AN: This chapter is told in snippets so be aware that time passes between each new scene
Chapter Eight
"And Sango and Kouga were going into the meeting with Inuyasha just as I was leaving." Kagome finished recounting the events of the previous night and why she couldn't train with Miroku that morning.
Miroku had a serious look on his face as he sat across from Kagome in their living room, "Have you noticed any side effects of the demon blood with your reiki?"
"No, thank god." Kagome idly braided the bottom of her damp hair. Even though she had showered the night before, she wanted to get all remaining traces of Goshinki off of her.
"And do you feel guilty not being the one to tell Sango?"
Kagome combed through the braid to start again, "I don't know. Yes. But I shouldn't, right?"
"She's your friend."
"It's a friendship based on lies." Kagome shot back.
"What will be your excuse for hiding your reiki?"
"The obvious choice would be it puts a pretty big fucking target on my back. Maybe pepper in some 'element of surprise' bullshit."
"Those things are both true though."
But not the real reason. Kagome finished in her mind. The truth was the Higurashi family was infamous for strong spiritual priests and priestesses throughout their lineage. And if there was any chance of someone finding out her true identity before she found her parents' killer, she would never forgive herself. When Kagome only stared off at the wall Miroku sighed, "You seem to be getting closer with Ayame and Rin too." He prodded.
"We're roommates."
"Kago-"
"I'm only doing this for my parents." She cut him off.
Miroku stood to walk into the kitchen, "I can tell you enjoy your time there. You don't have to put up a front like you don't. It's ok to open yourself up."
"I'm lying to them." Kagome repeated.
Miroku returned with two cups of the tea he had been brewing, "Your reasons for joining may be different than theirs but your parents started this organization to put a stop to Naraku. I know you want that too. And now that you know he might have had a hand in their death..." He sipped the hot drink. Kagome stared down at the steam rising from her own cup. "You are my best friend," Miroku continued, "I know everything about you but you even shut me out sometimes. You deserve happiness. And maybe this revenge will give that to you. But I worry that if and when you get it, you won't have anything left. Give these people a chance. Maybe they'll surprise you."
"Since when are you so in tune with your emotions?" Kagome wrinkled an eyebrow.
"Maybe I've been hit in the head one too many times."
The conversation with Sango had been surprisingly painless. She had fully understood Kagome's fear in revealing her true power and promised she would keep her secret.
Give these people a chance. Maybe they'll surprise you.
Not even a week later, Kagome told Rin and Ayame too. It almost felt...therapeutic. She had gone for so long shielding her reiki that letting go of her stronghold on it was like a weight being lifted. And that started a chain reaction of Kagome just giving people a chance. She stopped focusing on protecting herself and her lies and tried to embrace the potential of friends.
She was still a deadly trained mercenary living in a mansion with a bunch of other deadly trained mercenaries but, hell, they could also watch The Bachelor and make Taco Bell runs in the middle of the night, right?
Inuyasha was still the one wild card. Of course she didn't want her gut clenching at even the mention of him but this was brand new territory to her. Kagome had never experimented in college or had one night stands. He was quite literally the only person she had been with and he knew it too. But, Kagome had a new resolve now. And if she could learn to navigate a whole group of girlfriends, she could cohabitate with someone she fucked, right? Ugh. Plus she needed to be on his good side to find out what he knew about her parents' murder.
It was just past nine o'clock and only a few members from shift A were still downstairs. Inuyasha had been on the phone with Sesshomaru for hours dealing with the latest lawsuit filed against Naraku and he hadn't eaten dinner yet. He just wanted something quick so he could go to sleep at a reasonable hour tonight. But Shippo wasn't going to Costco until the morning and Inuyasha had polished off all the instant ramen days ago. He was thirty-years-old, he couldn't eat Froot Loops for dinner...again.
When he came down the kitchen staircase the only other person in the room was Kagome. Her back was to him as she stood in front of one of the far stove tops. By the looks of her damp, wavy hair and the freshness of her scent, she had just taken a shower. Inuyasha absolutely did not think back to a different shower she had taken months ago. The baggy shirt Kagome wore looked like it didn't belong to her. It also made it hard to tell if she was wearing pants. Fucking Christ all mighty. Inuyasha thought as he looked away from her legs and opened the pantry door. Of course no ramen had magically appeared. He looked around the shelves, uninterested in everything he saw. Then his nose registered the delectable smell coming from the stove. Inuyasha turned around to make sure. He covered up his inspection of the pot by moving to open the refrigerator. It wasn't the instant stuff but it was unmistakable, Kagome was making ramen. He withheld a groan. Tonight was not his night. He stood in front of the fridge, again hating all of his options. His stomach only wanted what he was smelling.
