READ, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AN! PLEASE DO NOT SKIP!
My God, I am soo sorry about how late this is. I've actually had this written for about a week, but due to some nissues with getting this to my beta, and then the site being down yesterday...At least it's here now! And I WILL get back to regular updating ASAP, promise. Just, I have some early GCSE exams coming up (equivalent to SATs, except I have to study for them really hard), in ICT (Computers) and Math, and those come first.
The original author's note is below, I only just added this!
Hello, my ducks, I'm writing this currently very late, I know, but here's the damn chapter, late as it is! This wasn't easy to write, and believe me, I so wanted to just have Kikyou go totally crazy and jump off some cliff, but that would've killed not only the storyline, but my writing quality.
I do have the feeling Kikyou's pissing some readers off, seeing as there's been a significant drop in reviews since her introduction to the storyline as an actual character. I would like to get rid of her, just to get you all to stop hating me, but sadly, Kikyou does not get foiled or whatever till next chapter! I'm sooo sorry, but I wanted Kagome kidnapped for a decent amount of time, you know. Twould kill the story quality I've been trying to maintain if I didn't...
I'm having a little trouble keeping the thoughts in italics, so I figured I'd leave it for now and develop that skill in Blood Heritage, maybe?
Oh yeah, V.IMPORTANT! I'D LIKE YOU GUYS TO ALL SAY HI TO MY NEW BETA, DA KILLAH! This means there should be less typos and plotholes, seeing as I have this lovely new person to help me fix them!
Alright, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's tense, okay?
Chapter 20: Snatched
Kagome's eyes cracked open slowly, as she blinked heavily, fighting off the stupor that still fogged her brain. Her vision swam into focus as she took a deep breath to steady the nausea in her stomach, and she looked around her surroundings.
Kagome lay in a bed, in a warm, bright room set in shades of deep yellow and burgundy. The opulent furnishings surrounded the kingsize four poster bed she was snugly tucked up in, the weak dawn sunlight bouncing off the gilt edges.
Kagome groaned as she sat up, peering about the room which was so strange to her. What was she doing here? Where the hell was Inuyasha? But as Kagome felt the baby give a fierce kick inside her, the memory came flooding back, as the color drained from her face.
Kikyou. Kikyou had come, come and kidnapped her from the hospital, knocked her out somehow. Kagome gasped as she realized what she'd been doing before Kikyou had captured her, after Inuyasha had followed a male nurse out of the room.
She'd been having her baby. In the hospital. And now, here she was, in a strange house, with no one around, and she was still having her baby.
So Kagome did the only thing she could do. She screamed.
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"Kagome, that asshole gave me the wrong forms, said I didn't actually have to..." Inuyasha trailed off as his heart skipped a beat at the sight in front of him. He dropped the container of hot oden he had in his hands as he paled.
The bed was empty. As in, without Kagome in it.
Inuyasha's stomach seemed to fall out from under him as he sniffed the air cautiously. His eyes widened as he caught the familiar scent, the scent he thought he'd left behind ten years ago. He'd thought he would never have to smell her again. Kikyou had been here. Very recently.
Inuyasha walked slowly over to the sheets and breathed in, confirming his worst fears. Kikyou had been very close to the bed, near Kagome, whose own cocoa butter scent, laced with chloroform, trailed off the bed, and...Inuyasha followed the trail with his nose...into...the floor?
As the blood began to boil in Inuyasha's veins, he clenched his fists, the full realization of what happened hitting him full on.
Kikyou had had the audacity to come into the room, she'd taken Kagome, knocked her out, and taken her through a miko kadou (vortex) to wherever the fuck she'd wanted her to go! And now, Inuyasha had no way of knowing where she was, how to get to her, and what Kikyou wanted with her! No fucking way!
All seemed lost as Inuyasha's insides raged and boiled, his inner youkai threatening to break free. All Inuyasha now knew was that his whelping mate had been taken from him, and her fate remained painfully uncertain.
As Inuyasha howled into the morning, thrusting his head out of the open window, red swam into his pupils, and the hanyou was no more.
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Sesshoumaru scratched the back of his neck as a niggling feeling of worry seized him, making him uncomfortable. His face twisted in confusion as he tried to figure out what had him so worried.
As the rest of the people in the car laughed and chatted happily, Sesshoumaru continued driving to the hospital, scratching the juncture between his neck and shoulder so hard he almost drew blood.
Something was wrong. The youkai bond between him and his brother was screaming at him, warning him. Something was wrong with Inuyasha, and it was serious.
