InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkened Depths ❯ A Missed Companion ( Chapter 3 )

Darkened Depths

Chapter three: A Missed Companion

By,

Babs

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Nearing the edge of the woods Sango looked back to find Kirara transformed into her full demon form with Shippo sleeping on her back. `Poor little guy, he looks exhausted.' She smiled turning back to face the on coming entrance. Finally emerging from the brush she paused looking out to the horizon. The sun had begun to set, casting a warm orange glow to everything it touched. Turning her gaze down towards the bottom of the hill she spotted the outline of a very familiar village. `I sure hope Kaede knows something about that strange presence I felt earlier.' She worried her bottom lip between her teeth recalling the feeling that had crawled over her skin causing her to shudder. Kirara nudged Sango's shoulder with her nose, meowing as if to tell her continue.

"Right, come on Kirara," Sango started down the hill that ended at the village. As they neared the village many of the workers nodded to Sango, many shouting a `hello' in their direction. Sango only nodded in reply, eager to reach the hut she had spent much of her time in in the past three years.

"Sango!" surprised she looked to her left, and couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips.

"Houshi, how are you?" Miroku jogged over with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Great, what are you doing here Sango? I thought you three had set off?" Miroku gave her a questioning stare as Sango glanced back at Shippo to make sure he was still asleep.

"I…I sensed something Miroku," she turned her dark brown eyes to him, "it was a very strong evil. I came to see if Kaede knew anything of it."

"Aye, she doesn't," Sango rose an eyebrow at the monks quick response, "I to felt the aura of an evil being lurking around and came to Kaede for guidance. It seems that this evil is watching over us." He tapped his chin in thought. "We should try and contact Inuyasha, see if he's felt the presence too."

"No need," they looked up to the roof of Kaede's hut to see the familiar hanyou lounging there. His silver hair whipped around his face as the wind blew pasted his crouched figure. "Kikyo came to me with a warning that a watcher was near, then I sensed someone watching me. I blew it off, thinking she had planted it there."

"So why are you here?" Shippo said while yawning and stretching, "you already ran Kagome away, why not just stay with Kikyo."

"Why you little…"

"Inuyasha," he snapped his mouth shut as Kaede come into sight from her hut, "ye all had good sense to come to me. But I am afraid I cannot help ye identify what strange presence watches over ye."

"It seems this darkness is checking up on us," Sango directed her gaze from Inuyasha to the ground then added in a low whisper, "I wonder if Kagome felt it as well."

"I heard that Sango!" Inuyasha snarled causing the young taijiya to wince at his harsh tone, "it doesn't matter whether or not she felt it. Kagome is gone."

"Yeah only because you drove her away dog breath!" Shippo yelled, taking a fighting stance upon Kirara's back, "Kagome would still be here if it wasn't for you."

"Shut up you little runt," Inuyasha growled flexing his claws, "if you keep it up I'll make cat food out of you for Kirara."

"That's enough!" they all turned their gazes to Kaede, "All of ye, come in and rest for tonight. We will figure out how to go about this before sunrise tomorrow." They nodded and followed the old miko into the hut, Inuyasha and Shippo glaring daggers at each other the whole way.

---=---=---

Inuyasha sat up with his back against the wall, legs crossed and hands tucked in the arms of his robes. His ears twitched at the sounds of slurping and occasional cough. Everyone sat around the small fire in the middle of the hut enjoying a stew in silence, no one wanting to bring up what they're next steps to their plan of action would be. Kaede had left to attend to a young women who was in labor, leaving the plotting to them.

"Well since no one is going to say it," Inuyasha opened his eyes to stare at the monk, who had been the first to speak, "we need to bring Kagome back."

"No," Inuyasha's eyes darkened to a deep shade of amber, "we don't need Kagome for this."

"Inuyasha this could be serious," Sango started.

"Then I will handle it! Kagome is of no use to us anymore, the Shikon no Tama is completed, she can't do anymore," Inuyasha closed his eyes again assuming that the conversation was over.

"She wasn't just your stupid shard detector!" he tensed as Shippo's harsh accusation, "she fought just as much as us!"

"You didn't even fight you pipsqueak," Inuyasha shot back narrowing his eyes at Shippo.

"Inuyasha, Shippo is right, Kagome was a valuable member to our team and that wasn't just because she could detect the jewel shards," he reverted his gaze back to Miroku, who held his stare with one just as stubborn, "besides, we need to know if she's felt anything strange as did us."

"She's back in her time Miroku, they wouldn't be able to reach her," Inuyasha defended.

