CHAPTER TWO
*
Inuyasha's strange feelings persisted as the day wore on. He sprawled on a tree branch, staring off into space and wondering why he felt this way. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. One thing he knew: it wasn't good...
"Ramen."
Inuyasha blinked. "Hmm?"
Kagome knocked on the tree trunk. "Your ramen is ready."
"Not hungry."
"Inuyasha, come on," Kagome wheedled. "You've spent all day off by yourself. Come back and join the rest of civilization."
"Don't want to."
But somehow Inuyasha found himself back at the campfire, sullenly slurping down his cup of ramen. Kagome had the knack of getting him to do what she wanted, he reflected darkly. Except when it came to Kikyo. If she hadn't had this influence over him, right from the start, he would have gutted Koga and blocked up the well with a boulder.
He listened to the others chatting to one another, discussing their last hunt for jewel shards. That had been a nasty one -- lots of small demon beetles overrunning a town, led by one that had a shard embedded in its nasty, swollen body. Inuyasha glanced around at the misty trees and mountains, and wondered if there was another one nearby. Probably not. Kagome would have sensed it if there was.
Then he dropped his cup. "I smell something."
The others stopped talking. "What is it?" Sango asked, picking up her boomerang.
"I don't know," Inuyasha said, sniffing the air. "I can't smell it clearly with all this damn fog clogging up my nose. But I'll bet it's a demon of some kind..."
A few minutes later, they were racing over the foggy fields. Kagome squinted over Inuyasha's shoulder at the ground. It was faint, but she could see it -- a giant shadow spreading over the ground, moving away from them very, very fast. It looked almost like a bat's shadow.
"It may be big, but it can't go too fast," Inuyasha grunted. "Hang on tight."
"Okay," Kagome said.
Inuyasha raced over an open expanse and skidded to a stop at the bottom of a sheer cliff. Kirara, with the others on her back, stopped right behind him. The giant fire-cat was sniffing the air as well, and her fur was starting to rise as if she were getting upset.
"She's very restless," Sango said.
"So'm I," Inuyasha muttered, glancing around. "That demon went up higher on the cliff. Probably has a nest or something there."
"Is there a reason why we're chasing it, Inuyasha?" Miroku said, climbing off Kirara's back.
"Whaddaya mean?"
"I mean that we usually don't chase demons unless they are allied with Naraku, or else have a jewel shard. Is there a particular reason why we're pursuing a demon that seems to be neither?" Miroku asked, crossing his arms.
A strange blank look came over Inuyasha's face, and for a moment Kagome thought he almost looked alarmed at the question. Then the mask of anger came back. "I don't have to explain nothin' to you!" he almost shouted at the monk. "Get off my back, willya?"
"There's no need to be upset about a simple question," Miroku said almost too calmly.
"If you're buggin' me, there's plenty of reasons!"
Kirara growled softly, interrupting the argument. "I could try taking Kirara up further, closer to the summit," Sango said, looking up at the sky and stroking her fire-cat's head.
"That may not be wise," Miroku said pensively. "With this much fog, you might not be able to see the demon coming if it attacked."
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha. But his back was turned to her, and his face was bowed down toward the ground. A chill went through Kagome as she saw him lean over toward the cliffside, with a curled fist pressed against it. "I-Inuyasha?" she asked, taking a step toward him.
A feral growl was the answer she got.
Kagome moved back, shocked; the others fell silent. Inuyasha's silver hair had fallen over his face, hiding his expression from the others. But as he suddenly looked up at her, it parted to reveal stark red eyes with slitted pupils. A full demon's eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha's strange feelings persisted as the day wore on. He sprawled on a tree branch, staring off into space and wondering why he felt this way. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. One thing he knew: it wasn't good...
"Ramen."
Inuyasha blinked. "Hmm?"
Kagome knocked on the tree trunk. "Your ramen is ready."
"Not hungry."
"Inuyasha, come on," Kagome wheedled. "You've spent all day off by yourself. Come back and join the rest of civilization."
"Don't want to."
But somehow Inuyasha found himself back at the campfire, sullenly slurping down his cup of ramen. Kagome had the knack of getting him to do what she wanted, he reflected darkly. Except when it came to Kikyo. If she hadn't had this influence over him, right from the start, he would have gutted Koga and blocked up the well with a boulder.
He listened to the others chatting to one another, discussing their last hunt for jewel shards. That had been a nasty one -- lots of small demon beetles overrunning a town, led by one that had a shard embedded in its nasty, swollen body. Inuyasha glanced around at the misty trees and mountains, and wondered if there was another one nearby. Probably not. Kagome would have sensed it if there was.
Then he dropped his cup. "I smell something."
The others stopped talking. "What is it?" Sango asked, picking up her boomerang.
"I don't know," Inuyasha said, sniffing the air. "I can't smell it clearly with all this damn fog clogging up my nose. But I'll bet it's a demon of some kind..."
A few minutes later, they were racing over the foggy fields. Kagome squinted over Inuyasha's shoulder at the ground. It was faint, but she could see it -- a giant shadow spreading over the ground, moving away from them very, very fast. It looked almost like a bat's shadow.
"It may be big, but it can't go too fast," Inuyasha grunted. "Hang on tight."
"Okay," Kagome said.
Inuyasha raced over an open expanse and skidded to a stop at the bottom of a sheer cliff. Kirara, with the others on her back, stopped right behind him. The giant fire-cat was sniffing the air as well, and her fur was starting to rise as if she were getting upset.
"She's very restless," Sango said.
"So'm I," Inuyasha muttered, glancing around. "That demon went up higher on the cliff. Probably has a nest or something there."
"Is there a reason why we're chasing it, Inuyasha?" Miroku said, climbing off Kirara's back.
"Whaddaya mean?"
"I mean that we usually don't chase demons unless they are allied with Naraku, or else have a jewel shard. Is there a particular reason why we're pursuing a demon that seems to be neither?" Miroku asked, crossing his arms.
A strange blank look came over Inuyasha's face, and for a moment Kagome thought he almost looked alarmed at the question. Then the mask of anger came back. "I don't have to explain nothin' to you!" he almost shouted at the monk. "Get off my back, willya?"
"There's no need to be upset about a simple question," Miroku said almost too calmly.
"If you're buggin' me, there's plenty of reasons!"
Kirara growled softly, interrupting the argument. "I could try taking Kirara up further, closer to the summit," Sango said, looking up at the sky and stroking her fire-cat's head.
"That may not be wise," Miroku said pensively. "With this much fog, you might not be able to see the demon coming if it attacked."
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha. But his back was turned to her, and his face was bowed down toward the ground. A chill went through Kagome as she saw him lean over toward the cliffside, with a curled fist pressed against it. "I-Inuyasha?" she asked, taking a step toward him.
A feral growl was the answer she got.
Kagome moved back, shocked; the others fell silent. Inuyasha's silver hair had fallen over his face, hiding his expression from the others. But as he suddenly looked up at her, it parted to reveal stark red eyes with slitted pupils. A full demon's eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED