I am a big fat liar. That's right, you heard it here first. Leah lies.
Because I said I only had a couple chapters left to go, oh, two chapters ago and I haven't actually finished yet...That's right, there's more chapters after this "last" one. Because I'm a person that can't shut up and lets a story get too involved...damn me.
I don't know if this is a good thing or not. I'm hoping it is. But one can never be too sure. ^-^x
Anyhow, yes, I've made it to thirteen chapters. It just so happens that thirteen is my lucky number and favourite number and this is one of my favourite chapters. Huzzah am I. Yes, I like a chapter! *dies* What is this world coming to?
As always, thank you all for putting up with my evilness for so long. And yes, it's been a rather long time...I really wish I could do more for you that have kept with me and supported me through this. I just feel like my thank you paragraph is never enough...I don't think anything can ever be enough to show just how thankful I am for all your lovely words. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times over, thank you.
And now, for the story.
Where Lost Souls Meet Again
Chapter Thirteen: Something Like a Star
The half-demon's cry echoed throughout the clearing, reverberating off the trees. Next to him, Miroku stared on in stunned disbelief, his eyes focused on the laughably small bundle of fur clutched in the dead demon's claws. Pieces of cloth hung down from the creature's nails and draped across its forearm, along with tufts of red fur. In the dimming light, the priest could just barely make out what looked like huge gashes down the side of the larger demon's face, as well as burn marks across its torso and arms. 'They fought here, that's obvious,' Miroku mused as he looked over the wounds on the larger demon. 'But when? why? What happened to make it so?'
Looking around anew, the monk noticed large scorch marks and furrows in the ground around the two demons. Some of the burns were small, others a good ten paces in diameter. He squinted. Was that...the remains of a demon's arm? And there-yes, he could see it clearly now! Demons, dozens of them, lay scattered about, their bodies distended, scorched, torn and maimed, just like the ogre that had Shippou in its grasp. But why? "What...what happened here...?"
A rather strong wind picked up, swirling around in the night-time air and around the area, encouraging the smell of death to lift up from the ground and waft about the three standing near the trees. Next to him, Sango let out a strangled cry and fell to her knees, hand over her mouth. Miroku knelt beside her, wiping away the tears that streaked down her face and pulling her close; she clung to him and cried, her voice loud in the frightening twilight silence that permeated the field.
"Sango..." he whispered, his lips pressed into her dark hair. She shuddered and cried some more, her face buried into his chest and her arms gripping the arms of his sleeves tightly. Her entire body quivered as it was racked by her sobs. Miroku could feel his heart tearing apart, even as he held her close. 'Sango, I'm so sorry. I can't do anything to help you...Gods, why? Why is all this sadness happening now?' Tightening his arms around her, her gently kissed the top of her head, trying his best to soothe her. "Shh, don't cry, Sango. Don't cry..."
She shook her head, hiccoughing back her tears as she whimpered: "No, I don't want to. I don't want to..." As her voice trailed away and her weeping grew stronger, Miroku couldn't help but keep the tears from lightly tracing down his cheeks.
Tilting her head upward with a gentle finger, he looked into her tear-filled eyes with his own. Leaning in, he gave her a light kiss on the forehead, then pulled her back to him when her lips began to tremble with a renewed bout of crying. He ran his fingers through her hair, whispering the whole time: "Sango, shh, don't cry. Please, dearest, don't cry..."
"He's right, Sango," Inuyasha added, his eyes locked on Shippou's small frame. "We can't just sit here and cry. We have to move along. I, for one, am gonna find the bastards that did this and I'll kill them all. They'll all die."
Something about his voice was cold, heartless and Miroku felt a shiver run up his spine. 'Inuyasha...' Without even realising it, he pulled his crying love closer, as though to protect her from those frightening words.
The boy continued on, however, his voice steady and cold. "But crying won't get you anywhere, so get up." For a brief moment, the half-breed broke his almost hypnotic gaze with Shippou to turn burning eyes on the weeping demon hunter. "Get up."
Miroku's head snapped up as he hissed: "Let her be, Inuyasha!"
The demon growled, his eyes shadowed. "I will not let her just sit here and cry when we have to avenge Shippou! Crying won't solve anything!"
The priest stood up, then, gently placing his sniffling lover to the ground. When he was sure she was settled, he whirled around, finger pointed at his friend's scowling face. "If she's sad she has every right to cry, Inuyasha! Sure, I'm trying to calm her, but I'm not telling her she can't! And you! You spent eight months pining away for Kagome, you can at least have the decency to give her eight minutes! You arrogant, selfish bastard! Why don't you think of others for once?"
"I am!" he retorted, arms flung. "Kagome may still be alive, but if we don't save her from my brother, she won't be! And we don't know why Shippou is...is...we don't know! But if it was to save Kagome, then we can't waste what he gave us by sitting here crying! You think I'm not sad? You think I don't want to grieve for my friend? You're the arrogant, selfish bastard then if you think that and are willing to waste the precious time that we have left to save our-your-friend!" Flushed, the dog-demon turned away from the priest, gulping in air. When he had calmed sufficiently, he whispered: "Please get her up, priest. I don't want to waste this moment."
Dumbstruck, Miroku nodded. He hadn't thought of it that way, he conceded and looking at it so, he was being the selfish one. Shippou had died for them...was looking down upon them now from his resting place...and here he was, wasting the time the kitsune had bought. Guilt weighed down on his shoulders and he turned away from the half-demon, eyes downcast. 'Forgive me, Inuyahsa. I guess I am the fool this time...' Kneeling down again, he pulled Sango into his arms and helped her to stand, wiping away her remaining tears with gentle fingers.
"Inuyasha's right," he murmured to her as he brushed away the wetness on her face. As much as it hurts and we want to grieve, we can't sit here and cry." She shook her head, lips pressed tightly together to keep from crying, her eyes wide and glistening. He nodded and shushed her again. "Yes, my dear. We can't just sit here forever." When she tried to shake her head again, he cupped her chin in his fingers and kept her face still-she flinched at the pressure. "Please, my love, don't make this any harder on us. Please...I promise you, we can grieve later. We can grieve for as long as you like, then, but please...for now...don't cry anymore..."
At first he thought she was going to shake her head again, then she simply nodded and leaned against him, hands pressed to his chest and head buried beneath his chin. "Fine," she whispered hoarsely, fingers gouging into his robes. "We can go. But you promised me and I won't forget that..."
He nodded into her hair, then kissed it gently. That's all he needed to hear.
They took a moment more to look up at the small fox-demon, then began walking forward, circumventing the edge of the clearing. The sun was almost completely gone, its light tingeing the distant water and dark horizon, but leaving the travellers in poor illumination. The large demon that squatted in the clearing now stood as a dark obelisk, undefined and frightening in the dark. No one could see Shippou's shape anymore.
As they began to pass by the demon's side, however, Sango stopped and turned around, running back the way they'd come. Miroku called out, knocked off balance by her sudden departure. Inuyasha scowled and jumped after her, heading the demon hunter off before she got too far.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? Are you stupid or something? We have to keep moving or Kagome might-"
"Inuyasha, I just heard Shippou call out to us!"
Inuyasha's mouth hung open, mid-word, as he took in what his companion just said. "Shippou...?" he muttered, confused. But Shippou was dead...he'd seen his body in the claws of that demon! "Sango, Shippou is dead. You're delusional. He can't say anything!"
She shook her head fervently, trying her best to get around the steadfast half-breed. "I heard him!" she cried, ducking around his arms and running forward. Inuyasha just jumped in front of her again, blocking her path. Exasperated, the demon hunter smacked his shoulders-hard-and cried: "Inuyasha, let me go! I know what I heard!"
"Listen, Sango, it isn't possible! The dead can't talk!"
"I know what I heard, Inuyasha! Let me go!"
He shook his head, grasping her wrists in his to keep her from moving. "No, you're not going back there! It won't help you any!"
She scowled and fought with him some more, tears in her eyes. Struggling with him, she hissed: "I heard him, Inuyasha. Let me go back to him! We can't leave him like this!"
"Sango, no! It isn't possible!"
