Captured By Death
Note- Wow. You guys love this story, don't you? I'm glad you do.
It turns out that this sickness that I thought to be an annoying cold is a minor case of the flu. There is no medicine for it and the doctor says I should be back to normal in a couple of days!
Summary- Kagome thought the nightmare was over. Two weeks after putting her psychotic cousins in prison, however, they escape and they need a hostage. Who better than Kagome? What can she do now without the aid of her friends? She's all alone with nowhere to run, no one to turn to, and her time is running out.
Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha.
Captured By Death
Chapter Twelve
Miroku managed to open his eyes. He was hanging upside down, his seat belt securing him in place. He winced as he unhooked his seat belt and caught himself before he fell onto the top of the car, which was on the ground. He grunted in pain, realizing that he had a broken rib, and took in the carnage around him. Sango and Ms. Higurashi were lying on the top of the car, motionless. Inuyasha was still upside down, his gunshot wound continuing to bleed profusely.
He climbed out through the shattered window, resulting in him gaining new cuts. He went around to Inuyasha's side and pried open the door. He shook his friend, who groaned, and eventually opened his eyes. "Damn," he commented. "Next time I'll let you drive."
Miroku laughed and helped him get out. Once that task was complete, Miroku moved to the backseat and helped Kagome's mother out gingerly and sat her in the grass beside of Inuyasha. When Miroku got to Sango, he couldn't help but cringe in pain when he saw her gunshot wounds and bleeding forehead. She was unconscious, but breathing nonetheless. He also placed her beside of Inuyasha and sat down with a great exhalation of air.
"You all right?" Inuyasha asked, holding his right shoulder, attempting to stop the bleeding. Blood was pouring between his fingers.
"I have a broken rib." Miroku responded. "I don't know what else is hurt, but it feels like everything."
"I know what you mean," Inuyasha responded. He looked down the street. The exit was only fifty feet away. He looked the opposite direction. An ambulance and several squad cars were racing toward them, their sirens wailing. "I guess they were scared away by the cops," Inuyasha said.
"Yeah." Miroku replied. "I can't believe how close they came to killing us. They were really serious about murdering us. I mean, they shot at us on a public highway."
"They don't give a damn about innocent peoples' safety." Inuyasha confirmed angrily. The sun had long since gone down and the lights of the squad cars were flashing vibrantly across the four wounded forms. Inuyasha sighed as the medical personnel leapt out hurriedly and rushed over to them and began asking question as to what hurt and where it hurt. He knew that the police would be next to interrogate them. He was looking forward to getting away from them and making a break for that exit. He was going to keep his mental promise, no matter what. No cops or psychotic men with guns were going to get in his way.
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Kagome pressed her ear against her door when she heard movement outside her room. It had been forever since she had heard anything going on outside her room and it made her curious. Who was out there?
"Ah, you're back." Naraku said. "How'd it go?"
Kagome pressed her ear harder against the door.
"I think they're dead." Ryura said.
"You think?" Naraku asked.
"Nobody was moving inside the car." Jura said. "We were about to get Kyora to burn it, but the cops were on their way. They were almost there."
Kagome gasped, realizing that they were talking about Inuyasha and her friends. So they had gone after them, after all. And what was worse, Jura said that no one was moving. Were they dead?
She burst through her door and glowered at Naraku and his comrades distastefully. "You bastard," Kagome hissed, her eyes piercing Naraku's being with a glare she had never used on anyone before.
Naraku raised a hand as an act intended to comfort her and give him a chance to speak. "Now, Kagome--"
"Don't you 'now, Kagome,' me." She barked. "You told them to go after Inuyasha and the others, even though I did what you wanted. I killed that innocent girl in exchange for the safety of my friends and my mother…and you ordered for them to be killed anyway!" She clenched her fists heatedly.
"Kagome, please, calm down." Naraku said. His tone was even, and almost sympathizing. However, his expression of smugness did not match his voice. "How do you expect us to have a decent conversation with you flying off the handle like this? Why don't we sit down and talk this over?"
