Soul Catchers. That could only mean one person. Kikyo. Inuyasha dropped the bowl he'd been eating from, remen scattering everywhere.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, staring at the shattered bowl. "Why'd you-" Kagome stopped seeing that Inuyasha was looking past her, not at her. She turned her head to see the Soul Catcher. "Oh..." she sighed and sunk back to her knees, picking up her bowl.
Miroku and Sango both sighed, Sango giving her head a slight shake. Shippo rolled his eyes, having heard the yelling all before. Honestly, it was getting old. For everyone.
"Well, are you going or not?" Kagome asked, her voice quiet and very... un-Kagome like.
"What?" even Inuyasha was confussed by the tone.
"Go. She's waiting," Kagome gave a small, sad smile.
One of Inuyasha's ears twitched and he hesitated. "...You're going to sit me the minute I'm about to leave."
Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm not. You're free to do what you want. I won't stop you."
Inuyasha hesitated once again, glancing at Kagome. When she didn't return the glance he left.
"Kagome," Sango looked at her friend. Kagome looked back and gave a sugar-coated smile. "that was unlike you."
"Sango, I'd rather not talk about it," Kagome still had the sugar-coated smile plastered on her face.
"Al-alright," Sango hesitated but gave her a slight nod.
"I promise that when I'm ready to talk, I'll tell you," Kagome said.
"Okay..." Sango replied. For the remainder of the meal they eat in silence.
Kagome finally set her bowl down with a sigh. "I'm going to go for a walk." Kagome had her bow and arrows with her.
"May I come, Kagome?" Shippo asked.
"Of course! Anyone else want to go?" Kagome turned to her friends.
"No, you two go. We shall wait for Inuyasha," Miroku replied.
"Yeah," Sango agreed, wanting Kagome to have time to think and talk. Shippo would be able to get her to talk.
"Alright," Kagome nodded to them and set out, Shippo hot at her heels.
The walk was silent, save the noises of the forest around them. Kagome looked around as she walked, making sure to recongize features so they wouldn't get lost.
"Kagome... why didn't you argue with Inuyasha?" Shippo's question broke the blissed silence.
Kagome sighed. "Because, Shippo, I'm tired of the arguing. And... and I know he loves Kikyo more. I'm just the second fiddle."
"Kagome! Don't think like that! You are better then Kikyo!" Shipo looked up at the girl.
"Maybe to you, but not to Inuyasha. I'm just a reflection of Kikyo. A Shard collecting reincarnation," Kagome's lips were placed with that fake, sad smile.
"But you're still your own person! You're not anything like Kikyo! You smile, for one thing, your eyes are full of emotion, and you are the one helping us! Kikyo's helping Naraku!" Shippo folded his arms and 'humphed.'
"Kikyo's not helping Naraku," Kagoem said quietly, kneeling down next to Shippo.
"What make's you think that?" Shippo asked. "Do you... trust her?"
"No, not after my incounter with her, when she stole the jewel shards," Kagome was aout to be interupted, so she put her hand over Shippo's mouth. "but I trust Inuyasha. And if he says that she has a plan, then I'm willing to agree wth Inuyasha."
"Kagome," Shippo said after removing her hand and smiling at her. "has anyone ever told you you are really weird?"
"Once or twice," Kagome joked, pulling Shippo into her lap for a hug.
"I'm tired. Can we head back?"
"Yes, we might as well. Don't want to worry anyone," Kagome replied with a nod. She carried Shippo back.
Neither girl nor kitsune noticed the hanyou in the tree above them. The hanyou's ear gave a small twitch as he processed what he had heard.
-----------
"Kagome," the girl felt someone shaking her shoulder gently.
"Huh?" was her sleepy reply. She slowly sat up in the sleeping bag, blinking away her sleep. She saw the form of Inuyasha beside her. "Inuyasha?"
"Kagome, I need to ask you something," Inuyasha looked serious. "about what you and Shippo were talking about."
"You heard that!?" Kagoem whispered hotly, not wanting to wake her sleeping friends. "I can't believe you!"
"I was heading back and I overhead your two! I was checking to make sure you weren't dead!" Inuyasha snapped back, not quite as quietly as Kagome had.
Kagome glared at him. "You could have kept going but instead you stopped and listened. Just what did you hear!?"
"I hear dyou say that Kikyo isn't helping Naraku," Inuyasha replied. That was actually what had made hom evesdrop, whas hearing the sentance.
"Oh," Kagome replied, her voice quiet and gentle again. "Well, then what was your question?"
"Well, I was wondering..." Inuyasha paused. "...what were you two talking about?"
"Why I didn't yell at you about the whole Kikyo thing," Kagome answered, much to Inuyasha's surprize.
"Well, why didn't you? I've been wondering myself.." Inuyasha asked, a bit more quieter then he had been asking when he saw that Shippo was shifting in his sleep.
Kagome sighed. "Let's walk and I'll tell you."
Inuyasha nodded, helping Kagome up. They walked through the forest, a little silent until they were a good distance from camp.
"I didn't yell because I knew the end result. It's always the same, Inuyasha. Always," Kagome finally said once they stopped walking. "I'll end up mad and hurt and I'll storm off home. But no matter how much hurt I get, you'll never care."
"What do ya mean I don't care!" Inuyasha sat. "Of course I care!"
"I know you care," Kagome replied, her tone still gentle. "it's just... you care more for Kikyo."
"How can you say that? Don't I save you daily?"
"...Yes, you do. But I say that... because you... you," Kagome couldn't seem to bring herself to say it.
"Spit it out, wench!" Inuyasha demanded.
"You love Kikyo more!" Kagome blurted out. "That's what I'm trying to say! And I'm not going to stop you from seeing the one you love, even if it kills me inside..."
"Kagome, I made her a promise! I can't just break it for you!" Inuyasha knew he shouldn't have said those words, but he couldn't stop them now.
"I'm not asking you to break any promises! All I want to know is why you still love her, even after she tried to kill me!" Kagome felt tears start to come.
"I love her because she loves me!" Inuyasha spat.
"She doesn't love you!" Kagome found herself shouting. "She doesn't love you for who you are! Only the human she wants you to be! She doesn't love the hanyou Inuyasha! She loves you for someone you're not!"
"That's because no one can love a half demon!"
"I do!" Kagome shouted. "I'm in love with the hanyou Inuyasha! Not the human! I love you!"
Inuyasha blinked his surprize. "... You wouldn't... had you been born in this time, knowing hanyou is a disgrace."
"I would still love you, Inuyasha, because I love you for who you are. Not what you are! Go a head and turn full demon on me, just please, don't forget me! Because I will still love you! Do you realize how hard it is for me to watch you fun to her everytime you see her Soul Catchers?! How much it hurts me to realize that I'm just the replacement?" Kagome had tears streaming down her face.
"Kagome-" his voice was quiet.
"Don't 'Kagome' me!" She cried. She let out big, gulping tears. She hit him on his chest, fible little hits that did nothing, and he let her. "You don't cae!" she cried over and over, hitting him until she couldn't anymore. She then leaned against him, crying pathetically.
""it's okay, Kagome," Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. Kagome continued to sob into his chest. "I do care... a lot. More then you know. I'm sorry I made you think that I don't. Because I do. I care for you."
Kagome didn't reply. She just cried, and he let her. She had ended up crying herself to sleep in his arms, and Inuyasha carried her back to the camp.
"I love you, too, Kagome," he replied, laying her into her sleeping bag. He gave the sleeping girl a light kiss on the cheek and jumped into a tree. "I just can't tell you that."