Chapter 9, In the Woods With My Worst Enemy

Sakura Prietess: once more a new chapter, enjoy! And once again, a huge thanks goes out to my reviewers! But the story's drifting further and further away from Romeo and Juliet, ne?

"Curse it, just where is that Inuyasha?" Miroku muttered under his breath. It was a perfect, cozy, sunny morning and because of his problem-prone friend, he didn't get to sleep in. Didn't he come for a vacation? But all's well. He might do a little sight-seeing, taste some of Shikon's famous ramen, and… Oh, pretty ladies! Miroku's eyes went sparkly and fixed dead on those round, alluring butt… um, I mean,faces. He flexed his fingers, hmm, where to begin…

Fifteen minutes later, he was forced to hide in a roadside teahouse for every young lady on the street screamed when they saw his face. Miroku sighed, he was the only monk in all of Japan who truly appreciate their butt… Ahem, BEAUTY, and was also handsome to boot. Why did they have to slap him away?

Miroku took a seep of tea, but his relaxation was interrupted by loud noises coming from the streets outside. He looked out, and saw a huge band of armed soldiers marching down the cobbled street, shooing aside the citizens. Oh my, thought Miroku, it's as if Shikon's going to war!

"Hey, haven't you heard?" whisperings from the nearby tables drifted into Miroku's ears. "The Princess was missing!"

"Yeah, it's news all around town. They say someone abducted her!'

Miroku narrowed his eyes and listened on.

"They say she was missing from her bedroom, and a demon took her away!'

"Her fiancée, that Prince Koga, was really mad, or so I heard."

"Who could blame him? His future wife was stolen practically from right under his nose…"

"A rumour's been going on saying that it's the Princess's secret boyfriend…"

"Or do you think it's the dog demons again?"

"The Emperor is using half the army trying to find her…"

"What a shame. The demons took the Jewel of Shikon."

Miroku couldn't listen anymore. Right now he was pretty sure what his hanyou friend was up to and he's got to find him quick. He sighed, so much for don't do anything rash! Miroku stood up and paid for his bills. He left quickly after bowing humbly to the teahouse owner. Then, he hurried towards the outskirts of the city, totally unaware of the stealthy warrior following him.

The first thing Kagome was aware of was that she was cuddled against something warm. It felt like she was being held in someone's arms, just like her mother used to do sometimes when she was little. Instinctively, she moaned in content and huddled closer.

"What are you doing wench?" came a gruff reply.

She opened her eyes and…

"Ahhh!"

"KEEP IT DOWN!" Inuyasha shouted. His ears hurt but he couldn't cover them because he was holding Kagome.

Kagome wanted to get out of his grip, but couldn't because she realized that they were leaping through the air, jumping from treetop to treetop.

"Why did you kidnap me!" demanded Kagome angrily, yesterday's events flashing in her mind.

"What, are you so stupid that you couldn't figure this out?" Inuyasha retorted.

"I get it!" said Kagome, "This is another scheme thought out by you dog demons to take over my country, isn't it?"

Inuyasha nearly fell over. "Did hurt your head when you were a child? Of course not! I took you because I want you to find that priestess so I can take these stupid beads off!"

"Oh, yeah, right," Kagome chuckled nervously, "you did tell me that yesterday."

"Exactly."

Kagome wouldn't give up. "You know, my father's probably called on the entire army to search for me, and when you're caught, he could execute you!"

"IF I'm caught, (which I won't be), I highly doubt that your father dares executing a prince of the Western Lands." Inuyasha smirked.

"Well… then my fiancée will find you! I'm telling you, he's REALLY possessive!" Kagome didn't want to sink as low as using Kouga as a shield, but this was her last straw.

Inuyasha frowned slightly, she has a fiancée already? A nasty, tingling feeling began to tug in his stomach, but he quickly brushed it away. The smirk once again returned to his face.

"Feh! I doubt a rude, obnoxious little wench like you could ever find a fiancée! Even if you did, then he's either lost a bet or was forced into it 'cause he's broke or somethin'."

