Kagome was not a happy camper to say the least. She was sitting stiffly in a plush chair that was in what seemed to be a private living quarters at the top of Taisho Corps' Tokyo headquarters. Shippo and Koga were with her, and the three of them were waiting for Sesshomaru to arrive from wherever it may be that he was coming from. Kagome didn't know, and she didn't overly care.
What Kagome cared about now was somehow getting out of here. What she would do then she wasn't sure. She was sure that this whole situation had become far more dangerous than she was comfortable with.
First I find out Kikyo is a part of a group that wants to exterminate an entire species, and then I find out that said species is desperate to prevent World War Three, and desperate people do horrible, stupid things!
Desperate people were willing to do what no else was, like murder innocent people whose only mistake had been to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Hold it Kagome; you've got to think rationally. Jumping to conclusions will only make you desperate. Now, will Sesshomaru really order Miroku, Sango, and my family killed?
It was possible, Kagome decided. However, it was also possible that he would simply order that they be taken to a reservation along with Inuyasha and Kagome. Even so, Kagome didn't want them to have to be stripped away from everything and everyone they knew. She didn't want to be stripped from the life she knew.
The whole thing was just unfair. It wasn't like she had wanted to get involved with yokai and their problems. She hadn't set out to discover them. She'd just gone to a museum and touched a statue on a dare.
I wish I could just get away from them; all of them. I wish I could just live a normal life with my family, friends, and Inuyasha.
Kagome blinked. Since when had Inuyasha figured in her definition of normal? She wasn't sure, but it seemed right. But with Inuyasha came the rest of the package. Things could never be normal as long as Inuyasha was around. Sesshomaru would never let them live in peace, Kikyo and the Society of Light would never stop hunting them…Ultimately, the end result would be the same, no matter what Kagome did. She would be forever on the run, never able to settle down and lead a normal life.
So, if Kagome accepted that normal was out of the question, what then? Where did that leave her?
I want Inuyasha to stay with me, but I don't want us to be caged. I want us to be free.
She knew she was going to have to confront Sesshomaru if they were to even have a hope of making that dream a reality. However, that was not a confrontation she wanted to have by herself. But she couldn't tell them where Inuyasha was because she didn't want to get Miroku in trouble, and she wasn't stupid enough to think they'd let her try and get Inuyasha by herself.
Think, girl. There's got to be something you can do.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" she blurted. Not very original, and maybe not even useful, but it would get her away from their eyes for a few minutes at least.
"Its right over there," Shippo said.
Kagome stood and stiffly walked into the bathroom. She locked the door once she was inside, knowing as she did so that a simple locked door wouldn't stop Koga or Shippo if they really wanted to get in.
Glancing around, Kagome took stock of what was in the bathroom. There had to be something she could use.
A minute or two of searching revealed that there wasn't anything the least bit useful in there. There wasn't even a window for her to climb out of; not that Kagome really thought she could successfully scale the side of a sky scraper.
But I have to escape somehow!
But as long as Koga and Shippo were watching her, there was no way she could get out of there. If she could somehow get them to leave her alone…
A plan began to form in her mind. She just might be able to get rid of them after all. She was certain that there was one topic that would make any man, no matter what species, run for the hills.
Kagome flushed the toilet so the guys wouldn't get suspicious, and then schooled her face into a pained and somewhat embarrassed look. Clutching her stomach she opened the door and shuffled back into the living room where Koga and Shippo were waiting.
"Um, could you guys do me a favor?"
Koga scowled, apparently still not happy with her. "No."
"I need tampons," she said.
Both men froze, and looks of horror slowly crossed their faces. Kagome almost laughed, but didn't. She had to act quickly before they calmed down enough for their noses to tell them that she had not actually started her period.
"Please?" Kagome asked. "I need tampons quick, before I bleed through my clothes."
"I'm going, I'm going," Koga said, nearly running for the door. In less than a second, he was gone.
Kagome turned her pleading expression to Shippo, who took a few steps back. "I'm starting to cramp up too. Do you have any pain medicine with you?"
"Er, not on me no," Shippo said. "We'll have to go to the nurse."
Kagome let her eyes widen. "I can't go with you! What if I bleed through my jeans?"
"I'll just go by myself then," Shippo said edging for the door. "I'll be right back."
Kagome waited for a minute to make sure Shippo was gone and then grinned to herself. That had been easier than she expected. She checked the front door and was pleased to see Shippo had left it unlocked. She followed the short hall that led directly to an elevator.
"Going down," Kagome said cheerfully pressing the down button.
When Sango had jumped in Miroku's car, she had had the painful misfortune of jumping on Inuyasha who had immediately tossed her in the back seat. "Okay, will someone please tell me what's going on?" Sango asked after straightening herself.
"Kagome's been kidnapped by some of Sesshomaru's henchmen," Miroku said.
"What? Why?" Sango asked.
"I'm not certain," Miroku said, "but I have a feeling it has to do with Kikyo."
Sango scowled. She didn't like not understanding what people were talking about. "Okay, stop, back up, and explain with all details."
So Miroku told her about what he'd overheard the other day at the diner, and how Kagome had decided that it would be safest if Inuyasha stayed with him.
"So, Kagome warned Sesshomaru about the Society of Light, he probably figured out that others knew about Inuyasha, and he decided to make good on his threat to ship them off to a reservation," Sango summarized.
"I believe so, yes," Miroku said.
Sango hit him upside the head.
"Ouch! Sango, not while I'm driving!"
"This is all your fault, Miroku!" Sango said. "Kagome never would have called him if you hadn't insisted."
"And what were we supposed to do?" Miroku asked. "Let the Society of Light slaughter an entire race of people?"
