"Don't you touch her!" It is Inuyasha, rushing up from behind me and passing along my side with a hand on the hilt of his blade. He aims for the elderly man, unsheathes his sword but it doesn't transform.
As he approaches, the elder's neck grows longer and longer and what was once a perfectly normal human mouth springs out two spider-like teeth. His face is contoured to a much uglier, inhuman shape as the teeth twist open his mouth as Inuyasha heads to attack. The spider demon's eyes flicker from Inuyasha and I, and my heart beats quick when they fall solely on me.
I curse, turning on my heels and bolting for the corner of the temple to escape his gaze but as I do so, I notice a shadow twisting towards me before ultimately I see just his head and neck in front of me. He slams face first into my chest, sharp pinchers clasp around the bottle with the shards before it is torn from my neck. I tumble backwards, air flowing across my almost naked chest where small cuts bleed out a large amount of blood for their size.
"He has the shards!" I cry out once I land officially on my belly. The smell of blood tickles my nose, and up ahead I spot Inuyasha running around the corner. He takes one glance at me and grimaces – but it's not of disappointment…but something else, maybe worry.
"Get out of here." He mumbles, readjusting his blade in his hand he darts for the demon whose body is now following pursuit of its head. But as he once again, tries to attack, a hand snatches him by the throat. His blade drops down at my side cutting through the thin wood below.
The demon jets Inuyasha against the wall, cracking the wood he smashes into all while holding him a few feet off the ground. "How unfortunate that your superhuman powers had deserted you by the time I tied the final knot on my gauzy web of deceit." The demon snickers.
I shuffle back to my feet, my hands snatching Tetsaiga as if its natural in my hands. "You got this…" I whisper to myself. I throw the blade up to shift it better in my grip and once it lands comfortably in my palm, I aim like a torpedo.
"Unfortunate for you, 'cause I got someone who knows how to fight back." Inuyasha growls. The demon looks confused, and this is my chance.
I step on my opposite foot from my wielded blade and thrust the sword forward like a spear with all my strength, a groan leaves me as the blade rushes for my target and lands in the spider demon's left shoulder.
The demon hisses and then growls, dropping Inuyasha from his captivity.
I can't help but smile at my marksmanship. I've never been that great at gym but I also never dabbled in swords play or archery that my schools offered. Maybe I am a natural? But it doesn't stop the demon for long. His main concern isn't me, especially since now I am weaponless. He's still targeting Inuyasha.
Inuyasha lands but it doesn't stop the demon's hand from slamming Inuyasha through the wall and back inside the building. The spider follows, awkwardly walking on all four as his limbs seem to only get longer with every step. By the time I reach the hole in the wall, Inuyasha is up in the air mixed within a gigantic spider web and the spider demon sits in the middle. Tetsaiga has found its way on the ground again just below the spider demon and almost out of touch if I want to be sneaky.
Shippo and Nazuna have finally caught up to us, they reach my side and step back in fear, Shippo squeals like the little boy he is and Nazuna covers in mouth in utter disgust and fear.
"Finally, the tiresome charade as a human has ended." The demon smiles, "Now die!" He hisses. His head springs forward towards Inuyasha.
"Oh hell no!" I burst forward towards the spider demon, at my sides both my fists tingle and glow. My heart races in my chest, and I know – my power has returned to me – questioning as to why it left me will have to wait till later as I focus at the rushing head.
Bringing both palms up I aim for the demon's head and blast a beam powerful enough to throw me backwards. Everything goes back - a ringing echoes in my ears – I barely hear shouting behind it all. The smell of blood reaches my nose, but I can't pinpoint it.
The ringing slowly subsides and my vision slowly blurs instead of remaining dark, I see a red figure above me, lifting me up into a pair of arms that are both hard but gentle. "Come on Shippo, Nazuna, we have to hide for now. He's too powerful." Inuyasha growls. Never had I thought I'd hear him admit that someone was stronger than he. Maybe he does know his limits. Maybe it's the human side of him.
Next thing I know, my vision returns and we're in a small, humid space. It is the size of a closet and behind me the door has been bolted shut with numerous logs and two by fours. "Inuyasha?" I call out, half expecting him to still be out fighting. But instead, next to me I can feel shuffling. At my side he crawls to me, blood dripping from his chest from what looks like two massive bite marks. I must have missed…
"You got him," Inuyasha says, as if answering my thoughts. "But he got me first. He's out there healing himself like there is nothing to it."
So I didn't completely fail.
I sit up, my back aches but it is nothing to bad. I've had worse since I got here. "Are you badly injured?"
He nods, not wanting to admit it fully. And then, he falls.
"Inuyasha…" I mumble.
"Lord Inuyasha!" Myoga cries out, out of nowhere. "He's been poisoned by the spider demon!"
I crawl over to his head. Using the little strength, I have I flip him over onto his back using his shoulders and rest his head on my lap as I check his vital signs. He's freezing, cold to the touch – someone of this time period may mistake him for dead but I can feel a pulse. It's slow and long, but still beating.
"I can suck the poison from his blood!" Myoga cries out. He pierces his little mouth into Inuyasha neck and starts slurping away, ballooning outwards until he's about the size of Shippo. He rolls away pathetically. I glance around for any help. Water. Food. Medical herbs. Anything – not even my backpack is here. Tetsaiga is also plunged into the door, its sheathe lies beside us. Behind me Nazuna sits against the wall, huddled up and her eyes full of sorrow and disappointment. But she remains silent. Stubborn, like Inuyasha.
Shippo lies at the end of Inuyasha's feet. He looks exhausted and is trying to battle falling asleep.
