Eleven
Sesshoumaru shook Karma awake. "Come on."
"Why?" Karma mumbled before burying her head into her arms in an attempt to go back to sleep.
"We're leaving." The demon tossed Karma's pack in her lap. "Let's go."
"WHY are we leaving?" The disgruntled blonde protested, scrambling after him, "It's still dark! Can't we at least sleep 'till dawn?"
"No." Sesshoumaru was being strangely vague, "We HAVE to leave now." His cloud floated down out of no-where.
"Sesshoumaru," Karma said slowly, "What's going on--?"
The demon turned, he looked...anxious. Or as close to "anxious" as Sesshoumaru can get, which isn't much. But it was enough to make Karma wonder what was happening to make the fearless demon---for lack of a better word---fidgety. He motioned for her to get on. Karma hesitated, "Couldn't you at least tell me why we are leaving a perfectly safe place in the middle of the night?"
The demon looked at her icily, back to his old self. "It does not concern a captive when her captor chooses to leave. Now get on."
An eyebrow slowly shot up, "And it is the 'captive's' right to know where she is being carted off to, and she WILL be told or she will make it very difficult for the 'captor'."
They glared at each other for several seconds. Sesshoumaru refused to tell the human where they were going, and Karma refused to budge until she knew. The demon sighed exasperatedly, "I didn't want it to come to this, but..." Faster than Karma could ever follow, the demon slipped around behind her and hoisted the protesting girl over his shoulder. "You simply refused to cooperate."
"Hey!" Karma squirmed and struggled, "I am NOT a sack of potatoes! Put me down! Put me--" Reverting to a last resort, Karma drove her elbow into Sesshoumaru's back. "--DOWN!"
The demon all but threw Karma onto the cloud. Even landing on a cloud could knock the wind out of you, believe it or not. Struggling to regain her breath and sit up at the same time, Karma glanced at Sesshoumaru. One look at his face and she could tell she'd just made a big mistake. The demon was livid. His teeth were bared, his clawed hands clenched into fists and his eyes were turning steadily redder and redder. For the first time since she'd been kidnapped and the lizard demon had tried to eat her-Karma was really, truly scared.
* * *
"Well look what we've got here." Inuyasha smirked as he caught the struggling Jaken. "A little toad just full of information."
Jaken squirmed and yelled, "Let me go! I'll never tell you anything! Lord Sesshoumaru will destroy all of you when he hears about this!"
"Yeah, yeah." The half-demon gave the simpering servant a good shake. "Now tell us-Where is Karma?"
"I'll never tell! In fact, I don't even know!"
"What do you mean you don't even know?" Kagome demanded.
Inuyasha tightened his grip. "Lord Sesshoumaru and the girl are gone!" Jaken gasped, his green skin was starting to turn blue. "They fell and I couldn't find them!"
"Fell?" Tess screamed, "FELL?! What do you mean they 'fell'?!"
"Follow the path to the next hot spring!" Jaken pointed a knarled finger, "I'm telling you, they fell!"
"We'll see if you're telling the truth." Inuyasha, Tess and Kagome went up the path until they came to a small spring. A path had been knocked into the woods near it by something big, VERY big.
Inuyasha's sensitive nose picked up several scents, "They were here, so was a lizard demon." They ran down the lizard-made path until they came to the cliff. Signs of battle marked the area. Dry demon blood spattered the ground.
Kagome walked to the edge of the cliff. "Inuyasha look!" Claw marks were etched into the cliff edge, and at the very bottom of the ravine the half-demon could just make out the body of the lizard demon. But there was no sign of Karma or Sesshoumaru.
"See!" Jaken squeaked, "I TOLD you they fell!"
Tess burst into fresh tears, Kagome put an arm around her and looked imploringly at Inuyasha. The half-demon stared grimly down the ravine. Then he swung Jaken around and held him squabbling over the edge. "You are going to take us to Sesshoumaru's den. Or I drop you."
"Y--Yes!" The toad gasped frantically, "I'll take you!"
