Haunted
By $hAdOwCaT
Chapter 7: Shadows
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Everything around her felt warm. She could feel little rays of sunlight on her face. Everything surrounding her felt so relaxed, so comfortable. Her mind was groggy, the way it always was when she was just waking up from a good night's sleep.
But she wasn't alone. That much her fogged mind knew for sure. There was a weight on top of her. The heat that radiated from this body seemed to cover her completely. Her common sense screamed for her to do something, that this was completely and totally wrong.
She cracked an eye open and saw a blurry face. Even though the image was blurred, Kagome knew this person. She smiled, her mind awhirl as her heart did a joyful back flip in her chest.
"She awakes," he muttered. "'Bout time."
Kagome giggled as his lips caressed her neck. Her hands held on to his shoulders in a loose embrace.
"Stop that. That tickles," she said, laughing.
"You don't sound like you want me to stop." Kagome could hear the smirk in his voice.
She made a sound of protest, but other than that she did nothing. Pulling him closer, the girl sighed in contentment.
His lips slowly headed south for her collarbone. He pulled her shirt collar over to her shoulder and placed a kiss.
"Oh..." she sighed. "...Inuyasha..."
The kissing and caressing came to a sudden halt. She could feel him lift part of his weight. There was silence.
"Inuyasha?" he repeated, disbelief and disgust obvious in his tone.
"Duh, silly."
Still, her eyes were shut.
"You think I'm Inuyasha?"
Her eyelids fluttered open momentarily. Black hair framed a chiseled tan face and draped over the shoulders. She nodded.
"But I don't have hair of silver," he said.
"Well, duh, your in your human form. Honestly, Inuyasha I know you better than that."
The weight was lifted, the heat gone. Kagome opened her eyes, but instead of seeing Inuyasha, she saw Mister Mysterious himself.
"Saiko!" She gasped, clamping her hand over her mouth in horror.
Saiko turned his back to her, his hands curled into fists at his side. He whirled around and raised his hand as if to strike her. His usually violet eyes shimmered red with rage. Kagome lifted her arm in a feeble attempt to block. She scrunched her face, anticipating the pain she knew was coming. But it never came.
"Huh...?" Kagome opened her eyes just in time to see Saiko bow his head and turn away.
"Yes, it is I, Saiko."
He lowered his hand, turned a heel and walked briskly out of the room. It was several minutes before the girl from the future tried to comprehend what just happened. She stared dumbly at the closed wooden door.
"Saiko...?"
Kagome lay back down on what appeared to be a stack of hay. She picked up several pieces and held them overhead. What the hell? Why was she lying on a giant stack of hay?
She sat up and scanned her surroundings. The room she was in was no bigger than one of the storage houses at the shrine. There was a window on the wall behind her and the blinds were halfway shut. There was only one way in or out of this room.
The question was how did she get here? Where were Sango and the others? Where was Inuyasha? And why the heck was Saiko on top of her?! The thought of the incident brought a hot blush to her cheeks. It wasn't like she enjoyed it or anything, she couldn't believe the words that had come out of her mouth. She couldn't believe that she thought Saiko was Inuyasha. Like Inuyasha would ever do anything like that...to her.
She sighed and hung her head. She stared at her lap. It took several seconds to register that she was in fact staring at her pink panties instead of her green skirt.
"Holy shit!"
Kagome pulled feverishly at her skirt, which had nestled around her waist. She jumped on her feet and pulled it all the way down where it was supposed to be. Her hands smoothed the wrinkled as she prayed that Saiko had not seen her panties, even though she knew that was impossible. He was a guy and guys had built in radars for this kind of stuff.
I have to get out of here, she thought as her gaze settled on the door. The sooner the better. I don't think I'll be able to face Saiko again, she shuddered just at the mere thought.
She took a step forward when her foot nudged something on the floor. It was a small bottle. The girl did a double take, a gasp escaping her lips. Not just any old glass bottle, but the one containing the Shikon shards! Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly picked it up.
The light from the window reflected on the two shards causing them to shimmer. Wait a minute...hold the phone, two shards? She could have sworn there were at least three jewel shards!
Her hand clutched the side of her head as she sighed.
"I really must be losing it."
One thing was for sure; she had to get out of here. Wherever she was, Kagome didn't think it was the best place to linger. She approached the door and peeked out. The hallway was dark and wide. The air was heavy and smelled dank. She quietly shut the door behind her, when the sound of voices reached her ears. She couldn't hear what they were saying.
Taking silent and slow steps, Kagome crept down the long hall. To her horror, she found skeletons lined against the walls. There were so many. The sight made her sick to her stomach, but she clamped her jaw and forced her sights straight-ahead.
There were the voices again. They sounded closer than they did before. She recognized one of the voices. Her heart skipped a beat.
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"Hello, Inuyasha."
He stopped in mid step and bared his fangs, his hand instinctively grasping the tilt of the Fang. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.
