InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sight Unseen ❯ Friend or Foe? ( Chapter 28 )

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

Sight Unseen

Chapter 28: Friend Or Foe?


"Mmmf!" Kagome grunted as she was jarred rather harshly. Her captor had apparently landed.

There were no voices that she could hear, but there didn't necessarily have to be, if they were all windwalkers.

Where was Inuyasha? And everyone else? Maruku had told her they were on their way, so why hadn't they found her yet?

She wriggled a bit, hoping to ease the hold of whoever held her.

"Be still," the same voice she'd heard earlier barked, and she was shifted, then dumped unceremoniously to the ground.

Kagome yelped as she hit the dirt, thankful at least that it wasn't concrete, or something equally as hard.

"_Quiet_, human." The command was growled directly in her face, the breath of whoever spoke fanning her cheek. "If you value your life, you _will_ keep quiet."

There was something vaguely familiar about the voice... but she couldn't quite place it.

Unfortunately, while Kagome was trying to puzzle through where she'd previously heard the voice, she was rolled into a large piece of cloth, picked up, and slung over what felt like someone's shoulder.

Her protest muffled by the heavy material, she struggled as best she could, but the hands wrapped around her side and her legs squeezed tightly to keep her still. Sighing, she settled down, but stayed tense, her heart beating quickly.

Where were they taking her? Did they mean her harm? She hadn't really thought about it until now, but the reality of the situation was sinking in. She was confident that Inuyasha and the others would arrive to save her. They'd never failed to do so before. But what was taking them so long?

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"Damn it, we need to move faster!" Inuyasha growled, spinning around to face the others from where he'd been walking several feet in front of them. Though he was scowling, his eyes revealed the frustration and worry he felt. "I could've found them by now!"

"Yeah, and you would've gotten in trouble at the same time, too," Shippo replied mockingly, arms folded over his chest. "It's your fault she got kidnapped, anyway."

"What?! My fault? You little brat...!"

Shippo gripped Miroku's robes in his tiny claws, trying for all his might to hide in them and escape the hanyou's wrath, but his efforts were in vain. He was lifted up by the tail, Inuyasha's golden eyes narrowed and focused on him.

"How was it my fault, Shippo? You were the one who was supposed to watch her!"

"You're supposed to protect her!" the kitsune yelled, glaring back. "You--" He trailed off, seeing the guilt Inuyasha was trying to hide.

"Fighting about it isn't exactly getting us any closer to finding Kagome, you two," Sango scolded from a few feet ahead of them.

Inuyasha looked at the others, finally noticing that they'd all managed to pass him and were waiting rather impatiently.

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted, tossing Shippo towards Miroku before following the same path on foot.

The kitsune squealed before landing with a thump against the monk's chest. "Hey! You could've just brought me over here!"

"We must be very cautious from here on in," Maruku murmured quietly before Inuyasha could respond, gaze sweeping over the trees around them. "We are inside Ataru's territory, fairly close to his stronghold, if my memory of this area and the map Lady Tamaeri possesses is correct."

"So that bastard _is_ the one who took her!" Inuyasha accused.

"Though my sense of smell is not as acute as yours, I do know his scent. He has not been here." The windwalker held up a hand to forestall any interruptions from the hanyou. "I know, that is not to say that those demons we encountered earlier were not sent by him."

Inuyasha snorted, moving on without waiting to see if the others were following.

"Lord Maruku, if I may say so, you do not seem very convinced that Ataru is the one who sent those demons after us, and kidnapped Kagome," Miroku commented, keeping his tone low, though he doubted his words would escape Inuyasha's demonic hearing.

The winged youkai's blank expression did not falter as he responded, "It is far more important to worry about finding the girl first. We can dwell on who possibly captured her at a later time, if it is necessary."

Sango bit her lip, considering Maruku's words. "But couldn't knowing who took her help us to be prepared for getting her back?"

"Indeed. For now, we assume that Ataru is the one who took her, and prepare for battle with his band of marauders. We are in his domain, after all, and should be on the lookout for any attackers, whether he kidnapped Lady Kagome or not."

The demon exterminator nodded, absently stroking Kirara's head as she fell silent.

Shippo bit his lip and tried to keep from worrying as he clung to Miroku's shoulder.

They continued on for a few more steps before Maruku added as if the conversation had never stopped, "In fact, I believe we are about to have company."

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Kagome could feel the lumbering gait of her kidnapper. At least, she thought it was her kidnapper that had picked her back up. If it was, the pronounced limp was fake-- when they'd been running with her earlier, the steps had been even and quick.

Each step was jarring her, bouncing her stomach into the shoulder of whoever held her.

What was with the faking? And _where_ on earth were they taking her?

The cloth she'd been rolled into was beginning to feel too stifling. It was getting harder to breath. Wrapped as she was, all warmth was trapped inside, and she was starting to sweat.

"You! Move faster!"

The gruff voice startled Kagome into stiffening, as she hadn't been expecting to hear anything. She held her breath, waiting to see if whoever it was would say anything more.

