Chapter 7
Where's Sam and Dean Winchester When You Need Them?

"You're fucking kidding me."

Inuyasha was not amused, to say the least.

"You're not fucking kidding, are you?"

Kagome sighed to herself as Inuyasha sat on her bed, complaining about her life choices.

"You're not going to school!"

"You can't tell me what to do, Inuyasha," she commented in a sing-song voice before grabbing her clothes to change in the bathroom.

"Did you hit your fucking head? You passed the fuck out yesterday! You should be in fucking bed!"

"You're one to talk. How many times have I told you to rest and you ignore me and do whatever you want anyway?"

"That's different!"

"I'm fine, Inuyasha." She closed the door behind her, ending the conversation. Not really. It was mostly just for symbolism. Besides, Inuyasha wasn't one to acknowledge closed doors as anything but something new to open, loudly, and with vigor.

He scoffed loudly, and she could hear it through the door.

It was Friday. She just had one more day. One more day and then she could rest as much as she wanted over the weekend before she got her stitches out on Monday.

She just had to get through today. That's all. She walked out of the bathroom, and she could hear Souta getting ready for his own day. She went back into her room, where Inuyasha remained, unmoved from her bed.

"You should stay home," he repeated, chin resting on his palm.

"I can't stay home. I have to go to school. You know this. It's not new, Inuyasha."

She turned to her vanity, where she ran a brush through her hair, and tried to figure out how to make her complexion look—not like this.

"You look awful," he stated, and she gave him a deadpan look in the mirror.

"Wow, thanks. You really know how to woo a girl, don't you?"

"You—ugh! I meant—" He rubbed his hand down his face as he tried to un-foot-in-mouth his statement. "You know what I meant!"

She did know, that was the sad part. She completely and totally understood what he was trying to say. It was cute that he still got so flustered. He was better at speaking to people than when he first met her, but the simple truth was that he was still godawfully terrible at it.

Inuyasha was worried, and his concern was showing.

It was sweet, really, if she was being honest. But she needed to go to school. She needed to go. It wasn't an option. It wasn't.

She stood from her vanity and grabbed the bag sitting in her chair. She shoved her math book inside and felt a clawed hand cover her own, threatening to take it from her.

"I'm going to school," she warned, turning to look at him. He met her gaze, brows knitting together, and his scowl clearly reflecting his displeasure with her statement and actions all morning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbled, taking the bag from her as she metered out his intentions for her book bag. "I'm coming down with ya, so stop looking like you're gonna punch me in the face."

"I would never!" she gasped, and he barked out a laugh, ushering her towards the stairs with a hand on her back. She moved without resistance towards the stairs, heading down to the kitchen. He followed her in as she took her bag from him and threw it in an empty chair, and leaned over to kiss her mother on the cheek.

"Kagome?" Her mother asked, turning towards her with a plate in her hand. She scanned her over as Kagome took the plate and sat down at the table. "You're going to school?"

"Yeah, it's Friday!" She said as if the answer was obvious, taking a bite of her food as Inuyasha sat down beside her and her mother set another plate in front of him.

"Do you think that's wise? You were sick yesterday."

"That's what I said," Inuyasha grumbled between bites. "Told her she was being stupid."

"I am not!" She looked over at him. "It's important that I go to school as much as possible. Isn't that right, Mama?"

"Yes, it is—"

"See, Inuyasha?"

"However," her mother continued, "that is not the case when you faint at school. You still don't look like you're feeling well."

"I feel fine, Mama."

Her mother arched an eyebrow at that particular statement. She could feel her mother's support slipping away, withering.

"I have a history test!" She blurted out. Was it a lie? Kinda. She had a quiz, but it was also important to take that too. It was like a mini-test. So it counted for the 'test' category. That was the story that she was sticking with.

"You have a test today?"

Kagome nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! I've been studying all week for it. I really feel okay enough that I can go to school."

Kagome searched her mother's eyes for any sign of indecision, a hint that she was reconsidering her earlier threat of keeping her at home. She was wavering, but the glower from Inuyasha at her back proved that he was not. Her mother though—her mother could be convinced to let her go to school, and Inuyasha wouldn't dare defy her mother.

