InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Charade ❯ Carried Away ( Chapter 4 )

Charade

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Chapter Four: CARRIED AWAY

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"The trees that whisper in the evening::Carried away by a moonlight shadow::Sing a song of sorrow and grieving-Carried away by a moonlight shadow."
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The two were frozen in a tableau. Kagome staring at InuYasha's ears, he staring back at her.

She's a miko! He internally groaned. Just like Kikyo-and just as powerful, it seems. Damn. Better not piss this one off.

Kagome moved forward, as if in a trance, her hands outstretched. So-cute! Must…touch… She reached upwards… and started to pet the little ears sitting on top of his head.

InuYasha jerked backwards. "What the-?" His eyes rolled upwards and he flicked his ears. Crap, the concealment spell must have worn off! He hurriedly mumbled a few words under his breath, letting out a small sigh of relief when he felt the familiar tingling sensation that occurred whenever his ears became invisible.

His eyes flicked towards Kagome. And it seems THAT spell has just worn off too…

Kagome's fascinated gaze had morphed into a death glare when the adorable doggy ears suddenly disappeared. "I think you have some explaining to do, buddy," she said. "Starting at: who in the name of sanity are you?"

"That's not relevant."

"What are you doing back at the hospital? And why were you, a demon, in the uniform of the Japanese Army?"

"Is there a law saying demons can't be enlisted in the army?" he growled. "Or is that just your personal bigoted opinion speaking?"

"Excuse me!" Kagome stamped her foot. "I'm not stupid, you know. Most demons wouldn't join the army if they were promised eternal life. You all believe human wars are stupid and petty-especially this one. You'd rather fight within your own little secret resistance groups-"

"So now you're the new expert on demons?" InuYasha snarled. "Where did you learn all this-the newspaper?"

"Well-" Kagome blinked. "Yes…"

"Figures," InuYasha muttered. Typical. She may look like Kikyo-and she may be a miko like Kikyo-but it seemed that was where the similarities ended. "I don't know why I'm even bothering."

"Bothering to do what?"

"Never mind," he said angrily. "You know what really ticks me off? Brainy medical types who think they've go the world all figured out. Especially humans. Superior race, my ass." He cracked his knuckles, a scowl forming on his face.

"You're biased," Kagome shot back, her eyes flashing. She had to yell to be heard over the din. "Of course you would be prejudiced towards humans-because you're not one!"

"Yes, I am."

"Right. And gullible's written on the ceiling."

"Huh?" InuYasha glanced upwards, then back at a now incredulous Kagome. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Never mind."

Have I completely lost my mind? she thought in irritation. She was standing in the middle of a gigantic fight-to-the-death scene between her people and the Russians, arguing with a hot demon over-well she didn't quite know what they were arguing about. She didn't even know who the man was. The only thing she did know was that he'd just saved her life. And he was a demon. In a Japanese Army uniform-with no good explanation why.

He was dangerous.

"Thank you for saving my life," she said grudgingly, ignoring the suspicious glance he sent her. "But I must get back to my duties now." She turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "Try not to get yourself killed! Because I probably won't be there to 'fix you.'" Then she disappeared into the crowd.

InuYasha gaped after her, dumbfounded.

Well… that wasn't supposed to happen…

He jumped into the place in the crowd where he'd seen the wench disappear. Never let it be said that InuYasha let his opponent away from an argument with the last word.

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"No. Absolutely not. I forbid you."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Watch me!"

"This isn't your choice to make, Kouga! Either you directly disobey Rocky's orders, or I find someone else to train me!"

"Like hell you will!"

"Watch me," she snarled, echoing Kouga's previous words.

"Ayame, I am not going to put you in this kind of danger."

"Fine. Then don't. Your mission is complete." She grabbed her apron off the hook and tied it back on her waist with jerky movements. The two were concealed in the deserted kitchen of the bar. Most people weren't who were willing to drink at this time of the morning weren't big on eating. "Goodbye, Kouga. Don't expect to see me any time soon."

"Hold it!" He jumped in front of the door, blocking her only means of exit. "This conversation isn't finished!"

"It was finished the moment you decided to play the overly-protective chauvinistic male. 'War is not for women, it's too dangerous. Women can't feel patriotism, oh no, that's only a masculine reaction. Women can't serve their country, because their delicacy would hinder them from actually being any use', isn't that so?"

Kouga literally felt the sarcastic blows. "Don't throw this out of proportion, Ayame," he growled. "If you're so patriotic about helping your country, why are you joining the side of the youkai? We're the underdogs this time; the Prime Minister absolutely hates us. I can assure that if we win this war, and effectively keep the Russians from eradicating the youkai race, the minute after the peace treaty is signed, the Prime Minister will turn around and order several acts or decrees that will alienate us in some way."

"And as a human, I can't understand your pain or want to help your cause?" She glared at him. "Great combination you've got here, Kouga! Female and human! No wonder you don't want me as part of your gang."

"It's not 'my gang.'"

"Why do you have such a problem with me being a contact? It's not like I'm going to be going on dangerous, life-threatening missions like you do."

"Don't do this, Ayame."

"Don't do what? Make you feel guilty?" she was nearly shouting now.

"Keep your voice down. Someone might-"

"They're too drunk to hear us, if anyone actually noticed us come in here. This is why my position is idea for contact work."

"Ayame, I know-I know." He let out a breath. "I just don't like the idea of putting you in danger."

