InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Foundations of Neo Genesis ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: The plot bunnies abound for this story lately. I’m already a good bit into chapter twelve. Time for questions.

Q. What is the mark on Inuyasha’s neck?
A. I confirm or deny nothing, that would be getting a head of the story. Suffice to say it will come up again.

Q. Will Ayume, Rin, or Naraku be in this story?
A. Maybe, possibly, and no.

Q. Inuyasha admits to hunting on the streets, so why isn’t he better at it?
A. Hunting rats, that are quiet small and easily grabbed with one hand is one thing, tackling an animal as large as you are, is a totally different kettle of fish.

Q. Why hasn’t Inuyasha used Tetsusaiga yet?
A. Tetsusaiga only made a token appearance. For the purposes of this story it won’t show up again. Even if it did, it would remain rusty and useless since Inuyasha has no youki to transform it with.

Q. What’s Inuyasha going to ask Kagome for?
A. All in good time gentle readers, all in good time.

Q. What’s wrong with Sango? Why is she so set on the laws of Earth?
A. Sango was sent to maintain order, to her that means following the laws as she has always known them. In addition, it is worth noting that not everyone adapts to things at the same rate. Characters with backgrounds like Inuyasha or Shippou are more adaptable because they had to be to carve out a living on Earth. Sango on the other hand has always had things placed in front of her and told that it was cut and dry and unchangeable.

Kagome carefully stepped over the sleeping bodies, not wanting to disturb anyone as she crept across the cave. The sun was low in the sky and the forest was still in the tight embrace of the morning mist, yet the sounds of life were making themselves known. The clank of a small loose stone caused Ricky stirred as she stepped over his head. Kagome froze. He murmured and rolled over, but did not wake. Sighing in relief, she moved on more carefully then before.

She could not for the life of her understand why Inuyasha seemed intent on being on the edge of the group. Well, okay, he had made a few enemies in a short amount of time. But she still did not like having to creep across the entire cave floor, littered with sleeping bodies. She finally reached the sleeping half demon and silently inched her way forward.

He was curled up on his side, head pillowed on his arm, ears drooping in relaxation. A smile touched her lips; he looked almost angelic. The usual scowl was absent, and his harsh growls had been replaced with soft snores. Cautiously, she reached out towards him, intent on gently waking him. Then his ear twitched involuntarily as a small bug landed on the end. Her eyes shifted at the sudden movement.

She jumped and let out a small squeak when a hand wrapped around her wrist. Gold eyes glowered up at her from half lidded eyes.

He blinked. “Oh, it’s just you.” Inuyasha released her wrist as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Don’t you know it’s stupid to try and sneak up on people? I could have taken your head off.”

“I didn’t mean to surprise you,” Kagome apologized with a soft smile. Inuyasha glared back.

“I said ‘try,’ bitch.”

“Oh,” Kagome looked away with an annoyed frown. It was too early for his usual surly disposition. “Let’s just get going; there’s a lot to see.” She pushed herself to her feet and Inuyasha followed

“Is there a reason we are up so early for this little project?” Inuyasha asked irritably as he stretched.

“Not so loud, you’ll wake everyone up.” Kagome hissed. “We are up early because things happen at all hours and I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha groused. They picked their way between the sleeping bodies, some of whom were already beginning to rouse from their talking. Already regretting the deal they had made, Inuyasha followed her to the tree line. Kagome pulled a small handheld comp off her belt. With a few quick strokes on the keys, the little screen came to life and a hologram leapt out.

“Let’s see...” She looked up from the picture, “I think we should follow the cliffs for a bit. I want to see where the Tigris starts.”

“Tigris?” Inuyasha asked, raising a eyebrow.

Kagome rolled her eyes and stepped into the trees, following the now familiar path to the river. “Yes, the Tigris. The river we’ve been using. I named it the Tigris and the other one is the Euphrates.”

“Those are stupid names for rivers.” Inuyasha scowled.

“I won’t expect you to get it.” Kagome sighed, annoyed. “Out of sick curiosity, what would you name them?” Inuyasha shrugged and grunted. The rest of the way was silent except for the unseen creatures in the trees around them. When they reached the water’s edge, Kagome pivoted upstream. The hologram pivoted accordingly as well.

