By: Kali Blade
Warning: Major angst ahead.
Chapter Three- Someone Else's Claim
"KAGOME!"
Energy spent, Inuyasha slumped forward on all fours and stared blankly at the ground. Lost her…, he thought. I lost her. Shippo, who had heard Inuyasha's anguished cry, ran back to see what was the matter. "Inuyasha!" he called out. "Inuyasha, what happened? Where's Kagome?"
Still staring at the ground, he said, "I'm sorry, Shippo… I lost her…"
Stepping back, Shippo blinked with disbelief. "What?"
"I lost her," he uttered. And then suddenly, to the kitsune's surprise, he jumped up and pulled Tetsusaiga out of its sheath and said, "But I'm gonna get her back!" Shippo, fear and worry momentarily gone, face-faulted.
Tugging on Inuyasha's pant leg to stop him from running off, asked him with a kind of wisdom in his voice, "And how do you plan to do that if you don't know where she is?"
Visibly drained of his spirit, Inuyasha sheathed the Fang and turned towards the direction of the village. "Oh yeah…" Without looking at Shippo, he said, "C'mon. Let's get back to Kaede-baba and see what she has to say about this."
"Inuyasha?" With his brow furrowed in a frown, Shippo scampered off after his dog demon companion.
~*~*~*
Thumbing the large Shikon Shard that Kagome had left behind in her bag in the corner of Kaede's hut, Inuyasha listened with one ear as the old woman ticked off the people or youkai who could have been responsible. "There is a countless number of youkai who could have stolen Kagome away because of the Shikon Shard but since it was not on her, I'd say this is a personal issue."
Both Inuyasha's ears pricked forward. "Then who do you think could have done it?"
Miroku stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The only people I can think of are Sesshou-Maru, Naraku and Kikyou."
Inuyasha… Her voice was still fresh in his mind from the dream. Her sweet voice… Snap out of it! He thought to himself. You have to get Kagome back! Shaking his head Inuyasha said, "No, I don't think Kikyou has the power to do that. When whoever it was took Kagome, I couldn't even see him. Now Sesshou-Maru is quick enough to pull it off but I don't see any motive. Naraku is the only one left."
Shippo nodded grimly. "And he's the hardest one to find. We have no clue as to where he is."
"Aa, I'm afraid you are right, Shippo. We might have to go to Sesshou-Maru for… Inuyasha?" Miroku looked up at the hanyou, who had abruptly stood up and looked out the window. "Inuyasha, I think he's our only choice. Are you going to let your pride get the best of you?"
His voice was quiet as he spoke, his golden eyes heavy with a kind of sadness. "Iie…I'll do anything. Anything to get her back."
All three of Inuyasha's companions shot each other worried glances. Where was his usual 'It's all good 'cause I'm gonna kill the bastard and get that stupid girl back' attitude? Kaede smiled softly and silently thought, Good, Inuyasha. You are finally beginning to feel.
Shippo, who felt that the sudden weight of the atmosphere too stifling, hopped up on Inuyasha's shoulder and peered into his ear. "OI!!" he screamed, making the sensitive dog demon stumble over.
Grabbing the Kitsune by the lapel of his shirt, Inuyasha growled. "What did you do that for?!?"
Shippo only grinned. "Oh, there you are Inuyasha. I was wondering where you went off to. I almost got worried for a moment there!"
"Grrrr….Why, you….!"
Miroku and Kaede only laughed. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
That night, Inuyasha sat on Kaede's roof and recalled what happened under these same stars just three days before. Pulling out the Shikon Shard from underneath his shirt, Inuyasha suddenly realized that he missed her. "Don't worry, Kagome," he whispered. "I'll get you back."
~*~*~*
"Gah! Get away from me, you stupid human brat! Gyah!!"
Giggling, a little girl of no more than five chased after her guardian. "Oh, but Jaken-sama, you would look so pretty if you would just let me put these flowers on your cap!"
The little toad demon's large eyes got wider with a kind of primal fear and frantically waved his staff around in an attempt to ward the crazy child off. The end of his weapon caught her in the shoulder and knocked her back, leaving her sniffling. "Ow, that hurt, Jaken-sama," she said quietly, her lower lip trembling.
