Well, here it is, chapter 19, a chapter certain people have been dying to read and were pestering me to get out as soon as possible (you know who you are). I certainly hope it will be to your liking. On another note, would you give me the pleasure of reviewing even if you usually don't? Come on, it's my birthday today, just this once I can beg shamelessly for reviews even if I get a lot of them anyway, right? I love responding to you all, by the way *smiles sweetly*

Oh, by the way, I'm curious to know, what do you guys think of the cover? I know it's tiny and kinda hard to see, but that's not my fault…

Well, anyway, on with the chapter. Hope you enjoy.

ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:

InuGome: Believe me, with all the wonderful feedback I'm getting from everyone, it's hard to not be inspired, unexpected birthday gifts or not. Plus, this story is one I had thought for about half a year before I actually sat down and started writing it, so I think it'll be a while before I lose inspiration for it. Rarely do unwritten fics stay in my head for so long, urging me to be written LOL On that note, I just broke my personal recird! This is the first fic I still continue writing. Usually, somewhere between chapter 15 and 20 I get kinda bored with it and look for a way to finish it in an acceptable way to get it off my back. Not the case here, though. Chapter 20 is already waiting to be edited and my fingers just twitch to write the next one. I have a feeling this story will be unable to kill in my head, I enjoy it far too much LOL Well, I shall leave you to find out how Inuyasha reacts to everything that happened, now. Hope you enjoy :3 Sincerely, Glon Morski

CatchySayo: Well, I have to wonder… is it really his FIRST victim? And in this case, can we say Inuyasha is the only one concerned? I think Kagome was as much of a victim as Inuyasha, don't you? She was, after all, forced to fight him for real – that definitely isn't the same thing as a spar, even if she did hold back, refusing to harm or kill him. By the way, tell me if a certain part of this chapter, where I actually attempted to be humoristic, worked out, OK? I'm really curious to know if I can make people laugh when I try to LOL I really hope I won't disappoint you on that note, though. As I said, I'm not a very humor-oriented writer. Anyway, hope the chapter is satisfactory, looking forward to hearing from you again. Sincerely, Glon Morski.

Tracks for this chapter:

Final Fantasy X OST: Truth Revealed

Within Temptation: Memories

Breakers:

XxX: change of scene

~ξ~: time-skip

乗: Beginning/End of Flashback

Ю: Beginning/End of a story told by one of the character (the parts in bold between the stars are what the present them are saying as a small narrative)

Ж: Change of POV (mostly used within a story told by several characters)

[T] and [/T]: Beginning/End of soundtrack

Reminder: 'Inuyasha' written normally refers to Inuyasha, while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) refers to Kagome, the "Gentle Dog Demon". 'Hanyō' written normally means "half-demon", while written in cursive (cursive and bold in thoughts) it means "half-breed".

Many thanks to Amber for edits :D

Chapter 19 – The Aftermath

When Inuyasha awoke, the word 'sore' immediately took on a whole new meaning. His whole body was aching and his muscles felt like they were made out of boiled jelly, pretty much ready to melt into puddles at any moment.

Trying to move was proving to be hard enough – actually moving was even harder. Even his eyelids felt unnaturally heavy and it took a great deal of effort, much more than it should, to finally open his eyes. When he did, he was met with the green leaves of the crown of the lone tree they were camping under – Kagome made a point to always stay under a tree for the night, instead of totally open terrain, though why she put so much emphasis that there should be at least one tree was beyond him – and a few specs of blue where he could glimpse the sky between them. It seemed like it was late in the morning, maybe nearing the afternoon, which was weird in and of itself. Not only because he didn't even recall going to bed, much less getting out his sleeping bag out of his 'luggage', but also because Kagome never let him sleep in. If he didn't wake up on his own, she always made sure he was wide awake as soon as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon.

Slightly put off and disoriented, Inuyasha closed his eyes again as he tried to find an explanation for the so far weird morning within his memories from the night before. He tried to move one of his arms to rest over his closed eyelids, as he often did when he thought about something like that, but the movement proved to be almost too much of an effort for his sore body. 'What the Hell happened? I feel like shit… or like a truck hit and run over me a couple of times… wait, make that a steamroller,' the black haired teen thought as he finally forced his arm to do his bidding, resting it on his forehead and covering his still-closed eyes. The dull aching of his muscles after he had positioned it told him it would have been far wiser to forsake the movement. Well, it was too late now.

The last thing he remembered from the previous evening was him sparing with Kagome. And that she had been handing his ass to him. He remembered leashing out at her that it'd be different if she drew her sword… he remembered her sending her Flying Blade Blood Claws at him, too. But that was all during their spar, anyway. What happened after that?

'Dammit… why can't I remember? What the fuck happened that I wouldn't be able to recall anything? It's not like I was pass-out-drunk,' Inuyasha thought angrily, trying to force his memory into working. Normally, there shouldn't be any problem with remembering something as not-long-ago as the previous night. So why couldn't he remember? And what was it that he couldn't remember?

Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha once again replayed the memories of his spar with Kagome in his mind, hoping that would jog his memory and remind him what followed. It seemed to work, too, as painfully slowly, new images added themselves one after another to the ones he already remembered. 'Right, she lectured me how I wasn't ready to face her with a sword… stupid wench,' Inuyasha thought, but felt much too tired to actually put some anger into those thoughts. Slowly opening his eyes, he stared at the canopy of leaves above him as his mind worked and worked, slowly digging up the rest of what happened before he… fell asleep? Passed out? He had yet to get to that.

He remembered getting mad at her for her comment. He had stomped off to find some way or something to let his anger and frustration out on. He hadn't really ventured very far and as far as he knew, he was alone at first. But then suddenly, he had heard someone, had turned his head to see who it was… but whom did he see?

