Chapter 28
Rin was home in the palace sitting in her room. She almost felt like her world has been turned upside down as the days continued to stretch on. She couldn't bring herself to tell Shippo what her last moments with Kagome were; something about that bleeding and the bite mark on her neck had gotten a bad reaction from the adults. They wouldn't answer her questions about it and she quickly gave up, hoping her Lord's father was able to get her away. The demon had never done anything mean towards her but apparently he hadn't been good to Kagome.
She sniffed, tears clouding her normally warm brown eyes. She wasn't sure why but today it just felt like Kagome was being ripped away, unable to come back and as she sat at her window, facing the east she felt a sob tear out of her throat. A suffocating pressure was built up inside her and she sobbed harder and choked on air, beating her cushions on the window ledge, never noticing the glow her fists gained.
Drowning in her misery and the unwelcomed feelings and pressure, she didn't notice her door opened. Her Lord entered when he felt the power, he could see her swallowed up in her grief, taking choking breaths as if she was drowning.
It was like someone had told her grave news. He didn't know what to think of the situation but he did know he needed to get her calmed down, the awakened powers bringing a risk to any of demon blood. He sat down pulling the girl into his lap before holding her wrists and drawing them to cross over her body as he let his aura pressure her into submission, something he never dreamed of occurring.
It was mere seconds and her power receded, Rin calming into sniffling hiccups as he held her close. He was only ever this patient with Rin and ever since he had her back with him she has been worried about the priestess. He could smell the scents on the wind after the barrier shattered; the zap of purification a tingling taste in the wind.
Rin's concerns about Kagome's wound on her neck and the bleeding Kagome already had before they fell had him guessing what occurred. As they left, his father had already gone ahead, destroying the barrier and with the blast of fury that rose in his aura he knew his guess was correct.
When Rin had finally calmed enough that she could talk he let her get out what was on her chest. The feeling that Kagome was somehow being ripped away from her today had surprised him, the feeling of drowning and the flare of her powers had him wondering if Kagome was somehow in danger somewhere, drowning. If her life was in the balance he hopes his father was somewhere near. He laid the little girl down in her bed, tucking her in before leaving. He took to the skies to search for them, looking for even a glimmer of one of their auras in hopes of stopping what is possibly occurring.
Touga was lost in his bloodlust for the demon before him. They both held only a singular interest in killing the other so they could claim the woman. Neither of them was in good shape, the bloodlust state of their minds had turned this into a battle to the death, unless they both lose due to all the blood dripping off their forms.
Their snarls could be heard, the growls going for miles just like their enormous auras. It would be a long battle yet, except the slashes from a sword, and strikes with acid had slowed their demonic healing abilities. So engrossed in battle, neither noticed that the woman they fought over was long gone. After a flurry of bloody fists they parted, staring the other down as a new demon came to the scene, one that is powerful and in much better shape than they.
It took Touga some time to recognize his first born son. Sesshoumaru appeared before them, taking notice to their injuries before leaving the area of the fight without so much as another look. If those two were so engrossed in their fight then that would mean neither was watching Kagome.
He neared the cave and heard the growls gain ferocity, his father fending off the other demon as he went to the last spot that they knew Kagome to be. He walked in, her scent a few hours old; a message was scraped into the dirt. "Touga, I left to lure him away from everyone. Break the eclipse and be safe." He almost wanted to growl his annoyance.
The two battling demons were now right outside the cave. With nowhere else to vent his frustration he appeared before Takeshi and sent him flying through the trees with a punch. He followed with punch after punch into the demon, blood splattering around from the wounds he had already accumulated. He drew his poison into his last punches knocking him out. He drew out his sword, about to slice off his head when a barrier surrounded him and transported him away. Looking at his father's red eyes he used his aura to coax him out of the blood lust and back to gold orbs with just hints of red.
Touga fell to one knee, panting as his battle caught up to him. His body weary but slowly fixing the damage, slowly, for a demon that is. Remembering his son before him he gave him a thankful nod before standing back up. Looking at Sesshoumaru he could see he was tense and looked intently at the cave behind him.
Remembering Kagome had been in there he walked in finding her out of sight. The message in the dirt fueled his beast closer to the surface. His body dripping blood from the huge gashes as he stood there sniffing at the air, trying to find her scent. He took a few dizzying steps, the red receding from his eyes before darkness claimed him. This time Sesshoumaru sighed, something he normally wouldn't do but in this case he couldn't help the effect his father had on him. This is where InuYasha got his personality from.
After propping his father up against the cave wall he carried on alone, tracking her scent through the tunnel even with the moisture increasing towards the end. In less than an hour he was coming upon the underground portion of the river. He slowed down as he neared it, his eyes easily adjusting to the lack of light. Before him were the long streak marks where he could see Kagome must have slid and fell into the water, her torch laying forgotten next to it.
He now believed that what Rin was experiencing could have been her final moments. The thought of the priestess being dead highly disturbed him. He rushed along the river, keeping his eyes open for any signs of her as kept up pace. He could barely smell the blood on a boulder that she must have collided with.
He made it out of the tunnel and with his superior senses he could hear the waterfalls from way back here. The water was harsh, he could tell and for a human to survive this would be surprising, it wasn't until he came to the waterfalls that he searched the pools of water with his keen eyes, perched on top of a boulder. He couldn't sense her and figured her body should have been floating to the surface by now.
With no signs he continued on down, coming to different forks in the paths, never once seeing a sign of someone exiting the river. He went on for miles down each path but he couldn't tell if he ever went far enough. It had been hours since she disappeared and from what Rin described, it had been her last moments; that stubborn slip of girl that has grown to a woman was most likely dead.
It was hard for him to believe it though, she faced him several times and survived, she attracted danger like a magnet, called his father back to the land of the living, helped defeat Naraku and countless other foes. Now she is most likely dead because she drowned, because she always had a tendency to be a klutz and this time, though it was hard to think this was truly it, this time seemed to be the final time.
Unless he could find her body and try to bring her back to life before he had powerful demons in an even bigger blood lust raging through Japan. He had to say, the thought she might be already dead weighed heavily on him, even though she had been a mere obstacle in his way at first, she had eventually grown on him.
Finally turning back with no success, he knew his father might have need of a healer to help him regain his strength faster. He would set out for the priestess once again after he took care of his father. His father and Rin seemed to have a connection with her; he might be able to discern if she made it out alive or possibly find her body easier.
