Author's rantings: Ok, again, really sorry. I haven't updated for 3 weeks this time. School and extra curricular activates have taken up a lot of time. I'll answer a few previous questions. Firstly, Ranma is following Inuyasha's group, mainly to find out what happened to Kagome – Souta doesn't know, and Ranma wants to find out for him. Secondly, the Hiryuu Kourin Dan is in volume 25 of the Ranma manga, though it isn't in the anime. Lastly, people thought that the Ranma and Inuyasha argument was out of character, perhaps they are, but my interpretation is two people with big egos encountering each other. Finally, reviews are as usual greatly appreciated, also I would encourage people to put a little more detail, if you liked/disliked it, could you please give reasons why? Thanks!
Ranma followed Miroku and the rest of the group to the side of the island before remembering, "Oh, I forgot! The boatman said that he would come back in the evening!"
"Bah!" Inuyasha said, "Stupid human."
"Don't worry, we can hop across, Inuyasha can carry you, I'll ride Kirara with Sango and Shippo." Miroku indicated the woman and the fox-child next to him.
The small creature once again transformed the large beast that Ranma had seen earlier. Miroku, Sango and Shippo mounted it before it launched into the sky. Ranma looked on with a little wonder as Kirara seemed to tread on the air,
"I'm not going to carry him! He can get across by himself!" Inuyasha then leapt off the island, hopping from one rock to the next and made his way towards the mainland.
Miroku looked on and sighed, "I hope Kirara doesn't mind, but I suppose you'll have to climb on too."
Ranma, however was not listening, "he has got to be joking!" he muttered as he too hopped across the rocks, following Inuyasha.
Kirara and her riders stared at the two receding figures in puzzlement before heading off to the opposite side as well.
***
In the village, the motley group had decided to stay the night at the chief's house. After much crying due to their father's death and much thanks due to their brother's safety, the chief's three daughters insisted that they should spend the night as thanks.
Which was why, they were now sitting in a guestroom as Miroku related to Ranma what was actually going on. Inuyasha was sitting in the corner with his hands in his sleeves, feigning sleep but ready to detect any danger. Shippo, Sango and Kirara were also listening in to the conversation and adding in their own contributions to the happenings.
"So you're searching for these Shikon shards, most of which are possessed by this Naraku person."
"That's right, and Naraku has gone into hiding, so we don't know where he is. We heard rumors about an evil in this part of Japan." said Miroku.
"And since the Shichinintai have appeared, we think we may be close since they probably all have Shikon shards in them as that is the only logical way in which they can be resurrected" Sango added, "We can't be sure though, since we don't have Kagome…"
Although Ranma wanted to ask about the resurrection, this was what he really needed to know, "So what happened to Kagome?" he asked, "her brother is quite worried."
The small fox-child sitting next to Miroku wrung his hands in frustration, "Some time ago, before we were near Mt. Hakurei, Inuyasha over there got into and argument with Kagome, finally, in anger Kagome said that she would return home and walked off by herself. We thought that she had gone safely home, but apparently, Inuyasha couldn't find her there. Gah!! Inuyasha, it's all your fault, why can't you get along with Kagome?"
Inuyasha opened his eyes in anger, "None of your business!" he snarled, "the only thing that matters is that we get her back."
Ranma looked at Inuyasha with some empathy, knowing how it felt to be responsible for the disappearance of somebody he cared for. Looking back at Sango and Miroku he inquired, "Do you have any idea where Kagome has gone?"
"No, but we suspect that Naraku may have captured her." Miroku replied, "and we're hoping that if she was that she hasn't been killed."
Ranma lay his head on the wall, hands behind his head, "well, since I don't think I can go back and tell the family that Kagome's been kidnapped and may be dead, I guess I'll have to go with you."
"Another hindrance." Inuyasha said, annoyed.
Ranma glared back at him "I can beat you any day!" He was quite annoyed that he had felt sorry for the youkai just then.
Inuyasha snorted, "I was going easy on you," he told Ranma, "you don't stand any chance against me."
Miroku held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "well, I think that we're all tired now, why don't we get some rest – we have a long journey ahead of us."
Shippo rolled his eyes, "Now we have two idiots." he said before turning over and falling asleep. Ranma looked at the little yokai with some annoyance, "he's comparing me with that jerk?"
***
The next day, the group thanked the village and left, heading towards Mt. Hakurei. The large mountain was already visible from where they were, and Ranma estimated that the journey would be just more than a day.
Throughout the day, Ranma could feel the same holy presence that he had felt on the island grow stronger. Looking back, he saw that Shippo had fallen asleep and was curled in Sango's arms.
