Kaede had returned long ago with clothes that the village woman had given. She had cleaned and dressed Kagome and was now sitting silently by the fire. The atmosphere in the hut was tense. No one wanted to say anything for the fear of saying the wrong thing. The group had decided they would stay up as long as possible, in case Kagome was to wake up. If what Inuyasha thought was going to happen, if she did indeed wake up and forget everyone, she would most likely try to run. But if everyone was awake they could stop her and calm her before she got into any more trouble. Straining under the pressure, Shippo's eye lids slowly closed, only to be opened again by a harsh shaking.
"Shippo, honey, why don't you get some sleep? Kagome will be okay, we'll be watching over her." said Sango kindly.
"No! If you guys...are gonna stay up then so...am i!" he said, stiffling a yawn.
Sango couldn't help but release a small giggle. For a tiny demon he could sure open his mouth widely. Refusing to start an argument, she scooped up the Kitsune and placed him on her lap. In a mear two seconds flat, he was in a deep sleep, being snuggled up in her warm kimono helped alot though.
"Can't blame him really. It's long after his usual bed time. Poor guy, he must be exhausted!" cooed Sango, gently rocking the sleeping demon in her arms.
Miroku gave a small smile. Just seeing her babying Shiipo was enough to dream about what she would be like with children of her own. His smile vanished as quickly as it came when he glanced at Kagome. She had often told him how much she wanted to start a family. Everyone knew what a wonderful mother she would make. Just watching her with Shippo was proof enough.
"The guy to get her hand in marriage would be the luckies bastard alive." thought Miroku.
The Houshi smiled sadly. After all that waiting to be the age of marriage, and Kagome gets turnt back to a child. The desire to return her to noramlity was growning inside of him at a rapid rate. Unknown to all, Inuyasha was thinking the same thing. The Hanyou gazed upon the sleeping form before him. He felt lonely, empty. Around this time of night, him and Kagome would be either layed out in a feild or sat in a tree just talking, enjoying eachothers presense or trying in vain to count the billions of stars in the clear night sky. He wanted those nights back. Wanted to have her in his arms and tell him that everything will work out to be fine. But Inuyasha knew that if he was to do that now, he would get a name for hugging small girls, or worse she could wake up and totally freak out. Sighing deeply he stood.
"Inuyasha, were are ye going?" asked Kaede.
"Out. What does it look like?." he huffed in reply.
Inuyasha had been gone for just over an hour. Miroku was the only one still awake. Kaede had retired to bed shortly after he left and Sango had fallen into a deep slumber not long ago. The Tiajiya had casually layed her head on Miroku's shoulder while still cuddling Shippo. Normally the lechorous Houshi would have taken advantage of this, but seeing as he was watching over Kagome, his peverted thoughts had vanished.
"Miroku, get some sleep. I'll watch over her." said Inuyasha, sitting by the bed where the small child was sleeping.
"Thanks but i'd rather stay up." he replied "Inuyasha, i've been thinking. I beleive i know what changed Kagome."
Inuyasha's ears pricked up. This was probably the best knews he had had since Kagome was attacked. Giving Miroku his full attention, while still aware of Kagome's movements, he listened intensly while he spoke.
"It seems so obvious now. Earlier, when Kauri attacked Kagome.."
A low growl escaped Inuyasha. He couldn't help it. The reminder of how he had failed to protect Kagome sent pure anger through his very veins. Raising an eye brown, Miroku directed his gaze to the Hanyou.
"Sorry..." said Inuyasha, Lowering his ears in defeat.
Miroku was astonished. Not only was Inuyasha keeping his temper down but he was apologising. Which never happens! Trying not to bate him, Miroku continued.
"Well as i was saying. When Kauri attacked," he paused waiting for the growl that he thought would come, but when it didn't he continued "She pulled out this doll of some sort, and started chanting. After that, a beam from the doll hit Kagome. Inuyasha, have you noticed that Kagome has gained more cuts and bruises in the last hour or so then she had to begin with. She can't of got them from scratching herself as she hasn't moved an inch. These things don't appear from no where. And what more is that i can no longer sense her Miko powers. It's like she's just a normal human now."
Inuyasha sank his head into his hands. As much as this was confusing him, it some what made sense. The reason for it though, he had no idea.
"Inuyasha, i hate to say this but i think the spell that was placed on Kagome has really turnt her back to infancy. Like some one has gone into her past and plucked the child we see now out of her time line and put her here. Understand?" asked Miroku.
"No, well yer i sorta do but then i think about it more and i get confused. What do you mean "Plucked out her time line"? How can some one do that when she is in the past?"
"I see what you mean. Hmmm. Look at it this way, Kauri has gone into Kagome's past and, well, "kidnaped" Kagome when she was, oh i don't know, by the looks of things i'd say she looks about six, six and a half? Yes, deffinatly six and a half." he said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger against his chin "And now that Kauri has the six year old Kagome, she's replaced seventeen year old Kagome with the younger version. Get me now?"
