Chapter 5: Smoke Rising Like Lifted Hands
The voice was smooth and almost serene, lilting in its inflection. A tenor—higher pitched than Inuyasha's voice—and speaking in the casual tones of someone greeting an old acquaintance.
"My," said the stranger's voice, "You certainly have made nuisances of yourselves, haven't you?"
Kagome barely heard the words over the tinny ringing in her ears. The world spun behind her closed eyelids so violently that she couldn't be sure the car had really stopped moving. Worse, she found herself struggling to breathe evenly around the nausea roiling through her stomach, climbing into her throat. A throbbing pain spanned from her left shoulder to her right hip, cutting a sharp diagonal across her torso.
The last thing she wanted to do was open her eyes, somehow knowing it would make her disorientation worse—but there was no spare time to reorient to reality. An enemy stood in front of her now, while she sat there like an idiot with her eyes closed.
Gritting her teeth, Kagome forced herself to crack open her eyes. The spinning grew momentarily worse, and her stomach nearly heaved.
The harsh glare of her car's headlights—miraculously still functioning—blinded her at first, and she nearly closed her eyes again. But she forced them to remain open, and gradually took in what the headlights illuminated: flat, rocky open ground immediately around them; scattered trees looming on the edges of her vision; and the tall figure of a man standing directly in front of the car.
He was standing so close to the twisted, accordioned car hood that the headlights nearly bleached out his features. Kagome could make out the dark clothing he wore, the paleness of his complexion, and… were those tattoos on his face?
She felt slight movement beside her just before Inuyasha spoke in an undertone, his voice hardly above a whisper, one she almost didn't catch through the fading ringing in her ears. "If you're in any shape to move," he said, "you need to get the fuck out of here while I distract him. Hide somewhere. I'll find you once I've dealt with this asshole."
Then he was forcing open the car door and stepping out into the dark.
Kagome's stomach twisted around itself. She watched through the shattered windshield as Inuyasha launched himself at the strange man, leaping right over the car to do it.
Holy hell, he was fast.
In the couple of seconds it took Inuyasha to move, Kagome was able to absorb a few spare impressions: she saw the gash across Inuyasha's temple, just above his eyebrow, blood streaking down the side of his face; she saw the stranger pivot towards Inuyasha, and in profile she got a better view of the tattoos on his face—one thick vertical stripe on either cheek, stretching from the eye all the way down to the jaw bone; and she saw the long-barrel rifle slung over the stranger's nearest shoulder.
She needed to get her pistol. Now.
Kagome tried to slide forward in her seat, but was stopped by the restrictive press of her seat belt. Suddenly she understood the throbbing pain pulsing across her torso, and briefly wondered if she'd been thrown against the belt hard enough for its edges to cut into her skin. Kagome's hand felt around blindly for the belt buckle, fingers grazing over shards of shattered glass in the process. It was instant relief to feel the seat belt easing away from her body.
She was vaguely aware that Inuyasha and the stranger were brawling further away from the car, almost beyond the reach of the headlights. Inuyasha landed a punch to the man's stomach that sent him stumbling backwards. Twisting around in her seat—ignoring the pain in her abdomen and the nausea still bubbling in her throat—Kagome reached for her duffel bag, dragging it over the center console and into her lap. She rummaged with shaking hands until she felt the cool metal of her pistol. Eyes periodically darting to the windshield—the man had just thrown something at Inuyasha, who had dodged away into the dark, out of her sight—Kagome checked her ammunition. Six out of nine rounds left. It would do.
Pistol in hand, Kagome tried the door handle. It didn't budge. She yanked on it harder. Nothing.
That goddamn child lock!
For a moment, Kagome thought about breaking the passenger window with the butt of her pistol. The glass was already cracked and looked fragile enough. But then she remembered Inuyasha's hasty exit from the car, and glanced over her shoulder. The door was still hanging open. Perfect.
