InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hunt for the Sword of Legend ❯ Reassurance ( Chapter 24 )

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

A/N: I’m sorry this chapter is so late. I’ve had writer’s block for a few weeks. Thank God for betas or you wouldn’t have a new chapter yet. Kathy-kins is the most wonderful person in the entire world and one hell of a muse.

Also, please review. I don’t care if it’s one word. I live and thrive off reviews and so does this story. Please remember that.


Disclaimer: They are not mine!


Chapter 24:


Reassurance


In the end, Inuyasha had to step away from the phone for a moment. If the sounds coming from the other end of the line meant anything, Sesshoumaru was going to have to pay for a table at some restaurant in Louisiana.


It’s not that Sesshoumaru didn’t understand his younger brother’s frustration or anger. He, himself, wanted to tear into something so bad that his fingers twitched on top of his desk. However, he was too busy trying to think of a plan to get both of the women back safely. He didn’t trust Naraku to be true to his word. There was no guarantee that he would return Kagome and Rin unharmed, if he returned them at all. He wouldn’t leave anything like that to chance.


“Fuck!!!” cried Inuyasha into the phone. It startled Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. “Well, where the hell is he taking them?”


Sesshoumaru glanced at the computer screen that showed a red dot as the location of Rin’s cell phone.


“They are in South Carolina, close to the Georgia border.”


“I’m going Sesshoumaru. I don’t care what you say.”


“I never asked you not to go. It would be hypocritical for me to tell you not to go when I’m going myself.”


“…good. At least we’re on the same page.”


“Yes, we are. Get into your car, and I’ll tell you the address to type into the navigation system.”


Inuyasha did as Sesshoumaru asked, and he could hear what sounded like his brother getting into a car, himself.


He needed to take a second and calm down, though. It would do Kagome no good if, in his rage, he got into a car accident.


Rage…the word didn’t even begin to describe what he was feeling. He felt as if his internal organs would combust at any given moment. His hands were shaking and the air he was taking in felt stale; as if someone had taken most of the oxygen out of it before handing it back to him. He couldn’t understand how Sesshoumaru sounded so calm, but if he didn’t, Inuyasha wasn’t sure he would last under the pressure. At the moment, his brother was his rock. He would never admit to it, but Sesshoumaru was holding him together.


He took a long, deep, cleansing breath.


“Alright, I’m in the car.”


When Kagome woke up, all she could remember was going to the ladies room. Her memory was fuzzy around the edges. She tried to open her eyes, but it was still dark when she did. She had the biggest headache she had ever had in her entire life. Her temples throbbed and it kept sending blinding, white light streaking across her vision. What she really needed was a cool rag on her head, a glass of water, and Inuyasha.


Her limbs didn’t seem to work that well, either. At first, it was hard for Kagome to coordinate her arm to lift to her face. Once she did, it was even harder to lift the scratchy material off her head.


‘So that’s why I couldn’t see,’ she though.


The light that poured into her eyes blinded her for a moment, and made her head hurt even worse.


Once she could safely open her squinted eyes, what she saw didn’t really make much sense.


Kagome was in a bare room. The only thing in it was another person who was still asleep, and an old fashioned, pull-string light hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows, only a large, wooden door.


She was so confused. One minute, she was having dinner with Inuyasha, and the next she was waking up here. It just didn’t make any sense.


While Kagome was pondering her predicament and trying the get her body functioning again, Rin was just waking up. She was having the same problems as Kagome. Her limbs seemed entirely too heavy. The last thing she remembered was walking to her car with a buggy full of food and other items.


“Uggg…” was the only thing Kagome heard and it startled her so bad, she swore that she jumped out of her skin. It only took a few seconds for her to gather her wits again, but by that time, Rin had already peeled the burlap sack from her head as Kagome had done only a few moments ago.


“Rin…” asked a shaky voice. It was strange how raw her throat felt.


“Kagome?” whispered Rin.


