A Father's Embrace

Chapter Thirty-One

Despair

Kagome's sides ached horribly. Her legs felt like they would give out at any moment. Yet she was unwilling to give up, despite the fact that the outcome looked gloomier and gloomier. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she did not cry. She just had to catch up to Maiki, even though it was impossible. The river was flowing far too fast.

From her right, and slightly behind her, Miroku's voice joined the sound of his Shakujo jingling and the sound of his sandals colliding with the ground as he ran. "Kagome-sama," he panted, "This is futile. We cannot catch them like this. Please stop before you hurt yourself."

Kagome ignored him, causing Sango to try to reason with her as well. "He's right, Kagome-chan. They'll wash up on the shore somewhere up ahead. We'll find them. I'm sure of it." The exterminator's words, however, did not sound very convincing, echoing the doubt within her mind about the fate of their children.

It was only when Kagome tripped over a rock and fell clumsily to the ground that she finally stopped. When she crashed into the earth, she didn't bother trying to get up. It was the final blow of defeat. The unshed tears that had built up had come crashing down her face like a dam that had crumbled under pressure. Her body wracked with sobs as the monk and exterminator came to her side. Though they were distraught over their son's fate, they did the best they could to push their troubles aside in order to comfort their friend.

"It's okay, Kagome-chan. Just give yourself a few minutes to rest. We will find them."

Maiki struggled to open her eyes. She felt sick, nauseous. She was soaked to the bone and found herself laying face down on a soggy river bank. She very slowly sat up, wincing when a throb of pain shot through her head. She opened her eyes again, and took in her surroundings. She found herself in a small valley with only a few trees sprinkled here and there and lush grasses everywhere. But surrounding the valley on all sides were very tall cliffs. Only where the river cut through the rock were there any breaks in the mountainous backdrop to the secluded valley.

She heard the sound of stirring behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Maiki's golden eyes fell upon Kazuki's washed up form. The boy struggled to open his eyes and slowly sat up.

"Are you okay?" the girl rasped. Her throat felt sore, as if she had been coughing, and she figured she most likely had swallowed a lot of the river water.

"Yes, I think so," he croaked. Apparently Kazuki had choked on much of the water as she. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. A valley or something. It's completely surrounded by cliffs. It looks like the only way back to our parents is to take the river upstream. But from the looks of it, the only way to do that is to actually swim upstream. And even though the current here is calm, the river bed is probably very narrow between the cliffs, meaning the current will be much stronger there."

"So, you're saying we are trapped here."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Then what do you plan on doing?"

Maiki rose to her feet, trying to brush the wet soil from her clothing. "First, I think we should try to dry off. We should build a fire."

"And then?"

"And then... I don't know..." Maiki drawled. "Why are you asking me, anyway? I'm completely clueless here! You're the one from this era. Not me. You're the one who should know what we ought to do!"

Both teenagers were silent for several moments after Maiki's outburst. Kazuki avoided making eye contact with her. Apparently, he wasn't to happy with her short temper.

The girl sighed. "Look, Kazuki-kun. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just... I'm not... I don't know what to do, okay? I'm... sorry."

Kazuki stood and turned to face the shibunyo. "Okay. We shall start a fire and get dry. Then we will search the river banks for our things to see if they have washed up somewhere. After that, we will scout out the area... see if there is another way out of this place."

"Okay."

Kagome, Miroku and Sango walked along the swollen river, coming around a bend. Sango gasped at the sight revealed to them. "Look! There! Villagers! Perhaps they have seen Kazuki and Maiki!"

The trio rushed over to the small group of women, children and a few male escorts. The men, armed with shabby spears, immediately took notice to the arriving group. The women and children gave them a moment's glance before returning to their work. They seemed to be frantically filling every container and tub they had brought with them. Kagome and Sango watched with mild curiosity, finding the behavior to be somewhat odd. Miroku had approached the guards.

"Greetings! My name is Miroku, from the village of Kiyoshi located in central Musashi territory. Our party was headed north along this river when two of our group were washed away in the sudden current. Have you seen them by any chance?"

The four guardsmen looked amongst each other before returning their attention to the monk. The oldest one spoke. "I'm afraid not. We came to the river as soon as we heard the waters rushing by. They must've gone downstream before we arrived here."

"I see," replied Miroku. "Sorry to trouble you then." The monk, slayer, and miko began walking away from the villagers, headed downstream.

"Oi! Where are you going?" demanded the oldest escort in a panicked voice.

The trio turned and faced him, each with questioning looks on their faces. "To find our children," Sango replied bluntly.

The guard's gray eyes widened slightly. "Oh! You can't go that way! The river leads deep into the lands of this region's ruling yokai. As of late, she has been in a terribly foul mood. It has not rained for weeks and our lands are quickly drying up. That is why we struggle to collect water while we have the chance. It's not wise to follow this river into the valley up ahead. If you trespass on her private lands, she is sure to kill you."

"But we have no choice. Our children could be there!" Kagome pleaded.

"If that's the case, then my prayers are with them."

Sango gritted her teeth. "We don't care what you say! We're going there anyway!"

"That is not wise," the guard informed. "There are only two ways into the valley. The first, would be the way your children may have gotten there: by being carried by the current downstream. Unfortunately, the only way back upstream is to wait for the waters to recede."

"And the second way?" the monk inquired.

