Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kaede, Yura, Sesshoumaru, Kirara (AKA Kilala), Rin, Jaken, or any other character on the show/anime/manga Inuyasha!

Japanese Dictionary:

Ano: Um

Kitsune: Fox

Youkai: Demon

Ohayo: Good Morning

A World Without Hope and Courage

Chapter 2: Please, Just Run, Kagome

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To Kagome's dislike, people began chambering out of their beds, setting to work. Kagome pulled herself from the window and into her bedroom, changing out of her pajamas (don't worry, it wasn't a gown, it was pants and shirt.) and into a mini-skirt and shirt (School uniform in real Inuyasha, here, her regular outfit).

"Souta! Houjo! Shippou! Rin!" Kagome called, addressing each of her siblings. Houjo was three years older than Kagome, Rin was two years older than Kagome, Souta was six years younger than Kagome, and Shippou was ten years younger than Kagome.

Shippou really wasn't her younger brother, just a young child they had plucked from the streets at the age of three. Shippou had been crying beside the bodies of two kitsune (fox) youkai (demon).

Rin also wasn't related to Kagome, Souta, and Houjo. She had met Houjo five years back and had helped Houjo raise Souta. Now, she was helping with Shippou. Kagome dimly suspected that Rin would stick around even if there wasn't any young children to take care of.

The family was pretty happy, living on their own. Houjo worked and so did Rin. While Houjo and Rin worked, Kagome taught Souta and Shippou to read, write, and to do math. She also increased their vocabulary and got into political matters. Shippou, being youkai at the age of five, was far excelling Souta, at the age of eleven. It wasn't because Souta was stupid, it was just because Shippou was youkai.

"Ohayo, Kagome." Houjo said, looking up from his breakfast. "Rin and are putting extra hours today."

"I thought you had a day off today! Shippou and Souta really wanted to go to the park and swim in the lake." Kagome said. "They'll be so disappointed."

"We can no longer afford a day off. Naraku and Kikyou raised the taxes." Rin said darkly.

"Again?" Kagome asked, sighing.

"Again." Houjo assured her darkly. "And with more children than most to take care of, our bills are higher."

Kagome stared at her feet.

"We aren't asking you to work." Rin said gently. "We can't afford school and daycare for those two. In the end, you not working is going to save us money."

"But Rin! Houjo! I can work and babysit! I can find something." Kagome said.

Houjo shook his head. "No. End of discussion." He said nodding his head toward the sleepy Shippou and Souta.

"Shippou, Souta..." Kagome began. "I'm sorry but we can't go to the park today. We'll go another time."

"Awww..." They both said. They were about to protest farther but Kagome cut them off.

"Get your math textbooks and open up to page 63." Kagome instructed. The boys, very unhappily, got they're math books.

"Souta. Your problems will be on page 20." Kagome told him. Groaning, Souta flipped through his book.

Kagome pulled out a cheep chalkboard hung it up on the end of the table. "Souta. These are your problems for now. 6x3, 10x3, 7x7, 9x5, 43x2, 23x6, and problems 1 through 30 in your book." Kagome explained, doing a simple example on the board.

"That's mean." Souta commented, but got to work.

"Shippou? Where did we leave off?" Kagome asked the young kit.

Houjo and Rin watched in amazement as the young kit listed a bunch of problems.

"Okay so, here's your problems: d (c)0... Um... how bout six pages in the book? Problems 1 through 60."

Souta snickered, and Shippou set to work.

"Hey Kagome, I haven't asked for any updates in the secret organization." Houjo whispered. Rin, who was nearby, nodded.

"Shippou, Souta, do your work in the living room please. Sit your assigned seats." Kagome spoke firmly. Shippou and Souta gathered their things, and with a little help from Kagome and Rin, they were working out of eavesdrop range.

"Kikyou has been enchanting people to obey them regularly. They suspect that she suspects something, because she has been picky about whom she talks to and who sees her. Naraku, however, has no worries, and keeps trying to get Kikyou to agree that they need an heir." Kagome informed.

Rin looked awfully discomforted.

