Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 8:

Increasing Anxiety

Shippou couldn't believe it. How could he not realise that the Inuyasha just now was a fake? Now that he thought about it, he did notice Inuyasha's lack of scent, but figured it wasn't a big deal. If he knew something like this was possible, which was making a puppet that imitates someone, he would've commented about Inuyasha's scent the moment the hanyou and the others returned.

Miroku sat on his haunches and inspected the wooden doll that was now lying on the floor. He used the end of his staff to poke the thing, before lifting the doll up and made closer inspection. He tilted the doll and found blood on one of the doll's limb. He tilted the thing again, and noticed four strands of silver hair—which undoubtedly belonged to Inuyasha—attached on top of the doll's head.

"Shippou, can you make out whose blood is this?" Miroku asked, his head turning to the kitsune.

Shippou nodded silently and approached the doll. He bent down and took a few sniffs of the blood. His eyes widened and he looked up to Miroku—his face a mixture of shock and fear. "It's Inuyasha's."

"Damn," Miroku said and ran a hand through his dark hair.

He had heard about the ability to make an imitation of someone with a puppet. If only he remembered about it earlier, he would've mentioned it by now. He was aware that making these weren't an easy task, but he should've known it was possible, since the puppeteer who attacked Inuyasha was a skilled one.

"Houshi-sama," Sango said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "If Inuyasha just now was a puppet, then could it be—"

"Yes," he cut her off, and said, "Inuyasha might probably still be in the forest. Either that, or he has been captured. I really do hope it isn't the latter."

"Then let's look for him," Sango said, standing up and fetching her Hiraikotsu. "Kirara."

Kirara immediately heard the signal and transformed into her large fire cat form. She let out a growl and waited for Sango to get ready for the search.

Shippou watched as Miroku and Sango prepare to head back to the forest. "Can I come too?"

"I don't see why not," Miroku answered.

Kagome tapped her finger impatiently on the desk. She had been trying to study after gaining some peace, but she was having this feeling that something happened back at the Sengoku Jidai. She threw a glance towards the well hidden under the wooden structure. She knew that Inuyasha would come back if something had happened, but also knew that Inuyasha tends to keep his promises. She shook her head to reassure herself. Inuyasha only promised to let her stay at the Mordern Era for four days, that doesn't mean he couldn't visit if something comes up. He would visit if there was an emergency... right?

At the back of her mind, her brain questioned; what if something happened to Inuyasha? That Waru guy was obviously aiming for him, and from the looks of it, it wasn't as if he had given up on Inuyasha. But, Sango and Miroku were there with Inuyasha. And... Inuyasha was one tough hanyou to defeat, so there was no way something bad had happened... even though her instincts were telling her to check on them.

Everything was fine.

...Right?

She let out a grunt, and at the same time, she wanted to throw her textbook out of the window. After finally having Souta out of her room, and Inuyasha wasn't here to bother her to head back, she should be focusing on her studies to pass her test. So why was it so hard to focus when the world was allowing her to? She gave another quick peek at where the well was at. Should she take a quick visit to the well just to calm herself?

She shook her head for the second time. No, Inuyasha and the others were fine. She was just being paranoid. She knew that they wouldn't head anywhere other than Kaede's village without her. And knowing Inuyasha, he was probably just waiting by the well for her to come back. Yeah... that was how things were going at the Sengoku Jidai... right?

She shook her head. She's just overthinking things!

Kagome laid her forehead on the surface of her desk. She needed some motivation to study, and surely, hers were lacking to the point of preventing her from doing so. She turned her head to the side and stared at the jewel shards inside the small vial she usually carries around. She balled her hands into fists, determined to get this over with. She had made a promise to Inuyasha that she would be back in four days because of this test, and she wouldn't disappoint him by failing it. She gripped the cover of her textbook and started flipping through the pages.

She was going to ace this test... and head back to Inuyasha!

It had been five days since Inuyasha went missing, and Kagome's return to the well. Each day, Sango and Miroku would head out to search for the missing hanyou. Though, they didn't go far, so that they would be able to return in time whenever Kagome decides to head back. They needed her in order to search for the hanyou. She could sense jewel shards, and if the enemy owns one, they might be lucky enough to cross paths with them and find their hanyou friend.

Both, Miroku and Sango, were starting to get restless when Kagome hasn't return yet. She was a day late, and they couldn't afford to delay their search any longer. The young miko promised to be back by yesterday, but when Kaede shook her head at their questioning gaze, they knew that she might return later than expected. They were baffled. They wanted to search for Inuyasha, but at the same time, they had to wait for Kagome in order to get an advantage. It was really frustrating.

"What if Inuyasha is dead by now?! We can't just sit here and wait!" Shippou cried as tears were streaming down his face. "We have to find him!"

