Wow, wow, wow! Has it really been so long? Man, this is getting ridiculous. But to make up for it, I do have a chapter twice as long as usual. Though I hated to end it, there is much to be done in terms of college and visas and all such arrangements. I'll get back to writing as soon as I can.

Chapter 20: Running in the Wrong Direction

"Kagome-chan… What are you talking about? You know that Inuyasha would never hurt you," said Sango, rather incredulously.

"It was him, Sango-chan. I could feel his aura. That's why I left you guys behind in the hallway. When I found him, he tried to take the jewel from me. He told me that he has just been pretending to care about me all this time, just waiting for us to finally put the jewel back together so that he could take it easily. At first, I didn't believe it, but when I tried to run…" Kagome caught her breath, "He attacked me."

"That's impossible," Sango practically shouted, "Inuyasha loves you. I know he does."

"That's just what he wanted you to believe… what he wanted me to believe."

Sango remembered well how it was in the beginning, when she had first stumbled upon the group of two humans, a youkai child, and an inuhanyou. The second she had been told that a hanyou by the name of Inuyasha had been responsible for the death of her comrades, she had resolved herself to killing him. He was youkai after all, and therefore was wild. Not even youkai, but a hanyou, therefore, wild and conflicted. She had been burdened with a life-long prejudice of youkai, except Kirara, of course. Even when Inuyasha had offered to let her join them on their quest, she had been very uneasy. The idea of working under someone of youkai blood… Youkai, whom she had been killing for years, who were considered so untrustworthy that friendship with one was forbidden in her village. Was it really possible that she had been right about Inuyasha in the beginning? Was it really possible for Inuyasha to hold himself back as long as three years to wait for the opportunity to strike? Was he really even that patient?

"Kagome-chan… You… you don't really believe this, do you? I know you've had your problems, but Inuyasha could never lay a hand on you. He has defended our lives and has taken care of all of us for years. Moreover, you know Inuyasha is far too stubborn to lay low for three years and manipulate us so effectively. It just doesn't make sense."

The miko's head fell to the side away from her friend. She couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed that Sango didn't believe what she had said, but she had problems believing it herself. She was right. The Inuyasha she had fallen in love with had such a big heart, such a loving soul. She couldn't count the number of times he had been crude only to turn right around and help someone in need, couldn't fathom how well he took care of her and nurtured their romance despite the hateful world around him. He was also childish, stubborn, rude, and impatient. So much at times she thought she should sit him till he begged for mercy. Could she really believe that it had all been a lie, and yet could she really deny what she had seen and heard and felt the night before? Kagome stared into space as tears blurred her vision, "Nothing makes sense anymore, Sango-chan. I'm just so confused. But I knew his face, his voice, his aura. I don't understand anything anymore."

A rustle of fabric could be heard as Miroku entered the hut with Kirara perched on his shoulder. Shortly following was Shippou, peering through the monk's legs to get a glance at Kagome. He could sense her pain. The only reason he didn't run over to her was the knowledge that she was injured. "Kagome-sama. Thank goodness you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Kagome wanted to snap at him for asking such a thing, but instead kept her mouth shut. Sango answered, "You guys won't believe it. She's telling me that Inuyasha is the one who attacked her."

The room was quiet for a second, and then Miroku furrowed his eyebrow, "What are you talking about? Inuyasha wouldn't do that."

Kagome whimpered slightly, and Sango said, "Supposedly, Inuyasha tried to steal the jewel from her at Naraku's castle, told her that he had been lying to us this whole time, and then tried to kill her."

Kirara leapt off of Miroku's shoulder and slowly began circling around Kagome. Miroku knelt next to Sango and stared at the miko who still refused to look at them. "Kagome-sama… are you sure about what you saw? It just doesn't seem possible."

Kagome moved her body just enough to show Miroku the bloody gashes on her shoulder and arm. "Look at my wounds. It looks like I've been used as a scratching post. Who else was there except for us and Inuyasha? Naraku is dead. Who else could have possibly made it so that they looked and sounded exactly like Inuyasha?"

They both made faces and furrowed their eyebrows in thought. It was true… so far as they knew, Naraku was one of a kind. He was the only one that had managed to take on Inuyasha's form in the past. With him gone, no one else had that power. By this time, Kirara had made it to the other side of the cot, and sat down next to Kagome's face. Her small beautiful eyes gazed at the injured girl questioningly, pitifully, and she mewed lovingly. Kagome knew Kirara was trying to be adorable for her sake. She tried to return the gesture with a smile, but couldn't even manage such a small thing. She turned her head again and gazed up at the ceiling. Sango, having been reminded of Kagome's injuries, moved to start bandaging the forearm, gently nudging Kirara out of the way.

