Chapter 4

Megumi wasn't one to show his fear. He tended to keep his emotions to himself. But he couldn't stop the fear from bubbling up as he stared at the school building. 'Damn it!' he hissed. 'It was only meant to be a retrieval mission!' Nothing had been going as planned, and everything seemed to be working against him and Kagome.

"I'll handle this." He pushed Yuji to the side and climbed the locked gate. His eyes were pinned to the school and the cursed energy that encased it. The fear boiled in his gut, threatening to overflow into his expression. Megumi needed to get to Kagome quickly. "You stay here." It came out like an order. He didn't have time to babysit some random kid when his practically defenseless partner was in danger.

"I'm coming, too! It's dangerous, right?" he cried back, forcing Megumi to stare back in a mix of shock and renewed terror. "I've only known them for a few months, but they're my friends. I can't just stand by!"

Megumi growled under his breath; that's exactly how he felt right now. He and Kagome may have only known each other for a few months, but she called him a friend on multiple occasions. She smiled and laughed with him, always going out of her way for him, never pushing him beyond what he was willing to give. Kagome also always had his back despite the danger. He may not have called her his friend, but now it was obvious how important those small moments together had meant to him. He needed to save his friend.

"Stay here!" he growled, and then he was racing forward, not bothering to look back.

He leaped up the stairs, two at a time, pushing himself to go as fast as he could. 'The curse has been unleashed! Its presence is all over this place!' If it was overwhelming to him, Megumi could only imagine what it must feel like to Kagome. Ever since her first encounter with Sukuna's finger on her family shrine, Kagome had shown that Sukuna's power could leave her immobile and almost catatonic as it would try to invade her senses.

Rounding the staircase, Megumi came face to face with a cursed spirit. For a moment, Megumi's worry was replaced with a wave of violent anger, not just at the curse but at his teacher.

Kagome had all but begged to bring her bow. An anxiousness clouded her every movement as if she knew something was going to happen during their mission. And had she had her bow, not a single cursed spirit would be left within this school.

Slurp, slurp. The spirit bounced toward him, several eyes and a single mouth pointed excitedly in his direction.

"Out of the way!" It came out like a roar, violent and filled with every ounce of anger and fear he currently felt. His body moved with practiced ease, his stance wider and hands making the signature shadow puppet dog head. "Divine Dogs!"

Slurp? The spirit bounced closer.

"You can eat it!" The command was swiftly followed by each shikigami tearing into the spirit. It didn't stand a chance as each shikigami tore it in half.

He ran past, pleased with how quickly the twin wolves had despatched the spirit, but it was short-lived. The closer he came towards Sukuna's presence, the more destruction he saw along the corridor. Tiles and doors had been broken, windows were shattered, with small splatters of blood trailing the destruction.

The sight before him was frightening.

"Kagome!" He cried her name without thought, his eyes wide and visibly fearful as he stared at his friend.

She stood on noticeably weak legs, her knees trembling and left arm dangling at an odd angle from her shoulder. Her hair had grown matted with blood, a lash at her forehead painting almost half her face red with one eye tightly shut and mouth wide as she gasped for air. Despite her state, she looked just as vicious, her one eye set in a pointed glare and broken cursed knife in hand.

Behind her was an unconscious male student. She had placed herself between them and a grade 3 spirit. Its body, a cluster of mangled parts like it, had been consuming other spirits. And in the arms of the curse was another student, based on the many cuts on the beast Kagome had been trying desperately to save the unconscious girl.

Her one eye found him, brightening briefly. "Megumi." She said his name softly. "I'm so gonna punch Gojo."

The smallest laugh bubbled up before being squashed by the reality of the situation. Kagome hadn't been allowed to bring her bow; having her weapon would have saved her from her current state. "Me too." He grumbled irritably low, his eyes hardening as he looked back to the cursed spirit.

"How many were you able to take out?"

Her stance shifted, raising the broken blade defensively. "Not counting this one? Twenty, since the cursed object was unsealed." She visibly winced, blood bleeding through her shirt. "The girl has Sukuna's finger."

'Damn it! I'm not gonna make it!'

The curse grinned, eyes shining with sickening glee as if it knew it'd already won. Neither Kagome nor Megumi would have a chance against the spirit if it succeeded in swallowing the finger and becoming a superior grade cursed spirit. As the curse laughs at them, it turns to the window, its eyes watching as a lone figure comes bursting through the window on the 4th floor. The boy flew, punching the spirit and then grabbing the girl in a single fluid motion. Jumping off, he lands next to Kagome.

"So this is a curse?" Yuji musses softly to himself. "Not what I was expecting."

Megumi acted quickly after that; his attack had the spirit exploding and his shikigami descending upon its wriggling body.

"Thank you," Kagome sighed, her knees collapsing under her. Megumi rushed towards her, catching her before she could fully collapse. She whispered a small thanks.

"I should be asking what you're doing here, but good job kid." Megumi nodded to Yuji, his attention turning to Kagome.

"You're pretty smug for a guy I just helped." Yuji clipped back. Tilting his head, he looked at the shikigami curiously. "What are those things munching on the curse?"

Megumi helped Kagome sit up against the wall, her expression pinched. She was grabbing at her left shoulder. "My shikigami." He paused, looking at Yuji with shock. "You can see them?"

Kagome grimaced, regarding the boy softly despite her pain. "Normally, a curse can't be seen. Not unless you're on the verge of death or in special places like this."

"Oh shit," Yuji jumped worriedly. "You okay?"

She nodded slowly before looking up at Megumi almost pleadingly. "Fushiguro," She gripped his shoulder. "I need you to relocate my shoulder."

He nodded and swallowed thickly; this would be the second time he'd had to relocate an arm. Megumi pulled her arm till it was straight and rotated it until he found its spot. Their eyes met, and she nodded. With a deep breath out, he shoved it back into the socket with a loud deafening 'pop.' She cried out through clenched teeth, the sound muffled by her fist covering her mouth.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and breathed. Her eyes lazily looked at Yuji. "Aren't you scared?"

"I was." He shrugged. "But I thought, everyone, 's gonna die eventually." Both sorcerers share an equally confused look. "So I at least want the people I know to have the chance at a proper death." He finished in a soft whisper. "Not that I really get it myself." He stood, readjusting his friend. From her pocket came falling out the one thing the two had spent the last day searching for.

The appendage had long since been mummified, the skin wrinkled with a sickly purple and black hue.

Kagome wrinkled her nose as the teen quickly caught it. "Woah. This it?"

"Yeah. That's the special-grade cursed object, Ryoumen Sukuna's finger." Megumi stood with a nod. "It's a miracle it didn't get swallowed."

"Swallowed?" Yuji made a face. "Why? Does it taste good?"

Kagome pushed herself to stand; she leaned heavily against the wall for support. "Cursed Spirits are drawn to it because it can make them more powerful should they swallow it."

Megumi nodded. "It gives them more cursed energy. It's dangerous, so hand it over already." His hand outstretched to take it.

"Watch out!" Kagome screamed, her body moving with urgency despite its current state. "Run!"

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. With a hard push at Megumi's shoulder, she sent him flying back, his shikigami jumping into action at the same time. The black one pulled at him while the white leaped forward with Kagome as she thrust her body into Yuji, using its force to push him in the opposite direction; the white wolf helped push him further along with the other student. Above her, a hand burst through the ceiled, the debris and hand slamming her into the ground with a shout of pain.

"Kagome!" Her name was ripped out from his throat like a scream.

wolfYLady: I hope you all enjoyed this next chapter.

Like always, please review.