CHAPTER FOUR
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Inuyasha gritted his teeth as the well swept him back through time and space. For a moment, he was torn between delight that Kagome hadn't dropped him, and rage that something had happened to her, and he hadn't known in time to stop it.
Kagome didn't leave, he thought. She was coming back to me -- to all of us. And something happened to her when she went through the well. She never went back to her own time -- her mother would have known. And I can't imagine her going anywhere by herself in my time... she never would. It's too dangerous, and she knows it!
He slipped a hand into his clothing, and touched the note he had found. It was Kagome's handwriting. It had her scent. But it's not right, he thought. Kagome wouldn't lie to me, but she didn't do what the note said. Damn, I'm confused -- I don't know. But I'm going to find out where she is, and who the hell took her away!
He erupted from the other side of the well and ran without even slowing down. Suddenly he stopped, and sniffed the air. "Nothing," he muttered. "It's been three days. Most of the scents are gone... or covered up..."
He took a deep breath and began running again.
.
Miroku heard Inuyasha coming long before the half-demon actually arrived. He glanced out Kaede's door, and saw a streak of red shooting out of the woods. "He's coming," the monk said.
"Fast, too," Sango said. The demon-slayer had been sitting silently in a corner, pondering the sudden departure of her friend. Miroku had expected her to be upset, but instead Sango seemed... puzzled.
There was a sudden rush of air, and Inuyasha leaped in the door, looking wild and disheveled. "She's gone," he panted.
"We KNOW she's gone, dummy," Shippo snuffled from the depths of a blanket in Kaede's lap.
"No, you don't get it," Inuyasha said breathlessly. "She's gone. She never wrote that note."
"What?" Kaede asked, startled.
Miroku stood up and faced the young half demon. "Start at the beginning, Inuyasha. What happened when you travelled to Kagome's era?"
"I met her mother," Inuyasha said slowly. "I asked her if I could talk to Kagome, and she said that Kagome's tests were cancelled, and she left for this era three days ago -- she never went back to her own time, but she didn't show up here either."
"You said that she didn't write the note," Miroku said. "Yet you also said it was her handwriting."
Inuyasha pulled the crumpled paper out of his clothing. "I don't get it either," he mumbled. "But it wasn't Kagome's words -- I'll stake my life on it. She wouldn't lie like this."
"I thought there was something wrong," Sango said suddenly.
"You did?" Inuyasha asked, startled.
Sango stared out the window. "It didn't seem like Kagome to say goodbye through a note. That isn't the sort of thing she would normally do. And she's not so careless as to leave the jewel shards out in the open, where anyone could find them."
Inuyasha felt himself flush a little. She's right. Dammit, I should have known, he thought. I should have realized that for myself... though I was too upset to really think about it...
"Y-y'mean, she didn't leave?" Shippo asked. He poked his tearful face out of the blanket.
"She didn't leave," Miroku said quietly. "But she is gone. And that may be much worse -- if she had just departed, we might have a chance of changing her mind. But if she was kidnapped..." He turned to Inuyasha. "Did you sense anything where she vanished?"
"It was three days ago," Inuyasha said in a low voice. "Most scents vanish by that time. Kagome was the only thing I could smell -- and that's just because her scent clung to the paper."
"I see," Kaede said gravely.
Inuyasha folded the paper into a tiny triangle, and stuck it back in his clothing. The little bottle of jewel shards was bumping against his chest, reminding him of the most sinister part of the whole thing. If the kidnapper had taken Kagome, but deliberately left the jewel shards, that meant that she -- and not the jewel -- was what they wanted.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth as the well swept him back through time and space. For a moment, he was torn between delight that Kagome hadn't dropped him, and rage that something had happened to her, and he hadn't known in time to stop it.
Kagome didn't leave, he thought. She was coming back to me -- to all of us. And something happened to her when she went through the well. She never went back to her own time -- her mother would have known. And I can't imagine her going anywhere by herself in my time... she never would. It's too dangerous, and she knows it!
He slipped a hand into his clothing, and touched the note he had found. It was Kagome's handwriting. It had her scent. But it's not right, he thought. Kagome wouldn't lie to me, but she didn't do what the note said. Damn, I'm confused -- I don't know. But I'm going to find out where she is, and who the hell took her away!
He erupted from the other side of the well and ran without even slowing down. Suddenly he stopped, and sniffed the air. "Nothing," he muttered. "It's been three days. Most of the scents are gone... or covered up..."
He took a deep breath and began running again.
.
Miroku heard Inuyasha coming long before the half-demon actually arrived. He glanced out Kaede's door, and saw a streak of red shooting out of the woods. "He's coming," the monk said.
"Fast, too," Sango said. The demon-slayer had been sitting silently in a corner, pondering the sudden departure of her friend. Miroku had expected her to be upset, but instead Sango seemed... puzzled.
There was a sudden rush of air, and Inuyasha leaped in the door, looking wild and disheveled. "She's gone," he panted.
"We KNOW she's gone, dummy," Shippo snuffled from the depths of a blanket in Kaede's lap.
"No, you don't get it," Inuyasha said breathlessly. "She's gone. She never wrote that note."
"What?" Kaede asked, startled.
Miroku stood up and faced the young half demon. "Start at the beginning, Inuyasha. What happened when you travelled to Kagome's era?"
"I met her mother," Inuyasha said slowly. "I asked her if I could talk to Kagome, and she said that Kagome's tests were cancelled, and she left for this era three days ago -- she never went back to her own time, but she didn't show up here either."
"You said that she didn't write the note," Miroku said. "Yet you also said it was her handwriting."
Inuyasha pulled the crumpled paper out of his clothing. "I don't get it either," he mumbled. "But it wasn't Kagome's words -- I'll stake my life on it. She wouldn't lie like this."
"I thought there was something wrong," Sango said suddenly.
"You did?" Inuyasha asked, startled.
Sango stared out the window. "It didn't seem like Kagome to say goodbye through a note. That isn't the sort of thing she would normally do. And she's not so careless as to leave the jewel shards out in the open, where anyone could find them."
Inuyasha felt himself flush a little. She's right. Dammit, I should have known, he thought. I should have realized that for myself... though I was too upset to really think about it...
"Y-y'mean, she didn't leave?" Shippo asked. He poked his tearful face out of the blanket.
"She didn't leave," Miroku said quietly. "But she is gone. And that may be much worse -- if she had just departed, we might have a chance of changing her mind. But if she was kidnapped..." He turned to Inuyasha. "Did you sense anything where she vanished?"
"It was three days ago," Inuyasha said in a low voice. "Most scents vanish by that time. Kagome was the only thing I could smell -- and that's just because her scent clung to the paper."
"I see," Kaede said gravely.
Inuyasha folded the paper into a tiny triangle, and stuck it back in his clothing. The little bottle of jewel shards was bumping against his chest, reminding him of the most sinister part of the whole thing. If the kidnapper had taken Kagome, but deliberately left the jewel shards, that meant that she -- and not the jewel -- was what they wanted.
TO BE CONTINUED