CHAPTER FOUR
x.
For a moment, Sango stared in complete disbelief at Kagome and the two very familiar babies. Then her eyes fell to the almost invisible threads strung across the cave, around the trees. "Shippo!"
The little kitsune paused, one foot still in the air.
"Don't move forward," Sango said a little more calmly. "Just get back, and go to the camp. Wait for us there."
"S-sure," Shippo said nervously. He backed away several steps, then turned and ran off into the trees.
Kagome looked down at Inuyasha, still feeling dazed. His face was flushed, and he was staring up at her in an almost panicked way. His features were already crumpling into another outraged howl. She could almost read his thoughts: How the hell am I supposed to fight like this? What the hell happened to me?
Miroku wasn't doing much better. He wasn't screaming his head off, but he was staring at his tiny, chubby fists, with a look of horror on his small face. Sango knelt down beside him and awkwardly picked him up. Then she looked down, looked embarrassed, and quickly snatched up his robe to wrap around him, like a blanket.
"What HAPPENED?" Kagome asked, voicing Inuyasha's question.
"I'm not sure." Sango reached out and plucked the threads.
"I touched those -- I haven't turned into a baby."
"I know. I'm not sure what could have happened." Joggling a fussing Miroku on one arm, Sango snatched up his prayer beads, and wound them several times around his chubby little arm. "There... that ought to last until we can find some smaller ones."
Kagome began gathering Inuyasha's things as well -- basically just his clothes and his sword. The rosary still hung around his small neck, dangling almost to his knees. She double-looped it around his neck, which only made him shriek louder. "It'll be okay," Kagome said, wrapping him up in his voluminous clothing. "We'll find some way to turn you back.... somehow... I think..."
That "I think" only made Inuyasha howl louder.
x.
And he kept howling after they had gotten back to the camp. Sango managed to rip up a sweatshirt of Kagome's into a pair of makeshift diapers, just so the men-turned-babies would be able to retain some small measure of their dignity. Not that it helped -- Miroku looked depressed and dejected. And Inuyasha made sure that the whole world knew how upset he was -- and he did it loudly enough to frighten the birds away.
"Will you please shut up?" Kagome pleaded with him.
Inuyasha glared at her before uttering a shrill wail. Why should I shut up? Just LOOK at me! his eyes demanded.
"Inuyasha, please..."
Another shriek of anger.
After another half-hour, Kagome ended up snapping, "If you don't stop that now I'm gonna use that necklace!" Inuyasha's unearthly yowls stopped immediately, and he stared at her with tearful eyes, in a slightly swollen face. He looked shocked and rather pitiful. Kagome immediately felt ashamed of herself, and cuddled him to show that she hadn't meant it. What seemed like a mild discipline when he was big seemed downright cruel now that he had turned into a baby. He clung to her blouse, sniffling.
Now that she thought about it, she could see why Inuyasha was so freaked out. Suddenly he was little, helpless, unable to even feed himself or sit up without somebody pushing him from behind. He didn't even have fangs or claws. And he couldn't even pick up his treasured sword, let alone draw it. And he was hiccuping into her shoulder, rather wetly.
"Don't worry," Kagome said, patting him on the back. That only earned another indignant yell. "Sorry, sorry." His ears were right near her chin, and they were getting more tempting by the minute.
"Kagome?" Sango suddenly spoke up. "Now that Inuyasha's calmed down... perhaps we should go back to that cave."
"Sure," Kagome said. "Inuyasha, let go of my hair. We're going to try to turn you back to normal."
TO BE CONTINUED
x.
For a moment, Sango stared in complete disbelief at Kagome and the two very familiar babies. Then her eyes fell to the almost invisible threads strung across the cave, around the trees. "Shippo!"
The little kitsune paused, one foot still in the air.
"Don't move forward," Sango said a little more calmly. "Just get back, and go to the camp. Wait for us there."
"S-sure," Shippo said nervously. He backed away several steps, then turned and ran off into the trees.
Kagome looked down at Inuyasha, still feeling dazed. His face was flushed, and he was staring up at her in an almost panicked way. His features were already crumpling into another outraged howl. She could almost read his thoughts: How the hell am I supposed to fight like this? What the hell happened to me?
Miroku wasn't doing much better. He wasn't screaming his head off, but he was staring at his tiny, chubby fists, with a look of horror on his small face. Sango knelt down beside him and awkwardly picked him up. Then she looked down, looked embarrassed, and quickly snatched up his robe to wrap around him, like a blanket.
"What HAPPENED?" Kagome asked, voicing Inuyasha's question.
"I'm not sure." Sango reached out and plucked the threads.
"I touched those -- I haven't turned into a baby."
"I know. I'm not sure what could have happened." Joggling a fussing Miroku on one arm, Sango snatched up his prayer beads, and wound them several times around his chubby little arm. "There... that ought to last until we can find some smaller ones."
Kagome began gathering Inuyasha's things as well -- basically just his clothes and his sword. The rosary still hung around his small neck, dangling almost to his knees. She double-looped it around his neck, which only made him shriek louder. "It'll be okay," Kagome said, wrapping him up in his voluminous clothing. "We'll find some way to turn you back.... somehow... I think..."
That "I think" only made Inuyasha howl louder.
x.
And he kept howling after they had gotten back to the camp. Sango managed to rip up a sweatshirt of Kagome's into a pair of makeshift diapers, just so the men-turned-babies would be able to retain some small measure of their dignity. Not that it helped -- Miroku looked depressed and dejected. And Inuyasha made sure that the whole world knew how upset he was -- and he did it loudly enough to frighten the birds away.
"Will you please shut up?" Kagome pleaded with him.
Inuyasha glared at her before uttering a shrill wail. Why should I shut up? Just LOOK at me! his eyes demanded.
"Inuyasha, please..."
Another shriek of anger.
After another half-hour, Kagome ended up snapping, "If you don't stop that now I'm gonna use that necklace!" Inuyasha's unearthly yowls stopped immediately, and he stared at her with tearful eyes, in a slightly swollen face. He looked shocked and rather pitiful. Kagome immediately felt ashamed of herself, and cuddled him to show that she hadn't meant it. What seemed like a mild discipline when he was big seemed downright cruel now that he had turned into a baby. He clung to her blouse, sniffling.
Now that she thought about it, she could see why Inuyasha was so freaked out. Suddenly he was little, helpless, unable to even feed himself or sit up without somebody pushing him from behind. He didn't even have fangs or claws. And he couldn't even pick up his treasured sword, let alone draw it. And he was hiccuping into her shoulder, rather wetly.
"Don't worry," Kagome said, patting him on the back. That only earned another indignant yell. "Sorry, sorry." His ears were right near her chin, and they were getting more tempting by the minute.
"Kagome?" Sango suddenly spoke up. "Now that Inuyasha's calmed down... perhaps we should go back to that cave."
"Sure," Kagome said. "Inuyasha, let go of my hair. We're going to try to turn you back to normal."
TO BE CONTINUED