Chie: I recently got a review on chapter 11. The review went like this:

“The only thing I dislike (what I hate) about this story is that an arranged marrige is a worse crime than a father abandoning his child. You've got some really weird standards...”

My initial response was that I went all WTF? O_o Since (for a change) the review was left anonymously, I had no choice but to reply to it here. Because I really, REALLY want to reply.

Yes, Inuyasha’s father likes to see his son marrying Kagome, and yes, he is stubborn about it. Is he really forcing Inuyasha to it? It seems like it, true enough. But he is not really being all that forceful. He does keep on insist on the matter and sounds harsh, but Katsuo could be far more evil. He has not relied on his authority over Inuyasha, for example giving him an ultimatum of kicking him out of the family if he further disobeys the will of his father. And for the record, in the very chapter eleven this review was left on, Katsuo told Kagome that Hikaru was a good man and admitted his defeat.

As for the concerns on my standards… Yes, I proudly support alcoholism, child beating, convicting the innocent, rape, arranged marriage, living under a false ID, a sexual affair between an employer and employee, kidnapping, hackering and every other questionable theme that has ever appeared in this story that I forgot to mention!

(And for those who are gagging and sputtering right about now, it’s called sarcasm. I tend to lapse to that when I’m irked.)

This work is FICTION. And I thought the idea of Katsuo wanting to pair off Inuyasha and Kagome while everyone else kept rolling their eyes and thinking ‘that’ll never happen’ was hilarious.

I’m sorry that you took it so seriously.

Alright, I got the rant out of my system now. On with the story.

Chapter sixteen – Save You

Sesshoumaru felt as if there was something blocking his throat and he found it suddenly hard to breathe. Kagome’s blood. That meant that she had bled, which meant that she was hurt. And knowing that somewhere out there was someone who had shed her blood filled him with rage. Then, there was a painful stab in his heart as he realised that somewhere out there was a hurt Kagome whose blood had been spilled.

Hiten looked at his friend who was looking really pale. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked over to the man who seemed to be in some state of a shock. He gently wound his arms around his shoulders and guided him from the doorway into the living room, sitting him down on the sofa. Then the hacker left him as he disappeared into the kitchen, arriving in a few moments carrying a glass of wine.

”I hope you don’t mind that I opened the bottle,” he murmured, showing the glass to his hand. “Drink,” he commanded, his tone slightly harsh.

Obediently, Sesshoumaru gulped down the alcohol

“Kagome’s blood,” Sesshoumaru whispered hoarsely as he put the empty glass onto the table. He buried his face in his hands.

“At least we now know that there’s someone behind this. Kagome has not got into any accident, but someone has kidnapped her.”

“Isn’t that reassuring,” Sesshoumaru said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I understand that this is hard for you, but your feelings are really clouding your mind, Hikaru. If you looked at it objectively, you’d realise that it’s a valuable piece of information. There’s someone pullin’ the strings here. Someone, who most possibly wants to deliberately hurt either Kagome, or someone close to her.”

“How do you know that it’s not just some maniac who happened to target her?”

“If it was a stalker or a random maniac, why would he bother to send those letters to your father?”

Now that was a question Sesshoumaru could not answer.

“And why such letters instead of asking ransom?” Hiten continued to question.

“It doesn’t make sense. Unless then the one behind this does not need money and is not after it, whoever he may be.”

“Interesting notion. This is turning into quite a puzzle indeed.”

“You seem to be enjoying this a bit too much,” Sesshoumaru bitterly reproached.

“The situation is awful for you, Hikaru. But it’s different for me. I only see a mystery I want to solve. I don’t know the girl personally, so my feelings are not really involved.”

“So you’re just in for the kicks.”

“I’m in this to help you,” Hiten corrected. “I get it that you’re feeling crappy and frustrated but you really should stop snapping at people who are trying their best to help you. It’s the guys who hurt Kagome-chan that you want to get at, huh?”

“Sorry,” Sesshoumaru mumbled.

“It’s okay. I understand that you’re frustrated. Just save all that pent up anger till you get to punch the crap out of the bad guys.”

“You think such a day will come?”

“Well, right now it pretty much seems like a dead end,” Hiten admitted. “But sooner or later there will be a clue that will crack this case and when that happens, I’m damn well going to kick those bastard’s asses and I’ll be taking you with me. We’ll save your girl, Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru nodded mutely and Hiten smiled briefly. The young man was still rather gloomy, but he would be alright.

“I’m off,” Hiten announced. He walked out of the living room, through the entrance hall and stopped as he reached the door.

“Go to bed, Hikaru. You look like hell.”

With that, the hacker left.

* * * * *

Hiten did not head home when he left Sesshoumaru’s apartment behind. He briefly checked the clock. It was three thirty, so he must be back at home again. Hiten hopped on his motorcycle and drove off. A while later he stopped in front of a big, traditional Japanese house. There were two thugs loitering around the wooden gate, both of which bowed sharply when they noticed the short man.

“Boss is at his study,” one of them informed him.

Hiten nodded at them and walked in. In the study, he found his father, the leader of a gang whose members called themselves “Thunder demons”.

“Hiten!” the old man dressed in a traditional dark grey yukata greeted his son, rising up from the cushions he had been sitting on. He walked over to the short man with braided hair and gave him a bear hug.

