Disclaimer: I un-claim.
A/N: I'm back again with the eleventh chapter. And just to let y'all know, my wrist still hurts. I might have to go get it checked out soon...but that's beside the point. I have to thank my reviewers...seriously, I don't know where I would be without you guys. Especially the consistent ones who review every chapter...I love you guys!
Special Thanks To...
pinky101, Beautiful.Black.Joy, Copper Storm, Goddess Of The Heavens, and two new reviewers!; Shia Demon of Wind and MeNaRiE.
Review Responses...(Just because I have time)
Beautiful.Black.Joy - Haha, we are so alike! I love how you show so much enthusiasm!! You're reviews always make me laugh, because, seriously, they're hilarious. I hope this chapter meets your expectations!
pinky101 - I'm so happy that you think so! Just keep on reading!
Copper Storm - I know exactly what you mean. Truthfully, this past week, I've been totally exhausted. And thanks; I think I'll be needing it.
Goddess Of The Heavens - You could say that. In a way, it is. (I love those movies!!)
Shia Demon of Wind - ::cough:: I don't think you'll need to shoot me just yet. But I'm always in a good mood when someone new reviews..I can assume (or perhaps hope) that you'll continue!
MeNaRiE - As I said in the reply, I'm hoping to change that soon. More of their personalities will be coming out in the next few chapters. Anyway, keep reading! I'm glad you like it!
Did I ever mention what time of year it was in the story? (Whoops) Let's just say it's around late October or early November, which means snow will be coming soon. Just thought I'd let everyone know.
Chapter 11 - Stolen
It seemed that Kagome had developed a morning routine: Fall out of her bed, stumble into the bathroom to take a shower, yell at Souta, eat breakfast, and leave for school. If it was a good day, she was able to make it to school on time and have extra time to whale on her brother at the same time. Life was good.
Except for that morning.
As soon as Kagome slid down the banister, backpack strapped over her shoulders, and set her feet firmly on the ground, she found her mother examining the phone. She stood, rigid, and watched as it appeared that her mom was skimming through the calls. Kea had, of course, already plugged the phone back in.
Kagome slowly made her way to her mother's side and peered over her shoulder. At this angle, it was hard to read the small words on the small phone screen - but when she did, she stifled a gasp.
Eight new calls.
Every single number was the exact same one...
Naraku Yokoshima.
"Kagome, do you know who this is?" Kea asked diligently as she angled the phone more towards Kagome. "Obviously it's someone who really wants to get a hold of someone."
Kagome didn't feel the particular need to explain anything - there was always tomorrow, right? Procrastinating, schmrastinating. Whoever this 'Naraku' fellow was, he was extremely annoying, and Kagome decided that if he wanted to see the light of day much longer he should learn to stop calling. You see, when Kagome's patience began to run short, she tended to become very...dangerous, I suppose is one way to put it.
But I'm guessing you already knew that.
"No idea, mom. Probably some telemarketer or something," Kagome responded airily and shrugged. Kea gave her an odd look, one that probably said something like I-know-there's-way-more-to-this-than-some-telemarketer. Instead, she turned her scrunched together face into a smile and gestured towards the general direction of the dining room.
"You better get going, dear. Breakfast is on the table if you want any. I'll see you later tonight." That said, Kea bustled off to the kitchen, leaving Kagome standing with the phone in her hand.
The first thing Kagome did was go back and erase all the recent missed calls, meaning all ten of Naraku's attempts to speak to her. Somewhat satisfied, she breezed right past the dining room and headed towards the front door. In all truth, she wasn't that hungry, which was quite surprising. Usually she was always hungry. But this particular morning, she wasn't in the mood to eat.
Kagome slipped on a pair of black sandals as she stepped outside, greeted instantly with the harsh, cool air. The sky was a gray, dismal color. She realized if it was going to snow soon, and then began wondering if she should have put on some actual shoes. A minute outside and her toes were already freezing. Thankfully, she had used her common sense and grabbed a blusweatshirt from her closet.
