InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Shines Brightest ❯ 04: That Which Shines Brightest ( Chapter 4 )

That Which Shines Brightest

 

 

Chapter Four

 

 

 

 

“Ha ha ha ha!” Tsuzume cried, and Inuyasha glared at her, shoveling a mushroom under her nose for her delighted perusal. Tsuzume moved her feet excitedly up and down on his shoulder and took it from him, disposing of it in one gulp and looking hopefully at him for more.

“Shhh!” he chided for the fourth time since they'd entered the forest, his infinitesimally short temper beginning to wear thin. “You want someone to hear you?”

Maybe bringing her hadn't been such a good idea, he debated as his eyes flickered left and right. But then again, maybe coming here himself hadn't been such a good idea either. What could he do here, tonight, like this? he thought scornfully, looking down at himself in his human form. He was more than useless here now, and earlier in the day, he'd been busy, thank god; otherwise, he probably would have been crawling back here for everyone to see, worrying over what was happening to the well.

But somehow, he'd managed to stay away all day. Of course there had been that small skirmish concerning the Shikon no Tama. That had helped tremendously. A greedy oni that needed to be taken care of - child's play really, but it had kept him preoccupied until the sun went down, and then there was nothing left to do.

The girls had left around that time - reiterating that they had made a promise to Kaede-baba to finish clearing out Inuyasha forest. They had invited him to go, Shippou with his face stretched into its wide, knowing grin, and Inuyasha had feigned disinterest. The only reason in Shippou's mind for Inuyasha's possible presence there now, in his human form, since he would be useless as a demon hunter, would be because of the well.

Of course Inuyasha had to refuse. He'd be an idiot not to.

But that didn't mean he didn't plan on going.

Gah! What a fool he was. He was gonna get caught. A little voice inside his head whispered.

“Ha ha ha ha!” Tsuzume cried again.

“Suzu!” Inuyasha growled testily.

Especially if this infernal bird kept screeching every time she wanted a mushroom, he seethed, turning his head and giving her a dark look before tossing her another mushroom.

“That's all I brought,” he informed her showing her his hands. “See? No more!”

Suzu's liquid grey eyes examined his empty hands, registering acute disappointment, and then after a quick nip at his ear, she promptly left his shoulder and headed for the trees. Inuyasha stared after her, his mouth slightly agape, and then shook his fist at her.

“Little traitor,” he growled at her, but she just chattered down at him, not at all offended by his remarks.

Inuyasha grumbled a bit under his breath about her fickle behavior, but in all actuality, he was mildly relieved that she had moved farther a field. From the trees it would be less likely for her noise to draw attention to his presence.

Don't go wandering too far,” he called to her, “I can't hear the Wasps that well right now.” She seemed to understand and as he started walking in the direction of the well, she moved from tree to tree, keeping him in sight.

Inuyasha moved tentatively, not at all like the night before. His senses felt dull, sluggish, like the stagnant waters of a marsh. How could humans stand to be… so human!?

Pushing back a few tree limbs, he entered into the clearing that was home to the Bone Eater's Well. He paused, listening, the only sound his human ears picking up was Suzu's intermittent chatter and the rustle of the autumn wind among the top of the trees.

Well. Here he was. So what now? He stared for the longest time at the well, unmoving, lost in thought, unaware he was being watched.

“What's he doing?” Shippou demanded in a loud whisper and immediately found Sango's hand clamped over his face, her brows drawn together in patent disapproval.

“If he hears you, Shippou,” Sango reproved in hushed tones, “it will be a painful lesson on your part!”

Shippou nodded, holding up his little hands apologetically and Sango slowly removed her hand.

“But why doesn't he move over to the well?” Shippou wondered aloud, but quieter this time, “that's obviously why he's here, isn't it?”

“Don't automatically assume he's here just because of the well,” Sango cautioned, leaning her Hiraikotsu against a tree since they'd just now finished with the last of the Blood Wasp nests. “Inuyasha may be here trying to learn what exactly it was that happened last night.” -- It had really seemed to trouble him, she silently added as she studied his intent profile.

“Who!? Inuyasha!? Highly unlikely!” Shippou observed callously. “He doesn't have the brain power for that kind of thing! He's here to go get Kagome!” he announced, his green eyes shining with a fervent light.

