You know, I've never realized just how well Simple and Clean (the KH theme song) can be fitted to Inu Yasha.^_^ No, seriously, it wouldn't be hard at all. If I knew how, I might just make a video, but I don't.

*shrugs* aww well.^_^ Anyway, long chapter, but mostly because of all of the talking. Soooooo much talking. *sighs* but, some things needed to be explained.^_~

Oh, and as always,

_= thoughts *_* = sound/ italicized "_" = speech //_// = narration

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Memories of the Present

Chapter 14: Dark-haired Angel

"Is everything done Kaede?"

Around the room the two had spread all forms of herbs, spices, and healing potions. They had roots hanging from the ceiling along with jars of animal parts lining the edges of the floor, courtesy of Inu Yasha and Kouga of course. Fresh is always better. In the center of the room, the small cauldron over the fire was full, water boiling away waiting for the ingredients to come. Everyone had had a task to accomplish; even Shippou was sent out to make sure Kouga and Inu Yasha didn't go near each other while hunting. He may have had the most dangerous job. Granted, he could've been watching Miroku, but with the girls gone there was no female left for him to grope, except Kaede, and I don't think anyone wants to think about that. It had been Shippou's task to transform into the animal one of the two youkai had been chasing as to lead them away when they got too close to each other. Sure, his scent would give him away, but it had taken them so long to realize that he was doing it, that he hadn't needed to worry about that aspect until the very end of their assignments. Now all they needed were the girls and the shards. The old miko had confiscated the shards when Kagome first came back, so that wasn't a problem. The real question there was to why no one was able to look at them. She had been very secretive, even for her, but they all supposed that was due to the fact that this would probably be a "delicate operation".

Everything in its proper place, it was time for the girls.

"Inu Yasha, please fetch the girls from the spring."

"Feh, let Shippou do it," Inu Yasha said, waving his hand and feigning boredom.

"Shippou can not go. He be too small to carry the girl if she were to get sick again on the way back."

"I'll gladly do it Kaede-sama." Miroku rises, trying to appear noble.

"No lecher is going *near* my woman! I'll go." All but Kaede glare at the wolf youkai.

" Keh, out of my way." Inu Yasha pushes past everyone, Shippou at his heels. As he leaves the hut, the other three turn to each other.

"Well, that was easy enough." Kaede nods.

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"Kagome, what's that for?"

"Hmm... oh this? I just had a shower so I don't need to wash my hair, and I don't need to get it wet again."

"Ahh, makes sense to me. Okay, so let's bet on who's going to come barge in on us. It's about time someone did."

"Hmm... okay, that's easy, Miroku."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised, but Inu Yasha and Kouga would both be after him. I think he'd prefer his life over a chance to grope us."

"I don't know about that."

"Fine then, I'll go with... Shippou."

"SHIPPOU?!"

"Well yeah, who else are they going to trust enough to come get us? Besides, Inu Yasha fears for his life too." The two laugh at this a little.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. What do you want to bet?"

"Hmm... some chocolate if I win..."

A mischievous grin spreads slowly across Kagome's face. "And if I win… you have to let Miroku kiss you."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh come on, you know you want it!"

"What, did your sickness make you that delusional?"

Kagome giggles, "I'm fine and you KNOW you'd love it. Do you want the chocolate or don't you?"

After a few moments of thought, "Yeah, okay. You said Miroku right? But if you win, I'm NOT kissing him here. You *never* said I have to be half naked when I did it."

"Don't worry, we wouldn't want to give him a heart attack anyway. Besides, I said he'd have to kiss you, not the other way around. I suppose we could switch that if you *really* want to."

Realization dawns on her, and Sango blushes scarlet, "I... I didn't mean it like that!!!"

"Uh huh, oh, I hear something. Lets see if we can hide before they get here."

"Um... Kagome, we're in the water. Where could we hide?"

"Come on!" Kagome ducks beneath the hot water, pushing Sango down with her.

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"Where's Kagome?"

Inu Yasha smirks, "Heh, watch." Slowly, he walks right up to the spring's edge and waits. Within a few minutes the girls come rushing up from beneath the surface gasping and coughing slightly.

