InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 33 Hours ❯ The Third Hour ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: So thanks to those who have added the reviews, I'm really glad to know that you guys like this. Passing days bring new ideas, so I'm being positive in saying you can expect frequent updates (one a week hopefully minimum). However, it all depends on my schedule. Hope you guys like the update. Reviews really are appreciated!

 

[..+..]

 

33 HOURS

The Third Hour

 

[..+..]

 

Inuyasha swore his heart stopped. He's had moments before in his life where he felt like his heart was going to explode, skip a beat, break, and race; but never before has he felt it stop like the way it had just then. Inuyasha, Miroku, San— what had caused her to cut off Sango's name? What did he care? He had heard her voice. It was as faint as could be and he almost had to strain his ears to pick it up, but after three years of hearing Kagome call his name, there was no way he could have missed her voice in the silence of that particular night. In that moment where his heart had stopped he dared not breathe, for he didn't want to risk that chance that his breathing would get in the way of him picking up another sound from Kagome. Miroku had started to lightly hum and Inuyasha brashly kicked him in the thigh from where he sat and hissed at him to shut up for he was trying to listen to something.

 

“What, Inuyasha?” Miroku asked irritably.

 

“Shut up!” he hissed again, “I heard Kagome.”

 

Miroku gasped in shock and nodded his compliance to Inuyasha's wishes and decided to sit tight until the Hanyou spoke some form of ok for him to be able to make a sound.

 

Several minutes passed and Inuyasha's heavy heart remained profoundly burdened as that was the last he had heard from Kagome. He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his silver tresses and let out an aggravated growl which hastily sent Sango sitting straight up in fear for what had happened. Her heart beat beginning to calm as Miroku explained to her the situation regarding Inuyasha and how he had heard Kagome.

 

“Did she sound close? What did she say? Did she sound hurt?” Sango asked worriedly.

 

“I'm not sure,” Inuyasha replied dejectedly, “it was really quiet, but I could still hear her; that means she's gotta be close.”

 

“I just hope she's alright…” Sango said giving a concerned look to everyone around her. Miroku nodded his agreement and Inuyasha sat emotionless and unspoken as everyone stared at him in expectation of him to come up with some sort of plan as to what to do next. Inuyasha hard-heartedly knew this, but he knew that he was at a complete loss of what to suggest to his friends they do next.

 

[..+..]

MEANWHILE

[..+..]

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru! Do you feel the presence of a dark aura?”

 

The Western Lord didn't reply to his servant with an audible answer, but just nodded his head once in accord. With Rin at his side and Ah-Un fairly close behind him, and his loyal servant, Jaken, several feet ahead, Sesshoumaru suddenly felt very protective of his unusual tribe. He recognized that aura from countless of occasions before. He knew that disgusting, odorous and rank sensation could only belong to the deplorable demon, Naraku.

 

“Jaken, take Rin and Ah-Un East of here.”

 

“But, my Lord,” the creature protested, “let me stay and help you fight! I may be small, but I have conquered much strength throughout our journey! I implore you, Lord Sesshoumaru, please!”

 

Jaken threw himself to the ground in a over the top melodramatic movement that had Sesshoumaru wanting to kick the servant away from him with his foot, but the smallest tug on his kimono sleeve from the petite child standing next to him caused his cold heart to partially soften.

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” the child spoke, “I don't want to go with Jaken. Can't I stay with you? What if we run into Kagome and her friends? Or Kohaku? I don't want to have to go and hide, I can help. I swear I can!”

 

Sesshoumaru gazed at the child with a softened glance in his eye that came unusually to the Western Lord. He replied with, “You may. Jaken,” he furthermore summoned, “you will keep her further behind and watch her. Along with Ah-Un.”

 

The two-headed demon let out a groan which meant they understood their instruction. And Jaken rolled his eyes and irritably groaned for having to be Rin's keeper for the thousandth time, but he just agreed and they continued walking.

 

The night was cool and Rin kept tugging at the sleeves and shoulders of her garments wishing they would warm her skin just a bit more than they were. The trees hung over them and guided the pathway they walked. There was nothing heard that night except the sound of their feet crunching on the partially mixed moist and watered gravel road, and the sound of the wind singing as it danced between branches, twigs and leaves. However, Sesshoumaru's strong senses picked up another presence; a familiar one. And his ears heard the muffled sounds of crying and shuffling come from not too far off in the wood before them. Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks and listened furthermore, not for a second trusting that the noise came from a friendly source.

