Blood Stained

 

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Blood Stained

Chapter 46: Desperate Search

 

He forcefully smashed the nearest wall with his fist, before hissing in anger.  Nobody could disappear into thin air like that.  Whoever had taken his mate knew what they were doing.  They were aware that he was a youkai.  They had to have taken precautions against him.  If that was the case, what could he do to find her?  His fury was still well present, but it wouldn’t be wise to roam the streets, causing destruction, it would not help him find her and waste his energy.

 

He had to remain calm and try to figure out a way to track his beloved mate.  Time was not on his side since he didn’t know when he would disappear and if Sesshomaru would bring him back.  Though without him, he was useless. 

 

The beast leaned against a brick wall in an alley and closed his eyes.  There was no one he could think of that would capture her.  The only possibility was a stranger – mostly a youkai - who had heard she had the jewel, or had seen her with it.  Unfortunately, the whole thing was nearly complete.  The possibility that person even had the last shard was present in his mind.  Once they obtained the jewel, they would either toss her away, or kill her.

 

He wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her. 

 

The bond was perhaps the only way he had to find her.  Unfortunately, it was weak and she wouldn’t know how to strengthen it.  In his case, it was different; perhaps if he focused enough, he would be able to feel her pulse through him.  He tried to call out to her from within, as his eyes remained closed.  It wasn’t too long until a familiar pain took hold of his chest and he slightly winced. 

 

He knew this pain.  He had experienced it when he was far from her, when she wasn’t his.  Was it her pain he was experiencing at the moment?  Was it her calling out to him?  After all, she only had him, at least, in this part of the world.  His mate had to want him near, to save her.  The thought caused his anger to flare, why wasn’t he able to protect her?  She was his, he was a youkai surrounded by humans. 

 

The pain in his chest became constricting.  It made him feel uneasy.  But then, he wondered,  could the pain lead him to her?  If it was his own soul reaching out for her, then he should be able to follow her.  In the past, when he had felt the pain, he had let his instincts guide him to her, why couldn’t he do the same now?  He slowly opened his eyes, before glancing around at his vicinity.  All he had to do was let his body show him the way. 

 

Without having any idea of where he was heading to, he allowed his feet to guide him through this strange town.  He had no clue when he would be forced away, or if he would find the right path, but it hardly matter.  The only thing on his mind was that he needed to find his mate, he wouldn’t allow anyone to bring her or the pup harm.  He would protect her with his life if he had to. 

 

She was his. 

 

The beast paid no attention to the looks people were giving him, as if he was not even part of that world.  His rage was boiling inside of him.  He shut out everything else.  All he wanted was for her to be in his arms, safe from the outside world.  He would kill, exterminate and hurt anyone just for that to happen.  He didn’t know who did this, but obviously they hadn’t done their research well enough.  Anyone with common sense would know not to take his mate away from him. 

 

He could easily ignore the pain in his chest, as he felt his heart get heavier with each step he took.  However, he felt closer to her every time he moved.  Suddenly, he made a sharp left turn and kept going on his search.  Every second was precious, he could not waste any time.  He could use his speed, but he wasn’t sure if he would feel as much.  However, it would save him a lot of time.  The kidnappers weren’t on foot, so they had to be way ahead of him by now.

 

Personally, he couldn’t care if humans could see him, so he began going as fast as he could, but this time, his eyes were tightly shut.  He hoped it would help him find her, or connect with her.  The pain within was still pulsing through, somehow, he took it as a good sign.  It meant she needed him and it filled him with pride.  Though, he still had to find her, he would not fail his mate. 

 

He would bring her back safely.  After killing the bastards that took her away from him of course.

 

He felt himself cruising through the town, following the suffering throbbing through his body to locate her.  In his mind he could hear her voice echoing, he could hear her screaming his name, it only made his fury grow.  She had called out for him and he hadn’t been able to help her!  She had never done that before.  He couldn’t remember her wanting him to come to her rescue.

 

Had he really miss out on so much?

 

Why had she started to rely on them?  Every time he had seen her recently, she had been different.  Why hadn’t he been there to provoke that change?  Sesshomaru had never wanted anything with her, he was the one who loved her and tried to protect her.  Without him, she would have never been theirs, so why wasn’t he enjoying her company?  Why didn’t she want to be with him?

