CHAPTER -4

She's got Naruto??

Kagome stomped her way towards the well grumbling about insensitive people and their inability to remember her name, the dry leaves crunching under her feet. "Argh... This is so stupid. Why am I attracted to that bastard anyway, I am not even from this world. And his attitude is the worst. But... Why does it hurt when he does not call me by my name.."

A faint giggle from behind her broke her out of her reverie. She immediately whirled around to look at the person behind her, but when she found no one, she brushed it off as her imagination.

Kagome was about to turn back when she noticed something glimmering in the light and looked around to find a tangle of very long hair surrounding her.

"It can't be! That's hair!" She gasped in surprise.

"Oh, my! You can see it, then... my web of hair But being able to "see" it isn't enough," a voice sounded from around her .

"Whose there?" Kagome panicked, she heard someone giggling and looked around.

" They call me Yura of the Demon Hair ...though you needn't bother remembering it . I'm helping myself to the Jewel!," She said overly excited.

Kagome looked at the dark haired girl and did a double take at her attire raising a fine brow ,and they said my skirt is flimsy.

Her attention was back when she felt a tug and looked to see a strand of hair pulling her pouch of Sacred Jewel before she could react .

"Hey!" She protested trying hard to ignore the bad vibes the girl was giving her.

Yura without even giving her a glance opened the pouch to find a fragment.

"Now look what you've done to it. Where are the other fragments?"

"Give it back!"

"Answer my question! Where are the remaining fragments!?"

"I... I don't know."

"I see. In that case...you are not needed, so die!" She said as she grabbed a sword that floated towards her and swung it at her missing her by a hair. Kagome stepped backwards and screamed as she fell into the well making Yura throw her sword in her direction into the well.

"It's useless to try and escape!," Yura growled as she jumped into the well behind her, the hair strings supporting her from landing on the bottom of it only to find no one in sight.

"Gone...?" She asked herself ." Who was that girl?"

ooo

Inuyasha jumped through the forest and leapt into the air.

"Where is that fox girl? I seriously wanted to talk to her. That face she made when Kaede said I was a half demon. Tch... who does she think she is ! looking at me as if she understands everything. and that Kagome."

I'm going home. Goodbye, Inuyasha.

"Let her go, who cares?" He mumbled to himself as he entered the village only to stop when he saw several women float in midair .

" What's with you all?"

One by one the women raise their weapon.

"Interesting! Wanna take me on, huh?"

" Wait a minute! They're all girls from the village. What's going on? Planning to tie me up again? Well, I'm not giving in," he growled getting ready to attack.

" Inuyasha, don't do it! Do not harm the girls!" Kaede shouted making him look at her bloody form.

"Old Kaede! Wow, look at you. You're a mess," He said. " So.. why should I not hurt em' . I am sure they don't look like they are hesitation to hurt me or you."

"They're all under a spell. Kagome? Where's Kagome?"

"She went back to her own land. Not that it matters. I don't need her to handle this."

"You mustn't. Do not touch the village girls!"

"Oh yeah and get hit by their knives," he said dodging a girl attacking him.

"Don't you understand, Inuyasha? We must get to the one who is controlling them."

"Now you've completely lost it."

"Please Inuyasha... Just cut the hair and the trance will be broken!"

" The what? I don't see anything."

ooo

Deep inside the forest Yura sits calmly on a tree.

"Now, then... Time to draw close this prey," she says giggling madly , spreading her fingers to form a cats cradle.

ooo

"No! Inuyasha, run!" Kaede shouts as she watches several strands of hair coil around Inuyasha immobilizing him.

"They're not too smart, whoever's behind this. I may be tangled up, but even if I can't see who's doing it, I can cut down whoever's in front of me!" He pulls at the hair tangling him but falls to the ground due to the slack in the hair tangling him. Suddenly he gets slammed unto a tree, tension of the hair tightly coiled around his neck, making him wince in pain. He struggles in vain.

"Inuyasha...!"

