Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction / Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Demon of Makai ❯ Chapter 14

It's Sunday, so I'll update. I don't have much time, but here it is, the next chapter!

 

~*~

 

“Kagome! Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted her name, leaping from tree to tree, searching for some clue as to where she and the others had disappeared to. His nose had followed her scent to this wooded area, but then it mingled with some other scents, all familiar, and disappeared. That confused his senses to no end, but he refused to give up, so he kept looking, calling for her. “Kagome! Kagome!”

 

“Any sign of them?” Mia, Kagome's cousin, called up to him.

 

“None,” he shouted back, his eyes still scanning the woods, even though they'd already combed this same area over and over. Kagome, where are you?

 

“What about you, Michael?”

 

The orange-haired boy shouted a negative. Inuyasha jumped to another tree and looked for clues as to what had taken his mate and her traveling companions. Still nothing. He growled and leaped to a different tree, worry gnawing at his insides.

 

Below him, the others were looking for their missing friends, too. Inuyasha tracked everyone to this place, and then they went off on their own to look for their friends. Sango was missing in action because she needed to care for her children, and Kirara was with her, but everyone else was out in the woods, searching. Shippo had to put an illusion on himself and Inuyasha in case someone saw them, but Inuyasha didn't spend much time where the stray pedestrian would see him, so that was pretty much unnecessary.

 

I don't understand. Where did their scents go? They go to right about here. He stopped at a group of trees at the edge of a clearing. And then they disappear. He growled. This has never happened before. Why wasn't I there to protect her from whatever made her scent disappear? I knew her world was dangerous; why did I leave her alone? His eyes narrowed, and he leaped out of the trees to the ground. Sniffing around, he could tell exactly where her scent ended. I will find you! I'll never give up until you're safe with me again. “Kagome! Kagome!”

 

~*~

 

Jordan was doggedly following Shuichi through the trees, once again doubting her hasty decision to follow him. How can he find a demon willing to help us out if he goes by so fast that he misses them completely?

 

Just then he stopped abruptly. “Wait here,” he commanded softly. He moved out of her sight, but with her hearing she could tell he stopped just a few feet away. He said something in a strange language, and she heard something say something back to him. Coming back, he motioned her to follow once again. This was a change. For the past three days and nights, they moved nonstop, and now it appeared that he found a lead.

 

“Did you find something?” she asked as he picked up the pace.

 

“Yes, it seems that he's been in this area for quite a few years. However, I don't depend on one story. The demon might be lying, so I need to ask a few more. But we have to find a place to stay dry for now. It'll rain soon.”

 

Looking up, she saw that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. “Are you sure?” she asked skeptically. “There aren't any clouds, and it's been bone-dry the entire time.”

 

He looked at her crossly. “I think I would know if it were to rain,” he stated before continuing his ground-eating pace.

 

Sure enough, it started pouring, and they could barely see what was in front of them. “Why don't we find a place to rest?” she shouted over the howling winds.

 

“There's a cave not far from here. It's just up ahead,” he hollered back. He grabbed her hand (after a couple misses) and yanked her into the rock opening that she was about to pass by.

 

“How did you know where this was?” she inquired. “I could barely see what was in front of my nose.”

 

“I've been here before,” he told her. “It doesn't look like it'll lessen anytime soon, so we might as well get comfortable.” He got out some blankets from his bag and started setting them up.

 

“It doesn't look like you think it'll let up anytime tomorrow, either,” she commented as she watched him arrange things around the cave to make it homier.

 

He looked up at her. “It might not,” he said seriously. “It will be a major setback, but it's not something that can be helped. Where would you like to stay?” He meant where in the cave, but she took it as in would she like to stay inside or out.

 

“I'll stay in here, thanks,” she stated. “I'd rather not get wet.”

 

“I meant on which side of the cave would you like to stay,” he informed her.

 

“Oh, whichever side you don't choose,” she said in an offhand manner.

