InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Passion Flowers and the Moonlight Path ❯ Enter: Peter Ludlow ( Chapter 1 )

"What do you mean she left for her own time?"

Sango cringed at Inuyasha's tone but held her ground. Kagome had left earlier that evening, while Inuyasha had been out. Why she had left, she wouldn't say. Her face betrayed nothing as she said her goodbyes then disappeared to the well. Sango suspected that her friend had seen Inuyasha with Kikyou again and that's what sent her running home.

"Exactly what I meant, Inuyasha," she stated. "Kagome went home to her own era."

The hanyou wore a look of disgust then muttered something dark under his breath. Without saying anything more to her or anyone else in the hut, he turned and walked out. Sango shook her head.

"I hope he doesn't do anything to upset Kagome-chan," Miroku murmured. Shippou nodded his agreement.

'I hope so, too,' Sango thought as she looked at where the hanyou had once stood. 'There's no telling what will happen to those two if they really got serious about arguing.'

As he walked towards the well, Inuyasha ran over possible reasons for Kagome to have returned to her own time. She hadn't said anything about any major tests or exams coming up so those were ruled out. No family functions that he was aware of or anything else serious going on with her family. He was quite certain it had nothing to do with Kikyou since he hadn't seen the undead miko in weeks and he had told Kikyou then that he was no longer going to tolerate any more of her attempts to kill Kagome. Enough was enough.

'So why did she leave?' he pondered. Without even thinking about it, he jumped through the well that connected the feudal era to Kagome's time. 'Maybe I should just ask her what's going on. Make sure everything's okay.'

Quietly, he made his way out of the wellhouse and towards Kagome's home, making sure no one saw him. As he approached, he saw two girls dressed in uniforms similar to Kagome's but both had short hair. He hesitated. Kagome had told him once that her friends in her time did not know about the well hidden on the shrine grounds. They knew that he existed, that she had talked about him to a certain extent, but they didn't know that he was from the feudal age and that he was part demon. According to her, if she said anything like that, she'd never be able to return to the feudal age again for people would think she was crazy and have her locked up. He had always thought it strange, that youkai no longer existed in her era but, if they did, they had long since taken to hiding themselves and he slowly accustomed himself to the ways of her time. Not that he'd ever tell her that anyway. Cautiously, he approached the house, making sure that they didn't know exactly where he had come from.

'What am I going to say to them? I don't even know who they are and they certainly don't know who I am,' he thought as he approached the house. But he knew there was no going back. The two girls had spotted him and he had to squelch a feeling of discomfort as they grew closer.

He wasn't sure why they made him uncomfortable. Maybe it had been the way they had initially looked at him, appraisingly as if he were no more than a piece of fine livestock ready for use before the looks had changed to that of knowing then to a small amount of disgust.

'Probably should just nod and walk by them, into the house. Yeah. Straight by them and into the house,' he decided. 'I can talk to Kagome and wait for them to leave before heading back to the well.'

Luck was not with him. The girls sauntered up to him before he could even move by them.

"Hey, there," the first one smiled. "Haven't seen you before. You a friend of Kagome's?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied slowly. "I am. I just came by to see how she's doing . . ."

"She isn't here right now," the other replied. "In fact, we were just getting ready to go meet her. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure," he hesitated.

"Great," they both grinned, each grabbing a hold of one of his arms. "I'm Eri and this is Yuka. What's your name?"

"Inuyasha . . ."

"Inuyasha," the one called Eri rolled it over her tongue like a flavour. "Interesting name. Your parents have a strange sense of humour."

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on. Let's go!"

Both girls dragged him away from the house and down the stairs leading away from the shrine. A sinking sensation formed in the pit of his stomach as they led him away. Somehow he didn't think that the night would end well but if he could at least see Kagome and talk to her about why she'd left so suddenly, then he could ignore this feeling just this once.

'I just hope I haven't made a mistake,' he thought as they reached the stone river and continued moving away from the shrine.

For a while, they walked in silence, the girls still hanging onto his arms. Carefully, subtly he slipped out of their grasp, keeping an eye on his surroundings. If they ditched him, he wanted to be able to get back to the shrine and to the wellhouse.

"Inuyasha?"

He blinked at the mention of his name and mentally shook his head. Eri looked at him, a questioningly look in her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Could you wait out here for a moment? They don't allow you in the store if you don't have shoes on. Health reasons . . ." she finished rather lamely.

