Chapter 2: A New Revelation

"Who are you? Where am I? What did you do to me?" She screamed. Her own ears flattened against her head in protest to the loud noise.

"You were found in the woods like this." The woman placed her hand over Kagome's mouth for a brief moment to quiet her. "Come."

Kagome, still fairly frightened but calming slightly, nodded silently and stood up. Her ears twitched back and forth nervously as well as her tail, listening for any unusual sounds that may occur. Wondering about how she got to this strange place, she followed.

A door appeared ahead of them as Kagura stopped. "Lord Naraku will see you."

"Naraku?" She echoed. Her heart told her that something was wrong, but she ignored it as she usually had in the past. Souta had always laughed at her for trusting it, for it had gotten her in some rather... unpleasant situations in the past with her friends.

Her friends. She wondered about them. Did they know she was okay? Could she eventually find her way back home? Kagome shook her head to clear her thoughts and stepped through the doorway, looking around cautiously. Seeing no one in the room. turning around to step back out she called "Hey, I th..."

"Miko Kagome, I presume?" A low dangerous-cut voice sounded behind her as she spun around. She quietly stared at him for a minute. She still didn't fully understand why everyone looked like they were dressed from the Sengoku Jidai period, but that didn't matter as she took in his appearance. He was tall, fairly good-looking with rich black hair that fell to his waist and he seemed to be dressed as a prince. She could really go for a guy like him if so inclined, but at the moment she had other pressing matters.

Miko? Kagome shook her head softly. "Where am I? What has been done to me? Who did this?" She turned back around and stared at him. "Please tell me! I can't remember and I want to know!"

"I can only tell you what I know. I found you outside my castle walls. You were barely conscious, only able to give me a few sketchy details before falling." Naraku sat down on one of the rice mats and motioned for her to do the same. He continued as she sat down, her tail wrapping around her waist as she fingered the edge absently.

"You mentioned someone, possible a priestess or a monk, casting a spell on you and being attacked by a band of travelers. All of your friends, including your sister, were killed, but you revealed you survived by hiding in a riverbed."

"My sister?" Kagome's tail twitched again, this time in sadness. Sister, sister. What is her name? Ki... Ki... Kikyou! That's her name! Kagome turned her attention back to Naraku.

"...You also named the name Inuyasha. He travels the countrysides attacking things at random, human and youkai alike. He has killed many."

"Human and youkai?" Kagome asked horrified, taking her glance off the floor and looking straight into Naraku's face. "Would he kill me?"

Just keep believing it, young miko. Narkau paused a moment. "A youkai like you could be considered a serious threat to him. I can sense the latent miko powers inside you. You, Kagome, could easily defeat him, and that is the most likely reason he attacked you in the first place."

"Youkai..." she mumbled looking back at her now still tail. "I was human last time I remembered."

Naraku was silent for a moment before turning towards the door and calling for a servant. "You must still be tired. I will have someone attend to you for the time being. You are welcomed here until you feel you are strong enough." He nodded toward the servant and helped Kagome from her sitting position. "Then I have a task for you." He nodded, still holding lightly onto Kagome's arm.

"Yes, Lord Naraku." She bowed and let the servant lead her out to a bath.

"Soon, you will be completely under my control, young miko." He chuckled softly under his breath, grasping a small ball of energy in his hand. "You won't even know what has happened until it is far too late."

^_^

"It's been nearly three days since Kagome was kidnapped." Sango sighed and lay down on Kirara's back. Shippou had fallen asleep moments earlier and Miroku was walking slowly with Kagome's bike. Inuyasha had barely slept since Kagome had been kidnapped.

"We can't stop yet. We need to find her before Naraku can do anything to her."

"Stating the worst case scenario, Kagome has already been manipulated or ki..." Miroku stopped suddenly seeing Inuyasha in his face growling loudly, Sango behind him, her Hiraikotsu ready to smack him at the next word spoken.

"We need to rest, Inuyasha. Despite how much we need to find her, we won't be able to do anything if we are exhausted." Sango mumbled from Kirara's back, nearly asleep already.

Inuyasha tossed a angry look at her, but did have to reluctantly agree. He had even been feeling tired the last few hours. Regrettably, he sighed and leaped into a tree and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.



"Inuyasha?" A voice floated over him as he exited Kaede's village, heading toward Goshinboku. "Inuyasha?" He knew that voice like his own. The sweetness of rose petals mixed with the crispness of a spring breeze filled his nose. It could only be one scent.

"Kagome?" He called back, not being able to quite pin where her voice was coming from. He ran ahead on the path to the well. The area around the well was empty but the voice remained. "Inuyasha, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Kagome." He spun around and looked thoughtfully behind him at the girl he had come to care for (even if he could only admit it to himself), but stopped at seeing her. She was not wearing her usual school fuku, but her yellow dress with the light blue jacket over it. Inuyasha always liked that one since he had seen it after sending her home.

But he did not like the way she looked in general. Her face appeared to be haggard and worn, like she had just completed a battle he tried to keep her from fighting in. Her arms hung heavily at her sides, indicating tiredness and her eyes... Her eyes stood out the most as they were filled with infinite sadness. "Inuyasha, where are you?" By the sound of her voice, she was on the brink of tears.

He moved closer until he was no more than a hand length away. "I'm right here, Kagome. Can't you see me?" He reached out to smooth the hair away from her face and... passed right through her. He tried once again on hearing Kagome call for him. His hand passed through her once again as tears began to form in his own eyes. I can't touch her. Can't comfort her when she needs me most. I can't... love her... he trailed off on seeing Kagome's face bunch up, like she was mad, and run off without him.

A scream came no more than a second after she disappeared from sight. He rushed over to her and saw something he would never wish to see. Kagome was laying face down on the ground, Tessaiga run through her from side to side as he himself stood next to her laughing at the sight. "Inuyasha, please save me..." she whispered. But Inuyasha was paralyzed, slowly watching her die...


Inuyasha woke up suddenly, causing himself to nearly fall out of the tree he was currently in. Looking below him at the campsite, he noticed Sango and Shippou were huddled together next to the still smoldering fire, Shippou snuggled under Sango's chin. Miroku was a short distance away, leaning against a tree. He wasn't sleeping though, he was in meditation and by his breathing, he was very deep. Kirara was laying on his lap, also asleep. Inuyasha's eyes went to the spot below his tree where Kagome always set her sleeping pack, but she was not there, as he had to remind himself once again.

I'll go on ahead without them. I can't sit around here and be useless when Kagome's life is in danger. He looked at the campsite as he made his decision.

He lept from the tree silently and took one step away from camp before hearing a voice, "Is something other than Kagome's disappearance bothering you, Inuyasha?" He turned and found Sango was now sitting up looking at him with a confused look on her face.

"Keh. I can't sit here any longer. I'm going ahead, you can all catch up with me later." He turned back and headed off to the path they had been following lately.

END OF CHAPTER TWO...