Chapter Six

Shippo looked as if he was going to be ill. His face had taken a pasty white complexion, and he was clutching his stomach. "I smell blood," he mumbled as Kagome's bike raced toward what could only be a battle. She blinked down and him and nodded, determined. The jewel shard she had detected the night before had resurfaced, and she feared now that InuYasha had stumbled upon it on his own, and that meant…

We're coming, InuYasha…

Her face was grim, though she offered a nod to the little fox demon as he whimpered in the basket of her bike. "InuYasha's in trouble."

"We'll go on ahead," Sango said as she fixed her demon-slayer's mask over her mouth and checked to see that her Katana was accessible. "Let's go, Kirara." Miroku clung to her shoulder with his good arm to brace himself as the fire-cat went airborne and vanished over the treetops. Swallowing, her mind racked with a fury bordering on panic, Kagome checked to be sure her bow and quiver were still at her side and pedaled harder.

Shippo sank deeper into the basket, blinking.

"What is it you smell?" she asked.

"It's that tiger! There's blood too." He gazed up to her. "InuYasha's too."

Fighting to conceal the panic of her racing heart, Kagome nodded. "We'll get there, Shippo," she promised. "I'd never leave InuYasha alone. Never in a million years."

So long as I can help it, she amended silently.

Up ahead, Kirara ran directly into a wall of swarming insects. She was forced to veer to one side and nearly crashed headlong into a grove of grotesquely gnarled trees. Wielding his staff with his good hand, Miroku took a mighty hack at the air around him, effectively tearing three or four of the nasty creatures to shreds. As he'd anticipated, Naraku's poisonous wasps followed the fire-cat's path, hammering at her side and forcing her off track. She slammed violently into the forest floor, flinging both monk and demon-slayer into the forest.

Without the wind scar at his disposal, this was a battle InuYasha was ill-equipped to win. Already he had considering unleashing the backlash wave, but his opponent was a headstrong brute who came at his opponents with brute strength, and not his demonic power, meaning the Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique was as useless as the wind scar.

The good news was that the bastard was so large in his tiger form that he was nearly impossible to miss. Unfortunately, for every blow InuYasha was met with a counteroffensive that caused more damage to himself than any attack he could unleash. In fact, he spent so much time dodging and blocking he could barely steady himself long enough to use one of Tetsusaiga's powerful techniques. His fire-rat garb was soaked in blood, a majority of which was his own. He had even managed to get the drop on the bastard, for all the good that did him. He'd been such an idiot, and Kagome would tell him so. If he was lucky enough to live through this.

The world was growing crimson and dim at the same time. His own blood dripped into his eyes from a cut on his brow, making it all more difficult to see. If all else failed, he would be ready to use Blades of Blood, but if he was right about this opponent, such an attack would do no more damage than he could do with any of his other techniques. The tiger had him hanging by a thread, and if he wasn't careful he would be joining his father in death in short order.

Already weary with fatigue and blood loss, InuYasha was helpless to avoid a powerful blow that lifted him from his feet and sent him barreling into the shadows. Somehow, when he regained his focus, he was still clutching the Tetsusaiga. I don't know how I'm still holding onto this, but somebody must be watching over me. If I were to change into a full demon now, who knows what I might do, and who might suffer because of me. InuYasha pushed himself slowly to a knee, using Tetsusaiga for extra footing. Slowly, he turned back to the shadows. For a long, tireless moment, all was deathly silent. "Where the hell is that bastard?" he muttered to himself. He tested the air. Still close, but where?

"You're very good, for a half-demon. I'm impressed."

InuYasha spun about, lifting his weapon up in a defensive posture. For the first time, he saw the beast in his human guise. Tall, proud, distinguished, a handsome face—marked on one cheek by a pair of blood-red lightning bolts, and the other by a yellow crescent moon and blue diamond. Golden cat's eyes peered through the darkness at him. He wore a long, blue-black robe, and snow-white, tiger-striped hair cascaded long and straight down his broad shoulders. He wielded a black battle-ax as if it were a child's toy. To his hip was a dagger nearly as long as the InuYasha's arm. "Glad to have your approval," he muttered. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

A slow smile slid over the demon tiger's lips. If InuYasha hadn't known better, he could have sworn he saw a hint of admiration in those flashing, golden eyes. He started toward the dog demon once more, whipping the ax about in a quick and smooth motion as if it were a baton. In response, InuYasha steadied his sword in both hands, the final barrier between them, and took off at full speed toward his adversary. As InuYasha braced for the impending collision, a thought crossed his mind: I'm in trouble here. If I can't find a way to take the upper hand, I'm done for, and if that happens, Kagome and the others might not make it outta here alive. The thought caused him to reconsidered his battle plan. The tiger was fast, no doubt about that, but his massive size was a hindrance. No matter how fast he was going, InuYasha knew inertia would be his weakness.

The memory of the sacred arrow Kagome had buried into the beast's calf lingered in InuYasha's mind as he took to the sky in the instant that his enemy swung the battle-ax. Somehow, he avoided the blow and brought Tetsusaiga about, slicing easily through the armor on the tiger demon's back. The beast wailed in agony.

