Miroku jumped out of the way as a hammer came down in the dirt. "They're everywhere Inuyasha, we can't keep fighting like this!" Miroku exclaimed as he ran at the demon, smashing his staff against his chest..
"You!" The demon growled. "You, you half-breed fool!" He dragged up his heavy spiked hammer to bring it down on Miroku's head. He jumped out of the way as the demon rounded on him, breathing smoke from his nose. "You did this to me. You did this to me!" he yelled pointing at Miroku after dragging up his hammer from the ground.
"Miroku has never met you!" Sango yelled throwing the Hiraikotsu at the demon. It caught his hammer pushing him back and saving Miroku from jumping away again.
"He feels like the half-breed and you wretches are denying that?"
Miroku frowned. "I am not a half-breed! I am a human!"
The demon lifted his nose up and sniffed, tossing Sango's Hiraikotsu back at her. She caught it. "He feels like the half-breed!"
Inuyasha came up behind him with his sword drawn and put it to his neck. The others on the field were dispatched.
"Tell us where this half-breed is!" Inuyasha demanded.
The demon laughed and shook his head. "You're too late. The Ghost has stolen the North. He won't let you go so easy half-breed. All of them will die!"
"Where is he!"
"Up the road!" The demon yelled back, trying to slam his elbow into Inuyasha's gut. Inuyasha jumped back at the motion, and the demon ran off. "Get out while you still can!" he shouted at them.
"What in the world is going on? These demons fight, but they don't." Sango brushed off her bone boomerang and put it on her back. "It's like they are just testing us."
"Power is strength," Inuyasha remarked. "Kurama was always telling us for demons, power is strength. We prove ourselves worthy to them, and they save their lives, they leave?"
He turned up the road. "Lets go! If we can get rid of Naraku now, we can get this over with!" He ran ahead. Kilala swooped down and let Miroku and Sango get on, while Kagome chased after Inuyasha. He scooped her up and helped her situate while Shippo tucked himself in her bag.
They found the compound bleeding purple. Miasma seeped from the barrier like cracks in a glass under water. Kagome gasped as she saw demons attacking the sides half-heartedly. Some of them had camped out around the barrier, and were just whacking away at it with their weapons. Others were still going full force, throwing energy attacks.
"What are they doing?" Sango asked, mystified.
From the north, some of the demons screamed, the sound echoing across the valley where Naraku had made his home. Others were tending wounded around the fire.
"They don't even feel the jewel," Kagome remarked as a demon walked by them, ignoring them.
"It's like they're refugees." Miroku whispered. They traveled down the hill slowly, weaving through the forest. None of the demons attacked them.
"He can't get in here!" A three-eared demon exclaimed.
"They say he doesn't know about this place." Another shook his head and poked the fire.
"If we can just get inside the barrier, we'll be safe from him." The three-eared demon replied as he held his arm.
"Who are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked as he left the group, going a bit closer to a camp. "Who are you hiding from?"
"The Ghost. The wretched Ghost is here, in this world!" The female demon whispered.
"So you're from the other world?" Inuyasha knelt down looking at the faces of the humanoid demons. "You're not from here."
"Get out!" a burly demon with cracked peach skin stood up and stomped at Inuyasha. "Get out, get out!" He swung his weapon at the half breed, who jumped back, but left the camp.
"If they've kept Naraku trapped here, we might have him," Miroku whispered as he pulled the hood he'd acquired over his head further. Sango and Kagome adjusted theirs as well.
"Leave it to half-breeds to go wandering around with a bunch of humans," a demon sneered from behind Inuyasha and the group.
"Hey! I got enough power to take down that damn barrier and the whole hundred of you can only crack it!" Inuyasha announced. The camps around them stood up and stared at him. "What?" he looked around the woods, seeing them stare at him with anticipation.
"Go on then, mutt. Prove your use and maybe you'll get a treat." Two demons came out of the trees onto them and grabbed one of Inuyasha's arms a piece, dragging him to the barrier. Others grabbed the rest of the group. They pushed him to the head of the road where no damage had been done to the barrier yet and pushed him forward.
