Chapter Eleven ─ A Choice to Give Up
"Bold"- Foreign Language
Her heart was being ripped out.
Blinding light pierced through her body like knives as she barely kept herself from falling. Refusing to give in to such torture, she bit down on her tongue to silence the anguished scream begging for release. She would not give him the satisfaction.
She knew Yamamoto stood behind the light with greed in his eyes and the crystal ball in his hands. After weeks of this treatment, it was obvious to her what he was doing. He was absorbing the Shikon no Tama. Whether to hate this body of hers or not, Yamamoto had found out that she could not die after absorbing everything from her. The next day, the Shikon no Tama would simply replenish her with more reiki.
She couldn't escape this hell hole.
Although she was kept behind steel bars, Yamamoto had not locked the cell nor assigned any guards. Why? Lavender pink eyes pooled with sorrow as her thoughts whispered, 'He knows that I will never escape without Shin.'
He kept Shin hidden from her. Unable to sense his youkai ki, she worried for his safety. She demanded several times to be shown proof if he was still alive, but Yamamoto would only smile and remain silent. He did not need to answer her. The moment she stepped past the prison gate, Shin could be killed for her attempt. So, she wouldn't dare leave this prison...not if there was a chance Shin was alive.
Feeling the same wave of fatigue, Kagome knew she was about to pass out from raw pain. It was an unending cycle. She would wake up from exhaustion, have Yamamoto suck all her powers, then fall unconscious. The next day would repeat itself. How many weeks has it been? Had it been months?
Losing her self control, her figure crumbled weakly onto the rigid stone floor. She was left unable to shed any more tears.
'Sesshomaru.'
Broken, the last hopeful glint in her eyes died.
##
24 hours was the maximum limit a human body could last in the Ocean before giving into exhaustion and hypothermia. 4 months was the time constraint a human could survive out in the Ocean with a safety boat before dying of dehydration and starvation.
For 6 months, he persisted a search team to find her.
As the months passed by, the number of ships decreased; from ten search teams to one. Though no one dared to advise their General to give up the search, a sense of weariness stained the ship's atmosphere. The one most weary and strangled with time stood facing the Ocean with a soulless expression.
Hisa approached the edge of the deck where he stood guard. Day and night, he did not move much from that spot. One more set of eyes in search for her, he stood alert. Standing by his side, she silently offered another set of eyes to assist him for the night.
"Inform the men. We set sail to Belgium at dawn."
Shocked, Hisa glanced at Sesshomaru to clarify the meaning of his words. Had he given up on the Miko? Faced with a stoic mask, she could not understand him. "You will abandon the search?"
She would not hear a reply for his lips remained closed. Inhaling sharply, her heels snapped together as she raised her chin.
"We set sail at dawn then," she agreed to his command stiffly. Hisa exited the deck, giving the Inuyoukai the privacy she thought he would need.
His unwavering eyes stared out at the open waters. He had done everything he could to ensure she was not locked underwater. She was not found, meaning she had wandered off course and was perhaps still alive. Though this realization came with a slight lift to the ache against his chest, it was brief. There was always the fear of enemy soldiers lurking around to capture survivors as hostage. At the thought of an enemy finding her before him, a flare torched within him. The passing cloud unveiled the glow of the moon and revealed the murderous glint within golden eyes.
The impulse to slaughter trembled to the very core. His thoughts replayed several brutal ways to torture his enemies.
Blood.
An eerie smirk tugged the end of his lips. Yes, she was alive, he would believe so. He'd rather have rage stream through his veins than enter again into the blank slate of numbness.
4 years, he remembered she said the war would last for.
'Two. I will end this war within two years.' He would end the war and find her amongst the hostages. Pausing, his throat constricted. The weight of his words sank in. Two years was much too long to hope for her safe return. The rage simmered down, replaced with a hollow sensation. Golden eyes helplessly lost the glow of determination.
"...Two years," he whispered to the Ocean as his witness. A promise that would not reach her, but he held to himself. The last shred of hope expressed in those two words. He promised to end the war before the two year mark, so somehow...somewhere, he hoped his words would reach her and plead for her to endure until then.
She would return to him in one piece.
She had to.
##
A cool draft trespassed the still air of her prison cell. Yamamoto was coming. Having spent so many months in this place, she had memorized every detail. The weather outside determined how quickly water drops formed along the ceiling. Where the usual puddle lay, she could point to it while blindfolded. The chatter amongst the usual morning guards reached her ears. However, since they spoke in a foreign language, she was unable to eavesdrop on any updates to the continuous war.
The echo of footsteps entered, confirming her of his arrival; the only person she had seen for the longest time.
Yamamoto.
