CHAPTER TWELVE
.
"Inuyasha!"
"Inuyasha, where are you?"
"INUYASHAAAAA!"
Shippo's shrill voice joined Kagome and Miroku's. The kitsune darted under bushes, up tree trunks, and into ravines, still shouting Inuyasha's name. Miroku was waving his staff around to thin the mist, and kept checking the ground for footprints. So far he had found several wolves, squirrels and birds, but no sign of Inuyasha.
Kagome trudged through the tree, scanning the branches for any flashes of red or silver. But there was nothing but grey, grey, and more grey. Leafless branches, shadows and the occasional crow with baleful red eyes. But not even a hint of the half-demon's whereabouts. Inuyasha, you can be such an idiot! she thought furiously. How am I going to help you if you just turn around and run away!
She desperately wanted to stay angry. But she felt it melting into sadness. Inuyasha, she thought, pulling his robe around her. Where have you gone? Are you going to come back? Am I ever going to see you again?
"I think we should stop shouting," Miroku said soberly. "This won't do us any good, Kagome. If we want to find Inuyasha, then we-"
"INUYYYYAAAASHAAAA!" Shippo howled from a streambed. "Where are you? Come out, Inuyasha! Kagome wants to talk to you! INUYAAAASHAAAAA!"
"Shippo, would you come over here?" Miroku called. As the kitsune scampered over to him, he said to Kagome, "I've been thinking, and this isn't the way to find Inuyasha. If he doesn't want to be found, this will only drive him further away. And if he's transformed again.... well, we don't exactly want to draw his attention."
"We have to find him somehow!" Kagome cried. "We can't just leave him by himself! What if that old woman finds him? He wouldn't know about her until it was too late-"
"I wasn't saying that we should stop," Miroku said quickly. "But we won't find him if we run around shouting."
"What if Inuyasha has gone too far for us to find him?" Sango asked, cradling Kirara close to her. "He is a demon, after all. He can run a lot faster than anyone here except Kirara."
"Then there is nothing more we can do for him, except finding the old woman and breaking whatever spell she has cast," Miroku said grimly. "Right now Inuyasha feels guilty and afraid, and hiding is the only way he knows to protect others. If he has continued running, then we may see him again... but not if we cannot break the spell."
"Do you think he's transformed again?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know," Miroku said. He scratched his head. "None of it really makes sense. But we need to go back and find Sango's weapon -- I can kill the winged demons that the old crone was riding, but I can't risk killing her. Not yet. And Kirara won't be able to fight for a few days."
"We'll all go back," Sango said, standing up.
"Not me," Kagome said.
"What?" Shippo said, hopping onto Kagome's shoulder. "But Kagome, how come-"
"I'm sorry, Shippo," Kagome said in a small voice. "But I can't come with you guys. I need to go find Inuyasha and make sure he's okay. Even if I can't keep up with him, I can follow him until I figure out where he is."
"But Kagome," Sango said, looking horrified. "If Inuyasha has transformed again-"
"Inuyasha could have killed me in that cave," Kagome said a little defiantly. "He could have, but he didn't, even if he was being crazy. I-I have to at least try."
Miroku watched her solemnly. "Well, if that is what you think you must do," he said quietly. "Only be careful."
The three watched as Kagome walked off into the woods, until the mist and shadows swallowed her up. Kagome glanced back once, then continued on her way, hugging the robe tighter around her. It kept her warm, but it also reminded her of who she was searching for, and that last kind gesture... right before he had knocked her down.
I'm going to find you, Inuyasha, she thought. I'm going to make sure you're okay.
TO BE CONTINUED
.
"Inuyasha!"
"Inuyasha, where are you?"
"INUYASHAAAAA!"
Shippo's shrill voice joined Kagome and Miroku's. The kitsune darted under bushes, up tree trunks, and into ravines, still shouting Inuyasha's name. Miroku was waving his staff around to thin the mist, and kept checking the ground for footprints. So far he had found several wolves, squirrels and birds, but no sign of Inuyasha.
Kagome trudged through the tree, scanning the branches for any flashes of red or silver. But there was nothing but grey, grey, and more grey. Leafless branches, shadows and the occasional crow with baleful red eyes. But not even a hint of the half-demon's whereabouts. Inuyasha, you can be such an idiot! she thought furiously. How am I going to help you if you just turn around and run away!
She desperately wanted to stay angry. But she felt it melting into sadness. Inuyasha, she thought, pulling his robe around her. Where have you gone? Are you going to come back? Am I ever going to see you again?
"I think we should stop shouting," Miroku said soberly. "This won't do us any good, Kagome. If we want to find Inuyasha, then we-"
"INUYYYYAAAASHAAAA!" Shippo howled from a streambed. "Where are you? Come out, Inuyasha! Kagome wants to talk to you! INUYAAAASHAAAAA!"
"Shippo, would you come over here?" Miroku called. As the kitsune scampered over to him, he said to Kagome, "I've been thinking, and this isn't the way to find Inuyasha. If he doesn't want to be found, this will only drive him further away. And if he's transformed again.... well, we don't exactly want to draw his attention."
"We have to find him somehow!" Kagome cried. "We can't just leave him by himself! What if that old woman finds him? He wouldn't know about her until it was too late-"
"I wasn't saying that we should stop," Miroku said quickly. "But we won't find him if we run around shouting."
"What if Inuyasha has gone too far for us to find him?" Sango asked, cradling Kirara close to her. "He is a demon, after all. He can run a lot faster than anyone here except Kirara."
"Then there is nothing more we can do for him, except finding the old woman and breaking whatever spell she has cast," Miroku said grimly. "Right now Inuyasha feels guilty and afraid, and hiding is the only way he knows to protect others. If he has continued running, then we may see him again... but not if we cannot break the spell."
"Do you think he's transformed again?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know," Miroku said. He scratched his head. "None of it really makes sense. But we need to go back and find Sango's weapon -- I can kill the winged demons that the old crone was riding, but I can't risk killing her. Not yet. And Kirara won't be able to fight for a few days."
"We'll all go back," Sango said, standing up.
"Not me," Kagome said.
"What?" Shippo said, hopping onto Kagome's shoulder. "But Kagome, how come-"
"I'm sorry, Shippo," Kagome said in a small voice. "But I can't come with you guys. I need to go find Inuyasha and make sure he's okay. Even if I can't keep up with him, I can follow him until I figure out where he is."
"But Kagome," Sango said, looking horrified. "If Inuyasha has transformed again-"
"Inuyasha could have killed me in that cave," Kagome said a little defiantly. "He could have, but he didn't, even if he was being crazy. I-I have to at least try."
Miroku watched her solemnly. "Well, if that is what you think you must do," he said quietly. "Only be careful."
The three watched as Kagome walked off into the woods, until the mist and shadows swallowed her up. Kagome glanced back once, then continued on her way, hugging the robe tighter around her. It kept her warm, but it also reminded her of who she was searching for, and that last kind gesture... right before he had knocked her down.
I'm going to find you, Inuyasha, she thought. I'm going to make sure you're okay.
TO BE CONTINUED