Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 7:

Sorceress

Inuyasha was taken aback by this mysterious person's comment. Soon, he snapped out of his daze and shook his head. His grip on Tessaiga tightened, not only because his instincts were telling him that this person might be the one targeting him, but also because he was offended that the person had used the term cute on him. Having recovered from his earlier state, he could now see the possibility of retrieving answers.

"Who are you? Are you that Waru person?" he asked, but inwardly knew he had mistaken. Waru sounded like a guy's name and this person was definitely the opposite gender. Just to be sure, he asked, "You are a girl, right?"

"Heavens," the cloaked figure responded and slightly tilted her head. "I am one hundred percent female, hanyou. I am offended you think otherwise."

Ignoring the feigned hurt coming from the cloaked figure, Inuyasha wasted no time and immediately unleashed his Wind Scar, narrowly missing his target. She flew swiftly to the side, and it annoyed him with the fact that she could fly. He may not be able to fly as high as her, but as long she was close to him, he could leap towards her any time he wants. Though, now wasn't necessary to launch at her, since she hadn't made the move to attack yet.

"That's a close one," she laughed. "But can you really defeat me? Even a full-blooded youkai isn't guaranteed to finish me off. You see, I'm a very experienced sorceress."

"Yeah, yeah, cut your yappin'," Inuyasha snapped and shifted his stance into a defensive one. "Now tell me, what does your master want from me?"

More laughter echoed the misty forest. Her shadowed face was facing him now, and even if he couldn't make out any of her features, something tells him that this person was smiling.

"How about you win this first, then you find out?"

Inuyasha took this as a challenge and sent another Wind Scar towards the unknown sorceress. Again, she dodged just by flying and he grew more irritated when she had another fit of laughter. God, even Kagome's friends doesn't seem to be as annoying as her. If he could just hit her once, that would surely shut this person up. Too bad Tessaiga doesn't look like a wise choice of fighting at the moment. Deciding that Tessaiga's attacks take too long to fire, he allowed the sword to return to its rusty form, sheathing it, and at the same time, catching the attention of the sorceress.

"Why..." she struggled to regain composure due to her laughter, "Why aren't you using your sword? Why did you keep it away?"

"Since I can't get you with that thing, that means I gotta rely on my speed," he replied as he cracked his knuckles. Without the sorceress expecting, he leapt forward and swiped his claws, "Sankon Tessou!"

Totally miscalculating the hanyou's speed, Himitsu barely dodged those deadly claws. Her shoulder was grazed and she hissed in pain as she flew away from the hanyou. She revealed her arm from under the cloak, causing Inuyasha to look uncomfortable at the weird symbols on her hand, and she placed her hand over her injured shoulder. She gripped her shoulder before inspecting the blood that came out from her wound. She smiled under the hood, followed by a giggle.

"Not only are you cute, but you're quite strong too," she said and flicked the blood that had gotten on her hands. "No wonder Waru-sama wishes to have you. You are strong. I guess that's how it is for an inu-youkai, even when you're only a hanyou."

Still not fully understanding this person's intentions, Inuyasha could only do as much as raising his guard at the odd behaviour of his enemy. He suspected that she was going to attack, and just like he had guessed, she revealed her other arm—which also had the same markings all over it—in preparation to attack. She lifted both arms above her shoulders and chanted something he couldn't understand.

Inuyasha's eyes darted around the area, waiting for youkai or whatever thing the sorceress was calling to spawn.

After Himitsu had finished chanting, she smiled, eyes looking down upon the hanyou in front of her. "Let's see you dodge this one, hanyou," she uttered.

Inuyasha now noticed a pink glowing line forming on the ground, and soon enough, he was trapped within a ring. He tried stepping out of it, but it seemed like there were invisible walls confining him. He sneered and unsheathed Tessaiga. No matter. If she wanted to trap him and attack, so be it. He may be stuck within this area, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of defending himself.

The world paused for a brief second, and within that span, Inuyasha's eyes widened when the sound of thunder boomed, before bolts of lightning started dropping from the sky above. His eyes watched as those lights were heading straight for him, and if he doesn't dodge those things, something tells him that he was going to black out with one hit.

Miroku closed his Wind Tunnel with the beads. He stared at the surroundings with a frustrated look. No matter how much mist he had sucked in, it seemed like there were always more to replace the ones he had sucked. Either that, or all of this was an illusion—and this person was just blocking their vision to see their hanyou friend.

