Dark as Day
Chapter Nine
"Sha!" Kamen screeched out, her eyes widening behind her goggles as she watched her partner struggling with himself. His red eyes, unfocused and unblinking, stared at the ground and his body twitched with an almost seizure like writhing. "Sha!"
She wasn't sure what yelling out his name—well, alias—would do to help him, but at the moment she was petrified. She'd faced many demons before. She'd been with the demon exterminators for a favorable amount of years. But yet, seeing her partner writhing in pain froze her from her position.
He growled, a deep, primal sounding bark similar to a dog's. Kamen took a hesitant back, wishing to distance herself from him and yet, at the same time, help him. He didn't respond to her voice save for that one dog-like grunt. She took a step towards him again, her hand reaching out.
A dark snarl erupted from his parted lips and he scurried away from her, his hands on the ground, as if he were trying to move like a dog. His red eyes surveyed her warily, his lips drawn back, baring his fangs at her in warning. He almost looked like a cat that'd just about been dumped in water. Except that he wasn't wet—just the mannerisms he portrayed as he stared at her. His ears swiveled on top of his head, poised and quivering towards her.
"Sha," she said, gentler this time as she took another step towards him only to see him scurry away again, his claws scraping against the pavement. His eyes swept over her body and the area surrounding them, seemingly planning his escape. "Sha, calm down. It's me."
She wasn't sure if that was supposed to bring him comfort, seeing as how the two weren't necessarily the greatest of friends—or partners, for that matter—but it seemed to have no effect on the dog demon. His red eyes narrowed and he growled warningly, causing Kamen to pause in her step once again.
The huntress felt her breath freeze in her throat as Sha suddenly arched up, standing to his full height, dark red eyes staring down at her. He growled, the small vibrations from his throat causing shivers to dance up and down Kamen's spine. She visibly shuddered, causing the red-eyed dog demon to smirk wickedly. She watched something primal dance in his eyes and felt a cold fist of fear grip her.
"You… you stupid boy!" she gasped out, feeling her anger boiling. Her fear seized her. "Can't… can't even control yourself now, can you?"
He growled again. "Shut up, wench," he whispered. Kamen startled, feeling her heart freeze for one painful second. She hadn't known he could speak. "Keep your damned mouth shut."
She glared at him, her anger so close to ruling out her fear. "No!" she snapped out defiantly. "I won't."
He loomed towards her, his body slithering, smoothly closing the distance between them. He stood over her and she felt like her heart had truly stopped forever this time. She quivered and he smirked wickedly, his eyes flashing angrily.
His hand snapped out, fisting itself in the material of her uniform, pulling her off the ground. She gasped quietly and didn't think to use her purifying energy to knock him away. She was petrified with fear as she stared into those heartless red eyes.
"Stop…" she protested weakly, wondering where her typical exuberance had disappeared to. Usually she would have batted this behavior away like a pesky fly. But sometime was different. True, Sha was harsh… but he had never… done this before. "Sha…" she whispered, her eyes staring at him through her goggles. "Sha…"
He chuckled, and the noise sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She shuddered as his smirk flashed over his face. He lifted her a little higher, as if wondering what it was that he was supposed to do with her.
"Stop…" she said again, clutching his wrists with her own hands. She couldn't seem to summon up the energy to purify him. Perhaps she didn't want to.
"Make me."
The words were harsh and sinister punctuated by a dark chuckle. Kamen shuddered again and struggled against his grip, trying to free herself and summon up her powers. Nothing happened except another dark laugh. Red eyes flashed and elongated fangs glinted in his mouth as he continued to smirk.
She stared at him dumbly, unsure what to make of such a look. Her powers had temporarily abandoned her, and she wasn't sure why. In her mind, she reasoned that it was because it was Sha. And, despite the fact that he was boorish and rude, he was still her partner. She saw glimmers of a good person in Sha's golden eyes, even though she rarely voiced such an opinion. The familiarity of Sha was enough to make any girl smile silently. It was just when he opened his mouth…
She was digressing from the issue at hand. She tried to pull away from Sha, who continued to stare at her like he'd much rather eat her than anything else. It was unnerving, to say the least, and she felt her attempts at escape increasing.
"You don't want to do this," she tried to reason with him, her hands hanging at her sides when she felt her strength rush away from her.
"How do you know what I want?" he breathed out, his venom-laced voice breezing over her face.
A thought struck Kamen and she felt a world of relief flood over her.
She stared at him for a long moment, hoping that her newly conceived idea didn't appear in her body language. She was thankful that her eyes were hidden, because she'd been told by many before that her eyes were rather revealing in what she was thinking.
