InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cross of Blades ❯ A Call to Protect ( Chapter 8 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Disclaimer: No, I don't own it. I wish I did though. Then again, the fame might go to my head. We don't want that now do we?
sat on the Garden stairs in front of the gate's control booth, his elbow resting on his right knee with his chin in the palm of his hand. His left leg shook rapidly as it stretched out ahead of him and his tail twitched as it rested over his right shoulder. 'Where is she?' he growled to himself as he glanced at his watch. 'It's Monday, so she's supposed to be here. If Sesshoumaru let anything happen to her I'll-'
"Shippou?"
looked up and into Kikyou's dark eyes, his narrowed slightly as she stepped away from the slightly crimson orbs. "Are you ok?" He growled in response, the low, guttural warning sending shivers up and down her spine. "Um...alright then." She sat down on the stairs a little away from him and watched him warily. "You know, it's only 8:00. I don't even think the train's arrive-"
"You obviously haven't heard," Shippou finally said, his normally cheerful voice foreign in it's cynicism. "The trains in Galbadia have been stopped. The only way here and to FH is by boat...or Garden."
"Oh man," Kikyou gasped. "No, I hadn't heard."
"Don't see how," Shippou mumbled. "Where's Inuyasha?"
"Oh, he's still asleep."
"Hmnh," Shippou replied, his nose finally registering Inuyasha's scent as it wafted from Kikyou's skin. "Spent the night together again huh?" He frowned at her blush and scooted away from her. "You know the two of you will be in big trouble if the Garden staff finds out."
"Yeah, I know," Kikyou nodded. "But we use protect-"
"I don't even care," Shippou interrupted quickly, his hand thrown up to prevent her from continuing. Kikyou nodded and fell silent, occasionally stealing glances at the irate kitsune. "I...I brought you breakfast," she said before offering him a small white bag. Shippou accepted it after a moment, his nose already catching the hints of fresh blueberry muffin and hot chocolate.
"You know it's too hot for hot chocolate right?" he said as he opened the bag and brought out the muffin. Kikyou nodded. "So what? Hot chocolate makes everything better, even waiting on a friend."
ate as he thought over her wisdom, then brushed a crumb from his lip and nodded in her direction. "You know Kik, you're not half bad."
blushed again and smiled. "You're not so bad yoursel-What?" Kikyou asked when Shippou jumped to his feet, his tail completely stiff as his nose twitched eagerly. "What is it?"
"Shhhhh," he whispered past the finger against his lips. He concentrated intently, his nostrils rapidly twitching as he sniffed the morning air. 'No, must have been a mistake,' he thought gloomly as he sagged back to his seat. 'I could have sworn-'
"Shippou!"
head jerked up and behind him toward the commons circle, the red fading from his eyes as he scanned the early morning crowd of students. Kikyou looked up as well and stood when he did, watching him as he shifted from one foot to the other. "Is it her Shippou?" she asked as a wide smile began to spread across his face. Shippou didn't answer her, his excitement blocking out all other voices and scents except for three. One was obviously masculine, with notes of leather, sandalwood and surprisingly cucumber. The second was cinnamon coated wilderness and gunpowder but the third was what he was waiting for, the unique perfume of caramel excitement entwined with water lilies.
"Where are you Ship?"
grabbed Kikyou and began to run, ignoring her squeak of surprise as he sprinted down the hallway toward the three. He barely heard the gatekeeper's cry to come back and clean up the mess they left, his ears trained more on the sweet melancholy voice that filled his ears and his heart. He ignored the stares of the Garden students as he ran past them, he and Kikyou no more than black and red streaks as he sprinted down the hallway toward the parking lot. He grinned when he saw her, turquoise eyes smiling happily at him as she jumped and waved her arms.
"Hey!" Kagome cheered as Shippou sat Kikyou down and Sango got out of the car. "You sure got here fast! You must have been wait-Eeep!" She squealed and giggled when he picked her up and spun her around, his tail returning to it's long forgotten place around her waist. "I guess you missed me huh?" she said while Sango and Miroku greeted Kikyou.
"Are you ok?" Shippou asked when he finally put her down. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, his eyes roving over her light jeans and royal blue fitted shirt with 'Dangerous' on the front in white glittery cursive. He stared in surprise at the clear heels on her feet and stepped back once he was throughly sure she was without injury. "How was Winhill? Did you get hurt? How's Miroku's dad? Sesshoumaru didn't hurt you did he?"
"Hold on Ship," Kagome said as she struggled to catch her breath. "We're fine and-"
"And I have hurt no one," Sesshoumaru interrupted as he too emerged from the car. He popped the trunk open, grabbed his duffle bag and left it open for the others. "Well, no one that didn't deserve it at least. What is going on kit?"
"Oh, you mean why are you guys here?" Shippou said as he grabbed Kagome's duffle and slug it over his shoulder. "To be honest Sesshoumaru, I don't know. No one does unless you're a part of the Garden staff. The only thing I know is that there's supposed to be some kind of special announcement delivered to our rooms at 10 this morning."
"Good. That is all I need to know." Sesshoumaru retrieved his gunblade case next before turning toward the Garden entrance. "If anyone needs me...tell them to bother someone else."
"Man," Miroku said when Sesshoumaru finally disappeared. "That was rather rude of him."
"Yeah well what do you expect?" Shippou shrugged as he led them toward the Garden entrance. "He's a tri-"
"Where's Inuyasha?" Sango asked and regretted it when Kagome flinched slightly. Kikyou and Shippou noticed it, but Kikyou was the only one unaware of the reason as she answered her. "He's asleep. He said something about catching up with us later."
"Oh, ok then," Kagome said with a smile. "So...is breakfast still on? I'm starving."
"Yeah," Shippou nodded. "Come on." The group walked toward the cafeteria happily, exchanging jokes and gossip the other three managed to miss while on their missions. Shippou looked on as Kagome laughed with the others, her mood and aura lightened in comparison to when she left.
"Stop worrying about her Ship," Sango whispered to him as the others stepped into the lunch line. "Kagome and I had a little talk and she's good."
"Are you sure?" he asked, then sniffed and groaned.
"Yeah I'm sure. Why?"
"Cause we're going to see in a few." Shippou pointed over her shoulder and Sango turned around just as Inuyasha entered the cafeteria. Kagome saw him next and smiled, her hand faltering in its wave as he and Kikyou exchanged a quick kiss.
"Just where have you been Inuyasha?" Kagome scolded as he jumped in line ahead of her. He grunted in surprise when she pushed him out and regained her place.
"What the hell?" he spat out. "Just what's your problem Kagome?"
"My problem is-"
"And here they go," Miroku groaned as he, Sango and Shippou watched the brewing fight. "They haven't even stood in the same room for five minutes and they're already at it."
"You!" Kagome continued. "Just who in the hell do you think you are jumping in front of me? You haven't even said hello you jerk!"
"Well damn," Inuyasha grinned as he stepped back in front of her. "If that's what it takes to get breakfast then 'Hey!'"
"Jackass," Kagome grumbled, ignoring her friends' gasp of surprise as she shoved him behind her toward Kikyou. "Stand back there or get to the back of the line."
"Damn," Shippou laughed while Inuyasha complained and called her names behind her back. "You're right Sango. She does seem to be alright. This just might be more fun that I expected."
wearily stood against the door of her room, her forehead resting against the door's surface and the slip of paper taped to the front of it. 'I'm so tired,' she thought to herself as she ripped it down and pulled her ID tag out of her pocket. She slipped it through the scanner on the doorknob and waited for the familiar click of the lock opening before shoving the door open. She dropped her duffle bag on the floor beside the door and flopped down on the bed, her bleary eyes barely aware of the door shutting itself as she breathed a deep sigh and closed her eyes.
'I wish we never left Winhill,' she said to herself sadly. 'At least there I wouldn't have to watch Inuyasha and Kikyou slobber all over each other. (Sigh) I shouldn't think things like that. I'm really glad to see them, and if we were still in Winhill then I wouldn't get to see Shippou. He's grown so much since we last saw each other.' She sat up with a lighthearted smile as she remembered the rest of the day and how excited Shippou had been to see her.
'Shoot, it wouldn't surprise me if he had every girl in the Garden following behind him like lovesick puppies.' She laughed out loud at that, her mood lightened considerably as she made her way to the small bathroom attached to her room. She took a quick shower, allowing the hot water and the soapy suds to wash away the day's wear on her nerves. She quickly dried and changed into a pair of black cotton shorts and a white t shirt, her damp hair still wrapped inside one of her fluffy towels when she remembered the slip of paper she found on her door.
"Now what did I do with that thing..." she asked herself as she searched the top of her desk. "Ah-hah!" she chirped as she grabbed the paper off her desk and plunked down in the chair in front of it. "Now let's see..." she said as she began to read. She quickly scanned the paper once, then slowed down to read it a second time before groaning.
"Oh man," she said to herself as she dropped the paper back to the desk's surface. "Well, I'm not sleeping in tomorrow, that's for sure. Oh well." She walked over to her duffle bag and unpacked it, making sure to place any worn clothes in her laundry hamper before hanging the clean ones inside her closet and her uniform on a hook on the back of her door. "There," she said as she dusted off her hands. "That's it for that. Hmmm...let's see. I guess I should clean Junsei before tomorrow. I can almost guarantee that someone will check for it."
slowly entered the quad, his golden eyes casually roaming over his surroundings as other SeeDs whispered to each other around him. 'It is too early for this,' Sesshoumaru grumbled in aggravation as the early morning sun shone in the eastern sky. 'The human SeeDs are going to be too tired to listen...not that I care of course.' He took a moment to reposition his tail, his eyes closed as the appendage removed itself from around his waist to settle around his shoulders and hang from his left side. He actually liked the way his uniform looked with his tail draped over it, though he'd never admit to something so vain and frivolous. His gunblade, Shikyo, bumped against his side with every step as he descended the first of two sets of marble stairs.
"Captain Endo!" Sesshoumaru glanced to his right at Instructor Trepe, who stood a little away from the side of the pathway. "This way please." She waited as he approached her and handed him a slip of paper.
"What is this?" he asked as he read over the list of names.
"That's your letter assignment," Instructor Trepe answered before gesturing toward the rows of seats set up in the quad square. "The chairs over there are assigned by squad letter. You're F, I think. You and those that are on that list are to sit in that section."
"Thank you Instructor."
"No problem Captain," she said before walking away. Sesshoumaru looked over the list of names with a mental sigh. 'As if I do not have other things to deal with,' Sesshoumaru said to himself before glancing up at the top of the stairs. He watched as Kagome appeared at the top of the quad entrance, his thoughts once again turning to ponder the female specialist. She glanced around her nervously, ignorant of the appreciative stares from her male counterparts as she searched the crowd for someone she recognized. Teal eyes spotted him and she smiled in relief before running to catch up with him, her gunblade's sliver holster bumping against her side.
"Hey," she greeted with a smile. "Good morning Captain."
"Good morning to you as well Higurashi," Sesshoumaru greeted politely before glancing back over the list of names. A slight smile touched his lips as he read her name, wondering to himself how he managed to skip over it as she continued to talk to him.
"Have you seen any of my friends?" she finally asked him. "I haven't seen Sango, Shippou or the others all day."
"They should be arriving shortly," Sesshoumaru answered, though he could care less whether they showed or not. "Here." He handed her his name's list and explained. "It seems that you and Almasy are once again in my squad."
"Yeah, I see that," Kagome nodded as she read the list. "Along with Shippou, Miroku and Inuyasha. Man, you can't be happy about that last one."
"I tolerate Inuyasha on occasion," Sesshoumaru replied as Miroku and Sango appeared on the stairs. "Though the less I have to the better off he is." He looked down at her when she laughed, his brow quirked in surprise when she covered her mouth to muffle the sound and hide her smile. "Just what is so amusing?" he asked, though somewhere inside him he didn't mind her laughter. It was almost...musical, and knowing that he made her laugh caused something to stir withi-
"Oh, just you," Kagome said, interrupting his inner musings and giving him a chance to completely evict the wayward thoughts before they had a chance to take root in his mind. "You actually made a joke, and a good one too."
"I am not the cold hearted bastard everyone thinks I am," he told her before his eyes trained on Miroku and Sango as they walked up behind Kagome. "Be sure to lead the others to our section," he said before turning on his heel and walking away. Kagome and the others watched him just as Inuyasha and Shippou walked into the quad, the two youkai deciding to skip the stairs and jump the distance to their friends.
"Yo, what's up?" Inuyasha asked. "And what's goin' on here?"
"Oh, um...let's see here," Kagome said before reading off the names again. "Ok then. Nobody's missing so-."
"Missing?" Shippou repeated as Inuyasha snatched the paper from Kagome's hands.
"Hey! Give that back you jerk!"
"Stop being an ass Inuyasha," Shippou growled as he grabbed the paper and returned it to Kagome before Inuyasha had a chance to read it. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"Oh, just that we're supposed to be in the same squad, that's all."
"That's all?" Sango chirped. "That's ALL?! Dude, we're all in the same squad!!!!"
"Um, don't celebrate yet," Shippou told her while she pounced on Miroku and gave him a fierce hug. "I smell Sesshoumaru all over that paper."
"Yeah, me too," Inuyasha said, his signature scowl already on his face. "Why the hell would you let him read it?"
"He let me read it," Kagome replied with a huff. "He's our captai-"
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Inuyasha exploded. The others jumped back as the rest of the quad stared at him curiously, watching as he fumed like a smoking locomotive.
"Could you calm down?" Shippou quipped as he brushed down the fur on his tail. "Jeez, you're such a drama queen."
"Shut up brat," Inuyasha snapped angrily. "You know Sesshoumaru and I don't get along."
"Well looks like you're going to have to get over it," Miroku said with a yawn. "I don't think it can be changed can it?"
"Nope," Kagome said after flipping over the paper. "Says so right her-Hey!!!" she cried out as Inuyasha once again snatched the paper from her. She crossed her arms and walked away, leaving him with a final "Jerk!" before leading them to Sesshoumaru's section of the quad. He stood up and allowed the others to take their seats in their row, with Miroku sitting next to Sesshoumaru, Sango and Kagome next to Miroku, and Shippou and Inuyasha taking the last seats on the row.
"Why do I have to sit with Mr. Grumpy?" Shippou complained as the other SeeDs began to fill the seats around them. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha scowled, then quickly threw a Stop spell in his direction when he raised his fist to clobber the unsuspecting kitsune.
"Shame on you Inuyasha," Kagome scolded with a whisper. "You should behave yourself."
"Yeah?" Inuyasha said as he struggled to get out of the spell. "Well you should kiss my a-" His mouth snapped closed with an audible click, his eyes stretching open in alarm while the others laughed at his expense.
"Just sit there and shut up numb-nuts," Shippou teased, then quieted along with the others as one of the instructors gestured for silence. "The meeting's about to start." Inuyasha grumbled silently but ceased his struggle to shake off the spell, deciding to wait until it dissolved on it's own as Headmaster Leonheart called the assembly to order.
glanced over the crowd of SeeDs that stretched before him like a black sea before clearing his throat. "Thank you for attending this meeting," he began with a clear voice. "As I'm sure you all are aware, things in Galbadia have progressed from bad to worse in the past three months under the new president. I don't have to tell those of you that were stationed in the nation of how bad things are, especially for SeeD members." He waited patiently for the mumbles of agreement to cease before continuing. "Also, I'm sure those of you that have been stationed at the Garden are aware of the slight increase of activity in the Garden itself."
"Slight activity?" Shippou mumbled and winced when Kagome jabbed her elbow into his side. "Shoot, I'd hate to see what they call an emergency then."
"Command-Instructor Trepe will explain the reason for your return, and for the sudden activity in the Garden. Quistis?" He stepped aside as Quistis approached the front, a clipboard in her hands and a pen behind her ears as her audience focused on her.
"Just as the Headmaster explained," she began with a sigh. "The continent of Galbadia has become hazardous for SeeD members. All SeeDs once stationed in both Galbadia and Timber have been either imprisoned or are classified as MIA or KIA. However, this is something we all are aware of."
began to pace then, her boots clicking back and forth against the gray cobblestone, her head down and the clipboard clasped behind her back. "Though hostile activity has stopped with the occupation of Timber, there have been rumors of Deling planning an attack on the Gardens." She frowned when her audience began to mumbled amongst themselves, her displeasure echoing through the captains until they regained control over their squad.
"Galbadia has launched attacks against the Gardens in the past, before Sigumi Endo became ambassador seventeen years ago," Quistis reminded everyone as she continued pacing. "Since then, there has been peace between Galbadia and the rest of the world. That peace ended with Juromaru Deling, Vinzer Deling's son. We have studied his progress and his choice of aggressions and have found the threat against the Gardens to be very serious, and quite real.
"An executive decision made by the headmasters of all three Gardens has been made in reference to the students. Seed members are to report to their home Gardens at once and remain there, as that Garden will remain your station. Are there any questions?"
"Yes?" she pointed toward a SeeD on the far left. "What is it?"
"What are we supposed to do while we're stationed here?" a SeeD stood up and asked. Quistis gestured to Squall, who leaned against the wall behind her. "Headmaster Leonheart will explain that once we're finished. Anything else?"
"What's the plan if we're attacked?" one SeeD member who stank of fear and nervousness stuttered.
"The plan for Balamb and Galbadia Gardens is to evacuate as many as we can, then move the Garden's themselves to a specific rendevous point on Esthar continent. Anything else?"
"What about Trabia Garden?" Shippou asked as he stood up. "They're Garden can't move, so how are they supposed to meet at the rendevous point?"
"That's a good question Private Makayura," Squall said as he took his place beside Quistis. "And one we hope to not have to ask."
