InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Power II: Running ❯ The Traitor ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11: The Traitor

Kagome awoke to the sounds of a gentle rummaging; almost silent rustlings behind her. Her first instinct was to jump up and see who it was, but she controlled it and kept her eyes closed, listening carefully. As her mind focused and went out to find out more, her suspicion arose. It was Jerry she smelled conscious and rummaging about. For some unexplained reason, this knowledge made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a sliver of cold run down her spine. Something was not right here.

Despite the ridiculousness of her suspicion, she went with it, opening her mind further and slowly, ever so carefully insinuating herself into his. What she found there astonished her, his mind was totally focused on sleeping. But it was false, it was very false. She knew he was up, yet she could feel barriers around what was really going on in his head, protected by the absolution that he was sleeping.

She pulled her mind back and sent out her senses, smelling, feeling, and listening, all very carefully. If he sensed the spike in her Ki…

But that wasn't right, he couldn't sense anything, he was human. Unless something survived from his reincarnation from a demon… well, a half demon. Maybe he had some of the heightened senses a demon had, and some of the strength. She did remember how he told her some stories about things that happened to him that were paranormal in the normal sense, if he wasn't a hanyou reincarnate.

But that didn't explain why he had barriers up or why he was rummaging in her stuff, she figured worriedly. She could tell by her sense of feeling where he was and what he was doing. Her instincts told her something was distinctly wrong here.

Ah, she was probably just over-wrought. Jerry was most likely just looking for some food or something, since he hadn't eaten last night. Yes, that must be it. There was no other alternative, none that made any sense anyway. Yet, everything within her screamed that something was out of whack…

She slowly rolled over, pretending to just have woken from sleep, and watched as Jerry froze. He whipped his head around to face her, looking shocked and like the mouse in the cat's trap. He also looked more then slightly angry. She brushed that off as lack of light and mistake on her part.

"Looking for something to eat?" She asked casually. His shocked look slowly faded and his jaw worked. Finally he managed a foolish smile.

"I was… yeah. I didn't eat anything last night. I was too busy thinking. Sorry if I seemed… out of sorts. I've just been trying to understand this all." His smile had softened to one of pleading now, and Kagome again could not help but wonder at the differences this man had from Inuyasha. Why she felt they should be more alike she didn't know.

"Hold on, I'll grab you something." She started to get up, but he held out a hand, trying to stop her.

"No need, I can do it myself. But thank you anyway…" he looked startled when she glared at him.

"Nonsense. I'm going to grab you some food since I'm up and that's that. I couldn't sleep if I wanted to now anyway." She slid from beneath Sesshoumaru's protective arms and slowly stood up. It never occurred to her to wonder why the other hadn't been alerted to her movement.

It never even made it to mind because once she was standing, she finally noticed how dim her senses were, and how she seemed to sway on her feet. She reached out a hand to the tree for balance, not understanding what was going on. Finding food completely slipped her mind. Why did she feel so weak? She had used a lot of power, sure enough, but she had slept through most of the night, she should have rejuvenated. Why in the world was she so damn weak?

"Oh, jeez. Um, Jerry, could you wake the others?" She requested, breathing heavily. She felt so messed up, her heart beat rapidly, her knees were made of jelly, her lungs squeezed quickly to try and get as much oxygen to her blood as her heart was asking for. She looked up to see Jerry standing over Jax and Riasha, telling them in a loud voice to wake up, and she also saw that they had not stirred. Why hadn't they woken up? For that matter, they should have awakened upon hearing others awake.

What was going on here?

Jerry was now shaking Jax's shoulder, telling him in a loud, worried voice to get up. Jax completely ignored him, slumping to the side and taking his mate with him. Shippou was motionless where he had fallen sleep last night, completely healed, but just as unconscious as the others. Kagome was really starting to get worried. Was this what her senses had picked up? Was this what was wrong? It must be…

She staggered over to Sesshoumaru, falling down next to him, lading hard on her knees. She ignored the pain and set his head in her lap, brushing her fingers over his face. "Sesshoumaru?" he did not answer her.

