Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha.

Sorry for the very long wait. I'm currently taking summer classes, advance on my minors prior to my semester classes. I'm so sorry it has taken me a month to update this. Hopefully I will post the next chapter soon to compensate for the lost time I have wasted. Sorry once again. .

Chapter 3: Hide and Seek

The figure from the shadows stepped out to reveal…

A human or was the person a demon?

Though the vibes I get from him are rather disturbing, was this was Kagome called youki? It was sort of weird seeing the person's youki. It was violet and clung to the person's being like an outline. He had long hair tied as a high ponytail wearing the usual traditional Japanese attire which consisted of a light blue with red streaks kimono top and a dark blue and gold haori but a sword has strapped upon the right side of his back. Despite his rather deep tone, this person look rather effeminate with his features more womanly and red lips. His blue eyes held a mischievous glint in them.

"Who are you and what have you come here for?" I asked, gripping the basket and mentally cursing at how helpless I once again am. Why didn't I get myself a sword earlier!? I wanted to bang my head against the trunk of a tree but that would be a display of me being an idiot in a dire situation as this.

"Yare, yare, quite the spitfire you are." He chuckled to himself and took a step towards me which caused me to take a step back. He arched an ebony brow and proceeded to step again which I countered with a step back. Intrigued by our little game, a smirk graced his lips and he strode towards me making me back away quickly. My eyes leering at his mocking form.

"You are quite amusing, no wonder Naraku wants you." He spoke and I froze.

I've just been dumped into this world and it seems that the main villain of this melodrama is now interested with me. Oh joy. I mentally slapped myself. What the hell did I do to make such a creature want me? I mean I'm not like err… gifted or shapely in anything. I'm pretty much ordinary if you guys know what I mean.

"What do you mean Naraku wants me?" I asked shakily, you gotta be kidding me if you're not shaking if some tyrant wants you for himself. Ugh, must delete such thoughts. I shuddered at the things that were roaming in my mind and had to resist the urge to wretch.

The demon in front of me chuckled yet again. I mean what is with villains and chuckling?! Do they really have to chuckle at every question or line those victims or heroes have to say. What kind of script is he following?! I gripped the basket even more tightly whilst ignoring how the rough material of the object is slight chaffing my palms.

I look around the perimeter, searching for an escape route but my opponent's voice took my attention, "You don't seem to be the type that would go willingly seeing as you were just looking for an escape just now." He raised his hand with his index finger pointed upward and proceeds to move it sideward, a gesture that is most seen with a parent reprimanding their child for a wrong deed.

I bit my lip and darted to the thicket of trees and a chuckle erupted from him, "So you want to play a little game of hide and seek? I could use a little entertainment. I'm sure Naraku wouldn't mind having a little less tear on his new toy."

I gulped and ran through the forest path, the path was harsh. My hakama pants kept on getting hitched by the numerous bushes that I ran through. As soon as I arrived in a clearing within a circle of trees, silence met my ears and it was not calming. Cold sweat trickled down my brow and I look frantically at every direction provided by the clearing. Despite the warm and golden rays of the light, it provided me no warmth.

I took hold of the fabric upon my chest, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. It seemed to be the loudest sound that my ears picked up. The soft zephyr that passed by sent chills down my spine. How the hell did I get into this mess?! The Kamis must seriously hate me for they have given me this kind of fate. Why didn't I go with Ayako and Mitsuzu when they went to the fortuneteller?! I could have probably avoided getting into this mishap.

Drowned in my thoughts, I didn't notice the faint footsteps that had made its noise into the clearing. It was only the odd sense of danger that alerted me and I rolled to the side. Just enough to dodge a tentacle that had been aimed at where I was standing.

"Not bad, girl." The all-too familiar voice of my adversary spoke and I gritted my teeth in annoyance. As soon as the tentacle was shot out, it was quickly withdrawn and the silhouette of my enemy once again melded with the forest's shadows.

'Thank god for zanshin.' I thought and it calmed me down a bit. Never knew my kendo lessons would be useful here. Now if only I had brought a sword, the chances of me escaping would probably be higher…or not.

I sidestepped quickly, narrowly missing a tentacle that sped towards me from behind. "You're not bad, girl." The adversary spoke and I knitted my brows in frustration. How was I going to win against him with only a basket in my hands? I was utterly defenseless.

That's why when a few tentacles shot out of the shadows, my chances of escape diminished greatly. I had to sidestep a lot to avoid getting caught and jumping to places as well.

That was before I got cornered which happened after a jump and my back made contact with the trunk of the tree. I swallowed the bile that had risen up to my throat and upon my cornered form, my adversary showed up who was sitting quite leisurely upon a giant paper crane which made me wonder if the mode of travel in this world was such.

"Trapped, aren't we?" He let out a dark laugh and it brought the fear in me to greater lengths. My hands were now slippery with cold sweat. The tentacles he had deployed danced behind him. They withdrew a bit then lunged at me. I screamed and shielded myself with the petty basket of herbs.

I noticed a blur before I closed my eyes, my screaming filling my ears. I expected the attack but nothing came, I opened my eyes warily and met the form of another person.

This time it was a…

Japanese terms:

Yare, yare - My, my or Oh my.

Zanshin - the ability of a person to sense movement within an area around him without taking his eyes from a certain direction; a kind of sixth sense; this is usually commonly practiced in martial arts. A/N: My teacher kept on drilling this into us whilst I was taking Kenjutsu.