Have Faith in Me

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Kagome hugged the strangely clingy old woman one last time. "I'm fine!" she gasped. "Kaede, I have to go catch him!"


"Of course...sorry child." Kaede blinked her one good eye to clear the misty sheen of tears.


Kagome hurried away to the well, praying she could catch Inuyasha before he gave her mother a heart attack. She ran past the stoic Sesshoumaru, skidded to an undignified halt, turned around and threw her arms around the Tai-Inuyoukai's waist. He grunted in surprise but she was already releasing him before he could demand she let him go.


"Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I won't forget your kindness to me," she whispered. She left at a run and disappeared into the trees.


"What has you frowning so, my lord?" the old lady asked respectfully.


He put his indifferent mask back on. "This Sesshoumaru went to all that bother to bring that human to her village after being lost in the wild. As soon as we arrive she runs back into the forest after my idiot half-brother, when he is the one who lost her in the first place. I will never understand humans." The way he said it made her aware that he really had no desire to understand humans.


"Kagome is a bit different from the rest of us," the old miko smiled.


He blinked coldly at her and turned to leave. "She is no longer my problem. I will not help her find her way again if she is so determined to lose herself when she is just returned home."


"She is going home."


He regarded the quiet village and the old Miko with a steady eye and raised a questioning brow at the forest in the opposite direction "Indeed?" he eyed the woods stoically. "Rin, Jaken. Time to leave."


"Yes!" the little girl piped up from behind him. "Sesshoumaru-sama? Rin liked Kagome-chan. Will Rin see her again?"


"Most likely."


"Rin got a ribbon to say "Goodbye,"" she showed him the bright yellow strip of cloth tied in her hair. "Rin gave Kagome-chan flowers!" she giggled excitedly. "What did Sesshoumaru-sama get?"


The Inu Youkai refused to answer such a question and remained silent.


"A hug..." the old woman chuckled, answering for him.


"Oh..." the child nodded wisely. "Those are nice." she skipped ahead, her childish curiosity appeased.


It was nice, he thought, and faded from view with his toad retainer and child companion.


"Good for you, Sesshoumaru-sama," the old miko whispered. "You have finally learned what your heart is for.


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Kagome ran to the well as fast as she could, ignoring the whip and pull of branches and briars. She fell twice, scraping elbows and knees and even felt the rough swelling on her right cheek from an untimed collision with a tree. The shallow cuts and scrapes were an annoyance, but her determination to keep her mother from torment caused her to disregard the pain and continue on.


She thought about the past few days with a smile. Sesshoumaru was really not that bad. And Rin was absolutely adorable! Jaken was the only one who ticked her off during her time with them. Sesshoumaru seemed in as much of a hurry to be rid of her as she had been to return to her friends. She had accused him of being afraid that others might find out just how nice he really was. The growl that had earned her was unrivaled in her mind. But, he still helped her when he did not have to.


She threw one leg over the well and hopped in. The familiar distortion surrounded her. When the well returned to her vision, complete with ladder, she scrambled up in time to hear Inuyasha tell her sobbing mother he would find her. She rushed up the short stairs, her earlier anger returning as string as her relief at being home. Damn that hanyou! If he had just listened to her once in a while!


She slammed the door open and screamed at the top of her lungs, "OSUWARI!"


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Inuyasha fell through the pavement. A crack split in a jagged line up to the toe of Kurama's left shoe.


"Damn it, Woma-" Inuyasha pulled his face out of the concrete slab and stopped. The whole shrine had gone eerily silent with the exception of Kagome's rushed breathing. "Ka-Kagome?" he whispered in disbelief.


Her fury grew. Had that idiot even looked for her?!?! "Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! OSUWARI!"


Kurama felt the crack travel under his foot and disappear behind him as it widened. He stared in awe at the picture she made of perfect outrage, fire and beauty. Even as banged up with wounds as she was...Wounds? His eyes still golden, narrowed. Who had dared hurt her? He felt his instincts to rampage an murder whoever might have been responsible for this taking over his mind. He at once relinquished control back to his mixed self. Golden eyes flashed once more before turning back into emerald. He did not want to be the person he was before.


"Kagome!" Sota ran past them all and hugged his sister around her bare legs. "You are okay!"


She put a gentle hand on his head but continued to glare at the crumpled dog demon. "How could you come back here and worry my family like that?!" she demanded when she saw his left ear twitch. "Are you so quick to write me off? Do you not think I can take care of myself for a few days?! Damn it, Inuyasha! This is not the first time we have been separated in a fight! Did you even bother to look for me before you came running here to tell my mother that I am gone?!"


Kagome's chest heaved in her determined anger. She was so focused on the hanyou's efforts to remove himself from the depression, she didn't even acknowledge anyone else's presence. This was fine with everyone since they had no desire to be on the receiving end of her wrath, as fun as it may be to watch. She waited until he was standing again, though wobbly, on his feet. He opened his mouth to answer her, which was just the moment she was waiting for.


"Osuwari."


The vindictive streak now spent, she turned a cheerful eye to the spirit detective team. Kuwabara ducked behind the others, his vision of Kagome and one of his older sister pmsing oddly overlapped.


"Sorry I'm late," she said brightly.


They gaped at her until Hiei started to chuckle. Then Kurama joined in. Yusuke nervously rubbed the back of his neck and gazed at the crater.


Boton wanted to rush over to the hole to help the hanyou without appearing overly concerned. When Kagome winked at her and tossed her dark head in the half-demon's direction, Boton smiled. Kagome was giving her the chance she needed to get the demon dog's attention.


Kagome's mother wiped her teary eyes on a cloth clutched in her hand. She smiled blurrily at her daughter and composed herself. "I'll make tea..."she choked out, and stumbled back into the house.


Kagome turned a worried look at her mother. "Mama," she called, "I'm not so easy to get rid of. I'll always come home. I promise." Her mother nodded once and disappeared indoors.


Kagome sighed and marched up to the now recovered Inuyasha who was comically leaning on Boton's slight figure. He straightened slowly, pinning his mobile ears back. She hugged him softly. "I know you were worried." she said in a low voice. "And I know I am not Kikyo, but have some faith in me?" she requested sadly.


He nodded and wrapped his strong arms around her too. If she could forgive so easily, he could do the same. He took a deep breath to catch her familiar scent and suddenly pushed her away from him.


"Hey. Why do you smell like my bastard brother?!"