Authoress Notes: ;; Very, very sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. (I really hate to say it, but I'm sensing a trend… cries) A GARGANTUAN thank you goes out to Hamona and CrimsonBirdhouse, whose reviews inspired me to get off my butt and start writing! Yay! Thanks, you guys! And another thanks goes out to my friend Erin for reading my other story, and not telling anyone that I write fanfiction! P Love you all!
And now, on with the story!
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The Piper's Well
NewSalemWitch
Chapter 3: Abductor Revealed… Sort of
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"Uhh…" Kagome groaned and brought a hand to her pounding head, tentatively lifting it. "Kaede?" she whimpered.
"The old hag isn't here." The sharp statement was rough and masculine, and the voice was oddly familiar. Kagome frowned. Where had she heard it before?
Quickly giving up on her mental search, Kagome sighed and slumped back down, vaguely realizing that she had two blankets—one above her and one below. One cushioned her from the hard ground while the other one kept her warm. They were softer than she would have expected them to be.
"How-- how come? Where is she?" Her tongue felt slow and swollen in her mouth, like she had bitten it, and her mind refused to fully wake up, preferring to leave her thoughts uncooperative as she scrambled to get them together.
"Probably back at the village," the voice said with a shrug. "Or out in the forest
with the rest of the villagers, looking for you."
I don't want to open my eyes, but I guess I should…"Why are they looking for…"
Kagome gasped as all her memories of the previous night flooded back and revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. That voice! It was the same as the one that grabbed her in the garden!
I was kidnapped!
Her eyes flew open and she sat up faster her head would prefer. Her vision swam, and the pounding increased to a dull roar. All she could make out was a blurry figure swathed in red crouching a few feet away. There was white floating around him as well… was that hair? She shook her head, quickly stopping as the pain grew. No one had white hair but old men, and he sounded almost like he was her age! Her headache spiked then, and she swayed and whimpered softly, eyes pressed tightly shut once more. "It hurts..."
The voice hmphed. "You're so girly it's disgusting."
Kagome frowned and opened her eyes, forcing her vision to clear. She was gearing up to glare at the boy, and tell him off for speaking so rudely to her.
When she saw him, however, her mouth opened, but nothing more than a squeak came out. "You're..."
He smirked arrogantly, revealing sharp fangs. "You remember me? I'm touched."
Kagome gaped and ignored his arrogant reply. "You're the boy with the kitty ears!" And there they were on top of his white mane, twitching this way and that as if to catch every sound around them.
In an instant he was in her face, growling fiercely. Normal people don't growl like animals, and they didn't have kitty ears, either. Maybe he was a demon of some sort, just like Ayumi had said. He looked kind of like a panther demon, but did panther demons have white hair…?
"They're dog ears, you stupid wench," he barked. "Dog ears for a dog demon."
Oh.
Not a panther demon, then.
I'll have to be sure to apologize to Ayumi when I get back, Kagome thought absently, before peering up at the furry white appendages.
They look so soft. Curiosity sufficiently perked, she hesitantly reached up to gently rub one of them. She was marveling at the softness of them when her arm brushed the top of her head and she realized that his hair was almost as soft as his adorable little ears.
The boy batted her hand away and sprung back, surprise written all over his face. "What the hell'd you do that for?"
Kagome shrugged innocently. "I had to make sure."
"Make sure of what?" he snapped, still glaring at her.
"I had to make sure they really were dog ears," Kagome explained patiently, as if she didn't mind he was shooting her looks sharper than Sango's katana. In truth, it took all she had not to squirm under his gaze. "Dog fur and cat fur feel differently."
He gaped at her in something akin to astonishment. "You could've just taken my word for it."
"I could've," Kagome admitted sheepishly. "But they-- they looked so soft and I just… wanted to pet them."
"You wanted to pet them," he repeated incredulously. Never, ever before had he heard such a ridiculous thing! His ears were one of the things that set him apart, kept him alone, got him into trouble, not… enticed girls.
Kagome nodded silently, not entirely sure as to what to expect in terms of his reaction. She didn't have to wait long.
"Let's get something straight here, wench," he barked, scowl in place once more. "I kidnapped you. You're going to take me to the Shikon no Tama. Then-- if you've been good—I might let you go home. And never, ever again will you even think about touching my ears. Ever. Got it, wench?"
Kagome hesitated, studying the ground nervously. What was a Shikon no Tama?
"Hey!" he snapped. Kagome flinched. "Answer me!"
Kagome bit her lip and nodded wordlessly. He was bound to be angry when he found out she hadn't the faintest clue what she was supposed to be leading him to. But how angry would he get? His fingers didn't have regular nails; they sported sharp looking claws, like an animal's. He wouldn't… use them on her, would he? The thought made her shudder.
