The Scent of Despair
Written by Catrina Winner
Author's Note: Once again, sorry that this chapter is so late coming out. Please, do review as it lends me inspiration. As a fair warning, I'm experimenting a bit with my writing style on this chapter. Tell me if it sounds any better. Also, this is going to be an angsty chapter, so, don't read it if you're not up to feeling a bit down. Once again, please review, and I will try to get the next chapter out sooner. However, I must warn you, I just joined a pit band for the musical our high school will be performing, and will be remaining at my school until six thirty or so every night, leaving little time for homework and even less for writing. Just thought I'd give you all a head's up! Enjoy this chapter! Oh, and I'll try to make my updates a little more regular, with less time than a month in between. Thanks for hanging with me guys!
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Chapter Nineteen
The sun fell slowly behind the high mountains to the west, painting the skies in brilliant reds and oranges. A streak of purple stretched darkly over Inuyasha's forest, strangely foreboding in the way it backlit the mist that swathed the woods. The water bordering the edge of Sango and Miroku's thatched hut sparkled brightly as the blazing yellow ball tripped over the lip of the final hill, and the surrounding land was gently plunged into the heavy blackness of twilight. The first stars shone down over the foliage, pressing into the shadows to create an extraordinary twinkling of silver kissed treetops and black holes to vanish into.
Miroku's footfalls fell quietly onto the soft ground as he approached his wife-to-be. His arms slipped around her thin waist and rested lightly on her waist. She leaned back against him, frowning at the darkness. He detected her unhappiness and his voice rose in the murky gloom, frightening away a few of the lake birds. "What's troubling you?"
Sango laughed lightly, letting her shoulders rest backward. "Look across the lake," she whispered. Her own voice was gentler, like the rustle of the quiet leaves in a soft wind. Miroku lifted his eyes, squinting to pierce through the shadows of the far bank. A new moon hefted itself over the trees, lighting the ground below and dispersing the unworldly silver colors that had hung over everything only seconds ago.
As the moon burst from its hiding place, Miroku could easily see a man hunched low next to a jutting rock. His heavy black hair fell around his shoulders as he stared into the water, waiting. The fire rat kimono reflected the light off the light of the moon, turning it a dark, bloody color. The priest could dimly see the man's hand resting lightly on the top of a tattered scabbard of the Tetsusaiga.
Miroku's eyes strayed back down to Sango, a slight smile on his lips. "Kagome has not yet returned from her visit to the well, I take it?" he asked happily, freeing himself from Sango. "I believe that I will go speak to him." He halted when he felt Sango's hand rest lightly on his arm and he turned, noting her large smile.
"Don't go too hardly on him, Miroku, dear," she told him. She stood outside for a few more moments until Miroku was halfway around the lake, then retired back into their home.
Inuyasha looked up from his reverie as Miroku settled on the rock near him, above the mud, looking up at the moon. His wide, lewd grin made Inuyasha groan inwardly.
"Wonderful night, isn't it?" the monk's eyes trailed down to Inuyasha's black hair. The hanyou's shoulders lifted and fell, throwing the light in many different directions. "You seem to be waiting for something! Might it be a pretty young girl?" Miroku's face broke into a large grin as Inuyasha's face stained with a heavy blush.
His laughter permeated through the forest, breaking off abruptly when a high-pitched wail shrieked past them with the wind. Inuyasha stood up quickly, startling Miroku badly. He teetered on the rock, falling backwards a moment later to land on the ground in an aching impact. Inuyasha had the grace to grimace when he saw the blood dripping from the monk's forehead. Miroku shook his head, splattering little drops of the red life onto the dirt around them.
"What was that ungodly noise?" he demanded, pulling a cloth from his garments to tie roughly around the slight gash. "No demons can enter this forest because of Lady Kagome's barriers… And I don't believe anything other than a demon could sound like that. Any ideas?" He turned towards the area Inuyasha had been a moment before, and was only slightly annoyed when he saw his human form forging ahead into the underbrush.
"That scream came from near the well," the hanyou said, peering back over his shoulder. "Kagome went there earlier to say goodbye to her family's spirits." His voice was steady and calm on the outside, but inside Inuyasha was barely able to make himself walk straight. Every fiber of his being was shrieking for him to dash into his forest, to the well, to Kagome. Some reason clung to him and gave him different signals. He was a human now and if there was danger, he would have to take it by surprise. The scream was not Kagome's anyway; Inuyasha knew that for certain.
The progress was slow for the half-demon and monk. They worked carefully through the entangling underbrush. Inuyasha was moving more cautiously than usual, his muscles tensed to break into a rapid sprint if any further sounds came from in front of the two of them.
Finally, they began to close in on the clearing. Even from the distance that remained, both men could clearly hear the choked sobs of someone ahead. Inuyasha at last allowed his anxiety to consume him, and he broke into a frantic run, knowing already that it was not Kagome's tears that awaited him.
Little Shippo looked up when he heard the loud crashing coming from the portion of the forest in front of him. A frightened looking Inuyasha exploded from the trees, scattering leaves and small puffs of dust around him. He quickly leveled his eyes on Shippo, whose own face was red and puckered from his continuous crying. Miroku stumbled out behind him, the cut on his head having soaked through the make-do bandage long ago. It was now trickling into his eye, forcing him to smear it across the side of his face with the back of his hand. Inuyasha shook his head and turned Miroku around, pushing him back in the direction of Sango.
"Go back. I'll take care of Shippo," he said quietly. Miroku shrugged and left.
The sickened feeling in the pit of Inuyasha's stomach had only grown more and more pronounced as he stood there, gazing down at the tiny fox kitsune. The well was empty, devoid of anything, and the tears on Shippo's cheeks stood out starkly in Inuyasha's mind. A terrible rushing void was swallowing up the hanyou's remaining sanity and he could feel the sting of his own tears burning behind his eyes. He was saved from speaking when Kaede emerged behind them, coming quickly at a half-hobble, taking in the scene swiftly.
"I visited the shrine before I came here… Kagome's wish has changed, now that she has you… I do not know what will happen from here, but I do not believe the well will reopen again. The shrine that she cast her wish in is not in her time, and so, the Shikon Jewel would have to cross time before the well could ever be reopened. I am… sorry," the old woman sighed and took hold on Inuyasha's arm, lifting Shippo to her shoulder, guiding them both back into the village.
"If there is anything we can do… It will be done. Kagome may not come back to this time… But we will do everything we can to make it not so."
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I feel so terrible for putting this chapter out so late, and for it being so short. However, to make up for it in some small way, I am posting two chapters for all of you. I hope you enjoy them, and review as much as possible!