Kanojo Hisoka

Chapter Fifty

The Heart of A Battle

Kagome shielded her face as she rolled away from the multiple explosions surrounding her, and she swiftly blocked an incoming attack from an unsuspecting puppet's sword. She didn't hesitate to disarmed the puppet, and landed a swift front kick to its abdomen, causing it to break straight through its back. Kagome winced at the soreness radiating through her body from the kick. It was clear her body wasn't in top form yet.

The medic caught sight of the sword's tip by chance, and recognized the slimy purple substance coating it generously. She recalled the damage it had done to Konan and Nagato, and the painful deaths it dealt them a week ago.

"Inuyasha, Shippo, be careful of the poison lacing their weapons! If they cut into you, you'll be dead instantly." Kagome warned them as she continued to defend herself against the ambush of puppets.

"No shit! How many times do I have to tell you that I have a heighten sense of smell. My nose is better than yours." Inuyasha yelled back sarcastically as he ravaged the wooden puppets one after the other with his claws. He didn't understand why a ninja would use a wooden puppet and decorated it with weapons to do their dirty work for them. He was beginning to think ninjas were just lazy.

But Inuyasha could smell the poisons on their weapons, and they were as deadly as Kagome described them to be. He could somewhat categorize these poisons to Sesshomaru's poison whips. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it will keep him down for awhile.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" He exclaimed as he unleashed his attack to a group of four puppets, successfully destroying them in one go.

As Inuyasha rushed in to take care of the remaining puppets by Kagome, Shippo was busy destroying the bird-like clay bombs in mid-air in an effort to keep them away from the fighting Kagome and Inuyasha. Sweat formed on his young cherubic face as he sent waves of fox magic to destroy the bombs. Explosion after explosion erupted in midair successfully.

The Kitsune was proud of himself for holding his own, and contributing to the fight.

"You little brat, you're gonna pay for that!" A blonde gritted out as he appeared from the tree tops. Shippo narrowed his eyes, and bared his fangs at him. "You're the one whose going to pay." Shippo warned him as he unleashed another wave of his fox magic, and soon after he reached into his vest and spun a small spinning top to the ground. Deidara was less than impressed as he deadpanned at the "threatening" toy the runt sent out to intimidate him with.

"That's all you got?" He taunted with a cocky smirk before his eyes widen as he watched the spinning top grow ten times its normal size. He grew serious then, and created a large clay bird to destroy the thing before it had the chance to cause any real damage to him. He sent the bird soaring towards the large toy, and a large explosion erupted between them, causing a heat wave to blow past him and the tiny demon.

Once the dust cleared and his hair settled down from the forceful wind, Deidara saw that the spinning top had shrunk back to it's original size before laying motionless on the ground. His brows furrowed slightly as a thought appeared in his mind, "You didn't actually grow that top, it was just an illusion, much like genjutsu." Deidara commented, feeling slightly impressed and somewhat foolish for not figuring it out sooner.

Shippo frowned when his attack was foiled. He was running out of energy to create anymore fox fire.

The small Kitsune began to shake slightly in fear. He decided to try his next trick. He reached into his pants pocket, and threw smoke balls onto the ground in front of him in the hopes of blinding the bomber for a few seconds.

Deidara simply scoffed at the dumb trick before blocking the right side of his face where the Kitsune appeared. "Nice try, brat, but I saw that move coming a mile away." Deidara told him with a smug smirk as he held the Kitsune by the back of his shirt.

Shippo eyed him dangerously before smirking in victory. "That's what you think, idiot." He told him confidently before slapping a stone onto his hand and jumping off, using the blonde's face as leverage. Deidara's head jerked back from the kick, and he let out an irritated grunt. His frown deepened when he saw a stone glued to his hand.

The bomb expert tried to shake it off, but to no avail. The stone wouldn't budge. "Hey, what the hell did you glue it to my skin!" He yelled out in growing frustration, and he was horribly surprised to find the stone growing larger by the second the more he fought it.

