InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cold ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen

March 13th, 4035

A ripple stopped him in his tracks.

The disturbance crawled over his skin and settled low in his gut. He turned in the direction he felt it strongest, sharp brown eyes searching for its source. Beyond the walls of the hallway, he could see them. Radiant colors, swirling and writhing, tearing into the very fabric of time. It resonated in his chest, squeezing and stuttering his heart. Pain exploded in the side of his head, settling behind his right eye. Teeth clenched, he gripped his forehead and leaned against the wall. The twisting light increased in intensity, a soft grinding noise reaching his ears. Cuei strummed against his ribs, hammering against his body; reacting to the disturbance.

His brown eyes illuminated, iris shifting as it sifted through the collage of colors extending in several directions. Glowing veins of violet stretched towards him, drawn to his flare of cuei. Great gusts of power pulsed, each stronger than the last. With every wave, a unique signature became clearer.

An imprint he knew well.

Kagome.

“Sota?”

He straightened, composing himself as best he could before turning to acknowledge the voice. Lyra stood at the end of the hall, a gentle glow from the living room illuminating her tightly coiled hair. The soft curls of her Afro were tipped yellow with curiosity.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Fine, just worried about Kagome,”

Lyra frowned, hair bleeding blue.

“Don’t worry,” she moved to smooth his bangs, “I’m sure everything will turn out fine. Are you ready to go?”

Sota nodded.

“Alright, lets go,” she said with a small smile, “Kagome will be waiting for us,”

Sota moved silently down the hall, Lyra following.

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Kagome drifted closer to the pulsating light, seduced by its thrumming beat. She felt different, changed, outside of herself. Her eyes grew heavy, shimmering silver orbs glowing bright in the surrounding darkness. Soft whispers reached her ears. The words indistinguishable to her ears. The sounds were familiar and foreign, a kaleidoscope of languages twining together in harmonious melody.

Glittering sparkles of light twinkled in the distance.

Kagome watched through lowered lids, floating closer to the nearest sphere. She reached out, gentle fingers gliding over the warm ball. The light splintered, stretching out and latching on to her seeking fingers. Pain shot through her head. Memories, thoughts, information, it all came crashing through her skull. The energy recoiled, separating itself from her. Kagome retreated, stunned, scared and faint.

The voices, they were louder, yelling and screaming.

Wincing, Kagome covered her ears. The lights were moving, stretching towards her, their energy crashing angrily over her skin. Stinging and burning, the pain took her breath away. She floated away, glowing eyes wide as they followed. The sting of energy blared over her flesh, settling deep in her bones.

It burned like acid.

Nausea ripped through her.

Bright veins wrapped around her legs and arms, pulling, hurting, screaming.

Her throat constricted, cutting off air. Panicked, terrified, she fought, flaring her cuei reflexively. Their grip loosened and Kagome tore away, dashing off into the darkness. She dodged and jumped over lights, dazed and confused. Instinct took over and she followed it, searching for a familiar glow, desperately reaching for its protection.

In the hallowed, sinister blackness, a beacon she hadn’t known she’d been searching for sliced through the darkness.

She knew that light, had felt it before, remembered it’s warmth and intimate imprint. She reached for it, her cuei reached for it, twining itself around the light and bending back the darkness around it. The light wrapped around her as the break in darkness began to swirl, bright purple and blue twisting. She forced her way forward, breaking through the severed reality.

Bright light blinded her.

Kagome brought her arm up to cover her eyes. A click reached her ears. Slowly, she lowered her arm and came face to face with the barrel of a pulse pistol.

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Sesshomaru read through the reports, his curiosity and disquiet increasing. Inuyasha had forwarded even more information, raising more questions than answers. The TinO were planning on using the culmination of their project in order to enact some sort of one power organization spanning several dimensions. In essence; they sought to be akin to the idea of God. The basic outline of the project was to figure out a way to link the realms together, studying and conquering as they went. Inuyasha had expressed that he was to take the data with a grain of sand until he decoded more from the file but if any of this held a shred of truth, the implications, the possibilities were endless.

‘Help me…’

The voice, low and desperate shattered his concentration. He looked around the dimly lit living room and checked his system for any sign of intrusion. Neither revealed the source of the plea. The fine hair on his neck stood on end. Golden eyes narrowed in suspicion. He wasn’t crazy and he was almost certain this wasn’t a bad trip of pheran. His drug addiction often heightened his paranoia and anxiety but he wasn’t so sure this was a side effect.

He’d heard someone.

Sensation slithered up his spine, almost like the caress of soft fingers.

He spun, pulse pistol in hand. He spun, pointing the business end of his weapon at the hunched figure kneeling behind him. Luminous blue orbs stared up at him. Their depths wide and alarmed.

