Author's Notes: Hey, hey, hey, it's another chapter, everyone! And I think you'll like it. It won't have the expected outcome, I don't think, as things continue to remain tense between our favorite couple. I'm proud of myself for getting this update out in a timely manner...I think you all should be proud of me too...lol...just kidding. I just have one announcement, and then I'll let you all read the chapter. Any of you who have asked me to read your stories in the past, and I've been too busy to do so, tell me who you are now, because tomorrow I will have a lot of time on my hands and I wouldn't mind catching up on some reading (other than the book I'm currently working through). So please, let me know who you are! Other then that, I don't have anything to say this time, so I'll just let you all get to it! Enjoy chapter eighteen!

Silver: I do remember you, and I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful compliment, I take it very seriously. I can only hope I continue to please. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

Little sango88: That was a beautiful compliment, thank you so very much. I would be honored to read your stories and give reviews...as you can see by my message above, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. Thank you so much for supporting my works!
Title: Soldiers in a Timeless Battle

Author: dolphingirl0113

Chapter: Eighteen

Rating: PG-13 (for language and, at times, sexual implications)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Inuyasha was trying desperately to hold on to the few shreds of control he had left over his short temper, but considering the fact that they were now on their third day of travel for a trip that was only supposed to take a day and a half at most, he was finding it extremely difficult to keep from snapping at his companions at the first sign of irritation.

It had been the typical scenario: a demon was ravaging a village of helpless humans, preying especially on the children who would wander off into the woods to play, and as it had become well known that a hanyou lived in the nearby village, a messenger had come to speak with Kaede about sending help. Inuyasha's first reaction had been to say absolutely not, but then Sango had given him a dangerously deadly glare, scolding him by playing the ultimate trump card (what would Kagome do?) and convincing him to go. But now, it was Friday, Kagome was supposed to be back, and he wasn't home yet.

"Stupid demons and their stupid habits," he muttered, stomping in a very childlike manner, his arms crossed over his chest, his lips forming almost a pout. He looked more like a spoiled toddler at that moment then an adult hanyou with a wife of his own.

"Did you say something Inuyasha?" Miroku called out playfully, knowing full well how irritated his friend was.

"No."

"Really? Because I could have sworn I heard you say something."

Inuyasha snapped his head over his shoulder. "Why don't you mind your own business, monk? Like maybe you should tend to your pregnant wife." He accented the word pregnant, which meant that now Sango was glaring at him as she instinctively put a hand over her belly.

"If you have a problem with me Inuyasha, then just say so," She hissed, "But don't take it out on my baby."

"Keh, as if what's in your belly at the moment would care what I say. You're just grouchy because you're having, um, those things Kagome calls raging hormones."

The demon exterminator narrowed her eyes. "What the hell do you know about pregnancy anyway, you baka? I doubt you could last one day in a pregnant body."

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippou, who was collecting flowers alongside the road to give to Kagome as a welcome back surprise, stopped and stared at Sango as though she had grown a horn out of her head. She was so conservative. She never swore like that or called anyone a baka. The closest she had ever come to insulting someone outright was when she called Miroku a lecherous monk and slapped him across the face.

Inuyasha just smirked. "You realize that all you're doing is proving my point, don't you, woman?"

Sango reached up and touched the boomerang slung over her back, clenching her other fist against her side tightly, trying to hold onto some semblance of control.

It was true...she knew she was a lot more moody lately then she had ever been before. She would frequently cry at the drop of a hat, and snap at poor Miroku when he didn't even do something wrong. The only time he'd actually deserved her wrath was when she caught him staring at a girl much younger then she. She'd whacked him over the head with hiraikotsu and that had been the end of it.

"Inuyasha, please stop antagonizing my wife, especially in her condition," Miroku requested politely, putting an arm around her waist in assurance. He didn't even try to grope her, which caused the demon exterminator to smile in pleasure. With the exception of the girl in the village, he hadn't flirted with, or groped any women, including herself, ever since he'd found out about her pregnancy. It was like the news had instantly slipped him into fatherhood mode.