"Not necessarily," he narrowed his eyes at Miroku as he continued, "if the presence is as evil as we seem to think it is, we don't know what kind of powers it has. This evil could just as easily reach Kagome in her time as if she were here with us." Something tightened in Inuyasha's chest at the mention of Kagome being at the mercy of evil. `I wouldn't be able to protect her this time,' he thought before grunting and closing his eyes again.

"Fine, I'll go fetch her in the morning,"

"Really? Oh how awesome! This is so exciting Kagome is coming back!" Shippo wailed jumping up and down in excitement.

"She's not staying though, if everything is fine she's going back," he glared at Shippo, "no matter what." The kitsune huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. `That's what you think, I won't let you take Kagome from us a second time.'

---=---=---

Kagome sat at her dining room table with the rest of her family munching happily on her mother's French toast. Today she seemed to be in a better mood then she had been in a long time, the thoughts of the past never once resurfacing. She idly pocked at her eggs, her eyebrows drawing together as snippets from last nights dream flitting around in her head.

She had been sitting in the dark surrounded by nothing at all. The only sound to be heard was her taping her nails on the polished floor she sat on, as almost as if she were waiting from someone to come meet her. Slowly a steady wind had started to wrap itself around her, picking up her hair from her neck and whipping it around her head, still she sat though calm as if she experienced this everyday. Somewhere in the distance the sound of footfalls echoed but were lost to the sound of rushing wind. Suddenly Kagome had stopped taping her nails and spun around. The direction of the wind changed and started to blow straight at her, pushing her hair back away from her face giving her a perfect view of two round amber globes heading towards her. Her mouth fell open and a piercing scream shattered the silence as something grabbed her wrists.

"Kagome?" she jumped, flinging fluffy scrambled eggs into the air as her mother touched her wrist. "Dear are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine mom, sorry. Still a little tired, that's all," she smiled up at her mom. The simplest of smiles from Kagome now seemed to settle her mother's nerves and made Kagome feel horrible. She had started to realize how she had been treating her family and was now trying to treat them better.

"Okay, but you better hurry up and finish, Hojo will be here soon," Kagome controlled her grimace at her mother's words as she picked pieces of egg from her skirt. Today she wore a white cotton mini skirt that had a red drawstring and a number 7 printed on her left hip. She also had a white tank top on and on the back of her chair was a red jacket with two white stripes running down the sides and the arms. Her and Mrs. Higurashi had gone out shopping for this special outfit that she would ware on her date with Hojo, which Kagome had only agreed to for her mother's sake.

"Mom do you have my new shoes still?"

"Yes dear, I put them by the door for you," she smiled and Kagome returned it. `I'm really glad this is making her happy again,' she thought pushing the last bites of food on her plate around once more.

"What the…" suddenly the door to the kitchen burst open and Kagome's fork clattered to her plate, her mouth agape as she stared into two amber globes.

"Inu….Inuyasha?"

"Feh, c'mon wench you're coming with me," he reached out to take her hand, but recoiled as something smacked him on the hand. He looked over at Mrs. Higurashi who had her one hand planted firmly on her hip while the other clutched a serving spoon in the other, the weapon that was used against Inuyasha.

"You will not come into my house and speak to my daughter like that!"

"Mom…"

"You shoved her down that rickety old well and told her never to come back," she slowly started to advance on Inuyasha, causing him to back away wide-eyed.

"Mom!"

"And now you come in here and expect her to jump at the chance to visit with you again after not one word for almost a month?" Mrs. Higurashi had Inuyasha pressed against a wall, his hands held up in front of him as she shook the metal snoop angrily at him. "I will not allow it! I want you out, out, out!" she shoved him out of the kitchen door and into the living room, causing Inuyasha to fall down and land painfully hard on his bum.

"Mother!" Kagome was up next to her mother trying to pry the spoon from the furious woman's hands as the doorbell rang. She looked up and gasped, "oh no that's Hojo! Jii-chan do something, please?" she hurriedly grabbed Inuyasha yanking him to his feet and running into the hall. She shoved him into a closet then stuffed herself in behind him, pulling the door shut behind her right as her grandpa answered the door. She gulped and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the feel of Inuyasha's muscular frame pressed against her.

"Hello Mr. Higurashi, I'm here to get Kagome…is she ready?" Kagome strained to hear the conversation, barely making it out past the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.

"I'm sorry Hojo, Kagome has fallen ill,"

"What? Oh no! Not again, what is it this time? I hope it's nothing to serious…"

"Well you see, Kagome has…Kagome has….what was it she had again Souta?"

"She has….uh…Mongolia! Wait no that's not right ….ba…ba… bolia!" Souta shouted in triumph from the hall way.

