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We are almost done with the season and heading fully to original content.

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The wooden cabin had been empty for a while - since last summer - but sure it seemed longer than that. Luckily, there was still running water, but no heat or electricity. Kagome had dealt with much worse in the feudal era, therefore, having a roof above their heads was good enough for the time being - not that a hot bath wouldn't have been welcomed.

Once they got back to the real Hawkins, they ended up in the middle of a running disaster. Just like in the Upside Down, an earthquake hit the city, taking down several houses and other buildings. Emergency workers and volunteers drove around looking for anyone under the wreckage or needing help and telling others to head to the school for safety. It gave the group a chance to sneak out to the woods and break into the house.

Kagome was physically fine but needed to rest and refill her energy, and Eddie wouldn't die from the wounds but was nowhere safe. There were people on the streets claiming the tremor was caused by Eddie, who made a deal with the Devil to destroy the city. For the first time since she moved, Kagome really wished she was back in Japan. She wasn't used to this kind of satanic panic, so these claims sounded so foolish.

Hopper's home was the safest place to be at the moment. Kagome's home was crossed out because it would be the first place they would look for Eddie; Lucas and Dustin's homes and anywhere related to the Hellfire Club were out of the question too; the police were probably keeping an eye on the Wheelers since the kids got away.

Once they secured the surroundings and tidied a room for Eddie, the others left for a nearby town to get some supplies. They got back soon, left the purchases and went to check on their families and friends. What happened to the RV was a mystery, but Kagome hoped the couple got their home back.

During the night, Eddie had a mild fever. Some of his wounds got infected and the bruises got darker. Kagome feared there was internal bleeding, so she watched him out until he seemed better and woke up. Meanwhile, she cleaned him up and changed his clothes and bandages. He needed to eat but needed to rest more. Not expecting Eddie to wake up anytime soon, she took the chance to freshen up a bit.

The chance to remove the grime and dirt felt like heaven's blessing. She shivered under the cold water, halting for a second before stepping under the stream. Worse than freezing would be not getting clean. Though the new clothes weren't of her size, they served their purpose.

The silence of the woods was broken only by the sound of Kagome doing the laundry in the bathroom. Kagome did her best to remove the blood stains, especially from Eddie's Hellfire Club shirt. It didn't come out perfect, but with a jacket, it could be used again. Once it dried up, she would patch up the holes. The mindless task gave Kagome time to reflect.

The once calm and peaceful aura of Hawkins was now full of grief, worry and sadness. Even the wildlife knew there was something off. The air felt different. She didn't mention it to the others as they had enough on their plates, but a chill went down her spine whenever she expanded her aura.

Vecna was defeated and fled, but he wasn't dead, only hurt and weakened. If he was anything like Naraku, it would be only a matter of time before he came after them again. Hunting him down while he recovered would be their best shot, had the portal not closed as soon as they crossed it. Maybe it was for the best. Everyone needed to recover. Steve was putting on a brave face, but Kagome saw when his steps faltered and how he hissed when someone touched his back; Robin was hiding signals of PTSD with snarky remarks; Nancy dislocated her shoulder when firing the rifle, and Dustin was limping with a twisted ankle. However, it was Max who worried her the most. She didn't hear from her yet and couldn't feel her either. She feared for the worst.

Eddie had his eyes open and looked around when Kagome got out of the bathroom. Confusion painted his face, wondering where he was. Once he spotted Kagome, he relaxed. Kagome was by his side in a blink.

"I'm alive," he said with wonder, as if not believing his own words.

"You are."

Kagome gave him time to digest his current situation. He looked up, collecting his thoughts. She let him be, knowing well how it felt when you survived after being sure you wouldn't make it to see another day. He looked at Kagome again with a Cheshire grin on his lips.

"Do you really know Metallica?"

Kagome wanted to slap him. If that was his concern after everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours, then he was in a much better state than she thought.

"Not the number one fan, but how can I not know Master of Puppets?" The grin that bloomed on his face eased some of Kagome's worries.

"How's Dustin? How's everyone? Did we win?"

"Everyone is a bit battered up but overall fine. Thanks to you." Kagome chose to avoid the last question as she combed his bang with her fingers. He was still pale and sweaty, and probably feeling like a truck ran over him, so she would rather save the bad news for later.

"That's good." He grabbed the hand that was on his forehead and brought it to his cheek. He nuzzled it then placed a kiss on its palm. "Thank you for saving me."

Kagome ended up falling asleep by Eddie's side, sharing the makeshift bed and covers to protect each other from the cold. A few hours later, it was Dustin who woke them up.

Dustin arrived with Wayne, Eddie's uncle, who had been devastated from thinking that he lost his nephew. Dustin didn't have the heart to let him hurt, so he told Wayne the truth, who immediately asked to see Eddie. Wayne only calmed down when he saw that Eddie was indeed alive and safe.

