Chapter 2 - serendipity

~*~


The sun sunk fast on the pearly pink, pumpkin orange, and golden yellow horizon. Twilight had fallen- complete with the shrilling tune of late songbirds and elongated shadows. Thus, as the velvety violet, mythic indigo, and inky black of evening took over, the growing silver orb that was the moon rose.


And Inu-Yasha savored it, drinking in the sweet essence of the night.


Now.


By the time he opened his eyes, he was on all fours, creeping after the dog in his wolf form, his silky silver mane glowing in the iridescent-blue moonlight.


Now- she died.


*


Though she would probably get reprimanded for coming home so late, Kagome was in a very good mood as she exited the library. She may not have found any new books, but one of her favorites had been back on the shelves, and she had been able to check it out for the first time in ages. Now she was walking slowly home, humming quietly to herself as she flipped through the worn pages of the volume in the soft glow of the moon.


But something was causing the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle.


She couldn't figure out why, but she felt like she was being watched. Or even followed.


Not wanting to look afraid but too anxious to ignore the feeling, Kag glanced over her shoulder. ". . ."


See?


Nothing to worry about. . .


There was nothing there.


But why did she still have the feeling?! Something very weird was going on here. . .


Shaking slightly, she tried to ignore the sensation that screamed that she was not alone. But she couldn't. Fear of what lurked the streets of Tokyo gripped her, and she broke into a run.


And only then was she able to hear the fast pace of the stalker behind her.


"Oh my God. . ." she gasped desperately as she tripped over a ledge and fell to the hard cement streets with winding force. She was bleeding now, the gravel cutting deep into her skin; but she barely noticed


Turning quickly over onto her back, she saw, for the first time, a large- no, huge- dog-like creature silhouetted above her, against the moon.


It was going to kill her.


"No!" she wheezed, trying to scramble away; but fear had paralyzed her legs. Flinching, she turned her face away from the inevitable.


BAM.


". . . Wha. . . ?"


Looking up through teary eyes, she watched blankly as two other dog-like creatures knock the first to the ground, cutting its silver-furred body open slightly near the ear. Red blood trickled down the creature's face as it growled at the charcoal and chestnut dogs, furious. They only snarled back, snapping their powerful jaws as they continued to block Kagome.


And that was all she could take.


She instantly fainted.


*


`Ugh. . . . Wha. . . .


What happened. . . ?' Why did she feel so heavy? So cottoned? And why did her eardrums hurt so much. . . ?


"Really, Inu-Yasha!" a woman's voice screamed, "I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU!"


Oh. That was why.


"Feh," droned a man's voice. "She's only a stupid dog."


"That's still no right-!" the woman snarled, but stopped as she saw Kagome slowly stirring. Forcing herself to sit up as she rubbed her blurry eyed, Kag tried to comprehend what was going on.


Where was she?


Inside a shabby apartment, it seemed. From the view outside the window, she could tell that she was in the dangerous part of town. Neon lights of strip clubs and pachiko parlors flickered just out of view, and the laughs of gang members echoed through the ally ways just beyond the glass. She shivered subconsciously and averted her gaze to the inside, noting every little thing about the rather grimy room.


It seemed to be in the living room, and it was bedecked with miss-matched, patched couches and pealing red wallpaper. A coffee table rested in the middle of the square made by furniture, and a walk out, rusting patio door was located near that. Over to the right, a broken table was pushed against the wall near a small kitchen; which was dirtied with pizza boxes, take-out containers, and piled dishes in the sink. Over to the left, a small, dark hallway connected with the tiny foyer and led to three rooms that she couldn't see inside.


Only then did Kagome notice a woman- no, a girl just slightly older then she- as she stepped forward and placed a cool hand on Kag's head. She was very pretty. Wearing her glossy brown tresses in a high pony tail, the girl was adorned in tight blue flare jeans and a magenta baby-doll top.


"You feeling okay?" she asked, looking worried. "You didn't get bit or anything, did you?"


"What would it matter if she did?" asked a man on her left, who had also stepped near Kagome without her noticing. He looked very calm and a bit laid back in his black jeans, purple shirt, and short ebony ponytail. Kag noticed the glimmer of a few golden earrings on his ears as he moved.


"Because who knows if In- I mean, that dog that attacked her had rabies!"


" `THAT DOG' didn't have rabies, and you know it," growled the male voice she had heard earlier. She glanced over the girl's shoulder and saw a second guy, this one laying lazily on one of the patched couches, his feet propped up on one edge and his head on the other, his eyes closed in boredom. His silvery hair fell over the edge of the chair and swept the floor lightly as he shifted his position. He was wearing a black cap, black leather, and a small, slightly bloody patch on his temple.


