Disclaimer: whatever...
(A/N: Sorry it's been a while, but I caught the flu and was down for the count for a while. All better now, and I'm glad to say I aced an English, Original Writing coursework piece. I really think writing these stories have improved my skills. So I'll be continuing for some time to come ^_^
You'll have to excuse any spelling or grammatical errors in the following chapter. I have to use a new keyboard because my normal one broke, and this one is diddy and everything is in the wrong place... it just doesn't feel right to type... But I'll manage.)
Two Faced
The Real Prophesy
The land has been and as will always be divided unto light and darkness
A wooden dam shall always be the divider
As always shall the dark ones divide the white and pure ones
Until is the day the darkness will rise within the darkest regions of the darkest ones
The grey one shall come bearing the name every man, woman and child has heard and sung
For that shall be the day all lands will be rid of darkness and evil, the world led into light and the world cleansed of and black
(no typos, I swear ^_^)
^_^
Every now and then she slipped in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of snippets of conversation going on around her and sometimes a rather cold sensation in her limbs. But she forgot it all the moment she fell back unconscious.
"We should kill her." Kouga said pointedly for what was probably the fifth time in the last five minutes.
"Not until she wakes up... we have to make it slow." Yura snapped at him.
Kagura was slowly shaking her head at the other two while Sesshomaru kept his eyes fixed on the girl slumped on the floor with her hands tied behind her back to an old rusty iron pole that was connected to the floor and the ceiling of their bunker. Every now and then she stirred and sometimes mumbled something incoherent, but usually fell back asleep. Horse tranquilliser didn't appear to sit well with this girl.
"Inuyasha..." Sesshomaru glanced back at his younger brother who was stood further back than the rest of the cell. "Is anyone else other than this girl aware of your betrayal?"
Inuyasha glanced up from the floor, before quickly shaking his head and looking back.
Sesshomaru nodded. "Then you won't be persecuted back north." He turned and started to leave. "Kill her when she wakes."
"Wait!" Inuyasha's head shot up at once and he moved to block his brother's exit. Sesshomaru looked down at him expectantly while Inuyasha's thoughts raced for some kind of excuse.
"Well?" Yura eventually asked when the silence had stretched on.
"You shouldn't kill her..." Inuyasha stammered for an excuse. "I mean... we've waited for SO long for this moment... can't we draw it out?"
"That's why we're going to kill her slo~wly." Kouga said as if he was talking to a thick child.
"Well she won't last that long - she's pretty weak." Inuyasha forced a presumptuous snort. "Why don't we demand a ransom from the people back in the North - they'll pay up in a matter of days since they want her safety assured for the day of darkness which is gonna be here soon."
"A ransom?" Kagura frowned.
"At least that way we'll get some money out of this." Inuyasha stated. He noticed the doubtful looks and quickly added, "Then we can kill her."
"That'll take too long." Kagura folded her arms with a pout and glanced up towards Sesshomaru. "He can't be serious."
"Kagura..." The older brother watched Inuyasha as he spoke to the woman. "Do you have any idea how much our militia costs to run and keep together?"
Kagura shifted. "A lot...?"
"Correct. This girl is an expensive little bitch, we may need to get some refund claims." Sesshomaru started to walk out of the bunker again. "Don't kill her, but set the dogs up outside. Inuyasha and Yura, you two stay in here and guard her properly."
Kouga and Kagura filtered out after Sesshomaru, sending doubtful glances back in Inuyasha's direction. He ignored them and slid back down the wall to the floor with a sigh. Yura stared at him a moment before returning her attention to the human girl and cracking her knuckles. "Whoever said we needed to make sure needed to be injury free, eh Inuyasha?"
"Touch her and I rip your head off." He snarled.
Yura snapped a sharp glare at her. "Oh yeah? A puny half-caste demon like you?" she laughed. "My sides shall split!"
Inuyasha was just about to go over there and demonstrate how effectively her sides really could split, when a groan from Kagome silenced them both. It seemed at last that Kagome was waking up seriously this time.
Yura smiled slowly and crouched down beside the slumped over girl. She inhaled deeply and cocked her head a moment as Kagome frowned lightly. Then, as quick as a whip, Yura's hand snapped out and wrenched Kagome up by her hair. The girl gave a sharp startled cry as her head cracked back against the iron pole and spots danced before her eyes. Inuyasha started to go to her, before catching himself and forcibly making himself stand stiffly and glare at the floor.
"Oh sorry... did that hurt?" Yura touched her lips with her fingers as though sorry, before dropping them to reveal a smirk. "You can't sleep on your time, bitch, you go by our rules now."
Kagome's head lolled and for a moment she thought she was going to fall asleep again, before forcing her head back up. That stupid prophesy that her father had ingrained into her memory kept flashing through her mind... that and a lot of lights. She couldn't really focus on much else.
"Where... am I?" Kagome croaked from a dry throat.
"Good question." Yura sat down comfortably before Kagome. "Can't tell you either."
Kagome opened her eyes and winced as focusing on Yura made her head swim, but after a moment it began to clear. "W-who are you?"