Crossing his arms, Jaken smirked smugly and said, "That is what you deserve, foolish human child. If Sesshoumaru-sama weren't so attached to you, I would have-"
"Jaken."
Spinning around in surprise, Jaken bowed to his master. "S-s-sesshoumaru-sama! What is it that you need?"
"Jaken?"
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Do not lay another hand on Rin ever again." With that icy statement running down Jaken's spine, the dog demon lord gripped his servant's staff in his hand and punted him down the hallway until he a crash. Turning to Rin, his eyes softened as he saw her looking up at him with total adoration. Kneeling in front of her, he asked, "Does in pain you, Rin?"
Looking down, she said, "A little. I was just trying to make Jaken-sama look pretty. He doesn't look very nice with a frown all the time." Rubbing her shoulder, she sniffled, "He didn't have to be so mean to me."
Sesshoumaru's eyes flared with momentary anger but the flames died down as he picked up Rin and started toward her sleeping chamber.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" a servant cried. "There is a youkai at the gates that demands to see you. He says that his name is Inuyasha."
Turning, Sesshoumaru stared at the servant with a hatred reserved only for his hanyou brother. "Inuyasha?"
Blinking, Rin forgot her pain and cried, "Does that mean Oneechan is here too? Wow! I want to see Oneechan, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Looking into her hopeful eyes, Sesshoumaru felt his icy barriers break away and questioned the wisdom of saying 'yes'. Clasping her hands together, Rin looked at him with the biggest, cutest eyes a child could muster and said, "Please?"
Sighing, the dog demon lord surrendered the struggle and gave in to her pleas. "Very well. See him into work chambers. I will be waiting."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."
As he watched the servant run off, Sesshoumaru thought back to the night Naraku paid him a visit, four days ago. "That hanyou brother of yours should be arriving here soon, Sesshoumaru-sama," he had said. "Will you please be ever so helpful and direct him to my castle in the biggest mountain just outside the border of your land?"
Flexing his claws, Sesshoumaru's curiosity won over his urge to kill the pompous youkai and asked, "And why should I help you?"
Naraku only laughed. "You wouldn't want something to happen to that precious human child of yours, do you? Rin, is that her name?"
With blinding speed, Sesshoumaru had embedded his claws into Naraku's baboon pelt but found it empty of its inhabitant.
Sesshoumaru was pulled out of his reverie by a tugging on his sleeve. "Am I going to get to see Oneechan, Sessoumaru-sama?" she asked.
"Aa, Rin."
"Yay!"
For your own sake, Inuyasha, he thought. That human woman of yours had better be with you.
~*~*~*
Where…Where am I? Kagome woke from her dreamless sleep to find herself tied to a bed. She was bound spread eagle by thick heavy rope but she could move her head freely enough. Looking left and right, she saw the furnishings of a room that most likely belonged to a wealthy person: the delicate paintings, the fragile vases, all placed in just the right locations to give the room an aura of beauty.
"Hello?" Kagome called out. "I don't know why I'm tied to a bed but I would greatly appreciate it if you, whoever you are, could untie me now!"
"Oh, you're awake," a male voice intoned. Turning her head swiftly to the right, her eyes widened in fear as she saw the all too familiar white baboon pelt worn by Inuyasha's greatest rival: Naraku.
Kagome's eyes flashed. "Naraku! What do you want with me? If this is some sort of trap for Inuyasha, I'll have you know that he won't fall fo- MMPHH!!" Her sentence was cut off as Naraku leaned down and kissed her with more brutality than passion. She broke away, tears forming in her eyes. "No! Stop it! What are you doing?!"
Forcing her face back to him with bruising fingers, Naraku smirked. "Kissing you," he said huskily. She still couldn't see his eyes behind his mask, his haunting voice chilled her to the bone. "You don't know," he murmured. "How long I have waited for this…Kikyou…"
"No!" Kagome screamed. "I'm not Kikyou! Let me go!" The panic now had a grip on her heart and she couldn't hold back the tears that fell from her eyes. "Please," she sobbed as he trailed heated kisses down her neck. "I'm not Kikyou!"
