Everything fell away as Kagome stared back at Ayame, processing her words as if in slow motion. She blinked rapidly at the information, "you-you mean the winners… go home?"
"Yes," she affirmed with a broad yet cautious smile, taking a step away from Kagome before kneeling to begin repairing the damage Inuyasha had inflicted on her legs.
She didn't know what compelled her or why but Kagome turned, her deep sapphire gaze locking with Inuyasha's across the expanse, burning gold looking straight back at her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she thought about getting back to her life, her family, again. He watched her, his brows coming together and gaze hardening.
He was waiting for her to react, to respond to the news.
There was a nervousness and hesitancy in his stare, as if he expected Kagome to spill a secret but didn't want her to; like a parent mentally preparing to clean up a child's mess. Kagome quickly found that… she didn't like that expression from Inuyasha. She didn't like the doubt in his gaze or how he was looking at her as if she would betray or keep things from him. Simultaneously, she realized that there was something missing from Ayame's explanation. If it had been thatsimple, Kagome thought, her team would have mentioned it already. Still, it raised questions in her mind. Why hadn'tthey discussed it yet?
Inuyasha's heavy stare and expectancy bared down on her, waiting and alert. It felt unnecessary for him to be so concerned. Truthfully, Kagome didn't think she knew anything of value to be nervous over but then she recalled Sango's words from earlier. Rumors were spreading like wildfire through the teams about her. And… if the prize was freedom, freedom from a prison many had been stuck in – like Miroku – for a very long time, Kagome could begin to see why some would kill in the Grid.
Ayame could claim that it didn't have to be rough outside the Arena but Kagome began to understand that even if Ayame was an ally, that didn't make her a friend; it didn't make her trustworthy. Alliances were useful... until they weren't. They were tools of convenience and mutual need that could be severed if a greater need arose.
Kagome nodded her head incrementally toward Inuyasha. She wouldn't share anything with Ayame and wouldn't ask overly probing questions. She would make idle chit chat and figure out the rest later, with her team.
He nodded back then pulled his gaze off of her, turning back to the others.
Kagome chewed her lip and sighed. 'I really wish I'd paid more attention to the show…'
"How do we win so we can go home?" Kagome blurted, walking with Miroku to the Square after each player had finished their healing session with Ayame.
Miroku abruptly stopped, violet eyes widening and checking the area immediately surrounding them. "This is not the place to have that discussion," he murmured quietly but sternly.
"Why?" She pressed, standing in front of him and crossing her arms. "From my point of view, it seems like the only conversation that matters and yet we haven't gone over that."
"Because," he began, still checking around him nervously. "Kagome, the Square is not a place for any serious discussions. Okay? Especially not when every Player is going to be fixating on everything you do and say."
"I thought… I thought the Square was a 'safe' space?" She muttered in response, frustration and confusion spilling out. Plus, there was the dread that was slipping in. Kagome could feel the seconds tick down, bringing her closer to her first battle, even as they walked. She tried to ignore the pit in her stomach, the racing beats of her heart, all of it.
"It is, in the sense that you can avoid conflict but that's about it." Miroku walked up to Kagome, lowering his voice and looking directly at her, "everyone wants to win. No one has yet, in the entire history of the Games. In the Square, we don't bring it up, okay?"
Feeling heat paint her cheeks and disappointment drop heavily over her, Kagome sighed. "W-why?"
"Because… one of the reasons most teams kill is because kill shots… earn extra points. To win you have to meet a point threshold and advance into the finals. In the finals, you also have to hit a second, higher point threshold. No team has ever hit that second marker but many teams will happily kill you, or worse, if they think it will give them an advantage," Miroku explained in a hushed manner. "The only people you can trust are your teammates, okay? Not Ayame, not Koga, not anyone."
Kagome had the distinct urge to remind him that her faithful teammates had so kindly attempted to trade her not that long ago but decided against it. Sowing division the night before her first match didn't seem like a very fruitful path. There would be plenty of time later for her to address her grievances with them. 'If there is a later for me…'
"Okay, but you'll tell me more when we get back?" Kagome pushed, shoving aside her doubts and refocusing on her conversation with Miroku.
He nodded, then placed a hand in the middle of her back before guiding her forward. "It's important to look upbeat and like you have nothing to hide, okay? Every Player in the Square is going to be aware of your presence and watching you the moment your feet step into the space, understood? You're fresh meat and they will be sizing you up. Put all doubts behind you and let me do all the talking."
"Understood," Kagome replied.
"Great," he grinned, turning and focusing on the path in front of them. "If you feel uncomfortable or want to leave, squeeze my hand."
Kagome had half a mind to think that Miroku was being overly paranoid until the path opened into what she could only describe as a large market space. It wasn't quite like anything she'd seen before. On one side were rows and rows of what looked like over-sized vending machines with different billboards on top advertising different products. She could see ads for armor, weapons, medical supplies, clothes, everything she could think of that players would need sold at one of the many large, metal contraptions. Off to the other side were a number of metal tables and benches, all positioned around a massive expanse of monitors and T.V.s, replaying what she assumed were the highlights from the games earlier that day.
What really caught her eye though was the large post in the middle of the Square. Ignoring whatever Miroku was discreetly trying to inform her about, Kagome pushed forward, mindlessly walking toward the post, staring incredulously at a single poster. It was too familiar to ignore and it made her blood boil over instantly.
"Kagome!" Miroku called, laughing nervously and smiling at all of the other Players who dared to overtly look at her. "What are you doing?" He hissed.
"This," she muttered, pointing animatedly at the poster. "These are… everywhere."
"I don't understand," Miroku replied, violet gaze noting that, yes, several of them were hung up in the Square but not seeing how or why that had evoked such a strong response from her.
Kagome ripped the poster off the large post, shoving it in Miroku's face. "I told you, I know the Grid as a game show and that I only knew about it - I only recognized Inuyasha - because of these things! This is the same poster that was put up outside the corner store by my house!"
