Chapter 17 – Clues

"What have you done?"

Kagome jerked, awakened by the rough voice and turned to confront the person. The abrupt change in scenery, from the river at night to Goshinboku by day, was as startling as the voice. I could have sworn I was just resting in the river with Sango…

"How could you?" came the voice again and this time Inuyasha came into focus before Goshiboku. He was scowling, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at her.

"Nani…?" She tried to begin.

"You promised to stay." He cut her off.

She wasn't sure, but somehow she knew what he was referring to and it both saddened and scared her that he'd finally figured it out.

"I am staying… in a way."

"Bullshit Kagome!" He snapped at her, dropping his arms as he stalked towards her with a peculiar gleam in his eyes that she really didn't want to decipher.

Without warning he was suddenly right in front of her, gripping her upper arms with barely reined in anger. He was probably going to start shaking her any minute.

"Do you really think I'd want you to do that?"

"It.. it's… I thought you wanted…"

"Damnit! When did you ever ask me what I wanted? Huh, Kagome?"

He jerked her into his arms, embracing her tightly. "What am I supposed to do without you?"

She was too shocked by his embrace to say anything, do anything, at first. "Live, Inuyasha," she calmly replied, though she had no idea why she was so calm about something that was anything but pleasant.

"Find the rest of the shards and live happy."

He briefly tightened his hug, then pulled back to look her in the eyes, this time she could easily see the sorrow in his golden gaze. "Not without you, Kagome." He whispered. "Not without you." Then his lips touched hers.

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Kagome gasped and shot straight up out of her blanket. A dream… just a dream…But… she looked around, confused at finding herself back in the inn when she clearly remembered relaxing in the river. How'd I get back here?

The answer came as Inuyasha poked his head in, already returned to his hanyou state. "'Bout time, lazy wench. Had to help Sango drag you back here last night."

"Well I'm soooo sorry that I'm such a bother to you," she replied tartly. The retort came easily to her this time. Perhaps because it felt like they were bickering like old times. No real upset in their voices, just general bantering.

Then reality crashed back in when he frowned and simply disappeared from the doorway. No, things were definitely not back to normal… then again nothing had really been normal for her for the past three years. With a sigh she began to rise and ready herself for the day. Wait… day… Oh no! I slept through the night! How am I supposed to contact her with Inuyasha hounding my every move?

Still grumbling to herself about the wasted night, she completely missed Sango's approach and gave a rather undignified squeal when the taijiya touched her shoulder; subsequently landing herself on her backside looking like a fish out of water.

Sango looked equally surprised, and there was silence for a long moment until Sango suddenly laughed. She hadn't meant to startle Kagome when she'd come to tell the woman they were ready to leave. However, the look on her face was priceless and Sango couldn't help but laugh at the funny expression she was making. She must have laughed louder than she'd thought because Miroku and Shippou poked their heads in the door with equally quizzical looks that only made her laugh harder.

Glad to be the butt of what was Sango's personal joke, Kagome regained her composure and finishing her packing, ignoring the looks from Miroku and Shippou. If they wanted an explanation they could ask the taijiya. Right now all she wanted to do was get on the road and see if she could somehow convince Inuyasha to let her go back to her time long enough for her to contact the Keijigakari; especially in light of that dream.

She was starting to chalk it up to plain old daydreaming, a nice session of good old wishful thinking, except it had felt chillingly real. She could still feel his arms around her and his lips against hers… and that alone sent shivers up her spine. It was something she wanted; yet it wouldn't ever happen. Her mind had simply taken all the stress of the past few weeks and emptied it out by fantasizing. Except the beginning wasn't even remotely a fantasy. More like a light nightmare… If Inuyasha didn't let her escape to her time, she was going to have to find a way to elude him long enough to contact her here.

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"Onegai, Inuyasha. Just one day."

Getting Inuyasha to allow her to go back to her time was proving to be the fruitless battle she had envisioned that morning. When flat out telling him she was going resulted in Inuyasha threatening to tie her to Kirara, she had begun to resort to pleading; the good old tried and true method. Technically she could just up and leave, but she really didn't want to contemplate the consequences of such an action. Her hanyou protector was bull-headed enough that she didn't doubt he'd do anything to stop her. With her schooling completed, she didn't have much reason to return to her era as frequently as before. And the hanyou was exploiting that knowledge to his full advantage. She wasn't even low on supplies, so that had been a futile excuse and was easily thwarted.

