Dark as Day
Chapter Ten
"Was the message delivered?" Naraku questioned silkily when he saw two feminine figures filter into his office. He overlooked the city through his window, though no one would be able to make out his stable and dormant pose from down below. He turned to face Kikyou and Yura who both stood.
Both gave a tiny bow. "Yes."
"Does she believe that Kikyou's dead?" he asked Yura. The said girl nodded, her ruby-red lips curving into a rather sinister smile. Naraku's dark crimson eyes flashed dangerously.
"Excellent work, ladies," he murmured, his voice a quiet reassurance to the two. Their shoulders slumped in relaxation, though they still looked tense. "Everything is going as planned."
"Yes sir," the two agreed.
"Those stupid taijiya will come to the docks, of course. They won't resist bait like that," he said as he turned to Kikyou. "Especially coming from someone who was blackmailed into the business."
His lips were a shadow of a smile and Kikyou nodded. "It was easy to convince her."
"Indeed," Naraku murmured. Kikyou mentally sighed, happy that Naraku had yet to make neither the connection between Kikyou and Kamen… nor the connection between Kagome and Kamen. No doubt the Ring Leader was still observing the Higurashi family, searching for something that he could use, as he had with the eldest Higurashi daughter.
"I'm surprised that Kamen was so gullible," Yura boosted, rather pleased with the outcome down at the docks. "What did you tell her to make her believe you so quickly, anyway?" Yura questioned Kikyou. Kikyou smiled a secretive smile that she was often known to use. She didn't answer and Yura blew out a breath of air—signaling her irritation. "And that stupid pet of hers was more than eager to listen to Kamen," Yura supplied, quickly moving away from Kikyou. "It's pathetic."
"Yes," Naraku mused. "Kamen does have Inuyasha on quite a short leash. But I wonder… for how long?"
He chuckled while his two minions observed him silently.
"Kagome…!" whined a tiny voice in her right ear. Kagome shifted in her sleep, pulling the blankets that covered her body closer to her chin. She turned away, trying to distance herself from the tiny voice that wasn't leaving her alone. "Kagome…"
When the voice calling her name punctuated her whimpers with a tiny sob, Kagome allowed herself to awaken from the sleep she'd restlessly tried to save. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Kagome leaned over and clicked on the lamp on her bedside table.
Instantly, her room was cast into a warm, pinkish glow. Blinking her bright blue eyes, Kagome shifted her attention to her younger sister, who stared up at her earnestly, crystalline tears decorating the corners of her eyes.
"Rin…" Kagome sighed, dragging her fingers through her hair. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I had a nightmare," Rin whispered, her bottom lip quivering as she stared up at her older sister with a look of unhinged admiration shinning in the brown depths.
Kagome sighed and scooted to the left, opening the side of her twin bed up to her sister who quickly seized the opportunity to clamor into her sister's bed. She snuggled deeply into the already warmed quilt and burrowed herself in Kagome's large down pillow. Kagome laughed quietly as she watched her sister.
She felt tired. She'd just returned from the docks and the last thing she wanted to do was stay up and talk with Rin. Her window was still open from where she'd snuck in. The wind rustled the curtains tenderly and swept her room with a light, refreshing breeze.
Blue eyes stared out the glass of the window as she ran her hand over Rin's small head, trying to comfort her tiny sister from the nightmare she'd experienced. Kagome never understood why Rin never ran to their mother, but she accepted that Rin looked up to her and always made a point to listen to the little girl when she told Kagome about something she'd experienced in her dreams.
Outside, the world was dark save for the distant lights of Tokyo that twinkled like bright stars. The wind rustled the boughs of the God Tree serenely and the branch closest to her window tapped on it gently like a warm, inviting neighbor asking for solace from the night air.
"What happened in your nightmare?" Kagome sighed as she patted her sister on the back.
"It wasn't the nightmare that scared me so much…" whispered Rin as her brown eyes darted to the door and she bit her lips hesitantly. "Someone was outside my window."
"What?" Kagome sat up so fast it was a wonder she didn't get whiplash. "Someone was outside your window? Who? When? Why?"
Rin was quivering and stared up at her older sister. Kagome rose and made to move towards the door. Rin cried out, insisting that her sister not leave her. Kagome frowned and captured the lamp on her bedside, ripping it from its socket and brandishing it like a weapon. She held out her other hand to Rin, who gratefully took it.
"Who was outside your window, Rin?" Kagome snapped out angrily, her blue eyes narrowed in determination to protect her only little sister.
"I don't know," sniffled Rin, her brown eyes watering at the fact that her sister was distressed. "I didn't see."
