Through the Rain
Chapter 7
A New Plot Emerges
By ShimmerSweet
"What the hell?"
Inuyasha rubbed his head as his face twisted in pain. He sat up still rubbing his head, studying his surroundings. He looked at the tree he was lent up against and the wooded surroundings. He immediately rose to his feet and tried to run away but he violently collided with an invisible wall, knocking him to the ground. His temper got the best of him and he violently attacked the invisible wall, but to his dismay it wouldn't budge. His back slid down the wall as he plopped onto the forest floor. He was extremely upset and looked around for something else to bash but once his eyes landed on me his eyes widened in shock… and my heart broke.
His face turned from a mask of surprise to seriousness. "What are you doing here?.... And where are we?"
It caused me great pain to see him sitting there with those same amber eyes that once loved me but were now barren of any feelings for me besides disgust. "We're in a forest… somewhere." I said as I grabbed at the moist soil by my sides. I looked at him now sitting across from me. Obviously he wanted more details. "I don't know where this forest is, and I don't know why we're here. I just know that I had to come here in order to save my mother. But some woman brought you here, unconscious, about an hour ago. You were out cold."
He rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed at something. "Who has us imprisoned here? And why?"
He asked the same questions I hoped he could answer but all I could do was shrug my shoulders as I stared at my lap. I just couldn't look him directly in the eyes. It hurt too much. We sat in silence for a while but then Inuyasha's curiosity rose again.
"How did you get here?"
I played with the hem of my sleeve as I answered, still allowing no eye contact. "A woman named Anda, with green eyes and white hair, dressed as a soldier from your kingdom, brought me here. It was either I come peacefully or my mother bites the dust. There was no question in my choice." I stopped playing with my sleeve and diverted my attention to my nails instead. "Do you remember how you got here?"
Inuyasha sat with an irritated look on his face. "Of course I do. I wouldn't forget that wench."
We sat in silence after his statement. We occasionally glanced at one another, but every time we caught each other's eye Inuyasha would roll his eyes and look the other way and I would blush and then look down at my lap. Even though he didn't love me any more, I just couldn't help loving him… you just can't turn love for a person on and off like some kind of switch.
"Well, it appears that Prince Inuyasha has finally awakened from his slumber."
We both spun around at the mysterious, masculine, husky voice behind us. There stood a fairly attractive man with long midnight hair and dark eyes. He looked intimidating, yet calm, cool and collected. Who was this man?
"Naraku…" Inuyasha's teeth clenched tightly as he growled out a response.
My eyes shot open wide in surprise and my chest heaved in anger. This was the very man who caused me so much pain in my current life. Naraku, the very same man standing before me was probably the man I hated most in my entire life. He caused me to believe that my fairytale life was true and that I would have the fairytale happily ever after of marrying my one true love. He twisted my whole life around and I had done nothing to this man. He set my anger to its limit. My anger was bubbling and overflowing in a hot rush over my body as I dug my nails into the ground. My arms and fists were so tense that they were shaking. I glared at this man like I have none other. I glared at him with pure hatred. But to Naraku, he took my reaction as an amusing joke as he laughed.
"Poor, poor, princess… Is there something upsetting you?" Naraku slowly walked up to me and put his hand to my chin. Shivers ran down my back as a repulsive feeling washed over me like a bucket of cold ice that was dumped over my head. Immediately I slapped his hand from my face and glared at him without saying a word because my eyes and their expression said it all in their warning.
Naraku looked from me to Inuyasha and smirked, "Feisty little vixen you have here. You two would have been a fiery little couple. You two have so much in common. Your attitudes towards me are amazingly very identical." Naraku then turned his attention back to me and licked his lips. "Shame, things didn't work out. Maybe opposites attract better? What do you think Kagome?"
I opened my mouth to reply but Inuyasha beat me to the punch. Inuyasha stood and walked up to Naraku and glared into his cold eyes. "Leave her out of this Naraku. She has no purpose in this. Whatever grief is going on in your head is between me and you. Now let her go."
Did Inuyasha just defend me? No, I can't take that seriously, I don't need any more heart ache than I already have.
Naraku just chuckled at Inuyasha's statement. "None of this has anything to do with you or the princess. Both of you are actually just pawns in my game. So just calm down little prince, I still have use for you and the princess, so I won't be disposing of you too soon."