She did not hate him. She did in the beginning, but the hatred slowly faded. Left inside a solitary cell with no one to speak to and consumed by your own thoughts, one could go crazy. She would have gone insane had Yamamoto decided to ignore her questions and offer to small talk.
No, she could not hate the only company and comfort she had. And even though his choice to wipe out all youkais kept them from being friends, he was not entirely cold-blooded. Here and there, she saw signs of warmth.
A hand opened the lockless prison door. "Miko," Yamamoto said in acknowledgement. She nodded her head in response. He held up a food tray and signaled for her to take it. She saw him three times a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. After months of just absorbing large amounts of her reiki, the amount he took seemed to have decreased. Whether it was out of pity or guilt, she chose to believe it was because he had a heart.
Watching his expression scrunch up with stress, Kagome asked, "Are your soldiers bothering you again?"
It had taken months to understand the stressful expression he would have whenever he came to visit her. At first, she thought it was because of her. After a while, she connected the dots to their conversation and echoes from the vents. Apparently, his Japanese heritage made him the victim to bullies amongst the higher ranks. Though Kaiser Wilhelm II approved of him, he was not there to protect the comments of others all the time. What broken German she knew of, she heard lower ranked soldiers yell "Japanese spy" before Yamamoto would enter into her prison.
Yamamoto being bullied, it sort of made him appear less like the villain he was.
"Disrespecting fools. They know nothing of what I am doing for the human race," he said with his voice strained with anger.
"Then why are you siding with Germany when Japan has allied with the Britain?" Kagome asked the question she had wanted to know since the beginning. "Does it have something to do with exterminating youkais?"
"None of your business," he replied curtly.
It was moments like these that revealed the reality of their odd relationship. He would gladly rant about his frustrations, and she would gladly listen. However, the moment one spoke about their goals for the future human and youkai race, they stood as clear enemies. Knowing he would not tell her of his plans, she dropped the desire to inquire any further.
"Yamamoto." She gazed at him sternly.
"What?" He snapped, still annoyed.
"Where is the book you promised to get me?" With a brow raised, she lifted her chin to prove her disapproval. His spoiled attitude was becoming a bother, so she would send him off to cool his head before returning.
Holding her gaze, she noted the internal battle Yamamoto fought; whether to use his authority over her and refuse to do as she asked or keep his promise, his honor.
A grim look appeared across his face as he mumbled curses beneath his breath. The sound of his complaints trailed behind him while he exited the prison.
A satisfied grin appeared on her lips. Moving to eat her lunch, the echo of voices reached her ear. Her head tilted to the side in silent confusion. She had never encountered another being during her stay here. Both excitement and hesitance rushed through her body.
"We shouldn't be here. General Yamamoto will kill us if he finds we trespassed and disobeyed his orders," a boyish voice echoed.
Kagome keened her ears to catch the foreign language the sentence was spoken in.
"Shut up, I want to know what is in this place he so secretly hides and protects."
A frown replaced her expression at the sound of the harsh ring to the words just said. Frustrated, Kagome thought, 'Who are they and what are they saying?'
"We will just have to hurry up and take a peek, right boys?"
As several footsteps neared her prison cell, the shadows of five soldiers reflected against the prison walls. Lavender pink eyes stared at the surprised expressions of the trespassing soldiers. Kagome froze at the sight of their familiar uniform. Army green coated the jacket and pants while crimson red dyed the cuffs of the sleeves. Flashbacks of soldiers in that uniform aiming the ship's artillery at her men flooded her mind. Lost in the recollection of her failures, Kagome missed the lustful eyes directed towards her figure.
"I see why General Yamamoto wishes to keep her a secret." A soldier said as he licked his lips.
The sound of Yamamoto's name snapped her from her nightmare. Focusing on the intruders, Kagome finally noticed the sick desire on their faces.
"Shall we have a taste of her for ourselves?" Another soldier smirked.
"I'm sure the General won't mind. Seeing as she's in a cell, she's probably just a whore." The five soldiers took a step forward as realization slammed against her chest. Their arms inched towards her as she made a mad dash to somehow lock the gate.
Her sudden movement brought out the animalistic thirst within the men as they lunged to capture their prey. A horrified cry tore past her throat as she felt several hands grab her. Locked onto the ground, she fiercely struggled against their grip.
"NO!" She yelled, not giving up. To shut her up, she felt a hand smack across her cheek. Her breath knocked out, her eyes blurred with tears from the pain.
Fear.
She had given up once before, unwilling to put up the fight to escape or wish to be rescued. She should just give up now, too. Losing the will to struggle against their touch, her body fell limp to their will. Her mind had already decided to shut down, though her heart continued its useless fight.
No one would rescue her.
The sound of her clothes being torn off followed by the shattering of her heart. The last desperate cry of her heart resounded, 'Sesshomaru.'