"I know what I heard!"
"No! Shippou is--!"
Then he heard it. It was so quiet, so strained that he had to listen very carefully to catch it again. But it was there and he wasn't hearing things. Shippou's voice...he could hear Shippou's voice calling them back.
"Inu...ya...sha...back...please...come back..."
Pivoting on his heel, the dog-demon dashed back, the ground ripping up from beneath his feet. As he came back around the large, blackened demon, Inuyasha tore inward, covering the distance from the tree line to his captured friend in a heartbeat. He jumped the final distance, raking his claws down the arm of the larger monster. The limb virtually disintegrated under his attack and Shippou tumbled forward, his small body plummeting toward the ground as the last of his support gave way.
"Inuyasha! Grab Shippou!"
Twisting his body around as he fell back to the ground, Dog Boy scrambled to grab the kitsune before the smaller demon hit. Enclosing the child in his arms, Inuyasha wrapped himself as much as he could around Shippou, then waited for the impact he knew was coming. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked instantly from his lungs and his head cracking against the ground as it snapped back from the momentum. 'It's worth it,' he gritted out, unfolding to expose a very weak kit. 'The runt's safe now, so it was worth it...'
Sango was the first to reach him, skidding across the ground and taking the cub up in her arms before she'd even come to a complete stop. Laying him down carefully, the demon hunter placed her head to Shippou's chest and listened for his heartbeat, all the while holding her breath. For a moment she couldn't hear anything and tears welled up in her eyes once more. 'No...no, he can't be dead! No...!'
Then she heard it.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The tears in her eyes doubled and Sango began sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe. He was alive! Shippou was alive! Leaning in again, she listened to the faint, life-giving beats of his heart, to the raspy, rattling breaths he pulled into his lungs. Even that hollow noise gave her joy. Her tears spilled from her cheeks, wetting the tattered remains of her friend's clothing and darkening his hair and face. "He's alive...!" she whispered, the words almost choked off by her sobs. "Inuyasha...Miroku...he's alive...!" Both nodded, too stunned for words.
For the longest time they simply knelt beside the kitsune, watching him as he breathed. At first, his chest rose only the barest fraction and his pallor was gray, like the dead. Then slowly, so slowly, he began to breathe stronger, his chest rising higher and higher each time. The gray and white shades to his skin darkened, the flesh becoming pink, then a healthier tan. The rattle in his throat disappeared.
Sango turned her head up to Miroku and smiled so brightly he couldn't help but return the gesture. Absently, she stroked Shippou's chest with small fingers, careful of his wounds. For a brief moment, Miroku almost thought of her as a mother, then shrugged it off. Now wasn't the time for such fantasies.
The priest knelt down beside her and placed a hand to the kit's forehead. Sango grinned at him. "Isn't this wonderful, Miroku?" she asked, looking back down at her charge and brushing her fingertips across his cheek. "He doesn't have a fever-and the rattle in his throat is gone. Isn't this wonderful...?"
He nodded and sat quietly, basking in the warmth of his love's happiness. He couldn't bring himself to mention the fact that Shippou wasn't awake and was still only hanging on by a thread. She didn't deserve such worry now.
Finally, Inuyasha leaned over and picked the smaller demon up, holding the boy close to his chest like a baby. Sango looked up at him, curious, but quelled any questions she harboured. Beside him, Miroku bit his lip, but also said nothing. He wasn't about to tell his friend to stop, even if he did feel Shippou needed to lay still. Of all of them, Inuyasha knew what to do with the injured demon most. So instead, he stood and waited for his friend to make a move. Without a word, the dog-demon began walking, absently stepping over a particularly large chunk of arm laying shredded on the ground. Miroku followed suit, stopping only to help Sango get to her feet.
Time almost seemed to stop as the three walked through the open field in the steadily darkening twilight. Even when they stopped to rest a little and have some food-Sango made a quick, cold meal, then moved off to the side to tend to Shippou-everything moved in slow motion. No one talked. No one had anything to say.
It was while they were cleaning up their temporary camp that Inuyasha heard it. The noise was faint, almost indistinct, but he heard it. Someone was screaming.
His head shot up and instantly his nose went to work. The wind was weak, but he could still catch the scents of the surrounding area and, more importantly, the area around the waterfall that thundered distantly. And there it was-just like he'd smelt the other day.
Kagome.
And Sesshoumaru.
Something smelled wrong, however. Growling fiercely, the half-breed hurried over to where Sango was giving Shippou some water. She was over the shock of finding her friend alive and was busy helping him stay that way-she wasn't so stupid as to believe he'd just get better. The kitsune was still unconscious and needed tending, but it was easy enough for the hunter to prop him up in her arms and let the water trickle down his throat. So it was that when Inuyasha very rudely plopped down beside her, Sango lost control of the water she was pouring and spilled it all over Shippou's face. In horror, the hunter ripped her ribbon from her tresses and dabbed it across her charge's face, soaking up the excess. Shippou never even flinched.
Next to her, Inuyasha just grumbled, waiting impatiently for her to finish. She glared at him from the corner of her eye, a glare that spoke more than any words she could say. 'Don't you even dare say anything about the kitsune's condition or how I'm treating him if you want to hold on to the piddly little existence that you have right now.' For a brief moment, the half-demon flushed; then he quickly recovered his composure and Sango returned to helping Shippou drink.
'He wants to talk, I bet,' she thought whilst dapping stray drops of water from the corner of Shippou's mouth. 'And with the kit, probably. Stupid, stupid half-demon.' "You can't talk to him, if that's what you're here about. In case you didn't notice," she added, not giving Inuyasha the satisfaction of looking his way, "Shippou is unconscious. No matter how much you may want to, you can't talk to him."
Her companion scowled. "I know that, Sango, I'm not stupid." Again, she gave him the look. He ignored her. "I came to talk to you. I smelled them-over by the waterfall. I smelled Kagome and Sesshoumaru."
Now he had her attention. Gently laying Shippou back down on the makeshift bed she'd made him, Miroku's lover stood, hands on hip. Her eyes were blazing dark as she asked: "When?"
He motioned with his head back in the direction he'd been sitting in previously. "Just before I came over to talk with you. They're nearby, but the wind was really weak so I'm not sure how far. It could have been an old scent. What I'm more worried about is the scent itself." She raised an eyebrow at that and he continued. "Kagome didn't smell right. For that matter, neither did that bastard, Sesshoumaru."
She pursed her lips in thought, then blinked at him, head cocked to the side. "So why did you want to talk to me?" The dog-demon coughed into his hands, embarrassed. Sango grinned. So that's what he wanted, huh? She couldn't help but laugh, cutting him short, even as he opened his mouth to talk. Holding back her giggles for a moment, she said: "You wanted to know if we should go and fight now, or later, right?"
Abashed, he nodded. She laughed some more.
Behind them, something moved. Instantly prepared for the attack, the two both gazed in shock as Shippou looked up at them, his eyes glassy from pain and just waking up. Sitting up, he blinked slowly, like in a daze, then reached out for them and began whimpering. Sango was beside him before he could even begin to cry, hushing him and holding him close. The kit buried his face in her chest and cried loudly, his words muffled in the fabric of her kimono. Sango turned to Inuyasha, her face set. The half-demon nodded; whoever did this to the runt was going to pay.
'Poor Shippou,' she thought sadly, gently rubbing his back with tender hands. He hiccoughed and buried his face deeper, whimpering. 'First Kagome disappears, then she's taken away just after we find her and now this. Poor child...he doesn't deserve to cry anymore, he really doesn't...'
Sometime during her thoughts Inuyasha took a seat beside her, reaching out a hand to clasp his companion's shoulder lightly. Startled by his sudden appearance, the demon hunter sucked in a quiet breath, then sighed. Smiling weakly up at her friend, she said softly: "I hate to see him so, Inuyasha. He didn't do anything to deserve it..."
Her companion shrugged; then he seemed to think batter of it and sighed instead. "No one deserves it, Sango, but that doesn't stop it from happening. And if I could do more, I would, but right now all we can do is find out what happened and keep moving. Then...well, we'll see what happens then..."
"Kagome..."
