InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Ally ❯ No Vacation Part 2 ( Chapter 7 )

Unexpected Ally

 

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

 

Chapter 7: No Vacation Pt. 2

 

Kagome watched as the green-haired youkai sliced into Inuyasha and led him away from the alley.

 

“Inuyasha!” She called after him, but he seemed not to hear her. Kagome grew worried. Something about this didn't seem right. She stepped out cautiously from her place behind the dumpster, looking around for anything that may be causing her ominous feeling. She didn't see anything, and continued towards the end of the alley. She couldn't see them anywhere, and the youki she felt from both of them was growing fainter, moving farther away.

 

She started to call out again, “Inuya—'' but a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth as a strong arm came from behind to grab her around her waist. Kagome froze in fear as the youki crashed full force into her awareness.

 

`It was a diversion to get Inuyasha away from me!' she realized. As she thought this, her anger and determination overcame her fear, letting her move again. She pried alternately at the hand over her mouth and the arm around her body, using her nails to scratch at him. The grip grew tighter, as if to prove he was still in control, and Kagome was lifted up and carried away in the opposite direction of Inuyasha.

 

“You're coming with me, human!” The youkai hissed gruffly next to her ear as he ran through the empty streets.

 

`You can't have it and you can't have me!' Kagome repeated this over and over in her head; a mantra to keep her focused and not let the fear set back in.

 

She continued her assault on her captor, scratching and hitting his arms as hard as she could. Now that her feet were off the ground, she was kicking her legs, catching his knees and shins with her sandaled feet, causing him to laugh mockingly at her attempts. She twisted her body about as much as she could, trying to get him to lose his grip on her. His arms held fast, however, and Kagome was nearing panic once again. The Kag-napping youkai was still running, but in a searching manner. Kagome could hear him muttering, “C'mon, where is it, where is it?” and wondered if he was asking about the jewel, but soon recognized that he was actually talking to himself.

 

Kagome reached back to his face and tried clawing at it, searching for his eyes in order to cause as much pain as possible. She yelped in pain, behind the hand over her mouth, as her fingers were caught by sharp fangs. A shudder of disgust ran through her as the mouth closed around her wounded fingers to suck the blood that was drawn. She pulled them back out as quickly as she could, and started attacking his arms again, screaming muffled cries of protest.

 

“Don't worry, bitch, there's more of that in store for you once I get you back to the Master,” he promised maliciously. “Now, if only—ah, finally!”

 

Kagome puzzled at his last comment, but all thought left her, panic taking complete control, when a black hole started forming a block ahead of them. The youkai picked up speed again and headed right for the dimensional tear.

 

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

 

Kurama sat back down in his chair just as Kuwabara was reaching for his plate. The orange-haired boy briefly mourned the loss of the extra meal, but soon let his curiosity take over.

 

“What was that all about, Kurama?”

 

“It was nothing,” Kurama said with a sigh, “I just thought I saw something.”

 

“What was it? A youkai?” Kuwabara exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

 

“No, no, nothing like that,” Kurama waved his hand at his friend in protest, smiling good-naturedly, “It was nothing, don't worry about it!” Kurama began eating his food.

 

(Nonsense,) Youko insisted, (There most certainly was something, and you had better explain to me right now why we are not going after her!)

 

`We lost her. What would you have me do, Youko, search the whole town for a girl whose face we've never seen?'

 

Kurama sweatdropped as he felt Youko giving him a glare that clearly said, “Of course, why not?” inside their head. Kuwabara raised his eyebrows in concern over his friend's antics. Kurama was too busy with his internal argument to give the boy an explanation, though.

 

`Youko, you can't even give me a good reason why we were chasing after her in the first place. We don't have time to chase after a faceless girl, or have you forgotten our assignment?'

 

(Of course I have not forgotten, kit, but that does not mean that is all I have to think about. I want her; and what I want, I get. I am not Makai's most-infamous thief for nothing, you know. Besides, you were drawn to her, too, or have you forgotten it was your decision to go after her?)

 

`With no lack of encouragement on your part.'

 

(Nevertheless, it was your decision; or will you try to claim that I exerted control over your body without your knowledge?)

 

`No, I'll admit it was my will moving our body. I was drawn to her, but why? She'd probably just be another nuisance, like the girls at school, so why do I feel the need to make myself known to her?'

