InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ The Rescue 7 - It Never Fails, Just When You Think it Can't Get Any Worse ( Chapter 29 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: Go, Kagome, GO! :D

Chapter Rating: PG. Violence. ;)

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. OCs are my own. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Arc 4 - The Rescue 7 - It Never Fails, Just When You Think it Can't Get Any Worse

the present

Kagome slept for a very short time in that tree before the chaos erupted around her. She jerked from her doze at the horrible eruption of disembodied hoots and chitters to discover a strange-looking lizard about to take a bite out of her leg. At that moment, several things happened at once: she managed to hold back her impulse to lash out with any miko energy in defense, she curled her limbs in closer to her body to gain distance from the lizard, and the Anshan retracted some of the vines that had held her aloft in order to strike the little beast dead. So sure, the sneaky youkai wouldn't be able to follow her... but then again, now she was falling out of the tree.

A few vines snapped out to nearby branches and slowed her descent, but the landing was awkward and slightly painful as she tried to roll with the impact. The cacophony of noise around her instilled an immediate awareness of looming danger as she took off running; those little lizards had been set off by something, and she was not about to stick around to find out exactly what. Plus... too many of those loud little beasts wanted to snack on her -she could hear them as they crashed through the branches overhead and called back and forth at her heels. It was too risky to stay and let the vines fight her battle.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, hearing the hoots and shrieks from the little monsters behind her fade as they gave up the chase. She was out of breath and fighting back tears by the time she spotted the rickety bridge. 'Thank everything holy... I think I might be able to see them coming this way, and at least I won't have to battle towering oni on something like that!'

Her relief was short-lived, though, as she placed her foot upon the first wooden plank. The wood creaked loudly beneath her toes and Kagome paused, holding her breath in anticipation of the flimsy material giving way. 'I can do this... it's just a bridge, probably been here for decades!' She laughed nervously and pressed more weight on the plank, temporarily satisfied when she did not immediately fall to her death. Five steps later, though, she found she wasn't so sure of herself as a board splintered diagonally to fall into the dense fog collected within the depths of the chasm. Her fingers gripped the hand-ropes tightly as she moved forward, testing the strength of each plank before resting her weight on it. She had to skip one here, and another there, and soon after she figured out how to safely place her weight by stepping closer to the connecting ropes.

She breathed a sigh of relief just after crossing the halfway mark, but then she realized that something felt strange. She took another few steps as she bit her lip, trying to put her finger on what exactly was wrong. Her hair was still the same length, her tail wasn't missing... her bow was still slung diagonally across her chest, and her quiver was within reach. Her backpack-

She froze mid-step.

Her backpack! She twist around quickly to stare back across the chasm, a heavy sense of trepidation smothering her slight sense of accomplishment. 'I'll have to go back to get it...' she clenched her fingers tightly around the ropes and bit back her frustration. 'Was there anything that I really needed in there...?'

The few wounds she had sustained so far could probably last until she got back... she'd just have to be really careful without her first aid kit. She swallowed the little bit of moisture that had collected in her mouth at the thought of the food and water she'd carefully packed. 'I guess I'll be a bit hungry for a while, too,' she thought, trying to gain a bit of humor in a very serious situation. She had no idea what was edible in this realm, and she had yet to come across any liquid that didn't look or smell poisonous...

'Crap.'

Turning back toward the other side of the bridge, she sighed heavily and rubbed a hand across her face. She had to keep going... Her steps were careful and light, but her heart felt heavy and burdened with another heaping pile of unknowns. Mere feet from the end of the bridge, she noticed a misaligned portion of the rock face jutting out like a small shelf underneath the wooden planks. She took a careful look around at her surroundings to make sure nothing was close enough to see her, then dropped down off the edge of the bridge to swing her feet into the small alcove. The space was cramped, but had just enough room for her to curl up behind a supporting rock and get some much needed rest, hidden away from curious passersby.

She just hoped and prayed that no one would need to traverse this particular bridge any time soon.

