InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Archangel ❯ The Red ( Chapter 7 )

AN: Hello! Did you miss me? Well here it is, I hope you enjoy. Just a little side note, my personal soundtrack for the first part of this chapter was `The Red' By Chevelle.

The Archangel

By: Undecidedly Certain

Chapter 7

The Red

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New York City, Financial District

Central Intelligence Agency, New York Headquarters

Sunday, June 19th, 9:05 am Eastern Pacific Time

47 hours 40 minutes until Archangel release

A low growl reverberated through the room resonant enough to shake a glass of water resting on the table to the edge where it fell off and shattered on the ground. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths afraid to speak except for Inuyasha who kept chanting 'son of a bitch' in a quiet, subdued voice. A nervous tension built in the room as Sesshoumaru's Jaki rose to nearly suffocating levels.

He knew he was slipping into a blood rage and with out the regulator there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. He could destroy half the city in his true form before anyone had the chance to take him down. Of course that wouldn't help Kagome, and even if he ripped this god forsaken city a new asshole, the chances of him finding Kagome like that were slim.

With a level of control that was almost unimaginable he clamped down on his instinct to transform and taste blood. Eyes still red and a low growl still rumbling in his chest, Sesshoumaru managed to speak in throaty, broken sentences.

"Track him."

"I'm working on it." Shippo said in a near panic. Right now they needed to do all they could to appease the extremely powerful and extremely pissed off demon before them.

In a bold move Inuyasha placed an awkwardly mollifying hand on his brothers shoulder, but quickly removed it when the growl upped a notch. "What about this Shikon? What do we need to do to get it?" He asked quickly, hoping that some answers might quell the beast fighting for release in the raging tai.

Kaede sighed heavily, pushing her tired old body from its position leaning against the table. "The Shikon is in the central vault in Washington. If the likes of Naraku gets their hands on it…"

"But if the Archangel is released into the public…" Miroku countered letting his sentence trail off.

"What exactly is the Archangel?" Inuyasha asked the young dark haired agent. "And what about Kagome, lets not forget we're talking about a person here, not just a threat."

"I will get her back." Sesshoumaru ground out.

"I have no doubt that you will." Miroku conceded. "However it would be prudent to have the Shikon on hand should Naraku prove more devious than anticipated."

"I agree." Sango added quietly.

Sesshoumaru bit back a snarl at the hit to his pride, but deep down he had to agree, it was the logical thing to do. He could feel his Jaki retracting a bit and the blood was starting to fade from his eyes. It was a good thing too, he would be of no use in a blind rage and he had to be on top of his game to find her in time. Between his tracking skills and Shippo's hacking abilities he should be able to locate her before it was too late.

"It is settled then. Inuyasha, are you willing to come back aboard for this? I need someone I can trust to go to Washington and retrieve the Shikon." Kaede gave him a piercing look, trying to impose the seriousness of the situation. "Not that I need to remind you, but once the Shikon is removed from the vault it will be brought out of stasis. The jewel is terribly powerful. There is no telling what could be done with it in the wrong hands. You may encounter problems with demons during transport."

"Naraku will be dead before he has a chance to use it." Sesshoumaru vowed, the blinding rage starting to dissipate slightly though his instincts still screamed for blood. 'and I will have it' he silently swore.

Kaede nodded, knowing not to oppose the tai at a time like this. Her look turned troubled though. "Inuyasha, you and Koga will be in charge of retrieving the Shikon. Everyone else will be involved with locating and containing the Archangel." She paused, ancient wrinkled lips pursing in concern at what she had to say next. "Sesshoumaru, if the antidote is not recovered with in the forty-eight hours…the host must be terminated."

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New York City

Underground Miasma Headquarters

Sunday, June 19th, 11:45 am Eastern Pacific Time

45 hours until Archangel release

Kagome groaned as she pulled her head up from the cold, hard floor beneath her. Good God she felt horrible. She made a mental note to personally kill Eri, Yuka, and Ami for dragging her out last night. Hangovers were so not her thing.

Propping herself up on her elbows she blearily looked around trying to figure out where exactly she'd passed out. The whole night was kind of a blur and she had the craziest dream…..

