The Mayu Flower

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from InuYasha.

Chapter 2: A Big Stupid Mistake

"Some men attacked you?" InuYasha shouted in surprise with wide eyes. The others also shared his shocked expression as they sat in Kaede's hut while Kagome passed them the treats she usually brought for them. "I thought you said your time was a lot safer than here!"

"Calm down, InuYasha! It is a lot safer, sort of. I mean we don't have demons for one thing, but there are still burglars and stuff," Kagome said as she handed Shippou a lollipop. The kitsune took it with a smile and immediately tore the wrapper off and stuffed it in his mouth. "Anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal. My friend Kinuto came and saved me and..."

"Who's Kinuto?" InuYasha cut in, looking suspiciously at Kagome.

"He's a guy I met when I went to visit Souta. I bumped into him again the second time I went. After I left the robbers attacked me and he found me and stopped them," Kagome replied with a straight face. "Anyway, I'm perfectly fine so let's get going before we waste the whole day away." With that, she buckled up her backpack again and rose to her feet.

"Feh, whatever, let's just go," InuYasha growled, getting to his feet as well. He picked up his Tetsusaiga as it lay leaning in its sheath against the wall and strapped it to his hip. The others also got their weapons and packs. They said goodbye to Lady Kaede after they had left the hut and began to follow their northern path.

"I don't sense any jewel shards around," Kagome said tiredly as they had been walking for a good part of the day.

"And there aren't any demons around either, at least none strong enough for me to smell," said InuYasha, his nose twitching slightly as well as his ears. Kagome tried hard to supress a giggle.

After a few more minutes of walking, Kagome suddenly stopped. The others halted their march as well and looked back at her. "What's wrong Kagome?" Sango asked.

"I sense a shard, but it's very weak," she stated. She looked to the dense forest that lay to their left. The shadows seemed to make the trees seem even taller and the wind whistled eerily among the leaves.

The company wasted no time as they left their path and hurried straight into the forest. At times they had to stop and circle around some large moulds of rock because the way was blocked and the trees were too close together for Kilala to fly. InuYasha grumbled to himself in annoyance of his friends' slow progress. Finally Kagome said that the shard was just ahead of them. InuYasha rushed forward, not bothering to wait.

"InuYasha!" Kagome scorned, but the hanyou paid no heed. He leaped quickly between the trees and suddenly stopped in his tracks. In front of him, a tiny stream ran southwards and among the water was a strange looking fish with fangs and gleaming sharp fins. Its scales looked rock hard and its eyes were red and menacing. Despite all this, it was a small fish and earned InuYasha another scowl.

"It's just a pathetic fish demon," he said boredly after the others had arrived. InuYasha raised a fist and gave the demon a sharp punch. It gave out a feeble shriek and died. InuYasha picked it up and showed it to Kagome who looked at it with disgust. Kagome pointed out where the shard was and they quickly took it out.

"What a waste," Shippou muttered. "The fish was so weak, the power of the shard barely made it noticable."

Miroku sighed. "At least it was an easy accomplishment. We still have enough strength to keep going. I'm sure we'll find a village before it gets too dark."

For the rest of the day the company walked further north with no sign of jewel shards or demons. Just when the sun had started to slip perilously close to the horizon, a village loomed ahead of them. When they had approached it, they saw a good number of people scurrying about and shouting for things. No one paid them any heed. They were just about to circle around the village and plan to camp outside when a woman spotted them and hurried towards them.

The woman stopped infront of Miroku. "Excuse me, my lord. Might you be a monk?" she asked, twisting her hands together in a worried state.

Miroku put on a handsome smile and nodded his head. "Yes I am. How might I help you, miss?" He took the woman's hand in his and bowed his head.

"Oh, brother," Shippou said, rolling his eyes at the monk. He sat in Kagome's arms with his hands behind his back. Sango was beside them, glaring daggers at Miroku.

"A girl from the village is terribly sick. She has a high fever and her eyes glow strangely. The Elders say she is posessed by a demon, but we have no priest to exorcise it. Might you do it? We will give you a hut for you and your friends as well as some food in payment," the girl replied, looking hopefully at him. She didn't seem to notice him take her hand.

"It would be my honour, my lady," he said gracefully. Looking back up, the woman had pulled her hand free and began leading him towards the hut with the ill girl. Following after her, Miroku cut through the crowd, announcing that he was a monk and that the girl was in good hands. InuYasha and the others glowered at him threateningly as he entered the hut.

The girl had indeed been posessed by a demon. Yet it had been fairly weak so a simple sutra from Miroku cast it out of her body. She soon awoke but with a slight fever. Kagome, the girl's mother and Shippou helped to bring her fever down and get some food into her. She later fell into a peaceful sleep.