Kagome gathered her energy, sinking her fingers into his hair and let herself go. She felt herself, her energy, run down her arms, down her fingertips, and into Sesshoumaru. She searched through his mind, trying to find what she needed. Everything was hazy, the air was poisonous. It reminded her of something akin to miasma…

She yanked back into herself so quickly that she was momentarily disoriented, shaking her head and laying her hand on her chest. She allowed her breathing to calm, slowly, and then figured out what she had seen and felt. Miasma, a cloudy substance that was very close to it anyway. It seemed to be focused on one thing, keeping them out. She didn't know that miasma could be manipulated that way, to be focused and under such control. It was like, whoever was controlling the miasma was strong enough to hold it in check, only paralyzing and not damaging his mind.

She wondered why she was awake and Jax, Riasha, Sesshoumaru and Shippou were not. She could feel the effects of the miasma on her mind, but she was up and functioning… maybe it was her purifying powers. Maybe the Shikon and her Miko energy were purifying enough of the miasma to allow her into a conscious state. Her gaze darted to Riasha.

She gathered her feet under her and forced herself off the ground with an almighty effort. She felt weak, so weak. She held her head in her hands, trying to stop the spinning. It did calm, she must be purifying more of the miasma. If she were correct, then soon she would be right as rain, as the saying went. The miasma would soon be purified.

She stumbled her way to Riasha, collapsing beside her and turning her over onto her back. She drew her hand back and brought it sharply across her friend's face. Riasha was half miko, she too might be fighting the hold the miasma had on her. She was delighted when she got a small response, purple-tinted eyelids fluttered briefly. She drew her hand back for another slap, praying it would revive her. This one made Riasha's eyes flutter all the way open and stay that way, though they were unfocused.

"Riasha, can you hear me?" She made her voice harsh and hopefully loud enough to be understood. Riasha looked confused. She hoped she would understand. "Listen, I need you to concentrate on purifying your mind, your whole body. Get rid of the poison. Get rid of it the best you can, do you hear me?" She was greatly gratified to get a small nod. "Good. Concentrate. Go on, do it. You HAVE to." She watched hopefully as Riasha's eye slowly cleared enough to understand. She then took her own words into consideration and did the same as she told Riasha. Kagome could feel both of them getting stronger by the minute. She could feel warmth at her back and realized the sun was rising. It was dawn, the time they were supposed to get their vengeance on the ones who hurt Shippou. It seemed their plans had been temporarily thwarted, but not for long as long as the miasma had no lasting effects…

She had no idea if the poison had maybe damaged Sesshoumaru or Jax or Shippou, since they did not have any purifying powers to stave it off. Kagome seemed unharmed, and was growing stronger by the minute. She hoped once she and Riasha could help the other, they would also be unharmed.

Riasha stirred, looking around groggily and seeming a bit out of it still. She looked up to Kagome for answers, but she just whispered for her to keep fighting the miasma. Riasha had questions in her eyes, but she did as Kagome asked, closing her eyes, her brows furrowed in concentration.

Kagome's mind began to wander as she waited, and soon it occurred to her that Jerry had not been affected. Was he immune because he was human? No, that wasn't right. Maybe he just wasn't a threat to whoever was doing this, so they hadn't bothered with him? Yes, that must be it. It was the only plausible answer. She wouldn't even allow her mind to think that it was because he was doing it; he simply was not strong enough. How could he control miasma… though anyone could poison something…

No, it just didn't make sense, no matter how weird it was that he was not affected. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten last night, had he? What if, whatever it was had been in the food… that would answer why he was not affected, but it still left other questions dangling. Like who had poisoned them? And when? What if the meat had been bad… but of course, they would have smelled it. It would have to have been cleverly hidden for their sensitive noses to not pick it up.

After many minutes of thinking, she still had no answers, at least, none that were credible.

She felt Riasha stirring again, and this time she was sitting up, holding her head in one hand. Out of nowhere a headache hit Kagome like a ton of bricks and she winced.

"God damn." Riasha swore. Kagome realized the headache must be some after-effect from the miasma. She grimaced and stood, waiting for the nausea and weakness to hit, but it didn't. She felt as strong as ever, even with her head pounding on her shoulders. She stepped gracefully over Jax's body, watching as Riasha's eyes bugged out to see him in a paralytic slumber. Before Riasha could ask, Kagome explained everything from when she awoke, only leaving out the part with Jerry going through their stuff to find food. She started with how she awoke to a feeling of wrongness, up to how she had tried to awaken Riasha. Riasha listened, her attention wavering from her to her still mate on the ground.

