The next morning, when Kagome woke up, Inuyasha wasn't by her side anymore. She rolled over toward his bed and saw him lying there with his back on her. Suddenly he turned toward her, startling her. He held a finger on his lips to show her to be quiet and just stayed like that.

Kagome looked at him and he looked at her. That resulted in total confusion in her – she didn't know what to do with him anymore. First she thought about what happened at the hot spring, then while he carried her, then last night, and now he was just lying in front of her, looking at her.

Suddenly Inuyasha sat up and stretched. Then he turned toward her again, a small smirk on his lips. "Let's wake up the others with a sit, ok?"

Kagome sat up too and looked at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. After a second she made another attempt to speak but failed again. While watching her Inuyasha felt himself want to laugh but managed to look serious. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned slightly toward the girl.

"I promised you a sit last night, remember?" he asked and saw Kagome's eyes widen as she remembered, once again, how they slept.

Her cheeks started to redden and her look started to lower toward the floor. Then she saw him smirk and not knowing that he was doing it only to provoke her and not noticing that his face was also slightly flushed, she got angry. "Sit." she hissed at him and Inuyasha crashed on the floor.

The others were violently shaken out of their sleep. Knowing perfectly well what had woken them up, they just groaned a few times and were up. Nobody dared to ask why Inuyasha had been sat – Kagome's face was just too red and surprisingly the hanyou wasn't yelling.

After having a breakfast and apologizing to the owner of the house for the big hole in the floor, the group was on its way to Kaede's village again. Kirara was now bandaged properly and was feeling better, and to Inuyasha's discomfort he couldn't be ahead enough to talk with Kagome.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" the girl asked after maybe a tenth 'Feh' from the hanyou for no good reason.

"Keh." was his only answer as he continued to run faster.

Seeing that she wasn't going to have any luck with making him talk, Kagome decided to leave him be, at least until they reach the village. There obviously was something on his mind and this time she wasn't going to let him hide it from her. As if to show him that she wasn't easy to get rid off she leaned closer to his back and tightened her arms around his neck.

Inuyasha noticed how her grip on him tightened. He had been long enough with her to know exactly what her body language said and now was no exception. He knew that she would want an explanation for his behavior but he felt that he wasn't ready to tell her, not yet. 'I would have to think of something...to make her give me more time.' he thought.

As Inuyasha had said the other day the group was at the village around noon. They were in the forest and the hanyou purposely headed toward the well. Nobody suspected anything until they saw it. Miroku, Sango and Shippo exchanged worried looks and turned to Inuyasha. Kagome felt the worse – as realization stuck her she felt like someone had slapped her.

'That's why he was so nice to me.' she thought and tears started to fill her eyes. 'He's going to send me to my time, this time forever.' although such thoughts were crossing her mind she desperately hoped that he wasn't going to stop. But she was wrong.

The moment Inuyasha started to slow down he smelled her tears and the next second Kagome started trying to free herself from him. He stopped by the well and released her, before she hurt herself. When he turned to look at her she was already crying and backing away. He could feel the others' looks on him but ignored them. Right now he had to deal with the stubborn girl.

"Kagome..." he started and moved closer to her.

"Stay away!" she cried and backed away even more, frantically trying to find the bottle with the Shikon shard, under her shirt. When she found it she gripped it with both her hands and glared at Inuyasha, as if daring him to confront her.

The hanyou sighed and shook his head. He then turned toward the others, who were currently standing aside, and were looking with worry at the couple. "Guys, go to the village." Inuyasha said but they didn't seem to want to listen to him. "I promise I won't send her to her time."

"Inuyasha..." Miroku started after a not very gentle or even discrete nudge from Sango.

"I'm serious." the hanyou interrupted him. "Trust me just this one time, ok?"

The two humans and two small demons looked first at Kagome and after receiving an approving nod they agreed with Inuyasha. As they headed toward the village nobody spoke, they didn't even dare to stay behind and spy on them. They hoped and prayed that Inuyasha didn't lie to them and this wasn't the last time they see not only Kagome but the hanyou too.

After the others left them alone, Kagome continued to glare at Inuyasha. She wasn't sad anymore – now she was angry. He had no right to first show her that he cared about her and then just push her away. No, this time she would show him who the boss was.

Little did Kagome know that Inuyasha was perfectly aware of what she was going to do. In situations like this she was pretty easy to figure out, she was predictable. And after all those months together it would be shame if he didn't know her better.