Reminded of the Inuyoukai who waited centuries for her return, lavender pink eyes sparked with longing. The very thought of him had been her only source of peace. Suddenly, an overflow of memories flickered through her blank mind. The worry in his eyes, the time he almost strangled Hisa for threatening her life, the relief in his expression every time she returned from battle safely, these memories warmed her numb body.
He had waited centuries for her return.
A pulse of her reiki flared inside the inner core of her heart.
He was still waiting for her return.
The five soldiers busily roamed their hands over her bare body. Preoccupied with the sensation of lust, none had noticed the glow behind lavender pink eyes. Abruptly, a hand illuminating with reiki struck one soldier against his chest. Though the reiki did not purify humans, the force of the blast had flung him across the prison floor and crash against the walls; immediate unconsciousness. Bewildered soldiers froze their movements at the sight of their fellow friend being thrown so far.
She would not give up.
A warrior cry released from her throat and caused the soldiers to tremble. Aiming a blast of reiki, she knocked out the soldier who held her right arm down. Determined, she scanned the three remaining soldiers. Before they could even snap out of their shock to pull out their guns, Kagome hurled them onto the stony floor.
"Let me through!" A voice filled with authority and anger caught her attention. Turning around, Kagome noticed a crowd of soldiers surrounded by the exit doors. They must have heard the battle noise and looked inside to see what was happening. By the way all their expressions were filled with shock, she assumed they had seen everything. From the distance, she could see Yamamoto shoving past the crowd.
His eyes met with her terrified ones and paused. He scanned her barely clothed state. Nail marks ran across her pale skin and bled. Her cheek fully swollen in dark shades of purple. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. Straightening his back, a dark expression seized his face.
"Urghh," one of the offenders groaned as he seemed to come around.
Yamamoto didn't waste time pulling out his hand gun and aimed.
Her eyes widened, but before she could stop him a gun shot deafened the confines of the cell. Another four gun shot followed right after. All five soldiers who had assaulted her lay in a pool of their own blood.
Silence and fear fell upon the crowd of soldiers who witnessed the General kill their fellow men.
His glare shot towards the crowd and warned, "Disobey me and I'll kill you." Yamamoto's threat rang with truth. "GET OUT!"
Instantly, the crowd dispersed as they desperately made a dash to escape the General's wrath. Kagome, still shocked, stared at the lifeless bodies and then to Yamamoto. She couldn't believe it. He had killed a human...humans. The race he so desperately was trying to save, he had killed his own.
"Disgusting youkais," Yamamoto sneered towards the lifeless soldiers.
Kagome's eyes widened at the sound of his words. As if a habit, he immediately blamed the youkai race for all evil. Staring at him, she observed the devastating reality of his actions sink in. Yamamoto had realized he had killed humans...not youkais. Kagome remained silent, not needing to add stress upon his own wrecked state.
"Miko, come," he muttered weakly. His subdued state caused her to pity him. Trailing behind him, she experienced the first time past these prison walls. A burst of light caught her off guard as they passed the prison doors. Shielding a hand over her eyes, Kagome blinked to adapt to the bright light.
Wary soldiers glimpsed at the passing General and prisoner. Whispers echoed in the hallways of what had happened. However, no one dared to speak of their General with disrespect any more for the new found fear of him.
Reaching a door, Yamamoto opened it to reveal a furnished room. Nodding his head to indicate that she enter, Kagome stepped inside and scanned the small comfortable room. A single sized bed positioned in the corner with a wooden desk beside it.
"You will stay here from now on." He looked away from her with confused devastation portrayed on his face. He had no idea how far the soldiers had assaulted her and he didn't wish to know. Recalling the moment he saw her beatened body, a thought crossed his mind.
Was it possible that humans could be just as evil as youkais?
The brief thought concealed and locked deep inside his heart, he would not question his purpose in life.
He could not.
Kagome wrapped her arms over her chest. The subtle tremble of her hands hidden, she caught Yamamoto's expression before he slammed the door shut. He looked at her with blame. All the months she spent getting closer to him was gone in an instant.
'On the positive side, I've got Yamamoto to question his goal to exterminate the youkai race,' Kagome thought sarcastically. Then, as if her body had caught up to the fear kept hidden, her legs immediately gave in, and she sank to the wooden floor. Intense shivers shook her body. Unshed tears burst past her eyes and placed her hands over her mouth to muffle the sobs that tore past her lips.
*Kaiser: it means Emperor.
Author's Note: That was an intense chapter to write. A lot of emotion caused by the after affects of Kagome's capture. I hope this chapter pulled on your heart strings. Any thoughts on what might happen next?
Thank you for reading,
Your reviews are cherished.
