… Kagome?
Be free, Inuyasha…
The words, soft and quiet as the wind and spoken in his dreams, shocked the hanyou back into consciousness, startling him with an understated ferocity that had been completely unexpected.
For a moment, he blinked, his eyes still hazy as sleep reluctantly released its firm grip on his body. One tentative arm reached up, wiping perspiration off his brow.
Where am I?
"Are you alright, um… inu no niichan"
The unassuming, prepubescent voice that had been so familiar all those years ago pierced through the haze, anchoring him firmly back into reality. He stretched a little, sitting up on the futon that had been laid out for him in the Higurashis' television room. He looked at the young boy who was staring back at him with more than a little concern.
He flashed a small grin, reaching out with one hand to pat the boy on the head, "Yeah… thanks, Souta. I'm okay. Just a little tired from last night"
Kagome's younger brother nodded in relief, proffering the can of green tea he'd been holding to the hanyou, "Here, for you"
Taking it, Inuyasha nodded his thanks, watching as the younger boy sat down in front of him, his face unusually thoughtful. The hanyou smirked.
"Is something wrong, Souta"
The younger boy paused.
"Inu no nichan, what happened last night? Why was ne-chan crying? Why… why are there two of you now"
The hanyou's ears twitched in amusement as he looked down at the other boy. Finishing the green tea, he stood up, patting Souta on the head again and tousling his hair, "It's… it's a long story, Souta, but don't worry. Your sister's fine, and I'm here to make sure nothing else happens to her"
"Nothing's gonna happen to her."

The reassuring sounds of morning dawning upon Tokyo stirred the girl from restless sleep. For a moment, panic gripped her - a rush of uncertainty as she struggled to recall the events of the night before. When everything came rushing back in a flood, she paused, remembering that all was not lost. They had, after all, escaped.
It had been difficult though. She hadn't been strong enough to carry Inuyasha- the hanyou certainly was heavier than his slim frame let on - and she hadn't any weapons with her. That had left everything up to… to the other Inuyasha, and fending off a seemingly relentless horde of undead creatures while trying to carry an unconscious dog-eared demon wasn't the easiest of tasks, even for one of Inuyasha's calibre.
She looked down at the unconscious form sharing the bed with her, silver-white hair resting gently on her lap, his stricken body clad in a spare kimono her mother had found in the storage room for him while his usual garb, bloodied from his fight, presumably spun merrily in the washing machine out back.
Gingerly, she pried open the folds of the kimono, exposing pristine, unblemished skin scarred only by the battle wounds from the night before. What she saw provided some measure of relief from the worry caused by his inability to regain consciousness - in typical hanyou fashion, his wounds were already closing - the ones in his chest caused by the gunfire almost completely healed, though the larger wound in his shoulder still seemed a little raw.
Covering him up again, her hands instinctively went to his head, cradling it protectively. She ran her fingers through his hair, stroking silver-white locks and furry, snow-coloured ears.
No response. She looked down. Her eyes closed.
Please… wake up, Inuyasha. Wake up soon.
Please.
The sound of her door opening broke her train of thought, and she looked up, all hint of despair stripped from her face as she masked her concern with what she hoped was firm confidence. No need to let Mama or Souta see me worry.
Her attempted bravado, however, flew out the window once she saw the familiar figure walk through the door, still clad in the t-shirt and jeans from the night before. She stood up gently, carefully resting the other Inuyasha's head against the pillow.
He smiled at her, folding his arms as he walked into the room, "Good morning. Hope you managed to get at least a little sleep"
Kagome nodded slightly, "A little. You know I never sleep well when… when you're injured"
The hanyou's smile widened, "I've said it countless times, Kagome… I'm tougher than that, and you know it. It'll take more than a few little cuts like that to get to me"
Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he looked her in the eye, brilliant gold meeting light brown, "Besides… I'm here, aren't I? That means I lived through -that-." The girl nodded, looking away.
"I know that… but… but it doesn't change the fact that he… you still haven't woken up"
Silence.
Without warning, the hanyou reached out. Powerful arms enveloped the smaller frame of the girl in front of him, pulling her close and claiming her firmly with a hug that said more than any number of words. One hand came to rest behind her head, caressing her smooth, black hair.
For a moment, they remained so, the girl frozen as she struggled mentally with the unexpected physical proximity.
He was the first to break the silence, whispering softly, "I… I never thanked you, you know. For all the times you worried about me. For all the kindness you showed"
Releasing her from his grasp, he shrugged uncomfortably, "Guess it's true that you never really appreciate something until you've lost it"
Stunned, the girl remained speechless. Why… why does he keep saying things like that? What really happened? What's… what's -going- to happen?
Searching for the answer, she began to ask, and then stopped herself as he pressed something into her hand. She looked down.
The shikon shards he'd taken from her. And a key.
When Kagome looked back up, he was already at the door, his back to her. He spoke softly. "I have an apartment about five blocks away from where your school is… I usually stay there when I'm in Tokyo"
He paused, as though uncertain.
"The address is attached to the key. Drop by after your classes today. I'll explain everything then"
Silently, she watched him go.

