Hakisuma opened her eyes slowly. She still felt groggy and sore. She sat up slowly and in the process winced. She looked around. There was a small smokeless fire crackling and popping. Hikari leaned on the branches, sleeping lightly. Shippo was curled around Kii and Kirara, who both were several feet away from Hakisuma. 'Where is Kagome?And Sango? Where did they go?' Hakisuma thought.Miroku and Inu Yasha were on the other side of the fire, both leaning on pine trees as they rested. Inu Yasha's gold and amber flecked eyes opened on contact with Hakisuma's own silver wandering eyes.
"You should be sleeping," Inu Yasha said quietly, trying not to wake the others. Kagome stirred in her sleep but settled back down. Miroku opened his eyes a little bit and closed them after he confirmed who was awake. Hakisuma looked back again at Inu Yasha.
"I'm not tired. Did you beat Sesshoumaru?" she asked. An owl hooted, The fire's dancing flames cast strange and misshapen shadows all over the woods.
"No, that bastard ran away." Inu Yasha said bitterly. Hakisuma nodded. They both stared into the flames. Crickets chirped and a slight breeze flew by.
"Inu Yasha san," Hakisuma started but stopped when Inu Yasha made a particular noise. She looked at him. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
"No, its just...I've never been called that before.....don't call me that, though." Inu Yasha said.
"Gomen nasai. Is there a reason why?" Hakisuma asked.
"Well, it makes me sound old. What was your question...shrimp?" Inu Yasha added while smirking.
Hakisuma glared at Inu Yasha but kept quiet for a while. "What happened to Akigoumo? The woman who healed Hikari?" Inu Yasha scratched his head. I dunno. She just...kinda disappeared."
Hakisuma laid back down. "And what about Kagome an Sango?" she asked.
Inu Yasha grew rigid and his eyes opened wide. "You're right! They haven't come back, have they? I knew someone was missing! Kuso, kuso, kuso!!!" he cursed. He jumped up as the leaves behind him rustled. A very bedraggled and bloody Sango carrying a half-concious Kagome staggered into the camp.
Inu Yasha stared and leapt forward to release Sango of her burden. "What happened?!" he exclaimed.
"A demon attacked us.....it was too fast; we couldn't see it!" Sango said argrily. "And it left before I have a chance to kill it."
Inu Yasha looked at Hakisuma. "Try to go to sleepwhile I bandage them up." he said. Hakisuma nodded and laid back down. She could hear Inu Yasha ripping up cloth to dress a deep wound on Kagome's arms and shoulders.
The stars through the canopy of leaves shone out brightly. The moon was a sliver, showing brightly in the dark sky. A cool breeze drifted by. Hakisuma smelt the air and closed her eyes. 'The breeze....so relaxing...wait! I smell something...it smells like demons!' Hakisuma opened her eyes and looked at the sky. Several dark shadows flew past it. Hakisuma started.
"Inu Yasha, I think there are demons nearby." Hikari called down from her place. Inu Yasha finished up and sniffed the sky.
"You're right," he said.
"Aren't I always?" Hikari smirked.
Inu Yasha stood up swiftly and walked over to Hakisuma. He bent down and grabbed Hakisuma around the waist and under the knees. He straightened up and leapt into the tree Hikari was in. "Stay here," he commanded, "you'll be safe here. Don't try to fight yet." With that, he jumped back down and shook Kagome. "Be on your guard." He said to everyone.
Sango nodded and grabbed her Hiraikotsu. Shippo yawned and stared around blearily. They all grabbed their weapons. Hakisuma gripped the branches tightly. She never liked heights.
Inu Yasha felt a pinch-like grip on his nose. He sighed and slapped his nose, squashing a tiny demon flea. "Myoga, what are you doing here? There's danger." Inu Yasha said, apparently annoyed. Myoga popped into his full size (after being squashed) and bowed.
"Lord Inu Yasha, Naraku's insects and thousands of demons are headed this way!"
"Oh yeah?" Inu Yasha smirked. He pulled out his Tetsusaiga and took a fighting stance. Myoga hopped around from his position on Inu Yasha's shoulder.
"I'll be going now!" Myoga said while jumping off and hopping away as fast as his little flea legs could carry him.
Sure enough, a dark, foreboding shadow of destruction loomed closer and closer. Everybody took up a ready position. With a shrieking war-cry, the demons and insects lunged together.
"Perfect time for my Tetsusaiga to do a little warming up!" Inu Yasha snarled while brandishing his mighty blade. The demons came closer and closer still....Inu Yasha grinned and used the Wind Scar. "RAGH!!"
The demons who haven't perished still came flowing forth without any hesitation. Sango defeated many with one attack. Miroku was hacking away and Kii and Kirara were eating away. (Ewww....shudders) Hikari had already transformed and was battling away nicely, leaving blood splattered all over trees and rocks.