"So...there's no plan then?" Inuyasha said once the Silence spell finally wore off. Kagome, Sango and Miroku lightly slapped their foreheads in embarrassment at his crassness as Shippou jerked him back to his seat.
"There is a plan," Squall assured him as the other SeeDs began to mumble once again. "So there's no need to worry. Anyway, as Command-Instructor Trepe said, I'm going to explain your purpose here at the Garden. Each squad is assigned to pretty much the same thing: Ensure that the students that don't want to stay at the Garden are evacuated, and the students that do stay are prepared for what that entails. Students from either Timber or Deling City are to be properly looked after as well."
"Babysitting," Inuyasha growled irritably. "Man, not another one."
"Some squads will be assigned to supplies, both medical and food staples. All of you have been assigned to a squad letter and captain. Any orders your captain receives entail all of the squad unless told otherwise-" He stopped as Hojo came running down the stairs, his eyes frantic before finally settling on Squall.
"Headmaster!" he called before coming to a stop beside him. "This just came in!" Squall thanked him and accepted the slip of paper in his hands, taking a moment to read it before glancing at him.
"Are you sure?" he asked Hojo and frowned when Hojo nodded furiously. "I see. If you'll excuse me," he said to the assembly before following Hojo up the stairs. Quistis and the SeeDs watched as he disappeared before erupting into whispers around her.
"What do you think that's about?" Kagome whispered to Sesshoumaru while Quistis attempted to regain control of the assembly. Sesshoumaru's tail twitched in annoyance. "I do not know, but it has nothing to do with us," he told her as the others calmed down.
"Alright, that's enough," Quistis yelled as the assembly struggled back to order. "Now, as I'm sure the Headmaster would have said if he hadn't been called away, your captains are to receive assignments from the cafeteria if your letters are A-G, from the infirmary if your letters are H-N, from the library if your letters are from O-U, and from here if your letters are from V-Z. You all are dismissed."
and the others quickly jumped from their seats, with Sesshoumaru standing up at a much slower pace. "Ok, so now what?" Sango asked him as he brushed off his tail.
"Hmmm," Sesshoumaru began thoughtfully. "I'm going to the cafeteria to receive our assignment. You do as you please, but make sure I can find you."
"Alright then," Miroku said as Sesshoumaru walked away from the little group. Inuyasha scowled as he left and immediately began complaining, not caring if the others ignored him or not as Shippou sat down beside Kagome and draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey Kag, what's wrong?" he asked as she looked up at him. "You look a little worried about something."
"It's nothing," Kagome said as she shook her head. "I was just...a little dizzy, that's all."
"Hey, are you alright?" Sango asked as she and Miroku kneeled down in front of her. Kagome nodded and attempted to brush aside their concern with a lighthearted smile.
"Yeah you guys I'm fine," Kagome nodded before standing up with a yawn and a stretch. "It was just a second anyway. I'm good now."
"You guys heard her," Inuyasha growled from above them. "She said she's fine so stop hovering over her like a bunch of mother hens."
"Shut up Inuyasha," Shippou retorted as he helped Kagome stand. "You were worried too. I can smell it on you."
"Yeah, well...um..." Inuyasha stuttered with a blush and a quick scratch behind his ear. "Fuck this. Come on you guys, Sesshoumaru's bound to be waiting."
and the others followed behind him, Sango and Miroku deeply involved in their conversation while Shippou remained in close contact with her. She wavered on her feet for only a second and quickly caught herself before Shippou or the others could realize it before giving a gentle sigh.
'I just don't understand it,' Kagome said do herself. 'I've never been sick before, so why now? And for some reason, I think I saw something...or someone...watching me.' She shivered as blue eyes smiled at her from her mind's eye and assured Shippou once again that she was fine before leaving the quad for the commons circle beyond.
glanced over the weekly supply report, his eyes blurring slightly as he counted off the correct boxes for the inventory.
'I'm starting to wish we never left Winhill,' he sighed to himself as he checked off a marked box. He glanced to his right at a sigh and watched Kagome as she sat lotus style beside a group of boxes. She glanced up and smiled at him, and he responded with a nod before turning away.
'Why is she so comfortable around me?' he wondered as he continued with his duties. 'The others almost insist on performing other tasks, but she does anything I ask of her, regardless of her personal comforts.' He smirked as he thought about a task she performed the day before. He had asked Inuyasha to clean one of the furnaces, a task also set for Squad F by the headmaster. Upon asking, he left Inuyasha to the task. However, he returned and found Kagome's feet sticking out of the furnace door.
promptly ordered her out and watched with a smirk as she emerged, caked from head to toe in pitch black soot. He only recognized her by the frown on her face and the blue-green eyes sparkling back at him.
"Just what are you doing in there?" he asked, his smirk unknowingly softening as she propped the sweep against the furnace and attempted to dust off her hands.
"Well, Inuyasha said he didn't want to do it so..."
"So you decided to take it up on yourself instead of telling me?"
"What good would it have done?" Kagome asked with an irritated sigh. "You and Inuyasha would have argued and the furnace still would have been dirty. So I thought I'd save you the trouble."
'And save me the trouble she did,' he said to himself as he glanced back at her. 'Again she surprises me. I'm beginning to think that this is the norm around her.' Sesshoumaru glanced up as the door to the storage room slammed shut and approached the Garden staff member as he rounded the corner.
"Are you Captain Endo?" the staff member demanded. Sesshoumaru frowned at the disrespect, but nodded. "The headmaster wants to see you." The staff member left without another word, leaving Sesshoumaru to stew as Kagome stood up and dusted the sawdust from her hands.
"What was that about Captain?" she asked, wide blue eyes innocently focused on him. "And why would the headmaster want to see you?"
"I don't know," Sesshoumaru admitted before retrieving the clipboard from her hands. "We should find out, don't you think?"
"Um, yeah," Kagome said as she followed him out of the room and up the stairs to the cafeteria above. They quickly made their way toward the elevator, and Kagome waited while Sesshoumaru used his ID card to gain access to the third floor.
two stepped off the elevator, walked down the hallway and into the headmaster's office to find Squall sitting behind his desk barricaded behind stacks of paperwork. He looked up when they entered the room and signed gratefully, cool blue eyes focused on them as he stood from his work and walked around the desk to them.
"Please, don't do that," he said when Kagome and Sesshoumaru snapped to attention. "Trust me, there's no need for that here. Besides, you don't have time for it."
"What do you mean sir?" Kagome asked. Squall glanced from her to Sesshoumaru quizzically. "Why is she here?" he asked.
"She was with me when you summoned me," Sesshoumaru answered. "I asked her to come with me, seeing as how she'll receive word of this meeting anyway."
"Quite right Sesshoumaru," Squall laughed jovially. "I actually don't mind. I'm glad you're here Kagome." Kagome smiled and bowed her head respectfully as Squall walked to the windows behind his desk and stared out into the open air and mountains beyond. "I'm giving you and your squad a new assignment Captain Endo. It's one of great importance so I need both of you to give me your undivided attention."
"Of course sir," Kagome replied. "We're listening, right Captain?"
"As always," Sesshoumaru replied dryly. "Do continue Headmaster."
turned to face them, all good cheer erased from his countenance. "Our informant in the New Galbadian army-"
"New Galbadia sir?" Kagome interrupted. Squall nodded. "Yes. The new president has decided to call the Galbadia under his rule the New Galbadia. Anyway, the informant has confirmed our worst suspicions. Deling has been planning an aerial assault for the past three weeks."
"Oh no," Kagome breathed, her hands flying to her mouth the moment Sesshoumaru glared in her direction. She gave him an apologetic shrug as Squall continued.
"The mobile assault will begin in four days. By then, Galbadia and Balamb Gardens will be well on their way to Esthar."
"I see," Sesshoumaru nodded thoughtfully. "What about Trabia Garden?"
"That's where your squad comes in," Squall said with a mischievous smile. "You and your team are to go to Trabia Garden and evacuate the few remaining staff members, students, and SeeDs."
"Isn't it still winter there?" Kagome asked and groaned when Squall nodded.
"It's always winter in Trabia Kagome," Squall told her. "Provisions for yourselves and your passengers will be provided, as well as some all weather uniforms. The only thing you have to worry about is time."
"Speaking of time," Sesshoumaru spoke up with a thoughtful tap on his cheek. "We will not have enough time to reach Trabia before the missile strike."
"Of course you will," Squall disagreed.
"How so?" Sesshoumaru countered. "It's not possible... unless you plan on flying us there."
"Actually Captain Endo-"
gasped and Sesshoumaru stepped back as a mechanical dragon rose outside the window behind Squall, it's gigantic metallic claws deeply embedded in the steel framing.
"You're going to fly. You've had some flight training, correct?"
"Yes," Sesshoumaru nodded as he warily eyed the crimson dragon. "But what does that have to do with-"
"Say hello to the Ragnork," Squall said as he gestured to the dragon. "It's an airship on loan from Esthar. You're to fly it there and fly it to the rendevous point in Esthar. Here's your orders." He tossed Sesshoumaru a folder and waited for him to catch it before dismissing them.
"Oh, and Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Headmaster?" he said as he and Kagome turned to look at him.
"You and your team are to be ready at 1100 hours. Make sure your team is ready by then."
waited until he and Kagome were downstairs to begin reading the folder, then lowered it when Kagome tapped his shoulder. "What now?"
"Now you gather the others," Sesshoumaru told her. "Make sure they have at least eight days worth of clothes and are at the Garden gate in-" he glanced at his watch and shook his head. "Two hours. Good luck with Inuyasha on that by the way."
"Gee, thanks," Kagome grumbled as he walked away. "Man, why do I always get the hard stuff eh?"
glanced at the radar screen attached to the right of his seat, assuring himself that nothing was approaching the massive airship before relaxing against the back of his chair and taking a sip of his tea.
past four days replayed behind his closed lids like an old movie reel, starting with the 'tour' of the airship that Instructor Kinneas insisted on giving the squad. In all there were seven rooms and two hallways, one that connected the cargo bay (and the main entrance to the ship) to the hallway leading to the hanger and the hallway that held led to the passenger deck on the same level and the elevator platform leading to the bridge. There was one spare storage room attached to the hanger where most of the crates and boxes the headmaster insisted they bring on the mission were stored.
crew themselves mostly stayed between the passenger deck and the air room in the very back of the ship, with Sesshoumaru on the bridge since he alone piloted the ship and knew the workings of the other four consoles stationed around him. His squadron was a surprisingly calm bunch, with he and Inuyasha managing to avoid conflict for the better part of the journey. Most of the violence was between Inuyasha and Shippou to his surprise, and those were due to a disrespectful word from Inuyasha to Kagome with the kitsune rushing to her defense.
'Not as if she needs defending,' Sesshoumaru smirked as he returned the styrofoam cup to the cupholder on his seat's right armrest. 'The woman can handle the hanyou quite nicely from what I've observed.' He also observed the protective way Shippou hovered over his human companion, his eyes narrowed and a deep growl resonating from his throat whenever Inuyasha so much as glanced in Kagome's direction. 'There is some hostility among the little group despite their friendship. It is a wonder they tolerate each other. It is my belief that they wouldn't if it weren't for-'
ears twitched as a beeping began from the main navigators console behind him to his right side. Sesshoumaru immediately stood up and approached the station and the blinking green light in the middle of the screen. He quickly typed a command into the console and watched as another display appeared, this one giving him a world map of Spira with a flashing white light on the continent of Trabia over Trabia Garden and an estimated time of arrival.
"Thirty minutes?" He glanced at his watch and nodded. "The headmaster's report said that we wouldn't arrive until three. We are two hours early. Wonderful." He quickly cleared the screen, then set the auto-pilot on the pilot's console before stepping onto the elevator platform. He descended the elevator to the lower level, entered the passenger deck and frowned at the beginnings of a fight (once again) between Inuyasha and Shippou. 'This is the fourth one in two days. Surely they can do something else.'
"Fuck you Shippou!" Inuyasha spat as Kagome and the others tried to separate the two. "You can't tell me what to say!"
"I'm not telling you what to say Puppy!" Shippou shot back. His tail twitched around Kagome's waist angrily, the tip of the furry appendage in danger of being stepped on as Kagome pushed him back toward the door. "I'm just telling you that you can't say that kind of thing around a bunch of girls!"
"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded. "It's not like anyone gives a damn what Kikyou and I do! You might learn somethin-"
"Alright that's enough!" Kagome exploded suddenly. She waved her hand at Inuyasha, then at Shippou before stepping back from the both of them. They glanced at her in confusion as she motioned for Sango and Miroku to move away as well, then began to growl as they struggled to move against the Stop spell she placed on them. "Now I'm tired of this," she scolded the two with her index fingers wagging in their direction. "All you two have done is fight for this entire trip! Now I don't think it's a good idea for members of a team to fight like cats and dogs."
"But he is a dog Kagome," Shippou quipped smartly. "Or did you forge-" His eyes widened when she waved at him, the Silence spell activating instantly.
"Again, I'm tired of this," Kagome continued. "You two need to stop this now ! I'm almost positive that if I'm tired of it, Sesshoumaru is too!"
"As a matter of fact," Sesshoumaru said as he walked into the room, a critical eye on Shippou and Inuyasha as he surveyed Kagome's magic works. "I am rather 'tired' of this. You two will not behave this way once we arrive, or you will remain in Petrification until we return to the Garden." He didn't wait for their acceptance before turning to Kagome and the others. "We will arrive at Trabia Garden in twenty-five minutes. I would suggest you follow me and to do that Higurashi-" he pointed to Shippou and Inuyasha, a near smirk touching his lips as they continued to struggle against their spells. "Those two are going to have to be mobile. I don't care if they can talk though. In fact, the inability might be useful."
and Sango quickly cast an Esuna spell on the two to nullify the spells and shot the both of them the evil eye before joining Miroku as he followed Sesshoumaru into the platform hallway. He walked through the door in front of the platform and walked down the catwalk stairs to the hanger below. He stopped in front of a set of chairs and two crates, one Kagome remembered being the large metal crate brought in from Dollet.
"In these crates are supplies that are supposed to help the mission," Sesshoumaru explained as he dripped green acid from his fingertips to the wooden crate's lid. The nails sealing it melted with a slight hiss, the fragrant smell of cucumber permeating the hanger before he shoved the top to the side and searched inside. He found mostly blankets and disposable plates and cups inside. He moved on to the next crate, deciding to burn a hole through the middle of the top to get to what was inside. To his surprise, he found nothing but cardboard boxes, each varying in size and bearing the name of someone in the group.
and Sango quickly began sorting through the piles of boxes and managed to come up with six piles with three boxes each. Sesshoumaru opened his first as the others looked on. He quickly ripped the tape from the smallest box and opened it, then groaned and pulled a thermal shirt from its confines. 'They're uniforms,' he realized as he opened the second and third boxes. "Almsay, Higurashi," he said before pointing toward the spare storage room behind him. "Take your things and change in there."
"But Captain," Miroku protested as Kagome and Sango picked up their boxes and began to walk toward the storage room. "Are you sure they shouldn't stay here? I mean, shouldn't we get used to looking at each ot-"
"PERVERT!!! " Sango and Kagome hollered before smacking him senseless. They resumed they're trek out of the hanger, leaving Inuyasha and Shippou practically breathless from laughter as Miroku lay helpless on the cold steel floor. Sesshoumaru shook his head and sighed before turning his back on those remaining in the room and shedding his clothes. He shook out the thermal shirt and pants, grimacing slightly as the itchy material slipped over his skin. He dressed quickly, leaving the ski mask and boots for last as he tugged on the rest of the uniform.
he finished Sesshoumaru glanced at his reflection on a clear section of the wall and frowned again. The new uniform was like the standard ones, but was a virgin white instead of the black with blue and gold accents. The pants fit loosely around his legs and the jacket fell at his thigh just below his fingertips. The hood attached was lined along with the rest of the uniform. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to fan himself as his body temperature rose, the insulating material already uncomfortable in his few seconds of wearing it. He quickly returned Shikyo to his side and tugged the snow white boots onto his feet before glancing at the others.
sat on a nearby crate, tugging desperately at his socks while Miroku and Shippou stood dressed and ready. Miroku fastened his rifle to his back with a shoulder harness, his ammunition packs already strapped to his right leg.
"Well Sesshoumaru-" Shippou began, then laughed when Inuyasha lost the battle with his socks and tumbled over the box to the floor on the other side. Miroku collapsed moments afterward, with nothing of Inuyasha but his feet showing to signal the hanyou's whereabouts.
"Well what Makayura?" Sesshoumaru demanded after Inuyasha sat up and wiped the dust from his uniform. "What were you about to say?"
"I was gonna say," Shippou gasped after another giggle escaped him. "Whether or not we're ready."
"No," Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Not until-"
"Woah," Miroku mumbled as he glanced a little behind Sesshoumaru. "Now that's what I call a uniform."
and the others turned toward whatever he was looking at and fell silent, Inuyasha's and Shippou's jaws coming unhinged as they stared. Sango grinned mischievously and shoved Kagome forward, ignoring Kagome's complaints to stop as they approached the other members of the squad.
attention wasn't on Sango, though it was rather odd that she would be dressed in the same style uniform as Miroku and the others, but on Kagome. The only similarities between her uniform and the others were the Balamb Garden insignia embroidered on the left shoulder and the fur lined hood. Instead of the two piece uniform the others were issued Kagome was wearing a lined catsuit, the one piece uniform flowing over her generous curves in the same white as the others. Her gunblade's silver holster simmered from her waist as she stood there, the blush on her face having little to do with how hot she was.
and Sango already had their hair off their faces to compensate for the ski mask, with Kagome's in a low ponytail and Sango's in what looked to be a complicated braid consisting of at least seven strands. They stood by while they're male teammates finished getting ready. Shippou quickly shoved his eye length hair away from his face and Sango moved to help Miroku with his hair, leaving Kagome to watch as the inu brother's struggled with their abnormally long tresses.
