Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Summary: Invincibility isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
Genre: Thriller/Romance/Supernatural
Warning(s)!Due to the nature of the plot, there are incidences of graphic violence further into this story. If directly written violence or hints of acts of violence disturbs you, please read at your own discretion.
Pairing: Gakushu/Kagome
Suggested Listening: Sacrifice by Zella Day and The Arena by Lindsey Stirling
Monster
The teen pursed her lips together in a faint line. Twigs snapped beneath heavy feet in the distance. She closed her eyes and counted to three. The sounds crept ever closer as something whizzed by her head. Opening her eyes again, the young woman found a group of middle-aged men standing in a circle around her. They were dressed in dark combat uniforms. Not only that but they were armed with a multitude of different weapons. Assault rifles, pistols of different calibers, some even appeared to have automated weapons hidden amongst the crowd. She slid her gaze over towards the area where the projectile that had just passed her head landed. Just behind her a large indentation of a bullet had embedded itself deep into a tree trunk. How sad, they'd managed to miss their target at that distance. Who was hiring these idiots?
"Give up!" Their leader demanded. His lips were pulled back into a snarl. His hands trembled, causing the gun in his grip to shake violently.
Kagome casually placed both of her hands behind her head and leaned on the balls of her heels, "Are you going to make me?" She taunted lightly.
"I will shoot! Turn yourself in now!" The leader screamed, a spittle of saliva flying with every word he bellowed.
The priestess slowly moved her hand from behind her head to wipe away the body fluid that had managed to land on her cheek.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you to say it, not spray it?"
The other men tensed. Their fingers drew over the trigger of their guns. Azure eyes took in her surroundings. There were close to twenty of them. It was a small battalion if she did say so herself. So it seemed that her 'enemy' was starting to get desperate enough to use such tactics. How disappointing. She expected a better game of cat and mouse from that one.
The loud crack of a gun going off echoed in her ears, followed by the sharp, burning pain of a bullet passing through her heart. The teen's shoulders hunched as the breath left her body. Kagome coughed, spraying a small pool of blood at her feet. She always hated this part. It tended to hurt like a bitch. Then again, she supposed that dying wasn't supposed to be painless either. Not like in all of those damn novels and movies. It fucking hurt. Bullets, slashing, burning and even having acid thrown on her were just a few of the ways she'd 'died' so far. Still, that never stopped her.
White tendrils of light wrapped themselves around her flesh. She never knew where they came from, only that they appeared when she was fatally injured. A tendril wormed its way inside the wound. It circled the bullet still buried within the delicate organ of her heart before gently pulling it out and tossing it to the ground.
The group whimpered in fear. Some shouted, screaming the word 'youkai!' over and over again at her. So what? More strands of light engulfed the open wound. She closed her eyes as a warmth invaded her. By the time she opened them, the wound was gone. So what if she wasn't considered 'human' anymore? She probably never had been human from the moment she'd been born. Why did they care now? It wasn't like she was going around causing trouble or mayhem. All she'd done was live her life—completely flying under the radar until one fateful day. Azure eyes narrowed on her opponents.
"You… You're a monster!" The leader cried out in fear. He drew his weapon on her and pulled the trigger as fast as he could. The rest of the group followed suit as they emptied all of their clips. Bullets darted across the crowded field, not caring who or what they hit. Shell casings hit the ground, covering the area in a sea of gold metal. Five seconds and they were out of ammo. Four seconds and she was wrapped in light once more. Three seconds and his men had scattered, tripping over one another to get away. Two seconds and the leader's gaze was drawn to the inhuman being standing silently at the center of it all. One second and she'd opened her eyes.
"That hurt you little bastard." Kagome snapped as she cracked her neck from side to side. Lifting her hands, she cracked her knuckles in a show of intimidation. "I think I owe you just a bit of payback." A malicious grin spread across the teen's face.
The man screamed as the last of the birds brave enough to remain during the firefight flew into the sky.
This was what her life had become. Six months ago she'd been a normal girl. Just as happy and healthy as she could be. She hadn't believed herself invincible nor did she think that she'd become the target of a deranged man. Then, a split second decision changed everything. Now, she was nothing more than a 'monster' disguised as a human. Just a fake amongst the crowd.
Kagome sighed as she brushed the dust off her hands. The man was lying in a lump at her feet, covered in bruises and dirt. His one good eye flickered in horror as she knelt down in front of him. A pale hand shot out and grasped onto the thick collar of the stranger's shirt.
"The next time you shoot me, I'll kick you so hard in the balls you won't be able to have kids. You got that?"
He shrieked in horror. Not at the prospect of being kicked, but because he knew that she was serious.
"Also," Kagome's voice dropped a bit further, "You can let your master know that if he wants me then he'll have to come after me himself. It's all or nothing." She roughly threw the man to the ground, purposely ignoring his grunt of pain.
The young woman glanced down at her clothing. Everything was torn to shreds—again. Blood stained the front where she'd taken the most hits while her once long sleeves were now torn to strings and sliced ribbons. Not to mention the countless bullet holes that dotted the torso of her shirt.
"Well fuck, I don't have enough to fix this again. That's the fifth time this month." Azure eyes lightened as she looked back to her attacker. He gulped as she approached once more. "You destroyed my uniform. Now you get to pay for a new one. These aren't cheap you know." She taunted. The dark haired girl grabbed the wallet sticking out from his front pocket. "I'll just be taking this." Opening up the object, she quickly nabbed a few bills before throwing it back at his vulnerable form. The wallet slapped against his vest loudly.
"Oh, and in case you were wondering, I will be considering this 'hush money'. So don't worry your little attempt on my life today will stay a secret." She winked at him before disappearing back into the brush of the forest.
Gathering up his courage the leader began to shout once more, "You won't get away with this! You're a monster, you hear me? A monster!"
His words fell on deaf ears.
The world was a flash of color and laughter. Sunlight glimmered against the transparent glass of the windows of the shops that they'd passed. She felt a hand press against her back when the sound of screeching tires hit her ears. She turned and with as much force as she could muster, threw herself against the person next to her. One moment she felt that person's warmth against her, the next all she felt was pain and the harsh concrete beneath her.
"Kagome!" Her companion cried out.
The sound of sirens blared loudly in the distance. She was suddenly cold. Where had all the warmth gone? Wasn't it summer?
"A medic! We need a medic!" Hands were gripping her but they were shaking. Was he scared? Of all people? Blood stained fingers twitched. That couldn't be right.
Darkness flickered at the corner of her vision. Was this death? She closed her eyes only to discover a bright, white light. No, this was different somehow.
"Higurashi!" Koro-sensei yelled at the previously sleeping student. Kagome jumped awake, azure eyes darting around the classroom. What? What'd she miss?
"No sleeping in class!" The biologically mutated human fussed, his usually yellow skin darkening into a deep crimson.
The young woman yawned, "Sorry about that. I just had a late night." She stretched her arms high in the air. The sleeves of her shirt pulled down further than she'd have liked. Azure eyes narrowed. Had she accidentally gotten a size too small? Well damn, she couldn't afford to get it hemmed. All the money she gotten from her pursuer had been used solely on replacing the uniform he'd trashed with his rather pathetic assassination attempt.
"No excuses! That's the third time today!" The teacher growled, his tentacles becoming more animated as he grew more agitated.
"Sorry Koro-sensei, it won't happen again." She promised but to no avail.
"Extra homework for you Higurashi!" Her face deadpanned as a large stack of papers were dropped on her desk. "I expect you to read that report by Friday and then turn in a five page in depth review of whether you agree or disagree with the author's logic and why. No excuses!" Kagome groaned at the sudden demand.
"Boo!" She complained, casually tossing her state issued knife at him. He dodged in the blink of an eye, catching the offending object with the handkerchief he tended to stash away in his black robe. "Couldn't it be something less boring than a paper? I have attention span issues. You know that."
The octopus's expression turned devious, "That's precisely why I assigned a paper. This is a punishment not a game."
"Boo!" She whined again but did nothing more. Her classmates laughed amongst themselves at the turn of events. Kagome leaned on her arms and slouched in her seat. Honestly, she really did enjoy this class but fighting off that group last night really took a lot out of her not to mention the fact that she also had a three hour study session with a certain someone. She was damn tired.
"Are you okay?" Okuda asked shyly, offering the girl a bottle of water she had stashed by her desk. Their teacher wasn't too strict about drinks so long as they weren't caffeinated or alcoholic, for obvious reasons.
Kagome sighed, "Yeah." She took a drink from the plastic container. It was fairly bland but that was to be expected. It was water, not vodka. Too bad. "Thanks." The teen handed the other girl back the proffered object.
Okuda paused. She wanted to say something but what? Her mouth opened but no words came. She shut it again as a bright flush crossed her cheeks. She was making a fool of herself again. Shyly, the teen slid her violet gaze over to her classmate. Kagome had since gone back to her slouched position. Well at least she wasn't being judged for her lack of confidence. Still, her gaze darkened, even if she didn't want to talk about it, the teen could see a slight longing in the other girl's eyes. It was subtle but it was there. Kagome wanted friends and like herself, she just didn't know how to go about making them. Placing the bottle back underneath her desk, Okuda returned to her studies. For now she wouldn't push the topic but soon, she'd try to talk to Kagome. After all what were comrades for?
Yawning, Kagome's eyelids began to droop once more. Well shit, looks like she needed some kind of energy booster. Too bad energy drinks were banned in the classroom. They were 'bad for their health' as Koro-sensei had said. She slammed her forehead onto her desk. Screw the consequences. She was going to sleep.
"Ten pages Higurashi!"
"Damn it."
"Kagome! Don't go up there!" A blurred face called out to her.
She paused half way up the Goshinboku, one hand still clinging to the branch above her head while her foot settled into a more comfortable position on the branch below.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun! You're such a scaredy cat!" She grinned down at the shadowed figure. A leaf fell in front of her face. Her nose scrunched together before her eyes closed and a sneeze escaped. In that single instant, her foot slipped from its perch, leaving only one tiny hand to grasp onto the branch above. The girl's expression turned to panic. Fingers began to slip. Nails dug into the hard wood when a sound reached her ears. The distinct snapping of a twig, but instead of coming from below, it echoed from next to her ear. With the branch still clutched firmly in her head, the girl screamed as the sensation of weightlessness hit her. She was falling and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
"Kagome!" Her companion cried out. The sight of his terror stricken face filled her vision before everything went dark. A pain ebbed from the back of her head. She was dead.
Kagome awoke with a start. She jumped from her seat as her heart lurched in her chest. It'd been a while since she last dreamed about that incident. The teen rubbed her temples as the remnants of a headache began to fall away. She hadn't known what had happened to her then. At the time she just thought that she'd fallen unconscious but the truth was much darker than that. It was the first time she'd ever experienced the sensation of regeneration. It'd been so subtle then she doubted that anyone even realized that she'd died. She only came to realize her ability even existed six months ago during the car wreck. The teen pinched the bridge of her nose as she let a breath of air to escape her lips in a deep sigh.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Koro-sensei started as he approached her desk. The golden light of twilight had begun to settle in the empty classroom, basking everything in a monochrome of scarlet and orange.
"Not any more than you want to discuss how you became what you are." Was her blunt answer. The supernatural teacher gave no visible reaction. The room was silent save for the chirping of the birds retreating to their nests outside. It was an understanding that only the two of them could grasp. He was a monster due to outside circumstances that he was unwilling to discuss. She was a monster due to a twist in fate that she couldn't comprehend. They were both simultaneously the same yet different.
"How many were there this time?" Came the direct inquiry.
Azure eyes narrowed in frustration, "What's it to you? It's not like it's going to make a difference anyways." She stood from her desk, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter how many times they come after me. They can't kill me."
Koro-sensei gave a soft, thoughtful hum, "I wonder, is that really true?"
The young woman glared over at him, "You've seen for yourself haven't you? Or would you rather I put a bullet in my brain just to prove one hundred percent that I'm immortal?"
The inhuman creature sighed, "That's not what I mean Higurashi. What I mean is that although they may not be able to kill you physically, they might be able to kill you emotionally, psychologically and worst of all, morally." A yellow tentacle landed on her head gently, "You should be more careful when confronting those who seek you. It's only a matter of time before you and your enemies for that matter, discover your weaknesses. We all have them."
The teen's shoulders stiffened. She knew exactly what he meant. The empty desks surrounding them was proof enough of his point. Her only weaknesses were the people she wished to protect the most. The more she fought, the more likely they'd end up in the crossfire.
"I'm going home." Kagome announced roughly. She brushed past her teacher in her hurried state. The creature watched as she disappeared down the hall and out of his direct line of sight.
It was only by a mere coincidence he'd discovered her ability himself. He'd been passing over the back of the mountainside when he caught wind of the distinct sound of a fight. Being that the other side of the mountain was virtually abandoned, it didn't make sense as to why anyone would be there. So he'd decided to investigate it for curiosity's sake. What awaited him was something that he'd never forget.
Kagome huffed as the knife went through her shoulder. Her teeth clenched as she grasped the offending hand that had attacked her. Gripping the fist, she dug her nails into the soft flesh there.
"That hurt you bastard." She threw the fist away, tearing the knife from her flesh. Blood splattered along the ground in a thin trail. Curling her fingers into her palm, she threw her fist into the flesh of her attacker's cheek. A familiar light engulfed the newly formed hole. "After that first shot you took from your sniper's nest, I thought that maybe you'd be smarter than the rest." She threw a glare at his trembling form. "But I guess I was wrong." She gripped the offender's neck roughly as the fear caused all of his strength to leave him.
Dark, onyx eyes stared up at her ominous form in terror.
"Monster!" He cried out, slashing his knife across her torso. The cloth tore away and scarlet began to bead in small welts where the blade had carved its path.
"No, you're the monster here." She peeled away the cloth to reveal unmarred flesh. The wound was gone and only pale skin remained. Thankfully not all of her clothing was cut and she still had her undergarments in tact.
A gust of wind blew past them, interrupting the fight as an octopus-like creature appeared at the center of the clearing.
Azure eyes blinked in shock, "Koro-sensei?"
The yellow hue of his skin was stained an ashen black as the crevices around his mouth deepened with his fury.
"Why are you attacking my student?" The teacher pressed as he approached the nameless enemy.
The man screamed, "Monsters! You're both monsters!"
Koro-sensei glanced between the man and his charge. Kagome shrugged her shoulders and turned her back to them. It was in that moment that she felt the hot, searing pain of a bullet penetrating the bone of her spine. The teen's body went limp. When had he fired? Had it been him who fired? Or was there another sniper?
Her professor was at her side in an instant. He watched in horror as blood drained from her injury. Tentacles set to work on trying to clear the wound but stopped shortly thereafter. The smashed head of a bullet fell from the hole in her back onto the ground with a light 'chink'. Skin reformed itself over the empty space and within seconds, not even a scar remained.
"How…?" Koro-sensei's confused voice echoed in her ears.
"Is that really important?" Kagome snapped as she stood to her feet. She leaned over and glanced down at her shirt that was lying in a pool of her own blood. Great, another one bit the dust. Her guardian was going to flip when he realized that she'd destroyed another uniform. She really ought to start charging these assassins for the damaged clothing if they were just going to screw up their missions anyways.
It'd taken a total of two minutes for her teacher to have corralled the perpetrators of her attack and weasel out information from them.
"Is that all? Is there nothing else that you're hiding?"
The men shook their heads vigorously, "No! Of course not!"
"Very well then." She watched as he knocked them out gently.
Everything they spilled she'd already known. It wasn't any secret that that person was the one after her. Although going by their testimonies, he never once showed his hand to the men he hired. How cute. Hiding his identity like the snake he was. She rubbed her hand against the back of her head. Seriously, did she need to stock up on an endless supply of clothing just to avoid ending up this way? Or were the people sent to kill her secretly perverts? She was starting to believe the latter given the circumstances.
"I'm surprised you never said anything about this." Koro-sensei started as he draped a blanket over her shoulders.
The teen shrugged once more, "It's not exactly something you bring up in casual conversation." She shot her teacher a sharp glare. "Just showing up one day and announcing that I'm invincible against physical attacks isn't exactly something normal people do you know." She shot at him, digging at the fact that was nearly the exact thing he'd done when he first showed up in their classroom all those months ago. The mutated human laughed.
"It made quite the memory, did it not?"
She threw a deadpan expression at him, "I'm going home."