"I feel fine," Kagome insisted. "I'll rest all weekend and catch up on the sleep that I've missed. I'm not even going to school Monday, and I'm going back with Inuyasha after that. It's really important that I go today. Please?" Kagome was not above begging to get what she wanted.

"You really feel well enough to go to school?"

"I do! I promise, I feel fine."

"Then I suppose that it's fine," she relented and Kagome had to physically restrain herself from showing any sort of happiness or gloating her victory over Inuyasha.

Game. Set. Match!

"Besides, I'm sure Inuyasha won't mind making sure that you rest over the weekend?" Her mother's gaze flitted over to the hanyou, and Kagome stared wide-eyed at her, turning in her chair to see his face passive and almost uninterested.

"Inuyasha doesn't want to—" Kagome started, trying to wheedle her way out of the upcoming predicament.

"Yeah, sure. I'll check in with Kaede and let her know we'll be coming back in a few days." His tone was casual, but his gaze was almost predatory.

She could feel her heart sinking in her chest.

Oh no.

"Excellent. See Kagome? Inuyasha doesn't mind at all." Her mother turned back to the stove and prepared a plate for her brother. Like she hadn't just given a power-hungry Inuyasha near complete control over her to act as her personal tormentor. No, how could this possibly backfire and explode, beautifully, in her face? God, she was going to rue this day hard.

Suddenly, breakfast didn't seem all that entertaining or delicious anymore.

She started to stand and a firm hand caught her elbow, forcing her to stay seated.

"Finish," he ordered, not relinquishing her grip.

"I'm full," she hissed back.

"Finish," he repeated, the same hot glare sent right back at her.

She took a couple more bites and pushed the plate away.

"Eat your da—" He checked her mother's attention before continuing. "Finish it."

"You're not my boss. Make me."

His hand dropped her elbow, and his cheeks reddened as he looked away from her quickly.

"Not yet," he mumbled.

She 'hmph'ed and rose from the chair.

"I'm going to head out. I'll see you later."

"Alright dear. Call if you don't feel well."

"I will!" She started to close the door, when it stopped short of closing. Inuyasha stepped out behind her, and she let out a soft sigh, making a beeline for the stairs. He was literally a step behind her. She could practically feel his complete and utter displeasure with her radiating off of him like it was a tangible object.

Stepping down the first step, she spun to face him, looking up as he met her gaze.

"You can't follow me to school, Inuyasha."

His guard dog duties didn't start until after school, and she informed him of that little tidbit. He grimaced at the term 'guard dog,' but didn't correct her.

"And how're you gonna stop me?" He asked, his self-serving superiority complex ringing through each word.

Oh, she be tiny but fierce.

Her fingers wrapped around the beads as she gave them a gentle but firm tug. Hard enough that it made him jerk just a little bit.

"Don't make me say it," she warned, and his ears went back, face grimacing. "You said it yourself, you need to go check in with Kaede. You know when I'm going to be home."

"There's no reason that I can't—" He started to argue, and she deftly silenced him with a hard yank on the beads.

"I am going to school, and you—" she jerked the beads again, "are not following me. Because I am," another hard yank, "perfectly," another jerk, "capable," another yank, "of going," and another, "to school," and another, "by myself!" She kept her grip firm on the beads, and he was bent over to the point that they were eye to eye now, and he was deliciously invading her personal bubble. "Got it?"

His eyes were hard as he glared at her, and his hand wrapped around her wrist, applying just the right amount of pressure to remind her that he was not wholly human. It made her stomach do funny things.

"Woman, I swear, if you're not back here, I will come find you."

She dropped the beads, but he didn't raise up to his full height.

Licking her lips, she kept his gaze firmly.

"If you don't let go, I'm going to be late." Her voice came out surprisingly even, considering that he was close enough that if she leaned forward an inch or two, they would—

His hand dropped her wrist, and he stood up to his full height. She turned away, continuing down the stairs, not bothering to turn and wave like she had previous mornings.

How was it that he could say something that was almost endearing and yet infuriate her in the same statement? How was that even possible? Was it even possible? As she'd quickly learned, there was very little that the hanyou was not capable of doing or achieving.

She sped up her gait and headed straight for the station. Maybe this frustration would only fuel her ability to complete her math homework before school actually started.

"Kagome! You're here!" Yuka shouted.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to be here?" Ayumi asked.

