Chapter Fourteen: Regaining Trust

The morning was close, but not yet here and Kagome shot up from her sleep as if she were having a nightmare. She looked around at those around her and stood up from the bed, taking a couple moments to calm her breathing so no one would wake up. When a loud snore came from Inuyasha, Kagome didn't even flinch. She turned toward a seemingly random direction and just began walking, disappearing through the trees.

Sesshomaru's eyes opened the moment Kagome sat up from bed. He watched her calmly, but she never looked over in his direction. Sesshomaru watched Kagome walk off and stood up to follow, noticing her strange behavior. Sesshomaru was more curious about what she was doing than stopping her, so he watched carefully, keeping quiet and to the shadows while he followed. From what he could tell, Kagome was just going for a walk.

Kagome traveled for a few minutes before she stopped by a large tree. She stood there quietly, staring expressionlessly at the bark before sitting down and leaning against it. She ended up falling asleep less than a minute later. Sesshomaru was confused by this. He walked over and knelt down.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Kagome, wake up."

Kagome's eyes slowly opened. She looked up to Sesshomaru, yawned, and stretched her body.

"Lord Sesshomaru? Wh-What's wrong?" Kagome asked while rubbing her eyes.

"Why did you come out here?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Huh?" Kagome looked around and realized she wasn't near the group anymore. "I… don't know."

"Were you sleep walking?" Sesshomaru asked curiously. "You had an attack last night. You fell unconscious and your body tensed and shook violently. You scared the hell out of everyone, especially Rin and the young fox boy."

"I did? I'm sorry." Kagome brought her arms up, but they fell weakly to her sides a moment later. "I feel weak… Did I scare you too?"

"Get up." Sesshomaru lifted Kagome up to her feet. She stumbled a bit, but kept standing.

"Did I?" Kagome asked again, trying to gain eye contact with him. He was avoiding it on purpose, but she was determined. When she finally got him to look at her, she stared at him in hopes of an answer. Sesshomaru just stared back at her for a short time before sighing.

"I was concerned, yes." Sesshomaru admitted and she suddenly threw herself into him, hugging him tightly. "That's what you wanted to hear?"

"Will you just hug me back?" Kagome squeezed a little tighter.

Sesshomaru looked around and took a sniff of the air around him. He couldn't see or smell anyone, so he gave in and returned the embrace. Kagome nuzzled her cheek against his chest before looking up to him with a sweet smile. Sesshomaru felt another tug on his lips and fought the smile, but Kagome saw it whether he liked it or not. Sesshomaru sighed again and pat the top of her head before grabbing her upper arms and prying her from him.

"That's enough. You got what you wanted." Sesshomaru said.

"I really just wanted to know if you cared about me." Kagome said, putting her hands behind her back. "I'm glad to know you do. It helps me make a decision that I had a feeling was coming soon."

"A decision?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Whether or not I was going to stay with you or go with Inuyasha and the rest." Kagome explained and walked around him, smiling softly. She looked back over her shoulder at him. "I'm going to stay with you, Lord Sesshomaru. If you'll let me, I want to stay and it's not just for Rin. I want to be with you too."

"Kagome, you can stay, but I do hope that Rin hasn't been filling your head with stuff that can't happen." Sesshomaru told her.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Has Rin been talking to you about anything when it comes to me?" Sesshomaru asked seriously and looked sternly at her. "And do not dare lie to me."

"Well, she has talked about you becoming her dad." Kagome said quickly, but she looked worried about saying anymore. Another stern look from Sesshomaru forced her to speak up. "And she said she noticed a few things."

"Noticed what?" Sesshomaru said, not expecting that answer.

"Well, she… I mean, um…" Kagome rubbed the back of her head and looked away from Sesshomaru. "It's too embarrassing."

"Kagome, I am only going to say this once." Sesshomaru put his hands on her shoulders and held her still, looking her directly in the eyes. "You and I cannot be and will never be mates. While I have become fond of you as a companion over these months and have even considered you a comrade, I cannot choose a human as a mate. I cannot choose you as a mate. You are not you right now. Do you understand that?"

