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Come little children
I'll take thee away
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"And you said your mother is trapped in here?" Kagome asked wearily as she followed the small ebony haired boy through the obviously abandoned palace. Inuyasha too seemed to be on high alert and was glaring at the back of the child's small head like he expected a demon to sprout from it at any moment. Their footsteps echoed on the rotted wooden floorboards which must have once been aesthetically pleasing. Expensive just like everything else here appeared to be but the stillness sent shivers down the miko's spine.
"What, um, what were you two doing in here?" Kagome managed shakily as the boy jumped down out of a partially collapsed wall onto the dirt and headed towards what must have been a small moat at some point. Now it was so congested with algae and stones by the looks of it that someone could just right over the water and not sink. Dark, onyx colored clouds rolled across the night sky making this dreary place somehow more ominous. It was impossible to make out all the shadows although Kagome was sure Inuyasha was having no problem. If it wasn't for the small bridge she would've assumed it was solid ground but now that she'd put two and two together, she could make out the subtle rippling of what little water was left.
Then, the clouds parted and the moon became visible. A full moon, large and beautiful, illuminating everything in its silver glow. Which surprisingly made everything worse. Something terrible has happened here. Broken weapons littered the ground as did white washed bones and fragments of long faded clothing. Something wasn't right here. Inuyasha was going to have an 'I told you so' field day with this one.
"Hiding," the boy answered softly as he glanced around and made a small sound of understanding, "Come on. This way."
Inuyasha snorted and glanced around as he continued following the assholes who forced him here. This place felt eerily familiar but he wasn't quite sure why. Then again his era wasn't exactly creative in their architecture. Maybe they'd been to another just like it before.
"From who? No ones here."
The distant sound of water dripping onto stone echoed in the suddenly dense air filled only with the sound of gravel underfoot. No one must have lived here in decades. Maybe even longer. The battle probably killed most and the rest fled for their lives if Inuyasha had to guess.
"She's through there," the boy answered evasively as he pointed at a small dilapidated gate barely hanging off ira hinges, "She's in the garden."
Casting a worried glance at her half-demon companion Kagome cleared her throat as her hand raised to twitch just over her bow.
"I don't smell anyone," Inuyasha huffed as he met Kagome's eyes and nodded. Before either could react a howling wind blew through the open courtyard knocking all three visitors straight through the entryway. The first sign that something was wrong, other than the obvious unnatural wind and the child who led them here, was that Inuyasha skid into one of many open entryways and appeared seconds later through an unrelated one.
"Oh hell no," Inuyasha cursed softly as anger filled amber eyes began darting around what was once a very peaceful secluded garden but was now overgrown and half-dead. Long bluish-gray garlands of filament draped among the bald tree branches swaying gently in the aftershocks of the fierce wind. While its dull coloring made it look dead at first glance, its scent made it clear that whatever this overgrowth happened to be was alive. That being said, other than the unnervingly long beard like strands brushing the ground, the only other things alive were the weeds. Five faded crimson archways adorned the weathered stone that had definitely seen better says and looked on the verge of collapse. It was attractive in a haunting, sad type of way but what it waslacking was one small ebony haired boy.
"Where'd that brat go? Imma kill him," Inuyasha cursed softly as he marched to yet another door and appeared comically from another. Going back into the door from whence you came, scaling the wall, and busting down a wall to charge through all had the same effect, and no amount of swear words made a lick of difference.
"Inuyasha, he was probably a fox," Kagome tried and failed to calm the half-demon who was so pissed the faintest jagged lines could be seen on his cheeks, "I'm sure it's just another examination and in the morning we'll be able to leave. They're just trying to scare us or get points. Just calm down. At least it's pretty."
"Do I look like if i care if this stupid garden is pretty?!" Inuyasha snarled as he charged through yet another doorframe and walked out three door frames over, "Oooh when I catch that little shit..."
"Okay but it is kinda funny though," Kagome admitted with an amused hum as she headed towards a door and paused once for effect, "You step in one side and..."
She vanished as Inuyasha rolled his eyes and eyed the five other entry points wondering which one she'd pop out of. Time seemed to slow down and then stop completely when she didn't reappear.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha called out as he spun around in a dead panic, "KAGOME?! Wait shit which...which one did she go in? Which...this one...it was this one..."
Taking a few steadying breaths, Inuyasha charged through the door and emerged from one directly across from it - his anxiety erupting into full blown terror.
"KAGOME?! This isn't funny wench! Where are you?!"