CHAPTER FIVE
.
"Anything yet?" Miroku asked.
"I told ya, I don't smell anything yet," Inuyasha said. He pressed his face close to the ground, sniffing at the ground for the smell of any human or demon. But there was nothing, except a few breath mints that Kagome had probably dropped before she... vanished. Frustrated, Inuyasha brushed them away.
Miroku knelt down and began combing his fingers through the grass. "Do you smell any demons at all? The creature in question might have returned later on."
"I don't smell anything except a few squirrels," Inuyasha said grimly. "Demons don't like to come too close to the well."
Sango had been searching the grass on the other side of the well. She sat up. "Could it have been a human who kidnapped her?"
"Maybe, but I doubt it," Inuyasha said grimly. "All Kagome would need to do to get away from a human is jump down the well. But a demon is fast enough that she wouldn't have time to escape." He grimaced, and crept along on his stomach.
The one thing he was half-dreading was catching a whiff of Naraku's scent. If Naraku had Kagome -- if he DID anything to Kagome -- Inuyasha would find him and turn him inside out. But what he feared was that whatever he did would be too late. Naraku's afraid of Kagome, he thought grimly. Aside from Kikyo, she's the only one who can purify Naraku and kill him...
Growling, he started sniffing again. And then his hand caught on something.
"What the hell?" Something clinked as Inuyasha pulled his fingers free. He scrabbled around for it again, and caught a thin chain on his claws. It was made out of iron, and a heavy amulet or pendant was hanging from it. He wrinkled his nose. Smells like a damn forge, he thought.
"What's that?" Sango asked. "Did you find something of Kagome's?"
"No, I didn't. I don't know what the hell it is," Inuyasha said, holding up the necklace. "Some sorta jewelry."
"Let me see." Miroku held out his hand. After Inuyasha gave the pendant to him, he studied it with a frown. "You're sure this isn't Kagome's?"
"It doesn't have her scent," Inuyasha said. "Besides, I would've noticed an ugly thing like that on her."
Miroku closed his eyes and held his hand over the pendant. "I'm not sensing any spiritual power from it. So it isn't an amulet or a protective charm." He studied the lumpy pendant carefully. "It has some sort of symbol on it -- it looks like a bird."
"What kind?" Sango asked.
"A hawk, I think -- it's too small for me to see clearly."
Miroku handed the necklace back to Inuyasha. "Do you think this is a clue to lead us into a trap?" he asked gravely.
"I don't think so," Inuyasha said. "It isn't a very obvious clue, anyway. Besides," he held up the chain, and pointed at a broken link, "it looks like Kagome put up a fight when the guy tried to carry her off. He must've dropped it and not known."
"You said it didn't smell like Kagome," Sango said. "Does it smell like anything else?"
Inuyasha sniffed it, and wrinkled his nose. "Just like iron. I could get the same thing by sniffing a sword." He wadded the chain up and stuck it inside his robes. "Let's go. Maybe the old woman will know what to make of this, cause I sure don't. And if we don't find some real clue to Kagome's location soon, I'm going after her on my own. Clues or no clues!"
He stalked off into the woods.
"Do you think he means it?" Sango asked quietly.
"Certainly," Miroku said just as quietly. He stood and brushed himself off. "But it certainly doesn't seem like a good idea, if we don't know who we're up against. However... I have a fair idea of who Inuyasha thinks is responsible."
"Naraku," Sango said, finishing Miroku's thought.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"Anything yet?" Miroku asked.
"I told ya, I don't smell anything yet," Inuyasha said. He pressed his face close to the ground, sniffing at the ground for the smell of any human or demon. But there was nothing, except a few breath mints that Kagome had probably dropped before she... vanished. Frustrated, Inuyasha brushed them away.
Miroku knelt down and began combing his fingers through the grass. "Do you smell any demons at all? The creature in question might have returned later on."
"I don't smell anything except a few squirrels," Inuyasha said grimly. "Demons don't like to come too close to the well."
Sango had been searching the grass on the other side of the well. She sat up. "Could it have been a human who kidnapped her?"
"Maybe, but I doubt it," Inuyasha said grimly. "All Kagome would need to do to get away from a human is jump down the well. But a demon is fast enough that she wouldn't have time to escape." He grimaced, and crept along on his stomach.
The one thing he was half-dreading was catching a whiff of Naraku's scent. If Naraku had Kagome -- if he DID anything to Kagome -- Inuyasha would find him and turn him inside out. But what he feared was that whatever he did would be too late. Naraku's afraid of Kagome, he thought grimly. Aside from Kikyo, she's the only one who can purify Naraku and kill him...
Growling, he started sniffing again. And then his hand caught on something.
"What the hell?" Something clinked as Inuyasha pulled his fingers free. He scrabbled around for it again, and caught a thin chain on his claws. It was made out of iron, and a heavy amulet or pendant was hanging from it. He wrinkled his nose. Smells like a damn forge, he thought.
"What's that?" Sango asked. "Did you find something of Kagome's?"
"No, I didn't. I don't know what the hell it is," Inuyasha said, holding up the necklace. "Some sorta jewelry."
"Let me see." Miroku held out his hand. After Inuyasha gave the pendant to him, he studied it with a frown. "You're sure this isn't Kagome's?"
"It doesn't have her scent," Inuyasha said. "Besides, I would've noticed an ugly thing like that on her."
Miroku closed his eyes and held his hand over the pendant. "I'm not sensing any spiritual power from it. So it isn't an amulet or a protective charm." He studied the lumpy pendant carefully. "It has some sort of symbol on it -- it looks like a bird."
"What kind?" Sango asked.
"A hawk, I think -- it's too small for me to see clearly."
Miroku handed the necklace back to Inuyasha. "Do you think this is a clue to lead us into a trap?" he asked gravely.
"I don't think so," Inuyasha said. "It isn't a very obvious clue, anyway. Besides," he held up the chain, and pointed at a broken link, "it looks like Kagome put up a fight when the guy tried to carry her off. He must've dropped it and not known."
"You said it didn't smell like Kagome," Sango said. "Does it smell like anything else?"
Inuyasha sniffed it, and wrinkled his nose. "Just like iron. I could get the same thing by sniffing a sword." He wadded the chain up and stuck it inside his robes. "Let's go. Maybe the old woman will know what to make of this, cause I sure don't. And if we don't find some real clue to Kagome's location soon, I'm going after her on my own. Clues or no clues!"
He stalked off into the woods.
"Do you think he means it?" Sango asked quietly.
"Certainly," Miroku said just as quietly. He stood and brushed himself off. "But it certainly doesn't seem like a good idea, if we don't know who we're up against. However... I have a fair idea of who Inuyasha thinks is responsible."
"Naraku," Sango said, finishing Miroku's thought.
TO BE CONTINUED