CHAPTER FOUR
*
"Is that the place?" Inuyasha asked, barely pausing as he ran. Kagome peered over the top of his silver head, frowning at the sweeping valley before them. The tall green trees were wreathed in mist, almost hiding the tiny wooden buildings huddled down by the river. Kagome squinted against the sun.
Inuyasha landed lightly on a boulder and looked down a precipice. "Well?" he called over his shoulder.
"I think so," Sango said. She and Miroku were sitting astride Kirara, with Shippo wedged between them. "We'll know once we get there."
Inuyasha darted down a dirt road, and skidded to a stop in the middle of the village. It was small -- a collection of maybe twenty little houses and buildings, all rickety and weatherbeaten. The wind whistled over the trees. Kagome shivered slightly. She could feel SOMETHING here, something cold and empty. "Where are all the people?" she asked.
"Dunno," Inuyasha said. His claws cracked slightly as he looked around. "You sense any jewel shards?"
"Not nearby, no. Not in any of these buildings, anyway."
"Feh. Then we came all this way for nothing."
"Not necessarily." Sango swung off of Kirara's back, with one hand braced on her boomerang. Her eyes flicked from one doorway to another, watching. "Just because they aren't here... doesn't mean they never were. Surely SOMEONE lived in this village. Inuyasha, do you smell anyone lurking nearby?"
Inuyasha raised his face and sniffed the air. "Nobody except us. No blood in the air, either -- not even old blood."
"Perhaps we should investigate in the houses," Miroku said, holding his staff up like a spear. "If the inhabitants left, they would have taken their possessions with them -- but if they were kidnapped or devoured..."
Kagome felt Inuyasha's clawed hand grip her wrist. "Stay close to me, Kagome," he said in a low voice. He strode over to the nearest house, with his arm linked firmly with Kagome's. His free hand rested on the Tetsusaiga, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
The little hut was dark and musty-smelling. Kagome frowned as she looked around. Bedding had been left unrolled near the covered windows, and a collection of dirty bowls was left on the floor. Flies and mold covered them. And a dead, half-skinned rabbit was rotting near the long-dead fire.
"Nobody home," Inuyasha said, relaxing. "Looks like whatever happened, it happened in a hurry."
"It's like they all just vanished," Kagome said. "I think I read something about a colony a long time ago in America that just vanished like this."
"Oh yeah? What was it? Demons?"
"Nobody knows." Kagome shivered. "Inuyasha, I want to leave this place. Something about it just feels wrong."
"Wrong like what?" Inuyasha's ears pricked.
"I don't know how to describe it. It's like..." Kagome sighed, frustrated. She couldn't think of the right words.
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "Well, we'd better find out who or what made these villagers vanish. If it has jewel shards, so much the better." He crossed his arms. "At least this time I don't have to do gravedigger duty."
Kagome chewed on her lip, only half-listening to what Inuyasha was saying. She stepped out of the house, glancing around at the empty dirty paths. She could hear Miroku and Sango talking quietly in the distance, and could see Shippo and Kirara scampering out of one of the houses.
This place is just weird, Kagome thought. I don't like it when we have a mystery like this. Most of the time, it's easy to figure out what's happening -- either Naraku or a demon. Now...
"Kagome?"
Kagome jumped. A pair of bright golden eyes stared at her from the alleyway between houses. For a moment, Kagome felt a jab of terror -- until she saw the shadowed face those eyes were staring from. "You startled me," Kagome said, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Feh," Inuyasha said, stepping out into the sunlight. "You're getting pretty jumpy."
"I told you, I don't like this place. It's creepy." Kagome rubbed her arms, as if she were cold. "What are you doing there, anyway? Weren't you inside the house?"
"Window," Inuyasha said simply, pointing back the way he had come.
"Oh," Kagome said, slightly abashed. "Um, okay. Let's find Miroku and Sango. Maybe they found something more."
*
Inuyasha ran his hands over the back wall, a bunch of clumsily-secured wooden planks. Nothing loose. Nothing scratched. Nothing even stained -- blood, food, sap, or anything else. He pressed his nose to the wood and inhaled deeply. Still smells like the woodlands, he thought. It's been blasted by wind and rain, but it hasn't been here long.
The half-demon sat back in a crouch, frowning. This doesn't make sense, he thought. Why'd they make a village only to abandon it? If they did abandon it... I wonder how old the other houses are.
Suddenly footsteps rang out. Inuyasha felt his hackles rising, as they did when something unknown approached him. Then he scented Kagome. He turned just as she walked into the room, with a little half-smile on her face. "Hey," she said.
"What?" Inuyasha asked. "Miroku get touchy-feely with Sango again?"
"Not that I saw," Kagome said, clasping her hands behind her back. "Inuyasha, I saw something kind of weird... moving in the woods. Can you come with me to check it out?"