 

“Very well.” He put blankets for her on the opposite side of where he was staying. “I know we normally keep going long past this, but now is a good time to catch up on lost sleep.” He burrowed into his makeshift bed and closed his eyes.

 

“Um, Shuichi?” He opened one eye and looked at her. “If all the wood is wet, how will we cook our food?”

 

“We'll use whatever we can,” he murmured, closing his eye again. “And I have dry food we can eat if need be.”

 

After a few more minutes of relative silence, his breathing evened out and deepened, signaling that sleep finally claimed him. Jordan crawled deeper into the cave and did something only a female could do: change while staying decent the entire time. It wasn't that she didn't trust Shuichi; the guy was asleep, after all. But, some things are so deeply ingrained that it becomes habit and they don't realize that they're doing it anymore.

 

Walking quietly back to “her” side of the cave, she laid her wet clothes out to dry and watched Shuichi sleep. He seemed peaceful and still beautiful. Then a wave of dizziness overcame her. Maybe he's right, she thought as she crawled into her own makeshift bed. Now's a good time to catch up on sleep. She closed her eyes, and darkness came over her.

 

Blearily she opened her eyes. It seemed like she had just fallen asleep, though according to her watch, that was six hours ago. Sitting up, she looked around, wondering what caused her to wake up at two in the morning. Her gaze focused on Shuichi, who was now tossing around and moaning softly. Curious, she crawled over to him. He was covered in sweat, and his face was scrunched in pain.

 

“Shuichi?” she asked quietly. He didn't react. “Shuichi?” she tried again, louder this time. Again, no response except for the continued tossing. She was about to shake him when he cried out and sat up bolt right, almost hitting her. His eyes were wide, and he looked almost frightened. “Shuichi?” she asked tentatively.

 

His head snapped towards her. “Are you okay?” she questioned. “You didn't look so good there.”

 

He shook his head as if to clear it of whatever had been plaguing him. “I'm fine,” he said, smiling slightly. “Just a bad dream. Did I wake you?”

 

“Yeah, but it's not that big a deal,” she said, though if it had been anyone else they would've been made into punching bags. Excepting Crystal, of course. “It's still raining, so we can't go anywhere. Besides, it's two in the morning. Can you go back to sleep?”

 

“I don't know if I can,” he admitted. “You sleep. I'll watch the rain. I know that I should sleep, so when I feel that I can without dreaming, I will. If it stops raining before I'm up, just wake me. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

 

~*~

 

Kurama watched as Jordan settled back into her side of the cave. Why did I have to have that nightmare again? he wondered as the rain fell across the cave's entrance. I was back in the Dark Tournament. It's always the same. First, Roto threatens my mother, and then it changes to the fight with Karasu. What triggered that dream? Why now, and not when we first got here? Maybe it hasn't hit me until now that I'm back in Makai. I hope my mother isn't too worried about me.

 

Jordan turned over in her sleep. He turned to watch her once more. What possessed her to come with me? She doesn't know how dangerous this place is, especially to ningens. Humans are their first choice of food, since there are no humans here in Makai, except for maybe that small band of humans we just left. It would have been far better for the both of us if she had stayed behind.

 

The storm outside wasn't lessening any. We might be stuck here for who knows how long. This doesn't look good. And I thought my self-control was strained already. Now if Yoko can stay quiet, I might be able to get through this in relatively good shape.

 

A noise from the interior of the cave caught his attention. On alert, he cautiously got up and into a defensive position. However, it was only a mouse. Letting out his breath that he had unintentionally been holding, he sank back down to the ground. A sneeze caught him off-guard. Where did that come from? A series of sneezes came after that, leaving him barely enough time to breathe. Then he became aware that he was still in his soaking clothes. No, he told himself, denying what his body was telling him. I can't be sick; there isn't time. However, it was hard to keep telling himself that when waves of dizziness barraged him. Falling back into his blankets, the world started spinning. His last conscious thoughts were of his mother, and how he wished she was there.

 

~*~