In a flash Inuyasha had Shippou in his hands, holding the fox-demon in front of him. Sango cried out and reached for her charge; Inuyasha barked at her to stay still and looked his friend in the eyes, the gold flecked with a dark, seething concern. Gruffly, the half-breed demanded: "Runt, do you know where Kagome is?"
"Inuyasha!" Sango hissed, slapping the dog-demon hard upside the skull. "What the hell do you think you're doi-"
"Shut up, Sango!" he snapped, his eyes never leaving Shippou's. For his part, the kitsune didn't flinch, sniffing occasionally instead. "I'm not fooling around here, this is something I need to know!" He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, then grunted. "I'm not so mean as to hurt him, you know," he said, his voice soft. "I wouldn't hurt him..."
The kit continued to sniffle but didn't try to move. When Inuyasha turned back to him, he faced his companion calmly as the half-demon asked again: "Do you know where Kagome is? It's important, Shippou...do you know?"
There was silence as the three stared at each other. Then Shippou's bottom lip began to quiver, his eyes teared up and with a wail he wrapped his young arms around Inuyasha's neck and cried. "Kagome! Inuyasha, it was terrible! Kagome...I didn't even get to hold her! Kagome...! I want my Kagome...!"
Awkwardly, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Shippou and held him while the kit cried. Looking at Sango from the corner of his eye, he mouthed: 'Want to get Miroku over here?' She nodded and quietly got up to find her love. Inuyasha sighed. Good, now he'd have a moment alone.
While she was gone, Dog Boy pulled Shippou away from him, gently wiping away the kit's tears. "Hey, runt," he whispered, grinning at his friend; Shippou blinked and sniffed. "I'm sorry I was so rough with you. You okay?"
Shippou nodded and sniffed again. Then he giggled. "You asked Sango to leave so you could apologise to me without looking like a wimp, didn't you, Inuyasha?" The half-demon scowled and blushed, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. Shippou laughed again, then hugged his friend warmly, his small arms wrapped around the half-breed. "Thank you."
"For what...?"
He didn't get an answer, however, because Sango and Miroku returned at that moment. The priest had a bit of a red mark on his face and Sango's cheeks were puffed out in exasperation. The two sat down-well, Miroku sat and his companion plopped-near where Inuyasha sat, Shippou in hand. Up close as they were, the red mark looked uncannily like a hand...The dog-demon raised a curious eyebrow at his fellow male; the monk grinned sheepishly, but didn't comment.
'Fool priest,' Inuyasha thought humorously, 'he probably tried to get Sango to cuddle or something. Pervert.' In his arms, Shippou seemed to have the same idea; the kit giggled every time he looked at the priest, his small cheeks rosy from embarrassment. 'Hah, he's just too predictable.'
They sat silent for a while, Inuyasha grinning to himself as he thought about what mess the monk got himself into this time. Then Miroku leaned forward and ruffled Shippou's hair, drawing the kit's attention. He smiled. "So, Shippou, do you think you can tell us what happened now?"
Shippou went silent and peered at the ground, but he didn't start crying, nor did he get upset. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow; so that's what the priest was doing. 'Clever,' he mused, noting that Miroku was still petting Shippou's head and leaning down to talk to the kitsune. 'He came over here like that to give Shippou something to laugh at-so that he could calm the run down. Very, very clever indeed. Maybe he's not as predictable as I thought...' "Miroku..."
The priest rolled his eyes upward to look at Inuyasha, then pressed a finger to his lips and smiled. When he was sure the half-breed wasn't going to say anything more, Miroku went back to talking to Shippou, the red mark on his face a bright contrast to the solemness in his voice. "It's all right, little one, if you don't want to talk. We won't make you. But this is important," he concluded, sitting back and letting his hand fall from the fox-demon's head.
Nothing happened for a while. The four companions sat quietly in the dark field, the faint glimmer of stars pricking the night sky. Inuyasha did his best not to fidget under the pressure of wanting to know. 'He'll tell us eventually...' the demon gritted to himself. 'I just need...to be patient...' Without realising it, the half-demon's claws began tearing at the ground, bringing up large clumps of earth. 'Please, runt, tell me where Kagome is. Tell me what happened. I have to...I absolutely have to know!'
"I..." The sudden sound cut through the silence and Inuyasha nearly fell over in excitement. The runt was going to talk! Finally, he'd learn something! Everyone leaned inward at the sound of Shippou's squeaky voice, anticipation gnawing at their insides. Inuyasha knew not to push the kit, but he was sorely tempted. He needed to know what happened! It took every bit of strength he possessed not to shake the information out of his friend.
Turning his head to face his demon companion, Shippou bit his lower lip, then let out a long sigh. Like a child, the fox-demon pushed himself closer to his friend's body, burying himself in the red fabric of Inuyasha's robe. When he was comfortable, the kit began:
"We...we came into the clearing yesterday afternoon...because we saw Kagome sitting in the field. I...I was so happy!" he murmured, half his face pressed into the dog-demon's chest. "So, I ran out to her...Shoukaki told me to stop, but...I..."
"Speaking of Shoukaki, whatever happened to the little thing...?" Miroku interjected. "I just realised she wasn't anywhere near the demons..."
"Miroku, shh. He'll tell us eventually." Sango had moved closer and hushed her lover with a hand to his. The priest looked down at her hand on his and smiled. Reversing his grip so that he held her fingers in his palm, he squeezed lightly. She smiled back at him and listened quietly as Shippou continued his tale.
"Shoukaki told me to stop-I could hear her say stop. I wondered why she'd tell me to stop, since Kagome...because Kagome was right there and I hadn't seen her in so long so why should I stop-I didn't want to! So I kept running and I cried: 'Kagome! Kagome!' so that she knew it was me...And she stood up and looked at me and-Inuyasha, she looked just like she always has! She was pretty and caring and her eyes were so bright and loving that I couldn't possibly stop! She...she looked like Kagome always looks...
"So I ran...And then there was this terrible, terrible pain on my neck and I couldn't see. My face...I was against the ground...because Sesshoumaru was there. He wouldn't let me even touch Kagome...he said: 'I see you made it here after all. This Sesshoumaru welcomes you, fox-demon.' Then he picked me up and threw me back against a rock...it hurt so much, but I tried to get back up because I couldn't let him win...cause Kagome...she was...she was..."
Tears welled up in the kit's eyes as he floundered. Sango made as though to grab him, but Miroku pressed her back, shaking his head. "Miro--?"
He shushed her and squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't, my love. He needs to work this out himself right now-coddling him won't take away the pain."
"I can't stand to see him like this, Miroku!" she replied, trying to yank her hand free. "Giving him a little bit of comfort won't hurt him any!" Turning away from him, she tried again to break free and go to the cub crying a few feet away.
The priest sighed; using all the force he had that wouldn't hurt her, he pulled the demon hunter to him, gaining an "oof!" of surprise as she collapsed against him. He gave her one of his infuriating looks that set her teeth on edge. "Sango, if he doesn't get this out now, he might not get another chance for a while. Do you want these terrible feelings of his boiling inside him?" She pouted and shook her head slowly. He smiled. "I thought not. Besides," he finished, looking at the fox-demon trembling and crying in Inuyasha's protective arms, "I don't think he realises we're here anymore. His world consists of the past and Inuyasha and to remove him from that state may damage him more than help. So please, sit still."
Again she nodded, but not without a hint of reproach. "Fine," she whispered. "You've asked a lot of me today, but all right. I'll let him be-for now. But the moment he really needs me..." Miroku nodded, then let her go and she sat up, rubbing her wrist where he'd held her tightest and glaring daggers. The priest suffered her looks calmly; when she finally looked away, however, he sighed in relief. Sango was scary when she was mad. Hopefully she wouldn't stay so for very long.
"Thank you," he murmured at her back. She "hmphed;" a moment later, her hand snaked out and she took his fingers in hers, squeezing lightly. 'You're welcome,' the touch said and Miroku was grateful her anger had subsided. Now they just needed to wait.