"Koga."
Right in front of him was the young leader of the wolf demon tribe. Koga had his arms folded over his chest, but something seemed different about him. His sapphire eyes held nothing but cold, calculating anger.
Miroku stopped several feet behind Inuyasha with Kirara and the injured Sango alongside him. Oh no, he thought, this can't be good. It was never a good sign when Koga was around. Now the wolf had just called Inuyasha by his real name not by 'Dogboy'. Something was definitely wrong.
"Out of the way, Koga," Inuyasha said in his most controlled voice.
"No."
"What? Move!"
"No."
"Koga...I'm giving you one last warning. Move or I'll be forced to kill you."
But Koga didn't budge an inch. He continued to stare at them, so calm it bordered on unnerving.
"Fine then, you leave me no choic-" Inuyasha was in mid-motion of unsheathing Tetsuaiga when a firm hand grabbed his arm. He whirled around to see Miroku.
"Just what the hell do you think your doing, Miroku?" he hissed through clenched teeth.
The monk's gaze was locked on the wolf demon. "We cannot afford to fight today. You know that very well, Inuyasha, we've lost too much valuable time already."
With throaty growl of protest, Inuyasha replaced the sword in its sheath.
Koga merely watched all this impassively. He smirked, "What's the matter, dog boy? Taking orders from humans now, are we? I guess that's to be expected from a half breed." At Inuyasha's frustrated growl, he laughed coldly.
Uh oh. Things were going from bad to worse. If someone didn't do something soon there was going to be a bloody battle. Hazel eyes watched with disdain. Mustering up all of her strength, Sango pulled herself in seated position. Jolts of pain surged through her body as she tried to sit straight. She bit back a hiss.
Though it was obviously too soon for her to be moving, the demon exterminator had insisted on going along. Kagome was her friend too and she refused to be left behind like some kind of discarded weapon. She may not have her old strength, but she was still useful.
"Koga!"
All eyes landed on the young demon slayer.
"Koga," Sango repeated, trying her best to sound menacing. "We have nothing of use to the likes of you so leave us."
"You are in no condition to tell me what to do, woman. I can smell the blood on you from five miles away. But if you must know, I've come to have a chat with your Inuyasha there."
Sango grit her teeth, narrowing her hazel eyes. How dare he! Arrogant wolf. Right now, she was kind of hoping that he and Inuyasha would fight so she could wish him pain, feeling guilt free.
Turning his attention back to the silver haired hanyou, Koga's eyes narrowed at the sight of his greatest rival.
"Y'know the strangest thing happened to me earlier. Do you have any idea what it could be, dog boy?"
The dog boy in question kept his jaw set. Silent.
"My companions and I came across the most peculiar thing when we were scouring the are," Koga continued in that same light, airy tone. "Tell me, Inuyasha, why is that I smelled Kagome's scent mixed with that of a demon's?"
His heart skipped a beat. Kagome's...scent? With a demon's? The words slowly connected in his head. Their meaning leaving him speechless and filled with an even bigger need to find the girl, be it possible.
"Don't toy with me, Koga," Inuyasha spat finally, each syllable oozing with poison.
"Am I? Or could it be you're too cowardly to admit I'm right?"
Koga's demeanor was slowly changing. His eyes were filled with white hot rage. Sapphire turned gold. Yet his voice remained in that same almost mocking tone.
"Koga, please," Miroku butt in, a note of warning in his voice. But he was swiftly ignored.
"Well? Only one of us will rescue Kagome. That one should be me or do you wish to save her only to lose her once again?" Koga sneered.
"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Silence! Let's settle this with our fists."
Before he had a chance to respond, Koga materialized right in front of him. A fist came soaring right in his face. He barely had enough time to dodge the blow.
If it's a fight to the death he wants...then it's a fight he'll get...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He gently closed the door behind him regardless of the surges of rage that flowed through his veins. Had his ears deceived him? No, they hadn't. Those words had come out of her delicate lips.
All was silent except for the sound of his feet shuffling down the dark wooden halls. Skeletons still clothed in their battle armor were scattered here and there. Their jaws open frozen in a permanent look in of horror. A heavy mist hung thick in the air, one would think that with such clouds within the palace that it would be hard to breathe but it was just the opposite. He found that it was easier to breathe within these walls then outside in the fresh, open air.
His hand ran through his hair as if to sort out the thoughts raging inside his head. Argh, what was he supposed to do? His mission was to make the girl fall in love with him. Sure, easier said than done. He had thought this would be a piece of cake because she was so flustered by his mere presence. He had anticipated some setbacks but the possibility that she was in love with another man never even crossed his mind.
Gods, this couldn't be good.
A hand grasped his. The gentle touch jerking the boy back into reality.
"Come this way."
He looked down to find a young girl with flowing white hair beside him. She was dressed in a stark, white kimono that went to her ankles. Her eyes were void of any emotion.
