DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and all of the canon characters featured in this fanfic are the property of Takahashi Rumiko, Sunrise, Viz and all other respective copyright owners. I do not lay claim to these characters in any way, shape or form.

Chapter 36

Kagome clasped her hands to her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. Inuyasha was in front of her before another word could leave her lips.

"You." His voice was a growl.

"Indeed so," Miroku nodded. "My apologies, Avatar. I-"

"Shut it, monk." Inuyasha raised his hand. His claws glinted in the moonlight.

Miroku held up his left palm. His right hand stayed clasped around his staff. "Please. I have no desire to-"

"Keh. You sure don't listen very well." Inuyasha's lips drew back into a snarl. His claws flexed. The air began to sizzle.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice burst out before he could spark his flames.

His glare snapped back towards her. "What?"

"Wait." She took a step towards him.

His nose wrinkled. "He-"

"He's not here to fight, Inuyasha."

She laid her hand on his shoulder. He glared at it but didn't shrug it away.

"That doesn't mean-"

"Just let me talk to him, okay?"

"Keh." He brushed her off and stepped away. His glare stayed fixed on Miroku.

"You heard me."

"It would have been rather challenging not to," Miroku replied evenly.

Inuyasha's only response was a glower. Miroku didn't even give him a glance. He prompted Kagome with a small cough.

"I trust you have a few questions?"

As nonchalant as ever. At least they wouldn't bite each others' heads off. For now. She might as well start with the easiest one.

"How did you find us?"

"The White Lotus has friends in strange places," he replied. "Although even we had trouble tracing you until we heard from Hikari."

Well, that wasn't too surprising. They'd been a little too comfortable with letting her go out alone. That fox was slipperier than an unagi.

"So... they just let you in?"

"Naturally." Miroku nodded. "Still, I must admit this welcome was somewhat... unexpected."

"Well, I sure wasn't expecting you," Kagome countered.

"I suppose not," he replied. "Perhaps a little catching up is in order?"

Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt. Hikari must have been somewhat thrifty with the truth. That wasn't much of a surprise either. Even Miroku gave straighter answers than they did.

"I guess so." She settled down beside the tree. "Maybe I should just start at the beginning."

"That would certainly be a start." Miroku propped his staff against the tree and sat down beside her. It was still well within reach.

Inuyasha grunted in reply. He settled back against the trunk and folded his arms. His eyes didn't leave Miroku's face. Miroku let him glare. She gathered her nerves and made a start.

Miroku let her go at her own pace, asking only occasional questions. Inuyasha made no comments, apart from the odd "keh". She stumbled through her story as best she could.

Miroku's face was as still as the stars until she reached her vision in the cave. He jolted upright at the mention of the monk.

"Wait." He peered closer, as if searching her face for the monk's features. "You saw him?"

"Him?"

"Avatar Lobsang. My great grandfather," he added, as Shippou looked askance at him.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I- I thought he was you. At first."

"I see." His brows furrowed. "Mushin did say we looked alike... "

"Mushin?"

"My old master. Of sorts." His face settled back into a smile. "Please. Do continue."

There wasn't all that much left to tell. Her mouth was dry as bark by the time she was done. Shippou brought her water in a bamboo canteen. She forced herself to take slow sips. Miroku waited in silence. Perhaps he was expecting a few questions of her own. Her stomach shifted uneasily. Did she really want the answers?

"Is – is everyone-"

"Your family are safe at the shrine."

Her stomach skipped. "They– they're alive?" Her tongue trembled on the word.

"Very much so." Miroku nodded. "Master Kaede-"

"They're – alive." Kagome's voice choked off into a sob. Her shoulders sank with relief. Everything she'd been holding back burst into a flood of tears.

She buried her face in her hands. Miroku laid his hand on her back. Inuyasha shuffled closer. He didn't lay a finger on her but his warmth was by her side. She stayed shaking until she had no tears left. Shippou offered her a clean rag. She took it with a grateful sniff.

"Th-Thanks."

Miroku gave her shoulder a tiny squeeze. "If you need a break-"

"N-no – I – thanks," she sniffed. "I'm good."

"You don't have to force yourself, Avatar."

"I'm not." She gave him a watery smile. "So. Now what?"

A faint frown crossed Miroku's face. "I had hoped to reunite with Master Amaruq. Unfortunately-"

"Wait." She blinked away her tears. "Master Amaruq's-"

"On his way as we speak," Miroku confirmed. "Of course, Master Kaede thought it better for him to rest at the shrine a little longer but he was not to be dissuaded."

