Kouga slid to a stop so suddenly Kagome let out a squeak of surprise. He tightened his grip as the heels of his feet tore up the dust below them to ease him to a stop.
Kagome blinked in the orange dust storm, and turned to see what had stopped them. Inuyasha stood still with his back toward them, watching out through the woods. Kagome tapped Kouga's chest urging him to put her down. The wolf demon complied at the same moment Kirara swept down from the sky and landed on the ground.
"Inuyasha, where are we going?" Miroku called out, springing off Kirara as soon as she'd touched down.
Inuyasha didn't turn at first, his shoulder stiffening.
Kagome stepped forward, trying to see through the forest that Inuyasha stared at. They seemed to be at the base of a mountain. Kagome looked up at the rocky jump in the land at the distance. They'd still had to be miles away from being able to climb it. But Inuyasha had stopped at the very foot hills before the trees ever ended.
"We wait." The dog demon dropped to the ground and folded his legs. Snatching his sword up, he rested it in crook of his elbow before he tucked his arms away in his billowing sleeves. Kagome turned to catch a clue from her companions to only find them staring back with that same confusion.
Kouga folded his arms in annoyance but kept quiet for a moment. It only took another second for Inuyasha to speak again.
"Naraku's here. Ahead of us in one of these caves. The entire mountain is protected by one of his shields but he opens it to let one of his demons out once in awhile. Soon."
Miroku nodded, moving forward to spy at the area ahead of them. He stroked his staff, and added "I can feel the dark aura from here. So you think when it's open anyone may pass?"
Inuyasha turned his head to catch a glimpse of what was behind him.
"He probably has demons there to protect it because anyone can walk through. But that won't matter if we cut those demons down."
Sango walked forward to join Miroku, straining her eyes to take in every inch of her surroundings. The plan made sense in theory. "How do you know when it will open next?"
She fingered the strap of her boomerang uncertainly. The dark aura was there, foreboding, and overwhelming to pinpoint to any one spot. It gave her chills thinking about it.
Inuyasha let out a long breath, the tension in his shoulders only becoming more apparent, and shook his head.
"The villages nearby have been getting attacked every time he lets one of his demons out…to collect whatever it is he needs. Usually it's every two weeks, but it's been longer now. So anytime now, he should be forced to send one out."
Sango followed the logic, wondering to herself if it would really be that simple. But the simplest answer is usually the right one. "What do you think he's doing in there?"
"Creating another incarnate or absorbing some lesser demon while he connives to kill more people." Inuyasha sneered and refocused on the mountain in front of him.
"And you're sure this is where they're coming out?" Sango clarified, backing herself to stand near Miroku.
Inuyasha just nodded. "I'm sure."
Sango bit her lip and turned back toward the others. Kagome stood by unsure when Kouga took a threatening step toward the dog demon.
The bloody hanyou was barely even looking at them. More so, he had no reason to believe any of this nonsense. It couldn't be that easy or Kouga would have come across these rumors long ago. The dark aura was everywhere but it wasn't anywhere the strongest. He was half sure he could break through the barriers on his own without the waiting game.
Kagome perked up when the wolf next to her took a step and shot out her hand. Catching his forearm, she tightened her grasp to catch his attention.
"Kouga, give us a minute." She pleaded when the wolf prince's expression had gone dark with annoyance.
The demon's thoughts were lost when she touched him, and he turned toward her. Grabbing the hand that held him, he covered her entire fist with his own palm.
"This mutt isn't getting us anywhere." Kouga growled but Kagome just shook her head.
Kagome tried to give him a weak smile, looking at their clasped hands. Her mind didn't stray long on how that might have looked but refocused on the emergency on hand.
"I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't bring us here if he didn't have good reason." She rationalized.
The wolf frowned, reluctantly staying quiet, and letting the girl pull away from him. Kagome walked up to where Miroku and Sango repositioned themselves and wrapped her arms around her chest. The demonic aura left a chill in the air even though the wind was still.
"Kagome-sama." Miroku greeted her when she joined their circle. He cast a quick glance toward where the hanyou had positioned himself twenty feet away and lowered his voice.
"What do you think?" He asked them again.
Sango took a breath and let her thoughts gather for a second. "Kagome's right. He wouldn't bring us here if he didn't really believe it."
Miroku shrugged. "That may be so, but where did how would he know this all? Doesn't it seem like a kind of strangely valuable piece of information to stumble upon? It could for that very reason be a trap."
Kagome frowned at the idea.