She honestly had like eight more problems to go. Eight. She could finish this.

"I'm allowed to be at school," she answered, trying to focus on the book in front of her. Her brain wasn't working as quickly as she needed it to. She already needed a nap.

"You feel well enough to be at school today?" Eri asked, and Kagome raised an eyebrow at her question of concern.

"My mother let me go, so she felt it was safe enough."

"Kagome!" Hojo's voice rang through the classroom, and he was kneeling beside her desk a moment later. She took a very self-meditative breath before she addressed any of them. "You should be at home! Resting!"

"Hojo, I'm fine. If I didn't feel well enough, I wouldn't be here."

She really needed to finish these math problems.

"Kagome, you fainted yesterday!" He seemed wholly focused on that point, and he struggled to make her understand the emphasis of it.

"That was yesterday. Today's a new day," she stated absently, not even bothering to look away from the homework that she was working on.

Hojo didn't move from his position, and a quick glance proved that they were all sharing looks of concern.

"Take a seat, Hojo," she said, pointing to his desk with her pencil, again not looking at him or anyone other than the homework that they were desperately not letting her finish.

She had five more left.

She could do this, fuzzy brain and all.

It was a long period. And that was putting it mildly. Her eyes hurt, and her brain was practically throbbing. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, because she's now resorted squinting in the fluorescent lighting to make out what's being written on the board.

Her arm throbbed as if trying to garner her attention, but she just really needs to make it through the next five minutes until the bell rings, because then and only then can she slip off to the bathroom to throw some water on her face.

Even her chest started to ache again, and that hadn't given her any fits other than the morning it first happened. Other than the lingering bruise, there was literally nothing to remind her of it.

But everything started to hurt now, old injuries, old aches.

She was just tired.

She needed a nap.

She just had to make it through today and then she was home free. There would be time to sleep this weekend. In fact, Inuyasha would insist on it. He'd probably try to keep her in bed all weekend. Bed rest with an overprotective guard dog. He wasn't losing the title until he gave up trying to force her into bed when she didn't want to be.

God, that sounded bad.

She rolled her eyes; it would probably not be as restful as she hoped. Inuyasha, though utterly sweet at times, was astronomically good at just destroying things. Usually things she liked or needed.

The bell rang overhead, and she waited until the teacher left before standing up, waiting a moment for the vertigo to dissipate before walking to the bathroom to try and alleviate her headache.

Two girls walked out as she went in, letting the door shut behind her before she turned the tap on, letting the cool water flow for a moment. Dipping her hands underneath, the coolness of water felt almost—reassuring. A stark difference against her warm hands, it was almost grounding. She leaned down over the sink, watching the water pool and then flow over her fingers before closing her eyes and splashing it gently across her face.

A couple more times and the headache began to subside, making her sigh in relief. She leaned up, blindly reaching for the paper towels to dry her face off. However, one good tug only made the paper towel rip in half instead of giving her the entire thing. She wiped off what she could before grabbing the rest and wiping the rest of her face dry. Looking back into the mirror, she doesn't look awful. Not great, but not deathly ill like she was sure she did before. Maybe this will help make everyone stop pussyfooting around her when she goes back to class.

Turning away from the mirror, she jolts at the girl standing in front of the doorway.

"Geez, you scared the daylights out of me," she murmured, taking a deep breath and pressing a hand to her heart. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

She moved towards the door, but the girl took a step to the left, blocking her path. The girl's name escaped her, but Kagome was sure that she looked familiar. She was younger, a couple grades maybe. Where did she know that face?

Kagome took a step to the right to go around her, but the girl moved in sync with her, grinning at her the entire time.

"I have to go back to class. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Do you recognize me?" The girl asked, still grinning.

"No. Can't say that I do. Now, I'm going to class." Kagome made a point of reaching over the girl's shoulder for the door handle.

"Are you sure, Ka-Go-Me?" She asked again, moving so that her path was irrevocably blocked.

"Yes! Now, move!"

"So rude," she murmured. "But it has been a while, hasn't it? Maybe you really don't recognize me." Kagome paused in reaching for the door as the girl's hand clamped down on her wrist. "Look closely, Ka-Go-Me. You knew me once, didn't you? You knew me, Kagome."

