InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Desires Within ❯ A Shadow Falls ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I still hold no ownership on Inuyasha.

Summary: Isis helped Inuyasha and Kagome come to terms with their feelings for one another. A year and four months has passed since Kagome's surprising news. Naraku's defeat had come at last. Inuyasha has a confession to make to Kagome. Could another sprite interfere with the lives of Inuyasha and his friends? Is Naraku's evil really gone, or is it the start of a new evil?

Title: Desires Within

Chapter 3: A Shadow Falls

By InuShemeeko

Clouds formed over the blackened ground where Naraku had fallen. The ash from his body would forever stay sewn into the ground. It was then that the cracked ground beneath the ash started to shake a tremble; steam followed by flames erupted from the cracks in the ground. The darkened earth itself started to turn up as if the earth was trying to rid itself of something foul.

The stench of rotting meat rolled off the steam as the earth spit it out. The steam was then followed by a dark blue aura that seeped along the ground causing the grass and other plant life to wither and die as the aura swept over them. The sky then suddenly turned pitch black as if something had come and swallowed the sun. The wind blew with the coldness of a dead corpse, as the wildlife sounds from the forest fell into silence.

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Kagome awoke with a start from her peaceful dreams. Her hanyou lay beside her a protective arm was draped across her slim waist. She smiled at how innocent Inuyasha looked as he slept, his slowly steady breathing told her that her sudden movements had not disturbed him. Kagome then slowly removed his protective arm so she could then stand. Her gleaming brown eyes search their small hut for her clothes. Kagome's face lit up when she spotted them on the other side of the room.

After slipping into her underclothes and jeans, Kagome bent down to retrieve her bra. A frown plastered its self on her face when she realized there was no saving the poor thing. Inuyasha had broken both snaps off of the back of it, looking for the snaps were pointless. She had learned that the first time he had broken one of her bras. Sighing she threw it to the ground and picked up her light blue shirt and slipped it over her head.

Kagome walked over to the door of their hut, as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her brown orbs suddenly caught the sight of a flock of birds, taking off in the distance blackening the sky with their wings. Kagome's eyes were soon focusing on the oddly black cloud. She'd lived in the feudal era long enough to know that those black clouds weren't just rain clouds. Goosebumps jumped up on to her skin suddenly as the wind blew its chilly air onto her skin.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, as the sound of moving clothing rang in her ears, informing her that her husband was now awake. However she didn't turn to greet him with her usual warm smile. Her eyes stay focused of the landscape ahead of her. There was an eerie feeling to the air, almost making her wish she didn't have to breathe.

Kagome smiled when she felt the familiar weight of his fire rat haori being draped over her shoulders

"You looked cold."

Inuyasha then realized that something was wrong. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end as he continued to watch his mate. She hadn't responded to him like he had excepted her too.

"What is it Kagome, what do you sense?"

Kagome voice took on a monotone sound as she spoke to her husband.

"Something's out there. Something dark and cold."

For once he would had to agree with his mate. Something wasn't right; every time the wind blew his blood seemed to freeze inside his veins. A sudden gasp from Kagome caused Inuyasha to cast worried golden eyes in her direction.

"Kagome what is it?"

His eyes widened as he followed her glaze. The dark clouds where lowering themselves to the ground like miasma. Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief.

"No…it can't be, he's dead we all saw him die."

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Miroku smiled as he watched his wife walk to the door of their home. His smiled turned into a grin as his eyes scanned from her well-rounded breasts to her abdomen that was now very swollen with their first child. Miroku walked up to his wife and placed a gentle hand again the wall of skin that held the child.

"Sango? What is it?"

She voice remained steady and firm as she spoke to him.

"Something isn't right. Where did all these rain clouds come from?"

Miroku's left hand gripped his staff tighter as he looked over into the distance.

"Something isn't right. Where did all the wildlife go? The forest now seems as though it has died."