"Yura." Said Yura.
"You..." Kagome struggled to remember. "You... were with them... you shot me..."
"No, we darted you... and that was Kagura." Yura smirked.
"Inuyasha will come for me... he'll make you pay..." Kagome mumbled, clearing not remembering all of that she had suffered.
Yura's smiled spread into a delighted grin. "You don't remember, do you?!" she laughed and clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful - Inuyasha, come here a moment."
Inuyasha didn't move, but he didn't need to. Kagome's eyes trailed in the direction Yura had indicated and saw him standing a few metres away, partly obscured by shadows. For a moment she wondered why he was just standing there and not defending her like he usually did. And then that image surfaced from her memory. He was one of THEM...
"You... betrayed me..." Kagome said in an unusually calm voice.
Yura grinned like a Cheshire cat. "He did more than that... he was never with you to betray you in the first place." She glanced back at Inuyasha. "Tell her what you did!"
Inuyasha said nothing, he didn't even move. He was afraid to look up and meet Kagome's gaze, he had no idea how she was feeling about him... he didn't really want to find out either.
Yura shrugged. "Puppy lost his tongue." She glanced back at Kagome with a smile. "Remember the car bomb and the sniper?"
Kagome's stomach clenched. "Yes..."
"HE made the bomb... he killed your last bodyguard and your driver and tried to kill you too." Yura said slowly.
Kagome didn't take her eyes off Inuyasha. The Inuyasha she had grown to know and appreciate had been grumpy... irritable, short-tempered and impatient... but he'd been loyal, sweet, careful and responsible. Had that all been a lie?
"He killed your bodyguard so he could take his place." Yura smiled. It was stretching the truth a bit but Inuyasha was in no position to set her straight. "And the plane crash?"
"Yes..." Kagome said in a flat voice.
"He caused it... he planned to kill you and all the crew... he failed - again - but at least he managed to rid the world of a few soldiers." Yura smirked. "You're lucky he hasn't tried to kill you during your time alone together... he deliberately separated you from the others so he could go back and kill the rest and then take care of you."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat. "Sango!"
"And the Major Houshi, too." Yura was enjoying the tension shooting between the two. "And if you don't believe us... look over there..."
Yura glanced off into the shadows behind Inuyasha. Kagome glanced past him and for the first time noticed a boot clad foot protruding from the darkness, the rest of the body hidden from view.
"Oh god..." Kagome felt very sick all of a sudden.
"He was the Kenji fellow I think." Yura smirked and sat back to enjoy the silence. After a few moments of pure soundless seconds where only the high pitched whining in the ears could be heard she stood and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you two to talk it through."
She shut the door behind her when she walked out, leaving the pair alone in absolute silence. Inuyasha had a rather prominent feeling that Kagome was staring at him, and he was still partially afraid to look up and face her. There was no way she would forgive him for this...
Eventually he chanced a glance in her direction and noticed that she was staring straight ahead without much expression. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that she wasn't screaming obscenities at him or not. And after a while the silence was becoming deafening and he had to speak. "Say something..."
She flicked her gaze on him. "Hello..."
Wasn't she angry. He frowned at her and she sighed and looked away. "Thank you..."
This just confused him even more. "Thank you... for what?" he frowned further.
"For showing me how naïve and stupid and ridiculous my views of demons were." She clenched her fists from where they were securely bound behind her back, around the pole. "For showing me how stupid I was..."
Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest... but he just knew that the rest of his cell was within earshot, and he shouldn't say anything to bring them doubt. "They weren't stupid views..." he said quietly.
Kagome just shook her head and leant it back against the pole with a sigh. "Why...?" at his puzzled looked she elaborated. "Why did you do this?"
"Because you can't be allowed to commit genocide."
She had to bite her tongue from shrewdly pointing out that she didn't PLAN on committing anything to anyone. But no point explaining that to a murderer who just didn't understand her reluctance to take like. "Demons killed your parents... why side yourself with them?" she asked sharply.
"That's just a lie my step dad made up to hide the truth! Humans killed my dad and then they killed my mother!" Inuyasha snapped. "I sided myself with my own kind, Kagome, like you side yourself with yours."
Kagome clenched her jaw for a moment before managing to keep a hold of her anger. But the urge to yell at him was overpowering. "I suppose this is where I take off from all the movies and say I don't blame you..." she said in a low shaky voice. "It's not your fault your parents were murdered by humans... it's not your fault you fell in with a bad crowd... you couldn't help it..."
Inuyasha sighed. Sometimes he just couldn't understand how understanding she could be.
"But this isn't the movies, is it?" Kagome glanced up at him sharply and saw him start. "The point is you KNEW where you stood from the start, didn't you? You chose your own path and decided at some point that I had to pay for someone else's mistakes!"
Inuyasha stared at her as she shook with anger, her rage becoming apparent in her voice. "You killed my best friend! You tried to kill me! MORE than ONCE! And each time you tricked me into thinking you were there to protect me! You even held me and offered pitiful attempts at comfort for the things you were doing - thinking I wouldn't understand! But I understand perfectly Inuyasha!"
