Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she snuggled into the warm, solid body pressed against her back. The arm around her waist tightened and Inuyasha's nose nuzzled further into her hair. His other arm was pillowed under her head and the fingers of their right hands were laced together in front of her. She took a deep breath, Inuyasha's woodsy scent mixing with the floral scent of whatever laundry detergent Kikyo used.
"Go back to sleep," Inuyasha mumbled.
She hummed and started turning over so she could face him. "Don't wanna sleep, wanna cuddle."
"We are cuddling, woman." He sounded grouchy but moved his arms to help her get more comfortable.
She sighed happily when she finally managed to turn completely over, kicking the blankets almost completely off in the process. Grabbing onto his t-shirt, she tilted her head up in a silent plea for a kiss. They hadn't done anything more than kiss since that day in the garden but after almost two weeks with Kikyo, she was healed and ready to...explore a little. It was practically torture falling asleep every night next to the solid mass of muscle that was her boyfriend and being unable to fully enjoy the experience.
Inuyasha grumbled a little but bent his head down to kiss her, winding his arms around her as their lips pressed together. Kagome wasn't the only one with an abundance of sexual frustration but her health was more important than his dick so he had restrained himself. Now though, now she was healed and they could let the walls come down. Well, maybe they should wait until they weren't in Kikyo's guest bedroom.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whined when he pulled back. "I was enjoying that."
"Keh. And you think I wasn't?" he asked as he tucked some of her unruly hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. "Last thing I want is Kikyo scolding me because she found out we were getting frisky under her roof."
Kagome sighed but didn't argue. He was right because of course he was. She reached up and rubbed one furry ear before rolling away to climb out of bed. "Guess I should get my stuff together to get out of here today," she said while stretching her arms above her head and groaning at the satisfying pull in her muscles.
Kagome would be back in a few days to start learning to use her powers offensively and defensively in case of another attack. They hadn't been able to figure out why her power hadn't purified the men in the alley so they'd just chalked it up to the extreme stress of the situation and her lack of experience. The last few days she'd been working to hide the rest of her reiki while in public, learning the hard way that Kikyo hadn't exaggerated how strong she was. She hadn't appreciated the full scale of her power until she had to contain and mask all of it at once. It took three days, but now she could hide everything even from Kikyo and Inuyasha, who had an easier time spotting her reiki than a stranger would. Now she just wanted to go home, be with her family, and make out with Inuyasha.
Inuyasha followed her reluctantly out of bed and they started getting their things (well, mostly her things) together. An hour later, they were ready to head back to the shrine. Kagome made her way out into the living room, Inuyasha following a few steps behind.
"You sure you got everything?" Inuyasha asked, Kagome's travel bag slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah, just-"
Inuyasha's phone started vibrating, cutting off her response. He pulled out his phone and scowled at the screen. "Hang on, it's the asshole," he said before answering. "The fuck do you want?"
Kagome waited and watched as Inuyasha's scowl darkened and his ears flattened into his hair. 'The asshole' could be either Koga or Sesshomaru though it was more likely Koga. His first phone call with Sesshomaru had involved much yelling, gnashing of teeth, and threats of violence-none of which sounded sincere. Brothers.
"You sure it was her?...Fuck, I'll be there. Send me the address."
"Hey, what's going on?" Kagome asked after he'd hung up.
Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair, his ears popping back up as he did so. "Koga thinks his men spotted that bitch from the alley. I'm gonna go check it out with him and you're gonna stay here until I get back, got it?"
She was ready to argue and insist she go with him but Kikyo chose that moment to wander in and join them.
"We can work on barriers while we wait," Kikyo supplied helpfully.
"Great, I'll be back."
He was gone before Kagome could argue. She glared at Kikyo. "I was going to go with him."
"I know," Kikyo said, a small, amused smile on her face. "That's why I intervened. You've had enough excitement for a while, I think. And you really should start working on barriers so you can practice for the next few days until we're ready to start your real training."
So that's what they did. It was boring, sitting in one spot and thinking about impenetrable bubbles while Kikyo started into her 'once more' mantra. Her mind kept wandering to their upcoming meeting with Sesshomaru and Koga. They were supposed to sit down together the next day, brainstorm ways to clear Inuyasha's name, and just generally catch everybody up to the same page. She had a feeling there was going to be more arguing than any actual thinking or planning. Could all three be in the same room and not try to kill each other?
Maybe it was good she was practicing barriers today.
At least they didn't require a lot of energy to just practice since she wasn't actively defending against anyone. It was surprisingly relaxing and, after about an hour, Kagome ended up being lulled into a partial doze while maintaining her translucent pink-tinted sphere.
