CHAPTER NINE
*
"Where are we going again?" Kagome yawned.
Inuyasha grimaced as he jumped over the treetop and landed lightly on a bough. He had woken up Kagome as the sun rose, and she still wasn't fully awake. Now the sun was almost over the trees. And that scent was getting further away -- not totally apart from them, but moving fast. Sango and Miroku had volunteered to come along, but Inuyasha insisted that they stay behind.
A flicker of silver and white darted in the woods under them. Inuyasha jumped down and raced alongside his father, speeding up to the same pace. Even so, he could tell that his dad was pulling back to allow his halfbreed son to keep up with him. Inuyasha grimaced and sped up, determined not to appear slow or weak in front of his father.
"We're gonna track down something that... smells like Naraku," Inuyasha said grimly.
"Hm?" Kagome said, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, exactly. So hang on tight. I'm gonna go a lot faster."
Kagome glanced down. "Aren't we going too fast already?"
"Ain't any such thing. Hold on!" Inuyasha began running even faster. His legs were aching, and he was starting to feel a little breathless. But a glance over at the streak of color that was his father made him even more determined not to fall behind. I might not be a full demon, but... he thought.
Suddenly he skidded to a stop. The Dog-Lord stopped as well, sniffing the air.
"He's close by," Inuyasha mumbled. He let Kagome off his back, and put one hand on Tetsusaiga. "Stay close to me, Kagome."
"Okay," Kagome murmured. Inuyasha was scanning the trees, unaware that his father was watching him. But Kagome saw. The Dog-Lord was watching his young son with an inscrutable expression, as if he were thinking hard. Finally he said quietly, "I do not know of this Naraku."
"We'll tell you about him later," Kagome said quickly. "And, um, there's really a lot to tell." Too much, probably, she thought.
Inuyasha sniffed the air again. Then he grabbed Kagome's waist and leaped over a cluster of trees, toward a rustling patch of bushes. As they landed, Kagome barely restrained a gasp. There was a demon of some kind -- and it had three shards in its body somewhere. "Inuyasha," she whispered, clutching at his sleeve.
"I see it," Inuyasha growled. "And I smell what's on it."
"It has three Shikon shards! Be careful..."
"Feh. Just make it a bit more rewarding to slice it apart." He unsheathed Tetsusaiga and slashed apart the bushes.
An ugly, vaguely reptilian demon reared up onto its hind legs. It was at least nine feet tall, covered in thick scaly armor, with wicked-looking claws on its hands. Kagome shuddered; the smallest claw had to be the length of her longest fingers. But what was most horrible was what dangled from its spiny back. At first Kagome thought that they were bits of cloth. But after a moment, she gasped, appalled.
"Skin," Inuyasha said through gritted teeth. "I smelled it from a mile away. Took a trophy from every human and demon you slaughtered, huh? Right along with their Shikon shards."
The demon laughed raspily. "And your skin shall join theirs, as I flay you alive like a trapped beast," it grated. "Naraku told me, when he send me out to gather the shards, that you would interfere, Inuyasha. He told me all about you..."
"How nice," Inuyasha snarled. "So I guess he told you about all the minions of his I've killed off, huh? Well, you're next, lizard-boy!"
He darted forward, raising Tetsusaiga to slash the lizardlike demon in half. But as the sword swung down, something swept through the air to his face. Suddenly Inuyasha slammed into the ground, too shocked to make a sound. Blood began to seep from long, deep cuts on the side of his face.
"Heh heh," the demon chuckled. "You think to slice me in half? My greatest strength is in the speed of my hands. I slaughtered dozens of demons and humans with them, before they had time to scream."
Kagome pressed her hands to her mouth. Where's Inuyasha's dad? she thought. He could use some backup, even if he wouldn't admit it. And I left my bow and arrows back at the camp, she thought suddenly. I can't help him out -- I'd just get in the way.
"Well, then I'll just have to try something else," Inuyasha said, smirking painfully. He stood up, wiped the blood from his cheek, and raised his sword over his head again. But this time, he had the distant look in his eyes that Kagome recognized. He was about to wipe out the demon with the Scar of the Wind.
But the demon seemed to sense it as well. Suddenly it turned and rushed toward Kagome, its talons clicking and slashing at the air. Kagome uttered a high shriek, as Inuyasha bellowed, "YOU BASTARD! Don't you touch her!" The Tetsusaiga sliced through the air -- and was deflected by the Naraku-spawn's metallic claws.
"You think to stop me? Arrogance!" the demon sneered. Before Inuyasha could move, it slashed its hand down at Kagome, too fast for her to dodge.
The next few moments were a blur -- Kagome felt something heavy slam into her body, heard Inuyasha cry out. The next moment, she was lying on the ground with Inuyasha pinning her down. Blood was dripping from seven slash marks on his back, right through his fire-rat clothes. More blood was smeared on his right cheek, where the demon's first blow had hit him.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, touching his wounded face.
Inuyasha groaned. "Dammit," he whispered, struggling to get to his knees.
The demon chuckled again, looming over them. "Ridiculously easy to make you injure yourself, Inuyasha. You could have killed me with your sword's attack, but she would have died as well before I did. All I need do to destroy you is threaten the girl." It raised its claws again, ready to slash down at Inuyasha's exposed back.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Where are we going again?" Kagome yawned.
Inuyasha grimaced as he jumped over the treetop and landed lightly on a bough. He had woken up Kagome as the sun rose, and she still wasn't fully awake. Now the sun was almost over the trees. And that scent was getting further away -- not totally apart from them, but moving fast. Sango and Miroku had volunteered to come along, but Inuyasha insisted that they stay behind.
A flicker of silver and white darted in the woods under them. Inuyasha jumped down and raced alongside his father, speeding up to the same pace. Even so, he could tell that his dad was pulling back to allow his halfbreed son to keep up with him. Inuyasha grimaced and sped up, determined not to appear slow or weak in front of his father.
"We're gonna track down something that... smells like Naraku," Inuyasha said grimly.
"Hm?" Kagome said, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, exactly. So hang on tight. I'm gonna go a lot faster."
Kagome glanced down. "Aren't we going too fast already?"
"Ain't any such thing. Hold on!" Inuyasha began running even faster. His legs were aching, and he was starting to feel a little breathless. But a glance over at the streak of color that was his father made him even more determined not to fall behind. I might not be a full demon, but... he thought.
Suddenly he skidded to a stop. The Dog-Lord stopped as well, sniffing the air.
"He's close by," Inuyasha mumbled. He let Kagome off his back, and put one hand on Tetsusaiga. "Stay close to me, Kagome."
"Okay," Kagome murmured. Inuyasha was scanning the trees, unaware that his father was watching him. But Kagome saw. The Dog-Lord was watching his young son with an inscrutable expression, as if he were thinking hard. Finally he said quietly, "I do not know of this Naraku."
"We'll tell you about him later," Kagome said quickly. "And, um, there's really a lot to tell." Too much, probably, she thought.
Inuyasha sniffed the air again. Then he grabbed Kagome's waist and leaped over a cluster of trees, toward a rustling patch of bushes. As they landed, Kagome barely restrained a gasp. There was a demon of some kind -- and it had three shards in its body somewhere. "Inuyasha," she whispered, clutching at his sleeve.
"I see it," Inuyasha growled. "And I smell what's on it."
"It has three Shikon shards! Be careful..."
"Feh. Just make it a bit more rewarding to slice it apart." He unsheathed Tetsusaiga and slashed apart the bushes.
An ugly, vaguely reptilian demon reared up onto its hind legs. It was at least nine feet tall, covered in thick scaly armor, with wicked-looking claws on its hands. Kagome shuddered; the smallest claw had to be the length of her longest fingers. But what was most horrible was what dangled from its spiny back. At first Kagome thought that they were bits of cloth. But after a moment, she gasped, appalled.
"Skin," Inuyasha said through gritted teeth. "I smelled it from a mile away. Took a trophy from every human and demon you slaughtered, huh? Right along with their Shikon shards."
The demon laughed raspily. "And your skin shall join theirs, as I flay you alive like a trapped beast," it grated. "Naraku told me, when he send me out to gather the shards, that you would interfere, Inuyasha. He told me all about you..."
"How nice," Inuyasha snarled. "So I guess he told you about all the minions of his I've killed off, huh? Well, you're next, lizard-boy!"
He darted forward, raising Tetsusaiga to slash the lizardlike demon in half. But as the sword swung down, something swept through the air to his face. Suddenly Inuyasha slammed into the ground, too shocked to make a sound. Blood began to seep from long, deep cuts on the side of his face.
"Heh heh," the demon chuckled. "You think to slice me in half? My greatest strength is in the speed of my hands. I slaughtered dozens of demons and humans with them, before they had time to scream."
Kagome pressed her hands to her mouth. Where's Inuyasha's dad? she thought. He could use some backup, even if he wouldn't admit it. And I left my bow and arrows back at the camp, she thought suddenly. I can't help him out -- I'd just get in the way.
"Well, then I'll just have to try something else," Inuyasha said, smirking painfully. He stood up, wiped the blood from his cheek, and raised his sword over his head again. But this time, he had the distant look in his eyes that Kagome recognized. He was about to wipe out the demon with the Scar of the Wind.
But the demon seemed to sense it as well. Suddenly it turned and rushed toward Kagome, its talons clicking and slashing at the air. Kagome uttered a high shriek, as Inuyasha bellowed, "YOU BASTARD! Don't you touch her!" The Tetsusaiga sliced through the air -- and was deflected by the Naraku-spawn's metallic claws.
"You think to stop me? Arrogance!" the demon sneered. Before Inuyasha could move, it slashed its hand down at Kagome, too fast for her to dodge.
The next few moments were a blur -- Kagome felt something heavy slam into her body, heard Inuyasha cry out. The next moment, she was lying on the ground with Inuyasha pinning her down. Blood was dripping from seven slash marks on his back, right through his fire-rat clothes. More blood was smeared on his right cheek, where the demon's first blow had hit him.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, touching his wounded face.
Inuyasha groaned. "Dammit," he whispered, struggling to get to his knees.
The demon chuckled again, looming over them. "Ridiculously easy to make you injure yourself, Inuyasha. You could have killed me with your sword's attack, but she would have died as well before I did. All I need do to destroy you is threaten the girl." It raised its claws again, ready to slash down at Inuyasha's exposed back.
TO BE CONTINUED