Summary: It's hard to imagine things ever coming up when you're down, and vice verse. That's what Kagome Higurashi told herself years ago. Now she's stuck on the bottom, once again. Even though she has to tell herself that things will get better, she highly doubts that they can. The best things to her have been jerked away, once again, and dangled above her head to taunt her.

Rated M for death, depressing material, and foul language...

"Talking"
Flashbacks
Song Lyrics (centered)

Best of Us
Chapter 3: Pains

"He seemed nice." She comments as we get in the car. I give her a side glare, but she doesn't catch it. I think I found something else that Naraku manages to annoy me with. He can be so nice when he needs to be. That makes people trust him. Now I know how he even got close to my mother and caused her downfall.

He's sharpened up on his skills. He was planning something during these six years, and I know it's going to come back and bite me in the ass...

- - -

I'm picking Kaylee up from school again. She almost had to take the bus. I was having early contractions, and went to the doctor for a while. Thankfully, my body didn't push the baby out and I have time to pick her up. When I get there, her teacher comes out to me, and I roll down the window.

"Mrs. Taisho! Kaylee's not here. A friend of the family came to pick her up." She says. I stare for a while, wondering if I had forgotten.

"Did they say if it was planned?" I ask curiously. Perhaps I just forgot to look at my calender today.

"Not really. Said that they would meet you for ice cream. That you and Inuyasha were going to take her to a park or something. I can't remember." She tells me. I take a deep breath then let it out.

"Thank you." I tell her. I drive away, wishing I had my cell phone with me. Sango is really funny when she does this. Maybe it was Miroku this time. I doubt it. Sango usually picks Kaylee up and hangs out with her before she'll even inform me of thigns. Drives me crazy, but Sango loves Kaylee just as much as I do.

I drive home and park in the driveway. Inuyasha is home from work two hours early. I walk inside, only to find him on the couch. I don't have to be close to tell that he's stressing.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I sit down next to him. He doesn't know that I almost gave birth four months early.

"What's Naraku's last name?" He asks. I stare at him for a while as my heart slows it's pace. Inuyasha only asks questions if he has suspicions about the person. I doubt I want to know the answer but... What does he know that involved Naraku?

"Higurashi." I tell him quietly.

"A woman named Kagura... Kagura Higurashi called. She said there was an emergency at the school and that she needed to pick our daughter up. She needed permission, so I told her than she could pick Kaylee up. She had your maiden name, so I thought she was related to you. After a while, I realized that she couldn't be, since everyone in your family is dead." He says. I don't recognize the name Kagura, but Naraku still has my last name. Perhaps he has a daughter or wife to do his dirty work?

"Kaylee was picked up by a family friend today... I assumed it was Sango. Now I'm thinking it's Naraku." I tell him quietly. I can feel the panic level rise in his body, and I hug him. I know it won't help much, but if it'll help at all, I'll do it.

"How did he find us? Your last name is changed, he didn't know my name... How'd he even know we have a daughter?" Inuyasha questions himself. I wish I didn't know the answers. It'd be a lot easier than trying to explain it to him.

"I... I met him in the store two months ago. Sango met him, and he started acting nice. She doesn't know about my past, so she didn't suspect anything. He was being really kind, and got information out of her causally... She told him that your name is Inuyasha Taisho, and he figured out that we have a daughter. He even figured out how old she was..." I stop myself before I tell him how. Inuyasha will get mad, and I'm afraid of him transforming. Even though he won't hurt me, it still scares me a lot.

"I'm afraid to ask this, but... How did he know Kaylee's age? Sango tell him that, too?" He asks. He must not be too happy with Sango, but he knows that she wasn't told. I never told her because, despite us feeling like sisters, I don't want to. It's easy for me to tell a guy who doesn't understand and will ignore the fact for a long time. She knows how bad it'd be, and she'd keep it in mind more than I want...

"Sango... She didn't say anything. Before she returned to my side, he got information off of my posture. I just told him that I was married, and he could smell my pregnancy... He figured off of my posture that I'd had another, and that it was a girl." I tell him.

"You dodged the question, Kagome." He points out. I cringe.

"I did?" I ask. I know that I did, and I intended to.

"You know it. Answer my question." He says slowly.

"What was the question again?" I ask. I'm just stalling time now, and I'm sure he knows it too. I don't want to tell him, if I can wiggle my way out of it.

