Author's note:
Hey everybody! Sooo sorry for the long wait! I had a little trouble getting started, but I'm done now, and that's what matters, right? -gets hit in the head with a shoe- Ow‼ Hey, I worked my tail off on this for you people and what do I get?! -gets hit by another shoe- That's right! I get…A new pair of shoes! Thanks :)
A lot of you are saying that this fic is better than Witch Hunter Robin, and I must say, I'm flattered. WHR is one of my favorite anime, and to have my story called 'better' is a wonderful feeling :)
Anyway, hope you enjoy, and I want to thank you all for reviewing as much as you did! Review responses can be found at the end of this chapter :)
Okay, here are a few random things about my life, that mean nothing to you people, so you can move along.
I just finished reading volume 3 of the Fruits Basket manga and it was very good (as usual), so I'm pretty happy right now. Also, we're looking at making the garage into my own little apartment, so that adds to the happy feeling! Of course, that's about a year away, but that's okay. Okay, the major joy-bringing event in my life right now: I'm getting DSL wireless internet‼ That's right, as of July 8th, I will be completely wireless! OMG, I'm sooo happy!! So happy that I think I can wait for a kitten! …For about five minutes. Then I'll start asking again -.-;
Hmm…Oh, I bought some new pens that I'm aching to try out on my drawings, so I'm going to be drawing a lot (more so than I have been). I've already drawn some pretty cool stuff that I'd love to show you people, but I can't figure out how to get them up on the internet -.-; Oh well.
Oh, for those of you who like to read web-comics, may I suggest Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire. That's by far my favorite. Check it out.
Anyway, I think that's all I need to say . Read on (if you haven't already)‼
Disclaimer:
-sigh- Every time…I don't own anything except my own characters (Hikari and James) and my twisted version of the Witch Hunter Robin storyline…you know, I'm starting to drift away from it more than I thought o.O; Oh well, pretty soon I can start calling it mine…-gets bombarded with legal documents- Owowow, paper-cut, paper-cut, paper-cut‼ Er…I mean, is that all you got?! .
Lawyer: o.O; -Throws briefcase-
Holy sh-- -get hit- X.x -is unconscious-
Demon Hunter Kagome
Chapter VI
"Good Will Hunting"
Ready? …Fight! Er…never mind. ( ")
"Kagome, relax. Everything will be just fine…" Sango assured a rather ill looking Kagome.
"…If you say so…" Kagome mumbled.
The pair were currently driving through a remote part of the city; the likes of which Kagome hadn't known existed. She turned to look out the window as they passed yet another old and crumbling building. Kagome sighed. There wasn't a person in sight…and there hadn't been for the past twenty minutes.
The scenery only got bleaker before fading away all together to be replaced by a flat stretch of land. The queasy feeling in Kagome's stomach worsened as they drifted further and further from civilization. She forced herself to calm down and take several deep breaths.
"Everything will be just fine…" She repeated Sango's words in a whisper, and resigned herself to staring out the window, watching the barren fields fly by as the sun sank lower in the sky.
Several minutes later a small town came into view, and Kagome sighed happily. Surely there were people here, right? …Wrong. Kagome slumped back in her seat when she was greeted with the sight of empty streets and buildings in the same state of disrepair as the previous ones.
"Another ghost town…" She sighed.
"Well, hat did you expect? Demons know their place…they do not belong with humans." Sango said gravely.
"…But what about Sesshoumaru? He's a demon, isn't he?"
"Well, yes…but he's an exception."
"How so?"
"He just is…" Sango answered, shifting uncomfortably. This girl asked to many questions…
"Okay…" Kagome shot her a suspicious look, and returned to staring out the window.
( ")
"…We're here." Sango announced awhile later, stopping the car. She turned it off and removed the keys from the ignition.
Kagome and Sango opened their doors and stepped onto the gravel lot.
"Where is everyone?" Kagome asked, looking around. They had parked behind what appeared to be an old abandoned hotel. A very large and creepy abandoned hotel…then again, what other kind was there?
Water from last night's storm had formed small puddles under the building's rusty drainpipes; an occasional 'plop'-ing noise broke the unnatural silence as another water droplet joined the puddle. The women zipped up their light jackets as a cold breeze wafted through the area.
