Kagura soared through the air, urging the wind to push her feather forward. Sesshomaru was hot on her trail and the small woman sitting behind her clutched the stems of the giant feather with all her might. Akari held her breath and kept her eyes closed as nausea swept over her. She reached to pull her kimono tighter around her belly, as if the fabric would somehow protect her unborn child.
She was Naraku's wife, and no one in the world new she existed. Because he was moving forward with his plans to obtain more shards of the shikon jewel, he wanted to move Akari to a new hideout where she could remain undiscovered. Unfortunately, they hadn't made it very far before Sesshomaru caught their scent.
"Hold on tight!" Kagura shouted over the roar of the wind.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Akari yelled back.
Kagura could hear the desperation in her voice. She turned in the direction of the forest, hoping to lose their pursuer in the trees. However, with his nose to guide him, the chances of that happening were very slim.
The she-demon guided the feather in between the trees, trying to escape the danger. She almost began to believe that she lost him when suddenly, Sesshomaru's poison claws reached out to slash at the pair of women.
With a cry Akari fell from the feather and Kagura, believing her to be a lost cause, left her behind. As Akari fell to the ground she smacked her head against a tree and fell unconscious. Sesshomaru paused to sniff her.
"Human." He spat. Believing that she was of no importance since Kagura left her for dead, Sesshomaru began his pursuit once again.
The forest was dark and many creatures lie in wait as Akari remained vulnerable and unprotected. But as the dawn approached, a small company made their way over a nearby hill.