Of course not. That didn't exactly do wonders for her nerves. She steadied them with a sigh.

"Okay. Just how many of you are coming?"

"No need to be alarmed, Avatar. Master Amaruq took only a handful of our finest warriors. He thought it best not to attract too much attention."

She stifled a bitter laugh. Amaruq alone was more than enough. At least she wasn't totally unprepared. She took another sip of water while she weighed her thoughts.

"And how long until they get here?"

"Ah, that may be some time, Avatar," Miroku admitted. "They took a different course. Their boats should be nearing the Southern Air Temple in a few days."

"The Southern Air Temple?" Kagome blinked. "I thought that – no one lives there, right?"

"Mostly no one," he corrected her. "A few monks, some flying bison and a good many spider bats, to be precise."

"So, I take it you've been there before?"

"I grew up there," he replied. "Although it has been several years since my last visit. The White Lotus have certainly kept me occupied."

"But why the Air Temple?" It was hardly the easiest of places to visit, for one thing. Unless they'd somehow procured a herd of sky bison during their travels. Not that she'd put that past Miroku. He could probably talk the hind legs off one.

"So... how do we get there?" Even Miroku could only keep that glider up for so long.

"I have arranged alternative transport."

Inuyasha gave him a flat stare. "Another friend of yours?"

"The oldest one I have," Miroku replied. "I assure you, he's more than capable, if not always the most willing," he admitted.

"Keh. How much does this one owe you?"

"Absolutely nothing," Miroku flashed her a winning smile. Inuyasha's stare grew even flatter. "Hachi cares not for coin, although he does care a great deal for apples."

Inuyasha turned his stare on Kagome. She shrugged in reply. They needed all the help they could get. She lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"So?"

"Keh." Inuyasha shrugged. "It's your life."

She sighed. If only it could be that easy. Still, it was a start, if nothing else. They were in no position to turn down willing allies. Besides, her family must be even more desperate than she was. The mere thought of them was enough to dredge up more tears. She wiped them away.

"We... we should go."

"Suit yourself." He got to his feet and gave a stretch. "Don't know about you but I'm going back to bed."

He stalked off without another word. Kagome frowned in reply. Well, that was bound to happen sooner or later. It was a wonder they'd stuck together this long. Yet a touch of regret lingered on her tongue. She offered him a wave.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha."

She might have caught a soft grunt in reply.

Miroku had her up at the first finger of dawn. She barely had time to yawn before Shippou shoved a change of clothes into her hands. He left her alone to dress. She scraped her meagre possessions into what remained of her bag and trudged out into the courtyard. Shippou greeted her with a wave.

The Ikedas had come out to see her off. There was still no sign of Inuyasha. Mayu tossed her a wave over her shoulder. She was already running through her warm up exercises. Compared to the last few days she was almost cheerful, or at least as cheerful as Mayu ever got. Kagome returned the wave with a sleepy smile.

"Oh. Good morning, Avatar." Mrs Ikeda offered her a bow. Satoru did likewise.

"Uh, thanks. Good morning," she added with a quick bow of her own. She waved away their frowns. "Please. It's too early for all that. Just Kagome is fine."

"Oh. Well, if you wish." Mrs Ikeda attempted a smile. "I just wanted to thank you before you go, Av- Kagome."

"Oh." Kagome's cheeks flushed. "Thank you." She couldn't quite meet her gaze.

Mrs Ikeda's smile wavered. "Are you quite well, dear? It's only been four days."

"I'm a little tired," she admitted. "We had a lot of catching up to do."

"I see."

Mrs Ikeda's eyes strayed towards the outbuildings. Miroku was busying himself with a last minute check through his travel supplies. Kagome flushed even deeper. Mercifully, Mrs Ikeda kept her thoughts to herself. Kagome took the chance to change the subject.

"Sorry. I've been kind of out of it."

Mrs Ikeda waved her apology away. "Oh, don't worry, dear. That's quite understandable."

"Still... "

Kagome's gaze drifted back to Mayu. She was doing her best to talk Shippou into a sparring match. Satoru had settled down on a nearby log to watch them. A couple of the smaller foxes had come to join him. If it wasn't for Katashi...

Mrs Ikeda followed her gaze. Her eyes grew a little softer. "It's so nice to see them getting along for once. They haven't spent much time together since their father went away."

"Oh." Neither of the children had mentioned him. Spirits knew how they were going to explain all this. Still, there was no hiding it. "Does he-"

"Yes." Mrs Ikeda needed no clarification. "My mother was Fire Nation. On her father's side."