"KAGOME! I thought you didn't want to get your hair wet! What's the big ide...a? Um... Kagome? What are you looking at... ahh!"

With a yelp, Sango goes diving back into the water while Kagome stares in shock. Inu Yasha is face to face with her, maybe an inch apart... maybe. Right next to him, Shippou is standing there with his pants...

"Inu Yasha, why am I doing this?"

"HENTAAAII!!!" Kagome slaps Inu Yasha, standing to gain the force needed. Her towel slips off and their heads collide causing both parties to fall into the spring in a rather compromising position. All the while, Shippou is still standing there mooning them.

"Can I stop now?" He pulls up his pants; "I wonder why I supposed to do that. Oh no, now Inu Yasha's gone too!"

All three come up sputtering from the water. Sango notices her best friend's um... position (heh, sorry.^_^;), and comes to her rescue only to slip on some slime and send them all back into the murky depths. When they finally reemerge, Sango crawls out with a little help from Shippou and helps Kagome into a towel while watching her 'sit' Inu Yasha into infinity."

"Why don't you SIT down Inu Yasha?" *splash*

"Bi…"

"What an idiot," Shippou mutters.

"The water's nice to SIT in." *splash*

"Wen..."

"Tell me about it."

"Miroku?! Where did you come from?!"

"Maybe I'll help you if you SIT still!" *splash*

"Um... Kagome?"

She huffs, arms folded across her chest, "Yeah?"

"Aren't you afraid that you might kill him?"

"No Sango, if he has enough air to insult me, I can sit him again." *splash* Inu Yasha comes up sputtering.

"Keh, you don't need my help! I should've just stayed in the hut, but nooooo, Kagome's sick! I'm going back."

Kagome stops, staring wide-eyed at the soaked hanyou as he disappears down the path; He came because he thought I might need help?

Grasping her towel tightly, she runs over to him, but he doesn't stop. She walks along side him for a minute and then stands in front of him. Inu Yasha just stops, looks away, and 'feh's.

"Inu Yasha... look, I'm sorry. You just surprised me."

He scoffs, "And the other two?"

"You insulted me." She glares at him.

"Feh."

Instantly, Sango comes running along the path with Shippou. She's got both of their things and runs right past the pouting couple. "Hey Kagome, make that a week's worth of chocolate, and I'll see you in the hut!"

"Hey, wait, Shippou wasn't the one se... MY CLOTHES!" Maniacal laughter can be heard all the way down the path. A minute later, Miroku flies by chasing after Sango. Inu Yasha bends down and sweeps Kagome off of her feet before bounding after them

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"Humph!" Kagome changes in a nearby hut. She'd be changing in Kaede's, but Sango was in there with all of the guys. There are too many to move just because she needs to change. Besides, Inu Yasha won't let her near Sango for fear of the demon hunter's safety. And, after all, without Sango, Miroku would start groping Kagome more. "Stealing my clothes..."

She quietly mumbles some more and heads back to the hut. Inu Yasha had been sent to guard and watch over her while she changed (but not WHILE she changed, you know?), and now he was walking by her side, matching her step for step. It was amazing; even when she suddenly got dizzy and stopped, he didn't over step. Not again...

"Kagome?"

She groaned and collapsed into his arms, as her legs would no longer support her. The world spun around her in drastic colors and all she could think of was the sudden sickening of her stomach and what possible reason there could be for her to get sick so easily. Inu Yasha balanced her trembling form carefully and called for Kaede. She came out, shards in hand, and Kagome fell unconscious.

When she awoke, she was in her sleeping bag in front of the fire. She could smell herbs brewing softly and the smell did not agree with her. Groaning, she rolled over hoping to go back to sleep and avoid the sunlight that was already making her headache that much worse.

"I think she's awake."

Well, no more sleep for me I guess.

"Kagome, Kagome, are you okay?" The worried little kitsune snuggled into her sleeping bag with her. She cuddled him softly and buried her head into her pillow. Oh how the hanyou wished he were that pillow.

"Shippou," Kaede began softly, "ye must whisper here. Kagome probably has a headache and being loud would worsen it." Shippou's eyes widen and he nods, understanding clearly showing across his small features.

"Child, I am going to do a test. Tell me what ye feel." Kagome opens her eyes slowly as Kaede walks towards her.

