Chapter 4
Izayoi slid open the door to the main house hold, the harsh morning air hit her face in a soft caress, a needle like sensation tickling her cheeks bring a light shade of pink to her normally pale features. The small baby in her arms pressed himself closer to his mother's warmth while sinking further into the soft material of the blanket used as a barrier, hiding him from the brutal wind that sought out the soft tanned skin of his tiny face.
Securing the blankets around his small form she stepped through the gap left by the door, sliding it shut behind her until she heard a small click.
Shielding her eyes from the sharp rays of morning sun that glistened in her dark orbs as light adorned the sky to the east; the soft colours of the morning rising into the vast sky bring with them the burning sun that would soon rise above the tallest mountain in the land. The shadows of the night forgotten, as they are sent back to the cracks and crevices they seeped from during the blanket of darkness that fell over the land during the night.
Sweet melodies that echo from the forest waking the slumbering creatures that rest with in the safety of the tall timbers, were silent. No longer being blinded by the morning rays she directed her gaze over to the silent forest, as though time itself had stopped, the trees unmoving even when the now softer wind filtered through her dark tendrils the rustling of the leaves and the creaking of the entangled branches still uttered no sound.
Even the simplest of all creatures would be able to sense the menacing aura consuming the forest.
Taking her time to look over the scene before her in more detail; she could see the foul aura rising above the forest canopy. The trees wilted as it was surrounded by the suffocating darkness, uneasiness settled in her gut, the walls cramping at the sudden change of mood.
Worry rolled off her in waves, Inuyasha stirred in her arms picking up on his mothers fear. Taking the infant back inside, she left him in the hands of one of the more trustworthy servants.
Hastily she made her way back outside eyes focused on the forest as she made her way over to one of the many entrances. She was greeted by a thin layer of mist as it streamed through the forest; it wrapped tightly round her slender body using the same technique it did with the trees.
Ignoring the sudden blanket of mist that covered her body, she walked on through the trees scattering the cloud of mist into small swirls only then to reform behind her sealing her inside the forest.
She set her course to the foxes den; hopefully nothing had happened to the young family. No sooner had that thought left her head she stumbled into a small area, she could feel the and smell the vile stench of the dark creature that lurked amongst the trees.
Not wanting to spend another moment of her time in this unpleasant place she continued on her way to the den however, something stopped her from moving away from this particular part of the forest.
Cautiously she edged closer to a gap in the foliage, her dark eyes searching for whatever called her to this area.
Warily she let her eyes wander over the small area before her. She noticed that many small animals, mainly rodents, were scurrying across the floor. Her eyes followed the direction they went, now seeing the feeding frenzy near the edge of the clearing.
She didn't know why but she wanted to know what poor animal these creatures were consuming. She walked through the small gap in the bush in front of her, the leaves rustled as she passed them resulting in all the animals feasting on the dead creature to scatter in every and all directions leaving the deceased animal in full view of her.
Her eyes widened, the already black orbs darkened as sadness, grief encased them.
The lifeless body that lay upon the leaf covered ground, although now disfigured by the scavengers, was still recognisable by the young woman. No longer holding the shiny or glossiness its fur should have, it lay flat against the body of the creature, opened wounds showed where the scavengers had begun to devour the dead flesh.
Now seated at the side of her friend, she placed her healing hands over his abused body. Still warm to the touch his soul had not long parted from his being, anger coiled up in her, she saw the marks that caused his death, blood had matted the fur around the deep wounds that surrounded his neck, as it pooled around his body.
Thinking of how he had been cruelly taken away from his family made her recall that the vixen and the cubs were still somewhere in the forest, in immediate danger. Not wanting to leave his body to the mercy of the scavengers she dug out a medium sized hole using one of the bigger stones that lay around them.
Placing his body carefully in the ground she said a small prayer hoping to ease his soul in the afterlife. The vile creature departed from the scene in the direction of the foxes den; swiftly she left in pursuit of whatever creature was hunting down the foxes.
While waiting for her mate and Izayoi to come back to the clearing, she guided her children over to the small stream for their morning baths, the little balls of red and black fluff clumsily followed after their mother, falling over their own and each other's feet staying as close to her as possible.
