I was listening to this great song....'Cold' by Static X...great, great song. it sorta reminded me of Musou aka 'Faceless', so I had an awe inspiring moment. I'm hopping you didn't have to wait to long for this chapter but i didn't want to put it out with having finished the end of the fight, ya know? Enjoy!
I do not own Inuyasha or Company...only my special...what five now? eh, who knows.
Rin and Shippou-1
Rin and Kouga-1
And of ofcourse, their's always other demons, ya know...Ginta and Hakkaku or i make one up but then that means i'd have to pair Shippou with someone else.
come on people...help a gal out1!
As said, two hours passed and Sesshoumaru was back at the witches humble home, the two daughters no where to be seen. "Ah, milord." she strolled from the house, smiling grimily. "I have finished as you asked." she held the fan out, looking exactly as it had before. "In order to track, I charmed this necklace." from her robes, she pulled a tear shaped stone out as it lit an eerie blue. "All one has to do is hold the necklace in the air and it will glow in the direction this fan has gone. The closer to the source, the bright it will glow."
"That is sufficient." with a nod, he took the said items.
"I hope my daughters foolish actions will not hinder any future meetings." she bowed respectively.
"Is it not I they should worry about. Lord Katuso, through very laid back and sometimes childish, he can be as vindictive as a newborn pup." he warned, letting his eyes drift to the house, were he felt the two girls.
"I see." she nodded sadly, letting her brows furrow.
"I will ask Lord Katuso to spare your life, Arkia." and with that, he turned to leave, once again disappearing into the surrounding forest.
Everything for the night had been step up, a roaring fire with cooking meat, for the humans of course. Everyone was laughing about some story Kohaku was telling, his first hunt. "And then...I slipped in the mud and fell face first in the dung of the village cows." their laughter doubled and even the yougest demon slayer could find some humor now, little over a year later. it was not so funny when it first happened.
Inuyasha let his eyes drift from person to person then let his eyes drift skyward. the full moon was tonight and the group just kept growing. If he wasn't careful, they would all find out what happened on nights like these. Keeping to the background, he stood and slinked away into the forest and to a tree he had scooped. He could still see the camp and still watch over it. Hopping into the branches, he leaned against the trunk, arms crossed and tucked into his fire rat robe sleeves. The sky was slowly darkening right before his eyes and he lifted a clawed hand to see it changed to human. the silver strands hanging over his shoulders went black and he could feel his supieror senses fading. Sighing, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
He hated the new moon.
Kagome stepped into the forest, right after Inuyasha, seeing him do so. It wasn't fair for him to spend tonight alone, not to mention Ipo had filled her with some romantic crap and pumped her up for the past thirty minutes, so here she was! "Inuyasha." Kagome whispered as she held two sticks that speared cooked meat. "Come on, I seen you come here."
"Up here." he called back, looking down to see her. She smiled then proceeded to climb up the tree to where he was, bitting down on the sticks. Lowering a hand, he grasped her forearm and helped the rest of the way to pull her up on the same branch.
"Here, brought you something to eat." the stick was held out as she tore into her own.
"Thanks." murmuring, he took it, eating it but a much slower rate. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to keep you company." she replied in a duh tone. "You shouldn't be alone...you're still my Inuyasha." 'My Inuyasha?' she berated herself.
'Her Inuyasha?' he asked himself in surprise, staring at the rapidily blushing Kagome. 'I'm her Inuyasha...as much as she my Kagome.' all the talks with Ipo about came flooding back and when he agreed with himself to give whatever 'this' was a try. He felt something for the time traveling miko, something strong. That much he was sure of. "You're too good for me." he muttered, staring at her with loving eyes.
Smiling, she abandoned the meat, crawling across the branch to get closer to Inuyasha. He just watched, silent and brushing at the very enticing picture she made. When she was close enough, she leaned toward him, pausing a hair's breath from the now human males lips. Ipo had told her to specfically do that, it would drive him crazy. "No, you are to good for me." and then the distance was gone, their lips touching, softly at first.
