Chapter Twelve: The Golden Orb-Weaver
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
The sounds from the other side of the springs had diminished. Inuyasha must have had a far-off look on his face, noticing that Miroku was waving his hands in front of him to get his attention. "Come back to reality, Inuyasha." Miroku glanced in the direction that Inuyasha had been staring, a smile creeping onto his face. "Thinking about going over there, eh?"
Inuyasha snapped back, "No, monk. My thoughts don't always drift to the land of perversion."
Miroku chuckled, "You're too easy to rile."
"And you're too easy to lead on," Inuyasha countered. Miroku shrugged, "What can I say? I'm ever the ladies man. We'll see where that gets me tonight."
Sweat had begun to bead upon Miroku's forehead, Inuyasha noticed. The springs were hot, and steam rose from the water, but the air outside was cool with autumn at its end. The pairing was quite fitting, yet Miroku suddenly seemed put off by it. He used an arm to wipe the sheen from himself absently. Inuyasha was unsure if the springs were too hot for his human body, he was undoubtedly more resistant to extreme temperatures than a human, but the women on the other side had made no complaints that he'd heard. In fact, the audible sighs he'd heard would suggest that the temperature of the water was relaxing. Miroku had not noticed whatever it was, so Inuyasha did not bother bringing it up.
MIroku's eyes shifted towards the distance, and he looked as if he were going to say something before he closed his mouth and his eyes. He adjusted his position in the water, moving to a shallower spot where he could stretch his legs out behind him. "So you've been with women before," Miroku stated.
"And I told you I don't want to talk about it," Inuyasha grumbled. He should never have agreed to come to the springs. The interrogation was becoming excruciating.
"Was it that bad?" Miroku asked.
From the look on Miroku's face, Inuyasha could swear that the monk was asking about the experience because he had never done it himself. The inquisitive look in his eyes spoke volumes. "Monk, ya should learn the meaning of the word 'no.'
"Come on, I thought we were friends," Miroku pleaded.
"It's not that simple."
"Oh, my ignorant friend, it is remarkably simple."
"If you gotta know. I don't remember much, so there's nothing to tell." The truth was that he remembered everything...down to the last detail that plagued him every waking moment. The experience had probably been pleasurable to some baser, more primitive part of himself, but it was mixed with disgust and shame. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, all he could see were their ashen faces and warm, red blood all over his claws. Then the 'word' echoed through his mind. He shuddered and wondered if just the thought of the word would turn him.
Whether Miroku could sense Inuyasha's unease was doubtful. He was too wrapped up in his own mind to see anything else at the moment. "You're no fun. Guess I won't share my experience tonight with you later on," he threatened.
"Drowning is still on the table. It will be 'remarkably simple,'" Inuyasha mocked. He stood, done with the springs and the conversation. Despite the threat being aimed at him, Miroku laughed and threw out apologies. Water poured down Inuyasha's body in rivulets, and he stomped out towards his robes, throwing his feet into the fabric with an angry force that would have torn any lesser fabric than that of his nu-bakama made of fire-rat. He pulled the hakama up and tied the hikigoshi in brisk, angry movements. Snatching up with the rest of his clothes, he stalked off to the room to finish dressing in the silence offered by a monkless room.
At another time, Inuyasha would not have let Miroku's teasing and proddings get to him. It was nice to have a 'friend,' even if that friend's mind was a little tainted around the edges. He had only just trusted Kagome to share his human night with her and was not ready to share his other memories. He feared they would reject him if they knew. All those years ago, memories were still fresh, raw, and jagged. No, it was better if they did not know.
o - o - o - o - o
Kagome and Sango had finished soaking; their digits resembling prunes were indication enough that they had had enough. Shippo had decided to float for a bit longer and assured them he was coming in soon. "Five more minutes," he pleaded. Kagome nearly felt like a parent bargaining with a child and wondered if she and her brother Sota had given their mother this much trouble as youngsters. "Fine, but don't come running to me when you are wrinkled beyond recognition," she chided jokingly. Sango added, "Plus, at nightfall, the hot spring oni called the Suiko come out and eat up any unsuspecting yokai children who happen to be trespassing in their waters."
