Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters. They
belong to their respected (and overly rich) creators and owners.
If I owned them then I'd make a movie instead of a fanfic.
Chapter 12: Not All Is What It Seems
"You'd best start beleivin' in ghost stories,
Miss Turner. You're in one."Captain Barbosa, Pirates
of the Caribbean 1
Kyone ran as fast as she could, trying to
ignore the pain of Shippo digging his nails into her shoulder.
Squeaking in fear, Shippo stuttered, "W-we
aren't losing them. The damn things are starting to sound
hungry. DO SOMETHING!!"
Before Kyone could ask, Miroku stopped
running, nearly ripped off his glove, and turned the hand in the
direction they had run from. It was like he unleashed a black
hole. The area he pointed his hand at seemed to have a powerful
wind suddenly pushing everything towards the hand. Some trees
tore from the ground, flying right at them.
Kyone was scared shitless. She just stood
there and watched with little to no thoughts entering her head.
That glove wasn't a weird part of an ensamble...
The monk seemed to notice something, and put
the glove back on, with a strange expression on his face. Kyone
followed his gaze and saw...Vera? Being pulled by the wind?
Vera landed hard on the ground when the wind
stopped, sliding towards the small group painfully. When she
completely stopped, she stood up shakily, looking angrily at
Miroku.
Shippo looked at Vera with a cautious
expression, and Kyone didn't blame him. She had somehow gotten
from the burning village, run past that pair of wargs, and
reached them without Shippo's nose smelling her. And her clothes
weren't even dirtied when she slid on the ground. Kyone wasn't
an untrusting person, but this was a case where she just thought
things were a little too far-fetched to be good.
Vera started to speak, "So, you had a little
something prepared for the wargs? I'm surprised you didn't use
it back in the village. Well, it makes no difference now. In
fact...I have the perfect solution to this little problem."
Kyone felt the air around her become almost
ice cold. Shivering, she looked at Miroku. Her voice showed more
fear than her expression, and that was saying something. "Get
that glove off again, NOW!"
Before Miroku could answer, he looked shocked,
and stared at the dark haired girl with pure terror. The world
seemed totally still except for her, and them. Bugs, birds,
leaves, everything seemed frozen in midair like a photograph;
but Shippo, Kyone, and Miroku couldn't move much other than
their heads and mouths.
Shippo's body seemed to sweat a storm, and he
asked, "Wha...what are you doing?! Aren't you...human?"
Vera smiled in response, and seemed to say
something...but it seemed jumbled. As if it was an unknown
language. "Rav mack zai. Shoki quaztan. Maganara!"
The air ceased feeling cold...and things took
a change for the weirder. The ground under them seemed to shift
from grass and dirt to a star filled sky. The air between Vera
and the group seemed to erupt in soundless lightning. Totally
freaked out, Kyone looked all around them. It wasn't just
between Vera and them...it was like an egg of electricity was
closing in around them.
Miroku seemed to break out of the weird
paralysis. Grabbing his glove, he tried to take it off again.
Tugging, pulling, and twisting, he just couldn't get it off. He
yelled, "WHAT IS THIS?! I CAN'T BUDGE IT!!"
Shippo looked all around, then tried to move
his feet. They seemed stuck to Kyone's clothes. He tried saying
something...but his mouth wouldn't move anymore.
The egg seemed to close in until there was ten
square feet around them, and the lightning became near blinding.
Kyone's body felt like it was on fire...a
familiar fire. It was like when she fell into the dry well with
Zack. Opening her mouth, trying to warn the others, that ice
cold feeling entered her mouth. Exactly like the dry well.
In a second, the lightning ended, and the
stars disappeared. Shippo unconscious on her shoulder; Miroku
out cold on the ground; Kyone looked around at her new
surroundings. A white lab room, with a weird-looking console
behind her. It looked like something out of a science fiction
movie.
Hearing an animalistic roar, she looked up. An
air vent? Just where, and when, was she?
Vera stopped chanting, and looked around.
Staring at a bush, she yelled, "Come out, Sarah. I know you're
here."
A blond haired girl with lightning-like blue
streaks walked out of the bush. Her clothes looked like a
samurai's garb. "Let me guess, you figured it out when the
static electricity held them motionless."
Vera growled out, "What are you doing here,
Sahjan put me here ALONE!"
Sarah smiled. Not a kind smile, but a smile
you might see on a shark. "Slight change in plans. We're going
to need your skills in a different operation. He's gathering
everyone. Soga, Kratos, Teskora..."
Vera looked at Sarah cautiously, "What kind of
operation would need Teskora? He has all the subtlety of a
rhino."