A look came over Inuyasha's face as Miroku reminded him of Sango's condition, and the hanyou looked down at his feet for a moment, his ears drooping and his amber eyes clouding over in sorrow as he remembered the fact that Kagome had been in that condition only a little while ago.

He'd never wanted to be a father, in all honesty, because he just assumed he would be horrible at it. He watched the way he so easily snapped at Shippou and figured that would be how he'd treat his own child, daughter or son, and it frightened him. He knew what it meant to hate someone of your own blood, having felt bitter towards his brother Sesshoumaru up until about a year ago, and couldn't stand the thought of creating such emotions in a child of his own.

But more then that, he feared that bringing another hanyou into the world would be cruel. Having experienced such a lonely life himself, he couldn't stand the thought of another little boy being left all alone in the world, with no one to protect, love, or care for him.

Inuyasha knew Kagome would be a wonderful mother, he could see it in the way she was so patient with Shippou, Rin, and the other children of the village. He could see the desire for children of her own burning in her eyes whenever she helped Kaede with a delivery, but then, his own mother had been wonderful, and that still hadn't prevented fate from taking her from him.

But the moment he'd learned that Kagome had been pregnant, and that he had lost a possible son or daughter, he had been crushed in a way he never could have expected. Suddenly, he wanted, desperately, to be a father, to teach his pup everything he knew about life, hunting, and survival. He wanted to take the child in his arms and hold it like his mother used to hold him. And more then anything, in his mind he could see Kagome holding an infant to her breast as he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, both of them smiling as the baby made soft cooing noises. He wanted that dream to come true so desperately it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?"

Shaking his head, the hanyou looked down at Shippou, who had managed to gather an assortment of daises, dandelions, and clovers, and was now holding them all together in his fist. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you think we're close now?" Sango called out, having completely forgotten about being angry with him. He sighed.

"I don't know, we should be almost there if my sense of smell is still working." He sent her a look. "Why? Do you need to stop again?"

Sango blushed, and Inuyasha regretted sounding so harsh. He knew she felt bad for being the reason it was taking them so long to get home. She had been so sick by the time they'd reached the village that after Inuyasha and Miroku had managed to kill the demon, they'd been forced to sleep over in the small guesthouse for two nights, which meant they were only now getting home. And besides that, the demon exterminator had already needed to stop twice that day to empty her stomach. Her body clearly didn't take well to pregnancy.

"No, keep going if you think we're close," She replied, though he could see that she was pale. Sighing, Inuyasha turned around and walked up to her, motioning toward his back. But she just stared at him like he was speaking gibberish. "What?"

He growled in frustration. "Get on my back, stupid...I'll carry you the rest of the way to the village."

Sango colored again. "On your back? But...that's Kagome's place..."

Jolting slightly at the thought, the hanyou momentarily wondered if Kagome would mind, but then slapped himself mentally, knowing that she would be the first to insist that he carry Sango in her condition. "I don't think she'd mind, Sango, especially since you left Kirara at the village to help Kaede if any demons decided to attack."

Glancing at Miroku as though asking for permission, to which the monk simply shrugged his shoulders, Sango finally nodded and climbed onto his back, causing him to stagger slightly as he exhaled sharply. She frowned. "What, am I that heavy already?"

"No, but do you think," He sucked in a breath, "You could take off hiraikotsu?"

"What? Oh..." She quickly removed the boomerang and handed it to Miroku, who copied her example and slung it over his back. "Sorry about that."

Inuyasha shrugged and started walking again. "I suppose I should be admiring you now. I never realized how heavy that thing is. Although," He straightened slightly. "It wasn't that heavy, just, well, awkward."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she replied, leaning her head against his back after a few moments, her body relaxing against his as he moved. "It's so long it can throw off your balance if you're not careful. I remember it took me months before I could run with it, and almost a year before I could efficiently fight with it."

