InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome! Where are you?! ❯ the world with NO magic part 4 ( Chapter 43 )

Kagome where are you

Chapter 43 the world with no magic part 4

warning . . . not for the squeamish . . .

If you want, just look for the phrase "the cube activates." And start reading from there.

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The corporal looks around, `I thought I heard something?' he

thinks. `Dammit, I was too interested in this and I wasn't paying

attention.'

`Nothing . . . ' he thinks. `Probably a squirrel or something.'

The corporal looks at Sesshomaru and his two men. Georgi's

manhood is hard now. He places it between Sesshomaru's legs . . .

`Georgi and Ivan are so involved with this guy that they wouldn't notice a bomb going off beside them.' He thinks. He frowns. `A noise?'

He spins around.

Kagome slashes his throat with her sword.

He gurgles and collapses to the ground.

Kagome's left hand raises and the pistol in it goes off.

Georgi collapses on top of Sesshomaru's back, blood covers Sesshomaru's back and upper legs. The bullet entered his chest. He is trying to get up and breathe, but the shock of the bullet, knocks him unconscious.

Ivan tires to get off Sesshomaru and he tries to bring his submachine gun around to point it at Kagome, but in trying to do both at once, he fails. His legs get tangled together and he falls flat on his face beside Sesshomaru.

The last thing he hears is a Kagome's voice saying, in Japanese, "Sorry." As the bullet enters the back of his skull.

Sesshomaru turns his head, looking at Kagome.

Kagome has one of the soldiers dirty gray-green semi-camouflage shirts on. It is far too big for her, and covers the top of her legs as well. Wrapped around her waist, under her shirt, is her white robe, there are large bloody splotches on it. It is tied up like a short skirt. Semi-dried blood streaks and matts her hair.

She replaces Jaa Kalpa in its scabbard. In her left hand is a pistol. On her back is a submachine gun. An ammo belt is draped across her shoulders.

"Sesshomaru!" she smiles as she rushes to him, dropping the pistol as she locates a knife on Georgi's belt.

"Kagome?" he whispers. `I'm dreaming. She's been against killing, and here she shows up and casually kills three men.' He thinks.

"Are you ok?" she asks, as she cuts the rope holding his hands together. Sesshomaru flips over and sits up, rubbing his wrists. They are red and bleeding from the tight rope.

"My leg." Sesshomaru whispers. Ivan crudely bandaged it, soon after they the clearing. They did not want him to bleed to death on the way to the trucks. "You? I see blood?"

"I'm, Ok. This is other people's blood. When I killed the men after me, I got covered in blood. I... this is what I used to wipe up the blood." She points to the bloody white robe, tied around her waist, she says in a weak voice.

Kagome quickly moves to his leg and looks at the bandage, gently tugging on it. "It'll have to do for now. We have to get away from here, first. Then, I'll look at it."

"Kagome. How?" Sesshomaru asks. His arm's waves at the three dead or dying men around him.

Kagome shrugs. "I did what I had to do, Sesshomaru. I don't like killing, but, I didn't see where I any choice." She whispers. "I've killed men before tonight. I didn't like it then, I don't like it now. But, sometimes, you don't have a choice."

"Take some of their clothes to cover up your white robe. Can you walk?" she asks.

"I can walk." Sesshomaru growls out. He moves to Georgi, and turns him over. Georgi is still breathing, although did to the bullet in his chest, blood is trickling out of his nose, as he is slowly drowning in his blood. He removes his shirt and puts it on.

"He's alive." Sesshomaru growls. "I am going to torture you to death." He hisses.

"No. You are not, Sesshomaru." Kagome replies. "You do not have the time. We've got to get away before they spot us. We can't fight them in an honorable fight."

Sesshomaru nods. "Too many of them. And these weapons. We'll be lucky just to survive tonight." He glares at the submachine guns on the ground beside them. "You can use these weapons?" he picks one up and slings it on his back.

Kagome shrugs. "Maybe. I got lucky and found the safeties on the pistol and submachine guns. But, once they run out of bullets." She shrugs again. "I'm going to be guessing about putting in a new magazine. I hope it'll be simple, but. I don't have the time to experiment."

Sesshomaru nods.

Both Sesshomaru's and Kagome's heads swing around in the direction of the clearing. Noises are coming down the trial that Sesshomaru was dragged along.

"Hey, corporal! What happened?! We heard shots!"

"Yeah, stop! We can travel together!"

Two soldiers are coming up the trial.

Sesshomaru hisses. "Your sword."

Kagome nods and hands him Jaa Kalpa. She swings the submachine gun off her back.

Sesshomaru grabs Kagome by the arm and guides her behind a couple of trees next to the trail.

"The lieutenant told me to take the swords back. I told you that before." One of the soldiers is arguing with the other.