Kagome looked apprehensively at the hotel.
"They'll be here soon." Sango said, leaning against the hood of her car. "We'll wait for them."
Kagome nodded, and took up a position beside Sango. She stared at the building, thinking of all the action/adventure movies she'd seen. The bad guy always hung out in places like this…how cliché.
Kagome let out a long sigh. She didn't know why she was worrying so much…if she could handle Kikyou, she could handle a demon. But still…
Kagome clutched her side as her stomach gave a painful lurch.
"Not helping…" She mumbled, glaring at her belly. Sango laughed softly.
"Don't sweat it, Kagome. It's normal to be a little nervous…hell, you're about to go after a demon. Who wouldn't be? But it gets easier. After awhile, you forget that the beings we hunt are anything more than little pests that need to be exterminated…" Sango folded her arms across her chest and looked away. "…Just don't get too good…" She whispered to herself. "You might just end up as one of the 'pests' yourself…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome asked curiously.
"Er…Nothing. Nothing at all." Sango flashed the biggest grin she could muster, and Kagome stared at her suspiciously.
"Uh-huh…"
"Oh, I just remembered! I have something for you!" Sango exclaimed. "Hang on a sec."
Sango disappeared into the car and Kagome could hear her rummaging in her purse. Several seconds later, Sango returned triumphantly holding a small, slim electronic device. It was about the size of a walkie-talkie, and fit securely into the palm of her hand.
"This is for you." She said, handing it to Kagome. "It does just about anything and everything you can think of."
Kagome looked it over curiously. It looked very complicated… and very familiar.
"…I saw this in one of those science magazines." Kagome mumbled. "But, the article said that the technology required to develop these was years away from actual existence..."
"Heh, please." Sango snorted "These things have been around for ages. The government, however, likes to keep the public one step behind current technology. That way, if some 'genius' figures out how something works and decides to turn it against us, we have technology bigger and better to rival it." She said with a shrug.
Kagome nodded absently, and turned her attention the device, trying to remember what she read about it.
"…Okay, Crash course." Sango said, taking the device back. "Microphone." She said, tweaking a small speaker in the top left-hand corner. "Camera." She twisted a small, round camera protruding from the side of the microphone. "Projector." She tapped a small circle attached to the bottom of the camera. "Stylus." She pulled out an electronic pen from the side, and replaced it. "Control panel and display." She pressed her thumb to the small circle that covered the middle of the device, and the text 'Sango Takashi, welcome' scrolled across the front.
"It comes with a manual, but I left it at home. I'll give it to you later." Sango told her, handing the device back to Kagome.
"You mean…I get to keep this?"
"Sure! Every agent has one. It's essential that we have some means of communication when on a hunt."
"But, wouldn't walkie-talkies or something like that be a lot more simple?"
"Kagome, this is the government. Nothing is ever simple…We make sure of that." Sango added with a wink. "Oh, I have something else for you." Sango reached into her jacket pocket and produced two earpieces. She clipped one on her ear, and the other on Kagome's.
"These are connected wirelessly to our communicators. To talk, you just press this little button right here." Sango indicated a small button in the middle of the earpiece. "Also, you can lock it so you don't have to keep pushing the button, but everyone can hear everything you say. Which may or may not be a good thing, depending on the situation. To do so, just switch this little switch to 'on' ." Sango touched a switch that ran along the side of the earpiece.
"Well, now that you're all tech-ed up, all we need is the rest of the team…"
As if on cue, a small car pulled up beside them, and Sesshoumaru stepped out. Much to their surprise, Rin got out of the passenger side.
"Er…Huh?" Sango said intelligently.
"My car broke down, and Sesshoumaru offered me a ride." Rin explained with a shrug. Sango raised an eyebrow.
"Don't think too much on it, human." Sesshoumaru told Sango, staring down his nose at her. "You might hurt yourself." Rin sighed. He was back to his old self again…
Several minutes later, Miroku pulled up, closely followed by Hikari and Kikyou.
A certain someone seemed to be missing…
"Hey, where's James?" Hikari asked.
"I don't know…I haven't seen him." Sango looked around.