"She's be fine now," Kagome said smiling as they left the hut. "She'll wake up in the morning good as new."

"Thank you so much. Be sure you thank your friend monk for me as well," the woman said to Kagome and Shippou. The kitsune demon jumped onto Kagome shoulders before they headed back to the hut where the others were already waiting.

Later food was sent to their hut for dinner. They ate comfortably, planning their course for the next few days. After they had decided they would continue north for jewel shards, they all began to get ready for sleep. Kagome and Sango lay in separate beds already sleeping soundly. Miroku and InuYasha were sitting in their own corners and Shippou was curled up beside Kagome. Kirara was snuggled up to Sango, purring softly. Time slipped by as their company slept.

After a few hours of silence, something suddenly sturred InuYasha awake. Opening his eyes, he looked to the door and saw the cresent moon shining between the cracks. His ears perked up a bit as if sensing something. He got to his feet and soundlessly made his way to the door. Pushing it open, he looked out into the night with a stoic expression. Just beyond the village, the dark forest loomed great shadows and among them, a few odd silvery serpent-like beasts seemed to float with a high-pitched note. In their thin and short claws were balls of light. InuYasha immediately recognized them.

"Kikyou's soul collectors," he whispered. Without a back glance or a second thought, the hanyou sped off away from the village.

Inside the hut, Kagome had suddenly awoke. Unsure to why she had awaken, she tried to remember the dream she had been having. As she strained, she looked around the hut and realized that InuYasha was not there. Her efforts to remember the dream slipped away. She got to her feet and tip-toed her way out of the hut as to not wake the others. Her steps made a few creaks in the old wood, unlike InuYasha's silent steps, but none of her friends awoke. Just as she left the hut, she saw a flash of red. 'Where's he running off to?' she thought suspiciously. Deciding to follow, she quickly went after him.

Still oblivious to his follower, InuYasha wondered why Kikyou was here. They hadn't heard any word of her for quite a while now. He felt a slight twinge of guilt in his heart as he ran to meet her. Kagome knows that I've chosen Kikyou, she even said she was fine with it, he thought, trying to convince himself. The guilt didn't no away, but neither did he stop his run. Soon another soul collector crossed his path so he followed it. It lead him straight to a clearing with a large leafless tree in the centre. Laying on one of the branches was the figure of a beautiful miko in a white haori and red hakama. Her black hair was tied back in an elegant white ribbon and her hand was stretched out to one of the flying serpents. The ball of light it held flowed into her. The woman then turned to face him.

"Kikyou..." InuYasha whispered, watching her with unblinking eyes.

The dead miko lowered herself gracefully from the tree, landing without the slightest sound. The soul collectors continued to circle her, giving her souls of the departed. "InuYasha, why have you come?" came her voice, smooth yet emotionless and cold. He didn't answer.

'Great, I lost him,' Kagome thought bitterly, looking around for any sign on the hanyou. 'Hopefully I can find my way back.' She had followed InuYasha as far as she was able until he had disappeared from her sight. She had continued to walk on, hoping to find him again, but with no success. "Why didn't I bring a flashlight or something?" she muttered to herself, after nearly tripping over a third upsticking root. Just as she was about to stop and turn back, she froze in her tracks. In a clearing just ahead, she saw Kikyou and InuYasha.

Kikyou suddenly smiled and let out a small laugh. "InuYasha, you fool. Do not tell me you still have feelings for me. I have seen you with my young reincarnate. Do not deny that there is some doubt in your feelings for me." She looked away from him, eyes staring straight into the forest, right at Kagome. Her reincarnate blinked in surprise but did not move.

"No, Kikyou! I've told you before. I don't care if you don't think of me the same way you did fifty years ago! I will always protect you no matter what!"

"Then tell me, InuYasha. If this is true, why do you protect that wench that looks like me?" She looked back at him with empty eyes. "Is it because you think if you protect her, it is almost as if you are protecting me?"

InuYasha remained still, staring at her as if she had asked him to give the world to her. 'That's not true! I don't protect Kagome just because she looks like Kikyou, they are nothing like each other!' He tore his eyes away from Kikyou, staring at the ground. 'If it were true, then I might as well have run off with Kikyou long ago, instead of staying with Kagome. I protect Kagome for a different reason...that's true isn't it?'

"Yes..." he muttered as if answering a question from his own mind. Kikyou took the answer otherwise.

"Yes? So you do think that. How...interesting," she said coldly, staring straight at Kagome again who was barely holding back a gasp.

InuYasha looked back up at her, just realizing what his mutter must have sounded like. "What? Oh, no! I didn't mean..." he trailed off as he suddenly heard fierce rustling in the bushes. Looking there, he saw the silhouette of Kagome fleeing from them. "Kagome? Wait no! Kagome!" He turned to follow her, but Kikyou's voice stopped him.