Inuyasha seriously debated running to town for something but then begrudgingly settled for another sad bowl of kid's cereal. As he turned to go to the cabinet with the dishes, he saw Kagome already there taking down her own. When she turned back to the stove, he noticed her spooning the contents into two different bowls. Inuyasha's mind couldn't even register as she turned to him and pushed one of the filled bowls across the counter.
"I made way too much, there's more in the pot if you want it." Kagome smiled and then she was gone.
Fucking hell.
Inuyasha stood in the balcony watching the two men circle each other down on the wrestling mat on the first floor. Kouga had a clear advantage over Miroku but the human was holding his own just fine. Kagome and her brother had different fighting styles but he was impressive all the same. Miroku was using a metal baton as his weapon against the wolf demon, an odd choice in Inuyasha's opinion but it intrigued him. Kouga made a quick move towards Miroku, trying to catch him off balance but was met with the baton snapping down on his left forearm. Kouga jumped back and shook out his arm, hiding a grimace. The wolf demon was the fastest member The Militia had and somehow this human was able to track his movement. Seems this whole Houshi family was something else…
Inuyasha rarely came to these initial sparring matches. He was the highest ranking member and he was beyond busy. But when Kagome cornered him in the weight room…
Bankotsu had just kicked their ass again that morning and Inuyasha was one of the last ones left in the gym. The other members had moved onto their other assigned training for the day and he was debating what he wanted to do. Pool or treadmill? That was until Kagome stepped back into the room and beelined to him. Just before she was close enough to speak, she checked her surroundings. Bankotsu was sanitizing some of the equipment across the room but he was human and wouldn't hear their conversation.
"Can I come watch Miroku and Kouga spar next week?" She whispered conspiringly. Inuyasha had approved Miroku to start his membership process the night before and Kouga just so happened to have volunteered to fight him. That was rare, but maybe Kouga wanted to see how Kagome's brother fared against a wolf demon.
"Do I need to talk to Shippo about sharing classified information again?" Inuyasha asked with a quirk of his brow. His comment was met with a roll of her eyes. He was happy to see she was comfortable enough to approach him like this now. It had taken time and patience but he no longer smelled embarrassment or anxiety on her when he was around.
"Funny how you assume it was Shippo and not Kouga bragging to his girlfriend." Kagome's voice held a sing-song tone to it. Inuyasha snorted, ok yeah that did track.
"It's not customary for members to watch that part of the recruitment process."
"Kouga got to watch me." Kagome challenged. "Seems only fair."
Inuyasha chewed on the inside of his cheek, "I don't-"
"Please." Kagome stepped closer to him and her steel eyes seemed brighter. If Inuyasha could think straight he would have recognized the manipulation tactic. Instead he just saw her flushed cheeks and pouting lips and he crumbled. "Fine. But you'll be upstairs and you can't let Miroku know you're there."
The smile she gave him was worth it, "Deal."
Kagome stood beside him in the shadows on the balcony. A few times she had shifted and their shoulders had brushed but besides that she was only focused on the men on the mat. She never flinched, or even blinked, when Kouga landed a hit on her brother and Inuyasha could smell no nervous scent coming from her. Clearly, she had faith in Miroku. That only intrigued Inuyasha more.
The men had been going for about six minutes. Miroku was visibly sweaty but didn't look tired. He wasn't even breathing hard. Kouga, however, had a bloodied lip from one too close encounter with the baton. Inuyasha could tell Kouga just wanted to get close to Miroku and get him in a sleeper hold to end this. And the wolf's frustration was growing with each passing minute. Miroku had already impressed Inuyasha to the point of moving on in the recruitment process but he wanted to see how this would end. He just hoped Kouga didn't hurt the human too badly.