Still holding it in her hand, Kagome looked back at the tall, wide stone notice board, brows coming together as she looked at all of the posters and the advertisements. Her eyes scanned each one in depth. There were a lot of things tacked up on the stone, including what looked like the game schedules Miroku had mentioned earlier. Her gaze gravitated back to the advertisements though, noticing that some were almost like gifs. They were active, constantly moving and rewinding while showing highlights of a match.
She shoved the poster she'd ripped down into Miroku's chest then ripped down one of the moving ones. The image popped out into a hologram, giving her an unobstructed view of the action. Kagome watched, her face going white, as a demon brought a sword down, slicing a human opponent clean in half, blood sputtering outward in a manner she'd never witnessed before, on the show or anywhere else. Kagome couldn't pull her eyes off of it, she was paralyzed in her horror, watching the sword come down again and again and again-
"Like what you see?" Sneered a deep voice from behind her.
Kagome startled, turning to see who was addressing her. Her eyes dragged over the tall, fit male before her. She swallowed hard, staring at him. He was, in a word, attractive, but without needing to spend another moment getting to know him Kagome instantly recognized him as dangerous. His dark blue eyes reminded her of the very deepest parts of the ocean, the parts that were so deep that they would crush her alive before she knew which way was up. His thick black brows perfectly framed his face and added an almost childlike element of mischief to his appearance. He had a mess of dark hair pulled into the most pristine braid she'd ever seen and what looked like a sharpened purple cross in the middle of his forehead. In any other circumstance she might find him swoon worthy but standing in front of him with those murderous blue orbs grinning back at her, Kagome felt nothing but cold fear inch its way through her chest.
Worst of all was that… she knew that face. He was not only a Player but a good one. A really good one. She gulped silently; eyes wide as she tried to appear calm.
He was watching her with the same amusement a cat would after having caught a mouse. Kagome wasn't a fan.
"Bankotsu," Miroku greeted icily, "how can we help you?"
"You can't," he answered confidently, dismissing Miroku with a flippant flick of his wrist, not taking his eyes off Kagome. "I'm here to see her. The rumors of your beauty, Healer, did not do you justice."
Kagome swallowed again as Bankotsu's gaze dipped, taking a long, quiet moment to drag along every inch of her body.
"Some people were saying you were just a two-bit version of Kikyo but… you're not. There's something different about you. Kikyo was… stoic. But you're," he murmured, a hand coming up and brushing a tendril of hair out of her face, "you're electric."
"Don't you have a match to prepare for?" Miroku pressed, a clear warning embedded between his words.
"Yes," Bankotsu answered, undeterred. "But this is exquisite. The rumors were right about one thing, that's for sure. You… you're a problem." Every ounce of amusement drained from his face as he spit out the last word, his expression and gaze cooling into a hard stare.
Kagome looked around her for the first time since stepping into the Square, her heart dropping as she realized that Miroku's warnings weren't paranoid ramblings but were well founded. Every eye she could see was fixed solely on her, every body angled toward her, all other conversation shamelessly paused so they could each eavesdrop with as little effort as possible.
"I hate to break it to you," Kagome purred, faking strength and confidence, "but… I'm not scared of you. This whole bit you're doing is just adorable, like a little pussy cat." She filled each word with as much sugar as she could, reaching a hand toward Miroku then squeezing his hand before letting go and pushing by Bankotsu.
Bankotsu turned, his mischievous smirk in place once again, watching her go. "See you in the arena, kitten."
Miroku quickly followed her, waiting until they were mostly back at their campsite before sighing loudly, "oh that was bad…. very bad…"
"What? I thought-I thought I held my ground well!" Kagome replied, the light from their fire coming into view.
"Not you," Miroku responded in exasperation, "what Bankotsu did."
"What did that prick do now?!" Hissed Inuyasha from his spot around the fire.
"He threatened Kagome," Miroku answered, plopping down next to Sango.
"He what?!" Sango asked, looking alarmed.
"He called her a 'problem.' He did it loudly and in front of everybody."
"I'm confused," Kagome interjected, ignoring the looks of frustration and irritation on the faces of her teammates, "why does that matter?"
"He just made you the biggest target in the Arena," Sango answered, shaking her head and staring, unfocused, into the fire.
"Remember, how I was telling you that to win you need to meet a certain point threshold?" Miroku began, looking over at Kagome.
"Yeah…"
"And after you meet the first marker you ascend to the next level?"
"Yes."
"Bankotsu and his team were the first team to advance to the second level. They have appeared in the finals more often than any other team. Last cycle, they were only a few points shy of meeting that golden number that would free them," Miroku explained, grabbing a twig and breaking it in his hands before tossing it into the fire. "It's assumed that they will surpass their performance from last time during this cycle."
"Why is that?" Kagome asked, noticing an odd solemness settle over the camp. "What am I missing here?"
"It's assumed they will meet that threshold because they amassed more points than was expected during their last round," Sango mumbled, avoiding Inuyasha's heavy gaze and the way his leg had started to bounce incessantly while an eyebrow continued to twitch in barely restrained rage.
"Why do I feel like there's something else you're not telling me…" Kagome asked, looking directly at Sango, noting the way the fighter didn't meet her gaze but instead began to chew on the inside of her cheek.
"Bankotsu and his team," Shippo interjected, "they were who killed our last healer, Kikyo. And he's saying that… he'll do it again. To you. Killing a healer… it's extra points..."
"Oh," Kagome forced her eyes shut, feeling sick to her stomach. Not only were they telling her that evidently Bankotsu and his team were better than they were, but that with every team they faced she had a hefty bounty on her head.
"Good thing you're rated so low," scoffed Inuyasha.
"How is that good?!" Kagome cried, instantly regretting the harshness of her tone.
"It means that tomorrow killing you won't be worth a lot of points," he snarled. "It's a blessing in disguise right now."
"Did you get a chance to look at our ratings?" Sango asked, facing Miroku.
