A/N: Wow, I can't believe how far I'm into the story already. It was just like yesterday that I started it. Lol. But it's far from the end. It's not even half way done yet. Yikes!

Chapter Thirteen

The Golden Scroll

The birds chirped above them and Kagome yawned. Her neck hurt from the odd way it had rested on Inuyasha's shoulder all night. Inuyasha was still asleep as she stretched out her arms. Noticing the missing weight on his shoulder, he awoke abruptly. "Kagome!"

"I'm right here, safe and sound." She laughed at his outburst.

"That's good to know," he said sarcastically, even though he had just screamed out her name thinking she was gone again, "What time is it?"

"About seven or so I'll have to guess. Should we find Sango and Miroku now?"

"Yeah, but I really don't know where they are. We split up to look for you last night."

"I love it when you get worried about me!"

"Don't count on it again."

"Aw, not going to save me from the clutches of danger anymore?"

"No. Last night, Naraku wanted me not you. I didn't want you dead because of me. I do have a conscience."

"Alright, let's go out to where we were supposed to camp at maybe they'll be there. I don't want them worried." Kagome didn't understand her feelings now. She had hated Inuyasha. Despised him to death, until last night. He had come to rescue her, risking his own life. Had it been love? Or just like an older brother? Or a friend? Or just because of the reason he had just given her.

"Can you walk?"

"I was in shock last night!"

"So you can walk."

"Yes, and I don't need you."

They made their way through the forest. The place in which they slept at was actually very close to the clearing.

"I see them," Kagome pointed. On the far side of the clearing, there were two horses.

"It's a good thing they didn't come looking for us as well," Inuyasha remarked.

Sango saw them first. She jumped up in joy seeing that Kagome was still alive and pulled Miroku up from the ground, still sleeping apparently. Sango and Kagome embraced.

"Thank goodness you're alive Kagome. We couldn't find you, but we did run into those men again. We killed them all off but one this time." She hugged Kagome tighter afraid that when she let go that Kagome would be taken away again.

"You can let me go now, Sango. You're hurting me," she said, indicting her wound.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"What did you say about those men Sango," Inuyasha questioned.

"We killed them all, but one. What about it?"

"I was just thinking about…" he paused, searching for the right words, instead he said, "never mind."

"What is it?" Kagome placed her hand on his arm; her tone was soft and caring.

"I just want to go back, to the cabin. And finish Naraku off."

"What! Don't do that. You don't know…"

Inuyasha interrupted her, "Sango and Miroku just said that the killed all the men except one and Naraku is injured. There wouldn't be a risk in killing him today. There would be a greater risk for me to keep him alive."

Kagome knew what Inuyasha said made sense. Naraku, when healed, would come back for Inuyasha and try to kill him again.

Inuyasha stood there, in front of her. He looked determined and fearless. He was going to go back there no matter what anyone would say.

"But what if he has more men? What if…"

"Kagome, stop worrying about the 'what if's.' You know just as well as I do that I have to go back. And I don't need your consent to go." His voice was firm.

"Then I'll go with you."

Sango intervened, "You're hurt, Kagome. You can't just go walking around in those woods and go after a killer. Maybe I can take you back into town and Miroku can go along with Inuyasha."

"That's fine with me," Miroku said, grabbing his sword.

"No, I don't want anyone of you to go along with me. This is solely my problem and I'm going to deal with it. I don't want anyone of you getting hurt because of me. Understand?"

"But…"

"You stay out of this. Do you want something like last night to happen again?"

She shook her head. She didn't want Inuyasha to go back. Something deep inside her told her to go along with him. But she couldn't. Sango and Miroku and gotten on their horses, agreeing with Inuyasha's decision.

Inuyasha walked away from them. The sun had fully risen now. The leaves of the forest were lush and green. It looked like such a peaceful place, but so much evil lurked in it.

Sango motioned for Kagome to get on her horse, but instead of taking Sango's outreached hand, Kagome ran after Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Where are you going?"

Kagome didn't take the time to look back, she just ran after him. She caught up and grabbed his sleeve. "I'm going with you," she panted.

He stopped walking. "Why?"

"Because…"

"You don't even have a reason for following me, so why do it. Go back into town and get your wound treated."

"What about your wound?"

"I'm a guy. I can handle it. You, on the other hand-"

She couldn't believe he had just made such a sexist comment. 'He was a guy so he can take it.'

"I can take anything you can. Remember the first night that you came to my place and you asked me for sheets. I mean, who asks for sheets? And drawers? You are the rich son of some rich father that has everything you could ever dream of."