In any case, the demon didn't seem to notice the glimmer of change in her demeanor and continued to hold her in midair. She allowed a tiny smile to creep over her face and was pleased to see that he regarded her nervously, unsure what it was she was plotting.
She licked her dry lips. "Sha…" she paused for effect, "Sit."
It happened instantly. The rosary around his neck glowed and he slammed to the ground, taking Kamen with him. She gasped in pain as he pinned her. He didn't move for a long moment. Kamen waited on bated breath.
A short while later, Sha lifted his head, complete with glowing golden eyes. He stared at her, his eyes wide.
"What… happened?" he questioned, blinking slowly as he looked around. "Did we beat them?"
Kamen shook her head and felt her body shaking. Tears threatened to trickle down her face but she quickly sustained them. Sha must have sensed it, however, because he looked alarmed.
"Hey, wench, what the hell happened?" he asked, covering his worrisome thoughts with an angry snap. Kamen shook her head and stared at the ground, wishing she could erase the look he'd had in his eyes not too long ago.
"Hey…" he murmured again, reaching out a hand. He almost expected her to flinch away, but instead, she kept her head bowed. She clutched her knees and sniffled prominently, trying to hide her unease.
"What?" she questioned.
"It's okay now…" he whispered.
Kamen nodded, finding comfort in the demon's words despite herself.
"So… I changed?" Inuyasha questioned uncertainly. Kamen and Inuyasha found themselves back at the headquarters, back in a sterile white room he was all too accustomed to. He'd done many tests with Miroku, who found him more than fascinating. Inuyasha tolerated it barely, but knew that at the end of the day he really had no choice in the matter.
Miroku was busy fiddling over testing results, finding this new change about Inuyasha the greatest thing since sliced bread. He scribbled down on his clipboard and continued flipping to different pages, comparing some forgotten test results he'd collected from Inuyasha's blood. He nodded occasionally before returning to writing quickly on the front page.
Kamen nodded, but wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was relaying the information of the event in question to Sango, who stood near Miroku listening intently. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she registered Kamen's words. Neither of his three coworkers even so much as glanced at him. He felt like he was looking in on something to which he didn't belong, even though they were quite obviously discussing him.
"He… His eyes turned red and…" Kamen paused, pursing her lips in thought as she tried to remember the other changes that had overcome Inuyasha. She shrugged one shoulder. "His fangs were longer, too, I think. I wasn't really paying attention to that… I was a little dizzy from him nearly choking me."
He didn't hear any contempt or anger in her voice, she was simply speaking facts. Nevertheless, what she said shot a shiver up his spine. He couldn't remember anything that had happen—just that he'd been slammed to the ground by Kamen. Anything before that was a rather frustrating blur of nothing.
"Just as I suspected," Miroku interjected before Sango could open her lips. The three turned to look at the doctor. He glanced up and beamed, as if what Kamen had just been saying truly was the greatest thing ever. "Sha's neuron activity is increasing and his brain mass is massively warping."
Inuyasha looked confused and the two girls near him mirrored his expression.
"Let me explain," Miroku said calmly with a nod. "Sha's brain has undergone some major mutations since his body needs to compensate for the sleeping blood that his father concealed within him. This has caused his brain to shift and change massively and his neurons' action potential speed to increase almost threefold." The three pretended to look like they knew what the doctor was talking about.
"His brain is undergoing a change that's similar to the brain development of a two-year-old or a teenager—the two most major stages of brain development. Only, his body isn't expecting it and it's causing some major repercussions."
"Like what?" Inuyasha asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Your demon blood is fighting for dominance," Miroku stated simply, his eyes sparkling at the possible tests he could conduct to learn more. "But, at the same time, the changes in your body aren't able to maintain your blood and as a result, your demon blood is trying to destroy your human blood completely."
"What?" Kamen and Sango gasped and Inuyasha could just imagine their eyes widening—but he didn't pull his own widened eyes away from Miroku.
"I'm not sure what's triggering it, for obvious reasons." He seemed put out by this idea. "But something his causing Sha's blood to overpower him at times. As a result, I think what Kamen experienced today was Sha's body trying to resist his father's blood's power struggle."
"Amazing," Sango marveled, her eyes staring at Inuyasha as if he were on display. Inuyasha felt raw under her gaze.
"Who knows what may happen," Miroku murmured, pursing his lips. "That wasn't a complete transformation. I'm not sure what will happen if Sha undergoes a complete transformation."
