Dizzy Defense for an Underdog

*Set in an alternate version of 1930s depression-era America, where demons live alongside humans but with their powers policed. This is a prequel to my story "Miroku, Private Eye", which takes place a year or two after this story (and which will spoil the outcome of this one if you choose to read it as well)

~Chapter One: Rhapsody in Prison-Blue~

The click of Kagome's kitten-heels against the concrete floor of the prison might as well have been a dinner-bell the way it brought the salivating men to their gates. The young defense attorney followed closely behind the prison guard, eyes fixed straight ahead as she tried not to see the leering faces and lewd gestures of the criminals in their dingy blue jumpsuits. It wasn't every day they got a lovely lady visitor like this, with curled black hair topped by a small and fashionable hat and wearing a slim, figure-enhancing pencil skirt, and they were certainly determined to make the most of it. But she wasn't here to entertain lonely prisoners. She was only here for one of them, and if everything went the way she planned, he wouldn't be a prisoner here much longer.

A few wolf-whistles broke the relative silence of the prison block, and Kagome winced as the guard rapped his club against the iron bars with a shout for the men to keep it down. She shivered at the angry responses and walked just a little faster. Prisons weren't her usual scene; she'd watched her grandfather work with criminals in the past, but he'd been an older man with fool-hardy courage and a fighting spirit. He was persuasive but genuine, and he'd been respected by even his hardest clients. 'Plus he's been doing this longer than I have' she thought sourly, 'a little too long.' It had been a few months since her grandfather had decided to retire, announcing to the family that he'd be leaving the law office to Kagome, who'd been working as his secretary. She'd been a little incensed at first that he would lay such a hefty responsibility on her, but then again, this was something she'd always dreamed of doing. Since she was little she'd admired her grandpa's work, standing up for the underdog and defending the innocent, and through the years she'd determined to do the same. But life had gotten in the way, and the depression the country found itself facing had swept her dreams of attending law school out the door. Her father had died when she was young, and Grandpa's work made just enough to support her mother, brother, and herself; she couldn't ask her family to sacrifice like that for her. So when her grandfather had handed her that mantle, her life became a whirlwind of studies and cramming as she prepared to take the bar exam and qualify to become a lawyer. It was a miracle that she'd passed, and an even greater miracle that she'd done it with her sanity intact.

They reached the end of the cell block and the guard unlocked a heavy door, behind which the more dangerous criminals resided. Kagome swallowed nervously as the inevitable encounter loomed before her. She'd thought taking on an older case, one that already had some work behind it, would warm her up more to actually practicing law. She'd gone through her grandpa's old case records, wanting to reacquaint herself with his methods, and somehow she had stumbled onto this one. It wasn't even a case he had handled; he'd dealt with a property settlement that had piggy-backed off of the much larger murder scandal, but something about this case in particular had caught her eye. She scoured local files in search of more information on the murder, but what she found just didn't add up. It appeared the defense at the time had been nearly non-existent, and it hadn't helped that the defendant had all but completely refused to talk. Add to that the fact that he was half-demon, and… well, the jury didn't really have reason not to convict him. Kagome clutched the folder of case-files tighter, her righteous indignation flaring up again at the obvious bigotry the poor man had faced going into the trial. She'd always hated how demons in this city were treated: segregated to the opposite side of town and stripped of their powers all because the humans couldn't figure out how to coexist. She knew the demons were dangerous, and even now demon gangs were still the largest threat to the city, but… they were living, breathing people, weren't they? Even if they were a little 'otherworldly', didn't everyone deserve a chance?

Kagome squared her shoulders as they entered the next wing of the prison, determined to give this man the benefit of the doubt. She'd been handed a folder of his records upon her arrival at the jail but had refused to look at them; she could only guess how biased they would be, and she didn't want anything tainting her first meeting with this 'Inuyasha' person. Aside from some faded and non-descript renderings of the court case, she didn't even know what he looked like. They reached a cell near the end of the hallways, and the guard banged noisily on the bars with his staff, yelling out "Prisoner 1201 - you've got a visitor."

