Deadly Games
Chapter Nine: Skipping Rocks
"Miroku!" Sango cried out, as she ran to his side.
She was at his side in seconds and he was still conscious, but barely. Kagome was right behind her and Keiko also knelt down beside the fallen monk. Sango placed his head gently in her lap and he smiled up at her.
"I fear… the demons I sucked up with my… wind tunnel were poisonous…" he told her. Then his eyes closed and even as she gently shook him, he did not respond.
"Demons?" Sango said, looking up from the monk to look at Keiko.
"We met up with a lot of demons before, and Yusuke took out half of them, and Miroku took out the other half with his wind tunnel," Keiko explained.
"Wind tunnel?" Kurama asked.
"It's an air void that sucks up everything in its path, bringing it to who knows where. It makes an excellent weapon though, except for when things like this happen," Kagome explained.
Sango stroked the side of Miroku's face gently and called Kirara over to her. With the help of Kagome and Yusuke, she laid him on top of Kirara.
Hiei watched in slight annoyance. Why should she care so much for the lecherous monk, who she slapped all the time for his perverted ways? Unless the huntress had feelings for the monk. Now there was a thought that bothered him.
What bothered him more, however, was how he continued to think of the demon slayer. Why should he care at all what she did or how she felt? He had been the one to threaten her life before. He did not even like the girl. Nevertheless, irritation was his strongest emotion.
"I'm worried about Miroku," Sango said.
Their traveling that night had ended once Miroku had passed out. They found a room that had a couch, two armchairs, and a fireplace in it and decided to spend the night there. Miroku lay on the couch still out cold and the rest were scattered around the room as conversation went on. Sango and Kagome sat on the floor near the fireplace that had a steady fire going.
They had discussed what had happened to each pair of people and traded what information they had to give to one another, though it was not much.
"You think it's serious then?" Yukina said. Being an ice demon, she sat leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the fireplace with Kuwabara at her side.
"I suppose. I don't like how he hasn't woken up yet," Sango responded looking at her and then the unconscious monk.
"If only we could help…" Kagome began, then thought of something. Long forgotten in her room was her yellow backpack she brought along with her from the past. She had had it with her when they crossed over to the present, but had forgotten about it after bringing it to the girls' bedroom.
"If only I could get to our room…" Kagome said to herself aloud.
"Why do you want to go there?" Inuyasha asked.
"I carry the antidote for poison with me in that yellow bag of mine when we're in the past for times such as this. But it's in my room now. If I could get to it…" Kagome's words died off, but the meaning was clear.
"But you won't be able to, the house won't let you. I mean, if the house wanted to it could have already given us the antidote like it's given all the other things we need, but it wants us to die so…" Botan stated. She was curled up in one of the armchairs while Keiko was doing the same in the one across from her.
"I won't let him die," Sango declared. "We've been through a lot together, him, Inuyasha, Kagome, and I, and we've saved each other's lives too many times to count. I won't let him die now."
"What if we could get up to your room?" Kurama commented.
"What?" Kagome and Sango said at the same time, startled.
"That's impossible. The house wouldn't let them go," Hiei said. He was almost entirely hidden in the shadows as he leaned against the wall, the fire illuminating only half of his face. It gave him an ominous look.
"The house also wanted to keep us all apart today, but it wasn't able to. Kirara guided us and we were able to join together again," Kurama said.
Everyone looked to the little youkai on the floor that was now playing with Shippo. The fox boy glanced up.
"You mean Kirara will be able to bring us to Kagome's room?" Shippo said.
"Not only her. If she can go against the house, that means we'll be able to too. The house can try to control our movements, but it can't. If Kirara can move around on her own, that means any of us can too," Kurama told the group.
"It would be tricky though because the house would try to stop any of us that went against its plan," Inuyasha stated.
"Why do you think it's trying to keep us apart in the first place? If it's going to kill us, why not just do it? It could have easily killed me and Miroku when we were merged with it, but it didn't. It kept us alive," Keiko commented.
"Maybe it's just playing with us," Yusuke said with a shrug.
"Or maybe it can't kill us itself," Kurama commented.
"What'd you mean by that?" Kuwabara asked.
"Well, maybe the house can't kill us, so it sends other things to kill us for it, like those demons it sent after each group," Kurama explained.
