Warning: There will be very gory scenes, bunch of tragedy, suspense, horror, action/ adventure, and romance at the end and a little in between. Also some spiritual around the middle and at the end.
Disclaimer: Aya is MINE! So is the evil torture guy. Whose name shall be unknown... Fornow. Besides them I own nada zip ZERO! (gasp) ZORRO! What? Zero sounds like Zorro, who is played by Antonio Banderes. Who ruined his career with Spy Kids... WHICH I DO NOT OWN!
Summery: Kagome has memories of death and torture that were hidden from her. Whentragedy strikes she remembers it all. Near insanity she learns a past enemy will endanger everything she holds dear. (Inu/Kag)

The Hidden Truth

By: RejectedAndLoved

Chapter 3: Coping

Last Time

When the trees disappeared to create the clearing Kagome was the only one to walk across it while the others said their good-byes from afar, including Inuyasha. Just before Kagome was about to go through the well she turned to Inuyasha with a true bright smile.

Continuing On

When Kagome crawled out of the well she sat on the ledge for a few minutes to catch her breath. "I lost so much blood." She winced. Kagome lifted her shirt at her side to find blood seeping through the bandages. "Damn it."

The priestess sifted through her bag to find medicine and gauges to secure the wound. Once the items were located she re-bandaged her wounds.

Once that was completed she stood still feeling a little woozy. Taking her time she slowly stepped towards the entrance on the well house. When she completed the task of opening the door she walked across her yard to her house.

Before she went inside she looked around to see the windows and doors were firmly shut preventing any flies to cover the corpses. Kagome sighed as she opened the door and stepped inside to confront her nightmare. Dropping her bag and shoes, she walked straight passed the living room to the stairs that led to the upper level. Kagome walked into her room to find something very wrong. Her brother's body was not there.

The miko looked around her room thinking that ass hole hid his body in a closed compartment. Finding no blood stains or body she left thinking it was moved to the living room.

When the living room came in view, not only was her brothers body was still missing, her mother and grandfathers body was missing as well. The thing that was even more disturbing was there was no sign of foul play anywhere.

Fearing their bodies might have been disgraced Kagome ran all through the house hoping to find some clue. After exterminating all her sources there was only one room left, the bathroom. Horrifying images raced through the young woman's mind as she stepped closer and closer to the bathroom door.

A hand clasped around the door handle slowing prying the door open. She kept her eyes closed as soon as the door gave way and quickly walked in. She then turned to face the door closing it as well. Her eyes slowly eased open to see the corner connected to the door that was collecting dust bunnies. Taking a breath Kagome turned around.

Already stressed out from the past eleven days, the sight nearly drove the poor girl to insanity.

Three thick ropes hung from the ceiling and tied to the ropes were the three dead family members. All stripped of their clothes and of their blood. The clothes were not located in the house, but as for the blood, the murderous bastard drained the blood into the tub from the wounds on the bodies.

Not a sound came from her throat because she fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.

With Inuyasha

Silence coated the hut. Shippo, Keade, and Kilala had returned from their refuge in the forest worn and exhausted. Only Shippo and Kilala were sleeping in the far right corner of the room.

"How I wish I could sleep like those two." replied the insomnia consumed Monk.

"Heh. Then why don't you lie down and close your eyes. I've seen you do it before." Was the sarcastic reply from the hanyou.

"Just because you're upset at what happened to Kagome doesn't mean it gives you the right to be rude to us." Sango sneered.

"It's your fault she's not here in the first place. You let her go." Miroku whispered.

From his position near the door Inuyasha growled, "Don't push it monk if you want to live through another day. Because Im sure you know how much anger is within me."

Full of fatigue the old woman complained, "If you want a roof over your head when ye sleep, I suggest ye hush up and go to bed, now!"

And thus, the end of a fight, that would have finished in disaster. Though Miroku and Sango fell asleep, Inuyasha stayed awake, counting down to when Kagome would return.

With Kagome

Kagome laid on the bathroom floor when she awoke. She looked up and saw the bodies. She curled up as tears fell from her eyes as despair engulfed her. Jolting up abruptly, she remembered Inuyasha would come in three days. And looking at the time she realized she was just starting her second day.

Kagome rushed out of the bathroom and into her room. She shuffled through her drawers and found her work clothes. After she changed into those clothes, Kagome went outside to dig up three graves. Rushing to the shed, she grabbed a shovel and went to the Old God Tree. Kagome stood in front of its glory for a few minutes before she leaned over and stuck the shovel in the ground. Not once did she stop, this made her dig roughly 2 hours.

After climbing out of the third hole the miko walked towards the shed again. After discarding the shovel she discovered several 2X6 and 2X4's. Grabbing a handful of planks, a hammer and handfuls of nails, Kagome began her work.