"Kagome-"
"You were lying to me from the start - you hated me the minute you walked in that room and started insulting me! Why the hell I didn't see this coming I don't know! You two-faced sonofabitch!!" Kagome yanked at her tied hands as anger surged through her. "I don't blame you - I pity you! You deserve each other! I hate you! I HATE you all!"
"You haven't even given me the chance to explain myself yet-"
"What's to explain?!" Kagome yelled angrily, tears blurring his image. "You cheated me! And you know that saying - Fool me once and you're to blame - fool me twice and I'm to blame?! Well get this - this is the first time so you can't argue that this isn't your fault! You duped me into believing I could trust you!"
"You could!"
"You had the NERVE to say back there 'trust me' and I believed you!" Kagome screamed. "I trusted you! And for the first time in my entire life I thought maybe that I could have a boyfriend like a normal girl!"
"You mean... me?!" he did a good impression of a goldfish in shock.
"No - Miroku - who do you think?!" she spat sarcastically. "You kept saying and doing things that made me think 'maybe' - but now I realise that those were temporary mental lapses or small strokes!"
"I never meant it to be like this, Kagome!"
"Oh I'm sure!" Kagome hissed. "I bet this is just killing you, isn't it!"
Her sarcasm was truer than she realised. And Inuyasha, being fed-up of her scathing tone and remarks just growled and stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
Kagome wriggled against her bonds, her anger pumping through her veins by the gallon... she couldn't remember a time when she'd been so angry. She'd meant every word - a traitor held no place in her heart. She hated Inuyasha. She'd hate him forever.
A quarter of an hour later the adrenaline and anger seemed to subside a little and it was slowly replaced with something akin to panic and shock at her situation. The full impact of Inuyasha's real intentions was like a punch to the face... and she started to turn that hate she felt into misery... until she couldn't contain it anymore.
So she cried quietly, hoping none of those monsters would enter anytime soon and find her in such a state. She still had her pride at least...
^_^
Four hours later and no one had paid her a visit, and she'd been rubbing away at the ropes around her wrists with ferocity. The rusty pole made a poor substitute for a saw, but the rough edges cut the fibres of the ropes one strand at a time. As long as she kept it up she would be able to make a run for it... and she wasn't afraid to try anything to get away. She'd rather die quickly and free than slowly and painfully.
Something snapped behind her and she jerked her hands free with a gasp of pain and relief. She sat for a moment, tenderly rubbing the welts that had risen on her wrists. After a few seconds of rubbing the feeling back into her numb legs she staggered to her feet and started to limp towards the door.
This was it. Her chance to escape. She'd probably only ever get one chance.
She threw the door open and ran as fast as she could in a blind direction. She saw that there was a second bunker in the corner of her eye and realised that was where the demons were situated. If she could just-
A sudden canine snarl and many loud ferocious barks stopped her in her tracks as she suddenly found herself faced with two enormous dogs. They were almost as tall as she was and they were on all fours! Kagome backed away slowly wondering what the heck she was supposed to do now. There was no way she could get past.
Inside the second bunker Sesshomaru glanced up at the sound of the guard dogs throwing a fit. Their prisoner was trying to escape. "Inuyasha, go fetch her."
He was sat against the wall, away from the others, and he made no move to follow those orders. He just ignored his older brother like he hadn't heard him.
"Inuyasha..." Sesshomaru repeated with a hint of menace in his tone.
Inuyasha got up and headed for the door without a word. Just as he stepped outside he heard a scream and a tear of fabric. He saw Kagome huff indignantly and grab for remnants of her skirt that hung from one of the large dog's mouth. "Give that back you big mutt!"
"Leave the dog alone." Inuyasha said flatly.
Kagome spun at the sound of his voice to face him with a terse expression before pivoting again and seemed about to sprint off into the woods, regardless of whether the dogs would chew her up.
Inuyasha was behind her in an eye blink and had grabbed the last of her skirt to keep her in place. "Do you wanna become a dogs' dinner? No matter how much you look like one?"
"Shut up! Let me go!" she wasn't moving, mostly because she was afraid about what would happen if the last of her skirt gave away.
"And let you get yourself killed?" he snorted. "Not yet."
Kagome turned back to him with suddenly pleading eyes. The change in attitude sent Inuyasha for a loop. "Please - don't let them kill me, Inuyasha! I swear! I've never hurt anyone and I don't plan to in the near future! Please don't condemn me for something you KNOW I haven't done!"
He was almost tempted to let her skirt go. Almost.
"Just go back inside." He said flatly. His brother could hear him well enough from here and he didn't need anything incriminating.
"Please!" Kagome gripped the front of his jacket in her hands and twisted the material with her fists. "I don't want to die!"
A silent beat passed between them, but after a few moments Inuyasha just grabbed her wrists tightly and dragged her back in the direction of the hut. He whistled to the dogs to make them follow them inside.