Checking that the safety was engaged, Kagome tucked the gun into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back, then crawled over the center console, ignoring the various twinges and pains shooting through her muscles. She nearly fell into the driver's seat and then stumbled out of the door onto her feet.
Reaching for her pistol, Kagome scanned the darkness around her. She still couldn't see Inuyasha, but she could just make out the stranger's silhouette in the gloom beyond the headlights. It looked like he had his back to her, and for the moment he wasn't moving.
Edging out from behind the open car door, Kagome disengaged the safety, raised her pistol, and aimed for the middle of his back.
She really, really wished that she had some protective ear covering. Even with her pistol's suppressor, this would be loud.
Kagome took a deep breath, steadied her arms, and pulled the trigger.
Despite the fact that she'd been prepared for it, her entire body flinched at the explosive crack! of the gun firing. In nearly the same instant, she felt a flare of dismay that her flinch may have thrown off her aim.
She heard a sharp metallic thunk—what had she hit, his rifle?—and a man's shout. She saw the silhouette spin around in her direction.
From off to the left, a different shadow darted towards the stranger with incredible speed, and she heard Inuyasha's voice taunting, "I'm who you should worry about, not her!" The heavy thud of two bodies colliding echoed through the air, and the stranger crumpled to the ground.
"Hey, idiot!" Inuyasha called out, and Kagome knew he was addressing her rather than the opponent he was currently crouched over, "What did I tell you before? Get out of here!"
That was the second time he'd told her to leave. And suddenly it occurred to her: this was it. This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for since the moment Inuyasha caught her. This was her chance—maybe her only chance—to escape him. Who knew how long it would take him to overcome their attacker? If he even did?
Assuming he did, Kagome was certain Inuyasha would track her down again. But this time, she knew he'd be coming. And this time, she'd be armed. Her odds of evading him weren't great, maybe, but they were sure as hell better.
And Inuyasha had to know that, too. He wasn't an idiot.
So why was he giving her this chance?
Kagome felt an instinctual twinge of recognition—Is he actually trying to…?—but smothered it before it could take any articulate shape in her thoughts. That didn't matter. It only mattered that she seize this chance.
Pistol still in hand, Kagome turned away from the fighting men—it looked like Inuyasha was punching the daylights out of the man on the ground—and started jogging away. She'd find the road and follow it for awhile, at least until she came across a road sign or some other evidence of where she was. Then she'd figure out a direction and do her best to disappear. No point in bothering with the car—a pang of grief shot through her, but she kept jogging—since it probably wouldn't run, and would draw a lot of attention in its current condition even if it did.
Oh, crap.
Kagome came to an abrupt halt.
She'd left her duffel bag in the car. All of her worldly possessions were in there, some of which she couldn't do without, and none of which she wanted her enemies to find.
She paused for only the briefest moment, seriously considering whether the duffel was worth it. Then, cursing under her breath, Kagome turned back.
As she approached the clearing with the wreck of her car, she heard a swift, pained bellow. It sounded like Inuyasha. She hesitated, straining her eyes as she peered into the dark.
Her car was ahead and to the left of her, its headlights flooding the area directly in front of her. She stood beyond the reach of light, trying to spot Inuyasha. And suddenly the stranger came striding into the glare of the headlights. His right arm was outstretched, raised slightly above shoulder level, and in his fist he held Inuyasha aloft by the throat. The hanyō was limp, unmoving. A ruthless smile curled the man's lips.
"I should just snap your neck here and now," he said, the detached tone of his voice at odds with his smile, "but I do so want to play with you later. I have some new toys I need to test on a yōkai body." With that, he threw Inuyasha away from him as though he were no heavier than a rag. The hanyō landed on the roof of Kagome's car with a crash. He didn't move.
"Besides," the man added, "best not let my real prey get too far."
A pulse of fear clenched Kagome's body, locking her muscles in place. Her eyes darted to Inuyasha's prone form—she didn't see any obvious injuries or signs of damage, but he was clearly unconscious—then back to the man no more than thirty feet in front of her.
