Hey guys! Lookit, new chapter! Woot! Woot! Ain't it exciting?
So, okay, the same things apply as far as processing goes, so: Happy reading! EDIT: okay, was being poppy with my punctuation so i have to fix it. hopefully this works. You just gotta ignore the extra period after the question marks. It was the only way i could get them to show up! sorry.: Therefore, Carry on, brave reader!
-------------------------------------------------------------Before Ryou knew what was happening, he found himself plunging headfirst down a dark hole. He also found that there was someone wrapped around his waist though he couldn't figure out whom and he didn't want to open his eyes to find out. He was going by the longstanding philosophy that if he couldn't see the ground then it didn't exist. Just to be sure, he braced himself for impact. It never came.
He merely floated down and found his feet touching the ground. At this point, Kagome, whom he'd been holding, let go of Ryou and looked down.
"INUYASHA!" Kagome nearly screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"
/Forget nearly screamed. She's full out screaming./ Yami remarked.
InuYasha looked up, his nose still red and irritated by Kagome's perfume and his excursion into her bathroom. "What did I do? What did you do? What the hell did you spray in your bathroom? And why didn't you warn me about it? You know how sensitive my nose is!" InuYasha stood up, and looked around. "How did we end up in here anyway?"
Ryou ventured a peek. He opened his eyes and stared at the same man from the night before. The same white hair and the same jealous eyes.
/He's kidding, right?/
"Do you really not remember?" Ryou asked, incredulously. "You grabbed us and threw us into this well!"
"Listen, what happens when I'm messed up on perfume is not my fault," InuYasha eyed the white haired hikari. "What are you doing here?"
"He found the jewel shards, InuYasha," Kagome pointed into Ryou's hand where he was still gripping the tiny glass jar. She grasped them carefully and put them into her pocket. "He was just giving them back, that's all," Kagome looked at him sternly.
"Then why were you hugging him!" InuYasha screeched.
Both Kagome and Ryou blushed. "I- I-," Kagome stuttered. "I guess I was just overjoyed to find the shards." Kagome glared suddenly, "Besides, since when is it your business whom I hug and who I don't? I don't remember ever appointing you Sir Hugs-a-not."
/Ooh, that was clever./ Yami drawled.
"Um, excuse me," Ryou said quietly.
"Well So-ooo-rry, for acting worried!" InuYasha yelled, clearly ignoring Ryou.
"Why are you so worried about me hugging somebody?" Kagome retaliated, also ignoring Ryou.
"Pardon me," Ryou said, a little louder.
"I don't know who it was you were hugging! What if it was someone dangerous?" InuYasha bellowed.
"Don't you think that if I was hugging someone I would know who they were? Do you really take me for a fool?"
"EXCUSE ME!" Ryou shrieked.
"WHAT!" InuYasha and Kagome both glared at the white haired hikari for interrupting their argument.
"Where are we?" Ryou asked, pointing up.
"What?" Kagome responded, looking toward the mouth of the well. She saw sky. What the-? Aren't we still in the shrine? She began to climb up the ladder on the side of the well, with Ryou following behind her. Kagome found herself climbing over the edge and into the meadow where the well was located. In ancient Japan. She would have turned around right then and there, but Ryou was still climbing up the ladder and he made it into the meadow before Kagome could tell him to go back.
"Where are we?" Ryou repeated while staring around. "This doesn't look like your shrine.'
/No shit, Sherlock. Did you need Watson to help you with that one?/
/Then where are we?./
/…./
/Yami?./
/I don't know, yet. But I'm taking over./ For once, Ryou was happy that his Yami was taking control without asking. He was starting to get a headache from the confusion of not being in the shrine anymore. He was still working out the physics of falling down a well in one place and coming up some other place, when he retreated into his soul room.
"Kagome?" InuYasha hopped out of the well.
Kagome still had a sort of stunned look on her face; like she was watching a scary movie and she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. InuYasha walked up next to her face.
"Kagome?" he asked, slightly concerned. He waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't move.
We're back. How did we get back? How did Ryou come back with us? How'd that happen?
Meanwhile, while InuYasha was trying to awaken Kagome from her stunned stupor, Yami assessed the situation.
/Let's see. Random-ass field. Middle of nowhere. Not in shrine. That's a good start./
/More important is how we got here. / Ryou stated quietly.
/No, more important is what we're going to do here./
/Shouldn't we find our where here is?./
"Kagome," the simple and clear statement made by Bakura seemed to snap Kagome out of her trance. It might also have helped that he was a few inches from her face.
"Huh?" Kagome asked, shaking slightly from surprise.
"Where are we?" he asked with authority, still inches from her face.
Before Kagome could answer, InuYasha realized how close the white haired hikari was standing next to Kagome. Even though he was no longer Perfume-high, he still got deliriously jealous. As he swung his punch, Bakura reacted with lighting quick reflexes. He ducked to avoid the fist and swung his leg out to trip the hanyou. InuYasha leaped into the air, avoiding the leg. "What the-?" InuYasha thought as he flew through the air. "He's no ordinary human!"
"Where are we, Kagome?" Bakura grabbed Kagome by the shoulders. "How did we get here?"
"I'm not sure, but-" Kagome started. Suddenly she looked startled and shouted out, "Sit!"
Bakura spun around just in time to see InuYasha slam to the ground a few feet away from him.
"You didn't need to do that," Bakura stated quietly. "I knew he was coming."
"How did you-" Kagome started again, but this time was interrupted by a shout from across the meadow.
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled, bounding toward the young student. "You're back! I missed you!"
"Shippo!" Kagome hollered in response. "Sango! Miroku!" she greeted her friends as they appeared across the meadow.
