To Serve and Protect by Sereia

To Serve and Protect

Prompt: Enemies to lovers, someone is injured, "Give me your gun." "Fuck no."

Triggers/Warnings: Reference to gun wounds and hospitals

..::**::..

"Give me your gun."

"Fuck no."

Taisho's eyes narrowed. "We do not have time for your bravado, detective. We need to move to the offensive, and you are in no condition to do so."

Kagome opened her mouth to retort, but a twist in the wrong direction reminded her why she was on the ground in the first place. A stray bullet had caught her right shoulder, leaving her incapable of raising her gun, let alone firing it.

And Naraku's flunkies were closing in.

She still didn't trust Taisho but had to give him some credit for not up and leaving her once she'd hit the ground. He'd actually covered her long enough for the two of them to find some shelter.

Before demanding she hand over her only means of defence.

"I remind you that had I been so inclined, I could have already relieved you of your weapon."

"You don't have to act so smug about it."

"It is not arrogance, it is fact. Give me your weapon so that we may increase the likelihood of getting out of here alive."

The small alcove she was currently hiding in covered her on three sides, but she was completely exposed on the front. If Taisho stayed here and they got past him—

Even as the thought crossed Kagome's mind, he was pressing himself against the nearest wall, golden eyes scanning. His silver-blonde hair had been braided and tucked into his hoodie, giving their adversaries fewer ways to catch him unawares.

Up until that night, she'd always seen him in a suit. And not various combinations; each encounter had him in the complete ensemble, tie and jacket included. When he'd shown up in the dark hoodie and jeans, she hadn't recognized him. It wasn't until he'd approached her and actually spoken that Kagome had realized who he was.

He'd looked human.

She'd also been dismayed to realize that his suit wasn't being used to give him the guise of a respectable physique. His current ensemble proved he was just as toned as the suit made him out to be.

Blue met amber, Taisho's hand outstretched between them. Kagome gritted her teeth but handed over her gun, feeling exposed without it. Her heart calmed a little as he quickly inspected it.

At least he knows how to use it properly.

"Stay here."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Where else would I go?"

"The snark is unnecessary."

She would've flipped him off if she'd been able to raise her arm.

Watching as he moved silently away from her, Kagome was reminded of how little she knew about him. She still hadn't figured out how a business executive, who'd been raised on the plush end of a silver spoon, had become an informant on the biggest crime boss in the city.

The banshees who wrote the gossip columns loved to wag their tongues about his private life, pairing him with a different person every week—and they weren't always female. When the chief had first put her on this case, she'd groaned at the thought of having to babysit a spoiled brat who was more concerned with his image than anything else.

How quickly he'd proven her wrong.

Even his apartment was a contradiction. Sure, it was still a penthouse suite with a fantastic view, but there had never been any indication of anyone aside from himself living there. And he'd never acted spoiled at all. Pompous. Arrogant. But never spoiled. He was very aware of how much money he had and was never above sharing the wealth with those who deserved it.

The fact that he still had all his limbs was surprising.

"Don't die," she blurted.

The corner tilted up into a smirk. "Always so selfless, detective."

Kagome shifted her weight, wincing as she felt blood drip between her fingers. "I figure that even if you don't come back for me, if you live, you'll be able to tell our backup where to find me."

Taisho glanced at her over his shoulder. "I would not leave you here."

"I'll hold you to that."

A slight nod was his only response before slipping into the shadows. Kagome strained to distinguish between the grunts and curses of the men that had been chasing them, wondering which of them were caused by bullets from her own gun.

Her hiding spot gave her a good view of anyone who would try and get the drop on her, but she was still vulnerable without a weapon. Folding her legs, she tried to conceal herself better—even a few inches could be the difference between life and death.

She'd meant what she'd said before; she didn't want Taisho to die. He didn't deserve to have his life cut short by a slug like Naraku. Hopefully her stoic ally would be able to take out enough people to escape.

Her eyes drifted shut as she leaned back, the dampness of her shirt concealed by the dark shade of the fabric.

She probably should've told him about the second bullet wound.

..::**::..

She could hear her name. It was quiet but desperate.

Far away.

She needed to answer, but Kagome couldn't open her eyes. She was so tired, and everything hurt.

