Mission Completed
Sakura's Note: Finally I can upload this chapter without punctuation errors. I wasn't about to put you through all of that.
Also, to everyone who found the dream sequence confusing; my apologies. I was trying to make it seem a bit twisted, just like nightmares usually are. (At least mine o.O;) In dreams, scenes tend to blend together so much that beginnings and endings of certain parts are unclear and we're unsure of how we got there from wherever we might have been before.
That's why I didn't include any separations during the dream sequence, sorry that it confused people! Anyway, although this story is only at chapter nine, it is coming close to ending. Not VERY close, mind you, but the peak is coming. After you read this chapter, you'll see why.
This chapter is pretty short, although next chapter should be around 13 or 14 pages long. If I continued it here, then there would be no good place to stop it, and it would turn into something 20 pages long. (Not that you guys would mind...)
Now, for a bit of blatant plugging: I've posted a new story; Wish I Were You, and I'd like to get some more feedback on it. Based on how much of a response it receives, I might tweak it to publish for real.
.-.-.
Chapter Nine: Life's A Bearer of Bad News
.-.-.
Sometime during the course of the early morning, Kagome awoke to find herself held protectively by Inuyasha, her hands wrapped around his torso securely. When this happened, she knew she'd never really figure out. All that mattered was that they were there, and she had spent one night free of any nightmares.
She was also not sure what exactly they were, the night before was just now coming back to her.
"Keh. You're mine and I'm yours now."
Inuyasha's words brought warm feelings to her stomach, making her smile heartily. The question was to what extent where they an item? She felt silly asking herself questions like; can I hold his hand? Will we kiss? He hadn't said they were a couple, it seemed there was more to it than that.
I guess I'll wait for him to make the first move... He can set the bar. Kagome pressed her face into his chest, blocking out the sunlight. There was a grunt from above her. "Morning."
She smiled knowingly; he always noticed everything. "Morning, Inuyasha."
"Kagome, about this morning when we were talking..."
Something inside her fluttered with nervousness. Would he regret telling her about his mother? Would he remember what he'd said and clam up like he always did?
"Thanks."
Kagome blinked out of surprise. "Why are you thanking me?"
"Because you were there for me -- you listened. People always offer pity, and treat me differently. I don't think they'll ever get that I don't want that kind of attention. I'm not telling them because I need some sympathy."
"I should be the one thanking you, Inuyasha." Kagome moved away from him enough so she could see his whole face. "When I first met you I never thought you'd tell me anything. You were arrogant and snobbish, but you opened up to me and showed me who you are. I feel honored knowing you felt like you could tell me about your mother. Izayoi raised a wonderful son in the time she was given, Inuyasha, no matter what anyone says."
Inuyasha scoffed. "If she was still alive she would kill me. Running off with guns blazing and assassins everywhere, bombs at every corner and demons out to kill me almost succeeding. She'd never let me do it. Parents are like that, sometimes they can smother you. Not that I really know from experience or anything."
The hanyou noticed that Kagome had gone quiet, and very still. He looked down at her to see a distant look in her eyes. She was staring off into space.
"I don't really know either."
Inuyasha berated himself for his stupidity. "Kagome, I'm--"
"It's ok," she looked up at him with a smile. "Really. I'm fine." She got up, brushing herself off. "You know, people aren't meant to sleep all cuddled up in a corner. I've got cramps everywhere." Kagome started to work fiercely at working the muscle spasms out of her body before she felt two warm hands on her back.
"Stupid. You'll rip your muscles up if ya keep at it like that." He gave her back a concentrative glare, putting all of his attention on making her feel better.
"Thanks." She gave a groan as the intense pressure in her back began to dissipate.
"Keh. If you weren't comfortable you should have said something." Inuyasha chastised. "We could have moved."
Kagome smiled, leaning into him and causing his hands to stop. She could feel him battling himself, thinking about what to do. He's as unsure as I am... Without a word Kagome took his hands and wrapped them around her waist gently. Almost instantly his arms tightened their grip and made her feel secure just like the night before.
Inuyasha breathed a mental sigh of relief. She doesn't regret what she said. "We should check on Kagura."
With an agreeing nod, the two of them headed off down the hall towards Kagura's bedroom.
.-..-.
Kouga walked down the sterilized white hall anxiously. He had not been able to get to sleep all night, opting to watch over Ayame as she slept instead. How had she hidden the illness for so long? The others had just started to notice her fatigue and she was already close to the point of no return.
Thankfully, there was always a backdoor.
And this time, the medical team (and the only others who knew of her illness) had sent word that they had a cure. At least, in theory.
But, a theory was always better than an empty slate.
He entered the medical lab. "Doctor?"
A young woman looked up from her laptop and jumped. "Oh, h-hello, Kouga." She seemed to be blushing, and her eyes darted nervously behind her thick-rimmed glasses.
"Hey..."
"Doctor Eri Natoko. You can call me Eri." She smiled lightly and extended her hand.