She wrapped her arms around her shoulders as she started down the driveway. As always, Sango was waiting patiently at the end. By her red nose, Kagome guessed she had been out there for a few minutes, at least. It was mostly quiet, albeit the sound of a car driving past.
"Hey!" Kagome shouted, although it probably wasn't needed, as she was standing only a few yards away. But that didn't seem to matter much, because Sango didn't respond. At all. She was staring at...something...that Kagome couldn't quite see. Or perhaps she wasn't staring at anything. There was only one way to find out.
Kagome snuck a few steps behind Sango, and as swiftly (and quietly) as she could, she jumped onto her back. Sango instantly went tumbling to the ground as Kagome fell backwards onto the sidewalk. They didn't say anything for a few moments before Sango turned to stare at her incredulously. "What was that for?!"
At the look of utter surprise on Sango's face as she wiped the dirt off the front of her clothes, Kagome couldn't help but start laughing. Sure, her backside was sore, but that was all part of the fun. When she managed to cut the outburst to a giggle, she was able to speak again. "I'm sorry, Sango...but I had to. You were totally spaced out. What's on your mind?"
Sango sighed quietly and recollected her backpack. Slowly, she found her legs and somehow managed to stand despite her sudden fall. "I was just thinking about...things," she answered simply, but didn't sound at all convincing.
Kagome rolled her eyes and hoisted herself onto her own two feet - there was definitely going to be a bruise. "What about?" Truthfully, she had been thinking a lot, too. Like if she should tell Sango about the extremely annoying caller, for instance. Kagome didn't usually think all that much, unless it was something that actually pertained to her.
Sango shot Kagome a semi-irritated glance. No matter how much they got annoyed at each other, they could never really hate each other. "About Rizu and Tai. And the...incident. It just seems strange, I guess." Both of them lapsed into silence, because Kagome had been pondering the exact same thing.
"I know what you mean," she responded after a moment's silence and started walking. Sango strode easily beside her. "And it gets even stranger...I got a phone call last night from that Naraku Yokoshima guy. Apparently, he knows about what happened."
Sango's grip on her backpack's strap tightened noticeably - her knuckles began to turn a pale white. "What did he say?" Her voice was lowered to a whisper, as if she was afraid anyone else would hear, even though they were the only two outside. "Did he say anything about the deal that he wanted to make with them?"
Kagome shook her head lightly and stopped at a crosswalk. "Well...yeah. He knows about the band. Apparently he wanted to make some sort of deal with the four of us, but I didn't give him the chance to say what it was. He called twice last night until I unplugged the phone, and then there were ten calls from him this morning. What do you think his problem is?"
Sango gave an indignant huff. "He's crazy, that's what he is. But how would he be able to know all that, unless someone told him...?" She let her voice trail off. There was no more to be said - they didn't have to say anything. The silence spoke louder than their words had.
The quiet spread between the two girls; enveloped them, encased them in its own little bubble. They were completely unaware of their surroundings. The constant footsteps were mechanical, heading in the school's direction all by themselves.
The rest of the way to school, not a word was exchanged. When they got to school, they didn't even try to put on a facade. Overall, it was a rather bleak morning.
Every class passed slowly - the clock kept ticking, the seconds seemed to take minutes, minutes seeming to take hours. Kagome had not been paying attention at all. No matter how hard she tried (and she was actually trying, for once,) her mind kept wandering to other matters. She absently tapped her pencil on her desk and stared out one particular window at a Sakura tree. The blossoms had fallen off some time ago, since it was nearing winter. Despite the bare branches, she found the tree rather enticing.
Currently, Mr. Keisuu was droning on about something math-related while she turned to the front and looked down at her notebook. Notes she had scrawled at the beginning of class didn't make any sense to her now - a jumble of numbers, letters, and signs. She sighed quietly and raised her head to stare at the board. Sango, sitting in the desk next to her, cast Kagome a worried glance out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't like Kagome to be so utterly spaced out - not like she usually was, but she had this sort of woolgathering look on her face.
