AN: I am glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! It always puts a smile on my face when I see the reviews. Thank you, guys!
Come noon, Kagome and Shippo started to look for somewhere to escape the choking humidity to have something to eat. The storm that had gathered in the West seemed to be making its way East, and with the lack of wind, Kagome knew it would break today or tomorrow. She could only hope that they could get into somewhere dry before it did. Shippo was currently running around in the small creek they had found, getting completely soaked.
Kagome found a relatively flatish rock in the shade of a tree and sat down to work lunch out of the bag Ashikita had placed it in. Relatively normal provisions for a trip like theirs: dried meats, some bread and a few potatoes. The more iconic vegetables really wouldn't be imported for a long time... but she could do with what they had.
"Shippo... Come on and grab something to eat." Without a pot they couldn't do much with the potatoes, but she did tear some of the bread and handed it to the young demon as well as the dried meat. "We'll have to see about finding some fish or something later.. This won't last us long."
"I can fitsh, Kagome!" The bread crumbs spit out with his words and she once more found herself arching a brow at him before he mumbled a sheepish apology and swallowed his food before speaking. "I can catch us fish.. If you cook 'em!"
"That sounds good, Shippo. I'm not good with fishing I don't suspect, but I will be more than happy to cook them." She had a thought - with Shippo around, getting a fire started wouldn't be impossible. That was a relief. "It looks like a storm is moving in... I would like to get as far West as we can before it breaks.."
"There's a village about half a day from here... but... I don't wanna go there." It struck her as odd, and Kagome tilted her head before looking at the little fox.
"Why is that?"
"'Cause.. they don't like demons.. I got caught trying to sneak into some of their food and they tried to kill me! Me! A little kit!" His tail had grown larger with the story and Kagome simply nodded, mentally marking that off her list.
"Then we'll have to skirt around it. I won't have you hurt, Shippo." Even if she had to go in herself and collect supplies, she wouldn't be doing it unless they had no other choice. Leaving Shippo even if he had been on his own for a while wasn't an option in her book. "What other villages are near.. I know there was one north of here - but that's out of our way."
"There's Jinenjis! It's that way somewhere.. Maybe we can stop at his place?" Kagome thought it over before she nodded, her lips twitching into a smile.
"Sure, we can try Jinenji's, but I don't think we'll get there before the storm breaks.. we can stop and visit him though.." She did miss the half demon and his plants. He really was a nice person once you got to know him. The miko finished her last bite of dried meat before dusting her hands and putting the pack back where it was.
Kagome made her way to the creek and swished her hands through the water before cupping them and bringing the clear fluid to her lips. She drank her fill and got up, drying her hands on the sleeves of the white kosode she wore. "Ready?" There was a faint breeze, and she felt a desire to be going, moving before it poured on them.
"Yea!"
Once more on the road, she listened as Shippo regaled her with stories of Sango and Miroku's daughters, as well as their newest son, Hisui. Their daughters, twins in fact were named Maraika and Hastuhori. Kagome found it troubling that they were traveling with the three small children and worried for their well being. The priestess frowned, pausing only long enough to let Shippo switch to her back where he sat perched on her quiver, her hair pulled to the side of her neck. Shippo stayed with his hands in her hair to keep his balance, and had to shift a little to not get arrows up his butt or to knock them over. But he did manage eventually.
"Shippo.. other than Inuyasha acting strange, has anything else been going weird?"
"Well, kinda, I guess.. There's more demons than normal.. and they're bolder to. But.. that could be 'cause Inuyasha isn't around anymore to keep 'em out." His tone suggested he was frowning, even though Kagome wasn't able to see it, she could feel it in the way his hands tightened on her hair.
"Any idea why that could be? What exactly happened with Inuyasha? Maybe if we can find that out, we can figure out what happened...and how to fix it." Kagome continued to walk on the left of the road, watching for anything coming from in front, and certainly watching for the armored men Shippo had called "Kytes". The idea of people who specifically hunted and killed those with demonic or holy powers was concerning. Could they have something to do with Inuyasha's issue?
"Well... He went off with Miroku to do a slaying, but when he came back, he didn't look good." Shippo chewed on his lower lip, trying to recall the day that they had returned. "It was a weird slaying."
"What was so weird about it?"
"Well, they were gone for a few days.. Which never happened. Miroku always rushed to get back to his family.. So the fact that they were gone for so long, it was weird.. Even Sango was worried.. She was carrying Hiraikotsu everywhere with her for a few days."
"Did they tell you what happened to make them so skittish?" She shifted as they walked, stepping around another pair of women who were traveling, both bowing to the Miko though they seemed taken aback by the child riding on her back.
