CHAPTER TWO
*
Inuyasha sniffed the ground, creeping along on his hands and knees. "Nothing," he muttered. "Not one damn thing."
Kagome glanced around the woodland road and shivered. The silence was unnerving; she wished there was a bird, a frog, or some other creature making some kind of noise. There's something creepy about this place, she thought. It's freaking me out. She caught a fold of Inuyasha's sleeve and tugged at it. "Inuyasha..."
"What?" he asked, annoyed.
"Let's get moving. I mean, if there's nothing here, there's no reason to stay, right?" Kagome said nervously.
The half-demon snorted. "You sure this is the place, Shippo?" Inuyasha asked, glancing back.
"I'm positive. It was right up there," Shippo said. He pointed at the sky, shading his eyes with his other little hand. "I didn't see exactly what happened to it. It was too dark to see much, and I was looking up through the trees."
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Miroku asked.
"Yes, I am!" Shippo said indignantly. "I didn't run halfway across these woods because of a bad dream. I saw it every step of the way!"
Inuyasha sniffed the ground again, then got up. "Well, whatever it was, it sure didn't land here. I'm not smelling anything at all." He folded his hands into his sleeves. "Let's go. There doesn't seem to be anything here."
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Inuyasha through down the road, with Miroku and Sango behind them. Shippo was riding on Kirara's back, constantly glancing over his shoulder at the spot they had left. Kagome shivered again and drew closer to the half-demon at her side.
"What's the problem, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.
"What?"
"You've been on edge all this time. There something wrong with this place?"
"No... yes... sort of..." Kagome said hesitantly. "I mean, it feels kind of weird to me. I'd just like to keep moving for awhile."
"Hmph," Inuyasha mumbled.
They walked silently through the woods for a few hours. The silence was starting to get to Kagome; it felt like a thick, smothering blanket had been laid over the woods. The only bird she saw was a dead one that had fallen at the gnarled roots of a tree. There were no animals creeping around the underbrush.
"I feel an ominous presence in this place," Miroku murmured.
"Too early, Miroku. We haven't gotten to an inn yet," Inuyasha said sarcastically.
"I'm serious, Inuyasha," the monk said sternly. "There's something about this place that I don't like. We should stick to the path and keep going until we reach somewhere safer."
Inuyasha just muttered "feh" and kept walking. Kagome jogged to keep up with him, glancing nervously at the trees. Not so much as a leaf was stirring. There didn't seem to be any wind. "Inuyasha," she began to ask. "What do you think Ship-"
Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air. "Quiet."
Kagome felt her heart almost jump into her throat. "What is it?"
"A human. He's coming this way." Inuyasha's hand went to the Tetsusaiga, but he didn't draw it. "Fast."
Kagome gasped. She could see a gray splotch in the middle of the darkness, moving closer. Sort of. It seemed to be stumbling and falling a lot. Finally it came close enough for her to see it -- a middle-aged human with a graying topknot, and clothes torn to dirty rags. And he was terrified.
It made Kagome queasy to see the man's face. His skin had turned the color of ashes, and his hands were covered in blood. He looked as if he had been awake for days. "Turn back!" he wailed hoarsely. "Turn baaaccckk..."
Inuyasha caught the man by the shoulders. "What the hell are you--agh!" The half demon winced as the man began pummeling him feebly.
"He's mad," Sango said.
"All of them -- thousands of them... never sleep... never stop!" the man gibbered, still pounding at Inuyasha's chest. The half-demon grimaced. "Turn back! Go back!" His punches began to gain in strength. "You're one of them! You're trying to trick me like all the rest. It won't work! I won't be tricked again!"
"Inuyasha, let him go!" Miroku ordered.
Inuyasha pushed the man away. The beggar stumbled back in the dust, then scrambled up and ran back down the road, tripping and scrabbling as he went. As the sound of his wild cries faded, the ominous silence fell again, unbroken by any member of the group. Kagome felt sick to her stomach.
"What do you think he was talking about?" Sango finally said.
"Demons, perhaps," Miroku said. "It may be that this wood is infested by them. They may have driven that man mad."
