InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blackout ❯ So Close, Yet So Far ( Chapter 39 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.


So Close, Yet So Far


Kagome gasped just as Miroku froze in front of her, obviously sensing the same rapidly-approaching youkai signature that she did. The miko relaxed upon identifying the newcomer, though she did wish that Kouga would stop rushing in on them like that. He no longer possessed any shards of the Shikon no Tama for her to detect, and they currently lacked Inuyasha’s sensitive nose. It was amazing the difference those two things had made in the past in terms of providing advanced warning.

“Hey, Kagome.”

Kouga whirled to a halt before her, snatching up her hands as he always did and favoring her with his customary easy grin. It almost caused Kagome to experience déjà vu, but a few details were inconsistent with her memories. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, nor was it as roguish as it usually was, not to mention the fact that he had declined to call her ‘his woman.’ It was as though there was no longer any substance behind this act; it was likely just a show to rile Inuyasha up. As if in confirmation, Kouga glanced around when it became clear that no angry rebuke was forthcoming.

“Where’s Inu-kurro?”

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temple. She really didn’t want to get into this with Kouga, but was reminded of her reasoning for confessing the truth to Kikyou. If Kouga and Inuyasha met, the wolf probably wouldn’t expect the hanyou to come after him with deadly intent. And that lack of awareness could be dangerous for him. So she would tell Kouga what he needed to know, albeit reluctantly. The wolf prince, however, misinterpreted her silence and spoke up before she found her words.

“What’s wrong? He drop dead or something?”

The question was serious enough–as opposed to excited–and afterwards Kouga grimaced as if realizing how insensitive it was. Those two things enabled Kagome to keep control of her temper and avoid snapping at him, which he didn’t deserve. The miko took a deep breath and tried to relax. Kouga was just being his usual self; the problem lay with her being irritable, which was understandable given the situation. But he wasn’t here to serve as her emotional punching bag, and he honestly had no idea what was going on. They hadn’t seen each other since Mount Hakurei, after Kikyou’s apparent demise. Apparent being the key word.

“Sit with me, Kouga-kun. It’s a long story.”

And so it was. To Kouga’s credit, he didn’t interrupt much, and his reactions were appropriate for a member of the opposite sex relegated to ‘friend’ status. He didn’t seem outwardly pleased by Inuyasha’s failures, or intrigued by the prospect of catching her on the rebound. Instead he exuded genuine sympathy for her, in addition to a healthy heaping of annoyance directed toward his former rival in love. His thoughts were probably running along the lines of, ‘she chooses him, and this is what the idiot makes of it?!’ Kagome couldn’t fault that way of thinking, but she was glad that Kouga declined to rail against Inuyasha verbally in her presence. She could only take so much of that in one sitting, especially since some or all of it might very well be true.

“So you’re looking for him now,” Kouga observed when the tale was over. “Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked, motioning to her visibly swollen belly.

“Don’t worry, Kouga-kun. I already promised my mother and my friends that I won’t stay on the road for too long. And I’m still a miko, remember? Plus, without the Shikon no Tama I don’t get into nearly as much trouble as I used to.”

That seemed to at least somewhat mollify the wolf on that point; he instead turned to her companions and presented his next concern to them directly. “What will you humans be able to do if you find Inu-kurro? You gonna restrain him somehow?”

“We have our ways,” Miroku and Sango responded as one, the small upturn at the corners of their lips suggesting that the duet had been unintentional. The gradual evolution of their ‘married couple’ mannerisms had amused Kagome to no end over the past few weeks. Their assurances failed to satisfy Kouga, however, who continued to regard them doubtfully until Sango arched her brow and spoke up.

“If you would like to verify the effectiveness of our techniques, Kouga, you and I could spar.”

The wolf prince studied her for a moment, likely trying to determine if she was bluffing. Eventually he came the correct conclusion and snorted nonchalantly.

“I’ll pass. I have more important things to do today than playing around with a human.”

Alarm bells went off in Kagome’s head at that comment, and sure enough, Miroku began to say something which would surely have pointed out that all Kouga used to think about was ‘playing around’ with a human. Fortunately, Sango elbowed him in the ribs before he could get to the punch line, and Kouga missed the joke. The wolf’s comment, however, did provide the perfect opportunity for Kagome to change the subject, by asking him what ‘important things’ he was up to. Kouga immediately launched into a detailed account of everything he’d done since their last meeting–reuniting the scattered remnants of his tribe, claiming a new home range, fighting off invasions by other youkai, and so on, and so on.

