Author's Note: Yes I know, extremely delayed update. Not entirely my fault, school got in the way and I preferred to spend my weekends catching up on lost sleep than using my already fried brain to think up a new chapter. But School is ending and things are slowing down a little, thus I have a new chapter! ^_^ Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own and never will own the characters of Inuyasha. I only own Tykyo and various other minor demons.
Days turned into weeks for the saddened group. Hope of ever finding Kagome began to fade; now there was only a brief flicker in each of their eyes whenever the teenager crossed their minds. Except for Shippo of course. He tried to keep everyone's spirits up, saying how they'll find her eventually. He couldn't bare the thought that Kagome, the women he had come to see as his mother, may never return to them. Sango used to be the one trying to keep everyone hopeful, but it has since been passed to Shippo since she does not have the heart anymore. They hardly smiled, and when they stopped for a break not a word was spoken. They battled demons as they came but their hearts weren't in it. They declined pleas for help from nearby villages. Kagome used to always volunteer their help should anyone need it but since she was gone helping people like she used too seemed pointless if there was not the bright, cheery Kagome to scold Inuyasha the moment he started growling at a pushy peasant. Until one night Miroku finally decided that enough was enough and for the first time in weeks, when the small group stopped to rest for the night, Miroku spoke.
"We have been traveling for weeks now without any sign of Kagome." He began stating the obvious, "I have reached the point that I no longer think that we will find her, and I know that you have reached that point as well," a quick glance into the faces of Sango, Shippo and Inuyasha confirmed his statement. "Just because Kagome is gone doesn't mean we get to stop fulfilling our duties, we must help people when they ask for it, we have to continue on without Kagome, we must find the rest of the jewel shards before Naraku does. I'm afraid we have run out of time to find her, Kagome is lost to us, there is nothing we can do."
When Miroku finished speaking a heavy silence fell over the group, they looked from emotionless face to emotionless face before Inuyasha finally spoke.
"Alright Miroku, you're right. Starting tomorrow we start looking for jewel shards, without her." He bowed his head shielding his dull golden eyes with his white hair; Sango merely nodded and looked at the half demon with sympathy for him. Miroku too bowed his head and muttered a prayer for Kagome, whether she is alive or dead he prayed that it would reach her. Sleep came slowly for the small group and all too soon the morning came, and so did their renewed quest in finding the jewel shards, one member short.
……………………….One week later…………………..
It hadn't been long since that night when they decided to give up on the search for Kagome. They had battled many demons that they believed had jewel shards in their possession but really didn't and they had begun to help needy villagers again, although it wasn't the same as when they did it with Kagome. The group began to realize how much having someone who could sense jewel shards in their group was a huge asset. But they would have to deal with what they had. They were walking down a path through an overgrown forest searching for the next demon that could have jewel shards when all of a sudden Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks, ears twitching he raised his nose to the air.
"What is it Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned as he looked around the area they were in, there was no sign of any demons or any trace of demonic aura that he could sense. In response Inuyasha growled before taking off down the path leaving the two demons and two humans no choice but to follow him. Inuyasha burst through the line of trees only to find himself in a clearing, a clearing with a powerful demon standing in the center of it, a demon with a very dark aura. When Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kilala made it to the half demons side they winced, the demonic aura of this particular demon was strong, overpowering the small group.
"So you have come, Inuyasha." The demon said with a slight chuckle as he let his violet eyes wander over the group.
"Of course I've come! Did you honestly expect that I would let someone that reeks of human blood to slip by me unnoticed?" Inuyasha asked as he pulled out his Tetsusaiga which was pulsing lightly in his hand, feeling threatened by the aura of the demon. The demon just smirked glancing down at his deep purple and blue robes which had a light stain of red around the sleeves and on his pants. Smirking he looked back at the group before him.
"I heard tale of a young miko who carried jewel shards in a bottle around her neck, the blood you see on me now is the blood of mikos that I slaughtered, unfortunately none of them had what I sought. Then I found out that the miko I was looking for traveled in a group with a half demon, a monk, a demon slayer and two smaller demons. You are hard to find I must say, but you have gotten careless within the past few weeks, leaving a trail of demon corpses wherever you went, the stench of them still hang around you. Being a demon with an acute sense of smell the stench lead me right too you."
Inuyasha growled 'Damn it, how could we have been so careless?' he cried out in his mind. But he knew why. Even though they had said that they would stop looking for Kagome he knew that that was where everyone's thoughts were when they were not speaking. She entered his mind frequently as well.
"I see that the one I seek is not among you." He continued, watching with blatant amusement on his face as the people before him stiffened at his reference to their companion that was most noticeably absent. "Since you do not have what I seek I shall have to kill you." A sadistic smirk found its way on his face as he jumped up in the air and sent a streak of red fire hurtling towards the group in front of him.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed as he jumped out of the way, Miroku and Sango doing likewise, "Windscar!" Inuyasha shouted as he swung his sword down, striking the ground and cracking it with the amount of force he wielded it with. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu while Miroku threw sutras at the demon that stood in the clearing. All of which he dodged with ease.