It was several seconds later when Miroku spoke up again, "Okay, then… did anything seem off about him?"

"You mean other than the fact that he was trying to kill me?" She remarked bitterly.

"I mean was there anything about him that looked different? Was he in his youkai form?"

She shook her head.

"Explain to me, how did he attack you?"

"With his claws and Tetsusaiga."

Obviously, Miroku thought that he was going to get a different answer, because his eyes widened to twice their original size. "Tetsusaiga? Are you sure about that?"

"He tried to use Kaze no Kizu. I'd know it anywhere."

"Uh…" he struggled to think of something, anything that would prove this was all just a big misunderstanding.

Sango stepped in. "How was he even able to get close to you? Didn't you try sitting him?"

Kagome blinked, "I did, but nothing happened."

Everybody's eyes brightened hopefully for a few moments, before Kagome spoke again, "But he's already broken the kotodama rosary once before. If he did it once, he could do it again."

Sango and Miroku both heaved a heavy sigh. "Back where we started."

The person who had attacked Kagome had looked, sounded, and fought like Inuyasha. He even had a story that matched Inuyasha's attitude when their journey for jewel shards had just begun. Inuyasha had been the only one in the castle other than themselves, and there was no youkai out there powerful enough to do what Naraku did. And he not only had Tetsusaiga, he knew how to use it. So far, everything was supporting Kagome's story.

"Um… you guys?" Shippou finally spoke up.

The three humans all turned their hair towards the kitsune, who was standing by Kagome's stomach, his little fingers grasping her clothes, his head leaned slightly forward. He looked deeply troubled, and when he spoke, they knew why. "I can smell his fresh scent on her clothes."

"What?"

"There's no mistaking it. We haven't seen Inuyasha in days, but this is definitely Inuyasha's scent, and it's less than a day old."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Attempting to run after Kagome's scent made the healing process a lot slower on his wounds, but they definitely were healing. Within a few hours, he was able to run at a slight jog. By daybreak, he could run half the speed he could normally do in good health. Only problem was that in the hours he had taken, giving chase so slowly, Kirara could have carried Kagome hours and hours away from him.

Inuyasha hadn't the strength to count out how many days he had been separated from Kagome. By this time, her scent was practically nonexistent on his haori, stale and sorrowful. There was a small trace of it in the air, but mostly all he could smell was the reek of her blood, shaking his already weakened body with panic. Though he could no longer bring it upon himself to ever consider her weak in any way, he should have known that she didn't stand a chance alone in this world. And he should have known that she would be stupid enough to get herself into a predicament that not even the others could stop. Because she was just so damn curious… Always had her head in the clouds… Never thinking about the consequences of her actions… Assuming everything was just peachy… 'You'd better be okay. You wouldn't dare betray me!'

"God… Damnit!" He shouted out loud as his body burned.

The bandages were closed over his skin in a wholly unnatural way. Though he'd had more than his share of injuries in life, and had been wrapped in enough cloth to mummify him ten times over, he never kept them on for long. They were too hard to move around in. His face wrinkled in disgust as the ointment beneath the bandages began to dry, making his body feel hard and rubbery. With a movement of his claws, he sliced away the pieces, letting them fall to the ground in shreds. As he kicked away the bandages in frustration, he felt a sudden tweak in his heart. A vision clouded over his mind, a single thought of Kikyo, leaning over his body and staring at him with her full, beautiful, deadly eyes.

Had she been there all this time, in Naraku's castle? It surprised him greatly, that he hadn't thought of her in months, even though he still harbored deep feelings for her. And while he had known for a very long time that Kikyo kept to herself, he also knew that she had never been this far from him before, except maybe in death. Sooner or later, she would come looking for him, sometimes not even for anything important, as though it was just seeing him for a few fleeting seconds that made her solitude bearable. Endless questions plagued him about her absence for the past months. Why was she so far away from her village? Why was she all alone? Why had she chosen to stay in Naraku's castle when it was so vile that the very air was dead?

The hanyou held his arm against his stomach, which was at the moment feeling rather unsettled. The nauseous feeling that crept up his back nearly made him shiver… The injuries were deep, and a new ache issued as another painful explanation presented itself. 'Kikyo… Do you really hate me so much that you would injury me with your powers?'

