Kagome tugged the straps on her backpack until they were tight, tying them to ensure the backpack stayed closed. The huge yellow backpack was stuffed to the limit with food, water, powdered drink mixes, and first aid supplies. She was going to have to start looking around for other places to buy her supplies...the last place she went to, the clerk looked at her oddly, asking if she was a coach for a kid's sports team. Kagome never realized the clerks would remember her, and notice how many bandages and things she bought.
Her mother walked in, and blinked at the backpack, "Kagome, dear, are you sure you're going to be able to carry that?"
"It's only to the well. Once I'm on the other side, InuYasha can put it on my bicycle for me."
Souta crawled up onto a kitchen chair, and eyed the backpack, "Sis, when are you going to let me come over and visit?"
Kagome frowned at him, "Souta, I told you, you wouldn't like it over there. It's not safe for a little kid."
"But it's safe for you?"
Kagome scowled at her little brother, "Yes, it is."
Kagome's mother frowned at her two children, and walked out of the kitchen, into the living room, talking to Kagome's grandfather. Souta looked at Kagome closely, "It's not fair. I want to see Feudal Japan too! All the neat stuff!"
"You almost died of fright when that mask showed up! What do you think is over there?" Kagome asked lowly, "Teddy bears?"
Souta blushed crimson, "No! But you came through it ok!"
"It's different. I'm not a little kid."
"Hmph. If Mom ever saw those scars, she'd be quick to-mmmmph!"
Kagome darted around the table and clamped a hand down hard on her little brother's mouth, "What are you talking about?" she hissed.
"That scar on your shoulder! It looks like it was a deep cut. And you have other scars, too, one on your leg, and I think there's one on your tummy too, right?"
Kagome grabbed Souta's ear in a death-grip, hissing, "How do you know about those? Did you tell Mom?"
"Ow! No! I didn't tell anyone!"
Kagome loosened her grip, relaxing a little, "How do you know about them?"
"I saw you once, when you took off your jacket. You were wearing a tank top, but you pulled a t-shirt over really fast. The other one on your leg I saw when you were getting dressed once in your bedroom."
"Augh! You peeping tom!"
Souta blushed bright, but looked indignant, "Ug, yuck! That's gross! You had on underwear, sis, and you were putting on tights!"
Kagome let Souta go, leaning back, glaring at him. She whispered furiously, "If you mention a word of this to Mom, so help me, something horrible will 'accidentally' happen to all your collectible action figures."
Souta gasped, eyes wide, "I promise! Not a word!"
Kagome stood up, retying the flaps on the backpack, "Ok then."
"Hey, sis?"
"Yeah?"
There was a pause. When Kagome looked at her little brother, he was watching her with a worried look on his face.
"Souta?"
"Those look really bad. I mean, like, they were big hurts. What happened? Were you ok?"
Kagome paused, and smiled at him. He was a pest...but she loved him.
"They look a lot worse than they were," she lied, "I wasn't in danger or anything. But you know Mom...remember when you skinned your knee and she wouldn't let you back on the jungle gym? Mom just...over worries, you know?"
Souta nodded, "Yeah, I hardly bled at all, and she refused to let me go back!" He studied her silently, then nodded, "Ok sis, our secret."
Kagome smiled, and impulsively hugged him, "Take care of Mom, and I'll be back again soon."
For once, Souta didn't complain or squirm. He hugged her tight, "Be careful, sis."
Kagome dragged the enormous backpack up onto her back, and started for the well.
I should have muscles on my muscles by now! she thought, climbing up the vines that snaked down into the well. The backpack dragged on her, but she gamely held on, using hands and feet to make her way up. She lunged at the top of the well, clamping her hands down hard on the lip. Setting her feet, she started to push, to force herself upwards, trying to get the larger part of the backpack over the edge, and let gravity yank it down onto the soft ground.
Kagome's feet suddenly slipped away as she felt the weight of the backpack leave her back. Within seconds, she felt herself lifted by the straps.
"What the...you bring the whole house with you this time?"
Kagome laughed, slithering free of the shoulderstraps to plop her feet onto the ground, turning to see InuYasha holding the backpack, looking at her.
"I wanted to be sure we had everything," she laughed, "We were getting low."
