And Life Goes On, Chapter 1: Inuyasha's Stupidity and Kagome's Decision
"FWARGH!" Kagome screamed eloquently. "SIT! Sit sit sit Sit Sit SIT SIT!"
There was a noise not unlike the solid and repetitive thunk-thunk of a truck driving down a bumpy, pot-holed road before one final, delicious WHAM! filled her ears.
The hanyou at her feet, on the other hand, was tasting the disgusting flavor of forest dirt and decomposing leaves.
Not far away, a monk, a demon-slayer, a two-tailed cat, and a small kitsune were watching the proceedings with looks of resignation and scant sympathy. Because, really…
"You think he would have learned by now," the kitsune said from his perch on the monk's shoulder.
The monk sighed seriously, meanwhile putting an arm around the demon-slayer and drawing her closer. "Indeed. It seems unlikely that the limits of his density will ever cease to astound."
He was rewarded with a red handprint from Sango as she shrugged his arm off her shoulders, highly aware that his hand had been curling around her neck and down towards her chest. "I could name another guy who fits that statement, too, you perverted hypocrite!" she told him angrily. And she probably would have continued if not for another barrage of sits from Kagome that made them all wince.
And then they all flinched when a steaming Kagome stomped her way towards them. "I'M GOING HOME! I'LL BE THERE FOR A WHILE, AND DON'T YOU DARE COME AND GET ME OR ELSE I'LL SIT" – BANG – "YOU SIX FEET UNDER, YOU JERK!"
"Nnnnrghhh…." came the inarticulate reply from the twitching heap of red fire rat fur and white hair.
"Ka…Kagome?" Shippo asked tentatively, still clinging to Miroku's shoulder.
"Yes, Shippo?" Kagome didn't stop walking, far too furious to look at him as they followed her towards Kaede's village.
"When…when will you come back?"
"I'm sorry, guys," she sighed, addressing all of them. "I think I'll be gone for a few weeks. I just…"
"It's okay, Lady Kagome," Miroku reassured her. "We understand. And we could use a break, too, I believe."
"He's right," Sango added as she hefted her giant boomerang. "We all have things we need to attend to. I need to tune up my boomerang and my sword at my village."
"And sleep sounds wonderful right now," Miroku said wistfully, catching on to Sango's actually quite valid point. He had been the one to do most of the running alongside Inuyasha while the ladies and kit rode on Kilala. And while he knew that Inuyasha hadn't been sprinting, he pretty much had been most of the time. He may have been the fittest human in the group, but he was just that: human, and Inuyasha seemed to forget it from time to time.
Like now, for instance. Inuyasha wished to press on and Miroku knew that all the humans were weary. Then again, Miroku was fairly certain that Inuyasha was tired, too. He didn't know how much sleep half-demons needed, but he was certain that it was more than a few hours a week, especially if he was running around slaying demons with a giant sword 'twenty-four seven,' as Kagome would put it. Yes. They all needed that break he had mentioned, even more than they thought.
"Mrow," Kilala added in agreement.
Shippo just looked at everyone with teary eyes, not voicing anything against that statement. As the youngest and therefore second-most protected member of the group, he didn't need the rest. On the other hand, he was also fairly astute, and therefore far more understanding than a certain hanyou.
"Thanks, guys," Kagome said gratefully as they reached the threshold to the old priestess' hut. "Kaede!"
"What is it, child? Back so soon?" Kaede walked towards them while mixing something in a bowl that sat in the crook of her arm. "I thought ye would take a few days at least to reach the village, yet hardly any time has passed." She checked the sun again.
"Actually, there's been a change in plans, Kaede," Kagome explained, her voice hardening. "Inuyash-" Her fists clenched by her side. "I'm going home for a few weeks. I just came back to ask you if there was anything you-"
"For a few weeks?" came a very cranky voice by the door.
Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala watched as Kagome took a deep, steady breath.
"Yes, Inuyasha. A few weeks. I have stuff I need to do there, too, you know."
