Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Parts of this story are based on my true events.
When the Rain Fell
Chapter Two: Deep Water
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Oh, Inuyasha, she has not yet been gone one full day."
Inuyasha lowered his ears and growled at Sango's words. Grumpily he reached out and bopped Miroku on the head. The monk didn't blink at the misplaced retribution and continued to "meditate". No one was fooled that he was actually just watching Sango clean her favorite weapon.
The cranky dog demon was about to go sulk in his favorite tree when a sound stopped him in his tracks.
"INUYASHA!"
It was the frantic pitch in Shippo's voice that put Inuyasha on immediate alert. There was only one person on this earth that Shippo would be so frantic about.
Kagome!
Inuyasha ran to meet the kit, leaving his startled friends behind.
"INUYASHA!" Shippo screamed as he jumped and waved to Inuyasha.
The well.
The kit had been at the well!
Inuyasha flew past Shippo and ran at full speed to the well. The kit had grabbed hold of his hair as he ran and swung himself onto his shoulder.
"Hurry!"
Shippo didn't have to tell him twice. Or at all really.
Once the well was in sight, Inuyasha paused to take in the surroundings. He sniffed the air. No scent of Kagome. He continued to sniff around the area as Shippo hopped off his shoulder.
After a moment, his blood ran cold. Something was off.
"There's water in the well," wailed Shippo.
Water... in the well.
Sango and Miroku caught up to them thanks to a ride from Kilala. Together the group looked down into the Bone-Eater's Well.
"I'M COMING KAGOME!" the dog demon screamed.
Fear drove Inuyasha to dive into the water. But there was no glow. Inuyasha continued to swim under the water, but came upon the bottom of the well.
NO!
He swam back up to get another breath of air, then dove back down. He clawed and scratched at the dirt at the bottom of the well. Rocks and bone floated past him as he dug up the ground.
The water got deeper, and the magic was gone.
His scream of rage ended up in a flurry of bubbles.
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Kagome's whole body hurt. Everyone had been taking turns mopping up the water that had been creeping into the house all night. Pots were scattered around the house to contain drips, but they didn't help with the water seeping under the doorway. Towels littered the hallways to soak up water.
The family had been watching television waiting for any news about the hurricane when they lost power around midnight. Mama had shooed Souta and Grandpa off to bed. The two Higurashi women had held hands silently for a moment before Mama sent Kagome off to sleep as well.
Kagome had only slept an hour or two before she woke back up with a sick feeling in her stomach. She had taken the mop from her mother and sent her to bed. Around four in the morning her brother had woken up to take a turn emptying pots of water and mopping. Grandpa woke up soon after and Kagome took another nap.
Shortly before dawn, Kagome had taken over cleaning duty again.
Her feet hurt.
Her legs hurt.
Arms, shoulders, neck... just absolutely everything ached. She was certain her back would never be the same again.
Ignoring the water for a moment, Kagome set the mop to the side and stretched. She hoped the well house and the god tree were okay. Now that light was just beginning to peek, she thought that she would go ahead and check.
...
...
...
Kagome's mind was blank when she opened her front door. In a trance, Kagome stepped forward, cold water soaking the hem of her skirt.
Her world was gone! Erased by the water.
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Author's Note:
One of the most surreal things I ever experienced was stepping outside of my home and being thigh deep in water. My whole neighborhood looked like the middle of a lake. I saw my neighbor and his dog swimming towards a boat.
When the men with the boats came, I did ask if they took pets. Because yes, I was going to be one of those people who didn't leave because they couldn't abandon their pets. Gonna say this though, the cats did NOT like being in a boat while they were rained upon!