Inuyasha swallowed and drew his sword. He took a deep breath. "First I have to know that you're not going to kill me once we break the barrier!" He called out to the others.
"Just do it! Either you do it or we kill you and move on, we'll get in eventually." A demon from the gathering called.
"And what about when you do! How are you going to hide from The Ghost if the barrier's broken?" Inuyasha demanded.
The group frowned and looked around at themselves. They hadn't thought of that. Some of them started to flee.
"Break it and you'll find out." One of the demons poked him with a club, pushing him forward.
Inuyasha took another deep breath and concentrated. Wind spun up around him, energy pulsed out, and he touched the sword to the barrier. It glowed red. He examined it closely, and looked over the netting of energy that was created, then drew back his sword, and smashed it home.
The barrier shattered and demons from all sides rained down upon the valley. The sky darkened as miasma flung into the air and dragged at all things living. Demons rushed in leaving the humans alone. Kilala transformed again, back to her fighting size. Shippo coughed and grabbed one of Kagome's shirts putting it over his face.
"This is it guys!" Inuyasha exclaimed, rushing forward, his sword ablaze with energy as all the demons rose their own power. They chased after him, weapons drawn.
"Look!" Sango grabbed Kagome's arm and pointed towards the clouds. A spear of Naraku's energy punctured the rain clouds. They changed to purple. Naraku's demons began to swarm down upon the new world refugees. Fighting broke out before they had time to engage, and everything became a huddled mess of battle-fields. Shocks of silver electric energy shattered through the field.
Inuyasha's group made it to the center of the 'house' as the demons screamed and ran south. Stillness collected over the bodies lain across the entryway. Kagome was still on Inuyasha's back, and Kilala landed behind them, Sango catching her boomerang. Miroku stood with a bloody staff beside Inuyasha.
"Well, well, well, back to the band of six. What happened? Did your new companion abandon you so soon? I thought he was more hard headed then that."
"Show yourself!" Kagome yelled as she cocked her arrow.
He tutted his tongue at them, "That's no way to treat your host. He must have gotten sick of all your whining and your weakness." Power crashed across the area as demons began to attack again. Miroku blocked a sword with his staff. Kilala lunged at a foe attacking his back, while Sango protected Inuyasha and Kagome. They kept a tight circle in the thick miasma.
"He didn't abandon us, he's just busy!" Kagome yelled out.
"Are you sure? I've heard about your new companion. He's a real treat. I have to give him credit, you know, he's come up with some amazing ways to torture people:" His voice echoed around them. "taking off testicles, salt baths, skinning penises." A demon screamed loudly from the north. "I never knew there could be so much fun with reproductive organs. I would have tried it sooner, if I'd known." He laughed. "And here you are, blissfully unaware of what the Ghost has done."
"We don't want to hear it Naraku! Come out and face us!" Inuyasha yelled. "Or are you too busy trying to pack up and run away again like some coward!"
Wind kicked up and Kagura's wind blades slammed down on the group. Kagome and Miroku leapt out of the way while Sango protected herself with her boomerang. Inuyasha fended them off with the sword.
"I don't have much time, he's weak!" Kagura yelled down at them. She sent another easy wave of wind as Sango and Inuyasha protected Miroku, Shippo, Kilala, and Kagome.
"He's traveling the countryside, terrorizing demons, and for what?" Naraku's talk over continued. "Some petty jewel shards. You even helped him get one you fools!"
Bees swarmed around them as Kagura unleashed a few tornadoes. "He's south!" She yelled. "He's retreated south!" She fled west.
"Get back here!" Inuyasha yelled angrily as he slashed away the tornadoes with the backlash wave, sending them after Kagura.
The group chased after her, Kagome grabbing onto Kilala with Sango while Miroku ran behind the group. "Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled after him.
