A/N InuKag is over, so I'm returning to my usual updating.

Yourself

Kikyou's soul collectors returned to her through the darkened forest. She smiled, it meant that the one she wanted to meet was close behind. Despite no longer holding love for the man and knowing that the undead couldn't keep ties to living without harm to both, she still felt a pang of affection every time she saw him.

After all, even if for a short time, he had made her feel happy, normal, not having to be strong. For this one gift alone she had long ago decided not to take him to Hell when the time for her departure came. He wasn't the one who had killed her, he deserved to live and try to find happiness, even if it meant living with another woman.

The first months after her return to the living world she had been angry, pained and vengeful, but now she was more serene, even if often melancholic And, whenever she felt sad, she desired to see the one man, who could see her as more than a miko, even if meeting her was awkward for him.

She saw a flash of red in the forest. He was approaching as slowly as always, guilt and regret slowing his swift feet. After all that happened between them the mere sight of red in the dark was enough to lift her spirit a little. Her soul collectors danced around her when they sensed her excitement.

Then she saw that it wasn't Inuyasha who was talking towards her.

It was Kagome.

Kikyou watched the girl following the last of her soul collectors, walking carefully around trees and bushes until she reached Kikyou's meadow. She wore Inuyasha's kimono, the garment loose around her slender body and practically covering her from mid-thighs up.

The undead miko stood up from where she had been sitting on a fallen log when the living one came closer and glanced at her awkwardly and a bit tensely.

"Kagome," Kikyou greeted. "Why is it you who came? I summoned Inuyasha."

"He..." Kagome blushed and didn't raise her eyes. "He refused to."

"He... Refused?" Kikyou raised an eyebrow. The younger girl nodded mutely. "I see. In this case I shall share my information on Naraku with you."

Kikyou launched into the discussion about their foe as if it was Inuyasha standing in front of her, not this fragile girl. She shared all about discovered destroyed villages, bits of devoured youkai in the forest, shards rumors and clues to where the vile hanyou was hiding. But a part of her was still wondering why Inuyasha didn't come. He had always came to meet her before... What was different now?

To discover the reason for this one should travel in time around a half of an hour and a bit in the space, to find themselves in the inugang's camp located a bit deeper in the forest than Kikyou's meadow.

The whole group sat waiting more or less patiently for their fish to be randy. The humans were playing cards, Shippou was watching the food cook, Kirara was napping and Inuyasha was tending to Tessaiga, cleaning the blade and wrapping the hilt with a new cord.

The day had been eventful, but rather pleasant and everyone was in pretty good mood.

That is until they spotted the soul collectors.

They all looked at the beings flying overhead, then at Inuyasha, who was glaring upwards. When he looked at them, they all hastily turned to what they were doing. They added some more cheerfulness to their words and actions, but it was obvious it was forced. Especially Kagome looked down. Inuyasha grit his teeth and resumed wiping Tessaiga's blade with a cloth.

He had seen Kikyou the previous week, he doubted she had any important news. And seeing her... It was like digging claws in a half-healed wound. And, to make things worse, he had to leave Kagome behind, protected only by their friends. He knew they were capable of doing the job, but he didn't like to place the responsibility of guarding Kagome on their shoulders. Besides, if he went, not only would he have to face the guilt of leaving Kagome and seeing what became of Kikyou, but also deal with everyone acting like ass afterwards. Couldn't they understand a thing? And the idiots were calling themselves smart.

"Inuyasha..." he looked up to see Kagome standing in front of him. And, yup, she had this forced too happy smile on her face, along with the sad eyes. "You should go."

'Damn wench.'

"Feh," he examined the blade and put it in the sheath. Then he started to polish the sheath itself, his moves slow and purposeful, but a little stiff.

"She's waiting," Kagome's voice sounded choked, as if she was pushing herself to talk. His ears flattened against his head. He cast a glance towards the fire and the rest of the gang. Everyone was peeking at him, practically waiting for him to go, so they could complain how he went and was an idiot.

He refused to do what they expected. He wasn't in the mood to deal with their glares and Kagome acting like he was a traitor after suffering through the meeting with the woman that was no longer his ex love and was a walking sign of his failures and weakness. He looked straight in Kagome's eyes.

"Screw you."

The rest stopped pretending they were focused on something else and just stated at him. Kagome opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"Say what?" she finally choked out.

"I said screw you," Inuyasha replied with the same calm voice and put his cloth aside. He stood up and put his sword at his hip. "You wanna me go just so you can all whine how I went. You do it every damn time and I'm tired of it."

"But... Kikyou..."

"Go yourself if you want to!" annoyed, he leaped up to a convenient overhanging tree branch. "I ain't going!"

"Kikyou might have some info..." started Miroku hesitantly.

"You can go too, I don't care!" as an afterthought Inuyasha shed his kimono and threw it on Kagome's head. She didn't even try to catch it or dodge. "Put this on. If something tries to eat you, scream. Now go. Don't make her wait!" he added, mocking her voice.

Then he laid back on his branch and waited. What were they going to do now? They were silent, motionless. Finally, after a minute or two, Kagome put his kimono on and walked towards the edge of their glade, headed in the direction from where the soul collectors came.

When an hour later Kagome came back she had a very somber look on her face, but when he jumped to the ground to greet her there was no sadness and melancholy in her eyes. No one spoke about him being a two-timing bastard that night and Inuyasha decided he liked the change.