"Do you think he's alright?" Shippo asked eyeing his friend with concern. The whimpering breeze seemed to echo the young fox demon's mood as the setting sun cast a shadow over the subject of his worry.
"I don't know Shippo" replied Miroku with equal unease. The two companions stared after InuYasha. The half-demon had become increasingly reclusive, silent, and pensive.
Where he sat, an air of gloom hung heavily around him, at odds with the beauty of the wildflowers that bloomed in the meadow where he meditated. His usually brilliant golden eyes were now dull with no spark in life in them. He stared out into the sky-blue nothing before him as his friends watching on from the distance.
InuYasha recently took to isolating himself from the others—sometimes for days at a time. Sometimes he would disappear without explanation, He wouldn't talk to anyone when he returned, coming back to them as little more than a shadow with a heartbeat.
He'd been like this ever since they lost Kagome.
. . .
There was a sudden boom and the sound of newly fallen trees echoed throughout the forest. The commotion sent birds screeching and debris flying. Kyoukotsu's head turned swiftly towards the sudden uproar. Eyeing the large trees as they collapsed, he grinned. He recognized that circle of destruction as an attack from Bankotsu's mighty halberd: Banryu. Whoever had been foolish enough to provoke Bankotsu was surely regretting it now…in the other world.
"I'd really be paying attention if I were you!" a voice yelled out quickly approaching the undead giant.
"Huh?" Kyoukotsu's large head whipped around just in time for a powerful kick to collide with his cheek which caused the giant to stumble back in surprise. Looking around, he finally eyed his attacker whose feet had just landed back on the ground. "You'll regret that" Kyoukotsu growled.
"Ha!" Koga said, straightening from his landing position, cocky grin at the ready "We'll see about that—well, you won't, since you'll be dead!"
Kyoukotsu let out an angry growl and smashed his huge fists into the ground where Koga had stood but moments ago. Koga easily dodged the attack using his shard-enhanced limbs, leaving only a trail of dust where he once stood.
"No, no, no, over here" Koga taunted, his speed increasing so rapidly he was a blur. Kyoukotsu's large, lumbering body was powerless to try and track the wolf's impossibly fast movements.
Launching himself off the giants' shoulder, Koga catapulted towards Kyoukotsu's face and unleashed a whirlwind of kicks the struck his face mercilessly.
Kyoukotsu roared and smacked Koga away like an annoying insect, knocking him back several hundred yards. The clamor in the distance made Kyoukotsu grin.
Kyoukotsu gave a satisfied grunt now that the forest was still again. The chirping of the birds resumed once more, and the only thing that was audible was the gentle breeze through the treetops. He turned his back with the intention of carrying on his way; Koga was but a minor irritation that Kyoukotsu took care of handily.
Or, so he thought.
"Bad move!" came the panting cry as Koga hurtled towards the unsuspecting Kyoukotsu. The trees whipped ferociously in the wake of the gale Koga's speed created.
"Huh?" the largest Shichinintai said, the words barely had time to register before Koga lept once more, feet making solid contact with a jutting cheekbone.
POOM!
There was a heavy thud as Kyoukotsu connected solidly with the ground. Koga had launched himself onto the giants' undead face and successfully made the phrase "biting the dirt" a reality.
Kyoukotsu was momentarily blinded as a burst of pain had him seeing flashes. The hulking specter had only been on the ground a few moments when Koga materialized in front of him once again. Grabbing a lock of sea-green hair, Koga tugged on it harshly, causing the already writhing Kyoukotsu to audibly groan.
"Where's Kagome?" Koga demanded.
Kyoukotsu didn't respond. Instead, he moaned his eyes fluttering. His large hands swatted towards his assailant, but still he said nothing.
"Not talking, eh?" Koga tugged his hair even harder, nearly ripping it from the scalp and causing Kyoukotsu to howl. Once again the birds and other animals fled, leaving the two in the eerie quiet of the newly abandoned forest.
Releasing the chunk of hair in his hand, Koga unleashed another barrage of merciless kicks to Kyoukotsu's face. Normally Koga was too proud to attack an enemy who was down, but when Kagome was involved his pride became irrelevant.
Koga relinquished his attack, pausing only to question Kyoukotsu once more.
"Alright," Koga said cheerily, he had a good feeling that his opponent would likely be much more cooperative now that Koga had loosened his tongue, namely by displacing his jaw.
"Now maybe you'll wanna tell me what I wanna know. I won't ask you again: Where. IsKagome! Her scent's all over this forest! I know she's here and you better give her back if ya know what's good for ya!"
