*** Here is chapter eight of this story. I really honestly do appreciate your reviews!! And to all my loyal fans – thank you thank you thank you!!! I love hearing from you guys and it means a lot to me that you care enough and like this story enough to review it!!! So, keep it up! I hope you guys like this chapter! Please let me know!***
The Horrid Cries of the Nothing Woman
Chapter Eight
The Athema surrounded them . . . Inu-Yasha could feel it brewing. It's hatred. It's hunger . . .
The hanyou tensed, reaching for the Tetsusiaga, drawing it out with an explosion of light and demonic power. And yet he only faced the darkness, Sheya crept behind him, holding a trembling hand over her face to shield herself from the heat of the blade . . . from the monster that lurked in a mist upon the edge of the forest in the encroaching darkness . . .
The darkness . . . Inu-Yasha's thoughts howled in his head.
NO! Not the moonless night!
The sword began to grow heavy in his hands, the hanyou felt his energy ebb away from him as the sun began to fade . . . but he tried to hold onto it.
Tried . . .
A rolling laughter echoed about them, consumed the air like the hissing wind itself through the canopy leaves and into the night . . .
Inu-Yasha fell to his knees, the sword shimmered and faded into its antique form just before their frightened eyes, his hair slicked black in a wave of sickening light. "Damn it!" he growled. "Damn it all!"
The Athema collected just upon the border of the darkness, visible in a cloud . . .
A horrid silvery cloud highlighted in the moonless night . . .
Full of confidence, facing a human Inu-Yasha who would prove no threat to it . . .
"PATHETIC." A nothing voice drooled. "FOOL."
The woman shuddered in fear, her frantic eyes passed from the familiar terror and a transformed hanyou, she gripped the sleeve of his kimono as she jumped to her feet. "A . . . are you okay, demon?"
Inu-Yasha refused to answer, he narrowed his eyes and watched the Athema approach, ever so slowly, so rhythmically . . . so terribly . . .
There had to be something he could do . . . but there wasn't any . . .
He was afraid . . . no . . . he couldn't be afraid . . .
The muscles in his body refused to move . . . Sheya tugged at his sleeve. "HEY! Come on! Don't look into it! That's what it wants!"
But he couldn't help it. One the one hand, it was so incredibly beautiful . . . but on the other, he had to think of a way to stop it . . .
"No, demon! Move! Don't look into it!" Sheya continued to shout, nearly pulling Inu-Yasha from his feet to gain his attention.
He shook his head, stunned, his black hair shimmering, his plain eyes blinking back to his senses . . .
Damn it . . .
The mist rushed like a living beast. . . boiling in like storm clouds against the shore of the sea, knocking both Inu-Yasha and Sheya to the ground as it forced its way through the opening of the hut. Inu-Yasha tried to grab for it as it passed, but his hand only slipped through air . . .
"KAGOME!" he shouted in pain, fearing for her, struggling to his feet.
But Sango was in there too!
She could provide some protection.
Something hard hit the wood floor of the hut . . . the foundation shook . . .
Inu-Yasha heard the boomerang clatter harmlessly against a wall broadside . . .
Something squeaked in pain . . .
His body trembling from weakness . . . his heart fluttering in fear . . . "KAGOME!!!"
There was a loud bang from within the hut as the devolved hanyou reached the door, only to have Shippou land square into his chest, knocking him back to the ground in a heap. Blood seeped from a fresh wound upon the unconscious little demons head . . . only fueling the anger with Inu-Yasha . . .
A shrill shriek of fear came from within Kaede's hut . . .
Splintered wood scattered about the ground around them, Inu-Yasha shielded the pup and woman with his kimono sleeve as he grabbed a good sized piece in his hands and sprinted towards the door. With a resounding roar of anger he burst into the hut wielding his weapon . . .
But he stopped . . . his heart skipped a terrified beat . . .
He choked . . .
Kagome was suspended in the air, wrapped in the transparent cloud of evil . . .
Helpless . . .
Unconscious . . .
Pale and dead looking . . .
Inu-Yasha paused for a split moment . . . hesitated as he tried to grasp what was happening . . .
Kagome was being kidnapped!
He swung the arm length board of shattered wood in hopes of the monster releasing its prey, but it only wisped through the air in contact with the mist . . . right through it . . . Inu-Yasha lost his balance upon it striking the floor with a horrible, hollow sound and tumbled to the ground . . .
The mist brightened like a sun . . . imploding in brilliance . . .
Inu-Yasha shielded his eyes from the blast . . .
The same wintry laugh resounded through the hut . . .
Content . . .
Happy . . .
Then it was dark . . .
Kagome was gone . . .
And so was the Athema . . .
Inu-Yasha pushed himself onto trembling feet and stumbled outside in a daze, leaning up against the doorframe . . . staring into the night . . . muttering the name of his love . . .
Miroku rushed to the hut out of breath, his staff swinging wildly as he ran. "Inu-Yasha!" he shouted upon seeing him . . . and his human form. "NO! Where's Kagome?"
Falling to the ground, Inu-Yasha forced himself to keep from crying. He was so weak in his human form . . . so weak . . . so fragile . . .
And he couldn't do anything to help Kagome . . .
"Sango?" Miroku questioned in worry, dropping his staff and rushing inside to the heap that rested in the corner . . .
Bleeding . . .
Half dead . . .
The Monk held her head tenderly in his hands. "Sango?"
But she did not respond . . .
Inu-Yasha fell onto the ground in exhaustion . . . tears finally finding their way to his heart . . .
"Kagome . . ." he muttered desperately to himself. "Kagome . . . I'm sorry . . ."