"You, you…" Kagome stammered in fury. Then, she remembered a certain little something, the very reason she was here…

"Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, and SIT!"

Miroku stumped his staff or the ground and sat on a rock. He sighed deeply. All that walking and no Inuyasha. He was pretty sure he'd gone into the forest. But then again, his hanyou friend's speed was inhuman, and he could also jump to the top of a cliff in one leap, a cliff that could take him days to climb. But Miroku had no choice but to chase Inuyasha, for the little prank between him and the Princess was now getting very out of hand.

Just when Miroku was angsting over the time he wasted on finding Inuyasha when he could've been hitting on pretty Shikon girls, he felt a presence hiding in the bushes behind him.

Miroku silently cursed himself. How could he have missed this earlier? Now that he thought about it, the presence had been following him for a while now. Usually even the slyest demon couldn't escape his acute ki-sensing ability, but this time it's different. The person following him had to be a skilled tracker and a… human?

"Who are you?" Miroku asked calmly but forcefully, "Show yourself!"

All he got was silence.

"Alright! I'll just have to force you out!" he held out his staff, trying to pinpoint the exact hiding spot of his mysterious foe.

"Aha!" His staff pointed out a spot in the bushes. But when he was about to throw his sacred sutras, something large flew out of the trees. He dodged it, but barely.

"What the…" Miroku was startled. Then he heard the whooshing sound of the object soaring towards him again, this time from behind. He threw out the sutras, but it had no effect whatsoever on the flying weapon. It promptly flew back into the bushes where its owner was.

That weapon, so familiar…

"Sutras have no effect on the Hiraikotsu." Said a voice among the trees. "They are useful on demons, but my weapon, though made of demon bones, has long been purified. Now, it's a righteous weapon."

Miroku looked ahead, and saw the figure of a young woman wearing tight, black armour. The large flying boomerang was now held behind her shoulders.

Miroku breathed deeply. So that weapon was the legendary Hiraikotsu (flying bone) of the Taijiya! He remembered now! And this girl, she must be a demon slayer.

Miroku put down his staff and held out his hands in a peaceful gesture, "Hey! I'm not your enemy. At least I hope not. Look, let's stop fighting and no harm's done."

The girl thought about it and slowly lowered her weapon. Miroku took a step closer and they came face to face. Then, she took off her gas mask.

Miroku gasped, "YOU!"

Having unleashed her fury, Kagome stomped off and left a very pained Inuyasha lying face down in a crater. Then, it occurred to her. She could use this opportunity to escape and leave the dog loser to EAT DIRT! She made a face towards the small crater where her captor was in, twitching in semi-consciousness, and ran deeper into the woods.

Kagome ran and ran. Finally, she was out of breath and stopped. Only then did it occur to her that she didn't even think about the direction she was running in. She looked around, all she saw were trees and wild flowers growing among the deep grass, ever the same yet unfamiliar. After wandering around aimlessly looking for a path of some sort, she sighed in defeat. She was now hopelessly lost.

Rustle, rustle…

Something's stirring up the forest. Kagome felt a strong demonic aura, and it did not belong to the Dog Demon Prince.

Rustle, rustle…

Now, Kagome really wished that she hadn't left her captor's side.

"You are that lovely lady I met on the banquet!" exclaimed Miroku. "Come to think of it, I also saw you on the streets that day with your companion. And she's the Hime-sama herself, right?"

"Hmpf! And you are the friend of Prince Inuyasha, the younger son of the Dog Demon Lord Inutaisho. I've been following you since the teahouse. Tell me, where is Princess Kagome?" Sango demanded.

"Apparently, I've been trying to solve that myself," sighed Miroku. "You see, I believe Prince Inuyasha kidnapped your Princess for she placed a necklace of sacred prayer beads around his neck as a form of humiliation. And if I know Inuyasha, he probably took her without proper thinking in the hopes that she'll take it off of him."

