InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Special delivery ❯ Passageway ( Chapter 77 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: saphira404 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.08.2011 | Updated On: 05.08.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 245 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.08.2011 | Updated On: 05.08.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 245 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 77: Passageway
A/N: Yes it is an update! Just a few days shy of my three years anniversary as a member of the Fanficdom too boot! Woot! Woot!
Dear GLily, thank you for your kind words; they really pleased me, and encouraged me
to keep writing. As for now as you requested I will keep posting on MediaMiner for now.
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Sesshy and Kagura would be happily mated and working on silver haired baby number three by now…
“Talking”
‘Thinking& #8217;
‘Mental talk’
Kagura had never seen her mother using her powers, and if someone had asked her, she would have readily confessed that the sight was truly impressing her. As Morio and Sesshoumaru, who had been the only people admitted in the room except for the wind sorceress, Kagura had her eyes fixed on her mother’s hunched form. The void demoness was intently staring down into a large mirror placed on a side table in the master bedroom. A few forgotten strands of white hair fell forward around Sakura’s beautiful face, but that did not seem to deter her from focusing her powers towards the glowing surface of her mirror.
“I can’t seem to get through to her.” A frustrated Sakura grumbled, thinning her crimson eyes in concentration.
“Don’t worry honey, you can do this. Keep trying.” Morio murmured in encouragement. Even if he wanted to caress his wife’s frail shoulders, he knew better than touching her for fear of breaking her concentration.
Sesshoumaru and Kagura stayed silent as well, eyes trained on the older demoness. Silence weighed heavily in the master bedroom of the Fujibayashi mansion; everyone was ignoring the luscious and expensive furniture pieces, favoring to look at Sakura and her attempt to get in contact with Kanna through their bond in their mirrors.
The surface of the mirror started glowing more brightly, which resulted in Sakura taking in a shallow breath. Her whole body tensed and her eyes opened wider. She tried her best to regulate her breathing and get her heart to beat at a more natural pace, but failed, not that it mattered much to her, she had finally fulfilled her goal.
“I’ve got her! I can feel her!” Sakura’s enthusiastic cry got everyone’s attention.
“Can you see her? Is she alright?” Kagura asked worriedly, her own eyes trained on the murky surface of her mother’s mirror. At that particular moment there was nothing she would not give to be a void demoness, if only to be able to see her daughter through the swirling mass of light present in her mother’s mirror. Something told her that unlike her, her mother could distinguish something inside the brightly illuminated smooth surface of the mirror.
“Great! So then what happens now?” Morio asked. He had asked the question that Sesshoumaru had been burning to ask. As unfeeling as the dog demon wanted to appear, he his own heartbeat had increased.
“Now, I’ll try to talk to her or see if I can tell where that bastard has hidden her.” Sakura answered her husband’s earlier question, an evil smile curling her red lips.
It was the first time Kagura could recall hearing her mother curse, but was not about to call her on it. After all she felt it was more than warranted.
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Kanna was tired of keeping her expression closed off. Ever since Sesshoumaru had taken her and her mother away, she had gotten used to smiling and laughing when happy, and crying when upset. However since Naraku had taken her away, she had done her best to do her mother proud, and mask her true emotions. Instead of showing her true fears, she simply decided to keep her mouth closed, and clutched her dear Kuma-chan closer to her chest. Looking for more comfort, Kanna then rested her dark eyes on the smooth surface of her small mirror. She really wished she could talk to her grandmother and tell her where to find her.
‘Then Sesshoumaru will be able to come find me, and we can go home.’ The thought of being back home with both of her parents brought tears to her eyes. However Kanna did her best to keep her pain masked from Naraku’s evil all-seeing eyes. Even though the hanyou had just left the room, Kanna knew that he was nearby. She could hear him screaming at someone in the other room beyond the door. She inwardly winced when he used an ugly expletive, one she had heard him employ every time he was about to hurt her mommy. It was also the kind of words her mother forbid her of using. Thinking of Kagura caused Kanna’s heart to pinch painfully.
While he had stepped out to make a phone call, Naraku had left Kanna under the careless gaze and supervision of Mayumi. The pale haired young woman was too scared to openly go against Naraku, but really did not want to hurt Kanna either. She was facing away from the child, standing next to the dirty windows, her troubled eyes staring outside in the darkened street.
Kanna looked way from the back of the woman who was supposed to be watching her, and stared at her small mirror, which to her surprise had started shinning. A smile graced her lips when the voice of her grandmother resonated in her head. This was the only indication the young child displayed of what was going on. Sakura had just started training her on how to communicate via her mirrors, so Kanna was therefore not surprised by what was happening. She may not have had enough power to contact her grandmother, but a part of her had hoped all evening on that Sakura would do so.
‘Kanna, honey. It’s Grandma Sakura. Can you hear me?’ The gentle voice resonated in Kanna’s head.
‘Yes.´ She answered happily. For the first time ever since Mayumi had abducted her, Kanna felt safe. Something told her she would soon be rescued.
