CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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"We should be careful never to go there again," Miroku commented thoughtfully.
"I agree. That lord doesn't seem like the sort to forgive and forget," Sango replied, glancing behind them.
They had let the quivering lord go, after he had told Miroku where to contact Naku. Inuyasha's growling had probably helped matters. Then the little man had staggered off, muddy and disheveled, into the bushes. Sango and Miroku had quickly gotten onto Kirara's back, and long after sunup they were still circling the forests.
"Do you think this is a trap?" Sango suddenly asked.
"Most likely," Miroku said grimly. "Or else, this Naku is just very confident about his ability to stay hidden." He paused, then shouted, "Did you hear that, Inuyasha? Be very careful!"
"Yeh, yeh," Inuyasha muttered. He landed lightly on a treetop, and scanned the horizon for any signs of demons or possible trouble ahead. One of his ears twitched. Water. Fast. Lots of it. It didn't stink of fish or scum, so it was probably a river filled with rapids.
"What do you smell, Inuyasha?" Shippo said loudly.
"A river," Inuyasha said. His heart started to speed up with anticipation, and he growled without even thinking about it. Come on, bastard, he thought. Come out and fight me.
"I guess that lord was telling us the truth," Sango said, as Kirara swooped down near the two demons. "I was beginning to have my doubts about his honesty."
"I didn't doubt it," Inuyasha said, slowing down to keep pace with Kirara and the two humans on her back.
"Why not?"
"B'cause that lord knew what I was gonna do if he lied," Inuyasha said ominously. "I'd find that bastard and feed him his own guts... if he has any, which I don't think is very likely!"
"True," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. And Inuyasha, as crude as your methods were, at least they worked."
"Course they worked!" Inuyasha said crabbily. "Do you have any idea how many times I've had to do that?" He grunted and leaped over a fallen tree, kicking away a flock of sparrows. Shippo squeaked as the sparrows fluttered around his head, then ducked back into the backpack. "And I'll do the same to this Naku!"
Miroku watched him uneasily. "You should calm down, Inuyasha. Arriving in a rage isn't the best idea. You could walk straight into a trap."
"Miroku's right," Shippo announced, poking his head out of the backpack.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something really blistering to that annoying little kitsune... then stopped. He could smell something familiar -- down near the ground. He paused, and sniffed. Then the memory hit him like a brick in the head -- KAGOME! She had been here!
"Inuyasha, what is it?" Miroku called.
Inuyasha leaped down and sniffed at the ground. Then he saw it -- a little scrap of green cloth, caught on one of those long thorns. His fingers were shaking slightly as he pulled it loose, and sniffed it. Yes, it was Kagome's. And it had blood on it -- not much, meaning she had probably just been scratched. But the scent of her blood made him even angrier at Naku. He clenched a fist around the scrap.
"What is it?" Sango called, coming up behind him. "What did you find?"
Reluctantly Inuyasha uncurled his fingers. "A bit of her skirt." He grimaced and thrust it inside the backpack. "DAMN Naku! If he's even scratched her, there'll be hell to pay before I'm done!"
With a growl, he leaped forward, with Shippo's rapidly fading voice berating him for going way too fast. "He'll hurt himself if he keeps up like this," Sango said grimly, sliding onto Kirara's back.
"If we don't keep our eyes open for a trap," Miroku finished. The monk looked over her shoulder at the fast-moving blur of white and red. "I only wish I knew what to look for."
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"We should be careful never to go there again," Miroku commented thoughtfully.
"I agree. That lord doesn't seem like the sort to forgive and forget," Sango replied, glancing behind them.
They had let the quivering lord go, after he had told Miroku where to contact Naku. Inuyasha's growling had probably helped matters. Then the little man had staggered off, muddy and disheveled, into the bushes. Sango and Miroku had quickly gotten onto Kirara's back, and long after sunup they were still circling the forests.
"Do you think this is a trap?" Sango suddenly asked.
"Most likely," Miroku said grimly. "Or else, this Naku is just very confident about his ability to stay hidden." He paused, then shouted, "Did you hear that, Inuyasha? Be very careful!"
"Yeh, yeh," Inuyasha muttered. He landed lightly on a treetop, and scanned the horizon for any signs of demons or possible trouble ahead. One of his ears twitched. Water. Fast. Lots of it. It didn't stink of fish or scum, so it was probably a river filled with rapids.
"What do you smell, Inuyasha?" Shippo said loudly.
"A river," Inuyasha said. His heart started to speed up with anticipation, and he growled without even thinking about it. Come on, bastard, he thought. Come out and fight me.
"I guess that lord was telling us the truth," Sango said, as Kirara swooped down near the two demons. "I was beginning to have my doubts about his honesty."
"I didn't doubt it," Inuyasha said, slowing down to keep pace with Kirara and the two humans on her back.
"Why not?"
"B'cause that lord knew what I was gonna do if he lied," Inuyasha said ominously. "I'd find that bastard and feed him his own guts... if he has any, which I don't think is very likely!"
"True," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. And Inuyasha, as crude as your methods were, at least they worked."
"Course they worked!" Inuyasha said crabbily. "Do you have any idea how many times I've had to do that?" He grunted and leaped over a fallen tree, kicking away a flock of sparrows. Shippo squeaked as the sparrows fluttered around his head, then ducked back into the backpack. "And I'll do the same to this Naku!"
Miroku watched him uneasily. "You should calm down, Inuyasha. Arriving in a rage isn't the best idea. You could walk straight into a trap."
"Miroku's right," Shippo announced, poking his head out of the backpack.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something really blistering to that annoying little kitsune... then stopped. He could smell something familiar -- down near the ground. He paused, and sniffed. Then the memory hit him like a brick in the head -- KAGOME! She had been here!
"Inuyasha, what is it?" Miroku called.
Inuyasha leaped down and sniffed at the ground. Then he saw it -- a little scrap of green cloth, caught on one of those long thorns. His fingers were shaking slightly as he pulled it loose, and sniffed it. Yes, it was Kagome's. And it had blood on it -- not much, meaning she had probably just been scratched. But the scent of her blood made him even angrier at Naku. He clenched a fist around the scrap.
"What is it?" Sango called, coming up behind him. "What did you find?"
Reluctantly Inuyasha uncurled his fingers. "A bit of her skirt." He grimaced and thrust it inside the backpack. "DAMN Naku! If he's even scratched her, there'll be hell to pay before I'm done!"
With a growl, he leaped forward, with Shippo's rapidly fading voice berating him for going way too fast. "He'll hurt himself if he keeps up like this," Sango said grimly, sliding onto Kirara's back.
"If we don't keep our eyes open for a trap," Miroku finished. The monk looked over her shoulder at the fast-moving blur of white and red. "I only wish I knew what to look for."
TO BE CONTINUED