"No, Kagome immediately went to the notice board and pulled off some of the banners. Then Bankotsu walked up."
"What the fuck was so interesting about the goddam notice board?" Inuyasha asked dryly, glaring over at Kagome.
Miroku rolled his eyes but fished out the poster that Kagome had grabbed and leaned over, handing it to Inuyasha. "Kagome said that those are what are posted around her home. Those, apparently, aren't just for our eyes. They are marketing material."
"Awesome," the half-demon sneered sarcastically then tossed the paper into the fire.
"Hey!" Shippo exclaimed, "I wanted to see…"
"You can tomorrow, there's a million of those shits in the Square. Right now, I think we all need to go to fucking sleep," Inuyasha grumbled, rising to his feet and walking over to his bed.
"You said you'd tell me more about how everything works," Kagome blurted, looking at Miroku.
He paused, mid-rise, and frowned. "Let's get through tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded meekly, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. The fear of failure, of dying, began to creep to the surface as each of her team members rose, silently resigned to getting sleep before the next round. Kagome wasn't sure she could get to sleep if she tried. Her entire chest was exploding in debilitating tingles of pain and fear.
'Tomorrow… might be my last day…'
"Come on, it won't be a good sleep, but it's worth trying."
Kagome looked up, seeing Sango standing before her, a hand outstretched and waiting for a response. Kagome nodded, tentatively taking her hand and getting to her feet.
They walked in silence over to the sleeping quarters. Kagome couldn't help but notice that the red kimono was hidden away, out of sight. She knew she wasn't owed an explanation, especially after she had poked and prodded Inuyasha about it earlier in the day but a pang of loneliness struck her. She hated to admit it but the kimono and it's scent had provided her the only comfort she had felt since her world fell apart and she found herself locked in the Grid. The idea of not having it to hug around her was almost as chilling as confronting the realities of how fragile her hold on her life really was.
'I-I shouldn't have said those things to him,' she thought to herself, walking over to the bed that did little to console her.
"Don't worry, Kagome," Shippo whispered from his spot next to her, "we'll defend you tomorrow. Inuyasha promised."
Kagome snorted lightly in response to his comment about Inuyasha but as she pulled back the comforter that had been draped over her bed she immediately regretted it. She swallowed thickly, noticing the red kimono tucked under the covers. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, turning slowly to look at Inuyasha, who's eyes were already on her. "Thank you," she mouthed, cheeks burning pink and gaze casting downward in a shameful guilt.
"Go to sleep," he instructed gruffly, turning away from her and the group.
"Oh god," Kagome moaned, leaning back over the river heaving anything left in her stomach out into the water.
"Sheesh," Inuyasha grumbled, standing several feet back, pinching his nose with the tips of his claws. "Are you done yet?"
"Inuyasha!" Sango snapped, turning away from Kagome, while still rubbing her back.
"We do need to go…" Miroku commented from his position next to Inuyasha, avoiding the vomiting mess that was their healer and the culmination of all of her nerves turning against her.
Any and all confidence she may have had in herself washed away with her bile down the river the moment Inuyasha had woken her up that morning. She'd spent the entire morning, while the rest of them ate and prepped, emptying her stomach.
"I can't do this," she cried, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm going to die, this is just… oh god… why did I waste so much time studying math?! I should have kissed more boys or-or done stupid shit!"
"I think she's spiraling," Shippo mumbled, tugging on Sango's uniform.
"You think?" Sneered Inuyasha.
"Kagome, you can still kiss boys," Sango muttered, wincing a little knowing that Kagome's options in men were a little limited in the Grid.
"Oh, really?!" She exclaimed hysterically, "which boys then? Miroku or Inuyasha?"
"Hey," Miroku grumbled in offense over Kagome's tone before Sango tossed an icy glare over at him. "What? She doesn't have to act like kissing us would be such an imposition."
"I don't think that's what she's getting at," Sango hissed. "Kagome, you're not going to die. We've got your back but… we do need to get up."
"Can I just drown… wouldn't that be easier?" She suggested dramatically.
"Honestly, probably," Inuyasha answered flatly.
"Not helping! God, you both are the worst!" Sango admonished, flicking water in their direction.
"Kagome," Shippo began, his voice firm and steady as he walked up to her. He looked at her directly, big green eyes serious and stern while he placed his hands on hers. "We won't let you die, okay? We're your team. We're your friends. Trust us."
She forced her eyes shut, taking in several deep breaths before nodding. 'If Shippo can get through this… I should be able to too.' Slowly, and with Sango's guidance, Kagome stood. She felt uneasy on her feet and still felt clammy but she was up.
"One step at a time," Sango encouraged, leading her back to the campsite. "Miroku, get her armor, we need to hurry. Inuyasha, daggers?"
"Got them," the half-demon sighed, pulling them seemingly out of nowhere.
"Good, you put them on her, her hands are still a little too shaky for knives at the moment. I'll get her hair. Shippo can you grab some water for her?"
"Yes, ma'am!" He answered, quickly darting over to their supplies to grab a cup.
Sango began pulling at her hair, but it was the gentle caress of Inuyasha's hands as they slid the daggers into the holsters along her leg and how both his touch and the sensation of it lingered on her that pulled Kagome's attention from the prospect of death. Kagome brought her eyes to his, immediately getting sucked into the richness of the heat and fire that burned as gold licks of flame.
"Don't throw up in the Arena," Inuyasha snapped.
"How encouraging," Kagome remarked dryly.
"Got the armor!" Miroku exclaimed, dropping all the pieces between him and Inuyasha. "Start grabbing some and putting them on her!" He commanded, looking at the half-demon. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but otherwise followed his friend's directive.
Kagome twisted slightly, looking around and noticing a bunch of weapons and materials that she hadn't in the days before. "Wha-what is all of this?"
"Those," Sango answered, nodding toward the various items, "are our weapons. We all trained in close combat yesterday because we're expecting to have to defend you and Shippo and that just made more sense but those are our bread and butter."
