The News
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"What are you doing now, fox?"
Kurama turned his attention to the dark form above him. "Morning, Hiei."
"She's not back yet."
"I see that." Kurama looked up the shrine steps. School was going to start soon and he needed to be going.
"I'll know when she's back."
Kurama looked at his short friend without any expression. It irked him to know that the fire demon was now the best informed of Kagome's whereabouts. Koenma was no longer able to give them prior warning to the well's activation.
He joined he others at the corner but didn't have to say anything. Her lack of presence said it all. The group was tense and silent until they reached the school, where the were joined by Kuwabara.
"She said a week." Kuwabara complained inanely.
"We know. She's late but it's only by four days. I'm sure she'll be back before we know it!" Boton tried to be cheerful. "We'd know if something happened to her, wouldn't we?" She looked hopefully at Hiei, but he refused to feed her false hope. "Well," she continued, undaunted. "Any number of things could have delayed her."
"Like what?" Keiko asked.
"Oh, you know, weather, navigational errors, car trouble..." she tried to joke.
"Killer bunnies..." Kuwabara scratched his head.
"Man eating plants..." Kurama clenched his hands into fists.
"Injuries..." Hiei supplied without humor.
"Death...What!? It happened to me." Yusuke shrugged in response to the outraged glares the others were sending him.
They stopped in front of the gates that led up to the school building. Kurama stared at the cracked sidewalk with unseeing eyes. Was she okay? God, he hoped so. But his concern didn't explain the curious silence of his mind or the gut clenching pain that came and went in waves. Kagome...
"I think I will stay near by today," he told them.
"You're going to skip classes?" Keiko scanned his impassive face.
"Just a feeling..." he explained with out any change in expression.
"Good enough for me!" Yusuke cracked his knuckles. "Where do you want to go then?"
"Yusuke!" Keiko warned him. She hated it when he skipped classes. She glared and stomped into the building. He stood there in a classic pout.
"Since it's you, Kurama, you're probably right." Kuwabara said eyeing Hiei with distaste. "So you think something is gonna happen today?"
"Perhaps..."he clenched his fists and bore the strange tide of emotions churning inside of him is silence.
"Just a feeling, huh?" Hiei sniffed. "You are usually much more sure of yourself. What is the problem?" He gazed at Kurama with his focused red eyes. "I tell you again, she's not here yet. I"ll know."
Kurama ignored the taunt and turned back the way he had come. He wasn't surprised to notice the others fall into step beside him. Boton touched his arm lightly as he passed, a silent message of understanding and concern.
"So, we going to the shrine again?" Kuwabara kept up.
"Of course, idiot, where else do you think we'd hear any news?" Hiei said.
"Shut up!"
Yusuke was teaming up with Hiei in the verbal sparring match against Kuwabara. Kurama ignored the bickering and focused instead on his destination, even though he knew she was still gone.
Kagome...what hold do you have on me that pushes past all my determination not to involve myself further? As soon as his thoughts turned inward, he felt the touch of Youko in his mind.
Stupid boy, Youko whispered. That is easy. I like the girl. Shuuichi likes the girl. That means that you like the girl. He let that thought hang.
Kagome deserves better. Kurama said to himself.
How can it get better than the combined affections of two-(or is it three?) heathy males? Youko grumbled.
She deserves someone whole...He answered.
After a short pause of empty silence, Kurama believed the matter dropped. But then Youko returned, full force.
No matter what you say, our attraction to her will not change, Youko challenged softly.
Yes, but it is our decision to act on such an urge, Shuuichi supported, suddenly joining the battle of wills.
I have every intention of following my "urges," Youko answered. Be warned. I'll not always be denied.
Quit putting yourself first and think of the girl!
Oh, I am...I am. Youko faded back into the background.
"Damn it!" Kurama suddenly growled.
"Huh?" Boton startled.
"Hiei looked him over carefully and saw the last traces of yellow leaving the green eyes. "Hn..."
He leapt ahead and stood in his friends path. Kurama stopped. Hiei almost looked aggressive and violent. His stare was hard and direct.
"Later."
Hiei nodded and stepped out of the way. He had no doubt Kurama would tell him what the problem was. After all, he had been the one to start this whole "friend" thing. The others gave them strange looks, which were ignored.
Hiei suddenly felt a flare of power and closed his natural eyes. With the supernatural sight of his Jagon, he identified the energy. "The well portal has been activated." He heard the others stop moving and opened his eyes to stare directly into Kurama's green ones. "It's the half-dog. Kagome's energy is missing."
They all began to run, not doubting Hiei's words, but cringing inside about what it might mean.