The blonde girl started to laugh. "You'll see.
Oh, this is going to be so much fun. It's been far too long
since the entire gang has been together."
Vera shut her eyes and sighed. "Knowing you,
and how cheerful you are..."
"Yep, blood and gore are going to be rampant.
Too bad, though, we can't see the end of this part. Sajhan's
going to see the end of this piece of chaos. Oh, I love watching
how he works. It's like a Broadway musical to me."
"...sadistic bitch."
When Kagura landed in Naraku's fortress,
Kanna's expression changed back to its normal emotionless stare.
Well, at least things were changing back to something she knew
how to deal with.
Kagura looked at the feather they had flown in
on, and almost did a snapping motion with her fingers. The
feather shrunk to its original size, and flew into her hand. She
considered putting in its usual spot...but decided against it.
Something about Naraku's last little 'mission'
for them didn't seem right. Something other than Kanna's
temporary insanity, or Kikyo fighting alongside a stranger.
Naraku gave them less information than usual, and devoted a lot
of resources to getting something even he seemed to know little
about. Something was going on, and if it blew up in the
bastard's face, Kagura didn't want to join him in hell.
Kohaku limped forward, and seemed to pause in
surprise. Looking at the ground, he said, "Strange...there's
blood here. But no signs of a struggle, no slide marks on the
ground, no foot prints. Not even a demon can make things look
this...weird. Like a ghost decided to bleed here."
Kagura snorted, "And how the hell would you
know?"
Kohaku looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Demon slayer, remember?"
Kanna's eyes widened a fraction. Not enough to
change her expression, but enough to catch Kagura's attenttion.
Voice barely a whisper, the small girl said, "What else do you
remember?"
Kohaku looked at her strangely, "What do you
mean?"
Kagura's eyes widened a moment. That's right,
Naraku repressed Kohaku's memories of his home. And if they
somehow started appearing in his head, the shard in his back
would send two signals. One to Naraku, saying he needs to
repress them again. The other, sending intense pain to Kohaku's
head, making all the memories feel terrible. The fact that a lot
of the more recent memories were terrible...that was just a
bonus.
But...the pain half seemed to just...not
happen. Did that mean Naraku was weakening? Probably not, but
still. Far too many weird happenings.
Kagura said, "Let's get inside and find out
what's going on. If we're lucky, the place will be as creepy as
it usually is. If not, then..."
"Ah, you've finally arrived," Naraku walked
towards them, smiling yet scowling at the same time. "Tell me,
how did you survive the werewolf? Did it toy with you? Or did
you lure it to the bees that brought it here?"
A strange man with red hair and a brown hakima
walked up next to Naraku. "Don't worry, they just got lucky.
Look, the smaller demon girl was clearly used as the creature's
chew toy. Now then, about my payment?"
Naraku glared, "I'm still not convinced you're
telling the entire truth. Why did you reveal the information of
werewolves to me? Why ask for a mere thousandth of the jewel?
Why assume I'd give it to you, and not kill you?"
The red-haired man didn't even flinch. "Heh,
you know I'm not the only one of my group, and you have enemies
enough as it is. It isn't much I ask for, just a small piece of
the Shikon no Tama. Your power will strengthen anyway, and
you'll be able to destroy your enemies without such a small
fraction. And after you're done with them, you can decide for
yourself if it's worth trying to get such a miniscule peice when
you're already so powerful."
Naraku looked conflicted. Just who was that
red-haired guy, anyway? And what was that 'werewolf' thing they
kept mentioning?
Naraku seemed to give in, handing over a small
shard of the jewel. "If you ever come in my sight again, I'll
rip that shard from your corpse, Hyezo."
"Trust me, you won't see me again. It will be
as if...I left this world." The red-haired man looked like he
was trying to hold back laughter. Walking off, he gave a passing
glance to Kagura. Unconsciously, she shivered like from a cold
breeze.
Kanna looked like she was trying to seem
disinterested. But then, a girl with ripped clothes and blood
stains didn't need to control her expressions. "Werewolf?"
If Naraku noticed or cared that his normally
indifferent servant was asking him a question, he didn't show
it. "Yes, a creature of extraordinary power. From what I was
told, on nights with a full moon, one with human blood shall
become this creature given certain...circumstances."
Kohaku looked at his bloody leg, gulped, and
whispered, "Circumstances?"
Naraku just smiled, as if his thoughts were
giving him intense pleasure. "I believe you would enjoy seeing
the creature's accommodations. You might even like seeing the
weak shell it has to live in."
