Ok guys, I'm back after a long absence! I'm so sorry! This was due to a MAJOR case of writer's block...lmao...ok, and also, I'm sorry this is so short! Please forgive me! I'll make the next chapter twice as long as this one!

Chapter Six

One or Many

"Are you okay?" the timid brown-haired boy asked gently, offering Kagome a handkerchief from his pocket. She took it and wiped her eyes, sniffling.

"Yeah," she lied, a weak smile on her face.

"My name is Hojo," he said quietly, a bright look in his eyes. Kagome told him her name and he sat back a bit.

"Kagome," he repeated, "I like it a lot."

"Thanks." Her face darkened

"Don't worry," Hojo said, not noticing her expression and patting her shoulder, "I know just how you feel, being weaker and all."

Kagome looked up at him. "You do?"

Hojo nodded with a sheepish smile. "I'm weak even for a human. I was made fun of too."

"Really?" Kagome was shocked.

Hojo nodded. "I may know more than anyone what you went through, Kagome."

He placed a hand on top of hers.

And Kagome didn't pull away.

"Forget her!" Inuyasha told himself, punching through tree after tree, working off his anger and helpless feelings, "She's never brought you anything but trouble!"

"Talking to yourself again, Inuyasha?" A voice sounded behind him, and he rounded to find Sesshomaru watching him with an amused expression on his face.

"I just—what do you want!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Don't take out your anger on me, little brother. I just happened to be passing by when I heard you yelling." Sesshomaru smirked and folded his arms.

Inuyasha turned away bluntly, fists clenched at his sides.

Sesshomaru ignored this apparent hint and pressed on. "Is the human girl giving you grief again?"

"She left!" the younger boy growled, turning his head and glaring at his brother, "She went with her own kind, which is bullshit if you ask me—"

"Her own kind?" Sesshomaru's face grew utterly serious, "There are humans in the forest?"

Inuyasha stared at him blankly. "Well, yeah," he muttered, wondering what the huge deal was, "Three of them."

"Are they armed?" Sesshomaru stepped forward quickly, his eyes boring holes into his brother's.

"What's your problem!" Inuyasha began, and Sesshomaru grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.

"Are they armed?" he hissed, baring his teeth.

"Swords and spears, and one girl has a boomerang. What the hell is going on here!" Inuyasha demanded, wrenching free of Sesshomaru's grip.

"I had heard rumors of demon slayers lately, but I didn't give them much thought. Now we have our proof." Sesshomaru turned to go.

Inuyasha called after him impatiently. "Wait! You can't just leave after all that! What the hell is going on!"

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, stopping short and turning around, his eyes cold and serious, "The human girl will be our undoing. If she leads the slayers to us, it will be your fault. If you are not willing to assume responsibility for the death of our village, I suggest you take care of the situation."

"What do you mean, kill her!" Inuyasha looked at him in horror.

"I mean silence her, whatever it takes. If you must kill her, then you must."

"No! I won't do it!"

"Think carefully, Inuyasha. Her life, or the lives of everyone else in this village? Her wellbeing, or the wellbeing of the last of the great demon race?"

With that, Sesshomaru left his younger brother to think.

Kagome smiled warmly as Hojo handed her a warm bowl of stew. "Thanks," she murmured, her voice still weak from crying so much.

"Would you like me to make you a bed here?" the girl, Sango, asked.

Kagome thought about it for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "I'm going to have to face Inuyasha eventually," she muttered, her face growing sad, "Whether I like it or not, I still owe him for saving my life when I was a baby."

"That's funny," the tall one, Miroku, said, turning to spoon himself a second helping of stew.

"What's funny about that!" Sango demanded, turning angrily to face him, "This isn't a laughing matter, you idiot!"

"Not about that, darling Sango," Miroku teased, making Sango turn red with embarrassment and fury, "I meant that it's funny how Kagome can be so angry with that half-demon. It's not like they have feelings."

"But they do," said Kagome, looking confused.

"You only think that because you grew up with them," said Miroku, "In time, you'll be able to see where we're coming from."

"Why are you here anyway?" Kagome asked, "I can't see any reason why you would come this deep into the forest."

Hojo opened his mouth to reply, but Sango elbowed him in the ribs.

"We're just traveling," she said with a smile, "We're trying to get to the open fields about twenty miles from here."

Kagome nodded.

Miroku exchanged a look with Sango that said, She believes us.

Inuyasha tore through the forest with blinding speed. Where was she? He had to find her.

If he was forced to make a choice between saving the human girl who didn't love him and saving everyone else's life, the answer was obvious.

So he was going to find her and take care of it.

Ugh...writing the Kagome/Hojo fluff just about killed me...

Review or I kill Sesshomaru.