I opened my eyes and saw Shippo staring down at me.
"Kagome! InuYasha's not back yet!" he waved his arms around. I sighed and propped myself up on my elbow. That InuYasha; he always leaves without a warning.
"Ok," I said, standing up. "Let's go look for him. Where are Sango and Miroku?" I asked.
Shippo slowed down besides me. "Uhhhh….." he looked away.
"Shippo…" I stopped and narrowed my eyes at him. He shrank down.
"Well, I can't tell you!" he said and sprinted away. I slapped my forehead.
"Of course…."I mumbled. I shook my head and headed towards the hut. They're all up to something. I know it.
Miroku and Sango sat behind the large boulder by the hut. Shippo came running with a weird look on his face.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he whined. "She was getting on to the plan and I ran away!" he sat behind the boulder with Sango and Miroku. Sango sighed, irritated.
"Shippo….You didn't tell her did you?" she whispered. Shippo shook his head.
"Has Inuyasha arrived yet?" he asked. Kilala purred; her job was to lead InuYasha to the hut. Sango put her finger to her lips as Kagome came into view. She had and irritated expression on her face, but it went away as she saw the hut.
"Kagome has a lot on her mind these days huh?" Shippo whispered. Sango and Miroku nodded.
"Ok," Miroku said. "Let's go."
I wonder where InuYasha went in the first place. It was almost dark and there is a full moon, too. My back hurt from falling asleep on the ground. It's so peaceful here, though, unlike my time.
I walked up to the hut and opened the curtain like door.
InuYasha was sleeping on the floor by the fire.
I sighed. What the heck are the others up to? InuYasha was right here!
I sat down on the other side of the fire and InuYasha flopped over, facing me. He took a deep breath and shuddered. I wonder what he's dreaming about. His eyes flickered open and for a moment he just lay there. He sat up and shook his head.
"What the…hell?" he rubbed his head. "How'd I get here?" he asked. He noticed me and I looked at him with an eyebrow up.
"What do you mean? Shippo told me you weren't even here!" I sneezed. InuYasha looked confused.
"Well, I was trying to find Miroku, but then Kilala led me back here. And then she hit me and I think I passed out…" he looked around.
"Huh…."I was at a loss of words. I sneezed again. It was getting so cold! I shivered and put my hands out to the fire. InuYasha looked out the window.
"Damn…" he mumbled.
"Looks like we'll have to stay here tonight, right?" I asked.
"Yeah." InuYasha sat back down.
"Argh….." I mumbled as I sneezed again. "Ugh…"
"Are ya cold Kagome?" InuYasha asked. I looked up at him. He looked a little worried. He is so nice sometimes. I felt the blush spread across my face and looked back down.
"I think I-I-" I sneezed again and sighed in defeat. "Yeah. I'm cold."
InuYasha let out a little laugh and grabbed the blanket behind him. I swear I had no idea it was there. He draped it over my shoulders and sat down next to me.
"Thank you, InuYasha." I pulled the blanket closer to me and looked at InuYasha.
"Uh…No problem. Just..Don't get cold.." he said looking away. I smiled widely and giggled. I noticed the sun going down and grabbed InuYasha by the sleeve, taking him to the doorway and sitting back down. There was a much better view of the sunset here.
"Look!" I said. "Isn't it beautiful?" I asked and looked back at InuYasha. Already his hair had turned black.
"Not when this happens…" he mumbled. I elbowed him in the rib, and then I realized how close I was to him. Literally.
"Ok, ok. Yeah, sure, it's cool." He rolled his eyes. I let out a nervous laugh.
"Aha….See?" I kept my stare on my hands, and not InuYasha. He looked down at me.
"What's wrong?" he asked, worried again. I shook my head, not trusting my words. This is crazy. I can't like InuYasha! He's like, madly in love with Kikio still. I have to forget about my chance, if I have one at all. InuYasha is human now, which means he would be for the rest of the night. I sighed heavily and looked back at the sky.
"InuYasha…?" I looked back at him, but he was already intently looking at me.
"InuYa-?"
"Why are you here, Kagome?" he asked. The question hit me like a ten pound brick.
"Do you not want me here..?" I guess I must have looked pretty hurt, just as I felt, because InuYasha's expression quickly changed.
"No…That's not it." He said. "It's just…You have so many friends in your time. The extra time you spend here, well ya could easily be with them." He said, looking away. Had he asked me this before? I couldn't remember but he had it all wrong. I grabbed his face with both my hands and pulled his cheeks.
"InuYasha! I'm here because I want to be! I love spending time with you guys. And…" I let go of his face. He rubbed his cheeks. I couldn't believe I just said and! Now he's going to ask why!
"And why?" he asked, just like I thought. Oh boy.
"Ermm…..Because I…" I coughed and noticed a cute little flower next to me. "Because I love the scenery!" I laughed nervously. InuYasha apparently didn't buy it.
"Kagome…." He started but as soon as he was about to finish, a fast wind passed by us and then stopped. Ah jeez! Now Koga's here….
"Hey Kagome!" he smiled widely and pulled me up by my hand. "I'm back." I smiled, a little annoyed, and nodded.
"Yes, yes you are!" I said. InuYasha growled and stood up.
"Koga!" he said, pushing him away from me. "Ya ugly wolf, scram!" Koga gave InuYasha a look like he owned the place. Great.
