Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I had the entire thing written and ready to post but then Tan-chan lost the disk that I had it on so I had to rewrite it. But here it is finally.
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Sango groaned as she woke, her hand coming up to rub at the ache she could feel in her neck. She looked around slowly, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. "What the hell happened?" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else as her memory drifted back to her.
Kagome had been right. It had been a weak youkai in all appearances and readings that they got from it. This lizard youkai. The shard was clearly visible. Gleaming in it's tail. But there was something wrong about this youkai. Where the normal red eyes would have been, was nothing. Completely black orbs filled its eye sockets, seeming endless in the dark waves.
Their eyes had been drawn to it's. Unable to tear her eyes away and feeling all her muscles tense. Only Kirara seemed unaffected, carrying her master towards the youkai, unaware of what was occurring. The instant Kirara was in range, the youkai's tail snapped out, slamming into Kirara's side, gouging a long gash in her side and sending her to the ground with a loud crash. Sango hadn't been able to move, falling to the ground, her eyes wide and unfocused but clearly staring straight into the youkai's.
Miroku had staggered to her side, something was draining his energy and he barely had the strength to stand.
"San . . . go," he whispered, his hand clasping onto hers before the spell in the eyes of the youkai took him as well, leaving both sprawled on the ground, with eyes blank and staring at nothing.
***
Sango shook her head, trying to force her sudden headache away. She stood shakily, feeling shivers run down her spine from the massive waves of evil power seeping through to her from the walls of the room. It was a room made of solid black stone. There seemed to be no entrance or exit to this place. There were dark shadows that seemed to reach for her, seeking to devour her in their grasp. She backed away from all the walls slowly, falling backwards and onto a soft something that let out a sharp breath of air when she landed.
Miroku sat up slowly, blinking rapidly and staring at her sitting in his lap.
"Sango?" he asked, shifting slowly.
"Are you all-HENTAI!!" she shrieked when she felt the familiar hand rubbing over her backside. A resounding slap rang off the walls and Sango scrambled as far away from the lecherous monk as she could.
"You misunderstand," Miroku said stubbornly, "I was merely trying to assure myself that you were not a figment of my imagination."
Sango glared at him shortly before turning to examine the walls surrounding them, as hesitant as she was to even go near them. She pressed against the walls as she walked, searching for some way to leave. A thin shadow wrapped around her hand. Sango screamed as what could only be described as pure terror flooded her. The shadow wrapped farther around her arm, pulling her slowly into the wall.
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Kagome's head snapped up and she stopped abruptly.
Inuyasha watched her curiously, but when she did not volunteer any information, he asked, "What is it Kagome?"
She seemed to snap out of whatever she had been focused on, shaking her head slowly, "It's nothing. I just thought I heard something." She tried to sound reassuring but from the expression on her face, he could tell that it had not been 'nothing.'
They had been walking for almost an hour in search of their missing companions. Kagome had led them, not making a single sound and offering no form of communication or any hint of where they were headed.
Inuyasha had followed, confused and worried at the continued silence from the miko in front. Her face was emotionless, the blank expression set firmly in stone. It would have disgusted Kagome to know how much she looked like Kikyo with that face. Or at least, how Kikyo had looked before this mess. Inuyasha pushed that thought from his head forcefully, reminding himself sternly, 'Kagome. Not Kikyo. Kagome.'
The two were not alike in the slightest and he knew that.
Kagome's face was still in that concentrated expression. The instant she had stopped and looked skyward, her blank mask had faded. Anger, great amounts of it, shadowed the confusion in her eyes, but there was also fear and desperation in those eyes that told him so much.
Inuyasha reacted to those emotions, pulling Kagome back against his chest. Shock very clearly filled her features, her body stiffening in an instinctive reaction. She could feel his heart thumping on her back and she slowly relaxed, leaning back into him. Her eyes softening and filling slowly with liquid.
He had hardly known what he had been doing when he had grabbed her but when she finally gave in, he tightened his hold.
