Strength
Boton and Kurama hurried to help her climb back into the present and relieved her of the giant pack.
"Thank you," she rubbed her shoulders awkwardly. "Mama's probably already preparing a ton of food. If you leave now, we'll never be able to eat it all! Please stay." she offered.
"Thank you," Boton answered. She looked around Kagome but no red clothed figure emerged behind her. Her disappointment was obvious.
Kagome's blue eyes widened when she realized what or who Boton was searching for. She frowned slightly, unsure how she felt about that. Then she shrugged it off. She might care for him, but they were not together. Nor did she believe that they would ever be. It didn't stop her from feeling slightly jealous.
Her blue eyes met green and the frown disappeared. She smiled at Kurama and winked good-naturedly. She pointed a finger up into the tree branches above them.
Kurama didn't let his confusion show on his face but instead sent his energy searching above them. Sure enough, a dark blip marred the natural energy around them.
"Hiei, you are welcome to come join us too," Kagome called out.
A distant "Hn." was heard. The scrape of feet on stone was the only indication that he had moved. Kagome was looking past Kurama's right shoulder.
"Hello!"
Hiei nodded his head and crossed his arms. It seems no matter what he did, she could still sense him.
Kurama held back his smile, but he could sense Hiei's frustration. The girl had made some sort of impact on all the members of the team in one way or another. She could bicker with Yusuke due to all her practice with Inuyasha. She made fast friends with Keiko, Boton and himself. Even Hiei seemed unable to truly deny her. Kuwabara was probably the least changed because every spare minute was spent with Yukina. But even he got along well with her.
They followed her inside and she excused herself to clean up. Kagome took a fast shower and ran back down the stairs clean and refreshed. She hadn't bothered to dry to her hair this time so it clung in wet strands to her neck and back. She looked ruffled and entirely too mature in the sleek blue jumper she had hastily pulled on. She joined them in the living room where they had already been provided with drinks.
Boton asked her about her adventures this time around, hoping to hear stories about the hanyou that had caught her attention. Kagome smiled wanly for a second. "Actually, we accomplished nothing. No new shards. No new leads. Nothing." She frowned at her fingers. "Something has to happen soon."
Boton knew that Kagome had seen and done plenty in this trip, but what Kagome was focused on so completely was the important issues of Naraku and the Jewel. Everything else seemed trivial to the girl.
"What will you so, then?" Hiei asked.
"Keep looking, I supose. There isn't much else we can do."
"Stay and look here," Kurama suddenly said.
"What?"
"There is a shard in the land of the dead. That would be spirit world. It seems practical that it would still be there."
"Look for it here?" she thought for a moment. "Inuyasha would not want to be left out. Could he go to this spirit world too?"
Boton beamed. "Of course! I control those portals when the guys need them," she announced. Boton's normally cheerful mood jumped five degrees higher. If she wasn't careful, she would find herself walking on air...literally. "Should I assemble the team?"
"Now? I need to attend a few days of class, at least!" Kagome said.
"Oh. Right...and I'll need to talk to Koenma to get all the right papers signed and all."
"And we have finals coming up." Kurama reminded her.
"Already!?" Kagome squeaked. She dropped her wet head into her hands and moaned. "I am so not ready for my literature test in two days much less finals. And I don't even what to think of math..."
Thy listened to Kagome's muffled words and thought about how hard it would be for her to catch up. "I can help with the literature class...."Boton patted her on the back.
Kagome lifted her head and turned worried but hopeful eyes to Boton. "Really? Oh, Boton...Thank you!"
"We'll all be happy to help you," Kurama smiled. "I help Yusuke all the time."
"When he shows up, you mean," Hiei said.
"Yes, well. You know Yusuke."
She looked so damn relieved and happy that Hiei felt left out. He folded his arms and looked out a convenient window. School...not an experience he had any intention of partaking in. There was nothing really that he could teach her. Unless..."You'll need to learn to defend yourself with something other then that bow you carry around," he heard himself say. "Long range fighting is useless here."
"What do you suggest, Hiei?" Kurama looked at him with one brow raised.
"I can teach you to use a sword." He continued ignoring Boton and Kurama's shocked expressions. Kagome just glowed.
"Thank you, all of you. I'm so glad to have you fro friends," she sounded dazed. "I've never had so many willing to help me before."