Shippo's scoffed, "Yeah, right Sango." He continued swimming around, unphased. Sango folded her arms, "Why believe me? I just exterminate them for a living. What do I know?" She turned and waved a hand in dismissal. Kagome stifled a giggle, covering her face with a hand, and turned, too, following Sango away. Kagome took a peek back to see Shippo casting wide-eyed glances around the pool of water.
Both had finished dressing and were on the path back to the rooms when Kagome saw Inuyasha stomping unhappily toward the rooms. They stopped, but he had not seen them on his way into the inn, instead brandishing a look of cold contempt upon his features. He held his red suikan and inner garments in hand, exposing the rest of his top half. Kagome had never seen him half-dressed and marveled at the work of his body. She'd just glimpsed him from the side but her imagination could fill in the gaps. With his back towards her, she could see the outline of muscles flexing as he walked. The long indentation of his spine was evidence of his lean but well-formed figure. Her eyes wandered down the length of his spine to…
"Kagome," Sango called her out of her trance. "Is that drool?" she teased. "Are you sure you didn't do anything last night?"
Kagome stopped herself from wiping her mouth and gave an awkward laugh. Before she could say anything, Miroku walked the same path, following Inuyasha's direction. From a distance, she could tell that he was not upset, but the set of his shoulders marked him moving with steadfast determination. He, too, had not noticed the ladies coming up the path. Kagome eyed Miroku with just as much intensity as she had Inuyasha, albeit for a different reason. From the back of Miroku's neck, Kagome could have sworn that she saw the glimmer of a thread in the setting sun. She squinted her eyes and saw the glimmer again for a split second before Miroku slid the shoji door open and closed it behind him.
"Really? Miroku, too?" Sango poked Kagome's shoulder.
"Huh? No, I just saw something on Miroku. He must have walked through a spider web or something," she replied. It had seemed like a spider's line of silk. Kagome had accidentally walked through enough of those troublesome spider webs to recognize one when she saw it.
They continued walking, and Sango shook her hands out in front of her nervously. "Ick. I hate spiders."
"You're a taijiya and you hate spiders? Don't you have to deal with those kind of yokai?" Kagome asked.
"Those are yokai. Spiders are bugs. Big difference," Sango explained. At that moment, Kirara bounded up and mewed lightly at Sango's side. The nekomata had been off enjoying her bath far from the water of the hot springs. Kagome guessed that even being a yokai, her cat-like traits, such as avoiding water, prevailed.
"If you say so," she replied to Sango.
o - o - o - o - o
Miroku had left to take Aiya up on her offer for dinner. He said it would have been rude to decline such a generous offer and scolded his companions for suggesting otherwise. He'd assured them with a wink that he would return soon and, if he had not returned within a couple of hours, not to come looking for him. Inuyasha protested that this was an inopportune time to mingle with a woman, but Miroku gave him a silent reproving look. There was no need for words to remind Inuyasha that he had been out all night just yesterday and with Kagome no less.
No one had asked him for details upon his return, and no one had wished him farewell. He left before the sun had made its final descent, working his way through the throngs of people still out running errands and completing daily chores in the post town. He left the silence of his companions in an amenable mood, humming as he departed.
The rest of the evening was spent conversing over small things, sharing stories, and an evening meal. The night was fairly peaceful without Miroku, and no one brought him up in conversation. At the end of the night, Kagome prepared her futon and watched Inuyasha as he settled against the wall of their room. He did not sleep on a futon like everyone else, preferring to sit up with his legs and arms crossed. She'd offered to find him a futon, but he declined to state that he didn't need sleep and only closed his eyes to rest them. 'Sure,' she thought to herself. She'd heard that excuse before and had even used it herself, but she wasn't going to argue.
o - o - o - o - o
Kagome woke the next morning to the sounds of Sango rising up and putting her futon away. She stretched a bit and began to turn before realizing the small warm body nestled up against her. Shippo claimed to want to sleep alone but usually found someone to curl up with. Kagome got up, careful not to disturb the sleeping kitsune. She looked around the room to see that everyone else had risen and left the room besides Shippo. Sliding the shoji door open and tiptoeing out, she slid it closed quietly.
