Hey, second fic! I hope everyone likes this, it took a while to make.
Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of these characters and this probably will never happen, but I really wish I did own Inuyasha but that's never gonna happen!
Chapter 1
He was still behind her. She could feel him, hear his labored breathing, knew that he would catch her for the umpteenth time, knew the beatings would get worse still. But she hoped against all hope that she could get away this time. Her heart pounded against her chest and her breath came out strained, her lungs aching for air, pain searing up her legs and torso as she pushed herself one block after another. Her naked feet slapping on the concrete loud and sharp, followed by the hard pounding of the boots behind her, getting louder still as he gained on her toiling body.
Over and over again those painful images kept surfacing, pushing Kagome to run farther from him. Thankfully, he was so drunk he could barely see in front of him. His body swinging madly from one side of the sidewalk to the other, allowing her to pull ahead of him a bit. But he was still stronger, leaner, and faster than her, so he just sped up a bit and was easily catching up to her.
Her pleated mini-skirt was torn so much that her underwear showed. She desperately clung to it so as not to let it fall off as she sprinted down another alleyway. She had barely a shirt on, the buttons broken so she had to hold it closed.
Her long legs streaked with crusted blood from the glass that he had hit her head with. She had faked passing out, and when he tried to get her clothes off, she leaped up and kicked him hard in his nuts, sending him sprawling to the floor with a cry of pain. She had spared no more time than to get the keys and ran out the house, unlocking her cuffs and sprinting down the well-known street.
Her crying smeared her make-up and the bruises showed through. Red welts penetrated her beautiful appearance, the most recent on her hands where she had struggled and finally got out of the shackles that had tied her down.
She crossed down another desolate street, only to find it a dead end, and whipped around, flinching when he grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground.
"Whatdaya thinkkk yoour doin..?" He hollered, the slur in his voice showing that he was more than drunk and ready to pass-out. He grabbed to the right of her, obviously seeing double, and then grabbed her hair, not caring that she screamed when he did.
"LET GO, NARAKU!!" Kagome screamed hoarsely, her breathing becoming erratic from fear of what she was to go 'home' to. Her plea ran on deaf ears as he dragged her over to a pay phone to call his 'buddies' to pick them up.
He held her by one hand and smacked her across the face, giving her already black-and-blue face a shiny red undercoat. He stumbled into the payphone stand and dialed the number wrong. In frustration he almost slammed it against the telephone stand, then stopped and thinking better than that he grabbed Kagome by the front of her torn blouse and jammed it into her stomach, making her wheeze and double-over, allowing him satisfaction and a chance to use both his hands.
The blow hit her down and Kagome collapsed to her knees, waiting for her breathing to slow enough so that she could run again. She was about to take off when she noticed the Brandy bottle he had been holding earlier, rolling slightly to her left. She reached for it, an inkling of hope rising when she grabbed the bottle top and got herself up.
Fortunately, Naraku had dialed another wrong number, the booze in him making all the numbers look similar. She rose the bottle up over her head and hit him square in the back of his head, making his body lurch forward and into the payphone stand. He hit the ground with a thud and blood seeped out of the blow she had given him.
She dropped the now broken bottle onto the ground, the broken glass shattering into a thousand pieces on the littered sidewalk. Kagome knew she had a couple of hours before sunrise to rest and call someone before people would notice Naraku's body and bring him to the hospital, if he did not wake before then.
She kneeled on the ground before him, watching him and shaking terribly as she took the money from his pockets. He had enough money to make a couple more calls, so she staggered back to the payphone and dialed a number she had willed herself not to forget, just incase she ever escaped like this.
"Hello?" Sango's voice came out low and tired, making it obvious that she was sleeping, it was 2a.m. after all.
"S-Sango, is that you? I-It's Kagome." She said, her fear laced in her voice.
"Kagome? I haven't heard from you since your…mother passed… That was over 3 years ago! What's happened Kagome?" Sango's voice becoming stronger as she began to wake up.
"Sango, please… I need you to… Can you pick me up?... I know it's late, but he's after me…" Kagome whispered as she felt the sting of her bruises get to her.
