Black & White

Untimely Death

Last Time:

"My name is Sukaiza."

~*~

"Bikuru!"

~*~

"Who cares?"

Sukaiza's eyes widened and immediately she frowned.

"Always this rude?"

"Frankly miss," he said looking her up and down, "we aren't in the situation to exchange pleasantries."

She grew angry at him. That was the first time somebody, other than Derrick, brushed her off completely. She wasn't used to the rejection.

"Well! I guess you don't need anything then!"

"Oh I'm so hurt," he said sarcastically, "any way I could ever regain your good graces?"

The woman sneered at him and quickly left. InuYasha snickered and sighed. Being locked up in a room gave him time to think. ~Maybe she was just too upset to think straight… That's it!~ He snickered to himself. ~She was upset and unable to think straight.~

~*~

"I am…. Upset and unable to think straight."

She sighed remembering the scene between her and Bikuru earlier.

…::Flashback::…

"Bikuru!"

The man silently put down the tray and started to leave.

"Bikuru!!!"

She frowned when he didn't stop at his own name. He should've recognized her! She got up and silently grabbed the pitcher of water that he had just left. She threw the water at him and he didn't even flinch. Instead he kept walking. She gasped and threw the pitcher at his head. That definitely stopped him. He fell unconcious to the floor.

"What the hell was that? Did that girl drop dead or something?"

She heard the approaching voices and footsteps and quickly started to pull Bikuru's heavy body. Two men with machine guns strapped around their necks appeared at the door. Both wore black suits with dark glasses.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing. Am I supposed to be acting like an idiot and screaming my head off to see if you release me? I can arrange for it."

Both men sneered at her and closed the door.

"Jeez what a bitch," she heard one of them mutter outside of the door.

"I can hear you, you know!!!"

"Shut up!"

Everything was relatively silent after that. At least until Bikuru started to come to. He woke up rubbing his head with confused eyes.

"Where the hell am I?"

"Bikuru?"

"Kag-!"

Kagome clamped her hand over his mouth. She saw the door knob turning and quickly shoved Bikuru down.

"I told you to keep it down in here! What the hell are you doing? Talking to yourself to keep yourself "sane"?"

"None of your goddamn business. Now shut the door and get back to your jobs!"

"What if we don't want to?"

They eyed her lustily and she widened her eyes. She 'hmph'ed and put her hands on her waist.

"You couldn't."

They glared at her and shut the door behind them.

…::Flashback::…

After that Bikuru had popped up and together they had beaten the two guys to absolutely nothing. They had taken their rifles, clothes, and ID's. Now they were in a closet in the middle of who-knows-where, in hall who-knows-which, trapped by Sukaiza and Derrick's arguing.

"That girl doesn't have anything to do with this Derrick! She didn't kill Naraku!"

"Just because she tells you she didn't doesn't automatically mean she's telling the truth!!!"

"She wasn't lying! She has reasons, and evidence, and I think you're just keeping her here for your own lusts!"

A slap resounded in the dark cave.

"Keep to your place bitch. My reasons are not subject to your questioning. And I will not explain to you why she's still here."

A cell phone started ringing insistently.

"Shit. I've gotta go. There's a small problem upstairs with one of the people. Apparently one of the souls got loose and the priestess can't find it. I swear. Kaede is a good priestess when blackmailed but by now the soul has probably returned to some idiot."

Kagome restrained Bikuru. He turned to her, furious. She glared at him and mouthed for him to stay still.

Footsteps resounded in the cave as Derrick walked away. After a few minutes Kagome sighed.

"You can come out now."

She stiffened and quietly walked out from the closet her and Bikuru were currently in. She smiled at Sukaiza nervously.

"It's okay. All I want now is to get you out and away from Derrick."

They both nodded and grinned at each other.

"This way. Put the glasses on and if anybody asks any questions you stare straight ahead. If I tell you to shoot, you shoot. No mercy, no cringing, no showing of emotion period. Got it?"

They both nodded and followed after Sukaiza's rapidly moving form.

"These caves are miles long and misleading. They connect to another base which is run by Morisato, former leader of the white gang. Of course everybody knows he was overthrown by his eldest son."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Right now they have his younger son captivated at that same base while the elder son is fighting to get him back. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you Kagome?"

"Hai…"

"Yes well. You'll be glad, I'm sure, to know he's okay. I saw him a while ago. He seemed well enough to-"

They stopped abruptly. Kagome and Bikuru quickly looked straight forward and made no move or sound.

"Madame, why out in the caves by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself Dominique. Now if you'll step aside I have places to be."

"But," he said stepping closer, "we have unfinished business."

Five other men stepped into the light and made themselves known. Sukaiza gasped and then growled at Dominique.

"You think you'd be able to get away with it?! Derrick already told you I'm hands off!!!"

"He wouldn't know. And if he did, I think it would be a bit too late to remedy that. Don't you think?"