The grip of the hair on him tightened making it hard for him to breathe.

Letting out a yell he pulled at the hair tangling around him and the tree. The tension in the hair tightened and sliced the tree trunk breaking it into pieces releasing him. Inuyasha fell on the ground gasping for air.

"Oh, man... I thought I was done for."

"If you'd been a mere human, it would have come clean off."

"You bet."

Kaede suddenly doubled over wincing in pain from her previous injuries.

"Old woman Kaede!" Kaede tried to stand as he rushed to her when a strand of golden blonde hair caught her attention. Her eyes widened as she remembered the only person with that hair was-

"Inuyasha ...the one.. behind it has.. got.. Naruto," she wheezed out.

ooo

Yura sat on the tree, retrieving the puppet-ting hair when a strand of silver hair caught her attention.

"Ooh! Such pretty, silver hair. It will complement the golden blonde hair well. So sad she resists hard. Wait till I get the jewel."

ooo

" Hang in there, old woman!"

Kaede noticing a web of tight hair in front of them warned him. "Be careful, Inuyasha! The hair..."

She stopped when she saw him leaping through the air, snapping the hair without feeling anything or getting injured.

" You say somethin'?"

"Never mind."

"Are you sure she's got Naruto? Cuz I think she is strong enough to protect herself."

"You think I can mistake the shade of Naruto's hair."

"Uh... You know what! I don't care about her ,she is a back stabber and a..."

"Oh, but you care about her don't you, " Kaede cut him off.

Inuyasha looked ahead grimly averting his eyes from hers confirming Kaede's words making her chuckle.

"Oh I've just noticed from the start, even when she sided with us against you ,you did not even get angry at her."

I did. Didn't I? He thought to himself.

ooo

"Such a stubborn one just like her. This is fun. And this silver hair... I must have it!"

ooo

Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree following Kagome's scent after hiding Kaede in a heap of fallen leaves.

"Old woman, you said you can see the strands! Tell me where it's being pulled from, then."

"Don't be ridiculous! With me in this condition, and even with my seeing powers... Hurry... Kagome can-"

"So she can see it, too?"

"Yes. For this foe, Kagome... Kagome is necessary for victory..."

"Curse that stupid girl! Where'd she run off to, at a time like this??"

Goodbye Inuyasha.

"Wherever she went , she won't get away..." Yura's voice sounded from a distance as a faint whisper, making his ears twitch. A flash of golden blonde hair and blinding smile invaded his mind,I don't know why I care about her but the way she looked at me as if she understood me... as if she wanted to comfort me , that I am not alone. Maybe that is the reason I don't like something happening to her is ... because ...may be I don't want to be alone.

He began to move faster.The trail eventually led to the well where it all began.

ooo

Kagome relaxed into the hot water in bathtub in her home, having a soak.

" Happiness at last," she giggled trying to ignore the sense of loss at the back of her mind since she came back home.

"It feels so good," Kagome moaned combing her wet hair with her fingers ,the warm water soothing her sore body."I'm done with that place for good huh ? and Inuyasha what about him?"

Why are you getting too involved with him Kagome?!!!! Just forget about him already. she mentally screamed at herself . It's not like you are missing that place. Right??

She bobbed her head unintentionally to get rid of her thoughts and left the bath as her fingers started to wrinkle.

Drying her hair with the blower she looked into the mirror tugging the wet bangs off her face. Kikyo huh... I wonder who was that girl that attacked me.

"Kagome dinner's ready."

"Coming mom!" She yelled hearing her mother call out to her. She hurriedly slipped her clothes on and rushed downstairs to get hit by delicious scent of warm food.

She sat beside her grandfather who was discussing about seals with her brother. She couldn't care less about their topic of discussion. Hot pot comes first!she thought determinedly.

"Hot pot! Hot pot! Hot pot!" She rambled on ignoring her grandfather talking to her and grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"Let's dig in!" She said excitedly when the door opened with a loud bang to reveal a very pissed off Inuyasha.