He ground his teeth together, 'And then you bandage me? As though that would make me forgive you?'

Of course, he knew that in the past he had forgiven Kikyo many times when he probably shouldn't have. Kagome knew better than anyone that when it came to Kikyo, Inuyasha was never willing to admit that he had misjudged someone. Not someone who he had loved once. Perhaps it was his desperation to have what they had once lost that had made him so ready to accept Kikyo's mistakes. He saw now… that perhaps Kikyo wasn't willing to accept him, no matter what her feelings were for him, nor would she accept that Inuyasha now loved someone far more than he could ever love Kikyo. For someone who was so stubborn, perhaps he should have been less weak. Perhaps if he hadn't been so naïve, he would have realized that Kikyo was ruthless enough to set nearly-lethal traps for him, in an attempt to impede his escape, so that while he healed she could convince him to leave Kagome.

A new anger welled up inside him. A feeling of betrayal and disgust. A bittersweet taste in his mouth at the thought of his old love, where there was once warmth and hope. 'Ain't gonna happen! I'll never leave Kagome! I never thought you'd stoop so low to even try!'

The winds suddenly changed, and Inuyasha cursed loudly, for if they became too restless he might lose Kagome's scent. But with a few minutes, it appeared that the change had worked to his advantage. Very distinctly, he could make out the many smells of a forest not of the winter, smells of forest vegetation, pine, and fresh air. Alongside it were the unmistakable traces of two different youki. Kagome's scent was still stale in the air, but if Shippou and Kirara were close by, it could only mean that Kagome was close too.

His feet pressed harder into the ground as he ran, as though it would counteract the weakness that saturated his muscles. It was nothing if it meant that the others were close. Very soon, he would have to pretend that he felt no pain. Although, he didn't really know if he could hold up if something had happened to Kagome. 'First thing's first. I'll make sure Kagome's alright. Once I'm sure of that, then I can focus on letting my injuries heal properly.'

He caught sight of them!

Skidding to a halt in a clearing, he didn't even mind the roughness of the dirt on his feet. His eyes instantly scanned the area for signs of Kagome as he panted and held his stomach. Wetness drenched his fingers. The wound had reopened.

But when his eyes and nose could find no trace of Kagome, or any other human for that matter, he turned his gaze back to the kitsune, who at that moment dropped the rather large pile of acorns and herbs that he had gathered. They scattered all over the ground, and all Shippou could do was look at Inuyasha pale-faced, as though he had seen a ghost. Inuyasha opened his mouth, "Shippou-."

"Fly, Kirara! Fly!" the kitsune screamed.

Inuyasha blinked as the bush behind Shippou suddenly burst into flames. It wasn't long afterwards that the demonic form of Kirara emerged, leaving the bush surprisingly unscorched. She didn't even pause as she leapt forward to grab the back of Shippou's shirt in her teeth, and with a wide leap, she took off into the skies with incredible speed, leaving the hanyou with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

It was a second later that he realized what had just happened. They had run away from him. Confused as ever, he screamed out, "Shippou! Kirara! Where the fuck are you going? Come back here!"

Cursing the two of them, and silently promising the beat the kit, Inuyasha tore out into another run as he chased after them. "Shippou!"

He could see them. He could tell Shippou had heard him, because his little body tensed and he seemed to flail his arms and shout at Kirara, who then sped up even more. Inuyasha bellowed, "Where's Kagome?"

They were gone.

With an agonized groan, the hanyou forced himself to stop. Amidst the confusion boiling in his mind, his body's cry for attention would not be ignored. As his feet finally stilled, he threw one hand against a tree to hold himself up. Panting and staring into the empty skies, he waited for the awful pain to subside. When he was finally ready, he glanced down towards his stomach. The arm that was braced against him was soaked in red. As he peeled back his hand, a thickened layer of blood spread over his palm. Though the blood flow was not fast, Inuyasha quickly covered up the wound again.

'Kagome…,' he glanced up again at where Shippou and Kirara had flown away, '…They are running from me…?'