"What's wrong with him?" Ranma asked Sango.
Sango looked down at Shippo worriedly, "Do you feel that holy presence?" At Ranma's confirmation she continued, "Since Shippo is a youkai, that presence is draining away his strength, its too holy for him."
"But isn't Shippo harmless? I can't really think of him as evil." Ranma commented.
"Youkai are not necessarily evil, just as I suspect that the holy barrier is not necessarily good." This was from Miroku, who had walked up beside them.
"Not necessarily good?"
"Yes, that barrier almost seems too holy, it's unnatural." Miroku told Ranma, "I don't know how it fits in, but it doesn't seem right."
"It's getting stronger as well." Inuyasha called out from in front, having loped a small distance in front of them.
Ranma noticed something, "How come Inuyasha doesn't seem to be affected, isn't he a youkai as well?"
Miroku chuckled, "well, Inuyasha is quite strong, so for now, the barrier will not affect him greatly." he lowered his voce, "also, he's not actually fully youkai."
Ranma scratched his head in puzzlement, "what do you mean?"
"Inuyasha is the result of mating between a human and a youkai, the result is a hanyou, disgraced by both humans and youkai."
"Why would that be?"
"I suppose I can never comprehend completely, but imagine being two things at once, but not truly either." Miroku said, "in Inuyasha's case, he is neither human nor youkai, so humans will hate him for being a youkai and youkai mock him for being human. That must be very hard on him. I wonder if he himself wonders what exactly he is." Miroku looked forward at the hanyou with some pity, "but he has a strong personality. That's what I respect him for."
Ranma thought about what Miroku had just said, "I think I understand."
"So try not to get into a fight with him will you? He has had a hard life." Miroku advised.
***
They had reached the base of the mountain. Ranma noticed that Inuyasha was also starting to move more sluggishly, as if having to bear a very heavy burden. Still, the hanyou's expression seemed nonchalant and still had a relaxed, confident pose.
"I don't think Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha can really go on any longer." Sango commented. She and Miroku put down Shippo and Kirara who had fainted from the effects of the holy barrier.
"Inuyasha, you stay here and protect Shippo and Kirara, Sango and I will go up the mountain and find the source of the barrier." Miroku turned to Ranma, "it's your choice what you want to do, either follow me or stay here."
Ranma thought for a bit, "I think Inuyasha is strong enough to protect the others here, I'll go with you two, since I'm not affected by the barrier."
"It's settled then." Sango said, "Us three will go up."
"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha said, "just don't take too long."
The three humans started up the natural that wound its way up Mt. Hakurei. A fog seemed to descend as they walked, partially obscuring the surroundings from view.
"This is quite dangerous," Ranma heard Sango call out from in front, "be sure not to fall off."
In front, Miroku was bending down from some unseen weight.
"Are you ok?" Ranma asked, "is it just my imagination or do you look like you're finding the barrier strong as well? Are you part demon as well?"
Miroku's face seemed to get a bit red, "err… no, I'm fully human." He quickly said, briskly marching a little bit faster in front of Ranma.
"Strange…" Ranma thought.
A few moments later Ranma again noticed the priest seem to bow down again, once more seemingly from a heavy burden. "I thought that the barrier only affects impure things, like youkai." he thought, "Then again, perhaps humans can be impure as well?" An image of Happosai stealing female underwear appeared in his mind. "That old man would be drained completely of energy if he was here." Ranma decided. He walked slightly closer to Miroku and noticed the Buddhist bending forwards, his hands outstretched towards… Sango's rear?
Surprised, Ranma moved until he was beside Miroku, who had not noticed the new presence next to him.
"What are you grabbing for?"
Miroku jerked in surprise, "Huh? Oh, hi Ranma." He laughed, "not going for anything really." His hand however, moved towards Sango's rear again, though trembling from the resistance towards his impure thoughts from the barrier.
Ranma looked at the priest with horrible fascination, "aren't you afraid that she will hit you?"
"I see that you too have encountered these difficulties with women before." Miroku gasped, his hand almost touching Sango's rear.
"Hoshi-sama?" Sango turned back, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing!" The priest was standing innocently as he smiled nervously back at Sango.
"Whatever you say…"
Ranma watched the exchange with embarrassment for Miroku. "That is one perverted priest." he thought.
***
They had been walking for quite a long time and both none of them could sense any evil.
"Do you think that Naraku really is here?" Sango asked the others.