The strange man was tall, maybe even taller than Inuyasha. The tattoos running the length of his cheeks were a deep, glut purple. He looked surprisingly young, like he wasn't a day over thirty. He wore black cargo pants and a bulky, black, long-sleeved shirt. The obvious padding around the torso made Kagome certain it was body armor. He also wore thick-soled boots and a black bandanna, which seemed to be covering a bald head. In addition to the long-barrel rifle she'd noticed earlier, the man had something else strapped across his back: it was thick, long and cylindrical, obviously metallic, but Kagome couldn't figure out what it was. It didn't look like any gun she'd ever seen.
She stood perfectly still, and slowly lifted her pistol. She wasn't in range of the headlights. He hadn't seen her yet. Maybe if she—
"I know you're close, little mouse," he said with that smooth lilt, savage smile still in place as he began to scan the area. "Why don't you come out and play?"
Little mouse.
Something deep inside Kagome twitched, shrank back.
That's what Naraku would call her sometimes. Little mouse. Little lab rat. So useful.
Her hands started to shake. Biting the inside of her cheek until it bled, Kagome forced them to remain steady, forced herself back into the present.
She didn't think her 9mm bullets would pierce his body armor, so rather than aim for his chest, she aimed for his head.
And hesitated.
She'd never killed anyone before. She'd shot a couple people—mercenaries hired by Naraku—but never fatally, as far as she knew. Mostly flesh wounds dealt in the middle of a desperate escape. Enough to slow down her pursuers, but not take their lives.
This man would kill her given the opportunity. Of that she was certain. He was a clear and present danger. And, she reminded herself in annoyance, it's not like she'd felt this reticence before, when she'd taken her first shot at him. When he'd been nothing but a shadowy figure in the dark. Just because she could see his face now—see the color of his eyes, which were deep black pools—didn't make the situation any different.
But still, she hesitated.
And then his eyes locked onto her.
His smile turned predatory as his eyes narrowed.
"There you are, little mouse," he said, and took a step forward. "Hiding in shadows, are we? There's no need for that. I won't hurt you if you do as I say."
Kagome took a step back as he stepped forward again. She kept her pistol leveled at his head. "Don't," she said sharply, "stay back."
The man stopped, and tilted his head at her as though she were a peculiar animal he'd discovered in the woods.
"What do you want with me?" Kagome demanded, trying her best to inject steel into her voice.
"Now, now, why ask questions to which you already know the answers?" He paused, then added with arch amusement, "Naraku will be so pleased to see you again. And when Naraku is pleased, he pays rather handsomely. So then." The man extended his hand palm upward, and gave a curling flick of his fingers, beckoning her. "Come along with me quietly, and you won't get hurt."
This guy sure thought he was a smooth talker, didn't he?
"Turn around and walk away now," Kagome said, "or I'll put a bullet in your brain."
"We both know if you were going to do that, you would have done so already." As if to prove his point, the man stepped forward again. "Though I do believe one of your bullets dented my new equipment." He patted the strange cylindrical object strapped to his back. "Lucky for you it wasn't damaged, or I would've had to take its value out of your hide."
The calm, matter-of-fact way he said it sent a chill down Kagome's spine.
"You don't scare me," she lied, grateful that her arms remained steady as she kept her gun trained on him. "Naraku wants me alive. He's not going to pay you, handsomely or otherwise, if you kill me."
"Kill you?" the man replied, eyebrows lifting in faux surprise, "Who said anything about killing you? I merely suggested a mild… punishment. Naraku told me he wanted his toy brought to him alive, but he never said I couldn't play with it before delivery."
A sinister promise coiled beneath those words. He was smiling again. Kagome shuddered.
He stepped forward. Kagome's index finger tensed on the trigger.
