Kage Houseki no Himitsu

Chapter 20

Tokyo, Kagome

I stepped out of the bathroom, steam billowing out of the open door from my hot bath; it was such a refreshing feeling, immersing myself in hot water for the first time in almost a month. I shivered as a walked down the hall toward my room, where I'd left Aoi about half an hour ago. I knocked lightly on the door.

"Aoi?" I said as I knocked; I paused for her to answer. She didn't.

I quietly opened the door a crack, to see if she was asleep. I flung it wide open with a gasp as I saw the scene before me.

My window was shattered; it looked as if it had been hit with a small bomb. Broken glass littered the floor and splintered wood from the windowsill had flown in every direction, landing everywhere from my bed to the opposite wall, where they had pierced the plaster.

"… Aoi…?" I called tentatively again. Of course, there was no reply. Oh, no! What if Ryuusai had taken over again, and she was going on rampage through Tokyo? I started to panic.

"She ain't here," I heard Inuyasha say. I jumped a foot in the air and spun around; there he was, looking a little beaten up with a long scratch on his cheek.

"Inuyasha!" I gasped, surprised. "When did you get here? Where's Aoi? What happened to you?!"

"Kagura and Kanna followed her scent through the well," Inuyasha growled; he glared past me through the broken window. "I don't know how they managed to get through, but they took her back with them. I'm pretty sure Kanna used that mirror of hers on Blue-girl."

I shivered, unable to forget the empty sensation of having your soul torn from your body; I felt a kind of protective urge toward Aoi just then. I didn't want my dear cousin to feel something like that, even though I knew it was already too late.

"Do you know where they took her?" I asked desperately. Inuyasha was already shaking his head as a started to speak.

"I don't have a clue," he said, his eyes darkening. "Kagura blasted me out of the way with her Dance of Blades, so I couldn't follow her straight away. I thought I should tell you first."

It was only at that moment that it registered that Inuyasha and I were alone in my room.

I shook my head hard, my thoughts scrambling as I blushed heavily. I shouldn't be thinking of something stupid like that at a time like this! Aoi was in danger! I had to go find her!

I could see that Inuyasha was looking concerned for my sanity.

"W-well, come on, then," I snapped grouchily. I grabbed the sleeve of his kimono and led him out of my room. "Let's go get her."

A short time later, Feudal Era, Inuyasha

"Their scent is heading North-East," I told everyone as they readied themselves to leave. Miroku nodded silently to show he understood; Shippou bounced onto Kirara behind Sango, who was glaring determinedly toward the North-Eastern horizon.

"Can you tell if she's okay?" Kagome asked worriedly as she clambered onto my back. She gripped Blue-girl's ridiculously tall sandals in one hand.

"Well, I can't smell any blood," I hedged. In truth, I couldn't tell exactly if she was okay or not, but I didn't want Kagome to worry so much that she snapped. No doubt, she'd take out her stress on me. It was pretty easy to do that, thanks to the damned bead necklace around my neck. I felt angry just thinking about the thing.

"Let's go then," I barked. I bounded forward as Kirara let out a loud roar. She leapt quickly to my side, and together, we headed toward wherever Blue-girl was being held captive. Though I didn't care for her personally, I hoped for the others' sake that she would be okay when we found her.

Kagura

It was foolish that Naraku had set up his hiding place so close to the human village that Inuyasha and his group stationed themselves at. They would find us quickly, especially since Naraku hadn't even erected a barrier, nor any other form of defence. My eyes narrowed with both agitation and against the wind, as the giant feather slowly started to descend from its high altitude.

I spotted our destination; a tiny shrine, which looked as if it had been abandoned and forgotten for centuries, lined on every side by enormous pine trees and a small pond, which fed a miniscule, gurgling stream. I directed the feather into a gentle slant downward, low enough that we would reach the hut without falling off due to gravity. Kanna hadn't said a word the entire trip.

The feather disappeared in another puff of thick, white smoke as we touched the earth; I caught the blue-haired girl's weight and landed squarely on my feet; Kanna did the same. I caught the now-tiny feather in my middle and index finger, and replaced it expertly to my bun.

I dragged the blue-haired girl unceremoniously toward the doors of the shrine, being none too gentle with her. She wouldn't feel it, anyway. Not that I really cared all that much.