'I'd better go help him,' Kagome thought to herself with an irritated sigh as she watched Inuyasha nearly shear his hair off with his claws in frustration. 'If I don't he'll-'
stopped mid stride, her brush in her hand as Sango's advice echoed in her mind. 'She's right,' Kagome said to herself with a small 'hmnh' of dissatisfaction. 'I'm so used to just helping him to where I guess I never bother to think about it. Nope,' she determined with a shake of her head. 'He'll just have to help himself this time.' She grabbed a chair and dragged it along behind her.
"It's about bloody time," Inuyasha growled when he saw her walking his way. "I'm gonna mess around and get a headache this w-Hey!" he called out when she walked past him, the chair she was dragging rolling along steadily. His shout caught the attention of everyone but Sesshoumaru, who was still busy with his own hair to bother looking toward the disturbance. "Just where are you going Kagome? You've got to help me out here."
"I think you can manage for once," Kagome replied. "You and I have been snowboarding enough for you to remember how to do it."
"But-But," he sputtered in protest before growling in defeat. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her, a frown marring his face as she rolled her chair behind Sesshoumaru and tapped his shoulder. He looked down at her, one hand still trapped within his mane and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Let me," she said as she stepped into the chair's seat. She fought with the wheels for balance for a moment, then motioned for Sesshoumaru to face her. She was nearly as tall as he was for once, with her forehead coming up to his nose instead of his collarbone like normal. She pulled a small pop-out brush from inside her uniform and began to gently brush his bangs away from his forehead. He lowered his head without complaint and closed his eyes, his mind drifting as her fingertips brushed against the crescent in the center of his forehead.
focused solely on her work, each silvery strand slipping through her attentive fingers. She barely noticed his ear twitch when her fingers brushed against it, but a faint smile did appear on her lips for a few moments before she asked him to turn around. When he did she brushed the strands into one smooth, silken road down his back to sweep against his calves. She quickly braided his hair and jumped from the chair to the floor, the slight jerk on his hair pulling Sesshoumaru from his sedated state.
glanced over his shoulder at her while she finished, her head lowered and a black hair band firmly between her teeth. She wound it around the ends of the braid quickly, then released it and stepped back to observe her work. "Not bad," she finally said with a nod. "Not bad at all if I do say so myself."
reached for the bound strands and brought them to his face, his eyes critically surveying the perfect herringbone chain in his hands. "I find myself agreeing. Now why are you dressed that way and not like the rest of us?'
"Um, here," she said as she handed Sesshoumaru a slip of paper. "This might explain things."
jerked the paper from her hands, scanned over it, and quirked his brow in amusement. "It would seem they didn't have your size in the regular uniforms. Lucky you."
"Lucky us," he heard Miroku comment with a grin. Sango whopped him upside the head with a scowl and was about to reprimand him when an alarm began to sound throughout the ship. The squad glanced around quickly as the ships regular floodlights were overrun with flashing red. Kagome and the others turned to look at Sesshoumaru and frowned when they found him gone.
"He must have gone upstairs," Inuyasha determined with a scowl. "Stupid bastard. He could have told us. Come on Kag-" He reached for her but Shippou's tail quickly intercepted his attempt and pulled her to his side. He grasped Kagome's waist and made a leap toward the catwalk above as Inuyasha looked on, his tongue stuck out to tease the perpetually angry hanyou before focusing on the young woman clutching his side. Kagome's arms wound around his waist, Shippou's arm and his fuzzy tail tightly wrapped around her waist to hold her steady and keep her closer to him. He could barely feel her fingertips as they clutched the thick material of his uniform for balance. He mourned the loss of contact when they landed in front of the door to the elevator platform. Kagome released him quickly and sprinted toward the door. Shippou shook himself from his thoughts and followed her, the both of them managing to jump onto the platform with Sesshoumaru just as he activated the elevator.
followed him onto the bridge to the pilot's chair , the both of them standing by as the elevator returned to the downstairs hallway and Sesshoumaru gracefully plopping into the chair and activating the pilot's console. "That is not good," they heard him mumble before vacating the seat for the one behind the navigation's console. Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku stepped onto the bridge and gave Kagome and Shippou a questioning look. They responded with a shrug and pointed to Sesshoumaru, who was furiously tapping on the radar console's keyboard.
"What's going on Sesshoumaru?" Shippou asked as the radar console's screen expanded. Sesshoumaru said nothing, but gestured toward the map that appeared onscreen. Shippou and the others leaned in for a closer look and stared at three unfamiliar lights. "What's that?"
"Those are three Galbadian carrier planes," Sesshoumaru answered before typing again. "And they're going to Trabia."
"Will they get there before us?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru shook his head and typed in another command as Kagome asked a question.
"Um, what's so bad about three carrier planes?" she wondered aloud. "All we'll have to do is shoot them down right?"
"Um, Kagome," Shippou began with a subtle pat on her shoulder. "You don't know a thing about airships do you?" He sighed when she shook her head. "Look, carrier planes are armored, damned near indestructible, and they have at least 15 fighter ships onboard."
"And those ships carry two pilots each," Sesshoumaru added as an afterthought. "Oh," Kagome muttered with a soft blush. "That explains that then."
"They are in our present flight path," Sesshoumaru informed them. "So landing near the Garden has become impossible, though we will arrive 45 minutes before they do. Now-" He vacated the radar console and sat down at navigation, a slight frown gracing his normally stoic features at having to move around so much before enlarging the world map screen. "To find another place to land...."
"Try here," Inuyasha said as he pointed toward a space east of Trabia Garden. Sesshoumaru quickly enlarged it and found himself staring at a picture of a frozen wasteland. "That's Bika Snowfield, and it'll be the quickest way to the Garden."
"Do you know how to work the navigation controls?" Sesshoumaru turned and asked him. Inuyasha faltered slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, so?"
"So plot a course," Sesshoumaru commanded before returning to the pilot's seat. "The rest of you should take a seat in the passenger's deck and prepare to land," he told them. He spared them one last glance before flipping off the auto-pilot and taking control of the ship. Kagome and the others shrugged and left the bridge, choosing to stay in the elevator hallway to check over their weapons.
felt the ship's descent a few minutes later. The landing jarred them slightly, but they managed to come out of it unscathed. They walked out of the elevator hallway to the cargo bay with their ski masks already in place, the mouths and eyes of the black woven masks cut out so they could see and talk clearly. Miroku opened the cargo bay door once Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha entered the room and braced himself for the cold outside.
huddled deep within his uniform and flipped on his hood, his memories of the extreme cold in this part of the world causing him to shout to the others to do the same. Kagome quickly tied on her hood as the cargo door opened. The arctic-like wind rushed inside like a raging beast and mercilessly assaulted the SeeD members. Kagome shivered despite her warm attire and frowned before turning to look at Sesshoumaru.
hood still sat on his back but his ski mask was over his face, the thick braid she worked on deep within the confines of his uniform. He walked past them and down the ramp to the tundra, his eyes just as cold as the weather as the others followed him.
"Shit," Inuyasha groaned miserably. He clapped his gloved hands together and danced a penguin's dance for warmth. Kagome snickered, her hand covering her mouth as Shippou's tail came to rest at her waist once again. It wound around her like an oddly affectionate furry snake. She smiled back at him gratefully, then glanced back at Sesshoumaru and watched as his tail disappeared.
'Wow,' she thought in amazement. 'That was kinda cool. I wonder why Shippou didn't do that.'
continued to scan the frozen land around him, his eyes finding nothing but snow. "Inuyasha," he said before turning toward his brother. He watched as Inuyasha continued to jump around before he pointed toward the west.
"That way," he growled and scowled at the puff of vapor that escaped his lips. "The Garden's that way, but it'd take us twenty minutes to get there if we wait on their slow human asses."
"Hey!" Sango shouted in outrage. "It's not our fault that we're human! If we could run that fast then we would!"
"You just had to get her started didn't you?" Shippou mumbled as Sango continued to berate the hanyou. He shook his head as Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "We are wasting time," Sesshoumaru informed them with another frown. His eyes narrowed slightly from behind the mask when he attempted to sniff the air. He finally resorted to making a small slit in the mask underneath his nose and caught not only the mixed aromas of those around him, but a blizzard that was swiftly coming toward them. "Inuyasha is right. You humans are slow. However..." He quieted as his mind began to whirl, his eyes still focused on the world in front of him as Kagome and Sango scowled at his back.
"It would not be slow if each of us were to carry one of you."
"Are you volunteering?" Inuyasha chuckled, then outright laughed when Sesshoumaru refused to answer. "No way in hell man!" he guffawed while the others looked on. "No way is the Great Prince going to carry a human!"
"I will withstand it if it gets us to our destination," Sesshoumaru replied before turning to face the north. "Almasy, go with Makayura. Inuyasha, you get the pervert-"
and Miroku groaned miserably while Sango and Kagome snickered at their expense.
"Higurashi, come with me. Do be quick about it."
blinked in surprise, her laughter dying a quick death in her throat as she stared at him. "You must be joking," she replied. He looked over his shoulder and glared at her, his silence at her exclamation unnerving her. She walked toward him nervously, teal orbs focused on his every move as he bent his knees and waited. She glanced back at the others, who were watching her just as anxiously before grasping his shoulders. He grabbed her legs and stood up before she could protest. Sesshoumaru ignored her gasp of surprise as he situated her, insuring that her thighs were at his waist before sprinting toward the horizon.
held on to his shoulders for dear life, fear of him dropping her causing her knuckles to whiten underneath her snowy gloves. Sesshoumaru continued to run, either unaware of her discomfort or uncaring as she attempted to glance at their surroundings. She couldn't hear anything other than the sound of his boots as they crunched along the snow. She recalled the few times she rode on either Shippou's or Inuyasha's back and noticed the differences in the three youkai. Sesshoumaru's gait was smooth, where Inuyasha would practically jar her brain around her skull and Shippou would be much more cautious with his speed. With Sesshoumaru she felt as if she were flying, something that she had begged Shippou to do with her but he never agreed, saying that it was entirely too dangerous for her.
gasped again when Sesshoumaru jumped over a ravine in the middle of the field, her heart leaping to her throat as they sailed over the empty space to land on the other side. She barely heard the others land beside them before he took off again, this time at a pace faster than the last. Her fingers twitched at his shoulders, her intent to grasp the fabric there when his hands slid from her knees back to the middle of her thighs. Kagome glanced down at them and noticed their size for the first time. His thumb rested on the top of her thigh but the rest of his hand wrapped around the outside with the longest fingers nearly touching each other. She realized then that if he thought enough to secure his grip on her then he surely wasn't going to drop her, making her fears null and void. Kagome relaxed almost instantly, her hands sliding from his shoulders to fist the material covering his chest. Her head rested against his shoulder and she closed her eyes in complete trust.
stole a brief glance over his shoulder, his eyes not only searching the frozen plains for his brother and the kitsune, but also to ensure Kagome's health and to inquire about her strange behavior. He was surprised to find her so docile, her scent calm and compliant where a few moments ago it swirled with different emotions. The first was wariness, something he would have been daft to not connect with himself. He didn't mind it though since all of her race felt that uneasiness. Fear came when he began to run and that too he expected. It was when he jumped the ravine that he felt this sudden rush of excitement, her heart beating wildly against his back like a caged bird. He nearly faltered in his steps at this new emotion, but he continued without a visible flaw. She began to slip after that, and it was when he moved his hands that her scent changed again.
'I do not understand it,' he thought to himself as he ran along the mountain's skirt at Inuyasha's growl. 'Why would she react in such a way? She doesn't have a reason to trust me.' Sesshoumaru pushed his confusion aside as Trabia Garden appeared before him, deeply nestled on a clearing in the mountain's side. He stopped a few yards away from the Garden gate and waited for the others.
"Kagome?" he said as he slowly rotated the shoulder she rested on. One hand moved behind him to cover her mouth as she yawned. She looked up at him afterward, the green in her eyes nearly overrun by the deep sapphire blue that shone back at him.
"Yes Captain?"
"We are here." He looked away from her to the massive concrete walls of the Garden and back to her as she too stared ahead. "You may get down now."
"Huh?" she muttered sleepily, then blushed a deep crimson. "Oh, oh yeah. Sorry." She slid down his back to the ground slowly, his hands leaving her the moment her feet touched the snow. She turned around just as Shippou rounded the mountainside and missed the strange light that died in Sesshoumaru's eyes.
'I will not do this,' he growled at himself as she greeted her friends and assured herself of their well being. 'She is human and just like the rest of her kind. There is nothing special about her other than her stubbornness and lack of self preservation.' His eyes closed only briefly, but it was enough to conjure up the memory of her as she slid down his back, his fist unknowingly tightening as the pressure of her body sliding down his rippled along his back.
"Sesshoumaru?"
's eyes snapped open, the feral look that had briefly clouded them dissipating before Sango could notice. "What is it Almasy?" he growled testily. Sango gave him a curious glance before gesturing toward the Garden.
"What's next?"
"Yeah Fluffy," Inuyasha crowed from the back of the squad. "What the fuck do we do now? Are we gonna stand out here all day or what?"
"Crude Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru replied, the coldness and strength back in his voice. He walked away without another word, leaving Sango and Kagome to convey to the others his wish for them to follow. The gatekeeper opened the heavy stone doors upon sight of them and they walked down the paved driveway toward the Garden entrance.
passed another gateway, this one a giant stone arch with Trabia Garden's insignia chiseled above them in the center of the arch. Another SeeD, this one dressed in a dark gray version of their uniforms, met them in the courtyard beyond.
"Which one of you is Captain Endo?" he asked then saluted Sesshoumaru when Kagome and Sango pointed in his direction. "Captain Endo sir!"
"And who are you?" Sesshoumaru demanded, disregarding the salute as the SeeD continued to stand at attention.
"I'm Private Shuyin sir!" he said before saluting again. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to rub his forehead as a migraine began to form behind his eyes. "And I've been assigned to be your assistant during this evacuation."
"Wondrous," Sesshoumaru muttered before allowing Shuyin to lead them further into the Garden. "Then I need information. How many are still here?"
"Um..." Shuyin stopped to think, his dark eyes narrowing slightly before he answered. "Currently 12 staff members, 15 SeeD and 20 students sir."
"I see..." Sesshoumaru turned away from him and toward Kagome and the others. Kagome and Sango recognized the look on his face and quickly fell into attention. Shippou and Miroku followed quickly, with Inuyasha the last and the most reluctant to Sesshoumaru's silent request.
"Inuyasha and Makayura, you two are to stand at the gate and be wary of the ships we observed from the ship."
"Yes sir!" the two saluted and ran off once he dismissed them.
"Higurashi and Almas-"
"Oh CRAP!" Kagome exclaimed suddenly, startling everyone in the courtyard with the outburst. She valiantly fought back her embarrassment as Sesshoumaru loosed an uncharacteristic sigh. "What is it Higurashi?"
"Um...I forgot something sir," she responded sheepishly. Sesshoumaru sighed again, his long fingers finally coming up to massage the bridge of his nose.
"Then go and retrieve it. Take Inuyasha or Makayura with you."
"Ok then," she said, then saluted and ran toward the Garden gates. He shook his head and glanced at Sango and Miroku. "I suppose that leaves you two to gather up the students and faculty. Bring them to the courtyard so we can begin the evacuation."
'Twenty minutes...'
began to pace, his hands held carefully behind his back to avoid ripping his uniform on his claws.
'Twenty minutes and she's still not back yet. Where is she?'
"Shippou!"
looked up as Sango ran toward him, her comphone in her right hand. "Yeah?"
"Have you seen Sesshoumaru?"
"That way," he said and pointed toward the basketball court to the left of the courtyard. She thanked him and ran off, the urgency in her aura enough to make him follow her. Sesshoumaru stood in the center of the yard with Private Shuyin, the younger human chirping along happily about something or another while Sesshoumaru stared into the distance.
"Sesshoumaru!" Sango huffed as she stopped at his side. "Sess-(huff)-holy crap dude," she wheezed before sitting down with a plop. "Man, this Garden is huge."
"What is it Almasy?" he inquired with a slight edge to his voice. She flinched slightly, but held up her comphone. "It's for you."
grabbed the metallic phone decorated with pretty technicolor flower stickers with a mental grimace and flipped it open. The screen remained blank for a few moments, the screen flashing a bright white with a little neko youkai in the middle before a pink arrow flew onto the screen. He quickly clicked on it and came face to face with Kagome, who looked to be preoccupied with something. "Higurashi-"
"Sango, have you found him?" she interrupted, then glanced at the screen. "Oh, there you are Captain! Um..."
"Speak up Higurashi," he demanded. "I don't have all day."
"Alright," Kagome drawled. "But I think I can show you better than I can tell you."
frowned, intending on asking her what she meant when she disappeared from the comphone's camera. The background blurred for a few seconds then settled again, this time pointing toward the sky. "Do you see that?" Kagome asked from somewhere off screen. He remained confused until the camera focused on something in the sky, what looked to be a black dot. The black dot became three, then nine and fifteen before it ceased multiplying.
