Chapter 6: Problems
John and Kagome didn't talk about that night, leaving it alone. Sherlock, thankfully, hadn't heard anything from that night either, so he never mention it either. The day went about as normal - Sherlock creating a mess in the kitchen, Kagome enjoys another day off, and John goes to the clinic. John comes back to the flat to find Kagome lounging on the sofa, paper and books strewn all over the floor, and Sherlock still making a mess of the kitchen. He sighs, trying to ignore the sight, and makes his way to the fridge.
"I wouldn't if I were you John, there is a head, three hearts, a bag of fingers, and a kidney." John closes his eyes, mentally asking for patience.
"Thank you, Kagome. That was the last thing I needed to see today." Kagome shrugged.
"Tea's on the table." He looked and, to his surprise, on the table by his chair, there was indeed a cup of tea, still streaming hot. "I think Sherlock is making up for lost time." John chuckled a little. The experiments were probably getting a little bit much, and were conducted more often than before the Fall.
"Most likely." Then they were quiet for the rest of the day until Kagome announced that she was going to bed. It was still fairly early, only nine o'clock, but no one said anything when John hastened to say that he might head to bed as well soon. Least of all Kagome. Though she was touched by his concern, there was nothing he could do.
Lestrade came round the next day, eyeing Kagome contemplatively and keeping his tone carefully blank while he requested that Sherlock come in, though if Kagome could be there as well, it'd be good. She bristled at his tone and frostily agreed, hurt bubbling just under the surface. The crime scene wasn't far, so they all walked. Kagome pointedly ignored Lestrade, talking only to Sherlock or John.
As they walked down an alleyway, a dark chuckle came from behind Kagome seconds before she was shoved forward. She caught herself quickly and turned to face her attacker. Lestrade, John and Sherlock stopped and turned as well, confused as to why Kagome was being targeted.
Kagome noticed that while her attacker was a demon, he didn't actually want to be there. Rage filtered through her as she saw a flicker of Moriarty's form. "That's it! I've had enough of this shit!" She snarled and let her darker self take control. Her hair swayed in an invisible wind and she glowed faintly with her dark purple aura, her irises turning hard silver. This time she was the one to chuckle darkly as she summoned her reiki sword and lunged.
John sighed as she swore and took on the now-very-familiar personality. "Okay, back we go." He ushered the other two, holding out an arm to emphasise his point. "You might want to give her a bit of space. It makes it difficult for her to fight if she has to constantly worry about us all the time. Although," He said thoughtfully, ignoring Sherlock and Greg as they looked at him incredulously, and turned to watch Kagome carefully. "It does look like she's merely playing with him, so she'll be fine for this one."
"John." Greg started slowly. "She has a sword that she just materialised from nowhere and is now fighting with someone and you're saying she's only playing with him?" His voice got more and more disbelieving as he continued. John huffed.
"She always does the sword thing when she's protecting people. Something about showing her opponent that she is the one with more power, and if she's feeling particularly merciful - which never happens when she's changed like this - she'll just make it disappear and then kill them. If not, she'll destroy them, not that she needs the sword to do that anyway." Sherlock frowned in confusion at the wording, but didn't have time to ask as they heard a loud growl echo through the alleyway.
The demon had gotten in a swing and caught her collarbone, her top soaking up the blood that seeped out from the wound. She stopped dead and lifted a hand to the cut, dipping her fingertips into it. She looked at the blood, licked it, and then started laughing. Not happily though, more in a 'I'll-enjoy-it-when-your-blood stains-the-streets' kind of way. Her opponent paused and took in the situation. Moriarty was whispering in his ear, and the demon's eyes darkened. He lunged for Kagome, missing her as she dodged, still laughing. She danced around him as he tried to hit her again, only to fail every time. She stopped laughing slowly, but kept smiling. She murmured something and the demon froze, only his head able to move. Kagome locked the darker side of herself away again in the deepest part of her mind.
"Tell me. Do you have a mate? Pups?" A flicker of the demon's mine came back for a second and he shook his head. Kagome nodded. "Good. Your name?"
"Riku." He gasped hoarsely. Kagome blew out slowly, the smile fading quickly. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a sutra.
"I'm so sorry. But it has to be done. They are mine." Riku nodded in understanding.
"Thank you." She leaned in and kissed his forehead.
"Not at all. I'll make it quick." Riku closes his eyes and smiled. Kagome infused the sutra with enough reiki to kill him instantly and let it fly. Riku turned to dust immediately. She said a quiet prayer and summoned a wave of reiki to blow it away.
John walked forward and tried to lighten her up. "Merciful today were you? Not like you." He teased. Kagome snarled angrily and ran a hand through her hair. John frowned and Sherlock and Greg started towards them. "Kagome? Are you okay?" Kagome turned away from him and leaned forward against the wall, hands supporting her, hiding her face from him.
"Damn him." She growled. Then she stiffened as she felt Moriarty come up next to her.
"Damn who, my dear?" Kagome grit her teeth, hating how her stomach ached in anticipation and fear. She hissed at him. He tutted. "Now, now. All I did was ask you a question."