He lunged at her and Kagome and Bikuru intercepted.

They both got into battle stances and stretched their arms to get the sleeves into a better fighting position. They grinned and signaled at them all to take a go at them. They all lunged in synchronization and Kagome and Bikuru stepped aside and drove quick kicks to their backs. They pointed their guns at them.

"Shoot."

Rapid bullets were heard in the caves and nobody minded. It was very common to hear gun shots in the caves infested with so many rabid animals.

~*~

InuYasha growled insistently. If he could just open the goddamn door! But no… His father was smart enough, or had someone smart enough, to put seals and wards on the doors.

"Kami damn him to hell and beyond," he repeated to himself, almost like a mantra.

He paced back and forth. He lay on the bed. The next minute he was slouched on the couch. Then he lay on the floor. He slammed his fists against the wall in frustration. Anything he could think of doing he did out of sheer anger. He went up to the door and kicked it harshly and jumped on one foot repeatedly when the ward reacted to the contact. He ran his hands through his hair and slowly let out the air he didn't know he was holding. Footsteps below him, above him, next to him, in front of him, behind him, and all sorts of places were making his ears go mad. All of a sudden, the noise cut off abruptly and the door crept silently open. Three figures dashed in and the door was silently closed again. He sniffed and caught a scent that made him launch himself at the group of huddled figures. An oomph resounded and then Sukaiza shone a candle on the couple on the floor. InuYasha had run Kagome over.

Kagome and InuYasha looked into each other's eyes. She ran her hands through his hair gently, comfortingly. He dropped his weight on her and hugged her gently but protectively to his chest. She whispered to him that it was okay and asked to stand up. InuYasha lifted his weight off of her and stood. Helping her up as well, InuYasha finally noticed the other two.

"What's the story here?"

"Bikuru here is my friend. He's been looking after me since I was forced to join the white gang. Sukaiza here is our way out."

Bikuru nodded and Sukaiza shuffled nervously from foot to foot.

"We really should get going. By now Derrick must know Kagome is gone."

To prove her statement the sudden wailing of alarms went off.

~*~

Sango and Miroku patiently waited for Shippou to get in the backseat.

"Patience guys. I'm just a tad bit slow! Plus, there's no way you're going to leave me behind when InuYasha and Kagome are in danger."

"We noticed," said both Sango and Miroku monotonously at the same time.

The car sped backwards and out of the parking lot of Kagome's house. Sango had convinced one of the maids to give her the keys to one of the cars. After much arguing Sango won with the threat of having her dismissed as soon as Kagome came back. Now they were speeding on the freeway courtesy of Miroku's driving. The map, installed in what seemed to be every car in the Higurashi household, was quietly showing them where they were and where they were going. Pretty soon they were on a lone road with barren landscape. The map took a sharp turn and so did Miroku. Sango landed on Miroku's lap and Shippou was plasted to the car window. Sango quickly recovered and was on her side in no time. Shippou however was a little dazed. Miroku stopped the car and turned off the engine. He got out of the car and motioned for them to follow.

"Why are we getting off here?!"

"The care makes too much noise, don't you agree dear Sango?"

Sango hesitated, but nodded at seeing the truth behind his statement. They continued on foot and quickly made their way through trees to avoid being seen. A log cabin surrounded by men and demons alike was seen up ahead. They stealthily made their way around the battle. Sango and Miroku missed getting shot by some random bullets wizzing by in the air. Sesshomaru nodded to them when they made eye contact for the first time. A smoke bomb was thrown into the middle of the battle and the trio made their way quickly to the cabin. They opened the door and shot randomly. Nobody was on the bottom floor, apparently. They looked at each other and shrugged. They all went their separate ways. Shippou sniffed around and found InuYasha's scent rather quickly. He started running towards the scent and went to the foot of the stairs.

"The scent is a bit old… But… It's still there!"

He grew bold and ran up the stairs and continued down halls. A door suddenly opened and he ran straight into it. He fell backwards dazed.

"Who is that?!"

"Shippou?!"

Shippou found himself in the arms of an extremely happy Kagome. He blushed as he was crushed to her chest and almost suffocated. Finally she let him go and he noticed InuYasha was behind her.

"Kagome! InuYasha kidnapped you didn't he?!"

"No. He was kidnapped too. So… We're about to get out. Come on!"

Kagome grabbed him by the hand and pulled him in the opposite direction. He noticed they had a guide so didn't bother to tell them that the entrance was unguarded and the opposite way. They continued running and rounded halls. A seemingly endless hall finally came to a halt with a large door. Sukaiza unlocked it with a key and they all pushed with all their might. Sukaiza coughed lightly from behind them. They looked at her quizzically and moved for her. She went up to the door and pulled on it. With a little bit of help from InuYasha the rusty door gave way and sunlight streamed in on them. Kagome covered her eyes.