And so on.

Who knew a wolf prince could be so talkative? In other circumstances, Kagome would gladly listen to every detail about his life. But they were following a concrete lead, and wasting valuable daylight. So eventually she excused herself to relieve her bladder–a very real need, actually–and upon returning declared that they should get going. Kouga accepted that easily enough, and they parted on amicable terms, the miko promising to be careful and the wolf prince reluctantly agreeing not to fight Inuyasha if they met. Instead he would only keep tabs on the hanyou and send his wolves and pack mates to alert the Inu-gang. Whether Kouga would actually keep that promise, Kagome couldn’t say, but she was reassured by the knowledge that she had done everything she could to keep him safe.

With daylight starting to wane, the Inu-gang resumed their journey to the next village in their chain of investigation. Kirara would have to carry the four of them for an hour or so in order to arrive before nightfall, but the fire-cat had shown no aversion to doing so for part of each day. They were trying to make the best time possible without exhausting her, because if Kagome did finally sense the Shikon no Tama and they had to pursue Hakago, who knew how long the chase would last?

* * *

The slow cracking of bone was music to Hakago’s ears, even muffled as it was by layers of muscle and skin. He enjoyed these moments the most, the periods of quiet where he could enjoy life’s simple pleasures in between his victim’s screams.

“Hold on, almost got it.”

*Snap*

Masato screamed again, his cries no longer coherent. Initially he had pleaded for mercy, apologized for his transgressions and promised everlasting loyalty. Now his vocalizations stemmed from one thing and one thing only–pain. Excruciating, unfathomable agony which had already caused several of the battle-hardened mercenaries observing the scene to evacuate their stomachs. The rest watched in stunned silence, as their new leader held the man he’d replaced in a vice-like grip, slowly breaking every bone in his body.

Hakago had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Masato’s hostility toward him had never abated, though as days turned to weeks he’d begun to wonder if the coward was ever going to be brave enough to come after him. Evidently tonight he’d finally ingested enough ‘liquid courage’ to do so, in the most cowardly way possible. A pity for him that he was still sober enough to feel pain. And unfortunately, he wasn’t the smartest guy in the world to begin with. Only a fool would attempt to sneak up on a sleeping hanyou and stab him in the chest. Hakago had sensed his would-be assassin coming from at least a half-dozen meters away. But then, all of these men were fools, so the idiocy of Masato’s strategy was not all that surprising.

Hakago was mildly surprised that all of the other bandits were following his command to stay and watch their former leader be tortured to death. He’d expected at least one or two to protest, but not even Masato’s closest lackeys dared to stand up to him. Then again, this is what they had signed up for when they chose a youkai for a leader–a heartless, ruthless monster who cared nothing for human life, except for his underlings. In reality, Hakago cared nothing for them either, but they were either genuinely ignorant of this fact or chose to conveniently ignore it. The latter was surely easy to do when following obediently gained them mounds of currency and loot, which they could then convert into booze and prostitutes, the only things in the world which truly mattered to them.

*SNAP*

“Ooh, that was a good one,” he muttered, his words drowned out by Masato’s screams. He reached for the opposite leg to see if the other femur would provide as pleasing a sound. Despite his original intentions, he probably wouldn’t break every bone in Masato’s body. He’d only snapped a couple dozen so far, and was already growing tired of the man’s constant screaming. He’d probably break a few more, then have one of his underlings put the fool out of his misery. And so the story of one ‘Masato the Manslayer’ would come to its grisly end. The world would not miss him.

* * *

Hakago growled to himself as he kicked a stone down the path. How could he possibly last another day like this? Another day spent walking with his pitiful band of fools, listening to their idiot-speak and watching as they drank themselves unconscious at night. How long had he been with them? Weeks? Months? Every day blended into the next. And the smells! The more successful their group became, the more they reeked of booze and sweat and sex. Some days he wanted to plug his ears and nostrils just to get a reprieve. Not that the sight of them was much more appealing, but at least he could close his eyes at will.

They were currently on the road, and with him leading the way he didn’t have to look at them. He was, however, bored out of his freaking mind. He started to swing his arms randomly and vary his gait just to break up the monotony. A reasonable observer might compare the behavior to that of a fidgety child, but one of Hakago’s followers came up with a different theory.