"And I still say that you decided to leave the lieutenant on your own, taking those swords as spoils."

"Hey, real Japanese samurai swords are expensive. I'll share my take with you. We might even make enough to bribe" the soldier trails off, looking at the three bodies in the middle of the trial.

Both soldiers grab their submachine guns.

Sesshomaru starts to charge, but Kagome hisses, "no."

She points the submachine gun at the two soldiers and pulls the trigger. Bullets go flying.

Both soldiers fall to the ground.

"Now, Sesshomaru!" Kagome yells as she lifts her finger off the trigger.

Sesshomaru jumps out behind the tree and runs over to the two soldiers on the ground. Jaa Kalpa swings twice and two heads are separated from the soldiers bodies.

He drops Jaa Kalpa and clutches his wounded leg. That sprint ripped off the bandages and hurt his leg even more. He goes down to one knee from the pain. He groans, gritting his teeth.

Kagome runs up behind him. "Our backpack and your swords."

She smiles. `At last, some god is looking out for us. I was afraid that we had lost them forever.' She thinks. She drops the submachine gun and grabs one of the new ones. `I hope this one has a full magazine in it.'

She warns, "Sesshomaru that shooting just I did, it will bring more soldiers, so we've got to get out of here, now!"

Sesshomaru hands Kagome back her sword and grabs his swords from the dead man. "You know that you didn't hurt either one with that weapon? They just dropped on their accord?"

"Yes, to duck under the bullets." Kagome grabs her backpack. She uses Jaa Kalpa to cut a crude bandage from one of the dead men's shirts for Sesshomaru. "I'll fix it better later." She whispers as she bends down and wraps his wound.

Sesshomaru walks around testing his bandage. He goes over to Georgi, who is still breathing.

"What are you going to do?" Kagome asks.

"Kill him." Sesshomaru replies in a low voice. He bends down and painfully twists Georgi's face.

Georgi wakes up. One of Sesshomaru's hands is around his throat. The other has Tokijin resting on Georgi's face. "I wanted you to be awake." Sesshomaru smiles, his fangs showing.

The smell of piss fills the air.

Sesshomaru's hand releases his throat and punches Georgi lower chest, under his rib cage. His hand reaches up and grabs Georgi's heart. Sesshomaru pulls Georgi's heart out of his chest. Georgi is still awake as Sesshomaru squeezes his heart over his face, blood spurting everywhere. "I was kind."

Georgi dies . . .

Sesshomaru stands up. His arm is dripping blood. "I'm ready." He takes off his robe and wipes off his bloody arm and cleans off his bloody back.

Kagome nods. She swings her backpack on her back. "That way." She points one way.

Sesshomaru shakes his head. "No. to the stream. We'll use that to shake them."

Sesshomaru starts to lead the way, but, Kagome quickly catches up.

She dangles the submachine gun in one hand. The other arm is wrapped around his waist, helping him walk. On her back is her backpack. Kagome's sword is at her waist.

Sesshomaru grabbed a submachine gun and it is on his back. Both of his scabbards are in their customary position at his waist. One of his arms is around Kagome's shoulders, holding her close to him, so she can help him walk. In his other hand is Tokijin, ready for combat.

Kagome thinks, `I should tell him to carry that gun, but, he'd probably squeeze the trigger at the wrong time. Besides he's probably more comfortable with the sword in his hand, so . . . ' she does not say as thing.

They slowly, due to his wound, walk to the stream.

Sesshomaru looks up and down the stream. "That way." He points.

"This is toward that killing field." Kagome mentions.

"Yes. We'll need that." Sesshomaru says, cryptically. "Now into the stream."

"Your wound?"

"We've got to survive until morning, Kagome. Whatever poisons that are in this stream, I'll have to survive them. If we don't use it, to disguise our path, we'll never make it until morning." He replies.

She bites her lip's, nods and they both enter the stream.

As they slosh through the stream, they can hear more explosions and more yelling in the distance.

"I hope whatever their doing will give us some time." Kagome whispers.

"I hope so, too." Sesshomaru whispers back.

Sesshomaru grimaces from the pain in his leg. `If she wasn't here to help me.' He thinks as Kagome supports him. He glances at her face, but there isn't enough light for him to make out the details of her expression.

"Kagome? How did you escape? You said something about killing?" Sesshomaru whispers as the trudge through the stream.

Kagome pauses. She says in a low whisper, "Two men chased after me. I hid in a tree."

She pauses. "I did what I had to do to survive, Sesshomaru. Just like you and those two men back there."

Sesshomaru hisses in anger.

"They lowered their guard." Kagome giggles, obviously trying to suppress her emotions, knowing that hysterics aren't helpful. "And I killed them. Do you have to know the details?"

Sesshomaru whispers, "no." He pauses. "The fact that you escaped is enough."