"I think we should drink some tea to get rid of our headaches and sharpen our concentration, and then try to get rid of the poison in their minds. I can't think of anything else we could do." She sighed.

"And I brought some water up to make it with when I saw you guys holding your heads in you hands. I figured I aught to try and do something." Jerry surprised them both, holding a container full of water.

Alarms went off in Kagome's head, eating at her, warning her. Every instinct told her not to trust him. She smiled and took the container.

"Thank you, Jerry, but I've got some tea here from yesterday. I'll just heat it up," She was interrupted.

"But, don't you want some fresh tea? That stuff is going to taste horrid." Kagome couldn't help but notice how he seemed to be pushing the tea on them. She held up a hand.

"Yes, but it had also sat overnight and will be twice as strong. And this headache warrants it." She gave him another smile, noticing that Riasha had not said a word in either favor. Her gaze brushed her half dragon demon friend's gaze and she knew in that moment that Riasha didn't trust Jerry at all. Although, None of them besides her had ever really trusted him. Sesshoumaru had been weary, and though Jax and Riasha were polite, it was grudging. Now, she supposed they had good reasons, having known humans to not be very trustable, not many were. Maybe that was why…

But in her heart, Kagome knew that something was fishy with Inuyasha's reincarnate, and all of them could feel it.

She quickly got a fire started and had the old tea warming up over it, and soon it was warm enough. She divided what was left of the tea into two cups, and then downed the one closest to her, watching out of the corner of her eye as Riasha did the same. The taste was bitter, and the after-taste made her want to throw it back up, but she held it down. Within minutes her headache had reduced significantly, and apparently Riasha's had as well. She stood abruptly, making sure she knocked over the water Jerry had brought.

"Whoops!" She faked an apologetic look at Jerry. They may all be wrong, but she wasn't about to take the chance.

"I'm going to put some more tea on, do what you can for Jax, okay?" Riasha nodded and went to her mate, slumping gracefully to her knees next to him. Kagome's attention was half on them, and partly on Jerry, who looked almost murderous that she had knocked over the container of water. She reached down and retrieved the vessel, looking contrite.

"Shoot. I could have used that. Oh well, I'll just get some more water."

"I can do that." Jerry said quickly. Kagome gave him a sweet smile.

"I know, but I can do it much faster." With that, she disappeared, using her extraordinary skills with time so she could wash the vessel without him knowing. As of now, she was going to play it safe. She sped time back up as she was headed back, so he saw a flash and then she was there next to him, holding the vessel full of water. "See?" She giggled and kneeled down on the ground, pouring the water into the other, non-flammable container. She set it back by the fire and then got the tea all ready, fixing it to a boil and putting the herbs in. What a wonderful thing willow bark tea was. She poured the tea into three different cups, taking all of them and heading in Riasha's direction.

Jax had his eyes open, though he looked very weak. She gave Riasha the cup and Jax drank it all the same way both of them had when told to. Riasha finished trying to purify the black substance out of his mind and soon Jax was standing without help, rubbing his temple at the slight headache. It seemed the tea did not totally alleviate the headache, but it helped.

She left Riasha to explain to Jax the same things that she had told her and went to Sesshoumaru, dropping to her knees beside him. She set the two cups down near her where she could keep an eye on them and proceeded to get ready to purify his mind. She hesitated, thinking of her earlier of fears of permanent damage, but Jax seemed to be fine, so she blew put a breath and set her fingers lightly at his temples. She concentrated slowly, delving into his mind and finding the bits of black before carefully purifying them. She saw his eyes flutter and then a few second later they opened, but he didn't move. Kagome saw the last bit of blackness and got rid of it, checking to make sure she hadn't missed any after. Satisfied, she pulled slowly back and then she was kneeling next to Sesshoumaru, really looking into his beautiful amber eye instead of just knowing it. He winced in pain.

