InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness in the Hearts of Light ❯ Rush Against Time ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Felan Silverchild 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Post-apocalyptic / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.23.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 172 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Post-apocalyptic / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.23.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 172 | Status: Completed
Chapter Seven : Rush Against Time
Inuyasha bolted upright, almost falling from his branch.
“What.. was that just now?” His hand clutched at his chest as he breathed heavily trying to understand what had happened. “Was that.. real?” Kagome had been there, but she looked so strange. And the feeling, the smells, everything seemed like it was from the clearing that surrounded the well. Could it possibly have been.. real?
The hanyou leapt sky-bound from his perch beyond the treetops and rushed the short distance towards the well. He had to be sure Kagome was safe there. But deep down he knew something was wrong.
“I’ll never forgive myself if she’s hurt.”
With a leap of immense power, Inuyasha reached the clearing and landed perfectly on the edge of the well. There was a pause, though as he balanced there. The idea that she might not have made it home.. he wasn’t sure he could stand it. He was supposed to be the one to protect her.. and yet he had let her go off on her own.
“Just wait for me, Kagome.” His voice was filled with fear as he took a breath and plunged into the well, disappearing into another time. He prayed she was there. She just had to be there!
“Haru, what happened?” Kioshi winced as he sat up. “I feel so weak. Is Kagome alright?”
“Haru? It’s not like you to call me that,” the old man snickered.
“Sorry, grandfather.”
“Well then, that’s better. Yes, she’s as fine as she can be in her present state and sleeping deeply right now. As for you, however, you must obey me under all circumstances when I say this: do not touch Kagome-sama with your own skin directly again, alright?”
“But..”
“You must swear it.”
“What is it you’re not telling me, Grandfather? What happened?” It was as Kioshi asked this that he realized the dawn sun was glowing just at the edge of the horizon, barely peeking it’s way through the tree trunks.
“You’ve been out all night,” Ran brushed against Kioshi and forcibly claimed a spot in his lap. “She’s been worried about you, you know.. so pay her some attention.” Haru filled a bowl with something and handed it to Kioshi.
“What is it?” The young man reached out for it with one hand as the other stroked through the wolf’s pelt contentedly.
“Just drink it. It’ll help you find your strength.” Kioshi couldn’t help but think he saw a strange smile in the old wrinkled expression that stared down at him.
He sniffed at the elixor. Kioshi almost gagged. It smelled horrendous! He wasn’t sure he could handle drinking it down, but the look Haru was giving him now said that if he didn’t then he was about to feel a whole lot worse.
Kioshi pinched his nose shut and grimaced deeply. It was hard to force himself to do it, but somehow he found the courage he didn’t know he had and down it went.
It tasted worse than it smelled, but amazingly Kioshi was beginning to feel a little better already.
Haru poured himself something and sat beside the young man, patting Ran’s rump as he made himself comfortable.
“That was quite a spectacle you two put on last night. You want to tell me what you saw?” Haru sipped at his tea. The fragrance was washing over towards Kioshi as the breeze changed direction. It certainly smelled better than his had and he suddenly realized how much he hated the after taste of whatever broth it was he had just forced down.
Kioshi obviously looked uncomfortable with the question and looked away, concentrating his gaze on Ran as he stroked his fingers through her thick white pelt.
“I was in the same clearing again that I saw last time. It was far more realistic than before though. I remember the distinct feeling that I really was there and that this reality was the dream. And then when I found Kagome.. he was there. Inuyasha. We were about to fight when..” Kioshi looked up at Haru with a troubled expression.
“What is it, Kioshi?”
“What if that hanyou really was there. Is that even possible?” Kioshi’s hand stopped its massage over Ran’s shoulders and she looked up at him expectantly.
“Go on.”
“I felt his yoki. I know I did.”
“I see.”
“Why do I get the feeling you know something about what happened, Haru?” Kioshi’s eyes narrowed a bit.
