A/N: Okay, next part! I know it was evil to leave that cliffhanger, but here it is: the next part!
Thanks to those who reviewed!
Part 4
When Inuyasha woke, he was still lying in the sand on the river bank. At first, he wasn't quite sure why he was there, but suddenly, everything came flooding back.
He jumped up and went to the cliff. He looked down, but saw nothing. Inuyasha climbed down to the side of the hill and descended the steep cliff. By the time he had gone halfway down, it was already noon, and the hot sun was blazing over his head. Sweat beads rolled off his forehead as the hanyou continued his way down…
…only to find that there was nothing there. He stood on the rocks, the waves flowing forward over his feet. Kagome…was gone.
"She's not dead," he whispered hopefully, and collapsed on a rock, his legs too weak to support himself.
………………………………………………………………………………...
The youkai was of two minds: kill the woman and save himself a great deal of trouble, or revive her and get into another mess. He couldn't believe he had saved her in the first place, and he sighed in frustration.
Then, he heard a groan from the bed. He turned.
The woman, no, she looked more like a girl now, sat up and looked around.
"Where…am I?" She rubbed her head and looked around, then at herself. A light blush spread across her cheeks when she noticed that nothing covered her body but a few tattered bandages over her chest. She drew the sheets up to veil her naked form.
"You do not have anything that I have not already seen," he said harshly.
"I…I do not remember…who am I?" she asked, ignoring the comment, and rubbed her head again, closing her eyes.
His eyes widened. She didn't remember who she was? This was news, and something he could use to his advantage, however long her memory lapse lasted…
………………………………………………………………………………...
"Inuyasha! Where were you?" Sango demanded when the hanyou staggered back into camp.
"What happened?" Miroku asked gently, seeing the look on Inuyasha's face and the way he remained silent, as if in his own world, alone. His eyes looked blank and dull as he sat on the snow-covered ground.
Suddenly, Inuyasha keeled over, eyes closed. They rushed over.
"He's got a high fever! I can't handle this alone, we'll have to go to Kaede's home; she's the only one who can actually get him to wake up," Sango said.
Miroku helped Sango settle Inuyasha onto Kirara. She mounted the firecat and they took off, Miroku and Shippo close behind, toward the little village that was the home of the priestess Kaede, and what had been Kikyo's.
………………………………………………………………………………...
"He's going to be alright," Kaede told them. They each breathed a sigh of relief, and then started as Inuyasha stirred with a moan. Shippo built up the fire in the hut, and went to join the others, clustered around Inuyasha.
After they had finally gotten him to tell about all that had happened, the friends sat back quietly, grim-faced, and pondered Kagome's strange disappearance.
"Where is she then?" Shippo asked.
"I don't know. I—I saw her jump, that's all," Inuyasha said. He buried his face in his hands and they spoke no more that night. Kaede put the fire out, letting a few hot embers stay in the hearth. They all went to bed, but none of them slept, lying in the dark, thinking about Kagome.
………………………………………………………………………………...
He entered the girl's room where she slept quietly. He walked around to the side of her mat (bed) and studied her face.
Suddenly, she woke and saw him.
"What do you remember?" he asked.
"I—nothing, nothing but jumping into a nothingness; an emptiness, blue sky all around me." She sounded almost poetic. She closed her eyes and tried to think. "I don't…I can't remember."
"It's okay," he said, "you will, in time. Your name is Shiori, and this is my castle. You have a sister, and she's outside. She's very worried about you. You are both orphans, and my father took you in when you were young. You were hurt and lost your memory when my half-brother pushed you off the cliff. I took you home."
"Thank you. What—what is your name?" Shiori asked.
"Sesshomaru."
………………………………………………………………………………...
The name registered in her memory, and it sounded so familiar, but still her memory remained locked away, in the back of her mind somewhere.
"I'll call Rin in." That name registered also, but, again, she could remember nothing. She nodded and the dog demon left. A girl her age wearing a jasmine-flowered kimono entered the room.
"Hey, Shiori, are you okay now?" Rin asked. Sitting beside the bamboo mat, on a cushion, she made herself comfortable.
"Yes, but I don't remember anything."
"You will, eventually. Right now, you just have to concentrate on getting better physically. I'll let you sleep now, and I'll come visit you later." With those words, her sister stood up and left, sliding the door closed behind her.
Shiori lay back down, but she felt she couldn't sleep.
Why can't I remember? Shiori thought, Everything here seems so familiar, yet not so. She reached up, touched the side of her head, and groaned softly. Finally, Shiori closed her eyes and fell asleep; dreaming of falling endlessly into a blue, blue sky, of gazing into a pair of warm amber eyes, and someone's smiling face beside her, whispering comfort to her.
………………………………………………………………………………...
"So, what are we going to do?" Miroku asked.
"I remember…Sesshomaru's scent!" Inuyasha exclaimed suddenly. "Damn him, he took her again! We have to go save her, come on!" The hanyou got up, but Miroku's hand stilled him.
"Hold on a second, Inuyasha," Miroku said, "why would Sesshomaru save Kagome after she fell off the cliff?"