InuYasha plunked the backpack onto the ground, peering down at it, "Well, I don't think you could have left anything out."
"Can you put it on the back of my bike, please?"
"Yeah, sure."
She watched as he easily picked it up and deposited it on the rack of her bike. Her bicycle groaned a little under the weight.
Kagome turned her bike, and walking, steered it back towards Kaede's village. InuYasha fell into step beside her, "So how's everyone been since I left?"
InuYasha shrugged, but spoke, "Miroku, Sango, and DarkWind left to go visit Sango's village."
Kagome stopped dead, "DarkWind went with them?"
InuYasha glanced at her, "Yeah. After they told him it was ok, about a thousand times. He didn't want to leave without your permission. Sango practically had to drag him."
Kagome beamed. This was better and better! Miroku really was going out of his way to include DarkWind now.
InuYasha watched her closely. He had been worried she would have been put out by the Kageri's absence. Personally, InuYasha was more than glad to have him gone. Have the three of them gone, actually.
Now it was just him and Kagome, alone.
"So...uhhh...do you have any plans or anything for today?" he asked.
Kagome looked up at him as he walked alongside her, "Plans?"
InuYasha kept his eyes firmly on the path as they walked, "Yeah, you know, plans."
Kagome arched a brow, "No, should I?"
He shrugged, "I don't know, I was just asking!"
"InuYasha, is everything ok?"
He blinked at her, looking startled, "What? What do you mean?"
Kagome blinked, "You're acting funny. Is everything ok?"
"Everything's fine!"
"O..k. If you say so."
They walked on in silence, save for a slightly squeaky wheel on Kagome's bike. As they both walked, they thought.
Kagome was wondering if she should just divide up the medicines again, handing out more to her friends, and make the little first aid kits bigger. That way each of them had their own kits, or just leave it in the bigger one, and have a sort of central kit.
InuYasha was desperately trying to think of some way that he could get himself and Kagome alone so they could just talk and be together. He hadn't really been able to get her alone since DarkWind showed up. The few times they had been alone, they had been under attack, someone had been sick, or there was some other reason they couldn't just sit and talk. He had no idea what they would talk about, but he was looking forward to a chance to just be alone with her.
They entered Kaede's village, and Kagome rested her bike up against the old priestess's hut before knocking on the doorframe. When Kaede called out, they entered.
"InuYasha! Kagome!" Shippo jumped into Kagome's arms, hugging her, "I was starting to think you were never coming back! Where're the others?"
"Miroku, Sango, and DarkWind have gone to visit Sango's village."
Shippo's green eyes widened, "DarkWind went with them? How did Miroku take that?"
Kagome smiled, "It was his suggestion, actually. A lot has happened since we were together, Shippo. Let me fill you in."
The day wore on. It began to get hotter. Kagome gave some water to Kaede to keep, and some food from her own world, after showing her how to cook it. Kaede's village was doing a little better than some they had seen, but it was still a small, poor village.
When Kaede told Kagome she had to refill her herbs, Kagome told the old priestess to stay, and she would go.
"Are ye certain, Kagome? You just returned from a long journey, surely ye want to rest?"
"I'm fine," Kagome smiled, picking up the basket, "I'd just sit around and go crazy anyway. I'm getting to used to doing something all the time now."
InuYasha pushed back the doorflap, entering the hut with a large pile of wood in his arms, Shippo right behind him with a much smaller pile. InuYasha looked at Kagome and the basket, "What's up?"
"I'm heading into the forest just outside the village. Kaede needs some more herbs."
InuYasha blinked, "Good idea, I'll join you!"
Kagome blinked as he quickly set the pile of firewood in the corner.
"Are you sure? Gathering herbs isn't your thing, it's kinda slow."
"It's fine! I'd rather just...walk...anyway."
Shippo plopped down his pile, "Yeah, it sounds like fun!"
As Kagome slipped out through the doorflap, InuYasha turned to Shippo, his smile gone, "You stay put, Shippo."
"What? I wanna come too! I haven't seen you guys since forever!"
InuYasha went down on one knee, raising a fist, "I'm warning you, stay with Kaede!"
Shippo glared up at the hanyou, "What's your problem?"
InuYasha said nothing, "Just...stay here!"
Shippo continued to glare, then suddenly his little face lit up, and a cunning light bloomed in his eyes.