“What gives me the pleasure? You hardly ever come to see me!”

“That’s because I do not wish to be associated with your business and running constantly in and out the headquarters of Raionigumi would probably give others the wrong idea.”

The old man sneered as he looked at his son.

“Well I suppose there is a black sheep in every family,” he said lightly, a grin twisting his lips.

Hiten grinned as well, but soon grew serious again.

“There is, of course, a reason why I came to see you,” the hacker informed his father.

“I had already assumed as much,” the old man huffed as he walked back to seat himself on the cushions behind his low, dark wooden desk. “What is it, Hiten?”

“There’s something going on, “ Hiten stated gravely. “I was asked to help a friend of mine.”

“Who?”

“My former cell-mate. Yamasaki Sesshoumaru.”

“You shared your cell with the minister’s son? Still, there has not been a single sighting of Yamasaki Sesshoumaru even if he was released half a year ago!”

“He’s going undercover. He goes by a fake name as has changed his appearance slightly.”

“Quite a friend you have there then,” the yakuza leader chuckled. “What did he need help with?”

“His girl had disappeared. She had been abroad but after arriving at Narita, no one had seen her or heard of her.”

The old man frowned and his face darkened.

“I see.”

“That was not even all of it. Sesshoumaru also told me that his father, minister Yamasaki had got quite odd letters recently. Cut fingernails, a lock of hair, a piece of silk with blood on it.”

“That does indeed sound shady to me. Sounds almost like someone were threatening minister Yamasaki, though I can’t quite understand why anyone would wish to do that.”

“Politics,” Hiten replied, rolling his eyes.

The gang leader shook his head disbelievingly.

“Naturally politicians rarely can please everyone, but Yamasaki Katsuo has held the position of minister of foreign affairs for many, many long years and he has always been well liked. Furthermore, his family is renowned and of great influence, Yamasaki’s date back centuries and used to be nobles. There are many prestigious families in Japan, but those who have such long and grand history as the Yamasaki’s are very few indeed.”

Hiten nodded.

“There’s more to it, though. I discovered that the two incidents were connected. The blood on that piece of silk sent to Yamasaki Katsuo belongs to Sesshoumaru’s girl.”

“Someone found out she was Sesshoumaru’s girl?”

“Unlikely. Even his parents do not know where Sesshoumaru is. Only few trusted people know the true face behind his fake ID. Besides I understood that their relationship still was on quite an early stage.” Hiten paused, scratching his head. “Anyway, I just thought I should let you know. I also wanted to ask if you have heard anything. Has there been any notable movement in the underworld?”

“Hmmmh,” the old man leaned back on his cushions and scratched his beard thoughtfully. “I’m afraid I haven’t heard or noticed anything out of ordinary,” the gang leader replied after a while. “But I’ll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open.”

“Thank you, father. If you hear any suspicious talk on the streets…”

“I’ll let you know. I’ll tell my boys to keep a sharp eye too.”

“Thanks.”

* * * * *

Kagome had totally lost the track of time. The rough ropes ate into her flesh. Her muscles were stiff and sore and her body ached all over. She was in a drowse most of the time; it was easier for her to wander on the border of being asleep or awake than trying to remain alert. She sought comfort in the dark, trying to forget her aching body, trying to forget her current situation, trying to dull the pain. Still, she could not fully seek refuge in sleep either. It was very difficult, to fall into that deep, dreamless sleep, when she was in a sitting position and with her feeling so uncomfortable all in all.

She was still fed three times a day, but had no idea at which hours. Her once a day leg-stretching was a temporary relieve to her poor abused muscles, but after walking around for a while, it felt even worse to be forced back to sit down on the chair, the coarse ropes binding her to her place painfully tight. She had lost count on how many days she had been held as a captive. It felt like an eternity, time crawled forward on an excruciatingly slow pace. Every now and then, one of the thugs would roughen her up a bit, leaving bruises behind. Kagome assumed that they were doing it just for fun. Her raspy-voiced kidnapper reproached the thugs often, reminding them that they wanted the girl alive and that their violence was pointless. The thugs did not sound too pleased at that, but still listened to the toad-like man. She hated her capturers, she hated being their prisoner.

Idly Kagome wondered how frustrated Sesshoumaru must have been when he had been deprived of his freedom. Thinking of Sesshoumaru stung her heart. She wondered how the man was doing and hoped he would look after the company. A part of her wished that he was missing her. Despite that small hope, she doubted he actually did miss her. His behaviour had been so cold and distant when she had last seen him. Not too long ago she had actually managed to sleep well and long enough to dream. In that dream she had been saved by Sesshoumaru, who had carried her away to safety bridal style.

Naturally, she had quickly woken up to the harsh reality by a friendly sharp kick to her ankle before her kidnapper had started to shove gruel down her throat.

Kagome was afraid. Why had this happened to her? How long did her snatchers plan on keeping her their captive? Would anyone ever find her and come to her rescue?

Or would her corpse be discovered years later, still died to this goddamn chair?

There was quite a storm raging in Kagome’s mind, and each thought or mental image seemed to be worse than the last.

She wanted to be free again. She was so sick and tired of being hurt, being tied up, being afraid, being helpless, being frustrated… She was so tired of fearing for her life.

