Author-chan's notes: HI, EVERYONE!!!! I'd like you all to meet chapter number three!!! Now we finally get to see how Kagome and the others are handling Inuyasha's disappearance.
*Disclaimer- Who owns Inuyasha? Not me, unfortunately. But Rumiko Takahashi does! (Boy, do I envy her!)
A Clean Slate
(Chapter Three: Please Be Alright)
Back with Kagome and the others
"BRING HIM BACK!!!!!" Kagome yelled, "BRING HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Kagome, stop it!" Sango ordered, "Yelling won't help us get Inuyasha back."
"How do you know?!" Kagome protested, still hysterical. Tears were steaming down her face, and an aura of helplessness surrounded the girl from the future.
"Maybe you should rest, Kagome-sama," Miroku suggested gently, "Perhaps you should go back to your own world for a time so you can –"
"NO!!!" Kagome screamed, cutting of the monk, "I have to rescue Inuyasha! He is always there for me! Now I have to be there for him!"
"Kagome-sama…" Miroku began.
"It's all my fault!" Kagome wailed, "I could have warned him! I could have stopped Naraku with one of my arrows!"
*SLAP!!!* Sango smacked Kagome with all her might. Kagome fell dumb, shocked at Sango's action. Sango glared at her friend.
"Don't say that!" Sango commanded, "None of us could have foreseen what was going to happen. There was nothing you, or any of us, could do!"
"Yeah, Kagome!" Shippo said, trying to cheer up his friend, "Inuyasha is strong. He'll probably escape Naraku, kick a couple of Naraku's puppets around the world while doing it, and come back tomorrow yelling at us, like the jerk he is, to find the Shikon shards!"
"You really think so?" Kagome sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"Uh huh," Shippo nodded, "But don't tell him I said that. He's still a jerk."
"Thanks, Shippo-chan!" Kagome smiled, feeling much better. She hugged the little kitsune, "And thank you, Sango-chan. I really needed that wake up call."
"No problem," Sango said with an answering smile.
"So what do we do now?" Miroku asked.
"We should continue looking for the Shikon shards," Kagome said firmly, "If –I mean when –Inuyasha escapes, I bet he'll start looking for us. And he knows that we will be looking for the shards, so he'll probably start by trying to find places where the shards are or were. Besides, we'll probably hear more rumors on the road then in Kaede's village. Maybe one of those rumors can tell us where Inuyasha is!"
"Good idea, Kagome-chan," Sango agreed, "So then, let's go!"
"Yeah!" Shippo piped up. The girl from the future wanted to grin, but brief look of worry crossed Kagome's face.
"Please be alright, Inuyasha," Kagome thought to herself, "If you get hurt, or die, I'll kill you –or myself. 'Cause I don't know what I'll do without you."
***
Back with Aki, Kimiko, and Inuyasha
"That baboon man was crazy!" Aki thought to himself as he walked towards the road where he left Kimiko on. Aki looked down at the breathing bundle in his arms, "Poor kid. That madman must have nearly scared him to death. Hmm. I wonder if Kimi-chan wouldn't mind having a new playmate."
"Onii-san!" Kimiko waved when her brother came into sight, "What took you so long? I was getting worried!"
"I was just putting a few things in order," Aki said, "Oh, by the way, I have someone I'd like you to meet" Aki knelled down so that Kimiko could get a better look at Inuyasha's slumbering form.
"It's a boy!" Kimiko exclaimed.
"Um hmm," Aki nodded.
"What's his name?" Kimiko asked.
"I don't know," Aki admitted. Kimiko sweat dropped.
"Why not?" Kimiko asked.
"Well, there was this man dress up like a baboon and he was trying to kill this boy," Aki answered, "I had to stop the man, so I restrained him with my Flame Rings. The boy was already unconscious and the man wasn't very happy with me, so neither of them told me the boy's name. That answer your question, Kimi-chan?"
"Yes," Kimiko said simply.
"Good," Aki said.
"So what are we going to do with him, Onii-san?" Kimiko asked.
"Let's take him home," Aki replied, "When he wakes up, he can tell us who is parents are, and then we can send him home."
"But, Onii-san, what if he doesn't have any parents? Or what if he doesn't want to go home because his parents hurt him?" Kimiko asked.
"Well then he can stay with us!" Aki said, "Wouldn't you like to have a little brother, Kimi-chan?"
"Hai!" Kimiko replied happily, "I would love to be an Onee-san!" Aki smiled at his little sister's enthusiasm.
"Come on, Kimi-chan, let's get walking," Aki said, "We're almost home!"
***
At Kimiko and Aki's village
Miho was sixteen years old, and to the utter shame of her parents she was unmarried. Now don't get me wrong, she had lots of men seeking her hand in marriage. It was just that she would always turn down her suitors. Although normally her parents would set up an arranged marriage, Miho would always run away whenever they set one up for her. She would return as long as her parents canceled the wedding. Her parents had no idea what to do with her. They wanted her to settle down and have a family, but Miho would have none of it. She would not marry anyone. Needless to say, her parents were frustrated. But Miho got her way. For now.
"Onee-san!" Miho's younger sister, Rika, cried, "There are people approaching the village. It looks like Aki-san and his sister are back."
"Aki-san is back?" Miho said, walking over to her sister.
"Yep!" Rika chirped, "And he's carrying something! Maybe it's a present for you!" Rika giggled. Everyone in the village knew that Aki liked Miho. Miho thought Aki was nice, but she wouldn't get married to him. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't marry him. Her parents would never allow her to get married to Aki. Aki wasn't born in the village. His past was a complete mystery, so most of the villagers were at least a little wary of him.
"Maybe Aki-san could use some help carrying that package of his," Miho said, "Come on Rika-chan, let's go help Aki-san." With that, Miho began walking towards Aki, Kimiko, and Inuyasha. Rika followed reluctantly behind her.
"Look, Onii-san," Kimiko whispered as they entered the village, "Miho-san is coming over." Aki turned bright red as Miho came closer and closer.
"Kon'nichi wa, Miho-san," Aki mumbled when Miho drew close.
"Hello, Aki," Miho chirped, smiling at him. Aki became even redder. Rika and Kimiko snickered at Aki's tomato-like face.
"What's in your bundle, Aki-san?" Miho asked politely.
"Um, ah, er," Aki sputtered, still red in the face. Kimiko laughed harder when she realized her brother was petrified.
"What Onii-san is trying to tell you, Miho-san," Kimiko said after she had finished giggling, "is that he found this boy in the forest who was about to get killed by a man wearing a baboon pelt, and that Onii-san saved the boy."
"That's so brave of you, Aki-san!" Miho said, flashing him another smile. Aki nearly fainted from blushing.
"I-it was nothing, Miho-san," Aki mumbled.
"Do you need help carrying him?" Miho asked.
"Hmm?" Aki blinked.
"The boy. Do you need help carrying the boy to your hut?" Miho asked.
"Ah, no. No help. I'm fine," Aki said, still blushing. He walked towards his home, still red in the face. Kimiko followed him, snickering.
Author-chan's notes: Erg! I keep writing such short chapters for this fic, and it's annoying me!!! Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. *sigh* School's back, so I might not update my stories as much as I would like. Mou! I hate this!
