I Will Come Home To You

A/N: EEK. Finally, a chapter. ;_; Gomen nasai, minna, it's right dab middle of exam season. My last day is Tuesday. I got my two worst exams out of the way. I have Religion and Band. (Don't ask HOW we can have a band exam, I honestly don't know. @.@) I'm going to TRY to work on this story as much as possible, but I also have three other stories going and this story isn't at the top of the list. I'm sorry and I'll do what I can--this fic has a while to go. n_n

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Baka - Idiot
Demo - But
Ke - Feh

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Chapter Four~The Difference Between Friends and Enemies

Inuyasha's eyes snapped awake. His neck was sore, his back was sore, and several cuts and bruises were ailing him. Kagome was mopping his forehead with a damp cloth that he didn't want to know where it came from. He had had the most absurb dream, a silver-haired version of himself demanding not to drive her away. It wasn't very hard to guess who she was. She'd been there.

"Kagome?" he mumbled.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" she asked worriedly. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"No..not really," he said, looking away. "Just..odd. And confusing."

Kagome nodded sympathetically; she'd been having confusing dreams too, lately. "In the meantime, Inuyasha, I have to get you to a doctor."

"Baka," he grated. "There's no way you'd get me a doctor. You have no money. We're both grungy. They wouldn't let us in."

"I have to try," he said furiously. "You're hurt! I'm not just going to leave you like this!" Her expression softened. "Can you walk at all?"

"Yeah," he said, trying to stand. Kagome helped support him. "If you insist, we'll go to the hospital. But when they kick us out at the door, don't say I didn't tell you."

Kagome frowned. "I don't know what kind of hospitals you've seen," Kagome said as they walked slowly down the alley towards the hospital. "but I'm sure they won't turn away someone who's hurt." Inuyasha snorted.

People gave them stares and scooted away when they walked past. Kagome kept her eyes to the ground to avoid their hateful stares. Inuyasha followed her lead. When they reached the hospital, Inuyasha was surprised that they were let in at all.

"My friend is hurt real bad," Kagome explained to the receptionist. "We got jumped by some horrible gang last night. I got away okay, but he's hurt pretty bad."

"Well, we'll take good care of you here," the lady with the too-white teeth said with a bright, if blinding smile. "I just need you to fill out these papers."

Inuyasha helped Kagome fill out the papers, making up most of his information to mask himself from the public. A normal procedure for him.

"Say, that gang," the lady said once they were finished. "They wouldn't happen to be a gang led by a Naraku character, would it?"

Inuyasha's eyes snapped up at her. Kagome was in surprise too. "Naraku..?" she said.

"It's just that we've had a number of patients attacked by his apparent 'gang'," she explained. "And we had a young lady come in just the other day with some heavy wounds, and she died not long after."

"Who was it?" Inuyasha demanded. "WHO?!"

The lady blinked in surprised and worry at the violence Inuyasha was showing. "We aren't allowed to release this information...Please, the doctor will see you now."

Inuyasha took a deep, angry breath, and Kagome walked with him as they were led to their room. When they got there, Inuyasha nearly fell over from shock.

"Sango?" he said disbelievingly. "Miroku?!"

"Inuyasha?" said a dark-haired boy, looking at Inuyasha in curosity as he was forced down into one of the hospital beds. Kagome sat down in the chair beside him."You're still alive? I thought for sure Naraku would have targeted you next.."

"He did," said Inuyasha exasperatedly. "Why do you think I'm here now? How are the others?" he said, rushing on. "Where's Shippou? Kaede? Kikyou? Where's Kikyou?"

Miroku and Sango looked away from Inuyasha. "We're so sorry, there was nothing we could do," Sango whispered as a tear trailed down her cheek.

Inuyasha's eyes grew wide, and glittered dangerously with tears. "No..No it couldn't have been her.."

Kagome looked up into his eyes. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

Sango, the black-haired girl, shook her head. "He's hurting. Don't ask him about it."

"I'm so confused," she said, frustratedly rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry you've gotten caught up in all of this," Sango said. "My name's Sango. This is Miroku." He nodded a pleasant greeting.

"I'm Kagome," she said. "Don't worry about it, I forced myself into it when Naraku attacked Inuyasha last night..It's all my fault he got hurt."

"Shut up," Inuyasha growled, looking at his fists clenched in his lap. "You're the reason I got out of there. What was that pink light, anyways? I remember seeing it before I passed out."

"I...I don't know," Kagome admitted.

Inuyasha returned his attention to Miroku and Sango. "So. What about Shippou and Kaede? Are they still alright? Were they killed too?" The pain in his voice was crystal-clear, and it made Kagome flinch.