Kagome vaguely heard the teacher announce the class dismissed, and with smooth movements, she grabbed her things off of the desk and turned to face Sango. Her brown eyes no longer seemed distanced, but snapped back into attention, her lips set in a hard frown. She realized, earlier that day, she had seen Inuyasha and Miroku once, but not a word was exchanged. Yet, she knew she should have been feeling something. Hurt? Pain? Anger? But she felt nothing - it was a strange sensation, but she didn't bother to contemplate it too deeply.
"Are you ready, Sango?" Kagome asked, one silver painted fingernail tracing the spine of her textbook. She waited, oddly patient, as Sango gathered her things into her arms. "Good thing we have lunch next...I'm starved." Not eating breakfast was really starting to take its toll on her - her stomach was growling every few minutes. "
Sango stared, irked, at the back of Kagome's head. "Are you feeling okay, Kagome?" she asked hesitantly. After all, she had never seen Kagome so...emotionless before. 'This is a side of Kagome I'm scared to see...' she mused with an odd and misplaced sense of amusement. "Something bothering you?"
Kagome stood stock still, her back as rigid as a plank of wood, and sighed. "I really don't know. All day my mind's been wandering, and I guess I feel...I don't know, uncaring and unconcerned. Am I supposed to care?" 'Everything feels wrong...' There was a slight waver to her voice, as if she was afraid to say it. She didn't know why she was asking these questions. They had burst out before she was able to stop them.
Sango walked alongside Kagome until they were out in the hallway - students milled about but didn't pay any attention to the two of them. "I'm sure you're just...shocked by everything that's going on. It'll take time, I think, but for now maybe you should just try and think about something else."
Kagome nodded slightly and continued her way down the hall. Sango listened to the continuous sound of Kagome's sandals slapping the tiled floor. Though with the constant chatter, it made it harder to hear, but she could have sworn Kagome was singing something.
Kagome made a sharp turn down the hall towards her locker. Her movements were precise, legs stiff. She stifled a yawn and turned again so she was facing the locker that was her's for the year. With some squeaking, she opened the metal door and began stuffing her books inside on the top shelf. The sound of Sango's locker door opening shortly followed. "I'm fine, Sango, really," she voiced to her friend's obvious concern. "Let's just get to lunch before I collapse from hunger deprivation."
Sango nodded as they began walking towards the back of the school - it seemed that, for the time being, Kagome was back to herself.
Kagome occupied her mind by staring straight ahead of her - considering the fact that students were still staring at the two of them (though none had the nerves to confront them) she felt refusing to look at any of them would prove she was disturbed easily. So if she caught anyone even glancing at them, she automatically shot them a venomous glare - more of an instinct, actually.
The hallways soon cleared out as the students dispersed towards the school's back door leading out onto the grounds. A few lagged about, loitering against the lockers and walls. Sango spared them silent and furtive glowers. They responded by ducking their heads.
It didn't take long for them to make their way to the back of the school. As soon as they stepped in front of the double-doors, Kagome reached out a hand and pushed it open in one swift movement. It clanged as it reached the maximum of its movement - the sound echoed very faintly against the walls surrounding the somewhat closed area. Three of the school's walls surrounded the lunch area. Of course, if Kagome could have her way, the whole place would be empty.
Sango and Kagome sat down under a large, bare tree. Its leaves had fallen off with the coming winter months. They both began to carefully unwrap their lunch boxes. Kagome's stomach growled in anticipation - this was the longest she hadn't eaten in a while. Yet you could say Kagome didn't have a...normal appetite.
Sango's brown eyes swept the carefully kept grounds. Inuyasha and Miroku were sitting at their usual table, though she was shocked to see that they were looking their way. She frowned slightly and turned back to her lunch - if they weren't going to say anything to them, so be it.
