Chapter 4 "A Little Help"

The sun was just beginning to dip behind the trees as everyone finished cleaning up the village from the fire the previous night.

Inuyasha yawned and sat on a high tree branch, gazing down at Kagome as she and Shippou played happily in the golden rays of the setting sun. He was so intent on watching the mortal, he didn't notice he had a visitor.

"Hey." Michiko said as she sat down next to him.

Inuyasha smiled a little and then went back to watching Kagome.

"Enjoying the show?" Michiko asked slyly.

Inuyasha blushed and whirled around to face her. "WHAT?!"

Michiko shrugged. "Well, if you're not watching Kagome, then who are you watching? The kitsune?"

Inuyasha looked away and didn't say anything.

Michiko sighed. "Come on." She said. "I know you like Kagome."

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, do you?"

"Yes... I atleast know that much about you."

Inuyasha turned to face her. "How can you tell?" he asked nervously.

Michiko shrugged. "It's simple, really. You're always watching over her..."

"She's my shard detector."

"Is she?"

Inuyasha turned to look at Michiko. His eyes widened when he saw she was holding out a piece of the Shikon no Tama. "Where did you get that?" He asked.

Michiko frowned. "The demon I battled yesterday had it. But that doesn't matter right now. I need to ask you a question, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Where was she going with this?

"If I was to say that this is the last fragment of the sacred jewel and give it to you, that would mean your 'quest' is complete, correct?"

Inuyasha frowned. "But it's not the last..."

"Just answer my question."

"Well, yea... It would be the end of our shard-hunting, obviously... what's your point?"

"What would you do after that?"

"After what?"

"After it's all over. What will you do when Kagome's not around?"

Inuyasha was silent, and he sat there with a rather surprised look on his face.

Michiko sighed. "I guess you've never thought of it that way, huh?"

Inuyasha gave her an icy glare. "Guess not." He growled. The hanyou definitly didn't like people messing with his feelings... and he certainly didn't need to hear his sister, whom he had just met, go around telling him what he should and shouldn't do.

Being the hanyou Michiko was, she immediately picked up on Inuyasha's feelings. She could sense he was angry at her. She frowned. "You sure are rather snappy, Inuyasha... maybe the kitsune was right about you being somewhat of a lunatic."

Inuyasha growled. "Yea, well I don't need you filling my head with all that shit about what will happen so far in the future. And what do you know about this stuff anyway? It's not like you've ever been stuck like this before..."

Michiko winced at what Inuyasha was saying. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "You remember what that goddess had told mother, don't you?" she asked when she had cooled down a bit. "She told her that even though we would be separated, we would still experience the same occurrences the other did."

Inuyasha thought about that for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was no longer hard and bitter. Instead, it had a tone of interest to it. "I was pinned to a tree with a magic arrow and slept for 50 years." He said, challenging her word. "How come you don't look old?"

Michiko shrugged. "I never changed, Inuyasha. I stayed this way, never turning 19... I should be 70-something years old by now, but I'm not. About a half a year ago, I started to grow again... was that when you were freed from the spell?"

Inuyasha nodded. "So what the goddess said was true." He muttered. "Even though we were separated, you still went through some kind of suspended animation for the 50 years I was under the spell."

Michiko nodded. "And that's why I know what it's like to have feelings for someone... and be afraid to tell them how I feel... I went through the same thing you did."

Inuyasha did not like the sad tone of voice his sister now had. "And what happened?" he asked.

Michiko sighed. "Well, I fell in love with a human man. His name was Shentuki... he was a mortal, as is Kagome... and the whole time I knew him, my heart longed to love him... I desperately wanted to tell him how much I loved him... there were so many perfect moments... so many simple phrases I could have used... but no. I waited too long to tell him. It wasn't untill he was on his deathbed from a rare disease that I decided to tell him. But before I could, he died."

Inuyasha gasped. If what the goddess said about them having the same occurrences happen to them throughout life, then did this mean that Kagome was going to die before Inuyasha told her how much he loved her? This scared the hanyou. "You mean Kagome will suffer the same fate as he?"

Michiko nodded solemnly. "Yes, Inuyasha. If you do not tell Kagome how much you care for her soon, it just may be too late. And just think of how you'll feel then..." she added. "You'd always regret not telling her. You'll lay in bed at night, thinking... wishing that you had just said those three little words... the grief would eat you alive."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment. The words of his sister wrang through his head. 'She has gone through so much pain,' he thought to himself. 'And she really knows what it's like to love someone...'

Michiko suddenly stood up to leave. Inuyasha looked up at her. "I need to be alone." She said. "But I hope you go talk to Kagome... you never know what will happen tomorrow, next week, next year, or 5 seconds from now, for that matter." She said. "So make sure you do the right thing."

With that, Michiko leapt off the branch and landed on the ground gracefully.

