Whoa… I am actually sticking to this whole I'm-gonna-update-every-weekend thing. That's so crazy because usually I'm really, really busy with school.
In fact, after I post this I have homework to attend to. So excuse me…
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha… but a girl can dream!
The sun was rapidly falling in the sky, the pink and orange tints of sunset already beginning to show. Kagome had yet to awaken, and the hanyou waiting was increasingly becoming more and more agitated, snapping at anyone's questions and snarling randomly.
The village healer was doing the best he could muster to bring Kagome back into a conscious state, but the reasons for her sudden fainting were beyond him. There was no logical explanation, was what he had told the anxious group, and with that comment made he walked back inside Kagome's room, shaking his head.
And here they were, standing outside the hut, confused and worried as to what was wrong with their young friend.
Inuyasha was separated from them, not really wanting to be bothered by anyone, and seemingly not paying attention to anything at all. In fact, as the day had drawn to a close, he had quieted down his furious outbursts and had entered into a withdrawn state.
Miroku was the first one daring enough to approach. The jingle of his staff alerted the hanyou to the oncoming person, but Inuyasha did not even spare him a glance.
"You cannot go on like this forever, my friend."
Inuyasha sent him a warning glare, the look of annoyance ever present on his scowling features. Miroku decided to avoid bluntness and instead weave his way to the real problem.
"How long are you prepared to stay up?"
"However long it fucking takes for her to wake up," Inuyasha replied, aggravated.
The 'her' in question undoubtedly meaning Kagome, Miroku stood over Inuyasha's sitting figure, speculatively watching him for a reaction to his next question. "And how long do you believe it will take her to rouse?"
The dog demon visibly flinched, as doubt began to work its way into his mind, but he shook it off, persisting with the thought that she would eventually wake. "Miroku," he answered savagely, "how the hell am I supposed to know!"
The monk sighed in response and sat down in a meditating position next to Inuyasha. "Who do you think is the person behind this?" he finally asked after a moment of silence crept by.
Inuyasha frowned. He had thought of the possibility of someone bestowing a curse on her, and the option had become more and more conceivable as they had no explanation for her sudden sickness. All Miroku received from Inuyasha was an elongated quietness, and finally the monk stood up and left him to his own brooding.
And brooding is exactly what Inuyasha was doing. His mind was scanning the list of possible enemies that would've done such a thing right under his nose. Of course, the first name that came to his mind was…
"Naraku…" he growled.
Naraku smirked as he heard the angered name Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Ah, so it seems that half breed has a brain after all, he leered inwardly, and the smirk only grew.
Waving Kanna off, Naraku stared at the adjacent wall, the image of Kagome falling helplessly to the ground envisioned in his conscious.
"Too bad," he mused, "that girl would have made a half decent servant, seeing as Kikyo is beyond my grasp…"
But, she is already my pawn in this game of betrayal… Naraku countered his own statement, and a malicious chuckle escaped his mouth at his own genius.
The night wind carried a familiar and most unwelcome stench to Inuyasha's senses, causing his nose to wrinkle in disgust and his lip to curl in a semi-snarl. Swinging abruptly off of his perch on a branch, Inuyasha stood up straight and once more checked the air, confirming the scent he had detected previously.
Naraku was around.
Damn bastard… he thought furiously. He's gonna pay for cursing Kagome!
Miroku and Sango ran up beside him along with a transformed Kilala, who was growling and baring her long fangs. "Kilala sensed something," Sango stated questioningly. "What is it, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha emitted a low growl from his throat instinctively and spat, "Naraku."
Miroku's brow creased, and Sango frowned deeply. "Do you think-," she started and Miroku finished her question by saying, "He must've been the one to knock Kagome unconscious. That's the reason he shows his despicable self."
Turning to the direction of the village, Inuyasha's sharp eyes riveted to the healer's hut, its window displaying the light inside. Crap. What the hell do I do! I can't just leave Kagome here… what if it's a trap?
His anger flared. That fucker… he wants me to be in this situation! If I leave… he'll send a demon here… and if I don't, I'll miss a chance to kill him!
Miroku sensed the hanyou's frustration and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. The hanyou looked at him, the uncertainty clear in his expression. "I will stay behind."
Inuyasha's gaze changed to one of immense relief. He was going to extract his revenge from that bastard tonight!
His eyes speaking volumes to Miroku of his gratitude, Inuyasha took off at a neck breaking pace, Sango following behind on Kilala.
Kagome woke to the sound of the healer's snoring, her mind foggy and her vision blurred. Twin Miroku's towered over her and she groaned, closing her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of the bad case of double vision.
"Ah, you awaken Lady Kagome," Miroku greeted her friendly. "How do you feel?"
"My head…" Kagome mumbled, pressing a hand to her forehead. She painfully opened her eyes and glanced about the room, disappointed as she did not see Inuyasha nearby. Or anybody for that matter… "Where is everyone?"
Miroku did not waver in his peaceful expression, although his mind searched for an excuse for their absence. "Er, Sango is relaxing in a hot spring nearby and Inuyasha is somewhere around here…" he lied.
