AN: A little perspective change here while Kagome gets settled for a break! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I've enjoyed writing it, but I know I'll have to go back and fix things eventually... I know where I'm going with it - just getting there is the difficulty. Read, review and carry on, my friends!
The breeze felt nice, it wasn't like it was hot all the time anyway, but the breeze was cooling to the skin that was showing. He sat in the limb of an old, gnarled tree, looking out over what had once been a beautiful meadow. This was still one of his favorite places, even if the well didn't work anymore - even if the face he wanted to see come through was missing. The last three years had gone by in a blur of panic and terror, and Shippo couldn't think of anyone he wanted to see more than Kagome.
The woman had easily become his mother figure - and he wanted her to be there to talk to. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened.. He wanted to have her help protect him again like she had before. In all honesty, Shippo just missed the woman, and spent nearly as much time in this meadow as he did out of it. It wasn't the safest, but he had learned to draw himself up into a small ball and hide his scent with the surroundings.
The tree branch he sat on had a spot that had been worn smooth by first Inuyasha's butt.. and then his own. The Hanyou had spent many days up in this tree, watching the meadow in the distance... At least he used to. Shippo frowned and peeled another piece of bark off the tree, shredding it slowly in his hands. There were bald spots on the trunk right about arm height where he had been doing this exact thing for the last few years or so.
He cast his eyes around the forest and meadow alike, watching for anything new or anything that was different. It was all the same really.. The windscar where Inuyasha had tried to defend the village. There were bones under all the dirt and grass he was sure of.. And his eyes landed on spots where his memories replayed. There was something new in the meadow, and he frowned, crawling out of the tree to inspect it. In the middle of the grassy, wind scarred place was a single arrow - white feathers fresh and new embedded into the ground.
Nose twitching, he moved around the arrow silently, not daring to hope that the owner was who he wanted. The scent came to him then, as he pressed his nose against the shaft. Kagome! It really WAS Kagome! Running back to the well, he repeated the same process before grinning brightly enough to light the sun and ran back to the arrow. Small hands grasped the once holy armament and yanked it from the ground, holding it to his chest. He had to find her! He had to tell her what was going on!
Shippo took off along the trail of scent she had left, keeping his nose to the ground not unlike a dog so he could better follow the smell. She was heading towards the village! Maybe if he got there in time, he could stop her and warn her... Tiny fox feet moved as fast as he could force them to, his breathe coming in pants as the demon pushed himself faster than he had ever run. He had to beat her so he could see her again!
Racing over brush and logs, his nose warned him before his eyes did of another demon lumbering up ahead. Clutching tight to the arrow, the little fox hunkered in on himself, inhaling a slow deep breath and holding it. He had hurried to tuck himself up under a tree root and prayed that it was enough to keep him hidden. A hand reached out and yanked his tail in, holding it tight against his chest next to the arrow.
In front of his little hidden place came the large feet of something green and ugly. Too scared to breathe, he thankfully didn't smell the scent that came off of the creature. He could see feet that were almost as big as he was! They were almost humanoid, with four toes instead of five, with fur on the top that was matted with what he could only assume was blood. Nails that were jagged and yellowed made his stomach want to flip, but what made him almost give himself away was the gunk caked between the toes and he felt himself turn a little green.
Heavy breathing as the demon inhaled the scents of the forest and started to lurch around, trying to find what caused the scent. Shippo couldn't hold it anymore and let his breath out in small increments, using his tail to muffle what sounds he might make. There was silence as the feet stilled, and he felt his heart hammering away in fear before the top of his hiding place was ripped away by one massive swing.
There were about four nano seconds that he could take in the demon above him and the little fox was reminded of Ryokan. Except instead of lush, red fur it was sickly and balding and sticking out in patches. Screaming his terror, he felt his tail bush straight out and he took off running like his life depended on it. Unfortunately - that's exactly what it depended on. Shippo felt like his heart was going to burst, but he had enough sense not to lead the demon to the village ruins. If Kagome was there, he would put her in danger and he didn't wanna do that!
