Just a warning; This chapter contains a bit of dark material. This isn't a cute fanfiction, it's an angsty one that I plan to give a nice ending to. To answer the question I seem to get here and there, I do plan on a Sesshomaru and Kagome romance, but in order to get those right, they have to develop or I'm just writing fluff with no plot. You're all more than welcome to expect a lemon of course, but there's honestly no telling how far off that is. I like to keep everyone as in character as I possibly can, so please, enjoy the chapter, and as always, thank you for reading. =]
Chapter 4: I Want My Daughter
It had been two days since Sesshomaru had taken his leave, and Kagome couldn't manage to shake the foreboding feeling that sat in the pit of her stomach. She wondered if he found what he was looking for, but doubted it. She couldn't help but wonder what was taken from him, and by whom. Sesshomaru wasn't the kind to have enemies, normally he would just leave a foe dead, for he was powerful enough to do so as he pleased, so aside from Naraku, who would stand against Sesshomaru?
No one had mentioned the one who'd beaten Naraku, Kagai, since Sesshomaru had spoken the name. Another enemy was not something to fathom right now, they could only hope that this Kagai was on their side, though like the foreboding feeling she couldn't escape from, she also couldn't bring herself to believe this new adversary was with them. Kagome sighed as she reached her destination, a hot spring just south of their campsite. Perfect.
Slowly, she lifted her shirt over her shoulders before dropping her shorts to the ground, followed by her undergarments. The wind chose that moment to pick up, and she shivered just before she slid her toes into the water. "So warm!" Hurriedly, she entered the spring and found a nearby rock to rest upon. "Shoot, I forgot my sponge!" Kagome groaned and scrubbed her body with her hands, happy to get some of the leftover grime from the previous night's escapade off her body. "Ouch!" Kagome's hand reached for her side, "Something pinched me," she sighed. "Or at least it felt like it!"
Last night they came across yet another decimated village, only this time there were no soulless monsters lurking about, only the bodies of men and old folk were lying amongst the burnt remains of their homes. That meant that somehow, the women and children were taken from there while the rest were slaughtered. They spent a little over an hour grave digging, and finally laid the victims to rest. Something told Kagome that the same person that did this was behind the attack on the first village; the one that controlled all those things. To her, it was just too odd that not only was there a sinister being wrecking havoc upon innocent villages and kidnapping its inhabitants, but Naraku had been defeated to the point of running by this Kagai.
She wondered again what side this new demon could be on while his name floated through her mind. "Evil!" She shouted out, sitting up in the water. "Kagai means evil." Kagome dunked her head under water, thoroughly disappointed that she hadn't come up with this information sooner, and rushed the rest of her bath. They had to be one in the same, and she had to tell Inuyasha fast!
Climbing out of the hot spring, Kagome reached for her towel, her hand unable to grasp it. "Whaa?" Confused, she reached again, only to have her hand once again fall right through her towel. Her heart rate increased as she ceased to be able to grasp onto anything around her. "What's happening!" Her lip quivered as she stood up and moved her foot towards her shoe, slowly lowering it onto the flip flop and right through it. "What the hell!" Tears sprang to her eyes as her heart tried to beat itself from her chest.
"Inuyasha!" She screamed, clearly hearing her voice and seeing her flesh, yet unable to really do anything at all. So she ran. Like a bat out of hell Kagome took off towards her friends, uncaring of her current state of undress. Faster and faster her pace picked up as she realized nothing seemed to touch her. The rough ground below did nothing to harm her bare feet as she ran over twigs and rocks of all sizes, just as not one branch that should have scraped her body even moved, but simply passed through her body.
She felt the tears as they burnt a path down her cool cheeks, and finally she reached them, saw them sitting around the fire, even Inuyasha! They were there, they would see her. "Guys!" She yelled, "Hey! Inuyasha!" They weren't responding at all. It was as if she wasn't there. Inuyasha couldn't even smell her, she realized. "Shit!" She pushed her way into the open clearing and walked up to her half demon friend, knowing that if any of them could see her, they'd surely question her nudity. But it didn't matter, because they couldn't.
