Shrinking! – Part Three: Dog Day

Shippo stared at the two shrunken men, blinking. “Wow, they really ARE small!”

“You’re one to talk, fuzzy-butt,” Inuyasha hissed.

Kagome sighed. “Sit.”

“OH SH--!” THUMP.

“And I’ll do it again if you don’t behave.”

Kaede shook her head as the men of the village struggled to turn the huge tarasque onto its back, in order to locate the lost Tetsusaiga. “This place is much too dangerous for them, Kagome.”

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “They can fight okay, all things considered, but look at them. They’re just kids, and they argue all the time. In fact, all they’ve DONE is argue and scuffle like the brats they are.”

Miroku snorted, indignantly. “I am NOT a brat, thank you very much!”

“Me neither,” the hanyou said from the ground, shaking dirt from his face. “I’m a good kid!”

“THAT’S a laugh,” Kagome sighed. He moved to comment, but she stopped him. “Shut up or I say it.”

He scowled, silently.

She turned her attention to the creature they’d slain as it was finally flipped onto its spiky back. A man scaled the side and yanked the Tetsusaiga out of the leg-hole, wincing as a geyser of blood escorted it out. The poor guy shuddered and quickly stole another man’s shirt to wipe the gore from his face. She frowned. “We have to get them outta here, before anything else happens. This thing was bad enough for us, and usually Inuyasha could shred it by himself. Just think; if something like this was so bad, what would happen if Sesshomaru showed up?”

“Or Naraku,” Sango added, tensely.

Naraku. That was a scary thought. They had enough trouble with him when the monk and hanyou were in top form. She winced as the Tetsusaiga was offered to her, only minimally gory and sheathed once again. “Okay, now we have to go to my time. If Mr. All-High-and-Mighty-Monkey-Guy decides to make an appearance, we might as well call them Spam, because they’ll be as good as lunchmeat.”

The teenage boys exchanged glances.

“What is ‘lunchmeat’?”

“What’s SPAM?”

Kagome sighed. “Mental note: Warring Era equals no modern bad jokes.” Taking Inuyasha by the shoulder, she looked at Kaede. “We’ll come back soon to check up on the antidote progress. Shippo, stay with her.”

“Aww, but I wanted to go to your time!”

“You’re safer here.”

“Point taken.”

Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged glances. “Where we goin’?”

She sighed. “Somewhere safe.”

Before she could attempt to lead him anywhere, however, he pulled away from her and folded his arms, scowling childishly. “I’m not goin’ anywhere with YOU, wench. I’m stayin’ here.”

She frowned. “Don’t make me say the word, because I will, and then I will carry you there anyway.”

“Say it all you wanna, I’m not goin’.”

Angrily, she opened her mouth to utter a quick ‘sit’, but instead, Miroku interceded on her behalf, fisting Inuyasha’s kimono and lifting him right off the ground.

“You will do as Lady Kagome asks without argument.”

“And what are YOU gonna do if I don’t?”

//Uh-oh, not again.//

“I’m gonna--” Suddenly, he paused and Kagome noticed how pale he had grown in the last few minutes. “I gonna be sick--excuse me!” With that said, he ran off.

Kagome and Sango exchanged a confused look between them, then blinked as Inuyasha went after him. “Where are you going?” Kagome demanded.

“To make sure he’s not just faking! If he’s gonna throw up, I want proof!”

They both sweatdropped as they boys disappeared into the forest. “Gods,” Sango sighed. “I can’t believe this.”

“You’d better, because we’ll be dealing with them like this for a very long time if the cure isn’t found soon.”

She nodded, tiredly. “Well, at least it can’t get much worse.”

Two high-pitched cries from within the trees made every person present jump a foot.

Kagome glanced at her friend, wide-eyed. “Uh-oh.” Both women hurried to catch up with the boys, leaving Shippo, Kaede and the others behind. //Please, please don’t let them be hurt!//

They broke into a small clearing not too far from the one they had left and froze in their tracks, desperately searching for signs of their once-strong male protectors, but there was not hide nor hair of Miroku or Inuyasha to be found.

“Oh no,” the demon huntress whispered. “Where could they be?”

“I don’t know...” Desperately, Kagome hopped up onto a nearby rock and cupped her hands to her mouth. “Inuyasha! Miroku! If you can hear me, yell or something!”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” the responses came instantly.