Her bare feet bumped against the stairs as I entered the shrine, and I slid the door open with one hand. I ignored the swarming demons within the shrine as I walked through them, and glared icily at any who tried to approach me. They weren't interested in me, though; the half-demon stranger that I carried was much more intriguing than I was.

"Kagura," I heard Naraku purr. I stopped, and glanced around me, unsure of where he was. I spotted him sitting royally on the floor, surrounded by ancient, rotting cushions that he must have salvaged from somewhere in the shrine's storage. "You found her?"

"Yes," I replied shortly. I dragged the girl a few more feet toward Naraku, and threw her roughly to the ground. Naraku frowned. "There's no need for that, Kagura; she's our guest, not our prisoner. What's wrong with her?"

I jerked my head at Kanna, who was standing silently at my side. Creepy kid. "She captured her soul, so that she wouldn't resist."

Naraku nodded slowly, as if complying to what we'd done. "Good… return her soul to her, Kanna. She's going to need it if I want to speak with her."

Kanna didn't speak, but she lifted the mirror slightly; it glowed ghostly white, and after a slight pause, an orb of light wafted out of the mirror's depths. As if suddenly realising it was free, it whizzed around the room once before it returned to the girl's body. Kanna lowered the mirror.

Aoi

I didn't move when I abuptly awoke. I didn't remember falling asleep; the last thing I did remember was the little white girl's mirror glowing brightly, then feeling nothing at all. I had no memories of being on the floor, nor of feeling the chill I remembered as being a demonic aura. Since Kokuei hadn't dispelled the aura, it must have been a very strong demon.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard someone ask coldly. I recognised that voice. Where was it from…?

"Her soul has been returned," someone whispered quietly. It sounded like a young girl.

"She's playing dead," another woman snarled. That almost made me jump; that was definitely the voice of the demon-woman who had attacked me just now in Kagome's room. What had happened? Why was she still here?

I heard two steps, then someone ripped off my cap; they grabbed a handful of my hair. They lifted me almost off my feet, holding only my hair. "Wake up already!"

I couldn't help but whimper as they shook me, tearing hairs from my scalp. Satisfied, the demon-woman (who I assumed had been the one holding my hair) dropped me. I threw out my arms to catch myself before I could land face-first on the floor. My eyes slowly fluttered open, at last.

"I told you there's no need for that, Kagura," someone behind me said coldly. My eyes jerked wide open as I recognised the voice.

Naraku…?!

I stood at the same time I turned. The demon-woman, Kagura, grabbed one of my arms, as if she expected me to attack him.

Naraku chuckled when he saw my expression, which I imagine was intensely freaked out. "There's no need for you to be afraid, Aoi-san; I only wish to speak with you."

I didn't reply.

Naraku leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his crossed knees. He examined me closely with cold, intrigued eyes. "How is it that you seem so familiar to me, Aoi-san?"

I blinked. That wasn't what I'd expected. Besides, how could I be familiar to him, apart from the time I'd kicked his doll's ass? As far as I knew, Ryuusai had been before his time; my face or mannerisms shouldn't have been familiar to him in any way.

"I can sense an immense power in you," Naraku continued when I remained silent. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't think you realise just how much power you have, locked away inside you. It is my wish to help you access this power, Aoi-san."

I frowned, but again, didn't reply. I felt it was safest not to say anything to this man. I could tell he was dangerous from the way he spoke.

"I sure that you could use this power for many things," he told me, raising one of his hands (which I noticed with a start had a glaring, red eye on the back) to caress his chin. The action made him look thoughtful. "Whatever grand, good thing you desire to accomplish. I simply want to aid you in accessing it freely."

There was a short silence; I realised he was waiting for me to give my answer to his offer. I knew he was probably lying to me, but I had one dangerous flaw that he'd somehow pinned down during our first, swift meeting.

My damned curiosity.

"… what kind of power?"

Naraku grinned, revealing sharp, evil-looking teeth. "The kind I think you'll like very much, Aoi-san."

xXxXx

Hey, guys! Opalistic8 here. Sorry I didn't update for so long, I've been really busy with exams coming up and I had a bit of writers' block. Still, I hope you continue to enjoy the series, and don't forget to comment and tell me what kinds of things you want the story to have in it! I'm open to suggestions!

I love all of your faces! :)