(A/N: Thank you for all the helpful tips about catching hamsters. My friend
kept suggesting we should stick a blowtorch in at one end and see if any
hamsters with flaming behinds shot out the other end. @_@ His liking for
anything on fire worries me...
Anyway, here's a new chapter that is bound to get everyone who reads this hopping mad at me. So I'd just like to apologise in advance for anything you read and don't like - so don't kill me ok?)
Two Faced
Torn
"And so there I was - with this golf club in one hand and a sandwich in the other, wondering how the heck I was going to get out of there alive." Kagome laughed as they stepped out of the inn the next morning.
"Let me guess, you clubbed the guy to death with the golf club and ran to hide behind your bodyguards?" Inuyasha smirked.
"Nope - I threw the sandwich at him and made a run for it with the golf club." Kagome finished with a smile.
Inuyasha stopped short and stared at her. "You've got to have the worst sense of self-preservation I have ever known."
Kagome smiled. "Well... I thought since he didn't like marmite sandwiches then I was pretty safe throwing the sandwich at him."
"In other words, you didn't have the heart to crack the guys skull with a golf club?" Inuyasha decided.
"Basically." Kagome agreed.
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome..." he sighed and tutted, shaking his head with contrived disappointment. "You are never going to live past seventeen if you stay as squeamish as you are now."
Kagome frowned. "I don't have to be tough, that's why we hired YOU remember?"
"Didn't you used to do martial arts?" he frowned back.
"Um... a little... I never really took off on it, though. I was better at archery." She smiled. "But I did do a little when I was young."
"Great." Inuyasha suddenly looked around spotted a few wooden poles propped up against the side of a small building. He lifted two of them away from the wall (though for all he knew they could have been holding it up), then brought them back. "Come on."
Kagome followed him as he started down the track that lead away from the village and headed East through the forest, though it was a fairly worn track and safe looking.
"What's with the poles?" Kagome eventually asked when they'd gone so far down the road that they couldn't see the village anymore.
"Did you ever do pole work?" he asked.
"A little... not much... only one lesson." She took one of the poles. "But I think I got the gist of it."
"What, like this?" Inuyasha wielded the remaining pole and whirled it around in his hands, passing it from one to the other, making it flash before Kagome.
"Well... not like THAT!" Kagome remarked when he finished and leant against it like a staff. "But I reckon I watched Star Wars episode one enough to master it."
She showed him by moving her pole in a slow arc, complete with the 'zzhmm' sound effects of a light-sabre. Inuyasha laughed and took the pole from her. "Wow, I think every demon in this forest just ran for cover."
"You bet they did." Kagome with superiority.
Inuyasha grinned at her and shook his head. "I was just thinking I better give you some kind of weapon in case you ever need to defend yourself. After all, I'm not going to be around all the time."
"What?" Kagome stilled. "Are you leaving me?"
"No... I just meant that I might not be there sometimes because I might be in the little hanyou's room." He smiled. "And it's not like you could fend off demons or men with your puny muscles."
"Oh thanks." Kagome nodded. "I feel so much better now."
"What, like you know how to defend yourself properly if the time arose." He narrowed his eyes at her sceptically.
"Well... I learn how to sew when I was six..." she frowned. "But I don't think you can actually kill anyone with a sewing needle."
"Oh, you can." Inuyasha remarked off-handedly. "You could kill someone with a book if you put your mind to it."
Kagome pulled a face. "I'm never gonna feel safe in a library again now, thanks."
"Good, cause you're never gonna be safe wherever you go. You ARE the prodigal girl, people want you dead, you can't escape that." It was amazing how calmly he'd managed to say that.
"And like I keep saying, that's what we're-"
"Paying me for, I know." He finished for her and gave her a smile. "But I'd feel a lot better if you could defend yourself a little better than now."
"Want me to defend myself? Give me a bow an arrow - I could make you dance by shooting arrows at your feet." She smirked.
"Cocky, aren't we."
"Let's keep moving." He quirked his head up the path they were following. "You wanna find your dad don't you?"
Kagome nodded quickly and followed him as he started on their way again. They travelled in comfortable silence for a while before Inuyasha turned to her and said something that surprised her. "How's the ankle?"
"Better." She said after a brief pause and then with a smile and a nod. "Look, I can even make myself not limp."
She stiffened up her jaw as she suddenly changed her steps from a light limp to a careful, yet limp-free stroll. He smiled and shook his head. "Better not do that unless you really want to cripple yourself."