"Then perhaps you should stop carrying it," Miroku offered as he walked beside his friends, to which Sango rolled her eyes.

"Please, I've been carrying that since I was ten years old...I know how to handle it, and how to protect myself."

"But Sango, dear, you're not who you were even six months ago," the monk persisted, his eyes and expression full of concern. "You're pregnant now, and pregnancy can throw off your entire internal system. I mean, I don't recall ever seeing you sick before, and now you're sick every day...and you can't walk as far, or run as fast...and you don't sleep as well at night." He sighed, thinking about all the nights now where she had tossed and turned and ended up whacking him across the face or back. In truth, thanks to that, he was just as sleep deprived as she.

Sango looked away with a slight blush. "I'm sorry that I've become such a burden, Miroku."

"What?" His eyes grew large, and butterflies sprang up like weeds in his gut. She didn't really think he was angry with her, did she? "Dearest, you know I don't mean it that way. I'm just concerned for your health. If something were to happen to you, or the baby, I'd just..."

She put up a hand for silence, a tender smile on her face as she reached out and traced the line of his cheekbone and jaw. "I know, Miroku," her smile broadened. "I know."

Inuyasha listened to the whole scene with more and more irritation, probably due to the fact that he was reminded of how the woman HE loved was on the other side of the well, in a different time and place altogether.

It was strange; when Kagome was around, he didn't mind Sango and Miroku turning all touchy-feely, he even got that way himself at times, but...without Kagome's calming, beautiful presence, he went right back to the way he used to be, hating mushy scenes and tender moments.

"Keh, do you two mind?" He grunted, and the pair went silent, although Miroku wasn't blushing nearly as deep as his wife.

The rest of the journey was, for the most part, silent, much to the pleasure of Inuyasha, who was eager to get home and embrace his wife, who he had not seen since she left for her home last Sunday. Hopefully she'd had a good week, and would be in a good mood...although, he'd noticed more and more that she was less persistent about returning to her home. Where once they'd argued incessantly, and she'd frequently have to 'sit' him to get to the well, now it was him reminding her that she had classes to attend in order to keep her promise to her mother. He made a mental note to speak to Kagome about his concerns when they had a private moment.

At last, as the sun was clearly on the downward side of the sky, indicating night would not be far off, Kaede's hut came into view, and the entire group of travelers sighed in relief. Sango leapt down from Inuyasha's back and allowed Miroku to lead her off into the hut to rest, leaving Inuyasha alone with Shippou.

But the kitsune quickly left him too as he spotted, surprisingly, Rin, sitting on a nearby boulder, her feet dangling in the extra space between her and the ground, the ever-watchful eyes of Sesshoumaru's protective beast, Ah-Un, beside her. As she looked up and spotted Shippou, her eyes lit up like candles, and she leapt to the ground and ran to meet him.

"Shippou!" She was all smiles as she stopped before him, and Inuyasha watched as the kitsune suddenly became very shy, stuttering with anything to say.

"H-hi Rin," he managed to stammer, to which she giggled. They were both growing up, anyone could see that. Inuyasha could remember when Rin had been no more then a frightened little girl, with pale skin and eyes too big for her body. But with Sesshoumaru's protection and care, she had blossomed, and the hanyou could already see the first signs of the changes that her body would undergo during her passage into womanhood. She would be, he could tell already, a beautiful woman...a lot similar to Kagome in appearance, he decided...although, his Kagome would still be the fairer of the two.

Shippou had grown too. Kagome had shown him one of those picture-things from her time, one that she had taken just after they'd met Miroku, before Sango had even entered their lives, and it had given him a chance to see how much the kitsune had matured over the past four years. His legs were longer, his torso taller, and his facial features were more defined, almost chiseled, like a man's should be as he slowly lost all of his baby fat. And like Rin, his eyes no longer seemed so wide and innocent, but more mature, and in better proportion with his face.

Seeing that the poor boy was in desperate need of help, Inuyasha decided to step in and give him a hand. "Oi, Shippou, why don't you give Rin the flowers you picked for her?"

