Disclaimer: These are getting a bit old... I really, truly, do not own Inuyasha. Although, wouldn't it be nice if I did?

Chapter 4

Here he comes... Nightingale thought in relief, seeing Turo's familiar shape walking down the road. Now what am I going to say to him?

She stepped out of the hut and fell in beside him, cautiously gauging his reaction in the half-light that remained.

"We need to gather provisions. We'll need packs and medicine as well as food and sleeping pallets." He told her in an expressionless voice.

His words hit her like a slap. He didn't care? Did it really not matter to him that she was leaving?

Inside she could feel her hope beginning to crumble. She felt hurt beyond belief. But she couldn't let him know.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I only found out this morning. I tried to find you, but-"

He waved her explanations aside. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is getting you home to your family. And that means gathering provisions, unless you were planning on starving?"

She mutely shook her head, knowing it was useless to argue. "You're right."

He continued on as if she hadn't spoken. "We can get the packs from my hut, the provisions from the storehouse and you'll have to go see the Wise Women for the herbs while I do the rest."

"Fine." She muttered.

He glanced down at her, seeing a flicker of anger in her eyes. Was she mad that he had decided to help her? Maybe she just wanted to do this on her own.

Well too bad. His father had told him that he was to be the guide, and so he was going to make sure she got back to her people- despite his heart's protests.

OOOOO

A shaft of sunlight pierced into the darkness of the hut.

"Time to leave. Get ready." Turo's voice registered dimly in my sleep addled brain, but once the words had sunk in, I got ready.

I pulled on the clothes I had worn when they found me. I didn't even know they still had them. They were clean, and unstained by the blood I had shed. Even the slight rip that the arrow had created was mended.

I picked up the packs we had filled the night before and shrugged the unfamiliar weight onto my shoulders. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the early morning light.

Turo was awake and already waiting impatiently for me. "Are you ready yet?"

"Yes." Prickly. That was the only way to describe his mood. He had been so friendly, so caring, just a night ago. Now he couldn't have cared less if a demon had eaten me.

That hurt. Maybe worse than if I had been eaten.

Keeping my head down I walked toward him. When I reached him he cleared his throat, forcing me to look up at him and see what he wanted.

"This trip will take at least a day. We don't know where your family is or even-"

If they're still alive. I finished silently.

"Anyway, just stick with me and don't go running off. Those bandits are still around, and although I don't think we'll run into them, we need to be cautious."

Silently she nodded, not allowing herself to open her mouth and blurt out something that would only confuse him and ultimately end up hurting her.

They left the village then, trudging to the edge of the forest and into the shadows beyond.

She glanced back for one last look at the place that had become like a second home to her, and a single tear ran down her cheek as she turned and followed Turo into the trees.

"So where exactly are we headed?" She asked, catching up to him.

"You said the men were a few miles from your village. So if we head in the direction that you assumed they were in, we should meet up with them eventually." His tone made it all too clear that he wasn't sure if she was correct about the direction they should be heading in.

She stifled an angry retort, reminding herself that this was the only way she would get back to her father, and after all, this hadn't been his idea. So instead of slugging him like she felt like doing, she clenched her hands into fists at her sides, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"Okay."

They continued on in silence, silently seething at each other, although neither would acknowledge the unspoken anger between them. They acted calm and cool, but both were inwardly arguing with themselves.

They didn't stop for a break until the sun was high in the sky. Turo went to scout ahead and make sure no one was in the area. They hadn't encountered anyone, yet. They were still being cautious, reminded continually of the presence of bandits in the woods by the occasional sign. Burned out areas of the forest, weapons, blood, and once a body. It was already decomposing by the time they discovered it, so there was no way to know if it was a bandit or a villager.

Nightingale sat on a rock, waiting for him to return, silently rubbing her aching feet and trying to ignore the similar pang in her side. She wanted to catch her breath before he made it back and noticed her discomfort. Despite his avoidance of her, she still wanted to keep up, and appearing weak did not seem like a good idea.

She slipped her feet back into the shoes she had been wearing and sat up, grabbing her pack to search for some food.

When he returned she was sitting cross-legged on the same rock, chewing on a fresh piece of bread with a thoughtful expression on her face.

His heart gave a little flutter, which he purposely ignored and he slung his pack to the ground, searching for some food as well.

They ate silently, and he couldn't help but think that this journey would have been more enjoyable if they would talk instead of acting as if they were strangers.

However, his pride wouldn't allow him to be the first to apologize. If she's going to act this way, why should I care? But he did. And no amount of rationalizing could make him think otherwise.

A gentle touch on his arm stirred him form his thoughts.

"Are you ready?"

