"Here you go" Kagome gave Inuyasha the cup of ramen.

It felt like a regular day although the tremor from the day before was still in their eyes and their hearts. Kagome was at the feudal era with Inuyasha inside Kaede's. Inuyasha didn't waste a single moment to snatch the cup and started gobble, making slurry noises. Kagome stared at him, he looked back like nothing had happened last night. She shook her head and sighed.

It was typical of him she thought to herself. Since when he did care anyways.

"Hey, do you have more of this stuff? Inuyasha asked her, putting down the empty cup.

"Well there is one for emergencies." she gave a quick reply.

"Keh!" he sat down with his arms folded to his chest. Kagome also sat down next to him putting down the satchel. Suddenly there was an awkward silence between them.

"Hey!" Inuyasha said looking away without meeting her face.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Show me your hand."

"It s fine Inuyasha." She said staring at her right arm which was covered under bandage.

"LET ME SEE IT!" he almost yelled now looking directly at her.

"Hey Kagome." Sango came inside the hut.

"Hi Sango!" Kagome stood up and greeted her with a smile, "You are back! You didn't go to your village?"

"Yeah I did go there but I came back quickly."

Inuyasha stood up and without saying a word he left the room silently.

"What s wrong with him?" Sango asked.

"I don t know he is acting weird today!" Kagome replied.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

"Nothing like that. You know how he is."

" Everything will be all right." Sango smiled a little.

"What happened to your hand?"

" I fell down from a tree. Kaede gave medicines. It's healing up quickly" Sango seemed unconvinced and concerned but she didn't ask further questions.

By the time of noon Miroku and Shippo where back to the village with the herbs Kaede had asked for. She milled them and changed the bandages of Kagome. Except for Miroku's pervert mind and a few slaps from Sango nothing significant happened later that day. After dinner Kagome came to the cherry tree that was by the small pond at the edge of the village. The moon was high in the sky with its waxing crescent form, its shadow fell on the still waters. She sat down leaning the cherry tree. This camouflage was what she required after the toil. She let out a long sigh but her peace did was last very long. Something moved from the shadows across the waters. In a blink of an eye it was beside her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked her, his face full of annoyance as always.

Kagome got up to meet his golden eyes. He looked away. "I wanted to be with myself which is already spoilt." She started to walk past him.

"Keh!" he granted. "Kaede is looking for you. It's the time for changing your bandages she said." Kagome did not stop nor did she look back. "Stupid! You are not supposed to roam around like this! You have been hurt."

Kagome knew him, and knew him too well, more than he expected her to know. He was acting on his guiltiness and his inability to ask apologies but she was tired, pain on her hand increasing. To finish this all at once she stopped and turned back. With one of her weak smiles she looked at his yet again confused eyes. "Can you me to kaede's Inuyasha?" She asked with such a sweetness that his guilt increased and decreased at the same time. He took her on his back and he said "I told you so idiot!" to which she smiled a frail one like before.

Kagome had no idea when she had fallen asleep in kaede's hut. Middle of the night Kagome woke up beside Shippo and the cottage fire had taken its last breath. Inuyasha was missing from the room. Kagome wasting no time came out of the hut. The sky was quite dark except for the narrow crescent moon. There were no traces of him anywhere. Kagome could not help but to worry if he was in some kind of danger. But meeting her horrors she saw the soul collectors of Kikyo. Kagome glanced at the silvery serpentine creatures. There was only one way left for her to find Inuyasha. Stealthily following the demons she came near the ground where the great Goshinboku the sacred tree lied.

Kikyo was standing near the three with her finger tracing the trunk where the mark of the sacred arrow was imprinted and Inuyahsa sat before her feet on the ground. Kagome disguised herself in a bush taking advantage of the fact that Inuyasha had not caught her scent yet.

"What a paradox of fate!" Kikyo said still looking at the tree "50 years ago I had sealed you right here in this tree and I died a terrible death and today here we are again after 50 long years."

