A/N: I'm sorry for being late. I didn't finish this last night, but I'm only one day later than I wanted (so improvement on the time I normally take when I'm delayed). Anyway thank you all so much for the lovely comments! they made me so very happy and I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story.
I will be checking this story the upcoming few days for mistakes and deleted paragraphs (which I definitely did miss, because that's very much something I would miss), but don't worry, I'm not planning on stopping to write the next chapters.
InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takashi.
o.O.o
Chapter Ten, Taken
'If you don't practice you don't deserve to win' — Andre Agassi
Sunlight flickered through the fluttering leaves and the trees whispered in the soft breeze. The group had travelled far the past two weeks, through tall leagues of grass, past beautiful waterfalls and past glittering caves. Chiharu and her older sister had travelled home and Chiharu had finally seen her mother, Grandfather and brother again. Passing through the Bone-Eater's Well had been weird.
Going through a haze of a brilliant purple light Chiharu had suddenly found herself standing in their family shrine again. Looking up, she intertwined her fingers together and carefully peered up at her wooden ceiling. Kagome had appeared next to her and had smiled. "You're going to be all right."
"Yes," Chiharu nodded. She knew that and she had said so. "I know."
When their mother's face appeared above them, peering over the edge of the well, Chiharu swallowed excitedly. She hadn't seen her mother in weeks, in months and seeing her then, she wanted to never leave again.
"Chiharu?"
"Mama!"
Her fingers found the first rung and started to climb up the ladder before heaving herself over the lid of the well. She slipped in her haste to get to her mother and wrapped both arms around her.
"I missed you so much!"
"My baby!"
Her mother's hug had been crushing, but Chiharu had returned it fully. She had missed her mother so much. Her Grandfather had stuttered about dangers and special seals and her mother cooked Udon to celebrate that both her daughters had returned home. Of course with the Shikon No Tama still shattered over Japan, that wasn't an option and after a few days both Chiharu and Kagome travelled through the well back to Sengoku-jidai.
"Oi wench!" Inuyasha yelled, suddenly appearing in front of her and pushing her out of the tree. She yelped, slipping before slamming into the forest-floor.
"Inuyasha!"
"Ye were not keeping your eyes on your opponent. Always keep your eyes on your opponent." He told her and she slowly got up to her feet.
"You're an arse." She mumbled, rolling her shoulders.
"You should try to keep up."
"You're a huge arse."
She kicked her stick up in her hands and held it steady with two hands. All morning they had been working on her reflexes. Honing her senses and kicking her feet out from under her for sport. Inuyasha was petty when being a teacher, but at the same time he flourished in it. At first Inuyasha had decided they would work on hand-on-hand combat, but after returning to camp with a broken wrist and a large gash on her shoulder he had come back from that idea. Kagome had sat the hanyō almost straight to America and in retaliation Inuyasha tried to hit her now below the belt so to speak. He was petty like that.
As he charged she successfully evaded him and drove the wooden stick between his shoulder-blades. He landed on the forest-floor with a gruff and she smiled.
"Finally," she mumbled, pressing her back against a tree and holding the stick out in front of her.
Chiharu straightened her tank-top — Inuyasha had actually made a fuss when she'd asked her sister if she could borrow one of those, claiming they were indecent, while after five minutes he had removed his own haori and kosode when she had childishly pushed him in the water — and watched him appraisingly.
She was getting better at fighting. Every morning, she didn't think she could wish for a better biological clock, she woke up at five am and practiced her archery for an hour. She had, once or twice, tried to get her older sister to come with her, but Kagome wasn't a morning person. After that she nagged Inuyasha until he agreed to spar with her another hour. She tried as hard as she could to get the basics down and instead of letting her senses overpower her, she was actually learning how to lean on them and fight with them.
