Shippo Arc Chapter 2: Arrival of the Thunder Brothers
"Don't Move!" Kagome yelled again as the thunder demon struggled with the arrow in it's nose.
"Ka,Kagome…" Shippo was surprised to see the human girl helping him after what he did to her and Inuyasha.
"My… my nose…" Manten cried as he struggled with the arrow.
"Shippou, come over here! Hurry!" Kagome ordered as Shippo struggled to his feet and rushed towards her.
"You scum…" Manten roared as he began to chase after the small fox demon, "Give me those jewel shards!"
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled out, realizing he couldn't outrun the larger demon.
'Those two shards on his forehead…" Kagome though as she pulled back on the bowstring, 'If I could just shout through them…' she focused as she released sending the arrow flying through the air and chopping off all but one of the three hairs atop Manten's head.
Stopping at the sight of two hairs falling to the ground Manten slowly reached his hands to the top of his head to check his hairs. As he did he realized his worst fears were right. "My haaaaaair!" Manten screamed as tears rain down his cheeks.
"Eh…" Kagome was shocked at the demon's reaction.
"How… dare… you…" Manten wheezed out as he prepared his energy blast once again.
"Watch out!" Shippo yelled as he rushed towards Kagome, "Run away! My father was taken out by that!" he shouted as he grabbed Kagome attempting to pull her away from the range of the attack.
"Kyaah!" Kagome yelled as the blast roared above her head, the shockwave sending her plummeting forward unconscious.
"Hah… hah… hah…" Manten breathed heavily as he looked at the small crater he had created, seeking the corpses of the girl and the fox, "Did I get em?" he asked himself as he sought out their bodies.
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled as quietly as he could, "Hang in there!" He tugged at her clothes attempting to rouse her back to consciousness. As he did, the sounds of grass moving told him the thunder demon was closing in and he had to make a choice.
"Hmm…" Manten said as he saw Kagome laying in the tall grass, "What the… Just the girl?" he asked himself again as he looked for the fox. Realizing the futility he took his first good look at the girl, "Cu… cute…" he blushed as he picked her up, summoning forth his cloud. As he flew off Shippo watched as they vanished into the distance.
'Kagome…' Shippo gazed at the sky ashamed of himself, 'She helped save me and I deserted her and ran…' he thought, angry at his own powerlessness, 'Cr… crap… I need help…' Shippo knew what he needed to do as he ran back to where Inuyasha was.
"Uuungh!" Myoga grunted as he attempted to remove the ward, "It's not use Lady Inuyasha… I can't remove the seal."
"Thanks anyways Myoga…" Inuyasha sighed as she looked at the bike, 'I hope Kagome returns soon.'
"Oi!" Shippo yelled at the half demon, "I'll help you out if you promise not to hurt me!"
"Why are you alone?" Inuyasha asked as she looked at the fox child. As she stared at his face, she knew something was wrong, "What happened to Kagome?"
"Do you promise or not!" Shippo yelled trying to hide his guilt.
"I promise I wont hurt you…" Inuyasha was worried about Kagome more than angry at what Shippo had done.
As Shippo removed the seal the statue transformed into a small clay doll, "Okay, calm down and listen… the Thunder Brothers have Kagome…" Shippo said as Inuyasha slapped him.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't hurt me?" Shippo rubbed his cheek for the third time since meeting Inuyasha.
"You let Kagome get kidnapped!" Inuyasha yelled as she picked up Shippo and put her hands into his shirt pulling out the bottle with the jewel shards, "At least they didn't get the jewel shards."
"Cut that out!" Shippo yelled, tears welling up in his eyes, "Aren't you worried about Kagome! She was carried off by one of the Thunder Brothers!"
"You met the Thunder Brothers… Those are your father's killers, right?" Inuyasha asked as she glared at him, "Did you just sit and watch as they took Kagome?"
"Sh… shut up!" Shippo shouted ashamed at himself, "Hurry up and go rescue her!" dropping to his knees Shippo could only think of his failures, "Please help me!" he cried as he bowed at Inuyasha.
"What are you groveling for?" Inuyasha gave a half hearted smile as she knelt down to his level, "Come on, we need to rescue Kagome."
Far off in what could only be called an abandoned feudal mansion situated in the mountains, Kagome slowly rose from her state of unconsciousness. "Uuh…" she groaned as she sat up, the Thunder Demon Manten standing nearby, cooking something in a pot.
"Hmm?" Manten said as he heard her, "You're awake…"
"Th…this is…" her mind raced as she saw the large human sized pot before Manten, "Hey, are you going to eat me!"