Ipo turned her head slightly, smiling at the exchange between Inuyasha and Kagome. it was a long time coming, them to. Yes they liked each other, yes everyone else knew but neither had made a move. It took ALOT of talking on her part but Ipo did it. Now, if she was lucky, she could have nieces and nephews but the end of the year.
"Ipo, why are you smiling?" Sango wondered.
Letting her dark eyes flicker to Dayo and the wolf demons, it was apparent they heard exchange. Their grins were dead giveaways. "No reason." she sang with a sort of giddyiness. Unfortunately, all happiness swept right out as the back of neck tingled and a pacticular smell drifted under her nose. Naraku. Snapping her head to the side, she looked in the direction the feeling came from, eyes narrowing. A barrier, she could feel one. It had to be him! Before anyone could even ask to her odd reaction, she dove into her bag, grabbing her blades and sprinted from the camp.
Everyone looked after her then to each other before half the group followed, consisting of Kouga, Dayo, Kohaku, Juno and Miroku.
In Naraku's castle, Kagura walked along a corridor, skeletons still dressed strewn across the floor. "Shit, this castle is stifling!" she looked at the bodies in disdain, kicking one away. "All the vassals who were brought here to this castle have been exposed to Naraku's toxic barrier and died." turning the corner, she came to her destination, Naraku's summoning room. Sliding the screen door open, she stepped inside then shut the door after her.
It was shrouded in darkness, light barely breaking the blinds but she didn't find. Her red eyes were glued to an alter where the item she sought sat, waiting. Timidly walking toward the alter, she lifted a hand to gently trace the bumpy edge of a shatter mirror. She had tried to save it, put the pieces back together but they were unfixable.
Anger boiled in her veins at the demon that had taken her life. His name wasn't known, only that he had been so worried for the slayer female. "I will have my revenge, little sister." she murmured, stroking the mirror once more before pulling her hand way.
Something odd happened then, the mirror shimmered and a picture came to it. Kagura gasped in surprise, moving back to the altar in surprise. It still worked?! But all thoughts of the mirror came to a skid halt at what the mirror shown her. It was the demon of her thoughts but also the priestess that took her fan. "I'll go kill them. No need to wait for Naraku's orders."
'Kagura.' she could hear Kanna's emotionless voice in her memories. 'You'd better stop.'
"I hate Naraku's way of stooping to trickery. I'll kill anyone who has Sacred Jewel fragments." Kagura hissed, fist clenching. "Who needs a plan of action?"
'It's all in Naraku's hand… Life and death… We are all Naraku's tools.'
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Who cares? He's not here now, is he?" then she turned to face her opponents.
Night had fallen completely by now, the six man group standing in the middle of an open field. The clouds darkened as if an ominous sign of evil approaching. They all looked around apprehensively. "This fog it's…aberrant." Juno noted.
"I can't see a thing." Kohaku gasped, looking all around.
"The smell is strongest right here…" Kouga gritted his teeth.
"It has to be around here." Ipo agreed.
An unearthly sound was heard from above the group and Miroku looked up, gasping. "Look up!" an army of skeletons, dawned in armor and weapons floated toward them on one of the dark clouds. A wind blade suddenly flies in Dayo's direction, who dodged easily. Kagura leapt off the cloud and lands in front of the group.
"Hey, it's been awhile, miko." she smirked, opening her fan to block half her face as the army of skeletons lands behind her.
"New fan, eh?" Ipo jaunted, earning herself a glare.
"W-What's that?! Those skeletons!" Miroku looked between them.
"Oh them? They're just the guards at the castle." she replied in a careless tone, flicking her hand. "There're countless of them."
"Kouga, she's the one that killed your pack." Ipo gestured to the wind sorceress.
"What?!" he growled, teeth clinched. "Prepare to die! It's payback time for all you did!"
"It's payback alright! I'll get your jewel fragments this time, both of you!" she looked fro wolf demon to miko. 'It'll be easy to slow him down… I just need to dance…' she swung the fan forward. "Dance of the Corpses!" some of the skeletons rushed forward but Kouga punched them away one by one.
"Still resorting to old tricks?" Ipo mocked her.
Kagura swung her fan again. "Dance of the Blades!" the wind blades blasted toward the miko.