"O-okay," Kagome murmured, trying to ignore the hands that tenderly ran across her skin, laying and fixing each plate of armor to her.
"Hair's all done." Sango commented, backing up as Shippo ran over with water.
"Water!" He announced, handing it to Sango who brought it to Kagome's mouth.
"Remember what we taught you, okay?"
"Can you remind me…" Kagome grimaced, expecting a quick and sarcastic rebuttal from a certain half-demon who's hands were dragging up her front as Miroku installed the plate along her back but instead was met with silence and Sango's heavy sigh.
"When we line up, you stay all the way to the right. We've planned it out so that you are facing their second weakest player. That person is also their slowest player. Don't break rank and… do not leave the clearing. There are too many crevices and obstacles that could potentially leave you open to a surprise attack you're not trained to sense or defend against. Got it?"
"Yup," she muttered, shuddering at the thought of being brought down by a sneak attack and not at all because Inuyasha's hands were tracing her inner thighs as he tightened the thigh plates against her.
"Stay in the clearing, no offensive tactics. Just duck and roll," Inuyasha reiterated, standing and glaring at her. "Don't try to be cute or overplay your hand. When one of us finishes our assignment, we'll come for you."
Kagome nodded, feeling Miroku's hands fall off her as well and watching him come around to her front.
"Okay, I think we're ready," he smiled.
"Let's get this over with," Kagome mumbled, rolling her shoulders and stepping forward.
"Great attitude," snarked Inuyasha as he reached down, grabbing a single sword before leading the way down a path that Kagome hadn't used yet.
She nibbled on her bottom lip, looking around at the fauna and between each of her teammates. It amazed her how calm they all seemed. Miroku appeared even near chipper as he spoke with Inuyasha at the head of the group, walking toward the fabled Arena. Kagome swallowed hard, clenching her fists, noticing that her palms were already sweating and wiping them against her uniform in a futile attempt to dry them.
'You can do this,' she began to repeat in her head over and over, a silent monologue. 'You are Kagome Higurashi, you can do this. You will get out of this alive and when you do you will kiss more boys and you will spend all your money on things you don't need because we are not getting out of this hell just to sit around on the couch! You can do this!'
Kagome inhaled deeply, steeling herself as the forest path led directly into an overly large and dark cave. On the outside it had looked like a normal brown rock cave one might come across in nature, but a few steps in and Kagome realized she had been wrong to think it was anything 'normal,' especially as the faint rumbling behind her had Kagome swiveling and watching with increasing trepidation as a wall appeared, rising from the ground and closing them each inside.
Her mouth gaped open as her eyes widened, lights immediately turning on and illuminating the path in front of her. Circuits ran this way and that, providing the only contrast to the onyx black walls that lined the tunnel. The dirt floor gave way to a metallic black flooring and bright neon bulbs flashed directing them inward. She couldn't help but think that her brother might actually enjoy walking through the tunnel, though she shuddered at even the barest concept of Sota being stuck in the Grid.
Sango fell back, walking side by side with Kagome. "We're almost there," she murmured, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder, causing both to pause, letting the others stroll forward. Sango leveled her mulberry gaze at Kagome, looking intently into her eyes, "just remember, duck and roll. Nothing fancy. We will come for you. Okay?"
"Okay," Kagome answered, wishing her voice sounded stronger than it did.
Sango nodded, then let her hand drop. "The first round is always the roughest, it's when you have the most self-doubt but… in a way that doubt is important. Overconfidence and complacency are what get seasoned Players killed. Listen to your instincts."
"I will," she answered, this time sounding a little more assured.
"Good, let's go."
"What happens after this?" Kagome asked, stepping up her pace with Sango to catch up to the others.
"Well, if we finish early, we may watch the other games. If we finish last, we all go to the Square, where Miroku will get drunk on terrible sake, Inuyasha and Shippo will fight over food, and you and I can start our own tradition," Sango smiled softly, liking the idea of forging a real friendship with Kagome.
"Is that what you and Kikyo did?"
"No," she murmured, mulberry eyes watching Inuyasha's ears swivel at the top of his head at the mention of their former healer. "She, um, she was closer with Inuyasha."
A large, black stone wall appeared before them, blocking further advancement down the path. Kagome watched as Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha lined up in the order that they had discussed the night prior. Inuyasha, the strongest and highest rated player, stood in the middle, Miroku to his left, Sango immediately to his right, Shippo at the farthest left, and a spot to Sango's right remained for Kagome.
Gulping down her nerves, Kagome stepped up next to Sango, "I'd really like that," she murmured, turning to briefly face her. "Starting a tradition and… a friendship with you."
Sango reached out, gently squeezing Kagome's hand, a noticeable pang of fear in her bright eyes. "Duck and roll," she repeated.
"Duck and roll," Kagome mimicked, facing the stone as it began to slide out of their way. In her periphery, Kagome could see each of her teammates' hands reaching for their respective weapons. Inuyasha's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, Miroku held his staff, Sango gripped the top of some ridiculously large boomerang, and Shippo gripped onto a… 'a leaf?' Kagome frowned, staring at it in surprise. 'Well, at least I'm not the only one without a real weapon.'
The light that bled through the opening as the stone sank away felt blinding after having traveled through the dark tunnel. Kagome squinted, grimacing and almost missing her teammates walking in step outward. Kagome pushed forward, instinctively gripping onto a handle of a dagger, her heart pounding in overdrive in her chest, and lungs constricting.
They hadn't been lying when they had told her the Arena was huge. The tunnel opened up into a massive valley that hung between two artificial mountain ranges that towered above them. The sky was crisscrossed with circuits like the tunnel but the backdrop was bright and open. It reminded her of a literal stadium, just much larger and grander in scale.
She scanned her surroundings, walking in lockstep with the team until they stopped.
