CHAPTER
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Kagome grimaced and pulled at the rope around her neck.
"Easy, little girl," Naku said, giving the rope a sharp tug. Kagome stumbled, groping at the air with her bound hands. As she started to fall, the rope suddenly yanked her up to her feet again. She began coughing and gasping, hunched over.
"Don't forget, girl," Naku said coldly. "I have to bring you in unharmed. But the one paying for you won't object if I drug you." He turned her face up to his. "I wouldn't have a problem either. Remember, you do whatever I tell you when you're drugged."
Kagome tried not to shiver.
Naku gave her a sharp shove. "Walk on. Faster."
Unhappily, Kagome kept walking just in front of Naku. He had been pushing her along ever since he removed the blindfold, carrying her down a place that smelled of damp and stone. Then he had put her on a sort of leash, and kept her hands tied so even if she tried to attack him, she couldn't.
Kagome glanced back out of the corner of her eye. Naku was fondling some kind of knife in one hand -- a wicked-looking, long blade that ended in some kind of barbed hook. He caught her eye, smiled, and stuck it into a sheath inside his cloak. Kagome shivered again.
She looked down at her bound wrists as she walked. In movies and books, people always managed to rub them off, or untie knots with their fingers. But the ropes were so tight that her fingers were numb. I can barely even move my hands, let alone untie the ropes, she thought dismally.
"We're here," Naku said suddenly.
Before Kagome could respond, something sharp jabbed into the back of her neck. The world around her faded to grey, and her body suddenly seemed to lose all its bones. As she sank down, the last think she saw was Naku bending over her... smiling....
.
Dammit, Inuyasha thought, sniffing the air. I'd give anything to hear Kagome right now.... I'd even be happy if she sat me...
He winced. I really am desperate, he thought miserably.
He dropped onto his hands and knees and began sniffing the ground. "Inuyasha, do you smell anything?" Miroku said.
"Nothin' so far," Inuyasha grunted. "And stop breathin' so loud. It's distracting me."
"Sorry." Miroku stepped back. After a moment, he said, "Inuyasha..."
"What is it now?"
"Forget about Kagome for one minute-"
"WHAT?" Inuyasha snapped, sitting upright. But he reluctantly looked where Miroku was pointing. And his golden eyes widened. "What the hell..."
A bunch of dirty-white objects were piled in a nearby ravine, spilling over into a streambed. Inuyasha crept closer, and gritted his teeth. Bones. Demon bones -- big ones, small ones, broken and jumbled together, like a pile of garbage. He saw centipede ribs, fox skulls, broken wolf carcasses, the shattered beaks of giant hawks. He sniffed. None of them were new.
"I think we found where Naku leaves his garbage," Inuyasha said gruffly. He poked one of the skulls with his foot. "These must be demons he killed from the area around here."
"Ugh," Shippo moaned from behind Miroku. "I feel sick."
"It's truly hideous," Miroku said darkly. "An abomination, to simply kill for its own sake. If this man is half as skilled as he is said to be, then these demons were no threat to him. Especially," he glanced back at Shippo, "the smaller ones."
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. This Naku bastard was as good as a demon-slayer. He glanced back at Sango, but even she seemed to be impressed by the number of bones in the ravine. "Sango, what is it?" he asked.
"Some of those demons would need several demon-slayers to kill them," Sango said slowly. "If this Naku killed them single-handed, he must be very strong. Or very skilled."
"Either way," Inuyasha muttered, "he ain't gonna live long enough to do much more."
Suddenly he stiffened, and sniffed the air. A faint growl rose in his throat.
"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered. Then he sprang forward, running at full speed across the ravine and into the woods beyond.
"No, Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, running after him. "It might be a trap! Inuyasha, wait! STOP!"
"I won't stop!" Inuyasha growled, not even slowing down. He could smell her now -- she wasn't far away. And he was going to get to her before that Naku had a chance to do anything to do her.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Kagome grimaced and pulled at the rope around her neck.