"Please tell me someone let that moron out of the closet…" Sesshoumaru clapped a hand to his forehead.
"No, he was at work yesterday, I remember." Miroku said, smiling in memory of teasing James about finally giving up on women and 'coming out of the closet'.
"Maybe he's just late?" Rin suggested, looking between Kikyou and Sesshoumaru.
"Possibly…" Sesshoumaru leaned against the outside wall of the building. "We'll wait for him, but only for a few minutes."
( ")
"I haven't been able to find out very much, sir. All I've discovered is that the women here have zero tolerance for…forward men."
James drove down the same road that Kagome and Sango had passed over recently, one hand holding his communicator, the other griping the steering wheel. An American man's image flickered on the screen of the communicator --the head of the North-American branch of the STN. He had a dark beard and moustache, and dark hair that was streaked pre-maturely with grey. His brows were furrowed; his mouth turned down in a frown, his ruddy cheeks and rounded body adding to his fierce (if not slightly comical) appearance.
"Morgan," The man said. "When we sent you over there, we were expecting crisp, clear reports on Arachna's actions. So far, all you've been able to report is what color panties half of the female staff wear!"
"I know sir, but--"
"No 'but's!" The pudgy man roared, pressing his face closer to his end of the camera, his cheek pressing against the lens. "The Hattori boy has been missing for over a year now! We dispatched you immediately after his disappearance! I expected him to be handed over to us safe and sound within weeks of your arrival! But no! That's too much to hope for! Your insatiable lust for women is a major fault in your personality, Morgan. If things continue in the direction they are currently headed in, you may find yourself on a plane back to the U.S. faster than you think…" He warned.
"Yes, sir." James said with a sigh.
"Very good. I expect your next report to hold some kind of useful information." The chief didn't wait for a reply, and terminated the connection. James flipped the communicator closed and ran a hand through his hair. He really needed to clean up his act before he got himself fired…
( ")
"Oh look, there he is!" Rin pointed out James's rapidly approaching vehicle.
"Hey guys." James said, getting out of his car and hooking his earpiece on his ear. "Sorry I'm late. I…got lost."
"Well, now that we're all here, let's get going, shall we?" Sesshoumaru turned and headed for the building.
"Alright, let's do this!" Hikari said enthusiastically, punching her fist in the air.
"Well, you seem happy today…" Sango commented, following Sesshoumaru.
"I am. I actually got some sleep last night. That storm prevented me from going out, so there was nothing left to do but sleep."
Rin glanced over at Sesshoumaru and was surprised to find him looking at her. They both looked away quickly. Kagome, who had fallen behind everyone, took note of this and filed it away into the 'Things-that-really-shouldn't-be-meddled-in-but-will-anyway-if-I-have-any-say-in-it' section of her brain. Who knew so many relationships were formed in the workplace? Sango and Miroku, Rin and Sesshoumaru…Maybe Hikari and James should get together…they'd certainly give each other a run for their money…then everyone would have a partner! Well, with the exception of Kikyou of course…hey, she could get with Naraku…they both had that 'creepy' vibe going on…
Kagome was so busy pairing up people in her head that she almost missed Sesshoumaru's order to split up.
"What was that?" She asked, snapping back to reality. They were gathered inside the dark building, a strong moldy smell filling the air. Sesshoumaru drew his jacket up around his face to protect his sensitive nose.
"I said, we'll split up." Sesshoumaru said, his voice slightly muffled. "Rin and myself, Morita and Takashi, Morgan and Takimoto, you and Wantanabe. Is that clear?"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. He called Rin by her first name…did it have something to do with whatever happened last night? Hmm…wait, was Sango just paired with Miroku instead of her?
"Er, Sesshoumaru, maybe it would be better if I were paired with Kagome." Sango suggested, catching the worried look Kagome sent her. "It is her first time after all and--"
"We don't have time for this." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "You and Morita will leave…now. Search the building, and if you find the demon…Well, you know what to do." Sesshoumaru turned and started off down a dark corridor, Rin trailing after him.
"Sorry Kagome…" Sango patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be fine…"
"O-okay…"
"We've wasted enough time here. Let's go." Kikyou took hold of Kagome's sleeve and led her in the opposite direction. Kagome glared at her and jerked her arm away.