They thought about that for awhile. The firelight flickered over Kagome's face producing shadows, but even that could not stop anyone for seeing the thoughtful look on her face. Suddenly, almost positive of what she thought, she spoke out loud.
"I think it's hiding something," Kagome said to no one in particular, just wanting to get the idea out in the open.
"What the hell are you taking about?" Inuyasha asked when no one else responded.
"It was peaceful with us, that is, until Botan mentioned that we should begin looking for clues. That's when it's second message showed up, 'it begins'. That's when all the attacks started too," Kagome clarified.
"So you think the reason it started its attack at that particular time, was that it was afraid we might actually find out something about it?" Kuwabara asked.
"Which means it has something to hide," Sango concluded.
"Something we'd be able to find," Hiei added.
Sango, who had had her back to the fire demon, looked back at him and the two traded looks. Though the looks were not friendly, they were not mean-spirited either.
"So what are we waiting for? We should go and find whatever it's trying to hide from us," Yusuke said.
"Tomorrow," Keiko corrected him. Everyone was too exhausted from a long day to search now.
"You guys can go search tomorrow, I'll take Kirara and Miroku to go find my room so I can cure him," Kagome told them.
"I'll go too," Sango told her and Kagome smiled. "I'd like to get my weapon anyway." Sango had an irking feeling that Hiei was smiling at her last comment, though she did not turn to see if her hunch was correct.
"Me too! You're not leaving me behind again, Kagome!" Shippo told her.
"Feh, that's probably just what the house wants you to do, leave the others so it can kill you with its hordes of demons," Inuyasha told them, "I'll go with you."
"No, don't, it'll be fine," Kagome assured him.
She was not even sure why she did not want him to come along. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she wanted to be able to discuss some things alone with Sango. Maybe it was something else too, though she could not be sure.
"You don't know that. It'll probably send demons after you the moment you leave the room," Inuyasha informed Kagome.
"Would you two lovers stop bickering?" Hiei snapped.
That shut both of them up very quickly.
"Wh-what!" Inuyasha said, while he blushed slightly. A glance at Kagome, showed that she was red as well. "We're not lovers!"
While Kagome had told the girls that Inuyasha and her did not really have a romantic relationship, she had forgotten none of the other boys knew that.
"I suppose we all just assumed…" Kurama said. The news surprised him. He had been almost positive that the two had a relationship and that Kagome was already claimed by another. If that was the case…
"No, Kagome just detects the jewels for us—" Inuyasha began.
"You idiot…" Sango murmured to herself, so that only the demons in the room heard, which included Kurama.
Kagome abruptly stood up, angrily. When would he think of her as more then a jewel detector? Surprisingly enough, she did not tell Inuyasha to sit, but instead stormed out of the room, ignoring the looks from everyone else in the room. The girls understood and shook their heads while glaring at Inuyasha, while most of the guys watched in confusion.
"Kagome! Wait—" Inuyasha began.
Kagome did not hear the rest as she slammed the door behind her. Maybe going around in the demonic house alone was not the best idea, but at the moment, she did not care. She headed down the hallway, and then noticed it looked familiar. She followed it until she reached a door that lead to the large area outside. Even though it was in the center of the mansion and had walls around it on every side so there was no escape through there, it made it seem like she was in the great outdoors.
Why did Inuyasha never think of her as more than a jewel detector? Okay, so maybe that was not true, he often just told people she was just a jewel detector, but sometimes she wished that he was more than just her friend. Here she was, having a huge crush on him for so long, and all he ever thought about was the dead priestess she was the reincarnation of. Kikyo this, Kikyo that. Everything had to be about her, the dead miko who was still trying to kill him and her, for that matter. The fact that Kagome looked like her did not help the matter either.
If only he could forget about her! Kikyo did not care for Inuyasha anymore, not like Kagome did. And all Inuyasha did was constantly compare her to the priestess. For once she wished… she wished…
Kagome made her way over to the small pond, her mood not getting any lighter. She picked up a rock from the side and skipped it across the water, angrily.
She heard light footsteps behind her and whirled around, a stone in hand and ready to throw it at Inuyasha if it was him. But instead of looking into golden eyes, she found her eyes locked with green ones.