It was Miroku who replied, "I don't sense anything, but we haven't arrived at the top yet. Perhaps we will find something later."
"Hey, look up there!" Ranma brought his companions' focus to a cave which was only slightly higher.
"Maybe we'll find something in there!" Sango said as she hiked towards the cave, followed by the others.
"Maybe we will." Miroku agreed.
With that, trio cautiously ducked into the small hole in the side of the mountain.
Ranma followed Miroku and the rest of the group to the side of the island before remembering, "Oh, I forgot! The boatman said that he would come back in the evening!"
"Bah!" Inuyasha said, "Stupid human."
"Don't worry, we can hop across, Inuyasha can carry you, I'll ride Kirara with Sango and Shippo." Miroku indicated the woman and the fox-child next to him.
The small creature once again transformed the large beast that Ranma had seen earlier. Miroku, Sango and Shippo mounted it before it launched into the sky. Ranma looked on with a little wonder as Kirara seemed to tread on the air,
"I'm not going to carry him! He can get across by himself!" Inuyasha then leapt off the island, hopping from one rock to the next and made his way towards the mainland.
Miroku looked on and sighed, "I hope Kirara doesn't mind, but I suppose you'll have to climb on too."
Ranma, however was not listening, "he has got to be joking!" he muttered as he too hopped across the rocks, following Inuyasha.
Kirara and her riders stared at the two receding figures in puzzlement before heading off to the opposite side as well.
***
In the village, the motley group had decided to stay the night at the chief's house. After much crying due to their father's death and much thanks due to their brother's safety, the chief's three daughters insisted that they should spend the night as thanks.
Which was why, they were now sitting in a guestroom as Miroku related to Ranma what was actually going on. Inuyasha was sitting in the corner with his hands in his sleeves, feigning sleep but ready to detect any danger. Shippo, Sango and Kirara were also listening in to the conversation and adding in their own contributions to the happenings.
"So you're searching for these Shikon shards, most of which are possessed by this Naraku person."
"That's right, and Naraku has gone into hiding, so we don't know where he is. We heard rumors about an evil in this part of Japan." said Miroku.
"And since the Shichinintai have appeared, we think we may be close since they probably all have Shikon shards in them as that is the only logical way in which they can be resurrected" Sango added, "We can't be sure though, since we don't have Kagome…"
Although Ranma wanted to ask about the resurrection, this was what he really needed to know, "So what happened to Kagome?" he asked, "her brother is quite worried."
The small fox-child sitting next to Miroku wrung his hands in frustration, "Some time ago, before we were near Mt. Hakurei, Inuyasha over there got into and argument with Kagome, finally, in anger Kagome said that she would return home and walked off by herself. We thought that she had gone safely home, but apparently, Inuyasha couldn't find her there. Gah!! Inuyasha, it's all your fault, why can't you get along with Kagome?"
Inuyasha opened his eyes in anger, "None of your business!" he snarled, "the only thing that matters is that we get her back."
Ranma looked at Inuyasha with some empathy, knowing how it felt to be responsible for the disappearance of somebody he cared for. Looking back at Sango and Miroku he inquired, "Do you have any idea where Kagome has gone?"
"No, but we suspect that Naraku may have captured her." Miroku replied, "and we're hoping that if she was that she hasn't been killed."
Ranma lay his head on the wall, hands behind his head, "well, since I don't think I can go back and tell the family that Kagome's been kidnapped and may be dead, I guess I'll have to go with you."
"Another hindrance." Inuyasha said, annoyed.
Ranma glared back at him "I can beat you any day!" He was quite annoyed that he had felt sorry for the youkai just then.
Inuyasha snorted, "I was going easy on you," he told Ranma, "you don't stand any chance against me."
Miroku held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "well, I think that we're all tired now, why don't we get some rest – we have a long journey ahead of us."
Shippo rolled his eyes, "Now we have two idiots." he said before turning over and falling asleep. Ranma looked at the little yokai with some annoyance, "he's comparing me with that jerk?"
***
The next day, the group thanked the village and left, heading towards Mt. Hakurei. The large mountain was already visible from where they were, and Ranma estimated that the journey would be just more than a day.
Throughout the day, Ranma could feel the same holy presence that he had felt on the island grow stronger. Looking back, he saw that Shippo had fallen asleep and was curled in Sango's arms.
"What's wrong with him?" Ranma asked Sango.
Sango looked down at Shippo worriedly, "Do you feel that holy presence?" At Ranma's confirmation she continued, "Since Shippo is a youkai, that presence is draining away his strength, its too holy for him."
