Chapter Thirty: Right in Front of Them

*Miroku and Shippo*

"Is that all?" Miroku asked lightly taking a few steps forward. "Well, in that case…" He held up his fist and called out, "Prepare yourself for the afterlife!"

Hakudoshi raised his eyebrows. "Nice threat, monk." He then leapt up into the air, falling towards him—his fangs bared—"Now let's see if you can back it up!"

Miroku dodged him narrowly, and rolled to the side, Shippo screaming as he clung onto his shoulder.

"You ok back there, Shippo?" he called as the little fox clung to his back.

"Y-y-yeah…" Shippo stuttered.

"Touching, Monk," Hakudoshi smiled as he jumped into the air again, "Though you should really be looking after yourself!"

Miroku reached into his pocket and pulled out some sutras and threw them high into the air—as soon as they came near Hakudoshi, there was an electrical pulse shooting out, hitting Hakudoshi and trapping him in a ball of energy.

"Yes!" Shippo called out happily, but Hakudoshi smirked as he let his own energy shoot out, breaking the sphere, which shattered like diamonds.

Miroku grinded his teeth together. It had been years since the two of them last battled, and he was as annoying as ever. He then reached into his front pocket and pulled out his signature prayer beads and charged forward. "I may be vampire!" he cried out, "But don't forget that I still have all my spiritual powers from when I was human!"

He then jumped up high until he was eye level with Hakudoshi. "This won't end like our last battle."

"Ah yes," he smirked back as Shippo was screaming all the while, "I remember… it was about ten years ago when we last fought right? I seem to recall that I won that fight."

"Nice try," Miroku smiled evilly back. "But if you had won, I'd wouldn't still be alive now right? It ended in a draw and we both know it."

Hakudoshi cocked his head in amusement, "Perhaps you're right…" An evil, red glint appeared in his eyes and he cried out, "Then why not finish it here?"

He charged forward in mid-air, a demonic aura around his body as he came. Seeing what was coming, Mirkou ducked just in time as Hakudoshi came flying over him—missing him by inches. Miroku hit the side of a ride before he twisted his body around and came flying back, ready for round two. Well, there was one good thing about being a vampire… much easier to fight.

Hakudoshi spun around and also made a jumping leap, coming right back for him. Miroku held up his arm in time to block a swipe, Shippo was now crying as he clung onto his back, begging for Miroku to stop and run.

Feeling the pain in his arm, which left a deep gash, Miroku tilted downwards and landed on the ground, while still trying to avoid Hakudoshi's next attack. He then grabbed Shippo and threw him until he landed about fifteen feet away in the teacup ride. Shaking from head to tail, Shippo poked the top of his head out from a chipped teacup as Miroku cried. "I need you to stay hidden for a little while Shippo!"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Shippo stuttered as he ducked down again.

Gritting his teeth, he turned back to his opponent and braced himself. Once more, he jumped up and started to clash one more with the vampire. Round and round they circled, hitting each other with a mixture of demonic and spiritual energy—neither one gaining or losing ground, but Miroku knew that he couldn't keep this up forever.

He then looked up at the clock tower to see that time was quickly running out. "Shippo!" he called. "You go and try to find Sota! I'll take care of this!"

Shippo jumped horribly at being called to in the heat of battle, but he remembered how funny and nice that Sota had been the day that they met, and how sad Kagome would be if something happened to him.

Gathering up his courage, he gulped and nodded. He then leapt out of the teacup and bolted away, racking his brains over where Sota would be. Miroku smiled as he turned back to Hakudoshi—ready for a fight.

Hakudoshi only gave him an evil grin and answered, "Try all you want… but the odds of you ever finding the boy before time runs out is slim to none…"

"Maybe," he answered as he turned sideways and crouched down. "But pulling off a miracle when the odds are against us is what we do best."

*Sango and Kirara*

For a few minutes not a single sound could be heard, other than their soft breathing, waiting… and then…

"Give me your soul," said a soft, emotionless voice.

Kirara sensed what was about to happen and dove on top of Sango to protect her just in time as all the mirrors around them shattered, breaking away like snowflakes.

Sango let out a cry of surprise as she gritted her teeth and waited. Just as soon as it started, it had stopped. Kirara looked up warily, as Sango forced her way to stand up, and glared around her. All the mirrors had been destroyed, so that the path had been easily revealed to them now.

"We're sitting ducks here," Kirara cried. "We have to get out into the open."

"Right," Sango agreed and they sprinted towards the exit which took no time at all. As soon as they burst through the door—there she was. Pale as the moon, her hair white as snow, and black eyes that were devoid of all emotion… Kanna.

Both girls glared at her. "I don't suppose that you'll be able to tell us where your master hid Sota?" Sango asked, though she already knew what kind of answer she will receive.

And sure enough, Kanna didn't answer her. She just looked at her… Kirara lost her patience and went charging ahead.

"Kirara!" Sango cried out. "No, don't forget about her…"

Too late, Kanna had created a barrier around herself, knocking Kirara flat on her back. With a back flip, Kirara was up again and ready for more. Sango came dashing past her, ready to fight as well. "Don't know why I bother trying to get a word out of you," she yelled just as Kanna's barrier had appeared again, shutting them out.

"I hate that barrier of hers," Kirara said to Sango in disgust.

"You and me both," Sango agreed. Kanna had been one of Naraku's first servants. Once she had been a normal human like the rest of them, but once Naraku got a hold of her, she had become nothing more than a lifeless puppet… at least that's what Naraku always bragged about anyway.

"How are we suppose to deal with her?" Sango whispered as she drew back, eyeing Kanna cautiously.