"I can walk just fine." She said haughtily, taking the lead.
"Watch yourself little girl." Kikyou said threateningly, pushing Kagome behind her and leading her further into the dark corridor. "You don't know what you're dealing with."
The remaining pairings stared after the two Mikos, shaking their heads.
"If the demon doesn't get Kagome, Kikyou sure will…" Miroku said.
"Shut up! She'll be fine…" Sango said, not sounding entirely convinced herself. Miroku shrugged.
"Let's go." He grabbed Sango by the hand and they headed down another hallway, leaving the last passage to Hikari and James. Sango looked down at their entwined fingers and sighed.
'Oh well. At least it's better than my butt…' She thought as the sun sunk the last few inches behind the horizon, plunging the building into darkness.
( ")
Hikari and James made their way down one of the many hallways, making an occasional pass at one another, neither of them really meaning anything by it. Soon, the hall made a sharp turn, signaling the beginning of the hotel rooms.
Most of the brass numbers that hung from the doors were either crooked or missing altogether. Some of the doors were partially open, while others hung crookedly from rotted hinges.
"Talk about your fixer-upper…" Hikari muttered, peeking inside the closest room. The room was bare, save for a broken-down couch and a cockroach-infested mattress that sat on a steel frame in the middle of the room. Pieces of plaster littered the floor and dangled from the crumbling ceiling alongside various water stains from the leaky roof.
Hikari wrinkled her nose and shut the door.
"Look Hikari baby," James called from a room a few feet away. "A bed. How convenient…"
"Oh yeah. Tell the cockroaches and rats to either scram or break out the popcorn and I'll be there in a minute." Hikari replied sarcastically. "But seriously, we should search all the rooms. You can take that side and I'll take this one."
"If you say so, darling."
"Oh, I do say so, Muffin."
They both laughed and started searching rooms. Most of them were fairly large, but just as bare as the first few rooms they had searched.
James was nearing the end of his side of the corridor, Hikari only a few rooms behind. He turned the handle, but the door didn't budge. He thrust his shoulder against it, but it still wouldn't give.
"Hikari, I think I've found something." James called. "Come help me get this door open."
Hikari stepped up beside him, and with their combined weight, they managed to force the door open. They fell through the doorway and landed roughly on the floor, the both of them a tangle of arms and legs.
"Why James, we haven't even had a first date yet." Hikari joked, dusting herself off.
"I'm sorry darling, I couldn't resist--" He broke off abruptly. "…Oh my god…"
The room they had just entered was filled with large bubbles of a slimy purple substance, a nude young woman encased in each one. They appeared to be unconscious.
"Oh my god…" Hikari echoed, clapping a hand over her mouth. "…We need to get Sesshoumaru in here…"
James nodded, and they both hightailed it out of there.
( ")
Rin and Sesshoumaru's footsteps echoed eerily down the hall, Rin's faltering every few minutes as she tripped in the darkness. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. Every time she fell, she cursed softly and Sesshoumaru had to stop himself from snickering.
"I didn't know you had such a colorful vocabulary, Rin." Sesshoumaru commented after a few choice words from his partner.
"Oh, sorry…"
"No, no trouble. I find it amusing, actually."
Rin blushed slightly. Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder at her. Though Rin couldn't see a thing, Sesshoumaru could see quite clearly. However, he didn't say anything about being able to see in the dark, knowing that Rin would probably ask what she was tripping on. He really didn't want to tell her about the rat carcasses…
"I wish there were some windows or something here…" Rin muttered. "And what the hell am I tripping on?!" She yelled as she tripped again, falling into Sesshoumaru's arms.
"T-thanks…" Rin stammered, glad that it was so dark in there. He couldn't see her flushed cheeks.
"No problem…" He said, his smirk evident in his voice. He couldn't resist it any longer. He just had this weird urge to tease her… "…By the way," He said. "You do know I can see perfectly well in the dark, right?" He asked, his eyes glinting like a cat's.
Rin cheeks reddened even more. So much for that…
"…"
"…"
"…Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes?"
"Y-you can let go of me anytime…"
"Oh, sorry…" Sesshoumaru released her quickly. Rin shivered as the sudden movement caused several strands of his hair to brush across her face.
