InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love Thy Enemy ❯ Chapter 11

Love Me, Kill Me

 

Chapter 11

 

Kagome woke up in stages. First, she realized her stomach itched. Then she realized she was hungry. Then, she began aware of the various tubes stuck on her body. Kagome opened her eyes. She lay propped up in a hospital bed, an IV stuck in her arm and a blood pressure monitor on her finger. She looked down at her other, itchy arm, and noticed a small bruise with a hole near the center. They must have given her a needle or something.

 

“You're awake,” Kikyo said from the bedside, catching Kagome's attention. Kagome blinked at her.

 

“What happened?” she whispered, her memory fuzzy. “I…wait…was there fire?”

 

“You sustained severe first and second degree burns, yes,” Kikyo nodded. “It is fortunate our healers got to you when they did. You'll make a full recovery.”

 

“Great…how long was I out?”

 

“It's been a little less than a day.”

 

“Can I get some grub or is that not allowed?” Kagome said, moving to sit up. Kikyo quickly stood and gently but firmly pushed her back down.

 

“You should stay back, you need your strength,” Kikyo insisted. Kagome gave her a confused look. Kikyo seemed…apprehensive.

 

“What is it?” she demanded. “What am I not remembering?” Kikyo closed her eyes.

 

“Kagome, we healed your wounds as best we could but-”

 

“But what, Kikyo!?” Kagome roared. She reached up to scratch that irritating itch on her stomach, and her hand stopped. Kagome looked down at the pale blue hospital gown she was wearing. “Why does my gown open down the front?” she asked, lifting her eyes. Kikyo opened her eyes and met them. Kagome scowled and brought her other hand up, undoing the ties holding the gown closed.

 

A long, curved scar ran up Kagome's body, beginning near her right hip and curving left and up to end just under her right breast. Kagome gasped, panting for breath. Memories flooded back to her, and she screamed, her hands shooting out to latch onto the bars on the side of the bed.

 

“Kagome, calm down!” Kikyo cried, jumping to her feet and trying to hold her down. Kagome's arm near her moved to latch onto Kikyo's wrist. The miko stared ahead, eyes wide.

 

“I…” Kagome said. Kikyo waited for several moments as Kagome stopped panting and calmed down. Then, she blinked and opened watery eyes. “I though…I was going to die,” Kagome whimpered, sobbing. The memories were back, and vivid. The pain, the helplessness…the flames…”

 

“It's alright, you know the best healers we have work here. You're fine, you'll be good as new in no time, you'll see,” Kikyo soothed. Kagome slowed her crying. “Kagome, what happened to you?” she asked. Kagome closed her eyes.

 

“I…was fighting…there was a woman,” she said slowly. “She was strong…too strong…she beat me, and she wasn't even trying…I've never felt so weak before…”

 

“Take your time.”

 

“Yeah…she opened the box, took what was inside…I tried to stop her. She…the fire…” Kagome's eyes clenched shut even tighter as she finished.

 

“Okay, rest now,” Kikyo said, standing. “I'm going to let the doctor know you're awake so she can come take a look at you.” The elder miko walked to the door.

 

“Necklace!” Kagome cried. Kikyo frowned and turned. “In the box, that the woman, ah…Abi! Abi, in the box, a necklace!” Kagome clarified.

 

“A necklace?”

 

“Yeah, uh…Yasakani no Magatama, or something,” Kagome nodded. “She said…she was a member of the Order,” Kikyo felt a shiver run down her back.

 

“Thank you, Kagome,” she said, leaving. She picked up the pace and rushed to the nurse station. “Kagome Higurashi is awake,” she called to them, running to the elevators.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“The weapons shipment from France has been received, but it's of a lower quality than promised,” one of the elders, a houshi, read from a sheet of paperwork. A murmur of disapproval circled the other three mikos and a second houshi sitting at the circular table. The France weapons suppliers were honest, but foolish human craftsmen. This had not been the first time their weapons had not been up to standards.

 

“What shall we do then?” the houshi asked. “Obviously we cannot allow repeated failure of our contract to go unpunished.”