Sango had greeted her when she exited the room. "Good morning, Kagome."
"Good morning, Sango," she returned the greetings. To her right, leaning against the wall, she spotted Inuyasha.
"The monk never returned last night," Inuyasha said matter-of-factly.
Sango scoffed, "Did you expect him to? Honestly?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "We need to get moving. The longer we stay here, the more powerful that Naraku can become with the Shikon jewel."
"I agree," Kagome said, "But we don't even know where he is exactly. He didn't tell us the directions to her house. I don't even know how he found her again."
"It seems as though we have no choice but to wait for him to return," Sango said.
"I say we leave his ass behind. We don't need him to find Naraku," Inuyasha growled. His features were contorted in annoyance.
Kagome walked over to Inuyasha and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her hand and back up at her face. "We can't leave him Inuyasha. He is our friend."
His eyes softened, but he turned his head with a "Keh."
o - o - o - o - o
They waited. Several hours passed, and Miroku still had yet to return. Kagome had begun to feel worried once midday rolled around. She paced around their rented room, speculating. "Why hasn't he come back?" she asked out loud.
Shippo had taken up a game with Kirara to pass the time but stopped to answer her question. "He's probably is just sleeping. I bet he stayed up all night."
Kagome shot him a glare. How could a child know so many adult things? Then she remembered who his traveling partner had been for so long. "That's not helpful, Shippo. Has he ever done this before?"
Shippo put a hand to his chin in consideration, "Hmmm, no. I don't think so. Usually, girls don't invite him over and the ones that do aren't his 'type'."
Inuyasha was also aggravated, more so at waiting around doing nothing than being worried for the monk's well-being. He growled again, "That's it!" He stood up, having been sitting for the better part of the day. "I'm going to go find his ass and drag him back so we can leave. This is stupid!" His hands clenched into fists by his sides; he took off towards the main road leading through town.
"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome called. She looked at Sango, who shrugged and shouldered her giant boomerang. "Kirara, stay here with Shippo lest Miroku returns while we search for him," Sango instructed the tiny kitten yokai. Her small head bobbed up and down in understanding. "We'd better hurry before Inuyasha gets too far ahead and we lose both men," Sango warned.
Kagome nodded. "Right."
They were able to catch up to Inuyasha, who was sniffing the air, searching for Miroku's scent. "Maybe we should have brought something of his for you to use," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha glanced at her, "What?"
"You know...something to help pick up his scent to follow?" She asked. That's what she'd seen people give to their bloodhounds, an article of clothing or something that carried a person's smell.
He shook his head, "No, I know what he smells like. Desperation and pheromones."
Sango nearly guffawed. "Is that a joke?" She asked.
Inuyasha gave her a severe look, "Why would I be joking?" He bent down and sniffed the ground, almost resembling a dog who was onto a lead. "He came this way," he pointed north. He sprinted down the road, stopping every few feet to pause and sniff the area.
They followed Inuyasha towards the end of the post town's main road and stopped at an inconspicuous house. The house was built between two businesses and seemed quiet and relatively untouched. "The scent ends here," Inuyasha said, "but it doesn't go anywhere else. Not inside or anything. It just stops in the middle of the road."
"Well, I doubt he flew off without being seen in such a busy place," Kagome observed. "Logic proves that he has to be inside."
Sango walked to the house and knocked on the door well three times. After a moment, the door slid open to reveal Aiya holding a bundle that she was bouncing up and down, "Yes? Can I help you miss?"
Sango eyed the bundle and noticed the way she cradled it. Clearing her throat, she said, "Has the houshi-sama been by? Perhaps he is still here?"