"N-No…I don't." Kagome shook her head, fighting back tears as he rejected her so thoroughly. Kagome shook herself from his grip and took a step back, only to slip and fall backwards because of a lone rock. Sesshomaru reached out and pulled her back to balance, gripping her shoulders again.

"You have a life, memories, friends, and loves that you don't know about." Sesshomaru told her, still holding onto her. "It would not be good for either of us, your friends, or the children. You have no idea what decision you would make if you remembered who you are."

"O-Oh." Kagome wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he completely rejected her and that hurt, but on the other hand, his reasons were very sweet and showed her the honorable heart he had. He wasn't rejecting her because she was human or because she was apparently friends with his brother. She wasn't being rejected for being unworthy. She was being rejected because this decision would be made on partial information. From what Kagome could tell, Sesshomaru wanted her to remember who she was first. Would she still choose him then? Or would she take a different path? Neither of them knew that answer. He was obviously protecting her, but he was also protecting himself. If he did go further into a relationship with her, what happened if she ran off with Inuyasha? It could hurt him and Rin. She understood that and nodded at him. "I understand."

Sesshomaru sighed in relief and finally let her go. He did his best to regain his composure, took a deep breath, and ran his hands over his hair, resting them at his neck. Sesshomaru pointed her toward the camp and they made their way back. Sesshomaru walked in front of her like normal. He expected some sort of conversation on the way back, but she said nothing to him. For the first time in a while, Sesshomaru enjoyed some silence.

The two broke through the edge of the forest and walked back over to camp. Everyone had woken up since they left. As they approached, only Rin and Shippo approached them. Jaken was busy cooking the fish for everyone, but he greeted Sesshomaru politely from his spot. The rest watched the two of them, silently wondering where the two had gone. Sesshomaru knelt down in front of Rin to talk to her, but Rin just gave him a hug.

"Morning, Daddy!" Rin said happily. "Jaken's getting breakfast ready."

"Good morning, Rin." Sesshomaru nodded and returned the hug. Once he let her go, she ran back over to watch the food cook. Kagome was still standing behind him, obviously lost in thought. Sesshomaru looked back to her and tapped her shoulder. "Get something to eat."

Kagome nodded and walked past him over to the campfire with Rin and Jaken. Sesshomaru stood in silence, watching the group. Soon, Miroku and Sango stood up and walked over to him.

"How is she?" Sango asked.

"Her memories seem to be unaffected, but I am pretty sure she was sleep walking." Sesshomaru explained to them. "Has she done that before?"

"No, never." Sango explained, glancing to Miroku for confirmation. He shook his head 'no' as well.

"Not even during a stressful situation like last night?" Sesshomaru asked and they both reiterated their previous replies. "Then last night must have done something. She walked out to the forest and sat by a large tree to sleep next to it. She did nothing more, just sat down to sleep."

"That could be a hint toward the Sacred Tree near Kaede's village." Miroku proposed.

"The Sacred Tree?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"Yeah, it is something very familiar to her. It even grows in her time." Sango said before slapping her hand over her own mouth.

"… Her what?" Sesshomaru stared at Sango, expecting an answer. Sango looked to Miroku regrettably.

"I doubt she'd hide it from him now, so…" Miroku cleared his throat and looked to Sesshomaru. "Kagome is from five hundred years in the future. I'm sure you've been curious about her normal clothing. Apparently, that's what they wear at school in her time."

"She's from the future?" Sesshomaru asked again, not entirely believing their answer.

"Yes. She was able to travel here because of the Sacred Jewel. When it shattered, she chose to stay and reform it." Miroku explained further. "She is also the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo that originally guarded the jewel."

"Will you two shut up?" Inuyasha shouted at them. He caught everyone's attention and stomped over. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but Sesshomaru isn't our ally. He's an enemy who tries to kill me every time we cross paths. Why in the hell would you tell him anything about Kagome?"

"You try to kill him?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I have many times in the past, yes." Sesshomaru admitted.

"Probably deserved it." Kagome narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. "You've got a bad attitude. I can't believe I traveled with someone like you. All you do is yell. The kids are better behaved than you are."

