Truth Is Almost Always the Best Policy Chapter 10: Vengance Revisited, an inuyasha fanfic

Hey guys an' gals! I'm really sorry for not updating for a really long time, but I did say I wouldn't update until I got 35 reviews, and I was a little busy with graduation around the corner, and homework for a while!

Updateman- Okay, here it is! Thank you so much for waiting!

Tsukikari Kitsune- Hey, here's the freakin' chapter, and have fun reading it!

Okay, I know I haven't been on here in a while, and you all might be pissed, but I love you all, and I thank you for the patience. I learned a lot more about writing since I last posted, and even got myself a pocket dictionary and thesaurus!! Yeah! Wo0t!! I would love to get emails from people about changing something or another, and advice, or whatever. If you just want to talk, that's cool too! Any guys out there reading this, I love that you read fanfiction. It makes my day.

So here is the next chapter, and soon, in like… 10 or less, it will come to a close… But then there are the next two stories of the series!! Fight on!

Disclaimer: By the goddess Anhamirak, I swear to you that I do not own InuYasha, or the characters, just this story.

Chapter 10

Vengeance Revisited

Kagome slowly blinked as the blinding light flooded her vision. 'When did the lights come on?' thought Kagome. Then she felt the breeze.

She turned her torso to the left a bit, and heard one of the bones in her wings crack. She grimaced; then felt it healing. 'I can't believe that it only works that way when the wings are out,' she thought bitterly.

She winced as she turned again, Kagura and an open door coming in to her vision. She saw a frame in the doorway, and recognized it as one of the brothers, the taller one. Was he Kageromaru, or Jeromaru? She couldn't remember. He was carrying two large jugs of something, and when he set them down a couple feet from her, she saw that what splashed over the top was water. 'He isn't planning to…?' she thought.

Kagome was brought back to earth when Naraku appeared next to her, causing her to tense, and him to chuckle. Kagura awoke, and gasped at his closeness. Naraku moved so that his lips were at the shell of Kagome's ear. "Ready for tonight?" he whispered in a sultry voice.

"Go to hell you bast-" he cut her off with a punch to her stomach. Tears made their way into her eyes, blurring her vision. She gasped, and he caught her lips in a bruising and forceful kiss. She struggled against him like she had many times before, and this time, her leg moved far enough forward to connect with Naraku's hipbone. He stumbled back, hand flying to his hip.

"Nice knee, but that's not going to do much, my little angel. Don't think that you'll get away from me from just one little shot to my hip. You know, you're a little cute. That you think that you can hurt me at all."

Suddenly Kagome brought her wings in, forcing Naraku backwards as they swiped at him, and caged herself inside them. She held them tight, and moved the bottom of her wings so that she could rest her feet on them so she wasn't hanging from the wall. She sighed as her muscles relaxed and her back cracked.

Naraku's eyes gleamed with rage as he ripped at her wings, scattering some feathers in the process. Her wings held tight, and he made no progress in trying to get her out. "Kagome, you're trying my patience," he said as he took a step back and calmed himself. "Why don't you be a nice girl and let yourself out of that little home you've made, or Kagura here will have some unpleasant little broken parts." Naraku smiled as he stepped to Kagura. He trailed a finger down the side of her face, and she twisted away as if she'd been scarred. He gripped her chin and pulled her lips towards his, and she screamed. He tried to silence her, but she thrashed around, not letting him touch her lips with any part of his body.

"Don't do it Kagome! You know what will happen if you do!" Naraku slapped her backhanded, and she took a moment to clear the cobwebs from her vision. "He'll summon, and then you know what will happen if you don't summon; you'll have to-" Naraku grabbed her wrist and twisted effortlessly. Kagura's screams echoed off the walls, and Kagome's feathers rustled. "NO, KAGOME!!!" Naraku twisted her arm more, and Kagura's screams became louder. "DON"T!!" Naraku let go of Kagura's arm and took hold of her leg as a tear hit his forearm.

"Boss," said Jeromaru, "I'm real sorry to interrupt, since that sounds like so much fun, but the things you ordered are here. They dropped 'em off, and said that word on the street is some people are lookin' for them girls there. One of 'em got dog ears, and another look like he his brother or sumthin'. There's some other people, a guy with black hair, and a girl with long, dark-brown hair. They said that they're combin' the warehouses in the area."

At the mention of InuYasha and Sesshomaru, the girls bristled, Kagome crying inside her feathered shell. "Damn... Send out the rest of the men to distract them. I don't want them coming near here. Do they have the address for here?"

Jeromaru shrugged. "I don't know, but I think they might. They got that little rodent on the case, the little fox Shi- something or other."

"That's Shippo. Damn. If they asked him to search, then he knows exactly where to look, and this place will be on the list. Take that list in the office I gave you earlier, and spread out for one at each location. You know who goes where. Make sure the men won't talk. I have ten hours to set up, since I can't start until then. Remember the rules." Jeromaru smiled and licked his lips.

"Can the one who finds the woman have fun with her?"

Naraku smirked. "Nothing I wouldn't do, but…" Jeromaru frowned. "Just make sure he brings her back here." Jeromaru's smirk was on full blast as he moved to exit. "Wait, if others are found, make sure to… escort them here to watch the show."

As the door shut Naraku turned back to Kagome and Kagura. "I'm sorry to leave you two girls to yourselves, but I need to set up a few things before I can play with you some more. Don't try to escape, since if you happen, perchance, to get out of your bindings, I have men outside the door."

He walked over to the side, and started setting up a large stone tablet that looked big enough to lay a person on. She saw another stone-made object, which looked like a dias. Kagura shivered as she thought of what they were going to be used for. Naraku moved out of the room to get the newly delivered things, leaving Kagome and Kagura alone. "Kagome," Kagura said, dragging in air through her teeth, "this is a compromising situation."

"No shit," said Kagome as she let her wings open so that she was still standing on them, but could talk to Kagura. "This ritual is… I …" She started to cry again, a look of remorse wrapping itself around her features. "I'm sorry you were caught up in this."

Kagura shook her head. "We already went over this. It's not your fault. Naraku is the one who brought me here not you." She looked around the place. "What exactly happens at the ritual? I know the basics, but… if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I know it will be… horrible, but that word doesn't give it justice."

Kagome shook her head. "If we actually have to go through with this, then I want you to know what's going on. I don't want you to be caught unawares."

"Okay, this is the list. We each take these walkie-talkies, and go to one location. We meet at the last location in two hours if nothing shows up at our original locations." InuYasha said as he passed out the electronics and gave each person a copy of the list.

"Umm… I'm not totally sure that I feel safe doing this on my own. I was thinking maybe I could go with Miroku. I know that you guys didn't want me to join in the first place, and I appreciate that you'll let me come, but I know Naraku, and hearing this story makes me think that he has people waiting for us where he has Kagome." Sango shuffled her feet, trying not to start crying again.

Miroku put an arm around Sango. "Of course I'll come with you. I was just about to mention it myself. All these places around the locations are not really where I want my girlfriend going alone." Sango game a smile-like grimace, and the two went off to one location.

"I guess that means that you and I are going to these locations, and we can all go to the last two." He grabbed the walkie at his hip, and pressed the button. "You guys okay?" He waited for their response. "Hello? You guys? Miroku? Sa-"

"Sorry! Yeah, we're okay. I couldn't find the button. Miroku's getting his car, so we'll meet you both at the last locations, right?" Sango crackled over the walkie.

"Yep. Over and out." InuYasha smiled. "I always wanted to say that." He put the walkie back at his hip and walked a little distance to where he set his jacket and keys, while Sesshomaru did the same. "I'm going to take my bike. Please remember that if you see either of them, walkie first, action second?" Sesshomaru nodded. InuYasha took a deep breath, and set his things down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Look. I know we haven't always been the best of brothers, and we fight enough for thirty brothers, but I want you to know, I'm there for you, and I hope that we can get along a little better when this is all over."

Sesshomaru smiled and turned to InuYasha. "Stop acting like a big brother, you do it better than me." They both laughed, and went in their directions, Sesshomaru taking the elevator to the lot and getting into his car, while InuYasha took another elevator to the front of the building. He walked a couple of blocks and got on his Ducati. He made sure everyone was still alive, and set off for his location.

