Chapter 18 - Rescue!

Inuyasha sat in a chair next to Kagome's hospital bed. Luckily, nothing was seriously wrong with her. She was just unconscious. However, they've confirmed the jewel had been taken, seeing how her uniform was torn in the area where the jewel resided in. The only problem was that they didn't know when she would awaken. However, that was not what had the hanyou worried.

Flashback:

InuYasha watched as Mimic ran after Sebastian, Naruto, and his team, following closely behind. He then glanced down at Kagome's sleeping face. Worry struck through him.

"Kagome?" He shook her lightly, getting no response.

"Kagome!" He held her with one arm and placed his fingers against her neck. He felt her pulse beat slowly.

'She's alive…' He thought with a relieved sigh. He let out a slight gasp as her eyes slowly opened.

"Inu…ya…sha…" She whispered, her eyebrows furrowing in pain.

"Kagome." He whispered, his eyes softening.

"Ki…Kikyo…took…the jewel…from my body…. she's…alive." Kagome whispered before falling back into her sleeping state. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he stared down at Kagome, yet it was Kikyo's face that he saw.

'Ki…Kikyo?'

(End of Flashback)

He stared at Kagome's sleeping face, worry deep within his eyes.

'Kikyo helped Naraku retrieve the Sacred Jewel? Kikyo is alive?' He thought to himself, trying the best he could to deal with this sudden news. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up and saw Nowaki smiling down at him, yet his eyes were sad.

"You've been here all night, too?" He asked, and then glanced over to the other bed, where Beastboy sat fast asleep. Raven was hooked up to many machines, one of them being a blood bag. His smile faltered as he stared at the girl, fighting for her life.

Inuyasha followed his gaze and glanced at the fellow half demon awaiting death.

"How bad is it, doc?" Inuyasha asked in a hushed tone. Nowaki sighed.

"The bullet pierced her liver, and lodged itself within her. She made it through surgery, and I tried my best to patch things up but I can't work miracles. I heard she was a healer… perhaps her powers will assist her the rest of the way." He said sadly, and Inuyasha nodded.

He glanced back at Kagome and then to a third hospital bed where Flame lay unconscious.

"I pray that Miss Hatake won't end up in here as well… or worse, in a casket." Nowaki said bitterly.

"Don't worry… she's a strong girl." Inuyasha stated, reassuring himself more than Nowaki.

He bit his lip. It was no secret that he and Fade were close, and it was no secret he was worried about her. But… in times like these, all he could do is hope. Fade had taught him that, as well as Naruto.

'She is able to defend herself… she'll come back to us.'

xXxXxX

Fade was thrown against a wall and landed on a large bed. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to ignore the stinging pain in the back of her head. She glanced around the candle-lit room, her eyes landing on a black clad figure.

"Se…Sebastian?" She whimpered, rubbing her head. She heard a soft chuckle, however, it wasn't the warm and loving one she had grown to love. No, this one was sick and demented.

Claude stepped into the light, his hand pulling off his tie.

Her eyes widened.

"C-Claude?"

His gloved hand cupped her chin as he bent down to gently kiss her lips. Her face flushed and she pushed him away roughly and scrambled away.

"G-Get off me!" She screamed and he smirked.

In an instant, she was pinned beneath him.

His eyes shone with amusement as he stared into her fearful eyes.

"I know that look. You think someone's going to save you, right?" He teased and kissed her cheek.

"You're wrong… no one's coming." He smirked.

"No, you're wrong! Sebastian will come! Mimic too!" She shouted, trying to wriggle free from his grasp.

"Mimic? That loud-mouthed brat? You think she is a match for me? I am far more powerful than even Sebastian." He snickered.

"As for Sebastian… now, why would he come and save you?" He asked, a smile on his lips.

"He has Ciel, does he not?"

Something inside Fade seemed to snap as her eyes widened.

"Ahh… I struck a nerve, did I?" He questioned, that same smirk on his lips as he began playing with her hair.

"Ciel is Sebastian's master… they are bound together through a contract. A contract that cannot be broken until Ciel's wish is obtained and Sebastian takes his soul. However, you know as well as I that Sebastian had developed feelings for the boy, thus, not ending the contract." He stated, twirling a strand of her hair around his fingertip. Her eyes remained wide as she processed all of this.

"It's no surprise that you would feel bitter towards Ciel."

Fade's eyes began to cloud over in sorrow. Claude smiled; his spell was working.

'I'm bitter towards Ciel?' Her thoughts seemed to float away slowly, as did her state of mind. It felt as though she was being drifted away, leaving her physical body behind.

"You love him, do you not? Yet, he didn't even save you. Instead, he protected his 'young master'." Claude smirked as his words stabbed the girl's heart.

'He didn't save me… he won't save me…' She thought bitterly. Tears formed in her now lifeless eyes. Claude smiled wider as his spell was near completion. Soon, her soul will have lost all will to fight against him. Then, and only then, will he mark her as his mate. She will be bound to him forever, her body serving as his weapon.

'One more verbal blow ought to crush her soul.' He thought to himself, proud that everything was going so smoothly.

"There's no room in his heart for you."

Fade's eyes widened briefly, all life fading from them as her heart broke and her soul crumbled. Her last conscious thought was 'He'll never choose me…' before her mind drifted elsewhere, leaving her body behind as an empty shell.

"Perfect." The demon whispered opening his mouth to mark her with his fangs.

The door to their room flew open, literally. The door landed at the opposite end of the room. Claude turned away from the girl and smirked at the sight of a pissed off Sebastian. Sebastian's eyes were glowing bright pink, his pupils in slits, and his teeth transformed into large fangs. He glared at Claude, before his eyes went wide at the sight of the girl beneath him. He narrowed his eyes before charging at the spider demon.

Fade laid on the mattress like a lifeless doll, her eyes staring up at the ceiling but seeing nothing. Mimic ran in and witnessed the fight between two demons. She was about to jump in to help when Fade's limp body caught her eye. Without a word she ran to the bed and lifted Fade's upper body up, cradling her with her arm.

"Fade?" Mimic whispered, fear shining in her green eyes.

Had she lost yet another friend?

No, she was still breathing.

Mimic stared into the girl's eyes, a lifeless brown stared back.

"Fade… are you okay? Can you hear me?" She whispered, shaking her gently. Naruto and Sakura appeared beside her, Sakura's hand glowing a light green.

"Let me heal her." Sakura ordered as Mimic gently laid her back down. Sakura searched for any wounds, but to her shock, she found nothing that would be causing the kunoichi to behave this way.

"She's under a spell." Naruto whispered, his blue eyes clouding with rage. Just then, they heard a loud slam come from behind them. They turned to see Sebastian clutching Claude by the throat and pinning him against the wall.

"What did you do to her?" Sebastian snarled, his grip tightening. Claude smirked.

"Stage one of the mating ritual was completed, you barged in right before I was able to start stage two." Sebastian's eyes widened and he pulled Claude's head away from the wall slightly before thrusting it back against the brick, causing the wall to crack from the force.

"Did you mark her?" Sebastian snarled, his fangs glistening.

Claude snickered.

"No… but good luck getting her back… her soul was so easy to break. Humans are so weak. That girl will be nothing more than an empty shell; an illusion of whom she once was." Sebastian clenched his jaw before snapping the spider demon's neck. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Did… did you kill him?"

"No." Sebastian said, regaining his composure. "He'll come to soon, which is why we need to grab Keira and leave quickly."

Mimic nodded and placed her hand on Fade's shoulder, summoning some of the girl's chakra.

"Okay, hang on to me." They did as they were told and all of them teleported out of there.