"Do you see it Captain?" she asked again. "I know the picture's screwy, but I can hear the sound of engines. What does that mean?" Kagome's face reappeared in the screen, but this time it was Sango who waited on the other side. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"He said to wait," Shippou told her as he glanced at the spot Sesshoumaru just vacated. "He's on his way."
waited in the center of the field, her hood off and her mask rolled up to reveal her mouth as she waited. She welcomed the cold air as it brushed against her exposed skin. She returned it to it's proper place when a brilliant golden light shone from the opposite end of the tundra. She stepped back when it zipped toward her, her eyes curious as it hovered over her before it settled at her side and took the form of a man.
sighed in relief when Sesshoumaru stepped out of the light, his eyes piercing from behind the mask as he waited for her to explain. "Sorry Captain, but I just saw it. I don't know what it i-"
"It's planes," he interrupted with a frown. "Fifteen fighter planes to be exact. If they're coming this way, then they're expecting to find the Garden defenseless, or that it's defenses are centered only on the gated entranceway."
"But isn't that where you stationed Inuyasha and Shippou?" she inquired. Sesshoumaru motioned for her comphone and pressed what he knew to be Sango's connection. Sango's face appeared seconds later. "Yeah Kagome-Oh, hey Sesshoumaru," she greeted. "Where's Kagome?"
"That's not important," he informed her. "Tell Inuyasha and the others to gather any that can fight and position them in the courtyard in front of the basketball court. You and Saikai put everyone else on the court and shoot anyone that walks through that you don't know. Tell Inuyasha and the others to barricade the courtyard."
"Alright, but what about you and K-" Sesshoumaru shut the little phone and returned it to Kagome, who quickly put it back inside her uniform.
"What about us?" she asked as an interesting scent wafted by them. "What are we going to do?"
frowned when he continued to ignore her and readied herself to tell him off when a growl rippled through the air. "What was that?" She looked to Sesshoumaru for an answer, but found him on his guard, his gunblade already in his hands. "Hey-"
"You're to stay there," he told her, his gaze directed toward the far east toward the ocean. "You're not to draw your weapon unless it's absolutely necessary. Understood?"
"How am I supposed to defend myself then?" Kagome shot back.
"Your magic Higurashi," Sesshoumaru reminded her, his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "Or have you forgotten?"
"Oh yeah," Kagome muttered sheepishly. "I forgot all about that. But why?"
"Because there are thirty humans coming toward you from the south."
"Oh, um Cap-" She jumped when something snapped behind her, then turned around and came face to face with a giant wall of ice. "Hey!" she shouted as she banged on the frozen wall. "Wait a sec! Aren't you going to help me?"
"I am helping," he said from the other side of the wall. "Unless you would like the mass of crazed youkai and monsters that are coming our way."
"Um....no thanks," Kagome replied before turning around. She met her second surprise of the day in the form of a soldier clad in blue. He leered at her from underneath his helmet, the reaction reflecting from one soldier to another as they came to a stop before her.
"Well hey there cutie," one said with a wicked grin. "What's a girl like you with a rack like that doin in a place like this?"
"I don't think that's your business," Kagome replied cooly. "But I can make it yours if you keep going toward Trabia Garden."
"Oh, so you're a SeeD," another soldier, this one dressed in red instead of blue, chuckled. "Well boys, I say we have some fun, don't you?"
whoops and cries were his answer before his brown eyes locked with hers. "See, my men like the idea," he told her. "How about we get started?"
"If you insist," Kagome said as a slow grin spread on her lips. She raised her hand between herself and the men and swept it forward, a powerful Fira spell activating in her arm's wake. The resulting fire spread from her fingertips to the ground, the snow melting under the fierce heat to spark at her feet. The wall of fire burned brightly, it's flames reaching higher than her head.
soldiers jerked back in fright, then gave a loud yell at her sly grin. "Oh come on now boys," she called as she dodged their blows. "Now you're just being slow. I thought you wanted to have fun."
"Get her!"
"Don't let that bitch escape!"
"How dare she, the little sorceress!"
smiled and dodged the fist of one of the soldiers with barely a flinch. She waved her hand forward again, this time casting a quick Protect spell on herself before casting a Stop on the nearest group of soldiers.
"Let that teach you a lesson," she quipped darkly. "Now who's next?"
snarled viciously, his claws flexed and extended as he ripped through the visage of a low level bull youkai. The youkai howled in agony, the poison from Sesshoumaru's claws running a straight course through his bloodstream to his heart. Sesshoumaru moved on then, his massive paws thundering along the blood speckled snow as he ran from one youkai to another.
'This is becoming mundane,' he thought as his teeth sank deep within a tiger youkai with purple and white fur. 'It is almost like a diversion.' He reached through his psychic abilities and touched Inuyasha's mind, not surprised to find his kid brother deep within the throws of battle. 'Inuyasha-'
'What is it you stuffy bastard?' the hanyou huffed irritably. 'Can't you see I'm busy?'
'So the Garden is under attack.'
'No shit Sherlock,' Inuyasha grumbled. 'What was your first clue? Oh, and where the fuck's Kagome?'
'She is...' His ear swivelled toward the glacial wall, a dog's version of a smirk appearing on his face at the shouts from the soldiers.
'Preoccupied at the moment.'
'Yeah well, what the fuck ever man,' Inuyasha grunted sourly. 'Just be sure to keep an eye on her. Shippou's ridin' my ass about her right now and I'm trying to concentrate.' He paused, no doubt to deal a blow before growling. 'Now could you get the fuck on please? I'm kinda doin somethin over here.'
left him with a shake of his head, his fangs bared and a vicious snarl escaping his lips as a monster attempted to strike him in the side. 'You will regret that,' he promised as the creature flew overhead. His claws made short work of the monster's stomach and it fell with a thud, it's black and white striped leather wings shuddering under it's last breaths before Sesshoumaru stomped on it's windpipe. He glared at the other monsters surrounding him, the youkai among them long gone.
growled at them all, his front right paw digging at the earth like a 9 story bull. His eyes glowered with promise, the jade green orbs focused and intent as they stunned the nearest monster in place. One quick slash of his claws and the monster was eliminated, leaving room for the next to meet it's end.
"Ha-ha," Kagome mocked as another solder attempted to grab her. She had long since lost the ski mask, it lying only God knows where while the battle raged on without it. "You missed dude. Do try again."
cast a Bio spell at him, grimacing as the giant ball of toxic sludge surrounded his head before bursting to fall onto the soldiers around him. Every soldier it touched screamed on impact. Their throats slowly began to shut down with one third of the normal air passing down the swollen tissue.
faltered, feeling a tad bit of remorse for them before continuing on. She tossed a bag in their direction, knowing that whoever picked up the wounded would find it and use what was in it to help them. She jumped back as another soldier once again tried to get their hands on her, then Blinded him before punching him square in the jaw. She regretted it when a soldier behind her gave her hair a vicious yank. She tossed a Fire spell in his face and jerked free, only to wince as another soldier backhanded her. She fell to the snow like a brick, her world spinning around her as they stood over her and grinned.
"Well, looks like this kitten's all out of fire boys," the soldier in red said as he pushed his way toward the front of the circle. "Good going men!"
winced as they cheered, her head now hurting instead of spinning while they shouted their victory across the clearing. Kagome quickly overcame the pain and kicked the nearest soldier in the groin, grinning slightly when he dropped in much of the same way she did. The commotion caught the attention of the other soldiers and they roared in outrage as she cast a Flare spell Shippou gave her. The clearing lit up in blinding light and she shielded her eyes, unaware of the soldier sneaking up behind her until it was too late.
blow to her lower back was agonizing, excruciating, and Kagome gasped, unable to concentrate as she fell to her knees. She cried out when he kicked her again, this time in the stomach. She crumpled like a rag doll, the laughter of the soldiers muted by the intense pain flowing over her. She struggled for breathe and found enough of it to scream when the soldier in red backhanded her again. He grabbed her hair before she could fall and jerked her to her feet. He licked his lips as he stared at her, his eyes drinking her in greedily as she struggled to get away.
"You had such power before," he taunted before hitting her again, this time punching her right above her left kidney. "Now look at you. You're weak and helpless. That's just the way we like em ay boys!"
began to panic when they cheered again, the sound much different than the one from earlier. This one sounded excited, devious and lewd. She shrieked when the red-clad soldier touched her, his free hand roughly grasping her hip before searching her uniform for it's zipper. "My men are going to have a little fun with you," he whispered in her ear, ignoring her grimace when he licked the shell. "I think that's the least you can do for all the trouble you've caused."
panic set full on when he jerked at her collar, the zipper at her throat tearing open slightly from the force. He stared deep into her eyes and grinned, unaware until it's final hour of the green glow that engulfed them. Kagome shuddered once, his grip on her loosening as an enormous black dragon shot from a black oily mass behind her. The dragon jerked the girl from his hands without a word and took to the air, the soldiers below clueless to their fate before it all went to hell.
"Mr. President sir!" Wedge exclaimed as the radar screen in front of him flashed an angry red. "I think we might have trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Juromaru demanded as he stood and walked toward the front of the airship. Wedge shivered as he neared, unconsciously able to sense the dark aura that swirled around him as he approached and leaned over the pilot's seat. He gulped audibly and turned back to the console and the flood of reports that were coming in.
"Sir, it seems that the Garden's forces are pushing ours back-"
"I expected as much," Juromaru replied offhandedly. "I knew Leonheart wouldn't hesitate to dispatch his precious SeeD to this place. What else is there?'
"Well, there seems to be this battle between youkai and monsters in the north eastern part of Bika Snowfield," Wedge said and again Juromaru was unimpressed.
"Don't mind those," Juromaru said with a wicked smile. "They are...allies, of a sort."
"Oh, um, ok then," Wedge stuttered. "Um, there's this too sir." He flipped a switch and leaned back, his brow deeply furrowed as the panicked voices of a squadron of soldiers filtered over the intercom.
"SOS, SOS, this is a mayday," a soldier practically screamed into the radio. "To whoever's listening, this is Commander Dojo of the eastern squadron. We're being...attacked by something ! We need-ah! No! Get away from me! No! Don't! AHHHHHHHHHHHH- "
shivered as the line fell silent. "Um...what to do now sir?" he stammered. Juromaru's face turned thoughtful, his claw lightly scratching his chin before glancing down at Wedge. "Find them."
"Are we going to help them sir?" Wedge asked. He wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an answer. He flew the ship toward the snowfield and the squadron in question. The field beyond the glacial wall was nothing but blackened earth, the snow and new grass beneath it nothing but a memory. A few soldiers were still running, but most of the squad lay in blackened ruin, the charred bodies of those unlucky enough to be caught by whatever destroyed them littered the field below. Juromaru's eyes widened as he looked further into the field, his gaze stopping at a lone figure floating inside a black clouded ball.
"What is that?" he whispered in awe, his hand braced against the armrest of Wedge's chair as he leaned closer to the window. The figure in the ball turned as it cleared, revealing a young woman dressed in white. Her eyes focused on the airship, the cold indifference swimming in her glowing eyes enough to make Wedges hair stand on end. Juromaru stood awestruck, his eyes moving over her every curve as the youkai trapped inside him watched her power.
'We know this creature, but who is she...what is she ? We must have her ,' a voice in the back of his mind demanded. Juromaru ignored it, favoring instead the look on the creature's face as she began to speak.
"Worthless," Juromaru read her lips. "Not even worth my time... " The ship began to rock seconds later, throwing Juromaru from the front of the ship to the wall in the back as Wedge struggled to regain control.
"What is happening?!" Juromaru demanded, the blue in his eyes quickly darkening to a bright red. "What's going on? Is it turbulence?"
"No sir!" Wedge shouted as alarms began to sound all over the ship. "It's something inside the ship itself! This is crazy! It's like tiny bombs are exploding all over the hull and inside the engine room! We're not going to be able to withstand this for long!"
'It's the girl, ' the voice determined as Juromaru regained his footing and returned to Wedge. 'She'll kill us both if you don't do something!'
"Shoot her down!" Juromaru ordered.
"B-but sir!" Wedge stuttered. "I can't! She's human and-"
"And I don't care!" He jerked Wedge from his seat by the front of his uniform and brought his face up to his. "Shoot. Her. Down."
"A-alright sir," Wedge stuttered and cried out when Juromaru dropped him back in his seat. He said a quick prayer of forgiveness and fired. The missiles shot toward the dark ball, their rockets trailing smoke behind them before crashing into the dark ball and the creature inside. The missiles detonated upon impact and the ball shattered. The young woman fell to the ground with an earth shaking thud, a great cloud of smoke rising from the point of impact as the last of the black ball disappeared.
"Wait," Juromaru commanded when Wedge moved to fly away. "I want to see what's beyond that dustcloud." They sat by while it dissipated, both their mouths dropping open when they found the girl whole but unconscious. "Fire again."
"But sir she-"
"FIRE AGAIN!!!"
missiles fired once again, but this time a GF stood in the way of the intended path. The black dragon screeched in agony before disappearing, returning to the earth it emerged from minutes earlier. Juromaru opened his mouth to fire again when another GF appeared, this one in the shape of a massive four-legged machine. Panels opened in the front of the right and left legs and Wedge cried out as missiles shot from the insides and careened toward them.
"Get us out of here!" he shouted seconds before the first missile buried itself into the hull. Wedge's brain jump started just as the missile exploded. He quickly maneuvered around the rest of the missiles and headed back to Galbadia while Juromaru gave the order for retreat over the airway.
GF watched them leave and shook itself before gazing down at the girl lying at it's fee. It reached down and gently nudged her with it's metal paw. She groaned but remained motionless, her eyes closed and her limbs akimbo on the ruined earth. The GF shook itself again before disappearing into a bright white ball. The little ball settled over her forehead and made one last circle before burying itself inside her.
jolted awake, unaware of ever falling asleep as she jerked to a sitting position. "Wh-where am I?" she wondered out loud as she stood up and brushed herself off. Details of her mission came back to her, but for the live of her she couldn't remember how she ended up on the ground. 'Maybe they knocked me out and left me here,' she thought, then shook her head. 'No, that doesn't sound right. They would have took me with them for one, plus I'd be sore. I don't feel any dif...fer..e...Oh my God," she breathed when she turned to gaze at the field behind her.
bodies were scattered everywhere, some only slightly red while others were nothing but cinders on the tainted ground. She quickly searched the area for the cause, her eyes wide and frightened before looking down at her hands. The once white gloves were coated in black soot and grime. She glanced again to the field, her eyes roving over each and every body as the taste of bile bit at the back of her tongue.
"Oh God, please don't-" she gasped as she fell to her hands and knees. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, creating clean lines in the soot that was unknowingly caked on her face.
changed from his youkai form quickly, his hair once again free and the ski mask lost to the sands of time as he glanced at the blood soaked snow surrounding him with a smirk. He paused at what sounded like a sob, his nose too deeply embedded in the blood of his enemies to tell who made the sound. He leaped over the ice wall easily but the sight to greet him left even him breathless.
carnage was amazing, the void of life almost staggering as he levitated to the burned earth. Something in him tightened uncomfortably as he sniffed the air for Kagome's scent. He found it a little away from him to his left. The scent was pure except for the ones lingering to her clothing. She sat there motionless, her hands and knees pressed to the ground and her face hidden between her arms.
"Higurashi, what has happened?" Sesshoumaru inquired as the tightness unwound and he could breathe easier. He frowned when she remained unresponsive and called her name again before lifting her to her feet. He brought her face to his and fought the urge to gasp, golden eyes wide with shock as blank teal eyes stared back at him. Sesshoumaru attempted to use her tears to clear her face, the only thing his attentive fingers could uncover was a welt on her right cheek before she began to whisper.
"Higurashi, what happened?" he asked again, the tightening from earlier returning full force when she still refused to answer. Sesshoumaru shook her lightly but stopped when she began to sob. "Kagome answer me!" he demanded angrily, not liking her strange behavior and the unknown feelings it caused to stir within him. She screamed instead, the sound sharp and piercing in both decimal and intensity as her grief and inner suffering escaped to the sky above. Sesshoumaru winced but refused to release her, deciding instead to return them to the Garden so one of the medics could look her over.
picked her up effortlessly and cradled her in his arms with her head resting against his chest. Kagome stopped screaming and the tears continued to flow, but with it came three whispered words that, to Sesshoumaru, were louder than any scream.
was me....It was me...It was me ...
Chapter)
That's it. Man, that kinda hurt. Anyway, that's this chapter.
What's wrong with Kagome?
Now you know I can't tell that. I've got lots of things up my sleeve and you can't find out just yet. You be patient Inu-chan.
Anyway, the next chapter is a dozy compared to this one. All of those that have wanted fluff in the chapters are going to get their wish, starting with this one. Oh, the summary for the next chapter is below.
The two GFs in the story are Diablos and Alexander. I wonder how a dark GF and a holy GF are going to get along with one summoner?
(whops Miroku upside the head) It's not summoner dummy. Wrong game.
I feel so guilty. Those men, what happened to them? How did I managed to do what I did to them...and why don't I remember? What's wrong with me? And why is Sesshoumaru being so...well, nice to me? It's almost unnerving, but sweet in an odd sort of way. He told me he fixed things and I believe him, though how he thought to fix a field full of dead people I'll never know. But no matter how nice he is to me, he's still Captain, and will stay that way for as long as I'm concerned. I've learned an important lesson, one that just keeps repeating itself with my parents, my brother and now my friends.
hurts...
I'm allergic to the pain.
Nine: Saying Goodbye to the Ragnork
Eight: A Call to Protect
sat on the Garden stairs in front of the gate's control booth, his elbow resting on his right knee with his chin in the palm of his hand. His left leg shook rapidly as it stretched out ahead of him and his tail twitched as it rested over his right shoulder. 'Where is she?' he growled to himself as he glanced at his watch. 'It's Monday, so she's supposed to be here. If Sesshoumaru let anything happen to her I'll-'
"Shippou?"
looked up and into Kikyou's dark eyes, his narrowed slightly as she stepped away from the slightly crimson orbs. "Are you ok?" He growled in response, the low, guttural warning sending shivers up and down her spine. "Um...alright then." She sat down on the stairs a little away from him and watched him warily. "You know, it's only 8:00. I don't even think the train's arrive-"
"You obviously haven't heard," Shippou finally said, his normally cheerful voice foreign in it's cynicism. "The trains in Galbadia have been stopped. The only way here and to FH is by boat...or Garden."