 

Suddenly, he was stopped in his movements.  In the middle of a field he dropped to his knees, his speed leaving.  He nearly hissed, as he felt himself being pulled away, he immediately punched the ground, leaving a huge crater.  He couldn’t leave, not yet, he would lose her if such a thing was to happen.  He was so close, he could feel her, the pain was increasing, he had to be close.

 

He growled, but it didn’t stop the process from continuing.  The beast threw his head back, as his hair slowly changed to an ebony color, the markings on his face disappeared.  Once he opened his eyes, they were now a soft green color, instead of the intense red they were previously.  Although Sesshomaru’s youki was sealed away completely, he didn’t move.

 

Within, he felt the same desperation the beast had experienced.  He had lost her.  The main reason of his presence by her side was so that he could protect her, but he had clearly failed her.  One simple task; watch her.  He wasn’t even able to do the simplest thing.  How had he not noticed someone following them?  Why hadn’t he taken what she had said more seriously?  He out of all people should know that everything is a threat. 

 

Had he really fallen so badly?

 

He was so helpless, almost like a child.

 

Sesshomaru pressed his palms against the ground, as hate filled him.  For the first time in a long time, he realized he needed his beast.  He needed to be whole.  Perhaps if he had been, she wouldn’t have been taken away.  Maybe he would have located her much faster.  His eyes traveled to his watch and he pondered.  Never had he summoned his youki twice in a row, but the situation required it.  He might feel the pain in his chest, but he didn’t have the speed, or the instincts to find her. 

 

Slowly he lifted one hand, before pressing the button, feeling himself disappear.

 

He couldn’t be the one to save her.

 

-B-

 

Kagome was breathing extremely fast as panic was the only thing filling her body and mind.  There was something covering her eyes, she had something in her mouth, gagging her, preventing her from even screaming.  She couldn’t even properly remember what happened since it had occurred so fast. 

 

The last thing she remembered was being at the sink, washing her hands, when a woman had walked in.  Of course, Kagome had paid little attention since, it was a restroom after all, people walked in and out all the time.  She had been in the process of leaving when she had felt herself being grabbed, a hand had been put in front of her mouth, preventing her from screaming for help. 

 

She had panicked and tried to free herself, but with her huge belly and the way the woman had been holding her, it had been impossible.  She recalled more people coming and rapidly dragging her outside of the restaurant.  Now that she thought back about it, there had been nothing human about their strength and their speed.  Also, someone had mentioned something about putting down the barrier as if they had been trying to mask something.  Clearly no human could be behind this.

 

She knew they had shoved her in a car, it was then that she had screamed out for Sesshomaru, in a hopeless attempt that he would have heard her.  Obviously, she had quickly realized, that he couldn’t.  It had made her eyes water to realize just how hopeless she was.  Couldn’t she have been more careful?  She carried such an important object with her, yet she hadn’t been on her guard.

 

Now, not only was her life in danger, but Kiyoshi’s as well.  On top of that, she might fail to protect the jewel, which was her duty to protect. 

 

She had no idea who was after her, but she assumed they wanted the jewel, it wasn’t too far fetched to think they had the last shard.  What would they do with her, or to her?  Could Sesshomaru even find her?  He was the only person she had, the only one who could save her.  Nobody else knew where she was, what she was doing.  She had to rely solely on him and in all the panic, the thought did not even sound strange.

 

Kagome couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her throat, as she felt them pull on her arm.  Suddenly, the car came to a stop, she could only assumed they had arrived.  It wasn’t until someone tighten the rope around her wrists that she remembered.  This was not the same situation as the one she had been in the Feudal Era.  This time around, she was not completely weak.  She had her powers.  Granted they were not very strong, but they were still present.

 

Problem was, they were avoiding her hands, which would technically mean they knew about her. 

 

She couldn’t give herself away right away though.  Since her powers were weak, she had to wait until she had a really good opportunity.  At the moment, her eyes were covered, meaning if she did succeed in burning someone, she wouldn’t see the other people surrounding her and she wouldn’t know how to escape.  She had to wait until she could see again. 

 

They would probably want to know about the jewel.

