Chapter 27 - Snake

Inuyasha's eyes slowly blinked open as he began to awaken. He sat up in his bed and he looked over at the sleeping girl beside him. He watched her peaceful face and smiled softly at her innocence. She rolled over onto her side, the blanket falling off her and revealing her bare torso. His eyes caught a glimpse of the 2-inch-long, tan scar that stood out against her porcelain skin. His finger traced the outline of the healed wound as his mind drifted.

/Flashback/

"Kikyo?"Fade questioned, looking up from her sitting position on her bed. She had been restricted to bed rest after having recovered from Claude's spell. Inuyasha nodded, his expression pained. Neither Kagome nor Mimic would tell him about Kikyo's revival which Kagome had mentioned when she returned. His last resort was the girl before him. He knew it was selfish to ask her to tell him about a situation that had caused her so much pain, but he couldn't ignore the thought of Kikyo being alive.

"No one else will tell me a thing. I need to know. Please." Fade's eyes widened as that word passed through his lips. Please? Inuyasha was begging her? She now noticed the pain in his eyes and the sorrowful aura that had surrounded him. He continued to look at her with those sad, pleading eyes. She couldn't help but notice that he looked like a sad little puppy that you would see on those animal rescue commercials. She sighed.

"You're lucky that I have a soft spot for dogs." She whispered and then let out another sigh as she turned her head to look out the window. "During that time when we were being held hostage, Naraku had visited us. He was admiring the jewel inside of Kagome… he had his hands all over her." She paused as she heard Inuyasha emit a low growl. The corners of her mouth moved slightly upwards at his jealousy. "And then... Kikyo entered." She watched for his reaction and was slightly shocked at how… passive he appeared. She figured he was doing everything within his power to remain calm. "There was no doubt that it was the priestess… however, it was not the Kikyo all of us were expecting. She was not the fallen priestess made of clay and graveyard soil. She was made of flesh and blood. She was literally alive." Fade whispered and she heard Inuyasha's sharp intake of breath. Fade's lips pressed together in a hard line as she hesitated to reveal more.

"Wait. You said she was literally alive." Inuyasha started, his eyes widening some. "Was as in past tense…" He whispered and stared at her with disbelief. She continued to stare outside; refusing to meet his gaze. This was all the information he needed to draw a conclusion.

"No.." He whispered. The pain in his voice caused her to turn her head and look at him for the first time since starting her story. She fought the urge to tell him the truth, to ease his pain. Instead, she nodded.

"After Kikyo entered and helped Naraku extract the jewel from Kagome, Naraku left her there with us. She then healed Kagome with her spiritual powers… and then Crystal came and killed her. She decapitated her." Fade whispered and watched both pain and anger consume his face. She wished she could tell him the truth. Tell him that her being beheaded was a mere illusion called genjutsu, which Crystal had mastered far past any other. She wanted to tell him that Kikyo was alive… but she couldn't. It would jeopardize everything. She slowly shifted her legs so they dangled off her mattress and for the first time since having first awoken, she began to walk towards the hanyou. She moved slowly and stumbled a few times before reaching him, but her determination kept her going even though she felt a searing pain with every step she took.

Inuyasha felt his vision blurring as his rage consumed him. Images of the priestess flashed in his mind. He could feel his transformation beginning and he allowed it. He wanted his demon senses to enhance so he could find the one responsible for Kikyo's death and make them face pain far worse than dying. He would make them pay. He was brought back to reality when he felt two fists grasping the front of his haori. He could feel the tiny, weak fists shake slightly. His blood-red eyes dissolved back into his usual amber orbs and his claws reverted back to their normal size, along with his fangs. He looked down to see Fade struggling to hold herself up. He could feel most of her body weight was leaning on him for support.

"Hey! What are you, crazy? You shouldn't be walking around." He yelled, grabbing her shoulders and helping her stand upright.

"Don't… don't go charging towards something you will eventually regret. " She whispered, her eyes squinting from the pain she was in. His eyes widened slightly at her words before softening. He had known this girl for a long time… and never once had he seen her like this. He already put her through a rough patch by having her tell him about that incident… and now she was pushing her body in order to comfort him. "Inuyasha," She whispered. "Kikyo… Kikyo is gone now… but Kagome is still here. Don't ignore the living…" She smiled softly and her eyes began to close as her strength leaves her legs and she starts to fall to the ground.

Inuyasha gathers her in his arms before she hit the ground and sighed after realizing she was asleep. He lifted her up and carried her back to her bed. Once her body hit the mattress, she rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball while burying her face into her pillow. He laughed slightly before covering her up. He stared at her face and remembered her words: Don't ignore the living.

He knew in the past he had done that. He would chase after Kikyo whenever he could and left Kagome alone. He had almost lost Kagome by doing so. However, he could not just forget Kikyo. He loved Kagome more than anything, but Kikyo was the first person who showed him that he could love. He didn't love Kikyo the same way he use to, but he does consider her to be very precious.

And yet again, she had been taken from his life.