"N-no problem…w-we should keep going."
"Like I said, I can see in the dark. Let me lead you so you don't trip." Sesshoumaru offered Rin his hand, but since she couldn't see it, he reached for her hand instead.
"Oh, thanks…again."
"No problem."
They started walking again with Rin wondering why they didn't use the fully operational flashlights built into their communicators…
"…Wow, it just goes on and on…" Rin muttered awhile later, referring to the passageway. She had the distinct impression that they were heading further under the building…to the basement, perhaps.
"It's odd, isn't it…I haven't seen any doors along here either…" Sesshoumaru replied. They continued down the hall.
"…Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked after several minutes.
"Yes?"
"I-I know that this is kind of a tender subject, and you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but…"
"What is it, Rin?"
"…I was wondering if you've decided what to do about Inuyasha…"
Sesshoumaru was silent for so long, Rin was beginning to wonder if he even heard her.
"…I'm going to see him." Sesshoumaru said finally. "I don't know when, but I will."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
"…I'll be taking a very big risk by going there. So many things could go wrong…"
"I'm sure things will work out just fine…I'll cover for you if you want…"
"No, I won't be going during office hours. That would draw too much unwanted attention. I'll probably meet him in the middle of the night. It's safer…"
"…How did Sango and Miroku take it when you told them? I bet they were happy…"
"I…haven't told them. No one knows about this except you and me."
Rin faltered in her step, but quickly righted herself.
"Why didn't you tell them?"
"I…don't know. I am still very confused about the whole matter…I don't want to trust anyone with this until I fully understand it myself."
"But…you told me about it..." Rin said softly, looking down at her feet. Well, what she hoped was her feet, anyway. She could be looking straight up for all she knew.
"Yes…I did."
Rin felt that saying anything more would be pushing it, so she left it at that.
"…What's that?" Sesshoumaru asked, stopping short and causing Rin to run into him.
"Oof…What's what?"
"There's a door at the end of this hall. Come on…" He dragged Rin to the end of the hall and placed a clawed hand on the doorknob.
"Get ready, Rin. I don't smell demon in there, but there are ways of hiding one's scent…" Sesshoumaru's grip on her hand tightened unconsciously as he threw open the door and rushed inside. The room was just as dark as the rest of the place, but, to Sesshoumaru's disappointment, it only held old cardboard boxes.
"Damn." He muttered, releasing Rin's hand. "I thought we had it. Well, maybe the others had better luck…" He turned to head back, forgetting that Rin stood behind him, and knocked them both over.
"Oof!" Rin cried as Sesshoumaru's full weight landed on her.
"Sorry…are you hurt?" He asked slightly annoyed.
"No, no I'm alright…" Rin assured him. Sesshoumaru rolled to side, and Rin sat up. She was in the middle of brushing off her clothing when something large, furry, and squeaking scurried across her lap. Rin yelped in surprise and fell backward, landing on Sesshoumaru who had just begun to stand up.
"Sorry!" She said quickly. " The rat, it startled me…"
"That's alright…"
Rin mentally cursed herself…she was blushing again. She didn't blush…ever. Although, it was hard not to when you're on top of an extremely handsome male…who's currently staring at you…
There it was again…that irresistible urge to tease her. Sesshoumaru did not 'tease' people…he mocked them, jeered at them, insulted and criticized them, but never teased. Teasing was so childish…something he definitely was not. Teasing was…was not…goodness, why did females blush so much? Especially this one…
"You're blushing. Why?" It was out of his mouth before he could stop it.
"I-I don't know…" Rin stammered, starting to get up, but Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist gently.
"No, I want to know. Why?"
"Well, I-I…" Rin stumbled over her words. "I-I guess it's because I find you v-very attrac--"
"Sesshoumaru!" James voice called from the hall and his rapid footsteps echoed off the walls. "Sesshoumaru, you have to see what we've found--!" James broke off as the beam of his flashlight fell on the pair who were currently lying in a very compromising position on the floor.
"Oh ho ho, what have we here?" James raised an eyebrow. "I see you've found something more interesting to occupy your time…"
"What are you talking about?" Hikari asked, catching up to him and peering into the room. "Oh my…" She giggled.
