IM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. :(, HECTIC LIFE RIGHT NOW. ANyways, in a lighter tone here's the next chappy. Hope you enjoy :)

Exposure

"I don't believe it. I just don't believe it." Shippou hung up the phone and turned to face them, his expression baffled.

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked again. "Are they sure?"

Miroku stared at the floor, as if it had hypnotized him.

"They've checked and double-checked." Shippou fell with a thump into his chair and took an absentminded sip of coffee. "They say it's a mess over there; everybody still has a different story about what happened. Most of them still think it was a joke, and they're mad ' cause it ruined their party."

Sango sqeueezed Kagome's arm, but they kept quiet.

"Nobody's missing," Shippou said incredulously. "Nobody's missing and nobody's reported anyone missing."

"It's a mistake then," Sango said flatly. "They've made a mistake-"

"oh, Sango, don't be stupid," SHippou shot back.

"If Kagome saw someone, then there was someone!"

The silence was electric. Kagome lifted her face from her hands and looked accusingly at each of the boys in turn.

"I know what you're thinking." Now their eyes were on her; only Miroku had the grace to look halfway guilty. "I didn't imagine it. It was as real as any of you. I heard someone scream, and I heard someone fighting for her life."

Inuyashas mouth tightened into a thin line. "How do you know it was a her?"

"Because it sounded like a her!" Kaogme nearly shouted. " I heard her, and I saw her go down! I don't care what you say!"

"This happened before." ," Sango said softly.

Everyone stared at her, reluctantly.

"Come on," Shippou said too quickly, too lightly. "You can't-"

"It did happened before." Miroku shook his head slowly, staring at some inner memory. "That other lifeguard-Kikyo-the night she drowned, she heard someone drowning, too...only..."

The silence stretched on forever, until Inuyasha suddenly filled it. "Only there wasn't anybody there. Except Kikyo. Yeah, I've heard all that garbage-what are you bringing all that up for again?" But he looked uneasy and shifted his eyes away.

"I saw someone," Kagome whispered.

Shippou seemed fascinated by an invisible spot on the ceiling. He watched it for quite a long while before he spoke again. "But that was the sheriff that just called back, Kagome, and he said-"

"She knows what he said, Shippou, she's not deaf!" Sango snapped.

Kagome jumped up from the couch, flinging away Moriku's arm. He looked slightly stunned, but her pride forced her on out the front door and across the yard to the beach, where the wind and the ocean drowned out her anger. "I hate you!" she screamed, and she raised her fists into the air and shook them at the endless black water. "I hate you! I'll always hate you!"

Her knees gave out, spilling her onto the sand. "I hate you...I do..." And still the screams came and all the memories, all hurting, all hurting at once, until there was no strength left in her whole body.

Kagome lay there, limp and exhausted. She didn't even move when she realized that someone had sat down beside her...that myabe he had been sitting there for a very long time.

He handed her a handkerchief, and at last she looked up.

It was Inuyasha.

"Go away," Kagome siad miserably. "I don't want to talk to you." She blew her nose and squeezed her eyes tightly. ALready her head was beginning to throb.

"Tell me again what you saw," Inuyasha said quietly, but kagome turned her face away.

"No. I've told you a million times already. Look, do you think this is my idea of a joke? That I'd put Miroku-or any of you-through all this-" She broke off, and slowly got herself under control. "You..saw im out there tonight," she went on unevenly. "He was like a crazy person. It broke my heart."

A long silence drew out between them, beneath the low howl of the wind, and the waves crashing onto the shoreline. Kaogme shivered violently and pressed herself into the sand.

"And what else is breaking it?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome stiffened, ready to defend herself with denials. But she just couldn't fight it anymore.

"My father died. Two years ago." She waited for some word of condolence, but when it didn't come she went on. "We were at the beach, and we'd gone out into the boat." She held her breath till her head felt like exploding. She exhaled slowly. "Somehow...the boat turned over. Dad..." She swallowed painfully, her voice catching-"Dad didn't make it. He saved my life...but he...drowned."

Beside her the shadows shifted as if Inuyasha had lowered his head. She felt his thigh against the curve of her arm.

"I still see him, you know...I have these dreams and they keep coming and they're so real...I see him reaching out to me, and telling me not to struggle, because it'll be easier if I don't fight him..."

She couldn't stoop the crying then, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back, but when at last she grew silent, Inuyasha was still there.

"Well," she said at last, drawing a shaky breath, "now you know. I guess you're sorry you asked."

"And I guess I'm supposed to blame you or feel bad for you beacuse your father's dead and you're not. Is that it?"

Kagome was so shocked that she raised up on her elbows. "He did trying to save me! Don't you understand? He was the kindest, the most loving-"

"A saint, yes, I see." Inuyasha waved his hand. "Please. Spare me the details."

She gaped at him. "How can you talk like that? You don't understand at-"

"I understand," Inuyasha said slowly, each word distinct, "That some things happen to us that we can't control. There's no explanation for them, and they never make sense, no matter how much we want them to. That whether we're good or bad they don't really have anything to do with us at all." His black eyes fixed on hers, drawing her into their depths. "I understand," he said," that you've been given a second chance. My advice to you is don't blow it."

Kaogme felt anger surging up in her, and the look she gave him was scathing. "Well, I might just be dead by morning, thanks to you, and I hope that makes you very happy!"

"Dead!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Of what? felling sorry for yourself?

"It just might interest you to know that Totosai almost strangled me tonight!" It was out before she thought, and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"He threatened to kill me!" she went on, but some of the boldness had gone fron her voice. "He said I might wash up on the beach some morning like all the others." She shut her eyes against a sudden image...a body...by the lighthouse...in the weeds...