Zack slowly took in his surroundings. Okay,
chains on his arms, dried blood on his mouth, what looked like a
dull stone prison all around him...not his usual bedroom, that
was for sure.
For half a minute, he shut his eyes, trying to
remember what happened last night. Okay, huge life threatening
battle, Kikyo keeping him covered, bla bla bla. Full moon, he
went wolfish, and killed rhino-sized spider. After that, total
blur. Well, now that his situation was STILL a mystery...
Zack pulled experimentally on the chains. Yep,
firm. They'd have to be if he was held last night...damn, his
arms were cramped.
Hearing a door slide open, and footsteps
coming near, he sighed. With his luck, probably some villagers
from a random town he crashed in on. Hopefully, they'd think the
'demon' left, leaving 'an innocent boy' in its place.
The first person he saw was a long,
dark-haired guy in blackish robes. The man seemed like a scary
bastard. Great, next thing he'll see Dracula asking if he was
this guy's new meal.
Next person down was that crazy wind woman
from last night. As if he wasn't in a bad enough position as it
was. No gun, chained to a wall, naked, and now a good- looking
girl who could tear him apart with a tornado was staring at his
crotch looking half disappointed and half relieved.
The next two, though, looked familiar. Oh yea,
the kid with the chain scythe. Please say the blood on his leg
was someone else's, please say the werewolf venom didn't go into
him.
A little girl with silver hair, though, made
Zack stare in wonder. Her clothes were totalled, her body
covered in blood, but she didn't look like she had any wounds.
She looked familiar...but he couldn't place her. He heard voices
talking, but he couldn't take his eyes off her.
His eyes widened in recognition the moment he
heard her whimper the words, "Blue eyes..." Memories rushed into
his head at lightning speed. Feeling dizzy, he tried to put a
hand on his forehead, forgetting about the chains.
Holy...so that's what happened last night. He
bit the boy, and the girl was...
Zack didn't know when his 'visitors' left, all
he knew was when he started puking, they were all gone.
Kikyo ran continuously, seeming not to become
exhausted, not looking hungry, not even noticing when branches
gave her small cuts or bruises. Tears on her clothes meant
nothing to her.
Naraku did something to Zack, and it didn't
bode well. This wasn't a scheme for jewel shards. This wasn't an
attempt to rid himself of his human half. It made no sense no
matter how she looked at it. That spider demon was clearly a
shade of Naraku, but not only did her presence not affect it, it
didn't seem seriously hurt when she shot it.
Slowing down, Kikyo finally felt fatuige set
in. Damn it, not now! Not now!!
Her feet felt like they were burning off from
sheer exhaustion, her body was sore all over, her stomach was
aching for food, and her throat felt dry, as if her last drink
of water was a day ago.
Breathing hard, she looked upwards. This was
getting really old, really fast. What looked like floating
snakes holding unseen objects seemed to slither towards her.
Sighing, Kikyo sat down, glaring at her hands.
Damn it...
What a normal person would see as floating
snakes twisting around her, looking at her like a meal, she saw
something far different. She saw creatures supplying her body
with fresh souls and letting the older ones slowly drift from
her body. She saw what some called her 'soul stealers' supply
her 'clay' body with the souls of recently dead women. She saw
the symbol of the fact that she was no longer a 'living' being.
When she was first resurrected, the creatures
were somewhat like blessings. She never needed to eat, sleep,
drink, or anything else to keep from dying again. As long as she
had a constant flow of souls going out of and into her body,
she'd never feel hungry, thirsty, or tired again.
The problem was she couldn't eat with these
souls in her without feeling pain. Drinks that she used to enjoy
tasted like the clay some thought her body was made of. And
anything she ingested came out a lot quicker, sometimes
destroying her dignity. Until her own soul felt at peace, she'd
live like a leech off others' souls. Until Naraku was dead by
her hands, her torture would never end.
She'd done everything in her power to make
sure Naraku would be hers to kill. Let him gather the shards, so
when he has enough of them...shatter the jewel once again,
tearing his body apart so even he wouldn't be able to survive.
But if anyone killed him first...Kikyo would suffer eternally.
Kyone went to the console, looking at the
controls -- buttons and switches with no labels to say what they
were for. Just as she was about to give up hope, she saw a
keyboard, a computer mouse and a screen. Hopefully that computer
wouldn't need some kind of password to start it.
Turning on the screen, she looked for a moment
at the desktop image. Huh, StarCraft. She had heard about it
once or twice. Looked like the guy who owned this computer was a
slacker. Played a game in a lab.