"Mm." She agreed and went back to limping.
"And the arm?"
"Um... good... the bruising is going down." She nodded, turning away so he could see the faint blush that had rose for absolutely no reason other than the fact he was being sweet.
"I'm glad." That certainly eased the guilt that he'd been the indirect cause of her injuries.
The silence that stretched after that was a lot more uncomfortable than the one before. Kagome fiddled with the hem of her sleeves and looked off to the side. "Do you think Miroku and Sango are ok?"
"Sure." Inuyasha shrugged, though he wouldn't have liked to bet on it.
"I was just wondering if anything new had happened with them. Sango... stuck on her own with a bunch of men." Kagome shook her head. "Her worst nightmare come true."
"She'll have what'shername... um... Kikyo."
"Oh yeah, like she's happy company." Kagome rolled her eyes. "That girl always manages to look at everything and see only the negative things. I don't get her problem."
Inuyasha kept his mouth shut.
Kagome was just about to say something when Inuyasha had another heart attack. He took out his phone and read the message. Just a simple 'call me' from his brother.
"I still can't believe you can't call for help with that thing." Kagome sighed. "What kind of lame phone doesn't allow you to call people in emergencies like this?"
"A phone without any credit?" Inuyasha guessed and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He heard a stream, or a creak tinkling nearby and stopped. "Kagome... you wanna go get a drink or something or rest your feet? It's a long way to the village and there's a stream just down there."
He pointed off the road to the left and she smiled at him suddenly. "That's very considerate of you." She started in the direction he'd pointed out. "I'll be right back."
Inuyasha waited until he was definitely sure she was out of earshot when he took his phone out again and called his brother's number.
"We know she's alive and with you Inuyasha." His brother said as way of answering the phone.
"Look, I can explain-"
"Save it." Sesshomaru answered shortly. "We heard news from the rest of the flight group that crashed with you that you got separated with the girl. Good work. Though I have to say it was a little cowardly of you not to kill them or her straight away."
"Who told you?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We listened in on a call that was made by Major Houshi this morning. He says you and her are missing but they've heard a rumour that you are around the forest area."
Inuyasha held his tongue. He was going to be in trouble for not killing Kagome yet, he knew it.
"We want you to know that we are waiting on the ridge between the village you just left and the village you are heading to."
Inuyasha froze. How the hell had they gotten that information? How the hell had they gotten there anyway?
"Lead the girl towards the village she thinks her father is in. We'll ambush her at the top of the ridge." Sesshomaru disconnected suddenly and Inuyasha slipped his phone away again.
Looking ahead he could see that the path they were travelling carried on along flat ground for almost half a mile in a straight line, until it suddenly took a sharp upwards turn... that was the ridge. His brother would be waiting there with the rest of cell 24.
This was Kagome's last few minutes of life.
After that thought he suddenly found it was a little difficult to breathe and ran a hand through his hair between his ears. Suddenly he didn't feel so confident anymore. No matter how much he wanted to slap himself for saying so... he quite liked Kagome's company. She wasn't evil mean or a power monger like everyone made her out to be... she was just a teenage girl with more trouble on her shoulders than was necessary.
He almost started when he heard Kagome coming back up the embankment at the side of the dirt road. She smiled when she saw him. "All done."
They started off without a word and Inuyasha found it difficult to walk. Every footstep seemed to take his energy away and he didn't want to go on. But he had a choice.
Let Kagome live and indirectly end up killing an entire race of people including his brother...
Or let them kill Kagome and save millions.
One life or thousands.
It was obvious his choice if it was put as simply as that. But nothing was that simple. Ethics, intentions and morals all jumped into play and gave good and bad reasons why he should do one thing or another.
They were approaching the ridge now and if he looked ahead he could see the top... though he couldn't see any of his brother's cell lying in wait. But of course he wouldn't, they were highly trained professionals... they wouldn't let anything give away their presence.
He suddenly stopped but Kagome carried on.
This was it. Literally, millions of lives hung in the balance and he had the choice of whether or not they would live or die. Save one or save millions... let her continue walking to her death her stop her...?
The pressure was amazingly intense, but Kagome carried on walking with a slight smile, completely unaware that anything was wrong.
"Kagome - stop!" Inuyasha yelled at once and she halted slowly and looked around with a puzzled expression.