"Sure," he nodded. "I can wait out here."

They went inside and he looked up at the sky. The air stank of the metal boxes that rolled by and the stars were clouded over by the smoke and other pollutants, as Kagome called them. He took a couple of steps until he reached the edge of the stone river.

'Maybe I should just tell them I'm going back to Kagome's house to wait for her there. I don't really like it here,' he thought as he gazed up. 'I don't know how Kagome can stand it. The smells are starting to block up my nose.'

He heard the two girls coming up behind him but paid no heed. A little longer he'd wait, he just wanted to look at the skay for one more moment then he'd follow them to wherever Kagome was. Before he could have that moment and turn around, something ran into him, shoving him into the middle of the paved road. A loud noise ensued and bright lights blinded his vision. Blackness and pain enveloped his vision and he remembered no more.

* * *

"I'm back!"

Sango and Miroku looked up as she walked in, slinging her backpack just inside the doorframe. Kagome surveyed the hut, taking in everything in front of her. She frowned when she noticed someone missing.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

"We thought he was with you," Sango replied.

"With me? But I left him here with you . . ."

"He left shortly after you did, Lady Kagome . . . In fact, he went through the well to talk to you about you had left," Miroku explained.

"I didn't see him at all." A growing dread settled in her stomach. If Inuyasha had gone through the well to get her, she would have seen him. The only thing she could think of was he had gotten waylaid somehow, either by one of Naraku's minions or by Kikyou.

"Let's go find him," she stated. Sango and Miroku didn't say anything, just stood up to follow her out.

'Please, Inuyasha, be all right.'

They left Kaede's hut and headed for the Goshinboku tree. That had been one of the places where she had caught Inuyasha with Kikyou once. It seemed like a logical place to look but they inspected every inch of the area closely and found nothing. The night waned into day as they searched until Kagome felt like passing out. Sango had noted how weary she looked and suggested that she go back to her own time and get some rest. Maybe Inuyasha had shown up there and they somehow missed each other in the passing. It was a fool's hope to be sure but it gave her something to cling to as her friends escorted her back to the well.

'Here's hoping Sango's right,' she thought, not even bothering to keep her hopes up as she trudged to her house. Something about this wasn't right but she couldn't place her finger on what it was that was bothering her.

"Kagome!"

"Huh?" She turned her tired eyes to see the visages of her friends, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi running towards her

"We were going to head to the mall today. Wanna come with us?" Yuka asked.

"Huh? Oh . . . no," she shook her head. "I'm exhausted. I was up all night looking for someone."

"Oh? Who were you looking for?"

"My," she faltered for a moment before she finished, "boyfriend. He stood me up last night and it isn't like him."

"You sure he didn't go to his ex-girlfriend?" Ayumi inquired.

"I'm sure," she nodded. "Some friends of mine told me that he'd gone looking for me last night, wanting to talk to me about something but I never saw him here at the house or anything. This isn't like him and I'm worried."

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon, Kagome," Eri assured. "Anyway, you do look exhausted so why don't you get some sleep and we'll catch up with you later."

The three girls turned and left, leaving Kagome to drag herself inside and up to her room. Her eyes closed as she fell onto her bed.

'Hurry back to me, Inuyasha. Hurry back.'

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" the man inquired, wiping his glasses off with his shirt. He was a weasel-looking sort of fellow, wearing expensive suits, and holding a light British accent.

"Yes, Mr. Rudrow," the Japanese doctor nodded enthusiastically. They stood outside the airport in front of a private jetliner and two paramedics walked by them, carrying a young man on a stretcher. "Very sure. He was hit by a bus head on. Severar peopre saw it. His wounds shourd not have heared as quickry as they did."

"And what about his state now?"

"Stirr comatose, sir, but he courd come out at any moment. That's why we have given your team extra sedatives, to keep him carm. It is most extraordinary, no?"

"Indeed," Ludlow agreed. "We shall do as you've asked and run some tests. Thank you for informing us of this . . . unique individual you have discovered."

"You're wercom, Mr. Rudrow," the doctor bowed. Another man came up behind him, carrying an antique sword. "Here. This was found on him. You might want to keep it handy."

Ludlow took the sword from the man and bowed, a smile gracing his face. 'And if his appearance is anything to go by, we may have a new test and cloning subject.'

Saying their goodbyes, Peter Ludlow, assistant CEO at InGen Corporations boarded the private jet heading for San Diego, California, USA.