Chapter Twenty One

Shippo's Greatest fear and Kagome's Struggle

Writhing from the soreness on her back, Kagome struggled to sit up. The throbbing went straight to her head, the moment she moved. It felt as if something hit her, but she didn't know what. She didn't have to look twice to find her hands bound out in front of her and her legs tied by strong rope. Searching her surroundings, she realized she was sitting in a dark room.

Scattered along the rock floor were pieces of gold coins and what appeared like rupees in many different colors. A giant chest filled with such treasure sat against the farthest wall near a wooden door. With so much money lying around, she wondered who gathered it all.

"Where am I?" She wondered while attempting to break free of her ropes.

The door creaked opened, alarming the young girl. A dark figure walked in, their footsteps loud with every step. The moment this person stood before her, the door slammed shut. "I see you're awake, my dear," a deep husky said, causing her to scoot back.

"Who are you? And where am I?" Kagome refused to show fear. The man in front of her was tall. He wore a long sleeved white shirt with a dark buckle around the waist and blue pants. This man had no hair, and he wore a mask that revealed his creepy grin. All in all, he looked to be in his late twenties.

Laughing, the man sauntered toward her, his grin broadening when her back hit the wall behind her. "Just a man in search of riches," he explained. Reaching his hand to his face, he removed his mask. "My name is Sakon. I'm a well-known thief around Clock Town, my dear." Smirking at her helplessness, he approached her as he took from his belt a dagger. "And who might you be? I'm sure I've not had the privilege of meeting a lovely maiden such as yourself?"

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome frowned deeper. "A thief? Why did you kidnap me?"

Sakon kneeled before the girl, who stared him dead in the eye. "I was told to," he explained as he reached his hand to remove a lock of her hair out of her face. Softly, he caressed her smooth and flawless skin, causing her to shudder. "You have something…and I want it," he explained before inching toward her intimidatingly.

She turned her head away with fright. "Stop it!"

Hearing this, he laughed before cutting the ropes to her legs. After that, he stood up. "You are indeed very beautiful, but are you more beautiful than my treasure?" he asked as he held his hands out. "What do you think of my collection? I'm the richest man in all of Termina, you know?"

Almost breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome merely glared at his arrogance. This man claimed that he kidnapped her because someone wanted him to. Not only that, but he wanted something from her. In her mind, she could only guess what that something was. 'There's no way he knows about the jewel of four souls.' Just what were his intentions?

"Yes. I also get paid handsomely for my job," he explained as he bent down near a chest lying a few feet from her before opening the lid to reveal an endless amount of gold and jewelry. "Would you like a fine necklace? Sorry, I don't believe I caught your name?" He held in his hand a fine jeweled necklace with pearls decorating it.

"That's none of your business! Now let me go! You'll never get away with this!" Even though the jewelry did tempt her, she knew it was wrong to accept such an offer, especially from a thief.

Canting his head, Sakon merely chuckled at her remark. "Oh? Sorry to disappoint you honey, but my hideout is well hidden and well protected. No one will be able to penetrate solid rock."

"Where am I?"

Pulling out a chair, he took a seat in front of the girl and looked upon her with amusement. "My hideout is hidden within Ikana, a barren land filled with death and lament. Currently, you and I are well hidden inside a mountain cave." He explained, watching as her mouth fell open. "You're miles away from the town, my dear sweet Kagome."

Gasping, she found herself staring in to the eyes of a crazed man. 'How does he know my name?' She watched as he silently dangled the necklace in his hands while smiling at her with a hint of lust. 'I have to get out of here, but how? I'm tied up and the door is all the way over there.'

"Planning your escape, aren't you? How cute," he chuckled. "Kagome, who travels with a monk, a demon slayer, a fox demon, half demon and a two tailed cat. An interesting group."

After hearing this, she narrowed her eyes. "How do you know?"

"I've been watching from the shadows, my dear. Too bad you don't have your bow and arrows, huh? What will you do now? Do you honestly think anyone will save you?" A sadistic laugh escaped the man. He pushed himself from the chair, and towered over her still form.

OOO

A scream vociferated from the small fox. To his worst fear, a hand had suddenly grabbed his foot, but not just any hand, a boney hand. "Help! It's got me!" he cried. Shippo's bravery diminished at the frightful sight.

A head emerged from the ground, its red eyes landing upon Shippo, whose leg was yet free from its bony grip. Raising itself from the ground, Shippo, along with the others got a full look at the creature. This creature stood a few heads taller than Shippo and was nothing but bones. It was a walking, terrifying skeleton.

"Shippo!" Serena called with worry.

As Shippo dangled in the air by the creature's strong grip, he gave a cry. "What is it?!"

"That's a Stalchild!" Serena explained while her companion readied his bow, his arrow targeted. "What are you doing? Attack it!"

The creature referred to as a Stalchild, or a zombie in Shippo's opinion, released the youth, causing him to tumble on the ground. All at once, the Stalchild turned its sight toward its attacker, Link, while pulling out the arrow lodged in its left eye.

"Well, you can take care of that," Serena explained before hiding in his hat. She never did do well with strange creatures popping out of the ground on late nights, especially where there was an eclipse involved.

Watching as it held its arms out like a zombie while it slowly sauntered in his direction, Link calmly unsheathed his sword. The moment it was in arms reach, the creature fell at his blade unmoving at his feet. 'They are restless. Stalchildren never leave the graveyard and attack wary travelers.'