"Because I can't take care of myself?"

"Did I say that? Lord, woman," Kouga sighed in frustration. He looked away. "Can you blame a man for wanting to keep someone special to him safe?"

Ayame couldn't find a quick comeback to that. Even if it the sentiment was cliché, it was touching to hear. "Look, Kouga, I appreciate your concern. But I am going to do this, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." She shoved him out of the way and yanked open the door.

"So you choose war over love?"

She stilled, but kept her back turned. "Do I have to choose between one and the other?"

"You can't have both. You can't serve two masters." 1

"So what is it you've been doing with me this whole time? You claim to love me; but am I inferior to your youkai cause? Kouga, you didn't even feel the need to tell me you were youkai!"

He glared at her, his anger apparent. Just what exactly was he doing? What would he do if he had to choose between Ayame and his work? The Youkai Espionage Channel demanded his full loyalty. There was no room left for love. Love was a weakness. Look at what happened to Hanyou. He had loved that bitch, and she turned around and started working for the Black Mask-and now Hanyou had a price on his head.

Not that he was comparing Ayame to that witch-there was no basis for comparison-but it was the underlying message he was looking at. Love caused problems. He couldn't deny that Ayame had been on his mind all week. What if during a life-or-death instant, he hesitate because of Ayame? He owed his full self to the youkai cause… it wouldn't be fair to make Ayame second best. She deserved more than that.

"I can see that I am. Inferior, I mean." She expelled a breath. "Kouga… I understand. Like you, my allegiance lies with my country. Maybe…maybe we should put this…'relationship' I guess you could say…on hold until this war ends. It will be far too distracting for the both of us."

He set his jaw. He knew the truth, and so did she… but he didn't want to give her up. She meant too much to him.

And that was what scared him. Perhaps it was for the best to-to put their relationship on hold. He smiled gently at her turned back. "So then, no hard feelings between us?"

He heard a small sob break from her throat. "None whatsoever."

Kouga looked towards her and restrained himself from wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her head. Much as he longed to, he knew it would only make things worse. He wanted nothing more than to reassure her that he had feelings for her, feelings that could develop into love at some point… but why raise her hopes after he'd just dashed them down? Suppose something did happen to him… It was best to leave things as they were.

"Well… bye then," he said softly, reaching for the doorknob and turning the door.

Ayame's head swung around, her face set, but her eyes pleading. Something turned within his stomach, but he only opened the door wider. He winked at her. "Ja ne."

Then he was gone.

Kouga… She watched him stride out of the bar, as if he hadn't a care in the world. You didn't even ask if I had any information for you.

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The crowd was beginning to thin out. Not that this was necessarily a good thing, Kagome thought as she stepped over the corpses littering the floor. She swallowed hard, her mouth gone dry. She'd heard stories of battle sites and the absolute horror that descended over the battlefield…but... she hadn't expected to see a massacre like this… and in a hospital, at that!

She shook the thoughts out of her head. The wounded and dying needed her help. She was a nurse. That was what she was here for.

She stopped in mid-step and scanned the area around her feet. None of the men seemed to be alive… She widened her scope of vision and spotted a man not to far away. Although the crowd was thinning, the room was by no means any less chaotic.

She was actually amazed she was still alive.

She jerked at the direction of her thoughts. Don't start thinking like that, now! She pushed her way through the crowd towards the soldier before she could have any more wonderful thoughts. She learned that if she focused her attention on one goal, all other thoughts were effectively blocked out…

She stooped down and clasped her hands around the soldier's torso, just as she'd been doing earlier-before she'd been distracted. By the white-haired man-no, demon.

She unconsciously shivered. That guy gave her the creeps-just what was he anyway? A demon in the uniform of the Japanese Army, walking around with a Russian soldier. Who claimed he was human. Smirking at her one minute, threatening to kill her the next. And she'd only been with him all of half an hour.

What entertaining stories I'll have to tell once this war is over, she thought cynically, as she began to pull the wounded man towards the nearest door. She wondered how many men had already been evacuated-and how many had died because of the invasion?

"Higurashi!"

She jumped, but didn't stop dragging the man. "What do you want?"

"That's a fine way to talk to your superior," Kitosumo said, appearing next to her. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Evacuating…"

Kitosumo sighed wearily, and dragged a hand over his face. "Miss Higurashi. Tell me something. Did you not notice the slaughter that is occurring at this very moment?" As if to prove his point, a sword flew from the air and landed next to him. Kitosumo didn't even bat an eye; he stooped to pick it up. "I'm amazed you even found one living man. The rest of the hospital staff is on their way to the next village. We'll set up a new hospital there, and return for the wounded after the fight it over." He lobbed the sword in his hands.

"But…but…" Kagome's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "But-these men are dying! They need care immediately! And you're just going to abandon them?!"

"Miss Higurashi," he said calmly. "As the head doctor, it is my job not only to care for the dying-but for the living. In this case, the living need to be escorted to safety. Those in between this world and the next we shall worry about later."

The man had his priorities mixed up. Wouldn't those about to leave this world be more important? "But sir-!"

"Higurashi, leave this building this instant. That's an order. I'm short enough on nurses as it is. I don't need to lose any more." With that, he strode away, swinging his sword at a Russian who tried to stop him.

