InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shocking New Love ❯ Following the Trail ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kagome walked along through the forest, kicking small stones as she went down the path. She sighed. I'm so stupid… I shouldn't have come here alone, she thought. She looked over her shoulder at her quiver, which presently had only one arrow in it.

“I should probably make some more arrows, just in case…” she said to herself. She walked around the area looking for materials to make her arrows with. When she had everything she needed, she got to work.

Naraku was hidden close-by, watching Kagome's every move. He smirked. Just a little longer, he thought smugly.

Kagura was flying overhead, looking into Kanna's mirror which showed what was going on down below. Naraku had given her very specific order. `If she tries to run, kill her.' Kagura huffed, holding her fan tightly. What exactly is Naraku planning to do? She wondered.

Kagome attached the feathers and arrowhead to her new arrow and put it into her quiver. One down, about 20 to go, she thought wearily. She heard a soft rustle overhead. She looked up, but saw nothing. Shrugging, she got to work on another arrow.

About half an hour later, Naraku saw Kagome place the final arrow into her quiver and stand up, starting to walk again. He chuckled to himself and silently but swiftly followed Kagome, waiting for the right moment to strike. When he was closer, he changed his form to look like Sesshomaru and smirked. She'll never know it's me, he thought.

Kagura saw Naraku transform into Sesshomaru and gasped, finally understanding what he was planning. He plans to trick Kagome into following him, and when the time is right, he's going to kill her. That's what he meant when he said he wasn't going to kill Sesshomaru, he was going to break him. Very clever of you, Naraku, she thought.

Sesshomaru arrived at the river where Kagome had tended to his wound and followed Kagome's scent along the riverbank. Inuyasha and the others arrived a few minutes after and walked along behind him. Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un arrived shortly after that.

“Her scent is all along here. We're on the right track,” said Inuyasha, relieved. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and followed the scent all the way to the edge of a cliff where the river dropped over the edge in a waterfall. Shippo looked over the edge and shuddered.

“Do you think Kagome fell?” he asked worriedly. Inuyasha thumped him over the head angrily.

“Of course she didn't fall, stupid! She'd obviously look for a safer way down,” he said. Shippo nodded and rubbed the bump on his head. Sesshomaru looked over the side and sniffed the air. He could smell Kagome's scent on the wind.

“She went down there. There must be a trail going down the cliff that she used,” he said.

“She isn't very far either,” added Inuyasha. In a flash of flame, Kirara was in her larger form. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo climbed onto her back.

“Well we can't just take the time to find a path down. Lets go, Kirara,” said Sango. Kirara leaped over the edge of the cliff and flew through the air, heading for the ground far below. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru looked at each other, nodded, and jumped down, their long hair and the sleeves of their kimonos whipping behind them in the strong wind.

“Lets go, Ah-Un!” ordered Jaken, hitting the dragon on the rump with the Staff of Two Heads. Ah-Un growled in its throats and flew over the edge, following Sesshomaru down. Rin held onto the reins tightly so she wouldn't fall off. Jaken screamed as they made their descent, hanging onto the dragon's saddle to stay on its back.

Kirara landed softly on the sand at the bottom of the cliff. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru landed in a kneeling position at the foot of the cliff. Sesshomaru had landed more gracefully than Inuyasha, who stumbled a little bit. Ah-Un hovered above the ground before it could crash and waited by Kirara. Jaken was in shock from the steep fall and his eyes were wide with fright. Rin was pretty much unfazed and looked over her shoulder at him.

“Are you okay, Jaken?” she asked.

“Yes, I'm fine,” croaked Jaken, clinging to Ah-Un's saddle. Sesshomaru stood and walked off, continuing to follow Kagome's scent. Inuyasha did the same and followed close behind his older brother. The others sighed and continued following.

As Kagome walked along, she thought she heard something rush past her. But when her vision darted around the area for a foe, she saw nothing. I must be hearing things… oh well, she thought, resuming her walking.

But Kagome wasn't just hearing things. The thing that rushed past her was Naraku. He used his demon speed to outrun Kagome, and he was now ahead of her and not behind her. The time is drawing near. Soon, dog brothers… Soon the mortal whom you care about most will perish by my hands, he thought slyly. He gave a message to one of his Saimyosho (poisonous insects) and sent it to Kagura so she'd know what to do next.

Kagura saw the Saimyosho flying towards her and stopped her feather, hovering in the air. The Saimyosho buzzed the message to Kagura, progressively doing a sort of `dance' by swaying side to side. Kagura nodded, understanding the message.

“Very well.” She urged her feather forward and descended a little bit. Naraku wanted her to urge Kagome forward faster. And she knew just how to do it…

A crashing sound from behind the already frightened Kagome nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“What was that?!” she exclaimed. Another crash. This time, it was closer, and she could see a large tree crashing to the ground. She let out a gasp of fear and surprise and began running, trying to escape whatever it was that was making the trees fall.