"Oh man," Kikyou gasped. "No, I hadn't heard."
"Don't see how," Shippou mumbled. "Where's Inuyasha?"
"Oh, he's still asleep."
"Hmnh," Shippou replied, his nose finally registering Inuyasha's scent as it wafted from Kikyou's skin. "Spent the night together again huh?" He frowned at her blush and scooted away from her. "You know the two of you will be in big trouble if the Garden staff finds out."
"Yeah, I know," Kikyou nodded. "But we use protect-"
"I don't even care," Shippou interrupted quickly, his hand thrown up to prevent her from continuing. Kikyou nodded and fell silent, occasionally stealing glances at the irate kitsune. "I...I brought you breakfast," she said before offering him a small white bag. Shippou accepted it after a moment, his nose already catching the hints of fresh blueberry muffin and hot chocolate.
"You know it's too hot for hot chocolate right?" he said as he opened the bag and brought out the muffin. Kikyou nodded. "So what? Hot chocolate makes everything better, even waiting on a friend."
ate as he thought over her wisdom, then brushed a crumb from his lip and nodded in her direction. "You know Kik, you're not half bad."
blushed again and smiled. "You're not so bad yoursel-What?" Kikyou asked when Shippou jumped to his feet, his tail completely stiff as his nose twitched eagerly. "What is it?"
"Shhhhh," he whispered past the finger against his lips. He concentrated intently, his nostrils rapidly twitching as he sniffed the morning air. 'No, must have been a mistake,' he thought gloomly as he sagged back to his seat. 'I could have sworn-'
"Shippou!"
head jerked up and behind him toward the commons circle, the red fading from his eyes as he scanned the early morning crowd of students. Kikyou looked up as well and stood when he did, watching him as he shifted from one foot to the other. "Is it her Shippou?" she asked as a wide smile began to spread across his face. Shippou didn't answer her, his excitement blocking out all other voices and scents except for three. One was obviously masculine, with notes of leather, sandalwood and surprisingly cucumber. The second was cinnamon coated wilderness and gunpowder but the third was what he was waiting for, the unique perfume of caramel excitement entwined with water lilies.
"Where are you Ship?"
grabbed Kikyou and began to run, ignoring her squeak of surprise as he sprinted down the hallway toward the three. He barely heard the gatekeeper's cry to come back and clean up the mess they left, his ears trained more on the sweet melancholy voice that filled his ears and his heart. He ignored the stares of the Garden students as he ran past them, he and Kikyou no more than black and red streaks as he sprinted down the hallway toward the parking lot. He grinned when he saw her, turquoise eyes smiling happily at him as she jumped and waved her arms.
"Hey!" Kagome cheered as Shippou sat Kikyou down and Sango got out of the car. "You sure got here fast! You must have been wait-Eeep!" She squealed and giggled when he picked her up and spun her around, his tail returning to it's long forgotten place around her waist. "I guess you missed me huh?" she said while Sango and Miroku greeted Kikyou.
"Are you ok?" Shippou asked when he finally put her down. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, his eyes roving over her light jeans and royal blue fitted shirt with 'Dangerous' on the front in white glittery cursive. He stared in surprise at the clear heels on her feet and stepped back once he was throughly sure she was without injury. "How was Winhill? Did you get hurt? How's Miroku's dad? Sesshoumaru didn't hurt you did he?"
"Hold on Ship," Kagome said as she struggled to catch her breath. "We're fine and-"
"And I have hurt no one," Sesshoumaru interrupted as he too emerged from the car. He popped the trunk open, grabbed his duffle bag and left it open for the others. "Well, no one that didn't deserve it at least. What is going on kit?"
"Oh, you mean why are you guys here?" Shippou said as he grabbed Kagome's duffle and slug it over his shoulder. "To be honest Sesshoumaru, I don't know. No one does unless you're a part of the Garden staff. The only thing I know is that there's supposed to be some kind of special announcement delivered to our rooms at 10 this morning."
"Good. That is all I need to know." Sesshoumaru retrieved his gunblade case next before turning toward the Garden entrance. "If anyone needs me...tell them to bother someone else."
"Man," Miroku said when Sesshoumaru finally disappeared. "That was rather rude of him."
"Yeah well what do you expect?" Shippou shrugged as he led them toward the Garden entrance. "He's a tri-"
"Where's Inuyasha?" Sango asked and regretted it when Kagome flinched slightly. Kikyou and Shippou noticed it, but Kikyou was the only one unaware of the reason as she answered her. "He's asleep. He said something about catching up with us later."
"Oh, ok then," Kagome said with a smile. "So...is breakfast still on? I'm starving."
"Yeah," Shippou nodded. "Come on." The group walked toward the cafeteria happily, exchanging jokes and gossip the other three managed to miss while on their missions. Shippou looked on as Kagome laughed with the others, her mood and aura lightened in comparison to when she left.
"Stop worrying about her Ship," Sango whispered to him as the others stepped into the lunch line. "Kagome and I had a little talk and she's good."
"Are you sure?" he asked, then sniffed and groaned.
"Yeah I'm sure. Why?"
"Cause we're going to see in a few." Shippou pointed over her shoulder and Sango turned around just as Inuyasha entered the cafeteria. Kagome saw him next and smiled, her hand faltering in its wave as he and Kikyou exchanged a quick kiss.
"Just where have you been Inuyasha?" Kagome scolded as he jumped in line ahead of her. He grunted in surprise when she pushed him out and regained her place.
"What the hell?" he spat out. "Just what's your problem Kagome?"
"My problem is-"
"And here they go," Miroku groaned as he, Sango and Shippou watched the brewing fight. "They haven't even stood in the same room for five minutes and they're already at it."
"You!" Kagome continued. "Just who in the hell do you think you are jumping in front of me? You haven't even said hello you jerk!"
"Well damn," Inuyasha grinned as he stepped back in front of her. "If that's what it takes to get breakfast then 'Hey!'"
"Jackass," Kagome grumbled, ignoring her friends' gasp of surprise as she shoved him behind her toward Kikyou. "Stand back there or get to the back of the line."
"Damn," Shippou laughed while Inuyasha complained and called her names behind her back. "You're right Sango. She does seem to be alright. This just might be more fun that I expected."
wearily stood against the door of her room, her forehead resting against the door's surface and the slip of paper taped to the front of it. 'I'm so tired,' she thought to herself as she ripped it down and pulled her ID tag out of her pocket. She slipped it through the scanner on the doorknob and waited for the familiar click of the lock opening before shoving the door open. She dropped her duffle bag on the floor beside the door and flopped down on the bed, her bleary eyes barely aware of the door shutting itself as she breathed a deep sigh and closed her eyes.
'I wish we never left Winhill,' she said to herself sadly. 'At least there I wouldn't have to watch Inuyasha and Kikyou slobber all over each other. (Sigh) I shouldn't think things like that. I'm really glad to see them, and if we were still in Winhill then I wouldn't get to see Shippou. He's grown so much since we last saw each other.' She sat up with a lighthearted smile as she remembered the rest of the day and how excited Shippou had been to see her.
'Shoot, it wouldn't surprise me if he had every girl in the Garden following behind him like lovesick puppies.' She laughed out loud at that, her mood lightened considerably as she made her way to the small bathroom attached to her room. She took a quick shower, allowing the hot water and the soapy suds to wash away the day's wear on her nerves. She quickly dried and changed into a pair of black cotton shorts and a white t shirt, her damp hair still wrapped inside one of her fluffy towels when she remembered the slip of paper she found on her door.
"Now what did I do with that thing..." she asked herself as she searched the top of her desk. "Ah-hah!" she chirped as she grabbed the paper off her desk and plunked down in the chair in front of it. "Now let's see..." she said as she began to read. She quickly scanned the paper once, then slowed down to read it a second time before groaning.
Garden Flyer for Monday, May 15
annual Garden Festival has been canceled until further notice. Those that planned on participating should check with First Cadet Ronso for compensation.
Kinneas has canceled the Fire Cavern Field Exams for this week. Please check with either Instructors Kinneas or Trepe for make up exams.
Committee Announcement: Once again, we have found evidence of Forbidden magic used on Garden property. Forbidden Magic is FORBIDDEN for a reason! Subjects found using this magic on Garden property will be immediately turned over to the Headmaster for disciplinary action.
Notice!!!!!
returning SeeD members are to report to the Quad IN FULL UNIFORM at07:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16 for mandatory meeting and new assignments.
WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!!!
annual Garden Festival has been canceled until further notice. Those that planned on participating should check with First Cadet Ronso for compensation.
Kinneas has canceled the Fire Cavern Field Exams for this week. Please check with either Instructors Kinneas or Trepe for make up exams.
Committee Announcement: Once again, we have found evidence of Forbidden magic used on Garden property. Forbidden Magic is FORBIDDEN for a reason! Subjects found using this magic on Garden property will be immediately turned over to the Headmaster for disciplinary action.
Notice!!!!!
returning SeeD members are to report to the Quad IN FULL UNIFORM at07:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16 for mandatory meeting and new assignments.
WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!!!
"Oh man," she said to herself as she dropped the paper back to the desk's surface. "Well, I'm not sleeping in tomorrow, that's for sure. Oh well." She walked over to her duffle bag and unpacked it, making sure to place any worn clothes in her laundry hamper before hanging the clean ones inside her closet and her uniform on a hook on the back of her door. "There," she said as she dusted off her hands. "That's it for that. Hmmm...let's see. I guess I should clean Junsei before tomorrow. I can almost guarantee that someone will check for it."
slowly entered the quad, his golden eyes casually roaming over his surroundings as other SeeDs whispered to each other around him. 'It is too early for this,' Sesshoumaru grumbled in aggravation as the early morning sun shone in the eastern sky. 'The human SeeDs are going to be too tired to listen...not that I care of course.' He took a moment to reposition his tail, his eyes closed as the appendage removed itself from around his waist to settle around his shoulders and hang from his left side. He actually liked the way his uniform looked with his tail draped over it, though he'd never admit to something so vain and frivolous. His gunblade, Shikyo, bumped against his side with every step as he descended the first of two sets of marble stairs.
"Captain Endo!" Sesshoumaru glanced to his right at Instructor Trepe, who stood a little away from the side of the pathway. "This way please." She waited as he approached her and handed him a slip of paper.
"What is this?" he asked as he read over the list of names.
"That's your letter assignment," Instructor Trepe answered before gesturing toward the rows of seats set up in the quad square. "The chairs over there are assigned by squad letter. You're F, I think. You and those that are on that list are to sit in that section."
"Thank you Instructor."
"No problem Captain," she said before walking away. Sesshoumaru looked over the list of names with a mental sigh. 'As if I do not have other things to deal with,' Sesshoumaru said to himself before glancing up at the top of the stairs. He watched as Kagome appeared at the top of the quad entrance, his thoughts once again turning to ponder the female specialist. She glanced around her nervously, ignorant of the appreciative stares from her male counterparts as she searched the crowd for someone she recognized. Teal eyes spotted him and she smiled in relief before running to catch up with him, her gunblade's sliver holster bumping against her side.
"Hey," she greeted with a smile. "Good morning Captain."
"Good morning to you as well Higurashi," Sesshoumaru greeted politely before glancing back over the list of names. A slight smile touched his lips as he read her name, wondering to himself how he managed to skip over it as she continued to talk to him.
"Have you seen any of my friends?" she finally asked him. "I haven't seen Sango, Shippou or the others all day."
"They should be arriving shortly," Sesshoumaru answered, though he could care less whether they showed or not. "Here." He handed her his name's list and explained. "It seems that you and Almasy are once again in my squad."
"Yeah, I see that," Kagome nodded as she read the list. "Along with Shippou, Miroku and Inuyasha. Man, you can't be happy about that last one."
"I tolerate Inuyasha on occasion," Sesshoumaru replied as Miroku and Sango appeared on the stairs. "Though the less I have to the better off he is." He looked down at her when she laughed, his brow quirked in surprise when she covered her mouth to muffle the sound and hide her smile. "Just what is so amusing?" he asked, though somewhere inside him he didn't mind her laughter. It was almost...musical, and knowing that he made her laugh caused something to stir withi-
"Oh, just you," Kagome said, interrupting his inner musings and giving him a chance to completely evict the wayward thoughts before they had a chance to take root in his mind. "You actually made a joke, and a good one too."
"I am not the cold hearted bastard everyone thinks I am," he told her before his eyes trained on Miroku and Sango as they walked up behind Kagome. "Be sure to lead the others to our section," he said before turning on his heel and walking away. Kagome and the others watched him just as Inuyasha and Shippou walked into the quad, the two youkai deciding to skip the stairs and jump the distance to their friends.
"Yo, what's up?" Inuyasha asked. "And what's goin' on here?"
"Oh, um...let's see here," Kagome said before reading off the names again. "Ok then. Nobody's missing so-."
"Missing?" Shippou repeated as Inuyasha snatched the paper from Kagome's hands.
"Hey! Give that back you jerk!"
"Stop being an ass Inuyasha," Shippou growled as he grabbed the paper and returned it to Kagome before Inuyasha had a chance to read it. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"Oh, just that we're supposed to be in the same squad, that's all."
"That's all?" Sango chirped. "That's ALL?! Dude, we're all in the same squad!!!!"
"Um, don't celebrate yet," Shippou told her while she pounced on Miroku and gave him a fierce hug. "I smell Sesshoumaru all over that paper."
"Yeah, me too," Inuyasha said, his signature scowl already on his face. "Why the hell would you let him read it?"
"He let me read it," Kagome replied with a huff. "He's our captai-"
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Inuyasha exploded. The others jumped back as the rest of the quad stared at him curiously, watching as he fumed like a smoking locomotive.
"Could you calm down?" Shippou quipped as he brushed down the fur on his tail. "Jeez, you're such a drama queen."
"Shut up brat," Inuyasha snapped angrily. "You know Sesshoumaru and I don't get along."
"Well looks like you're going to have to get over it," Miroku said with a yawn. "I don't think it can be changed can it?"
"Nope," Kagome said after flipping over the paper. "Says so right her-Hey!!!" she cried out as Inuyasha once again snatched the paper from her. She crossed her arms and walked away, leaving him with a final "Jerk!" before leading them to Sesshoumaru's section of the quad. He stood up and allowed the others to take their seats in their row, with Miroku sitting next to Sesshoumaru, Sango and Kagome next to Miroku, and Shippou and Inuyasha taking the last seats on the row.
"Why do I have to sit with Mr. Grumpy?" Shippou complained as the other SeeDs began to fill the seats around them. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha scowled, then quickly threw a Stop spell in his direction when he raised his fist to clobber the unsuspecting kitsune.
"Shame on you Inuyasha," Kagome scolded with a whisper. "You should behave yourself."
"Yeah?" Inuyasha said as he struggled to get out of the spell. "Well you should kiss my a-" His mouth snapped closed with an audible click, his eyes stretching open in alarm while the others laughed at his expense.
"Just sit there and shut up numb-nuts," Shippou teased, then quieted along with the others as one of the instructors gestured for silence. "The meeting's about to start." Inuyasha grumbled silently but ceased his struggle to shake off the spell, deciding to wait until it dissolved on it's own as Headmaster Leonheart called the assembly to order.
glanced over the crowd of SeeDs that stretched before him like a black sea before clearing his throat. "Thank you for attending this meeting," he began with a clear voice. "As I'm sure you all are aware, things in Galbadia have progressed from bad to worse in the past three months under the new president. I don't have to tell those of you that were stationed in the nation of how bad things are, especially for SeeD members." He waited patiently for the mumbles of agreement to cease before continuing. "Also, I'm sure those of you that have been stationed at the Garden are aware of the slight increase of activity in the Garden itself."
"Slight activity?" Shippou mumbled and winced when Kagome jabbed her elbow into his side. "Shoot, I'd hate to see what they call an emergency then."
"Command-Instructor Trepe will explain the reason for your return, and for the sudden activity in the Garden. Quistis?" He stepped aside as Quistis approached the front, a clipboard in her hands and a pen behind her ears as her audience focused on her.
"Just as the Headmaster explained," she began with a sigh. "The continent of Galbadia has become hazardous for SeeD members. All SeeDs once stationed in both Galbadia and Timber have been either imprisoned or are classified as MIA or KIA. However, this is something we all are aware of."
began to pace then, her boots clicking back and forth against the gray cobblestone, her head down and the clipboard clasped behind her back. "Though hostile activity has stopped with the occupation of Timber, there have been rumors of Deling planning an attack on the Gardens." She frowned when her audience began to mumbled amongst themselves, her displeasure echoing through the captains until they regained control over their squad.
"Galbadia has launched attacks against the Gardens in the past, before Sigumi Endo became ambassador seventeen years ago," Quistis reminded everyone as she continued pacing. "Since then, there has been peace between Galbadia and the rest of the world. That peace ended with Juromaru Deling, Vinzer Deling's son. We have studied his progress and his choice of aggressions and have found the threat against the Gardens to be very serious, and quite real.
"An executive decision made by the headmasters of all three Gardens has been made in reference to the students. Seed members are to report to their home Gardens at once and remain there, as that Garden will remain your station. Are there any questions?"
"Yes?" she pointed toward a SeeD on the far left. "What is it?"
"What are we supposed to do while we're stationed here?" a SeeD stood up and asked. Quistis gestured to Squall, who leaned against the wall behind her. "Headmaster Leonheart will explain that once we're finished. Anything else?"
