Shadows

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters are not owned by me.


Shadows

Chapter 3


Kagome climbed out of the well into the Feudal Era Teusday, as planned, after school. She'd only stopped at her house long enough to grab the yellow backpack her mom had packed for her, and to see if there was any word yet about Arisa. She hadn't returned to school Monday or today. There were missing person posters tacked up all around the school grounds, and even that horrible home she lived in had sent a representative to the school today asking questions. She was officially a missing person.

Kagome handed her pack to the clawed hand reaching over the side of the well, and flipped herself over the side. "Kagome!", came a small voice from behind her. She twirled around and held out her arms just in time to catch the small ball of reddish-orange fur. Shippou wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, and hugged her fiercley. The warmth her small friend showed her pulled all of her already ragged emotions to the surface. She began shaking uncontrolably. Her legs wouldn't hold her anymore, so she sank to grouground in a heap, sobbing hysterically. "Kagome! What's wrong?" Sango's soft voice was at her side now. She looked at her dear friend, and grabbed her, hugging her and crying louder. Shippou made a muffled plea, so Kagome sat up, releasing him from where she'd squished him. She accepted the cloth from Miroku's hand and blew her nose, wiped her eyes, and took a deep, shaky breath. Tears burned behind her eyes again, but she fought them back down. She needed to talk, and she couldn't talk and cry at the same time. She looked up at her friends, all with very concerned looks on their faces.

"A good friend of mine was supposed to come over Friday night and spend the weekend with me, helping me study.", Kagome began, her voice cracking. "That was the night I was supposed to go back, but decided to stay because Inuyasha was hurt so bad. She never showed up when she said she would that night. Mama had been expecting her, and told me the next day, when I returned, how worried she was." Kagome stopped for a minute, fighting another wave of tears. "No one knows what happened to her. She just vanished. But I found her backpack in the shrine, right next to the well!" Kagome looking pointedly at Inuyasha, knowing he'd understand the location better then anyone else. She poured the rest of her thoughts out on one breath. "She was there Friday. I know she was! She never lets that backpack out of her sight. But where is she now? No one has seen her. She's completely disappeared. And I'm so afraid that she's hurt.....or even dead!" Kagome collapsed again into a fit of tears.

Everyone just sat back and waited, not really knowing what to do or say. People disappeared all the time in this era, and no one really started paniking until they were gone quite a long time. Kagome's time was obviously quite different if four days was cause for this much worry. Inuyasha shifted restlessly from foot to foot, wanting very much to hold her. Her tears had always clenched his gut into knots, but he'd be damned if he'd show it in front of the rest of them. Maybe there was another way he could help. "Kagome?" Inuyasha said. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes, red and puffy from crying, and tear tracks on her cheeks. It tugged on his heart strings. He mentally stomped down his thoughts before they could show on his face, and said, "Do you want me to help find your friend?"

Kagome stared at him for a second, then her eyes grew as big as plates, and she sprang to her feet. "Oh my God!! Oh my God!! Inuyasha, your nose!! I'm so stupid! Why didn't I think of it before?!?" She grabbed his sleeve and drug him toward the well. "We'll be back soon!!" She called over her shoulder at Miroku, Sango, and Shippou. Then, they were gone through the well.

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Shippou was deep in thought, trying to figure out what Kagome had meant about Inuyasha's nose. Sango saw the confusion on his face, so she explained it for him. "I think Kagome wants Inuyasha to help track her scent." Miroku nodded his head in agreement. "But do you think they'll be gone long?" Shippou asked. "I honestly don't know." Sango answered. Shippou stood up and sighed, suddenly bored, and set off to find something fun to do. He giggled as he disturbed a swarm of butterflys in the tall grass, well, tall for him anyway. He felt the gentle brush of their wings as they swirled up into the sky. He was about to give chase, seeing how many he could catch, when something flashed off to his right. He turned, trying to find the source, but didn't see anything. Then it came again. Something was in the grass. He wandered over to investigate. He pulled a gold 'string' off the top of several pieces of grass it had been tangled on. It was some sort of pretty jewelry. He stared in awe, holding it up to the sun so he could see it glint beautifully in the bright light. It was a chain of little hearts, all connected together. He smiled happily at his discovery, and quickly stuffed it in his pocket before Miroku could see it. He'd probably try to sell it.
Shippou bounded off through the meadow, chasing the swirling storm of butterflies.

