"Ayumi?" Kagome was frantic. Ayumi never called that frequently, in all the time she had known her.
"Kagome oh thank God…" Ayumi sobbed as she heard Kagome's voice.
"What's going on, are you safe?" Kagome shot a glance to Inuyasha who ran to grab a set of keys.
"Yes… no… I don't… oh Kagome I don't know…" came the wailing from the other end of the phone.
"Where are you?" Kagome demanded as she and Inuyasha raced out of their cabin, Inuyasha signaling her which car to jump into.
"I… I don't know." Ayumi's sobs had gotten softer, but the sound was that much more heartbreaking to Kagome. "I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here…"
"What's around you?" Inuyasha demanded, waiting for Ayumi to describe what she saw around her, nodding as she spoke. "I know where that is. Hang on, we are coming to get you."
"NO!" Ayumi shrieked, and the sound echoed through the small car, making Inuyasha lower his ears to protect them. "No… no no no nono." She started stammering, her voice tinged with desperation.
"Ayumi, please let us come get you." Kagome soothed, nodding once to Inuyasha who put the car into motion. It didn't matter what she said, they were going to get her.
"Please no… no I don't know if its safe to be around me." Ayumi whimpered, and Kagome heard a soft sound on the other end and knew her friend had slumped to the ground.
"What do you mean, why wouldn't it be safe?" Kagome kept her voice calm, even as her throat tightened in panic.
"I… I lose time." Ayumi whispered. "Hours will pass and I don't know what happened. I wake up in places I have never been before, I have cuts and scrapes that I don't remember getting… and a headache, an almost constant headache. I… I've lost my job… I am losing my apartment… and I don't even know what is happening to me."
Kagome quickly hit the mute button as she turned her eyes to Inuyasha's. That… that all sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
Inuyasha's gaze darted to hers and she saw that he also knew what that sounded like. She took her phone off mute, focusing on trying to keep Ayumi calm while Inuyasha grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly made a call.
"Jaken… yeah… we've got a situation. No no, nothing like that, but one I think you could help us with. Meet us back at the University… yeah the downstairs complex… the uh… the scanners are still working right? Yeah, those. Ok great. I don't know about 30-40 minutes? Thanks. Uhhh, I think you'll see when we get there and you see the scans."
When Inuyasha ended his call, he realized that he could only hear soft sobs coming through the other end of Kagome's phone, Kagome keeping up a steady stream of support to her friend even as her eyes urged him to hurry.
By the time Inuyasha pulled the car to a stop his hackles were up. It was only a half a mile or so from where the fight had taken place. Had Ayumi been near… fuck why had Ayumi been near?
"K… Kagome…" A soft sob made his ear flick as soon as he opened his door, his gaze turning to a small pile of rags at the base of a tre… no… that wasn't a pile of rags, that was…
"AYUMI!" Kagome cried as she darted out of the car, racing to drop beside her friend. "Oh god Ayumi. Inuyasha, we need to get her back to the compound, she needs medical attention."
There was little doubt that she did. While he hadn't met Ayumi many times, she had been too uncomfortable with him around, it didn't mean he didn't remember her. She had lost weight, too much weight, and was dangerously thin, bruises and marks across her arms and cheek. Her once thick hair was dull and listless, and he could hear a dangerous rattle in her chest.
But he couldn't chance taking her to the compound. Not with what they suspected.
"Let's get her to Jaken." He said calmly, pushing his concern for both Kagome and Ayumi aside.
"No, we need to get her to medical attention, Inuyasha she…"
"Kagome." His voice was soft, but Kagome could hear the slight command in it. "We need to take her to Jaken first. If you want, we can have Rin come to see her at the University."
Kagome let out a soft sob as she nodded quickly, her hand running down her friend's hair to soothe her.
"Ayumi, I'm going to lift you up, ok?" Inuyasha made sure his voice was soft, unthreatening, even as Ayumi stiffened at the sound. "We just want to help you, come on, let's get you taken care of."
"K…Kagome…" Ayumi whispered as Inuyasha lifted her as gently as he could, staying still while Kagome shifted to take Ayumi's hand.
"Sit with her in the backseat, ok?" He murmured, his tone low as he slowly made his way back to the car, shifting Ayumi into the backseat as carefully as he could. As Kagome slid in beside her he shot off a text to Rin, asking her to meet them at the University. He bit back a snarl when she promptly reminded him that she had a clinic full of patients to see, but his response that it was an emergency stopped her chastising, and she quickly agreed to join them.
The trip back to the university was quiet, only Kagome's soft murmurs and Ayumi's whispered apologies breaking the silence. Pulling into the University almost seemed surreal to Kagome, it had once been her home, her place of comfort, but now it was laced with the memories of the attack, of the fear she had felt trying to get to an open window.