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“What did she say? Is she okay? Did the bastard hurt her?” Kagura fired questions at her mother. She grew angry when the older woman did not answer. Noticing how upset his fiancée was getting, Sesshoumaru got closer to her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. As if realizing how she was behaving, the wind sorceress took one calming breath before speaking again. “Mom, please ask her if she is okay.”
Sakura stayed silent for a moment, unnerving everyone. Relief was soon to come when she opened her mouth. “She is unarmed.” She sighed, relief coursing through her own veins.
“Where is he keeping her?” The dog demon asked, his mind always focused on the end goal. He would not be satisfied until his little girl was back in her place, in her mother’s comforting arms. His feelings of happiness at the knowledge of Kanna’s safety were only demonstrated though his hand grasping Kagura’s shoulder tighter.
Sakura nodded then paused long enough to ask Kanna before answering his question. “She has no idea.”
“Can she recognize any of her surroundings?” A disappointed Morio asked.
Once again Sakura relied the question, her crimson eyes never leaving the surface of her mirror. The three others waited impatiently for her answer. Unlike her they could not make out the face of the scared little girl reflected in the mirror.
‘Although I think this is for the best. If Kagura or Sesshoumaru were to see their daughter in such a state, they would go mad in fear.’ Sakura sighed to herself.
“She says there are beds… they are in a hotel room. It’s very dirty.”
“Can she remember the route Naraku took when he brought her over to the motel?” Sesshoumaru asked, trying a different approach. His daughter may be too young to know her way around the city, but if she could remember a landmark on her way over, then it would be enough to give them an idea of where the spider hanyou might be keeping her.
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‘No. My eyes were closed…’ Kanna hated disappointing her loved ones, but while she was bundled in the back of the van Naraku had employed to drive her away from the daycare, she had been too scared to leave her eyes opened and have a look at her surroundings. She also regretted not trying to rip away the bonds used to keep her in place. All she had done during the trip was remain silent and silently cry for help.
‘Don’t worry honey. You must have been very scared. I am proud of you for even trying…’ Sakura took another pause. Kanna was scared the comforting voice of her grandmother was going to leave her, but was relieved when she heard her again.
‘Your dad wants to know how long you were in the car... or if you can tell us anything about the place they are keeping you…’ Sakura then paused before adding ‘It’s okay if you can’t answer. Just try to remember honey.’
‘I don’t know grandma… it’s a big white building.’ There was nothing the little girl wanted more than help her grandmother find her. She however realized that she was not giving them much to go on in order to help her. It was then that Kanna noticed that they probably would not be able to find her, and tears started pooling in her black eyes.
Sensing that her granddaughter was getting upset, and therefore endangering their connection, Sakura decided to try calming her down. ‘I need to calm her down. If she remains this upset, our connection will become unstable or even cease… she is too young to sustain it for too long anyways.’
‘Kanna-chan, I just had an idea. Why don’t we try something else. Instead of answering my questions, why don’t you try to visualize the room in your head. I will try my best to read your mind. Just relax and let me see through your eyes.’
‘Okay.’ Even if she was uncertain, Kanna still did as asked. She never did get to find out if Sakura has been successful as the door to the room was thrown opened.
“What the hell are you doing, you little brat?!” Naraku’s voice boomed as his cruel red eyes laid on Kanna and the small shining mirror she was clutching in her small arms. The look of pure terror that suddenly appeared in his eyes let him know that as he had expected she was up to no good.
“She wasn’t doing anything, I was watching her!” The second her master had entered the room, Mayumi had turned around. The only attention Naraku paid her was a punch as he made his way towards the small child kneeling on the bed.
Ignoring the whimper of pain Mayumi let out as she crumbled to the floor, clutching her bleeding nose in her hand, the dark hanyou walked forward.
“What do we have here?” He asked her as he yanked the small glowing mirror away from Kanna’s small arms. Not even bothering to try to figure out what she had been doing, he threw the small mirror against the dirty wall. He grinned as he eyed the small round surface burst into dozens of small glittering shards.
“You really are your mother’s daughter.” Naraku spat. Kanna instinctively started crawling backwards, fear gripping her chest as her back came in contact with the grimy hard headboard of the bed. She had nowhere to hide.
“Now what punishment would be fitting for little girls who do not listen to their grandpas?” The spider half demon smiled evilly as an idea crossed his mind.
Mayumi sat up and looked away from Naraku as he lunged towards the little girl. She used the sleeve of her torn shirt to blot the blood flowing freely from her injured nose. She knew she should try to help the defenseless little girl, but fear was preventing her from moving.
‘I’m so sorry.’ The young demoness sobbed to herself as Kanna’s scream resonated throughout the room.
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“Kanna! Kanna! Answer me. Can you hear me?!” Sakura’s anguish cry went unanswered.
“What happened?!” Kagura asked her mother. She shrugged off the hold Sesshoumaru had on her to move forward towards her mother.
“I cannot see Kanna.” A visibly shaken Sakura breathed out.
“What do you mean you can’t see her anymore? What the fuck happened?” Kagura was close to shaking an answer out of her mother, but refrained herself when she saw the distraught look on the face of the older demoness.“The connection was severed... by Naraku. I saw him come in, then everything went blank. Kanna must have been too nervous to maintain our connection.” Sakura’s admission caused worry to grow in everyone’s chest. They all knew that if the dark hanyou had suspected foul play, he would be sure to make Kanna pay for their attempts at getting in touch with her.
