CHAPTER ELEVEN
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Kagome rocked back and forth on her bench, staring out the tiny window. I gotta at least try, she thought.
She stuck her head out the window, and tried not to look down at the dizzying fall under her. Then she started wriggling through the narrow stone hole -- and stuck. What the... she thought, wriggling harder. I can't get both my shoulders out! Oh great... now I can see why he didn't put bars on the window.
Sucking in her stomach, Kagome pushed backwards on the wall, trying to dislodge herself. A moment later she was falling flat on the cold stone floor, landing with an undignified thump. "Ow..." she muttered, rubbing her head. "So much for that idea..."
Disheartened, Kagome crept to the bars keeping her confined, and started shaking them. None of them jiggled at all. Biting her lips, Kagome jiggled them harder, and tried to twist them so they'd loosen. All she got was sore fingers.
"You might as well not bother," the voice from before said. "Far cleverer and stronger people have tried to escape from that cell. None of them did."
A man stepped out of the shadows, staring at Kagome. He looked more or less like an ordinary young man -- good-looking in a chiseled way, with wild, cold eyes like a captured beast. He was staring right at her. "You might as well not shout either," he added. "You'll only wear out your voice and annoy me as you do it. There isn't another person for miles around."
"Why should I believe you?" Kagome cried, clenching her fists.
The man smirked. "True. So scream if you want to. It makes no difference to me."
"Who ARE you anyway?" Kagome shouted. "Why'd you kidnap me? You had better have a good reason for doing this to me, buster!"
"I do." The young man crossed his arms and leaned against the bars. It was like he was daring her to lunge at him. "My name is Naku. As to why I've kidnapped you... well, I don't plan to divulge that just yet. You'll find out soon enough."
Kagome swallowed hard.
"I'm not a slaver, if that's what you're thinking," Naku said contemptuously. "I do nothing so crude. But I can tell you that I've been commissioned to find you. And you'll fetch a price almost as pretty as your face, when I'm ready to turn you over."
"A... price?" Kagome said, shocked. "Who hired you to do this?"
"None of your concern. You'll see the client soon enough..."
"You won't get away with this!" Kagome shouted, running up against the bars. "I'll have you know that when Inuyasha learns that I'm missing-"
"Oh, he knows," Naku smirked. "And he's not coming for you." His cold yellow-brown eyes narrowed. "It's surprising how easy people are to manipulative when they're drugged. You wrote him a nice little note, and left him the Shikon shards. Now he thinks you've left him. For good."
Kagome took a step back, her heart pounding. Inuyasha, she thought. You... you think that I'd...
Then her face hardened. "Inuyasha is going to find out the truth soon enough! And when he does, you can bet he'll come after me! You won't have a chance against him!" she shouted, clutching the bars.
"True," Naku said thoughtfully. "But even if he does learn that you didn't leave him of your own free will, he won't know who has taken you, or where you are."
"He'll find a way!"
"Your faith in him is touching," Naku said, sounding ominously amused. "But one thing you don't know about me is my reputation. I have hunted hundreds of humans and demons alike -- and never failed to catch my prey."
Kagome grimaced. "Inuyasha's not just any demon."
Naku's smile spread a little wider. He let his eyes roam over Kagome -- she was really quite pretty. Most of his victims were wizened little lords, or snarling demons. I really could have some fun with her, he thought. Maybe if I have enough time later...
He stepped over to the doorway, then looked over his shoulder and smiled. "And when he does come, I'll be waiting for him. I've been offered a price for his head as well as yours. The only difference is, I was told to bring you in unharmed. On the other hand, I was told to bring in his head... and nothing else."
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Kagome rocked back and forth on her bench, staring out the tiny window. I gotta at least try, she thought.
She stuck her head out the window, and tried not to look down at the dizzying fall under her. Then she started wriggling through the narrow stone hole -- and stuck. What the... she thought, wriggling harder. I can't get both my shoulders out! Oh great... now I can see why he didn't put bars on the window.
Sucking in her stomach, Kagome pushed backwards on the wall, trying to dislodge herself. A moment later she was falling flat on the cold stone floor, landing with an undignified thump. "Ow..." she muttered, rubbing her head. "So much for that idea..."
Disheartened, Kagome crept to the bars keeping her confined, and started shaking them. None of them jiggled at all. Biting her lips, Kagome jiggled them harder, and tried to twist them so they'd loosen. All she got was sore fingers.
"You might as well not bother," the voice from before said. "Far cleverer and stronger people have tried to escape from that cell. None of them did."
A man stepped out of the shadows, staring at Kagome. He looked more or less like an ordinary young man -- good-looking in a chiseled way, with wild, cold eyes like a captured beast. He was staring right at her. "You might as well not shout either," he added. "You'll only wear out your voice and annoy me as you do it. There isn't another person for miles around."
"Why should I believe you?" Kagome cried, clenching her fists.
The man smirked. "True. So scream if you want to. It makes no difference to me."
"Who ARE you anyway?" Kagome shouted. "Why'd you kidnap me? You had better have a good reason for doing this to me, buster!"
"I do." The young man crossed his arms and leaned against the bars. It was like he was daring her to lunge at him. "My name is Naku. As to why I've kidnapped you... well, I don't plan to divulge that just yet. You'll find out soon enough."
Kagome swallowed hard.
"I'm not a slaver, if that's what you're thinking," Naku said contemptuously. "I do nothing so crude. But I can tell you that I've been commissioned to find you. And you'll fetch a price almost as pretty as your face, when I'm ready to turn you over."
"A... price?" Kagome said, shocked. "Who hired you to do this?"
"None of your concern. You'll see the client soon enough..."
"You won't get away with this!" Kagome shouted, running up against the bars. "I'll have you know that when Inuyasha learns that I'm missing-"
"Oh, he knows," Naku smirked. "And he's not coming for you." His cold yellow-brown eyes narrowed. "It's surprising how easy people are to manipulative when they're drugged. You wrote him a nice little note, and left him the Shikon shards. Now he thinks you've left him. For good."
Kagome took a step back, her heart pounding. Inuyasha, she thought. You... you think that I'd...
Then her face hardened. "Inuyasha is going to find out the truth soon enough! And when he does, you can bet he'll come after me! You won't have a chance against him!" she shouted, clutching the bars.
"True," Naku said thoughtfully. "But even if he does learn that you didn't leave him of your own free will, he won't know who has taken you, or where you are."
"He'll find a way!"
"Your faith in him is touching," Naku said, sounding ominously amused. "But one thing you don't know about me is my reputation. I have hunted hundreds of humans and demons alike -- and never failed to catch my prey."
Kagome grimaced. "Inuyasha's not just any demon."
Naku's smile spread a little wider. He let his eyes roam over Kagome -- she was really quite pretty. Most of his victims were wizened little lords, or snarling demons. I really could have some fun with her, he thought. Maybe if I have enough time later...
He stepped over to the doorway, then looked over his shoulder and smiled. "And when he does come, I'll be waiting for him. I've been offered a price for his head as well as yours. The only difference is, I was told to bring you in unharmed. On the other hand, I was told to bring in his head... and nothing else."
TO BE CONTINUED