No one said it out loud, but Chiharu knew that ever since their talk at the Hot spring her friends and even her sister worried about her 'so-called corruption'. True, when she fought yōkai harassing villages sometimes things did get out of hand, but Chiharu believed that had more to do with ignorance of fighting and controlling those powers than it had to do with a corruption. Still, better safe than sorry and she twirled on the ball of her feet to avoid getting whacked on the shoulder.
Her speed was growing. She had taken up jogging in the morning (not every morning), to built endurance, and after a couple of days, she stopped sounding like she'd run a marathon when she returned at camp.
"Oi,"
She barely avoided him when he launched at her and squeaked when she toppled backwards into the river (the same where she'd pushed Inuyasha into only twenty minutes ago). When she came up, gasping for air, Inuyasha stood at the river bank, arms wrapped around his middle, letting out a bark of a laugh. She glared. There would be a time where she would get back at him for this.
Inuyasha and Chiharu sparred until both were breathing hard. When the afternoon came, the sun going west and the long yellow beams disappeared behind the tall copse of trees, they returned to the campsite. The wind picked up and in the distance Kagome's and Miroku's voices rose when they returned to camp. It took only one more hour for the sun to completely disappear and the moon rode slowly above the mist that veiled the trees. The birds quieted.
"So how was training?" Sango asked. The older Taijiya had shown Chiharu some of the easier moves a few days ago and the young Miko smiled.
"Not bad," she answered, "Inuyasha is an arse though."
"Feh, it's not my fault you learn slow." He told her tartly. "Even if you're a girl, I ain't going easy on you!"
"Hm, doesn't mean you have to act like an arse…"
Their banter continued lightly, none of them serious as Kagome cooked ramen ('Again?' Shippou muttered under his breath). Sango sharpened her knifes, leaning back against one of the trees and Miroku ran his fingers over his right hand. His cursed hand. As Kagome served them a portion of dinner Inuyasha suddenly shot up and Chiharu smelled it only a few seconds later. The metallic scent of blood. And it was strong, coming from the Northern village.
"Blood!" Inuyasha hissed.
"What?" Kagome almost dropped her pan out of her hands and stared at Inuyasha as if he'd grown a second head.
"A lot of it!"
Sango was on her feet, her great boomeranbone already slung over her shoulder and her slayers outfit on again. Kagome shouldered the large yellow backpack and Inuyasha, annoyed expression on his face, broke off the protruding stem off his branch and grumbled. Chiharu rubbed her hands together and tightened the strings of her quiver on her back. She had hoped for a quiet night without interruptions, but as the scent grew stronger she sighed softly.
"Well, let's go!" Kagome demanded and they were on their way.
Disgust and horror sapped the blood from her face when they stepped through the thick foliage. The village was deserted of life. The wooden huts shattered by some invisible force, doors hanging on a few threads of hinges, the occasional window was still in possession of its glass, but most were devoid of them, the transparent material shattered on the sandy ground.
Blood covered the floor and Chiharu repressed a shudder as she noticed the severed arm, still twitching. It was covered in a layer of blood, the arm recently cut off; veins spilling out of it. The fires had dwindled low and even more bodies, some decapitated and some still in one piece, but with large holes, rips and gashes covering their bodies. It was gruesome to look at.
Chiharu slowly followed after Inuyasha, Sango walking next to her. The village seemed to be dipped into a blanket of silence. The horrendous picture the destruction of the town created an almost melancholy, haunting ghost town. Chiharu felt jittery, peering at dark droplets of blood that created a path away from her. Probably someone who had tried to flee, but, she peered at the arm again, she was sure the person hadn't gotten far. It must have been yōkai considering the extent of the damage that had happened to the humans, while the chickens, horses and even a few cows had been left completely untouched.
"This way!" Inuyasha quickened his pace and soon they found themselves crossing the market place towards the other end of the village towards the forest. The trees here were less high and several were aged. Despite the aged and bleached wood, the trail of blood was easily recognisable. The splatters were well spaced apart and Chiharu suddenly stopped.
"Something is moving our way."
"Shit," Inuyasha whispered. "I smell wolf!"
