InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Kagome ❯ Chapter Forty Three ( Chapter 43 )

DISCLAIMER:: I don't own anything InuYasha, however I do own an overactive imagination...

 

 

Special thanks to::

Sacred_Sagittarius and Mooman_fl

for the brainstorming sessions and outstanding beta job.

 

FINDING KAGOME

 

 

 

 

Chapter 43

 

 

 

Hugging herself, Tina stood transfixed as she watched the rear lights of the nondescript brown compact rapidly disappear down the hospital drive. The vehicle carried away the most fascinating person she had ever met. Both of the men had a strange ethereal air about them, but the injured one, Ginta, had been no less than . . . captivating. She had a sneaking suspicion that the last thing the guy was concerned about was avoiding a hefty E.R. bill.

 

'There's no plastic surgeon, Tina. I was born like this.' She tried to suppress an involuntary shudder. Damn. Now there was a claim worthy of the annual 'weirdest patient of the year' award.

 

That escape could not have been the first time for them to do something like that. No, it had to be practiced. But, as quickly as Ginta was healing, she had her doubts that he ever intentionally sought out medical treatment. Just like some superhero. Something out of a comic book. She shook herself slightly. Superheros were fantasy, right? He hadn't had any I.D. when he was brought in and even the name the other guy had given him sounded straight out of some fantasy novel. Fantastic, yes. But the guy was real enough. She could still feel his caressing touch on her skin.

 

Maybe he was one of those rare people that actually lived 'off the grid' of modern society. She had never understood why someone would want to live that way. Actually choosing to be invisible. What was nagging her was the 'why'. Did he have any idea just what he had asked her to do? Glancing back at the gurney that was left haphazardly tilted off the sidewalk, she concluded that, most likely, he did. He'd asked for her help without offering any explanation. Just 'make it go away'. Like he knew he could trust her. She had barely spoken to him, and he had entrusted her to aid him.

 

But if she were to be caught doing something like that, actually doing what he asked, it could mean her job. Possibly even her career. Tampering with patient records was . . . well, illegal wasn't a strong enough word. Prohibited, Taboo, verboten, weren't even strong enough. 'Unethical' said it all. Ethics were the governing force in medicine. But was it ethical to force treatment on someone who didn't need it? To save a life, of course it would be. But Ginta didn't look like his life was in immediate danger, at least in those last minutes before he rushed off.

 

Raising her chin, she cocked her head in consideration. She did have a completely clean slate, professionally. She wondered if the review board might chalk something like that up to naivety. The foolishness of youth. That is . . . if she were to be caught doing something unscrupulous . . . It wasn't like she would be stealing drugs or supplies. She wasn't a thief. But she was quite capable of being sneaky should the need arise.

 

Her brain went into overdrive, listing all the things that would have be done to 'erase' his visit. She'd seen the chart. Had surreptitiously made herself intimately acquainted with it. He'd been there for several hours, only the C.T. scan results, indicating no serious recent brain trauma had stopped his full admittance. There were questions, though. More questions than answers. The scans weren't . . . normal. She hadn't seen the films, only glanced at the preliminary radiology report. The file was pending, awaiting a full analysis by the resident with a flag for oncology. They suspected the abnormalities could be tumors. The oncologist was based out of the area, so copies would be FedExed to him. But that wouldn't be till morning.

 

The C.B.C. had disclosed a variety of strange enzymes, and the lab had been completely unable to type him, which was a first as far as she knew. Again she was certain the test results were being held for further analysis. That would mean digging into the hospital database. It was a wonder Dr. Barton hadn't sent him upstairs for at least a 24 hour observational hold.

 

But, a significant stir had been raised in several departments. She doubted that anyone could completely 'make it go away'. Either the guy had some serious health issues, or he was a mutant. He sure did seem to heal fast. Ok, maybe not as fast as Wolverine. Shaking her head violently to dispel the comic book images, she began walking over to the abandoned equipment.

 

Maybe those abnormalities in his brain were causing some kind of mania. A delusional episode, where he actually believed he was a super being. Tina's eyes softened and the right side of her mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin. A very attractive, sweet, delusional super being.

 

But then again . . .

 

No mania crafted those ears. Delusion couldn't accelerate the healing process.

 

Picking up the scrubs off the sidewalk and pulling the gurney back to the door she considered the steps a person would have to take, hypothetically speaking of course. First, get the orderly to straighten the examination room, and wipe up that spill in the hallway. All standard procedure anyway. Velma was due for a break soon, and Dr. Barton, who had been attending, would be ending his shift in another half an hour. So charts could pretty easily be 'accidentally' shuffled, possibly even misplaced. It had been a pretty busy night, but things had slowed down the last hour or so. For charts to go missing wasn't unheard of, though rare. So much for the hard copy . . .

 

She grinned mischievously, letting her imagination run with the idea. Brian in the lab owed her favor, didn't he? She'd found that first edition Spiderman for him last month. And he has a girlfriend in Radiology. Maybe she could snag those films before they got sent out. The Mission Impossible theme began looping in her head, and she openly laughed at herself and how quickly she had fallen into scheming. 'I should be a writer,' she mused inwardly as she slipped the IV bottle and scrubs under the sheet, then pushed the gurney into the door and down the hall. Glancing up she spotted one of the orderlies returning from his meal break.

