There isn't much that pisses Satoru off. There are the higher-ups who lord over everyone from their cushiony seats, proclaiming that rules and order are the only way to live. Really, anything that challenges them has to be eliminated. The teacher in him rebels against such restraints.

And, of course, anything that involves Kagome getting hurt.

His first inclination is that Gakuganji went crawling back to the higher-ups and tipped them off about Kagome. But no one knows that she's a miko except for him and a handful of fox demons. And that Naraku guy. So, the probability of that is low.

Pissed. A simple word to describe one's anger and far too tepid to describe the seething wrath itching at his fingertips.

"Don't," the spider cries out, though its words are muffled from the pool of green acidic blood coating its words. Satoru rips a leg off. Each cry does nothing to appease the agony swirling in his gut.

What good is it being the strongest if he can't protect his girl?

"I was just," it says, folding into itself. He clucks his tongue. Squeezes one beady eye until it pops. "She's still on the grounds!" It scrambles back with what limbs it has. Satoru does not blink, his eyes sting from the strain. He refuses to blink. All he sees is her being taken away from him, so he keeps his eyes peeled open. He frowns, looking at yet another spider demon.

"What a brutal sight." The demon chuckles to himself. There are four brown spider-like legs on either side of him, fanned out to look as though they are wings. With the white matching hakama and top, perhaps a fallen angel is what the demon is going for. "So, this is the power of the six eyes."

"Where is she?" Satoru steps on the spider's head, the audible crunch reverberates along the wing. A melody that matches the pain in his chest.

"Not safe if that's—" Satoru punches the demon in his face, drawing out a groan. Specks of blood fall to the ground, but the pavement does not melt this time.

Not all of them have acidified blood. He flicks his gaze at the mangled corpse of the she-spider. The other one that he hit with his red reversal was female as well. Is it just limited to the female spiders or just those two?

"There is only one way for you to get her back." The demon spits blood onto the floor. Wipes his mouth with the back of his palm. It's the red of his eyes that sparks more outrage in Satoru's palms than the cockiness dancing along the ends of the demon's fang-filled mouth.

Calm. Stay calm. He slows his breathing to match the droplets of rain. He flexes his hands. A hole in the barrier?

"Truly," the demon says, his lips split open into a maniac expression. "I expected more bloodshed." He gestures to the knocked-out humans, all carefully laid down into a single file. "Why save them? You would be much further along in your pursuit, surely, if you had just slaughtered them all. Well, I suppose we would not be having this conversation."

The demon talks a lot and says so little.

"You won't tell me then?" Satoru tilts his head. Stalks forward. The demon rubs its legs together. A sound attack? He teleports behind the overly confident spider demon. Plants both legs on its back as he wraps his hands around all eight legs. "One, two." He rips them off. "Whoops." The blood ruins his shirt. The coppery substance spurs him on more.

His mind is drained. Tired of the games. Tired of demons, curses, and sorcerers alike, thinking that they can keep prodding at him with no repercussions. Satoru stands on top of the demon, digs the bottom of his heel in deeper. The demon curses at him but does not beg. The legs tremble in his hands. Curious. He drops them. Analyzes how the limbs stitch themselves back together rather than regenerate.

"I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you." The demon attempts to stand, his arms shake and give out from the pressure. Tries to remove Satoru with the pointed ends of its many legs, but nothing reaches.

Tries.

Tries.

"Where." Satoru squats, grabs a fistful of the demon's inky black hair and slams his head into the pavement. "Is she?" He slams its head again. The floor around them cracks. A crater stretches across the grounds and ends right before the civilians. It would be a pain in the ass if they all fell into the crater after all the work he did to save the ones he could. Lightning strikes a tree. His heartbeat drowns out the sound of thunder. Yaga will be on his case about the damages. But he cannot muster up the energy to give a damn.

Not when Kagome is in danger.

Not when… he snaps that train of thought in half, locks it behind iron-clad mental walls.

"You're," the demon says. Stops to cough. "The strongest. Figure it out." He laughs, but it comes out choked. Satoru exhales through his mouth.

"No better than the curses," he mutters. Raises a brow at the insults that spew out of the demon's mouth. It doesn't matter. "Red reversal." Nothing matters until he finds her.


"You realize this is a mistake?" Kagome asks, keeps her tone light. She tugs at the chain attached to her leg. When all of this is done, she'll swallow down her pride and see if those sparring matches are still on the table. "Can you not speak?" She slants her gaze at the stationed guards with their impassioned expressions and dark attire. It certainly helps them to blend in the shadows.

She counts two swords and a dagger for each. They most likely have other hidden daggers on them. But these guards are bulky, too wide, too refined to be spiders. Her shoulders sag. She takes a seat on the bed. As far as kidnappings go, this is the most comfortable she's been, minus the chain attached to her.

"Satoru will come for me." She digs her hands into the covers. The covers, the carpet, the walls are all so dark. If it wasn't for the sliver of light coming through from the small window, she'd think that more time had passed. "Is it worth your lives?" They don't flinch. She wonders if they even breathe.

"You're wasting your time. They're mute. Ate their own tongues."

Kagome turns to the female voice. Her heart drops.

No.

"Not happy to see me?" Yumi frowns, her green eyes mist over in fake sadness.

"Under these circumstances? No, not really." Kagome stands. Squares her shoulders. "Does Yakeru know that you are here? No, I bet he doesn't. Since when do foxes team up with spiders?"

"When it's beneficial of course." Yumi glides across the room with an elegance more similar to a feline. Each movement is precise and calculated. "You have something that I want." She sits down at the vanity. Unravels her braid.

Kagome snorts. "Let me guess. You want the Shikon."

"Only the Shikon priestess can control the jewel." Yumi lifts the brush to her hair. "It is indeed powerful, but a fool's endeavor." She turns around, points the brush at Kagome.

"You want me then?"

"Don't be so conceited. I want what everyone will soon want."

"Speak plainly." Kagome rubs her temple.

"The child born from the Shikon priestess and the six eyes."


A/N: Thank you all for the reviews :) and enjoying the story so far. This chapter was kind of a struggle because of Gojo honestly. Did not realize how hard it is to write fight scenes with such an OP guy lol. Hope everyone is having a good weekend and hope you all have a good next week.