Now it's time for chapter – uh – six I think! In which Kagome gets tired of waiting for Inu and takes matters into her own hands. Meanwhile the two male heroes have a (ahem) disagreement. Also, Shippo loves candy!
Kagome…
Around the same time that her mother was waiting up and Inuyasha was dashing madly about Tokyo with the masked mercenary, the cause of all the pandemonium sat brooding in her 'cell'. Of all days not to wear a watch, Kagome couldn't believe she'd picked today; it was still in her purse – which, of course, she didn't have anymore. She wondered if whoever abducted her had it (that bothered her particularly for some reason) anyone had yet to appear, and as best she could tell she'd been awake for what seemed like twenty minutes.
During this ample time she'd memorized every square inch of the barren room. Her eyes, however, constantly strayed to the apparently water damaged ceiling more even than to the door. Kagome wondered how badly rotted the plaster really was as she slowly rose to her feet, perhaps bad enough.
She couldn't stand sitting around any longer. Her sense of urgency was higher than ever, and if she was going to do anything it had to be now before time ran out – assuming it already hadn't.
Forcing herself not to dwell on the previous thought, the school girl slipped off her heels and pocketed them. She then crossed over to her straw mat (which had been so considerately laid out for her) rolled it tightly up, and tucked it under one arm. With her arsenal secure, Kagome set her bare foot gingerly atop the doorknob, using it as a miniature ledge. Her thin fingers quickly found purchase on the doorframe. All the climbing she'd done in the feudal era, coupled with the rock climbing lessons she'd taken earlier last year helped her keep steady on the precarious perch.
Holding on tightly with her left hand, she eased the straw cylinder she'd made out from under her right arm and thrust it forcefully into the crumbling ceiling, then a second time, and a third. The plaster gradually began to loosen; a shower of beige chips rained down around her. Kagome now pounded with increased vigor, throwing her entire strength into the labor and abandoning all concern about the noise level as the puncture steadily widened. Her heart thudded wildly, echoing the pounding of the stiff straw.
Once she managed to crawl onto the beams, were would she go from there? Kagome didn't know, but anything was better than simply waiting around to die.
She reached up as high as possible and managed to brush the rough surface with her fingertips – but she remained too short to pull herself inside.
At last the girl had a decent sized opening just large enough to squeeze into; the trick was simply reaching it. Hastily wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, she took several large breaths, bent her knees as much as she dared, and leapt from the knob. It was a rather pathetic jump considering she had virtually no room to launch; her hands grasped nothing but insulation which quickly began to rip with her sudden weight.
Kagome clambered up the insufficient fiberglass, managing to grab plaster just as the insulation finally gave way. Now it was the damaged ceiling's turn to come apart. She gritted her teeth in frustration: there had to be a beam nearby. Much as she dared, the teenager felt around for something substantial to grab onto, but the stained plaster tore free in her grasp before she had the chance.
Dangling from one arm, Kagome clung for dear life, knowing if she fell she would not be able to reach the ledge again; the hole had ripped too wide to try jumping up from the knob and grabbing the sides. Even as the part of the ceiling she still clutched groaned dangerously, she spotted wood jutting out like an exposed rib of an enormous animal carcass from the plaster she'd just torn away. Hurriedly, the girl lunged for the beam. She released a small shriek as simultaneously, the remainder of the ceiling broke off in her hand.
By some miracle, her fingers just barely gained purchase on the wood in time and she was able to claw her way onto it. Shaking slightly, she wrapped her legs around the support from beneath, righted herself, and cautiously eased her way inside the gaping hole.
Though relieved, Kagome had no time to congratulate herself or examine her cut and bleeding fingers – she knew she might be caught at any moment and she still had no idea where to go from here. Crawling carefully from beam to beam, the girl allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The room below had only been lit by a single naked bulb in the center of the ceiling; whereas the attic area was not only stifling, but also devoid of light, windows and anything accept more pink insulation.
Somewhere (she could not tell whether it came from below or without or if, perhaps, she'd only imagined it) a dull thump reached her ears, and her heart suddenly leapt into her throat. Certain she'd been caught, a few agonizing moments passed before the teenager hastily returned to the task of escaping.
The sour smell of mildew nearly choked her. Putting her hand accidentally on the cottony lining between the supports, Kagome felt a wet, squishy sensation and realized the entire area was completely saturated.
'Where's all this water coming in from?'
Her unspoken question was shortly answered as a dimly glowing crack materialized in the darkness from the roof near the opposite wall. Cautiously and quickly as possible, the fifteen year old crawled toward the slender crevice and pressed her face against it. She could faintly feel the outside wind and see the shimmering lights of the darkened city. So she was still in Tokyo then?
Using her shoulder, Kagome shoved against the rotting wood – with little give. After a minute she remembered she had her shoes still shoved deep in her pockets. Retrieving one, the girl immediately began attacking the narrow slit to freedom with the corner of its heel.