The images stopped coming at that point, only a few scattered memory-pictures flashing before his mind's eye in complete disorder. But he could recall his feelings somewhat. Mostly anger, but he had also been wary of someone… or something. Disbelief was there, too and one emotion he couldn't quite place, although, as embarrassing as it was to admit even to himself, it seemed to be fear. At one point, something had made him afraid. But what and why?

Suddenly, a single image stuck out in his mind, clear as day; an image of Kagome, a dangerous snarl on her face as she growled, her sword blocking his, telling him to give up and release his weapon. Then another, where she held his wrist to make sure he didn't swing at her, while her other hand held her sword at his throat.

[T]

His eyes were wide at that point as he kept staring at the tree above him. She… Kagome had attacked him? She had even threatened his life?

Another image snuck into his mind, and this time he bolted into a sitting position in surprise at what his memories were telling him. He regretted it as pain shot through his entire body at the sudden movement. But nothing could compare to the excruciating twinge that shot through his right arm. Shutting his eyes tightly and barely biting back the cry of pain that wanted to escape his lips (it came out as a loud hiss which spoke volumes anyway), Inuyasha gripped his forearm with his left hand as he waited for the pain to subside a little bit. It did after a while, though not by much.

Gasping for air as if he had just run miles, Inuyasha forced his eyes open as he glanced at the wounded area – for there was no way this was just his muscles aching from some sort of exertion. From the pain alone, he knew it was no scratch, but a deep wound and the dark red blood stains on the bandage covering it was more than enough proof that it bled a lot. Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha tentatively tried to move his fingers, only to regret it when his arm sent another wave of agony through his body. It was apparent he wouldn't be holding a sword, or anything for that matter, for a long while.

Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha tried to sort things out in his head to make sense of what happened. No matter how he thought about it, though, only one explanation made any sense at all. 'Kagome… she attacked me… she tried to kill me,' he realized, the thought shaking him to his very core. His eyes were wide, but saw nothing besides the few scattered memories he could recall, all of which showed Kagome with her sword aimed at him. Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, Inuyasha shook his head to make the images disappear, but it hardly helped. Instead, they only became more vivid in his head.

'Why?! Why, Kagome?! Why would you do it? Why, dammit?!' he thought angrily, though his face spoke of other emotions. He couldn't believe it! He trusted her, really and truly trusted her. Hell, she was the first person in ages beside his mother whom he trusted. Well, apparently, he shouldn't have.

It wasn't just the sting of betrayal that hurt him in that moment. It was also the realization that by showing her true colors, Kagome had inevitably left for good. He was alone now. Alone in a world and time period he barely knew, much less understood the workings of. She might not have killed him for some odd reason (he believed it might have been his holy powers somehow reacting to her youki and saving his skin), but she might as well have. As he was now, he had practically been left to die; he was wounded, and though it was not a mortal wound, it ensured his defenselessness, as he could not grip his sword. He never tried to wield his weapon in his left hand, either, so even if he could attempt it, the possibility of it working out was as slim as the possibility of him surviving an attack whilst defending with only his fists… or rather fist.

Overall, one thing seemed obvious enough: Kagome had attacked him and tried to kill him. When she didn't manage to do that, she wounded him and left him to die, either to be killed by another yōkai or because of something else. As far as he knew, anything could happen, since as he noted before, he didn't know much about this time period, so obviously, he wouldn't know how to handle himself alone here. And that's what he was now. Alone. Kagome had wounded him, and then left.

His left hand closed in a tight fist, his right not doing the same only because he wanted to spare himself the agony that trying to move it implied. Breathing heavily, Inuyasha fought to control his emotions as he brought his knees up to his chest and rested his arm on them, his forehead following suit. 'How could she? Why would she? I trusted her! I fucking trusted her and where did that get me?!' Inuyasha couldn't help but think brokenly even as progressively, the tone of his thoughts changed from hurt to angry. That didn't mean anger was now the predominant emotion in his heart, however.

'Fine then, good riddance!' the teen thought furiously as he tried to shake his hurt, fear and betrayal off and replace them with anger. 'Go ahead and leave. Don't even think of coming back, either. I don't need you. I don't need anyone!' his thoughts raced as he slowly raised his head to glare at his surroundings, almost daring the half-demon to come back right this instant, even if he had no idea what he'd do if she indeed did show up.

When he thought of this, however, he couldn't help but acknowledge that in that case, he'd be completely screwed, mainly because he was pretty much defenseless. Angry as he was, he wasn't suicidal. That left only one option. 'I need to get out of here. I need to get away from her,' he thought as he gritted his teeth and forced his sore muscles to obey his command. Slowly, he managed to stand and then set to swiftly packing his things. The sooner he got out of there, and far away from the hanyō-girl he had been traveling with so far, the better for him, he reasoned, and soon, no trace of him was left under the tree, as if he had never been there to begin with. Once the deed was done, he swung his backpack over his shoulder and left without glancing back, eyebrows narrowed in an angry frown. 'Next time we meet, I'll make her pay for that,' he thought angrily. And yet, somewhere inside, he knew he was just lying to himself, because really, what could he possibly do?

[/T]

Shaking his head to let go of such thoughts, Inuyasha strode forward as confidently as he could, considering the fact that his body wasn't happy about him walking at all. But he was so lost in thought, that even though the place he just left was still very much in seeing and hearing range, he did not notice the small kitsune that dropped out of the tree mere moments after he left, nor did he hear the profanities said fox was yelling after him angrily. He didn't notice the calm hanyō that followed the kit, either.

Kagome wasn't in the best of moods that very moment, but the reason for that wasn't only Inuyasha, but also the fact that her search for the cursed sword, which she wanted to destroy, had proven to be fruitless. It was as if the weapon had vanished into thin air, or as if it had never been there in the first place. It made her worry, and not only because it meant the cursed sword was still at large, possessing someone for one reason or another. No, what really made her worry was the lone fact that the sword was no longer there, when she definitely hadn't sensed anyone approaching where it should still be embedded after she disarmed Inuyasha. And a sword could hardly walk away on its own, no matter how cursed and demonic it was.

