CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
*
The group landed on a wide, sweeping plateau veiled in fog. Kagome glanced around at the snarling statues and their glowing eyes. What kind of person was this relative of Inuyasha's? If he was anything like Sesshomaru, they would never convince him to take the baby, and Inuyasha wouldn't even try. The castle itself was dark and uninviting. Cold... and there was something a little weird about it...
"Do you notice something odd, Inuyasha?" Miroku said quietly.
"Yeah. No guards," Inuyasha grunted. He handed the baby to Kagome, then drew Tetsusaiga. "Stay behind me, Kagome."
"Okay..." Kagome hugged the baby and stepped behind the half-demon.
Inuyasha lunged toward the gates and smashed them to splinters. Then he fell back alongside Miroku and Sango, waiting for something to emerge from the dark courtyard. Only a cold wind did. After a moment, Inuyasha straightened and growled softly. "Nothing," he mumbled.
"Could he have moved?" Shippo asked.
"I doubt it," Miroku said. "On the other hand, I'm not sure what happened... he might simply be hiding away. We know nothing of his personality."
"Stay close to me," Inuyasha said to Kagome.
The courtyard led to a wide-open doorway. The screens were a bit decayed, and there were scuff marks on the floorboards. Inuyasha sniffed the air. "Nothing," he said. "At least, nothing in this place, recently."
He moved into one of the darkened corridors, with Tetsusaiga raised in front of him. Kagome followed him closely, clutching the baby close to her. The little half-demon was peering over her shoulder with wide eyes; his little clawed fingers were digging into her shoulder. Absently, she stroked his little ears to calm him.
"Hello?" Inuyasha shouted. "Anyone?"
His own echo was the only response he got.
"Is that a good idea?" Kagome whispered.
"We're here to find whoever lives here, right?" Inuyasha said philosophically. "No reason to act all timid."
"But what if he doesn't live here anymore? I mean, what if some other demon does?"
"Then I'll deal with 'em."
Kagome didn't feel quite that confident. Especially since if Inuyasha needs help, I can't put the baby down to shoot at... well, anything, she thought.
Inuyasha glanced into an adjoining room and sighed. He sheathed Tetsusaiga. "I found him," he said heavily.
"What?" Kagome said hesitantly.
Inuyasha was standing in front of a jumble of bones that looked vaguely like a human body, except that the teeth were pointed. The ribs were shattered by half a dozen spears. The bones were tangled, as if the demon had been trying to escape when he was killed. "Is that... is that him?" Kagome asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, it is. He was a dog-demon anyway. Poor bastard," Inuyasha said.
Miroku, Shippo and Sango rushed in behind Kagome. They looked somewhat dismayed at the sight of the demon skeleton. "Is that...?" Sango asked. "Well... um, how did he die? Being run through shouldn't have killed him."
"Beats me." Inuyasha yanked out one of the spears. Then he yelped in pain and tossed it away.
Miroku gingerly approached the fallen spear. "Sutras are lacquered on this spear," he said, sounding grim. "That was what killed him. Don't touch them, Inuyasha -- I'll find them all and burn them."
Inuyasha grimaced. There was a red burn on his palm. "Dammit. We went all this way for nothing."
"How long has he been dead?" Shippo piped up.
"At least two years," Inuyasha said glumly. "He hasn't sired any half-demon babies recently. We'll have to keep looking."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The group landed on a wide, sweeping plateau veiled in fog. Kagome glanced around at the snarling statues and their glowing eyes. What kind of person was this relative of Inuyasha's? If he was anything like Sesshomaru, they would never convince him to take the baby, and Inuyasha wouldn't even try. The castle itself was dark and uninviting. Cold... and there was something a little weird about it...
"Do you notice something odd, Inuyasha?" Miroku said quietly.
"Yeah. No guards," Inuyasha grunted. He handed the baby to Kagome, then drew Tetsusaiga. "Stay behind me, Kagome."
"Okay..." Kagome hugged the baby and stepped behind the half-demon.
Inuyasha lunged toward the gates and smashed them to splinters. Then he fell back alongside Miroku and Sango, waiting for something to emerge from the dark courtyard. Only a cold wind did. After a moment, Inuyasha straightened and growled softly. "Nothing," he mumbled.
"Could he have moved?" Shippo asked.
"I doubt it," Miroku said. "On the other hand, I'm not sure what happened... he might simply be hiding away. We know nothing of his personality."
"Stay close to me," Inuyasha said to Kagome.
The courtyard led to a wide-open doorway. The screens were a bit decayed, and there were scuff marks on the floorboards. Inuyasha sniffed the air. "Nothing," he said. "At least, nothing in this place, recently."
He moved into one of the darkened corridors, with Tetsusaiga raised in front of him. Kagome followed him closely, clutching the baby close to her. The little half-demon was peering over her shoulder with wide eyes; his little clawed fingers were digging into her shoulder. Absently, she stroked his little ears to calm him.
"Hello?" Inuyasha shouted. "Anyone?"
His own echo was the only response he got.
"Is that a good idea?" Kagome whispered.
"We're here to find whoever lives here, right?" Inuyasha said philosophically. "No reason to act all timid."
"But what if he doesn't live here anymore? I mean, what if some other demon does?"
"Then I'll deal with 'em."
Kagome didn't feel quite that confident. Especially since if Inuyasha needs help, I can't put the baby down to shoot at... well, anything, she thought.
Inuyasha glanced into an adjoining room and sighed. He sheathed Tetsusaiga. "I found him," he said heavily.
"What?" Kagome said hesitantly.
Inuyasha was standing in front of a jumble of bones that looked vaguely like a human body, except that the teeth were pointed. The ribs were shattered by half a dozen spears. The bones were tangled, as if the demon had been trying to escape when he was killed. "Is that... is that him?" Kagome asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, it is. He was a dog-demon anyway. Poor bastard," Inuyasha said.
Miroku, Shippo and Sango rushed in behind Kagome. They looked somewhat dismayed at the sight of the demon skeleton. "Is that...?" Sango asked. "Well... um, how did he die? Being run through shouldn't have killed him."
"Beats me." Inuyasha yanked out one of the spears. Then he yelped in pain and tossed it away.
Miroku gingerly approached the fallen spear. "Sutras are lacquered on this spear," he said, sounding grim. "That was what killed him. Don't touch them, Inuyasha -- I'll find them all and burn them."
Inuyasha grimaced. There was a red burn on his palm. "Dammit. We went all this way for nothing."
"How long has he been dead?" Shippo piped up.
"At least two years," Inuyasha said glumly. "He hasn't sired any half-demon babies recently. We'll have to keep looking."
TO BE CONTINUED