"I thought it would be better if you did not go out alone," Kurama told her. He then eyed the rock she held ready in her hand and added, "if you want, I will leave—"
She sighed, turning back around and skipping the rock across the pond water. "No, stay. I guess it was stupid of me to go out alone."
She continued to find rocks and throw them across the water, while Kurama came up next to her. Kagome skipped one rock across the water four times before another rock came and hit it, making both sink into the water.
"Hey!" she squeaked in protest as Kurama's rock sunk hers, though it lightened her mood. Just having Kurama there lightened her mood considerably. He was always so kind and polite… she felt as though it was impossible for her to get mad at him, unlike with Inuyasha.
He laughed slightly at her protest, causing her to laugh too. Kurama flicked another rock across the pond, which Kagome tried to knock down, but her aim was horrible and missed completely. He laughed again, but not in a mean way. It was more of a friendly, enjoyable manner.
Kagome gave the kitsune next to her a sidelong glance. Kurama…. He was extremely beautiful with his long red hair and emerald eyes. Somehow she managed to fall for the longhaired guys and demons no less. Why was she such a demon magnet?
The memories of that afternoon came back to her in an instant. The remembrance of his body pressed against hers and then his warm breath on the side of her face when he had murmured into her ear came back to her. How he had almost kissed her was the clearest memory and the desire that had filled his eyes…
Was it so wrong to be so attracted to him? He was courteous and always gracious toward her and from that afternoon, she thought he might even be interested in her, though it could have been a fluke. The warmness of his hand as it stroked her skin when she had burned herself… Mere memories brought on a pleasant reaction.
This was Kurama beside her, Kurama who had helped her when she was injured. Kurama, who had talked with her and joked around with her in the two weeks they had been given to get to know the strangers. Kurama, whom she helped make meals with. Kurama, who had saved her more than once.
He was not like Inuyasha, but in some ways that was a good thing. She could not see herself yelling and arguing with Kurama, or him forgetting about her every time a past love came along. She was getting a little ahead of herself though. She was not even sure how she felt about the kitsune beside her. She liked him, that was for sure, but what other strong emotions did she feel for him?
They continued to play their little game, though Kagome could hardly ever knock Kurama's rocks into the pond's depth. Finally they ran out of rocks and both stared at their reflections in the moonlight lit pond, Kagome's hands locked behind her back while Kurama's were in his pockets.
Kurama was lost in thought as he glanced at his reflection, mostly thinking about the young miko beside him. He did not notice a timid hand reach up, until he felt it touch his cool skin.
Kagome's thoughts jumped from place to place. She then remember the weapon Kurama used, his rose whip. She had seen him reach for the rose that transformed, but where had it come from? Suddenly curious about the rose, Kagome raised her hand up to the nape of his neck and her warm fingertips touched his cool skin delicately, moving slowly down lower.
He shivered at the first contact, a certain sense of pleasure overtaking him, then immediately spun around and grabbed her wrist. Though the grip did not hurt, it startled her nonetheless and it brought their bodies only inches apart.
"Sorry, I was curious about where you keep that rose you use as a weapon," Kagome explained, slightly flustered.
Kurama still did not let go of her. "You don't want to be touching me there," he told her quietly. "You might not like the effect it has on me."
Kagome blushed, understanding his words, but a small smile appeared on her face. "Found a soft spot, did I?"
He let go of her wrist but did not move away, keeping their bodies very close together. "A little unfair that you've found mine and I have not found yours," he told her softly.
His voice caressed her, making her shudder and she closed her eyes as the words washed over her. "Do you always do that?" she murmured.
"Do what?" he asked softly. His voice had become even closer, meaning that he had moved his face closer to her own.
She did not want to open her eyes to see the green eyes of the kitsune in front of her. "Enthrall people with your voice."
He laughed a little and responded, "only to the ones I'm fond of."
Before, he had hardly dared make a move since she was already claimed by another man. Now he knew that she was not. If she did not belong to Inuyasha, then maybe…
She wondered if he was ever going to make a move or if he was just trying to tease her. She hoped it was not the latter. She had been about to open her mouth to say something more, but was stopped.
His lips descended onto hers in a soft, almost chaste kiss, as though he was unsure if what he was doing was entirely desirable by her. She pushed her body closer to his in response, and that was all he needed. He deepened the kiss, one arm going around her waist while the other hand went to the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him.
