Haunted

By $hAdOwCaT

Chapter 8: Faint

-

There was nothing. Nothing but an endless rain that threatened to consume the land. The only noise was the continuous droplets of water, which crashed upon everything. Darkness as far as the eye could see. But this was no human eye, thus sight was clear.

Despite this weather, however, he found himself hot on the chase.The familiar scent filled his nostrils, urging him further. Every step that he took seemed like forever in this endless chase. He'd already run through the forest, dodging thick trees here and there, but he had yet to uncover his prize.

This scent… it was so familiar yet he could not seem to place it.

The wind whipped through his long ebony hair even though it was confined to a ponytail. Often he would enjoy the feel of the wind against his skin, but now it seemed as though the wind was pushing him back. It was preventing him from going any further. Something inside of him raced, the need coursing through his veins.

He had to find her.

His woman.

As he ran, the oddest thing happened. The scenery around him was changing. The grass became gray and hard, no longer soft to the touch. Trees turned into tall, dark structures that seemed to go sky high.

"What the hell…?"

The words had barely left his lips when a familiar voice met his ears. It was soft, feminine, and melodic yet it shook with emotion. His heart skipped a beat as he pushed forwards.

Soon he came across a clearing. There on the grass, he found her.

But she was not alone.

Her breath came out as soft pants. She lay on her back, her azure eyes wide. She appeared to be in a state of shock. The girl sat up and covered her hands over her mouth. He followed her eyes and what he saw made his eyes widen.

Lying before her was the battered body of his archrival. The tattered, bloody, torn body of the hanyou he had sworn to kill with his own hands. Damn, someone had gotten to the hanyou before he did…

The girl whimpered softly before throwing her hands on her face and sobbing.

He could smell the saltiness of her tears and carefully approached her.

"Kagome…?" he laid his land on her shoulder, unsure of what to do next.

The girl only cried more. She tried to move from the touch but lacked the strength to.

"Kagome? Look at me."

He pulled her hands from her face and forced her to look at him. The dark kohl, or whatever it was that she wore around her eyes, stained her porcelain cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy. They widened.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she threw her arms around him and wept on his chest.

"Oh Koga," she cried. "It's horrible. It's horrible."

He held her tight, his hand stroked her hair in a comforting manner. As much as he enjoyed the feeling of Kagome in his arms, he knew this wasn't right. But something inside told him, it could be right.

"Shhh…Kagome…"

"Koga, this is all-" a painful sob escaped her lips. "- my fault. I am guilty. I am to blame…"

"No, that's not true. You could never do anything wrong."

"But it's true! It is because of me that this happened," she buried her face further in his muscular chest. "I never wanted any of this to happen…"

"This isn't your fault, Kagome," he said after a lengthy pause. What was he to say to the girl who stole his heart? How could he soothe her fears? If there was a way, he would find it.

They stayed like this in silence. The girl's sobs had become less and less frequent until they were soft hiccups. She pulled out of the embrace to look him in the face, an unreadable emotion plastered across her features.

"Koga…?"

His fingers gently brushed the tears off of her stained cheeks. He made a rumble in his throat for her to continue.

"Koga, I've realized something just now."

"You have? What is it?"

She scooted closer, her body pressing against his own. Her head was tilted at an angle, giving her a sort of innocent seductress look. Though her gaze was rested on something just out of sight, her eyes kept returning to his lips.

"Koga…"

"Yeah?"

She averted her eyes. "I have nothing now. I have nothing to live for. There is no reason for me to continue living..."

Koga didn't like where this was going. He roughly grabbed her hand.

"No, that's not true, Kagome!"

She smiled as she pressed a slender finger to his lips, silencing the wolf instantly. "I realize that now. Being with you…You've shown me something just now. I want to be happy, and I know I can find happiness with you."

Koga was speechless.

"Will you allow me to be happy? With you?" her head was lowered in a shy, timid gesture.

He brought her to his chest, his arms encircling the girl. Words escaped him.

A soft giggle escaped her lips as she snuggled up to him. There was silence for several moments.

"Koga, you care about me, don't you?"

He nodded his head, his eyes still closed in sheer bliss.

"Do you love me?"

Again, Koga nodded his head.

"Will you do anything for me? Anything?"

He made a sound of consent, unable to form words.

"Will you…Koga…do you promise to make me forget? Help me forget about that despicable Inuyasha? About all of the horrible things he had done to me? Kill him for me."

"I promise."

-

"Oh I sure hope he's alright."