Kagome wasn't sure what time it was when she awoke, but the vine was insistent that she rouse quickly as it poked and prodded in various sensitive spots. She mumbled groggily as she sat up to rub her eyes, bumping her head lightly on the bridge above her. A glance at her watch confirmed that she'd had about an hour of sleep. 'This is so not fair.' She rolled out of her hiding spot and poked her head above the edge of the bridge to glance around warily before scrambling onto the grass. She adjusted her bow and quiver and tucked a stray vine back around her neck as she crept forward into the woods once more.

She had walked quietly for maybe an hour before getting the strange sensation of being watched; Kagome slowed her pace and shivered as her skin prickled in waves of goosebumps. She wanted to call out the follower or threaten it with something to make it go away, but as she gained the nerve to spin around and confront whatever it was, the feeling vanished. She turned back to her intended path and bit her lip, sighing in annoyance.

Her stomach growled noisily and she clutched it in mild embarrassment, regardless of there being no one around to hear the sound. She walked a few more steps before she realized what had instigated the physical reaction: there was a small bush of fragrant berries growing somewhat off the path to her right. She cocked her head curiously at the bright purple spheres and stepped closer to kneel in front of the plant, studying it closely. 'Well... the berries aren't green or any other strange, poisonous-looking color, but...' She looked around the forest floor for any sign that something other than her had been by to take a nibble. 'It doesn't look like anything else has been eating these, either.'

She stood to walk away, but hesitated for a moment as her stomach growled again. 'Maybe I can try just one, and if it makes me sick, I'll know not to eat anymore.' Her mouth was already watering with the thought of biting into even one of the tempting little berries, so she carefully plucked one off the branch and squeezed it gently between her fingertips. It was plump and soft; the thin membrane split to release a drop of pink juice that dripped down her hand. She immediately stuck her tongue out to lick up the sweet juice and plopped down in the dirt to wait for any potential side-effects. Ten minutes passed in silence. Kagome chewed her lip nervously, twiddling her fingers as she watched the seconds tick by. Feeling as though her life wasn't going to immediately expire from uber-poison, she stood and jumped on one foot, tipped her body in different directions, and grabbed at single berries with an eye closed to check her equilibrium and depth perception.

Everything seemed alright and Death seemed to have ignored her for the night, so Kagome took a handful of the berries and savored them, one by one. She hadn't even thought about her water while trekking the violent woods, but her thirst had struck with a vengeance once she'd realized her backpack had been left behind. The small berries were a welcome source. After she finished the last of her handful, she picked another bunch of the small berries and slipped them into a loose pocket before getting back onto the path and continuing along her way.

Even in the gloom of early morning, Kagome could see that the forest had shifted from familiar dark browns and greens to a subdued palette of greys. Well... as familiar as a demon realm could be to a previously-time-traveling miko. The sparse light reflected easily off the bark, giving the woods a surreal, ethereal glow. Odd orange ribbons, tattered and faded with age, hung from the twisted branches and stood out in stark contrast with the surroundings.

Kagome sighed and stretched as she walked along the strangely-cut road. The stone lining the walkway had melted in some places, and she frowned at the lingering scent of old ash and sulfur in the air.

It took little time for her to grow accustomed to the monochrome surroundings, and as such, she nearly missed the statue dangling from one of the trees just off the path. She paused for a moment to look over the carved figure of a woman; it had orange ribbons tied to various points, which really helped it blend in with the surrounding trees. 'How very strange...'

The statue's hands and feet were perhaps the most eye-catching features, as they had elongated, bony digits that seemed particularly sharp; perfect to use as anchor points in the tree bark. Kagome withheld an uncomfortable shudder as she turned to continue on her path. 'I really need to stop sightseeing and just get there already.' A branch creaked to her left and she snapped her gaze in that direction, warily checking out the mostly-dark treeline. The dimly glowing trees around her were very distracting, and it was hard for her to pick out any details more than a few feet within the forest. She quickened her pace somewhat, hoping that she might avoid yet another encounter with something trying to eat her.

The path widened ahead. 'Oh great, another clearing. Which means...'

