InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkened Depths ❯ Mysterious Watcher ( Chapter 2 )

Darkened Depths

Chapter Two: Mysterious Watcher

By,

Babs

---=---=---

Reclined in the over growth of an abandoned field Inuyasha lay, hands behind his head acting as a pillow allowing the sun to warm his face. His fire rat coat lay beside him, his chest bared to the chilly wind that continued its journey west. `It's so nice not to have to worry anymore,' he thought to himself, the sides of his lips twitching upward in the slightest of grins.

"Inuyasha," his amber eyes shot open as he sprung into a sitting position. Scanning the area a familiar scent invaded his senses.

"Kikyo," her pale form stood draped in her usual priestess clothes despite the summer heat. `I let my guard down, how stupid of me.' "What are you doing here?"

"I come as a warning," she took a step back, her eyes grazing over the line of trees that surrounded the clearing in which they stood, "a watcher is near Inuyasha."

"What?" his whirled his head around to follow her line of sight but saw nothing, "Kikyo wha…" turned to look back at her he found the high priestess gone. Raising to his feet he allowed his eyes to roam the trees on the outskirts of his personal clearing.

`I'm not sensing anything…wait what's that.' He scooped up his coat and took a few steps forward. `I felt a dark aura…its gone now though.' Shaking his head he laughed out loud at himself.

"Get real, Kikyo is just trying to scare me."

---=---=---

Sango was walking through the forest, oversized boomerang slung over her shoulder. Her high ponytail swung in the light breeze that blew past her. Smiling she stopped by a boulder to take a rest. Setting her Hiraikotsu against a tree she turned her face upwards and smiled up at the cheery blossoms. The petite flowers were in full bloom, the mild wind knocking the velvety smooth petals from their perch, causing Sango to be showered in pink. A small giggle caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder. Shippo was tagging along behind her with Kirara, who was viciously attacking the pink petals that came anywhere hear her.

"Look at that Sango! These are so pretty!" Shippo began to dance around Kirara in a fit of giggles, causing Sango to smile wider. She pulled herself up onto the boulder, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched her companions frolic and go crazy as if they had never seen a cheery blossom before. "Hey Sango, I bet if Kagome were still here she would really love this spot." The kitsune looked down sadly at the memory of his adoptive mom. Sango frowned as well, at a loss of words to comfort the little fox demon.

"Shippo don't be sad," she finally managed out. Ever since they had all gone their separate ways Shippo had become attached to Sango, joining her team of two. Looking up with watery green eyes Shippo gave her a weak smile.

"Do you think….do you think she misses me?" Shippo shifted from foot to foot looking down at the ground, "you know…like I miss her?"

"Oh Shippo of course she does! You know it wasn't her choice to leave…" Sango trailed off, squashing the anger that had started to bubble up again.

"I know….it was stupid Inuyasha who told her to go. I just don't see why she listened! I mean….she never did before! Even if she didn't listen, Inuyasha couldn't have done nuthin', we woulda kept Kagome safe. Right Sango?" Sango had stopped listening half way through his speech, sensing a dark presence around them. "Sango?"

"We need to go Shippo," she slipped off the boulder and reclaimed Hiraikotsu. Taking Shippo's hand she tugged him along, eyeing the woods around them carefully. `I know something is out there….watching us.'

---=---=---

Kagome stepped back into her house, sighing as the wall of warm air hit her face. Kicking the door shut with her foot she slipped her feet from her shoes and carried the numerous bags to the kitchen. Her mood had lightened from the rain, the cold chill had seemed to wash away the pain she had been feeling, actually leaving her with a smile on her face.

"Kagome you're back! And…wet," her mother frowned at her as she moved to drape a fluffy white towel around her daughter's shoulders, "thank you so much for doing this for me….I hope it wasn't to much trouble."

"No, none at all," Kagome replied, for once in the past three weeks actually meaning it.

"Hey Kagome," she looked back at her little brother as she towel dried her hair. He was now dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a plain white t-shirt that hung past his hips looking freshly scrubbed. She grinned thinking of how their mother had probably hosed him down before she let him in her car, let alone the house.

