Present Time: The Re-Write 1/?

[animealam]

Title: Present Time: The Re-Write 1/?
Series: Inuyasha
Author: animealam (a.k.a. alandrem)
Rating: This chapter is R
Warnings: AU, Some characters may be a bit OOC. Violence, the mention of drug use, attempted rape, and bad language. The characters are OOC. This story will live up to the M rating as I plan to add a bit more violence and/or gory details. I believe the original version was a bit mild in that respect. I knew that later on there would be some rather gory scenes as telosphilos and I originally planned, so I decided that adding a bit more description to certain scenes would only enhance the story. This warning will be in every chapter to avoid problems even though not all have violence or gory scenes.
Summary: Inuyasha discovers the present is more dangerous than he was led to believe.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Although I'll probably add a couple more characters of my own imagination.
Author's Notes: Present Time was my second fanfiction. The first was a Blue Seed one that for some reason Fanfiction.Net took down at about the same time that the first posting of Present Time was taken down too. I had then 336 reviews, so summed up with the ones that I have already on the second posting, I'm quite pleased to say that Present Time has over 1,100 reviews for that thanks to all the readers.


It has been a long time since it was originally posted. Initially it was only my own work, but in later chapters I had the help of telosphilos. She originally started as a beta and then as my idea bouncing wall until she became quite active a participant in the creation of this fic.

For some time my muses decided to write just Harry Potter fanfiction and I have to admit anything Inuyasha got relegated. It was also because I lost my hard drive -where I had stored all my anime- and later my streamload account -where I also had stored a lot of anime- that I simply stopped watching anime for a few years. I never did finish Inuyasha, and for that reason this story will be an AU, Alternate Universe for those that don't know. There won't be anything mentioned past episode 90, or probably earlier, since I frankly based this story on much earlier episodes.

Despite how long it has been since I last updated, I am pleased and extremely flattered that there are still people reading Present Time and reviewing. For a time I had a yahoo group, but due to real life and too much interest in Harry Potter I was not able to manage it, and in the end I removed it. The last I knew from the group was that there was some talk of people continuing Present Time. THEY DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISION TO DO SO, unless it is telosphilos. She alone knows where we were going with the story. If you read a version of Present Time that is not posted either here, Fanfic-zone.net, my LiveJournal, or my blog then please PM me with the URL so I can see if it's the original or someone plagiarized it.

I have decided to continue the story, and since my writing style has progressed from what it was originally I also decided to re-vamp Present Time. There is much that can be done to improve the story and hopefully it will indeed be better, more complete, and have more time to develop the plot, as everything was happening way too fast. I was not giving the characters enough time to develop with the changes. There will be noticeable changes in the story, hence the change of name and being posted as a different story. I'm also planning to correct the formatting since ff.net removed the characters that I used as breaks.

I'm going to rate this M for violence, the mentions of drug use, alcohol abuse, rape, and bad language. Chapter 19 is the lemon so far, but depending on the pace of this re-write it might end being a later chapter. There are really long chapters, over 10,000 words, so I might have to split them into smaller ones if I make changes to them. That is the reason why The Rewrite might be longer in chapters. As to the lemon it will be posted in Fanfic-Zone.net and my blog when I reach the appropriate time in the story. It used to be in MediaMiner.org, but for some reason it got deleted. I never knew why. I'm not sure if I'll ever post there again.

Tell me what you think about the new version. Do you like this one better or the other?

The original chapter was 3,286 words. This chapter is 6,013. I'm not counting the author notes.

Chapter 1

It was late, and she should have been home two hours ago before it got dark. Knowing her hanyou companion, Inuyasha was probably waiting outside her window in a foul mood. She knew it would be too much to hope for him to return to the past without her. Frankly, she did not care all that much what he did. She spent a large part of her time at the Sengoku Jidai with him and the others, and her life in the present was simply put aside for his convenience. Not this time though. This time the temptation to spend a relaxing afternoon with her friends and to watch a decent movie was just too much. Kagome believed she deserved a break from the pressure she was in on either side of the well. So she gave in to her friends insistence without much of a protest.

