When Kagome finally returned home her rage was at maximum fury. 'Where the hell is that bastard at?' she thought to herself for the millionth time. Miroku had been absolutely no help to her, and claimed to know nothing. 'I swear, if by some chance some evil witch out there once again made a clay puppet with Kikyo's soul in it, and that bastard is with her, I will kill him!' Kagome went into their bedroom and pulled out a heavy chest InuYasha had made for her, Kagome had not opened the box since he had made it and a light dust covered the items within.
"A-ha," she said out loud to herself, as she pulled out a dozen arrows and her old bow. 'Maybe I'll pin you to a tree for another fifty years,' she thought maliciously. 'He better have a good explanation…'
Kagome made her way back to their living area and hid the bow and arrows behind her, for the rest of the afternoon she thought of how she'd get the truth out of him, and what she would do to him, if he didn't give her the right answers.
But as night fell her rage turned into worry and concern. There was no way that some one could have brought Kikyo back, she reasoned with herself. Kikyo's soul has passed on, she witnessed it herself. Kagome felt ashamed with herself for still being jealous of a now deceased woman. 'Am I looking for reasons to leave InuYasha?' She thought to herself.
'But what could have happened to him? What was he doing today, that he didn't want Miroku or me to know about? Did he leave because of me?'
Kagome waited up for the rest of the night, but InuYasha never showed up.
_
After their pleasant morning InuYasha left the house in high spirits. He started making his way into the village, he had lied to Miroku and said he couldn't work today because Kagome wanted him home for their anniversary. Really though InuYasha was planning a surprise for Kagome, he wanted to tell Miroku but decided he would wait till the next day to tell him about it. Knowing Miroku he would blabber the secret to Sango and she would blabber to Kagome, and the whole surprise would come undone. 'Keh. Humans,' InuYasha thought to himself.
InuYasha made his way to Kaede's house and went inside.
"I guess ye is here to retrieve the things ye left last week."
"Yeah, old lady, I am, look I don't have time to sit here and run my mouth, I'm in a hurry. So if you could just hand them to me, and I'll be on my way."
"Still as patient as ever I see, and kind too," replied Kaede sarcastically. "What did ye say this was for anyway?" Kaede asked as she handed over the basket full of blankets, cooking pots, plates, utensils for cooking and eating, and homemade candles. InuYasha took the basket from Kaede and added the food Kagome had sent with him to the basket.
"I didn't say! And if anyone asks I wasn't here. Especially Kagome! Don't tell anyone, got it?"
"Alright, alright. Your secret is safe with me," replied Kaede as InuYasha walked out of the house."
'Like I'd tell her what I'm planning, she's just as bad as Miroku and Sango… She'd tell Kagome my plan before I even walked out the house…'
InuYasha carried his equipment out of the village and started making his way into the forest. He soon came to his destination, the Goshinboku tree, the place where he had first met Kagome.
InuYasha started to place the blankets out on the ground, he arranged the candles in various places around the tree, and started a fire with Tessiaga. Then he started making his way towards the river, where he was going to catch some fish for Kagome and his self. After he caught the fish and cooked them he was planning on retrieving Kagome, surprising her with a middle of the day picnic, and hopefully some middle of the day sex.
InuYasha thought he had everything just about planned out, his spirits were high and his guard was down. He didn't know he was being watched.
_
Kagome felt wretched the next morning, she had gotten no sleep and felt on the edge of a nervous breakdown. For the first time in a year Kagome had spent the night in the house by herself. Although things were strained in their marriage, she knew that she still loved InuYasha, and was genuinely concerned as to where he might be.
She took a glance in the mirror and was disturbed by what she saw. Kagome quickly washed her face and tried to comb her hair, however, her efforts were in futile and she did not have the strength to try and make herself look acceptable.
Kagome put her shoes on her feet and headed out the door. The sun attacked her like she was a vampire, and almost pushed her back inside the house. She headed forward though, and eventually made her way to Miroku and Sango's house.
Miroku was sitting outside meditating when he saw Kagome making her way towards him.
"Kagome? What's wrong?" He asked as he stood up to greet her.
"InuYasha never came home," she said with a look of anguish.
"Oh no… Kagome," Miroku pulled Kagome into his arms as she started to cry hysterically.
"Miroku, what could have happened to him?" Kagome said between sobs. "He's never done anything like this before! Our marriage wasn't perfect, but he wouldn't abandon me… Something must have happened to him."
"I don't know Kagome, it's not like him. Let's go inside and talk about this okay?" Miroku said gently easing Kagome toward the house.
"Okay," Kagome said as she let Miroku lead her into the house.
When Sango saw her tortured friend she abandoned her chores and ran to comfort her, completely forgetting their quarrel the day before.
"Kagome, what's wrong? What's happened?!" Sango asked taking her friend into her arms and looking back and forth from Miroku and Kagome to explain.
They all sat down and Kagome explained everything that had happened the day before. All three knew that InuYasha was not someone who would just up and leave town without a word to anyone, they knew that there was someone or something behind his disappearance. Concerned Miroku left Kagome and Sango and went into the village to rally up some villagers to perform a search mission.
