Author's note: Yay for updating! This is probably the quickest I've ever been able to write a story... I feel very proud. Enjoy this chapter, and please review... and tell your friends. :D!
"Hi Mom, I'm home!" Kagome called, walking into her house. Her mom was standing in the kitchen, making a stew that smelled absolutely delicious.
"Kagome honey, you're home early!" her mom exclaimed delightedly. "I didn't expect you home until tomorrow at least."
Kagome shrugged, sitting at the table. "I didn't really want to stay..." she said, unwilling to offer anymore details. She changed the subject. "Where's Gramps and Souta?" she asked.
Kagome's mom was too wise to pry as to why Kagome was upset, but she assumed it had something to do with Inuyasha. "Well, your grandfather is out at the sacred tree, praying for rain. We've been getting little of it recently. And your brother is probably outside with him. She stirred the soup, and offered a spoonful to Kagome. "Want to taste it for me?"
Kagome nodded. "Sure." she said listlessly, sipping the soup. "Mmm, it's really good Mom. I can't wait for supper." Her voice didn't match her words.
Her mom pretended not to notice. "So, have you decided what you want your costume to be?" she asked.
Kagome nodded, trying to rid herself of her bad mood. "Yup. It's going to be absolutely gorgeous. Sango and Miroku are coming too. And Shippo and Kirara want to stay here with you, if that's okay."
"Hey sis!" Souta said, coming into the room. He punched his sister lightly in the shoulder, his sign of affection. "Where's Inuyasha?"
"He's not coming this time." Kagome said stiffly. Her shoulders tensed. "Umm, I'm gonna go clean up a bit Mom... see ya!" She raced from the room.
"Aww, that stinks." Souta grumped, "I was gonna show Inuyasha my new video games..." He sighed dramatically, and walked from the room.
Kagome's mom just shook her head. "This should be an interesting visit..." she said aloud.
Kagome closed and locked the door to her bathroom, turning the water on in the tub. This is exactly what I need... a nice, relaxing bath. She ran a brush through her dark hair and sighed. "Stupid Inuyasha..." she muttered. "Why can't I get him out of my head?" Because you care about him. The small voice in the back of her mind said. And you miss him.
Kagome shook her head, and slipped out of her clothes. "Of course not." she said, sliding into the warm water. She slapped her head. "Oh great, that stupid demon even has me talking to myself!"
She tried to let the water calm her, but her thoughts were racing wildly. What if I never see him again? I should have just shut up... I just wanted to get him angry, and look where it got me. And it's near the new moon, so he's probably doubly edgy. She bit her lip. What if I don't go back, and he ends up being hurt or something while he's in his human form? I won't be there to help him!
Maybe he'll realize that he loves Kikyou, and not me.
She groaned. "I give up." she said finally. She let the water run out of the tub, then got out and slipped on her pajamas. "I just won't think of him at all. That will work."
Dinner that night was a pretty quiet affair. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, and they were also worried about Kagome. She just stirred her soup tiredly. "I'm sorry guys, but can I be excused." she asked finally. "I guess I'm just tired... I'm gonna go on to bed."
Kagome's mother nodded. "Of course honey. Come get me if you want to talk." Kagome looked at her mom, and smiled. "Thanks." she said, realizing that her mom knew what was bothering her.
She climbed slowly up the stairs, and flopped onto her bed. "Night Buyo." she said to her cat, scratching him behind the ears. "Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight too." The cat purred lazily, snuggling into a warm ball on Kagome's stomach. After a few minutes Kagome fell into an uneasy sleep, plagued with dreams about Inuyasha.
Back in the feudal era
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" Inuyasha cried, slashing several poor trees into pieces. He was off alone in the woods, trying to act like nothing was wrong. Unfortunately for him, he was a horrible liar.
"Think he's going to go for your plan?" Miroku asked Sango, sipping some tea. They were sitting inside Lady Kaede's hut. Shippo was curled up next to Kirara, fast asleep.
Sango shrugged. "I hope so." she said. "It's better than anything he'd come up with." She started to look through the fabrics that Lady Kaede had, trying to decide what her masquerade costume should be.
"I think you should wear red." Miroku said, walking over to where Sango was. He sat down next to her. "Red suits you."
A faint blush covered Sango's cheeks, and she tried to hide it by looking down at the fabrics. "Really?" she asked.
Miroku nodded, smiling. "Yeah. It's very becoming."
Sango picked up a dark red silk fabric. "Like this?" she asked.
Miroku nodded. "Yeah." He started to dig through the fabrics. "Now what color should I wear?"
"Blue." Sango said, without even really thinking. "I think blue suits you..." She was starting to blush more furiously now. Thank goodness for dark huts. She though.
"Thanks." Miroku said. He placed a hand on Sango's shoulder... the started to drop lower and lower.
SMACK! "Miroku!" Sango yelled.
A dark red hand print was already evident on Miroku's cheek. "What?" he asked innocently.
Sango huffed in annoyance, and walked over to sit down with Kirara. "Baka monk." she muttered.
Outside, Inuyasha was finally starting to tire of destroying the entire forest. "Da girl... What is wrong with her!" He growled in annoyance.
"It's not like I care... she just slows us down." He slashed half-heartedly at a nearby tree, missing by a mile. "Okay, sure she can see the jewel shards. But that's not really important. It's can't be that hard to tell if a demon has the shards anyway."
Yes it can. The annoying little voice in the back of his head said. Besides that, you'd miss her too much. "No I wouldn't." he muttered. "Great, now I'm arguing with myself, and it's all Kagome's fault."
But what happens if she gets sick while she's at home. I won't know about it? Maybe one of those big trains will hit her because she doesn't pay attention. Maybe she'll try to sneak out to the well at night to see if I'm waiting, and I'm not there, and a demon attacks her. She left her bow and arrows here...
Maybe she'll finally realize that she loves Hojo, and not me.
Inuyasha shook his head. "Yeah right." he scoffed. He leaned against one of the few standing trees and growled. "I just won't think about her, that's all. And hopefully Sango's plan will work. I guess I'll use her advice. It can't hurt, right?"
He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall asleep. All night long, his dreams were about Kagome.
Author's Note: I guess by now you realize that all my chapters are pretty short. I'm not really good at long chapters. ;; There wasn't a whole lot to move the plot along here, but I wanted you to see how similar Kagome and Inuyasha's thoughts were. And I had to throw in a little Sango/Miroku moment. On to my reviewer responses!
Candykisses1: Thank you so much! hands you a cookie You're very sweet.
Allysono123: hands you a cookie Here ya go. :) It's chocolate chip. lol, thank you for your review. I'm very proud of myself for being able to write this story so quickly. Trust me, it's an accomplishment. Hope you enjoyed!