Kagome decided to take a shortcut through Sakura Park despite it being late and really dark. It was the shortest route to the shrine, and as far as she knew it was safe to go through at night. She did not realize that lately there had been several muggings and some murders on the area. All of the victims had been young women, or teenage girls. Had she not spent so much of her time in the Sengoku Jidai, she would have been aware of what was happening by either word of mouth, or by hearing it on the city news.

The young woman had been walking at a fast pace for at least ten minutes, when the feeling that she was being followed started. At first it was only a tingling in the back of her mind, but soon the sensation was too strong to ignore it. Kagome stopped for a brief moment and turned around to see if there was someone behind her, but she could not see anyone. The path she took was unusually dark, when normally all the paths that led to the center of the park were well lighted. Only one out of every four lights was working casting too many shadows, and barely allowing her to see ahead. But it had been a long time since she trekked through Sakura Park at night, so things might have changed.

The fleeting thought that the one following her might be that impatient hanyou crossed her mind, but she pushed it aside almost immediately. Inuyasha would have made his presence known by now, protesting and cursing loud enough to be heard at the other side of the well. Besides, his youki was too familiar for her not to have the sensation memorized. She could not sense it. In fact, if someone was indeed behind her tracks, it had to be one hundred percent human. That was surprisingly NOT as comforting a thought as it should be.

Kagome cursed under her breath -Inuyasha would have been proud of her repertoire if he had been present- and lamented not having her bow and arrows at hand. They were just too cumbersome to be effective as a weapon in modern day Tokyo. Still, she had gotten quite good with them, and she felt safe while carrying them. The young girl started walking faster, and was almost to the end of the trees. The street lights shone brightly, and would provide a measure of safety once she was in a more crowded area. Kagome heard steps coming closer, the hairs at the back of her neck raised in warning, and she increased her speed. Without stopping she turned around and saw a large, dark silhouette that was gaining on her.

The young teenager felt fear run through her veins, all her senses warning her that whoever it was, it was definitely dangerous, despite it being a human. She broke at a full run hoping to escape her pursuer, only to crash head on against a form standing in her path. She bounced back with the force of her momentum and fell on her butt with a thud, slightly dazed from hitting the large man before her. He had remained standing, unmoved by the crash against him. Kagome scrambled to her feet, being on the ground left her at a disadvantage, and looked at the obstacle before her. Her brown eyes wide with fear.

"Hey Takashiro look at what we've got here!" The figure in front of her called her pursuer, who had just caught up with them. "Ain't she a beauty?"

"Yup, she's a hot lookin' chick. Wanna play with us darlin'." He got uncomfortably close to her.

"Look sirs I have to go home," she said nervously standing up. "My parents are waiting for me," she stalled, her eyes darted every which way to find a way to escape, or someone to help her. Only now did she realize that the path had been unusually deserted. While it was late, it was not too late. There were usually people around at that hour, either joggers, or some of the kids that got together at the play grounds at the center of the park.

"Nah, you won't be goin' there in a while girl." He came closer, invading her personal space.

'INUYASHAAAAAA!' She screamed in her mind, but Kagome knew he would not be able to hear her even if she screamed aloud.

"Me and Bunko wanna take you to a lil' priv'te party," the one behind her said getting a hold of her hair, and pulling the frightened young woman close.

Kagome began to panic. How was she going to get out of this situation on her own? Usually Inuyasha rescued her, or Miroku, Sango, even Kirara were always there for her. But they were all at the Sengoku Jidai. She never let them come with her to the present, and while Inuyasha did come through the well, she never allowed him to leave the shrine's grounds. The young girl tried to scream for help but the guy -Takashiro- placed a hand over her mouth. She struggled when she felt the guy's hot breath on her neck before he licked it, and then bit her hard enough to bruise. Kagome whimpered, but she would not give the bastard the satisfaction of hearing her scream in pain. Her attacker reeked of sweat, alcohol, and something smoky that she could not identify. It made her nauseous. The hand that only a moment before grabbed her hair was now roughly and painfully caressing her sensitive breasts. Kagome knew, in her panic filled mind, that they intended to rape her unless she found a way to escape from them.