Houjo frowned darkly. "That child will never reach an age to rule. You hear? Tell the counsel that immediately." Houjo said. He was the boss of the operation, but his work had drawn him away from the rebellions and had left Kagome basically in charge while he was away.

Kagome frowned deeply and disapprovingly. "The counsel realized you would say that, and beg of you to reconsider. To take the child away, not kill the child."

"My decision is firm, Kagome. The counsel, just like everyone else is turning to cowardice. Invite anyone to leave if they wish, they are not prisoners." Houjo said. It was the end of another conversation.

"Yes, onii-san." Kagome bowed her head.

"Ah, not to worry, Eternity, you're purpose will be well served." Houjo said, going into one of his fits of future telling. Kagome noticed he used her code name, Eternity, instead of her real name. This confused her, although her mind could not comprehend why. "Well, I'm off to work. Good bye, Rin, Kagome, Souta, Shippou!" Houjo called strolling out the door.

"Houjo forgot to tell you, Kagome, that he wants you to meet up with one of the counsel's members. He's expecting you at this address at 1:00 tomorrow morning." Rin gave Kagome a piece of paper.

KKKK That Night KKKK

"Story time!" Kagome called. Shippou immediately curled up on Kagome's lap.

"Can you tell a story this time?" Shippou asked.

"Alright." Kagome agreed. There was a hushed silence. Nobody ever heard her tell as story before.

"In the Shingoku Jidai, upon thousands, of thousands years ago, was an age of extreme blood-shed." Kagome began. Rin looked nervously at Kagome, wondering if this was a story she should tell to two young children before bed.

"Demons had slain humans by the millions. Villages were vulnerable, and very defenseless. But there was a little village on the edge of a huge forest, and within that village lived the key to human survival. A miko. Her name was Midoriko. She was her village's healer, protectress, and of course, their heroine. She defeated those who dared threaten her village's well-being, she healed diseases and plagues, and she even saved people from death." Kagome's angelic voice floated around the small house, and everyone's eyes were on Kagome and Kagome alone.

"She was the master of the bow, and the art of being a miko, which includes healing, and of course, miko magic. She was a legend. People came to pray to her, for their and their village's safety. Then hundreds of years later, in the same small village, another miko was born. Her name was Kikyou. She had wonderful powers, some say they rivaled Midoriko's."

"She was given a very precious and dangerous jewel called the Shikon no Tama." As Kagome spoke, she grasped something underneath her shirt. "Then she fell in love with a hanyou. This hanyou betrayed Kikyou, resulting in her death. Before she died, she told her younger sister, Kaede, to burn the jewel with her ashes, and she swore to carry the jewel to the world beyond with her."

"What happened to the hanyou?" Shippou asked.

"He was pinned to a tree with one of Kikyou's magic arrows for 50 years before he was freed by a 15-year-old-girl." Kagome ended the story.

"That was an incomplete story." Souta complained.

"A very interesting one though." Houjo said.

"What happened to the Shikon no Tama, Kagome?" Shippou asked quietly.

"Ano... I... I... I..." No. Kagome couldn't tell the child.

Then there was a gunshot, and Houjo grasped his arm in pain.

"Houjo!" Kagome cried.

"Eternity... Run, take Sapphira and the children with you." Houjo requested.

Kagome was frozen on the spot. She could not speak, she could not move.

"Please, just run, Kagome. Just run." Houjo whispered.

"No..." Kagome shook her head in a slow motion.

"Eternity! We must leave Dignity!" Rin said urgently.

'Leave him? Just leave him? Just like that? How could you do that to the man who took you in? Who decided to love you even if you didn't love him back? How could you?' Kagome thought. She wanted to say it aloud, but her lips wouldn't move.

"Eternity! We have no choice!" Rin yelled above the noise. Houjo now had at least twenty bullets in him, all were avoiding any potentially deadly spots. At the rate they were shooting, he'd bleed to death.

"Do we have a choice, Sapphira? Do we have a choice to stay and try to help? Or are we just going to run away because we don't like what's happening?" Kagome spat.

"Dignity wouldn't want you to risk your own life for his." Rin said, tugging on her arm, but then Houjo spoke his last daunting words.

