Chapter Eighteen: Layers of Dimensions

It is a monstrous thing that I will say, but I will say it all the same: I find in many things more restraint and order in my morals than in my opinions, and my lust less depraved than my reason.

-Michel de Montaigne

Albel was still tugging at the belt when he let out a deep growl, breaking the kiss and tilting his head back to look upward, as if he could see through the concrete ceiling. "Damn, if they came here already they're on to us..."

Kagome had been pushing herself closer until he started to speak, blinking and pulling herself away to readjust her clothes with a blush to rival every other her cheeks had ever sported. Even as Albel slipped toward the door and motioned her back she scowled at her own actions.

Not that it wasn't pleasurable...but ew...it was Albel...

She shivered again and rubbed her arms.

"I have to be cursed." She thought to herself with the frown still firmly in place. "Why would I keep acting like this? What if someone hadn't come? It wasn't like I had plans to sleep with him...but..."

She even knew where things had been heading, just a few moments ago she'd been more than willing to do anything he'd wanted...she'd burned with lust like she'd never experienced and it only made her more uncomfortable. She wanted to be someone else, or somewhere else, or just about anything not in the current situation.

"Much as I appreciate your mood swings shivers, now ain't the time to start crying." Albel commented smoothly as he glanced back at her, his claw appearing over his arm just before he flexed the bladed 'fingers' to test their movement. "Been a while since I've gone all out...they deserve it...now listen Kagome. Take the shaft in the back there, it'll lead you out into an alley, go left until you reach the video store. Go inside and call Curtiss from the pay-phone there, he'll pick you up."

He was unhappy, to say the least, about the interruption. The fact that she was about to burst into tears only helped to frustrate him further, she was more than willing before they'd arrived upstairs. He would have to take out his anger by spilling their blood.

"What? I thought I was suppose to stay with you?" Kagome asked, she didn't like Albel but the idea of being alone when she was being hunted was enough to make him a better option.

"Plans change shivers." Albel replied, leaning over and kissing her cheek, grinning as she pulled back with a frown. "Whole new reason for that nickname now. Get going, I'll draw them off for a while but I'm not sure how long it'll work."

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Kagome sighed and lowered her shoulders in defeat as she went to leave in the way he directed. It was tiny and she was glad she wasn't too tall as she crawled through, grumbling softly to herself.

It took her a while, and the screams from behind her didn't make her feel any better about herself. "It has to be a curse, I'd of never done that normally... I can't believe I let Albel feel me up...and damn, did it have to feel so good? No no, it was bad, it was very very bad."

She grit her teeth, looking at a grate that went out into the alley, she'd have to separate it from the wall to get out. After making sure she couldn't see anyone, she tugged at the edges until they lifted free and pulled herself out into the alley. She frowned as the legs of the sweatpants got wet with the dirty water here but couldn't dwell on that, looking around again before taking a brisk pace left toward the video store Albel had mentioned.

Screams still echoed softly and she was glad she'd been sent away from it, she was certain she did not want to see what was happening to those people considering the claw-like weapon Albel had gotten just before she'd left.

"He's even a liar." She kept trying to think negative things about him. "He said he didn't do magic."

She slipped into the video store when she reached it, not noticing anyone working up front she walked to the phone and lifted it, digging for change before inserting it and dialing her house, waiting for a while.

"Hello?" It was Ed, he sounded confused, as if he wasn't sure how to answer her phone.

"Ed...I need to talk to Professor Curtiss...I had to leave Albel's...they apparently showed up too soon and he told me to go to a video store up the road." Kagome explained quickly, surprised herself at how quickly she could talk. "Is he there?"

"No, he's out closer to the site." Ed answered. "I'll call him right away, wait there Kagome."

She was about to reply but heard the click of his hanging up and set the receiver on her end back on the machine, it wasn't quite what she'd expected but she just had to relax. Likely Albel was chopping apart the people that had come for her and Professor Curtiss was apparently the leader, that meant he should be powerful enough on his own even if she hadn't seen him do much casting of his own.

Kagome turned back to the room, wondering if anyone actually worked here at all, no one had been in the room since she'd arrived. "If they heard me talking you'd think they'd come out so they wouldn't risk shoplifters."

She peered over the counter but couldn't see much of the backroom and still didn't see anyone, but calling hello and bringing attention to herself when she was trying to hide seemed self-defeating. She shrugged and turned toward the door when it opened, freezing as she saw it was a blonde instead of the cinnamon haired professor she'd been expecting.

"All this for you..." Rufus commented with a unimpressed baritone as he looked her over coolly. "You apparently can't protect yourself...this lost memory bit seems extreme, but it's all for the best I suppose..."

"Go away." Kagome interrupted, backing toward the back room, hoping there was another exit there. "Leave me alone."

"Come now, we won't hurt you much...you've been quite a costly creature to acquire." Rufus commented in irritation, pushing blonde bangs back from his face only for them to fall in front of his eyes again a moment later. "More average looking than I would expect for all the fuss."

