InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stealing Shadows ❯ Defining Fear ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

In the waning twilight, cold, damp air clung to her skin as she entered the small cavern. The fire was nearly burnt out; the misty fog rolling in from the ocean, suffocating the flames and creating condensation on the rocks and wood. Picking up a large log, Kagome added fuel to the waning fire. When the flames looked to be on the road to recovery she turned to face the entrance.

'Where is he?' She thought to herself as she stared into the darkening, swirling mist outside.

On her way back from meditating she had felt the first push from the aki she was beginning to know far too well. Her reiki was running on high alert as the dense fog prohibited her from viewing the danger that could be heading her way. Like being blindfolded in battle, it created a sense of fear in her like she had never experienced. Outside she could feel the comforting aura of Inuyasha but the weather had a way of disorientating everything. They were both out there, swallowed in a veil of cold darkness.

The cave was now illuminated, the fire struggling to survive as the moisture laden air continued to seep inside. For now it crackled, yet Kagome feared the next piece of wood she would throw on would be too wet to burn. An idea came to mind and she left the opening to locate her sleeping blanket in the rear of the cavern. Soon she had the meager pile obscured under the shelter of the blanket. Contented that the fuel for their precious light had been saved she sat close to the flickering flame.

“Inuyasha will come!” She told herself after a pause. The silence in the cave had become deafening and it was comforting if nothing else to hear her own voice echoing against the rocky walls. Words were doing little to calm her so she began singing her own rendition of some of her favorite songs. Periodically she would pause, thinking something was stirring around her.

As the fire began to falter, Kagome found herself entranced by the movement of the fog. Every shift and swirl had her thinking she had seen something outside. Trying to hold her breath she trained her ears on the sounds outside. The odd night animal would rustle but nothing out of the ordinary.

“Inuyasha?” Calling out into the darkness she again listened carefully. Her hands reached out to ensure that her two swords remained secured at her hip. Then they sought her bow and arrows blindly while her eyes remained trained on the entrance. With her arrows secured to her back she nocked one arrow on the bow. She didn't like how the noise from the animals had ceased. The night had become far too quiet.

Again she thought she saw something stirring in the misty world beyond the cave. So anxious was she about what was outside that she missed the last flicker of her fire. Beside her only embers glowed, barely lighting the small area around her.

“Inuyasha?” The whisper came as fear settled into her bones. Whatever was outside was not her beloved hanyou. Her blood ran cold when she heard a rock shift and slide, as if underfoot, just beyond the cave.

A low pitched moan vibrated outside causing her limbs to tremor and quake. Never before had she heard such a terrifying noise. Like the last breath of a dying soldier it slipped from the lips of its owner. Shadows on the wall began to move around her causing her to panic. The wood was too far away to reach and only now did she realize her mistake. The hot embers were cooling in the fog. Another moan followed by a hiss echoed outside.

Desperate, she dropped her bow and lunged for the wood. Struggling with the blanket she fought to grasp any tinder for her fire. With wood in hand she turned to throw it on the smoking remnants of the former fire. Her eyes were captured by movement on the wall. To her horror, a shadow was making its way toward her own. Head snapping around to where a body should be relevant to the shadow she found nothing.

Tossing the log onto the wood embers, she prayed that the log would catch. Kagome focused on the shadow that was now speeding towards hers. When it touched hers, she felt a terrifying cold wash over her. Try as she might to reach for her bow she could not; her limbs paralyzed by some unknown force. The miko turned her face to the entrance and her heart nearly stopped.

A dark looming, figure filled the door. Silently and still like a cemetery statue it taunted her. It's shape was that of a mortal man yet Kagome suspected that up close it would have resembled anything but. Red eyes flickered, its gaze sharp and piercing in the dark. Unmoving in the entrance, it waited. The intensity of that moment was like no other. Baiting her, it remained motionless even as she tried to break through her immobilizing fear to summon her reiki.

When it finally smiled at her, Kagome feared she would die before the morning sun would rise. Terror settled into her very soul rending her incapable of utilizing her inner powers. Row upon row of razor sharp teeth glistened in faint light of the cavern. Those same jaws had inflicted pain and suffering on the men of the haunted village. Would her flesh feel the agonizing pressure of those dark mandibles? Or would she simply disappear like the women of the ill fated community.