She was in some sort of filthy cell, complete with iron bars and a cross dressing guard.

`Not a dream…' She thought horrified. `How…how could it not be a dream!' She felt hopelessly morose as the events of the previous night and early morning washed over her. She remembered that sicko Naraku dragging her in front of a movie camera and playing some sinister opera music and talking to Sesshoumaru, who she could only assume was supposed to be Sesshou. The man was obviously insane.

He had said something about an antidote and 48 hours. What the hell did he pump into her anyways? The spot on her arm where he'd stuck her with the needle still burned. Her body ached like a nasty case of the flue and her head felt like it was caught in a vice. She pushed herself up on shaky legs and wobbled over to the bars, blearily noting the lack of luxury they had provided her with. There was literally nothing in the cell besides her. No cot, no filthy toilet, not even a light. The only light she had filtered in from the hallway.

"Hey…" She tried to call out to the guard, but all she managed was a broken squeak. After clearing her throat she tried again. "Hey!"

She was surprised at the lack of haughty arrogance in the face of her guard. The angry, irritated individual she seemed to remember from before was replaced by an extremely nervous looking young man who even at this moment was trying desperately to back away from her.

`What's his problem?' She thought with a frown. "Hey…can I get some water or something?"

He gave her a speculative look before conceding with out a word and heading out of sight down the hall.

What was up with that? No rude comments, no haughty proclamations about evil females, not even a dirty look. Fingers curled lightly around the metal bars separating her from freedom, Kagome allowed herself to slide to the floor resting her forehead against the cool metal.

A dull ache seemed to thrum throughout her entire body in time with her fluttering pulse. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd done in life to deserve this? Maybe it was that time she accidentally locked Sota in the porta potty during the little league world series. Who knows.

Hushed voices were carried to her ears from somewhere down the hall, the empty corridor acting as an amplifier for the muted conversation.

"She's making me nervous Banko. She don't really look sick yet, but I've seen what that shit does to people. I don't care if Naraku says there's a 48 hour incubation period or not, she should still be in a bio chamber."

"Eh, quit your whining Jakotsu. If Naraku says there's a 48 hour incubation period before the virus spreads, then there's a 48 hour incubation period. If he's not worried about it then you shouldn't be either."

"Yeah, but he's got the antidote. Of course he's not worried."

"Hm, I suppose. Just don't touch her. You'll be ok."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one guarding her. She was trying to give me `sexy eyes' earlier." He made a disgusted sound. "It was disgusting."

"Yeah, yeah. You can stand down a whole throng of heat packing cops, but one little unarmed woman makes eyes at you and you fall apart."

`Sexy eyes!' Kagome thought with a snort. `As if.' And what were they talking about incubation period and virus and bio chamber. None of this was making any sense at all to her, but she wanted answers and she was going to get them if she had to tear this whole building down one piece at a time. Her eyes took on a devilish slant as Jakotsu made his way back down the hall toward her, a glass of water held loosely in his manicured hand.

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New York City, Financial District

CIA Headquarters, Armory locker

Sunday, June 19th 9:22 am. Eastern Pacific Time

The main armory for the CIA was impressive enough, but agents with the kind of rank and security clearance that Sesshoumaru had were privy to the `crown jewels' so to speak. Behind the main arsenal was a DNA scanner requiring a finger prick in order to gain access.

Inuyasha waited anxiously behind his brother. He was both nervous and excited about the upcoming mission. Don't get the wrong idea, he was worried about Kags just as much as Sess was, but lets face it, hotel security just couldn't hold a candle against the adrenaline pumping excitement of working for the agency.

Inuyasha quit working for the government two years ago, after he lost his partner in a terrible accident. It really wasn't his fault, even the tribunal found him faultless of her death, but he always blamed himself. After that he just couldn't see any reason for fighting anymore. He always missed it though and wondered if he'd made the right decision by retiring.

Is it what Kikyo really would have wanted him to do?

Kikyo was one of his closest friends. She was patient with him and took him under her wing when he was fresh out of the academy and greener than an unripe tomato with an arrogant streak to boot. It was hard, after mother died, and he was left wanting in the ways of a father when his own sunk into an endless cycle of over work and depression. The only real male role model he had was Sesshoumaru.

Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but by the time Inuyasha joined the agency (on his brothers recommendation I might add) Sesshoumaru was already well established in his career and was one of the most well respected demons on the force. Sesshoumaru had a big shadow to stand in, and it made the younger Takishima a bit irritable.

Well, none the less to say, during a drug raid Inuyasha made a bad decision which combined with a bad decision made by Kikyo herself resulted in a fatal gunshot wound in the chest. Inuyasha was cleared of blame, but he never forgave himself.

Shaking himself of such thoughts he looked around in awe at the top secret weapons stored and made in the back room of the arsenal. Glass cases adorned the walls displaying weapons he could have only thought up in the wildest of dreams. Guns, both semi and automatic, lined one wall in sizes from a little pea shooter smaller than the palm of his hand to what looked like rocket launchers mounted on the top shelves.

On the opposite wall was a case of youkai blades. Hazardous to both the wielder and the one on the blades point. If the wielder was not strong enough the dark youki in the blades has been known to drive a man, or youkai, insane. They are dangerous, lethal, and completely illegal. Inuyasha was in awe, he didn't even think there were any youkai blade forgers left.

As he was opening his mouth to ask an odd hacking noise caught his attention. It reminded him distinctly of a cat with a hair ball problem and he found himself looking around the room for a four legged fuzz ball choking on its own grooming by product. What he found was far from what he expected, but equally out of place in a CIA weapons store room.

An old man looking to be in at least his ninety's sat on a small mat against the back wall hacking like he was about to cough up a lung. A heavy mallet leaned innocently against the wall next to him. Any comment Inuyasha was about to make died on the back of his tongue as he sent his brother a confused glance.

"What the…how'd you get in here old man?" he barked when the old mans coughing subsided. "This place is supposed to be secured."

"And it is. I built it my self, you disrespectful little whelp." The old man replied. Inuyasha found himself oddly comforted, if the old man had enough fire in him to sling insults then he probably wasn't dying.

Still. He called him a whelp!

"I ain't no whelp jiji."

"Inuyasha, this is Totosai, master sword smith. Totosai, this disrespectful whelp is my brother." Sesshoumaru introduced quickly unbuttoning his shirt and going immediately to a case on the right side of the room to strap on a cross holster and two lethal looking desert eagles, clips loaded with miko purifying bullets.

"Ahhhh." Totosai groused rubbing his hand over his long scraggly beard. "So this is the youngest Takahashi. Shame really."

"Hey!" Inuyasha groused, brandishing his fist at the old man. "What exactly is a shame about me?"

"I expected you to be better looking." The old man quipped with a shrug.

"Why you…"

Sesshoumaru's irritated growl was more than enough to cease the bickering between the two. He buttoned his shirt back, a small gun concealed flat against the skin over his kidneys, while the thick leather straps of the holster for his desert eagles crossed over the back of the white, blood stained dress shirt. Ignoring the other two completely, Sesshoumaru continued to snap, strap, and tie on various weapons saving the most important for last.

Inuyasha could feel the tension rolling off his brother in tangible waves. Oh yes, Sesshoumaru was pissed. Naraku would be lucky if there were enough pieces of him left to fit in a shoe box. He just hoped he had the strength of mind to obtain the antidote before he blows him into bits of sticky flesh.

Of course Sesshoumaru had never been anything if not controlled. Even in his relationship with Kagome he held himself on a tight leash so to speak. Inuyasha could see it plain as day, having known his brother all his life, Sesshoumaru was in love. Though for an overly egocentric youkai who sees love as a weakness, and weakness as unacceptable, being in love certainly can cause some serious psychosis. Hell, it took him a year to propose to her when he probably knew after being around her for a few hours that she was the one he would take as a mate.

Not to mention the fact that she was human, but that's another story all together.

`Poor Kagome,' he thought sadly, `she must be so frightened. Not to mention she probably still thinks Sesshoumaru's married.'