Kagome crept to her sister's room and gently pushed Rin towards her bed, telling her to duck down below. If the person outside the window was still there, then she didn't want Rin to see anything. She grasped the lamp and stared out the window, trying to see in the darkness.
She clenched her jaw and slammed the window open, poking her head out and staring beyond. There wasn't anything near Rin's window—no tree, like Kagome's, and no platform of anything of the sort that could allow someone a vantage point to look in on Rin. That left one thing, the person had been on the roof and had dropped down onto Rin's windowsill.
With a nimble swing, Kagome lifted herself onto the roof, crouching like the ninja she was trained to be. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, searching for the dark figure of peeping tom. She saw nothing.
She returned to Rin a short while later, he eyebrows furrowed.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Rin sniffled out and Kagome nodded without a second thought. Rin happily followed after Kagome and snuggled into her elder sister's bed.
"Goodnight, Rin."
"Wait, Kagome," Rin cried out, grasping the fabric of her sister's pajama top. Kagome glanced at her curiously; silently asking her to clarify why it was that she could not go to sleep just yet. "Can I tell you about my dream?"
Kagome cracked a smile. Rin did love to talk about dreams. She nodded her head.
"I was on a cloud—it was one of those pretty white clouds, yeah?" She waited for Kagome to nod before continuing. "It was soft and warm, so I feel asleep. But when I woke up, Mama was there. She gave me an envelope and walked away, disappearing in the cloud. I opened the envelope and it was a party invitation!"
Kagome laughed along with her sister and Kagome tickled the little girl's sides until she squealed with laughter. Their moment was interrupted, however, when a large knocking sounded on the wall opposite them.
"Shut up!" Came Souta's muffled voice as he banged on the paper-thin walls. "Sensible people are trying to sleep."
"Ah, baby brother, you know I'm not sensible!" Kagome chirped out happily and Rin giggled gleefully.
She heard Souta grumble before he shouted out, "I have a math test tomorrow!"
"Big whoop, I have school tomorrow, too."
She heard Souta snort. "Kagome…!" he whined. "Just let me sleep."
"Never!" Kagome laughed.
She heard Souta groan again.
"You know," Kagome declared quietly before class the next day. She tapped her pencil against her notebook and stared at the young man beside her with a tiny smile curving her lips upwards. "I just realized something?"
Inuyasha, who until that moment hadn't really been listening to Kagome and had just contented himself with staring at the way the sun reflected off her ebony black hair, raised his golden eyes to her blue eyes, a question hidden in them.
"What?" he voiced.
Kagome's smile widened and her cheeks flushed pink. She looked pretty like that, Inuyasha found himself remarking silently to himself. Kagome had a habit of looking cute when he least suspected it—but he really couldn't do much with her adorable nature, simply because she was way out of his league. That, and lately his mother had been plaguing his mind. The last thing he needed was someone close to him disappearing. It really wasn't Kagome's fault, and he wished he could work the nerves to actually ask her out, or something. But he had no experience with girls. And that made him feel like a loser, which, evidently, he probably was. But that didn't seem to faze Kagome when she spoke to him.
"Your hair's longer than mine," Kagome said, laughter laced in her voice. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot upwards, hiding beneath his black bangs. He stared at her, his amethyst eyes glimmering in the bright sunlight.
"That's what you realized?" he questioned sardonically. Kagome laughed at his expression and nodded. He frowned at her affirmative answer. "So what?"
"So I think it's funny," Kagome said. Inuyasha's frown deepened. "Not a ha-ha funny," she said quickly, jumping to reassure him when she registered his frown. "Just a… 'Oh, look at this' funny. Do you know what I mean?"
The look on his face told her that he didn't.
She sighed. "I just think your hair's… cool," Kagome said with a tiny shrug before her cheeks turned pink and she turned away, staring at her notebook like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
"Huh."
"'Huh' what?" Kagome questioned.
Inuyasha tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling and tapping the eraser on the tip of his pencil against his pursed lips. He balanced his chair on the two back legs and saw Kagome glance at his chair's position warily, obviously thinking he would fall over at any moment. He didn't move to correct himself. He wouldn't. Not to toot his own horn, but he believed himself to be quite the reflex master.
"Well," Inuyasha drawled out, purposefully spacing his words out as he thought. "Your hair's shinier than mine."
"So?"
"So what?" Inuyasha challenged.
The two stared at each other.
"You're not making any sense."
"So?" Inuyasha questioned.