"Disaster," Kamen spoke, her voice echoing in the room. Silence followed the statement as the other three nodded mutely.
Inuyasha stared at the floor, his golden eyes swirling with emotion. One thought reverberated throughout his mind:
'Why me?'
He must have dozed off, he realized, because Inuyasha was suddenly jostled awake. He sat bolt upright, his lavender eyes—the illusion from the sealing spell still in place—staring at the wall blankly as he tried to figure out what it was that had awoken him. Rubbing his head he glanced down at the textbook he'd been sleeping on. He rubbed his cheek, hoping that there weren't marks on it. He cringed at the pain in his arm where Miroku had pricked him multiple times in his fervor to get as much blood as possible in order to do tests.
Suddenly, the reason for his abrupt awakening sounded shrilly from the drawer to his desk. Frowning, he opened it and pulled out the communicator he'd removed from his ear when it started to itch. His said dog ear inclined towards it as he shoved it into his ear.
"What?" he barked, aggravated that he'd been awoken from a late night essay writing. The thing was due next week but he had a feeling that Kamen would take this opportunity to train with him. Which wasn't a fun thing, he reminded himself bitterly.
"We're needed," Kamen's voice spoke in his ear. He rolled his eyes.
"You're kidding? I thought that maybe you were calling for a date," he groaned out sardonically. Why else would she be calling for other than to instruct him on some mundane errand he'd need to run?
Going into the demon exterminators, with all the hype of training and Tessaiga, Inuyasha had expected something a little more… exciting. He silently told himself to pipe down, seeing as how not a couple days ago he'd been wishing for his ordinary lifestyle once again. His waffling on this rather important subject was starting to wear thin on his nerves. That, and the fact that Naraku hadn't contacted him about his mother was starting to wear him thin.
Kamen, however, seemed unfazed by Inuyasha's snide remarks. "There's a disturbance down by the docks. Meet me there."
A small click signaled that Kamen had ended her transmission, leaving Inuyasha once again in silence. He sighed and stood, shoving his textbook aside haphazardly. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Inuyasha scooted across his floor to where he hid his uniform—the incredibly flattering spot beneath his bed.
Kneeling, he extracted his protective uniform, complete with the tedious gadgets that he rarely found a reason to use, and began stripping. Dressing, he clicked off the light in his bedroom window and slipped off the ring from his finger, tucking it away into one of his many compartments. Ducking beneath his window, he peered up, his golden eyes sweeping over the world outside.
Spotting no one around, the hanyou slipped open his window and hopped nimbly onto his windowsill. A sliver of silver moonlight kissed his feet as he closed his window sullenly and jumped down to the ground. He stood to his full height after landing and peered around. The docks weren't too far away. He glanced mournfully at his motorcycle before leaping up onto the building opposite of the street.
He moved swiftly through the night, his golden eyes narrowed in determination. Soon, the docks were in sight and from the corner of his eye he could see Kamen moving swiftly, though slower—due to her human limbs. He darted behind her and soon was in sync with her. He scooped her up soundlessly, as they'd become quite accustomed to Inuyasha's speedier way of travel, and moved to the docks. Dropping down behind crates, Inuyasha set Kamen down and turned to her.
"So, what's happening?" Inuyasha asked as a greeting.
Kamen rolled her shoulders until he heard a distant popping sound before inclining her head, signaling that he was to follow her before she made any sound.
"Patrol picked up a strange signature reading," Kamen explained quietly once they were secured in the shadow of a taller alcove of crates. "Sent us to investigate. They think it might be Naraku."
The name caused a flash of anger to flare up within him. He felt his claws dig into his palms and his golden eyes narrow. He sniffed the air experimentally, wishing that he could detect Naraku's scent—or perhaps the faint glimmer of juniper, his mother's scent. Instead, he was greeted with the distinct scent of rotted fish and dirty water.
"Smell anything?" Kamen pressed as she fiddled with the goggles on her face, obviously adjusting the frequency to some new setting. He shook his head and he heard Kamen sigh in disappointment. "Damn, guess we'll have to really go and investigate, then. It's probably nothing but some rat demons."
Giving a face that Inuyasha would have called a pout on anyone else, Kamen swung up onto the crates and began climbing, moving slowly and carefully while unhooking the bow on her back. He watched her go before moving in the opposite direction, jumping lightly onto the crates, soundlessly moving towards the top.
The wind rustled their faces but neither seemed to notice as they crept along the shipping crates, searching for that one flash of a demon, that one scent of their enemy. After a quarter of an hour with nothing, Inuyasha felt his patience wearing thin again.
