CHAPTER FOURTEEN
.
"Wake up, you pathetic bastard!" Inuyasha snapped.
"He's still unconscious, Inuyasha," Miroku said with maddening patience.
"He's been sleeping half the night!" Inuyasha shouted, jumping up. "When is that lump gonna wake up? Or do I have to wake him up myself?"
He glared at the very rumpled, grubby lord. The older man was tied to a tree, with his head hanging down over his chest. He was drooling a little. Inuyasha could feel himself getting angrier by the moment -- every moment that passed was another moment before he could find Kagome.
Sango and Shippo were sitting beside the fire, roasting a pair of puny fish they had caught. And Miroku was meditating -- or trying to. Inuyasha had deliberately made it as hard for the monk as possible, stalking around and snapping periodically. If he couldn't relax, he didn't want anyone to.
"How long has it been?" Sango suddenly said.
"Six hours," Inuyasha said sullenly. "I have Kagome's clock."
"I think he isn't passed out," Shippo piped up. "I think he's just asleep."
"Same here," the half-demon groused. "I'm gonna smack him awake."
He stalked over and slapped his hand lightly over the lord's face. When the reedy man just groaned and smacked his lips, Inuyasha did it harder. On the fourth slap, his eyes fluttered open -- and his face turned into a mask of horror.
"Who's this Naku?" Inuyasha snarled in his face. "Tell me!"
"Inuyasha, please allow me to do this," Miroku said, nudging Inuyasha aside with his staff. Then he turned to the lord.
The man was stammering. "I-I hope you know that you will be tortured and killed if you harm me!" he blustered. "My men will be searching for me even now! Any moment now -- "
"Oh, I think not," Miroku said with the same intense calm. "We've taken you far enough from your manor that it would take a horseback rider nearly a day to reach us. In short, you are at our mercy. But don't worry," he added. "If at all possible, we won't harm you. But we do need to know who this Naku is, and where to find him."
"I won't tell you!"
"An innocent young girl's life hangs in the balance," Miroku said. "And Inuyasha has already said that he's going to break your fingers if you don't tell us." Miroku didn't plan to let Inuyasha harm the lord at all. But it wasn't a lie, and so his karma was unaffected.
"Y-you're a Buddhist monk!" the man stammered. "Y-you aren't s-supposed to harm anyone! Or to consort with demons."
"True," Miroku admitted. "But I'm not a terribly devout monk in some ways. Besides, Inuyasha here isn't a monk, or a Buddhist. And he's much stronger than I am. He cares a great deal about the girl's welfare, and if you keep your secrets much longer, I may not be able to restrain him. So if you tell me now, I won't let Inuyasha hurt you."
Inuyasha glowered at the lord. He didn't usually scare people for the hell of it anymore, but he'd make an exception if it made the man confess. The man seemed to shrink against the tree trunk. "You don't understand," he quavered. "I-if he finds out I said a word about him, he'll kill me."
"Naku?"
"H-he told me never to reveal anything about him," the lord whimpered. "He said that anyone who betrayed him would be killed. I hired him so he could kill an enemy, and I benefited by getting plenty of land."
"So the necklace is his?"
"Yes. I noticed it when he was collecting his fee. Please, let me go -- you have what you wanted!"
"No, we don't!" Inuyasha snapped. "Tell us where to find him."
"I-if he learns that I've told you-"
"He won't," Miroku said calmly. "And in your place, I would rather face a human assassin than Inuyasha in a rage. He can do a lot more damage."
The lord wilted. "Very well," he mumbled. "I'll tell you how to find him. But it will do you no good. If you try to find him, you'll only die -- demons and humans alike!"
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"Wake up, you pathetic bastard!" Inuyasha snapped.
"He's still unconscious, Inuyasha," Miroku said with maddening patience.
"He's been sleeping half the night!" Inuyasha shouted, jumping up. "When is that lump gonna wake up? Or do I have to wake him up myself?"
He glared at the very rumpled, grubby lord. The older man was tied to a tree, with his head hanging down over his chest. He was drooling a little. Inuyasha could feel himself getting angrier by the moment -- every moment that passed was another moment before he could find Kagome.
Sango and Shippo were sitting beside the fire, roasting a pair of puny fish they had caught. And Miroku was meditating -- or trying to. Inuyasha had deliberately made it as hard for the monk as possible, stalking around and snapping periodically. If he couldn't relax, he didn't want anyone to.
"How long has it been?" Sango suddenly said.
"Six hours," Inuyasha said sullenly. "I have Kagome's clock."
"I think he isn't passed out," Shippo piped up. "I think he's just asleep."
"Same here," the half-demon groused. "I'm gonna smack him awake."
He stalked over and slapped his hand lightly over the lord's face. When the reedy man just groaned and smacked his lips, Inuyasha did it harder. On the fourth slap, his eyes fluttered open -- and his face turned into a mask of horror.
"Who's this Naku?" Inuyasha snarled in his face. "Tell me!"
"Inuyasha, please allow me to do this," Miroku said, nudging Inuyasha aside with his staff. Then he turned to the lord.
The man was stammering. "I-I hope you know that you will be tortured and killed if you harm me!" he blustered. "My men will be searching for me even now! Any moment now -- "
"Oh, I think not," Miroku said with the same intense calm. "We've taken you far enough from your manor that it would take a horseback rider nearly a day to reach us. In short, you are at our mercy. But don't worry," he added. "If at all possible, we won't harm you. But we do need to know who this Naku is, and where to find him."
"I won't tell you!"
"An innocent young girl's life hangs in the balance," Miroku said. "And Inuyasha has already said that he's going to break your fingers if you don't tell us." Miroku didn't plan to let Inuyasha harm the lord at all. But it wasn't a lie, and so his karma was unaffected.
"Y-you're a Buddhist monk!" the man stammered. "Y-you aren't s-supposed to harm anyone! Or to consort with demons."
"True," Miroku admitted. "But I'm not a terribly devout monk in some ways. Besides, Inuyasha here isn't a monk, or a Buddhist. And he's much stronger than I am. He cares a great deal about the girl's welfare, and if you keep your secrets much longer, I may not be able to restrain him. So if you tell me now, I won't let Inuyasha hurt you."
Inuyasha glowered at the lord. He didn't usually scare people for the hell of it anymore, but he'd make an exception if it made the man confess. The man seemed to shrink against the tree trunk. "You don't understand," he quavered. "I-if he finds out I said a word about him, he'll kill me."
"Naku?"
"H-he told me never to reveal anything about him," the lord whimpered. "He said that anyone who betrayed him would be killed. I hired him so he could kill an enemy, and I benefited by getting plenty of land."
"So the necklace is his?"
"Yes. I noticed it when he was collecting his fee. Please, let me go -- you have what you wanted!"
"No, we don't!" Inuyasha snapped. "Tell us where to find him."
"I-if he learns that I've told you-"
"He won't," Miroku said calmly. "And in your place, I would rather face a human assassin than Inuyasha in a rage. He can do a lot more damage."
The lord wilted. "Very well," he mumbled. "I'll tell you how to find him. But it will do you no good. If you try to find him, you'll only die -- demons and humans alike!"
TO BE CONTINUED