A/N: Well, since I didn't get any review answers to my note, I'll assume that you just want me to update. So here it is, after so long.
It's been busy for me, and I haven't had a ton of computer time. I've had my birthday, followed by some surgery for my infection, followed by being unable to sit for a week, and then going to my cousin's for a sleepover and to help her with her classroom setup. So, I won't make any more excuses than that, but it's about time, right?
Anyways, I'll say this again, for those who didn't read my note. I'm losing interest in this story. Fast. It's all I can do to write this story, and so I'm probably going to end it fairly soon. I would like to know what you think about it, and I'll accept anything and everything from asking me to keep going (but I'll need ideas) to flaming me for even considering ending it so soon (in which case, I'll still need ideas).
Moving on, the last thing to say is that I've dubbed the song Shape of my Heart by the Backstreet Boys (I'm lame and sad for listening to them still, yes, but they were a good group. If you can believe it, that's not even the most embarrasing group I listen to...I'm a mutt for music.) as the theme for this story, since that's what I was listening to in order to write this chapter. I love music that inspires you... But I'm giving themes of inspiration to all my stories, and the rest would be on my front page. Even one for ACE!
Right, enough ranting. You want to read, and I want to go to bed (it's late, and I haven't been sleeping well), so I'll let you go with one final word: I'm hoping to update again tomorrow. In fact, I've told my sister to do anything and everything she can think of to get me to write more. I hope it works.
Edit Note: Beta'd by Deb.
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Sango finally, after a lot of fuss on both their parts, was able to corner Shippo and force him to confront an incredibly curious, incredibly annoyed doctor. The young woman was tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for the young fox demon to answer her question. "I'm waiting, and getting impatient. What happened with Kagome? What aren't you telling me?"
Shippo was currently sitting on the couch, and there wasn't much he could do about moving. She had moved his wheelchair away, so he was effectively stuck. It made it frustrating for the boy to not be able to move. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said flatly.
Sango fisted her hands on her hips. "Don't lie to me. I know something is up with my best friend, and I want to know what. Keep in mind that I've got more experience and know more than you think I do, kid."
Shippo met her gaze squarely. "I don't know what you're talking about," he reiterated. He wouldn't tell her about Kagome being a cat, he wouldn't...
The door opened to Sango's home, revealing a handsome young man with shoulder-length ebony hair. His violet eyes took in the situation happily, watching his ladylove interrogating a young boy. "What's going on?" he asked wryly.
Sango grinned in triumph, making Shippo wince and wonder if it was a bad thing that Miroku had gotten home so early. "He's hiding something about Kagome," she accused, "and won't say anything."
Sango knew that Miroku saw Kagome as a sort of sister that needed to be protected no matter what the cost, often annoying the young woman to no end. Still, they hadn't had a horrible falling out quite yet...
The young man approached Shippo confidently. "Come on, you can tell me. A man-to-man talk, I'll even kick Sango out of the house," Miroku sat down next to Shippo, ignoring Sango's indignant 'Hey!', "what do you say? What's up with our lovely Kagome this time?"
Shippo smirked. He liked Miroku a lot, but the man wouldn't weasel anything out of a fox that easily. He wasn't nearly as good at manipulation as he thought he was. "I still have no idea what you're talking about."
Miroku sighed, placing a hand over his heart. "You wound me. I can't believe you don't trust me!" He put on his best 'I'm hurt' mask.
Shippo turned his head, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air. "If you won't tell me what you're talking about, I can't help it if I don't answer you."
Miroku shared a look with Sango. He would have fun getting Shippo to share his secret, and his somewhat sadistic side rubbed its hands together in anticipation. Fun, indeed.
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Chin-chan wondered what fighting had to do with finding their brother. They had been told by the lady that they had to learn, but it didn't make sense to the young boy.
Since they had been let out of their cell, they had been learning to fight. They had their own rooms, although they didn't stay separate long, and they were fed wondrous meals that filled them to their hearts content. They weren't punished, by any means or for any reason. Kanna was even starting to look a bit more lively.
Yet none of that sat right with Chin-chan. He was never one to voice protest without reason, so he hadn't said anything to Kanna. But things just seemed a bit off, not quite right. The lady had said that they would be able to find Shippo soon, that it was only a matter of time. But, every time they asked about the whereabouts of their missing brother, she would always tell them to wait patiently.
He watched as Kanna worked with a mirror, learning to use it to her advantage. It wasn't his turn yet, so he was able to rest and reflect on his thoughts.
They both missed Shippo terribly. They hadn't been away from each other for so long since they had been first thrown into the same twisted house. Chin-chan knew he had Kanna to help get through the days, but what about his lost brother? Did he have someone to help care for him, and to care for in return? Was he even alive?
As the days passed, Chin-chan was getting more and more doubtful about Shippo even being alive. Why would the lady keep putting them off the scent, if only to use them and keep their hopes up before letting the ax fall on their bared, delicate necks?
Sometimes pessimism was a positive thing. It kept Chin-chan from getting too excited over anything, so he was rarely ever disappointed. That didn't change for now- he wasn't hoping to find his brother. In fact, he would be pleasantly surprised if Shippo was better off than when he had last seen him. All that Chin-chan was hoping for was to find out what happened to him, and be able to put his soul to rest.
Kanna finished off her practice, and then it was Chin-chan's turn to be waved over. He grabbed his scythe, the weapon he was learning, and walked past his sister. She flashed him a smile, so much brighter than it had ever been at their foster home, and had a hard time plastering one on his own face. The last thing he wanted to do was to worry her, and so he made sure to keep his emotions securely locked in his heart.