Kagome stared after him, furious. Jackass. She promptly ignored his order and resumed dragging the man outside. If she could tend his wounds and get him conscious, then she could send him towards the next village on his merry way; and she could go back inside and save another man.

"Do you always make a habit of disregarding your boss's instructions?"

For the second time, Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin. This time, it was the monk that had startled her. "Only when it's Doctor Kitosumo giving the orders."

He smiled grimly. "I don't blame you. I thought a doctor's job was to preserve life-not throw it away." He looked down at the man in Kagome's arms. "Let me take him. I'm stronger than you, and I can pray for his soul at the same time."

"But…he's wounded-"

"Don't worry. I have some medical knowledge. You can't work in a field hospital for this long and not pick up a few things." He sighed inaudibly, and slung the man over his shoulder, leaving Kagome's arms empty. He turned to look at her, his indigo eyes troubled. "Higurashi… I have something I want to tell you."

"Yes?"

He hesitated, a frown crossing his face as he stared off to the side. "Did you ever read the play Othello? It was written by some English playwright a couple of centuries ago."

"Actually-yes it I did. I had to read it for my foreign language studies."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Not particularly…"

"Do you remember the character Iago?"

"The villain?" She cracked a smile. "Of course. 'I am not what I am.'"

The monk regarded her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Exactly." He bowed. "Go with Buddha." Then he walked away, the soldier still slung over his back.

Kagome watched him leave, a bewildered expression on her face. What was that all about? Did men have some adverse reaction to war that made them go whacko?

She shrugged slightly. The guy was a monk: it was his job to confuse people. She turned and gasped as a bullet whizzed by, missing her head by inches.

Don't forget where you are and what you have to do, she scolded herself, still breathing heavily. Tentatively, she moved forward, scanning the ground for any signs of life. It was rather hard to pick out who was dead and who was alive when bodies were falling to the ground all around her.

Steady. Breathe.

Her breath caught in her throat as her eye picked out a bit of white over in a pile of bodies. A doctor's coat? She carefully picked her way through the mass, keeping her eye on the white. Kitosumo said he didn't want to lose any more nurses… did he mean doctors too?

Of course he did, you idiot. It's not as if the medics are protected by some all-powerful force because we're neutrals-or supposedly…

She knelt down next to the pile and gently turned over the body to which the coat belonged to-and froze.

"Hojo-kun!"

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InuYasha watched as the monk whispered something to the Kikyo look-a-like and then walk away with the wounded soldier. Kikyo-but-not-quite stood still for a moment, then turned and walked back into the mayhem. He shook his head. She must have a death wish or something.

He mentally slapped himself. She was a miko. She could fry anyone she wanted with that electrifying pink stuff.

Well, he may as well talk to the monk now and get things over with. He grabbed the nearest body on the ground and sprinted to catch up with the purple-clad man. "Oy, Houshi."

"Yes?" The monk didn't even spare him a glance. The two passed through the doorway and stepped out into the night. "What is it?"

"I-I'm worried about my soul. Could we talk for a moment?" InuYasha glanced upwards. That wasn't technically a lie, so don't damn me to hell right now, all right?

"Of course. Let me tend to this man first." They stopped a good fifty meters away from the hospital, near a grove of trees. InuYasha could see that hidden within the grove were at least fifty wounded soldiers. He didn't see how moving them outside would help. Once the Russians finished their slaughter within the hospital, wouldn't the next step logically be to search the surrounding area?

He sighed. Doctors. Hopeless.

The monk was praying over the soldier, his lips moving soundlessly. However, InuYasha's ears perked up when he heard the monk mutter, "Ever heard of the Shikon Jewel?"

"I-what? Wait, do you know who I am?"

"I do not know your name, but I do know that you are my contact from the Channel." All this was said in a whisper; his eyes were still closed. To anyone watching, it looked as if he was simply praying for the man.

Suspicion settled within InuYasha's stomach. This guy knew what he was doing. "Oh really? And how exactly did you figure this out?"

"One, you look exactly like General Taisho. I was warned beforehand that you were his brother."

"By whom?"

"None other than the head honcho himself."

"Oh yeah?" InuYasha's eyes narrowed. "What did he look like?"

"Umm… black hair…dark, steely eyes…beard…"

"And this effectively tells me nothing. He changes his appearance daily."

"You're the one who asked," the monk hissed. "Two, I know the password."

"The password-?"

"Rocky said to tell you that Fluffy had a sex change and the wolf fell head over heels in love with a human." The monk frowned, his eyes still closed. "I am seriously second-guessing my decision at this point…"

"Twit," InuYasha said contemptuously. Leave it to Rocky to find another way to humiliate him. "Anything to report?"

"Sort of. This may be old news, but one of the Lightning Brothers is working at the hospital. You knew them at the military academy, correct?"

InuYasha glared. "How the devil did you know that?"

"I have my ways." His mouth twitched. "The doctor has met with your brother-"

"Half-brother."

"-yes, him-several times in the past few weeks."

InuYasha let out a breath. "Has it been confirmed that the Lightning brothers are in league with Naraku?"

"Repeatedly."

"So. Either Sesshomaru is in with Naraku or he's being duped by Hiten and Manten."

"Or perhaps he's working for the Channel?"

"Rocky would know if he was."

"Is Rocky god or something?"

"Yes."

"Just checking." He paused. "Does Prime Minister Yoshida even know the General is demon?"

"Sure. He can smell him."

