CHAPTER FOURTEEN
*
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "you-you can't possibly take on the snake like this!"
"Gotta do what I can, don't I?" Inuyasha grunted, pulling himself to his full height. He was shaking a little, but determination seemed to be giving him strength. He stepped away from Kagome and glared through the darkness at the half-blinded snake.
Despite its pain and rage, the snake snickered hoarsely. "You can barely move, puppy. And your body is still that of a human, unless my eye deceives me. Come and surrender now, and perhaps -- merely perhaps -- I will spare your lovely girl there."
"Shut up," Inuyasha grunted, raising Tetsusaiga. "I've had enough of your hissy fits, snake. Let's get this over with."
The boy stumbled to the side as the snake dove at him, fangs bared. Kagome muffled a shriek behind her hands. I can't distract him now, she thought. Oh man, this is even worse than when he fought the Peach Man...
The Tetsusaiga sizzled into the snake's back, making it thrash and try to bite him again. Inuyasha jammed the blade into the snake's bleeding mouth, gripping the hilt and the tip as he pressed the snake's head back against a tree. The snake writhed, its glittering eye glaring at him, and a coil reared up and struck Inuyasha in the stomach. He doubled over, then threw himself back, avoiding another wild bite.
Kagome's heart almost stopped as he collapsed on the ground near her, with blood running down his wrist. The snake, its mouth burned, retreated to the trees, hissing resentfully and waiting for Inuyasha to return to the fight. The sight of it made Kagome feel sick to her stomach. But first...
"Inuyasha, did you get bitten?" Kagome asked, running to his side.
"This?" Inuyasha wiped a smear of blood from his hand. "Nah, that was just me bein' clumsy. I hit it on a rock. Dammit..."
Kagome glanced over the cliff, into the distance. The horizon was hardly any lighter.
"Forget it, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered. "There's no way the sun'll rise in time for me to win this. If I win, I gotta do it as a human."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said softly. "Are you sure you can... do that?"
"No, dammit, I'm not," Inuyasha said roughly. "I don't think I can. But I have to." His dark eyes narrowed, then widened. "Maybe I can kill that worm with something other than just strength, Kagome."
He stood slowly, deliberately, and began walking toward the snake. "What's the matter, scaly boy?" he jeered. "A little pain got you down?"
Inuyasha expected the snake to take another swipe at him, and it did. Calling on every ounce of strength in his weakened body, he leaped into the air and past the blinded eye. With a shout, he drove the Tetsusaiga deep into the snake's remaining eye. Blood streamed down the shrieking reptile's face, as Inuyasha landed heavily on the other side.
"You want me, ya bastard!" he shouted hoarsely. "Come after me! Or can you not manage without your eyes?"
Hissing malevolently, the snake began slithering toward the sound of his voice. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the cliffside. It was high enough to kill a slimy sidewinder like this one, especially if it was wounded. As its head reared up and swooped down on him, Inuyasha slammed his shoulder into the snake's side, throwing it off balance. It plummeted over the side.
"You did it!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha stumbled to his knees, elated that his plan had worked. The snake's coils were slipping away over the cliffside, thrashing and flailing wildly. A high, wavering scream came from its open, bleeding mouth.
Then he saw one of the coils whip up, knocking Kagome over the brink in a spray of pebbles. For a moment, Inuyasha saw her terrified face, her mouth forming his name, her hair fanning around her as if she were floating. He stretched his hand out to her, calling her name -- but she fell out of reach, vanishing into the dark chasm under the cliff.
Without a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha leaped off after her.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "you-you can't possibly take on the snake like this!"
"Gotta do what I can, don't I?" Inuyasha grunted, pulling himself to his full height. He was shaking a little, but determination seemed to be giving him strength. He stepped away from Kagome and glared through the darkness at the half-blinded snake.
Despite its pain and rage, the snake snickered hoarsely. "You can barely move, puppy. And your body is still that of a human, unless my eye deceives me. Come and surrender now, and perhaps -- merely perhaps -- I will spare your lovely girl there."
"Shut up," Inuyasha grunted, raising Tetsusaiga. "I've had enough of your hissy fits, snake. Let's get this over with."
The boy stumbled to the side as the snake dove at him, fangs bared. Kagome muffled a shriek behind her hands. I can't distract him now, she thought. Oh man, this is even worse than when he fought the Peach Man...
The Tetsusaiga sizzled into the snake's back, making it thrash and try to bite him again. Inuyasha jammed the blade into the snake's bleeding mouth, gripping the hilt and the tip as he pressed the snake's head back against a tree. The snake writhed, its glittering eye glaring at him, and a coil reared up and struck Inuyasha in the stomach. He doubled over, then threw himself back, avoiding another wild bite.
Kagome's heart almost stopped as he collapsed on the ground near her, with blood running down his wrist. The snake, its mouth burned, retreated to the trees, hissing resentfully and waiting for Inuyasha to return to the fight. The sight of it made Kagome feel sick to her stomach. But first...
"Inuyasha, did you get bitten?" Kagome asked, running to his side.
"This?" Inuyasha wiped a smear of blood from his hand. "Nah, that was just me bein' clumsy. I hit it on a rock. Dammit..."
Kagome glanced over the cliff, into the distance. The horizon was hardly any lighter.
"Forget it, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered. "There's no way the sun'll rise in time for me to win this. If I win, I gotta do it as a human."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said softly. "Are you sure you can... do that?"
"No, dammit, I'm not," Inuyasha said roughly. "I don't think I can. But I have to." His dark eyes narrowed, then widened. "Maybe I can kill that worm with something other than just strength, Kagome."
He stood slowly, deliberately, and began walking toward the snake. "What's the matter, scaly boy?" he jeered. "A little pain got you down?"
Inuyasha expected the snake to take another swipe at him, and it did. Calling on every ounce of strength in his weakened body, he leaped into the air and past the blinded eye. With a shout, he drove the Tetsusaiga deep into the snake's remaining eye. Blood streamed down the shrieking reptile's face, as Inuyasha landed heavily on the other side.
"You want me, ya bastard!" he shouted hoarsely. "Come after me! Or can you not manage without your eyes?"
Hissing malevolently, the snake began slithering toward the sound of his voice. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at the cliffside. It was high enough to kill a slimy sidewinder like this one, especially if it was wounded. As its head reared up and swooped down on him, Inuyasha slammed his shoulder into the snake's side, throwing it off balance. It plummeted over the side.
"You did it!" Kagome cried.
Inuyasha stumbled to his knees, elated that his plan had worked. The snake's coils were slipping away over the cliffside, thrashing and flailing wildly. A high, wavering scream came from its open, bleeding mouth.
Then he saw one of the coils whip up, knocking Kagome over the brink in a spray of pebbles. For a moment, Inuyasha saw her terrified face, her mouth forming his name, her hair fanning around her as if she were floating. He stretched his hand out to her, calling her name -- but she fell out of reach, vanishing into the dark chasm under the cliff.
Without a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha leaped off after her.
TO BE CONTINUED
