Chapter 28: Mistaken
Drip, drop. The water streaming down the cave wall made nostalgic sounds as Alice and the others walked through the dimly lit cave in search of their missing companion, Kagome. Other than the dripping of the water into tiny pools that gathered on the cave floor, the only sound present was the tapping of footsteps and the slight brush of the red hakama Alice wore.
The group continued on in silence, wary of any sudden movements that would alert their positions to the angered wolf demons that thrived in the cave. Gulping, Shippo looked from side to side, a worried look coming upon his face. At this, Alice looked at him and smiled, reassuring him a bit, before turning the corner to see a bright torch illuminating the room.
"Kagome!" Alice gasped as she recognized the figure that sat alone in the corner of the room.
"Everyone, you're here!" Kagome replied happily as she got up to greet her friends which were now running over to her to see if she was unharmed.
"Are you okay Kagome?" Inuyasha called, but before Kagome could answer a gust of wind swept through the cave, revealing five wolf demons, amongst which was Koga.
Stopping dead in their tracks, the group looked slightly surprised at the sudden appearance of the demons but after a moments delay they regained their composure.
"You didn't think you could actually take Kagome away without me knowing did you?" Koga growled as he glared at Alice and Inuyasha.
"What? You want to fight me, you mangy wolf?" Inuyasha growled back in equal anger.
"It wouldn't be much of a fight pup. I could knock you down easy," Koga retorted.
Alice sighed. Is this how it's going to be every time we meet Koga? Kami, they're both acting like little kids… Looking up, Alice studied the wolf demons standing before her; hand ready to grab her sword if they chose to fight but a familiar face stopped her in her tracks.
"It's that wolf from before," Alice whispered to Sango, who also recognized the wolf demon Alice healed not too long ago.
Clearing his throat, the wolf demon turned to Koga and started, "Um, Koga…?"
Forgetting about Inuyasha for a moment, Koga looked over at his pack mate and narrowed his eyes before growling, "Didn't I already tell you? There's no way I would mistake the scent of the wretched person who killed our brothers! Plus, how can I believe your story so easily without taking at least some sort of precaution."
"I know what you're getting at Koga. That girl looks exactly like the killer, but trust me when I say she is not the real deal," the wolf tried to explain.
"You'll have to do better than that if you expect me to believe this," Koga replied, calming down a bit before turning to Inuyasha, "Unless that is if you just give up and hand her over to me."
Growling in annoyance and anger, Inuyasha glared at Koga while Alice didn't know what to do. Why is it so hard for Koga to see that I didn't kill his friends? I mean, that one wolf demon saw it. Kami, even the injured one saw it!
Glancing over at Kagome, Alice saddened a bit. We need to get Kagome out of here. I'll do whatever it takes to see it through. And if it comes down to a fight… No! I won't let it come to that! I just have to calm down and breathe…
Straightening up, Alice looked at Koga and stated clearly and confidently, "Okay Koga, I'll listen to what you have to say, if you're willing to let Kagome go free that is."
"Alice, what are you talking about?" Sango gasped, a shocked look flashing across her face.
Alice looked back at Sango and the others, smiling, as she winked, letting the others know that she would be okay. At this, the group seemed to settle down a little but was still tense.
"So you finally admit that you're the killer huh?" Koga replied with a confident smile on his face.
"No, I never said I was the person who attacked your pack," Alice countered, "But I can't let Kagome stay here any longer than she already has."
"Do you realize what you're saying?" Inuyasha asked Alice, eyes wide in surprise while a frown marred his face.
"Of course, I'm fully aware of what I'm doing Inuyasha," Alice replied, casting a glance back at Inuyasha before returning her gaze to Koga, "So Koga, do we have a deal or what?"
"Deal," Koga growled as he let Kagome pass him so she could rejoin the group.
Seeing that Kagome was safe and sound, Alice took a deep breath before walking closer to Koga saying, "Okay then, you fulfilled your promise now it's my turn."
