Human Compensation

“Inuyasha! Open the door right now! I know you’re in there! I can smell you!” Shippou pounded on the door from outside. “You can’t keep her to yourself all day. Kagome’s my friend too!”

Inuyasha gave an annoyed growl and threw a pillow over his head. He’d been napping on the couch while Kagome sat beside him watching tv. It was a Saturday and she was glad he didn’t have to go to work and leave her alone. She wondered if he would have left if he did have to go to work. He hadn’t left her side since this morning. He still acted as if he didn’t like her, but his actions contradicted his behavior. He wouldn’t let her move around the apartment and yelled at her when she did. He made sure she was fed and comfortable. Kagome realized his fussiness was all for show. He was a big dog, with a big bark, but as dangerous as a bunny rabbit. She giggled at the thought. Inuyasha looked up at her when he heard the sound. She smiled at him and gently ran her fingers through his hair, then smiled again at his surprised expression.

“Inuyasha!” Shippou yelled.

“Let him in, Inuyasha,” Kagome told him.

Inuyasha got up mumbling something to himself and opened the door. Shippou shot past him making his hair fly up in the wind he’d created. He turned around even more annoyed when he saw the fox youkai sitting very close to Kagome.

“Kagome, when I heard what happened to you, I got so worried,” Shippou said, leaning his head against her shoulder.

Kagome ran her fingers through his thick bangs comforting him. “I’m okay, Shippou, really.”

Inuyasha felt his face heat up in anger and jealousy. Hadn’t she just done the same thing to him? “Get off her! Can’t you see she’s hurt!” He yelled at Shippou.

“He’s not hurting me, Inuyasha,” Kagome said, smiling at Shippou who was looking at her adoringly.

He turned to Inuyasha and licked his tongue out at him. “Kagome likes me more than you. Isn’t that right, Kagome?”

“Huh?” Kagome asked, not knowing how to answer that one. She knew Shippou had a crush on her by the way he was always fawning over her. He’d visited her every other day during the past two weeks she’d lived with Inuyasha and she admitted she’d grown quite close to him. He was extremely charming and cute and irresistible.

“I said get off of her!” Inuyasha growled. He was suddenly by the couch pulling on Shippou’s tail.

Shippou grabbed Kagome around her waist to hold on to her. “Guys will you stop it! Please!” She yelled at them. Inuyasha was a 26 years old man, but every time Shippou came around he reverted back to acting like a three year old. She was pulled off the couch along with Shippou by a furious Inuyasha. They tumbled to the floor. Shippou laying on top of her. She closed her eyes against the pain that zipped through her, groaning softly.

“Kagome! Kagome! Are you alright!?” Shippou quickly stood up.

“This is all your fault!” Inuyasha yelled at him angrily. He pushed him out of the way and gently lifted Kagome off the floor. “Kagome?” He sat her back on the couch.

The pain, it brought them back, her memories, everything that had been said to her by Kikyo. She had forgotten. Why had she forgotten?

‘Cause deep down, you didn’t want to remember,” her conscience said. “You were happy here, things were simple, and you wanted to keep it that way, but now it’s over isn’t it?’

“No,” Kagome whimpered, holding her hands to her head as if trying to get rid of the offending memories.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked worriedly.

“Was it true?”

Shippou sat beside her. Inuyasha sat on her other side.

“Was what true?” Inuyasha asked.

“What Kikyo told me. Was it true?”

Shippou shrunk away from her to the corner of the couch. He shook his head at Inuyasha telling him silently not to say yes.

“Kikyo is insane,” Inuyasha said.

“You didn’t answer my question. I asked if what she said about me was true?” Kagome looked up at him.

Inuyasha lowered his head. “Yes,” he said softly.

“My grandfather...why didn’t he tell me?” Kagome curled her hands into fists. She turned to Shippou. “Why didn’t YOU tell me?”

Shippou nervously glanced at Inuyasha then back at Kagome. He stood up. “I’m sorry, Kagome. Sesshoumaru would have killed your entire family if I hadn’t suggested you work for us as repayment for your grandfather’s debt.”

“But...why me?” Kagome asked.