Sesshoumaru looked back on the scene in the minivan he'd rented for the birth, so everybody would fit in. They all looked so light and happy, comparing the size of the stuffed animals and balloons they'd got for the baby. Sango was rebuking Miroku for trying to tie a lacy red thong he'd purchased for Kagome onto the end of a helium balloon. Fine, he thought, I won't worry them now.
Sesshoumaru stepped firmly on the accelerator, speeding to the hospital as fast as traffic would let him.
Be safe, Inuyasha...
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"Awake then, are we?" Kikyou smirked at the panting Kagome, worn from the strength of her scream. She leaned against the doorjamb as she grinned at Kagome.
"Wh...Why...How?" Kagome spluttered, not knowing which question to ask her captor first.
"How?" Kikyou reiterated smugly. "You're a miko Kagome, I'm surprised you don't know. I brought you here through a miko kadou, they're not hard to conjure. What else did you want to know? Don't worry, I won't starve you. Can't have you giving birth without some kind of sustenance." She smiled sickeningly at Kagome.
"Why the fuck did you bring me and my baby here?" Kagome asked venomously, pushing aside the brief pain of a small contraction rippling through her stomach.
"Kagome, isn't it obvious, sweetie?" Kikyou replied condescendingly, slithering into the room to sit on the end of the bed with Kagome.
"Don't call me that." Kagome snipped out, moving as fast backwards as she possibly could from Kikyou. Inuyasha called her that, and the pain in her heart only intensified as she realized how much she missed him. "What do you want with me and Inuyasha?"
"I want revenge." Kikyou said simply.
"Did you not already get that when you killed his mother?" Kagome asked incredulously.
"I figure that was merciful. Back then, he'd only split up my family. Now, he's killed my mother. Drove my mother to her death." Kikyou snapped bitterly. "I have nothing now. Without family, there is nothing in my life. He's taken that from me, so I'll take his from him. That's my logic." She finished, sniffing back her tears.
"It's fucking twisted!" Kagome shrieked. "Kikyou, Inuyasha has done nothing to you, and yet you continue to punish him. He has been hurting every day since you got on that plane to London, and it's because of the guilt. The pain almost killed his humanity Kikyou, and he's only just broken free of it." Kagome said, trying to rein in her anger and shock. "Please, just let me go, and let him be happy. Right now, only you can give him that." Kagome finished.
"Nice try, sweetie." Kikyou said, smirking evilly. "This time, I'm not working alone. There's nothing you can do, except hurry up and have that baby. Speaking of the baby, I don't do births, so I have someone here to help you out." She said nastily, walking over to another door and walking through into a small room.
Kagome craned her head around, determined to see who else Kikyou had captured.
She drew in a sharp breath as the rumpled form of Dr. Kasha came into her view, her arm held tightly by Kikyou, who grinned sadistically at Kagome.
"Kasha..." Kagome whispered.
"Yeah, she gave us some very useful information, I'll give her that. Besides, I wouldn't want you dying on us now, would I...wouldn't have any leverage then." Kikyou smirked.
Kagome's eyes widened as she clutched her loose hospital gown in shock. Kasha had betrayed them to Kikyou?
"Kagome, I..." Kasha began, shaking her head quickly.
"Talk when I'm out of the room ladies. I have business to take care of, but I'll be back in an hour. By the way, don't try to escape. It's not worth it, and you'll only hurt your baby Kagome." Kikyou said blandly, standing in the doorway. "Kasha already knows why she can't leave, don't you?" Kikyou grinned, before slamming the door on the women, the noise echoing through the huge room.
"Kagome, I didn't betray you and Inuyasha, you know I wouldn't have." Kasha began, scraping her hair back over her head as she joined Kagome on the bed, walking instead of the usual inuyoukai leap.
"What did you tell her though?" Kagome asked urgently, knowing she believed Kasha, despite the fact that something was different about her aura. Muffled, maybe...
"All I told her was that you could give birth as early as now, which you are, and that you and Inuyasha were having a hanyou child. She seemed to know everything else." Kasha said positively. "How do you know this bitch?" she asked, holding both of Kagome's shaking hands in hers.
"She...she terrorized Inuyasha, I guess, when he was younger, and she's out for revenge. It's a long story." Kagome said tiredly, rubbing her forehead with her hand.
"Alright. I understand now. Kagome, do you know if you are able to reach Inuyasha telepathically yet?" Kasha asked seriously, looking into her eyes.
