Maiden of the Peach

Chapter twenty-seven: A Spider Weaves a Web

"I thought I smelt something rotten; you, Zenki, are finally showing your true colors, now are we?" Inuyasha's voice rumbled with a subtle growl; it was obvious that he was pissed.

"(______)!" A familiar soft voice greets my ears from afar, causing me to turn my gaze; it felt like time had come to a standstill.

"K-Kagome?" I spoke in disbelief, more so to myself, especially when I saw Moroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo standing with her.

"There you are! You truly a bothersome woman!" Another annoyingly familiar voice breached my ears amongst all his squawking.

"Sesshomaru... Jaken!" My eyes meet with the familiar molten golden hues of the tall, silent demon lord, standing far from Kagome's group.

"Now, what is going on here?" Another voice that I knew came from above where I lay.

"Koga?" Kagome gasps in disbelief while holding her hand over her mouth in shock. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey, Kagome!" The young leader of the wolf tribe greets her casually with a slight wave of his hand. "I smelled something interesting and had to come to check it out," he's grinning while looking around before his eyes land on me then it disappears.

'Wow... have they all really come to my rescue!' I couldn't help the awkward smile that started tugging teasingly at the corner of my lips. 'But that's dumb to think like that; after all, I'm basically a living, breathing demon's treasure trove if they could get their hands on me... let alone eat me.' I could feel the warmth drain from my face as I slumped against the dirt wall. 'Right, I'm the Senka Maiden or whatever.' My thoughts are bitter as I finally try to move away from the safety of the dirt wall and get back on my feet.

"Ouch!" A sharp pain jolts from my ankle, causing me to kneel back down in hopes of stopping the pain as I touch it tenderly with my fingers.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Inuyasha calls out to me from over his shoulder without dropping his guard. His amber gaze seemed to burn with that unyielding spirit I certainly didn't possess, a protector's gaze.

"It's my ankle; I must have sprained it!" I reply as I limp towards Kagome and her group of friends, gingerly trying to keep most of my weight off it.

"Oh, give me a break!" Inuyasha grumbles before blocking another attack from Zenki's blade that came swiping at his face.

"This fight is quickly losing my favor," Zenki's groveling voice took a strangely calm tone.

"You have no class, Zenki," a Different voice spoke up suddenly in the direction of the trees. "Look at you without your mask and bleeding like a dying mongrel." He continues as Zenki's gaze narrows towards the tree line south of us.

"Houki," Zenki growls under his breath. I almost didn't hear it, let alone see the look on Sesshomaru's face.

'He looks pissed off, but he's not looking at Zenki... is it Houki?' I thought as I tried to follow his topaz gaze, there I could make out a dark silhouette of an individual and something hunched over by the tree trunk; both seemed perched perfectly on the thick, sturdy branch. 'Is that them? Is that where Houki is hiding?' I see the figures more clearly, squinting and straining my eyes, but I couldn't make them out any better to see what he could have picked up on. 'I wish I knew what was happening; this is all becoming too much.'

"So he's here too, huh?" Inuyasha grits his teeth as another growl comes from his chest. "Naraku!"

'Naraku? Why does that name sound so familiar?' My thoughts swirl and mingle together as I try to rack my brain around for the answer.