Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any other characters in this particular story. End of story. No witty remark.
Somewhere in the Forest...
It had been one hour. One straight hour since the group had packed up from Kaede's house and left. One hour since anyone had said a word. Even Shippou had been quiet, choosing to sleep in the little basket attached to Kagome's pink bicycle. Kagome had chosen not to ride, and pushed her bycicle along, trying to manuever around rocks. Inuyasha walked far ahead, every now and then his ears twitched. It was impossible to tell what he, or anyone else, was thinking. They kept their thoughts to themselves.
For Kagome, this was torture. The girl needed social contact, she craved it. Going one hour without talking was quite a feat for her, and she was growing weary of it. She was different from Kikyou in this way. Kagome could never figure out how the woman had managed to go so long without speaking to anyone. The last time she had seen Kikyou, she was locking lips with a certain half-demon.
The girl shuddered at the memory. It was one that had haunted her dreams for many nights, before she had managed to shove it to the back of her mind. Sighing outloud, she slowly pushed her bike along. Sango heard the sigh, and looked her way quizzically. The two had become as close as sisters, and Kagome often confided in her when they were bathing at the hot spring. They had similair problems, seeing as they were both in love with men in the group, and they both were bent on denying it. Nudging her gently in the shoulder, she whispered, "Whats wrong?"
The half-demons ears twitched again. Naturally, he could hear what the demon slayer was saying, and was interested in hearing the answer. The two woman often forgot his keen sense of hearing, so he heard a lot of what was whispered between them. Most of it was junk- things that didn't concern or interest him. But sometimes it was interesting. Sometimes.
"Just thinking about dog-boy and Kikyou again." The girl whispered back to her friend. She knew it was useless to lie to Sango, and decided that telling the truth would be the easiest thing to do. Besides, even if she did lie, Sango would eventually figure it out. Sometimes this quality in the other woman was, dare she say it...annoying.
Inuyasha almost stopped right then and there, wanting to scream at the wench to be quiet. What he did with Kikyou was none of her concern. The poor half-demon didn't understand why she had to go on and on about it. Now, in Inuyasha's defense, he had never encountered love before he met Kikyou. It was such an alien thing to him, so it was almost impossible for him to even contemplate it's complexities.
About to turn around and tell Kagome to shut her trap, he was distracted by a certain scent. The scent that often tortured him. "Kikyou." He whispered. Miroku, who was walking beside him gave him a warning glance. If he chose to chase dead priestess, the monk didn't know how Kagome would take the emotional blow. Naturally, she would be hurt and confused...But all that aside, her heart might not be able to take another blow. Miroku often watched the girl at night, wondering how she delt with all the pain that usually came with traveling with Inuyasha. Not that he would ever tell Sango (or anyone else).
A figure in the shadow of a tree came forth. For a moment, time stood still as everyone slowed to a halt. The breath caught in Inuyasha's throat, as he once again faced the woman he had (and still) loved. Kagome's eyes flashed, and then filled with tears. Sango and Miroku moved closer to eachother, goose bumps running up and down their spine. They knew that this meeting would most likely not end well. Kikyou herself felt her bravery falter. She hadn't expected such an electric shock to run through her when she her eyes met the familair gold ones. Then, she regained her composure. "Inuyasha...Kagome. And friends." She greeted them, her voice monotone. It would not do for her showing uncharacteristic displays of emotion at their first meeting. No...that would come later.
Kagome didn't speak, but only reached down to touch Shippou's head, gently. The small demon awoke, and looked around, clearly confused. When he saw the priestess, he hugged Kagome's fingers. He too knew how much pain the woman caused her. Keep in mind, he was allowed to bathe with the women, and heard much of their conversations. Sometimes, he even added his own opinions. He had grown to think of Kagome as a sort of mother to him, and resented anyone who would want to hurt the teenage girl.
Inuyasha nodded, a small smile touching his lips. "Kikyou." His voice came out strangled, as he struggled to keep the wave of emotions under control. He wanted to growl with frustration- just the sight of the woman made his heart beat faster, and make him shiver with happiness. It was obvious where his loyalties lay, and sooner or later Kagome needed to realize it.
Kikyou returned the smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Inside, she was rejoicing. Just the sight of her made Inuyasha's emotions run wild. This was going to be more fun than she expected.