Chapter Fifteen
The grounds trembled at footsteps of soldiers marching towards a black truck. Sirens echoed through the streets of Tokyo. Pedestrians and drivers moved out of the way, clearing the path for officers racing through red lights. Rows of police cars drove in one direction that led to the deserted waste land that was once forgotten to civilization.
Arata watched the GPS tracker indicate that the Hunter's location was 30 minutes away even at the maximum speed. His fist slammed against the window. A fellow detective reassured Arata, "I'm sure Sesshomaru will get there before us. He was the one who tipped us on their location."
Lighting a cigarette, his senior detective inhaled a puff of smoke. As if he wasn't on a mission and in a car speeding past 200 miles per hour, he leisurely exhaled the nicotine from his lungs. For a moment, Arata wondered if he was the only one anxious about capturing the Hunters?
As if understanding his thoughts, the detective said, "Why do you think our superior made us wait behind after getting tipped off the organization's location, Arata?"
He had yelled at his superior for causing them to waste even a second of their time. If Arata had known the question to the senior detective's question, would he feel calm as well? Unable to give his senior detective an answer, he waited for the response.
The detective took in another inhale of smoke before he said, "We've been tracking the Hunters for decades. There isn't a single officer that wants the entire organization dead."
The Hunters left blatant evidence of their crimes that trailed behind them as if taunting the Police that they could never be captured. It was true, the Hunters managed to escape the justice system repeatedly throughout the decades. From sex trafficking to murder, the organization had no sense of morals or ethics. The scariest kind of organization of all.
"The truth is, even if we catch the Hunters in the act of a crime, they can easily slip out of a high security jail again and again as if it is a game." Arata's brows twitched at the reality his senior was making him face.
"Sesshomaru on the other hand has the power to do whatever he wants." Putting out the cigarette bud against the silver ash tray, he continued, "He can kill off the entire organization and cover it up with the excuse that it was for self-defence and no doubt he could walk away from the situation scot-free."
A scoff of disbelief exited his mouth. Arata watched his fellow detectives in the car look on forward with eyes of clarity. So, they knew from the start that they were unable to do anything to capture the Hunters. The reason he even became a detective to bring justice to his dead sister was all for nothing. He couldn't have brought any justice for her anyways if not through Sesshomaru. An empty laughter sounded from him, almost sounding crazed. His coworkers looked away in pity of their junior's realization.
"I'm sorry, son. That's how weak we are."
The truth leaving him powerless. Was he even able to save his wife?
##
Weaklings lay sprawled across the entire warehouse. A mixture of blood and green acid dripped from the dead. Hearing the wooden doors open, another batch of youkai rushed out for an attack.
Impatience.
A green whip flickered across the clearing causing half of the youkai to drop to the ground dead. The amount of youkai kept him from entering further into the warehouse. They were stalling him. Her tortured screams though distant, reached his ears. Eyes flickered between gold and red. The urgency to reach her and slaughter the one causing her cries tempted his beast.
"Sesshomaru!" The sound of his father and Inuyasha's arrival echoed from behind. Leaving the waves of youkai to them, he ran deeper into the warehouse to where she was.
Easily locating the section of the warehouse she was in, a dangerous growl alerted the ringleader of his arrival. Her skin grew deathly pale as a flow of reiki was absorbed into a crystal sphere a little child held onto.
Naraku stared at the intruder and hid his alarm. Knowing he was no match for the inuyoukai, Naraku shoved Kanna aside and grabbed the Shikon no Tama. He would absorb the powers which would be enough to make him invincible.
Kagome smirked at Naraku's desperate attempt and impatience. She realized the barrier Naraku placed around him to protect him from her reiki had diminished in order to absorb the Shikon no Tama. Feeling the poison paralysing her, she poured in the remainder of her reiki into the Shikon no Tama before Naraku grabbed for it. Slimy tentacles formed from his disfiguring body as his skin appeared to drip with purple substances. Kagome almost gagged at the ugly sight of Naraku's true form. The glowing jewel slowly entered his heart. His evil laughter echoed in victory as he felt the powers of the Shikon no Tama pour through his veins. Even with an incomplete jewel, the strength it held was unimaginable.
Breathing grew harder as the oxygen no longer seemed to reach her lungs. The poison seeped its way into her heart. Had it only been under an hour before her brother was able to find her? Blurred eyes struggled to focus on his silver figure.
At least she got to see him.
Naraku's barrier was completely gone. He must have assumed that he was invincible at this point. Watching Naraku continue to laugh in victory, she guessed it was a good time to end this. Struggling to speak past her dried out throat, she chanted, "Purify."
A gruesome scream erupted from Naraku's mouth as the glow of pink evaporated every inch of his flesh and soul inside out. Kanna and Kagura were engulfed by the purification, having no time to run for their life. Amongst the ashes of their remains, the Shikon no Tama shined brightly.
"Kagome!" The cry from her brother drowned in her ear. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Her skin grew cold from the lack of blood flow running through her veins. Discolouration of purple ran through her body from the poison. Her hands and feet released from the bondage, she collapsed into a warm embrace.
Naraku made sure she died whether he got the Shikon no Tama or not.
Her mind slowly faded into a deep slumber before she heard his whisper, "I'm sorry, Kagome."
Poisoned.
He couldn't breathe.
The scent of death clung to her as he held her close to his chest.
Fear took its course through his veins.
Unknowingly, his hands trembled as they brushed the strands of ebony hair away from her neck.
His mind went blank.
He lost her to another man. He couldn't lose her to death.
Closing the distance between them, his lips brushed against the slender of her neck. Hovering over her shoulder, he sank his teeth into her flesh. His youkai ki and poison fused into one and seeped into her blood stream. Cancelling out the miasma in her veins, the purple colour faded from her skin. Her breathing normalized while the frown of her unconscious expression soothed into a peaceful slumber. Running his tongue across her blood he shed, he sealed the mark. A mark of the crescent moon faded into appearance and permanently remained over the bite.
"Kagome!" Arata rushed towards his unconscious wife. He dropped his weapon and approached the inuyoukai who held onto her.
The beast within him wanted the boy dead for approaching what was his. Ripping himself away from a feral state, he forced his body to release her... even if it killed him to do so.
Arata hugged Kagome in his arms and released a cry of relief that her heart was still beating.
Flashes of red flickered across his eyes as he watched the human boy hold her. A familiar clawed hand rested on his shoulder. He heard his father hush in a dreaded voice, "What have you done, Sesshomaru?"
He had no other choice.
The poison could only be cancelled out by his poison. The only way his poison wouldn't harm her was if... she was marked as his mate.
The beast within him howled in agony as they watched the human boy lean his head against her's lovingly. He watched the one he marked as his mate with another.
