You know what I hate? When someone won't read a fanfiction just because the fic has an OC (original character) in it! I mean, come on… What's wrong with that? Yes, I know, most people think that all OCs are "Mary-sues" as they are called these days, with an unbelievably perfect character. Some people hate canon and OC love as well… poor my fanfic… it's so hated. :(
Anyway, to my point, how do you think I've done with Hanako's character? Is she believable, a likeable character, original, and all that stuff? How did I do with her character development…?
Well… I'll shut up now. Don't you love how I make these things so long sometimes? I guess its to make up for last chapter when there was nothing to say…
Chapter 42: Framed
"Inuyasha, I'm tired…" Kagome complained for what seemed like the thousandth time, "Can we please rest now? My back hurts… and I'm hungry… and thirsty… and… and I have a headache…"
Inuyasha grumbled some undecipherable cuss word to himself, and kept on walking, lifting his sleeve to block the hot summer sun.
"…I have to agree with Kagome there…" Miroku sighed, his stomach growling, "I guess we could all use a little rest…" He shifted his eyes over to Shippo, asleep on his shoulder, for once envying his luck of being so small.
"Yeah…" Sango agreed quietly. She could sense Inuyasha's annoyance, and did not want to contribute any more to it, even though she was exhausted as well.
"Pretty please…?" Kagome pleaded, tugging on his clothing, "Just a little… tiny rest?"
"Ugh… do you EVER stop complaining?" Inuyasha growled. He stopped walking and scowled. "…Yeah, fine. Go sit somewhere, for all I care…" He slumped down on a nearby rock.
"What's your problem…?" Kagome asked, sitting next to him.
"My problem? Your problem is that you're so goddamn lazy…"
Kagome glared at him. "Well then… excuse me for being human and not being all strong and mighty like you!"
"Why should I excuse you?" He said angrily, taking Kagome's place in complaining, "I can't get anything done with you, always needing this and that and EVERYTHING!"
She looked away from him. She turned her body in the other direction. She lowered her head, her vision becoming blurred by tears. Why was it so bad that she was tired? Why did he always find something wrong with that?
"…Why are you always so mean to me…" She sniffled slightly. Miroku and Sango stared at her with worried looks. Inuyasha's eyes widened.
"No… you aren't crying are you…?" he said, leaning over to try to see her face, wanting to know for sure. "Don't tell me just that made you cry…" He tried to look disgusted with her, but it was obvious to his other companions that he felt bad.
"Do you really hate me that much…?" she sobbed. She was fed up with him always insulting her. Each day they had been getting into more and more fights. Her lip quivered. She looked at him, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Kagome… I…" Inuyasha stuttered. She had never looked at him with such an expression of true sadness. He still did not understand what he had done to make her cry.
Suddenly, the air went thick. In an instant, Inuyasha could not see in front of him. It was as if someone had grabbed the sun from the sky. No light seeped through the smog, which was highly unusual. The sun was so bright that day, and it seemed impossible that the brightness of the day would disappear that quickly.
"Kagome! Where are you? Are you there?" He could no longer sense her next to him. Inuyasha felt her presence slip away from in front him.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku called with a sudden serious tone, "something is here in this smoke… I'm not sure what, but something is walking around us…"
Sango walked around blindly, looking for Miroku in the sudden darkness. She reached her hands out in front of her, searching for something. Nothing came into her grasp.
"Kagome…?" Inuyasha said again.
"…Inu…yasha…"
At that moment, the smog resided. The sun was bright in the sky. A warm breeze flew through the trees. Birds flew through the open blue sky, tweeting and singing as if nothing had happened.
Kagome was no longer on the rock sitting next to Inuyasha.
"Kagome…?" he called out again. He stood up, looking around him. Not even a trace of her scent remained.
"Kagome!"
"Looking for the girl… I presume…?" said a voice from behind him. It was a voice they all knew well…
Inuyasha spun around. His eyes widened in anger. Miroku and Sango both stared as well, preparing to fight. Each of their miseries rose up from the bottom of their hearts and lay in their minds as they saw the being that had caused the existence of their deepest fears and regrets…
"…NARAKU!" Inuyasha shouted, his eyes flaring with fury. He began to understand what had happened. Naraku had taken Kagome. He was outraged with confusion and hatred. He drew Tetsusaiga, only seconds away from butchering Naraku once and for all. He rethought the situation for a few moments, realizing it was best to let him live long enough to talk.