It took a while for Shippou to compose himself, but eventually he was able to speak again. Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he whispered: "Shoukaki got really mad, then. I couldn't move well, because I'd gotten hurt when I hit the rock, so I couldn't see it all. But Shoukaki, she...she got really mad. Her eyes were black and those cord things appeared. She was screaming-it sounded like someone dying. And then she attacked Sesshoumaru. He fought her off for a long time, then he stopped and grabbed the cord she flung at him. He ripped it from her and sent her flying. She...she couldn't keep her balance very well...because she doesn't have a right arm anymore..." Sango gasped, her cry ignored as the kitsune continued on.
"By now Jaken came-he gabbed Kagome and took her away, along with Rin who was screaming and doing her best to stop Sesshoumaru from hurting Shoukaki. She didn't know Shoukaki was a ghost, I guess...I could move a little and I crawled after the frog, but he hit me with his staff...it hurt, but I kept trying. Kagome was screaming something...And then Shoukaki was up and fighting again. She looked...she was glowing...like a bright, frightening star...just pure white like a ghost...Sesshoumaru looked her over and said: 'You won't take away my trap.' Then he turned and walked away...
"Shoukaki...she calmed down and ran over to me...she ripped up her kimono and wrapped my wounds...and then we sat. I cried a lot and she held me and told me I needed to be strong, because crying doesn't solve anything. I...I couldn't get Kagome back if I cried-I wouldn't be able to beat you, either, she said. I wanted to save Kagome instead of you, Inuyasha...I wanted to be the strong one-strong, just like you....but I couldn't...I couldn't even touch her..."
Inuyasha nodded, his arms tightening around the boy in his lap. So the runt wanted to be like him, huh? 'Poor choice in role models, runt. Poor choice indeed...I can't save Kagome any better than you.' "Don't try so hard, runt-you'll hurt yourself." Shippou looked up at him, his pain completely exposed; the hanyou shook his head and winked. "No one should be like me," he continued, whispering. "I'm too dangerous for my own good."
The boy blinked, then nodded slowly, his features softening. He snuggled up close again and took a deep breath. Then he continued: "We stayed at that place for most of the night, Shoukaki watching over me and floating around to make sure Sesshoumaru and the others didn't come close. I...I fell asleep...so I don't know how long it was before your brother attacked again. But I woke up to hear Shoukaki screaming...she was fighting again, this time a giant ogre. It...it was right near me and trying to get to me-it frightened me a lot when I woke up-and her ropes were tearing away parts of its flesh. But it kept coming and before I could get away, the thing grabbed me.
"I-I couldn't breathe. I tried to get away but it was holding on to me really tight and I couldn't breathe-my whole body felt like it was going to cave in. I was able to wriggle one arm out and I called my fox-fire. The demon's eye was scorched along with the rest of its face, then I threw another spell at it and burned its chest. Shoukaki was fighting something else...I could hear her behind me...but I couldn't see her and she couldn't help me-no one could help me and I was so scared. I started crying again and calling for you, Inuyasha...because you're strong and you'd take the ogre down...but no one came."
"The demon was still alive and when it recovered from me burning it, it...it started squeezing more. I screamed...and screamed...but no one came and it just got worse-it hurt so much. I wanted someone to save me..." He trailed off momentarily and the three with him allowed him to catch his breath. Sango made as though to move to him and hold him, but Miroku's hand on hers kept her anchored. 'Now is not the time,' his touch said. 'Please, now is not the time.' So she sat still. No one spoke; instead, they waited. After a time, the kitsune coughed and continued.
"I think I called for Kagome. It hurt so much I wanted her there...and then there was this intense light-like a star had fallen to earth and was right there. I could see other demons-lots of demons-all fall to the ground, writhing. They did it when the light touched them. There were scorch marks on the ground all over...it smelled terrible. The ogre...he was dying...but he kept squeezing...he wouldn't stop and Kagome wouldn't come and Shoukaki wasn't with me and you weren't there, Inuyasha. I was dying and no one was there...
"Then the demon collapsed and I just clung to it, staring off into space. That's when I saw her...Kagome...Kagome was there, with her bow and arrows...and she was glowing. She was glowing and her eyes were dark and she was looking up at me but she didn't see I was still alive-she looked right through me...but she was crying...Then Shoukaki shot forward from somewhere and she blazed...just like a fallen star...and she attacked Kagome...
"They fought for a long time...but Kagome wasn't herself! She was really stiff-like when she shot you, Inuyasha. And Shoukaki...she didn't hit Kagome herself...only her weapons...like she knew...and then they disappeared in a huge ball of light...It got really hot after that-like I was surrounded by my fox-fire...the bandage that Shoukaki made me disappeared...then they were...gone and I was staring at nothing...just...nothing...The light faded away and...and bled into darkness and I couldn't...see...anything after that..." Tears trekked down his face and he finished in a choked-off voice: "I didn't...see...Kagome...again..."
As he broke down into tears, Sango broke away from Miroku and gathered the fox-demon into her arms, moving off to the side as quickly as she could. The priest followed after and made to grab for her-she jerked to the side; her eyes blazed as she looked the monk over and ground out: "Damn you to hell and your stupid ways. I won't let him cry alone anymore."
Miroku worked his jaw at that, but eventually settled back down and said nothing. Instead, he let her have her way and watched as she swung the kit back and forth in her arms, murmuring to him like a mother to her child. 'A mother...' he thought, settling down against a nearby tree. 'Maybe I was wrong to keep her from helping him. Maybe she can help him calm down more than I thought.' The thought held some weight and he regretted holding her back. 'We all make mistakes,' he concluded, almost sadly and continued to watch her take care of the kitsune.
A short ways away, Inuyasha listened to Sango hiss at her priest, then shrugged. It really was their problem now, he decided. Shippou was in good hands with the demon hunter and the dog-demon had quite a bit to think about. Like tomorrow and saving his love from that bastard Sesshoumaru. The sky above was dark as hell and as much as he wanted to save Kagome from his brother, his body demanded rest. So he laid back down on the cold grass, and yawned, the vague whispers from Sango's direction lulling him to sleep.
Sango sat off to the side with Shippou, helping him to drink-she tried to give him some food but his body couldn't hold it yet and he just threw it back up. She also re-bandaged him as best she could, tearing up a spare blanket to give him some makeshift clothing. "It's not much," he heard her say, "but it'll have to do. I'm sorry."
There was a quiet reply and she asked: "Are you sure you want to?" Some more whispers followed to which she sighed and softly replied: "Okay, then. Here, let me help you. I don't want you to strain yourself anymore; you did a lot today, Shippou, thank you. You deserve a lot more rest than we can offer."
Her voice grew louder and Inuyasha looked up to see her standing next to him, Shippou in her steady arms. The kitsune was half-asleep, but still managed to smile down at the dog-demon. Sango knelt down and laid the kitsune beside him, then stood again. When Inuyasha looked at her oddly, she smiled and shrugged. "He wanted to sleep next to you tonight." Then she turned and began walking away. "Well, goodnight, you two. Sleep well." The half-breed could make out the shape of her waving hand in the air, then she was gone, off to her own side.
'Probably sitting with Miroku,' he thought, noting the monk's vague silhouette against the tree line. Against his will, he sighed. 'Lucky bastards. But, soon...'
There was movement at his side and Inuyasha looked down to see Shippou curling up next to his side, the kit's head resting on the dog-demon's chest. For a second, it was almost as though Kagome were back with him, curled up beside him and breathing heavily in her sleep, the breath from her lips warm against him; then the memory was gone and he was left with the dark night and a small, frightened and very wounded fox-demon curled up beside him. Once again, Inuyasha sighed.
Curling up so that his friend was lying in a pocket next to him, Kagome's love smiled at the sleeping boy next to him. 'Strength, huh? All of this, just to be strong...and he thinks he failed? Stupid kit...' "Don't worry, runt," he whispered to the fox-demon, pulling the child close. "I promise, when we save her, you'll be the first to touch her. Because you're a lot stronger than you think you are..."
The boy pushed closer and murmured something that sounded like "thanks." Inuyasha closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep to the sounds of the forest behind him and the wind on the open field. 'Tomorrow,' he thought as he drifted off. 'It all ends tomorrow...'
