Disclaimer- The one called Inuyasha is not in my possession at the moment….but he will be…one day!

Chapter 11-The Mystery Begins

"Someone help me!" Kagome screamed, clinging to Marshmallow as if it was her last tie to life. Sango couldn't form words, her thoughts scattered when she saw her friend's horse disappear from her sight. In a vast attempt to control her horse, Kagome grabbed the reigns with one hand and pulled hard. "Please stop! Marshmallow calm down."

"God damnit can't that girl keep herself out of trouble." Ignoring the protests from the counselors, Inuyasha grabbed his horse's reigns and quickly took off after the two runaways. Inuyasha couldn't shove down the strong feeling of fear that slipped into his heart. As if Steel understood his new master, he quickly increased his speed, slowly catching sight of the speeding fugitive. With extra effort, Inuyasha pulled Steel hard enough to move to the side of Marshmallow and Kagome before Marshmallow guided them into an area filled with trees.

Inuyasha's eyes quickly glanced over to Kagome, who was hunched over her horse. Her brown eyes were sealed tightly as her shaking hands desperately clutched Marshmallow's mane. Her wits were scrambled, the fear of another outburst from her horse holding coherent thoughts captive.

"Kagome snap out of it!" Inuyasha's voice quickly reached Kagome's ears, making her eyes open swiftly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome quickly lifted herself from the horse, her fear diminished. Her cry was not sorrow-filled or upset like Inuyasha had suspected, but joyful and hopeful.

"What the hell are you doing!" He asked, clearly showing his anger. She ducked slightly when a branch crossed her head's path, looking back at him.

"Marshmallow got spooked back there and now she won't stop."

"Have you pulled on the reigns or even tried to stop her?"

"No I just decided to scream my head off for fun!" Inuyasha was going to respond to her mocking answer when she looked past his shoulder and dipped down. "Duck!" Inuyasha quickly forgot his anger and dropped his head. He felt the hair on his head graze past the branch, making a wave of anxiety hit him hard. His mind reeled as he tried to form a plan as he felt Steel slacken slightly. The sudden movement gave Inuyasha an idea.

"Kagome, I want you to try and keep Marshmallow running." He called over to her, though the look on her face proved her confusion.

"I don't think I'll have a problem with that, but why?"

"If she keeps going she's just going to lose her energy. She'll slow down and eventually stop."

"How long will that take?"

"I have no clue; I'm, just winging it here."

"And that's going to help me how!"

"Just shut your mouth and don't get yourself killed." Kagome only shifted her eyes forward enough to avoid another low branch. She felt a rush of adrenaline course through her body as she tried to maintain a cool head. I just hope his plan works, or I'll haunt him when I'm dead! Soon after Inuyasha's command, Marshmallow's speed slackened greatly. Kagome smiled as she glanced over at Inuyasha.

"She's loosing her energy, you were right!" Inuyasha sighed in relief as she started laughing, though it stopped when she spotted a thick limb hanging in front of Inuyasha's path. "Inuyasha, wat-" Her scream was cut sharply as Inuyasha's chest came in contact with the branch. The force knocked Inuyasha off Steel's back, causing a sickening noise of his body crashing into the ground below him. Kagome could only scream, which triggered Marshmallow's stored energy. Marshmallow started to speed up again, brining the panicked girl with her.

Kagome wasted no time swinging her right leg over to join her left leg on the saddle. Because of the fear of Inuyasha's injuries, Kagome attempted to jump off the horse, but was knocked off before she had the chance to jump. Her body met the ground and she rolled a couple feet, causing her arm to be dragged across the forest floor. She felt her body slump slightly when she stopped, though she wasted no time hauling herself to her knees. She noticed her hands were slightly scuffed, though they weren't bad. As for her arm, she barely registered the pain that now shot through her arm from the slice she had received. She stumbled to her feet, sprinting where had seen Inuyasha crash.