CRASH, BANG, CRACK! Branches and trees were breaking all around Kagome, and her heart was beating rapidly from fright. She was panting heavily from running, but she kept moving, not wanting whatever was following her to catch her. Then she felt herself hitting something solid and fell backwards, landing on her backside and getting some of the wind knocked out of her. She opened her eyes and looked up at the thing she slammed into: it was Naraku disguising himself as Sesshomaru. But since he was in disguise, Kagome couldn't tell that he wasn't the real Sesshomaru. He bent down and held out his hand to her.

“Grab on, we have to get out of here,” he said with an awkward calmness in his voice. Kagome nodded and took hold of Naraku's hand, getting to her feet with his help. As soon as she was standing, Naraku lifted Kagome onto his back and took off running. Kagome clung to his kimono tightly so she wouldn't fall off. More crashes could be heard, but they were getting more distant. When Naraku thought they were far enough away from the danger (which he knew was going to happen and was simply luring Kagome into even more danger), he stopped running and let Kagome off of his back. Kagome, still tired from running as far as she did before `Sesshomaru' arrived, slumped down onto a nearby tree stump. Naraku just stood there, looking down at her and waiting for her to regain her breath. Foolish girl, she has no idea that I'm not the real Lord Sesshomaru, he thought. Kagome looked up at him, gratitude evident in her eyes.

“Thank you, Sesshomaru. That's the second time today that you've saved me.” Naraku chuckled.

“I have my ways of finding out where you are,” he said. Kagome smiled and stood up, walking over to Naraku and hugging him. Naraku smirked and hugged back. It's working, he thought triumphantly. Kagome nestled her cheek against Naraku's chest, feeling safe and secure once again, completely unaware that she was hugging an imposter.

Kagura hovered overhead, gazing down at everything that was happening with glee. She smirked.

“That foolish mortal. She has no idea of the danger she's in right now.”

The real Sesshomaru wasn't too far away. He had stumbled across the area where Kagome had been making her arrows.

“We're getting closer. Her scent is stronger as we continue on,” he said. Inuyasha sniffed the air and took the lead.

“C'mon, it's this way.” Kirara was getting a little tired, but she kept going, carrying Sango, Miroku, and Shippo on her back. Ah-Un was pretty close to tireless, but Rin and Jaken were exhausted. Rin yawned.

“I'm getting really tired,” she said wearily. “May I please take a nap, Lord Sesshomaru?” she asked. Sesshomaru nodded.

“Alright. Jaken, watch over her and make sure she doesn't fall off,” he demanded. Jaken nodded and took hold of the dragon's reins, urging it forward while Rin dozed off peacefully.

“I sense a strong demonic aura. And it's coming from this direction,” announced Miroku. Sesshomaru ignored him. Compared to what he was like when he was really angry, other demons were nothing.

About 10 minutes later, they had to stop from going any further. Fallen trees were blocking the path. Shippo sighed.

“Now what do we do?” he asked tiredly. Kirara let out a cry of discomfort and collapsed, breathing heavily.

“What's wrong, Kirara?” asked Miroku.

“Both of you, get off of her,” ordered Sango. Miroku and Shippo nodded and got off of Kirara's back. Sango knelt down next to her feline companion and stroked her fur. Sesshomaru looked down at the two of them.

“Will she be alright?” he asked calmly. Sango nodded.

“She should be fine. But she's really exhausted. She hasn't slept in a long while,” she said. In a flash of flame, Kirara was back in her smaller form, eyes closed. Sango picked her up and cradled her close to her chest.

“I'll carry her the rest of the way. She can't go on any further.” Sesshomaru nodded.

“Very well.” He looked around at all of the fallen trees. He turned to face everyone.

“I'm going the rest of the way alone,” he said.

“No! Kagome is my responsibility; I have to make sure she's safe!” snapped Inuyasha hotly. Sesshomaru glared daggers at him.

“I'm going alone.” With that, Sesshomaru leaped up into the air and landed on the other side of the fallen trees, running as fast as his demon speed would allow, leaving the others behind. Inuyasha leaped up and landed on top of one of the fallen trees.

“Hey, wait!” he yelled. But it was too late. Sesshomaru was already out of sight. Miroku looked up at Inuyasha.

“Let him go, Inuyasha. He'll bring Kagome back,” he said. Inuyasha wasn't going to give up that easily.

“No! I'm not going to just stand by and let someone else do my job! I don't care what Sesshomaru says; I'm going! And don't even think about following me!” Inuyasha leaped down from the tree and followed his brother in hot pursuit, but not going as fast. Miroku sighed.

“Reckless as usual…” he said wearily. Shippo and Sango nodded.

“Yeah, that's for sure,” agreed Shippo.