Koro-sensei's laughter subsided as his more somber tone returned to him, "You shouldn't be fighting alone like this Higurashi. Even if you are considered invincible, there are things even you can't handle." He placed a tentacle on her head reassuringly, "You can always count on us to help you."
A light blush dusted the girl's cheeks. That was the first and only time anyone had ever accepted her 'gift'. Then again, Koro-sensei was not in any position to judge her for her abilities either. He was even more 'immortal' than herself. She snorted, turned on the ball of her heel, then proceeded down the sloping path of the mountain towards her shrine. Even if she didn't want to say it, she was glad that it'd been him who found out. A tiny smile tugged at her lips. She could handle that.
Kagome sifted through the paperwork she'd been given earlier in the day. So her teacher wanted a ten page paper by the end of the week? Well she didn't think she'd be able to write that much but she'd definitely give the assignment a try. She flipped open the cover page. The title reflected in simple, black Times New Roman lettering.
Reality of Eternal Youth and other Myths
A tick appeared above her eyebrow. Seriously? Urban legends was her teacher's assignment? Just as the teen was about to launch the report out of her bedroom window into the stillness of the night, she caught sight of a name written beneath the title. Pulling it closer, she glanced over the lettering once more.
As written by Dr. Akubyou….
The words blurred together as she threw it clear across the room. There was no way. There was no fucking way! Her teeth gnashed together as she fought the urge to tear the papers to tiny shreds. Memories of a thick hand holding tightly to her neck surfaced to the forefront of her mind. The sensation of her airways being cut off and the burning pain of the man's nails digging into the flesh of her throat flashed before her. She threw her hands up and covered her eyes.
"No. No!" She shook her head violently, knocking into the desk she'd just been sitting at. Her lamp wobbled before falling from its perch and shattering its bulb on the carpeted floor. Glass shards embedded themselves deep within the soft flooring. She stepped back, accidentally piercing the back of her foot with one of the broken shards. She paid no mind to the pain.
This was the one memory that haunted her. The one death that would forever stay within the confines of her mind— occasionally bringing up the fear and terror of what it's like to be murdered in cold blood for the first time. The teen's body shook as her breath came in ragged pants. She never wanted to be someone's experiment but that night she had no other option. She'd been held down, choked and worse still. It'd happened just after the car wreck. No one could figure out how she survived, especially without any injuries. So her 'doctor' took it upon himself to figure out just how far her power actually went without her consent. By some saving grace her 'guardian' came in at just the right moment after she'd 'regenerated' before the next round of trials were to start. The normally stoic man had whisked her away and banned the one responsible from ever having contact with her again. It'd been clear that he was aware that something was horribly wrong, although Kagome had to wonder what his reaction might be if he ever found out the events that really occurred in that hospital basement. He only believed that the man was refusing to turn her over to his guardianship, he didn't know how far the monster masquerading as a man actually went.
Although temporarily thwarted, that didn't stop the crazed doctor from sending his goons.
Filthy bastard. One day she'd have her revenge but for now, she'd settle on taunting him. She'd send every one of his men back in one piece with the knowledge that she'd had the power to kill them, but didn't. She wanted them to know that she'd purposely spared them. Not for the sake of avoiding the path of a killer, but because she knew the thought of being spared by a monster would hurt more than being killed by one. At least if one of them were killed then they'd become a martyr. She had no need for martyrs.
The doorbell rang, forcing the girl to withdraw from her reverie. The trembling calmed as she regained her composure. It was alright. She was here. The doctor couldn't touch her like this. Even if he tried, she wouldn't die. That thought was terrifying in itself. Unsettled, Kagome left her room and padded down the empty stairway towards the foyer. In her wake she left a small trail of blood from her heel.
"It's me." A masculine voice called out from the other side of the closed door.
Her expression darkened as she cracked it opened just enough to see her visitor.
"What?" She asked the guest rudely. Black brows knitted into a frown as the male on her doorstep held a bag towards her.
"You left these last night." He passed the object into her waiting hands. "Seriously, you've got to stop doing that."
Kagome peered inside to find a small handful of her textbooks. She gave the other teen a dark glare, "You stalker."
"In your dreams." He shot back, "It's not my fault you forget things easily." He threw her a meaningful stare.
The young woman shrugged, "Yeah? You know I was just going to drop by again later tonight anyways. Why bother with the return?"
It was his turn to give her a deadpan expression, "Are you an idiot? Wait don't answer that. You're in the E-Class."
"Oh ha ha, very funny asshole." She let him through the threshold of her home as cast a mocking smirk his way, "Besides last I checked the E-Class rejects were kicking your ass."
A fine, scarlet colored brow twitched at the notion. The male said nothing further as he pressed his way forward. He stopped as he took in the crimson path leading from the stairway to his companion's foot.
"You're bleeding." He pointed out nonchalantly.
"Really?" She leaned over and tried to find the injury he spoke of. She didn't feel any pain, so what was he talking about?
An irritated tick appeared above the male's brow, "Sit down before you hurt yourself anymore than you already have."
Reluctantly, she took up a spot on top of the kitchen table. She lifted her feet as he wandered off to gather the first aide kit. Kagome stuck her tongue out as she saw the small shard of glass protruding from her heel. So that's what he was talking about. Well damn, she didn't even notice the thing.
The sound of his feet padding into kitchen drew her attention back to her guest.
"I swear, if I didn't come over and check on you all the time you'd have gotten yourself killed already."
She decided to bite her tongue and prevent herself from commenting on the unintentionally ironic statement. She felt his hands work deftly on the tiny injury. With a pair of tweezers, he quickly withdrew the glass from her foot. It didn't hurt but it was definitely uncomfortable. From there he pulled apart a package that contained a wipe medicated with rubbing alcohol. Oh fun, her favorite part. She winced at the stinging pain. Was it weird to say that the alcohol hurt worse than being stabbed? He gently placed a bandaged over the tiny puncture before disposing of all the excess trash. He washed his hands thoroughly once he was finished.
"Sincerely is there nothing that you don't cut yourself on? You're always bleeding every time I see you."
Kagome yawned as her exhaustion hit her, "A cell phone. I just decided to implant it in my brain instead though. More convenient. Plus no glass screens that can break and cut your ear."
He stopped, taking just a second to wrap his mind around the joke, before roughly messing with her hair.
"That definitely sounds like you. Who knows," His lips quirked into a smirk, "It might make you smarter."
"Oh like you're some genius sent down from the heavens." The priestess brushed away his hand.
"Oh but I am. I'm handsome, smart and better yet," He placed his hand on the table and leaned over her shoulder, the scent of his cologne overpowering her senses. She felt his lips brush against the shell of her ear, "richer than you can imagine."
"I'd call that a deadly combination. Might want to have your will signed and ready to go." She poked his forehead roughly, leaving a dark red mark at the center. "All those ladies are just dying to rope you into their beds so they can bleed all the money out of your wallet. Once they're done with that, they'll drain you of your soul and leave you an empty shell of the being you once were."
The teen's smirk grew wider, "That's what you call a gold digger."
"So what does that make you?"
He paused, leaning back to give her more room, "I thought you knew already?"
Kagome lifted her uninjured foot and pushed on his stomach, forcing him to back away further.
"Nope and I don't want to know."
"I'm perfection." He picked up her book before dropping it onto her lap, "Now crack that open and start learning. The less stupid I can make you, the more likely you'll be to return to the ranks of the amazing such as myself."
Kagome opened the book, flipped the pages towards him, before throwing it as hard as she could at his face.
"Oh shut up. You're so damn full of it Gakushu."
The Asano heir shrugged as he dodged the flying object. It slapped against the wall before falling with a heavy 'thud' onto the tiled flooring.
"Like I was ever any other way." He pointed towards the book, "Oh and you'll be picking that up. I've done my fair share of cleaning today after patching up that limb you call a foot."
She threw her pen at him this time. Leave it to him to cheer her up right when she needed it. A small smile spread across her lips. She wouldn't think about the doctor or her teacher right now. There were other more important things that needed tending to. The pair gathered in the living room, textbooks open and candid conversations passing between them. This was how she wanted to spend her life. Being with the people she cared about the most, not dodging the bullets of strangers. Dusk bled to night. This was the reality she'd always wanted.
"Forgive me sir, she escaped."
A figure sat stone-faced at the head of his conference table.
"Were there any casualties?"
"No…" The first male trailed off. His face was still bruised and one eye was swollen shut. His fingers twitched at his side. She should've just killed him. Death was better than dealing with this bastard. The man caused shivers of fear to run up and down his skin every time he was close to him. How could one person be so off putting?
"So she spared your unit? How interesting." Although the words were meant to convey a vague sense of intrigue with the situation, his supervisor's voice did not match the enthusiasm one would expect for such a response.
"With all due respect," The combat leader started, "How did you expect us to bring her in? You knew well in advance that she's not a target that can be killed." His heart was racing in his chest. Fear gripped at him fiercely. This was the reality he knew to be true. This person had sent them in blind to the full scale of their operation. All they knew was that she was in the possession of a dangerous weapon, they hadn't realized that she was said dangerous weapon until it was too late.
The eccentric man's painted lips quirked upwards, "How indeed." The screen behind them flickered to life. Images of the previous night's 'battle' was displayed in all of its dishonorable glory. The leader's face grew ashen. He should've know that the prick had something like this up his sleeve.
"You see," The man's voice was light and full of the joyous optimism one would expect from a child; the stony façade from before melting away completely, "I never thought you could." Blue-brushed eyes closed as the eccentric male grinned over at him. "Your mission was never about bringing her in. It was about judging her regenerative capabilities."
"You son of a bitch!" The leader snarled as he stepped closer to the man who'd hired him. "You sent us in there with the intention to kill us!"
"Of course." The feminine man perked up. He crossed his legs underneath himself as he leaned to and fro in his seat like a child. "I wouldn't have been able to get any of you to go after her if you'd known about who or what she was."
His fists clenched at his side. He wanted to hit him. He wanted to strike out against the twisted being that nearly sent them to their doom but there was one thing that was holding him back. She could've killed them, yet she didn't. She knew they were coming but didn't strike back. It was only after he'd shot her that she attacked him even then she made sure not to seriously injure him. All of his wounds were superficial. The bastard had done this before and she simply used them to make a statement. Fucking hell.
"I expect payment by tomorrow morning. Any other duties you wanted fulfilled in our contract are void. By omission you invalidated what you hired us for." The leader turned his back as he made his way to the pair of double doors that led to the waiting room. "Have I made myself clear?"
"Perfectly so, Murata-san." The male leaned forward, his hands gripping his ankles as a dark smirk spread across his rouge-painted lips. "Don't forget to tell Asahiko-chan that I'll see her Tuesday for her appointment."
Murata Katsuro paused in his step for just a moment. He grasped the handle of the door before leaving. Damn that bastard. The door clicked in place behind him.
The solitary male in the conference room began to hum to himself. Things were definitely starting to get interesting. He briefly wondered how long he'd have before she'd chase him down herself. The man perked up at the idea. Now that would be fun! It was always boring sending someone else to do his job, alas certain people were aware of his presence so he could no longer approach the way he once was able. His phone chimed loudly from his pocket.
"Oh, it's that time again. Ueda-san's appointment is soon, better get dressed." He stood from his seat and dusted off his pants. He was definitely tired from watching the previous nights events unfold 'live' however he wasn't going to complain. He'd gotten quite a bit of information on the amount of time in between regenerations that her body could handle. Besides, a little exhaustion was nothing that a good old-fashioned cup of coffee couldn't fix. He hummed to himself as he slipped on his white doctor's coat and tucked an inconspicuous manila folder beneath his arm. Now, onto his day job. Saving lives was just the precursor to his day—it was the nightly screams of his patients in 'the trials' that really drove him on. Soon, he'd have the best specimen yet. A young girl supposedly incapable of dying. His fingers twitched. How fun! He couldn't wait.
Gakushu sighed as he tried to gather up his items. It was well beyond curfew. If he hurried back then he could probably slip back into his room unnoticed by his father. A heavy weight prevented his arm from moving as he reached out to grab the last of his notebooks. Tilting his head over he fought the urge to smile at Kagome's sleeping form. She'd passed out over an hour ago in the middle of one of his 'lessons'. Of course he'd been irritated but the dark bags beneath her eyes told him not to push the subject and allowed her to get her rest. So in the mean time he simply continued to work on his own homework and crafted a study guide specifically tailored to her strengths and weaknesses.
"Seriously, you've got to stop doing this to yourself." The young man said to no one in particular. In the ten years he'd known her, she'd always push herself far too hard. She'd take herself to the brink of exhaustion before collapsing in a heap upon his lap. She'd always been a strange one like that. Not that he was complaining either. It was rare that they got to see each other lately. With her ejection from the main campus to E-Class, his father had gotten strict on what times they could see one another. Not only that but their interactions were to be education related only. His father had no desire to have his son dating what would be called an 'educational failure' as he'd so kindly put it. Pale lips pulled into a frown. It wasn't like she had much of a choice either.
Six months ago she had almost died. Going through an experience like that was certain to do things to a person's mental state. Her grades slipping and new snarky attitude were thankfully the only changes that'd occurred. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other he hooked under her knees. Gakushu stood, picking up his companion bridal style. Her head leaned to the side against his shoulder. With each breath she took a puff of warm air would brush across the exposed flesh of his neck. Violet eyes softened.
He was alive because of her. That day, when the car was careening towards them, he'd froze. He just stared at the headlights gunning right for them. One second he'd been standing still, the next, he was on the ground and she was in a pool of her own blood. It'd been by some damn miracle that she hadn't died that night. The driver had been drunk and wasn't paying attention. Tried to flee the scene afterwards. When everything was said and done the perpetrator had gotten a light sentence of only a couple of months, his license permanently stripped away and two years community service.
His grip on her tightened as he made his way up the empty staircase. The shadows of night crept through the home. Only the light from the living room spilled in the tiny corridor leading to the second landing. The upstairs remained drenched in darkness. She'd forgotten to turn on her light before she'd came down to greet him.
Gakushu shifted Kagome in his grip, freeing one hand, he quickly twisted the knob on her door and popped it open. Her window was open, but no light was coming through. Leaning over, he used his shoulder to flip the switch on. The young man's expression dropped as he noticed the broken glass and report lying on her carpet. Great, yet another thing he'd need to pick up lest she step on it again in the morning and make herself bleed once more. It took a total of fifteen minutes to get everything cleaned out of the carpet. Once everything was swept away, he picked up the report lying in a disorganized mess and gently put the papers back the way they were supposed to before setting it on her desk.
The young teen stopped as he took note of the author's name.
Akubyou Jakotsu
His fists clenched at his sides. That dirty bastard.
He watched in horror as his father rolled Kagome out of the hospital. She was slouched in her wheelchair, no evidence of any bruising or cuts on her body. However it wasn't the lack of injuries on her form that disturbed him, it was the look of sheer terror in her eyes.
"What happened!" He cried out, running to catch up to his sire.
"The situation has already been handled." Came the stoic reply. The man brushed past him towards their awaiting car and designated driver. The uniformed employee opened the door and aided his supervisor in lifting the distraught girl into the vehicle.
Kagome's hands shook violently. She covered her head as her breathing came in harsh pants.
"Cold. So cold. Dark too."
She shut her eyes and shook her head, "So noisy. Screaming."
The door was shut, blocking her from view.
"I want answers damn it!" Gakushu snarled, approaching his father. "What the fuck happened in there!"
Asano Gakuhou spared his child only a blistering glance. Without a word he got in the other seat and directed his driver to leave; giving his son no response on the matter. The teen's fists clenched at his sides. Something was wrong. Cold? Dark? Noisy? That wasn't like Kagome. Something happened to her while she was there and he was determined to find out what.
And find out he did. With a little bit of help, Gakushu managed to uncover the doctor responsible for her 'care' in that facility: Akubyou Jakotsu. He was world renown for his ability to save his patients' lives on the brink of death. However there was also a dark side to the rumors. After giving his private investigator a bit more incentive, the man managed to discover that there were suspicions of the doctor being involved in illegal human experimentations. The details of the experiments were never disclosed to him.
Judging by the reaction that night, he fully believed those rumors. If there was one thing he was grateful to his father for, then it was establishing the protection order against him for Kagome's sake. He took the report and flipped through it. Most of the subject matter was arbitrary at best. Speculations and useless theories that held no bearing on reality. It wasn't until he reached the last couple of chapters that things began to turn interesting.