/End of Flashback/

Don't ignore the living.
He watched as Kagome breathed in and out slowly, obviously in a deep sleep. He placed his hand on her cheek and moved his face towards her. He gently pressed his lips to hers and made a silent vow: He will never let Kagome go through the same thing as Kikyo. Never.

xXxXxXx

Rin stood on top of the roof, hunched over and panting. Sweat covered his brow and his demonic features were visible. Sebastian stood a few feet in front of him, his expression blank. Unlike the boy before him, he didn't have a scratch on him. The older demon sighed and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Honestly, I had expected more from one of the sons of Satan." Sebastian muttered, his eyes watching the boy, who was trying to catch his breath, with amusement. Rin clenched his jaw and clenched the hilt of his sword. Sebastian was not an easy tutor and he had years of experience as opposed to him. However, he has noticed that his fighting style is a bit slower than usual. It was probably because Sebastian's girlfriend was bedridden, but still. Even in a weaker state, Sebastian still kicked his @$$ and smeared it all over the Tower. Rin sighed. This was the only way to get strong enough to fight Satan.

Yukio watched from behind the rooftop's door, a worried expression on his face. He watched Sebastian take no mercy on his brother, and it was obvious that Rin was at his limit.

"Maybe it was a bad idea having that demon tutor him…" Yukio muttered, thinking about whether to break the deal or not. He felt someone tap him on his shoulder and he quickly turned around with alarm. He saw one of the newer members, Finny, smiling up at him.

"Mister Sebastian is teaching your brother, right?" The boy asked and Yukio nodded.

"Yes, although I don't think he is well-suited enough to teach him…" Yukio whispered.

"What? But Mister Sebastian is the best tutor ever!" Finny exclaimed, a shocked expression on his innocent face. "Why, back when I first came to work for the young master, I didn't know a thing at all! I couldn't read, write, or even speak proper English. But, Mister Sebastian sat down with me and taught me how to read and write! It took him a long time though, but he never gave up on me!" Finny exclaimed and clasped his hands together. "He taught Mei Rin and Bard too! He also helps the young master with school whenever his actual tutor could not make it." Finny giggled and peered around the door to see Sebastian instructing Rin. "If Mister Sebastian is the teacher, you can count on your brother becoming stronger!" Finny exclaimed before running down the stairs. "Bye~!"

Yukio was at a loss for words as he watched the flamboyant boy run off. He had never seen a person speak so fondly of a demon… He wondered if that young boy knew Sebastian's true form or not. However, Sebastian seemed to have somewhat of a soft side to him. Perhaps this training will help his brother.

xXxXxXx

"What in God's name is that?" Beastboy exclaimed as he opened the front door. He had been casually walking around the lower grounds of the Tower when he heard someone knocking at the front door. He had assumed it was the mailman delivering their daily dose of fan mail, but when he opened the door, he was shocked to see a man with pale green skin and scales all over his body. Not to mention there was a dark green snake around his neck. He then noticed two others standing behind the snake-like man. The two looked Asian, but he couldn't really tell what country they were from. He'd say either Japan or China… but knowing his luck, they were probably from some unknown country and would be extremely insulted if he greeted them with the little Japanese he knew. Them aside, he couldn't stop staring at the scaly man dressed in a black footman's suit.

"My oh my… is this how one greets another in this country?" The Asian man said with amusement. His eyes were not visible and it appeared that they were closed. His arms were placed inside his large sleeves. Beastboy assumed this was his country's basic attire. The Asian girl however… well… she looked like a prostitute.

"Well, no… but… I was kind of surprised to see that at my door." Beastboy answered a bit sheepishly and stared at the snake man. The Asian man turned his head towards the other male and noticed his discomfort.

"Is he really that shocking? Perhaps I have just gotten use to him." He mused while smiling.

"…how?" Beastboy blurted without thinking as he stared at the scales on the boy's face.

"The same way we have gotten use to your green skin, elf boy." Patzie said, coming up from behind Beastboy and resting her arm on his head; leaning against the shorter boy. Her green eyes scanned the three quickly. "Well well… who do we have here?" Patzie asked while staring at the girl who seemed to be observing her every move.

"Ah, before we give our names, could you please tell us whether the young Earl Phantomhive is residing here or not?" The Asian man asked, that same amused smile on his face. The other male's eyes lit up at the name.

"Yes, is Smile here?" He exclaimed, freaking out Beastboy yet again who didn't know the snake man could talk.

"Smile? Earl Phantomhive?" Patzie asked while raising her eyebrow. "Who're they?"

"Phantomhive… Wait! Isn't that Ciel's last name?" Beastboy asked while looking up at Patzie.

"So the Earl is here…" The Asian man mused before walking in to the Tower. The girl shadowed his every step, as did the other male.

"Hey! You can't just waltz in here! We don't even know your names!" Beastboy exclaimed before running after them. The Asian man stopped dead in his tracks and Beastboy had to quickly stop to avoid crashing into him.

"I didn't? Oh my. My name is Lau." Lau motions over to the woman who was now clinging to his arm. "This is Ran Mao. And that," He points to the other male. "Is Snake."

"Oh." Beastboy muttered. 'Lau…? Ran Mao? So they're Japanese then!' "Ahh.. Kohnichiwah." Beastboy said and bowed. Both Ran Mao and Lau stared at him with blank expressions. Patzie then smacked Beastboy over the head, the force making him fall on his face. She then turned towards the two and sighed.

"Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn wǒ de péngyǒu shénme xiāngdāng yúchǔn de qǐng yuánliàng tā." She said in an apologetic tone and bowed.

"Tā shì hǎo de. Tā chángcháng fāshēng." He replied and waved her off.