 

(No, there is something different about this girl. I cannot say what, but my instincts tell me she would be different from the mindless, rabid onna in your fan club. Who knows, she might even be enough to keep my interest for more than one night.)

 

`Is that what this is all about?' Kurama exclaimed incredulously to the fox.

 

(Please, Kurama, do not act surprised. I have been cooped up in your virgin body now for sixteen years. Now there is a chance we may find a partner we are both interested in and you don't expect me to want to take advantage of the opportunity? Sometimes I swear you neglect our body just to torture me.) Kurama blushed a bit at the comment, earning another curious look from Kuwabara.

 

The discussion over the mystery girl most likely would have continued into more heated territory, had Botan not popped up around a corner and ran up to their table.

 

“Oh, good, I finally found you two, at least!”

 

“What's up, Botan?” Kuwabara questioned.

 

“Another breakthrough! It's very close by, and I can't find Yuusuke or Hiei. You guys will have to go after it on your own while I keep looking for your teammates.”

 

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

 

Inuyasha stood by the abandoned dumpster once again and slammed the fist of his good arm into the side of it, leaving a large dent. He growled in frustration and anger.

 

`How could I have been so stupid?' He yelled at himself inside his mind. `I should never have left her alone. I should've known it was a trap!' Inuyasha felt the prickle of tears behind his eyes, but refused to let them surface. Now was not the time to breakdown. He had to think; he had to find her!

 

The inu-hanyou started sniffing all around the alley, starting from where he had last left Kagome. The scent wasn't too old, and he was able to pick it up rather quickly, along with whatever had taken her. Inuyasha bared his fangs, growling once more as he leapt off in the same direction the scent led him. The trail led him through the little neighborhoods filled with houses, past a couple small shrines, and, finally, into an abandoned area of the Industrial section of the city.

 

Inuyasha leapt over a chained gate, having just run through the empty parking lot of a factory, and continued down the streets of a rundown neighborhood. He finally spotted Kagome and her kidnapper a few blocks away, after passing many tiny houses and turning many corners, following the scent-trail. When he saw them, he absently noticed that the youkai looked similar to the other one, but with purple hair instead of green.

 

Inuyasha's eyes flashed red momentarily as he suddenly caught a whiff of Kagome's blood. They quickly returned to gold as his senses told him it was not a mortal wound, but the realization did nothing to calm Inuyasha's anger. Fueled by one streaming thought, `I'm gonna kill that fucker for hurting Kagome,' Inuyasha sped up even further as he neared the girl he'd sworn to protect.

 

“Kagome!” he called out. He saw her try to turn towards his voice, but the youkai prevented the action. It was then that Inuyasha saw what the youkai was running towards. `Another one?' Inuyasha's eyes went wide in horror as it dawned on him that he wouldn't reach her in time. She was going to be pulled into another one of those strange holes that Mr. Green Hair had escaped through.

 

Inuyasha felt parts of the atmosphere around him being pulled into the portal, and noticed that both the trail of youki and the scent-trail were disappearing. He felt hopeless as he realized that if Kagome went through that portal, he would have no trail to follow to find her, even if he could figure out how to tear open the world just as these youkai seemed able to do. “Kagome, no!” he shouted, just as the Kag-napper made a final leap towards the black opening.

 

What happened next, though, caused Inuyasha to stumble and stare wide-eyed at the scene before him.

 

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

 

Kagome heard Inuyasha scream her name just as the hole grew big enough to fit through. She tried to look towards him, but was only able to catch a glimpse from the corner of her eye before her captor reasserted his control on her head. It was enough of a glimpse, however, to know he couldn't make it to her in time. She felt the tears in her eyes stream down her face at this thought, and she almost thought she could pass out from the stress of her worries. Then she felt the lurch of the youkai leaping towards the opening.

 

Suddenly, something inside her felt like it ripped open. It wasn't painful, it was powerful. It was overwhelming. It surged through her mind, through her body, from her very soul. Kagome's vision blurred and her head swam at the feeling of raw energy being unleashed within her. She saw a bright light flash all around her, and she heard a horrible howl of pain. Was it hers? She didn't feel in pain, but she couldn't be sure. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and she had the sensation that she was floating.