Because I said I only had a couple chapters left to go, oh, two chapters ago and I haven't actually finished yet...That's right, there's more chapters after this "last" one. Because I'm a person that can't shut up and lets a story get too involved...damn me.
I don't know if this is a good thing or not. I'm hoping it is. But one can never be too sure. ^-^x
Anyhow, yes, I've made it to thirteen chapters. It just so happens that thirteen is my lucky number and favourite number and this is one of my favourite chapters. Huzzah am I. Yes, I like a chapter! *dies* What is this world coming to?
As always, thank you all for putting up with my evilness for so long. And yes, it's been a rather long time...I really wish I could do more for you that have kept with me and supported me through this. I just feel like my thank you paragraph is never enough...I don't think anything can ever be enough to show just how thankful I am for all your lovely words. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times over, thank you.
And now, for the story.
Where Lost Souls Meet Again
Chapter Thirteen: Something Like a Star
The half-demon's cry echoed throughout the clearing, reverberating off the trees. Next to him, Miroku stared on in stunned disbelief, his eyes focused on the laughably small bundle of fur clutched in the dead demon's claws. Pieces of cloth hung down from the creature's nails and draped across its forearm, along with tufts of red fur. In the dimming light, the priest could just barely make out what looked like huge gashes down the side of the larger demon's face, as well as burn marks across its torso and arms. 'They fought here, that's obvious,' Miroku mused as he looked over the wounds on the larger demon. 'But when? why? What happened to make it so?'
Looking around anew, the monk noticed large scorch marks and furrows in the ground around the two demons. Some of the burns were small, others a good ten paces in diameter. He squinted. Was that...the remains of a demon's arm? And there-yes, he could see it clearly now! Demons, dozens of them, lay scattered about, their bodies distended, scorched, torn and maimed, just like the ogre that had Shippou in its grasp. But why? "What...what happened here...?"
A rather strong wind picked up, swirling around in the night-time air and around the area, encouraging the smell of death to lift up from the ground and waft about the three standing near the trees. Next to him, Sango let out a strangled cry and fell to her knees, hand over her mouth. Miroku knelt beside her, wiping away the tears that streaked down her face and pulling her close; she clung to him and cried, her voice loud in the frightening twilight silence that permeated the field.
"Sango..." he whispered, his lips pressed into her dark hair. She shuddered and cried some more, her face buried into his chest and her arms gripping the arms of his sleeves tightly. Her entire body quivered as it was racked by her sobs. Miroku could feel his heart tearing apart, even as he held her close. 'Sango, I'm so sorry. I can't do anything to help you...Gods, why? Why is all this sadness happening now?' Tightening his arms around her, her gently kissed the top of her head, trying his best to soothe her. "Shh, don't cry, Sango. Don't cry..."
She shook her head, hiccoughing back her tears as she whimpered: "No, I don't want to. I don't want to..." As her voice trailed away and her weeping grew stronger, Miroku couldn't help but keep the tears from lightly tracing down his cheeks.
Tilting her head upward with a gentle finger, he looked into her tear-filled eyes with his own. Leaning in, he gave her a light kiss on the forehead, then pulled her back to him when her lips began to tremble with a renewed bout of crying. He ran his fingers through her hair, whispering the whole time: "Sango, shh, don't cry. Please, dearest, don't cry..."
"He's right, Sango," Inuyasha added, his eyes locked on Shippou's small frame. "We can't just sit here and cry. We have to move along. I, for one, am gonna find the bastards that did this and I'll kill them all. They'll all die."
Something about his voice was cold, heartless and Miroku felt a shiver run up his spine. 'Inuyasha...' Without even realising it, he pulled his crying love closer, as though to protect her from those frightening words.
The boy continued on, however, his voice steady and cold. "But crying won't get you anywhere, so get up." For a brief moment, the half-breed broke his almost hypnotic gaze with Shippou to turn burning eyes on the weeping demon hunter. "Get up."
Miroku's head snapped up as he hissed: "Let her be, Inuyasha!"
The demon growled, his eyes shadowed. "I will not let her just sit here and cry when we have to avenge Shippou! Crying won't solve anything!"
The priest stood up, then, gently placing his sniffling lover to the ground. When he was sure she was settled, he whirled around, finger pointed at his friend's scowling face. "If she's sad she has every right to cry, Inuyasha! Sure, I'm trying to calm her, but I'm not telling her she can't! And you! You spent eight months pining away for Kagome, you can at least have the decency to give her eight minutes! You arrogant, selfish bastard! Why don't you think of others for once?"
"I am!" he retorted, arms flung. "Kagome may still be alive, but if we don't save her from my brother, she won't be! And we don't know why Shippou is...is...we don't know! But if it was to save Kagome, then we can't waste what he gave us by sitting here crying! You think I'm not sad? You think I don't want to grieve for my friend? You're the arrogant, selfish bastard then if you think that and are willing to waste the precious time that we have left to save our-your-friend!" Flushed, the dog-demon turned away from the priest, gulping in air. When he had calmed sufficiently, he whispered: "Please get her up, priest. I don't want to waste this moment."
Dumbstruck, Miroku nodded. He hadn't thought of it that way, he conceded and looking at it so, he was being the selfish one. Shippou had died for them...was looking down upon them now from his resting place...and here he was, wasting the time the kitsune had bought. Guilt weighed down on his shoulders and he turned away from the half-demon, eyes downcast. 'Forgive me, Inuyahsa. I guess I am the fool this time...' Kneeling down again, he pulled Sango into his arms and helped her to stand, wiping away her remaining tears with gentle fingers.
"Inuyasha's right," he murmured to her as he brushed away the wetness on her face. As much as it hurts and we want to grieve, we can't sit here and cry." She shook her head, lips pressed tightly together to keep from crying, her eyes wide and glistening. He nodded and shushed her again. "Yes, my dear. We can't just sit here forever." When she tried to shake her head again, he cupped her chin in his fingers and kept her face still-she flinched at the pressure. "Please, my love, don't make this any harder on us. Please...I promise you, we can grieve later. We can grieve for as long as you like, then, but please...for now...don't cry anymore..."
At first he thought she was going to shake her head again, then she simply nodded and leaned against him, hands pressed to his chest and head buried beneath his chin. "Fine," she whispered hoarsely, fingers gouging into his robes. "We can go. But you promised me and I won't forget that..."
He nodded into her hair, then kissed it gently. That's all he needed to hear.
They took a moment more to look up at the small fox-demon, then began walking forward, circumventing the edge of the clearing. The sun was almost completely gone, its light tingeing the distant water and dark horizon, but leaving the travellers in poor illumination. The large demon that squatted in the clearing now stood as a dark obelisk, undefined and frightening in the dark. No one could see Shippou's shape anymore.
As they began to pass by the demon's side, however, Sango stopped and turned around, running back the way they'd come. Miroku called out, knocked off balance by her sudden departure. Inuyasha scowled and jumped after her, heading the demon hunter off before she got too far.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? Are you stupid or something? We have to keep moving or Kagome might-"
"Inuyasha, I just heard Shippou call out to us!"
Inuyasha's mouth hung open, mid-word, as he took in what his companion just said. "Shippou...?" he muttered, confused. But Shippou was dead...he'd seen his body in the claws of that demon! "Sango, Shippou is dead. You're delusional. He can't say anything!"
She shook her head fervently, trying her best to get around the steadfast half-breed. "I heard him!" she cried, ducking around his arms and running forward. Inuyasha just jumped in front of her again, blocking her path. Exasperated, the demon hunter smacked his shoulders-hard-and cried: "Inuyasha, let me go! I know what I heard!"
"Listen, Sango, it isn't possible! The dead can't talk!"
"I know what I heard, Inuyasha! Let me go!"
He shook his head, grasping her wrists in his to keep her from moving. "No, you're not going back there! It won't help you any!"
She scowled and fought with him some more, tears in her eyes. Struggling with him, she hissed: "I heard him, Inuyasha. Let me go back to him! We can't leave him like this!"
"Sango, no! It isn't possible!"
"I know what I heard!"