"Great, then come over here," Koga demanded.
"Sorry, but I think I'll stay over here," Alice replied giving the wolf a doubtful look.
"What! If you don't get over here right now then you're breaking the deal we made," Koga snarled.
"No I wouldn't. Koga, you fail to realize the terms of the deal which I am clearly following," Alice explained, a smirk forming on her face as she continued in a somewhat amused tone, "I said that if you let Kagome go then I would listen to what you had to say. I never said that I would do what you want me to do."
Fury lit Koga's gaze as he snarled at Alice, "You tricked me! This proves that I was right all along, you really are the killer!"
At this Alice frowned and replied seriously, "I'm not the killer Koga. I don't know how to prove to you I'm not the guy because there's no way to do that unless we find out who really killed your friends. Nonetheless, I did not kill your friends. But instead of wasting our time arguing, why don't we find out who the killer is together."
Koga's infuriated gaze died down at Alice's words as his eyes shimmered in sorrow as he responded calmly, "You're right, I can't make myself believe you until I know for certain you're not the killer. But can you honestly blame me for not believing you because your evidence depends solely on your word."
"Of course, anyone would do the same in your position. It's just there are better ways to deal with the problem than throwing accusations here and there," Alice finished, smiling a little in understanding.
The moment that passed through the two was cut short at the sound of a growl coming from one of the other wolf demons, "Shut up! You think you're so smart, trying to get away from the heat? Well words can't save you now. Let's get her!"
At the wolf demon's start, two out of the four remaining wolf demons joined him in walking up to Alice, claws ready to tear her apart. The only two who stayed behind were the wolf demon from before and Koga, who was staring out into space, deep in thought.
Alice flinched in surprise at the wolf demons approach and in an instant her hand went to her sword. No! I have to prove to Koga that I'm not the one who killed his friends! If I fight these wolves now then Koga will never forgive me Alice thought as she reluctantly pulled her hand away from her sword.
"Alice, watch out!" Kagome warned as Inuyasha drew his own sword, ready to fight the approaching wolves.
"No Inuyasha, we mustn't fight them," Alice objected, blocking the hanyou's way.
"What? They're the ones asking for trouble," Inuyasha argued.
"Yes, but think about it. They're doing this to get revenge for their fallen comrades of which many the loved and cared about. Tell me that you wouldn't do the same if someone you loved was killed and you wanted to avenge their death," Alice shot back.
At this Inuyasha visibly flinched as a wave of sorrow flashed through his golden eyes. Kagome, who Alice spotted over Inuyasha's shoulder, looked down at the ground at Alice's words, making Alice wonder just what the two had been through before she met them.
"These wolves are Koga's friends, and I won't allow anymore of his friends to get injured over this ridiculous misunderstanding," Alice finished, standing her ground in front of Inuyasha.
By now, everyone in the room had come to a standstill at Alice's words. Shock, sadness, and understanding flashed through the gazes of everyone in the room while Alice's own ice blue eyes were a lit with determination.
Sighing, Inuyasha sheathed his sword and looked away from Alice, who sighed in relief and turn towards the wolf demons. The wolf demons, after catching Alice's gaze, looked at each other, confusion clouding their gazes as the lowered their claws and looked back at their leader.
"You really mean all of that? It's not another one of your tricks is it?" Koga spoke up, doubt painfully obvious in his voice.
"Yes, every little word," Alice replied.
The wolf demon who stayed by Koga's side the entire time leaned over and murmured something in Koga's ear. After a brief moment of discussion, Koga sighed and returned his attention towards Alice and the others.
"I see… This girl is not the killer," Koga announced, earning himself gasps of shock from both sides.
"Really! Well it's about time you figured it out," Alice grinned as Koga looked away from her but smiled as well.
"This little girl couldn't possibly be the one who killed our friends. The killer would be way more skilled than her," Koga finished smugly.
In a flash, Alice's smile was replaced with an annoyed look as she yelled, "Wha…?"
However, before she had the chance to finish, Miroku stepped forward and covered her mouth whispering, "Let's not push our luck Alice. Koga finally believes us after all and we don't want to throw away this good fortune."
Good fortune? Like I care! How dare he think so little of me? Alice raged as she saw Koga give her an amused look which only seemed to add more fuel to the fire burning within her.
"Thank you for understanding us Koga," Kagome spoke up, gratitude shining in her warm eyes.
Blushing a tiny bit, Koga replied in a smooth voice, "No problem."
The calmness in the room seemed to kill the rage that Alice held in her heart as she let of a breath and Miroku released her from his grasp. Casting a look towards Kagome, Alice smiled, grateful to see her back among the group where she belonged.
"Hey mutt!" Koga's shrewd tone woke everyone up from the happy moment that was now shattered.
"What now you mangy wolf?" Inuyasha replied in an annoyed tone.
"Kagome is my girl. You can have her back for a little while longer but you'd better not try anything," Koga warned.
"Who do you think you are mangy wolf?" Inuyasha growled, glaring at the wolf in front of him.
"Shut up! Kagome needs a real man like me, not some little pup who wandered out into the forest," Koga retorted.
"Hey, does anyone care about how I feel? Or do my thoughts just not matter to either of you?" Kagome yelled out.
The three took turns yelling at one another, leaving everyone else in the room to sigh and shake their heads.
"Excuse me guys. I don't mean to interrupt whatever is going on here but don't we have a murderer to catch?" Alice spoke up.
At this, the three stared blankly at Alice before looking either down or up in embarrassment. It wasn't until a few moments later when Koga started, "Well… Uh…"
"We'll help you search," Alice finished for the wolf, "Let's go find the killer then."
"Yeah, that's a good idea and all but just how do you think we are supposed to find this killer?" Koga questioned.
"Well the best thing to do first is to go to where you last saw the killer," Sango stated.
"Do you think I'm some kind of idiot like that mutt?" Koga started while anger lit Inuyasha's gaze.
"What? You mangy wolf…" Inuyasha growled about to hit Koga when Kagome yelled, "Osuwari!"
Inuyasha plummeted to the ground at Kagome's command and stayed motionless for a moment before getting up, pebbles rolling off his head. "Kagome… Why you…" Inuyasha growled.
After letting loose a slight grin at the hanyou's face plant, Koga continued on, "We've already tried that days ago but no matter where we look we can't find who is responsible."
"But isn't the killer showing up around here every day? If this is true then they must be nearby in order to lessen the energy used to attack," Miroku added after sighing at the sight of Kagome and Inuyasha arguing in the background.
Instantly, Koga's gaze lit up in understanding as he said, "That's it! The killer must be hiding there!"
Kagome and Inuyasha immediately stopped fighting at the wolf's knowing tone and looked towards the wolf prince. But before anyone could say a word, Koga vanished in a gust of wind. What was left were five confused, but not totally surprised wolf demons and a group full of annoyed, unsurprised, and surprised people.
You'd think he'd learn to think a little more before he goes rushing off. I mean really. He could've at least said where he thought the killer might be Alice thought with a sigh.
"Let's go!" Miroku stated as the group followed the monk out into the forest, following the trail of dust left by Koga.
In a few minutes, Alice could make out the swamp she fell into and cringed at the thought of getting muddy again. In front of the swamp stood Koga, who narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Koga! What was that all about?" Alice called out as they caught up to the young wolf.
"What took you guys so long?" Koga complained as he placed a hand on his hip.
"Well unlike you, we can't run all that fast," Alice defended, "Besides, you're the one who ran off without a word."
"Shut up," Koga grumbled before glaring at Inuyasha, "And wipe that smug look off your face mutt!"
"What was that you just said?" Inuyasha growled at Koga while Alice let out an annoyed sigh.
"Both of you cut it out! This is getting old fast," Kagome yelled at the two.
"They're both such mindless idiots," Shippo sighed while Alice, Miroku, and Sango shook their heads.