There was a blur of movement too fast to track. Silver glinted in the shine of headlights. The strange man cried out, blood splattered across the ground, and he was flung away with such force that he sailed through the air. His body connected with a tree just outside the periphery of light, and he collapsed to the ground.
Inuyasha stood where the man had been a moment before, features contorted in anger. He held one hand up in front of his body; blood stained his claws and fingers.
Kagome couldn't see any obvious injuries on him, other than the cut above his eye. But his posture seemed off, stiff and a little skewed, as though he were favoring his left side.
Inuyasha eyed the wounded man now struggling to his feet. "You haven't changed much, Renkotsu," he snarled. "You're still the same sick fuck."
That was met by a strangled laugh as the man raised his head, gaze fixed on Inuyasha. He was still smiling, but his eyes gleamed with fury. "You've gotten stronger since last we met, half-breed," Renkotsu observed. His right hand clutched at his left shoulder. Kagome could just make out the start of a jagged gash curving over the ball of his shoulder, disappearing from view over his back. Blood dripped steadily to the ground behind his booted feet. Renkotsu's smile twisted to one side. "But it's still not strong enough."
"Keh." Inuyasha flexed his blood-stained fingers, knuckles cracking menacingly. "My claws will just have to introduce themselves to your spine on the next hit."
Kagome shifted on her feet and slowly lowered her pistol until the barrel pointed at the ground. "Inuyasha," she murmured to him, and his ear flicked in her direction, "you know this guy?"
A sneer pulled at Inuyasha's mouth. "'Know' is a strong word. I've fought him before."
"'Fought' is a strong word," Renkotsu mocked. "You've never been a challenge. So disappointing, so boring. I'd have thought possessing any amount of yōkai blood would make you a worthy opponent. But you can't even measure up to a human like me, eh, half-breed?"
"Human? Heh. Now that's funny," Inuyasha muttered. His brow was tense, and his eyes serious. "Don't think for a second that I can't scent the difference, you dumb fuck. Whatever you are now, it sure ain't human."
A cold, heavy weight settled in Kagome's stomach as she inhaled sharply. Before she could stop herself—body reacting on instinct forged by years of training—her senses reflexively reached out towards Renkotsu, probing for whatever hidden power Inuyasha perceived.
When she was met with nothing—just a wall of vacancy where something should've been, like lifting a flower to your nose only to smell nothing at all—the leaden weight in her stomach twisted, and bitterness shot through her chest.
She should've known better. Naraku had taken that away, too.
Renkotsu stilled at Inuyasha's comment, his eyes narrowing. "So even the mongrel can tell? Oh, very good. Yes, I'm much more than human now." His gaze drifted to Kagome, and he actually grinned at her, teeth gleaming in the shadows. "I suppose my brothers and I have you to thank for that, little mouse. Naraku has made such good use of your gifts. And he is generous with those who are useful to him."
Inuyasha's body tensed, and his eyes flashed to her before returning to Renkotsu. "Kagome," he said quietly, "get out of here. Now. I'll handle him."
Kagome glanced between the two men, took a faltering step towards Inuyasha—but Renkotsu was already shaking his head. "That won't do at all," he sighed. "No, she's coming with me. You'd do well not to interfere any further, Inuyasha."
Renkotsu gripped the strap slanting across his chest and lifted it over his head, swinging that strange cylindrical object around to the front of his body. He rested one end against the line of his shoulder, the other end pointed out towards them. It looked almost like a bazooka, only shorter than that: it was a thick metal tube, with a handle two-thirds of the way down the barrel, but there didn't seem to be a trigger attached to it, nor did Kagome see any ammunition, either in the tube or on his person. He couldn't possibly have ammo big enough to fit into that cylinder just stashed in his pockets.
"Shall I demonstrate the fruits of Naraku's generosity?" he asked. Holding the metal tube by the handle, he lifted one end of it to his mouth.