"The houshi-sama? No, no. He is not here." The woman responded.
"He did not come yesterday evening?" Kagome asked from over Sango's shoulder.
"I am sorry miko-sama, Lord Miroku did come by, but...please come in for a moment so I may put the child down," she said, dipping her head to the bundle in her arms.
"Oh, thank you," Sango replied.
The three entered the woman's home at her invitation and gathered in her front room. Kagome looked around and noted the many well-kept items that decorated the room. The woman's late husband must have been well off to leave her with a house with more than one room. Aiya continued rocking the bundle, making shushing noises, as she placed the child to rest in a cradle. Once she'd settled the quiet child onto a small pallet near the entrance to the back room, she came and knelt beside her hearth. "I apologize for you coming all this way, but the houshi-sama departed shortly after arriving. Has something happened?"
Inuyasha had a puzzled look on his face and scoped out the room, eyeing everything, but said nothing. Kagome wondered why but turned her attention to Aiya. "That is strange. He was looking forward to coming here all day after meeting you. He spoke of nothing else."
Aiya blushed and turned her head slightly. "I see. I'm afraid that Lord Miroku was…" she searched for an appropriate word, "unprepared for my predicament." She nodded towards the cradle, and a sad look washed over her. "You see, I am a widower and I was left with child. I...I must have scared him away. He...he left shortly after," she explained.
Kagome ran a hand through her hair, "I see."
Aiya covered her face with her hands and began to cry. "I-I did see him make off with another woman directly after he left here," she sobbed. "I'm sorry I cannot be of anymore help to you."
Sango made to comfort the woman but hesitated, "please do not cry on his account miss. We appreciate your time. We-we will let ourselves out."
Sango stood and gestured with her head towards the door. Aiya still sobbed quietly into her hands while the trio made a hasty exit. Before closing the door behind them, Kagome risked a look back at the prone form of Aiya, she still held her hands to her face, but she could have sworn that she saw a wicked grin through Aiya's splayed fingers.
They walked a way down the road towards the outskirts of town, and Inuyasha could not pick up another scent. "This doesn't make any damn sense," he said. They continued to walk, and Inuyasha paused to sniff the air.
"What's that?" Sango asked. She hadn't said much since they'd left.
"The trail ended at that house...and it was like it had been wiped clean," he told her, scratching his head.
It hadn't sat right with Kagome either, "Yeah, not only that, but if Miroku is always asking women to bear his children, why would he pass up the opportunity to be with a woman who can clearly have children and carry on his line?"
"I don't follow," Sango stated. It had yet to occur to Kagome that Sango did not know about Miroku's curse. She'd seen the wind tunnel during their battle with Hiten, but no one had bothered to explain it, nor had Sango asked.
"The reason that Miroku is so hell-bent on finding Naraku is because he cursed his family. All Male descendants are destined to be swallowed up by their wind tunnel once it becomes too large. That's why Miroku asks every...nearly every girl he meets to bear his child. As a precaution." Kagome explained it as well as possible, and the taijiya took it all well. She was accustomed to unusual things in her line of business.
"Then I concur the fact that something is amiss," Sango said shortly after. "That woman is clearly paltering with the truth. We should go back." She turned around and began to head back the way they had come.
Kagome ran a few feet to catch up with her friend, who sauntered at a quick pace back to Miroku's last known location. "Wait up! We need a plan," She called.
Inuyasha stepped in front of the taijiya, stopping her in her tracks. Sango pulled up short, looking bemused, "I'm sorry, I was getting ahead of myself."
Kagome huffed and grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder for support. The taijiya could really book it when she was focused on something. "I mean, even if she did lie, Miroku could have left for all we know. She is probably just an innocent woman who got in a little over her head."
"Then we should rule her out and go from there," Inuyasha said while they walked back to the house. Kagome noticed how he cracked his knuckles and his focused gaze. His tone suggested that he had no faith in that statement, and how he flexed his claws indicated his true feelings.