 

Suddenly, her eyes widened a bit.  Why hadn’t she remembered this before?  She was not the one who had the jewel!  She had given it to Sesshomaru before she left the washroom!  This was good and bad in a way.  Good if they believed her, because it would give her more time to try and escape, or for Sesshomaru to find her, but bad if they thought she was lying.  Then, they would try to torture her until she gave it to them.

 

The way she was looking at it right now, it was a lose-lose situation. 

 

She wished to keep her panic under control, especially since her son was so sensitive to all her emotions, but it was hard.  The only thing she kept thinking about was that she would be dead by the end of the day.  Usually she knew how to keep her calm, but she knew her world, her knowledge of it made it absolutely terrifying.  People these days were capable of everything and anything.

 

Finally, they stopped carrying her around and sat her on a chair.  Her eyes were still covered, her heart was hammering within her chest.  She was trying to hear some voices, but all she could distinguish were some whispers.  Suddenly she felt a cold hand touch her shoulder, and she couldn’t help but shudder.  Whoever it was, they were giving her a bad feeling. 

 

Her instincts were screaming at her to pull away, unfortunately, she couldn’t.  She tried to shrug away, but the hand firmly held her in place. 

 

“Poor helpless little miko.”

 

The tone of his voice froze her whole body and she stopped breathing for a moment. 

 

She felt him move his hands, slowly he was undoing the knot behind her head.  It didn’t take long for Kagome to feel the fabric that had covered her eyes fall unto her lap.  It took her a few seconds to open her eyes and she wasn’t sure if she delayed opening them was caused by her fear, or the bright light.  Once her eyes were finally opened, all she could see were two people standing in front of her. 

 

Kagome knew she couldn’t allow them to see her fear, though if they were youkais like she suspected, they could already smell it on her.  Nonetheless, she decided to try and put a strong façade in place.  She wanted to talk but for a moment, she couldn’t find her voice.  Back in the days, it had been easy to be careless, considering the only person she had to watch out for was herself.  Now, she had her son.

 

But there was a bit more to the situation.  Being captured, being a prisoner, it reminded her too well of a bad time she had in the feudal era, one she had wished to forget for so long.  Her body was shaking a bit, but she refused to allow it to stop her.  If she had been able to be around Sesshomaru after what happened, she could be a strong woman against these strangers. 

 

‘Who are you?” she asked, controlling the shaking of her voice.

 

She heard the man behind her chuckle, but she didn’t turn her head to look at him.  “Who we are matters very little.  On the other hand what you carry is very important.”

 

Too bad for him the only thing she was carrying at the moment was Kiyoshi.  Although, even if she had the jewel, she wouldn’t give it to him, granted she couldn’t protect it very much, but she would give it all she had nonetheless.  For an instant, she wished he would approach her a bit more so she could use her powers.  Then again, what if her powers harmed her son?  She remembered that Izumi said it was because of the bracelet, but still. What if the surge of power brought him harm?

 

But, if she didn’t do anything, they might both die.

 

“We know you have the jewel,” he said, before coming from behind her.

 

For a long time now he had his eyes on the uncompleted jewel.  Back then, Sesshomaru had it in his possession, he barely ever left it out of his sight.  For years under his service, he had tried to obtain it, but the right occasion had never appeared. 

 

When he had first begun working for Sesshomaru, he hadn’t known about the jewel.  At first, all he had wished for was to work for the Dayoukai.  Considering that their kind was low nowadays, it was an extreme honor to be able to serve such an important man.  For years, perhaps decades, he had been somewhat of a servant in his house, he had not complained once. 

 

Then that day had happened. 

 

Sesshomaru had not been as sharp since he had his youki sealed away most of the time, which he had personally found very strange, but he had never asked why.  It was easier to slip by and perhaps eavesdrop on his conversations.  He had been walking down the hall when he had heard Jaken mention something about a jewel.  At first he hadn’t paid much attention but when the words miko and Shikon had been said, he had been curious.

 

Subtly, he had begun listening to other conversations.  For many years, like most youkais he had believed that the jewel had been gone from this world.  But then again, it made much sense to think that it was still present and Lord Sesshomaru out of all people was the one protecting it.  Though, he had found it nearly an insult that he had never used it.

 

So many wishes could be made with it!  Including bringing back the reign of the youkais.