 

“Yo! Stan! Could you get that mess over there?”she pointed to the wet trail, noting the smear where her escapee had obviously slipped, “Someone could fall . . . oh, and straighten up 3B for me? Looks like one of those kids went on a rampage in there.” She adopted a look of resigned irritation, a test of her ability to act. No kids had been in that examination room. Just a delusional maniac who didn't want to be there in the first place.

 

“Yeah, sure . . . I'm on it,” Stan replied, trotting off for the mop.

 

Proceeding toward the nurse's station, her thoughts continued on their little vacation from reality. Something about Mr. Ginta Akuba had inspired in her a sense of adventure, something that had most definitely been lacking in her life.

 

“Hey Velma, aren't you getting hungry?” She asked as she passed the desk, “I can cover for you if you want to go now . . .”

 

“You sure?” The elder nurse asked. Tina nodded, pushing the gurney against the wall. “How's Mr. Pretty ears?”

 

“Still in dreamland, but there's R.E.M. So he'll probably wake up soon,” She smiled sweetly, not exactly sure why she was doing this. “I'll hold down the fort, go ahead.” She nodded toward the cafeteria. Velma tucked her chin and grinned guiltily before grabbing her handbag and heading down the hall.

 

Tina picked up the phone and dialed, then started thumbing through folders with the current charts. “Hi there, Brian! How's it going? Enjoying Spiderman? . . . Say, aren't you seeing Sue over in Radiology?” She grinned mischievously, pulling an all too familiar chart. Running a thumb over it in an almost affectionate gesture, she slipped it into a bottom drawer for later retrieval. It's terrible how paperwork sometimes gets shuffled on a busy night.

 

In her head, the Mission Impossible theme continued to play. She really should look up that website the charming Mr. Akuba had mentioned.

 

 

 

88*88*88*88*88

 

 

 

 

Selene sat on the edge of her bed and eyed the reports haphazardly scattered on the opposite side. She'd had no time to ask her questions, but perhaps come morning she would be able to. She figured that would be a good enough reason to call in late. Maybe call in for a personal day. After today she sure could use a day off. Glancing at her digital alarm clock, she groaned. Morning was only a couple of hours away.

 

She could hear the low voices of the men through her closed door, and silently thanked any and all deities, including a few of the Saints from her parochial upbringing, that they were finally talking instead of shouting at one another. It had taken them long enough. She couldn't shake the image of the enraged demon out of her head. Or the the horror of discovering her weapon was missing, the very thing that had been required to effectively fight that demon.

 

But Kagome somehow had miraculously known how to stop him. It seemed that her best friend had more than one kind of hold on the legendary Dog-boy.

 

She'd overheard the drone of his voice from the bathroom, as she was pulling out an old pillowcase to make a sling for Michael. She figured it was the long delayed phone call to his brother. Relieved that she hadn't needed to make the call to him herself, she wondered how 'old Seth' was taking the news. Probably not well. InuYasha had said that he had no idea if the changes were permanent or not. That had to be a very frightening thing for him . . . yet he didn't really act any differently. Perhaps a little more surly than before. But he seemed to always be on the surly side. Well, most of the time.

 

She lingered for a moment on the memory of the singular embrace that she had received from the hanyou. There had been nothing surly about that. It had been comforting. Comfort for childish fears inspired by her equally childish nightmares. Somehow, that simple gesture by a virtual stranger had proffered a legitimacy to the terrors left behind by her dreams. Ok, maybe not so childish. Maybe not exactly nightmares. She had avoided talking about them as much as possible, because she'd simply been unwilling to accept that they could be based on something other than her overactive imagination. There were so many contradictions. The name they were calling her wasn't the only name she remembered. In one of her more vivid dreams, her name had been something sounding very close to 'Annie'. That was what the boy had called her. He had been so sad, as that woman with the fan dragged him away from her. She had again awakened crying and reaching out for him, as if she could possibly pull him back. Just who that boy was still remained a mystery. No one had mentioned him. No one else seemed to 'remember' him.

 

If her dreams were indeed memories, then that boy had died in the same battle as Miroku. She shuddered at the visual replay of the massively tentacled creature grabbing him up, the way his eyes simply dimmed and went out as something small, dark and ominous was plucked from his back. Just like a toy with it's battery abruptly yanked out, dangling as limply as a marionette with it's strings cut.

 

She could still feel the rage that had erupted inside her as she watched the beast toss his lifeless form away like so much garbage. That was when the larger-than-life wasps had seemed to fill the air and it was then that Miroku had held up his hand and after shouting for her to hold on, uncovered it causing a hurricane force wind. She had tried to stop him. He looked . . . apologetic as he did it. She had jammed Hiraikotsu into the ground, holding on for dear life as debris flew past, then without warning, it all abruptly ended in a massive explosion. And Miroku was simply . . . no more. In the blink of an eye. A single beat of her frantic heart. All that was left was a crater in the battlefield, and she was left clinging to her weapon. It was the only thing she had left. Everything else of value to her was gone in that instant. Something tickled her cheek, breaking her trance like ruminations and unclasping the the pillow she didn't remember pulling to her, she reached up to brush it away. Her hand came back damp, and she sniffed noisily, examining it.