The young woman desperately searched for a way out. Her eyes focused on the street ahead. She could see people passing by; it was a much transited avenue, one of the main streets in the area. If she screamed loud enough -and according to Inuyasha she was loud enough to wake the dead- someone might hear her, and either come to check, or call the police. So she gathered all her strength, and bit the hand that was clamped on her mouth hard enough to draw blood. The man yelped in pain and released her swearing. It gave the young girl the time she needed to scream her lungs out for help. The other guy reacted promptly, and tried to silence her with a hard punch to her cheekbone that bloodied her nose, and split her lip. Kagome was left feeling dizzy and having trouble to focus. It silenced her for a moment.

"Shuddup you bitch!" He hissed not wanting to draw attention.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASEEEE! HEEEELP!" Kagome just opened her mouth again and kept screaming. The man, Bunko, approached to punch her again, but she managed to plant a well aimed kick to his loins.

"Arrrrrrhhhhhh! Fucking whore!" He cried out as he doubled up in pain. But his partner had managed to recover and hit her on the face as he grabbed her hair.

The one that held her was furious. It was clear that he had not expected much resistance. Kagome struggled despite the pain. He slammed her face first against a tree, and she almost fainted this time. By sheer will power and stubbornness Kagome managed to remain conscious. If she passed out, only Kami-sama knew if she would survive what these guys did to her. Despite not being in her time all that much she was not naive. She was aware that not all rape victims were left alive. She was still pressed face first against the tree trunk when Kagome felt a hand fumbling with her panties. That renewed her struggles, but they only helped the bastard to rip them off. His hand touched her roughly were no one had touched her before.

"NO! No, no, no! Let me go!" she screamed. "Let me go pleaseeee!"

Her screams went unheeded as her attacker tore her blouse and bra leaving her back exposed. His rough hands came around her body bruising her where they touched, as his mouth bit her neck and shoulder hard enough to leave marks. With his body trapping her against the tree he had his hands free to roam all over her body. She was trembling in terror, her mind going blank for a moment. Only to come back feeling this was all her fault. This was happening to her because she had not been at the shrine when she should have. Tears of fear and despair rolled down her cheeks.

Kagome was so scared that she could only whimper in fright. The part of her mind that held her survival instinct screamed at her to do something to stop the hands, to save herself. She fought youkai; beasts with more power than mere humans had, and she had survived them. She had strong Miko powers, and they had served her well before, she just needed to focus them as Kaede-obaa chan told her. They worked against both, youkai and humans. Kagome concentrated, and felt her power course through her. She managed to twist her body a bit in a wild and desperate attempt at freedom. That gave her enough room to concentrate her power on her arm, and she elbowed her attacker on the stomach with enough force not only to knock some air out, but to send him flying away from her.

The other attacker was stunned at the display of strength that she pulled. It was enough for her to push herself away from the tree, and bolt in a burst of speed towards the street and the safety it promised. It helped that she was in top physical condition due to her travels and their fights, as well as practicing with the bow. It had given her strong arms, strength that her power had boosted. Kagome ran as fast as she could toward the lighted street, gaining quite a distance from her attackers while they recovered. Then, swearing loudly they raced after their escaping prey. Neither had expected that the girl would be able to get away from them, no one had before.

Thanking God for the good physical condition she acquired during her travels in the Sengoku-Jidai, Kagome managed to out run her pursuers and reach the street. Right in her path was a policeman doing his round. He was walking with little concern, and looked rather bored until he heard her scream for help. He turned in her direction and the scene before his disbelieving eyes appeared to come out of one of those American B movies. A young girl ran half naked from some punks that had either attacked her, or attempted to. He took out his baton (1), and shouted at them to stop and surrender. Of course, not many thugs would simply surrender so instead of doing that both men turned around and ran back to the protective darkness of the park. He went after them weapon in hand, calling for reinforcements on his radio.

Kagome did not stop running. Fear drove her mindlessly to the security of her home. They young Miko was not even aware of the strange looks she received from the people walking down the street as she pushed by them. The shrine was only a couple of blocks away from the park, and Kagome did not even pause at the long flight of stairs, climbing them as if they were nothing. The frightened young woman only stopped long enough to open the door and get inside the house. She did not notice the angry hanyou that came down of the Go-Shimboku ready to start ranting and cussing. Inuyasha did not have the chance to complain about her tardiness. He was left standing outside observing her retreating figure with astonishment, the insults he was about to utter unsaid.