 

Those filthy humans had taken everything from them.  They had chased them, hunted them, killed them and forced the few survivors into hiding.  Now they had to pretend they were a part of them, that they enjoyed living this way.  It was such a disgrace to their powerful blood!  And Sesshomaru had done nothing about it!

 

Back then, he had felt his blood boil, he had wanted to launch himself at the Lord to demand an explanation.  Luckily, he had been able to stop himself in time.  If he had done so, he would have been killed on the spot.  No, this way was much better, at least in the end, he would have his prize.

 

He had decided to wait, but from that day on, he had made sure to listen to every conversation the Lord had, especially with Jaken. The topic of the jewel didn’t come up very often.  He didn’t hear about it for over sixty years.  Then one day, out of the blue, a miko had been mentioned.  Mikos, at least aware of their powers, weren’t very frequent these days, so it caught his attention. 

 

From the way Sesshomaru had described her, he knew her very well.  Then, it had slipped that she was the guardian of the jewel.  The Shikon No Tama Miko!  He had heard of her over 500 years ago, which made it completely insane that she would still be alive in this day and age.  Yet, the Lord was talking as if she were alive.  It was also then that he learned the jewel was not yet complete.

 

That had explained at least why Sesshomaru had not used it.  His rage had lessened a bit.  His Lord had been unable to make a wish, because he didn’t possess all the shards. 

 

Over the next few years, Sesshomaru began talking about a plan, which apparently involved using the Miko to complete the jewel, though from his words it seemed she would inherit the jewel in the end.  Deep inside, he wished to believe it was not true, that the Lord would only use her to get the completed jewel but as the time passed, he realized that he could no longer lie to himself.

 

For the second time, Sesshomaru disappointed him.

 

From that day on, his loyalty disappeared.  Of course, he kept working for the Dayoukai, but only because he needed more information.  By himself he would never be able to find all the shards.  So the jewel by itself would be of no use to him, he needed the other pieces.  It was quite hard though to obtain information because he was not close to Sesshomaru, he was a mere servant and his name was probably unknown to the Lord.

 

Although, that same problem was also allowing him to slip through the cracks unknown, nobody paid much attention to him. 

 

Years went by and all it did was cause his anger to grow.  For years, he harvested it and kept it secretly locked within.  He was preparing a plan, he would require a team, but not yet.  Since he didn’t know when the hunting would begin, he couldn’t risk letting too many people know, or someone might tell Sesshomaru about it.  No, only when the time would be right.

 

Then finally one day, he has seen her.  Since he didn’t have his youki concealed inside the house, he had been able to feel her aura.  He had hid himself, and he had listened to their whole conversation.  He had felt victory within himself, it had been hard to withhold a smirk.  But, since he had kept his whole plan secret for so long, it wasn’t worth being discovered.

 

Since he had helped in the packing, he had been able to find out about their destination.  He had bought a flight for India the very next day.  He didn’t have as much money as Sesshomaru, but at least he had his youki and his speed, so, it was easy for him to follow them.  Of course, he had kept his distance to make sure he wouldn’t be discovered.

 

He had been near by when the little dwarf had attacked them.  It was then that he had followed and tried to find his people and he had.  The shard hadn’t been extremely hidden, since most of the little youkais had tried to protect the area.  He had no desire to fight with them, because it would attract too much attention.  It was then that he came up with a plan.  He had promised to help them protect it and in exchange, he’d make a favorable wish for them.

 

It had been too hard to not be discovered, the best thing he had come up with was to prick her finger with a special substance.  At least, it had helped him locate them and follow their every movement.

 

That day had been extremely productive, especially since he had not only found out the relationship between his Lord and the Miko, but the first shard had been retrieved.

 

That little filthy human was mated to his Lord!  Mated!  It was such a disgusting arrangement!  In addition, from the display he had seen, Sesshomaru seemed to care for her!  Oh how low had he fallen!

 

All those little things added together had only pushed him further toward his goal. 

 

A few days after he had inserted the substance into her blood flow, he had begun inspecting around their hotel.  Every day he had waited faithful for the day she would come out.  He wasn’t sure if he’d only search for the shard, or kidnap her and use her.  However, he was never given the chance to pick an option.  That day, he had almost been killed.  The little dwarves had come with him, ready to attack since Sesshomaru had left her alone, but unfortunately, they had been discovered.  He had barely escaped and only his super speed had saved him.