“What would you do without your fancy little gadgets?” Inuyasha asked, his cross expression destroyed by a wide yawn. “And what about breakfast?” Kagome reached into the small pack on her back and pulled out a piece of fruit. Inuyasha frowned at it, but took a bite anyway. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“It’s a stupid question,” Kagome replied. “If I didn’t have my fancy gadgets I wouldn’t be here. I’d be sleeping, back on Earth, in a warm bed.”

Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow. “You’re here by choice?”

Kagome looked over her shoulder at him, confused. “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”

“Keh.”

“That’s not an answer.” Kagome clicked off the comp and tucked it back onto her belt. “Why are you here anyway? All I know about you is that you’re a street kid and something of a bully.”

Inuyasha smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Fine.” She sighed, “Let’s not hold any sort of conversation. I’m sure neither of us speaking will make this day that much easier.”

“Whatever.” Inuyasha shrugged, tossing the core of his fruit off into the woods.

An hour passed without a word spoken by either party. The morning mist began to burn away as the sun rose into the sky. Around them the sounds of the forest subsided as creatures retreated from the daytime heat. The Tigris rushed along, leaving it’s soft splashes and babbles in their ears.

Inuyasha found it strangely peaceful. It was unlike anything he could remember. Always the life around him had moved at a blinding pace: people always rushing here or there, everyone trying to keep up with everyone else. He had to keep up, because falling behind led to the unthinkable.

But here, life seemed to have slowed to a crawl. He had not realized it, but very little had happened over the last two weeks. There had been bursts of excitement, planned and otherwise, but on the whole time had passed quietly. Most days, the major events revolved around some new discovery or Miroku giving some sort of Mass.

Strangest of all, however, was the fact he found himself enjoying it. The quieter noises were easier on his ears and the consistent light of the sun was much better than the limited light of an Orb. The soft earthy scents that curled their way up his nose teased at something hidden deep inside him, something that had only hinted at its existence back home.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he literally tripped over Kagome, who had stopped to examine a plant that was only half her height. He cursed as he pushed himself out of the dirt. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

“Huh?” Kagome looked back at him in confusion. “Do what?” Inuyasha glared at her, but the effect was lost as she turned back to the plant. “Come look at this, it’s amazing! These flowers are actually glowing!” Inuyasha blinked in confusion. He’d never heard of glowing flowers before, though he never paid much attention to them either. Curious in spite of himself, Inuyasha pushed himself up and moved to crouch down next to her.

The plant had broad, purple, jagged-edged leaves. Each leaf was thin and delicate, looking almost fragile to the touch. Five or six flowers hung from extra long stalks standing above the plant. They were bulbous in shape and about the size of a large fist. Pearlescent white, each petal curled inwards so the ends left only a tiny opening. He noticed that Kagome was indeed right: the flowers did seem to glow.

“Amazing,” Kagome breathed again as she cupped one of the flowers in her hand, watching the strange light reflect off her skin. Inuyasha reached out a finger and carefully touched one of the petals. It was silky against his skin, and bent easily against the light brush. “We should take one with us as a sample.” Kagome smiled, her eyes still focused on the flower. “I have to know why it glows. Cut it off for me?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but complied. His claws easily snapped the stalks, freeing the flower and a bunch of leaves from the plant. Kagome smiled as she tucked them carefully into her bag. With a bright smile, she grabbed his wrist and began jogging upstream. Inuyasha followed, too bewildered by the sudden contact to protest. She looked like a kid in a candy store, her head swiveling side to side as she tried to take in everything at once.

Abruptly, Inuyasha dug in his heels, his still bare feet sliding across the vegetation. Kagome yelped at the sudden stop and toppled over backwards from the abrupt change of direction. Inuyasha easily caught her under her arms before she hit the ground. “You’d run straight into something with teeth without even knowing it, wouldn’t you.” Inuyasha huffed without any real roughness in his voice. Kagome blushed as he placed her back on her feet.

“Sorry, I get a bit excited sometimes.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “And what happened to not speaking to each other?” Kagome shrugged and gave him a half smile. Inuyasha shook his head. “Just stop running. You’ll probably slip and crack your head open, and I’ll have to take the blame.”

“Whatever,” Kagome snorted, but resumed walking at a more sedate pace.

“Why were you in such a fucking hurry anyway?”
Kagome blushed. “Just got excited. Back home there wasn’t ever anything new, just different applications and upgrades. Here... everything is so,” she paused as if searching for just the right word. “pristine.”