Kagome closed her eyes, finally letting the tears that had been building up for so long, run down her face.
Inuyasha closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head. "Everything will be fine, Kagome. Don't worry," he whispered. He could smell her tears but instead of sending him into panic like they normally did, his heart warmed. This was only Kagome. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he missed her.
The Kagome that cried for him, laughed with him, smiled for him, argued with him, the Kagome he knew. He missed her. She hadn't been there for a long time. But now that she was there, even for a little while, he would be there with her, comforting her as best as he could, even if it was only her emotions that were allowing her to return.
Kagome pushed out of his embrace suddenly, her face sad and eyes filling with regret, "Gomen ne Inuyasha . . . Until you make your choice, I can't . . ." She smiled sadly at him.
"Can't what?" he asked, confusion coloring his face. His heart lurched in his chest at the expression on her face.
'I can't love you' she thought sadly, quickly dashing away the tears that had filled her eyes again. But to him she merely shook her head, "Never mind, Inuyasha," she turned away from him, allowing one last tear to fall before she steeled herself once more, "We must go. Time is running out."
Inuyasha's heart sank when he heard that note back in her voice. The Kagome he knew was gone. He followed after her, her words still ringing in his mind.
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Miroku was there in a flash, his arms around her waist as he struggled to pull her away from whatever was there. Sango shivered at the chill that enveloped her. They fell backwards once the shadow reluctantly released its prey.
"Itai . . ." Sango winced at the fall.
She got up quickly, helping Miroku stand. For once, the monk seemed to be behaving himself. His face was tense, his eyes quickly doing the same examination that she had done earlier. His hand reached into his robes, searching for a moment before removing the paper charm. Holding it between his first two fingers, he murmured a prayer, waiting for it to glow around the edges before flinging it at the closest wall with the cry of, "Houriki!"
The charm sealed itself to the wall, driving back the dark shadows. But then it began to flutter, acting as if a wind was trying to peel it off. Miroku frowned, stepping forwards with a hand outstretched to reinforce the magic. But before he reached it, twin ropes lashed out at him from the wall, seeming to be almost part of the shadow and dark stone.
Miroku fought against the ropes that had wound around his arms, seeking to drag him forwards into the darkness. But he was only human and these ropes were made for much stronger . . .
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Kagome frowned, her nose twitching as she picked up another irrelevant scent. That was the only bad thing about all this new power and youkai sense, she thought with a sigh, was that she picked up everything but what she wanted to.
She could feel her power churning within her, begging to be released from the tight control she had over it. Begging to be used. She clenched her teeth against it, it was not yet time. But she could tell, the time was soon.
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Miroku struggled, jerking away and summoning the strongest powers he knew but it was not enough. The ropes wrapped higher up his arms, almost encasing them in the tight coils, whirling around his neck. He gasped, wincing when he was slammed against the wall, the ropes holding him in place and wrapping around his legs and torso.
Sango had been having her own problems, more cables shooting at her when she had rushed to help Miroku, but neither her Hiraikotsu or knife helped her any against the stone ropes. She found herself almost surrounded, circling slowly with her blade in hand. She was unprepared every one of the cords shot forwards at once, immediately wrapping her and shoving her against the wall next to Miroku, tied up in the same fashion.
She almost screamed when the first of the shadows crawled over her, the icy feeling and the fear almost overwhelming her. Surprise seized her when a warm hand grasped her own. She turned her head slowly to face Miroku.
He smiled at her warmly, squeezing her hand. "Do not release my hand," was all he said. Sango didn't ask, instead squeezing his hand back and focusing on the warmth of his hand instead of the shadows that engulfed her.
Her eyes shut tightly, her teeth clenching hard when the first shadow crept to her face. But she didn't make a sound as it crawled all over her face. And her hand only squeezed harder . . . when it crawled into her mouth.
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Author's Note: Next chapter will be up soon.