"Just be glad she hasn't pulled out that mirror of hers yet," Kirara whispered back. "Last time she used it, our attacks just came flying back remember?"

"How can I?" Sango grunted angrily, "And thanks for opening up an old wound." The last time she had picked a fight with Kanna, she had been beaten to a pulp…

They looked at her dead eyes and thoughts began to erupt in their minds… how to get past her defenses…?

*Inuyasha and Kagome*

"Well, if that's all," Inuyasha hissed, he pushed Kagome backwards, "Stay away from here," he told her quickly. "Stay in my sight at all times though… I'll keep you safe."

Kagome nodded, "I know you will."

They looked up to Byakuya who was still grinning broadly. "Just promise me that you'll be alright… and that you'll take him out."

This time it was Inuyasha who smirked. "Of course…"

He then leapt up with a literal spring in his step, easily reaching Byakuya and tried to punch him, only his opponent only gently side-stepped him so that Inuyasha only ended up attacking the air. Kagome bit her lower lip as she watched in terror.

With a swift kick from behind, Byakuya sent Inuyasha flying back to the pavement. With a sickening crash, he had been able to twist in midair and landed on his feet, but the force of the kick still made his feet make two small craters in the concrete.

"Is that all you got?" Inuyasha called back up.

"Hmm," Byakuya smirked. "Seems that you improved your skills a little bit since the last time. Course, you'd have to be much better than that if you hope to beat me." He then jumped down with a graceful leap that Inuyasha dodged at once.

This went on for some time, each time that one would try to attack, the other would move back, trying to avoid it. It was like a dance, the two of them fighting and ducking around each other.

Inuyasha seemed to notice this too because, to Kagome's horror, he stood still for a brief second and allowed a punch to come and hit him in the gut.

Kagome gasped and cried out, "Inuyasha!"

That was when he grabbed hold of Byakuya's arm and twisted it, finally able to deal with a good right punch to the head. A bruise appearing where Inuyasha's fist made contact with the side of his face, Byakuya grimaced as he pulled his arm free and jumped back.

"I'm fine, Kagome!" Inuyasha called out, one hand on his gut, the other one still clenched tightly into a fist. "Just stand back and watch the master!"

Kagome shook her head. Honestly, what a braggart he was.

"Kagome!" yelled a familiar voice. She turned where she stood and little Shippo was running towards her on all fours.

"Shippo!" she called back and went running forward so that he had been able to jump into her arms. As he clung to her, she looked around. "Hey where's Miroku, Sango, and Kirara?" she asked quickly. She knew at once that she said the wrong thing.

Shippo's whole body froze in fear and he stammered out, "M-Miroku! He's… he's…"

"He's what?" Kagome demanded at once, panic in her heart. "What happened to him?"

"He's fighting Hakudoshi!" Shippo called out.

Now Kagome had no idea who or what Hakudoshi was, but judging from the terrified look on Shippo's face, he was clearly bad news.

"Who's Hakudoshi?" she asked at once.

"O-one of N-Naraku's vampires," he stuttered again. "He told me to run while he dealt with him."

Fear gripped her heart as she looked back at Inuyasha. Shippo had just noticed who he was fighting as well because he screamed and yelled out, "It's Byakuya!"

"I take it you know him?" Kagome asked, refusing to take her eyes off Inuyasha.

At the sound of his name, Byakuya looked up, and he smirked at Shippo, who froze in fear and buried his head in Kagomes's coat. Inuyasha looked back at the pair of them before he turned to face Byakuya again, moving so that he stood right in front of the pair of them, "You want them? You gotta get through me first!"

"Inuyasha," she whispered. 'Sota…' she then added in a thought. She looked wildly around her, trying to figure out where her brother was. She had to get him out of here… she knew that the two of them were the liabilities here. So long as they were here, they would only get in the way.

"Where is he?" she whispered, glancing at the clock tower again… what did Naraku say? Sota was hidden in a place where it's only a matter of time before his life draws ever nearer to the end.

What was that supposed to mean? How was that a clue? Damn it, she shut her eyes and screwed up her thoughts… what was with vampires and riddles? First Inuyasha, then Naraku… there must be something there…

She went over what Naraku said again and again…

Hidden in a place where it's only a matter of time before his life draws ever nearer to the end.

A place where it's only a matter of time before…

Where it's only a matter of time…

A matter of time…

Time…

Her eyes slowly looked up to the clock tower again… and suddenly it hit her like a rock of bricks. In a place where they could clearly see, but is hidden… yes… it couldn't be any other place… if she was right, then they had been looking at Sota's prison this whole time!

"Inuyasha!" she screamed as she turned to look at him, Shippo digging himself tighter in her coat. "I think I know where he is! I know where Sota is!"

Inuyasha glanced back at her and cried out, "You did? Where?"

She pointed behind her at the clock tower… "He's there! He has to be! 'In a place where it's only a matter of time…' Time is the clue! And where is the one place in this whole park that is associated with time? The tower! It has to be there!"

Inuyasha turned back to Byakuya and grinned. "You hear that?"

Byakuya just smiled serenely back at him and said, "So you figured it out? Yes, Naraku's keeping the kid up there… but don't forget, just figuring out the hiding place is only half the battle. Getting there before the boy dies is the real challenge."

That was when a dark shadow appeared right behind Inuyasha… what happened was over so quickly that Kagome didn't see what happened, but the next thing she saw was that Inuyasha was on the ground—and sickly black substance covering his back…

And with a feeling of pure terror, she realized that black stuff… was vampire blood… Inuyasha's blood.

(What do you think? Hope you enjoyed it. But what happened to Inuyasha? Who attacked him? And now that they know where Sota is can they get to him in time? Find out soon!)