"Never mind all of that. Let's focus people, there's a killer out there and we have to find them," Kagome finished.
Looking up from his glare at Inuyasha, Koga spoke up, "Right. So looking back, this is the only area in my whole territory that has yet to be checked."
"Well it's a good place to hide. The water in the area masks the scent so there would be almost no worry in you finding out where they were hiding," Sango pointed out.
"Yeah, but there's one problem…" Alice trailed off, looking at the mud with an unpleased look on her face.
"What? It's just mud for kami's sake! Here I'll go," Inuyasha stated as he walked pass Alice who held out a hand to stop the hanyou. Sadly she was too late and the ground gave way underneath Inuyasha, causing him to face plant into the mud with a startled yelp.
"Having fun playing in the mud dog?" Koga laughed while Inuyasha stood up on shaky legs, brown mud staining his once pure white hair.
With a quick shake Inuyasha freed himself from the mud while Alice snapped, "Hey watch it!"
Glaring at Alice for a second, Inuyasha turned to Koga and growled, "Quit your laughing wolf boy."
"Well at least now we know to walk more carefully," Miroku stated, holding back a laugh of his own.
Grumbling, Inuyasha stepped back into the muddy swamp, this time acting more careful than before. After seeing Inuyasha make it through, Alice followed by stepping in the holes Inuyasha made in the mud as everyone did the same. Even Koga took his time through the sticky substance.
Luckily, the farther they went from the forest, the more stable the ground became and soon the group didn't have to worry about falling in the brown mud.
"Finally, I never thought that was going to end," Alice grumbled as she shook a foot to clean the mud off of it.
"Great, now I can finally avenge my friends," Koga growled before speeding away into the swamp.
"Wait, Koga!" Kagome called out, but it was too late, the young wolf prince had already vanished among the reeds.
"He has no patience whatsoever," Miroku sighed.
"No kidding," Alice muttered before continuing, "Let's go. Whoever this killer is, they're not just Koga's problem anymore."
Nodding, the group filed in behind Inuyasha as he took the lead through the swamp, following Koga's scent. The swamp wound back and forth, and after a while Alice couldn't see the tall green pines from the forest anymore.
Oh, let's just end this quick Alice thought with an unwilling look at the seemingly ceaseless swampland that lay before her.
"Almost there," Inuyasha's announcement sparked fury and determination through Alice as she picked up her pace to match Inuyasha's stride for stride.
Turning the corner however, brought the group to meet a hunched over Koga, who was holding his torso in pain.
"Koga!" Kagome gasped as she ran over to the wolf to examine his injuries.
While Kagome was worried about Koga, Inuyasha and Alice's focus were pinned on the other two figures standing in the muddy clearing.
"That's Kagura and Utsugi!" Sango gasped as the two named turned to face the group.
"Kagura!" Inuyasha growled as he unsheathed his Tessaiga, mirrored by Alice who unsheathed her own sword.
"Watch it mutt. They used some strange power that's no joke," Koga warned while opening one eye to glare at Kagura and Utsugi.
"Humph, it's still not enough," Utsugi murmured in an emotionless tone.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha growled suspiciously.
"It's been quite some time since we've last met huh, Inuyasha?" Kagura greeted while holding up her fan to cover her mouth, "Though it seems that you were smart enough to not fall for our tricks since all of you are here…"
Seeing Kagura glance in her direction, Alice narrowed her eyes in hate. "So you're the ones who set that wolf and his friends on me…" Alice stated in a venomous tone.
"Huh. It's not our fault that those wolves were so gullible. They feel for our trick easily," Kagura explained in a smooth voice.
"Regardless of what you say, the blame still lands on you and it's about time you face the consequences of your actions," Alice spat as she charged towards Kagura.
Smirking, Kagura let a barrier form around her, halting Alice's attack for a mere second before she retorted, "Baka! Don't you remember? I can break that flimsy barrier of yours now."
