Chapter Two: The Unknown
Nothing appeared. Sesshoumaru stood and waited, getting more and more agitated as the minutes passed. Inuyasha approached, and stood beside him, looking into the trees silently. Whispering softly, he never took his eyes off the trees. "Why do they not appear?"
"They are wood folk." Sesshoumaru hissed, his eyes narrowing. "We are being watched carefully to see if our intentions here are evil."
"With you around, I can see why." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. This didn't go unnoticed by Sesshomaru who turned his glare to him in a deadly way.
Inuyasha swallowed. "Well it's true. You let off so much energy, that my fur sticks up on end."
Sesshuomaru snorted, highly amused. "Shut up, Inuyasha." The older brother turned his gaze back to the woods slowly.
Kagome looked around her nervously. She was getting really uncomfortable with the silence and lack of movement of the group. "Inuyasha?" She whispered. "Maybe we should go back to the well?"
Inuyasha frowned and looked back at her. Turning around, he walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now is not the time." He looked back at his brother who still remained planted in place. Confused, he pondered the different aura Sesshoumaru was letting off. This wasn't anything like his brother, and frowning he hated the fact that they may have to rely on his abilities to fight. "You want me to work with him?"
Kagome glared at him. "I want both of you to work together, at least long enough for us to get out of here!"
Inuyasha shook his head angrily, not liking the implication Kagome gave him. Having to work with Sesshoumaru was not going to be easy. The two human girls sighed and looked at one another shaking their heads.
"Will you just go help your brother with whatever is out there?"
"Not necessary." Sesshoumaru's voice hissed.
Kagome rolled her eyes, and took an uneasy breath. Inuyasha waved his hand out to his brother. "See? He doesn't need my help." Snorting, Inuyasha stocked past the girls ignoring the looks he was getting.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome warned.
He froze immediately. His left foot held up. Waiting, he winced. Turning around slowly, he grunted. "Fine!" He stalked up to his brother and snarled impatiently. "Let's get this over with so we can get out of here."
Sesshoumaru glared at his brother, turning away, he hissed. "What ever is out there, they mean us no harm."
Inuyasha felt his mouth drop. "So you're just going to allow them to follow us?"
Sesshoumaru felt his eyes narrow. "Yes."
Inuyasha sighed. Sometimes he really hated his brother. Cautiously, he approached Sesshoumaru. "Mind if I ask you something?"
Sesshoumaru snarled. "What?"
"Since I am no longer a hanyou, at least I don't think I am, what sorts of abilities do I have?"
"Why are you asking me?" Sesshoumaru frowned.
"Well, you are a youkai. I thought you would know seeing as you know everything."
Sesshoumaru took a deep breath for patience, ignoring the snarl of rage that threatened to escape his lips. "You may not smell like a human anymore, Inuyasha, but your stupidity hasn't changed."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Inuyasha fumed, walking beside his brother.
"I am only doing this because your human girl asked it." Sesshoumaru hissed. "I am not willing to help you, or accept you, just because your appearance has changed."
Inuyasha snorted. "She is not my human."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. 'How little you know.' He thought. "What is that thing around your neck?"
Shrugging, Inuyasha touched it. "Kaede put a curse on me, when I was first released from the sacred tree."
Nodding, Sesshoumaru looked away from his brother. "So if this Kaede placed this curse on you what is the significance of sit?"
Inuyasha winced. "She gave the curse to Kagome." Inuyasha muttered. "Every time she says that word; well you've seen what happens." He lowered his head and looked at his feet as he walked. No matter how much he hated his older brother, the shame he felt at being so weak when a single word was uttered, he couldn't bring himself to look at his stronger brother.
Sesshoumaru snorted.
"I thought you hated humans." Inuyasha lifted his head, changing the subject. He looked at Rin.
"I do."
"Then why do you travel with one?" Inuyasha asked confused.
"She is different."
"How?"
Sesshoumaru snarled. "Just keep your senses on the two in the trees."
"Two?" Inuyasha glanced back over his shoulder.
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Kagome was right about us being able to protect ourselves. They can't. If you wish to learn your own abilities, you must concentrate rather then be so rash and impatient. Idle talk will not help you figure things out."
Inuyasha stared at his brother surprised. Falling silent, he wondered if he could use his hands like Sesshomaru used his right hand. The energy whip that erupted from his brother's fingers was deadly. "Will that work here?"
Sesshoumaru looked at him confused. "Will what work here?"
"Your energy whip?"
Sesshoumaru lifted his hand and looked at his fingers. "I'm not sure." He lowered his hand and continued walking.
"You don't seem concerned." Inuyasha lifted his own hand and looked at it.
