A/N: Moving right along, now. Not much to say here, so read on!
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Inuyasha or the X-Men. If that ever changes, you'd hear my scream of happiness; trust me.
Chance Encounters: Chapter 5
A few minutes later, they were all gathered in the Control Room, with the exception of Wolverine, who'd opted to give the Danger Room a demonstration run. The 'demonstration run' only lasted a few minutes and it wasn't really very difficult. When he was done, he headed up to the Control Room and leaned against a wall. "Any questions?" He asked rhetorically.
"Inuyasha, Kagome, would you like to go first?" Ororo offered.
"Sure. So, who are we fighting?" Kagome asked.
"You ain't fightin' anyone without a weapon, stupid." Inuyasha interjected.
"Oh, that's easy, the Danger Room can create whatever weapon she wants to use. Now then, you can fight one of our enemies, or we can program the Danger Room for one of yours. Your choice."
"Just give us a couple o' demons to fight. Don't you dare suggest Naraku."
"I wasn't planning to. Demons are fine with me."
Another five minutes later and Kagome and Inuyasha were in the center of the Danger Room. Suddenly, a quiver full of arrows and a bow appeared strapped to Kagome's shoulder and the steril room gave way to the familiar forested look of the feudal era of Japan. Inuyasha blinked a couple of times to readjust himself to the disconcertingly familiar atmosphere that had just appeared around them. For all intents and purposes, it was identical to the Forest of Inuyasha. He heard Kagome gasp in surprise beside him; a quick glance in her direction told him she was just adjusting to the transformation and not under attack. "C'mon, Kagome, we don't wanna stand here an' wait for them to find us. Let's go." he stated, dropping to his knees so she could climb onto his back.
"Ok." She agreed, climbing on obediently. "Ready." She stated once she was properly adjusted. He stood up gracefully and, in one smooth motion, was leaping through the trees. They were both silent, focused on making sure they didn't get ambushed by a hidden demon of some sort.
They had been traveling for a couple of minutes when the scent of a demon - a familiar demon - reached Inuyasha's sensitive nose. When he landed on a branch, he stopped and took a deep breath, trying to discover which demon it was. Which is when he realized that it wasn't just any demon; and it was coming directly towards them. Cursing under his breath, he leapt back into the air just as the tree they'd been resting on was cut down; along with two others. "Inuyasha, do you recognize-?" Kagome's question was cut off by an arrogant, female voice.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Inuyasha and Kagome. Venturing off without your other friends, I see. What a great surprise. Naraku should be pleased to hear what I do to you." Kagura's voice floated down to them shortly before she herself floated into view, resting comfortably on her giant feather.
"Kagura!" Kagome breathed, surprised that she was the one they were facing. Beneath her, Inuyasha landed on solid ground and knelt again to allow her off while never taking his eyes off of Kagura.
"Kagome, stay back." he instructed, stepping forward and placing his left hand on the Tetsusaiga.
"You'd best be quick on your feet, Inuyasha, for I don't plan on going easy on you. Dance of blades!" Kagura shouted, swinging her fan towards them as the very same blades that destroyed the tree flew at them. Inuyasha smirked and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga for the first time in at least four days.
"You'll have to do better than that, Kagura!" He called, deflecting the blades. A wind picked up as she landed and her feather disappeared.
"Very well, then." She stated, raising the fan to attack again. Almost instantly, an arrow surrounded in a pink aura cut through her fan, shredding it to pieces. Kagura's attention shifted instinctively to the young priestess standing a little ways off to the side, bow in hand. "Clever move; unforutnately, I have more than one fan at my disposal, Priestess." She spat as another fan, identical to the last one, appeared in her hand and she waved it quickly in Kagome's direction.
"Kagome! Don't just stand there, stupid!" Inuyasha shouted as he grabbed her and jumped out of the way of the attack. He heard her mumble 'sorry' a moment before they landed. Then he heard Kagura laugh.
"How touching. You always have been easily distracted, Inuyasha. Dance of blades!"
"I don't think so, Witch. Wind Scar!" He countered, stepping in front of Kagome and sending his Wind Scar to meet the attack head-on. When the dust settled, he was smirking and Kagome had another arrow positioned in her bow. Kagura looked smug.
