Kagome and Inuyasha had grown closer since the incident with Tsubaki. Inuyasha periodically helped Kagome over fallen tree branches and jagged rocks that his sharp eyes spotted. Rather than becoming an annoyance to Inuyasha, their conversation had been a welcome relief from the silence. Kagome still led much of the conversation, but Inuyasha found himself responding more. Their communication wasn't perfect, and they still fought periodically over trivial things, whether it be Kagome's lack of speed or Inuyasha's impatience. Still, they respected each other, and were co-existing.

What frightened Inuyasha most was the fact that he suspected that he would miss her when she went to another village. He had been alone for so long, and she was like a breath of fresh air to him. As his trust in her grew, the more he feared her. She now had power over him, and she didn't even realize it.

"I'm going to go collect some herbs," Kagome informed him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah, sure," Inuyasha replied, sounding rather distracted.

He watched as Kagome wandered off and listened for any sign of danger once she was out of sight. Inuyasha had absolutely no interest in repeating what had happened with Tsubaki in the village. He had been absolutely humiliated, and felt so helpless. The experience both traumatized Inuyasha, and made him curse his human side more than ever.

He honestly wished he were full demon at this point, since he wouldn't be so weak. Inuyasha also most certainly wouldn't have been friends with Kagome, no matter how nice she was. They hadn't spoken much about the Tsubaki incident, and he knew that he would do his very best to avoid it again.

Suddenly, Inuyasha noticed another scent near Kagome's, and he immediately became alert. Something about the scent was familiar, but he dropped his efforts trying to recognize it and took off in a hurry.


Kagome took her time identifying the different herbs, trying to replenish their stores. She knew a little bit about healing, and wanted to help out. Kagome was much more alert to her surroundings, and made sure that she paid attention to every sound, which was why she became cautious when she heard steps behind her. She stood up quickly, and bumped into whoever it was, landing on her butt.

"What a fine beautiful young woman you are," the man said, looking down at her. "May I help you up?"

Kagome eyed the man warily, and quickly stood up on her own, ignoring his extended hand. She brushed herself off, and stepped away from him. As she moved back, she noticed that he didn't appear particularly threatening. He had a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and was clothed in black and purple. He held a gold staff, and she guessed that he was a monk.

"I'm fine," Kagome replied, checking herself over to make sure she wasn't dusty anymore.

"Are you on your own?" he inquired.

Kagome had no intention of revealing that she was with Inuyasha. She had absolutely no trust in anyone, when it came to his safety. Kagome knew that Inuyasha could more than handle himself against this fellow, but she didn't want to chance it. The monk clearly had spiritual powers.

"No, my travel companion will be returning soon," she said simply.

"Well, I would be more than happy to stay with you until your companion returns," he offered.

"I'm fine, please be on your way," she dismissed.

Before the monk could say anything else, Inuyasha materialized in front of her, his back facing the strange man.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked, worried. When he turned to face the man, Kagome saw a look of recognition on his face.

"Inuyasha?" She heard the man ask, sounding stunned.

Kagome saw Inuyasha's eyes widen, his face looking equally as disbelieving. She didn't know what to make of this interaction, and decided to quickly answer Inuyasha.

"Yes, I'm okay," Kagome told Inuyasha, his eyes finally returning to hers. He nodded, and looked back at Miroku

"Miroku, what are you doing around these parts?" Inuyasha asked. "Last I heard you were about to get married."

"I was," Miroku sighed. "But, unfortunately, another woman captured my heart, and I had to bid my fiancée farewell. I left the village with a few coins so generously provided by the headman, and decided to reflect on myself during my journey."

"So you basically dumped her for someone else, and the village sent you packing," Inuyasha summarized. "What a fool."

"And I never thought you would take a wife Inuyasha, she's quite a lovely woman," Miroku complemented Kagome.

"Me!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "With that wench? What a joke."

"Like I would ever want to marry you, Inuyasha," Kagome shot back.

"My apologies for the assumption," Miroku said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension. Unfortunately, he wasn't used to Inuyasha and Kagome's bickering.

"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha concluded, ending the dispute.

"There are other serious matters Inuyasha. I recently heard that a half demon nearly died when he turned human on the night of the new moon," Miroku said, turning somber, giving Inuyasha a pointed look.