Kagome and Dustin let them have some privacy and went to another room. There, he told Kagome about Max's condition. The girl hugged Dustin to prevent herself from acting recklessly. She hid her face on his shoulder and cried. Max was suffering in silence for so long. She was too young and naive, and Vecna fed her guilt. She was merely a teen, it was expected of her to wish for her tormentor to disappear, to be gone from her life. No one would blame her for having these thoughts. Her step-brother terrorized her days and she didn't have the power to fight back. The natural emotional reaction would be hoping he went away. To make things worse, there was little she could have done to save her step-brother nor his death was her fault.

A similar situation happened to Kagome when she was Max's age. Akago tried to use her insecurities to control her. Back then, she managed to fight back his manipulation by accepting her jealousy towards Kikyou as proof of her love for Inuyasha and that it didn't mean she wished the other priestess any harm. Other times, she blamed herself for the destruction caused by the Shikon Shards. If she didn't break the jewel; if she never helped her brother to find their cats; if she never released Inuyasha… It took her a long time and support from friends and family to convince herself that she wasn't responsible for someone else's actions and choices. She hoped to have a chance to talk to Max about her experience.

Wayne thanked Kagome for helping Eddie, saying that he knew she was something from the moment he laid his eyes on her. He promised to come back soon and asked if they needed anything. Kagome wrote down a list and gave it to him. Dustin talked to Eddie for a few minutes before driving back to Hawkins with Wayne.

Eddie managed to get up and use the bathroom, although he insisted on Kagome helping him to shower. He claimed he would mess up his bandages and couldn't wash his back. Kagome knew there was a lot of exaggeration on his part but complied anyway. She wasn't one to miss the chance to check him out.

Instincts kicked when they heard engines getting closer. Kagome recognized the auras of Nancy and her brother, Mike, but all the others were strangers. One of them was an anomaly, still human but different. The only word she could think of to describe them was 'sharp'.

Kagome didn't let her guard down even when Nancy got out of the car and walked to the front porch. The others followed her.

"Why are you knocking? There's no one there," said Mike.

"Am I no one now, Wheeler?" It was a shirtless Eddie that answered the door. His upper body had fresh bandages and purple spots. Some of his wounds still leaked blood and pus.

"There's a lot you don't know, Mike," said Nancy. She ushered everyone to get inside.

The older of the group was Jonathan, Nancy's boyfriend, along with Argyle, his eccentric friend and classmate; Will was Jonathan's little brother and Vecna's first victim. Finally, there was Eleven, or Jane Hopper, who wouldn't take her eyes off Kagome.

Kagome heard many things about Eleven - Dustin would talk endlessly about his friend with supesuperpowersnever there was a chance. She knew she had been experimented on since her womb days. She exhaled an aura of innocence and distrust - a sweet face marred by hardened eyes. Someone who lived too little but saw too much.

Nancy told them about the deaths of Chrissy, Benson and Patrick, the portals, and their plan. Eleven then revealed that Vecna was, in fact, Henry Creel, the first kid subjected to Dr Brenner's tests. Some details were left out, but Kagome didn't dwell on it for now.

Eleven huffed and marched to her room. Mike tried to follow but was stopped by Kagome and Will. There was a shadow of sadness and hurt in Will's eyes. He was acting with his brain, not his heart. He avoided Mike's face to mask his real feelings.

"She's overwhelmed. Let her breathe," said Will.

"I know, that's why she needs me."

"She needs space. Forcing your presence now will only drive her away," said Kagome.

"Don't talk as if you know El!"

"Calm down, Mike," said Nancy, "don't throw your frustrations on Kagome. We wouldn't have made it to Vecna without her."

"And I wouldn't be here either," added Eddie, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kagome wasn't paying attention to them, though.

"Shh. Someone's coming."

They hid from the windows' views, peeping from the slits of the woods on the walls. A black car arrived. Four strangers came. Once they got out of the vehicle, it was clear that Kagome was the only one completely unaware of their identities.

Jonathan and Will embraced a woman, who Kagome learned later was their mother. A tall man that looked like he had been through hell and back got closer.

"What is the Munson kid doing almost naked in my house? And I don't remember you either, girl."

"Chief Hopper!" beamed Eddie. "You sure look good for someone who's supposed to be dead."

"Can't say the same, kid. What happened? Got competition?"

"That's the old Eddie," he said as he embraced Kagome's waist. "The new Eddie wants to make good use of the second chance Kagome gave me." He finished planting a kiss on her cheek. Kagome's face burned. Eddie left her speechless.

Hopper grinned. "I can't believe someone put some sense into you. What's the secret, miss…?"

"Kagome," she completed. "Kagome Higurashi. I've heard great things about you, Mr Hopper. I'm sorry for breaking into your house." She wanted to say more and introduce herself properly, but the angst surrounding the area told her there was someone else in need of support. "You're Eleven's father, right? I think she needs you right now."

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