DISCLAIMER: Me no own.
¤¤ Thick Throaty Molasses ¤¤
¤ By: Telpelindewen ¤
¤¤ recap ¤¤.
Kohaku pranced back to the trailer excited that he had seen one of the girls from school he had been crushing on at the event. She had seen his exciting ride and his winning third place. He was on his way back to the trailer to deposit his winnings in the back of the truck seat. But when he approached the horse trailer he saw the door was ajar and some keys laying on the ground.
There was some grinding gravel and a sound of squealing breaks as a hunter green truck peeled out of the event lot and away from the competition. Kohaku recognized the truck and wondered why that man was in a hurry.
He picked up the keys and pocketed them after he shut the trailer door and headed back towards the event.
¤ Chapter Fifteen ¤
"Well howdy there Ms. Sango, and Mr. Miroku." Two gentlemanly cowboys walked up nearby where everyone was waiting to see what the judges were talking to Inuyasha about. Chip and Yuuhi were the names of the two ranch hands. They were from Macey's ranch, the place that Kaede often visited that elderly gentleman owner.
"Hey guys, how's it hanging? Heard from Kohaku you got yourselves a new ranch hand. Bet that makes Macey happy. He's still bummed that he lost Kouga to Sango's place." Kouga waved guilty from the sidelines a little ways away, he recognized his old pals from his other job.
"Yeah. He arrived a couple back. City slicker looking for work." Chip waved back with a snarky smile.
"Really?"
"Real creeper that one. He was chuckling all morning to himself about some none sense."
"He's never around either on his time off, but I've seen him wandering off towards the old Macey house across by the mountains." Chip piped in.
"That old shake? Why hasn't that been taken down yet."
"You know Mace, he keeps saying tomorrow." They all laughed and shook their heads. The two had a few more words regarding the competition and the events following and then started to walk off towards the event tents which held a plethora of baked goods.
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Inuyasha paniked. He ran back towards the initial group gathering where everyone had been cleaning up and looking after the horses. The judge officials had let him go agreeing to a form of complaint against the perpetrator, Naruaku. Inuyasha all but tore out his lungs running back as fast he possibly could. He saw Sango holding one of the larger bays as Miroku was cooling him off with a sponge.
They both looked up at his running approach, taking the running for some bad news, "What did the judges say Inu?" Miroku asked squeezing the water out of the sponge and onto the withers.
"Where.." he gasped, "Why don't I..." Inuyasha frantically looked around before managing to get the whole sentence out, "Where is Kagome?"
"She went to the trailer to get the sweat scraper." Sango didn't look too worried at all but stood up so quickly it spooked the bay in her hands when she saw the look on Inuyasha's face, wide eyed terror.
Miroku turned around annoyed and looked at the two of them, "What's going on?"
"How long ago?" Inuyasha demanded.
"What? Well I don't know probably..."
"SANGO! How long?" She looked a bit taken aback at his tone.
"Right after you got called to the judges tent I think. So about 15 minutes? Inuyasha, what's going on?" Sango gave the lead rope of the bay to Sesshoumaru who came up at the sudden commotion with Rin following behind.
Inuyasha didn't take any time to answer. Instead he took off again towards the parking lots near the far end of the field. Sango and Miroku called after him.
"What the heck is going on?" Rin asked, Sesshoumaru grunted.
"Sango, where are the truck keys? He might need those." Sesshoumaru stated. Nodding his head in the direction his brother ran off to.
"Oh, here, I got them for you." Kohaku took the keys out of his back pocket and dangled them in front of Sango's horrified face. He dropped his smile when he saw his sisters look of horror at the keys.
"What are you doing with those? I handed them off to Kagome." Kohaku looked confused at this statement.
"She must have dropped them. I just found them back at the trailer with the door open, but Kagome wasn't anywhere in site. That man though, from the neighbor ranch, the creeper I told you about, he took off like a bat out of hell."
"Shit. Miroku, I think Kagome's in trouble." She took off running in the same direction Inuyasha had. Miroku grabbed the other set of keys for the single truck and took off after Sango with Kouga and Sesshoumaru in tow.
"Rin, take care of everything until we find out what's going on ok?" Sesshoumaru kissed her head and took off catching up to the rest quickly with his ground covering strides.
Inuyasha was already scouring the area looking for Kagome. He bent down facing some obvious mud tracks recently made right behind their trailer.
He heard running and saw Sango and Miroku run up with Sesshoumaru and Kouga following.
"Then they can't have gotten too far. Give me the keys to the truck." He held out his hand to Sango who was panting slightly after just running up behind the boys.