"I can what?" Kagome asked.
"Did he not tell you?" Kasha asked incredulously.
"Evidently not." Kagome snorted, making a mental note to yell at Inuyasha for this when he came to rescue her.
"If the bond is strong enough, and you're both strong enough, and you're a miko and a hanyou, you can speak to him. Physical strength is important for this." Kasha said. "Tap into your miko energy, your power. And use that to touch his youki. Understand?"
Kagome nodded, as she shut her eyes, and prayed this would work. She took a deep breath as she summoned her miko energy from inside herself and worked on pushing it all into her head, and projecting it to the essence of who Inuyasha was; his youki. Kagome gasped as she was hit by a wall of confusion, fury and pain as she tapped on his aura. She shuddered as the intensity of the feelings – no, his feelings – washed through her, inhuman in their strength. Kagome's eyes snapped open, and she looked at Kasha despairingly.
"What's wrong Kagome?" Kasha asked urgently, searching her eyes.
"He's...I think he's gone full youkai, Kasha." Kagome whispered, tears welling up.
"Oh, no..." Kasha breathed, shaking her head slowly. "Kagome there's nothing you can do to bring him out of this, is there? Something you could do from here?" she asked desperately.
"I can't sit him when I can't see him; it doesn't work that way." Kagome said forlornly, looking down into her lap.
"Is he with others?" Kasha asked.
"The others should be there by now. I can only hope they'll calm him down so I can reach him." Kagome whispered.
"Well then, have faith in that sweetie." Kasha said soothingly, stroking Kagome's hair.
"But – " Kagome protests were cut off as another, slightly stronger contraction hit her, the pain shooting through her abdomen sharply. "Contraction..." she got out, between shallow breaths.
"I know, just breath in and out, concentrate on that, not the pain sweetie," Kasha said, rubbing Kagome's back as she bent over, clutching her stomach tightly.
After a minute or two, Kagome sat up, swiping the sweat quickly from her forehead as the pain faded away to a dull ache.
"Over?" Kasha asked with a weak smile.
"Yeah..." Kagome said, still breathing hard.
"You know what, Kikyou's left a hospital labor kit here, you want me to take a look?" Kasha offered. "I think that's what I'm here for."
"Would you?" Kagome asked, smiling gratefully for the first time since she'd woken up.
"Hey, I'm your OBGYN, you're paying me good money to do this! Plus, Inuyasha's not around to tell me otherwise!" Kasha joked, rootling under the bed for the kit, pulling out a pair of latex gloves.
"Kasha?" Kagome said, a confused expression on her face as she looked at her lap.
"What?" she replied, pulling on the gloves.
"I...I think my water just broke..." Kagome said, flushing with embarrassment.
"Oh, sweetie," Kasha chuckled. "Worry not, it doesn't count as wetting the bed. Kikyou's actually been well prepared for this, I'm surprised. You'll notice there's a bedpan underneath you and a spare nightdress on the dresser." Kasha indicated, pulling out a small sterile ruler.
"Ooh, I wondered why the sheets weren't wet." Kagome realized. "And Kasha, there's something else I want to ask you. Two things, really."
"Worst one first." Kasha said, halting her actions to look at Kagome.
"Why can't I feel your youki like I should? I mean, it's like it's been muffled, stepped on or something. Or else you'd have been able to get out by now." Kagome asked.
"That would be Kikyou's doing," Kasha said reluctantly. "She's a powerful miko, more so than most. She's put this bracelet on my wrist and it seals my youki. You'll also notice my hair is a normal color and I don't have ears anymore. I can't get out of here." Kasha stated miserably, trying to wrench the bracelet off for the fiftieth time that day.
"Who can take it off then?" Kagome asked. "Could I? As another miko?"
"Nope, Kikyou's smarter than that." Kasha replied. "She's fixed so only another youkai can take the damned thing off. It's the least chance she has of anyone getting it off me."
"Bitch." Kagome muttered, pulling the other nightdress over her head. It was evidently one Kikyou'd had as a teenager, as it was nothing but a grossly oversized t-shirt with Nsync on the front, smiling faces grinning out from the t-shirt. Kagome thought to herself, had Kikyou ever been just young and innocent? A boyband fangirl? Had she ever been truly happy?
"My sentiments exactly." Kasha replied, pulling out a small penlight and indicating that Kagome should spread her legs.
"Kami, just like Inuyasha..." Kagome mumbled wryly.