Swinging her sword, which now became a lit with a pure green light, down on the barrier, Alice shattered the barrier with ease, smiling in triumph as Kagura frowned at her attack. However, instead of attacking Kagura again, Alice turned towards Utsugi and narrowed her eyes.
Utsugi also has the power to use Shikigami if I remember correctly… I have to be careful when fighting her since she must have more experience than me Alice thought before letting out a tiny smile. But that doesn't necessarily mean that she'll be stronger than me does it?
Seeing Inuyasha and the others, with the exception of Kagome and Shippo, who were caring for Koga, charge at the now defenseless Kagura, Alice charged towards Utsugi, sword glowing brightly green. Utsugi nimbly dodged Alice's first attack and the two quickly became engulfed in battle.
With each swing of her sword that missed, Alice became more and more annoyed, but after seeing Utsugi hesitate for a mere second Alice took the opportunity at hand. Slamming down her sword on Utsugi's barrier, Alice cringed as she realized it was harder to break than the one Kagura had.
Sparks flew off of Alice's blade as she pushed down harder on the barrier, determined to destroy it. Utsugi, on the other hand, had her hands, glowing with Shikigami, held up to try and repel the sword. In the end both got a little of what they hoped for.
Wincing as her sword was ripped from her hands, Alice narrowed her eyes at Utsugi. The sword itself spiraled off into the swamp, taken out of the battle.
"Humph, no need. I can fight perfectly fine without my sword anyway," Alice muttered as her hands began to glow with red fire.
"You can try but don't even think about underestimating me," Utsugi warned as Utsugi's own hands glowed with blue fire.
At the sound of Utsugi's voice Alice narrowed her eyes. The voice sounded almost familiar to Alice, but the thought was cut short as Utsugi lunged towards Alice.
The two fought bitterly against each other, not one gaining the upper hand for even a moment. It was clear that the two were evenly matched. Alice tried to cut Utsugi off guard but the opportunity never seemed to come as she and Utsugi twirled around the fighting that occurred between Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagura.
"Enough of this fooling around!" Inuyasha eventually yelled out as he unleashed his attack, aiming for Kagura, "Kaze no Kizu!"
Unbeknownst of Inuyasha, Alice and Utsugi were right behind Kagura when he unleashed his attack and once Kagura nimbly dodged his furious attack this was clear to all in the area. The white and gold flames raged towards the two, who were locked in battle. Only the sound of her friend's warning her did Alice realize what was happening.
Gasping, Alice quickly backed out of the way of the attack, falling down into the mud in the process. Protecting herself with her arms, Alice closed her eyes as the attack passed mere inches away from where she sat in the mud. The sheer force of the attack made Alice's hair fly back while her skin burned at its closeness.
After what seemed like an eternity, Alice felt the air in front of her cool down, signaling the end of the destructive attack. Opening one of her ice blue eyes, Alice looked around to see the path that the attack made which cut a clear line through the swamp, dividing Alice and Utsugi on either side.
Baka! You could've killed me! Alice thought while glaring at Inuyasha for being so careless. She then straightened up from where she sat in the mud to see if anyone was hurt. Kagome, Koga, Shippo, Sango… Alice counted the heads of everyone before letting out a sigh of relief to know that they were all okay.
Coming to her feet, Alice returned to her wary position as she eyed Utsugi with caution. What's with Utsugi? Why won't she move? Alice thought, though she didn't let her guard down for an instant in case Utsugi took advantage of her lack of concentration.
Suddenly, the creepy mask that shielded Utsugi's face from the world cracked, the sound shattering the silence that hovered over the area. A clear, straight line appeared down the center of the mask just seconds before it fell off Utsugi's face into two halves.
"Wha-What?" Alice stammered as she took a step back in shock at the site of Utsugi's face. It was like staring in a mirror. Utsugi's cobalt hair and ice blue eyes matched perfectly to Alice's as if they were twins.