"Kagome?" Inu Yasha looks over her, "KAGOME!"

"She's passed out?"

"Aye Miroku, it is as I suspected. The shards are causing Kagome's illness."

"Why aren't they making us sick?," Shippou whispers from beneath the sleeping bag.

Kagome opens her eyes wearily, "Ugghhnnn..." She attempts to sit up and falls back down, almost crushing Shippou in the process. Kouga reaches out to support her from her left side as the dog demon glares at them from her right. "What...?"

"Kagome, Inu Yasha has told me of the water that the frog youkai was dropped into. He said that it smelled like nothing he had ever smelled before. Do ye know what that was?"

"MMmm... the formaldehyde?"

Sango cocks her head gently, "firm-al-da-hide?"

Kagome holds her head, "formaldehyde is the chemical, um... a liquid, that we put the dead frogs into so that they don't decompose."

"Decom..."

Kagome sighs wearily. She had not the patience to explain her entire world to them, so maybe she should make this as simple as possible. "Look, in school we have a class where we have to dissect frogs. Dissect being to cut them open."

"Why?" Shippou looks up from the young girl's lap.

"I dunno, it's just something we do. Anyway, if the frog starts to decompose," she looks at the confused faces and continues, "rot, it would be too fragile and we wouldn't be able to. The frogs are put into formaldehyde to keep them from rotting." They all stare blankly at her.

"But that's disgusting!" Kouga looks absolutely horrified.

"Yeah, we think so too. School makes us do it."

"But Kagome," Inu Yasha pulls her attention away from his rival, "the frog wasn't dead; it was a demon."

"No, it was a regular frog and it was most definitely dead... or was until the shard fell into it."

"Humph... I still say it was a demon."

"This still doesn't explain why Kagome-chan is sick," Sango piped up.

"Doesn't it?," Miroku answered, "Think about it. The Shikon no Tama was inside *her* body. She is the one who can use it and she is the one it reacts to. Kagome shares a very strong bond with the jewel, and so, if something's wrong with the jewel, it's only logical that it would affect her as well. The rest of us aren't affected because we do not share the same bond as Kagome-sama."

Kagome groans gently and leans her head back against the wall. The noise was really starting to get to her now, but she couldn't leave. Not only was this important to know, she didn't have the strength to sit up by herself, let alone walk away.

Shippou looks at Kagome worriedly, 'But then, why was Kouga affected?"

"He, though not having a mental bond with the jewel, had a physical one. He drew strength from the shard's power and was therefore tainted by it."

"Then why...," Kagome began, but Kouga leaned her back against him and put his finger to her lips.

"Shh, save your strength. I'm not feeling the effects any longer because Kaede took my shards and is keeping them for me until we can figure out how to solve this problem."

Inu Yasha sat there staring at Kouga. He wouldn't. He didn't just... oohh... he's going to die. When Kagome is better I'll rip his head off of his shoulders!

Hearing the hanyou's low growling, Kagome turned to him and smiled, resting a hand upon one of his own. Her soft smile and Kouga's shocked face were enough to break he barrier of hatred he had created towards the outside world... for a moment anyway. He blushed deeply. The young miko, no longer noticing a growling, turned to Kaede.

"Is there anything that can be done?"

She thought for a moment. "Leave a shard with me. The rest of the shards may go with thee on thy journey; the one I keep shall be used to try and find a solution to thy predicament." She stands up and stretches slightly. "In the meantime," Kaede searches for something in the corner of her hut. Finding it, she returns to the group, "keep this pendant on thee. It will weaken the bond between the Shikon no Tama and thy self, and no longer will ye become ill when you come close to a shard. (this is what I meant in ch.12 when I said "see a pattern?") It is the best that this old miko can do."

Kagome gladly takes it and nods. "Thank you, I feel better already, but where can I put it? I don't have any pockets."

"Do I get one too?" Inu Yasha suddenly stands up and exits the hut, arousing suspicion from everyone around him. They all stare after him curiously and Kagome gets up to go find him, much to Kouga's dismay.

"No Kouga, there is nothing I can do to prevent sickness from a physical bond. That can not be blocked with the contact needed for the shards to be of any use to you. I shall keep thy shards for thee until the cure is found." Sadly he nods.