Add to all of this the fact that she returned just right to see Inuyasha's retreating back, which didn't raise her spirits any, though it didn't surprise her much, either, and overall, her bad mood could be pretty much excused. Not that she would have tried to stop the teen from leaving had she arrived any sooner. Rather, she would have hidden in the tree to wait and see what he'd do, since she figured he wouldn't be very happy to see her right then.

'Well, he left… not that that comes as a surprise…' she thought grimly as she sighed and plopped down to the ground, pouting angrily at the ground by her feet. Though she expected this outcome, the fact that he so easily believed she'd turn her claws on him without good reason still had her angry. Of course, she had raised her claws to him and she had wounded him – Hell, she was feeling more than guilty enough over it, too – but she had done it to protect him, not because she wanted to kill him. One would have thought he'd trust her enough to question her wanting to have his head all of a sudden.

Then again, could she really ask of him to trust her if she wasn't even sure to what extent she trusted him? Did she even trust him at all? She frowned at those thoughts. Yes, yes she did trust him. Maybe she didn't trust him as much as she trusted Kikyo once, yet, maybe she didn't trust him like he wanted her to trust him, but she definitely trusted him enough to know he wouldn't just up and attack or try to kill her for no apparent reason. She sighed, irritated, but soon enough another thought entered her mind. 'Can I really be so sure of that? After all, I've been angry and hurt after Kikyo's 'betrayal', too, and it had taken Kaede's story, incomplete as it was, to even make me start thinking that maybe she had a reason behind attacking me… that maybe she didn't really betray me,' the young half-demon said to herself, unable to not compare the two situations since they were so alike. Another sigh escaped her lips as Kagome's shoulders slumped.

"Why did the baka leave, anyway? I don't get it," Shippō finally spoke up, capturing Kagome's attention and breaking her out of her thoughts as she looked down at him. "Doesn't the idiot realize that he's just asking for some yōkai to come and kill him? Or does he just want to die that badly?" the young kit grumbled angrily as he stared in the direction Inuyasha left in with narrowed eyes.

"He left because he feared I'd attack him," Kagome replied, her eyebrows rising questioningly as she stared at the little kitsune. She couldn't, for the life of her, understand why he'd be so angry when what Inuyasha was doing was so easy to predict. Shippō's emerald eyes practically jumped out of their sockets at her words.

"Why'd he think that?"

"Because I was the one to wound him. I'm sure he knows at least that… or he figured it out on his own, there really weren't many other options."

"But you did it to protect him!"

"He doesn't know that, though."

"He still shouldn't jump to conclusions like that! What he came up with doesn't make any sense anyway! Can't the baka see that?!" that was the first time Kagome saw the young kit this furious, though livid would be an even more accurate description, and while she was flattered the kit had so much faith in her, she couldn't help but think that his reaction was an extremely childish one. Not that she could blame him, since he was a child. She sighed again.

"He was possessed when it happened, Shippō-chan. He doesn't remember all that transpired yesterday night. In his eyes, me attacking him is probably the only thing that makes any sense at all," Kagome said sadly as she looked away. Of course, she was expecting this to happen. But that didn't mean she was any more prepared for it, because one just couldn't prepare for something like this. She had to wonder, though, why did it affect her this much? It wasn't like she wasn't used to being left behind already, so…

"What does that have to do with anything?" the still angry kit interrupted her train of thought and she focused her attention on him again, though she still kept tabs on Inuyasha as well. She would have to start following him soon, before he got too far for his scent to be enough to make sure he was alright.

"When you're possessed, you don't think straight. Rather, you don't think at all. You don't control yourself, you don't even grasp what's really happening around you. You have to be conscious on some level, though, because after you wake up, you're sometimes able to remember bits and pieces of what happened. Not much, though. My guess is Inuyasha remembered us fighting and me wounding him, but he probably doesn't remember anything about the sword he used, or whoever it was that gave it to him," Kagome said as she stood up and turned towards the tree again. Bending her knees in order to get ready, Kagome found the branch she was looking for with her eyes and jumped, easily reaching it. Once there, she reached out a hand, gripped something that was stuck to the tree on the other side of the trunk and out of view, then freed it with a light tug, revealing it to be Tessaiga.

She had left it there as a means of protection (mostly because of its anti-demon barrier, which was effective enough to even keep someone as harmless as Shippō out. Needless to say, the kit hadn't been happy when he tried to follow her into the tree from a little bit further away than needed, only to be blasted back by a barrier) for the teen sleeping under the tree had a demon decided to come by while she was scanning the fields for the demonic sword she wished to destroy. After quickly sheathing the old, rusted blade, Kagome easily jumped down and landed lightly on the ground before she slowly started following Inuyasha's scent. He was heading in a different direction than they originally planned to go, heading further north instead of continuing towards the south-west as they've decided before. Maybe it was better for her, though. There was a forest in that direction, which would make watching over him without his noticing her easier than it would be in an open field.

"You sound like you speak out of experience," the young fox-kit couldn't help but probe. Kagome's eyes narrowed at the remark, but she remained silent. It was almost as if she were trying to pretend she hadn't heard, though both of them knew that wasn't possible. "Have you ever been possessed by someone, Kagome?"

"You could say that," the Inuyasha replied with a sigh, scowling at no one in particular. 'Though saying I lost my mind would be more accurate, actually,' she thought grimly.

"I believe Kagome-sama refers to the times when she was 'possessed' by herself. Kagome-sama is right to compare those two situations, too, as they are very alike, this Myouga has to agree," the tiny flea-yōkai spoke up from his place on Kagome's shoulder, though the question when he got there remained unanswered. Or maybe he had been there all along, hiding somewhere within her hair. "Now, Kagome-sama, if you could spare me a little of your attention, this Myouga has something important to…" he started as he turned to Kagome, but Shippō interrupted him.

"Possessed by herself? How could that even work?" the young child asked innocently, noticing how Kagome's eyes got a faraway look at his question. Her mind was starting to wander elsewhere, and it probably wasn't too nice of a place.

