Author's Note: So sorry that I haven't updated this in a while, but I have lots of homework to do and I admit I was crazy for writing so many fics at once.... But, I will try my best to update when I can. Someone asked for me to give a preview of the next chapter from now on so there's a small preview at the end of this chapter! ^_^ Oh yeah, and there are some manga spoilers in this!











Chapter Eight: The Threat








A wave of youkai crashed against the Sacred Forest of Demons and was suddenly thrown back as a large red crackling barrier stood in their way. Growls pierced the air like knives and thick bodies were thrown against the barrier. Demons cried out in pain as the shocking barrier electrocuted them and sent them flying back against the creatures behind them.

"Those fools, don't they understand that Naraku's barrier can't be broken by mere strength alone?" asked Miroku as he shook his head.

"We've been circling around this area for quite some time now and I still can't see anything that has white hair! Do you think that Inuyasha and Kagome could still be somewhere near the place we found the spider youkai?" asked Sango as she scanned through the crowd.

The others thought hard about it as Kirara walked along the air and avoided Naraku's insects as best she could; they seemed to be traveling towards the forest as well, but every time they got near the barrier, they couldn't make it through.

"Wait!" shouted Miroku suddenly, causing Shippo to go flying off of his shoulder in shock.

"Bubble form!" shouted Shippo as he became a purple bubble and floated back up to land on Kirara's forehead.

"Do you think that Naraku's barrier only goes so high? Kirara, try following the Saimyoushou straight into the barrier," shouted Miroku over the loud buzzing of the insects and the cries of the demons down below.

Growling, the cat-like demon followed the command.

"Ouch! What was that for, Shippo?" demanded Miroku as he looked at the kitsune that had bitten him on the head when he jumped back up to the monk's shoulder.

"You idiot monk, you could have killed me!" complained Shippo as he hit him on the head once more before jumping over to land on Sango's shoulder.

"Stop complaining you two!" shouted Sango as Kirara flew closer to the insects that didn't really seem to care that she was so close.

"They're not attacking us…" stated Myouga as he looked all around them and realized that the Saimyoushou weren't attacking them.

"Naraku probably knows that we're coming," said Miroku as his face darkened at the thought of facing their enemy again.

"If we make it over, then that means that the youkai that can fly, can too," added Shippo as they got closer to the forest's entrance.

"Let's just hope that whatever Naraku's planning is going to fail," said Sango as she petted Kirara's forehead in a sort of comfort and held Tetsusaiga in her left hand with a tight grip before, looking back down at the crowd of youkai.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

"Jaken, where's Lord Sesshoumaru?" asked the little seven-year-old as she sat down on her knees in a field of green grass.

"Just stay quite you stupid human! Lord Sesshoumaru is on an errand," snapped the green toad as he sat on a boulder a few meters away from the girl and the two-headed dragon that was grazing beside the girl.

"Rin's sorry if Rin made Jaken angry," whispered the little girl as she bowed her head, and picked a stray flower in the suffocating batch of grass.

The two-headed dragon growled as they heard the youkai snort at the girl's response before nudging Rin's back with their heads.

"What is it Ah and Un?" asked Rin as she stood up so that she could pat the two's mane.

The two only pushed her with their snouts towards their back and with their heads helped her get on their back.

"Where are Ah and Un taking Rin?" asked the human with a smile plastered on her face as her small hands took the reins.

Jaken only rolled his eyes as he examined his staff and looked towards the sky.

Lord Sesshoumaru will get rid of that bastard of a hanyou, I just know it! That damn half breed will feel the wrath of Lord Sesshoumaru's anger for betraying him! Jaken thought with a grin as he thought about all the ways that Naraku could get killed by his master.

Looking out at the azure painting in the air, the demon jumped to up onto his green feet as he saw the girl and the beast ascend into the sky.

"Get back down here! Lord Sesshoumaru placed me in charge! I command you three to come down here this instant!" hollered Jaken as he raced after them on foot.

Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru is going to have my head if that stupid human gets hurt, Jaken thought, seething in anger at the fact that he had to chase a human and fear that he might not be among the living for much longer.

With Rin's laughter as his guide, Jaken ran as fast as he could to catch up with the three on his small chubby webbed feet.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Inuyasha watched as Kagome did a prayer for the innocents that died from up a tree with a sword hanging from his left hip. Standing over the other hanyou, Inuyasha leaned against the tree and closed his eyes as Kagome's soothing words washed through his mind. Her voice relaxed him in a calming way, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt wash over him as he remembered how rudely he had snapped at her earlier.

