InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Novus Lux ❯ Snares ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

þÿA/N: Oh man, this chapter was ridiculous to write. I'm sorry this took so freaking long. I hope the wait is worth it for you guys though.

Also, a big thank you to AM78 for help with all of the gun knowledge. Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing with regard to that please. :)

On with the story.

Chapter 8: Snares

Smoke wound through the air of the bar, snake-like tendrils slithering toward the ceiling to be lost in a grayish haze. Below, beer slopped over glasses as their owners gestured, posturing, on the edge of a fight. Yellowish lights cast a sickly glow around the room, washing over densely graffitied tabletops and outlining a tip jar on the corner of the bar, the tattered label indicating that the funds paid the smoking ban fine to the city. The edges of the establishment remained in an odd half-light, patrons at the tables either in dim relief or dark silhouette.

Two such silhouettes in a far corner leaned toward each other, deep in conversation. One, bulky with a navy puffer coat he wore despite the heat of the crowded bar, sat back suddenly, a look of consternation crossing his shadowed face.

"Hiten, I don't like it. If we stayed together, we'd have enough power waiting down at the steel scrap yard to take on their entire group without getting anyone besides Oshou involved."

The shadow addressed as Hiten sighed. "Manten, you won't be alone for long. You just have to make it under the Skyway, and our wing-group will be there to meet you. Our...adversaries don't know which of us has it."

Manten scowled. "If you're so confident, maybe you should be the one to meet up with the wing-group."

"And let you try to coordinate with Oshou down at the scrap yard? I don't think so."

"Just because Oshou and I don't get along personally doesn't mean we can't handle this."

"I'm not taking my chances. The Big Boss hasn't exactly been all that pleased lately, if you hadn't noticed. This is the least risky option, and you know it. Besides, you've got one of those specialized new 'toys.' That's like walking around with a whole 'nother demon strapped to your hip and then some."

"Fine," Manten acquiesced. "I still don't understand why we can't just go underground for a few days."

Hiten rolled his eyes. "Do I really need to explain this again? Oshou's got a bunch of those "demon rights" activists all riled up, and if we don't continue our usual operations simultaneously, a few demons might put two and two together and realize that it's not the-" He paused. "Well, you know who, are behind all of these attacks on demons lately."

"Oh, come on, we're at the Crowbar for crying out loud. You can mention the 'Sl-"

"Manten!" Hiten hissed.

Manten glared at the interruption.

Hiten went on, "I don't care where we are. You do not mention those people by name in public! Anyone could be listening!"

"It's not like they'd be able to hear anything over this racket. Anyway, I'm not worried about our other adversaries so much as I am about that...woman."

"You're afraid of a girl?" Hiten sneered. "Aren't girls usually afraid of you?"

"Have you heard about what she can do?" Manten snapped.

"Of course I have. But those guys were about the lowest cannon fodder imaginable. And I've got this baby," he patted his right hip under a gray trench coat.

Manten's eyes grew round. "He gave you one of those? I thought they were still a prototype!"

Hiten smirked. "Well they are, sort of. They still won't do everything we want, and it's just a slight modification, but it's good enough to be effective for the time being."

"I-I'll trade you," Manten offered tentatively.

"Pff, you idiot, I'm not trading weapons. Besides-" He leaned forward conspiratorially, Manten reluctantly following suit. "I wouldn't leave you hanging out to dry, brother." He withdrew his hand from an inner pocket and placed something on the table, palm covering the object. "This has two shots." He looked Manten in the eye. "If you need to use it, make sure they count."

Manten swallowed, but a grin cracked his features anyway. "I knew I could count on you, brother." He placed his hand over Hiten's, who then withdrew, leaving Manten's large palm to press against the cool metal of the tiny Derringer Standard. Manten drew it toward himself and stowed it surreptitiously in his coat.

Hiten leaned back in his chair. "Feel better?"

Manten's smile stretched his round face wider, and he habitually ran a hand across his bald head. "Much," he replied.

...

Kagome blew out a tense breath and checked her watch. 1:37 a.m. She glanced at Inuyasha, who was leaning against the wall of the Burger King they were standing behind, looking entirely too relaxed given their situation. Across the street, and out of their current line of sight, was a slightly seedy establishment called the Crowbar, where their assigned targets were ostensibly having a few drinks.

"Damn, I hate waiting," she muttered.

Inuyasha opened one eye. "Just relax. There's no point getting all keyed up yet. Kik and Toryn have things under control. And Sango and Miroku are in there for immediate backup."

She sighed and shuffled her feet. "Yeah, I know. It's just, well, it's not like I've ever done something like this before. I'm surprised you guys thought it was a good idea to drag me along."

He opened his other eye, pulling his back fully from the brick wall. "Look, you held your own against me earlier. There's no reason for me to think you can't do it against some low-level lackey."

Kagome frowned. "Maybe. But you weren't trying to kill me either..." She trailed off, a thought creeping to the forefront of her mind that had been bothering her since that morning's fight.

"Well no, but you fought better than I've seen most of these guys do."

"And that's just it. I haven't had any training. I have to take off my charm to be in any way effective."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't see what the problem with that is, at least for the time being. We'll be fighting demons, so you'll want it off anyway."

