CHAPTER NINE
.
"Why the hell are we sitting here?" Inuyasha shouted. "We should be moving! We should be going some damn place!"
Miroku stifled the urge to sigh. Inuyasha might say he understood, but he never did. Getting him to change his mind was not unlike trying to hammer a pin through a stone wall. The monk chose to ignore the half-demon's bellows, and focused on the large, austere monastary in front of them. A rather weatherworn statue of Buddha was sitting outside, with his hand raised in blessing to anyone who went through the gates.
"You think we might find some clues here?" Sango asked.
"It can't hurt to ask," Miroku said solemnly. "Many travellers come by monastaries if they are travelling overnight. It can't hurt to make inquiries -- and someone might know the meaning of this necklace." He glanced back at Inuyasha. "Is that all right with you, Inuyasha?" he asked rather sarcastically.
"I guess," Inuyasha mumbled.
"Hand over the necklace."
"How come?"
"Because if you make the inquiries, we won't get anywhere. Besides, they're Buddhist monks, and so am I. They're more likely to tell me what they know, rather than a strange half-demon."
Inuyasha reluctantly handed over the necklace. Then Miroku walked into the gates, and came across a younger monk -- barely more than a boy. He was raking the courtyard and humming softly. "Can I help you?" he asked as Miroku came toward him.
"I certainly hope so." Miroku glance around. "Tell me, do you always work in this courtyard?"
"Most days. Sometimes I sweep out the rooms where travellers stay."
"Which means," Miroku said, "that you more or less see everyone who comes into the monastary to stay here, is that correct?"
"Yes, I do." The young monk smiled proudly.
"Then," Miroku said, pulling out the necklace, "can you tell me if you have seen anyone come by wearing this necklace?"
The monk stared at it and shook his head. "No, it doesn't look familiar."
"How about a pair of travellers? One would be a girl, about fifteen years old, about this tall," Miroku said, holding up his hand. "Slender, long black hair, large eyes, and wearing a strange short little robe in green and white. They would have come by the monastary less than three days ago." When the young monk screwed up his face in thought, Miroku added, "Think carefully. This girl's life may depend upon your answer."
"I'm sorry," the boy said. "I haven't seen any such girl in the past week. And I can remember every traveller, partly because there haven't been many."
Miroku's face fell. "I see. Thank you for your help. I shall keep looking."
As he turned around, the young monk said, "You also might try the manorhouse a few miles from here. Most of the people who pass by here are going to that place."
"Thank you," Miroku said.
But he didn't feel much confidence when he returned to the others. Inuyasha was stalking up and down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust. Shippo was perched on Sango's shoulder. "Any luck?" the demon-slayer asked.
"None," Miroku said heavily. "No girl who matches Kagome's description has been by here."
"I knew it," Inuyasha muttered.
.
But after spending some time convincing Inuyasha, Miroku managed to get the group going toward the manorhouse. Their group was unbalanced and splintered without Kagome, and Miroku privately wished that she were there to calm Inuyasha down. He wouldn't do it for anyone else.
Inuyasha felt as if steam was building up inside his head. Dammit, he thought angrily, I want to go find Kagome! I don't care if we don't know where she is -- if I don't go look, I can't find her. Or even catch up to the filthy bastard who took her away!
Still growling, the half-demon slowly followed Miroku into the courtyard of a sprawling, lavish manorhouse. I hate these places, he thought. The people in them are usually bastards.
"Pardon me," Miroku said calmly to a gardener nearby. "I wish to speak with the lord of this manor."
"You've found him," a nasal voice said. A tall man with dark, ornate robes stepped out of a nearby doorway, watching them with narrowed eyes. "A Buddhist monk... and other companions," he observed, eyeing each one of them. "What do you wish to speak to me of? And if it's about the monastary, I have already made sizable donations to it."
"No no," Miroku said. "I'm not from that monastary. I travel across the land.... and right now I am searching for the whereabouts of a young girl who has been kidnapped. This is the only clue to who took her." He pulled out the necklace and held it up so the lord could see it.
In a flash, the man's face went pale, and he clutched at the door frame behind him. Inuyasha stiffened, almost able to smell the fear rolling off of him. "W-what..." the lord whispered.
"I was wondering if you had seen it before," Miroku began.
"GET OUT!" the lord suddenly erupted. "All of you leave now! How dare you bring that here! If you come here again, I will have you all whipped within an inch of your lives! Get out, and speak of this to no one!"
