It took all of a second for the shock to wear off and his body to spring to action.
He twisted and let the phone hover for all of half a second before it crashed to the ground and the battery cover fell off.
"Ototo! Don't handle such things so poorly! Oi, where are you going??"
"OUT!" He snapped, barely managing to get the keys on the first try. He didn't even lock the door and almost forgot to grab his sandals before rocketing it to the car. In a matter of seconds, he had the engine started and the car peeling down the street.
He wasn't mad at Jayden, but she was a good convenience to take his anger out on. He would have to apologize later...as soon as his heart slowed to its normal pace and the adrenaline let him think clearly.
K was injured?! When did that happen?? How?? With what??
Knuckles gripped the wheel as he accelerated to dangerous proportions and swept past everyone on the highway. 'I wouldn't fucking know what's going on because she basically IGNORED me all month!'
He didn't know why she hadn't called or wrote, but if she needed space he couldn't deny it. He gave it a week before the need to know she was discounting him for a reason made him pick the phone up and start dialing the number.
He wrote a few letters, but always tore them up and threw them away. It was his only way of coping with the urge to drive down and see her in person.
He did nothing but wonder and worry. What was she doing all that time?? School COULDN'T be taking up that much attention because she saw him when she had a worse schedule. His jaw clenched as some rather horrid theories ran through his head. The pedal was practically on the floor and several times he almost rear-ended some poor driver who was in his way.
He would not be satisfied until he saw for himself K was healthy and able to talk to him. He wasn't going to let her get away with no contact all this time. He was her boyfriend damn it! That merited more than silence! Not even a letter. He could see the lack of calls if only she wrote. Whatever was going on in Miami had taken up her life and shoved him out of the picture. He didn't like that. She was such a part of his life now; it rubbed him the wrong way to think she didn't think the same.
Kalie was so precious to him. All the words of devotion he spoke in the past were true and most of them the first words he ever told a girl. To be cut off after telling something so special wasn't supposed to happen.
He felt a lot when it came to her. Just thinking about her at work evoked so much. He could picture her clearly...soft brown hair, emerald green eyes, soft smile, lithe body... At times, everything almost became too much. There was a plethora of emotion and no K around to tell or show that it nearly robbed him of the ability to speak. To know she was injured in ANY way set off a protective side that was worse than anything he ever knew.
He never did like living so far away, but they had no problem with it being mildly long distance. As long as one of them had a ride, they were fine...one could go to the other. Now, a simple forty miles seemed ten times as long.
Why was it when something detrimental occurred you were never there fast enough to help?
He scowled and spied a quick look to the odometer and his eyes widened. Brown shot to the road as he came dangerously close to another rear-end and veered into the other lane. He weighed letting off at least five miles, but that might cost him. Regard for the speed limit might lose him that precious time to be at K's side to comfort her and reassure she was okay.
He might've been a little paranoid and overbearing, but the panic in Sam's voice told him this was no small potatoes.
-----
A mile outside Miami he came across a roadblock, thankfully not a literal one.
Just WHICH hospital was K being transported to?!
He loudly swore and decked the steering wheel in frustration, not willing to drive to every hospital in the city. He didn't have that kind of time and patience wasn't going to allow it. 'Think Yamoi!' He ordered, entering the city. 'What's the closest hospital??' The only problem was...he didn't know that.
"This is fucking great..." The hand came down on the wheel again as he made a sudden turn into the nearest gas station and slammed the car door. He yanked the glass door open and approached the counter, trying to take a few breaths.
Scaring the attendant – or making her think he was a robber – wouldn't do him any good in getting information. "I need some help. Do you have a phone book and a phone I can use?"
The girl must've been convinced by his appearance because she handed both over without more than affirmation.
He flipped to the hospitals and wanted to bang his head on the counter in exasperation at the list. He scanned the few dozen in distance from the house and found three. Thankful for such a small number, he dialed the first one and got a negative response when asking if K was admitted.
The second one, luckily, kept him from wasting anymore time.
Asking for a pen and paper, he wrote down the address, vowing to get information when he arrived. Tossing a quick thanks to the girl, he ran back to the car and tried not to drive to the hospital in the same manner that got him here. If only he had another stretch of highway...
"COME ON ALREADY - MOVE!" He shouted, teeth grit to pain proportions. "Fucking traffic...this is bullshit!"
