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“C’mon man, step on it! They’re gaining on us!”
Yuta shifted into a higher gear, the engine protesting as he pressed harder on the gas pedal. There wasn’t much more he could do though: their vehicle just wasn’t built for speed. “Next time we’re getting a truck and all of you can fend for yourselves in the back!”
There was a growl from one of the far rows of the bus, which Yuta suspected was from the half-demon. “What’s the point of these metal carriages if they can’t even outrun a few lost souls?”
“A few?” Ataru piped in, his voice high and near hysterics, “try fifty at least!” Lum sat behind him, rubbing his back and casting anxious glances out of the back window of the bus, where the lumbering figures of lost souls could be seen drawing ever nearer through the dirt they were kicking up on the rocky beach. The vehicle jolted sharply a few times over the uneven ground, pulling gasps from more than one Mermaid Hunter.
“We might’ve been able to outrun them,” Mana shouted back from the front seat, her eyes blazing, “if we didn’t have so many damn people tagging along!” The ten passengers went silent at her outburst, their looks ranging from guilt to stubbornness. Finally, Inuyasha huffed and said tersely, his voice booming over the rattling bus, “Alright, so who do we start throwin’ out?”
Kagome groaned in frustration, bringing a hand to her face as the half-demon beside her continued “How bout those who can fly get out and fly alongside. Those who can run, run alongside. How’s that.”
Rinne, holding Sakura securely on their bench, his face pale, spoke up “I don’t think that’s gonna solve the problem.”
“And I’m not getting out with those things out there!” Nanoka shouted, shoving Mao slightly as she stood from her seat. “I may be fast, but that’s suicide!”
“Except we can’t really die” Ranma added with a half-grin. It was an attempt at a joke, but not even he was laughing. “And hey! We have a doctor! What’s the worst that could happen?” From the front seat Mana shot him a look as if to say ‘Do you really want to find out?’ Across the row Mao cleared his throat, saying in as calm a voice as he could despite the situation “Be that as it may… I’d really prefer not to go through this again so soon. Let’s all try to stay in one piece, shall we?”
“Look, no one’s leaving the bus” Kagome said at last, raising her voice over the clamor. “Inuyasha,” she said, staring down at her companion, “It’s not the weight that’s the problem, it’s that our vehicle wasn’t made to go fast. It has limits. We need to find another way.” He thought on her words for a moment, until realization dawned in his yellow eyes, and he stood from his seat. “Got it. I have a plan.” Before Kagome could ask, he was looking about the cabin, until his eyes settled on the roof of the bus, and he smirked.
Turning suddenly to Ranma and Akane, he barked “You two! I’m gonna need your help.” The two martial artists shared confused looks, and Akane said cautiously “What do you need us to do?” Pointing to the escape hatch over their heads, Inuyasha said, get that thing open, will ya? We needa get to the roof.” That declaration was met with varying shock and confusion, but Inuyasha ignored it all, turning instead to their resident alien. “Lum, I need a big favor from you.” Lum smiled, eager to help her friend, but an arm shot up to block her path.
“Ohhh no. You’re not putting Lum in danger. Just because she has powers, it doesn’t mean she can’t get hurt!” Ataru glared at Inuyasha, who stared back thoughtfully, and Lum gazed at her darling with a mix of affection and exasperation. “Oh Darling, you don’t need to worry so much! Inuyasha wouldn’t let anything happen to me out there, right?” Inuyasha nodded, and in a controlled voice said “Look, I’m not gonna ask her to fight. I’ll do the fighting, I just need her support. I needa get up on that roof, and her ability to fly might come in handy.”
Ataru didn’t seem convinced, but after a moment he lowered his arm and inched away on the bench so Lum could join the half-demon. Ranma and Akane meanwhile had managed to undo the safety lock. Akane wobbled as she sat on Ranma’s shoulders, trying to boost herself higher and push open the door as Ranma did his best to keep steady legs beneath her. The bus hit another rough patch of ground, and Akane gasped as Ranma stumbled – but he kept a firm hold on her thighs, reaching up to balance her torso, and Akane grasped his hand in reassurance. Finally she’d flipped open the escape hatch, and Ranma lowered her down gently. They fell gracelessly back into a seat as Inuyasha approached the small door, slinging his sword across his chest.
“I’m gonna wind scar these bastards” he announced gruffly, grabbing Tetsusaiga’s hilt. “It should kill ‘em, but if it don’t it’ll at least buy us some time to escape.” There was a murmur throughout the bus, but no one argued his plan. From the driver’s seat Yuta shouted urgently “Whatever you do, do it quick – they’ll be on us in a few minutes.” With a quick nod to Lum, Inuyasha jumped through the escape hatch, and Lum floated up behind him to find him braced on hands and knees on its surface. The wind from the bus nearly blew her away as she floated, but she’d barely cried out before a clawed hand shout out to snatch her wrist, pulling her down to the bus’s roof. There were rungs on top, and she gratefully grabbed hold, using them to pull herself to the very edge of the metal body even as the fabric of her sweatpants threatened to send her sliding away.
She could see the screeching monsters getting closer and was grateful for Inuyasha’s strong presence beside her. He knelt, wobbling for only a second, and then stood with perfect balance and drew his sword. “I’m gonna need you to hold onto me Lum. I haven’t done this while moving so fast before, and I don’t know how it’s gonna turn out.” He sounded unsure of himself, something Lum rarely heard, and she nodded firmly, using all her strength to fly up and behind him, bracing against his shoulders and hiding from the view of their oncoming enemies.