"Thank you." She whispers.

She pauses, helping Sesshomaru around a tree that had fallen into the stream.

"After that, well, I grabbed this shirt to cover myself. I grabbed a pistol and submachine gun." Her mouth twitches. "I assumed that they had the safeties off, and I was right."

"Safeties? I will need to know how to use these weapons, Kagome."

"A switch on the side. It prevents accidents. That's all you need to know right now, Sesshomaru. I had been talking about my tomboy phase, remember, and playacting with guns was part of it."

"AH, good. And after that?"

"I started back the way I ran, trying to find you. The soldiers, Nazis' they are called, had started to spread out, looking for something or someone, but, they never looked up into the trees." She giggles again. The emotions of tonight are strong and powerful in her. "Traveling with Inu-yasha taught me everything I needed to know about moving from tree to tree."

"Useful. Yes, humans to have a bad habit of not looking up. `Nazis'' is what they are called?"

"From a war in my past, Sesshomaru. They did horrible things. Very popular villains in movies. At first I thought that the time we are in was during that war. But, some of the details don't match up to what is in those movies. So, I don't know. We are in some alternate world, and I just don't know . . . " She starts to whine.

"Ssshh. Kagome. It's ok. We're alive and we're free, that's all that matters. We will survive this world and escape it."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. I needed that." She uses the arm around his waist to squeeze him.

She sighs and continues. She shrugs. "After that, I must have gotten lucky and caught up with you."

"They stopped to bandage my leg, and they stopped to . . . try and break the spirit of this Sesshomaru." He hisses in anger.

`Raping a man is a common torture technique. They were beginning to hurt me as part of the start of some torture session.' He thinks. `Not very well organized torture session, but one just the same, I'm sure.'

"I saw." Kagome whispers. "You did what I had to do."

Sesshomaru squeezes her around the shoulder. His eyes blaze in the darkness. "We will survive. "

Kagome nods, `I will believe him. I will not let him down.'

"Yes, Sesshomaru, I'm sure that we will survive." She whispers.

Sesshomaru nods, and he thinks, `I will believe her. I will not let her down.'

A few minutes later.

They arrive at the killing field.

"Good." Sesshomaru says. "We'll leave the stream here."

As they walk out of the stream, Kagome asks, "now what?"

"Now, you go through that backpack, take only what we absolutely have to have. Leave the rest in the backpack and drop it into the stream." Sesshomaru orders. "That'll occupy them and make them think that we have panicked."

"Aren't we?"

"No. we will survive. I have a plan." Sesshomaru states. "While you are doing that." He points to the nearby earthen embankment, where they earlier spotted the skulls and bones. "I'll be digging us a hole."

Kagome looks at where he is pointing. "Sesshomaru?"

"Do you really think that they are going to examine that area closely? And if they do, will not they wait until daylight? We'll be safe there."

Kagome swallows, takes a deep breath and nods. "I'll grab some leafy bush limbs to place over us."

"They'll spot it."

"In the morning when the lights better, it'll last tonight, though." Kagome replies. "We're just doing this to survive . . . "

Sesshomaru nods.

They separate as they start doing their parts for Sesshomaru's plan to work.

Kagome stuffs the absolute necessities into her sleeping bag. She scatters some papers and such along the stream bank. `They'll know we got out of the stream here. This way they'll think it was just to lighten the load, not because we are hiding nearby.'

She smiles. `And, I'm sure, They will start walking around here, and they'll destroy our tracks in the process.'

Sesshomaru, gritting his teeth through the pain of his wounds, quickly uses his claws. He digs a swallow grave-like hole for them. He carefully removes a couple of skulls and serval long bones from the dirt.

Kagome scrambles next to him, she is carrying her sleeping bag and a few long branches full of leaves and she helps him finish digging their grave.

Kagome shudders. "You're sure?"

"Kagome? You can hear them coming down the stream. It's this or nothing." He whispers. "Stay here, while I cover our tracks."

`This will not work against dogs, but a night, against humans. We should be safe.' He thinks. Sesshomaru goes to the edge of the stream, and walking backward, and using a leafing branch, he begins to cover their tracks.

He backs up to the hole, disguising their tracks as he goes.

Kagome crawls into the grave-like hole, dragging her stuffed sleeping bag, with her.

She takes out the cube and holds it out.

Sesshomaru looks at her.

"I want to place it between us, touching both of us."

"So, as soon as the light changes, we'll leave."

She nods. She randomly shifts the cube around, changing the setting. "I don't know where we'll be, but it'll be better than this."

Sesshomaru nods.

They start covering themselves in dirt. Sesshomaru places the skulls and bones sticking partially out of the dirt that is covering them. `Most humans will think twice about disturbing these.'

Kagome places the branches, sticking them up around their head and faces. "Sesshomaru, stay still."