Although he made some sense in a weird yet wonderful way, Inuyasha still couldn't grasp what he was saying properly.
"Wait...Did he say six? This Kagome is six and a half years old?" he thought "If she's just past six, that means in her time...Oh no!"
"Miroku, we need to get her back to normal before she wakes up!" yelled Inuyasha.
"Hmmm?" mummbled Sango, who woke to the sound of Inuyasha shouting "Whats the matter?"
"Trust me, if she wakes up like this...It..It will be alot harder to deal with then we thought." exclaimed the Hanyou, ignoring Sango's question.
"Inuyasha, calm down! I'm sure things will be okay. This is Kagome remember, we know all about her."
"Thats the thing! You don't! You have no idea what she's been through, i only know a bit and what i know is that if she wakes up in this state we might aswell kiss our Kagome goodbye!!" he bellowed in reply, awakening Shippo and Kaede.
Sango and Miroku were stunned into silence. What could Kagome have been through so make Inuyasha so worried about her waking up. Everything was quiet and tense. They were all to stunned to say anything and Inuyasha was to worried about Kagome to care about anything else. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, Kagome started thrashing and crying in her sleep.
"Kagome!" cried Inuyasha, leaping to her side.
Her cries continued but she wouldn't wake up. Sango was beside her in seconds along with everyone else.
"Kaede, whats the matter with her?" cried Shippo, his voice full of panic and worry.
"She's just having a nightmare is all, child. Nothing to worry about." replied the old Miko.
Kagome's thrashing got worse and her cries turnt into full scale sobs. With his sensitive nose Inuyasha got a smack in the face with the scent of blood. His eyes wide and he gently picked up Kagome and pulled her kimono top down to reveal her bare back.
"Inuyasha!? What the hell are you doing?!" yelled Sango.
"Just shut it wil ya, and look! She's covered in new bruises and cuts!!" he snapped back in reply.
And he was right. All over her tiny body new wounds were forming. It was utterly confusing. No one was attacking her and she wasn't doing it herself, so how did they appear?
"Inuyasha, remember what i said about Kagome being replaced with her younger version. Well i think i know whats hapening to her now. In Kagome's past, maybe she was attacked then. Meaning that the wounds she received then she's receiving now..." stated Miroku.
( Okay sorry to interupt again but i'm trying to explain this bit as best as i can. It works out okay in my head but not so well writing it down! Basically, Kagome's wounds is what the six year old Kagome received, and now that she is six again she gets gets them again...Understand? If not really sorry just try and go along with it! SORRY!! Back to the story!! )
It suddenly clicked. Everything her mother had hinted with out saying it directly. The meaning of the words "wrath". Everything. He finally knew what Kagome's father did to her. And like he knew he wouldn't, he did not like the answer. The group of friends watched in horror as more and more wounds were added to Kagome's little "collection". Inuyasha couldn't help but growl deep in his throat. What ever happened to Kagome in her past was truly horrific. The poor girl was covered in head to toe in bruises and small but deep cuts. Her crying had yet to stop and even though his ears were ringing like mad, he refused to leave her side.
"What are we going to do?! We can't just sit and watch as Kagome gets beaten to a pulp!" screamed Sango, tears welling up in her eyes.
Pulling her into a calming embrace, Miroku stroked her head, (yes and not her ass!!) The Taijiya sobbed silently. It was taking all of Miroku's will power not to shed tears aswell. He had seen alot of things in his life, but never such a brutal beating as this, and to a mear child at that.
"Inuyasha! W-we can't sniff let Kagome go back to her t-time!! If this is w-what happens there then sniff i won't let her g-go back!!" said Shippo, tears also flowing down his cheeks.
Inuyasha coudn't speak. He could barely contain the anger inside of him. He was gonna snap, he could tell. Here he was, holding the light of his life in his arms and all he could do was watch as she was brutally beaten by something of her own past. He was helpless. Yet again he had failed her.
"I'm so sorry Kagome...I just wish i could make it all stop..." his thoughts were brought to a haunting hault.
Kagome's body went limp and her crys stopped. It was just like before she was transformed. Inuyasha silently prayed that nothing else was going to happen to her. Tears still rolled down her delicate cheeks and murged with the tiny blots of blood from her cuts. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Until...
"MAI !!" screamed Kagome.
As she screamed she bolted upright in Inuyasha's arms. Sango rushed to her side hoping, praying that she would recognise her. Not taking in her proper appearance, Kagome flung herself into Sango's arms.
"Mai! Mai! Your here!! You didn't leave me!!" she sobbed.
Everyone stared in awe at the two. This was what Inuyasha was afraid would happen. When he first saw the picture, he noticed just how much Mai resembled Sango. And apparently, so did Kagome...
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