“Whatsa matter, Boss? You got a bug up your ass?” Laughter.

“Nah,” another called, “he probably went to see the same whore as ol’ Scratchy over there.”

“Hey, she was half price!” said ‘Scratchy’ countered, scratching himself for good measure.

“Yeah, well with whores if you go too cheap you leave with somethin’ extra.” More laughter.

Hakago hung his head. Kill me now. Why was he doing this again? He could leave these idiots any time he wanted to. It certainly wasn’t loyalty keeping him in their midst. After thinking about it for a moment, he supposed it was a desire to see things through to the end. He didn’t want to simply abandon his playthings; that would be anticlimactic. A modern observer might equate it to a child blowing up his old toy with an M-80 rather than giving it away, the former being infinitely more satisfying to the disturbed youngster.

So no, Hakago would not be ditching his followers without first ensuring that they received a proper sendoff. He would, however, begin seeking an opportunity to be rid of them, hopefully in spectacular fashion. As luck would have it, one such opportunity made itself known that very afternoon. In the past, when he caught any sign of the armies hunting them, he quickly led his men in making an escape. They were all mounted, so it was relatively easy to do so with a youkai’s senses giving them advanced notice. This time, however, when his sensitive ears picked up the distant sound of a thousand marching feet, he took the fork in the road which led toward the approaching enemy. The idiots behind him were too engrossed in their banter to notice the danger until a volley of arrows from the tree line took out a third of their number. The rest panicked and tried to flee back the way they had come, but the enemy cavalry cut them off, with the infantry coming up to fill in the gaps. Surrounded by hostile professional forces, the bandits turned to their leader with looks of anger and betrayal as well as fear.

“Boss,” one of them demanded, “what gives? Why’d you lead us into a trap?”

“Yeah! Get us out of this mess!”

“Save us!”

Hakago silenced them with a short, barking cackle, cutting off his mirth only so he could say what needed to be said before the enemy army closed in to finish the job.

“Did you fools honestly believe that you were ever anything more than a source of amusement to me?”

“Bastard!” one of them cried, spurring his horse and charging with sword raised. One of Masato’s lackeys, if Hakago remembered correctly. He dug the balls of his feet into the ground, preparing for his counterstrike. The desire to kill flowed through him, dark and seductive. Inuyasha’s resistance rose to match, but it was not as potent as it usually was. The hanyou had weakened since the last time Hakago had tested him, and even Inuyasha could admit that these bandits deserved whatever was coming to them. This murdering, rapist thug didn’t deserve mercy. He was not worth fighting over. Inuyasha obviously disagreed, because his resistance did not yield completely. But it was no longer strong enough to prevent Hakago from doing as he pleased.

He leapt just as horse and man closed to within striking distance, plunging his claws into the bandit’s chest with enough force to knock the sword from his grasp. His momentum carried them high into the air, giving him ample time to gaze into the dying man’s despairing eyes. Then he plunged his other hand into the wound and literally tore the bastard in half. The two pieces landed with sickening thunks, blood and viscera splattering in all directions. Hakago landed in a crouch in the middle of the carnage, taking a moment to enjoy the pungent smell of blood, the incomparable rush of killing a man with his own claws for the first time.

“Anyone else?” he asked, standing to gaze at the humans quivering all around him. Outlaw and soldier alike stared at him in shock, their spirits quelled by the pure joy radiating off of him. Several seconds passed in silence, and finally Hakago snorted in derision.

“No? Then stay here and die.”

With that, he spun on his heels and took off at a sprint. The action broke the stupor hovering over the battlefield, and the infantry line in front of him made ready under the encouragement of their commanding officer. But Hakago calmly leapt over the tightly-packed troops and continued on his way, faster than any cavalry in the world could pursue. He had accomplished a major milestone today, and didn’t want to spoil his emotional high with a failed attempt to kill soldiers. Those men were innocent in Inuyasha’s eyes, and he would likely fight harder to spare them. For tonight, Hakago would content himself with the knowledge that slowly but surely, the hanyou’s resistance was weakening.

Soon, he would be able to kill anyone he wanted…even those Inuyasha loved.