"Yash, maybe we should wait for the police to help out. It could be dangero..."
"Sango, that fucking asshole of an ex has her! He was the one who tried to rat on me and get me in trouble long enough for her to get fucking kidnaped by him. Dammit, I was so stupid!"
"But didn't Kagome come from the big city? There's no way a city boy like that could know about the rules of the ring."
"Well then he must have had some inside help. Which means he's been here a while."
Kouga bent down to examine the tire tracks within the mud. He took a minute but then grasped his memory at what he was seeing.
"Shit." He took off his hat and slumped it on the ground. Inuyasha looked at Kouga at his exasperation.
"What?"
"I know these tracks. Couple of times recently I found some in the nearby brush near the barn and house. Found some keystone light bottles and caps there, so I thought it was a couple of kids just fooling around. Kohaku said he found the keys by the trailer door, adjar and left unattended.
"Rin said Kagome mentioned he used to get drunk all the time off that cheap shit." Sango whispered. They all looked up at each other silently.
"Call the fucking cops, I'm going to go look for her." Inuyasha grabbed the keys and jabbed them into the ignition. The engine roared to life. Sango saw Kouga pull out his cell and dial three numbers as the rest of them piled quickly into the other truck. He waved them off and decided to wait for the cops to lead them out after they had arrived.
"We're coming too."
"Where to?" They buckled in fast.
"The old Macey place." As he said it he slammed on the accelerator.
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There was nothing more peaceful. Him... his unconscious girl, and the scenery flying by.
Naraku fumed at the sight of her. After he had knocked her out, since she wouldn't come willingly. Her head tilted to the side and when her hair was sideswiped Naruku saw the love bite there. He absolutely fumed, but gathered the rope on the seat anyway.
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Kagome groaned as she felt the light coming in through her eye lids. She felt a tugging pressure on her wrists and ankles, as well as the nasty murky smell of rotting wood...and something drifting across her face. Her eyes fluttered open, her vision unharmed, but her head wasn't so fortunate, she could feel the bruise forming behind her right ear where she remembered being hit. As her head cleared, she could see her company wasn't any better.
She felt a different movement across her cheek as a hand swept away her hair.Kikyo.
"Don't fucking touch me."She was awake enough to retort.
"Well don't you look all cute, dressed up to fit the cowgirl part. Boots, gloves, dirt, and stench." Kikyo wined from a few inches in front of Kagome's face. Kagome winced and leaned as far back as the rope binds would allow in the chair.
The place was old. The floorboards were rotting, and didn't look safe to be on top of at all. She glanced out the window. The house was on the neighboring mountain next to the ranch, and clearly built right on a steep drop off. Kagome could see through one of the cracks in the floor board a good five feet below, the sloping of the mountainside. Some of the boards were broken in, others looked like they were about to go.
"Should have known you were in league with him." Kagome turned back and snarled at her.
"Do you honestly think he was smart enough to plan this on his own? Don't associate me with your pathetic scumbag boyfriend." Kikyo swayed her hips off to the side where she was fiddling around with a few vials and odd looking concoctions.
"You know what they say, birds of a feather flock together." Kagome smiled as that spike at Kikyo's temper. Kikyo quickly turned around and grabbed something out of the dark corner of the room. The squeaking floorboards of quick movement caught Naruaku's attention. He had stepped out for a moment and walked in just to see Kikyo charging Kagome with the baseball bat. He quickly intercepted her motion.
"Ut uh uh. Now lets play nice until the little boys get here." He took the bat away from the red faced bitch huffing with anger. But that didn't keep Kikyo from spitefully retorting anyway.
"See, you thought you were soooo clever keeping your profession from us. But I found quick that you were contacting an art director in New York, and he was so sure to sell me all your works when I called. I of course was your surprise biggest client at the last show. Too bad the artist is about to die. And you know what they say, nothing makes art more famous then the artists death. Guess what all that money's going to pay for? Inuyasha and my wedding. Because after he looses poor dear you, he'll be a wreck. And who can all but fix him up, why just little old me!" She laughed as if her plan was truly plausible.
"And what the hell makes you think Inuyasha will come to you after everything you've done to him?!" Kagome shouted back, her hands were clenched in fists of rage.
"That's the beauty of it." Naruku interjected, "You see, Kikyo has met quite a few special people on her travels, and one of those people has found a spectacular cure for amnesia." Kagome wondered if this little speech of his was going anywhere.
