CHAPTER FIVE
*
"Are you sure you'll be all right, Kagome?" Sango asked.
Kagome finished examining her bike chain and stood up stiffly. "Yes, I'll be fine," she said, pulling a sweater over her uniform. "I won't ride my bike off a cliff or anything, I promise." She tried to smile, but it felt strange on her mouth.
"That isn't what I meant," Sango said, sitting down on Kaede's doorstep. "We... still don't know who Naraku was after. We just don't want you to get in trouble." She ran her fingers over her boomerang.
"Don't worry. Where I'm going, I don't think Naraku will think to look," Kagome said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Sango frowned. "Can't you at least tell us where you're going?" she asked hesitantly.
"I'm sorry, Sango. But I can't." Kagome dropped her backpack into the basket and tied it on.
"Why not?"
"I-I just can't. I have a reason." Kagome kept her eyes on her backpack. Mechanically, she checked over the supplies. Then she checked again. "It has to do with something... that someone said to Inuyasha. A long time ago. I-I have to find out if it's true."
"And you can't tell me what that... something is, or who the someone is?"
Kagome shook her head silently.
Sango started to say more, but sighed. "Will you at least take your arrows with you?" she said, holding out Kagome's quiver.
Kagome took it. "I'll take this. And I'll be careful."
Shippo scampered out of the house. He was starting to calm down, and no longer spent his day on Kagome's bed, crying. But his small face was tearstained, and his eyes were swollen. "Kagome? You won't go away for too long, will you?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head. "I'll be back in a couple of days, Shippo. I won't be going far away."
"You won't leave, will you? Really leave? If you go down the well, you'll come back, right?"
"I won't, I promise." Kagome rumpled Shippo's red topknot and smiled. Then she turned to Sango. "Sango, will you do me a favor while I'm away?"
"Of course," Sango said, slightly surprised. "What is it?"
Kagome stepped into Kaede's hut and over to her sleeping bag. When it was unrolled, Inuyasha's kimono and the Tetsusaiga fell out. "I can't take this where I'm going," Kagome said. She held out the sword to Sango. "Will you take care of it for me until I get back?"
Sango looked startled, but took the Tetsusaiga and wrapped it in the fire-rat kimono. "I know how important this is to you," she said quietly. "I'll keep it safe until you come back."
*
Miroku returned from his meditation long enough to say goodbye to Kagome. He and Sango had the same pale half-smile as they waved goodbye, with Shippo perched on a nearby branch. They said they hoped that Kagome would find what she was looking for; Miroku started to ask Kagome what that was, but a look from Sango silenced him.
The village was swallowed up by the trees. Kagome slowed her pace as she rode through winding, rocky roads, past sunlit groves and over small stone bridges. Once she was in open fields of grass and sun, she began pedalling faster.
It felt strange to be bicycling so far. Kagome had gotten used to riding on Inuyasha's back; he had always lifted her as lightly as if she were a little child. She was also the only one, aside from Shippo, whom he hadn't minded carrying.
She rode for hours in silence, past rice fields with dozens of workers, little farms and the occasional retinue of samurai. At those times, Kagome usually rode her bike off-road and hid in the bushes, until the sounds of horses faded away. Without Inuyasha, she didn't feel safe by herself. Even with her bow. She touched the quiver, to reassure herself that she could stop anyone who tried to hurt her. Even Naraku himself.
Her heart felt a little lighter than it had before. But sitting in the back of her mind was fear -- fear that she was just racing after a false hope. But then, she had to know. She had to be sure whether it was a lie or the truth. She wasn't sure what she would do once she knew -- but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Anything to bring him back, Kagome thought. Her bike sailed off a steep embankment and skidded down to the sweeping road in a spray of pebbles. At the top of a hill, she paused and looked out over the valley. The sun was setting. The land below her was covered in a bluish mist; hidden among the trees were a few cottages, but they were all abandoned. And rising in the distance were three pointed mountains, like daggers -- or fangs.
Inuyasha told me once about the mountains shaped like fangs, Kagome thought. Something in her rebelled at the sight of the abandoned homes, the mist, and those too-sharp peaks. It made her feel vaguely sick. But she began pedaling again.
I can do this, she thought. I can do this... and I will do it. For Inuyasha...