Inuyasha watched Kagome go in, her scent was tinged with fear, the salt of tears, and blood. There was more, much more in her scent, but he was not able to detect it clearly as she had passed by him at full speed. The hanyou narrowed his eyes with concern; something was not right, something bad happened to Kagome. He followed her inside at a slower pace, concentrating on her scent trail. He closed the door behind him. Her mother had told him repeatedly to do so on the few times that he came through the door, as opposed to his usual way of coming through Kagome's window. The fainth scents around the house told him that her family was not home. She probably knew that, because she had not called for them like she usually did. His nose told him she was upstairs, and he went up three steps at a time. The wench was not in her room, but he heard the sound of water running so he guessed she was showering, which was quite strange at that hour.

"Oh God I can't take it off!" She sobbed as she scrubbed her skin until it smarted. "I can't take the stink off!"

In her hurry Kagome had not closed the bathroom door, and Inuyasha tentatively entered the room, his nose twitching slightly. He could see her figure reflected through the shower curtains, but with the steam coming from the shower he probably would not be able to see much for long. She was scrubbing her body frantically and sobbing. It was not normal for Kagome to act like that. He became even more worried when he looked at her discarded clothes. The blouse had many tears and snags on the front. The back was torn, same as the thing she used to bind her breasts and the other skimpy under garment she wore was no where around. He hunkered besides them and examined the blouse. It was dirty, and had blood on it, there were several scents coming off of it that he did not like. The blood was hers, and his heart contracted painfully. She was hurt, and despite the water clearing some of her scent, he could distinguish she was also in a lot of pain.

"Kagome?" He called her tentatively, concern tinting his voice. He forgot that he would probably get 'sat' many times - and be accused of being a hentai- for being there while she bathed. He got no answer as her litany of being unable to remove the stink went on.

'Stink? What stink?' He thought. There was the scent of pain, but he knew it was not an odor humans could distinguish easily, if at all.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and sniffed carefully. This time he concentrated on all the scents in the room. He could smell soap, her personal scent, the mixture of concoctions she used on her hair that smelled so nice, there was her fear, and her pain of course, but nothing more defined. Then on a whim he smelled her blouse and he found it there, only the faintest of traces, but enough for his nose to discover. The foul smell of a man's blood, rancid sweat, arousal, something that had been fermented -probably some kind of alcoholic beverage- and a smoky substance that cloyed in his nostrils and made him sneeze. Inuyasha unconsciously began to growl as soon as the scent of the man's arousal was identified; He did not like the smell of that, just as he did not like the other odors on her blouse. Her terror was almost overpowering.

"Kagome?" He called her again. Raising his eyes from her torn garments he saw her still scrubbing herself furiously.

'She's going to peal off her skin if she doesn't stop.' He was really worried now. She was acting very strange. He knew Kagome liked to bathe, but this was too much.

"Damn it Kagome! Answer me! What in the seven hells is wrong with you?" He asked his tone a bit harsh, concealing his worry. He still got no answer, but she did pause a moment before resuming with her scrubbing. "Come on bitch answer me!" To that he did get a reaction, a loud sob and she shivered behind the curtain, but he could not see her face. "Stop that! You're going to scrub yourself bloody!"

"I can't get rid off the stench!" She sobbed in desperation. "No matter how hard I scrub, it won't go away! I can't get clean enough!" Kagome finally answered. "Can't you smell it?"

"No Kagome, your scent is the same you always have, concoctions and all. If you had some other odors on you, you have already washed them off." He was now extremely concerned for her. The scents were on her blouse, not on her anymore, but he suspected that they had indeed been on her before she washed them way. That was not what had him so worried though. It was the fact that she had not even berated him for being inside the bathroom while she was naked behind the shower curtain.

"It's not!" Her voice raised in pitch close to hysterics. "It's not! You lie! That awful smell is all over me. Oh God I feel so dirty!" Those words really set alarms going off in his mind. "So dirty!"

