Kagome was in a daze as she walked, her feet moving involuntarily towards home. She bit her thumbnail nervously, but for once she wasn't worried about her latest exam. She was still bothered by what her mother told her about her fifth birthday and her disappearance. It was driving her crazy trying to remember what happened that day. She vaguely recalled her friends playing birthday games and her mother's belly thick with her little brother Souta, but not so much as a glimmer of where she wandered off. It was like an itch at the back of her brain she couldn't scratch no matter how hard she tried to reach it.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts; it wasn't until she heard the blasting of horns that she realized with horror she had stepped off the curb and into on coming traffic.
Cringing against the eminent impact, she was suddenly swooped up with the breath knocked out of her. She found herself clutching frantically to red cloth and her face buried into a familiar shoulder. Inuyasha stood precariously perched on the truck's roof with her gathered in his arms and his baseball hat tilted over his head, hiding his ears. He scowled down at her, "What is wrong with you?"
As usually in these situations where Inuyasha had her bundled protectively in his arms, Kagome had to go through a mental checklist
1. Avoid swooning
2. Focus eyesight
3. Steady breathing
4. Slow down heart rate
5. Convince yourself that your confused and woozy state is due to the near death experience and not the fact that you being held like a rescued princess by the one guy you have ever loved
Once Kagome completed her mental checklist and regained her senses she frowned at him. "Well, sorry. I was distracted." With a scoff, Inuyasha leapt off the roof of the car to the nearest building, ignoring Kagome's wails of protest that he would be seen. He snarled, "You are completely hopeless without me around. If I hadn't been following you, you would have been…."
Kagome interrupted with a raised brow, "You were following me?" Inuyasha proceeded to blush as he held onto her tighter and grumbled, "Well…I… You would get in trouble if I left you alone!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. Once again, getting Inuyasha to admit he cared and worried about her was more difficult than pulling out fingernails with pliers.
After bouncing off a few rooftops, they were quickly home and Inuyasha set her down. She looked up into his eyes, her big dark eyes practically glistening in the sunlight. "Thank you. For saving me." Kagome smiled when Inuyasha blushed and scratched his head. "Well, enough wasting time. You finished your 'test thing' so we need to back."
Kagome threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, fine. Just let me grab my stuff. Then we can go back to the other world and scour for jewel shards as much as you want." Inuyasha huffed and grumbled as he followed her to her bedroom.
Kagome marked off each item on her list as she packed them. Let's see...
Sleeping bag… check
Medical supplies… check
Food… check
Flashlight and matches… check
Books….
Kagome frowned as she looked down at her already stuffed backpack. "Well, maybe just math." As she sat on her backpack and bounced, trying to cram everything in she realized that Inuyasha had preoccupied himself by rummaging through her belongings.
She looked up to see him trying to pry open her music box with his claw and jumped up to swipe it away from him, "Hey! Knock it off! I keep telling you not to mess with my stuff, you're going to break it."
Inuyasha plopped onto her bed and crossed his arms like a five year old in a snit because his toy had been taken away. "I heard a sound from inside and wanted to see what it was." He glanced at her and then looked at the ceiling, "And I wasn't going to break it!"
Studying his pouting expressing Kagome sighed and walked over to retrieve a key from her desk drawer. She sat next to him on the bed and used the key to wind up the music box. "If you wanted to see inside, you just had to ask me."
A sweet tinkling sound drifted from the music box as it slowly cranked open. The sound of it was so familiar and comfortable that it still managed to warm Kagome's heart after all these years.
Inuyasha watched with wide-eyed fascination as Kagome explained, "This was one of the first gifts my father brought back from one of his many travels so it is very special to me. I keep all of my treasures in it."
Kagome pulled out a photo of her grandparents, a small notebook with a pressed flower inside, and an autograph of her favorite musician. Inuyasha reached into the box with a furrowed brow a pulled out a small flute, clumsily carved from wood. It was so poorly made; it probably couldn't make a single correct note. Strangely though Inuyasha seemed fixated on it with narrowed gold eyes as his fingers ran over it carefully. "Where did you get this?"
Kagome raised her brow in quizzical confusion, "You know, I don't really remember. I've had it for so long, I can't remember a time when I didn't have it. My father probably bought it or made it for me."