Maybe, in an alternate situation, the terrain itself would have frightened her as Kagome looked more closely at everything, noticing the foreboding nature of the paths that ran up and out of the valley, the dark colors of the landscape that made her light grey uniform stand out in staggering contrast, or even how sharp everything around her was as if even the twigs had been purposefully designed to be an instrument of death, but, standing next to the four people who had looked out for her over the last two days, it was the silence that had all the hairs on her arms and neck standing at attention.
Kagome was positive she would have been able to clearly hear a pin drop while her sapphire eyes waited for something to happen. No one had explained to her how the games started, how she would know when it was time for fight or flight. Worse still, Kagome bit on her bottom lip looking around and realizing there was no cover. At least, no cover that she could easily access in the event of say a bow or other long-range weapons.
'I should have fought him harder for a bow,' she thought bitterly to herself.
Inuyasha loudly cleared his throat, his gaze narrowed and directed at Kagome.
She faced him, glaring back without remorse before facing forward again. Her heart rate doubled as five other figures seemed to just materialize across from them.
'Duck and roll, duck and roll,' she began repeating internally as her anxiety reached new heights. 'Duckandroll, duckandroll, duckandroll…"
"You can do this," Sango murmured, her grip around her weapon tightening, "stand back and let us protect you."
"Yup, mmhmm, all you," Kagome whispered. "How do we know whe-"
A deafening boom rang through the Arena, followed by a flash across the sky. Kagome looked up, eyes widening as their individual profiles and team logo flashed across the top followed by the same for their opponents.
Kagome sighed heavily, silently praying that her brother wasn't watching the fight but that he was hopefully playing a dumb video game she had always yelled at him about.
"Focus!" Inuyasha hissed, forcing Kagome to turn her attention back to the figures in front of them.
Looking across the space that divided them, Kagome realized why she had been paired with her assignment. Her opponent was the only human on the team. It was both a relief and a concern. If he was human it meant she wouldn't need to worry about excess speed or strength but her opponent was still male and likely had enough strength to overpower her and he almost certainly had more training than she did so… still deadly.
'Duckandroll, duckandroll,' It rolled around her head as a sick mantra.
A second thundering boom ricocheted throughout the Arena and in a flash, Inuyasha was gone.
"Stay back!" Sango instructed, running forward behind Inuyasha, with Shippo in toe, as Miroku stood near Kagome.
"Wh-why are you still here?" Kagome asked.
Wordlessly, Miroku pointed upward, violet gaze narrowing and brows coming together in a sharp focus. "You might want to back up," he suggested.
Kagome flicked her eyes upward, pupils shrinking and face paling as she noticed a demon hurtling toward her and Miroku.
'Run!' Her mind screamed and before she even really knew what she was doing her legs had decided for her. Kagome was sprinting toward the side of the field, watching in both fascination and horror as Miroku began to battle the demon from the air.
"Oh my god, oh my god," she muttered to herself, feeling the anxiety begin to win out and eat at the edges of her clarity. As Kagome contemplated her next move, a maniacal laugh pulled her back to her current reality - or hell, both really.
"Well, well, well, the new healer. My lucky day."
Kagome immediately hated his voice and it had nothing to do with its snideness or arrogance. It was how it barely teetered on sane, a strong undercurrent of lunacy and a genuine disconnect with his inner humanity as he perceived Kagome as nothing more than a trophy to collect or mount like a boar's head above his sleeping quarters. It sent an almost paralyzing chill down her spine.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" He teased.
'Run!' Kagome didn't wait for his next comment and didn't care that he was probably taking immense joy in her obvious fear of him. She could hear his booming laughter as she pumped her legs. Before she had taken off, she had had the mental acuity to notice that he didn't have a long-range weapon on his person. 'He can only hurt me if he's close,' she reasoned. 'So… just put distance between him and I and it should be fine!'
"Yes," she muttered, briefly turning to look behind her, grinning and thinking that she might actually come out of this alive. At least, she had been thinking that before she noticed that he wasn't following her. No, her human opponent had evidently engaged Miroku in a battle. "But then… where's…"
Kagome skidded to a stop, a heavy and unwelcome thought telling her to look 'up.' Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze. Sure enough, hovering above her was the demon that had been battling Miroku moments earlier.
"You're quite lovely from this angle," the demon teased, his long oblong face and beady eyes more than a little offensive to look at. "Maybe I'll keep your head for my scalp treatment."
"Ew!" Kagome shrieked indignantly before bursting to the side in an attempt to get away from him.
"Oh, I do love how you silly humans run! As if you could escape thunder!"
She wasn't entirely sure what that meant but based on the howling cackle that left the demon's throat he sure seemed to find his comment clever and entertaining, which was more than enough reason for her to think that she needed help, now. Kagome looked to her side, searching for Sango.
Sango had her hands full, literally and metaphorically, with her opponent, her preferred weapon lodged in the ground some twenty feet away. Sapphire eyes flitted across the landscape, ignorant to the actions of the demon above her, searching for Inuyasha and Shippo. Shippo was easy to find or at least his fox fire was. It lit up a section of the course, green flames climbing into the air in a fantastical sight. Though, it didn't compare to the majestic event that was Inuyasha bounding through the air, metal clashing with metal, as he took on what appeared to be another flying demon.
'Crap,' she screamed mentally. None of her teammates looked anywhere near done with their assignments.
Kagome felt it before she could see it. A static filled the air around her, crackling against her skin and pulling her attention back to her current situation. Wide eyed and confused, she looked up as the sky around her erupted into a hail of ear-splitting cracks that sent her flying across the ground.
She tumbled over the grass and dirt, crying out in pain as she landed badly on her elbow. Kagome hissed out a whine before scrambling back to her feet to run away again, Sango's words from the morning circling around in her mind, 'Don't break rank and… do not leave the clearing.'
When the clamoring rumble of the attack settled down, Kagome could make out the demon's gleeful laughter. "Oh what fun that was! It's been so long since I've gotten to play with an Arena virgin! How lucky I must be to be your first."
