CHAPTER
"Inuyasha!"
Kagome scrambled up from the ground, tripping over the hem of Inuyasha's robe. "Inuyasha, wait!" she cried. "INUYASHA!"
As she stumbled to her feet, she saw him flit off into the mist, the red and white of his clothing fading into gray. Fighting back tears, Kagome stumbled after the half-demon, still calling his name as loudly as she could. Finally she bellowed, "SIT!" But there was no answering crash. He had run too far away for the spell to work.
Kagome kept running, but gradually she slowed down, and fell to her knees. She didn't have a prayer of catching up with Inuyasha. He was too far away, too fast.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
"That does it," Miroku said, leaning on his staff. "We're lost." He pointed at a twisted shape in the mist. "We've passed that three three times."
"Four," Sango said tonelessly. She was holding Kirara in her arms like a baby. The wounded fire-cat was licking herself listlessly, and mewing every now and then. Miroku was glad that her injuries weren't that bad. She wouldn't be able to walk on that leg for awhile, but demons seemed to heal quickly.
What really chilled him was the fact that Inuyasha had nearly killed Sango. Unlike Kirara, Sango did not heal quickly... nor, once deprived of her weapons, could she hope to even slow him down. The idea of a crazed Inuyasha cutting down Sango was enough to make Miroku grip his staff a little too tight, and think about removing his beads.
Suddenly he saw a flash of red in the fog. "Sango!" he whispered.
"I see him," Sango said. She drew her short sword with her free hand.
Miroku prepared to rip off the beads if Inuyasha attacked them. He considered the young half-demon his friend, but he couldn't allow Inuyasha to endanger Sango and Shippo. What's more, in his right mind Inuyasha would demand that Miroku do such a thing...
But there was something odd about this. The red-cloaked shape was moving slowly toward them. It was too small to be Inuyasha... and it was dark-haired. "KAGOME!" Shippo shouted, launching himself off Miroku's shoulder.
Now Miroku could see it clearly -- Kagome, wrapped in Inuyasha's voluminous red robe. Her clothing was a little ragged, and she had a nasty scrape on one cheek -- but she looked unharmed otherwise. He sighed with relief and tightened the rosary on his wrist.
"Kagome!" Sango shouted, running toward her friend. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kagome said in a small voice. "But... Inuyasha-"
"What happened to him?" Sango asked.
"He's gone. He ran away." Kagome sounded as if she were trying not to cry. "I must've dozed off, and when I woke up he had gone back to normal. But... I... once he took me back down to the ground, he said 'Goodbye' and pushed me over, then ran away."
"But WHY?" Shippo said, clinging to Kagome's arm.
"He didn't wish to endanger you anymore," Miroku said soberly to Kagome. "At least, not until we find out exactly what is causing his transformations, and how to stop them."
Kagome hugged Inuyasha's robe closer around herself. "But I don't know where to even start."
"I do." The monk described the old woman they had encountered, and how he suspected that she held some power over Inuyasha's demon side. "She wasn't a demon, merely a very old human," he finished.
"Then we need to find her and make her take whatever spell she has off Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.
"Well, it won't be easy," Sango said soberly. Kirara mewed in her arms. "Kirara was injured by Inuyasha, and she can't carry anyone for awhile. And I lost my boomerang."
"We'll find a way," Kagome said grimly.
Inwardly, she added, And I'm going to find Inuyasha and make sure hes's okay. I won't let him just run away and be alone.... I'm going to help him! Inuyasha, I'm not going to just let your demon side take over. I'm going to help you fight!
TO BE CONTINUED
"Inuyasha!"
Kagome scrambled up from the ground, tripping over the hem of Inuyasha's robe. "Inuyasha, wait!" she cried. "INUYASHA!"
As she stumbled to her feet, she saw him flit off into the mist, the red and white of his clothing fading into gray. Fighting back tears, Kagome stumbled after the half-demon, still calling his name as loudly as she could. Finally she bellowed, "SIT!" But there was no answering crash. He had run too far away for the spell to work.
Kagome kept running, but gradually she slowed down, and fell to her knees. She didn't have a prayer of catching up with Inuyasha. He was too far away, too fast.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
"That does it," Miroku said, leaning on his staff. "We're lost." He pointed at a twisted shape in the mist. "We've passed that three three times."
"Four," Sango said tonelessly. She was holding Kirara in her arms like a baby. The wounded fire-cat was licking herself listlessly, and mewing every now and then. Miroku was glad that her injuries weren't that bad. She wouldn't be able to walk on that leg for awhile, but demons seemed to heal quickly.
What really chilled him was the fact that Inuyasha had nearly killed Sango. Unlike Kirara, Sango did not heal quickly... nor, once deprived of her weapons, could she hope to even slow him down. The idea of a crazed Inuyasha cutting down Sango was enough to make Miroku grip his staff a little too tight, and think about removing his beads.
Suddenly he saw a flash of red in the fog. "Sango!" he whispered.
"I see him," Sango said. She drew her short sword with her free hand.
Miroku prepared to rip off the beads if Inuyasha attacked them. He considered the young half-demon his friend, but he couldn't allow Inuyasha to endanger Sango and Shippo. What's more, in his right mind Inuyasha would demand that Miroku do such a thing...
But there was something odd about this. The red-cloaked shape was moving slowly toward them. It was too small to be Inuyasha... and it was dark-haired. "KAGOME!" Shippo shouted, launching himself off Miroku's shoulder.
Now Miroku could see it clearly -- Kagome, wrapped in Inuyasha's voluminous red robe. Her clothing was a little ragged, and she had a nasty scrape on one cheek -- but she looked unharmed otherwise. He sighed with relief and tightened the rosary on his wrist.
"Kagome!" Sango shouted, running toward her friend. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kagome said in a small voice. "But... Inuyasha-"
"What happened to him?" Sango asked.
"He's gone. He ran away." Kagome sounded as if she were trying not to cry. "I must've dozed off, and when I woke up he had gone back to normal. But... I... once he took me back down to the ground, he said 'Goodbye' and pushed me over, then ran away."
"But WHY?" Shippo said, clinging to Kagome's arm.
"He didn't wish to endanger you anymore," Miroku said soberly to Kagome. "At least, not until we find out exactly what is causing his transformations, and how to stop them."
Kagome hugged Inuyasha's robe closer around herself. "But I don't know where to even start."
"I do." The monk described the old woman they had encountered, and how he suspected that she held some power over Inuyasha's demon side. "She wasn't a demon, merely a very old human," he finished.
"Then we need to find her and make her take whatever spell she has off Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.
"Well, it won't be easy," Sango said soberly. Kirara mewed in her arms. "Kirara was injured by Inuyasha, and she can't carry anyone for awhile. And I lost my boomerang."
"We'll find a way," Kagome said grimly.
Inwardly, she added, And I'm going to find Inuyasha and make sure hes's okay. I won't let him just run away and be alone.... I'm going to help him! Inuyasha, I'm not going to just let your demon side take over. I'm going to help you fight!
TO BE CONTINUED