So Glad You're Back

Chapter 6

Hello! How is everyone? Hm? I'm so sorry for the long wait of this chapter! I am still here, but I swear I had lost my creative spirit for my stories and I they may be slowly coming back now, just very slowly sadly. I understand a lot of you out there who have this on your favourites and alert are thinking 'What the hell is this story?' and I'm here to say I don't blame you, I think the same thing when it happens haha, didn't stop me from doing it myself sadly. I hope you enjoy this anyway, hope to get some reviews though hehe. I'd like to thank – Volleyball girl13, AnimeMixDJ, FortuneGoddessOfGaia, Neo-Crystal, Shiori Yume, Evil RULZ, OoOlady heatherOoO, Full shadow Alchemist, Reads-way-2-much and Taeniaea. Sorry if I forgot anyone.

Recap:

Kagome groaned sharply, waking Paninya up, the girl snorted in her sleep before waking up, her green eyes meeting azure blue ones, both in bewildered surprise.

End of recap:

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Kagome swiveled her eyes around quickly, taking in her surroundings, she was in a wooden hut of sorts, like a small house with a couple of rooms. Okay so where was she? This obviously wasn't Sengoku Jidai, there were only a hut, not really in any rooms. Her eyes sharply went back to the owner with the green eyes, who was still staring at her with shock.

Kagome winced when she once again tried to move to face the girl properly, she wrapped her right arm around her stomach, feeling something wet come in contact with her arm, looking down with surprise she raised said arm to her face. She was bleeding, somehow it didn't come to her as much of a surprise.

Moving the blanket that she had been covered with, she looked down to her stomach seeing it covered by a bandage, that had her blood seeping through. She looked up in surprise and looked to the girl, who had her mouth hanging, open.

The girl had dark tanned skin, and was wearing a khaki green tank top, which was tucked into a pair of khaki army pants, tied with a black belt, and a pair of boots, she had short chocolate brown hair tied into a short ponytail and had green eyes. What surprised Kagome was he fact that her arms...they were made out of metal 'Auto-mail' her mind supplied her.

The girl had such surprise on her face that it was slightly amusing, add the gaping mouth which was slowly opening and closing like fish it, plus seemingly looking completely paralyzed it was down right hilarious.

Kagome couldn't help but smile in amusement, her blue azure eyes, lightening in colour slightly, which didn't happen long due to the fact that not only was she in a lot of pain that seemed to spread around her body, just not her left leg...

Kagome didn't have long to think about the strangeness of it, when the girl who seemed about her age, stood up and rushed over to the side of her, looking worried.

"How in Kami's name are you awake? Let alone moving?" Paninya out a hand to the girls' forehead to see if she was running a fever in case. "Well you do seem a but warm, but it doesn't seem like it's anything serious at the moment". Paninya looked up at Kagome who was staring at her bewildered, and then thought of something...

"Oh! Sorry, I'm Paninya, and you are?" Paninya asked her hand out, waiting patiently for the girls' answer.

Kagome looked towards the girls' hand and slowly leaned back down on her back offering the girl her un-bloodied hand to shake "I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi" she managed to rasp, before breathing heavily to get her breath back that she just used up.

The bad feeling of strangeness that she was getting from her leg, was gnawing at her mind now, she needed to see her leg...

Sitting up much to the protest of Paninya, she leaned up on her left hand to keep her up and steady, while she used her right bloodied hand to move the blanket, as the blanket fell to the floor, she just sat there, eyes wide, staring at her leg...

Or what was left of it...

'What the-...'

Flashback in Kagome's mind:

She cursed mentally trying to use her Miko Ki and stop the blood flow but she was worn out, she started to feel fear scrunch up in her belly, she looked around and only saw the large purple hateful eyes as they stared at glee as they took her leg.

End of flashback

'What were those things? Why were they in the gate?...I'm so confused...' Kagome sat thinking, though it wasn't helping her already muddled up mind.

Edward...

Kagome's eyes widened as she thought on that name...

"Kagome, are you okay? Do you need anything?" Paninya asked worriedly, the girl had been quiet for quite a while. Kagome who was snapped out of her thoughts nodded her head weakly, feeling exhausted "Can I please have some water, my throat..." was the answer before she couldn't talk anymore, the pain in her throat still there.

"Okay just wait here" with that Paninya went off to get a glass of water, coming back not long after, she sat down on a stool that was next to the bed Kagome was on. Paninya wrapped her right arm behind her back to sit Kagome up so that she could help her get some water down her thirsty throat.

After that was done Paninya stood of to the side as Kagome slowly lay back down to stop aggravating her stomach, plus the shock of her leg being pretty much gone doesn't help.

"Kagome-san what-..." Paninya started before she was cut off as Dominic walked into the room sluggishly, having just woken up to get started his day. Dominic stared at Kagome while she stared right back, silence swept through the room as the staring contest went on, as Paninya blinked looking back and forth from the two, sweat dropping.

Some silence later...