Pray as she might, her log did not catch. Seconds later, as the embers finally faded, Kagome tasted debilitating fear. The figure remained where it was, unmoving and silent until at long last it raised a hand. Expressionless it watched her and Kagome began to panic when she felt hands gripping around her throat. The pressure increased until she was struggling to breathe. Her eyes left the oni to focus again on the wall. What she saw was anything but what she had expected. Her small shadow was trapped beneath a monster of one. Her eyes could decipher what looked to be a man leaning over her though nothing physically touched her. The vision faded and she knew nothing but darkness.

Fire rushed through his veins, allowing him to run faster and jump higher than he ever had before. The stench of the shadow oni burned his sensitive nostrils, but nothing would deter him from his goal. Ignorant of the world around him, Inuyasha focused solely on the scent of the oni and the faintest lingering impression of Kagome's unique smell. The trail was leading straight to the accursed place he had taken Kagome away from. Clearing the junction between the coastal boundaries and mountain pass, he hurried towards the obscured trail that led to the abandoned village.

Approaching the village he slowed. Finally halting on the outskirts, well hidden in the depths of the dark trees. In full youkai state, he was far more in tune with his surroundings. Scanning the area with his keen ears and nose he was able to determine that the oni had recently passed through here. This had not been its destination though. Breathing heavily he drew in what he could of Kagome's scent. No blood intermingled with it. Drawing a heavy sigh he exhaled with relief. For now she remained unharmed.

Flexing his lengthy claws he hungered for oni blood. Time couldn't pass quickly enough, and the space between them to diminish fast enough. He would go easy on the shadow creature if Kagome was unharmed; handing down a swift death. Should his miko be harmed, a slow and painful death awaited the creature.

Stalking through the village he passed the large building that still held the decomposing remains of the village men. When this was over and done with he would personally bury the poor souls whose bodies had been so disgracefully mutilated. On the other side of the dwelling he caught the trail once more. Again he made his way through the thick forest, slowly and deliberately. He did not wish to startle the oni and have it harm Kagome. Surprise would be his best ally.

Her head throbbed madly but worse yet was the pain in her throat. Certain that it was bruised and swollen she tried tentatively to swallow. That alone made her wince. Despite her discomfort, Kagome lay unmoving where she was, eyes closed and deathly still. She hadn't forgotten that she was likely in the hands of a crazed lunatic and whether it be youkai or human, it was mentally unstable and she did not want to provoke it.

Focusing on her hearing she tried to make sense of her surroundings. As tempting as it was to open her eyes, she feared alerting the creature of her new found state of consciousness. The air around her was still and unmoving. Silence was her only companion. If she knew what she was up against she would merely summon a reiki orb and blast it into dust.

Annoyance festered in her mind. How had she let fear overcome her natural response to danger? Her logic was reprimanding her for not frying the oni when it had set foot in the cavern. Perhaps she had been withdrawn from this lifestyle for too long. The terror had overridden her ability to summon her reiki and thanks to that failure, she found herself playing dead in a dark hole. At least she assumed it was a dark hole. Sure felt like it.

Her head was pressed against something hard. Cool and damp it felt like earth, or so she hoped. Behind her, her back was in a similar situation. The unnerving image of being buried alive came to mind and it took every inch of her strong will to keep from panicking and moving.

Her ears picked up the smallest of noises off to one side. A soft whimper followed by the rustling of the earth, like someone shifting on the ground. Moments passed before another whimper was heard from the same location. She wasn't alone. For the first time she allowed herself hope that there was survivors from the strange massacre at the village.

How she wanted to move, to locate the source of that pitiful noise. Her mind triggered a warning. What if the shadow oni was trying to trick her again. The longer she stayed awake though the more painful her position was becoming. Her shoulder ached from being ground into the hard earth beneath her. Her hips were sore and the hilts of her swords dug roughly into her ribs. Comforting was the sensation as it meant that she at least was armed.

Really it came down to two choices. Remain as she was, trying to ignore the protests of her muscles and wait until the oni made itself known. Option two was to get up and move, hoping that the oni was gone and that her company was normal humans. She wasn't liking the first of the two ideas any more than possibly confronting the oni with the second. What if the fear was debilitating again and she couldn't so much as throw up a barrier?

As confident as she had become in the past few years she suddenly found herself very lacking. The episode in the cavern had left her rattled and unsure of her own ability. When she should have retaliated and purified him, she had been frozen with fear. Sure, the shadow had somehow immobilized her but she had been stalled before it trapped her. The image of the beast was fresh in her mind. The eerie way it just stood there staring at her made the hair on her body stand on end. She'd take on a blood thirsty youkai charging her any day over the stark silence of her current enemy.

