Disclaimer: Yada yada, I don't own Inuyasha characters, and if I did, why in the hell would I be doing Fan Fiction?

Shadow: Wow, you're on a roll aren't you?

Miss Murder: Do you always talk?

Shadow: Ooooh, Miss Negative, aren't we.

Miss Murder: I am morbidly humorous, and plus, I am happy right now, I have the Durkee shirt.

Shadow: The readers will not understand that…

Miss Murder: Yes, but we will.

Shadow: Yes, yes we will.

The First Scare

They headed back to the village in silence, Kagome always seemed to have her head in the opposite direction of anyone looking at her, Miroku made no passes towards any of the girls, even Shippo didn't talk much. It was discomfited for this group to not speak; as they neared the village a woman came running towards them, her face tear streaked, her mouth running as if every word might be her last.

"Please, demon, please, my lady, monk, slayer, and little fox," She hiccupped, she seemed to be going into hysterics. "My, my son…Not, he's…" She went into a fit of indistinct words. Kagome put an arm around her and the woman crumpled to the ground, sobbing into Kagome's chest, the others seemed to surround them looking down at the woman.

"It's going to be okay," Kagome said patting her back. The woman looked up at her, trying to regain control of her emotions. wiping her red, puffy cheeks she trembled finding her words slowly, "My son…He has been missing for the last week. I put him to bed and I got up in the night, and he…and he…he wasn't there!" She began to sob again.

Kagome comforted her and questioning her all at once, "Do you know anyone who would do this?"

"No," She cried softly, "Please, you must help me find him, he is only seven years old," Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, staring into his amber eyes. He grunted as she sighed, then looking back at the woman she began to tell her something…

"I can't believe this, we aren't even back in the village and boom, we're off again, and we aren't even looking for jewel shards!"

Inuyasha scowled as the group walked north of the village; Kagome shook her head in disbelief.

"Is that all you care about Inuyasha? Jewel shards, you are just so selfish sometimes." Inuyasha stopped for a moment, slightly astounded at what the girl had said to him. Regaining himself he snatched her arm and pulled her close.

"Now how in the hell can you say that? I bend over backwards just to make sure you don't break a nail. I'm selfish? I think you may be looking at the wrong mirror there Kagome. Whenever you're in trouble all I hear is: Inuyasha, save me, or, Inuyasha come kill this…And I never hear a thank you, or even a nod of recognition"

He growled at her and then dropped her arm, walking away; Kagome stared at his back, shocked at his cruelty, she had never seen Inuyasha act this hostile before. Sure, he wasn't nice to her, but this seemed much different.

"Don't worry about it Kagome, he's just grumpy."

She felt a little hand tug at her skirt, averting her eyes downward, Shippo smiled up at her.

"I heard that!"

They both heard Inuyasha shout from ahead.

"Well, you've got to admit, he does have a comical way about him." Shippo said, looking back at Kagome once again; though she looked as if she hadn't heard him.

The twilight of the evening sky gave off an eerie peacefulness as the group sat at camp, Inuyasha and Kagome had ceased speaking to each other since that afternoon, it was better that way. The others had been quieter as well for that evening, Kagome and Inuyasha were seemingly the two that made wheels of conversation turn in this small group.

Kagome then stood up and looked at the others; breaking the silence she announced to them:

"Well, I'm going to go and bathe, because unlike some of us," She gave Inuyasha a stifling glare, "I like to keep clean."

"Whatever, it doesn't help either way," Inuyasha murmured under his breath.

"Sit boy!" Was her only reply, thatgave way to theloud ground breaking slap reverberating off of the earth as his face met it.

"They fight like a married couple," Miroku murmured to Sango, she nodded in agreement when their head's cringed from the startling scream of, "I can still hear you!" They sighed and drooped their heads, it was going to be a long night.

Kagome walked through the bushes, never in her life had she been so angry with anyone. "My brother is more mature than that no good, dirty, rotten, conniving, candid,--" She lost herself in her own thoughts as she approached the river.

"Finally."

Kagome smiled to herself as she stripped off her clothing and dipped a toe into the water; it was warm, not as warm as the hot springs, but satisfying enough as she slid in and closed her eyes. She rested up against the edge when she heard a voice across from her:

"Hello Kagome,"

Her eyes shot open as she looked around frantically, not sure of where the voice had come from. "Don't worry, I'm not Inuyasha as you would have hoped…"

"WHAT?" Kagome shouted, alarmed, "That is such bull shit!" She stopped herself and put a hand over her mouth, she usually disliked cussing and was trying to stop it all together, even the occasional 'damn.' However when something ruffed her fur, so to speak, she sometimes jumped the gun a bit.

"I'm sure it is," The voice said sarcastically; she looked over into the shadows and realized that there was a person there. "Who—Who are you?" She questioned nervously, sliding under the water a little more.

"Nobody in particular."

"Well…What do you want?" Kagome shook as she asked the question, why was she so afraid? The person turned out to be a small, dirtied up, homeless looking boy, Kagome couldn't see his face, a little of his shadowed mouth, but not much more.

"Oh, to show you something," He stepped forward; he noticed Kagome move away, hiding herself more from the boy, embarrassed. "Sorry," The boy commented, "I know you only want one person to see you naked and unfortunately for you, I'm not him…" He paused for a moment and then added, "Just follow me in the river, you wont have to get out and expose yourself."

Kagome eyed him for a moment, nevertheless, her curiosity ended up having her follow the boy. He lead her down stream, following the turns and twists of the water; she kept him in view, however, she kept to the opposite side of the river.

Suddenly the boy stopped, he did not face Kagome, but she could feel an odd smile come about him; she shivered in the water, the wet ends of her hair draping over her moist shoulders. He turned to face her, she could now see his mischievous smile.

"My master wanted me to show you this…"

"Wh—Who's your master?" Kagome stammered feeling her nerves rise on end as the moments past; she could feel her heart pound into her chest, this boy was starting to scare her and he had given her no reason to do so aside from his strange and random appearance.

"Oh…You might know him…He knows you and your friends quite well. Anyways, I should be off, goodnight Kagome," The boy laughed and was gone with a blink of Kagome's long lashed eyes. When she looked past where the boy was standing by a large tree she gasped; her eyes widened with horror as she cupped her hand on her mouth and let off a terrifiedscream.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he shook he looked around frantically; the others as well were startled by the sound of a far off scream, although to Inuyasha it sounded all to close.

"That was Kagome," He said standing up and taking off through the trees, the rest of the group trailed behind him; Inuyasha's feet hit and pushed off of each branch quicker than they had in a while; he then jumped down and bounded on foot until he saw the figure of Kagome in the water, screaming still, he could smell her fear even from there.

He skidded over to her and without thinking pulled her out of the water, his face went slightly red when he momentarily realized that she was stark naked in front of him, however he soon forgot when she pushed against him, hiding, her head buried into his chest.

He put a hand on her sodden back, a slight tremor going through him. "Kagome," He began, "What's wrong?" The only response she gave him conversely was her repeated panicked voice saying "Oh my God, oh my God!" She gripped with her hands onto his shirt, he could feel not only the water from her soaked body, but salt tears from her eyes.

"Kagome…What's the matter," He questioned again running a hand down and up her back; she looked up and him shaking as she slowly pointed over towards the tree, and there, hanging, was the bloody, mangled corpse of what could barely be made out as a young, human boy.