"No.. I guess cause I'm too little still.. I hate being little... I would know how to help Inuyasha."
"You are helping him, Shippo. You found me, and you're filling me in on what's going on. And together we will bring him back." That thought made him blink before he smiled and stared down at her, fluffy tail waving.
"Yea! You're right! Thanks Kagome."
"You're welcome... So what else?" Her palms had started to sweat a little with the nerves about not being able to help her half demon, but she simply scrubbed them on her pants and focused on the walk. It was hot, she was sticky, and her hair was stuck to her head in places like she had jumped in a bath.
"So Inuyasha was actin' real weird for a day or so before he started to keep to himself. He had a hut to live in like Sango and Miroku, but he didn't use it after that. Not like he ever used it to begin with, but he never even went near it afterwards." The thought made Shippo sober, looking down at the raven hair he was sitting against.
"Do you think we need ta go back to the village? To his hut to find clues?"
"If he never went there, then probably not.. Besides there's not many standing anymore anyway.. What else did he do that was weird?"
"Well.. he stayed in the Goshinuku for a few nights.. And kept starin' into the well. I saw him jump in it once after that, but then he just... vanished. He was gone for a few days. When he came back, the demons had attacked, and I told you that story." The little fox started to fidget when he continued, and Kagome very much wished she could reach up to comfort him... but he was out of reach.
"He came back and seemed fine - he was in good spirits and was laughin' and jokin' with Kaede and Miroku..but.. Something caught his attention.. And he left again... But when he came back it was cause demons were attacking the village. Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, Kaede, The villagers.. Even me and Kirara.. we helped where we could to try to protect it.. but.." Kagome felt something drop on her head and at first, she thought it was the rain finally breaking open.. but realized that it was in fact tears from a little fox demon.
"Oh, Shippo..."
"It's okay 'Gome... Cause you're here.. we'll find him.. but.."
"But what?" She felt her heart starting to race, swallowing nervously and waiting for him to answer her in his own time. The priestess's feet hurt, but she wasn't about to tell him that. He might feel like he was the reason and get down - and she wanted him right where he was. The extra weight wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. The pain was from all the walking they were doing, walking that she wasn't used to anymore.
"But..'m scared even you can't find him.. I'm worried that even you won't be able to bring him back."
"Well, I've done it before, I'll do it again! Even if I have to sit the stupid out of him!" That had the desired effect and Shippo laughed, great, heaving belly laughs that had him almost falling off his perched position.
"I woulda thought you'da done that already! But maybe you can do it a few more times, just to be sure." He grinned, his laughs coming down to chuckles, then to little hiccups as he wiped tears away for an entirely different reason. "I don't think he can withstand your wrath, 'Gome."
"No? I don't think so either. So what am I going to yell at him for?" She was highly doubtful that he was going to get yelled at for the things he had done.. unless he did them out of malice. But, knowing Inuyasha, Kagome was ninety nine point nine percent sure that whatever this was.. wasn't something he was deciding to do on his own.
"Well...He turned on the village.. When Kaede died - he turned on the village and attacked us." That stopped Kagome dead in her tracks and she twisted her head so fast she was pretty sure her neck cracked.
"He...what?"
"Yea.. he was fightin' for us, throwin' the windscar and meido's around everywhere.. But there were a lot of demons.. Like.. Naraku a lot.. And then one killed Kaede and as soon as she died... he just kinda froze.. And then even when he was holding the Tessaiga, he went full demon.. It was like he just wasn't there anymore."
Kagome could feel the kit shaking and tugged him down so she could cuddle him against her chest with a frown, rubbing her cheek over his fluff of hair to try and console the shaken kit. "It's okay, Shippo.. we'll fix it."
"You don't understand... He was holdin' the Tessaiga.. he was swingin' it and then just... stopped. He got real still for a minute and it transformed back. Inuyasha sat there and stared at his sword, then his face had those purple marks and his eyes got all red. He threw Tessaiga to the ground and then attacked us." The little kit sounded like he was going to cry, and she kissed his hair, hugging him closer.
"He threw the Tessaiga?"
"Yea...I know where it is though!" Kagome froze, her eyes widening as she stared at the little kit, a smile touching her face that made her look almost demonic herself.
"Where, Shippo.. Is it nearby? We need to go get it." The little fox's grin matched hers and he nodded, pointing west.
"Sango and Miroku hid it in the caves near Jinenji's. Miroku put a seal on it so no demons could get it.. but I bet you could break it!" The little fox was nearly jumping up and down in Kagome's arms, but she was catching his excitement.. it was rather infectious.