“Are you able to connect with her again?” Sesshoumaru asked.
“No. I cannot even feel her youki anymore. Oh my God! What has he done to her?” Sakura sighed. She could feel tears of anger and frustration rise inside her, but did her best to keep it in in order not to scare her daughter.
“Damn it! We need to find her now more than ever.” Kagura cursed, voicing everyone’s concern.
“Honey, while you were communicating with Kanna, did she tell you anything that could let us know where that bastard is keeping her?” Morio questioned his wife.
“Unfortunately no...although... no forget about it.” The cryptic words of the void demoness attracted the attention of all, her future son in law most of all.
“Go on.” Sesshoumaru prompted her. He could tell there was more to what Sakura had seen, and he intended to know.
“I am not sure, but I think that when Kanna let me penetrate her mind in order to let me see what she was seeing... I think I saw something. It was a stack of papers on the bed across from the one she was seating on. I think I saw the imprint of a black colored rose on one of the papers... however I could be wrong.”
“A black rose? What could it mean?” Morio asked aloud as he reflected. Sharing his question, Sesshoumaru turned to look at Kagura, asking her a silent question. The wind sorceress shrugged in response. She may had been raised by Naraku, but there was still a lot she did not know about him, which at the moment, for the first time in her life, she truly regretted.
To the surprise of the other three occupants of the room, Sakura started speaking “A long time ago... when I was still working for Naraku...” She took a pause, finding the words even harder to speak now. “There was a place named Kurobara where he would take his girls for some work.”
“Kurobara, as in Black Rose? Do you think he could’ve brought Kanna there?” Kagura asked, hope springing inside her. “What are we waiting here for? Mom, where is that place? We need to go there immediately and get my baby back.”
“I wish it could be that easy dear, but the facility... I will call it that for lack of a better word, always changes locations. It is impossible to know when and where it will be located; only people affiliated with the underworld would. Naraku would never even tell us girls. He would simply drive us over to there to work...”
Sakura took a long steadying breath before adding. “Moreover even if it was still in the same place, I wouldn’t know where to find that run down hotel. The only times Naraku took me there, I was so much under the influence of drugs, that I had no idea of where I might be...” Admitting her shameful past to Kagura had been a hard experience for her mother, but going into detail about how bad a shape she truly was at the time was simply horrible.
Sensing his wife’s pain and shame, Morio looped an arm around her shoulders, hoping to comfort her. “It’s all in the past now. What matters is that you have given us both hope, and a good lead. All we need to do is find that Kurobara place, and get Kanna back.”
“Yeah, you’re right. The only question is how to find that damned place.” Kagura sighed exasperated. Thinking about what Naraku might be doing to her baby, caused anger, but most of all fear to run through her veins. Her nerves felt raw, and the only thing she knew could help her feel good and whole again would be getting her daughter back. The only hope she had at the time was to find the present location of the Kurobara, and therefore her daughter.
“I believe this Sesshoumaru might have an idea on how to go about that.”
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“The Kurobara?! I am sorry, but I have no idea where it might be located this month.” Miroku gulped uncomfortably. He did not like the line of questioning he was being subjected to, but the look of deep scrutiny Sesshoumaru was giving him chilled the young human from the inside out.
“The reason I am talking to you away from your girlfriend’s hearing range is that I am looking for an honest answer. I do not care if you have not cut ties with your friends from the underworld. All that matters to me is finding my daughter, and I have a feeling you can help.”
The second Sesshoumaru had heard about the Kurobara and its mysterious locations, the dog demon had thought of asking Miroku if he knew about the present location of the establishment. Wanting to ensure that Miroku would be honest, he had dragged his human collaborator from the living room to the library, then pushed him inside one of the armchairs before questioning him.
Miroku instinctively shrunk back against the back of the couch he was seating on. He could feel anger swimming inside the golden eyes of his boss, and was not keen on being on the receiving end of such feelings. Sesshoumaru was hovering over him, his hard face leaning towards the young human.
“What the fuck are you talking about?! What’s this bara thing?” Inuyasha asked. As soon as his brother had come storming back inside the living room, and had dragged a kicking and screaming Miroku away with him, the hanyou had followed the pair; he knew his brother wouldn’t kill his best friend, but whatever Sesshoumaru had planned, the hanyou suspected Miroku wouldn’t like.
“It is called the Kurobara. It is an underground meeting place for the lowest scum in the world. Since they change the location constantly, no one at the precinct has been able to find it.” Unlike Sesshoumaru, the wolf demon was not too busy intimidating someone to answer Inuyasha’s question. The ookami had originally intended to follow Sesshoumaru and the reluctant Miroku in order to be appraised of what had happened when the dog demon, his fiancée and her parents had stepped away to try to get in contact with Kanna. However now he had a feeling that he would be needed to keep Miroku alive.
“Ever since I’ve been with Sango, I’ve said goodbye to this lifestyle. I haven’t gambled or been with a woman other than my dear sweet Sango in months!” The blue eyed human defended himself.