Kagome saw Inuyasha freeze, and a genuine look of fear crossed his face. She immediately understood the implications of Miroku's comment. Inuyasha's secret was out, and it was spreading.

"How did you find out?" Kagome whispered.

"A strange priestess spoke about it," he replied easily. "She also spoke about a woman who was a traitor to priestesses who saved the half demon."

"I might have played some part," Kagome admitted, prompting a reply from Inuyasha.

"Oy, wench, hold it right there," Inuyasha ordered. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who blasted me away, when I tried to save you from that snake demon. I was weak from the start."

Kagome's eyes snapped up to meet his, and she was flooded with guilt and grief. Despite the start of their argument, she knew that she had no retort ready for that, because Inuyasha was absolutely right. It had been her fault, and she still hadn't worked through or processed what had happened. In fact, they hadn't engaged in any conversation about it, whether it be related to Inuyasha's transformation or her developing powers.

Kagome had accidentally seen Inuyasha shirtless a few times, and his burn mark from her attack was still present. Every time she saw it, she felt like a knife was stabbing her in the gut. Not only had she weakened him, but the village had tortured him, and she still held herself responsible for that.

"You're cruel, Inuyasha," she whispered. She didn't look back at them, and walked off.


"You haven't changed," Miroku said to Inuyasha, disappointment coloring his tone.

Inuyasha watched Kagome leave, feeling guilty and he frowned. The words had slipped out, and he hadn't meant to push her away. But, did he really mean that? Could he have been trying to push Kagome away? He still felt wary of her, remembering her powers, and the information that she now knew about his transformation. Although they were friends, she was still dangerous.

"What's your problem?" Inuyasha demanded, meeting Miroku's gaze.

"Nothing, it's none of my business really," Miroku said. "But clearly, you still have the same attitude problem."

"My secret's out, and it's the wench's fault," Inuyasha declared.

"If you truly believed that, you would have silenced her a long time ago," Miroku said wisely. "Don't be irrational Inuyasha."

"Well, no one told her to go stomping off in anger," Inuyasha grumbled.

"I don't think she's angry at you, I think she feels guilty."

"Yeah, well, that's her problem," Inuyasha snapped, not wanting to feel responsible for Kagome's feelings.

"Who is she anyway?" Miroku asked. "You've always traveled on your own, I was shocked when I saw her with you."

"I ran into her when I was traveling north to find Tetsusaiga. She was being attacked by a demon, and asked to join me when I killed it."

"And you so generously agreed to have her travel with you?" Miroku asked, skeptically.

"She practically begged me!" Inuyasha said, sounding very defensive now. Miroku gave him a look, and sighed.

"Whatever you say Inuyasha."

After Miroku's words, Inuyasha noticed that the path was far too quiet, and that Kagome's scent had faded, meaning she was out of the area. His caution rose, and he knew that he needed to find her.

"Let's go Miroku," Inuyasha said, not giving the monk a chance to disagree. "We have to find her."

"Just like old times, eh, Inuyasha? Going on missions together, though this is the first time that I've seen you so concerned about a woman."

"Shut up."

They both took off at a sprint, and Inuyasha led the way, following Kagome's scent. He didn't know why he got anxious when she was gone, and why he was so preoccupied with her safety, it was ridiculous. He wasn't supposed to be concerned. Inuyasha had made it perfectly clear to her that they were merely traveling together, and that she had to leave soon. He couldn't care about her this much, it wasn't healthy.

After some time running, Inuyasha found Kagome, sitting on a rock and staring at a river. She looked so sad, and he knew deep within himself that he was the cause of her grief. He knew that she would have never attacked him on purpose. Inuyasha saw Miroku hang back, and give them the privacy that they needed.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, making his presence known.

Kagome turned her tear-stained face in his direction, and all of the fight was gone from her. She looked like she had given up, and Inuyasha felt something within himself break. He suddenly realized that although he had nearly been killed, she had been just as traumatized as he was, if not more. Inuyasha wasn't used to facing death, but she had never seen anything like what had happened. Kagome was good, she was everything he wasn't.

"I'm going to travel on my own, Inuyasha," Kagome said, sniffling a little. "I'm sorry for what I put you through, you have every right to be angry. Miroku seems strong, he should be able to help you with your search for your sword. I'll be fine from here on out, I'm sure there's a village nearby that will take me in."

"We never spoke about what happened," he replied.