"a) I'm choosing to ignore that comment, and b) let's have a look at this sucker..." Kasha said, bending down to investigate.
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"Daddy, I..." Kikyou began, the tears streaming down her face as she spoke into her cellphone, on a sunny balcony facing the beach.
"Don't call me that, Kikyou," Naraku replied, venom dripping from his tone.
"I can't do this to them, it hurts..." Kikyou sobbed quietly.
"I don't care Kikyou. Both you and I lost your mother because of that hanyou, and we both lost things because of that. He deserves this. Besides, the miko has something I want..." Naraku snapped.
"Naraku, you lost money. You lost power when Mother was committed. When she died, it was even worse. That's all you missed. I lost a mother. I lost a family. What does Kagome have?" Kikyou retaliated.
"The Shikon no Tama. Ultimate wishing power." Naraku stated proudly, greed lacing his voice thickly.
"But, the wish has to be pure." Kikyou replied, confused.
"Oh no it doesn't..." Naraku wheedled. "The jewel is neutral. It can be swayed either way. I don't think the miko realizes its power. It must be wished on; either a pure wish to purify the thing, or a selfish wish." Naraku said.
"Oh." Kikyou said, unable to think of anything else. Her hands were tied
"Besides Kikyou, darling, you know if you disagree, you'll be forced to do things I know you love doing for Daddy..." Naraku threatened, his intent clear.
"Please..." Kikyou said, tears flowing once more.
"You know I love it when you beg." Naraku replied nastily.
Kikyou continued to cry as Naraku hung up, falling to her knees in the new California sunshine.
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"Inuyasha, please stop this!" Kouga yelled, struggling to hold back the raging inuyoukai, roaring in agony.
The room was in tatters. The bed had long since been dismantled by Inuyasha's elongated claws. Deep grooves lined the walls and floor, the 50 inch plasma screen smashed in, sparking small electric bolts. Nurses and doctors had been locked out of the room, whilst Inuyasha rampaged around, cutting down anything and everything in his path. Everyone stood in the room, hiding from the blind fury that Inuyasha was.
"What the hell do we do? We can't use the sit command!" Rin said in a small voice, clinging tightly to Ayame as she watched Kouga and Sesshoumaru hold onto Inuyasha to keep him down, attempting to tie up his wrists.
"There's a sword. Father had it forged for him. The Tessaiga. It works as a seal on his demon blood, and that's the only other thing to stop this. But if I leave him now, he'll kill you all. I'm already using small amounts of poison to keep him a little quieter." Sesshoumaru grunted quickly, wrenching Inuyasha's elbow around behind him.
"Sango, what the hell are you doing?" Ayame asked, looking back at Sango who was rummaging through her purse behind the locked door.
"I'm a taijiya sweetie. I'm always prepared with a youkai shot somewhere." Sango replied, pulling a small syringe of the fluorescent orange liquid out.
"How are you gonna get close enough?" Miroku asked seriously, holding her arm as she began walking towards the man writhing in the arms of the two youkai holding him back.
"I'll find a way." Sango said surely, advancing again.
"You'll get hurt." Miroku said plaintively. "You can't go."
"Miroku, who are you to tell me that? I will be fine. He needs help, and I'm the only one here who has the least hope of giving it to him." Sango snapped, wrenching her arm from Miroku's hold.
"Sango!" Miroku called out, reaching out to pull her back. Sango jogged easily out of his reach, and straight up to Inuyasha, grabbing his chin and looking him in the eye.
"Inuyasha." She started levelly, quietly tapping the air bubbles out of the needle as she stared him out. "Calm down." She said, equally slowly, raising the needle to his arm as she held his attention. There wasn't a sound except for the harsh breathing of the youkai in front of her.
This taijiya, Inuyasha thought brokenly, I recognise. She wishes to stop me. She is a mere human. She won't stop me.
With a roar that rattled the foundations of the building, Inuyasha brought one arm up and backhanded Sango across the room, smirking as she smacked into the opposite wall, sliding to the floor with a pained whimper.
"SANGO!" Miroku yelled, sprinting to her side, rolling her over as she moaned in pain, dazed.
Looking at the vast bruise building on an entire half of Sango's face as she drifted in and out on consciouness, Miroku felt an emotion build in him that was alien to him, something so out of character for him he didn't even know if it was real.
Miroku was feeling his own blood boil. An inhuman strengh building in him due to the adrenaline rush racing through him, he walked slowly over to the still struggling Inuyasha, shoving him so hard on the chest he fell on his ass and sat on the floor, stunned for a moment.