One after the other the fox cubs fell into the shallow stream with a plop, their tiny paws paddling in the cool water they splashed after each other in a game of chase.
Now soaked to the bone, the vixen gently grabbed the scruffs of each cub's neck picking them out of the stream and onto dry land where she licked each of their coats clean, much to the dislike of all three cubs who tried to jump back into the watery playground to continue their game.
They had moved to the area the foxes and Izayoi met in every morning, still waiting on their arrival.
The sun climbed higher in the sky and still her mate had not returned, and Izayoi had yet to turn up. She was staying as calm as she could as not to concern the cubs, she wanted so badly to go search for her mate, she could feel deep down that something grave had happened, but she couldn't, wouldn't leave the cubs on their own.
The feint smell of pine and nutmeg surrounded her body, the all too familiar sent settling her nerves, while swimming round her nose unlocking the love she felt for the owner of this aroma.
The three balls of fluff ran in the direction their fathers scent drifted from, falling a few times in their hurry to great him. Resting her head on her paws she realised there was nothing for her to worry over.
Her thoughts were shattered as her yelping cubs scampered back to her, burying themselves in the soft fur of her chest. The scent of her mate was still lingering on the breeze however, now there was another scent mingling with his.
She inhaled the new smell deeply; her eyes watered and her nose cringed at the stench of it. Every part of her body repelled the repulsive odour as it imbedded itself into every cell in her body; nausea washed over her the new scent getting stronger by the second.
Her subconscious mind analysed this new smell, she recalled having smelt it before many years ago but she could not put a face to it. Her mind was still assembling the information from the past that swamped her mind, trying to locate the owner of this repugnant smell.
Her trembling cubs were still hiding in her fur, trying to get as far away from whatever had distressed them. She soothed them, nuzzling into their small bodies all three leaning into their mothers touch.
The sudden rustling of leaves and the snapping of branches made the vixen aware that she and the cubs weren't alone. Her mates scent had faded away slightly, now that the other scent was much stronger she was able to identify the owner.
Not believing what her mind was telling her, her head slowly turned in the direction the scent was coming from. Her worst nightmare had come true, the thing, creature they had been hiding, and running from for years was here, now, in front of her.
She stood, now facing the intruder the three cubs behind her. The curling of her lips showed off the powerful, deadly canines that she would use to rip this creatures throat out. The name of this creature...Akuma. (Yes I know I took this from man but it is a cool name...anyway continue reading ^_^)
A wicked chuckle echoed in the silence of the clearing, she looked into his darkened golden eyes and watched as her death played out before her.
Approaching her and the cubs, the foliage rotted around his body, trees wilted their leaves breaking from the branches crumbling as they landed on the ground beneath, grass turned from a vibrant green to a dull yellow she watched as it rotted away back into the soil.
Flashes of her dream came back to her, was her dream to show the fate of her family. No. Like she said before. She will protect them, even if it costs her life.
Broken from her thoughts once again, she could hear his voice crackling in her ears.
"Delighted to see you again my dear." He stopped but a few metres from the vixen and the cubs.
She looked him in the eye; his malicious intent for them swimming round in the tainted golden spheres. She said nothing, all the while backing away slowly the cubs staying behind their mother as she forced them into the forest.
"Do you really believe you can protect them from me?"
He watched as the three cubs slowly disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
"Even your mate, the leader of the fox demons, shook with fear when he saw me approaching him." He now spoke in a harsh whisper "Because he knew...he was powerless against me."
Realisation dawned on her, the blood dripping from Akuma's fangs, the absence of her mate. It couldn't be.
He read her expression like an open book "Finally figured it out...the leader of the fox demons, your beloved mate, no longer walk's among the living."
His putrid face curved into a crooked smile. She watched as her mates blood dripped from the tips from the ends of his fangs. He was right; she had practically no combat skills, only being taught the basics as a child she knows near to nothing. Taking Akuma on as an opponent would be suicide.
She looked back at her cubs shrouded in the darkness of the forest; they had huddled together forming a small ball, she looked into their youthful eyes, their whole lives in front of them.
Turning back to face Akuma she noticed the space between them had shortened considerably, he must have used the time she had her back turned to him to take a few steps. However she still had the advantage, he was still a good three metres away from her position giving her enough time to run with the cubs.
