Kagome didn't speak for a while after she sat down on the cliff side. She just stared out on the expanse of forest beneath her as the breeze ruffled her hair. It was colder this high up, and she shivered. Seeing this, Shippo burrowed himself into her side immediately, warming what he could.
After a bit, she pulled the backpack closer to her and unzipped it, hoping for a coat. There was one near the bottom, but to get there she had to dig through several knickknacks and outfits that immediately reminded her of her mother. A mirror. A locket. A dress she had made. Kagome fingered these briefly, trying not to choke up. It was good to have them. She would have to thank Inuyasha later. She would also have to look at what he got more fully later, but now wasn't the time.
She drew out the coat and slipped it on, wrapping the edge around Shippo as well. Then they stared out at the scenery together for a while.
"It happened to your mother, too, didn't it?" she asked finally.
"How'd you know?"
"You used feminine pronouns when you talked about it. And you mentioned loving a person that it happened to. You're too young to have a girlfriend, so..."
His small face got grimmer than a child's face should ever be and she absentmindedly rubbed his head to try to sooth the expression away. It seemed to help a little.
"Is that how you were caught?" she continued. "I mean... How you became a slave?"
He nodded, then began to tell the story in a monotone. She guessed that that was to keep himself emotionally distant from it. "My mom and dad were captured the same day. I lived for months on my own, barely surviving, and then one day I saw my mom again in a field. I ran to her, and the next thing I knew, there was collar on my neck and I was thrown in a cage in the back of a van. Then my mom crumbled to ash right in front of me, just like yours did. It was only later that I found out what had happened."
Kagome let silence wrap around them again as she processed that. "Does that image ever leave you?" She whispered after a few minutes had passed.
He shook his head without looking at her. "I see it every time I close my eyes."
She looked at him. He was forlornly curled into a ball, gaze cast downwards. Without hesitation, she scooped him up and gave him a fierce hug. "Well, we're in this together now," she said. "So... let's go start setting things right."
She stood, tucking him into her coat and marching resolutely towards Sango's hut. It was time to start planning.
As she approached, she saw with surprise that the hut was packed. Wolves and other demons were crowded into Sango's home, and many were even spilling outside. They were chattering in a lively, almost feverish way, but they all hushed as they noticed her approach, and an aisle quickly formed to facilitate her entrance. She entered the aisle as it was still carving itself out, walking resolutely forward. Bodies pressed themselves into the corners of the room to give her space until she was standing in the middle of the crowd. The path that had led her in closed behind her as people eagerly surged forward again, so it wasn't long before Kagome was completely surrounded. All eyes were on her, waiting for something.
"What's going on?" she asked warily.
Everyone began to murmur, clearly confused by her lack of understanding. Finally, a wolf near the front spoke up nervously. "We heard you were going to kill Naraku. And we've seen your power. We think you may be able to really do it. So...we're all here to help. Just tell us what to do."
She stood, bewildered. A human surrounded by demons that were looking to her for instruction. Then Inuyasha melted out of the mass of people and took her hand, and suddenly all the unfamiliar faces looked less like strangers and more like the support system they were. She relaxed, and even allowed herself a small smile.
"Alright then," she said. "Let's do this."