Ambiguous shadows danced on the docks below as Inuyasha reached the top, surveying the area. He spotted Kamen not too far away, looking in his blind spots. He felt strangely relieved that Kamen was covering him—or was he covering her?—and turned his attention back towards the issue at hand.
"See anything?" Kamen's voice whispered in his ear. The said dog ear twitched as Inuyasha's eyes swept over the stray rats that peppered the docks below. He shook his head for a moment before realizing that Kamen wasn't near him—it was hard to remember that sometimes, he was so used to her aura.
"Nothing except rats and crates," Inuyasha muttered. "The patrol must have been drunk. Damn sods making us go all the way out here for nothing…"
He almost swore he heard Kamen giggle but shrugged it off as a trick of the wind, which continued to blow around them. "Well," he grunted angrily. "There doesn't seem to be anything here. Should we head back?"
He turned towards Kamen in time to see a figure on the giant crane used to transport crates onto the large ships. He stared openly, his golden eyes wide, so wide he was sure that he was reflecting the figure in his orbs. The sliver of moon silhouetted the figure's body, but it was too feminine to be Naraku's.
"Hey, wench," he began but was cut off as Kamen turned in time to see a bright flash rush towards her. His eyes widened and he was already skidding towards her as Kamen jumped off the crates. He caught her in midair and they both watched in stunned fascination as the crates Kamen had been standing on moments ago blasted into millions of pieces.
They landed on the dock in time to see the figure pull something from her side and shoot the dock's regulation building. It was revealed to be a grappling hook and the two partners readied their weapons as the figure swung down from the orange crane. With a nimble flip, she landed on the ground, barely touching down before shooting upwards and firing another blast towards them.
Kamen and Sha dodged. Inuyasha watched as the arrow, shimmering in a bright light much like Kamen's, embedded itself in the crate behind them. He saw Kamen ready her own arrow, drawing it from the quiver on her back. He turned his attention back towards the female figure that'd just waged against them.
"No…" he heard Kamen gasp out and turned towards her, afraid she'd somehow hurt herself. The arrow poised on the bow wasn't pointed at the figure anymore. In fact, it was pointing at the ground, the string, instead of being pulled taut, was limp in Kamen's fingers. "No…"
Inuyasha lifted his eyes, unsure what it was that had made Kamen at this way. His eyes stared at the figure. He didn't see anything that would cause him to deny her presence. She was attractive, he knew that at once. Her brown eyes stared at them, long bangs nearly hiding them from view. She had a tiny nose, pursed lips, perfectly brushed, black hair, and a slim body.
She seemed faintly familiar and he wondered where he'd seen her before.
"Kikyou…" Kamen's voice shattered the silence of the docks. The one named Kikyou nodded her head, blank brown eyes staring at Kamen as she pointed an arrow towards the woman.
Inuyasha's eyes widened. Kikyou. He recognized her. He'd had a dream about her before he'd transformed—he remembered with a blush that he'd dreamed of her many times as a boyish teenager. She was the beautiful, gorgeous supermodel who'd disappeared years ago. She'd been Japan's favorite model, and her sudden disappearance had crushed the hopes and dreams of dateless guys—much like him—everywhere.
But what was she doing here?
And why did Kamen know her?
"What are… what are you doing here?" Kamen demanded and Inuyasha heard a quiver in her voice that he'd never heard before. He stared at her before warily staring at the newcomer. She didn't even bat an eyelash at Kamen's pathetic demands. He wished that whatever was happening would stop, because he was starting to feel the tension mounting on the docks.
"I've been sent to kill you," Kikyou said calmly, poising an arrow towards Kamen. Kamen stilled, and her body tensed. He felt her aura surging with what he could only guess was barely contained pain.
Inuyasha moved swiftly, pivoting where he stood and standing in front of Kamen, blocking the girl from view. He felt a hand touch his back but ignored it. He glared at Kikyou, silently daring her to make a move towards Kamen.
Golden eyes locked on Kikyou's chocolate brown ones and he felt one of his ridiculously boyish fantasies come to life—despite the fact that Kikyou had to the intent to kill Kamen, standing here actually looking at her was hardly an every day occurrence, especially since everyone believed Kikyou to be dead.
He felt Kamen behind him shift, but he still didn't move. He glared at Kikyou, clutching Tessaiga's hilt like a lifeline.
"Half breed," he heard Kikyou murmur, her arrow cocked towards him. "Move aside."
"No," Inuyasha said firmly, not allowing himself to back down even when he saw the tip of Kikyou's arrow shimmer with her miko powers. "I won't let you touch her."