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Arisa rubbed the bare spot on her wrist where her bracelet had dangled for so long. It had been a present for her tenth birthday, and one of the last things she had from her parents. This whole situation had her so rattled, she hadn't even noticed it was gone until the third morning after the 'well incident'. She'd tried retracing her steps, but gave up the futility of it after a half day. There was nothing she could do about it now, concentrating instead on just finding someone. Anyone. She vowed to herself to return after she got this horrible situation cleared up, and pick over every centimeter of ground with a pair of tweezers until she found her bracelet. She sighed heavily, and pushed herself onward.

It had been four days since the 'well incident', as she liked to think of it, and still she'd found no one. Only forest that seemed to go on forever. Something had happened in that well. But what? What could make everything that she knew, and all the people, disappear? She looked off into the distance at the mountains, noticing again the same skyline she'd seen for most of her life. The land itself didn't seem to have changed, just everything else. She forced herself to stop thinking about it, and to just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. She'd go nuts if she thought about it anymore.

She stopped by the stream she'd been following for the last three days, and dunked her entire face in the cold water. It felt wonderful on her slightly sunburned skin. If everything else had disappeared, couldn't the heat have followed suit? She took a long drink, and then went to find a shady spot to rest for a while, digging into her purse for the last of two granola bars she had. She sent a prayer heavenward again, thanking God she'd pulled the strap over her head instead of dropping the purse next to her backpack. She thanked Him also for her habit of hording food. A long suffering habit born out of living in a place where you had to fight for your meals. She took only three small bites, then ed ted the rest back in her purse. She lay back on the cool grass, and was just about to doze off to sleep, when she heard something. She jerked her head up, listening. Was that a voice she'd heard? 'Now I'm hallucinating.', she thought irritably, but then she heard it again, closer this time. It was definetly a voice. Without another thought, she stood up and ran in the direction she thought the voice had come from.

Deep masculine laughter spurred her on faster. There were other noises now, too. Jangling metal, and the clop of horses hooves. She found the well worn path a little farther up river, and shouted for joy at the possibility of being rescued. She came around a sharp corner on the path, and slid to a halt at the sight in fronther,her, gaping. The train of horses also stopped with a hand signal from the man on the first horse. It looked like one of those weird groups that did battle recreations all the time. They were all dressed in really authentic looking 16th century samurai armor, 'all twenty-two of them.' she mentally counted down the line. They had really pulled out all the stops this time, right down to the six 'damsels in distress' whose wrists were bound with robe at the end of the line of horses. "Now, they come running to us!" the leader shouted. The rest of the men erupted into laughter.

Something wasn't right. She could feel it in her gut. The laughter died down, and the lead man just stared, a lop-sided grin on his face. It wasn't a friendly look. "But her strange coloring. What if she is youkai?" This from down the line somewhere. 'What a strange thing to say.' she thought. The leaders grin disappeared. He seemed deep in thought for a moment, then came riding toward her. With each step the horse took, the hair on the back of her neck rose another notch. He stopped less then two feet away, and stared for a long time. The little fear her instincts were giving off turned into a full blown alarm, but she wasn't about to run from the first people she'd seen in four days no matter how bad they freaked her out. "Hoshii!" he yelled over his shoulder. She glanced around his horse to see another horse step out of the line farther down.

He was an old man dressed in the traditional robes the monks used to wear, and still did in some places. His white hair was pulled back in the typical knot men wore long ago. The silence stretched out as he approached, the horses hooves the only noise. The monk pulled up beside her, a considering look on his face, and she finally snapped out of her shock enough to speak. "Please, I'm really lost. Something.....strange has happened, and I don't know how to get back home."