"Oh god let him be alright. I don't want to see him hurt." Though she felt the darkening truth of the situation circle around her mind, her heart was not touched by doubt. When her brown eyes caught sight of Inuyasha's body, her breath hitched. He was motionless and in the same spot where he had fallen. She tried to shake the mist that fogged her mind as she ran over to him. She slowly kneeled next to him, tossing her helmet off in the process. She tenderly loosened his helmet and slid it off, checking his head for any injuries. She gently placed her hand over the deep gash that now dug across his left cheek, blood seeping down his face.

Though the apprehension that grew in her chest was great, Kagome couldn't help but notice the serene look that stretched across his face. His face held no real expression other than contentment. She lightly traced her thumb across his lips, which were now resting in a small smile. What caused him to be the way he is? How come he can't seem to be cheerful or even show any emotion other than anger? Did something happen that was so bad that he can't even be happy? Kagome snapped from her thought and pulled her hand back, a blush creeping onto her face from her previous actions.

"Inuyasha wake up please." Kagome whispered, shaking him firmly. When she got no response, panic bubbledinside of her. She shook him again, this time hard. The pressure she added greeted her with crimson paint dampening her hand. She looked down at his shirt, though she couldn't tell the red from his shirt and the blood. When she realized that the only option in order to get to the wound was to remove the garment of clothing, she hesitated.

"How am I going to explain this to him if he wakes up? He's going to freak and call me a pervert or something!" She muttered to herself. Sighing in frustration, Kagome gradually grabbed the bottom of the shirt, pulling it up slowly and threw his arms. She kept her eyes on the shirt for a moment before she glanced back at Inuyasha, staring at the very apparent wound in his shoulder.

"He must have fallen on his stomach first before he rolled over." Kagome felt a sting of guilt in her heart when she remembered why he had been on the unwritten trail to begin with. This is all because I couldn't control my own horse. These wounds are so deep, and the one in his shoulder could have pieced him in the heart! I have to get him back to camp before something else happens. Now Kagome was stuck. She was in the middle of nowhere with Inuyasha, who was unconscious and unable to help. The horses were long gone. And I bet they found their way back perfectly fine. Kagome thought bitterly.

"Ugh I can't get a break today! All I've gotten is frustration, and now I'm the cause of Inuyasha getting himself knocked out by some stupid tree bough!" She sighed as a slight glare darted into her eyes, causing her to cover her eyes with her hands. "And to add the icing on the cake, some stupid shiny thing in that tree is blinding me! Oh I just want to kill that st-" Kagome cut herself off when she noticed that the item she was being blinded by was the pin from before. "Wait, I know where I am now!"

Kagome's spirits skyrocketed as she jumped up, her new found luck causing her to dance around. She stopped when she realized how idiotic she looked, but the goofy smile that she sported still stayed glued to her lips. She looked down at the boy she knew she was going to have to lug to the lake. The moment of joy was lost to amazement as she slowly glided back down to the floor, staring at the wound on Inuyasha's shoulder.

His shoulder's injury was repairing faster than she had ever seen a gash heal. She blinked in wonder as she saw the skin repairing itself, making her back up slightly. In a matter of seconds the blood that had been pouring from the slash slowed and the lesion was now just a cut.

"Oka, he is defiantly going to have to explain what is up with him. That can't be normal, it just can't be!" Kagome only shook her thoughts away from her clouded brain as she slowly threw Inuyasha's arm over her shoulder, carrying him back to their secret hideout.

The sun's rays had been sinking for almost an hour, though it barely seemed a minute for Inuyasha, who now slowly opened his purple eyes. The night sky that shone above him startled Inuyasha, though when he tried to speak, a searing pain shot through his cheek. His hand instantly fell onto his check, though it was covered with a cloth. He pulled his hand away, holding the soft green strip of fabric that was now darkened with blood. It took only a moment for the moment of what he was doing before he blacked out.

"Kagome…What happened to Kagome?" He asked himself as he sat up quickly. He swiftly scanned over the area that he was in, recognizing it as his secret relaxation spot. His gaze stopped at the tree that hung its arms over the pond, or rather the girl leaning against it. He stood up, shivering slightly from the night's cold breath. He felt exposed to the wind, thought didn't realize until he saw Kagome with his shirt that he was bare. He crossed his arms over his shown flesh as he bent over the sleeping girl.