She helped him sit up, though he didn't need it, and then got him to down his cup of tea. She quickly explained what had happened and then grabbed the third glass to go to Shippou. Riasha was already there, her fingers at his temples, her eyes closed in concentration. She saw Shippou's eyes flutter and tapped Riasha's shoulder. Soon violet eyes were peering into hers and Kagome motioned her over with her hand, placing the tea into her hands.

"I'll finish. I don't think either of us should over exert ourselves, we have a lot to do today." She took over Riasha's place and pressed her fingers lightly to Shippou's temple, entering his mind. Riasha had left little to do, and Kagome finished quickly. She slowly sat back and grinned into Shippou's confused face as he sat up, spilling question after question. All of them took turn explaining what happened after he gulped down his tea. When they were finished, he was scowling.

"How in the world could anyone have poisoned us? That was a very concentrated attack of miasma, it should have killed, but it was such a small dosage. I don't see how it could have happened."

"Your absolutely right. I don't understand it either." All heads nodded agreement, except Jerry, who was watching a few feet back. There was weariness written in his face, or was that just the shadows of the morning?

Kagome grouped her friends together, sitting in a circle to discuss how they were going to go about getting back Sesshoumaru's mansion. Sesshoumaru, Shippou and strangely Riasha were all for marching in and just playing it by ear. They could communicate via Kagome and their mating bonds so why not? Kagome and Jax both argued that it would be better to have some sort of plan to go by. Finally, they decided to have a rough plan, and pretty much just go in and find the man behind it all. It was enough of a compromise.

Jerry stood in the background, listening to every detail. He was turned facing the stream, so his profile was in view. Kagome knew her eyes kept straying to him when she should have been more surreptitious, but she couldn't help but find herself wondering what was so off key about him. Not that he would have noticed, his eyes were trained to some point in the distance, but she knew he was carefully listening to every word.

She stood up suddenly, smiling at all the faces that were now upturned to keep eye contact with her. "Well, lets shove off then, eh?" She said. Everyone got up with the agile dignity of the demon kind and headed toward the clearing to get rid of any signs of their camp. She could feel hunger pangs in Sesshoumaru and realized they hadn't eaten hardly anything at all. Just the small bit of dried meat last night. She thought of the pack with the meat in it and dug it out, studying it carefully. She could see nothing that suggested it had been tampered with, but she couldn't just leave it here either. Finally she put it back in the pack, leaving it near the top where she could get to it easily to dispose of it in the modern times.

Soon their private clearing was devoid of any signs of human or demon life except them and their newest footprints. Kagome and Riasha conferred and slowly reduced their barrier down to a much smaller and more manageable size until they left here. The `forgetful spell' was also decreased to match that size. Once at the well (they had to go slowly with Jerry's' slow paced walk) Kagome and Riasha broke off into separate barriers because they didn't want to lose them and risk having someone smell or feel them. Riasha and Sesshoumaru (because he could go through the well just as Kagome could, but none of the others could) went down first. Kagome, Jax and Jerry made up the second group. The emerged on the to the smells they had not dealt with and missed for days: gasoline, smog, and the stench of humans. It nauseated all of them expect Jerry as they tried to get used the smell again.

They quickly thought to converge at Kagome's house but found they could not as there was red tape and police everywhere. Kagome quickly ducked back and got the others to do the same before they were noticed. The police apparently thought she must have been kidnapped or something, and the blood pools would contest to her family's death. She explained this all, her breath catching and her eyes reddening as she said the part about her family. It still hurt, clutching at her heart and making it throb. Her eyes burned.

Sesshoumaru surprised her by pulling her to him and dropping his lips lightly to her forehead. He understood loss, very well indeed. She smiled at him in gratitude and hugged him tightly to her, letting a few tears trickle down her cheeks. He held her just as tightly, giving her strength in himself. She quickly pulled herself together, drawing back from him just enough to stand on tiptoe and plant a kiss on his jaw. He did not smile, but his eyes were soft. Kagome turned slowly to the others, an embarrassed, sad smile lingering on her lips.

"Now that I am thoroughly embarrassed and finished…" Shippou, Riasha and Jax grinned at her, and Jerry just scowled. Kagome didn't want to waste anymore time, and told them so.

"What about Jerry?" This question was posed by Jax. Kagome shook her head. She hadn't even thought about it.

"Well, Jerry, you can just stay here, and we will meet up with you sometime in Sesshoumaru's mansion, on…" She was cut off.