 

`Is this the afterlife?' her clouded mind couldn't grasp what had just happened. Perhaps she had died when they went through the portal? Was this what it felt like to be a bodiless soul? She stared blankly at the blurry world around her as she continued to float.

 

Soon, the sensation changed. She was no longer floating; she was falling. She barely registered the shift before she hit the ground with a thud, her legs collapsing underneath her before she fell face-first onto the hard surface. Well, she thought it would be a hard surface. It certainly had been for her legs. Kagome immediately realized, however, that it was softer than expected… and warm. Her mind snapped to attention, remembering her current predicament of being abducted, when she noticed she had landed in someone's arms instead of on the ground. Her head shot up quickly to see the face of the youkai that held her.

 

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

 

Inuyasha stood transfixed to his spot as he stared at the raven-haired miko and purple-haired youkai. Or, rather, what had been the purple-haired youkai.

 

In that instant that Mr. Purple Hair had leapt towards the black hole, a bright pink flash had erupted from Kagome. The hair on Inuyasha's arms, neck and ears had stood on end at the crackle of purifying energy that buzzed so close to him. Luckily, he was just out of reach of the damaging reiki. Kagome's abductor, however, wasn't so lucky. The purification energy sparked and sizzled as it engulfed him, burning through layer upon layer of skin, muscle and bone as he howled in pain and terror. It was agonizingly slow, though to anyone watching it happened in a flash. Finally, his screams stopped as the pink light ate through his diaphragm and lungs and up his throat to his vocal chords and tongue. His head was the last to go, eyes practically popping out of their sockets from the shock and horrible sensations. He was burnt to a crisp and fell to the ground, nothing more than a pile of ash.

 

Inuyasha watched as Kagome floated in midair, seemingly held up by the remnants of her reiki. After a few seconds, though, it disappeared completely; Kagome began to fall. Inuyasha screamed silently at his body to move, catching her upper body just before her head hit the ground. His torn arm greatly protested the action, sending pain shooting through the nerves and muscles near his wound. Inuyasha ignored it for the time being. He had to get Kagome away from the dimensional tear that was still pulling at them. He wasn't sure if it would eventually grow strong enough to suck them both into its inky-black depths.

 

He looked down at Kagome to see if she was okay, and was relieved to see she was looking up at him with relief and recognition on her face. He smiled as he let out a breath he'd been holding since he'd seen the youkai leap towards the portal. “Kagome, you're okay!”

 

“I didn't die?” Kagome asked. She smiled as she flung her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, “Inuyasha, you saved me! I was so scared. I didn't think you'd reach me in time!” She looked up at him again, to make sure he was real, and remembered the wound on his arm as she saw his blood-stained shirt. “Oh, Inuyasha, your arm! We have to tie something over that to put pressure on the bleeding!” The blood wasn't too bad anymore, as his arteries had been missed, but there was still some bleeding.

 

Inuyasha tore off his shirt for her to use it on his arm. Then he remembered what she had just said before that. “Kagome, I didn't save you. I tried, but I couldn't reach you in time. You saved yourself.” He looked into her eyes, to make sure she understood him. Her eyes widened.

 

“What? Inuyasha, but… how… I couldn't have done that!” she insisted, pointing to the pile of ash around her.

 

Inuyasha was about to tell her what he'd seen her do, when his ears started swiveling and his nose twitched. He sniffed and looked at Kagome, “I smell the fox again. He's coming this way. We need to get out of here.” He picked her up in his good arm, his newly-bandaged arm hanging at his side, and ran until he thought they were a safe enough distance away.

 

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

 

“What are you waiting for, you fool, go after them!”

 

Mr. Green Hair looked at the person ordering him around as if they were crazy, “Hell no! You saw what that bitch did to my brother! I ain't got no death wish, girly! Why don't you send Pretty Boy over there? I'm through!” he gestured with a jerk of his thumb to the dark-haired teenager currently holding the portal open behind him.

 

“Nonsense,” she retorted, “My son has to hold the portal open. He's the only one that can do it so efficiently, and his other talents are even less expendable. I can't risk his life for her capture, or all my planning would be in vain.”