"K-Kagome." Inuyasha looked away sadly and then glared at Sesshomaru. "This is all your fault! She hates me now. Why couldn't you have just brought her back to us? We could have taken care of her just fine! Why did you have to keep her away? Now she has no interest in even learning who her real friends are. Was this some sort of plot you and Naraku thought up? You worked with him before, I wouldn't be surprised it if happened again."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome called out in a familiar mischievous tone, causing the hairs on Inuyasha's next to stand. "SIT."

The beads around Inuyasha's neck lit up and their spiritual power once again forced the half-demon to the floor. Everyone stared at him as he laid there for a few moments. Even Sesshomaru pitied him then. Kagome was just giggling away as she ate her fish.

"Kagome." Sango called out as she helped Inuyasha up. "Please, don't do that anymore."

"I warned him." Kagome said.

"I know, but… Before, you knew why you did these things. Now, you're just doing it for fun." Sango explained and lowered her head. "You don't even remember why you have that power over him. Inuyasha is now bound to someone who doesn't even remember him and if you're going to take advantage of it, then it may be best for us to leave. The Kagome we know would never treat him like that, especially when he is already hurting."

Kagome just watched the three people that she didn't recognize. Each of them had a melancholy look on their face. Seeing that made Kagome feel guilty for treating Inuyasha so harshly. She had warned him, but she hadn't taken the time to think about their side of this situation. They remembered her. They could recall any times they had together, but the blank slate of Kagome's mind didn't allow her to care about that very easily.

"They are right, you know." Sesshomaru spoke up and everyone turned to him. "Your treatment of Inuyasha is deplorable. While I have a hostile relationship with him, you do not. The curse doesn't just affect you. Start behaving like an adult and think before you act."

"Alright. I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome nodded and returned to her food.

"Thanks…" Inuyasha got to his feet and spoke hesitantly, suspicious of his brother's motives.

"I am curious about one of Inuyasha's questions." Miroku spoke up. Everyone turned to him as he turned to Sesshomaru. "Why didn't you return Kagome to us? You obviously had no intention of killing her. You also didn't just abandon her. Why keep her around? You hate humans."

"I'm a human." Rin said with a mouth full of fish.

"Chew." Sesshomaru told her and then looked back to Miroku. "Rin wanted to make sure she was okay. We found her laying in the middle of the forest. It looked like she was hurt. We assume she just fell because she had no lasting injury. After finding her memory gone, I was intrigued by her condition."

"You still could have brought her back or at least brought us to her." Inuyasha said angrily, trying not to incur Kagome's wrath again.

"You're right, but when Naraku came to my castle to check on her, I decided otherwise." Sesshomaru explained.

"Naraku came to your castle?" Miroku asked.

Sesshomaru nodded and began explaining the last few months he spent with Kagome from his point of view. They heard a lot of it from Rin, but that was the idealistic view of a sweet young girl. Sesshomaru was able to give them a more logical explanation of everything. During this storytelling session, however, Inuyasha walked away from the group to go sit at the edge of the river. Kagome noticed this and guilt encouraged her into getting up and walking over to him. As she stepped around in front of him, Inuyasha's attention shot up to her in fear of her "sit" commands. She didn't look hostile. Instead, she looked curious. Kagome knelt down in front of him and tilted her head. Inuyasha just stared at her. She could see the distress in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I was so mean." Kagome said and sat down to be more comfortable. "I'm sorry I don't remember any of you either. I've tried to remember my past, but every time I do something bad happens. The first time, I almost got killed by a demon. Sometimes, it really hurts my head."

"I-It's okay. You've been gone a long time." Inuyasha lowered his head and spoke contently. "I hate that you were with my brother this entire time. I know you don't fear him anymore, but he's tried to kill me so many times. I don't trust him. You've traveled with me for years, Kagome. Now, you're suddenly worshiping the ground that my brother walks on, or at least it seems like it. He hates me and I thought he hated humans. I feel like I've lost you."

