InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Small Moments ❯ Gone Missing ( Chapter 24 )
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By: ladygriddlebone 
The Inu-tachi discover that one of their number has gone missing.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.24.2013 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 314 | Status: Completed
The Inu-tachi discover that one of their number has gone missing.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.24.2013 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 314 | Status: Completed
"Miroku-sama's gone?"
Kagome's question jolted Sango out of a light doze. It was light in their small room now; she had not worried too much when she woke in the night to find the monk gone, but for him to still be missing in the morning...
While Kagome shot out of bed, Sango sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and looked for herself. Indeed, Miroku was nowhere in evidence. Before Sango could think to stop her, Kagome had left their room, still dressed in her night-clothes, to go see what the villagers knew.
He's probably with his woman from yesterday, Sango thought sourly. It was possible that Miroku really was in some kind of trouble, but she suspected that even if he was in trouble, it was of his own making. Perhaps having to deal with the consequences of his behavior would teach him a lesson.
Content to let Kagome do the panicking for the moment, Sango took her time getting dressed and ready for the day. She half expected Inuyasha to follow Kagome, but the hanyou remained stubbornly where he was, sitting on the other side of the screen that divided the room and grumbling quietly to himself or to Shippou, she was not quite sure. She had finished dressing and had just begun to inspect her weapons for wear and damage when Kagome returned.
"He's gone!" she burst out. "He left the village entirely!"
Now that came as a surprise.
Sango finished tending to her weapons while Kagome hurried to change into her day-clothes. As soon as she was ready, they took to the road, following the directions the villagers had given Kagome.
Kagome rode on her bicycle; Kirara rode happily in the bike's basket and Shippou perched atop Kagome's backpack where it was strapped to the back of the contraption. Sango walked alongside, letting Inuyasha lead the way. With his keen sense of smell, he might have a chance at picking up Miroku's trail when the rest of them would simply be searching blindly.
"The men in the village said he looked angry when he left this morning," Kagome sighed after they had been walking, or in her case riding, for a while. "And that he told them he had to go on a little journey of his own, but..."
"Are you sure it's not because you two were mean to him yesterday?" Shippou asked.
Kagome gasped in outrage at the very idea, but Sango felt an unexpected pang of guilt. She did not trust Miroku, did not even particularly like him, but the thought of being responsible for his departure weighed heavily on her. He had been a part of the group before she joined. She might not trust him very much, but it had not been her intention to force him away from his companions by being cruel and cold to him.
"He's not that sensitive," Inuyasha said, his tone clipped and impatient. "And besides, something's fishy here. Someone's been following us all day."
Sango barely had time to wonder how he had noticed such a thing, and she had not, before Inuyasha was moving. He leaped into the trees beside the road so quickly that his companions could only watch as he drew his sword and sliced vegetation away to reveal the spy: a human-like shape covered by the pelt of a baboon. Sango's heart stopped at the sight even as the figure slipped back among the trees. She knew that figure only too well: it was Naraku, the monster responsible for the deaths of her family and the destruction of her village.
If Naraku was involved, then Kagome had been right to worry, and Sango had been foolish not to. She hurried after Inuyasha, racing after the retreating form of the man in the baboon mask. She had a hard time matching Inuyasha's pace, but Kirara knew she would need help and was there to provide it. It only took an instant for Kirara to change forms and for Sango to leap onto her back, and then it was not long before they were gaining ground, rather than being left behind.
"Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted. Sango cursed under her breath when the man did not so much as look back. Gripping Kirara with only her legs, she steadied herself enough to take aim and threw her Hiraikotsu. Even with the thick trees all around them and the moving target, her aim was true; Naraku stumbled as the massive boomerang struck him, and that was enough. Inuyasha was on him before he could recover.
As the hanyou attacked, Sango's heart raced. She suddenly found that she couldn't breathe. She was so close to her goal... but where Inuyasha had slashed him open, Naraku did not bleed. Instead, all that came forth from the gash was soil. Soil, and another one of Naraku's damned puppets.
Sango stared down at the remains, bracing herself as a wave of crushing disappointment washed over her. Of course it could not have been so easy...
While she and Inuyasha silently observed their handiwork, Kagome came running up behind them with Shippou in tow. "It was just another puppet?" Kagome asked.
Sango could not seem to make her voice work, and Inuyasha did not bother to reply, since the answer was obvious.
"So he just wanted to distract us," Kagome murmured, at the same time as the thought was occurring to Sango. She had to agree with Kagome's assessment. Naraku had obviously wanted to lead them on a chase, and he had succeeded... but why?
"I wonder what the real reason was... why Miroku felt he had to leave," Kagome went on, inadvertently echoing Sango's thoughts.
"Why?" Inuyasha asked, as if he hadn't thought about it.
Sango had not thought much about it either. She had simply assumed he was off with that woman Shippou said he'd been friendly with back at the village. But now she had more questions than she knew what to do with, and no answers at all. Had the monk encountered some sign of Naraku's presence yesterday? It was possible. But if he had found such a sign, he would have told the rest of them, right?
A tiny voice piped up, "Um, Inuyasha..."
Sango nearly did a double-take before remembering the flea demon that was Inuyasha's sometimes-companion. He spent so much of his time hiding, or off on other errands, that it was easy to forget he was with them at all.
"Myouga?" the hanyou asked.
"If you are wondering why the monk departed so suddenly, I may have some insight to share," the flea went on. Sango listened carefully as he explained, "During the night, while the rest of you were sleeping, Miroku stayed awake. He was sitting in the dark and brooding."
"Brooding?" Inuyasha interrupted. "What's he got to brood about?"
"He was staring at his hand, the one with the kazaana, while he did it. For some reason he looked very serious."