"With that little demon blood?"

So the priest did know about the Prime Minister's blood. InuYasha had deliberately not mentioned Yoshida's heritage. Either Rocky had filled him in… or he was suspiciously well-informed. "He actually has inu youkai blood in him. Good sense of smell."

"So why does he continue to let Sesshomaru work for him? He hates youkai."

"So he says."

Mirkou snorted in disbelief. "He's only bashed the youkai population in every speech he's made. His hate's apparent. Even you can't deny that."

InuYasha shrugged. "You never know what a man will do for power. What if the scales tip after the war is over? If youkai have the stronghold then, by god, the man will change loyalties."

Miroku was quiet for a moment. "So what does this mean?"

"It means that if Sesshomaru is supporting the Black Mask, the PM's in trouble."

"And if he's not supporting the Black Mask?"

"Then he's in trouble. You don't mess with Naraku and walk away unscathed."

"So what's our next plan of action?"

InuYasha cracked his back. "Up security measures on the Yoshida. Sure, he hates youkai, but it's better than having Naraku in power. Can you imagine how many massacres of humans will occur the minute the bastard sits his sorry ass on the throne?"

"Must it be one or the other?"

"Anyone else will be killed in the process."

Miroku shook his head. "I'm still not quite sure what part the Channel plays in all this."

"At the moment, we're fighting against youkai prejudice and trying to keep our race from being obliterated."

"Which is what will happen if Russiawins this war."

"Correct."

"And if Japan wins the war?"

"Then we're faced with a civil war." InuYasha laid down on the ground and put his hands beneath his head. "Naraku or Yoshida will control the country, depending on who poisons whom first. Naraku's been planning a superior youkai race for decades now. This war just aids his cause."

"Because more youkai become deluded after seeing the atrocities done to their population and join up with his 'glorious' cause?"

"Exactly." He breathed in the cool night air. It felt good to be outside. How long had it been since he'd actually sat still for more than five minutes? He cast a swift look towards the man Miroku was "praying" over. "Um…are you sure he's unconscious? Cuz if he just overheard us…"

"Of course not. He's dead." Miroku laughed grimly at the startled look on InuYasha's face. "He died while Higurashi-sama was valiantly trying to drag him outside. But don't tell her that," he added quickly.

"Don't want to traumatize the nurses?"

"Even they have their limits."

Obviously, he thought, thinking back to that pink explosion of power. That was when he remembered something. "Oy, monk," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "What was that you were saying about a jewel?"

"Ahh… of course. The Jewel of Four Souls. Ever heard of it?" Miroku was intently watching InuYasha, waiting for his reaction.

"Shikon…shikon…" InuYasha shrugged. "Nope."

Miroku rolled his eyes heavenward. "You've never heard of the legend of the Shikon Jewel? Like in the song?" He hummed a few bars.

"Oh, you mean like the lullaby? Sure. My mom used to sing it to me all the time way back when."

Miroku pulled a hang over his face, but patiently said, "Did she really? She was human?"

InuYasha gave the monk a slanted look. "What, demons aren't allowed to know that song?"

"Well…it's traditionally a song sung by humans…so is she human?"

"What does the lullaby have to do with the previous discussion?" InuYasha unsubtly changed the subject.

All right-so family's a closed subject. "The lullaby has nothing to do with anything. But the jewel does."

"Cut to the chase, bouzo; what the heck are you trying to say?"

"Don't you remember the song at all?"

InuYasha growled impatiently. "Lord, Monk, you could drive a three-toed sloth to insanity."

Miroku disregarded the strange comment. "Sing the song for me."

"That would be all well and good if I could sing…"

"So chant the dang words! Merciful Buddha!"

"All right, all right, don't flip out." InuYasha shifted uncomfortably and stingingly spoke the words of the song. 'The Jewel is life, the Jewel is death. Accessed through strife, don't condone theft. Mother is weeping, Pa simply frowned, sister is sleeping, brother just drowned. Evil spreads like mold, good inches like sludge; till death do us part, but ne'er in this lifetime, my sweet; the jewel is my mistress-be careful who you meet.' Happy?"

"Overjoyed. Now let's see if you can actually use those brain cells and analyze this simple 'children's' song."

"What is this, high school lit class?"

"Just do it."

The hanyou scowled. " 'The Jewel is life, the Jewel is death.' Well, that's not cryptic at all."

"This is no time to be sarcastic," said Miroku sharply. "Think about it."

"The jewel gives life? And death?"

"Very good! Gold star for the hanyou!"

"You mean that's it? No hidden meaning? No concealed second-degree metaphor?"

"There's no such thing!"

"Yeah, well…"

" 'Accessed through strife, don't condone theft'?"

InuYasha thought for a moment then tried, "You have to work to get it, but don't become a thief to obtain it?"

"Good enough. The next verse?"

"Got me."

Miroku sighed. "Mother is weeping because her son has just died. We assume it is because the other son's greed killed him. Father frowns on the method of obtaining the jewel, and the sister has been put under a sleeping spell. Both represent the great power of the jewel."

"You philosophers are all the same," InuYasha murmured.

"Excuse me, I am a monk."

"Same difference."

"What do you think the next line refers to?"

"I haven't the foggiest. Why don't you enlighten me, O Wise One?"

" 'Evil spreads like mold, good inches like sludge.' The jewel is more easily corrupted than purified."

"Okay…"

" 'Till death do us part, but ne'er in this lifetime, my sweet; the jewel is my mistress, be careful who you meet.' This refers to the eternal life that can be bought with the possession of the jewel. It also speaks of its addictive power."

"Monk…how is this relevant to anything at all?"

"What would you say if I told you that the Jewel actually exists?"

"I'd call you a few bricks short of the load."

"As I expected. Now, what if I told you that the jewel's existence has not only been confirmed countless times by reliable sources-I have the citation if you wish-but that Naraku is currently looking for it?"

"Oh yeah? And just who told you this?"

"One of the Lightning brothers. Hiten. Also known as Doctor Kitosumo."

"And he just waltzed up to you and handed you this information on a silver platter."

"Of course not. He told me during confession. Never let it be said that this man of God ever refuses a willing repentant."

InuYasha gaped at the purple-clad figure beside him. "And you call yourself a holy man…"

Miroku shrugged. "I just tell myself to think of the good that will be done in the end."

InuYasha suddenly jumped to his feet, Miroku's words finally registering. "What did you just say?"

"I asked, what would you say if I told you Naraku is currently searching for the Shikon Jewel-undoubtedly desiring the eternal life and enormous power?"

"…Shit…"

"Yeah, I thought so."

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"Hojo-kun! What happened to you? Can you hear me? Hojo!"

"Higurashi…"

"Oh, god-" The bullet had gone straight through his chest-missing his heart by millimeters. By all rights he should be dead right now. "What happened to you? I'll bet you walked straight in front of a bullet to protect some patient!"

"Close, but…not quite," he rasped, giving her a faint smile. "Ironic, no? The doctor, the life-giving, unable to heal himself."

"Stop talking, you'll drain your energy," she ordered. "I'm going to get you outside. Hopefully that Kitosumo coward hasn't left yet-maybe he can operate on you before he migrates to a safer place."

Hojo frowned up at her. "Why haven't you left yet?"

Kagome snorted as she lifted Hojo into her arms. "That's a stupid question. I'm a nurse, aren't I?"

Hojo gave her a look that clearly said "I can't believe how naïve that sounded."

Yeah, well, who was he to talk?

"Come on. We're gonna get you outside."

"You can't drag me out there all by yourself!" he protested feebly.

"Yeah? Watch this." She took a few wobbling steps, then promptly fell backwards onto her rear. "Oww…"

"200 pounds solid muscle," Hojo said helpfully.

"Thanks…"

"Oy, wench!" The white-haired man appeared out of nowhere, flying over a pile of corpses in a single leap. "Good, you're still alive. I need you to-"

"Problem solved!" Kagome shoved a flabbergasted Hojo into the man's arms. "You're not doing anything important-help me get him outside."

Not doing anything important?! He looked down at the doctor in his arms in aversion. "Looks like all your superior medical knowledge couldn't save you from getting hit, ne?"

"Oh shut up," Kagome said crossly. "Just get the poor man outside."

"Does this 'poor man' have a name?" InuYasha asked, throwing the white-coated man over his shoulder.

"Hojo," the doctor rasped, wincing from the impact against InuYasha's back.

"Okay then, Hobo, let's get going."

"That's Hojo," Kagome called after them.

"Whatever. Come on, wench, don't dawdle like that."

"Go ahead, I'll follow you." She'd stooped down next to another wounded soldier. "We have to get as many outside as we…possibly…can…" She stopped as InuYasha hefted that man over his shoulder as well.

"Any more?" he asked irritably.

"Uh…yeah… try the whole building."

He cursed under his breath. The things he did for his country. "Let's get started then." It would be the only way to drag this wench away from the stupid field hospital. Good lord, it was like pulling teeth.

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Miroku's brow furrowed in puzzlement as he regarded the lumpy shadow advancing towards him. Was it some kind of demon? He gripped his staff tighter and stood in front of the wounded. Not all demons were as diplomatic as the ones involved in the Channel. Could be one of Naraku's minions. The hanyou was renowned for using stupider, less powerful demons to do his dirty work-mainly, kill off masses of humans at a time.

The blob grew larger… and larger… Until Miroku realized it was his contact from the Channel-carrying five unconscious men.

"I can't believe this!" a female voice carried across the grass. "You must be carrying, what, over a ton of dead weight? And you claim to be human?!"

"Tell the whole world, why don't you!" came the muffled shout. Miroku stifled a laugh as his contact and Kagome-sama continued to argue back and forth.

InuYasha unceremoniously dumped the bodies on the ground under the cover of the treed grove. "There," he said with disgust.

"Good." Kagome nodded in satisfaction. "At this rate, we'll have the whole hospital evacuated in less than half an hour."

"We?" said InuYasha sourly.

"Well…you…"

"Guess again." He leaned against a nearby tree, scowling at Kagome, who didn't quite notice the scowl; the moonlight was making his white hair almost glow, and his golden eyes seemed to burn with some kind of fire. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him… which prompted her to think back to her first encounter with Doctor Kitosumo.

"He was beautiful, Sango! I was walking downtown to scrounge up some lunch-I'd lost my money in a bet with Eri over which son our professor would brag about that day-and I wasn't really looking where I was going and I bumped into...guess who."

"Hmm… how about Bankotsu, the really short but extremely hot new minister of defense?"

"Wha-? How did you know?!"