“Shippou, we don't know that,” Rin declared diffidently, not wanting to see her young friend hurt. He'd taken it so badly when Kagome had left and he'd never given up the hope that one day she would return. Her heart sank a little when she realized he wasn't listening to her one iota.

“Look! Look!” Shippou hissed excitedly, pointing towards Inuyasha. “He's moving towards the well!” He's going to do it now! He's going to go get her!”

 

Still blissfully unaware that his every little action was being diagnosed, Inuyasha reluctantly started dragging his feet towards the Bone Eater's Well, not sure if he wanted to get close enough to touch it.

After all, in his panic yesterday, he'd almost talked himself into going in.

No - that wasn't true, he silently amended. He had talked himself to going in. If it hadn't been for the arrival of Shippou and the girls, who knows how it would have ended?

His muscles taught, Inuyasha drew up a few feet short from the square rim. Everything seemed to be normal, he observed warily. He scooted a little closer, lifted his head and sniffed the air.

It smelled like… like air, dammit!!

There were no subtleties about it, no hints to help him. He couldn't even smell the sharp tang of maple leaves that normally pervaded the air here. So if there was the phantom smell of smoke like there had been last night, his lungs would have to all but be swimming in it for him to be able to notice it, he thought acerbically. Stepping closer, he put his hands on the ledge and leaned over, drawing in the deepest breath he could. He held it for a split second before letting it splutter out in disgust.

Gah! This was useless! he thought angrily. Jerking up, he stormed several steps away until he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.

It was a woman's cry, and it was coming from inside the well.

“Let me go!” she cried, “Onii-chan!! Where did he go?! What did you do to him!?”

Startled, Inuyasha turned on his heel, and, automatically drawing an untransformed Tetsusaiga, he once again approached the well.

Just what the hell was going on here?

 

 

The last bit of color drained from the sky, leaving it a dull grey and, Shirogane shed his sunglasses, carelessly tossing them into the passenger seat next to him as he waited for the traffic light to change.

Come on, Yukino, he silently urged, pick up the phone.

The light changed, as, for the second time, he got her voice mail. His jaw tightened as he sharply flipped his phone shut and stepped on the gas, the phone joining his sunglasses on the passenger seat while he concentrated on weaving through the traffic as quickly as he could.

Blast his baby sister!

She was doing this on purpose, he fumed, running impatient fingers through the long strands of silver hanging in his eyes, using his pique to fight off the unease that was beginning to claw at his insides.

Why was she being so pigheaded over this, when it wasn't in her nature to be this way at all?!

She was generally such an obedient child, her blue eyes smiling up at him over every single thing he asked her to do. She hardly complained about anything. Not even when he'd been forced to start training her to take over the temple duties, when he could see that they terrified her to death. Even on the days when the youki had had a chance to build and the cleansing ceremony needed to be performed, and Yuki's face would be drained of all color, her auburn hair standing out like a burning flame and the azure color of her eyes iced over in shock - not even then had there been one single word of complaint.

Fire and ice, he mused. He'd never thought of her that way, but recently it seemed a good way to describe her moods.

He should have realized that this was going to happen though, he mused in regret as he turned left and headed down the last block before the temple. His family had long held Kagome in low esteem, blaming her for their burden. Yet when Yukino had first joined their family she'd seemed different, curious and open as she listened, wide-eyed to the stories from the past. They fascinated her, the tales of heroism and mysticism that her oni-chan would weave for her.

But after both their parent's had died, her openness had begun to change, and Shirogane had often seen her scowl whenever he would mention anything having to do with Kagome Higurashi.

He thought it was the pressures of the shrine, the weight of the responsibilities that she was forced to carry. She was just a child, after all. It was only natural that she would look for someone to blame for her current plight, and Kagome made as good a scapegoat as any. Hadn't his family thought so as well?

Truly he had expected some reticence on the day he'd informed her that he'd hired Kagome's firm to renovate the shrine. But he'd hardly been prepared for the impassioned argument he'd received. He'd never seen her react so negatively to anything, furiously retaliating by saying what a burden her duties had been.

Of course, she'd been immediately remorseful over those words. He'd seen it in her eyes. But her guilt was a mere shadow of the sins that beleaguered his heart concerning their situation as a family and the role that he had taught her to play regarding the duties of the shrine; a role he'd no intention of letting her continue indefinitely. Which is why he had refused to yield to her freakish fit of temper.