"Inuyasha, how fucking dare you?" Miroku hissed, crouching down to Inuyasha's level. He still sat on the ground, stunned at the human who had floored him.
"How fucking dare you hit a woman? Much less a human woman, much less my human women. This is not you, Inuyasha. Get the fuck out of that abyss you've allowed yourself to slip into, because I'm not having this. Driving yourself into a blind rage is not going to get you your mate back." Inuyasha's eyes began to bleed gold again, his claws shortening. "Only you can get Kagome back, and every minute you're here tearing the place to shreds, that's one more minute she's giving birth to your child, alone." Inuyasha was now fully hanyou again, breathing heavily, his head in his hands.
"Mir..Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, shaking his head to clear the lifting fog.
"He's ba-ack!" Kouga singsonged from his place on the floor, flat on his back as he got his breath.
"The hell happened in here? It looks like World War III." Inuyasha quipped, rubbing his head in confusion.
"You did." Miroku stated coldly, cradling Sango in his lap as she winced in pain.
"I...I went youkai on you again?" Inuyasha asked, color draining from his face.
"Can't you tell?" Miroku asked, indicating the room and its inhabitants.
"But why?" Inuyasha asked. "Where's Kagome?"
"Inuyasha, remember." Sesshoumaru said gently, raising himself off the ground, hauling him up in front of him.
"Oh...no..." Inuyasha said as the memory flooded back to him. Kikyou..Kagome...gone...
"She took her." Inuyasha breathed, struggling to keep his composure.
"Who?" Sesshoumaru asked. Everyone came to sit on the floor in a circle around Inuyasha, Miroku carrying Sango over, stroking her bruised face gently.
"Kikyou." Inuyasha muttered.
"But, why?" Ayame asked, confusion furrowing her brow.
"Hell if I know, and hell if I'm not gonna find out." Inuyasha said with conviction.
"Is she too far away to home in on her location?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Like the way she found you when you proposed."
"I could try. Kikyou's not stupid though, she won't be close." Inuyasha said, shrugging as he closed his eyes. After a moment, he shook his head and growled in frustration. "I can't reach her that way."
"Try the mate to mate telepathy," Sesshoumaru said calmly, nodding at him.
"She's human though." Inuyasha argued.
"No, she's not, she's a miko." Ayame piped up.
"Which means it should work." Sesshoumaru added.
"As long as she's and you are in good health, and your bond is strong enough, it'll work, and she can tell you what's happening." Kouga indicated.
"How does it work?" Inuyasha asked hopefully.
"Tap into your youki, and use it as a tool to tap into her miko energy." Sesshoumaru instructed.
"Fine." Inuyasha nodded, and closed his eyes tightly, drawing his own youki out from inside him.
His drew breath sharply as he met Kagome's aura with a burst of white hot pain raging through his abdomen. He pulled his youki back instinctively, and his eyes shot open, as he breathed heavily.
"What?" Sesshoumaru asked, searching Inuyasha's eyes.
"She..she's hurting..." Inuyasha muttered, trying to fight the last vestiges of the pain.
"No shit, Inuyasha, she's having your baby. It's not known for being a piece of cake." Miroku snapped sarcastically, still stroking Sango's hair.
"The fuck's wrong with you, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, confused.
"Take a look." He snipped out.
Inuyasha's eyes landed on Sango's bruised, limp form in Miroku's arms, her taking in shallow, wheezing breaths. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the now purple bruise covering one whole side of her face as she slept.
"Did...Did I do that to her?" Inuyasha asked in shock. He'd never hit a woman before. Ever. Especially not one who meant so much to him and Kagome, and his best friend.
"I don't blame you, but I'm still pissed. She knew she was risking herself to help you." Miroku muttered, holding her hand gently in his own.
"Miroku, I..." Inuyasha didn't know how to apologize for this. What could he do to make it up to him. Suddenly, he had an idea. It wasn't the greatest, but it would have to do for now.
"Give her to me." Inuyasha said, holding his arms out for Sango.
"What are you gonna do?" Miroku asked, puzzled.
"I'm taking her someplace a hell of a lot safer. I have to do something for her." Inuyasha said calmly, holding out his arms.
Miroku looked carefully at Inuyasha, and then stood up, placing Sango into Inuyasha's waiting arms.
"Drop her, and I will drop kick your ass into the next century." Miroku said quietly, shooting Inuyasha a tiny smile after kissing Sango's forehead lightly.