Inwardly chastising himself for the sickening feeling inside him that his friends should abandon him, he forced himself to run again. The pain never went away. But right now, all that mattered was finding Kagome. Something was very wrong. His friends, no matter how much they fought, would never run away from him with such fear in their eyes. He had never seen Shippou look so petrified. And a very deep part of his gut screamed at him that such fear was somehow, someway connected back to Kagome. Could he doubt that something might have happened to her, causing the group to fall apart, making the others fear what Inuyasha would do when he found them? Perhaps they were smart to run from him then.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

She couldn't help it as she gazed blankly into the crackling fire, breathing in the fumes absentmindedly, never a care for the unnatural flush on her cheeks. Her eyes, eerily dark and deep. Her hair, illuminated to a soft brown in the orange flicker of flame. Her heartbeat, pounding violently in her ear despite the stillness that enveloped her. It was here she sat as her tears finally stopped, not because we no longer felt the pain, but because she didn't have the strength to cry anymore. Her eyes ached with the force of her sobs. Of course, this had happen for times already in the past few hours. Once her body stopped protesting her pain, she would once again let her tears flow.

She had asked to be left alone, and there so she was, though they were never far away. It was odd to her, to be using a hut that she didn't own. A fleeting thought of the graciousness to the owner for letting her use it for the day came and went. But the hut was empty to her. She had no binds to this place.

With time and patience, she was able to pull herself into a sitting position. Now, as she pushed against the wall for some fraction of strength, she proceeded into a standing position with a wince. Then, pawing her knuckles against the wood, she walked her way around the hut and towards the door. When she stepped out into the open world, she found herself in the outskirts of some village situated on the hillsides of a mountain. Much like the village she recalled, this place was nestled where the trees had been cleared away, although here the nearby foliage was scarce and bare.

Sango had been kicking the dirt off her shoes when she finally noticed Kagome's emergence. "Kagome-chan… You can stand?"

The young girl nodded in her direction ever so slightly, and leaned against the doorframe with her hands gripping the smooth edges. Sango noticed with slight astonishment that all traces of light were gone from Kagome's face, any friendly feeling swept away. "I can stand alright. Don't worry about it."

The distress clearly etched in Kagome's features had toiled long hours with what could be remembered of her character. It vied to make of her a broken memory, in that her broken heart was a wound to be worn on her skin. Though the exterminator kept her silence, it greatly bothered her, the abnormal coldness of her friend's stance. There hadn't been a day when Sango couldn't recall the spark that Kagome ignited, in simply freeing whatever emotions she felt, whether the deepest sadness or the most profound joy. And she knew without having to ask that Kagome still fought with how she should feel, what she should believe. She knew that Kagome thought it an act of stupidity both to disregard the past and to accept it so easily. Her silence echoed the fear that she was going mad with confusion, with the daftness that she could not escape. What Sango could and would believe was without any clear foundation, for although her memory served to rekindle her faith in Inuyasha, so did the evidence make her a fool for believing.

The silence proceeded many moments after. Sango, who spent the time studiously staring at her giant boomerang went practically unnoticed by the miko. She had been staring with critical eyes at the passing villagers, who for some unknown reason refrained themselves from meeting her gaze. A fleeting thought crossed Sango's mind, that maybe they too thought Kagome a disturbed woman. "When the owner of this hut comes back," Kagome finally spoke, "we must remember to thank him properly."

Sango said nothing, and only gazed with sorrowful eyes at her broken friend.

"…We'll have to leave soon."

Sango knew what Kagome was implying. Eventually, Inuyasha could come after them, and with his nose, no doubt he would be following them much closer than they imagined. The night before had she expected him to arrive, but after hearing about Inuyasha's betrayal, Sango could only assume that Inuyasha was laying low until the right time came. He would come for the jewel. They had to run away, all of them. She didn't know where or how they would live or what they would do, but if they could survive even a couple days longer, they had to try.

It didn't feel right, running away from the man who had been their leader for years. Sure, he wasn't exactly agreeable, tactful, or even very smart. But every one of them had such loyalty to him, it was hard to throw it all away in one day. And Sango knew they couldn't run forever. Sooner or later, they would face the hanyou, and this time, on opposing sides. Making a face as her stomach turned, the exterminator tried to harden her reserve. She didn't think she could actually fight Inuyasha, or at least, she didn't think she could physically harm him. He was her friend, he was their protector, and more importantly, Sango knew that Kagome still loved him too much for her to consider such a thing.

It was possible that this was all wrong, she had told herself. Hope upon hope couldn't match her want to believe everything wasn't as it seemed. Until they faced Inuyasha, until she put herself face-first against the prospect of hurting her friend, they would never know the truth.

"Sango!"