 

“Something troubling you, my Lord?” Jaken asked turning to look upward at his master.

 

“Stay here with Rin,” he said and walked off into the wood towards the direction of the noises he had heard. Jaken scowled but did as he was told and began to preach and complain to the tired and aloof child near him.

 

The cries were getting louder as Sesshoumaru stealthy and hastily stepped his way through the wood, his hand resting comfortably and necessarily on his Toukijin for precaution. He would take no risk if this creature making this noise was fierce. But the display Sesshoumaru walked upon was not a demon or anything fierce or dangerous at all, it was a site that was almost heart-breaking—except not towards Sesshoumaru, the Western Lord and his heart of ice. It was the girl he recognized that traveled with his half-wit brother: Kagome, her name was. She was tied to one of the largest trees in the vicinity and she was heavily wounded. She was bruised and cut and had gashes that needed attending across her body. She was sitting among the roots of the tree with a rope tying her to it around her midsection. Another rope tying her wrists together. She had bruises on her thighs and cuts and scrapes around her ankles and a gash on her left knee that seemed fairly deep. Her shirt had been raised and the rope had rubbed against her skin causing it to draw blood. Her hair was matted and her mouth was gagged and there was a trial of blood dripping down the left side of her face from a significant wound upon her brow line. Her eye was slightly puffy and was the slight hue of an off-tone azure. There was a cloth that he could see was shoved directly into her mouth and from there being a rope tied around her arms as well; there was nothing she could do to remove it. Her head hung somewhat low and she was softly weeping, but as Sesshoumaru crept nearer, she quickly looked up in his directions and her eyes seemed to almost light up.

 

“Sey-hoy-mm-oo,” she said through the cloth, which he took as her saying her name. The demon lord walked over towards her and with a hand took the cloth out of her mouth and stared down at her with the look he always seemed to give her whenever their eyes met.

 

“Where is Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru asked with the smallest amount of malice in his voice, Kagome noticed. It was due to the fact that he was surprised that it was unusual for him to see her without his annoying half-demon brother squabbling around her.

 

“I don't know,” she answered. “What are you doing here?”

 

“The aura of this place I recognize as belonging to Naraku, the demon. Also, you're snivelling I could pick up from the trail I was walking just west of here.”

 

Kagome didn't respond to that and just sat there looking around and trying not to make direct eye contact with him.

 

“Would you be able to untie me?” she asked. “I realize that's asking you to do a human a favour, but I'm sure you can manage at least this. Please.”

 

Sesshoumaru quirked an amused eyebrow for her tone in which she spoke to him but he pondered, then nodded and with the ease of a claw sliced the rope that kept her tied to the tree. She laboriously and painfully—and with difficulty—got to her feet after several tries and leaned against the tree for support, realizing for the first time how vulnerable and weak her current position left her in. She was in no means ready for battle.

 

“What do you plan to do?” she asked him.

 

He coldly replied, “Kill Naraku,” and with the brashness of which he said it, it was almost a slap to the face with a “duh” kind of remark.

 

“Can you sense your brother? I need to find him and the others, it's really important,” she pleaded.

 

“I can pick up the aura of a strong barrier not too far from this location,” he said, “and I can pick up Inuyasha's stench from that location. There's a river that runs not too far from the east of here, follow that. That will lead you where you need to go,” he had began to turn around and walk away when Kagome opened her mouth to speak and asked him to stop. He turned around to face her with a bothered, questionable glance.

 

“I realize that we're not allies or anything, but thank you for all you've done.”

 

Sesshoumaru gave her the same brushed off, blank stare she always received from him and then he turned away and disappeared among the brush. Kagome offered a thankful grin to him as he walked away, unaware that as he walked away, he was cursing humans for how annoying and problematic they always seem to be.

 

[..+..]

 

A/N: I realized that creating an ending without incorporating main or subtle characters that really affect the plot makes for a pretty craptastic ending. I hope you enjoyed it, and reviews or comments or anything are appreciated. Thanks a million.