Turning swiftly and grabbing all three cubs by the scruffs of their necks, fortunately they were all still small enough to be carried at the same time. Although the vixen's combat skills weren't up to the standards of her mates, she was agile she could get out of the tightest situation, quite literally.
Fusion of colour surrounded her greens, yellows and oranges blurred together, she couldn't tell the trees or other foliage apart. The voice of Akuma reverberated around her.
"I'm getting tired of this cat and mouse game my dear, you can run and hide...but I will find you"
His voice came from every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint his exact position. Blocking his distracting voice from her thoughts, she concentrated on getting herself and her cubs away from Akuma.
Izayoi followed the dead plants all the way to the foxes clearing, the wind ceased to blow the trees and bushes that contained the huge Willow tree that stood in the centre of the clearing.
Taking wary steps she slowly entered the area. Observing everything that surrounded her she began her search for the remaining foxes, although she already knew that they were no longer here. While studying the area around her, she noticed that some of the trees, leading over to the hidden waterfall looked like they had been bled dry of their life. Their leaves completely dried up not one drop of water left in the veins that ran through the thin leaf, branches that reached up towards the sky now hang low no longer able to sustain their strong posture.
The miko part of her sensed the faint auras of the vixen and the cubs, along with the unfamiliar aura of the beast that murdered the male fox and infected the forest with its vile being, over where the trees had wilted. Naturally she followed the path of death hoping she didn't find more bodies.
The branches snapped off the dead trees as she brushed past them, turning to dust when they hit the floor.
The area was deserted; she saw the foot prints of the creature and the foxes, re-entering the forest, she sighed in exasperation, she wondered whether she was ever going to catch up.
Following the trail of dead plants she followed the path of the foxes, she could sense the vixen's auras not far ahead, turning she carefully but swiftly, made her way through the large forest.
The small light up ahead enlarged as she ran towards it, she was nearing the exit of the forest.
Breaking through the thin branches she stumbled onto another large clearing. For some odd reason, this clearing had a well in the middle of it. She couldn't smell any source of water so what was it doing here. The smell of ningen (if anywhere in this chapter or any of the others I have put nigen...I meant to put ningen) hit her nose; there she listened carefully to the wind as it brought the chatter and noise of the near village.
She could hide out in this village; she doubted that Akuma would follow them into the people crowded area.
She was startled by the sudden war cry that came from out of the forest.
She ran over to the well which was near enough in the centre of the clearing, she waited for Akuma to make his appearance. The forest became sickly silent. She placed her three cubs down in some of the longer grass hoping to keep them out of sight.
From behind the vixen came a rumbling sound, the increasing rumbling echoed out of the forest that surrounded her and the cubs. Now unable to pinpoint Akuma's whereabouts she franticly looked around trying to locate him.
The sudden peak in his vial scent came from straight ahead, crouching low to the ground with her cubs still hidden in the grass behind her, lip curled up into a vicious snarl she waited for her enemy to make his appearance.
The rumbling stopped. Silence. Her teeth were once again covered by her lip, as she lowered her guard. Her mewling cubs caught her attention; she turned and lowered her head towards her bundles of fluff as she nuzzled them all softly showering them in love and affection like any mother would. The three cubs plodded over to their mother's muzzle licking it with the same love and affection she had given to them.
Then she saw it. The small flash of yellow before the rumbling began again this time accompanied with the snapping of branches and twigs and crunching leaves. The creaking timbers bulged out of the forest, the vixen saw cracks appear on many of the trees as they reached their breaking points. The bulge pulsated once, twice. There was a short pause between the second and third pulsation, in which the force behind the trees increased.
Unable to withstand the increasing force the many timbers burst out and away from the rest of the trees. The broken pieces slowly rose up from the ground hovering in the space around the clearing, the broken timbers twirled and twisted in ways it should not be possible for wood to move. The separate pieces of wood spun into spheres, in which they moulded into long smooth cylinder like spears, like a potter would mould their clay to create pots and other fine crockery, however the vixen was sure potters never use their skills for evil.
