The three shadows that Naraku had sent out crept closer to each of the split groups. One followed the Kouga-tachi, another followed the Usagi-tachi, and the last drifted after the Inu-tachi. Easily they smirked, their steps sure and steady, however the one shadowing the Inu-tachi was about to have an unwelcome surprise.
Kirara was restless, normally riding Kagome or Sango's shoulder she instead was marching behind the group in large form. A soft growl rumbling within her chest, she gazed at the group that housed the ones she cared for, before growling loudly and leaping into the air. "Kirara!" Sango called out, but was ignored as Kirara's form faded into the sunlight.
Sango turned to InuYasha with a semi-pleading gaze to follow the unusual acting Kirara. InuYasha sighed, and nodded, but a chuckle cut any decision to follow. Naraku's form appeared before them with his poisonous insects. Naraku was also accompanied by a floating, depressed looking skull, and a chi chain wrapped around an non-existent neck. "Hosenki, you know what to do." Naraku ordered to his prisoner jerking the chain of energy. InuYasha finally reacted to Naraku's presence, drawing Tetsusaiga and rushing toward him. The skull, denoted as Hosenki sadly glanced at the incoming hanyou, before he started softly chanting, forcing both InuYasha and Kagome down.
InuYasha was gripping his head, withholding cries of pain, as he heard Kagome scream out. He turned as much as he could to see Kagome ripping at the part where she kept the jewel shards. Miroku's angry yell made him also notice the beads on his wind tunnel hand were burning angrily.
Naraku laughed in triumph as he crowed over his achievement. "You see, Hosenki has an interesting power of jewels of any kind." He crowed to them.
Usagi picked up her head in a sharp jerk when she felt a powerful wave washed over her ginzuishou. "There's trouble." She warned the group, and shot off in a designated direction. "Hosenki." Usagi whispered worriedly, as she heard her companions following. InuTashio who was the closest to her, heard the whisper and tilted his head toward her.
"You know Hosenki?" He questioned as they sprinted over the land.
"Yes, he talked to me when I first arrived here." She explained. Sesshomaru noted them talking as they were rushing to where ever the tigress was leading them. Picking up the pace, he efficiently placed himself between the two. Almost sparing a glowering gaze to his father. They were followed by Aun, who was transportation for Kaede, the children, and Jaken. However, Usagi hasn't completely grown out of her clumsy habits when she is running across uneven land. Completely focused on the energy spikes of Hosenki, she caught her ankle in an hidden divot sending her to the ground. Withholding the cry of pain that should of ruptured when she twisted her ankle at an weird angle. Without missing a beat Sesshomaru had caught her, stopping her fall, and picked her up into his arms. Keeping their dead run under her instructions while she nursed the twisted ankle with her ginzuishou.
InuTashio watched all of this out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing and instead smirked, dropping back to run next to Aun. Leaving the pair with plenty of space, his smirk expanded, and turned to Kaede still noticing the berry patches upon her clothing. "I'll get you a replacement kimono, and robes for ruining yours." He promised to hers as the followed the tug of power.
Kirara landed with a loud thud on the shadow that had been tailing them. She pulled back her lips to growl with teeth out, the smell of death fluttered in her nostrils. A light tan bandanna around the skull of the shadow flashed in the sun dipped between the patches in the trees. A gloved hand moved throwing wires of fire at the one perched on top of them. Kirara leapt back and ducked down as the wires continued past her head. As the figure stood, you could see the two almost mauve stripes running vertically over the face of the shadow. They were wider at the base and tipped into elongated M's as it were.
"Ah, so you are swift and where are your companions?" The voice clarified it's sex as a male as he once more flung his wire fires at the demon cat. Kirara dodged once more, and roared out a flame from her mouth toward the deadly male. The fire fight between the two turned deadly serious.
Naraku laughed as he felt one of his new minions powers spike. "Well, it's looks like Renkotsu is about to put one of your companions into the ground." He informed them gleefully as they withered in pain to the still soft chanting of Hosenki. "I believe the cat will be no more." He added as he saw Sango whitened. She charged angrily at him, but he merely swatted away the demon slayer.
