CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
*
"YEEOWCH!" Inuyasha yelped.
Kagome loosened the bandage on his back and taped it into place. "Is that better?" she asked.
"Hrmph." Inuyasha twisted his shoulders slightly.
Sango sat forward, looking a little dazed. "So... what you're saying is that some of the time, you and Inuyasha weren't... I mean, we were talking to two of Naraku's minions?" she asked slowly.
Miroku was watching Kagome bandage Inuyasha's injuries. His handsome face was grim. "Tell me, Kagome... what happened to Marako after Inuyasha pushed him off the cliff?"
"It looks like it evaporated, like Mihaka's." Kagome felt Inuyasha's back stiffen slightly. "Don't do that, you'll make the bandages fall off again! Anyway, we found a few shreds of his clothes at the bottom of the cliff. But he was so badly wounded that he couldn't have gotten away. So I guess they're both dead."
"And Naraku?" Shippo asked.
"Gone. As usual," Inuyasha said bluntly.
The half-demon grimaced and stretched, much to Kagome's dismay. He felt a lot better than he had that morning, after he had killed Marako and nearly been strangled by Mihaka. Marako's claws had left him with scratches, bruises and gashes all over his body. Those were healing nicely, but his snapped arm -- which he had landed on when Kagome "sat" him -- was still on the mend. She had tied it up in a sling and threatened to "sit" him again if he tried to move it.
"That's rather disturbing," Miroku said, rubbing his chin. "While I thought that you were both acting a little odd, I never suspected that it wasn't actually you. Their impersonations were nearly perfect."
"I didn't suspect anything either," Sango said. A weird look came over her face. "Kagome..."
"Yeah?"
"Did you take a bath at the hot springs the other night?"
Kagome frowned. "No. Why?"
An even weirder look came over Sango's face. "Oh, no reasion," she said in a small voice.
Kagome could guess what had happened. I'd feel pretty weird in her place too, she thought, rubbing some ointment into Inuyasha's back. Taking a bath with one of Naraku's minions who was sent out to kill Inuyasha... that must be really creepy.
"Tell me," Miroku said slowly, "was this village truly a place where humans were living, or did Naraku create it just to trap us?"
"I don't know," Kagome said glumly. "I think it was meant to be a trap, because he didn't mention any villagers or jewel shards."
"I see," Miroku said. "Then we should probably leave as soon as possible."
"You think Naraku is still around here?" Shippo asked, alarmed.
"No, I don't," Miroku said, folding his arms. "At least, not for the moment. Naraku will have retreated now that his newest weapons are dead. But I don't like the idea of staying inside a trap, even a broken one."
"I won't argue with that," Inuyasha spoke up. He stretched and grimaced, with a strange withdrawn look on his face. "We'll leave in the morning, or whenever Shippo sleeps off all that candy he's been eating. Until then, we'd better get some rest."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"YEEOWCH!" Inuyasha yelped.
Kagome loosened the bandage on his back and taped it into place. "Is that better?" she asked.
"Hrmph." Inuyasha twisted his shoulders slightly.
Sango sat forward, looking a little dazed. "So... what you're saying is that some of the time, you and Inuyasha weren't... I mean, we were talking to two of Naraku's minions?" she asked slowly.
Miroku was watching Kagome bandage Inuyasha's injuries. His handsome face was grim. "Tell me, Kagome... what happened to Marako after Inuyasha pushed him off the cliff?"
"It looks like it evaporated, like Mihaka's." Kagome felt Inuyasha's back stiffen slightly. "Don't do that, you'll make the bandages fall off again! Anyway, we found a few shreds of his clothes at the bottom of the cliff. But he was so badly wounded that he couldn't have gotten away. So I guess they're both dead."
"And Naraku?" Shippo asked.
"Gone. As usual," Inuyasha said bluntly.
The half-demon grimaced and stretched, much to Kagome's dismay. He felt a lot better than he had that morning, after he had killed Marako and nearly been strangled by Mihaka. Marako's claws had left him with scratches, bruises and gashes all over his body. Those were healing nicely, but his snapped arm -- which he had landed on when Kagome "sat" him -- was still on the mend. She had tied it up in a sling and threatened to "sit" him again if he tried to move it.
"That's rather disturbing," Miroku said, rubbing his chin. "While I thought that you were both acting a little odd, I never suspected that it wasn't actually you. Their impersonations were nearly perfect."
"I didn't suspect anything either," Sango said. A weird look came over her face. "Kagome..."
"Yeah?"
"Did you take a bath at the hot springs the other night?"
Kagome frowned. "No. Why?"
An even weirder look came over Sango's face. "Oh, no reasion," she said in a small voice.
Kagome could guess what had happened. I'd feel pretty weird in her place too, she thought, rubbing some ointment into Inuyasha's back. Taking a bath with one of Naraku's minions who was sent out to kill Inuyasha... that must be really creepy.
"Tell me," Miroku said slowly, "was this village truly a place where humans were living, or did Naraku create it just to trap us?"
"I don't know," Kagome said glumly. "I think it was meant to be a trap, because he didn't mention any villagers or jewel shards."
"I see," Miroku said. "Then we should probably leave as soon as possible."
"You think Naraku is still around here?" Shippo asked, alarmed.
"No, I don't," Miroku said, folding his arms. "At least, not for the moment. Naraku will have retreated now that his newest weapons are dead. But I don't like the idea of staying inside a trap, even a broken one."
"I won't argue with that," Inuyasha spoke up. He stretched and grimaced, with a strange withdrawn look on his face. "We'll leave in the morning, or whenever Shippo sleeps off all that candy he's been eating. Until then, we'd better get some rest."
TO BE CONTINUED