CHAPTER FIVE
*
Inuyasha felt Kagome's slim fingers digging into his arms as he carried her swiftly through the trees. His bare feet skimmed lightly over the tree boughs, barely ruffling the leaves. It was something they had done together since he had first met her; a day or so after he had first chased her through the woods, he had carried her on his back, hunting a crow-demon that had swallowed the Shikon jewel. It was a hint of all that came after it, hunting demons together.
He sighed deeply. He preferred not to think about that first run. He'd planned to drop her from his back when the crow was dead.
With a grunt, Inuyasha launched himself high over the treetops. "See any shards?" he asked.
"Nope," Kagome said, shading her eyes. "Maybe it was just my imagination."
Inuyasha stared over the trees, watching for any moving shadows, any suspicious shapes. He couldn't see Shikon shards, but he knew something had been there. Years of living in the wilds had honed his senses to near-perfection. He knew when something dangerous was near. It was close... very close... he felt his hackles rising as he stared down at the dark glens...
A strange tingling spread over his back, where Kagome was huddled. It was almost like a static shock. Inuyasha sucked in a breath, almost dropping Kagome from reflex. His hands grabbed her legs in time, tugging her back up. What's wrong with me today? he wondered irritably.
"You okay?" Kagome breathed in his ear.
"Yeah," Inuyasha said in a low voice. He landed lightly on a treetop, letting the thin branches bend under his feet, then jumped down to a stronger bough. "Just a weird feeling." He put his hand on the Tetsusaiga. "But whatever was here is long gone."
Kagome nodded slightly. "Well, maybe we should rejoin the others, if there's nothing here." With his gaze fixed on the trees, Inuyasha did not see the veiled amusement in her eyes.
*
Kagome's feeling of unease clung to her as she walked with Inuyasha through the abandoned village. It felt like a ghost town -- worse, it felt like a town which had never been alive to start with. She unconsciously drew closer to the half-demon boy at her side, clutching at his wide, baggy sleeve. To her surprise, she felt his clawed hand slipping under her elbow and holding it tightly. I guess this place feels creepy to him too, she thought.
Sango was stepping out of one hut. Her boomerang hung over her shoulder, ready for her to throw. "Nothing?" she asked.
"No one, not even a dog or cat," Kagome said.
"Same here." Sango hefted her boomerang higher. "Miroku is checking the last few huts, but it seems like there isn't anyone here. Plenty of signs of people living here, but every one of them is days old. Old food, unmade bedding, half-finished tools and tanning. But it's like everyone just vanished in the middle of whatever they were doing. Very strange."
Kagome began to reply, but she paused. Inuyasha's hand had abruptly dropped from her arm. He strode off suddenly, glancing and sniffing around. His eyes had the keenness of a hunter stalking its prey.
Sango looked after him curiously. "What's he doing? What does he smell?"
"I don't know," Kagome said, crossing her arms. "Inuyasha, can you do me a favor? Get a bucketful of water from the river so I can make us dinner."
"'Kay," Inuyasha called over his shoulder. Then he leaped over a rooftop and vanished.
The two girls talked quietly between themselves for a few minutes, interrupted only when Miroku and Shippo returned. "Nothing," Miroku said grimly. "Not even footprints that might show where the villagers might have gone. And no demonic traces either."
"This place is creepy," Kagome said, glancing around. "I don't know, I just... I've been in empty villages before, but never one like this one."
"I'm sure it's just your imagination," Miroku said, patting her shoulder.
"I hope so."
A red and white blur shot around the corner and stopped right near Kagome. It was Inuyasha - dusty, disheveled, and rather confused-looking. "How'd you get here first?" he asked, frowning at Kagome.
"Huh?"
"You went ahead of me. How'd you beat me here?"
"I came here with you."
Inuyasha looked puzzled, but apparently decided to drop the subject. "Nothing in those woods over there. Something was there, but it may've been days since it left. Might've been a demon, might've not. And even if it was, it might not have been responsible for the villagers vanishing."
As Miroku mused over that, Kagome piped up, "Did you get me the water?"
"What water?"
"The water from the river!" Kagome exclaimed. "I asked you to get me some. I can't make you dinner without it."