"I hope you'll never have to find out, Shippō-chan," she said gently as she suddenly stopped in her tracks. They were at the edge of a forest now and if they strained their ears, they could easily hear someone walking through it as well in the distance. Kagome was fairly certain it was Inuyasha, too. "Go on ahead, Shippō-chan. Catch up to him," she said as she gently released the young fox. He glanced at her over his shoulder, blinked a couple of times and then asked innocently:

"Aren't you coming, too?"

"I don't think Inuyasha wants to see me right now," Kagome replied with a small, forced smile. 'Still, I swore to Kikyo that I would protect the Jewel no matter what. And I swore to myself that I'll protect Inuyasha, too,' she thought as she jumped into the branches above. "That doesn't mean I won't be nearby, though, just out of sight. But I want you to stay with him. I think it'd do him some good," she said calmly as Shippō slowly scurried alongside her, only a couple of feet below, almost as if he knew she wanted to say something else. "But don't go telling him what really happened. There's no way he'd believe you. Not as things stand right now," she added as an afterthought, though she was quite aware the chances of him finding out the truth any other way were slim. Still, if Shippō were to try and persuade Inuyasha that he was wrong, then the black haired priest might think the fox and the hanyō were working together to get him and that had to be avoided. Shippō seemed to understand her reasons. That didn't mean he would do nothing, however.

With that, the young fox nodded and took of an all fours, using his nose to catch up with the black haired teen. He didn't know his scent very well yet, but the scent of blood was still pronounced enough to be followed instead, so he didn't have any problem finding the one he was looking for. Kagome was following close behind, though far and high enough in the trees not to be seen, despite her red haori sticking out like a sore thumb in the sea of green.

It wasn't long before the two of them caught up to Inuyasha, although Kagome immediately slowed down when he was within her sight, careful not to get close enough for him to feel her presence. Untrained and unused to feeling youki as he was, Inuyasha reacted to it when the feeling was strong enough for him to grasp. And she really wanted to avoid meeting him right now.

"Inuyasha, wait up!" Shippō suddenly called, though he didn't need to. As he had noted before, the young priest wasn't running – Kagome suspected his sore muscles were protesting too much for that – so the kitsune could have caught up easily. It was more likely, however, that it was Shippō's way of letting Inuyasha know he was being followed by someone who meant no harm.

Hearing a familiar voice behind him, the young priest stopped and looked over his shoulder. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the approaching fox, but didn't do anything that would indicate he minded his following him. If anything, he was merely surprised, as he would have expected the kit to stay with the one who was closer to his own kind. Oblivious to the teen's thoughts, Shippō broke his catch-up-run with a small leap, landing lightly on Inuyasha's shoulder where he stayed in a crouched position, as if he were sitting on a perch or a tree branch.

"What are you doing here, runt?" Inuyasha asked as his eyebrows lowered, making an annoyed scowl appear on his face, though Shippō didn't seem bothered by it in the least.

"I followed you, obviously," the young kit replied in a 'duh!' tone, effectively annoying Inuyasha further. "In the state you're in, you're definitely going to need all the help you can get," he added to bite the teen's ego further, though he wasn't only referring to his current physical condition.

"Keh, as if you could be of any help if I ever needed you. You're no better than the flea that follows Kagome around lately. The second you scent any danger, you'll go hiding somewhere and you'll only come out once it's safe again," Inuyasha replied, almost daring the young kitsune to say he was wrong. Shippō growled under his breath.

High in the branches a small distance away, Kagome's ears twitched as she unwillingly listened in on the conversation. Her eyes got a fond glint to them as she listened. 'He still uses my name…' she couldn't help but notice. That thought gave her hope, because it showed that some part of him still cared. Or maybe that was just her being delusional. She sighed. 'It's probably just habit. What else could it be? It's not like he's ever going to forgive me… or trust me for that matter,' she thought dejectedly as she followed the duo undetected. For some reason, that thought made her much more depressed than it should.

"Hey, I'm still a kid, I don't know how to fight! Hiding is a survival instinct… an instinct you obviously lack, because if you had it, it wouldn't tell you to run now and you would know there's no need to run away," Shippō bit back.

"I'm not running away!" Inuyasha almost yelled back, his anger surging forward. The kit was being much more annoying than any other time.

"Oh, then what are you doing, do tell. It certainly does seem like running to me. Or are you just trying to keep out of trouble? Do you really think that if a hanyō wanted to follow you that you could just run away?" To that, Inuyasha didn't answer. Hate it as he might, he knew Shippō was right. When Kagome decided to catch up to him for whatever reason (in his mind, it would be in order to finish what she started), she definitely would. But if he kept moving, he could at least hope to gain some time. Or at least gain the illusion of her not being able to find him, as ridiculous as that sounded.

Unbeknownst to the young priest, the one he didn't want following him, much less catching up, was not only catching up already, but had been within hearing distance for quite a while already. Kagome was slowly and stealthily following the pair, her ears trained on the conversation despite knowing it would be best not to listen to it, while her eyes scanned her surroundings without pause. She had no doubt sooner or later, some yōkai living in the forest would try to take Inuyasha by surprise to steal the Jewel, as the thing was bound to call out to them, not that it ever stopped. But whatever yōkai even attempted to get close to the priest, it'd have to get past her first, and she wasn't planning on letting that happen. As long as she was near, nothing would touch him, she'd make sure of it.

"You're scared, aren't you," Shippō's voice from up ahead suddenly cut through her thoughts. Her ears twitched on top of her head as she listened for Inuyasha's response. Whether she liked it or not, it was a conversation she had to listen to, unless she was willing to tune everything out – and that she could not do. It would be too dangerous for all three of them (well, four if one counted the flea that still stayed somewhere within her silver mane), but mostly Inuyasha.