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"Why the hell are we sitting here?" Inuyasha shouted. "We should be moving! We should be going some damn place!"
Miroku stifled the urge to sigh. Inuyasha might say he understood, but he never did. Getting him to change his mind was not unlike trying to hammer a pin through a stone wall. The monk chose to ignore the half-demon's bellows, and focused on the large, austere monastary in front of them. A rather weatherworn statue of Buddha was sitting outside, with his hand raised in blessing to anyone who went through the gates.
"You think we might find some clues here?" Sango asked.
"It can't hurt to ask," Miroku said solemnly. "Many travellers come by monastaries if they are travelling overnight. It can't hurt to make inquiries -- and someone might know the meaning of this necklace." He glanced back at Inuyasha. "Is that all right with you, Inuyasha?" he asked rather sarcastically.
"I guess," Inuyasha mumbled.
"Hand over the necklace."
"How come?"
"Because if you make the inquiries, we won't get anywhere. Besides, they're Buddhist monks, and so am I. They're more likely to tell me what they know, rather than a strange half-demon."
Inuyasha reluctantly handed over the necklace. Then Miroku walked into the gates, and came across a younger monk -- barely more than a boy. He was raking the courtyard and humming softly. "Can I help you?" he asked as Miroku came toward him.
"I certainly hope so." Miroku glance around. "Tell me, do you always work in this courtyard?"
"Most days. Sometimes I sweep out the rooms where travellers stay."
"Which means," Miroku said, "that you more or less see everyone who comes into the monastary to stay here, is that correct?"
"Yes, I do." The young monk smiled proudly.
"Then," Miroku said, pulling out the necklace, "can you tell me if you have seen anyone come by wearing this necklace?"
The monk stared at it and shook his head. "No, it doesn't look familiar."
"How about a pair of travellers? One would be a girl, about fifteen years old, about this tall," Miroku said, holding up his hand. "Slender, long black hair, large eyes, and wearing a strange short little robe in green and white. They would have come by the monastary less than three days ago." When the young monk screwed up his face in thought, Miroku added, "Think carefully. This girl's life may depend upon your answer."
"I'm sorry," the boy said. "I haven't seen any such girl in the past week. And I can remember every traveller, partly because there haven't been many."
Miroku's face fell. "I see. Thank you for your help. I shall keep looking."
As he turned around, the young monk said, "You also might try the manorhouse a few miles from here. Most of the people who pass by here are going to that place."
"Thank you," Miroku said.
But he didn't feel much confidence when he returned to the others. Inuyasha was stalking up and down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust. Shippo was perched on Sango's shoulder. "Any luck?" the demon-slayer asked.
"None," Miroku said heavily. "No girl who matches Kagome's description has been by here."
"I knew it," Inuyasha muttered.
.
But after spending some time convincing Inuyasha, Miroku managed to get the group going toward the manorhouse. Their group was unbalanced and splintered without Kagome, and Miroku privately wished that she were there to calm Inuyasha down. He wouldn't do it for anyone else.
Inuyasha felt as if steam was building up inside his head. Dammit, he thought angrily, I want to go find Kagome! I don't care if we don't know where she is -- if I don't go look, I can't find her. Or even catch up to the filthy bastard who took her away!
Still growling, the half-demon slowly followed Miroku into the courtyard of a sprawling, lavish manorhouse. I hate these places, he thought. The people in them are usually bastards.
"Pardon me," Miroku said calmly to a gardener nearby. "I wish to speak with the lord of this manor."
"You've found him," a nasal voice said. A tall man with dark, ornate robes stepped out of a nearby doorway, watching them with narrowed eyes. "A Buddhist monk... and other companions," he observed, eyeing each one of them. "What do you wish to speak to me of? And if it's about the monastary, I have already made sizable donations to it."
"No no," Miroku said. "I'm not from that monastary. I travel across the land.... and right now I am searching for the whereabouts of a young girl who has been kidnapped. This is the only clue to who took her." He pulled out the necklace and held it up so the lord could see it.
In a flash, the man's face went pale, and he clutched at the door frame behind him. Inuyasha stiffened, almost able to smell the fear rolling off of him. "W-what..." the lord whispered.
"I was wondering if you had seen it before," Miroku began.
"GET OUT!" the lord suddenly erupted. "All of you leave now! How dare you bring that here! If you come here again, I will have you all whipped within an inch of your lives! Get out, and speak of this to no one!"
TO BE CONTINUED