“You still have contacts…” Sesshoumaru suggested in return.
“I can try to get in touch with someone, but I am not promising any results.” Even as he spoke the words, Miroku wiggled in his seat to wrestle his cell phone out of his pocket. Seeing that the other man was cooperating, Sesshoumaru leaned away from the human, letting him make the necessary phone call.
“Feh! Who could have thought that you being a pervert could be useful? This is probably the first and last time.” Inuyasha teased his friend before crossing his arms over his chest.
Sesshoumaru stayed silent even as he thought about how Miroku’s perverted tendencies had actually worked to his advantage beforehand. After all, it was because of a prank Inuyasha and Miroku had played on him that Kagura and Kanna had entered his life, and even if Sesshoumaru would never admit it to his brother and friend, he would be eternally grateful to them.
“Make any phone call necessary.”
Miroku gulped loudly once again as he knew quite clearly what Sesshoumaru’s words meant: failure was not an option.
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Sesshoumaru Takahashi had never been in that part of town. Due to his upbringing and prominent part in the local society, he had never really needed to pay a visit to this neighborhood, which was reputed for being the seediest part of town. A perfect example was the overwhelming stench coming from a nearby overflowing dumpster was overpowering his sensitive sense of smell. The idea of his young precious daughter being dragged by Naraku in such a place only caused to inflate the dog demon’s anger.
The second Miroku had found out from one of his former poker player where the present location of the Kurobara was, Sesshoumaru, Kagura and their associates had jumped into a car, and were on their way to the designated address.
“Where is number 1302?” Kagura wondered aloud. Going against the wishes of her fiancé, the wind sorceress had decided to join the search party which consisted of Sesshoumaru, Kouga, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango. The dog demon did not like the idea of his woman being put in danger, but despite his recommendations, Kagura had still followed them.
‘As if I would stay behind while they went looking for my baby.’ The wind witch thought to herself as she eyed Sesshoumaru scowling in her direction. At the moment she could care less that he did not agree with her decision, all that mattered was finding her Kanna.
“It should be down a few blocks.” Sango answered her friend’s question. “Although it doesn’t look like a big enough building to carry a casino and a brothel…” Even as the words left her lips, she could not help but send a glare in Miroku’s direction. Even while she was still working at the Takahashi agency, she had suspected that her boyfriend was no innocent angel, but every time she was confronted with his shady past, feelings of anger rose inside her chest.
After noticing his girlfriend’s upset, Miroku quickly decided to change the topic. “I am sure you are right dear Sango, come on let’s go.”
Not needing to be prompted more, the members of the rescue party started walking down the darkened street. Sunlight was only a few hours away, but despite that the street was still pretty animated, with people walking in and out of buildings.
“Never judge a book by its cover.” Kouga warned them as they drew close to the dirty shabby looking building with the numbers 1302 painted on the front of it in big black block letters.
“Keh! Couldn’t you find anything less corny to say?” Inuyasha mocked his friend. Laughing at Kouga was a good way for him to relieve his stress. Despite how much he wanted to hide it, just like everyone else, he was nervous, and feared the fate Naraku had reserved for Kanna.
“Shut up Dogshit, and follow my lead!” Kouga grinned before raising a powerful leg, and slamming the door opened, his trusted gun, Goraishi, in his hand.
“So much for our careful entrance.” Inuyasha muttered as he looked at his brother quickly follow after the wolf demon.
Kagura had no intention to be left behind, so the second Inuyasha followed behind the two other demons she went in through the broken door as well. She heard Sango and Miroku follow closely behind her, but Kagura was too busy trying to keep pace with Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Inuyasha who were running up the dingy wooden stairs of the present Kurobara. The wolf demon suspected this might be where Kanna was being kept as it was the only place from which light was being noticed.
Surprised by the fact that for a famous brothel and gaming house the place was inconspicuously empty, a clear difference from the dingy street they had just left behind. Kagura kept following hoping and wishing to see her daughter soon.
The groups reached a long corridor, which was only illuminated by a faint light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
“There’s some noise coming from this room.” Kouga whispered to his companions, pointing a clawed finger towards the last door on the right. A ray of bright light was coming from under the door of the room. As one they all started to silently walk towards the designated door, then came to a stop in front of it.
“We need to proceed slowly. I’ll kick in the door, and go in first and see what’s happening.” The wolf demon instructed the six other people huddled around the door.
“Do not tell this Sesshoumaru what to do.” The dog demon spat. Unlike Kouga, he had no firearm with him, and therefore had to contend himself with using his poison claws.
‘Do not worry Kanna, your parents have come for you.’ Sesshoumaru thought as he slashed away the dirty wooden door with his poison claws, providing an opening.
“Cocky bastard.” Kouga muttered as he quickly rushed in after the dog demon. He then raised his gun and was about to yell for everyone inside the room to freeze as he would during any police assault he had conducted in the past, but before he could speak the words died in his throat. The sight inside the room was not quite what either of them had expected to see.