Kagome stared at the girl, and she was right. Kagome did know her, but her name fluttered just on the edges of her recollection.

A small memory, a very faint one, came to the forefront.

But, it was impossible.

"Ah! There it is," she purred, leaning towards her.

It was impossible. There was no way. There was no way it was who she thought it was.

"Hina Sato," Kagome whispered, and the grin grew larger.

"See, you know me after all, Ka-Go-Me."

"No," Kagome said, tugging on her arm, but the little girl only held on tighter. "Let me go!"

"But you know me, Kagome. You. Know. Me."

"You are not Hina Sato! I don't know who you are, but you're going to let me go! Don't—" She swallowed, gathering her courage. "Don't make me hurt you."

"I am Hina Sato," she said simply.

"No, you're not!" Kagome thrashed against her, trying to force her fingers to release her wrist. Her grip was bruising.

"Why? Why can't I be Hina Sato? I look like her, don't I?"

"Because Hina Sato is dead! She died two years ago!"

"That's right," the girl laughed. "The Hina Sato you knew looked like this."

The girl, still holding onto Kagome's wrist, burst into flames, skin blistering from the heat, melting. She howled, skin burning away, revealing bone and tendon underneath. Kagome screamed, yanking on her hand, as the girl's fingers became bones. Her head, which had tilted back in the flames, now sprang forward.

"Recognize me now?"

Kagome screamed and kept screaming, thrashing against her hold, and the girl let her go, sending her sprawling back against the floor. Kagome scrambled backwards until she hit the wall.

"Rec—Rec—" The girl was crumbling to pieces, struggling to stay upright. "Ka—Gome." She collapsed to her knees. "Hur—ts." Her jaw swung freely before falling to the floor. "Hurrr—ts." Kagome pulled her legs closer to her chest.

And then she disintegrated completely. The flames disappearing with her remains.

The smell of burning hair and flesh lingered, making Kagome lunge for the toilet, barely making it as her breakfast tumbled out of her. She wiped her mouth, cautiously looking back out the stall door, checking for something.

But there was nothing, no singe marks, no residue. As if nothing ever happened.

Kagome flushed the toilet, standing up on shaky legs before rinsing her mouth out with water from the tap. The door swung open, making her jump.

"Kagome! There you are!" Ayumi said, walking up to her. Her hands were shaking, and she clenched her hands at her side as she walked towards the door. "You look really pale."

"It's just the lighting," Kagome said, pushing past her into the hallway.

"We were worried since you've been gone most of break. Where did you go? We already checked this bathroom twice."

"I've been in there the whole time," Kagome said, walking out into the hallway and back towards her classroom.

"I don't think so, Kagome. Yuka and Eri checked it before I did."

"Well, I'm here. So no need to worry." Kagome stepped inside and sat down at her desk.

"Everything okay, Kagome?" Hojo asked.

"Fine. Great," she said quickly, ducking her head to look at her work. She kept her focus on the page in front of her. It was blank, and she desperately needed her brain to do the same.

Because all she can focus on is Hina Sato.

Hina Sato had died two years ago.

Hina Sato had died in a car crash over winter break.

Kagome had gone to her funeral. Her grandfather had prayed over the girl and her mother's passing. He'd given them last rites.

She'd been to her grave!

The girl in front of her tapped her desk.

"Homework," she hissed.

When did class start? Kagome floundered for a half second before producing her homework, adding to the stack that appeared over her shoulder from those behind her. Thrusting the stack at the girl, she let out a low exhale, trying to calm her nerves.

Hina Sato was dead. D-E-A-D.

That's all there was to it.

But the smell and the sight of melting skin made Kagome shiver in the otherwise temperate classroom.

Kagome decided that outside for lunch was a good idea. With her friends.

They tried to keep her involved in the conversation, but eventually just let her eat in silence.

It was towards the end of lunch that she actually added to the conversation, well, probably not in the way that they'd wanted, but she did contribute.

"Do you guys remember Hina Sato?" She asked, not making eye contact.

"I haven't thought about her in ages!" Yuka commented. "Wow. It's been a while."

"Me either. Why do you ask?" Eri asked her.

"Just thinking is all. Something this morning—reminded me of her."

"Didn't her father move right after the accident?" Eri asked the group.

"I think so. It must've been too hard living in the same house where his family, you know," Yuka added.