Naraku's plan was going perfectly. He and Kagome were walking through the densest part of the forest, almost completely surrounded by trees. No mortal would be able to travel through such a thick forest by himself or herself. He cast a quick glance at Kagome and smirked, picturing what was going to happen a while from that moment. Kagome saw him look at her and peered at him out of the corner of her eye.

“Everything okay, Sesshomaru?” she asked. Naraku nodded.

“Everything's perfectly fine, Kagome,” he said. Kagome nodded and laced her fingers with his. Naraku looked down, a little surprised. He held Kagome's hand firmly, being careful not to sink his claws into her hand. He didn't want to hurt her: yet.

Kagome was curious as to where `Sesshomaru' was leading her, and broke the silence between them.

“Sesshomaru, where're we going?” she asked. Naraku cast a sidelong glance at her then looked straight ahead, entering a clearing.

“Away from Inuyasha and the others,” he replied calmly. Kagome stopped walking after the demon lord's answer and looked at him, surprised.

“But why?” Naraku stopped walking and looked at the girl.

“He's still in love with Kikyo. He doesn't care about you anymore, sorry to say,” he said with false pity. Kagome was heartbroken.

“He… he doesn't care about what happens to me anymore?” she repeated, making sure she had heard him correctly. Naraku nodded, a serious expression on his face. Kagome had heard him correctly. Her eyes were hot with tears and she let out a little hiccup of sadness. Naraku heard her and turned to face her. He saw tears streaming down the young priestess's cheeks, and let go of her hand. Kagome looked up at him, eyes shiny with proof of her despair. She fell into Naraku's arms, sobbing. Naraku was disgusted, but he tried not to show it and held Kagome close to him, running one hand through her hair and resting the other on her back. Kagome felt `Sesshomaru's' warmth and became a bit more comforted. She calmed down a little bit, and loosened her grip on Naraku's kimono, closing her eyes and sniffing back a few more tears. Naraku held Kagome as gently as he possibly could, wanting her to stop crying. Not because he cared about Kagome and hated seeing her upset, but because he didn't want anyone hearing her and coming to see what was causing all the racket. He could sense Sesshomaru approaching and narrowed his eyes. Kagura will slow him down, he thought.

Sesshomaru ran as fast as he could, going northeast. Kagome's scent was getting stronger and stronger as he continued onward, and he was sure that she was in danger. Then another scent caught his attention. It was unmistakable… He felt his blood boil with rage. Naraku! How dare he… He will pay for his insolence, he thought. He sped up, outrunning Inuyasha, who was pretty far behind him as it was.

Inuyasha was running as fast as he could. He had caught Naraku's scent as well and growled furiously.

“That bastard… Mark my words, Naraku! When I find you, I'm gonna destroy you for ever messing with Kagome,” he concluded angrily. He sped up as much as he could, hoping that he would find Kagome before anyone else did.

Kagome pulled away from the embrace and looked up into `Sesshomaru's' beautiful amber eyes. Naraku gazed back, trying to remain as still as possible. A moment later, Kagome leaned up and kissed him on the lips, closing her eyes. Naraku's eyes widened. No mortal had ever been that close to him and lived to tell the tale. Hesitantly, he kissed the girl back, not planning on giving himself away yet. He sensed Sesshomaru nearby and broke the kiss. Kagome looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern.

“Sesshomaru, what's wrong?” she asked. The time had come. Naraku laughed and grabbed Kagome fiercely by the wrist. Kagome let out a cry of surprise. She felt `Sesshomaru's' claws cutting into her flesh and hissed in pain, looking painfully up at Naraku.

“Sesshomaru, what're you doing?!” she cried. Naraku chuckled, smirking.

“Sesshomaru? Oh no, priestess. I am not Sesshomaru,” he said. Kagome's eyes went wide.

“If you're not Sesshomaru, then-“ Kagome watched in horror as Naraku morphed from his Sesshomaru disguise back to his normal appearance. She found herself looking into a pair of sinister eyes, belonging to her arch nemesis.

“Yes. I am Naraku,” said the demon, eyes narrowed. Kagome struggled, trying to break free of Naraku's firm grip, but he was too strong. She glared at him.

“You jerk! You tricked me!” she cried. Naraku laughed.

“Yes, Kagome. You remind me so much of Kikyo. She saw me disguised as someone she cared dearly about, and it cost her her very life.” Kagome gasped.

“I know… You're the one who pitted Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other fifty years ago,” remembered Kagome. Naraku chuckled.

“Yes. And I will do to you what I did to Kikyo those many years ago.” Kagome did the first thing that her instincts told her to do; she screamed as loud as she could, hoping that someone would hear her.

Kagome's scream carried throughout one half of the forest, causing little animals to scatter fearfully into their burrows. Sesshomaru had heard her scream and sped his pace up even more. There he was cornered by Kagura and Kanna. He stopped running and glared warningly at Kagura.

