A/N: Yay, second chapter! Sorry for the wait! Thanks to all those who reviewed! One reviewer asked if I could tell what was happening to them. That would give it away! You'll find out later in the story. Until then… Mwuahahahaha!!!! Special thanks to UpperClassK9 for beta-ing!
Disclaimer: I own the third, and now the fourth, InuYasha movie. But I am not Rumiko Takahashi, so I do not own any legally binding contracts of ownership over IY. -sniff-
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Chapter Two: Enlightenment
Inuyasha had slept fitfully. Wild, unexplained images had chased each other around his mind all night. Feeling a little tired and antsy, he got up. He did a quick stretch, working any kinks out of his back. The others were slowly coming awake.
Breakfast was an unusually quiet affair, as it had been since they noticed Inuyasha's change in behaviour. They ate in silence, except for the occasional sound of fist-meeting-head and whining.
They set off not long after. Kagome didn't think she could another day full of stiff silence. Knowing Inuyasha was never one for idle chit-chat, she decided to try Sango. "Hey Sango, what do you think is wrong with Inuyasha?"
Sango shook her head. "I've asked myself that many times lately, but I found no answer," she turned to Kagome. "Asking me will get you nowhere. Why don't you ask him?"
Kagome's mood instantly dropped. "He wouldn't tell me if I did. He'd just say there was nothing wrong, he's fine and I shouldn't ask pointless or stupid questions. Then he'd probably tell me to butt out of his business and he'd walk off."
Sango blinked in slight surprise and awe.. "Wow, you have him all figured out, don't you?"
A faint blush appeared on the young girl's cheeks. "No I don't! Usually, yeah, but then he goes and does something completely unexpected!"
Sango's curiosity immediately piqued. "Oh, like what?"
Kagome gave a small squeak. "Oh, nothing. I'm gonna go ask Miroku how far we are from this village." That said, she darted ahead where Miroku was walking a bit behind Inuyasha.
Miroku was studying Inuyasha intensely. He kept noticing tiny things that he would do. 'Slight, sharp jerks of the head, like he's trying to shake off bad thoughts. He keeps flexing his claws, too. I wonder if he even knows he's doing it?' Miroku was so deep in thought that he jumped when Kagome tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Oh, sorry!" Kagome gushed out. "Are you okay?"
Miroku calmed down, taking a few deep breaths. "I'm fine, you just startled me. Is there something I can help you with?"
Kagome muttered another apology. "Uh, yeah, I was just wondering how far away we are from the village."
Miroku raised an eyebrow at her, noticing her hands were wringing a part of her shirt. "We should reach it sometime tonight if we keep going at this rate. However it's most likely that we will reach it early tomorrow." Miroku leaned over to whisper in her ear so the keen-eared half-demon ahead wouldn't hear. "But that isn't what you truly wanted to ask, was it Lady Kagome?"
Kagome looked at Miroku, eyes wide. "How did you…?" she whispered back.
"I can tell," was the short reply. "So what did you really want to ask?"
She made hushing gestures with her hands, shooting a fearful glance at Inuyasha's back. "Later!" she whispered quickly. Miroku nodded in understanding.
Shippo was walking next to Kirara, watching Kagome with interest and confusion. He looked to Kirara for an explanation. The small two-tailed cat gave a short cry and walked on. The young fox demon scratched his head and shrugged. 'I'll ask Kagome when we stop for lunch.'
Inuyasha was unaware of what the others were doing. A strange, fuzzy, glowing light kept interrupting his thoughts. He had no idea what it was, having never seen it before, so he continued to ignore it. Unbeknownst to him, he jerked his head slightly whenever he shoved the light away to the back of his mind. Getting his mind back on track, he continued his mental debate. 'Maybe I should ask Kagome for some of those things she takes for headaches? Would that make it go away?' He frowned, a scowl on his face. 'No, she'd ask if I was alright and she wouldn't give me any until I told her what's bothering me. Damn that nosy wench! What if I waited until everyone was asleep and snuck some out of her pack?' He silently chided himself for that thought. 'No, I shouldn't go through her stuff. She'd sit me so hard I'd be five feet in the ground! Keh, it was a stupid idea anyway. What if grabbed the wrong thing? I'd look like an idiot! No, I'll leave it. Surely it'll go away soon.'
