CHAPTER ELEVEN
*
"I can't," Kagome said firmly.
"I understand, " Miroku said, kneeling down beside the young girl. She hadn't moved from the hut for hour, and spent most of her time holding Inuyasha's limp hand between hers. "In that case, Sango, Shippo and I will be gone for... well, anywhere from a few hours to a day. Kirara will stay here to protect you and Inuyasha."
Kagome nodded.
"And Kagome... you should try talking to Inuyasha. I don't know if he can hear you, but you have a better chance of bringing him back than anyone else." As Miroku left the hut, he reflected on what he hadn't said to Kagome. That Inuyasha, believing himself betrayed by the second woman he had ever had feelings for, might not make an effort to live. Kagome speaking to him might cut through whatever he was feeling. Inside the hut, Kagome watched the others go, then let the ragged hanging fall over the doorway. Kirara scampered past her and onto the straw bed. She mewed softly and rubbed against Inuyasha's cheek. But the half-demon didn't move.
*
"Do you think Inuyasha will live?" Sango said.
Miroku broke out of his own thoughts. They had been walking in silence for nearly half an hour. The only sound was an occasional sniffle from Shippo. "I don't know," he said quietly. "And even if he does, he may be... well, not quite the same."
"What do you mean?"
"From what Kagome tells me, Inuyasha was deeply wounded when he was attacked by Kikyo and enspelled for fifty years. He trusted Kagome, but... well, perhaps I'm just being pessimistic, but it will have been a deep shock even when he learns that she didn't mean to hurt him."
Sango stepped over a mossy log. "Assuming that he wakes up."
"Yes. I don't know exactly what Kagome's sacred arrow did to him, but it struck him in the heart." Miroku paused and glanced around. The forest around him was sunnier than where he had found Inuyasha and Kagome, but still... dimmer than it should have been. "Shippo, could you go on ahead and see what you can find?"
"Will do!" Shippo jumped off Miroku's shoulder. With a popping sound, he turned into a pink bubble, wall-eyed and fat. As the two humans watched, he floated over the trees and away.
"I wish I could do that," Sango said.
"We all have our gifts," Miroku said, shrugging.
They continued walking in silence through the woods. Miroku took a fleeting glance at Sango's well-shaped behind, then swiftly dismissed the idea. They were on this journey for business, not pleasure, and couldn't afford any delays that arguments would cause. And somehow, in such dire circumstances, it just seemed... inappropriate. He would try when things had calmed down...
Miroku's train of thought was interrupted by a loud buzzing sound from overhead. He looked up, and felt a chill at what he saw. A large pink blur was shooting across the sky like a falling star, pursued by dozens and dozens of....
"Poison wasps!" Sango shouted.
"Dammit!" Miroku said. He couldn't use his hand against those things, unless he was desperate enough to risk death. "Shippo! Quickly, come toward us! SHIPPO!"
Shippo took a few spiraling falls before landing with a wail in Miroku's arms, transforming from a bubble back into a kitsune. "They're after me!" he shrieked, clinging to the monk's robes.
"They're dead!" Sango said ferociously. She raised her boomerang... and stopped. "Miroku... look."
Miroku looked. The sky was clear of the wasps; there wasn't even a bird or cloud in the sky. "Another illusion!" he said tightly. "It seems that this illusion demon knows exactly what to use against us... Kagura for Kagome, Naraku for Inuyasha, and wasps against the rest of us."
"We shouldn't trust anything unless we're sure," Sango said.
"Agreed." Miroku looked down at Shippo, who was still clinging to him. "Did you see anything before the wasps chased you?"
"Yeah, I saw a village," Shippo said. "But everybody in it was dead."
"Dead? How?"
"It looks like they killed each other."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"I can't," Kagome said firmly.
"I understand, " Miroku said, kneeling down beside the young girl. She hadn't moved from the hut for hour, and spent most of her time holding Inuyasha's limp hand between hers. "In that case, Sango, Shippo and I will be gone for... well, anywhere from a few hours to a day. Kirara will stay here to protect you and Inuyasha."
Kagome nodded.
"And Kagome... you should try talking to Inuyasha. I don't know if he can hear you, but you have a better chance of bringing him back than anyone else." As Miroku left the hut, he reflected on what he hadn't said to Kagome. That Inuyasha, believing himself betrayed by the second woman he had ever had feelings for, might not make an effort to live. Kagome speaking to him might cut through whatever he was feeling. Inside the hut, Kagome watched the others go, then let the ragged hanging fall over the doorway. Kirara scampered past her and onto the straw bed. She mewed softly and rubbed against Inuyasha's cheek. But the half-demon didn't move.
*
"Do you think Inuyasha will live?" Sango said.
Miroku broke out of his own thoughts. They had been walking in silence for nearly half an hour. The only sound was an occasional sniffle from Shippo. "I don't know," he said quietly. "And even if he does, he may be... well, not quite the same."
"What do you mean?"
"From what Kagome tells me, Inuyasha was deeply wounded when he was attacked by Kikyo and enspelled for fifty years. He trusted Kagome, but... well, perhaps I'm just being pessimistic, but it will have been a deep shock even when he learns that she didn't mean to hurt him."
Sango stepped over a mossy log. "Assuming that he wakes up."
"Yes. I don't know exactly what Kagome's sacred arrow did to him, but it struck him in the heart." Miroku paused and glanced around. The forest around him was sunnier than where he had found Inuyasha and Kagome, but still... dimmer than it should have been. "Shippo, could you go on ahead and see what you can find?"
"Will do!" Shippo jumped off Miroku's shoulder. With a popping sound, he turned into a pink bubble, wall-eyed and fat. As the two humans watched, he floated over the trees and away.
"I wish I could do that," Sango said.
"We all have our gifts," Miroku said, shrugging.
They continued walking in silence through the woods. Miroku took a fleeting glance at Sango's well-shaped behind, then swiftly dismissed the idea. They were on this journey for business, not pleasure, and couldn't afford any delays that arguments would cause. And somehow, in such dire circumstances, it just seemed... inappropriate. He would try when things had calmed down...
Miroku's train of thought was interrupted by a loud buzzing sound from overhead. He looked up, and felt a chill at what he saw. A large pink blur was shooting across the sky like a falling star, pursued by dozens and dozens of....
"Poison wasps!" Sango shouted.
"Dammit!" Miroku said. He couldn't use his hand against those things, unless he was desperate enough to risk death. "Shippo! Quickly, come toward us! SHIPPO!"
Shippo took a few spiraling falls before landing with a wail in Miroku's arms, transforming from a bubble back into a kitsune. "They're after me!" he shrieked, clinging to the monk's robes.
"They're dead!" Sango said ferociously. She raised her boomerang... and stopped. "Miroku... look."
Miroku looked. The sky was clear of the wasps; there wasn't even a bird or cloud in the sky. "Another illusion!" he said tightly. "It seems that this illusion demon knows exactly what to use against us... Kagura for Kagome, Naraku for Inuyasha, and wasps against the rest of us."
"We shouldn't trust anything unless we're sure," Sango said.
"Agreed." Miroku looked down at Shippo, who was still clinging to him. "Did you see anything before the wasps chased you?"
"Yeah, I saw a village," Shippo said. "But everybody in it was dead."
"Dead? How?"
"It looks like they killed each other."
TO BE CONTINUED