She also places a submachine gun near her head, `I'm going to kill at least one of the bastards, should they find us.' She thinks.

Sesshomaru places Tokijin so he can use it in an emergency. `I will have blood on my sword. I will not be taken alive.' He thinks.

"Don't talk." He whispers.

They share a quick smile.

They stop moving as they see flashlights in the stream.

Kagome's free hand finds Sesshomaru's free hand. Their fingers entwine and they squeeze.

The soldiers spot the papers and begin to gather around them on the bank of the stream. They start talking and arguing.

After a few minutes a large group of soldiers is talking at the spot where Sesshomaru and Kagome left the stream.

Some of them go downstream. Some of them search the nearby trees, but except for a few glances, nobody really explores the killing field, or the bushes near it.

Time passes . . .

The backpack is found and brought to the command group, which has set up nearby. Kagome and Sesshomaru can see the radio and the arguing that is occurring around it. More and more soldiers arrive during the night.

"We need to leave." Kagome hisses.

"We'll be safe here." Sesshomaru whispers.

"They're right over there." Kagome hisses.

"And they'll assume that we have already left the area. Who would be crazy enough to stay close to them? Unless someone steps on us, we'll be safe."

Kagome takes a deep breath. "Ok. I trust you."

Lead by a Panzer, who is knocking down trees as it goes, a column of trucks and half-tracks arrive about midnight.

Helicopters circle the area, large searchlights shining on parts of the forest, as the search for Kagome and Sesshomaru expands.

Soon after midnight, and after the tank arrives, the tank commander in a fancy black uniform walks over to the `bushes' where Kagome and Sesshomaru are hiding. He opens his fly and pisses in their general direction.

`I'll kill him!' Sesshomaru thinks. He tenses, his instincts which this would have brought so close to the surface, his damaged pride, and the thought of being pissed on, is driving him into a killing rage.

Kagome squeezes his hand, sharply. He looks at her, out of the corner of his eyes. She subtly shakes her head, no.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrow in a killing rage, but he doesn't move. `If I attack, she dies too. Very well, for her sake, I will not attack.' He thinks.

Luckily, none of the piss lands on them, it's just close to them.

"We can't move." Kagome whispers, her lips barely moving.

"I know." Sesshomaru whispers. His lips barely moving. But Kagome can hear his teeth as they grind together.

During the night, others use the area in the same way that the major did. None of it lands on Kagome and Sesshomaru, the killing field's nearness stops the men from getting too close, but . . .

Kagome bites her hand, forcing herself not to gag or throw up from the smell.

"I've finally found something about this world that I like." Sesshomaru whispers.

"Huh?" Kagome whispers back.

`It's good thing that I didn't eat much yesterday. Otherwise, I would have thrown up.' She thinks.

"My nose is dead, so the smell isn't so bad."

"Sesshomaru." She hisses.

"This is less intense than what I normally smell when I pass nearby a human village."

"Oh."

Dawn approaches.

"We stay here?"

"No other choice, Kagome. I had been hoping that they would move onto a new location, not making a camp here. Sorry." Sesshomaru whispers.

"Not your fault, Sesshomaru." Kagome whispers back. "They'll spot us, won't they?"

"They should. But."

"But?"

"Since they decided to use this area as a latrine. We might survive."

"Huh?"

"Do you really look at the place in woods when you shit?"

Kagome allows herself a small smile, "no."

a pause . . .

"Sesshomaru."

"Yes?"

"In case . . . you know."

"I know."

"I love you. And if something happens, I just want you to know that this last few days . . . have been the best days of my life." Tears fill her eyes as she whispers.

"I love you, Kagome." Sesshomaru whispers back, his hand squeezing her hand hard. "And these last few days, have, without any doubt, been the best days of my life."

Kagome and Sesshomaru see a group of half-dressed men approach them. It is dawn, and the soldiers are beginning to due their daily routines, which includes using the bushes . . .

Minutes pass . . . the men leave the area.

"I... thought that one of them pointed to us." Kagome whispers.

"He did. But, he didn't seem excited. I'm confused." Sesshomaru whispers.

That man, the one that had pointed to the bushes earlier returns in a couple of minutes, with some branches in his hands. He starts to spread them out. But, another man, stops him. The other man is an officer or some important man, as the first man obeys him with question. After a short conversion, the first man leaves the area, his shoulders slumped. He grabs a shovel and trudges off in the woods.

Sesshomaru smiles and whispers, "He was just ordered to dig a true latrine ditch, but, not here for some reason?"

Kagome whispers, "we're probably too, close to the stream, maybe?"

The officer after shaking his head as he surreys the scene, leaves.

The men that were using the area as a latrine stop coming by.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"I've got some bread in one the pockets on this shirt. I can't eat it. Not with this stench around, but, do you need to eat?"

