Chapter 24- Over the River and through the Woods

Inuyasha was beyond frustrated. He wanted to know why the curse was broken. He had been going over what he remembered over and over again to see if he could think of anything new but nothing else came to mind. It was just the same sequence of events over and over again. Once he and Kagome had finished their reunion, they returned to the others and they listened to him tell what happened.

"So let me get this straight…" said Shippo slowly. "You were the dog?"

"Pretty much," said Inuyasha bitterly.

"But how did that happen?" ask Sango.

"I told you," Inuyasha said in frustration. "Once we launched the attack on Naraku's castle, we were all hopelessly outnumbered and he decided that my punishment should be much harsher than the others."

*Flashback*

Inuyasha was tied with thick, heavy chains around his wrists and ankles. He knew that his attack on Naraku's castle was reckless and stupid, but he had to take this chance.

"Where are the others!" he demanded as a servant pulled his hair, forcing him to look up into Naraku's disgusting face.

Naraku walked around him with that smirk that Inuyasha hated more than anything. "Don't worry," he said in a dark voice that made his skin crawl. "The ones who weren't killed have been safely returned to Nalana mines; where they will work for the rest of their short lives. But you Inuyasha… I'm afraid that I can't allow you to leave with them."

"Keh, if you're going to kill me, then hurry up and get on with it!"

Naraku laughed, "Kill you? Kill you? Inuyasha I have a much more interesting plan in mind…"

*End of Flashback*

"So to make a long story short, Naraku put a curse on me that turned me into a dog," finished Inuyasha.

"But why would he do that?" asked Miroku thoughtfully. "I mean… he had his chance to kill you and not have to worry anymore…"

"This is Naraku we're dealing with though," said Sango harshly. "If he let Inuyasha live, then he must be planning something."

"What gets me though…" said Miroku looking at Inuyasha, "Is how the spell was broken. I highly doubt that it just wore off on its own."

Inuyasha shrugged, "Naraku said that there was only one way to break the curse."

"And that would be?" asked Kagome curiously.

"Was if… ah…" Inuyasha froze.

"What?" asked Shippo interestedly.

"Nothing," said Inuyasha. He turned to Kagome and asked her, "Kagome," he began. He figured he might as well go ahead and ask. "What happened after I feel asleep?"

Kagome stared at the ground. 'Should I tell him that I kissed him before I went to sleep?' she thought, but then added. 'No, bad idea.'

"I cleared a spot next to the tree for you and went to sleep," she said. 'It's not like I'm lying… I'm just not telling all I know,' she thought.

Inuyasha let out a defeated sigh. "Oh." Well that had gotten him nowhere.

*In the distance*

Rouyakan watched the group from where he was hidden from behind the trees. He looked around the camp and noticed a few things. First, it looked like the dog that had been with them only yesterday was gone. Second they had a new companion with them. Questions quickly clouded Rouyakan's thoughts. Where had that dog gone to and where did the half-demon come from? It was strangely coincidental that as soon as the mutt had disappeared they added a new person. The only way it would add up and make sense was if this person and the dog where one and the same.

Rouyakan thought for a moment before snickering. The dog and their new companion were one and the same. It sure explained a lot of things. A new question arose however. People didn't turn into enchanted animals without a reason. Though his mother had once told him that enchanted animals were rare. And there was only one way to break that kind of curse…

*Morning*

Eating and packing had surprisingly taken less time than Kagome had thought it would. While she and Satsuki were packing, Inuyasha had decided to use the time to get used to walking on two legs again, while Miroku and Sango had gone on a little ways ahead of them to see if they lost Rouyakan. Shippo had taken the opportunity to ask Inuyasha all about Nalana and if the rest of the resistance were ok after the invasion.

"I don't know," Inuyasha answered truthfully. "I last saw Koga and the others being dragged off by Naraku's men. I don't know what happened to them."

While they packed the rest of their belongings up Kagome told Satsuki everything that had happened up to their current point in time.