"I'm dreaming! That's it! I'm still at the hot spring, having a nice dream!" Deciding that it couldn't be anything else, Kagome returned to the forest and flew back towards the hot springs only to find that it was no longer empty the way she'd left it. There was a man standing at the edge, staring at the rock she had just been sitting on. Her eyes widened as she ducked down, covering her mouth with her hand. Who was he and what was he doing there? How long had he been there? She had so many questions, yet all her mind could do was produce more with no answers to go along with them.
She surveyed the man, no, demon based on his pointy ears. He was kind of beautiful in a way, though she couldn't see him well from so far away. She could see that he was tall, muscular, he had thick black hair that looked slightly too long to be spiked the way it was. 'Since when do guys from the feudal era spike their hair?' Mentally shrugging, Kagome continued to watch the man as he stood over her spot. It was as if he were waiting for something to simply appear, maybe he was waiting for her! As her heart sped up yet again she heard footsteps, followed by the distinct sound of her name being called. 'Inuyasha.'
In seconds he was right next to her, and then he was leaping from the forest and into the clearing, landing directly next to the spring. Kagome awaited his reaction to the man standing near the area she was to be bathing in, but he had none. It was as if Inuyasha couldn't even see him. "Uh oh," she whispered. That could only mean one thing. The man in the clearing was waiting for something, or rather someone. He was waiting for her.
Kagome stood up and ran the opposite direction from the spring. Here she was naked, invisible, transparent, and running from her life from an equally invisible, yet apparently not transparent man. 'Why can't I put clothes on too?' She knew the second her gut told her she wasn't alone that running was futile. He would catch her, and he would do so while she was naked. "Why me?" She asked aloud, decided to stop when she found a large enough tree to stand behind. She walked to it and hid herself, reaching out with her senses to feel whomever was after her.
His aura was dark, the evil kind that you're warned as a priestess to avoid or to purify if you have the power. Unfortunately for her, although she had the power, she did not know how to use it, and so she did the next best thing. Peeking around the corner, Kagome gasped, he was at most three feet from the other side of the tree she hid behind. "What do you want with me?" Her voice was hard, demanding even as she tried her best to stand up to the male in front of her and hide her body at the same time.
He smiled, flashing her a glimpse of his pearly white teeth, and the two pointed fangs that hung from his gums. He was gorgeous, she decided, the way his dark hair made his green eyes stand out. Now that she had a minute to look him over, she noticed that his eyes held small flecks of brown and gold within the green. "Well?" She demanded, mentally scolding herself for checking out the man chasing her down. He most likely did this to her too, that would only make sense seeing as he was the only one who could see or hear her.
"Kagome." She stilled as her name flowed from his lips. Then he was gone, and suddenly the front of her body was shoved into the tree she was hiding behind, and he was flush against her back, his nose pressed into her neck as he inhaled. "He fears you, priestess Kagome. You will aide me in Naraku's defeat." She felt the tug on her neck as the jewel of four souls was yanked from her body, but before she could react he'd found the perfect spot on her neck to put her to sleep.
She sat back against the concrete wall, trying to move into a different position as every part of her body was falling asleep on her. It'd been four or five days now, she wasn't exactly sure since she hadn't seen light since that fateful day she was taken from her lord. She sighed, pushing the ache in her chest away for another time. She'd not shed one single tear since she'd been taken, and she had no intention of doing so now. The only thing she knew was that her lord would come from her. Sesshomaru would find her, and he would save her. All she had left was hope, and she would never let that go.
She took a deep breath and was assaulted with the scent of urine and mold. Her chamber was disgusting, as were the humans she shared it with. They were foul mouthed, hopeless, and greedy, even the children. There were six of them per chamber, or cage really. Rin currently resided in a dark box like structure with bars on three sides and a concrete wall behind her. The small cage was large enough for the three adult women and three young girls to lay side by side without touching, and that was all. There was an urn in the far corner of the cage that unfortunately wasn't large enough to even stand in.
The other occupants of her cage were here first, she joined them when she was captured, and as hard as she tried, she just could not get these people to act sanely. One thing she promised herself was that she'd stay strong. She'd show Sesshomaru just how strong she is when he comes for her, he'll be so proud. A tear formed in her eye, and she quickly blinked it back. Feeling an itch, she reached up to scratch her head, grimacing at the knots she'd have to get out once she was finally free. Her favorite kimono had not made the journey with her, instead she was dressed in a plain brown sleeping robe that was thin to the touch, and nothing more. In fact, everyone was dressed the same.