"No, Kagome. We'll be losing ground if we backtrack now." And I know you're being sneaky, wench.

Kagome declined to respond, finally giving up and picked up her pace, returning once more to Sango's side. Miroku dropped back to walk next to Inuyasha, regarding the women thoughtfully before turning his gaze on the hanyou.

"I don't need your advice, bouzu."

Miroku simply chuckled and shrugged. "Be that as it may, Inuyasha, I still feel compelled to voice it. If you want to patch things up, you should let her go home. Show her that…"

"She's being sneaky, Miroku. There's something she doesn't want anyone, especially me, to know."

Miroku blinked, his mouth agape for a moment before he remembered to shut it. So he had picked up on that as well? Miroku had been having the nagging feeling of such after Kagome's talk of reincarnation and souls. And that feeling only increased as he watched her interaction with Inuyasha. Sango, of course, wouldn't tell him anything about her talks with Kagome unless she felt it absolutely necessary. Hence it meant that Kagome wasn't sharing with Sango about what was really bothering her.

"And so you're keeping her close until you find out."

Inuyasha nodded, his gaze trained on the women ahead of them. Thankfully Shippou was walking with them or Inuyasha might have had to resort to some sort of bribery to keep the kit's mouth shut. He was going to find out what was going on before he lost what little self-control he had left and soundly shake some sense into that pretty head of hers.

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"Sango… I need you to keep Inuyasha from following me tonight."

"Nani?" Sango looked askance at the miko, wondering what the woman was up to.

Forgive me… "I just want some time alone without worrying if he's stalking me."

"Ahhh. But you realize that it wouldn't last long. He's just as worried as the rest of us about you."

"Worried? Why?"

Sango gave her a soft smile. "You've changed, Kagome. Some for the better, but there's this part of you that you keep holding back from us. You used to be so open and friendly. Now you're quiet and reserved; you don't talk with me like we used to. I feel like I'm somehow losing you in a battle that I can't be a part of. We have traveled for weeks and you do not speak of your family, Inuyasha or even your troubles. You no longer share anything about yourself and it makes me wonder if you are hiding something from us."

Kagome bit her lip, guilty for making her friends feel this way, and yet she couldn't take it back. She had to stay on her course and that meant another lie. Kagome grimaced at the lies she kept telling, but even trying to justify them with wanting to keep everyone out of it wasn't working. A lie was a lie, regardless of why it was told.

"I've just got a lot on my mind, Sango. I'm thinking too hard about things that have yet to pass. Like what to do after Naraku's defeated and the Shikon is whole again."

Somehow, Sango didn't quite believe her and it showed in her expression as she quirked an eyebrow. However, she wasn't going to contradict the woman and turn their conversation into an argument. So she settled for a shrug and offered to do what she could to give Kagome a moment's peace tonight when they camped.

With the exception of an oni that thought Kagome would make a great snack, with her shards as a lovely dessert, the rest of the day was uneventful. The men and women walked separately, each pondering what the other group was speaking about in such hushed tones. By the time dusk fell and a suitable camp had been spotted, the tension among the Inutachi was thick.

Guilt over bringing Sango into a situation she had no answers for, Kagome had reneged on having Sango keep Inuyasha preoccupied. She told Sango just before they'd found camp that the taijiya wouldn't have to do anything tonight. She knew Inuyasha would grill her friend about where she was going and what she was doing; and without the answers, Sango would be forced to create lies of her own or let Inuyasha follow Kagome. Neither of which was pleasant and so she opted to wait until everyone was asleep.

The first night after the new moon Inuyasha usually slept, whether to voluntarily catch up on sleep or the need to sleep overruled his desire to stay awake, she wasn't sure. Hopefully tonight would be no different and she'd be able to slip away long enough to do what she needed. Hard on the heels of the dream came the doubts that she had thought she had suppressed. Doubts that made her want to take back her promise and follow her dreams. What she needed now was confirmation that she was doing the right thing.

As Kagome readied a fire pit for the evening meal with Shippou, Sango "asked" Miroku to accompany her to collect firewood while Inuyasha hunted. Miroku, never one to miss an opportunity alone with the taijiya, followed her to a short distance from the camp, wondering if he would return with another palm mark for his attempts. His hand was nearly upon its goal of the seductive curve of womanly hips, when she suddenly turned to face him. Freezing in place, cursing himself for not being quicker while praying she would go light on him, he wasn't expecting the gentle grip of her fingers around his wrist.