"Shut up!" he yelled, slapping her across the face. Throwing off his coat of baboon fur, Naraku swung his leg over Kagome's body. She gasped as she looked into his eyes, his emotionless black eyes. Pressing a thumb to her throat, he whispered menacingly, "Don't struggle and I can make this as pleasurable for you as this will be for me. Resist me, and you will die slowly as will your hanyou bastard. Understand?"
He loved the taste of her fear as she nodded. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as Naraku ran his hands over her body. Inuyasha…, she called out silently. Her back arched when Naraku dug his nails into her stomach. Help me!
~*~*~*
Inuyasha dropped to his knees as he felt something pierce his heart. Gripping the cloth over his chest, Inuyasha choked out, "What…What was that?"
Sesshoumaru glanced over his teacup when he heard Inuyasha approach. "Something wrong, Inuyasha? Where is your human woman?"
Shaking his head to rid of the terrible feeling in his heart, Inuyasha stood to face his brother. "Nothing. I came here to ask of you a favor."
Rin waved enthusiastically at Inuyasha from her perch on Sesshoumaru's lap. "Konnichiwa, Oniichan! Where's Oneechan?"
Never breaking eye contact with Sesshoumaru, he said sadly, "She's not here, Rin. I came to ask Sesshoumaru to help me find her."
Rin frowned cutely. "Where is she? What happened to Oneechan, Oniichan?"
Inuyasha's throat closed on him, making it hard for him to force the words out, to lay down bad news at the feet of a child. "Sh-she got lost…during a game. And I can't find her. I think Sesshoumaru knows where she is."
"Rin," Sessoumaru said calmly. "Go play with Jaken."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama! But," she said, giving him her cutesy eyes again. "Do you promise that you'll bring Oneechan back? I miss her."
Sesshoumaru felt it, his heart beginning to warm. "Aa, Rin."
"Yay!" With that promise held strong in her mind, Rin ran out of the room to find her toad demon guardian.
Once Rin left, Sesshoumaru got serious. "Remember that Rin has spared your life until we find that human woman of yours. Where do you think she is?"
Inuyasha snorted. "Spared my life, my ass. I can beat your fluffy tail five miles into the ground but right now isn't the time."
Sesshoumaru raised a critical eyebrow. "You are the last person I'd expect to hear that from."
"Cut the small talk. Where is Naraku?"
…direct him to my castle… Sesshoumaru despised being used but he had no idea what the crafty youkai could do to Rin. And so for the first time in his life, the great dog demon lord gave in. "He is located outside the boundaries of my territory on the peak of the largest mountain in the chain of mountains. I believe it's called the Valley of Demons."
Inuyasha's ear twitched. What was he hiding? "How do I know you're not lying to me?"
Keeping a tight reign on his temper, Sesshoumaru explained with strained patience, "I made a promise to Rin. And I intend to keep it. Once you have rescued the human girl, I will send a carriage to retrieve you."
All for a human child, Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha questioned silently. He had never imagined such a side to his normally ice cold half brother. And yet, here he was, calmly going against everything he had said about humans merely by making a promise to one. Will wonders never cease to amaze. "Alright. For the sake of Kagome, I'll believe you. But it will take me at least five days journey on foot. I don't know if she will survive that long."
"You are surely trying your luck, Inuyasha." Sighing, Sesshoumaru snapped his fingers and a small demon servant appeared at his side. "Prepare a carriage for him. Take him to the peak of the mountain of the Valley of Demons and immediately return here. Oh, and take whatever friends he has with him."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Bowing his head to his half brother, Inuyasha swallowed his pride and said, "Arigatou."
~*~*~*
"I don't know how you managed to do this but this is niiiiice," Shippo said appreciatively. The carriage was fully equipped with brightly colored curtains, finely carved decorations and bouncy, silk cushions. And to top it off, it flew. "Your brother's got it made, Inuyasha."
Miroku nodded agreeably but Inuyasha ignored Shippo's comments and wondered what the hell that feeling he had earlier was. Hang on, Kagome. I'm coming.
Once they arrived, Inuyasha and his companions found themselves dumped in front of Naraku's gates. I mean literally dumped. The carriage just turned upside down and the next thing they knew, they were on the heads instead of their butts. "Itai!! I knew that punk was being too nice." Shippo bared his fangs at the fleeing carriage and rubbed his smarting head.