 

“True, but we cannot lose that contract, the prices they demand are too affordable to forfeit,” a miko countered.

 

“Excuse me, elders.” The five elders turned to the guard peeking inside the room. “I am sorry to interrupt, but Kikyo Itoshi is here. She says she has urgent news.” The five elders looked among themselves before a miko answered.

 

“Send her in,” she commanded. The guard nodded and closed the door. A few moments later, Kikyo pushed open the door and approached the table, kneeling.

 

“Thank you for seeing me, elders,” she whispered.

 

“Stand, Kikyo, and speak,” the miko said. Kikyo stood.

 

“Lady Midoriko, Kagome Higurashi has awoken, and she has told me something you must hear,” she said. The elders looked uncomfortable. Midoriko narrowed her eyes. Kikyo new the law of the elders - no one elder had his or her word valued more or less than any other. The elders alone had no power, it was as a unified body they ruled the miko. Midoriko was the voice of the elders, at least when Kikyo was summoned, but she knew that Midoriko was not the leader, no elder was.

 

“The elders would hear what she had told you,” a houshi ordered. Kikyo nodded.

 

“I am grieved to report that she failed to protect the precious cargo you tasked her with,” she said.

 

“The elders are aware of this, and they shall deliver consequences when needed,” one of the miko replied.

 

“I believe that no consequences should be inflicted…Kagome said she fought a woman named Abi, who claimed to be a member of the Order.” The elders shared a gasp, and whispered for a moment. Kikyo knew then, this was unexpected. The elders always had their affairs in order when they called an audience, they had no need to speak among themselves when seeing someone. After a moment or two, they calmed down.

 

“The elders were unaware of this,” Midoriko said slowly, “and they thank you for this. Continue, Kikyo.”

 

“She said that Abi retrieved what was in the cargo…she called it `Yasakani no Magatama',” Kikyo finished. Midoriko nodded grimly.

 

“The elders are greatly stressed to hear of these events, and they will require time to reach a decision. You are dismissed, Kikyo,” she said. Kikyo bowed and quietly left the room. Midoriko sat down with a sigh.

 

“They have found one the three,” she said, clasping her hands.

 

“Time is running out.”

 

“Magatsuhi's alliance with the youkai gives him an advantage.”

 

“We must act quickly to find a second.”

 

“If the youkai acquire all three…”

 

The council fell silent from their outburst. Finally, one of the miko spoke.

 

“We must discern the location of the remaining two treasures before Magatsuhi. We cannot allow the three treasures to fall into youkai hands.”

 

“The line that was broken cannot be remade by youkai claws, the blood of the Minamoto has been lost. Even if the youkai find the three, they cannot access their power.”

 

“Unless, the line that was broken, has not been broken. Perhaps the Minamoto bloodline has survived.”

 

“That…would be disastrous.”

 

“Then we will discover if it is true,” Midoriko said. The other elders nodded.

 

“We will send operatives to investigate the fate of the Minamoto bloodline and the remaining two treasures. We must find and protect any and all of them, no matter the cost. The heir of Minamoto cannot fall into youkai hands!”

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Nineteen…twenty!” Rin turned around and looked around the courtyard. “I'm coming Shippo!” the kitsune didn't reply, and Rin ran around the courtyard, looking behind the pillars on the terrace surrounding the area. There were a few sparse trees and rocks, but enough that finding Shippo was difficult. Hide and seek became a lot harder when your opponent could shapeshift.

 

“Hm…” Rin spied a rock and approached it, standing beside it. She looked around it. Sesshomaru had taught her to be observant and careful. And the grass was growing too well beneath and beside this rock for it to be natural…

 

“What would he have turned into….a rock?” Rin looked down at the rock in question, and shook her head. “Nah, Shippo is way too clever to turn into some stupid old rock. Besides,” Rin jumped back slightly and landed on top of the rock. She smirked at the barely muffled grunt. “This rock is waaay too big to be Shippo, he's not that fat.” Rin sighed and started kicking her feet into the air, letting them fall back to hit the rock underneath her. She kept it up for a moment.

