Kagome opened her eyes with a start and sat up quickly in the moonless night. She sensed it, a shikon shard. She rubbed her eyes and climbed out of her sleeping bag. Kagome looked around the small clearing that they were camping in. Still unsure, she grabbed her bow and arrows.
"Kagome what is it?" Sango asked from behind her.
Kagome turned to face her companion who was sitting up looking around. "I sense a shikon shard," she said.
"Oh!" Sango said as she jumped up and grabbed her boomerang. "Where's InuYasha?"
"Probably off by himself, it's a new moon."
"Well, then where's Miroku, Shippô, and Kirara?"
"I'm not sure, it looks like it is just up to us then." Kagome said as she notched an arrow into place. She strained her eyes to see something, anything that might be happening, but the darkness would not give way. They stood in the dark silence for five minutes.
Suddenly Kagome murmured, "It's gone."
"What's gone?" Sango asked quizzically.
"The presence of the shikon shard, it just disappeared."
"That's strange…did you hear that?" Sango asked worriedly.
There was a loud cracking noise at the edge of the clearing. Instinctively, Kagome spun around and shot her arrow in the direction of the sound.
"Are you trying to kill me? What the hell are you two doing?" InuYasha said as he emerged from the edge of the clearing from which Kagome had just shot her arrow.
"InuYasha! Are you alright?" Kagome asked as she ran over to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you."
"I'm fine but what's going on?"
"Kagome felt the presence of a shikon shard, but then it disappeared," Sango informed him.
"So you two lost it?" InuYasha asked.
"No, we never had it in the first place!" Kagome snapped.
"Feh. Where're Miroku and the others?"
Sango turned around to face InuYasha. "You mean they are not with you?" she said in a worried voice.
InuYasha sighed, "What part of 'stay at the campsite' do those idiots not understand? Whatever, they're probably fine. You two, go back to bed."
"You can't boss us around!" Kagome shouted. "We have rights too ya know."
"Stop shoutin Kagome!" InuYasha shouted back to her.
"I'm not the one shouting, you are!" Kagome snapped back.
"Shut up both of you!" Sango hollered above them both. "I thought I heard something. Kagome, do you sense the shards?"
"Not a trace." Kagome murmured, "but now that you mention it, I just got a shiver, and it does feel a lot colder and creepier…InuYasha, what is it?"
InuYasha was staring at the edge of the woods from which he had come out of. "I heard it too," he said as he continued to stare. Sango and Kagome followed his gaze only to stare at a motionless bush.
Kagome looked at him and said, "What is it…"
"Shh…" was all InuYasha needed to say for Kagome and Sango to fall completely silent. The darkness pressed in on them as minutes slipped by. Not a sound was made, until a cold, yet familiar voice pierced the silence.
"InuYasha… you will die tonight," the voice said.
"Damn you!" InuYasha said in the direction of the voice. "Come on out, I'll kill you!" he shouted.
A cold laugh echoed around them, and then the voice came back saying, "You are just a worthless mortal tonight, there is no way you can defeat me…"
InuYasha turned around to face Kagome and Sango. "You two, get out of here now! I'll take care of Naraku." He said as he spun back around to face the voice.
"No way!" Kagome shouted, "you don't have your powers, and you're not going to just get rid of me…"
"Kagome just shut up and run!" He snapped back.
"I'm not going to leave you!" She shouted back.
"Fools…" Naraku cut in. "I'll just kill you all, there is no point in arguing…"
"No you won't!" Kagome shouted as she notched an arrow and fired it in the direction of Naraku's voice.
The laughing voice of Naraku returned as a figure appeared out of the bush. InuYasha pulled out his sword while Sango tightened her grasp on her boomerang and Kagome notched another arrow in place. The figure was that of the human, yet the presence was demonic. It was just another one of Naraku's tricks.
"So," Naraku said, "you mortals plan to kill me? Well it at least will be fun to watch you try, for you fools will not even be able to pierce my body, let alone kill me."
"Quit your crap Naraku!" InuYasha shouted, "you're nothing but a fake!"
"InuYasha, I don't think…" Kagome stuttered.
"Kagome, just stay out of this." InuYasha snapped back.
"I'm not just going to stay out of this." Kagome shouted as she aimed her arrow in preparation to shoot. "Die Naraku!" she yelled as she released her arrow.
Naraku easily jumped out of the way and appeared in front of her in seconds. "You fool," he said as put his hand around Kagome's neck and began lifting her up. "How dare you," he said as he continued to lift her up. Kagome dropped her bow as her body went limp from lack of air. Naraku smiled and looked back at InuYasha and Sango who were attempting to attack him, but a shield around himself and Kagome blocked all of their attacks easily.
Naraku laughed again and said, "I shall be taking this priestess with me, for she may prove useful." With that Naraku grabbed Kagome's limp form, and with a wave of his hand they rose up into the sky.
InuYasha stood with Sango screaming up at Naraku, as they slowly vanished from sight. "Naraku, you bastard! Bring her back here right now! I'll kill you!"
Sango walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "InuYasha, we can't do anything about it now. Let's find the others, and when it's morning we'll search for Kagome and Naraku."
"Damn it," was his reply. InuYasha sat down and scowled, "If only I had my demon powers I would have been able to destroy his barrier with the Tetsusaiga and then I could've killed him." He put his head down and thought. 'And Kagome would still be here. It's all my fault. Just please still be alive Kagome, hang in there…."
"InuYasha," said a voice from behind him that brought him out of his trance. "What happened here?"
InuYasha turned around to face his companion. "Where the hell were you Miroku?"
"I was assisting our young Shippô here in a small task he asked me to help him with…"
"Shut up Miroku, he doesn't need to here the story." Shippô cut in.
"Shut up both of you! Listen, Naraku took Kagome, so get your sleep now, cause starting tomorrow, we're not stopping until we find her, and kill Naraku."