"Perhaps he's just reluctant to tell us where he got the information." Sango said, but the unspoken words ran through everyone's mind.
'Maybe he found out from Kikyou.'
Kagome turned her eyes to stare at the hanyou's back. Any other time she would go up and demand to know more but a coldness surrounded him now. His earlier bitterness still sat in the back of her mind and just thinking about talking to him chased her nerves away.
"Regardless, I do believe it'd be worth it to wait it out." Miroku finally decided. Kagome backed up a bit, closer to Kouga when they're conversation ended.
She twisted around and tried to give the wolf prince another reassuring smile. But Kouga nodded without much reluctance. If this was a fair chance, then he could wait. Especially if it left him with more time with his woman.
Train of thoughts changing tracks, he let his eyes wander over Kagome. From the shoes, to the tantalizing short skirt she always wore, to her oversized brown eyes. He smirked to himself when she caught his gaze and jerked her face to look away. Her cheeks flushed but not enough to stand out much.
He hadn't entirely considered exactly how things were going to go with Kagome. Although, he acknowledged that he wouldn't let the hanyou sweep her up and keep her to himself for months on end. And though he wasn't happy about it, he knew Kagome would have her own say on how they would go about everything.
He suddenly found himself annoyed that the human companions were around. He would have swept her up in his arms and waited in a much happier spot.
Abruptly, the monk spoke up.
"Say, Kagome-sama, can you feel the jewel shards?"
Kagome blinked, absorbing the words, and straightened out.
"Oh," She paused and took a breath. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear out her mind. There was a heavy pulse next to her, Kouga's shards.
She tried to shift her focus but found the pressure still the strongest next to her.
"I can feel Kouga's shards," she looked at him for a second, "I just need to move away to concentrate."
Urging him to stay still, she jogged forward, passing the hanyou. Sliding down a small rock base, she jogged up to the spot she could begin to see the purple aura in front of her. Kagome hesitated for a second, and pushed forward assuring herself she would just get to the edge of shield.
The dark aura kept up but Kagome double took, trying to see the shield. The purple glow kept getting further and she pinched her brow as she started to jog farther. Why hadn't she reached it yet?
Kagome slid to a stop and when she heard Inuyasha's voice call in the distance. Turning, she tried to see the hanyou behind her. The purple aura suddenly became visible all around her. Kagome sucked in a breath, frantically trying to pinpoint where the shield was. Instead of the wall she'd been chasing, it seemed to fall all around her.
Kagome's heart started to race as her mind started to click. Did she ever hit the shield or did she walk straight into it?
'No, this isn't right, it would have stopped me!'
Kagome started to run back the way she came but the purple haze around her grew heavier. She stopped when it pressed down on her hard, like gravity instantly grew stronger than ever before.
"Inuyasha!" She called to where she'd heard the voice before. Squinting, she tried to separate the purple from the trees, the sky, the rock base she'd jumped over. It blurred to much together for her to even remotely judge the distance. And then movement caught her eye. Inuyasha charged toward her, sword raised. Kagome gasped when he stopped with a shuttering force.
"Damn it Kagome, get out of there!" He cried out toward her and Kagome froze.
How did the shield let her through? How'd she pass through it without even realizing it?
The feel of Kouga's shard had completely drifted from her sight and her heart started to twist. Turning back around, she looked at the base of the mountain. Shrubs and rocks scattered around, and gaps where caves had formed themselves started to show.
Kagome's heart pounded and she took an uncertain step backward when the suffocating pressure on her shoulders grew worse. She twisted back around trying to find Inuyasha only to find the empty spot he'd been in. The purple grew darker until the outside was almost blocked out.
Kagome hesitated, trying to find a new direction to go in. And then it hit her. A thundering impact rushed her side and Kagome gasped when she tumbled back.
Crawling to face at her attacker, Kagome screamed.
A large man stood in front of her, a long braid sweeping down to his feet, and purple markings twisting around his body like paint. Kagome focused in when she saw it. A large spider showed itself among the markings and the demon roared with laughter. Its red eyes stared back at her, piercing when it grinned a toothily smile.
"Run little girl." He told her.
And Kagome ran.
~*~
A/N: I could go into how much I hated writing this chapter and how you can probably tell my half-assing everything while in desperate attempt to try to get my real work done. Alas though, I will not. After all, I only seem to get death threats for TIET(don't ask me why…).
Anyways, I'm going to try sooooo hard to get the next chapter on in time but showing love and support would be great help for you guys.