 

“Alright alright!” Shippo's voice rang out. The rock underneath Rin vanished in a puff of smoke, and she fell on top of Shippo laughing, pushing him to the ground.

 

“Gotcha!” Rin giggled, sitting back on his legs. Shippo glared at her.

 

“That hurt you know, why'd you have to do that?” he grumbled, sitting up. Rin shoved him back down.

 

“Aw, the big strong kitsune got beaten by a girl,” she teased, tapping a finger on his chest. “And here I thought you had muscles, but it turns out its just flab. Oh well.”

 

“I'm strong enough to take ya,” Shippo said, sitting up.

 

“Really?” Rin pushed him back down and held her hands on his chest, leaning over with a smirk. “Doesn't look like it to me. In fact, I've pushed you back down twice now.”

 

“I'm going easy on ya,” Shippo grinned. Rin squeaked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rolled, pinning her to the ground underneath him. “See?”

 

“You caught me offguard!” Rin protested, sticking out her tongue. Shippo grinned and shook his head.

 

“Yo, rugrats!” Shippo jumped off of Rin and stood up, his face flushing red. Kouga stood at the northern entrance to the courtyard. “You doing something you shouldn't be doing in public?” Kouga asked. Shippo glared at him as Rin climbed to her feet.

 

“We're not doing a thing Kouga, we were just playing, having some fun,” she called.

 

“I never said it's not fun, you just shouldn't do it in public,” Kouga said. Shippo blushed again, but Rin didn't notice. “Anyway, Rin, Mr. Tall, White and Fluffy wants to talk to you,” Kouga continued. Rin giggled at his nickname around her for Sesshomaru.

 

“Sure! See ya Shippo!” Shippo watched quietly as Rin skipped away, humming. Kouga waited until she was inside before approaching Shippo with a knowing grin.

 

“Do I see a little something-something going on?” the ookami said.

 

“Like what?” Shippo said, pushing past him. Kouga put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Hey, I ain't stupid kid, I saw what was going on there even if Rin didn't.”

 

“We were just playing.”

 

“Yeah? Well what you call playing, I call `flirting'. I know what I saw.”

 

“What would you know about women, the last time you saw a breast was when I saw nursing from them,” Shippo said, turning his head to glare at Kouga.

 

“You got a lip on ya kid, I'll give you that. Look, I'm just saying, she's still a kid.”

 

“Rin is a lot more mature than you think!” Shippo snapped, pulling away from Kouga's grasp. “That's why she hangs around me, because I don't treat her like a kid!”

 

“Well you're not treating her like an adult either,” Kouga said. “The fact is you're both kids, and yeah you're technically older than her, but in youkai terms, you're a kid all the same.”

 

“Will you stop using that word!” Shippo yelled. “I'm not a kid!”

 

“Then what are you?” Kouga asked, all traces of banter and teasing gone. “Look, I'm about seven, eight times your age, kid, so you can either curse me out or shut up and listen.” Shippo looked ready to protest again, but held his tongue. “Good. Now, I'm two-hundred and thirty-seven, you're thiry-six. I ain't even started looking for a mate yet. And I didn't even look at women until I was in my eighties. You two looked ready to start kissing over there.”

 

“What's your point?” Shippo muttered.

 

“My point is you're too young to get in over your head with a woman just yet. Shippo, fact is, human and youkai relationships only end one way - the human dies. You wanna watch your mate die when you're not even a hundred and fifty, hm? Because even if Rin lives to be a hundred it's barely a fraction of what you'll live to be. You want that hanging over your life?”

 

“I'm not looking at Rin as a mate, I just like her, okay?”

 

“Fine, as long as it's `just'. I get it, Rin's a sweet girl. Just remember that before you do something stupid.”

 

Shippo was silent for a moment before walking away from Kouga and out of the courtyard. The kitsune stopped on the terrace.

 

“I appreciate the advice. But with all due respect Kouga, what would you know about love?” Shippo asked. Kouga didn't respond. “That's what I thought.” Kouga watched as Shippo left, and thought for a moment.

 

"You'd be surprised, kid," he muttered. "You'd be surprised."