"If that's the way you want it, then. I'll just have to up the stakes. Dance of the Dragon!" She cried, laughing as she watched the tornadoes appear and spin violently towards her enemies. She smirked in satisfaction as Kagome dove behind Inuyasha for protection. The smirk vanished, however, as the half-breed brought his Tetsusaiga above his head and shouted something that was lost on her ears over the noise.
"Backlash Wave!" Inuyasha shouted, his words getting lost in the demonic wind. Tetsusaiga heard him loud and clear, though. When he brought down his sword the wind really picked up and suddenly the demonic twisters were heading straight for their creator. He saw her reach for one of the feathers in her hair, but she never got the chance to escape. Shoving his sword into the ground, he turned slightly and pulled Kagome to him, to shield her from the vicious winds that were getting worse before they got better. She clutched tightly to him, and he returned the gesture.
A moment later, the wind vanished. Releasing each other, they turned and stared for a moment at the spot where the most powerful of Naraku's remaining incarnations had been standing a moment before. Then Inuyasha walked forward and resheathed his Tetsusaiga. Just then, another demonic scent reached his nose. Three others, to be specific. Growling, he spun around in time to see one of them wrap an arm around Kagome. She, of course, screamed and her bow fell from her grasp. "Kagome! Let her go, bastard!" In response, the demon gave him a grin filled with rotting fangs and leaned closer to her, and Inuyasha could see it's tongue moving to caress her neck. That, of course, he'd never allow. With another dangerous growl he was suddenly in the air, taking advantage of the demon's self-distraction. Flexing his claws, he called, "Iron reaver soul stealer!" and then, just as suddenly, the demon's head was separated from his shoulders as both pieces disintegrated. Kagome rolled free and grabbed her bow, turning to thank Inuyasha as two more launched themselves at him. From her angle, she could tell which one he planned to dispose of first, so she notched an arrow and aimed at the other one.
"I don't think so, demon. Hit the mark!" She declared, releasing it. The pink aura engulfed it moments before it obliterated the demon. At the same time, Inuyasha's third victim of the day fell at his feet before disintegrating like the others. Replacing the bow on her shoulder, she smiled at Inuyasha as he locked eyes with her. "Thanks for saving me from that demon, Inuyasha."
"Don't make a big deal about it. He was just a lowly demon, anyway." Crossing the ground that separated them, he lowered his voice a bit and asked, "You're ok, though, right?"
She smiled at him again and nodded her head. "Yes. I'm fine, not even a scratch." Any further comment was forever silenced as the forest around them fell away to reveal the cold steel walls of the Danger Room. Inuyasha's ears flinched when Ororo's voice spoke from above them.
"Excellent performance, friends. Please return to the Control Room and we will begin our demonstration."
Soon, Inuyasha and Kagome were back in the Control Room and Ororo approached them. "You did wonderfully, my friends. Is there anything that you did not get the opportunity to demonstrate for us?"
"Not really." Inuyasha stated. The others nodded.
"Then make yourselves comfortable; we shall return shortly."
"Yeah, enjoy the show." Jubilee added as she passed them on her way down the stairs. Soon enough Inuyasha and Kagome were alone in the Control Room. They both gathered so they could watch the X-Men in action, curious as to what they were capable of.
The Danger Room changed again, this time a rocky desert with only a few trees and bushes and no breeze. Just as suddenly, the gathered X-Men had changed outfits, too. Wolverine in blue and yellow spandex with a mask; Storm in black with a lightening-bolt at the top and a cape attached to her wrists and shoulders. Psylocke was in her navy blue uniform complete with the red sash around her waist; Phoenix in the emerald-green and gold costume. Shadowcat in a two-toned blue uniform, the top more like a sweatshirt than spandex, Lockheed on her shoulder. Colossus was in his traditional red-and-gold uniform and had transformed into his armored state, as well; Magik in her New Mutants uniform. Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee were the only ones whose clothes remained the same.
"Everyone on high alert. We cannot afford a surprise attack." Storm commanded, switching effortlessly into leadership role. Together they began walking across the empty desert.
"This reminds me of the time when my only task was to get from one side of the Danger Room to the other." Shadowcat commented, her eyes studying the vast area around them.
"Ah, the good ol' days, eh pun'kin?" Wolverine teased as he inhaled the scents surrounding them.