* * * * *

Sara walked through the exquisite penthouse apartment, her feet bare against the plush carpet. She was draped in a short, rosy pink dressing gown and lazily ran her slender hand through her damp blonde hair. She raised her sparkling eyes to meet the stare of the man who was standing by the bed, pouring champagne to two tall glasses. The corner of her red lip curled up in a smile as she flirtingly tilted her head, keeping her eyes locked with the man’s. The man offered her a glass of champagne that the woman gladly accepted. She sat down onto the edge of the kind-sized bed and took a sip of the cool drink.

The man took a sip of his own before he sat down besides the woman. He brushed her hair back from her shoulder to press a hard kiss to the side of her neck.

The woman sighed in pleasure and was about to kiss the man on the lips when his phone went off. He pulled away from her, stood up, picked his phone up from the night stand and answered the call.

“Onigumo.”

“It’s me. I thought I should let you know that all is going smoothly.”

“I see. How is she doing?”

“I hear that she is alive and well. A little bruised perhaps, but just fine.”

“Good.”

“How long are we to keep her?”

“I do not know that. It’s not up to me to decide.”

“I understand.”

“Was that all?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for the report. Call me if something comes up. If not, report as usual.”

“Yes, boss.”

Kagewaki Onigumo ended the call and set his phone back the nightstand. He turned slowly around to see Sara’s dark, wicked eyes studying him.

“Was it from them?” she asked.

The man nodded.

“They just reported that everything’s going smoothly and that the woman is still alive.”

“I’m still a bit disappointed though,” the woman sighed. “I really wanted to tease Sesshoumaru more. There still has been no sign on him?”

“It’s like he has disappeared.”

“Just like Katsuo’s precious “daughter”,” the singer chuckled darkly.

“We already had our fun with Sesshoumaru,” the man reminded his lover. “We should enjoy this one while she lasts.”

“I guess you’re right, honey,” the woman breathed out, as the man pressed her onto the bed and started to kiss her full red lips.

* * * * *

Sesshoumaru finished reading the story and closed the book, looking at the two children who had fallen asleep. He set the book aside and bent down to pull a blanket over them, carefully tucking in his daughter and Kagome’s son. They two slept blissfully back to back and both looked very peaceful. Sesshoumaru almost envied that peace-filled innocence. He couldn’t even remember when he had last had a proper good night’s sleep. He either kept staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, or then kept tossing and turning until finally falling to sleep in the late hours of the morning. If he happened by some odd chance to actually fall asleep early, then he was tormented by nightmares and eventually he would start awake, cold sweat sheeting his skin. Sesshoumaru straightened and quietly left the room. He walked over to the sitting room.

“They fell asleep,” he informed. Then he took a good look at the serious faces all around the room.

“Did something happen?”

Inuyasha turned to look at his brother, his eyes pained. Kikyo kept squeezing his hand.

“The police called. With the help of the DNA sample Mrs. Higurashi gave them last week, they were able to identify the blood on the last letter Dad got as Kagome’s.”

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly, unsurprised as he had already heard the same news from Hiten three days ago. He looked at Higurashi Kasumi, who seemed shaken and worried. Izayoi was comfortingly hugging her friend, absentmindedly petting the woman’s hair. Katsuo was pacing nearby, a dark scowl on his face, the kind of which Sesshoumaru had never seen on his father. Then again, he himself wanted to scream out to vent all his frustration. He hadn’t heard anything since the night Hiten had barged in with his news.

Inuyasha studied his brother sharply. Something was off with him. Instead of surprised about the news, he appeared agitated. Inuyasha frowned.

“Hikaru-kun, let’s go to my room.”

Sesshoumaru raised his brow but did comply. The three left the sitting room and walked along the twisting corridor till finally reaching Inuyasha’s room. Inuyasha carefully closed the door, then spun up to sharply stare at his older brother.

“What’s up, Sesshoumaru?”

“What do you mean, Inuyasha?”

“I told you about this drastic twist to Kagome’s disappearance but your reaction was a single nod.”

Sesshoumaru huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.

Kikyo set a calming hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

“You already knew, didn’t you? You knew the blood to be Kagome’s!”

“Don’t be silly, Inuyasha. How could Sesshoumaru have known – “

“Yes, I already knew,” the assistant replied flatly, sitting down on an armchair in the corner of the room.

“How?” Inuyasha questioned, staring down his brother, a frown on his face.

“I have connections,” Sesshoumaru smirked wryly. “My former cell-mate happens to be a hacker and I asked him to look into things. He had already proven to be useful earlier.”

“What do you mean by ‘earlier’?”

“Oh, that’s right, I never got to telling you about that revelation. Not that it even matters anymore, since you two got back together anyway.”

“Please, Sesshoumaru,” Kikyo said hesitantly. “What are you talking about?”

Sesshoumaru leaned back in the armchair and stared at the couple.

“The pictures about Inuyasha and Ayame were not taken by any paparazzi, but a gangster who once belonged to a yakuza gang.”

“What? What does that matter?”

“It matters, because such information implies that it was all deliberate. Someone wanted to tear you two apart.”

Kikyo’s eyes widened as Inuyasha’s scowl darkened.

“Why would anyone want to do that?”

