CHAPTER FIVE
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called. "INUYASHA?"
Her voice echoed eerily in the dark woods, fading away into silence. Kagome hugged herself, breathing hard. Everything was too cold, too still, too silent. Goosebumps were rising on her arms and neck as she slowly slipped through the woods, looking around for a telltale flash of red. Nothing. Inuyasha might as well have evaporated.
She had been wandering all over the place for what felt like hours, although it was probably more like twenty minutes. The forest was still shadowed over, as if it wouldn't even allow sunlight to enter. And she still felt that horrible, nauseating presence filling the air. It made her want to hide -- except that the only places to hide were the gnarled, dead-looking trees. And those were almost as freaky as a demon would be.
"Where is everybody?" Kagome murmured. She raised her voice again, "Sango? Miroku? SHIPPO? Can anyone hear me?"
She hesitated. For a moment she thought she heard voices speaking, but they were so faint and distant that she couldn't make out the words. Is it just my imagination? she thought. Kagome began jogging through the woods, glancing around at the trees. Something caught her eye, making her stop. "Is somebody there?" she called.
No reply.
Kagome took a step forward, and jumped as a loud crack broke the silence. It was only a twig under her foot. "Oh man, this is really creeping me out," she mumbled, clutching her bow like a lifeline. "Inuyasha, where are you?" She almost expected to hear him yell in response... but he didn't. And that scared her even more.
I'd better try to get back to the path and find help, Kagome thought. I just hope Inuyasha isn't lost right now... but then again, he can usually smell his way back to where he wants to go. If I find my way back to Miroku and the others, he might be there waiting for me. I hope he is...
She ran through the forest, dodging twisted tree branches and stumbling over gnarled roots. At times she thought she saw something moving, out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked there was only a leaf fluttering. Without wind. It only made Kagome run faster. She had to get OUT of this rotten place. It reeked with an evil presence, and it was making her feel sick....
Then a blast of wind blew dust into her eyes. Kagome coughed and stopped, until the wind died away. She rubbed the dirt out of her eyes, and glanced around. There was someone else here -- she could feel it.
Her eyes caught a flicker of movement. She could see a richly dressed woman standing lightly on a tree bough, shaded by the leaves. Though her haughty face was in shadow, Kagome recognized the woman's face. It was Kagura, the wind sorceress spawned by Naraku. As if sensing Kagome's gaze, Kagura stepped out into the light, with her folded fan in one hand. If it opened, Kagome knew she was in big trouble. Kagura could use wind like blades, like a battering ram... and worst of all, she could use dead people like puppets.
"I see that your faithful Inuyasha has left you," Kagura said silkily.
Kagome pulled out an arrow and aimed it at Kagura's head. "What have you done with him?" she shouted. "If you hurt him..."
"Lower that arrow, little girl," Kagura said. "I have not harmed Inuyasha. Yet."
"So this whole thing is Naraku's doing!" Kagome shouted. "What's he doing here? Was this a trap all along?"
"Brave, aren't you?" Kagura said. She raised her fan. "Unfortunately, you are no match for me."
Oh yes I am, Kagome thought. I can purify her wind powers. But I'll need to aim carefully... I can't afford to miss her. She pulled back the arrow and aimed it at Kagura's heart. "I won't say this again-" she called.
"Be quiet," Kagura said angrily. "I have no time to deal with you."
"If you try to hurt me, I'll have to shoot you! And you know what'll happen!"
Kagura smiled slyly. "Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't. I doubt that your aim is true enough for you to strike me down, Kagome. I gave you enough of a warning, and you chose to ignore me. Now DIE!" Her fan flicked open, and the wind began to swirl around her.
Kagome's fingers began to slip from the arrow. But then she saw Kagura's body seem to melt into mist, still wrapped in the swirling wind. What? she thought, shocked. What's going on? Is that... some other kind of demon? Then another shape hurtled through the mist, and Kagome made up her mind to fire. If there IS something here, she thought desperately, it must be dangerous... and it must have something to do with Naraku!
Then two things happened at once. She recognized the demon coming toward her. It was Inuyasha, with Tetsusaiga in his hand, his pale silver hair blown behind him as he leaped down. And at that same instant, the arrow slipped from Kagome's fingers, speeding through the air towards Inuyasha...