"An abandoned warehouse, that's not cliche at all. No way this could possibly be a set-up," Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he followed Koga down the cramped walkway between a large, rundown building situated only feet from another large, rundown building.
Koga growled and waved a hand to shush him. "You want answers or not, shit-breath?" Koga asked just loud enough for Inuyasha to hear.
Inuyasha grunted but kept quiet. They stayed low and hugged the graffiti-laden wall as they crept towards a worn metal door. The bright morning sunlight highlighted the very tops of the buildings, not coming anywhere near the cracked and overgrown path. When they reached the door, Koga craned his neck to look through the cracked glass window then, seemingly satisfied by what he saw, pushed it open enough for them to squeeze through.
They both wore their (apparently illegal) concealment charms to hide their yōki so as not to alert anyone of their approach. Koga still looked like himself but Inuyasha had opted to go with his human form, his long black hair tied back in a long ponytail. According to two of Koga's best men, the wind yōkai from the alley was seen loitering around the area and entering and leaving the warehouse they were currently sneaking into. She was connected in some way to Kagome's assault and he wanted to know how and why. If she was here, he'd get his answers.
Inuyasha slipped silently into the musty-smelling building and looked around. The only source of light was the cracked door and several small, grime-covered windows set high on the corrugated walls. His eyes adjusted quickly to the gloom and it didn't take long to figure out that they were probably alone. The wide-open space was empty save a few random stacks of boxes and some piles of scrap metal strewn across the dirty floor.
"Well this looks like a fucking bust," Koga said though he still kept his voice low. "I'm not sensing anything and all I can smell is rot and dirt."
"You sure we got the right abandoned warehouse? It's not like you can tell the damn things apart."
Koga glared at him. "I'm sure. C'mon," he said, gesturing for Inuyasha to follow. "Let's look around."
They spent about ten minutes walking around the entire place and came up empty-handed. Inuyasha was getting more restless with every passing minute spent away from Kagome. The barrier around Kikyo's home should be enough to protect her in his absence, but something gnawed at him and set off his instincts. None of this made sense. Why would anyone be hanging around an empty warehouse in the middle of the day? Why…?
"Hey, the fuck were your guys doing out here?" he asked Koga.
"They travel this way on their way to work." Koga glared at him. "Why? You implying something?"
He stopped walking and shook his head. "You don't find any of this odd? Seriously, why would anybody be out here? This feels like a setup."
"Fuck," Koga swore softly. "You realize that would mean some of my guys could be compromised?"
"Yeah, but-"
A sudden burst of wind shook the building, rattling the bits of metal and knocking over stacks of boxes. Before either of them could react, Inuyasha and Koga were both blown off their feet and into a nearby wall. Inuyasha hit high on the wall, the impact knocking the air out of him before he fell back to the floor. He landed on his left shoulder and grunted, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out as he felt something pop out of place. The pain of the possibly dislocated shoulder was secondary to his anger at being caught off guard, again.
Looking around, he spotted Koga climbing to his feet a few yards away. The lucky bastard looked a little dazed but unhurt. The shoulder Inuyasha had landed on throbbed when he tried to push himself up. He'd need Koga to help him pop it back into place so he could fight.
"You alright, mutt?" Koga asked as he kneeled next to Inuyasha. He grabbed his uninjured arm and helped him stand.
"Mostly. Gonna need to do something about this damn shoulder. I think it's dislocated."
"I can fix it." Koga smirked. "But it's gonna hurt."
"No shit. It already fucking hurts." Looking around to make sure they didn't have company yet, Inuyasha tested his range of motion...which didn't exist. "Just get it over with," he grumbled.
"Good thing you've got yōkai blood," Koga commented as he placed his hands on Inuyasha's arm and lifted it to shoulder height. "I don't have to worry about doing this the right way."
Inuyasha winced as his shoulder throbbed and protested the motion. "The fuck do you mean the right wa-Son of a bitch!" He didn't know exactly what the asshole wolf did, but his shoulder popped audibly and the pain radiated all the way down his side and up through his neck.
"Quit your whining. You'll be fine in a few minutes." Shit-eating grin firmly in place, Koga patted him on his throbbing shoulder.
Inuyasha yanked away, which did not fucking help the pain, and glared. "I should break your fucking arm, see how you like it."
"Just try it, asshole."
"Maybe I will. I've been wanting to kick your ass for a while anyway."
"As if you could ever-"
"Oh, I can't watch you two anymore."
