The Black Flame
Chapter 3
Borrowed Demon
Two Days Afterwards
...
"The smell of blood is definitely coming from here," claimed Inuyasha as he glanced around the small village. It was completely void of life, except for the handful of chickens and a herd of cattle that seemed to be wildly distressed. Even though there was so sign of a battle, the half-demon was sure that he smelled the stench of fresh blood.
"There's no blood that I can see," said Miroku as he ran his fingers down the side of a small shed.
"Miroku's right, I don't see anything odd around here," agreed Sango as she also looked around for signs of anything. She watched as Kagome walked away silently and walked out of view into the town stable.
"Maybe you're still not completely healed from your fight with Naraku," suggested Shippo, shrugging his shoulders. He only received a quick pounding to the back of his head from Inuyasha.
"Shut up. I know what blood smells like, and this is definitely the smell of fresh human blood," declared Inuyasha. He then looked around, noticing that something was missing. "Where's Kagome?"
"She went into the barn," Sango answered as her and Miroku rejoined with Inuyasha.
"Damn it! You let her go off on her own?" Inuyasha shouted to them as he dashed away. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo chased after him, but he was noticeably faster than the rest of them.
…
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. He had found his way to the said barn, but he saw no sign of Kagome, but he could slightly smell her despite the horrible stench of blood that only he could smell. "Where are you Kagome?" His reply was a bloodcurdling shriek from the stable furthest to the right. The half-demon burst into the stable and watched as a tall figure loomed over a crouching Kagome. The demon was quite simple in appearance, having yellow skin and long, clawed fingers, but nothing else was very important.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as he scurried beside her companion as he drew his blade. The yellow-skinned demon took a step forward and reached down towards Kagome, but Inuyasha brandished his large sword around and shouted.
"You bastard! What are you trying to do to Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled as he pointed Tessaiga at the demon's stomach, seeing as that's the highest it would reach. The demon seemed to finally take notice to Inuyasha as he glanced slowly at him. The creature suddenly became enraged, swinging the back of his enormous hand into Inuyasha. The swordsman took a crash course through four stables until he finally came to a stop outside of the barn and back in the open.
"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted as she had witnessed Inuyasha's flight out of the barn. Miroku and Shippo were by her side, looking concerned. "Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha didn't get a chance to answer as the giant demon erupted from the barn, sending pieces of red and brown wood showering over the village as it clutched Kagome in his right hand.
"Let me go!" Kagome cried out as she struggled aimlessly against the monster's powerful grip.
"Kagome-sama!" Miroku exclaimed, as he began to unwrap the beads from around his clothed palm, but Sango stopped him.
"Inuyasha and I will take care of this," she offered, equipping her large boomerang weapon as she prepared to fight. Inuyasha roared as he leapt into the air above the demon's head and swung his large blade down towards its shoulder. The demon was surprisingly fast as it grabbed Inuyasha's waist before he could finish his strike and slammed him into one of village's small homes.
"Hirakoutsu!" Sango said as she launched her weapon towards the enemy. The bone-crafted boomerang slammed into its back, but failed to slice through it, only knocking it into the ground. Miroku dashed towards the falling demon and snatched Kagome from its grasp as soon as it collided with the earth.
"Are you alright?" The monk asked as he held Kagome in his arms.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine," she lied, obviously shaken up. Miroku nodded and looked back at the demon as it began to get up.
"Get Kagome out of here! This youkai is obviously after her," Inuyasha ordered as he made his way out of the rubble. "We'll kill this thing, don't worry. I just don't want anything bad to happen to Kagome before then!" The demon roared as it reached for Kagome and Miroku with its enormous, yellow hand. Miroku hit the looming hand with his golden staff, deflected it away from them enough for him to begin running. The demon reached out once again, but this time Inuyasha slammed Tessaiga into the demon's rough forearm.