'Her attack is weaker without the original fan…interesting.' sweeping her hand, a barrier formed and easily deflected the attack. "Ridiculous!" she jumped forward, stabbing the ground where the wind demoness had been standing. Kagura jumped aside, laughing while Dayo moved to attack from behind. She turned at the last moment, using her fan to block, barely.
Landing a safe distance away, the grip on her fan tightened. "Fools! I'll cripple you! Dance of the Dragon!" the fan was yet again swung and the army of the skeletons charged at the group.
Before anyone else could move, Juno stepped forward, taking her staff out and let it elongate. Running toward the army, she jumped up and swung the staff about her own body. they were knocked back then she slammed the end into the ground. The same blast Miroku had seen happened again, this time it was the ground that broke apart and split. The attack flew at the rest of the army, slamming into them to make the bodies scatter for miles.
"Wow." Ipo muttered in awe, blinking slowly then looked to Miroku. He looked back, shrugged and grinned. 'Glad she's on our side."
With their attention else where, Kagura smirked evilly and flicked her fan. A strong wind starts to blow and the bones on the ground rose. The bones were rushed in a circle around them, forming a whirlpool which completely envelopes everyone.
Miroku's eyes snap from skull to skull. "W-What?!"
"A whirlpool of bones!" Kohaku cried, keeping his scythe close and slashing at the bones.
Kagura laughed at their misfortune as the skulls flew in separate directions, attacking. "Now choose your fate. Let the skeletons cut you to bits… Or jump out and be slain by me. It doesn't matter to me."
For a few minutes, everyone did their thing to fight off the bones but they were making no real leeway. there had to be something else but what?! 'Ah ha!' Ipo had an idea and curled her hands. "Miroku…can you protect Dayo and Kouga?" Ipo screamed over the roaring winds.
"Yes!" he took the two demons aside, chanting under his breath and erecting a temporary barrier. "You must hurry, it won't last long."
"Don't need long." she growled, hunkering low to ball her fist, closed her eyes and summoned all the energy she had.
Kagura watched, wary as the screams inside stopped. What were they doing? Something pulsed inside the whirlwind, once, twice then three times before a pink ball of miko energy exploded. Skulls flew in all directions, the barrier from Miroku scarcely protecting the demons. If she hadn't already been fighting and using power, the monk feared she would have purified them, by accident.
Ipo jumped at the black haired demoness but she used the bones to protect her. It didn't really seem to stop her, seeing as Juno would use her staff to clear the path and destroy them. Instead of continuing this fight, Kagura pulled feather from her hair, throwing it into the air and hopping on. "I shall spear your life, today!"
"Ha! Spare our lives?!" Ipo laughed gravely, glaring in the direction Kagura escape to.
The others watched her as well, just knowing the big battle wasn't even close. Then Miroku turned to everyone with a big smile. "I think we deserve a big hug…huh, huh?"
"Monk." Ipo and Juno sighed, shaking their heads and turned to head back to camp.
"Is that a no?!" he called after them but they didn't answer.
"I think it was." Kohaku said from his left.
"Indeed." Dayo was on his right.
"Haveta agree." Kouga stepped upside Dayo.
"Can' blame a guy for trying." he sighed, dropping his head.
Kagura drifted across the sky on her feather, thoughtful look on her face and wind playing with her hair. 'Serves them right! But the wolf demon's not alone. Even Inuyasha is approaching the castle. That means Naraku's barrier has weakened. But…Naraku's not there.' she turned the feather around and flew in another direction.
Once she was far enough, she hopped to a large, open, grassy field and laid back. "What a relief." she sighed, looking at the replacement fan. Looked exactly like the old woman but…was so different. 'Now is the time to escape when Naraku's barrier is weak. But… Naraku has…' a memory flashed before her eyes, of when she confronted Naraku.
***
Naraku held out his closed hand, opening it to expose a red orb. "T-that's…" she trailed off, staring at it with longing. He closed his hand again, squeezing the orb and brought Kagura to her knees in pain.
"Don't forget, Kagura. Your heart is in my hands!" he snickered and she dared to look at him. From his robe, he took out a jar with some vicious fluid and dropped the orb inside. "I can easily turn you back into mere flesh. Kagura… Do not forget. You are merely a part of my flesh. I created you out of me. Do not forget that."
