"KANAME!"
It was less than a second, and I felt my feet being forced off the ground, my body tumbling forward. My head hit the ground first, dizziness taking control of my visions and concentration. Jeromaru had smashed his body against mine, pinning my body to the ground under him. I moved, kicking his stomach with as much force as I could muster. My body screamed in protest, my joints and muscles burning from the effort. Jeromaru diverted my attack, zooming forward, his fang-lie teeth going for my flesh.
Before I could muster a good defense, something sharp as a blade sunk into the flesh of my arm. I screamed in the pain, my body recoiling against the weight that Jeromaru place on my body as he kept me pinned on the ground.
I heard yells and screams from my friends ahead, but I couldn't pay attention to them, as i had this mongrel on me, chewing on the deli ate skin on my arm like it was some playful chew toy. Warm liquid was streaming down my frontal area, and into the earth. The pain seized my mind, my gritted teeth barely containing my screams. My arm was surely being torn off, surely. . . My tears were rolling down my eyes, pouring in such acceleration. . . . .
"GOTCHA!" yelled a triumphant voice, a shadow passing over me.
And then the pressure on my shoulders was gone, the twisting and churning on my arm disappeared. I lay limply on the ground, my arm bleeding freely with no stop, looking up at the barely covered sky through a kind of mist.
"Damn that volcher, stop running around you coward!" Kouga yelled, his lip curling. I let out a pained cough, gasping for the fresh blissful air, trying to forget the throbbing in my arm. Hissing I rose myself, hoisting myself with my uninjured arm.
"Hey, you alright," Kouga called, peaking giving my a stern glance. I waved his concern off, shaking as i rose to my feet.
"I'm fine," i breathed, my gaze wondering throughout the darkness. There was no sight of Jeromaru or Kagegomaru, not even a glimmer. Had they run away? Was it finally all over? There was a split sec on, where I considered that they had run away, but the goosebumps along my skin didn't disappear. The knowing feeling, the dread, closed around me light a tight circle, ready to suffocate me in my own worry.
Inuyasha heaved his sword as he crossed the clearing to my side, over the spot where my blood pooled fresh on the grass floor.
"You alright, you took a nasty hit on you," said Inuyasha softly. Even through the darkness of the night, I could still catch the concern glistening in his yellow eyes.
At these words i flinched. Half surprised by his sudden sincerity, half annoyed that he had interrupted my thoughts, I didn't answer. I couldn't answer, for fear the anger and fright within me would come streaming out like a popped balloon.
"Hey you stupid mutt, stop wasting time, they haven't gone yet," Kouga snapped, still crouched low ready to spring. He was right, all we had inflicted was a couple punches, but nothing life threatening on the two demons. How could we ever think to kill them at this point? I had never been so bitterly defeated before, so shamed. I knew that failure was a part of life and all, and that I had my weaknesses, my anger for one. But still, never had I been so beaten down, so frequently attacked without mercy. Nearly all my strength was giving, my body aching worse thy the minute. . . . and I hadn't even landed a single wound on the either of them.
"What did you say! Come here and say that to my face you mangy wolf!" Inuyasha roared, his face contorted with annoyance, giving the impression of a growling dog,
"Hehe what's wrong dog, whining because you can't hit anything with that sword of yours?!"
"I'm going to kill you. I mean it. Kagome won't be able to stop me from cutting those legs of yours off clean. . . " Something white flashed from behind him that made me sure forward.
"Inuyasha duck," I said, shaping my fingers towards in a rush. Inuyasha obeyed crouching low enough to miss Jeromaru's attack. A loud pop sounded throughout the clearing, the ground exploding.
"Too slow," a menacing voice whispered from behind me. I zipped around.
"Watch out!" Kouga yelled, but he was too late.
I waited for the pain to come, the puncturing of my skin and such, but nothing came. I waited some more, the suspense creeping me out. I peaked through my lashes, my body rigid in the not knowing. What I saw nearly made me shriek in surprise. A large figures standing before me, his height and size masking me from everything behind him.
My mouth hung open in the shock, staring up at the masked man. Where had he come from? I glanced back in the direction where I had come rushing forward, the trees standing there, still and unchanging.
The shadows curved and wiggled erratically around the masked man as he stared ahead to whatever lay before. Probably Jeromaru from the glimpses of purple hair that I caught outside of the masked man's blockage.
"Wha-What are you—" I gasped, stupefied at his sudden appearance still. The massed man made no move to indicate that he heard me, still looking at what lay before. ignoring me, the masked mansurged forward, blades slashing from his forearms, in such a rush that they appeared like flashes of light.
The shadows followed him like obedient followers, lengthening out and spiking as he flung his blade into Jeromaru's still form. He vanished, one second laying on the ground like a disconnected puppet, the next gone. I could hear the masked man curse under his breath as he crouched down on all fours, his black eyes searching the trees with furious intensity.