By the time Kagome finished building three coffins it was past noon. She thanked the god's that the Temple was closed for the day.

First Kagome took hold of the medium size coffin for her grandfather and dragged it to the bathroom upstairs. Setting the casket at the entrance, Kagome took her first step to the inevitable. She kneeled beside the tub, which held the blood of her three family members, and began to cry. Her hands were in fists as she mumbled sorry over and over again. Holding her breath she stuck her hand in the liquid and pulled out the tub cork. Her red, puffy, eyes watched as the thick browning blood slowly dissolved into the small opening.

When the tub drained Kagome saw her mothers head at the bottom. She screamed. Gasping for breath, Kagome ran to the corner and sobbed. Kneeling on the ground, she began to shake uncontrollably. She slowly turned to the tub and began to crawl towards it. Looking in the tub Kagome saw her mother staring back at her. She quickly turned away and grabbed a towel. Kagome sobbed into the towel before she threw in over her mother's head. After wrapping the towel around the head, Kagome carefully placed the head on the bathroom counter before turning back to the bodies.

Kagome then pulled out a kitchen knife and started to cut the rope wrapped around her grandfather's ankles. With all of her strength the body was slowly lowered into the porcelain tub. The priestess pulled a knob that released a flow of water and with that water Kagome cleaned her grandpa's body. Never once were her eyes dry.

Once the body was cleaned Kagome stood to get her grandfather's nicest and most traditional kimono. Quickly dressing the old man, she then lifted him into his coffin. As carefully as Kagome could, she dragged the coffin to the first grave outside below the tree. From then on that is where the man will lay.

The same process was done with Sota and her mother. Kagome refused to remove the towel, and never looked at Sota's eyes.

By the time she finished performing the burial rituals she fell asleep on their graves, having nightmares of their cries. And when she awoke, it was early in the morning of the third day. Kagome forced herself to get up and go to the second bathroom where she found her family. There were no longer tears falling down her face, only an empty lost look, which showed she wasn't comprehending anything that she was doing.

Walking to the sink, Kagome pulled out a handful of herb to soak in the tub to cover the scent of death. Kagome then moved to her mother's master bathroom and filled the tub with jasmine and proceeded to take a bath. Making sure she used heavily scented shampoo and soap to cover the smell of death on her own skin. When she was satisfied that Inuyasha wouldn't be able to smell the blood she stepped out to pack her things.

Kagome sifted through her drawers in her room, not finding anything important for her to bring. She looked through her closet only to find clothes and shoes which no longer matter. Getting on the floor she found a cut against the wood on the floor. She got a ruler and stuck it in the crack which lifted the door to a mini compartment. She stuck her hand in only to pull out two books and two kimonos. The two books were ones her father wrote, one for injuries and what herbs to use, the other for incantations. As for the kimono's, one was her mother's wedding kimono and the other her father's priest kimono.

She quickly packed those four items as well as her family album and crafts for Shippo, and then left for the kitchen. She dug through the pantry and packed all the food she could find that could survive without a refrigerator. She also packed a pot, ladle, bowels, and chopsticks.

Kagome then rushed to her grandfathers shed to pack his herbs and sutras. She also made sure to pack freshly made arrows with her bow. All of the items she had in her possession were enough to fill two extremely large bags. And most of it was food. She carried one on her back, but the other was too heavy, so she dragged it with difficulty to the well.

At sunset, Kagome was leaning on the edge of the well, looking back at her house for the last time. "Good-bye." She jumped through to the other side, but not before placing a bouquet of flowers on three graves.

With Inuyasha

Inuyasha leaned against a tree branch waiting for the sun to set. His head pointing towards the sky, lost in thought. 'Just a few more minutes. Kagome will be all right. She'll pop through the well any minute.' Inuyasha turns to the well. No sound was echoing out of the well. 'Yep, aaaaaaaaaany minute.'

Just then the sun started to fall over the horizon.

'Crap! She's gonna kill herself!' Inuyasha jumped of the tree and ran towards the well. 'Ill get there before she does it. She won't leave me like this!'

Just as Inuyasha was about to leap into the square shaped pit a head popped out of no where.

"Hey Inuyasha. Watcha doing?"

Unaware the head was going to pop out Inuyasha was having what people call a minor heart attack. On the ground with a hand clutching his chest Inuyasha began to stutter, "H-holy...s- SHIT! Appear out of no where like a bat out hell!"

The shocked look on the hanyous face made Kagome giggle. "Sorry. I didn't know you were going to come after me the second the sun set. You were that worried about me?"

Inuyasha's blush seemed to spread, "W- WORRIED! Wha... why... Aw never mind. Your back and that's all that matters."

Making sure Kagome didn't witness the lobster red blush; the half demon ran off to find sanctuary in a tall sturdy tree. Leaving Kagome to escort herself back the village.