He grit his teeth, hatred pumping through his veins as his heart beat faster in his chest. "…what did you do with Kagome…?" he asked in a low voice, holding back his instinct to kill.
"Put away your weapon, Inuyasha…" Naraku said calmly, a smirk appearing on his face. So far, all was going as planned. "And perhaps I shall tell you the whereabouts of your mortal girl."
Inuyasha's eyes began to quiver. Naraku had never done anything like this before. Naraku had taken Kikyo from him, so he's never let him take Kagome. "I'm not kidding, Naraku… if you even lay one hand on her…"
"I assure you the girl is safe. She will not be harmed…" he said, thinking that sounded a little too kind, "…at least not much…"
"You bastard…" Inuyasha's face cringed. "Why are you doing this?"
"It was not my will for this to be done. I am simply following orders."
"Of whom?"
"One who has given me instructions." Naraku laughed to himself. Playing with Inuyasha's emotions was giving him great pleasure.
"Don't play dumb! Who is behind this!"
"Now, don't expect me to just go telling everyone around…"
"WHO!"
"If you must know…" he began, his plot unfolding, "It is none other than your dear elder brother…"
Inuyasha lowered the Tetsusaiga with widened eyes. "Wha… Sesshomaru…?"
Miroku was also shocked. "…But what would he want with Lady Kagome…?"
"It is quite simple…" Naraku began, enjoying their reactions. He loved how well they were buying his lies. "The girl Kagome can see sacred jewel shards… and now, that is what he is after…" He sighed. "And unfortunately Lord Sesshomaru is quite busy these days… so therefore I am here doing his dirty work…"
"That isn't true!" Sango blurted, "He has said in the past that he had no interest in the jewel!"
"It's not for him, of course…" Naraku lied, "He is giving them to Hanako. He plans to develop that power of hers…" He scanned their faces. Miroku appeared skeptical, Sango looked worried, and Inuyasha was furious. "I am also interested in her abilities, so I offered to help."
"Inuyasha, Naraku is lying to us!" Miroku yelled to him, "Sesshomaru despises Naraku as well, so why would he make him do his work? Why would they team up? And why is he standing here telling us this? None of it is true! Naraku is just trying to get you against Sesshomaru!"
Naraku eyed the monk for a few moments and then looked away. His plan was quite obvious, but if Kagome had something to do with it, would that truly blind Inuyasha's judgement?
Inuyasha shifted his eyes toward Miroku. What he was saying made sense. He glared at Naraku again. It was expected of him to lie anyway. It sounded just like something he would do. But Sesshomaru was not one to be trusted either…
Naraku looked Inuyasha straight in the eye. He knew Inuyasha well. He was sure of it now. If the situation involved Kagome, Inuyasha would come running.
"Don't believe what I say if you wish. But if you look for the girl Kagome, you will know where to find her…"
Naraku began to vanish into the trees, his image becoming seemingly translucent as he backed away. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and lifted his sword. Everything Naraku had done to him; he focused his strength into his arms.
"KAZE NO KIZU!" he shouted, letting loose the Tetsusaiga, swinging with all the strength he could muster.
He cut at the bushes that Naraku had been disappearing into. Had he cut him down? Leaves scattered about the ground, a crater from the blast being left in the dirt. Inuyasha approached the tattered bush. A small, broken wooden doll lay in soil in the bushes. Inuyasha's eyes quivered. He clenched his fists.
"A golem spell…" he said angrily, "Damn you Naraku… damn you to hell…"
"Inuyasha… what of Kagome…?" Sango asked sympathetically. She knew that Naraku could very well be lying, but what if he wasn't?
Inuyasha stared at the dirt, deep in thought. He would not let Kagome get away. And he would not let her leave with those last thoughts of him in her mind…
"…We are going after her, that's what…" he said, putting his sword in his sheathe. He turned around, away from the bushes. His face appeared stressed. If it were to be true, he would fight Sesshomaru to the death to get Kagome back. It did not seem like something he would do at all, but somehow it did as well. It was quite strange how he would all of a sudden take interest in the jewel: and not even for himself, but for Hanako, his slave girl that he dragged around with him. With the deadly power she possessed, the Shikon jewel would have a most negative effect. He closed his eyes.
"Sesshomaru won't be too hard to find," he said to Miroku and Sango, "I caught his sent a little further back."