"Hey, breathe." Inuyasha whispered, his claws gently swiping her bangs back from her face, the soft touch bringing her back to the present and easing the anxiety attack that had started. "Ayumi, I'm going to lift you ok? We have friends who can help you, but you have to let us, ok?"
When Ayumi's head gave a slight jerk he took that as her nod and carefully lifted her out of the car. Given how weak she seemed, he didn't want to let her try and walk on her own, at least not until they were inside and he knew there were places she could hold onto for support.
"Hey Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, his eyes shifting to meet his mates. "There should still be some ramen in the fridge, I think it would help her to get something to eat."
"She needs more than ramen Inuyasha, she needs…"
"She needs something in her stomach as soon as we can get it in her." He let his eyes scan over the trembling girl he held. "We can get her something more later, let's start with that."
"I… ok…" Kagome hesitantly agreed, squeezing Ayumi's hand once before hurrying through the compound to the kitchen.
"Come on, let's get you some help." Inuyasha shifted Ayumi so she was more secure in his arms before he started to make his way to the elevators, not wanting to jar her with the stairs.
He stepped out of the elevator on the lower level, listening for a moment but only hearing the clicking of the computer, telling him Jaken had already arrived. He hoped Rin wouldn't be too far behind, but with the number of injuries she had to deal with at the Ookami compound, he wasn't sure how long it would ta…
The elevator doors opened behind him and Rin stepped out, her breathing rushed as if she had hurried.
"You owe me for this, now what is the emergency that had me coming her…" Rin's eyes widened as she saw the woman he was carrying and she snapped into treatment mode, gesturing for him to follow her into a room with a flat table. Rin motioned for him to stop as she scurried around to grab some pillows, placing them so Ayumi would not be laying on the bare table before gesturing for Inuyasha to put her down.
"Hi there, I'm Rin. I'm going to help you, ok?" Rin ran her hand over Ayumi's hair as she spoke. "I'm part of the medical team, so I'm going to look at your injuries, alright?"
As Rin began to work Inuyasha slid out of the room, making sure to close the door behind him. He shot a quick text to Kagome to let her know the room to bring the food before stalking down the halls to the computer room, where he found Jaken frowning at the screen.
"Hey."
"Ah, Inuyasha," Jaken murmured, never shifting his concentration from the screen before him. "I take it this is what you wanted me to check?"
When Inuyasha stepped beside him and looked at the screen for himself he let out a sigh.
"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of."
A burgundy glow surrounded Ayumi… the same color they had noticed around Kagome several months before.
"So how do we break this one?" Jaken muttered. "Last time it was Kagome who fought it off, but guessing by the state of her when you brought that girl in, that won't be an option this time."
"Yeah," Inuyasha groaned, his hand wiping over his face as he saw Kagome enter the room, a cup of Ramen in her hand. "I have no idea."
"How did you break it in the past?"
At the question, Inuyasha let out a wry laugh. "That… that won't be an option, I can tell you. The few times we did run into possessed humans, they either freed themselves or…"
"Or?"
"Or they were killed."
"Ah… yeah that I don't think would be an option." Jaken glanced at Inuyasha as he spoke. "But until we figure it out, we can't really brin…"
"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha sighed. "But that at least explains how they knew about Kagome and her dorm room here at the University." He took a deep breath, and then his fist connected with the wall, a loud "fuck" echoing through the small room, making Jaken jump.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome's questioning tone had Inuyasha turning, his ears drooping into his hairline as his eye met hers. "Oh, I see…" Kagome let out a breath. "I figured as much from what she had said but I was still hoping…"
"Yeah." Inuyasha tugged her hand, pulling her into his embrace as her arms wrapped around his waist. They still hadn't had a chance to recover from the earlier fight, and now this…
"So what do we do?"
"We don't know," Inuyasha groaned, "that's what Jaken and I were discussing when you came in."
"Do you have any ideas, Jaken?" Kagome shifted her head to glance at him as he shook his head.
"I have no idea, to be honest. I am not sure how you managed to break it before."
"Maybe we should get her to Jinenji, he should be able to hel…"
"We can't Kagome." Inuyasha gently interrupted her, his voice hollow with regret.
"But he should be able to…"
"We can't chance it."
"But Inuyasha…"
"Kagome, we can't bring anyone under Ryukotsusei's control into the compound. You know that." Inuyasha grumbled, his tone turning slightly sharp. "If he were to take her over while she was there, it…"
"I know, I know." Kagome groaned as she let her head fall forward against Inuyasha's chest. "It's just she's one of my best friends Inuyasha, I have known her since we were kids, I don't want to just leave her on her own."
"I know." Inuyasha responded as he tried to think of anything he had heard from his father.
"What if…" Jaken started, only to pause.