"Excuse me?" She frowned, her feathers ruffled by the insult even if she wasn't in the best position she was getting very tired of all of this. "What is the matter with you? What do you want with me anyway?"

"Hmm, that overpaid samurai wannabe might have been telling the truth." He commented as he walked closer to her, observing her with brilliant blue eyes. "You don't really seem like a powerful magic-user to me, perhaps you really are innocent in all this."

"Doesn't anyone listen!" She protested, fists balling as she glared at him. "Get away and leave me alone, we'll figure it out on our own."

"You've done stunningly so far on that." Rufus chuckled at her, taking her hand and pulling her toward the exit. "Well, you'll find I have a stronger willpower than many of the other fools fawning over you. Come on...we'll..."

The blonde paused as he turned to find himself facing the sharp end of a spear. Jade Curtiss was eyeing him with red eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke. "From what I've heard of you President Rufus you are likely much too in love with yourself to fall prey to such a spell."

Rufus raised a brow. "You removed my guards, impressive, but do you really think you can avoid us forever?"

"Long enough at any rate." Jade replied. "Kagome, come on."

Kagome sighed, kicking Rufus in the shin and sticking her tongue out at him in small shows of her frustration in the whole situation before walking away toward Jade. The older professor moved faster than she expected but she could tell he'd dove forward and used the staff piece of the weapon in a whirlwind before it hit her very temporary captor with enough force that the crack that resounded was a little sickening. She swallowed as she looked where he was bleeding around him on the floor.

"Did you have to do that?" She asked nervously to her Professor. The spear he had a moment before was gone and his expression had returned safely to neutral.

"Better than to have him come after us." Jade replied. "Come on, we won't have a long time. We believe we've discovered how to open the gate, but we need you there."

"Oh." She nodded, glancing back again to the bleeding man that had been out to kidnap her nervously, he hadn't actually hurt her. Somehow she doubted she'd survive as well next time if she was captured again, assuming the man survived.

She crawled into the passager side of the car and looked at her lap numbly as they drove, it was all a bit too much as of late, whatever this entire thing was, it needed to end now, she was becoming someone she wasn't because of it.

"Or am I just showing my true colors?" She thought with worry as she thought back to all the men she'd gotten far too intimate with as of late. "Is there really just something very wrong with me or is it some strange curse?"

Even the guy back there had called it a curse though so she'd have to just go along and try to discover what was wrong. She sighed some and Jade glanced to her as they drove. "It's not your fault you know."

"I guess." She said with a sigh. "I just...it's all so bizarre. Whatever it is, it needs to end."

Jade smirked as he parked. "Come on, Lezard, Edward, and Professor Ghaeleon should have things ready by this time."

The whole shrine seemed infused with power, it was a wonder she hadn't felt it across the city, but she didn't realize until they were halfway up the steps to her home. She had to pause a moment to adjust to the sudden change of atmosphere but after Jade helped her steady herself she nodded to him and continued up the staircase to the top.

It added to the surreal nature of her life lately, the spirtual part of her, some invisible world just beyond her site was alight, on fire and storming with all manner of magic just below the surface of an extremely serene real world. It was just like her life, on the surface everyone saw her as normal, average, in control, but in reality she was a bubbling pot of emotional turmoil.

She moved into the shed where the well was and her eyes widened a bit. The well seemed to be the center-point of all this energy, somehow it made her warm inside, as if it was very familiar. Kagome was at the bottom of the steps at the wells edge, preparing to climb inside when a hand caught her and she blinked curiously at what she'd been doing, it has seemed very natural.

"Kagome, be careful." It was Edward, he'd been the closest one. "We'll be opening it soon, some of the others will be going with you. I'll be staying here with Wendy and Professor Curtiss. We aren't certain what's on the other side so everyone else will be accompanying you except for Albel, he's still harrying the enemy and will be on guard duty when he's finished."

"What about my family?" Kagome asked nervously. "They'll be back in another few days from their trip."

"We hope you'll be back by then, and if not, then we'll have to adjust, but we'll keep them safe." Edward promised kindly, patting her back. "Look out for yourselves, it's another world were opening here. Kagome, we think you are the key, you jump in first and the rest will follow."

She nodded, blushing a bit as she glanced at the group coming with her. Lezard, Ghaleon, and Sephiroth...the only good thing was that Albel and other boys she'd crawled all over wouldn't be there...but it wasn't a good thing...why couldn't she take the men that didn't want to get into her pants. Or who she wouldn't completely mind letting them.

She closed her eyes and leapt over the edge, she had to get whatever this curse was removed as fast as possible!

End Chapter

This puts me at 3,000 words into NaNo. Gonna be spending my words trying to update a lot of my fictions so many of them will hopefully be getting some love in the coming days.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Thanks as always for all the people reviewing my fiction :) Albel will be back eventually, he's busy atm!