Inuyasha gave her an odd look. “You really get off on this stuff, don’t you?”

“Are you always this crude?” Kagome retorted, but she sounded more tired than annoyed. “But, yes, I really do enjoy my work. What about you? What did you do back home?”

Inuyasha stared at her for several minutes, not saying a word. Kagome shifted, feeling as if he were seeing right through her. A blush crept across her face and she suddenly felt very exposed. “I survived,” he answered finally.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said.” Inuyasha shrugged, turning away to watch the river run past them. “I lived on the streets; stole when I had to, fought when I had to. I survived, nothing else.”

Kagome did not reply for a long time, just looked ahead. A ghost of a frown touched her mouth and she twisted a lock of hair idly. Finally she looked back at him, only to find he was still watching the river. She caught his wrist and his attention, pulling them both to a stop. He lifted an eyebrow and looked at her hand around his wrist. Kagome smiled. “Well from now on, we will all survive together. Okay?”

“Keh.” Inuyasha gave her a dull look. “Don’t get all mushy on me.” He began to walk again, not bothering to make sure Kagome followed. “How much farther is it?”

Kagome pulled the mini-comp off her belt and turned it on. A tiny dot marked their place on the holo-map. She typed a few key sequences in and a small compass and map scale popped up. “About twenty minutes,” Kagome answered. “So long as the unforeseeable fails to occur.”

“What?”

“If nothing unexpected happens.” Kagome clarified and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. The rest of the walk passed in a comfortable silence. As they moved, the canopy above became thicker as the trees grew closer together, their branches pushing and shoving each other for the best patches of sunlight. At the same time, the plants with the glowing flowers became more and more numerous. Inuyasha waited impatiently as Kagome stopped to take more notes and mutter things about “shade plants.”

Next to them, the Tigris had slowed and widened, so that its rushing sound had fallen to an almost silent murmur. Here, near the slow-moving river, two types of smaller trees found sunlight by reaching their branches out over the water. The first was growing at the very edge of the bank. Thick, wide leaves stretched out in all directions, the lowest branches touching the ground. The other trees were growing several feet out in the water. Their yellow-green leaves were numerous and small, all loosely packed onto thin, dangling branches that trailed in the current. Small red berries randomly dotted each branch, giving it a splash of color.

Kagome pulled a few leaves off the onshore plant, then waded out to the other and grabbed one of its wispy branches. After several unsuccessful tugs she looked back at Inuyasha. Rolling his eyes he waded in after her. He took the branch from her hand and tugged. The tree shuddered from the force, but did not relinquish the limb. Annoyed, Inuyasha reached as high as he could and tore the thin wood with his claw. Kagome beamed as she cheerfully stowed away her new samples.

“I think we should find a place to stop for lunch,” she said as she waded back towards the shore. Inuyasha’s hand snapped out and grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her feet and her voice.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Kagome frowned.

“Shh, listen.” Inuyasha’s ears swiveled, trying to find the source of the sound. He managed to pinpoint it in the direction they had been heading. A low, dull roar, snaked its way through the trees and around the bend in the river. Without a word he waded upstream towards it, Kagome following in his wake. He rounded the bend and froze. Kagome peeked around his shoulder and gasped.

Before them lay a wide pool of water that darkened as it butted up against the cliff face. The rough brown stone rose above them about two hundred feet. From its great height a stream of water flung itself over the edge to fall towards earth, crashing into the waiting arms of the water below. Fine mist rose, sparkling in bright rainbows before settling back into the pool. It left the air humid and thick, yet strangely comfortable. The two kinds of trees and the glowing flower plant grew here in abundance, as did a number of other plants. The trees echoed with the sounds of life. The newly familiar scent of water hung in the air and gave the soil underfoot a rich earthy aroma.

“Wow,” Kagome breathed. Inuyasha said nothing. “Let’s have lunch here.” They made their way around the edge of the pool until they found a small patch of bank free of trees and plants. Kagome pulled off her pack and began fishing around in it. Inuyasha began looking around for firewood. Even with so many trees around, most of the fallen sticks were too wet to try to burn. In the end he only found a handful of sticks.

Kagome pulled a small pot and a tiny box out of her pack. She looked down at the pile, frowned, then sighed.