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After a short nap during which he was plaguing by evil dreams of Kagome and Kikyo, Inuyasha charged off to meet his friends.
Kagome I'm sorry. I always promised to protect you...and now I've failed again. His guilt caused a short shattering of tears to fall from his eyes. ...be safe. Please, be there! He ran, passing the others less then two hours later, until he reached the village.
Inuyasha slammed into the familiar hut, sniffing determinedly. Kagome's scent was here, but it was stale, old. "Old woman!" he bellowed
Kaede rose onto her feet and dusted off the knees of her red Miko robes. "What can I do for ye, now, Inuyasha?" she asked calmly.
"Where is Kagome? She's been here, right? Did she go home? Tell me!"
The old woman's one good eye widened. "Ka-go-Inuyasha, have you lost the girl?!"
Her look of shock and concern drove him to face the fact that Kagome had not been here. That she might be-No, he refused to believe she was gone! There was one hope left.
Inuyasha forced his tired limbs to carry him to the old Bone Eaters well, ignoring Kaede's cry of dismay. Maybe she went home...Inuyasha paused at the rim of the well, idly picking splinters off with his claws as he stared into the darkness below. If I go and she's not there, I will have to tell her family that-that I lost her. That I failed to protect her. He didn't want to face her family, but, he had to know himself. He took a deep breath, this was his last hope, and jumped in.
The well house was silent and strangely daunting as he climbed out of the well five hundred years later. On suddenly slow feet, he shuffled apprehensively to the front door of Kagome's house. Please be here! He opened the door, not remembering to knock, and called out.
"Hello?"
A youthful face poked around the corner. "Inu-oni!" Sota smiled his usual hero-worshiping smile. "Where's Kagome?" he asked looking behind the dog demon for his sister.
Inuyasha felt the blood drain from his face at those innocent words. His heart stuttered to an irregular stop and then pounded painfully in his chest.
Sota watched this transformation as Inuyasha fell to his knees in the doorway. He felt suddenly ill. "Mama! Grandpa!" he yelled. The urgency in his voice brought the two adults running.
"Inuyasha!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed, "Why-"
The hanyou reluctantly lifted his face up and turned his sorrowful eyes to the older woman. He pleaded for forgiveness with a look, and winced, knowing he didn't deserve it. He felt another tear fall, when Kagome's mother finally understood what he couldn't say aloud.
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The spirit detective team was at the bottom of the shrine steps when the first scream rang out. Hiei ran ahead, using his demon speed to appear at the entrance to the young girl's home. The second scream was louder and longer and choked by half formed sobs.
Kurama halted beside him, followed by Yusuke, Kuwabara and Boton. They all saw the white haired demon crouched in the doorway with his ears pinned flat to his head. He didn't even turn their way.
Kurama felt his heart fall to his feet. It suddenly became hard to breath. Youko took advantage of this lapse in Kurama's constant constraints to snarl in rage.
Boton stepped away from the suddenly menacing Kurama. He looked no different except for his eyes which had flared into an unnatural golden amber. She saw his entire being was focuses on the hanyou slumped in door frame.
"What have you done to her?" his voice came out deeper than normal and was full of anger. Inuyasha's ears pricked at the unfamiliar voice but he did not turn to face it. Mrs. Higurashi suddenly flung herself at the demon dog, unconsciously echoing the concerns of the fox spirit. "What has happened to her?" she sobbed. "Where is my daughter?"
"I-I don't know!" Inuyasha said. "We were separated...I had hoped she was here..."
"But you'll go back and look?" the woman pleaded. "You'll find her, right?"
Inuyasha nodded mutely. He untangled himself from her and stumbled out of the doorway. Flashing golden eyes, ripe with hatred, stared at him from a familiar face. He chocked back on a return snarl, knowing this was his fault. "I'll find her," he promised.
Hiei forced Kurama's head down to look into the glowing golden eyes. "This won't help her." He felt the smooth muscles tense in Kurama's arm. "Let him go. Let him find her." the fox sneered at the fire demon. "We can't and he can. Get control of yourself." A faint sparkle of green assured Hiei that Kurama was at least fighting his demon rage, even if every instinct he possessed told him to attack.
Hiei looked at the half demon. "Don't come back with out her," he warned. "You'll lose your life to this Youko, if I don't get to you first."
Inuyasha accepted this. These may be strangers to him, but they were friends to Kagome. He understood what that meant. It never took Kagome long to make friends, and they were always true friends to the girl.
Boton plucked nervously at her sleeves, wanting to both comfort and berate the boy. She rubbed arms suddenly gone cold and tried to catch his eye.
He shuffled past her with his head bowed and ears laid back. He was half way across the courtyard when the door to the well shed was flung open with a crash.