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called. "INUYASHA?"
Her voice echoed eerily in the dark woods, fading away into silence. Kagome hugged herself, breathing hard. Everything was too cold, too still, too silent. Goosebumps were rising on her arms and neck as she slowly slipped through the woods, looking around for a telltale flash of red. Nothing. Inuyasha might as well have evaporated.
She had been wandering all over the place for what felt like hours, although it was probably more like twenty minutes. The forest was still shadowed over, as if it wouldn't even allow sunlight to enter. And she still felt that horrible, nauseating presence filling the air. It made her want to hide -- except that the only places to hide were the gnarled, dead-looking trees. And those were almost as freaky as a demon would be.
"Where is everybody?" Kagome murmured. She raised her voice again, "Sango? Miroku? SHIPPO? Can anyone hear me?"
She hesitated. For a moment she thought she heard voices speaking, but they were so faint and distant that she couldn't make out the words. Is it just my imagination? she thought. Kagome began jogging through the woods, glancing around at the trees. Something caught her eye, making her stop. "Is somebody there?" she called.
No reply.
Kagome took a step forward, and jumped as a loud crack broke the silence. It was only a twig under her foot. "Oh man, this is really creeping me out," she mumbled, clutching her bow like a lifeline. "Inuyasha, where are you?" She almost expected to hear him yell in response... but he didn't. And that scared her even more.
I'd better try to get back to the path and find help, Kagome thought. I just hope Inuyasha isn't lost right now... but then again, he can usually smell his way back to where he wants to go. If I find my way back to Miroku and the others, he might be there waiting for me. I hope he is...
She ran through the forest, dodging twisted tree branches and stumbling over gnarled roots. At times she thought she saw something moving, out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked there was only a leaf fluttering. Without wind. It only made Kagome run faster. She had to get OUT of this rotten place. It reeked with an evil presence, and it was making her feel sick....
Then a blast of wind blew dust into her eyes. Kagome coughed and stopped, until the wind died away. She rubbed the dirt out of her eyes, and glanced around. There was someone else here -- she could feel it.
Her eyes caught a flicker of movement. She could see a richly dressed woman standing lightly on a tree bough, shaded by the leaves. Though her haughty face was in shadow, Kagome recognized the woman's face. It was Kagura, the wind sorceress spawned by Naraku. As if sensing Kagome's gaze, Kagura stepped out into the light, with her folded fan in one hand. If it opened, Kagome knew she was in big trouble. Kagura could use wind like blades, like a battering ram... and worst of all, she could use dead people like puppets.
"I see that your faithful Inuyasha has left you," Kagura said silkily.
Kagome pulled out an arrow and aimed it at Kagura's head. "What have you done with him?" she shouted. "If you hurt him..."
"Lower that arrow, little girl," Kagura said. "I have not harmed Inuyasha. Yet."
"So this whole thing is Naraku's doing!" Kagome shouted. "What's he doing here? Was this a trap all along?"
"Brave, aren't you?" Kagura said. She raised her fan. "Unfortunately, you are no match for me."
Oh yes I am, Kagome thought. I can purify her wind powers. But I'll need to aim carefully... I can't afford to miss her. She pulled back the arrow and aimed it at Kagura's heart. "I won't say this again-" she called.
"Be quiet," Kagura said angrily. "I have no time to deal with you."
"If you try to hurt me, I'll have to shoot you! And you know what'll happen!"
Kagura smiled slyly. "Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't. I doubt that your aim is true enough for you to strike me down, Kagome. I gave you enough of a warning, and you chose to ignore me. Now DIE!" Her fan flicked open, and the wind began to swirl around her.
Kagome's fingers began to slip from the arrow. But then she saw Kagura's body seem to melt into mist, still wrapped in the swirling wind. What? she thought, shocked. What's going on? Is that... some other kind of demon? Then another shape hurtled through the mist, and Kagome made up her mind to fire. If there IS something here, she thought desperately, it must be dangerous... and it must have something to do with Naraku!
Then two things happened at once. She recognized the demon coming toward her. It was Inuyasha, with Tetsusaiga in his hand, his pale silver hair blown behind him as he leaped down. And at that same instant, the arrow slipped from Kagome's fingers, speeding through the air towards Inuyasha...
TO BE CONTINUED