"Jeeze, 'ro, couldn't you have, like, picked a place with a breeze? Or water? It's hot!" Jubilee complained, fanning herself.
"Well perhaps you ought to consider not wearing a trench-coat as part of your uniform." Psylocke stated from ahead of the young woman. That didn't mean she missed Jubilee's mature moment of sticking her tongue out at the ninja. "I saw that, Jubilation."
"Quiet, people, we got company." Wolverine stated, stopping so suddenly that Gambit almost walked into him.
"Watch where you're walkin', mon ami."
At that instant, a low growl sounded from off to their right and Sabertooth walked out of the shadow of one of the few trees that surrounded them. "Long time no see, runt." he taunted, flexing his own claws and then launching at his archenemy. Wolverine's reaction was instinctive as he popped his claws and braced himself for the impact. At that moment, the others were distracted by four Sentinels.
"Grreeaaatt, just what I wanted." Jubilee commented sarcastically.
"X-Men, I believe it is time to engage the enemy. Logan, do you require assistance?" Storm offered.
"No." he grunted, blocking a swipe of Creed's claws. The larger feral then proceeded to toss his opponent ten feet away before lunging at him again.
"Wolvie!" Jubilee cried, reacting on instinct and blasting Sabertooth so hard that he flew about twenty feet to the side. Then she ran over to him, ignoring the fact that he'd said he didn't want help. "You ok?"
"I'm fine, Jubes. Y'oughta listen more. I said 'no', not 'yes'."
"You don't listen t'me." She countered. He grumbled something and gave up; this was never a fight he won. He stood and brushed some dirt off before flexing his fists and popping his claws again. Then they waited for Sabertooth to recover; they weren't waiting long.
While they were fighting Creed, the other X-Men were fighting the sentinels. Storm flew up to be eye level with one and summoned a large bolt of lightening, which effectively destroyed the giant robot. Meanwhile, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Magik triple-teamed another one. Colossus delivered two punchs, one to each leg, and the sentinel collapsed to its knees. Raising a gauntleted hand, it fired a laser at them. Magik used a strategically-placed stepping disc to intercept it, causing it to fire off into the distance behind the fight. Shadowcat took advanatge of the distraction to have Colossus throw her at the robot's chest, where she phased through it and landed gently on the other side. The sentinel collapsed, it's circuits fried. A third sentinel was firing at Phoenix, who kept dodging them easily. Finally, she levitated up and placed the index and middle fingers of both hands on her temple. A moment later, the sentinel was being literally ripped apart from the inside-out. Behind her, Psylocke sat calmly on the ground, meditating. Her powers were, after all, useless against robots. The fourth and final sentinel had taken on Rogue and Gambit. Gambit was running around, nimbly evading its attacks and tossing cards at it. Each explosion slowed it down a bit more, and then he threw a handful all at once, directly at its head. The giant robot stumbled and Rogue swooped in, hit it twice, and the head fell off. The rest of the sentinel collapsed moments later.
With the sentinels done, the X-Men regrouped and turned to watch the other fight. Sabertooth delivered a punch directly to Jubilee's stomach, sending her backwards and to her knees, gasping desparately for breath. Wolverine, of course, didn't like this and imbedded his claws into the larger man's chest. Victor Creed let out a howl of pain and swated the smaller man away, where he landed a few feet from Jubilee. "You ok, Jubes?"
"Y-yeah, just...gimme a minute." she replied, still gasping a bit. He nodded and moved to stand when Creed was on top of them and had Wolverine in a choke-hold almost instantly. "Wolvie!" Jubilee choked, barely dodging Sabertooth's other hand as he swiped at her. Just then, a black spot appeared on the ground in front of him, effectively getting his attention. He grinned a feral grin when he recognized the scent.
"You joinin' in on the fun, Frail?" he taunted, not releasing Logan. When the shadow disappeared, Psylocke was standing in its place.
"I would appreciate it if you'd release him. And don't call me that."
"Make me." He returned, the sick grin widening. The asian ninja shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly, then, suddenly she delivered a hard kick directly to his abdomen. His hand released Logan, who slumped to the ground and rolled away, sucking in air. Creed ignored Jubilee as she ran behind him to get to Logan and instead lunged for Betsy with a roar.