She giggled as she took it from his hands, "I know it is sort of misshapen, but I always thought it was sweet looking. There's something about it that always made me happy." Her eyes glazed over as she was lost in memory, "Whenever I was sad or lonely growing up, I would always take out this flute and try to play it. For some reason the funny sounds it made always made me feel better."
She put it to her lips and blew, making an awkward ear ringing sound. Kagome laughed as she turned to see Inuyasha clutching his head as if in pain. "Hey," she patted his shoulder, "it didn't sound that bad."
Her teasing stuck her throat when she saw his face. His eyes were clenched tight and his complexion was as pale as moonlight. She kneeled down in front on him, her eyes wide with panic as she took hold of his shoulders. "Hey, are you alright? Inuyasha! What's wrong?" He didn't seem to hear her as his clutched his head even tighter and sweat dripped down his forehead.
Kagome shook him, her voice wobbling with fear. "Inuyasha! INUYASHA OSUWARI!!" Inuyasha immediately planted face first onto her carpeted bedroom floor.
To Kagome's immense relief Inuyasha shot up rubbing his aching head and glaring at her with familiar irritation. He stood up and yelled in her face, "What was that for?!"
Kagome pointed back at him and yelled, "You were under some weird trance. I had to do something to save you." Inuyasha clenched his fists in frustration, "It wasn't a trance you idiot. It was just a headache." Kagome stomped her foot, "It wasn't just a headache. You didn't even respond when I called your name. You don't show that much pain even when you have a hole in your stomach."
She jabbed a finger into his chest, "And don't call me an idiot you… you… idiot. That's the last time I save you." Inuyasha waved his arms in the air, "Good! You cause nothing but trouble when you try!" "WHHHAAAAT!"…
Hours Later…
Hoisting her backpack on her shoulder, Kagome headed to her front door. After finishing her argument with Inuyasha and making him "Osuwari" out the window hard enough to make an indention in her mother's flower beds, Kagome was finally able to finish her packing.
She ran by the kitchen, "Bye Mama, I'm leaving for the other world now." Her mother bustled after her, "Wait Kagome I need to give you something." Kagome whirled around, biting her lip with frustration. "Gee Mama, Inuyasha is already mad at me. If I make him wait any longer, he'll kill me." Her mother giggled as if her daughter imminent murder was somehow amusing. Kagome sighed.
Her mother reached into her apron pocket, "He'll understand. This is important." She pulled out a small round object wrapped in an beautifully woven shawl and held it out to Kagome, "This is what I have been searching for. Your father made me promise to give it to you one day when you were ready. I think you have proven that by all the hard work you've done in the other world." She smiled as Kagome took it with shaking hands. Slowly she unraveled the shawl revealing the silver medallion necklace beneath.
The medallion was ancient, but still shone as if were newly polished. Around the border of the medallion was intricately carved twisting vines and at the center was a sundial. It was an image that Kagome knew well. She did not have a single memory of her father without him wearing it.
"Father's medallion?" she asked with awe. She tried to hand it back to her mother, "Mama, I can't take this. It is too precious! I could lose it, especially in the other world." Her mother shook her head serenely and closed Kagome's fingers around the medallion. "Now you need it now more than ever. This medallion was your father's lucky charm. It will protect you on all of your adventures." She smiled, "Along with that dog-eared friend of yours."
Tears gathered in the corners of Kagome's eyes, as she hugged her mother. Kagome gave a watery smile as she placed the medallion necklace over her head. "So how does it look?" She twirled dramatically, making the silver medallion twinkle in the changing light. Her mother nodded and clasped her hands, "It looks… right."
Waving goodbye, Kagome's mother watched Kagome run off toward the well, keeping her smile in place. It would have impossible for Kagome to see her mother's white knuckled grip on the doorframe and her silent prayer. "Please dear…" she prayed with all of her might, "Please keep our daughter safe."
Inuyasha growled when he saw Kagome running toward him. "Took you long enough." Kagome just smiled sweetly, "Anytime you want to take another face plant in the rose bushes, just let me know." Inuyasha promptly shut his mouth.
They both stood on the edge of the well. Inuyasha nodded at Kagome, "You ready?" Kagome wrapped her hand around her father's medallion, feeling as if it was pouring new energy and courage into her, just like her mother said it would. She smiled at Inuyasha as she took hold of his hand, "Let's go."
She didn't miss the extra squeeze Inuyasha gave her hand as they jumped together into the swirling pink and purple light of the next world. Neither of them knew what awaited them beyond the well's portal.