These newly formed spears shot across the clearing as Akuma broke free of the forest. The wooden objects hurtled towards the vixens cubs, being the naive children they were they were oblivious to the approaching danger that raced towards them. There was no time to move the young ones out of the way of the wood spears; with seconds to spare the vixen lay across the three balls of fluff making sure that none of the spears injured her cubs.
The tips imbedded themselves in her red glossy fur, piercing the skin beneath. The smaller spines tangled in her coat matting the silken strands that would now be impossible to be removed. An agonising howl tore through her throat as the spear sank further into her body tearing muscles and damaging vessels, the blood pouring from her mouth showed the extent of the internal damage. All around her she could see the rest of the spears puncture the grass as they fell to the ground.
Her three cubs lay beneath her trembled in horror as their mother's blood coated their recently washed fur, sensing their distress she nuzzled them causing more of her blood to spread onto their coats.
Their shaking stopped, she lifted her head after they had calmed somewhat ready to face Akuma. Noting that he had now appeared behind them she turned, wincing every so often as the spears buried themselves further into her body. She saw the beasts face light up in sick enjoyment as he soaked in her waves of pain; she curled her lip again showing her blood stained fangs, her feeble attempt to once again stand her ground and try protect her cubs was in vain, the sinister laugh that swallowed up the area around them dimed any hope that they would get away from this place alive.
The rest of the wooden spears rose from the ground to surround Akuma, the wood that surrounded the young family was wrenched from the soil also, they too were pulled back to hover beside Akuma.
Black dots danced around in front of her eyes, the vixen looked down at the blood soaked grass beneath her paws even if she managed to get away from Akuma she knew that her blood loss would be the cause of her demise.
It took every bit of her strength to keep her assaulted body from collapsing onto the ground; her shaking limbs buckled under the weight of her too weak to support the body above them any longer. She could feel her life ebbing away, the edges of her vision darkened as if a curtain was being drawn symbolising the end.
Incapable of standing any longer she allowed her legs to crumple under her own weight, she never felt the impact with the ground; her body became numb long ago. The only pain she felt was a mother's pain for their children, knowing that she was leaving them alone in this brutal world caused her far greater pain than any wound ever would.
She felt the softness of fluffy fur rub against her, her soul cried out for her little ones, begged her to get back to her feet and protect them but she knew in the back of her mind that it was an impossible request, her physical being wouldn't allow it as much as it pained her she was forced to leave her cubs.
She let out an exhausted sigh as the dark curtain was completely drawn across her vision; her last breath sounded more like a sigh like her soul had departed from her body, her head fell limp against her paws as her chest fell for the final time. Although she would not be there for her cubs to see, a part of her will always be with them living on inside of the three of them.
Akuma's smile quickly turned into a frown, as he watched the vixen fall to the ground taking her last breath, he hated it when his victims died before he could have some fun with them. His eyes then located the three cubs that were pawing and whining at their mother's empty body.
His smile soon returned as he made plans for the three orphaned cubs, they would not die today. He would raise them himself taint their hearts and souls with the same darkness that surrounded his. If they were anything like their parents together the three cubs would be powerful allies.
He walked towards the cubs, the spears around him fell to the ground turning back into the broken timbers they were before. In three short steps he was standing behind the young foxes, who still had not felt his presence.
As he stood there a black aura surrounded his beast like form, it thickened into the mist that plagued the forest around him and darkened into the jet black darkness that contained his soul. The ghostly strands of mist encircled and twisted around his figure until he was cocooned inside the mist. It pulsated, each time sending more of his vile aura into the air polluting the surrounding area.
The cocoon shrank into a smaller version of itself; the jet black colour lightened starting from the middle of the cocoon turning into a dry grey that now showed the silhouette of what looked like a human.
In a single stroke of his hand the barrier dispersed the mist glided away from the shadowed figure disappearing into the space around him, the remainder of the mist pooled at his feet, swimming round his ankles until it too disintegrated into the air.
The man that Akuma had turned into was nothing like his true form, this creature that stood behind the cubs was tall dark and handsome. His black hair fell loosely down his back stopping at his thighs; the thick bangs swept across his perfect lightly tanned face, as a light breeze swooped through the clearing. The only clothing that covered his body were a pair hakama, they too were black like his hair. His well toned upper body was naked, the muscles on his torso rippled as he took deep breaths. Strong muscled arms hung at his side, it would be hard for any ningen or demon to resist Akuma in his current form.