"Wolf?"
"You know how canines smell?" He peered over his shoulder, fingers already tightly wrapped around the hilt of his katana.
"Yes," she slowly answered inhaling deeply, "I see what you mean."
"What does he mean?" Kagome asked, but Sango had already released her boomerangbone. As a wolf jumped out from the bushes, the large boomerang cut through its body cleanly. As the large weapon bounded back she caught it, rotating on her feet and landing deftly. It had always amazed her, how Sango was capable to use such a large heavy weapon. More wolves came and soon they found themselves surrounded by wolves. Their beaks covered in blood from tearing into the humans back at the village.
Kagome shivered. Chiharu felt it too. There was a vague feeling of the presence of Shikon shards deeper into the forest. "Shikon shards," Kagome whispered. Inuyasha growled glaring at the wolves.
"They're just normal wolves." He told the group. He cracked his knuckles and swept at the wolves, killing them immediately. The surviving wolves were startled and frightened by the sudden turn of tables and retreated from the group. As they disappeared through the foliage and howled loudly. The sound shrill and making the hairs on her arms and legs stand up on end.
"Are they calling for the rest of their pack?" Kagome asked, eyebrows raised.
Chiharu shrugged and then stiffened again, because someone with Shikon shards, was quickly approaching them. A young man, obviously yōkai, bustled through the bushes. He had blue eyes and his dark hair was tied up into a ponytail. He wore a wolf fur head band, a brown wolf pelt as a loin cloth, while a katana hung at his hip. A silver and black cuirass protecting his torso. Chiharu's eyes widened a bit when she noticed the wolf's tail swishing behind his back.
"You killed my wolves!" he snarled and Chiharu cocked her head to the side.
"They attacked us, what did you expect?"
"I'm not talking to you, girl." He snapped haughtily, his eyes only once flickered towards her face and fixed on Inuyasha again. His nose wrinkling. "You killed my wolves, I'll never forgive you."
Inuyasha snarled. "They killed who knows how many innocent people, you bastard!"
"So, because of that my wolves should starve to death, then? I was just letting them feed, you mutt!"
Inuyasha looked taken aback, twitching at the insult and suddenly they were swiping at each other. Both boys, because honestly both didn't look even a day older than fifteen, were circling around, Inuyasha swinging Tetsusaiga and the wolf-yōkai — claiming he was named Kōga — moved impossible fast.
The wolf-yōkai jumped up impossible high, easily evading Inuyasha and sent Inuyasha flying back several metres.
"Watch out, Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. "This wolf-yōkai has Shikon shards in both his calves."
Inuyasha gave her an annoyed look, brushing dust and dirt from his cheek. "Couldn't you have mentioned that before, wench?" he snapped before glaring at the wolf again. "So that's why you're so powerful, and here I was thinking you were really strong. Pah!"
The wolf-yōkai suddenly came Kagome's way and Chiharu stepped in the way, sweeping at him with her bow, before pushing as much mystical power into her hands, curled her fingers and swept them at him as claws. He evaded her as well, his face suddenly close to hers. With his youki strengthening her, she caught his wrist before punching him straight in the face. The wolf-yōkai slammed in the ground and Inuyasha howled.
"Don't you fucking touch her!" Inuyasha snarled, bringing the Tetsusaiga down harshly. The man, the wolf-yōkai, moved aside, his Shikon shards strengthening his speed and suddenly claws struck Inuyasha in his chest.
Kagome screamed, clapping her hands over her mouth as blood spurt out of his chest and Inuyasha growled, blood oozing out from the gash and out between his fingers and he slowly sank back to one knee. She moved as fast as she could, her fist connecting loudly with the wolf-yōkai's face and sent him flying. It made her knuckles tingle and she shook her hand out.