"I'll say, Koga's been acting weird ever since he saw Kagome yesterday."

The two wolf demons exchanged worried glances, the same thought running through their heads. What was Koga going to do?

Earlier, they had been awakened from a well-deserved slumber by a shrill howl from their leader. The young wolf demon had had sprung up onto his feet, drenched in cold sweat, and panted heavily. His eyes had had an eerie almost crazed look to them. Before either of them had the chance to react let alone question him, the wolf demon raced out of the den in a fury, screaming the words, "I will kill Inuyasha for you, Kagome!"

So like any worried loyal pack members, Hakkaku and Ginta ran after him. But by the time they had reached the mouth of the cavern den, Koga was long gone. All they had to go on was his scent. That in itself was nothing new, the two were constantly tracking after Koga, but this time was different. The situation was dire. Not that they cared about what happened to the hanyou, Inuyasha, the gleam in Koga's eyes had had sent chills down their spines.

"Where…you…" Hakkaku began between heavy pants. One would think after all the running he did everyday, chasing after Koga and all, that he would be much more in shape. "..think…he…is…going…?"

His companion shot him an annoyed look. "Where…do…you…think…smart one?"

Hakkaku scowled and hmphed indignantly. "I know he went to find Inuyasha, but there's telling where that hanyo-" he stopped suddenly. He sniffed the air. "Hey…do you smell that?"

Ginta stopped also and took a whiff of the air. He was about to respond when a gasp escaped his lips.

-

On the way to the fast food restaurant, Kagome hadn't said much to her friends. They chatted idly about social happenings that went on in the school. She stared at her soda without really seeing it. Her thoughts were focused on the one thing she did not what to think about. Tried as she might to ignore them, the annoying thoughts kept popping in her head. Irritating thoughts like, should she have stopped by Kaede's cottage to tell her that she was all right? Were the others okay? Was Inuyasha okay without her?

Shut up mind, Kagome thought furiously. Must you keep telling me things I don't want to know? She knew that sooner or later she would have to confront this, but preferred to procrastinate and have it be later rather than sooner.

Argh. Kagome put her face in her hands and massaged her temples, trying to soothe her raging headache.

"Hey, Kagome. You okay?" asked Yuka, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome lifted her head and found all her friends staring intently at her. She straightened and sighed. "I've been better."

Eri frowned in concern. "You've been really out of it, Kagome. You've hardly said a word all day. Is something bothering you?"

"You know you can tell us anything, right?" Ayumi asked from her right.

"Right, Kagome?" all her friends asked in unison.

Kagome looked at the sincere faces of her friends and felt a pang of guilt. They cared about her and all she did was lie to them, right to their faces even. What kind of friend was she? They had no idea of what was really going on in her life anymore. Kagome knew it was for the best if they didn't know about the feudal area, and yet she felt guilty for excluding them.

Then again, something really was on Kagome's mind. Actually more than one thing. The main problem, she knew she couldn't tell them. But maybe just maybe they could give her some insight about those horrid nightmares she had had. She hadn't told a soul about what happened in her vivid dreams. It couldn't hurt to tell them…

Kagome suddenly found it amusing to stare at her soda bottle.

"D-do you guys ever have um," she paused and searched for the right word. "graphic dreams?"

Yuka's eyebrow rose. She and Eri exchanged curious looks. "Graphic dreams?" she repeated.

"Yeah, you know a very detailed dream that feels as though its real?" Kagome replied, still meeting no one's gaze.

"Uh huh," Yuka and Eri and Ayumi all shared skeptical glances. Was there something little Kagome was neglecting to tell them?

Ayumi leaned forward. "Let me guess. It has to do with your boyfriend?"

Kagome looked up in surprise. Inuyasha? "Y-yes, how did you know?"

"It's perfectly natural for someone to have such dreams when involved in a relationship," replied Yuka.

"Perfectly natural? No way! There's no way in hell I'd call these dreams perfectly natural! They're just the opposite!"

"Jeez, no need to get so touchy. Your dream is just showing you your inner desires."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. There was no way she desired Inuyasha dead. She wanted him alive, well, and happy. Not bloody, battered, and dead.

"T-that can't be," she stammered. "I don't want him like that."

A mischievous smirk crossed Eri's lips. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he? You wouldn't have gone out with him if you didn't want him in some way."

"Yeah," agreed Yuka. "Sexual fantasies are nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has them."

Kagome blinked and stared at her friends for several minutes. What Yuka had said was still processing. Did she just say sexual fantasy?

