His sensitive nose hovered not even an inch above the ground and his ears twitched alertly. "Why is her scent so faint? Kagome couldn't have gotten this far," he thought irritably before venturing onward through the sea of dense trees and vegetation. He now regretted the anger he'd flaunted upon her earlier. It hadn't been her fault. She was entitled to have more than just a few friends...wasn't she?
"So I was wrong to call her a selfish brat," he admitted, "...but...why'd she have to go behind my back like that? She could have told me that she and that guy Hodo or Homo or Hojo or whatever his stupid name is that they were seeing each other!' I thought you wouldn't mind!' she says! 'He and I are just friends! Get over yourself!' she says! 'He's a nice guy Inuyasha! Even you'd like him!' she says!" he sneered aloud, "Yeah right!"
Suddenly his eyes widened, and he slid to a halt atop the steep hill he'd just loped onto and stood up straight as though he were a puppet with strings attached to his head jerking up his torso and more strung through his feet pulling downwards. His body remained stiff even as the sudden second aroma captured his nose. It caused his nasal cavities to burn. He recognized the new scent...indeed he knew it very well. There was no mistaking. It was the scent of Naraku.
"Inuyasha! Wait up!" He heard the monk calling behind him. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Will you just shut up Miroku!?" he yelled. The monk and the others rose beside him. "...You're a little touchy after your spat with Kagome..." Miroku confirmed, "I understand you're upset and perhaps even a bit jealous Inuyasha but that's no reason to take it out on others, especially not Kagome."
Shippou nodded in agreement. "Yeah Inuyasha! Kagome didn't do anything wrong! I don't understand why you have to be so mean-"
"I said SHUT UP!" Sango knew something was afoot...and it wasn't good.
"...There's a demon close by..." she piped up, hand ready on her boomerang, "...I can feel it. It's Naraku!"
"...Yeah it's him..." Inuyasha growled, "...so what the hell are we just standing around for?"
Fearfully she dared to gaze into the brutal red eyes of the one she had just de-masked with the help of one of her arrows. Unfortunately that had been all that was accomplished by her frantic attempt to construct a hit and run. After considering it she felt kind of stupid. She knew she couldn't outrun him and even if a miracle occurred and she'd managed to escape, where would she run to? Her sense of idiocy increased when she realized she shouldn't have run off by herself in the first place but she'd been so fuming mad at Inuyasha that the possibilities of bumping into one of the many shikon no tama seekers hadn't crossed her mind. Her wrists began to throb as his iron grip on them became progressively tighter to where she could no longer hold her bow and it descended to the forest floor. Her eyes squeezed shut; she was frozen within his grasp.
Her lips stumbled, "I-Inuyasha!"
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried as he burst through the bushes into the small clearing where he'd heard his name.
But neither Kagome nor Naraku were there. The only remnants were her bow and a couple arrows which Inuyasha picked up with his left hand. The other tensely held the Tetsusaiga. Only three strands of his silver hair were cut from his head when a shuriken came whirling through the air. Inuyasha ducked just in time and leapt out. The Tetsusaiga flashed dividing the bush whence it came into miniature sections.
"W-what the hell!" he cried in indignation when he found no one there, "Show yourself!"
He knew by the scent that it was not Naraku. It was yet another of his pawns only this one he did not recognize. This individual smelled of irises and strong herbs which presented a rather pleasant aroma. It couldn't have been Kagura. Her speed as a wind demon was far surpassed by this demon. He was unable to pay much attention to it for a long slender leg came across the back of his head hurling him into a tree. He hit hard; pushed away and spun to face his attacker. What he or she possessed for speed was greatly lacking in power. The kind of tactics this demon was executing were deeply irritating for Inuyasha. He preferred hand to hand combat and did not approve of hit and run. Thus was the act of cowardice in his opinion. He was about to call out a few threats and curses when Sango's boomerang flew past. With a thunderous crack it split the branch of a tree in half. A shadow leapt from it just before it fell not even an inch from Inuyasha.
"Come out and show yourself! We haven't got all day!" Inuyasha barked.
"Are you hurt?" Sango inquired. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Hastily he wiped it away.
"I'm fine," he assured her and the others, then called to the unknown attacker, "but you won't be once I get my hands on you!"
Once again Inuyasha began slashing wildly at the demon clad in shadows who had been crouched in the treetops above. This time however he hit blade to blade. They blocked the Tetsusaiga was a smaller blade which appeared similar to a ninja-to; a weapon used commonly by female ninjas. This was one was slightly different. There was strange vine markings engraved on the blade and it glowed a dim purple. Obviously it was no ordinary blade. Like the Tetsusaiga it obtained abnormal mystical powers which could only be controlled by a limited few. With as much power as he could muster, Inuyasha drove the demon back in midair breaking them apart. They both landed upon a large patch of sunlit ground which exposed the demon in full view. Her skin was pale like the surface of the moon yet her almond shaped eyes were a cyan blue. Her lips were painted violet which corresponded quite well with her violet and white cherry blossom petal printed kimono. Her claws too were painted violet and on her hands were a pair of fingerless gloves made of several black strings forming different spider web like patterns. She had long and narrow peach markings on both cheeks that pointed up towards her nose. Her ears and tail however despite the color of her hair which was pink were dark beige and there was a single silver hoop on her right ear. Inuyasha grimaced.