Psylocke effortlessly dodged his attack and kicked him twice more, sending him to his knees. It was all the opening she needed. Stepping around to face him, she brought up her fist so quickly he didn't have the chance to avoid it. The others caught a glimpse of a purple blade on her fist just before it connected with Sabertooth's temple. A moment later, he slumped, unconscious. The others rejoined them, and the Danger Room once again returned to its natural state. Then they headed for the Control Room to see if their friends had any more questions. It didn't take them too long to get there, and when they did, Inuyasha and Kagome were waiting patiently. Or, rather, as patiently as Inuyasha ever did anything.
Inuyasha was leaning against the far wall, perfect view of both the Danger Room and the doorway to the Control Room. Kagome was sitting in a chair near the control panel so she could see clearly what happened beneath them. She turned to face the door when the X-Men returned. "That was amazing; you guys really work well together." she commented, rising to greet them.
"Thank you for your compliment, Kagome." Ororo accepted. Then she continued. "Do either of you have any questions?"
"I don't think so." Kagome replied as Inuyasha shook his head in agreement. From behind the group gathered at the door, a large yawn could be heard, followed by a sleepy apology coming from Jubilee.
"Don't get me wrong, guys, but I'm totally wiped. Anything else you need me to do?" Jubilee stated after she'd yawned.
"Nah, just go get some sleep, darlin', we'll wake ya if anything happens." Logan declared decisively. She nodded and yawned again, then, with a wave and a smile, she exited the Control Room.
"Y'know, Jubilee's right. It's late an' Ah'm tired. Ah say we all go to bed an' get some sleep; anyone with me?" Rogue drawled, stretching.
"That is an excellent idea. I believe it is time we all retired for the evening." Ororo decided, ushering everyone out the door and then shutting it behind her. It locked with an audible click and they all piled, once again, into the elevator.
When the elevator opened up on the second floor, everyone filed out and bid goodnight to each other before heading towards their separate rooms. Inuyasha followed his nose to the room he and Kagome'd shared the night before; she followed him. He opened the door and took a sniff before letting her inside, and then he shut it behind him. Then he paused, trying to remember how to lock it. Kagome giggled and reached past him and locked it herself. He muttered something unintelligible and followed her to the bed. She plopped none-to-gracefully onto 'her' side and sighed contentedly.
"This bed is so comfortable. I wish the one in my room was this soft." She mumbled to herself, her eyes drifting shut, body relaxing as the day's events took their tole and sleep began to overtake her.
Inuyasha watched silently as she quickly succombed to her exhaustion. Good. With any luck, she'll sleep peacefully tonight. She needs it. I'll still sleep nearby, just to be safe. Keh; like I'd leave with all that's goin' on. He thought, sitting down on the floor beside Kagome's side of the bed. He deliberately refused to think about the night before, when he'd ended up holding her all night. Setting the Tetsusaiga beside him, he laid back and crossed his arms under his head, staring at the ceiling. He just wasn't drowsy, so he decided to relax and wait for sleep to come; or just stay up all night and play 'guard dog' again.
Just as Inuyasha's eyes had begun to drift closed ten minutes later, Kagome gasped loudly and shot up, breathing hard, sweat sliding down her face. Inuyasha was up before she'd drawn her second ragged breath. "What's wrong? Another nightmare?" he demanded, sounding a bit harsher than he'd intended.
She shook her head slowly, obviously still unfocused. He tried another technique. "Kagome! C'mon, help me out here, what happened?"
Blinking, she looked over at him and took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm down. Then she spoke. "I-I didn't really have a nightmare; it was just, I don't know, like flashbacks of the previous two. Just images; no sound. I saw the street where I was being chased the other day, and then...the bodies. Then there was a flash of 'Sinister's' face and I woke up. I have a bad feeling, Inuyasha. I don't want to go back to sleep tonight." She mumbled the last part, knowing what he would say to that particular idea.
"Don't be ridiculous, Kagome. You have to sleep; we may need you tomorrow. Whatever's gonna happen probably won't happen tonight, so try to get some rest; I'll be right here the entire time, I promise." He replied, not as gruff as she'd expected. She knew he was lying about being sure nothing'd happen that night; there was no way he could know. But she let him get away with it this time, anyway.