"Gross," Kagome muttered under her breath, trying to pump her arms and gain speed, but struggling. She winced as she tried to move the arm she landed on. It screamed back at her in a bright and searing pain. 'Double crap… I think… I think it might be broken…'
"Unfortunately for you," the demon continued, "I won't be gentle." His smirk was evident in the blithe tone of his voice and the gleeful cackling that followed. Seconds later Kagome could feel that same static bite at her flesh again. She forced her legs to move faster, ignoring the pain in her arm, desperately searching for cover. She knew she'd gotten lucky last time and had inadvertently managed to sidestep the brunt of his attack and that had still left her desperate and in pain. Kagome wasn't sure she'd be as lucky a second time around and didn't want to know what it would feel like facing the full force of his demonic power.
"Hey, mom," a small, shaky voice called, eyes wide and confused as he stared in horror at the television.
"Yes, sweetie?" A tired, somber voice answered back as she poked her head into the T.V. room.
"I-I found Kagome."
Inuyasha grunted as his assignment pressed back against him. He grumbled expletives between offensive maneuvers as his frustration mounted. He was pissed. He'd let himself get caught up with their new healer and had forgotten to check their opponents' stats. Most days, it didn't matter and stats were pretty consistent. But, of course, the one round he had been too concerned over Kagome's fucking vomiting and shit to check the stats his assignment had procured and equipped himself with a power up.
Now, what should have been a simple slice and dice was taking up too much time. He couldn't hear Kagome or Miroku between the clashing of his sword against the dumbass thunder pike his opponent held and the fucker's new flying wheels from hell on his feet were a problem. Inuyasha had already caught the demon attempting to bolt after Kagome.
She, he was now certain, was the only Player that their opponents cared about.
It made his blood boil and skin crawl thinking about Kagome facing the thunder brothers and their petty gang of thugs by herself. They never hesitated to slaughter an opponent for the extra points. They were ruthless.
Ruthless but, most often, brainless too.
It was an advantage Inuyasha wanted to capitalize on and one of the main reasons for leaving Miroku back with Kagome. Miroku was the best at thinking on his feet and a very highly rated player on their team. If anyone could protect Kagome while Inuyasha dealt with the fucking over-sized forehead of a demon that was Hiten and his teammate Manten, it was Miroku.
'Wait…' Inuyasha thought briefly, realizing for the first time that he hadn't actually clashed with Manten yet that round. He snarled, shoving back Hiten, his gaze darting to Sango and Shippo, a pit forming in his stomach when he realized that Manten wasn't in the center of the clearing with them.
"What's the matter?" Hiten teased, clashing with Inuyasha again. "Looking for someone?"
He was too smug, too jubilant as he spoke. Hiten was always overconfident, it was a basic rule of his personality. During the earlier days in the Grid, Hiten and Manten had experienced a lot of initial success that over inflated their egos. Now, shells of the grand Players they once were, they'd lost the status but had kept the attitudes, thinking far too highly of themselves and embittered by the disrespect they felt other Players showed them. Anytime that Inuyasha had faced them he recalled their tones being bitter and sour, vengefully seeking recognition they weren't owed.
The joy and the laughing undertone that Hiten exhibited was unusual and concerning, especially given that Inuyasha couldn't fucking hear his loud and annoying ass teammate Manten.
Inuyasha growled in response, choosing not to otherwise dignify the bragging question with an answer. He needed to focus. Getting caught up in Hiten's goading or fixating on the lack of Manten's grating voice wouldn't help him accomplish his task, it would slow him down and the implications of that were far too high to contemplate.
At least, they had been before his ears picked up on a very distinctive sound. They all knew that sound well. It was both reminiscent of a time before the Grid and one shrouded in traumatic battles with the Thunder Brothers in cycles past. Thunder rained down behind Inuyasha, its current and bombastic sound carrying over to them before dissipating.
Worse, as the remnants of Manten's thunder faded, Inuyasha could hear Miroku. Specifically, he could hear Miroku's staff as it crashed into metal, a sharp ring followed by several smaller ones as the rings around Miroku's weapon clamored against a sword. 'Manten… Manten doesn't use a sword…' Inuyasha thought, gold eyes blowing wide and heart racing.
"Wha-what do you mean?" His mother's voice called back, her feet padding quickly across the floor as she walked into the T.V. room.
"L-look," he answered, voice and hands trembling as he lifted his finger and pointed at the profile hanging at the bottom of the screen. He didn't have it in him to look at his mother because he couldn't look away, even as a new found sense of fear gripped at him, he just couldn't look away.
Right there, before him, pixelated and running, was his lost sister.
"Sango!" Inuyasha hissed into the air, "I need a status update! Now!"
"I'm a little busy!" She screeched back, successfully shoving off her assignment and drawing her back-up sword.
"Shippo?!" He roared, dodging away from the thunder pike that Hiten was attempting to embed in his face.
"I-I'm busy!" He squeaked back, another explosion of fox fire erupting to Inuyasha's side.
'Fuck,' Inuyasha cursed internally. 'This isn't good…'
"What's wrong?" Hiten asked, knowing full well what Inuyasha had just recognized.
"It's not worth the points," Inuyasha snarled, trying desperately to reason with the sociopath.
"Right, she's not worth it… That's why you spent all your money to cover her in armor? You're not fooling anybody," Hiten snickered.
"She's a low level healer!" Inuyasha insisted, shoving back Hiten, brandishing his claws and swiping out with one hand toward the arrogant prick. He barely missed him as Hiten stepped back, glaring down at the scuff on his armor.
"No amount of begging will spare her. You'll get a new, weaker, healer. No amount of negotiating will change that," hissed Hiten.
Inuyasha's blood boiled just as the hairs on his arm began to stand up. His eyes widened in horror as his ears began to pick up on the renewed sounds of Manten's thunder. Hiten laughed, his red gaze gleaming in unfettered joy, "I hope you wished her a fond farewell before you entered the Arena today."
