InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ambiguity ❯ Disappearance ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: Jesachi

Chapter 2

~Disappearance~

`We should go back you know…'

Inuyasha ignored the youkai voice inside his head and plowed on, running headlong through the woods, letting the cold night air wipe away his thoughts. For some reason, the more he thought about Sango and Miroku's conversation, the angrier he became.

`Face it; you know the only reason you're getting upset is because you know they were right. We should have gone back with Kagome rather than chase down Naraku all over Kami's creation. His scent is everywhere… we ain't gonna find him…'

Inuyasha unleashed an irritated growl, just before a sense of overwhelming tension washed over him. Something wasn't right all of a sudden…

`Something's wrong with Kagome…'

He came to an abrupt halt and swung around, sniffing the air, facing the direction that he came, `How can there be? She's back in her time…'

`Is she though? We thought we felt her leave… but what if she came back? Or did she really leave to begin with? We should go back… no… we have to go back…'

`I don't remember asking your opinion…'

`Baka… I'm your MIND! You don't ASK my opinion… I give it willingly.'

Inuyasha sighed, staring through the trees, as if he could see something other than them. The tension was pouring over him faster and without any relief. Something was wrong with Kagome…so attuned to her emotions now after three years of hanging around each other, he could almost hear her calling out to him over the wind, `Inuyasha… where are you?'

As if he needed just a little more persuasion, a sense of dread added to the tension, the wind shifted and the scent of Naraku that hung in the air started to retreat. The hanyou could almost see the purple waves of dark energy and smell curling and furling away from him, towards where he came from… where he knew Kagome was…

`Move, you dog! Something is WRONG!'

`Shut up, you, I'm moving!' Taking off again, this time going back, the hanyou ran as fast as he could, pushing his body to its limit, attempting to make it back to Kagome. Was he really that stupid, leaving the village when he knew that she could come back at any given time? He should have stayed where he was; he would have known if she had come back. The idea of her being in danger didn't sit well with him, and add the fact that he was further away from her than he should have been and Naraku's scent was doing strange things… `Stupid girl…you weren't supposed to come back!'

`Stupid you, Inuyasha, for thinking she wouldn't…'

He didn't say anything to his youkai as he pushed on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A shift in scent, the stirring of an ominous breeze. One fiery red eye shot open, observing the surrounding hut. The wind blew at the bamboo screen, gently, but unrelenting. The hair on her back spiked, tail bristled, Kirara growled a warning, waking up her slumbering mistress.

“What's wrong, Kirara?” Sango whispered, rubbing her eyes to fight off sleep and rubbing her arms against the cold breeze, “Is something out there?”

The exterminator pushed back her blankets and went to the screen, peering out. The sky was dark over towards the east, away from Inuyasha's forest, darker than the night should be…

“You feel it too, Sango?”

Sango gasped, turning around to see Miroku sitting up, a frown upon his handsome features, “What is it, Houshi-sama?”

“An ominous presence,” he replied gravely, “Where's Inuyasha?”

Sango looked around, “I… don't know… I haven't seen him since Kagome left at sunset…”

He nodded, standing up and picking up his staff, “It is just as I feared earlier, Sango sweet. He must have left the village.”

Sango shook her head, grasping her large boomerang, Hiraikotsu, from the wall, “Shall we go check it out?” she asked.

“Yes, perhaps we will find our hanyou along the way, trusting that he can feel the presence as well.”

She nodded, “And what about Shippou?” she inquired, glancing over at the young kit. He was sleeping on a tiny little bed next to the stuff that Kagome usually left there. Sango always felt responsible for the kit when Kagome wasn't around.

“Let him sleep,” Miroku replied, “He'll be safer that way. Kagome would shock us with miko energy if something happened to him.”

Sango winced as that image came to mind, “Alright,” she consented, “Kirara!”

And the three of them set off.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Leaping into the middle of the village, Inuyasha looked around wildly, bringing up his haori sleeve to block the wind from his face. It had picked up steadily since he had set off back, now near the point of howling. The bamboo screens of each hut were threatening to rip off and the trees groaned. Something was really, very wrong. And what made it worse was Kagome wasn't anywhere nearby and that feeling that had consumed him and forced him to turn back was gone. No, it wasn't the fact that it was gone… it was the idea as to why it was gone…

The night was dark… darker over towards the east, Inuyasha noticed. That had to be where the trouble was. Pausing a moment before he took off, the hanyou lifted his nose and sniffed. Where were Sango and that hentai monk? Judging by the fact that their scents too, were distant, they must have felt something odd… and they left Shippou in the hut…

`Excellent, less distraction…' he thought satisfactorily, pushing off the ground and heading towards the trees. Dark energy circled over a particular part of the forest, furling and coiling in a menacing sort of way, making the hanyou even more anxious.

`Kagome… are you in trouble?' he called out silently with grim determination as the shadows of the trees enclosed over him. This forest had an unfamiliar feel, not being his. Ears perked for a sound other than the wind, other senses flared, reaching for any kind of unwanted contact.