Sesshomaru pauses. He nods his head. "Yes, I do need to eat. And I've eaten in worse places."

Kagome shudders. She wiggles and gets the bread out.

"Sesshomaru. Thank you for your trust in me." She whispers as she holds a piece of the bread up to his mouth.

He looks at her. "If I can't trust you, my dear Kagome, I could not trust myself." He nibbles the bread in her hand.

She blushes a deep red. "Thank you . . . "

He eats the bread in her hand.

Kagome grimaces, "I forgot about a canteen with water in it."

"It's ok, Kagome. I can survive."

She giggles, "And Keade taught me a midwife spell, so my breasts would give milk, but. No magic on this world, so, that's useless."

She giggles again.

Sesshomaru covers her mouth, he can tell that Kagome's emotions are getting the best of her.

Kagome's eye stares into his, over the hand covering her mouth. She shudders and begins to quietly cry.

Sesshomaru wiggles closer to her, covering her with his free arm. He even releases Tokijin so he can use his other hand to comfort her.

Kagome quietly sobs into his shoulder . . .

Sesshomaru whispers. "We'll be ok." Over and over again into her ear.

He grimaces, `that damned cube, it's pinching me, we're so close together. But, I'm not going to move it. One change, even that, might be enough to set her off. She's been through hell tonight and it's catching up with her.'

time passes . . .

Kagome quietly stops crying and falls asleep. `The best thing for her.' Sesshomaru thinks.

More minutes pass, as Sesshomaru slowly pets Kagome's hair and hands, comforting her, even as she sleeps.

Snap . . .

Sesshomaru freezes.

He slowly shifts his head and instead of concentrating on Kagome, like he has been, he concentrates on the surrounding area.

`We're surrounded.' He thinks. `Those two soldiers . . . that was an act to get our guard down. It worked.'

He clamps a hand around Kagome's mouth and shakes her awake.

Kagome's eyes open wildly. Sesshomaru, using his eyes, directs her attention to the men that are still slowly approaching them.

Kagome nods. She grits her teeth. One of her hands slowly moves off Sesshomaru and reaches for the submachine gun next to her.

Sesshomaru's hand reaches for Tokijin.

Their other hand grips the other's.

"Attack them first, Kagome." Sesshomaru whispers. "It will cause them to stop and rethink their plan. They want us alive. Otherwise, they would have rushed us. If we attack, they'll hold back."

Kagome nods.

She shifts the submachine gun, aiming it at a soldier.

She pulls the trigger.

Shots ring out and men collapse onto the ground.

A couple of return shots hit the branches and dirt around Kagome and Sesshomaru, but they don't hit them.

Commands are yelled in German and Russian. The soldiers freeze and no more shots are fired at Sesshomaru and Kagome.

"STOP!" Is yelled in Japanese by one of the soldiers. Which soldier, neither Kagome nor Sesshomaru can determine.

"You are surrounded!" the voice yells again. "Give up! You will be treated well!"

"Do we talk to them?" Kagome whispers.

"Of course, anything to delay." Sesshomaru whispers back.

"Delay?"

Sesshomaru reaches down and brings the cube up. Both place their hands on it. "As soon as it's ready, it'll switch us, Kagome. We have to delay them long enough."

She nods, gripping the cube with him. "And we vanish on them." She smiles. "Too bad we won't be able to see their faces after we vanish."

Sesshomaru smiles back.

He yells, "Define treated well!"

A pause, as the Germans talk between them, trying to decide how to answer that question.

"Food! Good food! Water! Shower! No hurt! Just talk!"

"Bring good food! Throw in bushes! Bring water! Throw in bushes!" Sesshomaru yells back. "Then we see!"

A couple of minutes pass.

One man, shaking, but standing, moves close to the bushes where they are hiding, and he throws a canteen and a metal container into the bushes.

"Ignore them, Kagome." Sesshomaru whispers, as she reaches for them. "Probably drugged."

"Oh."

"We'll have a couple minutes before they do anything else." He whispers. He wiggles, putting Tokijin in its sheath. He pulls out the submachine gun he had grabbed earlier. "Show me how to use this?"

Kagome smiles, "they'll think any movement they see is us eating."

He nods, holding the weapon out to her.

"Ok. Real simple." Kagome looks at the weapon. "The safeties off. So all you have to do is pull back this trigger" she wiggles it a little, "and the weapon will fire. You let go of the trigger as soon as it fires, then aim again and pull the trigger again and again until it runs out of bullets."

Sesshomaru looks at the gun. "Simple." His eyebrows rise. "This device looks complex, why do I get the feeling you're leaving a lot out?"

"Because I am, Sesshomaru." Kagome tapes the magazine. "This has bullets in it. You're supposed to replace them when they run out. I don't know how to do that. So, if you pull the trigger and nothing happens."