The monk never gave any indication that he'd even heard her. He slipped a piece of paper out of his robes, and, reaching out, touched it to her forehead. "She is human." The leader nodded at him, and he returned to his spot in line.
"I think you guys are a little too into this samurai thing. Could you tone it down and help me, please." It was getting a little ridiculous now. They'd even adopted that arrogant ass attitude men used to have. She was getting irritated. The leader gave her a harsh look.
"A firey temper to match her firey hair." he muttered, talking more to himself then anyone else. "Hachiro! Genjo!" he yelled over his shoulder. Two more men broke ranks and rode up beside the leader. "Yes, My Lord!", they both said at the same time.
"Bind her wrists and put her with the rest. Make sure she is taught some manners. Use force if you must, but do not damage her looks. She will fetch a good price." His words sounded very final. That was the last straw.
"That's it. Screw all of you. If you're not going to help me, then just say so, but you don't have to be ass holes about it." She turned and started to walk off, but someone grabbed her braid and roughly yanked her back. She turned to come face to face with the leader, and her famous Irish temper exploded. "Let my fucking hair go or so help me God I'll beat the shit out of you!!"

The leader stared at her, completely in shock now. No one had ever spoken to him like that, and lived. Yet this mere slip of a girl had dared to say such things to him. Her temper definetly matched the flaming red braid wrapped around his hand, and her brillant emerald eyes sparkled with anger and indignation. 'Perhaps I'll keep this one for myself.' he thought, but she'd have to be tamed first. Her parents had not taught her the proper way a woman should act, and vowed to teach her the proper respect himself. She should be honored that he'd pay her such attentions! He let go of her braid, and backhanded her with all his might, sending her flying onto the ground.

She saw stars burst over her vision, and she had to fight to stay conscious. The right side of her face stung and throbbed, especially her bottom lip. She lay there for a moment, breathing hard. When her vision cleared, she slowly stood, and faced down the leader. How dare he hit her like that, and in front of all these people. She glanced around his horse, and looked down the line of men. Not a single one made a move to help. What the hell's wrong with these guys? Did they condone what he'd just done? If they weren't going to help her, then would they hurt her too? She stared at all the men, and knew they would treat her the same way. She was outnumbered twenty-two to one. Her only option was to make a break for it.

She needed a distraction. The leader looked to be very physically fit underneath his armor, and she had no doubt that he'd be on her in a second should she try to run. An idea came to her. She pulled her leg back and kicked his horses front leg as hard as she could, throwing everything she had into it. It had the desired effect. The horse reared in pain, the man barely able to cling to its back. She turned and bolted into the densest part of the forest that was close. She hoped they wn'tn't be able to follow her on horseback through the thick foliage.

It seemed to have worked. There was alot of shouting behind her, but no noises of pursuit. She jumped over fallen logs, and ducked under low tree branches, the forest around her snagging at her clothes and scratching her face, arms,and legs. She felt as if her lungs would burst, but still she pushed on harder. If they got a hold of her now..... She didn't even want to think about what they'd do. Just when she thought she'd escaped, someone tackled her legs, barreling her face first into the forest floor, knocking the breath out of her. She could only lay there stunned, gasping for air, as the man tied her wrists and flung her over his shoulder. "If you want to live, be still." It was the leader. His voice was cold and deadly, sending a chill of fear through her body.

He carried her back to his horse, and threw her roughly over its back, laying on her stomach. Backhanding her hadn't been enough to subdue her. Most women would have cringed in fear, but she'd stood and faced him down, the proud spirit of a warrior reflected in her eyes. Kicking his horse had been extremely intelligent, he hadn't expected it, but she'd shown her true colors, and he wouldn't underestimate her again. He climbed on his horse, holding her now struggling form still with one hand. He signaled to the others, and the group set off again. After a few minutes of fighting to keep her wiggling form from slipping off his horse, he drew his sword, and rapped her on the back of the head with it's hilt just hard enough to knock her unconscious.

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