And so they had arrived at a stalemate.

He had continued with his plans, and she had continued her vehement protests, using her dark stares and brooding eyes to let him know that she thought he was doing the wrong thing every time she'd brought him a proof from Kagome.

He'd hoped that once she'd gotten a chance to meet with Kagome and got to know her better, her dislike would fade, and she would revert back to that same curious openness she used to exemplify. Only that hadn't happened.

Instead, Yukino's hostilities had seemed to intensify and she'd become even more remote with him, barely speaking with him when she came home from school, and answering in monosyllable whenever possible at mealtimes.

So of course, this was probably another of her protests: by not answering her phone, she was getting back at him for having dinner with Kagome. He'd let it go for too long now, trying to be patient, hoping it would get better. But not after tonight.

Tonight, he thought, his lips thinning into an irritated line, he was going to have a few choice words to say to her when he got home.

Right after he reset the alarm in the shrine, he mused as he pulled the keys from the ignition and left the car, climbing the steps to the shrine.

He was half way to the top when his unease intensified, and he paused, his hand resting lightly on the balustrade, his head dipping forward. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the air. He turned, moving in a slow circle, letting his mind expand beyond what he could see.

Youki. He could feel a sense of dissipating youki…

Turning he ran up the stairs two at a time, his eyes immediately noting the darkened windows of the house. She hadn't returned yet. Where was she? She should have been here by now, he thought distractedly. Rapidly he strode towards the shrine.

“Come on, Yukino,” he breathed, real fear beginning to rise inside him as he pulled out his phone, dialing her number one more time. “Please answer the phone, dammit!”

Again, she didn't pick up, and as he reached the shrine, he realized why. It was chirping loudly in the outside pocket of her school bag that lay discarded at the shrine's gaping door. Slowly Shirogane closed his phone, his hands fisting at his sides.

He could feel dissipating youki here too, youki that should be stronger here, wasn't.

But at the moment, he didn't care about that. All he cared about was finding his baby sister.

Please god, let her be inside. Let her be safe.

Stepping inside, he quickly turned to the wall next to the door and punched in the disarming code for the silent alarm to the inner sanctuary. After a swift perusal of the room, it was easy to see that nothing here had been disturbed, except for the inner sanctuary door, which was left standing ajar. But considering the trail of youki, he didn't find that surprising.

He didn't directly head in that direction however. Instead, he stealthily moved to the right, softly opening the door to a small antechamber filled with storage items and cleaning supplies. Without hesitation, he grabbed a dust mop leaning against the wall and began turning the handle, loosening it from the mop head. It wasn't much of a weapon, he mused with a twist to his lips, but it was better than nothing at all.

Carrying the makeshift staff down by his side, he turned and re-entered the main shrine, treading purposefully towards the inner sanctuary at the back. His pace slowed as he neared it, and he tightened his grip on the mop handle, his amber eyes sharp as the delved into the shadows stretching beyond the Inner Sanctuary door. Then he heard a low moan, and he flipped the staff up into a ready stance when he realized the sound was too low pitched to be his sister. Cautiously he stepped into the room his cold, hard gaze taking in the destruction around him.

There was blood everywhere - on the altar, the floor and the far wall. Yukino's? His brain shied away from the possibility of that, not knowing if he could face that reality were it so. Instead he put his emotions aside and continued his inspection of the room, noting that the altar itself had been knocked askew, the stand designed to hold the Kinmotsu no Tama overturned, and the Maiden's Prayer Beads that helped to chain the energy, lying discarded next to it.

In front of the altar, a light-haired youth lay slumped over, his face purpled and swelling from contusions and his arms and parts of his chest that could be seen through rips in his t-shirt scored by several deep slash wounds. His eyes were closed and he periodically groaned, grasping at one particularly deep wound near his right shoulder.

Shirogane reached out and using the tip of the mop handle raised Hiroya's chin away from his chest, so that he could examine his face.

Immediately his eyes opened and he stared warily up at Shirogane.

“Where's Yukino?” Shirogane demanded coldly without preamble.