They arrived at the house again in short order. Sango approached the door and rapped on the door well several times. Her stance was firm and confident; her face composed, aloof even.
The door slid open a few inches to show Aiya's lovely face. Her face turned nervously from person to person, standing outside and giving cold stares. She looked bewildered at the return of company she had dismissed not long ago. "May I help you?" she asked tentatively.
"The houshi. We have reason to believe that you may know where he's gone," Sango said. She had her boomerang strapped to her back and a thumb hooked underneath the strap. She looked rather imposing, Kagome thought. Not someone she would cross, even on a good day.
The woman gripped the door tightly, her knuckles white. "I-I told you...he left. He had no interest in me."
Inuyasha scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah right. If you knew this monk, you'd know he wouldn't pass that up!"
Sango shot Inuyasha a glance and turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. "His trail stopped here and has not gone anywhere else. You must have seen or been told where or why he was leaving. More than you are letting on. Please, speak truthfully and we can go about our way."
The woman's face went from concerned to irked, her eyes narrowing and her brows relaxed. With a sneer, she reiterated. "I have spoken truth. There is nothing more I can do for you. Good day." She slid the door closed with a solid thud.
"That went well," Inuyasha said facetiously. "So, do you want me to break the door down?"
"No!" Kagome said. "That won't be necessary, right, Sango?" Kagome pulled Inuyasha away from the small house towards the road. He probably would burst through the screen door if she left him close.
Sango remained planted by the door, her head lowered and peering intently at something on the ground. She shuddered in disgust and retreated several paces back with a stumble. "Aieee," she gasped.
"What is it?!" Kagome asked. She reached for the woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. Sango's eyes were wide, and she pointed a shakey hand towards the ground near the door of Aiya's home. "Th-there," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kagome followed her gesture and saw nothing for a moment. When she focused, she could see tiny black dots moving in a line from the side of the house and through a crack that led inside. She looked over at Inuyasha, who squinted at the sight. "Spiders," he said.
Sango began to brush off her arms in a nervous gesture. "I hate spiders! Anything with more than four legs should burn!"
Kagome recalled the day before when she thought she'd seen a spider's web attached to Miroku. This had to be more than a coincidence. "Inuyasha. I think the woman may be a yokai in disguise."
Inuyasha stalked to the door. "Way ahead of ya," he said and kicked through the screen door. He pulled the remnants away with a swipe of his clawed hand and led the way inside.
Though Sango seemed to hold a deep fear of spiders, she strode in behind as if the earlier scene had not happened. Apparently, she had trained enough not to let her own phobias get in the way of demon slaying. As soon as Kagome mentioned yokai, a switch flipped for Sango. "A spider yokai," she said, pulling her boomerang from her shoulder.
When they entered the room, it was now dark. The only light available poured in from the remnants of the doorway. Scanning the room, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. Even the tiny bundled child was still sleeping by the back door. The three stood and looked around the room and found nothing. "So, um. What do you know about this spider yokai, Sango?" Kagome asked.
"Oh my…" before Sango could answer, a hiss could be heard from the corner of the room. Kagome looked over and saw nothing, but when she looked at a darkened corner near the ceiling, the woman could be seen clutching to the wall, her limbs contorted behind her.
"Jorogumo…" Sango said and readied her boomerang.
The woman hissed again with throaty emphasis, "Hhhhcckkkk. Charlatans! Interlopers! Leave at once and you shall be spared!"
"Not a chance!" Inuyasha retorted.
The woman's beautiful features began to contort and change into a grotesque representation of her former self. Her body elongated, and three sets of limbs burst through her sides. Her kimono tore away as her thorax expanded into a greenish-yellow bulb held aloft by her new legs. Flesh melted away, and she scratched at her face to reveal a second set of red eyes. "You shall pay!" the yokai yelled. Her long fangs gnashed together, and she pointed one of her remaining hands toward them. "Attack, my children!" she keeled.