"No!" Kagome squirmed in his grip and threw her weight around, trying to dislodge him. But she was no match for a boy who could lift elephants but she struggled anyway. "Inuyasha - don't do this to me! I thought we were friends!"
"We can't be friends!" Inuyasha snapped as he fastened another length of rope around the pole and her wrists. "Demons and humans can't coexist! It's impossible! And we can't be friends either!"
Kagome flailed her good leg out and kicked him soundly in the side of the head. "Hey, bitch!"
"Listen to yourself! You sound like one of them! I know you! I know you can't be like this!" she cried with anguish.
"Then you don't know as well as you thought you did." He caught her ankles and tied them together, a little gently than necessary since he didn't want to hurt her sprained ankle.
Kagome felt the distinct restriction he was putting on himself when he'd tied her bad ankle. Did he pity her? Did he sympathise or empathise? Or was this 'hidden' side to him all a big hoax?
"Don't try to escape again otherwise the dogs will attack you." He gestured to the animals as he passed them on his way out.
Kagome mulled over this silently for a good quarter of an hour, glaring at the dogs with challenge before kicking up a fuss and screaming at the top of her lungs. "LET ME OUT! RIGHT NOW!!!! DO IT OR I USE MY POWERS ON ALL OF YOU!!"
A total fib of course, but they probably knew that anyway.
"AM I WEARING A BIG SIGN ON MY BACK SAYING 'KICK ME' OR 'BLOW ME UP'????!!! LET ME OUT OF HERE OR ELSE YOU'LL ALL SUFFER DIRE CONSEQUENCES!!"
She continue to yell like that for over half an hour, her voice getting a little hoarse but not decreasing in volume any less.
"...AND THE NAVY, AND THE MARINES, AND THE AIRFORCE!!! THEY'LL ALL HUNT YOU DOWN LIKE THE SCUM YOU ARE UNTIL-"
The door was thrown open, interrupting her ballad. "Would you please shut up?! You're giving us all a headache!" Kagura groaned as she rubbed her temples.
"BITE ME!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Don't have fangs, you'll have to ask Kouga for that." Kagura rummaged around in her pocket as she approached Kagome who recoiled in fear.
She crouched down before the tether girl and pulled out three white pills before shoving them in Kagome's mouth. The younger girl was just about to spit them out when Kagura gripped Kagome's jaw tightly and forced her chin up. "Swallow them." She ordered.
Kagome refused, but her tongue seemed to betray her as she gagged against the pills. It was either swallow or choke on them. So she did the stupid thing and swallowed reflexively. Kagura released her sharply and patted her on the head. "Sleep well, little girl."
She walked out again and when one of the large dogs growled at her as she passed, she snapped him on the muzzle with a concealed fan. "Stupid animal..." she muttered before closing the door.
Kagome felt her eyelids suddenly grow rather heavy and she felt very tired all of a sudden. She suspected Kagura had just given her sleeping pills... or cyanide. Either way she couldn't stop herself from falling deeply asleep.
^_^
General Taijiya, Sango's father, sat before the senate meeting slowly rereading the ransom letter that had been delivered. He wasn't at all shocked. He should have known that worthless hanyou would have led to something like this. But since that certain hanyou's stepfather was present at the meeting he didn't dare voice his opinions.
"So what should be done?" The Prime Minister asked eventually when the general set down the note.
"It's obvious." The man who was filling Mr Higurashi's seat at the table scoffed. "We deliver the money and free the girl this instant. We can't have her falling into the hands of the enemy so close to the day of darkness."
There were assorted nods here and there.
"That may not be so wise..." the Prime Minister commented.
Everyone looked at him. He slid a black folder that sat before him on his desk towards the General. After a moment the military man realised the PM wanted him to open it. He did so and looked inside. He read what was written on the piece of paper he held before a surprised expression crossed his face. "Well I'll be..."
"Read it out." The Prime Minister said since there were so many curious expressions around the table.
"The land has been and as will always be divided unto light and darkness, A wooden dam shall always be the divider, As always shall the dark ones divide the white and pure ones, Until is the day the darkness will rise within the darkest regions of the darkest ones-"
"So? It's the prophesy... what of it?" someone asked.
"Continue reading it all." The Prime Minister said simply. "There are parts that have been skipped previously in that document."
"The grey one shall come bearing the name every man, woman and child has heard and sung..." the general began to frown. "And into the darkest hours of the era the grey shall fall into darkness and prevail at the hands of evil... and so shall prevail unto freedom and shall prevail unto pain and until the darkest day arises... for that shall be the day all lands will be rid of darkness and evil, the world led into light and the world shall be cleansed of GREY and black..."
There was a silent pause that stretched on.
The Prime Minister sat back with a sigh. "That is the unedited version of the prophecy..."
"Why was it edited to begin with?" Mr Kosaka asked with a scowl.
"So the girl wouldn't know her own destiny... that she will die as a result..." he shook his head. "It's a dear shame but it can't be helped."
"So... what do we do?" the man who was filling in for Kagome's father asked.
"We do nothing."
(A/N: Next chapter - 'Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas'.)