"Damn it, Kagome! Answer my fucking question!" Inuyasha finally snaps at me. I jump away from him, not bumping my head into anything. Even better, I fall backwards, lose my balance on the arm of the couch, and hit the coffee table. It gives out under my weight, and the glass on it stabs into my back just as harshly as Inuyasha's tone.

I don't even cry or wince in pain. I just sit there in shock. Since I almost pushed the baby out early, I start to think that this might trigger another contraction. Thankfully, it doesn't, and my baby decides that it's not quite time to come out. Good thing it's agreeing with me right now.

My back begins to leak out small droplets of blood. The glass isn't in deep, so it's not too bad. Still, it's hurting. I'd move, but I know that there's glass under me. Inuyasha has probably transformed already, and he'll be oblivious to my pain. He's only worried about Kaylee right now, not me.

Inuyasha looks at me, his eyes blood red. I can tell, just by the look on his face, with what he's struggling with. He wants to go find Kaylee, but he sees me in pain. I'm sure he can even smell the blood that's making it's way out of my body. He's stuck between me, or the child.

"Go look for her. I'll be fine." I manage to say. That's a lie, though. I won't be fine. I want him to stay by my side and care for me while I'm in pain. I want him to tell me that we'll find her, but his demon side won't be so subtle about it. His demon side doesn't entire comprehend the fact that I'm human. It's good in some ways, but other times he'll brush me off without realizing the extremity of the situation. Or the pain. Right now, it's mainly the pain I wish he'd notice.

Inuyasha looked at me, and hesitated once more. Then my words meant more to him than my pain, and he darted out the door. I know for sure that he won't hurt Kaylee. I've started to understand why, even.

Inuyasha in his demon form is just him doing what he secretly wants to. Like hitting men for flirting with me. He would never dream of hurting any of his friends or family, so we're safe. I'm just afraid that he'll do things in front of Kaylee's eyes to scar her or scare her. I don't know if he'd be in the right state of mind to protect her eyes...

I slowly get up, feeling pain pushing through my back. My abdomen twists around in pain as I try to get to the phone. It's hard, and the holes that are in my butt are starting to bleed. I can feel it, and it's making me want to cry in pain. I won't. I'm stronger than that. I pick up the phone, and tell Sango my situation with the holes and my strengthening back pain. She tells me that she'll be right over, and that if the door is locked, she's going to come through the window. I try to laugh, but I can't.

Two weeks pass by so damn slow when you're worried about a child. Kaylee is still missing, and I can hardly eat. The only thing that is pulling me through is the fact that Inuyasha will have a meltdown if I lose it.

I sit on the couch and stare at the door. I can hear Inuyasha coming, and he's probably going to be tired again. Sure enough, Inuyasha comes in the door. He's tired, just like he's been for the past two weeks. He's got dark circles under his eyes, frazzled hair, and is slouching so much, it looks like his arms are about to touch the floor.

"Nothing?" I ask dully.

"Nothing..." He says, sounding as depressed as he's been since Kaylee vanished.

I get up and kiss his cheek.

"I'll be back. Just go sleep." I tell him. He's too tired to disagree with me, and I'm grateful for that. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he's too tired to even ask me what's on my mind and where I'm going. That will be my advantage right now.

He'll be upset at first, but this will help me with things. I just have to figure out who has her. This Kagura person, or Naraku. I would think that Kouga was involved, but he's not even around. There's no chance of him and Naraku getting along...

Wait... It's all piecing together now...

Next time on Best of Us...
This is my fault too. Inuyasha must be so upset at me for having done this, but I had reasons. Can't he understand that too? Well, while I heal from these wounds, I have to learn to cope with the fact that our daughter is gone.

Woah, dudes... No, I'm not a surfer chick. Anyway, back to what I was saying... I just had two thirds of a pint of ice cream (Ben and Jerry's Phish Food), and I'm shivering. I'm not on drugs, despite what it may look like to my dad (he's right next to me). Damnit. I'm soooooo freaking cold right now. I shoulda slowed down in the ice cream thing...

Oh, by the way, I'm finished writing all the chapters. I just need the reviews to post 'em.

mea14- No one replies to you! How rude! I love to reply to my reviewers! Annd... The story I'm working on right now? Well, I wanted to write a story about my life, but it's too boring. So, instead of that, I am writing a story that's mainly about one of my "friends". I hate her, and she makes the perfect plot come to life... Anyway, it's about what has happened since I moved out of Palmdale and into Simi Valley. I think it'll be interesting... I hope. First chapter is done, but not posted. I like to get ahead of readers.

I think 30 reviews sounds reasonable for this... Don't you?

- Bipolar Tangerine