"However," Kikyo started up again, it was like they had it fucking rehearsed, "that cure for amnesia when used on a person who doesn't have any sort of memory loss will deteriorate the part of the brain containing long term memories, in other words erasing memories from the most recent events. One of those little experimental setbacks." She smiled when she saw Kagome's eyes go wide.
"So, not only will Inuyasha come back to me, but he won't even remember you when he wakes up in the hospital." Kikyo strolled back on over to the vials and stroked one of the eerie red ones.
"You fucking bitch! How can you do this to someone you love!"
Kikyo chuckled. It was dark and it wasn't humoring at all, "Naive. I never said I loved him. I just plan to use him for his money." She got closer to Kagome in the chair. A loud creak sounded from the floor."But don't worry Kagome. You'll be getting a little dose of your own memory spell. Enough to erase the last 8 months." Kagome took aim and spat at her face, missing by an inch.
"I'll kill you myself I swear it if you harm a hair on his head!" She bounced a little up and down in the chair struggling to get somewhere with her threat.
"See Kagome, threats don't really work when you're the victim tied to the chair." Kikyo sat up and leaned away from her. Her breasts were pushing tightly against the fabric of her shirt, it made Kagome almost gag. Naraku walked towards Kagome with a snarky glint in his eye.
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Inuyasha had loved to play detective when he was a little kid. Sesshomaru was always the bad guy and they always made Sango play the damsel in distress, which she hated. Inuyasha always dreamed of rescuing his damsel, but this wasn't the kind of romantic situation he had in mind.
They had parked the truck 100 yards away from the shack, near the older garage by the neighbor's hay barn. On the drive over, or the speed race over, Kohaku called to give them more details about the green truck so they could keep their eyes out for it. When they pulled up to the Macey Ranch, they saw in the far distance near the mountain sides, a rusting green truck parked on the underside of some trees. They took over towards it.
Inuyasha ignored the stern whispers emanating from his friends and started to crawl and creep as close to the old shack as he could possibly get on foot. Right around the edge he could see where the shack dropped off into the mountain cliff sides bellow. He saw Miroku take a deep gulp at the height when he followed behind. Miroku grabbed Sango's wrist when she tilted a bit too far near the drop off. He looked at her with furious worry.
Sango sheepishly smiled and moved on. Inuyasha crept closer under the boards where he could hear voices.
"You fucking bitch! How can you do this to someone you love!"
That was Kagome. Relief swelled through him at the sound of her voice. Sesshoumaru was a few feet across the way, inching his way towards the other voices.
They heard Kikyo chuckle, "Naive. I never said I loved him. I just plan to use him for his money."
Miroku raised his eyebrows at Inuyasha at that, and mouthed, bitch. Miroku swore he could see a glint of red in his friends eyes.
The boards creaked more as the footsteps got closer to where Inuyasha was assuming Kagome was sitting in the chair. He could the shadow of four legs and what he thought might be rope. A loud creak sounded from the floor.
"But don't worry Kagome. You'll be getting a little dose of your own memory spell. Enough to erase the last 8 months."
Inuyasha almost lost his balance at that, loose her memory? How was that possible?
He then heard Kagome aim and spit across the room.
"I'll kill you myself I swear it if you harm a hair on his head!"The floor boards cracked a bit when Kagome struggled within her chair. That was a good sign, he could pin point exactly where she was then. He crouched lower and headed towards that spot, avoiding the open air boards leading into the room.
"See Kagome, threats don't really work when you're the victim tied to the chair."
Now a new weight sounded heavier on the boards. It creaked closer to the victim. One guess who that was.
"Hey baby." Inuyasha growed under his breath and got ready to rip through the boards with one pounce. Sesshoumaru quickly gave him a silencing look telling him not to blow their cover just yet.
We need a weapon idiot. Sesshoumaru mouthed to his younger brother.
All I need are my bare hands. He mouthed back and showed him the rage pounding through each arm ready to tear the bastard apart.
"Don't call me that." Kagome who had put up a good front was now a little bit more than scared with the abuser in front of her.
"But its our anniversary, and I've missed you so much." He leaned over and sniffed the scent in her hair. She jerked away as if she had been slapped. And then she trembled when he continued, "But seems like you got a little busy while I was away." Kagome paused for a moment looking at something and then quickly covered when Naraku started to look in the same direction.
"I...I was trying to get AWAY from YOU!" Kagome snapped back, she tried not to show how badly she was trembling. That got his attention.
He grabbed her chin forcefully and make her turn her head back towards him, "You FUCKING CHEATING WHORE." He slapped her across the face, "IS THIS WHAT I GET FOR LOVING YOU? FUCKING SLUT." He hit her again. The slap resounded against the wooden molded boards against the wall.