Sango bit her lip. She understood what Miroku was saying, and ultimately, she knew he was right. But Sango didn't care nearly as much about a group of people she'd never met as she did about her best friend.
"So, how are we going to get her back?" Sango asked.
"I'm not certain," Miroku said. "My guess is that she was taken to the Taisho Corporation headquarters in this city. I would also guess that most of the people working there are human, and probably don't know that their boss is a yokai. There would be too much risk of word about their existence getting out otherwise."
"We know at least two of the people there are going to be yokai," Sango said, "three if Sesshomaru's there too."
"And we should assume he is," Miroku said. "It's best to plan for the worst case scenario."
Inuyasha scrawled something on his notepad and shoved it in her face. Sango read the words and frowned. "No disrespect meant, Inuyasha, but are you sure you can take all three of them?"
Inuyasha wrote, 'Of course I can!'
"Hopefully, it won't come to that," Miroku said. "But it does give me an idea. When we get there, just let me do the talking and follow my lead."
They pulled into a parking space in front of the skyscraper that was Taisho Corp. The three of them climbed out of the car and started towards the building.
"Stay close, both of you," Miroku said.
The lobby inside was large and richly decorated. There was a station with several receptionists in the center of the room. Miroku walked up to a free one and smiled at the older woman. She sent him a frosty stare in response.
"Good afternoon, madam," Miroku said gallantly.
"Can I help you?" she snapped.
Miroku didn't bat an eye at her less than warm reception. "My associate and I would like to speak to Mr. Taisho."
"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.
"No," Miroku said, and the woman cut him off.
"No appointment, no meeting. Besides, Mr. Taisho isn't in the city today."
Miroku didn't let his smile fade, although he was somewhat thrown by this bit of information. If Sesshomaru wasn't even in the city, was it possible that his henchmen had taken Kagome directly to him? If so, how were they supposed to find her then?
"Is there any way you could get me in contact with him?" Miroku asked.
"No," the woman snapped. "Now, I suggest you kids quit wasting my time and leave."
Sango slammed her hand on the desk. "I suggest you get us in contact with Taisho before I lose my temper."
The receptionist quickly backed up. "Security!"
A gorilla of a man walked over and grabbed Sango's shoulder. That was a mistake. Miroku had learned the hard was that you never grabbed Sango when she was mad, especially the behind, er, from behind.
Despite his bulk, Sango threw the man over the receptionist's desk. It was just plain bad luck that the receptionist was in the way.
More security guards arrived, and Miroku moved to put his back to Sango's. In doing so he brushed up against Inuyasha, and quickly grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Don't attack them, Inuyasha," Miroku muttered quietly. "We can't let them know you're here yet."
"What's going on?" a voice cracked like a whip.
Everyone stopped and looked. Sesshomaru was standing in the doorway, apparently having just arrived, and not happy with what he saw.
Miroku brushed past shocked security guards and stood in front of Sesshomaru with an easy, confident smile. "Ah, Mr. Taisho. I apologize for the ruckus. Sango and I merely wanted to speak with you about a mutual acquaintance. You do remember Inuyasha, of course?"
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, if only minimally. "Come with me."
They followed him to an elevator, and Miroku couldn't resist a cheerful wave to the receptionist who looked as if the gorilla man might have broken her nose.
Looking ahead again, Miroku saw Sesshomaru frowning at the elevator, and it took him a moment to realize why. The elevator was on its way down, but Sesshomaru hadn't pressed any buttons yet.
A moment later the doors dinged open, and Kagome stood before them. "Ah, crud," she said.
Outside of Taisho Corporation, feelings of uncertainty rose up inside of Kikyo again. She hadn't hesitated to agree to this fight, but she couldn't help but feel that this was the wrong place for it.
"Onigumo," Kikyo said quietly, "there are humans in there."
"Humans that have agreed to serve the yokai," Onigumo said. "They are as evil as yokai are, and just as deserving of death."
How could he know that? They'd only just found the place. How could he know what any of the people were like that worked in there?
"Are you getting cold feet, Kikyo?"
Kikyo glared at Kagura. Kagura was Onigumo's sister, and Kikyo couldn't help but dislike the woman. Every word that came out of her mouth was snide and sarcastic, as if she went out of her way to try and belittle people. Kikyo tolerated her only for Onigumo's sake.
"I'm not getting cold feet," Kikyo said. "I just wonder if this is the best place for a battle. Innocents could be caught in the crossfire."
"Kikyo is right," Ungai said. "This is not the place for such a battle."
"It's the perfect place," Hakudoshi said. Hakudoshi was only fourteen, and Kikyo didn't think he should be participating in any sort of battle at his age. But, he was also Onigumo's brother, and if Onigumo wasn't going to send him away, then it wasn't Kikyo's place to say anything.
"How is it perfect?" Ungai asked.
Hakudoshi smirked. "The yokai will be forced to reveal themselves when we attack. The whole world will see them for the monsters they are, and everyone will side with us to destroy them."
Ungai nodded slightly, as if this made sense, and in a manner of speaking, it did. But Kikyo still didn't like it. She kept seeing the expression on her family's face when Souta had been hurt because of her.
But there's no arguing with them. They're going to do this here and now.
And Kikyo didn't want to stop them from killing the yokai. She just didn't want any humans to be harmed. Kikyo made up her mind then. No matter what happened, she was going to do her best to make sure that the humans stayed safe, even if Onigumo did get upset with her.
I won't sacrifice innocents, not even for the man I love.
"Is everyone ready then?" Onigumo asked.
Everyone said yes.
"Then let's go."