"I—I don't know, torture her or something?" Inuyasha guessed. With each horrible image of what his half-brother would do to Kagome, his heart began beating faster. He swore several times. "All I know is we should head toward Sesshomaru's castle, he's bound to be keeping her there."
"We might as well, though it was a good thing Sesshomaru doesn't have the shards anymore. He would have even more power and we would not stand a thing against him," Sango remarked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Who cares about the shards?" Inuyasha said, "I'll beat him to a pulp anyway for touching Kagome."
Then, without saying anything else, they started off toward the north.
………………………………………………………………………………
Shiori woke, refreshed and well, from her sleep. She found a yellow kimono at the foot of her mat. There was a decorative wooden comb, with a jasmine flower carved on top. Dressing quickly and putting up her hair with the comb, Shiori ventured outside, barefoot.
She gasped softly as her feet met the cold stone floor, but she bit her lip and began walking, down a long corridor.
Shiori's feet carried her down the hall, and they stopped of their own accord in front of a door. There was a name on the door: Kagome.
Just as she was about to push the door to slide open, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pushed her firmly against the wall. Her head whipped around to see.
It was her rescuer.
"What are you doing?"
"I—I'm sorry. I felt better so I—I left my room—"
"You may go anywhere, but this room is off-limits," Sesshomaru cut her off, his cold voice cutting through her like the edge of a knife. He pulled her away from the door.
"But I—"
"Come on. You'll catch a cold," he said in a gentler voice. Shiori let herself be led away, after one last glance back.
She followed the dog demon downstairs to a large hall.
"I will tell you everything, the entire story, behind that door another time," Sesshomaru said, "but not today."
They went to the dining room, where Shiori's sister Rin was already waiting, kneeling on a soft silk cushion.
"Milord," Rin said, inclining her head. Sesshomaru nodded, acknowledging her, and then seated himself. Shiori knelt down too, and they began to eat, all the thoughts racing from the girl's mind as her ravenous hunger kicked in.
………………………………………………………………………………...
"I'll tell you about…Kagome," Sesshomaru said some months later. It was morning. Shiori had just woken up when the demon entered her room. She nodded silently.
"You, Rin, and Kagome…you are actually triplets; sisters. Inuyasha and Kagome were…friends. But he tricked her and killed her. Then, he tried to murder you, too. I found you at the bottom of a cliff, severely injured and nearing death." There was a long pause, and then she spoke.
"I…I'll kill him, how dare he betray my sister!" she cried, believing Sesshomaru's twisted words, trusting him with her whole heart.
"You'll get your chance soon enough," he told her, "for I have word that he is coming, with his human and demon friends. For now, you must be patient, and train, so you may avenge her."
"I will," Shiori vowed,; to her rescuer, herself, and the spirit of her dead sister.
………………………………………………………………………………
It had been three months, and they still hadn't reached Sesshomaru's castle, or even seen a sign of it. The last village they had encountered had been about three days back on foot, and the party was exhausted, famished, not to say parched.
"How come we still haven't gotten to your brother's castle, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.
"How should I know, ya pipsqueak?" Inuyasha snapped.
"Stop bickering," Sango said, "and concentrate on getting to that pond ahead. We'll drink some water, and then we'll discuss our plans."
"Fine," Inuyasha said and stomped ahead. Shippo settled himself on Kirara's back and stuck out his tongue at Inuyasha's back.
They reached the small pond and filled their water canteens, and then each took a turn at drinking from the pond.
"Maybe we're not going in the right direction," Shippo suggested and sat on a bed of soft, green grass.
"Of course we are, stupid!" Inuyasha cried indignantly.
"Then maybe Sesshomaru's put some kind of protection spell or something over it so ordinary people can't see it, or breach it," Miroku said.
"Now there's an idea," Sango remarked, sitting down. Kirara transformed to her smaller self and climbed into her lap. The demon-slayer stroked her fire-cat.
"What, though? And how could we undo or break the spell?" Shippo wondered.
"I have no idea," Miroku said, watching Inuyasha out of the corner of his eyes. The half-demon was silent; staring at his own reflection in the water, deep in thought.
………………………………………………………………………………...
"Why aren't they here yet?" Shiori demanded, walking into the room her she had seen both her sister and her rescuer enter, and stopped short.
Sesshomaru was holding Rin in a lovers' embrace, and they quickly drew apart when they heard her voice. Both blushed. Shiori reddened too, smiled to herself, and coughed.
"Uh, Shiori, what did you want?" Rin spoke first as Sesshomaru looked away uncomfortably.
"Did I…uh…intrude on something?" Shiori asked, not unkindly.
"No, it's, um, it's okay," Rin said.
"I just…why isn't Inuyasha here yet? It's been over four months, and I've been training for a long time." This time, Sesshomaru spoke.
"I put a spell on my castle, to deal with certain…ah…annoying visitors. They'll find us when it's time."
"When is it 'time'?" she cried.
"Soon enough," Sesshomaru said, "and next time, knock." Rin blushed again, while Shiori nodded vigorously.
………………………………………………………………………………
A/N: I know, weird twist; with Shiori, and Rin goin' wit' Sessy. Give me your opinion, REVIEW, please!
Until the next part, "au revoir" and "a bientot!" (French for "goodbye" and "see you!")