"Kohaku! Where are you?!" Sango cried as soon as we started passing by the first houses on the edge the village. I noticed the sun had just started rising, so that meant I had slept through at the very least the night. Some of the early morning rice farmers stared at us first in shock from Sango's outburst and then in horror. I could only guess it was from my disheveled and wounded appearance. As the burning from the acid-whip wounds continued all I could think about were Sango's words in the forest. Get her back? But how? If I can't get through the well, then I can almost guarantee Kagome can't get back threw.

"Kohaku!!" She was getting more frantic as we entered into the center of the village. "Sango?" we heard a drowsy, young voice question from a few feet behind us. "What's going on?" asked an older, more experienced one from the same direction. Though I didn't have to turn to see who the voiced belonged to, my body faced them out of reaction. The gasps of horror that came from Kaede and Shippo probably sounded louder to everyone else. I barely heard them. We've had this problem before. Well, I haven't but Kagome has. A few times at least. "Inuyasha!" Shippo screamed jumping out of Kaede's arms and onto the front of my kimono. "What happened?!"

"This is nothing," I started to reply but stopped, startled. My voice sounded...well, dead. There was no other way to put it. This seemed to bring a whole fresh round of tears out of Shippo. Not knowing what to do I looked at Sango for help only to find she was filling Kaede in on Sesshomaru's sudden appearence and the need to get Kohaku out of the village. Looking down at the little weeping fox demon again, I noticed something that I didn't see in him every day. He's exactly like I was... sorta. He's an orphan. And Kagome was almost like a second mother to him. Yes, he relies on Sango and Kaede too but not like he does with her. Making this realization brought out some not so common emotions out of me. Taking him into both of my hands, I pried him off the front of me. He must have thought I was going to set him down because he started crying harder. Turning him like a baby i cradled him in my arms. Surprise lit his features for a moment but he didn't question the action. He probably thinks I'll change my mind and put him down if he does. I sighed. Had I really been that harsh to the little thing? "Shippo, it'll be ok. Sango and I are talking and we're trying to come up with ideas of what might get us through the well, ok?" I said. I hoped by explaining this in a simplified way that it might help to calm him down.

"Inuyasha!" Sango called. Looking up from Shippo's tear streaked face, I saw her staring at me mouth open in shock. "What?!", I growled, embarrassed. Only then I noticed that Kohaku and quite a few others had joined us and were also looking at me with dumbfounded expressions. Feeling my face grow hot, I wanted to get the attention off of me. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Get out of here!" Kohaku and Kaede turned immediately and started making their way towards the East heading with the wind so that their scent would not alert Sesshomaru. Only Sango hessitated. "What about you, Inuyasha?"

"I'm staying." I announced as I approached her with the intention of heading Shippo to her. At this news though, Shippo almost shrieked in protest, fresh tears staining the front of me. He clutched at me and held on so hard I knew to get him off I'd end up tearing my kimono. "He'll kill you. He'll kill you. You can't leave me too! He'll kill you!" Shippo kept repeating over and over. I didn't know what to do. Looking again at Sango for help, I say the fear and pain in her eyes as well. "Please come with us, Inuyasha. Please!" What they didn't know is I wanted to die. Or, maybe, Sango did know and that was her reason for trying to persuade me so much. I used the only excuse I could. "What about Miroku? Do you want me to leave him here defenseless?" As the thoughts of that outcome went through her mind, I saw more pain in her eyes than I ever had. More than when she had found out her entire village had been slaughtered, more than when she lost Kirara, even more than when she found out Kagome couldn't come back. I almost felt bad. Almost.

"You're right, you're right," she agreed hastily. She started prying Shippo's fingers from my kimono when my demon ears picked up the sounds of Miroku's staff. "Go! They're almost here!" I said but Shippo just wasn't letting go. "Just go! I'll take care of Shippo! Just go!" Putting my arms around the little fox again, I turned to face the danger head on.