The main roads had fewer lights, but everyone was traveling them for that reason apparently. If he tried to go through residential and out-drive everyone, he might end up getting lost and / or take even longer. Speed was of the essence. He would NOT be satisfied until he got there – preferably at a few knots – and strangled information from the nearest nurse.
The building was in sight from the top of the hill and it spurred him on. He cut half a dozen people off weaving around cars, ignoring the horns sounding in their wake. Parking in a handicapped spot and getting it towed wasn't on the agenda, so he forced to take a deep breath for patience to find a legal spot. He wasn't THAT blockheaded.
The spot he finally snagged seemed blocks away, though that was an exaggeration right now. He laced around cars and skipped steps up the main entrance. He was forced to skid to a stop less he bowl over some pregnant woman working her way outside. A quick apology and he shoved his way inside, spotting the front desk. He made a beeline for it and roped in irritation at being made to wait while the nurse was on the phone.
He spied a quick look to the waiting room, hoping there weren't too many people before him. He didn't know how tolerant he could be.
"Can I help you sir?"
Brown jerked back before they could finish looking and focused on the nurse. "I called about Kalie Himmen. I was told she was admitted to this hospital. I need to know what's going on."
The nurse wheeled back to stand and made for a file cabinet. "Are you family?" She asked, giving him a glance and yanking a drawer open.
'Shit.'
What was he going to do now? He knew well only family was allowed access to information of a patient – everybody knew that. Laws haven't changed that and no matter how much he bullshitted his way through, he would be found out.
People probably did this all the time.
His shoulders slumped. "No...I'm not. I'm her boyfriend." Determination hit again. "But, can't you make an exception??"
The drawer slammed close from a push, giving him his answer.
"I'm sorry sir, but only family members are capable of attaining information of a patient. You'll have to wait with the family until a doctor comes, or until general visiting hours."
Hands became fists. "But – but...I can't wait that long! I need to know now! She's not badly hurt is she?!"
"I'm sorry sir; I can't give that information out."
He wanted to jump over the counter and throttle the woman. "All I need to know is if she's okay! That's not any details!"
"Sir please sit down and lower your voice."
He wanted to hit something, preferably the counter. "That's all I'm asking! Just grant me that and I'll get out of your hair!"
"Sir...please don't make me call security and have them escort you out of here."
His jaw clenched. "Please...I'm begging here." Just as the nurse started reaching for a phone, a hand touched an arm and gained his attention. He startled and whirled around, brown lighting on the one person who could save him. "Sam."
Light blue looked to the nurse. "Please don't call security." She quietly asked. "I'll handle this."
The nurse cast a wary glance between the two, but nodded and let them be.
He let Sam drag him from the front desk, seeing he had almost everyone's attention, before pouncing. "Sam what the fuck is going on here?? What's wrong with Kalie?? Have you heard anything yet? Has a doctor come out? When are we - mfphmff!"
When the garbled talk ceased, Sam's hand moved from his lips. She slumped into a chair, watching him follow. "Please keep your voice down, you've attracted enough attention." She murmured.
The fact that this energetic, meddling girl was so soft-spoken and tentative sent wariness through him. He avidly stared, taking in this new look.
Light blue teared as Sam looked to a nearby window, trying to keep composure. "I...a doctor hasn't come out yet." She whispered, teeth biting her lip. Sam was silent for a while, rapidly blinking a few times before gaining the ability to speak again. "I rode in the ambulance because they needed some information, but they steered me in here and Kalie to the O.R."
'Oh gods...'
A hand slowly rose, timidly resting on the girl's shoulder. "Sam..."
That did it. Sam's strength snapped and she whirled. Hands gripped shirt as her face buried in Inaki's chest. "Oh Inaki!" She sobbed. "It was...horrible! There was – was so much...blood! Kalie wasn't making sense...she wasn't even speaking English! I didn't know what to do - I couldn't think!"
Arms went around the girl to comfort her, even if he felt odd doing so. This was K's best friend and it was strange to hold her when what he wanted to do was hold his girlfriend. "Shh Sam...it's okay. Everything will turn out fine." He was a great performer when the need called for it. Comforting women allowed him a silver tongue to lie his head off. He was as worried as she was and didn't know how things would turn out, but SOMEONE had to be the levelheaded one here.
Once Sam was under control, she could help keep HIM under control.
