Lauren: Hey everybody! How are you? I hope that everybody is doing fine. Sadly, I'm starting to get sick, as it seems EVERYBODY is sick right now. I guess my body figured, hey, why not join the trend? Hopefully that won't slow down the production of chapters and it won't develop into something beyond a bad cold. Woohoo, I've officially become a member of fanfiction.net for a year and a month!!! Below this I've made a little soundtrack for "Where Did You Go" Obviously, I own none of the songs. This is basically a list of the music I listen to while writing the next chapter or it's a song that I named a chapter after. I tend to get my chapter titles either from song names or lyrics. Some of the songs also really fit the story, so hope you enjoy them. The first is the artist and after the dash is the song title.
Soundtrack for 'Where Did You Go' (More to be hopefully added soon!):
Bright Eyes- Bowl of Oranges; Engima- Return to Innocence;
Trigun- Suna no Hoshi; Inuyasha- Kagome and Inuyasha;
Appleseed cast - forever longing the golden sunsets; Ai Yori Aoshi- Yakusoku;
Bic Runga- Close The Door (Put Out The Light); Rascal Flatts- These Days;
hack//SIGN- A Bit of Happiness ; Smashing Pumpkins- With Every Light;
SR-71- Transparent Sunshine; Scorpion- Send Me An Angel;
Inuyasha- Deep Forest; Jin Roh- Grace;
Amanda Marshall- Marry Me; Mandy Moore- Only Hope;
Johnny Mathis- A Time For Us; Utena - The Sunlit Garden;
3x3 Eyes- Cruelty Reality; Shakira - Underneath Your Clothes;
X- Yakusoku; SHeDAISY- I Wish I Where The Rain;
Sting - Every Breathe You Take; Ayashi no Ceres- Scarlet piano;
Artist is Unknown- Shinjitsu no Uta (Song of Truth);
Fushigi Yuugi- Setsunakutemo Zutto; Seatbelts (Cowboy Bebop)- Is it Real?
Congratulations to Glarie for being my 900th reviewer!! Thanks so much!
dragon fire- Haha, looks like 'Where Did You Go?' is on the GO for you! Hohohoho, such a bad joke! ^_^ I guess it could even be toilet reading. Yeah, any ways, thank you so much for the flattering review. ^^;; Figure I better shut up now or else I'll end up making an idiot of myself, as usual, hehe.
Inuyasha-loves-Kagome- Haha, I wish I was becoming one of the best well-known author's. Don't worry, I won't kill everybody off. That would make to be a very sucky story. I really like the idea you had for Inuyasha's diary, it's cool.
Lirael- Ah, yes, I realize the mistake I made! I'm very sorry, I guess I forgot to add that the car would transform when he was holding onto it and called out its name. Sorry about that!
B-chan- Thanks to you the wonders of ja ne and ja na have now been solved! Ah, I don't really know if I ever explained it in the story or not (due to the fact I SWEAR I have short term memory…) but Inuyasha sort of died from heartbreak in the past. He locked himself away for a long, long time and no one is really sure what happened to him. (I think that's what I put in the story…) ^^;;
Teo- It's okay! I'm sorry for taking so long to update. In the last two weeks I was caught up with a lot of anime to watch and school work n' such and my fic just wasn't working with me right. I was sort of brain dead for a while. Haha, but I got that solved and the ball is rolling once again. ^_^
Tifa-sama- Wow, that is freaky about your birthday and your cousins! Hehe, Happy Belated Birthday! I'll remember to smile and write and the same goes for you! ^_~
Sio-Sami- No, no, no! Don't apologize; I actually like ramblings, since I tend to do it often. What you said was very true and good, it really got me thinking also. If you went into past lives, then they first met either as Kikyo and Inuyasha, since Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation, unless they had somehow met BEFORE that in another life (freaky O.o). If you went by when they first met in the story as how they are now, then it would be in the clinic when they spotted each other in the window. Argh, now I'm thinking too much and getting confused! XD Cause Kagome first met Inuyasha, the past one, when she went through the well. If you went further back, then they'd end up with meeting as Kikyo. Inuyasha met Kagome either as past Kikyo OR as Kagome when she went through the well. If you met the 'new' Inuyasha, then it would be at the clinic. Did that make sense? No, I didn't think so. ^_^;;
Asilin- Yeah, the plan went well! –high five- Now what to do with him, eh? Hehehe –insane laughter in the background-
Thank you everybody for your support! My dream is to reach 1,000 reviews, as I never imagined this story would take off so fast and well. It's in my wildest dreams to have 1,000 reviews and you all can help make that come true by hitting the little review button at the bottom of this page! You know what they say, reviews are chicken soup for the writer's soul! Thanks again!
