CHAPTER 19: AMBUSH

As night falls once again, both sides of heroes set base for the night. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo have searched all day for a passage into the mountain, to no avail. They set camp near the bases of a cliff, with their path above hill. They all gather by a fire and ponder on what to do next.

"I can sense Kagome and Eldor are out of trouble." Miroku says. "They'll be safe for the time being."

"DAMMIT!" InuYasha barks. "We've searched high and low around this god forsaken rock with no sign of another entrance! What the hell was Eldor thinking trapping Kagome in there?"

"He did not intentionally trap her and himself in there, InuYasha." Miroku shrugs. "He was doing the best he could to protect Kagome."

InuYasha feels impatient. "Hey, that's my job you idiot!" He snaps. "I don't need an assistant. And if he dares lay a hand on her in there, I'll rip him to pieces."

Everyone looks at InuYasha awkwardly. The Half Demon stares with blushed denial. "Hey, what are you all looking at?"

"InuYasha…" Sango mumbles. "Are you…jealous?"

InuYasha snaps again. "Jealous? Of that half assed jerk?! Don't make me laugh!"

"From what it looks like..." Shippo stares at the red on InuYasha's face. "You think Eldor is going to make moves on Kagome."

PUNCH! PUNCH! PUNCH! PUNCH! InuYasha wacks at Shippo's head repeatedly, leaving large cartoonish bumps on the little foxes head.

"I should have kept my words in my head. Ehhhh!" Shippo moans.

"That was very unnecessary InuYasha!" Sango snaps.

"I agree with Sango." Miroku interrupts. "You should not focus your attention on a ridiculous thought of such. You should be grateful that Eldor saved her and is keeping her alive. I don't trust him as much either InuYasha, but since he has crossed with Naraku, we must have all the help we need to finish him off!"

InuYasha stands, snuffs and walks off.

"Where are you going?" Miroku asks.

"I'm going on guard duty! I need to blow off some steam anyway!" InuYasha replies, as he jumps from the cliff to check the perimeter.

Miroku looks on himself. "Sometimes, I get too worried about him." He says to Sango.

Suddenly, a large pain from within his right hand. Sango jumps to his side.

"Are you all right?" She asks. Miroku pulls out his sealed hand, it glows red for a brief moment then disappears.

"Miroku!" Shippo shouts. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"Yes, I've never seen that before." Sango says, worried for her husband. "Oh Monk, what's going on?"

"I was afraid to tell you Sango, cause I knew you'd be worried." Miroku shrugs.

"What is it?" Sango asks softly.

"Ever since Naraku revived, my Wind Tunnel has felt pain. Like a fire in my grip." Miroku replies. "It feels as though it's giving in from the hole in my hand to my heart. I fear unless we can destroy Naraku once and for all, my time will be shortened from now on."

"NO." Sango rejects, tears filling her eyes. "I won't let it happen Miroku, I promise you that."

"It's not your promise to make, my love" Miroku says softly. "I have to make it on myself."

"Think of our children at home." Sango cries. "They can't keep going with hope without their father."

"They will not be affected by my families curse." The Monk interrupts. "I feel Narku's power is lifted from them. They may or may not have a father, but they will live on, with our next generation, as will you, my Sango"

Sango's tears burst with flourish as she holds her husband in her arms. Miroku keeps her comfort as he keeps her in his arms.

Then, from out of the brush and the cliffs above, the snaps of twigs. Miroku burst to guard. Sango feels it too. Then, voices like the sound of scratches flood their ears around them.

"We're being watched." Miroku warns silently. They jump to defensive positions, there weapons at hand. Shippo in the middle, hiding in fear. Kirara transforms to her beast form, growling at the crittering cliffs. Then all is silent once again.

"Keep your guard, monk." Sango warns.

Suddenly, within seconds, a terrifying critterous creature bursts from the bushes and charges towards Kirara! It jumps on top of her, attempting to claw at the ferocious cat.

"Kirara!" Sango shouts. But the big cat holds her own and grabs the creature by her jaws, thrashing it, breaking its bones.