Running head-long through the woods they escaped the dead zone quickly, and soon had to dodge foliage. Kagome yelled after Inuyasha as he chased Kagura blindly west, until Kagura was taken down by an energy attack that knocked her off her feather. She landed heavily in the trees. Bursting into the clearing, they were all assaulted by Sesshomaru standing with Kagura in his clawed hands. She grabbed his arm trying to free herself.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome exclaimed as she caught sight of what was going on.
Sesshomaru glanced over at them, his long silver hair fluffed by the wind, and his parasitic attachment curling around Kagura's body. "What do you know about the Ghost?" he demanded as he released his grip slightly.
"He's terrorizing demons," she gasped. "Naraku hasn't run into him. He's some silver half-breed looking thing, but he's not a dog."
Sesshomaru tossed her aside. "Where is Naraku hiding?"
Kagura laughed and took out her fan. They started to fight, demons swarming out of the woods to attack, surrounding them.
"Sesshomaru, you have some nerve showing up on our kill and letting her get away like that." Inuyasha growled as he parried a blow from his brother.
"You think this is about her? She's a lethal bystander," Sesshomaru killed a demon attacking, just not trying to avoid Inuyasha at all. With just the two of them, they cleared out the demons without many injuries. Kagome immediately began to tend to the injury.
Miroku favored his stomach again as he held onto Kilala, and Sango limped a bit from where a demon had grabbed her leg.
"Stay out of my way Inuyasha." Sesshomaru warned watching the skies. "This Ghost Fox needs to be dealt with quickly."
"I'm not in your way, you idiot!" Inuyasha yelled as he prepared to fight Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru stood staring at Inuyasha critically. "They say he is one of your group. Is that not true? I have heard you and this Ghost Fox opened the portal in the North."
"I haven't heard of a Ghost Fox until just a couple months ago, and I sure as hell did not let these things lose."
"He traveled with you to the-"
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried loudly as Ah Un roared up overhead. He crashed down into the clearing, a gash against his side. Rin sniffed up her tears and hopped down grabbing onto Sesshomaru's leg. "Lord Sesshomaru. Kaede's village was attacked! This Rin escaped with Kohaku's help, but he isn't following. Lord Sesshomaru we have to save Kohaku!"
Jaken jumped down from Ah Un as well and began to fuss over the wound.
"Kohaku?" Sango asked trying to get up.
Kagome pushed her back down again. "Stay still for me," she demanded.
Rin glanced at Sango and nodded, still teary eyed and holding onto Sesshomaru. "This Rin saw him fighting with Naraku near the well when a swarm of demons overcame them." She looked back up to Sesshomaru. "The demons were all like Inuyasha, they all looked half human, half demon. The group of them attacked Naraku and Kohaku, and Kohaku was overcome by Naraku. He started using Kohaku against the demons, Lord Sesshomaru! Kohaku's been taken again."
"Rin," Sango called, trying to get her attention again. "Rin, is he alright? Did he make it?"
"Ah Un tried to protect him, but he was wounded and we needed to escape to M'Lord." Jaken explained. "But, there was another figure on the far side of the well clearing which was fighting the demons also. Most of them were running from him. He was a red creature, Lord Sesshomaru, said to be a fox."
"That is not our concern." Sesshomaru dismissed.
Kagome gasped. "But you have to go after Kohaku! He was with you and Rin!" She stood up and glared at him, her fist balled at her side. "He is one of your companions Lord Sesshomaru!"
"I do not have time to waste on petty humans." Sesshomaru turned east and left the clearing straight by the group. Rin and the others followed after him, begrudgingly.
"We have to get back to the village," Inuyasha whispered. "They were attacked by those demons. Hopefully we can find traces of Kohaku once we're there, Sango, but we have to get back."
Kagome nodded. "I agree. I think the jewel I was sensing was Naraku's through the shattered barrier." Kagome helped Sango up and supported her weight while Kilala adjusted herself.
"I'll take her," Inuyasha offered. "Kilala needs a break."
Kilala mewed in thankfulness and the group set out.