Chapter 16

"Subject 643 is attempting to escape." one person stated as he changed up the security on his computer. "Raising the volume of the ability degeneration gases on Floor 8."

"Subject 643," another intoned on the intercom, "You have three minutes to get back to your cell. Failure to do so will trigger your electrocution."

One of the monitors tracked the runaway, watching 643 suddenly fall to the floor as her illusions started fading.

"Shit. Get up, Kagome," her first creation ushered.

Kagome scrambled up and started running. They were fleeing blindly, with almost no clue to where one of the elevators are. But, on the tracker monitors, she was getting ever closer.

"Subject 643 is still resisting. Termination in three, two-"

"Got a call in. Onigumo wants her alive. Send in the reinforcements."

Sango tensed and walked out of the small room. That was her cue. And here I thought she was weak, she thought with a dry smile.

"Wait, she stopped?"

"Clear out the audio. What are they saying?"

She hesitated, watching a woman turn up the volume sensitivity with curiosity.

"...them. It'll buy us more time," the little illusion said.

Inuyasha nodded. "Kagome, get running. We don't know what's gonna happen."

"O-okay," Kagome agreed. "We'll meet at the bottom. If it gets too dangerous-"

"Then you're gonna run like a bat out of hell and don't look back," Inuyasha finished, looking at her sternly when she was going to argue. "You're the real one. We need you alive."

Subject 643 nodded reluctantly and stepped forward to hug him, tugging Shippo to get into her embrace. Sango sighed silently when Inuyasha pushed her away.

"Go." Kagome grimaced and started running again while Inuyasha looked down at Shippo, "You take all the doors to the left. I'll get the right."

"Got it."

"They're opening the cells!"

"But they can't do anything- the amount of chemicals in the air should have ridden 643's ability."

"They should have vanished. Keiko, raise the amount higher," one ordered.

Sango ran for the nearest elevator, cursing the higher-ups for not thinking about installing emergency stairwells for situations like this. They may have not cared for their employees' health, but it would be hell of a lot faster to get to floor eight from floor one. Not to mention that Kagome could already be heading up while she's going down. "Dammit," she muttered as she punched the elevator button.

"Sango."

She turned to Miroku and her brows rose. "Miroku? What are you still doing here?"

Miroku smiled tiredly. "Let her go," he murmured quietly.

"What?" she hissed, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"You haven't seen all of Project Dreamer, Sango. They were all born and raised here. I'd say that they were the most tortured if I knew of all the other projects," he shook his head, "Kagome has a chance to live and she's escaping for her life. If I can save one person from all of this, I'd sleep better at night."

"And what about us?" Sango asked, "To escape, she has to come up here one way or another. If we let her walk right by, they'd kill us."

Miroku nodded. "Let's see if she'll make it, first."

Grimacing, Sango stepped away from the elevator she was about to take, watching her comrades push by to step in. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Ah! Found it!" Kagome said in relief, pressing the button and looking down the hall where she came. It was way too quiet. Beside the intercom announcement, there were no signs of upset within the system. "Inuyasha! Shippo! Come on, this way!" she called out, hearing her voice echo through the huge corridors.

"Vermin."

Kagome's eyes widened at the unfamiliar female voice, pressing her back against the elevator doors.

"Get back in your cell! I have permission to take you down!" a man's authoritative voice demanded.

An unsettling laugh. The commotion sounded close, like right around the corner. Kagome repeatedly pressed the button, biting her bottom lip.

The door finally slid open just as the same man started screaming. There was pure terror and agony in his voice that stunned Kagome cold. She saw him run across the hall, completely unaware of her, but only made it five feet from where he was when he collapsed, still screaming.

"Oh? Another Dreamer?"

Kagome turned to a woman- a girl, she realized. Probably fourteen or fifteen, she was dressed in the same white gown, though it hung so loose on her unhealthy, thin frame. Her dark hair was stringy and falling out in places but her dark, haunted eyes were piercing her own. "Y-You're part of the project too?" Kagome hesitantly asked, holding the door open.

"Yes," she cocked her head to the side, "What's your ability?"

"There's no time to talk," Kagome replied when she heard more noise echoing from somewhere. None of the sounds she heard were pleasant, and they were coming closer. Was that a gun shot? "Come with me. We're getting out of here."

Her brows lowered, her mouth twisted in a scowl. "No. I have to kill them. I have to make them experience what I did. Nightmares. So. Much. Nightmares," she giggled, "They have to see. Everyone. You too."

Kagome gasped when the world went dark around her. She couldn't see anything but she heard noise all around her. They were still getting closer. "What did you-"

"The dark? Many things lurk in the shadows," the girl murmured, sounding close- right in front of her. "You're afraid. So afraid. You're crying." She laughed again but it was cut off abruptly, her own yell followed by a sick gurgling noise.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whimpered as she reached a shaky arm out hesitantly. She could feel him getting closer. If she could only touch him... Suddenly, everything was light again and Kagome stared at the bloody mess at her feet.

A demon with two foot long claws was viciously attacking the girl that spoke to her, grinning madly as she screamed and thrashed underneath it.

A hand clamped over her eyes and tugged her backwards and she cried out as she landed against a hard chest. "Don't look. It's not real. It's not real," Inuyasha's voice at her ear made her nearly collapse with relief as she turned to him.

"Inuyasha," she breathed and looked over her shoulder. The demon was gone and the girl was dead. Thankfully, the elevator doors slid close to block the horrid sight as Shippo jumped up and smacked the '1' on the panel. "Are you okay?" she asked the both of them as she gathered Shippo up, sitting down before her weak knees could bring her down.