"Kagome, stop worrying so much. I have jii-chan in the room watching him and making sure he's alright… though if half the things you tell me about him are true, you really should be more worried about your grandfather than your dog friend"
The girl sighed quietly, gripping the receiver more firmly, "Yes, mama"
"But if you're really that concerned about leaving him alone, you'd better come straight back after school. I have to take your grandfather into town to get a new pair of reading glasses, and Souta has soccer practice today"
Kagome nodded, more to herself than to anyone, "Okay, mama. See you later"
Slowly, she returned the payphone handset back to its cradle, leaning against the wall, trying to compose herself. All around, typical middle-school lunch hour commotion reverberated throughout the corridors, a chaotic barrage of sound and motion.
I… I never thanked you, you know. For all the times you worried about me. For all the kindness you showed.
Normally, she would go look for Ayumi-chan and the rest, eager to catch up on the latest school gossip and just generally happy to be back in the modern era. She could see them just up ahead, huddling in a corner, whispering and giggling.
Guess it's true that you never really appreciate something until you've lost it.
She turned away.

The soft green grass beneath her provided little solace. As she leaned back against the old tree nestled inconspicuously in one of the more remote corners of the schoolyard, Higurashi Kagome willed herself to calm down.
It didn't work.

This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen here. There weren't supposed to be youkai rampaging around this world, and there certainly weren't supposed to be undead human creatures. And Inuyasha.
How old is he now? Why does he look like he hasn't aged at all?
"Higurashi"
The sudden appearance of an unexpected voice startled the girl, causing her to jump slightly. She looked up.
"Oh… it's you, Houjou-kun. You… you startled me"
The boy smiled sheepishly, running a hand through chestnut-brown hair, "I'm sorry, Higurashi. It's just that I was watching you in the corridor just now while you were on the phone… and you seemed… worried about something. So, I followed you. May I"
Kagome nodded. He sat down, next to her. Their eyes met.
"Higurashi, are you eating well"
She stifled a small laugh, channelling it into a big smile, "Yes, Houjou-kun. I'm eating just fine. But it's nice to know that you're so concerned"
The boy blushed visibly, "Ah… well, it's just that you've been ill so much, and it's been going on for so long now… you really must watch your health"
He rambled on in typical fashion, suggesting a list of medicinal remedies that he felt would be good for her, almost losing himself in his monologue. She looked away, her smile fading, yet still visible.
He really is a sweet guy. I'll really have to get around to repaying him for all the times I stood him up…
Her mind froze. Beneath the constant droning of Houjou reciting his litany of medicinal herbs, she heard it, the one thing she never wanted to hear again. Abruptly, she stood up, her eyes already scanning her surroundings, trying to locate what she knew was most certainly be watching her.
"Houjou-kun, I think you'd better leave"
The boy was immediately at her side, "What's wrong? Was it something I said"
Kagome shook her head vehemently, still scanning the horizon, "No… no, it's not that. Really. But you really must go, Houjou-kun. Now. It's not safe"
"But"
The pair of creatures dropped down, landing less than two metres away, their high-pitched wail now clearly audible. Kagome's eyes widened.
Instantly, the boy was in front of her, blocking her from the creatures with his larger frame. She looked up at him.
"Houjou-kun"
He glanced back, offering her an uncertain grin. There was an air of confidence about him, though she could see his hands quivering, just ever so slightly, "It's okay, Higurashi. Whatever they want… I'm here"
Turning back to face the advancing creatures, he called out, trying his best to sound authoritative, "Who are you? What are you doing here? You're not allowed to"
He never managed to complete his sentence. The closer once-human raised an arm, lashing out at the boy and sending him flying back, crashing into Kagome. Both collapsed to the ground, the boy already unconscious before he landed.
"Houjou-kun"
Her heart raced wildly. Shaking the boy's insensate form, she watched helplessly as he refused to respond, a dark ugly bruise already forming where the creature had struck him. She looked up at them.
I have to get away. I have to lead them away from him.
Struggling to push the boy off her without hurting him further, she tried to stand, only to collapse back down as shooting pain lanced through her left leg. Looking down, she stifled a gasp. Blood. Her blood, seeping out of the wound on her leg and coating the sharp, unseen rock she had unexpectedly landed on.
Damn.
Struggling with the pain, she picked herself up, managing to crawl slowly, edging away from the creatures, once again advancing towards her. Cursing silently, she looked around, hoping against hope that someone else happened to be around and could raise the alarm.
The place was deserted.
Damn. From now on, I'm carrying arrows -wherever- I go.
The first creature was right on top of her. It reached down, bending down with one hand ready to clamp down hard on the girl.
She reacted. Lunging out, she grabbed at the rock responsible for her predicament. Heaving with every ounce of effort within her, she lifted the moderate-sized stone and slugged the creature across the face as hard as she could.
The creature fell to the ground.
And got up again. She stared incredulously.
Masaka…