Looking at the files confirmed that this guy
did no real work on his computer. Bioweapons, Project Rachel,
Shikon no Tama, Chorika's Pleasure's, and Great Tunes.
But...this place did look kind of weird. Maybe this was some
sort of holographic room...nah. StarCraft was an old computer
game. Why the hell would a futuristic kid who played games in a
holo have StarCraft at all on his computer. That would be like
an X-box 360 owner playing pong.
Hearing a moan, Kyone looked behind her.
Miroku was waking up slowly, holding his head in pain. Shippo
was only just opening his eyes, still half asleep.
Miroku took in the sights around him, and
muttered, "Where are we? Hell?"
Kyone just chuckled, "No, looks like we're in
some kind of lab. Doubt we'll be going anywhere soon, though.
Whoever designed this room forgot to make a door."
Miroku looked dizzy, "What is that glowing
window you're next to? Nevermind, I'll walk over to it...who
makes a room pure white? I'm getting sick just looking around.
Roof, walls, ground, all white."
Smiling, Kyone said, "Scientists are supposed
to work in 'clean' rooms. Boring bastards in my mind. Then
again, this so-called 'scientist' doesn't have anything on his
computer that has to do with work. Looks like games and music."
The monk grumbled, "Look, I've got a headache
already. I have no idea what a 'scientists' or 'computers' are.
Talk slowly in terms I can understand."
Sighing, the tomboy looked back at the screen.
"Doubt there's anything I can do, unless you've heard of any of
these. StarCraft, Project Rachel, Shikon-"
Shippo and Miroku spoke as one, both
surprised. "-no-Tama?"
Kyone nodded. "Yeah...why the hell would this
guy have something that means 'Jewel of Four Souls', anyway?
It's kind of...wait, how did you guys know that's what it says
here?"
The pair ran up to her, looking at the screen.
Both looked puzzled. Shippo asked, "Where does it say
Shikon-no-Tama? All I see are a bunch of strange symbols."
Kyone almost called them both idiots, then
something regestered in her head. That was written in English.
These two, if they knew how to read at all, would probably know
something like kanji. Shaking her head, she tried to kill the
growing headache forming in her skull. "It says it right here.
Guess I'm gonna have to translate EVERYTHING I'm reading, huh?"
Miroku nodded, muttering, "Shikon-no-Tama...is
there a way to see how much more these people know of it?"
Kyone took the mouse and opened the file,
ignoring the two people jumping in shock at the changing screen.
"Let's see...strange. Says it's made of an unknown elemental
structure. Somehow generates an almost endless amount of power.
Recharges on its own, without any help. And has a strange effect
around...Project Rachel and Bioweapons. Still under research,
more info will be posted when available."
Miroku looked curious. "Some of that I didn't
understand, but I think I understand the general idea. They know
the basic details of the jewel, like great power, and its
effects on living creatures. Look under 'Fio-weapons', next."
"That's Bio-weapons. Let's see...huh, cool.
Two separate categories. Virus, and animals. Under
animals...enhanced Liger, enhanced Condor, and a pair of totally
new creatures, apparently some fucked up...whatever. Cutter, and
Hunter. Yeesh, weirder by the minute...just where exactly are
we, anyway?"
Sango looked down at Kagome and Inuyasha,
smiling a little at the schoolgirl fast asleep, head resting on
Inuyasha's shoulder. Well, someone was relaxed. Was probably a
good thing, too. Now, if only it was as comfortable up there.
Sango mildly chuckled. Damn, riding Kirara was
nice, but it wasn't the most relaxing thing. The one and only
time she fell asleep on the demon cat, she woke up a moment
later with a broken arm. Of course, she was twelve at the time,
and the winds were a little stronger, but there was no need to
try sleeping again.
Shifting her weight, Sango turned around until
she was leaning on her butt, looking behind them. She always did
enjoy a good sunrise, and it was surprisingly rare she would
have a lull long enough at the right time to enjoy it. A reddish
morning. Some people believed a red sunrise was a sign of
bloodshed during the night...but then, there was always
bloodshed somewhere.
Sighing, Sango looked at the other colors,
enjoying the simple splendor. Then something caught her eye. For
a moment, she thought it was a shooting star...but it was
lasting far too long. Could it be an airborn demon? No, it was
moving faster than any demon she'd ever heard of in the sky, and
wasn't in any animalistic shape. Then a loud, whirring sound
reached her ears. No creature alive could make a noise like
that...
Whispering to Kirara, Sango tried to stay
calm. She hated things she didn't know before, they always
seemed to end badly. "Move closer to the ground. Now."