"Of course I can, Kagome. I'll be there right away. Where are you?" Sango told her. She knew Kagome was having problems with Naraku, he was a drunk, abusive idiot that was Kagome's boyfriend. He had taken her away from all her friends as soon as her mother died, the day before had been her 18th birthday.
"I don't know where I am… Sango there's nothing here except bars. I think the place is called Dime's Drunk."
"Dime's Drunk… Kagome I have no idea where that is, but I can look it up on the internet. Hold on okay?" There was a voice in the background, most likely Miroku's, Sango's old boyfriend. She got back on as she and Miroku headed out the door, "Yah, Miroku says he knows the place, we're coming to get you so hold tight okay? Can you get to an open area where people are, Kagome? You're in a really bad place."
"Yah I know… I'll go to the next street…How long will you be?"
"Half-an-hour, can you be there for that long without drawing attention?" Sango said slowly as she got to her car, she decided to drive since Miroku's driving skills were horrible.
"Alright."
"Sure, okay I'll see you then. The cell's breaking up, Kay?"
"Kay, bye..."
"See ya later."
-- Sango's Car--
"Miroku, what do you think happened?" Sango asked him as she got off the phone with Kagome. He shrugged and seemed more focused about where they were going, leaving all the worrying about the trauma for Sango to do and think about for the moment.
20 minutes passed by in silence and she took a left when Miroku said to, arriving in a district far from Tokyo. Gangs littered the houses with their 'signs' letting all around them know that they were entering their turf. The place smelled of alcohol and as if someone took a huge dog and let it loose to 'mark' its territory. Truthfully, there were dogs there, only they were the kind that would bite off your fingers if you didn't get the message when it barked.
"Sango, what is Kagome doing in this place?" Miroku asked finally, his eyes still searching for the bar. His instincts told him there was obviously something wrong in the situation and he finally wanted to know after the silence that had been in the car for the last half-hour.
"Well I should probably tell you so that you don't go all 'Man Protection' on her. You remember her from high school and her mother's funeral right?" He nodded, "Well... you remember how I had cried when she said she was moving in with Naraku and wasn't allowed to visit us, right? And how I told her that that was a sign that he wasn't a good boyfriend and she said she had no choice since she had no where else to go and couldn't stay at her home because of the assassination of her whole family?" Miroku nodded gravely, the facts dawning on him.
"He did something to her didn't he?" He said angrily. He hated when men took over the lives of women and used them just for sex and slavery. It wasn't really slavery, but he thought of it more like the wife or girlfriend was a maid for the overpowering man. He shook with rage as he gripped his seatbelt and pointed for her to turn right.
"Yeah..." Sango responded sorrowfully, "I knew his last girlfriend and she broke up with him because he raped her and locked her in the house for two days without food so that she wouldn't tell. He threatened to kill her if she did, so once she got out she moved away. Haven't heard of her since. She told no one but me and I swore I wouldn't tell him I knew, but I told Kagome... I think he may have done it again..."
"Why didn't you call the police?" He said with surprise.
"She wouldn't testify, and plus she made me swear not to tell him about- THERE SHE IS!" Sango exclaimed as she nearly drove onto the sidewalk as she saw a cowering Kagome run away from the impending car accident. She noticed that she was a bit taller, but still looked the same, except for the terror in her eyes and the slightly bluish tinge she saw for an instant of a second as the headlights had swung over her body.
"Sango?... Miroku?" She whispered as they came out of the car and into view.
Sango ran up to her, saw her bruises and immediately halted. Her skin seemed white from the cold, but every few inches there were large scarlet bruises covering her body. She gasped when she saw the way Kagome's skirt was torn and the state of her shirt was atrocious. She tried to touch a bruise on Kagome's arm when she flinched away, clearly fearful from the sudden touch.
There was a silence as Miroku and her looked Kagome over, embarrassment apparent on Miroku's face for seeing her in such a degrading outfit. He noticed her toned legs and lean body-shape, though, and saw behind her frightened eyes a sparkle of hope that seemed to grow as they took her to the car and drove her home. Though the wary frown never disappeared from her face, it was clear that she was grateful to them both.
