Caroline: thanks 2 the ONE person who reviewd on the last chaptr... ur all so loyal nowadays... really.


Chapter 54: Imposter

"You think it could've taken em any longer?" Inuyasha asked, walking into Kaede's hut. "Kagome do you know how slow these guys a-" he stopped, noticing no one there. "Ka...gome?"

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, catching up to him. He realized. "Where are they?"

"Smart one you are," he said, hitting him in the head. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be standing here."

"Hey what are we all doing standing around here?"

Inuyasha & Miroku turned around to see Sango, Kohaku, Shippo, Kirara, Kagome, & Jordan & Roy catching up.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said. "I thought you were hurt."

"Where's Ed & Caroline?" Miroku asked.

"Right here," Ed yelled, waving from a short distance away. "What's goin on?"

"Where's that girl?" Inuyasha said, his voice rising.

"Caroline?" Ed asked, giving a worried little smile. "She's inside. I told her to wait for me."

"Guess who's not waiting," Inuyasha muttered.

"Inuyasha, osuwari," Kagome ordered.

Ed fell to the ground angrily, & punched the ground.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "I told her to wait... she said she would!"

"Why don't all of you look closer?"

All looked to the front where Roy was standing, his hands clenched & shaking.

"Look at the floor where she was. Look at the marks left in the wood."

The group crowded around to look. Sure enough, once they looked, they saw five of what looked like nail marks in the wood, making it look as if one had struggled to get away.

"It looks like... maybe she was kidnapped," Kagome said worriedly, speaking up for the rest of the group.

"Damn it," Ed muttered. "I'm going to kill this bastard... Naraku."

---

Caroline fought against the cloth around her mouth. The ropes around her arms & legs were really starting to cut into her flesh. She tried to wriggle out of her kidnapper's arm, but his hold on her just kept getting stronger & stronger. For such a skinny person, he sure was strong... & fast.

Caroline turned her head, noticing a cliff with a very large gap. An unwanted whimper made it's way through the gag.

"Don't worry," the man said.

Caroline dug her face into his shoulders, & closed her eyes tightly, hoping that just for these few seconds he would not let her go.

She finally remembered how to open her eyes again when she was set onto the ground. They didn't even jump. The man knelt down. Caroline's anger was all in her eyes, but there was a look of fear to them as well, for he noticed it as she managed to scoot backwards. He laughed.

"Don't worry, pipsqueak," he said, something about his voice giving her the creeps. "I'm not going to hurt you...now. My name's Envy." He reached towards her face, & the look of fear & defiance grew in her eyes as his hands got nearer. He began to reach around to untie the cloth. "Funny... I don't even have a reason to hurt you, & yet you consider me your enemy."

"Bastard," Caroline said coldly, as the cloth fell. "You kidnapped me. How are you not my enemy?"

"It was my orders I kidnap you," Envy said.

"By who?" Caroline spat. "Naraku?"

"My, my, we are smart," Envy said mockingly. "No wonder we passed the State Alchemist exam."

Caroline looked to the left, focusing her angry, guilty eyes to the ground.

"I'm going to kill him, if it's the last thing I do. If you work for him... you are my enemy. I won't kill you... unless I have to."

Envy groaned.

"You're too much like your brother."

"Got a problem with that?" Caroline retorted.

"You're the daughter of that bastard," he said coldly. "That's enough of a problem I have with any of you Elrics."

"Yeah well... I don't like him that much either..." she said.

"You committed Human Transmutation for him, didn't you?" Envy asked.

"Why do you hate us? Feeling jealous, Envy?" Caroline asked, smirking.

"Why you-"

"Stop trying to cause a scene, Envy."

Caroline watched as a beautiful woman stepped out of the trees, a rather large man following behind her, then of course, came the most familiar site to see.

"Hey, Forsaken one," Abandonment said, causing Caroline to twitch at the very sound of her voice.

"What do you all want with me?"

"Can I eat her, Lust?" the man asked, staring at Caroline as if she were a sirloin steak.

"Not now, Gluttony," Lust said, looking at her nails. "Naraku can decide that for you."

"I'm not going back to him!" Caroline yelled. "You can't make me!"

"Contrary to your claim, we can," Abandonment said, pulling at Caroline's bangs. "If your friends don't come soon enoug-"

"Leave her alone!"

All five of them looked up to see Ed running towards them, sword at the ready. He lunged at Abandonment, the homunculus dodging, only earning a gash at the cheek.