I could hear Kouga and Inuyahsa rushing ahead of me, to take their share n the killing, but I took no more notice of them, staring at the masked man with a new curiosity. There was something strange about hm that I couldn't pinpoint, something deep within his stance and attacks that brought goosebumps along my scarred skin. The way he moved was graceful, yes, but also had a savage like part to it. Like he enjoyed the kill and relished in its anticipation.
"Damn that Kagegomaru, he disappeared again," Inuyasha muttered as he rushed toward the fight with Jeromaru and the masked man, which was mostly Jeromaru jumping around the masked man's attacks.
"Who is the masked fellow," asked Kouga annoyed. I couldn't bring myself to answer him, my breath still taken from the masked man's sudden appearance. I could only stare at the fight that resumed unchanging in front of my eyes.
"Kaname! Your bleeding!" Kagome yelped bending down, her eyes wide and frantic as she looked upon my arm which had refused to cease bleeding. I forced my gaze away from the masked man to stare at Kagome, who had started to take out her first aid kit.
"I'm fine," I said in a whisper, remembering suddenly the throbbing where Jeromaru had bit me. "It's nothing I haven't endured before Kagome. Plus Inuyasha is worse,' I said wincing slightly as she applied anti-bacterial on my wound. This was true, the memory of Kagura's initial assault coming to view.
"Where is Kagegomaru, I don't see him," said Miroku coming from behind me, Sango and Shippou at his tail.
"The worm used Jeromaru to make an escape," I said through gritted teeth, irritation coming at the memory. BAM! BAM!
We all flinched, our heads zipping towards the noise. Inuyasha, had decided not to join the masked man, instead, curving around, slamming his enormous sword into the earth, his targets aimless from what I could tell.
"Inuyasha what on earth are you doing, your being too reckless," Sango warned.
"She's right Inuyasha, attacking the ground won't get at Kagegomaru," said Miroku, his brow furrowed with disapproval.
I kept silent, watching with careful eyes at the scene. Kouga was assisting the masked man in attacking Jeromaru, probably thinking that doing so Kagegomaru will intervene.
Something was off here, it didn't make sense. I frowned. Why is Kagegomaru still hiding, usually he would come from some hiding place and try to taunt one of us. But he was hiding. Had we scared him? I shook my head at the idea, impossible, anything that Naraku created would be extremely arrogant in that he would kill his enemies.
Arrogant. . . . Arrogant to think that none us would be able to reach him in the deep. he trusted the ground too much. I felt a jolt of electricity that brought a elated voltage throughout my body. I stared at my uninjured pal, thinking intently. Of course, it was so simple, why hadn't I thought of it before. I grinned broadly, pouching my palm into the ground, jubilant.
My eyes were fixed onto the soil, but my focus wwas everywhere but. I could feel it then, through the noise and eagerness. The flame within me was small, is festered and brightened at my awareness glowing as red as the many times I had seen in my accidents. It fazed and unfazed like a indecisive bubble, probably waiting for my emotions to trigger it.
My grin got bigger. I concentrated on the image that raged in my head, it was allI could see, all I could hear, all I could feel . I couldn't her the battle at all, nor could i sense the win from before, it was all gone. All there was, was the flame, that seemed to brighten and enlarge with every second. I pushed, my form acting like a tea kettle, streaming everything out in acceleration with the heat.
The flame, became flames, surging through my veins, coursing towards my palm, towards my target under the ground, hiding.
"GO!" I shouted not even wincing when the heat all run through my hand, burning me as if my hand was itself within a fireplace.
All all came in a haze, the heat and the sounds. A high shrieking let out and something whiet crossed my vision. I didn't hesitate at that moment, my mind focused on the fall within me.
"Die!" I screamed, throwing the spits of red energy from my palms. I refused to let the insect escape me now. Watching with careful, Kagegomaru began flying across here and there, the surges of red energy hot on his trail. Like a never ending cat and mouse chase. I wanted to get to my feet, to grab my sword and kill the demon, to shwo him who he messed with. But my arm still stung, the pain exhausting me.
"What are you doing!?" the masked spat from behind me, anger dripping from his voice. I ignored him, eyeing Kagegomaru, making sure I wouldn't lose him in my sight. Nor lose my concentration. He would not be allowed to escape me again. No one messed with me. No one.
"You fool, if you keep over exerting yourself-"
"Shut up, Im trying to focus!" I hissed, using all of my will power to keep the the fire in the ground and Kagegomaru in my sight.
"You are mine now !" Kouga shouted, zipping past me, heading towards Kagegimaru's direction.
"Out of the way! Don't blame me when you—" I got cut off as something hard struck me in the head, blackness swallowing my vision.
"You bastard! What the hell do you think your doing!?'
"Kaname!"
"Enough! She'll thank me for this later."
The voices came from all directions, their participants sounding familiar in the fussiness I was in. I tried to find the faces that matched the voices, assess something in the confusion and pain the radiated in my head. The sky was falling, the ground fading away.