~*~ Where Did You Go? ~*~
~By: Lauren~
-Chapter 26-
"I Wish I Were The Rain"
Kagome blinked back tears, pushing all of her fears as far away as possible. She bit her lip, drawing coppery tasting blood while she clenched and unclenched her hands.
Rain. It began to come down harder. Lifting a finger, she slid it across the contours of her face. Rain in autumn always seemed a bit desolate to her. It's not as memorable as winter drizzles or as lovable as spring showers and definitely not as endearing as summer sprinkles. But this featureless autumn rain was a reminiscent of a dream…no…more like a nightmare. Standing there firmly, Kagome wondered if the sun would ever come out for her again. Oddly, she felt something pulling her. It wasn't the weird pulling sensation she had felt before- the sensation that had been drawing her to the clinic garden- oh no, it was much different. The past pulling was as if the garden was a light and Kagome was a moth- she was drawn to it, whereas this pulling was as if something was being yanked out of her.
Something was being ripped away from her. Gritting her teeth, Kagome winced as a sharp pain traveled through her body. She growled in a futile attempt to prevent from showing the great pain she was in but it came out as whimpers. For a split second the world around Kagome almost seemed to stop as a shadow of pitch-blackness shot out of her. As soon as it emerged, it disappeared and time started up once again for the woman. The pain had ceased the moment the shadow had left her, leaving her stand there dumbfounded.
"Okay, what the hell did you just do?!" Kagome demanded, her eyes scanning the garden for any sign of Daemon's location. "And where's Inuyasha?"
A chuckle surrounded Kagome, echoing loudly, loud enough that it blocked out the sound of the pouring rain. "At your weakest moment- the second you began to doubt everything in that bathroom and then when you heard Inuyasha speaking- I sent one of my minions into you. He gave you that little extra push to make you lose your self-control, and to bring you here, unprotected by your little hanyou. Now hand over the Shikon no Tama."
Kagome instantly felt violated but pushed away the feeling. She had to stand strong, there was nothing she could do now except face her fate. "Where's Shippo? I won't hand it over until you give me him, unharmed!!"
"You still want that annoying brat?" About twelve feet away from Kagome, a shadowed form appeared and in the hazy rain she made it out to be Daemon. Wincing and squinting her eyes, she noticed a tiny pinkish glow being emitted from Daemon's chest. And it hit her like a ton of bricks- that was Inuyasha's half of the Shikon no Tama! It was embedded in Daemon's body…
Her heart began to thump wildly as she heard a quiet cry and struggling noises. Stepping closer to Daemon, she now noticed a tiny, wiggling form hanging from his hand. Peering closely, she gasped as she saw Shippo's fiery red hair and his frightened, pained face. Kagome had been hoping that Daemon was bluffing…but…it was true. He had kidnapped Shippo.
"Help!! Please! Somebody, help!" Shippo cried, tears dripping down his muddy and wet face. He tried to bite and scratch at Daemon's hand but failed while the demon creature watched him with amusement.
"Give me the Shikon first." He demanded, holding Shippo up in the air. Maliciously, he lifted up his clawed finger then slowly raked it down the young boy's face, drawing forth beads of red blood while Shippo sobbed harder.
"LET HIM GO!!" Kagome began to run forward, stopping only a few feet away from Daemon. "I'll give you the Shikon no Tama after you let him go!! He has nothing to do with this! Take me instead but don't harm him!" Her raven hair was plastered to her face as her voice cracked with emotion.
Shippo looked up in shock, staring at the girl before him. He swore he had seen her before…wasn't she the one from the clinic? But the feeling was beyond that…it felt as if he had known her for years. Once again, the familiar yearning to trust her leapt forth within his chest. Not only that but…the girl was risking her life to save him from whatever this evil creature was.
"I am begging you." Kagome tilted her head sideways, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Please let the innocent child live. Let him go." Sighing, she began to twist her ring off of her finger. "I am weary of this…I am tired. I'm sick of fighting. I want this to just end…with no more lives lost. Please…" Placing the ring in the palm of her hand, she began to tremble as she held it forward.
Grinning with triumph and satisfaction, Daemon let go of Shippo. The red head dropped to the ground, landing with a thud. Wincing, he jumped up to his tiny feet and scrambled over to Kagome where he hid behind her form.
"T-thank you…" He whispered hoarsely, looking up at her in awe. She was so brave and strong.
Kagome turned slightly and looked down at her dear friend. A tiny smile graced her lips, "You're welcome. Now run, get away from here as fast as you can. If you see Inuyasha, your doctor, tell him to hold onto his car and whisper the word 'Tetsusaiga', okay?"