 

“Damn it,” she muttered, sniffling again. “I thought this shit was over with. . .” There was nothing worse to the young detective than the weakness displayed by her own tears. She was tough. Reaching into the drawer by her bed, she pulled out the nearly empty tissue box. Yeah, an empty box of kleenex . . . tough alright. Dabbing at her nose, her attention was drawn into the open drawer, noting a small stack of Michael's rice paper creations. Holding her breath, she gingerly reached a hand into the drawer and cautiously pressed a finger onto the stack. Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. A nervous titter escaped her throat.

 

“You're not a demon, Rodriguez . . .” she informed herself out loud, then shuddered involuntarily. Demons chasing Kagome. A half demon under her own roof. Well, he had been a half demon . . .

 

Pulling the stack from the drawer, Selene examined the one on the top. She recognized the design, just like the ones Michael had used to ward the doors. Glancing at her window, she recalled how Kagome had set the ones in her apartment. How the window had been broken, but had not been used to gain entry. She didn't know if just anyone could use these things, and she debated on even trying.

 

“What could it hurt?” she asked herself, sniffing noisily again. Taking one from the top of the stack she pulled the curtain back, then licked it and slapped it onto the glass. “Silly monk, always forgets the windows.”

 

A strange sound pulled her attention to the ceiling. Frowning, she pulled the curtain back again. By the light of a half moon partially obscured by clouds, she could see that there was a bit of a wind outside stirring the branches of the old walnut tree. A spring storm was moving in by the looks of it. Satisfied that what she had heard was explained by the breeze and the too long unpruned tree brushing against the eaves, she let out her breath in a sigh of relief, then lowered the curtain and returned to the bed.

 

“Is this what it feels like to have a nervous breakdown?” she mumbled to herself. Dropping the stack beside her, she pulled herself into a protective little ball and rocked.

 

That was how Michael found her.

 

“Oh hell . . . come here baby,” He muttered pushing through the door and quickly closing it. Joining her on the bed he pulled her into a slightly awkward embrace, with his right arm still in the sling. “I thought you were holding up a little too well for all that's happened.”

 

“No . . . I'm fine . . .” she whispered, wrapping herself around him like a child in need of comfort. God, but the solid feel of him in her arms was good. She shut her eyes tightly, willing away the memories of pain and despair. The sound of his heartbeat was strong, and good, and real.

 

“Right, of course you are . . .” he held her close and rocked her, murmuring in her ear. “You do know the definition of fine . . . don't you?”

 

“I should, monk . . . you're the one who taught me,” she replied, pulling herself up to press her lips just below his ear, grinning at the welcome replacement memory. The time he had explained the acronym.

 

She had met him after a difficult day, and they had taken in a movie. She'd been backup on a drug sting that went wrong, and two officers had been shot. It hadn't helped that the movie was a Hollywood construct based on a 'true story', involving law enforcement corruption at the hands of a drug lord. At coffee afterward he noted her distraction, and she said she was 'fine'. “I thought so . . . Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional,” he had informed her with a knowing look. For being as insightful as he was capable of being, that was not one of his better moments. She'd hit him.

 

“You still sore?” she murmured into his neck.

 

“Never too sore for this,” directing her off of her knees and fully into his lap, he suppressed a wince and his eyes fell on the Ofuda that were scattered on the bed alongside her absconded reports. “Expecting company?” he asked, offhandedly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with his good hand.

 

“Just being a 'good scout', always prepared . . .” she leaned back and made a little two finger salute.

 

“Ah, well . . . Can't fault a girl for that,” he studied her eyes closely for a moment. “You need to talk?”

 

“This is what I need right now,” she hummed as she took his lips hostage. Moaning into the kiss, Michael found himself being pushed backwards against the pillows. Selene straddled him, grinding against his pelvis suggestively before breaking contact. “Now . . . where else does it hurt, where did we leave off?” She feathered his bruised eye and cheek with kisses. Michael stiffened underneath her turning his head away. The hand on her behind squeezed just a little too hard.

 

“Shhh . . . What's that?” he whispered. Frowning she cocked a brow. “Listen . . .”

 

She turned her head, listening to the quiet and hearing a male voice past the door, “Sounds like InuYasha is talking, maybe Kagome's awake . . .”

 

“No,” he hissed with urgency, bucking to urge her off of him. “Something outside . . .” Struggling with one arm to get up, he glared first at the window then up at the ceiling.

 

“It's just a limb, monk . . . brushing against the roof,” she sat back on her calves oscillating between relief that she wasn't the only one that was 'hearing things' and irritation that the damn tree had interrupted her seduction.