"Kagome what's on your face?!"

Kagome turned to InuYasha and noticed his look of horror and overprotectiveness.

"Just a couple of scratches…?"

He immediately started fussing over her and they didn't notice a couple of men surround them a bit distance away. At least not until they started shooting at them. InuYasha grabbed Kagome and ducked. Sukaiza however was not so lucky and got shot. She dropped to the floor holding her bleeding arm.

"You guys go ahead. I'll think of something."

InuYasha took one of Sukaiza's hidden guns and shot at all the men. They all dropped to the ground, either wounded or dead. They turned to Sukaiza and tried to help her up. Kagome Helped her up on one side and InuYasha on the other, careful not to hurt her arm. Shippou turned in time to see one of the men get up and point his gun hazily at Kagome. The shot rang in his ears clearly as he jumped in front of Kagome and took the shot to the chest.

"O-Oh my god, InuYasha!!! The wound is right where… Where…"

InuYasha pulled on Kagome and they started running. Kagome started weeping. She looked back and cried harder. ~I have to go back! What if he's still alive?!~

"Don't even think about it Kagome! If he is dead then don't make it go to waste by going back and getting yourself killed!"

Kagome listened and obediantly kept running. Meanwhile Sango and Miroku had met up at the bottom of the stairs and were following in Shippou's footsteps unknowingly. They came upon the open door and concluded that InuYasha and Kagome had escaped. They ran down the hall, hoping to catch up with them. They arrived at the same open door. Sango shot the men that were beginning to get up and they all fell, dead.

"Sango…"

Sango looked down at Miroku and saw he was holding a still, limp figure. She dropped to her knees beside him.

"N-No… Not him… Shippou!!!"

~*~ A few days later ~*~

Kagome fussed over InuYasha as he refused to wear a tie to the funeral. She glared at him and he relented. His hair was back in a ponytail, similar to his older brothers. Morisato and Derrick had been caught the day of Shippou's death. The event was fresh in their minds and tears were still being shed. Shippou's parents were grief-stricken, of course, and couldn't find a way to overcome the death of their only son. Sango and Miroku put aside their feelings for the moment and concentrated on grieving for their long time friend. Kagome and InuYasha had resolved their issues and were attending the funeral together, like they were supposed to. Sesshomaru went to the funeral alone, Rin still being mad at him. Rin did attend although. She was consoling Shippou's family and offering drinks to those that needed it. They finally all gathered in Sesshomaru's garden or, as he called it, his backyard. The father quickly nodded to them and began with the funeral mass.

"There are many words we could say about our small friend. Though he was a demon, a fox demon, he wasn't any more different than a human. He was kind and respectful towards others. He helped those who needed it, and risked his life for his friends."

Kagome sobbed into InuYasha's suit. InuYasha sighed, looking down. It just had to be a sunny day too.

"We shall all remember this young man in our hearts and minds for as long as we live and even after that."

Souta and Kohaku ran in, a maid trailing behind them. They ran to the casket and flipped it open. Tears in their eyes they started screaming their heads off.

"Shippou! Shippou you promised to play with us!"

Kohaku nodded fervently.

"You can't break promises!!! Get up! Stop playing with the grown-ups and play with us!"

Kagome's mother went up to them and led them away from the funeral. The father sighed and looked at his audience.

"Pray taht his journey to heaven be a safe one."

The father left quickly and quietly. The rest of the people started forming a line to pass by the casket to see Shippou one last time before the funeral later on that week. Kagome walked up and stood in front of Shippou. InuYasha couldn't bear to see the young man and only continued walking, waiting for Kagome off at the side. Kagome touched his face lightly, tears making their ways down her face. ~Why are you so warm still?~ She touched his cheek and then grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"You don't know how much I want to thank you for what you did…"

She gasped and screamed when she felt his hand move. Everybody in the funeral turned around to see her faint into InuYasha's arms.

"Kagome?"

Everybody turned to the casket to see Shippou get up drowsily.

"Jeez, you squeeze her hand and she faints on ya."

Most of the ladies gasped and fainted, as Kagome had, others of them just gaped at the sight.

"What the fuck?!"

"What?!"

"You're supposed to be dead!!!"

Shippou shook his head lightly, trying to get rid of the blurry vision.

"Nah, I made sure my jacket had a chain vest in it so that if I were to get shot it wouldn't be bad. The most a bullet could do would be to scratch me. Ugh… I feel HUNGRY! Where am I?"

"Your funeral."

Shippou looked at InuYasha's angry eyes. He squeaked in terror and launched himself out of the casket and started running. InuYasha handed Kagome to the nearest person and ran after the fleeing kitsune. Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku were happily hugging in a corner. Sesshomaru had caught Rin in a moment of pure joy and had been forgiven. As to what happened later… Well. That's another story, ne?

~*~ THE END ~*~