"I knew it couldn't be true. InuYasha, you say you choose to be with me, yet when that young wench stands and watches us like this, you still care more for her as she runs than I as I stay."

"You knew?" InuYasha growled angrily. "You knew she was there the whole time?"

Kikyou laughed and nodded. She said no more but watched as InuYasha left her, running after Kagome.

Kagome let the tears fall freely. She ran as fast as she could, not caring when she tripped and scraped her knee. She just got back up and kept running, running away from InuYasha. More branches snagged at her clothes, but she fiercely pulled away, tearing her sleeves and continuing on. Soon the hut came back into view. Entering, she kneeled beside Sango and tapped her shoulder lightly. "Sango, I...I need to b-borrow Kirara...I'm going home," she said in a whisper, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible between the sobs.

Sango blinked a few times, struggling against sleep. "Kagome? What's wrong?" she said softly, pushing back a yawn. Kagome simply stated she had to go home again. Not wanting to upset her friend further, she nodded.

Kagome stood once more and woke Kirara. The cat demon mewed and stretched as Kagome gathered her things. After, she led the cat demon out of the hut and asked her to transform. Kirara mewed again, letting fire surround her. The fire grew bigger and then vanished, leaving a large and heavily fanged cat demon in its place. Kagome climbed onto her back and asked her to fly to the Bone Eater's Well. Kirara blinked in comprehension and took off.

By the time InuYasha returned to the hut, Kagome was gone. He went inside to see if she was there, but was instead met with the angry face of Sango. Shippou and Miroku were still asleep, but Kagome and Kirara were gone. Before Sango could say anything, InuYasha went back outside. He looked to the south and saw the distant figure of Kirara flying with flames at her feet. The navy sky was still strong in the south, making the flames stand out, but the sun had started to rise in the east.

'How could I have said that? It was all just a big stupid mistake and now Kagome thinks I only keep her around because she looks like Kikyou.' He shook his head bitterly. His heart heavier than he had ever remembered, he pulled out the small glass pendant he had purchased for Kagome earlier. Examining it with sad eyes, he whispered, "Kagome, I'm sorry..."

In Kagome's Time...

"Thanks, Kirara," Kagome said shakily, sniffing involuntarily. The cat demon mewed and took off once more. More tears threatened to burst forth, but she managed to subdue them as she took hold of her backpack and jumped into the depths of the well. Still consumed in her misery, she barely noticed as the blue light eveloped her or when she landed back on the ground in her era. Taking a weak hold on the ladder, she slowly made her way to the top. Climbing out, she let the backpack drop to the ground and sat on the edge of the well. Putting her face in her hands, she let the tears flow freely.

"InuYasha you jerk, how could you do this to me?" she mumbled to herself between sobs. "After everything we've gone through, you only keep me around because I remind you of Kikyou?" She wept some more. She felt so humiliated, as if she had been a tool. When InuYasha had gotten jealous over her, he had only been protecting Kikyou, not her. When she smiled at him, he only blushed because he was seeing the dead miko, not her.

Kagome let the tears silently fall down her cheeks as she picked up her backpack and ran to the house. She went inside quietly, not wanting to wake her family. She hurried to her room and collapsed on her bed. Hours ticked by as she slowly cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, she awoke to a bright room. She felt as if the bright sun was mocking her, as if every tear in her had been spent, as if she'd never heal this crack in her spirit. The clock glowed 11:46AM making her wonder how she had slept for so long. After she had changed into a blue skirt and a white t-shirt, she went downstairs for some breakfast. Her mother was surprised to see her and tried to make small conversation, but she never asked why she was home so early. Kagome was greatful.

"I think I'll go take a walk for a bit, mom," she said softly and got out of her chair. Her mother nodded and let Kagome leave the house. At first Kagome looked to the street, but then began walking to the God Tree. Stopping in front of it, she gazed upon the mark of where InuYasha had slept for fifty years. The tiny hole of where the arrow had struck was still in there. Suddenly she felt new tears come out, but they were silent and her heart was calm. I shouldn't be so upset. I already knew he had chosen Kikyou over me... she thought, But still, hearing him admit that I'm nothing to him is a little surprising. She shook her head. That great big idiot, he just had to go and make me care for him so much.

At the entrance of the Higurashi grounds, Kinuto stopped short as he spotted Kagome. From far away she didn't look like she was crying. She's so beautiful... he thought with a slightly reddening face from his own thoughts. He took a step towards her and saw something sparkle on her cheek from the sun's reflection. Why's she crying? He walked closer to her and called out her name. At first she didn't move but when he repeated himself she sharply turned to face him.