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Rin cried, scrambling to get up.
"Right…" Hikari nodded, not sounding as if she believed her at all.
Sesshoumaru picked himself up and towered over the new arrivals.
"If either one of you says a word of this to anyone," He said, deathly calm. "There will be…consequences. Understood?"
James and Hikari nodded vigorously.
"Good. Now, what did you want me see, and why did you not use your communicators to reach us?"
"The-the women. We've found them." James said, and Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.
"And why are you here in person?"
The pair shifted nervously, neither wanting to tell him that they'd been too freaked out to do anything but run.
"I see." Sesshoumaru said, catching on to their reasons. "Very well. Show me where they are."
"Oh my god, you won't believe what we found!" Sango and Miroku came rushing through the door at that moment.
"The women! They're in a room on the second floor!" Sango cried.
"And they're naked!" Miroku said.
"They're in these cocoon-like things…" Sango made a face and shivered.
"And they're naked!" Miroku added, earning him a death glare.
"Hey…what's going on here?" Sango asked. Sesshoumaru was glaring at everyone, and Rin's face looked like a tomato. Hikari giggled.
"Rin and Sesshoumaru were--"
"Consequences." Sesshoumaru whispered, and Hikari quickly shut-up.
"I told you it wasn't what it looked like!" Rin exclaimed, burying her face in her hands.
"What wasn't what it looked like?"
"Nothing." Sesshoumaru said shortly.
"Uh-huh…" Sango said slowly. "Look, you need to come see this. It's--"
"Horrible." Hikari finished. "I know. James and I found it first."
Sango huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah!"
"It doesn't matter who found it first!" Sesshoumaru rubbed his temple where a headache was starting to form. "Just…take me there."
The group set off in the opposite direction, Rin trailing behind them on the verge of a nervous breakdown. --
( ")
Kagome and Kikyou's footsteps echoed through the hall, Kikyou's heels giving off a 'clacketa-clacketa' sound while Kagome's sneakers were considerably quieter. They walked in silence, making the air seem that much thicker. Luckily, they weren't in complete darkness. Kikyou had shown her how to work the flashlight on her communicator, and two bright beams of light issued from their devices.
"Kikyou…?"
Kikyou looked back at her and kept walking.
"Okay then…I'll talk to you anyway. Why does everyone dislike you so much?" She asked bluntly. "You don't seem all that bad…sure, you can a little rude at times, and you keep to yourself, but there are plenty of people like that. Why single you out?"
Kikyou snorted and kept walking.
"Oh come on, please answer me. I'm going to be here for a whole year, I should at least have some idea of what's going on."
"…I hunted their friend." Kikyou replied shortly. Kagome gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Why on earth would you do that?" She whispered.
"It was an order." Kikyou shrugged casually. "He was a demon, and Naraku ordered him dead. No one else would hunt him, so I did my job."
"But…he was their friend. He couldn't have been all bad…"
"I said he was a demon, however, I said nothing about his nature."
"You mean--" Kagome's sentence turned into a scream as the door in front of them was blasted off it's hinges. The door hit Kikyou full-force and she hit the wall with a sickening crack. She slumped to the floor, seemly unconscious.
"Well, well, well…look what I've found…" A raspy voice said from inside the room. "Two lovely young women with such tasty souls…"
Kagome gulped. A pair of yellow eyes stared at her out of the darkness as she took a step back. Kagome glanced down at Kikyou's prone body, but looked up quickly as a scaly hand closed around her throat. She let out a gurgled scream at the sight of the demon. It was at least two feet taller than her and covered in dark green and brown scales. She assumed it was male from it's deep voice. It's slanted yellow eyes glared at her as it's forked tongue flicked in and out of it's mouth.
"Shh, don't be scared little one. It will be over soon…you'll make a nice little snack for me…" It said, tracing a long claw across her neck. Kagome whimpered, trying to think of a way out…wait a minute, why should she be scared? Had she forgotten all Kikyou had taught her?
"Look, you…you thing," Kagome said, glaring at him. "Release me this instant, or I'll be forced to take drastic measures!" Oh, that was very convincing. The crack in her voice would've made even the most powerful demon cower in fear…
"Oh really?" The demon hissed, his tongue flicking her cheek. "What could a puny human girl like you possibly do to me?"