"Stop that," she commanded, though she still looked rather amused, if not a little bit confused at the way their conversation had progressed. Inuyasha chuckled.
At that moment the professor walked in, placing his briefcase on his desk and drawing attention to the class. Inuyasha righted himself in his seat and Kagome sat up a bit straighter, her pencil poised to jot down the notes. The professor dove right back into his lecture, as he always did, and his students listened, trying to pick out the important things he spoke about.
Inuyasha frowned thoughtfully when he realized that, for the first time, he actually understood and comprehended what his professor was talking about. Whether it was because they were finally leaving the Meiji era, or it was just dumb luck, Inuyasha wasn't sure, but he was thrilled nevertheless.
"In international news, various demon attacks in Seoul yesterday—leaving fifteen humans dead—lead the South Korean government to install various anti-demon laws. Officials claimed that these laws, all known as the STARS Act, would increase security for the humans while protecting mankind from any demon attack. In other news, the Ring Leader has been sighted in the Tokyo area and residents are advised not to leave their home after midnight. Prime Minister Musou strongly urges citizens to remain on high alert—"
Whatever the news report was going to say after that, Inuyasha didn't know. He reached over and clicked off his radio and his apartment was shrouded in silence. It was dark in his house save for the glimmering lights that shown through his window. He hadn't drawn the curtain yet and he found no need to. His lips were pursed and he was staring lazily at the wall, absorbing what the news report had said.
The STARS Act? He'd never heard for it, but he imagined that it stood for something. He tilted his head and allowed it to loll against the pillows he was resting against. He heard creaking and knew that the person above him was moving around. He pursed his lips and sighed gently. People were dying every day. He knew it was bad, but being in the taijiya—albeit against his will—had really opened his eyes to the world around him.
Naraku was a shape shifter. He could be anywhere at this very moment. He could be anyone. He could be doing who knows what and no one could monitor him. The taijiya barely had a grip on him. The Demon Hunters, Sango had told him, were a noble and ancient confederation. No one had breached their security since the very beginning. They had since then long surpassed their ancestors. Within their sterile walls they held unfathomable technology that even the Japanese government wasn't aware of.
Inuyasha knew this because they still referred to Naraku as the Ring Leader. He knew the man's name. The entire squad knew the man's name. It seemed that the taijiya was holding crucial information. But why?
He leaned over and clicked the radio on again.
"These restrictions will take place next Tuesday, Prime Minister Musou said in a press conference this morning, and will stay in place until further notice. He has placed Japan under martial law. With the assistance of the United States, the prime minister hopes to eliminate the demon problem from Japan once and for all."
Inuyasha snorted. "What about the taijiya?" he asked the radio. "We're better than the Americans any day."
The radio continued talking—seeing as how it couldn't hear him speaking. "When asked about the elusive and legendary demon exterminators, however, the prime minister nearly stated that 'my loyalty lies in those I can see'. When asked to elaborate, the prime minister had no further comments."
Inuyasha slammed his radio off and rolled his eyes. Just because you could see something didn't mean it was trustworthy. It didn't mean that they, the taijiya, weren't there.
"I've figured out what he's after," Kamen said the next day. He could hear the pride in her voice and looked up from where he'd been supplying one of his compartments with more eye drops. The demons they were facing had a habit of spitting acid in his face and the purifying liquid in the drops serviced as an excellent way to prevent blindness.
"Who's after what?" Inuyasha questioned slowly, his golden eyes blinking up at her.
Kamen looked as if she'd just bitten into something sour. She sighed dramatically and threw a pile of papers at him. They started to fly away from one another but he quickly grabbed it and packed it back into its large, sophisticated looking pile.
"Naraku, of course," Kamen said. Inuyasha could have sworn he saw her roll her eyes but couldn't really tell. It was hard to make out her eyes through the thick, tinted glass of her goggles—and she still refused to take them off. He figured there was some weird deformity hiding under there.
"Okay, what's he after?" Inuyasha questioned, flipping through the large pile Kamen had thrown at him. His eyebrows knitted together and he licked his dry lips, trying to summarize what he was reading quickly.
Kamen grunted angrily and jerked the pile away from him, quickly flipping through the offending papers before coming upon the page she'd been searching for. Plucking it from the pile, she threw it towards him. Inuyasha and Kamen both watched the paper flutter haphazardly in the air before Inuyasha snatched it from the air.
He looked at her before glancing down towards the paper. The page was a diagram of what looked like a large machine stolen from a clichéd and lame Sci-Fi movie. His eyes lifted to Kamen again, his eyebrows arching.
"And what the fuck is this?" he questioned, pursing his lips.