I hurt him! I can hurt him!

The beast spun toward him, ripping the dagger free of its sheath. InuYasha darted back, avoiding the blade as he smeared his claws in his own blood from the cut in his shoulder. With a smirk he lashed out, ripping the air with blades of red energy. Again, the tiger stumbled back, clutching his wounded shoulder. InuYasha came at him again, intent on slamming Tetsusaiga through the bastard's breastplate.

But the beast would have none of it. He sidestepped InuYasha, a move that caught the half-demon off guard, and slammed a powerful fist into his side. With a grunt, the half-demon tumbled away from the battle.

Expecting the other to follow up on his attack, InuYasha struggled to his feet. However, when he looked, the tiger was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha– Where'd he go!" InuYasha used the Tetsusaiga to help push himself to his feet. He tested the air. Sure enough, he located the stink of the beast, running away from the battle. With a shake of his head, InuYasha realized what had happened. It all took a moment to sink in, but the truth seemed clear enough. He…he ran away! The one moment I have him backed into a corner, he takes off in a shot! I don't believe this! With a furious snarl, InuYasha slammed Tetsusaiga back into its sheath. "The coward!"

He leapt up into the trees and took off after his quarry.

"Where is he going?" Kagura demanded, turning his eyes to Kanna's mirror. "He's leaving! Naraku, this is not my fault! He is not my responsibility!"

The man in the baboon mask chuckled softly to himself. "Calm yourself. It seems Auron has a stronger will than I anticipated. It is as it was yesterday afternoon."

"And what do you intend to do about it?"

"This is most intriguing… I'm patient. Let's wait and see what happens. He cannot go far."

Kagura swallowed. She couldn't shake the feeling inside that letting Auron go unchecked for even a minute was a horrible mistake. It occurred to her why a moment later, as a gentle wind returned to the world around her.

In a swirl of gray mist, like stumbling through the haze between wake and dreams, it came. He blinked groggily, wondering, peering at the silhouette cast just beyond his ability to comprehend. There came a familiar voice, lost in the blur of incoherence, as if someone was trying to whisper in the language of another he could never understand.

"Miroku?" The mist closed in around him, squeezing the breath from his lungs, giving him an abrupt and final push into consciousness.

The voice, faded in the thick haze of his muddled mind, slipped to his thoughts on the breeze of the thick morning air. For a moment, he couldn't place the voice, could barely place the name it spoke as his own, as he moved his good arm up, placing his fingers lightly to the pulsing pain in his head. A low groan escaped his lips. In that moment, just overhead, a loud buzz overcame the rest of the sounds of the forest, and he wondered if that should frighten him. He found he couldn't move, as if the weight of the world had pinned him helplessly to the forest floor.

"Miroku!" This time, the voice was clearer, more distinct, almost fearful as he recognized the sound of pounding footsteps as someone raced toward him through the foliage of the forest floor. Ringing steel announced the presence of a warrior's blade, and he let his eyes crack open into narrow slits, just enough to see the blur of a slender figure leap over him, screaming out an incoherent battle cry that jostled him out of the hazy dream.

"Sango!" His eyes widened at the sight of the demon-slayer as she sliced down a swarm of angry insects. Instantly, Miroku remembered the unexpected rendezvous with Naraku's poisonous horde. He blinked and made an effort to sit up. With painstaking effort, he managed to get off of his back and glance around.

Fortunately, it didn't appear as though there were many of the insects left. Strays? he wondered as he rubbed the back of his sore neck. After only a few more calculated swipes, the remaining insects, spared their untimely deaths by the call for retreat, receded abruptly back into the shadows of the Hollow Wood. Sango brushed back the stray bangs that had fallen out of place and into her eyes. "Miroku…" She slid her sword back into its sheath and started over for the monk. "Miroku, are you all right?"

"Yes, I believe so. What about you, Sango? You must have taken quite a nasty spill yourself."

Sango blushed. "I'll survive." She knelt next to him. "Let me check your arm…" As she reached out for him, Miroku froze and grabbed her wrist. She gasped a little, turning her eyes up to his. "Miroku, what are you…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the familiar determination on his face when he focused on something in particular.

"It's that demon tiger," the monk said quietly. He swallowed and took her wrist for her to help him up. As he came to his feet a moment later, looking back to the northwest. "I think it's heading back that way…"

Sango's eyes widened. "But that's where we left Kagome and Shippo!"

He nodded. "I know. Let's find Kirara and get back over there." He paused then, looking her over. Her breastplate had apparently shattered, and the cloth beneath it was pressed firmly to her skin. The monk peered closer and blinked. "Sango…are you wet?"

Her blush went from pink to red in an instant; her arms went up to block his view of her chest. "Forget about it, pervert! We hafta find Kirara, remember!"

"Uh, yes…" He swallowed. "Of course."

He knew better than to argue with Sango, after all.

"Kagome!"

