Chapter 3
Searching
A slap resounded through the clearing. Inuyasha shook his head. It seemed no matter the situation, the monk never failed to grope Sango. It was a morning ritual going on for quite some time. A grope, a slap, one storms off, the other stays with a stupid smile and dazed look. He was sure the monk must have brain damage by now, if he even had a brain.
Inuyasha dropped to all fours, sniffing the ground. He had already found the scent of the humans, but wanted to make sure he didn't go the wrong way. Most thought the process was simple. Get the scent, and follow. He had done that once, when he was young, and he lost a day in tracking. Instead of going the direction they headed, he went the way they came from. He heard his friends snickering in the background. Damn them, didn't they know this wasn't easy. There, he caught it, the direction the scent was strongest.
"Hey idiots, you done with the laughing? In case you forgot, Kagome could be in danger." He stalked off. He wasn't really mad at them, hell he knew how he looked when he was down there. Really though, how can they be laughing when Kagome was missing.
It was still early morning, the sun barely past the horizon. A small stream could be heard trickling in the distance. The birds sang their lively morning songs, waking the inhabitants of the forest to a new day. It was beautiful, though none took notice. Nature was something they took for granted, barely noticed because everyday they saw and heard the same. They had never took the time to acknowledge, nor appreciate it before; today would be no different.
The path they followed was well traveled. The villagers took it most likely to get water from the spring, or to travel to a neighboring village. The men that could have Kagome took this path, and the sooner Inuyasha got her back, the better.
"We're coming up on a village." He told them, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. They was used to it though. He would always give a warning, so they could be on their guard. Not all villages welcome a group mixed of demons and humans, the fact was most didn't. Though most of the time the people wouldn't attack or bother them, only giving dirty glares, sometimes harsh words.
They had made it to the outskirts before a man stoped them. He approached them and stopped at some distance. There were children trailing him, laughing joyfully. He turned around and told them to go play, then turned back to the group. He smiled invitingly as he approached. His hair was tied back, with a few strands falling out, and he had the look of a kind and gentle man.
"Hello, can I help you?" He had took in the groups haggard appearance, concern expressed in his eyes.
"Yeah, did you pick up a girl in the forest yesterday?" Inuyasha knew this was one of the men they were intent on finding.
Miroku stepped forward to ward off any uneasy feelings about them looking for the girl. "She is our friend, we've been traveling together for quite some time. We were fighting a demon when said demon charged her. She ran away, but we had to finish it off before it got to her. She disappeared shortly after, and we hoped that someone might have brought her here." He said in a friendly manor.
"If you have her, you better not have hurt her." Shippo, who was trying to be brave like Inuyasha, said to the man. He really looked cute, even though he had his mean face on.
If the man had doubts before, he certainly didn't now. As soon as the kit jumped forward ready to protect his friend, his eyes took a softer look than before. He really had a soft spot for kids, no matter what species.
"Well little man," Shippo puffed his chest out at being called a man, "I did find a young lady in the forest yesterday. She was hurt pretty bad, but I took care of her." He looked at the others. "Please follow me."
They followed him to what they assumed was his home. It was scarce really, only a few herbs, a bed, and a window. He must have been a healer, though it had to have been pretty small time. One of the reasons the kids liked him so much, he was probably the one who fixed up their knees and elbows when they got scraped up.
"Would you like some tea before I tell you what happened?" They all straightened up, concern written all over their faces. "Oh no, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, she's fine. I just thought you might like to hear of her condition." He said apologetically.
"No thanks. We just want to know where she is, and how she's doing." Sango said before the hanyou could make a snappy remark.
The man nodded his head. "Of course. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Suikotsu."
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She woke up late that morning feeling better, and just as he had promised, he was there. They both exchanged good mornings, after which they drank tea. It was a comfortable silence, and she took that time to examine her surroundings. The only word she could come up with to describe the room was beautiful. But even that didn't do it justice.
Spanning the walls was a beautiful illustration. The mountains in the far background, the trees and flowers were bright and skillfully drawn, the birds gracefully floating above the earth. It was breath taking really. There was a tansu (Japanese cabinet) in the corner. It had many shelves, and was beautifully carved. There was a low table, also pretty with its carvings as well. She was beginning to think they lived rather well.
"Tell me, how is it we live in this beautiful place? It looks as though it was built for a ruler or a lord." She was still in awe, so she didn't see his face drop momentarily.
Damn. He didn't really think about having to explain about their accommodations. And he couldn't tell her that it was indeed built for a lord, but not to worry, he was dead so he wouldn't mind.
"Well you see Kagome, it is a lords home, but we do not live here. We saved the poor young man from a horrible demise, and he graciously offered us to stay here for the time being." There, that should shut her up for a little bit, at least he thought.
"How? I mean how did we save him?" She looked at him with innocent eyes, waiting for him to explain.
He had a terrible urge to wring her neck right then. He knew he would have to tell her things, but he wanted it to be on his terms, not hers. Then again though, he knew he would get more pleasure from future plans, unfortunately they involved the girl being alive.
"We came upon him in a battle with a demon, one he would most definitely lose, so naturally we helped him out." He decided that should be good enough for her.
"I see. I think I should meet the lord before we leave. Do you think you could arrange it? I mean it might help with my memory." She looked as though she had figured out the secret to life.
"Yes love, I'll see what I can do, for now you should go bathe and get dressed. We will talk more after you eat something." He stood to leave, praying to Kami she wouldn't ask anything else, otherwise he might kill her. He was definitely going to have to figure something out, she was much too annoying with her sweet innocence to be able to stand her for long.
"Umm, Naraku?" She stopped there, having a bitter taste in her mouth. She dismissed it as a sour stomach, although it did feel weird saying his name.
"Will you tell me of our life together today?" She wanted to know. He nodded.
"Then I will hurry." He left then, without another word. She wondered if he was annoyed with her, but then thought that she would be annoyed also if she had to deal with someone who couldn't remember being with you. She sighed, this would be a long day.