"Allright, Shippo.. Let's go!" She let him jump down and lead the way, running across the ground on all four paws. The priestess was a little slower, but no less eager to find the hidden sword than the kitsune was. She had never used it before, but Kagome was sure that if they could get it, a piece of the puzzle that was Inuyasha.
It took all of ten feet before she had to stop chasing the kitsune and throw her hands to her knees, gasping for breath. "Shi-...Po.. Wait... I...Can't... I'm ... Too... fat... for... this." The words were squeezed out between each panted breath before she tried to focus on her breathing, in through her nose and out through her mouth.
Coming back to her with a concerned expression, the little fox frowned at her. "Are you okay, Kagome?"
"I'm fine, I'm just out of shape.. I'm not used to running around anymore... and I'm not fifteen anymore.." She forced a laugh, though it was wheezy, but it had the desired effect. Shippo grinned, bouncing from foot to food in the dirt of the road.
"Then... You can't chase me anymore can ya?"
"Oh, don't even think about it you furball... I can still pin you to the ground with an arrow through your shirt." The way his eyes got wide had her laughing, lifting the stunned kit up and snuggling him back to her shoulder. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I wouldn't shoot an arrow at you just like I know you won't do anything that makes me wanna shoot an arrow at you." The kitsune giggled and she continued walking down the road he had directed.
They would find Inuyasha's sword, and she would see if she could even get it - otherwise, she was going to have to beat him with her fists rather than a rusty katana. Kagome knew they were going to find him, that they were going to get him back. She couldn't believe otherwise or she would lose hope and turn into a puddle of stress induced tears.
The pair walked in silence for a while, and Kagome was okay with it, surprisingly. The heat could be less, so could the humidity, but the company was good. Shippo's fox magic came in handy to. He would use his leaves and create a sort of fan across her face, or make a little rain cloud. That - while the cool rain was nice, made her more miserable when it wore off.
At one point, he attempted to turn into a big pink balloon to carry her, but they found out rather quickly that she was far too large for that. He managed a few hundred feet before she was dropped to the ground and the little demon curled up on her head and went to sleep. Kagome made sure he was secured on her quiver, with their small pack around him to keep him up before continuing.
The thunder rumbled in the distance, and she frowned, looking up at it with disdain. Well, they were nowhere near the caves Shippo talked about, and there really wasn't much in the way of shelter either. Not out here in the open as they were. She debated going into the forest, but wasn't sure how much protection that would offer. More than being out in the middle of nowhere, that was for sure. The woman bounced slightly - enough to shake Shippo awake.
"Can you run ahead and see if you can find us some shelter for the storm?" Blinking his eyes open, he looked a little groggy before glancing towards the quickly darkening skies.
"Uhh.. Yep! Just keep goin' that way, Kagome and I'll come getcha!" Happy to be of help, the little fox jumped down and then darted off into the trees to try to find them somewhere dry to sleep. The priestess continued to walk along the road, adjusting her cargo before looking back up at the sky again. Where was Inuyasha.. Was he dry? What about Sango, Miroku and their children? She could only hope they too, were hunkering down somewhere.
Kagome privately wished that Miroku would stop at that village to check his sutras and notice she had been there and come looking. But, she also hoped that they would find each other eventually, running past on their travels. If they were going west, then that chance got higher the closer they got. The bushes to the side rustled, and Kagome glanced at them, seeing a familiar face popping out.
"Got somethin' Kagome! It's kinda small, but I think you'll fit!" Waiting long enough for her to leave the road and enter the forests, Kagome trailed along the dashing kit. They came to a stop a short while later near a space that had some trees grown close together, with an old, faded cloth hanging over it. The remnants of some long ago traveler's camp sat. The fire circle long since disturbed, but she could see the fist sized rocks scattered that had made up the pit.
Coming near the shelter, she nodded with a smile. "This will work great, Shippo! The cloth's a little worn, but I think we can make it work." She thought the tree growth might help keep them a bit drier. If nothing else, they could just keep traveling if they got soaked anyway. "Think you can find us some firewood and get one started? I... uh.. I'm not so great at the fire starting part."
Laughing, the kit nodded and bounced off into the woods to find exactly that. Kagome worked to get the fire ring back into place and huffed and puffed, pulling some small logs over to sit on. Once that was done, she dusted her hands off and went to gather dried leaves and moss for the kindling. It wasn't until the shadow loomed over her that she felt the prickle on her senses and heard a small, terrified voice screaming.
"Kagome! Look out!"