The winded shifted and blow it toward the wooden hut in which Miroku and Sango stood. Sango's eyes turned suddenly to look at her husband. At the jangling sound of the rings upon his staff, Miroku winced as the dark cold aura seeped in to his body. It was taking all of his spiritual power to keep the aura away from his very soul.

"Miroku what is it what's wrong?"

Miroku's heart ached at the concern and fear that was wrapped inside of Sango's voice. His right hand shook as he leaned lightly on Sango's shoulder. The bitterness of the aura was enough to cause the monk to feel ill.

A small voice squeaked through the silence.

"Sango should I go find Inuyasha and Kagome."

A stained voice stopped Sango from speaking.

"No Shippou. You shall remain here. An aura of malice whips through the wind. You will stay here where it is safe."

Miroku had at last been able to compose himself well enough to stand. However the flesh of his face had grown pale and beads of sweat clung to his forehead. By the way he was leaning on his staff, Sango could tell that whatever he had just encountered had taken a lot out of him.

"Miroku are you sure you're all right?"

Miroku smiled weakly up at his wife and Shippou.

"I will be fine. I just need to rest for a minute."

Miroku then walked shakily over to the small fire and sat down beside it. He stared at the small flames that flickered over the twigs that lay in the fireplace in the center of the hut. The whispered voice he had heard kept repeating its self over and over inside of his head.

~*I know of the curse that was upon your family. I shall make you suffer torment that you have never known*~

The voice had held such malice and was so chilling that it almost seemed as if it had been a shadow of Naraku himself. Miroku's eyes quickly moved to his right hand. It was still whole, no curse and no black hole, but it felt as if his windtunnel was still there and was pulling at him from the center of his hand.

"Could it be? No it's impossible."

For his sworn enemy was dead, he and his friends had put an end to his deceit.

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The sliver haired hanyou knelt in front of his mate, with his back to her.

"Come on Kagome. We're going to check on Miroku, Sango and the rest of the village."

The couple was so busy with their conversation that they didn't even notice the quick flash of neon green light that zipped inside of the hut. There was a small snicker as a light green aura surrounded Kagome. At that moment was the very moment that Kagome was getting ready to climb onto Inuyasha's back. As the aura was being absorbed into her body, Kagome took an awkward step away from Inuyasha. Causing him to look over at her in confusion.

"Kagome what's the matter with you?"

Kagome's voice was soft as she answered him.

"Sorry, I felt kind of weird a minute ago."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in concern for her.

"What do you mean you felt weird?"

Before she could answer, Inuyasha's hand was on her forehead.

"You're not getting sick on me are you? It doesn't feel like you have a fever."

Kagome sighed as she removed the hanyou's hand from her head.

"I'm not sick okay. I'm fine so let's just go."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her as she climbed onto his back. He then shrugged and said, "If you say so."

Once he was sure that she was on. Inuyasha took off at top speed, he thoughts wandered to Kagome and whether or not she was telling the truth or not. Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted when a bone chilling voice spoke to him.

~*I know of what you wished upon the jewel. I will make sure that I take that wish away from you. Starting with the thing most precious to you.*~

Inuyasha's heart stopped as the cold voice whispered to him in the wind.

`What the hell was that?'

He shook off the thought as the village came into view. He then noticed Kaede walking into Miroku and Sango's home, Kagome saw as well.

"I wonder why Kaede's coming to Miroku and Sango's home. Usually they go and visit her."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulder as he continued on toward the hut.

"How should I know?"

Kagome gasped suddenly. Causing her husband to eye her with concern.

"What is it Kagome what's wrong?"

Kagome slid off of her hanyou's back as she turned two worried chocolate eyes too him.

"You don't think something is wrong with Sango and the baby do you?"

Inuyasha's golden pools locked with his wife's chocolate one's.

"There's only one way to find out."

Inuyasha squeezed her hand gently as they made their way to the doorway. Kagome sighed when she saw that it wasn't Sango that was ill, but Miroku. She then ran from her mate's side and knelt next to her friend that lay on a pallet on the floor of the cozy hut.

"Miroku. What happened Sango?"

