Chapter 6.
It had been 6 days since Kagome had left the group and they had returned to Kaede's village with Inu Yasha on Kirara's back to wait for her to return from her home in the future. The first 3 days Inu Yasha hadn't been able to move because of all those sit commands, that had thrown his back out that Kagome had given him before she had left for the hot spring and after that it had been 2 days that he had been in a foul mood cursing and pouted over how unfair Kagome had been and he had refused to listen to the rest of the group when they had told him to go and get Kagome back and while he was at it apologize to her as well. But on the sixth day even he had admitted that he needed to apologize to her after Sango had pointed out how hurtful his words had been to her and that he was a sorry excuse of a man if he couldn't see that himself by now.
Inu Yasha ran through the forest to the bone eaters well and landed a few feet from it when something cought his attention and he started to sniff the air around the clearing and his eyes widened a little in worry. Kagome's scent was too weak. Inu Yasha walked to the well and sniffed it and confirmed it once more, since this well was how Kagome traveled between this time and her home in the future her scent always lingered by the well but everytime she used it the scent would be much stronger than it was right now even if it had been 6 days since she had left her scent should still not be this weak. Inu Yasha swallowed the lump in his throat and jumped down through the well and hoped he was wrong and that he was just over thinking things and that Kagome was at home with her family. The blue energy enveloped him and he landed on the bottom and he looked up and saw the well house's ceiling and jumped up and walked up the stairs towards the door and walked out of the small house and walked to Kagomes house as he sniffed the air and his stomach turned in to a knot of pure worry as he ran to the door and opened it without knocking first. Kagome's scent was a little stronger here but it was too weak even here. He ran to the kitchen and saw Kagome's family sitting by the table eating an early lunch, they all looked up at him with surprise in their eyes, Kagome was not with them and his eyes met that of Kagome's mother, Sakura looked at Inu Yasha and saw the worry in his face and put down her chop sticks and stood up from her chair and walked to him.
"Inu Yasha, what's wrong? Where is Kagome?" She asked gently but the look of worry in his eyes had made her worried aswell. Inu Yasha's white dog ears dropped until they lay flat against his equally white long hair, 'She really isn't here, Kagome is missing?!' Inu Yasha's thoughts started to panic but he forced himself to calm down and he looked at Sakura.
"I thought she was here, she left our pack 6 days ago after… we had a fight and she said she was going home." Inu Yasha said as he balled his fists and looked down in shame. Sakura's eyes widened and he grabbed Inu Yasha by his shoulders more worried than before
"Then where is she? Where is my baby girl? Have your enemy taken her?! Has this Naraku kidnapped my baby?!" Sakura half yelled in panic and fear, Kagome had told her a little bit about who they were figthing and from what Kagome had told her, this half demon Naraku was evil and cruel and had put many people, humans and demons alike through horrible thing and the thought of her daughter in his hands scared the older woman greatly.
Inu Yasha looked at Sakura and slowly shook his head and put his hands over hers that still hold his shoulders and squeezed them gently and looked in her eyes with a more calm and confident look and when he felt and smelled that she had calmed down a little he spoke
"If Naraku had Kagome we would have known it by now, don't worry Kagome is not with that monster, I'm sure. I… I don't know what has happened but I will find out where she is and who has taken her and I will bring her back to you safely, I promise."
Sakura looked at Inu Yasha and saw his determination in his eyes and slowly let go of his shoulders and nodded and walked back to her chair and sat down and then she looked back up at Inu Yasha, her eyes were cold and it made Souta and her father-in-law to look down at the table. They knew that a part of her blamed Inu Yasha for this and that she was very scared but also very mad and dissappointed at him for letting Kagome dissapear and that he hadn't come here sooner.
"Please Inu Yasha, bring my baby girl back safe to me. But remember, if any harm has come to her because of you I will never forgive you." Sakura said with a calm voice but it held a very dangerous tone in it that Inu Yasha picked up easily and he slowly nodded and rushed out of the house towards the well house, a part of him understood the older womans anger but a part of him had been angry aswell 'How the hell was I supposed to know that Kagome would be kidnapped?! We weren't far from the well when she left. I thought she would be safe but I can't blame Sakura for this. Kagome is her daughter. It's normal that a parent to be worried when something like this happens I guess.' Inu Yasha thought for himself as he jumped down the well once more and let the blue energy enveloped him again and as soon as he landed on the bottom of the well he jumped out of it and landed in the lush grass and started to run towards the village as fast as he could. He needed to tell his friends, his pack of Kagome being missing so they could go look for her, their first stop would probably be the hot spring where they had last seen Kagome walk off to.
When the Inutachi reached the hot spring they couldn't see any trace of Kagome, though that was not a surprise. Inu Yasha sniffed the air and could barely smell Kagome's scent but then he also smelled something else just as faint as Kagome's smell that made him growl in anger, graveyard soil. He now knew who it was that had kidnapped Kagome and he got worried over it, though he didn't show it and he looked at his friends who were staring at him with concern.
