Chapter Twenty –Separate Missions
"Bold" –Foreign Language
His hands trembled with an uncontrollable rage.
Hateful eyes glared at the disaster in front of him.
The Miko had broken into another one of his concentration camps.
A wind swept through the camp resounding with a hollowing noise as if mocking him. An enraged roar sounded from his lips causing all the humans around him to freeze. He cursed the Miko who was responsible for this. Even though he headed for his concentration camps right after he heard his camps were defenseless, the Miko managed to reach and rescue the youkais quicker.
"I want all the German soldiers to secure the concentration camps!"
The Nazi officer hesitated before replying, "But sir, there are no more soldiers available. The rest are in battle..."
"Get them to retreat! I don't care! Get them all to my concentration camps!" Yamamoto gave a stern gaze towards the officer, daring him to disobey. The Nazi Army knew his close relations with Hitler; they would be forced to submit their powers to him.
"Yes, sir."
Yamamoto stared back at the empty buildings that were once filled to the brim with youkais. Dissatisfaction grimaced across his face. Spotting a soldier with the communication lines, he snapped, "You there."
The poor soldier looked up in surprise and stuttered, "Yes...sir?"
"Inform all the concentration camps that I want them to start killing off those youkais," he said darkly. It would take a few days to prepare the massacre, but he doubted the Miko would be able to get to all the concentration camps in time.
'Which concentration camp will she rescue next?' Dangerous intentions gleamed past his eyes as he swore the next concentration camp she approached would be harder to penetrate.
##
She couldn't feel her legs.
Leaning against the cave walls for support, she struggled to appear normal. Kagome watched with a pained smile as prisoned youkais reunited with their loved ones in tears.
Throb.
Suddenly, her vision blurred with a pounding against her temple. She knew she had used up too much of her reiki this time. Yamamoto's barriers were becoming more stronger, meaning he knew that the concentration camps were being broken into. They needed to rescue the three camps that remained.
"General Hildebrand, we should prepare the soldiers to infiltrate the next camp site," Kagome tried to voice sternly. She couldn't miss the opportunity to save thousands of youkais just because she was feeling weak.
Shaking his head in disagreement, Hildebrand said, "Miko, you are tired. We will rescue the next camp when you are feeling better."
"No!" Kagome denied loudly, but the shock made her legs give out causing her to fall to the ground. The surrounding youkais neared her to assist her weak body. Kagome saw worry written on their faces as they stared at her with eyes that told her it was okay to rest.
'No,' her heart screamed out while her body decided not to listen. Resting would only give Yamamoto more time to slaughter the youkais. Her voice broke with plead, "Please, General, I can break down one more barrier."
Hildebrand stared down at the fallen Miko who appeared inches away from fainting from exhaustion. Yet, she insists on exerting more of her reiki? "Miko-"
"I'm not going to rest," she stared at him with a stubbornness.
Rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, he had a feeling the Miko wouldn't rest even if he didn't allow her request. He knew it would be crazy to listen to her pleads, but the determination in her eyes made him believe that she could do it. He released a heavy sigh as he moved to help her stand. Wrapping an arm around her waist, she desperately grasped his shoulder. "You will rest after this last one."
A relieved smile rested on the Miko's lips while the surrounding youkais stepped away to clear their path. Awe shimmered in each youkai's face as they watched the near unconscious Miko prepare to rescue another concentration camp. A swirl of youkai ki appeared against the cave wall, causing a strong wind to sweep through the entire cave.
Kagome stared at the black hole before her and slowly let go of Hildebrand's shoulder. His supportive arm around her waist slipped away.
'Be strong,' she whispered demandingly to her body. 'Please...just a while more.'
Standing with her own strength, she jumped into the black hole along with a few soldiers. The darkness swallowed her before paving the path to their destination. Soon, light consumed her vision and felt light headed. Her feet stumbled during the landing causing the commander to ask, "Are you sure you can do this?"
Refocusing her hazy sight, Kagome glanced in the direction the commander was looking towards. She saw the entrance gates heavily guarded. It seems Yamamoto has placed a tight security on all his concentration camps now.
How was she supposed to break the barrier while purification bullets could harm her soldiers? With so many guards, she knew her soldiers couldn't take them all down. Maybe she should have listened to General Hildebrand and rested until she fully recovered. Or perhaps she could come up with another rescue tactic that would lessen the risks.
A howling pain interrupted her train of excuses. Sakura pinks eyes darted towards the concentration camp from where the torturous sound came from.
There was no time for doubt.
Taking a deep breath to steady her beating heart, her lashes fluttered shut as she released a long exhale. She would not lose focus nor give in to weariness. Raising a hand towards the barrier, soft pink traces of reiki swirled around her fingers.
Another cry resounded.
A ball of her reiki clashed against blue.
The resounding noise of the camp alarm went off.
Human guards marched towards her with guns in their hands.
The sound of the bullets being loaded echoed.
A row of guards stood before her and pointed the tip of their guns at her.
"Fire!" She heard a voice bark. Noticing her men prepare to protect her from the bullets, she stopped them.
BANG.
Bullets fell to the ground the moment they hit a pink barrier that surrounded them.
"What are you doing Miko?" The commander said, "Don't waste your energy on us."
Kagome remembered the time she had protected the youkai camp with her barrier. The purification bullets had strengthened the barrier at that time. Knowing this, she could protect her soldiers and break Yamamoto's barrier at the same time. "I'm not wasting strength."
Feeling a blast of power energize her with each bullet, Kagome quickly shattered Yamamoto's seal.
"NO!" Kagome heard a wretched cry from the distance. Snapping her head to look behind her, she watched with shock as Yamamoto appeared from the tree lines.