"But isn't Shippo harmless? I can't really think of him as evil." Ranma commented.
"Youkai are not necessarily evil, just as I suspect that the holy barrier is not necessarily good." This was from Miroku, who had walked up beside them.
"Not necessarily good?"
"Yes, that barrier almost seems too holy, it's unnatural." Miroku told Ranma, "I don't know how it fits in, but it doesn't seem right."
"It's getting stronger as well." Inuyasha called out from in front, having loped a small distance in front of them.
Ranma noticed something, "How come Inuyasha doesn't seem to be affected, isn't he a youkai as well?"
Miroku chuckled, "well, Inuyasha is quite strong, so for now, the barrier will not affect him greatly." he lowered his voce, "also, he's not actually fully youkai."
Ranma scratched his head in puzzlement, "what do you mean?"
"Inuyasha is the result of mating between a human and a youkai, the result is a hanyou, disgraced by both humans and youkai."
"Why would that be?"
"I suppose I can never comprehend completely, but imagine being two things at once, but not truly either." Miroku said, "in Inuyasha's case, he is neither human nor youkai, so humans will hate him for being a youkai and youkai mock him for being human. That must be very hard on him. I wonder if he himself wonders what exactly he is." Miroku looked forward at the hanyou with some pity, "but he has a strong personality. That's what I respect him for."
Ranma thought about what Miroku had just said, "I think I understand."
"So try not to get into a fight with him will you? He has had a hard life." Miroku advised.
***
They had reached the base of the mountain. Ranma noticed that Inuyasha was also starting to move more sluggishly, as if having to bear a very heavy burden. Still, the hanyou's expression seemed nonchalant and still had a relaxed, confident pose.
"I don't think Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha can really go on any longer." Sango commented. She and Miroku put down Shippo and Kirara who had fainted from the effects of the holy barrier.
"Inuyasha, you stay here and protect Shippo and Kirara, Sango and I will go up the mountain and find the source of the barrier." Miroku turned to Ranma, "it's your choice what you want to do, either follow me or stay here."
Ranma thought for a bit, "I think Inuyasha is strong enough to protect the others here, I'll go with you two, since I'm not affected by the barrier."
"It's settled then." Sango said, "Us three will go up."
"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha said, "just don't take too long."
The three humans started up the natural that wound its way up Mt. Hakurei. A fog seemed to descend as they walked, partially obscuring the surroundings from view.
"This is quite dangerous," Ranma heard Sango call out from in front, "be sure not to fall off."
In front, Miroku was bending down from some unseen weight.
"Are you ok?" Ranma asked, "is it just my imagination or do you look like you're finding the barrier strong as well? Are you part demon as well?"
Miroku's face seemed to get a bit red, "err… no, I'm fully human." He quickly said, briskly marching a little bit faster in front of Ranma.
"Strange…" Ranma thought.
A few moments later Ranma again noticed the priest seem to bow down again, once more seemingly from a heavy burden. "I thought that the barrier only affects impure things, like youkai." he thought, "Then again, perhaps humans can be impure as well?" An image of Happosai stealing female underwear appeared in his mind. "That old man would be drained completely of energy if he was here." Ranma decided. He walked slightly closer to Miroku and noticed the Buddhist bending forwards, his hands outstretched towards… Sango's rear?
Surprised, Ranma moved until he was beside Miroku, who had not noticed the new presence next to him.
"What are you grabbing for?"
Miroku jerked in surprise, "Huh? Oh, hi Ranma." He laughed, "not going for anything really." His hand however, moved towards Sango's rear again, though trembling from the resistance towards his impure thoughts from the barrier.
Ranma looked at the priest with horrible fascination, "aren't you afraid that she will hit you?"
"I see that you too have encountered these difficulties with women before." Miroku gasped, his hand almost touching Sango's rear.
"Hoshi-sama?" Sango turned back, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing!" The priest was standing innocently as he smiled nervously back at Sango.
"Whatever you say…"
Ranma watched the exchange with embarrassment for Miroku. "That is one perverted priest." he thought.
***
They had been walking for quite a long time and both none of them could sense any evil.
"Do you think that Naraku really is here?" Sango asked the others.
It was Miroku who replied, "I don't sense anything, but we haven't arrived at the top yet. Perhaps we will find something later."
"Hey, look up there!" Ranma brought his companions' focus to a cave which was only slightly higher.
"Maybe we'll find something in there!" Sango said as she hiked towards the cave, followed by the others.
"Maybe we will." Miroku agreed.
With that, trio cautiously ducked into the small hole in the side of the mountain.