 

“I . . . don't think so . . .” he cocked his head, listening. Selene rose to her knees straining to hear what he seemed to think was not a limb. Both of them nearly jumped out of their skins when two loud thumps on her door reverberated through the quiet room.

 

“We're outta here!!” InuYasha shouted through the door. “You guys better leave too!”

 

“What the . . . WAIT!!” Michael quickly ran to the door and fumbled with the knob. “I thought you were waiting till morning . . .”

 

“Someone's coming . . . I just talked to a guy . . . Kouga's sent someone after her . . . we gotta move . . . NOW!” InuYasha's report was rushed and urgent, and as Selene joined Michael at the door she saw InuYasha slide his sword down the back of his jacket, which he was wearing over the red pajamas he had donned after his shower. “C'mon Kagome! Leave that shit!”

 

The guy was going to ride his motorcycle wearing his pajamas and toting a weapon without a permit. Granted it didn't look too terribly dangerous, as poor as the condition was, but still.

 

“Who is this guy?” Michael demanded frantically, stepping into the hallway to follow. “Maybe it's a trap!! Did you think of that?? Maybe they're trying to flush you out for an attack!!”

 

“No . . .” InuYasha shook his head as he stomped off into the living room, Michael following. “He said Kouga would kill him, I know this guy . . . well . . . knew him . . . he called her 'oneesan'. Look, do what you want, I have to get her to the compound.” Selene stood in the doorway and watched Kagome follow, yawning and scratching at her disheveled head.

 

“Who called me sister?” she inquired, hefting her pack to her shoulder. Selene shrugged, noting that at least Kagome was dressed. “Who was that on the phone?” she called out toward the living room.

 

“Move it, Kagome!!” came a bellow from further away. Kagome jumped. Eyes widening, she worriedly glanced at Selene then trotted to the living room, passing Michael in the hallway as he rushed back to the bedroom.

 

“Grab a few things, baby . . . we're going to my place . . .” Michael went to the bed and gathered up his Ofuda, quickly examining each one then sticking them in different pockets.

 

“What??” Selene shook her head, not understanding. “You want to leave?? It's the middle of the night . . .” She followed him as he reached up to drag a satchel out of her closet and shove it at her.

 

“Pack, damnit. He's right, we can't stay here.” Selene had never seen Michael so intense before. Angry, yes. Worried, certainly. There was hollow look in his eyes and an aura of resignation that laced his tone. “You said it yourself, we aren't nearly prepared enough to take on 'full blown youkai', tonight made that more clear to me than I care to admit. Now pack.”

 

That was when all Hell broke loose.

 

 

 

 

 

88*88*88*88*88

 

 

 

Water whispered through the pipes to the shower, and was the only sound that punctuated the stillness as Miranda curled her nude form around her pillow in a nearly fetal position. The shower was a good thing. Yes. Yes. Kouga smelled atrocious, and she wondered if he had been drinking while negotiating with that M'noche creep. Either that or he had rolled around on the floor of a brewery at some point. She settled on the drinking. His behavior from from the moment of his return convinced her it had to have been drink. Really strong drink. It was like she didn't know him anymore. Then again, had she ever really known him?

 

She pondered on what little she had heard of his fight with Ginta. She still didn't know who Naraku was, but it had enraged Kouga to be compared to him. 'Abomination' he had called him. Ginta had to have known that particular analogy would be ill advised. She saw the flash of regret on Kouga's face after he hit him that last time. She didn't think he really wanted to kill his most loyal follower. His oldest friend. The fact that he had been so easily distracted from the scene told her that had to be so. Thank the Gods Hojo had been able to recognize her cue to leave.

 

“What have I gotten myself into . . .” she muttered into the pillow, the ache inside competing with the fire of the brands his claws had left on her hips and back. When she heard Hojo's car start up and race away, the feeling of relief was short lived once she realized she was in far too deep with her seduction of the prince to reverse it. He had become Domination in physical form, intent only on making her submit to him completely. It was as if he had been punishing her with his steel grip, his fangs pressed deeply into the back of her neck. Punishing her for her insolence. Punishing her for standing up to him. She had been afraid. She had been very afraid. The thrill that had coursed through her took her by surprise, and in the far reaches of her mind where thought could do no more than hide from the violence of his assault on her body, she decided that her own sanity should seriously be questioned. He was punishing her with sex, but she found the punishment delicious in its own way, and she rode the waves of sensation. She was an addict and his touch was her drug of choice. It was only after he had completely sated himself, heavily collapsing on her back and mumbling some foreign endearments into her ear, that the intensity of his aura finally began to subside.

 

It seemed like there were only more and more questions as the days went by, and she wondered if she would get answers to them before everything blew up in their faces. Kouga said she would be his guide. She couldn't be a guide if she didn't know the terrain. Nor if she didn't have a clear idea of their destination. Crystal gazing only went so far without some kind of background information.

 

Tossing the pillow to the side, she determinedly bounced off the bed, ignoring the smarting of the gouges on her hips. She needed to do something, anything. Maybe consulting her cards was in order. Just as it registered that the whispering of the water in the pipes had stopped, she glanced over to see Kouga standing in the doorway, hair still dripping and a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, intently watching her. She froze in her place, unsure of his intentions.