"Pffft. Dream on..." Inuyasha said, shooting a small grin back at him before she ran out the door. Inuyasha raced down to reception and paid to have Sango put in a huge private room and given round the clock care and top security until she recovered.
When he returned, the others were engrossed in deep conversation, which halted the second he closed the door behind him.
"Where'd you put Sango?" Miroku asked.
"She's in a couple of floors above us, go see her anytime." Inuyasha said. "Oh yeah, my ears are burning."
"Well we just figured out that if she's in pain, you might want to try again soon, because the contractions don't last forever. You just have to catch her inbetween." Sesshoumaru reasoned.
"I'll keep trying." Inuyasha said with conviction. "I'll try till I find her, dammit."
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"Kagome sweetie, please don't cry." Kasha pleaded, wiping the sweat from Kagome's brow with a cloth from the labor kit. "I can't give you anything for the pain."
"I wanted drugs, dammit!" Kagome cried, sniffling back the tears as the contraction ended. "I wanted an epidural, and pethadine, and gas, and air, and lots of drugs, for fuck's sake!"
"Sweetie, quit whining!" Kasha snapped, leaping up from the bed to check Kagome's dilation.
"How many centimeters?" Kagome asked.
"Seven, only three more to go, you're doing fine." Kasha said, trying to keep the mood light.
"Kasha, I know what you're thinking." Kagome said, shifting uncomfortably.
"You do?" she replied.
"How are we gonna get out of this one?" Kagome asked, a worried expression etched across her features.
"Got it in one." Kasha conceded, sitting heavily on the end of the bed, opposite Kagome.
"The way I see it," Kagome began, "is that when Inuyasha disappeared before he was meant to propose," (she wasn't about to tell her he'd run away from her; she still had some pride) "I found him using our bond as mates, sort of like a tracking device. I figure that maybe now he's not a youkai anymore, I can at least use that, or try your telepathy thing again. Once that's done, he'll come here, and we'll take it from there." Kagome finished reasonably, plastering a fake smile over her face.
"You realize how many holes there are in that, right?" Kasha commented dryly.
"I know." Kagome admitted, sagging her shoulders in defeat, sweeping her sweaty bangs back over her head. "But they way I see it, I have to find a way to reach him and tell him what's going on. I'm gonna try again before the next contraction hits me. I can talk to him. I know we're strong enough. Please let me, Kasha." Kagome pleaded, love shining in her weary eyes.
"Alright, but you only have a few minutes. Your contractions are coming a hell of a lot closer together, but you need to keep the little bastard in as long as you can, okay?" Kasha warned, looking at her watch.
"Honestly, what did my baby ever do to you people to make you keep calling it names?" Kagome grumbled as she closed her eyes, and focused on her inner miko. She didn't honestly care how fucking tired her miko was at the effort of turning a watermelon-sized creature out of her birth canal, she was talking to her mate, and she was talking to him NOW.
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Inuyasha paced back and forth breathing hard as he nervously picked at his claws. The last four times he'd tried, Kagome's still been in huge amounts of pain, and he couldn't get through to her.
Sesshoumaru had found out for him that Kasha was also missing, and if Inuyasha knew Kikyou, (and sadly he did) she had her too. If that was right, she'd captured her to use for Kagome's labor. Inuyasha ignored the pang of guilt that she was going through this without him as he continued his reasoning. Kasha was an inuyoukai herself, and so she would have told Kagome about the mate to mate thing, right?
(AN: Kagome's thoughts : bold, Inuyasha's thoughts italics.)
"Inuyasha? Can you hear me, baby?"
Inuyasha shook his head and twitched his ears madly to try and clear Kagome's phantom voice out of his head. She wasn't hear, and he wasn't about to go crazy thinking she was.
"Don't try and shake me out of your mind, asshole!"
"Kagome, is that really you?" Inuyasha almost refused to believe it.
"I don't have time for this, baby, I have...three minutes until the next contraction's meant to hit, and I might lose the connection. Where the hell are you?"
"Who the fuck cares about that, where in fuck's name are you? Are you okay? Is Kasha with you? Did Kikyou hurt you? Do you have any idea where you are? How did you-" The relief flooded through Inuyasha's system as he could hear her voice clearly in his own mind.
"Enough questions there? I'm having our baby, and it hurts like a bitch, Kasha is here coaching me through, Kikyou's been too damned nice for her own good, and I don't know where I am, all I see is a huge ton of hills, which makes me think we must be somewhere in the Hollywood Hills. I'll answer all the rest when I see you." Kagome was so happy to hear him worry she almost cried.