Fire erupted from the other end, blasting forward with such heat and fury it was like a bomb had detonated, a mushroom cloud of flame blazing straight at them.
Kagome's mouth dropped open, her lungs grabbing in air to scream, already feeling the scorching heat that heralded the fire soon to envelop her—
A body slammed into her, and she went down. Arms wrapped around her, and a large hand cradled the back of her head, pushing her face into a hard chest. She heard Inuyasha's deep groan against her ear, knew he'd been burned, could swear she heard the sizzle of his clothes and skin being licked by the flame.
They hit the ground and rolled. Inuyasha twisted his body to take the brunt of the impact, and when they finally skidded to a stop, they lay on their sides facing each other, Inuyasha's arms still tight around her torso.
Kagome opened her eyes, limbs trembling only slightly from shock. Gold eyes stared back at her. "You okay?" he asked hoarsely.
Kagome nodded once. "A-are you?"
"Keh," he scoffed, wincing as he pulled them both into a standing position. "Stupid question." They both turned to face Renkotsu, who was watching them with an expression of arrogant amusement.
"What do you think, little mouse?" he called to her. "Naraku may have helped engineer it, but without your invaluable contribution, I'd never have such power."
Kagome winced, that inner part of her curling in on itself.
"S'at supposed to impress us?" boomed Inuyasha's voice next to her, making Kagome jump. "You call a flamethrower 'power'? It's a tool. Take it away and you're helpless again."
"Flamethrower?" Renkotsu arched an eyebrow. "This is no flamethrower."
Renkotsu lowered the metal tube to the level of his chest, and opened his mouth wide. It took Kagome a few seconds to process what she was seeing, and when she did, she nearly stepped back in disbelief.
Tongues of flame curled over Renkotsu's open lips, licked up the sides of cheeks, flared out into the night air directly from his mouth. He exhaled through his nostrils and jets of fire gusted out of them.
"I make the flame," Renkotsu said, a hellish orange light flickering between his lips as he spoke. "I am the flame. This equipment," he lifted the metal tube, "merely helps me amplify and direct it. The power is mine. Would you like another demonstration?"
Kagome felt Inuyasha's hands on her shoulders just before he gave her a hard shove behind him. "Go!" he growled, "You won't survive a direct blast. Find somewhere to hide until I come to get you."
She nearly fell over as she stumbled a few feet away, but managed to keep her balance. She swung around to glare at him just in time to see him leap forward, straight towards Renkotsu.
That's when she noticed the back of Inuyasha's grey shirt was in tatters, singed and charred, ripped and fraying; and underneath, his skin was raw and shiny, colored an angry red that hurt just to look at.
Renkotsu had lifted the cylinder to his mouth again, but Inuyasha was too fast—he grabbed the nearest end of the cylinder, yanked it out of Renkotsu's hands, drew it back, and slammed it into the man's face as though it were a baseball bat and Renkotsu's head the baseball. When the man staggered, Inuyasha dropped the cylinder and swiped with his claws, cutting right through the body armor and into Renkotsu's gut. The other man howled in rage.
Kagome moved to raise her pistol, only to realize she didn't have it in her hand anymore. She must have dropped it when Inuyasha grabbed her, or at some point during their chaotic tumble. Heart clenching, Kagome's eyes swept the ground between her and the struggling men, hoping against hope that she hadn't lost her only weapon in the dark.
But then she saw it—the glint of headlights off shiny metal. There was her gun, only a few yards away from Renkotsu and Inuyasha's feet.
Inuyasha had told her to leave (for the fourth time), but Inuyasha…
Kagome watched as Renkotsu struck the butt of his rifle into Inuyasha's solar plexus. The hanyō doubled over, but managed to dodge when the mercenary tried to slam the gun down on his back. Inuyasha's claws went for Renkotsu's throat; Renkotsu grabbed the hanyō's wrist, smiled, and opened his mouth.