“I guess with all the humidity here, it’s only expected.” She placed the pot and box aside and fetched the flint from her pack. She frowned at the stones, that had been chipped away to almost nothing. “We need to find a new way to light fires soon,” She commented idly. Inuyasha only grunted in responce.
With a few quick strikes she had a handful of dry leaves smoldering. Slowly she added the sticks, until a small fire was crackling between them. Dipping some water from the pool, she placed it over the fire to heat.

Then she picked up the box. Inuyasha leaned forward curiously. Kagome pulled the lid off to reveal half a dozen bright blue food capsules. Inuyasha’s eyebrows shot up. The capsules they had been using up until now had all been green.

“You smuggled food,” Inuyasha laughed. Kagome blushed to hear the impressed tone in his voice.

“Yeah, well, you know the government,” she answered, concentrating on pulling one of the capsules out of its holder. “Go with the lowest bidder. And I knew I’d have to leave the group sometimes, so I wanted to have something with me...” She looked up to find him giving her a toothy grin. Kagome frowned. “This has to stay our secret. If you tell, Sango will confiscate them for group use and I won’t be able to share with you anymore.”

“My lips are sealed.”

Kagome gave him a half smile and dropped the capsule into the steaming water. Instantly it broke apart, causing the water to flash boil and cloud in brown. Thick bubbles slowly churned the surface, issuing forth steam and leaving chunks of dark meat and smooth potatoes in their wake. Sliced vegetables bobbed to the surface as well. The boil slowed into a gentle simmer and Kagome pulled the pot off the dying fire. She poured the contents into two bowls and passed one to Inuyasha.

The half-demon was sure he had not smelled anything so wonderful in his life. His stomach roared at just the tiniest whiff. When she handed him his bowl it was all he could do not to inhale the scalding food. Blowing and swirling the contents to help them cool, he waited as patiently as he could before taking his first careful sip.

The broth was still too hot for his liking, but it did not burn his tongue. The stew was divine. Rich and heavy, it warmed him in ways only good food could. The liquid quickly chased the emptiness from his stomach. He followed it with the hunks of meat and vegetables. With his bowl empty he looked around for more. The pot only had another half a serving.

“Take it,” Kagome smiled over her half finished bowl. “You seem to need it more than I do.” Inuyasha tipped the rest into his bowl without a word of argument, and finished it off. Kagome snickered and finished hers as well. When his bowl was empty, Inuyasha flopped down on the cool vegetation, warm and full for the first time in two weeks. He was sure he could have fallen asleep on the spot. “Careful, this probably isn’t a good place to nap,” Kagome said lightly. Inuyasha sat up with a groan and gave her a half-hearted glare.

He watched as she calmly swirled water around in the bowls and pot, before pouring it over the smoldering embers. Shaking as much excess water out as she could, Kagome stowed them back into her bag and moved to sit next to him.
“I wonder what could live in that pond,” Kagome mused.

“Curiosity killed the ca,.” Inuyasha snorted.

“But satisfaction brought him back.” She smiled at him playfully.

“Doubt it. Dead is dead.”

Kagome turned to look at him, a soft frown on her lips. “What happened to you that makes you so angry all the time?” Inuyasha rounded to growl at her, but stopped in surprise at the emotions in her eyes. Uncomfortable, he leaned away, his ears laying back.

“Stop looking at me like that!”

“I’m sorry.” Kagome looked back at the water, a small half-smile on her lips. “You probably don’t want to talk about it with me. It’s just...” She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. You seem like you could be a nice person if you wanted to be.”

“You don’t even know me,” Inuyasha huffed. “For all you know, I’m a murderer.” He leaned closer to her, curling a hand so his claws looked ready to strike and bared his fangs. “For all you know, I killed Furmin and scared the others into submission. I could be planning to kill you next.” He cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, her breath hitching in her throat. Then she laughed, a mirthful, happy sound that made Inuyasha lean away from her again. She waved a dismissive hand at him as she tried to regain control of her breathing. “I’m – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. That – that was really convincing. You really had me going for a minute.” She finally managed to stop laughing. “You’re a great actor. Really! But just the thought of you killing someone. It’s just too funny.”

“Why is that funny?!” Inuyasha snapped.

“Well, you’re you!” Kagome motioned at him as if it were obvious. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Kagome giggled again. “You could have killed Sango last night if you’d wanted to. And I know you had motive.”

“Keh.”
“And you carried Furmin’s body back, even though it was a sin,” she continued. “No, Inuyasha, no matter how you act, I think you are a good person deep down inside.”