"Raaaah!" The demon roared as it knocked Inuyasha backwards with its other arm and scrambled to its feet. It slowly reached for Tessaiga with its index finger and thumb, but it was repelled harshly by the sword's anti-demon barrier. It roared in pain, forcing Sango to cover her human ears and kneel.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha shouted as he soon realized that it would be a difficult task retrieving Tessaiga from the demon's hand. His problem became even more difficult when the creature lifted its Tessaiga-implanted hand from the ground and began waving its arms around frantically. "Maybe if it would stop moving, I'd be able to get Tessaiga!"
"Hirakotsu!" Sango threw her weapon at the demon one more time, forcing it backwards but failing to even knock it down this time.
"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" The demon screeched in pain as Inuyasha's claws carved a deep gash in its left leg. Unable to stand on its leg any longer, the demon kneeled and began to swings its arms wildly at its two skilled opponents. "You bastard…give me my sword!" Inuyasha charged forward recklessly towards the flailing demon in an attempt to get his weapon back.
"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted out, but she was neither close enough nor fast enough to stop Inuyasha from moving forward. She watched in dismay as Inuyasha collided with the back of the demon's sword-embedded hand. The demon continue to swing its arm back, pushing Inuyasha with it and slamming him into another village home. The demon, rid of its half-demon opponent, turned its attention back to Sango and stood up slowly.
"Stay away!" She ordered as she lobbed her boomerang at the monster as it dragged its large hands along the ground as it advanced towards her. Sango had aimed at the demon's leg in hopes of striking the area that Inuyasha had previously injured, but the demon deflected it quite easily.
"Sango…" the demon moved its dry and crusted lips, revealing a row of jagged teeth that were yellow stained. The thought that the creature had said her name frightened Sango, but the thought that she was relatively defenseless against the rough-skinned demon frightened her even more. "Sango!" The woman closed her eyes, waiting for the ordeal to be over, but she suddenly realized that the voice that spoke her name was way too familiar. Her eyes jolted open just in time for her to witness the demon's head slide off its neck.
"Inuyasha…" A wave of of relief washed over the woman as she watched Inuyasha wipe the demon's blood from his sword on splatter it on the ground. It had not been calling for her, yet it was Inuyasha's voice trying to warn her to get away.
"You bitch, you should have ran," snarled Inuyasha to his female companion as he sheathed Tessaiga slowly. Normally she would have been upset with his harsh words and rude behavior, but she was just happy that both of them were alive and kicking.
…
Miroku carried the black-haired girl named Kagome on his back as he ran in the opposite direction of the fight. They had been running steadily for a good while, but Miroku made sure not to tread to far from the village.
"Miroku, turn back!" Kagome ordered sharply.
"Huh? Why, Kagome-sama?" He asked as he slowed his pace, but still continued to move away from their comrades.
"I sense a Shikon Fragment resonating from the village!"
"Could it be Naraku?" Miroku asked aloud as he turned around to the direction of the village once again.
"Let's hope not. Inuyasha and Sango are in no condition to fight him again this soon!"
…
"I expected you to finish off my demon quicker than that, Inuyasha," said a voice sadistictly from behind Inuyasha. "That decapitation was a nice touch, if I do say so," smirked a small youth that stepped out of the darkness of the shadows. Crimson red eyes escaped from the darkness as he stepped forward, but an odd third eye on his forehead drew much more attention.
"Huh?" Inuyasha whipped around, not expecting to see a demon that was very human-like teenager in appearance standing behind him. Although, he was still confused about why he didn't smell the youth coming his way.
"Now that I see you up close and personal…you look more detestable than I had imagined," he jested.
"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked as he flashed his claws at the black-haired figure that stood a mere few meters away from him.
"I find it dreary giving my name so meaninglessly to a mere half-demon that I'm about to slice into ribbons," he answered. He drew his katana and pretended to examine it slowly, not even worried that the half-demon opposite of him might strike.
"I'll waste you, you bastard!" Inuyasha warned, taking a step forward and kicking away a small pile of rubble from with his right foot.
"Stop playing hard. I'm waiting," retorted Hiei, moving his cold, emotionless eyes to gaze upon Inuyasha's own golden ones.