Kagome picked up her chopsticks and began poking around at a perfectly rolled omelet. Instead of eating it, she let her eyes wander towards Kikyou's table, which, coincidentally, was right where Inuyasha was sitting. She snorted and stabbed the omelet fiercely.
Funny; Kagome felt as if she was being stabbed right then, too.
There were footsteps, Kagome realized. When she looked up, she wished she hadn't. Inuyasha and Miroku were standing there, one wearing a red button-up shirt and the other wearing purple. She carefully set the lunch box on the ground, as if afraid of spilling the contents, and stood up to face them. Sango followed suit, but looked on with amusement.
Though Kagome was a whole few inches shorter than Inuyasha, she appeared slightly more intimidating in her blue long-sleeved tee and black loose fitting cargo pants, complete with a silver wallet chain running from the front to back pockets. She wore a navy bracelet on her left wrist - the chain and bracelet courtesy of her brother from last year's Christmas. Not to mention the fact that her ebony bangs didn't at all hide her hard brown eyes, which seemingly bored a hole into everything she glimpsed...
'Course, the only reason Kagome dressed this way was because it suited her mood perfectly.
Inuyasha wasn't about to let a girl over intimidate him - he turned his smirk into a slightly feral snarl and narrowed his eyes, now appearing to turn a much darker gold. His white ears twitched as Kagome's wallet chain clanged lightly as she shifted her legs. He was able to stare down at her while she raised her eyes up at his...they looked as if they were going to attack each other.
Since it seemed that Inuyasha wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, Miroku decided to speak his part. "How's it goin', Kagome, Sango?"
Sango clasped her hands behind her back, restlessly picking at the folds in her forest green sweater. "We're fine...I think...What are you guys doing? Isn't Kikyou going to get mad?"
At this, the four of them turned their heads to where Kikyou was sitting...and...fixing her make up. Kagome almost gagged while Sango began fingering the ends of her ponytail instead. "I don't care what Kiky-hoe thinks. I'm going to eat." That said, Kagome plopped back down on the ground, cross-legged, and set her lunch box back onto her lap.
Sango couldn't figure out Kagome's crude language - she used to rarely speak in such a way, though it seemed ever since...everything... started happening, she had begun to care less and less. Well, Sango could relate, because she was starting to feel the same way. And so she sat back on the cold grass, tucking her dark blue-jean-clad legs under each other.
After a moment, Miroku sat down in front of Sango, and Inuyasha sat down in front of Kagome (though the fact that they were a further distance apart didn't go unnoticed). Knowing Inuyasha and Miroku, they had probably scarfed down their lunches in five seconds flat. That wasn't unusual.
Miroku tried to make it unobvious that he was watching Sango. Never before had he seen the two of them so...ill-tempered? Whatever the right word was, it didn't matter. They had both seemed quieter than usual when he saw them before school. Only an idiot wouldn't notice that something was going on...meaning Inuyasha.
Inuyasha, the oblivious and occasional idiot who wouldn't realize that there was a conflict going on even if it was situated right in front of him, (which, in a way, it was). Inuyasha, the one who couldn't even sort out his own thoughts and emotions. Inuyasha, whom, even though he has the most adorable dog ears and golden eyes, is no kind of help in this situation whatsoever.
So how the hell was he supposed to help Kagome?!
Though, may I add, that he has a very fiery temper and can reach extreme danger levels. Many people have seen the dark side to his personality...and after that, when they may have received a few injuries, the decided to try and stay on his good side. Although, if he was in a bad enough mood, it wouldn't take much to tip him off.
The tension between the four of them was high, until Miroku finally decided to make a move and break the ice. "Something's wrong with you two. What is it?" His voice was firm and resolute; if the situation was as serious as they made it seem, they didn't have time to beat around the bush. He placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward, as if he was the most regal and intelligent and important being ever...though I'm sad to say this, he's quite the opposite. But that doesn't mean he can't be serious some times, like now.