Her thought trailed off in resignation, and sure enough, the moment she entered that clearing, a male youkai dropped into her path on the other side. "Ch, it's just a girl! Man, and here I thought we were going to have some tough fight on our hands!" He looked humanoid, if a bit young. His body was lean with a slight orange tint, just barely noticeable in the gloom. He seemed to be missing a few things as well: hair, shirt, shoes, and a weapon. Kagome felt as though she had encountered the Makai's answer to kung-fu.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

Kagome turned to look at the owner of the second voice, and was slightly surprised to see that it was the same "statue" that she'd seen hanging from the tree a short distance back, complete with the orange ribbons. Her clothes and hair (which were just as grey as her skin) looked stiff and stone-like, and Kagome had a feeling that neither would ruffle in a breeze. 'Why can't I sense her?'

"Well, yeah... but look at her! She's skinny- and the only weapon she's got is that stupid bow!"

"What do you mean, stupid bow?" Kagome clenched a fist around the wood at her side. "You don't even have a weapon, and I'm pretty good with this-"

"Yeah, yeah. But it's still a stupid bow." He snapped several of his fingers in quick succession, producing a series of sparks. "'sides, it probably burns up like that..."

"Look, Sparky, I really don't want any trouble..."

"Sure you do, lady. You've been causing trouble all over the Makai, and news travels fast. We know what you're here for, and we aim ta' stop ya'." He shifted to smirk at the ash-lady still standing behind Kagome. "Heh, did you hear that? She called me Sparky. What a load!"

Kagome rubbed the back of her neck in exasperation. "What do you think I'm here for, then?" Maybe these hooligans-for-hire had some more knowledge of what had attacked the Goshinboku, and with as "chatty" as the youkai was, maybe he'd start blurting out something that might help her.

The loud-mouthed male scoffed at her. "Lady, we don't need to tell you that- you're here to die!"

"Eh?!" she exclaimed, not so surprised. 'So much for a little insight.'

"Ah, did you hear that? I totally just thought of that," he beamed, snickering to his glaring companion.

"That didn't make any sense... you're here to stop me," she paused and smirked just a little, "...from dying?"

"Uh..."

The ash-haired woman scowled at her young partner. "Imbecile." She turned her attention to Kagome, who had slowly begun to edge around the pair. "Girl." Kagome paused, waiting with baited breath for some sort of 'Die!' exclamation. "You will go home immediately."

Kagome tried hard to not feel disappointment, but after everything she'd been through in the last ten hours, the ash-lady's response felt rather anticlimactic. "Can't." Kagome smiled apologetically. "I've got somewhere I've really got to be, or I'll let down a very good friend."

The male grinned and rubbed his palms together in excited anticipation of a fight. "Well then!"

The vines reacted to the sudden spike of volatile energy from the young male, uncurling from her limbs quickly to circle her in a loose defense.

"Here we go..." she muttered.

He arced a loose fist in her direction, shooting a spray of sparks over the area. Kagome threw herself to the side, but the burning particles hissed as they came into contact with her vines and skin. 'Damn!' She took a risk and sprinted closer to him, hoping the vine would have something up its sleeve to take the fire youkai out of the picture. He was fast, though- too fast for her to keep up with. He zipped around her and raked a burning claw across the main stems of the plant guarding her back, and she felt echoing waves of pain from the vine. Panicked and unfamiliar with her options, she snatched a still-closed flower from her shoulder and tossed it at him, hoping it would pop open and knock him out with sparkly glowing dust like the last flower had mere hours before. It smacked him right between the eyes and he stopped to give her a funny look.

"Did ya see that? We're mid-fight, and the silly flit threw a flower at me!" He laughed and stopped to pick up the large bud and tucked it into his pouch. "Girly, flowers aren't going to make me go easy on ya!"

He cupped his hands and pulled them back to his right hip; it was a motion that reminded Kagome of those characters that throw fire-balls in video games. 'Oh no...' She threw herself out of the way just as the blazing ball of sparks shot past her and exploded against a nearby tree . 'Ugh! What the hell is his friend doing, just watching?'

She stood nearby with thin, bony arms crossed over her chest, watching the scene with a critical eye. 'This isn't fair! I'm not skilled in this close-combat stuff!' She ran and dodged behind the trees to her right, knowing they would chase her down and maybe the vine would be able to catch them unaware to make short work of them...

But she still had her bow!