As they neared Sango and Miroku's house Kagome whimpered as she remembered the death of her family by the assassin.
XXFlashbackXX
It was luck that got her from being killed, her mother had sent her to get some milk for Souta. When she came back, she found police around her house, questioning the neighbors and bringing out her brother in a stretcher.
She ran to them, wondering what was going on and they told her in grave voices that her family had been murdered. They got a call from the neighbors saying that they heard gunshots and they came as fast as they could, but it was too late.
Their whole family had been undercover for the police and had been on a hit list for a well known gang. Her boyfriend had saved her family from being killed when her grandfather had because he knew the gang leader and persuaded them to lay off the rest of the family for the grandfather's gambling mistake. They had given her 4 months to get the money they owed them and they got almost all of it. But not enough apparently.
She looked at them in disbelief, she had just seen them 10 minutes ago! Then she saw the stretcher with the sheet over it and immediately knew it was her brother. She fell to the ground and sobbed, her life changing forever.
XXEnd FlashbackXX
"Kagome? We're here..." Sango gently whispered to Kagome. Her sadness grew when Kagome flinched again at the suddenness of the call.
"Here?" She said weakly as she brought her mind to the present. She cleared her throat and spoke stronger, "Can I stay with you for a while?"
"Of Course!" Sango exclaimed a bit too loud for the occasion, "You lived with us for a whole year before, why we would love for you to come back!"
"There is one problem though," Miroku said as they neared the restaurant that he owned and lived in, "Inuyasha...Um, He's sort-of, how do you say-"
"He's an annoying Hanyou with an even more bastard girlfriend, Kikyo, that he 'invites' for nights only. If you get what I mean. You won't have to worry about her though, or even Inuyasha for that matter because of Sesshomaru. He's Inuyasha half-brother and he's a full Youkai. You really shouldn't piss him off though, he has a temper but has a very regal way to treat life." Sango explained this as they walked into the three-story restaurant-house.
On the first floor was the five-star restaurant that Miroku overlooked and the second and third floor was all to themselves. She showed Kagome where Inuyasha and Kikyo were staying, which was on the second floor, along with Sango and Miroku's room. Lastly, they came to the third floor stairs.
"Now, your room is on the third floor, along with Sesshomaru's. He lives on the third floor by himself, so if he wonders who you are, please just tell him you're a guest, he almost killed the last guest, one of Inuyasha's 'ladies'. He owns Taisho Insurance Industries, yeah he's rich but prefers his furnished floor then moving out and having his own desolate home. He and Inuyasha are supposed to co-own it, but Inuyasha prefers not to have any responsibilities, so he just assists him. Um... If there's anything you need, Kagome, just call us on the intercom outside of your room, okay?" Sango yawned and stretched her arms, causing Miroku and Kagome to do the same. Miroku smiled and laughed, along with Sango, and Kagome showed a hint of a smile.
She thanked them greatly for their hospitality and asked if she could borrow some of Sango's clothing, seeing as she had little of her own. Miroku's eyes widened and he backed away from the growingly ecstatic Sango, he knew how she was when she looked for outfits, this could take hours. He mumbled something about having to go to bed because of a sudden headache and all but ran for his room, making sure to fake sleep so he did not have to involve himself in Sango's crazy clothing raids.
Sango on the other hand, started hopping up and down and clapping her hands together like a child being allowed to eat ice cream before dinner. She took a deep breath and motioned for Kagome to follow her to another part of the second floor.
"Now, I know this is gonna sound crazy, and probably look like it, but I really love clothes okay? So please just let me go crazy, because I really go nuts!" Sango told her. She opened the door that seemed to lead to the other half of the second floor.
And Kagome walked into a little girl's dream closet. Everywhere were clothes! Walls were filled with pumps, lingerie, neatly folded outfits all in there own little shelves! The outfits were exquisite, some ranging from Gucci to Nike. Many still had tags on them and each section was not only color coordinated, but also by brand, season and style. She was in fashion heaven.
There was a whole section of nightgowns from Victoria's Secret, piles of shopping bags that still had clothes in them, and the room was the size of a Banquet Hall, the high ceilings and all! Ladders surrounded the edges, so that one could get things from the top.