Kagura whipped frustrated tears from her eyes and shook her head. 'Damn! No! No!' lying back on her back. "I cannot escape from his grasp." then she looked at the sky). "A shooting star!" the trail of the shooting star fades to what appears to be a sword. The image faded away and she sprang upright. "There's someone!" an image of Sesshoumaru's back view appears across the sky momentarily. "Yes!" she threw the fan up and caught it, smugly. 'That one…! He has the power to sever the bond between me and Naraku!'
Sesshoumaru stood on a cliff, staring into the starry sky, hardened look on his face. "It's his scent. Naraku." thinking about the hanyou that had dared laid a hand on his Ipo made his blood boil. The beast wanted to go and find him, rip him into pieces. However, as his grip tightened, it also reminded him of what he was doing so far out. The fan…spell…all for Ipo.
A strong gust of wind stills the area before Kagura appeared and landed in front of him. The wind died down. "Yo…Lord Sesshomaru…Did you follow Naraku's scent too?"
He eyed the demoness a moment, recalling their quick meeting some time before. "Wind Sorceress Kagura, I recall?" then his eyes flickered to her obi, where a fan laid tucked in.
"I'm glad you remembered me." a smirk pulled at her blood red lips. Sesshoumaru narrowed his own eyes, placing his hand on Tokijin apprehensively. "Take your hand off your sword. I didn't come here to fight. Sesshomaru, I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" his brow rose.
She reached in her kimono to pull out a jar. "You should know what these are." in the jar was ten pieces of the jewel fragments. Naraku had stupidly left them lying about and she came across them when she went to the castle, before searching out the dog demon. "I'll give these Sacred Jewel fragments to you. In return, kill Naraku…Free me from his grip." Sesshoumaru only looked at the wind sorceress without replying.
"You have the power to do it. After you kill Naraku, the Sacred Jewel fragments will be yours." still, he doesn't reply and her patience was growing wary. "Let's use these fragments and have some fun."
"You intend to betray Naraku?" his voice was like razors against her skin as he glanced carelessly at the shards. He wasn't sure she knew or not, but those shards were not the real thing. He had been around the real shards; ie. Ipo and Kagome; to know.
She laughed, humorlessly. "It's not like I ever wanted to be under his command. Well, Sesshomaru? I don't think it's a bad idea to team up with me."
"Unfortunately, I have no interest in the Sacred Jewel. If you wish to become free, use those fragments yourself and destroy Naraku." he tells her impassively. He knew Ipo and the others were looking for them, he would tell them but he would not lower himself.
"Are you afraid of Naraku?" she blinked in surprise.
He could laugh at the incredulous question. Him, afraid of Naraku! "I'm just saying I'm not obliged to help you." her look of worry shiftly changing to one of anger. "If you can't use it yourself, don't even think about betrayal."
Now, her face grew red in her righteous anger. "Why you coward! You call yourself a man?!"
Before she bat an eyelash, he had her in a grip so tight, it felt like Naraku was squeezing her heart again. Struggling for breath, she never noticed when he swiped fans. "Watch your tongue, wench." then he released her, letting her fall on her rear to the ground.
"I misjudged you!" she cried, scrambling away and pulled a feather from her hair and with a strong gust of wind, she flew away. "Fool!"
Sesshoumaru just stood there a moment, watching her. 'Kagura… the Wind Sorceress. I wonder if she can use the Sacred Jewel and defeat Naraku by herself? But however it turns out… doesn't matter.' then he walked away.
"You can't just run off like that!" Inuyasha growled the next morning as he cornered Ipo. She had just gotten back from bathing, dressed in a black turtle neck, dark blue jeans and the boots from last night. Her hair laid about her head in a wild manner, giving her a demonic look when she was pissed. And she was at the moment.
"I'M NOT SOME CHILD!" she screamed back, glaring at the hanyou. "I smelt him and went to check it out. I didn't expect that flying bitch to be there!" stomping past him, she went to her bag, roughly shoving her clothes in it's depths.
"That doesn't mean you can go off by yourself!" he argued.
