CHAPTER SEVEN

x.

Kagome is so lucky, Sango thought.

She sighed and looked down at the dark-haired baby on her bedroll. Miroku was half-asleep already, sucking on his fist, but she saw his eyes brighten a little as she curled up beside him. She's lucky, the demon-slayer thought again. She can trust Inuyasha to behave himself even when he's an adult. But with Miroku, who knows?

"Keep your hands to yourself, monk," she said ominously as she pulled the covers over him. "Even if you are a baby right now."

To her surprise, Miroku didn't react at all. He just closed his dark eyes.

After that, Sango almost fell asleep several times. But a nagging feeling of guilt clung to her, keeping her awake. Miroku had been depressed all day -- and Sango wasn't surprised. One minute he was an adult, the next he was trapped in a small, wobbly, helpless body. No wonder he had been miserable -- too miserable, probably, to even have his usual lecherous ideas.

I wonder if he's cold, Sango thought suddenly.

As carefully as possible, she slid her arm around Miroku and gathered him closer, just before they both fell asleep.

x.

"No, not yet," Kagome moaned. A tiny foot kicked her in the stomach again, and she sleepily inched backwards. "Shippo, you can't crawl in with me like this..."

A high-pitched squeal woke her up.

"Huh, what?" Kagome gasped, sitting upright in her sleeping bag. A terrible memory came back to her, and she slowly turned to look at the tiny kicking creature in her bedding. Golden eyes. White hair. Dog ears. Very sour expression, as if he had been offended.

"Oh no," Kagome whispered. "So it WASN'T just a dream..."

Inuyasha glared at her balefully, as if saying, "Of course not!"

"Oh no," Kagome repeated, covering her face. "Sango, are you awake?"

"I'm right here," Sango said from the other side of the campfire. Miroku was on the ground beside her, trying to break a stick in half. Kirara was nosing at him, and mewing curiously. "How is Inuyasha?"

"A baby. Same as last night." Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Um, Sango, I'll be right back in a few minutes." She hefted Inuyasha onto her shoulder and set out into the woods, with the puzzled half-demon peeping over her shoulder.

Sango yawned and began packing their travelling gear, along with her knives and boomerang. Shippo woke up as well, rubbing his eyes with his tiny fists, and Kirara began grooming herself in anticipation of a very busy day. Miroku was still fast asleep, and Sango didn't plan to wake him until they were ready to leave.

Suddenly a high, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the woods.

Sango automatically reached for her boomerang, then stopped. "Was that.... Inuyasha?" she said slowly.

Miroku just blinked. "I think it was," Shippo said slowly.

More howls came from somewhere in the woods, sending chills down Sango's spine. Inuyasha was really letting rip out there, if he was loud enough that she could hear him back at the camp. Just what is she doing to him? she thought, a little irritated. Roasting him alive?

Suddenly the noises stopped. Sango listened carefully, but could hear nothing more. She wondered for a moment if she should follow -- after all, what if Inuyasha and Kagome had been attacked? That might be why Inuyasha was shrieking like a... well, like a baby.

"Shippo, stay with Miroku," she ordered.

But as the demon-slayer started to run into the woods, she saw Kagome coming back down the forest path. Inuyasha was still against her shoulder, with his face beet-red and sullen. "... really sorry I had to do that, but until you can do it for yourself, I'm going to have to. Besides," she told the offended half-demon, "there's no reason to be embarrassed. I mean, you're a BABY right now! Seeing you like that is okay, right?"

Inuyasha showed no signs of emerging from his sulk.

"Oh," Sango said. "So THAT'S what you had to do." She wasn't looking forward to dealing with Miroku that way either. She had always tried to avoid changing babies when she was growing up.

Kagome hefted Inuyasha higher on her shoulder. "Sango, do you think that Kaede might have some idea of what to do about them?"

"I hope so," Sango said. She tied the bundles to Kirara's back, then scooped Miroku up. "She might at least be able to give us pointers about where to go next." She jumped up on Kirara's back, and helped Kagome on. Shippo bounced up onto the fire-cat's head. "Let's just hope we can get them back to normal before someone like Sesshomaru or Naraku finds out."

TO BE CONTINUED