"You," he sneered with pure animosity. Shots of power erupted from his crystal ball and slammed against her barrier. Each step he took towards the Miko, he grew more furious for her barrier did not even crack under his constant attack. Inches away, only her pink barrier divided him from her. His hands banged against the pink wall, even though it did not even fracture under such human strength. Glaring at her with a passionate hatred, he cursed the strong barrier that blocked him from strangling her with his own hands and ensuring her death.
Suppressing the fear she felt from Yamamoto's crazed actions, she silently observed human soldiers slowly surrounding them. The sound of Yamamoto's reiki explosions had probably caused the entire camp guards to come. This meant General Hildebrand would have no troubles transferring the prisoned youkais through the black hole. However, it also meant...that there was no escape for her and her men unless...
"Yamamoto," she uttered hopelessly. The least she could do was distract him from realizing that there were others rescuing the youkais at this very moment. "Your hatred is still the same."
Snorting, he replied, "Of course, it will never change. I was born to do this."
Ignoring the sound of human soldiers discussing ways to break open her barrier, she whispered, "Yes, you were too young to question your Father's hatred towards youkai, but now you are old enough to choose your own path."
A spark of confusion and curiosity flickered beneath the bitter eyes.
"Your Father was also young when his hatred stemmed. If only he knew the whole story..."
Stomping on the feelings she always triggered, he retorted, "Miko, stop wasting your time trying to convince me of anything."
"I will stop, if you figure out the truth about your clan's slaughter. I will consider you a real enemy if you still choose to exterminate youkais after knowing the whole story," Kagome said with a lace of sorrow. She hoped her words would reach him.
The commander nudged her softly, indicating that Hildebrand had completed the rescue mission. There was only one way to escape, but it would mean they would have to come up with a new strategy to rescue the other remaining concentration camps. Kagome nodded her head towards the commander to allow their escape. His hands touched the ground as the black hole slowly swallowed them up. Kagome watched Yamamoto's confused face quickly turn into rage.
Black.
"Miko! Are you alright?" General Hildebrand welcomed them from the other side.
"Sorry General, we had to use the black hole to escape. Now Yamamoto knows of it and our rescue plan will have to change," she said.
"Don't worry-"
Kagome couldn't hear the rest of General Hildebrand's words for she felt her strength finally fail her. Consumed in darkness, her unconscious thoughts turned to a certain youkai.
Silver strands and golden eyes.
##
"General," a soldier ran towards him and said, "Germany's ally, Japan, has arrived with their whole army!"
He had sensed their arrival hours ago, yet he wanted to know why the German soldiers were all withdrawing. Where were they going?
"Um...so...are we allowed to attack?" the soldier hesitated, knowing that their General was from Japan.
Silently scoffing, Sesshomaru headed for the front lines ignoring the ridiculous question. They had already pushed through German territory, gaining a lot of ground. Another week would render their opponent to utter the words of defeat.
The surrounding British men took several glimpses at him before one of them held the courage to finally voice their nervousness, "General, is it okay to attack? They are Japanese soldiers..."
The scent of hesitation irritated his nose. He bit back a growl that vibrated against his throat. It did not matter if the front line consisted of Japanese soldiers. At the moment, whatever and whoever stood before him was merely an obstacle. He needed this battle to end soon. His patience was wearing thin. Slashing the Bakusaiga, the elegant thrust sent electric waves headed straight towards the Japanese Army. Screams of agony was heard as the dust gave way to show visible dents along the ground.
He held no attachments to the humans of his country.
One was more than enough.
##
Madness consumed his thoughts.
The Miko had fooled him. By the time he checked the concentration camp...it had been emptied. Not a single youkai remained.
Four.
Four of his concentration camps were empty. Not emptied because he had slaughtered them all, but emptied because she had let them free!
Grabbing the closest object, he threw it at the list of concentration camps he kept track of. The tea cup shattered as the hot water blurred the words causing a trail of ink to drip down. Pressured by the knowledge that the Miko was still out there threatening his camps, cold sweat trailed down his forehead. Panic caused his heart to palpitate at an irregular pace. That Miko-
'You were too young to question your Father's hatred towards youkai.'
He felt a lump in his throat for her words cut open an old wound.
'If only he knew the whole story...'
Whether he knew what truly happened in the past, he would still hate youkais. But...
'I will consider you a real enemy if you still choose to exterminate youkais after knowing the whole story.'
He hated the way she treated him out of pity.
He hated the way she acted as if she knew more than him.
Picking up the phone on his desk, he dialled. After a few rings, a low voice spoke, "Hello?"
"Emperor Hirohito, it's been a while."
"Ah, Yamamoto? Is it really you?"
"Yes, yes, I've been quite busy..."
"Is it true Hitler committed suicide? I had such high hopes for him."
Disgusted by the memories that name brought up, Yamamoto interrupted, "...I need a favour, Emperor."
"Of course!"
His hand gripped the phone tighter and finally asked, "Could you find me the history behind the Yamamoto clan during the Momoyama period?"
As the Emperor of Japan, he had access to all the information of each clan. However, it was a simple task to pull out such knowledge. "That is not much of a favour. Why do you need to know about your clan from the Momoyama period? That was decades ago."
Hearing the silence from Yamamoto's side, the Emperor paused before stating, "I see, the favour is that I do this without asking questions?"
"Thank you."
"I shall call again soon."
Click.
The Miko's words bothered him.
Like a tiny thorn stuck inside his skin, her words repeated in the back of his mind.
'You are old enough to choose your own path.'
He would prove her wrong.
He'll make her regret ever pitying him.
Author's Note: I know there was no Sesshomaru and Kagome fluff, but they are in war! I will make sure to add a little bit more feels in the next chapter! I hope you liked this chapter though?
Thank you for reading,
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