"Kaede and Shippou are okay," Miroku said. "They were released from the hospital yesterday. I don't know where they're staying, but they still come by every day to hear if there's any news about you. I suppose there is now. So, Inuyasha. Like to tell us how you got here? Who's the girl?"

"I found her a few nights ago," Inuyasha began. "Just scrounging for food. Rotten shit. Nothing like we used to enjoy, so I decided to teach her. Naraku caught up with us yesterday, and somewhere in the middle of the fight, she fought her way through to me and some pink light exploded from her and they all ran. I was unconscious right after, I don't remember anything much, really. I've just been wandering around, trying to keep out of Naraku's reach. Didn't work very well, as you can see."

Kagome looked down in shame, staring at her trembling hands. "It's my fault, isn't it?" She looked up when she felt something calloused but gentle touch her hand. She looked up and it was Inuyasha's.

"It's not your fault," he said forcefully. "It's my own fault for being such a god damned idiot."

"Demo.." she protested. "If I hadn't..."

"You didn't do anything!" his voice rose. "So stop blaming yourself!"

Miroku and Sango watched with curosity. Inuyasha was never the type to see a woman suffering and not feel anything, so it wasn't unusual that he would help her, but there was something different about this.

And conveniently, a teenage girl with her hair in a low pony-tail and a boy with reddish-brown hair burst into the room. "Inuyasha!" cried the boy, who couldn't be older than seven. "You're alright!" He grabbed Inuyasha's free arm and gave it a huge hug. Inuyasha removed his hand of Kagome's a patted the boy's head.

"I'm alright, Shippou," he said gently. "I didn't get hurt. I'll be fine."

"Inuyasha!" the other woman, obviously Kaede, gave him a great hug. "I was so sure you were done for this time...Naraku is as bloodthirsty as ever and he wants you dead."

"Ke," Inyasha snorted. "All this over nothing.."

"Inuyasha, he housed you and raised you all of your life," Kaede said seriously, looking him straight in the eye. "According to him, you owe him big. Twenty years of care and shelter and food...He's a greedy man. He's not going to give up just because you're out of his hair now. He will stop at nothing to hurt and kill you if you don't pay up and fast."

"You think I have that kind of money?!" he snapped angrily. "I can't even afford food to eat. I have to steal it. You think I like living this life?"

"He's not going to care!" Kaede snapped back at him. "He's going to hurt those around you before he kills you, don't you get--"

"HE ALREADY HAS!" Inuyasha blew up. His eyes were shimmering in a mix of grief and intense anger. "He killed Kikyou. Isn't that enough?"

Kaede looked at Kagome. "Who's she?"

"Kagome. Just a friend," he answered shortly.

"Has Naraku seen her?"

"Yes. She was involved in the fight that landed me here in the first place."

"She's as good as dead. Sorry, girlie, world's just tough like that."

"What do you mean 'world's just tough like that'?" Kagome snapped. "I'm not going to let some greedy psychopath kill me. I'm stronger than that. I'll stand up to him if I have to, but I will not let him kill me. He'll be scared of me by now, anyways."

Kaede perked a brow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I beat his entire gang."

Kaede shot a look at Inuyasha and he confirmed this ludicrous idea. "You. All by yourself. Beat Naraku's entire gang? How?"

"I'm not sure really," Kagome said, biting her lip. "A pink light came from he and they all ran away."

"That's it?" Kaede demanded. "Just a little pink light?"

Everyone in the room facefaulted.

"Just a pink light?" Inuyasha demanded. "I passed out because of the damn thing."

"Oh Inuyasha, you big baby," Kaede rolled her eyes. "So, Kagome, was it?" Kaede continued. "I'm sorry that you got dragged into this mess. But Naraku probably hates you as much as Inuyasha now for beating him so easily. I'd watch your back. If you'd like, you can stay with us. You seem pretty cool, I mean, you saved Inuyasha's life after all. And he seems taken by you, so you must be okay."

Kagome smiled. "Well, Inuyasha is my friend, and his friends are my friends, so I'll certainly stick around until Naraku has left you guys alone. It's terrible what he's doing and I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"You say that a lot," Inuyasha said, giving her a serious look. "But Naraku is dangerous. He could kill you and not think twice about it."

"I know," Kagome said, looking into her stormy purple eyes. "I understand that. But I just can't, and that's why I say it. I'm in. I'm not leaving. Not now."

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Again, sorry it took so long to get out. x_x I hoped you liked this chapter, it's setting up the plot. n___n As always, please review!

..

It's storming. And I'm scared of storms. -whimpers-