That was it, Inuyasha was looking for a way inside. But Miroku came over holding something in his hands. What the hell is that? He mouthed. Miroku pointed to upstairs and whispered.
"Found it up by the window." It was a huge syringe. It was full of a creepy red liquid, too clear to be blood. Then Inuyasha realized that Miroku must have been what Kagome was looking at.
Fucking idiot! They could have seen you. He aim to hit him across the head but Sesshoumaru glared at them again. At least now Kagome knew they were there. He took the syringe from his friends hands and casted it away over the cliff side away from them.
Sango in the corner of the building slapped her head in dismay. Her boyfriend was such an idiot.
Sango motioned over to them. Once they crept closer, and after they restrained Inuyasha, Sango mouthed. I've got a plan. She pulled out a bundle of rope.
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Kikyo felt the gun in her pocket. All she had to do was wait for the perfect moment and kill Naraku. Once he was out of the way she would be free to get rid of Kagome, and then all the money would be hers.
"O honey I'm home!" Everyone's eyes almost fell out of their skulls at the site of Inuyasha who strode into the room arms open and smiling dashingly at Kikyo. His jeans were a bit musty and he had a dangerous glare in his eyes.
Kagome saw something flash beneath the floorboards. She thought it was a dash of white. Sesshoumaru. She heard the shift of something bellow. But the others were too distracted.
Inuyasha sauntered over towards Kikyo, Naraku reached for the baseball bat. Inuyasha just raised an eyebrow. He wrapped an arm around Kikyo's shoulders. She dropped the gun she had hidden in her pocket until 2 minutes previously. The gun dropped and slipped near one of the holes in the floor boards. Inches away from the hole...Naruku didn't miss it.
A ferocious growl emanated from him, "What the fuck is going on Kikyo?" He inched a bit closer to Naraku.
"I swear I have no idea!" She all but shrieked. She cringed when Inuyasha's grip tightened. He was avoiding eye contact with Kagome. She was worried. Could this really be happening? Did her Inuyasha come back and she barely had to do anything at all!
"You asshole." Kagome spat at Inuyasha. Playing the part well, "This was your plan the whole time! Use me to get to my photography money."
"Well yes, but this little lady was the brains behind the whole entire operation." He smiled 'adoringly' down at the lady in his arms, hiding his rage at the stupid, gullible bitch.
"Naraku please listen to me! He's making it up."
Inuyasha laughed and walked closer to Kagome. "We were going to kill you first and then you're little girlfriend, and then tell the police when the got here how we tried to save the two of you but you took Kagome over the side of the cliff when one of the floor boards gave way." At the same time Inuyasha he was speaking, Inuyasha inched forward his foot, and kicked the gun just two inches. The gun fell beyond the light into the hole beneath the rotting building. He heard the third snap. Suddenly the building shook a little, Kagome distracted the two after they looked at the ceiling wondering what had caused the mini quake. Dust was floating in from the outside light.
"You bastard, I loved you." Kagome whispered fiercely, but loud enough for all to hear. She heard a gentle thud from bellow her feet, at the same time she heard Naraku wheeze air into his lungs with an angry gasp. Inuyasha finally looked towards Kagome looking her in the eye, I love you too. The chair wasn't tied down to anything in the room. Good, he thought.
Inuyasha sauntered over to where Naraku was close to one of the only columns in the room. He smirked and egged him on eyeing the bat, "She was such a good lay too, too bad you didn't have what it takes to keep her." He gave a toothy grin at Kagome's and Kikyo's gasp.
Kikyo's eyes widened when she realized what was going on, but she was too late. Naraku picked up the bat and swung it in his arms ready to charge at the two of them.
"Well that's an easy remedy, all I have to do is get rid of you two." And he charged. He aimed high, too high, and swung with all his might. Inuyasha waited until the last possible second and ducked away from the swing, smirking when Naraku swung. The pole resounded off the wall and hit Kikyo square in the center of her back, while the ceiling started to crumble around them. As soon as the pole splintered, he shouted.
"NOW SESS!"
The next few seconds were a blue to Kagome. She heard shouting in the background as crashing sounded all around her. All she saw was Inuyasha lunge for her. The next thing that she remembered was suddenly being pressed against the side of the cliff dangling from a rope connected to her chair that she was still tied too. She felt the heavy breathing of a figure next to her, and then a pair of warm strong hands checking her forehead and face. Instead of responding Kagome succumbed to the blackness.