"What?" The kitsune turned around, confusion etched onto his features. "But Inuyasha, these flowers are for..."

"Just give her the flowers, Shippou," the hanyou interrupted, knowing full well the bouquet was initially supposed to be for Kagome. "There's no reason to be nervous, I know Rin will like them."

The girl's eyes lit up even brighter, if that were possible. "Those flowers are for me, Shippou?"

That had done it. Even if Shippou had wanted to deny it and save the flowers for Kagome, now there was no way out, with the hope and joy Rin now carried in her eyes. He nodded, blushed slightly, and extended his arm so that the flowers were right under her nose, a serious red painting his cheeks. "Here, I, um...I picked these for you."

"Oh Shippou, they're beautiful!" She snatched the bouquet and sniffed the flowers dramatically...as if daises and dandelions actually had a beautiful scent...and smiled happily. "Thank you!"

Deciding he'd done enough damage, Inuyasha turned to enter the hut, assuming that's where Kagome would be. After all, since Rin was here, that meant Sesshoumaru had returned, and the only reason he would come back was because Nancy was there, which mean, logically, that Kagome was there too since the blonde lawyer couldn't travel through the well by herself.

But he stopped just as he was reaching out to part the curtain and enter the small structure, noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, and turning to see his brother holding Nancy's hands as she laughed at something he must have said. Groaning and rolling his eyes, the hanyou stomped into the hut, wondering what in all the gods Sesshoumaru, the stoic demon lord who only cracked a smile when he was killing someone, could have said to make the woman laugh like that.

"We're back, Kaede," he grumbled, sitting down by the fire.

"Yes, I assumed so when Miroku and Sango came in and went to their room, Inuyasha," The old miko replied with a chuckle, handing him a cup of hot tea.

Sighing, he went to take a sip of the brownish liquid, but stopped when he realized something important: where was Kagome? Normally, by now she was barreling him over in a shower of hugs and kisses, telling him how much she missed him despite his protests at being so humiliated in public. He would have given anything to feel embarrassed at that moment, rather then greeted by silence.

"Kaede, where's Kagome?" He looked around the hut as though to emphasize the fact that she wasn't there, to which the old woman opened her eye in surprise.

"Kagome?" She looked around, as though expecting to see the woman walk through the door at the sound of her name. "Why, she's not back yet?"

"Back from what?" He felt a tinge of worry spark in the back of his mind.

"I sent her to get water for me about, oh," she looked out at the sky and blinked in surprise at how late it had become, "Quite a while ago, actually."

Inuyasha stood up, knocking his cup onto its side, spilling tea all over the hardwood floor. "Where did she go?" His voice sounded frantic. Would the gods ever be kind to him? He'd just gotten her back...she couldn't be gone again.

Kaede shrugged, still looking shocked. "I imagine she went to the stream, where she always goes to get water." She registered the worried expression on the hanyou's face and smiled tightly. "But don't worry, Inuyasha, I'm sure she's just fine. If something was wrong, Sesshoumaru would have sensed it, don't you think?"

"Keh, that baka is too interested in his would-be-mate to care what happens to Kagome." He whirled towards the door.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku stumbled into the main room of the hut, holding his staff tightly in his right hand. "What's wrong? Is someone in trouble?"

The hanyou nodded. "Kagome's missing."

"Right, then I'm coming with you."

Kaede rose to her feet in protest. "Now wait, you two...don't you think you might be overreacting? I mean, it can't have been more then half an hour since she left."

"And since when did it take half an hour to fetch water?" Inuyasha scoffed, already imagining Kagome in some dire situation, such as clinging to the edge of a cliff, ready to fall off the edge, just waiting for him to come to her rescue. It might have been a bit outlandish, but considering how many times Sukiono had taken her, he was liable to believe anything.

Sukiono...

A low growl escaped his throat as the hanyou realized that bastard was still out roaming freely, able to do as he pleased. Miroku looked at him in concern. "What is it, Inuyasha? Do you smell something?"