'Come to me children.' His strong manly voice startled the cubs; they turned quickly to face him.
His face held an air of kindness and hope, the cubs may have been young but they could still see past his mask, they knew he was what killed their mother and father. Stepping back all three made a noise that he was sure was supposed to be a growl. Amused by their braveness he reached out towards them; if they wouldn't come willingly then he would take them by force.
He bent down so he could scoop all three cubs up at the same time, but stopped. The smile that remained on his lips widened into a smirk. He stood back up glancing round the clearing searching for whatever was watching him.
'You think that you can protect them from me...' he looked back down at the cubs; he lightly kicked the area around them, like he suspected a spherical barrier encased the young foxes. The smirk soon fell from his face when he realised that he couldn't shatter the barrier.
*whoever erected this barrier is more powerful than I thought.* he gazed around the area as if looking for something.
*They must have concealed themselves, I can't sense them anywhere. It must be a Miko damn it!*
He spoke while searching the forest for the hidden miko.
'I must commend your power, even I am unable to break through your barrier.'
He glanced down at the cubs his smirk returning.
'You seem be quite attached to these foxes...'
Raising his right arm and held out his hand so his palm was facing the sky. Wind began to whip and swirl on top of his flat palm; the wind blew through his thick tresses it moved gracefully round his shoulders and lower back.
'Did you know that they are orphans now, their mother and father died most suddenly, I was planning on raising them myself...but it would be unfair of me to take them away from you...'
The swirling wind darkened into a purple colour, sparks flashed inside the spinning ball. He curled his fingers round the ball his sharp black claws scraped over its surface letting one of the sparks fly out.
'Then by all means have them.' Time seemed to slow down as the purple ball of energy hurtled towards the cubs. It smashed into the ground sending dust and sparks in every direction. The blanket of dust started to disperse as the cubs were thrown into the air by the impact.
No longer protected by the barrier the young foxes began to fall back down to the ground. Proud of his work Akuma turned leaving through the space in the trees that he made. As the last of his black hair disappeared into the trees the mist and dark aura that had enclosed the forest climbed the tall timbers to the top of the trees canopy where the black cloud lingered for just a moment before departing from the forest searching for another corner of the world to corrupt.
The falling cubs whined and screamed as gravity was bring them back down to earth. The male cub was thrown over towards the forest when the energy ball hit the ground; he broke through many of the branches the slight snapping of tree limbs suddenly stopped and the forest once again became silent.
The eldest female didn't move far from where they originally were by their mother, her failing legs only made her fall faster. She didn't land in the forest nor did she land on the grassy ground. There was an unexpected pink flash of light as she fell into the strange well in the centre of the clearing; as soon as her tail disappeared into the aged wooden well stuck in the ground the light vanished as though it had never been there.
The youngest cub finally landed back on the ground, she may have been the youngest and was smaller than her brother and sister but she was bolder and more daring than the older cubs. Fortunately for her she didn't land in the forest or the well a patch of long grass broke her fall hiding her from view.
Izayoi watched as the kits fell to the ground, she lost sight of the male and feared for the eldest female's safety after she saw her disappear into the well. However she did see where the youngest fell.
She made her way out of the forest heading first towards the well; placing her hands on the edge she leant over peering into the black hole she spotted the skeleton of a large demon but no fox cub. She was puzzled at how the cubs could just disappear. Broken from her puzzlement by the soft whining of the youngest kit, she smiled at seeing the red and black fur of the young female.
Izayoi strode over to the wriggling female; she bent down and gathered the ball of fluff in her arms.
'Shhh little one' she spoke in a soft motherly tone, one she often used with Inuyasha and it seemed to be working. The young fox settled in her arms lifting her head to see who was holding her.
Yipping happily after realising Izayoi had found her she settled back down into the comfort of the woman's arms.
Caressing the velvet like ears that reminded her so much of Inuyasha, on top of her small head Izayoi headed over towards the forest in which the male fell. Upon reaching the perimeter of the forest she could see the broken branches and fallen leaves where the cub had fallen. She took one step into the trees. Looking for the missing fox, but like his sister he wasn't found.