His lips were soft, sweet-tasting on her own and she wanted more. Her arms wrapped around his waist bringing him as close as humanly possible. He bit her bottom lip playfully then moved his lips away, but she made a small noise of protest. She wanted him to kiss her once again and he obeyed instantly with pleasure.
She had never been kissed like this before. The sweetness of him ran through her body, consuming her. She felt lightheaded and was thankfully that Kurama was holding her so close or she might have melted into the ground. Inuyasha had never kissed here like this before.
Inuyasha, she suddenly thought and she broke away from Kurama. She pushed him back while gasping for air, her heart pounding in her chest, eyes unfocused with desire. She leaned against a tree behind her for some support, avoiding Kurama's eyes as she waited for her breathing to turn to normal.
It was wrong. She might be attracted to Kurama but she did love Inuyasha, and her feeling toward Kurama were still unclear to her. Kurama seemed to feel something toward her, but she was not sure she could return any feelings yet.
"I… I think we should go back," Kagome told him, still avoiding looking him in the face.
Without any answer from him, Kagome walked away and out of the cool night's air and into the mystical house once again. The house seemed safer then being outside alone with Kurama.
They had all fallen asleep in the room, but Sango was still up, sitting by the fire while worrying about Miroku and Kagome. Kagome had rushed out of the room in a hurry and she had been about to follow her, but Kurama said he would go. It was late now and she wondered why they were not back yet.
"I think you should stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself," said a voice from the shadows.
She nearly jumped, but stopped herself just in time. She should have known he would still be awake.
"Why, Hiei? You want me to be like you, not caring about anyone but myself? Or is this another death threat from you?" Sango asked, not removing her gaze from the embers in front of her. The fire was beginning to die out.
"Hn," was his only response as he came out of the shadows. He stood a few feet away from her, but still near the fire. He gazed into it as well, watching as the fire slowly diminished.
"What? No insult back. You disappoint me," she said dryly.
"Because that is such a horrible thing. It's not too late for me to kill you though," Hiei said causally, like he handed out death threats everyday. Though thinking about it, he probably did.
"I'll be quivering in fear any moment now," Sango responded.
She got up and added another log to the fire. There were no blankets in the room and her tank top did not provide much warmth. She needed the fire to continue if she was going to try not to freeze that night.
Hiei watched her move around the room silently, his face emotionless as usually, though he followed every move she made. The shadow half consumed her, but the fire's light still offered some refuge from the darkness.
"So Hiei, now you know why I'm not asleep… so why aren't you sleeping like the rest? Scared I'll come after you while you're unaware?" Sango asked it innocently enough as she settled back down on the floor, warming her hands by the fire.
Hiei watched the new log crackle as the flame began to eat away at it. "Hn, hardly. Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
Sango just shrugged to his amazement and said with a small grin, "maybe. My heads not exactly that clear when functioning on no sleep."
"Your head's never clear," he corrected her.
She rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk."
"When did you get so bitter?" he asked, a sudden change of subject that surprised her.
"How do you know I'm not always like this?"
He stared at her, and she sighed and continued, "I saw my father and brother killed in front of me; my whole home village was destroyed and all the people in it, and now my brother's being controlled by my enemy, Naraku, and forced to kill. Not to mention the fact that if Naraku or Inuyasha complete their quest in collecting all the jewel shards and putting the Shikon no Tama together again, my brother will die. Again. Are those enough reasons for me to become bitter?" she told him, then added, "Although I'm just bitter around you mostly, so you should feel proud."
He ignored her last statement, more focused on what she said before that. "Why will your brother die if they fulfill their mission?" He told himself he did not care, he was only curious.
Sango did not feel like explaining, especially to a demon she did not even like, so she just said, "never mind." To change the subject, she began talking again. "Are we having a normal conversation?" Sango asked with a gasp of feigned surprise.
"Do normal conversation include threats and death?" Hiei inquired, one eyebrow raised and a microscopic smile on his face.
"Not for a human, but I suppose it's usual for demons," she replied.
"Hn."
Their semi-normal conversation was interrupted though when Kagome came into the room. Sango turned around to greet her and in that same moment Hiei was back in the shadows of the room.