Sango ripped the Hiraikotsu from her back and the two of them rushed off toward the screams. What they found was both sobering and frightening.

The boys were huddled up against a rock formation together, wide-eyed and scared, and neither one looked as he had upon leaving the two women. The monk’s staff lay discarded nearby, leaving them unarmed. They were younger-- a lot younger--and they looked utterly terrified.

And with good right! A shaggy wolf had cornered the children and was slowly drawing closer, and with every step, the two whimpered and backed closer to the wall. Inuyasha was hiding behind Miroku, who was marginally taller than he was, and the ex-monk looked none too happy about this.

Sango hardly hesitated. She sprinted through the trees into the glen they were standing trapped in and flattened the ugly creature with a single blow from her boomerang.

Kagome jogged up behind her as the wild dog whined from the ground, then scowled as she recognized the beast that had threatened them. “Kouga’s pack, no doubt about it.” She sighed. If its master was around, they’d be in trouble--Inuyasha wasn’t here this time to fend him off or fight back. He was just a kid now.

And a small one. As she turned her attention to the boys, she was unsurprised to see they had shrunk about a foot down and several inches in, and now neither of them looked ready to pick a fight with the other. They were both just so pitiful...

The wolf scrambled to get up, but Sango knocked it down again. “AIERP!” it yelped.

“You stay right where you are,” the huntress spat. “We don’t need Kouga showing up right now, and unless you’d like to be slippers, I suggest being quiet too.”

It didn’t argue.

Kagome went to the boys and knelt in front of them, smiling softly at the sight of little Inuyasha clinging to Miroku’s arm. //They look about Souta’s age...ten, maybe eleven. Poor kids...// She reached out, tentatively. “Hey, guys...you okay?”

Miroku ducked her hand and Inuyasha whined, softly, clinging tighter to the ex-monk’s arm.

She sighed. “Apparently not...”

“Are you hurt?” Sango called.

Miroku glanced back at Inuyasha, then looked warily at them. “I’m fine, but I don’t know about the puppy-boy...I think he may have piddled on himself.”

“D-d-did not!” Inuyasha stuttered, shakily.

“As long as it isn’t on me, feel free.”

Kagome inspected the boys with curiosity. Inuyasha looked so pitiful in his oversized kimono, wide gold eyes darting about, and he was shaking like a leaf no matter how he tried to stop. He was cuter still (apparently hot regressed to cute with youth), with his shorter, finer hair and sweet little pout. Miroku wasn’t any less innocent or adorable, but he was apparently pretty brave, being how he continued to shield the little hanyou without budging. He was wide-eyed and baby-faced too, despite the two years he had on his partner, and his hair was actually so short that it couldn’t be put in a ponytail--though the difference was hard to notice unless you really paid attention. They were quite the precious--if not barely-clad-- pair. “We’d better get you guys outta here before--”

Suddenly, the captive wolf howled, loudly, before Sango could stop it. Instantly, several cries came back.

Kagome sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. “Before somebody more dangerous gets here. Come on, boys, we have to get outta here.” She reached toward them again, but Inuyasha whimpered and Miroku actually parried her hand away with his own, looking untrusting. //...Wait, that’s right...// she thought. //They...they’ve regressed further, so...they don’t know us! AGAIN!//

The growling of the oncoming demon wolves was close in the distance. They had very little time.

Sango flattened the wolf once more before slinging the weapon over her shoulder and rushing to Kagome’s side. She reached for little Miroku and he moved to fend her off, but she feinted in one direction, then dropped to the ground and quickly tossed him over her shoulder, fighting like the child he was.

“Ack! Put me down, you GIRL you! Put me DOWN!”

“Those wolves are coming and they’re bringing their master, Miroku,” the huntress retorted, quickly, tucking his staff under her other arm. “You come with us or you die. Make the choice.”

He stopped fighting.

Inuyasha was quivering violently, but Kagome took his hand and he calmed down a little--until a few wolves entered the clearing. Then, he whimpered and clung to her.

With a quick glance around, the ex-miko recognized where they were. “We have to get to the well. Come on, let’s go!”

The two girls broke into a flat-out run, carrying their young charges in their arms, but the howling continued to get louder...closer.

“How far to the well?”

“I’m not sure, but it isn’t far! We’re pretty close, I know it!”