"I do know for a fact that Kagome-sama did put prayer beads on Prince Inuyasha. But how can I trust you that you weren't on a spy mission for the Dog Demon Lord?" questioned Sango.

"My dear lady," Miroku smiled charmingly, "I assure you that the Prince and I were only friendly tourists up until the recent incident. We only came to Shikon on a harmless vacation, for we have heard for a long time about the beauty and grandness of your land." He took another step closer. "If you are Lord Inutaisho, would you send a dope-head such as Inuyasha on an important spy mission?"

Sango thought about it, she had to agree. "I think I believe you. Our common goal now is to find Kagome and Inuyasha as soon as possible. It would be in our best interest to avoid a war."

"Yes my beautiful lady," Miroku grinned, "we'll do just that."

Sango narrowed her eyes, there's something fishy about that grin on the monk's face. What was he up to? Then…

"HANDS OFF MY BUTT YOU PERVERT!"

"Ouch!"

Kagome could sense the demon coming closer and closer, she fumbled over what she should do. Should she run? No, she had no chance of outrunning it. Besides, she would get herself lost even more. Should she stay and fight then? That's an even stupider idea.

She hadn't got a weapon, and she was sure she would've been the demon's lunch in five seconds if she fights barehanded. What to do, what to do…

The thumping of the demon's feet thundered through the forest, nearly deafening Kagome's ears. Then, an arm as large as a pine tree came down from the skies and grabbing directly for her.

"Ahhh!" Kagome let out an ear-piercing scream as the demon's hand closed around her thin body. The excruciating pain and a sickening cracking sound told her it probably broke a few bones.

"You…you've got it! Don't you, girl?" the demon growled.

"Got…what?" Kagome said in agony, barely looking up at the demon's ugly head.

"Don't deny it! I need it, I need the power!" the demon's grip tightened, it felt as if it was trying to squeeze the very life out of her.

Kagome groaned in pain, it felt like every bone and muscle in her body was going to be broken and crushed. Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, something strange happened.

The pain subsided, more like blocked out, distant and blurry. Kagome felt her body being enveloped in a warm, bright pink light. The light seemed to come from inside her. She no longer felt weak, she no longer felt afraid. All that she was aware of was how much strength she was given by the warmth of the light. Someway or another (her body seemed to be acting on its own accord) her left arm wriggled free of the demon's grasp and a bright beam shot out from it. It seemed that she had hit something, because seconds later, she heard the demon's howl of anguish.

The demon's grip weakened and Kagome found herself falling towards the ground, the light had disappeared and she was now very, very panicked. But then, a flash of red leaped towards her, and she felt someone holding her in his arms.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

Kagome opened her eyes and saw the demon being chopped into pieces. The dog demon prince was looking at her quite concernedly.

"Are…are you all right?" he asked.

Kagome tried to sit up, but couldn't. It felt like all the energy had been drained out of her, she had not a trickle of strength left in her body.

"In… Inuyasha was it?" she struggled out the hanyou's name, "Thank…you for saving…me."

Inuyasha blushed slightly, but luckily Kagome was too weak to notice. To hide his embarrassment, he asked, "What was that light that was coming from you earlier?"

"I…don't know," answered Kagome, she didn't even the strength to think.

Suddenly, Inuyasha's ears twitched as he sensed someone coming their way. He clutched Kagome tighter.

A figure clad in white and red riding astride on top of a brown mare came out from the trees. It was an elderly woman carrying a bow and a flight of arrows.

"Are you a priestess?" Inuyasha interrogated.

"Aye, aye," replied the priestess kindly, "and this young lady is hurt, I see? Then, you need my help."

Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously but showed Kagome to her. The priestess leaned in.

Kagome's sight was still blurry from the pain, but she managed to see an kind old lady, whose lined but wise face brought out the memory of a gloomy rainy day through the fog of her mind.

"Lady…Kaede…" was the last thing she said before sinking into unconsciousness.