InuYasha's shout cracked through the morning air as he burst through the shadows to land in a crouch at her side. He barely heard the girl say his name as he rose to his full height, lip curled into a tight snarl. He turned slowly about, looking for signs of danger. He claws were twitching, ready to slice the flesh of whoever might stand in his way. He finally turned his attention to the girl and fox demon he'd come to protect.

"Kagome, you okay?"

She looked stunned as she turned her attention to Shippo, and then looked back up to him. By the furious look in his eye, she knew she probably shouldn't go into too much detail. Right now, he looked as pissed as she had seen him in some time. Slowly, she nodded.

"We're just fine, thank you very much!" Shippo snapped. "What's your problem, anyway? You just take off in the middle of the night and when you do–"

InuYasha whipped his fist about and knocked Shippo atop the head; somehow, despite a grunt of pain, the fox demon didn't burst into tears. "Shuddup, runt. I'm in a real bad mood." His eyes darted back and forth through the shadows. He's here. I smell 'im plain as day.

"InuYasha! That wasn't very nice!" Kagome stomped her foot down and put her hands on her hips. The half demon didn't even glance her way. "He's right you know. You come and go when you please, just like that. It's just not very–"

"I said shuddup!" InuYasha growled. "That tiger demon is right on top of us. I can feel him. So shut up and let me concentrate!"

Kagome let out a high-pitched gasp, letting her bike drop as she made a grasp for Shippo. She missed him, and he went tumbling away with a loud "oomph." Quickly the young fox demon was on his feet, turning to look up at her. "Kagome? What happened?" He blinked, seeing the shocked look on her face. "What is it, Kagome?"

InuYasha knew instantly what she had sensed, and the look on her face said it all: The jewel shard! It's coming here and it's coming fast! And that, no doubt, meant that a challenge was on the way. In that moment, the massive demon tiger, in his true form, burst through the thick overgrowth on a headlong collision course with InuYasha, Shippo, and Kagome. The half-demon smirked. "Finally!" Tetsusaiga's blade quickly joined them in the growing darkness of the Hollow Woods. He felt the twisting energy of the wind scar as it swirled about the blade of his father's fang.

"InuYasha, do something!" Kagome legs felt as though someone had filled her shoes with cement. She stood just behind him, eyes transfixed on the beast that barreled toward them.

"Where's the shard!" InuYasha growled.

That's right. He needs my help too. Come on girl, do your job! Kagome clenched her teeth and turned her eyes to the massive beast barreling toward them. She could sense it now, as she could the day before. It was clearer now that she could focus. She saw it, a bright, pink glow, just as she might see the sun on a clear day, or the full moon on a starlit night. "There! On his spine, at the base of the neck!"

"Good! Now get the hell outta here!" InuYasha darted forward, the snarl on his lips turning to a full-blown growl. "Let's see how you handle my wind scar!" He whipped the sword around, sending three pillars of energy barreling toward the tiger, ripping the ground below in its wake. Flexing his hand into a tight fist, InuYasha watched as the wall of power slammed into its target. "Got 'im!" His celebration was short-lived, however, as the glowing energy diminished to reveal the silhouette of the demon tiger, neither in it true demonic form, nor human. Instead, the beast appeared as it had during their first encounter the day before and again a few minutes ago. Tall, bulky, and muscular, the beast turned its hateful golden glare to the half-demon before him.

The tiger demon flexed his claws, pried his jaws wide open, and loosed out a terrifying bellow that rang in InuYasha's ears for several long moments. Cringing, he waited. The tiger lowered into a crouch and started toward him on all fours. "Full of surprises, half-demon. I'm going to enjoy tearing you to little tiny bits and gnawing on your bones."

"Bring it on, vermin!" InuYasha growled, and took off at a sprint toward the tiger, lifting Tetsusaiga above his head in both hands.

And they met there, in the middle of the forest, on a collision course with destiny.

Naraku slid into the deepest, darkest corner of the cave he could find, a dank pit that stank of mildew. Here he discarded his baboon mask and cloak and sank to all fours, naked. His back pulsated, and a terrible pain—like that of a thousand shards of stone being driven through him at once—induced a scream that echoed through the cavernous chambers of his new den. Soon, the pain eased and he became as still as the dead. In a moment, the horrific scar on his back began to fester and boil and steam, until it came alive with the energy and started to push up and away from the flesh of the demon's back. Naraku's lips curled up into a slender smile.

As the chunk of flesh finally tore away from him, Naraku pushed himself to his knees. He stared down at his latest creation, still pulsing with the threads of his own life force. Already the chunk of flesh had begun grow to many times its original size. Naraku's latest reincarnation began to take shape, an eon of evolution reduced to a matter of seconds. The thing darkened to a deep black, and the tender pink flesh grew black and hard as a new skin formed. As eight legs sprouted from the thorax, and the shape of the spider was visible. Naraku smiled.

Soon, the black widow demon scampered out of the room.

Naraku's back continued to fester as he lowered into a crouch and stared out ahead into the dark, cold nothingness that surrounded him. The transformation was far from complete.

In fact, it was only just beginning.