Spiders began swarming down the walls, onto the ceiling, and onto the floor, blotting out the room. They amassed in the center of the room and began to swarm toward Kagome and her companions. Kagome shrieked. Her bow was useless here, and even though she was not afraid of spiders, the thought of being covered in them was very unappealing. Inuyasha jumped in front of her and began to use his claws to rend the spiders into gooey nothingness. Sango had her own issues, using her giant boomerang to sweep the horde of spiders away. All seemed well, and the spiders stopped swarming.
Aiya scuttled along the seam of the ceiling. "Attack them!" she screamed.
The spiders began to spread out and away from the group. They seemed to realize their swarming tactic was not working. Kagome took a deep breath and nearly thought they had the upper hand. At least until the spiders began to bellow out a wall of fire that closed in on the trio. Inuyasha scoffed, unperturbed by the wall of flames. Taking a clawed hand, he slashed his chest and left deep rends in his flesh. His blood flowed freely, and he flung his hands outward. This attack, coupled with the expert swings of Sango's boomerang, kept the fire at bay. The blood droplets his fingers worked as daggers and killed scores of the fire-breathing spiders.
A scream of pain and terror bellowed from the Jorogumo above. Kagome looked up and saw her clawed hands at her fanged mouth in horror. She then remembered the child that lay near the flames that licked the room, scorching any part of the room it touched. Without thinking, Kagome dashed towards the quiet child. Inuyasha did a double take, "Kagome! What?!"
She called over her shoulder, "The baby!" The fire was so close to the tiny child. Maybe it was already dead; it was quiet even throughout all that was happening. Still, she had to try. She reached the little bundled baby and lifted it tenderly. The swaddling covered the baby's face, and Kagome pulled the fabric tentatively away to see if it was breathing. Holding the bundle in her arms, she froze. Horror and unease washed through her. The bundle began to move in her arms, but what she held was not a baby. At least not a human baby. Instead, Kagome held a squirmy sac of eggs. "AIYEEE!" she screamed and threw the bundle of eggs away from her. Another shrill scream erupted from the Jorogumo, "NOOOO!"
The spider yokai crawled down from her safe perch towards the bundle that ignited in the fire it had been thrown into. An unnatural high-pitched squeal could be heard from the sac as they simultaneously began to explode like dozens of slimy bombs. The yokai reached towards the bundle only to be dissected by Inuyasha during her distraction. The jorogumo did not seem to notice her own death, her sections sliding onto the floor in sickening thuds.
With their mother gone, the remaining spiders retreated into corners and cracks until none were left, leaving Kagome, Sango, and Inuyasha alone in a room sizzled with heat. The fire that had licked up the floors, ceiling, and walls were extinguished just as quickly as it had started. The body of the spider yokai twitched one final time before going still.
Sango looked around the room, and once she was satisfied that the spiders were either dead or gone away, she let out a shudder. "It had to be spiders."
"We still don't know where Miroku is," Kagome stated.
Sango leveled a severe stare in her direction. "The Jorogumo is a very old yokai whose favorite meal is tender young men."
She gaped at Sango in shock, "She ATE him?"
With a smirk, Sango let out a small laugh. "I doubt she could stomach such a lecherous man."
"Well, I'm glad you are so optimistic about this," Kagome remarked snidely.
Inuyasha walked over to the door that led to a back room. He grabbed the straw divider over the doorway and yanked it down. He strode into the room and let out a soft whistle. Kagome and Sango hurried after him. She gasped at what she saw. Hundreds of skeletons piled everywhere in various states of decomposition. The newer bodies littered the front of the room, some still somewhat wrapped in silk cocoons. Inuyasha strode over to a handful of intact cocoons. There was no movement from any of the pods to indicate life within. Coming up to the one closest to him, Inuyasha peeled away the top of the cocoon and found a mummified corpse. The man's once youthful and attractive face had blackened and sunken in on itself. It was as if the yokai sucked the life from them. Inuyasha moved to the next cocoon and removed the other layer. This body looked relatively fresh, but when Kagome looked, she could not tell if the man was alive or just a fresher catch. Inuyasha answered her thoughts. "He's alive. I can hear the slow beat of his heart."