Inaki rubbed her back until the sobs departed. Funny thing was, the few daydreams about being in his arms never encountered anything like this. There was nothing special about it and Sam felt cheap by being in her best friend's boyfriend's arms. Sam slowly pulled away, eyes diverted. "Thanks...I – I needed that." She turned and grabbed a few tissues from the nearest box. "I – I'll be okay now... Don't worry about me. Let's turn our attentions to why we're here."
He sat back, grimly staring down a hallway. "The only problem is...we don't even know what we're here for. Or how long we'll remain."
Sam stood and grabbed a garbage can and dragged it over, knowing she'd need it later. "You know...I never expected to take another trip to the hospital like this. I thought everything was fine."
He startled a little. "Another?? Was she here before? Why didn't she tell me??"
Hands waved to disperse his anxiety. "No, no...it wasn't anything like this. She went to get tests done in Westchester and I went with her."
A raven brow rose. "Tests? For what?"
"Her dizziness."
The other brow rose at the mild bitterness. "From the sounds of things, she never told you about it."
Blue snapped to brown and narrowed. "She told you though..."
He wanted to sweat under that gaze. It was like his mother's when he knew he was caught with something. "Uh...yea..." A finger scratched his shorts. "She got it during –" He stopped. He hadn't told a soul what happened in the kitchen and said it would stay that way. "During the last visit to my house. It was bad enough it made her sick so she couldn't hide them from me."
Sam slouched against the back, arms crossing. "At least she told you some way or another. I found out when the hospital called one day. Scared the shit out of me, but pissed me off. Why would she hide something like that?? Doesn't she trust me at ALL??"
Oh boy...
"I'm sure it's not that." He quickly denied, hands waving. "You know K's a rather private person...she doesn't talk about things in her life. She's never been able to. Those things carry through until you kick that habit." Sam snorted, but nodded in acquiesce. "Besides, she probably didn't want to worry you. She has that tendency as well, one which she needs to get over too. She's probably never had anyone worry over her as much as we do and it's probably unnerving."
"But why wouldn't she tell me about something this serious?? Why didn't she tell me how she got that wound??"
He gave full attention with that. "Tell me about that. Did she get it the past month? How serious is it?"
Sam swallowed, eyes tearing again. "It..." Her face crumbled a little. Fingers clenched around an extra tissue in unease. "It was...awful." She whispered, boring holes in the carpet underfoot. "I don't know how she got that, but I'd never seen it before. It looked so new, but that's ridiculous because she couldn't possibly have such a severe wound and still be up and about."
"What do you mean?"
A hand rose, creating a circle with her thumb and index. "It was at least that big."
Brown widened and his mouth gaped open. "That's...impossible! How could she still be alive if she got that??"
"That's one question I want answered. I haven't heard about anything recently – not that she'd tell me – but she was using an ice pack on that area a lot lately. I think it was this last week actually." Ash swished. "I – I just can't explain it. She was still healthy, and if she bruised it somehow, I would definitely know. It was right here." A finger tapped the area in question.
He watched, eyes narrowed in thought. "That's too close to the heart, lungs, ribs, collarbone, and a number of muscles. If she hit that hard enough to bruise, she'd have issues moving her arm for a while."
Sam looked over, a little stunned. "Since when did YOU take medical classes?"
Brown rolled. "When you take years upon years of martial arts, you get to know the areas of the body. I don't need to know medical terms to be familiar with the structure."
He still had more questions and cut to the chase. The only problem was...some of them Sam couldn't answer – those were reserved for the doctor. When small talk died down and Sam wandered off to get them some coffee for something to do, he looked around as a thought struck.
K's mom wasn't here.
He didn't know if that was purposeful or not, but it was peculiar the woman was absent. He didn't know if Sam kept from calling because it was useless to worry Ella, or knew K wouldn't want her being called...
It seemed strange to not have a higher authority of the like nearby. They were all young adults and times like this made them feel their youth. They were still too easily scared and crumbled under this kind of pressure. A parental figure was a rock in any kind of situation, and Ella would be a useful presence to keep them from unraveling.
By the time the doctor finally came out, the afternoon passed and the sun was almost set. It either took that long for K's surgery to get done or someone was taking a break and making them wait longer.
He was going to be VERY pissed off if the latter was true.
The two watched the person come down the corridor, clipboard in hand, and eyes wandering. He spied a glance at Sam, finding her doing the same a few times, before nodding. She nodded back and the two made their way over. "Are you Kalie Himmen's doctor?" Sam asked. He let her do all the talking, as he didn't know how calm he'd be.
