Author's Note: Well, sorry for the month-long gap in updates – Alter Ego ended up being longer than I anticipated when I decided to finish that one first (it still has an epilogue coming though). Anyway, I'm back, and this chappie is a longish one to make up for the wait (--grin--). It's a little…dark, I guess (at least in comparison to what I've been writing lately) but it's nice to flex those muscles for a change. But I'll let you read it and decide for yourselves!
By the way, I've just started writing Father's House, Husband's House (the winner in the poll I took last chapter) and I'll be posting the next chapter of that this week, along with the epilogue to AE (hopefully). Read it please! The plot seems to be forming nicely in my mind, so I think it'll turn out well.
Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed – I love you guys! They really do help me immensely.
Chibi Horsewoman: You said (in an AE review) the Geneva Convention didn't come into use until the 50s, right? That's good to know; it'd be bad if I mentioned it before it was even conceived – then again Hogan's Heroes did it…shame on them…(--scowls--)
BlueEyedKorean: Thanks! No one wishes more than I that this story would receive 500 reviews…I like it too! (--shrugs--) Oh well…
akina kumi-tami: (--bites lip--) umm…he he…hope you didn't explode…I kinda took too long, didn't I? Oops…
Fallen-Snow: Kay, a bit belated, but still – Sango kissing Miroku in front of Teiresias isn't so strange (I figure) because she's not trying to pretend she hates him anymore; they've moved past that stage. And in answer to your question about Type Casting, yep, Kag is the director and Inu and Sang play Romeo and Juliet (but it's not an Inu/Sang pairing or anything – I just wanted to break the old 'Kag plays Juliet' cliché and try something a bit different). And finally, in response to your comment about FHHH, all I can say is…(--grin--). Oh yeah, and I emailed you to give you my second email address (cause you said in an AE review that you were having trouble getting through), but in case you didn't get it (I hate aol – it's very fickle…), check my bio, because I have both email addresses up there now. Anyway, let me know if you're still having problems. (--sigh-- soooo tired…)
Myriadragon: Glad you like it! My estimate at this point (chapter-wise) is about twenty total, but it's hard to tell until I get closer.
tHe-aRisTocRatiC-aSSaSSiN: You're right – It's just that I've gotten so used to reading those suffixes and words (like -kun and –san and hentai, etc.) that they're practically part of my vocabulary when I write this stuff. (--shrugs--) Oops…
Hye-Min: (--grin--) Thanks for the encouragement…didn't take me too much longer did it? A week or so?
Missing in ActionChapter 12: Dire Prospects
In a second-story room of the villa -- the library -- Kikyo sat in the velvet-cushioned window seat, gazing out across the gloomy, overcast courtyard, the pavement damp with the rain that had ceased to fall not long before. She was settled sideways, with her back resting against the wall of the tiny alcove and her ankles crossed elegantly to the side. Her expression was neutral as ever, brown eyes dark and haunted, unfocused as though deep in thought.
Behind the eyes that held such depth and yet were so impassive and enigmatic -- an asset, when it became necessary to hide her true feelings and intent -- her soul pondered once again the ties that bound her to Naraku. She was not held against her will -- far from it -- nor was she indebted to him in any earthly manner. No, this bond ran deeper than any of those could ever aspire to. She loved him; not in the simple, superficial way of flighty teenagers or even with the earth-shaking melodrama of a Shakespearian heroine, but rather with something akin to the utter devotion of a disciple to God. Long ago he had captivated her with his words, though they were few, and she had known once and for all that, regardless of whether her feelings could ever be returned, she had no choice but to pledge her life to his purposes, whatever that might entail. And she had, to this day, not one single regret.
She was not, nor had she ever been, a weak person, though her willingness to follow wherever this man might lead her, even unto disaster, would cause her to seem so to some. How could they possibly be expected to understand? This was her choice, and no one else's. She did as Naraku bade without thought for herself, because she had chosen to do so. She could choose no other.
Kikyo had never been a religious woman, in the traditional sense. She felt not the presence of any Supreme Being to look toward, pray toward, and without such inner faith, piety was nothing but a lie. Naraku was her religion. His presence she felt, not only in the physical sense, but spiritually, within her soul. She believed in him for reasons that were impossible to accurately describe in words, yet they seemed to her more real than anything on this earth.
