Zarbok: Um...thanks? I think? Any hints on how to make it better?
Evanescence: Ooh, I'm glad you're glad! :D It'll probably add up to around five chapters. Or so.
Eanshi-Hui: Awwww, thank you! Glad you like it!
Sara: Heehee. I updated!
darkangelInu: Yay! A fellow Inu-Kag lover! XD Glad you like it!
Starting next chapter, the characters will be answering you. So make niiice long reviews, everyone!
Seibai: Miroku's staff
-.-.-
He's not here.
That was the miko's first thought as she was torn from a deep sleep. The groggy contentment of slumber was gone in an instant and she sat bolt upright, gaze snapping from wall to wall of the room. Inuyasha's warm aura wasn't anywhere within her sensing range. "Inuyasha?"
The kitsune beside her stirred as she spoke. "K'gome?" the young fox mumbled, emerald orbs opening halfway. "Wha's goin' on?"
"Go back to sleep, Shippo-kun." When Shippo obeyed, Kagome wormed out of her sleeping bag and stood, slipping her feet back into her loafers.
Hoisting her gigantic yellow backpack onto her shoulders, the girl staggered from the room into the bright sunlight. Many of the villagers were already up and about, including Kaede; she hurried over to the old miko, who was picking herbs and flowers.
"Kaede-obaachan," Kagome panted, stopping beside the woman, "Have you seen Inuyasha?"
Kaede looked up. "I have not. Why, Kagome-san? Has he gone?"
"Yes, I can't sense him anywhere." A thick sense of loss, worry and fear settled over the girl's chest. The hanyou was the only reason she felt safe here; his warm strength near her always alleviated her worries.
"Perhaps he left the village?"
"Maybe. But why?"
"I do not know."
"Kagome-chan!"
The voice of the taijiya made Kagome turn her head. "Sango-chan!"
Sango stopped before her friend and smiled. She wore a casual, crimson-colored kimono over her black slayer's garb, and her boomerang was nowhere in sight. The fire kitten Kirara was perched upon her mistress's shoulder, peering at Kagome with wide, scarlet optics. "Kagome-chan, I heard you talking to Kaede. You're looking for Inuyasha?"
For a moment, the girl's apprehension was lifted from her for a moment. "I am! Have you seen him?"
Sango's look became sympathetic. "Sorry, Kagome, I haven't."
The worry and doubt fell heavily upon Kagome's shoulders again, this time with a crushing intensity. "Has Miroku-sama seen him?"
"I've been with houshi-sama all day. He's just been hitting on the village women. Again."
"I have to find Inuyasha..." Kagome murmured quietly, more to herself than to her friend.
The taijiya looked up. "Houshi-sama and I will come with you! We'll all find him together."
Kagome smiled at her friend but shook her head. "No. This is something I'll have to do myself. I need to know what his problem is. And if you two are there...he might not want to tell me if you two are listening."
"Ohh. I see. Alright then. Take Kirara with you." At her name, the fire-kitten mewed and leapt from Sango's shoulder, transforming in a flash of flame.
The miko smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Sango-chan."
The elderly priestess rose and looked around at the girl. "I will pack some food for you to take, Kagome-san."
Kagome smiled again and bowed as Kaede vanished into her hut. "Thank you, Kaede-obaachan."
The monk wandered over, Seibai's rings jangling with each step. "What's going on?"
The demon slayer explained what was going on as the old woman reemerged from her abode and placed a package of fruits, a bag of vegetables, and some rice balls into Kagome's hands. The miko smiled again and hoisted herself onto the neko's back, settling just behind Kirara's shoulderblades.
"We'll miss you, Kagome-chan," Sango informed her.
The houshi nodded. "Yes. We all will. Good luck in finding Inuyasha."
"I'll miss all of you too, but I feel bad about leaving Shippo without saying anything." Kagome admitted, biting her lip.
"We'll tell him where you went," the old priestess assured the girl.
The miko nodded, smiling around at her friends before her expression became determined and she looked down at her ride's head. "Okay, Kirara," Kagome said firmly, "Let's go."
With a roar the pyro-neko sprang into the air, bounding across the sky with great pawsweeps and moving swiftly away from the village. Kirara was following the inu-hanyou's scent, and the easy comfort of the wind whooshing past gave Kagome a clear mind. She began to think.
He was acting really weird last night. What was he thinking about? And why did he leave?
Maybe Kikyo somehow came back. Maybe he smelled her and went to find her. That thought made the girl's stomach twinge, then she frowned. But I would have realized if she'd been resurrected, right? I mean, we share the same soul.
So what was wrong?
"Growrrr," Kirara suddenly rumbled, sweeping down toward the ground as a familiar scent wafted to her senses.
"Kirara?" Kagome queried, gripping the neko's fur tightly and leaning forward against her furry neck. "What's wrong?"
A different aura suddenly reached her. It was friendly and certainly recognizable, but it wasn't someone that she particularly wanted to see at that moment.
Koga...