Kagome.

His golden eyes widened slightly in surprise.

How the hell had she gotten here?

Her radiant eyes appeared wild and unfocused, the pupils tightly contracted, nearly invisible in the surrounding blue. Her dark hair was loose and mussed, curling along her shoulders. Her arm, cradled against her chest was covered in light blue blood. Sesshomaru kept his finger on the trigger, amber eyes narrowing.

“Where did you come from?” he questioned.

She watched him. Silent and accessing. A deliberate blink, and the glow dimmed, slowly fading, uncovering her dark pupil. Recognition just as sluggishly made its way to her face.

“Sesshomaru,” she mouthed softly.

She looked around, confused, seeming just as shocked as he that she was here. Shaking her dark head, she stood on shaky legs. She placed her hand tightly over her wounded arm.

“I was alone in this room and would have heard anyone enter. Where did you come from?” he demanded again.

Her brows lowered in pain and annoyance.

“I don’t have time for this. Listen, I’m leaving when my brother gets here. You can stay here if you want, I paid rent a month in advance but after that you’re on your own. There are people that may come looking for me so I’m not sure this is a good hide out spot for you either/”

That said, she turned and headed for the bedroom.

Sesshomaru followed silently, keeping his weapon in hand. He’d hold his questions about her method of entering undetected for now.

A new opportunity had presented itself.

“If you need a safe place to go, I can help you. Get you off planet.”

He stood in the bathroom doorway, watching as she rinsed blood from her arm. The bathroom mirror slide open, revealing medical equipment. Kagome grabbed several bottles, pain inhibitors and bandages. She worked fast, cleaning the wound and wrapping it before injecting herself with the inhibitor.

“Oh yeah? And why would you be willing to do that?”

“The return of a favor.”

“Tempting, but no. You have people after you too. We wouldn’t be any safer with you.”

“On the contrary. I happen to have several safe houses throughout the galaxy and a competent security force at my disposal. The situation I found myself in was one that has never happened before, and will never happen again.”

That cold, deadly look was in his eyes as he spoke that last sentence.

“Seeing to your and your brother’s safety would not be hard. The people after you have no knowledge of me and will not have a clue as to where you could have gone.”

‘Delr’ik.’

‘Sir.’

‘Move. I want a small faction here now,’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Stay undetected for now. We may have company.’

‘Yes, sir.’

“And what do you want in exchange for this protection?”

“The same thing you wanted when you assisted me. Nothing,”

“Bull,” she negated, moving towards him with a bold glare, “You’ve been scanning me and meddling in my personal files since you got here.”

He hadn’t thought she was a stupid woman in the time he’d spent with her and had wondered when she’d bring it up. She certainly had cause for concern based on the little he’d found out about her. That information was deadly in the wrong hands. Not that it would be any better in his hands if one was observing from a moral stand point. But that was neither here nor there.

He denied nothing.

“The files I’ve examined have returned some interesting information,” he allowed, “some of which has caught my attention.”

Her body stiffened and her sapphire eyes gleamed sharply. The gun slid into her palm with ease. In a matter of seconds he stared unconcerned at the business end of her gun. She held it steady, finger squeezing the trigger slightly. He couldn’t help the slight upturn of his lips nor the heat that stoked his libido. Her eyes narrowed, conveying the words ‘try me and I’ll blast you’ loud and clear.

“Forget what you read in my files and forget me. I don’t want to have to shoot you but I will. I’m taking my brother and leaving. If you or your little android come looking for us you again I won’t hesitate. Consider this your only warning.”

“You seem to be laboring under the mistaken impression that whoever shot you is in league with me.”

She stared back stonily, eyes silently accusing.

“The files I ‘acquired’ from your system were vague at best, though they provided just enough information to act as a guide. I have quite a few resources at my disposal and have already unearth more than you yourself know,” he admitted, “Are you familiar with TinO?”

Her brows lowered in suspicion at the question, though he could tell her curiosity was piqued.

“Should I be?”

“The TinO have a bounty out on you and your brother and a number of organizations that have an invested interest in your capture are after the reward.”

“Already knew about the bounty, but why? What does the TinO want with me?”

“You won’t be able to outrun them by yourself, let alone with a youngling. I’m offering you protection and perhaps, answers. The TinO research facility will have no knowledge of our meeting. This will allow you to stay hidden until we reach the nearest safe house.”

A beat of silence passed before the gun dissipated. She leaned back, favoring her injured arm. She sat contemplating what he offered. An exchange of knowledge; he wanted to know what she was and so did she. He offered her safety and resources to find out more about her past. The soft hiss of the front door opening ended their silent negotiation. Sesshomaru moved to the door, deadly intensity flashing in his amber eyes.

Kagome gripped his arm.

He looked back at her.

“That’s Sota, my brother.”

He eased his stance and allowed her to proceed him into the living room.

“Kagome, are you ok-”

Sota stopped short, stunned. His sister never had visitors over to the house. Kagome moved to the duo standing in the living room. Reaching up with her uninjured arm to ruffle his hair. His brown eyes met hers, their chocolate depths questioning.

“Fine kiddo. We gotta jet. Grab the essentials and nothing else.” she commanded gently.

She turned slightly, gesturing to Sesshomaru.

“This is Sesshomaru, he’s a…friend. He’s taking us somewhere safe.”

Sota blinked at the silent stranger. He execute a semi-bow.

“Nice to meet you.” he murmured.

Sesshomaru inclined his head in greeting, honey eyes taking him in with alarming sharpness. The two stared at each other, sizing each other up.

“Sota,” Kagome urged after a moment.

As if pulled from a trance, he looked over at her, then back to the stranger in his soon to be abandoned home. He watched Sesshomaru curiously as he shuffled to his room. Amber eyes turned to the woman watching them, her hair a gleaming yellow.

“Sesshomaru, this is Lyra. She’s a friend of the family.”

Another slight nod of acknowledgment as a bewildered Lyra waved.

“Hi,” Lyra greeted, slinking an arm around Kagome’s, she tugged her into the kitchen, “excuse us.”

She wasted little time grilling her friend.

“What the hell is going on?” Lyra whispered, “Who is that guy?”

Kagome sighed.

“I don’t have time to explain, just trust me Lyra. Me and Sota, we’ve got to get out here, and right now, he might be the best chance we have. I had a plan in place but I don’t think it’ll work for long. We need to get off this planet fast,” Kagome looped her arms around Lyra, resting her head, “Thank you so much, for everything. I promise, as soon as its safe, I’ll contact you and tell you all about it.”

Lyra embraced her, hair bleeding blue.

“You better keep your promise,” she muttered, “Be safe. And if you don’t contact me in a week I’ll rent a ship and come find you myself.”

Kagome smiled, returning the embrace briefly before pulling away.

“We have to go,”

Lyra nodded sullenly.

“Lay low for a while, Lyra. Make sure no one follows you home.”

Lyra smirked a bit, her mood lightening. Lyra wasn’t worried about an attack. A Azeraic, even alone, was a beastly thing, and damn near impossible to kill in a group. If the Azeraic didn’t kill you, the fallout would. A deceased Azeraic was just as deadly. The scentless chemical they released upon death could devastate a city. No cure, no treatment to counteract its effects. Liquidation of skin began after a minute, necrosis of the organs ten minutes later followed closely by the vomiting of blood and melted insides.

A horrific death that kept most would be predators away.

She’d love to stay with Lyra, to have her best friend protect her but the risk was too great. If Lyra were to die, there was a high chance she and Sota could be caught in the toxic fallout. She wasn’t willing to gamble with her little brother’s life. Yes, Lyra was quite capable of handling herself and could offer them significant protection, but this wasn’t her fight and Kagome would feel bad dragging her into it. Plynus’ injuries was enough a stain on her conscious.

The two headed back into the living room as Sota shut the door of his bedroom, a small back pack strapped to his back. The front door slid open again, letting in a stream of men, women and other wise unknown gender individuals of various species. They carried an array of arsenal, and wore sharp lazer blades strapped to their arms, legs, thighs and torsos. Each were equipped with black, long sleeved skti trimmed in silver and wicked looking enforcer boots. Their eyes were concealed by visirik and once each person crowded into her tiny living room, they took to one knee and bowed their heads.

Aside from Sesshomaru himself, everyone was taken aback by the gesture.

“Sir.” they greeted in unison.

A beat passed before they stood, ramrod straight, arms clasped behind their back.

“We leave now,” Sesshomaru announced, “Leave no evidence.”

“Sir.” the group acknowledged.

Sesshomaru turned his attention to the three.

“Come.” he instructed, making his way passed his subordinates and out the front door.

Kagome placed her hand on Sota’s shoulder and ushered him out with Lyra.

“You sure about this guy?” Sota whispered.

“For now…yeah. Don’t worry, okay? You know I’d never let anything happen to you.”

Sota nodded, though still seemed unconvinced. Outside, more of the highly organized security personal stood waiting. Off to the side, a tall, four armed cyan haired male spoke quietly to Sesshomaru as Kagome and Sota said their final goodbyes to their friend, exchanging hugs, well wishes and promises. Sesshomaru gestured for them to stand close, explaining they’d be beamed up to his ship. As they stood near the silent silver haired male, bright green flames erupted from their apartment. The intense heat blew high into the dark sky as their forms became translucent before dissipating completely.

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