Chapter 22: Half a Demon is better than One

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Kagome bit the inside of her cheek, a scream barely held in check by the fact that she was not alone in the elevator, although she took several calming breaths it did very little in easing her peeked ire.

She chanced a glance at her companions and their rigid forms, the four men had split, two had gone to stand behind her, while the other two took lead up front.

Leaving Kagome in the center along with the gentle looking woman, she was thin with well-defined bone features, her black hair was held back in a tight bun. Also, she was smaller than Kagome, and had a quiet way about her, any other time Kagome might consider the woman a clink in their otherwise tight defense... Although the smile on her face was serene, it had the opposite effect, and she carried herself in such a way that gave Kagome pause from her original line of thought.

The silence was loud in such a small space, and the longer it went on, the more annoyed she grew. Aggravated at this ridiculous situation, the constant back and forth between them, and their constant run around, that always ended with her stuck in the same situation; in their hands with no clue as to what's to come.

"SO..." Kagome spoke, her voice sounding loud in their silence, tight with her irritation, "Any chance you'll tell me where exactly I am being taken to?"

To her surprise the woman spoke, a voice high in femineity, as the woman talked on with her eyes seemingly half closed with her cheeky smile.

"Of course, Miss. Higurashi, we will be traveling to a nearby hotel. The Otemachi Tower has been notified of your arrival and will see to your every need, a team has already secured our route. We shall be arriving within the hour."

If Kagome hadn't been standing next to the woman, she would've thought the response had come from a machine, her tone never losing rhythm or pitch.

"Oh, great. Good to know."

Thankfully the ride down had been a fast one, arriving at the main lobby, Kagome was reminded of her first plot of escaping and its success.

Any plan of it now died before her very eyes, as the woman moved and in perfect synchronization, the men followed with echoing steps. The team around her seemed ready for anything, no room for crazy plans here.

They led her to the same public elevator she had used the very first time, back down to the dark parking structure, it was different than before, no longer a cave of mystery and darkness. Rather the area was lit extremely well, the lot going back to what it had been all along, just a parking structure.

Kagome was led to another limo, but to her awful surprise, she found herself accompanied inside the large, stretched vehicle by her new entourage.

It wasn't a tight fit by any sense of the word. Still, Kagome found herself at a loss for space, moving to the very front, by the driver's window, just to escape them. It didn't help her temper any, when the petite woman fallowed after her, sitting herself directly beside Kagome, even if there was plenty of other seats at her disposal.

The limo moved them out of the underground lot, making its way out of the plaza, and into the concrete jungle. After spending ten minutes inside the car in absolute silence, Kagome had enough.

"So, what's so special about tonight?"

Robot woman didn't show signs of having heard her, with the creepy smile that never faltered, and hands folded neatly over her wrinkle-free skirt. Her posture so straight, it looked as if the woman was floating in the seat, instead of sitting on it. Eventually though, she had a response to her question.

"Lord Inuyasha did not disclose, our orders are to escort you to your destination and provide protection."

"Okay? Well does he do this often?"

"Seeing as Lord Inuyasha has not housed an asset before; No, Miss Higurashi, this does not occur often."

Kagome took pause, taking in the woman's words, she missed what exactly made her an asset?

"I wonder why he needed to be alone, tonight of all nights..." when the woman didn't bite, Kagome added on, "I mean there must be something going on, or maybe he's meeting with someone—it's a possibility... Don't you think?"

"It is Lord Inuyasha's night of solace, Miss Higurashi. Nothing you need worry yourself over, as you'll only be with us for a short amount of time, tonight shall pass just as quickly."

Kagome wasn't sure, but the woman before her might've been throwing her some sass, it was impossible to tell as the same cheery-monotone rhythm never faded.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Why wouldn't I be around?"

The woman turned her head to look at her, the way she turned could've been mimicked by a doll's rigid movements.

"Apologies, Miss Higurashi, I am to refrain from making conversation with you on the matter."

Kagome would've pouted or been inclined to ask more questions as to figure out why she suddenly couldn't talk about it, when it was her that had brough it up.

Then the wash of cold came.

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Kagome felt her breath ice over, becoming visible in the sudden abnormal chill, the feeling bringing on a faint sense of déjà vu. Her eyes scanned the outside, peering down the streets for any indication of what that had been.

"Did you feel that?"

Kagome asked, seeing the look that passed between the woman and her team.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Once more her question was left unanswered, the limo kept its route as if nothing had happened, she would've been convinced it was all in her head had it not been for the second wash of cold that greeted her.

This time, a harder to ignore sensation, the bite from the cold could freeze a room.

The only sign that the others had felt the same thing as her, came from their sudden chatter, the four men had started to talk into their sleeves. From her spot, Kagome could see the earpieces and microphones that laid hidden, just out of plain sight. In their rapid fire of words, she could make out certain phrases.

'Breached'... 'Endangered'... and 'fail to respond', were a few of the words she could pick out.

"What's going on?!"

"Nothing at all, Miss Higurashi. Please, ease back on your seat, enjoy some of the complementary beverages available."

