CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
x
The fire-cat raced across the sky, her slitted red eyes watching the ground for any hint of Inuyasha or Kagome. "Inuyasha can be such a fool," Miroku muttered, from behind Sango.
"Inuyasha can beat Naku, can't he?" Shippo asked.
"He might," Sango said. "But if Naku is a human, he can't use Tetsusaiga. And if Naku is powerful enough to kill large numbers of demons, then perhaps he could injure Inuyasha. Especially if Inuyasha rushes straight into a trap -- which he's almost certainly doing."
"Which is why we need to get to him as quickly as possible," Miroku said. "Inuyasha might be able to subdue Naku, but with an enemy like this, there are no garuantees. Especially since we don't know who hired him to kidnap Kagome."
Suddenly the air in front of them rippled and flashed, and the small group nearly flew right into it. Kirara pulled up short, snarling at the sudden obstruction.
"A barrier!" Miroku exclaimed.
"You think Naku is responsible for this?" Sango asked.
"I doubt it. Even an assassin wouldn't have the power necessary to erect a barrier like this." Miroku reached into his robe, and pulled out a handful of small paper slips. He brandished them in front of him like daggers. "Let's see how powerful it is."
He flung the papers into the barrier, and watched as lightning streamed over the barrier's surface. Then the slips of paper dissolved into ashes, and the barrier resumed its normal appearance. "Very, very powerful," the monk said soberly.
x
"W-what is it?" Kagome asked, dreading the answer.
Inuyasha glanced down at the bloodstained knife hilt, and gripped it tightly. A spasm of pain went over his face; there was a faint cracking noise, and the hilt snapped off the blade, leaving only a long, jagged piece of metal in its place. Then he looked back at Kagome, with a grim, resigned look in his eyes. "Go on."
"What?"
"Push it through."
"Push..." Kagome felt sick, just thinking about what he had said. "But Inuyasha..."
"It's the only way to get it out," Inuyasha said grimly. Sweat was beading on his face. "The damn thing's barbed, so just pulling it out would only do more harm. Come on, Kagome -- I can't do this myself."
Kagome watched his face for a moment, then gritted her teeth. "Okay, I'll do it," she said in a small voice. "I-I'll try to make it as quick as I can, Inuyasha."
As she wrapped her fingers around what was left of the hilt, she felt Inuyasha bracing himself against the tree. Her heart was racing, and for a moment, Kagome was paralyzed by her own fears. What if pushing the knife through only hurt Inuyasha worse? With Naku in the woods...
"Do it!" Inuyasha grunted.
Kagome flinched, and pushed down as hard as she could. The next few minutes seemed to stretch into hours, as the blade slowly slid deeper into Inuyasha's body. The only sound she could hear was his ragged breathing. Sweat streamed down his face as he fixed his eyes on the sky, and Kagome could feel his body trembling and arching under her hands. His hands were clutching wildly at her shoulders.
Then Kagome slipped a hand behind Inuyasha's back, and gripped the bloodstained blade, with its wicked-looking barbs, and its hooked end. Inuyasha's battered body gave one last jerk as Kagome pulled the knife from his back. More blood stained the tree bark as he slowly sank down, still clutching at Kagome's arms.
Kagome felt sick at the sight of all Inuyasha's blood, and at the sight of his pallid face. "Inuyasha?" she whispered fearfully. "Can you hear me?"
His eyelids flickered. Then Inuyasha managed a weak smile.
TO BE CONTINUED