He felt Kamen move again and placed a hand behind him, touching her forearm and stilling her. He didn't turn to face her and he didn't move. His golden eyes did not waver away from the woman before him. He would protect Kamen. For one brief moment he wondered why he was risking his life for Kamen but quickly shoved such a thought aside. Now was certainly not the time to be thinking about this.
"Then…" Kikyou hesitated, her brown eyes flickering from Inuyasha's face to Kamen behind him. "Then… prepare to die."
She released her arrow and it came soaring towards him. He braced himself, reading to slice it with Tessaiga if possible. The arrow flickered with purifying energy. Time seemed to stand still and Inuyasha watched as two hands appeared on either side of his face, palms facing towards the oncoming arrow.
A split second later, a large blast of energy erupted from Kamen's outstretched hands and knocked against the arrow, causing it to fall to the ground—the two different powers having canceled it out. Inuyasha stared at it and watched as the hands slowly slunk back behind him and a tiny, quivering hand to touch his back again.
"Stay back, wench," Inuyasha instructed and Kamen obeyed, taking a hesitant step back.
Inuyasha was about to go to the woman but Kikyou was too quick. She raced towards the hanyou, and, with a flying kick to his head, sent him spiraling towards the ground. He slammed his head against the ground and skidded a couple of feet—having been caught off guard.
Kamen whipped her head towards her partner, who thudded against the shipping crates and groaned weakly, shifting his head and trying to get up. His body quivered before he fell back to the ground, his eyes staring dimly at the two women before the golden orbs fell shut.
"No!" Kamen gasped out and moved swiftly towards Kikyou, her heavy boots preparing to kick Kikyou's face inwards. The other girl was too quick for Kamen, however, as she quickly dodged.
The two girls sent punches and kicks towards one another, silently moving away from the fallen half breed.
"It's been a long time hasn't it, Kagome?" Kikyou murmured as she blocked a well-placed punch to her face.
Kamen's eyes widened and she whipped her head around quickly, her eyes resting on Inuyasha before turning back to Kikyou.
"Don't call me that," she hissed out, her eyes wide beneath her protective goggles. "I'm Kamen."
Kikyou smiled sadly as she ducked beneath another punch to her face. She lifted her leg up quickly, knocking the poisonous darts in Kamen's hands. She moved in a fluid motion similar to Kamen's, though Kikyou looked far more graceful then the other girl.
"Kamen, huh?" Kikyou said, her smile still incredibly sad. "It means 'disguise'. Fitting…" Her brown eyes glowed with barely suppressed emotions. "The name of the last shoot I ever did before…"
"Before you betrayed us," Kamen snapped out angrily, her lips quirked downwards in an aggravated frown. "And I didn't name myself after you, if that's what you were thinking."
"No last tribute to your long-lost sister, Kagome?" Kikyou questioned, her brown eyes sweeping over the girl's face. Kamen stiffened, her back going rigid. Her hands were curled into angered fists as she glared at her older sister.
"Why would I pay tribute to someone who tried to kill us?" Kamen snapped out, feeling the annoying pressure of tears in the back of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, willing the feeling away. "Traitor."
Kikyou looked pained, the hand holding her bow quivered lightly before she bit her lip and steadied herself.
"You don't deny it," Kamen hissed and charged towards Kikyou, her fists flying about as she punched at the girl. "What kind of horrible person are you? How can you sleep at night knowing you tried to kill your family?"
Kikyou's fathomless brown eyes stared at Kamen, the chocolate orbs glimmering in the darkness of the night and the distant lights of Tokyo. Kamen was shaking as she pulled her own arrow and aimed it at her elder sister, her eyes narrowed.
"I have to kill you," Kikyou whispered and Kamen almost thought she heard an indescribable pain in her sister's voice. But that was impossible. Kikyou had joined Naraku. Kikyou had tried to kill her family. Kikyou was a traitor.
"Why?" Kamen spat out her words like they were poisonous. She glared at her sister. "Because I know you're alive now? Can't have any witnesses?"
"No," Kikyou snapped out, anger boiling in her chocolate eyes as her normally calm exterior melted away into a fit of anger. "Because I'm being forced to, you twit!"
Kamen froze, staring at her. The arrow poised on her bow quivered and fell from her hands. She bit her lip. Could she believe her sister? Part of her wanted to, but at the same time another part of her told her that what she was feeling was just a glimmer of hope—a hope that her sister was not what she had made herself.
"Forced?" Kamen breathed.
