omg, I'm so sorry XD This is unforgivably late. I've been on a road trip for a couple weeks, it's my only excuse. And it's a rather pathetic one at that, since I had computer access most of that time. I hope you all will forgive me! ;o;
...especially since this chapter is going to be a touch short. A lot happens? ^^; We get... plot! :o And the next chapter is going to rock, I swear.
Thanks to Colin, Xin, and Tdei for betaing ^^
--==--
It was the night of the new moon.
Of course it had snuck up on him, like it always did. Inuyasha cursed to himself. And they were so close to Sesshomaru. Rotten timing, as per usual.
Luckily, Kagome hadn't put up a fight about his leaving the camp this night. Granted, she hadn't actually been there when he slipped away, she had been gathering firewood with Shippo. Sango, of course, had politely informed him that he was a moron, among other things.
He absently rubbed at a tender lump on his head. Sango's lectures tended to get a bit physical. He stared up at the stars. Glared at them. They always shone so bright on these nights, twinkling happily. Mocking him.
Right, so he was projecting. Still, it irritated him. They were so close, really on the verge of being too close. He couldn't afford this, not tonight. He could smell his brother all over the landscape this morning.
Not a trace of Miroku, however. Sesshomaru, Jaken, even sometimes the human girl, (whose presence baffled him almost as much as Sesshomaru's sudden interest in the priest.) but no Miroku.
And under that, there was another faint scent that made his blood run cold. Naraku.
He breathed deeply, testing the air with his dulled human senses. He couldn't sense a thing anymore, and the air felt thick, stale. Glancing around him, he could see little more than thick shadows that twisted into vaguely threatening forms.
Then there came a rustling, a soft sigh of leaves brushing each other, and his heart slammed into his chest. He sat up, peering around him.
Nothing was there but darkness. It was the breeze sending him into a blind fear. Again. He mentally kicked himself, cursing under his breath. Nights like this were always spent on the knife-edge of panic.
He sighed, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to calm his hyperactive imagination. What was it that the monk did? He had mentioned (after a good amount of mocking from Inuyasha) that it was good for calming one's self.
After a moment of thought, Inuyasha shifted, trying to mimic what he remembered, feeling vaguely foolish. Miroku had crossed his legs like this... and held his hands so... and sat up straight. He closed his eyes.
Several minutes ticked by as Inuyasha attempted to clear his mind. Finally, he cracked open an eye.
Feh. Stupid Miroku. This wasn't working at all.
And then he heard the loud crack of a stick breaking, directly behind him. He gasped, head whipping around, cursing at his slow reactions.
Pain blossomed in his skull as the world went dark.
--==--
Only the barest bit of starlight filtered into the room, just bright enough for Sesshomaru to make out Miroku's profile. Though the human slept, sprawled across his chest, he wasn't tired. Instead, he stared up at nothing, just listening to the nighttime sounds.
First, of course, was the monk and his snoring. Were all humans this noisy about sleeping? It was amazing how much noise he could produce. He lifted a hand to press against Miroku's back, feeling the vibration and the steady rise and fall of his body.
If he concentrated past the snores, he could hear the hum of insects outside, and the occasional birdcall and animal moving through the forest. It was a quiet night. Yet something about it was pricking his senses.
Nothing was obviously out of place. Whatever it was, it could damn well wait. Sesshomaru closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the body pressed up against him. He sighed, trying to will himself asleep.
Right on the verge of finally drifting off, he figured it out. He opened his eyes, quickly disentangling himself from his bedmate and rising to dress quickly.
It was a familiar aura, just on the verge of his territory, just barely touching his defenses. He probably wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't moved.
Inuyasha.
--==--
Inuyasha snarled, hurling himself against the barred door for what had to be the hundredth time. The door didn't even shake when he hit it.
Stupid, stupid, -stupid-. Panting with wasted effort, he leaned against the stubbornly resolute door. How could he let this happen? He slid down it, wrapping his arms around his knees, shaking in rage. And quite possibly cold. Definitely not fear though. Never. He fixed his eyes on the opposite wall.
He was in a small cell, mostly rock except for the door, which was thick wood reinforced with bands of metal. No way to escape, especially not while he was still human.
Naraku. He growled to himself. He should have known, when the bastard's stench had carpeted the land. He should have taken better precautions. This was all his stupid fault.
The only consolation he had was that the bastard hadn't gotten Kagome and the others, as far as he knew.
Was it a new detachment? He hadn't recognized what he had seen of his captor, and in his current state, couldn't even smell them. It was unnerving.
A bit of doubt set in. What if it wasn't Naraku? Other than sensing the other had been around sometime recently, he didn't have any concrete evidence. It was possible. But if it wasn't Naraku, who was it?
Briefly, he considered Sesshomaru. But no, his brother wouldn't keep him hostage like this. Who else? Inuyasha tried to think. He didn't think he had that many enemies. Especially not ones who would kidnap him instead of killing him outright.
It was almost as if they really didn't care about him. As if they were using him for bait of some kind...
But no matter who they were or what they wanted, they obviously weren't overly concerned with hurting him. He felt gingerly at the lump on his head, hissing in pain. Humans were so damn fragile. He pulled his hand away, cursing slightly. He was still bleeding too.
Goddamnit. Morning had to be in just a few hours. It had to be.
