Author's Note: sorry guys been busy, busy... hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy and please review!
Yasuhiro raced away from the Forest Sprit, his joyful laughter nearly causing him to fall. He didn't make it but a couple of meter before the Sprit tackled him, her fingers teased his side as she tickled him.
Withering on the ground, the young boy finally was able to turn himself on his back before knocked Hariko off with his feet and onto her back. Before the Sprit was able to recover Yasuhiro pounced on her stomach and began tickling her. He smiled in triumph as she burst into her own fit of laugher.
After a couple of minutes he jumped off of her and raced away, laugher bubbling him his small frame.
"Yasuhiro we're too close to the forest, we need to move back to the Compound," Hariko's sweet voice easily carried on the light breeze, causing the boy to stop. His smile however faltered some.
"When will I get to go in the forest?" he asked curiously as his eyes shifted over the wild forest.
Walking up next to him, Hariko rested her hand on his shoulder. "When you're older. That forest is no place for a child."
He frowned and looked up at her. "It can't be that bad, my dad goes in there every day and nothing happens to him."
Hariko smiled patiently. "Your father is a very powerful demon, Yasuhiro. Not many dare challenge him."
"If dad's so strong then no one should bother me right?"
"I wish is was that simple," she replied, fondly stroking her Yasuhiro's fawn colored hair. He was a perfect blend of both parents. "You see, the ones who wish your father harm but are too afraid to challenge him wouldn't see a problem in hurting you. Because, hurting you would hurt your father… do you understand?"
When she received no answer, she knelt in front of him. He turned his face away from her but Hariko caught his chin gently and forced him to look at her. "Yasuhiro, do you understand?"
He huffed but nodded. "It's just not fair."
She smiled as she pulled him into a hug. "I know but unfortunately life's not always fair, little one." Pulling away from him, she smiled playfully. "Another game of tag?"
Yasuhiro frowned as he looked passed the Forest Sprit. "Do demons ever come out of the forest?"
The Sprit's face became thoughtful. "No, not normally. There are a few that are permitted to leave the forest and come the Compound but most are not allowed. Why?"
"Are they allowed?" he asked as he pointed passed Hariko and towards the forest line.
She followed the boy's finger and her face paled. Several large spiders stood less than 100 meters away. "No," she answered quietly, as she grasped Yasuhiro's hand and pulling him behind her.
One of the spiders gave a light hiss before they all stilled.
Hariko watched them as she slowly pushed Yasuhiro towards the Compound before his small voice broke her concentration.
"There's more…" Yasuhiro whimpered softly, clutching Hariko's hand tighter.
Whipping her head to the left, she saw three more spiders. She cursed softly. They were blocking the direct route to Yusuke's living quarters. But why couldn't see sense them? Even now, with them so close, she couldn't feel any energy coming from them.
"Listen to me carefully," Hariko's human façade shimmered slightly as slowly started powering up. "No matter what happens, don't look back and keep running. Don't stop until you're back with your parents. Do you understand?" She felt him nodded against her leg and silently prayed for his safety.
There was easily the length of a football field separating Yasuhiro from the back of the Compound. It was a long way for a small child and Hariko hope he had enough stamina left to make it. However, she couldn't worry about that… she had to focus on stalling these creatures long enough to give Yasuhiro a chance to escape.
"When I tell you to, run."
Nodding against her leg Yasuhiro followed Hariko's movements as she continued slowly moving backwards. He could hear the spiders clicking and hissing as they followed them. They were closing the gap that separated them.
"Run. NOW!" Hariko snapped suddenly, her human glimmer falling before she lunged at the spider closest to them.
Yasuhiro hesitated for only a half of second before darting away from his friend. He got a few meters before something wrapped around his leg, tripping him. He screamed as his leg started burning before he was jerked backwards a couple feet. His fingernail dug into the ground to hopefully stop his backwards journey but it was useless.
…
Kagome paused as scream reached her ears. Cursing under her breath; her warning had come too late.
Leaping forward, she increased her speed pushing herself to her limits. The scream she had heard grated on her nerves and sent her heart racing with fear. It drew her mind back to a different time when she was battling Naraku for the final time and Shippou had been injured.
Her mind suddenly drew up a picture of the Detective and his son.
A snarl ripped past her lips as her youki flared around her causing a crystal blue-colored flame to dance over her body. Leaping out of the forest, her mind barely processed the scene she'd come upon.
A demon was viciously mauling the spiders, leaping between them. She was trying to defend a boy who was a couple yards behind her. He was laying on the ground, a thick web wrapped around his ankle was slowly dragging him back into the fray.
