CHAPTER SEVEN
Prove yourself, Shippou!
Miroku and Shippou had only been traveling for a while when they sensed it. The tiny kitsune jumped up on Miroku's shoulder and began sniffing the air vigerously. "What is it Shippou?" Miroku had stopped the contraption and was looking into the forest around them... hoping to see the cause of hiw worry. "I smell a youkai.... do you feel it?" Miroku simply nodded and turned his attention back to the forest. Something was hunting them. All around them the leaves of the trees rustled as the wind passed through; disguising any sounds that might have given the monk and kitsune warnings. It was no wonder that when the spider youkai attacked they were barely able to dodge. An imense pattering sound was what alerted Shippou. Since his ears were more sensitive than Miroku's, he quickly screamed in the monk's ear for him to duck and was just barely saved himself from the legs that could have impaled them both. Miroku had reacted quickly, ducked, thrown the contraption to one side, and flung himself, along with the little youkai grabbing on for dear life on his shoulder, towards the nearest tree for cover. Giant legs reached behind the tree and would have grasped them both had the monk not sliced them off with the end of his staff. The youkai fell back, howling in pain. Now was their chance. With three hamafudas raedy to fly at his fingertips, Miroku lept out from behind the tree and launched his scrolls at the spider's head. Recoiling in pain, the arachnid fell back into some bushes where it scrambled to stand back up again. It never stood half a chance. With one swift lung from his staff, Miroku expelled the spider demon from sight. Shippou look out from inside the monk's robes to examine the handywork of his companion. Stepping cautiously around the dead spider, the tiny kitsune made retorts about how he wasn't scared one bit. That was.... until the second spider grabbed him.
"Good job Shippou, I would have never............" Miroku didn't have time to finish his praise. As he turned another spider jumped out from the brush and grabbed hold of the the little kitsune. The monk's hands were a blur as he reached into his robe and shot a hamafuda straight at the youkai. The spider flew back from the power of the hamafuda, but not before sinking its teeth into Shippou's arm. It crashed against a tree and was instantly desolved by the monk's staff straight to it's mid-section. "Shippou, are you ok?" Shippou had curled himself into a ball and was crying his eyes out. When Miroku tried to inspect the wound Shippou withdrew defensively, his hair standing on end.
'This is my fault. Why didn't I sense that youkai before? Was it because I thought the youki was coming from the one that I had already killed?'
Shippou's wailing jerked Miroku back to reality. the monk looked at the section of the kitsune's arm that was exposed to his eyes. The skin had turned a dark shade of red like a rash and looked like it was spreading. Shippou was about to lick the wound when a hand crossed his face. "Don't do that! It's poison!"
At this Shippou's face dawned in sudden realization. He'd been poisoned. Just like Inuyasha had. But he wasn't strong enough to keep it at bay. He didn't have human blood to protect him. They were far away from Jinenji's home and the pain was only getting worse. But he couldn't give up. Inuyasha wouldn't give up. Neither would Kagome, Sango, Miroku or Kirara. They wouldn't let him die. He had to hold on.
Miroku ran back to Kagome's contraption, placing Shippou carefully in the basket. He took off towards Jinenji's hut in a flash. 'Damn! Why didn't we think to ask Jinenji for some antidote?' The bike practically soared as the guilt ridden monk peddled back to their point of origin. "I know it must be painful Shippou, but just bear with me for a little bit. I will have you back to normal in no time." With that said Miroku doubled his efforts. If there was ever a time when he wished that their friend, a demon flea by the name of Myoga, was here, it was now. Myoga could have easily sucked out the poison and would have been thankful for the meal. But since they had been surounded by so much chaos and fighting lately, there was no way that the flea youkai would show himself. Despite his usefulness, it was very well known that Myoga was a coward. With the moment slipping away and the adrenaline leaving his body, Miroku soon began to feel the pain that had been coursing through his legs..... and another at his side. He glanced down to see his blood soaked robes. He probably hadn't been fast enough at one point. No matter. His own pain was not his concern at the moment. His biggest concern was the little kitsune lying in the basket in front of him, apparently not breathing. He had just noticed this when He heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of rushing wind. The sound of Kirara. He looked up, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Sango rushing towards him on Kirara. Then as he looked back in front of him he noticed the red and white blur that was heading straight for him.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango yelled joyously as she and Kirara neared the monk on the bike. But her smile turned to a look of confusion, then horror when she saw the little ball of fur lying motionless in the basket. 'No.' She landed beside him and rushed toward the injured kitsune. Seconds later the brush behind her parted where Kagome and Inuyasha sprinted through and also ended up beside the basket.
It was difficult for Miroku to explain. He did his best to tell them what had happened and how Shippou had been hurt, but it was difficult to admit that he was at fault for the kitsune's injuries. Sango laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but he still couldn't release the knot in his throat. "We have to get him to Jinenji, this poison is spreading fast. Only the healing herbs can do anything at this point...." He couldn't bare to finish his explination at the looks on Sango's and Kagome's faces. Even Kirara seemed saddend, her ears flat on her head. Only Inuyasha seemed to be in a pensive state.
"Move." Inuyasha pushed his way to the basket. He looked down at Shippou with an almost fatherly concern. He seemed to be pondering something.... thinking of something... hoping for something. Then without a second thought he plunged his claws into his own chest. The others gasped and took a step back as he twisted his wound, forcing blood to spill out over his shirt. He then removed his blood soaked shirt and placed on the unconcious kitsune's shoulder. "Inuyasha! What are you..." Kagome had started, but when he looked up at her, his eyes full of emotion and pain, she stopped herself and stood by him. Looking down at what she considered to be a part of her family. Her's and Inuyasha's.