"Kagome wake up." He whispered. When she didn't move he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, wake up."

"No, I don't feel good, I can't go to school." Inuyasha kept down his smirk at Kagome's automatic excuse for a longer sleep session. He shook her again, watching her nose wrinkle in protest before she pulled his shirt closer to her.

"I don't think we have to go to school at camp." Kagome opened her eyes, yawning before looking up at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you knew that." Kagome's bewilderment soon turned to shock as she scrambled to stand up only to fall back onto her butt again. "Maybe I should sit down so you don't hurt yourself." Inuyasha sighed before he sat next to her. He pulled back when he felt her hand turning his head, though swallowed thickly when he felt her petting his cheek. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"It's completely gone." She whispered. Without giving Inuyasha time to question her, she shoved him onto the ground, staring at the spot where a loose bandage made from her shirt hung. She pulled it away from the spot to see where the bleeding wound had once been. She gasped as she gaped at his shoulder, searching for any proof that Inuyasha had been punctured.

"What are you looking at!" Inuyasha finally sat up again, causing Kagome to squeak before falling into his lap. His head was inches away from hers, his eyes locked on her astonished face. When she didn't respond, Inuyasha waved his hand in front of her face. She looked up at him in after shock.

"Don't you remember anything?"

"No, now will you give me my shirt!" She barely understood what he said as she mindlessly dropped his shirt on his shoulder. He quickly welcomed the warmth that surrounded him when he slipped it on.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember you screaming and then I blacked out…Why, I didn't hurt you did I?" The urgency in his voice caught her off guard as she gaze up into his purple eyes. She blinked slightly at the tint of alarm that shaded his voice. Why would he think that he hurt me? Wait, does this mean that he actually cares if I get hurt or not? No, it can't mean that. He just doesn't want to get into trouble with the counselors I bet. She smiled sadly at him and shook her head, causing him to glance at her weirdly. What's with her sad face? I didn't say anything bad did I? Maybe I really did hurt her and she just doesn't want to tell me or something! No, Kagome wouldn't lie to me about that and I'd be able to tell. Then what's her problem?

"Actually you got hurt yourself." She replied, watching his eyes widen slightly before she continued. "I wish I could show you what I'm talking about, but well, the cuts are both gone." A full minute passed where silence was the only sound to be heard by either camper. Kagome shifted slightly while Inuyasha kept his gaze towards the sky. Finally he spoke, though it was brief.

"I see." His voice was hushed and he looked down at his covered chest where he imagined the gash was.

"It healed so fast, I almost missed it." She admitted, biting her lip while she waited for him to look up again. When he did, she moved on. "How did your body heal so fast?" Inuyasha's eyes shifted from Kagome to the lake next to them.

"What are you talking about 'fast', it must of just been small."

"Stop acting like you don't know what is going on! It was all the way into your shoulder and you know it."

"How could I know? I was unconscious remember?"

"Well it was deep, so deep it would have left a scar on a normal person." Her words stung worse than she knew or could even dream of. He looked away angrily, though inside his heart cracked. She thinks I'm not normal. She must see me as some monster, some freak. I should have known it would be the same with her, and if she ever found out the entire truth, she would run away. He shook his head and glared back at her.

"I'm perfectly normal." He protested. A slightly desperate sound rung in his voice and didn't go unnoticed by Kagome.

"What is with you and the word normal?" Inuyasha only shook his head and kept his eyes hidden. She sighed before she placed her hand onto his cheek as she had in the forest. Her fingers traced where the cut once laid, both teens slowly relaxing into a comfortable silence. The slow stroking of her fingers relaxed him, making him unconsciously lean his head into her hand. She looked at the boy who now held his eyes shut. She couldn't help but giggle, making him look up at her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry; you just looked like a puppy." When she saw him glare up at her, she only laughed harder. "But it was really cute."