To be continued…
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! My last semester as a college student is wrapping up, so I’m going to be busy in the coming weeks, but I should have more time to write while conducting my job search. Until the next chapter (which title I haven’t decided yet) my dear!
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A/N: Yes it is an update! Just a few days shy of my three years anniversary as a member of the Fanficdom too boot! Woot! Woot!
Dear GLily, thank you for your kind words; they really pleased me, and encouraged me
to keep writing. As for now as you requested I will keep posting on MediaMiner for now.
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Sesshy and Kagura would be happily mated and working on silver haired baby number three by now…
“Talking”
‘Thinking& #8217;
‘Mental talk’
Kagura had never seen her mother using her powers, and if someone had asked her, she would have readily confessed that the sight was truly impressing her. As Morio and Sesshoumaru, who had been the only people admitted in the room except for the wind sorceress, Kagura had her eyes fixed on her mother’s hunched form. The void demoness was intently staring down into a large mirror placed on a side table in the master bedroom. A few forgotten strands of white hair fell forward around Sakura’s beautiful face, but that did not seem to deter her from focusing her powers towards the glowing surface of her mirror.
“I can’t seem to get through to her.” A frustrated Sakura grumbled, thinning her crimson eyes in concentration.
“Don’t worry honey, you can do this. Keep trying.” Morio murmured in encouragement. Even if he wanted to caress his wife’s frail shoulders, he knew better than touching her for fear of breaking her concentration.
Sesshoumaru and Kagura stayed silent as well, eyes trained on the older demoness. Silence weighed heavily in the master bedroom of the Fujibayashi mansion; everyone was ignoring the luscious and expensive furniture pieces, favoring to look at Sakura and her attempt to get in contact with Kanna through their bond in their mirrors.
The surface of the mirror started glowing more brightly, which resulted in Sakura taking in a shallow breath. Her whole body tensed and her eyes opened wider. She tried her best to regulate her breathing and get her heart to beat at a more natural pace, but failed, not that it mattered much to her, she had finally fulfilled her goal.
“I’ve got her! I can feel her!” Sakura’s enthusiastic cry got everyone’s attention.
“Can you see her? Is she alright?” Kagura asked worriedly, her own eyes trained on the murky surface of her mother’s mirror. At that particular moment there was nothing she would not give to be a void demoness, if only to be able to see her daughter through the swirling mass of light present in her mother’s mirror. Something told her that unlike her, her mother could distinguish something inside the brightly illuminated smooth surface of the mirror.
“Great! So then what happens now?” Morio asked. He had asked the question that Sesshoumaru had been burning to ask. As unfeeling as the dog demon wanted to appear, he his own heartbeat had increased.
“Now, I’ll try to talk to her or see if I can tell where that bastard has hidden her.” Sakura answered her husband’s earlier question, an evil smile curling her red lips.
It was the first time Kagura could recall hearing her mother curse, but was not about to call her on it. After all she felt it was more than warranted.
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Kanna was tired of keeping her expression closed off. Ever since Sesshoumaru had taken her and her mother away, she had gotten used to smiling and laughing when happy, and crying when upset. However since Naraku had taken her away, she had done her best to do her mother proud, and mask her true emotions. Instead of showing her true fears, she simply decided to keep her mouth closed, and clutched her dear Kuma-chan closer to her chest. Looking for more comfort, Kanna then rested her dark eyes on the smooth surface of her small mirror. She really wished she could talk to her grandmother and tell her where to find her.
‘Then Sesshoumaru will be able to come find me, and we can go home.’ The thought of being back home with both of her parents brought tears to her eyes. However Kanna did her best to keep her pain masked from Naraku’s evil all-seeing eyes. Even though the hanyou had just left the room, Kanna knew that he was nearby. She could hear him screaming at someone in the other room beyond the door. She inwardly winced when he used an ugly expletive, one she had heard him employ every time he was about to hurt her mommy. It was also the kind of words her mother forbid her of using. Thinking of Kagura caused Kanna’s heart to pinch painfully.
While he had stepped out to make a phone call, Naraku had left Kanna under the careless gaze and supervision of Mayumi. The pale haired young woman was too scared to openly go against Naraku, but really did not want to hurt Kanna either. She was facing away from the child, standing next to the dirty windows, her troubled eyes staring outside in the darkened street.
Kanna looked way from the back of the woman who was supposed to be watching her, and stared at her small mirror, which to her surprise had started shinning. A smile graced her lips when the voice of her grandmother resonated in her head. This was the only indication the young child displayed of what was going on. Sakura had just started training her on how to communicate via her mirrors, so Kanna was therefore not surprised by what was happening. She may not have had enough power to contact her grandmother, but a part of her had hoped all evening on that Sakura would do so.
‘Kanna, honey. It’s Grandma Sakura. Can you hear me?’ The gentle voice resonated in Kanna’s head.
‘Yes.´ She answered happily. For the first time ever since Mayumi had abducted her, Kanna felt safe. Something told her she would soon be rescued.
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“What did she say? Is she okay? Did the bastard hurt her?” Kagura fired questions at her mother. She grew angry when the older woman did not answer. Noticing how upset his fiancée was getting, Sesshoumaru got closer to her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. As if realizing how she was behaving, the wind sorceress took one calming breath before speaking again. “Mom, please ask her if she is okay.”