"I know this sounds mean, but until my memories return, you kind of have." Kagome said and shrugged at him. There was a tinge of guilt that lay with those words, but she meant them. "I'm not the Kagome any of you knew. I trust someone you hate with my life. I don't remember you or any of them. I do remember that Lord Sesshomaru has kept me safe. He rescued me when I messed up and was attacked. He chased after me when Kagura tried taking me away and brought me back to safety. He gave me new clothes and a place to live. He taught me how to use a weapon. He also called a healer when I was hurt badly. He's not a bad man and I feel safe with him. I understand that there was a time I may have felt this way about you too. If you want to stay around, I'm fine with that, but I need time to remember or relearn what I once had. You can't expect me to automatically be on your side."

"I guess I never thought about it that way." Inuyasha said and raised his head. "I have to earn your trust again."

"Yes, that's a good way of looking at it." Kagome nodded and stood up, holding an inviting hand out to Inuyasha. "Stick around for a while, be kind to Rin, and respect Lord Sesshomaru. You think you can do that, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha stared at the hand she offered and then smiled. He took her hand and stood up. "Yeah, I can do that, Kagome."

"Good. Now, come on." Kagome motioned for him to follow and went back to the group. As she sat down, she watched Inuyasha pass her by and walk over to Sesshomaru. He stared at his older brother for a few moments and then held his hand out to him.

"Thank you for taking care of Kagome, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said and nodded at him. "We all appreciate it."

Sesshomaru was ready to fight with his brother if he had to. Inuyasha had more polite plans in mind though. Sesshomaru looked down to the hand Inuyasha offered, then to Kagome, who just shrugged in confusion. Sesshomaru nodded back and shook Inuyasha's hand.

"You're welcome." Sesshomaru replied suspiciously.

"So, what's the plan?" Inuyasha asked.

"We were just discussing that, actually." Miroku said.

"Kagome was sleep walking this morning before we all woke up." Sango explained what Sesshomaru told her. "Apparently, she walked to the largest tree she could find in the forest and just went back to sleep there."

"You think that has to do with the Sacred Tree?" Inuyasha caught on quickly.

"Yes, actually." Sango nodded.

"It's possible that taking her back to Kaede's village will help with something." Miroku added.

"I don't know." Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head. That didn't seem right. "If Kikyo is right about forcing her memory to return, wouldn't that count? I mean, it may be best to actually remove the curse instead of trying to jog her memories. It's a magical force holding her back, not some injury or illness."

"Inuyasha is right." Sesshomaru nodded to his brother. "Breaking magic through force can have dire consequences."

As the group stood off and talked, Kagome sat with the children. Shippo was happily showing Kagome and Rin some crayons he had. He thought it was a little fun to show Kagome something new, even though she technically was the one that got them for him. Rin really wanted to try them, so Shippo showed her an entire box full of different colors. Kagome watched the two as they started drawing up a storm.

About fifty feet away, beneath the water of the river the group was near, a familiar dark-haired demon walked on the bottom, his head only a foot from the surface. He walked easily within the current and stopped when he was at a good position. Using his demonic power, Naraku created invisible tendrils that snaked along the grass toward Kagome and the children. The first grabbed Shippo. The second grabbed Rin. The third and fourth grabbed Kagome.

"Huh?" Shippo started yelling as his body was flung toward Inuyasha. The tendril that carried him struck the half-demon, Sango, and Miroku all at once, sending them flying away from the group. Rin was tossed about a hundred feet in the air and screamed for her Dad to save her. Kagome had one tendril wrap around her mouth to keep her quiet and the other around her waist. She began being dragged quickly toward the river.

Inuyasha caught Shippo as they were all hit and shielded the boy from damage. He first checked on Sango and Miroku who went farther than he did. Sesshomaru instantly leaped into the air and caught Rin, landing gracefully in the grass and examining her for injuries. Rin clung to him shaking.

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked.

"Something grabbed me!" Rin yelled, tears in her eyes.

"It grabbed me too." Shippo said and looked around. "Where's Kagome?"