If given the opportunity, how many would choose to become impervious to physical attacks such as stabbings, shootings and even being struck by vehicles? Likely a good portion of the populace. Now what if I said that someone already existed with these nearly supernatural attributes? Would I be laughed off of the stage at the mere absurdity of it all? Most likely. But allow me to take you down the path of curiosity and explain what I mean.
A girl was brought to my attention many months ago. For the sake of her identity I shall dub her as Subject 726. Now Subject 726 was for all purposes already considered a 'miracle survivor'. She was brought in due to injuries received during a serious car wreck. However by the time I saw to her there were no injuries to be seen. Blood covered her shirt and remnants of where she was struck remained on her clothing but there were no wounds. She experienced symptoms of confusion and amnesia. She hadn't realized that she'd been hit at all.
According to witness testimony she took a direct hit from the front of the car and wound up under its tires. The likelihood of her not sustaining fractured ribs or punctured internal organs from the weight of the car rolling over her are extraordinarily low. Still, it was as if she never was struck in the first place. Admittedly I was curious about Subject 726.
A few tests were done and all of her blood work came up normal. There was nothing about the results that would have explained her incredible regenerative abilities. I kept her for three days to perform as many tests as possible to see if there was anything that could explain her abilities. Alas, I found nothing out of the ordinary.
After the three day period she was released to her guardian and I'd never seen her since. But that begs the question, how many people are capable of such miracles that are covertly living their lives amongst the masses? Myths are just that—a myth. But every once in a while a kernel of truth will show itself and it's our responsibility to investigate that kernel and discover the next generation of scientific advancement.
Gakushu stopped reading. A sickening twist in his stomach began to form. Tests he had said. Regenerative abilities? He glanced over at his companion sleeping soundly from her bed. He reached over and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. It was clear that the man was psychotic at best. In recent years the only thing that kept him from be ostracized by the scientific community was the fact that the results of his practice spoke for themselves. Scientific Advancement. He hated that phrase. He also hated the implication of what that meant for Kagome.
He wasn't a fool. He'd seen some of the injuries that she obtained during the wreck. There'd been so much blood that it covered his hands and the front of his shirt. He honestly thought that he'd lost her that day. So when he saw her later without so much as a scar, he was happy. The feeling of her lying limp in his arms was nothing more than a mere nightmare; one that he could run from. But that wasn't exactly true. Where one nightmare had ended another began.
"Good night." He said to her sleeping form. The young man collected the rest of his items before leaving the house. If given the chance, he'd redo that day all over again. Gakushu flipped the lights off and closed the door behind him. He locked everything up before climbing the never-ending flight of stairs back to civilization.
He didn't quite believe the doctor's ramblings about regenerative abilities and myths, but he did know one thing. Kagome being alive was a miracle in and of itself. For that, he was grateful.
Kagome glared up at the ceiling of the old E-Class building. The sound of pencils scratching away on paper filled her ears. Like Karma, she'd managed to finish her test within only a matter a minutes. Thanks to Gakushu's tutoring her grades were slowly starting to climb but that didn't mean that she was out of the woods yet. Azure eyes casually tilted to the side. The light shimmer of a sniper's gun reflected from a distance. Interesting, were they going to shoot her in front of all her classmates? A ballsy move but a dangerous one all the same. Stretching her arms up high, she gave off a loud yawn. Several of her peers perked their heads up and turned towards her. The shimmer died away as the sniper lowered his gun. Good, now she needed to provide a distraction.
"Hey Koro-sensei," The young priestess began as she balanced her pencil on her upper lip, "Would you mind showing us a demonstration? I don't quite get question four." It was a total lie of course, but their teacher wasn't one to fold at such a request.
"Of course!" The octopus perked up as the rest of the class turned their attention towards him. A sly smirk spread across her lips. Now the sniper didn't have a clear shot. He'd be foolish to pull the trigger. Anyone willing to do that would then have to face Koro-sensei's wrath. The bullet wouldn't reach the window before he'd take them down. That was one good thing about having a biologically mutated human as a teacher—he was one hell of a deterrent for her pursuers.
The rest of the class went off without a hitch. As her peers began to file out of the classroom, a familiar face approached her. She leaned against her desk as she glanced over at his form curiously.
"Can I help you with something?"
Karma shoved his hands into his pockets; his usual smirk noticeably absent from his expression. "That sniper was aiming for you." It was a statement and not a question. "I want to know why." Ah, as blunt as ever. He was definitely a sharp one but would trusting him be a good idea in the first place? Given the boy's personality and temperament, she was leaning towards the negative.
"What do you mean?" Kagome tried to play innocent. The likelihood of the ruse working against him was slim to none, but agitating him would be fun nonetheless. As expected the teen's scarlet brows furrowed into a deep crevice. He took a step closer.
"You caused a distraction to prevent the sniper from getting a good shot. You would only do that if you were aware that you were the target in the first place." By now his normally playful but demented demeanor had fully dissipated. In its wake was the sharpness only a viper could replicate. "I want to know why you were targeted."
Kagome smirked, "Why indeed." Picking up her bag, she casually slung it over her shoulder. "But that's not really any of your business, now is it?"
The dark-haired teen left an irritated classmate in her wake. It wasn't like she didn't want to tell her comrades. The truth was, she really wanted them to know. More than anything, she wanted to be able to completely be herself around them and have them put their faith in her as she did them. The reality of the matter though was that she wasn't sure if she could fully trust all of them. There were still a few classmates that she was uncertain on. Kayano being one of them. Despite her bubbly appearance, there was something dark that lurked beneath her façade. Not only that but Nagisa's unnatural calmness during his assassination attempts were something to worry about as well. He could play his part of 'normal student' well enough, but just as with Kayano, there was an element of uncertainty that she wasn't willing to give herself over to just yet. Having trusted in uncertainty before, she knew well enough than to let herself be dragged back into it.
"See you tomorrow." Kagome waved as she left the class. She'd maintain her secret for now, but soon, she'd either be forced to reveal herself to them by way of an assassination attempt, or she'd have to tell them everything from the guilt. For now, she'd continue as she always had. Azure eyes hardened as she approached the location the sniper had been at before. She'd fight them on her own, waiting for the day that she'd be able to put an end to this eternal battle.
Hazel eyes narrowed as they watched her leave. As his classmate turned the corner something fell from her pocket. Karma approached silently, reaching down he grasped the tiny object. He flipped it over, revealing an image taken many years ago. He glanced between the picture and her fading form. So that was it huh? The red head tucked the photo into his pocket. He'd ask her about it later. For now he'd turn his attention back onto the real matter at hand. He cocked his head to the side as the reflection of the sniper's gun dissipated once more. He wasn't gone yet. For the moment, he had a would-be killer to deal with. Karma cracked his knuckles as he set off into the forest. This was just another day at Kunugigoaka Junior High.
"So I take it that you'll be able to pull this off without any problems?" Jaktosu leaned on the back of his hands, smirking up at the shadowed figure before him.
"This won't be an issue at all. We've got the best men on our team." He gestured grandly to the group of fifty men in the photo displayed on the projector screen behind them. "All of them have been personally trained by myself and my colleague, I think you may remember him as Karasuma Tadaomi?"
The dark haired doctor nodded vigorously, "Ah yes, that one. He's quite handsome!" Jakotsu's smirk widened as he flashed the shadowed figure a seductive wink, "Think you could pass my number over to him?"
He received a still silence in return.
His face immediately dropped, "You government types are always so stiff!"
The man coughed into his hand awkwardly, desperately attempting to drive the conversation back to the topic at hand, "I'd ask that you refrain from referencing us as so. If word of this…" he paused to find the appropriate wording, "… mission got out, it'd be likely to cause a massive uproar."
"Yes, yes!" The doctor was laughing now. He slapped his hand onto the table where a open folder laid bare, "I understand but don't forget what I said. The octopus is only the side dish." Blue-brushed eyes winked over at him, "What I want is the girl. She's much more valuable." A shiver went down the man's spine. What exactly did that mean?
Dark eyes glanced between the two pictures, "The girl? I doubt she could possess a fraction of the power the target does." Mostly he wanted to get to the bottom of this person's unhealthy interest in a minor.
"Ah ah ah," Jakotsu tutted, "That target prefers to go by Koro-sensei. Not only that but unlike her teacher, the girl knows how to fly under the radar so to speak." He didn't believe that for a second.
"If you say so." The man stated simply, not fully believing in the doctor's words. "We'll use the bait to lure them out into the open. Once that's done, we'll separate the two from each other." That was true enough. Regardless of his suspicions regarding this new employer, he desperately needed the bounty. So if handing a girl over to him would get him that money, then he'd do it.
Their new employer nodded his head, "Yes that's good, but what will you do to keep them away? They're both monsters you know." Onyx eyes flickered with a dark mischievousness. The innocence of Jakotsu's tone was overshadowed by the bloodlust pouring from him.
The other man smirked, "Oh don't worry, we've obtained special equipment to keep the target at bay." His brows shot up as a question popped up in his mind. "As for the girl," He paused, glancing down at the picture. "Wouldn't she be more valuable alive? Using such heavy fire power against her might cause a few… unintended consequences, if you know what I mean."
Jakotsu's laughter filled the conference room, "If there's one thing you don't need to worry about, then it's that girl dying." His smirk turned devious as his eyes took on a sharp glint. "She's immortal." He did not acknowledge his contractor's surprised expression or sharp intake of breath. "But I plan on finding out how far that immortality goes." He pursed his lips and spun his pen between his thumb and forefinger, "It's as they say, everyone has a weakness. I plan on discovering which one is hers."
Only the doctor's laughter ever growing laughter echoed in from the conference room. Starting tomorrow, they'd put their plan in action. If he was lucky he'd have Subject 726 back in his lab by the end of the following day's evening. He couldn't wait!
The wind howled loudly. A door creaked noisily as it slapped against its frame repeatedly. A crimson trail glistened against the light of the moon. It dragged unevenly from the stairway to the living room. The stench of copper filled her nostrils as the sound of someone's screaming drowned out everything else. Where was she?
The taste of blood in her mouth made her recoil. She flexed her fingers only to find herself unable to. Panic began to settle in. What happened? Where was her family?
"Don't take her from me!"
Who was that crying?
"Please, if you're there…" A sob broke the plea, "If anyone can hear me, just spare her! I'd do anything!"
A pain erupted from her waist. It burned! She tried to scream but no noise would come out. She tried to thrash against it but her limbs wouldn't move. Fire, it was like a fire! Had someone set her ablaze?
A blinding light engulfed her vision. She hated this. She hated all of it! It hurt! It hurt so damn much! She opened her mouth once more and screamed. The futile noise fell on deaf ears. There was no one there. Everyone was gone.
Kagome awoke with a start. Her heart beat rapidly beneath her chest. Was that a nightmare? She shook her head. It had to have been. Nothing else could explain it. Her hands trembled as she glanced over at her clock. It was still early so she had time to get ready at her leisure. Throwing her arm over her eyes, the young woman allowed a breath to pass between her lips in a sigh. She was so damn tired. The temptation to stay home was overpowering. Still, hearing Koro-sensei's lecture later would drive her insane. Speaking of which, her gaze dropped to the report still on her desk. She squinted at it in disgust. So he wanted a report on her thoughts of the matter? Oh she'd give him her opinion alright, he just wouldn't like it. A small smirk spread across her lips. She wondered how he'd take it?
The doorbell rang and she felt herself fight back another sigh. She had a feeling she knew exactly who that was. Dressing herself, the young woman made her way downstairs. As she cracked the door open, a stern face stared back at her.
"Are you busy?" His tone was mocking.
"Aren't you?" She shot back, allowing her guardian into her home.
The man brushed off her insult. His eyes took in the state of the home. She pursed her lips in frustration. He always did this once a month. A 'routine check' as he had called it.
"You need to clean."
"And you need to go to work, so we're in the same boat." Kagome snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the stairway's banister. She always hated it when he came around. It was always about what she did wrong and what she could improve rather than anything that she was doing right. She was just a complete failure and fuck up in this man's eyes.
"You were thinking about skipping again, weren't you?" Violet eyes locked onto the phone in her hand. The teen's face paled, how did he always know? Sneaky bastard. Did he have some sort of recording device stashed away in her bedroom? She shuddered, now that was just creepy.
"Not at all." She lied through her teeth.
He wasn't convinced. Instead the rust-haired man took a seat at the head of her table. She followed suit and sat at the opposite end.
"If you're going to skip then allow us to discuss your grades and what your future holds." He threaded his fingers together and pinned her with a withering stare.
"Oh goody, just what I need."
"Glad you see my point." He pushed a folder in her direction, "Now then, let's get started."
Kagome rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.
Okuda waved off her friends as they parted their ways. It'd been a fairly odd day. Karma had been in a pretty foul mood since he left the class earlier and Kagome had been acting strangely. The young girl tapped an index finger to her lips. Those two rarely interacted. In fact, Kagome hardly interacted with anyone in the first place. The teen fought the urge to sigh. It wasn't from a lack of trying. Regardless of who was talking to her, the girl always seemed to have some kind of ice shell around her. She wouldn't let anyone in. Even Koro-sensei was having trouble getting her to open up.
Her bag weighed down her hand, so she used her free one to help carry it. At first Okuda just believed that the other girl was shy but as time went on, she still continued to maintain her distance from the others. The only person she'd ever seemed interested in being around was the chairman's son. Of course there were always rumors of the two being in a closed relationship but she wasn't sure whether or not she believed them. The whole situation was strange in and of itself. It was as if Kagome was just some sort of phantom that only showed up and went to class. She rarely participated in assassination attempts and kept out of their personal lives as much as possible. Such an odd person. Still, that didn't stop her from wanting to be friends.
Okuda had seen it once—the glint of a longing in the other girl's eyes. She wanted friends, but perhaps she just didn't know how to make them? The dark haired girl smiled to herself. Well she'd just have to enlist Nakamura and Kayano to help her with this one. If anyone could get someone out of their shell, then it'd be those two.
A light shined in her eyes.
"What's that?" She asked no one in particular. She squinted but just as the image came into focus, everything went black. Fear gripped at her heart as a hand clamped around her mouth and covered her nose. The smell of chemicals filled her nostrils. She was being kidnapped! She tried to scream but to no avail. Her body went limp as she felt herself be carried off. The only thought on her mind before she lost consciousness completely was a single world.
Why?
Koro-sensei paused mid-flight as the scent of male body odor and gunpowder filtered into his nostrils. He'd managed to get half way towards the Higurashi shrine before being interrupted by missile fire and a jet fighter. The octopus-like creature sighed to himself. If there were assassins hanging around on this side of the mountain then that means that Higurashi had been targeted—again. Well that answered his question as to why she had chosen to stay home for the day. It's likely the continuous attacks were starting to wear down on her. The teacher hummed to himself thoughtfully as he tried to come up with a plan. The longer these attacked dragged on, the less interested she'd become in his class. It wasn't so much her not coming to school that bothered him but the lack of interest she had in her own future. On her last evaluation she hadn't written anything on what she wanted to do for a living.
White eyes narrowed as he contemplated his next course of action. He didn't like the thought of her being another person's target. As a teacher, he should be the only one with the bull's-eye painted on his back. Not only that but her only concern at this moment should be her grades and killing him. That was it.
"This needs to stop." He said to no one in particular.
The altered being blinked as he stopped above the all too familiar shrine. Strange, the chairman's car was parked outside. He peered down to find the man leaving through the front door. The chairman straightened his tie and collar before throwing the girl a guarded glance. He quickly took cover amongst the boughs of the trees and listened in on their conversation.
"I take it you'll see to it that those get taken care of?"
The dark haired teen shrugged, "We'll see. I'm not much of a rule follower. You know that."
Asano Gakuhou smirked, "I suppose not but I believe you received that aspect of your personality from your father. He was always the rebellious one."
Kagome stuck her tongue out at her guardian, "Not like you care."
"Of course not. Now, do please ensure that no more of your uniforms are ruined. I've spent a fortune replacing them already."
The girl's face turned a bright red in embarrassment, "It's not my fault the fabric isn't bullet proof!" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed indignantly. Well she wasn't lying at least. Although the insinuation passed over the chairman's head.
"I would ask where you come up with these things, but I don't think I want to know that answer." He tossed her a casual wave before descending the stairway. "Just fulfill those requirements. That's all I ask."
The man missed the momentary crestfallen expression that crossed her features. For just a second, the crack that hid her emotions from the world slipped.
"I'll try."
The words likely fell on deaf ears as well. She wrung her fingers behind her back as her eyes remained glued to her guardian's slowly vanishing form.
If he had brows, then Koro-sensei was certain that they'd be furrowed by now. He swiftly exited his hiding spot and appeared before the troubled student. If he was anything, then he was an educator and role model for his charges. Allowing this one to wallow in despair was simply not an option for him.
"I take it that Asano-san decided to discuss your career path with you?" He broke the silence.
She didn't pay him any mind. Instead Kagome turned her back to him and wandered towards her door.
"I'm going inside. You can stay if you like but that doesn't mean I'll answer anything."
That was good enough for him. The teacher followed after his student. Her home was a simple one. A foyer that divided the kitchen and living room with the staircase positioned directly in front of the door. He wandered further into the abode, taking in the lack of decorations. There weren't any family photos to speak of and no trinkets to indicate another person living with her. There was, however, a small handful of textbooks that did not match the ones that he'd assigned lying on her table.
Seeing where his eyes were drawn, Kagome decided to answer his unasked question.
"Those belong to a friend of mine. He left them over here yesterday." She padded quietly into the kitchen and quickly turned on the stove. She was a pretty decent cook if she did say so herself but she hardly ever wanted to put the effort into making meals anymore. All of her strength was specifically reserved for handling her enemies. The teen fought back a sigh. They'd come around today too. Thankfully her guardian's presence earlier kept them a bay. The only issue would be when Koro-sensei left. It was bound to be a long night of fighting so she needed to keep her strength up in the mean time. Damn, she was really starting to get tired of all this crap. Wasn't there something she could do to stop it entirely? The thought circled her mind. If Akubyou was the one pulling the strings then cornering him and forcing him into submission should work, in theory. However putting herself in such close range to that sadistic freak wasn't all that appealing to her.
"Let's give this a try, shall we?"
The scent of harsh chemicals filled her nose as her terror rose.
"No!" She flung her arms in front of her face but to no avail.
"Here we go!" The crazed doctor cried out joyfully, tossing the substance over her. The next thing she felt was a searing fire like molten magma. It burned! She screamed.
Kagome's body shuddered violently. She'd tried to forget about that one. How many ways had he killed her before her guardian appeared? She'd only been stuck in his grasp for three days but it had felt like an eternity. Three days and over hundred ways to die, each one progressive worse than the previous. She stared listlessly into the broth below. For someone who death holds no meaning, the pain of it always threw her through a loop. A tentacle landed on her shoulder, withdrawing the young woman from her thoughts.
"Do you want to talk?"
She stopped, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. This would be the first time she'd ever told anyone about her past. Not even Gakushu or the chairman knew exactly what happened in the hospital basement six months ago. Azure eyes landed on her teacher.
"Let me start from the beginning."
"Daydreaming about something?" Gakushu smirked, poking at her forehead playfully. Kagome quickly swatted the offending appendage away as they wandered further down the shopping district.
"Not particularly." She pulled the strap of her purse closer to herself as the object began to slip down her arm. "Besides," She flashed him a smile, "I'm already happy as I am." The bags in his arm weighed him down but he spoke nothing of it.
If Gakushu were a lesser man then he'd probably have blushed. Still, he had a reputation to uphold so refrained from showing his embarrassment.
The teen reached up and pinched his cheek, "Aw how cute, I made you blush."
He felt his face heat even more. Damn, she was on to him. How did she always get him off guard like that? Oh well, all he had to do was get her back. A confident smirk spread across the young man's lips.
"Your turn." He stated simply, placing his hand at the small of her back and leaned towards her. His warm breath ghosted over her lips before he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. "Don't dish what you can't take." Her companion pulled back, his smirk growing even wider at the wide eyed-open mouthed expression she had plastered on her face. The girl's cheeks heated up once more. Was it just her, or was it getting warm?
The couple paused as the sound of tires squealing hit their ears. She cocked her head to the side. What was that? Azure eyes widened at the sight of a beige, four door vehicle careening their way. Gakushu stood frozen next to her, his face a mask of horror and his fingers gripping the fabric of her dress tightly. Without a second thought, she pushed herself against him, throwing him out of the car's line of destruction.
Kagome felt herself be thrown several feet in the air. It had only lasted for a few seconds but the pain of hitting the ground reminded her of the reality of her situation. The teen fought back a scream as the tires of the vehicle kept moving and rolled over her rib cage. It hurt! The breath was squeezed from her lungs and she was sure some of her internal organs had been crushed as well.
People were screaming. Windows shattered. Pain, pain and more pain. She tried to breathe but nothing happened. Her body wouldn't move and her vision was going dark. Was this death?
"Kagome!" Her companion cried out. She felt his hands on her shoulder. He was trying to pull her from the wreckage.
The sound of sirens blared loudly in the distance. She was suddenly cold. Where had all the warmth gone? Wasn't it summer? Scarlet bled around her. Oh, she was bleeding out. That's why it was cold. If she was scared, she didn't feel it. How strange. Why wasn't she frightened?
"A medic! We need a medic!" Hands were gripping her but they were shaking. Was he scared? Of all people? Blood stained fingers twitched. That couldn't be right. He couldn't be afraid. He wasn't the one struck. Something hot and wet fell on her cheek. Gakushu was crying.
"Just hang in there okay?" She felt him pull her to his chest, "Just keep fighting!"
Darkness flickered at the corner of her vision. Was this death? She closed her eyes only to discover a bright, white light. No, this was different somehow. Warmth enveloped her as the pain began to subside. This wasn't death. It was a rebirth.
The next time she opened her eyes she found stark white walls staring back at her.
"Ah, you're awake." A voice interrupted any thoughts she might have had. She titled her head to the side. More white walls filled her vision along with a splash of color. The teen squinted, who was that?
The color grew more vibrant as the person approached, "Looks like your vision is still a bit off. Can you tell me your name?" She couldn't tell if the speaker was a male or female. It was an androgynous sound.
Kagome opened her mouth, "Higurashi Kagome." She was surprised at how well her voice worked. How long had she been out for?
"Good, good!" The colors began to take form as her eyes started to focus once more. In front of her stood a male dressed in a white lab coat. However beneath his lab coat was a strange array of a mismatched jacket, pants and tie. Blue clashed with red and green respectively. Did he have no fashion sense? What an odd person.
"I'm Doctor Akubyou Jakotsu, pleased to meet you Higurashi-san." The greeting seemed falsely sweet. Kagome sat up from her hospital bed.
"Where am I?"
"Kunugigaoka Regional Hospital." He smiled at her with a falseness that set her at unease. "I'll be looking after you for the next couple of days."
Her eyes hardened, "Where's my guardian? I need to speak with him." She couldn't explain the fear she felt, but something within her told her to flee—to run as far away as she could.
"Ah yes, Asano-san," The doctor tapped his chin, "You see, he's under the impression that you're in for a life saving surgery." Dark eyes narrowed at her suspiciously. "He's unaware that you're awake right now and won't be able to contact you for the next three days."
Terror filled her heart. Where was he going with this?
"Which reminds me," He grabbed the chair next to her bed and pulled it beside her. "How did you survive that wreck?" The childlike attitude from before was gone. In its place was the stony disposition of a viper. Onyx eyes narrowed into cat-like slits. "Not anyone can survive having their ribs, lungs and heart crushed the way you did. In fact," Jakotsu twirled his pen between his thumb and forefinger, "I'd almost say that it was a miracle." The word was meant to mock and she knew it.
"I don't know, but as you can see I'm just fine." Azure eyes hardened on the man claiming to be a doctor. "I demand that you release me from your care."
Cold laughter erupted from the male's rouge painted lips, "Oh dear, it seems that you misunderstood your situation." With his free hand, he roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to stare up at him. The scent of a woman's perfume overpowered her senses. "Everyone here is under my pay roll. No one would think twice about a girl who's believed to be on death's doorstep anyways." He titled her head and tightened his grip on her painfully, "You're all alone, girlie. There's no one here to hear you scream." The hand moved from her chin to her neck. "Now, let's test out how much of a miracle you really are. I'm just dying to know." His fingers wrapped themselves around her neck and she found her airways being cut off.
Kagome thrashed and fought and dug her nails into her attacker's skin to no avail. Scarlet, finger shaped trails of welts formed on the man's skin but he did not budge. She was going to die. This time it wouldn't be a car or fall from a tree, but some deranged man choking the life out of her. Damn it all to hell. Her lungs burned as she tried to breath.
"Oh?" The man paused as the bruising around her neck started to dissipate. "I think we've found ourselves quite the test subject." He snapped his fingers as two uniformed men appeared in the doorway. "Take her to the basement. I want to find out more about this ability of hers."
For three days she suffered. Over and over again she'd been killed in various but painful ways. Suffocation, drowning, having her limbs torn from her body and, worse yet, being doused in acid. Jakotsu was sincerely a twisted individual. He took pleasure in the pain she felt. He always claimed that he was doing this for the sake of science. She snorted, sure science was what made him a monster, not that he was a freak from the beginning.
The third day she tried to escape. The door to her room had been left open briefly by a new employee. So she took her chance and ran as swiftly as she could. Her little attempt was discovered pretty quickly. With burning lungs and fear filling her heart, she ran as fast as she could down the tiled and white-washed corridors. Azure eyes darted around as the hallways splintered and reconnected in a labyrinth of pathways. Which way?
The ding of an elevator caught her attention.
"Get her!" A man cried out as more footsteps echoed behind her.
"Fuck!" Kagome cursed, sliding around a final corner. The skin of her bare feet made a squealing sound as she stopped. The elevator, it was there! Smashing the button she waited impatiently as the lift slowly lowered to their level.
"Come on, you bastard!" She punched the call button.
"She's over there!"
Just as a hand was about to grab her, the doors opened and she flew into the lift. With a swift kick, she forced her pursuers out of the elevator and slammed her hand against the button to close the doors. She hit the lobby floor button and slouched against the walls. She'd made it.
Kagome collapsed onto her knees. Dark hair fell over her face as her fists clenched over the cloth of her smock. Hot tears burned down her cheeks onto the back of her hand. Why? Why had any of this happened? They'd called her a freak, a monster for surviving against such torture. The teen sobbed as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. If she was a monster then what did that make her torturers?
"Kagome?" A familiar voice inquired.
She blinked, glancing up at the shadow of a man standing over her. Tears closed off her throat as more spilled over her cheeks. Forcing her legs to stand, she launched herself at the man.
"…home…" She mumbled into the fabric of her guardian's auburn blazer, "I want… to go home…" Her arms circled the man's torso as she threw herself at him. Fingers clutched at the back of his jacket. So long as he was here, she was safe. They couldn't touch her. Kagome trembled as he placed a hand on her head. It was clear that the chairman hadn't a clue what was going on, but he knew that she was frightened.
"Alright."
She buried her face into his shirt and cried. She cried for what seemed like an eternity. Three days had felt more like ten years. She'd almost given up the hope of ever leaving. Now, here was her hope, standing in front of her and not even knowing what his presence truly meant to her.
The doors started to close as the down arrow flicked on in the elevator. She started to scream and thrash, she couldn't go back there! Not again! Asano Gakuhou quickly lifted the traumatized teen in his arms and forced the lift to open before it started its descent. He exited the source of transportation before carrying her over to the check in station.
"I need a wheelchair." He demanded simply. If the nurse intended to argue, the man's intense stare kept her from doing so.
"Not again." Kagome bawled into his shoulder. "Not again!" Her voice rose a pitch. Gakuhou spoke nothing to her. Instead he gently placed her in the chair after the nurse pulled one from a back storage room. Her hand snagged his sleeve, refusing to let go. "I can't… dark… hurt…" She knew that she was speaking in riddles but she couldn't stop herself.
"Now hold on Asano-san," An androgynous voice floated smoothly over the crowd. She screamed in terror, thrashing around in her chair. "As you can see our patient has suffered a great deal of mental and emotional trauma from the wreck. She ought to be kept for a few more days until a psychiatric evaluation can take place."
Gakuhou removed her hold over his sleeve.
"That won't be necessary." Her guardian's smooth baritone replied curtly. "It's become evident that you're ill equipped to handle her appropriately." The auburn haired man wheeled her around, putting Jakotsu out of her line of sight. "I'll see to it that she gets the proper care. Your services will no longer be required."
"I can't let you do that." She felt that person's hand on her shoulder. Kagome dove to the other side, nearly throwing herself out of the wheelchair in the process. Gakuhou steadied her. He pushed Jakotsu away roughly before leading his charge away from the overly eager doctor.
"I just did." The man retorted coolly. That was the last night she ever saw Jakotsu directly, but he still made his presence known even if indirectly.
Koro-sensei didn't speak. Somehow, her past didn't surprise him. It infuriated him but it did not leave him as shocked as he thought it would. Perhaps being a experiment himself had something to do with it.
"Asano-san got a protection order the following morning. The judge he spoke to was an old friend of his from their high school days, so it wasn't hard to get one." She placed the bowl of miso in front of her teacher and then grabbed one for herself. "He still sends his goons after me pretty often. He just can't approach directly." She grabbed the pair of wooden chopsticks and broke them apart. "It's not like I can just go to a police station and say 'hey, these people have killed me over a hundred times. Mind arresting them for me?'."
He said nothing. What was there to say?
"Although to be frank," She took the first bite, "That was only when I realized that I had this power. I think it might've happened before too though."
Koro-sensei blinked, "What do you mean?"
She swallowed, "When I was ten I was out playing by the Goshinboku with Gakushu. We both dared each other to climb it but I ended up going higher than him." A small smile spread across her lips. "He was always afraid of heights when he was a kid so I kind of rubbed it in his face. Then, I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but my foot slipped and the branch I'd been holding onto snapped. I fell from the top of that tree onto the ground." Kagome closed her eyes as she took another bite. "I went unconscious but I felt that same warmth as when I die. There wasn't much blood and by the time Asano-san and his wife Hana-chan came outside, I'd already healed. They just thought I'd gotten a concussion." She laughed at little at the memory, "It was the first time I'd seen him so angry. I was honestly scared of him at that time but looking back on it now that was just his way of showing concern like any parent would. He's had a few rough years lately, but I don't think Asano-san is a bad person. I think he's just in pain."
Her teacher hummed in thought.
"So what will you do now?" The inhuman creature pressed.
She glanced up at her ceiling, "I don't know, but one thing is clear." Azure eyes hardened as she turned towards Koro-sensei, "I can't let this go on. It's only a matter of time before some else gets mixed up in it."
A tentacle fell on her head, "If you ever need help, don't be afraid to call." Kagome smiled slightly, not fighting against the small act of affection.
"Yeah, yeah I get you." She gathered up their dishes and placed them in the sink. She'd get around to cleaning everything up tomorrow. She could at least do that. The rest of her guardian's requests would be harder to fulfill though.
"Oh and Koro-sensei," The young woman started as her teacher began to make his exit. He paused momentarily, throwing a curious glance her way. "Thanks," A small smile spread across her lips, "For listening."
The trademark grin on his face grew even wider, "Of course! What kind of educator would I be if I didn't?"
She laughed at the remark, "I suppose so. See you!" Kagome waved him off. The distinct blast of wind signifying Koro-sensei's departure blew through the shrine; causing the branches of the Goshinboku to sway mightily. Despite the fight she knew she'd be in for later tonight, Kagome felt oddly rejuvenated. The teen hummed to herself. This was going to be a good night.
"Why are you doing this!" Okuda cried out. She'd only recently come to and found her hands bound together by rope and thrown upon a stench soaked blanket. The smell of body odor, fecal matter and urine penetrated the damp air around them.
"Shut up already!" One of the 'soldiers' growled. He held an open can of beer in one hand and a switchblade in the other. "Damn bitch is making a fucking racket. Can't fucking think straight with that shit going on."
"Like you think in the first place Ueda!" Another man laughed from somewhere out of her vision. Okuda bit her lip.
"Shut the fuck up asshole!" Ueda threw his knife clear across what looked like a bunker. The walls were made of metal and everything around them was dark. The lights were a dim shade of yellow and the occasional beeping of electronics resounded around them. The teen listened closely. There was a light echo, which meant that the room was likely larger than just this one section. So the bunker where they were located at was likely a large underground facility.