"Scared? Of what, runt?" Came Inuyasha's annoyed reply, but Kagome's sensitive ears could easily pick up the uneasiness in his tone. The priest definitely wasn't comfortable with the topic of conversation the fox so persistently followed.

"You're scared of Kagome following you, or of having to face her in battle again. In short, you're scared to meet her again," Shippō replied and Kagome imagined he was wrinkling his nose as he said that. The kit was really good at discerning different scents, not that it came as a surprise. Kitsune were canines, after all.

"Keh, as if. Who would be scared of that wench?" Inuyasha tried to put on a brave face, but both Shippō and Kagome easily caught the lie. And knowing he was lying stung the young half-demon all the more. 'He is scared,' Kagome thought sadly as her ears drooped and her eyes fell to the forest floor far below her. 'He's scared of me… no matter the exact reason, the point is, he's scared of me,' she told herself, well aware that it was true and only to be expected. But still why did that thought sting so much? Why did it feel like her insides were twisting and forming unnatural knots inside her?

Most likely because Inuyasha had been a friend. She never had many of those, so she treasured any friend she could get. Losing one had always been painful. Losing one to a misunderstanding she had little hope of straightening stung even worse and now wouldn't be an exception.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as her nose and ears picked up the tell-tale signs of an approaching demon. Sighing, the Inuyasha stopped on one of the branches, waited for a moment to pinpoint the exact direction it was coming from, and then leapt into the trees to take care of the problem before it even made itself known to the one it concerned. She hadn't been quick enough to not hear what Inuyasha continued to say, though.

"If I feel anything when I think of the wench, it'd be nothing short of the hatred she deserves," he said through gritted teeth, trying to convince not only Shippō but himself as well. "I fucking hate her."

Nothing was said for a longer while after that, Shippō having been stunned into silence and Inuyasha losing himself once again to his thoughts. Though the kit might have expected the priest to be angry and hurt, and maybe even a bit scared considering what he thought had happened, he definitely didn't think Inuyasha would start hating Kagome. He just couldn't wrap his head around the concept and found himself praying that statement had also been a lie, even if it didn't sound like one.

Soon enough, whether Inuyasha liked it or not, his sore body decided it was sick and tired of walking and they were forced to take a break. The black haired priest winced slightly as he sat down, his aching muscles protesting his every movement now even more than they did a few short hours ago when he first awoke. If Kagome had been watching from the trees, she probably would have gotten worried he'd overexert himself, but for the time being, she wasn't near, though Shippō couldn't be quite sure if it was because there were some other yōkai in the area, or because of something else.

"Hey, Inuyasha," the kit suddenly spoke up, waiting for the violet eyed teen to turn his eyes on him before continuing. "Did you mean it what you said? That you hated Kagome, I mean?" he asked, making Inuyasha snort.

"I don't say things I don't mean, runt," he replied gruffly and looked away. Shippō pouted at that, but then an idea popped into his head and he smiled mischievously as his eyes landed on the injured priest again.

"Say that when you look straight at me," he commanded. Inuyasha snorted again, but didn't move, deciding instead to ignore the annoyance that was Shippō. He was starting to wonder why the kit even decided to tag along, since he seemed to be so fond of Kagome.

"Oi, Inuyasha…"

"Shut it runt, I ain't repeating myself," he sighed irritably. "What difference will it make anyway? I hate her either way."

"Say it to my face or I won't believe you," Shippō bit back, waiting for the right moment. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as he stared into the sky, blinking a few times for good measure. 'And how does me saying I hate her while looking at you prove that I'm not lying?' he couldn't help but wonder, but decided to humor the kit, if only to be left alone sooner. He couldn't stop the long, suffering sigh as he turned his head though.

"Fine, fine. I ha…" the words suddenly died in his throat as he looked towards the kit, because it were not emerald eyes he was staring into, but rather the very familiar, golden orbs set in a familiar face framed by even more familiar silver hair. 'K-Kagome?' Inuyasha thought in bewilderment as he leaned away from her by instinct. He didn't know what exactly he was feeling, but whatever it was, it made his heart race like it never had before.

"Well, what were you saying, Inuyasha? Whatever it is you want me to know, say it to my face," Kagome taunted with a smug look on her face as she watched Inuyasha open and close his mouth over and over as he tried to speak, but no words came. So far, he was doing a really nice impression of a fish taken out of the water.

He couldn't. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't say those three small words. They were stuck in his throat on some sort of lump he hadn't even realized had formed and he couldn't force them out. Or maybe he just didn't want to. He swallowed thickly as his emotions raged through him, unsure even himself what he was feeling. Was it rage? Or rather fear? Hurt? Maybe even a mix of all that and more, he really didn't know. But whatever it was, it made his heart race so quickly it was almost painful.

Until something weird caught his eye. A fox tail. A very bushy fox tail. One Kagome definitely didn't own. And just like that, all the emotions he was feeling vanished, leaving him with a severe case of anger.

"Why you little…" Inuyasha grumbled under his breath as he raised his uninjured arm and prepared to deliver a punch to 'Kagome's' head, well aware of what was going on by now… but he still couldn't do even that. Not until there was a small poof-ing sound and 'Kagome' disappeared, leaving a smugly smiling kitsune in her place. The fist came down with a vengeance and said kit was soon enough nursing another bump as he whined softly.

"That's what you get for playing games like that with me," Inuyasha grumbled irritably under his breath as he turned his back on the kitsune and slowly lay down on the ground, mindful of his injury. 'Fucking kitsune with his fucking magic tricks,' he thought annoyed as he tried to tune out what the child was saying, but to no avail, especially since he had bounced over to be in Inuyasha's field of vision again. Somehow, the young kannushi just knew that if he were to turn again, Shippō would just walk around his head to be seen, so he didn't bother. The kitsune's smile was still rather annoying, though. What did he have to smile about, anyway?