“Show some respect to your elders, Kioshi. It’s Grandfather.” The old man grinned teasingly but his expression quickly dissolved into seriousness. “At the moment you touched that young girl, a huge force washed through the forest. It was enough to send me rolling as well. I could sense something trailing through it that was very dark indeed. I suspect it wasn’t anything of Kagome’s or your doing, though so I am still left wondering.”
“Do you think it was coming from Inuyasha?”
“What?” Haru scratched his head with a curious expression.
“The dark presence!” Kioshi growled and muttered something about senility.
“Oh! I truly don’t know, but I can’t help feeling that whatever it was had something ominous about it. That’s why I think you should refrain from touching her. It seems to me that it’s when you two touch skin to skin that something happens.” He noticed the young boy began blushing furiously. Hmm, curious. “And I know how your power works so it only furthers my theory. It also seems obvious to me that there’s more to this girl than just being a miko. I know I’ve said it before, but now I more than believe it.”
“You mean you didn’t before?”
The old man narrowed his eyes and glared at Kioshi with an overly dramatic expression.
“I don’t believe a lot of the things I say.” The look on Kioshi’s face as Haru admitted it was beyond comical. It was obvious that he took the old man much too seriously. And at that Haru howled with laughter.
“You know, now isn’t really the time for your bad jokes, Grandfather.”
“Yes, yes, but you should have seen yourself,” Haru wiped at his wrinkled old eyes and soothed his laughter away. “Seriously though, I’m beginning to think Raiju wasn’t really after this girls life. I can’t shake this feeling that perhaps he had intended for us to find her.”
“How can you be sure? It seemed like he was trying hard enough to kill her to me. The wound he gave her may be fatal itself, and what about when he came after her here?” Kioshi felt his stomach turning at the thought of Kagome dying, but it had to be said.
“Maybe he was after her Shikon shards. I can’t really say of course but Raiju never has been one for the obvious route. His mind is sharp and focused and so I can’t bring myself to believe that he would be so blunt with his actions. I’ve said it before that I think there’s more to this than meets the eye, but now I’m more certain of it than ever.” Haru stroked his jaw line in thought.
“What will we do then, Grandfather?”
“She’s obviously the key to all of this so we will of course protect her. I know you won’t have any complaints about that, will you?” He smiled at the young man. “I’ve noticed you’ve grown even more fond of her. Dare I say you’ve fallen in love with her?” The old man had stars glittering in his eyes as he touched a hand to his withered cheek teasingly.
Kioshi was blushing violently again.
“Anyway, the only thing we can do right now is to continue playing his game until we better understand what’s going on. Be on your guard though, I don’t think this is going to be an easy ordeal. Especially for Kagome.”
Kioshi looked back at the small, weather worn shack. Especially for Kagome.
“Kagome.. please be here.” It was becoming a mantra at this point as he slid the door open more forcibly than he had intended. Inuyasha leapt out into the rain and mud as he rushed for Kagome’s house. He was heading for the side where her bedroom window was located feeling just a bit nervous.
I can’t go in through the front door. If she isn’t here it would upset her family. Please let her be here, even if she is still mad at me.
He slid to a stop beneath her room. The light was on and glowed through the hazy darkness outside like a welcoming beacon.
Thank god.
Gathering his strength, he leapt up to the windows sill and perched there carefully so he could peer in. No point entering if she was there, he’d just get yelled at again after all. Or worse. He touched the rosary around his neck.
Damn it, there was no one there. But the light was on. Maybe she was downstairs.
Inuyasha slid open the glass and cautiously stepped inside. The smell of her room overwhelmed him as he stood there dripping rainwater all over the floor and tracking mud over the carpet. Her scent was everywhere here and it made him feel like he was home. Kagome.
Suddenly, her door opened. Inuyasha’s hackles went on edge as he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth expecting the one word that always brought him to his knees.
“Inuyasha!” It wasn’t the voice he had expected to hear at all. “You scared me! Is Kagome back as well?” Kagome’s mother had dropped the laundry basket she was carrying when Inuyasha surprised her and was now stooped over picking up the spilled clothing.
“She.. she’s not here then?” The hanyou suddenly felt like he was a thousand miles away as a cold chill ran down his spine.
