Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, and I really feel like I should disclaim my atrocious updating schedule for any new readers. Will it be a month? Will it be a year? Who knows, because I sure don't.

Head for the Hills

Pompeii | 79 AD

Though she knew that she needed to focus on running, it was all Kagome could do to keep that focus. Her city, her beloved city was burning to the ground. People were dying all around her with chaos and terror in their hearts, and she felt so powerless. All Kagome wanted was for the citizens of Pompeii to be at peace, and the horror, fear, and panic that hung heavy in the air was tearing at her heart.

Yes, she had made a few mistakes, but that didn't mean that they all needed to suffer for it.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she ran, and she tried to wipe at them in such a way that none of her companions would notice.

InuYasha had come back for her! He risked his life to save hers, and although he said he had done it just because she saved his, she knew that it went deeper than that. Without even saying much at all to each other, they had formed a deep bond, a connection that would last from this world to the next. Though she had no idea how it had come to be, she was thankful that it had. Clearly, he had been sent to her for a reason.

Winded, and unable to fully breath with the smoke in her lungs, Kagome slowed to a walk, and then stopped, leaning over to cough.

"We can't keep running like this."

"You can get on my back", InuYasha offered, and Kagome shook her head in protest.

"I'm not leaving without Sango and Miroku", she protested between coughs.

"We can keep up", Miroku insisted.

"There has to be another way!" InuYasha insisted, bending down to punch the ground. "We're not dying today. Not all of us."

"Lady Sango, how far away are we from the Amphitheatre?" Miroku asked, scrubbing his hand at the back of his neck.

"It's all the way across the city. Why?"

"They have horses, do they not?"

Sango nodded, and Kagome felt a glimmer of hope.

"On horseback, if we were to go South into the hills instead of the harbour, we'd be into the next city by daybreak!" Kagome's eyes met InuYasha's. They would flee through the hills where they had first met.

"But I promised-" InuYasha cut himself off, frowning and muttering under his breath, clearly at war with himself. "Alright, let's go."

Balls of fire had started to erupt, showering down on them from the sky. Naraku and his remaining guards were attempting to push themselves through the city, to the harbour where his ship was waiting, ready to take him back to safety. He wanted to watch in wonder, but his natural instinct for self-preservation pushed him forwards.

Naraku quickly realized that there was no way he was getting through the mob of panicked citizens. "Turn around", he ordered calmly, deciding that they would find another way, rather than waste time trying to push through an unmovable mob. He was not dying, not today, and surely not in this shithole of a city.

He wasn't sure what it was about that girl that got so under his skin, but he had regained his composure, and was determined not to show anything less than again.

Naraku quickly realized that there were at least twice as many people behind them, pushing, shoving, and panicking, doing anything that they could to try to get themselves to safety. He watched, transfixed, as a great and terrible ball of fire slammed itself into a building. The entirety caught fire immediately, and started spitting burning pieces into the street, landing on people.

"Enough. Kill them all", he ordered softly, but deliberately. Goshinki unsheathed his sword, as did the other few guards, and they started cutting the terrified people down, one by one. Maintaining eye contact with one man as he watched the life drain from his eyes, Naraku sheathed his sword. Eventually, they got smart, throwing themselves out of the way so that the streets were clear for the Roman Senator.

Naraku and his guards quickly marched through. He was an intelligent being, he never went anywhere without an exit strategy.

Bankotsu watched in horror as the giant balls of fire raining down upon them from the Gods themselves crashed into the different boats that had set sail from the harbour. Apparently, the Gods did not want any of them escaping with their lives. He noticed a building that he could climb, and he scaled it quickly, wanting to get a look above the crowd.

There were no boats left. He was doomed.

How could he have won an impossible and unwinnable fight in the arena, only to die because he wasn't quick enough to get to a boat? Did the Gods have some other plan for him?

The great mountain gave a mighty groan, shaking the earth so hard that it was all Bankotsu could do to stop himself from losing his grip, nearly sending him plummeting into the ground. Hanging on by his fingertips, he could feel his long braid swinging back and forth, and he continued to watch in terror as the events unfolded in front of his eyes.

It was almost as if the very Gods themselves were draining the ocean - it started to drain itself away from the harbour, causing some of the boats that were close to shore touch the very land beneath. No longer afloat, he heard the screams and cries of those who had thought they were fleeing with their lives.

It took Bankotsu a good few moments to realize that the water was not draining - it was creating a deadly wave that was sure to wipe out anyone within fifty feet of the harbour.

"Fuck", he growled, and started to climb even higher, before his damn conscience caught up with him. He thought his conscience had died with his family, but apparently the half demon had awakened it once more. Descending a few feet, he started to scream at the citizens below him, who could not see what was happening.

"Turn around! Run! Go! You have to turn around you fucking morons!" Starting to get more and more frantic, Bankotsu gestured towards all of them to start running. The mob was just too big; it was impossible for them to move anywhere unless they all moved together.

The wave started to crash back towards the shore, and only then did people turn and start to run. Anyone who had been closest to the harbour was surely done for, but anyone further back still had a fighting chance.

At first, Bankotsu thought he could get away with climbing to the roof of the building, but he quickly realized that the wave was bigger than he originally thought. It slammed backwards into the shore, ripping apart buildings and anything else in its wake.