"Yes," Kikyou snapped. "Do you think that for one moment I'd want to hurt you? To hurt mama? Gramps? Souta? Rin?" Kikyou was shaking. "No! I had to protect you!"
"Protect us…?" Kamen looked stricken—or at least what could be seen of her face. "What do you mean? From what?"
"Who do you think?" Kikyou hissed. Her whole body was shaking in rage. "Naraku."
Kamen teetered on both sides—to believe her sister, the one who'd betrayed them, or not? She opted to stay silent. She watched her elder sister silently, her eyes sweeping over her form. Kikyou stood silently, her brown eyes staring at the younger.
"He would have tortured you… killed you…" Kikyou whispered, and she lowered her eyes. "I couldn't—wouldn't—let him do that."
Kamen continued to stare.
"Why does Naraku want Sha and me dead?" Kamen demanded.
Kikyou shrugged. "He doesn't share these things with me… I'm just a… minion, I guess. I suppose that's what I am now." She looked so incredibly sad in that moment that Kamen felt her heart break again.
Their family reunion was interrupted, however, when a flash of silver blazed past Kamen. Before the two sisters could blink, Sha's hand was clasped around Kikyou's throat and he was holding her up, her feet kicking off the ground. He growled darkly.
"You won't touch her!" he snapped out again, much like he had when he'd first started protecting Kamen that night.
"Sha!" Kamen gasped out. "Stop!"
Sha turned his attention towards Kamen, confusion dancing in his golden yellow eyes. He looked utterly confused and torn.
"Stop, she's my sister!" Kamen breathed and Sha's eyes widened. He slowly lowered Kikyou down, who quickly broke away from the hanyou, massaging her neck as she went.
Sha took a step towards Kamen and positioned himself yet again in a spot in front of Kamen. Though this time, he stood near her right instead of blocking her completely from view. He glared at Kikyou, unsure whether or not to trust her.
When had Sha become so protective? Kamen couldn't remember.
"She… may have information for us," Kamen said gently, staring at Kikyou. Kikyou shifted uncomfortably.
"Information…?" he whispered distantly.
"About Naraku," Kamen spoke as her eyes locked on Kikyou. "Well? Do you?"
Kikyou shifted uncomfortably, as if she desperately wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground or become invisible. Inuyasha felt a slight twinge of pity penetrate him but Kamen continued to stare at Kikyou stubbornly, her arms crossed.
"He doesn't… tell me much," Kikyou admitted. "I'm not a favorite you see." She shifted uneasily under the two taijiya's penetrating stares. "From what I've heard… he's planning something big."
She looked around, as if expecting something to pop up. Seemingly satisfied, she returned his attention to Kamen and Sha. "Something that will wipe out all the humans in this area."
Kamen's mouth fell open before she snapped it shut. "What?"
"From what I've seen, he's making some kind of machine that will somehow kill off all the humans in the city. I'm not sure how it works. He's already stolen some of the necessary parts… And that doctor that he kidnapped, Dr. Yomohama… Somehow Naraku's using the doctor's knowledge in this."
Kikyou swallowed. With every word that passed through her lips she became more and more uncomfortable. Sha could sense her uneasiness and wondered what it was that was making her so nervous.
"Anything else?" Kamen demanded.
"Y-yes," Kikyou murmured. Her eyes glowed from the light from the city. "He's been conversing with the Aum Shinrikyo."
Silence followed this statement. The Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese religious cult. A couple of years ago they'd released nerve gas into the Tokyo subway station. Many had been apprehended, but the leader had slipped through the cracks.
"They helped him steal a large scale governmental generator," Kikyou explained.
"That's what we tried to keep away from them," Kamen supplied to Sha who nodded in understanding.
"I overhead him talking," Kikyou whispered, creeping closer to the two as if the distance between them was too far away for her to be talking. "Talking to the Aum Shinrikyo… at least, I think it was them. But something's going down at these docks in a couple of days. I'm not sure when."
Her eyes swept the docks again. The eerie sound of water slapping against the docks was the only noise in the otherwise still air. She shivered unconsciously as the wind fluttered over her face.
"How can we be sure that she's telling the truth?" Inuyasha suddenly demanded, causing the two miko to stare at him in shock. They'd nearly forgotten he was there for a moment, so engrossed in the words Kikyou was saying. "This could just be a trap set up by Naraku."
He bitterly remembered his mother and glared at Kikyou.
Kikyou was silent for a moment. "I was blackmailed into joining Naraku."
"What?" Inuyasha hissed out. The idea wasn't unlikely. But how could he be sure? His thoughts still remained on his kidnapped mother.