Deciding to risk being 'sat', he turned the shower off. She barely noticed that he had done so. A few visits during the new moon had shown him how to deal with the thing. Then, grabbing a large towel and keeping his eyes on her face, he wrapped her in it, firmly pinning her arms to her sides under the fluffy thing. For a moment he thought she would object, and braced himself for the dreaded word. Instead, as soon as he held her in his arms, she sagged against him, and started crying hard in loud and still terrified sobs. Inuyasha took Kagome to her room, placed the young woman on the bed, and sat beside her. She kept crying, and it appeared she was not able to stop. Her arms came out of the towel and wrapped themselves firmly around his neck, as she buried her face on his shoulder. With this movement the cloth fell all the way to her waist, making the young hanyou a bit nervous.

Awkwardly Inuyasha re-wrapped the towel to her half naked torso. He did not know what to do to comfort her, and maybe get the young woman to tell him what happened. He already had a good idea, he was not naïve, and had seen much in his young life. Still, he wanted her to tell him and confirm his suspicions.

Kagome's heart breaking sobs were playing havoc with him, and he did not know what to do. Then he remembered. When he was a small child, and he was afraid -not that he would admit it even to his Ofukuro- or hurt she would cradle him in her arms. Sometimes she would rock him, caressing his hair and ears, or murmured comforting words. So he awkwardly did the same. He rested his back against the wall and cradled Kagome on his lap stroking her wet hair gently with one hand as he held her close with his other arm.

'What the hell am I doing?' He thought to himself. 'It's not as if I care about her...' He sighed, truth be told he did care, more than he wanted to admit. Seeing Kagome like this was breaking his heart, and making him seethe against those that had dared hurt her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Inuyasha asked softly in a tone she had never heard him use before, full of concern. It was enough to make her react, and she slowly told him about the thugs.

'Damn! What kind of a protector Am I?' He berated himself. 'She's in danger even in her own time, and I wasn't there to save her!' He was furious, not only with the thugs, but with himself as well.

He had promised Kagome that he would protect her. He was not doing a good job if she had been attacked and mauled as she was. Her pretty face was going to have some very nasty bruises, as were her shoulders where that fucking human had bitten her. There were probably going to be many more on her front from where she hit the tree.

'But you do protect her!' A tiny voice in the back of his mind argued. 'You keep her safe at home.'

'She wouldn't have been attacked if I had been protecting her!' His thoughts were tinged with guilt.

'How were you to know this time was dangerous?' And he had to admit the voice was right.

Kagome always told him and the others how wonderful her time was. Not once had she mentioned there were dangers from the humans. Some of the same dangers that lurked in his time for any young female that ventured at night with no escort. He would have thought that human nature would have changed in five hundred years, but it seemed it had not. Not even a little.

"Inuyasha can you teach me to defend myself?" She said in a very small and hopeful tone, once she felt slightly more in control of herself.

The young hanyou had never expected her to ask something like that; teach her to fight? He was not sure he could do that. He had never taught anything to anyone. He learned to fight and wield a sword by watching samurai train. He had an extremely good memory, and if he paid close attention he only needed to see a move performed once, and then practiced it on his own. Knowledge about his power had come as accidents, or necessity to defend himself from bigger Youkai. The only ones who ever taught him something had been his mother, and Hitomi obaa-chan. He learned how to read, write, and do very basic adding and subtracting, among other things, because of their loving patience. But he had not been really interested in learning many of those things when he had been a small pup.

Kagome thought he was not going to answer her question because he was silent for a long time. Truth be told, the girl did not expect him to agree. Inuyasha was a contrary creature, and while he criticized he efforts at archery, he had never offered a hint or allowed her much time to practice. She felt him stiffen for a moment and then slowly relax. Had she looked at him, Kagome would have seen that he was thoughtful. She was about to ask again when Inuyasha finally spoke, but it was not the answer she was expecting.

"Why?" Inuyasha's simple question left her a bit confused. The young woman looked at him this time.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked back a tinge of annoyance in her voice. It brought a slight smile to his lips that ignited a spark of anger in her eyes.

'She's back to her normal self,' he though. His concern for her lessened a bit. 'That's good. She is strong, and seeing her like this is wrong.' He still seethed, though. Those humans were going to pay for hurting and scaring his Kagome.

"What's there to smile about?" She snapped. "I almost got raped Inuyasha!" She shuddered at the thought, but then realized that she could count the times he had smiled almost in one hand.

"That's not what made me smile Kagome. I'm glad you seem to be more yourself," the hanyou surprised her by saying.

