Chapter 33: Under the Same Sky

Inuyasha sat next to the fire, eyes closed, leg twitching. "Keh! I feel like we're on a damn wild goose chase…The first guy said he didn't know, go ask this other guy. So we go halfway across the country to ask the second guy. He's not sure, go ask this other guy. The third guy tells us the exact same damn thing. If this fourth guy tells us the same thing, I'm gonna snap.

"Gomen ne. I had no clue things were gonna be this difficult." Ayame bowed her head sadly. "This fourth guy is a high member of the wolf clan, He should know something…He's also my uncle. If I had known he may have information I would have gone to him first."

Kouga held Ayame's shoulders trying to comfort her. "It's ok Ayame. We'll find her soon. I don't think Inuyasha would really let us rest anyway until we do." When he saw the smile that creased Ayame's lips it comforted him.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr… This month was felt like slow torture." Yelled an aggravated hanyou.

"Tell me about it." Kouga glared at Inuyasha insinuatingly.

*POW*

Without warning, Inuyasha punched Kouga square in the jaw. He loomed over the wolf growling viciously. "If you had a mate and had pups with her, you would be going a little crazy about now too." Inuyasha then downcast his face to the ground, shadowing his eyes under his bangs. He clenched his fist tightly as his arm then his whole body started to shake. He then spoke very quietly and shakily. "I will find her…no matter what." He turned and slowly walked away from the camp toward the nearby river.

Everyone watched him go and nobody said a word. They all knew that the fragile state the hanyou was in could possible cost them dearly. For 1 month they had been walking on egg shells, each day stepping lighter and lighter.

~*~

Inuyasha stood on the riverbank staring up at the night sky. "I can never see as many stars in the future…It's a shame… I hope Kagome is ok and not hurting…" A warm breeze drifted over him, stirring his hair up and across his face. He ignored the floating strands and stared up at the partially black moon. "It's almost the new moon. One more night…"



*RUSTLE*SNAP*RUSTLE*RUSTLE*

At the sound of someone trying to sneak through the bushes, Inuyasha spun around to stare cautiously at the tree line. "Who's there? Show yourself!" He rested his hand on Tetsusaiga, itching to release it.

*RUSTLE*RUSTLE*

~***~

"CHIISAI! WHERE ARE YOU?" Hitome ran around the shrine grounds franticly looking for her only granddaughter. "Chiisai! Come here! It's dinner time!" She continued to search until she saw Kenji and Akira sitting on the porch step. "Where…is your sister?"

"We don't know." Stated Akira.

"We were playing by the sacred tree when she went blank." Spoke Kenji.

"Blank?" asked their grandmother as she sat on the porch next to them.

"She stared up at the tree like she was seeing something but her eyes were…Lights are on but nobody is home." Akira told her.

"She then bolted toward the house. We tried to follow but she froze us in place. Even thought she's the runt she's more powerful then both of us. When we were able to move again we came to the house. We figured she was off pouting again." Kenji related the story to his grandmother.

Hitome stared around the shrine thinking. "Let's hope that's what she's doing." She then looked to Akira then o Kenji. "Well let's go eat!" She stood and escorted the two boy hanyou's inside, she turned before entering herself. "HURRY CHIISAI OR YOU"LL MISS DINNER!" She yelled then closed the door behind her.

~***~

Kagome sat on a garden bench watching Hoku play amongst the bamboo and reeds of the pond. Out of no where Chiisai leapt from the reeds into the pond, splashing and soaking Hoku. Hoku then started to splash water back at Chiisai. They continued to play as a dark shadow fell over them.

Hoku turned on the shadow, growling viciously. He pulled Chiisai behind him protectively and tried to face down the shadow that was starting to take form.

Kagome hollered at the children but no sound came out. She tried to run to them but her legs wouldn't move. She could only watch in horror as the shadowed being developed eight legs and an enormous abdomen. 'NARAKU!?' She tried again and again to yell at the two frightened children, but nothing. Kagome watched horrified as Naraku lifted his arm to strike the kids. "NO DON"T! NARAKU NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Kagome….Kagome…wake up. Your having a nightmare." A young servant girl of about 12 gently shook Kagome's shoulder. "Please wake up."

"Huhhh……" Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her eyes darted franticly around the room, looking for any signs of danger. Her eyes then fell on the small dark haired girl next to her. She saw the worry in her eyes and she knew why. For the last few nights, Kagome had been having the same dream. Screaming in the middle of the night, waking almost everyone. Kagome smiled at the pig tailed girl that had just woken her up. "It's ok Yayoi, I'm fine now. You can go back to sleep now."

"Kagome…Have you told Lady Shiori about your dreams? She may be able to help." Suggested Yayoi with large pleading eyes.

Kagome shook her head and tried to bury herself under her blankets. "I'll talk to her tomorrow ok…Now go back to sleep. I'm fine now, really." She watched Yayoi nod with a smile then return to her bed on the opposite side of Kagome in the servant's quarters.

'Was that really a dream? Or was it a vision...' Kagome thought to herself. 'If it is a vision…does it mean Hoku and Chiisai are bonded…But does it also have something to do with Naraku, if so, what?' Kagome tried desperately to go back to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes the terrified eyes of Hoku and Chiisai stared back at her. After failing to sleep after an hour she gave up and left the servant's quarters. She walked over and sat on a bench in the garden. She sat staring up at the vast amount of stars shining in the dark night sky. Kagome wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly, not for warmth but for comfort. 'Inuyasha, what's taking you so long…Am I really that hard to find?!' Kagome watched as a sliver of moon topped the garden wall. "Tomorrow is the new moon… A little over a month since I was taken from you. Please don't let another new moon pass while we're apart. Onegai!"

"Kagome-sensei?"

The quiet whispering of her name startled Kagome and she automatically jumped to defend. Drowsy blue-gray eyes stared up at her. Upon seeing the boy she let her guard down and returned to the bench. "Couldn't sleep?" She saw the boy nod despite the darkness of the night. "Me neither. I had a bad dream."

The little boy slowly walked over and sat down on the bench next to Kagome. "What was your dream about? It will make you feel better if you talk about it…Oka-sama says that all the time."

Kagome smiled at the thoughtful boy next to her. "Your mother is very right too! I dreamed that you and Chiisai were playing when an evil man appeared to hurt you two. I tried to help but my body was frozen and I couldn't move. He was about to strike when I was woken up." She shuddered and looked toward the pond in front of her.

"Who's Chiisai?" asked Hoku. He was staring up at Kagome with interested eyes.

"Chiisai is my daughter. She's about two years younger than you."

Hoku closed his eyes tightly, stuck out his tongue and shook his head. "A girl. Ewwwwwwww, Why would I be playing with a girl?!"

Kagome fought back a laugh at the boy's actions. "Hey I'm a girl, so is your mother, and are we both ewwww too?"

He looked up at Kagome surprised by her words. "Well no, but, but, your different, your adults."

She giggled quietly at Hoku's answer. "You may think girls are gross right now, but soon you'll be thinking differently… Maybe you just haven't met the right girl yet." Kagome merely smiled when a confused and inquisitive look crossed the boy's face. "I'll explain when you're older. Now you should get to bed. Oyasumi!"

Hoku leapt from the bench and bowed to Kagome. "Oyasumi nasai Kagome-sensei." He then ran off toward the house.

~******~