"Now I get it. You're going to try and talk to Kagome alone."
InuYasha felt his face heat up, but he kept his voice steady, "Just stay put, or so help me Shippo..."
"Alright, alright, fine! But you owe me!"
"Whatever..."
"Are you coming or not, InuYasha?" Kagome called from outside.
"Coming!" he pushed back the doorflap, dissapearing outside.
Shippo crossed his arms, "Man, I hope I don't get as confusing as that when I grow up."
"But by then the other two contestants had dropped out, and so grandpa won by elimination! He was only in the contest for 10 minutes, but won the grand prize!"
InuYasha grinned at Kagome, watching her face as she talked. It was just the two of them in the forest, the sun starting to set. A warm summer day, the light in the forest was turning a soft green and gold as sunbeams made their way down through the leaves. Kagome was wearing black pants of some material new to him, and something called a T-shirt in white. When InuYasha asked her what her pants were called, she called them "track pants", and white "sneakers". He idly wondered if they were supposed to be pants one wore when tracking something, and if her shoes made her quieter. It seemed like people in her world just stuck names on things with no real meaning. InuYasha realized he was as used to seeing her in her strange home clothing, and the more normal clothing of his time.
Kagome crouched near the base of a tree, resting the basket on the ground, using her hands to test ferns for ripeness. One hand grasped the fern near the ground, the other lightly ran up the fern's stem, checking for firmness of the plant. Some she left, others she deftly twisted off near the root and laid down on the basket. He was pleased to see she was wearing her sword, hanging from a cloth belt she had tied around her waist before heading out.
InuYasha leaned against a tree, watching her. After a few minutes, she paused, and looked over her shoulder at him, blinking.
InuYasha blinked, and quickly looked away, blushing faintly, but gathered up his courage, and spoke.
"Sorry. I was just thinking how much you've learned since you first came over."
Kagome studied him for a second, then smiled, "I was kinda...silly...when I first showed up, wasn't I?"
InuYasha said nothing, but carefully watched her face. While not the brightest one of the group, he had realized that any attempt at flattering or talking to Kagome about how he felt ended up in her finding some excuse to not be alone with him. So he was discovering he had to compliment her carefully, so she felt more comfortable alone with him.
"I wouldn't say silly..."
Kagome smiled, standing, "No? What would you call it?"
InuYasha studied her in silence for a minute, not sure how to answer. Cautiously, she spoke.
"Well...ok..silly sort of fits."
He felt relived when she laughed.
"But you've really learned a lot. You're become a good healer, Kaede's a good teacher."
Kagome smiled, but looked at him quizzically, "It's odd to hear you handing out so many compliments. What's up?"
Self-consciously, he shrugged, pushing off from the tree, "Uh, nothing. Kaede's a good teacher, is all. I mean...look how much you've learned. You knew exactly which of those plants to pick and which to leave. You...you really learned fast."
Kagome smiled again, "It's interesting, I really like it. I think I'll pick something in the health department as my career, but I'm not sure what. I certainly can't train to be a nurse, I'd need so much time to study."
She started along the path again, and he fell in beside her, watching her as she talked.
"Actually, I was thinking of going into something like Homeopathy. It's something I'm already interested in. You might say I'm already apprenticed out, and you certainly can't get more natural than Kaede."
Kagome glanced at InuYasha, and blinked to see him watching her face, listening to her. He was giving her his full attention as she rambled on. She suddenly blushed, and looked straight ahead.
InuYasha, seeing her, blinked, and leaned forward a little, "What it is?"
"Nothing." She looked at the path as they walked. InuYasha studied her, worried, before looking to the path as well.
Kagome felt strange. InuYasha usually sort of tuned her out when she was rambling, and she was sort of used to it. He listened enough to get the gist of what she was saying, but she wasn't used to him so attentive like that. She didn't know what to do. She felt sort of uneasy, the way she did when he talked about them being together...but he hadn't actually said or done anything. She could hardly get angry at him for listening to her.
I'm just getting paranoid. He's usually trying to find some way to try and get closer...now he's just being normal and you feel weird. Well, stop it.
"So...what's Homey-opathy?"
She looked back at him, caught him looking expectantly at her.
"Homeopathy is the name we have for healing with herbs, the way Kaede does, instead of using the medicine from my time."
