A/N: And the next chappie, written in a single burst of inspiration, which
you can thank Thunk and Aya for. They're such nice kiddies.
"Kagome's Suspicion"
Something was wrong; had been wrong for a while now. Kagome was certain of it.
Shippou was nervous, Sango's concentration was shot, and Inu-Yasha was acting even more aloof and angry than usual. Only Miroku seemed oblivious to whatever was slowly infuriating everyone else, and if it had been anyone but the monk, she might've been suspicious. Miroku was probably the most powerful human she'd ever met, however, so if he didn't seem to notice, he was probably only pretending in hopes of calming the others.
Right?
Unless the something that was wrong was Miroku himself . . .
She shook her head fiercely. That was ridiculous.
"Shippou," she called softly, and the kitsune instantly leapt from Miroku's arms and back to her shoulder, breathing in deeply as soon as he touched her. It was almost as if he'd been holding his breath while with Miroku.
"I saw a very pretty hime yesterday," he said quietly. "She was wearing a yellow kimono."
Was it her imagination, or had Miroku just twitched? No, of course not- it made sense that he'd be interested. After all, Shippou was talking about a pretty girl.
"So what?" Inu-Yasha asked brusquely, glaring back at them.
"She was in the city, and a youkai attacked . . . " Shippou began slowly, and Sango stiffened. Kagome knew she hadn't imagined that. "She got separated from the soldiers she was with, and I saved her from a man who was going to . . . um . . . " He winced.
"You should've just left the bitch to herself," Inu-Yasha said irritably. "You can't draw attention to yourself."
"But he would've hurt her!" Shippou protested.
"Keh," Inu-Yasha snorted. "So what? She's just a human."
"She smelled nice," Shippou said softly. "Kinda like Miroku used to."
" ' . . . Used to'?" Miroku asked, raising an eyebrow and stopping in his tracks.
"Maybe you'd smell better if you bathed more," Inu-Yasha said with a nasty smirk.
"I beg your pardon; I bathe far more than you, little doggy," Miroku huffed, but his eyes never left Shippou. Unthinkingly, Kagome tightened her grip on the child. For a moment, Miroku had looked almost like he wanted to swallow Shippou into the Kazaana.
Sango rubbed at her forehead. "Miroku," she asked oddly, "wasn't there . . . a youkai the other day? I remember a youkai with . . . purple eyes." She winced and rubbed harder.
"Sango-chan," Kagome said worriedly, reaching towards her friend with concern in her eyes. The exterminator waved her off.
"I'm fine," she insisted. Sango stumbled on for a few more steps and collapsed, Miroku catching her without even looking and cradling her against his side.
"All right there, Sango?" he asked, sounding almost amused.
"Get . . . off me, Houshi-sama," she said through gritted teeth.
Kagome felt a shiver go up her spine. For some reason, seeing Sango so close to Miroku worried her. As if she were expecting some kind of attack. As if . . .
Wait. It was impossible, but . . .
"Miroku-sama only has two Shikon shards," she realized in horror.
The monk jerked in surprise and stared at her for a moment. "W-What?" he choked.
"Idiot!" Inu-Yasha yelled. "Why didn't you tell us you'd lost a shard?!"
"I had . . . three?" Miroku's eyes widened and he nearly dropped the still- dizzy Sango. "Then- oh, SHIT!" The language startled the others, but it wasn't like it wasn't warranted. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT . . . " he wailed.
"Come on," Inu-Yasha said, spinning on his heel. "Maybe we can still-"
Kagome's eyes narrowed and her head snapped to the left. "I sense . . . a Shikon shard!" she cried, pointing in the direction the feeling came from. "That way- it's very far off, but I'm certain!"
"Then let's GO!" Inu-Yasha shouted, pulling Kagome and Shippou onto his back and tearing off before Kirara even finished transforming.
"Dammit!" 'Miroku' cursed. "How could I have let that boy get away with a shard?!"
Sango gritted her teeth and glared up at him. "Stop wasting time, Houshi- sama- we have to find it!" She swung a leg over Kirara's back and grabbed the man by the back of his robes and pulled him on. "Hurry up! We can't let a shard get away, especially not if a youkai has it!"
"Indeed," Miroku agreed in a low voice. "That would be rather . . . counterproductive."