“Get out of my way, Kagura,” he demanded. Kagura chuckled and opened her fan, holding it in front of her chest.

“I don't think so, Sesshomaru. This is a restricted area. No one is permitted to pass,” said Kagura calmly. Sesshomaru growled angrily and pulled out the Tokijin.

“Out of my way. Now!” he snarled. Kagura wasn't fazed by Sesshomaru's threat and stepped towards him. Sesshomaru stood his ground, hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword.

“I don't wish to fight you, Kagura. But if you don't get out of my way, I will be forced to kill you. And don't think that I won't enjoy it,” said Sesshomaru icily. Kagura still wasn't stepping aside, but she was in battle stance, ready for action. Kanna watched what was going on, unblinking, completely silent. With one sweep of the Tokijin's blade, Sesshomaru sent a blue blade of energy at Kagura.

“Dance of Blades!” yelled Kagura. She slashed her fan through the air and countered Sesshomaru's attack with her own. Sesshomaru growled. Kagura smirked.

“Kanna, take his soul!” she ordered. A small smile appeared on Kanna's face as she held up her mirror, the glass starting to glow white.

“Give me… your soul…” she said softly, a trace of excitement in her voice. Sesshomaru whipped his attention to Kanna. Whenever he looked at the mirror, he felt like he was being drawn into it. He did his best to not look at the mirror and glared at Kanna. A foggy white aura surrounded Sesshomaru and went towards the mirror. Suddenly, he felt weaker. The white aura was Sesshomaru's soul being dragged out of his body. He tried to break Kanna's spell, but he couldn't. He dropped down to one knee, his hand loosening on the Tokijin's hilt. Kagura chuckled softly, enjoying the sight of Sesshomaru being weakened so quickly.

“What's wrong, Sesshomaru? Feeling light-headed? Don't worry, it will all be over soon,” she said casually. Sesshomaru stood up with much difficulty and glared at Kagura, then Kanna. I have to break this spell… I won't allow my soul to be taken by the likes of Naraku's incarnation, he thought determinedly. His soul was slowly being dragged into the mirror, leaving him weaker by the second, but he wasn't willing to give up. He held the Tokijin's blade up in front of his face.

“I'm not going down that easily,” he said. He swept the blade through the air and sent another blue energy wave at Kanna. Kanna, concentrating on trying to extract Sesshomaru's soul, didn't have the time to dodge or block the attack and got hit head on. She screamed and fell to her knees, wounded. The white aura around Sesshomaru disappeared and he felt his strength returning. A few moments later, Inuyasha arrived. The puzzled half demon looked at Kanna, then at Kagura and finally at Sesshomaru.

“What the hell are you doing scrapping with these two?!” he asked. Sesshomaru put the Tokijin back at his belt and looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha.

“I wasn't intending on staying here to fight with the likes of these two, Inuyasha. They merely got in my way,” he stated. Inuyasha huffed and took out the Tetsusaiga, the blade transforming into a large, sharp saber.

“Well then, I'll take care of these two,” he said smugly.

“What, now you don't care about Kagome's safety?” questioned Sesshomaru sarcastically. Inuyasha growled and looked at Sesshomaru. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

“You go ahead, Sesshomaru. I'll stay here and take care of these two. But I swear, Sesshomaru, if anything happens to Kagome, you'll be sorry,” he threatened, glaring at Kagura and the recovering Kanna. Sesshomaru nodded.

“Very well, Inuyasha. Finish them off.” With that, Sesshomaru ran off at his full demon speed, Kagome only a few minutes from his reach.

The rest of the group was still waiting for Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to return with Kagome, and they were beginning to get worried. Miroku sighed.

“They're taking a really long time getting back,” he said, concern evident in his voice. Sango nodded.

“Something must've happened to them,” she said, holding Kirara with one arm and standing up, shouldering her Hiraikotsu. Shippo began jumping up and down frantically, his little arms flailing in the air.

“Or what if something happened to Kagome?! They might be fighting to protect her!” he cried. Kirara opened her eyes and stretched in her catlike way. She was now fully refreshed and ready to go. Sango looked down at the little cat demon in her arms and placed her down on the ground, a pleading look in her eyes. Kirara cocked her head to the side and mewed curiously.

“I don't mean to ask you this big favor right after you wake up from your nap, but can you take us to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru?” asked Sango. Kirara nodded, meowing. “Thank you, Kirara!” In a flash of flame, Kirara was in her larger form again. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo climbed onto her back. Miroku looked over at Jaken, who was guarding Rin as she slept on Ah-Un's back.

“Jaken, please stay here. It's much too dangerous for Rin to come with us right now. So please wait for us to come back. But if we take longer than expected, come looking for us,” he said. Jaken sighed and nodded.

“Okay, fine.” Within a few minutes, Sango and the others were off to help their friends.