“No, is everything alright?” He could hear the concern starting to spread through her warm voice.
The cold look in Inuyasha’s eyes told her more than she wanted to know as he turned and swiftly disappeared into the rain. Behind him flowed his promise.
“I’ll bring her back.”
The world around him felt far distant and unreal as he rushed with every muscle straining back towards the well. Kagome! I’m coming! Please still be alive!
He had no idea what was waiting on the other side of the timeless well.
“I should hope so since we can’t find him anywhere else. I wonder if Kagome is still angry with him.”
“When is she not?” Miroku snickered. A peek over at Sango told him she didn’t find his joke that terribly funny.
“Miroku! Sango! Shippo!” A tiny, shrill cry broke the uneasy silence. “We must leave at once. Where are Kagome and Inuyasha?”
“Kagome went back to her time three days ago and Inuyasha’s probably trying to drag her back as we speak. How successful he will be this time, though, we don’t dare predict.” Miroku snickered wickedly, but once more Sango was glaring horribly at him.
“This cannot wait any longer, my friends. Something has been put in motion that must be stopped at all costs. We must leave immediately.”
“What about Inuyasha and Kagome?” Shippo looked upset. The idea of doing anything dangerous without the foolhardy hanyou and Kagome to hide behind was a bit much.
“I have already spoken with Kaede and she will inform them of what has happened when they return. Inuyasha’s nose will lead them to us. We should leave without delay.”
By now it was mid-morning of the third day since Kagome’s attack. Raiju smiled darkly as he fingered the shikon shards in his possession. Now it was time to draw Inuyasha into the game.
The powerful youkai peered at his arm where Kagome’s power had licked him. I was lucky that time. The wound had long healed, yet the ache still pulsed through the flesh there. He had failed to retrieve the shards that time but he knew there would be another opportunity soon. Besides, the shards were not his only target.
“I can’t afford any more mistakes.” Thunder cracked hard overhead, shaking the land.
The hanyou furrowed his brow deeply as a growl gradually filled his chest.
“I smell a youkai.” He drew Tetsusaiga from its sheath. The power of it reverberated in the tight space at the foot of the well.
Inuyasha gathered himself and leapt forcefully out of the well and high into the air, trying to quickly spot the one he smelled. The air suddenly burned around him as a bolt of lightning struck, barely missing the hanyou by only a hairs breadth.
Inuyasha landed roughly on the ground near a scorched patch of grass where the bolt had seared the ground. He was getting pissed now, but he still couldn’t see the other youkai.
“So you’re the infamous Inuyasha?” It was coming from behind him. He swivelled with his bare feet scrapping into the ground and lunged after the voice but the owner had already vanished.
“Are you too afraid to fight me face to face, you bastard?!”
“Not particularly. But I can’t kill you just yet either.” The voice was behind him again. Inuyasha thrust his sword around violently, arching it towards the strange youkai in a rage; but he was gone again!
“Stand still you asshole!”
“Why, so you can try to cut me with your little fang there? What kind of fool would I be to do that?”
“A dead one!”
“Exactly. Which isn’t part of my plan just yet.” He was standing only a short distance off now, right on the lip of the well tauntingly. A strange smile slipped onto his unusually calm face, reminding Inuyasha a bit too much of Naraku.
“What do you want?!”
“Isn’t it obvious?” The smile turned into an open lipped smile as he saw the bewildered expression on Inuyasha’s face. Raiju leapt from his place on the well and was to Inuyasha before the hanyou could even take a breath to move. The cat-like moves of the youkai brought him face to face with the white-haired boy as he wrapped his fingers around Inuyasha’s jaw-line and threw him roughly backwards, displaying his incredible speed and strength.
Before Inuyasha could regain his senses, Raiju was upon him again. The youkai drew his fingers together into a knife-like claw and stabbed the hanyou through the left shoulder until his bloodied fingers were reaching out through his back.
“It’s a shame you don’t scream. It was much more fun with that girl. She even cried out your name when I struck her with my arrow.” Raiju withdrew his hand as Inuyasha momentarily slumped to the ground, shuttering at the implication that Kagome might be dead. “My name is Raiju. Make sure you don’t forget it.”