"I wasn't by myself!" she snapped, wheeling around to poke his chest. "Dayo, and Juno, and Miroku and Kohaku and Kouga were there."
"KOUGA?!"
"Yes, the wolf demon was there!" then she swung her bag on her bag, tightening the straps. "I'm leaving for a while…Kagome's stay here. Rin, Shippou, let's go." they were at her side in a minute, as was Dayo. Sango looked between them and her brother, who smiled and motioned for her to go. She smiled, hugging him and ran over. And lastly, Juno moved to join them. Miroku frowned.
"Where are you going?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Away so I don't 'accidentally' purify your punk ass!" she threw over her shoulder, seething.
"Inuyasha…let her go." Kagome grabbed his arm, wheeling him around to look at her. "Let her cool off and she'll come back." she started back for the other group, dragging the hanyou along.
"Ipo?" Sango asked, tentatively.
"Why is he such an…." she trailed off as she looked to her pups. "Idiot."
"He was worried. You know how he gets, especially right now." she answered, imprecisely, wary of the new traveler that didn't know about Inuyasha's infliction.
"I know…he just makes me so angry." her teeth gritted in anger, making Dayo back away. Her power was reacting to her anger but thankfully, it didn't effect Shippou for the close bond they had. The air around her was crackling with pink lighting.
"Okaasan, maybe you should sit for a minute." Shippou suggest.
"Or take a bath, it always seems to cheer you up." Rin chirped with a large grin.
'A bath…' her head tilted, lips pursing. The first wasn't every long, not with Inuyasha breathing down your neck about needing to find all the shards. "I think that'll be nice…" then she turned to the other two females. "What says you?"
"A nice long soak…that I can go for." Sango sighed, dreamy and Juno nodded in agreement.
"Coolio." a large grin came over Ipo's face as she angled herself form Inuyasha and the others. There was a body of water not to far ahead of them, maybe five miles. "Hope you don't mind a little trek?"
Naraku and Kagura stand on the edge of a cliff, his right arm jerking before rising involuntarily. Purple flesh start to bulge out of the creamy flesh of his arm. "Want to come out? I'll fulfil your wish!" the purple flesh reached his fingers and bulge then throbs. Finally, it detached itself from the hanyou and fell into the valley below.
Kagura leaned forward to look down. "Who was that? My younger brother?"
"He's different from you all." he turned. "Let's go." as they walk away, a fog covered their getaway from prying eyes.
A group of bandits gathered in an open field, around a campfire with treasures they had stolen surrounding them. The men are thin, unshaven, clean and with missing teeth. "Hey, Boss! Which village will be hit next?" Bandit 1 asked lazily.
"Some places with lots of women and sake!" the boss laughed.
"Sounds great!" Bandit 2 agreed, tearing into some cooked meat.
Bandit 3 walked from the bushes after 'relieving' himself but something caught his eye. "What's that?" he poked the blob with his boot. "Boss, come over here!"
"What's up?" they walked over, gathering around the purple flesh and griamce. "What the hell is that?"
"It's alive!" Bandit 5 shirked as it pulsed.
"Creepy thing! Kill it!" Boss demanded. The bandits thrust their swords into the flesh before a sudden hand reaches out of the flesh and grabs one of the swords. "What? A hand…?" then, to their amazement, a man emerged from the purple flesh, completely nude. On his back is a large spider burn mark.
Bandit 3 backed away in fear and shock. "What is he?!"
They get a good look at the man before looking at his face, gasping. "H-He…doesn't have a face!" boss' eyes widened.
In a quick move, the faceless man killed the bandits savagely, listening as their bodies in the ground. Hesitantly, a hand lifted to feel his face and gasped. They were right, he had no face! Throwing his head back, he cried to the heavens. "Who am I?!"
The Inu-gang are traveling along a path in the forest, Inuyasha and Kouga were at the lead, first time they were and not fighting. There was something that had called to them, they caught the stench of Naraku. "Are you sure, Inuyasha?" Miroku voiced.
"Who can mistake this scent?!" Inuyasha demanded.
"It's this way! This way! It reeks of Naraku!" Kouga agreed quickly.