She didn't see him at first, hidden in the shadows of the cell where the artificial lights couldn't reach, but the glint of refracted white light off his eyes had her almost gasping as Prisoner 1201 raised his head to look at her. Kagome strangely felt like a cornered mouse as the broad-shouldered prisoner glared at her through the bars, sitting hunched over on his thin cot. Vertical shadows fell over him, obstructing her view, but as the guard stepped back and Kagome stepped a little closer, she began to make out his features. His bright eyes were a striking yellow, framed by dark lashes and thick eyebrows, partially hidden under heavy silver-white bangs. His mouth drew into a sneer as he looked at her, and Kagome glimpsed sharp fangs peeking out behind his lip. Faint white stubble along his jaw gave his appearance a harsh edge… but then Kagome noticed the two twitching triangles atop his head, and suddenly he didn't seem so scary anymore. 'So!' She thought giddily, 'he really does have dog-ears!'

Such awfully cute features gave Kagome the courage she needed to open her mouth, and she spoke up with only the slightest stutter "H-hello! My name's Miss Kagome Higurashi. I uh… I'd like to speak with you about your case." Kagome hadn't a clue as to what his reaction would be; she couldn't say what her own reaction would be in such an instance. She certainly wasn't expecting for him to scoff at her and worsen his glare. What was it she'd said?

"If you come here for hints at that damn stone," he rasped, his voice gravelly but not terribly deep, "you're outta luck. I never saw what happened to it."

Kagome's brow quirked in confusion. A stone? What on earth was he talking about? She ran over his response a few times in her head, trying to figure out where to take their failing conversation, but before she could formulate a response he spoke again, sounding beyond irritated as he snapped "Yeah, them's the pits, doll-face. Now stop gapin' like a trout and get outta my sight."

Her jaw only dropped further at his insults, indignation welling up in her head. 'Who's he calling a 'trout'?' she thought angrily, though the realization that she was still gawking had her shutting her mouth with a snap. Mentally counting to ten, Kagome forced her temper down, trying to maintain a professional demeanor. He had every right to be little snippy, she supposed, having been incarcerated for ten years. She just needed to respond with patience and understanding, and they'd work through this.

Forcing her smile back in place, Kagome said in what she hoped was a friendly tone "I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I wanted to –"

"The only misunderstanding here" he growled, looking more dog-like by the minute, "is that you don't seem to get that you ain't welcome. Hit the road, Broad."

Kagome flinched, hurt starting to cloud her anger. Were men in prison always so rude? He wasn't even a real criminal! 'Who knows' she thought ruefully, 'maybe he's just always been like this.' The clanking of keys behind her reminded the young attorney that the guard was still there, witness to her public humiliation. 'I can't just let this fall apart' she rallied, 'this is my best chance of bringing success to the business! Grandpa needs me to stay strong!' Standing up a little taller, Kagome said firmly "Mr. I-Inuyasha, it really would be in your best interest to hear me out."

"Whadda you know about me!?" He snapped, suddenly standing from his cot and advancing on her. His stance was predatory and dangerous, but Kagome bravely held her ground. Coming right up to the bars, he grasped them in a white-knuckled grip, and Kagome was sure that if they hadn't been enforced with demon-weakening sutras, they would have snapped under the stress. Pressing his face against them, he snarled at her, biting out "You ain't got a clue what my life is like, so cut the bull and give up the ruse; I ain't tellin' you a damn thing."

That was it! She couldn't take this anymore! Stomping her heeled foot, she marched right up to the bars until they were almost nose to nose, and her brows creased as she shouted "Listen buddy, I don't know why you're so mad at me, but the only reason I'm here is to help you! I'm trying to get you out!"

The mild surprise he'd shown at her bold response became full shock at her words, then almost livid anger. "Don't futz with me, woman. I ain't got the patience for no half-baked jokes like that."

"It's not a joke" she said brusquely, staring boldly back into his angry gold eyes and watching his inhuman slit pupils constrict as he focused on her. "I wouldn't be here, in a prison, if it was."

"You're puttin' me on." He said gruffly, expression still angry but eyes turning ever so slightly hopeful. And that little spark of hope was enough to soften Kagome's own expression, and she took a step back to say in a much calmer voice "I mean it. I'm reopening your case, and I want to represent you in court."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, and in suspicious tones he asked "So what's the angle, doll?"

Kagome held in an angry huff. Didn't he know how to use people's names? "It's Kagome, Inuyasha," she said stiffly, lifting her chin daringly "And I happen to know you were framed." His eyes were suddenly unnervingly intense, his jaw clenched, and Kagome watched him carefully, looking for – aha! There it was! It had only been a flash, but she knew she had seen relief in his yellow eyes. Kagome had always been a good judge of other's character, and she had hoped that meeting the man in person would give her the last hint she needed as to whether what she was trying to prove was true or not; and he hadn't disappointed. She was sure of it now: he really was innocent.