"Lady Kagome," Miroku said grasping her hand with his and snaking the other toward her butt. He quickly received two elbow blows to the head as Kagome and Sango both countered his breach of personal space. "How good it is to see you," Miroku said rubbing his neck as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Which, unfortunately, was true.
"We were worried when you didn't come back right away. We're glad that you're all right," Sango smiled, still casting dirty looks at Miroku, who was very conveniently ignoring those looks.
"Say, Kagome," Shippo said his ears perking up. "Who's that?" he pointed toward Bakura who was jumping around like a flea, avoiding InuYasha's attacks.
"Well, that's-" Kagome started. How am I gonna explain this? I don't even understand how he got here. The well should have stopped him, but for some reason he made it through. Does this mean that other people can get through? Will he be able to get back? Kagome decided, at that particular moment, that she should just tell the truth. The truth was always the best answer right?
-----------------------------------Bakura ducked to evade a particularly swift punch from InuYasha, only to have InuYasha's other fist swing into his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
"Uggggh," Bakura groaned, doubling over. He dropped to the ground and rolled to avoid a rapid kick from the hanyou.
/Damn, that really hurt./ Yami growled. /Where did he learn to punch?/
In an instant Bakura was on his feet, dipping and dodging while gracefully evading InuYasha's punches, much to InuYasha's chagrin.
/Another punch like that and we'll be down for the count!./
/I'll be sure to avoid it then, fool./ Yami sneered, darting out of the way. /But if I have to, I will take us to the shadow realm./
/Please, no. / Ryou pleaded. /Find another way! I don't want them to get hurt. /
/I'll do what I have to do./
Bakura threw a quick punch to the left and as InuYasha fell for the fake, he landed a strong roundhouse kick to the half-demon's side.
"Heh, heh," InuYasha laughed. "You think that's gonna stop me? I barely felt that."
/Shit./ Yami swore. /He can take a punch as well as throw one./
Bakura ducked to avoid a clawed fist and as his center of gravity shifted, InuYasha kicked his leg out, causing Bakura to land hard on his back.
"Now, I've got you right where I want you," InuYasha sneered, his claws inches from Bakura's throat as he crouched menacingly over the tomb raider.
"You do, huh?" Bakura taunted calling forth the shadows to envelop them. "It seems I'm the one who has you."
/No, Yami! Please…don't. / Ryou begged.
/I'm sorry, but it has to be done./
Bakura dropped through the shadow floor, leaving InuYasha crouching over nothing.
"What the hell?" InuYasha murmured staring at the space that Bakura's body used to occupy.
"Something the matter?" Bakura walked up next to the hanyou and put his hand on his shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Bakura laughed at the shocked look on InuYasha's face. When they were in the shadow realm, Yami was in charge.
"I don't know what the hell's going on here, but I do know that no normal human could do this," InuYasha grasped the hilt of tetsusaiga, preparing to attack.
"You're half right, fool," Yami jeered. "I am no normal human. I'm a collector."
"A collector?" InuYasha repeated. "Of what?"
Bakura's eyes glowed crimson, "I collect souls, of course." A golden ring appeared around his neck, a pyramid, inscribed with an eye, in the middle. The eye began to glow, "and I want your soul."
/No. / Ryou spoke quietly. /We're not collecting this one, just erase his memory and let's get out of here. /
/Why do you want to protect them so much?/ Yami inquired with contempt.
/Please, not in front of her. / Ryou pleaded. /Just erase their memories and we'll go. /
/Fine./ Yami snapped. /But this will have consequences./
Yami reached out with the shadows and quickly subdued the struggling half-demon. He accessed InuYasha's memories and buried the ones involving the tomb raider.
/When he awakes he will have no recollection of us. We will appear to be nothing but a bad dream./
/Good, now let's do the same to the rest of them and get out of here. /
--------------------------------InuYasha felt the warm sun on his face as he lay with his eyes closed. It was not an entirely unpleasant feeling.
"Is he dead?" a voice cut through his mind bringing him out of his warm pleasant feeling.
InuYasha opened his eyes and saw his companions standing over him. "Auggh, get away from me," he waved blearily.
"Nope," Shippo said. "Not dead, just grumpy."
"Well, that's not a big change," Miroku affirmed. "I'd say he's alright."
"Where's Kagome?" InuYasha asked, noticing that she wasn't standing over him.
"She's over there," Sango pointed. "She's still not up."
InuYasha got to his feet and walked over to where Kagome was sprawled out on the ground.
"Kagome," InuYasha uttered. When she didn't awaken he called a bit louder, "Kagome." She didn't stir. "Kagome?" InuYasha asked, panicking. He reached down and shook her shoulders a bit. She still didn't move. "Wake up, Kagome!"
"InuYasha, what's wrong?" Miroku asked joining him.
"Kagome won't wake up!"
---------------------------------------------Above the frantic half-demon, perched in a tree, Bakura viewed the scene with increasing smugness.
/Why won't she awaken?./ Ryou asked, beginning to panic himself.
/Her memories of you were the most extensive./ Yami stated. /She'll wake up eventually./ he assured. He leapt from branch to branch, traveling through the forest with ninja-like agility.
/What are we gonna do?./ Ryou mused quietly. The Tomb raider just smiled a wicked sneer, which Ryou took as a "whatever I feel like I wanna do."
Ryou sighed. /I guess I owe you./ He was quiet for a moment. /Alright, let's find something to steal. /
TBC.
--------------------------------------Ahahahahaaaa! I'm so evil! Why won't Kagome wake up? What is Bakura planning to steal? Will Miroku ever get over his ass addiction? Find out next time on: Thief king vs. half demon!
Ok, just kidding. I got this one out sooner than the last one, eh? I know not fast enough shame oh well. I decided to use my weekend off to write so, happy Halloween!
And remember REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Xoxo, Kt