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'That light again. I will know for sure if my suspicions are correct when the light is no longer blurry.' The Lord of the Western Lands was deep in thought as well. Though he did not physically move when he pushed the light away, his two travelling companions knew something was bothering their Lord.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken asked, breaking the silence. He received silence as a reply.
Rin decided to try. "Lord Sesshomaru? May I ask what you are thinking?" Jaken looked scandalised at this question and began spluttering.
"Be quiet, Jaken." The toad-like retainer instantly shut his mouth. "I was thinking that perhaps I should search for the half-breed."
"Which half-breed would that be, My Lord? Naraku or Inuyasha?" Jaken asked, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet.
Sesshomaru changed direction slightly, without breaking his stride, and continued in an unhurried manner. Despite his calm, dignified appearance, his mind was racing with questions that would become clear after seeing his younger brother. "Inuyasha."
"B-but Lord Sesshomaru! Why do you need to track down that worthless-"
"Are you questioning me, Jaken?"
"N-no, My Lord!"
"Then you will follow and remain silent about this issue."
Jaken bowed and nodded swiftly. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!"
Rin watched this exchange with much amusement. She always enjoyed watching Jaken splutter. 'He always looks so funny!'
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Shippo sat down next to Kagome, picked up his food and started eating. The others followed with their own lunches. When he was halfway done the little fox looked up at Kagome, determined to find out what was wrong. 'Inuyasha better not have said anything stupid to her!' He decided to keep his voice down in case Inuyasha thought he was accusing him of having done something. "Kagome?"
"Hmm? Yes, Shippo?" she looked at his lunch thinking he might want more, but found it half-full.
"Kagome, is something bothering you?" he asked straight out before his courage failed him.
Kagome blinked. "No, why would you think there was?" She didn't want Shippo to know how worried she was about Inuyasha. 'He'd probably tell someone, even if it was just Kirara, and Inuyasha might overhear!'
Shippo looked at her closely, wondering if he should believe her. 'She wouldn't lie to me, right? Besides, if it was anything for me to worry over I don't think she'd be hiding it very well.' Satisfied, he gave Kagome a nod and a grin before returning to his food.
Kagome gave a barely audible sigh of relief. Inuyasha's glance shifted to her as he just faintly caught the soft noise. He figured it was wiser not to comment on it though.
"Well," interrupted Miroku, "I must thank you for this lunch, it was most satisfying." He inclined his head toward Kagome.
"Yes, thankyou Kagome," Sango said, with Shippo and Kirara voicing their agreement in the background. Everyone but Kagome looked at Inuyasha expectantly.
He felt their eyes on him. "What?" he snapped. They said nothing and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah it was good, now let's go." He growled as the fuzzy light returned to haunt his thoughts. The others shared worried looks, but moved on without a sound.
The silence was thick as they continued toward the village, seeming to drag them down slightly.
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The sun was setting, the last rays of light determined to reach as far as they could. When darkness set in, he stopped.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" asked a grating voice.
"Why have we stopped my Lord?" asked another, though this one was much softer, younger and definitely feminine.
"I will continue alone. Rin, you will spend the night here." The young girl took this chance to observe where they had stopped. It was a small clearing in the trees, just large enough for Ah Un to walk around. She nodded her agreement. "Jaken, you will watch her."
"B-but-" Sesshomaru gave his retainer a cold stare. "Yes, my Lord," he said as he bowed.
Rin did not like it when her Lord left her, but she knew that is just the way he is. She smiled brightly despite her sadness as Sesshomaru was lost to sight.
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Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in frustration. 'I am unsure what this light means or what it implies, but if my little brother is experiencing this light also, then I may have a clue. If my suspicions are indeed correct, it will not give me much to go on. Practically nothing is known.' He turned his gaze skyward. 'It is close to a full moon. If I find Inuyasha by then, at least one of my questions shall be answered.'
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A/N: Well, there you go. Sorry if the update wasn't as quick as you would've liked. I really only write when the mood takes me and, sadly, that is not as often as I would like. I know, you're probably wondering what that strange light is? Well, you'll have to guess a bit longer. I did leave a clue to when you'll find out something! - Just to see if you read my Author's Notes, tell me your favourite colour in your review! (Mine's purple!) Until next time!