Hey, thanks for the reviews. Hah, that song "Poison" did go with that last part of chapter 6. And I read it just quickly enough for the song to end when Sango fainted. xD
-ahem- Anehway, I got a lot of writing done at the lake, but I've been really lazy and didn't type it out. -grins sheepishly- Enjoy!
Chapter 11:
Tree House
The houshi barely turned around before two vines grazed his cheek, smashing into the ground right next to Sango's head. Sparing her another look, he jumped up and grabbed his shakujou on the ground. There was no doubt, this woman the one who confronted Sango that day. The demon's short black hair caught in the slightest of breezes as she angrily glared at Sango, who was still lying on the ground.
"Damn you!" She yelled, her emerald eyes shining in her fury. "Why will you not kill him?!"
Miroku stood in front of Sango, eyeing the demon. "She's stronger than you think," He began, resisting the urge to plunge right at her. "and she will not succumb to this trance so easily."
"You!" She said, stepping out from the trees. Vines unwrapped themselves from her bare feet as she walked, only to wrap around them once again with each new step she took. "You're the reason she won't fall, aren't you!"
Miroku smirked, "So now you see." He shot forward and caught the demon off guard, but it unfortunately wasn't enough. His shakujou barely missed her as she seemed to disappear into the forest. A cackle came from the trees as Miroku looked around with all sensed focused on them.
"You fool! I'm Masami! I control everything around you." Her angry voice became taunting as the branches of the trees shook around the pair. "There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You'll die here tonight!" Leaves shot from a tree behind Miroku, and on contact, sliced through his robes and cut his skin shallowly.
Sango was still on the ground, trying to fight the poison that kept her from controlling her body. She felt her arm move, trying to force it another way. 'Miroku!!' She yelled, noticing that she had lost complete control. She saw Miroku coming nearer, wait, she was moving! She felt the katana in her hand and tried dropping it with no avail. Closing her eyes, only to open them once more, she heard the katana cut his skin and his fall to the ground. Playing as the trigger to her subconscious, the sight of Miroku's blood brought Sango back and she fell onto his motionless body.
A light, but high-pitched laughter came from the trees. "Very good, Sango-chan. He's lucky, because I would have made his death much more painful. At least he fell before the woman he loved." She mocked with transparent pity.
Sango hid her joy to find that Miroku's wound was merely on his shoulder. "Miroku," She said softly, shaking him to get up. "tell me, where do you sense her?"
He looked up at the tajiya and smiled slightly. "I see that you're back." She nodded and looked around warily.
"Look, Miroku. You can sense her demonic aura. Tell me where she is; or at least where she could be."
"It's nice to know that you care about me so much." Miroku joked, sitting up and holding his bloody shoulder. "I think that she's... over there." Miroku pointed near the direction of Kirara with his good arm. He stood up, but Sango grabbed his clean shoulder.
"Let me fight, Miroku."
"You and I both know I'm very capable of fighting. Even with a wound."
"Yes, I know that. But," She bit her lip, turning her head to the ground.
"I understand. Just go."
"Thank you, Miroku. You stay here. I'll kill her on my own." Sango ran up to Kirara, who had already transformed so that the two could have easier access to the tree tops. With her hiraikotsu in hand, she jumped on Kirara's back.
The tajiya had disappeared into the trees in an instant, leaving the injured houshi behind. He frowned at the shaking of the leaves. It seemed that each tree shook on its own. He scanned them, looking for some sort of pattern, and noticed that one wasn't right. One tree didn't seem to be trembling as much; it seemed to have just been affected by the others, instead of moving on its own.
Miroku saw the hiraikotsu fly from the trees, returning to its owner. It may have been a trick of the eye, but Miroku could have swore that he saw Masami standing to his left, in midair, though when he turned his head, she was gone. Turning his attention back to the battle, he saw that the forest was still where the hiraikotsu had once been, and no sounds were being made.
Suddenly, Sango fell from the trees, Kirara missing from the scene.
"Sango!" He yelled, running up to the fallen slayer. "Sango, are you alright?"
"Nnn... yeah, I'm fine." She sat up, holding her head. "Where's Kirara? I was with her and all of a sudden, she was gone... and I went flying."
"I don't know, probably still in there."
"Then I'm going back in."
'She's probably going to hate me for this,' He thought as they split paths. 'but I must get Inuyasha!' Miroku ran the opposite direction of Sango, his shakujou jingling through the near-silent forest. The threes shook all around him, even though he was running from the battle field. He figured that he was somehow being watched, but there was no other way to contact the hanyou.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Sango had caught up with Kirara, who was looking around angrily. "Kirara, go back to Miroku." She said, eyeing the barrier that was standing before them. The fire cat ran off as she repositioned the hiraikotsu on her back, looking around her. "This must be Masami's." She brushed her fingertips against it. "But I wonder how resistant it is...?" Leaving the questions behind, she ran in, knowing that she wasn't turning back now.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Inuyasha," Miroku ran up to the hanyou, out of breath.
