Chapter 10: Where is she?
Inuyasha's eyes snapped open suddenly, he sat up straight in the hospital bed and stared around urgently. "Kagome!" he called out. The hanyou moved to get out of bed but the door opened. Miroku walked in carrying a plate of food and behind was Sango and Kaoru. All of them had pale looking faces and the girls had red eyes, like they had been crying. "Where is she! Kagome!" Inuyasha called out towards the door as if she would come running in. The two women seemed to tear up a little but didn't answer him as they sat down in chairs around the hospital room.
"Inuyasha…stop…" Miroku said softly. He set the tray in front of Inuyasha. "Police told us what happened…Kagome jumped didn't she? And you passed out on the bridge…" said Miroku.
"She isn't dead! She swam to shore! I know it!" Inuyasha insisted desperately.
"Inuyasha…" Miroku whispered silencing the hanyou. Inuyasha knocked the food out of his lap and onto the floor the plastic plate falling with a clatter.
"Why the hell am I talking to you! You all caused this!" Inuyasha yelled. The three winced at his words knowing they were true. "Get out!" Inuyasha shouted angrily. Kaoru and Sango left quickly looking guilty and Miroku ducked his head in shame.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha…" Miroku whispered and left the room. Inuyasha was left alone. Inuyasha stared down at his claws with a pensive frown.
"Kagome…why did you smile? You knew you were going to die, but you smiled…" Inuyasha clenched his fists and screwed his eyes shut. 'Why…?' There was a soft knock on the door and Inuyasha looked up confused as a little kid stood peeking through a crack in the door.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in confusion as the fox cub grinned at him happily. "Hello sir! Can I join you? My mommy is checking us out!" Inuyasha didn't answer but of course being a kid he took that as a yes. The small demon child ran into the room with the unlimited energy that all kids have and jumped onto the bed. "My name is Shippo! What's yours?" asked Shippo cocking his head to the side.
Inuyasha stared at the kid in irritation. "Inuyasha…"
Shippo made a face as if he smelled something bad and Inuyasha got the distinct impression that he was mocking his name. "Whatever!" Shippo laughed. "So why are you here? Are you sick?" asked Shippo. Inuyasha snorted and looked away sadly. Shippo frowned in concern.
"Are you okay Mr. Inuyasha?" asked Shippo.
"Don't pester that poor man Shippo…" said a smiling woman at the door, she was also a fox demon. Her fox tail swayed lazily behind her and she waved Shippo over. Inuyasha turned sharply at the sound of another visitor and his eyes widened in recognition. There on the woman's cheek was the moon tattoo, just like the woman on the tape but this wasn't the same woman, the woman on the tape was most definitely human. Inuyasha frowned.
"Excuse me? What is with the tattoo?" asked Inuyasha. The woman looked at him in surprise. Shippo now stood at the woman's feet and was watching Inuyasha curiously.
The woman subconsciously reached up to her face and touched the mark. "This? It is the ritual mark of course…" said the woman.
"Ritual mark?" Inuyasha questioned with a frown.
"Yes, the priestess that gave up a soul for me has the same marking; I was born with it and hers appeared when I was born. It is what happens when a priest or priestess doesn't die from the sacrifice ritual. Why do you ask?" asked the fox demon with a kind smile.
"It's just…I've seen someone with that mark…" Inuyasha said softly.
"Really? Well that is no surprise she is pretty famous among the lo techs, Trinity Higurashi…"
"How old was she when she went through the ritual?" asked Inuyasha.
"20, why?" asked the fox woman.
Inuyasha ignored her question. "Where can I find her?" asked Inuyasha.
Shippo's mother frowned in thought. "Hmmm…I believe she runs a small magic shop during the day…I believe it is called Pandora's Box. Well my son and I need to go now…bye." The woman left and Shippo waved good bye and followed his mother. Inuyasha stared after them his eyes softer than they were before he was pestered by the fox cub. 'Is that why you did it Kagome? So a kind demon like them would be born?' Inuyasha thought. 'Maybe this lo tech who was obviously related to Kagome can help me find out if she really died…' Inuyasha thought hopefully. Inuyasha remembered back to the bridge yesterday, seeing her plummet into the waters nearly killed him but the possibility that someone out there might have a mark that represents his kitten still being alive made Inuyasha's cocky determination return.