"We can go now Inuyasha," yelled Kagome from below as she adjusted her arrow back on her right shoulder and held the bow in her left hand.

Grunting in response, the half youkai jumped down the tree and walked over to his traveling companion. He forced himself to look into her honey depths that held more emotions that he could name before turning around and leading the way towards the Sacred Forest of Demons.

"Inuyasha," spoke up Kagome, causing the hanyou to stop so that she could catch up with his long strides.

"What?" barked Inuyasha impatiently; turning around to face her.

"Why are you so moody? It's like…every time you speak to me you're either mad or…or not yourself. What's happening to you?" asked Kagome as tears threatened to pool down her cheeks in a waterfall.

"Nothing's happening to me! Stop it! Stop crying…Kagome…" whispered Inuyasha as the scent of salt water threatened to suffocate him.

Kagome only sniffled as the hanyou held her shoulders with his hands.

"I-I don't know what's happening to me…but I do know that I don't want to hurt you and I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. I promise, when this is all over and you're back to your human form…everything will go back to the way that it was," reassured Inuyasha with a weak smile as their eyes locked.

Kagome only shook her head and shrugged his hands off her shoulders before taking a step back.

"I-I don't want things to go back to the way they were," said Kagome almost inaudibly as she bent her head so that the shadows covered her face.

"What are you talking about? First you want things to go back to the way they were and now you don't? What do you want Kagome?" demanded Inuyasha as he shook her by the shoulders until she looked into his eyes.

"I-I…. I want the old you back…but t-then I don't. I'm sorry, I'm just confusing the both of us," said Kagome as she rubbed the unwanted tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Hell yeah you are," said Inuyasha a bit darkly as he let her go and turned around from her after crossing his hands over his chest.

"I-I'm sorry…. It's just that…. I don't know how to word it but…I want you to be stable I guess. But I also want you to be stable as in…not like before but like…when I first transformed," said Kagome as she looked at the ground and twiddled her clawed fingers.

Inuyasha tensed at her words.

"Let's just go," said Kagome as she bowed her head and walked on ahead.

Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, the hanyou followed the miko towards the Sacred Forest of Demons.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

"You're really going to let Inuyasha's little buddies enter the forest?" asked Kagura as she saw Kirara's flamed paws coming towards the barrier of the sacred forest.

Naraku only laughed as he sat cross legged in his seat, which was made from a cluster of roots, while his eyes looked up at the Saimyoushou that were crowding around the other trees near by.

Folding her hands over her chest, the wind demon internally cringed when the agonizing screams of the youkai outside the barrier increased.

"Kanna hasn't used your puppet yet if those lower classed demons are still ramming against your barrier," stated Kagura as she looked towards her master who was only a few meters away from where she stood on a large tree root.

"She's waiting for the right moment. Once our opponents have worn themselves out, disposing them with a single puppet will be all too easy," cackled Naraku in his bamboo custom, his laughter echoing off the trees.

Kagura only rolled her eyes and went back to watching as more and more of Naraku's insects arrived and quickly went to work on sucking the energy out of the trees.

"Kagura," said Naraku suddenly as he turned to face her.

"I know, I know. I'll go dispose of Inuyasha's companions," said Kagura as she enlarged one of her feathers and was about to go on when Naraku's voice stopped her.

"Inuyasha's friends are of no threat to us, but his brother is another story," said Naraku as his voice dropped an octave.

"Sesshoumaru?" questioned Kagura as she stared at the half breed.

"He should be arriving soon, and with Toukijin as his sword in combat he will appose the most threat to us," said Naraku darkly as he remembered how the dog demon had used the sword made of his own off spring to break through his barrier at his castle.

Kagura only nodded before flying off in the opposite direction that the other Saimyoushou were coming from as well as Inuyasha's friends. Guiding the feather out of the canopy of trees, Kagura only grinned as she flew towards the Lord of the Western Lands.

I knew that Sesshoumaru was the only one that could defeat Naraku. Kagura thought with a devilish grin spread across her face. Finally, she would be free of the stupid hanyou's clutches.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

A/N: Short and simple but I really wanted to get this out! I'm sorry for not updating for so long and so I wanted to just get something out for you guys. Next one will be longer, I promise!





Next Time:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The youkai have finally been disposed of. Great work Kanna. Once the Saimyoushou have gathered the energy of a few more trees I'll be invincible! The Shikon no Tama will be as good as mine! And finally I'll be able to become a true youkai!"

"There's no way that you're going to get all of the Shikon no Tama, not as long as I stand in your way Naraku!"

"So you've arrived Inuyasha…."