Miroku pulled into a lot that had immense parking, to say in the least. He parked in the closest spot, and looked over to Sango. She looked a little pale, and he thought she might be shaking. He shifted his weight and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, don't worry. We're going to find that freak and get Kagome back home and well. She's going to be fine!" She moved so her head was under his chin, and she started to cry into his chest. "Shh… You need to be strong for her. You need to show her the kind of strength that you showed when your family… A strong kind of strength… a…" Sango pulled up from his chest, and smirked.

"You couldn't think of what to say."

"Sure I could. I was just…"

"Coming up with something? Pulling a phrase from your ass? Pretending to be smart?"

"Hey! Give me some credit here! I was trying to cheer you up! You were sobbing! Now, you're smiling and insulting me. That's a lot better than crying right?" She smirked wider. "Wait…"

Kagura gaped at the set-up before her. There was a large basin that Naraku had said would keep a fire going for hours. "Like what you see?" he said, interrupting her thoughts.

"This is the most… sick thing I have heard of in my life. This set up is exactly as Kagome described, and those two stone tablets are not exactly inviting." Kagura spat.

"Now, now, Kagura, that isn't very nice. What is so bad about this scenery? There's a big bad book-o-spells, two tablets that I can spread both of you out on to sacrifice, and a huge basin for the fire needed to summon Kagome and my ancestors, not to mention the ceremonial dias, and there are the normal ceremonial daggers, along with things that you know what they're for. And as soon as six o'clock comes around, that party will start. And yes, the water is there for what you think it is. Don't worry, it won't hurt me a bit!" He chuckled as he went to do some last minute moving and arranging.

"Okay, this is what's happening. We're going to go through this door, and if they're not in here, then they can't be in this warehouse. This is the biggest storage area, and InuYasha said the area has to be pretty big, so this is the last area. Look out for the usual bad guys, and look out for unstable structures. I don't want to lose you in this place." Miroku whispered to Sango so that if someone was in the room, they couldn't be heard.

Miroku motioned for Sango to follow him, and they opened the door, moving to the side for a moment to make sure that no one would rush out at them. Suddenly, someone from inside the building shot a couple rounds into the open doorway. Sango stifled a scream, and Miroku sucked in air through his clenched teeth. He looked across the door way to her, and motioned to go around the other way, so they could meet up outside.

When she got out, Sango waited for Miroku. When he didn't come, she got on her walkie, and whispered, "Guys? This is Sango here. We went to our location, and open a door, and a couple of rounds were fired. Miroku's still in there, and now I'm starting to get worried. I don't think Kagome's here, since I didn't hear a scream, but I'm not totally sure. I just have a feeling she isn't."

"Just wait for Miroku. He'll get you out of there, and don't panic." Sesshomaru's voice, crackled a bit over the speaker.

"Okay, but he's still not here. I don't know where he is!" Sango chewed on the bottom of her lip as she hid behind some boxes in case the shooter had followed her.

Miroku's heart was pounding as he ran through a musty hallway in the warehouse. After the shots had been fired, Miroku had run his way, and hoped that Sango was alright. Now, he looked for a way out. He chose the hallway to his left, praying like a monk that he could get outside. Miroku looked up, out of his thoughts, and saw his worst nightmare. A dead end. He hid behind a stack of cardboard boxes as he heard pounding footsteps turn down his way. He held back a gasp as he saw a rent-a-cop looking guy come near where he was. He smushed his body against the wall, trying not to be seen, and held his breath.

"Guys? This is Sango here. We went-" boomed Sango's voice loud and clear over the walkie. The man ran towards the sound as Miroku struggled to shut it off. Boxes went flying as Miroku watched him come closer, and pushed them into the thug, and they bounced off him.

"Johnny's not likin' how yer treatin' 'im. Johnny's just a nice guy, doin' 'is job. Why would yeh throw sum boxes at Johnny?" Johnny pulled out a gun, smiling. He shot at Miroku, but missed when he ducked. Johnny took a step forward to shoot at him again, but since he had more brawn than brains, tripped on a box that he didn't see. Miroku took the opportunity to run past Johnny, and out to the end of the hall. 'If I can outsmart this guy, I can get out to Sango, and we can get out of here.' Miroku thought.