“YOU BASTARD!!” The hanyou struggled to his feet and lifted Tetsusaiga as he rushed towards the cat-like youkai. But his strike fell only to the ground, as Raiju seemed to vanish. Laughter was all that was left in his place. The force of his attempted strike sent Inuyasha sliding across the grass again.
This isn’t good. I’m losing a lot of blood. Inuyasha forced himself to stand but he couldn’t sense the evil jaki anymore and the sky was gradually beginning to clear.
“Shit. He’s gone. Kagome, I know you’re still alive. You have to be.” Tetsusaiga dissolved into a rusted blade as he slid it back into its sheath. Clutching his shoulder, the hanyou stood and fought the dark feeling that rose in the pits of his stomach. “Just wait for me.”
He felt the memories of the dream from the night before. That’s right. She seemed so real then and he felt like he was being called to her. Surely it wasn’t her ghost. He felt a shiver run down his spine. No it had to have been her reaching out to him. But was it really possible?
Inuyasha took a deep breath. He would find her.. one way or another. The hanyou gathered his fading strength and took off running into the forest, towards the last place he had seen her alive.
His last words to her were spiteful ones.
He had to find her before he could let himself feel anything.
“KAGOME!?”
Yet feel was all he could do and it made his legs run faster and his heart feel like it would burst from the strain. It made the pain in his shoulder disappear and his resolve absolute. He would find her. And she would be alive. She had to be.
“Soon my love. All the pieces are almost into place. I will have you back in my arms before long and then we can have the happiness we once lost.”
Converting /tmp/phpBzNNj3 to /dev/stdout
Inuyasha bolted upright, almost falling from his branch.
“What.. was that just now?” His hand clutched at his chest as he breathed heavily trying to understand what had happened. “Was that.. real?” Kagome had been there, but she looked so strange. And the feeling, the smells, everything seemed like it was from the clearing that surrounded the well. Could it possibly have been.. real?
The hanyou leapt sky-bound from his perch beyond the treetops and rushed the short distance towards the well. He had to be sure Kagome was safe there. But deep down he knew something was wrong.
“I’ll never forgive myself if she’s hurt.”
With a leap of immense power, Inuyasha reached the clearing and landed perfectly on the edge of the well. There was a pause, though as he balanced there. The idea that she might not have made it home.. he wasn’t sure he could stand it. He was supposed to be the one to protect her.. and yet he had let her go off on her own.
“Just wait for me, Kagome.” His voice was filled with fear as he took a breath and plunged into the well, disappearing into another time. He prayed she was there. She just had to be there!
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
“Are you alright, Kioshi?”“Haru, what happened?” Kioshi winced as he sat up. “I feel so weak. Is Kagome alright?”
“Haru? It’s not like you to call me that,” the old man snickered.
“Sorry, grandfather.”
“Well then, that’s better. Yes, she’s as fine as she can be in her present state and sleeping deeply right now. As for you, however, you must obey me under all circumstances when I say this: do not touch Kagome-sama with your own skin directly again, alright?”
“But..”
“You must swear it.”
“What is it you’re not telling me, Grandfather? What happened?” It was as Kioshi asked this that he realized the dawn sun was glowing just at the edge of the horizon, barely peeking it’s way through the tree trunks.
“You’ve been out all night,” Ran brushed against Kioshi and forcibly claimed a spot in his lap. “She’s been worried about you, you know.. so pay her some attention.” Haru filled a bowl with something and handed it to Kioshi.
“What is it?” The young man reached out for it with one hand as the other stroked through the wolf’s pelt contentedly.
“Just drink it. It’ll help you find your strength.” Kioshi couldn’t help but think he saw a strange smile in the old wrinkled expression that stared down at him.
He sniffed at the elixor. Kioshi almost gagged. It smelled horrendous! He wasn’t sure he could handle drinking it down, but the look Haru was giving him now said that if he didn’t then he was about to feel a whole lot worse.
Kioshi pinched his nose shut and grimaced deeply. It was hard to force himself to do it, but somehow he found the courage he didn’t know he had and down it went.