"Stop clutching at that shard like an idiot." he said, surprising her. "I'm not gonna eat it." he even added a small smile and Kagome almost fell on the ground.

"Y-You want to t-take it from me." the girl said in low voice and didn't release the small bottle. "I won't let you send me to my time again."

"Even if I want to do that, I can't." he said calmly and Kagome frowned – this defiantly wasn't his style. "A single word from you and I'm done."

"T-That's right!" she said and made a step forward. "So, don't you dare come near me."

"Listen, Kagome." Inuyasha said and also made a step toward her. "I know I promised... but..."

"No! I don't want to!" she cried and ran to him, wrapping her arms around her chest and hugging him tight. "I want to stay with you. I promise to stay out of trouble... I promise!"

"Calm down, Kagome." the hanyou said and hugged her back. They stayed like this for a while and when her sobs quieted he pushed her slightly back and held his hands on the sides of her head. "I'm not making you go, I'm asking you. I have some things to do and I will be away for a while. I don't want you to stay here unprotected."

"Really?" the girl looked at him with wide teary eyes and he nodded. "And you're not lying?"

"Of course I'm not!" the hanyou suddenly felt insulted. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"No." Kagome couldn't help but smile at how defensive he became. "How long are you going to be away?"

"At least a weak." he answered after a short pause.

"Ok." she said and he released her so she could wipe her tears away from her eyes. "I'll stay at home for a weak." she smiled at him.

'Why do I feel this was too easy?' Inuyasha thought and the uneasy feeling that he had grew stronger. A second later he understood how a really angry Kagome looked.

"But," she said and narrowed her eyes at him, pocking him with her right hand's index finger in the chest, and he could've sworn that there were flames in her eyes. "If on the seventh day, in the morning, the well isn't working, I really don't want to be in your place." Inuyasha nodded dumbly while Kagome pocked him again and continued talking. "Reincarnation or not, I am a Miko. And I will find a way to come back and when that happens..."

"I got it, I got it!" the hanyou said fearfully and saw her smile.

"Alright, but promise me that when I come back you will stop acting strange." she said and looked at him in expectation.

"I promise." he said and barely managed to hold back a smile.

"And I want a big fight." Kagome said, surprising him with such a request.

"You got it." he said and this time smiled.

"Ok." she nodded and after kissing him on the left cheek jumped in the well. Once on the other side she felt somehow happy. Something just told her that she didn't have what to worry about and she gladly prepared for a week, during which she was going to be a normal teenage girl again.

After Inuyasha saw Kagome disappear in the well he found himself smiling. He held his hand on his cheek, where she had kissed him, and his smile widened even more. He thought of the others and decided that before he went to do what he had in mind he should warn them and tell them where Kagome was.

When he reached the village Kaede and the others were sitting in front of the hut. They all had a strange sad expression. The moment Sango saw him she stood up, grabbing her Hiraikotsu, and headed toward him. Her cold and angry eyes said that she wasn't going to give him any mercy.

"Take it easy, Sango!" Inuyasha yelled a safe distance away from her.

"Where is Kagome?" Shippo yelled from Miroku's shoulder, who was also approaching. "What did you do to her?"

"I asked her to go home." the hanyou answered.

"You did what?!" Miroku and Sango were shocked.

"But you promised!" the small kitsune shouted angry.

"What's the big deal?" Inuyasha said and shrugged. "I didn't force her to go, I asked her and she agreed." he explained and even started to walk toward his friends, who looked at him wide-eyed. "She'll be back in seven days. I have some things to do too, so I'll be going. Bye!"

The others didn't even have the time to protest and Inuyasha was gone. They shook their heads sadly but at lest they didn't think that something bad could happen. Feeling somewhat calm and believing that after everything the hanyou had been through, he wouldn't do something stupid, they headed back to the hut.

Inuyasha ran toward the forest at top speed. He was obviously looking for something and wanted to find it as fast as possible. 'Before the pain comes back...' he thought and that made him run faster.

During the night he had spent lying by Kagome's side Inuyasha had made a conclusion that Naraku was attempting to take control over him, using the shouki crystal. It was pretty obvious that it was causing the pain and only Kagome's purifying powers could stop it, and Naraku. Now that she wasn't by his side he had to be more careful than ever and finish his work as fast as possible.

TBC