"Ritsu…" Okuda whispered quietly.
Her phone lit up. It was a few feet away, lying on the ground halfway on the foul smelling blanket and the rusted out flooring. Although out of her reach, she could still connect to Ristu's programming.
Her classmate flashed on the screen. The lavender haired girl held up a sign that read On it! Good, with Ritsu working on messaging the others, that left her time to observe the enemy. Her hands shook within the handcuffs as a cold sweat beaded her forehead. She'd never been in a situation like this before. Why had she been taken? Was she just being used as a bait to lure out Koro-sensei? Okuda's stomach twisted painfully. The thought left her sick.
"Hey kid," A bulky man started. She nearly jumped out of her skin from the suddenness of his approach. "You're handling this pretty well." The smell of alcohol oozed from his breath and the man's hazel eyes were glazed over. He was drunk. Thick tattoos were scrawled around his exposed arms, the names and dates of people and events she didn't know were marked there.
"Because I know you need me alive." Okuda retorted quickly. Her voice sounded more confident than she felt.
The man blinked. Raucous laughter erupted from his wind-chapped lips, "Look at you!" He slapped a heavy hand on her back. The force caused her glasses to slip and fall to the bridge of her nose. "We've got a live one here!" The small crowd that had gathered cheered noisily.
Okuda wanted to hide in a hole. What was that supposed to mean?
"Listen here kiddo," He pulled out a long hunting knife and pressed it into the soft flesh of her neck. "Just because we need you alive doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun." His eyes dropped to her blouse. "What do you say?"
She fought back a scream. He moved his knife down to cut off the first button of her blouse. The second the tip touched the cloth, the lights around them went out.
"What the fuck?"
Before her would-be attacker could put together what happened, chaos erupted.
Azure eyes blinked. Dusk had yet to settle but still, something was bothering her. Kagome glanced down at her phone. There weren't any messages from Gakushu or her guardian so it wasn't as if she'd forgotten anything. The familiar coil of anxiousness began to rise within her stomach. Something was wrong. She could just feel it.
Her phone lit up.
Glancing down at the object the phrase 'unknown number' flashed across the screen. Well fuck, there went her night. The dark haired teen flipped it open.
"To what do I owe the honor?"
"I believe that I have something that you want." An androgynous voice started on the other end. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She knew that voice.
"Jakotsu…" Kagome growled.
"That's Doctor Akubyou to you, girlie." The male teased on the other end with the maturity of a child. "Besides, don't you want to hear what I've got planned? It's quite entertaining!"
The priestess leaned against her kitchen's counter, "Bullshit. The only things you know how to do is inflict pain on others and take pleasure in the fact that you're the fucking cause!" Her tone rose a pitch higher than she wanted. Damn it, now he had the upper hand in this conversation. She didn't like this. Not one fucking bit. It wasn't like him to up and call her out of the blue. He had something nasty planned for her and she wasn't too keen on finding out what it was.
"Oh dear, it seems as if you're onto me." He replied in a singsong voice. "Although there is one thing I've always wanted to know about you." She didn't like the way his tone changed. "You couldn't care less when it's your life on the line, but how would you handle a threat against one of your peers?"
Kagome's heart stopped, "What?"
She could practically hear his rouge-painted lips pull into a smirk through the line. "Oh yes, girlie. We have one of your classmates. Such a cute little thing with those glasses and braided pigtailed. Do you think she'll last anywhere near as long as you did the first round?" She couldn't breathe as fear gripped her heart. "Probably not, after all you are the monster."
"You twisted son of a bitch!" Kagome grabbed one of the plates closest to her and chucked it across the room. The sound of the dish shattering reverberated through the phone piece.
"Oh, so I did make you mad. How fun! Let's put this to an end shall we?" Kagome gnashed her teeth as the doctor continued, "You show up at the dedicated place and I'll set your little friend free. Sound like a deal?"
"How do I even know you've got her?" Kagome retorted, attempting to reign in her fury. She couldn't go running in blind. She needed assurance that she wasn't running head first into a trap.
"Oh you'll have your proof when the email gets to you." Jakotsu paused as someone whispered something to him on the other line. "Ah yes, check your mail now. Everything should be there."
Out of curiosity, she went to the living room's computer and brought up the email account. The top line in bright blue lettering was an email from an account titled Monster. There was no subject line. She opened it.
Within was a set of coordinates and a photo. Okuda was there, bound and passed out on some sort of cheap blanket. Fuck, she couldn't make out any other details from the image!
"You kill her and I'll make sure you'll never see the light of day again. Got that?" Kagome warned darkly.
"Of course. Now then, shall we get this party started?" The line clicked and she was left to deal with the aftermath. The young woman took a deep breath. Okuda had been kidnapped. Since Ristu had downloaded herself into each of their phones, she's likely already sent the SOS signal to the others. She glanced at her own phone. Should she call someone? She took a deep breath as she pulled up a familiar contact. It was a bit of a shot in the dark, but she felt that it was better than nothing. The tone dialed out. After the third ring she got an answer.
"Asano speaking." The male greeted.
"We need to talk." Kagome answered. He may not be Koro-sensei, but he was someone she could rely on. "Although I'll need to make this quick. A life is at stake." She received a shocked silence through the rest of the call. If everything was going to end tonight then she wanted him to know the truth—about herself and her abilities. After all, that's what relationships were about right?
Karma growled in frustration as he kicked at a metal pole sticking up from the ground. It no longer served any useful purpose so his kicking it wouldn't do much harm. He shoved his hands in his pockets before grumbling to himself. Higurashi was hiding something and he didn't like it—not one bit. That sniper earlier wasn't after Koro-sensei, it'd been after her. Not only that but she wasn't even the least bit bothered by the fact. Even after kicking the bastard's ass they hadn't let up on who was after her or why. He wasn't an idiot. He knew something was wrong. Higurashi wasn't normal but did that really matter in the E-Class? No one was normal in their class. So why was she so damn determined to keep her secret hidden from everyone? It'd only be a matter of time before it bit them all in the ass. Especially if she had snipers gunning for her head in the middle of the class period.
The male glanced at the picture again. It was a key that was for damn certain but what exactly did it mean? He was tempted to make a phone call and find out first hand.
Just as he grasped the object, his phone vibrated and Ritsu appeared on his screen.
"An emergency situation is in progress." Her voice was monotonous as she displayed a location through their GPS, "Okuda Manami has been kidnapped. She's being held in an abandoned research facility underground. It's currently owned by an Akubyou Jakotsu. Up to fifty men are believed to be guarding her." The image on the screen flickered as pictures of the building rotated through, "All are thought to be armed and extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution."
"Damn it!" Karma cursed. This was exactly what he was talking about! Flipping open his phone, he put out a few calls. By the end of this ordeal someone would be ruing the day they'd ever laid eyes on Okuda. Hazel eyes narrowed. This was going to be one hell of a night.
Kagome took a deep breath. The stillness of fall was already starting to set in with its golden leaves and cool air. Azure eyes narrowed as she took in her surroundings. This was the place. A small man-sized door protruded from an outcropping in the ground. It was made of steel and the padlock was left open and hanging loosely from the metal slat.
"Guess this is how they welcome guests." The teen stated simply. She tugged on her uniform. The thick fabric of the outfit was something she wasn't quite used to. Unlike her school uniform, this one had been specifically designed by Karasuma-sensei with the intent of using them to kill Koro-sensei. Their main function was to prevent harm from befalling them when in the field. The risk of other assassins missing their target and hitting them was extraordinarily high. So she figured that using this would be her best bet at getting through the goons as quickly as possible. The likelihood of this whole kidnapping being used as a trap was also high as well. Still, if she could just outthink her enemy and predict his movements, then she'd be fine. All she need to do was get in, get Okuda then get her out safely.
"Right." She slapped her hands on her cheeks to gear herself up. She pulled the padlock off the slat and pushed the metal bar back. It creaked in protest. With a swift kick, the door was flung open. A long, darkened stairway revealed itself to her. She quickly flew down the steps. It was time to kick some ass.
The first level was fairly empty. The teen crept across the flooring, ensuring to make as little noise as possible. It was plausible that her enemies already knew of her presence but that didn't stop her from trying to be covert. She stopped as the tell tale sound of males jeering and hollering echoed from a dimly lit passageway. There was her ticket.
Kagome plastered herself against the wall and crouched. As swiftly as she could she rushed down the corridor, watching for any enemies. A man in combat uniform appeared around the corner. His eyes were dazed and the stench of alcohol emanated from his form. Good, he was inebriated which would make taking him down even easier. Using the shadows to her advantage, the young woman repositioned herself behind the male.
He stopped in his tracks, taking a swig from the beer can held loosely in his hand. He was fucking bored. Wasn't there supposed to have been some kind of action by now? Shouldn't there have been an intruder? Hell even a fly would be more entertaining to watch than his comrades in the other room.
"Screw this shit." He complained, tossing the empty can down the hallway. Kagome narrowly ducked to avoid being hit by the litter. Silently, she snuck up on her enemy.
"What the fuck!" The man cried out as he felt hands wrap around his neck and legs circle his torso. He didn't have much time to comprehend what was going on before everything went dark.
The teen jumped off the male's back.
"Well that's that." She dusted off her hands. Now, where was the control room? Glancing up she noticed a small ray of light peeking out from one of the sealed off doors. She plastered her back against the wall beside it. Pressing her ear against the solid surface, she listened for any noise that would indicate a person's presence within.
"…. How much longer…?" The voices were muffled.
"…patient… soon…" Dark brows furrowed as she pressed her ear further into the wall. Damn, she couldn't hear enough! The conversation seemed to cease as an alarm inside the room went off. Taking her chance, she darted down the rest of the corridor. That signal was likely the rest of her class approaching. News of Okuda's kidnapping would travel fast, especially with Ritsu at the helm of their communication.
As expected the lavender haired girl appeared on her screen.
"Head to the furthest room at the end of the hall. Okuda is located there." Kagome heeded the Artificial Intelligence program. The noise grew louder as she approached.
"How many enemies am I looking at here?" The dark haired teen inquired as she peered into the room. So far only three were visible but she knew that there was more to be found.
"There are approximately four in the vicinity. Three are in the room with Okuda. One is next to her and the other two are guarding the front entrance." The image on her phone changed to reveal a schematic of the facility. "Two feet to your left will be a panel. It's the breaker box. You can trip the breaker and shut out the lights to give yourself and advantage. The last one is wandering the floor hallways. He is now in the northern most section of this corridor. You have approximately two minutes before you will be spotted."
The teen nodded, "Thanks Ritsu. Keep the others up to date. I don't want any crossfire accidents."
The program flashed her a bright smile, "Of course!"
She opened the panel as described. Wires and switches spilled forward in a confusing array of colors. Which one? She withdrew her state issued knife. Well if she didn't know which to use then she'd just cut them all. With a quick slash, the lights went out.
"What the fuck is that!" A man roared from inside the room. Good, now the advantage was hers to take. She slipped inside silently. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness fairly quickly. She could see Okuda cowering in the corner with a large, muscular man crouched beside her. She chose to take out the male closest to herself first. The fewer people there were in her way, the better.
"Oh shit!" The man cried out as she jumped on his back. As with before, she pinched the nerve in his neck, rendering him unconscious. His body fell to the floor limply.
"Saitou!" His companion tried to reach for him in the darkness. "What the hell's happening!" The man received his answer by the way of a pinched nerve. He too collapsed in a heap on the ground.
All that was left was the ox guarding her comrade.
"I know you're there." The man growled. He withdrew his hunting knife away from Okuda's exposed neck. "Come on out before I slice this kid to bits."
Azure eyes narrowed as the glint of the knife reflected against the wall mirror. He was armed. Not good. She didn't give a damn about the injuries that she'd receive in the fight. She could recover at a moment's notice. The issue would be if he followed up on his threat and harmed Okuda as well. Her comrade wouldn't fair anywhere near as well as herself.
Kagome stood from her hiding spot.
"Come and get me, asshole." She taunted, drawing the opponent away from the hostage. Good, now things were swinging in her favor.
"Higurashi? Don't do it!" Okuda cried once she recognized the voice of her savior. "He'll kill you!"
The teen was unperturbed, "Not like I haven't died before."
Okuda's mouth hung open as the two clashed against one another. Kagome wrapped her legs around the man's arm as she used the position to leverage herself above his head. She curled her fingers into a fist and began to punch him in the face. The first hit his nose broke beneath the force. The second she felt his eye start to swell. The third hit she managed to strike his cheek.
"You bitch!" He snarled, throwing his arms wildly in an attempt to knock her off of him. She didn't budge, not even when the searing edge of his knife cut through her abdomen. It hurt like hell but she wasn't about to let him know that.
"I fucking got you!" Ueda snapped, slashing at her again. Blood spilled onto the floor but she kept punching. It was all she could do at this point. "How the fuck are you alive?"
Kagome hit him again. Only this time she leaned forward and pressed her lips against the shell of his ear, "Because I'm a monster." The teen brought her hand down on the sensitive nerve in his neck. He fell to the ground heavily. She quickly disentangled herself from his unconscious body.
"Okuda!" The young woman demanded, "We need to go!" She untied the bindings holding her comrade hostage.
Said girl jumped up, "R-Right!" She hesitated. Really, she wanted to know what just happened. She'd seen the knife go through her friend. She'd been horrified at the sight but it was as if she'd never been struck in the first place. Kagome swiftly grabbed her comrade's hand and tugged her out of the room.
"We're almost out of time. Koro-sensei and the others should be here soon but until then we have to lay low and try to sneak out as quickly as possible." She turned towards her. Azure eyes narrowed as she grasped the girl's shoulders firmly. "I need you to listen to me right now." Okuda paused waiting for her to continue. "No matter what you see, no matter what you hear or even remotely think is happening, you have to keep moving forward. That's an order. Do you understand?"
The sound of a gun going off pierced the silence of the corridor.
"Duck!" Kagome commanded, pulling her down and placing herself in front. The periodic flash of gunfire lit up the narrow space. Sweat beaded Kagome's brow. There was nowhere to run and nothing that they could hide behind. There was only one option left.
"I fucking see you!"
The gun went off again. This time the bullet pierced her shoulder. She fought against the hiss of pain that was rising at the back of her throat.
"Ha! How'd you like that? You'll be bleeding out any fucking moment now." The gun sounded off as another bullet whizzed by her head and embedding itself in the metal wall behind them.
"Kagome!" Her comrade cried in fear. Blood seeped onto the ground in a thick trail. This was not how this mission was supposed to go! She squeezed her eyes shut. She needed a distraction but what? Her phone vibrated in her hand as a message lit up the screen.
"I've got you now!"
She threw Okuda as far away from the blast zone as possible. The girl slammed into the rusted out door only to have it cave beneath her weight. It collapsed with heavy 'thud'.
"Get in there." Kagome whispered to her comrade. Okuda nodded and retreated inside the newly revealed room. Cameras were set up at all angles and she could clearly see her teacher along with the rest of their class making their way down the main entrance. They didn't have much time left.
With Okuda out of harms way she ran down the corridor as quickly as she could. The sudden attack threw her opponent off his guard.
"Shit!"
She threw her shoulder into his abdomen as hard as she could. The force of the hit threw the faceless man to the ground. The teen clamored on top and started to grab for his weapon. He pulled it out of her reach while attempting to hit her with his free hand simultaneously. Kagome shifted her legs and used her knee to hold his striking arm down.
"Fuck you bitch! I fucking shot you!"
The teen blinked, "What is it with you guys and repeating yourselves?" Her voice dipped to a dangerous level. "Haven't they told you? I don't fucking die." He screamed in terror as she took his weapon from him. She turned it onto her opponent. The barrel of the gun was cold against the skin of his forehead.
"Good night." She taunted. With a quick swing of her arm, she brought the butt of the weapon onto the man's temple. He was out within seconds. Kagome glanced down at the gun, with practiced movements she tucked it into her belt. She threw her shirt over it to keep it hidden from view. Despite her abilities she'd need something to fight with later. This night was far from over.
The sound of several feet running down the hallway echoed in her ears.
"The cavalry has arrived!" Ritsu announced cheerfully from her phone. The teen sighed. Good, the back up finally arrived. Kagome cocked her head to the side as she addressed Okuda.