As Kagome treaded through the forest, she conveniently walked under Inuyasha's hideout. From there he picked up the faint scent of three other kinds of blood on her under a heavy herbal smell. All of the scents he recognized as the blood of Kagome's family members.

At Keade's Hut

The sun faded through the open window that Sango, Miroku, and Keade were looking through. Shippo and Kilala on the other hand, had fallen asleep. Those awake looked at each other nervously.

"Do you think Kagome came back?" Sango asked, looking worried.

The answer was given by a certain 16 year old girl who just walked into the hut. "Inuyasha did try to get me. But as you can see there was no need."

"KAGOME!" Shippo screamed while latching onto Kagome's neck. He had awoken at the sound of Kagome's voice.

Sango, making sure not to squish Shippo, went up to hug her friend as well.

From all the commotion Miroku and Keade woke up as well with a, "KAGOME!" from each of them.

Miroku went up to 'inspect' Kagome to make sure she was all right as was as taking the moment to 'inspect' Sango as well. Shippo, who saw a certain pair of hands moving southward, leaped off of Kagome and onto Keade just in time to watch the show.

(Censored sounds of battle)

"You BAKA!"

"After all I've been through... YOU PIG!"

(More censored sounds)

Hearing the commotion for a couple of minutes Inuyasha decided to watch the show as well, for it seemed it would not end anytime soon. Walking in the hut he saw Kagome standing behind Miroku holding him up so Sango have easy access to punching the poor monks face. Behind them Keade had positioned her hands so they could cover Shippo's eyes and ears, with Kilala meowing at her feet.

It took Kagome all about 5 seconds to realize Inuyasha returned and dropped Miroku on the floor. But she didn't realize Sango was about to hit him again and Sango's fist was now directed at Kagome. Before Sango could convert the direction of her fist Kagome grabbed it with her bare hand.

All eyes were directed at Kagome and Sango, mainly at Kagome. After a couple of awkward seconds Sango sputtered out, "Nice reflexes."

Letting go of Sango's hand Kagome merely shrugged and went to treat Miroku. Surprisingly, Miroku only received a few busies and a broken nose. So Kagome kneeled next to him, placed her thumbs on either sides of the deformed nose, added pressure, and with a pain defying crunch the nose was aligned once more.

"Buddha!" Miroku sat up clutching his nose and to his surprise it didn't hurt as much. To test Kagome's work he began to poke himself in the middle of his face. "Hey... It's not broken. Nice technique." Miroku said while still poking it.

Kagome grabbed the monk's hand to stop him from abusing his nose. "Thank you. But next time you grab mine or Sango's ass we will make sure you will get more then a broken nose."

And with that Kagome went to move her bag out of the doorway where Inuyasha still stood. Looking down he saw the large bags which Kagome now was dragging. With two successful tugs the bag had reached their destination.

Inuyasha was not the only one to notice the overly large bags that Kagome never brought before. (These bags are larger then the one in the series, but still yellow.) "Child, what is the need for the large packs?" Keade questioned.

Looking up from her place next to the bag Kagome stuttered, "What? Oh... um... I decided to." She paused, "to stay for longer periods of time so we can find the jewel faster. So I brought all the supplies I could carry and I'm planning to take one on the journey and leave the other one here in your care. I mean if it's all right with you Keade."

"Of course child. I'm willing to help in anyway I can. But, where are you going today?"

Kagome was the first to answer, "Well, I brought a book with me that holds an incantation that will help me locate all the jewel shards." Kagome paused to pull the book out of the bag which is slightly less stuffed, and turned to a certain page. "Um.. It says...HERE!" Kagome held up the book to Keade. "This is an incantation that will help me trace down the shards of the jewel. So after I find out the location of the shards we'll go after them."

"Really? Well why didn't you bring that book earlier wench? We would've been done by now if you did that at the beginning." Inuyasha exclaimed as he tried to look at the book.

"I didn't know of the book till three days ago, Inuyasha." Kagome closed the book, in the dog demons face and headed outside. But before she left she turned to Inuyasha with a glare, "And since we're so behind in your standards, as I last recalled, I'm going to work on the incantation." She then headed to Inuyasha's Forest.

"Ha! Like she's gonna do that on her own." Then Inuyasha began to stalk after the girl.

The four in the hut, looked at each another, all thinking among the same lines. 'They're gonna kill each other and things will never get done.' All of them stood and dragged themselves after their companions.

TBC

Okay this chapter is done. I had some fun with this! I can't resist a MIroku beating! And I am really sorry for the torture I'm putting Kagome through but it shows just how tough she is dealing with the whole thing. Because I think the show on TV makes her look like a spoiled pathetic brat sometimes and I'm sick of it. So Kagome will do some MAJOR ass kicking in the future. Until then REVIEW!