CHAPTER SIX
*
The demon lord's silence seemed to be contagious. He was still sitting on a log by the fire, staring at the flames with that intent, almost angry look on his face. Kagome felt like she should say something -- try to converse with him -- but something held her back. She felt nervous and small beside Inuyasha's father.
Miroku was sitting opposite the Dog-Lord, watching the demon impassively. Sango was also staying quite still; on the one occasion when she had started moving, the Dog-Lord's pale yellow eyes flashed over to her, and watched her movements intently. Apparently he still didn't trust her. And Kagome wandered around the camp, with Kirara trotting after her, watching the stranger warily.
Shippo watched them all with wide eyes. The he turned and scampered into the woods. A splotch of red in the trees showed him where Inuyasha was hiding. Shippo hopped up onto the branch. "Hey, Inuyasha?" he chirped.
Inuyasha yelled incoherently and almost fell out of the tree. "Don't do that to me!" he snapped, grabbing the trunk for support.
"What's the matter?"
"I have you popping out and surprising me," Inuyasha grumbled. "Isn't that bad enough?"
"But why aren't you talking to your dad?" Shippo pressed, sitting down.
Inuyasha got that funny stunned expression on his face. Shippo recognized it; it meant that he didn't know what to say, or even where to start. After a moment, the half-demon seemed to shake it off with a snort. "You don't know what you're talking about, runt," he said morosely.
"What does that mean?" Shippo said pensively. "I mean, he's your dad, right?"
"I s'pose so."
"So why aren't you down with him?" Shippo said, throwing out his little arms. "If my dad came back to life, I'd be next to him all the time, and we'd be talking a lot and laughing and stuff like that." He frowned. "But you don't seem happy to see your dad."
"Feh." Inuyasha folded his arms into his sleeves. "Just bug off."
One pointed dog ear twitched at the sound of voices. After a moment, Inuyasha's curiosity won out over his hesitation. He crept down the tree trunk, only to find Kagome sitting directly under the tree. She looked at him sideways. "So you've finally decided to rejoin the rest of us?" she said. She took hold of his rosary and pulled him over to the clearing.
*
"You don't remember anything?" Miroku asked. He was keeping a respectful distance from the powerful demon, kneeling with his staff across his lap. It isn't a good idea to risk upsetting him, he thought, until we know how dangerous he is... and why he is here.
"No," the Dog-Lord said briefly. "Until a few days ago."
"Did you remember who you were?"
The older demon stopped, with a strange distant look in his eyes. "No. I didn't remember anything except..." He frowned. "Fire. Stone. A demon companion from long ago in the past... and... a woman."
"A woman?"
The Dog-Lord waved a large, clawed hand in Inuyasha's direction, without looking at him. Inuyasha leaned back a little, startled.
"Oh," Miroku said. "His mother."
The Dog-Lord nodded once, resting his chin on his fist. He didn't look confused or out-of-it anymore. He looked... well, intent, and a little annoyed. I'd hate to have him mad at me, Kagome thought, clutching at Inuyasha's sleeve. At least now she knew where Inuyasha got that attitude from. Daddy might be even worse...
"And you say... you recognized Inuyasha's scent... even though you didn't remember yourself then?" Sango asked. "And that brought a few of your other memories back?"
The Dog-Lord's eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. He slowly looked down at his large, calloused hands, then clenched them into fists with a loud cracking sound. Kagome suddenly felt sorry for him, even though -- if he was anything like Inuyasha -- he wouldn't want to be pitied. Inuyasha was still sitting beside her, as stiff as a mannequin and unwilling to look directly at his father. He seemed nervous and on-edge, but Kagome wasn't sure exactly what he was frightened of.
"You okay?" she whispered.
"Course I am," Inuyasha said tensely.
Sango ventured, "Do you remember destroying that farm?"
"Yes."
"Why did you do that?"
That weird inward-looking expression came over the Dog-Lord's face. "They attacked me," he said flatly. He began rubbing his forehead, as if he had a headache. The lines in his face were growing deeper.