"It's clear. You can come out now."
The girl poked her head outside of the hidden room. Her braids had since fallen out of their pigtails and dirt covered her uniform.
"Come on, you don't have to be scared. The others are here now." She tried to soothe her. Violet eyes blinked warily as she stepped out. Her hands shook as fear gripped at her. What in the world was going on? Why had she been targeted and why had Kagome been the first to arrive? At first she thought that it might've been Koro-sensei who the group was after but now she wasn't so sure.
"A-Are you a-alright?" Okuda stuttered through her fear.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just need a moment." The girl commented as she shredded the last strands of her sleeve from her arms. Well there went her combat uniform. Who knew that she'd put this one through the ringer as well? She briefly wondered if Karasuma-sensei would be pissed at her for destroying it.
Okuda approached. She placed her hands on the torn sleeves, glancing over the holes. Blood had stained the clothing but there was no wound to speak of.
"You were hit here." She poked at it some more.
"Yeah." Kagome nodded.
"But there's no injury." She pressed for more information.
The teen sucked in a deep breath, "Precisely. Guess you could say I'm more like Koro-sensei than anything else."
She released the other girl from her prying hold.
Kagome dove to the side as the glimmer of a knife shone through the darkness. The blade barely grazed her side as it tore at the already exposed flesh. The small wound sizzled as tendrils of light set to work on healing the injury. Azure eyes narrowed as she met the gaze of one of her classmates.
"Like Koro-sensei huh? Sounds like it's a bit more complicated than that." Karma snapped, withdrawing his blade. His eyes were drawn to Okuda's trembling form. "You okay?" The male inquired, his voice softening ever so slightly.
She nodded at him, "I'm fine! Higurashi took care of the others."
His jaw set into a straight line. What was it with that Higurashi girl? She was always brining trouble with her. Not like he had much room to talk but still, even this was a bit much by his standards.
"Mind explaining what's going on?" The red head growled as he pulled Okuda back into the fold of the rest of the class.
Kagome relaxed as she placed her hands behind her head, "Not much to tell. I just don't die."
Nagisa was the next to speak, "That's not exactly nothing."
She shrugged, "Maybe not but it's not like I can do anything about it." The teen pointed an accusatory finger at Karma. "I also don't appreciate you blaming me for this shit. You want to blame someone then find the fucker who hired these idiotic little shits and beat the fuck out of him. Got it? I'm fucking tired and I just want to go home." She tried to brush past them but only got a short way before someone had gripped her arm roughly.
"So you think it's okay to just run away? Tell us the truth damn it!" This time it was Terasaka holding onto her. Kagome sighed. She really wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight, was she? "These guys were after you weren't they? That's why you got here so fucking fast because you were the one they called threatening Okuda. Just tell us already!"
Ritsu fiddled nervously on her screen. Ah, so that's how they knew. That would also be the reason why the initial SOS signal didn't reach her phone. She'd been purposely kept out of the loop until at the moment of truth. She should've felt angry but honestly, she only felt tired. After all this time fighting and struggling, what was it really for? She glanced up at her classmates. She wanted to trust them but could she? Memories of pain and psychotic laughter filled her mind. Her fingers curled into a fist at her side.
"That's enough children." Koro-sensei began. He placed a comforting tentacle on the teenager's head. "She'll explain when she's ready but for now let's just focus on getting home." Terasaka released her arm. Kagome sighed. Honestly, she knew that this day was coming but she hadn't set aside the time to prepare for it properly. Now here they were and everyone was probably pissed off at her, and rightly too. She'd put their lives at stake with this secrecy. How many more times was this going to happen before someone got seriously hurt? She was tired. More than anything else, she just wanted this game of chase to come to its end. Alas she knew that Jakotsu wasn't just going to stop. He would never stop. Not until he'd gotten his hands on her or was killed. Her hand brushed against the metal of the gun sitting in her belt loop. She was going to end this: One way or another. They left the bunker in silence as the wind around them stilled. Something was wrong.
"Looks like I should've banned the alcohol. I should've known those idiots would've fucked up." A man complained as he took in the carnage of the underground bunker. The class stopped in their tracks, suspicion clouding their expressions as they reached for their weapons. "Yo!" The man waved at them casually. "It's been a long time Karasuma." He greeted their teacher. Said man glared up at the intruder with a guarded gaze.
"Ito Daichi, former commander." Karasuma crossed his arms over his chest, "I thought you had been dishonorably discharged for behavioral issues?"
"Oh I was, didn't stop me from going after the bounty though." The leader smirked as more men lined up behind him. He pointed his knife at the octopus-like creature standing amongst them. "I was specifically hired to get you Koro-sensei." He twirled the blade between his thumb and forefinger, "So what better way than to lure you out with the threat of one of your oh so precious students being harmed." The bulky male let his tongue slip past his lips as he casually drew a wet line across the weapon with the appendage. "Worked like a fucking charm too." With his free hand, he snapped his fingers. A wall of white fabric was thrown up from the ground, imprisoning the supernatural teacher in a jail of anti-sensei material.
"That should keep you occupied for a while yet!" The man laughed as he turned his attention to the students. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Hand the girl over and nobody gets hurt."
Surprisingly, it was Karma to speak first.
"What makes you think we'll do that?" His eyes were dark and full of a promise of pain unto others. "You see, we don't like it when people threaten our class. Especially if they're also trying to take our bounty away from us."
Kagome cast him a blistering glare. So that was what it was really all about huh? Cool, now she knew where they stood. She could kick his ass and not feel bad about it later to boot! The rest of the class stepped in front of her as she was suddenly pushed as far away from the action as possible. Okuda stuck close to her side as the girl's hands gripped the fabric of what was left of her uniform between her fingers. She was shaking but her violet eyes were narrowed with determination. Kagome sighed well at least she wasn't alone here. She glared up at Ito. This was going to be one hell of a fight and she damn sure wasn't going to let anyone else take the fall.
"Let me fight." The teen demanded sharply.
"Like hell we will!" Terasaka snapped, glaring over at her from his shoulder. "You're the target. You go out there and all this will be for nothing!"
"Just let me fucking fight!" Kagome snapped, "I'm the only person who can take a hit and still live!"
"Yeah? So fucking what. Let us do our fucking job and protect you!" The ox of a teen snapped as he stepped even further in front of her, blocking her view of the fight. To say that she was pissed was an understatement. Kagome tried to throw their hands off of her and charge forward but found more holding her down. Damn it, why couldn't she shake them? The sound of a bullet whizzing by stilled all of their moments. Shit, had someone been hit? Azure eyes searched the crowd. Itona was crouched, his hand grabbing onto his shoulder. Blood seeped through the clothing onto the floor.
"Shit!" She cursed, running to his side. He tried to brush off her help but to no avail.
"Stop fighting it damn it!" Kagome warned, her hands set to work on tying off the wound. "Unlike me if you bleed out you won't come back. Now sit still and let me fix this for you!" The silver haired male listened but squirmed as she tied the injury off. "It's going to hurt like a bitch for a while. Just sit tight and don't move too much. We'll need to get you admitted to a hospital." She warned. Karasuma was at their sides in an instant. His brows furrowed darkly as rage was spelled neatly across his forehead by the indented lines.
"You done squabbling?" Ito stated in a bored tone. The thirty plus men around him closed in on them. "I think it's time we put this night to an end, don't you?"
The sheets holding their teacher ruffled violently before his cry of pain echoed out. So he was fighting too? Taking advantage of the confusion, Kagome roughly pushed her way past the others.
"I need all of you to stand back." She stated simply. "You asked me for the truth so I'll show it to you." The teen looked back at their confused, furious and terrified faces. "I can't have any more of you getting hurt by accident. So follow Karasuma-sensei's directions and try to free Koro-sensei in the mean time. But for now, this is my battle. Don't interfere." Her voice dropped into a low, threatening tone. This time no one contradicted her. She stepped forward. Teeth gnashed together as rage fueled her adrenaline. She was furious!
"Oh? Are you done screwing around?" Ito commented lightly, "Good. I was starting to get tired." He turned his pistol onto her. "Now then let's get started."
The night was lit up by the blast of gunpowder and bullets. She remained stock still, her body only flinching slightly with each projectile piercing her body. Kagome took a deep breath as the firing squad ceased pulling their triggers. Twenty-one shots landed in total. Which would add up to about three clips. Were they just shooting blindly at her? Any idiot could do that much damage with the amount of forces they were using against her.
"Seventy percent." She stated dryly.
"What?"
She glared at him, "Given that each man shot one bullet that would make a seventy percent accuracy rate. However out of the twenty-one shots only ten were fatal. Making it a thirty-three percent fatality rate." Her lips pulled into an arrogant smirk. "It seems as if you aren't as well prepared as you thought."
If she expected Ito to be taken by surprised, she was sorely disappointed.
"Ho, so you can do math. That's okay we never really meant to hit you anyways. We just needed a distraction." He snapped his fingers as more people appeared. This time they were holding weapons that she was not familiar with. They appeared to look like guns but they were different somehow. "I'd been talking with the doctor you know."
Her back froze and the rest of E-Class were drawn to the sudden change of reaction from her.
"He said something very interesting when discussing tactics on how to bring your ass down." Ito put away his weapon. He casually pulled a flask from within his flap jacket. He opened it up and poured the subtance onto a cloth. "Chloroform. A very special chemical if I do say so myself. It's what we used to nab that kid over there." He gestured to Okuda. She froze, her body shaking with fright. Karma's gaze narrowed into slits as he stepped in front of her protectively.
"The usual routine won't work on you. Bullets, knives, even acid. None of it will have any affect because it would be considered an 'unnatural death' as the doc so eloquently put it." Ito passed the cloth onto one of his men. "However there were a few things we learned about you." He lifted his index finger to make the number 'one'. "The first being that you have weaknesses in the form of your comrades. If one of them is in danger you'll come running."
She glared harshly over at him. Well that was true enough. She did come rushing over here after news of Okuda's kidnapping reached her.
He lifted another finger to form the number 'two'. "The second, you're not completely infallible. During your complimentary stay at the Hospital all those months ago," She tried not to react much to the memory that sentence brought forth. Still, her teeth gritted together as her brows furrowed hatefully. "Use of tranquilizers and other sedatives worked normally on you as they would anyone else. So you can still be knocked out fairly easily."
"Lastly," He lifted the third finger, "You suffered from the effects of dehydration and hunger. This information led us to assume that you are not impervious to the gradual effects of famine and other possible diseases. Any injury that occurs to your body that does not take place from within is considered an 'abnormality'. You're able to trigger your ability due to those 'abnormalities' and completely erase the injury from existence." The man took a step forward. "That's why you're considered a monster. Not because you can survive, but because the power you wield is on a level beyond a normal human. One could almost say that you have the power of a god."
Kagome bit into her lip fiercely. God? Like hell she was. She was the furthest thing from one. If anything, she was a fucking demon. She had no friends. She had no family. The only people she could rely on weren't even there to help her. Hell, she couldn't even trust her own comrades. She was nothing!
"So you see, you're not invincible. In fact," His lips pulled into a sadistic smirk, "I'd like to see for myself what exactly can kill you as well."
There was a collective gasp as more rounds were fired off. This whole battle was useless. They weren't even aiming properly. Not only that but they were fully aware that she wouldn't die. What was the point in all of this? She just wanted to go home.
An image of her family flashed in her mind.
All she wanted was to live. Was that so hard to ask?
"Go to hell." She started quietly.
The firing stopped and all remained silent.
"Oh, did you have something to say?" Ito pressed.
She glared up at him, "I said go to fucking hell you piece of mother fucking shit!" Without warning, she darted across the field. She was so fucking tired! Her fist landed squarely on his nose—snapping the cartilage there beneath the weight of her strike. Leaping back, she quickly turned on the ball of her heel before burying her other foot into the soft area of his stomach. The commander was thrown several feet backwards into an oversized tree. The branches shook as leaves fell.
"Get her!" The man wheezed through the pain.
Azure eyes darkened. So was so fucking tired. She was going to end this once and for all. The night lit up as more gunshots echoed in the night. They wanted a fight? She'd give them a nightmare they'd never forget.
Gakushu ran as fast as he could. His lungs burned as exhaustion started to wear down on him. He should've known! How could he have gone on this long without knowing? The wind howled as he climbed over the trunks of fallen trees and debris. The facility was located nearby so where exactly was it? The sound of gunfire pierced the night and his heart skipped a beat. That was probably her. He picked up his pace as he jumped over another fallen tree.
He wanted to believe that everything Kagome told him that night was a lie. That the story she'd given him was just a product of her overactive imagination but he knew that to be a false hope. He'd seen the evidence first hand. He'd seen her take her last breath in his arms and he'd also seen her come back from that wreck without so much as a scratch. She hadn't lied to him. She never had. She was just terrified and right now, he knew that she was more scared than she'd ever been before. So he ran.
If he could just get to her in time, before she made a mistake. The teen skidded to a halt as he caught sight of her stunned classmates. The group stared up at her in astonished horror. Even their teacher, he believed the man's name was Karasuma, sat stunned at the event unfolding before their eyes.
"M-Monster…." A male whispered in terror.
"Only because you created me." Kagome retorted. Her eyes were blank as her finger gripped the trigger of the gun in her hands. "If you'd just left me alone, you wouldn't be here right now." The sound of the weapon loading another bullet in its chamber rang out into the night. "This is punishment."
"Stop!" Gakushu yelled, he grabbed her wrist and yanked it upwards away from the cowering man. "You've made your point." He directed towards her. Good, he'd made it just in the nick of time! This person was only the first of her targets. The rest were on the ground moaning in pain and trembling with fear. The male dipped his head and pressed his lips to her ear, "Don't lower yourself to their level. You're not a monster." He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close. "You never were."
The tears she'd been holding back started to fall. She wasn't a monster. He said so himself. So did that make it true? After all this time, was she really not some sort of freak of nature that was never meant to exist? She lowered her arm and dropped the pistol. She was so damn tired. Kagome leaned her head on Gakushu's chest and cried. Why? Why did this always have to happen?
The auburn-haired teen held her closely. It was all he could do. For as much pain as she was in, he didn't have a damn clue as to how to ease it for her. What good was he?
Someone clapped from a distance. All eyes were drawn to the figure shrouded in the stillness of the forest. Gakushu's grip on his girlfriend tightened. He knew who this person was. His fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt. He'd be damned he let him get her a second time.
"Come on out Akubyou!" The boy snarled, pushing Kagome behind him.
Said man emerged from the darkness. Rouge painted lips pulled into a demented smirk.
"Oh, so you know who I am? I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Onyx eyes narrowed into slits. "You are that man's son. For as handsome as Asano is, he's also just as clever."
Brightly mismatched clothing reflected in the dim light of the permanent crescent moon. The doctor laughed lightly as he surveyed the damage done to the troops he hired.
"Well done Subject 726. You've managed to outdo yourself this time." He placed his hand over his eyes and pretended to peer over the unconscious bodies around them. "Though it still seems like you have an aversion to killing. Such a shame, I was hoping to see how taking a life would affect your regenerative capabilities."
"You sick son of a bitch!"
Kagome had to hold Gakushu back from charging the freak. As much as she wanted to hurt him, to see him suffer, she also didn't want her loved one to have to be the person to do it. It should be her that made that strike.
"This is all your fault!" The young man screeched at him. He pulled forward against her grip as his violet eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You were the one who's caused her the most pain!" He jutted an accusatory finger at him. "That's not even the start of it. You've done this kind of thing to other people too!" He didn't care that he had an audience to witness his momentary lapse of sanity. He didn't care that he didn't have the evidence with him to back up his claims. All he cared about now was putting an end to this madness. This monster needed to be stopped and he damn sure wasn't going to stand by and do nothing. "How many people have you tortured just for the sake of science?" He spat out the word viciously. "You've experimented on humans since the moment you got your license to practice! By the time I'm through with you, you'll be damn lucky if you even get a fucking window in your jail cell to look out at night!"
The sheets holding Koro-sensei thrashed more as a gunshot resounded loudly. Gakushu coughed as his shoulder hit the ground harshly. Above him, Kagome stood with her arms spread out. Blood covered the front of her shirt as a trail of scarlet began to trickle from her mouth.