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"You-you bumped into Shichinintai Bankotsu?! THE Bankotsu? The youngest Minister of Defense to date? And not to mention the hottest?"

"Yes! I think my heart skipped a beat-"

"Hearts do not skip beats," a cold voice cut in. Sango and Kagome's excited chatter stopped abruptly as they turned to see the grumpy man with a long braid trailing down his back. "If your heart skipped a beat, Nurse Whomever-you-are, then that would basically mean it stopped. If your heart stops, you are classified as a stroke victim. This effect towards handsome men would be your caught breath, which forces your heartbeat to beat more rapidly."

Kagome stared at the man blankly. She couldn't think of a word to say. "Um… oh…"

"In the future, Miss…?"

"Higurashi."

"-Miss Higurashi, it would be prudent if you considered what terminology you will use before it actually leaves your mouth. I don't like my nurses to sound like nitwits." With that, he continued down the hallway.

Sango sighed. "The Devil Doctor burns yet another soul with his fire."

"More like ice…"

"Hello? Hel~lo!" The white haired man was waving a hand in front of her face. "Anybody home?"

"Oh-hai-gomen ne," she apologized. "I spaced out for a minute…" She trailed off. "What's that look on your face for?"

"Duck!" he yelled towards the Miroku, at the same time throwing himself towards Kagome. She gasped as she was thrown to the ground, the white-haired man's body on top of hers. "What do you think you're doing?! Pervert!" she shrieked, struggling to free herself.

"Stay still!" came the sharp order. "Stop it, stupid wench! D'you want to be-"

The sound of an explosion drowned out the rest of his words. Kagome stared in open-mouthed shock as the field hospital combusted with a deafening bang and wickedly-high flames. "No!"

Miroku was already on his feet and sprinting towards the flame-engulfed warehouse.

"Hey! Hey, you, monk! What do you think you're doing? There's more where that came from-!"

Another explosion shattered the night air. Kagome closed her eyes, blocking out the horrific sight. Was Miroku dead now too?

She was suddenly yanked to her feet. The white-haired man was regarding the damage with an unreadable look on his face. "That's just the beginning," he said quietly. "I have a feeling that in an hour this entire city is going to be under Russian control."

"What?" cried Kagome. "What do you mean? How can you know that?"

He gave her that look again. "Come on, "he said, tugging her hand. "Let's get out of here."

"Let's? What do you mean, let's?"

"As in the grammatical contraction of 'let us.'" He scooped her up into his arms, bridal-style, and began sprinting away from the field hospital.

"What the devil do you think you're doing? Let me go!"

"Stop squirming."

"Put me down and I'll stop squirming! I need to be back there! People could be dying!"

"There's no way you could save any of them now," he told her, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

"What? Why not?" Her blood went cold at the look on his face.

"There was poison gas in that explosion. I can smell it," he added by way of explanation. "Anyone who didn't die in the initial explosion is either already dead from the fumes-or will be burned to death."

Kagome froze. That couldn't be true! What did he know? What if he was lying? He hadn't given her any reason to trust him!

"You're lying," she said coldly. "No one died. You're spouting a load of bull."

"You're entitled to your opinion."

"Just what are you hiding? How did you know there was going to be 'more where that came from' and that the Russians will have the city in a mere hour?"

"Let's just say I'm better informed than you are."

Kagome stared at him long and hard, piecing all her jumbled thoughts together. "Let me go-now."

"Well aren't you the spoiled princess? Sorry, wench, no can do."

"You're part of the Black Mask, aren't you?"

His eyes widened in shock and tripped over a random tree root, sending both of them sprawling onto the ground. Kagome groaned and sat up, rubbing her tailbone. "You couldn't have fallen a little more gracefully?" she grumbled.

Her attempt at humor fell flat. Demon boy was up on his feet already, glowering down at Kagome.

"Where-" he pulled her to her feet and grabbed both her shoulders with his hands, staring hard into her eyes-"did you hear that name?"

She was in trouble now. "Uhh-I-well-" Her eyes widened. "B-behind you-!"

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Miroku slammed himself against the steel door of the former warehouse, knocking it off its hinges. He automatically gagged at the smell emanating from inside.

Some kind of gas, he thought grimly, forcing himself to move inside. Too bad my spiritual powers can't save me from poison gas as well. He chuckled a bit at his own joke, even though it wasn't the least bit funny. Or maybe it was. His form of whistling in the darkness, perhaps.

His eyes stinging, he moved forward, covering the lower portion of his face with the sleeve of his robe. Sango-is she still in here? He'd only known her for about a day now, but he already felt an affinity with her. And when they were fighting together…

Miroku shook his head. That had been an odd experience. Miroku had always fought alone; one, because he was a skilled enough fighter that he didn't need anyone else, and two, he was somewhat of a loner. He traveled alone, dined alone (except when he was in a restaurant with beautiful ladies), and slept alone.

Hell, for all the hentai he was made out to be, he'd never even set one foot in a brothel-ever. Not counting his old childhood pal Haachi and his sage mentor, Mushin, he'd never really had any friends.

That's me-the lone wolf. He chuckled again. With that title, he could claim to be wolf demon and become part of the Channel.

There was that dang humor again…

His thoughts again turned to more pressing matters, and he became sober. He didn't see Sango anywhere. He couldn't go much further into the warehouse without losing his life-he was barely hanging onto consciousness as it was. Maybe she had already escaped? Perhaps she'd even followed the other nurses and doctors that ran over to the next town after he'd left to go talk to the hanyou contact.