"It's an A class BWATE concentration gradient canon," she said smoothly as if discussing the weather.
Inuyasha's brows furrowed further. "What the hell is a Buh-what concentration gradient?"
"It's BWATE," Kamen said sharply. "Not Buh-what."
"Okay, but what the hell is it?"
"Biological Warfare and Technical Engineering concentration gradient," Kamen said tensely. "It was developed by the Russians fifty years ago. It sends a concentrated beam through a plotted area. The Russians were planning on using it for biological warfare, to spread smallpox and anthrax." Kamen paused and looked like she'd bitten into something sour again. "It was left in a Bio Safety Lab level 4 for years by the Americans. Unfortunately, the United Nations and Biological Weapons and Toxin Convention voted for relocation due to the United State's… desperation."
"Desperation?" Inuyasha whispered.
Kamen looked distressed. "The demons are worse in America than here. The death count has already surpassed five hundred thousand. They'll be past one million by the end of the year at the rate it's going. The American government wanted to spread smallpox throughout America after vaccinating the humans. But demons are immune to smallpox, so it would be pointless and could cause a global wipeout of the human race should the disease spread to unvaccinated areas."
Silence rang as Inuyasha absorbed this information. He bit his lip and stared down at the BWATE. It didn't look menacing down on the paper he held, but he could tell that if Naraku got his hands on the machine, it could lead to something he'd wanted all along. His fist clenched and he nearly crushed the paper in his grip.
"We have to stop him," he said firmly.
"We're going to be the lookouts," Kamen said with a nod. "The Taijiya will be posted around the docks—the government has requested our assistance. We're to call in should Naraku make his appearance."
"But…" a thought struck Inuyasha. "Can we trust the government?"
"What are you talking about?" Kamen snapped.
"Well… the prime minister said so himself—you can only trust what you see. Have we ever seen our employer? No. What if…"
"Just stop," Kamen snapped out. "Nothing is the matter with the government, if that's what you're thinking. They're dispelling the rumors of us in order to protect our identity. If word got out that the Demon Hunters really existed, everyone would be calling on us to solve their tiny demon problems. We'd become disposable like the police force. That's not something we want."
"Oh…" Inuyasha felt foolish. Kamen nodded.
"After we settle it, the police will arrive to back us up," she said angrily. She seemed rather frustrated with the idea of the local police force helping out. She didn't say anything about it, though.
"Are you…?"
"Get ready. We leave in fifteen minutes," Kamen said firmly, cutting the man off. She left the room and Inuyasha quickly gathered his things. He touched the hilt of Tessaiga at his side and frowned. He'd been training with Tessaiga for what seemed like ages now and he had no results with the sword. Sesshoumaru's words of mastering the sword still rang in his ears… but what could his brother possibly be talking about?
Fifteen minutes later, the two demon hunters were jumping from rooftop to rooftop towards the docks.
"They're shipping it at night to keep attentions away," Kamen supplied in Inuyasha's ear as she clung to his back. Inuyasha nodded his head and tucked his hands beneath her knees, holding her tight to his back as he moved fluidly towards the harbor.
His golden eyes moved towards the sky, his orbs sweeping over the murky sky—the intense light of Tokyo drowned out the natural light of stars and only the brightly shinning stars ever appeared in the nightly sky. Venus burned in the sky near the horizon. Inuyasha's eyes locked on the waning moon. The new moon was approaching and the fingernail of a moon hung in the sky, silently mocking him.
Once they came to the docks, Kamen motioned to a lone bell tower hanging not far away, its clock face old and forgotten. Long ago, it had been used by the dock workers and the captains of boats in order to move in time. Thirty years ago, the clock had broken and the bell had stopped ringing, but no one bothered to fix it. The resounding demon problem was more pressing than some ridiculous bell tower that looked as if it had been stolen from England.
Inuyasha kicked open the side door that led to the interior of the clock. Inside, cogs and gears—rusted over from years of neglect—cast shadows on the ground. The moon outside cast its pearly, unearthly light through a broken window on the opposite side of the clock.
Kamen perched herself behind the clock and stared at it for a moment. Her hand passed over it, dragging years of dirt and dust with it. She pursed her lips and quickly punched at the translucent glass, shattering it. She pulled away and nodded firmly—she could see the docks now.
She pressed a finger to her ear and turned on her communicator. "Kamen here. No sign of him or the ship."
Inuyasha sat down beside her and punched his own hole in the clock's dirty glass. He stared at the docks below. The water lapped at the wooden pier innocently and harbored boats rocked against the water's influence. He sighed and crossed his legs and rested his head against his hands, his elbows planting themselves on his knees.
