InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Too Quiet ❯ What's that sound? ( Chapter 1 )

It’s Quiet… Too Quiet


I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters therein. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ productions. (Did I spell his name right?)

Inuyasha stared into the darkness of the night, his attitude well adjusted after Kagome’s little “sit” episode earlier that night. He listened closely to the sounds of the forest around him as his eyes flicked down to the campsite below, he huffed as Miroku rolled over in his sleep and unconsciously reached for Sango’s butt region. She quickly rolled over and gave him a good slap in her sleep, and he didn’t even wake up, though the glowing hand mark on his face suggested he would feel it in the morning… if it didn’t bruise. Then his eyes flicked over to Kagome’s sleeping bag, she was there, sleeping deeply as she seemed to do a lot these days when he’d hurt her feelings. She was cuddled closely to Shippo, clutching the sleeping kitsune to her protectively. He felt the breeze in the air pick up and he quickly realized that muted rustling of the leaves was all he heard. He listened closer, focusing deeply on the sounds around him, and then he sniffed the air to be sure. Nope, no sounds or scents from anything living in the forest aside from trees… not even insects… something was wrong.
Forgetting his anger with Kagome, he quickly leapt down silently and walked over to her side, kneeling on the ground, and gently shaking her shoulder, “Kagome, wake up.” He whispered, knowing she would probably ‘sit’ him if he woke Shippo.
Her eyes fluttered open and she rolled over, spotting Inuyasha. “What is it?” she asked, irritated more by being awoken from a descent sleep by him more than anything else.
“Shh, just listen and tell me what you hear.” He said.
She came fully awake now, wondering what the crazy hanyou was up to. She squinted her eyes as she focused, but since the wind died down, she heard literally nothing. “I don’t hear anything at all… I know I’m not deaf…” she mused, knowing that Inuyasha had in fact woken her and spoke to her before she woke up.
“That’s just it… not even nocturnal hunters that you would hear this time of night. It’s quiet… too quiet.” He said cautiously.
She stifled a laugh, knowing the situation was serious, but couldn’t resist a slight titter at the thought of everybody favorite hanyou in the feudal Japan using that particular phrase. “You really don’t need to watch anymore movies or TV with Sota.” She whispered.
“What?” he asked, truly confused by the miko’s sudden fit of silenced giggles.
“Nothing. Do you want me to wake the others?” she asked, finally getting her giggle box turned upright.
“No, let’s just investigate first.” He said, grabbing her archery tools and handing them to her and helping onto his back, taking of soundlessly. She gripped his haori for dear life as they rode off into the night. Inuyasha kept an eye out on the ground while Kagome tried to sense any youki that may be around them.
“There!” Kagome said as she pointed past his head, knowing he wouldn’t let her fall.
He stopped in the trees and looked, seeing a youkai that looked almost human. Until he transformed into a human. They landed, and he laughed almost maniacally. The breeze picked up again and Kagome’s dark hair blew around her, light wisps of it whipping against her face. “What have you done to this forest?” she asked angrily as he laughed.
“My dear Miko! What would make you think I made this forest so quiet?” he asked sarcastically.
“Feh! You’re the only living thing besides us humans in this forest!” Inuyasha said frustrated.
Suddenly, without a word, the youkai attacked, sensing the jewel shards about Kagome’s neck. She was knocked back with such force that she thought that maybe he’d broken a few ribs, but she’d grabbed the shards in time to keep him from snatching them. She didn’t realize it, but she was gripping them for dear life, unconsciously wrestling with the anonymous youkai to keep them away from it. He suddenly drew back as she was brought out of her semi-conscious state of mind.
Inuyasha watched in horror as the youkai began to tear at the flesh on her fingers and hands, trying furiously to get to the shards that lay protected in her small, delicate hands, the blood began pouring from her fingers before Inuyasha shook himself out of his shocked state, and attacked. But, once sensing the frenzied hanyou’s attack simply picked Kagome up and carried her away, flying through the air in the blink of an eye… her blood pouring now from her wounded hands. Inuyasha gave chase, catching up long enough to grasp Kagome’s bleeding hand and take the vial of shards, thinking that if he lost Kagome, his world would end… he couldn’t possibly bear to go back to her time and tell her mother that her only daughter was murdered by a crazed youkai trying to get the jewels. The youkai was so fast, though, that Inuyasha quickly lost track of him, and his scent had somehow disappeared. He just settled for screaming Kagome’s name into the darkness as he frantically pounced from tree to tree in a panic, trying to smell Kagome, but only being led in circles by his own hand smearing her blood on every tree around him. “KAGOME!” he cried helplessly.
Briefly, after a few minutes of concentrating on the sounds around him, he heard someone yell his name, and looked around, praying it’d be the missing miko. He glanced down at the forest floor, realizing that their friends had heard him and had come running.
“Inuyasha! What’s going on? Where’s Kagome?” he heard the chorus of voices screaming from below him.
He leapt down, unknowing that tears stained his startlingly pale cheeks. “A… A youkai… it took her!” he shook as he relayed the news, clutching the vial in his palm tightly, “I–I tired to get her back! I only got close enough before they disappeared for her to give me this!” he said, openly sobbing at his own weakness, holding the vial out for Sango or Miroku to take. “I’m SO SORRY!” he screamed as he crumbled to the ground half a second after the shards were taken from his hand.
Shippo knelt beside Inuyasha, and cradled his head much like any child would do knowing a parent was in such emotional pain. “We’ll find Kagome!” he said, tears running down his face, since Kagome had raised him for the past two years, like a mother would, he was upset, “She’s–she’s… Mama’s strong Otou-san! It’s not your fault.” he comforted, unknowing that he’d actually called Inuyasha his father, feeling keenly the helplessness everyone around him felt at that moment, “She’ll be all right!” he cried as Inuyasha lifted his head and wrapped the sobbing kit in his arms.
“Sango, Miroku, take Shippo back to Kaede’s hut, give her the shards, tell her what’s happened, stay put! And I MEAN IT!” he said as he stood up shakily, his tears forming from anger with himself now, looking Shippo straight in the face now “Do you hear me? Stay there! I’ve got to find Kagome and I can’t concentrate on that if we end up in battle.” He said, shaking as he handed Shippo back to the pair, go now, take Kirara so you’re not exposed on the ground.” He finished.