"Sou-" Kagome was silenced as a hand cupped over her mouth, muffling her wild protests. She struggled to be let loose but Inuyasha snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, stilling her movements. She looked up, eyes widening in shock as she watched Inuyasha's face in the light that seeped through the cracks in the door. His features were sharp and defined, but softness could be seen behind it all. His golden eyes were focused on the door, apparently listening intently as well.

"Yes, bolia that's right," her grandpa confirmed.

"Bolia…hmm I've never heard of that before. Is it new?"

"No, not new. Just rare, very rare…you uh…you turn slimy and bleed a lot in absurd places, so you won't want to see Kagome anytime soon. So sorry, bye now!" Souta rushed over and shut the door. Leaning back against it he let out a sigh of relief as he heard Hojo's retreat.

Anger swelled inside of Kagome as she shoved away from Inuyasha and swung the door open. Her eyes were flashing a dangerous blueish black as she glared at her younger brother, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Bolio? Souta bolio!?! That's a disease that's only found in Africa! You bleed from every pore and you pretty much die from that. Couldn't you think of anything normal? Like the flu?!" She screamed flailing her arms out for emphasis. Her breathing was labored from trying to hold back the full force of her anger. She stilled as someone rested a hand on her heaving shoulders, their warm seeping into her muscles causing her to relax. Looking back she fought the urge to smile, how long she had waited to see those golden eyes again.

`Almost a month Kagome, remember? He shoved you down the well and told you to basically get lost? Are you so soon to forget the pain he put you through because of one little touch on the shoulder?'

No!

Shrugging his hand off of her shoulder she took a few steps away from him to put a safe distance between them. Turning to face him she crossed her arms in front of her, fixing him with her best demanding glare.

"What do you want Inuyasha?"

"I need you to come with me Kagome, now," he growled balling his hands into fists at his side.

"Why, for a friendly reunion? You guys, could you please excuse us?" she looked over at her family, who reluctantly nodded and left. She waited until the door to the kitchen was firmly shut before looking back at Inuyasha. Fighting the urge to gasp she stared into his eyes, seeing an almost pleading look in his eyes. "Inuyasha…"

"The others miss you Kagome,"

`But do you?'

Shove it.

"There has to be better reason then that Inuyasha," Kagome tried to keep the pleading out of her voice. But damn it she had to hear it, she had to hear him say he had made a mistake the day he pushed her down that well. She had to hear him say not only the others missed her but he missed her too. `Please Inuyasha, say you've come to take me back, because you love me too.'

"We…we think someone is looking for us," Kagome stood there, trying to figure out what he had just said.

"W-what?"

"Over the past few days Miroku and Sango have sensed a very evil presence watching over them. They met up at Kaede's and that's where I ran into them, I told them what Kikyo…"

"Kikyo," Kagome whispered biting down on her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "What did Kikyo say?"

"She said that there was a watcher near by, and that's when I had sensed it too. Everyone wants to know if you've felt it too….the evil presence of someone watching you," Inuyasha looked at her with a cold expression, making it hard for Kagome to see what he really wanted to hear.

`He wants you to say no so he doesn't have to take you back with him. He's only doing this because the others are worried about you.'

"I…yes," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her, "I felt it, the other day. I was sitting in my room when it felt as if someone had been watching me." She shuddered at the memory of it, running her hands along her bare arms.

"Did it…" she looked up into his eyes, trying to read the unvoiced question, "never mind. Come on, we'll need your help trying to find this thing then."

"I," she didn't get to say anything before he grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards the door.

`Are you going to let him push you around Kagome? After what he's done?'

"Stop it!" she yanked her wrist free, wincing as his claws scratched her wrist. He whirled around looking at her with wide eyes. His nose twitched from the scent of blood before he looked down at her wrist, his eyes softening.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Kagome…"

"It doesn't hurt," she whispered taking her wrist in her hand, "let me get my coat ok?" he nodded and she turned towards the door to the kitchen and pulled it open. She jumped back and screamed as Souta and her grandfather fell down at her feet. Her mother stood behind them blushing an impossibly red, clutching Kagome's jacket in her hands tightly.

"Looking for this?"

"Yes," Kagome glared at all three of them before taking her jacket from her mom. Turning from them she walked to the door as everyone watched her in silence as she slipped on her new red and white vans.

"Kagome?" she looked up at her mother's meek voice.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry," Kagome gave her a reassuring smile before opening the door and walking out with Inuyasha. `This better be worth it.'

Isn't Inuyasha always worth it?

Kagome blushed at that thought as he led her towards the well house.