"Are you going to teach me how to fight?" Kagome insisted. She needed to know she would be able to defend herself if she ever got assaulted again. She was also going to ask Kaede obaa-chan for more training in using her powers, and not just on herbs and healing. They had been helpful, and were probably the reason she had been able to escape.

"Are you going to tell me why you want to learn?" Inuyasha countered. The young Miko was silent for a moment, her anger evaporated and she said.

"I was afraid... No, I was terrified," she corrected. "I could not protect myself... I... I... I was defenseless... I... learned to rely on you, Miroku, Sango-chan, or even Shippo for protection. But none of you are here in my time to defend me, and... I... I... had forgotten that my time has its own dangers."

'I should have been there to protect you.' For a moment a slight tinge of regret flashed in his eyes.

"But you're not, and you did," he stated calmly ignoring his guilt. She was a brave wench, but her courage was shaken. He could not allow her to remain scared.

"I'm not what, or did what?" She looked at him wide eyed, not really understanding what he meant.

"You are not defenseless wench, and you did protect yourself." His tone was still calm, unlike his usual gruff and rude tone of voice. It was enough to get through to her. He then went to list what she had achieved. "You managed to disable your opponents and run away. It's true you did not come out of that unscathed," and he took in her face. He touched it very gently and carefully leaving her dumbstruck. The left side was beginning to bruise, and he could tell it would be bad. There were more bruises going down her chest and shoulders where she was bitten, as well as scratches from her contact with the tree. "But you did escape before real harm was done. You were also able to use your Miko powers in a rather unusual but effective way. You never did that before Kagome. Is protecting yourself the only reason you want to learn to fight? You've gotten pretty decent with the bow, although you'll probably never make master."

'Is Inuyasha complimenting me?' She thought not believing what she heard, and could not help but stare at the young hanyou. It was not like him, not like him at all. 'Even if he tried to conceal it by putting me down, it sounded as close to a compliment as he would ever give. He's acting strange. Has this affected him as well, I thought he didn't care all that much about me.' But she knew she was wrong, he had shown her more than once that he did care by protecting her.

"A bow would have served no purpose tonight Inuyasha. I cannot go around Tokyo with one. Besides, I just realized I must be a burden to you all during battles. I can't defend myself and that makes you all vulnerable! You're right I'm pretty useless during a fight," she said a bit heatedly.

"Ah come on Kagome cut the crap!" He exclaimed a bit exasperated, sounding more like his usual self. "You know as well as anyone that your arrows have been quite useful during a fight, except at the beginning, with the fucking crow and Yura of the Hair."

'Besides I promised to protect you,' he thought, although he was not sure how he was going to do that in her time. 'It is MY duty to keep you safe.'

"I still want to learn," she told him stubbornly. She would not be easy prey ever again for either youkai or humans. "I trust you Inuyasha, and I know you're a good fighter. Will you teach me?" When he heard that his eyes opened wide.

'She trusts me?' The young hanyou's heart skipped a beat. Kagome had never really admitted that she trusted him. That was why he had to wear the stupid prayer beads, so she had a way to keep him in line, so she could stop him if he tried to harm her, not that he would do it anymore.

"Yeah," he agreed with a sigh. "But I'm not sure if I'll make a good teacher Kagome. I have never taught anything to anyone before, or been taught. I learned watching others train and fight."

"Look to it as a challenge," she said sounding confident. He could never say no to a challenge, it simply was not in his nature; and being a challenge she knew he would do his best.

"Hmmpf" He grunted, and then decided a bit reluctantly that it was time for him to leave and search of those thugs.

He would rather stay there with her. It felt good to be like that with her. Kagome's nice clean scent enveloping him, and her body relaxed against his own without the self consciousness they usually felt when they were together. He enjoyed her closeness a lot, but he should not get used to it. It probably would not happen again. The good things never did for him.

"If you're feeling better, I suggest you put on those silly things you wear when you sleep." His voice was back to his usual gruffness, even if his hold of her was still gentle.

"Huh?" She said, then looked at herself and realized she was completely naked under the towel. Her face turned beet red in shame. He had taken her out of the shower when she had been so out of it with fear and revulsion. Then he sat with her on his lap and snuggled against his chest for a long time, while she was naked underneath. It surprised Kagome that he had been so respectful of her, Miroku would have ogled and groped to his heart content. Still, the young woman was mortified. "Huh? I... it's... well...?" She stammered.