"If?" Inuyasha growled, waiting for him to finish.
"Kagome was able to break the possession herself right, but when her reserves depleted, yours came in to replace it, but only after you touched her, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, that was before you two… did whatever you did…" Jaken's words made Inuyasha laugh quietly, his brow raising as he turned to look at the small human.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking… maybe you two would be able to break the possession."
"How would that work?" Kagome demanded, only to be met with a shrug from Jaken.
"That I have no idea on, it's only a thought anyway. It probably wouldn't work."
"But its worth a try, right?" Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, her eyes pleading with him. "I'm sorry, I just can't stand the thought of her having to be kept under surveillance, possibly locked up, you saw her, Inuyasha, she needs help."
"Kagome…" When he saw the tears forming in her eyes, Inuyasha knew that any protest he made wouldn't really matter. "Yeah," he sighed, "we can try."
"Thank you." Kagome whispered as a single tear fell from the corner of her eye.
"Kagome, Inuyasha?" Rin's voice called them from down the hallway, and Inuyasha laced Kagome's hand through his as he nodded to Jaken, mouthing 'thank you' to the man before following Kagome down the hall.
"I'm guessing there is a reason you brought her here rather than the compound?" Rin queried softly as they approached her. When Inuyasha and Kagome both nodded her shoulders fell. "Yeah, I was worried that's what you were going to say."
"How is she?" Kagome asked, her words hesitant.
"Honestly, she's not good." Rin stretched her neck to each side as she spoke. "She's dehydrated, starving, it's surprising she doesn't have any infections with how many cuts and scrapes she has, but what's more troubling is I think the mental trauma she's experiencing. She thinks she's going crazy, and with what you are thinking, that makes perfect sense. It's going to be tricky to convince her she isn't, but we will need to find a way to make sure it doesn't happen again before we move her. I'm not happy with her being here, but they already know about this area from before."
"You know reiki better than we do…" Kagome mused, her lips pursing as she thought about how to ask. "Do you think – I know I was able to break the possession with Inuyasha's help, but Ayumi doesn't have any reiki of her own. Do you think that Inuyasha and I could, I don't know, protect her somehow? Break his hold on her?"
"I'll be honest with you Kagome, I have no idea." Rin said flatly. "Most reiki users that I know of, no, they may be able to shield someone but not break a possession that is already in place unless the target had any power of their own. But you two?" Rin gave a small laugh. "No one's studied a yoki/reiki hybrid power, simply because no one even knew it was possible… well ok apparently people knew but it was so long ago no one really knew if that makes sense."
"Is Ayumi ok enough for us to try?" Inuyasha asked, watching as Rin thought it through.
"I am not sure, she's in bad shape. But honestly, I don't know if she really could get better if Ryukotsusei can keep seizing her mind at will."
"Did she eat?" Kagome asked quietly, relaxing a little when Rin nodded.
"Yeah, well, at least a few bites, but she needs to start slow. She was falling asleep when I stepped out, so she may be resting."
"It may be better to try while she's asleep. That was when he struck Kagome, so if we can break it now, she may be able to really get some rest." Inuyasha reasoned, and both girls nodded in agreement.
"Let me at least try." Kagome said softly. She tried to ease her hand free from Inuyasha's but he tightened his grip, and when she looked back at him the expression in her eyes told her he was not letting her go in there alone.
A soft whisper of sound from the room had all three freezing, before Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome, letting her hand fall from his as he approached the door. As it opened Kagome's hand came to her mouth to smother her gasp as she saw Ayumi's back bowed, her face contorted with pain.
"Yeah, if you are going to try, try it now." Inuyasha growled as he dashed into the room to grab Ayumi's arms, pinning her to the table, but she did not stir.
Kagome swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, as she slowly crossed the room, her eyes focused on her childhood friend. Flashes of memories coursed through her thoughts, meeting Ayumi in elementary school, their first play date at the park, meeting Eri and Yuka, the four of them at their middle school cultural festival, their study sessions in high school, the tearful goodbye at graduation.
"I won't let him have you." Kagome whispered, her hands shifting to lay on Ayumi's hair against her scalp.
Her eyes closed as she sought to bring out her power, a soft golden glow forming around her as she tried to let it enter into Ayumi.
A loud growl from Ayumi made her jump, her concentration broken as Ayumi thrashed in Inuyasha's hold, nearly forcing his hands from her arms.
"Damnit, he's fighting, that means you were doing something right, finish it!" Inuyasha growled as he shifted to force Ayumi's hands more firmly against the table.
"Right."
Kagome let out a breath as she reached for her powers again, letting the ribbons course through her arms to wrap around her hands in her mind, a golden glow forming around both her and Ayumi as she tried to force the aura that was resisting her efforts away.
