"Hurry up, Inu-Yasha! If you keep up this pace, we'll never catch up with Kagome!"
"Shut up, runt! I'm going as fast as I can!" Inu-Yasha growled at the kitsune perched on his shoulder.
"Well, this isn't good enough." The fox retorted, ignoring the hanyou's warning growl. "She'll already be gone by the time we get there."
Inu-Yasha didn't reply for two reasons. For one, he was tired of Shippo's constant complaints and didn't want to encourage him further. The second reason was that he feared Shippo was right. He was still weak from the "incident" with Kagome in the woods and his strength wasn't even at half it's normal capacity.
"I can't believe she would just leave like that." Shippo continued, interrupting Inu-Yasha's thoughts. "She's never going to figure out how to control her powers without Kaede's help."
"I'm sure this is all because she feels guilty over injuring you. She never would have left if..."
"SHUT UP!" The words were punctuated by a bop on the head. "Just be quiet, Shippo. I'm trying to track Kagome's scent and I can't concentrate with you continually babbling."
"Sorry." Shippo mumbled, rubbing the bump on his head.
Inu-Yasha gave him a sideways glance, but said nothing. He knew that Kagome was heading for the Bone Eater's Well. What he didn't know was how long she'd been traveling to it. If he could find her scent, then he would know how much of a head start she had. He stopped for a moment and sniffed the air. There! Her scent was from the direction of the Bone Eater's Well. She had to still be there for him to be able to smell her this strongly. He smirked. He'd be able to get there before she left. That would show Shippo to complain about how fast he could run. Maybe the little brat wouldn't mouth off so much next...
His smirk disappeared. He grabbed Shippo quickly and practically tossed him on the ground.
"Hey!", the kitsune exclaimed, "What was that for?"
"Go back and get Miroku and Sango. Tell them to go to the Bone Eater's Well."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I smell one of Naraku's minions." Inu-Yasha said as he set off in a run towards the Bone Eater's Well.
"I'm not going with you."
Hideo sighed. "Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." He pulled a sai out from his shirt. "It's up to you which way it's going to be."
Kagome took a step back from him and reached for her bow. The demon raised an eyebrow. He seemed amused.
"I assure you, you'll be unconscious before you can use it." He watched her string her bow. "Now be a good miko and come along quietly."
Kagome let the arrow fly. It looked like it was going to hit, but seconds before hitting his chest, the demon moved out of it's path, causing the arrow to land harmlessly in a tree behind him. Kagome blinked. He was fast, even for a demon. Kouga couldn't even move at that speed.
Seeing her astonishment, Hideo smiled. "See? It's useless." He walked towards her, stopping right in front of her. Before she could react, he reached out his hand and grabbed her chin between his fingers. Kagome struggled, but his grip only tightened.
"Now sleep." He instructed. As he did, his finger tips began to glow blue and Kagome felt her strength leaving her. He watched her eyelids flutter as she struggled to remain awake and smiled. "No point in fighting it. Just let yourself go."
"KAGOME!"
Kagome's eyes snapped open at the scream. Inu-Yasha, sword drawn, leapt at Hideo. The demon cursed but avoided easily avoided the blade. Kagome fell to the ground. She looked up just in time to see Inu-Yasha lunging again at Hideo. The demon smirked and pulled his other sai from his shirt.
"Be careful, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome screamed. "He's faster than Kouga."
"Like that means anything." Inu-Yasha said as he swung at Hideo.
Hideo caught the Tetsuaiga's blade with his left sai and swiped at Inu-Yasha with his right one. The hanyou grit his teeth as the pointed tip cut into his side. The demon observed the blood dripping from his opponent's wound and smiled.
"You should listen to your female friend. She's not as foolish as you are."
Snarling, Inu-Yasha lunged at him again. Just as before, Hideo easily sidestepped him and sliced him with his sai. Inu-Yasha continued to attack over and over, but each time the result was the same. His injuries combined with the demons speed made it impossible for him to inflict any damage.
Hideo laughed. "What's wrong, hanyou? Your female rough you up too much?"
Hideo continued to laugh as Inu-Yasha lunged again with his sword. He deflected the Tetsuaiga easily, but wasn't prepared for Inu-Yasha's fist. The hanyou hit him square in the mouth, knocking him back several feet. Surprised, Hideo touched his hand to his lips and felt blood. He looked up Inu-Yasha. The hanyou stood still, braced for another attack.
"I think it's time we ended this." Hideo said. He stood up, dusted himself off, then charged at Inu-Yasha with incredible speed. He struck out at the hanyou with both his sais. His speed was double what it had been before and it was all Inu-Yasha could do to deflect his blows with the Tetsuaiga. Hideo's sai came down hard, slashing Inu-Yasha's hand and causing his grip to loosen on his sword. The demon slashed again, this time pushing at the Tetsuaiga as he sliced his opponent's hand. The sword went flying and Hideo kicked Inu-Yasha's legs out from underneath him.
Inu-Yasha fell to the ground, Hideo's weight pinning him down. The demon bent over him, his holding the sai to his throat.
"I was given orders to bring back your head." Hideo ran the tip of the sai along the scar on Inu-Yasha's neck. "It's nothing personal, you understand. Orders are orders."
He pulled back the sai, posing it for decapitation. Suddenly a large boomerang flew through the air, knocking the sai from Hideo's hand. Scowling, he looked up at the unexpected intruders.
Miroku and Sango ran towards them, with Shippo and Kirara not far behind.
"The monk and the demon exterminator." Hideo thought with disgust. He had been warned about them.
Noticing his opponent's distraction, Inu-Yasha kicked out with leg, dislodging Hideo. The demon rolled for a few feet, then crouched in the grass. Inu-Yasha grabbed his sword. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Hideo put two fingers to his mouth and whistled.
A rumbling came from the surrounding forest and a horde of demons flew into the air. Inu-Yasha watched as the demons headed towards them.
"Coward." he snarled at Hideo, just before one of the demons descended on him. He sliced it in two with his sword, but another one soon took its place. Through the writhing masses of demons, Inu-Yasha could see Kagome standing by the well with her bow drawn.
"Kagome!" he yelled, "Shoot them!"
Kagome watched as demons swirled around her friends. She aimed her bow, but as she did, she could feel her power beginning to grow. Her hands trembled. Images of Inu-Yasha's body after the last time she had used her powers flashed before her eyes. What if she hurt him again? What if this time she killed him?
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled again.
She tried to raise her bow again but couldn't. The fear of what had happened last time kept her frozen to the spot. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her skull and she crumbled to the ground. Hideo lowered his sai and grabbed her by the throat.
"Sleep." he commanded, gripping her neck tightly as blue sparks shot from his fingers.
Kagome stared up at him in pain. "Inu-Yasha," she whispered, "I'm sorry." Then her world went black.
Hideo picked up Kagome and whistled again. One of the larger demons flew towards them and Hideo hoisted Kagome, then himself, onto its back. He whistled again and the monster lifted into the air.
"KAGOME!"
Inu-Yasha started towards them. He cut through demons left and right but by the time he got there, it was too late. They were gone. He sank down to the ground by Kagome's discarded bow and arrows. Having disposed of the other demons, Miroku and Sango ran over to him.
"Who was that?" Miroku asked. "And where did he take Kagome?"
Inu-Yasha's claws sank into the dirt. "His name was Hideo." He looked up at his companions. The fierceness in his eyes caused them to baulk.
"He took her to Naraku."