There was a creak of floorboards outside the door to the room, and Kikyo drew in a deep breath as she roused from her musings, noticing at last that the rain had started up again. She heard the door open behind her and the slow, sure steps of her love crossing the room.
"What are you thinking about, My Kikyo," he said softly, his low voice brushing the air like dark velvet. She closed her eyes and savored it with a slight smile; how she loved his voice.
"You," she replied simply, all but seeing his slow, satisfied smirk, though she did not turn to face him.
He extended a hand from just behind her to brush her cheek, and she leaned into the caress subtly. "It is time," he murmured, so quietly it would have been lost to the sound of the rain had he not had the ability to capture her with no more than a whisper.
"I know," she answered.
-- -- --
Inuyasha was roused from a light slumber by the sharp clang of metal and a bright light in his eyes.
"Los hoch, du dreckiger Yankee!" a rough, unpleasant voice commanded sharply, hands prodding the hanyou none too gently, forcing him to rise as he squinted and shielded his eyes from the light. "Na wirds bald! Beweg dich!"
Inuyasha stumbled slightly as he was shoved into the hallway and hustled along, followed by the ever-present voice of the soldier urging him on. "Na wirds bald, du häßliche Ami-Sau!"
Finally, after many twists and turns through the labyrinthine passages, they reached a door, and the soldier commanded him to stop, grabbing his arm and shoving him inside to stumble against a bleak metal table, sitting beneath a single hanging light bulb, a chair on either side -- the only furniture occupying the dank, cold little room. Inuyasha barely registered the clang of the door behind him as he observed the room warily, the bare bulb suspended above him casting ominous shadows across the dingy, grey, rust-stained walls. There could only be one use for such a room -- interrogation.
The hanyou's jaw tightened and he swallowed thickly. Suddenly, the idea of being interrogated didn't seem nearly as innocuous as it had when he'd thought about it in the abstract. Horror stories, ones he'd dismissed as rumor and speculation, about the Nazis and their torture methods -- testing poisons on live human specimens, gas chambers, other things he preferred not to think about -- chased each other about in his mind. No longer did they seem so farfetched as they had when he was in the relative safety of an air force barracks or the servicemen's tavern at the base.
"Get a grip on yourself," he intoned through clenched teeth, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves. He couldn't afford to turn into a basket case before anything even happened. Besides, they weren't likely to use such extreme methods on him if they wanted information on Sesshomaru. If he was so important to them, they couldn't afford to risk his death.
He had to focus on his own goals instead -- on finding Kagome. Yes, he had to find out where they were holding Kagome and what they had done to her.
Just then his ears perked at the sound of an opening door, and he raised his head to see Kouga enter the room through a second door, opposite the one he himself had come through. Inuyasha tensed and straightened slowly, golden eyes narrowed maliciously upon the hated face of the officer, who took no notice of the hostility being directed at him as he seated himself at the table, across from where Inuyasha stood. Kouga met the hanyou's eyes with his emerald ones, filled with cold contempt, and indicated calmly, almost casually, that Inuyasha should sit. The silver-haired man complied stiffly, refusing to back down from the stony gaze.
"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded lowly, but Kouga only smiled.
"That is no concern of yours at this point in time, hanyou. Let me make a few things clear to you: As of now, you are at our mercy. You have no rights whatsoever, and you will answer all of our questions truthfully and completely. Now this can be done either of your own volition or, if necessary, with the help of certain...persuasive devices. If you do not wish to experience these devices first hand, I suggest that you answer willingly. Is that understood?"
Inuyasha made no reply. He's bluffing, trying to distract you -- don't back down. Find Kagome...
"Good," Kouga said, smirking thinly at his silence, which he took for acquiescence. "Inuyasha, what do you know about the Doomsday operation?"
"I'm not telling you anything until you tell me where to find Kagome, you son of a bitch," he spat.
There was a pause, during which both parties regarded each other, eyes locked in a battle of wills.
"I told you, she is not your concern. Now tell me what you know."