"Who. . . who are you?" Kagome whispered softly, trying not to tremble in fear as she hugged her bag- which had been placed next to her on one of the other couches- close to her chest. `Where am I?'


The girl smiled gently. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. My name's Sango. The perv next to me is Miroku, and the @$$ on the couch is Inu-Yasha."


Kagome turned towards Inu-Yasha again, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Hey. . .! You're that guy at school today!"


"So what if I am?" he grunted, not even looking at her. It was like he was deliberately trying to ignore her.


The nerve!


Kag growled softly to herself and returned her gaze to Sango, who was holding out her hand. Kagome took it and shook it gently. "Thanks for saving me from. . . what was it again?"


"A giant dog," Miroku informed, pushing Sango out of the way and taking Kagome's hand in his. "My friends and I found you on our way back from the store. We were able to get that beast- and the two other dogs there- to leave and we took you back to our house. It was very lucky that we found you. Serendipity, one could call it. Perhaps even fate. . . ?"


Kag nodded slowly.


That made sense. . . in a slightly disturbing way.


"Now, there's just one more thing," Miroku began seriously.


The girl on the couch raised an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue- despite the expression of warning on Sango's face.


"Would you bare my child?"


"The heck- - - ?!" Kagome ripped her hand away in shock as the other female hit Miroku over the head with a lamp. She was, putting it lightly, livid.


"THAT WASN'T EVEN FUNNY!" she bellowed, face pink with fury. "NOT ONLY IS SHE HURT, BUT THE RULE WOULD-"


But Sango froze in mid-sentence and cleared her throat, placing the lamp back on coffee table so casually it was as if she had only picked it up to dust it. "Never mind."


Kag was slightly afraid now, but they seemed nice enough people. . . in their own odd way.


"Want some dinner?" Sango asked cheerfully, still behaving like this was her usual schedule as she helped Kag to her feet and led her to a grungy refrigerator; taking out a few sodas and a pizza.


"Thank you. . ." the younger girl replied softly, and Sango grinned.


"Don't mention it. Let's go to my room."


And so, carrying the food and drinks, the elder led Kag down the dark hall and through one of the doors.


Sango's room was slightly neater then the living room and kitchen. Painted a royal purple, it had a soft bed in the corner and a few posters of bands and shows hanging on the walls. Chains, beads, talismans, and chimes hung from the ceiling and bedecked random spots of the enclosed space. It had a very. . . whimsical feel about it. Kagome was intrigued by not only Sango's extensive CD collection, but by the volumes of strange books that lined the walls; all which were about magic, fighting, and other such fantasy.


"What a cool room, Sango!" Kagome exclaimed as she flopped next to the older girl on the bed, slowly relaxing.


Sango laughed, sounding rather pleased and embarrassed. She struck Kagome somewhat as a loner, and Kag had been given the impression that she was the first female to visit for a while. "Glad you like it."


Popping in a CD of a group that she had never heard of, the two girls chatted late into the night. Until-


"Oh my God!" Kagome screamed, finally acknowledging the flashing time on her watch. "My mom is gonna kill me!"


The older girl glanced at the clock. "Why would she do that? It's only 1. . ."


"But not only is it a school night," the black locked girl panicked, chugging down the rest of her pop and began digging around for her bag, "I'm out with someone she's never met before!"


Sango nodded in understanding, though she remained calm. "I see the problem. Well, I'll walk you home and tell your mother about the dog. If she knows what happened and how you were knocked cold, she'll understand."


"But I've been up for a few hours!"


"She'll be okay with it," Sango smiled in assurance.


Kag bit her lip and hoped her new friend was right. "I'll go get the rest of my stuff- living room, right?"


"You do that," the brown haired girl nodded with a grin.


`Don't worry, Kagome,' Sango thought as the teen ran frantically into the living room to grab her pack and shoes. `Your mom won't mind. I'll make sure of it.'


As her eyes flashed light pink, the older woman couldn't help but let a soft chuckle fall from her lips as she turned off the lights and left her room, ready to follow Kagome to the Higarashi house.


*


"I'm baaaaack!" Sango sang as she let herself into the apartment and kicked her shoes off her feet. Inu-Yasha looked up from his magazine for half a second.


"You don't say. So how'd the dog's mother take it?"


"Fine. Like I knew she would," Sango winked; taking off her jacket and tossing it into the corner near her school stuff. "If talking it out won't work, a little magic always does."


"You bastard. You're not supposed to use mind control unless it's a life or death situation."


"It was. Kag said, and I quote, `my mom is gonna kill me.' Heh. I bend the rules- not break `em." She then grinned, as if just remembering something. "But like you would care, even if I blew them to pieces. You don't listen to any of them yourself." The girl laughed and flopped back on the couch, picking up her homework.