Just a quick look in that corner-then I have to get out. I'm running out of air-my eyesight's nearly gone…

Everyone around him was dead. He didn't see a single person still breathing-

Wait. That man over there. Miroku ran over to him and threw him over his shoulders without hesitation. His eyes darted toward the area he hadn't scanned yet as he ran for the door. Sango-if you're over there-and still alive-hang on, please. I'm coming!

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"What's the matter now?" InuYasha said impatiently, whirling around to see what had Kagome all worked up. A tornado was approaching them at an alarming speed. "Oh great," he moaned, "just what we need."

A tornado! Kagome was shouting to herself. What gives? And I suppose this is part of the Russians' brilliant new military tactic as well? She smiled wryly.

"What do you want, Wimpy Wolf?" the white-haired man growled at the tornado.

Great, he's not only demon, he's loony too.

Then, just as she thought things couldn't get any weirder, the tornado suddenly disappeared, and in its place stood a rather handsome man with a long, black ponytail. He flashed the white-haired man a smile. "I'm rather surprised to see you here, Hanyou," he said conversationally. "I thought you were out chasing that wench."

What wench? Kagome thought. That Kikyo person he keeps talking about? She frowned at the thought. Does Kikyo work in the hospital too? If so, then why was he so surprised to see me that first time?

"Shut it, Woflie," the man called "hanyou" threw right back, glancing towards Kagome. He whispered something on the wind that Kagome didn't quite catch, but amazingly the other man heard.

"Yeah, I was," he said dully. "It was Ayame."

The white-haired man stared at "Wolf" incredulously, then burst out laughing. "Ayame?" he gasped between breaths. "Oh, lord, that's priceless. It must be karma. You must have been a real renegade in your past life, Wimpy Wolf."

"Which means I'm doomed in my next life," the other man laughed. "Although I shudder to think of your fate." He suddenly noticed Kagome. "Who's that?" He ran towards her for a closer look-and stopped short, his face changing into a grimace.

"You!" he snarled, and lunged towards her.

Kagome cried out in pain as the man's hands wrapped around her neck. "You bitch," he breathed. "How dare you show your face again after all the trouble you caused." His hands squeezed tighter and Kagome fought for breath, black spots dancing before her eyes.

"Moron, that's not Kikyo!"

The spots suddenly disappeared. Kagome sucked in air, beautiful glorious air.

The black haired man looked confused. "Huh?"

"This…is…not…Kikyo," the white haired man said slowly, as if explaining a difficult math problem to a child. "This…is…is…um…" He looked at Kagome for help.

"Kagome," she supplied resentfully. This was the second person now who'd threatened her because of her alleged resemblance to this Kikyo person. If she ever met her, Kagome would give her a piece of her mind for causing so much trouble.

"Oh. No relation to Kikyo?"

The white-haired man suddenly became alert. Apparently he hadn't considered that option before.

"I have no idea. I'm adopted so anything's possible. But I don't know her if that's what you're asking."

"That's good enough for me." The black-haired man flashed another killer smile. "Kagome, hmm? It suits you. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

"All right, Wolf, you can lay off the charm already. She's coming with us, so you'll have plenty of time to make a move on her."

"She's coming with us?" the black haired man said in surprise. "What for?"

"What do you mean I'm coming with you?" Kagome yelled. "I'm not going anywhere!"

The white-haired man ignore her. "I'll explain later. But I've got it all figured out."

"Oh you have, have you?" the black haired man scoffed. "That's rich."

"Hel-lo!"

The white-haired man crossed his arms and scowled at the black haired man. "You'll see. It'll all work out."

"That's what you always say."

Kagome tried again. "Yo, Hanyou!"

That got a reaction out of him. "What did you call me, bitch?"

"Uh…sorry…it wasn't meant to be an insult. I just heard him call you that and it's not like you've told me your name or anything…"

"My apologies for being such a boor," the black-haired man said smoothly, taking her hands in his and fixing her with his blue gaze. "I'm sorry I cannot divulge my true name to you, but you may call me 'Wolf.' That's what I've been dubbed at least." He rolled his eyes. "Original, no? That over there is Hanyou-again, the name is pretty self-explanatory."

"Hanyou? You mean-he's half demon?"

"Yes, milady," Wolf nodded. "But fear not! for I am full youkai."

"You're a demon?" Kagome said in surprise, belatedly noting the fangs and pointed ears. "Are you part of the Black Mask too?"

Wolf had the same reaction Hanyou did. He swiftly let go of her hands. "Where did you hear that name?" He looked accusingly to Hanyou. "Have you been spilling precious secrets to your lover's double?"

"Shut it, you pathetic excuse for a demon. I haven't told her a damn thing. She sprung the same little question on me."

"Did she now," said Wolf, casting a thoughtful glance towards Kagome. "Interesting…"

Lover? Kagome thought. This Kikyo person is his lover? Then why did he act so callous to me when he mistook me as her? She was horribly confused.

"Okay, enough chit-chat," Hanyou said shortly. "We better get out of here before the Russians show up."

"Yeah," agreed Wolf. "I can already smell them coming. I'd say they're less than an hour away."

"Leave the scent analysis to the dog demons, Damned Wolf," Hanyou said. "They'll be here in exactly fifteen minutes."