Jumping down from his post, heart hammered wildly, he started to run. They all were being shepherded towards higher ground, back to the great mountain, still spitting ash and fire. He wasn't sure where his legs were going to take him, but he trusted them. They had sure saved his ass before.

Water flooded through the streets, and as Bankotsu snuck a peek behind him, he realized that the waters were carrying with them through the streets a large wooden boat.

"Fuck", he cursed again loudly, doubling his speed as he ran through a large gate he assumed were part of the city walls. The boat rammed itself into the wall, and for a moment, Bankotsu thought it might fall over entirely. Water splashed over the top, but he realized that the bow of the boat had plugged up the rest of the city. They were saved from the water, at least for now. He couldn't say that about the rest of the citizens.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Bankotsu looked upon the wall in horror. So much for getting to the harbour. Now, they were really and truly trapped. He had never felt so resigned before, but now, he realized, all he could do was wait for his time to die.

InuYasha pulled Kagome through the streets of Pompeii by the hand, while she was mentally kicked herself. Through all of the chaos, they'd been separated from Sango and Miroku. They all knew where they were to be meeting, and she just hoped that they could make it there safely.

The skies had begun to shower rocks down onto them, and Kagome shrieked as a man in front of her was bludgeoned by falling rock.

InuYasha grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to a nearby doorway for shelter, shielding her body with his. The door was stuck, and though he tried to knock it open, it wasn't budging.

Kagome stared into the streets, trying her best not to cry. Now was really not the time for tears, now was the time for a game plan. She wished that she could take all the citizens with her, but she knew that wasn't practical. All she could do was pray that her family had made it out alive, that they had gotten to a ship in time.

Even though she did not truly believe that they would leave without her.

Giant rocks continued to crash into the streets, knocking people down, one by one. The crowds seemed to be thinning, and it was breaking Kagome's heart.

"It feels like this is the end of the world", she panted, feeling as though it was going to beat itself right out of her chest.

InuYasha was silent, and he stopped ramming himself into the doorway to turn and look at her. She stared up into his golden eyes, swirling and intense, until the raining down of rocks ceased. The streets were filled with the dead, and Kagome had to fight every urge to go to them, to pray for them, to close their eyes for them.

InuYasha grabbed at her hand again, pulling her gently away from the doorway. Kagome realized that, even though these weren't his people, he was still staring at the dead in a way that made her think that his heart was breaking, too.

"Sango", Kagome breathed, even though she didn't see any sign of her friend anywhere.

"They've gotta be okay, they've gotta", InuYasha reassured her, though his normal bravado was gone, and he was speaking in a tone she had never heard before.

It truly felt like the end of the world. Everywhere she looked, pieces of decimated buildings lined the streets, piled high with bodies of the dead, lined with rings of fire. Above them, it almost looked as though the darkness was passing, but then, as soon as Kagome had blinked, the skies started to get even darker.

She wanted to go to the dead and to the suffering, to help them, heal them, bury them with proper care. But there was no time.

"Shouldn't we-" Kagome started.

"No." InuYasha cut her off gruffly. "I'm getting you out of here alive."

It seemed as though they had been allowed to experience only a small moment of peace, as the sky started to shower great balls of fire once more.

They continued to run, thankfully getting closer and closer to the arena with every step. Any time something fell too closely to Kagome, InuYasha would launch himself at her and cradle her body with his, protecting her from any harm, and Kagome felt an explosion in her stomach at every touch.

Those who had been lucky enough to survive continued to run around them, screaming. Chaos hung thick in the air, and Kagome wanted to yell at people to start running for the hills. Kagome would have stopped for a man whose entire arm had been charred, but InuYasha continued to pull her along, not allowing her to take too much time to process the horror that was unfolding in front of them.

Kagome was slightly confused when InuYasha finally slowed. Her confusion waned when she saw the Gladiator that InuYasha had fought with in the arena.

"Dog boy!" Bankotsu ran to InuYasha, and the two embraced, InuYasha even grinned. "I knew the Gods would never catch you", he turned to Kagome and winked. Despite herself, she giggled.

"And now I see why." Bankotsu beamed.

"Listen, we've got to go", InuYasha started, but Bankotsu shook his head.

"The harbour has been destroyed", Bankotsu interrupted quickly, "Took out half the city in its wake. We have to find another way."

Kagome nodded, "We're going to try to escape into the hills, if we go South, we should be able to get somewhere safe."

"It's too far on foot, we'll never make it", Bankotsu started.

Kagome and InuYasha shouted at the same time, "The horses in the arena!"

Bankotsu nodded, and the three started to run, this time having to climb over debris. InuYasha was practically picking Kagome up and throwing her over anything in their way, but she had no time to complain about being jostled around.

Kagome just hoped that Sango and Miroku were safe and already there.

(A/N: Fam. We are in the home stretch, and all I can say is that I have so much love for those of you who have stuck with me this far. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the reviews and PM's, they truly have given me the motivation to stick with it on those times that I've wanted to quit.

As always, feel free to leave some love, and let me know what you think. It's going to be a rough road from here on out, but if you love (fictional) angst and suffering then please feel free to join me for the finale!

I hope that you're all staying safe out there!)