She shifted uncomfortably and finally decided to voice the thought that had been eating her all day. "Maybe, but...when I was fighting with you...I didn't feel like it was entirely me. It was like something...else...was controlling my movement. And...it felt-well, like it was allowing me to stay conscious, like it could really take over at any time if it wanted to." She watched Inuyasha's eyes widen slightly as she concluded her explanation.

"...Why didn't you talk about this before?"

Kagome looked away. "It took me a while to really comprehend it. And I didn't want to tell a bunch of people I'd only just met that I think my spiritual powers might have a mind of their own somehow or other."

"Yeah, but those people are counting on us," he said through tight lips. "It's not exactly fair, or good tactics, to keep something like that from everyone."

Her eyes snapped back to him. "Why do you think I tried to talk you out of dragging me along?" She bit out. "I'm well aware that the success of this whole mission could depend on us, and my inexperience on top of this spiritual power issue is a huge liability. You don't need to rub it in, thanks."

He dropped his gaze. "Yeah...I'm sorry..." he muttered guiltily, "I just..."

A sudden half-smile crossed Kagome's face as she understood. "You're not as relaxed about this as you look, are you?" She took a step toward him, searching his face for an answer.

He met her eyes briefly before looking away over her shoulder. "This isn't really the kind of thing you ever get used to. Something is always different. Even after doing this for over 100 years...the technology still changes, you never really know what you're going up against, and the last time Naraku was involved, I was too young to help out..." He stopped at the touch of Kagome's hand on his arm. Something about the look in her eyes as they met his prompted him to reach out.

Kagome just managed to muffle a childish squeak as she suddenly felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her close, warm in the chilly October night. His breath across her neck as he spoke quietly elicited a tiny shiver.

"I feel sort of responsible, you know. Since there wasn't anything I could do so long ago...I...I have to get things right, I have to keep everyone safe." A rueful expression crossed his face. "I'm not so dumb as to try to keep you out of the field...your skills are too crucial for that. But..." He pulled back a little to search her eyes, and allowed his fingers to play absently with the end of her ponytail. "...If anything happened..." He let his forehead drop to touch hers. "I'd feel..." He couldn't quite finish. He didn't honestly know what he would feel if something happened to Kagome.

Kagome took a deep breath. She let her nose touch his, breath whispering across his lips as she spoke, "...Responsible?"

He tensed as the word caressed his mouth. "You could say that," he agreed thickly.

Suddenly, a brusque female voice crackled over both of their radio headsets, and they jumped apart. "Hook and Line are fully engaged. Signals indicate they'll be coming out the front door in ten minutes or less. Sinkers Standby." It was Sango.

They recovered themselves from their surprise, and Inuyasha radioed back, "This is Sinkers 1 and 2. Got it. Moving to standby position." He glanced at Kagome as confirmations from other pairs were rattled off over their radios.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Not really. Let's go." Her voice was perhaps a little higher than usual, but firm.

Inuyasha nodded and held out his hands to give her a boost to climb the drainpipe of the low-slung building.

...

Sango and Miroku sat across from each other at a central table, where Sango had a good view of the bar, and Miroku a good view of the door.

"How are they doing?" He asked, voice tense.

"Very well." She grimaced as she watched a thickly proportioned bald man put his arm around the waist of Toryn, one of Sango's fellow Slayers. "Though I can't say I envy them their job."

Miroku chuckled. "Yes, this is definitely better," he said with a wink, sliding his hand atop hers on the table.

Sango blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh, c'mon Sango. Our cover story says we're on a date. We ought to act like it, or we'll be suspicious." He grinned at her coyly.

"Um-" Her lips tightened, then she blew out a breath. "Right." The problem wasn't so much that Miroku was indeed correct, rather, it was that she hadn't expected the tingle that made its way up her arm from their point of contact. And his smile was...enticing, her mind offered up. Dammit, I can't get distracted. This is too important. She tried to separate her mind from the sensation of Miroku stroking her palm. It was more difficult than she would have liked.

"You alright?" Miroku asked, pausing in his ministrations.

"Yeah, I'm just..."

"Nervous?" He resumed the impromptu hand massage.

"Not...exactly." If he keeps doing that...

Miroku cocked his head to the side and leaned forward across the table. He wished Sango would look at him, instead of over his shoulder, but he understood the necessity to watch their targets closely.

"Then what?"

"I-" Sango paused for a moment, steeling her self.

Finally, her eyes slid from their targets to settle on Miroku, expression unreadable. To his surprise, she laid her other hand atop his, stilling his motion.

"Miroku- this is- distracting." Her eyes slid away from his as she finished the sentence. "I don't mind your hand on mine, but if you wouldn't mind, um, not-well..."

It dawned on him what the problem was, and he smirked. "I'll refrain from massaging your lovely hand, Sango," he said, laughter sparkling in his eyes as he gave her hand one final squeeze.

Sango breathed a sigh of relief and removed her other hand from atop Miroku's. "Thank you," she muttered, her attention fully returning to Kikyou and Toryn at the bar.

Suddenly, she saw Toryn's hand clench into a fist and unclench three times. Kikyou echoed the gesture less than a second later.

Sango gripped Miroku's hand hard. He jumped.

"Sango, what-?"

