CHAPTER NINETEEN
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"Are you the one they call Naku?" Inuyasha growled.
"That's me," the assassin said coolly. He glanced over Inuyasha's face, with his silver hair and dog ears. "And judging from that tender little interlude with Kagome, you must be Inuyasha. A pretty little thing, isn't she? She must be even more charming when she comes along willingly."
Inuyasha felt another growl rising up in his throat. "Kagome," he said in a low voice, gripping Tetsusaiga, "did this bastard do anything to you? Did you hurt you -- at all?"
"N-not much," Kagome said slowly. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm. "But Inuyasha -- please, don't fight him. We have to just get away-"
"Get AWAY?" Inuyasha said almost incredulously. "I've been hunting this Naku creep for days. And now I'm planning to show him what he's up against!"
"Just try it," Naku said, smirking. "I've been anticipating fighting you for quite some time. Killing off centipedes and slaughtering lordlings can be so dull when you do it for long enough. You should be more difficult to kill than them."
"Hah. What makes you think a measly human like you even has a chance of killing me?"
"The fact that I've never failed to capture my prey before. And you will make a fine, challenging prey, Inuyasha." Naku crossed his arms. "And most delightful of all, I'll have earned my just reward then."
Inuyasha's eyes flicked down to his sword, and he remembered something about it. Tetsusaiga won't work on a human, he thought. Even a human as evil as this guy. Well, I'll just have to do it the old way -- and there isn't a human alive who can stand up to my claws! His fingers cracked ominously.
Naku made the first move, grasping a blade at his belt. Inuyasha leapt toward him like a bolt of lighting, slashing down at Naku's exposed throat. For a moment he thought it had almost been too easy... and then he slammed into a tree trunk, smashing his arm against a bough.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.
"Not bad," a mocking voice said. Behind Inuyasha, Naku was crouched on the ground, where he had leapt as the half-demon charged. "Too bad I could see it coming."
Inuyasha turned with a growl. His arm was tingling, but it wasn't broken. He flexed his fingers experimentally. "Lucky dodge," he said scornfully. "But how many times you plan to get lucky, sicko?"
"As many times as it takes," Naku said. "And perhaps even longer, if you are that predictable every time you fight." He grinned. "Surely you can do better than that!"
The human leaped forward, with a bright blade in one hand. Inuyasha blocked the blow with one arm, and felt the blade slash at his fire-rat sleeve. It couldn't cut through. With a snarl, he grabbed the blade and snapped it off at the hilt. Then he tossed it into the trees-
"INUYASHA!" Kagome shrieked.
Too late, Inuyasha realized that Naku had been counting on him doing that. That second of being off-guard had let the human take another swipe at him -- and this time, Inuyasha could smell the demon scent on the thin knife. Like a demon-slayer's weapon. With a grunt, Inuyasha leaped into the trees and crouched for a moment, waiting for Naku's next strike.
Dammit, he IS good, he thought. Even most demons don't give me this much trouble. And he's just a weak human assassin -- what is with this guy? Why haven't I finished him off yet?
A barbed disc spun past Inuyasha's head.
Discarding his thoughts, Inuyasha leaped out of the tree and down toward Naku. He was on the offensive again, slashing and striking at the human's face and throat. But Naku was dodging him somehow, leaping and feinting, all with that mocking grin on his face. It was making Inuyasha furious. He took a flying leap, somersaulting in the air as he descended down toward Naku.
Then a fist hammered into his face.
Inuyasha was dazed by the pain of it for a moment, as he slammed back into a tree trunk. Another fist struck him in the chin, making his head spin as his skull cracked back against the bark. He saw the glint of something in Naku's hand, and struggled to grab it, but it slashed down the length of his hand and...
Kagome screamed hysterically as she saw what had happened. She saw Naku pull out the long, barbed, hooked knife from inside his sleeve, and plunge the wicked-looking blade deep into Inuyasha's exposed stomach.
TO BE CONTINUED