"No! Shippou is--!"
Then he heard it. It was so quiet, so strained that he had to listen very carefully to catch it again. But it was there and he wasn't hearing things. Shippou's voice...he could hear Shippou's voice calling them back.
"Inu...ya...sha...back...please...come back..."
Pivoting on his heel, the dog-demon dashed back, the ground ripping up from beneath his feet. As he came back around the large, blackened demon, Inuyasha tore inward, covering the distance from the tree line to his captured friend in a heartbeat. He jumped the final distance, raking his claws down the arm of the larger monster. The limb virtually disintegrated under his attack and Shippou tumbled forward, his small body plummeting toward the ground as the last of his support gave way.
"Inuyasha! Grab Shippou!"
Twisting his body around as he fell back to the ground, Dog Boy scrambled to grab the kitsune before the smaller demon hit. Enclosing the child in his arms, Inuyasha wrapped himself as much as he could around Shippou, then waited for the impact he knew was coming. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked instantly from his lungs and his head cracking against the ground as it snapped back from the momentum. 'It's worth it,' he gritted out, unfolding to expose a very weak kit. 'The runt's safe now, so it was worth it...'
Sango was the first to reach him, skidding across the ground and taking the cub up in her arms before she'd even come to a complete stop. Laying him down carefully, the demon hunter placed her head to Shippou's chest and listened for his heartbeat, all the while holding her breath. For a moment she couldn't hear anything and tears welled up in her eyes once more. 'No...no, he can't be dead! No...!'
Then she heard it.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The tears in her eyes doubled and Sango began sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe. He was alive! Shippou was alive! Leaning in again, she listened to the faint, life-giving beats of his heart, to the raspy, rattling breaths he pulled into his lungs. Even that hollow noise gave her joy. Her tears spilled from her cheeks, wetting the tattered remains of her friend's clothing and darkening his hair and face. "He's alive...!" she whispered, the words almost choked off by her sobs. "Inuyasha...Miroku...he's alive...!" Both nodded, too stunned for words.
For the longest time they simply knelt beside the kitsune, watching him as he breathed. At first, his chest rose only the barest fraction and his pallor was gray, like the dead. Then slowly, so slowly, he began to breathe stronger, his chest rising higher and higher each time. The gray and white shades to his skin darkened, the flesh becoming pink, then a healthier tan. The rattle in his throat disappeared.
Sango turned her head up to Miroku and smiled so brightly he couldn't help but return the gesture. Absently, she stroked Shippou's chest with small fingers, careful of his wounds. For a brief moment, Miroku almost thought of her as a mother, then shrugged it off. Now wasn't the time for such fantasies.
The priest knelt down beside her and placed a hand to the kit's forehead. Sango grinned at him. "Isn't this wonderful, Miroku?" she asked, looking back down at her charge and brushing her fingertips across his cheek. "He doesn't have a fever-and the rattle in his throat is gone. Isn't this wonderful...?"
He nodded and sat quietly, basking in the warmth of his love's happiness. He couldn't bring himself to mention the fact that Shippou wasn't awake and was still only hanging on by a thread. She didn't deserve such worry now.
Finally, Inuyasha leaned over and picked the smaller demon up, holding the boy close to his chest like a baby. Sango looked up at him, curious, but quelled any questions she harboured. Beside him, Miroku bit his lip, but also said nothing. He wasn't about to tell his friend to stop, even if he did feel Shippou needed to lay still. Of all of them, Inuyasha knew what to do with the injured demon most. So instead, he stood and waited for his friend to make a move. Without a word, the dog-demon began walking, absently stepping over a particularly large chunk of arm laying shredded on the ground. Miroku followed suit, stopping only to help Sango get to her feet.
Time almost seemed to stop as the three walked through the open field in the steadily darkening twilight. Even when they stopped to rest a little and have some food-Sango made a quick, cold meal, then moved off to the side to tend to Shippou-everything moved in slow motion. No one talked. No one had anything to say.
It was while they were cleaning up their temporary camp that Inuyasha heard it. The noise was faint, almost indistinct, but he heard it. Someone was screaming.
His head shot up and instantly his nose went to work. The wind was weak, but he could still catch the scents of the surrounding area and, more importantly, the area around the waterfall that thundered distantly. And there it was-just like he'd smelt the other day.
Kagome.
And Sesshoumaru.
Something smelled wrong, however. Growling fiercely, the half-breed hurried over to where Sango was giving Shippou some water. She was over the shock of finding her friend alive and was busy helping him stay that way-she wasn't so stupid as to believe he'd just get better. The kitsune was still unconscious and needed tending, but it was easy enough for the hunter to prop him up in her arms and let the water trickle down his throat. So it was that when Inuyasha very rudely plopped down beside her, Sango lost control of the water she was pouring and spilled it all over Shippou's face. In horror, the hunter ripped her ribbon from her tresses and dabbed it across her charge's face, soaking up the excess. Shippou never even flinched.
Next to her, Inuyasha just grumbled, waiting impatiently for her to finish. She glared at him from the corner of her eye, a glare that spoke more than any words she could say. 'Don't you even dare say anything about the kitsune's condition or how I'm treating him if you want to hold on to the piddly little existence that you have right now.' For a brief moment, the half-demon flushed; then he quickly recovered his composure and Sango returned to helping Shippou drink.
'He wants to talk, I bet,' she thought whilst dapping stray drops of water from the corner of Shippou's mouth. 'And with the kit, probably. Stupid, stupid half-demon.' "You can't talk to him, if that's what you're here about. In case you didn't notice," she added, not giving Inuyasha the satisfaction of looking his way, "Shippou is unconscious. No matter how much you may want to, you can't talk to him."
Her companion scowled. "I know that, Sango, I'm not stupid." Again, she gave him the look. He ignored her. "I came to talk to you. I smelled them-over by the waterfall. I smelled Kagome and Sesshoumaru."
Now he had her attention. Gently laying Shippou back down on the makeshift bed she'd made him, Miroku's lover stood, hands on hip. Her eyes were blazing dark as she asked: "When?"
He motioned with his head back in the direction he'd been sitting in previously. "Just before I came over to talk with you. They're nearby, but the wind was really weak so I'm not sure how far. It could have been an old scent. What I'm more worried about is the scent itself." She raised an eyebrow at that and he continued. "Kagome didn't smell right. For that matter, neither did that bastard, Sesshoumaru."
She pursed her lips in thought, then blinked at him, head cocked to the side. "So why did you want to talk to me?" The dog-demon coughed into his hands, embarrassed. Sango grinned. So that's what he wanted, huh? She couldn't help but laugh, cutting him short, even as he opened his mouth to talk. Holding back her giggles for a moment, she said: "You wanted to know if we should go and fight now, or later, right?"
Abashed, he nodded. She laughed some more.
Behind them, something moved. Instantly prepared for the attack, the two both gazed in shock as Shippou looked up at them, his eyes glassy from pain and just waking up. Sitting up, he blinked slowly, like in a daze, then reached out for them and began whimpering. Sango was beside him before he could even begin to cry, hushing him and holding him close. The kit buried his face in her chest and cried loudly, his words muffled in the fabric of her kimono. Sango turned to Inuyasha, her face set. The half-demon nodded; whoever did this to the runt was going to pay.
'Poor Shippou,' she thought sadly, gently rubbing his back with tender hands. He hiccoughed and buried his face deeper, whimpering. 'First Kagome disappears, then she's taken away just after we find her and now this. Poor child...he doesn't deserve to cry anymore, he really doesn't...'
Sometime during her thoughts Inuyasha took a seat beside her, reaching out a hand to clasp his companion's shoulder lightly. Startled by his sudden appearance, the demon hunter sucked in a quiet breath, then sighed. Smiling weakly up at her friend, she said softly: "I hate to see him so, Inuyasha. He didn't do anything to deserve it..."
Her companion shrugged; then he seemed to think batter of it and sighed instead. "No one deserves it, Sango, but that doesn't stop it from happening. And if I could do more, I would, but right now all we can do is find out what happened and keep moving. Then...well, we'll see what happens then..."
"Kagome..."