“Stop talking like you know me, woman!” he snapped, standing up abruptly and walking to the water’s edge. Kagome smiled lightly as his back and pushed herself to her feet.

“Sorry, I just would have to see it to believe it.” She lifted her feet one at a time to pull off her shoes and socks. “Anyway, I think our food has settled enough we can get in the water and see what’s in there.”
“What?” He looked over his shoulder at her.

“I want to see what lives in this pond.” Kagome repeated as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her pants and unfastened them.

Inuyasha blanched. “What are you doing?!”

Kagome blinked in confusion at him. “I’m not going in the water fully clothed, silly. I’d be miserable the rest of the day.” She tossed her pants on top of her shoes, then added her shirt to the pile. She was left standing in a black undershirt, bra, and underwear. Inuyasha’s face made a fast transition from white to red. Kagome smiled as she trotted past him into the water, turning back when she reached ankle depth. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Inuyasha gaped at her, wide-eyed. “Wh-what is wrong with you, woman? Put your clothes back on!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Kagome sighed in exasperation. “I’m sure you’ve seen a woman in a swimsuit before. Just take off whatever you don’t want to get wet, and come on.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha crossed his arms stubbornly.

“Come on,” Kagome cajoled, trying a change of tactics. “It’s the middle of the day and the water is nice and cool.”

“No.” he huffed, then grinned slightly, “And what if one of your big predators is living in there just waiting to eat you alive?”

Kagome gave him a winning grin. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To keep me safe.”

“Keh.” Inuyasha growled..

“We’ll go back to camp as soon as I’m done. I promise.” She made a crossing motion over her heart. Inuyasha frowned and looked away as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. “What?” Kagome took a step closer, trying to catch his words.

“I said, I can’t fucking swim! Are you happy now?!” he snarled at her.
“Oh...” Kagome answered softly. “Well, that’s not a big deal. The water’s pretty clear, so we shouldn’t need to go too deep. Maybe we can come back later and I can teach you.”

Inuyasha stared at her for what felt like an eternity. She was still smiling at him in that disarming way that made him uncomfortable. She was one of those people he could not figure out. Of all the people in the group, she was only one not the least bit afraid of him and relentlessly friendly.

“Keh,” he huffed again and looked at the girl with a frown. “I’ll watch your back from here.”
“All right.” Kagome sighed and shook her head, “I won’t have to go very far.” She turned away from him and moved into deeper water to submerge herself. The water was crystal clear, and he could easily follow the cream and black form gliding under the water. Inuyasha watched in disinterest as Kagome moved around underwater, occasionally coming up for air, then moving on.

She returned to shore about fifteen minutes later, a bit short of breath and wringing her hair out. “Not much to report,” she spoke more to herself than to him as she went to her clothes and picked up her comp. With a few quick key strokes an electric green holographic cube appeared. Her fingers danced across the keys again and the cube bent itself into a long pointed shape, taking on an overall gray color with black stripes.

Inuyasha tilted his head at the strange fish-creature she had conjured. “It looks like a knife.” Kagome looked up at him and smiled.

“Knife fish it is then.” She nodded and entered the name into her comp. Inuyasha blushed and looked back over the water. Kagome continued to type away, building the images of the other things she had seen.

A rustle of leaves and movement from the corner of his eye caught Inuyasha’s attention. His muscles tensed as the large cat-like creature moved gracefully to the water’s edge. It took no notice of him as it crouched and began to drink, just beyond where the pond flowed into the river.

“Get dressed!” Inuyasha hissed over his shoulder.

“What?” Kagome asked, not bothering to keep her voice down. Inuyasha tensed as the cat lifted its head and looked their way. A thin frown of annoyance spread across her face. “Let me finish drying off first at–” He cut her off with a hand over her mouth a fierce glare.

“Get your clothes on now! We are getting out of here.”

Kagome searched his face, her annoyance quickly fading into mild panic. “What’s going on?” She grabbed her shirt off the ground and pulled it on as she spoke.

“One of those cat things is here,” Inuyasha answered, pulling his dagger from the waistband of his pants.

“A Bast?” Kagome whispered harshly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crept back so he could see around the tree. The bast was still standing there, its pointed ears erect and the tip of its tail twitching ever so slightly. Inuyasha noticed the fur around its face and chest was matted with a red liquid. He swallowed as the moment seemed to stretch on. Then, without any indication, the creature turned and melted back into the undergrowth, leaving only the rippling water in its wake.

