Chapter four: Back to normal-ish

After Kagome started talking to him again things had gotten back to relative normality. Well as far as normal as the group could get anyway which usually involved Miroku being knocked out at least 4 times, Inuyasha having just as many sits, and Kikyo and Kagome glaring at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking? As I said REALATIVE normality.

Also without really realising it Kagome and Youko had become almost inseparable, much to Inuyasha's chagrin. Although he realised he finally deserved it, it still hurt. It all happened a few days ago...

(AN: I love dramatic flashbacks XD)

It started off like every normal day for the group, quick breakfast of caught fish or rabbit (Kagome had finally run out of ramen), lots of chatting and glaring and Inuyasha finally getting frustrated and pulling the group along at stop speed to the middle of nowhere because he wanted to find more shards.

And that's where they were now, in the middle of an open clearing listening to the sounds of the forest, sitting in the glorious sunshine and worrying about nothing as Inuyasha was now in the big crater shaped well...like him.

Unfortunately for them luck wasn't on their side today as just as Kagome was about to rummage through her bag for some snacks for everyone Youko and Inuyasha's (after climbing out of his hole) ears stood to alert. No one had realised in all their talking that the forest had gone deadly quiet, nor had they noticed the clouds of miasma that was creeping its way around their clearing.

Cursing that they had let their guard down they all stood up and got their weapons ready, although this did cause a slight fight between Youko and Inuyasha when he pulled out a rose from his hair and stood in the group. Inuyasha almost died laughing although after a quick sit and whack on the head from Miroku he calmed down.

They knew exactly who was approaching before they saw him or heard his annoying evil laugh...Naraku.

Well at least they thought it was Naraku but once he arrived they realised it was only another puppet, but still he was going to be a thorn in the side. And as usual Inuyasha dived right in due to Naraku's goading of him.

While everyone else hacked at bits of the evil half demon Youko stood on the sidelines watching the fight, yes he was going to join in but he wanted to make sure he knew what he was up against first.

He was impressed to see the fighting of Sango and Miroku who were doing an excellent job, even if they were getting tired quickly, but the biggest shock was Kagome.

Not only did the girl have fantastic aim with her bow which looked WAY too big for her but there was purification power coming off those arrows! Which led Youko to come to one conclusion that damn girl was a MIKO! Yes he'd been told most of people in the groups stories but Kagome had always stayed a mystery, he only got Shippou's side of things and most of it made no sense and just sounded like a fairy story.

Deciding he'd finally had enough he was about to step in when Naraku did exactly what he'd been expecting, without the group knowing he had split them up! Sango and Miroku were the complete other side of the clearing, Kikyo was nearer to Inuyasha but still quite far away, Kagome was the same but slightly closer to Inuyasha and then Youko was on the sidelines.

And deciding to try and end it he shot out five tentacles each aimed for a different person, luckily Sango, Miroku got rid of theirs pretty quickly, the same with Inuyasha but the girls seemed to be having some trouble. Regardless of how many times they shot them, they either grew back or they missed because they moved in time. And right in the middle of the two was Inuyasha.

He could hear Sango and Miroku calling to both Inuyasha and Kagome either to move or to help the other person, but he didn't he stood there like he was making the hardest decision of his life, and then with a quick sorrowful look at Kagome he turned and ran to Kikyo just in time to destroy the tentacle with the wind scar.

Kagome however was another story, she had seen that look, and although she knew she didn't feel anything for him anymore in that way this was the final betrayal in her eyes. She stood there like a statue waiting for the tentacle to reach her, with tears running down her face.

Youko however had other ideas and used just before she got hit he cried

"ROSE WHIP" stunning everyone (even Inuyasha) when his beautiful rose turned into a deadly whip, using Naraku's shock to his advantage he destroyed the puppet with practiced ease as he then put his whip away again. It wasn't until he heard a dry sob and thud that he looked round to find Sango and Miroku huddled around a shell shocked Kagome. The only words he heard her utter was

"So he finally chose" before she fainted.

It had taken a few hours for Kagome to wake up again and Youko hadn't left her side. Half out of worry and half to repay her for looking after him when he was sick. So when she did wake up the first thing she did was blush to realise she was wrapped up in Youko's tail...in his lap. But she soon relaxed and cuddled closer into the warmth and went back to sleep.

Youko looked around the group to see two smiling faces and two not so happy looking people but he didn't care, he had spoken to Sango and Miroku a bit while they had been setting up a temporary camp and now realised what had happened, after all the years and heartache Inuyasha had caused Kagome, him finally choosing Kikyo had been the final straw.

It took about a day for Kagome to be up and running again. She wasn't still right as she wouldn't properly look at Inuyasha and when she did you could see the unshed tears she refused to let drop. But as the hours went by it got less and less until she was almost back to normal.

All it took was for Inuyasha to make a really stupid comment and WHAM! She sat him and then quite angrily started telling him exactly what she thought of him, then after she was finished she sat down next to Youko and Sango, smiled and carried on as if nothing had happened. All Youko and the others could do was laugh, even Kikyo giggle slightly which shocked everyone.

*End of flash back*

And since then Kagome and Youko hadn't really left each other's sides, and even though Inuyasha got a bit annoyed with it sometimes (usually when Youko made a comment about something) they were back to normal, well as normal as you can be with a group consisting of a perverted monk, a demon slayer, a futuristic miko, an old dead clay miko, 2 demon foxes and a hanyou.