In a flash Inuyasha had Shippou in his hands, holding the fox-demon in front of him. Sango cried out and reached for her charge; Inuyasha barked at her to stay still and looked his friend in the eyes, the gold flecked with a dark, seething concern. Gruffly, the half-breed demanded: "Runt, do you know where Kagome is?"
"Inuyasha!" Sango hissed, slapping the dog-demon hard upside the skull. "What the hell do you think you're doi-"
"Shut up, Sango!" he snapped, his eyes never leaving Shippou's. For his part, the kitsune didn't flinch, sniffing occasionally instead. "I'm not fooling around here, this is something I need to know!" He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, then grunted. "I'm not so mean as to hurt him, you know," he said, his voice soft. "I wouldn't hurt him..."
The kit continued to sniffle but didn't try to move. When Inuyasha turned back to him, he faced his companion calmly as the half-demon asked again: "Do you know where Kagome is? It's important, Shippou...do you know?"
There was silence as the three stared at each other. Then Shippou's bottom lip began to quiver, his eyes teared up and with a wail he wrapped his young arms around Inuyasha's neck and cried. "Kagome! Inuyasha, it was terrible! Kagome...I didn't even get to hold her! Kagome...! I want my Kagome...!"
Awkwardly, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Shippou and held him while the kit cried. Looking at Sango from the corner of his eye, he mouthed: 'Want to get Miroku over here?' She nodded and quietly got up to find her love. Inuyasha sighed. Good, now he'd have a moment alone.
While she was gone, Dog Boy pulled Shippou away from him, gently wiping away the kit's tears. "Hey, runt," he whispered, grinning at his friend; Shippou blinked and sniffed. "I'm sorry I was so rough with you. You okay?"
Shippou nodded and sniffed again. Then he giggled. "You asked Sango to leave so you could apologise to me without looking like a wimp, didn't you, Inuyasha?" The half-demon scowled and blushed, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. Shippou laughed again, then hugged his friend warmly, his small arms wrapped around the half-breed. "Thank you."
"For what...?"
He didn't get an answer, however, because Sango and Miroku returned at that moment. The priest had a bit of a red mark on his face and Sango's cheeks were puffed out in exasperation. The two sat down-well, Miroku sat and his companion plopped-near where Inuyasha sat, Shippou in hand. Up close as they were, the red mark looked uncannily like a hand...The dog-demon raised a curious eyebrow at his fellow male; the monk grinned sheepishly, but didn't comment.
'Fool priest,' Inuyasha thought humorously, 'he probably tried to get Sango to cuddle or something. Pervert.' In his arms, Shippou seemed to have the same idea; the kit giggled every time he looked at the priest, his small cheeks rosy from embarrassment. 'Hah, he's just too predictable.'
They sat silent for a while, Inuyasha grinning to himself as he thought about what mess the monk got himself into this time. Then Miroku leaned forward and ruffled Shippou's hair, drawing the kit's attention. He smiled. "So, Shippou, do you think you can tell us what happened now?"
Shippou went silent and peered at the ground, but he didn't start crying, nor did he get upset. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow; so that's what the priest was doing. 'Clever,' he mused, noting that Miroku was still petting Shippou's head and leaning down to talk to the kitsune. 'He came over here like that to give Shippou something to laugh at-so that he could calm the run down. Very, very clever indeed. Maybe he's not as predictable as I thought...' "Miroku..."
The priest rolled his eyes upward to look at Inuyasha, then pressed a finger to his lips and smiled. When he was sure the half-breed wasn't going to say anything more, Miroku went back to talking to Shippou, the red mark on his face a bright contrast to the solemness in his voice. "It's all right, little one, if you don't want to talk. We won't make you. But this is important," he concluded, sitting back and letting his hand fall from the fox-demon's head.
Nothing happened for a while. The four companions sat quietly in the dark field, the faint glimmer of stars pricking the night sky. Inuyasha did his best not to fidget under the pressure of wanting to know. 'He'll tell us eventually...' the demon gritted to himself. 'I just need...to be patient...' Without realising it, the half-demon's claws began tearing at the ground, bringing up large clumps of earth. 'Please, runt, tell me where Kagome is. Tell me what happened. I have to...I absolutely have to know!'
"I..." The sudden sound cut through the silence and Inuyasha nearly fell over in excitement. The runt was going to talk! Finally, he'd learn something! Everyone leaned inward at the sound of Shippou's squeaky voice, anticipation gnawing at their insides. Inuyasha knew not to push the kit, but he was sorely tempted. He needed to know what happened! It took every bit of strength he possessed not to shake the information out of his friend.
Turning his head to face his demon companion, Shippou bit his lower lip, then let out a long sigh. Like a child, the fox-demon pushed himself closer to his friend's body, burying himself in the red fabric of Inuyasha's robe. When he was comfortable, the kit began:
"We...we came into the clearing yesterday afternoon...because we saw Kagome sitting in the field. I...I was so happy!" he murmured, half his face pressed into the dog-demon's chest. "So, I ran out to her...Shoukaki told me to stop, but...I..."
"Speaking of Shoukaki, whatever happened to the little thing...?" Miroku interjected. "I just realised she wasn't anywhere near the demons..."
"Miroku, shh. He'll tell us eventually." Sango had moved closer and hushed her lover with a hand to his. The priest looked down at her hand on his and smiled. Reversing his grip so that he held her fingers in his palm, he squeezed lightly. She smiled back at him and listened quietly as Shippou continued his tale.
"Shoukaki told me to stop-I could hear her say stop. I wondered why she'd tell me to stop, since Kagome...because Kagome was right there and I hadn't seen her in so long so why should I stop-I didn't want to! So I kept running and I cried: 'Kagome! Kagome!' so that she knew it was me...And she stood up and looked at me and-Inuyasha, she looked just like she always has! She was pretty and caring and her eyes were so bright and loving that I couldn't possibly stop! She...she looked like Kagome always looks...
"So I ran...And then there was this terrible, terrible pain on my neck and I couldn't see. My face...I was against the ground...because Sesshoumaru was there. He wouldn't let me even touch Kagome...he said: 'I see you made it here after all. This Sesshoumaru welcomes you, fox-demon.' Then he picked me up and threw me back against a rock...it hurt so much, but I tried to get back up because I couldn't let him win...cause Kagome...she was...she was..."
Tears welled up in the kit's eyes as he floundered. Sango made as though to grab him, but Miroku pressed her back, shaking his head. "Miro--?"
He shushed her and squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't, my love. He needs to work this out himself right now-coddling him won't take away the pain."
"I can't stand to see him like this, Miroku!" she replied, trying to yank her hand free. "Giving him a little bit of comfort won't hurt him any!" Turning away from him, she tried again to break free and go to the cub crying a few feet away.
The priest sighed; using all the force he had that wouldn't hurt her, he pulled the demon hunter to him, gaining an "oof!" of surprise as she collapsed against him. He gave her one of his infuriating looks that set her teeth on edge. "Sango, if he doesn't get this out now, he might not get another chance for a while. Do you want these terrible feelings of his boiling inside him?" She pouted and shook her head slowly. He smiled. "I thought not. Besides," he finished, looking at the fox-demon trembling and crying in Inuyasha's protective arms, "I don't think he realises we're here anymore. His world consists of the past and Inuyasha and to remove him from that state may damage him more than help. So please, sit still."
Again she nodded, but not without a hint of reproach. "Fine," she whispered. "You've asked a lot of me today, but all right. I'll let him be-for now. But the moment he really needs me..." Miroku nodded, then let her go and she sat up, rubbing her wrist where he'd held her tightest and glaring daggers. The priest suffered her looks calmly; when she finally looked away, however, he sighed in relief. Sango was scary when she was mad. Hopefully she wouldn't stay so for very long.
"Thank you," he murmured at her back. She "hmphed;" a moment later, her hand snaked out and she took his fingers in hers, squeezing lightly. 'You're welcome,' the touch said and Miroku was grateful her anger had subsided. Now they just needed to wait.