"So do we move on then?" Sango looks towards the door of the hut, "Kagome may not be ill anymore, and I know that Inu Yasha would have us move on, but..."

"Where would we go?," Miroku finished for her.

Kouga looks to them both; "I have heard rumors of a giant bird youkai that lives in the upper regions of my territory. He's been causing a lot of havoc and I was going to go take care of him later, but maybe this would be a better time."

Miroku looks at him thoughtfully, as if trying to figure out if he were telling the truth, but why would Kouga lie to them? "And you think it may have a shard?"

"Yes, at least one. I will give you passage through my territory and the information I have on this youkai, but only for a price."

Miroku raises a quizzical eyebrow, "Which would be?"

Kouga smirks, "Allow me to travel with you. Really, it would be my land you'd be wandering on, so I could be there if I pleased anyway. I just decided to be nice and give you a choice."

"Well, we really don't have much of a choice in the matter then do we? Though, we would let you come either way. You may be an asset to us, but Inu Yasha... that is another matter entirely."

"Don't worry about dog-turd. I can handle him."

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*achoo! ACHOO!* "Damnit! Someone's talking shit about me!"

Grrr... I can't *believe* I left Kagome alone with that wimpy wolf! Well, if he lays a finger on her I'll kill him. Besides, Kagome's strong and everyone else is there to protect her. Now, back to this..."

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"Inu Yasha! Inu Yasha, where are you?"

Yeah, real smart Higurashi, attract every demon in the forest. Hmm... knowing Inu Yasha he'll probably be in a tree somewhere. Let's see.

She had left Kaede's hut about five minutes ago to see where Inu Yasha had gone to. Of course, he had been long gone by the time she had gotten outside, but that never stopped her from looking before. Now, all she had to do was scan the canopy, catch sight of a red blur, and... bingo!"

"Inu Yasha!" She waved as she ran towards him, almost tripping over a root. He turned around on his branch and, when he saw her, nearly jumped out of his skin, causing him to fall out of the tree.

Okay, that was interesting.

"Damnit woman, don't DO that!"

"Sorry, I didn't think it was possible to surprise you."

He looked away and scowled, "Keh."

"Anyway, what did you run out like that for?"

He turns his back to her, "What do you care?"

Kagome hadn't failed to notice the smug grin on his face as he turned away. She stomped over to him and tapped him on the shoulder, demanding to know what he was doing. Before she could move, he had grabbed her, pulled the amulet from her hand, and began wrapping something around her neck.

At first she was shocked, but soon calmed down when she realized how lose the thing around her neck really was. The looked down and gasped. The amulet that she had been carrying was now the centerpiece of a necklace! But what was the cord made out of? It felt like a leather cord, but it was much softer and much stronger. It was silver, but it wasn't metal... wait, silver? No, it was white. It was a braided rope of Inu Yasha's hair.

Her jaw dropped. She admired the way that the white brought out the blue of the amulet. Actually, until now she hadn't really noticed much about the amulet. It seemed to be made out of stone, but was polished and smooth. Probably tumbled, maybe from the riverbed? Imbedded within the (human) ear-sized rock was a light blue stone about the size of an eye. It twinkled in the minimal light, and almost seemed to move and change colors as the breeze picked up and the wind shifted the tree tops. The rock itself was not carved, but the effects of the lines within made it seem to be so. It was of a light tanish color by nature, but the light from the crystal turned it slightly teal. Though somewhat plain, it was quite beautiful.

She looked up, not noticing how long he had been staring at it. She noticed that Inu Yasha had been watching her, and seemed to have an almost worried look in his eyes. When he saw her looking at him, his usual scowl returned and she giggled.

"You made the braid?" He nodded dumbly. Casually, she strode up next to him, stood there for a second, and then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Arigato."

He stood there, watching her walk off. Did she just kiss me?! His mind seemed to come out of its haze a few seconds later, and he noticed the blush that had managed to overcome his scowl. Inu Yasha looked stubbornly to the tree at his side, still blushing, crossed his arms, and said one word, "Feh." Then he jumped and caught up with the young girl, his dark-haired angel.