She and Sango spent nearly two hours finding outfits for at least a month and Kagome had her own walk-in closet. The closet was much smaller, but it was still as big as her room. Her room was also magnificent. Sango had explained that Sesshomaru had added the lilac carpet and matching bed covering so that he might have his whole floor looking pleasant. Lilac was his favorite color, as was for Kagome.
She showed Kagome where Sesshomaru usually slept, though to Sango's surprise, he wasn't there. His door was wide open and his clock showed the time of 5a.m.
"Good night, Kagome." Sango said as she waved from the stairs after she got Kagome settled into her room with her knew clothes. "See you tomorrow. Whenever you're awake, just come to the kitchen. I'll leave breakfast if I have to work, but I doubt it. Is your favorite still strawberry pancakes?"
Kagome nodded, seeming ready to pass out from the night's affairs.
"Okay then strawberry it is. And Kagome... If there's anything, and I mean anything that you need. Just buzz or feel free to come down. I will always be here to comfort you."
Kagome turned to her room as Sango went downstairs. She turned on the shower and got in, lying in the tub and scrubbing herself clean.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
"Mr. Taisho, Sir, are you leaving now?" Kagura asked politely. She smiled innocently when he glared at her for asking the obvious question. "It's Friday night and I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it you want, Kagura?" Sesshomaru inquired, knowing full well that Kagura never was polite unless she had something she wanted to get out of or wanted something.
"You don't have to be so rude, Sesshy-kun." She smirked seductively. She smiled persuasively when he narrowed his eyes at the name. She walked around her desk that was near his door and loosely tugged his shirt.
"Do not address me like that, Kagura. You are in no position to do so." He said as he took a step towards the exit door, indicating that he was going to leave if she did not tell him what she wanted, "You did want something, correct?"
"Fine.Sesshy-kun, I want to come to your room again." She cooed while emphasizing the nickname she had given him.
He eyed her suspiciously, "No. You were there once and that was a mistake. We are not a couple, Kagura, so do not think that that night last year is still an effective ruse. Either you drop this subject or I will drop your job."
He smirked when the smile vanished from her face. She was his secretary and though he had gotten her for her skills, she only got the job because Inuyasha had liked her looks. She now only kept the job because of her newfound skills, since the night she 'slept' over made him realize she wanted him for his money and looks.
"Why not, Sesshy-kun, after that night you have treated me the worst! It's been a whole year and all you do is ignore me as if the thing never happened!" She feigned sadness and pouted, reaching to unbutton his shirt, "Come-on, just one more time?"
"We will never do that again." He replied calmly but nonetheless harshly. "And do not try that pouting nonsense, I know your tricks and I am no fool like my brother. You are sleeping with him now, I know what he does when Kikyo is not around. So I will leave if there is nothing else you wish me to do."
"FINE! You know what, I'm leaving too, but I'm never coming back to this dump! I can't stand you anymore! And so what if I wanted you or Inuyasha for your money? At least Inuyasha and any other man would take me in a heartbeat! You are even stupider than Inuyasha-"
"Kagura I am warning you-"
"-And he's just a half-breed! I thought a Youkai was smarter than that-" her voice caught in her throat when she felt his claws wrap around her neck and her back slam into the desk behind her.
"You will not compare this Sesshomaru with such a demeaning half-breed as Inuyasha. You are in no position to do so, and never will be." Sesshomaru's scathing voice slightly above a whisper.
His voice had a menacing undertone and his tongue curled along the words, making each remark more threatening then the next. He tightened his grip around her throat, cutting off her breathing and making her whimper in distress. He had never lashed out with her around, and he never had intended to do so, but today he was just not caring for etiquette.
He was tired from the work all week had given him, Kagura had been increasingly annoying these last few days and had been neglecting her work altogether. He was annoyed that Inuyasha had not fired that good-for-nothing secretary, Kikyo, all because she slept with him, yet hiring and firing people was the only thing he had to do! And to top it all off, his father was coming in next Friday and everything was behind schedule!
"Go home, Kagura. And pack this stuff. I want you out of this office and gone tonight." Sesshomaru told her as he slowly let each finger uncurl around her throat.