Sakura stayed silent for a moment, unnerving everyone. Relief was soon to come when she opened her mouth. “She is unarmed.” She sighed, relief coursing through her own veins.
“Where is he keeping her?” The dog demon asked, his mind always focused on the end goal. He would not be satisfied until his little girl was back in her place, in her mother’s comforting arms. His feelings of happiness at the knowledge of Kanna’s safety were only demonstrated though his hand grasping Kagura’s shoulder tighter.
Sakura nodded then paused long enough to ask Kanna before answering his question. “She has no idea.”
“Can she recognize any of her surroundings?” A disappointed Morio asked.
Once again Sakura relied the question, her crimson eyes never leaving the surface of her mirror. The three others waited impatiently for her answer. Unlike her they could not make out the face of the scared little girl reflected in the mirror.
‘Although I think this is for the best. If Kagura or Sesshoumaru were to see their daughter in such a state, they would go mad in fear.’ Sakura sighed to herself.
“She says there are beds… they are in a hotel room. It’s very dirty.”
“Can she remember the route Naraku took when he brought her over to the motel?” Sesshoumaru asked, trying a different approach. His daughter may be too young to know her way around the city, but if she could remember a landmark on her way over, then it would be enough to give them an idea of where the spider hanyou might be keeping her.
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‘No. My eyes were closed…’ Kanna hated disappointing her loved ones, but while she was bundled in the back of the van Naraku had employed to drive her away from the daycare, she had been too scared to leave her eyes opened and have a look at her surroundings. She also regretted not trying to rip away the bonds used to keep her in place. All she had done during the trip was remain silent and silently cry for help.
‘Don’t worry honey. You must have been very scared. I am proud of you for even trying…’ Sakura took another pause. Kanna was scared the comforting voice of her grandmother was going to leave her, but was relieved when she heard her again.
‘Your dad wants to know how long you were in the car... or if you can tell us anything about the place they are keeping you…’ Sakura then paused before adding ‘It’s okay if you can’t answer. Just try to remember honey.’
‘I don’t know grandma… it’s a big white building.’ There was nothing the little girl wanted more than help her grandmother find her. She however realized that she was not giving them much to go on in order to help her. It was then that Kanna noticed that they probably would not be able to find her, and tears started pooling in her black eyes.
Sensing that her granddaughter was getting upset, and therefore endangering their connection, Sakura decided to try calming her down. ‘I need to calm her down. If she remains this upset, our connection will become unstable or even cease… she is too young to sustain it for too long anyways.’
‘Kanna-chan, I just had an idea. Why don’t we try something else. Instead of answering my questions, why don’t you try to visualize the room in your head. I will try my best to read your mind. Just relax and let me see through your eyes.’
‘Okay.’ Even if she was uncertain, Kanna still did as asked. She never did get to find out if Sakura has been successful as the door to the room was thrown opened.
“What the hell are you doing, you little brat?!” Naraku’s voice boomed as his cruel red eyes laid on Kanna and the small shining mirror she was clutching in her small arms. The look of pure terror that suddenly appeared in his eyes let him know that as he had expected she was up to no good.
“She wasn’t doing anything, I was watching her!” The second her master had entered the room, Mayumi had turned around. The only attention Naraku paid her was a punch as he made his way towards the small child kneeling on the bed.
Ignoring the whimper of pain Mayumi let out as she crumbled to the floor, clutching her bleeding nose in her hand, the dark hanyou walked forward.
“What do we have here?” He asked her as he yanked the small glowing mirror away from Kanna’s small arms. Not even bothering to try to figure out what she had been doing, he threw the small mirror against the dirty wall. He grinned as he eyed the small round surface burst into dozens of small glittering shards.
“You really are your mother’s daughter.” Naraku spat. Kanna instinctively started crawling backwards, fear gripping her chest as her back came in contact with the grimy hard headboard of the bed. She had nowhere to hide.
“Now what punishment would be fitting for little girls who do not listen to their grandpas?” The spider half demon smiled evilly as an idea crossed his mind.
Mayumi sat up and looked away from Naraku as he lunged towards the little girl. She used the sleeve of her torn shirt to blot the blood flowing freely from her injured nose. She knew she should try to help the defenseless little girl, but fear was preventing her from moving.
‘I’m so sorry.’ The young demoness sobbed to herself as Kanna’s scream resonated throughout the room.
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“Kanna! Kanna! Answer me. Can you hear me?!” Sakura’s anguish cry went unanswered.
“What happened?!” Kagura asked her mother. She shrugged off the hold Sesshoumaru had on her to move forward towards her mother.
“I cannot see Kanna.” A visibly shaken Sakura breathed out.
“What do you mean you can’t see her anymore? What the fuck happened?” Kagura was close to shaking an answer out of her mother, but refrained herself when she saw the distraught look on the face of the older demoness.“The connection was severed... by Naraku. I saw him come in, then everything went blank. Kanna must have been too nervous to maintain our connection.” Sakura’s admission caused worry to grow in everyone’s chest. They all knew that if the dark hanyou had suspected foul play, he would be sure to make Kanna pay for their attempts at getting in touch with her.