“I don’t know,” Sesshoumaru simply said. “That remained as a mystery. However, whoever it was got what he wanted. As soon as he had sold the pics to the tabloid magazine so that Kikyo would see them, it got the job done, didn’t it?”

Inuyasha stared sourly at Sesshoumaru. He really did not want to be reminded of that past incident.

“But…” Kikyo started hesitantly, “I saw those pictures before they were published anywhere.”

Inuyasha turned to look at his girlfriend sharply while Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the woman.

“Go on,” he encouraged the singer and voice actress.

“Few days before the photos were published, when I was recording at Grand Records for this anime, the pics were delivered to me.”

There was a nagging feeling in Sesshoumaru’s gut. Whatever Kikyo had to tell was important.

“Delivered how,” Sesshoumaru asked, attentively leaning in closer to hear the words.

“Uhm… They were in an envelope,” Kikyo mumbled, biting on her lip as she tried her best to remember. “Yeah. It was a brown envelope. There wasn’t anything but my name on it.”

Inuyasha paled.

“But that sounds exactly like those envelopes my dad kept getting,” he exclaimed, looking at his girlfriend, his honey eyes wide.

Sesshoumaru muttered a curse and spun up. Swiftly he took out his cell phone and tapped in the number as he began to pace on the carpet of Inuyasha’s Western-style room.

“Hiten,” the voice replied on the other end.

“It’s me.”

“Hikaru! What gives?”

“I just heard something interesting. My brother’s girlfriend actually saw the pictures before they were published.”

“Did she, now?”

“Yes. The interesting part though is that those pictures were delivered to her in a brown envelope on which only her name was written down.”

Hiten frowned, clutching his phone tighter.

“Isn’t that how you described the envelopes your father got?”

“Precisely.”

“I think we just broke the case,” Hiten breathed out. “There’s a connection with Kagome’s disappearance and the mail minister Yamasaki got, furthermore, there’s a connection between Yamasaki’s mail and the scheme to break your brother and the singer up.”

“Even better, we know who took the pictures back then.”

“Oh yes we do,” Hiten chuckled, beginning to feel excited. “Worry not, Hikaru. I’m on it.”

“Thank you, Hiten.” Sesshoumaru hung up and pocketed his phone.

“Oy, what was that about?” Inuyasha questioned.

“I informed my hacker-friend about the latest turn. Kagome’s kidnapping is connected with the mail father got and that mail again is connected with the pictures from back then. As we know who’s responsible for the pictures, we might also know the culprit who snatched Kagome,” Sesshoumaru explained.

“That’s great! We should call the police and tell them about this,” Inuyasha suggested excitedly.

Sesshoumaru snorted and did not reply. Inuyasha’s smile died as he looked at his brother. He had never seen such an intense fire burning in Sesshoumaru’s eyes before.

Something told him that Sesshoumaru would not be satisfied with leaving the matter to the hands of the police.

eHeH

* * * * *

“Dad, it’s me, Hiten.”

“Hiten! How’re you doing?”

“I’m okay. Listen, remember when I told you about my friend’s dilemma?”

“The Yamasaki-case?”

“That one, yes. We have a promising clue as to who the culprit is. Fill Manten in and start keeping a tab on Shichinintai.”

“The Shichinintai? What on Earth are those gangsters up to?”

“I don’t know, that’s what I want you to find out. Keep an eye on them and if you see anything out of ordinary, inform me.”

“Alright. Take care, son.”

“You too, Pops.”

* * * * *

Sesshoumaru was once again visiting his parents. He had done so often as of late, for Rin was staying over and he thought that taking care of a visitor might distract the distressed adults slightly. He was now sitting in the traditionally decorated drawing room. A tea cup rested on the low table before him and he watched Izayoi arrange flowers. Rin and Shippo were playing outside with Inuyasha and Katsuo was in Tokyo, working. Mrs. Higurashi has gone to the train station to see Souta off. The boy’s vacation had ended and he needed to go back to school. Besides, Grandpa Higurashi was so old that he couldn’t take care of the shrine all by himself for very long.

Sesshoumaru sipped his tea as he studied Izayoi, who was currently picking flowers. He didn’t quite know how to be around the woman. He had never really thought much of her, before his prison years that is. But when he had now learned how worried the woman had been about him, how she had declared to Inuyasha how she had always thought of Sesshoumaru as her own son, he saw the woman in whole new light. A part of him wished to comfort her, to tell her that he was doing alright. But he knew better than to recklessly blow his cover.

“I hope it has not been a bother to take care of Rin.”

“Not at all,” Izayoi smiled, glancing at the assistant before carefully placing a tall flower to the vase before her. “It’s been nice, having her over. She’s such a good company for Shippo and her cheery nature is rather catching.”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

“Besides, it’s better for her to be here,” she continued perceptively. “Your stress would not have a good influence on her.”

Sesshoumaru grudgingly nodded.
“I apologise, for causing trouble to you.”

“Nonsense, Hikaru-san,” Izayoi assured, putting down the flowers she had been holding and looking at the man knowingly. “I know that this ordeal is probably harder for you than it is for anyone else. You’ve in so much pain.”

Sesshoumaru did not break the eye contact, even if he was slightly bothered by the look in the woman’s brown eyes. It was like she could see right through him.