"But you didn't say it," Shippō couldn't keep the glee out of his voice as he brought that detail to Inuyasha's attention. "You couldn't say it to my face because I looked like Kagome, so you wouldn't be able to say it to her face either. So you can't mean it. You don't hate her," somehow, he looked very proud of himself as he said that, as if he had uncovered one of the world's greatest secrets.

"Keh! Like you know shit about how I feel or what I think," Inuyasha spat out angrily as he turned around, once again wincing at his muscles protest. He suddenly felt very tired, too. A nap would be nice right about now.

"At least I know for certain you don't hate Kagome," the young kit answered, his voice giving away how very satisfied he was. Inuyasha 'keh-ed' weakly in response, his fatigue overwhelming him as his tired body finally got what it had longed for the moment he woke up: more rest. He was out like a light within seconds, unaware of the pair of golden eyes that stared sadly at him from above, as Kagome returned from her demon-exterminating detour just in time to see him fall asleep with Shippō curling up at his side to rest as well, though the kit was nowhere near as tired as the worn out priest.

Kagome suppressed a sigh as she stared down at the young ningen boy who used to be her full-time companion and even a friend. Automatically, her eyes traveled to his bandaged hand. The bandage didn't stop her from assessing the damage, though, she didn't need to see it to know how bad it was. She was the one to give him that wound, after all. That, and there was also the scent of blood that she could still smell coming both from him and from her own claws, though in the second case, the smell was already mixed with that of yōkai-blood, not that it made it any more easy to handle. 'Having that scent on my claws… it's sickening!' She couldn't help but think as she scowled, though she was well aware that she may scrub her hands as much as she'd like, the scent would stick to her for quite a while – she had already tried to wash it off and had failed miserably.

"I do not think this Myouga has ever seen you so depressed, Kagome-sama," the tiny yōkai spoke up from her shoulder, making Kagome glare at him. She didn't need his remarks on how she was feeling, she knew that well enough herself, even if she couldn't really pinpoint the reason for said feelings.

"Shut it, Myouga," she warned, the fact that she didn't call him by her natural 'Myouga-jii-chan' speaking volumes to the flea how it was very much not wise to mess with the hanyō at this moment. Heeding the warning, Kagome's adviser (or at least that was his position while in the service of the Western Lord and Kagome's father, but she doubted she could really call him that. Advisers were reserved for court and noble life and she sure as hell wasn't part of either of those) spoke no more until the Inuyasha addressed him again. "Didn't you have some very important news to tell me?" she asked quietly, eyes still trained on the sleeping teen below her while her ears both listened to Myouga and to her surroundings, making sure no danger lurked too near for her liking.

"Indeed, Kagome-sama, I did and still do," the flea responded in a tone that implied he had actually almost forgotten all about it. Kagome rolled her eyes, but didn't comment, deciding that letting the flea talk would be best for now, least they'd get off topic again and he'd never tell her. "This Myouga has heard of a very strong yōkai, one that should really be reckoned with, that has been often sighted in these parts, lately. It was mere rumors at first, but…" he trailed off uncertainly, as if trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say, but before he could get that far, Kagome picked him up to place her on her palm. Having him at her eye-level, she leaned back on the branch she was crouching on, easily falling into a sitting position and leaning her back on the trunk, not breaking eye-contact with the tiny yōkai in her hand for even a second.

"You mentioned something like that before," she said slowly. "A few days back. I thought that warning would be about the Honoō no Kyoudai, as you hadn't mentioned it afterward until yesterday," she continued, her tone giving away the question she did not voice and urging the flea to explain. For some reason, the hanyō-girl had a very uneasy feeling about all this all of a sudden. Myouga cleared his throat uneasily.

"Indeed, they were also yōkai who had a lot of rumors spread concerning them, but alas, they were not the only yōkai that were said to be very strong in the area. The one Kagome-sama's humble servant has heard most about was a solitary demon. No one has ever attempted to fight him, so whether he's really strong or not is not information this Myouga has, but it is said that his aura is one of the most evil youki anyone can ever feel, so long as it isn't concealed in some manner. The demon is said to be easily recognizable, as he wears a baboon-pelt that covers his entire body, hiding his face as well," the flea said in a grave tone, one Kagome rarely heard him use.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Alright… but you seemed to forget all about it a few days back, Myouga-jii-chan. So why did it suddenly become so important that I needed to know as soon as possible? I'm sure you know that even if I met this demon, then no matter how strong he was or how evil his youki, if he was in my way or threatening someone, I'd fight him. So why is it suddenly so important?" she asked calmly, although inside she was anything but calm as a very unsettling feeling settled itself in her stomach, making her want to fidget nervously. She didn't give in to the urge, though, keeping a calm outward appearance instead. Myouga gulped, and from that action alone she knew that she was not going to like whatever it was that he was about to say.

"Well, this Myouga considered it important because… how should I say it…"

"Just spit it out already," Kagome whispered furiously, forcing her voice a few octaves lower so she wouldn't yell at the flea out of frustration. The last thing she needed was Inuyasha waking up and realizing she was much closer than he thought she was. No, she needed to remain in the shadows, for now. Probably forever even. Shoving the thoughts aside, Kagome focused once again on Myouga's words. And she was right. She definitely didn't like what he said.

"The cursed sword Inuyasha was taken over by… it was a demon wearing a pelt made of the skin of a baboon that gave it to him, Kagome-sama."

And just like that, all the anger left Kagome's body, like water flowing out of a leaky bucket. It wasn't so much the fact that it was a demon that gave the sword to Inuyasha that bugged her. It was rather the fact it was a demon Myouga had tried to warn her about before… but she hadn't listened to him, too sure of herself that whatever warning he had for her aside from one about Sesshōmaru wasn't worth her time. She sighed as she slumped her posture, her hand falling towards her forehead in a face-palm, almost squashing Myouga in the process. The flea had been quick enough to jump onto her chest, though.

"I should have listened to you back then," she berated herself angrily, even growling at her own stupidity as she remembered how she had shrugged Myouga's warning off. How could she have been so fucking stupid? "I should have listened to you, damn it."