Sesshoumaru shook Karma awake. "Come on."
"Why?" Karma mumbled before burying her head into her arms in an attempt to go back to sleep.
"We're leaving." The demon tossed Karma's pack in her lap. "Let's go."
"WHY are we leaving?" The disgruntled blonde protested, scrambling after him, "It's still dark! Can't we at least sleep 'till dawn?"
"No." Sesshoumaru was being strangely vague, "We HAVE to leave now." His cloud floated down out of no-where.
"Sesshoumaru," Karma said slowly, "What's going on--?"
The demon turned, he looked...anxious. Or as close to "anxious" as Sesshoumaru can get, which isn't much. But it was enough to make Karma wonder what was happening to make the fearless demon---for lack of a better word---fidgety. He motioned for her to get on. Karma hesitated, "Couldn't you at least tell me why we are leaving a perfectly safe place in the middle of the night?"
The demon looked at her icily, back to his old self. "It does not concern a captive when her captor chooses to leave. Now get on."
An eyebrow slowly shot up, "And it is the 'captive's' right to know where she is being carted off to, and she WILL be told or she will make it very difficult for the 'captor'."
They glared at each other for several seconds. Sesshoumaru refused to tell the human where they were going, and Karma refused to budge until she knew. The demon sighed exasperatedly, "I didn't want it to come to this, but..." Faster than Karma could ever follow, the demon slipped around behind her and hoisted the protesting girl over his shoulder. "You simply refused to cooperate."
"Hey!" Karma squirmed and struggled, "I am NOT a sack of potatoes! Put me down! Put me--" Reverting to a last resort, Karma drove her elbow into Sesshoumaru's back. "--DOWN!"
The demon all but threw Karma onto the cloud. Even landing on a cloud could knock the wind out of you, believe it or not. Struggling to regain her breath and sit up at the same time, Karma glanced at Sesshoumaru. One look at his face and she could tell she'd just made a big mistake. The demon was livid. His teeth were bared, his clawed hands clenched into fists and his eyes were turning steadily redder and redder. For the first time since she'd been kidnapped and the lizard demon had tried to eat her-Karma was really, truly scared.
* * *
"Well look what we've got here." Inuyasha smirked as he caught the struggling Jaken. "A little toad just full of information."
Jaken squirmed and yelled, "Let me go! I'll never tell you anything! Lord Sesshoumaru will destroy all of you when he hears about this!"
"Yeah, yeah." The half-demon gave the simpering servant a good shake. "Now tell us-Where is Karma?"
"I'll never tell! In fact, I don't even know!"
"What do you mean you don't even know?" Kagome demanded.
Inuyasha tightened his grip. "Lord Sesshoumaru and the girl are gone!" Jaken gasped, his green skin was starting to turn blue. "They fell and I couldn't find them!"
"Fell?" Tess screamed, "FELL?! What do you mean they 'fell'?!"
"Follow the path to the next hot spring!" Jaken pointed a knarled finger, "I'm telling you, they fell!"
"We'll see if you're telling the truth." Inuyasha, Tess and Kagome went up the path until they came to a small spring. A path had been knocked into the woods near it by something big, VERY big.
Inuyasha's sensitive nose picked up several scents, "They were here, so was a lizard demon." They ran down the lizard-made path until they came to the cliff. Signs of battle marked the area. Dry demon blood spattered the ground.
Kagome walked to the edge of the cliff. "Inuyasha look!" Claw marks were etched into the cliff edge, and at the very bottom of the ravine the half-demon could just make out the body of the lizard demon. But there was no sign of Karma or Sesshoumaru.
"See!" Jaken squeaked, "I TOLD you they fell!"
Tess burst into fresh tears, Kagome put an arm around her and looked imploringly at Inuyasha. The half-demon stared grimly down the ravine. Then he swung Jaken around and held him squabbling over the edge. "You are going to take us to Sesshoumaru's den. Or I drop you."
"Y--Yes!" The toad gasped frantically, "I'll take you!"