"Nothing like that…" Manten stated sternly as he looked at Kagome, "I've heard that a cute girl's flesh is good for the hair. I'm going to boil you down and rub you on my head." His voice exuded confidence as he pointed at his last remaining hair on his head.
"Wha…" Kagome stuttered, Manten's words stopping her train of thought, "I'd rather be eaten than have that done to me!" she yelled at the thought of being shampoo.
"Shh!" Manten hushed her, "Don't shout. If brother Hiten discovers you, you'll really be eaten." He tried to keep quiet as a loud smash came, the door torn of its hinges and broken into pieces.
"What's this," Hiten stood in the ruins of the door a demon woman at his side, "You've come back, eh Manten?" he mused as he saw his brother.
"Oh! There's not much resemblance between you brothers, is there?" the demon girl laughed as she saw Manten.
"Brother Hiten…" Manten gulped as he saw his brother.
"Hm… What's with the girl?" the older brother asked as he saw Kagome.
'This one looks more human…' Kagome thought as she saw the rather handsome Hiten, 'Maybe I can communicate with him.'
"Thi…this one's my spoils!" Manten stuttered trying to keep Hiten from Kagome.
"Don't worry I won't take her…" he laughed as he turned towards the demon girl, "Cuz you're a better looking woman ain't ya?"
"Heh…" the demon girl shrugged at his statement.
"That aside Manten…" Hiten turned back to his brother, "Did you find some new Shikon Fragments?" he asked slyly looking at his brother whose face turned white.
"Eh… oh dear…" Manten realized he had forgotten the Jewel Shards, "That's right… I… I'm sorry brother… I did find some, but, uh…"
"What d'ya mean, 'but'?" Hiten asked, his eyes focused on his younger brother, "It couldn't be that you were more dazzled by this girl than you were by the jewel shards…?" he glared as he saw the expression on Manten's face. "Don't tell me you let them get away?" he yelled as he slammed his fist through the demon girls head, killing her.
"I'm sorry brother!" Manten backed up frightened of his brother's temper.
"Tch… Guess there's nothing for it…" he sighed angrily as the girl's body fell to the ground.
'Why… why this guy is even more dangerous,' Kagome thought as she saw the lifeless body fall.
"Where is the shard Manten?" Hiten asked as he glared at his brother.
"The Kitsune's kid has it…" Manten squeaked as he gulped down his own words.
"What?" Hiten roared "The Kitsune brat has a shikon fragment?"
"We gonna go get it brother Hiten?" Manten asked as he slowly regained his nerve.
"Of course we are." Hiten stated as if it was obvious, "Let's go."
'Finally a chance to escape…' Kagome thought as she shuffled out of the rope binding her hands.
"Wait a sec, brother." Manten said as he slammed a cleaver down near Kagome who screamed as she leapt out of the way.
"Wha… what are you doing?" Kagome yelled as she backed up near the wall.
"What are you saying?" Manten asked confused at her words, "I'm gonna kill you so you can't escape, of course." Manten stated confidently, "Cuz you'll become my precious hair restorer."
"Wa… wait!" Kagome yelled as she tried to think of a plan, "If you killed me or something then…"
"If I killed you or something then…?" Manten asked, curious as to what she was getting to.
"Ummm…" Kagome stalled as she thought of a plan, 'Right! This'll work' she thought as she raised her finger to Manten, "You'll lose your chance to get the Shikon no Tama!"
"What?" Manten said in disbelief.
"You guys have heard of Inuyasha right?" Kagome said as she tried to bluff her way out of the situation, "She's pretty strong, you see…"
"Strong?" Hiten asked as he thought of Inuyasha, "Isn't she a half demon?"
"She is strong!" Kagome held onto her bluff, "Because Inuyasha has already… collected almost all of the jewel fragments, you see."
"What?" The Thunder Brothers said in unison.
'Alright!' Kagome thought as she clenched her fist in confidence, 'I've got their full attention now!'
"Oi." Hiten said as he sat down beside her, "You better not be lying."
"The thing is…" Kagome continued as she thought of a way to continue her bluff, "To Inuyasha, I'm like a sister to her. If you say you'll exchange me, she'll give up the fragments in return!"
"Brother Hiten!" Manten yelled as Hiten pondered her story, "Her story's obviously a lie!"
"I might believe it…" Hiten looked at Kagome slyle, "Girl!" he yelled as he grabbed her shirt, "You'll show us where that scum Inuyasha is. However… if it turns out you made all this up then…" he laughed as he pointed to the dead girl, "I'll open a hole through this pretty face of yours… understand?"