"Trying to impress the lady now, are we?" murmured Wolf.

"Shut the hell up." Hanyou leaped towards Kagome and again picked her up bridal-style. "Don't listen to a thing that lovesick fool says." With that he began to run at an extremely fast pace, Wolf running just a little ahead of them in that weird tornado of his.

"H-hey, wait! Didn't I tell you that I wasn't going anywhere?" When he didn't answer, she persisted, "Hanyou! What are you planning to do with me?"

He winced. "It's InuYasha, okay?"

Wolf's head swerved around to stare at the white-haired man in utter shock. The white-haired man, who just called himself InuYasha, looked a little stunned himself.

"InuYasha?" Kagome rolled the name off her tongue.

"That's right."

"That's a bad sign, Hanyou!" Kouga yelled from ahead. "Telling the wench your real name? Either you're planning to kill her or make her fill Kikyo's pla-"

"Didn't I tell you to damned shut it?!"

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Miroku dumped the man on the ground with the rest of the wounded patients. He would come back for him later-at least he had clean air out here.

He ran back into the hospital, again covering his face with his sleeve. He coughed, his eyes and nostrils burning. The flames had risen-and the gas was spreading.

Sango, where are you? he thought desperately. He was already drenched in sweat. He wiped his brow, pushing his bangs to the side. He ran over to the corner he'd missed before, his eyes sweeping over the bodies littered across the floor. Please, please be here-alive.

Then, as if a sign from heaven, his eyes fell on a woman near the wall, her long, brown ponytail plastered against her back with-blood?

Merciful Buddha, please, let her be alive!

Without even checking to see if she was alive, he scooped her up and ran outside, as fast as humanly possible.

Panting when he finally reached the grove, he gently laid her down on the grass. "Sango? Can you hear me?" With careful fingers, he pushed her sticky hair away from her face. "Sango?"

He pressed his fingers against her wrist, praying like he'd never prayed before. Please, just keep this one alive. I'm not sure why, but-just let her be alive. He let out a gusty sigh of relief when he found one-faint, but there. "Arigato," he murmured.

She was breathing. That was a start at least. He sat back on his heels. He should try to go back in and see if there were any others he should save-

A loud crumbling and crunching noise put that idea to rest. Miroku tensely watched as the entire building collapsed into a giant mess of burning rubble and bodies. He bowed his head reverently and prayed for the souls of the many, many men and women who had lost their lives-innocents and guilty.

He studied the woman laying beside him. By some miracle she was still alive-that had to mean something. Out of all those thousands of other people… perhaps there was some higher purpose in all this?

She stirred. Miroku leaned forward in anticipation, surprised that she would be moving so soon. "Sango?"

Her magenta orbs opened slowly and regarded him calmly. "Houshi-sama?"

"Yes." He lifted her upper body onto his lap so she could breathe easier. "Are you all right?"

She nodded carefully. "Yeah, I think so." She took a shuddering breath and coughed a bit. "Did you bring me out here?"

"Yes."

"Were you caught inside during the explosion also?"

"No. I was sitting right here in this grove."

Her eyes met his. "You went back inside?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He waited a moment before answering. "I suppose because you were in there."

She didn't flush like he expected her to. "Is that the truth or just a line?"

He looked down at her, his face deadly calm. "Sango," he said seriously, "I may be a lecher and a delinquent priest-but I will never, ever tell you even a half-truth."

She nodded absently, her hand going up to itch the back of her neck. "Thank you, Houshi-sama," she replied, just as seriously.

He pushed her hair off her neck for her. "I was quite amazed to find you alive, I admit. Out of all those people, I only found one other person who appeared to be living. Looks like you have a higher power in your favor."

She smiled a bit, watching the flames flicker and dance on the rubble. "It's not such a miracle. I had a mask on to protect me from the gas, only the strings loosened and the mask fell off as I was trying to make my way to the door. I'm guessing you found me soon after."

"A mask?" he said curiously. "Is that part of your nursing equipment?"

She cast him a nervous glance. "Eh…no…"

His eyes narrowed. "What are you not telling me, Sango?"

She sighed. "Someday, houshi-sama, I will tell you. Just not today."

He nodded in resignation. "I guess I can live with that." His fingers carelessly brushed against the back her neck, but slowed as they ran over something that felt like-a scar? He traced in down her neck towards her back…

Her head swung around and she met his eyes with an angry glare. "What are you doing?"

"Is this a scar?" he cautiously asked.

After a moment, she nodded. "Yes. It is."

"May I ask how it came to be."

"That," she said tightly, "is a story for another day."

Again, he nodded. Looks like I'll have to hang around if I ever want to hear all these stories.

"Where is Kagome?" said Sango unexpectedly. "Is she here? Did you rescue her as well?"

"Umm…" A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "I…left her right here with InuYasha…but it doesn't look like she's here anymore…" He wearily dropped his head into the palm of his hand. This is not looking good…

Sango had all of a sudden become alert, a strange expression on her face. "InuYasha-did you say?"

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1 this is actually a quote from the Bible-just so I'm not accused of plagiarizing. I thought it fit well with the story.

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2 the song lyrics (chapter title) is from the song "Moonlight Shadow" by DJ Mystik

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A/N: wow. I really had no idea that I was going to get into so much of the political part of the story… hope I didn't lose you all during InuYasha and Miroku's conversation…