“You know, I’ve always been fond of Kagome-chan. Where Katsuo sees a daughter, I see a sister. She really reminds me of my late younger sister Midoriko,” Izayoi confessed. “But to you, she is even more than that.”

Sesshoumaru did not reply, instead he sipped his tea.

Izayoi smiled to herself and put few more flowers to the vase in front of her.

“You know, I saw Kagome-chan before she left to New York, when she came to bring Shippo-kun over to Kasumi-san. She was quite down back then.”

Sesshoumaru’s jaw tightened as he felt a slight stab in his chest.

“I told her not to fret about it. Told her that men rarely knew what they want. I told her to rest assured. I told her I had seen that look in his eyes when she smiled at him. And that the look could not lie, that sooner or later he would have to come around and stop denying his feelings.” Izayoi paused and raised her gaze, locking her eyes with Sesshoumaru’s. “I told her he loved her.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but even the subtle reaction made the woman smile.

“Kagome-chan was rather shocked to hear that. She kept countering the things I told her. As if she did not want to believe what I told her. Probably because she did not really want to face her own feelings; because she was afraid of getting hurt. But then again, love is anything but simple.”

“You know me better than I expected,” Sesshoumaru gruffly admitted, scowling.

“I don’t claim to know you,” Izayoi chuckled. “But I know love when I see it. And I see it in your eyes when you’re watching Kagome-chan. That’s all there is to it.”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

“That’s why, this situation at hand is many times harder for you to bear, than it is to me, or to Katsuo, or even to Kasumi. You finally have accepted your feelings, but never got a chance to tell her about them. It must be so vexing, it’s a miracle you can appear that composed.”

Sesshoumaru heaved a sigh.

“Thank you, Izayoi-san. You are a wise and perceptive woman.”

“It’s just experience that you gain as you get older,” the woman replied. “Here,” she said, handing the vase now filled with artistically arranged, beautiful flowers. “If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like you to take it to Kagome-chan’s office. It would be nice for her office to be prettied up when she returns.”

Sesshoumaru’s heart throbbed painfully. He couldn’t understand how this woman was able to keep her faith and hope and remain so calm, even in a situation such as this. He nodded mutely and accepted the flowers.

* * * * *

Sesshoumaru clutched the flower vase closer to his chest as he hesitantly opened the heavy wooden door. He stepped in, trying his best to ignore the heavy atmosphere hanging in the air around him.

It was hard for him to breath, he felt like choking, his throat painfully tightening as he walked deeper into the room. The usually warm and comfortable office seemed so cold and dark without her. The emptiness made his heart cry in agony. Sesshoumaru sighed and with brisk, forced steps walked over to Kagome’s desk. He set down the flower vase Izayoi had prepared. Then he ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the wooden table. For a moment he remembered the days he had been sitting behind it.

If he had never lost his position, would Kagome be safe now?

He sunk into her office chair and buried his face in his hands.

“Kagome,” he painfully whispered into the dark and desolate surrounding emptiness.

He prayed for her to be safe. Even if she had been hurt, she had better to be alive and safe. He did not even want to start to think about the possible horrors that might have had befallen on her.

No.

He should follow Izayoi’s example. He should keep his faith. He had to remain strong. For her sake.

Slowly, Sesshoumaru got onto his feet and let his gaze wander in the office. He would bring her back. Even if he had to go through Hell in order to do so. His hands balled into fists as he determinedly walked out of the painfully empty office, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

* * * * *

His phone went off. Hiten didn’t remove his gaze of his computer screen as he picked up the phone and pushed a button to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Hiten, bro, I think we found her.”

Hiten immediately perked up and pulled his chair back, getting up on his feet in a split second.

“Tell me, Manten!”

“Someone noticed that one of the Shichinintai – the short squat one, Mukotsu – had been sneaking off to Osaka rather often, so I told my boys to stay on his heels. Well, he was spotted here in Kyoto last night and left to Osaka this afternoon. My boys followed him and he entered some empty warehouse. They couldn’t get in, but it’s likely that they’re keeping her there. I mean, Mukotsu’s the gang’s drug dealer so he travels a lot, but this time he didn’t seem to be going to meet anyone, nor did he appear to carry the stuff.”

“Thank you, Manten. Can you dispose some of your boys for me?”

“I’ve already done that. They’re waiting here for you. Along with the guy who tailed Mukotsu to the warehouse so he can show you the way.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

Click.

Hiten grabbed his coat and left his apartment.

* * * * *

The engine roared angrily before it was shut down. Hiten jumped off his motorbike and tossed his helmet aside, running hastily up the stairs of the condo Sesshoumaru’s apartment was in. He banged on the door and then began to pace, too hyped up to stay still. The door was opened and Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway, taking in the sight of his friend.

“Hiten, what is it?”

“We know where she is.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened and his grip of the doorframe tightened. His heart was pounding in his chest, making blood rushing in his ears.

“You found her?! Where is she?”

“Grab your coat, Hikaru. It’s time for us to go kick some gangster ass.”

“I like the sound of that,” Sesshoumaru said, his eyes having a predatory gleam to them. The lowly creatures who had dared to hurt his Kagome would suffer. He grabbed his coat and rushed out the door, banging it shut after him. The two of them made their way down the stairs and over to Hiten’s bike. The hacker handed his friend a helmet and gestured him to get on.