Well everything except for the kiss and a few… other things that she felt that Satsuki didn't need to know about. Leaving out a few details couldn't hurt anyone could it? It was the excuse in which Kagome tried to convince herself that that was the only reason she didn't tell anyone. The real reasons that she didn't want to talk about it was that she didn't feel comfortable sharing them with anyone, especially to a certain half-demon… at least not yet.

Kagome picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Well, I think that's everything," she said as Inuyasha made his way back over to them with Shippo on his shoulder. "I think we should travel along the river for a little bit and see where that leads us."

Satsuki nodded as she got back to her feet picking up her basket of sweets along the way. Basket of sweets? Her eyes widened. Grandma! Her grandmother must've been worried that she hadn't shown up yesterday. She almost considered going back there to see if she was alright, but Kikyo had told her to go with Kagome when she met up with her. 'I'm sure everything is all taken care of,' she thought.

The small group walked along the river in silence for a long while, trying to find Miroku and Sango. Occasionally Kagome found herself glancing up at Inuyasha, studying him more in depth then she had last night or in the morning. If she had been asked to describe Inuyasha in one word the one that came to mind was… different. He seemed to be have a bad-boy attitude, and rough around the edges; but he seemed to have a gentle side, and didn't know how to express his feelings. She couldn't believe that this was the same sweet little boy she met in that house so long ago.

He seemed so different… and yet…

…he seemed right. Everything about him just seemed to fit; his golden eyes, his long silver skin, his toned body, even his attitude.

Everything.

Lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed that the others had stopped walking. She bumped into something hard and fell backwards; at least until a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Looking up she saw that the one that she was thinking about, was the one that had kept her from meeting the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her back up into a stable standing position.

Blushing crimson at his touch, Kagome nodded. She quickly stepped away from him and looked around to find the reason why they had stopped. There was a bridge across the river with the path they had been looking for.

"About time we found the path," Inuyasha stated rather unnecessary as they crossed over the bridge.

The new found path seemed to flow rather smoothly and eventually led them to a fork in the road. "Which way?" Satsuki asked as she studied both paths. One looked like a carry-over of the path that they had been traveling on; it looked calm and easy going. The other one however… the trees were all bent and twisted… a creepy mist seemed to lightly cover the road. (Like the two paths in Beauty and the Beast)

"Yeah," Shippo asked shaking slightly. "And where are Miroku and Sango? We should've met up with them by now."

Kagome studied the two paths for a moment before she closed her eyes. She lifted a hand and pointed towards a path. "This way… we'll meet up with the others soon," she announced as she opened her eyes to see that she chose the darker path.

Satsuki's eyes widened at the choice. "A-are you sure?" she asked, her voice strained. She didn't mean to question Kagome's choice, but why did it have to be that path? There was no telling what could happen if they went down that path. At least the other path didn't look as creepy.

Kagome nodded, "Yes, let's go."

"If you're sure… not that it matters to me or nothing," Inuyasha whispered as he, Shippo, and Satsuki followed her.

*In the distance*

Rouyakan grinned to himself as he watched them start down a new path. He couldn't ask for a more luck! The lack of light almost completely made it so he could follow them easy without them knowing.

*Farther down the road*

Hakudoshi was sitting up in a tree, bored out of his skull. Jumping through the trees, he glanced down at the trail; as he did, he noticed Inuyasha was, not only free from the curse, but had joined with the few remaining members of the resistance who were still free.

'But that's impossible,' he thought to himself. 'How could Inuyasha be free of the curse? The only way to break the curse is if…'

His eyes fell on the young woman who was walking right next to Inuyasha and smirked. "Oh I see now. That anwers one question… but where are they headed?" he mused to himself. From the looks of it they looked like they were headed towards where Juromaru and Kageromaru were busy looking for the jewel.

As he tried to think of what he could do, a wolf demon came into his line of sight. 'Ha, this is just too perfect.'

He could certainly use this to his advantage. He smirked to himself as he dropped down off the branch and right behind Rouyakan.

*Back with Rouyakan*

Rouyakan had been close behind them until something or rather someone dropped right behind him. "Who are you?" he growled at the child dressed all in white, and with the ghastly skin.