But she already had her hand on the tiny radio device in her ear. "Hook and Line have made the catch. One minute until exit. Sinkers in position." She looked at Miroku as she lowered her hand from the device. "As soon as they walk past us, it's up to you to watch them-"

"-So we can time our exit accordingly." He finished with a tight smile. "I remember." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Her gaze flicked to his, and he saw the fires of determination blazing in their depths, then briefly a trace of something softer, but it was gone just as swiftly. A bulky figure moved past him, accompanied by another, smaller lithe-looking man and the two women he was pretending he didn't know. The large bald man opened the door.

...

"Well, my dears," Hiten said, "we're going our separate ways for the evening," He gestured at Manten, "but if you'd like to accompany us individually..." He trailed off with a suggestive smile that edged on predatory.

Kikyou and Toryn glanced at each other nervously. Splitting themselves up was definitely not in the original plan. Their targets were supposed to stay together. They'd just have to work with it if they wanted the charm back. Toryn reached back and divided her hair, pulling half to each side of her face before giving Kikyou a small nod.

She turned to Manten, a salacious edge to her voice, "I think we'd like that."

He smirked down at her. "Then shall we?"

Toryn threw one more look in Kikyou's direction to see if she was indeed okay with the split, but she was already smiling up at Hiten as they walked westward down 106th street. Manten turned them the opposite direction, offering his arm to Toryn, who rested her hand on it lightly.

...

From the roof of the Burger King, Inuyasha and Kagome watched the exchange between the four outside the bar.

"Shit! They're splitting up!" Kagome hissed.

"What?"

"Toryn just did the hair thing."

"Crap." He'd been watching Kikyou. "Radio the team."

"Right." She pressed the button on her headset. "This is Sinkers 1 and 2. Hook just gave the signal that she and Line are splitting. Divide according to our alternative plan."

"Shit, this is bad," Inuyasha muttered. They'd considered that this might happen, and so had planned for it, but it was still a major blow to their tactical advantage. Now they knew that the intelligence they'd based their plans on was flawed, so there was likely to be a lot more improvisation. Which meant more opportunities for injury. His eyes shifted to Kagome, who was watching Toryn and Target A walk east down the road.

"We should get going," she said, her voice breaking into his thoughts. "Sango and Miroku will tail the other two, right?"

"Yeah."

"Charms off then?"

He nodded. Their two targets obviously still had theirs on, and so shouldn't be able to detect anything out of the ordinary. They both slipped their necklaces off, pocketing them.

Inuyasha bent down, offering his back to Kagome, who clambered on with some uncertainty. They'd only practiced this twice earlier that afternoon, and as exhilarating as it was, it was also-

Inuyasha leapt off the roof.

-slightly terrifying, Kagome thought, barely stifling a small squeak. Her stomach dropped as they descended to the next rooftop, Inuyasha expertly cushioning their landing. He ran a few paces before taking another flying leap, and Kagome swore it was like riding a living, breathing, roller coaster. Another leap, and they were ahead of their target, able to pause and watch their approach.

...

Toryn attempted to titter at something Manten had said, but was afraid that it had come out sounding entirely fake. Which it was, but part of the success of the mission depended on her acting skills. At the moment, she was wishing they were a little better. As they passed next to a building, and Manten guided them around the corner at the end of the block, she had to resist the urge to look up to where she knew Inuyasha and Kagome would be staked out.

"Hey, woman, did you hear a word I just said?" Manten snapped.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry! I must have just spaced out a little." She gave a saccharine smile. "I must be a little tired. We are going back to your place, right?" She added suggestively.

The annoyance left his eyes in favor of a lecherous smirk. "Shortly. There's an errand I need to run first."

"Oh, that's just fine. I'm happy to tag along!" Inwardly she groaned at her response. God I sound like such a fool. I guess that's the idea though...

Manten grunted. This woman was really starting to get on his nerves, but there was nothing he could do about it. She seemed a bit dense for a Slayer, but according to his sources, that's exactly what she was. So he played along with her. It amused him that he was the only one who knew they were both acting. Ah, well. She'll find out soon enough.

They crossed the street on the diagonal, heading into a large parking lot behind a long, low-slung, dilapidated building. He led them along the back wall.

Toryn shifted nervously. She hadn't seen Inuyasha or Kagome following them, but she had also been trying hard not to look. She could feel them though, just at the edge of her counter-charm's range.

"Manten, where are we-"

Suddenly, she was slammed into the wall, head cracking against the bricks. A hand tightened at her throat, while another groped her breast. Her eyes watered and she fought to breathe. -what in the hell-?

"Listen good, Slayer bitch," Manten hissed hotly in her ear. He pressed his body into hers. "One way or another, you're gonna tell me where the rest of your little friends are." He squeezed her breast until she let out a gasp of pain. "Then you can give me what you've been hinting at all night long, ya little slut."

-Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! Where the hell is my backup? Toryn thought frantically, trying to put the hand violating her out of her mind. She felt sticky wetness slide up the side of her neck, and she realized with disgust that he'd just licked her. She wished he would shift so she could wiggle an arm free, but she was well and truly pinned. He stood on her feet too, so she couldn't even bring a knee up to his crotch.

Then, the image in front of her shimmered, and what had been a phantom image before solidified into a large, grayish demon with a bulbous head, pointed face and a nasty row of incredibly sharp teeth. He looked like a shark built for land.

