Kagome withdrew from the bush from behind the couple. Her brown eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She had known Inu-yasha's feelings for the undead priestess, but actually hearing it made it hard for her. Inu-yasha's senses were so overwhelmed by Kikyou's scent he didn't notice her. And that was as good thing. She didn't want to be noticed by him, or anyone. Generally, when you run away, you do it secretly.
Rot her brains. The hurt girl thought venomously. She wasn't used to being so mean, but in this case, Kikyou deserved it. I hope she goes to hell, her and that half-breed excuse for a demon. A silver tear streaked down her cheek, falling on her packed bag. She was ready to go. With one last glance at the sleeping Shippou, Sango, and Miroku, Kagome sighed. She would be glad to leave Inuyasha and Kikyou behind, but Shippou and Sango would be heart broken. As for Miroku, she didn't even think that he noticed her. With one last look at her friends, she turned away and disappeared into the forest.
Kikyou, who had sensed Kagome's aura leaving, and smiled. She had known the girl had been hiding there all along. Now, she was gone, and the path to Inuyasha's heart was clear. Or at least, almost clear. He wouldn't forget about her so easily, she knew. Now, was the tricky part. She had to make him believe she would be gone for a couple days. Not that she would be gone forever. If there was even the slightest hint that she was too hurt to ever come back, Inuyasha would go after her, and everything would be ruined. Talk about pressure.
Morning dawned bright and clear on camp, and Shippou was the first of the group to wake. He snorted at Inuyasha, who was sleeping in his customary manner (sitting up) at the bottom of a tree. Slowly, his eyes ran over each sleeping member, counting them. Then, they widened. And he counted again, this time out loud. "One, two, three, four, five, six." That wasn't right. Last night, there had been seven. Who was missing? Then, he realized who it was.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" He yelled into one of the hanyou's snow white ears. A clawed hand reached out and pulled him up by the tail. Slowly, he looked up into Inuyasha's blazing amber eyes.
"What do you want, squirt?" Obviously, he was grumpy. Shippou almost ran away then and there, but kept up bravely. "Kagome…She's gone!" His words had an instant effect on Inuyasha, and he found himself on the ground where he had dropped him. The half-demon however, was tearing up camp, looking for the girl. Miroku and Sango awoke hearing the noise and added to the fray by asking what the heck was going on and why he was tearing up everything.
Kikyou just stood watching, waiting for the opportune moment. When the chaos was at its peak, she would speak up, saying that Kagome had told her to tell them not to worry and she would be back soon. Naturally, that was a big lie. But, it was needed. Sometimes to get someone to realize you are right, you have to do some bad things. Seeing the moment, she stepped forward.
"Don't worry," she began, and the rest fell silent. Shippou's eyes brimmed with hope; he was worried to death about his 'mother'. "The girl, Kagome, she told me last night that she was leaving for a couple days and would be back really soon." Sango and Miroku exchanged a curious glance; they both knew that Kagome would rather die then tell Kikyou anything important. Shippou too was suspicious, but he decided not to show it. The only one who really believed her was Inuyasha. No surprises there.
"So the wench decided leave, eh?" An uncharacteristic smirk was on his face, and all of them looked at him with looks of surprise on their faces. Normally when Kagome left to go back to her time, he would mope about it for days. This was so totally unlike him. And no one knew why he was acting this way. No one, but Kikyou that is. She knew what mysterious 'disease' had struck the half-demon. And it was all going according to plan.
Selena's Corner: I have an apology to make. Several actually. I am sorry for not updating. I am sorry for the short chapter. I am sorry for being sorry. And I am sorry for...whatever else I did. There we go. I feel so much better now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Expect more to come. Please review!