"The more your resist, the bigger it grows." Shippo informed him with a cocky smirk as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was proud that his trick worked. It always seemed to go well with idiots.

"That should keep you busy while I help Inuyasha and Kagome." With that Shippo was off to assist his friends, leaving a frustrated Deidara to struggle behind him. The stone grew large to the point where Deidara's hand collapsed to the ground with the stone above it.

"Hey, come back here!" He yelled out angrily.

~0~

Kagome gritted her teeth as she expertly dodged incoming attacks. She landed a solid punch to a puppet's head, successfully and violently tearing it off from its body. She quickly followed through with a powerful round house kick to its abdomen, completely shattering the rest of its body in the process.

Sweat was forming on her slim face as she continued to fight Sasori's army of puppets. She lost count trying to figure out how many were surrounding them, but one thing was clear to her, her body was slowing down. The woman wasn't sure how long she could keep this up for.

She hasn't seen the puppet master yet, but she knew he was pulling the strings from the safety of his hiding place. If she could only pinpoint his exact location she could shake him out of from hiding and confront him head on. She had to conserve her energy for that fight.

The fact that he could so easily concealed his chakra strings from the puppets he controlled made finding him difficult.

Kagome's brows were furrowed as she concentrated against her opponents. She felt a shadow appear from behind her while she dealt with a puppet in front of her. She quickly threw her right leg up in a reverse back kick, followed by a wide swing of her left leg before twisting her torso and hands to complete a spinning kick. Both feet landed critical hits to the puppets as their heads rolled off. The medic jumped off once the puppets had been disabled.

She took a moment to think critically. She wasn't able to locate Sasori due to his chakra concealment and puppetry skills. She also didn't have enough time to pin point his aura or even knew what to look for if she did attempt it, especially since she wasn't very skilled at it to begin with. 'How else can I find him?' Kagome thought with building frustration, and it didn't hit her until she recalled Inuyasha's earlier comment about his sense of smell.

Would he be able to smell out Sasori's scent?

Did he even have a scent to begin with?

Kagome brought her enlightened eyes over to Inuyasha. It was worth a shot. She swiftly made her way across the field to reach him, dodging and landing blows to the puppets along the way. She found herself back to back with him in a matter of seconds.

"I don't need your help." Inuyasha bit out with some annoyance as he side glanced at the kunoichi.

"Yeah, I know, but I need your help." Kagome whispered out, mindful of Sasori's watchful eyes as she spoke to her companion. She knew the half demon could hear her just as well if she were talking normally.

The medic landed a punch to a puppet charging towards her, and knew that Sasori didn't like her close proximity with Inuyasha. He knew they were coming up with a plan to find him, and wanted them separated.

Kagome knew she had to be quick. "Would you be able to smell Sasori's scent, and find his location for me?" Kagome asked him with urgency and hope.

Inuyasha furrowed his brows and scoffed, "Of course, I can." He told her with a confident smirk as he realized what Kagome was planning.

"Great, once you find his location I'll draw him out." Kagome informed him, and Inuyasha went straight to work as the medic took care of the puppets while he focused on scenting the air.

The hanyou had a concentrated look on his face as he kept his eyes closed, and inhaled the air deeply, his mind searching for their enemy's scent. After a few moments he let out a frustrated growl. There was no other scent besides theirs and the bomber's. It was the same incident that occurred earlier just before their appearance. He was only able to smell the bomber's scent, but not the other individual who controlled these puppets.

"Did you find him?" Kagome gritted out as she fought back the puppets from attacking Inuyasha's stationary form.

"Not yet, give me another minute." He told her firmly. He was determined to find this guy, and kill him.

Inuyasha inhaled the air again, and an odd wood scent filtered through his senses, catching his attention. The type of scent he was smelling wasn't a type of wood that was native to these lands, and soon the cogs in his mind started turning. This wood scent was different from the scent of wood the puppets were made of.