With the situation neither worsening or improving she decided on option two. Cracking one eye open she was surprised to see the area around her was dimly lit. Had her eyes not already been adjusted to the dark she thought she would have had great difficulty seeing the the cramped area she found herself in. Opening the other eye she began to take stock of her surroundings.

The area was indeed small and she likened it to a crudely dug bomb shelter. Roots were bared along the wall closest to her, a clear indication that she was underground. Apparently the feeling of being buried alive was more accurate than she first conceived. Scanning the area for threats, she paid close attention for the aki before deeming it safe and sitting up.

Kami was she sore! Every muscle protested as she adjusted herself to a sitting position. Her back remained pressed against the earthen wall as her hand trailed to the hilt of her katana. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a timid voice called out to her.

“You're alive?” The soft voice wavered in the darkness.

“Where are you?” Kagome whispered back trying to find the female who sought her out.

“To your left.”

Turning Kagome could see the pale whites of the girls eyes. The contrast of white against black was the only indication that a person was so close to her. Reaching out into the darkness, Kagome jumped again when fingers latched onto her hand. Shifting, the miko shuffled herself closer to the girl hidden in the shadows.

“Are you from the village?” Kagome asked when her shoulder pressed against the girl. The woman was young, younger than her and filthy. It was hard to distinguish what she really looked like as dirt marred every feature of her face.

“Yes.”

“Did the oni bring you here?”

“Yes. The other women are here as well.”

“Where are they?”

“It has already encased them. Come it is day now and the little bit of light will keep him locked below in his sleeping chamber. I will show you.” The girl moved on hands and knees further into the cave. Kagome could do little else but follow. It could be a trap but she had to go in case the women truly where there and needed her assistance.

Pushing through tangled roots she trailed after the girl. It was little wonder now how her companion had become so dirty. Kagome's knees were becoming torn and scraped as she pulled herself through the narrow passage. At long last the tunnel widened and when her silent leader made room, Kagome was appalled at what she saw. The village's women were indeed encased. Entombed would be more the word. Wrapped tightly in fabric they resembled the mummies she had seen at the Egyptian display at her national museum in Tokyo. They all lay rigidly in a row, a perfect line of linen and flesh.

“Are they alive?” Kagome asked moving to touch one of the bundles.

“Yes. Sleeping for now. Eternal sleep if you will. Come night this room will be filled with their screams. It's been the same every night since I was brought here. I think the oni feeds on their nightmares.” The woman beside her whispered back.

Kagome stared in horror at the scene before her. It was almost unimaginable that these wrapped bundles contained humans. Even more so, that they were contained for the sole purpose of scaring them to death. In her mind she remembered when Inuyasha and she had helped a young man rescue his beloved hime. The Lord she had been married to was possessed by a toad youkai. That youkai had entrapped the young women of the surrounding areas as well. They had found them in large egg sacs, slowing being turned into food for the youkai. This somehow seemed more disturbing. The women in the egg sacks had seemed peaceful enough, blissfully unaware of what was happening to them. Not bound and gagged, forced to endure night terror after night terror until they were too exhausted to move during the daylight hours.

“Why are you free?” Kagome suddenly asked. If everyone else was subjected to this horrible fate, why had this one girl been allowed freedom in the underground hold. Why was she herself not bound in such a manner.

“There are two others like me.” The girl paused, a dirty hand coming up to drag down her tired face. “At first we wondered the same question, then it came to us. One at a time we were taken down to its sleeping area.”

Kagome didn't like the tone that had come to the girl's voice. The life suddenly deflated out of the woman in front of her, eyes becoming flat and distant. She had seen that look before on a woman's face. The girl didn't need to go into further detail for Kagome had already figured it out.

“I was surprised at how gentle it was. No worse than being taken by an unknown husband for the first time. It wasn't pleasant but I didn't think I would live through it. We're not just concubines for it though. I think it is trying for offspring. That's the only thing that is keeping us alive and in relatively good condition.”

Kagome's heart sank. Breeding stock. The monster had rounded up the women for food and breeding stock. Worse yet was that her fate would likely be similar to the girl's beside her. Cursing she looked around her desperate for an escape route. Looking up she saw what she needed. A small opening high above that was allowing the faintest bit of light through. If she could reach it maybe she could widen the hole and crawl out.

“Don't bother.” The woman had watched Kagome's eyes. She knew that escape was futile.

“Why not?” Kagome huffed. If there was any chance of escape, even remotely slim, she would take it.

“There's a barrier that keeps us here. Trust me, I've tried getting out of here a thousand times. The only thing I succeed at was hurting myself.” The woman looked from the ceiling back to the bodies around her. “Just accept your fate and be thankful that he hasn't made you into one of these pitiful people. I'd rather be raped than food.”