Kagome had tried to avoid this subject. She really had. But apparently, she hadn't evaded the waiting questions. Her lunch box, half empty, was closed and set behind her. Suddenly she had lost her appetite. When she turned towards Sango, the dark-brown haired girl was staring back at her. "You remember when we told you about Naraku?" Kagome started slowly, subconsciously twiddling her fingers.
Inuyasha's attention was perked - his hostility disappeared. He quit pulling at the grass and raised his eyes so he was able to view Kagome's face; it had softened immensely, the corners of her mouth tugged into a small frown.
Miroku nodded slowly, whereas Inuyasha continued to stare. He could sense Kagome's uneasiness, which was not something that you would usually find in her. Kagome continued quietly: "Naraku called me twice last night...and eight times after that. He knows about the band, and said he wanted to talk about a deal he had. But I hung up on him - I figured it wasn't anything important. Though we can't figure out how he found anything out...nobody told him, I don't think." After her explanation, she fell into silence.
Sango quickly jumped in, although enthusiasm was lacking in her tone. "It's not anything too important, right?" she asked no one in particular. "But it all just seems too convenient - apparently, he heard about Tai and Rizu, too."
Before they could answer, there was a shout coming from the door. One of the office assistants was standing there, waving one hand in the air. They had been talking for so long, they didn't realize that the bell had rung. The four of them jumped to their feet. "We'll talk about it later," Miroku shouted as he watched Sango and Kagome race for the doors.
Inuyasha snorted as the assistant glowered at them - he really couldn't care if he was late for class or not. "There's something off with that guy," he muttered, just loud enough for Miroku to hear as they shuffled at a leisurely pace back into the school.
Miroku raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced back over his shoulder - the door closed and the man from the office began hurrying down the opposite hallway. "I don't see what's wrong with him..."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and smacked Miroku upside the head. "Not him. I was talking about Naraku." There was definitely something wrong with him if he called eight times in the middle of the night. But the more important question was how he figured out about the band...
Kagome paused outside the school doors, backpack in hand. The school day was still a few hours from being over, but she had feigned sickness just to get out early. She had way too much on her mind, and school just didn't seem important.
Lacking any bounce in her step at all, she slowly began trudging down the steps. The wind tugged at her hair, pulling it off to one side and flying everywhere in her face. Usually she would have cared about such things, but right now she didn't bother. It didn't matter anyways, considering the fact that if she tucked her hair behind her ear, it would just blow in her face again.
'Inuyasha and Miroku know...that can't be a bad thing, right? Maybe now they can help Sango and me out. They would never say anything to anyone...' Kagome knew that for a fact. That wasn't what she was worried about. 'What if he called again? What will I say? I suppose we could just go talk to him...'
Yet even as she walked down the sidewalk around the perimeter of the school yard, she couldn't help but think there wasn't something right about...everything. The way he talked, the way his voice sounded...it crept her out. She shuddered involuntarily and sighed quietly.
As the wind picked up, Kagome shivered and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Her sweatshirt had been left in her locker. More cars were driving past, the streets busier than they had been early in the morning. She kept her footsteps slow, considering she was in no hurry to get home. Kea was at work - if Kagome had really been sick, her mother had been called, but she told the school not to bother. It was a lie, of course, but a necessary one.
She had left after History; they, meaning her and Kouga, had decided on the subject. Well, Kouga chose the subject, the myth of the legendary Shikon Jewel, while Kagome sat back and pretended to listen. But that wasn't the worst part...
He was coming over later.
As if everyone was out to add on to her troubles. They kept building and building; soon, the stack would get so high that it toppled, leaving Kagome in a giant mess. It would become impossible to clean everything up. For once, she wished that she could just toss everything aside and pretend that none of it ever happened.