"Hey squirt, how did you're soccer game go?"

"Aw man it was awesome! You should have been there sis! We totally slaughtered those stupid Thorns! Oh man it was cool, we slipped so much in the mud, it was the best thing ever!"

"Not to mention the messiest," Mrs. Higurashi added eying her son with a smile, "Souta honey, why don't you go find Buyo for me? That poor thing, I think he's outside still."

"Sure thing Ma!" he took off running, slipping along the hardwood floors in his spotless white socks. Kagome took a seat at the dinning room table with a sigh as she snuggled in deeper to her towel, inhaling the scents of her mom's cooking.

"So…I heard you ran into Hojo today," Kagome's good mood faltered. How had she known that? "He stopped by the house just a little after Souta and I got home from his game." Her mother seemed to have a knack for reading her thoughts.

"Yeah….he happened to be in the same diner as me," Kagome explained grabbing a cookie from the tray that was set out on the table. She eyed them, slightly warmed by the arrangement of color sugary sweets.

"He's a very nice boy Kagome. I don't see what would be the harm in going out with him now that you're…" Kagome tensed, snapping her cookie in half and stared wide-eyed at her mother, who stood frozen at the stove. She turned around, a nervous expression plastered on her face. "Kagome I-"

"No Mom," she pushed away from the table and stood abruptly, glaring at her mother before turning her back to her, "I don't want to hear it." `Not yet,' she thought as she dashed up the stairs, nearly knocking Souta over on her way.

Upon reaching her room she slammed her door shut and threw herself onto her bed, eyes blurred with unshed tears. Blinking furiously she willed the tears to go away. Since her forced return home she had yet to cry, and after three weeks of staying strong she wasn't about to lose to a slip of her mom's tongue.

`She's right you know…you'll never return to that time ago so why put your life on hold?'

Shut up shut up shut up! I don't want to hear it!

`If not now then when? Face it Kagome, either way you look at it you'll have to face the truth, sooner or later.'

Kagome scowled, realizing she was arguing with herself, but was even more upset by the fact that her other half seemed to be winning it. Rolling over onto her back she hugged a stuffed dog to her chest. Looking down into its big honey brown plastic eyes she sighed, imagining another dog's eyes instead.

"I need to give up…give in. My life will never be the same again will it Chochi?" she asked the stuffed Labrador that lay on her chest looking up at her with sad eyes. "I know, it won't be. And it's been a good three weeks, it's time to start changing my life. Living it now in the present, not in the past." Chochi just continued to star at her and she grinned. `But can you really forget three years in three weeks?' Sighing she pushed Chochi off of her. "Shut up already, I thought you wanted me to forget him." Suddenly a chill swept through her, causing her to bolt upright in her bed. Looking around her room she shuddered.

"Kagome! Dinner time!" her grandpa called through her door. Kagome looked at the white door and just stared at it. Looking back down at Chochi she frowned.

"I didn't like that feeling Choc….it almost felt as if someone was watching me,"

"Kagome, dinner!"

"Yeah okay I'm coming!" pushing away the thought of being watched Kagome jumped off her bed and headed towards her door. Swinging it open she turned around giving her room a once over. `Get a grip Kagome, no one's there.'

---=---=---

Sesshomaru stood standing in a grand ballroom looking intently upon his own reflection in the window. A glass of deep red liquid was delicately dangling between his fingertips. His cool collected look was smoothed over his face as always, his back straight with his shoulders thrust back.

"Get out of my way you hideous toad!" Sesshomaru turned towards the double doors that led into the main hall of his palace. They burst open as Jaken came flying forward screaming. He landed on his face before Sesshomaru's feet and instantly stood and started to bow.

"Lord Sesshomaru I'm sorry! I tried to stop her, but she would not listen to me! I'm sorry please forgive me!"

