Hey everyone! How are you? I'm doing better!

Here is another installment of the story! Hope you enjoy it!

Kagome watched as the huge jade statue flew towards InuYasha with amazing speed. Its mouth dripped with blood of its past victims, and its cold eyes were focused on InuYasha, intent on making him its next casualty.

InuYasha side stepped the falsely animated creature effortlessly, his gaze never leaving Naraku's face.

Kagome quickly pulled out her bow and arrow and shot at the beast. Her arrow didn't pierce the stone skin, but her miko power did flow into the artifact. It forced out the demon spirit that had possessed it, then sent the ShiShi itself shattering into a thousand pieces.

Naraku sneered at this, then smirked at InuYasha.

"So, you're letting a woman fight your battles for you now?" He asked accusingly, smiling as the embarrassment crossed InuYasha's face. He then summoned three more of the ShiShi and directed them towards Kagome.

Kagome gulped as she watched the three enormous beasts stampeding towards her, and tried to steady her bow in order to shoot. At the last moment, just as she was sure she'd seen the last of her life, she was pulled into the air.

She looked up and saw Sango. She was atop Kirara and was carrying Kagome by the waist of her skirt. Kagome smiled her gratefulness, then focused on the ShiShi below them. She took care of the three that had nearly ended her existence, and Sango pulled her up behind her on Kirara's back.

"Let's go find the remaining four, and dispose of them!" Sango nodded at Kagome's request, and Kirara immediately started scouting.

InuYasha growled and flexed his knuckles.

"She can fight her own battles." He retorted snidely.

Naraku simply laughed, then glared up at the girls atop Kirara's back.

"Well, let's see how she deals with me..."

He readied himself to fly up to the girls, but before he was more than a foot off the ground, he was suddenly flying towards a tree instead. He pulled himself off the ground with a growl, then refocused on his attacker.

InuYasha stood with his arm still extended from the blow he had delivered to Naraku. He slowly pulled his fist back and let his hand fall to his side as he returned to the stance he had held before. He glared up at Naraku with a vicious yet sadistic smirk across his face.

"I think not." He said calmly. He rolled his shoulders, then flexed his knuckles again. "You'll only get to them through me."

Naraku stood to his full height, and glared across the clearing. The silence was almost deadly as the two men stood their ground, their eyes locked in a mutual hatred.

Finally, Naraku grinned.

"Well, that should be a fairly easy task, seeing that you have transformed to the form that suits you." Naraku grinned as he watched InuYasha visibly tense. "Yes, that weak, defenseless, puny body... it fits you quite well, wouldn't you think? I mean, why not be like the useless trash that you so foolishly protect?"

InuYasha growled at Naraku's rude comments, but before he could say anything, he was cut of by a growl beside him. He spared a quick glance, and saw Miroku standing beside him, a look of livid anger blazed across his face. He had his wind tunnel ready, and he looked as if his blood was boiling.

"I'll show you useless..." He growled, whipping his prayer beads off his hand and aiming his hand at Naraku as his wind tunnel roared to life.

"Whew, that was the last of them." Kagome sighed as she watched the ShiShi burst into tiny shards of Jade.

"Let's return to the men." Sango proposed. Kagome nodded and Kirara turned and flew back to where they had come.

" Foolish human." Naraku hissed as he called forth his poisonous insects.

Miroku gasped, then covered his wind tunnel in embarrassed defeat.

"Did you forget my pets in your fit of rage, you witless idiot?" Naraku turned his gaze to InuYasha. "As I said, that human body of yours fits you nicely. This human just showed the same quality of planning as you. Then again, maybe it's your stupidity that's rubbing off on your human companions..."

InuYasha growled angrily. He was tiring of this game of insults, and Miroku was not helping his patience.

"Miroku, step aside. I can handle this pathetic being on my own."

Miroku started to protest, but then he caught the hint of warning to InuYasha's words. The monk silently stepped back into the shadows, making sure to be remain ready, in the case InuYasha might require his help.

Naraku turned his gaze once again to InuYasha, a gleam of amusement in his eyes

"So you can handle me on your own, can you?" He spoke the words coolly and confidently.

InuYasha sneered. "Damn right, you bastard!" The last word was an enraged howl at InuYasha lunged forward. He sped up to Naraku and pulled his hand back to deliver the blow, but all there was to aim at was the tree he had sent Naraku into a few minutes ago.

He growled and whipped around, only to have a sharp punch slammed into his gut. He winced at the pain, but refused to double over. He quickly swung his fist at the face in front of him, but hit nothing but air as the figure dashed away.

Naraku stood at the side of the clearing opposite InuYasha. He smiled at how easy it had been to hit the hanyou, now that he was human.

'This is too easy.' He thought to himself as he prepared to ambush the young man again. 'I'll make it easy for him.' He rushed forward, catching the bewildering youth off his guard once again.

InuYasha had barely regained his bearings when Naraku caught him up by his collar. He struggled to look down at the evil hanyou, cursing the new moon for the millionth time that night.

"How about I make this easy for you, and finish you off quickly?" Naraku asked, triumph dripping from his words.

InuYasha struggled against Naraku's hold, only causing his shit-eating grin to become wider.

"Well? What do you think of my generous offer? Are you going to take me up on it, or not?"

InuYasha growled. "Never."

Naraku sneered and sent InuYasha's weakened body flying across the clearing, landing in an unceremonious heap.

"Fine." he snarled. "Then I'll simply finish you off quickly for my sake. You see, I have very little time to waste on things like you." With that said, Naraku strode over to InuYasha. He stood above him for a moment, studying him, then knelt beside the tattered boy. He took a dagger from his waist and pulled it above his head, ready to attack. Before he could land the blow, however, an arrow shot past him, landing a few inches from InuYasha's head, barely missing his own.

Naraku hissed and turned to look above him. Kagome sat atop Kirara, her bow already loaded and ready, aimed at his heart. She had arrived in time to hear Naraku threaten InuYasha's life, and had instantly decided to aid her fallen friend. She knew she would be chided later for interfering, but at least he's be alive to yell at her.

She now glared down at Naraku, a hatred burning deep inside her that she had never known she had. He looked back up at her with a look of pure amusement, which only worsened her anger.

"You may want to improve your aim, dear girl. You almost hurt the man you were trying to protect."

"I hit where I meant to. That was a warning shot. The next won't miss." With this said, Kagome fired her arrow. It flew in a straight, strong line towards his chest, but the hanyou easily deflected it with his arm.

"Foolish child. Quit wasting my time." He summoned his insects and they suddenly surrounded Kagome, Sango and Kirara. Kagome's eyes widened at the abrupt dismissal and readied her bow once again. She was quickly halted by Sango.

"Kagome, stop. You may hit InuYasha."

Kagome sighed and lowered her weapon. "I failed him." She whispered softly.

"Not yet." Sango said. "Let's go visit that tower."

Kagome caught on and looked at Sango. "Yeah, let's go."

Naraku nearly rolled his eyes at the absurd show Kagome had enacted. 'Did she truly think that she could beat me with her pathetic arrows?' He sighed and turned back to his previous task, his dagger once again high in the arrow, ready to be buried in InuYasha's heart. To his surprise, his prey was not where he had been left. Naraku's eyes widen and he stood quickly, searching the clearing. He seethed at the missed opportunity and flung the dagger into the ground, after seeing the clearing empty.

Yeah, I know... sort of lame huh? Well, the next chapter should finish up this part of the story, then you get to meet another interesting character.... ;) Yay for Lysi! Uh, I mean...

Please Review! :):):)

L.A.