As Miroku left the children started waking up, demanding their mother's attention, and breakfast. Sango cooked breakfast for all of them, as Kagome played with the children to keep them out of Sango's way. Kagome tried to laugh and smile as the children fought for her interest, but Kagome's heart and mind was occupied some where else. Sango quickly served them all breakfast and encouraged her friend to eat as well, but even that seemed too much of a challenge for Kagome.
After the children were settled Sango urged Kagome to lay down and get some sleep, on her futon, but Kagome was resisting.
"Kagome please get some rest, I promise I will wake you up the moment that we know anything about InuYasha. In fact later I can drop the children off with Kaede and we can join the search, but we won't be any help with you in this state. Please get some rest, for me?" Sango pleaded with Kagome.
Kagome eventually accepted defeat, and laid down on Miroku and Sango's futon. For the past couple of months her depression had made it easy for her to fall asleep, even when she didn't want to. But now her sadness was keeping her awake, Sango kept checking on her friend, and after the fifth time of seeing her lying down wide awake, Sango came back with a remedy. She made her friend a strong herbal tea, and forced her to drink it. Finally sleep came for Kagome.
_
When InuYasha awoke he found himself in a strange setting.
"Where am I?"
"Ah, I see you're finally awake," came an unfamiliar voice.
"Who are you?" InuYasha asked, desperately looking to see who he was talking to.
"Me? We've met before. I'm hurt you don't remember me, I remember you InuYasha. And I've been watching you for a long time, but I've never been able to get you alone… that is until today." The voice was a woman's but it sounded foreign to InuYasha, he couldn't recall her by her voice. All he could make out was her silhouette her face was covered in shadows.
"Quit being a coward, show your self!"
The stranger laughed, "Sorry InuYasha but your insults don't bother me, you will see me when I decide it."
InuYasha had heard enough, he reached for Tessiaga, but it wasn't there, the woman had some how removed it while he was unconscious.
"Why are you doing this? What have I done to you?"
"You've taken something very important from me, and now I'm going to do the same to you!"
"What?! Look lady you've got the wrong guy, I don't know you, and I'm not a thief so I know I haven't taken anything from you."
"I have not got the wrong person. It wasn't an item you took from me, it was a person. I don't have time to explain myself to you, just know for now that you're stuck here and you're not getting out!" The woman replied furiously.
"What are you planning on doing to me? Kill me? Keh. Go ahead and try, you'll never be able to defeat me in battle."
"My dear, I'm not planning on killing you. No, I have something much worse than death in store for you, I'm going to take away something you love," the woman said as she walked away.
InuYasha's screamed for hours, cursing his kidnapper, and banging on the walls of the barrier that trapped him, but his screams and efforts were of no use.
_
Kagome awoke to the gentle sound of Sango's voice.
"What is it?" Kagome asked sitting upright on the futon.
"Miroku and the rest of the villagers are here now Kagome, it's time for us to learn their news."
"Is InuYasha with them?"
"No, he's not. But they're waiting for you before they discuss what they've found."
Kagome quickly rose, and the two women made their way outside. It was night now, and the men had returned without InuYasha. The grim expression on Miroku's face told Kagome that whatever they had found wasn't hopeful.
"What is it Miroku? We're you all able to find anything?"
"We found out some things Kagome, but nothing points to where he is now…"
"Please, tell me everything. I have to know."
Miroku and Sango guided Kagome to a bench on their porch. Miroku explained to Kagome about InuYasha seeing Kaede and what he retrieved from her. Miroku told Kagome they had searched the village, the forest, and the neighboring villages as well, but there was no trace of him or the items he had taken from Kaede's. The only thing they found that they could link to him was the fact that someone had made a fire pit near the Goshinboku tree. The rest of the villagers said their apologies to Kagome and promised to look again tomorrow in another villages to see if anyone had seen him, but to Kagome it all seemed frivolous.
Sango cradled Kagome as she began to cry.
"Sango, it's all my fault. He's gone, and it's because of me. I've been so miserable lately, and have treated him so horribly, he's gone. And I didn't even get to say goodbye. This is all my fault," Kagome said as she clang desperately to her friend.
"Kagome, every couple has rough patches. He wouldn't abandon you. I saw how miserable he was the three years you were gone, there wasn't a day that he didn't stop thinking of you. Something must have happened to him, you can't give up Kagome," Miroku said, trying to comfort his friend, as he wondered what could have happened to InuYasha.
"Miroku's right Kagome, something must have happened to him. Tomorrow we will take Kirara and search again, maybe he's injured somewhere, somewhere we wouldn't be able to reach him by foot."
"Okay Sango… We'll look for him tomorrow. I need to go home now, I just want to be alone for a while."
"Are you sure Kagome?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kagome said as she tried to fake a pathetic excuse of a smile. "I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"
"Okay dear, get some rest. If you change your mind, you can come and stay the night here, no matter what the time."
"Thanks," Kagome replied as she started to walk away from the house, and back towards her own home.
Kagome walked out of the village, and past her house. She made her way to the Goshinboku tree. Once there she fell to the ground and threw herself at the tree, crying freely and apologizing repeatedly, and praying for InuYasha to return.
_
In between hours of planning many failed escape plans from the barrier, InuYasha prayed frequently to the gods that Kagome would be okay, and that he would be free of this prison soon. He had yet to get an answer, all he could do was hold his head and try to stop the tears from falling.