Kagome's eyes widened. "You mean you're-"

"I'm a non-bender," she explained. "None of us took after Mother. Until Mayu."

"I... I see."

Kagome glanced back at the children. Mayu and Shippou had already got stuck in. Firebolts flew between them. The foxes caught the ones that strayed too far. Satoru offered shy encouragement from his seat.

"I only saw her use it once." Mrs Ikeda's voice was a bare whisper. "We were late coming back from the New Year's celebration at the shrine and... well, not all of the spirits here are friendly." Her gaze dropped to her hands. "She made me promise I'd never tell. Not even Father."

Kagome nodded in reply. No need to ask. Time alone wasn't enough to heal all the scars the Fire Nation had left on this island.

"So nobody-"

"Nobody." Mrs Ikeda's eyes didn't leave her hands. "Maybe I've been too hard on her but the Raiju drafted every firebender on the island. Even the children. If they ever found out..."

Her voice caught in her throat. Kagome didn't press her. There was no turning back now. If only she didn't have to leave them with Katashi. Kaen didn't inspire too much confidence either. She swallowed her doubts and turned back to Mrs Ikeda.

"The foxes-"

"Are spirits," Mrs Ikeda replied with a sad smile. "They're no more Fire Nation than the birds or the bees. Humans are more... challenging."

"I see."

There was no arguing with that bitter truth. Not that it made the islanders' attitudes any easier to swallow. Mayu was no more Raiju than Shippou. As for Inuyasha...

She suppressed a sigh. Hikari could handle Katashi and Kaen. Inuyasha could handle himself. She had more than enough to worry about as it was. She'd best get going.

"Kagome!" Mayu shot her a wave between dodging firebolts.

"Bye Kagome!" Shippou hurled another punch at Mayu. "We'll miss you!"

Satoru nodded. "Uh, good luck. And thanks."

"Thanks guys." She straightened up and fixed a smile on her face. "I don't know when I'll see you again but... "

"You'll be very welcome," Mrs Ikeda reassured her. "You've done more than enough, Kagome."

"I – I wish I could have done more," she admitted. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"We're alive. And we're together," she said with a smile. "That's more than I dared hope. And maybe... there's a place for Mayu here." She turned her smile on the children. "A place for us."

Kagome couldn't help but return their smiles. She'd done her best. Maybe that really was enough for them.

"Avatar!"

Miroku emerged from the nearest outbuilding. His face was as fresh as new snow. Even the heavy pack slung over his shoulders barely weighed him down.

She returned his greeting with considerably less enthusiasm. She shot Shippou and the Ikedas a final wave before she turned to follow him. It was time to find her own path.

Their path was a peaceful one. Birdsong trilled overhead. Pine needles crunched underfoot. The calm was almost surreal. They hadn't passed a single human since they'd left the shrine. Kagome swore she'd glimpsed a flash of silver in the branches but it vanished in a blink. They had only the forest for company.

Miroku set a steady pace. He was careful not to push her too hard but he couldn't quite keep the haste from his strides. She had to break into a jog more than once to keep up. The sun was well clear of the horizon by the time they took their first break.

She sank down on the nearest tree stump and reached for her canteen. Miroku stayed standing. His eyes were fixed on the canopy. His grip tightened on his staff as they narrowed into a squint.

"Miroku?"

"Wait." He didn't take his eyes from the trees.

She frowned but stayed put. Her fingers closed around the canteen's stopper. Best not let her guard down.

Miroku sucked in a breath. He scanned the treetops for any signs of movement. It was almost a minute before he let it out again.

"False alarm. My apologies, Avatar." He nodded towards the canteen. "Still. It would be best not to tarry too long."

She returned the nod and uncorked the canteen. She lifted it to her lips and tilted her head back. Might as well make the most of what little rest she got. She closed her eyes and drank deep.

"Avatar!"

Her eyes snapped open. Water spluttered from her mouth. Miroku barrelled into her. Something whistled past his face. He rolled them both aside with a gasp.

Kagome lay heaving as Miroku came up on one knee. He shielded her with his body as his eyes shot from tree to tree. She spluttered and tried to rise. He pushed her back down with his free hand.

"Wait."

Her gaze followed his. His staff lay on the ground before the stump. The canteen lay beside it. It was sheared neatly in two.

Kagome swallowed. All the moisture fled from her throat.

"Ko- Kohaku?"

Constructive criticism is very welcome!