Inuyasha snapped his eyes open as he pinpointed the direction the scent was strongest in, and his gaze landed on the tree tops just west of their position.

"Kagome!" He called out to as he motioned with his head towards where the puppeteer was at.

The medic didn't hesitate to flicker out from her position to reappear in front of the tree Inuyasha had pointed out to just seconds before. The speed she possessed had impressed the hanyou slightly, and he quickly wiped the mild surprised look from his face before anyone saw him.

Kagome's expression contorted into a fierce scowl while a growl of frustration mixed with a sudden thrill left her lips as she pulled back her right arm, chakra circulating around her tightly closed fist as she released it upon the earth at the base of the tree. She made sure Sasori didn't have enough time to move with her quick movements.

The medic quickly jumped back from the oncoming fissure, and no sooner did she leave the area did the ground erupt in a loud explosion. Dirt and roots uplifted violently into the air. The tree itself exploded and shattered into a thousand splinters, flying in every direction. A large dust cloud formed from the debris and a dark silhouette appeared from out of it.

Sasori had been forced to jump out just seconds before her attack hit. He landed a few feet away from his target, his cloak bellowing in the light breeze with a neutral look on his face, and only his lightly colored eyes indicated his annoyance with Kagome.

The puppeteer was growing incredibly frustrated with the girl, especially when they were so close to their destination. He didn't anticipate on the girl making friends with demons either. They were difficult to deal with due to their nature.

Sasori swiftly glanced over to the silver haired dog, and inspected him with his stern gaze. He was a strange demon, and he destroyed his puppets with such ease earlier.

He would have to result to his more powerful puppet, and it was one of his favorites, too. He dug into his robe and pulled out a medium size scroll. He was swift to open it and a poof of white smoke surrounded him.

The time for playing games were over.

~0~

Kagome narrowed her eyes at Sasori's move, and braced herself for any oncoming attacks he might throw at them. She briefly glanced over to Inuyasha, and found that he was finishing off the last of Sasori's puppets. He was overly confident and smirking smugly to himself. His attitude and outward expression regarding this serious battle worried her, a lot.

"Inuyasha, the real battle hasn't even started yet." She warned him in a condescending tone, her brows furrowing to relay her displeasure.

Inuyasha shot her a protesting glare. "What are you talking about? I just defeated over fifty puppets. This battle is almost over. We just need to kill the bastard and we're done." He stated smugly, until his eyes caught the rapidly clearing smoke a few feet away from them. His golden eyes widen slightly at the sight once the white smoke dissipated entirely. It was like nothing he has ever seen before, and he's seen some pretty ugly things in his lifetime.

Kagome's eyes narrowed further into thin slits in annoyance.

"That over there, is exactly why the battle has just only begun. Those other puppets were just a warm up. He was toying with us." Kagome pointed out to him as her eyes laid on Hiruko's form. She knew exactly how dangerous that particular puppet of Sasori was. It was surreal seeing it in person instead of hearing about it from the BINGO book.

Sasori laughed from inside Hiruko's hallow body, his voice growing gruffer from being inside his puppet.

"I'm not taking anymore chances with you." He informed her as Hiruko's mouth drew open and his head titled upwards towards the clear skies.

"I'm going to take your dead body back with me if it's the last thing I do!" Sasori cried out madly as thousands of senbon needles launched from out of Hiruko's mouth.

Kagome and Inuyasha's eyes grew wide as the sharp projectiles littered the skies before raining down on them rapidly, temporarily casting out the sunlight from above them.

Kagome evaded each senbon needle by dancing through the deadly sharp shower, causing the needles to strike the earth or trees in the surrounding area. She inwardly thanked Tsunade-Shishou for her years of training in evasion and dodging.

A part of her was worried about Inuyasha's ability to dodge the needles, but she couldn't lose focus or else she would be hit.

The senbon needles had stopped raining on them after a full minute, giving Kagome time to breathe and check on the half demon. She was greatly relieved to find Inuyasha in one piece and left unscathed. It seemed her worries about his ability to dodge were misplaced.

