Chapter 5: Mystery solved

A/n: Obligatory disclaimer that I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters. I'm just playin' with them.

Pain. Kagome was in a lot of pain. Her ankle felt like it was swelling and her stomach felt as if it were on fire. First things first. I need shelter. She thought crawling into a hole in a tree stump. Okay, now for a barrier. She threw up a masking barrier, one to block her smell, sounds, and spiritual power to keep her completely concealed. She reached into her sock where she kept a small roll of gauze. She had to use it all up but it wrapped around her stomach perfectly. Next she looked at her ankle. Definitely sprained, if not broken. Kagome sighed. I'm not strong enough or trained for this. After a battle like that I don't have enough energy to heal myself and keep up the barrier.

After deciding too keep the barrier up since she didn't know if there were anymore demons out there looking for her or how far away from help she was she laid down. Might as well lay down and get some rest, try to regain some strength. She curled up on the side of her non-hurt ankle and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes a while later it was dark. She gauged by how strong her barrier was that it had only been half a day or so. Her body was weak and tired and knowing her barrier was still strong was all it took for her to fall back asleep.

She didn't know how long she continued to drift in and out of sleep but when she woke this time she guessed it was going to be day break in an hour or so. She didn't know if she was dreaming or if she really felt Sesshomaru's yoki but she let down her barrier and sent out her last bit of power before passing out.

Kagome woke some time later to the sound of voices. She wanted to open her eyes so badly but everything was heavy.

"Whaaaa, I want her to wake up!" Shippo cried.

"Are you sure she's alright? She's been out for so long…" Sango trailed off.

"She will be fine. Her body is healing and her power is recovering. I assume she held her barrier for the days we searched." Sesshomaru said.

"Yes Sango child, even or a trained miko a barrier held that long would be difficult." Kaede?

Kagome forced her eyes open. Inuyasha was the first to notice and rushed to her side. Sesshomaru who was sat behind her head noticed she was trying to sit up and went to help. The moment his hands moved Inuyasha growled. Sesshomaru backed off and moved so Inuyasha could take his place.

"How long was I out?" Kagome asked while leaning back against Inuyasha.

"A day and a half after Sesshomaru found you." Inuyasha said.

"What happened? How'd you find me?"

"Sesshomaru carried you back just before day break yesterday." Inuyasha sounded annoyed. She looked at Sesshomaru who was stood against the far wall. He nodded in confirmation then left Kaede's hut.

"How are Shippo and Rin? Did they make it back to you alright? I sent them on Kilala, is she alright?" Kagome started to worry.

"Yes, everyone is fine." Sango said as Shippo jumped on her chest. Kagome huffed from the impact and Sango gently removed him before Inuyasha could knock him off. "What happened to you during the fight?" Sango asked. Kagome looked down to her lap.

"It was nothing." She said quickly. "I'd like some rest now." The group looked at each other worriedly. It wasn't like Kagome to not want to talk about things. "Can you send Sesshomaru in? I'd like to thank him before I go to sleep."

"Uh sure." Inuyasha said helping her lay back down before leaving with Shippo and Sango. A moment later Sesshomaru walked in.

"You wished to see me?"

"Uh yeah, I wanted to say thank you for finding me."

"Hm." He gave a slight nod. Kagome turned to her side to see him better. He was watching her from the far wall again.

"How long was I missing?"

"About 3 days."

"Wow, I kept a barrier up for 3 days…" She trailed off impressed. Sesshomaru didn't look as impressed.

"Yes, that is why we've been stuck here for 5 days with no progress." He said sharply before leaving. Her mood instantly dropped to embarrassment. She tried to stay awake but her body was so tired it wouldn't let her.