His face turned an ugly red the two boys were charging at each other again. Just as Inuyasha had pushed Kōga away Inuyasha stood back, a determined line suddenly appearing on his face. Kōga was charging at him and suddenly Chiharu noticed something strange flickering between Inuyasha and Kōga. And the wolf-yōkai picked up on it as well and suddenly leapt backwards, running in the direction he came from.
"Something odd is going on, retreat my children!" he cried and the wolves disappeared into the foliage as well.
"What the—" Kagome started and Chiharu nodded dazedly.
"That fucking runt!" Inuyasha snarled. "He ran away with the Shikon shards!"
"I'm surprised he ran at all!" Chiharu mentioned before looking at Sango. "What do you know about the wolf-yōkai clan?"
"Bits and pieces," Sango answered, "nothing from personal experience. Although I know that, even though they take on a human form, they are just as feral as the wolves they can control."
"I see,"
Inuyasha sat back on his haunches and regarded the forest path carefully. Sango slung her boomerangbone over her shoulder and Chiharu took Kagome's rucksack from Kagome's arms. "Well then, let's go!" she said and Inuyasha slowly nodded.
He was on all fours the next moment and sniffed at the forest-floor. "I'll follow the wolves' scent and definitely get hold of that flee-bitten jerk!"
Any other time Chiharu might have been amused at the way Inuyasha moved forward, crawling on hands and knees while following the wolves' scent.
In the distance she heard the pack howl and the further they travelled, the stronger the scent became, yet it was dark and difficult seeing much in front of you. A curtain of large, dark, grey clouds had settled in the sky above the West, lightning flickering among the tops of the hills further down the forest path. The wind played with locks of her hair and Chiharu pulled her hair back into a ponytail. They traveled further into the darkened forest, the path muddy and the torches barely giving enough light into the darkness. They passed more villages, at least two more had been massacred by the wolves, the wooden huts dark and devoid of any lights and as they travelled Inuyasha grew angrier and angrier.
They travelled until the sun started to rise and beams of sunlight shone brightly through the fleeting clouds. They had started to cross a low valley, following the twisting of a river upwards and further up a path. The higher they started up, the stronger the tingle of the Shikon shards became.
When the afternoon started, the sun high in the sky, surrounded by dark clouds. The trees were grey and menacing while a shadow of a mist had surrounded them. Kagome had grown tired, Inuyasha helping her on his back and carrying further up the mountain. There was a rush of water hurrying down among the stones, wetting Chiharu's feet and she rubbed her hands together to warm herself a bit.
Sango rode Kirara, Miroku on her back, holding onto her waist. He seemed as pleased as he was worried. Something sinister was in the air and as they slipped over crooked stones and the scent of wolves suddenly got stronger. The mountain twisted into the air, the grass and foliage thinning. At their right side a sheer drop and below pine trees with sharp pines and large boulders were staring up at them, if one of them were to fall.
The ground had become sandier and in the yellowish sand Chiharu noticed fresh paw prints, overlapping the older ones. As Kirara and Inuyasha speeded up, she bend down to take a better and closer look. There were different marks too. Older, below the deep grooves, large and straight stripes, three centimetres of width each, ran through the weathered rock.
"What are those?"
"Chiharu!" Inuyasha had skidded to a halt — Kagome holding onto his neck as if her life depended on it — and turned to look over his shoulder. "What are you stopping for, stupid girl? They are close, I smell that guy's wolf-underlings!"
Chiharu nodded, noticing the smell getting stronger as well and quickly got to her feet. "Roger,"
She speeded up and almost immediately slowed her pace when suddenly furry animals came closer. At first they were no more than silhouettes, but their growling was carried to them. It was almost as if they communicated with barks and grunts. Inuyasha charged immediately and just as he was about to reach the wolves further up the road they were greeted by a veritable cascade of wolves descending down the mountain. Kagome shrieked as the wolves surrounded them and Chiharu jumped, lunged and swept but she couldn't prevent the wolves from coming down onto them. A terrible growl rocked Chiharu's body and suddenly Inuyasha and her sister were pushed off the cliff, wolves hanging on his arms and jaws clamped down onto his legs.