He quickly shoved the rest of his food into his mouth and packed what was left of it away, before giving her a brief nod of assent. She returned to the rock and gathered her bag, returning to the other side of the clearing to wait for him to lead the way.

He headed off in the same direction they had been traveling since morning, carefully avoiding the areas he knew contained bodies. They had come closer to her village than he wanted to.

He wished he had had the foresight to scout ahead before they reached the first body. Her expression when she had seen it, that mixture of sadness and anger had made him want to grab her into a tight embrace and not let go again.

He had quelled the feeling by taking her hand and leading her in a wide berth around the area. Once they were away from it, he had dropped her hand, barely resisting the urge to keep it enclosed in his.

Since then, he had discretely kept an eye out for any signs of the bandits, keeping her away from the evidence of their malicious demeanors. While she rested, he had taken the opportunity to check for any sign of the bandits- or their work. He had made sure to check anything that looked remotely suspicious, mostly to calm his own worry for her safety.

Now he easily led her on a winding path through the forest, making sure to avoid anything he had previously spotted. Finally, they reached a wide meadow that cut a path directly through the forest, sunlight streaming down through the broken canopy of trees.

He could feel her tense beside him and looked down at her. Her eyes were blank as she answered his unspoken question.

"This is where they shot me. Why didn't you tell me we were so near my village?"

This was a question he desperately wanted to avoid as she turned her searching eyes on him, the hurt in their depths evident.

"I just... I thought..."

Her mounting frustration finally broke through the thin amount of patience she still had left. "I'm not a child! I can handle this! Look, I know you don't want to be here, just go back to the village and I'll go on myself!"

"Is that what you really think?" He asked, his patience also at the breaking point. "That I don't care? That I took you all the way out here because I want to get rid of you?"

"Well isn't it? I know you were nice to me at the village, but ever since we left you've been acting like a complete demon! You don't even talk to me anymore!"

"Me? What about you and your stupid-" He broke off as they both realized how close they had gotten. In the heat of their anger, they had drawn closer until only the barest inch separated them from each other.

Her face flooded with heat and she knew she was blushing. She started to pull away, but he caught her elbow, keeping her where she was.

"Turo?" She managed in a voice that sounded too breathless to be hers, "What are you-"

His lips pressed against hers, quieting the last of her protests. His arms encircled her, pulling her closer, closing the minuscule distance between them. Her arms went around his neck and she helplessly pulled him closer, returning the kiss with as much feeling as she could muster.

When they finally pulled away from each other, her eyes were wide with shock. He gently set her back on her feet, but refused to relinquish his grip on her waist. Which was just as well, because she wasn't sure she could stand, considering her legs were quivering.

Stop it! She demanded of her body. This wasn't the first time she had ever been kissed- she had had quite a long relationship with Quin, a boy from her village, until she had found out he was secretly meeting Yama behind the storage barns. But no kiss had ever shaken her like this one.

From the look he was giving her as he watched her expression he was feeling much the same thing. She unwound her arms from around his neck and pushed his hands down off her waist before taking a shaky step back. His small noise of protest as she backed away had her stomach fluttering.

"So you didn't really want me to leave?" Her voice seemed fine now, no longer the murmuring whisper it had been.

"Of course not." Against her quiet protests, he stepped forward and captured her in his arms once again, pulling her back into his embrace.

She didn't think she could pull away again, even if she had wanted to. So she surrendered, pressing her face against his shoulder and relishing the sweet warmth of his hold on her.

"And you didn't purposely not tell me you were leaving?" He asked her, burying his face in her soft hair.

She shook her head slowly, not willing to move from this position just yet. He pulled one arm away from her and brushed her hair back from her face, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"It nearly killed me when my father said you were going to leave. I thought you didn't want to stay any longer because you didn't care anymore."

She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him fiercely, erasing any doubt from his mind about her intentions.

When they finally drew back to breath, she explained quietly, "I just need to find my father and brother. I have to know if they're okay. Can you understand that?"

He nodded and finally drew back from her. "We should go if we want to make enough ground by nightfall. We've already been here too long. It's a wonder no one spotted us."

She shakily nodded her understanding and followed him into the trees, her mind and heart tied in knots.

OOOOO

Author's Note: I'm back! I hope none of you are too angry with me. I did tell you I would be gone for two weeks. I hope my fluffy little chapter will make you all feel better. I love fluff... It took me a while to get around to it though.

Thanks to my reviewers: suicide-greeting, DarklessVasion, Caphriel (It's nice to know someone's looking out for my errors. I always make a few, no matter how many times I check the story before I post it. Believe it or not, I didn't even know about until someone mentioned it in a review. If I had known, this story would be there, instead of here.), and FieryDemonFox (Thanks for taking the time to review my story! It's nice to know my work is appreciated!)

MysteryMaiden7