"A cat demon?" he sneered, "...how very befitting for Naraku!" He'd expected her to snarl a reply to his remark. She did not. This further aggravated him. "Fine then! If you won't tell me then what good is it to keep you alive!"
"No! Stop Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled. Inuyasha hastily executed another attempt to slice her in half horizontally.
She dodged easily; leaping clear of the blade then landed atop the dull edge on one foot which kept balance. The other struck out causing a rush of blood to flood from Inuyasha's nose. His feet dug into the ground tore bits of grass and dirt when he was forced back by the impact of the blow to his head. When he opened his eyes she was busy evading Sango's boomerang. Miroku's staff also pressed forth maintaining a safe distance between himself and the demon. He swung at the cat demon who blocked easily. The boomerang came around straight for her. She ducked in time to swat Miroku's staff out of his hand and to see it fly over her head. She was too fast for any of them to overcome. There was only way Inuyasha could think of in order to establish a comeback. It was the same attack he'd used against his brother, Sesshoumaru. It was also the same one with which was capable of slaying a hundred demons in a single stroke. The wind scar.
It was a while before they reached another village, but when they did, it appeared to be completely desolate. Everywhere they looked, there was no life form whatsoever. "Weird," Shippou commented, scampering ahead, "Wonder where everyone is..." Inuyasha just grunted an incoherent response and kept walking, while Miroku and Sango followed.
"Rei!" a sharp cry suddenly pierced through the air, "Rei, where are you?!" A small, young boy rushed out from behind the shelter of the trees, and ran blindly on a head-long collision with Shippou. The boy screamed, and in the instant his head rose, they could see the bruises that covered his face and the dark eyes that were beginning to water with tears.
"...Kaemon..." the second voice was just as sudden as the first, only the girl who'd gasped out the name was older than the boy. The second her eyes found the group, though, she immediately reached behind her back for a weapon. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, "Haven't you done enough damage to our village already? There's nothing left here for you to take!" Carefully, with her knife balanced in one hand, she reached for Kaemon, allowing Shippou, who was closer to the pair, a glimpse of the wound at her side. Fury darkened her gaze as she took the boy's hand.
"Wait-" Sango began, but the girl dashed off, the boy following with no choice.
"What happened here that she thought we were the enemy?" Miroku wondered aloud. "Maybe the place was pilaged..." Inuyasha suggested.
They found the pair in the forest, the young boy shaking Rei who lay unconscious on the forest floor, her wound open and bleeding through the bandage she had placed on it. "Please wake up...sis...please..." Kaemon begged of the unconscious girl.
It was a while before they reached another village, but when they did, it appeared to be completely desolate. Everywhere they looked, there was no life form whatsoever.
"Weird," Shippou commented, scampering ahead, "Wonder where everyone is..."
Inuyasha just grunted an incoherent response and kept walking, while Miroku and Sango followed.
"Rei!" a sharp cry suddenly pierced through the air, "Rei, where are you?!"
A small, young boy rushed out from behind the shelter of the trees, and ran blindly on a head-long collision with Shippou. The boy screamed, and in the instant his head rose, they could see the bruises that covered his face and the dark eyes that were beginning to water with tears.
"...Kaemon..." the second voice was just as sudden as the first, only the girl who'd gasped out the name was older than the boy. The second her eyes found the group, though, she immediately reached behind her back for a weapon. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, "Haven't you done enough damage to our village already? There's nothing left here for you to take!"
Carefully, with her knife balanced in one hand, she reached for Kaemon, allowing Shippou, who was closer to the pair, a glimpse of the wound at her side. Fury darkened her gaze as she took the boy's hand.
"Wait-" Sango began, but the girl dashed off, the boy following with no choice.
"What happened here that she thought we were the enemy?" Miroku wondered aloud.
"Maybe the place was pilaged..." Inuyasha suggested.
They found the pair in the forest, the young boy shaking Rei who lay unconscious on the forest floor, her wound open and bleeding through the bandage she had placed on it.
"Please wake up...sis...please..." Kaemon begged of the unconscious girl.
Miroku knelt beside the girl. "Her wound is deep..."
"No! Stay back!" the boy cried.
"Hey kid!" Inuyasha barked, "Do we look like horse demons to you?!"
"Horse?" Shippou inquired.
"Yeah...they were horse demons that attacked your village." The boy looked confused.
"Y'know what horse demons look like don't you? They have a long stupid face, clueless eyes, big pointy ears, a lengthy tail and mane and they have a pea size brain. All that and they smell like they've been rolling in each others shit all day. I could smell them from a mile away."
"Sango, pass me Kagome's bag. The medicines from her world will do more justice than mine," Sango passed it to him and he began to stitch the girls wound. "Inuyasha, Shippou, go and retrieve some fire wood."
"Since when do you give orders?" Inuyasha growled.
"This isn't the time for discussion," was Miroku's reply. Inuyasha merely scowled and departed to look for fire wood.
"Wait for me!" Shippou cried and scampered after him.