Slowly, she nodded, but she made no move to lie back down. After a moment, Inuyasha's patience ran out. "Well? Ain't ya gonna sleep? Ya can't sleep sittin' up, you know." She blew out a sigh and locked eyes with him; he nearly flinched. Uh-oh. I really oughta learn when to shut up. He thought absently. Still, he didn't look away, he just met her gaze with one of his own.
"I know that, Inuyasha! I'm scared, alright? This...incident really has me worried, and I don't want to have another nightmare. They keep getting worse, and I don't want to think about how it could possibly get worse! Is that excuse enough for you! You're such a jerk sometimes!" She snapped, her voice rising with each sentence until his ears were flat against his head in an effort to save themselves from her shouts.
"Ok, look, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so harsh that time; I just want you to get enough sleep. I know you won't be able to fight as well without having slept, and if something happens tomorrow, you may have to fight. I don't want you to be scared, even if I understand why you are. I get that the nightmares haunt you; do you honestly think I like that? How the hell am I supposed to protect you from an enemy that only shows his ugly face in your dreams!" He retaliated, being sure to keep his voice low enough so that she couldn't accuse him of yelling at her. He saw her eyes widen and then he could smell salt on the air. A moment later, tears began slowly streaming down her face and then she flung herself at him. He started at first, not expecting this reaction. She was clutching his haori tightly and sobbing into his chest. Again. With barely a pause, he wrapped his arms around her to offer her comfort and support.
Suddenly, there was pounding on the door. Inuyasha felt Kagome tense in his arms, so he tightened his hold to reassure her. He could smell their scents; and he figured they had heard her shouts and come to help, probably expecting to find a fight going on. With a growl that only Kagome could hear, he released her and stood up, turning to the door just as the lock unlocked itself. The door was half-way open when he stopped it with his clawed hand. "What?" He growled dangerously.
"We heard shouting; is everything all right?" Storm questioned worriedly, her blue eyes flickering in concern. Behind her, Logan took a sniff, shook his head, and turned, heading back to his own room. Ororo and Jean failed to notice this.
Crossing his arms in an effort not to strangle the women in front of him, he replied bluntly, "Everything's fine. Kagome got a little scared and took it out on my ears; no big deal. Good-"
"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice traveled to his ears, forever cutting off what he'd been about to say. Spinning quickly, he turned around. Kagome was sitting in the center of the bed and shivering, knees pulled up to her chest. Forgetting about the women on the other side of the doorway, he moved quickly to her side and pulled her into his embrace.
"What is it?" He asked quietly, getting more worried by the second. She didn't reply at first, unsure of how to phrase whatever was still frightening her.
"I-I don't know. I just...have a bad feeling. I'm sorry; you shouldn't have to worry about me so much." She didn't seem to hear the soft click of their door shutting and locking itself as Jean and Ororo came to the conclusion that they were, indeed, not needed. Inuyasha himself barely registered it. Especially when Kagome spoke again. "Inuyasha...could you - maybe - stay with me again? Please? I'm afraid..." She allowed her voice to trail off as more tears threatened to overflow. His arms tightened around her and he subconsciously buried his nose in her neck.
"Don't be afriad; I'd die before I'd let anything happen to you." At the hitch in her breathing, he quickly added, "That ain't gonna happen. I've still got things to do; no bastard called 'Sinister'is gonna get rid o' me."
"Good. I'm going to hold you to that, buster." she teased, relaxing slightly in his arms and silently revelling in the feel of his lips brushing against her neck as he spoke. Then, suddenly, she was being held in his arms, off the bed. She didn't have to ask what he was doing; she wasn't even truly sure she cared, as long as he didn't let her go.
Inuyasha once again readjusted himself on the bed, pulling Kagome down on top of him and trying not to think about things other than their current situation; which wasn't actually helping, when he thought about it. Her sigh of contentment distracted him a little bit - somehow. In a matter of minutes, she was once again asleep. His chin was resting lightly on the top of her head, and he began subconsciously running his fingers through her long, soft hair. She snuggled closer to him and smiled in her sleep. Once he felt certain that she was sleeping peacefully, he relaxed enough to get some sleep of his own. "Goodnight, Kagome. I love you." he whispered, knowing he was in no danger of being overheard. Shortly after that, he, too, fell asleep.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Ok, there's chapter five...obviously. Hope you liked it; and if you did, don't forget to tell me so!