There were other structures like her cage in the room, and she suspected to be underground, but she wasn't certain. She couldn't see far enough in any direction to know how many cages, or how many people there were, but it tended to get loud sometimes until that man shows up to silence them. Rin recalled one of the times it got loud, and he came, only the woman wouldn't stop asking the question, 'who are you, what do you want?' She just kept on asking, and so he released her from her cage only to kill her, right where she stood, in front of everyone who could see that far. It happened often with newcomers, if they cried or were loud, he just came in and killed them no matter what.
Every now and then a woman or a child would be taken from their cage and escorted somewhere else. No one knew where, and no one ever saw that person again. Rin hoped to stay where she was, she wanted nothing to do with the people behind all this. In fact, she couldn't wait for Sesshomaru to come. He'd show them all who's in charge, and where she belongs; at his side. He was her charge, her father figure, and he would come. She closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.
Inuyasha headed back to his friends with Kagome's belongings. She was gone, and there was no trace of how she left, where she left to, or when she left. In fact, her scent trail ended at the hot spring and stayed there. Something was going on, and Inuyasha was irate, to say the least. "Pack up, Kagome's gone." Two sets of eyes instantly searched Inuyasha's face for some kind of understanding. "She's gone, as in she disappeared, she's missing, there's no trace of her scent leaving the hot spring and from what I can tell," he paused and held up her towel, clothing, and back pack. "She's naked, and she was kidnapped." He watched as his friends sprang to their feet and were ready to go within moments.
"Kilala!" Sango called, the fire cat immediately was by her side in her transformed state. The woman leapt on, waiting for the monk to follow suit. "Inuyasha," Miroku started, his crestfallen expression belying his concern for their missing friend. "Did you say you don't have a trail?" The half demon stopped in his tracks and clenched his hands at his side. He was visible shaking, his nails cutting so far into his skin that small rivulets of blood fell from his palm to the forest floor. "Inuyasha?"
"What are you saying Miroku?" Inuyasha's tone was dangerous, daring Miroku to open his mouth again. When he heard the monk sigh, Inuyasha's tempered evened the slightest bit, just enough for the red clouding his vision to fade. He had his sword, he wouldn't turn into a monster, not if he could help it. He needed to be able to control himself, that was the only way he'd find Kagome.
Miroku climbed onto the back of Kilala and slid his staff over Sango's lap, holding on to each end of it. Kilala took off into the sky, following the red blur that was Inuyasha as he tried desperately to find some sort of clue as to where Kagome went, or had been taken to. Miroku, on the other hand, began to ponder every even that had taken place over the last week; Sesshomaru's appearance, which lacked his retainer and the young girl, Rin, the destructed villages missing women and children, Naraku's powerful new foe called Kagai, and now the disappearance of Kagome.
Miroku sighed, the more he put his thoughts together, the less he liked the outcome. There was no way, however, that everything equaled out. It was near impossible for a new face to come out of nowhere, beat Naraku at his own game, destroy village after village, and take Kagome. There had to be something he was missing. It wouldn't hurt, however, to do a little digging and hopefully find some answers. Miroku decided he would call Hachi to him as soon as Inuyasha relaxed, and he would investigate this Kagai. Inuyasha was by no means the only person that cared for their young friend from the future, Miroku loved her as his own sister, and he vowed that they would find her no matter the consequences.
Unbeknownst to Miroku, sango's thoughts triggered the same emotional battle his own did. The thought of her only female friend, not to mention her closest and most dear friend of all, kidnapped sickened her. What kind of creep would kidnap a bathing woman? Only the worst kind of all. The possibilities of what Kagome may already be going through, and would continue to endure until they found her, if they found her in time, brought Sango to tears. The shard hunters were like her family. The thought of losing any one of them crushed her heart, and the fact that it was Kagome, the purest, kindest woman she had ever met apart from her own mother, was enough to bring the demon slayer over the edge.