"We should find him," Kagome said. Fear was written all over her face, and Sango shared the sentiment. If Miroku was worried about the curse in his hand, and Naraku was around and up to his usual no-good tricks, then the monk could be in very real danger. They all could.
Kagome's question jolted Sango out of a light doze. It was light in their small room now; she had not worried too much when she woke in the night to find the monk gone, but for him to still be missing in the morning...
While Kagome shot out of bed, Sango sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and looked for herself. Indeed, Miroku was nowhere in evidence. Before Sango could think to stop her, Kagome had left their room, still dressed in her night-clothes, to go see what the villagers knew.
He's probably with his woman from yesterday, Sango thought sourly. It was possible that Miroku really was in some kind of trouble, but she suspected that even if he was in trouble, it was of his own making. Perhaps having to deal with the consequences of his behavior would teach him a lesson.
Content to let Kagome do the panicking for the moment, Sango took her time getting dressed and ready for the day. She half expected Inuyasha to follow Kagome, but the hanyou remained stubbornly where he was, sitting on the other side of the screen that divided the room and grumbling quietly to himself or to Shippou, she was not quite sure. She had finished dressing and had just begun to inspect her weapons for wear and damage when Kagome returned.
"He's gone!" she burst out. "He left the village entirely!"
Now that came as a surprise.
Sango finished tending to her weapons while Kagome hurried to change into her day-clothes. As soon as she was ready, they took to the road, following the directions the villagers had given Kagome.
Kagome rode on her bicycle; Kirara rode happily in the bike's basket and Shippou perched atop Kagome's backpack where it was strapped to the back of the contraption. Sango walked alongside, letting Inuyasha lead the way. With his keen sense of smell, he might have a chance at picking up Miroku's trail when the rest of them would simply be searching blindly.
"The men in the village said he looked angry when he left this morning," Kagome sighed after they had been walking, or in her case riding, for a while. "And that he told them he had to go on a little journey of his own, but..."
"Are you sure it's not because you two were mean to him yesterday?" Shippou asked.
Kagome gasped in outrage at the very idea, but Sango felt an unexpected pang of guilt. She did not trust Miroku, did not even particularly like him, but the thought of being responsible for his departure weighed heavily on her. He had been a part of the group before she joined. She might not trust him very much, but it had not been her intention to force him away from his companions by being cruel and cold to him.
"He's not that sensitive," Inuyasha said, his tone clipped and impatient. "And besides, something's fishy here. Someone's been following us all day."
Sango barely had time to wonder how he had noticed such a thing, and she had not, before Inuyasha was moving. He leaped into the trees beside the road so quickly that his companions could only watch as he drew his sword and sliced vegetation away to reveal the spy: a human-like shape covered by the pelt of a baboon. Sango's heart stopped at the sight even as the figure slipped back among the trees. She knew that figure only too well: it was Naraku, the monster responsible for the deaths of her family and the destruction of her village.
If Naraku was involved, then Kagome had been right to worry, and Sango had been foolish not to. She hurried after Inuyasha, racing after the retreating form of the man in the baboon mask. She had a hard time matching Inuyasha's pace, but Kirara knew she would need help and was there to provide it. It only took an instant for Kirara to change forms and for Sango to leap onto her back, and then it was not long before they were gaining ground, rather than being left behind.
"Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted. Sango cursed under her breath when the man did not so much as look back. Gripping Kirara with only her legs, she steadied herself enough to take aim and threw her Hiraikotsu. Even with the thick trees all around them and the moving target, her aim was true; Naraku stumbled as the massive boomerang struck him, and that was enough. Inuyasha was on him before he could recover.
As the hanyou attacked, Sango's heart raced. She suddenly found that she couldn't breathe. She was so close to her goal... but where Inuyasha had slashed him open, Naraku did not bleed. Instead, all that came forth from the gash was soil. Soil, and another one of Naraku's damned puppets.
Sango stared down at the remains, bracing herself as a wave of crushing disappointment washed over her. Of course it could not have been so easy...
While she and Inuyasha silently observed their handiwork, Kagome came running up behind them with Shippou in tow. "It was just another puppet?" Kagome asked.
Sango could not seem to make her voice work, and Inuyasha did not bother to reply, since the answer was obvious.
"So he just wanted to distract us," Kagome murmured, at the same time as the thought was occurring to Sango. She had to agree with Kagome's assessment. Naraku had obviously wanted to lead them on a chase, and he had succeeded... but why?
"I wonder what the real reason was... why Miroku felt he had to leave," Kagome went on, inadvertently echoing Sango's thoughts.
"Why?" Inuyasha asked, as if he hadn't thought about it.
Sango had not thought much about it either. She had simply assumed he was off with that woman Shippou said he'd been friendly with back at the village. But now she had more questions than she knew what to do with, and no answers at all. Had the monk encountered some sign of Naraku's presence yesterday? It was possible. But if he had found such a sign, he would have told the rest of them, right?
A tiny voice piped up, "Um, Inuyasha..."
Sango nearly did a double-take before remembering the flea demon that was Inuyasha's sometimes-companion. He spent so much of his time hiding, or off on other errands, that it was easy to forget he was with them at all.
"Myouga?" the hanyou asked.
"If you are wondering why the monk departed so suddenly, I may have some insight to share," the flea went on. Sango listened carefully as he explained, "During the night, while the rest of you were sleeping, Miroku stayed awake. He was sitting in the dark and brooding."
"Brooding?" Inuyasha interrupted. "What's he got to brood about?"
"He was staring at his hand, the one with the kazaana, while he did it. For some reason he looked very serious."
"We should find him," Kagome said. Fear was written all over her face, and Sango shared the sentiment. If Miroku was worried about the curse in his hand, and Naraku was around and up to his usual no-good tricks, then the monk could be in very real danger. They all could.