They carefully removed the rest of the silk webbing from the man while Sango approached the remaining cocoon. She pulled the threads away to reveal the peaceful visage of Miroku. Unlike the other man they had found, Miroku's eyes popped open while Sango removed more webbing. "I never thought I'd see such a beautiful face again," he said weakly.
Inuyasha and Kagome stopped working on the other man to see Miroku alive as well as could be, given his circumstances. Miroku pulled his arm from the cocoon and tried unsuccessfully to peel himself out. He looked down at Sango and smiled. "Will you do me the honor of," he began, pausing to inhale slowly. Sango's eyes looked hopeful. "Helping me out of this cocoon?"
She looked crestfallen. "What does it look like I am doing, Houshi-sama?" she snapped and peeled away the sticky web.
Once they had successfully removed Miroku and the other young man from their cocoons, they searched the remaining pods to ensure no one else was left alive to be saved. The young man remained unconscious, and MIroku required assistance to move about.
"They should be fine with rest," Sango assured them. "The Jorogumo uses her venom to weaken her victims. She sucks them dry quite slowly."
Inuyasha threw the man over his shoulder and waited for the others. Kagome searched around the room with corpses and skeletons to find Miroku's staff which was stashed in a corner along with several other possessions from the more unfortunate victims of the Jorogumo. She handed the staff over to Miroku, who'd been leaning on the wall with his eyes closed. He took the proffered staff from her feebly, grabbing the staff as if it were a walking stick. Using both hands, he put his weight on the shaft and rested his forehead. "Do you need assistance, Lord Miroku?" Sango asked.
He waved her off with a weak hand. "I appreciate your concern, but I can make it."
"What are we going to do with him?" Inuyasha asked. They had no idea who the young man was or where he came from. He shifted his shoulder up to emphasize the dead weight he carried.
"I think I know who that is," Kagome said.
o - o - o - o - o
It took only half an hour of walking to find the stand where the young woman, Cho, and her grandmother were selling charcoal. The group received many stares, with Inuyasha toting around an unconscious man, but no one bothered them. Any stranger who even looked their way would get a pointed glare from Inuyasha.
When they reached the stall, Cho looked up at them in confusion. "Think this belongs to you," Inuyasha said. He lowered the young man down and laid him next to the stall. Cho looked bewildered as she looked down at the young man and back up at Inuyasha. It took her a second to put two and two together, her shock overwhelming her.
"Hisao!" she yelled in exaltation. Cho's grandmother shuffled from behind the stand and wrapped Miroku in a tight hug. The older woman only reached his waist, and her grasp put the still-weak monk out of balance. He swayed dangerously before trying to pry the grabby woman off.
Cho kneeled beside Hisao, crying with glee. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She sniffled and shook him. When he didn't rouse, she looked at the group, "Why won't he wake up?"
Sango knelt down beside her. "He shall be fine with his fiancee to care for him."
Cho smiled and gazed back down at her fiance. She looked back up, gratitude plastered on her face, "Thank you!"
o - o - o - o - o
It was not even midday when they reached the room where they had left Shippo. As they walked up the path, Shippo ran out. "What the hell guys?!" he shouted.
"Shippo!" Kagome exclaimed. "Watch your mouth."
The young kitsune scowled, and Kagome looked at Inuyasha with narrowed eyes. The child seemed to be spending a little too much time with foul-speaking role models.
"You guys have been gone forever and then…" he was cut off by a loud smacking noise.
Inuyasha had smacked the side of his face and then pinched something - or rather someone - in between his thumb and forefinger.
"Master Inuyasha," the tiny person said.
"A flea yokai?" Sango questioned, looking at him.
Shippo nodded, "Yeah, while you were gone this flea yokai calling himself Myoga came by looking for Inuyasha. He said he was a loyal servant of Inuyasha's dad or something."