He turned the corner, and heard a thunderous noise behind him. Johnny was fast. Not just fast, he was gaining! Miroku heard another shot, and bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood as a bullet lodged into his forearm. He clutched the wound and kept on running. He turned another corner, and ran up some rickety stairs against the wall. They looked stable enough to hold him, but not a 320-pound man.

When he got to the top, he breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the stairs crash to the ground. He walked briskly to sunlight, and saw a window. He looked out, and saw a sub-roof. He could climb out the window, jump onto the roof, and then climb down a ladder on the side! He reflexively ducked when the sound of gunshots echoed.

"Johnny thinks yer not nice to trick 'im. Johnny thinks you a real mean guy to trick 'im. Johnny don't like no tricks," yelled a voice from below.

Miroku rolled his eyes and slid down the wall with his back. "Well Johnny's and American rent-a-thug who can't speak correctly and doesn't have any business being in an abandoned warehouse," yelled Miroku.

"But Johnny gots lots 'a business bein' in this warehouse." Miroku connected the dots, and pressed the button on his walkie, held it out, and waited for Johnny to talk again.

When he didn't, Miroku yelled, "really? Then what's your business here Johnny?"

"Johnny think you ask too many questions, but since you be dead soon, Johnny'll answer 'em for 'ya."

In their own areas, InuYasha, Sesshomaru, and Sango listened in, wondering what was going on and who Johnny was. Where was Miroku? Did he turn the walkie on intentionally?

"Johnny is workin' for Mr. Naraku. Mr. Naraku is Johnny's boss. He's real good to Johnny unless he's mad. Jeromaru, Mr. Naraku's worker, told Johnny to, 'Go to this location and kill and or capture any and all people who arrive there, or Boss is gunna be real mad.' He said that yer gunna mess up Boss' quest for power, and the ceremony's not gunna work if someone ruins all the fun! So Johnny came here 'ta kill 'ya!" Johnny laughed and gunfire was heard.

The others gasped and a tear rolled down Sango's cheek. "Miroku," she whispered.

Miroku took a deep breath. "Guys, I'm fine," he said into the walkie quietly. "I just got shot in the arm, nothing serious. I think that all this means that Naraku is prepared for us, and knows where we're going. Sango, I want you to get out of here. This guy's crazy, but has no way of getting to me." More shots hit the ceiling as Johnny got impatient. "He doesn't even know exactly where I am. I found a way to get out of here, and I know a guy a couple of blocks from here that I trust. Go on without me to the next location."

"I can't leave without you, Miroku! I just can't!" Sango's voice whispered.

"Sango, go! Get away from here!" Miroku said softly yet harshly. "I need you to be safe. I might have never said this out loud to you before, but… I-" He took a breath. "Sango, I love you. And I don't want you to die or even get injured. Get out of here and find Kagome… and be careful." His look of concern wasn't visible to Sango, but she felt it in his voice

"Miroku! I love you too!" She paused, thinking of the options; Miroku could tell. "Alright. I'll go, but walkie me when you get there. Be safe. I love you."

Miroku smiled softly as he heard the emotion in her voice. He broke the window next to him, and climbed through. He was going to make it! Better yet, Sango loved him! He jumped onto the roof, and rolled to brace the impact. He ran to one side, looking down to find a ladder, and found one on the second side. As he set him foot on the first rung, he heard tires screeching away in the distance, and relief spread through him knowing Sango was safe.

He reached the ground, and turned, only to find himself face to face with Johnny. "You think Johnny not smart, not think you do what you did and he be ready for you. Johnny was given this location, and know it like the back 'o his hand. Johnny smart and wait here while you think you escape! Who dumb now?" Johnny laughed menacingly as he took a giant step back and shot at Miroku's legs, hitting him in the thighs. Miroku screamed as he hit the pavement.

Sirens blared in the distance, and Johnny started. "Johnny no like cops. They arrest him back in America. Made him go to jail. Johnny leave you now. Have fun dying." Johnny ran off, leaving Miroku to try to move from his spot on the ground. He tried to stand up, but thought better of it as he thought of the damage it could cause to his already battered nerves in his legs.

