CHAPTER THREE
*
The encounter with the mad man still chilled Kagome long after they retreated from the forest. She kept glancing back at the still trees and dark paths as they walked back. And she clutched at Inuyasha's elbow, wishing that Shippo had never seen that... whatever it was.
"Do you think we should go after him?" Sango asked.
"I doubt we can go anything for his madness," Miroku said gravely. "And so long as he is mad, he is a danger to himself and others. But for the time being... there may be others lost in that forest."
Kagome felt her heart freeze. What could have done that to him? she wondered.
The man's frightened, wild face clung to her mind for a long time. As she nibbled on her roast fish, Kagome shivered a little. "Could it have been connected to Naraku?" she asked dubiously.
"Perhaps," Sango said. She dropped a bit of roasted fish to Kirara. The fire-cat played with it before gobbling it down. "Or else one of his minions. But it wouldn't explain away what Shippo saw... or, for that matter, the madman's tales of being tormented by demons. Which, since we didn't even see birds or small animals, seems rather strange."
"Unless the madman had nothing to do with the weird stuff at all," Shippo said through a mouthful of fish and crackers.
This whole thing makes my head hurt, Kagome thought. She sipped her soda and glanced back at the woods. They had a lot of questions and no answers. And it wasn't just the eerie, haunted quality of the woods that was creeping her out. It was the stark terror in the insane man's eyes as he had run away from Inuyasha.
Suddenly Inuyasha stiffened and raised his head.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Blood. Lots of it." Inuyasha growled softly under his breath. "It's coming from that forest we just avoided. Human blood..."
Scant moments later, he was leaping through the trees, with Kagome clinging to his back. She glanced back at the ground. Kirara had transformed into her larger form, and was bounding along with Sango and Miroku riding her. But Kirara's strong point was strength, not speed. "Slow down, Inuyasha. We're going to lose them."
"No time," Inuyasha grunted. A branch snapped under his foot, and he lightly jumped higher before landing on the ground. "They can catch up to us later!"
The smell of human blood was getting stronger. Inuyasha grimaced. He hated smelling human blood -- it brought back some of his less pleasant memories, and reminded him of his own weaknesses. It brought back to his mind fire, and screaming, and general chaos -- some of which he had caused himself. And thoughts he had once had that he didn't like to remember now.
Suddenly something passed by on the other side of the trees. Inuyasha only caught a glimpse of a pale glimmer out of the corner of his eye. But from the sound of it, and the faint breeze it stirred, it was going pretty fast. He skidded to a stop, changed direction, and leaped off the path.
"Did you see that?" Kagome gasped.
"I saw it!" Inuyasha growled. "Must be the demon. Hold on tight!"
They shot forward in a sudden burst of speed. Inuyasha could see that faint flicker of movement -- always just out of reach, always just vanishing behind the trees. Frustrated, he wished that he could draw Tetsusaiga and stop that demon in its tracks. But it would waste valuable time. What was more, he didn't want to risk blasting away at something he couldn't yet see.
Then it vanished. Inuyasha slowed down and let Kagome off his back. "Damn it to hell," he whispered. "I lost him."
"You think that was what Shippo saw?" Kagome asked breathlessly.
"Probably," Inuyasha said tightly. "Let's find the bastard before he gets further away."
Kagome took out her bow, and felt on her back for her arrows. Once assured that they were there, she looked back the way they had come. The trees blotted out most of the sunlight, and a rotten, foggy look clung to their branches. And Miroku, Shippo and Sango were still nowhere in sight. "Inuyasha, maybe we should-" she started to say, turning back to him.
Then she felt a chill. Inuyasha had vanished.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The encounter with the mad man still chilled Kagome long after they retreated from the forest. She kept glancing back at the still trees and dark paths as they walked back. And she clutched at Inuyasha's elbow, wishing that Shippo had never seen that... whatever it was.
"Do you think we should go after him?" Sango asked.
"I doubt we can go anything for his madness," Miroku said gravely. "And so long as he is mad, he is a danger to himself and others. But for the time being... there may be others lost in that forest."
Kagome felt her heart freeze. What could have done that to him? she wondered.
The man's frightened, wild face clung to her mind for a long time. As she nibbled on her roast fish, Kagome shivered a little. "Could it have been connected to Naraku?" she asked dubiously.
"Perhaps," Sango said. She dropped a bit of roasted fish to Kirara. The fire-cat played with it before gobbling it down. "Or else one of his minions. But it wouldn't explain away what Shippo saw... or, for that matter, the madman's tales of being tormented by demons. Which, since we didn't even see birds or small animals, seems rather strange."
"Unless the madman had nothing to do with the weird stuff at all," Shippo said through a mouthful of fish and crackers.
This whole thing makes my head hurt, Kagome thought. She sipped her soda and glanced back at the woods. They had a lot of questions and no answers. And it wasn't just the eerie, haunted quality of the woods that was creeping her out. It was the stark terror in the insane man's eyes as he had run away from Inuyasha.
Suddenly Inuyasha stiffened and raised his head.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Blood. Lots of it." Inuyasha growled softly under his breath. "It's coming from that forest we just avoided. Human blood..."
Scant moments later, he was leaping through the trees, with Kagome clinging to his back. She glanced back at the ground. Kirara had transformed into her larger form, and was bounding along with Sango and Miroku riding her. But Kirara's strong point was strength, not speed. "Slow down, Inuyasha. We're going to lose them."
"No time," Inuyasha grunted. A branch snapped under his foot, and he lightly jumped higher before landing on the ground. "They can catch up to us later!"
The smell of human blood was getting stronger. Inuyasha grimaced. He hated smelling human blood -- it brought back some of his less pleasant memories, and reminded him of his own weaknesses. It brought back to his mind fire, and screaming, and general chaos -- some of which he had caused himself. And thoughts he had once had that he didn't like to remember now.
Suddenly something passed by on the other side of the trees. Inuyasha only caught a glimpse of a pale glimmer out of the corner of his eye. But from the sound of it, and the faint breeze it stirred, it was going pretty fast. He skidded to a stop, changed direction, and leaped off the path.
"Did you see that?" Kagome gasped.
"I saw it!" Inuyasha growled. "Must be the demon. Hold on tight!"
They shot forward in a sudden burst of speed. Inuyasha could see that faint flicker of movement -- always just out of reach, always just vanishing behind the trees. Frustrated, he wished that he could draw Tetsusaiga and stop that demon in its tracks. But it would waste valuable time. What was more, he didn't want to risk blasting away at something he couldn't yet see.
Then it vanished. Inuyasha slowed down and let Kagome off his back. "Damn it to hell," he whispered. "I lost him."
"You think that was what Shippo saw?" Kagome asked breathlessly.
"Probably," Inuyasha said tightly. "Let's find the bastard before he gets further away."
Kagome took out her bow, and felt on her back for her arrows. Once assured that they were there, she looked back the way they had come. The trees blotted out most of the sunlight, and a rotten, foggy look clung to their branches. And Miroku, Shippo and Sango were still nowhere in sight. "Inuyasha, maybe we should-" she started to say, turning back to him.
Then she felt a chill. Inuyasha had vanished.
TO BE CONTINUED