Maybe she could use just a single arrow... just one. That male would be dust-but then that lady with him would probably want to fight, then, too. Kagome felt a sick feeling come to her stomach as she tried to figure out what to do. She didn't want to call the entire realm's attention to a possible miko running loose-

"Running, girly? I knew you were a coward!" Kagome's forward motion came to an abrupt halt as he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked. Her head snapped backwards from the force and her feet flew out from underneath her.

Kagome landed hard on her back; the force of the impact knocked the air from her lungs and she rolled over quickly, gasping for breath. "Look at that, you're so pathetic, even your little plant cringes from me."

"Bastard," she said, wheezing as she battled the breathless panic that had accompanied her fall, "it isn't cringing from you..."

He laughed derisively. "'Course it is! Look!" He waved a sparking hand next to the plant and it shrunk in close to her body, almost afraid of the heat emanating from the loud-mouthed youkai. "Aww, the little girly's out of options. Can't use her little vines; can't use her little bow..." He snickered and smirked over his shoulder at the silent woman who continued to stand with her arms crossed, watching the short battle unfold. "What are you going to do little girly, just lay there and die?"

"No!" Kagome shouted, swinging her hand out at the youkai that stood over her.

He leapt back out of her reach to avoid whatever attack she had up her sleeve and grinned derisively when she pulled her bow from her shoulder. "Don't you think I'm a little too close for that to be effective?"

"Not at all." She frowned at him and dropped into a low stance, hoping she'd be able to connect with her intended attack. 'If the vine won't risk his stupid fire, then this is my last option. I can't die here!'

He smirked and ran directly at her, confident in his victory over the pitiful girl standing before him. She hadn't displayed any remarkable battle prowess, and it was nearly laughable to think that all it took to bring her down was a little bit of heat.

His clawed hands glowed bright with sparkling fire as he lunged for her throat, and at the last moment, something dark blurred before her and the clash of blade and claw could be heard throughout the clearing. Kagome immediately turned and fled, thankful for the distraction that had saved her life. She was caught off-guard by someone dropping directly into her path, and Kagome instinctively changed course just enough to miss a collision with him.

Instead, she ran right into a tree.

Kagome fell onto her butt, dazed. 'Owwww...' she rubbed her head while scrambling to her feet to make another dash for it. Someone caught her by the arm, and she twisted around to try and pry the fingers loose as she pressed backwards with her feet. "Let me go!" Somewhere in the corner of her mind she had to wonder why the hell those damnable vines hadn't leapt to her rescue yet.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

Kagome turned a confused expression up to the speaker and bit back her gasp of surprise. "I- they... I have to..."

"Whatever you're thinking, it won't be necessary. They were expecting a fight with just you, and our presence surprised them. They'll most likely regroup and return, but in the meantime, you can relax." She pulled her fingers free from the strong grip that held her and fell onto her rear again.

'They're here! Crap, crap, crap, crap...' she scrambled backwards away from him, surprised that the vines didn't immediately leap out to kill him. A moment later, she was surprised to see he had been joined by the shortest member of the team; the team she had tried so hard to avoid. She sat there and stared up at the two of them, trying to think of something to say.

"Um, thanks?"

The red-head held out his hand to help Kagome up, and she hesitantly took the offer. "I'll just be... on my way, then. I've got to be somewhere..." she muttered, moving to her right. The short one brought his hand up to the strap of a- "backpack! My backpack! Oh, I can't believe you found that! Thanks so much, I thought I was going to have to go hungry..." she reached out and practically snatched it off his shoulder to tear open a pouch and rummage for anything edible.

"Woman-"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Meh?" Kagome asked, her mouth stuffed with granola. She swallowed quickly and turned to slip her backpack over her shoulder. "Um..." she looked around, hoping for an out. 'Can't you just, knock them out a little bit so I can get out of here?' she silently pleaded with the vine.

"It won't."

"What?" Kagome asked, confused at the hybrid's statement.

"You have no control over that, do you?"

She shrank back from his intense stare and watched him suspiciously. "So... thanks. I'll just be going now-"

"No, there are questions to be answered. You have caused chaos in this territory-"

"Hey, those jerks attacked me first!" Kagome parked her fists on her hips and stamped her foot in annoyance. "I have every right to defend myself. I'm not traipsing around this horrible place for fun!"