"Yes I am. Are you the one who brought her in?"
"I am. Is she okay? What happened?"
There was a quick scan of the area before they were given the spotlight again. "Is this all the family?"
"Yes." Sam quickly responded. "I'm her sister and he's her cousin."
A hand rested on a shoulder and amazed brown went to the girl. She was a better liar than he ever was! 'Talk about a poker face!' He turned and nodded to the man, allowing the severity of the situation to fit him to the roll.
The doctor looked a little unconvinced at seeing two totally different nationalities from the patient's, but shrugged it off. "Your friend has a rather...interesting wound. I've never seen anything like it. She needed stitches, but that had complications right there. The sight wasn't cut, but it looked like something rammed through the body...except there was no internal damage. We used a skin graph to close the hole, stitched it, and wrapped her up. She needs to be kept a while for observation. There was a lot of blood loss and we needed to do a transfusion."
That news didn't seem very positive in the least. "So...K's okay right? She came through surgery in stable condition?" Sam queried, wringing her hands. There was a nod that relieved them both. As long as surgery went well, everything else could be gotten past.
"Can we see her now?" He asked, feely antsy to run past everyone in search of her room. All he needed was the number, but security would grab him before then, so he enforced tolerance.
They were led down a few hallways, bypassing others in wheelchairs and empty beds dotting the area. He budged his way to the handle, trying to keep from banging the door against the wall after they stopped. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. The breath froze in his lungs and he halted in the doorway, hand clutching the knob in a death grip.
I.V., heart monitor, and a swath of bandages over her chest. The sheet was pulled back enough to keep from resting over the wound and he had an inane urge to cover K up. She didn't like being indecent. To know people – total strangers even! – saw her halfway naked made him a little angry.
"Move aside! Let me in!"
He quickly gained balance at being shoved toward the door and tried not to glare at Sam as she rushed inside. "Oh god, Kalie!"
"I'll come get you when visiting hours are over." He absently nodded and took a few steps in, barely registering when the doctor gently clicked the door closed.
The soft bedside lamps illuminated the room well enough and gave the impression K was merely sleeping with the lights on. The absurdity of that thought hit him like a ton of bricks and his heart clenched, tears coming to his eyes.
'Gods...please let her be okay...' He prayed, inching to the bed. A hand moved and rested over a leg, Sam planted in a nearby chair. His vision swam and her peaceful face wavered. 'I can't bear to have something horrible happen to her. You can't take her away from me now... Onegai Unmei-sama...if you're listening...grant me this one, tiny wish...'
Somehow, legs directed him to the other chair and he pulled it as close as the machines would let him. Sam got the prime location, but he wasn't going to fight her for it. A hand gripped hers, mindful of the I.V. Seeing it and the tape keeping it there didn't do his emotions any good.
The silence was deafening. The sound of breathing, beeping from machines, and his heartbeat were going to make him crazy. They both stared in hopes of being able to see K wake, but he knew they'd be waiting a while. The paleness of her face was not a good sign, and it was going to take time to get her to original health.
As carefully as possible, he brought her hand to his face and gently kissed the knuckles. Tears were in danger of falling over, but he could care less. He turned her hand to cup his cheek, feeling worse when he had to move it to the position he wanted.
'Kalie...don't you dare leave me. You're stuck with me now, you hear me?? I won't let you go! I'm going to help you get better. You're going to beat this, damn it! I won't let you give up. You can't...you can't let this best you! I won't forgive you if you die on me. Gods...you CAN'T die!' Heart full of emotion, he kissed the inside of her wrist, wishing he could say these words to her face. He didn't know if he had the courage, but there was the conviction. 'I'm begging here. If your soul can hear mine, you better listen up! You hear me Kalie?? You're not leaving me! I won't let you. I – I...I love you.'
From somewhere, there was the barest of whispers - what sounded like shouts - and his head lifted, confusion on his features. He mentally shook himself, wondering who was yelling down the hall. The second the quiet returned, an almost sudden rush of wind directly over his ears startled him. That was absurd, as there was no breeze coming from the curtains, there was no fan in here, and he wasn't running. It was only a split second long, but his brows furrowed at it. His vision suddenly blurred as a tiny pain behind his eyes appeared. Brown squeezed shut until he was sure it passed before giving the comatose girl his full attention.
