A/N: Been having a bit of trouble writing lately. Also, school's starting
in a couple weeks, so updates are going to be fewer.
"Inu-Yasha's Promise"
They had snuck in before the sun rose, and he could clearly smell two humans in the room, but something about both scents unsettled him; as if they were somehow not quite real or not quite "right".
"Inu-Yasha, you ran too fast. We have to wait for the others to catch up," Kagome whispered, glancing around furtively. He gave no indication of agreement, instead sniffed at the floor. A girl had stood there, and her scent was soothing and powerful, which was strange because he got the impression that her body was weak.
"I can smell that hime," Shippou said in quiet, respectful awe.
The Miroku-hime, Inu-Yasha remembered with slight amusement as his nose twitched at her calming scent. If there really were a woman like Miroku out there, every man in the country was in no end of trouble.
He turned his attention to the other scent- a boy smelling of the outdoors, maybe a half-year older than Shippou's princess and very, very nervous. Strange, that a hime would take a commoner into her chambers, but then, the hime was strange too. She wore no perfume, and seemed to have few possessions.
Then he caught a familiar scent among the others and slunk towards it, his eyes narrowing. A neatly folded yellow kimono lay at the foot of the futon, and it smelled very faintly of the hime, of Miroku, and of sex. Inu- Yasha scowled at it but said nothing to the other two. He'd have to have a very long talk with that monk later.
Kagome furrowed her eyebrows slightly; then sighed. "The shard's definitely gone," she reported. "I can't tell for sure, but I'd bet whoever was sleeping here has it. Its aura permeated the room."
"Like we couldn't tell," Inu-Yasha muttered, breathing in deeply of the kimono's scent, just to be certain.
"Sit," Kagome said idly, and he got up close and personal enough with the kimono and floor to never doubt his nose again.
Shippou sighed and saved the kimono, then frowned at the scent emanating from it. "This smells like Miroku. The hime must've stolen the shard from him." He looked upset. "And I let her get away!"
"It's not your fault, Shippou-chan; you couldn't have known," Kagome assured him.
"Of course not, you were so busy mooning over her, how could you be expected to see what was right in front of your face?" Inu-Yasha asked exasperatedly, and got sat again for his trouble.
"So the hime has the shard," Kagome repeated worriedly. "Are you sure she wasn't a youkai, Shippou-chan?"
"Positive!" Shippou nodded vigorously. "I would've known, Kagome, I swear!"
"Okay, then- that's a relief at least. She might not be so hard to fight." The girl looked relieved.
"Feh." Inu-Yasha glared at them. "You can't underestimate the hime just because she's human. She still has a shard, and gods know what she's doing with the damned thing."
"I don't sense any evil," Kagome said softly. "Maybe . . . maybe Miroku flirted with her, and she thought he might abuse the shard."
"Why do I doubt that?" Inu-Yasha snorted. "Besides, how would she even have found it? Even if Miroku slept with her, he wouldn't be stupid enough to let her find any of his shards. She's no normal princess."
"I would not expect her to be," a quiet voice said from the doorway. Kagome and Shippou gasped; Inu-Yasha growled.
A soldier stood there; his armor only half-on and eyes worried. "Do you know where the princess is?" he asked.
"If we did, we'd be there, wouldn't we?" Inu-Yasha snarled, getting to his feet.
"The hanyou took her," the soldier informed him, and Inu-Yasha's eyes widened. "We've been searching all night, but there's no sign of either."
"Definitely no normal hime," Kagome murmured. "Why are you telling us this?"
The soldier shrugged. "Sango-hime is very beautiful," and he smiled slightly. "I think you could save her."
" 'Sango-hime'?" Shippou blinked in surprise.
"Yes; that is the princess's name," the soldier explained. The trio shared a glance that spoke volumes.
"Then she's expecting us," Inu-Yasha said in a low voice. "Which is never a good thing."
"If she's expecting us . . . " Kagome smiled slightly. "Why disappoint her?"
Inu-Yasha smirked in lieu of reply and cracked his knuckles. "Now you're talking, girl."
The soldier just sighed. "And do you have ANY idea where you are going?"
"Details, details." The hanyou waved him off. "I'll find her, and get that shard back if I have to rip apart half the country!"