Inuyasha folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe as he listened to Sango explain to Kagome what had happen.

"Mirkou was attacked by a dark aura. He was weak once he finished battling with it. He told me he was going to go rest. That's when he collapsed onto the ground."

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes. She was a demon slayer and she would not cry. Yeah right, with all these hormones running through her it was hard.

"If Shippou hadn't been here I don't think I would have ever gotten him moved."

Inuyasha smirked at the sleeping ten yr-old fox demon.

"So the kid helped out did he? Who'd he transform into, Miroku?"

Inuyasha asked as he laughed lightly. Sango took on a serious look as she looked over at him. She then smiled as she spoke.

"No he transformed in to a copy of you."

Inuyasha was shocked to learn this. It wasn't that he didn't know he could do it. Because he knew he could. He'd changed into Kagome twice and even Koga so why not him?

Sango then commented again.

"A first I thought it was really you Inuyasha. His voice sounded like yours, his tail was also missing. When I spoke your name you didn't answer. So I questioned him by saying Shippou, that's when he looked up at me and smiled. He even picked Mirkou up and carried him to the sleeping pallets."

Inuyasha thought for a minute.

`Wow the kid did all that no wonder he's tired.'

Inuyasha's ears twitched suddenly as the sound of someone screaming floated to his ears.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! We're all going to die, we're being punished by Kami himself."

Before anyone could stop him Inuyasha was out of the hut, and now holding the strange villager in his grip.

"What the hell is the matter with you? What village did you travel from?"

The man continued to babble about the earth mother turning against them and how they were now being punished. Kagome, Kaede, Sango and a still weak Miroku followed Inuyasha outside. Kaede then questioned him.

"What are ye talking about?"

The man looked at them all with wild eyes, before he spoke.

"All the animals in the village and in the forest have just died. The forest around our village as well is drying up and dying as well."

Everyone turned as Kagome gasped and pointed to a grove of trees in the distance. They were green one minute, bare and dying the next.

"Inuyasha what could be killing all of the plants and animals?"

"I don't know but we are about to find out."

Inuyasha gently helped Kagome on to his back; he took off in the direction of the dying forest. Sango called for Kirara as the neko cat transformed. Miroku placed a firm hand on her shoulder as she climbed on to Kirara's back.

"Sango perhaps it would be best if you and our child stayed behind."

At first she was hurt that her husband wanted her to stay behind. Then she realized that he was only thinking of her and the child's safety. Sango smiled up at him as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Miroku, it's very sweet of you. I'll be fine I promise. If it looks like it's going to get dangerous I'll have Kirara take me some place safe."

Miroku frowned at his wife's answer. He now held a look of deep hurt upon his face. Sango noticed this and tried to reassure him.

"I promise I'll be careful. Now come on. We're losing Kagome and Inuyasha."

Miroku sighed as he climbed on behind Sango, with a mouse sized Shippou peeking out of a pocket on his robe.

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Inuyasha found himself covering his nose as his feet touched the dead earth in the forest.

"What on earth is that smell? It almost smells like rotting meat."

A startled gasp from Kagome told him that she had found something. Wanting to find out what had caused her alarm he turned to the left of them. His eyes widened in horror at what he saw, a sudden fear pulled at him telling him to take Kagome and run. However, the sight before him mystified him in such a way that he dared not to move.

Deer, birds, rodents, and every piece of wild life, lay dead on the forest floor. Their eyes locked in the vacant stare of dead. The light of their souls no longer danced within their soft, or beady eyes. Their eyes now reflected a fog, which seemed to have caught the desperation of their souls as they were ripped from their bodies.

Inuyasha cautiously made his way through the line of dead bodies. Once or twice the body of a human was found.

"Something's been feeding on the souls of these animals, the humans too."

Kagome took a deep breath as she glanced at the corpses that lined the forest floor.

`Inuyasha's right.'

Inuyasha leaned slowly and carefully over the body of a deer that seemed to have died not long ago.

`I don't get it. Where's all the blood, I can't smell any blood at all.'

