InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Naraku's Expiriment ❯ Know Thine Enemies ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6 ~ Know Thine Enemies

 

How did this end up happening? Autumn wondered as she silently advanced toward the group with the katana Naraku had given her. She still couldn't adjust to the fact that Naraku turned her into a neko hanyou with one of his own creations; something he had called the shikon serum. How could he expect her to kill Kagome and her friends? They outnumbered her five to one if you discounted the tiger-like thing they had with them. The tiger thing alone could probably kill her with one paw behind its back. Naraku has to be on something bad if he thinks I can win.

 

She crept closer still and then paused behind a tree to watch. Know thine enemies.

 

Autumn was close enough to hear their voices now.

 

“It's such a nice day,” Kagome said. “Great to have some good weather at last, don't you think?”

 

“It'd be nicer if I had something to eat,” a little orange-haired kid whined. “I'm starving.”

 

“Shut up,” the silver haired boy growled. “You're making me hungry.”

 

“Why don't both of you be quiet,” a man with a ponytail suggested. “We should be enjoying this peace. After all, it is not that often we go so long without an ambush or attack of some kind.”

 

“Which probably means Naraku's cooking something up,” the boy shot back.

 

The man raised his eyebrows. “Must you be so negative, Inuyasha?”

 

“Letting your guard down just for a minute can let your enemies break through your defenses,” said Inuyasha. “You should know that, monk.”

 

“Yeah,” the boy said. “Miroku's not cautious like Inuyasha.”

 

“Why you…” The boy leaped for the little boy who ran to hide behind Kagome's legs. “I'll kill you, you little rat!”

 

“SIT BOY!”

 

The next instant, Inuyasha was on the ground. It looked like he'd been pushed down by an invisible hand, Autumn marveled. What kind of magic is this?

 

Inuyasha lay on the ground, moping. Then suddenly he sat up and began to sniff the air like a dog. His brow furrowed. “I smell Naraku.”

 

Kagome kneeled down beside him. “Are you sure.”

 

“Of course I'm sure! I'd know his filthy stenchanywhere.” With that, Inuyasha dropped to his knees, more determined than ever to prove himself right.

 

He must have picked up Autumn's scent because he got closer and closer to her hiding place.

 

Let's see how close the puppy gets…

 

Autumn wondered where that thought had come from. It was so unlike her, and yet…she could sense aggression in her newly turned youkai blood. She was anxious to fight. Autumn leaned against the tree, clutching the katana so hard her knuckles turned white. What was wrong with her? She couldn't fight! She'd get her butt whomped into the next century!

 

Sighing, she turned around to see how far away Inuyasha was.

 

WTF? He's gone!

 

“Looking for someone? Namely me?”

 

Autumn turned around slowly and saw the boy standing there, glaring at her with golden eyes. His youthful face was framed with bangs and two small sheaves of silver hair that threatened to blow into his face. The beautiful gold eyes narrowed. “All right then, girl. What is your association to Naraku?”

 

She stared at him. “What--?”

 

“Simple minded are you?” he laughed and said, “All right, how about this: tell me who your lord is or else you shall find out what it is like to have claws embedded in your throat.”

 

“I don't have a lord,” Autumn stammered, wondering what he was talking about. Then it hit her hard. The well…the well was from the feudal era. Maybe she was in the feudal era, now. It would certainly account for all the weird clothing. What could've done it? Maybe it was a rip in the space-time continuum?

 

Ha, that was a laugh. Thoughts like those were the result of having a brother who was a Star Trek freak.

 

Damn you Ian! Her heart suddenly ached. Would she ever see her family again?

 

Autumn was brought back to her conscious mind when she realized Inuyasha was sniffing her. “What are you doing?”

 

“Taking in your scent,” he snapped. “You're a hanyou, right? Well, you stink of Naraku. And any servant of Naraku is an enemy of mine!” He leapt toward her and she stumbled back, tripping over the bottom of her yukata and tumbling to the ground. Still, with shaking hands, she managed to grip the katana hoping to keep him at bay.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome shouted. “What's going on?”

 

“A little wench of Naraku's was spying on us through the trees,” Inuyasha yelled. “The little spy won't get away alive…”

 

“Let us help you,” the man advised, “Or you might do something rash.”

 

“How many people does it take to kill one lousy half-demon?” he muttered. The way he phrased it made it sound like a riddle she had heard when she was a young girl. The riddle had had a trick answer. Perhaps there was a trick answer that applied to this situation too. The question was would she want to know the answer?

 

Inuyasha grabbed her by the back of her yukata and threw her to her knees in front of the group. “This is the spy?” a woman asked doubtfully. “She couldn't be any more than five hundred years old. The girl isn't even a full youkai.”

 

I'm only fifteen! Autumn wanted to cry out.

 

Autumn got to her feet and said, “I-I don't wish to hurt anyone. Naraku--”

 

“See, she does know Naraku!” Inuyasha said. “So let's finish this!”

 

“Let the her speak,” Kagome said softly.

 

“I agree with Kagome,” the woman said. “But how do we know she isn't lying?”

 

Autumn looked at all of them, and it didn't seem that anyone had an answer. It seemed that she was at the mercy of this group now. She could only hope that they didn't do something awful, like say, killing her. Autumn noticed Kagome looking at her strangely. “What?”

 

“Yeah, what?” Inuyasha said.

 

“This…this half-demon houses a shard of the shikon jewel in her body.”

 

This shocked Inuyasha so much that he actually dropped Autumn. Then he dragged her back up saying, “What? Where?”

 

“It's hard to tell exactly,” Kagome said. “Her whole body is glowing with the same aura as the shikon no tama. I think it's in her blood or something.”

 

“Is that so?” Inuyasha said grimly, beginning to draw the tetsusaiga. “Well, I guess we'd better get it out, then.”