"Sure," Inuyasha said, brushing himself off. He felt slightly ashamed. Of course it was Kagome, he thought. It's probably just this creepy place that put me on edge. He swung the girl onto his back and bounded off into the forest, scattering the birds.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Is that the place?" Inuyasha asked, barely pausing as he ran. Kagome peered over the top of his silver head, frowning at the sweeping valley before them. The tall green trees were wreathed in mist, almost hiding the tiny wooden buildings huddled down by the river. Kagome squinted against the sun.
Inuyasha landed lightly on a boulder and looked down a precipice. "Well?" he called over his shoulder.
"I think so," Sango said. She and Miroku were sitting astride Kirara, with Shippo wedged between them. "We'll know once we get there."
Inuyasha darted down a dirt road, and skidded to a stop in the middle of the village. It was small -- a collection of maybe twenty little houses and buildings, all rickety and weatherbeaten. The wind whistled over the trees. Kagome shivered slightly. She could feel SOMETHING here, something cold and empty. "Where are all the people?" she asked.
"Dunno," Inuyasha said. His claws cracked slightly as he looked around. "You sense any jewel shards?"
"Not nearby, no. Not in any of these buildings, anyway."
"Feh. Then we came all this way for nothing."
"Not necessarily." Sango swung off of Kirara's back, with one hand braced on her boomerang. Her eyes flicked from one doorway to another, watching. "Just because they aren't here... doesn't mean they never were. Surely SOMEONE lived in this village. Inuyasha, do you smell anyone lurking nearby?"
Inuyasha raised his face and sniffed the air. "Nobody except us. No blood in the air, either -- not even old blood."
"Perhaps we should investigate in the houses," Miroku said, holding his staff up like a spear. "If the inhabitants left, they would have taken their possessions with them -- but if they were kidnapped or devoured..."
Kagome felt Inuyasha's clawed hand grip her wrist. "Stay close to me, Kagome," he said in a low voice. He strode over to the nearest house, with his arm linked firmly with Kagome's. His free hand rested on the Tetsusaiga, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
The little hut was dark and musty-smelling. Kagome frowned as she looked around. Bedding had been left unrolled near the covered windows, and a collection of dirty bowls was left on the floor. Flies and mold covered them. And a dead, half-skinned rabbit was rotting near the long-dead fire.
"Nobody home," Inuyasha said, relaxing. "Looks like whatever happened, it happened in a hurry."
"It's like they all just vanished," Kagome said. "I think I read something about a colony a long time ago in America that just vanished like this."
"Oh yeah? What was it? Demons?"
"Nobody knows." Kagome shivered. "Inuyasha, I want to leave this place. Something about it just feels wrong."
"Wrong like what?" Inuyasha's ears pricked.
"I don't know how to describe it. It's like..." Kagome sighed, frustrated. She couldn't think of the right words.
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "Well, we'd better find out who or what made these villagers vanish. If it has jewel shards, so much the better." He crossed his arms. "At least this time I don't have to do gravedigger duty."
Kagome chewed on her lip, only half-listening to what Inuyasha was saying. She stepped out of the house, glancing around at the empty dirty paths. She could hear Miroku and Sango talking quietly in the distance, and could see Shippo and Kirara scampering out of one of the houses.
This place is just weird, Kagome thought. I don't like it when we have a mystery like this. Most of the time, it's easy to figure out what's happening -- either Naraku or a demon. Now...
"Kagome?"
Kagome jumped. A pair of bright golden eyes stared at her from the alleyway between houses. For a moment, Kagome felt a jab of terror -- until she saw the shadowed face those eyes were staring from. "You startled me," Kagome said, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Feh," Inuyasha said, stepping out into the sunlight. "You're getting pretty jumpy."
"I told you, I don't like this place. It's creepy." Kagome rubbed her arms, as if she were cold. "What are you doing there, anyway? Weren't you inside the house?"
"Window," Inuyasha said simply, pointing back the way he had come.
"Oh," Kagome said, slightly abashed. "Um, okay. Let's find Miroku and Sango. Maybe they found something more."
*
Inuyasha ran his hands over the back wall, a bunch of clumsily-secured wooden planks. Nothing loose. Nothing scratched. Nothing even stained -- blood, food, sap, or anything else. He pressed his nose to the wood and inhaled deeply. Still smells like the woodlands, he thought. It's been blasted by wind and rain, but it hasn't been here long.
The half-demon sat back in a crouch, frowning. This doesn't make sense, he thought. Why'd they make a village only to abandon it? If they did abandon it... I wonder how old the other houses are.
Suddenly footsteps rang out. Inuyasha felt his hackles rising, as they did when something unknown approached him. Then he scented Kagome. He turned just as she walked into the room, with a little half-smile on her face. "Hey," she said.
"What?" Inuyasha asked. "Miroku get touchy-feely with Sango again?"
"Not that I saw," Kagome said, clasping her hands behind her back. "Inuyasha, I saw something kind of weird... moving in the woods. Can you come with me to check it out?"
"Sure," Inuyasha said, brushing himself off. He felt slightly ashamed. Of course it was Kagome, he thought. It's probably just this creepy place that put me on edge. He swung the girl onto his back and bounded off into the forest, scattering the birds.
TO BE CONTINUED