"What's the matter?" she asked with a frown and a smile. Why did she have to be so pleasant...? This would be so much easier if she was an ugly, mean tempered bitch... but then if she were she wouldn't be Kagome.
"Kagome you have to-"
A shot suddenly rang out and Kagome's face contorted in pain as she cried out sharply and fell to her knees.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha lurched forward to catch her before she fell.
Kagome clawed at something on her back, before pulling her hand away and looking at the hefty dart which had struck her. Her mind was already slowing so it took her a few moments to register what was going on. she glanced up at Inuyasha whose chest she had fallen against. "Inuyasha...?"
Inuyasha's eyes were fixed on the path up ahead where he could see Kouga, Kagura, Yura and Sesshomaru moving towards them. Kagome sensed more than heard them coming and suddenly tore herself away from Inuyasha and staggered around to face them. When she realised they were demons, even though the looked human enough, her confusion turned to fear and she backed up against Inuyasha.
"Don't come... n..." she stumbled over her words. "N-near me...!"
Unsurprisingly, they didn't heed her warning and she tugged at Inuyasha's jacket sleeve as dark spots danced before her eyes. "Inuyasha..." why wasn't he doing anything? She glanced up to find him glaring at the ground, making no move to protect her or comfort her.
"Good thing you made her stop, Inuyasha." Kagura commented. "I don't think I could have hit a moving target."
"Well done, little brother..." Sesshomaru said with a calm, small smiled.
Kagome's breathing came in laboured pants as she staggered away from Inuyasha, watching him with shock and complete betrayal. "You..."
She cried out in pain as her ankle gave out underneath her and she fell to the ground, her head swimming.
"Get her." Sesshomaru gestured the others forward who seized her by the arms.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed and fought with what little weakening strength she had left.
He looked up at her then, but he did nothing, and he really wished he hadn't looked.
Just the moment before she fell into darkness she glanced up at him with an expression filled with betrayal and hatred. It pierced his chest and struck right to the heart, swifter than any arrow she could have fired. He felt like a monster, because that was the last thing she would ever think of him.
Sesshomaru clapped his younger brother's shoulder. "You did good."
Inuyasha didn't respond. He just stiffened and looked away. Kagome wasn't the only one who hated him right then. He didn't think she could have hated him more than he hated himself.
(A/N: next chapter - 'The Real Prophecy'.)
Anyway, here's a new chapter that is bound to get everyone who reads this hopping mad at me. So I'd just like to apologise in advance for anything you read and don't like - so don't kill me ok?)
Two Faced
Torn
"And so there I was - with this golf club in one hand and a sandwich in the other, wondering how the heck I was going to get out of there alive." Kagome laughed as they stepped out of the inn the next morning.
"Let me guess, you clubbed the guy to death with the golf club and ran to hide behind your bodyguards?" Inuyasha smirked.
"Nope - I threw the sandwich at him and made a run for it with the golf club." Kagome finished with a smile.
Inuyasha stopped short and stared at her. "You've got to have the worst sense of self-preservation I have ever known."
Kagome smiled. "Well... I thought since he didn't like marmite sandwiches then I was pretty safe throwing the sandwich at him."
"In other words, you didn't have the heart to crack the guys skull with a golf club?" Inuyasha decided.
"Basically." Kagome agreed.
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome..." he sighed and tutted, shaking his head with contrived disappointment. "You are never going to live past seventeen if you stay as squeamish as you are now."
Kagome frowned. "I don't have to be tough, that's why we hired YOU remember?"
"Didn't you used to do martial arts?" he frowned back.
"Um... a little... I never really took off on it, though. I was better at archery." She smiled. "But I did do a little when I was young."
"Great." Inuyasha suddenly looked around spotted a few wooden poles propped up against the side of a small building. He lifted two of them away from the wall (though for all he knew they could have been holding it up), then brought them back. "Come on."
Kagome followed him as he started down the track that lead away from the village and headed East through the forest, though it was a fairly worn track and safe looking.
"What's with the poles?" Kagome eventually asked when they'd gone so far down the road that they couldn't see the village anymore.
"Did you ever do pole work?" he asked.
"A little... not much... only one lesson." She took one of the poles. "But I think I got the gist of it."
"What, like this?" Inuyasha wielded the remaining pole and whirled it around in his hands, passing it from one to the other, making it flash before Kagome.
"Well... not like THAT!" Kagome remarked when he finished and leant against it like a staff. "But I reckon I watched Star Wars episode one enough to master it."