"Yeah," He marched out the door, hastily followed by the monk. "I smell a rat."
The silence that stretched between them was palpable as Kagome tightened her grip on the heavy, waterlogged bucket, ready to run at the first sign of danger. But where could she run to? Was Inuyasha back yet? She had no way of knowing. And even if he was, how fare would it be to lead Sukiono to the village, full of helpless men, women, and children?

But there was no hostility in his eyes, and it was hard for her to keep a steady, wary stance, her instincts telling her he meant no harm. After all, he hadn't harmed her before, he'd just kidnapped her and taken her away from all she loved and held dear.

"Sukiono..." His name rolled off her tongue in a whisper, somehow managing to mask her fear and worry. He seemed to jolt at the sound of her voice, and blinked several times, still maintaining that lost, confused look, almost like Hojo whenever she had turned down an offer to go out on a date. What a strange man...

"Kagome, why do you always leave me?"

Her eyes opened wide at the question. He honestly sounded like he didn't understand. How could he not? "I don't belong with you, Sukiono...you know that...I belong with Inuyasha..."

"How could you want to stay with that murderer?" He snapped, causing her muscles to tense reflexively, ready to spring into a sprint at the first sign of trouble.

"He's no murderer," she insisted, her voice somehow managing to remain calm and collected, despite the fact that her heart was thumping faster then a rabbit's. "He's a good and honorable man...and I love him..."

"How can you love him, Kagome? You're so good, so kind...how could you love someone who has killed so many, including my father?"

She sighed in frustration, truly feeling like she was talking to a child. Kikyou was wrong, she decided. He didn't love her...not like Naraku had her incarnation...but more like a mother, a role model, an idol...

"He didn't kill Naraku, Sukiono, I did..." She cocked her head slightly and gazed directly into his eyes. "But you know that...so why do you blame Inuyasha for your father's death?"

He looked away and clenched his fists, his eyes going hard. "Because my father talked of nothing but the hanyou Inuyasha whenever he was with me. He blamed everything that had happened to him on this silver-haired man who he said had come between him and what he truly wanted...if not for Inuyasha, he could have had Kikyou...that's what he always told me..."

Kagome relaxed her grip on the bucket, albeit slightly, and took a step towards her so-called enemy. "Did he tell you why he never had Kikyou, Sukiono? Did he tell you how Inuyasha came between him and what he wanted?"

"He just said that Inuyasha stole her from him...that because of him, all he received from Kikyou was pity, but not reciprocated desire..."

"Did he ever tell you that he loved Kikyou?"

The sandy-haired, blue eyed man before her closed his eyes, as though trying to block out some harsh truth he didn't want to face, even as he nodded his head, and in that moment, the truth hit Kagome like an oncoming freight train. She suddenly understood what had turned Sukiono into such a bitter man...he was angry and obsessed with Kikyou just like Naraku, only for an entirely different reason.

"Sukiono..." She didn't know what to say. Now that she understood, what could she possibly say? How could she treat him like an enemy, when now all she saw was a victim, a man who was still a boy in so many ways?

He was looking at her now with such tragic sorrow in her eyes, she felt tears begin to wet her cheeks, her compassion filling her heart until she thought it might burst. She had seen that look before...in the beautiful amber eyes of a man she loved more then life itself...and she would never forget that look.

Inuyasha...

Sukiono was no different then Inuyasha, having lost his mother before he had even begun to reach puberty, being forced to survive on his own, without love or kindness. They both had that look...that pleading cry for help buried deep within the depths of their souls, begging for compassion, for someone to just love them for who they are.

It all made sense, and it only made Kagome angrier towards Naraku's memory, and the legacy he had left behind. He left nothing but tragedy, sorrow, despair, betrayal, and death in his wake, and everyone he touched, including her, was a little darker in their hearts for having known him.

