InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Simple and Clean ❯ Searching for Meaning ( Chapter 26 )

I'm feeling the guilt, trust me, I am! It's just so hard to keep a nice reviewing schedule during finals and the end of the year bustle… I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE to update more as soon as school gets out!!! I know you're probably totally pissed at me… [sob] I try though!

 

Recap:

Kagura collapsed in a heap as she heard his footsteps fade away into the night. She could taste the bile filling her mouth and smell the fear she was emitting in waves. A soft hand brushed her shoulder, and she winced, stiffening as small warm arms wrapped around one shoulder.

“Miss?” A tear ran down her cheek as the little girl tightened her grip. Damn you Naraku. Damn you.

Chapter 26

Searching for Meaning

 

Dedicated to:

Mew Popsicle, PD and KGIM, xXPlasticineXx, japanimechick616, Jessica Rabbit21, and all others who have kindly added me to their favorites! You guys rock my world!

 

Why things always turn out differently than you expect them to is one of the many mysteries of the world. Among them, why, when you finally have time to watch television, there's nothing on, and how your boss can always tell when you're slacking off, even when the person in the cubicle across from you never gets busted for it. It seems unfair, especially since the rest of the world appears to not suffer from such things. It's almost as if they have a higher meaning to look forward to and you're still stuck wondering what fast food restaurant you'll end up going to for lunch.

Inuyasha touched his forehead gingerly. The swelling had gone down, but his battle wound from his gallant fight with that damn tree was definitely going to leave a bruise. Leaning back against the tree, he unconsciously pulled at the grass beside him, thinking. He was worried about Kagome-no, not just about Kagome. He was worried about Sango, Miroku, and even her. It was strange having Kikyo in this world, so close to him, yet so distant. Their drifting lives had somehow jolted back together again, and Inuyasha wasn't sure yet exactly how he felt about the turn of events.

It wasn't just that their split had been so painful and abrupt, leaving a deep tear in his chest that seemed to reopen violently again every time it showed even the slightest signs that it was beginning to heal, but that Inuyasha hadn't really ever felt completely comfortable around Kikyo. Their relationship seemed to balance on a thin thread. It was always that Inuyasha had to try as hard as he could to keep that thread from fraying, to keep Kikyo always happy with him, that the love that was once there was lost in the effort. Looking back on it, how they had managed to last that long without that string breaking was quite a miracle. But maybe miracle wouldn't be the best thing to call it.

~ * ~

Kagura led the girl back to her room, dreading each and every step she took, wincing as though it pained her. She kept her eyes straight ahead, never daring to look down at the poor creature, fearing its fate, its pain, might cause her to turn back. Kagura's conscience seemed to scream from every niche and corner of her body that what she was doing was so horrifically wrong that once it was done there was no way she could even think of herself as another living being. But then again, what did it matter? It wasn't as if she had anything to live for in the first place. She wasn't human, what did it matter?

As the two figures walked on, their shadows making strange shapes in the flickering lamplight, the smaller one stopped for an instant, then was yanked forwards again to continue its silent procession. Rin closed her eyes tightly, not caring that she tripped and stumbled blindly along the corridor. She clung to the woman's hand and tried to shake the image she had seen out of her mind. Before the woman had pulled her away she had caught a glimpse of the haggard, bent forms, and smelled the odor of decaying flesh as she had passed that door. Tears of fear boiled in her eyes and overflowed to course hotly down her cheeks. And with the tears came the memories.

[flashback]

There was a scent in the air like nothing the girl had ever experienced before. It was of roasted, burnt meat, but there was another stench that seemed to add to the first. For a long time, that was all that she had wanted to do: sit in the pile of ashes, her eyes shut tightly. It was as if she was afraid that if she opened her eyes she would be forced to believe what she had tried so hard to tell herself wasn't true.

Soon, the stench was so overpowering that she began to splutter and gag. Opening her lids to rub the tears away, she felt the ash as it lodged itself in her eyes, a stinging piece of memory reminding her of all that had been lost. Immediately as she did so, she realized just what she had been smelling. A charred hand reaching out from under the remains of what looked to be a door frame was all that was distinguishable of what was once her home.

Shielding her stinging eyes from more ash, she squinted at the hand, detecting a slight shimmer. The girl dragged herself to it, crinkling her nose in disgust and ignoring the hot bile that had begun to fill her mouth. Her leg dragged uselessly behind her, the result of her fall as she had jumped from her window to escape the ravaging flames. There on that had was the melted remains of a ring.

The tears that had been purely to rid her eyes of the soot now began to flow for a different reason as she slipped her hand into the scorched one. As it crumbled into her fingers and filtered down into the rubble, Rin watched as the life she once knew disappeared.