"Okay, fine, calm down," Inuyasha said, giving her a strange look. Before she could speak again, he turned and raced down the dirt path, in the direction of the river. He could hear the faint, rushing thunder of the river and waterfall. Breathing hard, Inuyasha knelt and drank from the fast-moving water. "What's her problem?" he muttered, wiping his mouth.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha felt Kagome's slim fingers digging into his arms as he carried her swiftly through the trees. His bare feet skimmed lightly over the tree boughs, barely ruffling the leaves. It was something they had done together since he had first met her; a day or so after he had first chased her through the woods, he had carried her on his back, hunting a crow-demon that had swallowed the Shikon jewel. It was a hint of all that came after it, hunting demons together.
He sighed deeply. He preferred not to think about that first run. He'd planned to drop her from his back when the crow was dead.
With a grunt, Inuyasha launched himself high over the treetops. "See any shards?" he asked.
"Nope," Kagome said, shading her eyes. "Maybe it was just my imagination."
Inuyasha stared over the trees, watching for any moving shadows, any suspicious shapes. He couldn't see Shikon shards, but he knew something had been there. Years of living in the wilds had honed his senses to near-perfection. He knew when something dangerous was near. It was close... very close... he felt his hackles rising as he stared down at the dark glens...
A strange tingling spread over his back, where Kagome was huddled. It was almost like a static shock. Inuyasha sucked in a breath, almost dropping Kagome from reflex. His hands grabbed her legs in time, tugging her back up. What's wrong with me today? he wondered irritably.
"You okay?" Kagome breathed in his ear.
"Yeah," Inuyasha said in a low voice. He landed lightly on a treetop, letting the thin branches bend under his feet, then jumped down to a stronger bough. "Just a weird feeling." He put his hand on the Tetsusaiga. "But whatever was here is long gone."
Kagome nodded slightly. "Well, maybe we should rejoin the others, if there's nothing here." With his gaze fixed on the trees, Inuyasha did not see the veiled amusement in her eyes.
*
Kagome's feeling of unease clung to her as she walked with Inuyasha through the abandoned village. It felt like a ghost town -- worse, it felt like a town which had never been alive to start with. She unconsciously drew closer to the half-demon boy at her side, clutching at his wide, baggy sleeve. To her surprise, she felt his clawed hand slipping under her elbow and holding it tightly. I guess this place feels creepy to him too, she thought.
Sango was stepping out of one hut. Her boomerang hung over her shoulder, ready for her to throw. "Nothing?" she asked.
"No one, not even a dog or cat," Kagome said.
"Same here." Sango hefted her boomerang higher. "Miroku is checking the last few huts, but it seems like there isn't anyone here. Plenty of signs of people living here, but every one of them is days old. Old food, unmade bedding, half-finished tools and tanning. But it's like everyone just vanished in the middle of whatever they were doing. Very strange."
Kagome began to reply, but she paused. Inuyasha's hand had abruptly dropped from her arm. He strode off suddenly, glancing and sniffing around. His eyes had the keenness of a hunter stalking its prey.
Sango looked after him curiously. "What's he doing? What does he smell?"
"I don't know," Kagome said, crossing her arms. "Inuyasha, can you do me a favor? Get a bucketful of water from the river so I can make us dinner."
"'Kay," Inuyasha called over his shoulder. Then he leaped over a rooftop and vanished.
The two girls talked quietly between themselves for a few minutes, interrupted only when Miroku and Shippo returned. "Nothing," Miroku said grimly. "Not even footprints that might show where the villagers might have gone. And no demonic traces either."
"This place is creepy," Kagome said, glancing around. "I don't know, I just... I've been in empty villages before, but never one like this one."
"I'm sure it's just your imagination," Miroku said, patting her shoulder.
"I hope so."
A red and white blur shot around the corner and stopped right near Kagome. It was Inuyasha - dusty, disheveled, and rather confused-looking. "How'd you get here first?" he asked, frowning at Kagome.
"Huh?"
"You went ahead of me. How'd you beat me here?"
"I came here with you."
Inuyasha looked puzzled, but apparently decided to drop the subject. "Nothing in those woods over there. Something was there, but it may've been days since it left. Might've been a demon, might've not. And even if it was, it might not have been responsible for the villagers vanishing."
As Miroku mused over that, Kagome piped up, "Did you get me the water?"
"What water?"
"The water from the river!" Kagome exclaimed. "I asked you to get me some. I can't make you dinner without it."
"Okay, fine, calm down," Inuyasha said, giving her a strange look. Before she could speak again, he turned and raced down the dirt path, in the direction of the river. He could hear the faint, rushing thunder of the river and waterfall. Breathing hard, Inuyasha knelt and drank from the fast-moving water. "What's her problem?" he muttered, wiping his mouth.
TO BE CONTINUED