"Kinuto?" she said in a smooth voice. She did not move from her spot. The wind began to blow a little harder, making her hair drift elegantly and her skirt flow. Kinuto couldn't help but repeat his earlier comment in his head.

"Kagome, what's the matter?" he asked with a concerned voice.

At first she didn't understand him. She gently touched her cheek and was surprised to find it wet. Had she been crying? She shook her head and wiped her cheeks dry. "Kinuto, can we go somewhere? Anywhere but here," she asked softly. Kinuto nodded and led her to his car. The two remained silent during the drive, with Kagome was thankful for. Kinuto stopped outside a little cafe. After they had sat down at a small round table, Kagome muttered a thanks.

"It's no trouble," he said slowly. He looked concernedly at her and could help his curiosity. "Kagome, I was just wondering something. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why were you crying earlier?"

Kagome smiled weakly in spite of herself. InuYasha used to hate it when she cried and now Kinuto seemed to show the same trait. Yet now she wasn't sure if InuYasha's concern was for her or Kikyou. At least she was sure Kinuto cared about her, not the undead priestess she had been reincarnated from. She sighed slightly and decided to tell him her story, but was careful not to give any clue to the true tale. "It's this guy that I've been...seeing for a while. We're mostly friends, but I really care about him," she started off rather awkwardly. "Anyway, I just saw him with his ex-girlfriend and she...she asked him if he only stayed with me because I remind him of her. He...he said yes. He didn't know I was there and I guess I shouldn't have been spying, but it was just a shock to hear him say that..."

At first Kinuto said nothing. From the story he could tell Kagome really cared for this guy, enough to be so strongly affected by what he said. He felt a stab of jealousy, which surprised him. He had only met Kagome three times and had been just passing her house when he saw her crying and now he was jealous of some guy he didn't even know? Sure he had saved her from being robbed, but that didn't make him special. He leaned back in his chair, looking at his hands. Who was he to get into the middle of this when it was obvious Kagome already had her heart taken?

"Kagome I don't mean to sound judgemental or rude to your friend or anything, but this guy doesn't sound like he deserves you," he spoke calmly, hoping to cheer her up.

Kagome smiled and touched his hand. "Thanks, Kinuto." She looked warmly at him for a moment before breaking away and looking at her hand touching his. Blushing a bit, she pulled it away.

"So are you going to be okay? Do you want me to drive you home?"

"I'll be fine, but...could you drive me to the park? I think I'd like to walk a bit," she replied, looking out at the busy street beside them.

"Sure, I can stay with you if you want and drive you home later? It's a long way from the park to your house and I can't let you walk the whole way," he offered with a grin.

Kagome smiled warmly at him again and nodded. "That would be nice. Thank you, Kinuto."

In the Feudal Era...

"InuYasha, where's Kagome?" Shippou asked when he had woken up. InuYasha sat in his corner with his eyes half-open. The hanyou did not reply, he barely showed any recognition that the kitsune was even there. Miroku had woken as well. Sango was still glaring at InuYasha suspiciously while packing all of their things away. With Kagome gone, they had to return to the village and wait for her.

"She went home, Shippou. Last time she woke me up to borrow Kirara," she explained without looking and InuYasha.

"Did you too have another fight?" Shippou demanded angrilly. InuYasha rose a fist to smack the kitsune across the head. Shippou flinced and covered his head in protection, but and stayed there waiting for it, but nothing came. Peeking back up at the hanyou, he saw InuYasha loosen his fist and lower his arm. He scrambled to cover his head again as InuYasha climbed to his feet, but instead the hanyou left the hut without a word.

Once outside, the hanyou jumped up to the highest branch of a tree beside the hut. He balanced on it carefully at stared at the risen sun. Kagome must think that I don't care about her at all...what should I do?

"No, Kikyou! I've told you before. I don't care if you don't think of me the same way you did fifty years ago! I will always protect you no matter what!" he had said to Kikyou, unaware that Kagome watched.

"Then tell me, InuYasha. If this is true, why do you protect that wench that looks like me? Is it because you think if you protect her, it is almost as if you are protecting me?" she had said in return.

He knew that wasn't true. If he had protected Kagome only because she resembled Kikyou, then he might as well have run off to Kikyou a long time ago. But he didn't. Kagome was different. Not just because she was from a different time and she was stubborn and over-confident like Kikyou never was, but her soul was different. Kikyou had wanted him to use the jewel to become human, Kagome didn't care if he was human, half-demon, or full demon. She cared for him in any form he was. Kagome had warmth and easy forgiveness and trust that could never be broken, while Kikyou was cold and lifeless with a trust that could easily be broken. 'Kagome...' he thought. Guilt stung his heart harder than it ever had.


Please review! Third chapter coming soon.