A sharp pain coursed through her hands, forcing her away from Ayumi with a cry as her palms began to burn, blisters forming as Ayumi let out a scream.
"No…. no no no no." Kagome whispered as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I can't, it isn't working…" She lowered her forehead to Ayumi's, her heart breaking as she listened to the pained panting from the other girl. "Please… please don't take her, not like this."
Ayumi stiffened, her mouth opening as if to scream but released no sound before her body slumped to the table, as if all energy had been sucked from her.
"Ayumi… no, Ayumi." Kagome's hoarse cries had Rin rushing into the room, her eyes wide. With one glance at the table, she hurried forward, grabbing her stethoscope to listen to Ayumi's chest. When Rin let out a soft sigh Kagome lifted her head, half afraid of what she would be told.
"We need to get her to the compound." Rin's voice was grim. "I need more supplies than we have on hand here."
"We can't." Inuyasha protested. "It could give …"
"I don't care Inuyasha, we can find a way to contain it, but if Kagome can't get through, I need access to more of my equipment. I have books there that may help, and I will need that to help break this."
"How do we keep him from taking control though?" Inuyasha snarled. "I get she's Kagome's friend, but we can't risk everyone else for her."
"Can we surround her with reiki?" Kagome asked softly. "Maybe it could be enough of a buffer, look at her Inuyasha, she looks like she hasn't slept in days, and he was only able to control me when I had been completely worn out."
"Reiki alone won't be able to do it, or you would have been able to break through the possession." Rin shook her head as she spoke. "It took both your reiki and Inuyasha's yoki to break it last time, to create a double barrier. The asshole is strong."
"Could we try that again then?" Kagome pleaded, her eyes turning to Inuyasha. "Could we possibly both put a barrier around her, just to let her sleep? I don't want to just abandon her to him."
"Kagome…" Inuyasha started, only to be cut off by her soft whisper of "Please…"
He sighed. "Think that would work Rin?"
"It may, but I don't know. If you weren't able to on your own, I am not sure if the two of you together could do anything more, but I agree with you, she needs sleep, and then she needs to be taken to the medical compound. If we can get her rested, I don't think he could take control while she is awake and alert."
"Ok, so let's try."
Inuyasha took in the look of determination on Kagome's face and let go of Ayumi's hands, who continued to lay eerily still on the table. It took him two steps to reach Kagome's side, once he was there she clasped his hand in hers, the pressure she was using telling him how nervous she was.
When Kagome nodded he placed his hand on the table near Ayumi, but not quite touching her, and saw Kagome follow his lead. A faint shimmer of gold began to sparkle around Ayumi, and her face scrunched as if in discomfort before the expression faded. When the shimmer grew in strength Inuyasha let his eyes close, letting his yoki expand to blend with Kagome's reiki. He could feel the energy between them growing, the ribbons of power binding even tighter between them as they worked together. He felt his yoki flow out of him, directing it around Ayumi to lay just above Kagome's reiki, surrounding Ayumi with a two layer bubble.
"Jaken, any difference?" Inuyash called out as he opened his eyes. Ayumi's form was governed with a bright golden glow, her face more relaxed than he had seen it since he first met her.
"The burgundy is still there," he heard echoing down the hall, "but it's being kept away from her."
Inuyasha nodded then stepped away from the table, bringing Kagome with him despite her protests.
"Shh, I want to check something." He whispered, before raising his voice again. "How about now?"
"Hasn't changed. Well, the burgundy seems to be spiking, but it's not getting near her. Looks like he's pissed, but he can't get any closer." Jaken called back.
"Good."
"I'm not leaving her Inuyasha." Kagome warned, and Inuyasha just lifted a brow.
"Didn't think you were, but it means you don't need to sleep curled up by her table. Because trust me, you need to sleep."
"But…"
"I'll stay here and monitor her Kagome." Rin offered. "Inuyasha is right, you may not need to be right by her side, and I can come get you if she starts to wake up."
When Kagome gave a small nod Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and turned to lead her out of the room. Just before they reached the door she looked back over her shoulder, trying desperately not to cry.
Ayumi looked so small, the gold covering her almost like a shroud… but she couldn't think that way. It would let her get some rest, and then tomorrow they would figure out the next steps.
AN: So... I hesitated posting until next week, because I know that some of Guardian seems very pertinent now. The use of social media and the spread of information, us versus them mentality, actions that do not make sense to others, probably hit home for a lot of us.
But then I remembered, that was why I wrote it the way I did, to show how it can be used, and what result it can have, because this is a fantasy story based on real life in many ways.
I understand if it is too much, or it is still too soon after the election for many of you. But it is a story that still needs to be told, to reach its conclusion, and it may be uncomfortable, but I hope that makes it even more compelling.
I love you all.
Thank you so much to Yukinon for your help in this chapter, and helping me get it to where it needed to be.