(A/N: Sorry it's been a while, but I caught the flu and was down for the count for a while. All better now, and I'm glad to say I aced an English, Original Writing coursework piece. I really think writing these stories have improved my skills. So I'll be continuing for some time to come ^_^
You'll have to excuse any spelling or grammatical errors in the following chapter. I have to use a new keyboard because my normal one broke, and this one is diddy and everything is in the wrong place... it just doesn't feel right to type... But I'll manage.)
Two Faced
The Real Prophesy
The land has been and as will always be divided unto light and darkness
A wooden dam shall always be the divider
As always shall the dark ones divide the white and pure ones
Until is the day the darkness will rise within the darkest regions of the darkest ones
The grey one shall come bearing the name every man, woman and child has heard and sung
For that shall be the day all lands will be rid of darkness and evil, the world led into light and the world cleansed of and black
(no typos, I swear ^_^)
^_^
Every now and then she slipped in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of snippets of conversation going on around her and sometimes a rather cold sensation in her limbs. But she forgot it all the moment she fell back unconscious.
"We should kill her." Kouga said pointedly for what was probably the fifth time in the last five minutes.
"Not until she wakes up... we have to make it slow." Yura snapped at him.
Kagura was slowly shaking her head at the other two while Sesshomaru kept his eyes fixed on the girl slumped on the floor with her hands tied behind her back to an old rusty iron pole that was connected to the floor and the ceiling of their bunker. Every now and then she stirred and sometimes mumbled something incoherent, but usually fell back asleep. Horse tranquilliser didn't appear to sit well with this girl.
"Inuyasha..." Sesshomaru glanced back at his younger brother who was stood further back than the rest of the cell. "Is anyone else other than this girl aware of your betrayal?"
Inuyasha glanced up from the floor, before quickly shaking his head and looking back.
Sesshomaru nodded. "Then you won't be persecuted back north." He turned and started to leave. "Kill her when she wakes."
"Wait!" Inuyasha's head shot up at once and he moved to block his brother's exit. Sesshomaru looked down at him expectantly while Inuyasha's thoughts raced for some kind of excuse.
"Well?" Yura eventually asked when the silence had stretched on.
"You shouldn't kill her..." Inuyasha stammered for an excuse. "I mean... we've waited for SO long for this moment... can't we draw it out?"
"That's why we're going to kill her slo~wly." Kouga said as if he was talking to a thick child.
"Well she won't last that long - she's pretty weak." Inuyasha forced a presumptuous snort. "Why don't we demand a ransom from the people back in the North - they'll pay up in a matter of days since they want her safety assured for the day of darkness which is gonna be here soon."
"A ransom?" Kagura frowned.
"At least that way we'll get some money out of this." Inuyasha stated. He noticed the doubtful looks and quickly added, "Then we can kill her."
"That'll take too long." Kagura folded her arms with a pout and glanced up towards Sesshomaru. "He can't be serious."
"Kagura..." The older brother watched Inuyasha as he spoke to the woman. "Do you have any idea how much our militia costs to run and keep together?"
Kagura shifted. "A lot...?"
"Correct. This girl is an expensive little bitch, we may need to get some refund claims." Sesshomaru started to walk out of the bunker again. "Don't kill her, but set the dogs up outside. Inuyasha and Yura, you two stay in here and guard her properly."
Kouga and Kagura filtered out after Sesshomaru, sending doubtful glances back in Inuyasha's direction. He ignored them and slid back down the wall to the floor with a sigh. Yura stared at him a moment before returning her attention to the human girl and cracking her knuckles. "Whoever said we needed to make sure needed to be injury free, eh Inuyasha?"
"Touch her and I rip your head off." He snarled.
Yura snapped a sharp glare at her. "Oh yeah? A puny half-caste demon like you?" she laughed. "My sides shall split!"
Inuyasha was just about to go over there and demonstrate how effectively her sides really could split, when a groan from Kagome silenced them both. It seemed at last that Kagome was waking up seriously this time.
Yura smiled slowly and crouched down beside the slumped over girl. She inhaled deeply and cocked her head a moment as Kagome frowned lightly. Then, as quick as a whip, Yura's hand snapped out and wrenched Kagome up by her hair. The girl gave a sharp startled cry as her head cracked back against the iron pole and spots danced before her eyes. Inuyasha started to go to her, before catching himself and forcibly making himself stand stiffly and glare at the floor.
"Oh sorry... did that hurt?" Yura touched her lips with her fingers as though sorry, before dropping them to reveal a smirk. "You can't sleep on your time, bitch, you go by our rules now."
Kagome's head lolled and for a moment she thought she was going to fall asleep again, before forcing her head back up. That stupid prophesy that her father had ingrained into her memory kept flashing through her mind... that and a lot of lights. She couldn't really focus on much else.
"Where... am I?" Kagome croaked from a dry throat.
"Good question." Yura sat down comfortably before Kagome. "Can't tell you either."
Kagome opened her eyes and winced as focusing on Yura made her head swim, but after a moment it began to clear. "W-who are you?"
