Hey again everyone! Hope you like the "chapter-a-day" thing! Here's number three, enjoy!
Forgive me Takahashi-sama! I called you –san before... :'( (EVERYONE WORSHIP HER! BWAHAHAHA!!!)
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InuYasha stepped into Kaede's hut to see everyone sitting around. They didn't even look up to acknowledge that he was there. "Hey, we've got a problem..."
Sango glared up at him, looking somewhat bored. "What is it? Did something happen to the well?"
"No, it's not the well... Kagome's gone." He looked down. "Her brother thought that she came back here, so she's not in her time."
"Maybe she was so mad that she came back here and ran off just to make you worry!" Shippo began jumping to conclusions. "Or maybe-" Before he could finish, InuYasha pounded him in the head.
"That's not it. She's not in this time either. I didn't smell her scent at all by the well."
"Something must've happened when she tried to warp back then." Said Miroku. He stood up and started walking towards the door. "We should go back and see. If anything happened then... she may not be able to come back." Everyone fell silent. Sango stood up and brushed herself off.
"Then what're we waiting for. Kagome could be in danger. Let's go." She picked up her hiraikostu and started for the well. The others followed, as well as Kaede.
In another part in time, Kagome woke up to a bright morning light. The grass around her was covered in dew. She stood up and the little droplets splashed around her. "Suteru? Suteru? Where are you?" She looked around. Was it all a dream...? Her hopes were shattered when Suteru came around some trees. She was carrying a white cloak and some fruit.
"I got this cloak from a villager. You can wear it when we go into the village. Here's some food too." Suteru smiled. "Don't look so down. You'll finally be able to help your friends, right?"
"I suppose. But what if I don't stop Naraku?"
"Then things will be all messed up."
"Can't I just go back and..."
"No. I won't have it that way. Either you kill Naraku and get your shards back, or you stay here forever. Then the next time you see InuYasha, you'll be old..."
"I'll just pull the arrow off of him!"
"And start things over? You'll still love him, but would that mean that he'll even recognize you? Just kill Naraku, end everything."
Kagome forcefully snatched the cloak from Suteru's hand and grabbed an apple. She bit into it and held it with her teeth while she assembled the cloak neatly over her shoulders. She pulled the hood over her head and started eating the apple. "Let's go then." She said in an annoyed tone. "I'll do it. I will slay Naraku." She cast the half eaten apple core to the side and stomped off in the direction of the village.
"Good..." Suteru smirked and began walking with her.
When the two of them reached the village, it was quiet because morning had just come. There was a hut larger then the others near the entrance. Suteru pointed towards it. "That's Kikyo's hut. We'll stop there for a bow and some arrows." They continued walking and past a small shrine. Kagome stopped abruptly and looked in it. She could sense the whole jewel.
"Suteru... what if I got the jewel now? And then..."
"Things would get even more complicated. Besides, Kikyo is far too strong for you to handle. You wouldn't get five feet before she'd shoot you dead with an arrow." Kagome was now utterly angered at such a bothersome comment. Instead of saying anything, however, she continue to walk thinking of the things she wanted to say to Suteru for that rather rude insult.
"Wait here." Said Suteru as they reached the hut. She walked inside. Kagome pulled the cloak a little further over her eyes just to be safe. Suddenly, something came behind her and spoke in a familiar voice.
"Who are you?" said InuYasha. Kagome just about died when she heard his voice. She turned quickly and looked at him. "Kikyo? What're you doing?" He asked.
"I... I'm not..." Kagome began. Suteru then burst out of the hut and pulled Kagome away.
"You'll have to forgive my sister, sir." She smiled brightly. "We'll be off now..." she grabbed Kagome's wrist and started to run out of the village, leaving InuYasha standing there confused.
Meanwhile, in the Feudal Era where Miroku and the others were, InuYasha stopped. "Hmm...?"
"What's wrong InuYasha?" asked Sango.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought... of some girl I met a long time ago. I never remembered until now... she sort of looked like Kagome."
"When was this?" Miroku winked. "Three girls, InuYasha?"
His face turned bright red and he began yelling. "NO! I just remembered it! That's all! Come on... let's go." He started to continue walking. The others just looked and each other and shrugged.
Back with Kagome, she stood hunched over gripping her knees panting. "What was that all about?"
Suteru was doing the same. She stood up straight and looked at Kagome. "What were you thinking?! You could mess this whole thing up just by letting him meet you!"
"Sorry... it's just, it's so weird. He doesn't know me now... and..." She looked down. "Sorry."
"Bah, don't worry about it." She gave Kagome the bow and arrows then looked up at the sky. "We've got exactly three days now."
"Yeah..." Kagome started to walk in the direction of the forest. "So what's the plan?"
"We wait until the day of, and then when he's just about to strike Kikyo down, we'll get him right then and there. It's risky, but until then we won't know where he is."
"Right." As the walked, there was only one thing on her mind. His eyes... they were so different from what I'm used to. Did I...did I really change him?