* * *

Kagome kept her eyes either closed or focused on Sango’s back as they flew atop Kirara. The taijiya and her fiancé insisted that she sit between them for safety’s sake, even though her growing belly meant that Miroku increasingly had to lean forward awkwardly to maintain his grip on his staff, which per usual was held in front of Sango’s waist. This restricted the miko’s view of the world around her, but that was fine. Looking for signs of trouble wasn’t her job; no, her task was to stretch out her senses and scan for the presence of the Shikon no Tama. Her friends would use their eyes, but she had the best chance of locating Inuyasha using non-visual means.

None of them had enjoyed much luck so far, regardless of the search strategy they’d employed. They’d been crisscrossing feudal Japan for weeks, following one lead or another. ‘Hakago’s bandits’ were last sighted here, they sacked a village there, one of the pursing armies was encamped on the bank of this river… Half the time the leads turned out to be bogus, and the other half only led to further leads, half of which were also bogus. It was a depressing cycle. But today was different; today was the first time they’d heard a rumor that the bandits had been captured. Hence their haste as they flew at top speed toward the place where the victorious army was supposedly encamped. What they would find when they arrived, no one could say for sure. Kagome doubted that Hakago would be foolish enough to allow serious harm to come to his fancy new body, at least when facing a bunch of human soldiers. But would any of the soldiers be dead? Inuyasha would never allow this willingly, but how much had his resistance weakened over time? Was he still fighting against his captor?

“There it is!” Shippou cried suddenly, and Kagome leaned to the side in order to catch a glimpse of the military camp up ahead. The tents were draw up in neat rows, the largest one in the middle obviously belonging to the commander. Off to the right, one or two dozen shabby-looking men sat in a group, bound with rope and surrounded by guards. There was no sign of red robes or silver hair anywhere to be seen.

“Take us down, Kirara,” Sango requested, and the fire-cat complied, swiftly descending to land a fair distance from the camp. Kagome almost demanded to know the reason for this, but was able to answer her own question. Obviously, landing in the midst of a force of armed men atop a large youkai was not a good idea, especially when the startled soldiers had likely fought against an individual of youkai blood recently. The idea was to appear as non-threatening as possible in order to avoid being treated as enemies. To that end, Kirara reverted to her kitten form. She and Shippou would remain behind as the three humans entered the camp, though both youkai would be ready to intervene if necessary.

That settled, the Inu-gang walked the rest of the way to the camp. With Kirara and Shippou safely hidden nearby, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome made their approach, with the monk leading the way as the group’s unofficial spokesman. It was agreed that Kagome would not be identified as a miko, since she was obviously pregnant. The majority of people in this day and age still believed that a miko could not maintain her power unless she was physically pure, and that a pregnant woman who still possessed said power was likely a dark miko. Instead, Kagome would pretend to be Miroku’s wife, though Sango did make it a point to somewhat playfully remind her fiancé that he would be allowed to take no ‘privileges’ in that regard. The monk could only sigh and shake his head.

One of the camp’s sentries stopped them as expected, demanding to know who they were and what business they had here. Miroku identified them as a monk and a taijiya–Sango had changed into her armour for this purpose–and replied that they were seeking to exterminate the hanyou plaguing the region. It was a believable story given their appearance, so the sentry sent someone to retrieve his commanding officer. They then had to repeat their story several more times until finally one of the general’s immediate subordinates bade them to follow as he led them through the camp. Sango’s slim form and skin-tight uniform drew quite a few heated gazes from the soldiers, but no one dared to vocalize their appreciation with a high-ranking officer escorting her. She undoubtedly noticed the attention but gave no outward sign of being uncomfortable; she was probably used to this sort of thing. For once Kagome was glad to not be wearing her school uniform; the maternity clothes she had recently switched to were much less revealing.

Soon they were ordered to wait outside the general’s tent, as the subordinate went inside. The general emerged a few moments later. He was a portly man, with a hard set to his face indicating that he’d spent most of his adult life with his jaw firmly clenched. But his eyes were not unkind; this was a hard taskmaster, a soldier through and through, but those who were not his enemies had no cause to fear him. At least, this was the impression Kagome received, which she hoped was correct.

“So you lot came here to hunt down that bastard hanyou, huh?” the general observed gruffly.

“Indeed we have, sir,” Miroku replied, executing a formal bow. “We heard of the plight suffered by the people of this region, and journeyed here to lend our support.”

