CHAPTER TEN
.
"You heard me! Now be gone!" the lord bellowed. Then he slammed the door shut, rattling the entire wall.
Inuyasha was too shocked to speak for a moment. Then he smirked. Damn lord's got a secret, I can tell, he thought. His sharp claws cracked loudly as he prepared to leap forward, rip down that door, and make that fool tell him just what he knew.
"We'd better go," Miroku muttered.
"WHAT?" Inuyasha erupted. "You saw him-"
"I said," Miroku repeated more loudly. "We should go."
Inuyasha was shaking as he followed Miroku and Sango out of the manorhouse's gates. He wanted to turn back and break something, hurt something that stood between him and Kagome. What the hell is wrong with Miroku? he thought angrily. It's like he doesn't even wanna find Kagome! Why isn't he going back?
The monk stopped when they were still within sight of the manorhouse, and sat down under a tree. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha snarled. "It's obvious that guy is lying."
"I noticed that too," Miroku said serenely. "But it won't help to just fly in his face. The man is obviously terrified of something, and if we pushed him right then, all he would do is call his warriors on us. People would get hurt, and he could probably escape during the conflict."
Inuyasha ground his teeth. "So whaddaya think we should do?"
"Wait until dark," Miroku said quietly. "Then, take the lord from his castle, and have a talk with him."
"You want to kidnap him?" Sango asked.
"Not strictly speking," Miroku said, stroking his chin. "Think of it as an unexpected visit with us. And then I'm reasonably sure I can get the information out of him."
"I can just break his fingers until he talks," Inuyasha said darkly.
"We'll save that until there are no alternatives," Miroku said.
Then the monk sat up straighter, looking back at the manorhouse. A small, bent figure was hobbling toward them, clutching a reed broom in one hand. It was the wizened gardener that Miroku had first spoken to, and he was definitely coming toward them. "Unless I'm mistaken," Miroku murmured, "that man may be able to help us."
As the gardener came toward them, he thrust out a gnarled hand. "Let me see that necklace," he said.
Miroku pulled it out and let him see it.
The old gardener studied it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, this is the one," he said. "Definitely the one. Oh yes, very distinctive." He dropped it in Miroku's lap.
"Whose is it?" Inuyasha snapped. "If you know something, you old fart, then tell us now!"
Miroku added with all the charm he could muster, "It is quite important. So if you could tell us who the necklace belongs to, and where we could find them..."
"Hmmm," the old gardener said. He started tapping his balding head. "Dear me, who it is.... and where.... oh, my head. My memory isn't so good. Sometimes my head hurts, and I can barely recall anything. Perhaps you can help me, young monk..."
Miroku sighed heavily, and pulled a few strings of coppers out of his robe. "Perhaps this will help your head," he said.
The old man snatched them away with bright eyes. "Yes, I've seen this hawk pendant on a man who came to see the lord awhile back. He sneaked in the back so nobody could see him, but servants see a lot more than the lord thinks we do."
"Who is it?" Miroku asked again.
"His name's Naku. A little older than you are, all dressed in black robes, with a cloak edged with fox fur."
Shippo made an odd hiccuping noise and hid behind Sango.
The old man continued, "He didn't talk to anyone, but I heard it from one of the maids, who was cleaning the halls when he was talking to the lord. He left with some silver bars clanking in his pocket, and a few days later the lord's worst enemy was dead. Naku never showed up around here anymore after that."
A horrible suspicion was unfolding in Inuyasha's mind.
"Meaning he's a killer for hire," the old man confirmed. "See that hawk? A hunter that's hard to catch, that one -- just like Naku. He'll work for anybody, if they pay him enough. Worst of all, he's supposed to be more skilled than any other assasin. Apparently he takes jobs killing demons as well as humans. Not like them demon-slayers -- they kill dumb beasts mostly. This lad kills them that walk on two feet, like that one there." He jabbed a finger at Inuyasha.
A cold silence fell over the clearing. "I see," Miroku said faintly, at last. "Can you tell us how to find him?"
"Sadly I can't," the gardener said. "See, he don't let anyone know unless they can afford him. And I haven't two coppers to scrape together." He grinned. "Well, until just now, I didn't. But still, his price is more'n I've made in my whole life. I could sell my daughters and still not have enough!"
"I see," Miroku repeated. "Well, you have helped us immeasurably, sir." He bowed slightly.
As the old gardener hobbled back, humming to himself, Inuyasha leaned against a tree. All the fire and rage had drained out of him, with that shock. Then it all flooded back. "Dammit," he whispered. "A hired killer has Kagome... but I won't let her be there a minute more!"
He wouldn't even contemplate what might have happened to her, in the hands of a ruthless murderer like Naku. With a growl, Inuyasha began running down the road.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"You heard me! Now be gone!" the lord bellowed. Then he slammed the door shut, rattling the entire wall.