"I should have gone to the spring with her." She whispered, just loud enough to reach Miroku's human ears. His right hand released his staff and encircled her waist, bringing her back flush against his chest. He rested his chin upon her shoulder as he whispered into her ear. "Dear Sango, we will find Kagome, but do not blame yourself. You being here with us means that you can help Inuyasha and me to find her. If you were with her then, you could be with her now, and then Inuyasha and I would be alone to find the both of you." Sango shook her head, ready to argue that she could have protected the priestess, but he shushed her. "If you were with her, she would do everything in her power up to and including putting herself in harm's way to keep you safe Sango. It is in her nature. Be assured that she can worry over herself while she is away, and she will be safe with us again soon." Sango chocked back a sob before finally allowing her tears to flow freely as she sank into Miroku's embrace. He was right, she would do all she could to find her friend, and nothing would stop her!
Kagome awoke to an overpowering stench, and a very uncomfortable sleeping arrangement. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw nothing but darkness and the bleak outline of the enclosure around her. She sat up carefully, taking in everything she could see, and noticed and urn in the corner sitting next to a small bowl of what looked like some sort of stew. "Ugh, it's probably freezing cold and made of week old ingredients." She muttered under her breath. Hearing something, she stayed silent for a moment, and realized that there were others there with her, just not within of her enclosure.
"Hello?" She tentatively called out, and was startled when she received frantic hushing in response. Confused and dejected, she sat back down. 'Wait a minute,' she reached out towards her prison and was frustrated to see her hand make contact rather than go through metal. People had obviously heard her, also. So, she had to be normal again, she deduced. At least she wasn't naked, she decided, looking down at the itchy brown piece of fabric that now covered her body. 'Not that this uncomfortable thing is much better.'
Kagome sighed, there was no telling how long she'd been there, how long she would be there, and what their intentions with her were. She remembered the man mentioning Naraku, and quickly realized that she could quite possibly be the prisoner of Kagai. She shivered in response to his name, picturing his face, or the face of the man she assumed to be him. 'Evil.' Deciding to save her strength, Kagome backed herself into the corner furthest from the urn, hoping the scent wouldn't be as strong. 'Who am I kidding, it's only feet away from me!' Sighing, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her head against them, wrapping her arms around her legs.
"We should consider the idea that the little girl is what Sesshomaru is missing." Inuyasha turned towards the monk, raising his eyebrows as he tried to find a reason for that information to have any meaning to him. Finding none, he ignored his friend's comment and continued towards his task. He would find her trail if it took him all of eternity to do it! Uncaring of the fact that he literally looked like a dog, Inuyasha lowered his nose even closer to the dirt on the ground surrounding the hot spring. Not only had he been scenting this entire area for well over an hour and been unable to find any trace of Kagome, but there were no other scents in the area. Whoever had taken Kagome was smart, he left no clues for the half demon to find.
"Inuyasha, Miroku's right. If the same person that took Kagome took Rin, then Sesshomaru may already have an idea of where to find them." Narrowing his eyes at the dirt, Inuyasha did his best to tune out the slayer's advice to go to his brother. He'd been pissed off enough when his brother had come to him, and knowing Sesshomaru, it was probably the hardest thing he'd ever done. Inuyasha would not bother with the demon lord, he had all he needed to find Kagome on his own. 'Just no scent trail.' Hearing Sango sigh, Inuyasha took that as a sign she was done pestering him for the moment and was grateful to get her off his back. 'I'll find you Kagome, if it's the last thing I do!' He landed a fierce blow to the ground beneath him, emphasizing both his silent promise and his anger at letting someone snatch up his best friend right out from under his nose.
Kagome was the most important person in his life, and he loved her with every fiber of his being, but he couldn't get over his past. Inuyasha had let Kikyo consume him, and although Kagome lit a fire within him that made his blood boil with want for her, it wasn't fair. He loved the priestess from the future, and the priestess from his past. There was no present with either of them though, not until he could let go of his guilt. Living every day with the knowledge that the first woman you'd ever loved died thinking you killed her was hard. He wanted to make it up to her, to make up for lost time. He wanted to take Kikyo away from the pain of her duty to the jewel and the dangers of protecting it. He wanted to protect her, and instead he'd gotten her killed. Now that she was back it was just too much to bear to leave her in the past where she belonged.