A rusted katana in a separate case near the back wall caught his eye. It didn't look like much, the blade nicked and tattered. It didn't look like it could cut paper let alone cause any damage. He bent forward to take a closer look at the sword. Now that he really thought about it, he really couldn't feel any youki coming off the blade either.

It looked more like it belonged in a museum than a weapons store room. With deft fingers he lifted the lid and removed the old sword.

"What's up with this?" He questioned waiving the rusted blade around haphazardly. Sesshoumaru barely sent him a second glance, too occupied with getting himself ready to render Naraku limb from limb. Totosai had a rather interesting reaction though.

An ethereal wail built up in the small room echoing off the walls, forcing Inuyasha's ears back in effort to drown the horrible noise. Totosai was tugging at his ratty beard and pointing a gnarled finger at Inuyasha wailing dramatically.

"What the …"

"ENOUGH!" Sesshoumaru bellowed. Totosai immediately ceased his howling.

"That is Tetsusaiga." Totosai began explaining while casting a sidelong glance at Sesshoumaru, his weeping had stopped as suddenly as it started and Inuyasha was starting to doubt the old fools sanity. "Oh, my pride and joy going to such a disrespectful mutt."

"This is your pride and joy?"

"ENOUGH!" Sesshoumaru once again demanded silence and the other two quickly quieted. "I need the key to Tokijin's locker."

Totosai's face paled considerably. "Are you sure Sesshoumaru-sama? Tokijin has never been successfully wielded before."

Sesshoumaru flashed the old man a glare that spoke louder than words, and it sent him scrambling off his mat and over to a locked steel compartment against the back wall. A large metal ring containing an assortment of skeleton looking keys jangled heavily in his hands. Pulling a particularly foreboding black key away from the rest, Totosai put the key into the lock and paused a moment before hesitantly continuing.

As the door swung open Inuyasha could feel the jaki in the sword sweep out like a flood. He instinctively took a step back, his senses going haywire with the dark energy coming from the waves.

"Sess, you sure that thing's really safe?"

Reaching in, Sesshoumaru boldly wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword and pulled it from its sealing spell. He could feel the spirit of the sword attempting to tug at the edges of his sanity.

No, he thought. This sword really wasn't safe for anyone any less powerful, but for him the sword would bend to HIS will instead of the other way around. It didn't take much, but by pushing his youki down through the hilt of the sword he quickly got it to submit.

Tucking the sword through the side strap on his holster, Sesshoumaru turned and headed out of the armory with out a look back. Inuyasha was flabbergasted to say the least. He watched his brother walk out of the room with one of the most powerful and dangerous weapons he'd ever seen with out so much as a twitch in his demeanor.

He always knew Sesshoumaru was powerful, but this was a golden example of the true girth of his strength.

Picking his jaw up off the floor, he cast a last look at the old goat before heading after his brother. It looked like Totosai had fallen asleep standing up. With an eye roll he turned to leave.

"Don't you dent up that blade boy."

Inuyasha looked from the old man who was peeking at him from one cracked eye to the rusted old katana in his hand. "Keh." He smirked. "As if I could do any more damage to this piece of junk."

Inuyasha heard him grumbling about `ungrateful youth' and `disrespectful whelps' as the door close behind him.

Now it was down to business, and God help them if for some reason Kagome couldn't be located soon. Inuyasha didn't doubt for a second that Sesshoumaru would tear the city apart to find her if that's what it took.

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AN: Sorry for the delay, its been an interesting couple of weeks. And my son is a monkey masquerading as a little boy. I swear, if I have to pull him down from one more dresser or table I'm going to Velcro him to the couch! ^-^! Any way. It's building, Sesshou is not a happy camper and Kagome never really was one to sit around and wait to die. If any of you out there have any requests for this story now would be the time to do it. I have most of the plot outlined, but I can slip in a little fan service if I get enough requests!

Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews, It really makes me laugh sometimes at how worked up I can get you guys with the evil cliff hangers. Let me just say Mwahahahahahaha! Well, not really a cliffy in this chapter, but I'm sure you're anxious to see what Kagome is up to, not to mention we all want to see Naraku get his butt whooped by Sesshoumaru. That's just about as good as it gets.

Don't forget to review for me! You know it makes me happy!

Until next time

U.C.