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Are you sure you'll be all right, Kagome?" Sango asked.
Kagome finished examining her bike chain and stood up stiffly. "Yes, I'll be fine," she said, pulling a sweater over her uniform. "I won't ride my bike off a cliff or anything, I promise." She tried to smile, but it felt strange on her mouth.
"That isn't what I meant," Sango said, sitting down on Kaede's doorstep. "We... still don't know who Naraku was after. We just don't want you to get in trouble." She ran her fingers over her boomerang.
"Don't worry. Where I'm going, I don't think Naraku will think to look," Kagome said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Sango frowned. "Can't you at least tell us where you're going?" she asked hesitantly.
"I'm sorry, Sango. But I can't." Kagome dropped her backpack into the basket and tied it on.
"Why not?"
"I-I just can't. I have a reason." Kagome kept her eyes on her backpack. Mechanically, she checked over the supplies. Then she checked again. "It has to do with something... that someone said to Inuyasha. A long time ago. I-I have to find out if it's true."
"And you can't tell me what that... something is, or who the someone is?"
Kagome shook her head silently.
Sango started to say more, but sighed. "Will you at least take your arrows with you?" she said, holding out Kagome's quiver.
Kagome took it. "I'll take this. And I'll be careful."
Shippo scampered out of the house. He was starting to calm down, and no longer spent his day on Kagome's bed, crying. But his small face was tearstained, and his eyes were swollen. "Kagome? You won't go away for too long, will you?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head. "I'll be back in a couple of days, Shippo. I won't be going far away."
"You won't leave, will you? Really leave? If you go down the well, you'll come back, right?"
"I won't, I promise." Kagome rumpled Shippo's red topknot and smiled. Then she turned to Sango. "Sango, will you do me a favor while I'm away?"
"Of course," Sango said, slightly surprised. "What is it?"
Kagome stepped into Kaede's hut and over to her sleeping bag. When it was unrolled, Inuyasha's kimono and the Tetsusaiga fell out. "I can't take this where I'm going," Kagome said. She held out the sword to Sango. "Will you take care of it for me until I get back?"
Sango looked startled, but took the Tetsusaiga and wrapped it in the fire-rat kimono. "I know how important this is to you," she said quietly. "I'll keep it safe until you come back."
*
Miroku returned from his meditation long enough to say goodbye to Kagome. He and Sango had the same pale half-smile as they waved goodbye, with Shippo perched on a nearby branch. They said they hoped that Kagome would find what she was looking for; Miroku started to ask Kagome what that was, but a look from Sango silenced him.
The village was swallowed up by the trees. Kagome slowed her pace as she rode through winding, rocky roads, past sunlit groves and over small stone bridges. Once she was in open fields of grass and sun, she began pedalling faster.
It felt strange to be bicycling so far. Kagome had gotten used to riding on Inuyasha's back; he had always lifted her as lightly as if she were a little child. She was also the only one, aside from Shippo, whom he hadn't minded carrying.
She rode for hours in silence, past rice fields with dozens of workers, little farms and the occasional retinue of samurai. At those times, Kagome usually rode her bike off-road and hid in the bushes, until the sounds of horses faded away. Without Inuyasha, she didn't feel safe by herself. Even with her bow. She touched the quiver, to reassure herself that she could stop anyone who tried to hurt her. Even Naraku himself.
Her heart felt a little lighter than it had before. But sitting in the back of her mind was fear -- fear that she was just racing after a false hope. But then, she had to know. She had to be sure whether it was a lie or the truth. She wasn't sure what she would do once she knew -- but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Anything to bring him back, Kagome thought. Her bike sailed off a steep embankment and skidded down to the sweeping road in a spray of pebbles. At the top of a hill, she paused and looked out over the valley. The sun was setting. The land below her was covered in a bluish mist; hidden among the trees were a few cottages, but they were all abandoned. And rising in the distance were three pointed mountains, like daggers -- or fangs.
Inuyasha told me once about the mountains shaped like fangs, Kagome thought. Something in her rebelled at the sight of the abandoned homes, the mist, and those too-sharp peaks. It made her feel vaguely sick. But she began pedaling again.
I can do this, she thought. I can do this... and I will do it. For Inuyasha...
TO BE CONTINUED