Kirara hopped backwards and flying upwards from the range of the fire wire gloves. She nursed her injured shoulder with a soothing lick before turning on the mercenary. Letting out an angry roar as she felt her owner in danger, but couldn't leave as some fire wire's blocked her path back. She dived head first at Renkotsu, sinking below the next shot of his, and let a jet-stream of fire onto his unprotected face. Landing as he fell back holding his charred face. A crusty laugh escape his blackened throat. "You can't kill me." He choked out. Kirara by now was extremely worried as she felt a pain from Sango and Kohaku. Tired of the banter, she leapt forward, and efficiently ripped out his throat, along with the jewel shards that powered his life-span. Spitting out the flesh, she hastily picked up the pink shards her companions coveted and sprinted back to where she felt Sango and Kohaku in danger.
Naraku grew bored with swatting away the two demon slayers and the ringing screams of the rest of the Inu-tachi. "Now to eradicate you permanently." He declared and raised both his arms that morphed into his tree like extremities. One shot toward the demon exterminators, the other toward the kneeling InuYasha and Kagome. However, before his limb made contact with the heart of Sango, familiar teeth sunk into his arm, breaking through it. He hissed and pulled back both his arms as miasma spilled from his body.
Kirara could feel the poison beginning to work, but she halted her natural change back to her small form and leapt toward him once more. This time aiming for the flesh that held the chain around the skull. Crashing through it, she broke the chain long enough for Hosenki to stop chanting of his own will. Causing the others to be free of the spell, and then she landed pitifully in a hunch in her small form. Naraku seeing his chance flung his limb of again, but the cry of 'Fox fire,' from the hidden Shippo, and an angry claw ripping through his arm was enough of a halt. He was greeted with the blazing orbs of gold from InuYasha.
Naraku pulled back, reestablishing control over Hosenki. InuYasha pulled up short, watching the demon wearily. Naraku smirked and pulled back disappearing once more. Cries drew his attention to Sango cradling Kirara, and Kagome also crying as she searched her back pack desperately for the herbs that cured the noxious poison. Yet, the search turned up nothing, as they had yet to replenish them.
InuYasha approached, casting a sorrowful gaze over the group. The small kitten was bleeding heavily from the shoulder, even through the bandage that Kagome had placed over it. He could also see blood leaking from Kirara's mouth as the impact with Naraku's energy had crushed a few internal items. Seeing her struggling to breathe, he nodded to Miroku to turn Kagome away. Sango saw what InuYasha planned to do, and buried Kohaku into her shoulder, as she buried her eyes into his head.
Approaching InuYasha hung his head, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I won't let you suffer." He whispered to Kirara, who struggled with a thankful mew. Drawing Tetsusaiga, he raised it dull side to his face and saluted her. Before gathering strength to bring the blade down upon the suffering kitten. Closing his eyes his blade fell, hearing a thud he turned away. However, his body refused movement, as his sword was halted.
Opening his eyes, he came face first with the sheath of the Tenseiga holding off the Tetsusaiga. "Foolish." was the holder's comment.
"You'll leave her to suffer?" InuYasha yelled out, not fully contemplating who was traveling with his half-brother. Sesshomaru did not respond, as InuYasha rushed at him in anger. He did not move as his emotionally hurt brother came dangerously close to impaling him. For a strong jerk had InuYasha sprawled on the floor. The knock was enough, to start InuYasha mourning silently upon the ground.
"I hardly think Kirara enjoy's seeing you all crying." InuTashio commented as he stood behind his floored son. He had been the one to yank InuYasha back before the blade made contact. This comment confused all of them, forcing the Inu-tachi to gaze at where Kirara lain.
All were pleasantly surprised as they saw Kirara staring at them with a wide-eye stare. Her tails flicked curiously at them as see bounded up to the demon slayers and arranged her self on Sango's shoulder. After she turned to them and offered her opinion. "Mew?" She chirped and that brought them from the state of shock, still not noticing the extended group that traveled with the Inu lords.
"How?" Sango whispered, but Kohaku had caught site of a softly smiling blonde resting slightly against Aun, one hand cupping the ginzuishou. He wiggled out of Sango's hold, and rushed at the blond, hugging her in thanks.
Usagi smiled down at him, running a calming hand through his raven locks. "Well now, I couldn't let such a brave companion of cat notation be hurt." She told them. Elegantly switching dead with hurt instead so is to not bring up bad feelings. Kaede sighed, and smacked the back of Usagi's head.
"Really, that was a dumb comment." Kaede scolded. This broke the apprehension, and a firing of questions, comments, and such other tools of communication began.
Ah...right. Ah, perhaps it be better if I left this one with no comment. I love Kirara a lot, she is an underappreciated character. It also revealed the shadow's identities or at least a hint to the identities.