"Naraku would have killed my family had I not joined him. I had to pretend to attack them so they wouldn't come searching for me…" Kikyou said tensely. "It worked."
The two words she spoke were packed with so much emotion that Inuyasha was positive that the supermodel was going to burst into tears.
Kamen took a step towards her and soon she was running. Perhaps she was foolish to believe her sister so quickly. But as she approached her sister, she felt her mind fill with all the things that she and Kikyou used to do together. She'd wanted to grow up and be Kikyou. Kikyou was the greatest person in her young, child-like mind. Her older sister was her idol back then and they did everything together.
She reached Kikyou and threw her arms around her sister, grasping her tightly in her arms and squeezing with all her might. Inuyasha stood awkwardly, feeling like a voyeur in the family moment.
He took a step backwards and turned his head away from the display. As he did, his golden eyes focused on a swish of fabric as a figure darted behind the crates a short walk away from the three of them. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he jumped nimbly to where the figure had disappeared.
Hesitantly, he peeked around the corner in time to see the figure before he felt something wrap around his wrists and ankles. Before he could blink he was strung up into the air, hanging, suspended, above the two miko.
The two sisters broke away quickly, Kamen grasping her bow and arrow and staring up at Sha like he'd grown a second head. Inuyasha glared back at her, silently telling her to run away with Kikyou.
But it was too late. The figure he'd spotted darted forward and threw her weapon at the two girls. Soon they, too, were tied down.
"Hair," Kamen heard Kikyou murmur. Kamen's eyes darted to the strings that held her. It looked like flexible wire. The thought of it being hair kind of disgusted her.
"Well, well," drawled a lazy voice as the figure stood atop the crates, regarding the three trapped by hair. "I wasn't expecting Kikyou to betray us… but Naraku had a suspicion. A correct one, it would appear."
She sauntered down the crates with nimble leaps before landing before the two sisters. Kamen struggled but Kikyou just stared, absolutely horrified.
"Yura," Kikyou wheezed out. "Release me."
"Tut, tut," Yura waved a finger like she was disciplining the elder of the two miko. "Unlike you, I am very loyal to Naraku-sama. He won't be pleased to learn that you disregarded your family so—"
Kamen looked like she was going to say something but Kikyou whipped her head around, her brown eyes burning with a furious protective nature that Kamen hadn't seen in years.
"Do not say a word, Kamen," Kikyou snapped. "Do not give any information as to who you are."
Kamen's eyes widened beneath her goggles but she nodded. Revealing that she was related to Kikyou would mean that Naraku would know her family as well—evidently the same as Kikyou's. Kamen, so far remaining most elusive to Naraku, wouldn't dare sacrifice that valuable information.
Hairs strung around Kikyou's neck as the strands loosened around her wrists and ankles, freeing her save for the bundle under her chin. It lifted her face up, and Yura stared down at her, her painted red lips curved into a malicious smile.
Kamen watched, horrified, as the strands tightened around Kikyou, causing her eyelids to flutter and her lips to part as she gasped for air. Yura chuckled to herself, watching this display until Kikyou's head lolled to the side.
"You bitch!" Kamen screeched out, her body struggling against the hair's hold. Yura glanced at her before drawing the sword at her hip. It gleamed in the dying moonlight and Kamen's eyes widened. "No!"
"I have my orders," Yura said offhandedly. The grin on her face proved she was enjoying herself, however. With a flick of her wrist Kamen watched as the sword's blade slashed across her sister. Kamen screamed for this Yura woman to stop but the hair demon ignored her.
Kamen felt her bindings break away and soon she was on the ground, leaping towards the demon and knocking her foot into her stomach, sending the hair master into the crates. A couple toppled over onto the other side but neither Kamen nor Yura seemed to notice or care.
Yura lifted herself up, glaring at the young miko, her grip on her sword tightening. "You'll regret that."
As the two fought it became evident to Kamen that Yura was far too powerful for her. She moved in a fluid motion, easily dodging any of Kamen's highly skillful attacks. That, and the accompaniment of her hair wasn't helping Kamen's situation in the least.
Razor thin cuts were appearing on her body but Kamen refused to back down. Kikyou wasn't moving—she'd fallen to the ground when Yura had sent all her hair towards Kamen—and she looked dead. Kamen would never forgive Yura. A couple of hours ago, she would have been pleased to see the traitorous wench die, but knowing that Kikyou was innocent and that she'd been blackmailed had roused something deep within Kamen. She would not let Kikyou be killed, provided that her sister was still alive.
