Chapter 17: The Search: Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

A/N: Thanks for all those reviews! There's not really anything to say; just…enjoy!

"What's taking her so long?" Kikyo moaned impatiently, tapping her watch. "I really HAVE to get out of this damned place! You said you just saw her, InuYasha!"

"And I did! Maybe she went back into the bathroom because she thought afterwards because she was coming down with another attack of diarrhoea," the hanyou shrugged his shoulders carelessly, as if Kagome's sudden disappearance was nothing.

"For an hour? Sheesh, I would have thought she'd fallen asleep in the toilet by now!"

"I'll go check up on her, that's what we should've done ages ago," Sango said grimly, before InuYasha could voice the come-back he had prepared. "Unfortunately, this IDIOT of an acrobat held us up," Sango couldn't help feeling happy that she'd sided for Kagome, but she did feel uncomfortable with the glares InuYasha was giving her and she turned around and headed in the direction of the girls' bathroom.

Once she was out of InuYasha's sight, Sango sighed, trying to relieve herself of the building tension, but couldn't. Kagome couldn't have just disappeared like that; could she? Or were InuYasha and Kikyo really right: the girl had either fallen asleep or had a serious case of diarrhoea and was now lying on the floor moaning in pain? Hoping that those reasons were one of the answers, Sango hurried on to the bathroom. Reaching the door, Sango turned the handle and opened the bathroom; nothing. There was nothing that suggested that Kagome had been harmed in any way, but there was also no sign of Kagome. Shock surging through her body, Sango strode out of the bathroom, her panic building. If Kagome wasn't in the bathroom, where could she be? (A/N: No surprises there, right, people?)

With Kagome

"So you're finally awake," Kagome heard a voice talking, and she opened her eyes mechanically. She felt like talking, or stretching, or even sitting up to drink something, but for once, she had inherited a muddled, thoughtless mind upon waking from a deep slumber. All she could make out was what the man in a baboon cape sitting beside her bed was saying. He looked familiar, but she couldn't think now. All she could think about was to obey this man.

"Do you recognize me?" the strange but familiar man asked, a thin, cruel smile flitting across his features. Scrutinizing the man one last time, Kagome shook her head mutely, resigned.

"Good, but I must be the only one you can see, or obey, from this day on," the man added, and Kagome's vision of everything else suddenly faded, and only the man could be seen now. "And you must refer to me as 'Lord Naraku'."

"Yes, Lord Naraku," Kagome could not think of anything else to say. But for some reason, there was a strange feeling in her heart as she said the words, and it wouldn't go away.

"Very good, and your name is Kirale, you must know that," the baboon-caped man laughed an evil sound that sent chills running down Kagome's spine.

"Kirale," murmured the girl, her brain adjusting to her new name. "Kirale…"

"That's your name. Kanna, let the wench sleep for now," Naraku said. "We have quite a bit to do."

And with that, Kagome, newly christened Kirale, fell back onto the hard wooden floor, sleeping a dreamless sleep.

With InuYasha and co.

"Gods, do we HAVE to find that stupid girl?" InuYasha complained loudly as his new car whizzed away from the hospital. "I mean, she can go and get herself away from the mess she's got herself in." For once, Sesshomaru agreed with his no-good idiot of a half-brother. At least that strange wench Kikyo was more useful. Hell, she could even help him glare down the whole of Tokyo if she wanted…the youkai shook his head slightly. Ever since he had been a child, he had sworn never to accept or ask for help from any human being alive, and that was a promise. But at least one peep at what she was doing now…Kikyo was busy applying a bit of lip balm on her lips now. The youkai nearly rolled his eyes. When would women ever learn that make-up made them uglier, not prettier?