"That would be over the mountains. However, there is no distinct path over it. It would be a very treacherous, nearly impossible climb and could take up to six days to get to the other side. I would greatly advise against the second option. If you are so desperate to rescue your children, then I implore you to please wait for the waters to recede. Your chances of success will greatly increase if you wait."

Miroku looked back to his wife and friend. "What do you two think? Should be wait? Or do you think we should continue on ahead?"

Both women were silent while they contemplated their options. If they chose to wait it out, their children could easily wash up several miles downstream. Once Kazuki and Maiki had washed ashore, they'd have to fight off hypothermia. If that wasn't enough, all the food items were in Kagome's bag. They'd have nothing to eat. But that was the least of their worries. They might have to fight off yokai, including the dangerous one the elder escort had babbled about.

On the other hand, the trio could immediately resume their course and hope to find the missing children sooner. Unfortunately, there were no guarantees as to when they'd be reunited with Maiki and Kazuki. And with that uncertain possibility, the risks of their own safety were far too great. They could easily drown in the water's fast current. If they managed to survive the river, there was also the lingering threat of that hostile yokai. Maiki and Kazuki might have been carried past the valley and out of danger. But if Kagome, Sango and Miroku attempted to search the area for their children, they could very possibly find themselves facing that yokai's wrath.

"Perhaps... we should wait," Kagome finally suggested, earning an agreeing nod from Sango.

The elder guard's demeanor lightened up when the women decided to take his suggestion. "Very good! Very good! Do not worry! I'm certain that this river will dry up within a day or two. Until then, I invite you all to stay in my home. It's not the most luxurious of places, but it is a far cry better than sleeping out in the cold! I assure you of that!"

As the aging man rambled, the trio of travelers followed him along a dirt path through a tiny forest and to the small village beyond.

"Okay, that should do it," Maiki replied to herself as she finished setting up the last pup tent.

Not long after building a fire, she and Kazuki had set out to find their missing belongings. Fortunately, Akkiwareru had gotten snagged between some rocks in the riverbed, thus trapping Maiki's bag and preventing it from being swept down the river. Unfortunately, everything inside her bag was soaked, and needed to dry out. Making use of the mid-afternoon sun, the shibunyo had busied herself with laying everything out to dry.

Meanwhile, Kazuki went out into the valley in search of anything edible. Fishing was not an option, considering the fact that up until a few hours ago, the river was bone-dry, meaning there would be no fish in it to catch. So, the junior slayer went in search of food. He had been gone for nearly an hour before he returned.

"How'd it go?" Maiki inquired, but the boy gave her a disappointed look.

"I found some mushrooms and a handful of berries. I hope you're not very hungry."

Upon looking at the fungus cradled in Kazuki's arm, she replied, "Not any more..."

"You shouldn't be so finicky. Mushrooms are actually good for you, and they don't taste half bad when they have been warmed over a fire," he stated as he walked over to the small fire.

She followed him. "I don't care. I'm not eating them."

"You will if you get hungry enough. Or, you can try to find your own food. But you'll have to figure out what's okay to eat and what's poisonous." The boy sat down in front of the fire pit and skewered a mushroom with a stick.

"Well, I'm gonna try to find something else to eat."

"You're not going to find anything." He jammed the last mushroom on his stick and held it over the flickering flames.

"How do you know? I'm part inu-yokai. I have a good nose!" 'Even though I'm not really sure how to track things down... But I have to come across something out there...'

"Trust me. Even with that nose of yours, you won't find anything better."

She narrowed her eyes before turning around in a huff and stormed away. "Heh! We'll see!" she called over her shoulder.

"Well, here we are," the old escort, Yuki, called out to his entourage as they entered the village. The guests' eyes wandered over the sad state of the establishment. Though the trees of the forest had yet to show signs of stress from the lack of water, inside the village, the drought was evident. The grass was yellowed and dried out. A haze of dust was ever present in the air as people walked to and fro. Men were quickly building barrels while women and children were busy bringing water from the currently flowing river and emptying the precious liquid into said barrels.

Miroku stepped forward. "You say that the ruling yokai has caused this drought?"

"Why yes! She has!"

"Have you done nothing to try to appease her? Have you tried giving her any offerings?"

Yuki shook his head. "No. It's impossible. No one can get near enough to her castle to bestow any gifts upon her. She allows no one to approach her. Not even her mate. Rumor has it, she caught him bedding another woman, and ever since she has taken her fury out on the surrounding territories."

"That's awful!" Sango cried out. "The nerve of him! How could he do such a thing! No wonder she's so upset! Don't you agree Kagome-chan?" The slayer turned to the miko, and saw a forlorn look on the younger woman's face. "Kagome-chan? Are you okay?"

Her gaze lifted to meet with Sango's. "I'm fine. I just... I understand how she feels, is all. I wish I could help her, but... first I'd have to know how to help myself..."

The exterminator rested her right hand on the miko's shoulder. "Is this about your husband? That Nanashi fellow? Was he... unfaithful to you?"

Kagome didn't speak. Instead, she found herself collapsing into Sango's comforting embrace. The slayer rubbed her friend's back, wracking with silent sobs. Though Sango knew a very little bit of information about Kagome's marriage situation, the pieces were slowly forming an image of the failing union.

"He hurt you. And now he wants to be rid of you. I'm so sorry, Kagome-chan. I wish things had turned out better for you."

The miko said nothing. She allowed the exterminator to comfort her for a few more minutes before the two women rejoined Miroku and Yuki and headed further into the village.

Yuki - snow or luck