Finally after what seemed like hours but was only a couple of minutes Dominic finally nodded to the girl, while right after him Kagome nodded back, with that the older man, walked in to his small kitchen to get some breakfast. Paninya looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow, most wouldn't be able to look right back into Dominic's eyes, and this girl was a first.

'Okay...' Paninya thought slowly, "So Kagome-san what happen-..." Paninya was once again interrupted as a customer came into the shop, asking for Dominic to come fix his auto-mail, grumbling Dominic went and got Dominic from their small kitchen.

Once Paninya got back she patiently sat down once again in front of Kagome, said girl had a confused look on her face, knowing that 'auto-mail' as they call it was familiar to her, she knew someone who used to make them.

'Third times the charm, right?' Paninya thought to herself as she once again started.

"Ano-..."

"Paninya, can you bring my tools?" asked Dominic in his rough voice as he inspected the mans' auto-mail with a critical eye up front.

'I guess it isn't the charm' she though to herself huffing slightly, leaving to go and get the tools and give them to Dominic, who then went to work. His auto-mail while it may have been simple, it was not to be underestimated.

As Paninya started walking back to the area with Kagome she slammed the door shut in annoyance startling Kagome with the loud sound, she once again took a seat beside the girl.

"Now as I was trying to say, what happened to you? When I found you...you just, I don't know you just cam from the sky and fell into the water, how come you are so injured?" Paninya asked with concern as she shot questions at the girl.

Recollecting her memories, she then remembered everyone, she would probably never see them again, with a distraught look on her face and a sigh. She wasn't sure if she could tell her or not, but this girl had helped her...someone that she didn't even know 'I might as well give her the truth, weather she believes it or not though, is up to her' Kagome thought to herself.

With that though Kagome proceeded to tell Paninya of her story from the start, when she had fallen into the well, and how she had met up with Inuyasha, Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara, and others and all the battles she had been in with youkai. Kagome also explained the history of the Shikon No Tama, and how she had broke trying to save a little boy, and how they went and hunted for the shards.

Paninya had a half awed half skeptical look on her face throughout the story, plus with sympathy when Kagome explained all the tragedies, and looked horrified when Kagome then explained the final battle and how she received the wounds.

"What about you leg though? How did you get that?" Paninya asked.

Deciding that Paninya seemed to at least semi believe her and seemed to be taking it all well so far, she told about how Midoriko wanted to give her memories back and that she was sent here through a gate, where these creatures had taken her legs somehow by disintegrating it.

Paninya though on everything that Kagome had just went through with her not sure if the girl was lying or not 'Mind you, I don't think anyone could make that up' she though in her mind with a sweat drop.

Paninya smiled "I believe you Kagome-san, I feel that I can trust you" Kagome sighed with relief at that, and went to grab her water for about the tenth time since she had been talking taking small sips, to keep her throat going through the story.

"Just call me Kagome, why are your legs and your right arm made of metal?" Kagome asked and then quickly added "If you want to tell me that is" she said with an unsure smile.

Paninya smiled at her before getting a slight faraway look in her eyes, and she rested her arms on her knees, which held her head, as she was deep in thought.

"When I was younger, my parents and I were catching a train to a new shop I had seen in the other town one day, and there was this wooden horse... I really wanted it, it reminded me of my grandmother, she used to loved horses". Paninya sighed sadly as she reminisced about her grandmother.

"I begged my parents to get it for me, even saying it was the last this they ever would have to buy me" she laughed a little and smiled at this, but it then turned in to a sad smile. "Little did I know that not only I wouldn't get my horse, nor would I get to keep my parents".

"When they had planned a day to get a train into the town, to get my horse, and just have a look around afterwards, there was an outbreak with the military forces, everything was happening at once, I don't even know what happened". Paninya exhaled deeply as she continued "There was no way to avoid the collision I guess our carriage toppled, metal went everywhere, they both died...somehow I made it out alive". But then I was homeless, I couldn't do anything, couldn't walk, couldn't fend for myself, people called me a freak for only having one limb". "It wasn't long after until I was found by Dominic, he took pity on me, and brought me to his home and has raised me like a daughter I guess, I was very grateful and I still am, he gave me my automail and I can now cope". Paninya finished her eyes slightly watering, not that she would admit it. Kagome shakily reached over and touched Paninya on the shoulder, the other around her stomach. "I'm sorry for your loss..." she replied with a sad smile, knowing that she couldn't really help the girl too much at the moment.

Kagome thought for a moment "Paninya, I know that you can't bring your parents back, and that it has left you with a big void in your heart, wishing they were there t fill it once again, I know that won't happen, but I would be honored to help you fill that void, friends?" Kagome asked, her hand stretched out to Paninya. Paninya looked at Kagome with surprise for a few moments not sure if she heard right, Paninya grinned with delight and shook hands with Kagome, she just knew there was something about this girl, she just very may well be the friend she had been looking for. She looked Kagome in the eye "Friends". She said happily, shaking Kagome's hand.

Outside the door, not to be seen, Dominic stood with a small smile on his usually stoic face, before he went back to work, he needed to get better than that Pinako, but she didn't need to know that!

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Again sorry for the super long wait, please R&R very much appreciated, until next time, adieu!