"What's the plan if we're attacked?" one SeeD member who stank of fear and nervousness stuttered.
"The plan for Balamb and Galbadia Gardens is to evacuate as many as we can, then move the Garden's themselves to a specific rendevous point on Esthar continent. Anything else?"
"What about Trabia Garden?" Shippou asked as he stood up. "They're Garden can't move, so how are they supposed to meet at the rendevous point?"
"That's a good question Private Makayura," Squall said as he took his place beside Quistis. "And one we hope to not have to ask."
"So...there's no plan then?" Inuyasha said once the Silence spell finally wore off. Kagome, Sango and Miroku lightly slapped their foreheads in embarrassment at his crassness as Shippou jerked him back to his seat.
"There is a plan," Squall assured him as the other SeeDs began to mumble once again. "So there's no need to worry. Anyway, as Command-Instructor Trepe said, I'm going to explain your purpose here at the Garden. Each squad is assigned to pretty much the same thing: Ensure that the students that don't want to stay at the Garden are evacuated, and the students that do stay are prepared for what that entails. Students from either Timber or Deling City are to be properly looked after as well."
"Babysitting," Inuyasha growled irritably. "Man, not another one."
"Some squads will be assigned to supplies, both medical and food staples. All of you have been assigned to a squad letter and captain. Any orders your captain receives entail all of the squad unless told otherwise-" He stopped as Hojo came running down the stairs, his eyes frantic before finally settling on Squall.
"Headmaster!" he called before coming to a stop beside him. "This just came in!" Squall thanked him and accepted the slip of paper in his hands, taking a moment to read it before glancing at him.
"Are you sure?" he asked Hojo and frowned when Hojo nodded furiously. "I see. If you'll excuse me," he said to the assembly before following Hojo up the stairs. Quistis and the SeeDs watched as he disappeared before erupting into whispers around her.
"What do you think that's about?" Kagome whispered to Sesshoumaru while Quistis attempted to regain control of the assembly. Sesshoumaru's tail twitched in annoyance. "I do not know, but it has nothing to do with us," he told her as the others calmed down.
"Alright, that's enough," Quistis yelled as the assembly struggled back to order. "Now, as I'm sure the Headmaster would have said if he hadn't been called away, your captains are to receive assignments from the cafeteria if your letters are A-G, from the infirmary if your letters are H-N, from the library if your letters are from O-U, and from here if your letters are from V-Z. You all are dismissed."
and the others quickly jumped from their seats, with Sesshoumaru standing up at a much slower pace. "Ok, so now what?" Sango asked him as he brushed off his tail.
"Hmmm," Sesshoumaru began thoughtfully. "I'm going to the cafeteria to receive our assignment. You do as you please, but make sure I can find you."
"Alright then," Miroku said as Sesshoumaru walked away from the little group. Inuyasha scowled as he left and immediately began complaining, not caring if the others ignored him or not as Shippou sat down beside Kagome and draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey Kag, what's wrong?" he asked as she looked up at him. "You look a little worried about something."
"It's nothing," Kagome said as she shook her head. "I was just...a little dizzy, that's all."
"Hey, are you alright?" Sango asked as she and Miroku kneeled down in front of her. Kagome nodded and attempted to brush aside their concern with a lighthearted smile.
"Yeah you guys I'm fine," Kagome nodded before standing up with a yawn and a stretch. "It was just a second anyway. I'm good now."
"You guys heard her," Inuyasha growled from above them. "She said she's fine so stop hovering over her like a bunch of mother hens."
"Shut up Inuyasha," Shippou retorted as he helped Kagome stand. "You were worried too. I can smell it on you."
"Yeah, well...um..." Inuyasha stuttered with a blush and a quick scratch behind his ear. "Fuck this. Come on you guys, Sesshoumaru's bound to be waiting."
and the others followed behind him, Sango and Miroku deeply involved in their conversation while Shippou remained in close contact with her. She wavered on her feet for only a second and quickly caught herself before Shippou or the others could realize it before giving a gentle sigh.
'I just don't understand it,' Kagome said do herself. 'I've never been sick before, so why now? And for some reason, I think I saw something...or someone...watching me.' She shivered as blue eyes smiled at her from her mind's eye and assured Shippou once again that she was fine before leaving the quad for the commons circle beyond.
glanced over the weekly supply report, his eyes blurring slightly as he counted off the correct boxes for the inventory.
'I'm starting to wish we never left Winhill,' he sighed to himself as he checked off a marked box. He glanced to his right at a sigh and watched Kagome as she sat lotus style beside a group of boxes. She glanced up and smiled at him, and he responded with a nod before turning away.
'Why is she so comfortable around me?' he wondered as he continued with his duties. 'The others almost insist on performing other tasks, but she does anything I ask of her, regardless of her personal comforts.' He smirked as he thought about a task she performed the day before. He had asked Inuyasha to clean one of the furnaces, a task also set for Squad F by the headmaster. Upon asking, he left Inuyasha to the task. However, he returned and found Kagome's feet sticking out of the furnace door.
promptly ordered her out and watched with a smirk as she emerged, caked from head to toe in pitch black soot. He only recognized her by the frown on her face and the blue-green eyes sparkling back at him.
"Just what are you doing in there?" he asked, his smirk unknowingly softening as she propped the sweep against the furnace and attempted to dust off her hands.
"Well, Inuyasha said he didn't want to do it so..."
"So you decided to take it up on yourself instead of telling me?"
"What good would it have done?" Kagome asked with an irritated sigh. "You and Inuyasha would have argued and the furnace still would have been dirty. So I thought I'd save you the trouble."
'And save me the trouble she did,' he said to himself as he glanced back at her. 'Again she surprises me. I'm beginning to think that this is the norm around her.' Sesshoumaru glanced up as the door to the storage room slammed shut and approached the Garden staff member as he rounded the corner.
"Are you Captain Endo?" the staff member demanded. Sesshoumaru frowned at the disrespect, but nodded. "The headmaster wants to see you." The staff member left without another word, leaving Sesshoumaru to stew as Kagome stood up and dusted the sawdust from her hands.
"What was that about Captain?" she asked, wide blue eyes innocently focused on him. "And why would the headmaster want to see you?"
"I don't know," Sesshoumaru admitted before retrieving the clipboard from her hands. "We should find out, don't you think?"
"Um, yeah," Kagome said as she followed him out of the room and up the stairs to the cafeteria above. They quickly made their way toward the elevator, and Kagome waited while Sesshoumaru used his ID card to gain access to the third floor.
two stepped off the elevator, walked down the hallway and into the headmaster's office to find Squall sitting behind his desk barricaded behind stacks of paperwork. He looked up when they entered the room and signed gratefully, cool blue eyes focused on them as he stood from his work and walked around the desk to them.
"Please, don't do that," he said when Kagome and Sesshoumaru snapped to attention. "Trust me, there's no need for that here. Besides, you don't have time for it."
"What do you mean sir?" Kagome asked. Squall glanced from her to Sesshoumaru quizzically. "Why is she here?" he asked.
"She was with me when you summoned me," Sesshoumaru answered. "I asked her to come with me, seeing as how she'll receive word of this meeting anyway."
"Quite right Sesshoumaru," Squall laughed jovially. "I actually don't mind. I'm glad you're here Kagome." Kagome smiled and bowed her head respectfully as Squall walked to the windows behind his desk and stared out into the open air and mountains beyond. "I'm giving you and your squad a new assignment Captain Endo. It's one of great importance so I need both of you to give me your undivided attention."
"Of course sir," Kagome replied. "We're listening, right Captain?"
"As always," Sesshoumaru replied dryly. "Do continue Headmaster."
turned to face them, all good cheer erased from his countenance. "Our informant in the New Galbadian army-"
"New Galbadia sir?" Kagome interrupted. Squall nodded. "Yes. The new president has decided to call the Galbadia under his rule the New Galbadia. Anyway, the informant has confirmed our worst suspicions. Deling has been planning an aerial assault for the past three weeks."
"Oh no," Kagome breathed, her hands flying to her mouth the moment Sesshoumaru glared in her direction. She gave him an apologetic shrug as Squall continued.
"The mobile assault will begin in four days. By then, Galbadia and Balamb Gardens will be well on their way to Esthar."
"I see," Sesshoumaru nodded thoughtfully. "What about Trabia Garden?"
"That's where your squad comes in," Squall said with a mischievous smile. "You and your team are to go to Trabia Garden and evacuate the few remaining staff members, students, and SeeDs."
"Isn't it still winter there?" Kagome asked and groaned when Squall nodded.
"It's always winter in Trabia Kagome," Squall told her. "Provisions for yourselves and your passengers will be provided, as well as some all weather uniforms. The only thing you have to worry about is time."
"Speaking of time," Sesshoumaru spoke up with a thoughtful tap on his cheek. "We will not have enough time to reach Trabia before the missile strike."
"Of course you will," Squall disagreed.
"How so?" Sesshoumaru countered. "It's not possible... unless you plan on flying us there."
"Actually Captain Endo-"
gasped and Sesshoumaru stepped back as a mechanical dragon rose outside the window behind Squall, it's gigantic metallic claws deeply embedded in the steel framing.
"You're going to fly. You've had some flight training, correct?"
"Yes," Sesshoumaru nodded as he warily eyed the crimson dragon. "But what does that have to do with-"
"Say hello to the Ragnork," Squall said as he gestured to the dragon. "It's an airship on loan from Esthar. You're to fly it there and fly it to the rendevous point in Esthar. Here's your orders." He tossed Sesshoumaru a folder and waited for him to catch it before dismissing them.
"Oh, and Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Headmaster?" he said as he and Kagome turned to look at him.
"You and your team are to be ready at 1100 hours. Make sure your team is ready by then."
waited until he and Kagome were downstairs to begin reading the folder, then lowered it when Kagome tapped his shoulder. "What now?"
"Now you gather the others," Sesshoumaru told her. "Make sure they have at least eight days worth of clothes and are at the Garden gate in-" he glanced at his watch and shook his head. "Two hours. Good luck with Inuyasha on that by the way."
"Gee, thanks," Kagome grumbled as he walked away. "Man, why do I always get the hard stuff eh?"
glanced at the radar screen attached to the right of his seat, assuring himself that nothing was approaching the massive airship before relaxing against the back of his chair and taking a sip of his tea.
past four days replayed behind his closed lids like an old movie reel, starting with the 'tour' of the airship that Instructor Kinneas insisted on giving the squad. In all there were seven rooms and two hallways, one that connected the cargo bay (and the main entrance to the ship) to the hallway leading to the hanger and the hallway that held led to the passenger deck on the same level and the elevator platform leading to the bridge. There was one spare storage room attached to the hanger where most of the crates and boxes the headmaster insisted they bring on the mission were stored.
crew themselves mostly stayed between the passenger deck and the air room in the very back of the ship, with Sesshoumaru on the bridge since he alone piloted the ship and knew the workings of the other four consoles stationed around him. His squadron was a surprisingly calm bunch, with he and Inuyasha managing to avoid conflict for the better part of the journey. Most of the violence was between Inuyasha and Shippou to his surprise, and those were due to a disrespectful word from Inuyasha to Kagome with the kitsune rushing to her defense.
'Not as if she needs defending,' Sesshoumaru smirked as he returned the styrofoam cup to the cupholder on his seat's right armrest. 'The woman can handle the hanyou quite nicely from what I've observed.' He also observed the protective way Shippou hovered over his human companion, his eyes narrowed and a deep growl resonating from his throat whenever Inuyasha so much as glanced in Kagome's direction. 'There is some hostility among the little group despite their friendship. It is a wonder they tolerate each other. It is my belief that they wouldn't if it weren't for-'
ears twitched as a beeping began from the main navigators console behind him to his right side. Sesshoumaru immediately stood up and approached the station and the blinking green light in the middle of the screen. He quickly typed a command into the console and watched as another display appeared, this one giving him a world map of Spira with a flashing white light on the continent of Trabia over Trabia Garden and an estimated time of arrival.
"Thirty minutes?" He glanced at his watch and nodded. "The headmaster's report said that we wouldn't arrive until three. We are two hours early. Wonderful." He quickly cleared the screen, then set the auto-pilot on the pilot's console before stepping onto the elevator platform. He descended the elevator to the lower level, entered the passenger deck and frowned at the beginnings of a fight (once again) between Inuyasha and Shippou. 'This is the fourth one in two days. Surely they can do something else.'
"Fuck you Shippou!" Inuyasha spat as Kagome and the others tried to separate the two. "You can't tell me what to say!"
"I'm not telling you what to say Puppy!" Shippou shot back. His tail twitched around Kagome's waist angrily, the tip of the furry appendage in danger of being stepped on as Kagome pushed him back toward the door. "I'm just telling you that you can't say that kind of thing around a bunch of girls!"
"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded. "It's not like anyone gives a damn what Kikyou and I do! You might learn somethin-"
"Alright that's enough!" Kagome exploded suddenly. She waved her hand at Inuyasha, then at Shippou before stepping back from the both of them. They glanced at her in confusion as she motioned for Sango and Miroku to move away as well, then began to growl as they struggled to move against the Stop spell she placed on them. "Now I'm tired of this," she scolded the two with her index fingers wagging in their direction. "All you two have done is fight for this entire trip! Now I don't think it's a good idea for members of a team to fight like cats and dogs."
"But he is a dog Kagome," Shippou quipped smartly. "Or did you forge-" His eyes widened when she waved at him, the Silence spell activating instantly.
"Again, I'm tired of this," Kagome continued. "You two need to stop this now ! I'm almost positive that if I'm tired of it, Sesshoumaru is too!"
"As a matter of fact," Sesshoumaru said as he walked into the room, a critical eye on Shippou and Inuyasha as he surveyed Kagome's magic works. "I am rather 'tired' of this. You two will not behave this way once we arrive, or you will remain in Petrification until we return to the Garden." He didn't wait for their acceptance before turning to Kagome and the others. "We will arrive at Trabia Garden in twenty-five minutes. I would suggest you follow me and to do that Higurashi-" he pointed to Shippou and Inuyasha, a near smirk touching his lips as they continued to struggle against their spells. "Those two are going to have to be mobile. I don't care if they can talk though. In fact, the inability might be useful."
and Sango quickly cast an Esuna spell on the two to nullify the spells and shot the both of them the evil eye before joining Miroku as he followed Sesshoumaru into the platform hallway. He walked through the door in front of the platform and walked down the catwalk stairs to the hanger below. He stopped in front of a set of chairs and two crates, one Kagome remembered being the large metal crate brought in from Dollet.
"In these crates are supplies that are supposed to help the mission," Sesshoumaru explained as he dripped green acid from his fingertips to the wooden crate's lid. The nails sealing it melted with a slight hiss, the fragrant smell of cucumber permeating the hanger before he shoved the top to the side and searched inside. He found mostly blankets and disposable plates and cups inside. He moved on to the next crate, deciding to burn a hole through the middle of the top to get to what was inside. To his surprise, he found nothing but cardboard boxes, each varying in size and bearing the name of someone in the group.
and Sango quickly began sorting through the piles of boxes and managed to come up with six piles with three boxes each. Sesshoumaru opened his first as the others looked on. He quickly ripped the tape from the smallest box and opened it, then groaned and pulled a thermal shirt from its confines. 'They're uniforms,' he realized as he opened the second and third boxes. "Almsay, Higurashi," he said before pointing toward the spare storage room behind him. "Take your things and change in there."
"But Captain," Miroku protested as Kagome and Sango picked up their boxes and began to walk toward the storage room. "Are you sure they shouldn't stay here? I mean, shouldn't we get used to looking at each ot-"
"PERVERT!!! " Sango and Kagome hollered before smacking him senseless. They resumed they're trek out of the hanger, leaving Inuyasha and Shippou practically breathless from laughter as Miroku lay helpless on the cold steel floor. Sesshoumaru shook his head and sighed before turning his back on those remaining in the room and shedding his clothes. He shook out the thermal shirt and pants, grimacing slightly as the itchy material slipped over his skin. He dressed quickly, leaving the ski mask and boots for last as he tugged on the rest of the uniform.
he finished Sesshoumaru glanced at his reflection on a clear section of the wall and frowned again. The new uniform was like the standard ones, but was a virgin white instead of the black with blue and gold accents. The pants fit loosely around his legs and the jacket fell at his thigh just below his fingertips. The hood attached was lined along with the rest of the uniform. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to fan himself as his body temperature rose, the insulating material already uncomfortable in his few seconds of wearing it. He quickly returned Shikyo to his side and tugged the snow white boots onto his feet before glancing at the others.
sat on a nearby crate, tugging desperately at his socks while Miroku and Shippou stood dressed and ready. Miroku fastened his rifle to his back with a shoulder harness, his ammunition packs already strapped to his right leg.
"Well Sesshoumaru-" Shippou began, then laughed when Inuyasha lost the battle with his socks and tumbled over the box to the floor on the other side. Miroku collapsed moments afterward, with nothing of Inuyasha but his feet showing to signal the hanyou's whereabouts.
"Well what Makayura?" Sesshoumaru demanded after Inuyasha sat up and wiped the dust from his uniform. "What were you about to say?"
"I was gonna say," Shippou gasped after another giggle escaped him. "Whether or not we're ready."
