As the hair-ring slammed closed in Yura's hands, so too did they close around Inuyasha. He slammed against a tree trunk, strands of hair pinning him in all places. They dug into his skin, especially around his throat. "Curse it!" he snarled, and heaved. The tree he had been pinned against was cut to pieces. The tree died violently, but Inuyasha was free.
Inuyasha coughed to clear his constricted throat. "I looked death in the eye for a moment there!" he declared, hacking away.
"A mere human would be headless now," replied Kaede weakly. She felt a cold wind at her back, and struggled wearily to look behind her. It was just as she feared: another group of villagers, mostly men this time, were approaching with shovels and rakes and instruments of dee-struction.
"Feh. A new crew," declared the dog-boy. "We won't make any progress at this rate, old crone! Move your brittle bones!" He took Kaede, gently, onto his back, and launched himself away from the villagers.
"Inuyasha…the hair…" groaned Kaede, seeing the hair net in front of them.
Inuyasha, however, broke through the strands easily, not even noticing. "Did you say something, hag?" he asked.
"Never mind."
Yura of the Hair swung after them on her hair net like a trapeze artist. (She had the outfit for it!) The hair-commanding demoness had been puzzled, then dismayed by the resilience the silver-haired boy had shown to her razor-sharp hair.
She was in better spirits now that her hunting instincts had been ignited. "Such a stubborn one! This is fun!" she giggled, grinning in anticipation. The villagers and other mortals in this area were such easy prey, after all. Far too easy for her tastes. Now, finally, was some more interesting and worthy prey for her, and that fine head of silver hair would make the perfect trophy in her nest.
In the relative safety of the forest, Inuyasha had a talk with Lady Kaede, who was comfortably resting on a bed of leaves. Actually, it was more like Inuyasha was making some very loud demands, and Lady Kaede was lending some very quiet advice.
"Old witch! You said you can see the hair?!" Inuyasha shouted. "Then show me where it leads!"
"Ask not… the impossible," whispered the old wounded woman. "This eye is not what it used to be, and in this condition…" She trailed off, as the look on Inuyasha's face told her he got the point. "That is why we need Kagome."
Inuyasha's face twitched visibly, even to the old eye of Kaede.
Lady Kaede was still, eyes closed as if in peaceful sleep, but she was too still for sleep to be the cause of her relaxed face. A few feet away, Inuyasha used his powerful claws in the way a doggy does to dig a hole. He stopped digging, stepping out to examine his handiwork. "That should do it," he said. He glanced at the old woman. "This is the least I can do for you, old hag. I'll bury you here."
Kaede cracked open her only eye. "I'm not dead yet, fool…" groaned the gravely wounded old miko as Inuyasha picked her up respectfully.
"Mostly dead, then," Inuyasha corrected. He placed her limp body at the bottom of the hole he had just dug. "You'll kick it in a few minutes…"
"Something tells me I don't want to continue this joke…" groaned the old woman as Inuyasha covered her up in dirt up to her hips, and scattered leaves on the rest of her.
"Ah, you're no fun!" pouted Inuyasha, continuing to cover her up with the leaves. "I'm saying, hide here. I'll come back for you later… if I don't forget."
"See that you do not, boy!" Kaede growled, a spark of fire returning to her abused old carcass.
With Kaede safely covered, Inuyasha set his mind on tracking and pursuit, of Kagome. Her trail was laughably easy to follow, her stinkwater fragrance most distinctive. He stepped up the pace…
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(Posted Sat, 25 Dec 2004 05:35)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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