 

He narrowed his eyes at her, “You knew that human bitch had those powers, didn't you?! Why didn't you have the kid open up a closer portal for my brother? He might've made it back in one piece instead of being left a pile of ashes in Ningenkai!” His eyes widened back open as he caught on to something else she'd just said, “You called him your son? How's that possible when you're—''

 

Cutting him off, she ignored his last question, “I didn't realize the depth of her power, I assure you. That was the most reiki she's ever expended before. As for the portal, my son can only open one at a time, and he was busy saving your ass at the time, if you'll remember. As soon as you were through, and your trail was cleaned up, he prepared the new portal for your brother.” Her eyes snapped to the scene in Ningenkai and she quickly made her way closer to the boy staring blankly into the black hole of his own making. She had been slowly feeding on it for awhile, but now quickly pulled the last bits of evidence of the fight into her being as she saw two redheaded Reikai employees near the site. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, she ordered him to close the barrier once again.

 

Returning her attention to her lackey, she slipped a hand into the front of her obi and pulled out a hidden object, flashing a light across his face as it caught the reflection of the nearby torches. His eyes went wide as he saw it and he began to back away, soon finding himself up against a wall. The item in his pursuer's hands began to glow as it worked its magic on him. Soon, his eyes were blank slates and she smiled in satisfaction, hiding the magical object away once again.

 

“Now,” she said with a smirk, “I believe our friend, here, will be much more cooperative, ne?”

 

“Yes, Okaa-sama.” Her boy companion agreed monotonously, feeling the title would be allowed now that she had revealed their relationship. He bowed to her.

 

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

 

Inuyasha stopped as he realized they were nearing the boardwalk once again and his bloodied and bandaged appearance might raise suspicion.

 

“Set me down, Inuyasha.”

 

Inuyasha looked at her incredulously. “Kagome, we have to keep moving. I'm not risking you getting taken again.”

 

“But, Inuyasha, I need to cast that spell on you so they can't track us by your blood scent!” she insisted, wiggling out of his one-arm-hold on her and turning to face him as she prepared herself for the spell. She had the same determination as the last time she had worked the spell, and it was just as effective as before. This time, however, she did not lose herself in the power of it; she stayed completely conscious and aware of her surroundings.

 

Inuyasha's blood-scent was masked and his wound partially healed, though not completely as it had a few days before, since there was much deeper damage this time. The muscles were mostly repaired, but the wound was still open. Kagome took the bloody shirt remnants off Inuyasha's arm and wet the non-bloodied ends of it in a puddle leftover from the rains. She cleaned off the blood drying on Inuyasha's exposed skin, running the damp material over his arm, side, chest and abs, before throwing the rag in a nearby dumpster. She then untied the sash of her sundress, and had Inuyasha slice through the seam that held it to the dress so she could use it to replace the bandage. Satisfied with her work, she nodded to Inuyasha that they could continue, and he grabbed her hand to hurry into the crowd on the boardwalk around the corner.

 

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

 

Kuwabara and Kurama ran through the streets of the town, following a trail of youki the kitsune-boy had picked up near a dented dumpster. He had also noticed the scent of a human female with the youkai, and worried that there was a hostage this time. The trail led them through many twists and turns around the small city, finally seeming the most concentrated as they neared the dead-end of a rundown neighborhood.

 

They felt a rush of reiki and paused momentarily to look to each other, both of them seeing the same recognition of the power on the other's face. Moments later there was another rush of energy as the trail they had been following was sucked past them, and, as they turned the next corner, they could see the black of a barrier rip as it closed quickly before their eyes. Finally reaching the end of the street, all they found was a rather large pile of ash. The youki was gone and there were no lingering scents, either. Not even the scent of the girl. Both boys groaned in frustration.

 

“Damn!” Kuwabara exclaimed, punching into the pile of ashes. At the contact, a tingle ran through his skin and prickled his spirit awareness. “Whoa, that was weird.” He said more to himself than to Kurama.

 

“What's weird?” Kurama asked.

 

“These ashes… when I touch them I get that weird tingle in my senses. I think they're someone's remains.”

 

Kurama stooped down closer to the ground and tried to sniff out a lingering scent, but he still couldn't pick anything up. `Damn.'

 

Suddenly, both he and Kuwabara stilled as their senses alerted them to another burst of reiki.

 

“You feel that?” Kurama asked, staring in the direction of the reiki.