"Keh. You should have let her die," he muttered under his breath, slowly turning the page of his magazine.


"What do you have against her?" Sango inquired, raising an eyebrow as a faint hint of the emotion called `annoyance' ticked into life inside her. "She's nice, as human's go."


"She smells gross."


"She smells fine, you liar!"


"Look, Sango. You know I hate all humans."


"But why? Your mother was one!" the girl glared, getting pissed off.


But obviously not as pissed as Inu.


With a quiet gasp, the girl leapt out of the way as Inu-Yasha lunged at her, all but knocking the couch she was on over in the process.


"Don't you DARE mention HER," the silver haired werewolf snarled, extracting his claws from the upholstery with a hiss. "I HATE HUMANS."


That said, he got up and stomped to his room, slamming the door shut behind him with a loud bang. Panting slightly, Sango silently watched him leave.


Well, that was a sore spot.


She'd have to remember not to mention that again.


"Don't mind him," Miroku soothed from the corner.


Sango turned and noticed him standing there, eating a slice of pizza, for the first time. He *could* be sneaky if he wanted, couldn't he? "What do you mean by that? He just fracking attacked me!"


"He does that every time you mention his family," the other boy informed, chewing his pizza with a nonchalant expression. "That's why I never mention them. I'm surprised you've only learned this now."


"I guess I'd never felt the need to mention them before," Sango shrugged, slowly calming herself as she slid down in her seat with a sigh.


"Well, now ya know."


She didn't say anything for a moment, instead looking out the window, towards Kagome's house.


Yeah.


She knew.


But a fat lot of good knowing did her.


It didn't keep any of the humans safe, and they couldn't just allow Inu-Yasha to purge the world of mortals.


He had once killed 5 humans that ticked him off. He had been beaten severely by the clan because of the heavy news coverage on the 5's "mysterious" deaths.


He couldn't kill anymore- he'd risk banishment! But if his hatred was that deep- that he'd attack one of his friends- who was going to stop him? Sango and Miroku were not always walking home from the store at night. They couldn't always catch him before. . .


Well.


Now all she could hope for was that Kagome left him alone.


But for some reason, she knew that wasn't going to happen.


*


Inu-Yasha turned his music up loud enough to drown out the sound of his thoughts, and of the objects he was throwing around. Throwing things always made him feel a little better when he was angry or frustrated.


And, by the condition of his room, anyone could tell that he was angry and frustrated quite often.


Dark clothes and dark trinkets littered the floor and were draped across his bed. The walls were a depressing shade of black-gray and covered with posters; his loud sound system taking up a large amount of the right side of the wall. The other half of the right wall was taken up by CDs.


With a muffled thump, the werewolf flopped onto his bed, snarling at the ceiling.


`Damn it. That fracking dog is still walking this earth.'


He rolled over and looked out the window at the moon while Evanescence pressed hard against his now un-capped ears. Reaching instinctively under his bed, he took out a dusty midnight volume with a silver full moon embossed on the cover. Opening it slowly, a layer of dust was released into the room.Ignoring it, Inu flipped through the Book of the Wolves until he got to the rules.


"YO!" called a werewolf from one room under his, snapping Inu-Yasha out of his thoughts. "TURN THAT MUSIC OFF!"


"UP YOURS, JAKEN!" Inu-Yasha called back, turning the music up.


If he couldn't get rid of Kagome, he could at least piss off Sessho-Maru's little servant creep. Returning his attention to the book, he ran a clawed finger down the page, reading the list of already memorized limitations of being a Wolf.


The first rule had always seemed redundant to him.


What respectable werewolf would allow himself- or herself, whatever- to fall in love with one of those human idiots?


`Your father,' a little voice in Inu-Yasha's head reminded him. The boy glowered as the knowledge returned to his conscious.


Stupid @$$.


Forcing himself to read onward, Inu continued to refresh his memory about the rules. The rules of magic- only when a life is threatened-, mind control -once again, only when a life is in jeopardy-, star reading- if you wanted to take the time to learn-, form shifting- you can change any night with a moon, but you only have to on a full moon-, religion- it didn't matter, as long as you paid homage to the Moon Goddess-. . . the list went on and on.


But his mind kept drifting back to rule one.


Why did he suddenly feel so intimidated by it?


He had broken rules, sure- rule 10, killing humans for the fun of it when your life/form exposure was not in question was one that popped instantly to mind- but number one was a limitation that he had no intention of ignoring.


Slamming the book shut and stuffing it under his bed again, he closed his eyes with a sigh-


And cracked them open as he heard an angry knocking on the front door.


Probably Jaken.


Rolling over and heading towards the foyer, Inu-Yasha forced his previous thoughts out of his mind so he could fully concentration on further ticking Jaken off.

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