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Kirara landed softly beside of Inuyasha. The hair on her back bristled as a low growl rumbled from her throat. Inuyasha looked over at her and smirked as he patted her on the head.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't trust this place."

Miroku began speaking to him when suddenly fast panicked heartbeats throbbed deep inside his ears. The beat became faster and more frighten as the seconds ticked by. Shippou's small voice broke through Inuyasha thoughts as he spoke to him.

"Hey Inuyasha? Where's Kagome?"

In that moment time stopped as Inuyasha scanned the area around them for his mate. It was then that Inuyasha remembered the panicked heartbeats ringing inside of his head.

`Kagome, where are you?'

A warning suddenly went off in his head as his other friends continued to yell for Kagome. Causing Inuyasha to turn around quickly and place a firm hand quickly over Shippou's mouth as he spoke.

"Shh. There's something out here."

Shippou struggled against Inuyasha's hold as he mumbled.

"Whut…a out Kugoma?"

Miroku gripped his staff tighter as he lowered himself down in the bushes. Frightening chills were once again running down his spine once again.

`This is the same dark aura that I was over come by earlier. Unfortunately it seems to be growing stronger. How?'

It was a question that was still burning within his minds eyes as he and they others followed Inuyasha into the forest. The aura of dark malice seemed to be getting stronger the deeper the traveled into the forest. Causing both Kirara and Miroku to stop in their tracks. Miroku then called out to the silver haired demon halting him in his tracks.

"Inuyasha, are you sure we should we should travel any farther into this forest of black fog?"

Inuyasha growled back at his friends, he didn't have time for them to question him. Kagome was in danger and he needed to find her before it was too late.

"Look I don't have time for this."

Both Sango and Miroku could see the frustration building with in their friend. They too felt the same way. Miroku took a breath and then calmly spoke again.

"InuYasha. You did not answer my question. Do you think it is safe for us to be traveling so deep into this black fog that seems to come out of nowhere?"

Inuyasha snapped out at his friends once again his patience was wearing thin. He then answered in a low voice.

"No I don't. Every part of me wants to flee from this place, but this is the way Kagome's heartbeats are coming from so this is the way we're going. The four of you can leave now if you want too. I'm not leaving until I find Kagome."

Sango looked confusingly at Shippou and her husband.

"He can hear her heartbeats? I knew his hearing was good but from such a distance?"

There was a popping sound as Shippou turned from a mouse back into his normal self.

"He can't really Sango. The only reason he can hear her heartbeats are because of the mark he placed on her neck when they became mates. It's like a tracking device demons have on their mates. It links the two together so then if they were to ever become separated, the one could always find the other."

Miroku kneed his chin as he thought.

"Very interesting. I suppose the same could be said for Kagome?"

Shippou shrugged his shoulders as he answered.

"I can't really say, with Kagome being human. So it's hard to tell if she can pick up Inuyasha heartbeats as well. Only Kagome could tell us that."

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Kagome's breaths came out in longer pants. As stopped inside of a clearing, the dark fog seemed to encircle her out of nowhere. Panic secede her heart causing her to run away from it only to find herself deeper inside it. She then felt irritation flood her heart, Kagome smiled at the feeling it could only mean one thing.

"Inuyasha."

Her next thought froze as she heard the pat, pat, pat of something dripping. Her doe colored eye widened at the sight that lay before her. The horrid display would forever be burned within her mind. There scribed in the earth before her feet was a message.

~*The Days Of Torment Have Begun. I Will Make You All Wish You Had Perished With Him.*~

Kagome fought the bile that worked its way up her throats as the tangy smell of blood sting her nose. The second message was written in human blood.

~*I See You Kagome Higurashi You Can't Hide From Me. The Shadow Is Here.*~

Without warning a heart piercing scream sprang out from somewhere deep inside her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Who was this new enemy and how did it know so much about her?

(A/N: Next time the villain is uncovered, and many other twists and turns. Well until next R/R Ja ne! Tainted InuShemeeko)

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