"You're joking!?"

Kagome lurched in her seat when, without a warning, the limo sprang forward. Speeding down the road, only to make sudden twists and turns down different alleys.

There was no seatbelt, or handle she could hold onto, her hands clutching the edge of her seat as the only source of security she had while the vehicle sprang down a new direction at every chance.

The crowd inside the limo remained stoic, as if they weren't drifting down the streets, the long machine making impossible quick and sharp turns.

"Okay, seriously, what's happening?!"

With her terrified screech, the limo came to a halting stop, everyone inside unfazed except for the raven-haired human.

The four men moved as one, exiting the limo in a single filed line, leaving Kagome behind with the still-smiling woman.

"Miss Higurashi, please remain seated, we are making a temporary stop."

She looked franticly around the limo, trying to catch a glimpse of something, figure out what the threat was, seeing as how no one was going to tell her.

When Kagome made her way to the door, all intent and purpose on leaving her confines, the delicate hand stopped her. Landing on top of her own as it had reached the door handle, Kagome turned only to be greeted with the same closed eyes and calm smile.

"Miss Higurashi, I am afraid I cannot allow you to leave the vehicle."

"Why not!" Kagome snapped, snatching her hand away and nursing it as if the woman's cool touch had burned her "What's going on out there that you don't want me to see?!"

The woman's smile stretched further, reminding Kagome that Sesshomaru only hired demons, making her regret her earlier snap.

"I assure you; everything is under control. Please, step away from the door and return to your seat." As she spoke, the sound of weapons opening fire sounded off, contrasting everything she was saying. Still, the woman's smile did not faulter.

Kagome thought about disobeying for all two seconds, then the woman cracked her lids open, to reveal two pools of ink-black for eyes. Assuredly squashing any desire to defy this woman.

Against her better judgement, Kagome eased her way back to her seat, sitting stiffly as the woman returned to her side.

They sat in a surreal moment, as the sounds from the outside filtered in. For every crack and whip of a gun, Kagome would find herself flinching, her mind taking her back to when the one who bared the force of a bullet lay in a bloodied puddle.

She was moments from trying the door again, small intimidating lady or not, when something hit the limo.

Her head banged against the wall behind her, the car having been forcefully rammed to where the tires screeched in their effort to keep the vehicle upright. Her scream matching in volume as the car crashed against another vehicle before fully stopping.

"Are you harmed, Miss Higurashi?"

It took a moment for Kagome to find her, her head spinning for an awful second, before she registered the woman's presence. She had a gun in her hand, wherever she had gotten it from, Kagome could not say. But the thing that scared her most, was that now, the woman stood before her, that serine smile wiped clean from her face.

"Ouch" Kagome hissed, bringing her hand up to feel around her head, thankfully only finding a small bump but no blood.

"Yes, quite. I'm afraid our plans must change, Miss Higurashi, you are to stay here until I return. Please keep your head down and keep away from windows, I shall be back in a moment's notice."

Kagome managed a confused hum, before the woman opened the door, the sound multiplying until the door was once more closed, leaving her behind where she was.

She sat there, either too stunned or too scared to move, just waiting for the woman to return. After a 'moment's notice' and the woman was still not back, Kagome forced herself up, moving her led like body towards the door.

Between the noise outside and the hanging order not to leave, Kagome had almost gone back to her seat, but with one final push; she forced herself out of the beaten-up vehicle.

Even as she had taken the time to brace herself, prepare for whatever lay ahead, the sight before her still managed to surprise the girl.

The city streets greeted her, the bright blend of colors marking the end of the day, helped in creating the image. The four men had been joined by a team of a dozen, the cars on the road had been pushed to either side to create an arena of sorts.

They fired off into the distance and to her horror, they were being fired back. They took aid in high buildings, and behind structures to escape the rain of bullets.

But what caught her breath had been the two people, standing in the middle of their line of fire, facing off against each other like two savage animals.

The woman, in all her small frame, skidded against the ground as she struggled to stop. Moving her body in fast twisting motions, as she responded to her attacker. Her opponent chased after her, throwing strike after strike, even if the woman moved out of each attack. They shot across the walls, using the entire field to launch themselves at each other, all the while missing bullet after bullet that hailed around them.

Kagome managed to stifle her gasp, but the grip she had on the door frame tightened, panic was welling up inside her just from watching their fight go on. Their attacker appeared as a young, thin man, maybe a year or two older than her. He missed another strike, launching for his target, the ground cracked under his force as he pushed off.

This reminded Kagome that there was a different fight being had in front of her, one with higher risks and subtler dangers. If this was anything like Sesshomaru and Yura, with their invisible abilities, then punches weren't the only thing being thrown here.

These were two demons, giving everything they had, and these fights were ones that ended only when the last breath was taken.

She had told herself to stay quiet, battled with herself on what to do when the woman seemed to struggle to keep up. And when the man had landed a strike, one where it had looked like it had just been a punch to the chest but had ended with the woman flying through a glass window, she was done standing around.

