Chapter 4: She Missing
'Hang on Kagome.' Inuyasha sent out the thought repeatedly, as if by some chance Kagome could hear him.
It didn't take long for Inuyasha to sniff out the exact spot Kagome fell from and soon they were all atop Kiara on a steep decline to the base of the cliff.
"Definitely the right place, judging by all the demon remains." Sango commented, kicking a severed head away from them as she dismounted Kiara.
"Yes, Sango, I'm sensing strong traces of spiritual energy." Miroku agreed, hopping down from Kiara as well.
"It Impossible to tell, though I doubt the aura belongs to anyone else. Can you pick up her scent around here Shippou?" All the monk received as reply was a shake of the kitsune's head. "How about you Inuyasha?" He looked around for the inu hanyou but saw no signs of his whereabouts. "Inuyasha?" The monk called again.
"Miroku, over here." called Sango who had wondered off following the trail of slain youkai. Where the carcasses were thickest was Inuyasha, nose to the ground, sniffing furiously at a pool of blood.
"Is that…?" Sango couldn't finish her question as it was all too apparent what she wanted to know. Since Inuyasha hadn't answered Shippou finally hopped off Kiara and took a whiff of the red substance, turning to Sango he tried nodding but the return of tears welling in the kitsune' s eyes was all the answers needed.
Being the only one able to keep his emotions under check enough Miroku had the sense to ask, "If this is her blood…then where is Lady Kagome's body?" Everyone looked at him strangely even Kiara, but Inuyasha's gaze scared him most, it looked almost hopeful. A wave of sympathy and pity for his friend couldn't stop the undeniable logic from voicing itself. "No one could have survived the blood loss, yet alone that fall." He let it sink in but when the hanyou opened his mouth to argue, the monk anticipated his words adding, "There are no blood trails leading away, she couldn't have simply gotten up and walked away."
"There's still a chance she alive," he muttered feebly.
Silence reigned for a few long, minutes; Shippou was the one who broke it, voicing the question that everyone was thinking, "But…if she's not here…wh…where is she?" No one answered, still busy pondering their own thoughts, Sango and Miroku wondering how the body could have been removed without a trace to follow, and why. While Inuyasha held on firmly to the chance that she had left under her own power, despite the lethal amount of blood mocking him from its place on the ground, Shippou simply waiting for someone to tell him what had happened to his mother figure.
Miroku, ever the voice of reason spoke up, "Assuming that this is Lady Kagome's blood and she was taken somehow, then who do we know that would benefit from abducting her body and for what purpose?"
"How the hell should we know?" Inuyasha wasn't in the mood for the detective work right then, "The only damn smells around here are Kagome and stinking dead youkai." He continued not seeing the importance of his own words.
Miroku and Sango exchanged a significant glance, something that Shippo beside them easily picked up on, "You don't think those demons were after Kagome do you?" unfortunately not even Shippo could really say it was a total surprise "it wouldn't be the first time, only this time it had worked"
"It would explain why they left right after she fell." Sango admitted reasonably.
"And by the looks of things here," Miroku added, surveying the wreckage of the demon army surrounding the blood stain, "Lady Kagome went down fighting, quite literally." Ashes of purified youkai were indeed present within the carcasses of the dead demons, along with a very familiar bow and the splinters of its quiver.
Inuyasha actually smiled slightly at the last part, 'she better of fought,' was all he could think. "So Naraku had his new incarnation come after Kagome, that ain't exactly anything new, he's always trying to take her jewel shards."
Miroku nodded sadly. "Yes, however, the difference is this time he has succeeded, and has most likely taken her body," Inuyasha flinched at the word 'body' but made no comment, too busy trying to sort through his own thoughts. "the question is 'why' what could Naraku possibly gain from taking Lady Kagome's body?" Miroku continued.
"Well, if we know one thing about Naraku is that he likes to play with us. He's probably planning on using her against have her fight us," venom filled Sango's voice, her knuckles turning white as suppressed rage fought its way to the surface, "Like he did with Kohaku"
She hissed softly pain for the thought of losing her best friend to the sane cruel plot she had lost her brother to be cut afresh with the possibility of it. Shippo jumped up onto Sango's shoulder patting her check in understanding sympathy. Sango angry shaking faded and she smiled brightly as Shippo perched on her shoulder.
"If Lady Kagome were to be reanimated in the same manner as Kohaku that would indeed present a problem." Miroku mused over the possibility of such a complication. "No good can come from Naraku gaining control of spiritual energy as strong as Lady Kagome's," he paused wary of Inuyasha's reaction to his next statement mentally declaring it safe enough he voiced his last thought, "We also don't need another Kikyo wondering around." Other than the twitch of his dog ears Inuyasha didn't react, Miroku released a breath thankful to have avoided an explosive outcome.
Inuyasha had actually barely heard Miroku ramblings, he wasn't sure about Naraku's motives, nut he had come to know the vile cretin pretty well.
As 2 days have passed, Inuyasha and the gang was searching for any clues on Kagome whereabouts, stopping a every village for any information.
"Well at least Miroku's phony exorcisms are good for something." Shippo tried at optimism, it wasn't working too well. They had been traveling village to village asking about Kagome, figuring it would be pointless to go back to the cliff, and clue from there would be long gone, but no one had seen nor heard of a priestess is strange clothing carrying jewel shards.
"How is Mroku helping? What's a place to stay when it doesn't get us any closer to Kagome?" Growled a very irritated Inuyasha
"Now, now Inuyasha, fighting amongst ourselves shall get us nowhere." Chastised a hypocritical Miroku as his 'cursed' hand wandered toward a nodding Sango.
Sango's right eye twitched feverously, not again, was the collective thought as they watched a bright red handprint form on the monk's cheek at Sango's cry of, "Hentai!"
"When will he ever learn?" Inuyasha just nodded in agreement at Shippou's statement. Something was off about scene, he suspected it had something to do with Kagome not being there to analyze Miroku and Sango behavior, and lecture the former about groping not being the way to a woman's heart. Kami he even missed her lectures.