"We have to destroy the puppet, and I'm pretty sure every inch of its weapons are drenched with poison." Kagome told Inuyasha with a frustrated sign at her observation. This battle will not be easy, even with Inuyasha's help.

"We just need to destroy his stupid puppet once we get passed those annoying needles. Problem solved." Inuyasha gritted out before dashing forward haphazardly, causing Kagome's eyes to widen at his brash attack.

"Inuyasha, don't just run up there blindly!" Kagome scolded him tightly as she went after him.

Sasori merely laughed before unleashing another shower of senbon needles, this time directly in front of the approaching Inuyasha. "Fools, you're making this all too easy for me!" He proclaimed.

Inuyasha's eyes widen slightly before he backtracked, and leaped out of the way into the safety of the high tree tops. Once he landed to safety his eyes widen in horror when he saw Kagome dodging the second wave of needles. He hadn't thought she would have gone after him, and a feeling of guilt hit him then. "Stupid girl," he muttered out in irritation. To make matters worse he could visibly see that Kagome was hanging by a string in terms of energy. She could collapse at any moment.

He narrowed his eyes at the puppet who was still unleashing the needles. He flexed his claws, and decided to ambush the puppet from the side while he was busying focusing on Kagome.

~0~

"I will admit that your tenacity to evade capture is admirable, but I am growing tired of chasing you down and losing you." Sasori stated in a low, gruff tone. He watched her carefully as she continued to accurately dodge his needles. She looked as if she were dancing with all the twirling, spins, and flips she was doing to evade his attack.

Sasori decided to release his poison gas to seep into the air towards the medic. "Let's see how you deal with my poison gas while evading these needles." Sasori pondered as he smirked evilly.

Kagome's face winced at the appearance of the purple gas seeping towards her. She couldn't move from her position as she was dodging the needles. There wouldn't be enough time before the wave ended for her to move back in time. The only option was for her to hold her breath, and she did just that as the gas passed over her just moments before.

Kagome's body stiffen when she realized the poison was beginning to burn her irises and sink within the pores of her skin. She promptly closed her eyes upon discovery while still dodging the senbon needles. She had to use her hearing to anticipate the pattern since her sight was disabled for now. Sweat began to soak her skin and clothing in an effort to dispel the toxin from entering her system.

Being unable to breathe and see was difficult enough, not to mention she had to concentrate on enhancing her hearing to prevent getting hit by a poisonous needle. She inwardly wondered how she was going to get out of this situation, and alive, too.

It was then that her ears picked up the silence, indicating that the round of senbon needles had reached its end. She took the moment to leap upwards towards the sky with some help from her chakra. She broke through the large gas cloud she was in, and inhaled precious air into her burning lungs. Once she landed on the ground, she peered opened her watery eyes and found her vision to be slightly blurred.

The medic had to squint in order to find Sasori's form, and she found him and Inuyasha engaging in a fight. It was the reason why the needles had stopped abruptly, giving her the chance to escape the poisonous gas.

Kagome was set on assisting Inuyasha in his fight against Sasori, but a looming shadow cast over her form suddenly, catching her attention. She turned around to address the figure, assuming it was Deidara, and her eyes widen in shock at the sight of another familiar face.

Kagome stumbled backwards and away from the imposing figure, wrecking through her frantic mind as to why Kisame was suddenly here.

"Miss me?" Kisame grinned out, his white teeth shinning under the glare of the morning sunlight. "It's been awhile. I've heard you've been a nuisance." He told her with an amused tone.

The medic shook her head, unconsciously answering his inquiry as she swallowed hard. She could barely deal with two S-class rouge shinobi, but now three?

"What are you doing here?" Kagome questioned with a light stutter as she positioned herself into a defensive stance, but her right knee buckled beneath her at the moment, and she fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She pushed herself up on will power alone, her arms shaking from the effort.