...

Kohaku held his breath. That had been a little too close for comfort. He heard Sango's voice float over the top of the dumpster he was currently ensconced behind.

"Are you sure, Miroku? I could have sworn I heard something. And... I just can't shake this feeling that we're being followed..."

Kohaku ground his forehead into the palm of his hand. He had been explicitly ordered to stay behind, but his sense of guilt had led him to give Kali the slip and follow Sango out. He was starting to wonder whether that had been such a good idea.

"I know what you mean, Sango, but if we keep looking over our shoulders, we're going to lose our target. He's not exactly moving slowly."

A frustrated sigh reached Kohaku's ears. "Yeah, I know. Just... keep an eye on our backs for me, okay? I'll make sure we don't lose our target."

Miroku chuckled. "Just warn me if I'm about to back into a pole or something, okay?"

"You know what I mean, Miroku."

"So you'll tell me, then?" He pressed.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Let's get going. You said yourself he's not moving slowly," she said, voice tinged with exasperation.

"Alright, alright."

Kohaku heard their footsteps recede. He let out a breath and peered over the top of the dumpster just in time to see Miroku sling an arm across Sango's shoulders.

"Miroku," she said, shoving his arm off, "We don't need to pretend we're on a date anymore."

"But I'm protecting your back..." He made another attempt at the gesture.

Sango shimmied out of the way and lightly smacked his hand. "Miroku!" She hissed. "That is quite enough! We have a-" Suddenly she found herself yanked behind a building. "-job-what the hell?" She snapped, realizing it was Miroku who had unceremoniously pulled them against the brick wall, arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He held a finger to his lips, a tense expression crossing his face.

Sango gave him a questioning frown.

He shook his head in response, and then leaned to the side to peer around the corner of the building. Having taken his charm off earlier, he could sense the new demon who was now conversing with their target... and whose body language indicated hostility toward Kikyou, who was in the unfortunate position of having her back to the front wall of a building any possible escape route cut off.

Miroku had sensed the demon before he'd rounded the corner at the end of the street. While his raw spiritual attack power was relatively low, his senses were incredibly finely tuned, and the intricacy of his control over his powers deadly.

"What is it?" He heard Sango whisper.

"Another demon. I sensed him coming."

"What? But I can't feel anything even with my counter-charm. And doesn't he have a charm on anyway?"

"If he does, it's even weaker than Inuyasha's. I can still feel his aura through it. He certainly looks like he's wearing one..."

"...What are you saying?"

"It's possible that they've figured out some way to hide their appearance without dampening their powers..."

Sango paused to chew on the idea. "That would give them a huge tactical advantage... On the other hand, he could just be one of those demons that can wear a human appearance if he chooses. Those do exist, even if they're pretty rare...but there's really no use speculating right now. We'll probably find out soon enough." She ducked under Miroku's elbow to peer around the wall as well.

"D'you think we should radio our Sinker team and close in yet?" Miroku asked. "They don't seem to be going anywhere, and Kikyou's starting to look awfully nervous."

"Not yet. Not unless they make a move to attack her."

His lips tightened. He didn't like it, but Sango was right. To his relief, the two demons seemed to finish their conversation, and the group started to move off toward the end of the street, where it opened up to what looked like some sort of chemical plant and a bridge. As they walked away, Miroku saw Kikyou clasp her hands behind her back. Bring backup. Her elbows straightened. Fast.

...

"Inuyasha, let go of me!" Kagome hissed.

"No! You can't go down there, or you'll blow our cover!"

"Our cover's already blown! Didn't you hear him? He knows we're around here somewhere!"

"Toryn's a slayer! She can get out of this! You have to trust her!"

Kagome struggled again in Inuyasha's grasp. "Can't you see he's got her pinned? What is wrong with you?"

"She'll get out of it! Slayers always have tricks up their sleeves!" He held tighter.

"Not when they can't move at all! Now let. Me. Go!" She let her power flare.

"Kagome, what are you- Oof!" Her elbow connected with his gut, and he stumbled backward, letting go of her. "Kagome! Don't-!" Too late. Gold flame leapt from her palms, and a split second later she followed her blast over the edge of roof.

"Kagome!" Dammit. He pushed the button on his radio. "Sinkers, do not follow her. They don't know how many of us there are. I'll take care of this." Two affirmatives crackled back to him. He leapt over the edge of the roof.

...

Manten was just about to bite down when he felt a telltale flare of spiritual power. His head snapped up just in time to dodge the golden flame directed at him, but he had to let go of the Slayer he had pinned to do it. A knee connected hard with his sternum, and he stumbled backward with a grunt.

"Bitch!" He snapped, ducking another gold fireball. The spiritualist woman had a lot of guts using her powers out in the open like this. He could play that game too. He grinned as lightning crackled in his palms.

He watched the women hesitate as they saw the arcing white sparks in his hands. His toothy grin widened. He let the lightning surge forward.

It met red and gold with a blinding flash, a bang, and a shower of sparks. Red? He thought. As the smoke cleared, he saw the half-demon who had just arrived. Great. Realizing he was outnumbered, he considered running- until he remembered his guns. In one swift motion, he pulled a severely modified Sig Sauer P229 from its concealed holster at his hip and pulled the trigger.