“I - I don't understand it,” Hiroya mumbled weakly,” he said he just wanted to have a little fun with the girl - that's all! That's all!” he cried, beginning to get hysterical, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Who? Who said he wanted to have fun?” Shirogane grilled, feeling a cold rage beginning to burn inside him.

“Lokki,” Hiroya sobbed, bringing his left hand up to cover his eyes as if he could wipe away the horrible images of what he'd witnessed. “He said he heard voices - some kinda whispering… but I didn't hear a damn thing! And the next thing I knew he was attacking me with a knife, man!” Hiroya was trembling all over now, and Shirogane lowered the mop pole, a horrible foreboding gripping him.

“Did he take the jewel from the stand?” he asked.

“Yeah, he took it,” Hiroya confirmed with a crack of insane laughter, “and then all sorts of weird crap began to happen! The room was filled with freakin' wind, man! And a purple light! That's not normal!” He dropped his hand away, glaring in a crazed way at Shirogane, almost as if he dared him to deny what he'd just said. “I ain't crazy, man. I swear it happened.”

“I believe you,” Shirogane replied with quiet intensity, and then, “what happened to the girl? Where did she go?”

“She tried to take the Jewel,” Hiroya said, and Shirogane swore softly under his breath, “she ran, and Lokki ran after her. That was the last I saw of the both of them. I swear!” He lay there panting, looking up at Shirogane his face tensing when he saw him pull out his cell phone and flip it open. “I didn't do nothin'! I swear!” he cried, shifting to try and stand, but Shirogane lifted a foot and wedged it against Hiroya's good shoulder, his eyes giving him a murderous glance.

“That's right you didn't” Shiro replied coldly. “You didn't help my sister when she needed it and for that, the gods have punished you,” he made an illustrative gesture towards the rents in Hiroya's clothing and the blood seeping down his arm. “You should be thankful that I'm not calling the police.”

An arrested expressed crossed Hiroya's face. “Y-you're not?”

“No,” Shirogane snapped testily, as he put the phone up to his ear and listened “I suppose I could call them, but you would most likely run off before they got here and I don't have time to waste babysitting you, waiting for them to arrive. I need to go look for my sister and get our Tama back. I am calling for medical assistance for you however,” he added coolly, “I doubt you would be fool enough to run off before they get here; but I could be wrong judging from the company you keep.”

Hiroya didn't say anything his head slumping weakly back to his chest, although Shirogane hadn't expected him to.

He made his call to authorities brief, then returned to the antechamber to get some clean rags they kept there for polishing the windows. Using them, he quickly and efficiently bound the most severe of Hiroya's wounds, his mind already occupied with the larger task of finding his sister and the Kinmotsu no Tama. He already knew where to look. He just hoped he could get there in time.

“If you're smart, you won't move too much until help gets here,” he told Hiroya with little sympathy as he climbed to his feet and headed out the door throwing over his shoulder as he went, “and if I ever see you here again, don't think that I'll be so forgiving.”

Once outside the temple, he made a quick stop by the house, running inside to get a real weapon; one from his college days when he often practiced with a bo and katana, should there ever come a time that he might need to protect the shrine. He went into his room and took down the bo, a long wooden martial arts staff, leaving the katana, not trusting the sharp blade, since more blood would only fuel the corruption of the Tama. Then he left the house and headed for the Higurashi Shrine across town.

How long had it been? he wondered. How far ahead was this Lokki, and did the Jewel have enough of a hold on him to lead him directly to the Well? In his mind's eye arose the image of his sister's terrified face as she plunged headlong down the well, her scream echoing through the blackness before it was abruptly swallowed up by the portal, and Shirogane took out his phone and began to dial Kagome's number. But before it could ring he slammed it shut, grinding his teeth together in infuriation. As much as he wished it, he couldn't get her involved with this. The fewer the people that knew about the Forbidden Soul's existence the better.

He would get there in time, he tried to assure himself. They couldn't be that far ahead of him, and they would most likely be traveling on foot. And if by some perverse stroke of luck, Lokki did take Yukino through the well before he could get there, there should be enough of Inuyasha's blood running through his veins to ensure that he could follow after them without the aid of the Kinmotsu no Tama…

 

 

“They are superb, as always,” Hojo enthused warmly, looking at the proofs spread out over the table before glancing up at Kagome who sat across the table from him. “It's a pity that Suketsune-same is not here to praise them as well. But I know he'll be delighted with them. I'm sorry that I'll not be able to here to help him finalize things.”