Kagome seemed completely flustered, but she did greet her friend and sat down beside her. "I think I'll go to sleep now. We'll talk in the morning, okay?" Kagome told her friend while lying down on the floor.
Sango nodded in return and both girls settled down. Shippo had woken up and moved next to Kagome where the small kitsune fell back to sleep contently, while the two girls followed his example.
Kurama walked into the room sometime after to find the two girls curled up by the fire, Kagome holding the small kitsune close to her. He could tell she was sleeping from the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Everyone else appeared to be asleep except for one certain demon.
Hiei came back out of the shadows once again, following Kurama's gaze to the sleeping girl holding the kitsune. The girl looked so peaceful and innocent… something that being with a demon might corrupt, whether it was with Inuyasha, who was half-demon, or another.
"Your scent is all over her. It'll just be a matter of time before the hanyou notices," Hiei commented, "and decides to put two and two together."
"I suppose," the fox said.
"I don't see why you trouble yourself with the girl. It'd be easier on everyone if you just stayed away from her," he told his friend.
"It would, wouldn't it?" Kurama responded softly, never taking his eyes of Kagome.
Seeing he would get no sensible answer from his friend at the moment, Hiei faded back into the dark and finally allowed sleep to find him.
With a small smile on his lips, Kurama found a spot on the crowded floor and fell into a deep slumber.
Keiko made her way over to the window, careful not to step on any of her sleeping friends. The window had not been there when she had fallen asleep, she was certain of that. The room must have shifted somewhere else during the night since before she was almost positive that they were near the center of the house. Now, she was looking outside she saw miles of forest and in the very far distance, the city.
During their two week stay when the two groups had gotten to know each other, they had often tried to use doors and windows to escape. However, every time they got near a window an invisible barrier would shock them and then send them flying backward. The doors had similar results, though sometimes their feet would just stop, not letting them move an inch closer. Yusuke had once tried to blast a huge whole in the wall to get out, but the wall resealed itself instantly before anyone could take a step toward the gap.
Keiko just looked at the outside world, not even trying to escape, though she missed being outside in the fresh air. How long would they stay trapped in this house? Would they ever escape or would they all die eventually from the house's tricks? No, she could not think that way. She had to believe they would find a way out. They had to find a way, and they would, she just knew it. Yusuke would not give up, of that she was certain.
Speaking of Yusuke…
"You miss the great outdoors?" he commented as he moved next to her, gazing out the window.
"Yeah," she said faintly, "what about you?"
Yusuke shrugged. "I'm more a city-fella myself, but it'd be nice getting out of this house either way. If we ever get out."
"How can you think like that? We will find a way," she said confidently, then added softly, "You'll find a way."
Yusuke turned to face her and gripped her chin with his hand, making her look at him. "You really have that much faith in me?" he asked softly.
"Yes," was her whispered reply, though it held confidence.
A look of soft amazement filled his eyes and before either knew what was happening, his lips found hers in a gentle kiss. Though it was merely a brush of lips before Yusuke moved away, Keiko could feel her head spinning. She got a hold of herself quickly though, as the rest began to awake from their slumber.
Kagome stood on one side of the hallway with her companions while facing her new friends on the other side. On Kirara's back were the unconscious Miroku and Shippo, who waved to the other group. The two groups were separating for the first time since their arrival, Inuyasha and his gang going to get the cure for Miroku and Yusuke and his friends searching on for a clue about the house.
"We'll have Kirara guide us to Kagome's room and then bring us back to wherever you are," Inuyasha told the others.
"Alright, but where the hell are we supposed to go?" Yusuke asked.
"Just go wherever the house doesn't want you to," Kagome told him.
"Is that such a smart idea?" Kuwabara asked worriedly.
"No," Kagome and Yusuke responded in unison, smiling slightly.
"Be careful," Kurama told the others, though his gaze was on Kagome.
Kagome avoided looking at him like she had done all that morning, and Sango noticed the strangeness between the two. It was extremely odd since before Kagome had spent most of her time with Kurama, talking with him nonstop.
Sango responded for her friend, "don't worry we will. The same to you, though I wouldn't mind if Hiei doesn't come back entirely whole."
"Hn," the fire demon replied.
With finally nods of acknowledgement, the two groups headed off in opposite directions.