Kamen eyed him for a moment—at least, he thought she did, it was hard to tell—before turning her head back towards the makeshift window. "We'll be here a while."
Her voice soothed Inuyasha, even though he wasn't sure why. Her words had been harsh, but he'd heard the underlying gentleness in her voice. She tried her hardest to hide it, he realized, but he could hear it. His dog ears twitched towards her and quivered at her whispered words. Kamen was a good person. Why she hid it, Inuyasha wasn't sure.
He was positive she wasn't a harsh person. The memory of her hands touching his back when he protected her rang clear through his mind's eye. There were instances when he could tell that Kamen was a good person, when she was kind and caring. Why did she hide it?
Darkness save for the filtered moonlight shrouded their movements in mystery. When they spoke to one another it was in hushed voices, their muted voices barely decipherable. The moon seemed to illuminate Inuyasha's golden eyes and Kamen found her gaze constantly drawing to the primal orbs in the darkness.
She tried harder to keep her eyes trained on the docks, searching for some sign of demonic life. Five minutes past three Kamen spotted the ship moving into harbor. She watched its progress towards the docks. The freight moved through the water like a ghost, the water gently lapping against its sides but so eerily silent nevertheless.
Movement flickered out of the corner of her eye and she saw her taijiya brethren move to position, their own eyes scooping over the docks. From their vantage point, Inuyasha and Kamen watched the ship dock and drop anchor.
"No sign of Naraku," Kamen whispered into her communicator. Inuyasha's eyes swept over the taijiya. His eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air, scenting it for any sign of demonic presence.
"Wait," he whispered to Kamen and grasped her shoulder, moving her to his broken hole. Kamen pursed her lips in frustration but heeded to his words. She peeked towards where Inuyasha pointed.
"What is it?" she whispered out angrily.
"Those taijiya…" he murmured, ignoring Kamen's tone. "They have scents."
Kamen's eyes widened and she took a step away from the window. She flipped on the communicator. "Squad seven, report your positions."
Kamen stood, tense, and Inuyasha watched her. No voice sounded and she cursed quietly.
"Squad seven, report your positions!" she snapped out, finding the thick claws of panic grasping her insides. She felt Sha's eyes on her but ignored it.
"Squad one? Can you read me?" Still no answer. "Squad two?" This continued on with no answers as Kamen tried fruitlessly to contact all fifteen of the squads.
Inuyasha watched her silently, momentarily breaking away to gaze out the clock face at the taijiya who were slowly moving towards the ship. He stood and moved towards her.
"They're Naraku's," he said firmly. Kamen looked at him, her eyebrows knitting and her lips turned downwards. Her aura thrived and pulsed. She was distressed, he could tell. "They've probably gotten to all the squads and knocked them out."
"The police should be here by now…" Kamen said worryingly.
"They're not coming," Inuyasha said firmly, his golden eyes narrowing. "Naraku must have gotten to them already. They obviously don't know we're up here. It's best we leave it that way."
Kamen nodded and together they moved towards the clock again, gazing outwards towards the ship. The fake taijiya were assisting the crew. There was no sign of the BWATE.
"What are we going to do?" Inuyasha murmured.
"We can't do much of anything," Kamen whispered back. "They outnumber us."
"Flash bombs?" Inuyasha suggested.
"They'll blind you, too. I need you," she said firmly before realizing what she'd said. She clapped her lips shut and her cheeks turned a bright red. Inuyasha felt something pulse through his chest and felt his own face turn red. Kamen coughed.
"Silencing bombs, then?" he questioned, pretending not to have heard her slip. Even if it were in the fighting sense that Kamen 'needed' him for, it still had a large impact on the two. The mounting tension in the tower could have been severed with a knife.
Kamen shook her head. "Silencing bombs don't work well on a large group of demons. They can still communicate, even without sound."
"Well I don't see you suggesting anything," Inuyasha snapped out. Kamen huffed. Inuyasha snarled.
"Keep your voice down," Kamen instructed.
"Fuck you," he snapped out. He hated being bossed around.
Kamen shoved him and he took a couple steps backwards, his back hitting against the rusty cogs. They groaned under his sudden presence. Kamen and Inuyasha watched in horror as the minute hand on the clock moved downwards—sending out a resounding squeak, signaling the years of neglect the clock had suffered.
The silence that followed was thicker than the tension. Inuyasha darted forward and captured Kamen's wrist, dragging her around the cogs and gears. He pulled her quickly and they retreated to a corner. He squatted, pushing on her shoulder so that she did the same.