“Where are we going?” Little Miroku asked, exasperatedly.

“Somewhere safe,” Kagome panted, “where there’s no--”

“WOLVES!” her passenger shrieked, then.

She glanced back. “OH NO!”

There were at least ten demon-wolves, all Kouga’s back, and to have that many in one place meant they had to be hunting. Of course, if they were hunting, then their leader could only be one person.

“Ah, crap! We gotta get to the well before Kouga gets here!”

“Who’s Kouga?”

“Shut UP, Miroku!” Sango snapped.

“Well, excuse me for asking!” the boy spat back.

“Not excused!”

“Ah, girls are all the same!”

//Oh boy,// Kagome thought, sighing. “Fight LATER, run NOW!”

“NOT. SO. FAST.”

They came to a screeching halt, kicking up dirt and grass, as more wolves came from the other direction to box them in. They were quickly surrounded.

Miroku blinked.

Sango sighed.

Inuyasha whined.

Kagome sweatdropped. “Oh, come on, Kouga, not NOW...”

The young leader of the wolf tribe strolled from the woods nearby, visibly amused by the proceedings. “Hello again, Kagome,” he offered, pseudo- politely. (What, you think he could be polite for REAL?) “So nice to finally see you again.”

“Yeah,” she groaned. “I’d say the same, but now is a bad time.”

He was very visibly affronted by this, of course. “What’s the matter? You got plans with the MUTT tonight?”

A few snickers echoed from around them.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Technically, yeah.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Like saving his life.”

There was silence, and then the clearing exploded with laughter.

She blinked, then scowled. “Hey! What’s so funny?!”

Kouga quickly bit back his chuckling, then made a gesture, and the others fell silent. “So, where is he?” he asked, glancing haughtily around. “Hiding from me? Of course he’d do that...the cowardly half-breed.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes, then glanced at the mini hanyou in her arms. //How dense can he BE?// “Yeah, he’s hiding from you,” she lied. “Can we go now?”

“What? You think I’d let you get away that easy?” He approached, but paused as he spotted the bundle in her arms. She held her breath as his eyebrows shot to his hairline. “...Why are you carrying his clothes?”

Sango sweatdropped, and Kagome gawked at him, but his question was soon answered when Inuyasha’s head decided to come out of his shirt.

Kouga blinked, staring at him, then sniffled him. The hanyou yelped, softly. “What’s this? The mutt has a pup?” He blinked. “You’re not it’s mother, are you?!”

Her eyes widened. “NO!” she shouted, viciously. “I’m NOT it’s--er, HIS mother!”

“Then why are you carrying it--?” Kouga reached out to touch Inuyasha--and was met with a more fitting reaction when the child bit into his hand with a loud ‘crunch!’. The wolf yelped and ripped away, holding his wounded hand, then growled. “Why you little--!”

Kagome dived back, taking the chibi hanyou with her. “Just beat it, Kouga! Go away already!”

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!” he roared, leering at her, then at Inuyasha. “What the hell is this little thing?”

“I think it’s a child with dog ears,” Miroku offered, sarcastically, as he managed to pull himself from over Sango’s shoulder. “You must be very ignorant to not see this.”

The huntress covered his mouth before he could say anything else. “HUSH, big-mouth!”

Kouga’s silver eyes shot to him and in a blur he appeared in front of Sango, grabbing Miroku’s chin and staring at him before either could fend him off. “This kid...” He gawked. “It’s the monk! Then...that means--” He turned and looked at Inuyasha, who was leering semi-coldly at him from the safety of Kagome’s arms. “WHAT THE HELL--?!”

She was growing quickly tired of this. She hitched the dog-boy up on her hip, then whispered in one of his ears, “Hold onto me.” He obliged, his arms snapping tightly around her neck. Once he was secured, she jerked the Tetsusaiga from its sheath, bringing it to bear on Kouga’s head. “Back up!” she shouted. “Get away!”

Kouga stared down the length of the battered katana blade for a moment, then frowned. “You wouldn’t use that against me, Kagome,” he said, though he sounded only somewhat certain of himself.

She scowled. “Try me.”

“You wouldn’t da--” The statement cut off with a ‘clang!’ as she brought the flat side of the blade down on his head, surprising him and sending him stumbling back, dizzily.

Kagome took the chance. “Sango, let’s go!”

