Inu Yasha emerged from Totosai's cave, his black hair turning back to his usual silver mane of hair, as the night of the new moon ended & the next day began. He yawned, stretching his aching muscles. Last night, after training with Inmetsu, Totosai had tied him up in the back of the cave so he wouldn't try to fight should any youkai attack & now his muscles were stiff & sore. In his hand was a bit of soap wrapped up in a small cloth.
He looked around & made his way to the river so he could get a drink then wash up so he could be ready for his travels. Two days ago he had made up his mind that he would go to the village Miroku was supposed to be at, just to make sure he was still there. He wanted to make sure the lecherous houshi was keeping his word to Inu Yasha & staying at the village.
Once he made it to the river, he decided against drinking as he removed his fire rat robe, his under kimono & his hakama, leaving him naked against the cold air. He put the Tetsusaiga underneath his clothing before he jumped into the river water, surfacing with a loud yelp from the sudden cold that engulfed his body. He hadn't expected the waters to be this cold as he submerged his head & brought it up, using the water to smooth it down, matting it to his head.
The fur on his ears was wet & semi-spiked from being clumped together when he emerged his head from the water. His body trembled greatly in the freezing cold water as he swam to the edge of the river, grabbing the soap he had brought with him. As he began washing, he shuddered again, his teeth now chattering. He knew this might get him sick, but he was dirty from his training last night & he wanted to get clean.
Once he was done washing, he sunk his head down so the water was beneath his nose. He took a look around before he jumped out of the water & kneeled down on the balls of his feet & his now fisted hands that were knuckle down on the ground. Looking around once more, he saw it was safe for him to perform his task as he shook his body fast, sending the water from his body, landing in different areas.
Having shaken dry, he rose to his feet & pulled on his hakama, giving his body some warmth before a rustling in the bushes caught his attention. He grabbed the Tetsusaiga quickly & got ready to unsheathe his sword, when Ginta emerged from the bushes. He narrowed his eyes as the ookami. "What are you doing here?" He growled, his lip curling up to expose one of his fangs.
Ginta whimpered & began shaking. "K-K-Kog-ga s-s-s-sent me!" He stammered out, earning an annoyed look from the hanyou before him that, with his sword, could kill him if he wanted to.
"What does he want?"
"It's Catriona; he says she needs you right now," Ginta answered. �There was an incident with Isamu & now he worries she might turn to taking her own life if she doesn�t see you or her mate. But since Lord Sesshomaru isn�t available to come to her, he thinks it best you come with me.�
�What happened to Isamu?� He asked as he pulled on his under kimono & fire rat robe, tucking the Tetsusaiga into the obi that held his hakama up.
�I�m afraid he was killed by a snake youkai. Since the accident five days ago, Lady Catriona has been supremely depressed & that is why he is so worried about her.�
�Isamu was killed? But how could he even get near a snake youkai? They only roam the lands near the middle of the mountains or the flat plains below.�
�He went on a hunt with Koga & he tried to attack the snake youkai even though Koga warned him about it. I was with them on that day so I can vouch for Koga that he did try to stop Isamu from attacking the giant snake.�
Inu Yasha felt the anger build up inside of him as he looked at the ookami youkai that now trembled before him. �Why did Koga even take him on a hunt when he knew it would have been dangerous for a hanyou pup?!�
�Because Isamu had proven to Koga that he could defend himself against a youkai attack & Koga thought that he could train Isamu�s hunting skills for the next time he saw his father. Are you going to come with me or not, Inu Yasha?�
�Of course I�m going to come with you!� He snapped. �I have to get something from Totosai�s cave before I can go though.� He turned away from Ginta & began running in the direction of the cave, with Ginta following from a few feet behind.
At the cave, he went inside & grabbed the sword, Inmetsu, before he went outside to meet up with Ginta who had stayed outside of the cave he head never been in before. �How long will it take to get to the den?� Inu Yasha asked.
�I don�t know. It snowed on my second day of travel so I had to make camp until the snow let up. I think it should only be a two day travel if we don�t run into any snow,� Ginta answered.
�Good. The sooner we get there, the better,� he spoke, tucking the wrapped sword into his obi & looked at Ginta. �So, lead the way.� Ginta nodded, & without a word, began running in the direction of the den with Inu Yasha following behind him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time night had fallen, they were more than half way there. Merely because at one point Inu Yasha felt they were running to slow, & decided to pick up the pace by chasing after Ginta as if he were about to kill him. That picked up the pace quite a bit, enabling them to cover quite a few miles in a short amount of time.
Now they were resting, both exhausted & still feeling hot from the sun beating down on them. Ginta rested against the base of a tree, while Inu Yasha decided he was going to once again find a branch in the tree to sleep in for the night. From his spot in the tree, he looked down at the ookami youkai who dozed lightly.
Looking up at the stars, he watched as a shooting star fell along the horizon, its tail staying visible for a few more moments before he looked at the sliver of a moon, the restarting of the moon�s phase. -I wonder how well Catriona is,- he thought, looking down at his claws. -I hope she�s not too badly wounded by the death of her son. I know how much he meant to her, but I don�t see her as the kind of ningen to mourn a death for the rest of her life.-
He closed his eyes & leaned his head back as the night swept a cold breeze over him. He opened his eyes & saw a definite sign that there was snow to come by the little flurries that rode the wind. -I hope she isn�t too cold herself� I hope she�s nice & warm.-