'As if that'll ever happen,' she thought warily to herself. No, she had to be stronger than that. It felt as if she was cracking - small splits, at first, but gradually growing. As her fingers eventually started turning numb from the cold, she wondered if she would ever be able to deal with it all. 'Don't say that!' she mentally scolded herself. "Of course you can deal with it...it just might take a while."
"I'm sure you're just...shocked by everything that's going on. It'll take time, I think, but for now maybe you should just try and think about something else."
Kagome heard Sango's words repeating themselves again and again. Maybe she was just in a mental state of shock. The thought passed through her mind once and disappeared. She didn't know that she was nearing her house. It didn't take as long as she thought.
She climbed up the slanted driveway, her sandals striking the pavement with a sharp slap. A part of her hoped, wished is more like it, that her mom's car would be in the garage and Kagome could fall into her always awaiting arms. But as she silently opened the front door and examined the living room, she knew no one was home. The house was completely quiet, except for Buyo purring lazily on the floor in front of her.
Kagome threw her backpack on the floor. Sango already knew that she had gone home. Now, as she padded softly to the center of the living room, she felt rather uncomfortable in the silence. In an attempt to fix that, she grabbed the stereo remote and turned it on - music was blaring through the speakers a second later.
Though some may have found it possibly exciting to hear their voice piping through the speakers, but right now, Kagome wished it wasn't her's.
She made her way towards the staircase and started up the steps, ignoring the fact that she wanted to sit down and never stand up again. When she was standing at the top stair, she flicked on the light and continued down the hallway. Her music closet, one of her only places of refuge, was standing to the left of the hallway, right next to her room.
The door opened with a slight creak. Kagome eyes traveled towards the shelf on the wall where her father's guitar case was placed. The black leather was soft and shining, she noticed carefully as she grabbed it with both hands. But as soon as it was off the shelf...she tried to hide her shock. The case was light - too light, not heavy enough for a guitar to be inside.
Frantically, Kagome kneeled down on the floor and set the case before her. Her hands were trembling as she undid the locks and lifted the top. The imprint where the guitar usually sat was empty.
She stifled a gasp. Nobody, not even Kea, had ever taken her father's guitar out of the case except for her...and now it was gone. She knew that she had put it away the last time she used it. Yet the only thing that was left was the velvet-lined interior.
Kagome whipped around to face the rest of the room. Her eyes scanned it deliriously, yet the instrument was gone. Her guitar was still there, resting in its stand. She refused to believe that the guitar her father had always played had disappeared. The only logical thing she could think of was that her mother took it out.
'Yeah...that's it. Mom took it out and put it somewhere else...I'll ask her about it when she gets home.' Repeating this theory in her mind, she gently placed the black case back on the shelf. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on. After all, it seemed there was always something wrong.
Kagome bit her lower lip - no, she knew for a fact that her mother wouldn't take the guitar out of its case. Ever.
So she raced out the door and down the hallway, sliding down the slick banister when she came to it. She quickly turned off the stereo. But she didn't stop there - she grabbed her coat from the closet in the living room, slipped on a pair of her Vans, and started straight for the front door. When she pulled it open, she watched tiny snowflakes fall onto the ground. It had begun snowing. Kagome made up her mind that she wouldn't let it hinder her. Though she slid a bit on the slightly slippery pavement, and almost fell flat on her face from sliding too much, once her feet touched the sidewalk she began running.
Running where to? She was going to find Naraku Yokoshima, wherever he was.
Stephenie: Everyone went on vacation...and left me behind...Worse yet, I have no clue where they went! They will SO pay for this!
A/N: Before you all completely spazz out at me, I know it's late, and I know I left a cliffhanger. But I HAD to! Please don't hate me! I'll update as soon as possible! The idea just popped into my mind at the last minute, and I'm glad, because I swore to myself that I would update tonight. I can't think of much else to say, except that I'll update soon, and please R&R!!
I'm back, aren't I? Please don't kill me...I'll update soon! I swear!!