Then, another from the tree jumps for Miroku. He shields himself with his staff, pushing the crazy freak of nature away from him and Sango. Sango then unsheathes her Katana as another critter attacks. She slashes it in half with her sharp blade.

Then, 2 and 3 more jump into the camp, the three heroes fighting one at a time. Until they suddenly realize there surrounded by vicious, sharped teethed, pointed eared, deformed, disturbed bipedal creatures, armed with rusted blades and arrows. The three stand ground as Shippo cowers in fear between them.

"We seemed to be outnumbered." Miroku states alarmed.

In their scratchy, disgusting tongues, the creatures speak. "Let's take off their limbs and eat them like roasted wings!"

"I say we pull out there brains and use them for sloppy meat with molded bread!"

"No! Let's take out there guts and use them to make sausage lines!"

"I say you all shut you stenched mouths and let me decide!" Out from the hide of critters, lies a large fat ugly one, with scars all over its body, its pointed ears drooped and his teeth are the look of forks. This is what seems to be for our heroes, the creatures head in command.

"Keep the women alive for torture and talk," The Commander hisses. "Feast on the rest!" The creatures roar and shriek as they move in towards our heroes. Miroku keeps Sango behind her, ready to fight to the death for his wife.

"You won't feast on my friends over my dead body!" a familiar voice shouts from behind the creatures. Then, a familiar oversized blade strikes and takes out a quarter of the pack! From out of the dust is InuYasha, coming to save the day.

"InuYasha!" Shippo shouts happily.

"Kill him!" The Commander shouts! The other critter charge on the armed half demon, with Miroku, Sango and Kirara defending the rest of the group near them. InuYasha strikes with incredible speed, the critter bodies dropping one by one, black blood seeps through there gashes.

The dead critters lay, there parts scarred across the ground. InuYasha keeps his sword by his shoulder, curious of the monsters he slayed. "What the heck are these things?"

Sango looks down on the beheaded beasts. "They do look it, but they are not demons."

"Sango!" Miroku shouts. "It seems there master is fleeing." He says grinning. The Commander runs for the hills of the mountain. Sango, showing no mercy in her face, grabs her famous weapon and hurls it at the fleeing enemy.

"Hiraikotsu!" She shouts as her weapon spins towards the fleeing critter. It slashes him in half, causing his living half to fall tumbling back to the heroes camp, with the Hiraikotsu returning to Sango's hand.

However the beast is still alive, as it painfully scrambles in an attempt to flee. But Inuyasha holds him down with his sword. "You Bastard! Where do you think you're going?" The Dog Demon barks.

Then the creature begins to laugh manically, blackened blood spits from his mouth. Miroku keeps his staff lunged at the firths neck, pressuring it down to cause the creature to choke in pain.

"Confess you vicious brute!" Miroku shouts with interrogation. "Why did you attack us?! Tell me and I might let you live!"

But the creature continues to smirk. "Our master…had sent me and my pack to kill one that sides with you!" The Creature spitfully scratches. "We seek a powerful form of human, who carries that of the most powerful blade in the worlds. Our master…sent us to slay him…as well…as any who owes his allegiance."

"Is it Eldor you seek?" Miroku questions. "Who is your master? Speak you hideous dog!" His staff pushes forward. Blood spits from the creatures mouth, hitting the monk in the face.

"Good to know…you side with such vermin." The creature smirks with an almost joy, knowing his life is almost gone, he speaks his last. "Our master…knows all. And….he will…see…your deaths be…brutal! He'll gut your stomachs! Like stuffed pigs. Prepare…yourselves. He…will…show you….no…mercy."

With those hateful warning words, this hideous creature passes on. Miroku stands, wiping the blood from his cheek. He turns to the others.

"Let us continue forward. We cannot rest till we find the hidden passage." He says with urgency. "I sense Kagome and Eldor are in danger within the mountain."

InuYasha and the others look on the mountain in worry. Who knows what lies within the mountain holds?