"I warned you…" Kagome placed her hands on either of his shoulders and sent a shock of energy through him. He hissed in pain and crumpled to the floor. Kagome stood over him, panting slightly from the sudden loss of energy. The scaly body of the demon smoked slightly, scorch marks appearing in the shape of Kagome's hands. Oh yeah…he was dead.
"Okay, now to call the rest of the team…" Kagome switched on her earpiece.
( ")
"Ugh, it's repulsive…" Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose at the sight of the slimy cocoons. "This is serious. We need to find that demon as soon as possible. Where's Higurashi? She can sense these things, right?"
"She's with Kikyou, remember? Should we call her here?"
Just then, a loud static crackle issued from everyone's earpiece.
"Hello, is it working?" Kagome's voice asked through the device.
"Oh, looks like we won't have to…"
"What is it, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Kikyou and I found the demon. Kikyou is unconscious, and I think I killed the demon…sorry."
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. That young girl had taken it down all by herself? Impossible.
"Where are you? We'll come get you."
"Um, I'm not sure. We just followed the hallway we took when we split up."
"I know which one that is." Sango offered.
"Okay. Stay where you are, Kagome. We'll be there in a minute."
"Okay-- oh my god!"
"What is it?"
"The demon, it's moving!"
"So? Shock it again."
"I-- hey, how'd you know I did that?"
"I didn't."
"Wait, he's saying something…"
The cocoons that filled the room started to glow ominously. Suddenly, the eyes of the women shot open revealing blank, unseeing irises, their mouths open in silent screams.
"What the hell?!" Everyone cried in unison. Fist-sized orbs of light burst from the women's chests and hovered for a moment, before dashing out the door. One by one, the slime bubbles burst, the unconscious women sliding to ground. The group stood there in shock for a moment, before Kagome's voice brought them back to reality.
"Oh my god, guys, get down here! The demon called these little light thingies to him and now he's completely healed…and he's coming after me!"
"Hang on Kagome, we'll be right there!" Rin yelled unnecessarily into the microphone. She dashed out the door. The others started to follow, but Sesshoumaru stopped them.
"No. You four stay and tend to the women. With any luck, killing that demon will revive them." Sesshoumaru turned and rushed away down the hall.
The four looked at each other, then at the slime-covered and soulless forms of the women. A simultaneous shiver raced through them.
"Well, we better find something to cover them with." Sango said after several minutes of staring. "When or if they wake up, they'll be very confused, and very embarrassed if left bare."
"I don't see anything…we'll have to use our bodies!" Miroku dashed forward and Sango caught him by the back of his shirt.
"No way, letch!"
( ")Kagome's rapid footsteps echoed loudly off the walls as she ran, the demon close at her heels.
"Girl, you're making this hard on yourself! Just give up and give in!" The demon rasped, taking a swing at her. Kagome screamed and ducked. She stumbled and the demon gained several feet, but she kept running.
"Guys, you better get your asses down here!" Kagome yelled into her microphone. Her legs were starting ache, and her lungs were burning.
"Kagome!"
The demon spun around and Kagome skidded to a halt. Rin stood several feet behind them, panting slightly.
"Ooh goody…another soul for my feast." The demon hissed gleefully. He turned and started toward Rin, momentarily forgetting about his previous prey. Just as he reached her, Sesshoumaru stepped from an adjoining hallway and plunged a hand through it's stomach. Kagome quickly looked away. Gross…
The hall was filled with light as the orbs that the demon had just consumed left it's carcass.
"What the hell took you so long?! Kikyou was knocked unconscious by that thing, and I've been alone in the dark with it for forever!" Kagome yelled at them, too tired to do anything else. There was a long pause, and she suddenly collapsed on the floor.
"Kagome?!" Rin ran to her. "Are you okay?!" Receiving no answer, she started to panic.
"Rin…" Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright…She's asleep."
"Oh…thank goodness."
Sesshoumaru slipped an arm under (the now snoring) Kagome's legs and neck and lifted her with ease.