“I'm not willing to accept anything.” Kagome gritted her teeth. The woman beside her didn't have the benefit of spiritual powers. Unfortunately Kagome didn't have the benefit of a bow and arrow to test the barrier. Her bow had been lost along the way. Standing up she motioned to the other girl to do the same.

“Above us is a possible escape. I'm going to climb up there and take a look.”

“But what of the barrier?”
Kagome smiled before igniting a tiny ball of reiki in her hand. The girl recoiled beside her shielding her eyes at the bright light. Kagome laughed. “My name is Higurashi Kagome. I am a miko.”

“Kami, we are saved!” The woman smiled back. “I'm Yume. The easiest ledge to climb is over there.”

Not hesitating, Kagome headed for the ledge. Adjusting her swords so her climbing wouldn't be hindered by the blades, she bent to dust her hands with dirt. Setting her jaw in determination she began her ascent. The wall was difficult but Kagome was in peak physical condition and she made it to the top in good time. Disappointment set in when she reached the opening in the ceiling. It was smaller than she had first thought. Barely large enough to fit her hand through. From her current location she got her first glimpse of the barrier. Yume hadn't been lying, it looked formidable enough. No doubt it would do more than sting if someone tried to push through it.

Weighing her options Kagome tried to figure out what to do next. The hole was too small to escape through, and if she tried to blast it bigger she risked the chance of crushing the women with falling boulders. She had to think of a way to get everyone out safe and sound.

“Kagome-sama, you must come down.” Yume looked worried as she watched Kagome teeter precariously on the high ledge above her.

“Yes, I agree. I have to figure out how to safely make this hole bigger.” Kagome carefully picked her way down. Even if she managed to open the ceiling, how was she going to manage hauling the dead weight of the rest of the women up and out?

“I told you it was useless.” Yume sighed.

“Not useless, informative!” Kagome tried to remain upbeat but the future was looking rather grim. Maybe she was looking at things the wrong way. The most obvious route wasn't always the best. There could be another way out. She just had to look harder.

“It will be dark soon.” Yume's eyes traveled up to the ceiling. Dark meant another hellish night with that creature. She had been lying when she told Kagome it wasn't all that bad. Yume hadn't wanted to frighten her new companion any more than was necessary. Being raped every night had been terrifying. Her body ached continuously. True, the creature had been gentler than she had been expecting but that didn't matter in the long run. She had been violated over and over, her screams only fueling its lust for her. The other two girls had much the same fate. Yume hadn't seen them for two nights now. Likely they were being held in separate locations since they had tried escaping together.

“Then I guess we had better come up with a plan and quick.” Kagome again knelt by the wrapped body of a woman. She wondered if the person inside was young or old. If they had had a family before this. If one of the men she had seen had been her beloved husband. Gently she reached out and touched the woman. Letting her reiki flow gently through her fingers she hoped that it would give the unconscious villager some peace.

How was she going to manage to get them all out of this mess safely? Where was Inuyasha when she needed him? Kagome worried that something had happened to her faithful hanyou. She didn't know how far she was from their seaside escape but likely she was currently closer to the village.

With no idea of where she was or how to get out of this underground fortress, she was beginning to fear the inevitable. What if she froze again and couldn't use her reiki against the shadow? Kagome was afraid that even being a miko wasn't going to get her out of this. The familiar feeling of self loathing washed over her. She hadn't felt this inadequate since her first few trials with Kikyo.

Gritting her teeth she forced herself to push away the negative thoughts. She was better than that. For three long years she had pushed herself to her limits. Training both mentally and physically she had prepared herself for life in these times. Kagome would be damned if she let these women down. This time she wouldn't be startled by the shadow's appearance.

Kagome thought her best plan was to become well informed about her opponent. She had an informant sitting right beside her.

“Yume, tell me what you know about the shadow. I saw the shadow take a hold of mine but there was a solid form in the door. Are they one and the same?” Kagome asked trying to make sense of what she had experienced.

“He calls himself Chitose. He takes a human appearance for the most part but when he is angered... well I'm sure you saw the teeth. As far as I can tell he controls the shadows. He's brutal in his assaults and he doesn't even have to lift a finger to kill.” Yume explained, shivering in remembrance of his youkai face. “One of the other women he... uses, she was in a hut when he attacked her family. She said that unusual shadows crawled across the walls and when they reached one that belonged to the males, it attacked. Nothing ever touched the men but they struggled as if they were fighting another person. When it reached hers she said that she couldn't breathe and then all she remembers is waking up here.”