She had him. He knew it. He had been raised as a prince after all. After that day, he hadn't complained about anything else. He had kept all those complaints to himself. The dishes being a little dirty, the tub too small for bathes, and not having a pillow. He hadn't said a word about all these things.

Kagome had lived a rougher life than him. She was stronger in a sense too. "Fine. Do what you want. But don't come to me crying when something bad happens."

&

A wounded man ran back to his hideout, deep inside the forest. He was limping badly. A woman had stabbed him there. He would have died if he hadn't made a run for it.

The moonlight was his only source of light. He didn't know if they were going to come after him. Tonight, Naraku had promised them wealth, power, and revenge but that didn't seem true. All of Naraku's men, his comrades, had been killed tonight. Inuyasha was powerful and had very skilled fighters by his side.

His clothes were in tatters and blood covered him. He couldn't keep running like this. He wanted to fall over, but he couldn't stop now. He had to get back. Back to some safety.

Finally, the cabin was in view. The door hung open. He limped into the room and saw his master… on the floor. Naraku had an arrow sticking out from his back.

"Master Naraku…"

"Shashou…"

"What happened?"

"Inuyasha and the girl…got away." Naraku was very pale and it seemed to pain him to talk. His hands were as cold as ice.

"Let me treat your wound, master."

"Where are… the others?" Naraku had his eyes closed now; he was only moments away from fainting.

"They all died. They died fighting for you."

"Don't take the arrow out. It's the only thing… keeping me alive now. We have to leave, tonight…" His head rested on the ground and he said no more.

"Master Naraku! Master Naraku!" Shashou called to him. He didn't dare shake the body.

There was no response.

&

Inuyasha took out his sword. It was still stained with blood from the men last night. They came up to the cabin. It looked less threatening in the daylight.

"Stay here," he said pointing to a tree a distance away from the cabin.

"You can't tell me to do anything. I came this far. I might as well go with you in there. Maybe I'll come in handy."

"Like being kept captive again."

"I shot Naraku last night for you, if you have already forgotten."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "Fine, let her go. If she dies, it's not my problem," he thought.

Inuyasha pushed the door open with his sword. There was not a soul insight.

"Where could he have gone," Kagome questioned.

"That man that Sango and Miroku let get away. He must have gone back and taken Naraku somewhere…"

"Then Naraku, when recovered, will even be more threatening to you. He will want to kill you even more."

He smiled and tried to take everything more lightly. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll be ready for him. Don't worry about the Great Inuyasha."

"The Great Inuyasha…" He had made her laugh.

&

Night fell had fallen by the time that Inuyasha and Kagome had gotten back to the restaurant. Kaede was standing outside, waiting for them ever since noon.

"Kagome! What happened? Sango and Miroku came by and told me that you two would be staying there a little longer, but… it looks like you got hurt," Kaede spun Kagome around, looking at her back. "How could you let this happen to her? Tell me exactly what happened."

"We were just climbing, Aunt Kaede. I slipped and fell. It was a good thing Inuyasha was there to catch me in time. That's all."

"Well, let's get you both inside and bandaged. How did Inuyasha get cut? It looks like a sword…"

"Miroku and I were sword fighting. He cut me by accident. Myoga can bandage it for me. I have to leave here tomorrow."

"But, Inuyasha… "

"I told you I would be here a week. It's been more than that now. There's some other cities I still have to see before returning home."

Inuyasha thought departing would be easier then this. And he was actually leaving until tomorrow morning. He had told Kagome and she had even wanted him gone before their trip… their trip to the forest.

"Right. That's right," Kagome didn't know why she had made it sound like she didn't want him to leave. What was she thinking?

"So, I'll be down for dinner. My last meal here."

"Your last meal? What are you talking about Inuyasha? You're going to come back here after all and have a wedding with Kagome, aren't you?" Kaede looked confused.

"Um, yes. I meant my last meal here till I returned back. It'll probably be a half of year, but I wouldn't leave Kagome."

"I'll tell the kitchens to make you something nice," Kagome broke the awkward conversation. Kaede nodded in agreement and thought nothing more of it. Kagome knew otherwise.

&

Kagome laid stomach first on her bed. Kaede had put some medicine on and bandaged it. She sighed to herself. Inuyasha was going to be leaving. At long last, he would be gone. They would never have to live with each other ever again. Never see each other anymore for as long as they lived.

But something deep down, hurt. She couldn't place why… but her heart yearned for him a little and would be missing him.