Kamen felt the sword pierce her side, barely missing her stomach. She gasped in pain as she felt her uniform tear and blood begin to seep out. Her hands were shaking too much to reach for a healing antidote, and there was nothing she could do but protect herself.
With a swift kick, Yura knocked her to the ground and Kamen gasped in pain. She stared up at Yura, fear evident in her eyes—she was thankful the demon couldn't see her look of fear—and she felt death slowly creeping up her spine. Would she suffer?
Yura didn't seem too keen on giving her a quick and painless death, however. She grasped Kamen's foot and happily swung her over her shoulder, slamming her back against the ground painfully. She gasped in pain and felt as if her back had just been broken. Her ankle throbbed as well where Yura had twisted it painfully. She bit back a moan of pain. She would not give Yura the satisfaction of knowing that she was making the huntress suffer.
"Not dead yet, I see," Yura laughed. On anyone else, such a laugh would be regarded as beautiful. But to Kamen, Yura's laugh just made her look all the more cruel.
Hair wrapped around Kamen's neck, just as it had for Kikyou, and squeezed. Kamen felt her vision begin to swim and the air slowly escape from her lungs as she tried to draw more in. She struggled, kicking her feet. She felt the cool slice of a blade on her legs, leaving tiny little nicks.
"Had enough?" Yura laughed.
"Fuck you," Kamen wheezed out as she felt her head lolling. She would not pass out… she would not pass out.
Yura's laugh, like tinkling bells, sounded in her ears, causing her fury to boil within her. If only she could get her hands on the blasted woman, she would make that laugh disappear…
"Get away from me…" Kamen hissed and Yura continued to laugh like Kamen was the funniest thing she'd ever encountered.
Was she going to die here? There was so much she hadn't done. So much she wanted to do. Would she suffer? She was the only one who knew of Kikyou's innocence—apart from Naraku. Would she die and take the reassuring message of Kikyou's purity to the grave? Would Yura make her suffer and beg for death?
Such thoughts were interrupted however when she felt two powerful hands grasp her and yank her upwards. She felt the hairs holding her break away, leaving tiny red marks on her neck painfully. Slung over a shoulder much like a caveman would a giant piece of meat, Kamen was aware of the fact that the red protector that covered the man's butt belonged to Sha. She blinked slowly, wondering why it was that she was staring at his butt in the first place.
"Are you okay, Kamen?" Sha's words interrupted her disjointed thoughts. Kamen blinked, once again slowly, and licked her dry lips. Her mind had been sent into a temporary state of shock. For one thing, she'd just been saved from death by Sha, her partner who, for a majority of the time, was too cocky to give a damn about anyone else but himself. For another thing, he'd just called her by her name—albeit her alias—for the first time. She'd grown so used to being called 'wench' or 'bitch' that being called by her proper alias came to her as a bit of a shock. It was a nice shock, though.
She became aware of the fact that Sha was still calling her name.
"I'm fine," she reassured him as he set her down. She grasped her side and stared up at him. "Where is she?" she hissed out. "Let me at her."
Sha shook his head slowly and moved away from where he'd been blocking Kamen's vision of Yura. The docks were deserted. Yura was gone and along with her… her sister's body. Kamen felt a painful lurch in her stomach. Was Kikyou dead?
She became aware that Sha's fingers were pinching her two cheeks between his hand, forcing her lips to pucker and open. She glared at him, positive that he could feel it through her protective glasses. She could take care of herself. Sha gave her no notice as he poured a pale green liquid into her mouth before clamping her mouth shut.
Instantly she wanted to throw up and spit the liquid in her partner's face. She understood why he was holding her mouth shut now. Painfully, she swallowed the burning liquid and felt it travel down her throat and into her stomach where it continued to burn.
After the initial disgust of swallowing the antidote Sha had offered her, he released his hand and backed away a step, unsure what to do next.
"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the beginnings of tears prickling behind her eyes. She just wanted to go home and cry.
"It's fine, Kamen…" she heard him murmur. She wasn't sure why she was so thrilled to hear him use her alias again.
She stared up at him, a world of relief in her eyes. Even though he couldn't see it, Kamen was sure that Sha understood. He gave her a curt nod and scooped her up, cradling her like a child in his arms.
"Let's get you back to headquarters. Sango will want to hear what happened," he whispered and Kamen nodded in agreement.
Her eyes darted to where her sister had once been and felt her heart drop again. What was going to happen now?
Just a little clarifier: Last chapter, Naraku was talking to Kikyou, not Kagura, as some of you thought.