A minute or so later, some paramedics called for help as they discovered a barely breathing Miroku. "Hey, you okay? Some lady called and said to come here 'just in case' and that a guy had gotten shot. You that guy?"

"No, Tanaka," another paramedic said to him, "this guy's a different one. OF COURSE HE IS! Help me get him on the stretcher.

"Sango…" Miroku whispered as he lost consciousness.

Sango sobbed quietly as she drove to the fourth location. She knew Miroku said he was going to be fine, so why did she have this foreboding feeling? She thought of how much Kagome had suffered so far, and how she would have given anything for this to be over. Caught up in her thoughts, she almost collided with a green van, both swerving out of the way. Sango kept on driving, thinking to herself that she had no time to stop, yet still feeling guilty. She shook her head and wiped her eyes as she stopped for a red light. She waited for green, and sped off. She saw some kids on the side of the street, and though of their lives ahead of them, and how they would never get to live them out if Kagome wasn't rescued and Naraku wasn't stopped.

When she reached the location, she decided she was going to take a quick look, and if something was there, see if InuYasha or Sesshomaru could come help. It made her feel useless, but Miroku wasn't going to help her out this time. He told her not to die, so she wasn't going to. She took a deep breath, and opened the car door. "Just to let you know, I'm at the fourth location. I'll report back if I get any information or see anything." The walkie crackled its annoying sound as she spoke into it.

"Roger," was the answer of the brothers.

Sesshomaru got out of his car and stuck his gun in a holster behind him. After Miroku's intersession on the walkie, he and InuYasha had gone back and donned Kevlar vests as well as guns. He walked around the building once, deciding where to enter. He chose a door and opened it quickly, jumping to the side and waiting. Nothing happened, so he looked in. He picked up his walkie and confirmed his location, getting feedback that they acknowledged.

Not seeing anything unusual, he stepped inside, hearing a lock click behind him. 'Great. Locked in. That's always fun.' He promised himself to worry about that later, and look around for some clues or suspicious things.

He opened a couple of small rooms, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, he came to a large door, opened it, and was met with the storage room of the building. No evidence of Naraku found, he turned to leave.

Hearing a rustle behind him, he pulled out his gun, pointing it at the source of the sound.

InuYasha concentrated on his riding, using all of his willpower not to think of Kagome. He didn't want to lose her, and thinking about it left him breathless.

He veered to the right as he almost missed his turn. He took a side road, and saw it ended, but spied a footpath. This had been a private warehouse before it was abandoned, and all transporting had been done by helicopter, so there was no need for a road. Getting off his bike, he used a chain attached to it to anchor it to a tree. He took off his helmet and placed it on his bike, pulling out his gun to slide it into the back of his jeans. He wasn't as prepared as Sesshomaru, so he didn't own a holster for this situation.

"I've arrived at location 2," relayed InuYasha.

"Okay," said Sango.

"There's nothing in 3, but I still have a room or two to check out. I'll give results in a bit." Sesshomaru crackled.

InuYasha set off on foot, pushing his way through the branches and brush on the overgrown path. Tripping on a hidden root, InuYasha tumbled out of the forest, landing flat on his face.

"Yum," InuYasha said sarcastically, "I just love to eat dirt." He picked himself up and dusted off, shaking his hair.

He walked across a helicopter pad a couple meters from the woods, and walked a couple of more meters to a door. He took a deep breath, and reached for the handle, and gripped it.

A sudden panic overtook him, and he let go, forcing himself to relax. "I can do this. I'm going to get Kagome, and we're going to be fin," he told himself. He took another deep breath, and clenched his fists, then let go. "Okay, here I go."

He put his hand on the handle again, and turned it.

The door opened slowly, and Naraku's head snapped up. Surprise washed over his features, then delight. "Well, look who it is! You're just in time for the party," he laughed.

Kagome unfolded her wings to see who it was, and gasped.

Naraku smirked gruesomely. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

Whew! That took forever to type, and I hope it's okay! I really think that I'm improving as a writer, but let me know please! On deviantart . com, (no spaces) I posted a couple chapters. I also have art there, so be sure to look at it, ok? thanks!!!!

-tsukikari9