"What happened?" He asked, noticing his shoulder. "And where's Sango?"
"I'm fine, but Sango went off to fight Masami herself. We have to go help her!"
Without answering, Inuyasha walked over to Kagome and shook her awake, gently pulling her onto his back. He picked up the miko's weapon and Shippou, and faced Miroku. "Lead the way." He said without question.
Miroku ran back through the forest, following the shaking trees on his way. He knew the possibility of a trap, but he also knew that Sango would be wherever Masami was. Kagome groaned from the hanyou's back and gasped at the sight of Miroku's blood.
"Miroku, what happened to you?!" She asked, nearly falling off of Inuyasha's back.
"Kagome, calm down." He said, repositioning her without slowing down.
"Sorry," She said, still waiting for the answer to her frantic question.
"Don't worry about it; it's merely a flesh wound. But I fear that Sango will be in much worse shape if we don't hurry."
"Wait, I'm confused."
"We'll explain later Kagome, here." He handed her the bow and arrow, coming to a stop behind Miroku. Shippou was stirred awake by the abrupt stop, still half sleeping in Inuyasha's arms. Inuyasha handed the kitsune to Kagome, sniffing the air and drew his brows together. "She's here alright. I'm surprised I didn't smell her earlier." Miroku and Kagome nodded in agreement, about to step through the thick forest.
Kirara burst through the forest without her owner as they about to enter. "Kirara, where's Sango?" The feline tilted her head toward the shaking trees, growling quietly. The trees seemed to calm themselves, as if Masami were leaving.
"I wonder if anything happened to her." Kagome thought aloud with worry tinting her voice. Miroku turned to Inuyasha, a new thought coming to mind. Inuyasha saw the question in his face.
"I don't smell any blood besides yours yet. So far she's fine."
"Kagome, be careful. She's after my spiritual power, and she's bound to go after yours as well." Miroku said, keeping a steady pace as he stepped over and around various roots and vines. Kirara took the lead of the group, being the only one knowing the correct path. She stopped abruptly and turned to Miroku. "Is this where you last saw her?" He asked, stepping forward. The houshi reached out, and as he suspected, there was a barrier. "Inuyasha,"
"Leave it to me." With no visible effort, Inuyasha destroyed the barrier, remaining light blue particles circling around him as he sheathed his sword. "That was a bit too easy." He said, taking lead once more. "With each thing we come across, I doubt how strong she is even more."
"Well there's always the possibility of a trap." Kagome said as she brought up the rear of the group. She stepped cautiously trough the tall grass, dodging hanging branches and roots along the way.
"We must be getting close. Her stench is everywhere." Inuyasha turned a corner, running face-first into a rather thick vine. "Damn it!" He threw his hand to his face, whipping the dew from it. "Ew..." He muttered, flicking his fingers free from the moisture.
Shippou couldn't help but chuckle, though it hardly came out audible in his sleepy state. Ignoring it, the group ventured on.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Sango slapped yet another group of branches from her path, highly irritable at the moment. She felt as if she were going in circles, not getting anywhere near the demon. 'Then again, she could be anywhere, being able to control the forest around me.' The very though of that brought an involuntary shiver up her spine. 'Ugh, stop thinking about that! You're going to get yourself killed being constantly distracted.'
She hastily brought out her katana, slowing her actions in remembrance of what had happened with Miroku mere hours ago. 'I can't believe I was so weak...' She told herself, staring intently at the weapon. 'Though not fatal, I allowed myself to be controlled by Masami... and I attacked Miroku.' She shook her head, throwing the weapon out in front of her and slicing a vine. She couldn't think of him any longer. It was too painful... too distracting. She knew that she probably wouldn't live past tonight, but someone had to go down with her. 'If only... If only I could have had a bit more time with him.'
Sango shivered against the cold breeze that flew by, blowing her hair with it and bringing up leaves into its spiraling path. She ventured on, knowing by now to follow the path of the forest around her. Though random and twisting, and really no path at all, she knew that it was meant for her to walk. She knew it was meant for all of those other women before her, as well. It was the path that they were tricked into following, the path that had brought not only their fate, but the fate of the ones that they also cared for.
'But I'm different!' She told herself, trying to bring confidence back into her body. 'I'm not letting her kill Miroku! I'm different...' She already felt the confidence fading, remembering Miroku telling her how different she was. How special she was. Though she dreaded the thought of never hearing those, kind, rare words again, they gave her an inner peace.
'You're special to me, Sango.'
She let that wonderful, masculine, kind voice play relentlessly through her head. Letting that wonderful phrase be heard, over and over. She was going to get through this. As long as it was for Miroku, as long as her death took the place of his, then all would be good. 'Just as long as he can live another day longer...' She kept walking, smiling despite herself. 'You're special to me too, Miroku.'
