InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Don't Know What You Have 'Till Its Gone ❯ The Jump Off (Part One) ( Chapter 7 )

{Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me so don't sue. ::sighs:: unless someone would like to give him to me. I would have a ball playing with those ears.}

You Don't Know What You Have 'Till It's Gone

By Striking Falcon

Chapter Seven: The Jump Off (Part One)

Inuyasha waited as patiently as he could for Sango and Miroku to reach the fortress doors. {Which we all know how patiently that is.} He didn't wait long for them to catch their breath before smashing into the wooden doors and storming the castle. They followed behind him as he dashed across the courtyard into the castle gates. Sango ran a little ahead of Miroku, taking in their surroundings. 'Why is no one trying to stop us?' she wondered as they passed yet another demon in their search. The 'servants' of the castle made no move to stop them, only stepping aside quickly at the half demon's enraged shouts for Sesshoumaru. Sango glanced back at Miroku, seeing her expression of concern mirrored on his face. Inuyasha burst through a pair of gilded doors, coming to such an abrupt halt Sango and Miroku crashed into him. He scowled back at them, then turned to face his target enemy.

"Where is Kagome, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from the table, a bored look grazing his face. He glanced at Inuyasha, then Shippou, who was just climbing down Inuyasha's haori.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

Inuyasha fumed. Stepping closer to Sesshoumaru, he unsheathed Tetsusaiga, the rusty blade transforming instantly into their father's fang.

"You lie, you bastard. Where is she? I can smell her all over here."

"Oh, you mean the wench you travel with? She escaped two weeks ago."

Inuyasha and the others blinked in confusion. 'Kagome….ESCAPED?' Sango thought as she looked to Miroku for help. Miroku's shrug let her know, in no certain terms, 'Hell, I'm lost too.' Inuyasha recovered from his stupor, dropping into his well used battle stance.

"You mean to tell me that a mere human escaped your fortress? You're slipping, Fluffy."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed a moment before his face returned to his familiar mask of indifference.

"She became of little use to me after two weeks. I didn't care enough to keep her here. But since you and your friends have interrupted my dinner, you may as well sit down and join me," he said as he gestured for them to sit down. Once again the group stared in shocked silence. Shippou recovered first, his growling stomach overcoming his good common sense as he sat down in the chair farthest away from Sesshoumaru. Slowly the others followed, with Miroku sitting next to Shippou, Inuyasha beside him, and Sango between the two brothers. Every so once in a while, they exchanged glares. Sango sighed. 'What bet did I lose to end up in such a position?' she asked herself, leaning her face against her hand. 'It could have been worse. I could be sitting by Miroku, the pervert.' She watched the silent battle between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha until Shippou broke the silence.

'Where's dinner?" he chirped, instantly shrinking into himself when Sesshoumaru tossed him a bored glance. Sesshoumaru sighed.

"Children."

He snapped his fingers and a row of servants marched out of the dining room. Sango and the others watched as each one filed out, the odd assortment of demons pouring into the room and behind each of them. Each servant held a bowl of soup in their hands. Sango gasped as the last servant filed into the room, coming to a stop beside Sesshoumaru. It was a human female, dressed in all blue as she soundlessly padded across the floor. Sango couldn't see her face, for it was covered with a veil. Even the girl's hair was restricted from view. Sango watched her as she came to a stop, her head bowed. Sesshoumaru gestured for the others to serve them and go. As the girl walked away, Sesshoumaru grasped her wrist. It was then Sango realized the girl wore gloves. 'Why is she covered so?' Sango wondered. 'Could the sight of a human really be so disturbing to Sesshoumaru to make her veil herself?'

"Sit," he ordered, nodding at the empty chair beside him on the other side of Sango. The girl instantly obeyed, sinking to the seat of the chair with hurried grace. Sesshoumaru glanced at the others at the table.

"Eat," he said simply, raising his bowl to his lips. {Yes this sounds rather strange, but if I remember correctly, this is actually how soup was eaten. If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to tell me so.} Inuyasha snorted.

"Yeah right. You've poisoned this somehow. I'm not touching it."

He leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, glancing at the others. Miroku paled, Shippou glanced longingly at the steaming bowl, and Sango sighed irritably. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes.

"Why would I poison you when I could kill you whenever I want to?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. Not eating it."

"Get up," Sesshoumaru said, glancing at the girl beside him.

"Taste their food," he ordered. The servant walked to each diner and raised their bowls to her lips, moving the cloth over her mouth to the side slightly. Afterward, Sesshoumaru ordered her to sit back down. Inuyasha and the others watched her. A few minutes later, when she didn't keel over, the group dived into their meal. Sesshoumaru watched them curiously.

"Well, if you're willing to risk the life of one of your servant's then I don't see the harm," Inuyasha said in between slurps of soup. Sango glanced across the table into the girl's eyes. 'Is it just me, or is she laughing at Inuyasha?' The girl shifted under Sango's gaze. Inuyasha's head snapped up, glaring at Sesshoumaru.

"You said Kagome wasn't here. Why is her scent fresh?"

Sesshoumaru rubbed his temple. A servant appeared in the corridor behind Shippou, startling the child so badly he attached himself to Miroku's head like a cat with the jitters.

"Go get her," Sesshoumaru said. The servant disappeared, coming back moments later with a bundle under his arms. Inuyasha jumped up as the lesser demon dropped the squirming bundle to the ground. Reaching inside it, he jerked a woman up by her black hair, his claws digging into her throat.

"I thought you said you didn't have her, you lying bastard?"