Inuyasha stood outside Pandora's Box later on that day, he glanced at the address he found in the phone book and then at the address on the building and shrugged. I guess this is the place. He thought to himself.
Inuyasha opened the door to the shop and a bell rang indicating a new customer. Inuyasha walked into the dimly lit shop with what looked like a simple magic shop filled with fake knick-knacks Inuyasha walked around the tables of stuff and paused at a table with a necklace rack that had many glowing stones on the necklaces. Inuyasha watched the stared at them curiously for awhile when there was a swoosh of cloth and a woman appeared from the back room that was blocked with a cloth door. Inuyasha stared at the woman in surprise.
It was indeed the woman from the security tape, but she was much older now, in her 40's. Inuyasha watched her smile at him kindly. She had her long hair in a braid like on the video but it wasn't as dark now that she had some gray hair on her and her eyes looked tired; the mark was there boldly stark on her cheek.
"How may I help you young man?" asked the woman.
"Are you Trinity Higurashi?" asked Inuyasha with a raised eyebrow. The woman nodded slowly. "Then you are related to Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes…I am her aunt" said Trinity.
"But…Miroku said Kagome's aunt was in an asylum…" Inuyasha said with a frown recalling the conversation in the Higurashi kitchen awhile back.
"Miroku's information is out dated, I was released thanks to the lo techs…" said Trinity with a shrug.
"How did they release you?" asked Inuyasha.
"We lo techs are very powerful, they were able to…convince them that I was sane." Said Trinity. "Why are you here Inuyasha?"
"How the hell do you know that?" asked Inuyasha irritated about everyone knowing his name before he said it.
"We lo techs have been keeping watch over you and Kagome…" said Trinity.
"Then you know what's happened to her!" Inuyasha said hopefully. Trinity's face saddened.
"I do not even know what is going on with my niece. I was just about to find out though but I was having trouble scrying her location…" Trinity said with a frown. She waved Inuyasha indicating she wanted him to follow her and she led him into the back room he found a room lit by candles and there was a table set up with a map on it. Inuyasha sat on the opposite side of Trinity and watched as she took out one of the necklaces that he had been staring at in the shop. She held it by the chain so that the crystal dangled over the map.
"Keep your mind clear of anything but Kagome okay, think about her as hard as you can…" said Trinity. Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated but he suddenly hear the strange sound of the chain moving and opened his eyes to see Trinity holding her hand completely still while the crystal seemed to be moving in circles of its own accord. Inuyasha went back to thinking about Kagome and as Trinity moved her hand around the map the jewel continued to spin. "This can't be right…it seems it won't locate Kagome's soul…" Trinity said with a frown. She dropped the gem with a sigh.
"Well…maybe if you come and talk with your brother we can find a way to find her…" said Inuyasha hopefully. Inuyasha stood and Trinity hesitantly agreed. They took Inuyasha's car to the hospital/asylum and when they got there they were getting out of the car when an ambulance suddenly pulled into the ER entrance.
A couple doctors saw the ambulance pull up and ran out to greet the paramedics. They pulled out a stretcher from the back and the doctors looked at the figure on the stretcher in concern. "Severe Hypothermia, found in an alley a few blocks from here…" said the paramedic. The doctors nodded and Inuyasha stared at them pushing the stretcher with a dazed look.
Inuyasha suddenly dashed to them and walked along side them, leaving Trinity to chase after him at her own pace. Inuyasha stared between the doctors and paramedics to see an extremely pale Kagome who didn't appear to be breathing. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. The doctors looked at him in alarm.
"You know this girl! Wait over there sir, you can't come into the ER!" Inuyasha was about to yell screw you at the doctor but when he saw the frail condition Kagome was in he decided to let them do their jobs. Inuyasha dashed back to building 5A waving Trinity to follow him and she rolled her eyes. 'Youngsters' she thought in irritation. Inuyasha ran around and finally spotted Miroku, Sango, and Kaoru standing in the hallway.
"They've found Kagome! She's alive!" Inuyasha yelled to them.
A/N: Gonna end it here! Please Review!