After subduing the men, Rick and the others once again followed Kirara. Kirara suddenly ran faster ahead of the group and turned the corner. Rick rushed after her and nearly collided with Michonne and Kagome, leaning heavily on the other woman.
"Kagome!" Rick exclaimed.
"Shh. We don't want to attract any attention," Michonne told him.
Rick nodded and took Kagome from Michonne.
Rick held Kagome tightly then pulled away when she whimpered. In the dim light, Rick could see that Kagome was bloody and bruised. Rick noticed that she was cradling her side, and he lifted her shirt. He gasped when he saw the darkening bruise that was forming on her ribs. A fury started building in Rick at seeing the woman he loved so battered. Rick swore that it was the last thing he did; he would kill the Governor for what he did to Kagome. But right now, the most important thing was to get Kagome and the others to safety.
Rick wrapped his arm around Kagome and supported her weight; they followed Kirara and made their way back towards the others. Suddenly Kirara transformed and pounced on a man that was coming around the corner. The man managed to scream before Kirara tore his throat out. But that scream was enough to grab the attention of the guards. They ran towards the scream with their guns drawn; Rick, Kagome, and Michonne tried to escape but were quickly surrounded. Rick motioned with his head towards Kirara, who was once again in her small size, could pass without being noticed; he knew that the Neko would bring the others.
One of the men pointed his rifle at Rick, "Put your weapons down and put your hands up!" he yelled.
Rick put his gun down but refused to let go of Kagome, "She's hurt; she needs help."
"I don't give a shit what she needs. I said, hands up!"
Kagome looked at Rick, "It's okay, Rick, I can stand."
Rick slowly removed his hand from Kagome and made sure she could stand on her own, then put his hands up. The guard then motioned for Michonne to put her weapons down as well. Michonne unsheathed her sword and placed it on the ground, then her rifle. She slowly stood up and put her hands up. The guard motioned with his gun and started herding them away.
While this is going on, Daryl, Amy, and Oscar continue looking for Rick and Kirara. Suddenly Daryl stopped and pointed his gun, but he quickly lowered it when he saw Kirara. The Neko mewed and jumped into his arms. She then jumped down and ran back the way she came. Kirara stopped and looked at him and Oscar. Daryl realized that she wanted them to follow her. He and Oscar looked at each other and rushed off after Kirara. Kirara stopped and hissed; she looked behind her and motioned with her head. Daryl peered around the corner and saw that some guards had Rick, Kagome, and Michonne.
Daryl reached into his pack and pulled out a smoke bomb. He pulled the pin and tossed it in the middle of the group. Rick immediately saw the bomb and grabbed Kagome, he dragged her away, and Michonne followed them. As soon as the bomb went off, Daryl, Amy, and Oscar started shooting. Kirara rushed forward and tackled one of the men about to fire at Rick; she quickly crushed his skull in her jaws.
The sounds of gunfire alerted the town to the intruders and drew more armed men to the fight. Daryl handed Rick his gun while Amy helped Kagome and Michonne retrieve her weapons. They took off down an alley trying to hide from the guards; once they're out of sight, Rick turns to Kagome and Amy, "We have got to get you two out of here as quickly as possible," Rick looked at Kirara, "Can you take both girls, Kirara, and get out of here?"
Kirara nods, but Kagome protests.
"No, Rick, I want to stay with you."
"I know you do, Darlin', but you're hurt, and I don't want to take any chances with you or Amy. It's better that you two get out of here a quickly as possible. Please, Kagome, do this for me."
Kagome sighed in defeat; shehe knew that Rick was right. In her condition, Kagome would only slow them down. Kagome put her head down so that Rick wouldn't see her eyes fill with tears, but Rick lifted her head with his thumb and forefinger.
"Hey, this isn't goodbye; I'll see you soon back at the prison, okay?"
Kagome nodded, "Okay. Be careful and come back safely, all of you."
"We will," Rick said, then kissed Kagome.
Amy kissed Daryl then she climbed onto Kirara's back. Rick helped Kagome, then Kirara took off into the sky. Rick, Daryl, Oscar, and Michonne made sure to cover Kirara until she was out of sight; then, they fought their way to the front gate. Unfortunately, right before they got out, Oscar was shot in the back. Oscar told the others to leave him and laid down cover fire for them to escape. The last thing that Daryl saw was Oscar shoot, Meryl in the chest before someone shot Oscar in the head. Daryl felt a terrible pain in his heart when he saw his brother get hit, but after Meryl assaulted Amy, Daryl didn't feel as bad as he thought he would.