“We’ll stop by at my brother’s place and will then head to Osaka. That’s where they are hiding her.”

“Alright.”

Hiten was grinning as he started the engine, giving it some gas before taking off speedily, the tires screeching against the asphalt.

* * * * *

Hiten’s brother’s “place” turned out to be an underground casino. Sesshoumaru had never been to one, and he had a hard time keeping his eyes to himself. There were plenty of dealers of the house impeccably dressed in their black suits. Among the players, Sesshoumaru could swear he saw more than one well-known and well paid, respected gentleman of the upper levels of society. They were sitting or standing around the tables, entertained by both the game and several beautiful hostesses dressed in elegant evening gowns. Sesshoumaru huffed to himself and followed Hiten as the short man lead him to a back room. There, for the first time in his life Sesshoumaru met an actual yakuza. Hiten’s brother was very different from the short and slim hacker.

“Welcome,” the man greeted them. He looked at Sesshoumaru and bowed his head. “I’m Manten, Hiten’s brother.”

“Yamasaki Sesshoumaru,” Sesshoumaru replied, introducing himself by his true name for the first time since getting out of prison.

Manten was tall and bulky. His features had a certain roughness to them and his head was shaved.

“I have three guys and four bikes waiting for you at the garage. One of the three is there to show you the way. You know how to ride?” the yakuza asked, addressing his question to Sesshoumaru.

The man nodded.

“I’m not that good but I’ll manage.”

“Good. Take care. Don’t hesitate to call me if there are any problems.”

“Thank you.” Sesshoumaru inclined his head and left the room. Hiten was about to follow his friend, when he felt his brother’s hand holding him back.

“I know you don’t approve,” Manten simply said, offering the dark object to his hacker brother, “but please take it. If not for you, then for me.”

“Are you worried about me, little brother?” Hiten asked, his eyes shining slightly mockingly.

“Hiten. I pull stunts like this all the time, you don’t. You’re not that suited to be yakuza anyway. So please.”

“I understand,” Hiten assured him. “We won’t screw this up.”

The hacker extended his hand and picked up the gun his brother had offered him.

“I’m off. I’ll give you a call when it’s over.”

“Want me to call the cops?”

“Hmh. That might be useful. Yeah, call ‘em. But tell someone to keep a close eye on the Shichinintai, the ones running free and the ones captured. Remember when I busted Bankotsu?”

Manten nodded.

“He was released without any charges.”

“Exactly,” Hiten noted. “I think there’s someone pulling the strings here who’s got money to spare. So if someone buys Mukotsu and his groupies out, then have Raionigumi take over their custody.”

“I’ll be glad to,” Manten said, grinning sadistically. He had never much cared for Shichinintai.

“Well, it’s time to go.”

“Be safe, bro,” the gangster wished.

“Always, brother, always,” the hacker replied and walked out of the room.

* * * * *

Sesshoumaru finally understood why some youth never finished their schools and opted to join a biker gang instead. It felt rather exhilarating, to speed along the roads at night, with companions. His eyes closely followed the shining red light of the motorbike that rode before him, leading them to their destination. They weren’t that far off now, they were already in Osaka. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on the handles, praying for Kagome to be alright. He’d be there soon. And then he would show the idiots who had snatched Kagome that when one kidnapped his girl, there were some serious consequences to that act. Sesshoumaru smirked predatorily, his eyes promising murder. He could really kill those punks for what they had done to Kagome. He had already been in prison once, in any case, and another trip there wouldn’t be quite as shocking as the first time had been – especially if this time around he actually had earned his sentence. Then again, being locked up would disrupt the things he had been planning regarding Kagome, and that would be most unpleasant.

Sesshoumaru woke from his thoughts as the guy he had been following pulled over in front of a warehouse.

The five of them got off their motorbikes, took off their helmets and left them by their bikes.

“It’s not this one,” their guide informed. “Just keep on walking, it’s the fifth on the left. I just thought it would be better to walk closer so they wouldn’t be alarmed by the noise.”

Hiten nodded.

“Thank you for showing the way.”

“It was my pleasure,” the man bowed. “I’ll stay here on guard.”

“Good. Try to stop anyone attempting to get out of there,” Hiten instructed.

The guide nodded at that.

“Alright. The rest of you lot… Let’s go kick some Shichinintai ass.”

Hiten smirked and noticed very similar grins on everyone’s faces. Sesshoumaru was grinning wryly and his eyes shone darkly.

“Don’t get too excited, Hikaru. We want them alive.”
“I know,” the man growled, his expression grim.

Hiten looked at him sharply but let it pass.

“Let’s go.”

The four of them walked along the road on the both sides of which loomed warehouses. Their steps were quiet but confident, like a group of predators stalking their prey. Sesshoumaru quietly counted the warehouses in his mind as they passed the buildings by. Then they reached the fifth and the four men stopped and turned left to study at the dark building that stood before their eyes.