"I'm not cute and I'm not a puppy." He growled out, only making her comparison more realistic.

"What are we going to do now; we're stuck here till tomorrow morning." She asked, trying to change the subject.

"To tell you the truth, I have no clue." He replied, watching her yawn. "How long did you sleep?"

"I went to bed after it got dark, but I don't have a watch so I wouldn't know." She replied.

"Well then get some sleep."

"No way, you need it more than me. I'll stay up and watch out for any hungry predators to make sure we are actually alive in the morning."

"I've been asleep since noon when I blacked out, how do you figure I need it?"

"Because that wasn't sleeping, that was just being knocked out!" Inuyasha tried to control his temper, though his patience with the stubborn girl was slipping.

"Will you just go to sleep damnit! I swear you must be the most stubborn girl I know."

"You aren't any better dummy!"

"I'm not a dummy."

"Then if you aren't, go to sleep."

"You aren't sleeping either, that means that you're dumb too." Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she realized that he was right.

"I guess you're right, I'm the dummy." His eyes softened slightly before he roughly turned her to the side. "Hey, what are you doing? Yo-" She stopped when she felt two arms circle around her waist, pulling her side up against a warm wall, which was more comfortable than the tree she had slept against before. She looked back at Inuyasha who was looking over to the side.

"If you die from the cold then I'll get in trouble, and since neither of us brought anything to keep warm…" He trailed off and let her draw her own conclusions, waiting till she nodded.

"I guess the same thing goes for you too. I don't want you to die either, because then not only would I get in trouble, but I'd lose a good friend." She smiled up at him as his shocked eyes watched her. Words slipped away from him as he tried to think of something to say.

"Yea I guess the same goes for you." He finally managed out. Even though the sentence wasn't the best way, Kagome knew it was Inuyasha's way of admitting the friendship they shared. They fell silent for a moment, both looking at the other until the realization of the other's look drove them to look away. Kagome's second yawn of the night reminded Inuyasha of how they had gotten into the moment of silence."Now be a smart dummy and get some sleep." The command was gentle but strong in its own sense.

"That's an oxymoron." She muttered before leaning against him, her head subsiding in the crook of his neck.

"Whatever get some sleep." She only nodded before casting black curtains over her eyes with the insides of her eyelids. His tense muscles relaxed completely when her breaths slowed into a gentle rhythm. He sighed slightly as he absentmindedly stroked her hair, staring up at the sky. Well now she knows that I'm exactly normal, but how long will it be until she starts asking more questions? Knowing Kagome and her curiosity, it won't be too long until she starts sneaking through my past. A loud rustle in the bushes near by caught Inuyasha's attention, putting his feelings on hold. Damnit, why now!

"Inuyasha, Kagome, where are you?" Miroku called out, stepping on a twin gang snapping it in half. Inuyasha knew they were near by. He shook Kagome roughly making her wake up sooner than either expected.

"What is with you and waking me up? Is it your fetish or something?" She asked.

"Well sorry princess, but I don't want the others to find this spot." Kagome shot up in Inuyasha's arms, glancing around before she spoke.

"Where are they now?"

"Somewhere close, so lets go before out secret becomes the whole camp's secret." Kagome nodded as he stood up, picking her up in his arms as he did.

"Will you let me down!" She asked, making him drop her on the group. "Ow…Oka, maybe not that hard or in that way." She slowly stood up only to meet the back of Inuyasha's shirt, the owner now crouched down in front of her. "Now what are you doing?"

"You're much slower than me, and we already know that I can carry you. So just get on before they find us." Kagome could have argued if not for the ear shattering scream that both teens heard. Kagome jumped in surprise when she heard the bushes near the lake move, and became even more scared when nobody appeared.

"That sounded like Kikyo screaming, what if something happened to her?" Kagome asked. Before Inuyasha could answer, Kagome quickly moved onto his back, letting him lock his arms under her legs before taking off. Inuyasha only smirked when he felt her arms tighten around her neck, though she gave him enough room to breath. His movements were fast but he kept a steady pace, bursting through the surrounding shrubs and into the dark forest. Kagome closed her eyes tightly when he barely missed a tree, skimming the side with his shirt.

