Kagome!!
He had seen her. He had seen her fall, and had not been able to get to her in time. He had screamed her name, and forgot the demon he was fighting to run for her. But he was not fast enough. She had been knocked from the top of the cliff, and into the fierce current of the waterfall.
Inuyasha!! The terror in her eyes and voice was clear.
He saw her body strike rock, and only then did her cries of fear stop. She had disappeared into the waters of the river.
No!!
Inuyasha had been unable to follow; the demon he faced had wrapped massive tentacles about his waist and neck, and begun to squeeze. Tetsusaiga had flown from his grasp, and claws had torn through his flesh. Miroku and the others were also wrapped up in the writhing mass, and Inuyasha had no choice but to finish the fight. The thought of Kagome being swept away after such a terrible fall sent him into a frenzy, and he had fought madly.
When he had finally destroyed the demon, he had quickly made his way down to the water, searching for any sign of Kagome. His mind kept replaying the image of her body falling and striking the waiting rocks below. He could not force it away.
It was after hours of searching that Inuyasha felt the hope of finding her slip away. There was no scent or tracks to follow; it seemed the river had swallowed her completely.
Sango could no longer control her tears, and Shippou had been wailing for an hour. The guilt and shame of losing Kagome was almost too much for the dog demon to bear. He left the others behind in a desperate run through the forest.
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"He's coming! Gaaaaahhhhh!!" A grungy looking fox demon with crooked teeth came running into the cave, eyes wide. He was pointing desperately, arms flailing about in his excitement.
Kagome watched with a wary expression as the demons scattered about, preparing to initiate whatever plan they were scheming. Unfortunately, none of them gave her the courtesy of letting her in on the goings on. She could only guess about what sort of trap they were stupid enough to try setting for Sesshoumaru. Kagome had been present for enough battles between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to doubt that any of the demons present would cause him trouble.
Kagome scowled in the direction of the pig demon, who she had discovered was named Gebi. He was murmuring to a small group of his henchmen. She began to worry then; for when he glanced her way, his eyes were full of gleeful anticipation. She shuddered.
Gebi finally glared at the hyperactive fox demon. "Shut up, fox! We're prepared. Everyone, get to work! Follow my orders exactly!"
Suddenly, Kagome and Rin were alone with the leader of the demons. He strolled over to them.
"My dear lady. When this is done, and you are mine, you will have to show me what stupendous talents you possess. It seems Sesshoumaru really is coming for you… And I can only imagine how you managed to persuade him to take a human mate…" His words and terrible sneer caused Kagome's entire body to flush red with anger. She struggled in her bonds, wishing only to strike out against him.
Gebi howled with laughter, and furthered Kagome's wrath by stroking her hair with a grimy, gnarled hand.
"Don't touch me!" Kagome spat, brown eyes stormy with anger. She turned her head quickly and caught the offending hand between her teeth. She bit down as hard she could.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!! You stupid bitch!" The demon smacked her across the face, but she held onto him with a terrible vengeance. The taste of sweat, blood, and grime nearly caused her to vomit, but her determination overcame it.
Another blow, and yet another fell upon her, and the pain stunned her enough to allow Gebi to wrench his hand away. He howled in pain, a trail of curses sputtering from his mouth. He kicked Kagome hard in the stomach, his rage completely taking over. Kagome cried out, and fought back tears of pain. She was sprawled on the ground, her arms and legs still bound painfully, and unable to move at all. She managed to turn her head, and spat a mouthful of blood at the pig demon. He snarled, and a dagger was suddenly in his hand.
Kagome didn't see the blade descending toward her, and she barely heard Rin screaming in the background. Everything around her seemed to gradually slow, and she thought that time itself had frozen. She saw the wild eyes of the monster in front of her, and the interesting way the firelight reflected off the beads of perspiration on his face. The anger and fear left her in a rush, and her mind seemed to clear as the moment in time came to a stop. Her eyes widened slightly, and a brilliant sapphire light surrounded her. Before the pig demon could have blinked, the light sent him flying back, and he hit the wall of the cavern. His unconscious form crumpled to the ground.
Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the sounds of a battle, and Rin's desperate pleas. She was just so exhausted… Blackness enveloped her, and she welcomed it.
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Inuyasha had been searching for Kagome during the past few days. He had followed the river, asking any people he came across if they had seen any sign of her. None of them had, or didn't care.
Sometimes he wondered if he should have waited for Sango and the others, but had quickly shrugged the thought away. They would just slow me down, he reasoned. Of course that was not the real reason. He was still feeling constant guilt over not being able to get to Kagome in time before she fell. Fell terribly far, and onto the rocks below… Inuyasha's jaw clenched.
The forest all around was eerily quiet, and Inuyasha found his ears twitching. He looked through a stand of tall ash trees, certain he had seen a figure move carefully between them. No scent or sound came to his acute senses, and he began to wonder if he was seeing things. A breeze picked up, rustling the branches above and scattering the litter of the forest floor about his feet. Inuyasha's white hair billowed softly behind him, and he found himself placing a hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga.
"Inuyasha…" the soft voice of Kagome was right behind him. He turned about, heart pounding. Only the trunk of an old maple tree stood there, a silent observer.
"Kagome?," Inuyasha called, his voice echoing out into the emptiness. There was no answer.
Inuyasha awoke as the rays of the morning sun penetrated the canopy above and settled upon his face. He blinked rapidly, trying to gain his bearings. The strange dream he had experienced was still clinging to his mind, and he found himself looking about desperately for Kagome.