“You were qualified,” Shippou said.

“Because of his damn crush!” Inuyasha blurted out.

Shippou frowned at him. “I hate you!” He yelled.

“So, I’ve been a fool. You were all laughing at me for thinking you worked for the government.” Kagome began to laugh. It wasn’t a happy laugh, but a dark, cynical one.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha and Shippou looked at her worriedly.

She laughed louder. “I’m such a stupid, fool!”

“Will you stop that! You’re freaking us out!” Inuyasha yelled.

She stopped and gave them a cold look. “I’m going to my room,” she said in an eerily quiet voice.

They watch her walk slowly away and jumped when she slammed the door, hard.

“What do you think she’s going to do?” Shippou asked afraid.

“I don’t know!” Inuyasha snapped back. He didn’t like the look in Kagome’s eyes or the way she was acting.

An hour later....

“Maybe we should check on her,” Shippou said.

“You check on her,” Inuyasha said.

Both were a little afraid to go near Kagome.

“She probably hates me,” Shippou said.

“You don’t think she hates me?” Inuyasha yelled.

“We should go at the same time.” Shippou said.

“Fine! I’m not afraid of her. She’s just Kagome.” Inuyasha said, huffing up and walking to the room. Shippou followed behind him.

They stood at her door. Shippou knocked softly. “Kagome?”

No answer.

Inuyasha turned the door knob. It was locked. He stuck his nose in the crack of the door, sniffing.

“What are you doing?” Shippou asked him as he continued to sniff.

“What the fuck!?” Inuyasha tore off the door knob and knocked the door against the wall. She was gone! The window was wide open with the curtains blowing in the back in the wind. “Shit!” He cursed darkly.

“Where did she go!?” Shippou shouted.

But Inuyasha had already jumped out the window.

***********************************************************************

“Go, go, go!” Kagome shouted as she floored the gas pedal. She couldn’t get out of town fast enough even though her speedometer was at the maximum. She didn’t care that she was driving recklessly through town, barely missing cars, pedestrians, and running through every red light and stop sign she passed by. She was almost out of the dangerous city and nothing was going to make her go back. She couldn’t believe she had been working for the mafia and her own grandfather had betrayed her. The only man in the world she trusted the most had lied to her, deceived her. He could have told her the truth. Inuyasha, Sango, Shippou, Miroku, all the people she had called her friends had known. She never wanted to see them again.

She sighed in relief when she finally made it out of the city and onto the dark, country road that led to her small town. Only one more hour and she’d be home, but then what came after that? The mafia knew where she lived. Was she endangering her family by leaving? She’d been so determine to get out of the city, that she hadn’t thought about it.

Clunk!

Kagome froze in fear. What was that noise?

Clank!

Her car began to shake violently, then gradually slow down.

“No!” She yelled stomping on the gas pedal. “Don’t stop now!” But it was no use, it slowed down until it came to a stop. Smoke billowed from under the hood. Kagome got out and opened the hood, coughing when the smoke covered her face. For two years her car had served her well and now when she needed it the most, it decided to break, leaving her stranded in the middle of nowhere. “You stupid car! You really are a piece of crap!” She yelled at it angrily, kicking it with her shoes. The rim fell off the front tire making a loud, uncomfortable, noise in the dark, quiet, night. Kagome looked around. It was so dark, she couldn’t see. There were no lights on the country road and her car lights had went out when her car stopped. Her legs began to hurt. She rubbed the bandages on them and noticed they were wet. Great. She was stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and bleeding to death. Could things get any worse?

A loud, long, eerie howl pierced through the darkness.

‘Okay, I was wrong,’ Kagome thought as her body began to tremble in terror. She scrambled back in the car, rolled up her windows, and locked the door. The howls began to multiply and they sounded like they were getting closer. Suddenly, they stopped. She didn’t know what was worse, the howls or the eerie quietness.

Wham! She screamed in terror. Something had landed heavily on top of her car causing it to shake with it’s weight. The image of a face pressed against her side window. Two glowing, red eyes stared at her.

“Ummm, I smell the delicious blood of an innocent, young, woman,” said a masculine voice.