“It’s gone.” Inuyasha reported over his shoulder. Kagome let out her breath in a hushed rush as she grabbed her pack off the ground and slung it over her shoulder.

“Good. Let’s get out of here.”

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. The tiny alcove in the trees had rapidly gone from safe haven to cramped dead end. Keeping his knife close at hand, Inuyasha led the way, skirting the edge where water and trees met. Kagome kept pace, her hand fisting the fabric of his shirt as if she feared he might bolt. Wading through the water, they slipped downstream to where the pond poured out into the river and made their way back to the bank.

Once on land, Inuyasha’s stride increased to a jog, pulling Kagome along behind him as he went. Inevitably their feet collided and Kagome stumbled. Inuyasha growled and caught her wrist, keeping her moving before she could fully lose her balance.

“Pl-please,” Kagome panted, “Please, stop. I can’t – run anymore.” She pulled back on his grip, freeing her hand. Inuyasha stopped and looked back. Kagome was bent double, her hands on her knees panting desperately for air. “I’m sorry – I’m probably – not in as – good of shape – as you. Just give me – a minute.”

Inuyasha frowned, but waited, his ears swiveling as he tried to find the faintest hint of being followed. Around them, the usual noises littered the forest. The air gave nothing away, too saturated with the scent of the Tigris to hold anything else. It made him nervous, and he shifted as he waited on the girl. It quickly became apparent she was not kidding about being out of shape, because her breathing had only slowed a little.

“Get on,” he ordered, crouching down in front of her. “I’ll carry you.” Kagome stared blankly at his back for a minute before climbing on. He hooked his arms under her legs and she found a grip on his shoulder. Standing, he took up a brisk walk, the sound of her heavy breathing in his ears.

“Sorry,” Kagome muttered again. “And thank you.” Inuyasha only grunted. The walk back to camp was as silent as they could make it, with Inuyasha on the alert for anything; though it became apparent nothing was following them. He also did not bother to stop and let her walk, content to carry her even after her breathing returned to normal.

Their return to camp, however, was anything but silent. Apparently, carrying her into camp was not his brightest idea.

There was a beat of perfect silence as they entered, as all eyes turned their way and widened. Then the flood gates burst. “You son of a bitch! What did you do to her?” Sango screamed as she practically materialized an inch from his face.

“Wh-what?” Inuyasha asked, taking a small step back to regain his personal space. “What the hell are you talking about, bitch?” His lips curled back instinctively.

“Sango, please,” Kagome said placatingly as she scrambled off his back. “I’m not hurt. I just... slipped... and thought I’d twisted my ankle. Inuyasha offered to carry me back so I wouldn’t make it worse.” She smiled at Inuyasha’s raised eyebrow. “But I guess I just needed to rest it, I feel fine now.”

Sango crossed her arms and gave the other girl a dubious look. “Either way, you should probably have Kirara look at it.” She turned and frowned at Inuyasha, giving a resigned sigh. “Please accept my apologies for jumping to conclusions.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha grunted and walked away. He found Shippou laid out on a mat with his arm cast carelessly over his eyes. Aodh and Krishna were also laid out near by. All three demons were a mess and smelled strongly of sweat and earth. “What happened to you?” Inuyasha nudged the young fox demon with his foot.

Shippou rolled his arm away from his eyes long enough to see who was speaking, before letting it fall back into place. “Had to bury Furmin. Where were you?”

“Playing bodyguard to science-girl.” he answered, plopping down next to him.

“Lucky you,” Aodh groaned disinterestedly a few feet away.

“At least the ground was pretty soft,” Shippou sighed.

“Both of you hush and wake me when dinner’s ready,” Krishna growled. Inuyasha leaned his head back against the rock wall as the small group settled in around him. He watched as Kagome had her faux injury checked by Kirara, with Sango looking over her shoulder, and getting a clean bill of health. Xun was sleeping again. Miroku was standing over a mound of fresh earth, praying. A human, Charon to the best of his memory, was playing around with a small bundle of sticks and some string. Most everyone else was immersed in their own activities and not of much interest.

Dinner was the usual thin soup, and though he found it no less disgusting or more filling than he had before, the stew was still lingering in his stomach. For the first time since their arrival, Inuyasha went to sleep full.