"Throw it away, because it's useless."

She nods, agreeing with him.

They both lay down, side by side, one hand on the cube. The other on the pistol grips of the submachine guns, aiming and waiting.

"Good Food, yes!" The German officer yells!

"Good Food!" Sesshomaru yells back.

"Give up! More food! Safe place! No torture!" the Germans yell.

"Need time! Surrender later! Not now!"

Kagome looks at him, one eyebrow raised, "surrender?" she whispers.

"When I'm dead." He whispers back. "They'll think we ate the food. If it's poisoned, they'll give it some time to work."

Kagome nods.

Sesshomaru and Kagome's hands squeeze the cube. They both pray that it works and soon . . .

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

"Colonel, we have them trapped!" the major is yelling. "All we have to do is charge them. Sure, we'll have some casualties, but we'll have them."

"Major. After last night's mistakes, you are treading on very thin ice with me." The Colonel warns.

"Sir." The captain interrupts, "As much as I hate to agree with the major. Especially, since, his mistakes cost me a lot of good men and a close friend, last night, but, I think we need to charge them."

"Why?"

"From the survivors of last night debacle, one of them uses swords and I think, he'll commit suicide before giving up."

The colonel nods. His eyes narrow. "Very well. Major."

"Sir" the major stands at attention.

The colonel looks up and down at the poster perfect appearance of the major. "You are going to get dirty. I will be watching you. Your men, from your unit, will charge those two. You will not fire. I want them alive. You will lead the charge. Do I make myself clear?!"

The major stands there dumbfounded.

"Major! Answer me! Do you understand your orders?!" the colonel yells in his face.

"Heil Hitler!" The major salutes. "Yes. I understand." He growls out. Under his breath he says, "when I tell my father . . . "

"Then he and I will talk." The colonel interrupts him. "And we'll see, boy. Either he'll agree with you his son, or he'll agree with me. And I've pulled his nuts out of more firefights than you have. So, boy, take your chances." He growls.

The colonel follows the major and watches him gather his men and begin to charge Kagome and Sesshomaru's position.

"Thank you, Colonel." The Captain whispers as he stands close to him.

"Don't thank me, Captain. He is twisting his orders and making mistakes. The fact that he killed your men last night, doesn't matter to me. What matters, is that if he gets away with it this time, he'll make the same mistake, but the next time, it will be good German soldiers that die, not scum."

The captain swallows, salutes and leaves the colonel.

`And those papers from that backpack. My translators are going nuts looking at them. They are saying that those papers are from the year two thousand. If that major loses these two, I'm not going to be happy.' The colonel thinks.

The Major and his men charge Sesshomaru and Kagome's position . . .

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

"Here they come!" Kagome screams as she pulls the trigger on her submachine gun.

"I love you!" She screams over the sound of the submachine gun going off.

"I love you!" Sesshomaru screams, as well.

Sesshomaru pulls the trigger on his submachine. `Stupid weapon! Why did it hit me?!'

He pulls the trigger again and again . . .

`I going to die and I'm going to take as many of these bastards with me as I can.' they both think.

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

The shooting from the bushes suddenly stops.

The Major runs over and he stands over the bushes where the two Japanese spies are hiding.

"Colonel! They're gone!" He yells.

The colonel runs up and examines the site.

"Gone." He looks around. The area is surrounded by soldiers, there is no way that Kagome and Sesshomaru could escape. Nor is there any place to hide, like there was last night.

The colonel calmly pulls his pistol and shoots the major between the eyes.

"You made too many mistakes, boy."

The colonel looks at the major's second in command. "He died at the hands of the two spies. The same two that got away due to his mistakes."

The major's second in command gulps and nods.

The colonel sighs, and thinks, `I've got to call my old friend and explain how his son was killed by a spy.'

The colonel leaves the area. "Oh, pack up his body into a bag. I'm sure his father will want to bury him in Germany." He casually orders.

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

The cube activates.

It is late afternoon, by the position of the sun . . .

they are on Earth, one with magic . . .

Kagome and Sesshomaru are falling . . .

They appeared in the middle of the sky . . .

Sesshomaru instantly swings his submachine gun over his shoulder, grabs Kagome with one hand. His other hand stuffs the cube in his shirt and grab's Kagome's sleeping bag before it falls out of reach.

He uses his powers to start to fly.

They still fall.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome wraps her arms around him. Her submachine gun hits him on his back.

"My powers! The shifting from no magic to magic!" Sesshomaru yells. "Something's wrong!"

"Here, Sesshomaru!" Kagome yells, her hands and body glows . . . "Use mine to jumpstart yours!"

Sesshomaru stops falling and begins to fly.

"Your powers have returned." She whispers.

"Yes." Sesshomaru's voice is full of pleasure.