"Look again."

Sango looked a little closer at the woman. She had Kagome's features, but wasn't Kagome. Which meant she was…

"Kikyou," Inuyasha whispered. He turned to Sesshoumaru, his hate spilling over him.

"Kagome informed me that you didn't care enough about her to trade the Tetsusaiga. I considered this for a moment, then went searching for something you would trade for. Look what dropped in my lap."

Inuyasha growled, Tetsusaiga pointed at Sesshoumaru's throat.

"Let her go, Sesshoumaru," he growled, his eyes glittering dangerously. Sesshoumaru stood up, as did the others at the table. The servant girl glanced at Sesshoumaru desperately before settling her gaze back to the table. 'Something is wrong,' Miroku thought as he stared at the undead miko. 'Where are her soul takers? Are they unable to cross Sesshoumaru's barrier?' Sesshoumaru's low chuckle interrupted his thoughts.

"At first, I wanted to trade. After all, I don't particularly like the idea of the walking dead wandering around my grounds. But seeing the look on your face has given me a better idea." He turned to the servant holding Kikyou.

"Kill her."

The demon grinned and ripped through Kikyou's back. She shrieked before exploding into ashes and dirt. Inuyasha rushed to decapitate the demon, but it vanished under his blade. He spun on his heels toward Sesshoumaru.

"You die."

"I thought you were here for Kagome?" Sesshoumaru wondered, tapping his chin with a clawed finger.

"I don't care about Kagome."

A small sob escaped the servant girl, too low for Sango and Miroku to hear, but loud enough for Shippou, who raised his head toward her in surprise. 'Oh well,' Sesshoumaru though. 'That was to be expected.' As Inuyasha ran across the room, Sesshoumaru tugged the servant girl in front of him like a shield.

"You would hurt a 'precious' human?"

Inuyasha growled in response and brought Tetsusaiga down on them. Tetsusaiga glowed inches from the girl's head, then jerked Inuyasha back against a nearby wall. He stared at it in astonishment. 'It's never done that before.' He glanced up at Miroku as he and Shippou studied Kikyou's remains. 'It just wouldn't transform. Why did it repel, like it recognized-'

"Hey, this isn't Kikyou!" Shippou gasped, derailing Inuyasha's train of thought. Shippou stared accusingly at Sesshoumaru.

"What's the big idea?"

Sesshoumaru's chuckle turned into full blown laughter as he spun the servant girl around by her wrist.

"How stupid can you be, little brother?"

He ripped off the veil, setting loose in front of him a whirling cloud of obsidian tresses like a dark tornado. He stopped her suddenly, turning her to face Inuyasha and the others. His hand grasped her chin, a talon tapping lightly under one of her gray eyes. {Inspiration picture found at Sesshoumaru: The Killing Perfection under Beanclam 2}

'Gray eyes…'

"Oh fuck," Inuyasha whispered as Kagome shuddered against Sesshoumaru's chest. Sango and the others gasped.

"She sat in front of you the entire time, and you hadn't a clue."

Kagome choked out a sob as her eyes fell to Inuyasha's, hurt beyond all belief written in their depths. Before Inuyasha could do or say anything she faded in Sesshoumaru's arms, disappearing from sight.

"Where is she?"

"Why? Didn't you just say you didn't care about her?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head in mock shame.

"I could not have done better myself. Thank you, Inuyasha. Now she has no where else to go."

The next thing the group knew, they were back in the forest on the other side of Sesshoumaru's barrier. Inuyasha charged it under Miroku's ofuda, but was swiftly shot across the clearing into the same, friendly tree. Miroku sighed.

"Told you it was too easy."

Inuyasha grumbled.

"Well, we'll have to find another way in."

SMACK!

WHAM!

"Ow! What was that for, you two?" Inuyasha groaned as he glared at Sango and Miroku. Shippou leaped from his shoulder before the attack and was now sitting in the branches of the tree, sobbing. Sango stood above Inuyasha, her hands on her hips.

"You have NO idea what you just did, do you?" Sango hollered. Inuyasha's ears flattened closer to his head.

"What are you babbling about?"

WHAM!

"You just confirmed Kagome's worst fears, you moron!" Shippou screamed, bouncing off Inuyasha's head.

"You are such an idiot. Sesshoumaru set you up to say that so he could convince Kagome to stay with him. Which means, since you fell for it, that she won't EVER come back to us, no matter how we try to save her. Sesshoumaru's the good guy now. And all because you're such a block head!"

-------

SF: That's the last time I ask Sesshou to do something. Can't you do anything out of the kindness of your heart?

Inuyasha: He has no heart, remember?

Kagome: Sit, boy!

>Thump!>

SF: Thank you. Answer my question, Sesshou.

Sesshou: I don't have to answer anyone, especially a half breed bird like you!

SF: Why you self-centered, immature, pompous jackass!

Sesshou: You twisted, conniving bitch!

{The Inuyasha cast watches like spectators at a tennis match as SF and Sesshou argue::}

SF: Is it so hard for you to be nice, jerk!

Sesshou: I don't have to be nice!

SF: Yes you do!

Sesshou: No I don't!

SF: Yes you DO, pretty boy!

Sesshou: {::growling::} What did you call me?

Kagome: I suggest you head for the rafters, SF. He has that look in his eye again.

SF: Crap! {::flies up just as Sesshou lunges for her. SF changes back and sits on a rafter::}

SF: I'm going to spend the rest of my life up here, I just know it. Keep going. Maybe by the time this is caught up with, I'll be down from here.