"Easy, little girl," Naku said, giving the rope a sharp tug. Kagome stumbled, groping at the air with her bound hands. As she started to fall, the rope suddenly yanked her up to her feet again. She began coughing and gasping, hunched over.
"Don't forget, girl," Naku said coldly. "I have to bring you in unharmed. But the one paying for you won't object if I drug you." He turned her face up to his. "I wouldn't have a problem either. Remember, you do whatever I tell you when you're drugged."
Kagome tried not to shiver.
Naku gave her a sharp shove. "Walk on. Faster."
Unhappily, Kagome kept walking just in front of Naku. He had been pushing her along ever since he removed the blindfold, carrying her down a place that smelled of damp and stone. Then he had put her on a sort of leash, and kept her hands tied so even if she tried to attack him, she couldn't.
Kagome glanced back out of the corner of her eye. Naku was fondling some kind of knife in one hand -- a wicked-looking, long blade that ended in some kind of barbed hook. He caught her eye, smiled, and stuck it into a sheath inside his cloak. Kagome shivered again.
She looked down at her bound wrists as she walked. In movies and books, people always managed to rub them off, or untie knots with their fingers. But the ropes were so tight that her fingers were numb. I can barely even move my hands, let alone untie the ropes, she thought dismally.
"We're here," Naku said suddenly.
Before Kagome could respond, something sharp jabbed into the back of her neck. The world around her faded to grey, and her body suddenly seemed to lose all its bones. As she sank down, the last think she saw was Naku bending over her... smiling....
.
Dammit, Inuyasha thought, sniffing the air. I'd give anything to hear Kagome right now.... I'd even be happy if she sat me...
He winced. I really am desperate, he thought miserably.
He dropped onto his hands and knees and began sniffing the ground. "Inuyasha, do you smell anything?" Miroku said.
"Nothin' so far," Inuyasha grunted. "And stop breathin' so loud. It's distracting me."
"Sorry." Miroku stepped back. After a moment, he said, "Inuyasha..."
"What is it now?"
"Forget about Kagome for one minute-"
"WHAT?" Inuyasha snapped, sitting upright. But he reluctantly looked where Miroku was pointing. And his golden eyes widened. "What the hell..."
A bunch of dirty-white objects were piled in a nearby ravine, spilling over into a streambed. Inuyasha crept closer, and gritted his teeth. Bones. Demon bones -- big ones, small ones, broken and jumbled together, like a pile of garbage. He saw centipede ribs, fox skulls, broken wolf carcasses, the shattered beaks of giant hawks. He sniffed. None of them were new.
"I think we found where Naku leaves his garbage," Inuyasha said gruffly. He poked one of the skulls with his foot. "These must be demons he killed from the area around here."
"Ugh," Shippo moaned from behind Miroku. "I feel sick."
"It's truly hideous," Miroku said darkly. "An abomination, to simply kill for its own sake. If this man is half as skilled as he is said to be, then these demons were no threat to him. Especially," he glanced back at Shippo, "the smaller ones."
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. This Naku bastard was as good as a demon-slayer. He glanced back at Sango, but even she seemed to be impressed by the number of bones in the ravine. "Sango, what is it?" he asked.
"Some of those demons would need several demon-slayers to kill them," Sango said slowly. "If this Naku killed them single-handed, he must be very strong. Or very skilled."
"Either way," Inuyasha muttered, "he ain't gonna live long enough to do much more."
Suddenly he stiffened, and sniffed the air. A faint growl rose in his throat.
"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered. Then he sprang forward, running at full speed across the ravine and into the woods beyond.
"No, Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, running after him. "It might be a trap! Inuyasha, wait! STOP!"
"I won't stop!" Inuyasha growled, not even slowing down. He could smell her now -- she wasn't far away. And he was going to get to her before that Naku had a chance to do anything to do her.
TO BE CONTINUED