 

“Gods, but you're beautiful,” he murmured.

 

“You're cruel when you're drunk,” she stated simply. Breaking the eye contact she reached for her frock on the floor. She wasn't feeling like being gawked at. At least this time he hadn't ripped it off of her. “Blind too, I think.” She glanced at the mirror on her dresser and grimaced at the wildness of her hair and the bruises on her side.

 

“I wasn't drunk,” he denied, lazily reaching for her. She deftly evaded his grip, meeting his confused reaction with a defiant glare.

 

“Could have fooled me. You damn near killed him.”

 

“Bah! He's Youkai! It takes a lot more than that to kill a demon . . .” he folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.

 

“What did you just say. . .?” Miranda locked her eyes on him. So, he had finally used the 'D' word. After witnessing his behavior tonight, after being subjected to his rage, she could now believe what Sally had said as truth. Maybe Kouga wasn't as altruistic with his intentions as he had led her to believe. Maybe he wasn't as 'good' as she had wanted to believe. “Maybe you should just . . . go . . .” She shook her caftan roughly and slipped it over her head.

 

“Whoa . . . what's your problem?” he demanded, straightening. All she could do was stare at him with disbelief. It wasn't possible for him to be that clueless. Or, maybe it was.

 

“Tell me, Kouga . . . why was Ginta concerned for my safety? I heard what he said,” she closed the distance between them. “Why would he feel the need to say he would protect me, even from you??”

 

“He's confused, that's all . . .” he reached for her, and she backed up a step, knowing his touch would break her resolve. “He's got it in his head that girl is Kagome.”

 

“She IS Kagome!! She has the Jewel, she's The Priestess reborn . . . what has that got to do with my safety??” Her face was bright with anger, her eyes narrowed on her mate. Gods help me, Kouga can't be evil . . .

 

“Not a damn thing, wench!! M'noche is going after the girl tonight, we should have the Jewel by morning. I'm tired of waiting.” He folded his arms, warding off any further discussion. It was a done deal.

 

“Wait!!” She shook her head, her mind racing. He told them where to find Kagome. He told them . . . the same thugs that Ginta had warned her about. The ones that value nothing. “Are you telling me you sent those animals to my cousin's HOME?” She demanded hotly.

 

Kouga began to reach for her, then froze still as stone. His face went completely blank for a moment before his eyes widened slightly, and as he locked them on hers, he blinked.

 

“You bastard,” she muttered darkly, brushing past him. He hadn't denied it. He'd put her family in danger with his plots. That look said it all. The idiot hadn't fully considered what he was doing. She had to call Sally, warn her. If it wasn't too late.

 

 

88*88*88*88*88

 

 

 

Kagome dropped her pack and grabbed her jacket and helmet from the couch. Hurriedly slipping on the leather jacket, she could hear Michael and Selene heatedly discussing something back in the bedroom and InuYasha was yelling at her to hurry up from the front door, which she really didn't appreciate. She had been sleeping soundly when he awakened her, and was still foggily trying to get her mental 'ducks in a row', fighting just the hint of a headache as she settled the pack onto her shoulders. One might think that there would be time for a cup of coffee at least. But, no. He insisted they had to go now, that it couldn't wait. In short, he was being a jerk.

 

“Just a second, huh? I'm getting my helmet!” she shouted to him through the closed window, where he was pulling his bike up to the door. “Sheesh . . .”

 

Someone had called him, she caught the tail end of the conversation, but he refused to tell her who it was. Someone that had called her 'sister'. Who in the world would call her sister? She didn't belong to any fraternal organizations. Some churches would refer to females in the congregation as sister, but she didn't go to church. She was trained in Shintoism, but never had been referred to as sister. Who would know InuYasha that would know her, anyway??

 

Suddenly there was piercing howl from outside, the house began to violently shake and Kagome thought 'earthquake' as her heart jumped into her throat. She reached for the door jam to brace herself, wrenching her neck in reaction to the sudden ringing of the phone, while outside Selene's car alarm simultaneously jumped to life. There was dust in the air and her eyes widened in horror at a crack that formed in the ceiling.

 

“Kagome!!” InuYasha bellowed from the direction of the front door, and she shrieked as a squat demon dropped down in front of her. This one didn't look human at all, with hair in places on it's face where hair shouldn't be and a mouth that was far too big for the face. Eyes entirely too large, black as polished onyx, blinked as it grinned at her exposing entirely too many very sharp looking teeth. Worse yet, the thing appeared to be salivating. Darting her eyes at the ceiling she saw the jagged hole he had dropped from, and found that she wasn't able to rationally accept that the beast had actually come through the roof. This had to be a nightmare.

 

“Hello pretty,” came a deep, gravelly greeting. “Time to take a ride . . .” Kagome cringed, still not really believing the thing was there. Even the sound of its voice was straight out of some classic horror movie. She dodged the outstretched hand, realizing those arms were way too long for that body, and she ran headlong into a wall. Stunned, she shook her now fully aching head and the demon began to chuckle menacingly.

 

There was a scuffle off in the bedroom, then a loud crash as another beast seemed to fly backwards down the hallway bringing remnants of the door with it. From what she could see, that one looked a little more human than the thing in front of her. Selene came flying after the beast in the hallway, dropping a powerful kick to it's head effectively stunning it. Michael slapped a sutra on the demon's forehead and Kagome stood transfixed as she watched the speedy effects of the spell seep out along the creature's skin, sparkling like smoldering paper. Then abruptly with a howl the beast seemed to implode before their eyes with a rush of wind, the air where he had been was filled with a strangely sparkling dust.

 

“Amazing, Sally!! I didn't know you could move like that!! Just like Buffy!!” Michael congratulated his fiancée breathlessly.

 

“Well, Hell . . . Actually I was going more for Xena,” she muttered looking up at the ceiling as the last of the sparkling ash from her opponent settled. “I take back everything I said about your rice paper, Monk. You really dusted the bastard!” She glanced down the hall, ignoring the still ringing phone, then turned, “Where's Kagome??”

 

“In here,” she squeaked, her throat constricting between fear and a repulsively familiar odor emanating from her pursuer. The monster in front of her simply shrugged at the demise of his comrade, then as he grabbed for her again, she swung the easy chair between them. She managed to dodge the clutching appendage which rent the fabric, and pieces of the stuffing came away with the hand Her mind screamed 'BIO HAZARD' on seeing how sinister and filthy the claws were. Squeaking she used the first thing handy as a weapon, the helmet in her hand. Circling around she flung it at his face and backed up to the door where frighteningly strong arms grabbed her around the waist.

 

“Damnit!! Its me!!” InuYasha hissed into her ear as he held her writhing frame. “Where's your fucking helmet??”

 

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief, then pointed at the monster, who was straightening his now broken nose, and wiping away at the dribbling blood on his lip. Looking down at the floor, she realized that just as much damage had been done to her helmet, which now sported a crack where it lay. Had she done that? This has to be a nightmare.

 

Selene and Michael pushed into the room, frantically assessing the situation. Seeing that InuYasha had Kagome, their focus turned to the strangely deformed assailant. Selene wrinkled her nose.

 

“Fuck, come on!!” InuYasha snarled as he dismissed the now useless headgear, then literally dragged her out the door to the waiting motorcycle, leaving the demon to the exterminator and monk.

 

Selene squared her stance, her face distorting slightly as she rolled her nose trying to alleviate the stench in her nostrils, then grinned menacingly at the demon. “Wanna play?” she asked, motioning with her fingers. Michael reached into his sling to pull out another exorcism sutra, and as they approached the demon, the creature seemed to think better of having paid his little visit. He jumped, swinging very apelike up and out through the hole he had entered from, leaving the pair to stand there in befuddled disappointment.

 

 

The car alarm was still wailing as InuYasha practically tossed Kagome onto the bike and yanked off his helmet. Taking her face in his hands, he forced her to look him directly in the eyes.

 

“Listen up . . . look at me . . .” he demanded. Kagome's eyes were wide with fear, but she focused them on him. “Remember how we used to run?” She looked blankly at him. “Kuso,” he muttered, “Kagome . . . this is important . . . wrap yourself around me, understand? Just hold on tight, arms and legs, got it??” She nodded, gasping for a hysterical breath, her eyes darting around. He dropped the helmet on her head and cinched it. The damn thing was too big, but it was better than nothing at all. “Got your knives?” Again she didn't respond. Grabbing her shoulders he got directly into her face. “Kagome!! Do - you - have - your - knives??” Finally a crisp nod from her, and she raised an arm to indicate her sleeve. Satisfied, InuYasha twisted his hair back and shoved as much into his jacket as he could, then mounted and started the bike, “Hold on tight!!”

 

She was so frightened she couldn't speak. She could barely breath, and thinking was a near impossibility. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something fly off the roof and bounce off in the opposite direction. He said hold on, and that's just what she did, wrapping herself around him in a death grip as they sailed over the lawn and off the curb. The bump was a shock to her tail bone, and she drew up even tighter against him, mentally chanting, 'I am one with the driver, I am one with the driver.'

 

Ignoring the stop sign on the corner, InuYasha pushed for as much speed possible rounding out of the culdesac and onto the 4 lane street that would lead them to the highway. Two blocks and suddenly he found himself surrounded. A motorcycle pulled in front of him, the rider weaving as he stood and twisted to look back at them. Kagome had a vice grip on his midsection, which was exactly what he wanted, except it made it hard for him to look to the rear. Relying on the mirror, he counted two more bikes coming up swiftly behind him. He needed more speed, but that would put him right up with the one on point ahead of him.

 

Kagome heard the other vehicles coming up behind them, and renewed her grip around InuYasha. She didn't have much experience riding a motorcycle, but she knew that whatever move he made, she would follow it like an extension of his body. Being this close seemed to help her fear muddled brain. It was then that something struck her. Something significant. They were running. InuYasha never runs from a fight. At least not in any of the legends.