The fissure grew by the slightest degree, but at this point she wouldn't be out until some time next week. Her frustration mounted, Kagome felt around for anything she could use to pry the wood apart with. When nothing came to hand, she slipped the shoes back on, lay on her back and simply started kicking at the crack as hard as possible.
Progress was suddenly much faster, and the swollen timber grudgingly gave way. Light, both natural and artificial, flooded the muggy interior from without, bringing with it a refreshing gust of night air. The girl inhaled it gratefully.
She was free! With raw, trembling hands she forced away the splintered plywood and shingles. Squeezing first her head, then her shoulders through, the rest of her followed fairly easily.
The young woman at last crouched atop the roof of what appeared to be an empty residence. Almost immediately she realized she was nowhere close to home. The whole atmosphere felt wrong – excessively warm and humid for Tokyo – and the buildings she spied from the large hill were far too diminutive to pass for the skyscraper jungle she knew so well. On the other hand, Kagome could smell the salt in the air, and decided she must be near the sea.
She crawled carefully over the broken shingles to the edge, seeking a way down; once again nothing immediately obliged the stranded girl's plight.
'Of course, why should anything be easy; it isn't as though I want to make it out of here alive!'
Kagome quietly chided her pessimism – she should be grateful to have gotten this far. Besides, she'd been in much tighter spots – but then, she'd always had Inuyasha to save her. However, she promptly countered, she'd managed to save him more than once as well – hadn't she? More importantly, who was to say he wasn't already nearby at this very moment? Obviously, he was searching for her and wouldn't stop until he'd found her – she at least knew that much: the guy was determined, and he cared for her deeply (or so she liked to believe).
Even as the teen pacified herself with such thoughts, a terrifyingly familiar sensation suddenly attacked her awareness. Kagome opened her mouth to scream, but somehow couldn't find the strength. She could feel the physical world slipping away (not again!) into a black abyss. Her numb fingers lost purchase and the disoriented girl toppled helplessly from the two storey roof toward the pavement below.
Feudal Japan…
Shippo snuggled deeper into Kilala's soft pelt for warmth, sensing that morning had arrived, yet unwilling to rise before the sun. The little cat he currently employed as a pillow stirred at his movement and began purring. Mechanically, the fox child opened his drowsy eyes a slit in order to inspect the modest hut.
Everyone was where he'd last left them: Sango lay on the other side of Kirara while Miroku snored softly with his back against the opposite wall. Shippo sighed with mild relief. Though the scars of loosing his parents had mostly faded, the young demon still felt the nagging compulsion to keep tabs on his adopted family – especially as their lives were none too secure most of the time. While Inuyasha was around, however, he could allow himself to relax a little.
Inuyasha?
Shippo's eyes snapped back open. Where was Inuyasha – or Kagome for that matter? He'd expected both of them back by now; weren't they only supposed to have visited Kagome's time for a few hours before returning? The small boy thought it strange: Inuyasha was (as usual) in a hurry to retrieve Kagome and look for jewel shards, and he didn't like to linger in the future.
'Humph, just like that Inuyasha to hog Kagome all to himself!'
Deciding he wasn't all that tired anymore, Shippo rose and crept quietly out of the Lady Kaede's hut, followed closely by Kirara.
Dawn slowly surfaced on the horizon, turning the sky rosy lavender. The two demons skirted the edge of the forest until they came upon a familiar, dried up old well in the clearing. Perching himself on the ledge, Shippo gazed inquisitively downward. He turned to his companion.
"Where do you think they are, Kirara?"
The creature in question replied with a tiny mew.
"I wish they'd hurry up and get back," muttered the boy. Not for the first time he envied Inuyasha being able to come and go as he pleased from present to future. He assumed they must be getting along well (for a change) to stay alone together for so long, but what were they doing? Obviously not what Miroku liked to do when he was by himself with a girl – Kagome was too decent for that, while Inuyasha was too clueless. (Yeesh, even a kid like Shippo had more perception than that guy; he could be denser than a swarm of Naraku's poison insects sometimes!)
No, they were probably busy enjoying all the wonderful things from Kagome's world: the wonderful fireworks, the wonderful food, the wonderful picture books, the wonderful candy… No fair! When would he ever get to experience that kind of fun?
"What a lucky dog," the young demon sighed to himself wistfully.
Still in Tokyo…
Inuyasha collapsed onto the hard hotel mattress, and was immediately engulfed in the scent of laundry detergent, starch, and (ugh) Deadpool. Coupled with the reek of ammonia, the entire room made the hanyou feel ill. He'd been running at top speed for an innumerable distance while piggy-backing a man nearly twice his size. Various parts of him still ached from being shot twice and run over – and he was tired! (Though he'd only admit it to himself.)