"I don't know how much it'll help, but I had to try." Inuyasha broke the silence that had been ongoing between them since they set off again towards Jinenji's hut. Kagome acknowledged that she understood by hugging him more tightly. "Since I had just been treated with the healing herbs, it's possible that there might still be some healing effect left in my blood." Kagome was stunned by Inuyasha's quick thinking. She was also a bit flustered about riding on his back while he didn't have a shirt on since she was still wearing his himono.
"Don't worry, he'll be ok." Kagome tried to re-assure him. "Keh! I know. That kid's too stupid to die on us." It was too late for him to act like a jerk, he had already showed that he cared. Kagome smiled at his attempt to hide his feelings and re-positioned herself so that her her mouth was right by his ear. "Thank you, Inuyasha." When she looked to see his reaction, she was sure that she saw that same smile play around his lips.
It wasn't long before they reached the fields and made it to Jinenji's hut. The giant hanyou made some antidote in a snap and had Shippou resting inside in no time. "The blood helped him alot. Had his shoulder not been wrapped in it, he might not have made it all the way over here." instantly everyone turned to the dog demon sitting in their midsts. "What??!! Don't look at me like that !! It's not like I'm completely heartless!" With that the hanyou lept up and left th room in a huff. Jinenji turned to his remaining guests and explained to them, "Right now the best that you can do is wait. It is up to his own strength now. Only shippou can fight off what is left of the poison in his body. It would be best that he stayed here for the day."
Inuyasha had only gotten to the edege of the fields when Kagome caught up to him. Still wrapped in his himono, the dark haired girl strolled up to the hanyou and followed him into the forest. "That was nice of you.... worrying about Shippou." She looked at him to see how he would react, half excpeting his trademark "Keh", but he remained silent. "You know.... I'd really like to know what happened to you when you dissapeared." The dog demon looked down. "Keh, it's not important. Besides, I got to you in time, didn't I?" Kagome stopped walking. She burried her face in his himono, obviously crying. When Inuyasha noticed this he stopped and turned to Kagome, his temper rising dangerously. "You JERK!!!" His temper quickly subsided and was replaced by fear. "Why won't you let me worry about you!!! Don't you know what I went through when you let???!!!!" Kagome had turned on her heel and was about to run, but strong hands gripped her sides and whipped her about. She didn't have time to protest because the next thing she knew, she was pressed up against Inuyasha's chest.
Before the hanyou realized what he was doing, he had grasped Kagome and pulled her towards him. Wrapping his arms around her protectively, he hissed in her ear, "Stop it. You know that I hate to see you cry. I'm just glad that you're ok. I'm glad that I got there in time." After saying this he realized how close he was to Kagome and was pulling away when he noticed that he couldn't move. Kagome had returned his hug by putting her own arms around his waist and locking her hands wher ethey met on his back. She wasn't talking, moving, or even crying anymore. Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold her there until the end of time. He wanted to lean into her and brush his lips against hers..... he wanted to keep her always..... but he couldn't.
Kagome felt the heat coming off of Inuyasha as he held her. His chest would rise and fall in sync with his breathing. She put her hands around him and held him back. She didn't want to let go this time. Even if he tried to move away or tried to push her.... she would not move. Nothing could make her let go this time...... but something did.
Inyuasha was trying hard to gather up the courage to kiss her, but he was interrupted. From back at the hut they heard Shippou's voice calling out to Kagome. Inuyasha quickly picked up Kagome and carried her back across the fields. He looked down as he took her bridal style to the hut and noticed that her face resembled a tamato. Not being familiar with the marriage traditions of humans, Inuyasha didn't know why she was blushing, but he was happy that she was at least smiling now. They reached the hut and he put her down inside, much to the gasps of their friends.
"Inuyasha, what happened?" sneered Miroku with a sly little smile. The hanyou simply put up a threatening fist to his face and walked past him towards Shippou. The little kitsune was crying, wrapped in a blanket that Jinenji had placed on him. Kagome had sat down beside him and was affectionately petting his head. With tears still streaming down his face, Shippou stared at his friends as if frantically searching for someone. "What happened to me? Miroku, what happened?"
Miroku was standing amongst his friends, but when the kitsune addressed him, he was instantly transported to a place where he was comepletely isolated. he looked down, trying not to look Shippou in the eyes as he told the little youkai how it was his fault that this had happened. That because he hadn't been fast enough Shippou had been injected with lethal poison. It was difficult, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. A hand that he would have never thought to comfort him. And as his companion spoke, his loneliness lifted and his courage took the better of him.
"Shippou, Miroku did his best to help you. There's no reason for you to be scared. Youkai don't get scared Shippou..... they fight. Just like you fought the poison in your body. You're a great youkai and you can't let little things like poison stop you.... can you?"
At the dog hanyou's words Shippou simply cracked a smile on his tear streaked face and nodded. Seeing that Shippou would be ok, Inuyasha turned and left the hut again. Kagome looked down at Shippou and smiled. She couldn't help but notice how Inuyasha had failed to mention how it had been him who wrapped Shippou in a shirt soaked with his own blood so slow the poison. She guessed this was for Miroku's sake and left it as it was. The little kitsune had fallen asleep in her lap and was snoring softly. Of course he was tired. He had just fought for his life... he needed sleep. Kagome looked up at the spot where Inuyasha had stood giving Shippou the speech. She smiled to herself and leaned back on the wall of the hut. In an instant she dozed off