"No," Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Not until-"
"Woah," Miroku mumbled as he glanced a little behind Sesshoumaru. "Now that's what I call a uniform."
and the others turned toward whatever he was looking at and fell silent, Inuyasha's and Shippou's jaws coming unhinged as they stared. Sango grinned mischievously and shoved Kagome forward, ignoring Kagome's complaints to stop as they approached the other members of the squad.
attention wasn't on Sango, though it was rather odd that she would be dressed in the same style uniform as Miroku and the others, but on Kagome. The only similarities between her uniform and the others were the Balamb Garden insignia embroidered on the left shoulder and the fur lined hood. Instead of the two piece uniform the others were issued Kagome was wearing a lined catsuit, the one piece uniform flowing over her generous curves in the same white as the others. Her gunblade's silver holster simmered from her waist as she stood there, the blush on her face having little to do with how hot she was.
and Sango already had their hair off their faces to compensate for the ski mask, with Kagome's in a low ponytail and Sango's in what looked to be a complicated braid consisting of at least seven strands. They stood by while they're male teammates finished getting ready. Shippou quickly shoved his eye length hair away from his face and Sango moved to help Miroku with his hair, leaving Kagome to watch as the inu brother's struggled with their abnormally long tresses.
'I'd better go help him,' Kagome thought to herself with an irritated sigh as she watched Inuyasha nearly shear his hair off with his claws in frustration. 'If I don't he'll-'
stopped mid stride, her brush in her hand as Sango's advice echoed in her mind. 'She's right,' Kagome said to herself with a small 'hmnh' of dissatisfaction. 'I'm so used to just helping him to where I guess I never bother to think about it. Nope,' she determined with a shake of her head. 'He'll just have to help himself this time.' She grabbed a chair and dragged it along behind her.
"It's about bloody time," Inuyasha growled when he saw her walking his way. "I'm gonna mess around and get a headache this w-Hey!" he called out when she walked past him, the chair she was dragging rolling along steadily. His shout caught the attention of everyone but Sesshoumaru, who was still busy with his own hair to bother looking toward the disturbance. "Just where are you going Kagome? You've got to help me out here."
"I think you can manage for once," Kagome replied. "You and I have been snowboarding enough for you to remember how to do it."
"But-But," he sputtered in protest before growling in defeat. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her, a frown marring his face as she rolled her chair behind Sesshoumaru and tapped his shoulder. He looked down at her, one hand still trapped within his mane and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Let me," she said as she stepped into the chair's seat. She fought with the wheels for balance for a moment, then motioned for Sesshoumaru to face her. She was nearly as tall as he was for once, with her forehead coming up to his nose instead of his collarbone like normal. She pulled a small pop-out brush from inside her uniform and began to gently brush his bangs away from his forehead. He lowered his head without complaint and closed his eyes, his mind drifting as her fingertips brushed against the crescent in the center of his forehead.
focused solely on her work, each silvery strand slipping through her attentive fingers. She barely noticed his ear twitch when her fingers brushed against it, but a faint smile did appear on her lips for a few moments before she asked him to turn around. When he did she brushed the strands into one smooth, silken road down his back to sweep against his calves. She quickly braided his hair and jumped from the chair to the floor, the slight jerk on his hair pulling Sesshoumaru from his sedated state.
glanced over his shoulder at her while she finished, her head lowered and a black hair band firmly between her teeth. She wound it around the ends of the braid quickly, then released it and stepped back to observe her work. "Not bad," she finally said with a nod. "Not bad at all if I do say so myself."
reached for the bound strands and brought them to his face, his eyes critically surveying the perfect herringbone chain in his hands. "I find myself agreeing. Now why are you dressed that way and not like the rest of us?'
"Um, here," she said as she handed Sesshoumaru a slip of paper. "This might explain things."
jerked the paper from her hands, scanned over it, and quirked his brow in amusement. "It would seem they didn't have your size in the regular uniforms. Lucky you."
"Lucky us," he heard Miroku comment with a grin. Sango whopped him upside the head with a scowl and was about to reprimand him when an alarm began to sound throughout the ship. The squad glanced around quickly as the ships regular floodlights were overrun with flashing red. Kagome and the others turned to look at Sesshoumaru and frowned when they found him gone.
"He must have gone upstairs," Inuyasha determined with a scowl. "Stupid bastard. He could have told us. Come on Kag-" He reached for her but Shippou's tail quickly intercepted his attempt and pulled her to his side. He grasped Kagome's waist and made a leap toward the catwalk above as Inuyasha looked on, his tongue stuck out to tease the perpetually angry hanyou before focusing on the young woman clutching his side. Kagome's arms wound around his waist, Shippou's arm and his fuzzy tail tightly wrapped around her waist to hold her steady and keep her closer to him. He could barely feel her fingertips as they clutched the thick material of his uniform for balance. He mourned the loss of contact when they landed in front of the door to the elevator platform. Kagome released him quickly and sprinted toward the door. Shippou shook himself from his thoughts and followed her, the both of them managing to jump onto the platform with Sesshoumaru just as he activated the elevator.
followed him onto the bridge to the pilot's chair , the both of them standing by as the elevator returned to the downstairs hallway and Sesshoumaru gracefully plopping into the chair and activating the pilot's console. "That is not good," they heard him mumble before vacating the seat for the one behind the navigation's console. Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku stepped onto the bridge and gave Kagome and Shippou a questioning look. They responded with a shrug and pointed to Sesshoumaru, who was furiously tapping on the radar console's keyboard.
"What's going on Sesshoumaru?" Shippou asked as the radar console's screen expanded. Sesshoumaru said nothing, but gestured toward the map that appeared onscreen. Shippou and the others leaned in for a closer look and stared at three unfamiliar lights. "What's that?"
"Those are three Galbadian carrier planes," Sesshoumaru answered before typing again. "And they're going to Trabia."
"Will they get there before us?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru shook his head and typed in another command as Kagome asked a question.
"Um, what's so bad about three carrier planes?" she wondered aloud. "All we'll have to do is shoot them down right?"
"Um, Kagome," Shippou began with a subtle pat on her shoulder. "You don't know a thing about airships do you?" He sighed when she shook her head. "Look, carrier planes are armored, damned near indestructible, and they have at least 15 fighter ships onboard."
"And those ships carry two pilots each," Sesshoumaru added as an afterthought. "Oh," Kagome muttered with a soft blush. "That explains that then."
"They are in our present flight path," Sesshoumaru informed them. "So landing near the Garden has become impossible, though we will arrive 45 minutes before they do. Now-" He vacated the radar console and sat down at navigation, a slight frown gracing his normally stoic features at having to move around so much before enlarging the world map screen. "To find another place to land...."
"Try here," Inuyasha said as he pointed toward a space east of Trabia Garden. Sesshoumaru quickly enlarged it and found himself staring at a picture of a frozen wasteland. "That's Bika Snowfield, and it'll be the quickest way to the Garden."
"Do you know how to work the navigation controls?" Sesshoumaru turned and asked him. Inuyasha faltered slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, so?"
"So plot a course," Sesshoumaru commanded before returning to the pilot's seat. "The rest of you should take a seat in the passenger's deck and prepare to land," he told them. He spared them one last glance before flipping off the auto-pilot and taking control of the ship. Kagome and the others shrugged and left the bridge, choosing to stay in the elevator hallway to check over their weapons.
felt the ship's descent a few minutes later. The landing jarred them slightly, but they managed to come out of it unscathed. They walked out of the elevator hallway to the cargo bay with their ski masks already in place, the mouths and eyes of the black woven masks cut out so they could see and talk clearly. Miroku opened the cargo bay door once Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha entered the room and braced himself for the cold outside.
huddled deep within his uniform and flipped on his hood, his memories of the extreme cold in this part of the world causing him to shout to the others to do the same. Kagome quickly tied on her hood as the cargo door opened. The arctic-like wind rushed inside like a raging beast and mercilessly assaulted the SeeD members. Kagome shivered despite her warm attire and frowned before turning to look at Sesshoumaru.
hood still sat on his back but his ski mask was over his face, the thick braid she worked on deep within the confines of his uniform. He walked past them and down the ramp to the tundra, his eyes just as cold as the weather as the others followed him.
"Shit," Inuyasha groaned miserably. He clapped his gloved hands together and danced a penguin's dance for warmth. Kagome snickered, her hand covering her mouth as Shippou's tail came to rest at her waist once again. It wound around her like an oddly affectionate furry snake. She smiled back at him gratefully, then glanced back at Sesshoumaru and watched as his tail disappeared.
'Wow,' she thought in amazement. 'That was kinda cool. I wonder why Shippou didn't do that.'
continued to scan the frozen land around him, his eyes finding nothing but snow. "Inuyasha," he said before turning toward his brother. He watched as Inuyasha continued to jump around before he pointed toward the west.
"That way," he growled and scowled at the puff of vapor that escaped his lips. "The Garden's that way, but it'd take us twenty minutes to get there if we wait on their slow human asses."
"Hey!" Sango shouted in outrage. "It's not our fault that we're human! If we could run that fast then we would!"
"You just had to get her started didn't you?" Shippou mumbled as Sango continued to berate the hanyou. He shook his head as Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "We are wasting time," Sesshoumaru informed them with another frown. His eyes narrowed slightly from behind the mask when he attempted to sniff the air. He finally resorted to making a small slit in the mask underneath his nose and caught not only the mixed aromas of those around him, but a blizzard that was swiftly coming toward them. "Inuyasha is right. You humans are slow. However..." He quieted as his mind began to whirl, his eyes still focused on the world in front of him as Kagome and Sango scowled at his back.
"It would not be slow if each of us were to carry one of you."
"Are you volunteering?" Inuyasha chuckled, then outright laughed when Sesshoumaru refused to answer. "No way in hell man!" he guffawed while the others looked on. "No way is the Great Prince going to carry a human!"
"I will withstand it if it gets us to our destination," Sesshoumaru replied before turning to face the north. "Almasy, go with Makayura. Inuyasha, you get the pervert-"
and Miroku groaned miserably while Sango and Kagome snickered at their expense.
"Higurashi, come with me. Do be quick about it."
blinked in surprise, her laughter dying a quick death in her throat as she stared at him. "You must be joking," she replied. He looked over his shoulder and glared at her, his silence at her exclamation unnerving her. She walked toward him nervously, teal orbs focused on his every move as he bent his knees and waited. She glanced back at the others, who were watching her just as anxiously before grasping his shoulders. He grabbed her legs and stood up before she could protest. Sesshoumaru ignored her gasp of surprise as he situated her, insuring that her thighs were at his waist before sprinting toward the horizon.
held on to his shoulders for dear life, fear of him dropping her causing her knuckles to whiten underneath her snowy gloves. Sesshoumaru continued to run, either unaware of her discomfort or uncaring as she attempted to glance at their surroundings. She couldn't hear anything other than the sound of his boots as they crunched along the snow. She recalled the few times she rode on either Shippou's or Inuyasha's back and noticed the differences in the three youkai. Sesshoumaru's gait was smooth, where Inuyasha would practically jar her brain around her skull and Shippou would be much more cautious with his speed. With Sesshoumaru she felt as if she were flying, something that she had begged Shippou to do with her but he never agreed, saying that it was entirely too dangerous for her.
gasped again when Sesshoumaru jumped over a ravine in the middle of the field, her heart leaping to her throat as they sailed over the empty space to land on the other side. She barely heard the others land beside them before he took off again, this time at a pace faster than the last. Her fingers twitched at his shoulders, her intent to grasp the fabric there when his hands slid from her knees back to the middle of her thighs. Kagome glanced down at them and noticed their size for the first time. His thumb rested on the top of her thigh but the rest of his hand wrapped around the outside with the longest fingers nearly touching each other. She realized then that if he thought enough to secure his grip on her then he surely wasn't going to drop her, making her fears null and void. Kagome relaxed almost instantly, her hands sliding from his shoulders to fist the material covering his chest. Her head rested against his shoulder and she closed her eyes in complete trust.
stole a brief glance over his shoulder, his eyes not only searching the frozen plains for his brother and the kitsune, but also to ensure Kagome's health and to inquire about her strange behavior. He was surprised to find her so docile, her scent calm and compliant where a few moments ago it swirled with different emotions. The first was wariness, something he would have been daft to not connect with himself. He didn't mind it though since all of her race felt that uneasiness. Fear came when he began to run and that too he expected. It was when he jumped the ravine that he felt this sudden rush of excitement, her heart beating wildly against his back like a caged bird. He nearly faltered in his steps at this new emotion, but he continued without a visible flaw. She began to slip after that, and it was when he moved his hands that her scent changed again.
'I do not understand it,' he thought to himself as he ran along the mountain's skirt at Inuyasha's growl. 'Why would she react in such a way? She doesn't have a reason to trust me.' Sesshoumaru pushed his confusion aside as Trabia Garden appeared before him, deeply nestled on a clearing in the mountain's side. He stopped a few yards away from the Garden gate and waited for the others.
"Kagome?" he said as he slowly rotated the shoulder she rested on. One hand moved behind him to cover her mouth as she yawned. She looked up at him afterward, the green in her eyes nearly overrun by the deep sapphire blue that shone back at him.
"Yes Captain?"
"We are here." He looked away from her to the massive concrete walls of the Garden and back to her as she too stared ahead. "You may get down now."
"Huh?" she muttered sleepily, then blushed a deep crimson. "Oh, oh yeah. Sorry." She slid down his back to the ground slowly, his hands leaving her the moment her feet touched the snow. She turned around just as Shippou rounded the mountainside and missed the strange light that died in Sesshoumaru's eyes.
'I will not do this,' he growled at himself as she greeted her friends and assured herself of their well being. 'She is human and just like the rest of her kind. There is nothing special about her other than her stubbornness and lack of self preservation.' His eyes closed only briefly, but it was enough to conjure up the memory of her as she slid down his back, his fist unknowingly tightening as the pressure of her body sliding down his rippled along his back.
"Sesshoumaru?"
's eyes snapped open, the feral look that had briefly clouded them dissipating before Sango could notice. "What is it Almasy?" he growled testily. Sango gave him a curious glance before gesturing toward the Garden.
"What's next?"
"Yeah Fluffy," Inuyasha crowed from the back of the squad. "What the fuck do we do now? Are we gonna stand out here all day or what?"
"Crude Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru replied, the coldness and strength back in his voice. He walked away without another word, leaving Sango and Kagome to convey to the others his wish for them to follow. The gatekeeper opened the heavy stone doors upon sight of them and they walked down the paved driveway toward the Garden entrance.
passed another gateway, this one a giant stone arch with Trabia Garden's insignia chiseled above them in the center of the arch. Another SeeD, this one dressed in a dark gray version of their uniforms, met them in the courtyard beyond.
"Which one of you is Captain Endo?" he asked then saluted Sesshoumaru when Kagome and Sango pointed in his direction. "Captain Endo sir!"
"And who are you?" Sesshoumaru demanded, disregarding the salute as the SeeD continued to stand at attention.
"I'm Private Shuyin sir!" he said before saluting again. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to rub his forehead as a migraine began to form behind his eyes. "And I've been assigned to be your assistant during this evacuation."
"Wondrous," Sesshoumaru muttered before allowing Shuyin to lead them further into the Garden. "Then I need information. How many are still here?"
"Um..." Shuyin stopped to think, his dark eyes narrowing slightly before he answered. "Currently 12 staff members, 15 SeeD and 20 students sir."
"I see..." Sesshoumaru turned away from him and toward Kagome and the others. Kagome and Sango recognized the look on his face and quickly fell into attention. Shippou and Miroku followed quickly, with Inuyasha the last and the most reluctant to Sesshoumaru's silent request.
"Inuyasha and Makayura, you two are to stand at the gate and be wary of the ships we observed from the ship."
"Yes sir!" the two saluted and ran off once he dismissed them.
"Higurashi and Almas-"
"Oh CRAP!" Kagome exclaimed suddenly, startling everyone in the courtyard with the outburst. She valiantly fought back her embarrassment as Sesshoumaru loosed an uncharacteristic sigh. "What is it Higurashi?"
"Um...I forgot something sir," she responded sheepishly. Sesshoumaru sighed again, his long fingers finally coming up to massage the bridge of his nose.
"Then go and retrieve it. Take Inuyasha or Makayura with you."
"Ok then," she said, then saluted and ran toward the Garden gates. He shook his head and glanced at Sango and Miroku. "I suppose that leaves you two to gather up the students and faculty. Bring them to the courtyard so we can begin the evacuation."
'Twenty minutes...'
began to pace, his hands held carefully behind his back to avoid ripping his uniform on his claws.
'Twenty minutes and she's still not back yet. Where is she?'
"Shippou!"
looked up as Sango ran toward him, her comphone in her right hand. "Yeah?"
"Have you seen Sesshoumaru?"
"That way," he said and pointed toward the basketball court to the left of the courtyard. She thanked him and ran off, the urgency in her aura enough to make him follow her. Sesshoumaru stood in the center of the yard with Private Shuyin, the younger human chirping along happily about something or another while Sesshoumaru stared into the distance.
"Sesshoumaru!" Sango huffed as she stopped at his side. "Sess-(huff)-holy crap dude," she wheezed before sitting down with a plop. "Man, this Garden is huge."
"What is it Almasy?" he inquired with a slight edge to his voice. She flinched slightly, but held up her comphone. "It's for you."
grabbed the metallic phone decorated with pretty technicolor flower stickers with a mental grimace and flipped it open. The screen remained blank for a few moments, the screen flashing a bright white with a little neko youkai in the middle before a pink arrow flew onto the screen. He quickly clicked on it and came face to face with Kagome, who looked to be preoccupied with something. "Higurashi-"
"Sango, have you found him?" she interrupted, then glanced at the screen. "Oh, there you are Captain! Um..."
"Speak up Higurashi," he demanded. "I don't have all day."
"Alright," Kagome drawled. "But I think I can show you better than I can tell you."
frowned, intending on asking her what she meant when she disappeared from the comphone's camera. The background blurred for a few seconds then settled again, this time pointing toward the sky. "Do you see that?" Kagome asked from somewhere off screen. He remained confused until the camera focused on something in the sky, what looked to be a black dot. The black dot became three, then nine and fifteen before it ceased multiplying.