He laid his head down on his arms. It spun and throbbed with the movement, and suddenly he realized how tired he was.
...especially since this chapter is going to be a touch short. A lot happens? ^^; We get... plot! :o And the next chapter is going to rock, I swear.
Thanks to Colin, Xin, and Tdei for betaing ^^
--==--
It was the night of the new moon.
Of course it had snuck up on him, like it always did. Inuyasha cursed to himself. And they were so close to Sesshomaru. Rotten timing, as per usual.
Luckily, Kagome hadn't put up a fight about his leaving the camp this night. Granted, she hadn't actually been there when he slipped away, she had been gathering firewood with Shippo. Sango, of course, had politely informed him that he was a moron, among other things.
He absently rubbed at a tender lump on his head. Sango's lectures tended to get a bit physical. He stared up at the stars. Glared at them. They always shone so bright on these nights, twinkling happily. Mocking him.
Right, so he was projecting. Still, it irritated him. They were so close, really on the verge of being too close. He couldn't afford this, not tonight. He could smell his brother all over the landscape this morning.
Not a trace of Miroku, however. Sesshomaru, Jaken, even sometimes the human girl, (whose presence baffled him almost as much as Sesshomaru's sudden interest in the priest.) but no Miroku.
And under that, there was another faint scent that made his blood run cold. Naraku.
He breathed deeply, testing the air with his dulled human senses. He couldn't sense a thing anymore, and the air felt thick, stale. Glancing around him, he could see little more than thick shadows that twisted into vaguely threatening forms.
Then there came a rustling, a soft sigh of leaves brushing each other, and his heart slammed into his chest. He sat up, peering around him.
Nothing was there but darkness. It was the breeze sending him into a blind fear. Again. He mentally kicked himself, cursing under his breath. Nights like this were always spent on the knife-edge of panic.
He sighed, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to calm his hyperactive imagination. What was it that the monk did? He had mentioned (after a good amount of mocking from Inuyasha) that it was good for calming one's self.
After a moment of thought, Inuyasha shifted, trying to mimic what he remembered, feeling vaguely foolish. Miroku had crossed his legs like this... and held his hands so... and sat up straight. He closed his eyes.
Several minutes ticked by as Inuyasha attempted to clear his mind. Finally, he cracked open an eye.
Feh. Stupid Miroku. This wasn't working at all.
And then he heard the loud crack of a stick breaking, directly behind him. He gasped, head whipping around, cursing at his slow reactions.
Pain blossomed in his skull as the world went dark.
--==--
Only the barest bit of starlight filtered into the room, just bright enough for Sesshomaru to make out Miroku's profile. Though the human slept, sprawled across his chest, he wasn't tired. Instead, he stared up at nothing, just listening to the nighttime sounds.
First, of course, was the monk and his snoring. Were all humans this noisy about sleeping? It was amazing how much noise he could produce. He lifted a hand to press against Miroku's back, feeling the vibration and the steady rise and fall of his body.
If he concentrated past the snores, he could hear the hum of insects outside, and the occasional birdcall and animal moving through the forest. It was a quiet night. Yet something about it was pricking his senses.
Nothing was obviously out of place. Whatever it was, it could damn well wait. Sesshomaru closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the body pressed up against him. He sighed, trying to will himself asleep.
Right on the verge of finally drifting off, he figured it out. He opened his eyes, quickly disentangling himself from his bedmate and rising to dress quickly.
It was a familiar aura, just on the verge of his territory, just barely touching his defenses. He probably wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't moved.
Inuyasha.
--==--
Inuyasha snarled, hurling himself against the barred door for what had to be the hundredth time. The door didn't even shake when he hit it.
Stupid, stupid, -stupid-. Panting with wasted effort, he leaned against the stubbornly resolute door. How could he let this happen? He slid down it, wrapping his arms around his knees, shaking in rage. And quite possibly cold. Definitely not fear though. Never. He fixed his eyes on the opposite wall.
He was in a small cell, mostly rock except for the door, which was thick wood reinforced with bands of metal. No way to escape, especially not while he was still human.
Naraku. He growled to himself. He should have known, when the bastard's stench had carpeted the land. He should have taken better precautions. This was all his stupid fault.
The only consolation he had was that the bastard hadn't gotten Kagome and the others, as far as he knew.
Was it a new detachment? He hadn't recognized what he had seen of his captor, and in his current state, couldn't even smell them. It was unnerving.
A bit of doubt set in. What if it wasn't Naraku? Other than sensing the other had been around sometime recently, he didn't have any concrete evidence. It was possible. But if it wasn't Naraku, who was it?
Briefly, he considered Sesshomaru. But no, his brother wouldn't keep him hostage like this. Who else? Inuyasha tried to think. He didn't think he had that many enemies. Especially not ones who would kidnap him instead of killing him outright.
It was almost as if they really didn't care about him. As if they were using him for bait of some kind...
But no matter who they were or what they wanted, they obviously weren't overly concerned with hurting him. He felt gingerly at the lump on his head, hissing in pain. Humans were so damn fragile. He pulled his hand away, cursing slightly. He was still bleeding too.
Goddamnit. Morning had to be in just a few hours. It had to be.
He laid his head down on his arms. It spun and throbbed with the movement, and suddenly he realized how tired he was.