"I love you, Eternity. I love you Sapphira. I leave the counsel to you. Now please, run." Then he doubled over, the effort to speak great.

"No! Please, don't talk Houjo! You'll be alright!" Kagome yelled, trying to rush over to her dying brother. Rin grabbed her hand, and with a little help from Souta, they were able to drag her away. "Houjo!" Tears ran freely down her face as she looked back at the burning house.

Kagome, out of exhaustion, collapsed to her knees and sat, crying.

Rin made a motion to the children to leave the teenagers alone. "Kagome. Houjo loved you. That's why..."

"Leave me alone Rin. Gather up the kids and we're leaving." Kagome said standing up.

"Where are we going, Eternity-sama?" Rin asked, bowing to her new leader.

"Get up, Rin. We have no time for this. We're leaving to that address you gave me earlier today." Kagome replied.

Rin nodded and set off to find Souta and Shippou.

KKK Hours Later KKK

Rin, Kagome, Shippou, and Souta arrived at their destination, panting.

"Head count." Kagome said between pants. "Acura, 1; Kit, 2; Sapphira, and me. Alright then, this is it."

"What time is it?" Shippou shivered.

"1:02." Souta replied checking his watch.

"Acura? Are you sure?" Kagome asked, unhappily.

"Yes, Eternity-sama." Souta replied, boredly.

"Souta, don't call me that."

"Alright, Eternity."

"Thank-you."

"Eternity?" A masculine voice asked. (Masculine is a word used to describe men. The female version of Masculine is Feminine) A teenaged boy stepped out of the shadows of an alley nearby. He had long silver hair, and piercing gold.

"Yes...?" Kagome asked hesitantly. Word of Houjo's death could have gone around already and perhaps... perhaps he was an assassin haired to kill her. It was a dark thought, but a highly possible one.

"I'm Hanyou." Inuyasha told Kagome.

"Half-demon? Interesting." Shippou mumbled.

"You got a problem with that, kid!?!" He said, picking up Shippou by his tail.

"Hanyou! Put K it down now." Kagome said.

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome. He wasn't sure exactly what to do, after all, she was in a higher class, being Dignity-sama's sister. He was only a B class, with Kagome an A class. He considered the options, weighed the good and bad, and decided to put Shippou down.

CLUNK!

After all, she didn't say nicely, now did she?

Kagome was boiling over, but Inuyasha paid no mind. "Dignity-sama said that only Eternity would be coming." He stated.

Kagome forgot her anger, and a feeling of overwhelming sadness filled her heart. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, and she began to sob.

Inuyasha was taken aback. Why was Eternity crying? "Now, now, don't cry! JUST STOP CRYING!"

Rin looked at Inuyasha unhappily. "I regretfully have news to report. Dignity-sama has passed away. We ran, trying to get Eternity-sama away. He has appointed Eternity-sama as our leader."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and snorted. "He should have picked somebody better."

SLAP!

"Shut up." Kagome said angrily. "Just shut up!" She was immediately in front of him, yelling in his face. "Do you think, that I wanted my brother dead!?" tears welled up in her eyes again, as a fresh batch of tears poured down her already tear stained cheeks.

Inuyasha paused, taken aback. "I... I didn't mean it that way!"

"Tsk, tsk, Hanyou. You will never learn how to deal with girls." A black haired teenage boy walked out of the same alley as Hanyou, wearing monk robes.

"Like your much better." Inuyasha snorted.

"Ah, you can imagine..." He let his sentence trail off as he began to grope Kagome's ass.

SLAP!

"You inconsiderate jerk!" Kagome yelled. "Not to mention PERVERT!"

"The perverted inconsiderate jerk is Monk, or Monkey if you prefer." Inuyasha introduced the black haired teenager.

"Eternity? What's a pervert?"

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The last one who spoke was Shippou. Please R&R.

Next Time, On A World Without Hope an Courage: Kagome's Ceremony, Houjo's death is reported to the counsel, and also his wish of Kagome being leader. Will they respect Houjo's wish? Or will the exile Kagome on account of murder of her own brother!?