The bullet leapt from the barrel in a flash of fire and white lightning, streaking toward his adversaries.

...

"Miroku, look!" Sango whispered.

He peered around the pile of scrap metal they hid behind. "...There's so many of them..."

"I know. And more keep coming. I wonder what they're here for?" She scanned the scrap yard.

"No telling, but I hope the backup we called arrives soon. There's no way we can take on all of them at once."

"Are you sure we'd even have to? A lot of them don't even look like fighters. Look, that kid right there can't be older than 14..."

"They're still all demons though."

Sango grimaced. "True enough." Not only that, almost all of them had their charms off. Miroku had had to put his charm back on so they wouldn't be detected.

"It's a good thing our guy hasn't taken his charm off. That would really make Kikyou stand out..." Miroku mused.

"Yeah, well I'm already suspicious because he brought her here in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Kikyou was posing as a normal human. This place is full of demons. She never reacted to their presence, even though it's obvious."

"So you're saying..."

"That they probably suspected she's not a 'normal human,' and now her lack of reaction confirms that."

Miroku's eyes widened. "So we're just waiting for this to blow up in our faces then."

"Uh-huh."

As if on cue, a loud yell rent the air, causing Sango and Miroku to jump.

"Let go of me!"

Sango stiffened. She knew that voice. It can't be-!

"No way, ya sneak! You're coming-ow!"

Kohaku dashed into view, wielding a wickedly curved, bloodied knife, a terrified expression pinching his face.

Sango leapt up to bolt from their hiding place and go to Kohaku, but Miroku's firm grip stopped her.

"Sango! Are you nuts? Look how many of them there are!"

"Miroku, let me go, I don't care about that! Kohaku's going to-"

"We can't just go running out there! We'll get ourselves killed! And Kohaku too!"

"But-"

"They could've killed him already, and they haven't! But they might if they see you!"

Sango sagged against him. "You're right. We should wait for backup." She watched forlornly as a group of demons subdued her brother and dragged him toward where Kikyou and their target stood. Thankfully, Kikyou didn't show surprise or recognition. Her position was precarious enough as it was.

Kikyou did, however, give him a look of disgust. She jumped when a hand closed around her wrist. Hiten's harsh voice sounded in her ear.

"I sincerely hope a mere child isn't your only accomplice, my dear priestess."

...

Bricks blew up in a flash of lightning and flame, flinging chunks of hardened clay over their crouched figures. They looked up.

A maniacal grin split Manten's features. He wouldn't miss the second shot. He pulled the trigger-

Kagome cringed, flung her hands up in a desperate attempt to protect-

-Gold met lightning and fire- Spiritual power met Demonic power-

-and the bullet itself exploded, rocketing tiny razors in every direction.

Kagome felt them sear into her skin, each metal splinter drawing a drop of blood. Suddenly, her arm was being tugged on, and she looked up to meet Toryn's urgent gaze.

"Come on! Inuyasha's got him on the run, we have to catch up!"

"What?" Kagome asked, confused. It had only been seconds, so surely-

"As soon as you put up that barrier, he jumped up and went after Manten. Come on, they're already halfway across the parking lot!"

Kagome shook herself and broke into a sprint, Toryn close behind. She watched as Inuyasha cornered the other demon against the Skyway's concrete underpass. Manten's gun lay discarded where Inuyasha had knocked it from his grasp. Their auras, red and electric blue, clashed as they fought.

Inuyasha dodged a vicious, sparking fist from Manten and swiped in with his claws. He connected with Manten's side in a spray of blood that blended with his crackling red aura. Manten hissed. But he didn't fall back. Suddenly, pain blasted through Inuyasha's jaw as Manten's lightning-laced foot slammed into his face. He hit the pavement and felt his head crack against concrete. Gold flame flashed across his vision. A shout. He leapt to his feet.

Kagome had Manten running, dodging along the concrete wall of the Skyway. Abruptly, he stopped and whirled around, just ducking another blast. Kagome's eyes widened as he charged her. She tried to pull another spiritual missile together, but he was ten feet from her now. She heard Inuyasha shouting as something small and shining appeared in Manten's grasp. Kagome stumbled, her shot of gold flame went awry- a hand yanked her wrist, jerked her sideways-

Pain exploded in her left shoulder. Her eyes went wide as she fell back.

Toryn surged past her, long knives seeming to simply materialize in her hands. She and Inuyasha were on Manten simultaneously, trapping him in a bloody sandwich of blades and claws. They pulled back, and Manten dropped to the ground, chest and back raked apart, scarlet pooling quickly around him. He didn't move again.

Inuyasha dashed to where Kagome lay, hand to her shoulder, blood seeping between her fingers. He knelt and propped her up against his lap.

"Toryn, find our Sinkers and tell them to get medical supplies stat."

"On it." She put a hand to her radio headset and went dashing back the way they'd come.

He turned back to Kagome, worry pinching his features. "Let me see it."

"Inuyasha," she breathed. "My- look at my arms."

"What? No, let me see your shoulder."

"No- my arms- look." She sucked in a sharp breath. "My spiritual markings- are gone."

...

Kikyou stiffened. So they know. As I suspected. She looked Hiten in the eye, taking the opportunity to let her charm ring slip off her finger. "Very well, then."