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The wind billowed as Masami approached her castle, shaking the trees around it. She stepped through the abyss of the forest, a gleam in her eye as she neared the building. It was large, a size fit for a princess. The walls took the appearance of stone, though upon closer inspection the walls could be found to be made of the bark of a tree. In fact, the entirety of the castle was made of various trees - sizes and all - that had been molded together by none other than the owner. The castle bore large, beautiful stained glass windows which held images of various flowers. One particular window, placed above a large entrance door, bore a striking resemblance to the red flower that Sango knew too well.
Masami lifted her arms, vines quickly snaking their way up her body and to her fingertips. She smirked as the vines raced across her flattened palms, creating a three-foot long pole. She brought her arms down, running her hand across the top of the pole, molding the vines to create a scythe. She quickly swiped her arm, which took a full second before bleeding.
'Come to me, Inuyasha. You cannot resist the scent of my blood. Bring me the houshi and the miko!' She kept her laughter at bay as she fell into a sitting position. She crossed her legs, holding the scythe in one hand and keeping the other, bleeding arm out. All that was left to do was to wait.
'Though, I could have a bit of fun.' She laid the scythe on the ground, still keeping her bleeding arm out. Masami opened her eyes widely as reflections of the group she sought after appeared in them. She smirked, using her free hand to pick a vine from the ground, twisting it around her fingers. Her smirk grew larger as she watched a vine follow the miko.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Inuyasha's nose twitched as he quickly turned to face left. Miroku, Kagome, and Kirara stopped in their tracks, keeping alert. "Something's not right." He said, his tone unreadable.
"What do you mean?" Kagome fought the temptation to draw her bow at that moment, being incredibly tense.
"I smell blood. There's no doubt that it's the blood of Masami. But... something just isn't right about it."
"Well I don't care!" Miroku spoke up, surprising the hanyou. "Like we've said before, trap or not, we have to save Sango!" Miroku literally pushed Inuyasha out of his path, setting off the way that the boy had been facing.
The hanyou was about to stomp after him, but stopped at Kagome's touch. "Leave him, Inuyasha." She barely whispered, knowing that his ears would catch it. She looked on at the houshi with emotional eyes, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips. Kagome walked by Inuyasha's side, hugging the sleeping Shippou closer and catching up with her comrade. She only hoped that they wouldn't be too late.
Kagome's worries were cut loose when something grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground. She screamed, making Miroku and Inuyasha run to her aid. Another vine grabbed her wrist, making her drop the kitsune in her arms and lay flat on the ground, leaving no resistance for struggle.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, bending down to cut the vines with his claws. "What the hell happened?" He asked after freeing her,
"I... I dunno. The vines pulled me to the ground!!"
"Masami." Miroku muttered, looking around.
"She's not here!" Inuyasha insisted irritably. He looked down at the vine clutched in his hand. "But she is behind this." The vine twisted in his hand like a squirming eel. "What the hell?"
Kagome and Miroku bent over to see what was happening, and their eyes went wide at the sight. "It's growing!" Kagome yelled, jumping back while Shippou jumped into her arms.
Her suspicions were correct. In a matter of seconds, the vine doubled in size, a few more, it tripled. Soon enough, the vine had grown to a ten-foot length.
"It's alive!!" Shippou squealed, pointing with his mouth agape. "Kill it! Kill it!"
Inuyasha was having trouble controlling the monstrous vine, grabbing it ferociously in this place and that to keep it in his grasp. "Whaa! What's goin' on here?!" He yelled with bulging eyes.
"Give me that!" Miroku grabbed the vine, thoroughly annoyed. Without a word, he snapped it in half and the vine went limp, lifeless, once more. He showed Inuyasha the point that it was broken, a red substance oozing out of it. "I suspect that Masami controls them with this substance. But for now, we need to keep moving. This is no time for games, and Sango is in trouble."
The other three continued gazing at the vine as Miroku dropped it to the ground, turning in annoyance. Kagome was the first to shake herself of the dumbfounded state, pulling Inuyasha's ear to drag him along, Shippou still tucked into her arms. She shivered as she passed the vine with the ooze coming out of it, picturing the red liquid as blood. Kagome knew that it was going to be a rough night.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Masami frowned as she brought her hand down, her eyes returning to normal. That was too easily broken. She looked at her bleeding arm, knitting her brows. 'I've lost too much blood.' She told herself easily. She ran her hand across the wound, barely keeping it off of her skin. When she removed it, the wound was gone, and not a scare remained. The demon looked at the small puddle of blood, distorting her perfect face at the scent.
Masami stood, picked up her scythe, and lifted her arm in one graceful move. She tilted her head, and pulled her finger toward her, beckoning the door to her castle to open. She walked in as the doors shut behind her, her emerald eyes glowing in the dimly lit room. These people were too interesting to kill right off. 'I suppose I can show them my living quarters.' She smirked, forming the plan in her head. 'This is going to be much fun.'
There you go! Chapter 11 up. This one came so smoothly! It was just a matter of getting it down. -swatdrops- Please review, and the next chapter will be up soon. (And this time, I really do mean it - it's half way done!!) Arigatou!