A smile, wide and genuine, spread across her face then, and Inuyasha looked even more lost at the sight of it. She almost laughed at his sudden turn in attitude. "Well!" she started happily, reaching into her briefcase, "I won't take any more of your time, seeing as how I dropped in unexpectedly."

"I live in a prison. I ain't got anywhere else to be."

Kagome flushed embarrassedly at her unintentional insensitivity, but didn't comment further, instead pulling a small card from a stack and handing it through the bars to him. She tried to at least, before a sharp "Hold it, Lady" had her jumping, having forgotten the guard was still watching. 'Stupid!' She chided herself, 'You can't just go handing things to prisoners!' She pulled her hand back sharply, looking guiltily at the approaching guard. He took the card from her, gave the flimsy square of paper a thorough investigation, then offered it to Inuyasha, who reached through the bars to tug it away with a scowl. "Lousy vulture" he muttered, turning the small card over in his hand. He was silent for a moment, then turned an arched eyebrow on Kagome. "So what's this for?"

"Wh… It's my business card. So you'll know which line to call for my office." Honestly, hadn't he bothered to read it?

He scoffed, and without a second glance flicked the card onto the floor of the cell behind him. Kagome watched it flutter to the ground, a vein in her temple twitching at the immature move. "What'd you do that for?" She snapped, her angry gaze back in place as she looked up at him, hands on her hips.

"You see a phone in there?" He asked mockingly, gesturing with a clawed thumb over his shoulder, "What good's a number gonna do me in the slammer?"

She rolled her eyes, no longer caring about making a good impression on the hot-headed man; the damage was already done. Hopefully it would only go up from here. "Well obviously there's not one in the cell, but… they allow you phone calls, don't they?" Her confidence slipped at his raised eyebrow, and she looked behind her at the guard once again leaning against the bars of an empty cell, asking him "He's allowed to call his lawyer, isn't he?"

Roused from his slight nodding off, the guard pursed his lips and responded moodily "Gee Lady, why you askin' me for? Do I look like an encyclopedia? Bother the people at the front desk!"

Her shoulders hunched defensively, and she felt her words catch in her throat. She was startled though by a light growl from in front of her, and turned wide eyes at the prisoner who was giving the guard a nasty glare. "Full o' hospitality, ain't ya? Why don't ya show the girl a little respect?"

Kagome's eyebrows shot straight into her hairline, and it wasn't until he looked back down at her that she managed to say, with no little amusement "You called me a trout not five minutes ago."

He didn't look the least bit rattled as he said dismissively "Yeah, well, I'm the one in jail. A man on the outside ain't got no excuse." Kagome crossed her arms, giving him a dry look that clearly said 'you don't have an excuse either' but he ignored her and continued "Anyways, didn't you say you were leavin'? You might wanna make tracks before old faithful over there blows his top." The guard muttered a few colorful words at the insult and Inuyasha sneered in return.

Fidgeting under the obvious animosity, Kagome said lightly "If that's how you're going to be about all this, then I guess I will go."

Inuyasha turned suddenly earnest eyes on her, and Kagome froze at the strange look. "So… you givin' up on me already, or what?"

"No…" she answered carefully, surprised that the thought seemed to worry him. 'Then again' she pondered, 'I am his only chance out of this place, and he sure doesn't seem to like the surroundings.' Putting on a more familiar smile, she continued "I'll come back in a few days with some papers for you to sign, as well as some records I'd like to look over with you. This whole release process will probably take a while, and eventually you'll have another hearing, but I'll need your full cooperation on all accounts, or this isn't going to work."

Inuyasha turned away from her probing stare with a huff, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in a petulant frown. "Don't be so demanding, doll-face. You're lucky we're even havin' this conversation. If I gotta put up with your chatter and that damn smell, you better start showin' some gratitude."

"What smell?!"

Inuyasha turned back slowly, fear dawning on his face as he realized what he had let slip, and Kagome narrowed her eyes accusingly at the half-demon. "What. Smell." She enunciated slowly, the words dripping with the wounded pride of a lion ready to pounce. He swallowed nervously, but apparently didn't take the hint, as his response was entirely the wrong thing to say. "You. You stink."