"Naraku and the smell of human blood!" Ginta and Hakkaku added.
It didn't take long for the group to reach the campsite of the slaughtered bandits. All the corpses lying face down. "They've been slaughtered." Kohaku muttered, looking around.
"They're bandits…" Inuyasha grabbed one, turning him over and gasped. "H-His…!"
"What's the matter?" Miroku looked over.
Kouga to flipped a body back and his eyes widened as he stumbled back. "His face has been carved out!"
Kohaku turned another. "This one, too!"
"What?" he turned yet another and was met with the same fate. "This one, too."
"Every one of them…all without faces." Kagome's brows furrowed in thought. "This isn't normal."
"It has to be Naraku's doing!" Kouga and Inuyasha shouted at the same time.
"But…why their faces?" Kohaku wondered.
"Who knows…we'd have to ask that person." Kagome muttered, looking about the field in disgust. What kindof of monster would do something like that?
The still faceless being kneeled by a river, a horse tied to a tree nearby. He looked at his reflection in the clear water but grunts. It was the face of the bandit boss. He frowned, tore it off and tried another bandit. Again, he is not satisfied and threw it in the river. There was a lot of floating faces in the river.
Faceless sighed heavily, just as a handsome monk and his disciple walk up from behind. "Are you the source of evil, spectra?" the monk questioned.
Faceless turned around and the disciple backed away, horrified. " What…?! He's faceless! Master Musou…"
"Stay back." Musou demanded and the disciple nodded, ran to take cover behind some rocks. "Spectra… where are you from?"
"Where? I don't know." he seemed genuinely confused.
"Why have you done such a cruel thing?" Musou then asked.
Faceless walked toward the monk. "Give me…your face."
"My face? You killed people because you want a face? You evil spectre!" the monk cried, rising his staff. "Evil spectra's like you…" he swung the staff. "Must be destroyed!"
"Give…!" the staff connected to faceless' head, thinking he stopped the creature. As did his disciple. Instead, faceless flexed his fingers, grabbing the monk's face. He pressed his face towards the monk's threateningly and the horse whines. The disciple gasped, crying out in terror then turned to run, hoping to find help. Faceless walked to the river, the very same one from earlier and looked at his reflection. Not he wore the monks face. "My face! I have a face!" he laughed.
Faceless was later seen sitting by a path, wearing the robes and hat of Monk Musou. 'Hm…Musou, I think I like that name.' he laughed mentally as he raised a metal object, looking at the face, Musou sounded so good with this face and there was no real reason to separate the two. At the same time, a warrior strolled past. Musou stood, turning to look at the man. "Do you like my face?"
The stranger looked to him oddly before reaching for his sword. "Impudent! I'll slay you!"
"Now that I have a fine face, I want a fine sword." he looked the warriors sword over. "Your sword looks pretty nice."
"Why…!" he slashes at Musou, cutting the hat in two.
Musou chuckled. "Yes, it's a fine sword, all right."
The warrior just stood there, horrified. "Just who are you?!"
Dispatching of the man, Musou took mounted his house, now wearing the warrior's clothes and his sword, laughing.
Musou rode up to a cliff, overlooking a quaint village. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he looked it over. Something in him throbbed at the sight Images of Edo flashed across his eyes, Keade's hut, the sacred tree and the cave where Kikyo hid Onigumo.
He was confused, more so then ever before. "What's this…Maybe I'll go to that village next." he mused. He thought back to his latest conquest and how unfulfilled he was.
***
Musou rode into a village, not there long before starting a fire and slaughtering the villagers viciously. He was laughing as he went.
***
He was sitting in the grass, examining the loot he plundered from the village. A length of silk runs through his fingers and he laughed, before sighing.
***
Now, he was lying on his side, playing with a bag of jewels listlessly.
***
Musou threw a pot onto a rock, shattering it on impact.
***
"It was never enough!" he looked to the loot on the back of the horse. "want more, more… What else…?" looking toward the village again, he shrugged and urged the horse forward, midway there, Inuyasha ran from the forest, colliding with the horse and throwing rider to the ground.
"W-what?!" Musou scrambled to his feet, eyes wide as he spun to face the hanyou.