"Never." Truth be told, he had no idea what the fuck Kouga was talking about -- he'd never exactly been privy to his brother's secret operations. But the so-called information was his only bargaining chip at this point, and he was determined to use it to his full advantage.
A note of frustration seeped into the wolf demon's voice at his prisoner's defiance as he rose to his feet. "You aren't making this easier for yourself," he growled.
"Tell me where she is."
Inuyasha's head snapped to the side as Kouga's fist connected with it, and the hanyou jumped up to face the demon with a growl, knocking over his chair and shoving aside the table in his anger. "Tell me where she is!" he demanded again, only to have the Nazi grab him roughly by the front of his shirt and slam him to the nearest wall.
"You do not ask the questions here," Kouga growled dangerously as Inuyasha strained and clawed at his grip. "You will tell me what you know! Immediately!"
"Go to hell!"
At that the hanyou was thrown headfirst to crash into the table and collapse to the ground, nursing a cut on his forehead. Before he could even begin to rise, Kouga delivered a swift kick to his midsection, causing him to crumple up in pain. His whole body shook with anger, teeth clenched as he drew breaths through them grunting at the pain in his abdomen.
"Tell me what you know," the wolf said calmly, standing above him.
"Fuck you," he growled and hurled himself up from the ground to go crashing into the other man. He threw punches, fueled as much by revenge and frustration as by the need to overpower Kouga. But the other was a full demon -- as opposed to a half -- and easily a match for him, blocking and throwing as many punches as Inuyasha. Vaguely, the hanyou wondered why Kouga didn't call for his goons to restrain him so he could beat the crap out of him without allowing Inuyasha the ability to fight back, but he wasn't about to question something that worked in his favor.
Finally a swift palm to Inuyasha's jaw and another knee to his ribcage sent him to the floor, unable to rise. That was when the door through which Kouga had entered opened once more, and in swept a tall, gaunt figure with cold red eyes -- the General that he had seen arriving that day in the street. It seemed like years ago, yet it was only a matter of weeks. And who should follow him in but Kikyo, of course.
"That's enough, Kouga," the man said, his voice like the hand of death closing around Inuyasha's throat. He seemed to radiate evil from every pore of his existence, and made Kouga seem no more significant than a single head on a Hydra -- useful, yet easily replaced when severed. "You've had your fun. Now we must get down to business."
-- -- --
Sango bustled about the cabin, tidying things up. It was the least she could do to thank Teiresias for his hospitality, and she had nothing else to do at the moment since Miroku was currently napping in the next room.
The office was particularly messy, strewn about with books and papers, most of them appearing to be snatches of stories copied over and rearranged in strange ways. The man had some odd hobbies, that was for sure. She was reluctant to throw anything away, in case it was something he wanted, but she thought at the very least she could straighten up. Next to the wastebasket, however, she found a crumpled piece of paper that looked as if he had meant to throw it away, but missed. She hesitated a moment, about to throw it away herself, but curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a peak at it instead. What she saw had the blood draining from her face in a matter of seconds.
Teiresias,
Very well, we will allow you no more than three weeks. But if you are unsuccessful in extracting the name of their contact within that time, we will take over. Keep them under careful supervision, my friend; if anything should happen to them -- if they should be allowed to escape -- the consequences for you will be very grave indeed. They are our only lead, and they must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the military. It is of the utmost importance that this matter be kept under Gestapo jurisdiction and control.
Heil Hitler
Her throat tightened, eyes widening in fear. "Oh my god..." she whispered, before clamoring to her feet and slipping into the next room as quickly and silently as she could, in case Teiresias was somewhere nearby.
"Miroku," she whispered urgently, and he blinked awake frowning dazedly at her pale complexion.
"What? What's wrong?" he mumbled in concern, and she shoved the wrinkled paper in font of his face for him to read. Understanding dawned in his expression. Now fully awake and moving to stand, he said gravely, "We have to get out of here -- now."
"Not so fast," came a steady voice from behind them, and the pair of them whirled to face it, staring wide-eyed at the bearded old man in the doorway, every trace of kindness and joviality gone from his lined face, a pistol held steadily in his right hand and pointed directly at them.