"Come on. Let's see what we can do to smooth things over with those women…"
"But what about Kikyou?" Rin asked.
"…We'll come back for her …tomorrow."
Rin shook her head and followed him down the corridor.
( ")
That night, Kagome sat in her bed, her diary and pen in front of her. Since her very first day, she'd recorded every moment of her time at the STN-J, as well as a few random things. She raised her pen tiredly, and started to write.
-
Dear diary,
I'm very tired right now, so if my handwriting sucks…deal with it. My day in one word: Weird beyond all reason. Okay, technically, that's four words, but who cares? Okay, here's the very condensed version of the days events as they occurred.
Long car ride through numerous ghost towns left me feeling tired and bored. On arrival, I received the most valuable piece of electronics that I will probably ever own. I call it the everything-machine, 'cause that's what it does. Everything. Hopefully, they won't make me give it back at the end of the year…
Okay, Sango and I waited for awhile for the guys to show, James was late, Hikari actually slept, and something weird happened between Rin and Sesshoumaru. From what I gather, they ended up on top of each other in the basement. Every time I tried to ask someone about it though, Sesshoumaru popped out of nowhere reminding them of 'consequences'. Very weird…
Anyway, Sesshoumaru made us split up, and I got stuck with Kikyou. She's supposed to be one of the STN's 'great' hunters, but she got knocked out before she even saw the damn demon! Also, I've acquired a wide variety of curses from Sango. If mother ever finds out, she can blame my roommate. So, Kikyou's knocked out. The demon says something about wanting my soul as a snack, and stuff happens, and I end up shocking him with my powers. Okay, I call the guys, thinking the demon is either dead, or really out of it. Wrong. He gets up and starts chanting something and the next thing I know, he has all these souls floating around him. He sucks them into his body, and now he's moving again. Now I'm freaked, so I start running, telling the team to get down there. A full ten minutes later, Rin and Sesshoumaru arrive, and Sesshoumaru kills the demon in one move. I yelled at them, then I guess I passed out, 'cause the next thing I remember, I'm sitting in a room with a bunch of other women who have blankets wrapped around them. They look really confused, and there's a lot of people everywhere; they all wore a dark uniform, and their faces were hidden behind the dark visors of their helmets. Anyway, more stuff happened, and now I'm here, writing in you, trying my best to stay awake.
I think that pretty much sums it up. Now, I am grabbing my cat, curling up under my nice, warm covers, and going to sleep.
-
Kagome put down the diary on her nightstand, and turned out the light. Time for some rest…
( ")
Author's Note:
Yay, another chapter done‼ -happy dances- Holy crap, this thing is 12 pages long, according to Microsoft word o.O; Hey, did you catch on to the James thing? He has a purpose now‼ Anyway, things are starting to fall into place as far as where I see this story going, so I'm happy . Besides, I now have chocolate! -Throws Hershey kisses in the air- Ah, sweet bliss…
Okay, here are the reviews‼
New Reviewers (a few more of you reviewed, but I only put new reviewers here, unless you had a question, or something I wanted to respond to):
Shippochan301 -- Hey, I sent you an email . Anyway, Shippou will be in this story, just not for awhile. Thanks for reading!
Polishing-Stars -- Okay, I know this is my username, but mom sent a review under it o.O; Anyway, glad you like it, mother, and I'm going to bed right now! I swear‼
X36
Demonslayer206
Penguin10 -- -shifty eyes- .…...….-shoves kitten under shirt- You never saw that…o.O;
Ryngrl5
Myinuyasha
Eternalhappiness
Nihility
Foxfire The Great Demon
And, as always, Shippo, lilsisterjrneo, and Bakeneko (AKA Platypus3, AKA Forsaken Wings)
Everyone else, thanks for reviewing‼ I'm so glad you like my story .
Okay guys, I have to tell you about Forsaken Wings (AKA Bakeneko, AKA Platypus3)'s fic, 'A City With No People'‼ She's new to the fan fiction world, but she's a very good writer :) Forsaken Wings is her FF.net username, so look her up‼ Or you can find her in my favorite authors list.
Okay guys, until next time, Stay safe, stay clean, stay in school, and don't eat the rotten cheese‼ …No, seriously. Don't eat it…