I hadn't planned on any more stories. But then the thought of doing a story about the twins entered my head and this is the first story. I am not sure how often I will be up dating as I'll be spending my spare time between art work, up dating my website and the story. I hope my writing skills have improved at least a little.
Spirit of the Tiger
Chapter 1 Unexpected Trouble
Moriko awoke in the dark. Her head hurt and she felt slightly dizzy. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She was in a small dark place, smelling of gas, oil and rubber. She tried to move but couldn't. Her wrists and ankles were bound by rope behind her. There was a strip of duct tape over her mouth. She was in the trunk of a car. Her first instinct was to break the bonds and get out. However the car wasn't moving and she could hear voices right outside. To break out now would cause problems later. She strained to listen. The voices were talking about hiding her aboard a ship.
Moriko growled to herself. 'Father will be furious,' she thought. 'Today of all days for something like this to happen.'
She had gone out to get something for her mother, who would soon be returning. She was excited about meeting her and wanted to give her something special as a welcome. Her little house was situated in the suburbs of Tokyo in Hachioji City. She lived close to the university she went to, close to other houses and apartments. Her driveway was lined by several trees and shady. She often walked to her classes, but for shopping, took her car. Leaving early to avoid the worst of the late summer heat, she had been eager to find something for her mother. She wasn't paying attention as she went out to her car; her mind was on what she wanted to get. She missed the initial scent of people, only noticing something was odd when she spotted a car parked at the end of her driveway. As she walked past two of the bigger trees, she sensed trouble but then it was too late. Two men grabbed her from behind. As she struggled to get away, a moist cloth was shoved in her face. After inhaling the fumes, she passed out.
Angry at herself, she quietly took in the situation. She had been kidnapped. Why? She listened, but the voices were quiet. The car started up and moved. She was being taken somewhere, presumably to the ship. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her father and sent him a silent plea for help.
Sherrin found herself to be excited yet nervous. The early afternoon was clear, hot and humid. She was dressed in a light blue skirt, white short sleeve blouse and sensible shoes for travel. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail to keep her neck cool.
Their preparation for this trip had been perfect, everything had gone smoothly. They had gotten everything checked in with customs and were good to go.
Heather had driven them to the airport. She went with them to where the private jet was parked at a hanger.
"Call me when you get there," Heather said as Sherrin took Maverick's large crate out of the van and put it on the ground. "I will." Sherrin hugged her best friend, knowing she would miss her.
"Don't be a stranger. Phones and e-mail are wonderful ways to keep in touch." Heather hugged Sherrin back. Both women let go and pulled back at the same time, wiping away tears.
Sherrin headed to the plane with Maverick where Sesshoumaru, in his customary white, waited with Moose. He had said his good bye to Heather already and gave the two women time alone to say theirs.
Sherrin handed Maverick's crate to Sesshoumaru. He climbed aboard the plane, a Gulfstream G550, white with the company trademark dog painted on the fuselage. Sherrin turned and waved to Heather before boarding the plane.
"It's going to take some getting used to not having Heather around." Sherrin said as she buckled herself in the seat.
Sesshoumaru buckled himself in after checking to make sure Moose was secured. Maverick was secure in his crate under a seat.
Sherrin nervously pulled at the hem of her skirt.
"Second thoughts?" Sesshoumaru gently placed his hand over hers.
Sherrin looked at him and smiled. "No. Just nervous about meeting everyone."
"They'll like you." Sesshoumaru didn't have a doubt about that.
They sat quietly while the jet took off and waited till the pilot said it was okay to take their seat-belts off.
During the flight, Moose and Maverick didn't have to stay secured; they were allowed to move around. It would be a long flight, with a quick stop in Los Angeles to refuel and a longer lay over in Hawaii to refuel. Maverick had a covered litter box in a corner should he need it. Moose was a different matter. While he was able to move around, if he did anything, Sherrin would have to clean it up right away. Kind of hard to let a dog go outside when you're 35,000 feet up.
The first leg of the trip went without a hitch, thanks to a very good pilot. He had a rather hawkish face; narrow nose, piercing eyes and thin lips. He was a very good pilot thanks to being an avian youkai.
The stop over in LA took only half an hour and they were on their way again.