Flame—not as explosive and concentrated as the first blast, but still a cloud of fire—shot out of the mercenary's open lips. Inuyasha reared back, but couldn't avoid the attack entirely. Fire still grazed the side of his neck and jaw.
… but Inuyasha clearly needed some help. And, after all, he had helped her.
That instinctive recognition Kagome had felt—and tried to squash—earlier in the night finally articulated itself in her mind.
Inuyasha was protecting her. He had been since the moment her car veered off the road.
So the very least she could do for the jerk was return the favor.
Decision made, Kagome ran forward at full speed, eyes glued to her gun. In the same moment, Renkotsu headbutted Inuyasha—the loud crack of their skulls meeting made Kagome flinch—and threw the hanyō to the ground.
Kagome kept running, even when Renkotsu's head swiveled in her direction. She kept running when Renkotsu's eyes landed on the metal cylinder Inuyasha had dropped, and she still kept running when Renkotsu stooped down to pick it up.
Two things happened almost simultaneously: Renkotsu straightened from his crouch with the cylinder gripped in his hand, and Kagome threw herself into a desperate slide, head first, body scraped raw against rocky soil as she stretched out her arm to grasp her pistol.
Her fingers found the handle of her gun. She kept her grip on it firm as she rolled to the side, Renkotsu's kick missing her face by inches.
Kagome sprang to her feet, pulse pounding a wild rhythm. Renkotsu lifted the metal tube to his mouth. In the very same instant, Kagome swung her gun up with both hands.
They were standing mere yards away from each other. The barrel of her pistol stared down the very center of the open cylinder at his mouth.
And Kagome pulled the trigger with no hesitation.
This time she didn't flinch as the bullet flew into the metal tube just as orange light began flickering inside it. Renkotsu's eyes widened. A choking noise echoed through the cylinder. The flame kindling inside it died out. Renkotsu's hands slackened around his weapon, fell away completely, and then it dropped to the ground a second before Renkotsu's body did.
The mercenary swayed, teetered on his heels, then fell on his back with a dull thud. His limbs spasmed, muscles jerking involuntarily. Another wet gurgling noise came from his throat, then stopped. Blood seeped out from beneath his head, moving in sluggish rivulets through the dirt.
Kagome stared. Glanced at the pistol in her hand, then back to Renkotsu's body.
Inuyasha, who Kagome had almost forgotten about, suddenly moved into her line of sight, and she startled a little. He approached the prone man, planting his feet right next to Renkotsu's head, and looked directly down at him. Renkotsu's slack mouth gaped open, but no flame flickered inside it anymore. Inuyasha peered into his mouth, then released a low whistle. "Damn. Clean through the back of the skull. Nice."
Kagome just kept staring.
Inuyasha nudged the man's head with the toe of his shoe, eliciting another choking sound, quiet and damp. "Huh. Can't believe that didn't kill him instantly. He'll probably bleed out in a few minutes, but why leave it to chance?" The hanyō stepped back a pace, raised his arm above his head, claws extended—and brought it down in a slicing motion as his body folded into a crouch over the mercenary.
Renkotsu's head rolled away from his body.
Kagome stared. She stared and felt nothing. She should be feeling something, right? Anything?
Inuyasha straightened, then glanced her way. He looked at her with something like admiration—and deep interest—alight in his eyes. "Helluva shot," he said as the corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk.
Kagome, finally able to pull her eyes away from the dead man, latched onto that smirk, then those golden eyes. She nodded blankly.
Inuyasha frowned. "Hey. You all right?"
She realized almost absently that she still had the pistol raised, was still holding it with both hands. She started to lower it, but only got as far as the level of Inuyasha's waste. She shifted on her feet, turned slightly towards Inuyasha, and then the barrel of the gun was pointed in his direction.
His gaze dropped to the gun for half a second, then flicked back up to hers. He didn't appear concerned. He even sounded vaguely playful when he asked, "You gonna shoot me next?"
