Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never did, never will.

A/N: Wow! It's been a while. So sorry to all of you who have been waiting for the next installment, but things got really complicated with my schoolwork for the up and coming year. This is a chapter to further the understanding of the situation on both sides of the spectrum, and to get a little more time in with the regular inu tachi, considering they are a part of the story which has been very lightly touched upon. The better part of the story will either be coming in the next chapter, or the one following it, so worry not! Thank you, again to all of my lovely readers, especially those of you who leave me reviews. To those who leave me LENGTHY reviews...THANK YOU FOR YOUR OPINIONS! (cries greatfully). That's really what I live for, saddly enough. Let me know exactly what you think, feel, dislike...ENJOY!

Heat of Reaction

Chapter 10 – Helpless Children

"OSUWARI!" Eyes screwed shut, arms stiff and hands balled into tight fists at her side, Kagome repeated the command of subjugation three times. "You're insufferable, Inuyasha!"

A month or so previous, the crash that followed would have signified the start of a regular morning for the tachi of six. Now, however, things had changed. Since Kagome's unexpected return, tension had formed between herself and the inu hanyou.

"Damnit, Kagome!"

Miroku watched with mild interest as Inuyasha lifted himself from the life-sized crater and began shooting insults at Kagome before remembering he had taken a silent oath to avoid speaking to her as much as possible. Kagome flipped a lock of ebony over her shoulder and crossed her arms in challenge. As they began their journey again, he allowed his thoughts to drift back to that night…

They had settled in the village with Kaede for the few days Kagome would be gone to visit her family. Inuyasha, as always, had been outrageously negative and contradicting, but in the end could not deny Kagome the liberty of five days. Try as he might, he never could.

To say that the rest of them were relieved was an understatement. The shards of the Shikon no Tama were almost fully gathered from stray youkai, the only ones left to gain being in the possession of the evil hanyou Naraku. Said hanyou, however, had once again seemingly disappeared from the face of Japan, and for two months they had traveled aimlessly in search of even a trace of his last hideout.

Worn and weary, tensions were running high and morale was slipping behind hopeful facades. They all had much to lose if they did not beat Naraku, and the opportunity for rest provided by Kagome's birthday was met with approval. They would have several days of rest and mild relaxation, something they all needed. They could gather their strength, strength they would need in the near future, for intuition told him they were not far from the final battle.

It was the fifth day of her absence, and upon daybreak Inuyasha was ready to retrieve the reincarnated miko. Not wishing to rob her of her full five days worth, he and Sango had tried their best to prevent him from leaving both with sutras and physical force. At last, the stubborn Hanyou grudgingly relented to wait until lunch before dragging Kagome back to their time. Naturally, he made several attempts at escape.

Finally the midday meal had been served in the humble hut of the old priestess Kaede. Inuyasha devoured his ration unceremoniously and, ignoring the "senile ramblings of a one-eyed hag," set out at once for the Bone Eater's Well.

At that point of the day, no one in their small tachi could have guessed how the dramatically the day would unfold.

Things first began to seem strange when thirty minutes had passed and the on-again-off-again couple had not returned. The walk to and from the well was under ten minutes in length by casual foot. With Inuyasha's speed and impatience the trip could be no longer than five minutes both ways, and they had only ever waited ten minutes for Inuyasha to resurface from the future with Kagome in the times they had gone to welcome her return. With ten minutes more than they were used to waiting, Sango, Shippo and himself had begun to worry, and so they set out to find their two friends.

The situation only strengthened their suspicions that something had gone amiss when upon arriving at the well they found neither Kagome nor Inuyasha. Shippo, although harboring an inferior sense of smell in comparison to their dog-eared companion, could smell trace of Inuyasha all over the clearing, as if he had been running frantically about. Kagome's scent, however, lacked significantly, indicating that she had either not returned, or – as they would later learn – had never left to begin with.

Having no particular direction to follow, considering the frenzied path of the Hanyou's scent, the three returned dejectedly to the village upon the wise insistence of Sango. Usually she would be the first to argue that by waiting they would be wasting valuable time which could be used for a rescue. However, it seemed she realized the futility in an act when they were not sure of either of their friends' whereabouts. The best course of action in such case was to stay put and pray for their safe return.

The day wore on with surreal suspension. Time seemed palpable, as if they could catch the minutes that went by so slowly. At the same time, it flew faster than they expected. The sun lowered steadily in the sky as hours passed with no sign of either friend, until finally dusk settled and a moody hand lifted the reed curtain that provided privacy for Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha plopped down heavily across from them before the fire. The was an expectant silence as the rest of them looked to the entrance of the hut – Sango petting Kilala in her lap and Shippo perched excitedly in Miroku's – for the arrival of Kagome. When two minutes passed, their tensed gazes redirected to their hanyou companion, who's brooding yellow eyes focused on the fire. His hair was mussed as usual, but the knuckles of his hands looked red from recent and possibly prolonged use. More so, there seemed a heavier problem slouching his shoulders and a frown that was anything but good-natured.