Her whole body flared the palest blue, verging on white, and she broke his grip on her wrist, thrusting her hands forward. Her palms connected with Hiten's chest, singeing a hole in his shirt and knocking him to the ground.

"You should have done your homework on which priestess," she spat, eyeing the demons who had quickly encircled her and Kohaku. "Stand back to back with me," she muttered at him. "Don't worry. You're human, my power can't hurt you." He quickly complied, drawing a knife from his sleeve.

"You're well out-numbered, bitch," Hiten sneered, pulling himself to his feet.

"Only briefly," Kikyou returned, and jabbed her right hand skyward. A light blue dragon leapt snake-like from her fist, a shining beacon in the dark. The demons froze for a split second. She smirked, flicked her hand open. The dragon split into five in a bright flash, each one arcing downward in a deadly spiritual flame.

Demons tried to scatter. The flaming dragons landed among them, blue flames exploding outward, and the demons were met in a flurry of smoke and sparks by the blades of the Slayers.

Suddenly, lightning arced by her shoulder, just missing. She whirled to face Hiten, who'd managed to get behind her in the chaos created by her spiritual dragons.

His face was contorted in rage. He flung another blast of lightning her direction.

Kikyou tossed up a shield and grabbed Kohaku. "Move! We need to find Sango!"

"Right," he agreed, sidestepping a demon one of the other Slayers had just knocked into his path.

Kohaku followed Kikyou as closely as he could. Her blasts of spiritual energy kept most attackers at bay as they swept through the melee. Abruptly, they came to a halt, and everything was tinted pale blue as Kikyou encased them both in a spiritual shell.

"Kikyou, what-?"

"It's Oshou! Look up!"

He did. A huge spider that hadn't been there moments before loomed over them, enormous pincers dripping venom that sizzled against the spiritual barrier. Kohaku's mouth fell open.

Before either of them could do anything, the monstrous pincers descended, connecting with the shield in a shower of sparks. A fissure appeared.

"Kikyou-!" But before he could finish, the shield broke apart like so many splinters of light. He ducked, thrusting his knife upward at descending death. It did no good. Black pincers closed around his waist.

He scrunched up his eyes, expecting excruciating pain. Instead, he was suddenly pulled upward, a firm, but surprisingly gentle grip on his midsection. The ground fell away from his vision as the spider demon pulled him higher.

His eyes found Kikyou with the sudden burst of blue light that shredded the webbing around her.

"Kikyou!" He called out, voice strained with terror. The pincers tightened menacingly around his middle. He fell silent.

Then a new voice pierced the din.

"Kohaku!"

Sango! He raised his head in time to see a flash of silver whirl past him. The great hairy beast stumbled as Sango's throwing knife embedded itself in the spider's side, but Oshou didn't let him go. The spider tightened its grip, and Kohaku flinched as the sharp edges bit into his leather jacket. Then, it sprang.

Wind slapped his face as they sailed through the air above the colorful battle raging below. A blast of pale blue flame streaked past him, missing the spider demon by inches. He could hear Sango screaming for him. But there was nothing he could do. If he so much as made a vaguely threatening gesture, the spider demon would snap him in two. He would have to wait until it put him down before he could attempt to escape.

...

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to Kagome's forearms. At first, he thought it was as she said, that her markings had disappeared, but then he noticed their outline, ever so faint, as her skin caught the light of a nearby streetlamp.

"They're-they're not gone Kagome," he tried to reassure her. "They're just... faded."

"Are you-sure?" She asked, flinching.

"Yeah. Now let me see your shoulder." His golden eyes shifted to meet her scared and pained brown ones. Inuyasha rested his hand atop Kagome's, where she had it pressed to the wound.

She gave him a small nod. He gently grasped her hand and moved it away, a small trail of blood following the motion and dribbling on her shirt. She grimaced. He frowned apologetically, and then used his claws to carefully slice away the fabric of her sleeve around the wound.

He gasped.

"What is it?" Kagome asked a little frantically, trying to sit up.

"Don't-" Inuyasha started. She stilled, biting back a curse. "It's just that-" he paused. "Well, it's glowing."

And indeed it was. A faint, dirty purple light pulsed gently from the wound, reflecting strangely on the crimson smeared across her shoulder.

"...What?" She asked, eyes wide, jerking her head up slightly.

"Yeah. It's probably the reason your marks are so faint."

She let her head fall back into his lap. "Get it out."

"We will, don't worry."

"Now."

"Kagome..."

"Inuyasha-that-thing-is glowing and-" She hissed as pain lanced through her shoulder.

"Kagome, you need to relax, okay?" He brushed a stray hair off her face as he leaned over her.

"I-Inuyasha, you don't understand..." She reached up with her uninjured arm and grabbed his hair, smearing the pristine white with red. She pulled him closer.

What is she- "Kagome-?"

Her breathing was suddenly shallow and fast. She tried to focus on his face, but her vision swam and blurred.

"Please." She whispered. "It's-It's doing something to me. I can-I can feel it. Get it-out. Please."

His eyes widened at her plea, as he realized he couldn't feel her aura the way he usually could. It was like she was being pulled away from him.

"I will. Right now."

Kagome's eyes slid closed in relief. "Thank you," she breathed.

