InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Hour ❯ A Nightmare and a Guardian Angel ( Chapter 2 )

Ch. 2

A Nightmare and a Guardian Angel…

Kagome steered the car into the parking garage of her apartment complex and slid into her designated parking spot. She switched off the car and sat quietly, not knowing what to do next. Another moan came from the backseat.

Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it soon. She wasn't sure how much longer the man was going to be alive.

"Think, Kagome." She muttered. She knew she couldn't take him through the front lobby. That would only cause unnecessary attention and Kagome had a feeling, call it a reporter's instinct, that this situation didn't need to be witnessed. That only left one other option. The service elevator.

Kagome knew she was going to need help pulling this off, so she called the one person she trusted with her life.

"Hello, Sango?"

The girl on the other end yawned sleepily. "Hello? Who is this?" Kagome huffed impatiently. "Sango, it's me, Kagome. I need your help." She explained quickly, not wanting to waste time. She heard a commotion as if the girl had dropped the phone and then she responded.

"Kagome, do you know what time it is?" Sango asked, irritation clear in her voice. Kagome glanced at the dashboard and found that this time the clock read 2:45.

"I know, I'm sorry, but this is really important and you know I wouldn't be calling you this late if it wasn't an emergency. Sango suddenly seemed fully awake.

"Kagome, are you hurt?" She asked, worry replacing the irritation. "No, no. Nothing like that, but please, will you help me?" Kagome, pleaded urgently. "Of course." Sango responded.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief and quickly explained that she needed Sango to go to the lobby and request the service elevator keys.

"Just tell them somebody's delivering furniture to your apartment." Kagome suggested. She heard Sango huff. "At 3 am?" She said incredulously. Kagome rolled her eyes. "Fine, just make something up, but hurry." She commanded. She ended the call and tossed the cell phone into her purse.

"Please hurry, Sango." She whispered. Her eyes traveled to the rearview mirror, regarding the man in the backseat. He still seemed to be unconscious, twitching slightly every now and then, hinting that he was in the throes of his own private nightmare.

~~~~~~

*dream sequence*

The blood seemed to cling to his hands stubbornly, no matter how hard he scrubbed at them. He looked in the mirror above the sink and didn't recognize the man staring back at him. This man looked wild-eyed and pale-faced.

"Get a grip." He told himself, trying to sound forceful. It came out sounding more strained than anything.

What had happened? How could a routine drop go so horribly wrong? He recalled the moment when he'd realized something was wrong.

"The little girl," He whispered. He remembered the representative from the Yukimoto clan had given him and Jaken trouble when they'd asked for the goods in return for the money, but the guy insisted they give him the money first. He'd realized then that something was wrong with the situation.

"Do you have it or not?" Jaken asked angrily, his hand inching towards the gun he kept hidden in the waistband of his pants. The guy stalled, saying he didn't but it would be there any minute.

"No money until we get what we came here for." Jaken stated simply. "Boss isn't gonna like this," He muttered under his breath. He could tell that Jaken was just as uneasy about the situation as he himself was.

Jaken pulled him aside, making sure they were out of earshot of both the Yukimoto rep and the shopkeeper. "This stinks." Jaken said. While Jaken continued on with various conspiracy theories, he glanced over to the store entrance when he noticed a small girl enter. She looked a little frightened, her big brown eyes looking about warily. She stood by the entrance, as if waiting for something.

At that moment, his gaze went to the shopkeeper, who was looking at the Yukimoto rep. He nodded curtly at the shopkeeper and the shopkeeper nodded at the little girl. Everything fell into place in his mind and he let one word slip from his lips.

"The girl," He said. Jaken stopped talking and spun around, taking in the scene before him. In an instant, he knew what was going on and yelled, "You motherfucking bastards!" Jaken quickly pulled out his gun and aimed at the girl, who was turning to run from the store.

He tried to stop the events that seemed to unfold in mere seconds before him. He grabbed the gun from Jaken's hand, but not before a bullet exploded from its tip. With a skill few possessed, he let loose three shots, hitting Jaken, the Yukimoto rep and the shopkeeper all in one smooth motion. He knew they were dead without looking and went straight for the little girl. She lay sprawled in front of the store's entrance, her eyes closed.

Blood was pouring rapidly from a bullet hole in the middle of her back, slowly pooling around her body. He felt sick watching as the girl's arms twitched and her body spasmed. She needed immediate attention, but he had strict orders to return to the mansion if anything went wrong. Could he leave this little girl to die?

No. He lifted the girl in his arms and made his way quickly to the limo parked at the curb. He climbed in the backseat with the girl securely in his arms and commanded, "Drive to the nearest hospital quickly." The driver glanced back at him startled to find him holding the body, but obeyed nonetheless.

The ride only took about 15 minutes, but to him, it seemed centuries. Every moment that ticked by was another minute of the girl's life slowly ebbing away with the blood that was beginning to soak his own clothes. He stroked her cheek with uncharacteristic kindness, silently praying that this girl did not pay for his sins with her life.

Once they arrived at the hospital, he quickly rushed the girl to the front desk and demanded a doctor. The attendant took one look at the little girl and made a call over the intercom. Within seconds, a doctor appeared with a team of nurses and a gurney, immediately barking orders. Through all of the commotion, no one noticed as gave the little girl one last concerned glance before returning to the limo and speeding off.

He blinked rapidly, bringing his thoughts back to the present. He knew they would be coming for him, but he didn't care. He was tired of it, all of it. The little girl was the straw that broke this camel's back.

*end dream sequence*