"Totosai said that?" Inuaysha's voice sank even lower, his stare going though her like a lance.

"He saw me go on his boat today," Kagome admitted reluctanly. "He said again that he didn't kill Rin...But-"

"But what?"

"What he told me before. That he knows who did."

Inuyasha wasn't even looking at her now. He was gazing out to sea, and the wind lashed his hair, giving him a wild, frightening look. Kaogme heard his voice, carefully.

"Did he say who it is?" Inuyasha asked.

She shook her head. "No. Just that he knew. But he didn't tell me."

Something snapped on the path behind them and Inuyasha was on his feet so fast that Kagome wasn't even certain she had seen him jump up.

"Relax," Shippou's voie came out of the dark. "It's just us."

It was obvious that Inuyasha didn't appreciate being eavesdropped on. He reached down and pulled Kagome roughly to her feet, glaring at the newcomers. "What do you want?"

"We were getting worried, " Sango said annoyed at Inuyasha.

Shippou just laughed it off. "So old Totosai has the murderer picked out , huh? Well, this island is just crawling with smart detectives-"

"That's not funny, Shippou," Sango glared at him.

"Sure it is. ALmost as funny as you and Kagome are." Shippou grabbed her arm, but Sango shook him off. "Oh, come on, be a big girl and use your head-you remember, that place where everyone else has a brain?

"Drop dead, Shippou," Sango muttered and Kagome stood there helplessly, watching her go.

"Sango!"

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Sango called back, strangely choked. "Are you walking on the beach in the Morning?"

"Yes, but-Sango, wait!" Kagome ran after her, only half conscious of the boys heading back to the house. "Sango-"

"Its my fault, you know"-Sango wiped angrily at her tears, tried to smile. "He's such a total jerk and I'm so stupid-"

"No, you're not. I think Shippou likes you more than you know-More than he knows-"

"Now who has an empty head?" Sango's laugh was weak, and she shivered. "Listen, can I borrow your jacket? It's a cold walk home."

"Why don't you wait a minute," Kagome slipped out of her windbreaker, handing it over. "Let Mioku give you a ride-"

"No thanks." Sango jerked the hood up over her head and dug her hands into the pockets. "See you in the monring."

Kagome trudged back, going up to her room without seeing anyone. The boys were all in the kitchen and, she supposed, still having fun at ther expense. She tried to put herself in their places, but it only made her angrier. I'd believe Miroku..I'd belive Miroku, no matter what he told me...

The knock at her door nearly sent her out of her skin. "Who is it?" she asked, almost angrily.

"Me. Miroku." Kagome went over and opened the door, and they stood there lookin at each other. There were dark circles under his eyes, a gauntness to his cheeks where the last few days had finally taken their toll. "I...just wanted to check on you..to see if-"

"If I'm still seeing things?" The words were out before she could stop them. She turned away and sat on the foot of her bed.

"Look," Miroku said at last, "I don't know what happened out there tonight...what you saw or heard...I do know that something was wrong. That something terrified you. I guess...well, I guess I just went crazy for a minute, diving in and not finding anyone. I guess I just kept thinking about Rin and..." His explanation trailed off, and his eyes lifted, bewildered. "I'm really sorry about your dad."

So he and Shippou had heard that part, too. Kagome stiffened as Miroku crossed the room and sat down beside her. "This whole thing...I guess it's been like a nightmare for you."

And again she numbed her emotions, her body, her mind. It took a while to even realize that Miroku's fingers had slipped beneath her chin, were tilting her head so their eyes met.

"Oh, Kagome," he whispered , and his lips met hers, his arms strong in ther gentlness, wrapped around her, easing her down, holding her close, keeping her safe..."Kagome," he murmured again, and for just one brief, sweet instant, pressed against him, heartneat to heartbeat, all her walls and defenses crumbled uselessly, finally away..."Kagome...I need you..."

XXXXXXX

He flattened himself against the lighthouse wall, his eyes wide and fixed in terror on the rocks below.

"It wasn't her!"

This couldn't have happened-couldn't have , not to him-not when he'd planned so carefully...

The wind was like the inside of his head, screaming and shrieking, like she had screamed...like she had screamed and screamed, the whole way down until she'd finally hit those rocks and lay still...

He caught his breath, his own scream choking him.

It was Kagome's fault, this terrible thing that had happened.

Kagome's fault.

She'd said she'd be out walking this morning...he'd heard her say that...and he'd waited for her, oh, so patiently...just watched and waited for that purple windbreaker to come up the beach...waited and followed...tracking her..choosing the perfect moment...

And he'd felt that strange, wonderful thrill coming up behind her...that flow of pure invincibility...that strange, cold joy as she sensed him there and whirled around-

Only it wasn't Kagome.

It wasn't Kagome that had whirled around, eyes wild, staring, not begging, just staring and crying-"Oh, my God..not you...not you..."-And her eyes, two perfect mirrors of his wwn face-

He'd hated what he'd seen in her eyes.

In that last split second, what he'd seen there with the horror and the terrible fear.

PIty.

He'd shoved her , hard, because he'd had to, because she knew who he was now, and she was sorry for him, and he hated her for that...hated...

"Oh, Sango...Sango..." he whimpered, "I didn't want to kill you, too..."

And again he heard the screams, Sango's screams as her body had hurtled down the cliff, and his screams, even now, as he leaned against the lighthouse wall, and he couldn't stop..couldn't stop...

It was all Kagomes' fault.

She had tricked him.

The lifeguard drew a ragged breath and stared down at the limp body on the rocks.

Tricked him...

Now...and finally...it was his turn

DUN, DUN DUN. PLEASE DONT HATE, AND PLEASE REVIEW. UPDATING SOON, ONLY COUPLE CHAPPYS LEFT :)