Inuyasha reached toward her shoulder, claws extended. When the sharp tips stretched the entry wound, he heard Kagome gasp.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. His claws finally found and closed around the bullet. But when he pulled, there was a flare of purple and it wouldn't budge.

Another hiss of pain met his ears. His eyes flicked to Kagome's face. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her eyes were screwed shut. He withdrew his fingers from the wound.

"Kagome." He cupped her face with his unbloodied hand.

Her eyes fluttered open. She tried again to pull his face into focus, but the images still separated and blurred.

"Yeah?" She managed. His breath on her face was soothing.

"There's some sort of aura around the bullet keeping me from getting it out."

She grimaced. "So you can't-?"

"No, I think I can. But I'll need to use my demonic power. And it will probably hurt...a lot." He watched her face carefully. Her eyes seemed to slide into sudden focus.

"Do it," came the tiny whisper.

"Okay." He leaned over her, searching her eyes for an answer. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure," her breath slid over his mouth.

"Alright then." He pulled back and took a deep breath, focusing his energy in his claws. When they glowed red, he slid them into the wound and grasped the bullet. It pulsed an angry purple, and Kagome cried out. He flinched at the pain in her voice and then steeled himself.

He directed the flow of his power around the bullet, cutting it off from Kagome's energy, and gave a sharp pull.

Kagome shrieked, sound splitting the air. She felt as though her entire arm had been removed as agony ripped through her. Then it was over, and her shoulder pulsed and spasmed as she felt the dark aura dissipating from her system. Deliriously, she cracked open her eyes. Inuyasha's face swam above her, extremely close.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-" His voice seemed to echo, as though it came from far away. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, comforting and warm.

"Inu-Inu-" Her tongue wouldn't obey her, she couldn't finish his name.

"Kagome?"

She blinked at him. "Thank-thank you."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled again, burying his face next to her neck.

"Inu-" But she was cut off as warm lips covered her own. Her eyes widened, though her vision still wouldn't focus properly. His lips moved against hers, pressing urgently, but softly. She let her eyes slide shut again, giving into the warmth, letting it pull her mind away from the throbbing in her shoulder. She felt his aura rise and wrap around her, and then her own sputtered to life, weakly brushing against his before focusing healing energy in her shoulder. Something in her chest clenched. A small groan vibrated against her mouth, then a hot tongue brushed against her lips, and she started to part them, the tip of her tongue coming out to meet his-

"Inuyasha!" Came a distant shout.

And as suddenly as his lips were on hers, they were gone as his head snapped up.

"Over here still!" Inuyasha called back. I can't believe I just hauled off and kissed her like that! He inwardly berated himself. She's hurt! There are better ways to comfort someone than-

"How's she doing?" Toryn asked upon arrival, two others close on her heels.

Inuyasha glanced down. Kagome snared his gaze for a moment before smiling slightly and looking over to Toryn.

"I'll live," Kagome sighed. She peeked at her forearms. She could discern her markings better now, but they still didn't have anything close to their usual prominence.

Toryn nodded. "Good." She gestured toward the man who'd come up to her right. "This is Erik, one of our field medics. He'll patch you right up."

Kagome nodded from her prone position. Then something occurred to her. "Hey, what-what about-that demon? I-I don't think-"

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha said, anticipating her thoughts and running a soothing hand through her bangs. "Another priestess is here. She'll do the cremation."

"Oh. Okay." She let her weight sink back into his lap.

Erik leaned over her shoulder, inspecting the wound with a flashlight.

"Well, it looks like your body has already started to heal itself a bit," he commented. "The blood is clotting up well. You'll need stitches, but I can clean you up and get you bandaged here in the mean time." He pulled a wipe from the pack he'd set down and tore open the package. "This will probably sting a little," He advised.

Kagome bit her lip as the alcohol from the wipe dripped into the entry wound. It was nothing compared to when Inuyasha had removed the bullet though, and she kept from making any noise.

A sudden shift in light made her look up. The priestess Inuyasha had mentioned was cremating the demon they had killed. Kagome was glad that it wasn't her job this time.

...

"Kohaku!" Sango yelled again.

The huge spider demon clutching her brother was quickly picking its way through the pitched battle, its hairy legs suspending it at least fourteen feet in the air. Despite the chaos, Sango realized that probably only a third of the original demon group was actually fighting; the rest had either escaped the premises or were huddled in terrified clumps behind piles of scrap metal. Even so, the fray on the ground was dense enough that she couldn't catch up with the nimble spider demon.

Suddenly, a scaled, clawed foot was streaking toward her head. She almost didn't see it, but her instincts protected her. Her hand shot out, grabbing the foot and giving it a vicious twist. The demon collapsed in front of her. She shoved past it, uncaring whether she'd completely disabled it. She had to get to Kohaku.

Making up her mind, she decided to do something she'd originally shied away from, simply because of the crowded and chaotic nature of the combat. From her hips, underneath her heavy coat, she drew twin Glock 26 pistols. Leaping over a demon that had fallen into her path, she leveled the guns at the enormous arachnid.

The crack of two shots snapped through the shouting and thuds of the fracas. Demons and humans alike whirled at the sudden noise. No one had been so bold as to draw guns up to that point. The risk of friendly fire was too great.

A moment of brief silence descended.

