Escaping Death

Note- Hey! It seems like you guys are enjoying it so far. That's great.

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha.

Summary- Kagome is an average girl. But after a strange online conversation, a psychotic killer wants HER to choose his victims. She can't escape, not without sacrificing everyone she loves. So what can she do?

I hope you all enjoy. Please review and thanks for reading. Here it goes.

Escaping Death

Chapter Seventeen

Bankotsu had grown bored of the same hospital room. The white walls, the white tile flooring, the television across that room that was continuously interrupted with bouts of static. He knew it all. He had memorized it all -- the cracks in the ceiling, the way the door squeaked noisily when it was opened, the way the sun looked through the windows -- in a mere day and a half. And he was tired of it. He wanted to go home.

"You will be allowed to leave tomorrow," the doctor had said earlier that morning, after giving a speech about how his wounds should heal if they were taken care of properly.

"Tomorrow," he muttered, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. He didn't need it, of course, since he had been drugged up and slept peacefully for a straight nine hours. He just wanted to occupy himself with something in order to help time pass. And the constant reruns of Family Feud and The Price Is Right weren't helping in the least. The static had gotten on his nerves and he had been forced to cut the television off with a remote a nurse had given him. She had been cute, medium length black hair and a cheerful smile. Her eyes had a bluish tint to them and glowed with vitality.

"I need something to do," he growled to no one. He wasn't drugged up anymore, but his wounds didn't hurt very much.

His mother had called twice that day to check up on him, since she was detained at her job, and then the curfew worked its way into her schedule. Not that he minded -- his mother was sweet, but she treated him as if he were still eleven and played with Kagome on the playground.

He began to drift to sleep very slowly but was awakened by the annoying squeak of the door. When he looked up, startled, he was even more astonished to find his brothers in the doorway.

"Hey, man," Suikotsu said. "Mom told us what happened."

"Are you okay?" Jakotsu approached the bed slowly, looking very pale faced.

Bankotsu only managed to gape up at him.

"Oh, no, Suikotsu, I told you he wasn't okay. Look at him! He can't even speak!" Jakotsu said with a tremor in his voice.

Suikotsu came up beside his brother and said, "Bankotsu? You're all right, aren't you? Mom said you were."

Bankotsu managed to shake his disbelief away and say, "I'm fine," causing Jakotsu to sigh in evident relief. "But what are you doing here?"

"What?" Suikotsu asked, looking offended. "You don't want us here?"

Bankotsu shook his head, "No. No, it's not that. It's just that I never thought you guys would come and visit me in the hospital."

Suikotsu laughed. "You're our brother. That's what we do. We look out for each other." He ruffled Bankotsu's hair affectionately and took a seat in the chair across the room. Jakotsu took the one next to the bed.

"So what happened exactly?" Jakotsu inquired curiously. "Mom said that it was him, but we didn't believe her. So who was it?"

Bankotsu regarded Jakotsu with a serious expression. "It was him."

Jakotsu and Suikotsu exchanged wary glances.

"It seriously was." Bankotsu protested. "He was wearing a hockey mask and a baseball cap. He had a damn hunting knife."

Again, his two younger step-brothers exchanged glances. From the look on their faces, Bankotsu could tell they didn't believe him.

"Fine," he said. "Don't believe me."

"It's not that," Jakotsu insisted quickly. "It's just that…"

Bankotsu quirked an eyebrow, expectantly waiting for the rest of the sentence.

"Well, since there's already a kill on the loose," Suikotsu offered, "everyone who is twisted enough to hurt someone has the opportunity to do it. There could be more than one him. All the sick fuckers out there could have decided that since the police are occupied with what's-his-face, that they could go and kill or whatever."

Bankotsu pondered over this a moment. It was true.

"Did you hear about that guy?" Jakotsu asked. "What was him name? Sesshomaru?"

Bankotsu looked extremely interested. "Sesshomaru? What about him?"

"Well, I heard that someone was in his house, killing him. But his younger brother showed up and the guy left." Jakotsu explained.

"Now, he's in a coma here in this hospital and his brother was here all night donating blood. The doctor isn't sure he'll make it." Suikotsu looked grim faced.

"Oh," Bankotsu looked down at the bed sheets that were covering his body. "That's bad."

"Tell me about it," Suikotsu said in agreement. "Well, we've got to run. We'll come and see you sometime tomorrow when you get home." He rose to his feet and embraced Bankotsu, Jakotsu doing the same. And then they left.

---

"Inuyasha?" Kagome extended a hand to grasp the doorknob in a firm hold and open the door, but instantly thought better of it and wrenched her hand back. She stared at the hard wood of the spare bedroom door and heaved a heavy sigh. He'd been in there all morning, ever since he arrived and had been shown the bedroom. He hadn't even had breakfast.

She turned and sulked down the stairs to the kitchen. Her mother was off of work for the day and was cooking supper and humming pleasantly to herself.

Kagome collapsed into a chair that sat in front of the dinner table. "He still hasn't come out," she said, almost sounding like a small child whining.

"Give him time, dear." Her mother said gently. She began cutting something with a knife. "He's had a rough time and I'm sure he's only resting. Let him come out when he's ready to face everything."