"He used to work with my dad. He moved across the country a few years ago. Maybe we should go to her grave later. You know, make sure it's clean." Ayumi ate a small bite from her own lunch.

"Can we go today?" Kagome asked and the group exchanged a look. Hojo had joined at some point, though Kagome couldn't tell when that was exactly.

"I think it would be better to do it another day," Hojo suggested. "We can all go then and help clean the grave."

"I want to go today," Kagome stated. She needed to go today. She had to see if there was still something. If she could feel something.

But why—why would she come back after all this time? And to haunt her?

Hina had been her friend. Her friend. Why would she be so cruel? Why would she show her those things?

"Kagome, I really think that it would be better to wait a bit. You don't look well," Yuka commented. "We're not doing anything next weekend, and it would be perfect. We could go out for brunch later."

"I agree. Next weekend would be perfect," Hojo added.

Kagome couldn't wait. She had to go today. There was no other option.

"I'm going today," Kagome argued again. "You can come or not, but I'm going."

"Why do you have to go today?" Eri asked.

"It's important. It's—it's just important. That's all." Kagome took another bite and then closed up her lunch box. She'd eat it later. Right now, the way Hina's flesh hung off her bones made the fish slices in her lunch very unappetizing.

"You barely touched your food," Ayumi noted.

"I'm not hungry." She stared down at the grass. "I need to go inside for a bit. I'll see you guys in class."

"Want me to come with?" Hojo asked, already moving to stand up.

"Eat your lunch, Hojo. I'll see you in a bit."

She could feel them exchanging looks as she left. But she had to go digging.

The internet was a great and terrifying thing.

It took her less than six minutes to find news articles about the accident. Her initial search results were about the student body's response, but she'd been there for that. What she hadn't been there for was the actual accident.

All she remembered was that there was a car accident and only her father had survived. The school had planted a tree with a plaque to memorialize her and gave him a book with notes written about their memories about his daughter.

It was a nice gesture, and for most of the student, body, it had been their first real experience with death. To have someone there one day and gone the next was, well, difficult for a lot of people to fathom. Kagome, on the other hand, had some experience with that too.

But she tried not to think too much about that.

She had to focus.

The story that they'd been fed was scaled down dramatically. It hadn't been just a crash.

It had been a four car pileup in a blizzard. Hina's car was trapped underneath another car. Both had caught fire. Her father had been thrown from the car, and ironically, that's what saved his life, even though he suffered some pretty heavy injuries. Hina and her mother had burned to death in their car, trapped against other vehicles and snow.

According to a few articles, it had started and finished before emergency services even arrived. They'd never even stood a chance. One speculated that she'd died upon impact. The photos were heartbreaking and solemn on their own.

But the thing that visited her in the girl's bathroom, that wasn't a peaceful spirit.

That's why she had to go to the grave and see for herself.

She had to know why. Why now? Why her? Why was she doing this at all?

The bell rang and she logged out of the computer, closing all the tabs, hesitating on the one of her school photo, the last one she ever took. Kagome walked back to her classroom, maneuvering through the hallways. Her friends were already inside. She could hear them talking from outside the classroom, but not loudly enough to make out what they were saying exactly.

Kagome stepped into the classroom, a heavy weight stirring in the air. She moved to her desk, about to take her seat, when she knocked her bag over on the floor, kicking the contents out underneath her desk. She knelt down to pick up her things that had scattered out.

A loud pop sounded above her, and she looked up to see the light fixture overhead dropping down towards her. She managed to get her arms up over her face and throw her body away from the light as it shattered across her desk, powder and glass flying everywhere.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Hojo asked, helping her sit up. "Be careful! There's glass everywhere!"

Helping her to her feet, Yuka and Ayumi dusted off her clothes carefully, making sure that there was no glass clinging to her.

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling where the light had fallen from as her friends spoke about how lucky she was.

"Better be careful, Ka-Go-Me," Hina spoke, leaning down from the hole in the ceiling. Her face looked like the skin had been ripped away and a torch taken to the muscle underneath. Her left eye was missing, though the musculature still moved like it was there. "Don't wanna end up like me," she made a rough gesture to the burned clothes and laughed. But no one else noticed the dead girl in the ceiling. Just her. It was always just her.

