"Rin! Rin, where are you?"
Kohaku's voice seemed to be swallowed by the trees, the mist muffling his words as he ran through the darkness. Demons quick in pursuit, the taijiya ducked around the side of a hollow trunk. When the demons circled to chase him, they flew right overhead, missing the boy hidden in the roots.
Panting for breath Kohaku scanned the trees once more.
"Rin!" He called out her name again, searching for any sign of her or Futeki.
He was met with silence.
Where did they go? The young slayer was baffled. After they'd fallen from Ah-Un's saddle he'd just barely managed to grab Rin in time to save her from hitting the ground. He'd seen the white flash of Futeki's tail as the little hanyou hit the Earth, and he instantly feared the worst.
Kohaku hadn't been able to stop Rin from running after her brother, but just as he turned to follow her the young girl dissipated before his eyes, her body vanishing into mist.
The young taijiya frantically searched the area, but there was absolutely no sign of them.
Even worse, it almost seemed as if the forest around him were shifting. When he turned to retrace his steps, he realized with a start that he had no idea where he was.
Screams of terror and the shouts of demons echoed through the forest.
Ryu, Aizou, Kohaku turned towards the noises, They're still in danger with the rest of the villagers, I can't leave them. He ran towards the voices, hoping that maybe Rin had managed to do the same and he'd find her and Futeki waiting with the rest of the villagers. The very same villagers that he'd last seen under assault from a swarm of demons…
Lady Kaede is with them, he told himself as he ran, Shippo and Jaken too. I'm on my way back please hold on!
Worry tore at his heart as he thought Ryu and Aizou, he promised Sango that he would protect them. His heart raced with each step, terror clouded his thoughts with each scream that shot through the mist, but the further he ran the further away the voices grew.
"Lady Kaede!" He called out, "Shippo! Where are you?"
With a loud snap the tree in front of him suddenly crashed to the ground, smoking with miasma as its bark turned white and shriveled away. Kohaku barely managed to leap away and avoid being caught underneath. Darting around the fallen tree, he looked around and noticed that more of the forest decayed and falling to the earth.
"Lady Kaede!" He shouted again, his heart growing cold when the voices vanished, "Jaken! Rin! Anybody!"
A shadow appeared ahead in the mist racing towards him. Gripping his scythe, Kohaku prepared to defend himself, but his eyes widened when the frightened face of a woman came into view.
"Someone help me!" She shrieked, "Please save me!" It was one of the villagers, racing in terror from a giant scorpion, venom dripping from its mouth and stinger.
"Hold on, I'm coming!" Kohaku shouted, racing towards them. He raised his weapon, but just before it hit, the scorpion and the woman vanished, completely dissolving into the mist. Kohaku's feet hit the earth, dust flying into the air as he glanced around wildly.
"Wait!" He called out, "Where are you?"
Distant screams floated through the air, but the woman was gone. Kohaku raced onwards again, terror clawing at his heart, fear tearing through his mind. Had the villagers scattered? What happened to them? Where was everyone, what was going on?
Ryu, Aizou, his frightened heart called out, Rin, where did you go?!
Another shadow appeared, another of the villagers being hunted by a demon. Kohaku once more prepared to help, but once again the mist swallowed them and they vanished. Again and again, hunted villagers began to appear and dissipate, the earth slowly cracking and splitting beneath their feet, the woods burning with black fire around them. Kohaku called out to them, but it was though they were deaf to his voice.
Suddenly a feral growling sounded behind him. The young slayer turned and was met with blood red eyes, the angry fangs of a mad dog turned against him.
"Futeki?!" Kohaku exclaimed. The young hanyou looked at him without recognition, a demon's face replacing the child. Before the taijiya could react, Futeki leapt towards him, claws extended and ready to attack.
Mere inches from Kohaku's face, Futeki dissolved.
There was a roar behind him. Kohaku turned to see a giant snake preparing to strike, when Futeki reappeared and bowled into the beast. The hanyou and the demon rolled across the ground, blood flying into the sky as their enraged snarls rang out through the mist. Without warning they both dissolved.
"Futeki!" Kohaku shouted as he charged forward. In the distance he saw their shadows appear again, rolling as they battled, rage coating their voices as they dissolved once more and faded into view further away. The taijiya raced towards the beasts, intent on capturing the hanyou before the serpent could kill him.
He survived the fall, but what happened to him?!
When he heard their snarls coming from the other side of a fallen tree, Kohaku leapt over it. What he saw made him freeze, eyes widening in horror.
The edge of a cliff, mere inches from his feet, looked over the forest and mountains beyond. The dark circle he and Rin had seen Kohana and Ronuku forming now encompassed the entire area, the sky above had turned black and glittered with fire, swirled with miasma as demons faded in and out of view. Large chunks of earth were cracking apart from the mountains, boulders and trees flying into the sky and vanishing into thin air. The terrified screams from the villagers echoed from both the forest below and the sky above.
No…Ryu, Aizou, Rin…Sis! Everyone!
Wherever the others were, they were all trapped in this hellish dome, as the earth below was swallowed into the world above. It surrounded them completely, everywhere he looked Kohaku only saw darkness.
There was no way out.
Kohaku nearly dropped to his knees, his mouth fell in despair.
What…what do I do?
There was a low rumble, the ground beneath his feet trembled, when suddenly there was a loud crack. The edge of the cliff broke away, crumbling as it flew towards the sky. The chunk of earth beneath him rolled, and Kohaku quickly found himself faced with another drop. As he plummeted towards the ground, he gripped his weapon and tried to find a way to stop his fall, but the miasma below blocked everything from view.
Wincing, he crossed his arms and braced for impact.
Suddenly his back wrenched, something sharp dug into his armor and held him suspended in mid-air. Heart thudding, Kohaku spun and shouted, prepared to strike his attacker with his scythe. When the taijiya saw what gripped him, he immediately stopped, astonishment shooting across his face like lightning.
"I-it's…You!"