How did that damnable dog do it? He handled everything in stride... Save for Shiori, of course.
"What did you find out?" He noticed her somewhat deflated persona, but shrugged it off. Eri brightened a minute later as she rushed back to her computer.
"Oh! Yes! Virus-S!" Doctor Natoko brought up a file to show a single strand of DNA rotating in the center of the screen. "There is only one thing on this earth that has the density of the virus in Ayame's body; the Shikon Jewel. We're counting on the fact that when Naraku gave us the fake that he matched the density. Somehow he used someone's miasma along with fragments of the jewel to make this disease, ergo that is how we can get the antibody."
"But if she's already gotten parts of it in her bloodstream then it's already gone."
"Naraku would not have destroyed an entire jewel just to poison one girl." Eri informed excitedly. "It's out there, and you need to find out where."
He almost regretted asking the next question. "How long do I have to find it?"
Eri's voice was full of regret. "Less than a week."
"A week?!" Kouga stared at her in disbelief. "This is insane! That isn't enough time!"
"We have something that might stunt the effects a few hours, but it doesn't change the inevitable. Without that jewel there's nothing we can do."
The wolf demon looked more than a little shook up, but managed to keep together for the most part. "Thank you, Doctor Natoko... Eri." He dashed from the room at his demonic speed, leaving papers flying haphazardly around the room.
She nodded with a sorrowful smile, "Please find it."
.-..-.
Kanna looked up from her book. Kagura's eyes were twitching and her breathing was that of someone just rousing from sleep. "She's waking up."
Sesshoumaru looked up eagerly, allowing his stoic demeanor to crack. The woman who had gotten under all of that coldness to the soul underneath. What had Naraku done to her?"Kagome." Not the first word Sesshoumaru expected his mate to say... But at least it was something. "Get her."
The agent looked up from her spot next to Inuyasha with a look of bemusement. She stopped at Kagura's bedside, where the demon already was sitting up. "Kagura?"
"There were others. Two, actually." Her voice was hoarse from being out so long, but it was gaining strength as she spoke. "Musou and Hakudoushi... I knew their names before Naraku drugged me."
Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kanna, have you heard of them?"The younger girl looked up from her sister and shook her head. "I did not know of any others."
"Naraku made sure no one knew of them. The drug must still be effective of part of my mind if I didn't remember that until now." Kagura cursed. "I thought I was cured!"
"Part of your subconscious must still be affected." Inuyasha ignored surprised looks from his brother and the other ex-assassins. Kagome looked proud. "You said something about my darts being the anti-virus. We should just use some more of it."
"And kill her?" Sesshoumaru glared, "You are truly a fool."
Kagome glared, making even Inuyasha's brother do a double take. "Just once, can you not listen to someone else's ideas without someone making you, Sesshoumaru?"
"You've picked a fiery one, Inuyasha, the only thing you've ever done right... Even though she is a human."
Inuyasha bristled, "How dare you--"
"If I'm not mistaken, you hid from Naraku for years protecting a human like myself. And, wasn't it you who brought Kohaku here to heal when you could have allowed him to die?" Kagome stood up from Kagura's bed and scowled. "You try and taint his name and his heritage, Sesshoumaru, by calling him a lover of humans. But your father is his too, and he mated with a human! So either way you look at it, you're in a family of human lovers and you need to deal with it."
Kagura had an unreadable look on her face. She agreed that Sesshoumaru did have an unnatural hatred for humans. If anything, Inuyasha should have carried such hatred. With all the hatred they gave him, but he didn't. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, had only been given respect for the most part, and was left alone. Most of the human world didn't even know youkai existed, despite all the ancient legends of their existence.
Kagome was a fiery girl, but that fire could get her in trouble one day. Inuyasha was her perfect match because despite what they said to one another, they shared a strong bond. But, there were others out there that wouldn't hesitate to hurt her because of that same spark.
"Back down, woman." Sesshoumaru advised, "I only hold my temper half of the time."
This ensued a brief glaring match between the two. Tension filled the room, making everyone a little anxious.
"Damn it, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha growled, "She ain't gonna back down. Let it go." How dare his brother threaten Kagome? She had shown him kindness for too long already!
"She insulted our father.""Like you do?" Inuyasha countered, balling up his fists. He was emitting a low growl, one Kagome was certain she had heard before.
"Inuyasha, calm down..." She soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not in any danger. He can't hurt me."
Sesshoumaru scoffed.
"Sesshoumaru, stop this!" Kagura commanded from her bed. "Something's happening to him!"
Despite his mate's demand, Sesshoumaru stood his ground. He would not show any further weakness in front of his brother. "I know what I am doing to him."
Inuyasha's breathing deepened, and his eyes were flashing from honey to red. His muscles were straining to hold his blood back, but it didn't seem to be doing much. "You're a bastard, Sesshoumaru."
"Step back, woman; he won't refrain from injuring you just to get to me."
