"Dai...daijobu desu.." he replied shakily, nodding. The oxygen pouring into his lungs was painful and blissful. For once, the hanyou was glad to be in pain. It meant he was /alive/. Never thought he'd be so glad to be breathing, even if he /was/ still coughing up the last of the water he'd taken in. He wiped his eyes a few times, blinking as he pushed himself up on one knee. "Arigatou...I thought I was done for..."

"What makes you think you're not?" the voice hissed, the writhing leaves finally deciding where they wanted to go. The vines rocketed in their direction, no longer aiming for Inuyasha. They soared true at Kagome, but the hanyou was determined not to lose Kagome. Especially not right after she'd saved his life. Despite physical protests, he reached out and gripped the miko's arm unceremoniously, pulling her into his arms and catapulting himself back. His chest ached like hell as he held the girl close to it, breathing heavy as he turned his head to spit out access water that had yet to leave him.

The vines swung around, taking less than a second to aim and shooting for them once again. Inuyasha jumped again, darting into a thick tree. Once again being followed, he moved soon, landing once again on the ground as the vines arced, clipping a few branches off the blossom-covered tree.

/Damn...where the hell is he? These vines just won't stop.../

Her eyes widened at the hissed response, this time only vaguely familiar. She'd heard him before -- not really, though...it was almost like a faint dream. It was wispy and detached but just as cold ... young, in a way -- precocious in a manner too horrible to imagine. But Kagome was not going to jump to conclusions; the last time she'd seen that -- /thing/ -- it had been a baby. A baby that nearly stole her heart because of her all consuming -- not hatred, really -- utmost /dislike/ towards the dead miko.

"Don't, Inuyasha!"

She said, already in his arms and already thoroughly annoyed with the injured hanyou, despite the circumstance. In his arms she subjected herself to a silent torrent of curses...why couldn't she have her bow and arrows when she needed them? Inuyasha couldn't do this on his own...Kami, it would be so nice to be an actual priestess right now, with all the powers it entitled. But no -- without her arrows she was just a stupid, feeble ningen; the exact reason the hanyou had tried to get her to leave some half an hour ago.

So this was going to be their life.

There. A young boy, about six yards away from what she could barely see through the sakura of the thick tree, was staring at her with muted interest as the vines paused. He had shaggy silver hair and nondescript blue-gray eyes. The white hakama he wore had short sleeves, the smile on his face faint -- unlike the rather amused glint in those seemingly blind orbs. His gaze shut off of her after no more then a millisecond as the vines began to follow them once more.

Kami.../this/ was not good.

That /thing/ had grown up.

"Inuyasha -- he was right there!"

The hanyou skidded on the ground as it met his feet once again, holding as tightly as he dared. Her protests were somewhat lost; no way in hell he was just going to let...whatever was attacking them have her. Never. At a disadvantage, the water in his clothes slowing him just a little, he didn't have the mentality to do much more than worry about staying alive. Just a hair too slow, and those things would catch them.

"Well excuse me for missing something when nature is trying to impale me!" He wasn't really, truly angry, just worked up in the effort of staying alive. His brain had less than a second to think; put down Kagome and whip out the sword, or keep running. Putting her down was good for the fighting, but he didn't know how much power this /thing/ had or where he would launch his next weapon. They could get separated. But if he kept holding on, they might get sprung, and without the Tetsusaiga to fight with, they'd be consumed by whatever was thrown at them.

Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha put Kagome down, quickly shoving her behind him and unsheathing the now-transformed Tetsusaiga in the same movement. The great blade whipped fast for its bulk, sending a shockwave and stunning the thick vines. They froze where they were, shuddered for a moment. It looked almost as if they would keep moving for just a second before cracks appeared on the surfaces, vines falling in a decimated heap.

That threat gone, the hanyou swept the sword toward where Kagome had said she saw the thing. "Get out here, you bastard! Before I come to you!"

The disadvantage was also that he was holding her -- and that he'd nearly drowned about ten minutes ago. This was certainly an evenly matched fight, especially when ... it - he - /whatever/ - could now control vines at a frightening speed. Kagome could only halfway hope (even though she did know he would wouldn't put her down) that she wasn't about to slow him down enough for one of those vines to actually stab through flesh like they did with the dozens of tattered blossoms that flew around .. a massacred bridal bouquet.

She was about to reply in the same pseudo-angry manner when she was pushed back, skidding in the petals as Inuyasha shredded the vines, leaving the young boy with such a passive smile standing where there'd once been countless plants -- vines that were actually twitching from their place on the earth.

"See .. I made it easy for you, hanyou."

The cloudy stare shifted to Kagome, a smirk spreading across thin lips. He was too young to look so ... creepy. It was as if a young cousin had been possessed -- but by no terms could this guy be called /young/. He made her feel dirty, as if a thick amount of sleaze had been wiped through her system just by returning the cold look.

"How sad. You don't remember me, Kagome?" Her name was spat. "I suppose I was cut in half too long after our last meeting...a pity. You would've been such a grand addition to the family -- maybe then you wouldn't have that damned tama hidden in your skirt."

A small hand raised, sending out a cloud of thick jaki, not unlike Naraku's miasma if not stronger, spanning out in seemingly worthless wisps of smoke which convoluted into something much larger.