He approached the teacher, and bowed. The time for thinking was over. It was time to fight.
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When Yuusuke and the others caught up to Kurama, he was sitting against the same tree with his eyes closed. He hadn't moved at all. It seemed as if he were a statue carved with the precision and perfection of an artisan who had worked in his trade his entire life. He didn't even stir as the others crunched through the clearing, making their way to him.
Yuusuke was worried. Kurama wasn't one to lose control over his emotions. It worried the brunette immensely that the red-headed adult had left so suddenly, not even checking to see if Kagome was alright.
It didn't help that Kagome herself hadn't moved from her huddled position in Yuusuke's arms. She still had her eyes closed, her ears were still flat against her head and her tail was still tucked under her. The only positive thing was that she had stopped shivering.
Kuwabara, always untactful, cocked his head while he stared at Kurama. He moved over to Yuusuke, then, whispering (not that it would help, since everyone would be able to hear due to the silence that coated everything), he said, "What's going on, Urameshi? I didn't think Kurama would be one to lose his courage and run away like that."
Yuusuke fixed him with a glare that said 'You're an idiot, you know that?' before motioning for Kuwabara to close his mouth. The tension that hung in the air spoke volumes more than anything else. It was nearly solid, and it made the three detectives uneasy.
"Kurama..." Yuusuke began, "it'll be a while before sundown. We should keep moving, if you don't want to lose time." The brunette tried to avoid mentioning the curse that was slowly taking over Kagome, nor the terror-filled experience that she had just been through.
Suuichi had been left to his own devices by his fox counterpart, and he had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep his mind blank of all thought. He waited a moment, gathering what courage he had left after witnessing the near-death of his love, and stood smoothly. He finally opened his eyes, blank of all emotion in an attempt to hide his sorrow at being incompetent when protecting Kagome.
Slowly, while the others seemed to hold their breath, he walked forward. He hesitated only a moment before he picked up Kagome and cuddled her to his chest.
She seemed to snap out of her stupor, and if she could have cried, she would have nearly drown herself in tears. She had been so afraid, watching Kurama as she fell, thinking it would be the last time she had seen him, touched him, been with him... And it hurt that he hadn't done anything. Her mind understood, but her heart thought otherwise. She cried as much for him as she did for herself.
Yuusuke noticed that Hiei had discreetly moved on, and poked Kuwabara. The carrot-headed oaf blinked, and was about to retort angrily, when he figured out what Yuusuke was trying to tell him. He nodded and began to follow the spirit detective, who had already disappeared in the trees.
Kurama clutched at Kagome like she was the only thing that kept him alive. And in most ways, a small part of his mind remarked ironically, she was. He knew what he was about to do, and his mind kept rationalizing his choice, but that didn't make it easier.
He heard the movements that said that Kuwabara was about to leave, and took a deep breath. "Kuwabara, wait."
The tall dunce stopped in confusion, and turned. Kurama walked up to him, cradled Kagome one last time, then handed her to his surprised comrade. He backed up, and the other two looked at him oddly.
Kagome blinked at the transferal. She didn't understand- did she do something wrong? Why had Kurama given her to Kuwabara...? "Kurama," she began, but was ignored.
"Kuwabara, take her home." Kurama turned around, unable to face the now hurt expression on Kagome's face.
"What the--what do you mean, take her home? I thought the entire reason we were given this assignment was because we needed to find the person who did this."
"That is the reason. But, after what happened, I realized that...I can't keep Kagome safe. She shouldn't even be out here, not with the stress that she's under and with all the danger here. She can't protect herself, I can't protect her...Take her to where she'll be safe." He hated the pleading note he had in his voice, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was already straining, trying to appear as detached as possible.
Kagome's jaw nearly dropped. "You can't be serious...I can take care of myself. And besides, I've got four fine gentlemen watching over me, what more could a girl want?" She tried to make light of the situation at hand. She couldn't believe what she was hearing...had Suuichi gone mad, or was this Youko's doing?
Kuwabara nodded. "We can take care of her, we can even take turns watching her and protecting her. It'll work out, she doesn't have to go all the way back to the human world."
Kurama shook his head. "She almost died," he stated, talking over Kagome to try and make it less painful for him. "I almost lost her, and I can't stand it that I didn't do anything. I could have sent the plants after her, I could have held onto her better...hell, I could have dove after her like you did. I didn't. I can't protect her, I didn't protect her, you did, and if something happens like with before..." he trailed off. "You won't always be so lucky."
Kuwabara hated it, but Kurama was making sense. And that made it all the more frustrating. If something bad happened to someone he cared for, or if she had gone through what Kagome had, Kuwabara knew that he would make the same decision as his friend was. Slowly, reluctantly, he tightened his hold onto Kagome. "Alright."
That one word shattered Kagome's tentative hold over her hysterics. Kurama started to walk away, and Kagome had to stop him. "Wait a minute, don't I get a say in this? Dammit, Kurama, wait! Stop it, I'll be alright!" He didn't falter, he kept walking, and he was nearly to the tree line. To make things worse, Kuwabara was turning back the way they came. "Stop, Kazuma. Take me back. I'll talk to him, don't do this, please," she began to struggle. They were getting farther apart...they weren't listening to her... "Suuichi! Stop it, come back, don't leave me. I'll be fine, I will, please, wait!"
Kurama disappeared, and Kuwabara didn't turn around.
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End Chapter
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