"Sexual fantasy?" she repeated in confusion.

"Duh, so you had a rated X dream with your boyfriend. No biggie."

How the hell did they get that from horrid nightmare…? Kagome smacked her forehead. She knew how this happened and couldn't believe she didn't notice until it was too late. Wrong choice of words on her part. I guess being in the feudal area for so long made me forget how perverted my friends are.

Besides, why on earth would she have a fantasy about Inuyasha? That was complete and total madness. Although, she had to admit she liked being close to him and enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms…but that didn't mean anything. His heart belonged to Kikyo not Kagome.

Around her, Kagome's friends started to giggle. Kagome sighed; she really had to do something about that blushing problem of hers. It was beginning to get annoying.

-

"That was odd."

You can say that again, Miroku, Inuyasha thought as he stared at the spot where the young leader of the wolf demon tribe had been just moments ago. His handrubbed his now sore windpipe.

"What on earth just happened?" Shippo exclaimed as if he had just snapped out of a daze.

I don't know. Amber eyes glanced at the sword slung around their owner's waist.

Flashback

"Silence! Let's settle this with our fists!"

He barely had enough time to step to the side before he was bombarded by a fury of punches. Some he had managed to block but a few broke through his defenses and came into contact with his stomach and his jaw.

Where is Koga getting all this strength from? Inuyasha didn't remember the wolf demon's hits stinging so much. Was it possible that he obtained more shards of the Shikon no Tama?

He threw his hands on the ground and sprung backwards, flipping onto his feet to avoid more hits. Once he was a safe distance away, his hand gripped the handle of Tetsuaiga but just as he was about to unsheathe the mighty sword, he was hit by an angry fist and knocked off of his feet.

Shit. Inuyasha gingerly rubbed his chin; the metallic taste of blood was in his mouth. His blood. He definitely didn't recall his mouth bleeding the last time Koga had struck him.

"What's the matter, dog-boy? Having a little trouble standing up?" Koga sneered in a tone of mock sympathy. "Let me give you a hand."

Before Inuyasha had the chance to react, Koga was already in front of him. The wolf demon's hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground with ease.

"Let…me…go…asshole…"

Inuyasha struggled to pry the hand off of his increasingly constricted windpipe with no success. He swung his legs and tried to kick out of the grasp, still nothing. He dug his claws into Koga's hand, deep enough to draw blood, but the demon did not seem to take notice.

It was getting harder to breathe. His strength was rapidly leaving him. He knew that if he didn't do something fast, he was going to die. Little black dots were dancing before his eyes. Dimly, he heard his friends cry out for him.

Suddenly, Koga cocked his head to west and inhaled deeply, his hand gave one final squeeze as he disappeared in his usual whirlwind.

End Flashback

The wolf demon's attacks were so sudden and powerful that they completely caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting such power.

I didn't even have time to draw my Tetsuaiga.

Where on earth did Koga get all that strength from? He wondered. Was it from the jewel shards?

As unlikely as it seemed, the possibility wasn't at all that improbable. It was rumored that there two or three shards floating around this area. But still…something didn't smell yet about the situation. The stench that cloaked Koga wasn't like his usual one, there was something different about it.

"How are you doing, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked from his right. Inuyasha blinked, when did he get there?

Shippo was on the monk's shoulder. His aqua eyes studied the hanyou intently. "Yeah Inuyasha, you look pretty banged up."

Inuyasha snorted and folded his arms over his chest, turning away. "Feh. As if that mangy wolf could hurt me."

Well at least he's behaving arrogantly again. "Your bloody lip seems to beg to differ."

Inuyasha glared at him. "Shut the hell up, Miroku. You don't know nothing."

-

"So I'm guessing those weren't the kind of dreams you had," Eri said seriously. "Because if they were, I doubt you'd look so depressed unless you saw something disappoint-"

Kagome's cheeks flushed bright red. "NO! Shut up! It's nothing like that!"

Eri merely rolled her shoulders with a sly grin on her face. Yuka and Ayame exchanged giggles. "Jeez okay, okay…"

"So what happened, Kagome?" Ayame questioned.

The girl in question suddenly found it amusing to stare at her soda. She chewed on her bottom lip. Argh! What was she supposed to say? Should she tell them? Then again, what did she have to lose?

"You guys promise not to tell?"

She didn't know why she was even saying that. The words just flowed out of her mouth all on their own accord. It wasn't like it mattered who her friends told. None of her companions in the feudal area would ever find out.