“Are you able to connect with her again?” Sesshoumaru asked.
“No. I cannot even feel her youki anymore. Oh my God! What has he done to her?” Sakura sighed. She could feel tears of anger and frustration rise inside her, but did her best to keep it in in order not to scare her daughter.
“Damn it! We need to find her now more than ever.” Kagura cursed, voicing everyone’s concern.
“Honey, while you were communicating with Kanna, did she tell you anything that could let us know where that bastard is keeping her?” Morio questioned his wife.
“Unfortunately no...although... no forget about it.” The cryptic words of the void demoness attracted the attention of all, her future son in law most of all.
“Go on.” Sesshoumaru prompted her. He could tell there was more to what Sakura had seen, and he intended to know.
“I am not sure, but I think that when Kanna let me penetrate her mind in order to let me see what she was seeing... I think I saw something. It was a stack of papers on the bed across from the one she was seating on. I think I saw the imprint of a black colored rose on one of the papers... however I could be wrong.”
“A black rose? What could it mean?” Morio asked aloud as he reflected. Sharing his question, Sesshoumaru turned to look at Kagura, asking her a silent question. The wind sorceress shrugged in response. She may had been raised by Naraku, but there was still a lot she did not know about him, which at the moment, for the first time in her life, she truly regretted.
To the surprise of the other three occupants of the room, Sakura started speaking “A long time ago... when I was still working for Naraku...” She took a pause, finding the words even harder to speak now. “There was a place named Kurobara where he would take his girls for some work.”
“Kurobara, as in Black Rose? Do you think he could’ve brought Kanna there?” Kagura asked, hope springing inside her. “What are we waiting here for? Mom, where is that place? We need to go there immediately and get my baby back.”
“I wish it could be that easy dear, but the facility... I will call it that for lack of a better word, always changes locations. It is impossible to know when and where it will be located; only people affiliated with the underworld would. Naraku would never even tell us girls. He would simply drive us over to there to work...”
Sakura took a long steadying breath before adding. “Moreover even if it was still in the same place, I wouldn’t know where to find that run down hotel. The only times Naraku took me there, I was so much under the influence of drugs, that I had no idea of where I might be...” Admitting her shameful past to Kagura had been a hard experience for her mother, but going into detail about how bad a shape she truly was at the time was simply horrible.
Sensing his wife’s pain and shame, Morio looped an arm around her shoulders, hoping to comfort her. “It’s all in the past now. What matters is that you have given us both hope, and a good lead. All we need to do is find that Kurobara place, and get Kanna back.”
“Yeah, you’re right. The only question is how to find that damned place.” Kagura sighed exasperated. Thinking about what Naraku might be doing to her baby, caused anger, but most of all fear to run through her veins. Her nerves felt raw, and the only thing she knew could help her feel good and whole again would be getting her daughter back. The only hope she had at the time was to find the present location of the Kurobara, and therefore her daughter.
“I believe this Sesshoumaru might have an idea on how to go about that.”
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“The Kurobara?! I am sorry, but I have no idea where it might be located this month.” Miroku gulped uncomfortably. He did not like the line of questioning he was being subjected to, but the look of deep scrutiny Sesshoumaru was giving him chilled the young human from the inside out.
“The reason I am talking to you away from your girlfriend’s hearing range is that I am looking for an honest answer. I do not care if you have not cut ties with your friends from the underworld. All that matters to me is finding my daughter, and I have a feeling you can help.”
The second Sesshoumaru had heard about the Kurobara and its mysterious locations, the dog demon had thought of asking Miroku if he knew about the present location of the establishment. Wanting to ensure that Miroku would be honest, he had dragged his human collaborator from the living room to the library, then pushed him inside one of the armchairs before questioning him.
Miroku instinctively shrunk back against the back of the couch he was seating on. He could feel anger swimming inside the golden eyes of his boss, and was not keen on being on the receiving end of such feelings. Sesshoumaru was hovering over him, his hard face leaning towards the young human.
“What the fuck are you talking about?! What’s this bara thing?” Inuyasha asked. As soon as his brother had come storming back inside the living room, and had dragged a kicking and screaming Miroku away with him, the hanyou had followed the pair; he knew his brother wouldn’t kill his best friend, but whatever Sesshoumaru had planned, the hanyou suspected Miroku wouldn’t like.
“It is called the Kurobara. It is an underground meeting place for the lowest scum in the world. Since they change the location constantly, no one at the precinct has been able to find it.” Unlike Sesshoumaru, the wolf demon was not too busy intimidating someone to answer Inuyasha’s question. The ookami had originally intended to follow Sesshoumaru and the reluctant Miroku in order to be appraised of what had happened when the dog demon, his fiancée and her parents had stepped away to try to get in contact with Kanna. However now he had a feeling that he would be needed to keep Miroku alive.
“Ever since I’ve been with Sango, I’ve said goodbye to this lifestyle. I haven’t gambled or been with a woman other than my dear sweet Sango in months!” The blue eyed human defended himself.
“You still have contacts…” Sesshoumaru suggested in return.
