InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Hour ❯ Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place ( Chapter 24 )

Ch. 24

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place....

Kagome watched helplessly as Sesshomaru wrestled with whatever was taking him over. She struggled against Naraku's iron clad grip. It was her fault what was happening to him. If she'd been able to gain control of herself sooner...

"Stop it!" She cried out. Naraku's cold laughter surrounded her. "And lose the best weapon ever to be created?" Kagome didn't miss the hint of madness coloring his tone. So he was going to use Sesshomaru as some kind of weapon? She increased her attempts to get free. "You can't do this to him!" She turned her gaze to Sesshomaru, powerless to do anything to stop Naraku's plan.

"On the contrary, my dear. Who's going to stop me?" Naraku sneered, his voice thick with contempt. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Sesshomaru in such obvious pain. She heard a hollow thump and immediately found herself free from Naraku's clutches. She opened her eyes slowly and turned around. Inuyasha stood behind her, a gun in his hand. She looked down at his feet where Naraku lay unconscious. She looked up at him, speechless.

"I didn't do this for you," He spat, "Or him." He said, pointing to Sesshomaru. He looked down at Naraku, a murderous look on his face. "The things he said earlier, talking about me like some kind of useless weakling after sticking by his side all these years..." He delivered a swift kick to Naraku's stomach. He looked over to Sesshomaru. "I won't help him make Sesshomaru what I should be." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Kagome said. Inuyasha stopped and looked at her impatiently. "What is he making Sesshomaru into? What's going to happen to him?" She asked. Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know and frankly, I don't really give a shit." He threw one last glance at his brother. "He can die for all I care." With those last words, he left, leaving Kagome alone. Kagome let out a cry of frustration and ran quickly to Sesshomaru's side. She glanced back nervously at Naraku. She didn't know how long he'd be out but she prayed it was long enough for her to get both herself and Sesshomaru away from here.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome reached out and held his face in her hands. Even though his eyes were closed, she could tell he was struggling to fight a battle within himself. His body was tense and spasming uncontrollably. She took a deep breath, focusing all her energy on him.

"Sesshomaru, I know you can hear me," She said, keeping her voice calm and soothing. "Forget about the pain you're feeling and focus on the sound of my voice." She ran her thumbs gently along his jaw line. She couldn't tell whether she was having an effect on him or not. She glanced over her shoulder. Naraku still lay unconscious, but for how long?

"Please, Sesshomaru! Fight it!" She said more urgently. He threw his head back and let out a sound that was a cross between a cry of pain and a howl. Kagome knew she didn't have much time. Whatever was taking over Sesshomaru was happening fast.

"You've got to fight it!" She said, gripping his face more tightly. 'Running out of time,' A voice inside her head warned. Kagome closed her eyes, willing him to listen to her. She snatched her hands back when she felt his skin shift. She opened her eyes, staring in horror at the sight before her. Sesshomaru's skin was shifting, stretching as if preparing to accommodate some new form. She hesitantly reached out and replaced her hands on his either side of his face.

"Sesshomaru, you've got to fight it." She said, determined to get him to listen to her. He seemed to be oblivious, his cries of pain quickly turning into more guttural sounds of rage. "I won't lose you to Naraku!" She said, bringing her face closer to his. She held his face still. "I won't lose you. I can't lose you." She whispered, brushing her lips across his. Another howl was ripped deep from within him. She leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes.

"I love you."

Kagome gasped as she felt a rush of what felt like pure electricity shoot from her center and out through her fingertips. She opened her eyes, looking in awe at the pink aura that surrounded both her and Sesshomaru. The source of the pink energy seemed to be coming from her hands and flowed over Sesshomaru, covering his entire body.

'This is new.' She thought to herself. The energy seemed to be calming Sesshomaru, reversing the effects of the formula Sesshomaru had been injected with. After a few moments, the pink aura dissipated. Kagome pulled her hands back, swaying slightly. She felt as if all her energy had been drained. She raised her hands in front of her face, gazing at them in wonder. She half expected the pink energy to pour from them, but nothing happened.

'Weird,' She thought to herself, raising her gaze to Sesshomaru. He was motionless, no longer twitching or howling in pain. She touched his cheek. His skin was as smooth as porcelain, no signs of movement or mutating.

"Sesshomaru?" She whispered, fearing whatever she'd done to him had killed him. He moaned softly and moved his head. Kagome let out a sigh of relief and chuckled weakly.

"Open your eyes," She told him gently. He winced and slowly did as she said. His vision blurred before clearing, revealing the immensely relieved face of Kagome. She gave him a small smile. "You're ok." He frowned, looking around. "What happened?"

Kagome shook her head, not wanting to waste time with a long explanation. "I'll tell you everything once we're safely away from this place." She tugged at his restraints. "If we ever get out of here." She muttered. Sesshomaru glanced at the chains holding him. With a flick of his wrist, he'd snapped the chains as if they were made of paper.

"Wow." Kagome whispered, staring at the chains lying at his feet. Sesshomaru looked down before looking back up. "What the hell is going on?" Kagome shrugged, shaking her head. "Whatever was in that syringe sure packs one hell of a punch." She said, grabbing his hand. She glanced around frantically. She didn't know how they'd gotten here, therefore she had no idea how to get out.