She showed him by moving her pole in a slow arc, complete with the 'zzhmm' sound effects of a light-sabre. Inuyasha laughed and took the pole from her. "Wow, I think every demon in this forest just ran for cover."
"You bet they did." Kagome with superiority.
Inuyasha grinned at her and shook his head. "I was just thinking I better give you some kind of weapon in case you ever need to defend yourself. After all, I'm not going to be around all the time."
"What?" Kagome stilled. "Are you leaving me?"
"No... I just meant that I might not be there sometimes because I might be in the little hanyou's room." He smiled. "And it's not like you could fend off demons or men with your puny muscles."
"Oh thanks." Kagome nodded. "I feel so much better now."
"What, like you know how to defend yourself properly if the time arose." He narrowed his eyes at her sceptically.
"Well... I learn how to sew when I was six..." she frowned. "But I don't think you can actually kill anyone with a sewing needle."
"Oh, you can." Inuyasha remarked off-handedly. "You could kill someone with a book if you put your mind to it."
Kagome pulled a face. "I'm never gonna feel safe in a library again now, thanks."
"Good, cause you're never gonna be safe wherever you go. You ARE the prodigal girl, people want you dead, you can't escape that." It was amazing how calmly he'd managed to say that.
"And like I keep saying, that's what we're-"
"Paying me for, I know." He finished for her and gave her a smile. "But I'd feel a lot better if you could defend yourself a little better than now."
"Want me to defend myself? Give me a bow an arrow - I could make you dance by shooting arrows at your feet." She smirked.
"Cocky, aren't we."
"Let's keep moving." He quirked his head up the path they were following. "You wanna find your dad don't you?"
Kagome nodded quickly and followed him as he started on their way again. They travelled in comfortable silence for a while before Inuyasha turned to her and said something that surprised her. "How's the ankle?"
"Better." She said after a brief pause and then with a smile and a nod. "Look, I can even make myself not limp."
She stiffened up her jaw as she suddenly changed her steps from a light limp to a careful, yet limp-free stroll. He smiled and shook his head. "Better not do that unless you really want to cripple yourself."
"Mm." She agreed and went back to limping.
"And the arm?"
"Um... good... the bruising is going down." She nodded, turning away so he could see the faint blush that had rose for absolutely no reason other than the fact he was being sweet.
"I'm glad." That certainly eased the guilt that he'd been the indirect cause of her injuries.
The silence that stretched after that was a lot more uncomfortable than the one before. Kagome fiddled with the hem of her sleeves and looked off to the side. "Do you think Miroku and Sango are ok?"
"Sure." Inuyasha shrugged, though he wouldn't have liked to bet on it.
"I was just wondering if anything new had happened with them. Sango... stuck on her own with a bunch of men." Kagome shook her head. "Her worst nightmare come true."
"She'll have what'shername... um... Kikyo."
"Oh yeah, like she's happy company." Kagome rolled her eyes. "That girl always manages to look at everything and see only the negative things. I don't get her problem."
Inuyasha kept his mouth shut.
Kagome was just about to say something when Inuyasha had another heart attack. He took out his phone and read the message. Just a simple 'call me' from his brother.
"I still can't believe you can't call for help with that thing." Kagome sighed. "What kind of lame phone doesn't allow you to call people in emergencies like this?"
"A phone without any credit?" Inuyasha guessed and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He heard a stream, or a creak tinkling nearby and stopped. "Kagome... you wanna go get a drink or something or rest your feet? It's a long way to the village and there's a stream just down there."
He pointed off the road to the left and she smiled at him suddenly. "That's very considerate of you." She started in the direction he'd pointed out. "I'll be right back."
Inuyasha waited until he was definitely sure she was out of earshot when he took his phone out again and called his brother's number.
"We know she's alive and with you Inuyasha." His brother said as way of answering the phone.
"Look, I can explain-"
"Save it." Sesshomaru answered shortly. "We heard news from the rest of the flight group that crashed with you that you got separated with the girl. Good work. Though I have to say it was a little cowardly of you not to kill them or her straight away."
"Who told you?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We listened in on a call that was made by Major Houshi this morning. He says you and her are missing but they've heard a rumour that you are around the forest area."
Inuyasha held his tongue. He was going to be in trouble for not killing Kagome yet, he knew it.
"We want you to know that we are waiting on the ridge between the village you just left and the village you are heading to."
