“Kouga-onii-sama!” Ginta and Hakkaku wailed in terror, sprinting off after Ayame.

Mounting Entei in a rush, Kagome raced toward the opposite end of the plateau as well. She had nearly caught up with Ayame when the extent of Kouga’s injuries came into graphic view. Her eyes stung at the deep gouges scoring his right side, the rock around him streaked and gleaming with blood. Rolled over onto his left hip, Kouga coughed wetly, ribbons of scarlet streaming down from the corners of his lips as he braced himself on a shaking forearm.

Feral blue eyes glared hard at Kagura through a sheen of agony, the wind witch returning the look with a brittle smile. Approaching him, she bent down, her slim white fingers plucking a dislodged Jewel shard from one of the spills of red. For a moment she contemplated the bloodied fragment before raising her fan again.

“Now,” she said, kicking the wolf prince onto his back, “for the other.”

“Kouga-kun!” Kagome yelled, fumbling desperately for an arrow.

Her fingers had just brushed the fletching when the white cyclone ahead of her shot forward like a rocket, blasting Kagura off her feet. Standing protectively over Kouga with katana drawn, Ayame panted as the torrents of wind dissipated around her, her brilliant green eyes staring ferociously into those of the prone sorceress. Releasing a captive breath, Kagome landed a short distance away.

“…Ayame?” Kouga murmured faintly.

The wolf girl’s gaze softened down at him before fixing on her enemy once again. “Witch,” she growled, “you’ll not lay a finger on my fiancé.”

Gritting her teeth, the wind sorceress rose, her hand reaching for the one remaining feather in her hair. A dark cloud of dust swirled out as she snapped the feather down, Kagome and Ayame shielding their eyes against the sooty gale. As the dust settled, Kagura hovered above them, her feather aircraft materialized beneath her.

“Well, it’s been fun,” she smirked, the Jewel shard glittering between her thumb and forefinger. “But I think I’ll take my leave now if you don’t mind.”

In a gust of wind, Kagura took off, Ayame chasing after her a few steps. “Damn it…she’s going to escape!”

“We’ll see about that,” Kagome bit out, Entei kicking off from the ground. “You just take care of Kouga-kun, okay?”

“Okay,” the wolf girl replied uncertainly as a weeping Ginta and Hakkaku caught up to her at last, falling to their knees at their wounded prince’s side. “…You take care too, Kagome-san.”

Smiling slightly, Kagome nodded back before lifting her gaze toward the fleeing sorceress. Lowering his fiery-maned head, Entei charged forward at record speed, Kagura swerving aside as Kagome cut her off in midair.

“Give it up, Kagura,” the miko challenged, her nocked arrow igniting in her fingertips. “You’re not getting away.”

Crimson eyes simmered in irritation. “So, you managed to strike down a child and take his pony, did you?” Her razor-edged fan snapped open menacingly. “Let’s see how you fare against someone your own size–well, maybe not quite your size.”

Kagome reddened as she let her arrow fly, the right edge of Kagura’s aircraft singeing off as she narrowly dodged the strike. “I don’t appreciate that remark.” Flooding her bow with reiki, she knocked a flurry of wind-blades aside as she charged at Kagura again. “I also don’t appreciate how you look at certain people, you sleazy hag!”

The wind witch ducked to avoid Entei’s flaming stampede, a dark, scornful chuckle leaving her painted lips. “Certain people?” Her voice lilted in false sweetness. “…Could you mean Sesshoumaru-sama?”

Kagome bristled, whipping around. “Yeah. That’s exactly who I mean.” Prepping another arrow, she glared. “Anyway, you can keep that roving eye of yours to yourself–he’s taken!”

A brief look of surprise crossed Kagura’s face. As she opened her mouth to reply, the sky around them suddenly darkened. Kagome’s arrow dimmed as she followed the wind sorceress’s anxious gaze upward. High above them both, an enormous swarm of youkai gathered, obscuring the sun in a massive, malevolent cloud. With a sharp cry, the demoness hunched over, clutching the center of her chest in obvious pain.

“…Kagura?” Kagome hesitated, lowering her weapon a fraction.

The wind witch’s eyes screwed shut as she whispered bitterly to herself, “…Such a fool. There never was a chance for me.”

A chance? Kagome wondered with a frown. Kagura, were you…were you hoping to win your freedom from Naraku as well?

Crimson eyes flew open as the summoned youkai began to descend, Kagura’s tormented gaze piercing into hers. With a vicious slash of her fan, the wind sorceress sped off toward the far side of the mountain, her parting attack crashing into Kagome with hurricane force. The miko’s half-raised barrier shattered beneath the assault, her bow ripping from her hands as she was torn from Entei’s back.

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi