CHAPTER EIGHT
*
The old woman smiled with her yellowed, broken teeth. "A clever one, are you now?" she murmured. Her clawlike hand was clutching something small and round and dark, inside her cloak. And when Miroku looked at it, he felt a shiver. It was evil, he could tell.
The monk grimaced. "What have you done to Inuyasha? Who are you? Tell me at once, or I'll suck you into my hand."
"We mean it!" Shippo snapped, trying to puff out his chest. "If you've done something to Inuyasha, we'll make you regret it."
The crone laughed again. "No more questions, boy!"
A swirl of foul-smelling dust whirled around the old woman, obscuring her from sight. Miroku coughed and staggered back, covering his nose and mouth. Shippo gagged and dove away, clutching his tiny throat. Miroku's robes whipped around his legs as the wind began to blow harder... no, it wasn't the wind. A chill went through him as he saw a shadow go over his head.
"Look out, Miroku!" Shippo shouted.
Something shrieked just behind Miroku, and he barely dove out of the way in time. Some kind of winged demon swooped past him -- it had a body shaped like a featherless bird, a bat's wings, and a reptilian head. It was barely bigger than Miroku, but it whipped by so fast that he could barely see it. As he staggered to his feet, it swooped down, caught the crone in its long claws, and flapped off into the misty sky.
"Fox-fire!" Shippo squealed. A blast of blue flame swirled from the little fox to the old woman. The edge of her robe was blasted away, and Miroku heard her curse, saw her protecting that mysterious object with both hands. The demon barely wavered; it just kept flying higher.
"Use your hand, Miroku!" Shippo shouted, hopping up and down.
Miroku started to take off the rosary... then stopped. "I can't," he said heavily.
"Why... why not?"
"I'm sure that woman is somehow connected to Inuyasha's transformation. If I killed her while she holds power over him, it might kill him -- or worse, it could keep him in his demonic state." Miroku sighed and looped the rosary around his wrist again. "Until we know what foul magic she is using... I don't dare to disrupt it."
The monk felt discouraged as he and Shippo resumed trudging through the mist. No sooner had they found clues than the clues vanished. At least we can ride Kirara after those demons, now that we know the old woman is using them, he thought, perking up.
Miroku stiffened as he saw a figure coming through the mist. Then he relaxed as he recognized it. "Sango! Over here!"
Sango was walking with her head down, and blood dripping down her arm. Miroku gasped. "Sango! Is that-"
"It's Kirara," Sango said dully. "We found Inuyasha... but he attacked."
"Damn," Miroku murmured.
"I don't think he recognized us," Sango said. Miroku pulled a length of cloth from his robes and tied up the fire-cat's tiny bleeding leg and side. She mewed pitifully and licked herself. "Or if he recognized us, he didn't care." She swallowed hard. "And... Miroku, when I found him, he was smeared in blood."
"Blood?!"
"Yes, blood. I think he might have... if Kagome is..." Sango seemed unable to say the words. "In his present state, he certainly might have done... something to her. I don't know if it was her, but if it was..."
"We'll have to kill him." Miroku sighed. "But... we shouldn't make any hasty decisions until we know for sure." He tied the bandage in a knot. Kirara purred gratefully. "I have quite a few things to tell you too, Sango. Shippo and I may have unearthed the reason for Inuyasha's mysterious transformation. But with Kirara wounded, things may be a lot harder."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The old woman smiled with her yellowed, broken teeth. "A clever one, are you now?" she murmured. Her clawlike hand was clutching something small and round and dark, inside her cloak. And when Miroku looked at it, he felt a shiver. It was evil, he could tell.
The monk grimaced. "What have you done to Inuyasha? Who are you? Tell me at once, or I'll suck you into my hand."
"We mean it!" Shippo snapped, trying to puff out his chest. "If you've done something to Inuyasha, we'll make you regret it."
The crone laughed again. "No more questions, boy!"
A swirl of foul-smelling dust whirled around the old woman, obscuring her from sight. Miroku coughed and staggered back, covering his nose and mouth. Shippo gagged and dove away, clutching his tiny throat. Miroku's robes whipped around his legs as the wind began to blow harder... no, it wasn't the wind. A chill went through him as he saw a shadow go over his head.
"Look out, Miroku!" Shippo shouted.
Something shrieked just behind Miroku, and he barely dove out of the way in time. Some kind of winged demon swooped past him -- it had a body shaped like a featherless bird, a bat's wings, and a reptilian head. It was barely bigger than Miroku, but it whipped by so fast that he could barely see it. As he staggered to his feet, it swooped down, caught the crone in its long claws, and flapped off into the misty sky.
"Fox-fire!" Shippo squealed. A blast of blue flame swirled from the little fox to the old woman. The edge of her robe was blasted away, and Miroku heard her curse, saw her protecting that mysterious object with both hands. The demon barely wavered; it just kept flying higher.
"Use your hand, Miroku!" Shippo shouted, hopping up and down.
Miroku started to take off the rosary... then stopped. "I can't," he said heavily.
"Why... why not?"
"I'm sure that woman is somehow connected to Inuyasha's transformation. If I killed her while she holds power over him, it might kill him -- or worse, it could keep him in his demonic state." Miroku sighed and looped the rosary around his wrist again. "Until we know what foul magic she is using... I don't dare to disrupt it."
The monk felt discouraged as he and Shippo resumed trudging through the mist. No sooner had they found clues than the clues vanished. At least we can ride Kirara after those demons, now that we know the old woman is using them, he thought, perking up.
Miroku stiffened as he saw a figure coming through the mist. Then he relaxed as he recognized it. "Sango! Over here!"
Sango was walking with her head down, and blood dripping down her arm. Miroku gasped. "Sango! Is that-"
"It's Kirara," Sango said dully. "We found Inuyasha... but he attacked."
"Damn," Miroku murmured.
"I don't think he recognized us," Sango said. Miroku pulled a length of cloth from his robes and tied up the fire-cat's tiny bleeding leg and side. She mewed pitifully and licked herself. "Or if he recognized us, he didn't care." She swallowed hard. "And... Miroku, when I found him, he was smeared in blood."
"Blood?!"
"Yes, blood. I think he might have... if Kagome is..." Sango seemed unable to say the words. "In his present state, he certainly might have done... something to her. I don't know if it was her, but if it was..."
"We'll have to kill him." Miroku sighed. "But... we shouldn't make any hasty decisions until we know for sure." He tied the bandage in a knot. Kirara purred gratefully. "I have quite a few things to tell you too, Sango. Shippo and I may have unearthed the reason for Inuyasha's mysterious transformation. But with Kirara wounded, things may be a lot harder."
TO BE CONTINUED