CHAPTER ELEVEN
*
"Hey! I want to know something!"
The girl's voice roused the Dog-Lord from his own thoughts. He blinked and slowly looked at her. "Are you speaking to me?" he asked.
"Yes I am!" Kagome said indignantly. She was still clutching the bandages that she had used on Inuyasha. "I want to know just what took you so long!"
The Dog-Lord kept staring at her, bemused.
"Inuyasha was getting seriously hurt by that demon! And you just stood by and watched until the end, and only THEN you came running in to help us! Why didn't you come in sooner to help instead of waiting until things got REALLY bad?" the human girl demanded. Behind his tree, Inuyasha flinched and sank down further.
The older demon just stared at Kagome for a moment longer, as if she had surprised him. Then he said quietly, "The fight was Inuyasha's, not mine. He recognized his foe and challenged it, but his enemy was not one known to me. It was not my place to interfere if I could help it."
Kagome was taken aback.
The demon lord settled back and continued looking off into space. Kagome had the feeling that she was being dismissed. Well, he didn't have to wait so LONG, she thought. I mean, Inuyasha was pretty badly hurt! Shouldn't that be more important than whose fight it was?
She sat down beside Inuyasha on the gnarled tree root. His bandaged face was turned away from her. "Hey, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "Let me see your neck."
"I feel fine."
"You're still a lousy liar. Come on, just let me see your neck."
Inuyasha grudging turned his head to the side. Kagome pulled at the bandages and looked at the gash underneath. He was thinking about what he had overheard his father say to Kagome. Was that true? Was his father deferring to him because Naraku was his enemy, or had it been... a test or something? He desperately hoped that it had been deferrence. Because if it had been a test, he was sure he had failed miserably.
*
"OW! DAMMIT, KAGOME!"
"Hold still and I won't hurt you!"
"You said you were gonna look at it, not stick your fingers in it!"
The Dog-Lord glanced over at the two of them, slightly alarmed. After a moment, the yelling stopped, and he caught a glimpse of Inuyasha grudgingly allowing Kagome to bandage his upper arm. When she told him to raise his arms, he did as she said.
The older demon sighed. He was relieved that Inuyasha's wounds were not as serious as they had seemed at first. Most of them would have been no trouble, but the throat wound and its loss of blood would have killed lesser demons. Even for one such as Inuyasha, it was debilitating for awhile. It had been when he saw that that the Dog-Lord had decided that his son could not win the battle.
Or WOULD not.
It was odd. The girl Kagome described herself merely as Inuyasha's companion, and spoke of him trying to kill her when they had first met. But Inuyasha had put himself between her and the lizard demon, knowing that he would lose the battle as a result. With the Tetsusaiga, he could have won -- but he had chosen to save her life instead. He stayed close by her -- closer than he had for any of the others. Those were not the actions of a mere friend. And she was spending quite some time dressing his wounds.
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. He glanced over at his son, and saw Kagome carefully smoothing the bandages on Inuyasha's face. "Does it still hurt?" she was asking. Inuyasha muttered something and let her fuss over him for a little while more. He looked a little happier at being shown the attention.
The Dog-Lord pondered this for a moment more. Then he heard the other three companions coming. The kitsune came running past him. "Kagome!" he called. "Kagome! We went to get those shards, but the body was gone!"
"Dammit," Inuyasha repeated bleakly. "We should've gotten those shards before we left..."
The monk and slayer sat in a small huddle with Inuyasha and Kagome, murmuring quietly amongst themselves. The Dog-Lord did not join them; instead, he quietly decided to observe Inuyasha further, and learn more about this son he had never had the chance to know.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Hey! I want to know something!"
The girl's voice roused the Dog-Lord from his own thoughts. He blinked and slowly looked at her. "Are you speaking to me?" he asked.
"Yes I am!" Kagome said indignantly. She was still clutching the bandages that she had used on Inuyasha. "I want to know just what took you so long!"
The Dog-Lord kept staring at her, bemused.
"Inuyasha was getting seriously hurt by that demon! And you just stood by and watched until the end, and only THEN you came running in to help us! Why didn't you come in sooner to help instead of waiting until things got REALLY bad?" the human girl demanded. Behind his tree, Inuyasha flinched and sank down further.
The older demon just stared at Kagome for a moment longer, as if she had surprised him. Then he said quietly, "The fight was Inuyasha's, not mine. He recognized his foe and challenged it, but his enemy was not one known to me. It was not my place to interfere if I could help it."
Kagome was taken aback.
The demon lord settled back and continued looking off into space. Kagome had the feeling that she was being dismissed. Well, he didn't have to wait so LONG, she thought. I mean, Inuyasha was pretty badly hurt! Shouldn't that be more important than whose fight it was?
She sat down beside Inuyasha on the gnarled tree root. His bandaged face was turned away from her. "Hey, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "Let me see your neck."
"I feel fine."
"You're still a lousy liar. Come on, just let me see your neck."
Inuyasha grudging turned his head to the side. Kagome pulled at the bandages and looked at the gash underneath. He was thinking about what he had overheard his father say to Kagome. Was that true? Was his father deferring to him because Naraku was his enemy, or had it been... a test or something? He desperately hoped that it had been deferrence. Because if it had been a test, he was sure he had failed miserably.
*
"OW! DAMMIT, KAGOME!"
"Hold still and I won't hurt you!"
"You said you were gonna look at it, not stick your fingers in it!"
The Dog-Lord glanced over at the two of them, slightly alarmed. After a moment, the yelling stopped, and he caught a glimpse of Inuyasha grudgingly allowing Kagome to bandage his upper arm. When she told him to raise his arms, he did as she said.
The older demon sighed. He was relieved that Inuyasha's wounds were not as serious as they had seemed at first. Most of them would have been no trouble, but the throat wound and its loss of blood would have killed lesser demons. Even for one such as Inuyasha, it was debilitating for awhile. It had been when he saw that that the Dog-Lord had decided that his son could not win the battle.
Or WOULD not.
It was odd. The girl Kagome described herself merely as Inuyasha's companion, and spoke of him trying to kill her when they had first met. But Inuyasha had put himself between her and the lizard demon, knowing that he would lose the battle as a result. With the Tetsusaiga, he could have won -- but he had chosen to save her life instead. He stayed close by her -- closer than he had for any of the others. Those were not the actions of a mere friend. And she was spending quite some time dressing his wounds.
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. He glanced over at his son, and saw Kagome carefully smoothing the bandages on Inuyasha's face. "Does it still hurt?" she was asking. Inuyasha muttered something and let her fuss over him for a little while more. He looked a little happier at being shown the attention.
The Dog-Lord pondered this for a moment more. Then he heard the other three companions coming. The kitsune came running past him. "Kagome!" he called. "Kagome! We went to get those shards, but the body was gone!"
"Dammit," Inuyasha repeated bleakly. "We should've gotten those shards before we left..."
The monk and slayer sat in a small huddle with Inuyasha and Kagome, murmuring quietly amongst themselves. The Dog-Lord did not join them; instead, he quietly decided to observe Inuyasha further, and learn more about this son he had never had the chance to know.
TO BE CONTINUED