 

It was at that moment that he had decided to bring a team in.  Obviously by himself it was too dangerous.  He had gathered a few friends that he had known over the years and had shared his plan with three of them.  One had refused to go against Sesshomaru, explaining that they had no chance against him.  The other two had agreed, after he had promised them that once the wish would be made, they would receive a lot.

 

It was with those two people that he had gone to Australia.  Of course, his plans had been completely ruined then.  The presence of a wolf youkai, one that had seemed very fond of the miko had ruined everything.  He had seen him with a pack and he knew they couldn’t fight that many.  The worst of it all had been that they were on their way there, all three of them when the damn wolf had shown up.  Sesshomaru had made the mistake of leaving her alone and they had thought it to be their perfect opportunity.  They had even been in the hotel when they had noticed the pack.

 

What a wasted chance it had been. 

 

But then, he had been given a chance when only her and Sesshomaru had gone to Brazil.  Working for Sesshomaru had a few advantages in his quest, it had helped him locate his movements.  Spying alone wouldn’t have provided all the locations. They had rented a room in the same hotel as them, knowing it was their last chance, they made sure to follow their every movement. 

 

When the Miko had begun straying away, he had locked his sight on her and their eyes had met.  For a second, he had briefly panicked, thinking he had been found out, but once Sesshomaru had pulled her away from a near accident, he had realized she had quickly dismissed him.  It had been a relief, but he had made sure to be more careful.  As they went into the restaurant, he had strongly believed this to be another wasted day, but then the perfect opportunity had arose when she had strayed from Sesshomaru.

 

They hadn’t wasted any time and fortunately, they had caught her. 

 

Now there she was, right in the palm of his hands.  Soon, he would have the nearly completed jewel and all he would require from her was the last shard.  Obviously, he could use her current state to force her under his control.  He had seen the way she was, she would want to protect her child.  Although to him, it was only another worthless hanyou. 

 

He had never been so close to his goal, he couldn’t wait to watch that pathetic human squirm in fear.  Sesshomaru wouldn’t be able to find them.  They had made sure to leave no scent trail and their auras were kept to a minimum.  Even if he released his youki, he had absolutely no chance.  Even then, the three of them could take care of one little youkai.

 

Soon the world would be his and the youkais would prosper once again. 

 

Also, he was a reasonable man.  If Sesshomaru wished to turn his back on humans once more, then he would welcome him, if not, he would destroy him. 

 

Slowly, he ran his claws down her arm, he felt her flinch under his touch.  The poor little thing, didn’t she knew he could already tell she was afraid, meaning there was no point in keeping the harsh tone?  The desire to crush her skull rose within him, but he knew he couldn’t.  For the time being, she was still useful, he still required her special ability.

 

“Where is it?” he inquired before fully appearing in front of her.

 

Kagome cringed a little at the sight of the youkai in front of her.  He had three scars covering one of his eyes, it seemed a near impossibility for him to open that eye.  His other eye was a deep purple while he had dark green locks covering his forehead.  Two fangs were sticking out of his mouth, while he ran his claws down his neck. 

 

The sight of him alone was enough to bring nausea to her stomach.  Now was not the time to observe his appearance because he had asked her a question, she wasn’t sure how to answer.  Which one would allow her to remind unharmed for the longest period of time?  After everything that happened and that it came down to his beast or Sesshomaru she refused to believe that either of them would not come to her rescue.

 

It was already hard since she hadn’t been able to give him a hint to her location.  So the least she could do was buy him for some time so that he might have a chance to find her.  The only other option was to make a run for it, but for the moment, it was quite impossible. 

 

She swallowed hard before making up her mind.  “I don’t have it.”

 

Immediately he hissed.  “Do not lie to me little girl.  I know you have it.”

 

“I don’t deny that it was with me, but when you kidnapped me, I didn’t have it on me!” she nearly screamed. 

 

Once again, it didn’t matter if he could smell her fear.  It was normal to be scared in such a situation, but it didn’t mean she had to be afraid of him.  She refused to let him bully her around like this.  If she let him do it, he would kill her with no hesitation.  Just like she had done some times against Sesshomaru, or rather his beast, she would be strong.  