"Allow me to get right to the point. I am Hakudoshi and I was wondering if you would like to do something for me."

Rouyakan studied the child in front of him. "Do something? Do what?"

Hakudoshi tilted his head to the side before saying, "I know you're following Inuyasha and his friends, and I don't want them to go down this path."

Rouyakan raised a fuzzy eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because I don't think Naraku would appreciate it very much."

Rouyakan's mouth formed an 'o' shape, and he glupped. "Alright, I'll help you," he said shaking with terror.

Hakudoshi smirked, "Get going."

*Inuyasha gang*

Satsuki's eyes widened as she looked around them. Every which way she looked were old, decrepit trees with branches bent down so far that it looked like they were trying to lean down a grab them. Light was barely visible more so than it had been before and the hooting sounds of the owls seemed to echo, causing chills to shiver up her spin. "Kagome, are you sure that this is the right way?" she asked as she ducked under a branch.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I can't explain it, but I just know that this is the right way, and we're going to meet up with Miroku and Sango soon."

Inuyasha sighed as the teen lead them down the winding path. 'Why would magic lead us down this path? Why would it hurt someone as kind as Kagome? Or as pretty… shut up! I'm not going to think about that. Not right now.' Inuyasha turned red as he shook his head, trying to erase his thoughts.

Satsuki and Shippo glanced that way that very moment noticed this and blinked. "Inuyasha? Are you alright?"

He froze at the sound of Satsuki's voice, his mind trying to come up with an excuse. "It's nothing. I'm fine, come on. We're falling behind." Inuyasha took off running trying to catch up with Kagome so Satsuki wouldn't see his cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"What was that about?" Shippo asked Satsuki as he studied Inuyasha for a moment. Satsuki smiled when she noticed the way Inuyasha was looking at Kagome. "You don't think…?" she asked slowly. "That… is it possible that Inuyasha could have feelings for Kagome?"

"No way!" Shippo hissed quietly; but he thought it over for a moment, "You really think…?"

They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't realize just how far they was falling behind the other two. "HEY! WAIT FOR US!" they both called as they ran to catch up with them.

*A little later*

A strong wind blew by and carried not only the owl's hoots, but a wolf's how as well. Satsuki's heart nearly stopped. "Is Rouyakan still following us?" she asked shakily. Inuyasha stopped walking and started to smell the air. "Damn, that wolf just doesn't know when to give up, does he?"

As if on cue the bushes rustled before a large demon with an enormous head and wide red eyes, dressed in samurai armor came into their sight. He licked his wide lips as he eyes the little demon, two humans, and half-demon. He was trying to choose which one of them was going to be his next meal. His eyes met Kagome's brown ones and he smiled maliciously, bearing his teeth. Her mind going numb, Kagome pulled Satsuki behind her and she began backing up.

Fury burning inside him, Inuyasha launched a full out assault on Rouyakan, knocking him flat on his back.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, "Take Satsuki and Shippo and run. I'll deal with this low-life."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Inuyasha really asking them to just leave him behind? "But Inu…"

"Just do it!" he screamed as he turned back towards the wolf-demon. He wasn't really in the mood for an argument right now.

Kagome glanced at Shippo and Satsuki who both looked scared. "Let's go. Come on," she said as she took them both by their hands and the three of them backed off slowly; trying not to draw Rouyakan's attention. When they were out of sight, they walked on for a little while but soon stopped. "I hope Inuyasha's going to be alright," Satsuki wondered outloud. "Rouyakan looks more vicious than normal."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Kagome said, though it felt like she was just saying to convince herself. 'No, I'm sure that Inuyasha can handle that demon. He's going to be alright. He has to be alright.'

She didn't know what she should do. A part of her kept telling her to take the children and run… but the other part…

"We should go back there."

"What?" asked Shippo horrified.

"We should go back there and help. It's not right just leaving him there. We have to help somehow."

Satsuki blinked, "How?"

Kagome looked at Satsuki and asked, "You still have those sweets don't you?"