"Are you, Ok?" Kagome asks.

Sesshomaru takes a deep breath. His eyes find Kagome's. "I'm fine, Lady Miko Higurashi Kagome."

Kagome smiles. "Thank you, Sesshomaru, lord of the western lands."

His mouth twitches, "I'm not even as tired as I thought I would be."

"Yes. I think the cube was affected by that world, like we were."

He nods.

"I thought we were going to die." Kagome whispers into his chest.

Sesshomaru squeezes her, gently. "Don't you dare repeat this to anyone. But, You weren't alone." He whispers. "I don't think that I've ever come as close to death as I did on that world." He whispers.

"I won't tell anyone." Kagome whispers.

"We did what was needed to survive and that's all anybody needs to know." He states.

Kagome nods vigorously.

"Hold me a second." Kagome asks, as she wiggles out of the German soldier's shirt. She drops it into the ocean, below. "I didn't want to wear that any longer than I had to." She whispers.

She puts on the robe. It is still white, but she can feel the spirit in it beginning to awaken. `Sesshomaru is still drawing power from me. Once we land, then I'll see about helping it.' Sesshomaru also removes his German shirt, and like Kagome, his robe remains white.

"Can you see any land?" She asks.

"No." Sesshomaru says after he spins them around in a complete circle.

"Fly higher, Sesshomaru, that should help."

"I know, Kagome." Sesshomaru begins to fly higher.

"How far can you fly?" Kagome asks as she looks at the huge expanse of water below them.

"I don't know. Most of the time it has only been for short distances. I've never really tried to fly from horizon to horizon." He states.

He pauses. "There." He points off to the west. "The setting sun hid it from me."

Kagome shades her eyes, trying to see. "I don't . . . " she pauses. "Wait. There it is."

Another pause. "It's small. An island."

"Yes. This Sesshomaru wonders are we over the ocean to the east of Japan?"

Kagome reaches out with her mystical senses. "I think so, Sesshomaru. But, I'll know more when we get there."

"This Sesshomaru might need to borrow some of your power." Sesshomaru requests. `I'm not going to make it, without draining my powers and hers. A lot.' He thinks.

Kagome nods. "You'll have it, just tell me when you need it."

Time passes as Sesshomaru flies to the island.

They are about halfway there when Sesshomaru asks for a power assist.

"We're both going to be pretty tired when we land, won't we?" Kagome mentions as she begins to give him more power.

"Yes. I expect so. But, that island looks similar to stories I've read about Okinawa and the islands around it."

"I thought it was a tropical island." Kagome smiles. "Just what we needed."

Sesshomaru eyebrows rise. "Hmmm?" He asks.

"A tropical vacation. A deserted tropical island, just what we need for a vacation."

"Deserted?"

"I don't see any roads or buildings, so humans aren't on it. We tend to destroy islands like this very quickly."

Sesshomaru grunts. "I don't see anything. But, there is a clearing on the island that looks weird."

"Like manmade?"

"Maybe. Something about that island just looks wrong." He sighs.

As they get closer . . .

"There's a beach." Kagome points.

"And there is something manmade on it. I will land next to it." Sesshomaru states.

"I'm really tired, Sesshomaru. You?"

"I'm tired as well, Kagome. I'll make it."

Sesshomaru lands, somewhat roughly on the sandy tropical beach.

He staggers and goes to his knees, he is very tired. `I've never flown that far in my life.' He thinks, as he tries to gather his power.

Kagome staggers, `tired. He drained me, a lot. We'll have to go to sleep, really soon.'

She looks at the ruined small ship that they landed next to. "This has been here a while. A deserted island, just like I thought." She mumbles under her breath as she walks up to it.

She sees some writing on the side of the ship. "It's in English." She whispers. `What does it say?' she thinks.

She speaks out the letters, "U S S M I N N O W"

"USS Minnow? Have I ever heard that name before?" She asks herself.

She turns to look at Sesshomaru.

He is asleep, collapsed on the beach.

She runs to him and gathers him up in her arms. "Tired. And you never let on . . . "

Kagome yawns . . .

She falls asleep, draped over Sesshomaru's body . . .

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

The cube's thoughts during the timeless moment between dimensions . . .

`Combat seems to be bringing them together and that makes them harder and harder to kill . . . ' it thinks.

`It is, also, getting more difficult to direct them, exactly, where I want them to go. Their subconscious desires to return home keeps interfering . . . I had wanted to drop them off in the middle of the city, where the Nazi's would have caught them easily, instead, they were shifted out into a nearby forest.'

`I need to change tactics. Perhaps . . . something to drive them apart? I will need to consider those worlds.'

`Hmmm . . . the next world will be . . . ' mental giggles . . . `I need someone to grab me and shift with me . . . so. Perhaps sending them . . . there . . . he should be able to grab me.' Giggles . . . laughter . . .