Moose proved to have amazing holding power. The fact that he slept most of the way helped as well. When they landed in Hawaii, they had an hour and a half, so he was allowed out to go potty.
The second leg of the journey started out smoothly. Again, thanks to the youkai pilot, they had all clear weather.
About an hour into the flight to Japan, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and growled.
"What's wrong?" Sherrin looked at him, concerned.
"Moriko's in trouble."
"How do you know?" Sherrin asked, now worried.
"I can feel her cry for help." Sesshoumaru's voice was tight with emotion. He had no idea what was going on and wanted nothing more than to go find Moriko.
"Is there anything we can do? Call your brother?" Sherrin wasn't prepared for trouble, but she was willing to jump in and do what ever needed to be done.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No clear signal and no secure channel." He considered simply flying out on his own but quickly discarded that idea. He didn't want to get caught on radar as another UFO again.
"Can't we just tell InuYasha to meet us at the airport?"
Sesshoumaru nodded and got up to talk to the pilot.
"Call InuYasha, Moriko's in trouble."
Used to Sesshoumaru's often blunt statements, the pilot immediately radioed ahead to have InuYasha meet them at the airport.
Sesshoumaru turned to go back to his seat, but stopped, having thought of something else. "Have Kagome and Shippou there as well."
"I'm on it."
Sesshoumaru went back and sat down. There was nothing he could do now but wait until they landed. Sherrin put her hand on his arm in comfort as he leaned back in the seat.
"We'll find out what happened," she said softly.
He put his hand over hers and nodded. Her presence helped to keep him calm and focused. He looked at her, noting that while outwardly she appeared calm, she was in fact upset and scared. She was determined to help him despite her own fears and that humbled him a little. His own anger and fear subsided to the back of his mind as he realized Sherrin not only had to deal with the emotions of leaving friends behind, meeting new people, and getting used to a new way of life, she now had the anxiety of not knowing what happened to a family member to deal with. It touched him deeply that she was more concerned about how he felt than her own feelings.
The animals felt the tension. Maverick stayed inside his crate; Moose went to Sesshoumaru and gently put his big head on Sesshoumaru's thigh and whined. Sesshoumaru scratched behind the black ears. "Looks like you aren't getting a break either," he told the dog.
Sherrin and Sesshoumaru both felt the best thing to do was to rest, but sleep didn't come easy.
The pilot, sensing the urgency, increased his speed to the maximum.
The plane landed in Japan an hour ahead of schedule. Darkness was fast fading in the late evening sky, casting dark shadows everywhere.
Sherrin stepped off the plane into temperatures much like Wisconsin, hot and humid.
In the pool of light from the plane, Sherrin got a good look at the three people who waited to greet her and Sesshoumaru. She made an educated guess about who they were. The two men looked similar to Sesshoumaru, one had long white hair, like Sesshoumaru's; the other's white hair was shorter, just to shoulder length. A Japanese woman was with the man with the longer hair. This had to be InuYasha and Kagome. The other Sherrin instinctively knew was Hikaru, Moriko's twin brother.
Sesshoumaru made his way out, carrying the crate and followed by Moose.
"What's up?" InuYasha asked, sensing Sesshoumaru's foul mood.
"Something's happened to Moriko."
"What!" Both InuYasha and Kagome exclaimed.
Hikaru almost flinched. "I've had a slightly uneasy feeling all day," he said. "I should have acted on it." He and Moriko were paternal twins, they didn't look alike, but they had a slight psychic connection. It was strongest when they were in fairly close proximity. Over longer distances they would only get a sense of unease if something happened, unless the other was in extreme danger. The unease Hikaru felt had been faint and he hadn't thought much of it. He had learned over the years that it usually meant Moriko was bothered by something but she could handle whatever it was.
"Where's Shippou?" Sesshoumaru had wanted Kagome and Shippou to help with the customs while he filled InuYasha in on what he wanted to do.
"Shippou's out of country. Said he wanted to visit some buddy of his in Africa." InuYasha looked at Sesshoumaru. "So what's the plan?"
Sesshoumaru ignored him and turned to Sherrin. "Not the best welcome is it?" Sherrin shook her head. He took her hand and gently pulled her next to him.
"Mother!" Hikaru had been gone when Sesshoumaru had gone to America and hadn't known about Sherrin. He immediately knew who she was. His eyes lit up despite the situation and he gave her a big hug. "Welcome home!"