The fire cat lowered their altitude until they
were close to the ground, next to Inuyasha and Kagome. Sango
looked on, and hated what she saw. The object changed course,
and was heading right at them.
"Shit. VEER LEFT KIRARA!! INUYASHA, KAGOME,
SOMETHING'S--"
Sango's world almost completely turned silent
and black. She felt a sharp pain on her back, and on her side.
Damnit, what just happened?
Opening her eyes, she looked around. A ball of
smoke was just in front of her. Wait...why was she laying down
on the ground? And why was it so...silent around her.
Slowly standing up on shakey legs, Sango
walked through the smoke, mind as foggy as the air around her.
In the center of the smoke, Kirara lay on the ground, looking in
terrible shape. Metal deep in her torso, rear legs looking
heavily burned, and eyes glazed over.
Sango gently shook the fire cat, trying to
say, "Hey, get up, we need to see if Kagome and Inuyasha need
help." No sound came from her mouth that she could hear. Afraid,
the girl tried to keep her composure. Putting a hand on the fur
of her partner, she slowly led the hand across the cat's body.
There...was no sign of life. No rise and fall of the chest to
signify breathing, no rhythm that could mean a heartbeat...
Pulling her hand back slowly, Sango looked at
it with wide eyes. They felt wet, and looked red. Oh, god. How
hurt was Kirara if her red fur was soaked in blood?
Sango held back tears, putting her clean hand
on her mouth. Kirara had been around since she was two. The fire
cat had been a loyal companion, a constant presence, and a
life-long friend. It just...couldn't end like this.
Hearing the sound of distant, clashing metal
caught her attention. Walking slowly towards the sound, she saw
Inuyasha battling greyish demons that looked humanoid. Tears
disappearing from her eyes, she grabbed her sword from the strap
her hip.
One of the creatures came close to her,
smiling. Its voice barely reached her ears. "Come boys!! Easy
pickings over here! A wounded girl...looks tasty."
Pulling the sword from the sheath, her eyes
narrowed. And as the creature ran towards her, she charged,
yelling away the sadness and frustration she was feeling inside.
Kagome woke up to Sango screaming, "VEER LEFT,
KIRARA!! INUYASHA, KAGOME, SOMETHING'S--"
Her body flew off Inuyasha when an explosion
near shattered her ears. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she
stared at where Sango and Kirara were. Nothing but smoke and
fire was there.
Inuyasha looked all around, yelling, "WHAT THE
HELL WAS THAT?!"
Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. But a
better question is, where did that come from?"
Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he looked
shocked. "The fuck? Something's coming, and either it has a lot
of legs, or there are a lot of them."
Kagome stared at Inuyasha for a moment,
annoyed. "Why couldn't you smell them coming like you do when
any other thing attacks us?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "They're coming
downwind, I can't smell them from this angle."
Barking noises tore through the air, and
Inuyasha drew his sword from its scabbard. Almost the moment it
left the sheath, it seemed to grow from a normal sized katana to
a huge looking scimitar-like blade.
Kagome got her bow, and notched an arrow. This
was going to be rough, she just knew it.
Large wolf-like creatures with greyish-looking
people riding them leaped from behind the foliage. Kagome fired
an arrow, hitting one of the huge wolves in a shoulder blade.
Inuyasha proceeded to cut the wolves down one by one. The riders
each jumped off quickly, and slashed at Inuyasha with
mean-looking blades. Trying to catch the grey guys with his
sword, one of them ducked under Inuyasha's swings, and was able
to knick him across the face.
Something seemed strange to Kagome, these
things looked strangely familiar. It was kind of hard to
identify, but their name seemed to be on the tip of her toungue.
Firing arrow after arrow, Kagome didn't even
bother trying to see how Inuyasha was going to react at this
point. There seemed to be no end to these things. One of them
charged right at her, and she ducked down. Shooting an arrow
into its chest, she had no time check if it was dead. Another
one tackled her, and smiled at her under it.
Putting away its blade, it threw a punch right
at Kagome's left cheek, causing a squeall of both surprise and
pain to come from her mouth. It seemed to take delight in the
sound, and threw a punch at the other cheek.
Throwing alternating punches, it toyed with
Kagome under it. Feeling growing bruises, she threw her hands
open wildly, trying desperately to find a way to stop it. The
resistance only made it laugh, and Kagome noticed something.
This thing was getting an erection from this, the growing member
starting to dig into her stomach.
The laugh suddenly stopped, and Kagome looked
up. Sango...she was still alive, and had put her sword through
the sadistic creature's mouth, shutting it up.