`And if he holds me when I leave them, stranded on that world' smug thoughts, `Placing myself in Gilligan's hands might serve chaos very well . . . '

___________________________________________

The end of chapter 43:

Can you guess where they are? It is some place totally different from anywhere else they have been . . .

____________________________________________

preview:

Chapter 44: Inu-yasha! Where are you?! Part 2

A door opens, letting light into a dark room.

An unconscious Kouga is thrown into the room.

Naraku enters. He holds Kouga's jewel shards in his open palm.

He smiles. "I knew that keeping you three alive would draw him out."

"Fuck you." Inu-yasha snarls. He rattles the chains holding him upright against a stone wall.

"Now what, Naraku?" Miroku asks in a calm voice. He is also chained.

"Now, Monk. You die." Naraku replies. "I've had my fun with your family and the jokes getting old."

"Kohaku! Come in here!" Naraku yells.

Kohaku enters. He is slowly swinging his weapon beside him as he walks into the room.

"Kohaku . . . " Sango involuntarily says as she sees her younger brother. She is chained up like Inu-yasha and Miroku.

"Inu-yasha."

"Fuck You."

"I will be generous and allow you to decide which of your friends die first."

Inu-yasha, Miroku and Sango all draw in deep breaths.

Inu-yasha's eyes flick to Sango and Miroku. He bites his lips. `They were trapped because they followed me. And I lead them into a trap. We can't escape, and we've tried. And now, with Kouga captured, I don't know who can rescue us . . . ' he thinks.

"Master, Kagura is coming. She says that she has the kitsune and the little girl!" a human guard from outside the room yells.

Naraku smiles . . .

`Tonight, I will enjoy myself. Finally. I've won.' He thinks.

________________________________________________

Authors' note: about Sesshomaru and Kagome's experiences on this world. Ie. Were they raped? I've written this chapter vague enough, so that you, the reader, can believe as you wish.

Perhaps the blood on Sesshomaru's back and the blood on Kagome's robe around her waist is simply from the soldiers that they killed . . .

Perhaps it is the blood from them being raped . . .

I'll let you, the reader, decide if Kagome was fast enough to save Sesshomaru. And if she was able to distract the soldiers, without having to let them rape her.

Hmmm . . . Also, some of the actions, noises, etc. during the night may not make absolute sense. (Were their guerillas in the woods? Etc.) This was written into the story on purpose. In the fog of war, sometimes, you'll never know exactly what is happening . . .

sigh . . .

An explanation: this world began as I combined two thoughts. First: I wanted to do a Germany won WWII world. Second: I wanted to do a world where Sesshomaru was treated like a lab rat . . . So, I combined the two. I made the alternate history, given in the last two chapters. And then I started to plot out the story . . .

Sigh.

As I did so, though, I realized that the story, especially the lab rat parts, would get very long. Far longer than the 25,000 words per world that I'm trying to limit myself to . . . So, I had to cut it, into the shorter story you just read. I think what survived still gets to the point I was trying to make: that sometimes simply survival is a major victory.

Here's my original plot outline: Kag/Sess get captured. (The story above, but the cube takes a week to recharge in this world, so they are captured . . . ) Sess. is taken and given to Nazi scientists. A lab rat . . . treatment begins. Kagome is taken and tortured to find out what she knows. (Especially once they translate her books, they are going to use every technique on her.) They suffer about a week of torture/lab rat status.

Then Kagome's grandfather, (in this world he is one of Japan's top spies) frees them . . . James Bond, like. Lots of death and destruction . . . then they recover most of their items and vanish. But, not before giving Kagome's grandfather access to Germany's bio warfare secrets.

I almost used this longer plot, though. There is one scene that I really wanted to write. Sigh . . .

Kagome, as part of her psychological torture, is shaved bald . . .

The expressions of the fan-girls, as they read that . . . I really wanted to see. Sigh. But . . . I didn't want to add 25000+ words to the story to get to it . . .

Authors' note: This is the last of core trio of combat arcs (LOTR, Vampire, and Nazi) while there will be more combat in future arcs . . . the tone of the stories will shift away from the "Kagome or sess. hurt/kidnaped rescue" plot that these stories had.

And . . . the story has turned . . . I had to take my time and show the growth of their relationship as they got closer and closer. Now. They've admitted their love and that sex will be part of it (as soon as they can find some time/privacy), so. Expect their relationship to get sexual on a regular basis.

Now . . . it a matter of showing some of the problems that do exist between them and seeing them overcome those problems . . . and watching their relationship grows stronger. Why not have them go home now? Because kag/sess relationship is only 2 weeks old . . . and it's going up against kag/inu relationship, which is months/years old. When they go home, I want kag/sess to be a very strong relationship.

thank you for reading

jeff shelton