Chapter 5

Shippo slunk along the building's sides in the deepest shadows of the night. Kirara padded silently in his wake. A few lone guards patrolled the surrounding area, requiring them to be extremely cautious. They gently shuffled past Inuyasha, who'd toppled over and dozed awkwardly with his legs still half crossed. He shivered and his ears twitched a little in his sleep. Agilely, they hopped onto the window's ledge and flowed like liquid through its shafts. Sango, Miroku and Kagome rose without sound at their entrance, and gestured for Shippo to speak, but quietly.

He told them dejectedly that he'd looked everywhere, but he couldn't find the weapons. Their faces tightened briefly, but they reassured him that it would be okay. Did he find the way out?

"Yeah, I did!" Shippo whispered excitedly. He proceeded to draw what he knew on the dirt floor of Sango's cell. Kagome and Miroku strained unsuccessfully to make it out in the gloom, and then gave up. Sango studied it intently, attempting to memorize the path he sketched.

"Good job, Shippo!" Miroku said in an undertone. "We'll just have to find our weapons on the way."

Sango asked, "Shippo? Could you pick the lock on Inuyasha's chain?" She held out one of Miroku's earrings. "Inuyasha's too out of it to do it himself. He tries to hide it, but we can all tell. Try to get him to lie between you and the guards, so you won't be seen, okay? You're small enough for that to work. You've done a great job already, Shippo; we just need a little more of your help."

He nodded, gathering courage. He'd been looking forward to a break, but they needed him. He could do this. "Okay. I've just got to keep it together."

"That's right, Shippo. We know you'll do wonderfully," Kagome encouraged. Miroku nodded his agreement. Kirara meowed softly and butted the top of her head gently against him.

Shippo nodded once more, and slipped back through the window poles. He set his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, which startled him with its heat. "Wake up, Inuyasha," he whispered anxiously. Inuyasha quivered, and then stirred from slumber. His eyes were bloodshot, his lip swollen. Black bruises on his neck mirrored the dark circles under his eyes. Shippo said to him, "Jeez, Inuyasha, you look awful."

Hoarse, Inuyasha muttered sarcastically, "Thanks."

"Sorry. But I'm going to try to get this off." Shippo pointed to the fetter. "Sango said I should hide behind you. Can you move to make space by the wall?"

Inuyasha grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, okay…." He slowly untangled his legs, moving stiffly. Weakly, he rolled onto his stomach and then onto his left side. He feebly tugged the metal leash out from beneath his body. "There you go."

Shippo quickly clambered over him. He positioned the earring into the lock and wiggled it around like Kagome had said. He kept trying and trying, but nothing happened. His face twisted in frustration.

"Isn't it working?" Inuyasha slurred tiredly, eyes closed.

Shippo glanced up, frightened by this change in his friend. "No. Not yet." He kept struggling with it. Occasionally, Inuyasha would shiver with cold, making it difficult to pick. This also distracted him with further trepidation: "Inuyasha? Do you have a fever? Are you okay?"

"Just get it off me."

"I'm trying! Your shivering makes it harder."

Inuyasha merely hummed in acknowledgement.

Eventually, Shippo gave up and returned through Kagome's window. He looked up at her anxiously and whispered, "I couldn't do it! I'm sorry!" He burst into tears. "And Inuyasha's gotten worse! He's burning up!"

She tensed and breathed, "No." She quickly gathered up her composure, and grabbed the ratty blanket that was the only semblance of a bed. "All right. Take this out to him. Hopefully, it will fit through the bars. And then… try the other lock on the post. Okay? Please, Shippo?" She wiped her thumbs across his wet cheeks. "Come on, it'll be okay." Tears of her own threatened to spill, though, betraying her lack of confidence.

Shippo assented and stopped crying. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, and then transformed to go out the window. He paused just inside to let a sentry go by, and then popped through. He changed back, still on the ledge, and grabbed the blanket Kagome stuck out. He held it tightly and jumped backward off the ledge, using his own weight and gravity to pull it through. Dragging it over, he said, "Here, Inuyasha." He spread the blanket out. Inuyasha sighed with pleasure as its warmth settled over him.

"Come on," Shippo whispered. "I'm going to try the other lock. Please, move next to the post?"

Inuyasha had nearly fallen asleep already. "What? Oh." His eyes fluttered closed, then snapped open. "What! You're kidding, right?" To him, the post seemed kilometers away.

"We can't let anyone see us!" Shippo said quietly. He thought desperately that maybe if he insulted Inuyasha, his anger and pride would force him to move. "Come on, Inuyasha, I thought you were strong. But you're a weakling! You're just a half-demon! Not a full demon like me!" He danced, terrified, out of arm's length. Normally, he'd be seriously pummeled for saying something like that.

Inuyasha snarled and muttered, "You'll regret that later." He propped himself on his left elbow; the blanket slid down. He forced his muscles to move his pain-racked, fever-ridden body. He shivered in the night air as he left the blanket behind, too weak to bother grabbing it. He crawled jerkily over to the post, and then let his muscles go slack. He collapsed to his left side, not caring that he landed on bruises and the chain. It was foreign for him to have bruises from so little force. He panted through his open mouth, eyes closed.