* tbc . . . *
"Kagome's Suspicion"
Something was wrong; had been wrong for a while now. Kagome was certain of it.
Shippou was nervous, Sango's concentration was shot, and Inu-Yasha was acting even more aloof and angry than usual. Only Miroku seemed oblivious to whatever was slowly infuriating everyone else, and if it had been anyone but the monk, she might've been suspicious. Miroku was probably the most powerful human she'd ever met, however, so if he didn't seem to notice, he was probably only pretending in hopes of calming the others.
Right?
Unless the something that was wrong was Miroku himself . . .
She shook her head fiercely. That was ridiculous.
"Shippou," she called softly, and the kitsune instantly leapt from Miroku's arms and back to her shoulder, breathing in deeply as soon as he touched her. It was almost as if he'd been holding his breath while with Miroku.
"I saw a very pretty hime yesterday," he said quietly. "She was wearing a yellow kimono."
Was it her imagination, or had Miroku just twitched? No, of course not- it made sense that he'd be interested. After all, Shippou was talking about a pretty girl.
"So what?" Inu-Yasha asked brusquely, glaring back at them.
"She was in the city, and a youkai attacked . . . " Shippou began slowly, and Sango stiffened. Kagome knew she hadn't imagined that. "She got separated from the soldiers she was with, and I saved her from a man who was going to . . . um . . . " He winced.
"You should've just left the bitch to herself," Inu-Yasha said irritably. "You can't draw attention to yourself."
"But he would've hurt her!" Shippou protested.
"Keh," Inu-Yasha snorted. "So what? She's just a human."
"She smelled nice," Shippou said softly. "Kinda like Miroku used to."
" ' . . . Used to'?" Miroku asked, raising an eyebrow and stopping in his tracks.
"Maybe you'd smell better if you bathed more," Inu-Yasha said with a nasty smirk.
"I beg your pardon; I bathe far more than you, little doggy," Miroku huffed, but his eyes never left Shippou. Unthinkingly, Kagome tightened her grip on the child. For a moment, Miroku had looked almost like he wanted to swallow Shippou into the Kazaana.
Sango rubbed at her forehead. "Miroku," she asked oddly, "wasn't there . . . a youkai the other day? I remember a youkai with . . . purple eyes." She winced and rubbed harder.
"Sango-chan," Kagome said worriedly, reaching towards her friend with concern in her eyes. The exterminator waved her off.
"I'm fine," she insisted. Sango stumbled on for a few more steps and collapsed, Miroku catching her without even looking and cradling her against his side.
"All right there, Sango?" he asked, sounding almost amused.
"Get . . . off me, Houshi-sama," she said through gritted teeth.
Kagome felt a shiver go up her spine. For some reason, seeing Sango so close to Miroku worried her. As if she were expecting some kind of attack. As if . . .
Wait. It was impossible, but . . .
"Miroku-sama only has two Shikon shards," she realized in horror.
The monk jerked in surprise and stared at her for a moment. "W-What?" he choked.
"Idiot!" Inu-Yasha yelled. "Why didn't you tell us you'd lost a shard?!"
"I had . . . three?" Miroku's eyes widened and he nearly dropped the still- dizzy Sango. "Then- oh, SHIT!" The language startled the others, but it wasn't like it wasn't warranted. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT . . . " he wailed.
"Come on," Inu-Yasha said, spinning on his heel. "Maybe we can still-"
Kagome's eyes narrowed and her head snapped to the left. "I sense . . . a Shikon shard!" she cried, pointing in the direction the feeling came from. "That way- it's very far off, but I'm certain!"
"Then let's GO!" Inu-Yasha shouted, pulling Kagome and Shippou onto his back and tearing off before Kirara even finished transforming.
"Dammit!" 'Miroku' cursed. "How could I have let that boy get away with a shard?!"
Sango gritted her teeth and glared up at him. "Stop wasting time, Houshi- sama- we have to find it!" She swung a leg over Kirara's back and grabbed the man by the back of his robes and pulled him on. "Hurry up! We can't let a shard get away, especially not if a youkai has it!"
"Indeed," Miroku agreed in a low voice. "That would be rather . . . counterproductive."
* tbc . . . *