The general eyed Sango for a moment, particularly the bone boomerang slung across her back. He was probably wondering how such a petite woman could wield such a large weapon, but eventually he shrugged, evidently deciding that their story was believable enough for him.

“We could have used your help this morning. We caught all the bandits, but the hanyou ran off.”

“Did Inu–the hanyou attempt to engage your soldiers?”

“Nope. The damn coward just ran. Musta been afraid of us,” the general declared, puffing out his chest a bit. “He did kill one of his own men though. Pretty gruesomely too. The rest of them surrendered easily enough after that.”

“I see. Which direction did he flee in?”

“To the northeast,” the general answered, pointing in said direction. “But he could be anywhere by now. My Master of Inquiries assures me that the bandits have no idea where the hanyou is.”

As if on cue, a bloodcurdling scream rent the air; clearly the Master of Inquiries was not simply ‘inquiring’ to obtain the information he sought. Kagome visibly paled and put her hand to her mouth as nausea built in her stomach, unwittingly giving Miroku an excuse to bring this disappointing conversation to an end.

“If you will excuse us, sir. My wife’s condition–”

The general snorted and waved his hand dismissively. “I can’t believe you bring your pregnant wife with you to go after a youkai in the first place.”

“We hail from a war-torn country, sir,” Miroku replied, not rising to the intended insult. “Believe me, she is safest by my side.”

Again the general shrugged. “Suit yourself. I wish you luck in finding the hanyou. If you do, bring him to me. My Lord will reward you handsomely, especially if he’s alive.”

“We will certainly keep that in mind, sir,” the monk declared, though Kagome could tell that his pleasant demeanor was an act. Fortunately, the general and his subordinates could not, so they were allowed to leave unmolested. Kagome nearly lost her lunch as the unfortunate bandit continued to scream in agony, and was very glad to depart from this place. Still, given the justice system of this time period, it was no surprise that such severe lawbreakers would be tortured. Their executions would not be humane either, but then neither was their behavior toward the innocent people of this area. They had known the potential consequences of their actions before they undertook them. In that sense, they deserved the punishments in store for them. At any rate, Kagome and her friends were not about to risk their own lives to offer the bandits a chance at salvation. They, like any other captured criminal in this era, would have to face harsh justice. Harsh it was, but justice also.

Unfortunately, none of that would help her find Inuyasha. Hakago was long gone. Unless he did something rumor-worthy, they were going to have to resume wandering the countryside in the hopes of accidentally running into him, or at least coming close enough for her to sense the Shikon no Tama. She ardently wished that she could extend her senses further, but it seemed that her range was maxed out. Japan was a relatively small island on the global scale of things, but there was still a lot of land to search. And now they had no leads to follow. Today had definitely been a setback, in more ways than one.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Miroku gazing at her sympathetically.

“Please do not despair, Kagome-sama. It was not all bad news.”

“How could you possibly hear anything good back there?” she snapped, but Miroku took no offense.

“I heard that Hakago did not try to harm any of the soldiers. Let’s be honest: most humans pose no problem for Inuyasha, even in groups.” He didn’t need to add that two of the exceptions were standing right in front of her. “Hakago could have wiped out that whole army if he’d wanted to. So why did he only flee instead?”

Kagome’s eyes widened in understanding. “Because…maybe he still isn’t able to harm innocent people!”

“That is what I believe,” Miroku confirmed. “A vile creature such as Hakago would not have left those soldiers unharmed except by necessity.”

“Yes,” Sango chimed in. “And even Houshi-sama or I would have been tempted to kill those bandits, given what they’ve done. It wouldn’t have taken much to get Inuyasha to do the same, especially since he’s probably witnessed some of their crimes.”

Kagome sighed in relief, accepting her friends’ reassurances. Obviously nothing was certain, but their arguments made a lot of sense, and she trusted their judgment. At any rate, the only option left to them was to resume their journey.

As long as Inuyasha resisted, hope remained.

* * *

Kagome sniffled and blinked repeatedly as she gazed up at the dark sky overhead, trying unsuccessfully to hold in her tears. There was no moon, and even the stars appeared dim and lifeless. How had two months passed by so quickly? It seemed impossible, and yet, cold reality stared her in the face. It was time to return to the modern era.