The janitor arrived a few moments later and instructed her to go borrow a school uniform so she didn't risk being cut by glass and inhaling anymore of the powder that sifted through the air. She was also prompted to rinse off in the girls' showers so that she could wash out any residue the powder might have left in her hair and on her skin.

In the meantime, her class was moved to a vacant room and they were already almost through the lesson when she returned with wet hair and a heavily creased uniform straight out of the packaging. They'd given it to her and put her old one in a bag to carry home. She didn't have to return either uniform to them. It was a gift. Or a bribe to not sue the school.

She was honestly too tired to even care.

One of the ladies from the front desk walked her back to her class, as if everyone didn't know where she'd gone or what had happened. Someone had brought her bag and put it at an empty desk for her.

And she'd sat in class, staring at the board as the teacher droned on and on. She just wanted to go. Why couldn't she just go already?

Kagome jumped as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

Her desk was immediately surrounded with people and questions. She just wanted them to go away. There was an hour left, and she was honestly so done.

"Please," she interrupted, not looking at anyone, because if she didn't look anywhere, she couldn't show up. "I'm fine. Can you all sit down?"

There was a murmur, and the crowd dissipated.

She just had one more hour. She could make one more hour.

Kagome glanced back at the doorway as she heard students milling about before shuffling her notebooks in her bag.

"Do you still plan on going after school?" Hojo asked; he'd knelt down in front of her desk with a concerned look on his face.

"I—" She'd started to say yes, but instead merely nodded once, swallowing thickly.

"I really think you should wait," he said. "We can always go later."

"No," she argued. "It needs to be today."

"You're sure that you're okay?"

"Fine." She looked up and met his eyes this time. He was an idiot, but he was nice enough.

"I'll go with you then. I know where it is."

Kagome nodded, and he went back to his seat.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class period. She collected her things and stood, looking around the room for Hojo, her guide.

He was waiting for her by the doorway.

"Ready?" She asked, and he nodded holding out his hand.

He didn't expect them to hold hands out of school, right? He must have sensed her confusion.

"I can carry your bag for you," he stated, hand still extended.

"I can carry it," she said, tightening her grip on the handle.

"I don't mind," he offered again.

"I'm fine, Hojo. Can we just go?" Kagome asked, motioning to the doorway. Hojo nodded before leading the way out of the school.

"Kagome!" Eri called, dragging her attention away from Hojo for a moment. The girls swamped them. "You're not still planning on going to the cemetery today, are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Kagome asked and everyone swapped glances between them. "Hojo knows where it is," she announced, and she stepped forward. They had a limited amount of time, and she was already going to get a lecture when she got home, but this would be worth it.

She had to know, because then she could start to fix it. Or at least figure out what Hina wants.

But a spirit coming back after a couple years is weird. If she could just ask Kaede or Miroku, they might know how to deal with this.

They walked towards the station with Hojo walking beside her.

"You were friends with Hina, weren't you?" He finally asked.

"Yeah," Kagome finally answered. "We were in the same class."

"You were both really outgoing," Hojo commented. "You two were always doing projects together. I always wanted to do one with you, but I never had a chance." Kagome looked up at him and his reddened cheeks.

"I feel bad because I haven't thought about her in a while." Her gaze drifted towards the sidewalk again. They hadn't been overly close, nothing like her friendship with Sango, but Hina had spent plenty of nights sleeping over at the shrine.

"Well, that's understandable," Hojo offered, and Kagome snapped her gaze away from the sidewalk to look up at him again. "You've been so sick this year. You've had a lot of other things on your mind." His face was practically turning red at this point. "You're really an impressive person, Higurashi. I don't think it's possible for you to be a bad friend."

This time it was her turn to blush at his words. She was positive that she could be a bad friend, and she was pretty sure that she'd been a bad friend for the past few months with her own friends.

But he was right. She had been under a lot of stress lately, especially in the last few days. They climbed down the stairs, approaching the ticket booth. Kagome dug out her card out of her wallet to pay for her ticket.

She looked up at a noise from across the room and saw a dreaded familiar face staring straight back at her from the crowd.

Hina grinned at her, mouth spread wider than should have been normal.

"Higurashi?" Hojo asked. She glanced at him before turning back towards where Hina had stood, but the spot was empty. "Higurashi, is everything okay?"

