Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do own any characters that I made up and the plot.
Kiniro Sakura
Chapter Twenty-One: The Mysterious Energy
Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow for about the third time in the past hour. Suzuran and the other females kept glancing at her worriedly but she paid them no heed. Instead she thought about the Horse Lord, Kashi. She thought about what he said and how the humans and demons were taking the horses. She had a feeling that Kashi and Kuro were keeping something from her but she pushed it to the back of her mind to think about later. She was so deep in her thoughts that she failed to notice that the group had stopped. She 'eepped' when Sesshoumaru grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling.
"A-Arigatou, Fluffy-chan." She whispered while blushing. Sesshoumaru nodded and helped her stand up straight, albeit reluctantly. She looked around the small group. Everyone was either eating, resting, or grazing(in Kuro's case). Suzuran came up to her and handed her some beef-type thing that Kagome had brought from her time. She called it 'Beef Jerky' or something like that. Sakura thought it tasted wonderful but Suzuran didn't like it that much. She chewed on it thoughtfully. Suddenly her eyes widened and she stood up quickly. But since she was eating, the beef jerky slid down her throat and she coughed once before running into the woods on the other side of the meadow the group was wandering around in. Suzuran was about to go after her but Sesshoumaru stopped her. She looked at him confused and a little bit angry.
"I will go after her." He said and before Suzuran could answer was already half way across the meadow and leaping into the forest. Suzuran shrugged and went back to eating the beef jerky.
*With Sakura*
Sakura ran with a glimmer of wildness in her eyes. She stopped when she reached the stream and promptly vomited. Once she was done, she walked over to the stream and washed her face and hands. Then she sat down for a minute, just thinking.
*With Sesshoumaru*
Sesshoumaru had caught onto Sakura's scent and was following it. He could tell that Sakura was moving very rapidly and he had a little trouble keeping up with her since she had a head-start. He sniffed the air again and wrinkled his nose.(How Kawaii!)The smell of old blood and meat filled the air. He thought it was just some dead animal but a faint smell told him differently. He ran faster when he recognized the scent of Sakura.
* By The Stream*
Sakura jumped up quickly and ran over to a clear spot, careful not to step on her previous vomit and retched. Most of the food she had eaten in the past few days had come up and was now laying on the ground in front of her. She sighed and went to wash her face and hands again. When she was done, and sure that she wasn't going to be sick anymore, stood staring at her reflection in the streams surface. Soon another reflection joined hers and strong arms encircled her waist. She leaned back into Sesshoumaru's chest and closed her eyes. Sesshoumaru put butterfly kisses along her neckline.
"Are you feeling better? I can smell and see the vomit all over this place..." He whispered against her ear. She nodded her head and leaned back into Sesshoumaru's caresses. Sesshoumaru sat himself and Sakura down on the ground and held her in his lap.
"I know that something is wrong with you. And I would appreciate it if you told me." He said quietly.
"I can't tell you because you'll worry." She said stubbornly. Sesshoumaru put his hand under her chin and turned her head to face him. She was about to say something but was abruptly silenced by Sesshoumaru's warm lips moving across hers'. Her eyes widened before closing. She eagerly kissed him back with just as much passion as he was showing. After a few more minutes Sakura had to breathe and pulled back. Sesshoumaru looked at her through lust filled eyes. She smiled and rubbed his ears. His eyes fluttered closed and a strange sound erupted from his throat. She giggled and stopped rubbing his ears. He opened his eyes and looked at her curiously.
"Why are you laughing?" He asked huskily as he placed more butterfly kisses along her shoulder and neck.
"I'm not positive, but I think you were purring." She said and giggled some more. Sesshoumaru pulled back slightly and stared at her. Sakura sat, transfixed by Sesshoumaru's eyes. Suddenly she was in another kiss, this one slightly more powerful and lust filled than the previous ones. Sakura, without realizing it, started to stroke Sesshoumaru's ears again. Sesshoumaru leaned into her hands as he continued to kiss her. Suddenly he stopped and looked up. Sakura whimpered slightly and looked at him questioningly. He stood up and picked her up bridal style.
"We have been gone for a long time, the others might worry." He told her as he ran back to the group. Sakura nodded and stared ahead. Suddenly she tensed and turned around.
"Sesshoumaru, do you feel that energy? I think that someone is going to pay us a visit soon and it's not going to be a friendly one." She said quietly. Sesshoumaru stopped for a moment and looked behind him. A loud roar was heard a few miles away and Sakura shivered. Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her more securely. He narrowed his eyes as the smell of fresh blood reached his sensitive nose. He turned around after giving one last glance to where the roar had come from and sprinted off. Sakura snuggled against him kept her gaze to the forest that was steadily getting thinner and thinner. The two soon burst into the meadow and kept running. After the forest was a good mile away, they slowed their pace but kept running. Sakura was running now instead of riding with Sesshoumaru. She could see Suzuran, Umi, Oshika, and Keshi up ahead and sighed with relief. Her ears picked up another roar that sounded closer than before. The two canine demons ran faster and only stopped once they stepped foot inside the group's small camp. Sakura was breathing hard and Sesshoumaru was looking back the way they had come. Suzuran, Umi, Tsuki and Rin ran over to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan! What's wrong? Why were you running?" Umi asked as she helped Sakura sit down. Suzuran looked to where Sesshoumaru was looking and growled.
"I smell fresh blood." She said angrily. Sakura nodded once she caught her breath.
"I was puking by a stream and then Sesshoumaru came and got me. We heard a roar and felt tremendous energy so we took off. I heard it again just a few minutes ago and it sounded closer. I think we should leave and soon." Sakura growled. Keshi and Oshika nodded and gathered up the food and water and tied them onto Kuro. He, too, was glancing nervously into the woods and some white was showing in his eyes. Keshi put Rin up on Kuro's back and put Jaken up next. The toad squawked but when Keshi glared at him, he shut up. He nodded to Sakura and Sesshoumaru and the group took off, everyone running their fastest. Kuro was faster than a normal horse so he could keep up with Umi and Oshika easily. Keshi and Tsuki stood on either side of the horse, incase Rin, or Jaken, fell off. Sesshoumaru, Sakura, and Suzuran were running in the front and clearing the path of anything that might make one of them stumble. Even Sesshoumaru was a little frightened. The power he had felt. He shivered. Soon the group came upon a small, deserted village. Sakura and Suzuran sensed that there was something wrong with the village and told Sesshoumaru, Keshi and Oshika to come with Suzuran and her to check out the village. Umi and Tsuki watched Rin, and Jaken, a few feet away from the village's entrance.
*In The Village*
The group had split up and now Sakura and Suzuran were searching the Northern part of the village while Sesshoumaru and Keshi searched the Southern part. Oshika was waiting at the entrance incase he had to warn the others of the approaching energy.
Sakura and Suzuran
Sakura walked along one of the village's roads and looked into the huts that lined the road. Suzuran was a little bit behind her, searching through the alleyways and anyplace else that wasn't along the main road. Sakura stiffened as a familiar scent hit her nose. She paled and ran to where the scent was coming from. She screamed at the sight. Suzuran soon joined her and screamed as well. Bloody bodies were burning on the ground and there was blood everywhere. Sesshoumaru and Keshi, having heard the girls scream, showed up a few minutes later. Sakura was shaking now and Suzuran was on the ground whimpering. Sesshoumaru hugged Sakura, not caring if Keshi and Suzuran were watching. Sakura sobbed into his chest. Keshi was now trying to comfort Suzuran who had tears rolling down her cheeks. She, too, knew the familiar scent of the demon that did this. Suzuran was not crying for herself, she was crying for Sakura.
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