the long-eared bunny sat limply on her lap. She flicked the ears a bit, thinking about her friends. She had nearly lost them trying to run with her family. She was ready to give them up for her family, she was not ready to leave her parents and her younger brother just because Hiko said so. The rabbit looked at her, the black eyes shined in agreement.
"I am not leaving my family." Kagome hissed through her teeth. She hugged the rabbit for strength, feeling her friends support through it. "I'd rather continue to out run you and the organization than live without them."
Aoshi's frowned. "Miss Higurashi, tell me, did you know I was coming?"
Kagome's eyes searched the room. Blank faces met her own. "N-no."
"Did you think you got away?" He continued.
"A-almost." Her eyes were slowly widening with every question she answered. Ever moment he revealed to her something she did not realize. How far was Hiko's reach? Even if they made it out of the country, would she have been safe?
"Do you know how I found you?" Kagome was nearly in tears now. She tried to call to her friends through the stuffed animal, she wanted their help, but there was no answer. Kagome couldn't answer him.
"Even if you had succeeded in leaving the country, Shanghai is our next largest base, and South Korea is not as easy to hide in as you think." Aoshi paused to allow Kagome the time to gather herself.
"How far," Kagome couldn't finish the question, but Aoshi knew what she meant to ask.
"Global." It was a simple, one-word answer, but the implications that Hiko could find her anywhere she chose to hide was difficult to completely understand. "Even if you hid in the United States, we have several holdings there that could find you."
"Do not think you are ever alone." He said. Kagome looked up, and without thinking it, Miroku came to mind. "We have had eyes on you since you left the Crypt the night before."
"And, Kenshin?" Kagome asked, though she nearly regretted doing so, however her curiosity got the best of her. Why wasn't he at school yesterday?
"On assignment." Aoshi crossed the limo and taped on the glass dividing the driver from them.
"Yes, Aoshi-sama?" The driver asked as the window rolled down.
"Call the Battosai, let him know the Higurashi family is well and at the Crypt."
"Sir?" The driver stuttered.
Aoshi sighed. "Hand me the phone."
The driver handed it to him quickly. "Will that be all, sir?" He asked timidly. Kagome didn't know whether the man was afraid of Kenshin, or Aoshi.
"Yes." Aoshi dialed a quick series of numbers while he crossed again to his seat. He placed the phone to his ear. Kagome, seated next to him on this limo ride, was able to hear when Kenshin picked up on the other line. She played with the rabbit's ears while she tried to discretely listen in on their conversation.
"What do you need Aoshi?" Kenshin sounded very tired on the other end, even though everything was too low for her to completely make out.
"I just found the Higurashi family." Aoshi didn't elaborate. He didn't tell Kenshin that her father tried to shoot him, or that he found them in Kyoto…nothing.
"What?" Kenshin was more awake now.
"They were trying to flee the country. No worries, they are safe and unharmed." Still, Aoshi did not elaborate. Was he trying to spare Kenshin's feelings? How close were the two?
"Miroku just called me, why didn't he know this?" Miroku? Black hair and light lavender eyes looked at her questioningly from within her memories of him. Was he in with Hiko too?
"Need to know, and he wasn't on the list." He was! Kagome couldn't breathe, even as she tried to listen to the rest of their conversation. How could she even think to trust him now.
"Why wasn't I notified!" Kenshin was slowly getting angry. His anger, seemed to snap some life into Kagome as she began to breathe again.
"Hiko-sama did not want to worry you whilst on an assignment. You've been getting sloppy."
"Everyone's a critic." Aoshi didn't reply. "Is Kagome with you?"
"Yes." Oh no. Did he want to speak with her!
"Could you put her on please?" Damn it! What was she going to say? Sorry wasn't going to cut it.
Aoshi pulled the phone from his ear and handed it to Kagome, much to the surprised looks from her family. "He want's to speak to you."
"Oh yea!" Souta shouted. "Tell him he's sleeping on the couch! He's not going to touch my sister!"
Kenshin's laugh from the other end of the line cut through the awkward silence.
Kagome took the phone, and with a deep, stabilizing breath, placed the phone to her ear.
"You can tell your brother that you have your own room in my home." He said, even if she didn't greet him.
Kagome sighed in relief and released the death grip she had on the stuffed animal. Though Kenshin has assured her of her own private area, she didn't say it out loud. Her brother probably wouldn't believe her anyway.
She tried to speak to him, but nothing came out. She wanted to explain. She needed him to know that she wasn't trying to hurt him by running away, that it wasn't her idea, that she wanted her family safe.
"I'm sorry…" She broke off. Kenshin made a funny noise from the back of his throat on the other end.
"No. You have nothing to be sorry about. Or your family." His words did not comfort her. "I understand and I would rather you have gotten away. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you."
Kagome didn't know what to say, so she just repeated herself. "I'm still sorry." She said. "I…" He cut her off again.
"You still haven't told your brother, have you."
Kagome, grateful for the change of subject, answered quickly. "No."
"If you don't mind passing the phone, I'd like to speak with him." Was that all he wanted to say to her, that he was sorry she didn't get away, that he couldn't help her? And more importantly, did she want to hand over the phone to her kid brother?
"Souta, he want's to speak to you." She said, placing a hand over the bottom of the phone.
"What are we doing, playing 'hot phone'?" He asked. "There better not be music on the other end, 'cuz I swear…"
Aoshi gave a deep chuckle and spoke for Kagome. "The Battosai is a man of many words." He grabbed the phone from Kagome and quickly spoke into it. "Battosai, we are almost there, so whatever you wish to say, speak swiftly." Then, he placed the phone before Souta.
Souta hesitate to pick it up. His hand hovered over it until finally, after a jerk from a speed bump, he grabbed it, and lifted it to his ear. Outside the windows of the limo, a tall, glass lined tower glittered in the darkness, strong and imposing.
Kagome couldn't hear what Kenshin was saying. Souta did not speak a word as he listened. Kagome shuffled in her seat, waiting for something to happen. She had expected her brother to lash out at Kenshin. She expected him to chew his ear off over the phone, but the silence she got was not something she wanted, especially when she couldn't hear Kenshin's voice.
They passed the security gate quickly once they were checked thoroughly. Souta hung up the phone with a drawled out 'Thank you' just as the limo stopped on the curb of beautiful glass doors.
The Higurashi family and Aoshi stepped out. Standing in front of the doors to his imposing empire, Seijuro Hiko greeted them.
"Welcome back to Tokyo, Miss Kagome." His grinned.
Kagome thought he really should have said, "Welcome back to hell."

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Saimu no Ken