"Should I be?"
Inuyasha sighed. "Would I be able to transform my appearance?"
"Shut up, Inuyasha."
"Can you?"
Sesshoumaru's right arm struck out and caught his brother by the throat. "Shut up, Inuyasha." He hissed, dropping his brother to the ground.
"Grump." Inuyasha growled softly on the ground rubbing his throat. At least he had gotten the last word in, he smirked. Frowning, a strange scent reached his nose. Getting to his feet, he sniffed the air cautiously. Placing the sleeve of his red hakama to his face, covering his nose, he winced at the foul stench that came out of the woods.
Sesshoumaru stopped also frowning. Turning around he wrinkled his nose. This wasn't the smell of any youkai he had ever come across. The evil was there, but it was definitely not a youkai. Glancing over his shoulder, Kagome and Rin both stood there looking at them curiously. His frown deepening, Sesshoumaru looked back to the trees. Sniffing carefully, he detected the same scent from the two that followed them, so it wasn't those two whose stench filled the air.
Inuyasha backed up, his nose still covered. "Uhh. What is that?" He hissed, now breathing through his mouth.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. He stood still, watching. He heard heavy foot falls, running carelessly in the bush, seemingly surrounding them. "Now is as good a time as any." He hissed.
Inuyasha glanced at his brother, and then noticed his right hand lift slowly. Two fingers rose to his face and his nails glowed with a greenish white light. Inuyasha reached to his left side to grab Tessaiga but his hand connected with air. Groaning, he remembered that they were weaponless. Swallowing, he silently watched what his brother was doing, and lifted his own hand glancing at it curiously.
Shaking his hand, nothing happened. Sighing, he lowered his hand; he would have to use his iron reaper attack. "Just get those two out of here, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru hissed.
"We have no idea what is out there."
"They are not youkai." Sesshoumaru snarled.
Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "However they stink."
Sesshoumaru smirked. Sounds of sword clashing filled the air, and both brothers stood confused. Growls of rage filled the air, and shouts. Lowering his hand, Sesshoumaru turned around walking away from the sounds. "It seems our watchers have decided to intervene. Come, we're leaving."
Inuyasha watched his brother walk toward Kagome and Rin. "Where are we supposed to go? If you haven't noticed, this isn't our era."
"Well we already know we can't return through the well." Sesshoumaru said pointedly. "You showed us that."
"Shut up." Inuyasha growled, a faint pink tinting his cheeks.
More crashing came out of the woods a head of them, and Inuyasha lifted his head higher in surprise. "What is that?"
Sesshoumaru was already moving; however the speed that he possessed was much slower. Even Inuyasha's speed had diminished. A rather ugly beast raced out of the woods and snatched Rin right out of Kagome's grip, then another rushed out and grabbed her, before either of the brothers' had a chance to race half the distance. The ugly beasts raced into the bush on the other side of the path, and Sesshomaru wasted no time to change his course and follow.
Neither brother was slow, and they gained ground quickly, however they were much slower then they had been in their own era. Sesshoumaru stood in the trees and glared at the ugly beast that now held both girls at knife point, while the other advanced on them with a sword drawn.
His mouth turning downward into an irritated frown, Sesshomaru lifted his hand to his face. Inuyasha flexed his hand and growled low in his throat, his temper rising to higher limits then he had experienced before.
Sesshoumaru felt the change in his brother and snarled. "Keep your emotions under control."
Inuyasha, confused as he was, nodded. Sounds of pursuit reached them, and Inuyasha noticed the small distraction in the beast that approached them with the sword. Without another thought, he charged the beast shouting with rage. He dropped to the ground though, when the other ugly thing barked a warning. "Strike and these two die!"
Inuyasha froze crouched on the ground. Narrowing his eyes, he slid his gaze to Sesshoumaru who still looked at their foes irritated. He didn't move, nor speak. He didn't even bat an eyelash when the misshapen thing barked its warning. Sesshoumaru remained still, only watching, however, the younger brother noticed he was also listening. The older brother's eyes moved slightly as a whistling sound filled the air, and a being dropped out from the trees, before the arrow hit its mark. The beast's arm that held the girls at knife point flew to the side as the arrow connected with it.
Blinking, Inuyasha stood and stared at the lithe being who fired another arrow, which connected with the same beast but this time in the throat, knocking him to the ground instantly. Another being flew from the trees slicing the ugly beast holding the sword in half before he had a chance to turn around.
Sesshoumaru lowered his hand and also stared. Inuyasha blinked again, then shook his head as Kagome and Rin stumbled over to them. He was looking at mirror images. The two beings that stood there were identical to one another.