"Yura." Said Yura.
"You..." Kagome struggled to remember. "You... were with them... you shot me..."
"No, we darted you... and that was Kagura." Yura smirked.
"Inuyasha will come for me... he'll make you pay..." Kagome mumbled, clearing not remembering all of that she had suffered.
Yura's smiled spread into a delighted grin. "You don't remember, do you?!" she laughed and clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful - Inuyasha, come here a moment."
Inuyasha didn't move, but he didn't need to. Kagome's eyes trailed in the direction Yura had indicated and saw him standing a few metres away, partly obscured by shadows. For a moment she wondered why he was just standing there and not defending her like he usually did. And then that image surfaced from her memory. He was one of THEM...
"You... betrayed me..." Kagome said in an unusually calm voice.
Yura grinned like a Cheshire cat. "He did more than that... he was never with you to betray you in the first place." She glanced back at Inuyasha. "Tell her what you did!"
Inuyasha said nothing, he didn't even move. He was afraid to look up and meet Kagome's gaze, he had no idea how she was feeling about him... he didn't really want to find out either.
Yura shrugged. "Puppy lost his tongue." She glanced back at Kagome with a smile. "Remember the car bomb and the sniper?"
Kagome's stomach clenched. "Yes..."
"HE made the bomb... he killed your last bodyguard and your driver and tried to kill you too." Yura said slowly.
Kagome didn't take her eyes off Inuyasha. The Inuyasha she had grown to know and appreciate had been grumpy... irritable, short-tempered and impatient... but he'd been loyal, sweet, careful and responsible. Had that all been a lie?
"He killed your bodyguard so he could take his place." Yura smiled. It was stretching the truth a bit but Inuyasha was in no position to set her straight. "And the plane crash?"
"Yes..." Kagome said in a flat voice.
"He caused it... he planned to kill you and all the crew... he failed - again - but at least he managed to rid the world of a few soldiers." Yura smirked. "You're lucky he hasn't tried to kill you during your time alone together... he deliberately separated you from the others so he could go back and kill the rest and then take care of you."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat. "Sango!"
"And the Major Houshi, too." Yura was enjoying the tension shooting between the two. "And if you don't believe us... look over there..."
Yura glanced off into the shadows behind Inuyasha. Kagome glanced past him and for the first time noticed a boot clad foot protruding from the darkness, the rest of the body hidden from view.
"Oh god..." Kagome felt very sick all of a sudden.
"He was the Kenji fellow I think." Yura smirked and sat back to enjoy the silence. After a few moments of pure soundless seconds where only the high pitched whining in the ears could be heard she stood and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you two to talk it through."
She shut the door behind her when she walked out, leaving the pair alone in absolute silence. Inuyasha had a rather prominent feeling that Kagome was staring at him, and he was still partially afraid to look up and face her. There was no way she would forgive him for this...
Eventually he chanced a glance in her direction and noticed that she was staring straight ahead without much expression. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that she wasn't screaming obscenities at him or not. And after a while the silence was becoming deafening and he had to speak. "Say something..."
She flicked her gaze on him. "Hello..."
Wasn't she angry. He frowned at her and she sighed and looked away. "Thank you..."
This just confused him even more. "Thank you... for what?" he frowned further.
"For showing me how naïve and stupid and ridiculous my views of demons were." She clenched her fists from where they were securely bound behind her back, around the pole. "For showing me how stupid I was..."
Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest... but he just knew that the rest of his cell was within earshot, and he shouldn't say anything to bring them doubt. "They weren't stupid views..." he said quietly.
Kagome just shook her head and leant it back against the pole with a sigh. "Why...?" at his puzzled looked she elaborated. "Why did you do this?"
"Because you can't be allowed to commit genocide."
She had to bite her tongue from shrewdly pointing out that she didn't PLAN on committing anything to anyone. But no point explaining that to a murderer who just didn't understand her reluctance to take like. "Demons killed your parents... why side yourself with them?" she asked sharply.
"That's just a lie my step dad made up to hide the truth! Humans killed my dad and then they killed my mother!" Inuyasha snapped. "I sided myself with my own kind, Kagome, like you side yourself with yours."
Kagome clenched her jaw for a moment before managing to keep a hold of her anger. But the urge to yell at him was overpowering. "I suppose this is where I take off from all the movies and say I don't blame you..." she said in a low shaky voice. "It's not your fault your parents were murdered by humans... it's not your fault you fell in with a bad crowd... you couldn't help it..."
Inuyasha sighed. Sometimes he just couldn't understand how understanding she could be.
"But this isn't the movies, is it?" Kagome glanced up at him sharply and saw him start. "The point is you KNEW where you stood from the start, didn't you? You chose your own path and decided at some point that I had to pay for someone else's mistakes!"
Inuyasha stared at her as she shook with anger, her rage becoming apparent in her voice. "You killed my best friend! You tried to kill me! MORE than ONCE! And each time you tricked me into thinking you were there to protect me! You even held me and offered pitiful attempts at comfort for the things you were doing - thinking I wouldn't understand! But I understand perfectly Inuyasha!"