"So anyways, where do you suggest Kagome is?" Kikyo asked, closing her lip balm and inserting it into her bag. "Sango? Miroku? Anybody? I'm out of ideas."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at Kikyo's stupidity. "Where do you think? She's at Naraku's. You can really be dumb at times. You really thought she'd fallen asleep in the lavatory, didn't you?" InuYasha snorted with laughter whilst Kiyo stared coolly at the youkai. "Actually, I was hoping that you'd be saying that she'd put you in a septic tank." It was Sango's and Miroku's turn to laugh out loud at the humiliated youkai master. What human DARED to contradict the great Sesshomaru Taisho? I'll need to be more careful around this woman, Sesshomaru thought, gritting his teeth silently. Rip her slowly limb from limb, that's the way…

Kirale's POV (A/N: From now on, I will be treating Kirale and Kagome as two different people, but the other will be the main character's 'conscience'.)

"Kirale…" I was still thinking about this word when a sudden voice popped into her head, one that was surprisingly clear and understandable. "Wake up from this stupor! Get away from this hellhole of a castle! Now!" Confused, my attention turned to the voice. It sounded exactly like my own.

"Come on-you've got to get out of here! I mean…Naraku's controlling us right now! We've got to get away!"

"Obey…baboon-caped man…" I whispered faintly, and I could feel myself shifting in my sleep.

"No, you mustn't! The…er…baboon-caped man will make you do all sorts of unpleasant things! Things that-that are inhumane! You've got to start believing me instead, please! Now get up off this bed, run out of this castle, and try and find a boy with doggy-like ears! Now!"

I was starting to believe the strange voice, but part of me was still doubtful. "Will the baboon-caped man punish me for doing what you say?"

"Um…of course not! You're a fast runner; I just know it! You'll be, like, ten miles away from the guy before he can even say 'shoot'! I mean, do you want to sleep now? Answer me!"

"How do you know?" I was still doubtful that I could actually outrun my master. If that baboon-caped man was my master, then he must be better in everything as opposed to his servant, right?

"I just know it because you've got the guts and the spirit, and without that you wouldn't be able to run fast, right?" the voice told me, sounding exasperated. "Now, you answer my question."

I thought about my answer. I wanted to run, jump, leap, shout, anything but lie here, but somehow my body wouldn't really let me. "I would like to," I frowned in my heart. "But my body won't allow me to."

"That's a binding spell your master put on you," the voice answered hurriedly. "That shows how evil your master is, to not trust you so much as to put a spell on you in your sleep so that you won't run away."

"Then what's the point of me trying to get out of here?" I retorted. "Like you said yourself, there's a spell on me. I'd like to get away, but sorry, I can't. Now, stupid voice, go away."

With InuYasha and the others

"Fortune-telling, two coins per person! Scrying spells three coins for each one!" Sango grunted as she listened to the noisy hustle-and-bustle of the market.

"Ooh, fortune-telling! Come on, Sango, everybody, let's get our fortunes told!" Kikyo cried out rather happily, and Sango nudged her in the ribs.

"Kikyo! We're looking for your wench of a friend, remember?" InuYasha cried out, and Kikyo quickly covered his mouth before he could say any more.

"No, we're not going to do any fortunes, just some buying some scrying stuff," the high-school girl hissed. "You know, find out where Naraku's hideout is."

"With those rip-off scrying spells? Not a chance," Koga said. "You should know better-all that fortune-telling business is good for nothing."

"Well, it's worth a try," Sango said uncertainly. She wasn't sure about all this scrying stuff, but siding with your friend was the way to go about things, right?

"See? Sango approves, so let's stop wasting time out here and go into the fortune shop," Kikyo said cheerfully, and Sesshomaru silently rolled his eyes. Only to waste money, he thought as he followed the rest of the gang past the advertising man into the shop. He was expecting the shop to be cheery, bright and gay. Just what I hate.