Kagome couldn't answer him, mouth frozen shut as Hina stared at her from over his shoulder.

"He's cute," she commented. "I always wanted a boyfriend. He's going to be just like me," she breathed, her fingers dancing across the fringe along the side of his face.

She wanted to ask what she meant by that, but Hojo's concerned face blocked most of her vision.

"Higurashi?" He asked again, fingers waving on the vestiges of her vision.

Like her.

Dead.

If they went on, she'd hurt him. Kagome couldn't risk it. She couldn't allow him to be hurt when he was just being nice. He was an idiot, but he was a considerate idiot.

"Hig—"

"I don't want to go," she said, grabbing his arm and trying very hard not to panic. "I think I need to go home. Please. I'm sorry to drag you out here."

"It's fine, really. I'm glad that you want to go home." Hojo's relief was almost palpable. He put his own hand over hers, urging her back towards the stairs. "You don't look like you're up to much. I really think that you need to rest for a little bit. You're really pale right now."

"Yeah, I'll do that this weekend." She nodded enthusiastically. Anything to make him leave faster.

From the way Inuyasha sounded earlier, she doubted she would have a choice in whether she wanted to rest or not.

"That's good," Hojo offered as they walked back in the direction of the school.

Hina didn't want them to go to her grave, so that means that there was something else going on. Maybe she could convince Inuyasha to take her there. She probably should've considered going with him from the beginning. That would've been the smart choice.

But now she knew, and she had a lead. She could figure out what started this and end it so no one else got hurt.

Maybe there was a jewel shard at the heart of this? That would explain the time gap and—

"Higurashi?" Hojo asked, and Kagome felt like he'd been talking to her, and she hadn't been paying attention to him at all. He'd gotten his bike at some point, and it took her a moment to realize that they were walking to her train station.

"Sorry, I was thinking a little too hard." She grinned sheepishly up at him. "What were you saying?"

"I asked if you wanted me to walk you home."

"Oh, no, that's fine. I can make it on my own."

He opened his mouth to disagree, but she countered before he could.

"Honestly, you've been so kind today. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. I'm more than happy to make sure that you're getting home alright. You haven't been yourself today."

"I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a good nap. Thank you for all your help, Hojo." She smiled at him.

"It's no trouble. I just want you to be safe. You're—uh—special. You know, to me. That is—I mean that you're—I should probably just stop talking." His face was almost completely red, and though it was somewhat endearing, she realized that Hojo had confessed his own attraction to her.

She—

She did not feel the same at all.

"It's okay. I'll see you later, Hojo." She turned to head down the stairs to get on the train. If she was lucky, she might be able to still catch her train, and not appear like she'd completely ignored her mother's orders.

He didn't follow her down, thankfully. Explaining his presence to Inuyasha, who was bound to be there already and waiting for her to show up, would not bode well for anyone. Least of all her. Well, maybe Hojo, but definitely not her or anyone else who has to deal with his wrath later.

By the time that Kagome reached the shrine, she was utterly exhausted. She was already too tired to deal with the red figure that paced at the top of the stairs. She took a breath to call his name, but he was already there, right there, in front of her, making her practically choke on her own spit.

"What took so long?" He asked, sounding almost angry, but she knew better. Knew him better than that. He snatched her bag from her, holding up the extra one that she'd acquired. "What's this?" He peered inside with a frown. "Why are your clothes in here?"

"They got dirty, so I had to change," she explained, starting up the steps.

"They smell weird," he commented, following her easily up the steps.

"Yeah, I know. Mama will wash them, and it'll be fine." She moved up the steps, each making her feel more and more worn down.

"You're tired," he commented. It wasn't phrased as a question, and he stared at her intently.

"Yeah. It was a—" She grimaced. "It was a long day. I think that I really want to take a nap before dinner."

He didn't respond but kept pace with her up the stairs. Not that it was particularly difficult with him.

"Hey Mama," she greeted, sliding her shoes off before walking through the kitchen towards the stairs.

"Afternoon, dear," she responded, looking up from where she was chopping something for dinner. "How are you feeling?"

"She's tired," Inuyasha answered from behind her. "She's going to go take a nap."