-- -- --
Inuyasha's breathing was labored, his head pounding and fuzzy as he fought to keep his wits about him. He was slumped, utterly helpless in one of the cold metal chairs before the table in that small, cold room. For hours on end he'd remained there, asked the same question repeatedly, time and time again, and every time his answer was the same. He refused to give in.
Kouga had beaten him some more, this time with the aid of soldiers to restrain him, the purpose being to weaken him. He knew now that that brief squabble with the wolf demon had been nothing but a warm up, a little bout purely for Kouga's recreation. He'd been allowed to fight back because the fucking wolf wanted a little competition, just for fun, and Naraku had indulged him.
Even a hanyou was no match for a full youkai in such slanted conditions. He didn't have a prayer, but that didn't mean he was about to give up -- not by a long shot.
Wrestling with his traitorous body, willing it to stave off unconsciousness at all costs, he squinted against the light, struggling to clear his blurred vision. Through the muddled mix of light and shadows came that voice once more, the voice he had come to loathe with a passion like no other.
"Tell me what you know, Inuyasha. Tell me about Doomsday." Naraku's voice was a noose fashioned of fine black velvet, curling around the silver-haired hanyou's throat as if just itching to strangle him to death, yet Inuyasha somehow found the strength to snarl back at him defiantly, "I'll tell you nothing."
There was a tired sigh, and at long last Naraku said lowly, "Very well, I have given you every opportunity to comply willingly. I see I shall have to resort to something a bit more troublesome. Doctor, if you would please?"
There were sounds of shuffling and something being placed on the table, a few items of some sort taken out of it and set beside it. Inuyasha felt a hand on his arm, and someone seemed to be performing some sort of ministration near his inner elbow. He winced at the sharp prick of a needle piercing his skin, and a feeling of dread settled in his stomach through the haze of pain.
"I assume you're familiar with the substance cyanide?" the Nazi said slowly, the hint of a smirk audible in his tone. Inuyasha's jaw clenched in response, the gnawing feeling in is stomach increasing at the words.
"Yes, of course you are. The substance we have just injected into your bloodstream is an extract of that particular poison, combined with a stimulant. You'll notice within minutes that your strength is returning, to some degree, and your vision will clear. That way you will be fully aware when the poison begins to take effect.
"First comes the headache, the vertigo, dizziness, confusion. Then, ever so gradually, you'll feel yourself begin to weaken, your skin becoming cold and clammy, and you'll experience convulsions and an erratic pulse as your cardiovascular system slowly shuts down. Because it is diluted the effects of the poison will be slow and all the more painful, but make no mistake -- you will die eventually, after hours, perhaps even days of agony. There is an antidote, however, which I would be more than happy to administer...if you would be so kind as to answer a few, very simple, little questions."
True to the man's words, Inuyasha's amber eyes had come back into focus, and he fixed them upon Naraku with such utter hatred as he never felt before in his life. The Nazi met his gaze levelly, the barest hint of a smirk turning the corners of his mouth -- Inuyasha was beaten, and they both knew it. The game had been called, and all that was left for him to do was give up or give in.
Reluctantly, Inuyasha said in a low voice, "If I tell you all that I know...will you release her?"
"You don't give up easily, do you?" the man replied, darkly amused. "I'll make you a deal: you give me what information you possess, and I will tell you where she is -- not that it will do you the slightest bit of good."
"And the antidote?"
"The antidote as well," Naraku assured him, "Now tell me what you know."
Here came the hard part -- Inuyasha didn't have any information. Then again...hadn't Sesshomaru once mentioned something about an invasion...?
"It's an invasion," he invented gravely, contriving to sound as if the information was being ripped from his very soul -- which wasn't far from the truth, considering the shooting pains he was beginning to feel in his abdomen and the growing headache and...dizziness. Apparently Naraku hadn't been bluffing about that poison. "It's been in the planning stages for months. I remember my brother mentioning something about Calais..."
-- -- --
"Give me the letter," Teiresias commanded severely, approaching the pair with slow, measured steps. Miroku moved instinctively in front of Sango to shield her, hands outstretched with palms up, as though to assure the other man that he had no weapons in his possession. The old man snatched the letter from Miroku's hand and motioned with the barrel of the pistol for them to move to the other side of the room, next to the table.