Instantly, Kagome leapt over the battling spiders, landing next to the boy. With a brush of her hand she the web around the boy's ankle dissolved before she yanked him to his feet.
"Are you ok?" she questioned, her hand never leaving the boy's arm.
His eyes were wide with fear but he nodded his head after a second.
"Good stay here and don't move, I'm going to help your friend." Kagome didn't give him time to response before she leapt at the spider who'd tried taking the boy.
Her Katana blazed with her blue fire as she sliced the spiders to pieces. They weren't powerful opponents, but they had numbers on their side and their fine hairs also seemed to act as a natural shield when hit from a curtain angle. Along with their sheer numbers, they were surprisingly intelligent and cunning and capable forming simply but usually effective plans.
To Kagome's left another spider hissed before collapsing as the other demon fine got her claws underneath the spider's fine hairs and into its soft flesh, easily killing it.
In another quick movement, she sliced the fangs off another spider before it could attack the demoness that battle alongside her. The maneuver however, ruined her blade as the spider's acid-like poison splashed across the steel, corroding it.
A curse slipped through her lips as she sheathed her now useless Katana before engulfing her hands in flames. She was able to kill make two more kills before her blue flames began to bleed pink with holy energy forcing her to retreat to where the boy was.
If she continued using her youki she would completely drained and she would revert to her human form. Sure, she would have a fresh supply of energy at her disposal but that would still leave her at a terrible disadvantage in terms of speed and physical power. Besides, she had very little training in the last 80 years in her human form, though she had attempted using her holy energy while in demon form.
The results had been less then favorable, leave her hands burnt for days.
"Retreat," she snapped at the other demon.
The Forest Sprit frowned but jumped back. "No, take Yasuhiro and go. I'll do my best to keep them busy." She flashed Kagome her arm, revealing a nasty gash that was already black and bubbling with toxins.
Kagome forced back an apology that threatened to slip from her lips. This demoness did not want her pity. She was willing and eyes gleamed with some sort of pride.
"I wish you the best then, friend," Kagome supplied instead. Quickly, she snatched Yasuhiro up and dashed away but not before she heard a quiet "good luck to you as well". Just as suddenly as the words reached her sensitive ears, the sounds of battle resumed.
Yasuhiro clutched onto her tightly, burying his face in the croak of her neck in fear. Kagome did her best to comfort him, talking smoothing nonsense in his ear even as she panted from exhaustion.
She didn't know how long she ran for, dodging around the webs; poisonous ones and non before she heard a shouted warning.
…
Hiei had to force himself to keep pace with Yusuke instead of travelling at his normal pace. He'd forgotten what it was like, waiting for someone. Travelling with Kagome had spoiled him.
She was agile and sure-footed and though she didn't possess the brute strengthen he did, she was fast… even faster then his self when she didn't to be. He supposed that it was due to her being a female.
And they all seemed to forget that fact… he had someone out here too. Not that he could blame them. The boy was child and in all aspects, defenseless. While Kagome on the other hand was an outsider; someone they'd met only hours ago and a full grown demoness with enough power to catch his eye.
It was true, Kagome was a powerful creature but she had her limits just as everyone. Her limitations were easily reached once she began using her youki. The holy energy flowing in her veins actually neutralized a large portion of her youki.
"Look over there!" Yusuke pointed, breaking Hiei from his thoughts. Following the Yusuke's finger, he was greeted by the sight of Kagome, carrying Yasuhiro.
He could see the exhaustion etched into her features and pink tint of her holy energy beginning to leak through the energy cloak Hiei had put on her. If she used anymore youki she'd revert back to being a human and that was not something he wanted to explain. It wasn't even the fact she'd be human but that she was a Miko.
"Behind you!" Hiei shouted, as saw a spider approached his female and Yusuke's child from behind.
Kagome's reaction was instantaneous. She whirled around, somehow tossing the child down behind her while her clawed hand striking out. Somehow, her claws slip passed the spiders poisonous fangs and down its throat.
Both stood frozen with surprise before green blood dripped from around Kagome's upper arm as a loud cracking sound filled the air. Kagome cried out in pain as she struggled to free her arm. It had a death grip on her arm as it fell forward, dragging her to the ground with it.
Before the body could completely, Yusuke was scooping up his son and Hiei was kneeling beside Kagome before the carcass dissolved into ash as it was wrapped in a black flame.
"Can you run?" Hiei questioned as he helped Kagome to her feet. Now that he was closer he could see that she was panting and her face was covered in a lair of sweat.
She nodded and wrapped her hand around her broken arm, bracing it.
When Hiei turned his attention to Yusuke, he nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here."