"Sister?"
She pulled on his hand. "Come this way, he is waiting."
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With a final puff of air, she hoisted herself out of the old well. This took more energy than it usually did. Her legs were unsteady and soon gave way. Soon she found herself staring at the ground. Kagome leaned against the well, inhaling deeply. What I wouldn't give for a nap right now...or maybe even a latte...
She was shaky from all the running she did to get here. One minute she was inside that creepy castle and the next thing she knew, she was wandering around in Inuyasha's Forest. Without thinking, she had sprinted all the way to the well without talking to anyone, even Kaede.
Once her breathing had slowed down to a fairly normal pace, Kagome scanned her surroundings. The inside of the well house hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been in here, it was still dark and musty. Rays of sunshine peeked through the cracks in the aging wood. Shadows passed.
"Do you think Kagome is feeling well enough to see us today?" she heard an awfully familiar voice ask from just beyond the rickety door.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh no...
"I hope so. It's been a week since the last time we came by, I'm sure she's at least gotten well enough by now!" replied another voice.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
"Yeah, I wonder what's wrong with her now."
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Someone please tell me this isn't happening. Oh no. Oh no.
Kagome had to smack herself in order to exhale. She needed to come up with a good excuse as to why she was inside the old practically abandoned well house, looking like a disheveled mess. And she needed one fast. Uh she came to look for something and accidentally fell into the well? No no, that wouldn't work. Or she could blame it on her 'illnesses'! Yeah! She had been suffering from hallucinations and the next thing she knew she was inside the well house.
She remembered something a wise man once said:
When in doubt, lie your ass off.
She got onto her feet and cupped her hands to her mouth.
"Oh BUUUUYYYYOOOOOO!!! Where are you, BUYOO?!"
Continuing to shout her cat's name, she opened the wooden door. The three girls, who were currently chatting with her grandfather, turned to her in surprise. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi gasped in unison.
"Kagome!"
"Kagome, is that you?"
"Kagome...?"
The girl in question stopped in mid yell and turned to them, blinking innocently. She brought her index finger to chin.
"Guys? What are you doing here?" Kagome tilted her head to the side in the confused puppy dog look for an added innocent effect.
They rushed up to her. Each grabbing one of her hands, the one left lifted an ebony lock. Eri raised an eyebrow.
"What's with the hay?" she plucked a piece of hay from the girl's hair.
Kagome laughed nervously and pulled out of their combined grasp. She put her hand behind her hand under the guise of smoothing her frizzy hair when in reality she was checking for any more stray pieces of hay that may be embedded in between strands of ebony.
"What do you mean what are we doing here?" Yuka exclaimed in surprise. "Why that's a dumb question, Higurashi! We're your friends, duh, that's why we're here."
Eri nodded in agreement, eyebrow still sky high. "Yeah, although I take you're feeling better since the last time we came by?"
"Or worse," Yuka said to Ayumi in a low tone.
Okay, I am so pretending I did not hear that. The pains of guilt that had centered around Kagome's heart were quickly dissipating.
"Are you feeling well, Kagome?" a gentle voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The voice belonged to Ayumi.
"I-I guess..."
"I hope so. I think what Eri and Yuka have been trying to say is that we all miss, myself included. We feel like you have a separate life and we want to be apart of it. That is, if you want us to be..." a shadow cast over the girl's usually carefree expression, but disappeared as quickly as it came. Ayumi gave a sweet smile and shrugged. "What am I babbling about here? Just forget it. Say, if your not doing anything would you like to come with us to WacDonalds?"
Kagome stared at her for several beats, pondering the deeper meaning to her words. She snapped out of her daze and nodded.
"Sure, let me just um clean up!"
She dashed inside the house, slamming the door behind her. What was she supposed to do? She had come home to relax, sort out her thoughts. Not go out with her friends! Wait! The girl flew up the stairs, her thoughts all a whack. She rummaged through her closet furiously. At last she found a blue Jean skirt and a black tee.
Throwing off her filthy uniform, Kagome donned the clothes on in light speed. She raced down the stairs and stopped to examine her appearance in the mirror over the wooden end table by the front door. Aside from her hair looking like she nearly got sucked up in Miroku's wind tunnel, she looked okay.
Something glittered in her reflection.
Barely hidden beneath thick, ebony bangs.
"Come on, Kagome! We haven't got all day you know!" Eri cried from the doorway.
"Uh yeah sure." Stealing one last glance at her reflection, Kagome ran after her friends.
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Author's Note: Hey! That's the end of chapter seven to Haunted! Sorry it took me so long to update! I was having trouble finding inspiration. I wasn't going to end this chapter right here, but I thought it would be too long if I didn't.
I don't have enough time to personally thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I'm sorry! But I just want to thank all of you for reviewing anyways! Your reviews mean a lot to me, I like to see what my readers opinions are.
So please R & R
--$HaDoWcAt