"Look, you were not yourself before Kagome, for your sake I'll pretend this did not happen," he said trying to ease her mortification and a bit worried because she might still 'sit' him.

Kagome scooted off the bed careful to keep the towel modestly covering herself, and she was surprised that Inuyasha had closed his eyes to respect her privacy. She then went to her closet to get a pajama and clean underwear. Inuyasha stood as she was about to change, and went back to the bathroom. He squatted besides her discarded clothes and picked her torn blouse. The young hanyou smelled it carefully trying to memorize the scents coming from it. His nose tickled uncomfortably, one of the odors was the cause. Once sufficient time passed he went back to her room, and walked straight to the window blouse on hand. She turned in time to see him about to leave.

"Ar... Are you leaving?" Her voice sounded a bit panicky, and he regretted having to leave her. But if he waited any longer he might have a hard time finding the thugs. The area where she lived was so large, and there were way too many people around. He did not want to chance loosing their trail.

"I'll be back in a while," he told her not turning. He knew that if he saw her fearful expression he would stay. At the moment it was not a choice. Those humans had to pay for scaring and hurting Kagome.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked softly, although she had a fairly good idea of his destination.

"Hunting," was all he said before jumping to the windows sill ready to go down.

"Inuyasha wait!" He remained perched there waiting for what she had to say. "Be careful, the police might have captured them already and they'll probably try to question you if they see you near, especially if you carry that." She pointed at her torn and bloodied blouse.

"Police? What are this police? You mentioned them earlier." He cocked his head puzzled. There were many new terms and words from her time that he did not understand, or that had never existed back in his.

"The police are like soldiers that are in charge of dealing with those who break the laws. Umm... you probably would call them peace keepers. Killing is not allowed in my time, it's considered a terrible crime..." She explained. Then added just to be sure he understood. "You know what crime is, don't you?"

"Feh, Of course I do!" He retorted indignantly. He might not be as knowledgeable as a scribe or Miroku on some things, but he was not completely ignorant. He just chose not to show it. What use was it to him with the way of life he led?

"Why are you taking it anyway?"

"The scent of one of them is on it, but it's a bit faint among other odors I can't place." He omitted to mention that the thug had not rubbed himself too much on her clothes, probably because he had tried to take them off. Otherwise his scent would have been much stronger. Still, the contact with them was enough for him to follow a scent trail if he located the area where she was attacked. "Taking it will help me track him, and not get misguided by those other smells." It was his time to explain.

Kagome nodded and went to her desk where she wrote something on a piece of paper. She did not know if he could read, but should he be detained by the police he could give the officer her phone number so she could get him out of trouble. Once done she took out a pair of scissors from her desk drawer and got the garment from him. The blouse of her uniform was ruined, so it would not matter if she cut it.

"Is there any part where the scent is stronger?" She asked and he looked a bit puzzled, then sniffed carefully the whole cloth, and pointed to a part of if. She cut the patch and gave it to him. "If the police happen to detain you, having my blouse will make them believe you are one of my attackers..." He was about to protest but she stopped him. "We know you're not Inuyasha, but they don't know you or me for that matter. Besides, your presence is not easy to explain." She paused, then made her way to the dresser and took out a cap from one of the drawers. Jii-chan bought it for her at the last football match they attended. It should be enough to cover his ears should someone see him. "This is to hide your ears, do not take it off." She cautioned, and then went on with what she had been saying. "A little piece of cloth like this one is easier to hide and carry around; and the blouse is torn anyway. I can't fix it, so cutting it doesn't matter since I have to throw it away." Kagome gave him the piece of paper. "If you are detained do not fight the police Inuyasha, give the officer this piece of paper. My name and phone number are there, tell them to call me, and I'll talk to them so they let you go." He looked thoughtfully at the piece of paper squinting a bit, and then nodded in understanding. The hanyou leapt down without a word.

I was told that police men in Tokyo did not carry guns, at least not those wearing uniform. I might be wrong, and if I am please PM me, or leave a note in the reviews. Thanks.

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