Inuyasha must have heard the lightning in her voice because his ears went flat for a moment, but then he chose to ignore it, perking them up again with an arrogant flair. He made sure to cross his arms and give himself a casual, I'm-in-charge-here-and-YOU'RE-the-underdog image despite the fact that he was using the door as a crutch for his back – which was aching, by the way. Why the hell did she sit him like that! "Feh! You ain't going home for a few weeks, wench! We have jewel shards to find! Naraku's not gonna sit around for a month doing nothing, you know!"
"I won't be gone for a month," Kagome said through gritted teeth, still not turning around to face him. "I said I'll be gone for a few weeks. And I am well aware that Naraku will be active, but we did just give him a pretty nasty blow. He's not going to just pop up with yet another nefarious plot and attack us again!"
"Kagome's right, Inuyasha," Miroku spoke up, hoping to head off a second painful argument. "We dealt him a harsh blow, and he will need to recover."
"But then this is the perfect moment to strike him!" Inuyasha argued back. "He's weak!"
"So are we, Inuyasha. We need time to recuperate."
"No, we don't!" he snarled. "We are not weak!"
Sango frowned. "Inuyasha, if we get into another fight with Naraku, if we can even find him since he runs and hides whenever we've had a major battle, I can't promise that my weapons will hold. Miroku's sutras and other spiritual attacks have only been half as effective lately-"
"Hey!" the offended monk protested.
"You know it's true, monk. Kilala and Shippo need to rest periodically, too. And just look at Kagome!"
The half-dog demon ran a critical eye over her. She looked fine to him. Well enough to have a fight with him, sit him halfway to hell (at this rate, Kikyo wouldn't have to do anything but jump in after him through the hole his body made) and then stand there like a goddess of fury, her stance as strong as the trunk of the Goshinboku. What was Sango talking about?
"If we continue to run ourselves down in search of Naraku while he waits and gets stronger, we're not going to be able to defeat him."
Inuyasha twisted his head, regarding them all with one golden eye. "Fine, then. You weaklings rest here while I go and actually try to kill that bastard!" he sneered at them, about to leave.
That was the last straw and he knew it when Kagome flipped around. Adrenaline allowed her to ignore the dull stab from the half-healed gash in her side that she had gotten courtesy of a wayward sword as well as the number of small cuts and bruises all over her body from harsh meetings with various pointy objects or the ground in order to escape said pointy objects.
"InuyashaSITBOY!"
Whump.
"YOU JERK! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! WE HAVE JUST SPENT THE PAST FEW MONTHS CHASING NARAKU AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO ACCUSE US OF SLACKING?"
By now her voice had risen to a shriek, making everyone present cover their ears and Shippo and Kilala scamper away from the enraged girl. Inuyasha was out of luck, the spell only allowing him to flatten his ears in vain.
"I-"
"SIT!"
Oompf.
"Ooowww…"
"THREE WEEKS! I WILL BE GONE FOR THREE WEEKS! WE WILL REST FOR THREE WEEKS! UNDERSTAND?"
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo cringed at Inuyasha's mumbled reply.
"Yeah, yeah, you're weak and feeble, so you're gonna prance home and we're all gonna sit here for weeks doing nothin' while we wait for you."
"SIT! SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!"
…Augh!, Inuyasha thought, fingers and feet twitching. Right…on the edge…of the step!
Kagome snatched her bag. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll see you all in three weeks." Her tone was as cold as frost and made it clear that the 'all' included Inuyasha. Exclusively.
"Good-bye, Lady Kagome," Miroku replied courteously. Sango merely glared down at the immobile hanyou who had broken through Kaede's floor. "Enjoy your time at your home."
Deeming it safe enough since she hadn't bitten off Miroku's head, Shippo called after her cheerfully, "Bye, Kagome!"
A wave was their only answer.
Well, I hope you like this so far. Crummy title, I know, and not much plot or action in this chapter that really should be called a prologue, but hey, it was pretty fun to write.