Behind her she felt his demonic aura spike, knowing he discovered her absence. She ran through the forest trying not to trip, her eyes having a hard time seeing in the darkness. Her mind was running a mile a minute in ways to stall him from finding her so quickly. She knew it wasn't much but she loosened her obi and held it out, finding a tree she could climb easily she made her way up a few branches before tying it there and then used a limb from an adjoining tree to grab and swing her to another branch before swinging to the ground and taking off again.
She ran a ways more and found a big tree with a hole in it and stuffed the top kimono there before grabbing a low branch and swinging her in another direction. She almost felt like Jane from that Disney movie Tarzan with all of her swinging in the branches, she smiled at that thought before she cleared her thoughts. Running along she could hear the sound of water and removed the bottom layer of her kimono.
Coming across a wide stream she leaped over it and ran to the nearest tree, bunching the kimono up behind it before running along the forest line and back to the stream making sure to get her foot prints in the mud trailing to the stream before she laid down in it, drenching herself and covering her scent better and then took off up stream, the opposite direction, scrambling to make it a good distance before he could come in sight of her.
She trudged through the water for miles; she was out of sight from where she came but felt frozen. Her feet were numb and she had a hard time staying upright because of it. She would submerge herself in the water every so often to keep her scent off the wind, and counted her blessings since he wasn't a canine being they could track through water much easier than another demon.
She studied the stars, using them as a guide to help her plan which way she needed to go next. The stream came to where it had forked off from what could be called a small river, it was harder now to fight the current so after another dive she went to higher ground before running along the river bank on the rocks for a couple miles and with another dive she trudged up the bank and went into the forest before collapsing on the ground to rest her body.
Knowing what she must do she sighed and began rolling around in the dirt, twigs and leaves, making sure she rubbed some in her armpits and everything to keep her scent gone for a while. She headed west into the forest as fast as she could, her body warming up with adrenaline pumping through her veins.
In the deep part of the forest she couldn't tell if it was supposed to be night or day, by this point she was certain the demon was telling the truth about the amethyst in the tiara, she didn't even see another living creature the entire time. She looked around her in her mad dash through the forest; she couldn't find a single sign of any villages or forest paths being close by.
Continuing on she kept her body moving with thoughts of being caught by a possibly enraged demon and reminding herself that she would be hopeless against him. She couldn't let her body give in to fatigue, he would most certainly find her if she did.
She knew a lot of time had to have passed since she first entered the forest, she was finally leaving it and coming upon a river that must have been running parallel to the forest for a while; she could hear it for some time now. Studying the stars above her and the direction of the river she knew it would be best to use it to her advantage since she could smell her body odor.
Up the river she noticed a log steadily making its way down. With much regret she walked into the water and submerged herself again then came up for air and waited to grab on to the log and use it to help her float down the river. Grabbing on to it as it came she kicked off the bottom of the riverbed and struggled to get up, the log turned over a few times before one of the branches got it caught. She ended up pulling it to the shore line and once she was situated she gave a good firm push off the bank a few times and was finally floating down the river with ease.
She primarily travelled southwest, keeping her eyes on the stars, the only guide she had and the only light as well. She didn't let the darkness scare her. With those beasts scaring people she doubt anyone sane would be out in the wilderness and those same beast were keeping quite the distance from her. Floating down the stream was nice, though it made her body start to give in to the fatigue she had been fighting off for hours. She was determined to not let it relax too much; it would be the death of her so she kept her mind and eyes occupied.
Along her journey she passed a few villages and noticed a trend with them. They all kept the beasts at bay by using fire or a barrier. She could sense different wards on the huts as well, usually the large ones but she was glad to see them surviving through this somehow. Looking back at the sky she watched the sun rise, hardly brightening the sky with most of its rays blocked. She had no explanation as to how this was happening or even why.
The demon who claimed she was his queen had never told her who he is and it left her wondering if he was the one she could barely remember seeing up in the sky the same night she was ambushed at the shrine. It would make sense but she couldn't go off of assumptions alone if she was to put an end to this.