Running up against a tree, the little fox used it to launch himself back towards the demon, racing between its legs as it swung down to try to grab bim. Racing back under the demons feet, Shippo was forced to choose between the arrow he carried and his own hide.. And he chose to keep the arrow. If he didn't find Kagome, this was the last link to the priestess, even if Shippo did know that she wasn't back in her time. The scent had been too fresh for that.. A few days maybe?
Dodging and weaving over and under fallen trees, the fox demon did his best to keep the demon occupied and to drag it through trees and brush that were too thick for it. Pausing against the fallen log of a nearby tree, he turned and stuck out his tongue at the lumbering beast that was struggling to get to him.
"Nyeeeeeeeeehh! Can't catch me!" The trees that were blocking its path shuddered and Shippo took a step backwards, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "Uh Oh... Gotta go!" Turning tail, the small demon raced away, using the chance to get some distance between himself and the larger creature. Taking a few minutes, he used his fox magic to set a few traps - making sure the demon could smell him before taking off again.
If there was one thing he wasn't gonna do, it was get caught by some big dumb demon! A trap triggered behind him and he threw himself face first into some mud, rolling around to coat himself and then bounding off in another direction. Shippo used the time he had - the space he'd put between himself and the other demon to go slower, to make sure he wasn't leaving tracks and dripping mud everywhere. Once he was sure the demon had lost him - having lumbered past a while ago, he stopped to breathe.
Sitting as he was against a log, the tiniest of demons pulled his tail around and frowned at the state. He would have to find a river later to take a bath in, but for now all the mud caked into his fur with the sticks and leaves would help hide him. Something he had learned out of necessity but not something he really wanted to indulge in over a long period of time anyway. It was gross and made him feel disgusting.
Taking a tentative sniff at a sleeve, he grimaced and stuck his tongue out. "Yuegh! I stink... Guess no one'll wanna eat me now though!" Looking reverently at the arrow, the little demon shifted his pack and secured the item inside.. Or he tried. The arrowhead was causing problems no matter which way he tried to store it. Sticking down, it would tear through the fabric, sticking up, he was liable to stab his head.
Sitting with a frown, he looked around before noticing the nearby tree with hard buds. Grinning, the fox climbed up into them and picked a few he thought would work before returning to his perch and stabbing the arrowhead into the buds until he found one that would work. "Great! Now I can find Kagome!" Shoving the safe tip into his pack, he tied it and returned the cloth to his shoulders before racing back through the underbrush towards Kaede's village.
Sure, the village wasn't there anymore, but he would always think of the place as Kaede's village. He had lived much of his life there, after all. Hopping over the last bit of brush that opened into the old village area, the fox stopped to sniff the air, making sure that there wasn't anything he shouldn't smell before he exited the cover of the trees and the forest.
Smelling nothing he shouldn't, the little demon made his way across the overgrown roadways towards where he knew Kaede's hut to be If Kagome was here, that's where he'd find her for sure! Yipping softly to himself, the child frowned when he came closer to the hut and saw no sign or scent of Kagome here. "Well... Guess I'll say hi to Kaede while I'm here." He gathered up some flowers on the way towards teh graves.
Closing in on the two rows of raised dirt with posts, he frowned, slowing to a stop. Here, he could smell something - someone... but the scent was hazy like it only floated on the breeze. Kagome? Running faster to the graves, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kagome HAD been here! There were flowers tucked at the head of Kaede's grave.. and judging by the way the edges were only a little dried out, he knew they had to be only a day or two old!
Pausing to add his own flowers to the ones Kagome had left, the little fox knelt down and rested his hands on the mound of grass and wildflowers that hid the old Miko. "Don't worry, Kaede.. I'll find Kagome. We'll put everything back to how it was! Inuyasha will understand when he sees her... Won't he?" Tiny voice drifted off into soft whispers when he asked the question of the long dead priestess.
He wanted things to go back to they were before in the thought process of any young child.. but Shippo wasn't a young child anymore, he knew that he wasn't going to get that back the way he wanted. He knew that he would have to deal with life as it was.. And that life included Kagome. The demon sniffed, rubbing his nose on his sleeve before walking after Kagome's scent. "Good bye, Kaede! I'll come back with Kagome soon!"