They both spun to face the woman who'd spoken. Inuyasha snarled when he spotted the woman from the alley. She was standing in the middle of the warehouse, just far enough away that neither of them could get to her fast enough to surprise her with an attack. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Koga lower his body into a fighting stance.
"Why so tense, gentlemen? I just want to talk." She smirked and tapped her fan against her leg.
Koga growled. "Pretty bold going into a fight two on one. I'll give you credit there…" he trailed off. "Sorry, didn't get your name."
"Kagura...and I'm not really all that interested in fighting you. As I said, I just want to talk."
"Good," Koga said. "Mabe you can tell us who the fuck you work for, what he wants, and where I can find him so I can kick his ass."
Kagura laughed and shook her head. "As if he would make it that easy. He likes his games too much to just give away answers." Though her tone was light, Inuyasha caught the way her lip curled into a small scowl and her eyes narrowed when she mentioned her boss. He'd noticed her disdain for her employer during their first interaction too.
It was a long shot but maybe he could get some answers from her after all. "So, what can you tell us then?" he asked. "Can't play your boss's game unless we at least know the rules."
She regarded him for a second. "You might be more clever than you look." She looked around the warehouse then back at Inuyasha, sighing dramatically. "You know, I spend far too much time in old, abandoned places and the only thing I get out of it is some fresh air. I should really research better opportunities, maybe go into politics, try to change my past."
"The fuck nonsense are you going on about?" Koga spat. "We want useful information not some fucking sob story."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Wasn't this asshole supposed to be a detective? "Keh, you got any more useless messages from your boss?" Inuyasha stood up straight and cracked his knuckles. "Not that I really give two shit what he has to say."
"He's a bit too impatient to send two messages," Kagura said and glanced at her watch, cocking an eyebrow. "Besides, this conversation isn't meant to be informative-"
Inuyasha's phone rang and Kagura smirked.
"...it's really just supposed to be a distraction."
With a feeling of dread settling over him, Inuyasha pulled out his phone and saw Kagome's name on the screen.
Rousing from her semi-asleep state, Kagome was the first to notice something amiss, dropping her barrier and looking around as her skin prickled. Something was wrong, out of place, nagging at her senses. She looked over at Kikyo and caught her eye causing her to immediately drop her barrier. That was when Kagome realized the problem and her entire body broke out in goosebumps.
Kikyo's barrier, not her bubble but the large dome that protected her home, was gone. Its presence, a constant pressure at the edges of Kagome's reiki, had vanished leaving an uncomfortable void. Kikyo's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.
"You feel it too?" she asked Kagome as she also moved to stand.
Now that she was concentrating, Kagome could feel two distinct sources of yōki. "Yeah. We've got visitors, two of them. They're both hanyō but something is off about them and I can't read anything else in their yōki."
Kikyo nodded and cast a glance at the front door. "Call Inuyasha, tell him to get back here now."
"Got it." Kagome pulled her phone out and made the call. While the phone rang, she watched Kikyo rush to check the locks on the front door before coming back to stand next to Kagome. Inuyasha answered her call after a few rings and she skipped the pleasantries. "Hey, you need to get back to Kikyo's like, now."
"What happened? Are you alright?"
"Nothing happened yet and right now I'm fine. Just get back here...and bring Koga if you can." She was proud of how steady her voice was despite the gnawing feeling in her gut and the harsh rhythm of her heart.
"Fuck, give us 15 minutes!"
"Alright, just hurry. I'm not sure what's about to happen."
"Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have left you alone. Be careful and...I love you."
She would never grow tired of hearing him say that. "I love you too."
"If you two are done," Kikyo said flatly. She motioned at the front door and something slammed into it, rattling the sturdy wood.
Kagome ended the call with Inuyasha and tried to get a read on the intruders again. Something wasn't right about them but the revelation was just out of her reach. "Should we hide or something? We're not exactly equipped to defend ourselves."
Kikyo smiled, looking as cool as a damn cucumber, and shook her head. "There isn't anywhere to hide that they wouldn't find us. Besides, we have our reiki and that is weapon enough. Time for a practical application of today's lesson."
Leave it to Kikyo to turn a potential life or death situation into a teachable moment. "Fine but if we die I'm telling Inuyasha it was your fault."
They stood shoulder to shoulder as another heavy impact boomed and echoed in the large room. Kagome reached over and took Kikyo's hand, counting her breaths in her head in an attempt to remain calm. Another impact and she wondered how much more the door could take. The two on the other side had yōkai blood so it would be reasonable to expect the door to be no more than splinters by now. Even weaker yōkai and hanyō were stronger than the burliest of humans.