They sat quietly. "This is all your fault," Kamen hissed.
"You're the one that shoved me, wench," he snarled.
"Oh, we're back to the wench thing, are we?" she snapped out.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded, his ears pressed to hear the slightest noise of demons appearing to investigate the clock's sudden—albeit short—revival after years of disservice.
"You called me Kamen the night Yura attacked Kikyou," Kamen jeered. "Am I not worthy of a name anymore?"
"Will you be quiet?" Inuyasha barked, his golden eyes flashing in the darkness like a wild animal's. Kamen was undaunted by the intense, primal look.
"No, answer me." She looked determined and her aura pulsed angrily.
"They're going to find us if you don't shut up," he growled.
"Answer me and I'll shut up."
"What am I supposed to be answering now?"
"Why don't you call me by my name?"
"I don't know your name."
"That's not the point."
"Yes it is."
"You're being childish."
"You're being stupid."
Kamen's eyes narrowed and she fisted a hand.
"You going to hit me now, Kamen?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing as he glared at her. He dared to smirk at her and his dark eyebrows arched towards his hairline.
"Shut up," she hissed heatedly.
A large creak below signaled the demon's approached. Kamen obviously hadn't heard it because she kept talking to him.
"Aren't you going to answer me, you jerk? Why don't you ever call me by my name, huh? Sure, it's an alias but—"
"Shut up!" he barked.
"No! Not until you answer me."
"You don't understand you moron." Inuyasha's nostrils flared and he grasped her biceps. Her eyes narrowed as he flung her against the wall and rotated so that he blocked her from the door. They were nestled in the shadows and partially behind a large cog. "You need to keep your mouth shut."
"You think you can boss me around?" Another creak below. Kamen still hadn't heard. Inuyasha silently cursed her stupid human ears. "I want you to—"
Whatever it was that Kamen wanted Inuyasha to do, the hanyou would never know. Kamen wasn't shutting up and it was up to him to prevent her from getting them both killed. He grasped her arms tighter and shoved her against the wall. Her lips opened in a silent gasp but it never left her lips.
He titled his head and pressed his mouth against hers. He felt her stiffen and miko energy surge through her. She was about to blast him, he knew. But at that moment the door slammed open and two demons entered the bell tower.
"I'm telling you, it's probably just some rats," the taller one croaked as he shuffled along the floor. He wore a taijiya outfit he'd undoubtedly taken from an unsuspecting scout. He waddled along the bell tower, searching around for the two who were safely hidden. "Besides, if there had been anyone up here, they'd be long gone by now."
"Then why isn't there any sign of escape?" the second, squatter demon gargled.
"Right here," the first said and motioned to the two windows Kamen and Inuyasha had made earlier. "They're gone by now. They probably left while we were climbing up here."
The second one regarded the windows the two had made. Inuyasha hesitantly pulled away from Kamen's lips. He stared at her and felt her gaze locked on him. He felt raw under her intense gaze.
He raised a hand and pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to remain silent. Kamen nodded, her bottom lip quivering. He stared at her slightly parted lips. He closed his own lips. He'd just kissed Kamen.
'Well, it's hardly a first kiss,' a voice in his head whispered. 'You did it so that she'd just shut her damn trap. If you hadn't, you would have died.'
He silently agreed with his inner thoughts and crept along the wall, pulling Kamen against his chest so that she was completely covered by his taller and wider body. He'd done it to protect her—their relationship was strictly business. At most they had platonic feelings for one another, but that was it. Besides, their relationship was anything but unhealthy. Neither of them knew the other's identity.
"Let's get out of here," the taller demon snarled and marched towards the door. "They're long gone. Let's get what Naraku wanted and just get the hell out of here before they show up with more hunters."
"Good idea," the second muttered and followed after his companion, limbs swinging as he moved.
Inuyasha and Kamen didn't dare move until they were positive that the two were gone. They both heaved sighs of relief.
"Sorry," he heard Kamen muttered and turned to look at her. She looked bashful. It was hard to tell without seeing the upper part of her face. "I should have shut up."
"Yeah," he agreed. He flashed her a hesitant smile. "But it's okay. We're fine. Let's go."
"Right," Kamen agreed and moved towards him. He tensed up, afraid she would punish him for kissing her earlier. But instead she grasped his wrist and dragged him towards the door the two had exited out of. "Flash bombs will have to do. It will blind them and give me enough time to infest the area with sleeping powder. Put on your gasmask."