"Quiet, Shippo," Miroku said softly. "Naraku will probably be expecting us. We don't want to bring ourselves to his attention."
"Right."
Carefully, approaching the foreboding castle, Inuyasha tried not to choke on the lingering smell of death. He couldn't find her scent over the thick odor. "Oh, Kami… I can't stand this smell," Shippo whined quietly.
"What smell?" Miroku asked. "It just smells kind of smoggy here."
"You don't smell it?" Inuyasha asked. "It's death."
Entering the great hallway, the castle looked like it was once a grand place. One could just imagine the vibrant colors that hugged the enormous walls now smeared with ash and burn streaks. The huge staircase that swept upward into the main chambers flickered dimly with the past. "Welcome to my castle, friends," a voice echoed from within the chamber.
Growling, Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga and roared, "Come out, teme! Face me like a man!"
Naraku chuckled. "Oh I was definitely a man tonight. To your precious human woman at least."
Nani? "Where is she? What did you do to her?!?"
"Inu…yasha…?" Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo whirled around to see Kagome standing at the top of the staircase, her clothes ripped apart, and her body covered in bruises and scratches. Suddenly, she pitched forward and was tumbling down the stairs before anyone could move.
"Kagome!" In a flurry of red cloth, Inuyasha dove after Kagome and caught her before her fall could do any more damage. Setting her down on the stone ground, Inuyasha inspected her wounds and checked for a heartbeat. It was there but it was slow and it was dim. "Hang on, Kagome. Hang on!"
Naraku only laughed. "I think women like her prefer rape. They can scream for help to hide the fact that they are screaming for more. Are you jealous, Inuyasha? Are you jealous that I was her world in those few hours. Sneaky bitch is what she is. All the while that she was acting the innocent victim, she wanted me."
Gripping Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha was blinded by an incredible rage, "I'LL KILL YOU! ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND FEED IT TO YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?!? I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Shippo gripped Kagome's shirt and cowered in fear. Inuyasha was angry, yes, but this anger…this anger was something to truly fear. He could tell that Inuyasha meant every single word. Miroku was wise enough not to go near him but he spoke calmly despite the fact that he was truly afraid for everyone including himself. "Inuyasha, we have to get Kagome out of here. She needs help."
"Oh, look at the time. I must be running now. Have fun with your woman. I know I did." Naraku's laughter echoed until it faded away. He had defeated Inuyasha and he didn't even show his face.
Inuyasha seemed deaf to his surroundings. "I'll kill him…"
"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered.
"Kagome?" The fire in Inuyasha's eye seemed to die out, replaced by concern. Dropping to his knees beside her, Inuyasha took her hand in his. It seemed so cold to him.
Kagome smiled a little, a small trail of dark blood ran down the corner of her mouth. "You came to save me, Inuyasha."
"Of course," he said. "Of course I did." He began to absently rub her hand. It was so cold. "Shippo! Send a signal to Sesshoumaru. Get him to send the carriage. Hurry!"
"Right!" With one last worried glance at Kagome, the fox demon scampered out.
"Kagome, hang on, hang on!" Why was she so damn cold?!
She only smiled. Closing her eyes she whispered, "I'm glad you came, Inu…ya…sha…"
Hugging her close, Inuyasha pricked his ears forward. Where was her heartbeat? Where was it?!? "Kagome?" Inuyasha shook her shoulders. His voice had turned shrill as his tears clogged his throat. "Kagome?!?"
Miroku grabbed Inuyasha wrist with his cursed hand, tears flowing from his own eyes. "Stop, Inuyasha. She's gone."
~*~*~* To Be Continued…
Kagome's dead?!? What's Inuyasha gonna do now?
Next up: Chapter Four- I'm Your Reason
~*~*~*
::sobsob:: Gomen, minna! It killed me to write this. Poor Inuyasha! Oh, and I know Sesshoumaru was kind OOC but who can resist those eyes?? Anyways, this is twice as long as the last chapter and done in record time! I hope to have chapter four up soon. Reveiws please! I need your support!