"Uh, maybe we should leave more questions for later," Kagome said hastily. "He's got a lot of catching up to do."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The demon lord's silence seemed to be contagious. He was still sitting on a log by the fire, staring at the flames with that intent, almost angry look on his face. Kagome felt like she should say something -- try to converse with him -- but something held her back. She felt nervous and small beside Inuyasha's father.
Miroku was sitting opposite the Dog-Lord, watching the demon impassively. Sango was also staying quite still; on the one occasion when she had started moving, the Dog-Lord's pale yellow eyes flashed over to her, and watched her movements intently. Apparently he still didn't trust her. And Kagome wandered around the camp, with Kirara trotting after her, watching the stranger warily.
Shippo watched them all with wide eyes. The he turned and scampered into the woods. A splotch of red in the trees showed him where Inuyasha was hiding. Shippo hopped up onto the branch. "Hey, Inuyasha?" he chirped.
Inuyasha yelled incoherently and almost fell out of the tree. "Don't do that to me!" he snapped, grabbing the trunk for support.
"What's the matter?"
"I have you popping out and surprising me," Inuyasha grumbled. "Isn't that bad enough?"
"But why aren't you talking to your dad?" Shippo pressed, sitting down.
Inuyasha got that funny stunned expression on his face. Shippo recognized it; it meant that he didn't know what to say, or even where to start. After a moment, the half-demon seemed to shake it off with a snort. "You don't know what you're talking about, runt," he said morosely.
"What does that mean?" Shippo said pensively. "I mean, he's your dad, right?"
"I s'pose so."
"So why aren't you down with him?" Shippo said, throwing out his little arms. "If my dad came back to life, I'd be next to him all the time, and we'd be talking a lot and laughing and stuff like that." He frowned. "But you don't seem happy to see your dad."
"Feh." Inuyasha folded his arms into his sleeves. "Just bug off."
One pointed dog ear twitched at the sound of voices. After a moment, Inuyasha's curiosity won out over his hesitation. He crept down the tree trunk, only to find Kagome sitting directly under the tree. She looked at him sideways. "So you've finally decided to rejoin the rest of us?" she said. She took hold of his rosary and pulled him over to the clearing.
*
"You don't remember anything?" Miroku asked. He was keeping a respectful distance from the powerful demon, kneeling with his staff across his lap. It isn't a good idea to risk upsetting him, he thought, until we know how dangerous he is... and why he is here.
"No," the Dog-Lord said briefly. "Until a few days ago."
"Did you remember who you were?"
The older demon stopped, with a strange distant look in his eyes. "No. I didn't remember anything except..." He frowned. "Fire. Stone. A demon companion from long ago in the past... and... a woman."
"A woman?"
The Dog-Lord waved a large, clawed hand in Inuyasha's direction, without looking at him. Inuyasha leaned back a little, startled.
"Oh," Miroku said. "His mother."
The Dog-Lord nodded once, resting his chin on his fist. He didn't look confused or out-of-it anymore. He looked... well, intent, and a little annoyed. I'd hate to have him mad at me, Kagome thought, clutching at Inuyasha's sleeve. At least now she knew where Inuyasha got that attitude from. Daddy might be even worse...
"And you say... you recognized Inuyasha's scent... even though you didn't remember yourself then?" Sango asked. "And that brought a few of your other memories back?"
The Dog-Lord's eyes narrowed and his frown deepened. He slowly looked down at his large, calloused hands, then clenched them into fists with a loud cracking sound. Kagome suddenly felt sorry for him, even though -- if he was anything like Inuyasha -- he wouldn't want to be pitied. Inuyasha was still sitting beside her, as stiff as a mannequin and unwilling to look directly at his father. He seemed nervous and on-edge, but Kagome wasn't sure exactly what he was frightened of.
"You okay?" she whispered.
"Course I am," Inuyasha said tensely.
Sango ventured, "Do you remember destroying that farm?"
"Yes."
"Why did you do that?"
That weird inward-looking expression came over the Dog-Lord's face. "They attacked me," he said flatly. He began rubbing his forehead, as if he had a headache. The lines in his face were growing deeper.
"Uh, maybe we should leave more questions for later," Kagome said hastily. "He's got a lot of catching up to do."
TO BE CONTINUED