Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. My wish goddess doesn't like me. She never grants me any wishes.

Flashback: I rush towards her, flinging the chair aside. "Kagome…" Her head snaps up and she stares at me with huge eyes. I stare back at her, eyes wide as well. I had just… just…

I had just spoke her name.

Tainted

Chapter 6

Kagome's mouth parted slightly. Did he just… talk? It was the only thought running through her mind at that moment. She watched silently as the young child flushes and whirls around, stomping down the stairs. She tried to call out but her voice was stuck in her throat. So he was capable of talking after all… She had always had a feeling, but she was astounded when he actually spoke. He spoke her name too… Kagome grinned feebly. Yay.

I run towards the well at the back of Kagome's house. I have to find out if it is possible for me to return to my time. If I could talk, then the spell may be broken. But… how? I have not yet completed my task. I did not understand this, but I have to find out. I have to.

I hop onto the edge of the well and peer down cautiously. Taking a deep breath, I jump, now knowing what to expect. The soft soil touches my feet and I groan. It does not work, which means the spell is not broken. Just as I had suspected a moment ago. I do not know how to face Kagome, after all, she will most likely bombard me with questions. I sigh and sit on the soft, moist earth. Perhaps I will stay here and hide until Kagome forgets again. I hit myself on the head. What am I thinking? I have a job to finish, and I was running short on time.

I start to wonder if I can really talk, or can I just say "Kagome"?

"Hey, Inu-Yasha."

I look up as a familiar shadow befell my tiny form. "Sango." Well. That answers my question. I could really talk again. I smirk at her surprised look.

"You… can… talk…"

"Feh." It feels good to be able to say things again. I smile.

"How? Your task… it is not complete, is it? You must finish it soon, I just came to remind you." I note the worry in her voice and made sure I did not show mine.

"I'll be fine." I assure her.

"I'm sure you will, but what about Kagome?" I watch in feigned interest as Sango perches herself precariously on the edge of the well, looking down at me, a frown plastering her features.

"She'll be fine too."

There was no reply as the two of us sat there, pondering about what is to happen next. "How is it possible for you to travel between the two worlds like this?"

"Kaede has managed to cast a temporary spell borrowing the tiniest fraction of the Shikon, enlarging the portal and enabling me to travel, informing both sides on the conditions. And speaking of conditions, they're not very good." I take on her frown and sigh.

"Then how is it that I am not able to travel back? AND, how is it possible for Kaede to borrow the Shikon's power when it's with Kagome?"

"You know the spell. It is cast in such a way that you cannot return until you accomplish your task. In other words, return to your original form and you will be able to return, with Kagome, of course. And as to how, that's just a stupid question. You can answer it yourself." A smirk places itself on her lips and I scowl. I don't particularly enjoy people talking about Kagome and I.

"And what if I am not able to do so?"

"Don't act dumb Inu-Yasha. You were told of the risks in this mission but you wanted to do it anyway. You have to finish it, or else the both of you will suffer. Besides, this is your problem too, not just Kagome's. Your reputation will be ruined if you don't whisk yourself back."

I growl at Sango blatantly, furious that she is able to find the real meaning of my speech. What she said is true, though. My reputation will be dead if I don't finish this assignment. "Where is the portal located?"

"That I cannot tell you. I'm sorry Inu-Yasha, but I've stayed here long enough. Make sure Kagome is all right and that no harm comes to her." Sango slides down from the edge and look at me with worried eyes. As if there isn't enough worry in this world.

"How could I possibly allow harm to come to Kagome?" I mutter to myself. Another question pops in my head and I jump out of the well, chasing after Sango. "Why do you say that no harm will come to Kagome?" My hypothesis was right, after all. Sango's reaction was just like I expected.

"Uh… her memories… might… uh… hurt her?" She groans and closes her eyes.

I smirk at her. "What is going on Sango?"

"Inu-Yasha…" She looks at me. "Look. Your deadline is not just because of you returning to your hanyou form. It is also because that the portal is not that strong. It consists of only the tiniest fraction of the Shikon's power, as I said. So… it is possible that, if the portal is kept open for too long, stronger beings might be able to penetrate the shield and enter this world in search of the Shikon. Inu-Yasha. You have one week left, believe it or not. Time does go by pretty fast…"

I stare at her, confused, as she jogs into the woods, the trees blocking her figure. I think about what she said and realize she was right. It has already been three months since I was first sent to Kagome's backyard. A soft breeze blows by and I sniff at the air. No Sango. She has entered the portal, wherever it is.

Kagome clenched her teeth, angry at the lack of Doritos in the house. She was hungry. And she demands that there be some Doritos in the house at this moment. She waited, humoring herself. No Doritos appeared. Kagome rolled her eyes. She was becoming insane. She secretly wondered where the white-haired child had gone. She hadn't seen him for almost an hour. Why would she care anyway… all she wanted to do was to talk to the child and probe him to talk again. Could he have had the ability to talk all this time and had just been humoring her to make her look stupid? She growled at the thought. It seemed unlikely… Kagome thought back to when he spoke. He seemed as surprised as she was, perhaps more. Then…

Kagome groaned. Nothing made sense to her. Now that she thought about it, the past couple of weeks of her life have been extremely strange. First she had met Inu-Yasha, then they had played twenty questions, then her head kept hurting and she kept ending up on her bed, and… and… oh yeah. Inu-Yasha talked for the first time. And that girl from the woods… Kagome sprang up as the door banged open. She glared at Inu-Yasha until she noted the wild look on his face. "Kagome, I'm out of time!" He grabbed her wrist.

Two words escaped her mouth and her eyes glazed over, "You're dead…"

Silence…

Kagome shook her head and tore her hand away from Inu-Yasha's. "Oh… my… GOD! This is not funny!"

"I'll say." A dead stare in the eyes.

"You never told me you could talk, do you think it's funny to go around making people completely and utterly humiliated?! Huh? DO YOU?!" Kagome huffed, taking in big gulps of air.

"Feh."

"Feh…? FEH?! ARGH!" Kagome grabbed the young boy by his shirt and dragged him up the stairs, ignoring the yelps of butt-bumping on the hard, wooden steps.

Kagome threw Inu-Yasha on her bed and sat herself in her desk chair, swivelling for a good while until she was dizzy. "Okay. So. You can talk, and you better start answering my questions."

"Answer mine first."

Kagome scowled at the demand, "Fine."

"Don't move, you cannot move not matter what happens, got it?"

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "Who said you were my boss?" She shuddered at the dead look Inu-Yasha sent her. "Okay…"

She watched silently as he got up and walked towards her. Kagome gasped when he climbed on her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck, placing his lips firmly on hers.

I'm not evil! Haha, anyway... someone asked me if I was gonna write a happy ending or a sad ending... Heads up, it's going to be angsty. Sorry if you were expecting a happy ending. I'm thinking about a prequel to this fic, but that might not happen. v.v As for a sequel... well I'm really bad at those. If anyone has ideas, please send them my way. :)