Kagome looked startled. “What do you mean you won't be here? This is your project, Hojo, isn't it? They aren't transferring it to someone else, are they?”

Hojo's countenance wore a look of unease. It was a look that didn't suit him well at all, and it made Kagome nervously clasp her hands together in her lap beneath the table. “Are you hungry?” he asked, changing the subject, “we could eat…?” he toyed absently with his knife, not looking at her, and then muttered, “or I could take you home? There's actually a few things I've been meaning to talk to you about and I feel a little too nervous to eat,” he admitted rather candidly.

“W-we can go ahead and go home,” Kagome agreed, suddenly feeling like she'd eaten a box of tacks. “I'm not very hungry either.”

They took the train home. It was much less crowded than it had been on the way to the restaurant, but Kagome almost wished for the opposite. At least that way there would be too much noise for trying to make idle conversation, and then they wouldn't have to worry about the horrible little awkward silences that seemed to fall far too often between them, as if they were strangers attempting their first blind date.

Finally they were there, and as they passed the Goshin Boku, Hojo's steps began to lag.

“I have something for you,” he told her, and began searching the inner pocket of his suit jacket, before producing a small brown bottle with a gold label. Wearing a playful grin, he held it out to her, and with a questioning look, she took it from him. “It's a Kampo remedy,” he told her with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Bupleurum, Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell Supplement?” Kagome read, her nose wrinkling in distaste. “What is it for?”

“Well,” Hojo moved closer to her and took her other hand, clasping it gently between his as he looked searchingly into her eyes, suddenly very serious. “It's for your heart palpitations. I thought you might need it for what I'm about to say.”

Kagome opened her mouth, but nothing came out, and she could only stare helplessly at Hojo as he continued.

“You see, Kagome, the thing is, I've been offered a position with a prominent architectural firm in the United States - in New York - they want me right away. Matsuda-san already knows. I've given my official resignation effective this Friday, and my plane leaves on Sunday morning at 10:30 am.” Hojo paused anxiously, he let go of Kagome's hand to cup her cheek, when she continued to stand and stare at him, mute. “I want you to come with me, Kagome, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Oh god…Marry… That one word lodged deeply in her brain like a hot poker, burning, scoring deeply, and she wondered why it hurt so badly when it shouldn't hurt at all.

“M-marry?” she stuttered, “H-hojo, I - I - I…. m-marry?” she repeated her brown eyes widening so that they seemed they might swallow her entire face.

“Perhaps I should have brought you two bottles instead of one,” he murmured with a sheepish gesture towards the one that Kagome was half-strangling.

“Oh, no,” Kagome looked at the bottle in a distracted way, and tried to relax, but couldn't seem to gather her thoughts together, her eyes slipping towards the burnt walls of the Well House. “Hojo, I, I, -- I do have very deep feelings for you -“ she stumbled over her wording, not wanting to hurt him, breaking off when he enveloped her in a tight embrace. Hot tears began to prick the back of her eyes.

“Is it me?” He asked, his voice tighter than his arms, “tell me what to do to make you say yes…”

Kagome's arms came up, encircling him, trying to offer him comfort, for she could offer him no words of encouragement.

“Is it someone else, Kagome?” He asked in a dispirited way, “are you in love with someone else?”

Shirogane Suketsune's face popped into her head for some unknown reason, and then it wavered slightly, becoming Inuyasha's, and Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image.

“It's me,” Kagome finally managed in a thick voice, “I'm sorry, Hojo, but I can't go with you. My home and my family are here. As much as I care for you, I, -- I feel that leaving them would be wrong. Jii-chan depends upon me to help at the shrine. I can't let him down.”

Hojo was silent for a long moment, and then he pulled back, a bittersweet smile curving his lips, and Kagome felt her heart wrench. He knows I'm lying, she thought wretchedly.

“Sweet Kagome,” he murmured, “you know I would wait for you… If you should ever change your mind, you know that I'll always be here for you.”

“No!” Kagome blurted out, her bottom lip quivering and she seized Hojo's arm, squeezing it tightly, “You must follow your dreams, Hojo! You must always look forward, no matter what, and not look back at what you've left behind,” unlike me, she silently added, “don't keep looking for me… otherwise you will never be happy, and I want you to be happy! You deserve happiness!”

