CHAPTER THREE
*
"Can you smell anything, Inuyasha?" Miroku called from Kirara's back. The giant demon cat was bounding alongside Inuyasha, nearly keeping up with him. "You know best where Sesshoumaru might be."
"For the tenth time, no!" Inuyasha shouted, taking a flying leap over he trees. On his back, Kagome flicked his hair out of her face. He'd been grumpy ever since they left their camp that morning, but that was probably just because he hated encountering his brother. Sesshoumaru had poked out his eye, tricked him with the image of his mother, beaten him up, and tried to kill him over and over. With a brother like him, I'd probably feel the same way, Kagome thought.
Miroku watched Inuyasha's wild running with a frown. Something had been nagging at him ever since they heard the farm worker's story. He had stayed up late the last night thinking about it, but hadn't come to any conclusions.
"Sango," he said slowly. "I'm beginning to wonder if we really are chasing Sesshomaru after all."
"What do you mean?" Sango turned to look at him.
"I don't pretend to know much about Inuyasha's older brother," Miroku said slowly. "The previous times I met him, I spent most of my time either sick or trying to avoid being killed by him. But Kagome has told me quite a bit about her encounter with him before I joined this group... and somehow this rings false."
"In what way?"
"I'm not sure." Miroku's dark eyes narrowed. "The pieces all fit -- we know Sesshoumaru is easily capable of killing a farm full of humans and walking away without looking back. He's a dog-demon, looks somewhat like Inuyasha, and is strong enough for the sort of carnage the worker described. But somehow... this feels wrong."
"Can you be a little more specific?" Sango said, looking back at Inuyasha and Kagome.
"It doesn't really sound like something Sesshoumaru would do," Miroku said slowly. "I'm no expert in his behavior. But every time he attacked in the past, he had a specific purpose. Reckless, random killing doesn't seem to be the sort of thing he does."
"HAH!" Inuyasha shouted, finally acknowledging the conversation. He slowed his frantic pace to glare at Miroku. The monk barely repressed a sigh; so, Inuyasha had been listening to him all along.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.
"You just see who it is, Miroku," Inuyasha snapped. "That's Sesshoumaru killing humans, I'll bet. He's probably got some reason of his own, the heartless bastard, and we'll find out soon enough. I'll wring it out of him if I have to," he added angrily.
"Is it possible that Sesshoumaru has gone insane?" Sango asked.
A strange look came onto Inuyasha's face, and Kagome felt his body tense. He seemed to be mulling it over, even reluctantly. "Maybe," he said slowly.
"He might be crazy, if he was walking naked in the woods," Shippo piped up from Inuyasha's shoulder. "And if he's just ripping stuff up for no reason."
"Well, if he is," Inuyasha said slowly, "I'm gonna have to kill him. Sesshoumaru is dangerous enough when he's sane. If he's gone nuts, there won't be any stopping him." He took a flying leap beyond a small stream, frightening the little silver fish under the water.
Inuyasha grimaced as he began thinking about what Sango had said. He had come close to killing his brother more than once -- close, but he never had brought himself to really do it. He just couldn't bring himself to just kill Sesshoumaru. If Kagome's life were being threatened, if it was choosing between killing Sesshoumaru and letting somebody else die, he'd do it in an instant. But otherwise...
His face twisted slightly as he thought about Sesshoumaru, insane. He didn't think it was very likely, but he hated the idea of killing his brother if he really had gone mad. It just didn't seem fair. He knew that if Sesshoumaru had lost his wits, he would win easily. But it was like.... like... like... damn! Inuyasha sighed. He wasn't good with metaphors, and never had been.
Suddenly he smelled it. He tensed, his breath catching in his throat.
Kagome felt the change. "Inuyasha, what is it?" she asked.
"I smell him," Inuyasha said grimly. He stopped and let her off. "Stay with Miroku and Sango while I go check this out." He unsheathed Tetsusaiga and glared at the trees.
"You sure you'll be okay?" Kagome asked.
"Fine," Inuyasha said. He raced off and was gone.
Kagome picked up Shippo and began walking back; Kirara landed in front of her. Miroku jumped off, his eyes wide. "Kagome, I just remembered something that Inuyasha doesn't know."
"What?" Kagome asked.
"The farm worker spoke of how he couldn't see the demon clearly. But he was close enough to see that the demon had white hair and resembled Inuyasha. We focused on that, because we believed it to be the key to his identity." Miroku's face became grim. "But if the worker could see that, wouldn't he have noticed if the demon had only one arm?"
*
The smell was getting stronger. Inuyasha could feel a prickle going down his back as he raced through the trees, going faster than he ever did with Kagome. He wanted to find this heartless bastard quickly, get the whole mess over with as quickly as possible. If he could do it alone, he would.
Then he saw the demon. He was kneeling by a streambed, staring into the water. Long white hair, the smell of dog-demon, and Inuyasha smelled the faint scent of burned wood and human blood on his clawed hands. This is it! he thought angrily. You're getting what you deserve... NOW!
"Sesshoumaru!" he shouted, rushing forward.
