"INUYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?! KAGOME? SANGO? MIROKU? ANYBODY?"
A dejected-looking Shippou sat down at the base of one of the many trees in the forest where he was wandering through. A few small tears welled up in his large green eyes when he saw that the golden sun was setting and his friends were still nowhere to be found.
"Night is getting close. I guess I'll just have to set up camp for tonight and find them tomorrow." He started picking up sticks to make a shelter when he saw silver hair on the ground.
"Was Inuyasha here?" He thought for a second, but then realized it was illogical- Inuyasha went to the future three days ago with Kagome to get basic supplies, so he wasn't anywhere near. But still, Shippou was curious so he picked up the hair and found it was a-
"HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" yelled the small fox demon in Shippou's hand. Startled, Shippou quickly dropped her and she hurriedly ran off.
"Wait up! Stay!!" Shippou called after her, knocking over the sticks that he had been working with, but she was long gone. He started running after the silver glint in the distance. As he was catching up, he noticed that she had a jar of jewel shards swinging from her hair ribbon. Her long silver hair was flying in the wind and from a distance she looked like a miniature Inuyasha. She threw a small toy in front of her and it became this large stunningly beautiful phoenix, which she hopped onto.
"Well, two can play at this game." muttered Shippou as he threw his horse toy and chased after her. Higher and higher she soared into the air, with Shippou in hot pursuit. She obviously was trying to shake him off her trail as she swerved back and forth until finally, it appeared that she was slowing down. Then, she dove off of her phoenix and down into the lake below. Immediately, Shippou threw a top after her, but she cast it away with her Fox Wind. She swam under the water as Shippou caught her phoenix (now returned to it's toy state) and rode his horse to the water.
"She has to surface someday." He thought, as he obliviously sat on his horse. Behind him, an aquamarine wave started growing larger and larger until it crashed and washed him, unconscious, to shore.
Miroku was in a small cottage by the edge of the forest, meditating, when he heard fervent rapping at the door. He snapped out of his trance and welcomed the visitor in. An exhausted and very wounded Sango collapsed in his doorway.
"Sango, are you all right?"
"Shippou.... He's gone..."
"What happened? Sango?"
She fainted onto his lap, and he brought her to a bed. He went over to Kagome's medicine case, which she had left in case of trouble, and pulled out bandages and antibiotic. He wrapped up the cuts on her arm, and then turned her over. A jagged cut went all the way down her back.
"Now this is a job I won't mind!" he commented to himself, as he undressed her upper body to get to the wound. He started rubbing the antibiotic on her shoulders and back, and then her rear end. She suddenly woke up, and by reflex, hit him hard across the face.
"What are you doing, you perverted monk?"
"I was, uh, bandaging your wounds."
She felt her pain again and fell back onto the bed, this time conscious. In modesty, she quickly pulled the covers over her bandaged, but somewhat exposed body.
"Thank you, houshi-sama."
"It was my pleasure." A perverted smirk crossed the monk's face. Sango glared at him.
"I just bet it was." She was about to roll over and go back to sleep when Miroku softly asked-
"What were you telling me about Shippou?"
"Oh, yes." She sat up again, tightly clutching the covers. "Well, since Inuyasha and Kagome are in the future, we needed something to cook. We had caught this rabbit when this large fox-demon came and started attacking us for the food that we had collected. He ate our rabbit whole and then started talking about how we 'stole his beautiful daughter'. I asked if it was the rabbit, but he responded that no, it was his fox demon, Kikura."
"Beautiful daughter, huh?"
"This wouldn't be your doing, would it, lech?"
"You know me- I never steal, just feel. But I haven't touched or even seen a fox-demon lately."
"Then I guess he wasn't making any sense. But he picked up Shippou and threw him deep into the woods! And he left me unarmed. When I tried to scurry in the direction of Shippou, he grabbed my hiraikotsu and ran off!"
"That's horrible. We have to go after him. But in your condition, what can you do?"
"I'll fight. I have to. My hiraikotsu is more than just a weapon; it has all of my memories, memories of sparring with Kohaku, training with Father, of my people and my times with you and Inuyasha. And anyways, I still have my katana. It should be in Kagome's backpack... Oh no! She's in the future and neither of us can get to her!"
"I could find you a sword. But you are too injured to battle."
"I couldn't fight with a sword that wasn't my own anyways - I'd lose."
"I'll help you. You won't lose, because I'll protect you. But don't worry about it. Just sleep- we'll start tomorrow morning."
"Th-thank you, houshi-sama", and she fell asleep.
Miroku went to the other bed and he too slowly drifted into sleep, waiting for morning and praying for both Sango and Shippou to be healthy and safe.