Kicking the grey thing off Kagome, the demon
slayer ran to another of them. Watching the older girl fight
them was like watching a dancer. She deflected deadly stabs,
dodged quick slashes, and used each one's momentum to kill it.
One, two, three, they fell to her blade easily, the
eighteen-year-old girl clearly in her element.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, seeing him slicing
through one at last. He was clearly having a harder time with
the human like ones than Sango.
Something behind Inuyasha made Kagome's eyes
stare in shock. Something in the shadows was aiming something
towards the half-demon. Something that looked like a
mini-gun...wait, mini-gun?
"INUYASHA, RUN!! GET AWAY FROM IT!!"
That was all the warning he had before the gun
opened fire, bullets flying right at him.
Zack was feeling cramps and boredom slowly
entering his mind. All he could do was stare at the same goddamn
crack in the wall, and see the same goddamn roach run in and out
of it. This had to be a violation of the Geneva Convention. Oh
yeah, that wasn't INVENTED yet, along with the television,
radio, or anything else that might help him forget he was
CHAINED to a WALL in ANCIENT JAPAN!!
Hearing a door open, and someone step
downwards, Zack sighed. Well, this might be a good time for
conversation. Hell, a few more minutes, and he would have tried
talking to the roach. All thoughts of talking stopped when he
saw he had not one, but two visitors. The boy he bit when he was
all wolfish, and the...silver haired girl. Well, at least she
was in some fresh clothes. Said clothes, however, looked a
little large for her. A kimono that would have fit the wind
woman.
The boy was the first to speak, "Is it true?
That being bitten by a...'werewolf', will make you into one?"
Zack looked at the ground. Well, this would be
a pleasant little talk. "Yeah, kind of a curse. Someone bit by a
werewolf will become a werewolf every night of a full moon. And
don't ask why I bit you, when you turn wolven, you aren't in
control of yourself."
The girl then pulled something from inside the
oversized kimono. When Zack identified the object, he was a
little scared. Okay, this silver-haired girl was pointing HIS
gun right at HIS face. Whispering, she asked, "What is this, and
how likely is it to kill if I pulled the trigger now?"
Zack tried to look as calm as possible...and
failed miserably. Sweat started to appear on his forehead, and
he stuttered, "N--now wait f-for a moment. Don't do a-anything
rash, kid!!"
Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Do you realize
what you did to me? Do you KNOW the pain, the horror, the FEAR
you put in me? You bit me MULTIPLE times, TORE my skin with your
hands, SLAMMED me on the ground repeatedly. And your face...it
looked gleeful. Like when Naraku has gained a good chunk of the
Shikon-no-Tama. And now you tell me that Kohaku and I will
become creatures just like YOU?! Maybe if I kill the one that
bit us, we won't turn."
The boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Didn't Naraku say that those with HUMAN blood would be
effected? You should be fine, you're not human, Kanna."
Zack blinked rapidly. Not human? Okay, that
explains why she wasn't dead from blood loss alone last night.
But if she wasn't human, what was she?
Kanna snorted, finger starting to twitch.
"Kohaku, think about it. I'm the offspring of a HALF-demon. No
matter how subtle, I most likely have some human blood. Now, if
you don't mind, I'll do the ONLY thing I can think of to make
SURE I don't turn into what gave me the most TRAMITIZING EVENT
in my LIFE!!"
Zack tried to talk as calmly as possible.
"Look kid, even if you killed me--and I REALLY hope you
don't--you would still be affected by the werewolf venom. It's
still in your veins. But, since you're not entirely human, you
might not change. For all I know, whatever kind of blood you
have could fight the venom off. Now, killing me would do
absolutely nothing for you. Why do something entirely
pointless...right?"
Kanna continued to stare at him with a glare,
and aimed the gun downwards. To a place that NO man would want
hurt at all. Zack looked up from his crotch, and said, "You
wouldn't."
Kohaku stared at her with a small bit of sweat
on his brow. "Um, Kanna? This is a little extreme. It won't do
anything to help or change things."
Kanna smiled sadistically. "No, but it'll make
me feel better." She then pulled the trigger, the gun aiming at
Zack's crotch.
Kyone jumped up in shock. Alarm sounds were
going through the air. High pitched, annoying alarm sounds.
Shippo yelled, "WHAT'S THAT SOUND?!" He held
his hands to his ears, blood starting to flow between his
fingers.
A genderless, mechanized voice blared above
the sirens. "Test subjects loose. All non-combat personel,
evacuate immediately. Security teams, move to section
four-three-one and proceed with emergency field test of Project
Rachel. All locks will be deactivated, and electronic doors
opened. This is not a drill."
