CHAPTER FIVE

*

Even in the dim light, as a human, Inuyasha was unnerving-looking. He landed in a crouch near Kagome, holding the un-transformed Tetsusaiga in front of him. The sight of him made Kagome's blood run cold; he had no idea who he was up against, or why. And without the Tetsusaiga, he was way outmatched by the snake demon.

"Inuyasha, don't!" Kagome cried, clutching at his leg. "This was all just a trap -- he's got a g-"

"So you're the one that kidnapped Kagome," Inuyasha snapped, ignoring her. He took a step toward the snake demon.

The snake shifted backwards, its eyes gleaming. A ripple seemed to pass under the heavy robe. "So, the whelp has shown himself," it hissed. "I was beginning to fear that your dulled senses would render you unable to find me. If you had, I would have had to console myself with your lovely companion..."

"It wasn't that hard," Inuyasha said, smirking. "Even a human could follow your stink." He glanced over at Kagome. "Did he hurt you, Kagome?"

Before Kagome could answer, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. The livid fang marks on her throat stood out even in the starlight. Kagome quickly covered the little wounds. "Inuyasha, wait. You can't-"

"You BASTARD," Inuyasha snarled, wheeling around to face the snake demon.

The snake just smiled, stretching its scaled face into a grotesque mask. Its forked tongue flicked out. Kagome felt sick just watching it. The weird rippling continued under the robe, as if the body underneath were changing shape. Strange bulges began to appear near the hem; a shining coil appeared behind the snake, like a tail.

"If you makes you feel better, boy, my venom has already worn off that delectable human girl." The snake licked the air, and began wheezing again. "Not that it matters. You cannot so much as scratch me tonight. What does human weakness feel like? As a full-blooded demon, I really don't know. Perhaps I should ask the human girl."

Inuyasha was growling softly; it sounded even freakier coming from a human's throat. Kagome swallowed hard. He was ready to fight the snake if it came at him, but for the moment he was standing his ground. "I don't know who the hell you are," he said tightly, "or why you attacked Kagome, but I plan to do to you what I do to every snake that bothered me."

An angry spitting sound came from the snake's mouth. The red eyes glowed, and it stretched out its fanged hands. Kagome did a double-take -- were they melting? "Including my father, half-breed?"

What is that fangy worn talkin' about? Inuyasha thought, irritated. Then he remembered. "What, that snake demon I killed about fifty five years back? That rotten little sidewinder tried to take my head off."

"And I have come to finish his work, putrid half-breed," the snake demon hissed. He seemed to be growing taller, stretching his long neck and pulling his misshapen arms into his sleeves.

"He can't have been much, if a kid like I was could take him down so quick," Inuyasha said, smirking. "Why don't you just slither off and don't bug me again?"

"Don't feel like fighting?" the demon hissed. "Then I see that I must be more persuasive."

The robe exploded outward. A tangle of green coils shot out, as thick as Kagome's body and armored like a tank. The snake reared above Inuyasha, with a leering grin on its face. "Now it is over! Fight me, or the girl will be devoured. Would you enjoy watching such a sight?"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Inuyasha bellowed. Before Kagome could stop him, he lunged forward.

"Inuyasha, don't!" Kagome staggered to her feet, clinging to a tree. "This whole thing is a trap. You can't possibly-"

A flash of light from the Tetsusaiga interrupted her. Now there was a long scorch mark over the snake's exposed back. Inuyasha jumped back, breathing hard. The sword in his hand hadn't transformed, but it had at least zapped the snake-demon when it touched him.

The demon seemed to go wild. Inuyasha tried to jump aside, but the long coils whipped around his arms and legs, throwing him to the ground. Still clutching Tetsusaiga, he tried to push away the snake's coils. Then the pointed head slowly rose in front of him; the tongue flicked over his face. "It seems I won't need the girl after all."

Then it dove at him, sinking its fangs into his chest and back.

"No!" Kagome shouted, running toward him. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha winced, struggling against the snake's grip on him. Then the Tetsusaiga fell from his hand. He crumpled to the ground.

TO BE CONTINUED