"What do you want from us?" Sango asked steadily, her right hand fisted in the back of Miroku's shirt as her left clutched his arm for support.
"I think that is quite obvious at this point," he replied. "It's just a pity that you had to discover it this way. I was hoping to be able to complete my task with as little difficulty as possible, but this will complicate things."
"Don't hurt Sango -- she doesn't know who the contact is. I'm the only one she's been in contact with from the underground-"
"Miroku!" the woman hissed, glaring at him fearfully over his shoulder.
"He already knows, Sango," the man argued back grimly. "It won't do us any good to go on pretending now."
"But I'm not leaving without you, I don't care what either of you says. I won't lose you again."
"You have to go," the brown-haired man insisted, "I'll be alright."
"No-!"
"I'm afraid the point is moot, anyway," Teiresias interrupted, "I can't allow either of you to leave, information or no."
Sango's hand tightened on Miroku's sleeve at the words, and her right hand slipped almost unconsciously to link fingers with his. Silently however, she was judging the distance across the floor to the older man, and when she had formulated a plan she whispered in Miroku's ear a single word: "Now."
In an instant Miroku had ducked to the side, allowing Sango to use his shoulder as leverage to propel herself across the short distance to Teiresias, kicking the weapon from the stunned man's grip before he had a chance to fire. It skittered across the floor and Sango delivered a swift elbow to the older man's gut to impair his movements before joining Miroku in a mad dash out the door and into the underbrush.
It wasn't long before a shot rang out behind them -- Teiresias had apparently recovered his weapon and was giving chase, but the couple hurtled through the woods at breakneck speed without so much as a backward glance, ducking their heads whenever a shot hit just a little too close for comfort. Miroku grabbed hold of Sango's hand to assure himself that she was keeping up, pulling her alongside him as they both gasped for breath, swiping aside low-hanging branches with reckless abandon.
Finally the gunfire ceased, the older man's strength and stamina for the chase having given out, and the couple collapsed into a panting heap on the forest floor, at the foot of a large, sturdy tree. Sango lay on her side, clutching at the stitch in her side with her cheek pressed into the dirt, and Miroku knelt on all-fours beside her, eyes closed as he tried to get control of his breathing.
"Are you alright?" she questioned worriedly, rolling to her back and lifting a hand to his bandaged forehead, and he nodded silently back at her before placing a hand to her cheek. "Are you?" he returned, and she nodded as well. "You were spectacular," he commented with a small, fond smile.
She smiled back warmly. "Couldn't have done it without you." At that he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers sweetly, relief and appreciation flooding through him.
-- -- --
A thin trail of smoke drifted upward from Naraku's lips as Inuyasha fell silent, having answered all the questions posed to him without hesitation. "You've been very helpful," he said at last, rising as though to leave the room.
"Where is she?" Inuyasha growled after him, standing despite the growing throb in his skull and the pains in his stomach. "You said you would tell me where she is -- now tell me."
A smirk of devilish amusement quirked the man's lips as he replied with a hint of irony, "Never let it be said that such a man as I would sink so low as to have deceived you. She has been interrogated as well, but it appears she possessed no useful information -- none so valuable as that which you yourself have provided. Most of the secrets she possessed were ours, waiting to be passed on to the allies."
"Where is she now?" Inuyasha demanded.
"She is in a holding cell -- awaiting her execution."
-- -- --
A/N: Okay, this time I really will make an effort not to take so long. Please review, though, because that makes it a lot easier for me to devote attention to this fic. Thanks so much!
A special thanks to Kit for the German translation. I mixed and matched a bit from what she gave me, so hopefully it all works. In case you're wondering, here's roughly what it means in English (my apologies if I screw it up…):
"Get up, you dirty Yankee-bitch!"
"Quickly! Get moving!"
"Quickly, you ugly Ami-bitch!"
According to Kit, Ami is an offensive German term for 'American' (though it may not actually have been used in WWII, but I used it anyway for variety), and Sau is the rough equivalent of the English word 'bitch.' Thanks again Kit!