"Maybe I shouldn't worry about you guys then!. I could just cut the damn connection." Inuyasha griped.
"Maybe you shouldn't then. I've been doing this long enough without you, I can finish it!" Kagome conveniently forgot about her impending contraction and her situation as she got lost in the usual time spending with her mate.
"Kagome, for once, I am going to be the reasonable one here, and I want us to keep the connection. I won't get the press involved, so I can't call the police. We can take some Jeeps out to the Hollywood Hills, and scout for you. Are you sure you guys are above ground?" Inuyasha asked, although his inner youkai was kicking him in the guts for not arguing with her some more.
"I think so, I mean it looks like it. I don't know Inuyasha, something's off about this."
"What could be wrong? We're outwitting Kikyou under her fucking nose!"
"That's just it. This is too easy. This is a trap. She wants you to find me and come here. She's shown that she could've hidden me better. We're still in the state for Kami's sake. Inuyasha, I don't know what she wants, but don't come here. Once I've had the baby, I'll figure something out. I won't let her hurt you again." Kagome ignored the twang of fear and uncertainty hammering away in her heart.
"Bitch, are you crazy? I'm your mate dammit, not a child. I don't need you to protect me any more. I can't leave you there when she wants you and the pup dead. I won't let it happen. What sort of inuhanyou would I be, Kagome? Asking me to do that is as good as asking me to sign your death warrant. I'm coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Inuyasha could not believe what she'd just been willing to do. Just when he thought he couldn't love her any more...
"But, Inuyasha, you'll be – "
"Playing right into her hands, I know. But believe me, I'm not coming in light. Kagome, you know me. Give us a couple of hours, and I can have enough weaponry for the whole US army at your service. We will pummel her ass into oblivion, and there's not a fucking thing she can do about it."
"No, Inuyasha, gallant as that it, you don't understand." Kagome thought urgently. "She has something huge up her sleeve for you, and I won't let you get hurt. I overheard her on her cellphone a few hours ago. Someone called Naraku is involved and apparently, I seem to have something he wants. I don't know what it is yet, but I'd rather just give it to him. Kasha has a seal on her youkai, but she could still help me and the baby out of here. It's not impenetrable. Don't come."
"Koibito, there is nothing you can do or say to keep me here if there's the slightest chance I could find you. And I can. If we all split up, one of us is bound to come across you. I won't leave you Kagome. I understand perfectly. It's you who has to understand, I can't physically leave you. Or emotionally. I love you too much for that."
Kagome's heart melted at Inuyasha's words, and a small tear leaked out of a corner of her eye.
"Inuyasha, I...Oh Kami, please hurry. I don't want to have our baby here. Not without you. I'm trying to be strong, and I know I shouldn't be encouraging you to come, but I can't keep this up much longer. Inu – "
Suddenly Kagome was forced to release an earsplitting scream that rang in Inuyasha's ears even telepathically as she felt the pain down to her toes. She could feel the baby's head pressing against her tight wall, stretching it painfully.
"Kagome, please baby, can you still hear me? Focus on me!" Inuyasha begged, almost feeling her intense pain as his blood ran cold at her scream.
"Inu...yasha...I...agggghhh...can't do this much longer. It hurts so bad, and...I hate you! You and Jeremy both!"
"Is insulting me and my best friend the only way to get you to focus on me?" Inuyasha asked wryly, already knowing the answer.
"You bet your horny little fanny it is! Kaaaaaami...you bastard... SIT!" Kagome growled out, muscling through the incessant throbbing.
Inuyasha was stunned to find that even now, he went plummeting into the ground, twitching madly as Kagome sat him telepathically.
"YOU BITCH! How did you DO that?" Inuyasha asked incredulously after another minute, prying his face from the floor.
"If it helps, I didn't really mean to!" Kagome said breathlessly, finishing her contraction off.
"Screw that, you LOVE sitting me..."Inuyasha grumbled, his ears flattening against his head as he pouted.
"I can hear you pouting." Kagome said, grinning.
"Shut up. Is it over?" Inuyasha muttered. Damn wench...
"For now, no thanks to you, Mr. We're-So-Ready-For-Pups." Kagome grumbled, trying to calm her shaking limbs.
"I won't argue with you when you are evidently spitting random things from between your legs in great pain. Get back to me in thirty minutes or so, I should have things together by then." Inuyasha stated clearly.