Kouga lunged again, shooting low for Miroku's legs, but it had been a decoy. Kouga planted his right hand on the ground and then kicked his foot up to connect with Miroku's chest. The force sent him back almost ten feet and the baton clattered across the mat. Miroku tried to scramble up but the blow had knocked the wind out of him. Before he could regain his breath, Kouga was there with his forearm around Miroku's throat, his other hand gripping his bicep. Miroku tried to buck his hips to loosen the grip but Kouga's demon strength was steadfast. Inuyasha watched Miroku's hands on Kouga's arm and waited to see the tap out. He hoped the man wouldn't be stupid enough to let Kouga knock him unconcious. Instead, Inuyasha saw a violet light engulf Miroku's hands and Kouga yelped in pain before he released him. The feeling of reiki suddenly coming from Miroku was unmistakable. It wasn't nearly as strong as Kagome's but it was enough to inflict lasting damage. Kouga was lucky this was just a friendly match or else his right arm would be unusable instead of just having a mild burn on it.
Inuyasha snapped his head towards Kagome and was met with her trying to hide a grin, "Oh did I not mention that?"
From what Kagome heard, Miroku's initiation process was moving faster than hers had. But he still wasn't an official member. And she had no idea when he would be. But in the meantime, she had her first mission with Inuyasha, Kouga and Sango. Kouga had driven them in the SUV as Inuyasha gave the mission breakdown from the front seat. As they arrived at their destination, a shipping yard on the coast, Kagome replayed what Inuyasha said over again in her head.
"Kouga will take the lead if any of Naraku's people show up. If he needs help, Sango you're up. I'll track the scent of the heroin and Kagome, you'll help me dispose of it."
Cutting open the heroin packages and pouring bleach all over them would take too long, especially if they were met with some opposition, so their only option was to burn it. Quick and effective. The problem was that that amount of narcotic fumes would be toxic to all of them, demon or not. That's why Kagome had a metal recurve bow and arrows strapped to her back as the four crept along the boardwalk near the shipyard. Seemed she was going to get to live out her Lord of the Ring fantasy tonight.
Each of them were dressed similarly, in all black that blended them into the shadows of the tall shipping crates (Kagome was glad she got a replacement top for the one Goshinki had ruined). In the long car ride the girls had taken turns braiding each other's hair and had almost convinced Inuyasha to let them braid his. But Kouga had been a good sport and his usual high ponytail was also plaited in a thick pattern down his back.
As they silently stalked towards the scent of heroin, Kagome released her hold on her reiki. She had been more liberal with it in the past weeks and it felt good to let go. Any of Naraku's demons would be able to sense Inuyasha and Kouga anyways so there was no real point to shield herself. One less thing for her to worry about tonight. Inuyasha led the way until they all felt the presence of another youkai appear. Without acknowledging his departure, Kouga veered off towards the demonic aura. Inuyasha picked up the pace and it wasn't long before Sango circled back to get a different vantage point on their newly arrived enemy. That left Kagome and Inuyasha running down an aisle towards one particular shipping container.
"That one." Inuyasha pointed to a metal container painted maroon stacked in the middle of a hundred other containers that looked exactly like it. They would have to get the thing open to successfully set the contents aflame. As Inuyasha started to work on the latched door, Kagome drew her handguns and covered him. She could see Kouga fighting with a figure with long pale pink hair. But fighting wasn't the right word. The other demon wasn't even defending itself. Kouga's pace was relentless, he punched and kicked over and over again and yet the other figure just took the beating. Sango kept her distance but was ready if Kouga needed her. Every time Kagome thought it was over, the youkai would just get back up again for another round as if nothing had happened.
The next time Kouga knocked the youkai down, he hit him in the direction of Kagome and Inuyasha. The proximity was enough for the demon to notice Inuyasha and his handheld blowtorch cutting away at the metal of Naraku's container. Cold blue eyes slowly shifted from Inuyasha to Kagome. She could feel his dark youki reach out to her and mingle with her own reiki as if sweetly caressing it. The feeling hit Kagome's soul deep down and made her fucking ill. She fired four purification bullets just trying to get him to withdraw his youki from hers. It had worked but all her bullets had missed. She wasn't surprised. She hadn't even taken the time to aim properly and this youkai was just as fast as Kouga. The demon's focus was now fully on Inuyasha, completely forgetting about the wolf.
"Incoming." Kagome mumbled to the hanyou behind her. That was all he needed to hear to drop his tool and draw his sword. Kagome could feel the demonic energy coming from the weapon and filed that away for a later date.