Standing up slowly, Inuyasha looked down at the hole his fist had created. There was a small crater where his hand had landed, and the sight of the damage he'd done to the earth brought a familiar ache to his chest. The hole in the ground reflected what he felt in his heart, empty and broken. Lifting his nose to the air told him that his friends were close by, and he considered the monk's words for just a moment before scoffing and shaking his head. Even if he asked Sesshomaru for help, why would he say yes? Sure Sesshomaru tagged around with them for a total of three days, but they hadn't come across anything that could be considered useful, and so there was no way Sesshomaru would allow them to travel with him. Reaffirming his earlier decision, Inuyasha knew there was no way he would ever ask his half brother for help.
Kagome awoke to the sound of screeching metal and a bright light coming from an open doorway not too far from her. She immediately covered her eyes, the light too much to take after the length of time she'd been without. Carefully, Kagome tested her eyes against the light, squinting as best she could while still being able to make out the scene almost in front of her. Two men stood side by side, holding a medium sized figure clad in a brown robe that disturbingly resembled her own uncomfortable attire. 'It feels like wool.' Unsure of what the consequences would be, Kagome decided she wanted some answers from the men who'd obviously captured yet another young woman.
"Hey!" Both heads swiveled her way, the silence overwhelming as she realized that however many people were in with her, no one dared speak up to these men. 'Hopefully it's because they're all cowards, not because these guys get mad!' Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kagome decided she'd push further, especially since she was unsure when she'd get this chance again. "I'm talking to you ya know! Why'd you kidnap me?" There was a thud as the girl the men had earlier held was dropped into a heap onto the floor and they turned towards her, the one furthest away closing the distance between himself and her entrapment while the other stood staring at her, a smirk adorning his features.
Kagome winced as she watched the poor girl be dropped, her eyes now fully adjusted to the light within the room. She stared at the man as he reached her prison and began to open the lock from outside. Kagome's eyes widened slightly as her heart rate increased and she pushed herself as far against the cement wall as she could. "Can you talk or do you just not understand me? WHY AM I HERE?" Kagome was at the verge of yelling at the man, though her fear directed her to do otherwise. 'I have to take advantage of this while I can!' She pushed herself on, doing her best to get an answer out of the man. However, when her door swung open and he'd yet to utter any kind of word or even a threat, Kagome began to panic.
He reached his arm inside only to have Kagome swat it away from her as the appendage neared her body. Growling loudly, the man grabbed her foot and yanked, sending her sprawling onto her back as she was pulled out. Once her head exited the metal frame, the hold on her foot shifted to her hair, and just as he began to pull she reached her hands to grab his wrist. "Hey! Let go of me jerk!" Her own voice was still all she'd heard since she'd awoken. Her fellow prisoners had yet to speak up on her behalf, not that she expected them to, but neither man had said anything either, apart from growling. The other man, who Kagome finally was able to get a good look at, was an exact replica of the man now holding her hair. Eyes widening as he moved towards her, Kagome braced herself while he lifted his arm.
The impact his hand made with her cheek made her ears ring, and once she regained her composure, she tasted the metallic tang of blood upon her tongue. Angry, Kagome lashed out with her legs, grunting with the effort it took to try and kick the man who'd hit her, however, not only did he move out of her legs' reach, but the man holding her hair chose that moment to yank her forward. Unable to keep silent through the rough treatment, Kagome cried out and dug her nails into his wrist as hard as she could, whimpering when this had no effect. 'Shit!' She decided instead to try and hold herself up by his wrist, hoping that would take more strain off of her hair and now aching scalp.
It was of no use when she was lifted once again, then thrown into another cage, her back taking the brunt of the impact. Kagome's eyes widened as she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see the other man approaching her. She quickly got to her knees, tears filling her eyes as she fought the pain that effort created. "What do you want?" Her voice was weaker now, yet an underlying tone of determination was still present. She would not let them break her, even if it killed her to stay strong. 'I guess I know why these people don't talk.' Getting her first real look into the man's eyes, she knew instantly that he was not in control of himself, and the other most likely wasn't either, though neither of them seemed to even technically be alive.