No, she shook her head. That's not how she felt. Her heart was playing tricks on her. "Stop thinking too much. He's leaving. That's it. No big deal," she told herself and got up to have dinner.

&

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Myoga shouted when Inuyasha stepped into the room and hugged him. "I was so worried about you. You said that you–"

"It's Inuyasha! You keep saying that and you are seriously going to bring back a dead body back to my parents."

"No. No, Inuyasha. Don't ever say that. You are not going to die. Not when I'm with you."

"And I see that you have been protecting me so much?"

"Of course. You just don't let me go with you."

"You would have run away anyway."

"You never know… I wasn't there…"

"Fine. Just bandage this up and pack all our clothes. We'll be leaving tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes, your high… I mean Inuyasha."

"You are such a-"

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha! I can remember it."

&

Kagome had asked the kitchen to prepare them a feast that night. It was a feast for a king. There were plates after plates of food, chicken, duck, fish, vegetables, delicious, unburnt fired rice, and so much more.

Inuyasha's eye widen at the sight. "This is for… me?" he just couldn't believe it.

"It is your last meal and I wanted to make your stay a… good one."

"Should have done that on the first day, but thanks for this." He immediately sat down and shoved food into his mouth. They hadn't eaten anything since dinner the previous night.

"This… is …great," he mumbled, his mouth too full to talk without spiting out food.

"Slow down. It's like I starved you or something."

"You… did."

Their dinner was quick. Inuyasha ate everything placed out and Kagome made him go to bed early so he would be well rested for tomorrow.

They were in front of Inuyasha's room. "Good night Kagome. I hope that your future brings you the best of things and a good husband to form a family."

"It's like what you would say to someone that you are never going to see again."

"We probably won't."

"Then I bid you good night. And I want to wish you that you become a great nobleman, loved by all his people, or even the king of China, respected by all."

Inuyasha said no more and walked into his room closing the door behind him. All Kagome saw was his back…

&

The sun had not even risen yet when Inuyasha and Myoga walked down the stairs and to leave.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Kagome?" Myoga whispered when they got down the stairs.

"It's better this way. We had said our farewells last night anyways."

The opened the door and closed it silently. He looked up at Kagome's window. He could see anything thought. The curtains were down. "Goodbye," he said quietly and got on the carriage.

&

Knock, knock!

"Inuyasha wake up!" There was not a single sound coming from the room. "Inuyasha!" She opened the door.

He was gone.

"Inuyasha… He left without telling me goodbye. Just left. Like the wind."

On his bed there was a letter. Kagome grabbed it and opened it. "He knows I can't read."

There was nothing left in the room. Inuyasha was gone and tears dropped from her eyes.

&

Inuyasha sat in the back of the carriage. He yawned trying to go to sleep, but couldn't stop his random thoughts from bothering him. He pulled out a letter. He had written this one first and decided to not give it to her. He unfolded and reread it:

Dear Kagome,

I apologize for not waking you and giving any farewells. Leaving like this was not right of me, but I didn't want to make my departure hard on you. Maybe it would be a cleaner break this way. Please don't think of me and I will just keep you in my memories. Best wishes for you future.

Inuyasha

He had not given this to her because it sounded all too romantic. They weren't even in love. He knew that she wasn't able to read it, but she would ask someone to read it for her.

Inuyasha sighed to himself and crumpled the piece of parchment and threw it out the small window.

They rode for awhile longer until Myoga halted the carriage to a stop and leaned his head into the carriage. "We're going to be heading south to the next town. We'll rest there, is that okay with you?" he asked.

"That's fine."

Before they got a chance to go anywhere further they were stopped by an approaching group of men.

"What now!" Inuyasha couldn't hold his temper. He had had enough. Men were coming to attack him at every turn.

"Your highness, Inuyasha," one of the men called. Inuyasha stepped out of the carriage. The man's voice was familiar.

He looked out and knew right away. It was one of his father's most loyal officials, Suga.

"What's going on?" he asked as Suga dismounted.

He pulled out of golden scroll and Inuyasha immediately got down on his knees.

Suga read, "Inuyasha, prince of China, the king has commanded for you to…"

A/N: So the golden scroll is like words of law from the king. To show respect to the king (the scroll represents the king's words) Inuyasha was bowing to it. But what is the king commanding Inuyasha to do? You'll find out soon enough.

Okay, the new character Suga… who exactly is he (in the Inuyasha comics)? I saw his name in Inuyasha Movie 3. Apparently he was the one that got a hold of the third sword. So I don't know if I have the right name that I want… So help me and tell me who he is.

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