Darting off, he followed her trail and wasn't surprised to find her going north. He knew there were other villages to the north - and Shippo was hopeful that she would come across Hikigan. He knew some of the villagers there and hoped that if she went there, he could ply some food from them! Grinning, the little fox raced ahead, aiming for the large-ish place he knew. If nothing else, maybe he could convince them to keep an eye out for Kagome.
Getting to the village would take time, so he decided to crawl up into a tree and take a short nap. Drawing his tail in tight to his chest, Shippo shifted the pack around and dug out Kagome's arrow. Sitting there with the item in his hands, the little fox rubbed his cheek against the shaft and played his chin over the feathers. "Don't worry, Kagome. I'll find you.." Crossing his arms much like Inuyasha did, he kept the arrow firm against his chest and leaned back into the tree trunk.
It made him smile to think that he was sleeping as Inuyasha had so often before.. but the thought also sobered him. He missed the white haired hanyou, but with the way he was NOW? He wanted nothing to do with him! Grumbling as he settled in, Shippo stared to the west, his expression torn between being upset and being relieved. "She's comin' Inuyasha.. Just hang on, kay? Don't get lost." Tears tracked down his cheeks as he hugged the arrow to his chest and forced himself to relax so he could get some rest.
The few hours passed quickly, not that he intended to sleep long, but when he blinked his eyes open, the little fox felt refreshed. Stretching, he felt his back pop and grunted with the relief before shaking himself. Standing up, he noticed that it was just getting dark - the sun was setting and casting everything in hues of golden fire. Smiling, he put Kagome's arrow back in his pouch, readjusted everything and then hopped down and started back towards the village of Hikigan.
Dark was both the safest and the most dangerous time to travel, and it was his usual method of traveling. Darkness hid him easier, but the demons that didn't like to come out during the day were out at night.. and they were far more adept at finding things in the dark than the ones in the daylight were. Shuddering at a particular scent, Shippo made his way slowly - almost painstakingly slowly through the trees until he reached the road.
It was here that he looked around again for the changes in scent and air pressure that heralded danger. He didn't have to just worry about demons, he had to worry about the humans to. There were some hell bent on destroying all the youkai and he wanted nothing to do with getting in their crosshairs. The trip was slow, but he intended to make it as safely as possible, and rushing was going to draw attention to himself even faster.
Shippo reached the trees surrounding the small village run by Ashikita. There was the faint scent of smoke from some of the cooking fires, and another sniff brought him the smell of cooking meats as well. It was late, and he knew that people would be bedding down soon if some hadn't already. Creeping from the forest cover, the little fox crept along on his belly, rushing to the side of a building in the shadow where he straightened up.
Sniffing tentatively, he smiled when he smelled a scent that was one he'd never forget when he got a good whiff.. It smelled like something sweet.. Kagome had once shown him a 'body spray' and said it was vanilla. It smelled similar to her own, and he figured it was cause she wore that spray all the time. With a frown, Shippo put his nose in the air and followed the floating scent until it got heavier. Oh! He wasn't surprised to find her in the larger 'tea shop.' building. Creeping along the wall, sticking to shadows, Shippo poked his head in the door under the reed mat and saw two women at the table with a priestess. The two women he didn't recognize, but Kagome - he knew on sight.
Throwing off any pretense of trying to be stealthy, the fox couldn't handle it anymore and burst the rest of the way through the reed mat and launched himself at the woman in red and white. "Kagome!" Tears were flying off of his face in little glittering sparkles that reflected the firelight, and his mud covered clothes left streaks on her white haori, but he didn't care. Tiny hands wrapped up in the cloth and refused to let go as he felt warm arms tighten around him and squeeze him almost till he couldn't breathe.
"Shippo!" He felt her own tears landing on his hair, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of the now muddy, white shirt he held onto with such strength. "Oh, shippo..." Kagome's voice cracked and it made his own breath hitch as he shifted his grip and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding onto the warm skin that smelled so much like he remembered.
"You came back, 'Gome... You came back..." He snuffled, trying not to snot all over the woman that was as close to his mother as any had gotten in a long time, but when that hand fell down on his hair and started to stroke it, he cried again in earnest. "I m-m-missed you, g-g-gome.." Hiccups racked his small frame, but he eld on just as he could tell the arms that wrapped around his body held him as tightly as he did.
"I missed you too, Shippo.."