While the others finally made it out of Woodbury, Kirara flew towards the prison with Kagome and Amy. She touched down in the courtyard, and the others rushed out to meet the new arrivals. Carl was the first to meet them; he threw himself at Kagome when she got off Kirara. Kagome groaned when Carl crashed into her; Carl instantly pulled away.
"Kagome? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Carl asked frantically.
Kagome smiled at the little boy that she now considered her son. She cupped his face, and Carl leaned into her touch, "I'm alright, Carl, only a little sore, nothing I can't fix."
Hershel walked towards Kagome, looking at her, concerned, "Are you sure you don't want me to examine you?"
"No, Hershel, it's nothing my powers can't fix. Though you can help me get to my cell."
"Oh, of course, Kagome," Hershel said, and he and Carl helped Kagome inside.
When the others saw Kagome, they began to fuss over her, but she told them that would be fine after she healed herself. Hershel and Carl helped Kagome sit on her bed then they watched Kagome close her eyes and concentrate her spiritual energy on healing her injuries. It took a few seconds, then Kagome began to glow pink, and they watched in amazement as the swelling and bruising disappeared. When Kagome finished, she let out a sigh of relief.
"I think I need to lie down for a while, guys. Would you please let me know when Rick and the others arrive? They should be too long," Kagome informed Hershel and Carl.
Hershel nodded, "Alright, Kagome. You rest; I'll send Rick over as soon as he gets here."
Kagome smiled at the older man, "Thank you."
Hershel nodded then left. Carl hesitated, then leaned down and hugged Kagome, "I'm glad you're back, Kagome, and that you're safe. I thought I would never see you again."
Kagome hugged Carl tightly, "Don't worry, Carl; you'll never lose me, I promise."
"Okay, I'll let you get some sleep."
With that, Carl left with Kirara on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Rick, Daryl, and Michonne made it back to the car and drove back to the prison. It was a sad ride, each consumed in their thoughts. Rick couldn't help worrying about Kagome and thinking about Oscar's sacrifice so that they could escape. While Daryl was thinking about the death of his brother, he didn't know how to feel about that. It hurt that Meryl was dead, but his brother tried to rape the woman that he loved. In the end, maybe it was better that Oscar had killed Meryl; Daryl didn't know what he would have done to Meryl if he had the chance.
Michonne sat in the back seat, staring out the window. She was disappointed that she hadn't killed the Governor and gotten Andrea out of Woodbury. Michonne had hoped to convince Andrea that the Governor couldn't be trusted, but she never got the chance to see Andrea. It was more likely that the governor would tell Andrea that Michonne had attacked him without provocation, and Andrea would hate her for it. Michonne sighed; she didn't know what she was going to do now; she hoped that maybe she could stay with this group, but if Michonne couldn't, then she was okay with that as well.
The three people sat in the car in silence as they drove back to the prison. Rick would occasionally glance at Michonne through the rearview mirror. He didn't know what to think of the woman; Rick decided to talk to Kagome and see if she could tell whether Michonne was trustworthy before they offered her a place in the prison. He wasn't going to take any chances of putting Kagome and his children in danger.
When the group finally saw the prison, Rick became more anxious. He was worried about Kagome's condition. Rick could only hope that Hershel had been able to ease Kagome's pain. As soon as Axel and Glenn opened the gate and Rick drove into the yard, he jumped out of the car and ran inside.
"Kagome!" Rick yelled as soon as he entered.
Dale stopped him, "Kagome's alright, Rick, she's resting in your cell right now."
Rick paused and looked at Hershel, "How badly is Kagome hurt?"
"She's not, Rick. Kagome used her powers to heal herself, but she wore herself out doing so, and she went to sleep," Hershel informed Rick.
Rick let out a relieved sigh. He then checked his children before he made his way to his cell to be with Kagome. When he got there, Rick saw that Kagome was sleeping peacefully. Rick quickly cleaned up t, stripped down to his boxers, and got into bed with Kagome. He pulled Kagome into his arms and kissed her head.
Kagome stirred awake, she opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Rick, "I'm glad you're back safely," Kagome said then kissed Rick's chest.
She stared at him a moment, then tilted her head, "What is it, Rick, What happened?"
Rick sighed, "Oscar didn't make it."
Kagome gasped, "Oh, no! Has anyone told Axel?"
"Not yet, but I'm sure Daryl will."
Kagome nodded, "I'll say a prayer for his soul."
"Okay, but for now you need to rest and so do I."
Kagome cuddled closer to Rick, "Alright, Rick."
Rick pecked Kagome on the lips, "I love you, Kagome."
"I love you too, Rick."
And with that, the tired couple closed their eyes and went to sleep. Later they would have to talk about what to do about the Governor, but for now they only needed each other.