The sky lightened up just a little, its red hue giving the scenery a morbid look. Studying the stars once again she knew she should get off soon and continue making her way straight west, maybe stop by a town to get a better feel for where she is in comparison to the palace. Maybe they will have a blacksmith that could help her remover these cuffs.
She began to notice that the current was beginning to pick up, feeling a barrier downstream she stretched her kinks out before swinging her leg over and rolling off the log. She struggled with the current more than she thought she would but after several meters she made it to shore and walked along the bank and tree line until it opened up to fields.
She walked slowly but steadily until she was at the edge of the barrier, giving it a small tap she felt resistance but nothing harmful. Pushing her way through was harder than expected, she grit her teeth under the weight of it until she flared her meager power and finally was allowed all the way through with ease.
Her breath came out in pants and she stumbled a few steps before finally looking ahead of her and seeing the priestess at the edge of the huts looking at her. Her body protested with the coming walk but after a few clearing breaths she put it to the back of her mind and approached the woman, hoping the village might help her instead of turning her away. It was risky but she had a plan to help them out in exchange.
"Lady Priestess, if you would I request an audience with you." The woman studied her; she had sharp brown eyes, the traditional robes and brown hair trailing down her back with long bangs kept to the sides of her face. Given a nod after the woman studied her appearance, she was lead to a hut as the village people watched.
The woman watched her cautiously and she couldn't blame her. Wearing a tiara with her outfit and a messy appearance yet also having the powers of a priestess and surviving those beasts. "You may talk now."
Taking a deep breath in she began her introduction, "I am Higurashi Kagome, also known as Priestess Kagome, the guardian of the Shikon Jewel. I am in need of the assistance of a blacksmith and would like to know my whereabouts; I have only had the stars to guide me. In return I would like to offer you one of these gems, they keep the beasts away, and this is the first I have seen any living creatures since I had left where I came from."
The priestess across from her had narrowed her eyes, she wondered if the woman thought she was lying or for some reason didn't like her. Keeping calm she hoped it was neither. Kagome held out her wrists and tried to flare her powers in hopes the priestess would understand that her powers were being blocked by the cuffs she revealed. "How did you get into this situation?" The priestess questioned as she gazed down at the cuffs before going back to studying her face.
"I had been kidnapped by a demon, I'm not sure how but I went to sleep and woke up in a different bed with these cuffs on. The demon had me in a black castle high up on a cliff. He had called me his queen and put this tiara on my head and said the amethysts in it were enchanted to keep the beasts away. I didn't believe him until I escaped and have yet to come across any. I think this demon is somehow tied to the eclipse of the sun and moon but with my powers sealed I can do nothing, I didn't want to wait around to see what he had planned for me. If you can help me I promise you can have one of the gems in exchange and I will do my best to bring an end to all of this." Kagome waited for the priestess before her to reach a decision, she didn't know what more she could say or do. The woman had every right to be cautious but hope ignited her chest as the woman smiled at her and finally nodded.
She was lead out of the hut after having some tea and a small meal. The priestess searched the crowd that grew around her door until she spotted who she was looking for. It was the blacksmith, a guy with big strong arms and after being notified they needed his assistance he lead them to his place. The priestess explained for her what was going on and once they arrived to his place he requested to see them.
The minutes ticked by as he attempted to remove them but after trying several times he sat down on a stump looking puzzled at the deceivingly strong cuffs. They tried a new method, Kagome would push her power out for as long as possible while the priestess also fed her power and while they did that the blacksmith gave it his all. When the barrier started to waiver they sighed in defeat.
Not one to go back on her word, Kagome pulled the tiara off and asked him to remove one of the gems, he did so without question and handed it back to her, Kagome then held it out as thanks to the priestess. She ended up resting in the priestess's hut until a little after midday and then insisted she needed to go so she left the way she came and followed a road west that the priestess said would get her back on track, following her instructions as she travelled. She must have really given the demon the slip, she hadn't thought she would make it so far but her lessons from Sango and the others had really helped.
