CHAPTER THREE
.
"Do you sense any jewel shards, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"There's one somewhere in the area," Kagome said, frowning. "But it's very faint. I think it must be far away."
"Right," Inuyasha said, rubbing his shoulder. Damn, he thought, it still hurts. He noticed Kagome watching him, and quickly stopped massaging his sore muscles. "Just point me in the right direction, and I'll go get it -- and deal with whatever demon has it."
"It's in that direction," Kagome said, waving vaguely at the road in front of them. "But you'd better wait until I have a clearer idea of where it is. No point in running off on a wild goose chase."
"Even if it's a demon goose?" Shippo asked.
"ARE there demon geese?"
"I dunno. I was just wondering." The fox demon flopped down in Kagome's bike basket and stretched. "Is there a village nearby? I'm getting a cold sleeping on the ground all the time."
"There oughta be," Inuyasha said gruffly.
Miroku glanced over at him. "Why do you say that, Inuyasha?"
"I came across a girl in the woods, and apparently she'd just come from some village nearby."
"A girl?" Miroku raised his eyebrows.
"Get your filthy mind outta the gutter," Inuyasha snapped.
"I think it's coming from over there," Kagome interrupted, suddenly pointing ahead. "And it's not moving. It's staying in one place."
"Good," Inuyasha said, cracking his claws. "Makes it all the easier to catch." It had been over a week since he had had the chance to chase down something, and he was itching for some action. Hell, it had been two weeks at least since he had last used Tetsusaiga for anything but scaring off pickpockets who decided Kagome was the perfect target.
A few minutes later, he raced down the road with Kagome riding on his back. It was just one of the hundreds of things that he wouldn't do for other people, but somehow felt perfectly natural with her. "Still straight ahead?" he asked.
"Right!" Kagome shaded her eyes. "It's getting stronger... wait a second, it's moving... moving... now it's stopped again."
A few minutes later, Inuyasha asked, "Has it moved again?"
"Not more than a few feet..."
"What is it, a demon snail?" Inuyasha grumbled. "This ain't going to be a challenge at all. I could probably beat it with my feet shackled."
He leaped high into the air over the trees, looking down at the valley below. There was a little cluster of houses and stables, with little streams of smoke rising from their roofs. He could smell horses, cows, chickens, little kids in need of baths, and plenty of other ordinary village smells.
"The village!" Kagome said. "Do you think that's the one you were talking about?"
"Well, if it is, it's got a jewel shard somewhere in there," Inuyasha said, scanning the ground. He could see plenty of humans milling around, carrying sacks of rice, chatting by the well. No demons in sight. Definitely none on a rampage, as shard-enhanced demons often did.
"This is weird," Kagome said, frowning. "I'm positive there's a jewel shard in that village. But everything looks peaceful."
"Let's check it out." Inuyasha paused, and his eyes narrowed. He saw an old woman hobbling across the road, holding a large basket of vegetables on one arm. She was dressed in loose red and white robes, and had a quiver of arrows and a bow on her back, although frankly she looked too old and feeble to shoot them. "Let's ask that priestess if there's been anything weird going on recently. She oughta know if there's some demon with a jewel shard runnin' around."
"Good idea," Kagome said, as Inuyasha began descending down to the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"Do you sense any jewel shards, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"There's one somewhere in the area," Kagome said, frowning. "But it's very faint. I think it must be far away."
"Right," Inuyasha said, rubbing his shoulder. Damn, he thought, it still hurts. He noticed Kagome watching him, and quickly stopped massaging his sore muscles. "Just point me in the right direction, and I'll go get it -- and deal with whatever demon has it."
"It's in that direction," Kagome said, waving vaguely at the road in front of them. "But you'd better wait until I have a clearer idea of where it is. No point in running off on a wild goose chase."
"Even if it's a demon goose?" Shippo asked.
"ARE there demon geese?"
"I dunno. I was just wondering." The fox demon flopped down in Kagome's bike basket and stretched. "Is there a village nearby? I'm getting a cold sleeping on the ground all the time."
"There oughta be," Inuyasha said gruffly.
Miroku glanced over at him. "Why do you say that, Inuyasha?"
"I came across a girl in the woods, and apparently she'd just come from some village nearby."
"A girl?" Miroku raised his eyebrows.
"Get your filthy mind outta the gutter," Inuyasha snapped.
"I think it's coming from over there," Kagome interrupted, suddenly pointing ahead. "And it's not moving. It's staying in one place."
"Good," Inuyasha said, cracking his claws. "Makes it all the easier to catch." It had been over a week since he had had the chance to chase down something, and he was itching for some action. Hell, it had been two weeks at least since he had last used Tetsusaiga for anything but scaring off pickpockets who decided Kagome was the perfect target.
A few minutes later, he raced down the road with Kagome riding on his back. It was just one of the hundreds of things that he wouldn't do for other people, but somehow felt perfectly natural with her. "Still straight ahead?" he asked.
"Right!" Kagome shaded her eyes. "It's getting stronger... wait a second, it's moving... moving... now it's stopped again."
A few minutes later, Inuyasha asked, "Has it moved again?"
"Not more than a few feet..."
"What is it, a demon snail?" Inuyasha grumbled. "This ain't going to be a challenge at all. I could probably beat it with my feet shackled."
He leaped high into the air over the trees, looking down at the valley below. There was a little cluster of houses and stables, with little streams of smoke rising from their roofs. He could smell horses, cows, chickens, little kids in need of baths, and plenty of other ordinary village smells.
"The village!" Kagome said. "Do you think that's the one you were talking about?"
"Well, if it is, it's got a jewel shard somewhere in there," Inuyasha said, scanning the ground. He could see plenty of humans milling around, carrying sacks of rice, chatting by the well. No demons in sight. Definitely none on a rampage, as shard-enhanced demons often did.
"This is weird," Kagome said, frowning. "I'm positive there's a jewel shard in that village. But everything looks peaceful."
"Let's check it out." Inuyasha paused, and his eyes narrowed. He saw an old woman hobbling across the road, holding a large basket of vegetables on one arm. She was dressed in loose red and white robes, and had a quiver of arrows and a bow on her back, although frankly she looked too old and feeble to shoot them. "Let's ask that priestess if there's been anything weird going on recently. She oughta know if there's some demon with a jewel shard runnin' around."
"Good idea," Kagome said, as Inuyasha began descending down to the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED