Chapter 10: Fish
In total the two traveled five days and six nights before Kagome deemed them out of harm's way. It was on the afternoon of the sixth day when they came across a den in the side of a small hill. The opening was barely big enough for Kagome to slide through, but the dwelling inside was wide and spacious.
A part of Kagome wondered what happened to the creatures that had once lived there, but another part was just thankful for them to have found a place to rest until they were located by one of their groups. The pair stuck together as they searched out the surroundings and got a baring of their location.
Nearby there was a large stream, wide enough to bathe in, and to her surprise housed fish. Rin excitedly told Kagome that she was good at catching fish, and Kagome agreed that for the first time they would light a fire. Thankfully she had found some flint during their journey otherwise the task would have been next to impossible.
She sat on the bank as she watched the young girl scoop up the fish with her bare hands, "Rin-chan, who taught you to catch fish like that?"
"Master Jaken," Rin grinned widely at her, "Lord Sesshomaru said I needed to be able to feed myself just in case, so Master Jaken taught me about berries and fishing."
Kagome smiled softly at the child's ability to not let the darker things in life weigh heavily on her. She couldn't say the same. She felt almost useless having been kidnapped again. Though, she supposed this time she had gotten out on her own and with Rin in safe condition too. And she had obviously done well in throwing off their trail otherwise they would be back in the Shiro by now.
So maybe she wasn't so useless, as they were free, but they were still lost. She wished she had taken more time to get to know Japan's layout rather than let Inuyasha lead them everywhere they went. She had trusted the half-demon so much it had led to her downfall now. Because, safe from Naraku as they were, it might just mean they were safe from their friends too.
Once Rin had deposited five fish on the bank, Kagome told her it was enough. She helped the young girl undress, before undressing herself and joined her in the freezing water. The stream barely went up to her knees, but she would have to make do. She gently laid down in the water and scrubbed the days of mud from her skin. After she was clean, she worked on Rin, who enjoyed her attention greatly.
She left the young girl to splash in the stream behind her as she pulled their clothes into the water and washed them. They would be stained, but they couldn't very well remain naked until their friends arrived. She desperately told herself not to use the word if. It wasn't if, it was when. Her friends, or Sesshomaru, would arrive. Not if, when.
Once their clothes were washed, the pair donned their wet outfits. Kagome used a flat sharp rock to gut and skin the fish. Unable to leave the heads, she removed them with difficulty, but managed. They carried their clean catch back to their den. They found sticks that would work for holding them, and once set, they made the fire pit and started the fire.
Kagome watched her young charge, as the girl gently turned the fish to make sure they didn't burn. There was no telling how long they would be out there fending for themselves. There was no way to know, not if, when their friends would show up. So they would have to use this time to get to know each other better. She just hoped that if they came to care for each other, they wouldn't have to be separated when their groups found them.