"Shippou, we want to find Inuyasha as soon as possible too. But without Kagome-chan, and with no lead, we don't have a clue where he is," Sango tried to reassure the kitsune, but it only earned her a loud whimper. "Shippou..."

"I..." the kitsune sniffled. "I know that Inuyasha is strong, and... and... he is a bully sometimes. But... but... he takes care of me, and... even though he's loud and rude, I... I don't want him to die..."

"I know, I know," Sango cooed and sent a worried glance towards Miroku. Her face was focused on the monk, but her voice was directed to the kitsune, "I promise we'll find him."

Facing each other, Sango and Miroku could somehow read each other's minds. They knew they had to find the hanyou fast. They weren't sure what these people wanted with him, but their guess was that it wasn't something that does good to the world, nor towards the half-demon. They could only hope that the hanyou isn't dead by now, and is planning to escape from his captives. They knew Inuyasha was strong and wouldn't give up so easily. If he is beaten to the brink of death, then they could only hope for his demon side to protect him while they search for him. Of course, Inuyasha's demon side would be the last resort for his survival. They were actually relying more on Tessaiga to protect the hanyou.

Kaede pushed aside the noren and watched as the group were lying down miserably. She sighed internally. It had been days since anyone saw Inuyasha. When the hanyou went missing, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou quickly searched for him in the forest. Unfortunately, all they found were some drops of his blood. The worst part was that they couldn't track down which direction Inuyasha's captives went.

"Houshi-dono, Sango, are ye going to search for Inuyasha today?"

Sango looked at the old miko. "We'll start our search in a few more minutes."

Kaede let out a deep breath and slowly knelt on the ground, her bones cracking audibly. "Is there really no sign of Inuyasha?"

"Unfortunately, no," Miroku responded and frowned. "This proves to be very difficult. We have no idea where to search for him. We have a name, but after some questioning, it seems no one is familiar with it."

Kaede thought for a while. "Do ye think Naraku is involve?"

Sango and Miroku tensed at the name of the spider hanyou. The two of them exchanged looks, before facing Kaede. Judging by their looks, Kaede assumed that Naraku didn't cross their minds. She wasn't sure if he is involved, but something tells her that the spider hanyou might know a thing or two about Inuyasha's disappearance.

"It's been a while since Naraku has made an appearance," Miroku stated and glanced at Sango through the corner of his eye. "I believe it's possible that he may be involved with the disappearance of our hanyou friend."

"But didn't Kagome-chan said that the puppeteer's master is called Waru?" Sango commented.

"He may be the one ordering the child, but it's possible that Naraku is assisting him in other ways."

"Hmm... that's true."

Kirara, who was resting on the floor, got up abruptly. Her ears perked up and she mewed as if she was sensing something.

Sango gazed at her cat companion for a few moments in confusion. But then, her body shot up when she heard the all too familiar voice.

"Everyone, I'm back!"

Miroku was now standing too, and in sync, all of them turned their heads as Kagome appeared at the doorway. Her hands were on her knees, and she was struggling to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she stood straight up, her eyes roaming in search for a particular someone.

"Where's Inuyasha? Is he mad at me for being a day late?" Kagome said as she lowered her backpack from her shoulders. "I brought ramen for him as an apology. Jii-chan was sick, so I had to help Mama—"

"Kagome..."

Hearing the voice laced with sadness, Kagome paused her actions and looked down at the tiny kitsune. Shippou placed a hand on her leg, a sniffle audible. Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she bent down to inspect the kit a little more. She stroke the orange hair, noticing the tear stained cheeks. Her anxiety grew in her stomach, but she refused to panic.

"Shippou-chan, did Inuyasha do something to you while I was gone?" Kagome felt like that wasn't the problem, but she didn't want to imagine the worst that could've happened. "I promise you, I'll—"

"Kagome-chan, Inuyasha has been taken away."

Sango's voice was all Kagome needed to drop to her knees, her eyes widening in fear. So all the bad feeling she was getting was real then? She wasn't just overthinking things? But it couldn't be... Inuyasha was... Inuyasha was the difficult type to get captured. There was no way it could be that easy... right?

Images of the hanyou getting killed flashed inside her mind, but she pushed them away. "When did it happen?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"It happened on the day when you headed back," Miroku replied. "Kaede-sama said some of the villagers spotted some youkai roaming in the forest, so we decided to check it out."

Sango continued explaining the part where a thick layer of mist appeared. And she revealed about their return, including the part where they realised that Inuyasha was, well, not Inuyasha. Surprisingly, Kagome listened in silence, her face horrified yet determined. Once the taijiya finished explaining, Kagome stood up and reached for her bow that she left in the corner of Kaede's hut.

"Then we should start searching for Inuyasha then," Kagome said as she gathered her bow and arrows. "Is everyone okay with searching for him now?"

