Chapter 2: The storm hits full force

After there fun in the snow Kagome had taken Shippo inside and set him by the fire so he wouldn't catch a cold. Shippo was happily sitting by the fire waiting for his hot coco. Soon after everyone else came in and was waiting for the coco to be done too, Kagome was talking with Keiko and Yunkina in the kitchen while the boys were talking in the living room area, well really Yusuke and Kuwabara were arguing again. A while later and the girls came in and brought hot coco in cups and handed them to the boys. Kagome sat down with Shippo he was watching the fire flicker.

"Momma" he whispered, "Do you think he'll find us?"

Kagome looked at him then turned to look at the fire taking a sip of her hot coco. "I don't know Shippo" she whispered back, "but I'll always be here for you." She leaned in and kissed him on the head. Shippo nodded his head.

"Why do you think he did that?" asked Shippo as he took a sip of his hot coco," I mean how could he do that to all of us."

"I don't know Shippo, I don't know" she answered him, "maybe he could stand the thought of being with out Kikyo that much that he would try to kill us all. But Shippo he can't find us here so try to forget the past, it holds to many painful memories." She smiled at him getting up and walked over to the kitchen to start lunch for everyone.

Unbeknown to them three demons had been listening, when Shippo left to help his mother at the other end of the cabin, "Her voice was laced with sadness" said Yunkina, "how did you find her, Hiei?"

"I followed a trail of blood and found her in a whole that Shippo had dug for shelter for her" he answered simply, "she has other scars over her body also, like someone had tortured her."

"Do you know what happened to her?" asked Kurama.

"No, she won't tell me and she blocks her mind form me," said Hiei.

"How can she do that?" asked Yusuke.

"Like I said earlier I don't know," he answered glaring at Yusuke.

Yunkina was watching her, "She has a limp, I never noticed it before" she said, "I wonder how she got it."

"That was where her wound was, it was the one that left a trail of blood," he said watching Kagome as well now.

"Did you treat it?" asked Kurama watching her now too, "how big was it to make her limp like that."

"Of course I treated it," sneered Hiei, "it was about the size of my fist."

"Momma" said Shippo quietly tugging on her pants, "they're all watching you."

"I know I can feel them" she answered patting him on the head, "they must have noticed my limp."

When lunch was done Kagome and Shippo brought it over to them and they eat and talked about school.

"Kagome what school do you go to?" asked Kurama.

"I graduated two years ago, and well I have to take care of Shippo so I didn't go to collage" she answered smiling at Shippo.

"Where do you live?" asked Yunkina.

"At the Sunset Shrine, it was passed on to me when my mother and grandfather died, and my little brother lives with my uncle and he goes to school" she replied.

"Oh," said Yunkina, "I live in the neighboring shrine with Genki. I think our forest borders yours."

"It does," she said biting into her sandwich.

"So how did you get out here?" asked Yusuke.

Kagome stopped eating and a flash of pain went threw her eyes. Hiei noticed and got up, "Out now" he said pushing them out the door.

"But Hiei a blizzard is starting out there" said Kuwabara, "there's not was we can get back threw that."

Kagome smiled, "They can stay here for the night" she said cleaning up the plates. Shippo followed her and helped.

Hiei watched her and then sighed mentally and the rest of the group sat back down. In the kitchen Shippo was putting up the jam and was on his tiptoes trying to reach the shelf. He smiled when he set it on the edge, he was turning around to go help with washing dishes and hit the cabinet making the jam fall and break. Kagome turned around hearing the jar break and started laughing; Shippo was standing there covered in grape jam and was all sticky. He looked up and started to cry, Kagome stopped laughing and picked him up putting him in the sink and picked up all the glass before turning to Shippo.

"Its okay, look nothings wrong you just need a bath" she said reassuring him. Shippo nodded and Kagome picked him back up, "how about both of us get a back?"

"Okay" he answered sniffling.

Everyone else was looking at them, Yusuke and Kuwabara were laughing, Keiko and Yunkina were watching with some concern for the kit, Kurama was smiling and Hiei was smirking. Kagome went out to the small cabin and undressed herself and Shippo and got into the water. Once they finished their bath Kagome and Shippo were coming back when something flashed before them and where Shippo was standing he was gone.

Kagome screamed and everyone ran out of the house to find Kagome holding a piece of paper, on her knees crying. Hiei walked up to her and picked her up, she struggled out of his grip and was about to run out into the blizzard.

"Kagome, stop" Hiei said griping her shoulders making her still, "what happened?"

"He took Shippo" she cried out and stopped struggling and fell to her knees.

Hiei picked her up once again and everyone went back into the house, Hiei sat Kagome on the bed she was still crying.

"Who took Shippo?" he asked softly surprising the others.

"Inu-Yasha" she answered, "he took Shippo, and I have to go find him."

"There's no way you could go out there in this storm," said Hiei rubbing her back to calm her down. Kagome turned towards him and cried on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her. The others returned to where they had set up their cots in the living room area.

Hiei lay down with her as she continued to cry softly on his shoulder, "Why did he take Shippo?" he asked nuzzling her neck trying to comfort her.

"He wants something I have," she answered between sobs.

"What would that be?" he continued hoping for an answer.

"The Shikon jewel" she said softly. She felt Hiei tense a little but then he relaxed and nuzzled her neck again.

"So it is real. Your its guardian aren't you?" he asked his breath tickling her neck.

"Yes" she said hugging him even tighter," I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn't know what you would do."

He nodded his head, "Its okay Kagome" he said stroking her hair now, "I understand". After that was said Kagome fell into a light slumber. Hiei watched her for a while then went to sleep himself.

Kagome woke up the next morning and Hiei woke when he felt her get out of bed. She was heading out when he grabbed her shoulder. "You can't go buy your self," he said.

"I have to" she answered, "it says so in the note. Don't worry I'll come back."

He brought her close to himself and hugged her, "You better" he said before kissing her, "because I don't know what I would do with out you, love."

Kagome smiled at him and left his embrace, " I'll see you when I get back" she said walking out of the house and into the forest.

She walked down the misty path; the snow was fresh so there were no footprints besides her own. Occasionally she would hear a twig snap off into the woods and she would jump a little. Kagome had her bow out and an arrow notched in it.

"You let her go by herself," yelled Kuwabara and Yusuke. Keiko and Yunkina were watching Hiei. Kurama was deep in thought and Hiei was glaring at the two humans.

"Why would you let her go face a demon by herself?" asked Keiko with Yusuke and Kuwabara glaring at Hiei from behind her.

"Because she has to do this on her own, and it's not any of our business" stated Kurama, "am I right Hiei?"

"Yes, she wanted to do it by herself", said Hiei looking out the window.

"But if we happen to feel a high spirit level, we'll have to go check it out, it's our job too" said Kurama smiling and looked up at Hiei who was smirking at what he said.

Kagome came to what she thought was the middle of the forest. She saw Shippo strapped to the tree and he looked pretty beat up, his eye was black, he had several cuts and bruises and he was caked in blood and mud all over him. She brought a hand to her mouth and ran to get Shippo down, while she was trying to untie him a shadow peered behind her. She turned around with her bow and arrow ready.