'This guy is serious,' Kagome gulped down her thoughts as she looked him in the eye. "I understand…" Kagome maintained eye contact, forcing herself to believe her own lie.
As the day turned to night, Shippo and Inyasha quickly moved towards where the Thunder Brothers lived, the two of them intent on rescuing Kagome.
"So soon now…" Shippo could barely contain his fear as they approached the mountain range, "These are the mountains where the Thunder Brothers live…"
"Everything okay Shippo?" Inuyasha asked as she held Kagome's bike tightly on her shoulder, "You sound upset. I'll understand if you stay behind."
"Moron!" Shippo yelled as he leaned out the bike's basket, "I'm gonna get revenge for my father!"
"I understand Shippo…" the demon girl said as she worried about her friends safety in the back of her mind.
"Both of the Thunder Brothers have boosted their power with Shikon jewel shards." The fox demon turned towards Inuyasha, "They're both really strong. What about you? Do you think you're strong enough to defeat them?"
"I have to be…" Inuyasha thought of the battles she had faced since meeting Kagome.
"We best hurry," Myoga sighed, "I'm worried about Kagome's safety…"
"Kagome will be all right," Inuyasha hoped as she half lied to herself, "She's stronger than she looks and more stubborn than my brother."
"I hope she's alright as well," A sweat forming on Myoga's brow, "At any rate the rumors about those thunder brothers…" the flea knew full well the rumors and knew the words he was about to speak would leave a bad taste in his mouth, "When they carry off an attractive woman, the rumor is they eat her immediately."
"Re…really?" Shippo yelled worried about Kagome as both he and Inuyasha looked at the flea, "In that case, Kagome would already… Wha… what'll we do?" Shippo began to freak out a bit as his mind raced.
"Don't worry," Inuyasha tried to calm the boy down, "Kagome will think of something… I know she will." Inuyasha's voice broke a little, her own faith breaking apart as her own thoughts raced. Kagome was a good friend and a kind person, and Inuyasha swore that she would protect her. As Inuyasha's thoughts began to betray her, a bolt of lightning cam crashing down, nearly hitting them as she jumped out of the way, Kagome's bike struck in the process.
"Heh," Hiten laughed as he looked down at the three of them, "Dodged it, eh?" he laughed as he saw Inuyasha, "So you're her? The half-demon called Inuyasha?" he asked as he flew in the sky above them.
"Lady Inuyasha," Myoga whispered into his mistress' ear, "That's the elder of the Thunder Brothers, Hiten."
"He…hey!" Shippo yelled angrily as he hid behind Inuyasha's head, "What happened to Kagome?"
"Heh. Don't Worry," Hiten smiled as he looked at them, "Don't worry I haven't eaten her yet." He snapped his fingers as a thundering roar came as a cloud came from the sky, "Manten!"
"Yoo-hoo!" the younger brother yelled as he held Kagome out.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled as she saw her friend.
Kagome..." Inuyasha was glad to see Kagome was moderately safe at the moment. 'Thank god she's alive…'
"Hmm… looking at that face, I'd say the girl's story is true." Hiten laughed as loud as he could, "The jewel shards! Hand them all over! Otherwise I will kill Kagome!"
"What?" Inuyasha said as a vein on her head twitched… they intended to barter Kagome like a trophy for the Jewel shards.
"You heard me!" Hiten yelled as he held his spear to Kagome, "Hand over the shikon jewel if you want to her life to be spared."
"Like I would hand them over!" Inuyasha yelled knowing full well what the planned, "Even if I hand them over you'd just kill her anyways!"
"Looks like the part about the jewel shards is true…" Hiten smiled as he sped forward, "I'm gonna kill you and search your corpse!"
"I'll beat you back and rescue Kagome!" Inuyasha replied as she drew her sword.
"RAIGEKIJIN!" Hiten yelled as he lunged forward with his spear.
"Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha's sword met Hiten's spear, the two weapons stopping each other as Hiten's electricity flowed into Inuyasha.
"Heh…" Hiten mused as he watched the girl struggle, "I wonder how long you can endure my lightning…"
"Don't need to endure!" Inuyasha yelled as she pushed his weapon down and kicked the thunder brother back.
"Looks like you have more than just power," Hiten was amused as he stabilized himself, "This is gonna be fun."
'This is gonna be a bit difficult,' Inuyasha thought as her muscles twinged from the electricity.