Her boomerang and Miroku traded places, the boy flying onto her back and the weapon into her hands. She whirled, sweeping the nearest line of wolves away like leaves with a round of whimpers, yelps and whines. With that done, she hitched up the boy’s long legs around her waist and took off at a run. Kagome followed.

Kouga’s unsteady cry rang out moments later. “After them! Eat the brats, for all I care--catch the women!”

“This is really NOT our day!”

“No kidding!”

The rustling of the pack became deafening as the girls broke through the brush, hurrying through the dark forest toward their only salvation. As they burst into a wide clearing, Kagome was relieved to see the dark silhouette of the bone-eater’s well in the moonlight. Without pausing a moment, they both hurtled the remaining brush and hurried to the mouth of it, staring down into it.

Sango pulled Miroku off her back, replacing her boomerang in its sling, then looked at Kagome. “Will we all go if we go with you?”

“Inuyasha’s followed me before,” she gasped, tiredly. “It should be okay, as long as you hurry after me.”

“Excuse me.”

They both looked at the young Miroku, who was standing with his hands folded behind his back, calmly staring at them. “What?” Kagome asked.

“I think we should keep running.” He gestured back into the woods.

Inuyasha sniffed, lightly, then squeaked. “The wolves are coming...”

“It’s okay, y’all,” Kagome said, quickly. “We’re gonna be okay in just a bit.”

“How?” Miroku demanded.

“This well...”

“You’re kidding. How will drowning help us?”

Sango sighed, then glanced back over her shoulder. “Never mind him, Kagome. Go--we’ll catch up. Take Inuyasha with you.”

She nodded, mounting the edge of the well with the boy in her arms. She looked at him, only to be met with absolutely most shocking expression she had ever seen on his face...he looked truly afraid. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Just hold on...we’ll be out of here soon...”

He looked tempted to argue with her, but his fear was more prominent. He held on and closed his eyes, burying his face in her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome dropped into the well. Even as she plummeted toward her time, she could hear the voices of the others above her, and the snarling of Kouga’s pack.

“I don’t understand, what...”

“You next, jump!”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine, just go! Catch up to Kagome!”

As the howls of the wolves just beyond the well faded away, the girl worried that they wouldn’t make it in time.

Her feet landed gently on the ground, and the cool night air closed in around them. She was home again. Without pausing, she set Inuyasha on the ladder. “Climb up, I’ll follow you.”

He looked confused, but his little ears twitched and he realized there were no wolves outside. Though he looked curious, he didn’t argue. With a small nod, he pushed his huge sleeves back and started up.

Kagome mounted the ladder as soon as he was clear, pausing as she heard a small grunt below her. “Miroku, follow us!” she called.

The ladder shifted below her, signifying his pursuit.

As Inuyasha cleared the top and Kagome came within sight of it, Miroku called up to her.

“What about Miss Sango?” he called. “Is she coming?”

“Of course she is,” she answered instantly, though she noted the lack of her presence. //Or...I hope she is...// She climbed out, then reached down and helped him to the top. //I hope I don’t have to go back for her...//

“Kagome!”

She jumped, then peered down into the darkness, relieved. “Sango! Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine!” The form of the huntress mounted the ladder and started up, the huge form of the Hiraikotsu slung across her back.

“What took you so long, anyway?”

“Oh, just a few dogs...and a cat.”

“A cat?”

“Mew!”

//Oh, Kirara!// Kagome beamed as the little neko youkai flew up onto the edge of the well, purring cutely. She patted her head. “I was starting to wonder where you were...”

Sango climbed out and sat on the edge, taking her little partner onto her shoulder, then stood up and sighed, dusting her yukata off. “That was too close for comfort. Is everyone all right?”

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha was too busy staring at a passing frog to notice the question. (Typical puppy...) Miroku gave a small grunt of agreement, staring at Kirara.

The little demon hopped down and looked him up as he stared at her, then gave him a little sniff and blinked. “Reow?”

“What is this?” he asked, curiously, picking her up by one of her tails. She squirmed a bit and he set her back down. “I haven’t seen these in my studies...”