She gasped for air when he finally let her go, looking at him with pure terror in her eyes. She stumbled into the trashcan beside her as he watched her back up and try gathering up her stuff. She took a box from under her desk and threw everything that was on the desk into it, leaving only the lamp and calendar, and began emptying the drawers as well. She continuously glanced nervously back at him as she put her things into the box, making the easy task strenuous and difficult.
"Wait." He said as she shuffled past him, eyes averted to the floor. He knew she was scared out of her wits, but she had something that belonged to him. "My necklace."
Kagura's eyes widened as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver and gold locket. She had taken it the night before and thought he wouldn't notice that she had replaced it with a fake. It was a relic that had been passed down from generation to generation in Sesshomaru's family, and he was not about to lose it to someone like Kagura.
She quickly handed him the moon shaped locket and ran towards the door, glancing back nervously only to see that he was gone. Unbeknownst to her, he was watching her from outside of the office.
She sighed, looked around suspiciously and walked nervously to her car, her keys shaking so much she could barely open the door. She mumbled a few curses that Sesshomaru easily heard as she backed out of the parking garage and went down the ramp.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Driving home Sesshomaru realized that he was going to have to get an extremely good secretary that was not only good, but had manners, could stand up to his father's judgments, and would begin work and get the hang of things by Friday. It was going to be a long week.
He looked around slightly suspiciously when he got to his floor and the scent of someone other than his roommates was not only still there, but was getting stronger, as if the person was still on his floor. He sniffed the air and he noticed the scent was coming from his guest room. He was about to call out Kagura's name and noticed it wasn't her scent, but one of lilacs and apple-cinnamon.
Sesshomaru stealthily went to the door and walked in, slightly surprised to have not noticed that the shower was on. He shook the thought and was in the bathroom in a split second.
There, passed out, was what Sesshomaru believed to be one of Inuyasha's women, actually Kagome. He growled lowly, knowing his half-brother was always bringing home stupid hookers to the house. He became confused when he didn't smell the half-breeds scent on her, but also shook that thought, figuring the water had washed it away.
He turned off the steaming water and picked up the woman, Kagome, and noticed that she had bruises all over her body, even in places a roughed-up person shouldn't have. She fought his touch unconsciously, even when he was gentle, but he was still strong and he thought the unconscious fighting and bruises were related somehow. Some of the bruises actually turned out to be scars, and there were alot of them. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion then got suddenly angry when he thought again that his half-brother did this.
He placed her on the guest bed and watched her toss about the covers. She was sweating nervously and kept screaming 'stop!'. When the sun peeked over the window and light filtered in, she was still as restless and he noticed he had not slept at all, not that he would have anyway.
Then, when the sunlight hit her body fully, she got up with a start and looked around frantically, her frightened eyes finally settling on Sesshomaru. She stared at him, his eyes never leaving hers, and she looked him over, eyes wide. She noticed his silver hair tossing in the wind from the open window as he looked towards the clock and turned back to her. He had long, silky pants that looked soft to the touch, but covered his powerful, muscled legs. His buttoned-down shirt was a pearl white that tightened at the arms, bulging from the taut muscles of his arms and chest. Though he was clearly muscular, he was very lean, making his muscles perfect for his form. His pale skin showed no signs of a tan, and his lean body hid the full power of his body.
With his legs in front of him, he stared into her violet eyes and watched her with no expression as her bruised but fit body curled away from him, a response he did not expect from one of Inuyasha's bitches. His calm and cold stare made her even more frightened and she gathered up the covers and started to get up slowly, heading for the door.
She was inches from the door when he was suddenly in front of her, all the while glaring at her and causing her to hit into his chest, her body falling to the floor as her violet irises exposed her raw fear of his actions. She gasped inwardly and was about to scream when he placed his hand over her mouth. She began to fight tooth-and-nail to get out of his grasp, but he firmly picked her up and deposited her on the bed with a thump.
"Who are you?" They both said in unison.
Hope you liked it! I have worked on this for quite a long time and the next chapter will be ready for tomorrow. Did I spell tomorrow wrong? It always seems wrong, no matter how I spell it...