Chapter 2 - Scratches

Sango headed back to Keada's hut with Kirara on her heels. Kagome was behind her, acting oddly. Ever since InuYasha made the comment of killing youkai, she had gone white in the face and stayed silent.

"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked the young miko. Kagome looked at her and mumbled something Sango couldn't quite hear. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

"Did anything happen while I was away, Sango?"

"Not that I know of. InuYasha being impatient, Houshi being a henti, Shippo playing with Kirara, all the usual." Sango answered.

"No youkai attacked anyone?" Sango's forehead borrowed in confusion.

"No, are you talking about the youki you sensed when we were eating?"

"Yea." Sango thought so, but it worried her that Kagome had gone so quiet about the matter. Kagome had always sensed youki before and it never left her in this state. Kagome's well fare had been always InuYasha's job and yet Sango felt that even she had a big part in protecting the young miko. Though that protection may be her top priority tonight because it was the new moon, the night when InuYasha turns human. 

As dusk settled everyone went into Keada's hut where Keade had started the fire. "My it's the night of the new moon already?" Keade asked as InuYasha entered with his hair black and a scorn on his face.

"Feh." He sat down and closed his eyes. Sango stood up, with Kirara and her Hiraikotsu, and began to leave the hut.

"I'll be on first watch." The others nodded as Sango went out into the moonless night. Sango leaned her back on the hut and sighed. What Miroku had said about Naraku disturbed her; if Naraku had disappeared then he would have taken Kohaku with him. Kirara purred under her chin as Sango closed her eyes and without wanting to, she fell asleep.


The sound of someone leaving the hut woke Sango with a start. Kirara was still asleep next to her. It was still dark and Sango swore she saw a shade of red. What on earth is InuYasha doing wandering around the village in his human form? Sango stood to follow him when the figure stopped and turned around. Two red eyes with violet pupils stared at her.

Suddenly she was on the ground a hand with enormous claws around her neck. The eyes seemed to be sneering at her.

"dog."

The voice hissed in her head. That was the last thing Sango remembered as unconsciousness swept over her.


_~~~~~~~_


Sango woke up to find a very worried Miroku staring down at her. Sango tried to sit up but became dizzy.

"Sango don't move yet, you have a small amount of poison in you." Miroku said. His face had started to blur.

"What happened?" she asked. InuYasha stared at her; it was morning since he looked like a hanyou again. Kagome was on her left side treating her neck.

"You were attacked by a youkai, by the looks of it." InuYasha snapped. Sango blinked in surprise. She was stunned that she had been taken so off guard.

"I thought it was you InuYasha." Sango said. InuYasha gagged.

"Are you stupid? I was human last night! Why the hell would I be wandering around at night? Besides that, you were poisoned; I don't posses such a trait!"

"Sango, InuYasha could not have possibly done this, and besides why would he?" Miroku explained. "Unless he was transformed..."

"I WAS HUMAN LAST NIGHT, YOU BAKA!" InuYasha yelled.

"InuYasha there is no need to yell." Kagome said calmly. "Well treat her wounds and find out who did this to her later." Miroku nodded in agreement and Shippo looked at Kagome worried. 

"Sango well be okay, right Kagome?" the young fox youkai asked. Tears had been sliding down his face. 

"Of course Shippo, there is no need to cry. Sango is strong and is a fighter." Kagome reassured the young youkai. "Though it is odd that the youkai only left you unconscious, it could have killed you Sango."

Sango looked at her. "It was a youkai with long claws and eyes like InuYasha, when he is transformed."

"It wasn't..." InuYasha started.

"We know InuYasha. It couldn't have been possibly been you, since it happened on the night of the new moon when you're only mortal." Keade said. She had been on the other end of the hut soaking a cloth. She came over and placed it on Sango's forehead.

"She's accusing me of doing it!" InuYasha snapped. 

"Besides I wouldn't be caught dead leaving the hut last night."

"I'll admit I fell asleep on watch." Sango said miserably. "It was my fault I am in this condition now."

"Don't say that my dear Sango!" Miroku said suddenly. He grasped her right arm to support her. "None of this is your fault!" Sango smiled, houshi could be so serious and yet a henti at the same time. 

"Keade!" a villager's voice yelled as he burst into the hut, fear and concern on his face.

"What is wrong?" Keade asked as she stood up.

"The Sacred Tree it's..." InuYasha jumped up.

"What about that damn tree?" he growled.

"Enough InuYasha we will go together." Keade said. Sango moved her body to rise and Miroku held her to support her straining muscles. "Sango do you think you will have the strength to come?" Keade looked at her. 

"Yea let me ride Kirara." Kirara had been next to Miroku the whole time, through her red eyes was worry. "Don't worry Kirara, I'll be okay." Kirara transformed into her larger self and Sango slowly, with Miroku's help, climbed onto Kirara's back. 

With InuYasha in the lead and Keade on horseback, they headed toward the Sacred Tree. Kirara flew with grace even though Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo were on her back.

"I can't believe InuYasha; he darted off without offering you a ride on his back, Kagome." Shippo snorted. Sango heard the young miko sigh.

"Yea, I suppose he has his...reasons." Sango flinched in her already weakened body. Kagome was probably thinking about the relationship InuYasha had with Kikyo. As Kirara descended they all heard a yell of anger followed by cursing.

What the saw was horrible. The Sacred Tree's bark had partly melted off. Scratches twisted all the way around. To Sango it looked like a youkai had tried to cut the tree down. Miroku walked up to the trunk and placed his hand slightly on the bark. He shot his hand away and shook it to ward off the pain.

"Poison." he said. InuYasha stood on the roots a tight sneer of anger burning through the hanyou. He tightened his fist in order to keep his temper under control. Keade ran up and dismounted. 

"This is horrible!" Keade gasped. "A youkai must have been extremely strong to cause such damage to the time traveling tree."

"It's more then that you old hag!" InuYasha snapped. "Someone is after Kikyo!"

"Lets not jump to conclusions InuYasha. This is the same poison that is in Sango's system." Miroku corrected. "Meaning that the same youkai, who attacked Sango, attacked the Sacred Tree as well."

Sango placed her hand around her bandaged neck. She felt the five puncture wounds inflicted by the youkai's claws. Could the youkai that attacked her be even more powerful then she had anticipated?

"Sango please leave your neck alone. It may get infected." Kagome said as she pulled her hand back down to her side. "It's not too tight?"

"No its fine." Sango replied. She leaned against Kirara and thought deeply. It had been the eyes that scared her. Those eyes looked exactly like InuYasha's. Sango gulped, InuYasha wouldn't have attacked her, and even so he was human at the time. It couldn't have been

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