"What happened to him?" Sesshomaru asked, nodding his head at Naraku. Kagome smirked. "Your brother." She said, spotting a door off to their left. Sesshomaru felt as if he'd been beaten within an inch of his life. 'Nothing new.' He quipped bitterly. He followed Kagome to the door. She looked back at him, her expression one of concern.

"I suspect we're going to have a bit of a problem trying to get out of this place," She said. "You up to it?" Sesshomaru felt like hell. He could barely walk, let alone take on Naraku's goons. He looked at Kagome, summoning all the strength he could. She needed him and he wouldn't fail her.

"Let's go." He said, opening the door and pulling her up the steep steps. Once they reached the top, Sesshomaru frowned as he encountered the keypad next to the door. "Damnit!" He cursed under his breath, leaning against the wall. Kagome looked from him to the keypad. Pushing past him, she studied the keypad before punching in some numbers. A series of beeps sounded before the door slid open. Sesshomaru glanced at Kagome, surprised. Kagome winked at him.

"A trick an intern taught me at the office. Most people don't know the older security systems like these can be overridden by a master code." She followed Sesshomaru out into the hallway, glancing around. Sesshomaru led her down the hallway slowly, listening for sounds of guards.

"How did you know it was an old security system?" He asked, glancing back at her. Kagome shrugged. "I didn't." Sesshomaru stopped, putting a finger to his lips. Kagome snapped her mouth shut, her eyes wide. Sesshomaru stood flush against the wall, concentrating on the sound of the footsteps coming towards them from up ahead. He inched closer to the edge where the hallway they were presently standing intersected with the hallway the footsteps were coming from.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the footsteps. They were getting closer, a single set. They were now just a couple of feet away...almost upon them. Sesshomaru quickly stepped from the edge, taking the guard by surprise. Before he could reach for his gun, Sesshomaru grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him headfirst into the wall, grimacing at the crack of his head connecting with the wall. The man crumpled to the ground. Sesshomaru quickly grabbed his gun from its holster and motioned for Kagome to follow him. He led her quickly down the hall, making his way to the front door at the end of the hall.

"Almost there," He muttered, ignoring the pain burning through his body. Kagome glanced at him, hearing the tenseness in his voice. She knew he wasn't as fine as he wanted her to believe, but she kept her mouth shut. If she'd learned anything since meeting Sesshomaru, she knew that he wouldn't appreciate her concern, mistaking it for pity. Once they reached the front door, Sesshomaru looked at her, his gaze hard.

"Stay behind me, not matter what." He ordered. Kagome nodded obediently, gripping his shirt tightly. He took a deep breath, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. He thought back to when they'd first arrived.

'Two guards off to the left, three on the right, two by the door.' He noted mentally. He checked the bullets in the gun. Only five bullets. Kagome looked at him. "Is something wrong?" She asked. Sesshomaru shook his head.

"Not at all." He said stiffly, pressing his ear to the door. He heard the two guards by the door talking and laughing about something. The guards patrolling the perimeter carried automatics, if memory served him correctly. 'Piece of cake.' He told himself sarcastically.

Without warning, he flung open the door, shooting the two guards nearest him. He grabbed the guard to his left, whose finger reflexively gripped the trigger. Sesshomaru pointed his own gun to the right, taking out the guards there while the dying man he was holding up unknowingly took out the others. Once the automatic was emptied, Sesshomaru pushed the guard away from him and tossed his own gun to the side. He looked back at Kagome. She returned his look with one of amazement.

"You're like some kind of...action hero!" Sesshomaru grimaced. "Not quite." He said sharply, swaying on his feet. Kagome quickly grabbed him by the waist, supporting him as he reluctantly leaned against her. "We've gotta get you out of here." She said, making her way to his car parked nearby.

"I'm fine." Sesshomaru grumbled, pushing away from her. He forced himself to walk the rest of the way to the car and collapsed into the driver's seat. Kagome climbed in next to him and gave him a worried look. "Where can we go?" She asked, glancing back at the mansion that seemed to have eyes, looking at them menacingly. "Naraku knows where you live, he knows where I live..." She leaned her head back against the seat. "Wherever we go, he'll find us."

Sesshomaru turned the key in the ignition and threw the car in gear. As they roared out of the driveway, Sesshomaru made up his mind. It wasn't the smartest decision he'd ever made, but it was the absolute last place Naraku would look for them.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru glanced at her, anticipating her reaction. "Inuyasha's." He stated. Kagome's mouth dropped. Had he lost his mind?

"You can't be serious." She said. Sesshomaru avoided her gaze, looking straight ahead. "I am." He replied. Kagome huffed. "He doesn't care whether you live or die Sesshomaru. Why would he just allow you to hide out in his house?"

"Technically, it's not his house. It's our father's. I just moved out and let him stay there." Sesshomaru told her. Kagome rolled her eyes. "You think a technicality is going to matter to that psycho?" He sighed impatiently. "No, but our mutual hatred of Naraku might."

Kagome sighed. She hoped he knew what he was doing because she sure as hell didn't.

a/n: well, i don't too much like this chapter, that's why it's not as long as the others. had a bit of writer's block that i was trying to overcome and this is what i came up with...the next chaps will be a lot better...promise! now that i've gotten over that hump, i kno where i want the rest of the story to go. thanks for the reviews and see ya next chap! oh, and p.s., all will be explained about kagome's mysterious "power" in the next chap...