"I'm not here to fight with you, mutt." He smiled at me again. "I'm just here because Miroku and Sango sent me." I looked at InuYasha who had turned around to meet my confused glance.
"Where are they, Koga?" I asked, sugarcoating my voice. InuYasha huffed.
"Sorry, Kagome, I can't tell ya." He yawned. "They did say something about them being by the creek though." Koga shrugged. Why would they be there, though? Koga grabbed my hand again.
"I'll come and save you later, Kagome!" he said and jumped out of InuYasha's way before he could strike. He disappeared and I sighed. Finally.
"Well," InuYasha said. "I guess ill go look for them." I grabbed his sleeve. Oops.
"Umm….ill go too then." I let go. I really didn't want to be left here in the dark. InuYasha shrugged.
"This way then." He started walking to the creek.
"Miroku! Have you lit the candles yet?" Sango whispered behind a tree.
"Yes, have you placed the blanket down?" he asked.
"Yes. Shippo, have you made sure InuYasha's human?" Sango looked around for Shippo.
He fell from the tree and onto her head. He nodded. They spotted Kagome and InuYasha and all ran behind another large boulder.
"This is it Miroku! Now Kikio will just be a memory….right?" Shippo whispered anxiously.
"Well see, Shippo, well see." Miroku patted Shippo on the head and then leaned back on the boulder.
"Sango, should we really be doing this?" he asked. Sango nodded.
"They like each other I know it! Now we just have to help them along!" she smiled. Miroku and Shippo looked at each other. Girls, they thought.
I followed InuYasha silently as we walked to the creek. I still had the blanket around me and I could have sworn I saw InuYasha shiver. Once. And I almost considered giving him the blanket, but he never would have accepted it, he's too stubborn. Sighing, I almost ran into InuYasha.
"What's up?" I asked. Then I saw what he had stopped for. In front of us was a large blanket with candles around it. Right by the creek. Something a romantic couple would set up. Then it clicked.
"Miroku! Sango!" I mumbled. InuYasha didn't move though. I moved in front of him and waved my hand in front of his face.
"Hellooo??" I couldn't tell what was wrong with him. He looked at me and then pulled me so I was now behind him. Before I could ask what was wrong I heard the swish of a bow and then it hitting something. I looked back and saw InuYasha put one of his hands out to the forest. I followed it and saw her.
Kikio.
InuYasha fell to one knee and then the other, then the ground.
"InuYasha!"
I heard a rustling through the bushes, but I ignored it. I pulled InuYasha to the blanket and examined the spot where he was hit. I let out a breath.
He had been hit in his shoulder, but because he's human now and that was Kikio's bow, he'd passed out.
I gently pulled the arrow out and pulled his suikan and hadagi down past his shoulder. Blood dripped down onto the blanket and I shuddered.
"Kagome! InuYasha!" Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and a transformed Kilala ran towards me and InuYasha.
"We have to get him back so I can wrap it. It's not as bad as it looks. And soon InuYasha will be a half demon again, so it will heal." I said. I still couldn't believe Kikio was there. Or that InuYasha had saved me, but he was looking for her. I sighed and watched as InuYasha was moved to Kilala's back. I glanced back at the candle lit spot by the creek. If only….
Sango and Miroku were talking to each other as I wrapped InuYasha's shoulder. He looked so at peace when he was asleep. I wonder if e dreams.
Just as I was about to finish, InuYasha woke up. I stopped and watched him curse himself. He looked at me, but I quickly refocused my attention to his shoulder.
"You'll be a half demon again soon, so your shoulder should be fine." I told him this as I put the rest of the bandage back in my first aid kit.
"Kagome…" he started. I knew what he was thinking. I turned to him and smiled.
"Too bad we interrupted on that couples picnic, huh?" I knew that it wasn't what we had intruded on and that that wasn't what he was thinking, but I couldn't let him see that I was hurt by his wanting to see Kikio. InuYasha had sat himself up and shook his head. I got up and walked outside. I noticed a big rock out of the way of the hut.
Silently I sat there and picked at the end of my skirt.
I sniffed and felt a tear roll down my cheek. I angrily wiped it away and sighed.
"Kagome?" InuYasha's voice came from behind me.
"Yes?" I turned around and saw that InuYasha had put his suikan and hadagi back on. He didn't carry his arm like he had just been shot with an arrow. He walked up to the rock and sat.
"Can I sit here?" he asked.
Miroku and Sango sat in the hut.
"I can't believe it…" Shippo said. Sango nodded.
"Kikio showed up…"Miroku sighed. Kilala purred and flopped next to Sango.
"Wait," Shippo said. "Where'd they go!?" he asked. Sango and Miroku looked at each other then rushed to the door. They peered out and to the far, far right saw InuYasha and Kagome sitting on boulder they had been hiding behind earlier.
"What are they saying?!" Sango asked. Miroku shrugged.
"Let's just watch!" he said.
InuYasha looked up at the sky. I had to say it. I mentally cursed myself. Ok, Kagome, here we go.
"I-InuYasha?" I fiddled around with the edge of my skirt.
"Ya?" he asked, focusing back on me. I took a big breath.
"Another reason I like staying here is because…." I looked back up at him. "I really like you, InuYasha."