Quieted into silence. He'd expect this kind of treatment from children. Whether or not the other was a good yōkai didn't matter much, though Inuyasha had little reason to believe otherwise if children trusted him. But hearing those accusations did hurt. He was just a master when it came to hiding when he was hurt.

He waited a few moments, until the other man began leading the way. Sometimes you had to know when to be a follower. Inuyasha wasn't a stranger to listening to what others had to say. It was still beyond bizarre, a yōkai with no yōki?

"So what's the deal with you?" His voice wasn't as sharp as it had been earlier. "You're a yōkai, and you have no yōki at all. Did someone absorb it from you?" Inuyasha wasn't a stranger to that, either. It had been some time since he'd dealt with it, but there were many a time Tessaiga's yōki had been absorbed.

And he'd always successfully got it back, though often he sustained severe injuries in the process.

"Keh, y'don't gotta answer that. As long as the kid makes it back safe, I don't care."

Nor did the question bother him.

“I’ve never had any,” he explained. It held no more gravity than if they’d been discussing casual plans for tea.

And, there really was nothing more to it than that.

By then they’d made their way well into the woods past the far end of the field. There wasn’t time for conversation past that – for already he slowed, coming to a stop before a gnarled, well worn old tree. Perched upon it’s middle branches, a small, wooden structure could be seen.

“Hideo?” he called up to it.

It remained quiet, for a moment. Then, scuffling sounded from within the fort, followed by a quick patter of steps.

And there, a small form appeared by one of the building’s windows.

“Dan, I’ve gotta show you-“ the boy started before abruptly shutting his mouth. He’d caught sight of the other person by Dan’s side. Initially, he’d been moving to raise his hand, but the boy hid it back behind himself just as fast.

So the kid had a name. That didn't go unnoticed, if he had to shout for someone by name, he'd do so. This wasn't just about the Shikon Fragment. Now it was a matter of principle. No child was going to be lost in the woods where dangerous yōkai lurked. Especially if that kid couldn't defend themselves. Inuyasha knew what would happen. He'd slay a hundred yōkai for the sake of doing it before he let a child get themselves hurt.

"Keh. By sounds, and looks, y'know what you're doin' with these kids. I don't know what kinda yōkai you are, but I can tell you're not tryin' t'hurt them." A short pause, as Inuyasha stepped a bit closer. "You smell like one... yet I don't smell any yōki radiating off of you. There's somethin' really different about you."

What that something was could wait.

"Are ya gonna help me out or not? Either way, I'm gettin' what that brat stole from me. His name's Hideo, right? Keh." Inuyasha turned his head sharply. "Unless y'wanna sit around here makin' flower crowns while one of the village kids make for an appetizer to some yōkai."

“I apologize, but I must postpone your requests,” he explained to the group. “In the meantime, would you all return to the village and keep an eye out for Hideo?” the yōkai requested.

The children looked amongst themselves, hesitant.

“This is an important task. If Hideo returns, I want to be sure he is safe.”

At this, the children eventually nodded – most even looking determined before they offered their agreement and rushed off through the grass.

Once the last of them disappeared, Dan rose. Bare feet barely made a sound as he walked over to the stranger, taking up a place at his side.

“I have a guess as to where he might have gone,” the yōkai stated.

@danthekickingman Joins The Hunt For Shikon Fragments!

"Oi." And people say my eyebrows are intense. "You there. Eyebrow man." Inuyasha didn't pay any attention to the children around Dan. The butterflies were equally ignored. Why they wanted to crowd around the hanyō went beyond his comprehension, there were more important things to do than chase butterflies right now. "I need some information. I hear you're popular among the kids in this village."

Or so it looked. There wasn't time for concerning himself with anyone else's affairs. Once he was a few feet away, squinting at monarch butterflies that wouldn't leave him alone, Inuyasha forced himself to focus on the yōkai in front of him.

"One of those little brats stole somethin' important from me, and ran out of the village's borders. I don't got a name for him, but he had blue hair." It was a strange situation, so clearly a yōkai, yet had no yōki to smell on the wind. What kind of yōkai was this? "You might wanna look into the kid's whereabouts." His weight shifted, one brow raising. "This ain't just any trinket."

Arms folded against his chest, arms tucked away in his sleeves.

"I'm sure every yōkai in Japan's heard of the Shikon no Tama."

“You’ve gotta wait your turn if you want somethin,” one interrupted immediately. When Inuyasha continued, going on to describe a child presumably from the village, another started to murmur - “Whaa? Hideo found something cool and didn’t share-” before quickly being shushed by other children in the group.

Dan, meanwhile, looked on at the stranger with expression unchanged.

Calm. Unreadable.

A lie, oh well 

 When you’re gone goodbye, so long, farewell