Inuyasha was a hanyou, the son of a demon and human. The demon blood that flowed through his veins gave him the gift of swift healing and endurance beyond that of any human. But even he had his limits. The wounds he had suffered during the battle had been severe, and he had not given himself time to rest during his desperate search for Kagome. Finally, his body had forced him to stop. He had slept an entire day away as his demon blood worked hard to heal the damage to his body.
Now he was awake, and the dream haunted him. He rubbed at his eyes and stood slowly, glad to hear the sounds of a lively forest around him. A songbird was perched in the branches of the maple he was standing under, heralding the beginning of a new day.
Inuyasha stood still, lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of Kagome, and the ever present fear that he would never find her. He just couldn't bring himself to stop searching, for that would mean he had truly given up hope. That he had admitted she was… dead. He scowled deeply.
"She can't be dead. She's too stubborn and head strong to have died so easily…" Inuyasha said to himself, softly. He had said the exact same words to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou when they had first begun to search. Somehow, his tone was not as sure this time.
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Kagome awoke slowly. The first item of importance was that she was not in any kind of pain. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was still tied and on the ground, and Gebi was still sprawled on the cave floor. Kagome craned her head and caught a glimpse of Rin, who was sobbing.
"Rin… What happened?" Kagome asked softly. The girl's head snapped up and her eyes widened with surprise. "Oh Kagome! I'm so glad you're okay!" Rin's eyes were red and puffy, but the same spark of courage was still there. "You've only been asleep for a little while. I was afraid… you…." The small girl broke into sobs once more.
"It's okay, Rin! We're going to get out of here…" Kagome thrashed about, not wondering at the fact that her leg was no longer broken. She managed to get her knees underneath her, and wriggled her way over to Rin. The sounds of battle were coming closer, and seemed to be right outside the cave.
Kagome ordered Rin to remain still, and began pulling at the knots of Rin's ropes with her teeth. Her body strained with the effort of keeping the position she was in, and sweat began to drip into her eyes. Much to her astonishment, she managed to work the knot out. Rin pulled her hands free and quickly untied the ropes around her legs, then started on Kagome's knots.
"Crazy…. Kill you…" Gebi began to rise from his spot against the wall. Rin frantically worked at the knots, then froze when she saw the dagger Gebi had dropped when he was thrown. She snatched it up and sliced through Kagome's ropes. Gebi had gotten to his feet, and was holding his head as he warily eyed the two girls.
Kagome jumped to her feet, then finally realized her leg was completely healed. She stared down at it, completely taken aback. She looked away when Rin offered her the dagger. Kagome took it silently.
Gebi and Kagome stood quietly, staring at each other with complete contempt.
"Sesshoumaru is coming. You should just go, or he'll kill you," Kagome told him.
Gebi let out a breath of air, which came out as a low hiss. Kagome was reminded of a viper preparing to strike.
"I don't know what you are or how you did what you did. But I'm not going to let you get away with it!" Gebi launched himself at Kagome, and she quickly shoved Rin behind her. She brought the dagger before her, feet spread in a defensive stance.
"Sesshoumaru!" Rin's joyful voice rang throughout the cave, and everyone present froze. Gebi was within inches of striking, and Kagome was poised to attack.
In the entrance was the tall, handsome dog demon with piercing golden eyes and long white hair. His sword was drawn, and a few drops of blood made their way down to the glistening tip. The light from the midday sun surrounded him, casting a halo of light all around him. His presence commanded the attention of all present. For a moment Kagome thought it was Inuyasha come to rescue her as always.
With a speed that left Kagome bewildered, Gebi was past her and clutching Rin by the throat. He backed up against the cave wall.
"Stay back, or I kill her!," Gebi yelled, voice quaking. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, and suddenly the tension in the cave was horribly thick.
"You are not worth my time. Your attempts to lure me into a poorly constructed trap did not succeed. Now, you die." Sesshoumaru leapt forward, and to Kagome's eyes became a blur.
"Maybe later!," Gebi yelled, and jumped backward. An entrance suddenly appeared and swallowed him and Rin before disappearing an instant later. Sesshoumaru landed gracefully before a blank wall, and slowly sheathed his sword. His eyes wandered over the smoothness of what had been a door, if only for a split second. Jaken came running into the cave at that moment, staff held before him as he took in the situation.
Kagome ran to the wall past Sesshoumaru, ignoring his heavy glance on her back as she searched desperately for the way in. Finding none, she turned to face the demon lord. "We have to save her!," Kagome said desperately. Sesshoumaru watched her calmly.
"Show some emotion, for the love of God!," Kagome snapped. Sesshoumaru considered her before brushing a strand of hair from her face. She reddened, and would have stepped back if she were not already against the cave wall. "Wh-what are you doing?," she stammered.
"You were bleeding, and it is still on your face. There is no wound. And I see your leg is no longer broken," Sesshoumaru said quietly. Kagome swallowed, and her heart began to slow back down. The way he had looked her, she was sure… No way, she thought to herself. There's no way he would be worried about me.
"I don't know what happened. He was about to kill me, and the next thing I knew he was flying through the air. But it doesn't matter. He has Rin, and we have to go find her!" Kagome cursed herself when she heard her voice beginning to break.
"He has taken her somewhere inside the mountain. I will have to search for another entrance. There is no need for you to come." Sesshoumaru turned away.
"No! I'm going with you!" Kagome said to the demon lord's back. He continued to walk away. Kagome scowled, then hurried after him. She carefully slipped the dagger into her clothes.
Jaken followed after Kagome. "Nobody ever tells me what's going on," he said with a sigh.
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Well, I made this one quite a bit longer than usual to make up for taking so long to update. Thank you so much for all the great reviews! Hope you all liked the long chapter.