Inuyasha thought about what she had said. He knew that he would have to talk to Kagome eventually about his feelings for her, but two things stood in the way. For one, he wasn't sure how Kagome would react to him telling her everything that was in his heart. Would she accept and return the love he had for her? Would she reject him? Inuyasha winced at that thought. There was no way that his heart could withstand breaking again.

The other reason he had for holding back on Kagome was actually not a reason at all. It was a person, and her name was Kikyo.

Inuyasha sighed as he leaned against the trunk of the tree. His mind traveled back to the time when he and Kikyo were in love... everything had seemed so perfect, so wonderful. And then Naraku came and ruined everything... his overwhelming evil ended their love relationship, and corrupted the miko. Her very soul now was tainted with a black evil, and she yearned for revenge. Not only that, but she was constantly trying to kill Kagome.

Inuyasha could not imagine how Kikyo had turned so evil. But he knew that he still owed her so much... he owed her his very life. And that was something that he could not deny. He had promised the miko that he would always protect her- he had sworn it. And now here he was, about to give his heart to another woman- Kikyo's reincarnation, at that... and he just wasn't very comfortable about it. Deep down inside, he still loved Kikyo, and she would always be a part of him as long as her corrupt soul still wandered the earth.

Kagome's sweet voice echoed through his head then, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Ok, Shippou, time for bed!"

The kitsune made a sad face as he jumped into her arms. "Awwww, Kaaaagoomeee!" he whined. "Do I have to? I'm having so much fun!"

Kagome giggled and patted Shippou on the head. "Yes." She said. "If you go to bed nicely now, we'll play some more tomorrow."

That was enough to convince Shippou to go to bed. He squealed happily and jumped out of the mortal's arms and over to her sleeping bag, were he curled up into a little furry ball and drifted off to sleep.

By now, the sky had turned a deep shade of blue, as Kagome yawned and stretched her arms above her head.

Inuyasha gazed down at her, watching her every move intently. Protecting and guarding Kagome had always seemed so natural... so right. And that's what had always confused him. Why was it that he never felt this way for Kikyo? Sure, he loved the miko, but there was never that need to protect her like there was for Kagome. Maybe it was because he had known she could defend herself so skillfully and well with her bow and arrows... or maybe he wasn't meant to. Maybe fate had worked as it was supposed to all along... Maybe-

"Goodnight, Inuyasha!" Kagome called to the hanyou. Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"G'night." He muttered.

Kagome sighed sadly.

Inuyasha's ears picked up on the sad sound she had made and grew concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged. "It's nothing, really... well, I just wish that you would actually say goodnight nicely for once. You always mumble it like you don't want to say goodnight to me... is that true?"

The hanyou gulped. How could she possibly think that of him?! Because that's how you act, said the little voice inside his head. Inuyasha growled, knowing that was right. He never showed much care for Kagome... all because he was afraid she would think he was sappy. He was proud of being a tough hanyou... and he was determined not to give that up.

Kagome looked down at the ground, hurt. Inuyasha's silence had saddened her. The hanyou gave her the impression that he truly didn't care. And that thought brought tears to her eyes.

Inuyasha gasped as he sensed her tears. "K-kagome?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"

Kagome frowned. "It's not like you care!" she cried.

Inuyasha's ears drooped. Even though her words stung him, he couldn't deny he acted that way... so Kagome had every right to believe what she did.

"No Kagome... that's not true." He began.

The mortal looked up at him hopefully; tears still glistening in her saddened eyes.

"What I mean to say is... I... I really... I really do care... about you."

Kagome looked up at him with a small smile playing on her lips. "You mean it?" she asked.

Inuyasha gulped, feeling himself start to blush. "Well yea, I guess so." He said quickly, jumping down from the tree. "Now no more crying. And get to sleep."

Kagome stood there for a minute, watching as the hanyou turned to leave. "Thankyou, Inuyasha." She then whispered.

Inuyasha's ears swiveled towards the sound of her voice, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Thankyou for saving me before... and thankyou for caring about me."

Inuyasha was about to say something when he felt her wrap her arms around his waist. He tensed up for a moment, nervous that Kagome was acting this way. She must have gotten the message, for she moved away and started to walk towards her sleeping bag. But before she got too far, she thought she heard a "You're welcome" from the hanyou. But when she looked back, he was gone.

With a smile, Kagome walked to her sleeping bag and climbed in it. She snuggled down into its warmth, and sighed. She closed her eyes and slipping into yet another dream about the hanyou she secretly loved so much.

Inuyasha let his breath out when he saw Kagome go to bed. He had been so nervous... his instincts wanted him to push her away and escape from the tense situation, but he had overcome it and told Kagome he cared about her. "Atleast that's a start." He muttered to himself.

Inuyasha settled down into a pile of soft leaves at the base of a tree, and he, too, felt his eyes close. And the last thing he saw was Kagome...