Kikyou had been an elegant, innocent priestess with a heart so pure she could guard the Shikon no Tama and keep it pink and beautiful despite the evils of the world. All she had wanted was to be normal...to find a way to rid the world of the jewel and leave her to live a normal life with the man she loved...

Inuyasha had been innocent too, in a way. He was hurt and angry at the world, but innocent of the concept of love, having lost that blanket of security when his mother died. He finally found compassion in Kikyou, a woman as lonely and isolated as he, and all he had wanted was to become human for her and live out his days in peace.

But Naraku had come between them because he was so jealous of Inuyasha, and obsessed with Kikyou. It had been her compassion for an unfortunate thief that had started the cycle of pain and betrayal, and all it had brought to her in return was a cursed death, followed by a cursed life, keeping her from staying among the living, yet preventing her from returning to the world of the dead.

And as for Inuyasha, well...tears came to her eyes as she thought of how long it had taken him to come to trust her as he did now, how he had so often looked over his shoulder in fear, and how when Kikyou was resurrected Naraku had tortured his soul by constantly pitting his two loves against one another.

Miroku had lost his grandfather and father to a curse, and had lived in fear for most of his life that he would also, one day, fall victim to it, doomed to die by being sucked into a black vortex of darkness...

Shippou...they had found him lost and alone after losing his parents, his only chance for love in the world being Kagome and Inuyasha. She remembered how his tiny face would cloud over with sorrow every time he remembered his father, and how, at first when they found him, nightmares had plagued his dreams.

And what about Sango? She had been forced to watch her beloved brother kill her family and friends thanks to the curse Naraku placed over his mind, had felt the cruel betrayal when he had attacked her, only to survive and be tricked by Naraku again into trying to kill the one man who could help her get her revenge. Her entire village had been destroyed...everyone she had ever loved gone so quickly it was like they had never existed. And then she had been tortured by being forced to fight with her brother, who Naraku brought back to life and kept alive with a Shikon Shard, only to have him die when the Shikon no Tama became whole once more.

Every one of them suffered, all thanks to Naraku, and just when she thought his treachery could not have reached any further, she was proven wrong by meeting Sukiono, a boy who had a chance to be pure and kind, but who had been corrupted by his father's bitter heart and cruel legacy.

She understood now, all too well, what was running through his head. Naraku had left his mother after a one night stand, never coming to find him until after the woman had been killed, and then only to use him as a pawn in his games against Inuyasha. He had grown into manhood hearing nothing but stories about Inuyasha and Kikyou, and how he loved the beautiful priestess but could never have her because of the damnable hanyou. Could anyone, knowing the truth, blame Sukiono for turning out like he did?

He blamed Inuyasha for turning his father away from his mother. He hated both Inuyasha and Kikyou for having been his father's obsession for so long. He figured that Naraku had only been interested in Kikyou because she was the forbidden fruit...the one thing he could not have...because Inuyasha protected her from evil. And as such, Naraku had abandoned his own mother thanks to Inuyasha and the fact that he refused to give up Kikyou, only making Naraku more obsessed with having her in the end.

"Sukiono, I...I'm so sorry..." Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and before she realized what she was doing, she dropped the bucket to the ground, feeling some of the water slosh over her shoes, and walked up to wrap her arms around him, pulling him close in comfort.

He clung to her as though she were a lifeline in an otherwise tempestuous sea, as though she were his only salvation in a cruel, heartless world. And, in a way, she supposed she was. Inuyasha would never forgive him for kidnapping her, Sango and Miroku would be wary of him, Sesshoumaru would hate him for having hurt Nancy, and even Nancy herself would not soon forget the two days she'd been forced to spend in the hospital back in Tokyo once they'd returned home.

"Kagome, don't you see why I hate him?" He whispered, his head buried in her neck, his fingers running through her hair. "Don't you understand why I must have my revenge?"

She sighed. "Yes...but, Sukiono, Inuyasha is not the one at fault for all your pain. Your father is the one who let you down...you have to understand that."