"What the hell is that door made of?" Kagome asked as she flinched at another blow.
"There are sutras reinforcing everything from the frame down to the locking mechanism. I estimate we have another three…" Bang! "Another two blows before we get to meet the interlopers."
"Then what?"
Kikyo squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. "Then we throw our barriers up together and hope Inuyasha and Koga arrive before our barriers-" Another blow, one more and... "Before our barriers meet the same fate as the door is about to suffer."
Kagome stood up straighter and raised her head. They could do this; they could hold up until the cavalry arrived. Somehow she knew, fighting wasn't an option. A strong barrier was their best and perhaps only hope. "I'm ready," Kagome said a second before the door exploded inward, sending wood shrapnel flying at the waiting women.
They immediately threw up their barriers, pink and lavender coalescing to deflect the dangerous barrage. Beyond the ruined doorway stood two men, tall and muscular, wearing matching scowls and holding matching machetes.
"Machetes, really?" Kagome mumbled. "Not very subtle are they?" Kikyo scoffed and they both put a little more power into their barriers.
One of the men had shoulder-length sandy hair, bright brown eyes, and a strong jaw. The other had his black hair cut short, eyes a deep cobalt, his face long and thin. They almost looked like video game villains with their matching dark jeans and black t-shirts, weapons held so they jutted forward from their hips towards their intended targets.
Kagome would have laughed if she weren't so worried about how much those machetes would hurt if they got past the barrier. The goon on the left with the sandy-hair smirked at them, his eyes tracing the curve of their barrier.
"Isn't that cute, combing your powers like that'll keep me out."
The other man laughed and it made his long features look more severe. "These two are gonna be fun. Look at 'em, holding hands and shit."
Sandy-hair approached them, raising his weapon above his head. Light reflected off the deadly blade, drawing Kagome's eye upward with the motion. Was he going to try to stab through their barrier? Kikyo squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back down. The older woman was staring at their attacker with wide fearful eyes and Kagome thought she heard her mumble something...something about reiki? What-
The machete came down, shattering their barrier as Kikyo turned and threw herself at a stunned Kagome. She grunted at the impact then cried out as she saw the blade flash past, leaving a large gash in Kikyo's arm near her shoulder. They both hit the ground, Kikyo half on top of Kagome.
"Clever bitch, realized it at the last second."
Kikyo's weight disappeared as she was yanked back by sandy-hair, his fist tangled in her hair. Time slowed as Kagome watched Kikyo's reiki come to life and surround both men. It was just like the alley, a terrifying replay of Kagome's fight for survival. Kagome did as she did that day and let her reiki join Kikyo's in a brilliant display of sparkling colors.
And just like that day in the alley, nothing happened; it wasn't enough.
"Leave the one on the floor alive. Boss has special plans for her."
She didn't know who was speaking as her attention was focused solely on her struggling friend in sandy-hair's grasp. Bright red blood ran down her arm even as she grabbed at the man, breathing heavily with the strain. He had her suspended a few inches off the floor and she was kicking her legs back in an attempt to knock her captor off his feet. It wasn't working and he wrapped an arm around her waist to restrain her further.
What had he said? They wanted Kagome alive. She could take a risk, then...right?
She pushed herself to her feet, time still seeming to crawl, her body swaying dangerously as the adrenaline pumped through her. One of the men said something but she couldn't hear over the roar of her blood in her ears. A hand settled on her shoulder and she turned to place her hand on long-face's chest. His expression transformed from amusement to confusion then to rage as her reiki infused the spider tattoo she just knew was there.
A few seconds later, he was lying on the floor, limbs twitching before his body stilled. Behind Kagome, sandy-hair cursed and something thumped heavily on the floor. She continued to stare at the body-yes, the body; he was dead, she was certain-her limbs going numb as her mind processed that she'd killed someone...two someones now. There was movement behind her, footsteps, yelling, more thumps. But the body on the floor demanded her complete attention.
The weight of her actions settled over her and she sunk to her knees, eyes burning and heart pounding. There was a ringing in her ears that wouldn't go away and it muffled the world around her. She squeezed her eyes shut but her mind was diligent and supplied an unhelpful image of the body that used to be the man with sandy hair. Someone was saying her name over and over. Hands were gripping her shoulders and she was being shaken gently.
"Kagome!"
Inuyasha, I killed him.
"Hey, snap out of it. It's alright now."
It's not. I killed someone and nothing is alright anymore.
"Is she alright?" That was Kikyo's voice, strained and raspy. At least she was alive.