All around the clearing gasps could be heard at the revelation of Utsugi's face. Well this explains why I was so easily framed… Utsugi is freaking identical to me! But why? How? Alice thought as she fought to control the rising number of questions that flowed into her mind.
"What's going on here? Alice?" Kagome spoke up looking between Alice and Utsugi, confusion blotting her chocolate eyes.
Don't tell me you can't tell us apart Kagome! Alice thought as fear coursed through her veins. Kami, this could be a real problem if the others don't recognize me…
Inuyasha growled at both Alice and Utsugi, also unable to determine which was which, pointing his sword at both of them, ready to attack. While Utsugi and Alice remained calm at this motion, panic flowed through Alice as she realized that Inuyasha could very well kill her by merely mistaking her for Utsugi.
"How dare you try and attack me," Utsugi started with a cold tone towards Inuyasha who narrowed his eyes at the woman.
"Why must you be so dull all the time?" Kagura sighed from where she stood on the edge of the clearing.
At a standstill, the group stared between Alice and Utsugi, unable to figure out which was the enemy and which was the ally.
"How can we fight if we can't even figure out who's who?" Sango murmured while narrowing her eyes in suspicion at the two identical girls before her.
"It's just attempting to confuse us, that's all," Miroku explained, "Utsugi is a demon remember?"
"Demon? Me?" Utsugi responded to the monk as Alice saw what appeared to be sorrow mixed in with anger flash through Utsugi's icy eyes for a mere second before they turned emotionless again.
"Enough, the plan failed. Let's just take this perfect opportunity to leave," Kagura ordered before twirling around with her fan outstretched. "Dance of Blades!"
Alice gasped as dust and debris began to swirl around her from the wind Kagura was making.
"Ugh…" Alice grumbled as she held up her hands to defend herself from all the stuff flying through the air.
"Kagome, stay close," Alice heard Inuyasha's voice order as the dust became thicker.
Kagome's small gasp was soon followed by Sango's slightly panicked voice saying, "I can't see a thing in all of this!"
In mere minutes, darkness covered Alice's gaze. The only thing telling her that she was still awake was the dust and air swirling around her as she took a step towards her friends, desperate to find them. However, before she could take another step, a cold hand grabbed her own hand that was reaching out in the darkness.
Who is that? Inuyasha? Kagome? Alice wondered as the hand pulled her forward in the darkness. The unknown person guided Alice along an unseen path through the clearing and Alice hoped that whoever they were, they knew just where they were headed to.
Alice was about to speak up when the person spoke up, "Hurry up! This cover won't last forever!"
Horror flooded through Alice's veins as she recognized Kagura's voice. Oh no! Kagura mistook me for Utsugi! What a baka, how can she… Alice trailed off knowing that she would very well make the same mistake in Kagura's position.
Gathering her remaining strength, Alice was about to pull her hand away from Kagura and tell her that her luck was poor for mistaking her when she felt something soft and feathery brush against her feet. In a flash, Alice felt herself being pulled up in the air and fought back a squeal of surprise as she rose into the air.
Coming out of the cloud of dust, Alice noticed the feather Kagura rode away on in their last encounter, but this time it was underneath her. Before Alice could say a word, Kagura flew off, away from the swamp, away from Koga and the wolf demons, away from Utsugi, away from Inuyasha and the others.
Wow this scene is really dragging out huh? What this scene takes like 5 minutes in the game? Lol oh well, things are always longer written out than they are on the screen xD
But Omgness! Utsugi + Alice = lookalikes?
You can bet that I didn't even expect this O.o" I mean I knew Utsugi was a girl because of her voice (it sounds wayy more like a girl than a boy) but still.
Oh well, enough of me ranting on about this xD
Next up, Naraku and Alice meet once again but this time the tables are turned as Alice is mistaken by yet more people as being Utsugi~
(And don't worry I'll include a Retrace on what Utsugi experiences with Inuyasha and the others~ The only thing I need to work out is whose POV it will be in... Any suggestions?)
Please read and review~
