"Not that I'm complaining," Sango began, "but why aren't you riding with Inuyasha?"
"I just can't right now," Kagome replied glumly. She was seated in what had quite recently been Miroku's place, behind Sango on Kirara's back, holding on for dear life as they raced along the edge of the forest. They had waited only long enough to regroup, while Miroku explained his theory about what they had encountered inside the mountain and Sango slipped away to change into her battle armor, before giving chase.
Up ahead, the hell wasp still led the way. Sango was empathetic to Kagome's plight, but couldn't afford to let her attention slip too much just now, lest she miss where the creature was leading them. And she wasn't sure she really wanted to stir up more emotional trouble for Kagome, anyway. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do, no matter how curious she was.
For now she needed to focus on the task at hand. The trip up the mountain had taken a lot out of her, and there was no telling what still lay ahead… though with Naraku involved, it was likely to be dangerous.
Strange youkai flew up from behind them, startling Sango at first. They moved so quickly that they soon surpassed Kirara's pace in their onward rush. Long, serpentine, and vaguely insectoid, each creature carried a small orb of glowing blue flame beneath it.
"Soul carriers," Sango said, surprised. She had heard of such things, but never seen them herself. And she had certainly never heard of so many gathering in one place before. What could have brought them here?
"That means Kikyou's nearby," Kagome told her, answering the unspoken question.
The soul carriers raced ahead, eerily silent but swift. Up ahead, the place where they disappeared into the trees was shrouded in thick fog.
"Fog?" Kagome asked. "That doesn't seem normal."
Sango had been thinking the same thing, and having unpleasant memories of climbing the mountain containing the kodoku-cavern earlier that day. If this was the same sort of fog…
"Not only that," Miroku chimed in, pulling her out of her thoughts as he dropped back to run alongside Kirara, "it means Naraku has most likely set a trap. Don't be careless, Inuyasha."
The hanyou huffed. "Yeah, like I don't know that."
They all knew it, but they had no choice. If they wanted to rescue Kikyou, they would need to go into the fog, and into Naraku's trap.