She glared at him from the first few steps on the stairs, but he was already ushering her further up, practically pushing her up the stairs, and he didn't stop until they reached her bedroom.

"Inuyasha! Why are you being so pushy?" She asked, shoving his hands away from her. He raised an eyebrow before turning to her dresser and opening up a drawer, closing it and opening another. "What are you doing?" She moved closer to him, and he tossed clothing at her.

"Change and take a nap," he ordered, heading to the door. She dumped the clothes on the floor, grabbing his sleeve.

"Hey!" He stopped, turning his head back to look at her. "We need to talk about—"

"After you've had a nap. Now, change and go to bed." She picked up her clothes and threw them at the closing door. Huffing to herself, she picked up the pajamas that he'd picked out, decided that they would work well enough, and changed before slipping off into the bathroom.

She splashed some water on her face and hesitated before reaching out to grab her towel.

Deja vu.

She kept staring at the sink, turning off the running water, and waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. Nothing happened. No malicious presence. No Hina Sato.

This was her home.

She was safe here.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, then at the doorway, then behind her, and there was just nothing. Nothing at all. No voices. No ghosts. Just quiet.

The relief made the tension seep out of her muscles and let all the aches in. She really needed that nap.

She opened the door, still glancing behind her and ran smack into Inuyasha.

Oh, she knew it was him. Knew it immediately because clawed hands latched onto her arms and the low sound of a growl vibrated through the air.

"Why are you still up?" He grumbled.

It was Inuyasha. She was safe. Inuyasha would make sure that nothing happened to her. The sigh of relief came out as a low moan, in which his hands loosened their grip immediately.

"Kagome?" He asked. "Shit! Did I hurt you? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay." She could feel the tears brimming at her eyes.

"For fuck's sake, why are you crying?"

Here he was trying to be nice, and she was making him feel bad about something he hadn't done.

"I'm a bad friend," she murmured to herself, wrapping her arms around him. He let go of her, freezing up in the hallway.

She could feel the sigh leave him a moment later, and his arms wrapped around her.

"No, you're not," he stated, clearly trying to subdue her crying fit. "You're not a bad friend, Kagome."

"But I am!"

"No, you're not. You're tired. Go to bed, you weak little human. You said you wanted a nap."

She huffed, pushing away from him.

"Whatever you're about to say, shove it," he growled, wrapping an arm around her waist and manhandling her back into her room. Why was she fighting him so hard on this? She'd said that she wanted a nap, and here was the opportunity. Why was she arguing just for the sake of arguing?

God, she really did need to take a nap. She was starting to sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Her blankets were folded back, and he dropped her down on the bed in stereotypical Inuyasha fashion. She huffed again, slid underneath the blankets and pulled them up to her shoulders.

Satisfied that his little human was going to sleep, he started to leave. She grabbed his hand, stopping him, and he turned back to her, squatting down in front of her so they were eye to eye.

"Stay?" She asked. He sighed, staring off towards the doorway.

"Yeah, sure," he answered, setting Tetsusaiga to the side and leaning back against the side of her bed. Kagome shifted towards him slightly, reveling in the feel of his youki surrounding her room.

"Kagome, wake up." A hand shook her shoulder, and Kagome let out a low groan. "Come on, you have to get up."

Kagome pushed herself up with a groan.

Too early.

She wasn't done with the sleep yet.

"What?" She mumbled, wiping her eyes. She blinked a few times, clearing the grime from her eyes. "Is it dinner time yet?"

"Oh, it's definitely time," came a familiar and unwelcomed voice. Her eyes moved slowly, taking in every detail of the figure standing over her.

Hina Sato.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've probably written and rewritten this chapter more than I care to admit. So I hope that you guys enjoy it this story that's turned into it's own creepy-ass little saga.

As a side note, I've got a tumblr (username: elkonigin) where I'm going to try to be more active in responding to people and giving updates on my stories. Obviously, I'm going to keep posting here, but FFN doesn't allow for a lot of interaction, and, I don't know, I kinda wanted to foster that a bit more?

I mean, am I weird and post a bunch of animal pictures? Yes. Am I also obsessed with Legend of Zelda? Also yes. So, sorry in advance for that. I feel like I should forewarn people about that, even though this story on it's own is probably a hint that I should seek therapy for something, because it's creepy as hell.

Comments are love!