Touga approached the castle after he felt the demon flare his aura. He wasn't quite sure as to what was going on until he made a circle around the castle and caught Kagome's scent. Sensing the enemy descending from the castle he met him in the clearing, determined to kill him before he could capture her.
His eyes hardened as he stood his ground and called the acid to his claws, making them glow green once again. Locking eyes with his opponent the second battle began after the next breeze blew through the field. A barrier created by his powers insured that his opponent wouldn't be escaping any time soon. The furious purple orbs glared at him spitefully and spat insults at him but each one made him grin all the more.
The battle raged on, Touga had transformed into his dog form and gotten rid of the barrier to conserve energy. His teeth dripped with his saliva, laced with acid. He shot balls of his power at Takeshi with his mouth and sent blades of it with a swipe of his mighty paws. Takeshi could make a disorienting mist to attack him but his acid and large being turned the tables on him. His powers burned like the fires from the pits of Hell and evened out the playing field.
He dodged the poisonous crystals that Takeshi sent from his sword, it was very similar to adamant barrage but these diamonds were black with a green hue. The beasts began to come from the forest and attack, it was during their attack that Takeshi escaped, and without a doubt was in pursuit of Kagome. By now she had a few hours head start and he hoped it would be enough as he ripped and tore at the beasts, melting them to piles of goo as they came after him.
They swarmed him and he morphed into a ball and shot off miles away back to the hot spring to let his body rest and mend its self. He took in a weary sigh as he sank down into the water, the poison circulating in his veins, he could still feel Takeshi's aura, it was clear to him that Kagome must have done plenty to keep him from being hot on her trail.
His eyes started getting unfocused and he had to shake his head a few times to clear away the haze, he surfaced out of the water and grabbed his clothes, tugging them on and securing them into place before walking over to rest against a rock and let the acid in his body eat away the poison.
She began to feel eyes on her but with her powers still being blocked by the cuffs she couldn't determine what has been following her. She was willing to let it go on for as long as possible now that she had barely more self-defense than an average human woman. She continued down the path in a hurried walk, she wasn't sure how she managed to evade that demon for so long, something else must have gone in her favor since her little tricks wouldn't have bought her more than a few minutes, maybe several at most. He had superior senses and speed compared to her human physical strength.
She continued on, skirting around villages, not willing to chance whatever it is attacking the people there and she could feel it in her gut that time was running out, she needed to make it to the palace or get these cuffs off, otherwise it would be game over, and she wouldn't escape so easily a second time around.
The sun set, not that it made much difference and she trekked on, the territory becoming more familiar and after a while she realized the path she now walked on was one of the main roads that lead to the palace and if she followed it in the other direction she would end up at Edo. Soon she crossed a bridge over the river and knew she was definitely going the right way.
With the river curving around along the path a distance away she felt a little better knowing she would have fresh water and a possible escape route. Once she passed a large village she knew it would take her until the early morning a whole day and half from now to get to the palace unless someone found her first. She was officially in the western lands and it brought her a little relief but her mind made sure she didn't forget that she had been kidnapped from her room in the palace.
She could still feel the eyes watching her, she was certain it wasn't that demon, he would have taken her back long ago if it was, a human most likely would have made a mistake by now or give up, the beasts she was told were mindless creatures so she knew it would have attacked by now and that left it to demon.
That left her without any clue as to why they were following her. She had originally planned to let this go on for as long as possible but her patience was wearing thin. If they wanted a meal they would have attacked by now she figured, or maybe they were planning to eat her later and just happened to be going the same way, whatever it is she doubted it would bode well for her.
Determination still coursed through her in the early hours of the morning, she had only briefly rested a couple times and refreshed herself in the river. Her stomach protested while she ignored it, she could go a few more days without food even though her brisk pace was long gone and her feet ached, blisters had formed, the sting from them a constant reminder.
She had begun seeing things out of the corners of her eyes and wasn't sure if they were real. The quiet had begun to drive her nuts a long time ago but she didn't let it show. She had at least another twenty four hours until she reached her destination and though her hope began to sore that she would make it, a nagging feeling told her something wasn't right.