"You, then! I am damning you! Because you deserve it you arrogant, stuck-up son of a -"
"Kagome? You do know that, to anyone else, you are yelling at thin air?" She looked at John and then glanced at Moriarty's smug features. She scoffed and looked away again, but kept silent. Silently fuming. Lestrade was watching her with a mixture of horror and worry. Sherlock just looked curious. Kagome couldn't help but smile a little bit at him in amusement. He blinked in return. Her mobile rang and, looking at the ID, she answered it.
"Mycroft." She greeted cordially. John rolled his eyes and Sherlock had a similarly annoyed expression. Her lips twitched, wanting to grin, but she refrained.
"Get in the car." She pouted and turned to look at the nearest security camera.
"Aw, no 'hello, how are you?' Now that is just rude, but okay." She hung up and turned back to the three men watching. "I'll be going now, but I'll give explanations later, I promise." Then she winked and walked away, leaving three men equally confused behind her.
The car was waiting for her, as expected, and she got in. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but it was obvious that Mycroft has seen her little display. She frowned. He'd seen her at work before - maybe it was her decision to tell Lestrade.
She was surprised when, instead of taking her to a random warehouse, the car stopped outside the Diogenes Club - a place she had been to only once before, when she'd negotiated with Mycroft the terms of her employment. She said nothing though, and followed the driver to the door. She was led through the corridors silently to Mycroft's office. She was left alone, so she knocked quietly.
"Come in, Kagome." Mycroft said. She opened the door and shut it behind her. Taking in the room as she made her way to the chair, Kagome was unsurprised to find that it was unchanged from a year and a half ago.
"I take it you wanted to talk to me?" Mycroft nodded from behind his desk.
"Indeed. Not least because of what happened just twenty minutes ago." Kagome nodded and rolled her eyes as she sat down, preparing herself for the questions. And the possible reappearance of Moriarty. She mentally gritted her teeth. She must finish this - today. She has had enough. Blowing out a slow breath, she leant back in her seat.
"Okay. Go ahead."
"What happened today?" Kagome shrugged.
"He attacked what is mine - he was peripherally aware of the consequences." Mycroft rose an eyebrow.
"Peripherally?" She grimaced.
"Well, he was possessed… in a way." Another eyebrow rose to join it's twin in a expression of mild surprise. Kagome refrained from smiling. Mycroft, despite knowing her for well over a year, was still very much unaware of the things that existed in her world. "A spirit, or soul, or even another demon, can force another being to complete an action. This time, the spirit merely coerced the demon into attack me and mine. It was rather powerful." Kagome frowned. "And getting stronger - it must be destroyed soon." Mycroft's brow furrowed in concern.
"Is this spirit a threat to you? Sherlock? John?" Kagome frowned even harder and looked away.
"If this spirit becomes anymore powerful… he would be able to destroy everything. His mind is… chaotic."
"Why thank you, my dear." Kagome didn't groan, but she did shut her eyes in resignation.
"It is also… startlingly clear. His thoughts are structured and strategic with the deadly clarity of genius." She continued, looking back at Mycroft with a completely straight face.
"And do you know who this spirit is?" Mycroft asked calmly. Kagome's jawbone tightened momentarily.
"No." She lied. Mycroft smiled passively in response, and said nothing. She met his stare evenly.
"Kagome." He said slowly, voice carefully vacant. "Who is the spirit?" Her mouth twitched with the urge to smirk.
"Why do think I know it at all?" Mycroft didn't reply, merely looked at her with a straight expression. Kagome sighed and looked away again. Moriarty waved at her. Forgetting herself for a moment, she bared her teeth and snarled at him. "Damn you."
"Damn who?" Mycroft said unobtrusively. She glared at him.
"Moriarty, of course." She growled, before her eyes widened as she realised what she'd just said. "No, I didn't mean -" But Mycroft's victorious glint in his eyes silenced her. She gritted her teeth.
"Moriarty?" Kagome nodded reluctantly. "And he is, as you say, powerful and has the potential to destroy everything?" Kagome nodded again.
"Yes, he also has this strange thing where -" She stopped. Mycroft didn't need to know about the pain Moriarty had inflicted on her, somehow blocking her reiki at the same time. Moriarty seemed to know this and grinned gleefully from the corner of her eye. Dread seeped into her mind.
"Kagome? Is destruction what Moriarty is planning?" She hesitated. Should she tell the truth?
"No. He wants his fairytale to be completed." She said simply, with a stubborn look that said she wouldn't explain further. Mycroft frowned at her.
"You know I have to know this, Kagome. If people are in danger -" Kagome stood up abruptly and paced.
"No innocents are in danger. Just…" She trailed off as Moriarty appeared in front of her, eyes sharp. Her senses screamed danger and she was lucky she was near Mycroft's desk as the pain slammed into her stomach. She groaned as her hand shot out to catch her fall, only to fail slightly as it only slowed down her descent.
"Kagome?" Mycroft asked as he rose slightly, alarmed and unsure what to do.
"Get John. Have him explain." She panted. At his hesitation, she growled. "Now! Get him here now!" Stunned, Mycroft nodded and got his mobile, calling John and simultaneously having a car to go and pick him up.
Duty done, Mycroft could only watch as Kagome curled up in pain, whimpering. They could only wait for John.
For God's sake, John, hurry!
A/N: Ooh, what's going to happen, I wonder? What's Moriarty going to do? You'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Until next time!
BP