It tasted worse than it smelled, but amazingly Kioshi was beginning to feel a little better already.
Haru poured himself something and sat beside the young man, patting Ran’s rump as he made himself comfortable.
“That was quite a spectacle you two put on last night. You want to tell me what you saw?” Haru sipped at his tea. The fragrance was washing over towards Kioshi as the breeze changed direction. It certainly smelled better than his had and he suddenly realized how much he hated the after taste of whatever broth it was he had just forced down.
Kioshi obviously looked uncomfortable with the question and looked away, concentrating his gaze on Ran as he stroked his fingers through her thick white pelt.
“I was in the same clearing again that I saw last time. It was far more realistic than before though. I remember the distinct feeling that I really was there and that this reality was the dream. And then when I found Kagome.. he was there. Inuyasha. We were about to fight when..” Kioshi looked up at Haru with a troubled expression.
“What is it, Kioshi?”
“What if that hanyou really was there. Is that even possible?” Kioshi’s hand stopped its massage over Ran’s shoulders and she looked up at him expectantly.
“Go on.”
“I felt his yoki. I know I did.”
“I see.”
“Why do I get the feeling you know something about what happened, Haru?” Kioshi’s eyes narrowed a bit.
“Show some respect to your elders, Kioshi. It’s Grandfather.” The old man grinned teasingly but his expression quickly dissolved into seriousness. “At the moment you touched that young girl, a huge force washed through the forest. It was enough to send me rolling as well. I could sense something trailing through it that was very dark indeed. I suspect it wasn’t anything of Kagome’s or your doing, though so I am still left wondering.”
“Do you think it was coming from Inuyasha?”
“What?” Haru scratched his head with a curious expression.
“The dark presence!” Kioshi growled and muttered something about senility.
“Oh! I truly don’t know, but I can’t help feeling that whatever it was had something ominous about it. That’s why I think you should refrain from touching her. It seems to me that it’s when you two touch skin to skin that something happens.” He noticed the young boy began blushing furiously. Hmm, curious. “And I know how your power works so it only furthers my theory. It also seems obvious to me that there’s more to this girl than just being a miko. I know I’ve said it before, but now I more than believe it.”
“You mean you didn’t before?”
The old man narrowed his eyes and glared at Kioshi with an overly dramatic expression.
“I don’t believe a lot of the things I say.” The look on Kioshi’s face as Haru admitted it was beyond comical. It was obvious that he took the old man much too seriously. And at that Haru howled with laughter.
“You know, now isn’t really the time for your bad jokes, Grandfather.”
“Yes, yes, but you should have seen yourself,” Haru wiped at his wrinkled old eyes and soothed his laughter away. “Seriously though, I’m beginning to think Raiju wasn’t really after this girls life. I can’t shake this feeling that perhaps he had intended for us to find her.”
“How can you be sure? It seemed like he was trying hard enough to kill her to me. The wound he gave her may be fatal itself, and what about when he came after her here?” Kioshi felt his stomach turning at the thought of Kagome dying, but it had to be said.
“Maybe he was after her Shikon shards. I can’t really say of course but Raiju never has been one for the obvious route. His mind is sharp and focused and so I can’t bring myself to believe that he would be so blunt with his actions. I’ve said it before that I think there’s more to this than meets the eye, but now I’m more certain of it than ever.” Haru stroked his jaw line in thought.
“What will we do then, Grandfather?”
“She’s obviously the key to all of this so we will of course protect her. I know you won’t have any complaints about that, will you?” He smiled at the young man. “I’ve noticed you’ve grown even more fond of her. Dare I say you’ve fallen in love with her?” The old man had stars glittering in his eyes as he touched a hand to his withered cheek teasingly.
Kioshi was blushing violently again.
“Anyway, the only thing we can do right now is to continue playing his game until we better understand what’s going on. Be on your guard though, I don’t think this is going to be an easy ordeal. Especially for Kagome.”
Kioshi looked back at the small, weather worn shack. Especially for Kagome.