Inuyasha skidded to a stop, causing Kagome to open her eyes and look around. When she felt crouch down she slowly moved away from him, tripping occasionally as she walked. Blackness shaded her eyes from seeing anything in front of her. She felt a warm hand encircled her own, a slight wave of comfort coming with it. Inuyasha pulled her forwards, his eyes darting around. After a few minutes of walking, Kagome yelped when Inuyasha squeezed her hand.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"Well, I found Kikyo-" His reply was cut off by her gasp.

"How can you see anything in this place? I can't even see you right now, and you're right in front of me!"

"I'm gifted with night vision." Kagome didn't appreciate the sarcasm. "I just can Oka! Anyways, Kikyo's on the ground in front of us, but she's bleeding and she looks unconscious." Inuyasha explained. He looked back at Kagome who had a sickening pale color crossing her features.

"Is she Oka though? You don't think she's dead, right?"

"I'll go check. You stay here, I'll be right back." He reluctantly let go of her hand and walked over to the fallen girl's body. Gradually he bent down, placing his fingers on her pulse. Its beat was slow and weak, but the fact that it was still there reassured Inuyasha that she was still alive.

"Well?" Kagome asked, trying to see where he was.

"Her pulse would lose a race with a snail, but she's still alive if that's what you're asking. As for where the blood is coming from, it seems that something or someone stabbed her. It also looks like they aimed for her heart…but they must not know how to use a knife because it's about five inches above the heart. I'm guessing they had the knife facing the wrong way and had the duller side on the bottom instead of the other way around. Only problem is that there is no weapon here, which makes me think that they took the knife with them." Inuyasha explained, walking back to the frightened girl. "We can't move her in case she's broken any bones."

"But we can't leave her here!" Though Kikyo was not her closest friend in the world, Kagome was still affected by the attack on her.

"Look, we won't do any good if we stay here with her while she bleeds to death. She's not dead yet, we can go get her some help, then we'll come back."

"You go, I'll stay here." Inuyasha shook his head.

"No way, I won't let you stay here on your own."

"Why not! You think I can't take care of myself?"

"Well against a person with a weapon, no you can't. Not to mention that Kikyo is taller and heavier than you. This means that this person could take you out. This person has no problem with trying to take a life, and if you think that they'll suddenly see their ways are wrong and they won't kill you or that I'll let you stay here then you have another thing coming."

"I can't just leave her here, don't you understand that?"

"I know you don't want to, but I'm sure she'll be fine for a couple of minutes."

"What if whoever did this comes back?"

"They won't, I bet they fled. But if it hears someone here, for example you, it might come back to make sure that you don't help Kikyo. As long as we stay in groups, then they won't attack us.." He didn't waste time listening to her protest before he pulled her in the direction he had heard his friends.

"This is too weird." Kagome whispered, though Inuyasha didn't reply. She didn't want to look around, afraid that she would see another one of her friends injured. She forced herself to breath as she continued to be led forwards. Thought were rocketing left and right in her brain, each shaking her fear with menacing hands. She took a deep breath to try and calm her raging nerves.

"Kagome, Inuyasha, over here!" Sango called out, waving a flashlight in the air. She smiled when her two friends raced over. But all joy was soon forgotten when the white of Kagome's face. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's Kikyo, we found her in the forest." Inuyasha replied.

"Oh we were wondering where she went, where is she now?" Miroku asked, looking at his friends.

"That's the thing, she's still in the forest. We need to go get a camp counselor right now." Inuyasha replied.

"Why, what's wrong with her?" Sango asked.

"So-someone stab-stabbed her." Kagome couldn't keep herself from stuttering as she answered Sango's question.

"Oh god, what happened?" Sango felt her stomach drop. Even though the surprise of the attack held Sango's emotions, she tried to keep a calm tone.