"Pathetic" he spat as he glared at the pests in front of him. "Is this all that you have to throw at me?" he asked as he landed back on the ground. The four remained quiet, all contemplating a way to defeat the arrogant demon while trying to hold back their growing irritation.
"Well if that's all you have…." He said as he suddenly raised his sword, an odd red light surrounded it, and began pulsing around the blade. His aura became stronger forcing Inuyasha to kneel on the ground, gripping Tetsusaiga tightly.
"Now prepare to die!" he said as he swung his sword down, the group quickly braced themselves for impact…………….but it never came. A wave of air washed over the group whipping their hair around in their faces but nothing more. No pain shot through their bodies as they expected. Opening their eyes cautiously they saw that the demon they were fighting had found a new adversary, one who had the upper hand. The demon was still hovering in the air however his shadow on the ground had lengthened………until it was at the very feet of the newcomer. Cloaked in a robe of black with head bent low the cloaked figure held the demon in place.
"Shadow spell." Miroku murmured as the small group looked on as the frozen demon began spouting curses at the robed figure, which merely stood there, not speaking, not moving.
"Why hasn't he done anything?" Sango whispered to the monk who stood protectively beside her.
"The shadow spell, when it has been cast paralyzes whomever's shadow has been captured. In this case our floating friend." Indicating the demon with a nod of his head. Sango nodded in understanding studying the shadow caster and the captured. Suddenly the robed figure lifted its head slightly; features still masked, and seemed to fix the hovering demon in its sight. The demon in the air suddenly fell silent, eyes watching the figure warily. Finally with the raising of a pale hand that appeared from the side of the robe, the demon cried out in fury as his body disintegrated. His Shadow disappeared and his spear was sent spiraling toward the ground before sticking itself in its former master's ashes.
Tension filled the very pores of the small group as they watched the robed figure walk towards the ashes and the spear stopping just before it. The group watched in surprise as the ashes glowed purple and vanished. Completing its task the figure with the cloak turned towards the group slightly, nodded its head and began walking away towards the tree line it had come from.
"Hey you! Wait!" Inuyasha called out, his obnoxious voice echoing throughout the clearing. The figure stopped and turned slightly signaling that it was listening.
"Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?" he questioned, anger showing clearly on his features as well as apprehension. He didn't recognize the scent of this person before him but neither did he think that he hadn't run across it before. The figure simply stood there for a minute before turning back and continuing on its intended path.
"Answer me Damn it!" Inuyasha called as he raced across the clearing to the figure.
"Inuyasha don't!" Miroku called out to the red robed demon.
"Inuyasha!" Sango chimed in as they stood there helplessly, doing the only thing they could do, call out to their red robed friend in hopes that he would listen to them, but to no avail. Just as Inuyasha reached the figure, he disappeared into the very shadows of the forest. Inuyasha stopped at the tree line peering into the darkness trying to decipher anything that looked remotely like a person. Sango and Miroku quickly ran to catch up to him once they saw that he had stopped. Reaching his side in minutes they stood in silence looking aimlessly into the dark of the forest before Miroku dared to speak.
"Inuyasha, who or what do you think that was?" Miroku asked as he glanced over at his silent companion.
"I'm not sure." Was the answer he received.
"The thing we should be worrying about is not who or what it was, we should be questioning whether or not it's a friend or a foe." Sango chimed in absentmindedly petting kilala's head.
"Since it didn't kill us along with that demon I'm assuming it's not a foe." Miroku said thoughtfully, playing with the beads on his hand as he thought. "But we don't know that for sure, we best keep an eye out for our little friend." he concluded with a sigh as he hefted his staff against his shoulder. Turning away from the woods he made his way back to their original side of the field. Calling over his shoulder as he went "Inuyasha, come on, we better camp for tonight, it won't do you any good to go running off into the woods after whoever that was. It's better not to go looking for trouble, especially when we are weakened like this."
"Feh, you guys go find camp, I'm not tired." Inuyasha said as he took a few more steps into the forest
"Inuyasha!" the monk called. Flicking his ears was the only indication that Inuyasha gave that he was listening. "You are tired; don't try to act tough, that demon affected all of us, you, Shippo and Kilala especially because of his strong demonic aura." Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, he knew Miroku was right. With one finally glance into the woods he turned and ran to join Miroku. Sango, Shippo, and Kilala joined them shortly after.
They made their way away from the clearing and they gradually fell into their tense, silent rhythm that they had gotten used to over the past week that Kagome had been gone. They found a quite clearing next to a stream and began to set up. They didn't talk, they didn't look at each other, they simply worked. Kami knows they already had enough weighing on their hearts and minds. Where was Kagome? Who was the stranger that saved them? What did he want? And the most pressing of all the questions that haunted their minds although none of them would admit it……….Was Kagome…..alive?
AN: Well there you have it, Chapter 7. I may not continue this story *shrugs* but I haven't completely decided yet, let me know what you guys think.