Shippo nodding, turning towards the fence, where he spotted a hole large enough for him to fit through. He prepared to sprint for it but, right before he ran, he looked up at Kagome once more. He chuckled softly; no wonder she was so familiar, after all, together they had been to hell and back to defeat Naraku. Why hadn't he remembered that before? He shrugged, muttering, "Be careful Kagome, mother…" With a wink and a smile, he turned and fled for the fence.
Kagome's jaw dropped at his words, realizing what they meant. He had remembered her…from the past…a genuine smile formed on her lips. "YOU TOO!!" She called out to him as he pushed his way through the hole in the fence.
Shippo just managed to get out of the garden and to the other side when he heard it.
A blood-curling scream of agony. Turning around, he watched as Daemon tore his claws out of Kagome's shoulder, droplets of blood falling to the ground to mingle in the mud and to be washed away with the rain. His eyes widened in fear as Kagome's ring dropped to the ground also.
Gasping in air rapidly, Kagome dropped to her knees partly because of the searing pain she felt and partly to find her ring- the half of the Shikon no Tama.
Shippo gulped, deciding he had to be brave now. He had to go find Inuyasha. With a spring of hope, he dashed out onto the streets to find his beloved hanyou friend. He ran for all he was worth. He ran until he thought his legs would break and his feet would fall off. The glimmer of hope he had had was beginning to fade. In pure panic, he stumbled out onto a dark street but in a flash, it filled up with a bright light. Looking forward, Shippo froze like a deer caught in headlights. In truth, he was a boy caught in headlights.
Sango slammed on the brakes while screaming, swerving just in time to barely miss Shippo. The car screeched to a halt while Inuyasha went flying into the dashboard and Miroku into the back of Sango's seat. Luckily for Sango, she had been wearing her seatbelt and the most pain she felt was her racing heart. A deadpan silence filled the air before Shippo went scurrying towards the car. He pulled open the passenger door, letting Inuyasha slump back as he tried to regain his senses. Inuyasha was lucky he was a hanyou or else he'd probably be unconscious or dead. With the back of his hand, he wiped away a trickle of blood from his forehead before he looked down at Shippo, ready to kill the child who had caused the accident.
"INUYASHA!! IT'S REALLY YOU!! INUYASHA, YOU HAVE TO GO SAVE KAGOME! YOU HAVE TO!!" Shippo screamed all at once, frantically jumping up and down.
"Nnnnmmnn…" Miroku moaned, his vision blurry for a few seconds. Sango jumped out of the car, running to help him out. Opening the door, she caught his fallen figure and pulled him out. Holding him upright, he leaned on her as he caught his breath, a lump forming on his forehead. "That hurt…" He pulled away from Sango, steadying himself as he thanked the heavens that he wasn't badly injured. He only had a few scrapes here and there, nothing major. The two of them quickly wandered around the car to Inuyasha and the boy.
"WHERE'S KAGOME!?" Inuyasha nearly jumped on Shippo as he yelled at him for any kind of information as to her whereabouts. "Is she okay?!"
"Kagome's near here!!! She's not doing very well…she's facing Daemon!! She needs our help!!" Shippo replied, trying not to break down in tears again. "And she told me to tell you to grab onto your car and call it Tetsusaiga."
"Why?" Inuyasha blinked for a second, his racing heart calming.
"I don't know, just do it!" Shippo retorted, running over to cling onto Miroku and Sango for support.
"Keh, fine." Inuyasha grabbed onto the door handle of his car before muttering, "Tetsusagia." A brilliant light filled the air before the car was surrounded in it, blinding them temporarily. The car began to shrink, changing forms slowly and after a minute or two, the light faded away. Where Inuyasha's car had once been was now a rusty sword and a sheath. Inuyasha sported a fanged grin, "Now this…I like." He picked up the sword, giving it a few test swings before sheathing it and attaching it to his belt. "Now where is she?"
"The clinic garden! We've got to get there NOW!" Shippo responded, grabbing hold of Sango and Miroku's hands and pulling them in the direction where he had came from.
"The clinic garden…? Why there?" Sango muttered to herself.
"I don't know! Just hurry it up! I'll go ahead!" Inuyasha called to the three before he bounded forward, running in a blur towards the clinic. He had to get there in time.
He had to save Kagome. The stupid wench, it was her fault that they were all facing Daemon now. Inuyasha sighed, knowing that it was human nature to assign blame. But as he thought about it now, he was tempted to blame Kagome, for being who she was. Except to blame her was like to blame water for being wet. How can you hold water in your hands without it slipping through? He could blame Kagome and she would accept it, for such things such as blame did not bother her, from what he's seen of her now. But part of the satisfaction derived from blame is knowing that you've made the other person very uncomfortable and sometimes…sometimes Kagome was as distant as the sun and the moon.