'Kagome, no…'
A rancorous and roaring clap surrounded her and she dove, tumbling behind the first thing she could see, a nearly flat rock. The ground around her was littered with scorches, including the armored plate on her thigh. Kagome swallowed thickly, looking down at the wisps of smoke that trailed upward from the now crumbling plate. Kagome blinked quickly, attempting to keep the tears at bay as they pricked the back of her eyes, while her chest heaved.
Twisting quickly, she got back to her feet and ran. She knew Sango and Inuyasha would both probably curse her out for it later but she followed her instincts and made a beeline for the edge of the clearing and toward the half of the terrain with towering trees and thick brush.
Almost immediately, Kagome realized she'd made a crucial error in judgment. The brush wasn't just thick, it was covered in thorns. She raced toward it, hesitating for only a moment, closing her eyes and steeling herself for the pain that was ahead of her, then pushed herself through. She tumbled, haphazardly through the first layer of bushes, desperately crawling away from the demon's booming laugh behind her.
She waited, expecting to feel a thousand tiny cuts along her flesh, but paused, looking down at her mostly intact body. Confused, Kagome scanned the length of her arm quickly, biting her lip as she realized that her armor had taken the hit and how its sheen was fading. 'Fuck,' she thought to herself, realizing her armor was less real than she thought it was. 'It's like a stupid video game,' she internally cajoled, getting to her feet berating herself for assuming that it would just get scratched instead of slowly begin to fade away with each external hit she took.
On the outer edge of the terrain, Manten growled, stopping just outside the thicket. He clenched his thick hands into fists before smiling and retreating. Bounding back over to where Miroku was fending off his human teammate, Manten shoved his way into the fight, watching the man's violet eyes widen in fear and anger.
Miroku broke free from their entanglement, rolling backward and twisting to peer over toward the direction he'd seen Kagome take off in. It only provided a modicum of relief to see that her body wasn't lifelessly discarded on the open ground. Still, he held his breath scanning the clearing and not seeing her at all.
Worse, Miroku chewed the inside of his cheek watching the human swordsman smirk then part from them.
"Your little healer," Manten began, "she's a spry one. Unlike Kikyo. But she's still as good as dead."
"She outwitted you," Miroku bit back, stepping forward, a hand digging into his pocket.
"Hardly," he chuckled. "Toshu enjoys the hunt almost as much as Hiten and I."
Miroku exhaled loudly, gaze narrowing. Toshu would have an easier time going after Kagome in the forest than Manten would. Manten's short legs and spread-out tactics weren't properly outfitted for terrain with adequate cover, which, Miroku realized, is probably what Kagome had been thinking when she disobeyed Sango's instructions and fled from the clearing. The problem being, if Toshu was as good of a hunter as Manten was making him out to be, Miroku didn't have a lot of time to act.
Kagome was in trouble and she had looked injured the last time he'd been able to sneak a look in her direction.
The hand in his pocket gripped onto one of his secret weapons, as Miroku locked eyes with the demon. He'd need to end it quickly and relieve Inuyasha. Miroku would never find Kagome in the forest now but Inuyasha might be able to.
"Ooh, did I strike a nerve?" Manten teased, unleashing a full belly laugh and further provoking Miroku.
"I was going to take it easy on you this round but seeing as you have threatened our new healer," Miroku hissed, lunging forward, "I think I'll make it hurt."
Manten chuckled in delight, enjoying the anger in the man's eyes, before bounding into the sky and sitting pleasantly on a cloud of his making. "What are you going to do from all the way down there?!" He called.
Miroku rolled his eyes, "simpleton." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and stuck a sutra onto his right palm, embedding it with his spiritual energy. It went to work immediately, ripping a black hole into his hand. Miroku could hear the howling of the wind and ignored the rippling pain, his gaze locked on the loathsome demon.
"Let me know when you're ready to tap out!" Miroku called, smirking before tilting his palm upward and watching all the air around his hand begin to twist and turn, forming a massive wind tunnel that pulled at everything in its path, including Manten who was no longer laughing.
The demon grunted as he attempted to pull away, though it was futile. Miroku waited, his left hand steadying the power his right hand was exerting, violet eyes flitting back and forth from Manten to where the rest of his group remained engaged in battle.
Miroku had a few special attacks that he saved for specific moments. Each one represented a different emergency and spoke to a different player. His barriers were meant to send a message to their healer that back up was needed. The use of his back-up daggers and sword was a message for Sango. The wind tunnel was a signal for Inuyasha. The wind was loud and kicked up a variety of smells, all of which the half-demon would recognize instantly and would know.
As Manten flailed and became more panicked, his cackles and grunts shifting into desperate cries and moans to escape the cold, harsh, death that lay in Miroku's right palm, the fighter watched for Inuyasha. Each second was precious and Kagome's life could hang in the balance.
"Give up yet?!" Miroku called, shifting his gaze back up at the demon.
"Yes! Yes!" He cried, hanging in the air less than a foot from Miroku's palm.
"Great!" Exclaimed Miroku. He closed the wind tunnel then fished out a new sutra and affixed it to Manten's forehead, effectively paralyzing him and freezing him in place. "Now, be a good little demon and stay the fuck there. I don't want to have to come back for you again, got it?"
Miroku was more than aware that Manten couldn't actually respond verbally, still he knew the demon could hear him. Grabbing his staff from the ground, Miroku didn't waste another minute before sprinting over to the rest of the group.
"Inuyasha!" He called, as he approached, surprised to see that he was still engaged in a pretty dynamic battle with Hiten.
"What?!" He snarled, grinding his teeth together and launching himself at the demon.
"Let me take care of this!"
"I got it! I don't need your fucking help!" Inuyasha bit out, tossing a glare over to Miroku before Hiten attempted to jab him again with the damn thunder pike. "I will break that!" He threatened, looking at the annoying demon.