"Hiraikoutsu!"
The boomerang swung at a wide arc, taking out youkai and aiming for Naraku on the return trip.
An amused smile appeared as he looked to Kagura who created a blast of wind and knocked the weapon off course.
"Kazaana!"
"Pathetic tries houshi." Naraku muttered. Saimyoushou appeared with a simple beckon and headed for Miroku.
"Iie houshi-sama! Close the Kazaana!"
"No choice." The winds suddenly stopped and the shakujou whipped out to take care of the bees.
"Naraku kisama..." Tessaiga swung in an arc for the hanyou, a kekkai deflecting him. "Keh! You think a puny thing is going to save you??"
The fighting seemed to've gone on for a while. She was holding her own, but hesitant to use her arrows because she didn't have an endless supply. Brown eyed Hiraikoutsu out of its master's reach. 'Sango-chan's disabled without Hiraikoutsu. She probably won't be able to hit Naraku with that, but she can take out extra youkai.' Brown slid to her friend and watched the wakizashi deal deathblows at those that dared to come close.
"Kagome!"
She turned toward the light tug to her sleeve. An arrow was notched and released as she spied a youkai trying to sneak up on her. She smiled in direction of her shoulder. "Arigatou Shippou-chan." She cast a look to Kirara nearby, mind whirling. "We need to return Sango-chan's weapon. She can't fight with that sword forever."
Shippou looked nervous at the thought of being thrown in the center of the battlefield. He took perch on Kagome's shoulder where it was safe, as Inuyasha ordered her to stay at the edge so Naraku couldn't reach her as easily. If he did, he might target her specifically because she was one of the few who could kill him and the offspring. But he knew Sango couldn't use such a short sword to kill big youkai with. He nodded and green twisted. "Yosh. Kirara!"
The nekoyoukai's teeth bit through the last youkai before flying over. The two mounted and she took off, dodging enemies. She let a few arrows fly to those that got in range before shouldering her bow. A hand grabbed fur as she leaned, hoping not to pull too hard, and the other made to snatch the tie at the end.
She missed the first and forced Kirara to circle around. She wasn't as strong as her friend and the weapon was as heavy as it looked, or it wedged too deep from impact. Either way, when she grabbed hold and Kirara took off she was yanked from the mount and fell rather heavily to the ground. She landed with a cry of pain, hearing Shippou's yelp of surprise as he settled a little ways off. Ignoring the bruises, she grabbed the weapons that slid off her shoulder and let one fly when a tentacle headed her direction.
Pink light burst as it disintegrated, casting all eyes to her predicament. She wasn't exactly in the middle of the battle, but was a lot closer than Inuyasha said to be.
Anger sparked at the thought of him ordering her around like that. 'I can help as much as he can! My arrows do enough damage so Inuyasha can finish Naraku off. We might not kill him until we kill the baby, but that's one less person to worry about!'
"Bitch what the hell are you doing here?!"
She wanted to say it, but didn't dare. She glared across the way, meeting angry gold. "Don't think I'm useless!" She snapped.
"There you are miko."
She froze and slowly turned, toppling backward in a bad dodge of a tentacle. Her arrows fell again and she hurried to collect them, simply too slow. A limb wrapped around her torso and hoisted her in the air. The only thing she could do was a defiant glare.
"You're a waste of energy miko. You'll be put to better use when I'm through here."
"Onore! Kaze no kizu!"
Winds struck up and headed their way. Brown widened as her legs kicked. "Baka! Are you crazy?!" Inuyasha would in no way put her in danger, she knew that by now, but the attack drew close enough that she feared a leg would get severed if she moved an inch.
She was freed and scooped up in no time, brought out of Naraku's reach. "Fucking stay HERE this time!"
She glared, looking away. "I'm not feeble!" She grit out. Brown widened when a hand moved to automatically grasp the quiver string. "My arrows!" She gasped.
"If you hadn't dropped them we wouldn't have this problem!" Inuyasha grit, Tessaiga cutting a few youkai trying to sneak in. Gold easily spotted the mess and he swore.
She wanted to hit him. "Mou! I can help! I can do long-range attacks at least!" She insisted, fists clenching. He had to understand – she wasn't going to let Naraku win!
"Alright!" He growled, doing a quick check to the area. "Stay here and don't move! I'll be back."
