Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.
Author's Note: Okay, here's Chapter 3! Please, please, please with a cherry on top review! Let me know if there's anything I spelled wrong or something…
The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…
Chapter 3
Kagome tiptoed through the forest, hoping not to alert his excellent demon senses while scanning the high tree branches for signs of Inuyasha. "He left the village less than an hour ago. Couldn't have gone very far, no matter how fast he can run. I'm bound to find him if I keep looking around in this area," she thought to herself, "though I'm not sure exactly where he could have gone." She shivered. The silence of the usually lively wood animals was beginning to unnerve Kagome. Despite the fact that she was a brave girl, and usually unlikely to be scared by trivial things, Kagome had learned through experience to be wary of what her inner instinct warned her of. There were many dangerous creatures in the forest, all of which could probably sense her collection of Shikon shards from a mile away. And without Inuyasha to protect her, or her bow and arrows, which had been thoughtlessly left at the village, she didn't stand a chance against any wild animals or wicked youkai that were bound to attack her. And Kagome had a bad, foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach, a nagging sense of alarm that continued to grow stronger with every step.
The hair on the back of her neck rose, and her spine tingled as she crept deeper into the forest. Kagome sensed a strong Youkai aura nearby, but she was afraid to call attention to herself by yelling to Inuyasha for help. Suddenly, from above her head, with a rustle of leaves and a loud roar, leapt an enormous dark shadow that moved too fast to allow her to discern what it was. It pounced heavily on Kagome with the agility of a graceful cat, then immediately sprang back off the ground as if it were a trampoline. Kagome, on the other hand, was not so quick. She tried to get up as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough, because of the pain her crushed foot was in from the impact of the creature's landing. While she cursed herself inwardly for neglecting to carry any weapon, Kagome got up and stood in a defense position, praying to the gods that Inuyasha was somewhere nearby. The youkai landed on the ground with a thump and grinned at her wickedly, all the while flexing its sharp claws in front of it. The young miko gasped in surprise and fear. It was a cat demon!
She, for it was a female Neko that crouched on four tense legs before Kagome, had pointed feline ears on the top of her furry head, whiskers that twitched and swiveled on the side of her cheeks, and distinct, tabby-like markings all over her brown, furry body. However cat-like the youkai looked, however, she had a vaguely humanoid appearance due to her long, slender body and human face. Kagome stepped back, hoping to retreat before the Neko decided to demand for her Shikon shards. Unfortunately, she was too late.
"Well, well, if it isn't a little human girl, and a miko with pieces of the Shikon no Tama at that," the woman's smooth, silky voice purred in amusement. "I shall have to have some fun with this; I haven't been able to enjoy hunting down my prey in such a long time." Kagome grimaced at the demon's cold emphasis on the word 'prey,' then lost her fear and shouted at the cat-youkai defiantly, "Who are you and what do you want? I'm warning you, stay away from me, I can't seriously hurt you if I feel like it!" She thought to herself with sarcasm, "Well, I wonder how I learned to lie so easily. That is so untrue and she probably knows it. Even if I do have miko power inside me, I don't know how to use and can't control it. I couldn't hurt that thing in a thousand years, no matter how much I wanted to or how hard I tried." She stepped back another step, but the woman just took another step forward, so that the two remained only a couple feet apart.
"Humans know me by the name of Taiyo, and I am famous throughout these lands for terrorizing villages and slaughtering hundreds without mercy. You would be wise, mortal, to fall to your knees and grovel for forgiveness for your futile threat to hurt me. I may find your act entertaining and decide to spare your measly little life for a while and keep you as a clown to amuse me," Taiyo finished with a cruel, heartless grin and a quick flash of her snow-white teeth.
Kagome's temper flared at Taiyo's insult and she shook her fist at her, no longer afraid but annoyed. "How dare you treat me as if I were a lowly slave! I may be human, but you have no right to make me bow down to you. In fact, I dare you to try to make me do anything for you!" she shouted, enraged.
"So, the dear little girl has some guts and a temper to match." Taiyo narrowed her eyes menacingly, and continued in a low, ominous growl, "We'll see how brave you are after I make you scream in pain when I tear your eyes out. As a matter of fact, let's see how long you can endure without crying out loud or fainting. How about it, dearest?"
Kagome felt her anger ebb away like the ocean tide, as quickly as it had come. She was scared now, and asked in a trembling voice, "Wh-what do you mean?" She took another step backwards, only to be closely followed, again, by Taiko.
The Neko chuckled in a way that could only mean evil, "Ku, ku, ku. What, dear, are you so thickheaded that you fail to comprehend the concept? Torture, girl. I'm talking about torture. Need I make it any clearer? The first thing you lose will be your feet below the ankles, then your hands at your wrists. Next, your nose. The next thing you lose will be your left eye, followed by your right!" She laughed insanely, showing her sharp glinting fangs and long, knifelike claws.
Kagome was frightened beyond her wits. Never before had she met a demon that had threatened to torture her so- torturously, before. She was unable to move, incapable of speech. In her mind, she screamed frantically, "Inuyasha!!! Help me!!!!!"