 

Damning his lowered night vision, InuYasha finally found a narrow opening between two buildings, and swerved wildly to the left. If he remembered correctly there was a field back there, and a shortcut to the main road. Having lost the rider on point was a plus, but only temporarily and he knew it. He had to either shake these guys off his ass, or stop them. He had to get Kagome home.

 

“HOLD ON!!” he shouted as they broke past the buildings, and the rough terrain of the field rattled them both to their very bones. Shifting down and gunning the gas, InuYasha pulled them into a wheelie, alleviating some of the washboard effect, but eliciting a shriek from Kagome. The trick was finding a smooth enough surface to do what he wanted to do. Timing was everything with the machine. Just like it was with Tetsusaiga. Glancing in the mirror he watched their encroaching pursuers. One of them appeared to be pulling something out of a container. Something long by the looks of it.

 

Kagome was absolutely certain that her stomach had been left somewhere back on the far edge of the field. This was crazier than those amusement park rides she had taken on her senior class trip. She prayed that she didn't end up hurling all over her fiancée. She already had enough explaining to do to his brother. That is if they managed to get that far.

 

“Oh shit,” InuYasha muttered. “Kagome!!” he shouted back to her. “Purify anything that touches you!!”

 

“What??” What in the world is he talking about??

 

“You know!! Charge up your hands!! One of those fuckers has a chain!!” He swerved around a cluster of ancient concrete, and Kagome tightened her grip again. “He's gonna try and yank you off the bike!! Purify him!!” he shouted hoarsely.

 

“What about you??” She called to his ear, loose fringes of his hair pelting her chin like a thousand tiny black whips.

 

“You can't hurt me, remember?? I gotta plan!! Just keep holding on!! No matter what!!”

 

Kagome loosened her grip just enough to glance back, and saw that one of them was the demon from the living room. Had she been thinking clearly, she could have ended him right then and there. Just the thought of ending anything alive was so foreign to her. She had trouble swatting flies, let alone 'dusting' a demon. The other one, however, did appear to have something swinging at his side. It could be a chain, it looked heavier than rope. Could she purify through chain? Use it as a conduit for her power? Renewing her hold on InuYasha, she resolved to find out if given the chance. That stinky one had been in her apartment, she was sure of it. She had a score to settle with him.

 

“Not tight enough!!” InuYasha shouted. Kagome's arms and legs were starting to ache. She forced herself, locking her hands together, hooking her feet. “Here we GO!”

 

InuYasha slammed on the breaks, and leaned hard left, willing the rear wheel to rise as the bike flipped around in a one eighty, effectively slamming the rear wheel into one of their assailants while the other sped past them. Kagome squealed into his back, but her hold didn't waver, which told him she was ok. Now stopped, he quickly assessed the fallen pursuer, who appeared to be out cold and a glance back found the other turning to continue the chase. The one with the damn chain. Gunning the engine, pebbles and dirt spewed over the fallen demon as they spun out slightly before the traction caught.

 

Kagome gulped air, and cast a furtive glance behind them to see the one still chasing them literally run over the unconscious demon, the body seemed to convulse with the weight crossing over it. If it wasn't dead before, it probably was now. Though it didn't do the sparkle thing like the one had at the house. Maybe that was only with Holy powers. She shuddered, and laid her head on InuYasha's shoulder. They didn't even seem to care when one of their own was injured. Even Kouga wasn't that bad. And they were nothing like InuYasha.

 

“Only one left!!” InuYasha shouted. “We'll get him!! Get a knife out!!”

 

Kagome released her death grip on InuYasha and dropped her left arm, shaking it behind her to get the centrifugal force to drop the knife down into her hand. Concentrating, she suffused the weapon with energy, and it began to glow. That was when she realized something. InuYasha wasn't running at all. He hadn't been from the start. Even as a human, he was using everything available to him to defeat the enemy. Using everything in his power . . . to protect her.

 

InuYasha sped up as they dropped off of a curb back onto smooth pavement. He watched the last remaining demon through the rear view mirror for any indication of what his next move would be. So far they had only made a small portion of the distance to the compound, and he didn't fail to remember there was one more out there. Somewhere. The one who had been on point at the start. It was a small team, but Ginta had said he wished he didn't know them. From the looks of it, InuYasha could see why. These guys had no sense of honor. So far they had not involved any other humans, or damaged anything except Sally's house. He really wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to carry the chase onto the highway where other vehicles would be involved. Vehicles with humans in them.

 

“Have I told you today that I love you??” She shouted into his ear, reaching up to brush down the hair that kept slashing at her exposed skin.

 

“You're crazy, wench!! You know that right??” He replied, unable to mask a grin.

 

“Yeah . . . I am . . .” she responded, then added in a murmur, “about you.“ Somehow she just knew it was going to be Okay. She was with InuYasha, and no matter what happened, they would be together. And that one thought removed the last vestiges of her fear. “I'm gonna try to hit him with this!!” She held up the glowing knife. “Slow down, let him get closer!!”