* ende *
"Inu-Yasha's Promise"
They had snuck in before the sun rose, and he could clearly smell two humans in the room, but something about both scents unsettled him; as if they were somehow not quite real or not quite "right".
"Inu-Yasha, you ran too fast. We have to wait for the others to catch up," Kagome whispered, glancing around furtively. He gave no indication of agreement, instead sniffed at the floor. A girl had stood there, and her scent was soothing and powerful, which was strange because he got the impression that her body was weak.
"I can smell that hime," Shippou said in quiet, respectful awe.
The Miroku-hime, Inu-Yasha remembered with slight amusement as his nose twitched at her calming scent. If there really were a woman like Miroku out there, every man in the country was in no end of trouble.
He turned his attention to the other scent- a boy smelling of the outdoors, maybe a half-year older than Shippou's princess and very, very nervous. Strange, that a hime would take a commoner into her chambers, but then, the hime was strange too. She wore no perfume, and seemed to have few possessions.
Then he caught a familiar scent among the others and slunk towards it, his eyes narrowing. A neatly folded yellow kimono lay at the foot of the futon, and it smelled very faintly of the hime, of Miroku, and of sex. Inu- Yasha scowled at it but said nothing to the other two. He'd have to have a very long talk with that monk later.
Kagome furrowed her eyebrows slightly; then sighed. "The shard's definitely gone," she reported. "I can't tell for sure, but I'd bet whoever was sleeping here has it. Its aura permeated the room."
"Like we couldn't tell," Inu-Yasha muttered, breathing in deeply of the kimono's scent, just to be certain.
"Sit," Kagome said idly, and he got up close and personal enough with the kimono and floor to never doubt his nose again.
Shippou sighed and saved the kimono, then frowned at the scent emanating from it. "This smells like Miroku. The hime must've stolen the shard from him." He looked upset. "And I let her get away!"
"It's not your fault, Shippou-chan; you couldn't have known," Kagome assured him.
"Of course not, you were so busy mooning over her, how could you be expected to see what was right in front of your face?" Inu-Yasha asked exasperatedly, and got sat again for his trouble.
"So the hime has the shard," Kagome repeated worriedly. "Are you sure she wasn't a youkai, Shippou-chan?"
"Positive!" Shippou nodded vigorously. "I would've known, Kagome, I swear!"
"Okay, then- that's a relief at least. She might not be so hard to fight." The girl looked relieved.
"Feh." Inu-Yasha glared at them. "You can't underestimate the hime just because she's human. She still has a shard, and gods know what she's doing with the damned thing."
"I don't sense any evil," Kagome said softly. "Maybe . . . maybe Miroku flirted with her, and she thought he might abuse the shard."
"Why do I doubt that?" Inu-Yasha snorted. "Besides, how would she even have found it? Even if Miroku slept with her, he wouldn't be stupid enough to let her find any of his shards. She's no normal princess."
"I would not expect her to be," a quiet voice said from the doorway. Kagome and Shippou gasped; Inu-Yasha growled.
A soldier stood there; his armor only half-on and eyes worried. "Do you know where the princess is?" he asked.
"If we did, we'd be there, wouldn't we?" Inu-Yasha snarled, getting to his feet.
"The hanyou took her," the soldier informed him, and Inu-Yasha's eyes widened. "We've been searching all night, but there's no sign of either."
"Definitely no normal hime," Kagome murmured. "Why are you telling us this?"
The soldier shrugged. "Sango-hime is very beautiful," and he smiled slightly. "I think you could save her."
" 'Sango-hime'?" Shippou blinked in surprise.
"Yes; that is the princess's name," the soldier explained. The trio shared a glance that spoke volumes.
"Then she's expecting us," Inu-Yasha said in a low voice. "Which is never a good thing."
"If she's expecting us . . . " Kagome smiled slightly. "Why disappoint her?"
Inu-Yasha smirked in lieu of reply and cracked his knuckles. "Now you're talking, girl."
The soldier just sighed. "And do you have ANY idea where you are going?"
"Details, details." The hanyou waved him off. "I'll find her, and get that shard back if I have to rip apart half the country!"
* ende *