He hated being told what to do, but obediently slipped on his gasmask, hiding his mouth and nose from view. His golden eyes glittered fervently as he moved downwards with Kamen.
"You'll only go blind for a little while. Your eyes aren't as sharp as a demon's, so you'll regain vision before them. It should be fine, though, you'll be able to smell anyone coming towards you."
"Yeah," he agreed, but still felt uneasy. He watched Kamen switch a small knob on the side of her goggles. She was probably switching the vision to a level that wouldn't blind her.
She must have sensed his question. "Infrared. It won't blind me since the flash bombs are only light, not heat."
"Yeah," he agreed again.
They reached the bottom. Kamen released his wrist and pressed herself against the wall. She fiddled with the compartment in her elbow pad before extracting a golf ball sized ball. It was canary yellow and glowed in Kamen's hand. She clamped both hands over it.
"Throw the door open at my signal and I'll throw it," she instructed.
There was a moment's silence between them.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
"Three… two… one…" Kamen's voice seemed to pass through one ear and go out the other. Once she reached zero and pressed her thumb into the button on top of the golf-ball sized flash bomb and it began to glow brightly with the beginnings with a full blown, blinding light, Inuyasha threw the door open.
She threw it with all her might into the center of demons as they assisted the crew. The crew had moved the BWATE canon to the top deck, preparing to have it moved to the docks.
Inuyasha watched as the canary yellow ball glowed brightly and released a large flash. It continued to glow and engulfed the entire area with blinding light. Inuyasha felt his pupils contract into tiny slits in an attempt to keep him from going blind. He screamed in agony as he was bombarded by the light.
As he fell to the ground, his world thrown into a resounding darkness, he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder before he felt feet move away from him and the distant cries of Kamen as she fought against writhing demons.
He wanted, at that moment, more than anything to go and help her. He had a bad feeling.
Right and left he heard bodies dropping to the ground. He felt the grainy substance of the sleeping powder nestling on his face. He clenched his eyes shut. The sleeping powder was useless unless it entered the body—whether it be through inhalation or penetration, or going through the eye. It didn't matter. He would not fall asleep and leave Kamen completely alone.
He sensed her aura as she moved fluidly. He was still in a dark world, blinded by the flash bomb's blast. He rolled his head to the side blindly and pressed his dog ear against the ground, listening to the vibrations of Kamen's footsteps as she moved towards her goal.
After what felt like an eternity—but could have very well have been only fifteen minutes—Inuyasha felt vision returning to him. He lifted himself up as the world came into steady focus.
The first thing he noticed was that Kamen was next to him. She knelt beside him, her lips curved in the tiniest smile he'd ever seen. She held out a hand to him and he hesitantly took it. She hauled him up and flung his arm over her shoulder.
Guiding him like a dog does the blind, Kamen shuffled Inuyasha towards the freight. The crew were all lying against the wall of the ship, knocked out by Kamen's sleeping powder.
"You'll regain full sight soon," Kamen's voice soothed. Her aura pulsed and he felt comforted by her presence. "The canon is safe. I've called Sango and she'll be here soon."
A slow clapping punctuated the silence of the docks. Kamen whipped around, bringing Inuyasha with her. Inuyasha's golden eyes tried to focus but the world was still a dull blur of colors.
"My, my, my," came a ringing, dull voice. The hair on the back of Inuyasha's neck stood on end and he snarled. A disgusting, all too familiar scent wafted past his nose. "I am rather impressed. To think that a mere… human could take on all those… disposable creatures."
Naraku stepped out of the darkness and he strolled towards Kamen and Inuyasha as if they were old friends. He stopped his sardonic clapping and stared at the two, his lips drawn in a thick smirk.
"I'm sorry to say… but it's not much of an accomplishment."
"What are you doing here?" Kamen hissed.
"Well, I'm offended," Naraku chuckled coldly, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously. "I went to all that effort to draw you two here and you don't even pretend to be happy to see me. Tsk."
"What do you want?" Kamen snarled.
"Demanding little bitch, aren't you?" Naraku remarked coldly, his scarlet eyes narrowing. "But if you must know… I'm here to gain something that I didn't have before."
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha spoke this time. He stared at the blur that he thought was Naraku. It was hard to tell. Unbeknownst to him, he was staring slightly off to the right instead of directly at Naraku.
"Don't you think it's… strange that Kikyou was so eager to tell you all about her blackmailing after years of protecting her family from harm? Such a move could very well have killed her entire family."
"No," Inuyasha heard Kamen gasp.
"That's right, I lured you here."
"But what for?" Kamen demanded.
