Alrighty, here is the next chapter of the story – tee hee, I hope you all like it.  Please read and review!!

Whispers of that Nameless Fear

Chapter Four

     "So, Inu-Yasha and Kagome are somewhere in that forest, injured and in need of our help?" Miroku questioned what he already knew to be the horrible truth, sipping a small cup of tea, deep in thought.  "You said you saw the demon?"

     "Yes," Sango began slowly as Kaede bandaged her wounds.  "He was a dragon demon, I could sense it . . . he has powers . . . greater than," she flinched in pain.  "Greater than I've ever felt before.  My . . . my father has told me of Oni thousands of years ago but . . . but I've never thought of . . . of them to . . . exist still."

     "That one there goes by the name of Enzuno.  He is the last of his kind." The Priestess Kaede spoke softly, reaching down to her side to slather more ointment and herbs over the demon exterminators bandaged wounds.  "His kind has long been struggling for existence thanks to the powerful Miko's of the past.  Their very existence owed to the demons who's souls they've extracted, feeding their greedy bellies with those Life Forces and Souls and the bodies of humans of whom they caught in their webs."

     "So, Enzuno is a real soul stealer, huh?" Miroku nodded. 

     "Kind of like Kikyou?" Sango questioned.

     "No, she steals only the souls of young women to stay alive . . . so to speak." The Monk began to explain tenderly.  "this demon feeds off of souls . . . it's a hunger."

     "Aye, he is called a Blathera Oni . . ." the elder continued slowly, finishing Sango's bandaging and letting her move to a more comfortable spot before fetching a bowl of fresh stew for her.  "He is a dangerous one, ye might want to watch yourselves with that beast lurking about."

     "Is there . . . any way to . . . stop it?"  Sango wondered, looking to Kaede with worry.

     It was a long time before the Priestess answered.  Her voice was solemn and sad.  "If Inu-Yasha is already injured then I am afraid hope is very limited.  A demon such as Enzuno is a very powerful one indeed . . . and if a demon such as he could attain a jewel shard than even an Inu-Yasha in full demon strength could not cope with a beast such as he alone . . . if he is even still alive . . ."

     Sango shuddered, that did not sound very comforting.  She and Miroku exchanged frightened glances and then turned back to Kaede.

     "I do sense Naraku behind this demon attack." The elder continued with a tired sigh.   

     "Yes, that ominous dark presence I felt over the village from even so far away." Miroku added slowly.  "He probably planned this attack for a long time."

     "No wonder I haven't s . . . seen M . . . Myoga for a . . . for a while." Sango mumbled in realization with a halfhearted chuckle, not really surprised at all.

     Miroku frowned, his eyes closed peacefully as he gently set his cup of warmth on the floor of where he sat cross legged and sighed.  "Then we have no choice."

     Kaede did not have to ask what the Monk meant, she only looked back to the fire she poked.  "Enzuno will think nothing of taking a human into its clutches, Miroku."

     He grabbed his staff and stood up.  "Inu-Yasha and Lady Kagome are out there and in danger.  It is my duty to help them."

     "I'm . . . I'm going t . . . too." Sango gasped, struggling to get to her feet as she attempted to pretend she was no longer injured.

     Miroku stepped close to her and put a sweet hand on her arm (no perversion included).  "No, Sango, you must stay here.  You are injured and . . ."

     She brushed him off.  "Miroku, you have not seen . . . seen En . . . Enzuno . . . you don't know what you're up . . . against."

     "But I can't see you in pain like this, Sango.  You are hurt and you must stay here and heal."

     "You don't even know where . . . where they went off to."

     She has a point, the Monk thought carefully to himself, taking her by the hand and helping her to her feet.  "Alright, but I am only letting you go as far as I allow.  As soon as I sense danger I will send you back to the village."

     Kilala mewed next to her as if acknowledging what Miroku had said, letting Sango realize that it would be she that led her back to safety.  Sango frowned.  "Alright, let us just . . . leave . . . before it's too . . . late . . ."

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     Inu-Yasha awakes in the darkness of the midnight, struggling to remain awake.  The hanyou tried in vain to figure out where he was, what had happened to them and if that monster was still lurking about.  Quickly he discovered that he had laid across Kagome who still remained unconscious . . . hopefully that's all it was. 

     "K . . . Kagome?" he questioned, rolling over to look at her silent features.  Her face was ashen white with a hint of death, cold and dry to the touch.  Inu-Yasha felt himself gasp for air as he stroked her normally blushed cheeks with his gentle claws, her lips were blue with a hint of purple.  "K . . . Kagome, no."

     He leaned over her, putting his ear close to her dark lips as he tried to listen for any hit on life.  Barely did a breath exit her sweet lips, never had he felt so afraid for her life as he reached down to look at her wound, blood stained the ground in which they lay. 

     "Kagome . . ." he gasped, using whatever energy he had saved in his sleep and grasped the young girl around the shoulders to pull her close to him.  He forced himself to sit up against a thick tree trunk, holding her close to him as he tried to keep her warm with his body.  Even though he too was injured and weak, he was still stronger than her.  His body could take a lot more than hers.  He rubbed her arms, hoping the friction from his hands would warm her, perhaps even spark some life back into her.  "Kagome . . . please don't leave me."

     The eyes that he had grown to love over the time they spent together fluttered open, barely focused on anything but the darkness before her as she returned to consciousness.  The hanyou's heart leaped in his throat with joy as he saw her move, felt her body begin to throb with life once more.  She turned blinked hard and frantically began to glance at her surroundings, pushing him away in fear as the memories of earlier forced their way back into her mind and she flopped onto the ground in pain, hiding her face.

     "Kagome . . ." Inu-Yasha began slowly, holding out a trembling hand to her.  "Kagome, it's me.  Inu-yasha.  Please, it's alright . . ."

     She twitched and looked up to him.  The fear in her wide eyes glistened to the very edges as she came to recognize Inu-Yasha's friendly face, tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to shiver.  Blood began to flow from her reopened wound once more as Inu-Yasha rushed back to her side.  "Inu-Yasha . . . I'm sor . . . sorry."

     "Shut up!" he growled kindly, trying once again to get to his feet and managed to say up.  "I feel stronger now, come on.  We're going back to the village."

     As the hanyou reached down to pick the girl up she froze and stared blankly into the woods.  "I sense a jewel shard."

     Inu-Yasha followed her gaze, he felt his hands begin to tremble with their weakness.  This was not a good time for a fight!  "What?"

     "One . . . maybe two . . ." she gasped, completely unsure of herself.  "Coming fast!"

     He grabs her hand and tries to pull her to her feat only to feel a wave of dizziness come over him, sending him back to his knees.  The trees around him shook but it was all a big blur to him as the hanyou's head swum.  The scent of Enzuno drifted to his knowledge for a flicker of a second, faded, and then returned again as the beast stood tall before them.  Strong.  Confident.  And much, much bigger than before.

     "He . . . he has a jewel shard." Kagome gasped, trying to crawl backwards with Inu-Yasha with her, but he stumbled forward blindly.

     "Whatever!  I can . . . I can still take him!"

     "Weakling!" the demon snarled.  "And a liar that human is.  I do not have one jewel shard." He smiled.  "Naraku has blessed me with the power of two."

     "You won't . . ."

     "Such talk from a beast who has barely enough streeeength to staaaand." Enzuno shuddered with joy, the power rushed through his veins.  "I have come to finish what I have started!"