Then came the muffled laughter of the spider demon, the guttural sound rolling across the scrap yard. He glared down at the woman and her offending firearms, all eight beady eyes shining in the moonlight. Red trickled down his side, catching and changing course through the matt of black hairs. So that's how you wanna play, eh? Unable to speak with his mouth full, Oshou settled for conveying his message another way. He tightened his pincers around the boy's waist.

Kohaku cried out as the air was squeezed out of him, bruising his lower ribcage.

Sango inhaled sharply. She understood perfectly. Move another inch and he dies.

Kohaku's shout of pain seemed to be the signal to continue the clash. Demons leapt at humans, and the spider turned and made his escape from the scrap yard, transforming back into a human form before throwing himself and Kohaku into a car that came screeching off the bridge.

Sango stood, desolate. She knew if she went after him now, he would be killed. She hoped he had been smart enough to fit himself with his Slayer tracking device before following them out. Even if he hadn't turned it on, he might get the chance to later.

At the Spider demon's swift exit, the rest of the demons suddenly pulled back, breaking from the melee. In less than a minute, all that was left to the group of Slayers were demon bodies and the innocents still hiding amongst the scrap metal. Sango saw Kikyou beginning to move between corpses, ethereal blue fires leaving nothing but ash behind.

Kohaku...Kohaku is-they got him. And there was nothing I could do-!

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She turned, meeting Miroku's concerned gaze.

"Miroku! They-they-I couldn't stop him!"

"Sango."

"Kohaku is-and it's all my fault-"

"Sango," Miroku said more firmly. He brushed her cheek with his fingers.

"I know. And it's not your fault. We'll get him back." Miroku pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Oh god, we have to. We have to." She rested her head against his shoulder. "He's the only family I have left," she whispered.

He stroked her hair. "We will. We just need to-"

"Who is the leader of the Slayers here?" A strident voice slashed through the quiet aftermath.

Sango stiffened. She pulled away from Miroku and turned to face the questioner.

"I am the ground leader for this mission," Sango replied loudly. "What is it you want?"

"My son is dead because of your people," the demoness spat.

Sango's eyes widened. "If your son was a combatant, then there's nothing-"

"My son is- was- 14 years old. He did not fight. Nor did I. Or any of the rest of us." She gestured to the small gathering of demons behind her. "We came here for a peaceful meeting and rally for demon rights. It is one of the few places outdoors we can take our damned charms off and transform without much risk of discovery. You destroyed it! You destroyed my son!"

"We didn't come here to disrupt your meeting! We came here tailing some dangerous demons who had stolen something important to the Slayers! And if you didn't notice, that spider demon captured my brother!" Sango was angry now. She felt bad for the demoness, but she had lost someone too, albeit hopefully less permanently. It had to be less permanently.

"You see?" She turned to the group of demons. "These Slayers have no compassion at all! They have always only considered the interests of humans, never demons and humans equally! They are complaining about stolen property when our very freedom has been stolen and withheld for centuries!" She whirled back around. "And YOU!" She pointed a clawed finger at Kikyou. "You will stop cremating those demons right now! Taking away their bodies, just like that! No regard for the families they might have! We will take the bodies with us. We will identify them. We will get them to their families so they can have a proper service, and we will make sure they all know who is responsible!" Her eyes flashed dangerously green.

Kikyou had frozen, blue flame still held in her palm. As the demoness finished, she let the flame go out, an unreadable expression upon her face.

"Sango," Kikyou said flatly, "we should go."

"But-"

"We need to worry about finding Kohaku. Besides," she watched as the demons spread out, picking up the few corpses still left, "that demoness had a point."

The demoness narrowed her eyes at Kikyou as she paused in turning over a bloodied body, but said nothing.

Kikyou stepped to Sango's side. "We can run interference with this issue later," she said lowly. "Right now, we should get out of here."

"Alright," Sango acquiesced. Then much louder, "Slayers! We're moving out! Conceal any and all weapons. Return to the rendezvous point using your assigned route. Move!" The Slayers heeded the orders, trooping toward the opening in the fence.

Sango turned back, catching the demoness' eye. "I am sorry for your loss," Sango said, inclining her head slightly. Then she turned sharply, following Miroku toward the exit.

...

Thoroughly bandaged and sitting up, Kagome was much more comfortable than she had been. Her shoulder still throbbed, but she'd noticed a soft gold glow around the bandage, and it seemed to keep a lot of the pain at bay. Inuyasha still sat close to her side, radiating warmth. He'd put his charm back on for the time being, just in case someone approached. They'd been a little too long in one place.

"Hey Toryn," he said suddenly. "Can I see those guns you took from that demon?"

"Sure." She handed them over. "We should probably get going soon though."

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to take a look."

There were three of them in all. The first was the tiny two-round pistol that Manten had shot Kagome with, and the second was the Sig Sauer with its odd modifications. Inuyasha frowned down at it.

"It's like this thing has a demonic aura," He mused, before picking up the third and final one. It seemed pretty normal at first, simply a standard Glock 9mm with a scope attached. But then something strange happened as he ran his fingers over the curved surface of the scope. His claws appeared. He pulled his hand back. They vanished. He heard Kagome's sharp intake of breath next to him.

"I think you found the Slayer's counter-charm."

"Looks like it."

This. Was. A. Beast. Hope you liked it! Thoughts?

-ebj