But the man just shook his head against her shoulder. "No...if Inuyasha hadn't kept him from Kikyou, he never would have been so obsessed with her in the first place. And then, he wouldn't have...left me and my mother..."

"You were better off without him," She soothed as she felt him begin to shake with silent sobs. "He did you more evil then good." She pulled away slightly. "Do you trust me?" He nodded. "Then believe me when I say that Naraku did good for no one. Your mother was better off without him, Sukiono. Her last years were happier because he had left her."

He looked at her, his arms on her shoulders, a solitary tear running down his cheek. "I..." But he stopped suddenly, glancing over her shoulder, and Kagome felt her stomach leap and her heart flutter as she heard a familiar growl coming from behind.

Turning around, her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Inuyasha standing before her, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his posture tense, Miroku at his side, clutching his staff. But the hanyou's eyes told a different story. They were wide open in shock, and she also saw, beyond the shock, hurt...a deep hurt, one that she recognized because she'd felt it before too, whenever she'd seen him with Kikyou.

So...the tables had turned, and now she was in an obviously precarious situation with Sukiono's hands on her shoulders. But feeling like she'd done nothing wrong, she stepped away slowly, instead of jerking back as though the sandy-haired man before her was something vile and poisonous.

"Inuyasha..."

He cut her off, glaring over at Sukiono. "Get away from her, you bastard, or I swear I'll cut your throat with my own claws."

Obviously remembering his last encounter with the hanyou, and still not stable emotionally, Sukiono actually obeyed and backed away, turning and disappearing into the woods.

"Wait...Sukiono!" Kagome reached out her hand as though to stop him by touching his shoulder, even though he was now out of sight, only realizing how that must have sounded when she turned around to face Inuyasha, seeing the barely controlled rage, and hurt, in his eyes. "Inuyasha, I can explain..."

For the first time in all the years she'd known him, Inuyasha turned his back on her and started walking away, and Kagome felt something inside her breaking wide open as he did so. "Inuyasha...wait..." But he just ignored her and continued walking, bringing frustrated tears to her eyes. She looked to Miroku for help, and he gave her a look of pity, knowing she had been caught in an innocent situation by a hanyou who's trust was so precarious it could easily slip in either direction at any given moment, but even though he knew it, there was nothing he could do, and that caused Kagome to break out in loud, earth-shattering sobs.

Falling to her knees, she felt desperate in a way she'd never known before. She felt stretched...thin...like she could break in an instant if pulled just one more centimeter in either direction. Inuyasha was demanding in that he was so wary...of everyone...and Sukiono was like a lost child who she felt she had to help. But, unlike the situation with Kouga where the two men, in truth, deep down held respect for one another, in this case she knew Sukiono and Inuyasha truly hated one another, which made it impossible for her to help either of them without creating a version of a nuclear fallout.

Now, for the first time in her life, she understood how Inuyasha must have felt every time she'd catch him with Kikyou and then run off to her time, leaving him to chase after her with his tail between his legs, begging for her forgiveness. He'd told her so many times towards the end of the battle with Naraku that his feelings toward Kikyou had changed, that he didn't love her, but that he just felt sorry for her and wanted to help her, and she hadn't listened, blowing him off along with what she thought were pathetic excuses.

How could she expect him to forgive her, when she had not set an example during his crisis? She had stayed with him, yes, but she had sure made him feel damn guilty at times, on purpose...now that was going to come back to haunt her.

"Miroku, what should I do?" She whispered, her hands in her lap, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

The monk looked at her in pity, and touched her shoulder encouragingly, but he clearly didn't have the answers. "Go after him and explain," he shrugged, "That's what I always told him when you would run off."

"And what if he doesn't listen to me, like I didn't listen to him?"

"I don't know, Kagome," He looked away, in the direction Inuyasha had gone a few moments earlier. "I just don't know with you two any more."

That was just about the worst thing he could have said at that moment, because Kagome felt her heart break wide open. Raising her fists and slamming them into the ground in pure, unfiltered frustration, she did something she never condoned: she cursed. "SHIT!"