"I," she began, her fists now shaking. She hated the long on his face. If she had a gun at the particular moment, she would have shot him dead in a heartbeat. "I have nothing to say to you. There is nothing to discuss." She regarded him with flaming, indignant eyes; the eyes of a woman scorned. "And, if you think that, for just a minute, I'd sit down and have a decent -- if you can even call it that -- conversation with you, then you have another think coming."
Naraku grinned haughtily. "Ah, Kagome. Still mistrustful against us? Do you still deride us so?"
"Yeah," she said, her voice shaking with emotions held inside of her. "But now I'm just very, very angry."
"That's why you must relax." Came his reply. "After you've calmed down, you'll see that we aren't as bad as you think. You might actually start to like us."
Kagome straightened, raising her chin defiantly. She was determined not to fall into the pit of her misery and succumb to this monster and become his slave. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't allow herself to weaken; to stoop so low. "Don't make me laugh, Naraku. I will never like you." She let her brown eyed glare roam over the room of people. "I will never like any of you." When her eyes fell upon Yoshiro, her gaze wavered, softened. The kindness in her eyes overpowered her hatred and animosity, just for him, just to show him that she had no ill will toward him.
Naraku sighed. "Kagome," he said, massaging his temple. "I am fond of you."
Kagome felt her heart stop and quirked an eyebrow to hide her discomfort and confusion.
"I wish you were one of us," he continued. "I admire your courage, your rebelliousness. I'm sure that, with a bit more practice, you could become an expert assassin and help us out. You'd get to help us rob banks and jewelry stores. Imagine the profits. Imagine the beautiful diamonds you could be adorned in. We'd be safe here in this warehouse. And even if we weren't -- we could move all around the country. We would be the most illustrious thieves and murders of our time." He looked at her expectantly. "Wouldn't you like that?"
Kagome stared at him blankly. Sure, she loved the thought of owning a diamond, but what girl didn't? Diamonds were, of course, a girl's best friend. However, she was determined to keep herself in control, keep Naraku on his hands and knees, begging. "No, it doesn't."
Naraku was shocked. She knew he was. He did a good job in hiding it from his physical features, though.
"Why not, Kagome?"
"Because I'd be traveling with you," she growled. "And I'd be a wanted thief and murderer."
"Well," Suikotsu chose this time to break in. "You already are a murderer."
"I know," she confessed. She noticed the strange look on Suikotsu's face at her unexpected admission. "Don't look that way, Suikotsu. I know what I've done. I killed a cop, even though it was an accident. But that girl…" Kagome had difficulty keeping her composure. "I killed that girl with my own two hands and that hunting knife. You watched me do it."
"Quick question," Jura asked. "Did you feel any pain while you did it?"
Kagome regarded him calmly. It was a simple question, that deserved a simple and honest answer. "No, I didn't."
"Why not?" Kyora asked, somewhat shocked. "I figured you would have cried and took forever to do it."
"I did what had to be done," Kagome answered tersely. "The lives of my friends and mother was on the line, so I didn't think about what I was doing and did what I had to do in order to save them." She glared daggers at Naraku. "Which didn't happen because someone ordered to have them killed, anyway."
"There's a possibility that they aren't dead, Kagome." Naraku said calmly. "But even if they are, it's better for you. You could become an experienced killer, and they're holding you back from it."
"From what I've experienced, Naraku," Kagome retorted, "they've been your pawns to get me motivated enough to kill."
It grew quiet and Kagome stood her ground defiantly, raising her eyebrows curiously as any remark he had to make. He was speechless and had nothing to say, so he simply waved her off and turned his back on her. She stood staring at him for a long time, and finally turned and left, going into her private room.
"Naraku," Kyora said, "I think she has a hold on you."
"Yeah," Jura agreed. "Seems like she's got all the control."
"No, my friends. She has no control whatsoever. She can hardly control her emotions right now." Naraku said serenely.
"What do you mean?" Jakotsu asked.
"She's conflicting with herself. She's trying to keep control of both herself and me. However, now that she's become a killer, she's beginning to think and feel like one." He turned to look at his comrades. "It won't be long, now. She'll be one of us."
Note- Will Kagome really go to the dark side or will something else happen to prevent it? Stay tuned for the next chapter and thanks for reading.