He settled himself cross-legged across the fire from her, watching her suspiciously. As if he thinks I'm going to pounce on him to get at his ears again, Kagome thought with a small smile. "It's Kagome," she told him.
"What?"
"Kagome," she repeated. "My name is Kagome, not 'wench.'"
He rolled his eyes. "Keh. Whatever."
There was an uncomfortable pause as Kagome waited for him to introduce himself. "Well?"
He looked back at her sharply. "Well, what?" he barked.
Kagome tried not to roll her eyes. She succeeded, but barely. "Well, what's your name? I can't go around yelling, 'Hey, you,' all the time."
He grunted and looked away again. "Inuyasha."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Inuyasha," she said pleasantly; as if she meant it.
All she got in reply was a grunt.
Though under different circumstances I think it might have been more of a pleasure.
They sat there for a long moment in silence. Kagome looked all around them but was unable to see very far. Trees surrounded them from all sides, and there were no noises besides the crackling of the campfire, the wind in the trees, and the night animals. It was an odd feeling. Kagome had never been far enough into the forest by her village to not be able to hear the sounds of her neighbors as they went along with their daily tasks. Of course, she thought dryly, I've only been in it once.
Sango-- and even her little brother Kohaku-- had slept out in the forest before, she knew. Occasionally a messenger would come in with the request that the demon slayers come to aid a nearby village. Her friend had told her that if night fell and they were still traveling, she and the other demon slayers would camp off the side of the road in the forest.
Kagome sighed and put a hand to her head as the pounding increased. It felt as though a nail were being pounded into her temples and it made her ears ring.
A water canteen flew through the air and landed beside her, making her jump in surprise. She picked it up and tentatively looked over at her kidnapper.
Her kidnapper. It felt so strange to think of him that way. What would he do if she tried to leave? So far he hadn't been very pleasant, but she hadn't actually seen any evidence that he would hurt her if she tried to escape. After all, he had given her not one, but two blankets, built a campfire for her, (after all, Sango had told her that demons liked to believe they were above needing the warmth and convenience of a campfire, so it must have been for her) and yes, he'd been rude, but not violent, and he hadn't laid a finger on her.
"There's water in it," he told her gruffly, avoiding her inquisitive gaze. "Your headache is prolly 'cause you're dehydrated."
"Oh." Kagome picked it up and uncorked it, hesitating. She glanced at him nervously. He didn't seem the type to kill her outright with that ratty-looking sword at his hip, but what about poison?
He rolled his eyes exasperatedly, as if he'd read her thoughts. "I need you to find the Shikon no Tama for me, remember? I'm not going to kill you. It's perfectly safe."
Kagome blushed, embarrassed, and nodded.
But even with the comforts he'd prepared for her, staying with him was not an option. He'd kidnapped her, so he couldn't possibly be that nice. And what was this jewel she was supposed to find for him? A Shikon no Tama? She'd never even heard of it! It must be some kind of large gemstone that was worth a mountain of gold.
But her captor, what was his name? Inuyasha. He'd said that she was to find it for him; he never said she had to steal it for him.
But how in all the gods' names was she supposed to find it? And the only reason he wasn't going to kill her because he thought she could! What would he do when he found out? Because he would find out, at least eventually. She couldn't lead him on a wild goose chase forever.
I have to get out of here, she thought as she thoughtfully brought the canteen to her lips to take several large gulps. I have to get out of here tonight. He'll tell me to start looking for the Shikon no Tama tomorrow morning and when he finds out I can't, he'll kill me!
Kagome choked, coughing desperately as water went down the wrong pipe. With trembling hands, she recorked the canteen and leaned over to the side of the blankets, coughing and gasping for air.
If she had glanced at the demon seated on the other side of the fire, she'd have chucked the canteen at him in hopes of wiping the bemused smirk off his face.
Minutes passed, and Kagome's breathing calmed as her lungs cleared. She lay back down on the blankets, facing away from the fire and her captor. Every now and then a cough bubbled up, but she choked it back down, trying to keep her breathing steady. She'd pretend to be asleep, then make a break for it the second Inuyasha bedded down for the night.
But I've got no idea where we are, she thought miserably. I could run for days and not find a single village. She frowned angrily. It doesn't matter. I'm getting out of here before he kills me.
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Kagome stiffened and her eyes flew open as she jerked awake. What had happened? She wasn't supposed to fall asleep! What time was it? Was Inuyasha asleep? Her breath caught in her throat. What if it was nearly dawn? Then she'd have such a small head start that he'd catch her easily! Adrenaline began pumping and her heart thundered in her chest. This could end up being the only chance she'd get to escape and there was no room for error. If she messed this up, there most certainly would not be another opportunity.