 

Kuwabara's eyes, as well, did not leave the direction of the power that was screaming through his senses. “Yeah. Not as big as the last one, but it's got the same feel to it.”

 

Kurama nodded once before they both sprinted off towards what they knew could answer at least some of their questions.

 

Soon, they arrived at their destination; the subject of their pursuit, however, was nowhere to be seen. Kurama caught the stench of blood and tracked it to the still-damp remains of a shirt in a nearby dumpster. Kurama wrapped it up inside the light jacket he had been wearing and signaled to Kuwabara to follow him onto the boardwalk.

 

As they walked through the crowd, still on the lookout for the reiki, Youko once again spotted the girl in the pink sundress. She was several feet ahead of them in the crowd, and might have blended in completely with the sea of people, had it not been for her silver-haired companion. A companion, both Youko and Kurama noticed, that was now shirtless and wore a pink sash on his upper arm… and holding the raven-haired girl's hand possessively. Kurama had to stop mid-step to try to exert more control over Youko than usual, as the demon tried to break out and chase after the girl, fully intent on maiming the owner of the hand that was on hers.

 

`Youko, this is ridiculous,' Kurama screamed at his alter ego, his voice somewhat strained from the battle of wills. His legs were shaking, as they tried at once to both move forward and stay in place, and his hands were balled into fists. `We have a job to do, Youko, and, even if we didn't, you can't just go around Ningenkai attacking random humans because they happen to be holding the hand of a girl you've never even met!'

 

(We have to get to her, Kurama. Take me to her now!) Youko pulled as hard as he could on their body, trying to force it to obey his will, but Kurama kept a tight hold on him and remained in control of their body.

 

The girl finally disappeared completely into the crowd, her silver-haired friend not even in sight anymore, and Kurama was finally able to rein Youko back in completely.

 

Kuwabara gaped at his friend in concern and grabbed him by his shoulder. “Hey, Kurama, you okay? You looked like you were in some serious pain there for a minute.”

 

“No, don't worry, Kuwabara, I'm fine now. Let's get back to the room and see if Botan found Yuusuke and Hiei yet.”

 

End Chapter 7

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

Words First Appearing in Chapter Seven:

Okaa-sama: just as with “okaa-san” this means “mother” but is a much more formal way to say it

obi: the multi-layered sash used to tie up the waist of a kimono

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A/N: Finally, I update! Sorry it took so long, guys… my birthday was last week and I let myself slack off a bit. I'm trying to get back on track now, though, so hopefully the next update won't take this long. Okay, apologies over, just one more thing to say. This is part 2 of 3 “No Vacation” chapters, and the next one is uber long (27 pages in Word, in fact--that should make up for the lateness of this chapter, ne?). Just wanted to let you know that.

 

MM . org review replies:

 

tbiris: Well, as you see, they still haven't met. Don't worry, though, they will soon enough. All…well, most…err..SOME will be revealed in the next few chapters… ^___~

 

kiune_hanyou: Glad you're so passionate about my fic! Just keep reading and you'll find out what happens… no secrets from me, though… at least not yet… my lips are sealed. : P

 

Shushikittychan: Sorry it took so long for me to update! I normally update faster than this. I'm so happy you're enjoying the fic, though! I love Inuyasha, too! ^____^ *dances w/shushikittcychan*

 

smalfoy: Very interesting, eh? Thankies! ^___^ As for the pairing, I'm not telling yet! I have decided what the ultimate pairing will be, but it'll still be awhile before it becomes clear… until then you guys will just hafta wait and see! *smirks evilly*

 

FF . net review replies:

 

Kagome-reincarnation: Welcies! I'm glad you didn't hafta murder me, either!! Aiee! Torture? Please, no!! I'm updating again, see?? And I will try to get another up ASAP!! Eh? My writing style has improved? I haven't noticed a change… I think it's just that I'm finally getting past the “setup” parts and moving towards the actual plot now... but thankies, since you think it's getting better! Maybe it is, I can't really tell.

 

montrith: Heheheh… had to have at least one evil cliffie. And since you “MUST read the next chapter” it did its job, ne? As for your analysis of the Inu/Kag relationship… so true! When it comes to the actual anime, I'm all about them ending up together. In fanfiction, though, I'll read pretty much any pairing and am fond of many alternate pairings. I'm not giving anything away yet, though. : P

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Read and Review please!