Kagome awoke to the bright sun peering though Kaede's window. She squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand. A gigantic yawn escaped her mouth, and she sat up.
"Morning, Kagome!" cried Shippo, bounding into Kagome's lap.
"Morning, Shippo," she replied sleepily.
The young fox demon beamed at her. "I caught some fish for breakfast," he told her happily. "Kaede and Sango and Miroku are cooking them right now!"
"Mmm-hmm," Kagome yawned again. "I guess I'd better go help them...where's Inuyasha?"
Shippo stuck out his tongue. "He's gone again. Probably out moping or something."
Kagome gently set the fox demon on the floor and stood, striding outside. There, Kaede, Sango and Miroku were roasting the fish over a fire.
Kagome inhaled deeply. "Mmm, smells delicious!" she exclaimed.
"It should," Miroku grumbled. "We've been working on it for quite some time."
"Don't be such a sourpuss," Shippo said, bouncing outside.
Sango laughed and put an arm around Kagome. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Fine," Kagome answered, grateful for her friend's embrace. "Do you know where Inuyasha is?"
"Actually, no. He should have been helping us with the fish," Miroku stated grumpily.
"Miroku's been in a bad mood this morning," Sango confided to Kagome.
"Gee, how did I know?" the miko said, smiling. She lay a hand on the sword hanging by her side, thinking back upon the previous day's events.
"Why do you even carry that around?" asked a familiar irritable voice. The white-haired hanyou was back, carrying Tetsusaiga over his shoulder.
"Because Hojo's life depends on it, of course," Kagome answered exasperatedly.
"Why don't you just leave it somewhere for someone else to find?" Inuyasha asked crossly, sheathing his sword.
"Because they might break it or something!"
"So?"
"So then Hojo would die!"
"So?"
"SO I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE!"
An awkward silence fell over the group.
"Oh, so you like him then," Inuyasha concluded bitterly.
"He's just a friend," Kagome reminded him, ignoring the memory of how handsome Hojo had looked.
"Then why were you kissing him?"
"I WASN'T KISSING HIM!"
"Oh, right, you were THIS CLOSE!"
"We weren't kissing!"
"Yeah, right."
Kagome glared at him angrily. "Why do you have to make things so complicated?"
He turned haughtily. "I just think he's not the right guy for you."
"And who, may I ask, is?" Kagome shot at him.
Inuyasha paused. "Not him."
Another uncomfortable silence fell.
"Food's ready," Kaede announced after checking the fish.
Inuyasha cast a strange look at Kagome before serving himself food and sufficiently burning himself.
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The day passed without incident, and after everyone had gone to sleep, Inuyasha crept outside alone. He sat outside Kaede's hut and sighed, rubbing his forehead. His golden eyes wandered aimlessly along the view, unfocused.
"Damn," he muttered, placing a hand on his side. He pulled aside his shirt to reveal a deep, bloody wound, wincing. Pulling the shirt up over his head, he tossed it to the ground beside him. The cold night air bit at the gash, and he shut his eyes in pain.
"Inuyasha?"
The hanyou twisted his head around. To the side, coming from the forest, was Kagome, in her own body. Her chocolate eyes were clouded and looking off to the side, and she wore a familiar school uniform... Only it was covered in blood in the front...
"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha asked in horror. "What happened to Kikyo's body? Why are you wearing that bloody shirt?"
"Inuyasha..." the girl repeated, still not looking right at him.
"What – what's going on?" Inuyasha said, utterly bewildered.
The girl lifted her hand out in front of her. In it appeared a sword-shaped light, which faded to reveal a real, deadly-looking sword. With no emotion lighting her face, she swung the sword at him.
Inuyasha jumped to the side, cursing. "Dammit, what's going on?" he yelled angrily, unsheathing Tetsusaiga.
The girl slashed the weapon at him expertly, narrowly missing him as he dodged. Finally he parried one of her blows.
"Who are you?" he hissed at her. She didn't reply. Her eyes were blank, face devoid of any feeling.
"I-Inuyasha?" said a shocked voice. Inuyasha turned his head the slightest bit to see Kagome, looking like the sight before her had taken away all drowsiness.
The girl took advantage of this and brought her sword around in a powerful swing. Inuyasha barely blocked it.
"Who's that?" Kagome asked in a shaky voice.
"I want to know that!" Inuyasha yelled as he defended himself against the rain of blows aimed at him.
Kagome took a few halting steps toward her own body and lay a hand on the girl's arm.
Instantly both girls froze. Kagome's body began to tremble violently, and from her mouth escaped a wisp of pale smoke. At the same time, another white form traveled from Kikyo's form to Kagome's. Both collapsed suddenly, and as Inuyasha caught them both, he saw that the smoke from Kagome's body was in the shape of a spider.
Kikyo's body he gently laid down, but a feverish thought made him keep Kagome's in his arms.
"Kagome? Are you back in your body?" Inuyasha whispered, a hand on her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered. A smile broke out on her face.
"Inuyasha," she said, quietly and happily. "I'm back." Then she fainted.
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I bet you liked that. ::grins:: I know, I know, it's incredibly short, and I apologize for that. I've got several different ideas for the story and couldn't decide on the next part right now. I shall have to consult my excellent friend, talented writer and fanfiction junkie, ::ahem::, known on the internet as Vladriel (though she hasn't signed up with ff.n yet ::glares suggestively::)
Oh, and I had one reviewer request more Shippo. I've been working on that, and haven't quite found the spot for a special Shippo moment. I'll try to make something interesting happen. Muahahah.
::If you're reading this, I thank you very much for taking the time to read my fanfic! My deepest gratitude to all you reviewers. I really appreciate it.::
-FalafelPrincessC ( -- Has anyone figured out my name yet? You may have spotted Vladriel's review that I had to delete because she said my name. I want that to remain a mystery. Ha.)