"Let's make camp back where we were last night," Inuyasha said grimly. "We'll come back here later, and root out whatever's lying in wait."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha sniffed the ground, creeping along on his hands and knees. "Nothing," he muttered. "Not one damn thing."
Kagome glanced around the woodland road and shivered. The silence was unnerving; she wished there was a bird, a frog, or some other creature making some kind of noise. There's something creepy about this place, she thought. It's freaking me out. She caught a fold of Inuyasha's sleeve and tugged at it. "Inuyasha..."
"What?" he asked, annoyed.
"Let's get moving. I mean, if there's nothing here, there's no reason to stay, right?" Kagome said nervously.
The half-demon snorted. "You sure this is the place, Shippo?" Inuyasha asked, glancing back.
"I'm positive. It was right up there," Shippo said. He pointed at the sky, shading his eyes with his other little hand. "I didn't see exactly what happened to it. It was too dark to see much, and I was looking up through the trees."
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Miroku asked.
"Yes, I am!" Shippo said indignantly. "I didn't run halfway across these woods because of a bad dream. I saw it every step of the way!"
Inuyasha sniffed the ground again, then got up. "Well, whatever it was, it sure didn't land here. I'm not smelling anything at all." He folded his hands into his sleeves. "Let's go. There doesn't seem to be anything here."
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Inuyasha through down the road, with Miroku and Sango behind them. Shippo was riding on Kirara's back, constantly glancing over his shoulder at the spot they had left. Kagome shivered again and drew closer to the half-demon at her side.
"What's the problem, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.
"What?"
"You've been on edge all this time. There something wrong with this place?"
"No... yes... sort of..." Kagome said hesitantly. "I mean, it feels kind of weird to me. I'd just like to keep moving for awhile."
"Hmph," Inuyasha mumbled.
They walked silently through the woods for a few hours. The silence was starting to get to Kagome; it felt like a thick, smothering blanket had been laid over the woods. The only bird she saw was a dead one that had fallen at the gnarled roots of a tree. There were no animals creeping around the underbrush.
"I feel an ominous presence in this place," Miroku murmured.
"Too early, Miroku. We haven't gotten to an inn yet," Inuyasha said sarcastically.
"I'm serious, Inuyasha," the monk said sternly. "There's something about this place that I don't like. We should stick to the path and keep going until we reach somewhere safer."
Inuyasha just muttered "feh" and kept walking. Kagome jogged to keep up with him, glancing nervously at the trees. Not so much as a leaf was stirring. There didn't seem to be any wind. "Inuyasha," she began to ask. "What do you think Ship-"
Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air. "Quiet."
Kagome felt her heart almost jump into her throat. "What is it?"
"A human. He's coming this way." Inuyasha's hand went to the Tetsusaiga, but he didn't draw it. "Fast."
Kagome gasped. She could see a gray splotch in the middle of the darkness, moving closer. Sort of. It seemed to be stumbling and falling a lot. Finally it came close enough for her to see it -- a middle-aged human with a graying topknot, and clothes torn to dirty rags. And he was terrified.
It made Kagome queasy to see the man's face. His skin had turned the color of ashes, and his hands were covered in blood. He looked as if he had been awake for days. "Turn back!" he wailed hoarsely. "Turn baaaccckk..."
Inuyasha caught the man by the shoulders. "What the hell are you--agh!" The half demon winced as the man began pummeling him feebly.
"He's mad," Sango said.
"All of them -- thousands of them... never sleep... never stop!" the man gibbered, still pounding at Inuyasha's chest. The half-demon grimaced. "Turn back! Go back!" His punches began to gain in strength. "You're one of them! You're trying to trick me like all the rest. It won't work! I won't be tricked again!"
"Inuyasha, let him go!" Miroku ordered.
Inuyasha pushed the man away. The beggar stumbled back in the dust, then scrambled up and ran back down the road, tripping and scrabbling as he went. As the sound of his wild cries faded, the ominous silence fell again, unbroken by any member of the group. Kagome felt sick to her stomach.
"What do you think he was talking about?" Sango finally said.
"Demons, perhaps," Miroku said. "It may be that this wood is infested by them. They may have driven that man mad."
"Let's make camp back where we were last night," Inuyasha said grimly. "We'll come back here later, and root out whatever's lying in wait."
TO BE CONTINUED