"There's nothing to say," Kagome whispered. "I endangered your life, and that's that."

"You saved us." Inuyasha knew that those were the correct words to say, and his pride wasn't even hurt at this point. He realized that he wanted Kagome to stay. This scared him, but he was able to put away his fear. "I was dying."

"I helped you out of something I caused in the first place," Kagome argued, sounding rather stubborn.

"Dammit woman, it's not your fault they wanted to purify me, and you didn't mean to hit me with your attack. It all happened too quickly, and was just bad luck." Inuyasha found himself getting frustrated, whether it was with himself or her, he didn't know.

"Why have you gone all soft?" Kagome asked, laughing bitterly. "You need to decide if you want me here Inuyasha, I can't keep up with you."

"It's your choice," he said.

"I want to stay with you," Kagome whispered. Inuyasha was only able to hear her words because of his heightened hearing.

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha replied quietly, meeting her gaze once her eyes drifted towards his.

Kagome looked like she was on the verge of tears again, and he didn't know what more he could say. Perhaps he had to vulnerable with her. She had been open with him, and he realized that he always had a wall up between the two of them. Perhaps, it was time to break his defenses, and let her in. He decided right then that he was willing to put his full trust in her. She was not an enemy, she was just Kagome.

"I hate letting people in," Inuyasha told her, volume still low. "It's how I've protected myself over the years, Kagome. When I realized that you had powers and that they were growing, I was frightened. Even worse was when you knew about my secret; that knowledge can mean life or death for me. I know I pushed you away, but I also know now that you're on my side. For my entire life, it's felt like the world was against me, and you're one of the only people who's stood by me."

"But I hurt you Inuyasha," Kagome protested. "You're right to fear me. My powers will only continue growing, and I have to learn to control them. The only way to do that will be for us to part. I also have to rejoin my brother again someday, too."

"That doesn't mean we have to separate right now," Inuyasha replied.

"But we will someday," Kagome said more so to herself, than Inuyasha.

"Until that day comes, I'll be by your side," Inuyasha said, as a strange foreign feeling passed through him. He extended his hand to help her up, and she gratefully took it.

As Kagome stood up, she felt herself take a shaky step forward and Inuyasha steadied her, not wanting her to fall. She gave him a small, grateful smile, but he was unable to return it. He was now the one who was feeling guilty. He could feel a bad migraine coming on. All of this thinking had been the beginning of a headache, but he found that he didn't mind too much. He couldn't promise Kagome that their fights were over, or that they wouldn't squabble. However, he knew that he would stand by her, just as she had stood by him.

As they made their way up the riverbank, Mrioku soon came into view, and Inuyasha paused at the top of the hill. Inuyasha wasn't quite sure what to make of his old friend, or when they would see each other again. Before Kagome, Miroku had been civil to him, and Inuyasha found that he didn't want the monk to leave them quite yet.

"May I join you?" Miroku asked, before Inuyasha could say anything.

"Why?" Inuyasha demanded, giving Miroku his usual gruff attitude. Although he had enjoyed seeing his friend again, he didn't want Miroku hanging around.

"Truth be told, I have nowhere to go," Miroku said, rather directly. "And I think that I can be useful if you get into trouble. If you're looking for your sword Inuyasha, you will be running into Sesshomaru sooner or later.

"I can handle myself," Inuyasha snapped, not liking that Miroku was implying that he was weak. "He hasn't killed me yet."

"But can she?" Miroku asked, nodding at Kagome.

"No," Inuyasha sighed.

"Miss Kagome," Miroku addressed her. "I may not be a priest, but I am connected spiritually, so I may be able to train you some"

Inuyasha snorted, which earned him a glare from both Miroku and Kagome. Sure, Miroku was spiritual, but he also frequently scammed people with fake "exorcisms." He was also a huge lecher, and given his recent experience with his failed wedding, Inuyasha had no doubt that Miroku was the same.

"Yes, Miroku, I would like that," Kagome said, giving him her usual smile. Inuyasha looked between the two of them, and decided not to protest further. "What do you think Inuyasha?"

"Fine," Inuyasha replied, after regarding both of them for a minute. Inuyasha kept telling himself that the monk would be helpful for Kagome, since he would never admit that he had missed his friend.

"Well, it's settled then," Kagome said, walking north without really looking at either of them.

The two men looked at each other, shrugged, and followed her lead.

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