Her captor sped up the slightest bit, but still continued to limp heavily.

"I said, faster!"

The voice was closer, but it wasn't one she recognized.

"Faster!"

Kagome would've leaped back if she could've moved, at the hard thump she felt close to her head. She felt her captor wince slightly, but they kept moving.

Why didn't they move faster? To keep up appearances? So that the fact that whatever he or she carried wasn't what it appeared to be? But then... why were they keeping it a secret?

"Leave her alone!"

Another new voice. And still one she didn't recognize. Not that she really expected to.

"What did you say?"

"I said, leave her alone!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a way!"

Kagome knew a fight was going to break out. She hoped the one who stood up for whoever carried her wouldn't get hurt too badly. Since they were...

Wait. Her?

"Pick on someone your own size!"

Kagome hardly noticed the other voice that had joined in. Nor did she hear the gasps from closer to where her captor continued to move.

A female was carrying her?

She winced as her captor's shoulder bit into her stomach a little more forcefully than before. The gait was less pronounced, and they were moving more quickly.

"I'll teach you to talk back to me, you filthy crows!"

"You can't take all of us!"

The angry voices were fading. What was going on?

Kagome yelped as her head bounced against her kidnapper's back when they quickly came to a stop. She was shifted down, no longer carried over the shoulder, but held tightly in arms as they moved on once more.

This time, the steps were quick, but quiet. She couldn't really hear them through the material that covered her, though she strained to catch any sound.

She could hear the breathing of her captor, but that was all.

The silence around them was different than it had been earlier, however. She couldn't quite define what the change was, but... maybe things seemed more... echoey? Why would there be more of an echo of even the faintest sounds?

Were they inside?

That had to be it. The difference must be sounds bouncing off the walls of wherever they were.

Kagome grinned to herself, almost belatedly remembering that she was supposed to be quiet, and stifling the laugh that wanted to escape. Inuyasha would be proud of her for discerning the sounds around her, she thought idly.

The arms holding her suddenly tightened, squeezing her own still-bound arms painfully against her back.

Her captor had stopped, and was holding very still.

Kagome gritted her teeth, hoping they would soon move, and release her before the pain made her cry out.

To her relief, the grip on her loosened as her carrier let out a breath. They were on their way again seconds later.

The quick stopping occurred a few more times, but thankfully, the hold was never as tight as it had been the first time.

After the fifth stop, she heard other footsteps, coming closer. But her captor didn't halt as they'd done before. Instead, they continued on for several more steps before half-dropping Kagome to the ground.

"Hey!" she nearly yelled.

"Quiet, human! Do you want them to hear you?"

The harsh whisper was accompanied by her being unrolled, rather ungently.

"What?" Kagome asked, trying to keep her tone to as low a level as she could.

The voice didn't answer. Instead, she heard the material that had held her being thrown hastily to the side. She was thrown over onto her stomach, her cheek hitting hard earth beneath her.

"Hey! Can't you be a little more gentle?"

Her feet were unbound, and next her hands. In her captor's haste, the tip of what felt like a knife knicked the skin of her wrist as the rope binding her wrists was severed.

"Ow!"

She would've shrieked the protest, but was afraid they'd use the knife to cut something other than a tiny bit of skin out of her wrist if she wasn't quiet.

"Where the heck are we?"

Again, no answer. She was yanked upwards by the arm, and set on her feet, though her captor still kept a fierce grip on her upper arm. She felt breath on her cheek as she was shoved backwards into what felt like a wall.

"You are going to help him."

"What?"

"Morihiko. You are going to help him."

Kagome threw her head back, knocking it on the wall behind her. She hardly felt it in her surprise. "What? Morihiko?"

"You and your friends were on your way here to rescue him. You will get him out."

Kagome's head was reeling. Her captor wanted her to get the windwalker leader's mate out of wherever they were on her own? How was she going to do that? Especially if he wasn't conscious?

"How?"

"You will get him out. Ataru deserves to lose his precious hostage."

Kagome shook her head in denial. She couldn't even see! How was she going to get herself out of there, let alone an unconscious demon?

"But I can't--"

"You will get him out. We have stalled the one bringing the herbs, so he will wake."

"But--"

"There is no time!"

"But why--"

"They are coming, that's why, you stupid human!"

"Why are you helping us?" Kagome finally managed to rush out, before her captor could go on.

"I'm not helping you. I'm hurting Ataru. He needs to pay."

"For what?"

The grip on her arm tightened. "What do you care?"

"I--"

The vehemence in the voice cut her off. "He will pay for ignoring me. For lying, and treating my family as slaves when they offered to serve him loyally."

"For ignoring--?"

"He _will_ pay. You will help Morihiko, and your friends will take Ataru's power away from him."

"How-- Wait, take his power away? What--"

"Just as you took them from me, you will take his shards away."

"Take his-- Shiori??"

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A/N: Who guessed? <G>