"Shit." She cursed, her legs began to tremble from the pain. She forgotten how bad being struck in the heart hurt. Azure eyes narrowed as she set her sights on Jakotsu. The light enveloped her once more. She was done. She was tired of running away and hiding from this man. If he was just going to chase her to the ends of the earth then she'd have to just face him here and now. Putting the lives her comrades and loved ones on the line was not something she was going to permit.
"Ah ha, so that's it." The feminine man laughed as he cheerfully waved his pistol in the air. "You healed yourself much more quickly this time. Perhaps if I killed one of your little friends we might see a more severe reaction?" He cocked the gun once more. "Let's give this a try, shall we?"
"Look out!" Okuda screamed to the rest of the class he directed the barrel towards them. The doctor's lips pulled back into a twisted smirk. His finger closed on the trigger and with a quick squeeze, it recoiled in the palm of his hand.
Light blared around them. The wind howled as the tree branches began to sway violently. Gakushu opened his eyes. Before him was not the girl he'd grown up with. She was someone else entirely. Her back faced him but surrounding her was a powerful light and a dark shadow that seemed to collide into each other. What the hell was going on?
"I'm sorry." A voice that was not Kagome's spoke up. It was then that he spotted it. The smashed head of the bullet spun harmlessly against the wall of light and shadow. No one had been hit.
A chill rolled over his skin as a wind blew through him. He shook his head, no it wasn't a wind, it was raw power. Although it seemed twisted somehow.
"Kagome!" He called out to her, his hand reaching outwards.
The person shook her head.
"I'm not her." She turned to look at him, a small yet sad smile on her face. "Although it's been quite a while Gakushu. You were just a child last I saw you."
The voice morphed slightly. He recognized it faintly but who was it?
"I'm the remnant of her mother's last wish." The being recited as if it'd been practicing to say that line for a while. "Think of me as nothing more than a memory with consciousness."
He tried to stand but found himself unable. It were as if a pressure were being placed upon him, keeping him from moving.
"All of this is my fault really." The spirit started. "It's because of my selfish wish that this even occurred. Still," The smile widened slightly, "I can't regret it. After all, she met all of you didn't she?"
The person was speaking in riddles. What were they talking about? Fault? Abilities? None of that mattered now! What about Kagome? What happened to her?!
"What do you want?" Karma was the one to ask the question. He was just as curious as everyone else so perhaps entertaining the 'spirit' would work to their favor.
"To fix my mistake." Every eye was on her now. She leveled her gaze on Jakotsu's frustrated expression. "You wished to know the source of this child's power? Then I shall show you." The world erupted in a clash of darkness and light.
Kagome blinked. Where was she?
Everything was spinning and all she could feel was the burning pain she'd grown far too accustomed to. The teen hunched over and waited for it to pass.
"I'm sorry." A voice piped up. Azure eyes opened slowly. Everything was dark. She couldn't see a thing.
"Please forgive me." The voice started again.
"What for?" She wheezed out through the pain. Damn, this was certainly taking a while. She flinched as it spread further up from her waist to her rib cage.
"You're here because of me." A figure appeared before her. The person practically glowed against the shadow of the background. Still, her face was blurred and the voice seemed altered somehow.
"Where exactly is here?" Kagome pressed for more answers. Despite having this person nearby, it were almost as if she were alone. She definitely wasn't in one of Jakotsu's torture chambers. They were always noisy from the screams of the other 'patients'.
"The Shikon no Tama."
"The what?" She arched a delicate brow. She hadn't heard of that thing since she was a child.
"The Jewel of Four Souls. You were always its guardian, Kagome."
The world cleared slightly as the face of her deceased mother stared back at her. Kagome's mouth went dry. This was a dream wasn't it? It couldn't be real.
The phantom offered her child her hand, "Let me show you where it all began." The scenery changed and Kagome found herself sucked back into the depths of her memories—one that she'd sooner forget than remember.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Higurashi Izumi queried as her daughter spun circles around her legs.
"Yes, mom!" The child stuck her tongue out at her parent as she rushed upstairs. "Now come on, I want to hear the rest of the story!"
Izumi sighed as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. That was just like her daughter. Always so energetic. She managed to get that rambunctiousness from her father. The man gave her a quick peck on her cheek before retiring to their bedroom. At least he gave her the fun job.
The next hour she sat with her child reading from her favorite book.
"What happened next!" The five-year-old bounced eagerly beneath her mother's arm. She flipped open the page and tried to read for herself. Izumi closed the pages.
"That's for tomorrow." The woman rubbed her nose against Kagome's. "Now time for bed. You've stayed up too late as it is."
"Just ten more minutes! Please mom?"
Izumi fought the urge to laugh at the girl's pouted lips and wide, pleading eyes.
"No. Besides, you don't want to be tired when Gakushu visits tomorrow, do you?"
A light blush went across the girl's cheeks.
"Well… I guess not. He'll make fun of me for it."
Izumi nodded, "Ah yes, he is like that isn't he?"
The child stuck her lips out further, "I don't like it."
Before she could respond the sound of their front door bursting open reverberated through the house. Izumi swiftly tucked her daughter under her arm and dashed into the bathroom of her room.
"Mom…" Kagome began. The other held a hand over her mouth gently, shushing her.
She could hear her husband emerging from their room. The sound of an argument swelled and filled the once peaceful home with terror. It was then that she heard the sickening sound of her husband's strangled cry followed by something hitting the ground harshly. Her breath caught in her throat.
Footsteps banged loudly as they crested the top of the stairs. The spare bedroom door was flung open. When nothing moved within the darkness, the feet stomped over towards them. With a swift kick, Kagome's room had also been broken into. Two figures entered the threshold. Izumi tightened her grip on her daughter as they peered around the room. From their hiding spot, so long as she remained hidden and didn't speak, they wouldn't see them. She just hoped that they wouldn't turn on the lights. For now, darkness was their only cover against this threat.
Much to her horror, one of the intruder's gazes landed on their still forms.
"There!" It was a female. She pointed at them and egged the other to grab them. "Hold them down!" Izumi thrashed against the attackers hold. She screamed and growled and clawed against the arm holding onto her. Adrenaline pushed through her as a strength she didn't know she had filled her body. The woman worked her way to her feet and threw herself into the woman. She fell to the ground. Her head smacked against the edge of the nightstand, rendering her unconscious. The Higurashi matriarch quickly grabbed Kagome and made a quick run to their bedroom. She wouldn't be able to flee down the shrine steps. The police would also take entirely too long to reach their home before they were killed. So that left only one last option.
Slamming the door shut, she bolted it into place before grabbing her cellphone hidden away in her nightstand. She didn't like to have it on her but she kept it charged up just in case of emergencies. The woman pulled up the contact before dialing out. It rang once. Heavy feet thundered down the steps. It rang twice. Fist banged on the master bedroom door. The third rang someone answered. Kagome cried heavily into her arms and knees as she huddled against the wall beside her parent.
"Asano speaking." It was a male and irritation was present in his voice.
"Gakuhou, put Hana-chan on! I need to speak with her!" She demanded fiercely. Before he could respond the phone was ripped from his grasp.
"Izumi-chan?" The woman on the other line started, "What's wrong?" She sounded exhausted but concerned.
"Listen I don't have much time." The once-priestess began, "Someone's broken into the house. I don't think they're here to rob us." She didn't allow her friend to express her fear before continuing. "If something happens to me, swear that you'll look after Kagome."
Said child bawled even harder.
"Izumi…"
"Hana-chan, I'm trusting you." She hung up. The door broke off its hinges as the line went dead. Turning, she faced her attacker. She was okay with dying. She could handle that. What she couldn't handle was watching as her daughter was killed too. With the force of an overprotective grizzly, she launched herself at the intruder. She dug her nails into the skin of his arms, bit at the flesh of his neck and kicked into the shins of his legs. She fought as hard as she could. No matter how many times he threw her down, she popped right back up again.
"Bitch!" The man snarled, throwing his arm against her. She was flung backwards. Her head smacked against the wall. The last thing she saw was her child crying desperately and the man advancing on her. She tried to reach for her. She couldn't fail!
When Izumi came to everything was quiet. There was no screaming. No crying. Not even the tell tale signs of sirens blazing in the distance. She blinked. Had it all been a dream? Her head pounded as she sat up. Her vision came back to her slowly. In the darkness she could make out a shape lying awkwardly across the room. It was small, as if it belonged to a child. Fear gripped her heart, it couldn't be! She stumbled to her feet and scrambled to close the distance between herself and her daughter.
Tears pricked her eyes as she took in Kagome's injuries. The girl's neck was at an awkward angle. Her eyes were wide with fear as tears glistened her cheeks. She tried to say something but it only came out as a strangled sound. Izumi cried as she pulled her daughter into her arms.
"Not this!" She screamed to no one in particular, "Anything but this!"
The girl opened her mouth and only a strangled sound came out. Her body was limp in her arms. She was paralyzed.
"If you can hear me," Izumi glanced up towards the moonlit sky, "If anyone can hear me, please! Just save her!" She pressed her head against Kagome's. "Just save her…" Her voice cracked. The light of her child's life was beginning to die in her eyes and there wasn't anything she could do about it.
"I wish…." She took in a shaky break, "I wish I could save you."
A light filled the room. Izumi screamed as a burning pain ripped her in half. It hurt!
"Your wish shall be granted."
A voice neither feminine nor masculine responded. She closed her eyes as peace swept over her. Despite the pain she felt she knew that her daughter would be safe. The next she opened her eyes she was in total darkness but the sounds of her child's awakening filled her ears. She was alive and that was all that mattered.
Kagome covered her ears with her hands as she shook her head.
"No!" She screamed, her shoulders trembling with fear. "It can't be real!"
"But it is." Her mother soothed as she wrapped her arms around her. "That was how everything began." She lifted her thumbs and wiped the tears from her daughter's cheeks. "Because you held the Shikon within you, it heard my wish and granted me the power to save you." The woman pressed her daughter's head against her chest. "Each time you die it grants me the power to save you. That's why you can regenerate. It is my own soul that I expend to patch your wounds." A small smile spread across her lips. "And I'd do it every time too, if only to see you live a long, happy life."
"But I'm not happy!" She cried out. "How can I be?" The teen bawled into the cloth of her mother's shirt. "I'll just keep dying over and over again! This won't ever end!"
"That's not true." Izumi pulled back and held Kagome's face between her hands. "This isn't so much a curse as it is a gift." She smiled at her. "I traded my soul to the Shikon so you could live. Had you truly wished for it, then I'm certain that even my wish to see you live would have been overwritten by your desire to cease to exist." The woman pressed her hand to her chest, "It's your will to live that's pushing you forward. Your love for life and those you care about are driving your determination. So don't underestimate yourself. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
"Then why…?" Kagome trailed off. Why was she stuck here? Why had any of this happened? What was even going on right now? She didn't have a clue. Hell she hadn't had a clue since the moment she first died all those years ago.
"The Shikon is fueled by your mental and emotional state." Izumi explained. "The happier you are, the more stable its power is. However," She turned to face the darkness surrounding them. It shifted and rippled as if some unseen force was moving behind a veil. "The more emotionally distraught you are, the stronger the evil within the Shikon becomes. Once it takes hold the gift will transform into a curse and end your life once you've expelled all of your power." Her mother's grip tightened on her. "It only desires for destruction. Once you die, it'll simply reincarnate itself into your next life. It'll repeat the cycle as many times as needed until the ultimate calamity takes place."
Azure eyes clashed with Kagome's, "You must fight. Not only for your sake, but for your loved ones as well."
"Stop!" She heard Gakushu scream. The shadows around them shifted. Something was happening but what?
"Fight for them! Fight for yourself!" Her mother called out as her figure disappeared into the shadows. "But no matter what, keep living!" Then everything exploded in a sea of color, fire and pain.
Gakushu's body was being forced onto the ground by some unseen power. He tried to lift himself onto his arms but still his strength drained away by the mere presence of that force. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Was there nothing he could do?
"Give her back, damn it!" He growled against the roaring winds. He could barely hear his own voice above the sound of it all. "Do you hear me?" His hands curled into the soft earth beneath his fingers. "Give Kagome back!"
The being did not spare him a single glance. Instead its white-lit eyes were set solely on Jakotsu's still form. The doctor spoke nothing but merely observed. His lips were pressed into a thin line as his eyes watched the mysterious spirit's power lash out. He barely moved as a tendril of shadow tore at the cloth of his white lab coat. Blood began to seep down the sleeve, staining the fabric a deep scarlet.
"Oh my," He cocked his head to the side, "Did I piss you off?" Another outward blast of power nearly knocked the breath from Gakushu. How was that guy withstanding this? He really was a monster! Rouge painted lips pulled into a smirk. "Good. Now let's get this experiment underway."
'Kagome' did not move as Jakotsu ran at her. He withdrew a small switchblade from his inner coat pocket and slashed at her face. The blade met resistance at the rush of power that shifted and blocked the weapon from reaching its target. The knife split in half from the force of the strike; the blade spiraled in the air before landing harmlessly several feet away.
"What is it you seek?" A voice neither feminine nor masculine inquired. It was Kagome's lips that moved but it was not her voice that spoke. It was also not the same voice that talked as before. What the hell?
"Seek?" Jakotsu put on a thoughtful expression. "Why, I'm not sure what you mean. There are many things that I seek but only one that I desire."
"Then what is it that you desire?"
The man paused for a moment, "How should I put this into words? You see," He paced casually as if he hadn't just tried to kill her. "A long time ago I had these pet mice. They were the fancy type you see." He gestured his hands to emphasize as if they had a long tail. "Sweetest things they were. Then one day one of them had babies. I was curious about it so I picked up the house that the mother was in and you know what I saw?" He didn't wait for a response. "The mother rat was consuming her young. That was the first time I'd ever felt it. That insatiable desire for knowledge."
"So you wish for knowledge?" The genderless voice interrupted.
"Hush now, let me finish!" Jakotsu put his finger to lips. Kagome's expression remained emotionless but Gakushu swore that he saw her brow twitch ever so slightly. "I wanted to find out more so I recreated the situation. That time the mother did not consumer her children. So I killed them for her and removed their bodies." The class looked on in disgust and horror. "She spent two days tearing up her tank. When I finally put their corpses back in, she didn't recognize them and feasted on the carcasses. That's when it hit me, why stop with mice? If such a mundane creature could prove to be so interesting, then how would people hold up in such situations?"
"I'm running out of patience." 'Kagome' drawled. It was clear this being was not enthused by Jakotsu's story.
"That's the point!" He jutted a finger in her direction. "What I desire is not simply something that can be gained at the snap of a finger. What I want is the experience of learning all the different ways a person's mind can bend and break!" The androgynous man clapped his hands together excitedly like a toddler. "I want the journey to never end! And you," His smirk turned sadistic, "Can provide me with that endless journey!" He reached into his coat and withdrew a syringe most likely filled with a sedative. "Now come along, girlie. We have much to do and not much time."
"Stop!" Gakushu screamed at the top of his lungs. He need to move! Violet eyes narrowed as he struggled to his feet. Move damn it! He pushed up on his arms, trying to fight against the force that was holding him down. Move! He broke free of the hold pressing upon him. With a strength he didn't know he possessed, He ran towards her and pushed her out of the way just in time. Jakotsu's syringe missed, scraping the cloth at the back of his shirt.
"Oh come now, lover boy," His grin was wide and deranged, "It's not like she'd die. You of all people should know that by now."
"L-Leave her alone!" Okuda piped up from the mass of students. Violet eyes snapped up to meet onyx in a fierce battle of wills. "She-She's one of us!" The girl stuttered but refused to back down.
"She's right!" Kayano was next to speak, "Higurashi is part of our class! She's our comrade! You hurt her and you'll have to answer to all of us!"
Itona managed to scramble to his feet, "We didn't come this far to back out now." He held his hand to the injury in his shoulder. "Stand down or face all of us!"
Jakotsu blinked. Then laughed, "You? You think you can scare me?" He tilted his head to the side, "You're about as threatening as those fancy mice. All squeals and no bite."
Karasuma approached, "Then why don't you try me?"
"Oh, handsome and protective. You're just my type." Jakotsu's tongue flicked out to ghost along the glass container of the syringe. To his credit, their teacher didn't react much to the goad. Instead he simply removed his coat and pulled his tie from his collar. They'd merely get in his way at this point. "Strip it off, handsome!" The male continued to press his luck.