Sherrin hadn't expected such a welcome. She smiled shyly. "Thank you." Kagome and InuYasha also gave her a welcome hug. She had been worried about how they would react to her, but they made her feel welcome.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Kagome said. She was happy everything had turned out for Sesshoumaru. She knew he had missed Rin and that while it didn't show, he had been lonely.
"I just wish circumstances were happier than they are." She looked at Sesshoumaru. "So what do we do?" Her tone told him she was in this with him. She wouldn't stay home while Moriko was in trouble.
"Customs first," he nodded in the direction of the official that was headed their way. They had all the proper paper work and documents. Moose was exempt from the quarantine rule when it was found he was on a search and rescue mission. Maverick however had to be kept in home for the 14 days.
After stowing luggage, crate and dog in Hikaru's car, they left the airport and headed straight for Sesshoumaru's home. InuYasha and Kagome followed in their car.
Sherrin got Maverick settled in his new home while Sesshoumaru checked the premises, making sure nothing was amiss. He went through the whole house, starting from the entry way to the kitchen and dining room, bath room, family-living room, down a hall to the two bedrooms and another bath. He went out onto the deck and walked all around the house.
"Anything?" InuYasha had followed him. Sesshoumaru shook his head and went back inside.
Sherrin and Kagome were sitting on the couch when Sesshoumaru came back in. Moose had flopped down on the floor next to Sherrin. Even though she was anxious to find Moriko, Sherrin was very tired. The stress and the trip had taken a toll on her. Sesshoumaru looked at her and made a decision. "We'll continue our search tomorrow." He turned to InuYasha. "You go home. In the morning check with Moriko's friends and at the University and we'll meet back at the shrine."
InuYasha nodded, for once not arguing. "What will you do?"
"Search around Moriko's place."
Hikaru had made friends with Moose and was sitting with the dog, petting the big furry head. He looked up at his father. "I'm going with you. As far as I can tell, she's missing, but not in any immediate danger."
Sesshoumaru acknowledged his son with a brief nod.
Kagome stood up, yawning. "Come on InuYasha, we need to get going." She turned to Sherrin, who also stood up. "Welcome to the family." Kagome gave her another hug. "It's not usually this crazy here. When this is over, I'll show you around."
"Thank you." Sherrin was thankful for Kagome's friendliness.
InuYasha nodded to Sherrin and went out, followed by Kagome.
Sesshoumaru put his arms around Sherrin. Holding her gave him comfort. "Get some sleep," he commanded as he pushed her gently toward his bed room.
Hikaru went out to the car and brought the luggage into the house. He put the suitcases down in the hallway right outside Sesshoumaru's room, then checked on the cat, who was sitting on top of the crate, taking in his new surroundings. Hikaru then went into the spare bedroom. He and Moriko both left clothes and other belongings in case of a visit, so the room was always ready for an occupant. He lay on the bed, unable to sleep, thinking of his sister. He was angry at himself for not acting on his unease, even though he knew that normally, he wouldn't react to such a slight feeling.
Sesshoumaru showed Sherrin the bathroom, where everything was and how it worked. Sherrin went to her suitcase and opened it, getting out a large light blue night shirt to wear. She went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. When she came out, Sesshoumaru was sitting on the bed. Sesshoumaru's white clothes stood out against the dark blue sheets and blanket on the futon.
Sherrin went to the bed and sat next to Sesshoumaru. The futon was a little lower than she was used to but comfortable.
"This is not what I had in mind for our return." Sesshoumaru sat looking at the floor.
Sherrin could tell he was upset and angry. She wrapped her arms around him in comfort and rested her head against his back. "We'll find her." Of that she was sure. Sesshoumaru wouldn't rest until they found her.
Notes:
As noted at the beginning, it mat take a while to up date, plus, I like to research things so I know what I'm writing about. At least to some point.
As for Moriko passing out, I based that on InuYasha's reaction to certain fumes.
The Gulfstream G550 has a ceiling height of 51,000 feet. I took a guess at what the average cruising height is. They are used mainly as company planes.
It took some doing, but times are appropriate to each part of the story.
I am doing art work related to these stories. Right now just pencil sketches.