(…)
Anger lurked on Sesshomaru's face. He could feel the discomfort arising in his chest. His eyes were dark and full of hatred, fiery with envy as he watched Bo and Hanako. He caught her looking back at him a few times, but she never came to see him. He decided it was either because she would feel guilty for leaving Bo, or she decided she preferred Bo over him. His mind dwelled on the second option…
Hanako picked the petals off of a flower on a tree above her, halfway listening to Bo, halfway thinking to herself.
He loves me… he loves me not… he loves me… he loves me not…
"I remember when we were kids too…" Bo sighed, a sadder look in his eyes than usual, "Awane and I used to fish a lot… and go to the ocean… have you ever been on the coast Hanako? I should take you there sometime…"
"Mhm… sounds like fun…" she sighed, gazing over at Sesshomaru again. She saw him look away quickly. She could see his envy. His eyes were narrowed at the ground.
"Bo-chan… I have to go see Lord Sesshomaru for a moment. I think he's… calling me…" She looked at Bo with a sorrowful expression, even though she was not that sorry. She grabbed a flower from the tree, looked away from him and stood up quickly, eager to see Sesshomaru.
Bo watched her leave. He had not heard Sesshomaru's voice calling to her.
…Hers and Sesshomaru's relationship has grown into a vast one while I have been away…
Sesshomaru heard footsteps coming toward him. He turned his head in surprise. Hanako ran up to his side and sat next to him, a smile across her face, as usual. She handed him the flower.
"I think you should wear it," she chimed, "It matches your kimono."
His eyebrow rose. "You expect me to wear this flower…?"
"Yup." She grinned.
He glared at her slightly, but she did not stop smiling at him. Her golden eyes shown with a playful mischief. She was teasing him. She wasn't in the least bit afraid of him…
Just then, a thick, black smog became the air. Sesshomaru's eyes shifted from left to right, observing the darkness that began to envelope him without fear, but curiosity.
"H-Hanako…?" Bo's voice called from afar, "Where are you…?"
Hanako blinked, trying to see past the blinding dark. She clung to Sesshomaru's sleeve, afraid that something may happen. She was not too shaken, for she knew nothing could happen to her with Sesshomaru around. "… what's going on Lord Sesshomaru…?"
Sesshomaru's eyes immediately shot in front of him. The scent of a mortal began to materialize before him. The smoke began to clear away.
Hanako rubbed her eyes on Sesshomaru's sleeve. She blinked for a few moments, her eyes getting used to the light once more. She looked over at Sesshomaru, who was staring in front of them, completely intrigued by something. She turned her head, wanting to see what he was seeing.
Kagome lay on the ground before them, asleep in the grass. Her eyes fluttered open almost immediately afterward. She pulled herself up with widened eyes. She looked around, scared and confused.
"Wh-where a-am I…?"
Hanako gasped, recognizing her old friend. "…Kagome-san…? Where'd you come from…?"
Kagome's widened. She gazed at her and Sesshomaru with confusion for countless moments. "Wh-what's going on…? How did I get here…?" She looked about nervously, looking for a sign of anything familiar. She searched her mind for anything that gave her a clue of where she was, and how she had gotten there. She remembered crying to Inuyasha and being upset, but nothing else after that…
It's that mortal girl that always travels with Inuyasha… Sesshomaru thought to himself…
(…)
No light seeped through the windows as Naraku watched Inuyasha through Kanna's mirror. He watched them running, tracing Sesshomaru's footsteps. He grew bored of watching them…
"Kanna… show me Hanako and Sesshomaru," he commanded with a sigh. The little girl in white closed her eyes with a solemn expression, the image on the mirror becoming Hanako helping up Kagome off of the ground, Sesshomaru observing them. Naraku watched them, still not totally amused.
Because Kagome is now with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha should believe my tale to be true. If that becomes so, then Sesshomaru and Inuyasha will get into a fight… and Inuyasha will be enraged with Hanako as well since she has that power… Naraku stared at them in the mirror, deep in thought…
And if Sesshomaru's first priority seems to be keeping Hanako out of harms way, that will tell me for sure that he has truly fallen in love with her… then without her, he will be desolate…
He smirked, a coldness coming into his face.
And that shall be the right time for me to take her from him for good, therefore hurting him, therefore allowing me to dispose of him at his weakest moment…