A part of the wall seemed to slowly slide
away. Kyone looked at it and hit herself over the head.
Automatic doors colored white just like the walls...how could
anyone find their way out when the door was shut?
Miroku stared at the opening. "I'd say now
would be a good time to leave."
Nodding, Kyone lifted up Shippo and walked out
the door. The halls were brownish yellow, and a sign above her
read: Left exit/experiment holding area, Right guard
rooms/labritories/armory/Project Rachel zone.
Bullets rang out from the left, and screams
filled the air. Swallowing, Kyone muttered, "Right. The exit
just HAD to be past a bunch of fucked up science projects and
people who might try to blast us on sight."
Miroku looked both ways, saying, "This place
is going to KILL MY EARS!!"
Kyone raised an eyebrow. His weren't bleeding
like Shippo's, what did he have to complain about? Hearing the
shooting come closer, she ran to the right, Miroku following
closely.
They soon took a sharp turn left, and stopped
abruptly. A group of seven masked guards aimed their guns at
them. They opened fire at the group almost immediately.
Moving quickly back behind the corner, Kyone
looked ahead. Damn, the nearest door was behind past those
idiots.
Whispering, she said, "Hey, Scorch, we need a
distraction. Think you can pull a good trick?"
Shippo whimpered, holding his ears in pain.
She looked at him, then listened to the guards walking towards
them cautiously.
Miroku said softly, yet frantically, "Shippo,
if you don't do something, we'll all die right here. So, do some
of your kitsune magic and buy us some time!"
Shippo opened his eyes slightly, and asked,
"If I scare them, will the high pitched noise stop?"
Kyone saw heard something click. In a voice
filled with fear, she said, "I'll do everything I can to stop
that noise, if only you do something to scare these guys."
Tears in his eyes, the little fox demon said,
"You're talking like you don't know you can. The noise is so
painful, and the best you can say is you'll TRY?!"
Something seemed to snap in Miroku. He started
to laugh like a madman. Kyone stared at him. Oh god, was she
going to die with a crying kid in her arms and a psycho monk
next to her?
Miroku took off his glove and pointed the hand
past the corner. Kyone couldn't keep track of all the noises. It
was like she went deaf, all she heard was Shippo screaming in
agony, blood still pouring from his ears.
Shutting her eyes, she started to whisper, "I
don't want to die. Not like this. Please. I don't care who saves
us. Satan, God, Buddha, or anyone else. Just--"
She then started to rub her hand over Shippo's
head, trying to keep sane. She felt tears in her eyes, and
didn't bother trying to hold them back. Why bother?
She was suddenly shocked out of her thoughts
when Miroku shook her out of it. He then said, "Let's go, the
men are gone."
Unbelieving, Kyone looked past the corner. Oh
my god...the walls looked like they were about to collapse, the
lights on the roof having done so already.
Kyone asked, "Did you kill them?"
Miroku smiled at her like an idiot. "No, I
scared them off. They ran into that room over there when the
lights started crashing down. Now, I'd say we should RUN before
they start to gain some courage."
Kagome let Inuyasha lean on her shoulder as he
limped along. Sango continued slightly in front of them, ready
to kill anything that stood in their way.
Sighing, Kagome couldn't help but be relieved.
The thing that shot at them wasn't armed with a rocket launcher.
If it HAD been the one that shot Kirara...they'd all probably be
dead.
Inuyasha finally asked, "What the fuck hit me?
It tore through the fire-rat fur like it was nothing."
To most, this would seem like a stupid
comment, but Kagome had seen first hand the sort of things that
armor could stop. Arrows, blades, and stones couldn't rip it in
the least. Even fire did no damage. Whenever something damaged
the fire-rat fur, that normally meant they were in BIG trouble.
She looked at the damage to his clothes. It
was hard to tell if there was really anything left of the
demonic armor. The armor, as well as his blood, was crimson. And
for all she knew, all he had left were some small peices of
cloth covering his crotch. One thing was for sure, he looked
skinnier around the chest and stomach now. His usual muscles
weren't there, just...skin. Like it was...and then Kagome
gasped.
Sango looked backwards. "What is it?"
Kagome whispered, "This can't be."
Inuyasha, annoyed, asked, "What can't be?"
"The places you were shot...they've reverted
to human. Those bullets did something to them. What do you
feel?"
Inuyasha snorted, "I feel pain all OVER, WHAT
DO YOU THINK I FEEL!!"
Kagome nodded. "Yes, and your demon blood is
supposed to help you ignore physical pain easily, no matter how
bad the injury. Hold on, I'm gonna try taking out one of the
bullets."