“It’s me. Are you alright?”


Rin inspected her body for a few moments, making sure before she answered.


“Yes, I think so. Are you okay?”


“Yeah.”


And just like that the silence prevailed again. They sat like that, leaning against a stark, white wall, just trying to piece together what might have happened, when it occurred to Kagome that it might be a good idea to check the door. She forced her legs to lift her body, and after a minute, she was able to make her way, leaning against the wall the entire time. Of course, the door was locked.


“Do you know where we are?” asked Rin, as Kagome’s body crumpled in exhaustion and slid down the door.


“I don’t have a clue.”


“My cell phone is gone. We’ve been kidnapped, haven’t we?”


It was a logical question to ask, but for whatever reason, they had been avoiding it since they woke up. Kagome though that maybe, it would be a little less terrifying if they didn’t say the words, but it didn’t really make a difference, now that they were said.


“I think so.”


“Sesshoumaru is going to be so…pissed off.”


Kagome couldn’t help it. She laughed. It was such an irrational response to the situation, but it helped dispel the air, somewhat. At least, she thought, there was someone with her. She wasn’t alone, and that counted for something. Not that she was glad that Rin had been taken, too, it was just comforting that someone was by her side.


“I would imagine that Inuyasha is not too happy at the moment, either.”


Rin laughed this time.


“Inuyasha is probably blowing a gasket and yelling at my husband.”


And that made them both laugh.


“Well, what do we do now?” asked Kagome, once they had gotten themselves under control.


Rin sighed.


“I guess we wait.”


And so they did.


Inuy asha was wondering where all the police were. He had been speeding for the better part of an hour. He was glad that the cops on this stretch of highway apparently had better things to do, but really, what if there was a drunk driver that really needed to be pulled over?


In the back of his mind, Inuyasha was desperately trying to come up with some other meaningless thing to think about. If he couldn’t, then he would be forced to think about Kagome. Then he would be forced to think about where she was. Then, he would be forced to think about him. And that…was most certainly not a good idea. If that were to happen, he was sure that he would kill someone when he got to where he was going.


He was a peaceful man by nature. Not to say that he didn’t get into a fist fight from time to time; but to actually kill someone, it wasn’t even an option. But this was an entirely different situation. This was the love of his life being taken from him. This was a man who could very well be doing the most unspeakable things to the woman he loved, right this very moment.


Just as he was running out of mundane things to think about, God sent him a reprieve, and his cell phone rang.


He snatched it from the passenger seat, and pressed the button to connect the call.


“Where are you?” he blurted.


“I’m just about two hours away, maybe less. How far are you?”


“I’m a good five hours away. Although, if I do ten more over limit, I’ll cut that by a fourth.”


“Do not be stupid, Inuyasha. You will do her no good showing up in a body bag.”


“I know that, you asshole. I’m being careful,” he mumbled, feeling as if he were a child being scolded.


“I want you to change the address in your navigation system.”


“Alright, what for?”


“We’re going to meet someone at a hotel near the location.”


“Who?”


“An inside man, or rather, woman, I should say.”


“What do you mean?”


“She works for him. Well, not really. He owns her, is more the truth of it. She snuck out about an hour ago, and called me. It is to her benefit that Naraku is caught.”


“Are you stupid!?” he practically screamed. “You can’t trust her. She could be pulling us into a trap!”


“Calm down, imbecile. Don’t you think I would have thought of that? I have had Shippo speak with her. You know he can smell a lie from a mile away. He even checked her story, about being sold to Naraku at a young age. It all checks out. Like I said, she has much to gain if we can put an end to Naraku‘s freedom.”


Inuyasha didn’t like it, not one bit. But, he had been worried about going in blind. He grit his teeth in his frustration. It was either trust his brother and possibly be able to get the girls out easily, or go it on his own, and just hope everything would be okay. Sesshoumaru had always been an excellent judge of character. He didn’t hear desperation in his brother’s voice anymore, either. He sounded so much more confident now.