[end flashback]

Kagura led Rin back to her room, locking the door decisively as she went out. He would come for the girl, and then she would just be another fleeting memory, a shadow across her already dark days. She was just like all of the others, there was no reason for Kagura to get so upset about one little child, she had been able to do her job so well before, there was nothing different about this one. Kagura walked along the corridor and back to her room, thankful that she had no more tears to cry.

~ * ~

Sesshomaru folded the note that Kikyo had left for him neatly and slipped it into his pocket. His eyebrow twitched slightly, as if remembering how to frown, but he smoothed out his almost furrowed brow before he showed enough emotion to worry himself. Rin was missing. That was troubling news. Closing his eyes, he lifted his face to the sky, taking a deep breath, breathing in the scents of the evening. Rin was not among these smells. Unconsciously Sesshomaru unfolded the note in his pocket. With a sigh he made his way down to the river, settling himself by the water's edge. He trailed his hand in the crisp water, calmed by the small eddies that curled around his fingertips.

~ * ~

Sesshomaru,

Find Inuyasha and Kouga and meet me at the tree on the edge of the forest at midnight. Rin is missing, we're leaving the village to search for her.

-Kikyo

 

What had happened, he wondered, to make Kikyo so worried about Rin? For that matter, why could he not sense her presence near him? It seemed as though her aura had completely vanished from the surrounding area. She hadn't just wandered off, something had taken her.

~ * ~

Inuyasha wasn't as sympathetic as Kikyo on the matter.

“It's your fault for not keeping an eye on that squirt. You shouldn't have let her wander off like that,” He retorted when everyone had met by the tree. Sesshomaru coughed softly. “That would just be like you, wouldn't it? If you took the time to look or listen you would be able to tell that the girl's aura is completely gone.” Inuyasha glared at his older brother. Obviously that hadn't crossed his mind.

“Why don't we use dog-boy here as a search-and-retrieval system?” Kouga asked, in a bored voice.

“Why don't we kill him and use him as bait for whatever thing took Sesshomaru's kiddo?” Inuyasha shot back maliciously. Kagome sighed and covered her eyes with her hand; clearly the only thing they were accomplishing was a way to get Inuyasha and Kouga in an insult fest. “Can we please focus?” she asked, exasperated. Sango glanced apologetically at the two men, then jerked a thumb towards Kagome, “I'm with her. Anyways,” She added, “Maybe we can find someone who can send us back while we're searching for Rin.”

No one asked where “back” was. They knew. Everyone was missing home. Okay, well, everyone with the exception of Sesshomaru. His take on the matter: anything is better than dealing with rabid fan girls and Jaken.

No one noticed Kikyo's face suddenly turn grim at the mention of “someone” who could send them home. Looking around at the tired, homesick faces, Kikyo wondered if it would be wise to mention what the old village healer had told her. Not yet, she thought, I'm not ready yet. I can't… I won't.

~ * ~

The lock to the girl's door clicked open, the screen slid sideways, and a dark nothingness was left. An open void in which Rin wished wouldn't be filled. A cold sweat began to trickle down her back and her heart began to pound in her small chest. The air in the room began to press down on her until it seemed almost impossible to breath. As her breath shortened, her heart began to beat at an alarming rate. The feeling of the room had completely changed, and just when Rin thought she couldn't handle the horrid heaviness, a guttural voice wove its way through the stagnant air.

“Well, this is an interesting development, don't you agree Kanna?” Rin felt something leave her body before she fell heavily to the ground. The blackness devoured her.

~ * ~

YESSS!!! *jumps up and down* I am completely done with testing and I'm on summer break AND I'm going to Japan, yes, you heard me right, JAPAN, in August!!! YAY!!! Just because I'm so happy, I'm sure my good mood will rub off on you, willing you to take the time you usually wouldn't to review… *uses sucky, author version of Jedi mind-trick* Author: You will review Readers: Yeah…whatever. Until next time, Jya!

 

Reviews (C'mon guys, a measly two reviews? I'm getting desperate here!):

 

sessumaru-sama: You're right of course. Checking back on that, she didn't say “I love you” but the thing is, in a situation like that, things that you were so confident about saying before that moment sometimes seem to fizzle in your mouth. Also, I like to draw these things out just to piss off the readers *large objects get chucked at head* only joking!!!

Kittencutie: Yay! Thanks for the review! So sorry I couldn't email you, you and one other person I couldn't reach because my computer was being evil (when is it not being evil?!). Hmm, ideas for stories ey? Hmmm. Think of something funny that happened to you lately. Then exaggerate it a whole lot. Give it magic, or flying cheese graters, and whallah! You have a story! If all else fails, find an awesome song to base it on. You don't even have to tell your readers it's based on a song, just use it as your inspiration!