The demon raised his head and looked back. Inuyasha skidded to a stop, too shocked to say another word. It wasn't Sesshoumaru.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Can you smell anything, Inuyasha?" Miroku called from Kirara's back. The giant demon cat was bounding alongside Inuyasha, nearly keeping up with him. "You know best where Sesshoumaru might be."
"For the tenth time, no!" Inuyasha shouted, taking a flying leap over he trees. On his back, Kagome flicked his hair out of her face. He'd been grumpy ever since they left their camp that morning, but that was probably just because he hated encountering his brother. Sesshoumaru had poked out his eye, tricked him with the image of his mother, beaten him up, and tried to kill him over and over. With a brother like him, I'd probably feel the same way, Kagome thought.
Miroku watched Inuyasha's wild running with a frown. Something had been nagging at him ever since they heard the farm worker's story. He had stayed up late the last night thinking about it, but hadn't come to any conclusions.
"Sango," he said slowly. "I'm beginning to wonder if we really are chasing Sesshomaru after all."
"What do you mean?" Sango turned to look at him.
"I don't pretend to know much about Inuyasha's older brother," Miroku said slowly. "The previous times I met him, I spent most of my time either sick or trying to avoid being killed by him. But Kagome has told me quite a bit about her encounter with him before I joined this group... and somehow this rings false."
"In what way?"
"I'm not sure." Miroku's dark eyes narrowed. "The pieces all fit -- we know Sesshoumaru is easily capable of killing a farm full of humans and walking away without looking back. He's a dog-demon, looks somewhat like Inuyasha, and is strong enough for the sort of carnage the worker described. But somehow... this feels wrong."
"Can you be a little more specific?" Sango said, looking back at Inuyasha and Kagome.
"It doesn't really sound like something Sesshoumaru would do," Miroku said slowly. "I'm no expert in his behavior. But every time he attacked in the past, he had a specific purpose. Reckless, random killing doesn't seem to be the sort of thing he does."
"HAH!" Inuyasha shouted, finally acknowledging the conversation. He slowed his frantic pace to glare at Miroku. The monk barely repressed a sigh; so, Inuyasha had been listening to him all along.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.
"You just see who it is, Miroku," Inuyasha snapped. "That's Sesshoumaru killing humans, I'll bet. He's probably got some reason of his own, the heartless bastard, and we'll find out soon enough. I'll wring it out of him if I have to," he added angrily.
"Is it possible that Sesshoumaru has gone insane?" Sango asked.
A strange look came onto Inuyasha's face, and Kagome felt his body tense. He seemed to be mulling it over, even reluctantly. "Maybe," he said slowly.
"He might be crazy, if he was walking naked in the woods," Shippo piped up from Inuyasha's shoulder. "And if he's just ripping stuff up for no reason."
"Well, if he is," Inuyasha said slowly, "I'm gonna have to kill him. Sesshoumaru is dangerous enough when he's sane. If he's gone nuts, there won't be any stopping him." He took a flying leap beyond a small stream, frightening the little silver fish under the water.
Inuyasha grimaced as he began thinking about what Sango had said. He had come close to killing his brother more than once -- close, but he never had brought himself to really do it. He just couldn't bring himself to just kill Sesshoumaru. If Kagome's life were being threatened, if it was choosing between killing Sesshoumaru and letting somebody else die, he'd do it in an instant. But otherwise...
His face twisted slightly as he thought about Sesshoumaru, insane. He didn't think it was very likely, but he hated the idea of killing his brother if he really had gone mad. It just didn't seem fair. He knew that if Sesshoumaru had lost his wits, he would win easily. But it was like.... like... like... damn! Inuyasha sighed. He wasn't good with metaphors, and never had been.
Suddenly he smelled it. He tensed, his breath catching in his throat.
Kagome felt the change. "Inuyasha, what is it?" she asked.
"I smell him," Inuyasha said grimly. He stopped and let her off. "Stay with Miroku and Sango while I go check this out." He unsheathed Tetsusaiga and glared at the trees.
"You sure you'll be okay?" Kagome asked.
"Fine," Inuyasha said. He raced off and was gone.
Kagome picked up Shippo and began walking back; Kirara landed in front of her. Miroku jumped off, his eyes wide. "Kagome, I just remembered something that Inuyasha doesn't know."
"What?" Kagome asked.
"The farm worker spoke of how he couldn't see the demon clearly. But he was close enough to see that the demon had white hair and resembled Inuyasha. We focused on that, because we believed it to be the key to his identity." Miroku's face became grim. "But if the worker could see that, wouldn't he have noticed if the demon had only one arm?"
*
The smell was getting stronger. Inuyasha could feel a prickle going down his back as he raced through the trees, going faster than he ever did with Kagome. He wanted to find this heartless bastard quickly, get the whole mess over with as quickly as possible. If he could do it alone, he would.
Then he saw the demon. He was kneeling by a streambed, staring into the water. Long white hair, the smell of dog-demon, and Inuyasha smelled the faint scent of burned wood and human blood on his clawed hands. This is it! he thought angrily. You're getting what you deserve... NOW!
"Sesshoumaru!" he shouted, rushing forward.
The demon raised his head and looked back. Inuyasha skidded to a stop, too shocked to say another word. It wasn't Sesshoumaru.
TO BE CONTINUED