"Oh. Well...yeah, I guess you're already learning that, huh?"
"Yeah."
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched them, as they walked together. There was a strange sense of...familiarity about it. It felt so natural...so...
Right.
No. I don't want to do this! It's over between us!
"Oh, hey, let me carry that."
InuYasha reached over, and took ahold of the edge of the basket she was carrying.
Suddenly feeling on the spot, Kagome tightened her grip on the basket, "No, it's ok, I have it."
"I can carry it."
"It's fine."
He paused, looking at her, and suddenly that look was back on his face. That softer, yearning look, and she felt her heart start to pound.
"I'd...really like to carry it, Kagome."
A part of her felt angry again, angry at that look, that soft, sad, yearning look. Wanted to just tear the basket from his hands and demand that he stop looking at her that way!
But she was a little shocked to realize how small that part had suddenly become.
Feeling her hands suddenly loosen, she found herself nodded, and she let go, "Alright."
InuYasha blinked slightly, startled that she had given in so quickly, and took the basket.
The two of them walked on in complete silence again, neither really knowing what to say or do.
InuYasha broke the silence by speaking, "Huh. There must be new comers in the village. I can smell new people."
Kagome looked at him, a little startled, "Wait, you know the scent of everyone in the village?"
InuYasha shrugged, "Sort of. I mean, it took a while, but...it's hard to explain. I don't know their scents as good as, say, yours, Sango's, Shippo's, Kaede's, or Miroku's. But when I go into the village, if there's someone new, I can smell them, really strong. It's like I get used to the scents of the others, and they dissapear."
Kagome nodded, "I think I know what you mean. It's like if you buy a certain perfume. You put it on, and in a while you think it's gone, because you can't smell it anymore. People around you can still smell it, but you got used to it and your nose sort of blocked it out."
InuYasha smiled at her, "That's it exactly."
She smiled back.
"You know," she said, "I can't imagine what your world must be like, InuYasha. I mean, I have a world I can see, and a world I can hear. Two worlds I can experience. But you have a whole other world at your beck and call."
He shrugged again, "I guess. It's just sort of -"
InuYasha suddenly froze in place, Kagome actually walking on a few steps before realizing he had stopped.
She heard him mutter, "Not now." And looked back in time to see the ends of his hair become midnight black.
Kagome blinked, "InuYasha!"
Black eyes darted away from her, glaring at the bushes on the side of the path. He looked like he wanted to hit someone.
Kagome smiled lightly, "Full moon, huh?"
"Guess so."
Kagome studied him in silence. Even though his posture was angry, she was still struck by how dark he was in his human form. He seemed so different.
InuYasha caught her studying him, and sighed, turning back to look at her. Kagome blinked.
He looked so defeated as he gazed back at her, she was suddenly struck by the urge to go to him and brush back his bangs, offering him comfort.
"Come on," she said gently, smiling, "We still have a little ways to go before we get to the village."
"Yeah."
She waited for him to catch up, and they started walking again. Side by side they walked in silence.
Poor InuYasha. He always seems so awkward when he's in his human form.
"Kagome?"
"Hmm?"
"I...never mind."
She looked at him, saw him keeping his eyes on the row of bushes as they walked, "InuYasha?"
"It's not important."
"It must have been important, InuYasha, you started to say something."
"Forget it, it's not...hey."
He stopped, and Kagome stopped as well, looking at him. InuYasha stood on the path, looking into the forest. Kagome stepped up beside him, peering along his line of sight.
There was what looked like a bundle of clothing, lying off the path. From where she stood, Kagome thought it looked like a person, lying on the ground.
"Someone's hurt," she said.
"Stay here," he answered, and put the basket on the ground. She saw him instinctively reach for the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, and caught himself up short. Disgusted at himself, he strode off the path, into the forest, angrilly pushing tree branches aside as he went.
"Hey! Are you ok? Hey!"
Slowly, he made his way over to the bundle of clothing, lying the shadow of a tree.
Kagome was just about to step off the path, to follow behind him, when, with a startled hollar, the ground beneath InuYasha gave way, and he slid from her sight, long black hair flying up behind him like a plume.
"InuYasha!"
Kagome dove off the path, just as she heard InuYasha give a loud, pained scream.