Physically, she was ready to go home. Her stomach hurt. Her feet hurt. She found it difficult to sleep, was constantly fatigued, and her bladder was apparently the size of a peanut. All standard symptoms of the lovely period innocently known as the ‘third trimester.’ All of that she could put up with, if it wasn’t for the growing danger to herself and her baby. After several hours on the road, she’d tripped over her own swollen feet the other day and had nearly fallen stomach-first. She doubted that the quarter-youkai child inside of her was much more resilient at this stage than a human fetus. And no sane mother-to-be would spend her third trimester traipsing across the youkai-infested, violent countryside of feudal Japan during the era which would one day be known as the ‘Warring States Period.’ It was time to go home.

Kagome knew all this, but her heart ached. She kept thinking about the one time she’d actually sensed the Shikon no Tama. It had been fleeting, barely flirting with the edge of her sensing range for just a moment. To this day she wasn’t completely sure she had not imagined it. Regardless, she had been unable to pinpoint the exact direction, and their attempts to reestablish contact had ended in failure. With Hakago apparently laying low after his adventure with the bandits, that had been the only opportunity which presented itself. And she had missed it.

She sobbed, stifling herself to avoid waking the others. They could be awake anyway, for all she knew. Sango had spent the better part of the evening trying to console her, until finally she ordered the taijiya to turn in. No amount of reassuring words was going to make her feel better about this. Part of her wished that her friends would offer to continue the quest for a few more days, or maybe a couple weeks. But they had never acknowledged that as an option, despite her sorrow. The logical part of Kagome was grateful for that. They were great friends. If she wanted to cry and beg or refuse to go back, and make them drag her to the well kicking and screaming, they would play the villains to her mistreated heroine without complaint. She would try not to do that to them. Her resolve would undoubtedly be tested over the coming days as they journeyed back to Kaede’s village, but she would remember that this was the best thing for her baby, the tiny, vulnerable life inside of her. And with that in mind, she would abandon Inuyasha to his fate.

There was still hope, she supposed. Inuyasha could somehow break free of Hakago on his own, though that was unlikely. Almost as unlikely as stumbling across him on the way back to the village. Miroku and Sango had offered to go out searching for him on their own, but Kagome would have none of that. They had delayed their happiness long enough, and without her ability to sense the Shikon no Tama their odds of tracking Hakago down were slim to none. Besides, if there was one thing Kagome was looking forward to, it was Miroku and Sango’s wedding. That thought brought a smile to her face, despite her melancholy. If she had been forced to choose between a happy relationship with Inuyasha and the monk and taijiya falling in love and getting married, she would have chosen the latter. They were a beacon of pure light in her otherwise dreary world; as long as she could see it, she would never truly despair.

Kirara transformed suddenly with a snarl, immediately rousing the rest of the group. Sango hastily threw some fresh wood on the fire, but even the rising flames did not afford them much visibility in the black night.

“What is it?” Kagome demanded, stretching out her senses even as she posed the question.

“This aura feels like Ka–”

Miroku cut himself off as his eyes widened in alarm. Kagome also sensed the danger, but it was too late to do anything about it. A body dropped from the sky to land directly behind her, a strong arm wrapping around her torso as the other held something against her neck. It was not the blade of a knife, but in this case the fan was just as deadly.

“Hello, Kagome,” Kagura sneered, her voice dripping with malice. “Sesshoumaru said I’d find you here. It’s been a long time.”

“Kagura!” Miroku cried. “Let her go!”

“Relax, monk. I don’t give a shit about this bitch. Just tell Inuyasha to get his ass out here. I’ve got a bone to pick with him.”

“Inuyasha’s not here! He–”

“Don’t lie to me! That bastard hanyou is the only one I want, but if he’s too much of a coward to face me, then I’ll slaughter every last one of you!”

“Kagura,” Kagome spoke softly, her tone stilling the tongues of every other person in the camp. She could feel the tension in Kagura’s body, how violently her hand was shaking. If she was holding a knife, Kagome would worry about having her throat sliced by accident. But the wind sorceress would have to summon her youki to do her harm, which would not happen. Despite Kagura’s threats, Kagome could tell that she didn’t truly wish to hurt any of them. She was beyond furious, but the miko sensed that she could still be reasoned with.

“You have your fan at my throat,” she observed calmly. “Do you honestly believe that Inuyasha would ignore such a threat to me and his unborn child? Have you ever known him to be such a coward?” Kagura faltered at this, her fan lowering slightly. Still, Kagome made no move to escape until the threat was completely dropped.

