Chapter 3

After the run-in with the demon fox, everyone was on the alert. They didn't leave anything to chance knowing that the little fox demon could be stocking them at any moment with making virtually know noise or sign of existence what-so-ever.
However, they did have to stop for a while so Kagome could bandage up Miroku's wound he received from the battle, and so that Miroku could grope Kagome while she was trying to do this and get hit over the head by and enormous rock. Plus, they all had to clear their vision from the blinding smoke he kept using on them.
"Damn fox demon. I'll show him if he ever shows up again," Inu-Yasha said confidently while resting the Tetsusaiga into the ground.
"There, all done." Kagome stood up and dusted her self off. Miroku did the same and reached for his staff.
Once they had cleared their vision and bandaged all of their wounds. They began to walk again. Inu-Yasha decided to take the front with his hand on his sword, ready to pull it out. Miroku decided to take the rear (in more ways than one), as he got ready for a back attack with occasionally staring at Sango's figure.
"What are you looking at," Sango asked as she noticed him looking suspiciously over his shoulder. She followed his eyes and began to blush as she realized where he was staring. Then, her face went an even darker color of red from rage. She pulled out her bow and quickly smashed it over the pervert's head. clapping
The path way seemed to get slightly wider as they began to get closer to where the entrance should be about, but it wasn't enough to make that much difference.
After walking for about an hour and a half straight through the more frequently changing path, they began to see a fork in the path. By this point the path had gotten quite large, thinned to a very small point you had to climb over the trees for, to what it was now- an undeveloped path where the trees had finally spread far enough out that one could go between the trees.
They walked to the corner of the path and noticed a small sign. It seemed to be written in riddle. It read:

When the sun is high the paths shall show their true colors.

"What does it mean?" asked Shippo.
"I think it's saying we have to wait until the sun is directly above to tell which way we have to go," suggested Kagome.
"It's already hours past that," stated Inu-Yasha. "And I'm not waiting here another day." Inu-Yasha quickly spat out, "Let's go" before he gave any thought on which way they had to go and ran off on the path to the right.
"Wait up!" cried Kagome and the others as they took off running in the same direction.
They found him stopped at a large tree in the middle of a clearing. Spirits surrounded they area who could not find their way out of the forest.
"Inu-Yasha! What did you take off like that for?" screamed a frantic Kagome.
"Common, let's go." Inu-Yasha began to take off again without answering Kagome's question."
He found his way onto a small, very undefined path. It looked like it had only been used once or that only very few people ever use it. It led him into a part of the forest where the path became one with the rest of the soil. Once the others caught back up without saying a word to Inu- Yasha, he began to walk at a normal pace again.
They finally found their way out of the forest, but as they began to leave, they heard the sound of something flying through the air. They all looked back and saw a flying katana coming right for them. They quickly ducked out of the way as it flew past them and slammed into a tree head first. They all came up and briefly examined the katana and took note that it was the same katana that the fox demon used. Inu-Yasha growled and took out Tetsusaiga. Likewise, Miroku began to take off his cloth around his hand, but Inu-Yasha stopped him.
"I have a score to settle with him," Inu-Yasha said. "You guys just be ready."
They all readied their weapons and got ready for anything to happen, while Inu-Yasha stood in front of them facing the forest armed with Tetsusaiga.
"Alright, where are you," he thought out loud. He looked around, but he couldn't see where he was hiding, nor could he smell him because he was, unknown by Inu-Yasha, using shinobi technique to cover up his sent.
Suddenly, he came out of hiding from behind a rock and ran toward Inu- Yasha.
Inu-Yasha picked up his sword and swung at the demon as he darted between Inu-Yasha's legs and through the others to retrieve his katana. Then he darted toward Inu-Yasha, and in mid air, he quickly changed direction and sliced Inu-Yasha across the abdomen. Still standing as if he just struck something, the fox looked back at Inu-Yasha, who was slowly staring to grow wet with blood.
He thrust his hand to his abdomen to stop the bleeding.
"Oh no!" cried a surprisingly informed Miroku.
"What is it?" asked Kagome.
"I've seen that technique before. When the victim is cut using this technique, he does not stop bleeding until he has lost all of his blood and dies because oxygen cannot reach the muscles."
"Where did you see that?" Kagome asked.
"There's no time for that right now; we have to help Inu-Yasha." Miroku rushed off to Miroku's aid. Kagome, after an estranged look at Miroku, ran to Inu-Yasha's side as well.
It was too late though, Inu-Yasha's full demon side had already taken over due to the life threatening conditions. As soon as they got there, Inu- Yasha emitted a small burst of energy (small because his hanyou side was holding it back), which blew both Kagome and Miroku back with minor wounds. Then he dashed off toward the fox demon, as the fox demon did the same. Passing by each other, you could hear the sound of Inu-Yasha's claws colliding with the Shinobi's sword. The both stopped for a minute, and then, the little demons sword split. Inu- Yasha had sliced off the end of the sword with his attack.
The wolf demon, in complete shock by this, quickly looked at the life threatened demon and decided it would be the best course of action to flee again. After he was gone, Inu-Yasha collapsed and returned to his normal state, even without Kagome having to say "Sit", which she thought she might do later for spite. They immediately began bandaging up the wound and fixing up medicine to counteract the technique.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miroku?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"What happened with you and that technique? How did you know about it?"

"I... uh..."

"Fess up!"

"Alright, one day, when I was still in a monastery learning how to be a monk, we were attacked by a group of Shinobi. They slaughtered almost everyone. Few of us lived, thanks to our master's skill. I was one of them... The Shinobi used that technique on someone I knew."

"How did you make it out?"

"Uh... ' ... Never mind..."

"-- ..."

...

"Miroku? What happened to the one the used the technique on?"

"..."