"I'd rather go with you. I have some fighting knowledge, and am pretty handy with a knife if you have one." Kagome was shaking her head, but Sesshoumaru was speaking.

"I don't see why not. If he looks like he's in a jam, all of us will be there to bail him out." Jerry turned furious eyes on Sesshoumaru.

"I can take care of myself." He said in a clipped voice. Kagome shook her head again.

"No, because that's one thing we should get straight right now. Regardless of who they killed, I don't want any deaths that are not absolutely necessary. There are, exceptions, of course, but I don't want to kill these people." Sesshoumaru looked a little pissed, Riasha was disapproving, and Jax looked agreeable. She was once again surprised by who sided where.

"I do not think they have the right to their finite lives after what they did to your family and then stealing my mansion. They invaded my private home. It shall not go without punishment." Sesshoumaru kept his voice as level as always, though there was a steely tip to it. But Kagome's stubborn streak was paved in steel.

"I didn't say they would not be punished. I will say that none of you shall kill until we figure out who may deserve it. I quite like the sound of prison for them." Though her words were also pretty level, they had a biting edge that suggested she would punish any who disobeyed her. Funny, for a girl who had just turned partially youkai to be ordering full-blooded ones around. Riasha looked angry, but Kagome was pretty sure she would listen. Sesshoumaru was incensed.

"I shall kill who I like." His voice was softer then before, and cold as ice, chilling. Kagome bristled at it. Then suddenly she deflated and smiled.

"You will, will you?" Her smile was fake, and her eyes were flashing brightly. The other could see the mental exchange going on between them, and it was proven when Sesshoumaru uttered a sentence that seemed to be laced with fear. It surprised the hell out of them all to hear him sound so uncharacteristically frightened.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'll do it, and you know I will." Kagome smiled deeper and tipped her chin up to him. She stepped right up until she was right under his chin, until she was barely a hair's breadth from touching him. His nostril flared ever so slightly as he inhaled her scent deeply.

"I want to hear you say it aloud." She said cryptically. "Witnesses." She explained, catching their eyes as she looked over her shoulder.

"I won't divulge them of their piteous lives until the proper time comes." His voice was very unSesshoumaru-like, though what he said held his normal contempt for humans, even if he had softened to them slightly.

"Thank you." Kagome turned from him and walked to Shippou, declaring Jerry would go.

Shippou turned to Jerry and quickly explained what they were going to do and what he would need to do. He listened as if bored and then linked hands with Kagome and Shippou. Next to Shippou was Riasha, then Jax, and then Sesshoumaru, who held Kagome's other hand. Shippou's eyes glowed and they were gone, disappearing into nothing. Once again the feeling of nothingness and blackness suffocated Kagome, but she didn't panic this time. When she landed, it was flat on feet, without so much as a stumble.

She noticed everyone else seemed to be on their feet as well and instructed them to move out. She hid a smile as she thought about what she had told Sesshoumaru. She wasn't sure if she could get him to give his oath not to murder these people. Then she had seen the preverbal flashbulb winking inside her head. Boy had he been pretty quick to agree when she swore to withhold sex for a whole two years if he so much as knocked someone out.

She suppressed her giggles as they left the hallway of the dungeon they had come out in, where Shippou had been held, to search the castle and gather prisoners. They were sneaking down the dark dank hallways, as noiseless as shadows as they made for the stairwell. All of them, including Jerry.

And then she heard a noise above that signaled someone was coming this way, and as careful as they could. Many of them. And though she could smell at least fifteen, they sounded as silent as ghosts. In fact, they sounded as silent as demons. She inhaled, and the smell of demon and human from above made her blink in surprise.

`Sesshoumaru, you in luck. I certainly can't ask you to contain a whole bunch of demons. You may get to kill yet.' She could feel his surprise as well as knew he was smelling and listening just as she was. His gaze narrowed as Kagome took back the `no killing order'. She reduced it to `don't kill unless necessary'. She could hear above and her senses tingled as more demons joined the other.

Somehow they had known of their new arrivals.

Kagome's gaze swung to Jerry.

~**~

HA ha, cliffy. I hope you enjoyed my chappie. Fun fun fun.

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