“Chitose huh. I know about the men in your village Yume but how did he abduct the women?” Kagome had a hunch of the technique, a lure tactic that based its success on the mothering nature of the female villagers.

“I was washing laundry. It was getting close to night and the day was already dark from the rain storm. I heard something in the trees near the river. A cry of sorts. It sounded so desperate and sorrowful that I had to see who it was coming from. The forest was so dark. No light could break through the dense clouds and into the thick trees. I saw what I thought was a small child, then I remember nothing.” Yume's eyes moved to stare down the narrow black passage they had come through and then towards another passage on the other side of underground fortress.

“You don't have to talk about what happened once you came here.” Kagome reached out to reassure the woman beside her. She was no fool. Yume hadn't been telling the truth about Chitose's use for her. Kagome knew that Yume was likely raped and that the girl's time here had been very difficult. Anyone who survived time with such a sinister being had to be strong, especially mentally. The miko greatly admired the young woman who had reached out to her, despite her own fears and knowledge of the beast they battled. Yume was indeed a remarkable woman.

Looking around her, Kagome realized that the little light that had filtered through the ceiling was now gone. They were once again submerged in darkness. Her biggest trial was about to come. Deep in thought her eyes went to the tightly wrapped bodies laid out near her. She was reminded of the time she had been trapped by a moth youkai, encased in a cocoon and subjected to her own fears. Her thoughts were jolted when a scream erupted close by.

“It's beginning!” Yume whispered huddling closer to Kagome.

The miko shuddered when scream after scream began to fill the air around her. Whatever the women were seeing in their dreams, Kagome doubted it was something so trivial like what she had experienced under the moth youkai's influence. The shadow oni Chitose most be injecting pure terror into the women's minds.

“This is horrible!” Kagome couldn't bear the pain the women were dealing with. Channeling her reiki she placed a barrier around the gathering of bodies. Her thoughts focused around everything she could think of that was calming and peaceful. She smiled brightly when the screaming turned to whimpering and finally quieted.

“Amazing!” Yume's hushed voice echoed in the night.

“You think they'll be hurt if we cut off their bindings?” Kagome asked as she pulled out the shorter wakizashi from her hip. She had wasted enough time trying to find an escape and learning about her enemy. Now was time for action. First she would try and get the women awake and ready. Her priority as a miko was to keep them safe.

“I don't think so.” Yume hesitated before taking the deadly blade from the miko. It was unusual for a miko to carry the blades of a samurai.

“Start cutting them free. The barrier around you should keep you safe from the oni.” Kagome's eyes searched the depths of the two passageways near them. “Tell me Yume, do you know when he comes.”

“No.”

The response came just as Kagome felt an aura begin to flare down one of the earthy channels. Her nemesis approached and they had yet to free even one of the women from their bindings.

“Ready or not Yume, Chitose is coming.” Kagome forewarned, her grip tightening around the hilt of her katana. Her thoughts trailed to Inuyasha as she waited for the upcoming battle. Praying that he was unhurt and would reach her soon, she squared her shoulders and prepared to stand her ground. With or without her hanyou, things were heating up fast and she would be the one to protect the women behind her.

A blood curdling hiss rose from the depths of the darkness causing Kagome to shudder. When two red eyes glowed in the distance she sucked in her breath. Time waited for no one right? Without hesitation she drew her katana from its sheath, the long blade weighed heavily in her hands as she stared down the oni of shadows.


A/N: Kokoronagomu – thanks for the extra hard work on this one! Get some more shut eye, you deserve it!

kmoaton – Hope this answers some of your questions! Enjoy.
Akdreamer – I'm really enjoying the suspense myself.
Nekoriebaka- So glad you like my take on the characters.
Mayu28- And so I give you another chapter!
Inu Hanyou Nikkie -* rubbing salts under nose* Wake up from your faint honey, here's another one for ya!
La623 – Goosebumps eh? I hope the this and the next chapter has the same effect.
Puppyears 6248- *giggles * Thank you.
Kdec – Thank you so much!! ;p
little25victor – Horrible; I hope I delivered!
InuyashaXkagome1994 – Kagome and Inuyasha fluff is always sweet!
Vampirelover2009 – Glad you are enjoying this.
pyscho_chick32 – Hurray! I'm glad you stumbled upon it! Hope you had an enjoyable read.
Catlover260 – The woman from the village are found and Inu is on his way!!!
unistar – The pair is stronger, more trials to come for the newly united couple. Thanks for reading.
Angel-up-above-heaven - So happy you like it so far.