“Okay,” he sighed. “What’s the address?”


Kag ome’s watch told her that it had been two hours since she had woken up. They had tried knocking the door down. They had tried screaming for help. Needless to say, nothing had worked. She and Rin had passed the time so far by getting to know each other better. Kagome figured that it was better than just sitting around doing nothing. Besides, it kept their minds off the possibility that Naraku was the one that had snatched them from their happy lives.


Once Rin had found out that Kagome was staying in the country, she had gone on for forty-five minutes about how happy she was for her and her brother-in-law. It seemed as if the unspoken rule in the tiny, white room was to pretend that they weren’t in a tiny, white room. It had worked, so far. Now, she just wanted to know what was going on.


She didn’t have to wait long. Her unspoken request was answered when the door suddenly opened. Kagome and Rin looked up to see a woman about their age.


She was short, a few inches shorter than Rin, with pale skin and equally pale hair. Her dark eyes seemed to bore straight into their souls.


Kagome barely suppressed a shiver when the girl spoke.


“You will put the bags back over your heads. Then, I will tie your hands. Next, I’ll string you together, and lead you to the place you will wait for my master. Please do not try to run away. I do not want to hurt you.” With that said, the girl pulled a gun from her side, and showed them what she meant.


Kagome and Rin shared a meaningful glance.


They had agreed, right away, that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were coming for them, and all they needed to do was to stay out of trouble. If they agreed to do whatever their capturer told them to do, then maybe, they would be unscathed by the time their men came to collect them. It would do no good for them to show up and find beaten wife and girlfriend.


They placed the sacks over their heads, as asked, and held their hands behind their backs. Another piece of rope was tied around their waists, and then they were lead out of the room.


The room had smelled of fresh paint, but the rest of the place had a damp, dusty quality to it. Kagome felt like she was breathing in mold with every inhalation. The floor felt rotted in some places, as if it were ready to give at any moment. Their footsteps echoed and she could feel a cool breeze ghosting across her skin.


“Ah, here they are,” boomed a silky voice. It reverberated off the walls, giving it an eerie quality.


The bags were taken from their heads again, and Kagome got her first good look of the man who had made various cameos in her recent nightmares.


He had long, flowing black hair that was tied up in a blood red ribbon. His face was handsome, but the smirk on his lips reversed the effect. She couldn’t repress the shiver that zinged down her spine when she saw the first flash of white from his teeth.


Kagome saw Rin from the corner of her vision. Much to her surprise, the tiny woman looked fierce and confident. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the girl’s husband in that moment. It was as if Rin was taking tricks from Sesshoumaru’s playbook. It was hard not to feel better, knowing that even if they did feel frightened and small, they could look as if it didn’t matter to them either way.


With that, Kagome imagined what Inuyasha would do in this moment. She drew herself up as tall as she could and squared her shoulders. If she was going down, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Inuyasha was coming, but that didn’t mean she had to stand there and look like a victim.


Naraku’s eyes narrowed at the new attitude coming from the women in front of him. They looked proud, too proud. It was no matter, really. A few well placed words and they would look broken again.


He slowly slunk towards them, taking his time, letting them wonder what he had in mind. He smiled a little at that thought. Oh, the things he would do to them, but not yet. It wasn’t time, yet.


Kagome felt Naraku’s eyes on her back as he walked around them. Her body wanted to curl in on itself to try and hide from his gaze, but she wouldn’t let it. She needed to stay strong. She could hear Inuyasha’s voice in her head, telling her how proud he was that she was standing straight and tall. His voice kept urging her to stay strong, and so she did.


“My, my, my…I wonder how the brothers are doing, knowing their loves are in my capable hands?” He pulled a lock of Kagome’s hair through his fingers, letting it slide against his skin. “I wonder if they are even coming. They do so love their swords, don’t they? Is a trade even worth it for tainted women? Oh, you’re not tainted, yet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t tell them that you are. I wonder if they’ll still want women who have been used and thrown away?”