"I would do anything if I can to turn around what happened 50 years ago!" Inuyasha said. "When the Shikon jewel will be whole I shall use it to reverse what happened with you Kikyo."

Kikyo laughed a little breaking the silence of the night. and what makes you think that half demon? You can barely take care of yourself."

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha stood up to face her, "I will finish Naraku for once and all!" He held her arm." And then you shall be free from this earthen body and with all your warmth again"

Kagome s heart ached more than her wounds. She wanted to mistrust all the things she heard. Although knowing Inuyasha has deep affection for Kikyo she somehow deep down in her heart wanted him to love her, hold her hand, embrace and say sorry for the previous night. She wanted him to give her reasons more than looking for the shards. She still wanted to keep hope.

"And what about the girl?" Kikyo asked. "You have grown fondness for her!"

"I . . . She . . . She is . . . "

"She is my reincarnation. Tell me Inuyasha, because she is my reincarnation she means more than me? Now that she is here, you no longer call for my presence?"

"She is here on her will. Because of her we lost the Shikon jewel. She can sense the jewel shards and that is the only utility she has shown us. She will go away when her job her done. She doesn't belong here."Inuyasha paused and put his palm on Kikyo's cheek with a tenderness that he never shown to Kagome. "But you do. You are the only purpose of my life".

Suddenly he noticed something moved in the bushes. No sooner had he caught the scent of the jewel detector than a frantic Kagome came out and she not waiting rushed out of there. She didn't even meet his glance for a second. Kagome didn't seem to notice what was around her, she hurried to the Bone eater s well and jumped off. . .

Kagome didn't know for how long she had been quivering alone inside the bone eater's well with her crumpled self. She didn't have the courage to face her mother, grandfather or her little brother Souta. She thought he would least consider her as her friend but she was just a difficulty, a troublemaker for him and all she had to do is to clean the mess she had created.

A song bird perched on the edge of the well above her head. She raised her head to see it chirp and twitter, it was unusual for her home. Did she came back to the feudal era while she was sitting? Rubbing her eyes kagome stood up and climbed up. She was back to Inuyasha s time. She walked back to the sacred tree. None of them were seen around. She decided she must go back to the village to say goodbye to her comrades but then she thought Inuyasha may mock her as a coward. No she can't stay any longer and she will not answer anything to Inuyasha. She was about to take a step when . . .

"What are you doing here?" Kikyo had her bow and arrow ready and pointed towards her, "What intentions do you have?"

"What is this all about Kikyo?" She asked, puzzled.

She couldn't make out any of it. This couldn't be a way to get rid of her! Where were Inuyasha, and her friends Sango Miroku!

"How do you . . ." Kikyo couldn't finish the sentence! She glared back and shot her arrow at blank and a great light flared. When the light disappeared sections of a demon's body lied. Kagome couldn't even recognize what demon that was before being shot. Kikyo pulled another arrow to her previous target.

"How do you know my name?"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome was annoyed enough by the couple of situations, "Did a bus hit you! Oh wait you don t know what a bus is!"

Suddenly something moved in the near forests which also caught the dead priestess's eyes and she was ready for tackling the attack. A centipede demon came out and Kikyo released her arrow shattering it. But it was not alone many others came out of the veil of darkness of forest. Kikyo moved and shot three arrows in one breath but there were four of them and it grabbed her up causing her bow and arrow to fall down!

"Give me the shikon-no-tama miko" It screamed at her while she struggled to get out of its grip.

Kagome picked up the fallen bow and the arrow and gathered all her power. When she could feel her aura flowing from her body to the tip of the arrow she let out it. Within a second the demon was slain and Kikyo gracefully landed on the surface. Kagome threw the bow.

"I am done here!"she took a step towards the bone eater's well.

"Hold it right there! Who are you!" Kikyo again with the same firmness and cold voice.

Damn it this is not right! Kagome thought to herself.