"Where be Kagome, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked on behalf of all the curious and confused occupants as she served herself a cup of bedtime tea. Inuyasha did not even look at them.

"She's gone," he snarled. Then he stormed out.

For three more days they remained in the dark. They had set out traveling upon Inuyasha's insistence that Kagome would not be joining them. No matter how much they pestered him, the half demon would reveal no more than that. Sango, at one time, had become so enraged that she had lifted her hiraikotsu and aimed a strike at him. He, Miroku, had barely been able to pacify her by assuring they would find out in due time.

"She stayed with him," Inuyasha said at last on the eve of the fourth day. Sango looked across the fire at him and Shippo, who had been off a ways sulking, drew closer to the circle. Inuyasha glanced at Miroku, situated beside him, before looking back into the flames and finally giving them the knowledge they thirsted for.

He recounted how he had arrived in Kagome's time and found her absent, how he had returned to the Feudal Era only to realize with fear that she had been taken. He explained how he had frantically followed the waning trail of her scent in a valiant attempt to rescue her. And then he told them how she had stood at his brother's side when he tried to fight for her freedom.

"Why wouldn't she come back?" Shipp questioned, confused and crestfallen. Though it came as a relief to hear she was in fact safe, they could not help feel fear for her life when she was in such dangerous company.

"She doesn't want to come back, the stupid wench," Inuyasha said angrily.

Sango scowled at him and launched to protect her female friend's loyalty. "Don't you call her that, Inuyasha! I'm sure Kagome wanted to come back –"

"Well she ain't here now, is she?" he spat back.

Sango's mouth drew into a hard line, but she remained quiet, throwing Miroku a look that said she did not believe their friend would simply leave them. Miroku had sat for some time, pondering the whole scene depicted by the inu hanyou.

"She did say she wasn't ready to come back yet."

"That's as good as saying she's not coming!" Inuyasha argued. Miroku ignored him.

"I believe she has every intention of joining with us again. But for get that. Something else puzzles me. You said Sesshoumaru had both arms, Inuyasha?"

The new subject seemed to raise a curiosity in the hanyou that overpowered his previous anger. "Yeah. It was so strange. I didn't even notice until he'd scratched me."

"And you are certain it was his own arm this time?"

"Positive. He brought it up all smugly the first time, then again when I tired to make Kagome leave with me. He said something stupid, like,'If you even dare, blah, blah, I will use the arm she restored to make sure you never do it again.'"

"Inuyasha, are you sure that's what he said? 'the arm she restored'?" Miroku suddenly asked intently.

"Uh, Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what he said…"

Sango sat up in alarm. "Miroku, you don't think…Kagome?"

"That she regenerated his arm?" he clarified her question, tapping his staff against his hand thoughtfully. "It is certainly possible."

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh, as if. Kagome can barely infuse her arrows with spirit energy. How could she re-grow someone's arm?"

"Kagome's much stronger than you think!" Shippo jumped in fiercely, not willing to let the hanyou talk bad about the person closest to being his mother.

"Indeed," Miroku had reaffirmed with closed eyes. "Kagome's powers have increased in the last few years, especially in these past four months. I can't say I know to what extent they are useful, or even if she knows how to use them herself, but I do know I have sensed it."

"As have I," Sango echoed in acknowledgement of the miko's developing spiritual energy. "And I would say it might be strong enough to grow an arm, if she knew how. I mean, Sesshoumaru obviously didn't grow it back himself. He has no regenerative powers."

The new developments of their conversation had evidently disconcerted Inuyasha more than the initial thought she had decided to stay with his calloused brother rather than go with him, her faithful friend. In the Kagome-less weeks that followed, not knowing the full extent of the situation made him more irritable and by far less friendly.

When Kagome was suddenly dropped, unceremoniously, back in their midst by the Lord of Ice himself, it was shocking to all. Kagome especially seemed surprised to be there with them, and Sesshoumaru was cold and distant as they had ever seen him. The picture Inuyasha had painted for them about their interaction seemed highly impossible, for hostility was the only thing that crackled silently between them.

The Taiyoukai had left after a minor show with his ward, and Kagome had resumed her travel with them only half-heartedly. Inuyasha had not spoken to her for the first week, and when the arguments began they were always the same. Like right now.

"I told you, I went with Sesshoumaru because Rin was sick!" Kagome yelled at the retreating back of her silver-haired antagonist.

"Since when is that your problem? You don't aid the enemy!" He replied in turn.

"Since when is a helpless child the enemy?!"