Kagome kept her focus of Rin from the corner of her eyes. Her future sister-in-law never faltered, never waned. Kagome kept letting Inuyasha’s voice roll around in her head.


I’m coming for you. I’ll be there soon. Wait for me.


She took a deep breath, and let it pass through her lips slowly.


“Was there something in particular you wanted?” she asked, proud of herself when her voice never wavered.


Naraku was in front of her in a flash, and all at once, Kagome’s head snapped to the side. She didn’t cry out like she wanted to, nor did she put her hand to her now bleeding lip. She just let her head roll leisurely back into the upright position. She watched as Naraku huffed and puffed in his rage.


“Kanna!” he screeched.


“Yes, Master?” replied the pale woman that had brought them in. She spoke so softly, Kagome wondered if she had imagined the woman had spoken.


“Take these two back to the room. Do not untie their arms.”


“Yes, Master,” she said again, just as softly, and gave a stern yank on the rope still tied to their middles.


Kagome and Rin shuffled after the pale girl, until they were back inside the little, white room. The girl left without a word, but not before turning out their only source of light, and they were back to square one.


After a what seemed like forever, the silence was broken by Rin. She had either gone crazy, or she was remembering a very good joke, because all of a sudden, she broke into a hysterical bought of giggles.


Kagome stared at her, wide eyed, and wondered if she should say something. Before she’d decided to take action, Rin composed herself enough to speak.


“Was there something in particular you wanted?” she got out, before another round of giggles tumbled from her lips. “That was priceless! You wait until I tell Inuyasha. I can hear him now!” she sputtered and hiccupped. “That’s my girl,” she said, trying to mimic Inuyasha.


Between the laughter in her ears, and the terrible imitation of Inuyasha, Kagome starting laughing herself.


Once both of them had finally calmed down, an air of seriousness suddenly encompassed them.


“Kagome, I thought we agreed not to get mangled,” she sighed.


“I know. I couldn’t help it. I was feeling a little too brave I guess.”


“Just don’t do it again. Inuyasha will be furious enough as it is when they get here. Promise me,” she pleaded.


“Alright, I promise.”


Kagome struggled with her next question, but gave up and voiced it.


“They’re coming, right?” asked Kagome, in a voice that sounded hopeful and weary at the same time.


Rin got up off the floor, which was not an easy feat, as her hands were tied behind her back, and flopped down next to Kagome. Well, as near to her as she could in the pitch black of the room.


“They are coming,” she said, and she sounded so completely confident, that Kagome couldn’t help but believe her.


The leaned against each other, and let the silence stretch between them, once again.


A/N: The bit at the beginning of the chapter is a song called Omerta by Lamb of God. I would tell you it’s a great song by a great band, but it may be a little heavier than most of you are used to. If you have a very open mind, then please, try to check it out. They are one of my favorite bands.


As usual, the review responses can be found at malitiadixie(dot)live journal(dot)com. Just, you know, remove the space and the other stuff…


Here’s the next chapter…enjoy.


Chapter 25:


Rage


Sesshoumaru was in the hotel room with Inuyasha called to let him know that he had finally arrived. Though, Sesshoumaru had to admit that he arrived a few hours before he was supposed to. He wondered for a moment how fast Inuyasha had really traveled.


Sesshoumaru opened the door to find his irate brother on the other side.


“Okay, where is this bitch. I don’t wanna fuck around here all day.”


“Neither do I, but we will have to wait. She was here when I arrived, but she had to leave. She was “summoned”, or so she called it.”


“So she left to do whatever that monstrosity of a human being needed her to do?” he asked, not bothering to mask his irritation.


“Yes, Inuyasha, she did.”


“She could be telling him where we are this very second,” he ground out.


“Yes, Inuyasha, she could.