Inuyasha was too shocked to speak for a moment. Then he smirked. Damn lord's got a secret, I can tell, he thought. His sharp claws cracked loudly as he prepared to leap forward, rip down that door, and make that fool tell him just what he knew.
"We'd better go," Miroku muttered.
"WHAT?" Inuyasha erupted. "You saw him-"
"I said," Miroku repeated more loudly. "We should go."
Inuyasha was shaking as he followed Miroku and Sango out of the manorhouse's gates. He wanted to turn back and break something, hurt something that stood between him and Kagome. What the hell is wrong with Miroku? he thought angrily. It's like he doesn't even wanna find Kagome! Why isn't he going back?
The monk stopped when they were still within sight of the manorhouse, and sat down under a tree. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha snarled. "It's obvious that guy is lying."
"I noticed that too," Miroku said serenely. "But it won't help to just fly in his face. The man is obviously terrified of something, and if we pushed him right then, all he would do is call his warriors on us. People would get hurt, and he could probably escape during the conflict."
Inuyasha ground his teeth. "So whaddaya think we should do?"
"Wait until dark," Miroku said quietly. "Then, take the lord from his castle, and have a talk with him."
"You want to kidnap him?" Sango asked.
"Not strictly speking," Miroku said, stroking his chin. "Think of it as an unexpected visit with us. And then I'm reasonably sure I can get the information out of him."
"I can just break his fingers until he talks," Inuyasha said darkly.
"We'll save that until there are no alternatives," Miroku said.
Then the monk sat up straighter, looking back at the manorhouse. A small, bent figure was hobbling toward them, clutching a reed broom in one hand. It was the wizened gardener that Miroku had first spoken to, and he was definitely coming toward them. "Unless I'm mistaken," Miroku murmured, "that man may be able to help us."
As the gardener came toward them, he thrust out a gnarled hand. "Let me see that necklace," he said.
Miroku pulled it out and let him see it.
The old gardener studied it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, this is the one," he said. "Definitely the one. Oh yes, very distinctive." He dropped it in Miroku's lap.
"Whose is it?" Inuyasha snapped. "If you know something, you old fart, then tell us now!"
Miroku added with all the charm he could muster, "It is quite important. So if you could tell us who the necklace belongs to, and where we could find them..."
"Hmmm," the old gardener said. He started tapping his balding head. "Dear me, who it is.... and where.... oh, my head. My memory isn't so good. Sometimes my head hurts, and I can barely recall anything. Perhaps you can help me, young monk..."
Miroku sighed heavily, and pulled a few strings of coppers out of his robe. "Perhaps this will help your head," he said.
The old man snatched them away with bright eyes. "Yes, I've seen this hawk pendant on a man who came to see the lord awhile back. He sneaked in the back so nobody could see him, but servants see a lot more than the lord thinks we do."
"Who is it?" Miroku asked again.
"His name's Naku. A little older than you are, all dressed in black robes, with a cloak edged with fox fur."
Shippo made an odd hiccuping noise and hid behind Sango.
The old man continued, "He didn't talk to anyone, but I heard it from one of the maids, who was cleaning the halls when he was talking to the lord. He left with some silver bars clanking in his pocket, and a few days later the lord's worst enemy was dead. Naku never showed up around here anymore after that."
A horrible suspicion was unfolding in Inuyasha's mind.
"Meaning he's a killer for hire," the old man confirmed. "See that hawk? A hunter that's hard to catch, that one -- just like Naku. He'll work for anybody, if they pay him enough. Worst of all, he's supposed to be more skilled than any other assasin. Apparently he takes jobs killing demons as well as humans. Not like them demon-slayers -- they kill dumb beasts mostly. This lad kills them that walk on two feet, like that one there." He jabbed a finger at Inuyasha.
A cold silence fell over the clearing. "I see," Miroku said faintly, at last. "Can you tell us how to find him?"
"Sadly I can't," the gardener said. "See, he don't let anyone know unless they can afford him. And I haven't two coppers to scrape together." He grinned. "Well, until just now, I didn't. But still, his price is more'n I've made in my whole life. I could sell my daughters and still not have enough!"
"I see," Miroku repeated. "Well, you have helped us immeasurably, sir." He bowed slightly.
As the old gardener hobbled back, humming to himself, Inuyasha leaned against a tree. All the fire and rage had drained out of him, with that shock. Then it all flooded back. "Dammit," he whispered. "A hired killer has Kagome... but I won't let her be there a minute more!"
He wouldn't even contemplate what might have happened to her, in the hands of a ruthless murderer like Naku. With a growl, Inuyasha began running down the road.
TO BE CONTINUED