Hojo looked down in dismay at Kagome's upturned face, but then he gave her a small smile, and leaned down placing a gentle kiss on her mouth, his hand caressing the black silk of her hair before regretfully dropping back to his side.

“I will move forward,” he told her, “but I can never forget you.” He turned away, looked up at the sky, and murmured impassively, “I see in you, that which shines brightest in my life and it fills my heart, Kagome-chan.” He turned his head and directed one last smile at her before saying, “Remember me fondly, sweet Kagome.”

And then he quietly left, and Kagome wished that she could have told him `yes'. That way it wouldn't feel as if she'd just lost her best friend. Kagome watched Hojo's silhouette until it faded into the darkness and then she turned and drifted aimlessly towards the house, ignoring the concerned call of her Jii-chan when he saw her come through the door and place her things on the side table next to the door. With a dismissive gesture, she waved him away. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to make it to her room.

She wanted to lie down on her bed and let the calming ether of sleep mingle with the confusion of her emotions and dull the heavy ache around her heart. Jii-chan was wise enough to let her go, sensing the turmoil she felt, and she slumped onto her bed for all of thirty seconds when she made safe haven.

That which shines brightest…. Such a beautiful thing he'd said -- why couldn't Hojo be the one that shined brightest for her? she wondered miserably. She closed her eyes and then wished she hadn't when the luminescent image of long, silvery hair, amber eyes, and an impudent smile rose to haunt her. Then she was up again, heading for her desk, her elbows resting on top of some of the papers lying there, her head in her hands.

Where are you? she lamented silently, the pain rolling through her in waves, its rawness staggering her in its intensity.

Why was she feeling like this? It had been ten years….

Where are you?

It was pointless to feel this way, she reasoned. She should be beyond all this by now!

Where are you? Why haven't you come for me?

And then it slipped past her lips, the word that she had not voluntarily spoken in all those years.

”Inuyasha…”

Drawing in a deep shuddering breath, Kagome lifted her head, and pushed at the heavy strands of ebony hair lying against her brow. This was getting her nowhere. Self-pity never did. She needed rest. She would feel better in the morning. She was sure of it.

Wearily, she rose from her chair and removed her suit jacket, and headed towards her closet to hang it up when a shiver of awareness shot up her spine.

She turned her head in shock, her eyes seeking the darkness beyond the window, her fingers crushing the fabric held in her hand. A Shikon Shard? She thought, slowly crossing towards the window. No… this was different. More… powerful and…

Kagome shivered again and wrapped her arms around her body. The youki she felt seemed sentient and aggressive, as if it was exploring what was around it.

It was close. Too close… from inside the Well House? No, she amended, it was moving towards the Well House.

Dropping her jacket to the bed, Kagome grabbed the flashlight that she'd left sitting on the edge of her desk from the night before and headed downstairs and out the door. She was afraid to turn it on however, although she had a feeling that whatever she was sensing already knew she was there.

It's very close, she thought again as her steps carried her within feet of the corner of the Well House and she paused, listening for any sounds of movement.

How would such a thing come to be here? In this era? That much youki… She hadn't believed it possible that something like that was still around in the twenty-first century. Kagome's eyes flitted towards the yawning, black hole that signified the open door to the Well House. Is that what had drawn it here? Did it come because of the Bone Eater's Well? Kagome moved closer to the door, the feeling of youki so heavy in the air that it was hard to tell what direction it was coming from.

Finally getting up the nerve, Kagome switched on her flashlight and aimed it down into the Well House. The beam bounced eerily off the fallen timbers casting strange shadows, but as far as she could tell, there was nothing moving down there.

Then she heard a slight noise to her left: a strange scraping sound as if something was being dragged, and before she could turn her head to look, a familiar voice screeched in her ear, “Run, Kagome!”

But it was too late. A rough hand had grabbed her by the arm and shoved her forward hard, and with a gasp, she found herself pitched headfirst to the Well House floor. She put her hands out to try and break her fall, losing her grip on her flashlight, and it rolled away, coming to rest against a pile of debris, its light dimly illuminating the room.

As Kagome clambered to her feet, she could hear the sound of others jumping to the floor from the door above and then the sound of scuffing, the grunts of a man, and the gurgled cries of a woman. She turned and immediately had to dodge, as, from the corner of her eye, she saw the light glint off the silver tip of a small blade when it came swiping at her.

“You little…” Kagome heard the man growl in a rough voice, his back to her, struggling with the unseen woman as Kagome trundled backwards to stay out of his path, “you'll stop fighting me, if you know what's good for you!”

“I can't let you hurt - Ka- go- me, Lokki!” the girl declared in strained accents and Kagome felt a moment of shock as she recognized the voice.

“Yukino?” Kagome cried, her voice cracking in surprise, and she took a hesitant step toward the struggling pair.

The man seemed to be getting the upper hand, and he was able to spin them around so that they were now facing her, and Kagome was shaken at the terrible condition Yukino was in as she tried to hang on to her captor's arm which held the knife and keep him from advancing on Kagome.

Anger flashed in Kagome's eyes as she looked at Lokki, her gaze not missing the glowing Tama that he clutched tightly even while he kept his victim wrapped securely within the cage of his arm. “Let her go!” Kagome ordered, “you have what you want.” She gestured towards the Tama, and then added perspicaciously, “there can only be one reason why you're here.” Her gaze moved knowingly to the well before she added, “So take it and go, but leave Yukino here!”

There was a moment of silence, and Kagome thought he might actually be considering what she'd said, but then he threw back his head and laughed, and her stomach knotted up at the sound. It had a maniacal ring to it.

“This is rich,” he jeered. `You,” he gestured with his knife towards Kagome, “you're trying to protect her, and she, she's trying to protect you. But you're both so pathetically weak that I could kill her and you both in the blink of an eye if I wanted to, starting with her.” Lokki's voice hardened into an ugly sound, the arm that had been encircling Yukino abruptly tightening as he spoke. “But neither of you get it. She's mine,” he intoned possessively, his lips moving suggestively closer to the column of Yukino's throat as if he meant to nuzzle her. “She goes where I go; and you, Kagome,” again he pointed the knife at Kagome, a strange smile curling his lips, “-- you're just a relic from the past that needs to learn its place. All it takes is a little pressure here,” he murmured, and he began to squeeze Yukino's throat with the crook of his elbow, blocking her air, her face beginning to turn red, “-- soon she'll black out. And then,” he looked menacingly at Kagome as she took a step forward as if to try and stop what was happening, but the knife in Lokki's other hand came up threateningly, and she hesitated, “then, there'll be no one left to get in the way. No one left to save poor Kagome, who can't even save herself.”

He laughed when he saw her look at the knife in his hand, but the sound was short lived when there was a dull thud and the sound of rapid movement near the door. It was followed by a loud THWACK! and Lokki's howl of pain as he loosened his stranglehold on Yukino's throat and rounded to meet the new assailant that had just attacked him from behind.

“Try that again and I'll slice her open!” Lokki threatened, his arm anchoring Yukino more securely to his body when he saw the long haired man with the staff standing behind him.

“Oh I don't think you will,” the man said smoothly with an enigmatic smile, “or she would have been dead long before now.” He took a step forward, swinging his staff, testing its balance as he eyed his opponent. “Anyway, I believe you just said that Kagome-sama was your target but you have that wrong as well. I'll be your next opponent. Kagome, move back, ” he warned, his amber eyes flickering briefly in her direction before going back to Lokki.

Kagome's mouth dropped open when she saw Shirogane, her heart beating wildly as he stood in front of Lokki, exuding an overwhelming dominance that reminded her forcibly of Inuyasha.

Lokki's eyes flickered to Kagome as she scrambled backwards out of the way, and then he cast a calculating glance back at Shirogane, disliking how quickly the odds had turned against him in this fight.

“Just who the hell are you?” he snapped.

“I am no one,” Shirogane replied with an arrogant tilt of his eyebrow, crouching low, getting ready for the strike he knew was coming, “come to save Kagome just as you surmised. And since I can't take your head, I'll be taking the red-headed miko instead, along with the Tama you hold in your hand.”

“The hell you will!” Lokki growled and he shoved Yukino's semi-conscious form to the ground, lunging with his knife poised to strike towards Shirogane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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