To say Shippo was surprised was an understatement. Link had calmly cut the Stalchild down as if it were nothing. "You did it! And you weren't scared?" he asked Link who merely shook his head.

Looking around the desolated area, Link could sense a disturbance in the air. Once again, it appeared as if the spirits were not at rest. Not only that, but he could feel something on the back of his neck, and he held back a shudder. Ikana was not the best place to go at night, and today it just happened to be the worst.

Link kneeled upon the ground and gently brushed his fingers upon the red earth. 'Strange. Even though we came this far, there are no footprints leading this way.' Somewhat doubtful that Sakon even went this way, Link pondered on whether he took a secret route to his hideout. 'Surely he wouldn't have gone this way, especially with such monsters lurking about. He must have gone another way.'

A hand shot up from underneath him, much to his surprise. The emaciated hand felt around in the air for a second, slowly stretching upward toward Link's face. As it appeared to withdraw, the hand suddenly grasped the boy's neck, squeezing it with great force. More hands shot up around him, and Shippo gave a cry of terror at the sight.

"They're everywhere!"

With one hand around his neck, another grabbed his leg, scratching at it until it bled. They managed to pull themselves from the ground, as they cackled at the kneeling boy they circled.

Panicking, Shippo knew he had to do something. He could use his foxfire, but there was a big chance Link would get caught up in the flames. Obviously he wasn't going to use his firebombs, so one idea came to him, one that wouldn't jeopardize Link's life.

Reaching in to his shirt, he pulled out a strange red mushroom with crazy eyes. When he did, he aimed and threw the mushroom in to the air, letting it sail right at the walking skeletons. "Take that!"

The Stalchildren took their eyes away from Link and toward the strange mushroom lying behind him. An odd sound resonated from the item that sounded like either laughter or that of someone crying, maybe both. Suddenly, they multiplied, and before the Stalchildren knew what to think, they were suddenly covered with the strange mushrooms. They multiplied more and more until not one Stalchild was seen standing.

Shippo cheered from a distance. "That'll teach them!"

Emerging from the pile of weeping and laughing mushrooms, Link stood up and yanked the skeletal hand from his neck before throwing it away with disdain. When he stood within a couple feet of Shippo, he arched a brow. 'This little guy is just fool of surprises.'

While the Stalchildren were preoccupied with Shippo's magic, the two, including Serena who decided to bunk it out in Link's hat for the night, set their sights on their surroundings. They knew that any minute something would pop out of nowhere, thus hindering their mission.

"Tee hee hee hee!" a strange laughed sounded from behind them. "Up here!" The voice was recognized to be a hooded figure seated above a cliff high above them. This hooded person sat there in strange worn brown garments, holding onto a line.

Not suspecting someone else to be out there, Shippo took a step back. "Is that a ghost?"

"If you're looking for the running man, he went that way!" the cloaked figure explained as he or she pointed behind their form.

"Up there?" Shippo asked with awe. He wondered briefly how the man could have possibly managed to climb such a steep cliff, while also in possession of Kagome; it wasn't possible.

"Best hurry! Tee hee hee hee!"

Before Shippo knew what to believe, yet he should be used to it by now, the strange person suddenly vanished in the cold night. "What the?"

The sound of something clinking met his ears and he turned toward Link beside him. Just as he was about to ask what it was, Link suddenly grabbed Shippo and aimed his hook shot toward the small dead tree above.

A cry of alarm met Link ears, but it soon passed the moment he felt the ground below him. Placing the surprised child on the ground, Link ran up the steep hill, with Shippo following closely behind.

The sudden disturbance awakened Serena. "What the heck is going o—oh you're done?" Yawning, she settled atop his hat. "Are we almost there?" she asked Link, who merely rolled his eyes.

OOO

"Get away from me!" She kicked at the man, who only laughed in response. "I'm serious! Don't touch me!"

Grabbing her by the neck, he used his strength and pushed her against the wall. Sakon's fingers wrapped around her fragile and nearly bruised neck, and he inhaled her scent. "I can give you all the money in the world, Kagome. Just submit peacefully, and I won't have to hurt you," he explained softly while undoing the ribbon in her hair. She smelled heavenly, and he couldn't help but breath her scent in deeper.

Struggling, Kagome pushed against him, but he wouldn't budge. When that failed, she attempted to kick at him, but with him so near, she found it difficult, especially when his body was pushed up on her so. "No thanks! I don't need your money!" she spat, feeling him pull away.

Arching a brow at her bravery, he once again chuckled. This woman was indeed a rare beauty with spunk too. When it came to women, he preferred the submissive type, and with a girl like Kagome, he had a feeling it would prove quite a challenge. Smirking at her every present glare, he stood up and held his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Alright, alright. See? I'm not going to hurt you, so you can relax," he replied.

With his back turned to the girl, he went about sorting through some of his fine jewelry and coins, but he glanced back at her. "Are you certain you wouldn't want a nice necklace, or even a broach? I have more than enough," he explained. What was the harm anyway? He was already rich, so he could spare a few.

Kagome glowered at the thief. "No…"

He sighed and shook his head. "Alright then, suit yourself."

Afraid, Kagome silently struggled to free herself from her ropes. What was she going to do? What did he want with her? Could he be after the Sacred Jewel? If so, he could have taken it by now. If not the jewel…then what? Kagome gulped. 'I have to get away from here…'