Sadness washed over her, she looked down at the now peacefully sleeping cub in her arms. Not only had she lost both her parents but now her siblings in a matter of hours. But knowing that at least one of the foxes had survived lightened her mood.
'It looks like you will be coming to live with me little one.' She spoke while gently stroking the cubs black ears. The design of her fur was bizarre; the red fur of her mother was streaked with black fur from her father which spread up to her fluffy ears.
Izayoi turned from the part of the forest they were in retracing her steps through the branches over the other side of the clearing, wanting to get home as soon as possible so the young female could be washed and fed. Not to mention that she had been away from Inuyasha than she felt comfortable with and he also needed feeding.
The walk through the forest was once again filled with life, birds sang to each other, the wind danced through the branches of the trees making them rustle with joy of been freed from the suffocating mist. Some of the smaller animals skittered around the forest floor moving out of the way as Izayoi passed them.
Her brow creased in thought, her eyes fixated on the cub in her arms. A smile broke out over her face.
'Willow' she spoke the name aloud seeing how it sounded and if it was a suitable for her 'daughter'. Izayoi had already decided to raise the cub as her own, after all she had come accustom to the raising of a demon child she also knew that if she did not take this young cub in no one else would.
'Willow, do you like that name little one...' she watched as the cub turned to face her making an odd noise Izayoi assumed meant she approved of the name that was chosen for her. She thought it would be a practical name since she was born under a willow tree and the fact she doubted that anyone else would have a unique name such as Willow. Izayoi's eyes brightened when she saw the noble house in which Inuyasha and she lived, in the distance. They were home.
It's been ten year to the day that Willow was taken in by Izayoi. During this time the human woman heard nothing more about the foul demon she saw that day; of course she never told anyone of her encounter as it would have just caused all sorts of unwanted trouble for her however something puzzled the young woman, in the ten years that passed no one had seen or heard of said Youkai and she couldn't help but worry about her 'daughters' safety, surely someone would have seen such a monstrosity prowling round the land, although she remembered before he left the clearing the demon had took the form of a human male, if he still kept this form he would have been able to roam the land without question.
It unnerved her all the more knowing that this creature seemed only interested in Kitsune Youkai; she knew full well that both Willow and Inuyasha were more than capable of taking care of themselves even at a young age even so she still felt anxious about their futures in this world more so with Inuyasha due to his parentage.
She looked down at the sleeping children in her arms pulling their slumbering forms closer to her body. Leaning down she placed a small kiss atop both their heads before she slipped out from in between them, walking over to the door she glanced back at her children who were now wrapped round each other smiling she left the room leaving the young Youkai to dream the night away.
The travelling group had temporarily returned to Kaede's village as they, once again, watched Kagome disappear down the bone eaters well much to the disapproval of a grumbling Hanyou.
'How long will Kagome be gone this time?' asked the young kitsune Youkai as he sat on the well looking down into the darkness.
'She said she was only going back for supplies...hopefully she won't take too long.' Replied the demon slayer as she petted the small neko Youkai that was resting in her arms.
'While we're left waiting for that wench to come back from her world Naraku could be gathering more of the jewel shards' informed the Hanyou as he made is way over to the well knocking Shippo off of it in the process.
'Inuyasha maybe you should just let Kagome get the supplies on her own.' Suggested the demon slayer as she helped Shippo off the floor
'If I don't go fetch the stupid girl we will be stuck in this village for days!' he growled as he jumped onto the edge of the well. Just as he was about to jump into the darkness of the well Kirara leapt out of Sango's arms, fur standing on end like needles as she growled towards the forest.
'Do you sense something Kirara.' asked the young Kitsune as the rest of the group prepared themselves for whatever was concealed by the trees.
A beastly snarl put the group on high alert. Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga, Sango reached for Hiraikotsu and Miroku began to unravel the beads from round his arm.
Silence. They listened carefully trying to pinpoint where the demon was.
'Can you sense anything Inuyasha?' Spoke the monk as he watched the forest gripping his right arm tighter.
'There is something there...but I can't sense where the bastard is.' Growled the Hanyou.