Hakisuma fidgeted in the tree she was in. She watched in horror as more and more demons flowed fluently in, surrounding everything. Kagome stood by herself on a rock, shooting demons with her arrows, when suddenly a giant snake demon wrap its massive tail around her waist and pull her screaming into the coils of its body. Nobody heard Kagome's screams over the yelling and shouting and roaring of hundreds of demons. Hakisuma watched in frozen terror. 'I must do something fast or else Kagome will be eaten!' she thought urgently. She looked around from her tree. Inu Yasha and the others were scattered around, fighting demons. Blood was splattered everywhere it could go and corpses and disemboweled body parts littered the forest landscape. Her gaze caught a medium-sized twig next to her.
She drew out her Katana and chopped it off the branch. Then, she sharpened the tip. 'Now what? I have made a dart... Oh!' Hakisuma remembered about the poison powder in a demon leather pouch around her neck. She grinned and drew it out. She plucked off a large leaf in the tree and placed it next to her. Then, carefully, she poured the powder onto the leaf, trying not to inhale the deadly powder. She twisted the bag shut and spit in the powder on the leaf. Grabbing a different stray twig, she mixed the ingredients while spitting occasionally.
Hakisuma glanced up at Kagome. She was turning blue under the pressure and was struggling weakly. 'Hang on, Kagome!' Hakisuma thought feverishly. She dipped the sharpened twig into the formula. It hissed and sizzled on contact. Careful not to touch any of the mixture, she held it steady and took a deep breath. 'Now!' A voice in her head screamed. She threw the poison dart and it landed in the serpent's eye. The overgrown worm writhed and shrieked in pain. It's scaly hide began dissolving and thick blood gushed out. Hakisuma sighed in relief. Kagome was dropped and she landed gasping on all fours. Kagome glanced at Hakisuma and nodded a thanks. She scrambled up and joined the others to fight.
Hakisuma sat back and started making more poison darts. Suddenly a rustle behind her startled her and she turned around quickly, nicking herself with her blade. Kii mewed and climbed into Hakisuma's lap. Hakisuma sighed with relief again. She carefully made more darts, trying not to get Kii too close to the poison mixture. She was just setting the eighth one down when a strong, vice-like grip held onto her waist. Hakisuma gasped for air and turned around. A devilish horned demon grinned at her, its jaws gaping wide and dripping with thick blood. Hakisuma's heart shot up to her throat. Blood pounded in her head as she struggled. Kii growled and transformed, catching several of the branches on fire. Kii lunged forward and bit the demon's arm with a snarl. The demon sneered and whacked Kii away with its spiked tail. Spines and bristles grew out of every pore in its body, making him technically full of needle sharp pins. Kii growled and lunged forward again.
(Inu Yasha)
Inu Yasha sniffed the air and kicked aside a dead demon in his way. Something was not right. There was a new smell in the air. Something that smelled toxic. He saw Kagome make for him. With questioning eyes, he jumped in the air and landed next to her. He took her by the waist and jumped for a tree.
Kagome panted. "Hakisuma and Kii...they're in trouble!" she gasped. A demon has them in the tree!"
"Kuso!" he growled. "Stay here Kagome!" he commanded. He jumped to the tree he left Hakisuma in. Kii appeared suddenly out of nowhere and knocked him back onto the ground. Kii landed on top of him and scrambled up. She turned and tugged on his haori urgently. He and Kii jumped up and landed silently in the tree Hakisuma was in. The demon turned and snarled. Hakisuma saw this opportunity and grabbed the leaf containing the poison paste. She smeared the demon's face with it. Inu Yasha watched with amusement as its face began dissolving and melting. Hakisuma hastily jumped up and landed skillfully onto a higher branch. They all watched the demon whither away in its own pool of blood.
Inu Yasha, seeing there was no more use for him, turned to jump off the tree to fight more. When his head turned, a large gob of blood smacked into his face, leaving it dripping. He scowled and wiped it off. Angrily he looked around for the blood splatter. He spotted Hikari laughing her head off. Her blade was entirely COVERED in the stuff. She grinned and hacked off a demon's head. Another gob of demon blood splattered him in the face
He scowled deeper and lunged forward. In his leap, he shouted to Hikari, "I bet you I can kill more demons than you!"
Hikari smirked and killed another demon. "Just try!" she sneered. And then and there began another contest between Inu Yasha and Hikari. After about twenty-three minutes, they were all tending wounds and bathing in the spring Kagome and Sango found.
R&R! pulls Inu Yasha over on leash and tugs. (Inu Yasha does puppy dog look.) Good boy! (gives treat)