"Kagome-"
"You were lying to me from the start - you hated me the minute you walked in that room and started insulting me! Why the hell I didn't see this coming I don't know! You two-faced sonofabitch!!" Kagome yanked at her tied hands as anger surged through her. "I don't blame you - I pity you! You deserve each other! I hate you! I HATE you all!"
"You haven't even given me the chance to explain myself yet-"
"What's to explain?!" Kagome yelled angrily, tears blurring his image. "You cheated me! And you know that saying - Fool me once and you're to blame - fool me twice and I'm to blame?! Well get this - this is the first time so you can't argue that this isn't your fault! You duped me into believing I could trust you!"
"You could!"
"You had the NERVE to say back there 'trust me' and I believed you!" Kagome screamed. "I trusted you! And for the first time in my entire life I thought maybe that I could have a boyfriend like a normal girl!"
"You mean... me?!" he did a good impression of a goldfish in shock.
"No - Miroku - who do you think?!" she spat sarcastically. "You kept saying and doing things that made me think 'maybe' - but now I realise that those were temporary mental lapses or small strokes!"
"I never meant it to be like this, Kagome!"
"Oh I'm sure!" Kagome hissed. "I bet this is just killing you, isn't it!"
Her sarcasm was truer than she realised. And Inuyasha, being fed-up of her scathing tone and remarks just growled and stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
Kagome wriggled against her bonds, her anger pumping through her veins by the gallon... she couldn't remember a time when she'd been so angry. She'd meant every word - a traitor held no place in her heart. She hated Inuyasha. She'd hate him forever.
A quarter of an hour later the adrenaline and anger seemed to subside a little and it was slowly replaced with something akin to panic and shock at her situation. The full impact of Inuyasha's real intentions was like a punch to the face... and she started to turn that hate she felt into misery... until she couldn't contain it anymore.
So she cried quietly, hoping none of those monsters would enter anytime soon and find her in such a state. She still had her pride at least...
^_^
Four hours later and no one had paid her a visit, and she'd been rubbing away at the ropes around her wrists with ferocity. The rusty pole made a poor substitute for a saw, but the rough edges cut the fibres of the ropes one strand at a time. As long as she kept it up she would be able to make a run for it... and she wasn't afraid to try anything to get away. She'd rather die quickly and free than slowly and painfully.
Something snapped behind her and she jerked her hands free with a gasp of pain and relief. She sat for a moment, tenderly rubbing the welts that had risen on her wrists. After a few seconds of rubbing the feeling back into her numb legs she staggered to her feet and started to limp towards the door.
This was it. Her chance to escape. She'd probably only ever get one chance.
She threw the door open and ran as fast as she could in a blind direction. She saw that there was a second bunker in the corner of her eye and realised that was where the demons were situated. If she could just-
A sudden canine snarl and many loud ferocious barks stopped her in her tracks as she suddenly found herself faced with two enormous dogs. They were almost as tall as she was and they were on all fours! Kagome backed away slowly wondering what the heck she was supposed to do now. There was no way she could get past.
Inside the second bunker Sesshomaru glanced up at the sound of the guard dogs throwing a fit. Their prisoner was trying to escape. "Inuyasha, go fetch her."
He was sat against the wall, away from the others, and he made no move to follow those orders. He just ignored his older brother like he hadn't heard him.
"Inuyasha..." Sesshomaru repeated with a hint of menace in his tone.
Inuyasha got up and headed for the door without a word. Just as he stepped outside he heard a scream and a tear of fabric. He saw Kagome huff indignantly and grab for remnants of her skirt that hung from one of the large dog's mouth. "Give that back you big mutt!"
"Leave the dog alone." Inuyasha said flatly.
Kagome spun at the sound of his voice to face him with a terse expression before pivoting again and seemed about to sprint off into the woods, regardless of whether the dogs would chew her up.
Inuyasha was behind her in an eye blink and had grabbed the last of her skirt to keep her in place. "Do you wanna become a dogs' dinner? No matter how much you look like one?"
"Shut up! Let me go!" she wasn't moving, mostly because she was afraid about what would happen if the last of her skirt gave away.
"And let you get yourself killed?" he snorted. "Not yet."
Kagome turned back to him with suddenly pleading eyes. The change in attitude sent Inuyasha for a loop. "Please - don't let them kill me, Inuyasha! I swear! I've never hurt anyone and I don't plan to in the near future! Please don't condemn me for something you KNOW I haven't done!"
He was almost tempted to let her skirt go. Almost.
"Just go back inside." He said flatly. His brother could hear him well enough from here and he didn't need anything incriminating.
"Please!" Kagome gripped the front of his jacket in her hands and twisted the material with her fists. "I don't want to die!"
A silent beat passed between them, but after a few moments Inuyasha just grabbed her wrists tightly and dragged her back in the direction of the hut. He whistled to the dogs to make them follow them inside.