She folded her hands on her lap and lowered her chin. Thick, ebony bangs fell over her eyes.

"Sure, Kagome. Of course we wouldn't tell anyone."

"Well I…" she trailed off, staring at the folded hands on her lap.

Now was the perfect opportunity to tell them about the dreams, to lift the burden off her chest, but now all of a sudden she couldn't seem to find her voice. Suddenly, she felt as though she didn't want to tell them.

"C'mon Kagome, you've got our word. We won't tell a soul," Eri said.

Kagome looked up at the face of her friend. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, her gaze drifted out the window behind the girl's head. There was usual hustle and bustle of the crowded Tokyo streets. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something odd about the scene.

With the constant commotion stood a lone figure, cloaked head to toe in black. His gaze held hers in a spine tingling embrace.

Was it just her imagination or was that guy looking straight at her?

"Oh my god…" Kagome muttered, unable to tear her eyes away. He had come for her. Dear god, he had come for her.

To her horror, the lone figure lifted the hood covering his head revealing…

"Hello Kagome." A hand clutched her shoulder.

A scream broke through her lips as she instinctively tore out of the grasp. The hand only held on tighter. In the midst of the struggle, Kagome fell out of her chair and rolled onto the tile floor. Her eyes were shut tightly, her arms covered her head as she was expecting a blow.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me! Leave me alone or else Inuyasha kill you!"

"Er…Higurashi? Kagome?"

"Kagome?"

She slowly opened her eyes, which she didn't even realize she had clamped shut in her fright, to see none other than Hojo staring down at her. A mixture of hurt and confusion clearly written on his face. Her friends looked at her with similar looks.

Kagome slowly rose on shaky legs and returned to her seat. She stole a glance out the window. The figure was gone.

Her attention returned to the matter at hand.

"Uh…hi…Hojo…"

-

"I don't understand," Sango began as they continued on their journey.

Her voice was weak and raspy, but she didn't care. There was something on her mind that was bothering her and she was determined to getan answer.

"Even if Koga had somehow acquired more jewel shards, I doubt they would increase his power that much. Something else must be afoot."

There was silence as the group absorbed her words. Miroku rubbed his chin in thought. Even Inuyasha, who had slowed his pace and was now several feet ahead, seemed to be thinking it over.

"He didn't."

All eyes fell upon the houshi.

"What makes you say that?" Sango questioned. She opened her mouth to say, 'We don't have Kagome to tell us how many shards he has' but thought better of it. "We have no way of knowing for sure."

"It's quite simple, my dear Sango. Had Koga obtained more jewel shards he would have displayed them proudly."

"Did you see his eyes?" Shippo piped up from Sango's lap. "Talk about freaky."

"My point exactly."

The slayer shot Miroku a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

His gaze remained fixated on something just out of sight, arms folded over his chest. There was silence as he carefully chose his words.

"I can't be sure but I believe that-" A loud sniff broke his musings. Miroku cocked his head to side. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou had his eyes closed, nose lifted in the air, sniffing furiously. His brow twitched, as did one of the dog-ears on his head.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, curiously.

Everyone had stopped now and watched him in confusion.

"Do you smell that?" Inuyasha sniffed some more as if making sure the scent was still there.

"Uh, Inuyasha we humans cannot-"

"Shippo, what do you smell?"

The small kitsune jumped from Kirara's back and perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. He smelled the air.

"I don't smell any-" he started to say when a gasp escaped his lips. "Oh my gosh! You're right!"

The two humans exchanged blank looks and returned their attention back to the hanyou and kistune. Even Kirara tested the air. She made a throaty growl. What's this? Sango looked at her curiously.

"What is it you smell, girl?"

The words had barely left her lips when the demon cat roared onto it's hind legs and took off into the sky, taking the wounded slayer with it.

"Sango!"

-

Author's Note: Dun dun dun dramatic reberse. That is the end of Chapter Eight. What will happen to Sango? What is with the strange scents in the air? And what the heck is Koga's deal? If you want to find out, go the bottom of the page and click the button that says 'send review' or email me whatever you what to do. But just send me something, okay? I want to know what's going on in the minds of you the readers. Read and Review! Okay? BTW, quick question. blushes Do any of you know which one of the wolves is Ginta and which one is Hakkaku? I can't remember. Please and thank you! And I want to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful reviews, but I don't have the time. I'm sorry! Next chapter, next chapter, okay? Ja ne!

--$hAdOwCaT