There was a loud thud to the side of the group, being as distracted as they were they all jumped weapons at the ready as they turned to the cause of the noise.
'Sorry I took so long' sighed Kagome and she hauled herself out of the well landing next to the 'filled to capacity' bag pack that she dragged up and out the well before herself.
'I had to pack more stuff than I thought.' She looked up towards her friends now noticing they had their weapons out and waiting.
'What's going on?' Worry quickly setting in as she looked around the clearing trying to spot the enemy.
'If you hadn't returned to that weird world of yours you would know what was going on.' Spat an irritated Hanyou.
Another snarl echoed around the clearing, the group could hear the snapping of branches as the demon rampaged through the forest. For a moment it once again became silent.
There was a loud crack; splintered wood was sent flying in all directions as a boar like demon emerged from the forest. It stood still as it watched the group that stood before it.
Blood dripped from the deep gashes on its side onto the green grass at its feet the crimson droplets turning the grass into a bloody mess.
'It's injured.' Stated Kagome as she stood from the ground.
'And whatever injured it must still be hiding somewhere in the forest...although I doubt it would have gone far.' Inuyasha eyed the demon waiting for it to make its move.
Although injured the boar like demon still had some fight in it, without warning it charged towards the group. Startled at the sudden movement their reactions were slower than they had liked. Both Sango and Miroku moved out of the way of the charging demon however Inuyasha stayed put ready to counter the attack with one of his own.
With Tetsusaiga held firmly in his hands Inuyasha raised the fang shaped sword, it pulsated in his grasp glowing lightly with a golden aura sensing that it was to be used in battle.
Feeling the power emanating from the weapon the Hanyou held in front of it the boar turned sharply to the right avoiding having a confrontation with Inuyasha.
Kagome watched as the boar turned away from Inuyasha now heading towards her. Panic stricken she had no time to move out of the way.
'Kagome!' cried out the helpless Hanyou as he ran after the boar knowing he wouldn't get to her in time. Closing her eyes Kagome waited for the boar to collide with her body.
Her friends watched in horror as the demon closed in the young miko Sango reached for Hiraikotsu hoping that it would reach the demon or at least buy Inuyasha some time to reach Kagome.
The trees rustled and branches snapped as something else began to appear out of the forest. A shadow was cast over the group darkening the clearing causing the boar demon to stop in its tracks.
Another crack was heard before more splintering wood was send tearing out of the forest. The once again silence.
The shadow shrank back into the forest forming an outline of something as it began to emerge from the broken timbers.
There was a dull glow that slowly began to spread into the shape of a sword the wielder of said sword flickered out of sight. Only to re appear seconds later hovering above the boar demon.
'Though you could get away hu.' Spoke the stranger as she dived towards the demon aiming her sword straight at it.
There was a sickening sound as the blade pierced through the flesh of the demon pulling her twisting the blade she made sure the creature was dead before pulling her sword out, and kicking the carcass of the boar aside.
The group just stared at the female who had suddenly appeared. The young female looked at the people around her placing her sword back in its sheath.
'Sorry about that...I've been hunting this thing for a week now and it got away from me for a moment, I do hope no one was hurt.'
'No we are all fine thank you.' Spoke up the miko 'If you hadn't turned up when you did...well it's not worth thinking about really.' She smiled at the girl in front of her thankful that she was still alive to do so.
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga as he walked over to Kagome pushing her behind him.
'Who the hell are you.' demanded the Hanyou glaring at the female Youkai next to him.
The girl sighed before answering 'your manners certainly haven't changed' she looked him in the eye 'Have they Inu.'
Shocked that the Youkai knew his name Inuyasha was about to question her again when he noticed her eyes.
'One green...one brown.' He looked in disbelieve at the girl he once knew 'W-Willow.'
The Youkai smirked at the Hanyou 'Been a long time Inuyasha.'
Snapping out of his shocked state he glared at her reaching for Tetsusaiga.
'Willow.'
TBC
OMG I finished it! How long has it taken ^_^' sorry about the wait guys but I was going through a rough patch in my life and I didn't get round to writing. I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out...actually I think its shit ¬ ¬ but you may think it's good
Enjoy! And review, and if your just going flame then save us both the time and don't ¬ ¬