"Inu Yasha what is it? Do you know who has Kagome?" Sango asked and her face showed how worried she was over her best friend being gone. Miroku walked to Sango and put his hand reassuring on her shoulder and then looked at Inu Yasha. Shippo sat on Kirara's back and he sniffed the air and his eyes widened and he looked towards Inu Yasha as tears started to fill his eyes. Inu Yasha looked at them and let out an angry growl once more before he answered.
"I can smell the faint scent of Kagome… and it's intertwining with the smell of graveyards soil. The Band of Seven was here and they took Kagome…" Loud gasps came from Miroku and Sango as Shippo started to cry. Sango's eyes filled with tears and fear. While Miroku looked at Inu Yasha with a very calm but worried look in his eyes.
"She's with those ruthless killers?!" Sango exclaimed, her voice filled with worry for her best friend. Miroku looked at Sango and cleared his voice slightly before he said anything.
"Inu Yasha can you pick their scent so we can find them?" Inu Yasha looked at Sango and then to Miroku before he answered his question.
"I think so, their scent is very weak but if they are near here I should be able to find them, come on, let's go. We need to find them and save Kagome." Inu Yasha jumped up in the air and followed the faint smell into the forest. Sango and Miroku jumped up at Kirara's back and Sango took Shippo in her arms and hugged him and tried to console him while Kirara took to the air to follow Inu Yasha. Shippo hugged Sango but only cried harder, he hoped that nothing had happened to Kagome, she was like a mother to him and he didn't want to lose her.
After an hour Inu Yasha suddenly stopped and sniffed the air while Kirara landed a few feet away. Inu Yasha let out an angry and displeased growl and looked back at the rest of his friends and pack.
"Their scent is gone, it's too weak I can't sniff out where they have gone…" He said angry at himself for not be able to find the way those bastards went after they took Kagome.
"We have to keep looking Inu Yasha, who knows what those bastards are doing to Kagome!" Sango half yelled, she started to panic, Kagome had been captive for six days by the Band of Seven. Just the thought of what they could have done to her during these days while Sango and the rest thought that Kagome was back home in her time made her stomach curl up in painful knots. The Band of Seven could have tortured Kagome or worse they could have handed her over to Naraku by now. Sango's mind was in dissarray with all the things that could be happening to Kagome even in this moment and the thought of what those evil men could do to such a sweet, caring and innocent girl like Kagome made her heart hurt.
'No! I shouldn't think like that! But the thought of Kagome, all alone with those cold blooded monsters and that they might just force…' Sango's shook her head and forced her thoughts away deep into her mind and looked at Inu Yasha again. Waiting for him to say something.
"I know! I know that, Sango. We should… we should split up and cover more ground." Inu Yasha said and he could feel a lump in his throat and he swallowed slowly and looked at his friends waiting for them to say something. Miroku was the one that answered him.
"You're right, Inu Yasha. We'll meet back here when the sun starts to set. If we find anything we will signalize the other somehow. For me, Sango and Kirara we can use my sutras to create a light so you can see, Inu Yasha. You will take Shippo with you, Shippo can use his fox fire to alert us." Miroku said and Inu Yasha nodded in agreement and let Shippo jump on to his shoulder and turned and nodded when Miroku said to them to come back here to set up camp when the sun sets. After that he leaped up into the air and started to look for Kagome together with Shippo while Miroku, Sango and Kirara fly in the opposite direction to look for their missing friend.
The Inutachi came back when the sun started to set, neither of them had been able to find any clue to where Kagome could be and while they all helped to prepare camp all their thoughts and prayers where on Kagome and her wellbeing. Once they had started a fire and gotten something to eat Sango was able to put Shippo to sleep, she put him on a blanket together with Kirara who had stayed in her larger form so that she could keep both Shippo and her master warm during the night. Sango then return to her seat by the fire and looked into the flames, Miroku and Inu Yasha stared into the fire as well. All of them too deep into their own thoughts to know what to say, after what seem to be hours the silence was finally broken.
"I think we should go deeper into the forest, there could be, if we're lucky someone that lives here in the forest that just might know something or perhaps even seen Kagome and know where the Band of Seven hideout is. It's a long shot but we have to think positive right now." Miroku said and both Sango and Inu Yasha nodded, neither of them knew what else to say and after a while they all laid down to rest. Well everyone except Inu Yasha, he leaned back towards a tree with Tetsaiga on his arms, he closed his eyes but he never fell asleep. All he could think about was how scared Kagome must be and what he would do to those dead bastards once they find them. 'Don't worry, Kagome. We'll find and rescue you very soon, just stay alive until I can save you.' Inu Yasha thought to himself while he waited for the sun to rise up and marking the beginning of a new day, he sighed slightly. It was going to be a very long night for him.