"Knock it off you she-thing!" Irina snapped, pointing a delicate finger in Jakotsu's direction. "That's my man!"
"I don't think that's the real issue here bitch-sensei." Isogai sighed as he tried to diffuse her anger. Besides, they needed to focus on other things.
"You really think that girl even wants your help?" He tried to sew the seed of doubt into their minds. "She doesn't even trust you! She never told any of you about her powers. So why would you want to help her now?"
"Because no one deserves to be left at the mercy of a freak like you!" Terasaka stood to his feet as he crossed his arms over his chest. Odd, the power that held them before was gone. He narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Besides we went through hell to help this one out." He slapped his hand on Itona's back roughly. "What makes you think we're just going to give up on her because she doesn't trust us?"
"Ho?" He pressed an index finger to his lips, "Is that so? Alas but the truth still remains. Even if you do help her, what do you think will happen afterwards? Do you think she'll stay and play pretend? She's a monster just like me. She would never be able to live like the rest of you. Face it already, she's a lost cause!"
"I get it." Nagisa started. He'd heard the whole thing and honestly, it just pissed him off all the more. "I understand why she couldn't trust us." He jutted his state-issued knife towards the doctor. "It's because of what you did to her that she lost her faith." Crystal-like eyes reflected in the crescent moon's light like a serpent's. He was angry. This whole time she'd kept her ability a secret because she feared what would happen. Now that everything was out in the open, they were just stuck here like sitting ducks. He was tired of doing absolutely nothing. The teen took a step forward. It was time to fight. "I don't blame Higurashi for being afraid. What have we ever done to make her trust us?" He placed his knife in his mouth as he stretched out his arms. Removing the blade once more he continued, "But you know, now that we've come this far I don't think any of us can just stand back and watch you take her. Even if she leaves afterwards, at least we'd know it'd be of her own free will." His eyes narrowed on the man. "We won't let you strip that choice from her."
The class surrounded them. Karasuma took the lead and cornered the man, blocking his path to his student.
"Give up now while you still can." The man threatened.
Dark bangs shadowed Jakotsu's eyes. His hands went limp at his sides. Give up? As if. He threw his head back as he began to laugh.
"I don't think any of you fully understand," Onyx eyes widened as his lips pulled back into a sadistic grin, "I won't be stopped. You can't deny me."
Before anyone could make a move the power flowing from their classmate erupted into a mass of swirling winds and color. It coiled tightly around Kagome's hunched form. She threw her hands over her face as she started to scream. The teenagers covered their own heads as power snapped above them, nearly cutting into their necks.
"Take cover!" Someone yelled, it was hard to tell who was screaming by this point as all of their voices bled together. Karasuma lurched forward and tackled his shoulder into Jakotsu's stomach. The two men fell to the ground. He reared his fist back and hit the deranged male a few times. He'd only been blindly furious a few times in his life. This was the final breaking point for him.
"Stop the power flow!" Koro-sensei's voice boomed loudly over the chaos. "You have to stop the power before it redirects back onto her!" Still trapped, their teacher thrashed against the anti-sensei material. He cried out in pain as the sound of something sizzling followed shortly behind. "Gakushu!"
The auburn-haired teen snapped to attention.
"You're the only one who can snap her out of this!" The light and shadow coiled around Kagome even more tightly. Her body was barely visible beyond the veil. "She trusts you!"
All eyes were drawn to him. He swallowed thickly as sweat beaded his forehead. How was he supposed to stop her? He couldn't even get her attention!
Nagisa stepped beside him, "You're together right?"
Gakushu blinked, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Kiss her." The teen stated stoically. Had the situation not been dire, he would have laughed.
"What?"
"Kiss her. It'll throw her off enough to redirect her attention." Crystal colored eyes sharpened as the boy continued, "We'll deal with the rest. We're putting our faith in you."
"Don't bitch out on us now, jackass!" It was Terasaka that insulted him. "You've screwed up enough already. Don't let her be that last mistake!"
"We're counting on you!" Okuda yelled as she turned towards the tent holding Koro-sensei. Kayano, Nakamura and Nagisa followed after her. They'd set their teacher free while the others would hold Jakotsu at bay. The trees began to bend and snap beneath the weight of the power colliding against them.
Gakushu put an arm over his eyes as he shielded his vision from the debris being swept up into the fray. Kiss her? His heart skipped a beat. Damn, this was not how he wanted their first kiss to go but what choice did he have? His eyes narrowed. Screw formalities. This would just have to do. The teen pushed forward as the veil that separated them grew thicker.
"Shut up!" He heard her snap. "I won't let you do this!" This time the shadow threw itself against him. His leg slipped from the force of the hit. The young man cringed as a burning fire made its way from the source of the hit up to his hip. Fuck, that hurt! Was that what Kagome was experiencing right now? He stumbled to his feet and pressed forward. He didn't care that he was being struck repeatedly by the shadow that seemed to react to his mere presence. He didn't give a damn about the fire that seemed to spread through his body. All he cared about was the fact that she was in pain. He could stop it. If only he could reach her!
Gakushu lifted his hand. He managed to grasp onto her shoulder. With a quick tug, he pulled the distraught girl into his arms. She beat and smacked her fists in into his chest.
"No!" She screamed, slamming her hands onto him even harder. He tried not to grunt in dissatisfaction at the sensation. She could hit harder than she looked. "I won't do it! Go back!"
"Kagome," He began. She didn't hear him and instead pushed against his tightening hold. "Listen to me." She didn't. This time her foot kicked out and struck his shin. Shit that hurt! Holding her shoulders still, he pressed forward and slammed his lips against hers. The teen's movement's stilled as the power began to fade. Good, it was working! Just a suddenly as the power faded, it grew three times as powerful, nearly knocking him onto his ass. His grip grew firmer. He guessed that he just had to try harder.
"You won't defeat me!"
His eyes narrowed, "I just did." With that he kissed her again. This time he took advantage of the situation and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She stilled. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist. It was to save her, he told himself but at some point Gakushu knew that he was lost.
The sound of fabric falling away and oddly, something slithery moving about rapidly resounded from the background. The wind that had been roaring dulled to a mere whimper. When he pulled back he realized that it'd been her who was whimpering. A dark flush spread across her cheeks.
"I…" She stuttered.
He pressed his lips to hers again, not giving her the chance to speak. It only lasted for a brief second but it was enough to calm some of her nerves.
Jeers surrounded the couple as the class teased them. Kagome blinked as she held her hands to her face in embarrassment. What just happened? One second she'd been fighting against the Shikon and then the next she was being kissed by Gakushu. The teen tried not to show her embarrassment outwardly. She wouldn't let them have that satisfaction, damn it!
"Let me go!" Jakotsu howled as he thrashed against the hands holding him down. "I won't be denied!"
Her back went straight. Hands trembling, she recognized that voice. Her boyfriend's grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her away from the commotion.
"You don't have a choice." Koro-sensei growled in a tone that she'd only heard once before. Kagome watched as the octopus emerged from the trap that had been placed specifically to hold him down. Many of his tentacles had melted from the contact and smoke still sizzled from the injuries to his body. There was a quick 'pop' and all of his limbs reformed as they were supposed to. However his once yellow tint had darkened in a deep ashen black. Their professor nearly blended into the night itself!
"You said that you wished to know all the ways a human mind can bend and break?" The students moved away from Jakotsu as Koro-sensei advanced. His tentacles curled and unfurled erratically around him. "Then allow me to teach you first hand what that feels like." Three tentacles wrapped around the feminine man's limbs, holding them still. "You tortured my student over a hundred different ways in three days. You also threatened another one and attempted to kill her again." Steam billowed ominously from the open mouth of their supernatural teacher. "I won't perform acts of violence in front of my students. So allow us to bring this fight elsewhere." Before any of them could blink, their teacher was gone and so was the man responsible for all of her pain.
Kagome took a deep breath. It was over. Her body fell limp as the world around her turned black. She was so damn tired.
Itona threw his arm over his eyes. It'd been a week now and here he was, stuck in the damn hospital. His lips twitched in irritation. He hated all of this uncertainty. Word from the others was that Kagome had returned to class with them. She hadn't remembered much about what happened after Jakotsu was taken by their teacher to some unknown location.
He rolled onto his good shoulder. Well that was to be expected. She passed out like a light. Gakushu had to carry her all the way back into town where Karasuma-sensei had called in medical personnel from the government to treat their wounds. Kagome was taken in but released the following day into the chairman's custody without incident. He on the other hand had to go through a minor surgery to have the bullet removed from his shoulder and stitches sewn to seal up the wound. The teen sighed. It'd be another day before they'd release him.
The door to his room clicked as someone entered. The silver haired teen rolled onto his back as his golden gaze landed on the visitor. His eyes widened as he saw the smiling face of his classmate.
"Sorry I'm so late." Kagome began. Her heels clicked against the harsh linoleum tile of the hospital floor. "I had to take care of a few things with my guardian before coming here. He was pretty adamant about making sure I was alright." The girl laughed as her smile widened. "It was weird you know. All this time and he'd been as cold as a fish. Now," A warmth spread across her cheeks, "Well, it's good to finally have the old him back. He's a much better person like this."
Itona fought against the blush that threatened to redden his own face. She looked better like this. There wasn't that haunted expression that seemed to drag her down anymore. Plus, his eyes roved over her outfit, her dress looked nice.
"Sorry, I'm rambling again." The dark haired girl stopped herself. Azure eyes softened as she looked over his injury. "It still hurts doesn't it?"
The shadow returned to her eyes. His lips thinned.
"Not really." He lied. Of course it hurt, he just wasn't going to let her blame herself.
The girl blinked in surprise, "Really? But how…?"
Itona sat up in his bed. He turned his intense stare onto her, "Because you're safe." He'd withheld his feelings from her before because he knew that she hadn't been interested in him. He wasn't about to ruin things for her now that she had the choice to move on with her life. Still, that didn't mean that he was going to be heartless. The boy took the bouquet still resting in her arms and placed it neatly in an empty vase by his bed.
"I'd do it again too," He glanced back at her, "So don't go blaming yourself."
"But I…" She tried to speak.
Itona shook his head, "No. This was my decision. I went there that night because I wanted to help you. I willingly took that risk." He pointed at himself, "Do you know how many times I smacked Terasaka around before I finally joined the class?"
She held up her index and middle finger, "Twice."
"Close enough," He closed his hand over hers, "Point being, I was given this chance to start over. If I deserved this then so do you." He released her as tears formed in her eyes.
"Itona…" Kagome started. He glanced her way, "Thank you." Through the tears of pain she smiled at him. This time he didn't fight the blush.
The door opened again as Gakushu entered. The boy's face was stoic but there was an edge to his eyes that left him uneasy. He was onto him.
"Ready?" The auburn haired teen inquired as he offered Kagome his hand. She took the proffered limb without complained. "Yes." Stopping mid way to the door she threw her head over her shoulder and smiled at him. "I'll see you in class Itona-kun." His face burned. Gakushu glared holes in the back of his head as the couple left. He threw himself upon his bed once more. A smirk spread across his lips. Even if he couldn't get the girl in the end he still managed to make Asano jealous. So he'd count that as a win.
Gakushu sighed as he pulled his girlfriend closer to him.
"So where to next?" He didn't want to admit it, but he was jealous of the attention Itona had given her. He was her boyfriend damn it, not him.
"I want to see Okuda-chan next. I promised her that we'd get together after everything was settled." She flashed him a bright smile. "Plus she said that Karma wanted to talk to you."
The young man's expression darkened. Oh sure, he knew exactly what the other boy wanted to talk about. Violet eyes narrowed as the memory of the other night bled to the forefront of his mind.
Gakushu caught Kagome's body as she fell limp. The group crowded around them as worry creased their brows.
"She'll be fine, she's just exhausted." Karasuma announced after checking her over. The teen let loose a sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding.
"So Asano…" Karma's tone drawled as the red-head casually gave his back a rough pat. "You never told us that the two of you were so close."
His eyes narrowed at the presumptuous teen, "It was none of your business."
"Was it?" Karma shot back. The teen's expression darkened as his lips pulled back into a demented grin. "Then what do you call this?" He withdrew the picture and held it up for everyone to see. Within the photo was their parents standing together. Izumi was corralling a five-year-old Kagome while Hana laughed in the background with Gakushu hanging onto her skirt. Their fathers were standing a little ways off, both of whom seem highly amused at the situation.
A bright flush spread across his cheeks. How did he get that?!
"Kagome dropped it on the way out of class the other day. I just so happened to stumble upon it." The excited tone Karma used left a chill down his spine. "You two have been close for a while now, haven't you?"
He fought against the heat burning his at his face. Damn it.
"Our mothers were friends since they were in high school. It's only natural that we'd be friends too." He glared at the teen as the boy began poking and prodding at him playfully.
"Oh but close doesn't exactly explain that show you put on earlier, now does it?"
He smacked his hands away, "Get to the point already."
"Okay then," Gakushu could've sworn he saw a demon tail sprout from the red-head's back, "You've been dating Higurashi for a while but kept the relationship on the down low so your father wouldn't find out. Pretty sketchy if you ask me."
The class began to whisper amongst themselves as Karasuma slapped a hand over his face. Was this really the time for such antics?
Gakushu turned his back on them, "That's none of your concern." He carried his girlfriend the rest of the way down the mountain. Like hell he'd admit something like that to his enemies-even if it were true.
"Gakushu?" Kagome's voice broke him out of his reverie.
"Are you okay?" She placed her hand over his forehead. He gently tugged it away and slipped his fingers between the spaces of her own.
"I'm fine. Now come one, before Karma decides that I was too scared to meet him." His brows furrowed. He seriously hated that kid. His grip tightened over Kagome's. He'd be damned if he let him think he'd won.
The dark haired teen stopped as they passed by a television blaring the news.
"Doctor Akubyou Jakotsu has been missing for nearly a week now. After an anonymous tip, officers responded to information that he'd been performing human experimentation." The screen flashed as images of his underground facility and hospital flared up on the screen. "The patients have been released and many returned to their homes where their families were waiting for them." Gakushu swallowed as his jaw set into a stern line. That could have been her stuck down there. She rubbed her thumb over the skin on the back of his hand. It soothed his fears temporarily. "Police are questioning neighbors and family members of his whereabouts but so far no new information has turned up. Please call the hotline if you see him. The number is…" Kagome tugged on his hand as she started to walk faster.
"Let's go! Can't wait around forever you know!"
Somehow, he believed that her words had a double meaning to them. A small smile crept across his lips.
"It's about time."
A/n: For once, the title matches the extreme that this story really is. X.x;; It took about a week for me to finish this story with continuous writing and I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Let me put this out there right now, I'm a HUGE fan of an Itona/Kagome/Gakushu threeway pair. Only issue is that I wouldn't know how to write one without the pairing swinging in a landside in one direction or the other. So I'll just drop subtle hints here and there. XD Managed to slip some Itona/Kagome into this one without really meaning to as well, lol. Ps: kudos to those who spotted the Karma/Okuda hints beforehand. I'm a massive shipper of that pair as well XD.
Anyways, what do you guys think? I really wanted to take a villain from the Inuyasha verse that wasn't well known and play up some aspects of his personality while twisting others. Personally I had a lot of fun writing Jakotsu like this as it gave a more demented feel to his already twisted character. Also, for those wanting to ask, Koro-sensei did kill Jakotsu. I don't think that he'd do it in front of his students and it'd take an extreme situation for him to kill. However like Kagome, he was aware that if Jakotsu lived than he'd only hunt her down. So out of necessity he ended his life. It was something I had to think about carefully as the story would merely repeat itself if Jakotsu was allowed to live in the end. Having Kagome kill him would defeat the purpose of the story as she was a borderline character at risk of becoming a villain. Had she killed him then the Shikon would have taken over, likely destroyed all of her classmates and loved ones, before ending her life.
Speaking of Shikon. When she was a child the Shikon granted her mother's wish as it did not want to disappear then. At that time the light side, Naohi, was in control. During the events with Jakotsu, because she was borderline, the dark side, Magatsuhi, had taken hold of the reigns. Thus the contrast between wishes. Albeit because Magatsuhi felt insulted by Jakotsu hushing him, it granted his wish of learning all the ways a mind can bend and break by way of Koro-sensei. That's about all I'll say on that matter lol.
Thoughts? Concerns? Let me know what you guys think of the whole thing! I'm honestly really proud of it! XD