“I can try to get in touch with someone, but I am not promising any results.” Even as he spoke the words, Miroku wiggled in his seat to wrestle his cell phone out of his pocket. Seeing that the other man was cooperating, Sesshoumaru leaned away from the human, letting him make the necessary phone call.
“Feh! Who could have thought that you being a pervert could be useful? This is probably the first and last time.” Inuyasha teased his friend before crossing his arms over his chest.
Sesshoumaru stayed silent even as he thought about how Miroku’s perverted tendencies had actually worked to his advantage beforehand. After all, it was because of a prank Inuyasha and Miroku had played on him that Kagura and Kanna had entered his life, and even if Sesshoumaru would never admit it to his brother and friend, he would be eternally grateful to them.
“Make any phone call necessary.”
Miroku gulped loudly once again as he knew quite clearly what Sesshoumaru’s words meant: failure was not an option.
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Sesshoumaru Takahashi had never been in that part of town. Due to his upbringing and prominent part in the local society, he had never really needed to pay a visit to this neighborhood, which was reputed for being the seediest part of town. A perfect example was the overwhelming stench coming from a nearby overflowing dumpster was overpowering his sensitive sense of smell. The idea of his young precious daughter being dragged by Naraku in such a place only caused to inflate the dog demon’s anger.
The second Miroku had found out from one of his former poker player where the present location of the Kurobara was, Sesshoumaru, Kagura and their associates had jumped into a car, and were on their way to the designated address.
“Where is number 1302?” Kagura wondered aloud. Going against the wishes of her fiancé, the wind sorceress had decided to join the search party which consisted of Sesshoumaru, Kouga, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango. The dog demon did not like the idea of his woman being put in danger, but despite his recommendations, Kagura had still followed them.
‘As if I would stay behind while they went looking for my baby.’ The wind witch thought to herself as she eyed Sesshoumaru scowling in her direction. At the moment she could care less that he did not agree with her decision, all that mattered was finding her Kanna.
“It should be down a few blocks.” Sango answered her friend’s question. “Although it doesn’t look like a big enough building to carry a casino and a brothel…” Even as the words left her lips, she could not help but send a glare in Miroku’s direction. Even while she was still working at the Takahashi agency, she had suspected that her boyfriend was no innocent angel, but every time she was confronted with his shady past, feelings of anger rose inside her chest.
After noticing his girlfriend’s upset, Miroku quickly decided to change the topic. “I am sure you are right dear Sango, come on let’s go.”
Not needing to be prompted more, the members of the rescue party started walking down the darkened street. Sunlight was only a few hours away, but despite that the street was still pretty animated, with people walking in and out of buildings.
“Never judge a book by its cover.” Kouga warned them as they drew close to the dirty shabby looking building with the numbers 1302 painted on the front of it in big black block letters.
“Keh! Couldn’t you find anything less corny to say?” Inuyasha mocked his friend. Laughing at Kouga was a good way for him to relieve his stress. Despite how much he wanted to hide it, just like everyone else, he was nervous, and feared the fate Naraku had reserved for Kanna.
“Shut up Dogshit, and follow my lead!” Kouga grinned before raising a powerful leg, and slamming the door opened, his trusted gun, Goraishi, in his hand.
“So much for our careful entrance.” Inuyasha muttered as he looked at his brother quickly follow after the wolf demon.
Kagura had no intention to be left behind, so the second Inuyasha followed behind the two other demons she went in through the broken door as well. She heard Sango and Miroku follow closely behind her, but Kagura was too busy trying to keep pace with Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Inuyasha who were running up the dingy wooden stairs of the present Kurobara. The wolf demon suspected this might be where Kanna was being kept as it was the only place from which light was being noticed.
Surprised by the fact that for a famous brothel and gaming house the place was inconspicuously empty, a clear difference from the dingy street they had just left behind. Kagura kept following hoping and wishing to see her daughter soon.
The groups reached a long corridor, which was only illuminated by a faint light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
“There’s some noise coming from this room.” Kouga whispered to his companions, pointing a clawed finger towards the last door on the right. A ray of bright light was coming from under the door of the room. As one they all started to silently walk towards the designated door, then came to a stop in front of it.
“We need to proceed slowly. I’ll kick in the door, and go in first and see what’s happening.” The wolf demon instructed the six other people huddled around the door.
“Do not tell this Sesshoumaru what to do.” The dog demon spat. Unlike Kouga, he had no firearm with him, and therefore had to contend himself with using his poison claws.
‘Do not worry Kanna, your parents have come for you.’ Sesshoumaru thought as he slashed away the dirty wooden door with his poison claws, providing an opening.
“Cocky bastard.” Kouga muttered as he quickly rushed in after the dog demon. He then raised his gun and was about to yell for everyone inside the room to freeze as he would during any police assault he had conducted in the past, but before he could speak the words died in his throat. The sight inside the room was not quite what either of them had expected to see.
To be continued…
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! My last semester as a college student is wrapping up, so I’m going to be busy in the coming weeks, but I should have more time to write while conducting my job search. Until the next chapter (which title I haven’t decided yet) my dear!
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