The anger in Inuyasha's chest swelled up and went straight to his claws as he took a swing at Naraku. But Naraku had vanished into thin air just before Inuyasha's claw connected with Naraku's face. This obviously pissed Inuyasha off more as he violently kicked the ground and tried to beat the invisible barrier down again. I shook my head in disgust at his behavior. He acted as a child would. I couldn't believe I was in love with such an ignorant fool. It actually was starting to make me mad as I reflected on the way he treated me once he was free of Naraku's mind control. Then for no reason at all he stops in the middle of his tantrum and stomps over and stares down his nose at me.
"Isn't there anything you can do to help us get out of here?! Can't you get off your lazy ass and help me think of something!"
And I did just what he said. I stood, looked him in the eyes and smacked him hard across the face, then brought my hand back and backhanded him across the other cheek. He had some nerve.
He brought his hand to his cheek and exploded. "What the hell was that for!"
And I exploded right back. "For acting like a total ass for no reason! Where the hell do you get off thinking you can treat me anyway you please!"
He smirked at me. "It seems you like it. That's why you fell in love with me isn't it?"
That was a stab right to the heart. "That was low; there was no reason for that."
"Maybe it was enough to get you mad enough to concentrate on getting out of here and away from me?"
I rolled my eyes. "Are you trying to sound smart? Because you're flunking with flying colors."
"Why thank you princess, you're too kind."
"Whatever." Why did everything that came out of his mouth lately sound so dumb? I walked over to where the barrier's edge was and touched it with my finger as I watched the blue waves ripple around my finger. "If you want to get out come over here and help me."
Inuyasha walked over grinning. "Now that's more like it. What do I have to do?"
"Just punch the barrier as hard as you can when I say so."
Inuyasha quickly nodded and waited. Then I quickly snatched a couple of strands of his hair from his head, which made him yell. "What was that for!"
I quickly put my hand to his mouth to shut him up. "Be quiet, you don't want Naraku to come back now do you? Besides, I need this to break the barrier."
His eyebrows raised in surprise. "You know magic?"
I nodded then placed his hair to the barrier with my two fore fingers and concentrated on our two auras. I had to temporarily merge our essences to fight and weaken the barrier so Inuyasha could easily punch it in. It wasn't as hard as I thought, because as hard as it was to believe his aura was very wild and ready to fight. It just made my job easier. As I felt the power of the barrier quiver under our auras I gave Inuyasha the signal and he punched it to expose a hole.
"Go! It won't last long!" I said as I pushed him out and followed him out just as fast. Immediately the gap in the barrier closed behind us as we rolled to the other side. We were free.
~
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Souta arrived just before his grandfather panting heavily. "The soldiers… they sent me to tell you they're ready at will to strike."
Grandpa nodded and stroked his chin. "Then tell them to start marching."
"But Grandpa, isn't there anyway we could not fight?"
Grandpa shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry Souta, but we have to get Kagome back at any cost. Even if it means a bloody future for us all."
~
King Mamoru sat on his horse as he faced his army. He raised his sword to the men. "We will go in and leave none unharmed! We will return with my son and the head of their leader! No one makes a fool of our people! Now march onward!" King Mamoru yelled as he turned and pointed his sword in the direction of the Sengoku Jidai Kingdom.
King Mamoru took a deep breath and whispered to himself. "I'm sorry Kagome. I've got to do what's best for my kingdom… And… I'll find you, my son."
~
Up in a nearby tree stood Kagura, and she frowned as she observed the scene before her. The prince and princess had just broke the barrier and were escaping. She sighed at the situation. She really wasn't up to playing a game of cat and mouse at the moment. She rolled her eyes and went to find Naraku, which didn't take long. He was in his usual spot by the river.
Kagura flicked her fan closed and examined her nails. "They have escaped."
Naraku just sat by the river, tranquil and composed. "It was bound to happen."
"Aren't you afraid they'll reach their kingdoms and tell what has happened?"
Naraku smirked. "They won't make it. This forest is too coarse and dense for them to even tell the difference between north and south. Besides, if for some reason they do find their way out they won't get to their kingdoms in time to stop my plans. Their escape might actually help me more than them if they do make it. As we speak the two kingdoms are readying for war. Then it will be my time to strike. Everything is falling into plan, thanks to them."
A/N: Don't you just feel the climax approaching? (If you're laughing at that statement, get your mind out of the gutter.) ^_^