"No luck?" Sango asked, her hand touching the Hiraikotsu attached to her back, always ready to swing it at a moment's notice.

"I'm afraid, no," Miroku said and glanced around. "I'm not sure if this mist is magic or illusion. If it is magic, then this person proves to be troublesome. But if it is an illusion, then we better find a way to snap out of it."

"Houshi-sama, do you hear that?" Sango suddenly asked as her body stiffened. Her eyes darted around the trees. "It sounds like someone is fighting..."

Miroku stayed silent for a while, ears focusing for any type of sound. The sight of his eyes widening were the only indication he gave to Sango that he heard the sounds of battling as well, and they could both assume that it was their hanyou friend.

Kirara growled and headed off to a direction. Sango and Miroku exchanged looks—having an unspoken agreement, and followed where the nekomata was going. It was most likely that Kirara was able to tell where Inuyasha was at, given that she has better hearing and sense of smell than them.

Miroku, Sango and Kirara stopped when the mist seemed to dissipate. They all looked around, searching for their hanyou friend, until they spotted him. His face had a few mere scratches, but other than that, he looked fine and well. The hanyou's eyes widened when he noticed them and quickened his pace, wasting no time to reunite with his friends.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Sango asked and examined her friend from head to toe.

"Keh! I'm fine. Like some weak youkai could hurt me."

"So it is true that a youkai was wandering here. But I'm sure it was no coincidence. Is it the person that has been targeting you?" Miroku questioned.

"No, but it was one of the guy's minions," Inuyasha said with a frown. "She was a sorceress."

Miroku was caught off guard by his friend's statement. "A sorceress, you say?"

"Yeah. She was able to do this weird magic where she sends thunder down on me. You guys were lucky that I happen to be the one they wanted. Her attacks would've sliced you guys apart."

Miroku smiled. "Oh well. It seems that you didn't really need our help, but we're glad that you're alright, and nothing bad happened."

"Keh!"

Miroku and Sango shared the same smile and turned to head back to the village. Even though they weren't able to do anything, and Inuyasha did all of the fighting, they were still glad that they were able to accompany the hanyou. They were aware how restless the hanyou could get without Kagome's presence. Now that he had—what it seemed—a good fight, they were convinced that he wouldn't bother Kagome until she gets back according to her promised time.

Shippou, who happened to be right outside of Kaede's hut, was the first to greet their return. The kitsune was carrying a bucket filled with water larger than himself—over his head. He struggled with the bucket, taking his steps a little too fast for both—forward and backwards. He almost dropped the whole thing, but was saved when Inuyasha lifted the bucket off his hands. He sighed in relief and looked up to his saviour.

"You don't really have to do that," he frowned, but felt embarassed that he wasn't capable of doing a simple task. He crossed his hands defensively and looked down. "I could've done it."

"And let ya make a fool of yourself? Might as well I help ya," Inuyasha scoffed and carried the bucket inside Kaede's hut.

Sango beamed, rarely seeing the hanyou being nice to the kitsune. It was a shame that Kagome wasn't here to see this, or she would've seen that the hanyou and kit actually get along really nicely... sometimes. Beside her, she found Miroku watching the same scene with a wide grin.

"We should go inside and have lunch, Houshi-sama," Sango said and Kirara mewed in agreement, transforming into the harmless, small cat form. Sango chuckled, "I know, I know. You must be hungry, eh Kirara?"

Another mew escaped the small kitten, and the taijiya couldn't help but laugh. She entered Kaede's hut, leaving Miroku still standing alone.

"Is there something on ye mind, Houshi-dono?"

Miroku was pulled away from his thoughts upon hearing the old miko's voice. He gave Kaede a faint smile and his eyes trailed back at the hut where Inuyasha and the others were inside. All of a sudden, a slight frown appeared on his lips.

"Forgive me, Kaede-sama. It's just that... I have a feeling that something is not right," the monk admitted.

"Is that so?" Kaede said and slumped her shoulders. "Did something happen while ye were out to seek the youkai the villagers had mentioned?"

Miroku nodded. "Out of nowhere, a thick mist appeared. Sango and I were seperated from Inuyasha, and it seems that he was the only one that ended up dealing with the enemy. But after he came back... I couldn't help but feel a slight shift with his demonic aura."