Chiharu quickened her pace, arrow already notched, but she could never hit all six of them. In the distance a smallish tornado appeared. It rapidly grew in size and suddenly Chiharu felt the full force of the Shikon shards when Kōga of the wolf-yōkai clan suddenly jumped through the rocks. His speed was superior to theirs and as Chiharu skidded off the cliff as well, the wolf-yōkai caught the falling form of Kagome.
Kagome cried loudly, thrown over Kōga's shoulder as he disappeared in the same smallish tornado. Leaving Inuyasha falling down the cliff and the others far behind them as the Wolf-master jumped up the cliff and moved farther and farther away. The boy was practically flying, the Shikon shards in his legs aiding his escape path and Chiharu screamed. The hostile magic that laid dormant most of the time swept around her and the wolves still surrounding them scurried back from the small female.
She perched to follow after them, but Miroku wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her back.
"Don't Chiharu-sama!" He gasped, and nearly elbowed his teeth out. "We have to find Inuyasha first. You can't go after them alone!"
"Hell, I can!"
"Please," Sango interjected, "We don't know what's out there!"
Chiharu breathed hard and slowly her anger lessened. Sango was right. She shook her head, embarrassed by her temper tantrum and followed her friends down the mountain. The branches broke as they stepped out into an open clearing. Inuyasha was sitting back on his haunches surrounded by dead wolf parts and a large amount of feathers.
"Fuck!"
"What did you do when you fell down?" Chiharu asked, pushing her panic away. "Did you land on a huge pigeon or something?"
"No, this was already like this." He muttered, Kirara jumping down on a huge wing, tearing it further apart and Chiharu was reminded that, yōkai or not, she still was a big cat.
"We have to find her."
"And then I'll kill that tosser."
"You have my blessing!"
Night closed around them and the sky had grown utterly dark. The breeze gently lifted her hair, ruffling the leaves and disturbing the still water beside them. The leaves were falling from the trees and the air had gained a certain chill to it. Chiharu had noticed her breath escaping her in small clouds of steam, but she wasn't faced. Inuyasha led the way, once again starting through a forest.
Every part of her wanted to panic at the disappearance of her sister and after cleaning her face and Miroku helping Sango put a bandage on her cheek they were on their way again. Small creatures of the forest, birds and squirrels, were scuttling around them. Their presence was normally comforting but now Chiharu only felt the horrible awareness that her sister might not even be alive anymore. Inuyasha was oddly silent as they tracked over the rocky mountains and the sky was slowly starting to darken, a patchwork of fluffy grey clouds and red and orange colours. As the sun sunk lower the cloud-bed became thicker. They found themselves travelling through a strong rain, the wind seeming to be preparing to start a storm.
"Their scent," Chiharu whispered panicky, the rain was quickly erasing the scent of both her sister and the master of the wolf yōkai clan. A large flash suddenly came from the clouds, and several seconds later the crash of thunder followed. She flinched and tried to find the scent again, but shook her head. "I can't smell them anymore."
"Inuyasha!" it was Sango, keeping herself close to her fire-cat companion.
"Inuyasha!" she started again, when the Hanyō ignored her first call. He turned around angrily his face flushed with anger and another flash of lightning shot through the sky.
"What?"
"We have to stop." She told him urgently. "We need to find cover for tonight."
Inuyasha cursed loudly, kicking at a tree. The force of the kick brought the tree down and the ground trembled from the impact of the hit. "He has her!"
Chiharu nodded, but forced her eyes to close and take a breath. "Yes, and I'm sure it is because of the capability to sense Shikon shards that he wanted her."
Miroku nodded, the air behind him growing dark as the upcoming storm moved closer towards them. Lightning struck the ground mere metres from them and everyone flinched. "Sango-sama is right, we need to find somewhere to pass the storm. Inuyasha reluctantly nodded and slowly they started to look for somewhere to seek shelter.
To be continued…