"No!" Kagome squirmed in his grip and threw her weight around, trying to dislodge him. But she was no match for a boy who could lift elephants but she struggled anyway. "Inuyasha - don't do this to me! I thought we were friends!"
"We can't be friends!" Inuyasha snapped as he fastened another length of rope around the pole and her wrists. "Demons and humans can't coexist! It's impossible! And we can't be friends either!"
Kagome flailed her good leg out and kicked him soundly in the side of the head. "Hey, bitch!"
"Listen to yourself! You sound like one of them! I know you! I know you can't be like this!" she cried with anguish.
"Then you don't know as well as you thought you did." He caught her ankles and tied them together, a little gently than necessary since he didn't want to hurt her sprained ankle.
Kagome felt the distinct restriction he was putting on himself when he'd tied her bad ankle. Did he pity her? Did he sympathise or empathise? Or was this 'hidden' side to him all a big hoax?
"Don't try to escape again otherwise the dogs will attack you." He gestured to the animals as he passed them on his way out.
Kagome mulled over this silently for a good quarter of an hour, glaring at the dogs with challenge before kicking up a fuss and screaming at the top of her lungs. "LET ME OUT! RIGHT NOW!!!! DO IT OR I USE MY POWERS ON ALL OF YOU!!"
A total fib of course, but they probably knew that anyway.
"AM I WEARING A BIG SIGN ON MY BACK SAYING 'KICK ME' OR 'BLOW ME UP'????!!! LET ME OUT OF HERE OR ELSE YOU'LL ALL SUFFER DIRE CONSEQUENCES!!"
She continue to yell like that for over half an hour, her voice getting a little hoarse but not decreasing in volume any less.
"...AND THE NAVY, AND THE MARINES, AND THE AIRFORCE!!! THEY'LL ALL HUNT YOU DOWN LIKE THE SCUM YOU ARE UNTIL-"
The door was thrown open, interrupting her ballad. "Would you please shut up?! You're giving us all a headache!" Kagura groaned as she rubbed her temples.
"BITE ME!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Don't have fangs, you'll have to ask Kouga for that." Kagura rummaged around in her pocket as she approached Kagome who recoiled in fear.
She crouched down before the tether girl and pulled out three white pills before shoving them in Kagome's mouth. The younger girl was just about to spit them out when Kagura gripped Kagome's jaw tightly and forced her chin up. "Swallow them." She ordered.
Kagome refused, but her tongue seemed to betray her as she gagged against the pills. It was either swallow or choke on them. So she did the stupid thing and swallowed reflexively. Kagura released her sharply and patted her on the head. "Sleep well, little girl."
She walked out again and when one of the large dogs growled at her as she passed, she snapped him on the muzzle with a concealed fan. "Stupid animal..." she muttered before closing the door.
Kagome felt her eyelids suddenly grow rather heavy and she felt very tired all of a sudden. She suspected Kagura had just given her sleeping pills... or cyanide. Either way she couldn't stop herself from falling deeply asleep.
^_^
General Taijiya, Sango's father, sat before the senate meeting slowly rereading the ransom letter that had been delivered. He wasn't at all shocked. He should have known that worthless hanyou would have led to something like this. But since that certain hanyou's stepfather was present at the meeting he didn't dare voice his opinions.
"So what should be done?" The Prime Minister asked eventually when the general set down the note.
"It's obvious." The man who was filling Mr Higurashi's seat at the table scoffed. "We deliver the money and free the girl this instant. We can't have her falling into the hands of the enemy so close to the day of darkness."
There were assorted nods here and there.
"That may not be so wise..." the Prime Minister commented.
Everyone looked at him. He slid a black folder that sat before him on his desk towards the General. After a moment the military man realised the PM wanted him to open it. He did so and looked inside. He read what was written on the piece of paper he held before a surprised expression crossed his face. "Well I'll be..."
"Read it out." The Prime Minister said since there were so many curious expressions around the table.
"The land has been and as will always be divided unto light and darkness, A wooden dam shall always be the divider, As always shall the dark ones divide the white and pure ones, Until is the day the darkness will rise within the darkest regions of the darkest ones-"
"So? It's the prophesy... what of it?" someone asked.
"Continue reading it all." The Prime Minister said simply. "There are parts that have been skipped previously in that document."
"The grey one shall come bearing the name every man, woman and child has heard and sung..." the general began to frown. "And into the darkest hours of the era the grey shall fall into darkness and prevail at the hands of evil... and so shall prevail unto freedom and shall prevail unto pain and until the darkest day arises... for that shall be the day all lands will be rid of darkness and evil, the world led into light and the world shall be cleansed of GREY and black..."
There was a silent pause that stretched on.
The Prime Minister sat back with a sigh. "That is the unedited version of the prophecy..."
"Why was it edited to begin with?" Mr Kosaka asked with a scowl.
"So the girl wouldn't know her own destiny... that she will die as a result..." he shook his head. "It's a dear shame but it can't be helped."
"So... what do we do?" the man who was filling in for Kagome's father asked.
"We do nothing."
(A/N: Next chapter - 'Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas'.)