"Shut up you warty thing," Sesshomaru lifted his gaze to the entrance to his ballroom. The double doors were banging against the walls and between them stood petite young woman with Rin by her side. Rin smiled brightly at Sesshomaru before scurrying to his side. "Really Sesshomaru I can understand why you keep the girl around, she's a doll, but that…thing, I really think you've lost your mind along with that sword of yours."

"What to you have to report to me Sasaka?" the woman jutted out her hip, placing a slender hand on it and gave him a pout, her ruby lips catching the light from the chandelier that hung above them.

She had curly black hair that reached her shoulder and pink eyes with flecks of gold in them. Her silky black tresses were pushed back away from her face by a braided band of red cloth. She had a pair of red capris that fit like a second skin with a black corset that laced up in the front with red leather. Her black heels strapped around her ankle made her at least 5'0", which allowed her black and silver kimono to barely skim the ground.

"Is that anyway to treat me? I am after all doing you a favor Sessy,"

"Don't call Lord Sesshomaru that you ungrateful witch! Besides you owe Lord Sesshomaru many favors you…you…." Jaken stood shaking his staff at her, eyes ablaze from her earlier insults. Sasaka grabbed his staff, which he held onto desperately and rose him so he was eye level with her.

"Listen up you little bug, I am no witch I am a highly desirable sorceress that you will respect, do you understand that you scaly monstrosity?" Jaken puffed his chest out but did not argue, knowing fully well what Sasaka could do to him. Tossing him aside she straightened and looked at Sesshomaru with a sassy smile. "Now where was I Sessy? Oh yes…you wanted your report back."

"If you would be so kind," he swirled his drink around in his hand staring at Sasaka with a cold expression.

"They seem very unaware, though since I did linger to long I feel the sensed my presence so I had to leave them quickly," she shifted her weight to one foot and crossed her arms under her breasts, bringing them further up in her corset. "Well Sessy, aren't you even gonna offer a girl a drink?" he fixed her with an icy glare and she sighed. "I really don't see why I'm doing this for you. I mean really what am I benefiting from it?"

"You're family will get to live,"

"Oh yes, then there's that. What else would you like to know oh Lord Sessy?"

"The girl, what of her?" Sasaka moved a step closer to him while pulling out a mirror from her kimono. The mirror had jagged edges but framed with smooth white stone that wrapped around like vines. Sasaka gripped the handle made of the same stone and turned the mirror towards Sesshomaru.

"See for yourself," he looked intensely into the mirror and waited as his reflection rippled and was replaced with Kagome's image. She lay on her back clutching a stuff toy holding a conversation with it, "It seems that our little priestess is pining away after that brother of yours. What she sees in him I really don't know, he looks scrawny to me." Tucking away the mirror she turned on one heal and headed towards the door. "Oh," pausing at the entrance she looked over her shoulder at him, "by the way. The walking dead priestess knows of your plans. She warned Inuyasha that I was there spying on him. I'd watch your back if I were you Sessy."

"Very good, I'll call upon you when I require your services again."

"I beg your pardon?" she snapped spinning around to face him, hands planted firmly on both hips, "I am not your little servent you can call upon anytime of the day. I'm a high ranking spell caster, you are merely," with a flash of white and the shatter of glass Sasaka was slammed against the wall she stood by. Sesshomaru stood, his hand gripping her neck holding her up and against the wall just enough so that the tips of her toes barely scrapped along the polished floor.

"You listen to me, you may be a spell caster and a magic weaver, but I run the western lands. If you do not recall sorceress but you and your village reside there, there by you are under my control," Sasaka wrapped both her tiny hands around Sesshomaru's wrists clawing at his hand for release. He moved closer to their faces were centimeters apart. "When I beckon you, you will come to my aide, is that clear Sasaka?"

"Yes," she rasped out. Sesshomaru's cool demeanor broke as his lips turned upward in a mocking grin.

"Good," he let go, allowing the gasping girl to slump to the floor as she sucked in lung full after lung full of air into her burning lungs. "Now leave before I find your village more of a nuisance then it already is." She nodded, her appearance shimmering as she disappeared from his sight. `My plans are working out perfectly,' he smirked the tiniest of smirks as he strolled out of the ballroom.