CHAPTER FIVE
*
The timer went off with a shrill beep, breaking the stiff silence that had fallen.Kagome quickly switched it off and peeled off the lid of the ramen cup. She glanced over at the figure seated under the tree. "Um, sir?" she ventured.
The demon raised his head slightly. Inuyasha's father -- since that seemed to be who he was -- hadn't spoken another word. He had meekly followed Inuyasha back to their campsite, and was now sitting under a sprawling tree, apparently lost in thought. His weathered face was set in an intense glare that looked eerily like Inuyasha's.
Kagome held out the cup of noodle, with the chopsticks already stuck in; she really wasn't sure what she should say. "Enjoy the meal, your son loves them"? Kagome wasn't sure, so she settled for a respectful silence. The demon lord looked at her for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what was giving him, then took the cup and sniffed it.
Inuyasha hadn't budged since they came back. He was crouching about twenty feet up, staring off into the distance. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all sitting a fair distance away, hovering over the sputtering campfire. They were watching the massive demon silently eating the ramen.
"He's really big," Shippo said finally. "Is that really Inuyasha's dad?"
"It seems that it is. But he doesn't seem to remember anything," Miroku mused.
"Could he be a trick of Naraku's?" Sango whispered.
"It may be. Yet... Inuyasha is not one who is easily fooled. If there were a deception in store, I think he would at least suspect something. But then again, he might not want to battle against someone who might be his father, somehow returned from the dead."
"The demon slayers told stories about him," Sango said, sounding a little awed. "They said that the Dog-Lord was among the most powerful demons of his time. But he died long ago... how could he somehow have come back to life?"
"I don't know," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I suspect that he might be able to tell us himself, if he could remember. But he doesn't seem to remember anything at all. I suspect that is why he destroyed the farm. If the humans simply attacked him, he might have lashed out without thinking." He frowned. "But if he hasn't seen Inuyasha since he was very young, I wonder how the Dog-Lord recognized him."
"His scent," a deep voice said.
Miroku started. The demon lord glanced up at him for a moment, then returned to his food.
"I guess that's where Inuyasha got his ears from," Shippo piped up.
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called.
On the branch above her, Inuyasha shifted and glanced down at her. "What now?" he said tersely.
"Shouldn't you come down for some food?"
"Not hungry." He settled back on the branch and resumed his study of the mountains to the west. One of his white ears twitched.
Kagome stepped up on a gnarled root. "Don't you want to talk to your dad? You haven't said a word to him ever since you found him in the woods. Shouldn't you say something to him?" she called.
"What would we have to talk about?" Inuyasha said tightly. He jumped down onto a lower bough and squatted there, with his hands folded into his baggy sleeves. "He doesn't know me, and I don't remember a thing about him. He died when I was too little to remember him. So it ain't like we've got a lot in common, Kagome."
"But he's your dad," Kagome persisted.
"Feh."
"Inuyasha, you're the only thing he really remembers now," she pressed, looking up at him. His face was turned away, as if he didn't want to listen to her. "And I'm sure he'd like to get to know you. So he could see how you turned out."
"He wouldn't like what he sees," Inuyasha grumbled. He jumped back onto the higher bough and stayed there, glaring intently at the setting sun.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The timer went off with a shrill beep, breaking the stiff silence that had fallen.Kagome quickly switched it off and peeled off the lid of the ramen cup. She glanced over at the figure seated under the tree. "Um, sir?" she ventured.
The demon raised his head slightly. Inuyasha's father -- since that seemed to be who he was -- hadn't spoken another word. He had meekly followed Inuyasha back to their campsite, and was now sitting under a sprawling tree, apparently lost in thought. His weathered face was set in an intense glare that looked eerily like Inuyasha's.
Kagome held out the cup of noodle, with the chopsticks already stuck in; she really wasn't sure what she should say. "Enjoy the meal, your son loves them"? Kagome wasn't sure, so she settled for a respectful silence. The demon lord looked at her for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what was giving him, then took the cup and sniffed it.
Inuyasha hadn't budged since they came back. He was crouching about twenty feet up, staring off into the distance. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all sitting a fair distance away, hovering over the sputtering campfire. They were watching the massive demon silently eating the ramen.
"He's really big," Shippo said finally. "Is that really Inuyasha's dad?"
"It seems that it is. But he doesn't seem to remember anything," Miroku mused.
"Could he be a trick of Naraku's?" Sango whispered.
"It may be. Yet... Inuyasha is not one who is easily fooled. If there were a deception in store, I think he would at least suspect something. But then again, he might not want to battle against someone who might be his father, somehow returned from the dead."
"The demon slayers told stories about him," Sango said, sounding a little awed. "They said that the Dog-Lord was among the most powerful demons of his time. But he died long ago... how could he somehow have come back to life?"
"I don't know," Miroku said thoughtfully. "I suspect that he might be able to tell us himself, if he could remember. But he doesn't seem to remember anything at all. I suspect that is why he destroyed the farm. If the humans simply attacked him, he might have lashed out without thinking." He frowned. "But if he hasn't seen Inuyasha since he was very young, I wonder how the Dog-Lord recognized him."
"His scent," a deep voice said.
Miroku started. The demon lord glanced up at him for a moment, then returned to his food.
"I guess that's where Inuyasha got his ears from," Shippo piped up.
*
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called.
On the branch above her, Inuyasha shifted and glanced down at her. "What now?" he said tersely.
"Shouldn't you come down for some food?"
"Not hungry." He settled back on the branch and resumed his study of the mountains to the west. One of his white ears twitched.
Kagome stepped up on a gnarled root. "Don't you want to talk to your dad? You haven't said a word to him ever since you found him in the woods. Shouldn't you say something to him?" she called.
"What would we have to talk about?" Inuyasha said tightly. He jumped down onto a lower bough and squatted there, with his hands folded into his baggy sleeves. "He doesn't know me, and I don't remember a thing about him. He died when I was too little to remember him. So it ain't like we've got a lot in common, Kagome."
"But he's your dad," Kagome persisted.
"Feh."
"Inuyasha, you're the only thing he really remembers now," she pressed, looking up at him. His face was turned away, as if he didn't want to listen to her. "And I'm sure he'd like to get to know you. So he could see how you turned out."
"He wouldn't like what he sees," Inuyasha grumbled. He jumped back onto the higher bough and stayed there, glaring intently at the setting sun.
TO BE CONTINUED