The voice became demanding, then pleading, and she leaned towards it, but all she found was darkness.

Why was it so crucial for her to wake up? Sleeping felt like a much better idea.

The voice fell away.

She'd find it later.

Time passed slowly. Or not at all. Something brushed the edge of her consciousness, gripping her fingers, pulling her out of the darkness.

No.

The darkness was more comfortable. The light brought pain and a buzzing—a beeping—sounded in her ears.

Dark lashes fluttered, and Kagome slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the bright lights and pale walls. The beeping was annoyingly constant, and she tried to pull away from it but found she couldn't move.

Brows furrowing, she tried to sit up, groaning softly at the weight of her limbs.

"Took you long enough."

Another voice. Not the same one as before. Her eyes closed, but she forced them open again.

"How're you feeling? Other than a giant pile of shit?"

Kagura.

Chief, her brain reminded her.

"Where am I?"

Kagura's face came into view, the concerned features blurred around the edges. "Tokyo General. You went and got yourself shot. Twice."

Shot? Right, she'd been ambushed. There'd been more men than she'd anticipated.

"I should write you up for insubordination. And forgetting your throwdown weapon. And for giving your service weapon to a civilian."

Civilian? Why would she give—

Blue eyes widened, the lines of the room suddenly becoming clear. "Taisho! Is he—"

A soft hand was placed on her chest, Kagura holding her down. "He's fine. A few bumps and bruises, but certainly not as bad as you."

Air whooshed out of Kagome's lungs, relief coursing through her.

"He's going to be pissed that you woke up without him being here, but oh well."

Sucking in some of the air she'd lost, Kagome managed to turn her head, wincing as the muscles in her shoulder twinged. She was in a room by herself, various machines monitoring different parts of her body. Two tubes were attached to her arm, one clear, the other filled with blood.

How much had she lost?

The chief's words finally registered, and she frowned. "Why would he be upset?"

Kagura's lips thinned into a line, void of their usual crimson pallor. "You'll have to ask him that. Apparently, he made quite the fuss when the rest of the team showed up."

Kagome's mouth mimicked Kagura's as she struggled to stay conscious, fatigue clawing at her mind.

"Did we get him?"

The hand on her chest moved to her head, forcing her eyes to close. "We got him. Rest. You have nowhere to be right now."

Unable to even nod, Kagome simply let the darkness take her again, the need for sleep drowning out all the questions rolling around in her mind.

When she woke again, the walls were the same, but everything was significantly less bright. The lights above her had been turned off, the coloured blinking of the machines reflecting off the white walls. The sun had set, no light filtering in through the blinds.

Her head felt significantly less fuzzy, but her body was still heavy, each movement a strain as she tried to sit up. And then a hand slid under her neck, adjusting her as the bed whirred, tilting her up into a sitting position.

Blue met gold when she opened her eyes a second time, and Kagome gasped at the myriad of emotions tumbling across Taisho's face. Time slowed again, though exceedingly less fuzzy, and when it finally returned to normal, he was sitting in a chair next to her bed, features pinched into a scowl.

"What time is it?"

"Late. Past midnight." His voice was gruff, strained, and it was then that Kagome noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She tried to remember when he'd been anything less than pristine but came up empty.

"The chief said—"

"You lied."

"What? When?"

"You said it was not serious."

Oh.

Shit.

"I didn't think it was. I've been shot in the arm before—"

"But not in the back."

Kagome's mouth snapped shut and she looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "No, not in the back."

"So you lied."

"I didn't lie on purpose. I'd actually forgotten about it until you left, and by then—"

"You almost died." The last word was hostile, startling Kagome into looking at him again.

Taisho's face was blank, but his hands gripped the arms of his chair, his knuckles white. She suddenly realized he was still in the same clothes he'd been wearing when they'd been attacked. Something in Kagome's chest fluttered that had nothing to do with the surgery she'd been through.

"I'm okay."

His expression turned hollow. "You are not."

"I am! It'll probably take a little time to recover, but—"

Taisho grabbed her hand, his fingers biting into her palm. His chair hit the floor, the sound going unnoticed as his jaw muscles clenched. The man was always in control, to the point of Kagome making a game out of getting under his skin, but this was different. There was something untamed in his features, and her heart constricted.