Kagome saw red, absolutely through with taking insults from the man behind the iron bars. She stomped up the bars again, and saw his nostrils flare as she approached. She remembered reading that he was half-dog-demon; his sense of smell was undoubtedly more enhanced than a human's. So, the jerk didn't like her smell? She'd make sure his little doggy-nose didn't soon forget it! Digging a hand into the inside pocket of her blazer, Kagome drug out a square of cloth, wadded it into a ball, and threw it squarely at his twitching nose. It hit its mark and bounced off harmlessly, though Inuyasha caught it before it could fall. He held it gingerly between two clawed fingers, giving it an appraising look before turning to Kagome with half-hidden amusement. Great; not only was he laughing at her, but now she was down a handkerchief. She groaned in frustration and turned away towards the exit down the hall, wanting to get as far away from the infuriating man as possible. "Three days!" She yelled over her shoulder, making him flinch "And you'd better be in a more helpful mood by then, or so help me!" And with those words she yanked open the door and slammed it behind her, leaving the prison guard stumbling and shouting after her. He cast one despairing glance back at the half-demon prisoner and his contraband, but Inuyasha only stuffed the handkerchief in his jumpsuit, snarling out "Get your own, mooch" and the guard was forced to let the matter go in favor of chasing after the young attorney storming aimlessly through hallways full of unpredictable and dangerous felons.

Inuyasha waited until the door to his personal prison was shut and locked before pulling the handkerchief back out, giving it a quick sniff before heading back over to his cot. He bent to pick up the fallen business card on his path, then took both of his new treasures back to his rickety bed. Sitting cross-legged on the hard mat, Inuyasha started his inspections with the card, noting the fancily printed black scrawl that he was sure said some flowery trash about law and justice. He'd never been good at reading back before his time in the cooler, and the men running the prison weren't all that concerned with the continuing education of a half-breed with a life sentence.

With an angry grunt he shoved the card under his flattened pillow and turned his attention to the much, much more interesting spoil. It was so saturated in her smell that he didn't even need to have it close to catch it, but he put it to his nose anyways, taking a deep breath and letting that scent and all its nuances fill him up. Gosh but she smelled good. Not that she would ever know; he still couldn't believe his near slip-up in almost sharing such a secret. Shaking his head to dislodge the thought, Inuyasha set to work deciphering everything that little square of fabric was willing to tell him, and then some. No doubt she had file upon file of information on him, and it was only fair that he get to know a little more about her in return. Any chance of him willingly cooperating with the young woman hinged on what he'd be able to smell about her now. He took a few short sniffs, trying to sift and sort the information out in his head. It'd been a while since he'd smelled anything new in this place, and it was difficult to put names to all of the different elements assaulting his nose.

She wore no perfume, he noted, though he did pick up the faint aloe traces of lotion – no doubt some kind of ointment for her hands. She cared about her appearance but wasn't vain; a point to her. There were no traces of the smoke or tobacco everyone else always reeked of, so he wouldn't have to worry about that particularly hated aroma any time soon; another point positive. He breathed a little deeper and picked up an animal scent - she owned a cat. Inuyasha smiled to himself, not at all surprised. 'Figures she'd have a cat' he mused, 'she's a bit like a cat herself: all claws and hissing, but… more in the cute way… like a kitten.'

His thoughts trailed off for a moment, remembering the fiery way she'd spoken to him and the boiling anger that had filled her eyes. It wasn't like the anger he usually faced; it had nothing to do with hate or prejudice like it did with everyone else. She was mad at him for being a jerk, not for being a half-demon. Come to think of it… she'd never once brought up his heritage the whole time they'd spoken. That had never happened before.

More confused than he cared to admit and not yet willing to dwell on it more, Inuyasha lay on his back, setting Kagome's handkerchief beside him and letting it's sweet scent wash over him as he started to doze. 'Three days, huh?' He thought with a smirk, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he found himself with something to look forward to.

*Author's Note:

For those who have been eagerly awaiting the backstory to Kitten and Bloodhound's romance, it's finally here! This is going to be a multi-chapter fic, and I have no clue how long it will be, but rest assured, it will thoroughly explore their budding relationship and hopefully satisfy your InuKag craving! ;3

I'll still be writing "Miroku, Private Eye" in the meantime, so when you're waiting for more of the backstory, you can always cheat and skip ahead to the future to see what happy couple life is like for them! :3 Kind of a weird format, I know, but I started writing the other fic first, and I couldn't help writing this before that one was finished. I don't know if it will ever really 'finish' either, I'll just keep writing mysteries for them to solve.

Anyhow, thanks for the support everyone! You all make writing worth it!