This time, Kyoukotsu managed to give a secret little smile and gave a laugh that promised no good would come of it.
"Ha" went Kyoukotsu's booming laughter, which sent tremors throughout the land.
"Where's Kagome?" he repeated back to Koga with mock wonder. He rose to his massive knees slowly, adjusting his sore limbs, and rotating his neck, and popping it back into place.
"That way," Kyoukotsu said with a grin, pointing a massive arm to the north, "I expected a wolf to have a better sense of smell than a dog" he taunted, "Why didn't you just ask in the first place?"
Koga twitched at the insult, but grabbed hold of his temper, "I don't have time to be wasting with the likes of you" he said, preparing to speed off when suddenly a gigantic spiked ball nearly landed on top of him.
"What the—?"
"Heh heh heh" Kyoukotsu chuckled. "I forgot to tell you, that information comes with a price: Your life"
Kyoukotsu once again hurling his weapon at Koga, this blow coming perilously close to the wolf demon' this time.
"Let's end this" Koga said gritting his teeth.
Kyoukotsu swung the iron ball once more, confident this would be the final blow to end their battle. Overzealous in his attack, his harm extended too far back and the iron ball and chain wrapped itself around a large tree. Kyoukotsu pulled at his weapon frantically, but it didn't budge.
Seizing the opportunity, raced over to the tangled weapon and making quick work of ascending the tree. Landing on the iron chain, Koga swiftly ran up the iron chain onto Kyoukotsu's arm.
Without warning, Koga materialized in Kyoukotsu's face. the giant's eyes crossed as an attempt to focus on Koga's figure. When they did, Kyoukotsu's gaze was met with the site of Koga's elbow swung back and fist ready. This wasn't going to be good.
Koga let out a cry of triumph he flew towards Kyuokotsu's face. The giant's mouth hung open dumbly in his surprise. Reaching the peak of his momentum, Koga sent one more surge of power into his swing before striking Kyoukotsu in the forehead. Koga quickly jumped back onto the ground below awaiting his opponent's next move.
To Koga's surprise, there was none. Kyoukotsu wobbled unsteadily, eyes rolling to the back of his head. Suddenly, Kyoukotsu fell to his knees with a ragged grunt, the impact of his fall causing the ground to tremble. His raised his arms in horror, grasping for the gaping wound left in his forehead. Before he could complete this motion, Kyoukotu's skin and muscles began to deteriorate. He let out one last ghostly moan as his undead flesh returned to the ash and soil from whence it came.
All that was left before Koga was a weather-beaten skeleton. Koga looked at the spectacle with eyes wide his own mouth falling open in amazement.
"Wow…" he mumbled aloud as he looked on, "…lucky shot"
The dust was still settling over their battleground, the evidence of their fight lying scattered around in various states of devastation; dozens of grand oak trees split like mere saplings, hundreds of misplaced boulders, cracked and strewn about like pebbles. Spotting a glint on the dust-ridden ground, Koga grinned.
"And now for my prize"
Koga sauntered towards the glowing shard, excited to improve his speed even further. As he made a motion to pick it up a tell-tale buzzing filled the air. It was Naraku's poisonous insects.
The vile-looking swarm swooped over Koga in a dense cloud making visibility impossible.
"Hey! Off!" Koga yelled, swinging his arms in an attempt to scatter the mob of saimyoushou. It was to no avail. The impermeable cloud hovered until suddenly ascending above the now sparse treetops, leaving the ground newly bare of the tiny treasure that had previously laid on it.
"Just as I thought," Koga said through gnashed teeth. His fists clenched impossibly tightly until his bronzed knuckles turned white, "Naraku's behind this"
Koga lept after the winged insects, swiping at them and managing to fell a few. The swarm did not slow down or retaliate, however. They simply buzzed on with a single-minded focus.
Enraged at the thought that Kagome was at the mercy of their greatest enemy, Koga kept after them, rage overtaking logic. A dull sheen caught the corner of his eye and stilled his hand, allowing Nakarku's insects to swiftly flew high and out of sight.
Koga paid them no further mind as he realized what he was looking at. It was clothing. The dingy silk thread barely managing to show through the slogs of dirt and grime that now covered it. Koga walked closer, fearing what he already knew. Those robes were covered with the scent of blood and they had most certainly belonged to Kagome.
Hello! 2021 update here. I am making my way through revising all the old, original content, and well see you in Chapter 5. Thanks for reading!