Inuyasha moved away from Kagome and the pink haired demon sidestepped to follow him down a different row of the yard. Kagome watched them for a moment and was surprised how quickly the demon dodged Inuyasha's attacks. She saw Kouga and Sango move closer ready to step in if the time came, so Kagome picked up the blowtorch and resumed getting the doors open. She could hear Inuyasha yelling instructions at Kouga and Sango but she didn't focus on his words, only the simple task in front of her. After what felt like far too long, Kagome cut through the last latch. She hooked the torch to her belt and then swung the doors open. The inside of the container was filled about two-third of the way up to the ceiling with wooden crates and cardboard boxes. Just to make sure they had the right container, Kagome took one of her knives out and sliced open a box. Bags of dog treats stared back at her. Kagome gave a dry snort and threw the layers of treats behind her. And at the very bottom of the box were rows and rows of white powder neatly wrapped in plastic. Bingo.
Kagome turned back, guns drawn, ready to help purify the youkai when she saw Inuyasha slice his arm off. Good, that should slow him down. But as she ran towards the fight, Kagome gut was saying otherwise. Something strange happened. It was like...like the demon's youki split in half. Typically when a demon loses a part of their body their demonic aura leaves that part. Kagome considered the possibility of this demon having regenerative powers like Goshinki supposedly did, but even so, that's not what this felt like. Kagome zeroed in on the 'arm' behind Inuyasha only to realize the youki of it was even stronger than the demon itself. What the hell? And then it moved.
"Inuya-" She tried to yell but it was too late. Whatever the hell he had sliced off of the first demon had sprung up and torpedoed through Inuyasha's right shoulder. He grunted in pain and stumbled to his knees. Kagome stepped closer, trying to see what it was. Kagome grimaced at the disgusting worm-like creature on the ground in the middle of their group. It had huge scythes for hands and its tiny head looked exactly like the original youkai they had been fighting.
"What the fuck is that thing?" Kouga barked.
The tiny worm smacked its lips and chuckled darkly, "Who knew dog meat was so tender?" Inuyasha used his sword to help him stand, "Who the hell are you?" His right arm was clearly out of commission now.
"The name's Kageromaru. I've been lying dormant inside Juromaru here. But I didn't want to miss out on all the fun." His deep voice taunted. Without taking his eyes off of Kageromaru, Inuyasha ordered, "Kouga, Sango, you take the big one." The unspoken words were that Kagome was going to help take this nasty little youkai down with him. Inuyasha readied himself, his left hand now in control of his sword, and Kagome took aim. The little bugger was fast, too fast. Kagome was having a hard time tracking him as he tried to slice through Inuyasha. The hanyou kept his distance, not wanting to catch the wrong end of Kagome's bullets. Finally she thought she had Kageromaru and she fired. Pink reiki engulfed the bullets as they lodged into the side of another shipping container.
"Oh good, you brought the girl." Kageromaru turned as if noticing Kagome for the first time. He lunged towards her but Inuyasha was there to block him.
"Here, here little Miko I just want a taste."
Kagome was never going to be able to track him well enough to get a shot off. And even though she hated the idea of fighting this creature close range, she holstered her guns and grabbed two fixed blade daggers instead. Her reiki flowed freely as her eyes darted around the shipyard. It was like his youki was moving faster than his body and she could only barely catch the tail end of him. Inuyasha seemed to be making headway and then he stopped fifteen feet from her and looked around. He didn't have to say it, Kagome had lost Kageromaru too. Trying to focus on his youki, Kagome closed her eyes and shut out the world around her. She rarely used this technique but she had never encountered a demon like Kageromaru before. Her mind stilled and then-
Kagome opened her eyes and it was as if the world was in slow motion. Kageromaru's tiny head flashed in front of her face, a wicked smile across his lips. He slowly raised his left arm to strike. Kagome wanted to move, she tried to move, but her arm felt so heavy. She watched the glint of Kageromaru's scythe as it came down on her throat. Kagome knew turning her head would do nothing to alleviate the blow but it was the only thing she could move. And then, just as Kageromaru was about to connect with her flesh, another blade came into Kagome's line of sight and sliced through Kageromaru, severing his head from his wormish body. One more heartbeat and everything flooded back into normal speed around Kagome. There, where Kageromaru's body had just been in front of her, was Inuyasha breathing as if fire was about to come out of his mouth.