She watched him leap away, praying he would return quickly. She felt too exposed without her weapon and anxiety suddenly rose. 'Shippou-chan!' Brown scanned the field, finding him cowering behind Hiraikoutsu as Inuyasha unleashed another Kaze no kizu.
She scowled. Inuyasha never paid any mind to the poor kitsune's safety. If she didn't find a way to get him out of there, he might not survive the battle. "Shippou-chan..."
"Kagome-sama!"
Winds picked up around her and the screams of a youkai sounded as she turned. She spied it disappear into the void and felt bad for making everyone take time out from fighting to defend her. "Arigatou Miroku-sama!" She called. She knew it was safer near him and headed over, even though she was told to stay put. Inuyasha wanted her to be safe and it was safe by Miroku-sama. "We need to get Hiraikoutsu and Shippou-chan away from Naraku!" She urged.
The shakujou twirled, energy burning a youkai past its bones. "I agree, but there're too many enemies to do so. We won't get to either unless you have a good idea."
Troubled brown looked to the pair. Kirara was fighting airborne youkai, Sango-chan was holding her own against a few nearby, Miroku-sama was doing the same, and Inuyasha was trying to fight Naraku and dodge Kagura's attacks.
'Gods...please...we need help.'
Just as she wondered if this was too difficult, a surge of energy tickled her senses before an arrow suddenly flew from nearby foliage and decimated a few dozen youkai in its wake. It landed in one of Naraku's tentacles that headed to stab Inuyasha's back and sizzled to nothing.
Everything stopped at this twist and looked. There was a snort from Naraku as he dodged Tessaiga. "Ah Kikyou, you came."
"Naraku...it seems you finally did it."
"Oh? So, you've come to kill me now?"
Said miko walked up, as if meaning to come in the middle of the battle. Brown eyes took in the area and assessed everything. They finally landed on Naraku and minutely narrowed. "I said I'd come for you when you completed the Shikon. I know you've got all the pieces."
"Kikyou! Don't come near!"
Impassionate brown eyed the hanyou. "Don't try to stop me Inuyasha or my arrows will keep you out of my way until I finish."
Inuyasha looked visibly shocked, but recovered with normal arrogance. He used that time to grab the rest of the arrows and made a quick snatch for the quiver while using Tessaiga to dodge an attack.
She knew being that close to Naraku with the opportunity to do some damage was lost and he was definitely annoyed, but hid it pretty well under the circumstances. She grabbed them and deposited the rest as the battle seemed to go back to normal, save for Kikyou and Naraku. She notched an arrow and kept it ready to fire, eyes avidly watching the pair nearby.
"Courageous aren't you Kikyou?"
Even brown stared back. "You don't even know how to use the Shikon properly...you've distorted its powers since you collected them. You haven't finished it either." Kikyou's lips twitched the barest of degrees. "You failed to kill me this whole time Naraku. I was not meant to die by your hands."
"You'll die easily enough though!" A hand shot out and clutched the girl's throat, hoisting her to the air. "Hmph...you're all talk." Kikyou's hands rose as if to try and pry her way free, but merely rested on Naraku's wrist for a second before energy crackled around contact. Naraku cried out in surprise and anger, dropping his prey and created a new hand to cover the one that fell off. "Bitch – you'll pay for that."
"You're all talk Naraku." Kikyou echoed. An arrow was notched in a second and pointed at his heart. "Once I finish with you, I'll take the Shikon with me and put it where those like you will never use it again."
Naraku smiled. "A fancy wish." The sound of ripping cloth was heard before Kikyou fell. No blood came from the living doll, but the opening allowed for a few souls to escape before she clamped down on her hold. "Too bad you won't be able to keep it."
"Sankon Tetsusou!"
Hakudoushi jumped out of the way of the attack. "A little late Inuyasha."
"Temee!" Inuyasha took up a guarded stance over the fallen, trying to keep both back and front guarded. Ears twitched behind at a noise. "Eh? Kikyou!"
Kikyou slowly stood, grabbing her bow. "Don't worry about me. I'm not down yet."
Tessaiga swung out for Hakudoushi when the child brought his weapon in a sneak attack. "Kaze no kizu!"
"Cornered aren't you Naraku?" Kikyou taunted, looking behind the hanyou. "I know you're fighting so hard, with your offspring here, for a purpose." Naraku's eyes narrowed. "The baby is too close for your comfort. Its hiding place is around here, isn't it? Were you moving it to a different area again and were caught?"
