Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make a profit out of this fic.
.A/N: changes were made to this chapter as of 9/11/2013, please take a minute to read/re-read this chapter ;) Thank you!
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Like nectar in a sieve, the gray, brick walls of the shrine seemed to melt and sink into the dirt it had stood on without forewarning. Kagome gasped as the earth sunk under her white tennis shoes, eyes wide. She turned her head to her hanyou companion, eyes brimming with something akin to fear.
"What the hell's going on?!" Inuyasha shouted, before reaching out to the young miko before him. His clawed tipped hand shot out to catch Kagome, but his own feet were unsteady atop the disappearing sand. Holding onto her upper arm, their eyes connected.
"Dammit I told you not to touch it!" his brash voice reached her ears. Kagome could only reach out in vain as the earth around them sunk, taking them and the shrine down with it.
Miroku and Sango, who were on the other side of the shrine, felt a tremor go through the earth before it gave under them. A surprised gasp tore from Sango's throat as she and the monk sunk down.
Kilala rose above the air on blazing paws, grabbing her long time comrade from the back of her uniform collar. In one fluid motion, Kilala flipped Sango into the air and onto her back.
"Miroku!" The slayer urged the feline demon towards the struggling monk.
"Don't come any closer!" The monk yelled, arms stretched upward, trying to stay atop the sinking sand. Eyes wide, he pinned the slayer with a look of worry. Holding his staff on an iron grip, least he loose it, he struggled to keep afloat.
"Get help!" he managed to shout out as salty sand made its way into his open mouth. His form was completely swallowed by the sand before the slayer could even respond.
Flying high above the air, Sango watched wide eyed as the shrine disappeared completely, taking her companions with it. In its place a massive sink hole laid atop the hill, dark and eerie. Where once an aura was absent, now a dark, sluggish aura saturated the area, tugging at the senses ever so persistently. Not a single trace of the hanyou, the priestess, kit or monk remained. Scrunching her brows together, the slayer prayed her friends had not sustained any injuries on their way down.
Sensing her rider on the brink of panic, Kilala soared higher up in the air and took it upon herself to do as the monk had instructed. Growl erupting from deep within her chest, Kilala let the wind current to the west carry her to the closest source that'd be able to provide assistance –though the question remained: would he be willing?
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The sudden stillness that griped the forest around him gave Lord Sesshomaru pause. Had he been a cocky youngling, he would have assumed it was simply because he, a predator, was on the prowl for prey. Yet the instant the air around him became charged with an almost palpable electricity, he knew he was not the reason for the forest's silence.
Growling, the demon lord instinctively knew who was responsible for the abnormal sure in the air. With speed unimaginable by mankind, he crossed a shallow creek before him and thrust sharp claws into the chest of a deer that had been standing still; hiding. Without remorse, he pulled out the heart and hauling it over his shoulder, sped to his adoptive pup.
"You will cook this, and Rin will eat it," Lord Sesshomaru's monotone voice rang out through the cave, startling a grouchy Jaken.
Not willing to waste time on the imp, the demon lord nodded once towards a slumbering Rin, as if reassuring himself of her safety, before turning and disappearing from sight.
Although he was not one to ever feel guilt over a decision, trepidation over his choices or doubt over what he decreed, one thing he allowed his mind to think: he should not have let the young priestess alone so close to that shrine.
Almost as soon as he'd left the safety of the cave behind, he sense two auras approaching his at high speed. Though somewhat familiar, he was not fully acquainted to them, and therefore had no clue as to their intent. He knew two things though, one: they were the young miko's companions and two: they were highly agitated… increasing his speed, Sesshomaru shifted course just the slightest to meet them head on.
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A/N: I know perhaps many of you have forgotten about me and my stories, or perhaps this is the first you've even heard of me lol, but I would like to apologize for not updating in such a long time. I've returned to right the wrong though. I am determined to see this story, along with 'The Unknown Lady', to completelion. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!