"This Myouga does not think it would have changed anything, Kagome-sama," Myouga spoke up as he jumped onto her nose, obviously trying to make her feel better. When a pair of golden orbs stared at him like he was suddenly speaking a completely foreign language, squinting lightly as they did so since he was situated at the very tip of her nose, Myouga continued. "The sword was a demonic one, after all. It would have called to Inuyasha's mind regardless of what he did or did not know. Besides which, Inuyasha had been wary of the demon he met and unwilling to accept the sword at first, it was only once the sword overpowered his mind that he took it. But that outcome would not have changed had he known anything about the demon who offered the cursed weapon to him," the flea said wisely, making Kagome sigh sadly.

"I guess you're right," she said quietly, although she didn't seem overly convinced. 'That doesn't change the fact that I'm a fucking, moronic idiot,' she continued to berate herself in her thoughts for pretty much the rest of the day and the following night, her ears only twitching occasionally when she heard some sort of sound. But Inuyasha's rest had not been disturbed, and neither was the silence that fell between the young half-demon and the flea that stayed by her side.

~ξ~

It was late morning when Inuyasha slowly awakened and got ready to keep moving the next day, after a quick meal. He wasn't moving slow, but he wasn't exactly quick, either, most likely because his body still wasn't done recuperating from the ordeal of two days before. That he had been able to walk yesterday had impressed Kagome as it was, that he was able to keep going should have been downright impossible for a human. Kagome shook her head and sighed.

The guy was strong, sure, but more than anything, he was stubborn. That was a good quality overall… but right now, it was harming him, rather than helping. 'He should just rest until his body regained all its energy, not force himself to move forward when it's obviously not something his body wants to do,' Kagome thought worriedly as she looked at him from between the branches that separated him from her. 'But then again, who am I to talk? I often do the same thing,' she couldn't help but notice.

Her thoughts were interrupted as sounds uncommon for a forest reached her ears, making the soft appendages twitch on her head. The young half-demon frowned as her eyes left the black haired kannushi and stared ahead instead, though the trees obscured her view. 'Sounds like a village of sorts… but humans don't dwell within forests, there're too many yōkai lurking around for them to dare,' she thought with a frown, knowing full well that there was no way Inuyasha had already crossed the forest, considering how long he walked through it and the speed he was going at. Biting her lip in worry, Kagome decided to take a little risk and sped up, leaping swiftly and soundlessly from branch to branch, easily outrunning the boy who was attempting to get far away from her.

The forest ended abruptly about a mile further on and Kagome swiftly retreated back into the trees when she noticed that she had suddenly left the protection and shadow they offered. Crouching down on one of the higher branches, the hanyō-girl observed her surroundings and easily understood why the forest was as small as it was.

She remembered it from fifty years back, as after meeting Kikyo, and befriending her, she made a point of never straying too far away from the village the miko and her little sister lived at. The young half-demon had designed a wide perimeter around the village as the grounds she traveled to when she felt the need to move a bit, like every demon did, or when she went to meet him. These grounds, which she came to almost consider her own territory, she knew like the back of her hand, and this forest had still been part of those grounds. But that was fifty years ago. Now, what was left of the green scenery she remembered was the sad excuse of a small wood she had just crossed, as the rest had been cut out to make place for the village that was now before her eyes, and probably a few other villages down the road she didn't remember ever seeing before. Her ears drooped as she watched the new settlement, one she hadn't been there to see being built, and couldn't keep the sadness out of her eyes when her memory sent her the images of the beautiful greenery that was there before. 'Humans can be so inconsiderate sometimes,' she thought sadly, even if another part of her was glad the village had been built where it was. At least Inuyasha could find a place to rest.

Sighing, Kagome turned her back on the village she would be soon seeing again when Inuyasha got there and was about to rejoin the priest again (not that he'd know about it), when her ears caught the very distinct sound of flapping wings. Looking up, Kagome saw an overgrown pigeon, or some other bird like that, a little ways away in the direction where Inuyasha was. She cursed in her thoughts, realizing instantly that the pigeon was anything but a harmless bird and took off after it. She shouldn't have taken the risk, after all.

As for Inuyasha, he had been made aware of the approaching danger by the young fox that accompanied him, as Shippō heard the bird as well and was able to see him with his superior, demonic eye-sight. He looked up just in time to see the bird approaching much too quickly for his liking, and though it was still quite a ways away, there was no doubt it would soon catch up.

Unfortunately for himself, the young priest had been right and not even a minute later, the bird was above him, diving claws-first towards him like an eagle preparing to capture its dinner. Noticing the descending demon, Inuyasha reacted on instinct as he turned to face it, his right hand immediately reaching and gripping Seiryuu. However, the moment his fingers even started to close over the hilt, his forearm almost literally exploded with agony so intense it was almost blinding. Unable to hold it in, Inuyasha cried out in pain and, against his better judgment, closed his eyes tightly as he fell to one knee, his left hand reflexively cradling his injured one.

"Inuyasha!" Shippō screamed at him worriedly, but the young priest was too distracted by the pain, barely holding on to consciousness because of it, to pay attention to him. He knew, however, that even his effort to stay conscious was probably for naught, as soon enough, the yōkai-bird's claws would reach him and end his existence. In his current condition, Inuyasha could do nothing more than wait for the end, though, so that's what he did.

He never felt the demon's claws tear through him, though, nor did darkness end up enveloping him forever. Instead, he heard a bird's surprised cry, akin to that of a pigeon that was unexpectedly kicked in the butt by a passing human, followed by a loud thumping sound as something landed heavily in front of him and the growling of a very pissed off dog.

[T]

Forcing himself to open his eyes, Inuyasha managed to see past the stars that irrationally appeared in his vision and saw a very familiar red-clad figure crouching before him on all fours, her head turned towards the pigeon-demon that had almost had his head. The bird was pretty pissed itself, it would seem, if it's cooing was anything to go by. Then, it suddenly turned and flew away. Shortly after, Kagome's growling ceased and she slowly rose back to her feet, though her back was still turned to him.