"So the Fullmetal Pipsqueak's here to fight, eh?" Envy asked, smirking.

"She's had enough trouble with the bunch of you," he said, skidding to a stop. "Why do you just keep making it worse?"

Ed clapped his hands, & several spikes came up out of the ground. One cut the ropes binding Caroline's arms, & the others struck where the homunculi had been standing.

"Thanks, Ed," Caroline said, smirking.

She jumped up, & of course, not thinking before acting...

"Gah!" she yelled, before she fell flat to her face on the ground.

"You idiot!" Jordan yelled.

Caroline looked up, hearing a familiar voice, & closed her eyes tightly as a snap was heard. A flare rushed past her feet, burning off the ropes.

Caroline got up, rubbing the back of her head nervously. She saw the others rush out of the forest, ready to fight.

While they took on the homunculi, Caroline looked around for Kagome.

"Kagome!" she yelled, running up to her.

"Uh... yeah, what is it?" she asked, looking taken aback as Caroline leaned up & began to whisper something.

---

Caroline pulled away from Kagome, looking down at the ground timidly.

"So... you have it?" Kagome asked.

She nodded.

"I... only managed to grab half of it though..." Caroline said. "That's the strongest grip I could get on it. I... haven't told anyone yet."

They stopped talking as they noticed poisonous wasps surround the area. They began to fly in Caroline's direction.

"Run!" Kagome yelled, grabbing the girl's hand & taking off.

"No way!" Caroline yelled, tearing loose. "Gimme your arrows!"

Kagome looked surprised.

"I said gimme your arrows," she ordered. "You run..." she said more softly now. "You're not safe here."

Kagome looked hesitant, but agreed. Caroline seemed confident in herself, & with the look of determination in her eyes, Kagome finally agreed.

She handed Caroline the bow & arrows, & took off into the forest.

---

Abandonment gazed to the right, keeping her focus on Edward's mind. At the moment, it looked as if the torture on his mind was working well enough. She smiled as she watched Kagome hand Caroline the arrows, & take off running into the forest.

'That must be the one Naraku wants... the jewel-finder...' She laughed inwardly as she watched Envy slip away unnoticed from the fight & into the forest. '& I do hope our dearest Forsaken one knows that those wasps were fed by red water.'

---

Kagome flopped down under a tree, trying to catch her breath. She had run as fast & as hard as she could.

"I hope Inuyasha & the others are okay..." she spoke aloud.

"Kagome!"

She shot up.

"Inuyasha?"

Sure enough, the half demon stood in front of her without a single scratch on him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "What about you?"

"Never better..." he said. "Now come on, let's go. They're waiting on us."

Kagome blushed slightly as Inuyasha held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. She slowly put her hand in his, but then noticed something.

"Wait a minute..." her eyes widened. "You're not Inuyasha. Where are your prayer beads?"

His hand grabbed tighter onto hers as he gave a toothy smirk.

"Clumsy me..." he said.

---

"Die wench!" Inuyasha yelled. "Kaze no kizu!"

Lust writhed on the ground for a minute before she got back up.

"Wh... what are you?" Inuyasha asked, for he himself was horrified.

---

Caroline let another arrow fly, hitting a wasp right on target.

"It's a good thing I'm good at archery..." Caroline said, pulling back on the string, just before she felt a horrid pain in her right shoulder.

---

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha turned around as the fight was coming to an end with all.

"Kagome?" he asked aloud.

Suddenly with an amazing speed, Envy shot out of the forest, Kagome in his arms.

"Kagome!" he yelled.

"Inuyasha! Help!" she reached back for him.

Inuyasha ran, but stopped as he saw the boy leap across the cliff with Kagome as if it were nothing.

Abandonment, Lust, & Gluttony followed. Ed was finally able to get up, & watched as Inuyasha ran to follow after them, but stood there for a minute, horrified, then shot back.

"What the-"

"It's a barrier," Abandonment said from the other side. "Try to break through it & your worst fears & memories come to you. If you stand there too long," she smirked. "It will literally kill you."

With that, she gave a little wave, & took off after the homunculi into the other forest.

Inuyasha fell to his knees, clenching the grass in anger.

"Damn it..." he muttered. "Kagome..."

Just then, a scream was heard.

To be continued...


Caroline: oooh... maybe I should start posting just ONE chapter & leave the cliff hanger there... that would b nice wouldnt it? mwahahaha!