Again, everything seemed to stop as everyone digested that. By now, all low-level youkai were taken care of and the battle gained a new focus.
She looked to the two near her. "Miroku-sama...Sango-chan..."
The pair nodded. "If we can split up and find the baby, we can end this."
"But how do we do that houshi-sama? Naraku will see us sneak off and I won't let Inuyasha finish him!"
"I don't want my chance to slip either, but we have no choice. Right now, Naraku is as real as his kugutsu. The baby is the heart and killing him kills Naraku permanently."
The two girls nodded, one grimly. Magenta-lined eyes burned into the ground. "I'll go."
"Me too."
"Kagome-sama, you..."
A fist clenched in determination. "I'm the only one who can sense the shards and...Sango-chan..."
Said person looked up from a hand on the shoulder. "Kagome-chan?"
"Kikyou said Naraku had all the shards...but hadn't put them together yet." She didn't want to say it, but the girl deserved to know. "I...sense a Shikon no kakera nearby."
Sango's jaw clenched. "We – we have to hurry then. That'll get us there. Kagome-chan...can you lead me and Kirara to it?"
"I'll go with."
"There's not enough room on Kirara houshi-sama. You stay and help Inuyasha and Kikyou." Brown looked to the weapon nearby, hands itching to hold it again.
Miroku nodded, though he didn't look too pleased with the idea. "Good luck." Dark eyes turned to the battlefield, giving it his attention.
"Kirara, let's go!" The nekoyoukai sidled closer and took on two more passengers. There was no way to go about leaving the battle unnoticed, so chances needed to be taken. Kirara headed the opposite direction long enough for Hiraikoutsu to be pulled from the ground.
"Oi! Take me with!"
"Grab hold Shippou!" Sango called. The kitsune did as ordered and was safely gripping Kirara's fur as the group headed in the needed direction.
Those on the ground looked up. "Where the hell are they going?!"
"Inuyasha, don't worry." Miroku muttered, stopping next to the fighter.
"Damn girl..."
"Worried Naraku?" An arrow pointed the hanyou in the face, cold brown staring at the other end. "You won't have to much longer."
Without saying a word, an elongated hand grabbed the bow before the arrow could be launched and snapped it. "You annoy me Kikyou. Time to rid myself of you."
Inuyasha threw himself in the way, getting a sharp, five-pronged digits in a few places of his body. He fell to the ground, using his claws to sever the hand and free himself. "Kisama...your opponent is me! If you look away, you'll regret it!"
"Words to follow Inuyasha." The hand pulled free of its own violation and flew back to the body, attaching to the wrist again and becoming whole.
"Inuyasha – we seem to be missing a player." Miroku solemnly reported.
"Nani?! Why didn't you fucking stop him?!"
"You needn't worry about the child. You'll have enough to do soon enough." A sleuth of tentacles shot out from under the baboon pelt. Inuyasha grabbed Kikyou and jumped one direction, Miroku another. "Hmph...this should be interesting."
-----
"It's close Sango-chan!"
"Another cave. How many of these are we going to go into?"
"As long as it's not a youkai, I'm fine."
"Shippou-chan..."
A sudden power surged through her and brown whipped behind them. "Someone is approaching!"
"It's Hakudoushi no doubt. I didn't think we'd get away clean. It was either him or Naraku and no way would Naraku leave with Kikyou there."
She looked to the nearing cave, eyes thoughtful. 'Kikyou... What will Naraku try to do this time?'
They made it to the lip when a stream of flame came from one side. Kirara quickly changed course and stopped facing the enemy.
"You shouldn't leave a battle when it's not finished."
"That brat Hakudoushi." Shippou muttered, glaring. "Fight fair!"
"Heh. No need. Prepare yourself!"
"Hiraikoutsu!" The beam passed around without hitting offspring or horse, but came back successfully without getting knocked aside. Sango caught it with a tense expression. "Chikushou...it isn't going to do much good."
"You're no match for us." Another stream of fire from Entei made the group move out of the way. Kirara dodged underneath and headed into the cave. "Damn you!"
"Hurry Kirara!" Sango coached, casting a look back. "Kagome-chan!"
"Got it." An arrow notched and flew out of the mouth, light trailing like a comet. It missed the target, but the relatively narrow passage made dodging hard and their pursuers were driven back to keep from being purified. "I'm getting low! I'll have to save them for good hits."