Steady hands adjusted her and strong arms scooped her body up. She was nestled against a solid chest, a strong heartbeat in her ear battling with the constant ringing for dominance. Why couldn't she just faint like they did on tv whenever things got too difficult? She couldn't speak, couldn't open her eyes, couldn't hear properly, but...She took a deep breath and turned her head so she could drown her thoughts in Inuyasha's natural scent.
"It's gonna be alright, Kagome. I've got you now. You're safe, Kikyo's safe. Hurt, probably needs a doctor, but safe."
Kikyo was alright. Inuyasha was there. A man was dead.
Everyone was alive. The bad guys were taken care of. A man was dead by her hand.
Inuyasha was holding her. She wasn't injured. A man was still dead.
Her mind was all over the place. There were other things she needed to think about, things that were important at the moment. There was something...something Kikyo said and Kagome felt. It...it explained things, made sense but didn't. A contradiction. A paradox, anomaly...dammit.
She opened her eyes and gasped, looking up at a very worried Inuyasha. "Reiki. They both had reiki."
Worry turned to confusion, the emotions playing across his features. "They...what?"
The revelation worked as a temporary distraction and cleared her mind. She wiggled her legs out of Inuyasha's grasp so she could stand, ignoring his muttered admonishments to stay still. "They had reiki. Both of them had yōki and reiki." She pulled away and started pacing, barely noticing Koga on his phone and Kikyo sitting with a blood-soaked towel held to her injured arm.
"How's that even possible?" Inuyasha asked. "I mean...fuck. What does it mean?"
Sirens sounded in the distance and Koga looked to Inuyasha. "You gotta go before they get here. They're gonna ask a lot of questions."
"Dammit." Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and startled her when he crushed his lips against hers. When he pulled back they were both breathing heavily. "Be careful and keep me updated," he said to her. He turned to Koga. "Make sure she's safe or I'll fucking kill you."
Koga rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now get the fuck out of here."
Kagome sank back to the floor as Inuyasha disappeared through the destroyed front door. She wasn't looking forward to facing this without him. How was she even supposed to answer any questions they asked? She would have to lie. There was a dead man and Kagome was just now noticing the other man lying unconscious behind Kikyo.
Kikyo cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "We should probably get our stories straight before it's too late."
Five minutes later, the second cavalry arrived.
Kagome did her best to stumble through their agreed-upon story as she watched one body and one barely conscious man being hauled away. There were men and women in uniforms swarming around her, asking questions, taking notes, taking pictures. At least she could blame her trauma for her vague answers and distracted state.
All she wanted at this point was to get to Inuyasha. She needed his comfort, his love, to bring her back to herself. She hadn't felt right since she'd realized that she'd killed not one, but two men with her own hand. The world around her shifted and wavered, like she was looking into a distorted mirror. What the hell had they gotten caught up in?
They were dealing with someone, something, that was out of their depth. Whoever it was, they had power and resources and were willing to kill to get what they wanted. They also had reiki-wielding hanyō at their disposal. How many hanyō out there had reiki? Before today, it was assumed they couldn't exist so the number had to be extremely low.
And so far, she'd killed two of them. Whoever their boss was, he wasn't going to be happy.
Kagome shuddered as she realized she had yet another target painted on her back.
Kagura watched the arriving emergency vehicles from a safe distance. Today had not gone as planned and, even though none of this was her fault, she was sure she was going to catch her boss's rage anyway. He had two of his best tools lying in there and at least one of them was dead. The young miko was in for a world of trouble if Naraku ever did manage to get his hands on her, especially if she killed his only barrier breaker. He hated when someone broke his tools.
And she'd broken two already. Naraku may decide to just kill the woman now. Then again, he was already planning to use her to grow his collection and now he'd want her to at least replace the two she'd cost him. Either way, the miko had no idea what she was in for. It had been a long time since Naraku decided to make any major moves but her boss never did anything by halves.
Placing a hand over her chest, Kagura wondered about the woman's power. She was strong, of that Kagura was sure. Before two weeks ago, even Naraku had assumed his tools couldn't be purified and she'd very easily proven him wrong. Could she free them instead of killing them? If she had the power to kill then surely, with a little concentration and maybe a nudge in the right direction, she could figure out the secret and see beyond the spider.
Then there was the hanyō, Inuyasha. He was clever, she'd give him that. Would he be able to read into her words from earlier? And if he did, would he even know what to do with the information? She wasn't sure but she had a pretty good feeling.
For the first time since her creation, Kagura thought about freedom.