"Well isn't somebody all business...Fine then, see you soon, baby. Be safe." Kagome groused.
"I will. And don't worry about me. Just keep...pushing, or whatever it is you're meant to be doing. Oh yeah, and tell Dr. Kasha to stay away from anywhere that's mine, okay?" Inuyasha suddenly remembered.
"BYE. It's mine, dammit, and with what's coming out of it right now, you don't want it anyway. Bye baby."
The connection crackled off as Inuyasha opened his eyes, blinking in the now harsh halogen light in the destroyed room.
He thanked Kami he'd watched so many Bond movies, and flipped open his cellphone and began by calling Sesshoumaru. Next stop, American Artillery Production...
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Kikyou closed the bedroom door quietly after watching Kagome's apparent "trance" end. That meant that she'd been discussing things with Inuyasha, which meant she didn't have long to get her own reinforcements in.
If she wanted her revenge, she'd have to fight for it where Inuyasha was concerned. Besides, Naraku...not Father...wanted something from Kagome. After they'd finished speaking to one another, Kikyou realized that there was something around Kagome's neck when he'd taken her. A round, perfect pink jewel.
The Shikon no Tama, if legend held correctly. Kikyou growled in mild jealousy as she walked over to her window, staring out over the Hollywood Hills.
A wish granter, like Naraku had said. Legend had it that Naraku's namesake had been involved in the very creation of the jewel. Kikyou fondly remembered the legend her own mother had told her as a child.
A powerful miko called Midoriko had fought a lot of demons for the jewel, but had been unable to defeat them. A simple man called Onigumo incorporated himself into the horde of demons by allowing them to eat him, turning him into a super demon, known as Naraku. In the intense, neverending battle, Midoriko had made the ultimate sacrifice in a moment of desperation. She had condemed herself to an eternity within the jewel, the battle raging inside it as she trapped both herself and the demons in the Shikon no Tama. She could be released only by a pure wish.
Kikyou's eyes lost their sparkle and became downcast and sad as she realized what a dark wish could do to the jewel. She didn't only fear for everyone's safety. She feared for that of the world.
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"Fluffy, I don't actually give two shits if you can't see where there could be a house in that side of the hills, it's my mate, so shut the fuck up and take it!" Inuyasha snapped into the walkie talkie.
The hills seemed to swallow Inuyasha up as he threw his walkie talkie into the backseat, navigating the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee between the undulating hills, the green of the hills seeming to almost block out his black Jeep.
As Inuyasha came back to the other side of the Y in the HOLLYWOOD sign for the fifth time that afternoon, he switched of the engine and rested his forehead on the wheel and sighed.
Was he doing this right at all? Had he been right to invite everybody in their own Jeep and have them all on their own section of the hills? Had he been right to fit them all with bulletproof vests and guns? Had he been right to allow humans into this battle? Like Kagome said, Kikyou was going to have other youkai with her. Had he been right to try and do this the high tech way?
Inuyasha shook his head as he tried to banish the negative thoughts from his mind. He could feel it, they were getting closer and closer, and there was nothing that was going to stop him from getting his mate and pup away from Kikyou alive and well.
With that peaceful thought in mind, Inuyasha gunned the powerful engine purposefully and started driving, focusing on Kagome's aura, that he could feel thickly in this area. Pretty soon Inuyasha was coasting through the sunny hills, driving fast towards Kagome's aura.
He began to worry more as he came to dark, thick underbrush. Proceeding cautiously, Inuyasha wondered what the hell he'd been thinking of coming here. As the Jeep navigated the bumpy land further, Inuyasha broke into a vast clearing, and a wall of Kagome's pain, blood and panic hit him as a wave of agony as he stood in front of a mansion larger than his own, yet it was old and decrepit on the outside.
Glaring at the lights inside, Inuyasha pushed away Kagome's intense feelings as he slowly reached for the walkie talkie in the back seat.
"Fluffy? I found it..."
Little did Inuyasha know, he was about to walk into the most epic battle of his life. He wasn't only fighting for his love, he was fighting for his life. Not only that, Inuyasha had just accepted the responsibility of fighting for the world.
AN: Sooooo! What did you think of that? I really hope you liked it, I'm not sure how good this one is! I know Kikyou's been getting me less reviews, and I hope this chapter redeems it for you! IF YOU DID NOT READ THE ABOVE AN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER, GO AND DO IT NOW! IT'S IMPORTANT!
CLICK THE DAMN BUTTON, my lovelies!
Love Inukagchick11 xxx