It took a while for Shippou to compose himself, but eventually he was able to speak again. Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he whispered: "Shoukaki got really mad, then. I couldn't move well, because I'd gotten hurt when I hit the rock, so I couldn't see it all. But Shoukaki, she...she got really mad. Her eyes were black and those cord things appeared. She was screaming-it sounded like someone dying. And then she attacked Sesshoumaru. He fought her off for a long time, then he stopped and grabbed the cord she flung at him. He ripped it from her and sent her flying. She...she couldn't keep her balance very well...because she doesn't have a right arm anymore..." Sango gasped, her cry ignored as the kitsune continued on.
"By now Jaken came-he gabbed Kagome and took her away, along with Rin who was screaming and doing her best to stop Sesshoumaru from hurting Shoukaki. She didn't know Shoukaki was a ghost, I guess...I could move a little and I crawled after the frog, but he hit me with his staff...it hurt, but I kept trying. Kagome was screaming something...And then Shoukaki was up and fighting again. She looked...she was glowing...like a bright, frightening star...just pure white like a ghost...Sesshoumaru looked her over and said: 'You won't take away my trap.' Then he turned and walked away...
"Shoukaki...she calmed down and ran over to me...she ripped up her kimono and wrapped my wounds...and then we sat. I cried a lot and she held me and told me I needed to be strong, because crying doesn't solve anything. I...I couldn't get Kagome back if I cried-I wouldn't be able to beat you, either, she said. I wanted to save Kagome instead of you, Inuyasha...I wanted to be the strong one-strong, just like you....but I couldn't...I couldn't even touch her..."
Inuyasha nodded, his arms tightening around the boy in his lap. So the runt wanted to be like him, huh? 'Poor choice in role models, runt. Poor choice indeed...I can't save Kagome any better than you.' "Don't try so hard, runt-you'll hurt yourself." Shippou looked up at him, his pain completely exposed; the hanyou shook his head and winked. "No one should be like me," he continued, whispering. "I'm too dangerous for my own good."
The boy blinked, then nodded slowly, his features softening. He snuggled up close again and took a deep breath. Then he continued: "We stayed at that place for most of the night, Shoukaki watching over me and floating around to make sure Sesshoumaru and the others didn't come close. I...I fell asleep...so I don't know how long it was before your brother attacked again. But I woke up to hear Shoukaki screaming...she was fighting again, this time a giant ogre. It...it was right near me and trying to get to me-it frightened me a lot when I woke up-and her ropes were tearing away parts of its flesh. But it kept coming and before I could get away, the thing grabbed me.
"I-I couldn't breathe. I tried to get away but it was holding on to me really tight and I couldn't breathe-my whole body felt like it was going to cave in. I was able to wriggle one arm out and I called my fox-fire. The demon's eye was scorched along with the rest of its face, then I threw another spell at it and burned its chest. Shoukaki was fighting something else...I could hear her behind me...but I couldn't see her and she couldn't help me-no one could help me and I was so scared. I started crying again and calling for you, Inuyasha...because you're strong and you'd take the ogre down...but no one came."
"The demon was still alive and when it recovered from me burning it, it...it started squeezing more. I screamed...and screamed...but no one came and it just got worse-it hurt so much. I wanted someone to save me..." He trailed off momentarily and the three with him allowed him to catch his breath. Sango made as though to move to him and hold him, but Miroku's hand on hers kept her anchored. 'Now is not the time,' his touch said. 'Please, now is not the time.' So she sat still. No one spoke; instead, they waited. After a time, the kitsune coughed and continued.
"I think I called for Kagome. It hurt so much I wanted her there...and then there was this intense light-like a star had fallen to earth and was right there. I could see other demons-lots of demons-all fall to the ground, writhing. They did it when the light touched them. There were scorch marks on the ground all over...it smelled terrible. The ogre...he was dying...but he kept squeezing...he wouldn't stop and Kagome wouldn't come and Shoukaki wasn't with me and you weren't there, Inuyasha. I was dying and no one was there...
"Then the demon collapsed and I just clung to it, staring off into space. That's when I saw her...Kagome...Kagome was there, with her bow and arrows...and she was glowing. She was glowing and her eyes were dark and she was looking up at me but she didn't see I was still alive-she looked right through me...but she was crying...Then Shoukaki shot forward from somewhere and she blazed...just like a fallen star...and she attacked Kagome...
"They fought for a long time...but Kagome wasn't herself! She was really stiff-like when she shot you, Inuyasha. And Shoukaki...she didn't hit Kagome herself...only her weapons...like she knew...and then they disappeared in a huge ball of light...It got really hot after that-like I was surrounded by my fox-fire...the bandage that Shoukaki made me disappeared...then they were...gone and I was staring at nothing...just...nothing...The light faded away and...and bled into darkness and I couldn't...see...anything after that..." Tears trekked down his face and he finished in a choked-off voice: "I didn't...see...Kagome...again..."
As he broke down into tears, Sango broke away from Miroku and gathered the fox-demon into her arms, moving off to the side as quickly as she could. The priest followed after and made to grab for her-she jerked to the side; her eyes blazed as she looked the monk over and ground out: "Damn you to hell and your stupid ways. I won't let him cry alone anymore."
Miroku worked his jaw at that, but eventually settled back down and said nothing. Instead, he let her have her way and watched as she swung the kit back and forth in her arms, murmuring to him like a mother to her child. 'A mother...' he thought, settling down against a nearby tree. 'Maybe I was wrong to keep her from helping him. Maybe she can help him calm down more than I thought.' The thought held some weight and he regretted holding her back. 'We all make mistakes,' he concluded, almost sadly and continued to watch her take care of the kitsune.
A short ways away, Inuyasha listened to Sango hiss at her priest, then shrugged. It really was their problem now, he decided. Shippou was in good hands with the demon hunter and the dog-demon had quite a bit to think about. Like tomorrow and saving his love from that bastard Sesshoumaru. The sky above was dark as hell and as much as he wanted to save Kagome from his brother, his body demanded rest. So he laid back down on the cold grass, and yawned, the vague whispers from Sango's direction lulling him to sleep.
Sango sat off to the side with Shippou, helping him to drink-she tried to give him some food but his body couldn't hold it yet and he just threw it back up. She also re-bandaged him as best she could, tearing up a spare blanket to give him some makeshift clothing. "It's not much," he heard her say, "but it'll have to do. I'm sorry."
There was a quiet reply and she asked: "Are you sure you want to?" Some more whispers followed to which she sighed and softly replied: "Okay, then. Here, let me help you. I don't want you to strain yourself anymore; you did a lot today, Shippou, thank you. You deserve a lot more rest than we can offer."
Her voice grew louder and Inuyasha looked up to see her standing next to him, Shippou in her steady arms. The kitsune was half-asleep, but still managed to smile down at the dog-demon. Sango knelt down and laid the kitsune beside him, then stood again. When Inuyasha looked at her oddly, she smiled and shrugged. "He wanted to sleep next to you tonight." Then she turned and began walking away. "Well, goodnight, you two. Sleep well." The half-breed could make out the shape of her waving hand in the air, then she was gone, off to her own side.
'Probably sitting with Miroku,' he thought, noting the monk's vague silhouette against the tree line. Against his will, he sighed. 'Lucky bastards. But, soon...'
There was movement at his side and Inuyasha looked down to see Shippou curling up next to his side, the kit's head resting on the dog-demon's chest. For a second, it was almost as though Kagome were back with him, curled up beside him and breathing heavily in her sleep, the breath from her lips warm against him; then the memory was gone and he was left with the dark night and a small, frightened and very wounded fox-demon curled up beside him. Once again, Inuyasha sighed.
Curling up so that his friend was lying in a pocket next to him, Kagome's love smiled at the sleeping boy next to him. 'Strength, huh? All of this, just to be strong...and he thinks he failed? Stupid kit...' "Don't worry, runt," he whispered to the fox-demon, pulling the child close. "I promise, when we save her, you'll be the first to touch her. Because you're a lot stronger than you think you are..."
The boy pushed closer and murmured something that sounded like "thanks." Inuyasha closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep to the sounds of the forest behind him and the wind on the open field. 'Tomorrow,' he thought as he drifted off. 'It all ends tomorrow...'