(A/N: Stupid writer's block! Don't you just hate it when they creep up on you? I hate writer's block! I managed to squeeze this chapter out of my head, but I may need a little while took move on. I'm going to go clear my head now, so enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: You think this is mine? Ha, ha, good one.
Chapter 10: Pointed In the Right Direction
"Damn it, why did he have to jump around so much?" Kikyou growled. "Why couldn't he just stay on the ground?"
Shin snorted. "He was trying to avoid leaving his scent behind."
"Shut up, wolf!"
Ico sighed. "Are you two going to get into another fight?"
"I'm not fighting!" Kikyou shouted. "I'm just trying to find the bastard that kidnapped my mother, and this jerk is giving me a hard time!"
"You're both acting like jerks." Toriyasu muttered.
Pow! Like father like daughter, Kikyou delivered a powerful blow to the young demon's head.
"Shut up." She snapped, before dropping to the ground to find Onigumo's scent again.
But it was not Onigumo's or Kagome's scent that she picked up. And the source of this scent was suddenly clinging to her nose.
"Lady Kikyou!" The small creature cried, as it began sucking her blood.
Kikyou cut her eyes at the little flea-demon and smacked it. "Myoga? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your family?"
The flea-demon stood up and brushed himself off. "I came to help you find your mother." He said.
Kikyou raised an eyebrow. "I thought you normally assist my father."
Myoga nodded. "Yes well, I was going to, but you were closer." 'Besides, Master Inuyasha is so upset he'll probably throttle me to get answers I don't have.'
Toriyasu eyed the flea-demon curiously. "Uh, Myoga, no offense, but what could you do to help? And don't you always run away from a fight."
Myoga sweat-dropped. "W-What ever gave you that idea?" Everyone cut their eyes at him. "Hey, I'm here now, aren't I?"
Kaori nodded. "Yes, you are." 'For now anyway.'
Myoga nodded at her. "Thank you, Kaori. I'm glad to see that at least someone here apprecia-"
"Myoga!" snapped Kikyou impatiently.
"Um, right. Well, on why way to see Master Inuyasha, I spotted Onigumo running in the opposite direction carrying Kagome."
Ico blinked. "The opposite direction?"
Myoga nodded. "Yes, the opposite direction. Master Inuyasha and the others went right by him."
Shin raised an eyebrow. "And why didn't you tell our parents this?"
Myoga crossed his arms. "Like I said, you guys were closer. And if I took the time to go to them, who knows what Onigumo would do to Kagome."
Kikyou angrily held Myoga up to her face. "Ok then, you little parasite, show us where he went."
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'Ah, fresh faces, just ripe for the picking.' Thought Onigumo as he approached another village. 'Perhaps I will find a suitable face here, then I can get back to my beloved Kikyou, or Kagome, or whoever she is.'
He approached the village like he was no more than a common traveler, as if the fact that he was naked, had no face, and had a spider shaped burn scar on his back meant nothing. The poor townsfolk. They wouldn't know what hit him.
As he calmly strolled into the village, the humans' first thought was that he was probably some poor man who had had the misfortune of running into a gang of bandits and was robbed. At least that's what they thought until they saw that he had no face.
"Who are you, demon?" asked one of the town folk. "What do you want with our village?"
Onigumo cocked his head to the side curiously, studying the man foolish enough to speak to him. "I like your face."
The man blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
Onigumo took a step closer and the man took a step back. "Your face, I like it. I wonder what it would look like on me. May I try it on?"
Confusion and fear increased and the man took another step back. "Please, leave our village in peace."
Onigumo's arm shot out, stretching over 10 feet and grabbing the man's face, muffling his cries. "I want your face!"
His nails turned into claws as the buried into flesh, drawing blood. The villagers cried out and began running and screaming in fear. It was music to Onigumo's ears.
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"Looks like you were right, Myoga." Said Kikyou, following Onigumo's scent. "He did come this way. Looks like he went up this mountain."
Toriyasu sniffed the air. "I'm also smelling him going in that direction." He said, pointing in the direction Onigumo had gone in after he dropped Kagome off to find himself a face.
Shin sniffed where Toriyasu was sniffing. "Yeah, but Kagome's scent ends here. That means he went somewhere by himself."
Ico looked nervous as he said, "You don't think he already… had his way with her."
Kikyou turned red and looked on the verge of killing something. "If he did anything to my mother-"
Shin rested a hand on her shoulder, which Kikyou aggressively shook off. "Calm down, Kikyou. If anything like that happened, we would be able to smell it."
The color didn't leave Kikyou's face, but she looked calmer. Toriyasu cocked his head to the side curiously. "What smell is that?" he asked, not knowing what Shin meant.
Everyone else paled and jumped away from him looking terrified. None of them wanted to get into that conversation right now… or ever.
Myoga cleared his throat. Being the oldest and already having this conversation with each of his 37 kids, was used to it by now, though it was still uncomfortable to talk about. "Well Toriyasu, I'm that sure you've noticed on several occasions that your parents and these guys' parents will smell somewhat differently when they get up in the morning."
Everyone's mouths dropped open as Toriyasu nodded. "Yeah, that happens a lot."
"OK!" Kaori cried loudly. "Since I'm not a demon, I have the luxury of not knowing how often my parents do that sort of thing." 'Except for when they're so noisy.' "And I would like to keep it that way."
Kikyou and Shin crossed their arms and groaned. "Speak for yourself." They muttered at the same time. They knew whenever their parents participated in such activities, and it mortified them every morning they picked up the smell. Toriyasu could smell it too, but he was too young to know what it meant.
Myoga snickered. "Anyway, whenever you pick up that smell, it means that-"
"MYOGA!" Kikyou cried. "Isn't this normally about the time you run away?"
"Lady Kikyou, I'm crushed. I have never done such a thing…" A few seconds of silence went by. "…But I really must be gong. Can't let Shoga and the kids worry."
He jumped out of Kikyou's hand and took off. The others, save Toriyasu, were more than happy to see him leave.
Kikyou nodded. "Alright lets go." 'Hand on, Mother, I'm coming.'
She began hopping up the mountain with Kaori and Toriyasu on her back as Shin went up with Ico. They reached the cave where Kagome's scent was the strongest. The moment they landed on the edge, Kagome came out of the cave wielding a broken stalactite she had knocked off the cave ceiling and sharpened to form some sort of weapon.
"Mother!" Kikyou screamed.
Kagome's eyes widened as she realized who it was. "Kikyou!" She dropped the stalactite and ran to her daughter, embracing her. "Kikyou, what are you doing here?"
Kikyou held her mother tightly. "We came to get you."
Kagome looked around at her rescuers. "Where's your father?"
Shin shrugged. "Probably following a different trail Onigumo left behind. Myoga told us he spotted him carrying you over here."
Kagome felt angry. "So that's why the creep brought me here, so Inuyasha would go the wrong way."
"That's right."
Everyone jumped at the sound of the one who spoke. They turned around to see who had just arrived. It was Onigumo, wearing a brand new face."
(A/N: Well, that ends this chapter. You've got to feel bad for Myoga, having to have The Talk 37 times. And Poor Kikyou and Shin, being able to smell when such activities between their parents happen. But onto other events, they found Kagome, just in time for Onigumo to arrive. I'm sure you know what's going to happen next. Once I get rid of this damn writer's block! I really, really hate writer's block! They drive me crazy! …Please review.)