Sango was the first to climb from the well. She looked around at what had once been their home. Everything was, well, destroyed. Sango sucked in a quick breath. "Guys…" she didn't have to say anymore.
InuYasha and Miroku climbed out finally. "Uh-oh…" Miroku muttered. InuYasha transformed and sniffed around. Kohaku had come running.
"Sango!" He latched on to his sister. Sango hugged him.
"Kohaku, it's okay," Sango whispered. Miroku looked at a strangely marked tree. It looked like it has the Band of Sevens mark on it.
"InuYasha, come take a look at this…" He gestured over at the half demon. When he looked at the strange markings, InuYasha's brow furrowed.
"That…that look's like Kagome's writing, but it's the Band of Seven's…symbols." InuYasha ran his hand over the marked tree. It seemed to pulse with his own heart. "I think…I think Kagome's in danger…" He turned back to Kohaku and Sango, "More danger then she'd been in with us…" he added.
Miroku and Sango exchanged glances. "Sango and I will go back to the village and tell Kaede, Kohaku, would you like to help us?" Miroku looked at the 12 year old in Sango's arms. He nodded.
"I would be glad to help my sister and her friends." He smiled and bowed to Miroku. Sango smiled.
"Let's go, InuYasha, you should get going too." She shouted over her shoulder taking Kohaku's hand and jogging after Miroku who had started down the hill towards Kaede's village.
InuYasha nodded to himself as the others disappeared down the hill. "I'll save you Kagome…" InuYasha whispered to the air and began running downhill.
Kagome felt the pulse from the marked tree near the well. She was chained to a wall, and wrapped in nothing mare that just a white Kimono. The waist tie was around her in a loose bow. "You'll never get away with this!" She hissed to Jakotsu.
"Oh?" the girl turned from the window to face Kagome. "We already have. InuYasha can sniff us out, but he won't be able to find us. Thanks to Renkotsu's cloaking devices…" she gestured over at the jewel shards emanating a black light. Kagome frowned.
"InuYasha will save me! And he will defeat you!" Bankotsu entered as she finished.
"That stupid half breed? Pfff, he might find where we are located, but he'll never be able to save you…" Kagome looked up at what Bankotsu was holding. It was one of the black shards from the tabled that helped to put the cloak around their base.
Kagome squirmed a bit. "Shields always have a fault." She muttered and looked up at the two standing near the doorway. "And, yours, I've already figured out where there's a weak spot, and another fault…" She snickered and stopped. "But I'm not telling you…" then a softer but not black light started to emanate from around her body. It was the color of the sunset, pink, orange, gold, and purple. The colors were swirling around her in an aura, or shield.
The two resurrected assassins gasped and backed away slightly. Bankotsu was the first to speak. "Ah, so I get a girl with demonic powers as well. Tell me, Kagome, where did…" he trailed off, know full well how she had acquired such strength.
InuYasha jumped from branch to branch, a good 2 ½ miles ahead of the others. Sango followed the sound of breaking trees. "He's getting stronger with every step…" Miroku said as an entire tree collapsed after InuYasha had jumped to the next.
"I've heard that when some one the need to protect, their adrenalin reaches such dangerously high levels that they get super human strength for short periods of time…but, InuYasha already is very strong, he's…" Sango stopped rambling and watched as more trees fell over in InuYasha's wake.
"He's too strong." Miroku stated. Sango nodded. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, they'd been searching for three hours now, and every one was tired, well, every one, except InuYasha.
Kagome broke her bindings and quickly retied the small obi of the small kimono. "I'm getting out of here!" She ran for the door but Bankotsu stopped her.
"You're not going any where Kagome. I've claimed you! You're mine now!" His calm voice took on a new sound, anger, it frightened Kagome. She was forced to step back.
InuYasha stopped. Kagome was some where in the clearing he was in. He saw a small open spot in the castles cloaking. "Sango! Miroku! I've found her!" Then he cracked the cloaking shield even more. Sango and Miroku flew in after him.
"Kirara's too tired…she'll never be able to fight…" Sango said as they walked through the narrow corridor. InuYasha nodded.
"She should go to Kaede then…We can handle these two ourselves…" He sounded so confident, but even he didn't know what was waiting for them.
Kagome struggled in Bankotsu's vice like grip. "I said…You're MINE!" He threw her against the wall. Instantly, she was bound to that spot by vines. The others heard a loud bang.
"C'mon!" InuYasha ran through the corridor searching for the source of the bang. He could he muffled shouting, he followed it. Sango gasped when he stopped. The door he was in front of was closed. Two silhouettes moved about in the room. On the wall, he could just barely make out the form of a struggling girl. "Kagome…" He said quietly.
Jakotsu was the first to see the three silhouettes of InuYasha, Miroku and Sango. "Come to rescue your friend have you?" The doors slid violently open.
Sango and Miroku instantly tensed. InuYasha folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, we have, now just hand Kagome over and there won't have to be any bloodshed from either of you." This wasn't like InuYasha at all.
"Oh, so you don't want a fight then Half-Breed?" Bankotsus voice seemed to threaten them. InuYasha growled.
"I said, hand Kagome over…" His right hand moved to Tetsaigas hilt. Sango tightened her grip on her boomerang, and Miroku pulled on the beads that hid his wind tunnel.
Bankotsu and Jakotsu laughed. Both of them grabbed their swords and held them at arms length. "Bring it on!" they challenged. InuYasha growled.
Kagome could only watch from where she was, bound to the wall with vines, chains, and rope. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "InuYasha! Be careful!" She begged him. Silent pleads filled her head, don't die, please! Stay alive…Don't die InuYasha…
Suddenly Sango and Miroku were in front of the priestess. "Kagome, we're gunna get you out of here…" Sango whispered. Kagome tried to nod but the vine around her neck squeezed tighter.
"Hurry…these things are getting tighter by the minute…" Air was being sucked from the humans' lungs. InuYasha jumped back when he saw the chains, rope and vines twitch.
He quickly blocked an attack, and then held the two offenders at sword point. "Kill her…and I swear…I'll feed you too Naraku…" His voice growled with anger and hurt. No one was going to take Kagome away from him.
"Is that an empty threat I hear circulating in here?" Jakotsu laughed and re-sheathed her blade. "I suppose I'll be going then. Bankotsu, you're on your own. I don't need to be fed to some weird guy. See yah!" And she jumped off.
Kagome again started to squirm, the ropes, vines, and chains that held her tightened. At this rate, she'd be squeezed to death. InuYasha ran at Bankotsu, Tetsaiga ready to kill. "Die! You bastard!" He yelled. Tetsaiga glowed a golden color, as he swung; it seemed to unleash a burst of power that shattered Bankotsu's Halberd.
"What!" The reincarnate gasped. He turned to Kagome. "I'll come back for you! I swear!" Then he turned his back on the priestess and disappeared.
"Where the hell did he go?" InuYasha was furious. That stupid zombie was going down! But it seemed, not now. Since the zombie had disappeared. The restraints on Kagome loosened and she fell to the ground.
"InuYasha…sit…" She mumbled before passing out. The half demons form crashed into the floor. Sango and Miroku ran over to Kagome first. At that moment, Kirara, Shippo and Kaede came flying through the door.
"Kaede! Oh am I so glad to see you!" Sango said bowing to the old woman. InuYasha sat up.
"Is Kagome alright?" His voice was calm now. Miroku nodded. He stood up and walked over to where InuYasha was.
"She has a pulse…she's just unconscious. She should be awake in a few hours or so…" He said. InuYasha got up. He crossed his arms and glared at the spot she had been bound to.
"Stupid Bankotsu…can't even finish a damn fight…" He looked around the dark room. "Let's go…" He said picking up Kagome's small form. Miroku looked around the small room they we're in. A symbol, resembling that of a dragon was burnt into the wall.
"What's that?" Miroku asked pointing at it. Sango and Shippo took a closer look. The funny symbol took on a reddish orange glow. "I don't have a good feeling…c'mon, the sooner we get out of here, the safer we'll all be…" Shippo turned into his ball like form.
They finally reached the village. It had seemed as though it had taken a few hours, though in reality it had only taken a few minutes. The sky, though dark it was, everything seemed to be bright as day. Something was up. InuYasha laid Kagome on the pallet inside Kaede's house. "She'll be fine InuYasha…do not worry" the old woman said to the half demon before ushering, him, Sango and Miroku outside.
InuYasha grumbled something about going for a walk. Then he headed in the direction of the forest. Sango and Miroku looked at each other. They were both silent for a long time. "I'll go after him…" Sango said calling Kirara to her side. Miroku nodded.
"If Kagome wakes up, I'll tell her." He waved to the demon slayer as she disappeared into the forest. Sango nodded and hopped onto Kirara's back. Miroku walked back into the small house and sat near Kagome. Hope she wakes up soon... he thought.
InuYasha slowed to a walk when he neared a lake. He could smell Kirara and Sango, but he ignored it. He stuck his finger into the water and swirled it around. "InuYasha?" He heard Sango approach him. "What's the matter? You seem upset…" She said. InuYasha shrugged. The demon slayer sat down beside him. "Kagome should be waking up soon…" She added.
"I shouldn't even be here…this is all a mistake…" InuYasha muttered. Kagome will never forgive me…I was about to give up on her…If she finds out, I'll get "sat" down to hell…InuYasha thought sadly.
Sango leaned against his strong shoulder. "No…don't talk like that…if Kagome hadn't released you from the Sacred Tree…we never would've met you…and…" She trailed. InuYasha's ears twitched.
"And what?" He asked the girl. Sango shook her head. InuYasha nudged her. "Tell me…" he said. Sango looked at the water, she reached in and picked up a small, smooth stone.
"I never would've realized…that not all demons are…evil…" She said and tossed the rock back. It skipped over the water four times before sinking. Kirara purred against Sango's left knee.
InuYasha watched as the bubbles floated and popped on the surface. He paused. There was an awkward silence for what seemed like forever. Then the white haired half demon spoke. "At least you knew your father…" He spoke to her in a dark tone. It was almost scary to the fearless demon slayer.
"What do you mean?" She asked stroking her twin-tailed cat demons soft fur. InuYasha shrugged.
"I donno…" He said. His little dog ears twitched. Sango smiled. Maybe, maybe InuYasha wasn't such a jerk after all.