“Now release me,” she ordered, summoning just enough of her miko power to remind her captor of who she was. I am the miko who slayed Naraku. And you, Kagura, will back off if you value your life.

The wind sorceress had probably not developed telepathy since they last met, but she did comply with Kagome’s demand after a brief hesitation. She backed up a few steps, eyeing the gathering warily as the miko turned to face her.

“He’s really not here?”

Kagome shook her head, lowering her eyes in shame. Finally understanding dawned on Kagura.

“Wait…he didn’t lose to Hakago, did he?!” After receiving a small nod in confirmation, the wind sorceress swore aloud. “Well, that’s just great, isn’t it? Not only is that bastard infant still alive, but I can’t make Inuyasha answer for what he did to me!”

“What he almost did to you,” Kagome retorted. She sympathized with Kagura; based on what her friends had told her, it must have been a truly frightening experience. But that’s all it was–Kagura had suffered fear, and nothing more. There were much worse things in this world.

“Excuse me?” Kagura demanded.

“Inuyasha released you, did he not?”

“Yeah, after scaring me half to death!”

Kagome took a deep breath to reign in her temper. She could totally tear Kagura a new one here, but she would feel guilty afterwards. And it would be counter-productive; she needed every ally she could get right now.

“Look, Kagura, I know you’re angry at Inuyasha. You have every right to be. But he did let you go. He spared you from the fate that he’s now suffering. If that’s not a noble gesture, then I don’t know what is. If you give him a chance to apologize, I’m sure you won’t feel so angry at him anymore.”

Kagura growled in annoyance, but her gaze softened slightly and Kagome knew that her message had gotten through. Huffing, Kagura pulled out her feather and soared up into the air.

“WAIT!!!” Kagome screamed, drawing the wind sorceress to a reluctant halt.

“What?”

“I…” she trailed off, mulling over her words. But her audience was waiting impatiently, so she hastily cobbled together an opening sentence. “So you’re traveling with Sesshoumaru, Kagura?”

“Wh-What’s it to you? I’m a free woman. I can travel with whomever I please,” the wind sorceress replied flippantly.

“Will you tell Sesshoumaru about Inuyasha? In case he and Hakago run into each other, I wouldn’t want any harm to come to your…companion.”

Kagura snorted, ignoring the unasked question about her relationship with the stoic daiyoukai. “Of course I’ll tell him. Not that Inuyasha or Hakago or whoever the hell he is stands any chance against Sesshoumaru.”

Kagome wisely hid her mild amusement at the sense of admiration in Kagura’s tone as she spoke of Sesshoumaru. A free woman, indeed. But there was a much more important subject to discuss.

“Will you relay a message to Sesshoumaru for me?”

Kagura sighed. “Make it quick.”

“Please ask him…to spare Inuyasha. I can drive Hakago out of him, I know I can, but not if Inuyasha is…is… Please, please ask Sesshoumaru to bring him to me alive. I’ll do anything. I’ll–”

“All right, all right, I’ll freaking tell him,” Kagura interrupted irritably, clearly moved by Kagome’s plea and not happy about it. “No promises though,” she declared. “You know how Sesshoumaru is.”

“Yes, I know…but he may be my best hope.”

Kagura sighed and swore under her breath. Then she soared into the night, vanishing as quickly as she’d appeared. Kagome heaved a shuddering breath and sank to the ground, emotionally drained. Sango helped her back to bed, but she knew she would be getting no sleep tonight. Her mind was too preoccupied with what could happen if Sesshoumaru and Hakago met.

Sesshoumaru had a good side, once which had become more prevalent in recent months. No daiyoukai who would voluntarily care for a young human girl could be said to be completely lacking in compassion. But he could also be violent, arrogant to a fault, and incredibly self-centered. And if the two sons of the Inu-no-Taisho met on the field of battle once more, which Sesshoumaru emerged might very well determine whether she ever saw Inuyasha alive again.


A/N – Does Hakago remind anyone else of Sid Phillips from Toy Story? That’s where the M-80 reference came from. It’s been so long since I saw that movie, but I still remember him vividly.

Sorry if this seemed rushed, but I never had very much planned for this portion of the story. And I know you guys don’t want to suffer through a bunch of filler chapters, so we move this along!