The group all looked around the area. Kagome was nowhere in sight. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha went over to where she had been and noticed some drag marks along the ground leading toward the river. They followed them quickly and looked into the water. The rushing current prevented them from seeing anything below the surface and both looked down river to see where if Kagome was being dragged by the water.

Beneath the surface of the water, Kagome was wrapped tightly by something she could not see. She was dragged all the way to Naraku, who she recognized from their previous interaction. He smiled evilly at her, bringing her face close to his. He ran his hand along her cheek. She tried fighting against the grip of his tendrils, but couldn't gain any control. She started running out of breath and looked up to the surface to see shadows of both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha at the top. She wanted desperately to reach for them, but couldn't get her arms free.

"Don't worry." Naraku spoke under water and brought his hand to Kagome's throat. "I won't let you drown."

Kagome felt a sting in her throat and her eyes widened as the pain increased. A moment later, she took in a deep breath and realized she was breathing under water. She went to yell at him, but the tentacle he had over her mouth wouldn't allow it.

"Not right now. I can't have you screaming and giving away our position, now can I?" Naraku said and chuckled at her. "They can't sense me. It's a wonderful spell I got from that old priest you and Sesshomaru tried to visit. He had quite a few useful trinkets in his possession."

Naraku brought Kagome closer and wrapped his arms around her. The look in his eyes terrified Kagome. It reminded her of Kitanran, a demon she desperately wanted to forget. If she weren't underwater, Naraku would be able to see the tears coming from her eyes. Suddenly, the water around them darkened with some sort of black smoke. Kagome tried to fight again, not wanting to be enveloped by this strange cloud. She ended up breathing some of it in and her vision rapidly faded. She fell forward into Naraku's arms. He held onto her, smirking pridefully at what he had accomplished.

From the land, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru continued to look around for Kagome. Sango rode off on Kilala to look down river, but wasn't finding anything. Before Sango got too far, everyone heard a loud splash and looked toward the river again. Naraku shot up from the water laughing at their efforts to find what he had just taken from them. Everyone saw Kagome hanging from his grasp, unconscious. Sesshomaru instantly retaliated by drawing Tōkijin and jumped up to attack Naraku. A barrier of light blue energy surrounded Naraku and sent Sesshomaru back to the ground.

"Hahaha. Not this time, Sesshomaru." Naraku said and lifted Kagome up to his face. Naraku taunted the entire group by nuzzling against her skin, a sight that appalled them all. "I'll be taking care of her now. Take solace in the fact that she won't remember any of you."

"Let her go." Inuyasha tried the same as Sesshomaru, but was also knocked back down.

"No." Sango flew toward Naraku, tears flying from her eyes as she tried something desperate. She jumped off of Kilala's back, aiming for Kagome's hand. "You're not taking her away from us again!" Sango somehow made it through the barrier and grabbed Kagome's hand.

"Two for the price of one. How fun." Naraku said as she smirked down at Sango, who was now hanging from him. A portal opened behind Naraku.

"SANGO LET GO." Miroku yelled desperately. Kilala tried getting to Sango, but was thrown back by the blue barrier.

"I AM NOT LETTING HER GO AGAIN." Sango said as she and Kagome were both taken through the portal with Naraku. Within moments, it closed.

Kilala landed with a burn on her forehead. Inuyasha slammed Tetsusaiga in the ground and yelled at the top of his lungs. Miroku fell to his knees and watched the point in the sky where the woman he loved and one of his closest friends were taken by his worst enemy.

"Damn him." Sesshomaru cursed and stood silently, eyes closed as he tried to control his anger.

A/N: Alright guys. I'm in need of a little guidance here. I've been enjoying telling this story and people have told me they enjoy it as well. However, there are more than a few things I've learned I'm unhappy with. It mainly has to do with the story's organization, lack of information in certain areas, rushed character development, and a few other things. I've been thinking about rewriting it from the beginning with more a more coherent path.

I don't want to upset anyone though, so what do you guys think? Should I continue this story as it is or should I begin a rewrite? I'd like to hear from you on it. Just toss up a review with your opinion on the matter and I'll figure things out from there. Thank you all.