~~~~~~

"Thanks, Sango. I owe you one." Kagome said as they deposited the still unconscious stranger on the bed in the guest room. Sango looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Kagome looked from her friend to the man. She shrugged her shoulders. "To tell you the truth, I don't even know."

Sango gave her a concerned look. "Well, I know you don't need a lecture, but please be careful. You don't know who this man is and he might be dangerous." Kagome nodded her head. "Thank you, Sango." She said. Sango gave her a hug and headed for the front door.

"If you need me, just give me a ring." She called over her shoulder. Kagome followed after her and locked the door behind her. She went into the kitchen and filled a bowl with warm water. Grabbing a washcloth from the linen closet on her way to the guest bedroom, she entered the room and gingerly sat down on the bed next to the man.

She dipped the washcloth in the water and gently wiped away the dried blood caked on his eyelids.

"What happened to you?" She whispered. Who was he? What was his name and where did he come from? She hoped these questions would be answered soon. Dipping the rag again, she wiped at the rest of his face, removing most of the dirt and blood. Even though his face showed multiple bruises, cuts and scratches, she could tell that he was very attractive.

She placed the washcloth in the bowl and couldn't resist brushing her fingers against his cheek. The man let out a soft moan and surprised her by slowly opening his eyes. Kagome couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips. Beautiful golden eyes stared up at her, confusion mixing with pain.

Her hand quickly returned to her lap. She was temporarily at a loss for words, seemingly lost in the golden gaze.

"W-where am I?" He hoarsely asked. Kagome snapped out of her daze and offered the man a tentative smile. "You're in my apartment. I found you in the middle of the road and brought you here." She explained. He looked around the room and returned his gaze to her.

"Hurt." He whispered as he grimaced in pain. He closed his eyes and Kagome knew that she needed to call for help. "You need an ambulance, I'll go-" Kagome looked at the man in surprise as his hand gripped her wrist with surprising strength.

"No. No ambulance, n-no cops." He said. Although his voice was weak, Kagome heard the authority and urgency there as well. He relaxed his grip and opened his eyes.

"Please, all I need is rest." He pleaded. Kagome doubted rest was all he needed, but didn't want to upset him in the condition he was in. She didn't doubt he'd force himself to walk right out of her apartment if she didn't agree to his request. Finally she nodded.

The man sighed and closed his eyes again. She knew he was drifting off again and stood up. She turned off the lamp beside the bed and moved towards the door. As she was closing the door, she heard the man mutter, "Rest and a guardian angel." Unfortunately, Kagome had a strong feeling that she was this man's guardian angel.

a/n: first off, I would like to thank those who left reviews! Yayyyy, my very first reviews (so ridiculously happy!) if the dream sequence seems a little confusing, don't worry, it's kinda supposed to be but all will be cleared up in the next chap, as well as the strangers identity (ohhhhh!) plz continue to review…see ya next chap!