"Then save one for the baby." Sango answered. "Let one go as soon as you can sight it."
The cave wasn't very complex, and using the shard, they got there no problem. Kanna was easily spotted sitting on a rock, arms holding the heart of their troubles.
The defense systems proved to be an issue.
"That's –"
"Stop Kohaku!" The weighted end of the sickle came out and socked her in the shoulder. She wasn't prepared and teetered off the edge, falling to the rocky ground and losing conscious. "Kagome-chan!"
"Kagome!"
"Good work Kohaku."
"Kisama...Hakudoushi..."
"Sango, your brother is definitely a well-trained taiji-ya."
"You...bastard! Hiraikoutsu!" The weapon was knocked off course when the sickle lashed out and hit part of the cave wall. It slid off the side and rolled a bit before stopping. "Kohaku..."
"Now Kohaku, make sure the baby is in a safe place for now until it can be moved to a better spot." A cruel smile met Sango across the way. "I'll take care of her in the meantime."
Brown eyes looked between enemy and brother. A fierce glare pierced Hakudoushi as if to burn him to ashes. "Damn you! You'll regret using Kohaku like that!" A small nudge was all that was needed between rider and beast as Kirara flew forward.
"What are you going to do here?" Entei released a blast of fire and the battle raged on.
"Kagome...Kagome, wake up!"
"Ah... Shippou-chan..."
"Come on! We have to stop Sango no ototo before he moves the baby!" A miniature hand pointed to the boy's exit to the other side of the cave hole following the white girl that passed out of sight.
"Right. My arrows?" Shippou handed the bow and pushed the quiver over. "Arigatou Shippou-chan. Let's go!" The kitsune hopped to a shoulder and held tight as she made her way over uneven terrain.
The passage didn't go unnoticed and a glare was thrown from above. "You won't get far!" Entei flew down, ignoring the other enemy, and blocked the exit. "You thought you could sneak out? You'll pay for that mistake."
She glared and notched one of the remaining arrows. It was possible the horse could disintegrate it before the magic struck anything. She would have to take that chance and hope this was the final arrow needed for a bit. "Kagome-chan! Hiraikoutsu!" Luck was on her side and she jumped out of the way as horse and rider took to the air to avoid the boomerang. She put the arrow back and ran to the weapon as it knocked against a wall and was still.
When the group was together again, their enemy was at the entrance to the cave. "This place will be your tomb. You won't get out of here alive...and even if you do manage to maneuver the tunnels, it'll be too late." A strong kick from the horse's hooves against the side cracked rock surrounding the entrance. The offspring exited before it fell and effectively buried the group inside.
"What'll we do now??"
"Shikkari shite Shippou-chan. Kohaku used a different passage to get out. Hakudoushi said even if we get out, we'd be too late."
"Let's make sure that doesn't happen. Kagome-chan - here!"
She gripped the extended hand and mounted Kirara again. The entry wasn't that hard to get into, but the back wasn't so easy. There were more tunnels and the sense of the Shikon was fainter and harder to pinpoint. "We might miss them." She fretted, biting her lip.
"It's not over yet Kagome-chan. Which exit is it?"
She concentrated on the power and pointed to the correct. A few more and there was a beam of light through one.
"Yatta Kagome!" Shippou praised.
She threw him a smile before raising a hand to her eyes to adjust them and looked around. "He went this way! They...they circled around?"
"No doubt back to Naraku. They'll probably escape together." Sango guessed. "We can't let that happen. It has to stop here."
'Naraku can't escape!'
I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner...so if these are not 100% correct...please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page to learn from, a dictionary, and a few months experience to work with.
Translations: Hiraikoutsu-Flying bone (Sango's weapon) Kazaana-Attack Miroku yells when using the hole in his hand Houshi-Monk Shakujou-Priest's/monk's staff
Kisama-Can be a swear word, also rude form of you Kekkai-Barrier/shield Onore-Same as Kisama Kaze no kizu-Wound of wind (One of IY's many attacks) Kitsune-Fox
Sankon Tetsusou-Soul shattering iron claw (One of IY's many attacks) Temee-Same as onore/kisama Kugutsu-Pieces of wood with something from caster attached, what Naraku uses
Sango no ototo-Sango's little brother/Kohaku Yatta-You did it