"We opened up a lot of cells and let the prisoners escape," Shippo told her, grimacing, "They weren't anything like you."

"Probably one in ten had your ability, but their minds were so warped that they either didn't create anything or what they created wasn't... imaginable..." Inuyasha shook his head from horrid images before kneeling next to her. "You okay? What'd that girl try to do to you?"

"I don't know. It was dark- I couldn't see anything," she shivered. "Then that monster attacked."

"Lucky for you, it aimed for her," Inuyasha muttered. "What's the plan now?"

"Um, bust through the front door?" When he cocked his head in thought, she amended, "I have one more illusion in the making but we have to get outside."

"I don't think it's gonna be as simple as that," Shippo commented, just as the door slid open.

"Subject 643." Over a dozen guns were pointed at her. "Get flat on the ground. Now."

Slowly, Kagome raised her hands up as Shippo hid behind her with a yelp. Inuyasha growled, flashing fang and claw as a few of them edged closer to the door. They weren't fazed by him, trained solely on the girl. However, it all changed when Inuyasha charged.

Kagome gasped and took cover near the door when bullets went flying. Inuyasha was actually fighting with humans. With his fists and speed, he easily knocked out all the guards even with their protective equipment. He turned back to her with a cocky smirk. "Whatcha waiting for? Let's go!"

She stood and hugged him tight. "You're finally real!" she cried out of happiness. Inuyasha briefly returned the embrace, pressing his lips against the crown of her head.

"Keh. All it took was being subjected into this place," he snorted when he released her. "Should of done that years ago."

"Oi! I'm still an apparition here!" Shippo huffed as he jumped into Kagome's arms.

"Just wait, runt," Inuyasha smirked and turned to the front of the building. Emergency grates blocked the glass doors to the outside. He cracked his knuckles and roughly grabbed onto the metal, grunting as he tugged back. The gates bent at an odd angle, but warped back as impenetrable as ever. "Figures they'd make it tougher than it looks."

"Well, this isn't the only time it's happened, you know."

Kagome whirled around to face Miroku, who stood idly by an opened emergency door. "Huh?"

"Though, only a few managed to make it up to the lobby," Miroku continued, waving his hand nonchalantly. "None unscathed as you are."

"What are you up to?" Inuyasha demanded, standing in front of Kagome protectively.

"What's it look like? Your only chance of escape is through this door I unlocked. I suggest you start running; Sango could only stall the elevators for so long before backup arrives."

"But why?" Shippo asked with a frown as Kagome slowly walked forward.

Miroku smiled. "Out of everyone in this entire building, both above and underground, all three of you are the most human. I'd hate to see you change because of this place. You've seen what horrors are down there."

"Enough questions," Inuyasha muttered as they walked through the door, "We need to go."

"Wait," Miroku told them before turning back inside. "Sango! Come on, let's go!"

"What?" Inuyasha's brow rose. "Don't think we're taking you with us..."

"In exchange for letting you escape? I think it's fair," Miroku replied as Sango raced out of the control room. "You don't get it. No one is allowed to leave. Experiments and employees live here since they've been transferred. Not only that, the cameras don't lie and the people higher-up will resort to punish us."

"Inuyasha, just let them come," Kagome said.

"They won't catch up-" Inuyasha's words died on his tongue when he turned around to face a cat the size of a horse. Flames licked at it's feet and two tails as it's red eyes looked back at him curiously. "What the hell is that?"

Kagome grinned and petted the cat's head. "Kirara. She's our ride out of here."

Inuyasha opened and closed his mouth silently, finally saying, "... you can't just imagine a horse or something, can't you?"

"It'll be enough," Sango said as Miroku closed the door behind them. "Can it carry both of us?"

Kagome nodded and walked over to Inuyasha. "She was supposed to fly us out of here. Guess you have to carry me home."

The half-demon rolled his eyes and knelt before her, letting her climb on his back as Sango and Miroku mounted the giant cat. "Let's just go."

A/N: And this is what happens when I don't focus. Sango and Miroku weren't supposed to go with them and I had a better escape plan the other day. But then my mind went blank today and out came this. *sigh* We'll see how I work it.

Warm-Amber92: Too bad Kikyou wasn't there in the middle of the night to inspect everything :/ I think she'll come in next chapter

okiedokeybunny: My fire-breathing sabertooth tigers are guarding my palace. They'll eat your Pegasuses and my dragon realm will continue to live forever! Also, if you get a Monopoly early in the game, you can sit back and watch everyone go bankrupt (that's one method of how I play)

Sahora: Actually, Shippo and Kouga are on my hit-list. And yes, Inuyasha kicked some ass.

letsxgetxreckless: Don't get impatient now :)

alexischic: Inuyasha, get down from that tree! We need you for the next chapter! Now look what you did.

HopelessRomantic: I probably disappointed everyone with this chapter. Unfortunately, I had to cut their stay at the asylum short because this story is half-way over with a lot more to do (also, I ran into a bit of a writer's block when I tried to make them stay a bit longer) And the reason Kagome hadn't fled from home before getting kidnapped was that it was completely unexpected. Even though she was betrayed, I don't think Kagome would immediately turn on her mother (since she raised her from birth, nevermind the little fear Seiko held for her).

LicoriceSpice & HopelessRomantic: Kagome can't create inanimate objects. If she were to be in her right mind (she was being attacked by a living, breathing dragon, after all) and created Tetsusaiga, I think it would have a face, and that would just look ridiculous.

Joyma Tello: Again, the frequent updating is for this story only. I'm actually pretty bad at updating.

And the plot continues.

FxA