`Hey, you realize that the monk and Sango are nearby?'

`Huh?'

`Earth to Inuyasha! Sango and Miroku are here!'

Inuyasha stopped at the edge of a clearing, the wind whipping his silvery locks around his face, eyes flashing at what he saw.

Sango, Miroku and Kirara were battling their way across the barren space, Sango carrying something in her arms, “Inuyasha!” she called, noticing him and waving him over. Something about her voice, edged with- what was that emotion? Fear?

The hanyou bounded over to her, eyes scanning the landscape. The ground was ripped up, the wind pulling at everything and whipping it around, stronger than he ever remembered. The only time the wind had ever been this fierce were the times that it was artificial and the wind bitch Kagura conjured it…

Something on the ground caught Inuyasha's attention as it rolled towards him. Bending down, he picked it up, turning it over to examine it. It was one of those water scrunchies, something that Kagome used for when she took one of her many baths.

Clenching it in his fist, Inuyasha turned towards Sango as she stepped in front of him, “What the hell happened here?” he growled, holding out the scrunchie so that she could see it.

Sango shook her head, opening up her arms carefully, “I don't know,” she said, showing the hanyou what she had. He looked down, with his other hand, inspecting what she had. It was Kagome's backpack, empty and torn.

Snarling, Inuyasha looked up and around, noticing for the first time that there were things floating around that shouldn't be. All of Kagome's stuff… but no miko.

“She's gone…” Miroku supplied. He too, was holding something out of the bag. It was one of her books from school, its cover torn and scratched, pages fluttering in the harsh wind, “With no trace of anything…”

Inuyasha shook his head, staring at the water bath thing in his hand thoughtfully. His eyes widened as if seeing something he hadn't ever seen before. Of course…

`Naraku…'

He didn't need his youkai to point that out when all the evidence was hitting him faster than one of Sesshoumaru's energy whips. Kagome's fear that he somehow felt, the weird pattern of Naraku's scent, the wind… it was all coming together… how couldn't he have foreseen this earlier? This was just what that bastard was waiting for; a chance to catch Kagome… to get…

“Naraku…” Inuyasha growled, eyes flashing then narrowing dangerously. He looked up at Sango and Miroku, “Did you find…?”

Sango shook her head, interpreting his unsaid question and pushing her flying hair away from her face, “We looked… those are gone too. Inuyasha, if it's Naraku…”

Inuyasha took in her information silently without any outward sign of emotion and glanced back down at the scrunchie. It smelt strongly of Kagome, of her just after she bathed, damp, intoxicating, completely and totally overwhelming…

It wasn't the fact that Naraku now had the shards. No, it was the idea that now that he had what he wanted, what was he going to do with Kagome? Surely, he was using her as bait, to get him, Inuyasha, to come after her, which he would definitely do without question. And then, once Naraku had Inuyasha, he wasn't just going to hand over Kagome happily because he had the shards… no, he had no further use for the miko once Inuyasha showed up… and useless meant immediate signature on the death warrant…

And that was not a happy thought.

`He knows, Inuyasha. He knows that Kagome's our weakness, and he's gonna use her to his advantage… the shards are just an added bonus for him…he knows that we're going to go after her… there isn't even an option… am I right?'

Inuyasha didn't disagree and didn't say anything. Instead, he looked up at Sango and Miroku. Total determination, fear, hate and a few other nameless emotions passed through his gaze, lending it a deadly look that both the monk and the exterminator slightly recoiled from, “I'm going after her…” he muttered, throttling the bath scrub.

“That's what he wants though, Inuyasha…” Miroku started, but the hanyou wouldn't hear it.

“Hatch a plan on the way, monk,” he growled, “I don't care what the hell you do, but I'm leaving. Right now. If you're coming, then okay. But I'm going no matter what. Kagome's in trouble and I ain't sitting around here trying to figure out my next move. I know what it is, and that's killing Naraku and taking Kagome back… and the damn jewel if I can,” he added.

`Miroku's right, you know.'

`Shut up… I ain't asking your opinion. Kagome's first priority,'

`And I'm not gonna stop you from going after her. Naraku deserves whatever's coming to him. Just keep in mind what Miroku said. Naraku's going to be expecting us to come to Kagome's rescue… which might I add that we have made our life's mission to do that for her…not that we mind…'

`Yeah, okay, whatever… and how about you remember what the monk said and remind me when I ask. After all, you tend to give your opinion when I don't need it…'

His youkai mumbled and Inuyasha got the impression that it was rolling its eyes.

Sango lifted her chin some and touched Hiraikotsu over her shoulder, “We're coming, Inuyasha,” she said, “Naraku has passed his limits long ago and this is the final straw. Kagome's our friend too…”

Miroku nodded, “Yes, well said, Sango,” he turned to Inuyasha, “Lead the way.”

Inuyasha gave a savage smile, the shadows of night casting his face into darkness and with the added ferocious wind, he made a very menacing sight, “Then what are we waiting for? Let's go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Jesachi