Realistically, there was very little she could do in a precarious situation such as this one, that never stopped her before. Moving around the wreckage of the cars that got caught in collateral damage, she was able to stay clear of the shower of bullets that centered around the two.

It was almost too easy for Kagome to creep her way across the battle ground, she wasn't sure what she could do to help, but she knew she had made the right decision.

Especially when the young man had kicked her lady across the field, turning his attention to the vehicle she once occupied, what happened next was almost too much for Kagome. Grabbing the hood of a nearby car, he picked up the blue convertible with one hand, something one might be able to do if the car was a cutout or made of paper mâché.

She watched as he bounced the car in his palm, not unlike your common rubber ball, and like any professional player, he squared up to pitch. He twisted his hips, lifted a leg, then threw the car directly into the limo.

That's when she had made the mistake of crying out, her safe spot gone as she had reacted to the impact, as though she were still inside the stretched vehicle.

Kagome realized her mistake too late, when the young man's eyes landed on her, she felt like a target that had been locked in.

The fight continued around her, dusk filling with the heavy thrum of guns, and bangs from explosions, whose origin she could not place.

Kagome stood in the outskirts of the fight, away from the wreckage that had been their fight, still the distance seemed too small between herself, and the man whose gaze refused to faulter from her own.

Frozen in her spot as the young man inspected her from faraway, she could only try and fail to do the same. There was little she could make out given their distance, he was slim and tall, wearing a tight pair of black pants with a grey shirt and a beige jacket that hung on him. His face was half covered with a black surgical mask, but his eyes, his dark daggers found her blue eyes and held them there.

A single thought crossed her mind as she gazed deep into the void of his stare... run.

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It was as if someone had lit a fire where she stood, those eyes reminding her of a similar dark chasm, they had her legs moving long before her mind could question her.

The streets were once more emptied, the people gone as they were that long chilly night, but now the roads were anything but quiet. She could hear their continued efforts as their battle created a storm of discord, frightening her to such a degree, she didn't dare stop.

Dusk was encased in a dangerous symphony, the clamor behind her, urging her on ahead.

Her legs kept their motion even as her ears registered the sound of pained cries from behind her, the gun fire dimming as it seemed the battle was coming to an end.

Whatever that meant for her, Kagome didn't want to think about it, instead she just focused her breathing and kept her fast pace. She made it to the end of the long street before the final bang rang in her ears, stopping her legs as the wash of cold returned, this time coming as wave from right behind her.

She turned around, even as the hair on her neck stood at attention, her instincts warning her not to.

Not for the first time in her life, Kagome wished she wasn't so stubborn, a trait she gained from her father. If she had been a little more like her mother, maybe none of this would have taken fold. But if she were more like her dad, the image before her wouldn't have scared her as it did.

Kagome heard herself whimper; the sound came out muted, as if it belonged to someone else. Walking towards her in a casual stride, came the young man, but it was what he dragged along that caused such a sound to form.

She didn't have the heart to look at the woman twice, once had done it, enough to make out the red and black blur the small Lady had become.

Twilight came, turning the sky around them into a blend of dark blues and oranges. The streetlights had yet to come on, casting a shade on the man that strolled down the road.

She should have kept going, but she didn't; Kagome had turned to a living statue, her eyes refusing to break that hypnotic gaze. Darkness fallowing after him as if it was his own shadow, just as he reached her, there was only one thought that formed in her frighten consciousness.

'Help me... Inuyasha.'

"Shhh, don't be scared of me, girl."

His voice was sweet as honey, a teasing tone that had her thinking he was smirking at her from beneath his mask. He towered above her, his eyes taunting, as it was clear she was frozen with fear.

"So, you're the problem that needs fixing, huh?"

He spoke so softly to her, so that when he reached up with his hand, she didn't flinch away.

"Ah. But you're just a sweet little thing, it would be such a shame snuff out a life so ripe." His fingers curled around her jaw, his thumb stroking a hypnotic rhythm upon her cheek "Such a pity."

Kagome wanted to cry, wished she could shout, would give anything to be able to turn tail and run. But she was useless, his hand on her face turned icy cold and yet she could not turn away from his touch.

"I don't understand what the Old man was complaining about" He tilted her face this was and that way, his eyes examining her face closely, "You don't look that special to me."

She should've been insulted, but found herself incapable of it, her reflex reactions drowning under the cold front this man produced.

"Between you and I; I was hoping for something better. I've gotten so bored lately without a playmate. Will you, play with me, that is?"

Kagome could do nothing more than continue to gap on, unable to speak even if her life depended on it; she had a notion that it did, his eyes darkened in response to her silence.

"If you won't make this fun, then I'll have no other option but to end this quickly."

Her breath became visible, and her body cried a silent wail as his finger dug into her skin. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at his unsympathetic stare as the cold doubled around her.

'Inuyasha... Inuyasha... Where are you?... You'll come, won't you?'

He leaned in close, bringing the frost with him, so that she could feel the bite simply from his proximity.

'INUYASHA!'

The scream inside her mind boomed to life, her last futile cry for help, and as the man's icy glare drank her in; she felt him long before he made his position known.

"OY!"