"We don't know exactly what happened, and we don't have time to try and figure it out right now. Me and Kagome will go back to Kikyo, you two go get a counselor or anyone that can help and hurry!" Inuyasha watched Miroku nod before running towards the camp. Sango followed the best she could.

"What if they don't find anyone to help?" Kagome asked, her voice betraying her hidden fear. Inuyasha looked back at her, keeping his voice silent. Her eyes looked at him for reassurance, but the night's clock covered him from her. She felt helpless and she wanted him to tell her that everything would be fine. But when he didn't speak, she felt her hope being torn from her. "Inuyasha, did you hear me?"

"Yea I heard." He replied gruffly.

"Then what's going to ha-"

"I don't know Oka!" His shoulder sagged in defeat before he grabbed Kagome's hand again and begun to walk back to where they had left Kikyo. "Come on, let's go find Kikyo."

And that is the end of this chapter! Well My birthday is coming up, so I might have a hard time working on this story. I'll try to get the next chapter out by the 14th (My b-day) or on that day. I'm sorry if I can't get it out by then, but just think of how much time I'll have in the summer for this story! Anyways, what do you think is going to happen with Kikyo? How did she end up in the middle of the forest? Everything will be answered in the next chapter…no I lied, but it will be answered all in good time. See ya lata!

Shikonjewelsdarkshadow- Well not all of us are born actresses or actors, so I guess its oka. I didn't think you stayed up anyways, though it would have been slightly creepy if you did. Owell, I'm glad you're still into the story, and I hope you liked this new chapter!

SamSam-aka-sam- Oh I know how computer problems can get so frustrating. Luckily I had some nerd come and fix mine all up! But yea, I do like horses too and I know a lot about them. Even though I know a lot, I still had to do some research for that chapter. It's hard work being a writer…16 hands you say? That's one big horse!

Angelmaiden- Well I wouldn't want you to pout, so here is that next chapter that you want! Oh and don't fret, the next one will be here on the 14th of May, so don't have a panic attack. Hope you like the chapter, write to me again!

Inuxkag4ever- Yes I know that Kikyo is really mean at times, but it makes you wonder about the reasons for that. I'm surprised that you like my fanfic, never mind calling it beautiful. That really helps me get along when I have weeks of writer's block.

Lovableeyes- I bet Kagome thought it was mean too, I mean, afterall, she was the one ON the horse when Kikyo kicked it! And I'm glad that you picked up on some of my helpful hints about the chapter. It makes you wonder about the background of Kikyo in this fanfic don't it? Well it'll all be explained soon. Soon as in I don't really know, but soon.

BlackKatKate- Oka to answer the question on everyone's mind, Kikyo has her own special reasons for being that mean to Kagome. It will be explained later on, but just look at the thoughts that go through Kikyo's head before she does it. It shows you that she's sort of sad about doing it. Hope that answered your question.

Ladyx12- You wrote me two reviews! LoL, that's so cool. But yea, everyone seems to want to know about this next chapter. Or well, the chapter you just read. I'm trying my best to write as much as I can, but with three different softball teams, an umpping job, plus school work, I barely have time for this. Well to let everyone know, my first two softball teams end on the 25th of May, so I'll have so much more free time for the fanfic!

Lonely Youkai- I was wondering why I didn't get a review from you on my chapter nine! For a minute I thought you had stopped reading my story. I DO know what I'm talking about for the horses, and I'm very proud of that. I'm also happy that you still like the story, so I hope you will stick with me through this complicated time.

Leo of the Stars- Kikyo is a very complicated character in the actual series, and I was looking at my story and thought 'she's so easy to understand in this story!' so I decided to make it a little more like the series. I used to just think of Kikyo as a clay pot, but I've realized that she just wants her life back. Imagine the torture that she went through? Dieing at such a young age by your lover to keep something you hate safe, then become a walking dead corpse, see your old lover with a identical twin of you (not that I think they look THAT much a like) and find out that the thing you hate is back. It's got to suck. Well I'm off to dinner, hope you review!

Chapter 12- Another side of Inuyasha