He'd been genuinely worried about her safety. About her.

Placing her other hand over his, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. "I'm going to be okay."

Breath came out in a shudder before his knees hit the floor, long silver hair creating a curtain around his face as he pressed his forehead to her hands.

They stayed like that for a while, Kagome not daring to move, the only sound the steady beeping from the machines beside her bed. When her energy began to wane, Taisho finally shifted, golden eyes peeking at her through a curtain of silver.

She offered him a soft smile.

"You should rest."

"I am resting."

He glowered at her, and Kagome managed to laugh. Her hand was still in his, and she laced her fingers through his. Something the chief had said tugged at the back of her mind, stopping her from giving in to the exhaustion.

"What happened—" she asked, blinking slowly. "The chief said you were upset when the backup arrived."

If she hadn't been watching him so closely, she would've missed the slight darkening of his cheeks.

"I may have—" he paused, finally sitting up, "—overreacted."

"Overreacted? You threatened to tear the head off anyone who tried to get near her."

The pair jerked, Kagura smirking from the doorway.

"I did not—"

"You pointed Kagome's gun in the medic's face."

His blush returned, and Kagura's smirk widened before she turned to Kagome. "I've talked to your mom. Once you're released, you'll be going—"

"She will be coming home with me."

"What?" Both women gave him an incredulous look.

Taisho's determined gaze slid from their still connected hands up to Kagome's surprised face. "You have spoken before about your mother running your family shrine. She will not be able to provide the care needed for your recovery."

Her mouth opened and closed several times before she found the right words. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Actually, I think I might agree with Taisho on this one."

Kagome couldn't muster more than a groan. "I followed protocol!"

"Minus all those things I told you I was going to write you up for."

Fatigue and fury swirled in the detective's eyes, and Kagura put her hands up, laughing. "Alright, alright, I give. Don't shoot me."

"You are not amusing."

Kagura winked at Taisho. "You'd be surprised."

His lips thinned, but he turned to Kagome, fingers tightening around hers. She opened her mouth to argue again, but the look in his eyes stilled her tongue.

"Please." He'd righted his chair after Kagura had interrupted their conversation, now sitting in his original position but just as close to her as before. "Come home with me."

The inflection of his voice, his whisper words, made her cheeks burn. He held her hand and her gaze, and Kagome, unable to look away, slowly nodded.

"I'll let your mom know then."

Biting her lip, Kagome nodded again, hypnotized by the softening of Taisho's—Sesshoumaru's—features. His name fluttered against the inside of her mind. And her heart.

"You don't get to leave until the doctors sign the release papers, Kagome," Kagura reminded them. "Same goes for you, Taisho. None of this 'using money to influence the professionals' thing."

"If you insist."

"I do. You're in enough trouble as it is." Kagura cast one last look at Kagome, the woman having finally torn her gaze away from the man in front of her. "And I expect a full report once you're settled."

"Yes, ma'am."

The door closed behind her, and Kagome shut her eyes, her head beginning to spin. Sesshoumaru went to stand, but her hand clenched around his, not letting him leave.

"You require rest."

"I meant what I said. I don't need a babysitter."

"Your chief seems to think otherwise."

Kagome snorted, then winced as pain shot up between her shoulders. "The chief is in league with my mother and is overprotective of anyone in her section."

"A commendable woman then."

"Tai—Sesshoumaru, you don't need to do this. You're not responsible for my—"

"You are inclined to your interpretation of events. I am inclined to mine."

Kagome sighed, her eyes settling on his hunched form. "You—"

"Kagome."

A shiver ran up her spine, and Kagome was glad he'd never called her by her first name before then.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure your speedy recovery. Whether you agree to it or not."

There it was.

A tired smile tugged at her lips. "It'll probably be a long recovery."

"Unsurprising."

"And I'm going to have a lot of demands."

"I am prepared."

"You'll have to be really thorough with your treatment."

Pale eyebrows raised in surprise before he brought the back of her hand to his lips, golden eyes gleaming. "Only the best for you."

Kagome hummed softly, finally giving in to her body's demands for rest.

She could've sworn she felt something brush across her forehead before she fell asleep.