Chapter 3: Naraku's Threat

"Stand back!" shouted Miroku unwrapping his prayer beads and holding out his arm with the palm of his hand exposed, trying to suck in the demon puppet.

They had another encounter with Naraku and he sent out another one of his puppets for them to fight. Naraku was defiantly up to something. They all suspected it.

Inuyasha had sensed his presence in the forest and headed with the others to him. Naraku appeared out of nowhere and gave a threatening warning to Inuyasha saying that his end would soon be coming. He threatened the lives of the others as well. He told them that he had found a way to eliminate him and obtain all the remaining jewel shards but he didn't say how which left them all thinking. Naraku disappeared into the thick brush and left them with his puppet.

The puppet was dressed in Naraku's baboon cape and had sprouted many long tentacles that looked like tree roots. It was gigantic and attacked immediately at the sight of them.

Miroku was trying to suck it in his wind tunnel but it didn't budge.

"What? It's not working!" shouted Mirkou in amazement.

"It's no use Miroku, leave it to me!" shouted Inuyasha jumping at the puppet and swooping down with the tesusaiga.

He came down hard, slicing off a couple of its tentacles and landing back on the ground only to turn around and see that it had sprouted more.

"What?! Damn it!" exclaimed Inuyasha looking up at it.

"Kirara!" called Sango preparing her oversized boomerang.

Sango hopped on Kirara's back and charged at the puppet. Sango flung her weapon at its head. The puppet blocked with its root and flung it back at her. Kirara dodged and charged at it again. The puppet's tentacle sprouted thorns and whacked them in the side and sent them plummeting to the ground.

"Sango! Kirara!" cried Kagome rushing over to them and kneeling by their side. They were both knocked unconscious from the powerful blow and Kirara had changed back into her tiny kitten form. The thorns had put cuts all over Sango's side and had torn her demon exterminating outfit, blood leaked from every cut. Kirara had cuts on her side too, her fur was stained with blood.

"Are they okay Kagome?" asked Shippo anxiously standing beside her.

"They're both unconscious and it looks like the thorns got them good," she replied petting Kirara and holding up Sango's head, "I think there is poison in those thorns. We have to treat them and fast."

"But we can't go back to the hut now," said Shippo, "Inuyasha and Miroku need your help, and the hut is so far away."

"It's not that far away. Inuyasha and Miroku can handle the puppet for now, I have to treat their wounds and stop the poison from spreading."

Kagome laid Sango's head gently on the ground and got to her feet, "Shippo, you stay here and look out for them and tell Inuyasha to watch out for the thorns, I'll be back."

"Okay," said Shippo leaning by their sides.

Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows and ran through the forest in the direction of the hut.

"Stay safe you guys," she thought to herself, running as fast as her feet could take her.

* * * * *

"Naraku should'a known better than to send out one of his puny demon puppets to do his dirty work," said Inuyasha leaping back into the air for another attack, "Hasn't he figured out yet that they're no match for me?"

Inuyasha slashed his sword at its head and cut it off. It tumbled to the ground and rolled a few feet away.

"Ha!"

"Inuyasha! Look!" cried Miroku pointing at the hole where its head used to be. The hole was puffing up and another head popped out.

"What?! No way!"

"Inuyasha, watch out for the thorns! They've got poison in them!" yelled Shippo looking on.

"Poison huh?" said Inuyasha attacking with the tetsusaiga again, "Great."

"There's no end," said Miroku as he hit the demon with his staff, "Every time we cut off one of its body parts, it seems to sprout more! We need Kagome! Her sacred arrow will kill it for sure!"

"Hey, where is Kagome?" asked Inuyasha searching around as he dodged attacks and slashed at it.

"Inuyasha, Kagome went back to the hut to get medicine for Sango and Kirara!" answered Shippo.

"*Ugh* She went alone?" he asked landing on the ground.

"Kagome you better be alright," he thought.

* * * * *

"Where is it?" Kagome asked out loud searching around the room, "Its gotta be around here somewhere!"

Kagome looked all around the hut for the medicine but she couldn't find it anywhere. She was frustrated and angry at herself for not being able to find it when her friends were in dyer need of it. She was pushing time and had to hurry or Sango and Kirara were done for.

"Found it!" she said reaching under her sleeping bag and retrieving it, "Finally, now I've got to hurry back!"

Kagome, with bow and medicine in hand and arrows on her back, ran back to the battle scene.