He did not tell her of Naraku's appearance, knowing Inuyasha would not want her running into battle in such a fragile condition. Hoping that would satisfy her curiosity, Miroku grinned rather nervously.
Huh... Kagome thought. That's strange… Sango's at a hot spring and Miroku's not trying to peep?
Somehow Miroku's answer did not seem right to her, but she blamed the oddness on her current state of mind. Kagome breathed in deeply and hated the stuffiness in the small room so, standing up wobbly, she began to precariously walk to the door.
Miroku stopped her. "Are you sure you can walk, Lady Kagome?"
Kagome smiled at him and removed his arm from her pathway. "Miroku, I'll be fine. I'm just going to sit on that hill overlooking the village, that's all."
Hesitantly he allowed her to pass and then he too went outside, plopping down next to the entrance of the hut and watching his surroundings for any signs of oncoming demons.
The only thing adorning the hill was the green, tall grass that rippled in the soft breezes, and of course the woman who stood at the top, her long dark hair whipping in the wind, the strands silkily scattering down her back. Her lone slender figure was out of place in the cold night.
Gingerly kneeling down in the cool carpet of grass beneath her feet, Kagome stared out at nothing in particular, that peculiar feeling that something was astray nagging at her in the back of her head.
A shadow passed over head and Kagome's head snapped up, only to see a mystical soul stealer disappear into the trees. Her chocolate eyes widened at the only plausibility this could mean. Her incarnate was close by in the woods.
Her heart leapt into her throat as for a brief, frightening second she feared Inuyasha had gone to see Kikyo, but as the deceased miko emerged alone from the edge of the forest, Kagome fought down a sigh of relief.
But just as soon as she felt that moment of contentment it was gone, replaced by the desirability to know why Kikyo was paying her a visit. "Kikyo…" she breathed uncertainly as the older priestess stared emotionlessly down at the modern girl.
"My reincarnation," she stated simply, and a flutter of confusion marred her features before it vanished, leaving no trace behind. "I had assumed you were with Inuyasha and that demon slayer fighting, but that does not appear to be the case…"
Kagome's interest in Kikyo's appearance quickly disintegrated as she absorbed Kikyo's words. "F-fighting?" she finally stuttered, surprised. "With who? Where?"
Kikyo raised an eyebrow dryly. "So they did not reveal to you what they were doing. Very well, I shall tell you. They are in battle with Naraku, deep into this forest. The rest you will have to find out by yourself."
With this last revelation, Kikyo turned back into the trees and left her.
Kagome's gaze dropped to the ground as she took in her situation. What Kikyo just told her must be transpiring, why else would both Inuyasha and Sango both be absent? Now Kagome understood the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach at Miroku's excuse. I have to help them… Fiercely she rose to her feet and whirled around, descending down the hill at a rapid pace. As she neared the old hut she noticed Miroku was no where in sight, but pushing that small detail aside, Kagome rushed in and grabbed her bow and arrows, running back out.
They have to be in the section of the forest Kikyo emerged from… she quickly considered and took off into the trees, figuring that Miroku had, too, gone to assist their companions with Naraku. I wonder why he didn't tell me though…
Miroku had hastily rushed to the area in which the demon's aura was the strongest. It had been only moments before when he had sensed the presence of some creature in the night and he had forsaken his post at the entryway of the healer's living quarters to go off in search of the monster.
Now, back pressed firmly up against a tree, Miroku waited in utter silence for the demon to come forth to meet him.
Closer… closer… now the aura of this person was astoundingly near, and Miroku found himself puzzled at the fact that the mysterious person hadn't realized his presence yet.
"I presume you are the monk that travels with Inuyasha?" a cold, bitter voice floated to his ears and he swiveled his gaze to the other side only to be met with Kikyo, who apparently had evaded his senses enough to be this close to him.
Immediately he felt embarrassed and angered all at once. It was only Kikyo, not another one of Naraku's puppets…
A sudden, horrid thought occurred to him and he warily glanced at Kikyo again, who had not even moved a hair's width from her standing position. "Lady Kikyo… you are not here by the orders of Naraku, are you?"
The expressionless look on Kikyo's wan face morphed into one that resembled slight fury. "Naraku? I would not think of obeying any of Naraku's orders."
The monk closed his eyes in relief; he wasn't sure he would've been able to fend off Kikyo if that had been the case. Bowing his head respectfully in Kikyo's direction, Miroku raced back to the village, hoping that Kagome had not moved from her spot on the hill.
She had.
As he stared dumbly at the empty location Kagome had been in not even minutes ago, Miroku felt a slow coldness spread through his veins. Oh no, oh no…
Practically flying down the slope of the hill, Miroku raced into the healer's hut, his eyes searching for Kagome's bow and arrows.
They were no where to be found.
Heart pounding madly in his chest, Miroku dived under the flap and resurfaced outside, his gaze swinging to all the different directions she could've run in.
Inuyasha was going to skin him alive.
Please send me your complaints, compliments, etc! Trust me, they really help me to know someone enjoys my writing.
See you next weekend! (Hopefully)
-kikyohater92-
By the way, just for fun, how many people like my username? 'Cause I sure as heck do…