Chapter 21

"Are those two ever going to stop?" Sango muttered to Miroku. The monk shook his head in uncertainty; usually when Inuyasha and Koga got into a fight like this, it would take ages to break them up.

"Inuyasha! Sit boy!" Kagome finally demanded, causing the half-demon to crash into the ground with an all mighty slam.

"Traitor..." He mumbled inaudibly.

"We're heading south, you can get a head start if you want." Shippo lied, calling over from a few feet away on Miroku's shoulder. Koga said his good-byes to Kagome before zooming off in the completely opposite direction the group was heading. Inuyasha sat up and grinned at the young fox demon.

"I didn't know you had it in you to lie." He mocked. Shippo looked like he was about to come up with a remark, but he stopped, thinking of the consequences of the actions.

"Let's just get going before Koga realizes we gave him the wrong direction." Sango cut in, slinging her Hiraikotsu back over her shoulder, which she had set down once the fight broke out.

Suddenly Kagome felt an abrupt surge of pain run through her injured arm, causing her to wince.

"Are you alright?" Shippo asked. Kagome nodded, although she wasn't to sure about it.

"We should check the wound, just to make sure." Miroku stated, coming up to Kagome and carefully unwrapping the long piece of cloth Nekokaze had used at a bandage. Kagome gasped, and shock was etched across Miroku's face. Then, out of nowhere, a horrible throbbing feeling came from her arm; it was so terrible, Kagome let out a blood-curdling scream.

Kikyo and Nekokaze came to an unexpected stop once they saw what blocked their path ahead. It was a huge web wrapped around two large trees. It had to be at least ten feet high, five inches thick, and twenty feet long. Nekokaze probably couldn't get over it, so forget about Kikyo doing it.

"We'll have to find a way around it..." Nekokaze murmured, thinking about how the thing could have possibly gotten there.

I can sense Naraku's aura all around this... Kikyo thought, He know's I'm coming, and he's trying to distract us from something...

But then, both of them heard a faint scream in the distant; a little less than half an hour away.

"That sounds like..." Nekokaze trailed off turning her gaze toward Kikyo. As if she could read the cheetah demon's mind, Kikyo nodded before turning around and heading back the way they'd come; away from their road block, and even farther away from Naraku's location; where ever that was.

"What's happening to her?" Sango demanded. After Kagome had screamed, she collapsed to the ground shaking with her eyes closed.

"There's something... in her arm." Miroku choked out, honestly overwhelmed by what he had seen.

"A demon?" Inuyasha asked, mentally freaking out about Kagome. Miroku nodded slowly.

"We have to do something!" Shippo exclaimed with fear in his tone.

But what? Inuyasha thought. Though suddenly, as if on cue, someone came bursting through the undergrowth; it was Nekokaze!

"Kikyo's few minutes behind me... What wrong?" the young demon girl asked worriedly, panting slightly.

"There's a demon in Kagome's arm." Miroku explained. Nekokaze was at Kagome's side in a moment after Miroku had answered her, and soon Kikyo had reached the group as well.

"It's Naraku..." Kikyo murmured surely kneeling down beside Kagome with her hand rested on Kagome's bad arm. Miroku and Sango could no longer keep calm expression; there was obvious fear on their faces after Kikyo had said that.

"Do you think you can purify the demon out of her?" Inuyasha asked.

"No. Kagome's own strength is the only thing that can get her out of this." Kikyo replied solemnly.