"Any other time, houshi-sama, I'd slap you back to Kaede's." Her words drew his gaze from her hips and to her face; a face that showed immense concern and worry.

"Sango?" He questioned, unsure what put sure an expression in her eyes.

"It's about Kagome." Seeing that she now had his full attention, she pressed on. "She needs some time alone and wanted me to keep Inuyasha from following her, but now she says she's fine and won't need the time away after all. Something doesn't feel right, Miroku. I think she's hiding something from us; something… something…"

"Terrible?" He ventured to guess.

"Ano… maybe. She looks so lost sometimes, and other times she looks like she carries some burden that weighs too much. I don't know what to do. She won't talk about it and if I ask, she smiles and says nothing is wrong."

"You too, huh?"

The pair gasped as Inuyasha stepped out of the tree line and into the small path they were occupying. He hadn't been eavesdropping on purpose, but couldn't help overhearing their conversation as he made his way back to camp with fresh meat. He nodded to Miroku, giving him a silent signal that he should tell her what they'd spoken of earlier.

Miroku nodded and addressed the taijiya. "We had a similar conversation earlier. Inuyasha thinks she's being sneaky and hiding something from all of us, or more importantly, from him. She avoided his questions about Kikyou yesterday, so we suspect it may have something to do with her. Did she tell you anything else after her meditation?"

Sango shook her head. "No, and she won't let me bring up the subject either." Then again there hadn't been much opportunity to talk between yesterday morning and tonight.

Miroku sighed and shook his head. "I regret suggesting this because I feel like I'm somehow betraying Kagome-sama, but in light of what has occurred I think it is needed." He looked between the two, who now wore expressions of curiosity. "Sango, tell Kagome you'll honor the original agreement to keep Inuyasha from following. Convince her she should take the time to get away. Inuyasha, your part begins right before Kagome leaves…"

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Kagome nibbled at her share of rabbit, although it was more out of habit than hunger since her mind was on other things. When Sango had returned with Miroku and the firewood, she had hauled Kagome off for a talk of their own while Miroku lit the fire. She still wasn't sure how Sango convinced her that it was okay for her to 'disappear' for some alone time. Perhaps it had been the comment that Kagome looked like she was under a lot of stress, which was slightly true.

Inuyasha, while still being his grumpy self, nearly brought her to tears just because he remembered to gut and clean the rabbits before giving them to her. Here she was, being all kinds of mean and aloof, and he still cared enough to gut his kills first because she abhorred doing it herself. If there was ever a time I deserved to be called a bitch, now would be it.

As depressed as her thoughts were, it still didn't deter her from taking advantage of Sango's generous offer and stealing away for awhile. She wasn't sure if she'd contact the Keijigakari tonight, but at least the time away would allow her to think without everyone around. Finding her appetite gone, she handed Shippou the rest of her rabbit portion to eat or share with Kirara. Rising to her feet, she brushed her hands across her thighs and gave Sango a look that told her she was going now. She headed for the tree her pack rested against, pausing in mid-reach for it when she heard the commotion behind her.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?"

"Leave her be, Inuyasha. She just needs a little private time."

Kagome turned to see Sango blocking the path of a quickly angry hanyou.

"It isn't safe!"

She frowned, wondering how to diffuse the situation when Miroku, of all people, took things out of her hands.

"Relax, Inuyasha. Kagome-sama probably won't wander too far from hearing distance, ne?"

Kagome nodded in relief, agreeing quickly to the compromise if it would keep Inuyasha from following. It seemed to work because Inuyasha huffed and dropped down to all fours with what she'd come to recognize as the 'Fine, but I'm not happy about this' pout. Suppressing the urge to giggle at the current image he made, she thanked them and promised to return soon.

She grabbed her pack and headed into the trees, looking for a suitable place to think and possible call upon the Keijigakari.

Twenty minutes later, her silver-haired shadow followed.

A/N:

Well things are certainly spicing up now, eh? I'm going to edit and finalize the story once I finish it.

There's about 5 chapters left or so. And here I'd planned for it to be only a 10 chapter fic!

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Standard Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha ya think I'd be writing fanfiction? snort I only lay claim to the Keijigakari.