"He won't hurt me." Kagome said confidently. "He loves me." When he gets back to normal I'm dead... "He wouldn't do anything to hurt someone he cared about." She smiled at the struggling hanyou with trust, "You heard me, right? I'm okay, you don't need to change to protect me."
Inuyasha's brother looked at the two in hidden surprise. Her effect on his brother was amazing.
In less than a minute the confused and tired hanyou was back. He was leaning on Kagome slightly for support, but other than that looked fine. He didn't say anything, but he was looking at Kagome strangely. Had he heard right?
"Where are these darts of yours, Inuyasha?" Kagura interrupted. She was as much in the dark as the rest of them about what had just happened. Kagome and Sesshoumaru seemed to be the only other ones clued in to what was going on.
Inuyasha seemed to jerk out of his thoughts from her voice. "They're with me. In Fang."
Sesshoumaru nodded, deciding Kagura would get better faster if he swallowed some pride. After all, Inuyasha did have resources that ex-assassins did not.
.-..-.
Sango jerked awake in front of her computer screen. She had dropped line, and once again cursed not getting DSL like everyone else had. They'd decided to forget her because she had been in America.
Meanies...
That was when she noticed something was out of place.
The room seemed different, even though nothing looked like it had been moved. It was like a new aura had seeped into the room while she had been sleeping.
"Miroku?"
She looked over her shoulder and saw him lying on her bed safely. He groaned at the sound of her voice, and opened his eyes. The lights were still on, and he squinted once he was fully awake. "What is it Sango?"
"Something's up." She concluded, jumping up. Despite being in a pair of short shorts and a baggy t-shirt, the agent still looked threatening. Sango grabbed her Hiraikotsu from its resting place in the corner. If anyone were in the base, she would be ready.Miroku jumped up when he saw she was serious and took a look around. He, too, sensed something. "Where do you think it's coming from?"
"Close." Sango muttered. "I'll go get Rin and Kohaku." The two kids had decided to stay in Inuyasha's room for the night since he had never shown up.
Miroku nodded and followed. "My staff's in Inuyasha's room as well."
They walked down the hall quietly, noting how silent it seemed. "What time is it?" Sango asked quietly. She looked over at her boyfriend curiously. He looked down at his watch.
"Ten thirty..." He frowned. "It's never this quiet here."
"I know." The two of them stopped at Inuyasha's door. On the count of three Sango threw open the door to find--
...absolutely nothing.
Save for Inuyasha's furniture and posters not a soul was in there. "Miroku..."
"This isn't good." He stated the obvious, but Sango needed to hear it to believe it.
"We can't be the only ones here." Sango pointed out. Someone else has got to be here somewhere." She sounded panicked, and reasonably so. How did an entire base full of agents disappear in only a few hours. "Where's Kohaku?! And Rin?!"
"We'll find them, they can't be far." Miroku soothed, allowing Sango to hold onto his arm.
"Oh, they can be." The two agents spun around, Sango's boomerang flying forward to hit the owner of the new voice. But, no one was there. "You missed." A flash of black disappeared from their view.
Sango ran after him, leaving Miroku to get what he needed. She wouldn't lose her brother again, and she wouldn't let them take Rin either.
As she rounded the corner where she could still hear the footsteps something slammed into her abdomen. A leg. A human leg. She could tell by the force of its blow.
Winded, but not rendered defenseless, Sango took a step back and ducked. The owner of the leg came into full view and tried kicking her in the stomach. Instead, she grabbed their foot inches before it reached her, flipping them over and into the wall. The freakiest mask she'd ever seen and wildly placed hair covered the person's face.
She could see a blob clad in black in her peripheral vision, but before she could reach it another person scored a hit to her side. Sango's face was set in anger, and her punch didn't miss the other's face.
The attacks were over for the moment, and she was free to look up. Assassins, dozens of them, were coming at her from every direction. What shook her, though, was the 'blob' she'd seen only moments earlier. It, too, wore a mask. The mask was much simpler than the others, but that much more chilling as well. The blob moved slowly, but it looked to have more than just two arms and legs.
"Nice to finally meet you face to face." The voice that she had heard in Inuyasha's bedroom came from behind a few of the bulkier assassins to her right. When she turned, she came face to face with a man. He looked human, but then again, so did Naraku. His eyes were black, along with his shoulder length hair, and if he weren't evil, Sango would have thought he was handsome. "Kagome."
Sango froze for a moment. How did anyone confuse her for Kagome? "My name is not Kagome." She informed tersely. "What did you do to everyone?"
"They'll find themselves awake in a matter of hours." The man shrugged nonchalantly. He stopped smirking when he registered what he'd just heard. "You're not Kagome?"
"It doesn't matter! What do you want? Who are you?" Sango poised her Hiraikotsu behind her back, ready to toss it at any moment. She spared a glance behind her to make sure no assassins were sneaking up on her, than returned her glare to the stranger.
"The name's Musou, and I'm here to kill you."