He could even blame Shippo, for it was his fault that he was caught by Daemon and now, they were out this night, ready to be shaken from their comfortable world. He could even have blamed himself for bringing everyone along and chasing after her. But blame got him nowhere. He accepted that it happened, and now Inuyasha knew. He would rather know the truth than remain in ignorance.
There is no blame, simply truth. Inuyasha knew that if he wanted to know the truth, he had to have the courage to accept it. He had to accept whatever happened.
He had to…before it was too late.
~*~
Kagome's eyes narrowed, as she took in ragged breathes of the freezing air. The cold air stung as it filled her lungs, refreshing her painfully inside and out. Dirt was stuck under her fingernails and she was covered in brown mud as her fingers dug through the earth in an attempt to find her dropped and lost ring. The fallen half of the Shikon no Tama. Her engagement ring. Blood mingled with the mud, staining her clothes as she saw a tinge of a pink light somewhere ahead of her hand. She began to reach for it when a scaly, clawed foot stepped on the light, stopping Kagome from grabbing it.
"My plan was to kill Inuyasha AND get the ring but I guess…for now, this will have to do. Now the only thing to figure out is whether to let you live to see Inuyasha's death, then kill you or, kill you now and then kill Inuyasha, after he sees your dead corpse." Daemon smirked and looked as if he was in deep thought, if that was possible.
Kagome emitted a low growl from her throat. She hated this so much. Why did he have to threaten everybody's life? Why did he have to keep bringing it up?
Death takes everything from you; death destroys you especially when it doesn't take you. It brings pain among everyone it touches…Kagome hated it so much…so much…
She didn't want to cause Inuyasha any more pain…she just wished that she could take his pain, bear it, and let him live his life painless. She wanted to get out of this place, but she couldn't. She couldn't change how she felt, but she needed to. She wanted to run.
But running all the time was bad for you. You might miss seeing something important if you run all the time. Like your friends. No matter how far Kagome had ran, she'd never found Inuyasha, even though it sometimes had felt as though Inuyasha was just a step behind her. So she spent half her time searching, and half her time just trying to relax. It had the same success rate as running everywhere, any way. When she had finally stopped looking and running, she had found Inuyasha. She had found what she had been looking for when she stopped looking.
And now, Kagome was slumped on the ground, staring up at Daemon with fearful eyes. Resisting the urge to run away, for you miss important things when you run all the time, Kagome took a deep breath. She looked down, watching the pink glow of the Shikon no Tama waver under Daemon's foot. If there was some way she could make him move…
Huffing with annoyance and the will to fix her mistake, Kagome pulled herself up to her feet, standing strong. Behind her back, she gripped a jagged stick that she had picked up off of the ground. She lifted her chin up, staring into Daemon's cold, emotionless eyes. "I will not let you win." Kagome hissed between clenched teeth. "This world and the people in it mean too much for me to lose them now. Not when I just gained them back."
"You foolish girl." Daemon chuckled, brushing her off as if she were a mere bug. "Sometimes having a strong will isn't the greatest thing." He muttered, his words actually holding some truth. "Sometimes, it can bring about the end of you. Sometimes, you need to compromise because if you keep fighting…you'll lose all dear to you, including yourself."
"SHUT UP!!!" Kagome let out a broken scream as she charged at Daemon, slamming into his body full-force. It caught the demon by surprise but he was much bigger and stronger than Kagome and her puny attack had barely even moved him. Resisting the urge to laugh out loud with amusement, Daemon readied to stab the girl with his claws when an aching throb began to numb his foot, causing him to jump backwards. Looking downward in shock, he gasped as he saw the source of his pain. A sharp stick was protruding from his foot.
He quickly ignored the wound, for it was minor to him and would heal quickly. It was like a mosquito bite but it was enough to catch him off guard. Before he could reaction or realize what Kagome had been planning, his jaw dropped as she grabbed her ring from the ground. Turning on her heel, she sprinted for the fence. If only she could get the Shikon no Tama to safety…maybe there would still be hope.
"KAGOME!!!" A male voice cried from the general direction she was running in. Looking up, she spotted a flash of silver hair and instantly knew who it was.
Daemon's vision turned crimson with anger as he snarled, charging at the girl. Lifting his hand in the air as he advanced on her quickly, he swung his razor claws, aiming them directly for her heart through her back.
Inuyasha screamed in a blind panic as he realized what was about to happen…