Thankies to Anita! I really apreciate your reviews...they are very encouraging.
Enjoy!
Hope Lies Hidden
Chapter 4- Proving She's Useful
888888888888888888
Inuyasha stared up at the demon that hovered above Kaede's decimated roof. It's long green-gray robes fluttered in the breeze. It did not look like a demon, but Inuyasha could tell the difference. It stank of malevolence.
The thing was in the form of a man, his long black hair tied back, and his green tinted eyes flashing with a strange light. He was far to pale, and had a drawn looking face that let Inuyasha know that whatever this demon's form was, it was not the one he currently held.
He growled as he pulled out the Tetsaiga. "Hey you! What the hell do think your doing?"
The demon barley glanced at him before turning his gaze back to the hut, and the four women inside.
"I have come for your shards of the Shikon no Tama…and you will give them to me." It hissed, lowering itself to stand on the roof. Sango came running out, along with Kagome, both of them barley clothed, but bearing arms.
"Inuyasha!" cried Kagome. "He's got a Jewel shard in his back!"
He merely nodded, then began to hurdle forward, wanting to dispatch the demon as quickly as he could.
"Tetsaiga!" he called, bringing his sword across in one mighty swipe…but the demon was gone.
"You are much to slow, Hanyou." Said the thing chuckling low from behind him. Inuyasha barley had time to register his shock when he was flying forward, and slammed into the hut, taking the front walls off, and crashing landing in a heap of rubble.
He sat up slowly, groaning as he did. "You'll get it for that one…"
The demon merely grinned at him…then he stopped, looking behind Inuyasha at the other occupants of the hut. His eyes went wide for a moment, and then he chuckled slightly.
"What a delicacy…"
Inuyasha followed his gaze back and saw Akina sitting up, rubbing the back of her head as she did…He looked back round at the demon.
"Don't even think about it…"he growled.
The demon laughed outright this time. "To late."
Within the flash of an eye the thing had leapt past him, grabbed Akina and leapt back outside, the girl securely in his clutches.
"I needed a little snack…" the demon laughed, and began to change into its true form…that of a hideous humanoid toad.
Inuyasha growled. He couldn't attack the thing without hitting Akina, but if he didn't the demon could very well eat her. He tightened his grip on Tetsaiga and cursed.
"Damn it…"
He needn't have even worried.
888888888888888888888
Akina stood in a stunned shock for a moment, but then began to scramble. She grabbed her pants and slipped them on while Sango and Kagome grabbed their weapons and ran outside. In less than a second she had her towel haltered over her shoulders and around her chest, forming a secure top that she could fight in.
She heard Inuyasha yelling at the demon, but ignored him, as she ran towards Kaede, who was holding out a set of daggers for her to use. She felt her hand close around the hilts of the blades when she went flying as Inuyasha came crashing into the hut.
Akina sat up, rubbing the back of the head to see both Inuyasha and the demon looking at her. She tightened her grip around her the daggers, for she could tell by the way Inuyasha growled at the demon that she was in trouble.
"Don't even think about it…"
"To late." Laughed the monster, and the next thing Akina knew she was in its clutches, being held tightly around her shoulders and throat.
Inuyasha cursed as they flew by him…Akina could see the shocked looks on both Sango's and Kagome's faces…
"I needed a little snack…" it hissed, and Akina felt the hands that held her change into long slimy fingers.
She saw the angered look on Inuyasha's face and smiled to herself. Did they all think her so helpless?
"I suggest you let me go." She said quietly.
"What did you say human?" it hissed crushing her closer to its repulsive body.
"I suggest you let me go you worthless youkai…I don't want to have to kill you."
The demon laughed. "You, kill me? Don't make me laugh mortal." It croaked.
Akina crossed her arms in front of her, maneuvering a blade into each hand.
"I am going to tell you one more time…let me go, or suffer the consequences."
The toad just laughed again.
"You have talked enough, and I'm hungry…"
Akina felt the thing spinning her around to face it…she lashed out, using her training to its fullest extent.
She slashed simultaneously across its face and abdomen, sending blood flying everywhere, drenching her in it as well. The thing screamed, letting her go. She sprang back, and fell easily into a fighting stance. The thing stumbled for a moment…looking at its own blood, then back up at her. Pure hatred filled its eyes, and it charged her. Akina blocked its strike easily, kicking it back a few feet. It tried to rush her again, but she jumped up as it neared her, flipping back out of its reach, and sent one of her daggers flying into it's body as she did, landing smoothly, the whole tactic one fluid motion.
She looked around at her companions as the demon prepared to rush her again. They all
stood, watching her in complete shock. She dodged to the side as the thing came after her again, retrieving her dagger as she did.
"I could use some help you know!" she called as she dodged the toad again.
Kagome nodded once and readied an arrow. "Just get his back to me!" she called. Akina nodded. The toad rushed her once again, and Akina prepared to kick it around to face its fate. But it was ready for her, and hopped up into the air, and blasted the ground in front of her with the same force it had used to blast the roof off the hut.
Akina flew backwards, slamming into the ground at a high speed that made her skip like a stone for a few yards before finally coming to a halt. She lay still for a moment, and then sat up. She saw the toad coming towards her and felt for her daggers, but they were no where near her…they had been lost somewhere in the blast…She looked back up at the demon with wide eyes…
Suddenly Inuyasha was in front of her, fending the thing off…An arrow flew through the air, piercing its shoulder, and sending a shard of the Shikon Jewel flying out…Akina dove forward and caught it…
"Get out of the way!" called Miroku, running up, just now arriving from the outskirts of the village. Akina tried to move out of the way, but her body, just wouldn't obey…She felt Inuyasha's clawed hands go around her as she was suddenly flying away…
And with a burst of wind the toad was gone…Akina smiled…she had helped to kill her first demon…
And then she felt the darkness that had been gathering at the corners of her eyes completely envelop her…
888888888888
"Is she okay?" asked Kagome as Inuyasha set the unconscious Akina down.
"I'm guessing so…she should be fine." He said, looking at Kagome softly.
"I have never seen anyone fight like her before." Said Miroku, kneeling down with the rest of them. "The only thing close to it that I have witnessed is the style the samurai fight."
Kagome smiled at him for a moment before she began to look for the jewel shard she had shot out of the thing's back.
"You have to remember Miroku, that Akina is from a different time…the techniques have gotten better as time has gone on." She opened her hand and smiled as she picked up the shard.
"But all the same Kagome," said Miroku, "She posses unusual talent in battle, in both close and long range combat…"
Kagome frowned slightly. "That's true. I've only ever heard of black belts and above being able to fight like that…"
"Well at least she did her part. I'm glad to see that she can fend for herself, so I don't have to." quipped Inuyasha, crossing his arms with an arrogant sniff.
"And all that arguing you did, saying she wasn't!" Kagome laughed. "I think she's proving herself to be quite useful!"
Inuyasha glared at Kagome for a moment, then growled, getting up from his crouched position.
"I'm gonna go check on Kaede…you try to wake her up." He said, turning and huffing off.
Kagome just laughed, and turned back to Akina. Her friend was strange, that was for sure, but she was definitely now an invaluable part of their shard-hunting group…
888888888888
Yay? Nay? Please review! gets on knees I'm begging here! -