"I've finally found you, bastard!" Inuyasha put his hand on Tetsusaiga, glaring at Musou. "Where's Naraku!"
"Naraku?" his head cocked to the side.
"Don't act stupid! You're another one of his offshoots! You reek with his smell!"
"You know about me? Well, tell me who I am."
"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled.
Kohaku appeared next to Inuyasha. "I think he's the one behind all the killings, not Naraku."
Inuyasha sniffed delicately. "One thing's certain… He has the same smell as Naraku."
Miroku ran up to the group. "Are you the one who killed the bandits and stole their faces?"
"Yeah, I was the one. But they were all so ugly, I couldn't use them..." he trailed off to touch his face. "But, this one is pretty nice, isn't it?"
Again the hanyou growled. "Did you steal that face, too?"
"Yes. I wanted a handsome face. And money, women… I wanted it all. And I stole them all. But it's not enough. There's something missing. Tell me…what is it I crave?" his fist balled, trying to figure everything out.
"Why, you…!" Inuyasha's fist balled.
Kohaku dropped back to the others, a worried look on his face. "He's not joking…He doesn't even know who he is… He's definitely unlike the others Naraku has borne."
A poison insect hovered high above them, none noticing but the well hid Kagome. From the break in the foliage, she could see the yellow, black and purple bug. Carefully and as quiet as she could, she slid her bow down and notched an arrow. Taking aim, she held it a moment before letting it fly and hitting her target. The insect burst into dust on contact. She would have no Naraku interuptting their battles this time if she had her say.
Musou snapped his head to where the shot came from, seeing Kagome and gasping. "That woman…" a flash of Kikyo tending to a hurt Onigumo came and shocked him. "What did I just feel?"
"Hey, your battle's over here!" Inuyasha growled, whipping out Tetsusaiga and attacking. Musou's right arm transformed into a brown whip, smacking into Inuyasha. He used his sword to block and Kouga took the chance to attack, swinging his leg around to kick Naraku's incarnation.
"What?" he spun to the wolf, throwing his whip toward him but Kouga dodged. Now, he looked to his arm in surprise. "You're pretty good!"
Kohaku threw his scythe, catching the demons arm and whipping it straight off. Musou just looked at his arm, it wasn't bleeding and he didn't seem to be in pain. "What's his body made of?! It's like clay or something." a buzzing sound was heard and everyone looked skyward. A drove of poison insects appeared.
"Naraku's Poison Insects!" Inuyasha called.
Kagome ran from the protection of the trees, firing arrow after arrow into the horde, purifying as much as she could. It seemed she couldn't do enough as some of the insects flew into the wound on Musou's arm, reconstructing it. 'Damn!'
With it back in place, Musou laughed gleefully and turned to the now exposed Kagome. "You woman!"
"Why you!" Kohaku threw his scythe again but he dodged.
"Damn it!" Miroku cursed their luck, right when the group decided to split up. He, Ginta and Hakkaku chased after the crazed man.
"I got it!" Musou stretched his whip toward Kagome, while running.
"Run!" Inuyasha screamed.
However Kagome didn't move. She wasn't stupid. He was coming entirely to quick for her to get away, maybe if she had the ability that Ipo had but she was a lonely miko. 'Shikon Miko.' she reminded herself then squinted her eyes. Right when the whip sprang from the grass, she threw up the barrier so it would collide. The limb turned insistently gray, shooting back toward Musou who had no problem with cutting his own arm off. It just grew back.
"I've been practicing." Kagome gritted her teeth, a death grip on her bow. She was about to do something entirely stupid and so very Ipo-like. Taking a deep breath, surpassingly, with Musou still running toward her, Kagome took toward him as well.
"KAGOME?!" everyone watched in shock and horror as she grew closer. It was like a car crash and you just couldn't look away.
'I can do this, Ipo and me been training for this…come on.' only when she was close enough and Musou reached out the grab her again, did the miko leap into the air, throwing her body into a turn. "Aaaahhh!" putting as much and power as she could into the bow, it was slammed it into the side of Musou's face. The space between them crackled, everythng still before he was thrown back, into the very woods the teen had used to hide in.