 

“You sure??” InuYasha let up on the gas just a hair. “You think you can do it??”

 

“I have to try!!”

 

“Ok, hold on!!” He waited for the return of her vice grip and then hit the brakes. Anticipating his move, their pursuer gave them wide berth, passing them and maneuvering his own one eighty to charge back at them. “Remember the chain!” InuYasha warned, then “Do your stuff, Koi!”

 

The chain came, and draped them both just as the demon's bike passed them. InuYasha grabbed for the outstretched line of it and pulled hard to prevent their being unseated. Kagome placed her hand over several links focusing all of her concentration. Surprisingly the demon literally jumped off the bike, and began rolling up excess chain like a lasso as he sauntered toward them, his bike forgotten as it coasted down the street. It was apparent that he assumed this a surrender.

 

“It's good that you are deciding to be reasonable about this,” he drawled, specifically to InuYasha. “Papa will be merciful and make your death quick, I'm sure. The girl, she belongs to our ally. You should be glad I found you and not Kouga.”

 

Kagome practically growled and could feel the surge of power leaving her at the sound of that name. The chain was indeed a conduit and it slowly began to light up following the line of the links around them.

 

“I'm not a piece of god damned property!!” Kagome hissed, pushing more power into the chain. InuYasha watched on with fascination, his dark eyes reflecting the luminescence like a mirror.

 

“You will tell Kouga that Diego gets the prize, eh bitch? Diego is the one that delivered . . . what the fuck is that?” The demon stopped his bragging still fifteen feet away as he watched the chain light up, moving swiftly toward him.

 

“Your name is Diego, huh?” InuYasha asked casually, dropping the length he had been holding. “Well, Diego . . .” he waited, assuming a bored expression the as power made its way up to the loop on the demon's arm. “Go to Hell . . .” a bright flash and an unholy howl filled the night.

 

“Good work, Koi. Your first, right?” he asked, his pride evident. He twisted in his seat to face her as she watched the dust settle.

 

“No . . .” she shook her head, her expression not what he expected. There was a veil of sorrow in her eyes. It had broken her heart. “You were my first, InuYasha.” A tear made it's way down her cheek. “That was someone's child. I know . . .” she countered at his look of incredulity. “He was a bad guy, I got it . . .” and she wiped her cheek, thinning her lips determinedly.

 

“It was either us or him, Kagome.” InuYasha cupped her chin in his hand, and touched his forehead to the helmet. “You did the right thing.”

 

“I'm Okay,” She tilted her head and brushed her lips lightly against his. “Let's go.”

 

She kept her cramping legs down for the rest of the ride, and continued to clutch the infused throwing knife in her hand as she hugged his back, chin tucked to avoid the barbs of his flailing hair.

 

 

 

 

8^8^8^8

 

 

Backing up from the edge of the abandoned tenement, a lone figure studied the now battered red motorcycle with a narrowed glare, as it sped away in the direction of the highway. He could follow them. Sure. He could also be the next one to die. He wasn't stupid. The 'weak assed human' they were supposed to get past to grab the priestess was anything but. And there hadn't only been two human females, alone and unprotected in that house. Kouga had lied. The whole thing had been a set up.

 

He should have suspected as much, when the Ookami made it clear that feeding on this mission was unacceptable. 'No unnecessary bloodshed'. He could at least have let them have the other bitch as a reward. Some bullshit about her being kin to the witch. What difference did that make? M'noche had knocked him clear across the room when he got in Kouga's face about it. Fine. Now he'd show his uncle the truth of it.

 

Their plan had been a good one. Scare the living shit out of the women, grab the little bitch with the jewel and go. Simple. Easy. Fear was the great paralyzer. Sending Ewok had been a stroke of genius. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the block, in fact he was more like an icing spatula, but he was good at making humans very afraid. Just the look of him was enough to scare old Beelzebub himself. Probably busy scaring the old bastard right now. Leaping in the opposite direction, Raoul chuckled at the thought as he made for the field to retrieve the body. He had to take something back. Some kind of proof for his Uncle. Sam and Diego had left nothing behind. Nothing but ash.

 

Kouga had been manipulating them all along. They had gone along for the ride, because the final outcome would far outweigh putting up with him. The Jewel was more than just a prize. It sure as Hell didn't belong in the hands of a demon that consorts with the very creatures it would be used to overcome. The Ookami Prince was a fool if he thought they didn't know he had taken up with that witch. His excuse that she was a seer and a direct line to the Jewel of Power just didn't wash, not when he showed up covered in the whore's stench. Humanity was an infestation that needed to be eradicated. Exterminated. Worse than roaches. Worse than fleas. Maggots.

 

And the clan's 'Fang', their only Prince . . . had just been turned into a mass of glittering powder by a pair of fucking insects.

 

Uncle M'noche was going to blow a fuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8^8^8^8^8^8^8

 

 

A/N:: Just want to wish everyone who celebrates it, Happy Thanksgiving!! whew got it posted in time...