On the contrary, inside the shop it was dank and gloomy. The shop was filled with shelves and shelves of merchandise, and in a corner of the room was a table, and gathered around were a group of customers. Sitting on a stool was an old woman, quietly meditating in front of a crystal ball, the only light in the whole shop. Making her way to the shelves silently, Kikyo began to leaf through random spell books, making faces at certain ones and chuckling quietly to herself every now and then. Finally, the high-school girl extracted a book from a shelf and made her way back to the waiting gang.

"I've got the book," she whispered excitedly. "The very one that mentions scrying out for castles, hideouts, unknown places…and other people, and it only costs $10!" Kikyo waved the thick book around as she talked, and a few customers on their way out stared at her uncertainly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's pay the fortune teller and leave," Sango said. The quietness of the room was unnerving her. Nodding, Kikyo made her way across from the shelves to the fortune-teller, who appeared to be murmuring her last customer's future.

When that last customer had gone at last, the old lady turned to the gang. "I can see the positive energy swirling around you all…you shall defeat…an evil, negative man…" the old lady murmured, touching her forehead. Hope suddenly filled everyone. Maybe this woman really was a real fortune-teller and not a phoney.

"Well…can I buy this book please?" Kikyo asked.

"No fortune-telling for you? This shop is famous for its fortune-telling," the old lady smiled kindly. "But it's alright if you don't want your future told. That'll be ten dollars, if you please." The fortune-teller held out a wrinkled hand, expectantly waiting for the money. That was when something in Kikyo snapped.

"Actually, I'll pay you 2 more coins if you tell me when I'll die?" Kikyo said, eyeing the woman nervously. Groaning inwardly, Sesshomaru turned away. When would that superstitious wench ever learn?

"Money first, then future…" the old lady accepted two more coins before concentrating on her crystal ball, murmuring random words. After a minute, the fortune-teller opened her eyes and turned to Kikyo. "I'm sorry to say, but very soon," the old lady confessed. "Now, I've got other customers. Goodbye…"

As they left the shop, Sango then asked Kikyo, "Do you believe in what the woman really said about you dying soon?"

Kikyo shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

That was when Koga added in words that made Kikyo doubt. "You do know that if you believe her, that thing might really happen to you? I remember once, when I was holding a glass of water, my mind joked about me going to drop that glass of water, and then it really happened. That kind of thing might happen to you, too, Kikyo, so be careful."

"Thanks…I guess," Kikyo said, not sure whether this piece of advice really was helpful or not.

Kagome's POV

Great, now I'm stuck in a body that doesn't recognize me. I'm two people now! I thought bitterly as I sat in the tiny box that now imprisoned me. And it's obvious who my captor is. I don't even know who I am anymore. Burying my head in my knees, I tried to devise a plan to convince the soul controlling my body to help me escape, but the words would not come. Finally, I had a strategy.

"Oh well, what's your name?" it was best if I made friends with this other soul and gained her trust. "Mine's Kagome."

There was a long pause before Kagome's answer came, "I'm actually not sure, but master said that my name was Kirale."

So Naraku decided to give me a new name, Kagome thought with a grimace. "Okay…so how do you feel about him?"

"Well, I don't really feel anything towards him, but I do feel that I have to serve him to repay him for bringing me back to life."

"What did you do before he actually…um…brought you back to life?" Kagome flinched slightly as she said the words. Naraku couldn't have been kind enough to just resurrect someone just for the sake of it.

"I don't really remember much…just that I was forever floating…in a world of white and blue mixed together. And then my soul felt a dragging…and then I was dragged here," the soul named Kirale replied.

"Okay," I replied, before sinking deep down into my thoughts. Before I had been put back into my body, I had been floating in a world of white and blue as well. Kirale must've been dragged from that weird girl's mirror into my body, and Naraku was going to use her soul and my body together to create destruction on everybody.

But at least I've got a strategy, Kagome thought, smiling weakly in spite of her situation. And hopefully that'll get me out of trouble.

A/N: Another chapter cleared! Since most of my words are probably about moaning and all, I won't say anything but this: Please review!