Slowly, Kagome put her hand on Inuyasha's
chest and slowly raked it around. Finding something that felt
metalic, she tried to carefully pull it out.
Inuyasha grimaced while it was taken out, but
when it was removed, said, "No pain there? It felt like shit
before!"
"I was right, something about these bullets
does something to demon blood. Weakens it, or something like
that. But...why? Why is it able to do that?"
Sango looked at the bullet. "Something that
small did that much harm? How many more do you think are in
him?"
"...I have no idea. Hundreds, thousands,
whatever. He's covered in holes and blood, and not an inch of
him is clean. This will take a long time to fix up."
The yipping sounds of the large wolves filled
the air. Sango took out her sword, saying, "It looks like time
is what we don't have. Inuyasha, you still able to fight?"
He took his own sword out of its scabbard.
"I'll do fine, just don't get in my way."
Kagome snorted. For god's sake, even when he's
covered in his own blood, and hurting like hell, he'll act like
that. She just hoped he wouldn't push himself too hard.
The wolves leaped at them, and Inuyasha made
an animalistic roar. As his sword changed, he swung it at a wolf
comming at him.
A little girl in an orangish kimono was
skipping around, picking flowers. She was humming a tune that
she'd made up, and was putting the flowers in some kind of
order. At one point or another, she said, "Yes. Sesshomaru-sama
will look pretty in Rin's new necklace! Rin wonder why
Jaken-sama won't let Rin put necklace on Jaken-sama? Maybe
another of Jaken-sama's little weird traits."
A large looking man then started walking
towards the girl. She looked at him curiously, yet cautiously.
Something just...didn't seem right about him. He looked over six
feet tall, and wore a monk's robes. His hair was short, ragged,
and blue. But it was his eyes that told her this was a bad man.
His face smiled, and his eyes made the smile seem...sadistic.
The man then raised his hands over his head,
and then let them drop. A small circle of fire surrounded him,
and he started to laugh as the little girl yelped in fear.
A toad-like person then appeared, brandishing
a staff with two human heads. He shook it at the tall man. "Who
are you, what buisness do you have here?"
The man chuckled, "Ah, Sesshomaru's little
crew. The little girl named Rin, and the sniveling excuse of a
demon named Jaken. I have a small job that requires your
assistance."
The toad, Jaken, pointed the top part of his
staff at the man. "I only serve Sesshomaru-sama, you ignorant
little worm."
The man smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that.
It just means I'll have to...leave a message."
Rin stuttered, "Me...message?"
"Yes. Your corpses."
Jaken held his staff out and the heads on it
started to laugh. The man and Rin stared at the staff in
surprise. Since when do heads laugh when they have no body?
Then fire spit out of their mouths, flying
right at the man. The flames engulfed him, but strangely, he
didn't seem in pain. He walked through the fire, smiling.
Jaken looked scared, "Wha...WHAT?! THAT SHOULD
HAVE MELTED YOU COMPLETELY!!"
The man smiled. "Do you really think that I'd
be killed by fire? I'm Kane, an incarnation of fire. But, I must
admit, that was impressive. Maybe I won't kill you...but I will
definitely take little Rin there."
Before Jaken could reply, the tall man grabbed
him by the neck and slammed him into a tree. The small creature
out cold, Kane stared at the cringing Rin.
He muttered, "I wonder if they'll mind if I
have a little fun..."
A female voice came from behind him. "Don't do
it, brother. You'll just get us in trouble."
The tall man turned around and saw a naked,
blue-haired little girl. She looked around Rin's age, and could
have been confused for a boy...if not for the lack of equiptment
downstairs. "Kaaane, you were about to start slowly burning the
poor girl, weren't you?"
The tall man flinched, "What if I was, Soki?
You're not even old enough to do some of Sajhan's assignments.
I'm supposed to get this kid to Naraku, as soon as possible. To
help: 'test' something."
The little girl pouted. "But I want some fun."
He scowled. "What do you have in mind? Please,
none of the bullshit that Reiko puts in your head."
"No. At about the halfway point between
Naraku's place and here, I...brawl with the kid, here."
Kane raised an eyebrow. "Brawl? As in
punching, kicking, and the like?"
"I brawled a little in a village near here.
Only problem was the people were too damn easy. Three boys, and
a girl. All of them crying before I was finished."
Rin stared at Soki, afraid of the smirk on her
face. Internally, she prayed that Sesshomaru-sama would find her
before long. She wasn't too sure what a 'brawl' was, but if some
other kids were crying before it was done...