 

Apparently, the strange man had no intention of settling for her tone.  It wasn’t too long before she felt the stung of his slap on her cheek.  Being a youkai, there was a lot of force behind his slap, causing her skin to be burning and a red mark to appear on her flesh.  Her eyes immediately became watery but she held the tears back.  She would much rather him hurting her face than her body, particularly her stomach.

 

Nevertheless, this meant she had to be careful.  Obviously, he was not afraid to strike her and she couldn’t endanger Kiyoshi.  No mater what kind of rage was stirring up inside, she had to keep it bottled up. 

 

The slap had slipped up.  He didn’t mind hitting her, but he hadn’t planned to do it so early.  Her words had shaken a rage through him, he hadn’t been able to stop himself.  He narrowed his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair.  Could she be lying to him?  She had to be.  Why would she go anywhere without the jewel?  She wouldn’t trust anyone with it!  He had seen how much she despised Sesshomaru, for reasons that escaped him though and he knew she wouldn’t let him guard it.

 

She had to be lying. 

 

How could she even think that she could fool someone like him?

 

Before he knew it, he hit her again.  This time though, it wasn’t a slap, it was a punch.  He hated all humans.  They had ruined everything the youkais had and they had treated them like animals!  For centuries he had suffered, he had watched them walk all over him!  She represented the worst kind.  Mikos wanted to destroy youkais, they exterminated them. 

 

The tiny human girl represented everything he hated, she was currently between him and his goal of restoring youkais past glory. 

 

He forcefully grabbed her face between his fingers. 

 

“You listen to me, and you listen well you human filth,” he said, hissing the last word. 

“You will give me the jewel.”  He slowly moved his free hand to her stomach, resting it on it.  “Or this disgusting mistake and abomination will pay.”

 

Before Kagome could even blink, the man was suddenly very far from her, holding his hand in pain.  He growled before staring at her stomach, she did the same.  An orange aura was surrounding it and was brightly shining.  Kiyoshi.  Apparently, he didn’t like to be threatened.  She couldn’t help the certain pride that filled her as she looked up to stare at her kidnapper. 

 

“I don’t have the jewel and even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

 

Her heart was still pounding, as she remembered to be careful.  But her mind was filled with one precise thought at the moment.  Sesshomaru.  It was strange to think that not so long ago she had found herself in a somewhat similar situation, yet he was the last one she would have ever thought of as her savior.  Actually, he had been the kidnapper the last time around.

 

Now, she was nearly praying for him to appear.

 

The only one she had to protect her right now was her son and although she was amazed at what had just happened, she felt uneasy.  He was still growing inside of her, he shouldn’t be the one using his powers to protect her, especially considering his state was so fragile.  She should be the one defending him, yet she was failing terribly.

 

One question was stuck in her mind.  If Kiyoshi could use his powers from her womb, why couldn’t she control hers better?  After so many years, she shouldn’t be so weak!  Especially since the strength of her powers had harmed her own son when they were trapped within her.  Why couldn’t she even protect the one she loved in such a desperate situation?

 

The man locked his eyes on her stomach.  That thing shouldn’t have done it.  He couldn’t care less that it had Sesshomaru’s blood running through him, because the human blood was tainting it.  It was a disgrace.  It was completely useless.  It probably wouldn’t have been as painful, if he had expected it.  Now though, he wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he would watch out for both of them. 

 

If only he could wound her, watch her die slowly and painfully as all the blood would leave her body.  That would perhaps make up for the hanyou she carried in her belly.  Since her life was important for the moment, he settled on something else.  In a flash, he slashed her arm with his claws, his poison melting the skin that had been touched.

 

Kagome forced her eyes closed as she endured the pain going through her body.  

 

This reminded her of when she had been helpless, when she had been tied and her powers locked away.  However, there was a difference.  Back then, she had not feared for her life, or the safety of her child.  She had feared what the beast wanted to do with her, but she never thought she’d be killed.  At the moment, it was exactly what she was scared of. 

 

Here, one mistake and her life could slip away.

 

Of course, it didn’t stop the tears in her eyes, or the burning sensation going through her flesh.  She needed to find a way out, because she refused to be killed, she refused to be a prisoner.  She had done so much lately to free herself of the nightmares she had previously experienced and she had no desire to be stuck within another one. 