They both heard the cry, though Sango seemed more distressed by the kitsune's call than did Kagome. Considering how close the kit and the miko were, it was a slight surprise that Shippou had chosen to call out to Sango when they both were present. She made a face, thinking that perhaps Shippou too had grown cautious of any interaction with Kagome.

But it was left to be pondered over at another time. As Sango stood, Kirara landed harshly some feet away, and a frantic Shippou sprang from her back and scurried over to the exterminator, followed immediately by the neko-youkai. By this time, Miroku, who had been loitering nearby, had rushed to Sango's side to hear what had the kitsune so flustered. Shippou tripped just in front of them, landing on his stomache at their feet. The monk and his wife looked down at Shippou curiously, who was panting loudly and still attempting to speak at the same time. Sango knelt down, gently picked him up from the ground, and set him back on his feet. "What's wrong, Shippou-chan?"

"In… Inuyasha… Inuyasha's here!"

A shock reverberated through Sango's spin as she suddenly sprang back upright. Finding herself not properly dressed for a fight, she cursed herself for not being ready sooner. Her eyes darted over to Kagome, who suddenly looked towards the group with wide eyes, not full of fear, joy, or sadness, but of some nameless emotion. The miko's lips barely moved as she uttered, "Inuyasha…"

Sango felt that she knew that look, the look of unrequited longing. Was the girl still so keen upon seeing the hanyou? True, she did love him, and it had been many days since she had last been close to him. Despite what had happened, perhaps her emotions were too torn for her to realize what could happen to her if Inuyasha was indeed seeking the jewel.

Miroku hurriedly questioned, "Where is he, Shippou? How far off did you see him?"

"Just a few miles away. He couldn't keep up with us, I think because he was injured, but by now, he must be at or at least close to the other side of the village!"

Sure enough, as though on cue, troubled cries echoed in the distance. "Youkai… Youkai in the village… Don't let him come any closer…"

The yells were almost immediately followed by a familiar crashing noise, the sound of shattering wood, and the exterminator knew at once that a hut had fallen beneath a hard blow. She heard aggravated cries; a voice she remembered. The chaotic noises of swords, arrows flying, men shouting, woman and children screaming, the booming sound of men being flung to the ground in piles. There wasn't much time…

"Miroku! Quickly, try to stall him as much as you can while I get ready!" Sango commanded as she made a rush over to Kagome.

Kirara followed after her. Sango turned to the neko-youkai, "Kirara, get Kagome out of here now! Get as far away from here as you can! We will find you again!"

At that moment, Kagome seemed to be snapped out of he daze, and she looked at Sango questioningly, "What? But Sango-chan, I have to-."

Sango interrupted, gripping the miko's shoulders, "I know… You want to stay here to find out the truth for yourself."

Kagome cringed a little, a little uncomfortable that Sango could read her uncertainty so well when even she could not.

Sango continued, "But Kagome-chan, if what you said is true then we cannot take that risk. Until we know for sure what is going on, we can't have you near Inuyasha. I'm sorry, but you have to go now."

Kagome's eyes glimmered with upset. Regardless of how ardently she wished to see Inuyasha, to see for herself what his true intentions were, she knew that she might only get close enough to discover the truth before he kills her. And while being in this world, feeling so alone and lost, made death seem not so horrible a fate, she had at least enough sense about her to know that she had to fight for whatever life she was destined to have. She only wished she knew for certain that she was right to run from the one she loved.

The cries of the villagers were becoming louder, and Kagome gasped almost inaudibly. She gripped Sango's clothing, "Don't hurt him. Promise me that you won't."

The desperate plea only served to intensify the woman's distress. "I can't promise that, Kagome-chan. But I promise that I won't do anything I won't need to, not until I know for certain what is going on. And I'll keep to that promise as long as you get out of here right now."

Two tears broke free, one trailing down either side of Kagome's cheeks. When she didn't reply, Sango did the only thing she could do. She gently pulled her friend over to Kirara and helped her on. Kagome did not resist. As Sango pulled away, she gripped Kagome's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Stay safe. We won't let him hurt you."

Sooner than Kagome was ready for, the neko-youkai had taken off into the air. She nearly lost her balance, but grabbed hold of Kirara's fur securely as they quickly gained altitude. The loud wind suddenly whipped at her skin, and she buried her face into the fur in front of her. 'Thing is… I think I actually still believe he would never hurt me.'

To be continued…

As always, I would really appreciate your reviews. And thanks to all those who have been so patiently supporting me through this fantastic year that can't go any slower. I love you all!