Kagome gritted her teeth in frustration and clawed at the dirt ground with her nails. 'I'm out of energy.' She thought with dismay. She brought her harden irises to Kisame, knowing she was at his mercy for the moment.

Kisame's grin simply grew. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. It's not like you have a real choice on the matter." He informed her generously before turning his gaze over to Sasori.

"Oy, Sasori, don't waste your time with that mutt. Get Deidara and meet me in Demon Country. There's been a new development, and you don't want to miss it." Kisame shouted towards Sasori, catching his full attention from the side glanced he received from the red head. He raised a brow in question, and Kisame already knew what it was he was inquiring about.

"Don't worry about it, I got this." Kisame informed him confidently before bringing his menacing gaze back onto the black haired medic.

Kagome put on a brave face and she propelled herself forward with the last of her strength generating at her hands, threatening blue chakra flared to life around her enclosed fists, the last of her remaining chakra, as she hoped for one good hit against the blue skinned shinobi.

Kagome quickly found herself pinned down into the ground, her cheek rubbing painfully against the gravel and her arms twisted behind her back in submission. The last of her chakra reserves died out. It will be awhile until she could store enough chakra again, and she didn't think Tsunade-Shishou would be happy with her if she released her seal now.

"As much as I would love to fight against you again, we just don't have the time. Naraku is already growing annoyed between you and your sister. The troublesome duo." Kisame commented with a slight frown.

Kagome's ears perked at the mention of her sister. She side glanced towards her assailant, "You have my sister?" She questioned in surprise and anger. Her emotions began to heat up at the thought of her sister being held captive. Had she been held hostage for a long time? She was quickly rethinking her decision in using the Creation Rebirth jutsu.

Kisame titled his head to the side, and let out a mocking smile that infuriated her.

"You'll just have to find out that bit of info later." Kisame told her coyly, and within that moment he disappeared from her line of vision.

Kagome instinctively stiffen when she felt his presence behind her, specifically from behind her head, and her reaction time was far too slow to prevent or dodge the sharp hit to the back of her neck.

Kisame lifted her limp body up from the ground, and threw it carelessly over his shoulder. He was mildly annoyed when a burst of fire hit the side of his face, and he swiftly smacked the annoying thing away. He turned his gaze and found that it had been a small fox instead of a mosquito.

Shippo rubbed his bruised head, and angrily glared at the monster like man holding Kagome like a sac of potatoes. "Let her go!" Shippo demanded as he let out another wave of his fox magic, but sadly it had no real effect against the blue skinned shinobi.

"Run along runt. Don't get involved in grown up business." Kisame told him with a glare, not taking the kit seriously.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he caught sight of Kagome being held unconscious by that shark like being. He was too focused fighting against Sasori to reach her in time.

"Catch up, will you." Kisame muttered out towards Sasori before disappearing into the tree tops with Kagome in hand.

"Great, she gets away from my hands again." Sasori muttered out in annoyance before bringing his bored gaze over to the silver haired hanyou.

"I'm done here. You've wasted enough of my time." Sasori gritted out unhappily as he release a large amount of poison gas towards his direction, as a means of distraction while he gathered Deidara, wherever that blonde idiot was at.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he shielded his face with his sleeve to prevent inhalation of the poison. He sensed their departure soon after and swore heavily. "We have to go after them!" Inuyasha demanded with a deep snarl as he brought his wild gaze over to a recovering Shippo.

"They said they were going to Demon Country." Shippo pointed out, wondering why they would go there with Kagome.

"Then we're going to Demon Country." Inuyasha vowed readily.

"You're forgetting who owns Demon Country." Shippo reminded him with a knowing and apprehensive glance, wondering if Inuyasha would still ventured into his territory to go after Kagome, and save her from an unknown threat.

Inuyasha growled out loud in aggravation at the reminder.

"I don't care. If I have to face that bastard then so be it, but we can't waste anymore time." Inuyasha stated with slight conflict.

A/N: It's been a while, so I've made this chapter longer for you guys. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Lady Manami