 

Enough was enough.

 

The youkai was smirking proudly as he watched the blood drip down her arm.  She was a miko and like all others she probably wanted to preserve lives, which included the one of her son.   Now that she knew he was serious, perhaps she would stop lying and tell him where the jewel was.  He did not intend to allow her to leave alive, but it was a detail she didn’t need to know.

 

Today, at least one human would pay for what millions had done to the youkais.

 

“Tell me where the jewel is,” he ordered.

 

The tears were stinging her eyes as she did her best to hold them back.  

 

“I don’t have it!  Does it look like I have my purse?”

 

His eyes narrowed.  Her purse?  Would she really keep such an important artifact in such a common place?  Was the jewel really so within his reach the whole time?  Curse her!  It was impossible!  There was no way such a detail had slipped by him!  She had to be lying!  Despicable!

 

“Why wouldn’t you keep it with you?”

 

“I do, just not for that moment.”

 

He would play along with her for now.  “Then where is it?”

 

Kagome began to slowly chew on her bottom lip.  Should she tell them it was Sesshomaru who had it?  He was a very powerful youkai and he could handle himself, but what if they used her as bait?  Then perhaps he would have no choice but to hand in the jewel.  Although it would buy her some time and perhaps give him a chance to arrive.

 

She opened her mouth, ready to answer, but suddenly a big crash could be heard.  Every youkai and Kagome turned their heads in the direction of the closed door.  The one who seemed to be in charge, growled.

 

“Go check it out,” he ordered to a man behind him.

 

The man nodded, before quickly exiting the room.  Kagome couldn’t help the hammering of her heart as she prayed it was Sesshomaru.  It almost sounded impossible, since he couldn’t have found her so fast, but she kept hoping anyway.

 

“What if it’s him?” asked the female behind the leader.

 

He could only hope it was not Sesshomaru, since he hadn’t planned on being found out.  If the Dayoukai used his youki, they could be in serious trouble.  After all, they were holding his disgusting mate and atrocious hanyou as hostages.  But he couldn’t let her escape so quickly. 

 

He made his way toward Kagome, grabbed her by her arm, before lifting her up. 

 

“Take her somewhere,” he said, tossing Kagome onto the female.

 

She quickly nodded her head before grabbing Kagome and pulling her close to her.  The leader, clearly annoyed left the room, leaving the door open while barking orders, but Kagome could not hear him.  The only thing filling her mind was her own heartbeat.  She had a chance to escape!  The female was clearly being careless and Kagome’s hands were pressed against her stomach.  She had one chance at this.

 

The room was almost empty, the other two were busy; this was perhaps the only shot she would have.  Without thinking, she gathered as much of her power as she could, hoping she would not harm her son and dug her hands into the stomach of the female behind her.

 

In shock and pain, the female yelped and backed up before falling unto the ground, holding her stomach in pain. 

 

With her hands still tied behind her back, Kagome did her best to run away, though it was quite difficult with the lack of balance.  She did not give up and kept running through the hall.  She heard the female call for her leader, but she didn’t stop.  Because of the stress, and perhaps the lack of energy, she felt her vision become blurry.  She could hear voices closing in and panic took hold of her.

 

Suddenly, she completely lost her balance, she found herself crashing upon the floor.  Because of her situation, it was hard to get up, so she tried to crawl further down.  She feared that if she stopped, she would be lost.  Her heart was beating so much, it was hurting her, she felt a pulse of pain going through her body.  By now, she was hopeless to stop the tears running down her cheeks. 

 

She only needed to make it a bit further.

 

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t make it.  She felt herself being grabbed by her shirt and then, she was violently thrown against the nearest wall.  All she could do was brace the shock by putting her hips and legs forward, trying to protect her stomach.  Tears came to her eyes as an unknown sharp pain traveled through her body.  She waited for something else to come, except herself falling onto the floor, nothing else happened.

 

She whimpered in pain as a strange silence surrounded her.  Unfortunately for her she couldn’t pay attention to her vicinity.  All her attention was directed to the thick substance coming from her core and dripping down her leg.

 

And her heart nearly stopped beating.