“Alright, guys,” Hiten said, keeping the volume of his voice low. “All we know for certain is that Mukotsu is in there. Mukotsu of Shichinintai majors in drug dealing. He isn’t much of a fighter, so him we don’t need to worry about that much. I would assume though that there will be two other members of Shichinintai present, their own two brawny thugs Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu. In addition, Shichinintai may also have more thugs hired. So we’re gonna sneak in real quiet, check out the situation. The three of them we can handle, but if there are more, we need to retreat and wait for back-up. Is that clear?”

Hiten’s eyes were locked with Sesshoumaru’s, and the assistant grudgingly nodded.

“Okay. Then we’re going in.”

Sesshoumaru followed Hiten as silently as he could master. The palms of his hands were starting to sweat and his own heartbeat loudly echoed in his ears. He felt the surge of adrenalin coursing through his veins. Then Hiten opened the large metal door which let out a silent complaining creak and the hacker slipped in. Sesshoumaru followed in suit.

The warehouse was dimly lit and there were cardboard boxes piled up against the walls and stacked here and there. They saw three men occupying the room. One of them was a squat, toad-like man, vaguely in Sesshoumaru’s opinion resembling Jaken, although this slimy fellow had a very nasty feeling about him. The other two men were brawny thugs, just like Hiten had informed them. The other was of middle-height; his body was muscularly built and seemed perfectly balanced. Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed as they assessed the opponent. That guy would surely be a lot of trouble. The other guy was huge and therefore would prove out to be a handful. Then again, he did not appear to be too intelligent, and Sesshoumaru was fairly certain that his incredible size was bad for his speed and agility.

And then his gaze landed on her. Blindfolded and tied to a chair, in the middle of the empty warehouse sat Kagome. Sesshoumaru felt the urge to growl when he took in the sight of her and noticing the way her white silken blouse was torn. Forcefully tearing his gaze off the woman, Sesshoumaru turned to look at Hiten, who was carefully scanning the warehouse. Spotting no additional opponents, Hiten turned around and stared at his companions. He nodded to the two yakuza enforcements and then pointed a finger at the huge thug. Then he nodded to Sesshoumaru and pointed the other thug out for him. Finally, the hacker flicked his finger to and fro between himself and the toad man, conveying that he would take care of the little one. All three nodded and moved into better positions, slowly sneaking closer, going unnoticed as cardboard boxes blocked them out of the kidnappers’ sight. They stopped when they got as close to their opponents as the only could.

And then they all shared a look of expectation and Hiten mouthed ‘Go!’

The four of them charged forth from behind the stack of cardboard boxes. They did not let out any shouts or other unnecessary voices that would have alerted their prey. And then they were on them.

Hiten hurled himself on top of Mukotsu and easily took the squat man down. He crashed hard against the concrete floor and in a flash Hiten was straddling his back and having the drug dealer’s plump hands in an effective locking hold. The huge thug roared and lunged forward. True to Sesshoumaru’s earlier suspicions, his huge size made him rather slow and clumsy and even if his strength was something to reckon with, the two yakuzas easily kept him busy, circling around the huge muscular man, every now and then dealing lightning fast blows and sharp kicks. Sesshoumaru himself did not rush head first into a battle, even though the adrenaline rushing in his veins made him agitated. He forced himself to calm down and he locked his eyes with his enemy, both opponents eyeing each other suspiciously. With years of experience, Sesshoumaru drew himself into the familiar pose. Ginkotsu narrowed his eyes and flexed his muscular arms. When Ginkotsu did not nothing further, Sesshoumaru spun into action. His right hand shot out to deal a sharp chop, but his blow was blocked. Sesshoumaru raised his eyes to meet the ones of his opponent. Both of them regarded each other in silence. He was better than Sesshoumaru had expected. And then the man punched so fast Sesshoumaru did not have time to dodge. His head jerked back as his opponent’s fist landed on his left cheek.

As the heir of the prestigious Yamasaki family, Sesshoumaru had been training in various martial arts since he had been little: Kendo, karate and aikido, just to mention a few. He had even placed in national competitions. However, it had been a while since he had last had a good spar.

Sesshoumaru quickly stepped left to avoid the swift kick which could have bruised him bad had he been slower to dodge. He replied by heavily stomping at the thugs innocent toes.

Granted, that had been a childish move, but it felt good. Slowly, a grin started to spread to his lips as his amber eyes began to shine darkly.

And then the yakuza paid back with a mean blow to Sesshoumaru’s right side. He barely had time to grimace when he was kicked so painfully that his knees gave out under him. He fell onto the concrete floor.

As he met the cold floor, Sesshoumaru realised that he had no time to fool around. This was the person who had taken Kagome away from him. This was the person who had hurt her. The one to draw her blood. The one to threaten his father. And there was he, Yamasaki Sesshoumaru, ready and about to revenge all of that.

Sesshoumaru snarled as he got up and straightened himself. Then he spun to the side, dealing a sharp kick to the side of his opponent’s knee. The thug’s knees buckled momentarily but did not give it. Sesshoumaru stepped back to stand in front of him and dodged the clumsy punch aimed at his shoulder. Then he sent his fist flying, intent on punching the thug on his chest. The man grinned triumphantly as he moved his arm to block Sesshoumaru’s strike. Sesshoumaru answered that grin with a smirk of his own; his opponent had fallen for his feint. On the last possible second, Sesshoumaru flicked his arm sharply so that the seeming punch to chest became his elbow forcefully meeting the thug’s nose and breaking it. Blood spurted forth, the sight of the crimson flow pleasing Sesshoumaru. His opponent was momentarily stunned by the blow and Sesshoumaru took advantage of that, grinning sadistically as he brought his knee up to connect painfully with the poor kidnapper’s groin. He finished the job by kicking the feet under the gasping thug. Once he was lying on his back on the concrete floor, Sesshoumaru mercilessly stomped down to just the right spot. All the air escaped from the villain’s lungs and he was left gasping hopelessly in a temporarily paralysed state.