"Kagome needs your help though!" Miroku insisted, butting in and tossing a sutra between them that sent sparks of purifying energy flaring out and biting at both Inuyasha and Hiten's flesh.
"So you get her!" He insisted, "you finished-"
"She went into the forest!"
"She what?!" Inuyasha screeched, turning to face Miroku just as Hiten thrust the thunder pike forward again, brushing across Inuyasha's arm as he fell backward trying to avoid it.
"A woman isn't worth it!" Hiten hissed, lips twitching upward into a sick smile at the smell of Inuyasha's flesh burning at the tip of his weapon.
"Oh fuck off! I'm sick of you!" Inuyasha snarled, getting to his feet and shoving his claws into his wound.
"Toshu likely already has that pretty little healer of yours begging for her life!" Hiten laughed, dodging most of the crimson blades that Inuyasha released and sliced through the air.
"Inuyasha! Just switch with me and go get her!" Miroku exclaimed, grabbing his friend's shoulder and pushing him backward, stepping between Inuyasha and the other thunder brother. "I got this!"
He stumbled back, irate at Miroku's rough treatment. Inuyasha opened his mouth to rebut the man but stopped when he saw Miroku pull out the sutra for another wind tunnel.
"Inuyasha, she's hurt!" Miroku hissed. "Go get her!" He didn't wait or listen for Inuyasha's response, Miroku shoved the sutra into his hand and aimed the attack at Hiten, determined to prevent the demon from hindering Inuyasha's rescue efforts.
He grumbled to himself but still took off, launching himself into the air and locating her scent. Inuyasha was livid that she didn't listen to their rules. They were there for a reason, a big reason being going off on your own meant that your teammates couldn't actually help you unless they found you. It wasn't a smart strategy. Even if the other areas of the map may have provided some cover, it came at a cost. There was never a safe place in the Arena.
Landing between the clearing and the forest, Inuyasha inhaled her thickly sweet scent and growled. It was tainted with fear and smelled worse than the bile from before the game. 'I'm coming Kagome, just hang in there!'
Her arm ached like nothing else she'd ever felt before as she pushed through thorn bush after fucking thorn bush, desperate for a place to hide until Inuyasha or someone came to get her. She bit down on her bottom lip, both grateful and terrified that she couldn't see Manten anymore.
"Oh crap!" Kagome exclaimed, her foot getting caught on a root, sending her toppling down. "Oh-oh fuck!"
She slammed into the ground that abruptly fell off, causing her to awkwardly tumble then slam into the unforgiving earth at the bottom of a steep incline. "Ow," she whined, rubbing her rear with her working arm and looking around.
She swallowed hard; the trees had fallen away leaving a large clearing with an ominously dark river that spanned at least forty feet in length. Pushing herself up, Kagome desperately scanned the area, chewing on her lip. 'Think, think, think, you need cover!'
"So, we meet again."
Ice crawled up her spine, partially paralyzing her as Kagome turned her head slowly, sapphire gaze locking with her assignment. She swallowed hard, noting the delighted grin he wore and how happily he swung his sword around.
His eyes immediately connected with the arm she was reflexively cradling. "Aw, did Manten do that?"
Kagome didn't look away. He was too close and she was panicking. 'H-how did he find me?'
"Or maybe… maybe you did that to yourself. You're quite clumsy," he purred, stepping closer slowly, teasingly, as if trying to savor those moments before he brutally filleted her. "You left broken branches everywhere."
'Well… that explains that…'
With every step he took forward, Kagome attempted to take one back. Her mind felt like it was racing itself as it tried to conjure up something, anything, to get her out of her current predicament. His smile broadened as her foot connected with the edge of the riverbank.
"You have two options here," he continued, stepping forward easily while Kagome let her gaze drop for a millisecond to observe the pace of the running water. "You can try your luck in the river or-"
She didn't really care what the rest of his monologue would be. Even if she drowned in the damn thing, Kagome was positive it was better than listening to him gloat or dying at his hand. She turned, while he lunged, and Kagome dove into the water, instantly kicking and hating herself as she forced her broken arm to work, propelling her across the expanse.
"You wench!" He exclaimed angrily, before sheathing his sword and diving in after her.
'Fuck!' Kagome turned briefly, eyes widening in horror as she realized that not only could he swim but that he was fast. 'Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck! Good going Kagome!'
Kagome's lungs burned as every muscle in her body fought her while she pushed herself to move faster and work harder against the current trying to drag her down. She could hear him catching up to her. Her heart was pounding viciously and her mind screaming at her. She couldn't duck and roll in the water and she was too far away to ask for help.
'This…' she realized a little too late, 'this is why they told me not to leave the clearing.' Releasing a heavy sob, it occurred to her that she had no idea if anyone was even coming for her - other than her manic friend bent on extracting as many points as he could from her premature death. She had no way of knowing if they'd finished their assignments and could break to her.
"Do you want to die?"
Inuyasha's voice bubbled up in her mind, his intense image looking back at her as Kagome felt her muscles begin to give. She wanted to cry. She wanted to sob. She wanted to go home but, no, she didn't want to die.
"No!" She exclaimed forcefully, closing her eyes and commanding her body to follow through. Her arm wailed in pain but as far as she was concerned as long as it could work, it would. It had to.
Kagome kicked her feet violently, crying out in pain with every movement. 'I'll see them again! I will not die here!'
The moment her toes brushed against the firm bed at the other side of the river she felt a new surge of adrenaline revive her. She knew it would likely be short lived and would only get her so far but she recalled Shippo's words from earlier.
"Trust us."
He had begged, looking up at her with such a firm resolve. 'I'm trusting you,' Kagome thought to herself, crawling up the shore then pushing herself up to her feet and through the next wall of brush and thorns.
"You won't escape!" Her opponent cried, reaching the shore a few moments after her and struggling to get up as quickly as she had.
'I don't need to escape. I just need to duck and roll.'