"Aye. Now that ye have mentioned it, his aura has become quite... subtle. I sense not much difference from earlier, but I can definitely see the change," Kaede nodded in agreement with her arms behind her back. "I am not aware of what the enemy is capable of, but if there is no change in Inuyasha's behavior, then we might be fretting over nothing."

"Inuyasha's enemy was a sorceress..." Miroku begun.

Kaede's eyes widened. "Oh no."

"I'm afraid, yes," Miroku said and shook his head. "What I fear is that... sorcerers are like fox youkai, they use magic. Except... their magic isn't an illusion, it's the real thing."

After examining the monk carefully, Kaede breathed out, "Houshi-dono, do ye think that Inuyasha is under manipulation?"

Miroku swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know what happened back there, but it is possible that Inuyasha could be manipulated by them. If his soul is within their reach, they might use him for their advantages, and we might have to perform a ritual to sever his ties from them."

"I agree," Kaede commented. "But that is only if he is truly manipulated. Right now, nothing out of the ordinary has happened, so it is safe to say that he has not been manipulated yet."

Miroku only nodded, biting his lip nervously at the risk of his friend being manipulated. Not only that, but manipulation itself was one scary thing. The controller could bring harm upon their victims, and if they don't sever their ties with the controller, then the soul would be forever in the hands of those manipulating. At first, he thought that the difference in Inuyasha's aura was only his imagination, but his fears were confirmed to be real when Kaede noticed it too. Nonetheless, he couldn't tell the hanyou himself the news. He wasn't sure whether his hanyou friend was under manipulation right now, but if he does, then whatever he tells the hanyou, the one that controls would know what he said too.

Assuming that the person who manipulates thinks that none of Inuyasha's friends were aware of the change in the hanyou, he would have to pretend that everything was normal in front of Inuyasha. He could tell Sango after the hanyou was out of hearing range. Right now, it was all too risky. If the person who controls Inuyasha finds out that someone is aware that Inuyasha was manipulated, who knows what the person might make Inuyasha do?

Giving a nod as his final response, he forced himself to relax his posture and made his way inside the hut. Sango was eating peacefully with Kirara, while Inuyasha was busy taunting the tiny kitsune with the stolen food. So far, nothing weird was happening. Either Inuyasha hasn't been manipulated yet, or the person who was controlling Inuyasha was good at imitating the hanyou—which he doubted was the case.

"Miroku, help!" Shippou shrieked as he hopped onto his shoulder.

"You're not getting out of this one unscathed, runt," Inuyasha said in a menacing grin. "Kagome ain't here to save ya, so you better start prayin' that you're alive by the time she returns."

"That's not fair! Why do I have to get hit when you were the one that stole my food?" Shippou shouted, but cowered behind Miroku the moment Inuyasha inched closer.

"Because, this is for all the times she sat me because of you," Inuyasha answered.

"Inuyasha, I think that's enough," Kaede said with a shake of her head as she placed a hand over the hanyou's shoulder. "Why don't ye leave the kitsune and have—"

Kaede's only good eye widened when she felt this odd sensation. She was now facing the back of Inuyasha's skull, but she didn't like it one bit when the hanyou was slowly turning his head to face her. From the contact she had made, and the weird feeling she was getting... something wasn't right. And it confirmed her suspicions when the hanyou was looking at her face, his face faceless.

She blinked and stared at the hanyou in disbelief. She wasn't dreaming; Inuyasha's face was really gone.

Sango, who happened to be sitting behind Kaede and Inuyasha, screamed when she saw Inuyasha's faceless face. His eyes, nose, mouth—they were all missing. But what scared her more was when the body dropped lifelessly to the ground, before leaving a plain wooden doll—about the size of the hanyou—behind.

"It can't be," Miroku exclaimed and quickly approached the lying doll. "I thought he was manipulated, but this..."

"What's going on? What happened to Inuyasha?" Sango said anxiously. "Houshi-sama, what happened to Inuyasha?"

"Child, it seems what ye brought back was not yer friend, but a puppet," Kaede said, trying to calm the now panicking taijiya. "To think someone was this skilled to made an imitation of Inuyasha... this is no ordinary puppet master."

"Then... the Inuyasha we saw just now wasn't real?" Sango asked, her voice wavering.

"Aye," Kaede said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Inuyasha you brought back was a fraud."