The gun lowered a fraction more. "I…" Kagome mumbled, her focus shifting from one of his eyes to the other, "I don't… think so."
"That's good to hear. Now that I know you're a good shot, I'll try not to piss you off." Inuyasha stepped in closer to her. Very gently and slowly, he put his palm over the barrel of the gun and pushed it down until it was aimed at the ground. He didn't try to take it from her, she noticed.
"Hey," he repeated, his voice low. His other hand—the one still crusted with dried blood—cupped her elbow, the pressure so light she barely felt it. But the touch helped anchor her attention, somehow. He used his grip on her elbow to turn her away from the body on the ground. He shifted them in the direction of her destroyed car. "Let's not stick around. I don't smell anyone else close by, but who knows if that asshole was traveling with buddies. We're not in any shape for another fight right now."
Kagome's eyes drifted down to his cheeks, his chin, then settled on the burns running along one side of his jaw and neck. She frowned. "You… got hurt."
"What, the burns? They're nothing. I'll be fine in a couple hours."
Kagome shook her head, gaze traveling back up to meet his. "You protected me," she said, tone flat, giving away nothing of her thoughts. "Why?"
Inuyasha stared at her a moment, then sighed. "Y'mean not wanting to stand by and watch you get incinerated isn't reason enough?"
She kept staring at him, eyebrows wrinkling in a puzzled frown.
"I'll explain later," he said, "along with… all the other stuff. But first, I'm going to get us to that safe house I told you about, okay? We can recoup there."
He paused, eyes intent, waiting for her response. For some reason that surprised her. She found herself nodding.
"Good. We can't take the car, even if it does still run. Too noticeable. I'll have to run us there. You ready to put the gun away now?"
She nodded again. He waited, watching her with an unnerving steadiness.
Finally understanding what he waited for, Kagome engaged the safety on her pistol and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans. Once she'd done that, Inuyasha steered them the short distance to her car. Kagome was still feeling curiously numb, but a pang went through her at the sight of her car: hood twisted and wrecked, windshield shattered, roof dented so badly it almost looked collapsed, side doors scraped and battered.
It was amazing that she and Inuyasha were still standing after that.
"My bag," Kagome mumbled, "I need to get my bag."
"I know," Inuyasha said. He leaned into the open driver's side door, yanked her duffel off the floor of the passenger side, and withdrew it from the car. As he walked back over to Kagome, he slung the bag over his own back, the strap settling across his chest.
"I'm going to need to carry you," he said when he reached her side. But he didn't make a single move.
Kagome eyed him. Eyed the blood still on his hand. The strap across his chest, where her duffel was no doubt rubbing against the raw wounds on his back. And he hadn't even flinched. He just stood there, watching her expectantly.
He protected me, she thought. He kidnapped me, but then protected me.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, about this entire day made any sense whatsoever.
Kagome looked Inuyasha square in the eye. "I still don't really trust you. But… I think I at least trust you not to hurt me. For now."
He absorbed that quietly, then gave a sharp nod—just a quick dip of his chin.
"So… go ahead and carry me, I guess," she said.
Then he stepped forward, lifted her into his arms, and darted away into the dark.
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A/N: Two quick notes on this chapter: 1) I know it seems improbable that Inuyasha and Kagome would be able to walk out of that car wreck, but trust me – that shit happens sometimes. My mom's a lawyer who's worked with many a car crash case, and I heard stories. Lots of stories. And 2) regarding Renkotsu's fatal wound: I basically envisioned that Kagome shot him through the brainstem/cerebellum region. Given that she shot him through his open mouth, and that she would've been angling slightly up since he's taller than her, I figured it was reasonable to conclude that the bullet would've pierced that region of the skull/brain. And when the brainstem gets severely damaged… it's, well, it's usually fatal. But hey, I'm no ballistics expert. I'm just a dumb fanfic writer.
Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this action-packed chapter, because boy was it difficult to write! Action scenes are hard.