"Dinner!" Mrs. Higurashi called.
Kagome stood up with her ever present smile brightening. "Shall we?" she pulled Boton up with her and offered a hand to each bot. She guided them all back to the kitchen, where they had an excellent meal and a history lesson, courtesy of grandpa.
When dinner was over, Kagome walked with her frineds to the shrine stairs. She made plans with Botn for the next evening, and hugged the spirit detective assistant quickly. Then she gave the boys a group hug and whispered "thank you" before running back to her home. She stopped and waved, then disappeared into the house.
Kurama looked at the shocked demon at his side. "Friendly, isn't she?"
"She-she hugged me!" Hiei said.
"I saw," Kurama chuckled lightly.
"Mou, Hiei. You act like you've never been hugged before." Boton shook her head at the fire demon whose face suddenly darkened. He leapt into the trees and vanished from sight.
Kurama watched him go sadly. "Boton, you are going to reverse all the good Kagome is doing for him, if you are not careful," he said.
"Huh? You mean Hiei has not-" she stopped.
"For a messenger from spirit world, you can be grieviously uninformed," he commented.
"Oh dear, I'll have to appologize when I see him again."
"Don't."
She thought about that. Hiei would prefer I drop the subject...pretend it didn't happen...She quickened her pace to match Kurama's long-legged stride. "So Kurama, what do you think of Kagome?" she asked innocently.
He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Boton," he said warning her.
"I know, I know. None of my business." She sighed and pulled out her floating oar. "Alright then. I can take a hint. See you tomorrow then, Kurama."
"Tomorrow," he agreed and continued home.
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Kagome had changed and finished up some of the assignments for class the next day. Then, she couldn't stand it anymore. She stomped across the room to fling up her window.
The warm breeze flowed in and played with the hair that now flowed in soft waves down her back. She blinked into the dark and glared at the tree tops. "Hiei! I know you are still out here. What are you doing?" she yelled.
He appeared on the branch just outside her window. She folded her arms on the window sill and leaned out. "You are as bad as Inuyasha."
His red eyes glowed sternly at her from the tree. "First, I remind you of the demon exterminator, now, that idiot hanyou. Woman, explain yourself," he said sharply.
She blinked at him in surprise. "Oh, it's just the whole hanging out in tree tops thing. Inuyasha spends a lot of time them which is kinda strange, him being a dog demon and all."
"And the exterminator?" he prodded. "What did you mean then?"
She rested her chin on her folded arms and sank down to her knees. She shifted her weight until she was comfortably on the same level as Hiei before she answered. "You just have that same look. Like you have lost everything, that you could care less about yourself. As if you have put everything into helping someone else that will never know what you've given up. You look alone even when you are surrounded by friends. Sango used to be like that."
He turned his face away from her. "Used to?"
Kagome suddenly grinned. "She got over those crazy ideas. She found that there is more to live for. And she can still love the brother that has forgotten her and keep true to herself too."
He looked at her again but stayed silent.
Kagome took this as a clue to continue. "The more you except from life, the more you have to give back to others . Sango learned that and is stronger now. She is still determined and focused on saving Kohaku. She just has more now, that's all." Kagome took a deep breath of the night air and looked at the stars peeking through the upper branches of the tree. "Actually I think she feels stronger about saving him because now she knows of all the good things there are still there for him to experience. She wants all those good things for him too. That's how she's grown stronger."
"Hn."
Kagome smiled. "Well, goodnight, Hiei. I have a feeling you wouldn't go home if I asked you to." She closed the window half way and thought better of it and pushed it back up. "You're welcome to come in and stay if you like."
Hiei stared back at the empty but open window and shrank back against the trunk of the tree. "I have no home," he mumbled to himself. The open window beckoned, but he turned his back to it and continued to keep guard, until the smoky fog of morning peeked on the horizon. As the dawn approached he gave one last, long look at the open window before leaving to check on his sister; the sister who would never know him.
He rapidly left behind the welcoming feel that Kagome had wrapped round him just by leaving the stupid window open. He cursed at himself and curled his hands into fists. Would my resolve to keep my sister safe grow stronger if I could share the relationship I want to with her? If we could truly be family... He put such foolish thought aside and continued on.