Even though Sesshoumaru’s background in martial arts was very big on honour and discipline, his prison years has taught him to fight nasty when it was needed.

And right now, there was a need for nasty.

At that very moment the huge thug roared as the crashed down hard enough to crack the concrete. The two yakuza enforcements Hiten’s brother had graciously lent them, kept on dealing kicks on the thug lying helplessly on the ground.

And then there was a loud howl of pain and Sesshoumaru turned to see what was going on. He saw a cursing Hiten, whose leg was bleeding and the drug dealer who resembled a toad, making his way over to Kagome, a bloody knife in his hand.

Sesshoumaru growled and was about to run to stop the man when his still heavily breathing opponent grasped his ankle in a vice-like grip. Despise flashing in his amber eyes, Sesshoumaru kicked sharply the man to his temple with his free foot and the thug’s eyes glazed over. By the time Sesshoumaru turned back around to look at the toad-like man, he was standing right next to the chair Kagome was sitting on, and his knife was pressed against the woman’s throat.

Sesshoumaru’s heart stopped beating.

“You make one move and the chick is dead,” the drug dealer croaked, a nasty glimmer of promise in his squinty dark eyes.

Hiten’s hand moved so fast that it was just a blur to the eye. No one had time to do anything when the hacked had managed to pull something out. A threatening click echoed through the hall, soon to be followed by a loud bang.

Sesshoumaru stared at the gun in Hiten’s hand, dumbfounded, but the hacker’s grim face was what made him almost want to shudder.

Hiten had fired a warning shot, the bullet landing less than an inch from Mukotsu’s right food. The squat man flinched, afraid of his life and his trembling fingers could not keep their hold, the knife harmlessly dropping onto the floor. Mukotsu soon followed himself as his shaky legs gave out under him. Hiten stared the drug dealer down and held tightly to his gun as he started to walk towards the raven hair woman who was oblivious to it all.

* * * * *

Kagome had been slumbering when sudden curses, shouts and sounds of battle startled her awake. She shivered, uncertain of what was happening. It was clear that there was a fight going on, but who was fighting and with whom? Kagome prayed and hoped that someone had come to her rescue, but at the same time she tried to tell herself to not get her hopes up, maybe she would be getting tormentors even worse than the ones who had been keeping her their prisoner for the past two weeks.

Her heart skipped a beat and she grew rigid when she suddenly felt cold metal pressing against her throat. Cold metal already slick with something warm. Kagome felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. The all too familiar, creepily raspy voice she had come to hate gave the ultimatum.

“You take one step and the chick is dead.”

Cold sweat ran down from Kagome’s temples. And then she yelped and flinched as there was a gunshot. She then hissed as the knife on her throat scraped her skin before falling to the floor with a clank. She heard a thump of a body meeting the very same concrete floor and after that, steady footsteps approaching her.

And then nimble fingers were undoing the knots, releasing her from her binds. The blindfold was removed to reveal a face of a man Kagome did not recognise, approximately in his thirties. The man had dark eyes and a huge smirk plastered to his face.

“It’s alright, Princess. The prince came to save you.” Kagome stared at the man she did not recognise, puzzled. Then the man moved aside and turned to stare to his right. Kagome frowned in her confusion and turned to look at whatever this odd man was looking at.

She could not believe her eyes. Kagome stared at the man who was approaching her. It was him. He had come for her. She took in the sight of him. Tall, strong and confident he approached her, carrying the fresh bruises of his battle. His black hair flowed freely, already reaching past his shoulders. His make-up had suffered in the fight, so that the magenta stripes on his cheeks and the indigo crescent moon on his forehead were partly visible. He had forgot to put on his hazel contacts and for the first time Kagome saw those warm amber eyes that she had only seen in the portrait hanging in the Kyoto Records’ top floor. He was here. He was really, actually here!

Her hands started shaking, tears burned in her eyes and the relief that washed over her left her trembling. She let out all those feelings of fear, pain and despair that she had been keeping away, locked inside her soul. It was alright to finally let them show. In front of her capturers she had not wanted to break down but before him it was alright. She felt his strong hands pulling her up. Those hands were so warm against the cool silk of her blouse, so reassuring. Those hands moved up to cup her face so that he could get a better look of her bruised face.

When her tear-filled eyes locked with his burning amber ones, she knew she was safe. All was well again.

* * * * *

Chie: This chapter update was quick because for this chapter, I had the outline rather clear on my mind. From now on I’ll probably fall to my slower updating pace once again. I’ll have to start tying up loose ends after all. But at least there wasn’t a cliffie this time around! :p

And thank you for the nomination on Dokuga Awards Quarter 3 2009! TT has been nominated for Best AU. I really appreciate the nomination, it’s an honour. –bows-