Inuyasha froze. How the hell had they gotten that information? How the hell had they gotten there anyway?
"Lead the girl towards the village she thinks her father is in. We'll ambush her at the top of the ridge." Sesshomaru disconnected suddenly and Inuyasha slipped his phone away again.
Looking ahead he could see that the path they were travelling carried on along flat ground for almost half a mile in a straight line, until it suddenly took a sharp upwards turn... that was the ridge. His brother would be waiting there with the rest of cell 24.
This was Kagome's last few minutes of life.
After that thought he suddenly found it was a little difficult to breathe and ran a hand through his hair between his ears. Suddenly he didn't feel so confident anymore. No matter how much he wanted to slap himself for saying so... he quite liked Kagome's company. She wasn't evil mean or a power monger like everyone made her out to be... she was just a teenage girl with more trouble on her shoulders than was necessary.
He almost started when he heard Kagome coming back up the embankment at the side of the dirt road. She smiled when she saw him. "All done."
They started off without a word and Inuyasha found it difficult to walk. Every footstep seemed to take his energy away and he didn't want to go on. But he had a choice.
Let Kagome live and indirectly end up killing an entire race of people including his brother...
Or let them kill Kagome and save millions.
One life or thousands.
It was obvious his choice if it was put as simply as that. But nothing was that simple. Ethics, intentions and morals all jumped into play and gave good and bad reasons why he should do one thing or another.
They were approaching the ridge now and if he looked ahead he could see the top... though he couldn't see any of his brother's cell lying in wait. But of course he wouldn't, they were highly trained professionals... they wouldn't let anything give away their presence.
He suddenly stopped but Kagome carried on.
This was it. Literally, millions of lives hung in the balance and he had the choice of whether or not they would live or die. Save one or save millions... let her continue walking to her death her stop her...?
The pressure was amazingly intense, but Kagome carried on walking with a slight smile, completely unaware that anything was wrong.
"Kagome - stop!" Inuyasha yelled at once and she halted slowly and looked around with a puzzled expression.
"What's the matter?" she asked with a frown and a smile. Why did she have to be so pleasant...? This would be so much easier if she was an ugly, mean tempered bitch... but then if she were she wouldn't be Kagome.
"Kagome you have to-"
A shot suddenly rang out and Kagome's face contorted in pain as she cried out sharply and fell to her knees.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha lurched forward to catch her before she fell.
Kagome clawed at something on her back, before pulling her hand away and looking at the hefty dart which had struck her. Her mind was already slowing so it took her a few moments to register what was going on. she glanced up at Inuyasha whose chest she had fallen against. "Inuyasha...?"
Inuyasha's eyes were fixed on the path up ahead where he could see Kouga, Kagura, Yura and Sesshomaru moving towards them. Kagome sensed more than heard them coming and suddenly tore herself away from Inuyasha and staggered around to face them. When she realised they were demons, even though the looked human enough, her confusion turned to fear and she backed up against Inuyasha.
"Don't come... n..." she stumbled over her words. "N-near me...!"
Unsurprisingly, they didn't heed her warning and she tugged at Inuyasha's jacket sleeve as dark spots danced before her eyes. "Inuyasha..." why wasn't he doing anything? She glanced up to find him glaring at the ground, making no move to protect her or comfort her.
"Good thing you made her stop, Inuyasha." Kagura commented. "I don't think I could have hit a moving target."
"Well done, little brother..." Sesshomaru said with a calm, small smiled.
Kagome's breathing came in laboured pants as she staggered away from Inuyasha, watching him with shock and complete betrayal. "You..."
She cried out in pain as her ankle gave out underneath her and she fell to the ground, her head swimming.
"Get her." Sesshomaru gestured the others forward who seized her by the arms.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed and fought with what little weakening strength she had left.
He looked up at her then, but he did nothing, and he really wished he hadn't looked.
Just the moment before she fell into darkness she glanced up at him with an expression filled with betrayal and hatred. It pierced his chest and struck right to the heart, swifter than any arrow she could have fired. He felt like a monster, because that was the last thing she would ever think of him.
Sesshomaru clapped his younger brother's shoulder. "You did good."
Inuyasha didn't respond. He just stiffened and looked away. Kagome wasn't the only one who hated him right then. He didn't think she could have hated him more than he hated himself.
(A/N: next chapter - 'The Real Prophecy'.)