Sango and Miroku smiled at Kagome's determination. They nodded at the same time, and stood up in preparation to leave. They planned to head out a bit later, but now that Kagome was here, they see no reason to stall any longer. Even Shippou stopped crying and put on a brave face, claiming that Inuyasha wouldn't want to see him acting like a baby. Kaede observed as the group got ready, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Sesshoumaru was pissed.

No, pissed was an understatement. Furious would be the correct term.

For the past few days, ever since he had defeated the group of those six weak youkai, more had been appearing to fight him. With their weak attacks and bad strategy, he knew that this was some kind of distraction before the "boss" appears. Still, even though killing each youkai that stood in his way barely takes a minute to finish, he was annoyed that every time he defeats one, another one appears the next day. How much more youkai does he need to slay—to show this person that no matter what he sends—it'll be futile? Even if the person sends the "boss", he doubt that they would even win.

Moreover, he had been thinking whether he had heard the names given to him before. Jikiko, the puppeteer. Waru, the one responsible for this. And then Himitsu, the one that taught those lowly youkai how to create a barrier that suppresses his demonic energy. If Himitsu is capable of such thing, then he could assume that she is able to use magic—which means, she was a sorcerer.

He concentrated on the name Himitsu. He could've sworn he heard the name before, but he could barely recall where he had heard it. Himitsu the sorceress...

Then he remembered.

When Sesshoumaru halted, Jaken instantly fell silent. Sesshoumaru hadn't even realise that the toad was talking to him, but of course, the toad's words were far from his concern. Turning to face his retainer and ward, both Rin and Jaken noticed that he was looking at them. Rin got down from Ah-Un, and Jaken stepped closer to him, knowing that something on his mind needed to he spoken.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Is something the matter?" Jaken muttered, his tiny hands clutching at his staff.

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, before turning around. He decided that he didn't have to say it and should only make them follow. They would have to change courses and started heading for the village Inuyasha and that human miko were usually at. Even though he wasn't fond of the place, but that would be the safest location to leave Rin, and probably Jaken—if he proves to be a nuisance.

He mentally slapped himself for not remembering earlier. That sorceress Himitsu... how could he have forgotten? So far, he was aware that she was placed under a seal. If she is back in action, then there's no doubt that the others were too. The only thing that bothered him now was that he had never heard the name Waru and Jikiko before. But if a battle were to happen between them, losing wasn't an option to him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, where are we going?" Rin asked, her eyes looking up to the demon lord.

Jaken glanced around the direction they were heading. If his master refused to tell them where they were going, then he just had to search for the answer himself. Noticing the familiar-looking path, Jaken's eyes widened.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama! Why are we heading to that half-breed's village?" he asked. When the demon lord kept walking, he risked on asking again, "Sesshoumaru-sama...?"

"Silence, Jaken."

"Y-Yes, my lord!"

Rin, not grasping the words Jaken had said, asked, "Which village are we heading to, Jaken-sama?"

"We are heading to Sesshoumaru-sama's brother, a half-breed's, village," Jaken answered, annoyed.

Rin's mouth became a wide 'O' before she started humming. She had never met Sesshoumaru-sama's brother before, but she was curious to know how he looks like. Was he like Sesshoumaru-sama? Does he have long silver hair and pretty golden eyes too? A wide smile tugged at her lips. She was excited to see how her lord's brother looked like. She was eager to know his characteristics, for some weird reason.

Silently, Sesshoumaru kept walking as he heard Jaken and Rin talking. He despised having to leave his ward at that half-breed's village, but there was no place safe enough to keep Rin until this battle is over. He would not allow harm to fall upon Rin, and prevent his enemies from using her as an advantage.

The reason why he suddenly decided to change destinations would be a mystery to his ward and retainer, but not to him. After recollecting some memories, and knowing that Himitsu's seal had been broken, then it would be possible that his seal had been broken too. His mind focused solely on him. Is that the reason why they kept sending weak youkai after him? To keep him distracted before he appears? If his theory was correct, then sending Rin away is a good idea.

Sesshoumaru had battled him before. He was quite troublesome, and it surely wasn't a simple task to defeat him. But that had been hundreds of years ago. It would be foolish if they send him to fight him now. He had gained strength over time, meanwhile, he hasn't due to his seal. Unless... they had a plan to increase his power.

He sneered at the thought of having to fight him again.

Mouretsu, it seems we might face each other again, he thought bitterly as his claws threatened to glow green.

A/N: Sorry we didn't get to see what happened to our hanyou. But don't worry, we'll be seeing him in the next chapter.

- Replies -

meladi1: When does Inuyasha have manners lol. And wow, I have to admit, you're smart. I guess reading all those mystery stories allows you to predict easily, huh? Oh, and I hope Inuyasha is alright... I mean, I don't want something bad to happen to him...

yashayasha: Why thank you.