"Do you see it Captain?" she asked again. "I know the picture's screwy, but I can hear the sound of engines. What does that mean?" Kagome's face reappeared in the screen, but this time it was Sango who waited on the other side. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"He said to wait," Shippou told her as he glanced at the spot Sesshoumaru just vacated. "He's on his way."
waited in the center of the field, her hood off and her mask rolled up to reveal her mouth as she waited. She welcomed the cold air as it brushed against her exposed skin. She returned it to it's proper place when a brilliant golden light shone from the opposite end of the tundra. She stepped back when it zipped toward her, her eyes curious as it hovered over her before it settled at her side and took the form of a man.
sighed in relief when Sesshoumaru stepped out of the light, his eyes piercing from behind the mask as he waited for her to explain. "Sorry Captain, but I just saw it. I don't know what it i-"
"It's planes," he interrupted with a frown. "Fifteen fighter planes to be exact. If they're coming this way, then they're expecting to find the Garden defenseless, or that it's defenses are centered only on the gated entranceway."
"But isn't that where you stationed Inuyasha and Shippou?" she inquired. Sesshoumaru motioned for her comphone and pressed what he knew to be Sango's connection. Sango's face appeared seconds later. "Yeah Kagome-Oh, hey Sesshoumaru," she greeted. "Where's Kagome?"
"That's not important," he informed her. "Tell Inuyasha and the others to gather any that can fight and position them in the courtyard in front of the basketball court. You and Saikai put everyone else on the court and shoot anyone that walks through that you don't know. Tell Inuyasha and the others to barricade the courtyard."
"Alright, but what about you and K-" Sesshoumaru shut the little phone and returned it to Kagome, who quickly put it back inside her uniform.
"What about us?" she asked as an interesting scent wafted by them. "What are we going to do?"
frowned when he continued to ignore her and readied herself to tell him off when a growl rippled through the air. "What was that?" She looked to Sesshoumaru for an answer, but found him on his guard, his gunblade already in his hands. "Hey-"
"You're to stay there," he told her, his gaze directed toward the far east toward the ocean. "You're not to draw your weapon unless it's absolutely necessary. Understood?"
"How am I supposed to defend myself then?" Kagome shot back.
"Your magic Higurashi," Sesshoumaru reminded her, his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "Or have you forgotten?"
"Oh yeah," Kagome muttered sheepishly. "I forgot all about that. But why?"
"Because there are thirty humans coming toward you from the south."
"Oh, um Cap-" She jumped when something snapped behind her, then turned around and came face to face with a giant wall of ice. "Hey!" she shouted as she banged on the frozen wall. "Wait a sec! Aren't you going to help me?"
"I am helping," he said from the other side of the wall. "Unless you would like the mass of crazed youkai and monsters that are coming our way."
"Um....no thanks," Kagome replied before turning around. She met her second surprise of the day in the form of a soldier clad in blue. He leered at her from underneath his helmet, the reaction reflecting from one soldier to another as they came to a stop before her.
"Well hey there cutie," one said with a wicked grin. "What's a girl like you with a rack like that doin in a place like this?"
"I don't think that's your business," Kagome replied cooly. "But I can make it yours if you keep going toward Trabia Garden."
"Oh, so you're a SeeD," another soldier, this one dressed in red instead of blue, chuckled. "Well boys, I say we have some fun, don't you?"
whoops and cries were his answer before his brown eyes locked with hers. "See, my men like the idea," he told her. "How about we get started?"
"If you insist," Kagome said as a slow grin spread on her lips. She raised her hand between herself and the men and swept it forward, a powerful Fira spell activating in her arm's wake. The resulting fire spread from her fingertips to the ground, the snow melting under the fierce heat to spark at her feet. The wall of fire burned brightly, it's flames reaching higher than her head.
soldiers jerked back in fright, then gave a loud yell at her sly grin. "Oh come on now boys," she called as she dodged their blows. "Now you're just being slow. I thought you wanted to have fun."
"Get her!"
"Don't let that bitch escape!"
"How dare she, the little sorceress!"
smiled and dodged the fist of one of the soldiers with barely a flinch. She waved her hand forward again, this time casting a quick Protect spell on herself before casting a Stop on the nearest group of soldiers.
"Let that teach you a lesson," she quipped darkly. "Now who's next?"
snarled viciously, his claws flexed and extended as he ripped through the visage of a low level bull youkai. The youkai howled in agony, the poison from Sesshoumaru's claws running a straight course through his bloodstream to his heart. Sesshoumaru moved on then, his massive paws thundering along the blood speckled snow as he ran from one youkai to another.
'This is becoming mundane,' he thought as his teeth sank deep within a tiger youkai with purple and white fur. 'It is almost like a diversion.' He reached through his psychic abilities and touched Inuyasha's mind, not surprised to find his kid brother deep within the throws of battle. 'Inuyasha-'
'What is it you stuffy bastard?' the hanyou huffed irritably. 'Can't you see I'm busy?'
'So the Garden is under attack.'
'No shit Sherlock,' Inuyasha grumbled. 'What was your first clue? Oh, and where the fuck's Kagome?'
'She is...' His ear swivelled toward the glacial wall, a dog's version of a smirk appearing on his face at the shouts from the soldiers.
'Preoccupied at the moment.'
'Yeah well, what the fuck ever man,' Inuyasha grunted sourly. 'Just be sure to keep an eye on her. Shippou's ridin' my ass about her right now and I'm trying to concentrate.' He paused, no doubt to deal a blow before growling. 'Now could you get the fuck on please? I'm kinda doin somethin over here.'
left him with a shake of his head, his fangs bared and a vicious snarl escaping his lips as a monster attempted to strike him in the side. 'You will regret that,' he promised as the creature flew overhead. His claws made short work of the monster's stomach and it fell with a thud, it's black and white striped leather wings shuddering under it's last breaths before Sesshoumaru stomped on it's windpipe. He glared at the other monsters surrounding him, the youkai among them long gone.
growled at them all, his front right paw digging at the earth like a 9 story bull. His eyes glowered with promise, the jade green orbs focused and intent as they stunned the nearest monster in place. One quick slash of his claws and the monster was eliminated, leaving room for the next to meet it's end.
"Ha-ha," Kagome mocked as another solder attempted to grab her. She had long since lost the ski mask, it lying only God knows where while the battle raged on without it. "You missed dude. Do try again."
cast a Bio spell at him, grimacing as the giant ball of toxic sludge surrounded his head before bursting to fall onto the soldiers around him. Every soldier it touched screamed on impact. Their throats slowly began to shut down with one third of the normal air passing down the swollen tissue.
faltered, feeling a tad bit of remorse for them before continuing on. She tossed a bag in their direction, knowing that whoever picked up the wounded would find it and use what was in it to help them. She jumped back as another soldier once again tried to get their hands on her, then Blinded him before punching him square in the jaw. She regretted it when a soldier behind her gave her hair a vicious yank. She tossed a Fire spell in his face and jerked free, only to wince as another soldier backhanded her. She fell to the snow like a brick, her world spinning around her as they stood over her and grinned.
"Well, looks like this kitten's all out of fire boys," the soldier in red said as he pushed his way toward the front of the circle. "Good going men!"
winced as they cheered, her head now hurting instead of spinning while they shouted their victory across the clearing. Kagome quickly overcame the pain and kicked the nearest soldier in the groin, grinning slightly when he dropped in much of the same way she did. The commotion caught the attention of the other soldiers and they roared in outrage as she cast a Flare spell Shippou gave her. The clearing lit up in blinding light and she shielded her eyes, unaware of the soldier sneaking up behind her until it was too late.
blow to her lower back was agonizing, excruciating, and Kagome gasped, unable to concentrate as she fell to her knees. She cried out when he kicked her again, this time in the stomach. She crumpled like a rag doll, the laughter of the soldiers muted by the intense pain flowing over her. She struggled for breathe and found enough of it to scream when the soldier in red backhanded her again. He grabbed her hair before she could fall and jerked her to her feet. He licked his lips as he stared at her, his eyes drinking her in greedily as she struggled to get away.
"You had such power before," he taunted before hitting her again, this time punching her right above her left kidney. "Now look at you. You're weak and helpless. That's just the way we like em ay boys!"
began to panic when they cheered again, the sound much different than the one from earlier. This one sounded excited, devious and lewd. She shrieked when the red-clad soldier touched her, his free hand roughly grasping her hip before searching her uniform for it's zipper. "My men are going to have a little fun with you," he whispered in her ear, ignoring her grimace when he licked the shell. "I think that's the least you can do for all the trouble you've caused."
panic set full on when he jerked at her collar, the zipper at her throat tearing open slightly from the force. He stared deep into her eyes and grinned, unaware until it's final hour of the green glow that engulfed them. Kagome shuddered once, his grip on her loosening as an enormous black dragon shot from a black oily mass behind her. The dragon jerked the girl from his hands without a word and took to the air, the soldiers below clueless to their fate before it all went to hell.
"Mr. President sir!" Wedge exclaimed as the radar screen in front of him flashed an angry red. "I think we might have trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Juromaru demanded as he stood and walked toward the front of the airship. Wedge shivered as he neared, unconsciously able to sense the dark aura that swirled around him as he approached and leaned over the pilot's seat. He gulped audibly and turned back to the console and the flood of reports that were coming in.
"Sir, it seems that the Garden's forces are pushing ours back-"
"I expected as much," Juromaru replied offhandedly. "I knew Leonheart wouldn't hesitate to dispatch his precious SeeD to this place. What else is there?'
"Well, there seems to be this battle between youkai and monsters in the north eastern part of Bika Snowfield," Wedge said and again Juromaru was unimpressed.
"Don't mind those," Juromaru said with a wicked smile. "They are...allies, of a sort."
"Oh, um, ok then," Wedge stuttered. "Um, there's this too sir." He flipped a switch and leaned back, his brow deeply furrowed as the panicked voices of a squadron of soldiers filtered over the intercom.
"SOS, SOS, this is a mayday," a soldier practically screamed into the radio. "To whoever's listening, this is Commander Dojo of the eastern squadron. We're being...attacked by something ! We need-ah! No! Get away from me! No! Don't! AHHHHHHHHHHHH- "
shivered as the line fell silent. "Um...what to do now sir?" he stammered. Juromaru's face turned thoughtful, his claw lightly scratching his chin before glancing down at Wedge. "Find them."
"Are we going to help them sir?" Wedge asked. He wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an answer. He flew the ship toward the snowfield and the squadron in question. The field beyond the glacial wall was nothing but blackened earth, the snow and new grass beneath it nothing but a memory. A few soldiers were still running, but most of the squad lay in blackened ruin, the charred bodies of those unlucky enough to be caught by whatever destroyed them littered the field below. Juromaru's eyes widened as he looked further into the field, his gaze stopping at a lone figure floating inside a black clouded ball.
"What is that?" he whispered in awe, his hand braced against the armrest of Wedge's chair as he leaned closer to the window. The figure in the ball turned as it cleared, revealing a young woman dressed in white. Her eyes focused on the airship, the cold indifference swimming in her glowing eyes enough to make Wedges hair stand on end. Juromaru stood awestruck, his eyes moving over her every curve as the youkai trapped inside him watched her power.
'We know this creature, but who is she...what is she ? We must have her ,' a voice in the back of his mind demanded. Juromaru ignored it, favoring instead the look on the creature's face as she began to speak.
"Worthless," Juromaru read her lips. "Not even worth my time... " The ship began to rock seconds later, throwing Juromaru from the front of the ship to the wall in the back as Wedge struggled to regain control.
"What is happening?!" Juromaru demanded, the blue in his eyes quickly darkening to a bright red. "What's going on? Is it turbulence?"
"No sir!" Wedge shouted as alarms began to sound all over the ship. "It's something inside the ship itself! This is crazy! It's like tiny bombs are exploding all over the hull and inside the engine room! We're not going to be able to withstand this for long!"
'It's the girl, ' the voice determined as Juromaru regained his footing and returned to Wedge. 'She'll kill us both if you don't do something!'
"Shoot her down!" Juromaru ordered.
"B-but sir!" Wedge stuttered. "I can't! She's human and-"
"And I don't care!" He jerked Wedge from his seat by the front of his uniform and brought his face up to his. "Shoot. Her. Down."
"A-alright sir," Wedge stuttered and cried out when Juromaru dropped him back in his seat. He said a quick prayer of forgiveness and fired. The missiles shot toward the dark ball, their rockets trailing smoke behind them before crashing into the dark ball and the creature inside. The missiles detonated upon impact and the ball shattered. The young woman fell to the ground with an earth shaking thud, a great cloud of smoke rising from the point of impact as the last of the black ball disappeared.
"Wait," Juromaru commanded when Wedge moved to fly away. "I want to see what's beyond that dustcloud." They sat by while it dissipated, both their mouths dropping open when they found the girl whole but unconscious. "Fire again."
"But sir she-"
"FIRE AGAIN!!!"
missiles fired once again, but this time a GF stood in the way of the intended path. The black dragon screeched in agony before disappearing, returning to the earth it emerged from minutes earlier. Juromaru opened his mouth to fire again when another GF appeared, this one in the shape of a massive four-legged machine. Panels opened in the front of the right and left legs and Wedge cried out as missiles shot from the insides and careened toward them.
"Get us out of here!" he shouted seconds before the first missile buried itself into the hull. Wedge's brain jump started just as the missile exploded. He quickly maneuvered around the rest of the missiles and headed back to Galbadia while Juromaru gave the order for retreat over the airway.
GF watched them leave and shook itself before gazing down at the girl lying at it's fee. It reached down and gently nudged her with it's metal paw. She groaned but remained motionless, her eyes closed and her limbs akimbo on the ruined earth. The GF shook itself again before disappearing into a bright white ball. The little ball settled over her forehead and made one last circle before burying itself inside her.
jolted awake, unaware of ever falling asleep as she jerked to a sitting position. "Wh-where am I?" she wondered out loud as she stood up and brushed herself off. Details of her mission came back to her, but for the live of her she couldn't remember how she ended up on the ground. 'Maybe they knocked me out and left me here,' she thought, then shook her head. 'No, that doesn't sound right. They would have took me with them for one, plus I'd be sore. I don't feel any dif...fer..e...Oh my God," she breathed when she turned to gaze at the field behind her.
bodies were scattered everywhere, some only slightly red while others were nothing but cinders on the tainted ground. She quickly searched the area for the cause, her eyes wide and frightened before looking down at her hands. The once white gloves were coated in black soot and grime. She glanced again to the field, her eyes roving over each and every body as the taste of bile bit at the back of her tongue.
"Oh God, please don't-" she gasped as she fell to her hands and knees. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, creating clean lines in the soot that was unknowingly caked on her face.
changed from his youkai form quickly, his hair once again free and the ski mask lost to the sands of time as he glanced at the blood soaked snow surrounding him with a smirk. He paused at what sounded like a sob, his nose too deeply embedded in the blood of his enemies to tell who made the sound. He leaped over the ice wall easily but the sight to greet him left even him breathless.
carnage was amazing, the void of life almost staggering as he levitated to the burned earth. Something in him tightened uncomfortably as he sniffed the air for Kagome's scent. He found it a little away from him to his left. The scent was pure except for the ones lingering to her clothing. She sat there motionless, her hands and knees pressed to the ground and her face hidden between her arms.
"Higurashi, what has happened?" Sesshoumaru inquired as the tightness unwound and he could breathe easier. He frowned when she remained unresponsive and called her name again before lifting her to her feet. He brought her face to his and fought the urge to gasp, golden eyes wide with shock as blank teal eyes stared back at him. Sesshoumaru attempted to use her tears to clear her face, the only thing his attentive fingers could uncover was a welt on her right cheek before she began to whisper.
"Higurashi, what happened?" he asked again, the tightening from earlier returning full force when she still refused to answer. Sesshoumaru shook her lightly but stopped when she began to sob. "Kagome answer me!" he demanded angrily, not liking her strange behavior and the unknown feelings it caused to stir within him. She screamed instead, the sound sharp and piercing in both decimal and intensity as her grief and inner suffering escaped to the sky above. Sesshoumaru winced but refused to release her, deciding instead to return them to the Garden so one of the medics could look her over.
picked her up effortlessly and cradled her in his arms with her head resting against his chest. Kagome stopped screaming and the tears continued to flow, but with it came three whispered words that, to Sesshoumaru, were louder than any scream.
was me....It was me...It was me ...
Chapter)
That's it. Man, that kinda hurt. Anyway, that's this chapter.
What's wrong with Kagome?
Now you know I can't tell that. I've got lots of things up my sleeve and you can't find out just yet. You be patient Inu-chan.
Anyway, the next chapter is a dozy compared to this one. All of those that have wanted fluff in the chapters are going to get their wish, starting with this one. Oh, the summary for the next chapter is below.
The two GFs in the story are Diablos and Alexander. I wonder how a dark GF and a holy GF are going to get along with one summoner?
(whops Miroku upside the head) It's not summoner dummy. Wrong game.
I feel so guilty. Those men, what happened to them? How did I managed to do what I did to them...and why don't I remember? What's wrong with me? And why is Sesshoumaru being so...well, nice to me? It's almost unnerving, but sweet in an odd sort of way. He told me he fixed things and I believe him, though how he thought to fix a field full of dead people I'll never know. But no matter how nice he is to me, he's still Captain, and will stay that way for as long as I'm concerned. I've learned an important lesson, one that just keeps repeating itself with my parents, my brother and now my friends.
hurts...
I'm allergic to the pain.
Nine: Saying Goodbye to the Ragnork