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
Inuyasha easily leapt upwards through the small mouth of the well and landed at the peek of the stairs leading to the door. He could hear the rumble of rain on the roof and could smell the fresh fragrance it brought with it. Traveling from a cool early morning to a dark and cloudy down-poor was something of a surprise. He feared it was an ominous sign.“Kagome.. please be here.” It was becoming a mantra at this point as he slid the door open more forcibly than he had intended. Inuyasha leapt out into the rain and mud as he rushed for Kagome’s house. He was heading for the side where her bedroom window was located feeling just a bit nervous.
I can’t go in through the front door. If she isn’t here it would upset her family. Please let her be here, even if she is still mad at me.
He slid to a stop beneath her room. The light was on and glowed through the hazy darkness outside like a welcoming beacon.
Thank god.
Gathering his strength, he leapt up to the windows sill and perched there carefully so he could peer in. No point entering if she was there, he’d just get yelled at again after all. Or worse. He touched the rosary around his neck.
Damn it, there was no one there. But the light was on. Maybe she was downstairs.
Inuyasha slid open the glass and cautiously stepped inside. The smell of her room overwhelmed him as he stood there dripping rainwater all over the floor and tracking mud over the carpet. Her scent was everywhere here and it made him feel like he was home. Kagome.
Suddenly, her door opened. Inuyasha’s hackles went on edge as he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth expecting the one word that always brought him to his knees.
“Inuyasha!” It wasn’t the voice he had expected to hear at all. “You scared me! Is Kagome back as well?” Kagome’s mother had dropped the laundry basket she was carrying when Inuyasha surprised her and was now stooped over picking up the spilled clothing.
“She.. she’s not here then?” The hanyou suddenly felt like he was a thousand miles away as a cold chill ran down his spine.
“No, is everything alright?” He could hear the concern starting to spread through her warm voice.
The cold look in Inuyasha’s eyes told her more than she wanted to know as he turned and swiftly disappeared into the rain. Behind him flowed his promise.
“I’ll bring her back.”
The world around him felt far distant and unreal as he rushed with every muscle straining back towards the well. Kagome! I’m coming! Please still be alive!
He had no idea what was waiting on the other side of the timeless well.
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
“Do you think he went back to get Kagome?” Shippo looked back through the trees as they left the edge of the wells clearing, having searched for Inuyasha there.“I should hope so since we can’t find him anywhere else. I wonder if Kagome is still angry with him.”
“When is she not?” Miroku snickered. A peek over at Sango told him she didn’t find his joke that terribly funny.
“Miroku! Sango! Shippo!” A tiny, shrill cry broke the uneasy silence. “We must leave at once. Where are Kagome and Inuyasha?”
“Kagome went back to her time three days ago and Inuyasha’s probably trying to drag her back as we speak. How successful he will be this time, though, we don’t dare predict.” Miroku snickered wickedly, but once more Sango was glaring horribly at him.
“This cannot wait any longer, my friends. Something has been put in motion that must be stopped at all costs. We must leave immediately.”
“What about Inuyasha and Kagome?” Shippo looked upset. The idea of doing anything dangerous without the foolhardy hanyou and Kagome to hide behind was a bit much.
“I have already spoken with Kaede and she will inform them of what has happened when they return. Inuyasha’s nose will lead them to us. We should leave without delay.”
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
Storm clouds were beginning to crescendo to a peek above the wells’ clearing with forceful speed. Their massive bellies were taking on the dark blue-gray colors of rain clouds and thunder was already echoing through the sky as well.By now it was mid-morning of the third day since Kagome’s attack. Raiju smiled darkly as he fingered the shikon shards in his possession. Now it was time to draw Inuyasha into the game.
The powerful youkai peered at his arm where Kagome’s power had licked him. I was lucky that time. The wound had long healed, yet the ache still pulsed through the flesh there. He had failed to retrieve the shards that time but he knew there would be another opportunity soon. Besides, the shards were not his only target.
“I can’t afford any more mistakes.” Thunder cracked hard overhead, shaking the land.