"A true genius never gives away all his tricks," Naraku counseled, punctuating his sentence with a cold chuckle. "Hand over… Sha… if you know what's good for you."
"Never," Kamen snapped, clutching Inuyasha. He felt her hands holding him firmly to her and his own hand tightened on her waist. He drew her closer, feeling himself drawing strength from her. When had he become so connected to her? Why was she so protective of him now?
"How quaint, you've grown attached to one another," Naraku whispered, his eyes flashing. "A mistake you will both soon regret, I'm afraid."
He stalked towards them, his hair and cloak billowing out behind him. Kamen stood her ground and drew her dagger, pointing it towards Naraku's heart. Naraku slowed his pace and stared at the silver dagger, which quivered in Kamen's hand. He smirked wickedly.
"Move aside, girl," he snarled. Kamen held her ground.
"Sha," he addressed the hanyou, though he still eyed the dagger. "Kindly tell Kamen to release you… lest you wish for her to turn out like your mother. A gruesome fate."
Inuyasha snapped to attention. He tensed.
"Don't listen," Kamen urged. "He just wants you to get riled up."
Inuyasha didn't listen. Instead, he shoved Kamen away. His vision was blurring red, but he didn't care. He could make out Naraku now, he could make out the Ring Leader's triumphant face.
"What did you do to her?" he whispered, and was only slightly surprised by how cold his voice had become.
"Nothing… yet," Naraku chuckled.
"What have you done?" Inuyasha's grainy voice demanded.
"Sha!" Kamen shouted. Inuyasha still ignored her, shoving her away again when she made a grab for him.
"You think so little of me," Naraku laughed. Inuyasha snarled, gritting his teeth together. His lips drew back in a disgusted snarl and he spat at the Ring Leader.
Inuyasha's vision was going red and he clenched his fists. He charged towards Naraku but was quickly detoured when a tentacle shot out from under his cloak and wrapped around Inuyasha's throat. He choked, clawing at the slimy appendage.
Naraku laughed again, his blood red eyes flashing as he stared at the struggling hanyou.
"You pathetic little ant," Naraku chuckled. "You're nothing… and yet you think that you can stand against me. You've developed a fundamental Stockholm Syndrome, you pathetic creature. They captured you and held you here against your will, and yet you willingly help them."
"You took my mother…" Inuyasha whispered, choking. "You killed my father… You killed Kamen's father. I won't forgive you."
Naraku smirked. "Filled with self-righteousness, are we? How adorable."
"Sha!" Kamen called again, fisting her dagger as she charged toward the tentacle. She hacked at the limb with all her might, finally dislodging Inuyasha. He dropped to the ground and Kamen scrambled to him, helping him to his feet.
"I haven't got time for games." Naraku sent a tentacle towards Kamen and it wrapped around her middle before hauling her off the ground. She released a small yelp of surprise as the dagger clattered to the boat's deck. "Give me what I want, Inuyasha, or the bitch dies."
Inuyasha tensed. He snarled. "Fine."
"Excellent."
"Sha, no!"
A tentacle shot out and pierced Inuyasha's chest. He gasped in pain as the tentacle seemed to claw in his chest cavity before drawing out. Blood drizzled down his front and he clasped a hand over his front, trying to block the blood flow.
Naraku stepped forward and captured his blood in a glass vial. He smirked and pocketed the jar happily.
"It's been a pleasure," Naraku drawled before sending Inuyasha against the wall with Kamen not far behind him. Sirens were sounding in the distance and Naraku laughed dryly. "I'll be seeing you two very, very soon."
With a flash he was gone just as police cars screeched onto the scene. Inuyasha felt fear seize him. The police force didn't know of the taijiya's existence. They were only instructed to come to the docks after the canon was protected. Inuyasha's head whipped towards the canon. It was gone. Naraku must have taken it.
The police exited their cars and stomped onto the boat. They stared at the two fallen huntresses. It didn't take long for them to discover what they were. Their clothes were a dead giveaway to what they were—anyone who listened to the legends would recognize them. In a single moment, Sha and Kamen had managed to betray a secret that had been kept secret for centuries.
The police looked ready to arrest the man and woman but a moment later dozens of pellets rained down on them, producing bursts of white smoke. Kamen and Sha, with their gasmasks still in place, were unaffected by the gasses' progress, but soon the police dropped to the ground like flies in a zapper.
Seconds later, Sango dropped to the ground, her body arched like a cat's. She stood to her full height, took one look at the disarray of the two before her and nodded her head to two huntresses standing behind her.
They were saved, but they had failed.