Gritting his teeth to stop any potential sounds that could give away how much pain he was in, Inuyasha slowly struggled to get to his feet. When he did, he swayed lightly and was forced to take a few steps back to not fall over, until his back hit the trunk of a tree. Leaning against it and still holding his injured arm, Inuyasha stared at the hanyō's back, trying to control his suddenly labored breathing, due mostly to the pain that his right forearm still mercilessly pulsed with.

Kagome continued to ignore him, though, staring instead into the sky in the direction the pigeon-yōkai had left in. Following her gaze, Inuyasha paled as he saw the herd of birds flying their way, the pigeon that had just attacked him leading them all. They were obviously not happy, either.

"Get out of here," he suddenly heard someone say and he looked back down to stare at Kagome's back. She shot him a sidelong glance right then and stared at him for a brief moment before turning her head back towards the coming birds. She sighed when Inuyasha didn't react to her words.

"Get out of here," she repeated, flexing her claws at her sides dangerously. Inuyasha couldn't help but gulp at the action, and that was all it took for him to take a swift retreat. His pride took a definite blow because of it, but this time, his actions were controlled by his survival instincts, which were telling him to run.

He didn't see Kagome's shoulders slump as he left, nor did he see her ears droop as the proverbial knife was thrust straight back into her heart when she was reminded of Inuyasha's current thoughts of her. The Inuyasha she knew would have argued, no matter how stupid it would be for him to stay around. 'I'm not a weakling or a coward! I'm not gonna run! I'll fight!' he would have yelled. 'I don't need to you to protect me, I can very well do it myself,' he would have boasted, trying to make her think the same way. The Inuyasha she knew wouldn't just turn tail without a word of protest. Even injured, the Inuyasha she knew would never admit to being afraid and just outright flee.

But the Inuyasha she knew was no longer there. Or at the very least, he wouldn't show up in the same manner ever again. Now, the future-born teen was persuaded she had attacked him, maybe he even thought she tried to kill him. He was afraid of her, and as such, until he recovered, he would try to stay away from her, believing himself to be staying away from mortal danger. And once he healed, the Inuyasha she knew would come back full force… but once he would, he'd do it in order to fight her and possibly kill her, too, believing himself to be protecting his own skin.

A hurt growl escaped her throat at those thoughts, her fists clenching at her sides as she lowered her gaze to the ground. The growl turned progressively more frustrated and angry, however, as Kagome reminded herself that none of it was her or Inuyasha's fault, but rather that of the baboon-pelt-wearing demon and the sword he had given Inuyasha.

Finally opening her rage-filled eyes, Kagome stared straight towards the approaching bird-demons, snarling viciously. 'You should have known better than to approach a furious beyond belief dog demon, full-breed or not,' she thought angrily as she jumped straight into the middle of the herd, slashing her claws almost blindly and for the first time in a long while relishing in the feel of her claws tearing through flesh and the scent of blood surrounding her. It was only in the heat of battle could she release all those emotions, even if it was as stupid as it was effective, since depending on who she was fighting, her anger, and thus recklessness, could very easily lead to her death. That wasn't the case with a couple of annoying pigeons, though.

A few swings and Soul Scattering Iron Claws later, Kagome landed lightly on the blood-stained ground, having killed every single one of the annoying birds with relative ease, effectively releasing some of her pent up frustration and hurt in the process. Taking a deep breath, she once again forced her emotions under control, though she couldn't help but be surprised. She knew what had happened had hurt her at some level, but she definitely hadn't expected herself to lose it to this level. Her shoulders slumped again. 'I guess Inuyasha grew on me more than I realized… funny how you notice such things only once they're gone,' she thought sarcastically, a small, mirthless chuckle escaping her lips – a chuckle that would make anyone who knew her shiver in discomfort, as it was definitely creepy coming from this particular half-demons lips.

[/T]

She shoved her self-pitying feeling deep inside her forcefully, once again taking the chains to lock away her heart and preparing to freeze it over once more – it would be much better for her if it stayed that way, too – as she turned her head to stare in the direction Inuyasha had left in: the direction of the village. 'He probably reached it by now,' Kagome thought as her eyes narrowed in thought. 'If he has any brains, he'll stay there until he's recovered at least somewhat. And even if he doesn't, I'll smell him leaving. In the meantime…' her eyes moved away from the path Inuyasha had taken and she took a deep breath, scenting the air as precisely as she could. She couldn't pick up anything that would smell like what she was looking for, but she knew better than to think it meant it was nowhere nearby. Without thinking much, she jumped into the trees and leapt from branch to branch soundlessly, scanning her surrounding all the while. Her instincts were telling her that the thing she was looking for would show up sooner or later, and she highly preferred to take care of it as soon as possible, before it caused even more problems, as she was one to always trust her instincts. They rarely failed her after all.

'Time to go on a hunt for a cursed, demonic sword.'

*glances around carefully, hiding behind a large board*

OK, I accept tomatoes, but please don't throw any apples, pineapples, melons and other hard fruits. Don't throw sharp objects either, OK? If you kill me, I can never get Inuyasha and Kagome 'back together', even if only on friendly and not romantic terms yet, alright? I'm trusting you guys here.

*comes out of hiding*

Yes, yes, I get it, you're probably all mad because I kinda sorta made Inuyasha believe Kagome betrayed him. Big deal, it's not that different from what happened between Inuyasha and Kikyo in canon, so get over it. Putting that fact aside, especially since we all know Inuyasha will somehow find out the truth eventually or this wouldn't be an InuKag fic, how was it? I really hoped you enjoyed. I definitely enjoyed writing it, despite having to separate the two of them. But I'd like to know what you guys think, so… review…? As a birthday gift?

And see you in the next installment, of course… so long as you don't kill me before I manage to get it out LOL