The mercenary was busy talking into the machine for communicating over long distances that Kagome sometimes used. Inuyasha still didn't see how conversation was supposed to help them find her; they were wasting time!
Presently, Wade hung up the phone and leaned pensively against the wall.
"So what did you find out," Inuyasha asked the ceiling.
"Okay, you're not gonna like this, but Tri-Mega may or may not be a real company – which in any case would hypothetically exist somewhere out in Texas. I've got Weasel looking into it."
The weary half-demon sat up with a glare, "Are you saying we're at another dead end?" He growled "So far you've been about as much help to me as a dead horse! I'll have to do everything myself if I ever want to find Kagome; I should've let that old geezer finish you off!"
"Careful now," warned his bulky companion, "you wouldn't want to say things you'd regret later." He absently fiddled with one of his ninja swords as he spoke.
"Feh," sneered Inuyasha.
"Look, you're obviously tired and suffering extreme brain damage from when that car plowed you down and your melon cracked the pavement – at least that's what I'm assuming. So why don't you take a nap while I take care of all the boring old work of actually finding our boy Sue, and I'll wake you up if I need anything smashed."
"You mean like your face, you jackass!" A sorely tested Inuyasha rose to his full height over the seated merc.
Wade appeared to grin beneath his red and black mask, "If that's how you feel about it, Fido, then time for Deadpool's obedience class 101!" Enthusiastically, the mercenary leapt to his feet, whipping out a long blade in the same fluid movement.
"Heh, no need to even dirty the Tetsusaiga on the likes of you," smirked the youth, ducking under Deadpool's swing. "Iron Reaver…!"
The attack hit Wade in the chest who immediately grabbed the rosary around his assailant's neck as he was thrown backwards.
"Urrk," choked Inuyasha as the pair collapsed in a dog pile.
"Looks like you and Suzy have the same taste in jewelry as you do in women," snorted the heavier of the two, pinning the other's arms behind him while shoving a knee into the small of the hanyou's back. "How can you be entirely sure Kagome didn't go with him willingly – maybe she was planning it all along?" He proceeded to slam Inu's silver head against the wooden night stand, "Sure he's old and crusty, but he's also loaded; what do you have to offer her accept the doghouse that Timmy built you?"
Using the rosary beads as a choke chain, Deadpool pulled the boy's head back to look at him while still pinning his arms. "Now it's time for lesson one: no getting up on the bed!"
Utterly pissed, Inuyasha suddenly tore free from the mercenary's grasp. The next thing Wade knew, a clawed hand reached back and grabbed him none too gently around the face; the merc-with-the-mouth was airborne. Fortunately, the wall across the room broke his momentary flight.
"That's it, I've had all I can take from you," snarled the rabid-looking dog demon, "I'm sendin' you to hell now!" With that, he unsheathed the famous sword.
The monstrous Tetsusaiga almost reached the opposite wall of the cramped hotel room, coming mere inches from Deadpool's misshapen nose.
"Whew! Talk about your overcompensations," remarked Wade.
Inuyasha didn't answer, however, but arched the sword upward as a vortex of wind wound itself around the massive blade. Deadpool, who was by no means an expert on demonic swords, nevertheless took little time to realize he was in deep doo-doo.
The next few moments were pure mayhem. Inuyasha shouted "Wind Scar" while, simultaneously, Wade howled manically, lobbing a grenade; unbeknownst to either, however, a third person had suddenly appeared in the room commanding both to halt – unfortunately, not before it was too late.
The explosion was tremendous, hurling human and hanyou high into the air. Kersplash! The half-demon's head collided against a rock hard surface; he was under water. Floundering to the top, the boy climbed the small set of steps only to collapse once again onto the stony concrete. Inuyasha swore miserably as he was casually pelted by the flaming chunks of debris showering down around him.
Meanwhile, Wade was in the parking lot; he thanked his lucky stars he'd landed on a rag top, which had collapsed beneath him. He struggled to sit up, but found he couldn't move at all. Okey-dokey, he'd just have to give his healing factor a little more time to catch up. The merc briefly wondered where his dog demon companion had touched down – hopefully onto a nice bed of razor wire! 'Note to self: avoid business end of car bumper-sized sword in future,' thought Wade.
"As soon as I can feel my extremities again, I'm gonna kick his – "
"You're lucky to still have any extremities, however, even that may be temporary," replied a cold feminine voice.
Wade started, rolling his eyes upward he beheld a woman glaring down at him with strangely pearly and translucent skin.
"Anything I can do for you, angel," asked a dazed Wade, trying to smile.
The woman smirked disdainfully, "Yes, you can hand over the beads – and then you can perish!"
- 'Weasel',for anyone who doesn't know, is Deadpool's friend and created a lot of the merc's weapons and gadgets.