"Hey!" The footsteps stopped as new male's voice entered the room. "You know the orders, he wants her unharmed you fools!" Kagome fell back onto her rear and finally had the chance to get a quick view of the room she was in. She took in as much of her surroundings as she could, praying she could find a way out. Her eyes stopped on a small figure with a matted side pony tail. The small amount of light present enabled her to make out the features on the young girl. 'Rin!' Panicking, Kagome tried to think of a way to help the young girl, unfortunately she seemed to be asleep. Her two attackers retreated and the third man came forward in their stead. Pushing the pain away from her mind, Kagome stood and ran to Rin's enclosure.
"Get her out, now!" The man raised his eyebrows at Kagome and folded his arms across his chest as he let out a sigh. "Woman, you should be thanking me rather than raising your voice at me." His voice was smooth and he seemed to take on a seductive tone with her. She shivered and narrowed her eyes at him. Taking a breath, Kagome thought about Rin and how the poor girl was affected being in here. "Please," she tried to reason, "I want my daughter. Just let her into my cage with me, and I'll behave." The man pondered her words for what seemed like an eternity before he looked to the other two men and nodded. Kagome chose that moment to stand, backing away from Rin's cage just slightly so that they could open the door.
When the man tried to enter Rin's space, reaching his arm inside, Kagome leaped towards the opening. "Don't touch her! I'll do it." Instantaneously those red eyes narrowed, and just as he readied himself to swing, Kagome watched as the male who was obviously in charge grabbed a hold of his wrist and pulled him away from the opening. Ignoring the odd looks from the other occupants of Rin's cage, Kagome reached her arms under Rin's knees and her back, removing her from the small area before standing and lifting the still slumbering girl into her arms.
The pressure in her head increased ten fold as she bent towards the ground and lifted Rin's unconscious body, and it began to throb. She gritted her teeth, and quickly regretted it as the pain in her cheek flared violently. "You will bring her a water basin and a cloth. You will forfeit your life if the master finds out what you've done to her!" Both males simultaneously walked back towards the lit up door, the third male stayed present and watched until Kagome reached her enclosure and brought herself and Rin inside. Only then did the man move, and only to stand next to her cage until one of the men who'd attacked her returned as directed with the supplies. The rag was dropped into the bowl of water, which he deposited just inside the cage before departing.
"I still want to know why I'm here." Her voice was small as she watched herself become locked inside once again. "Why is she here? Why is anyone here?" The man merely looked at her before turning his back to Kagome and walking away, blocking all light as he shut the door behind him. Closing her eyes, Kagome allowed a few silent tears to slide down her cheeks before sniffling, taking a deep breath, and wiping her eyes clean. She reached towards the bowl of water and dragged it to her body. It was then that the whispers started, the first sounds to come from any of them since she'd been there, and now she couldn't care less. Shifting Rin so that her head was resting in Kagome's lap, the older girl picked up the rag and rang it out before smoothing it across the child's face.
The first thing Rin noticed when she awakened was that she felt somewhat refreshed, the second was that she was lying on something soft. Had one of the woman in her cage decided she felt sorry for her? Rin didn't care for any of the three woman with her, and when she realized she was sprawled out comfortably, she couldn't help but wonder if people had been taken while she was resting. She slowly cracked an eye open, not wanting to alert the woman who's lap she occupied, until Kagome's face came into view. Rin's other eye opened, and she moved her head slightly to be able to see better. It was then that Kagome looked down and realized the young girl was awake. Immediately she had Rin in her arms, holding her to her chest tightly. Small arms encircled Kagome's waist and she buried her face into the older girl's neck.
"Don't worry Rin, Lord Sesshomaru is going crazy to find you. He hasn't stopped searching for you since you disappeared, and now that I'm here, Inuyasha will be looking as well. You'll be safe honey, and as long as I'm with you, I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise." Holding her tighter to emphasize her statement, Kagome felt the first of many tears leak from Rin's eyes onto her neck, and she gently rubbed the younger girl's back, soothing her as best she could.
Well, this chapter turned out a bit different than I wanted, I had planned to give a brief glance into Kagai's head, but I got carried away with everything and everyone else. Expect it next chapter as well as an update of both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's search attempts. =]
Thanks for reading!