In a flash of light Tetsusaiga transformed, wind swirling around its thick blade, and raising it high over his head, Inuyasha brought it down in a wide arc with a shout of “Wind Scar!” The air rent, the ground behind the bus tearing in five deep gouges like claw marks, the horrible howls of lost souls vanishing in burning light and the sound of sizzling flesh. Inuyasha shot backwards with the blast, pushing Lum with him across the bus top until her feet slid off the front. Inuyasha felt himself falling backwards, the light shoes Kagome made him wear getting no traction at all on the smooth metal… but he didn’t fall. Lum was pushing against his sweatshirt with all her strength, until finally she began to move him away from the edge and back onto solid metal. Slipping her arms under his shoulders, she floated him slowly back toward the still open hatch and carefully lowered him down. She dropped in after him, panting, and slipped back into the seat beside Ataru.
“What the hell, man? I thought you said she’d be safe!” Ataru fussed over the Oni-girl, but she shooed him off with a small smile and quiet words of “I’m fine, I’m fine.” Mao came up beside them, offering a small vial and bottle of juice. “Take a swig of this, it’ll help get your energy back.” Lum took the vial gratefully, turning back to ask “and the juice?” Hesitating, Mao forced a smile and answered “the medicine doesn’t taste great. Trust me, you’ll want something to wash it down.” She eyed the vial warily, but popped open the lid and took a quick drink. Her face contorted in a disgusted grimace, and she couldn’t get the juice lid open fast enough. It was downed in a matter of seconds. The group looked on anxiously, and despite her unpleasant reaction, Lum perked up instantly. “Wow,” she said, sitting up in her seat, “That really worked!” She floated up and flew about the cabin with a happy shout of “Thanks Doc!” Mao smiled in return, and Inuyasha shook his head fondly.
Finding her feet, Lum wobbled a bit on the moving floor, but the bus was going much slower now than during their chase. Rising from her seat, Sakura came down the aisle with a bright smile. “That was amazing, both of you! You saved us!” “Nah, just did what needed to be done! Couldn’t run from those things forever.” Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned away, but it was clear from the dusting of pink on his cheeks that he appreciated the praise. The world around them slowed as the bus came to a stop at the forest edge, everyone jolting at the stop in momentum, and they waited eagerly to hear what their leader would say about their daring plan.
Putting on the brake and unbuckling his seatbelt, Yuta stood and turned to face the group of Mermaid Hunters. They were unprepared for the livid glare splashed across his features. “What. The FUCK. Was THAT?” Ten pairs of startled eyes darted about the open-space in disbelief, Ranma’s voice breaking the silence to gasp “Did he just say fu-.” “Shut UP, Ranma!” Both he and Akane bit their lips as Yuta’s stern gaze turned to them, but it didn’t stay there long.
“What’s up your ass?” Inuyasha growled, matching Yuta’s glare. “We just killed all those damn monsters, and now you got a problem with it? Aint’ our fault you got crap transportation.”
“Actually it kinda is” Mana said dryly, but Yuta shook his head. “Mana, we can’t do anything about that now. Besides that isn’t the point.” He took a step forward, and looked from Lum to Inuyasha, saying sternly “You two recklessly put your lives in danger.” Ignoring the small “See, I knew it!” from Ataru behind him, Inuyasha said brusquely “What the hell’re you -.”
“I saw you after the blast – it was a little hard to miss with both of you hanging in front of my windshield!” Both Lum and Inuyasha looked sheepishly at the ground. “I mean, do you have any idea what would have happened if Lum hadn’t been able to get you both back onto the roof? No! You wouldn’t! You’ve never been hit by a car, or run over by one, but guess who has!” There was silence again in the cab as everyone waited for the inevitable answer. Yuta had far too many stories like this, and none of them were easy to hear.
“That’s right! About twenty years ago I was out in the woods, minding my own business, crossed a lone road when all of a sudden, BOOM! Hit by a semi. And not just hit, but run over. Even being immortal, you know how long it takes to recover from something like that, when all your bones are crushed, and your organs explode and every blood vessel is broken?” Several in the group were squirming uncomfortably, and a few turned to Mao as if he could provide an answer. The onmyouji only shrugged helplessly. “Weeks! That’s how long,” Yuta continued, going up and down that aisle to peer into every face of his ragtag group. “I was in the morgue for weeks. They didn’t know who I was, and kept me in a cold body locker to get to later. I would’ve been buried in an unmarked grave, and then I would’ve had to dig myself out! Does any of that sound fun to you!?” He glared about at the group, who looked to each other like trapped mice. There was nothing for it now but to take their proverbial medicine and move on.
“We’re really sorry Yuta” Lum said softly, her blue eyes big and sincere. “We’ll be more careful next time, honest!” Yuta calmed down a little at this, but turned to Inuyasha next and folded his arms expectantly. Inuyasha didn’t budge. Coming up beside him, Kagome laid a gentle hand on Inuyasha’s arm and said quietly “Just do it. He’ll never let it go if you don’t.” The half-demon grumbled, but relented under Kagome’s sweet smile, and turned to Yuta to say “Sorry. I guess I shoulda thought it out more.”
Nodding, Yuta glanced about the group and said “Well, for what it’s worth… you guys did good.” The collective mood of the group brightened at that, and even Mana chimed in “I suppose it’s not so bad having all of you along after all!” There was laughter from some of the girls, and a few high-fives. Yuta looked back at Mana, shrugging and smiling at the antics of the rambunctious group. Mana rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight a smile of her own. Their little family wasn’t so bad after all. “We still need a smaller car though.”