Kagome glanced up. It was silent in the clearing, but the sky was turning from a black sheet to a darkened grey-purple, signaling the coming of dawn.
She frowned as it occurred to her that if she had thought to look up at the stars last night she might have been able to figure out where they were. But the time for that had passed; the stars were invisible in the pre-dawn light.
Inuyasha might still be asleep, she thought hopefully. Sitting up as quietly as she knew how, Kagome quickly but cautiously looked around, ready to fall back onto her blankets and fake sleep if need be. Her eyes fell on the empty space next to the burnt-out campfire, and they widened as a gladdened expression tugged at her face. What luck! He's gone and left me all alone!
Quickly she scrambled to her feet and took a step forward, freezing in terror as a horrible crackling roared throughout the clearing. She looked down at the pile of dried leaves that had been placed in a pile surrounding her bedding.
Quenching the impulse to dive back into her bedding, Kagome glanced around frantically, searching with her eyes and ears to see if Inuyasha was coming back to make sure she didn't run off. When several minutes had passed and still nothing had happened, Kagome hopped over the leaves and sprinted into the forest, keeping an eye out for anything else that would cause undo noise.
Time went by, and the sky lightened to a pale grey. Dawn was approaching. Kagome alternated between a jog and a run, increasing her pace occasionally as her fears grew. She couldn't help but glance back every few seconds, certain she would see a certain dog-demon barreling after her. The forest may have been silent save for the waking animals, but that did nothing to calm her nerves.
"This is stupid," she muttered, glancing behind her yet again. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
He's going to come after me, and when he does, he'll catch me no matter how big of a head start I've stolen.
And with that thought, she couldn't help but ignore the stitch in her side and go faster.
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Inuyasha smirked and slowed down the slightest bit to keep pace with the girl below him. That wench had no idea he was even there, of that he was sure. If she had, she wouldn't have kept glancing back every minute and a half to see if he had finally caught up with her.
In truth, he'd been there the whole time. He had always been a light sleeper, and the crackling of the leaves had instantly brought him to full alertness. It was a useful trick he'd used many times since he'd left home. It never failed to give him the extra moment of preparation he needed when a rouge demon decided he looked like a good bedtime snack.
But he'd never used it to keep tabs on someone before, and wasn't even sure if it would work. He was sure, however, that she was going to try to escape at some point.
After all, isn't that what all captives do?
His super sensitive ears picked up Kagome's mumbling. "This is stupid." He laughed silently to himself. Of course it was! She didn't really think she had a chance at escape, did she? "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He didn't stop to question himself as to why he was letting her get so far. In the past when things had not gone his way, things had often gotten violent.
Then the wind changed and Inuyasha skidded to a stop, nearly losing his balance and tumbling from his perch in the process. "No way," he growled. "This is not what I need right now." He frowned and reached out into midair, eyes narrowing dangerously as he felt a prick on his palm. He brought it back again and inspected it.
There was a thin line of blood running across the palm of his calloused hand.
His jaw clenched angrily. "Yura."
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Yura giggled girlishly as she felt a tug on her comb. "So the little white-haired puppy knows I'm here, does he? How very wonderful! Simply marvelous!" She sighed happily and threaded an invisible hair through her comb, then tugged on a different one. "This will make it even more interesting! Oh, I'm going to have so much fun! And at the end of the day, I'll finally have his wonderful head of beautiful hair!" She paused and glanced down to see a black head of hair stumble through the trees and into the clearing just ahead. "And, of course, the cursed priestess." Her giggly attitude dropped as her irritation pushed its way to the surface. "How dare that insolent cur get to her first? Didn't his mother teach him any manners? Ladies always go first!"
The branch wobbled unsteadily as another weight settled itself upon it. "Whoever said you were a lady, Yura?"
Yura barely glanced up. "Well, you're certainly no gentleman, half-breed," she replied primly. "And what kind of a priestess wants to be around a half-breed? I suppose I'll just have to do her a favor take her off your hands." She smirked at the growl that rose up.
Inuyasha lunged, swiping at her throat with his claws. "Over my dead body, witch! She's mine! I got to her first!"
Yura giggled again and jumped to the branch above and pulled a few hairs around in her comb, sending the invisible threads shooting towards Inuyasha. "If you insist!"
He darted back, and the hair missed him.
Unfortunately, they hit the branch he was perched on.
"Aah-AH! SHIT!"
Down, down, down he goes. And where he stops, nobody knows.
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A/N: For those of you who don't know, a stitch in your side is that cramp you get when you've been running real hard for a while. Wanna know how to cure it? (My friend's in varsity track, and her coach told her.) You lean over, put your hands on your knees, and cough. Trust me, it works! (Sooo awesome! I hate those things.) XD R&R
Ja ne!