"Mom, he hasn't had anything to eat." Kagome persisted.

"Well then," her mother adjusted the temperature on the stove. "If he's not out when we finish our food, you can take him a plate upstairs."

"All right." This sounded fair so Kagome left that subject alone. She busied herself with messing with the decorative flowers on the table. Impetuously, she randomly asked, "What if his brother dies? Can he stay here?"

Her mother stopped what she was doing and turned toward her daughter. "Kagome, of course he can. But we mustn't give up hope just yet. Just keep praying."

Kagome nodded and rested her head against the table with a sigh. It was so easy to say not to lose hope. Too bad it was harder to actually do it.

---

"Miroku, what should I do?" Sango asked, her face pale.

"I don't know, Sango," Miroku answered. He was playing his Playstation2, easily evading the other cars on the road in Midnight Club 3.

"I mean," she continued nervously, adjusted her weight on his bed so she was more comfortable as she faced the large television. "He was at my window and made an 'I'm watching you' sign with his fingers. What did I do? I haven't done anything." She slapped a hand to her chest with a gasp. "What if…I'm his next victim!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Miroku scolded, wincing as his car flipped. The game almost immediately repositioned it and he continued on with the race. "Only Kagome chooses the victims." His body jerked violently as he did a sharp turn.

"Well you know how he is," she said softly. "He gets bored easily and when he does, he chooses someone at random. Besides," she paused as she watched him do a giant jump over a river, "he said he wasn't alone in this."

Miroku's car didn't make it and landed in the river and he dropped the controller. "Well, still," he said uncomfortably. "I don't think he's coming after you. He's only doing it to scare you."

---

Kagome barely touched her food. She picked at it with her fork. And it wasn't because there was a troubled hanyou with problems in his life sitting beside her. Oh, no. It was because there wasn't a troubled hanyou with problems sitting beside her.

"Kagome? Aren't you going to eat, dear?" Her mother asked, peering at her curiously from across the table. Kagome caught the note of concern etched in her voice,

"I'll save it for later, mom. I'm not real hungry right now." She placed her plate in the microwave before fixing a separate dish. She then went upstairs and gingerly rapped on the door. When no one answered, she let herself in.

It was dark and quiet, almost unnerving, especially when she thought of Death lurking in the shadows, waiting for her. But she quelled those fears by thinking of Inuyasha.

She found the small lamp on the nightstand by the bed and flicked it on, illuminating the room in a small, warm orange glow. She placed the plate of food on the nightstand and looked at the bed. Inuyasha was sleeping on his right side, his back to her. She smiled and sat on the edge of the bed gently.

As she sat there, fingering the soft material of the pillowcases, she remembered that she had to tell Death the next victim. Her heart sank and she realized that she wasn't sure of who to pick. She figured she could get rid of all the mean people in school, but she really felt horrible about it. But she soon came to a decision and was about to leave when Inuyasha called her name and stopped her.

She turned.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked, curiously, not angrily.

"Oh, I brought some food for you," she replied, motioning to the still warm food on the nightstand. "You haven't eaten all day, so I figured you were hungry. But I'll leave you alone and let you rest." She turned to go.

"No!"

She stopped and whirled around.

"I mean, um, stay. I've rested enough." He said, sitting up and patting the mattress beside of him. She took a seat there and looked at him expectantly, as if she were waiting for him to begin a conversation. "So," he began, unsure of what to say. "Have you talked to Miroku and Sango today?"

"No," she said. "I talked to Sango online last night."

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head, looking sheepishly down at the floor. When he brought his gaze back up, he caught sight of a mark across her throat. It was scabbed over and didn't look too deep or wide. "Kagome," he said, "what's this?" He pointed to it, barely touching it, and she jerked away, turning in the opposite direction. "What is it?" He repeated, his voice harder this time.

"I ran into Death last night, okay?" She said, turning back to him. "I ran home from the hospital because of the conversation Miroku and Sango were having. And he followed me and we ended up talking."

"And he put a knife to your throat?" Inuyasha nearly screamed. Kagome shushed him. "Don't tell me to be quiet!" He said. "He could have kill--"

Kagome silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand. "He wouldn't kill me," she hissed. "He needs me."

Inuyasha wrenched her hand from his face. "Haven't you ever heard of an accident?"

"Yes," she answered. "But he's better than that to just let himself screw up. Just be quiet, okay? Mom doesn't know."

"Well she needs to know!" He said. He went to get up, but she shoved him back down with all her might.

"No!" She looked angry. Frustrated. "I don't want her to worry more than she already does. I don't want her involved. I didn't even want you guys in it."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something -- along the lines of well, we ARE in it, so get over it -- but stopped and snapped it back shut. Then he embraced her. She tensed, but soon relaxed and returned it wholeheartedly.

"I guess I'm just afraid," she whispered.

"Don't be," he said, rubbing her back gently. "I'm here with you."

She pulled her face away and looked up into his amber eyes. "I know."

He leaned down and closed the space between them by pressing his lips against hers gently. As they kissed, Kagome realized that he was there with her. She realized that, since he was there, she felt stronger, less afraid. She knew that, with Inuyasha by her side, they were going to stop Death.

Note- There! Sorry it's short. I will update ASAP! Please review.