Chapter 15

It took almost the whole day with Miroku's help to set up Sango's idea. They moved one of the shoji screens into a sitting room and place lights on the outside of the screen. They had placed the screen so that there was a door right behind it. They moved one small table with a single lamp.

Kagome was directed to the room just before moon rise, to meet with InuYasha. When she got there only the lights all she saw was a room filled with light and a white screen blocking part of the room. She sat down to wait upon her appointed meeting. After a few moments the lamp on the other side of the screen was lit to reveal InuYasha's shadow.

"Okaeri nasai, (welcome home) Kagome chan " he said after he had lit the lamp.

"Konbanwa, (good evening) InuYasha Sama!" she replied bowing. "Domo arigato gozaimasu, (thank you very much!) for coming to my rescue the other day" she kept her tone formal not knowing what to think. He was hiding himself from her and she couldn't figure out why. "Could there be anything to my dream?" she wondered.

"Please don't call me Lord" he said sadly, he was confused by her reserve and it wasn't like the Kagome he was used to and had heard when the others were visiting her as she was recovering. He started to think that maybe she was going to ask to leave, and he really didn't want her to go away again.

"Hai, InuYasha" she paused for a few heartbeats. "I have missed you. I wish you weren't behind this stupid screen and I could really see you."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing "You missed me?"

"Yes, didn't you miss me?" her voice was held a slight bit of panic, and he could smell the start of her tears.

"I did miss you Kagome, please don't cry. I hate it when you cry." He started to get frantic, he hated to see women cry and especially Kagome.

"I'm not crying" she snuffled.

They both fell silent, but their silence was no longer comfortable between them.

"InuYasha" Kagome's voice was hesitant. "if is alright I would like to stay here with you. May I?"

"You want to stay?" he asked back.

"Hai"

"Sango will need your help in the morning so you should get some rest" he knew he didn't answer, but there was no way he was going to tell her something that he wasn't sure that she would reciprocate. He extinguished his light so she could no longer see his shadow against the screen.

Kagome sat in silence for a while waiting for a dismissal. When none came and no sound emanated from the other side of the screen she took it that InuYasha had left. There was no way for her to know that he sat there drinking in her scent and listening to her every movement.

The next day Sango and Kagome walked through the castle assessing the damage that had been done over the near abandonment of the past six months. The girls wanted to bring it back to the splendor that they remembered. With only the two of them, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara to count on they realized that it was going to take them a long time to get it back in shape. While they were looking at what needed to be done Kagome kept trying to press Sango on what happened to InuYasha and why he was hiding from her.

Sango kept repeating that she couldn't tell her what had happened. She had been sworn to keep it secret. Although it annoyed Kagome to no end she could get no more than that InuYasha would not be able to help them with what they were planing. So they spent their day cleaning the rooms that would be used immediately.

Kagome was told by Miroku that InuYasha wanted to meet with her again after dinner. Once again at their meeting InuYasha stayed behind the screen. Kagome still not comfortable with talking to him like this but realized that he wouldn't remove it yet, chatted about what she had done that day. She told him of what she and Sango were planning to do and what she wished could be done.

When she had yawned for the fourth time that night, Inuyasha suggested that she might need to get some sleep to accomplish all that she had planned to do. In order to help her he snuffed his light and waited for her to leave.

When she woke up the next morning she had found that some of the tasks that she thought couldn't be done had been completed for her. Kagome was very pleased and couldn't wait to talk to InuYasha for she somehow knew that he had helped her yet remained unseen.

For almost a month things went on like this. She and Sango would work around the castle, Miroku remained in the library. Shippou and Kirara spent as much time helping as trying to stay out from under foot of two very determined Cleaners. But on the night of the full moon she was stopped by Miroku before she was able to get to the sitting room.

"Lady Kagome" he called, "InuYasha sama asked that I gain your assistance on finding a certain document. That I have yet to find."

"Miroku" she sighed "you know that I am not nobility so you shouldn't call me lady, but I guess I could help" she looked wistfully at the sitting room door knowing that she would miss talking to her friend even if she couldn't see him.

The went to the library and she found that he had to giant stacks of scrolls piled up. "What document do we have to find?" she asked.

"It is an ancient protection spell that was written by my grandfather, it was lost over the years, but I know that it is in one of these piles." Miroku supplied.

"Well we better get to work, I will take this end if you will take that and we will meet in the middle." Kagome stated and started looking through the scrolls piled on the floor.

When they had gotten threw the first pile the noises started. There were roars that shook the walls. Although they bothered Kagome greatly, when she looked over at Miroku the monk didn't seem as if he heard them at all. So she tried to ignore them as well.

They had gotten through most of the piles and there were only two or three left Miroku suggested that Kagome go and get some rest she looked very tired.

She slowly walked down the hall toward her room thinking. Every time that she had heard the great roaring it felt as if her heart was being torn from her chest. She couldn't stand the pain and agony that she was hearing in those bestial cries. She didn't realize that she had walked right past her room following the animal sounds till she reached a locked door. She examined the door and found that there were written spells placed on the door. The writing was Kaede's. She stood there puzzling over what could be locked away with such strong protection, when the noises stopped.

She went closer to the door only to jump back a second latter when something started pounding on the other side. She ran back down the corridor to the relative safety of her own room, fearful that whatever was closed away would escape, and come after her.

After her visit it seemed that the sounds got louder and more pain wracked. Kagome felt that her heart was being torn in two, but didn't know what to do about it.

The Miroku, Sango and Myoga noticed the change in the noises that InuYasha was making, but didn't know the cause. No one but Shippou got a good nights sleep. He was only able to sleep for like most children when those they love are around, slept oblivious to everything around him.