Shippo snatched the blanket, struggling to drag its large mass. He spread it out again and gazed fretfully into Inuyasha's face. Then he hurriedly set to work on the lock. This one was a lot simpler than the other one. Sudden hope flared inside him. Several minutes passed by as he worked on it, keeping one anxious eye out for sentinels. Abruptly, it opened. "Yes!" he said, a little too loudly. He snapped his head up, but no one was near.

Inuyasha opened one bloodshot, ochre eye. "You get it?"

"Yeah!"

"Good," he breathed. "Let's get out of here."

Shippo ran to the window and told them the news. Excited, they jumped up. They glanced around to make certain that everyone else was asleep. Sure enough, snores filled the air. They crept out of their cells and cautiously edged out the unlocked outer door. A twinge of alarm at the lack of a lock was quickly stifled.

"Ah, fresh air and freedom," whispered Sango.

Quickly, they turned left again around the building and rushed to Inuyasha and Shippo, who was removing the chain from the post. Inuyasha turned his head and torso to his right and looked up at them. They finally got a good look at him: Kagome gasped and ran to his side; Sango and Miroku both stopped walking, their faces blanching. Kirara stopped with them a moment, and then bounded over to jump on him. She curled up on his hip, purring in concern.

Inuyasha smirked. "That bad, huh?" His voice was still hoarse, his words a little slurred. Kirara felt warm… .

"Oh, Inuyasha!" cried Kagome. She threw herself across his chest and clutched his robes through the tattered blanket. "You're so badly hurt! I'll never forgive myself!"

"For what? You didn't do anything!" Inuyasha said, bewildered.

Kagome was bawling too hard to answer him. Shippo cried in sympathy. "Come on, you guys," Inuyasha murmured uncomfortably. "We have to get out of here. We're in danger just standing around."

"He's right," Sango agreed gently. "Can you walk, Inuyasha?" He raised an eyebrow. "Right. Kirara, will you carry him, please?"

Swiftly, Kirara leapt off him and transformed from an adorable kitten to a huge, saber-toothed carnivore with a fire-aura licking at her ankles and the tips of her two tails. "Come on, Inuyasha," whispered Miroku as he took his right arm.

Sango was reaching for his other arm when a voice yelled, "STOP! Hurry, men, they're escaping! Make sure you get all of them!" An alerted mass of soldiers appeared from out of the shadows and advanced on them, brandishing weapons and shouting. More torches were lit and light flooded the area, blinding eyes accustomed to the dark.

"NO!" Kagome screamed. She planted herself several meters in front of Inuyasha's feet, her body tensed and ready. It was her turn to protect him. He had always saved her, but now he was the one who needed saving. Sango and Miroku gently lowered him back to the ground and took up positions next to her. Kirara joined them and roared at the phalanx of samurai, causing them to hesitate. Shippo, too, stood in front of him prepared to fight.

"No!" cried Inuyasha, his hand outstretched toward Kagome. She glanced back at him, her face furious. She yelled, "You're sick, Inuyasha!" She faced the soldiers once more.

His hand fell, defeated in the face of truth. He let himself curl up on the ground. He couldn't do anything else! It went against everything in him to let Kagome put herself in such danger. Yet, there was absolutely no way he could help…. He yelled, "Kirara! Protect Kagome!"

Kirara snarled and nodded in response, still facing the guards. Suddenly, the two groups clashed. Kirara slashed and bit them, but withheld killing blows. Sango and Miroku whirled, evading men's cuts and snatching their weapons. Kagome held back, waiting for her chance to snatch a weapon. Shippo withdrew a small object from his shirt and yelled, "SMASHING TOP!" as he summoned his fox demon magic. His top spun to an illusory, immense size, creating a whirlwind. The soldiers shrieked. Kagome grabbed a downed man's bow and arrows, but she didn't really want to kill men who were only following orders. Besides, she thought, they're not trying to kill us.

Suddenly, Inuyasha cried out behind them, but his scream cut short like a lopped-off limb. Kagome turned to him. "Inuyasha! NO!" An anonymous samurai stood, one foot smashed on the back of Inuyasha's neck, viciously jerking his head back and choking already-bruised flesh with the chain. A spear had pierced through Inuyasha's left, bare foot, pinning it to the ground. Blood welled profusely out of the wound.

Kagome nocked an arrow quickly, but the others couldn't spare a glance. Nevertheless, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango were sufficiently distracted to be disarmed and knocked to the ground. A forgotten soldier behind Kagome tackled her as she took careful aim. After a momentary struggle, all four were bound tightly.

Kirara roared and altered her attack toward Sango's, her closest friend's, assailants. Something flew toward her and smoke billowed as the object struck the ground. She inhaled it, and coughed roughly before collapsing. She quivered and changed back into a kitten. Shippo, too, hacked, coughed, and lost consciousness as he breathed the fumes.

Inuyasha writhed and struggled compulsively to breathe, even though his thrashing twisted the spear in his foot and made it cut deeper. His only thought was of Kagome. She was hurt, tied up, and he couldn't help her! Then the smoke hit him; the potent scent overwhelmed his keen nose instantly, and he passed out.

Kagome became hysterical, screaming and crying, fighting her captor's hold with superhuman strength. His chokehold quickly brought the darkness of unconscious sleep. Then the same fate befell the two still yelling.