"Master Inuyasha's survival will depend on his strength from this point." Myoga exclaims.
My fingers run along Inuyasha's forehead, sweat from his flesh quickly soaks my skin. He's drenched. Lifting my white shirt that has been stained with dirt, blood of demons and myself, and scoffed with colors I don't even know from where, and tear at the fabric until I have enough to wipe away the sweat from his forehead.
His eyes open slowly. They are more navy blue now than before. At least he's conscious.
"Did I wake you?"
"No…"
"I'm sorry." I mutter. He looks up at me with confusion filling out the corners of his face. So I continue. "For going ahead alone. When he was attacking you, I thought I was going to lose you. I thought you'd die."
"So…?" He rolls his head from me but he can't hide the softness to his tone. I think he honestly thinks, no one cares for him.
"Inuyasha," I sigh, "You're all I have. I have no family. No friends. No one to go to up until I met you and Shippo. You guys gave me a reason to fight…to live…to feel. I don't think you realize that I need you in my life now."
He rolls his head back towards me but now his eyes are closed and his face looks serene. "Thank you…" He barely whispers. His eyes open slowly; I can see the navy blues of his eyes. "You smell good."
A few hours of silence washed over the closet size room. I've almost fallen asleep a few times sitting up with Inuyasha on my lap. And then a rumbling that shakes the entire room occurs, waking up Nazuna, Shippo and Myoga from their slumber.
"What's happening?!" cries Shippo.
"The priest must be in pursuit again! Get the master out of here!" Myoga demands.
But there is no time. Tetsaiga plummets to the ground with another vibration that splits the roof of the closet. A massive blast shakes the temple again. An earth rumbling roar tears the room apart. I wrap my arms around Inuyasha's head to protect him from the sudden impact as debris flies across the room. Another rumble, another roar, the room is no longer a room but an empty space outside with debris scattered everywhere.
A long outstretched hand snatches Shippo from above and throws him into the air. The little fox comes tumbling down while screaming bloody murder. I quickly place Inuyasha down and catch Shippo like a football.
Ahead of me Nazuna possess the not transformed Tetsaiga and wields it at the spider demons who shape has changed. It now has eight legs, its skin a coal black, yellow eyes and no longer a face that resembles anything of a human. This isn't good.
"Hey you!" She shouts at the beast, that casts a shadow over us at how massive he is now, "How dare you possess my master's body!"
"There never was a priest here. It was all a trap to lure the half demon and his jewels to me." He howls.
"You, you slaughtered my parents and the other villagers!" She screams.
He laughs once again, "You served me well, gullible fool."
She starts for the beast but is easily swapped away, Tetsaiga goes flying behind us, and she is picked up by one of the many eight legs.
"Your fears of spider heads are now over. Once I've consumed you, you will become part of me."
"You're pretty determined for a human, that is!" I glance behind us to see Inuyasha with Tetsaiga in hand. He's not as pale or sweaty like before but instead a wide grin stretches across his face and a determined look flashes in his eyes. He stands still, smile still across his face as the demon snatches him up with four of his long arms and lifts him off the ground.
"Look, the sun is rising!" Shippo points to our left. We both glance between the sun and then Inuyasha, knowing now why he was smiling before. His human time is up and the demon doesn't know this.
"You're a fine human specimen."
"Don't be so sure about that." Inuyasha replies.
Before our eyes his human form transfers into the half demon we know so well. His hair drips from the black to the silver, his navy blue eyes glow red before settling amber once again. His wounds can be seen healing before us. A pair of dog ears twitch upon his head.
"You're transforming. But I shall devour you beforehand!" Hisses the demon.
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an arrogant spider that doesn't know when to keep its hands off!" With one fowl swoop of Tetsaiga it transforms and slices apart four of the demon's legs. Limbs come raining down on us but Shippo and I have been through this before, we remain unmoved and bothered by the stench of demon blood and death.
"Oh, the sword has regained its power."
And just like that, Inuyasha throws a swing and the blades powerful thrust send a blast across the demon shattering his body and the building below into pieces. The demon is no more. As I expected. A voice starts to call for me, "over here, over here." It sings. I know this voice. It is silent to everyone else but me. Gently I put Shippo down on the ground and I follow the voice to a single jewel. Much larger than the ones we were carrying before. They must have united inside the spider demon when he swallowed them all.
"They fused together in the demon's body." Shippo points to the now quarter of the Shikon Jewel.
"That's not very much…" I mumble, taking the jewel into my hand.
"It is impressive to me." Shippo smiles.
Inuyasha, Shippo and I all sit in our boat from before, docked against the shore where Nazuna stands. She was kind enough after all the trauma she went through to walk us to the shore but she refused to come with us when Shippo offered. I knew Inuyasha wouldn't have it and honestly, I didn't want a girl who was untrained to assist us in our journey. She may die. Hell, I may die.
"Take care of yourself." Shippo waves with a bright smile.
She begins to turn but before completely giving us her back, she looks back to Inuyasha who barely glances at her. "Oh, and Inuyasha, I appreciate your help. I'll try to remember that some demons aren't all bad. Not many, but some." There is a sternness about her as she talks. She's still stubborn about the thought but at least she's considering it.
"Don't kid yourself, Nazuna. All demons are bad. It's that simple." He replies, turning his back to her.
With a kick we take off, with her in the background ready to start anew village with the little survivors left.
"I'll remember you, Inuyasha. You'll always be in my prayers!"
"Looks like you have an admirer," I smile up at Inuyasha who simply waves.
"Whatever."