“A fire neko,” Sango said, quietly. She was staring at the smaller version of Miroku with something like regret in her eyes. No doubt he had been less frightening as a teenager, but this was a wake-up call for them both. The spell was still in effect. “How old are you?” she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again as Kirara hopped over and took a seat on his head, looking fulfilled. (Apparently, she recognized him.) He blinked as one of her tails came down to sit on his nose. “Interesting,” he said, poking it. She squeaked and pulled her tail away. “What? Oh.” Classically Miroku; once his attention was on one thing, it tended to stay there. (Though usually his attention was on female humans, not female animals.) “Eleven.”

“Ah...” She looked further depressed. “That would make Inuyasha nine...”

Kagome glanced at him. He was frowning at his feet, his arms folded and hidden within the way-too-big sleeves of his kimono. //He looks it...// she thought, sadly. //Though he’s still Inuyasha...//

“Who’s Inuyasha?” Miroku asked.

The hanyou didn’t answer.

Sighing, the reincarnated priestess walked over and put a hand on his head, drawing his wide eyes. “Hey, you,” she said, softly. “Let’s go, okay?”

He looked confused and grumpy, but he didn’t argue. (This was the quietest he’d been since...well, ever!) He took her hand, obligingly, and followed her from the small shed and out into the moonlight. Sango and little Miroku (with Kirara) followed.

It was at least ten, and the grounds were deserted. Most of the time, Kagome expected her grandfather to be parading about somewhere, sweeping or muttering to himself in thought, but even he seemed to be missing. It looked very abandoned. That was lucky, though, considering her company. The four people (and one neko) hurried up the front walk to the house.

There, on the door, was a note in Kagome’s Mom’s handwriting.

‘DEAR KAGOME,

I HAD A FEELING YOU’D BE BACK FOR THE WEEKEND. I HOPE YOU HAD FUN IN THE FEUDAL ERA. THERE’S A HOMEMAKER’S CONVENTION IN KYOTO AND I THOUGHT I’D GO, SO I’LL SEE YOU SUNDAY AFTERNOON. GRANDPA IS OFF ON ONE OF HIS ‘QUESTS’ FOR GREATNESS. (AKA HE’S VISITING HIS LADY FRIEND, THE WIDOW KORIMARA. I SENT SOUTA TO KENJI’S FOR THE NIGHT, SO YOU HAVE THE HOUSE ALL TO YOURSELF. IF YOU NEED ME, THE HOTEL NUMBER’S ON THE FRIDGE. I LOVE YOU! ^_^

LOVE, MOM’

She blinked. //Leave it to her to be convenient,// she thought. With a sigh, she produced her house-key from her backpack and unlocked the door, then shoed the boys and Sango inside. “It’s late and it’s officially bedtime,” she announced before they could get too curious about the house. “So we’re gonna find you some of my brother’s clothes and you’ll sleep in my room with Sango and I.”

Neither seemed ready to argue. Inuyasha was staring into space and Miroku was being hypnotized by Kirara’s tails, which were swinging to and fro in front of his eyes. Sighing, she gestured to her friend, who snatched the young monk up, then shouldered Inuyasha herself and headed to Souta’s room.

****

About thirty minutes later (and a fight with two very unhappy little boys), Miroku and Inuyasha were in pajamas and tucked into her bed. Kirara mounted the former’s chest and fell asleep. Kagome loaned Sango a nightgown she was too small for and they both settled into sleeping bags.

//What a day,// she thought. //We get attacked by harpies, they get chibied, we run into that monster, and then the wolves and Kouga...and now we’re here...// She sighed. //At least Souta isn’t here...//

But he would be tomorrow.

//Oh boy...// She glanced up at the boys, who were already sound asleep. //I hope they don’t fight as much as they did last time...he’ll put them both in the basketball hoop...//

With a sigh, Kagome cuddled down into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, intent on sleeping...but as the warmth of rest washed over her...a snort woke her up. She jumped and landed on Sango, who gasped, and they both looked at the bed.

Inuyasha was snoring, though Miroku didn’t notice. He had stuck his head intelligently under one of her pillows before falling asleep.

The girls sweatdropped.

“Classic.”

“Of course.” Sango shook her head. “I just hope it doesn’t get worse.”

“Don’t say that...you know what happened last time you said that...”

Neither one laid down. Both girls stared nervously at the bed, watching for signs of the children shrinking further, until they collapsed for exhaustion and fell asleep.

Tomorrow was another day.

...And more chaos awaited on the next horizon.

****

To Be Continued