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
Inuyasha passed through the boundary between the times and landed effortlessly at the bottom of the well. He peered upwards to see the sky blackening. Strange. Before he left there was neither sign nor smell of any approaching storms.The hanyou furrowed his brow deeply as a growl gradually filled his chest.
“I smell a youkai.” He drew Tetsusaiga from its sheath. The power of it reverberated in the tight space at the foot of the well.
Inuyasha gathered himself and leapt forcefully out of the well and high into the air, trying to quickly spot the one he smelled. The air suddenly burned around him as a bolt of lightning struck, barely missing the hanyou by only a hairs breadth.
Inuyasha landed roughly on the ground near a scorched patch of grass where the bolt had seared the ground. He was getting pissed now, but he still couldn’t see the other youkai.
“So you’re the infamous Inuyasha?” It was coming from behind him. He swivelled with his bare feet scrapping into the ground and lunged after the voice but the owner had already vanished.
“Are you too afraid to fight me face to face, you bastard?!”
“Not particularly. But I can’t kill you just yet either.” The voice was behind him again. Inuyasha thrust his sword around violently, arching it towards the strange youkai in a rage; but he was gone again!
“Stand still you asshole!”
“Why, so you can try to cut me with your little fang there? What kind of fool would I be to do that?”
“A dead one!”
“Exactly. Which isn’t part of my plan just yet.” He was standing only a short distance off now, right on the lip of the well tauntingly. A strange smile slipped onto his unusually calm face, reminding Inuyasha a bit too much of Naraku.
“What do you want?!”
“Isn’t it obvious?” The smile turned into an open lipped smile as he saw the bewildered expression on Inuyasha’s face. Raiju leapt from his place on the well and was to Inuyasha before the hanyou could even take a breath to move. The cat-like moves of the youkai brought him face to face with the white-haired boy as he wrapped his fingers around Inuyasha’s jaw-line and threw him roughly backwards, displaying his incredible speed and strength.
Before Inuyasha could regain his senses, Raiju was upon him again. The youkai drew his fingers together into a knife-like claw and stabbed the hanyou through the left shoulder until his bloodied fingers were reaching out through his back.
“It’s a shame you don’t scream. It was much more fun with that girl. She even cried out your name when I struck her with my arrow.” Raiju withdrew his hand as Inuyasha momentarily slumped to the ground, shuttering at the implication that Kagome might be dead. “My name is Raiju. Make sure you don’t forget it.”
“YOU BASTARD!!” The hanyou struggled to his feet and lifted Tetsusaiga as he rushed towards the cat-like youkai. But his strike fell only to the ground, as Raiju seemed to vanish. Laughter was all that was left in his place. The force of his attempted strike sent Inuyasha sliding across the grass again.
This isn’t good. I’m losing a lot of blood. Inuyasha forced himself to stand but he couldn’t sense the evil jaki anymore and the sky was gradually beginning to clear.
“Shit. He’s gone. Kagome, I know you’re still alive. You have to be.” Tetsusaiga dissolved into a rusted blade as he slid it back into its sheath. Clutching his shoulder, the hanyou stood and fought the dark feeling that rose in the pits of his stomach. “Just wait for me.”
He felt the memories of the dream from the night before. That’s right. She seemed so real then and he felt like he was being called to her. Surely it wasn’t her ghost. He felt a shiver run down his spine. No it had to have been her reaching out to him. But was it really possible?
Inuyasha took a deep breath. He would find her.. one way or another. The hanyou gathered his fading strength and took off running into the forest, towards the last place he had seen her alive.
His last words to her were spiteful ones.
He had to find her before he could let himself feel anything.
“KAGOME!?”
Yet feel was all he could do and it made his legs run faster and his heart feel like it would burst from the strain. It made the pain in his shoulder disappear and his resolve absolute. He would find her. And she would be alive. She had to be.
~~~~~~***~~~~~~
Raiju sat perched delicately on a tree branch high above the ground. From his vantage he could comfortably watch Inuyasha rush off into the forest to search for the girl. He sighed a bit, but forced a smile.“Soon my love. All the pieces are almost into place. I will have you back in my arms before long and then we can have the happiness we once lost.”
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