Chapter 36: Running Out Of Time
As time goes by the cage that's been hanging from the ceiling begins to lower itself and its prisoners to the poisonous pool below it. "We have to do something." Ai said to the crew as they try to figure out to escape the cage. Lately her father and son still hasn't woken up from being unconscious from being abducted from Naraku's clutches. Inuyasha sits up but then feels a sharp pain in himself which forced him to lie back down. "Inuyasha. You okay?" Kagome ask him with worry. Inuyasha tries to respond but somehow his voice won't work. She looks up to Sango. "Sango, do you think you and Miroku could try to pick the lock before we are drowned in poison?" Kagome asks her friend. Sango and Miroku look back the lock that is holding the door shut. "It's worth a shot." Miroku decides as he and Sango work together to unlock the lock.
Meanwhile somewhere else in the cave, Koga and Ayame are wondering in a unknown path to find out where it takes them. "Man, this takes forever." Ayame complains to her mate. Koga growls, "You're telling me. It'd be as if this path isn't really taking us anywhere." He agrees with her. "From what Inutaishou said to us before we came here is that this Naraku guy is crafty dude so there might be traps deep within the cave. If I were to know any better, a trap has already been used on them." Koga remembers what Inutaishou told them earlier.
Ayame nods, "That's understandable. Seeing how the bad guy is going to use every trick in the book to make sure he won't let the hostages escape." That's when they smell something strange. "Do you know what this stench is?" Ayame plugs in her nose because she and Koga has high keen sense of smell. 'Yeah and it's straight ahead." Koga replies as they begin to run towards the smell despite how foul it is to them.
By the next turn of the cave, there's a light at the end. Finally. "Look Koga." Ayame said as they enter the room cautiously. Looking around they find a few monitors at various places. One of them gets their attention. "Koga take a look at this." Ayame speak as they look at the particular monitor. On the screen shows the cage that's lowering itself. "Kagome's in there." Koga tells his mate. Ayame looks down to the bottom to see a timer. "I think this clock is for that cage." She explains as she looks around to the counter where there's a lot of buttons for each purpose of the cave. "I think one of these will stop the timer and the cage." Koga looks carefully at each one to see which one is for the cage's timer. "Hurry Koga. 3 minutes is left, and it's dropping." Ayame said to Koga as she looks around to see if she can find anything else.
That's when she smells something that is similar to Inutaishou's and Sesshomaru's. She pressed herself to a wall where it's coming from. One tap of her finger she is able to break a wall a little to see what's inside. The light lit up to show Ayame what's in there. What she sees is completely unbelievable.
Koga struggles as he makes sure that he doesn't press the wrong button that could end his friends' fate. Focusing on which one button goes to the timer. Seeing on the screen that only 1 minute is left he had to think fast before it's too late. That's when he sensed which wire connects to the timer and the cage. "Here." He pressed the button.
Inside the cage, the poison's smell is getting to the inside of the cage. Inuyasha, Kagome and Kirara are having a hard time because of their keen sense of smell got to them earlier than the humans. "We have 30 seconds left." Kagome said in fear as she begins to pass out from the fumes. "We're almost there." Sango struggles as she and Miroku pick the lock. With on click the cage door opens. "Everyone let's go." Sango shouts as she, Miroku, Izayoi, Rin, Kirara who has grandpa Higurashi and Sota on her back, and Inuyasha who has Kagome in his arms jump out of the cage. Everyone turned around to see just right before the cage is able to make contact to the poisonous liquid it suddenly stopped just by an inch. "Was it because we weighted so much?" Rin asks the group as they get to the exit of the cave. "Doubt it." Miroku respond as they keep on running. They make it to the exit but half of the group made it to the other side. Izayoi, Rin, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara made it to the other side but then a boulder comes out of no where blocking Inuyasha and Kagome's escape. "Thought you were going to get out here easily didn't you?" Naraku laughs as he walks towards with his tentacles out as well.
Inuyasha instrinctively gets in front of Kagome. "You bastard." He growls at the enemy. Naraku smirks, "You're all about talk. But your action isn't leveled to you." He comments as he uses one of his tentacles holding Inutaishou unconscious. "Dad!" Inuyasha widens his eyes to see his father in such a condition. "Your father was formidable but he wasn't good enough to defeat me." Naraku throws Inutaishou's body to them. Inuyasha and Kagome kneel down to him. "Dad, you've got to wake up." Inuyasha shakes him a little. Inutaishou doesn't respond but somehow the sword in his grasped hand pulses. "Tetsusaiga…" Inuyasha said as he grabs hold of the sword. "Defeat him Inuyasha." Inutaishou said to his son with a smile. Kagome smiles. "You couldn't handle the smell could you?" She asks him boldly. Inutaishou nods. "I believe me wielding Tetsusaiga couldn't defeat him. I think it wants Inuyasha to wield it."
Inuyasha looks at him. "Are you sure, dad?" He asks his old man. Inutaishou keeps his smile, "I'm sure. Now show that bastard that we don't take things likely when it comes between us and our mates, and family." Inuyasha nods. "Kagome, try to get dad away from here as fast you. I'll make sure that Naraku is taught a lesson why he shouldn't mess with us dog Youkai, and dog Hanyou." Inuyasha suggests as he gets in front of the two. Kagome nods, knowing fully well that it's best to respect what he said earlier. She helps Inutaishou get onto his feet as they make it to the one of the other openings in the cave. "Kick his fucking ass." She tells Inuyasha with a hopeful grin. Inuyasha grins back, "With pleasure." He responds and begins to fight Naraku.