"You! Who said you can go home?!

You are coming with me," he said seriously dragging her by her hand.

" You... Where'd you come from?" She struggled against him.

"The well! Where else?"

"The well? But it's...!"

"Do not lie! Those oracles have been used of this shrine since ancient times and cannot fail!," Her grandfather protested in a firm tone.

"Oracle? You mean, this flimsy piece of paper? Didn't work! " He said holding a piece of charm. "Now come with me Kagome." He said tugging her harshly.

"I don't want to come," she whined ." Wait Inuyasha ... hair."

"Hair?"

"What? we don't see any hair," her mom said out loud.

"And it's moving!" She shouted as it curled around her wrist tightly and winced when it cut her skin a little drawing blood.

"Kagome! Blood," her grandfather exclaimed.

But being able to see isn't enough she remembered Yura's words and rushed to the well followed by Inuyasha.

"More strands… are coming out!" Kagome panicked.

" Old Kaede was right. You have the vision at least," Inuyasha said leaning on the door.

"You...You brought something awful with you!!" She frowned.

" Kagome!"

"Sis!"

"Don't enter! "She shouted slamming the doors close, Here… I must stop it right here!

"Inuyasha! In front of you!" She shouts in time for him to dodge but the hair coils around his wrist and ankles.

Grandpa ,Sota and her mom begin banging on the door.

"Open up, Kagome!"

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha clawed at the bundles of hair, making it break and fall to the ground only for them to slither towards each other and join up.

"It gathers together again, even when it's cut. There's no end to this!"

She then notices a strand of hair coming out from the well. "Huh?! That's…? That's it! The main strand that's controlling everything. She runs down the stairs towards the well.

" Inuyasha! It's this one! Cut this strand!"

"This? Where?"

Inuyasha can't see it. Then… she begins to pull at the tight controlling hair. There's only one way! She bends it a little to reflect some light on it.

"I see it!"

He claws at it and snaps the controlling hair. The bundle of hair gripping him slacken and falls to the ground, slithering back into the well.

"It retreated."

Strange… If Yura was after the Sacred Jewel, she already accomplished her goal. Could she actually be after me and Inuyasha?

"You are coming with me. We need to defeat her."

"I don't really want to go."

"Huh?"

"Are you nuts? She is after me. Who in their right mind would go back to her." Inuyasha sighed at her words.

"I really didn't want to play this card but the one behind this has got Naruto and doesn't she know where you are now?"

"She's got Naruto?"

"Yeah ," he said rubbing his neck, looking away.

"We have to save her. You're right even if I stay here, Gramps, Mom and Sota will be in terrible danger... I've decided then I'm coming with you ." She said going towards the well.

"Wait," Inuyasha said taking off his red coat and plopped it over Kagome's head.

" This was woven with the fur of the Fire Rat. It's much stronger than an ordinary armor," he said looking away.

"Th-thank you," she stuttered trying to hide a smile.

"Well, 'cuz… You look like you have really weird skin," he said awkwardly trying to cover his blush.

"You're the weird one!"

"Oh well, whatever. Let's go!"

" Uh-huh! " .

ooo

"Watch out! There's hair all over the well, too."

"Are you saying that this Yura with the demon Hair is after us? Then why did she take Naruto?" He asked her climbing out of the well.

" Yes. Look, she took the Sacred Jewel fragment, yet she still comes after us! As for Naruto, I don't know why she took her."

"Hold it! Did you say she took the jewel?!" He growled.

"I can see several glowing strands of hair there. There's the main strand that's been bewitching the others. That means if we follow the main strand, we'll find Yura! That way!" She said ignoring him.

"Alright,"He said rolling his eyes.

ooo

A/N:

Hey y'all. how're ya doin . so yeah . I have been busy with exams and was trying my best to update. Sorry for the short chapter . It will be only a few chapters ahead where sasuke makes his appearance. So... Please review and any suggestions that I find cool are welcome. Forgive me for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that slipped my notice. Oh! and please leave a review.