"Are you ok?" His sword was sheathed and his hands were touching her shoulders, her arms, her face. She couldn't stop looking at his eyes and the desperation she saw in them. She should be dead. Her hands were empty. She didn't remember dropping her daggers. Her hands grab onto his wrists. She squeezed them just to see if her body still worked. "Kagome?" His voice matched the distress in his eyes.
"Yeah. Yeah." Is all she could say. She didn't know how long they stood like that. Inuyasha moved first and it broke the strange spell Kagome had been under. Kagome rubbed her eyes and quickly became fully conscious of what transpired. She took one cleansing breath and reached down to her daggers. Without hesitation, she impaled each half of Kageromaru's body. A pink light engulfed the pieces and then they burst into flames. Within seconds Kageromaru was reduced to ash.
Kagome turned to where Sango and Kouga were still fighting Juromaru. The trio were on the top row of the stacked shipping containers two aisles away from them. Inuyasha didn't move to help them but jumped up to the top of the container next to where he stood. Kagome climbed up after him and watched Sango and Kouga fight in sync. It was obvious they worked well together. Kouga used mostly hand to hand combat while Sango favored a three-foot long bladed boomerang. Kagome had never seen anything like it and she swore it defied the laws of physics. But the most amazing thing was the red glow it had that destroyed demonic energy. Juromaru was looking worse for wear, blood dripping from multiple places on his torso, and he was far slower now than he had been when they arrived. Seemed that Kageromaru gave him more strength than they realized. Kouga roundhouse kicked Juromaru's face and sent him flying to the ground before cutting his air supply off with a headlock. One very similar to the one he used on Miroku, except this time Kouga was not holding back. Kouga held the position until Juromaru's body went limp from lack of oxygen.
"Ready?" Kouga called to Sango.
"Yup!" She yelled back.
Kouga shifted Juromaru's weight to get a better hold on the unconscious demon. He held him sideways by the elbow and knee before he effortlessly tossed him into the air. That's when Sango threw her weapon, the red glow ready to destroy any youki in its path. The boomerang sliced right through Juromaru, effectively killing him.
"Here." Inuyasha held his left hand out to Kagome without any other explanation. Kagome gave him a confused look but slowly took his hand nonetheless. The second they made contact, Inuyasha pulled her to his side, wrapped his arm around her waist and jumped to the container Sango and Kouga stood on.
"Oof, warn a girl next time." Kagome mumbled under her breath. Inuyasha snorted but didn't mention it again.
"You get the worm?" Sango asked, wiping the residue off of her weapon. Kagome didn't miss the sideways glance Inuyasha gave her before he answered, "Of course. Kagome, will you do the honors for Juromaru too?" With a grin and a flourish of her wrists, Kagome spun the knives around before throwing each of them at Juromaru's remains. The pink flame engulfed his carcass before it dispersed into ashes.
"Show off." Kouga mumbled and the rest of them laughed.
With a smile still on her lips, Kagome spoke, "The door to Naraku's container is open and ready."
"Kouga, you still got that flask I gave you?" Inuyasha asked, taking his own from his back pocket. Kouga whined but reached into his pocket as well. It was obvious he was debating taking a drink but Inuyasha didn't give him the chance. The hanyou snatched the flask and jumped off the stacked containers towards the one they needed to destroy. After some maneuvering, Sango and Kagome were both safely on the ground running towards their SUV. Kouga already had the engine running and AC blasting. Sango clapped Kagome on the back and jumped into the backseat.
Kagome finally removed the bow and two arrows from her back. Inside one of the pockets on her belt was a large wad of cotton. Kagome split the fluff in two and jammed the arrowheads through each one. She took the blowtorch from earlier but waited to light the arrows until Inuyasha was running towards her with a thumbs up. Lighting the cotton, Kagome notched both arrows and aimed at the opening of the container. She released them with an exhale and the arrows arced through the air and into the entrance to the container. Whatever accelerant Inuyasha used, he made sure to spread it all the way throughout the container because the flames quickly engulfed the entire thing. Kagome could feel the heat even from eighty yards away. And then she remembered exactly what was burning and she turned to jump into the SUV.
