Oh my Goodness! It has been far too long! My apologies! -bows lowly- Please forgive my looooooooooong absence! Here is the next chapter (at long last!) I hope it's alright and enough to make up for nearly half a year of not updating! -panics and bows again- Gah! Please forgive me!

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Forgotten

Chapter Eight – Going Back

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Inuyasha gives a soft groan and slaps his face in aggravation. Why on earth did that stupid miko have to call for her mother right now of all times? Dragging his claws back down, he growls lowly and glares at the miko grinning sheepishly at him.

"What?" Kagome questions cheerfully in an attempt at being innocent. "She needs to find out, too, you know!" Placing a hand on her hip, she raises her other hand and closes her eyes, reciting to him a lesson that all children should know. "Honesty is the best policy. After all…" A soft knocking at the door quickly shuts her up. Spinning around, she faces the entrance to her room. "Oh! Come in!" Inuyasha stiffens slightly, suddenly unsure of what to do exactly. Growling softly, he just inches a bit closer to Kagome, who seems a slightly surprised by his sudden desire to be so close to her, though she doesn't do anything other then to blush faintly and concentrate on the door opening slowly.

"You called for me? How are you feeling, sweetie?" Mrs. Higurashi questions as she carefully opens the door with her shoulder, for her hands are full with a tray supporting not one, but two bowls of ramen. For some reason she had prepared two, even though she herself isn't exactly hungry. When the kind mother looks up at her daughter, however, she abruptly freezes in shock. There's a stranger in the room…a rather remarkable looking boy…and he's standing right next to Kagome. For quite a long, and rather awkward, time, nothing truly happens; they remain still, unsure of what to do. But then something seems to slip back into place. "…Wait a moment…" Mrs. Higurashi slides the tray onto the desk and walks up to the two startled teens as if she's on a mission. Reaching up, she swiftly tweaks Inuyasha's ears, only twice, before she giggles much like a little girl and pulls back her hands when he growls at her in surprise. Caught completely off guard, the hanyou jerks back, his golden eyes wide and his cheeks tinted the faintest hue of pink.

"Hey! What is it with you people doin' that?" Kagome stares in amazement as her mother grins happily and clasps her hands together rather childishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!" The hanyou only glares at her for a moment before he suddenly blinks in faint confusion.

"Wait…do…do you know who…who I am?" Mrs. Higurashi cocks her head slightly and glances at her daughter, whose brown eyes are rather hopeful. It takes a few moments before the kind-hearted mother smiles brilliantly and nods shortly.

"Hai! You're…Inuyasha! Kagome's…friend…right? And there's something about the well…" Confused now, she pauses to stroke her cheek thoughtfully, only to be stopped short as Kagome wraps her arms around her in an eager hug.

"Oh thank goodness! You know that much! One of our friends is hurt really badly! And we need to get to him as soon as possible… So you don't mind if we leave, do you?" Mrs. Higurashi smiles warmly and hugs her daughter back gently.

"Oh, of course not, dear! You get ready to go, and I'll make you some snacks to take with you!" Kagome watches in awe as her mother smiles again and waves before slipping out of the door quietly. For a few moments the young miko just stands there in shock, but then she turns around quickly, suddenly realizing that she's not packed. Before she has time to panic, however, her attention is quickly caught by Inuyasha. The hanyou's leaning over the tray, sniffing the steaming bowls hungrily. He glances up at her after a moment, his golden gaze pleading.

"Can I eat this while you pack?" He questions almost timidly, much like a little kid questioning his mom for just one piece of candy before dinner is served. Kagome can only stare for a moment before she starts to giggle. Two doggie ears flatten in annoyance. "Hey! At least I asked!" Kagome just laughs harder, only able to wave a hand meekly at the hungry and now extremely irritated hanyou.

"Y-yes!" She giggles, finally managing to calm down. It's just he had been so adorable asking that way…she couldn't help but laugh at how cute it was. "Help yourself! I had a huge breakfast anyway!" Golden eyes light up instantly, and a moment later the hanyou's munching down hungrily. Still giggling, Kagome moves over to her bed and grabs her book bag quickly. Deciding that for once she won't bother with schoolwork while in the federal era, she dumps out the contents of the bag onto her bed. Sorting through the stuff she only grabs her diary, a bag of sweets, a few pencils, and a notebook or two. Shoving these things back into the yellow sack, she darts around the room, tossing in a change of clothes, her bathing suit, bathroom things, a novel to read just in case, as well as a few other odds and ends, such as her battery-powered alarm clock, and a flashlight.

"…Done packing?" Startled, Kagome spins around to find Inuyasha sitting on her chair with his knees up and his hands between his feet. With his head slightly cocked in that curious manner he has, he looks very much like the animal his name describes. The two bowls lie empty and discarded on the tray. Apparently he's a very fast eater. Kagome only pauses for a moment, just long enough to grab the very important medical kit, before nodding quickly. "Good. Let's go."

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"Be careful you two…" Mrs. Higurashi hands over the snacks to Inuyasha, who takes the large plastic bag eagerly. He may be having difficulties recalling a few things, but it's impossible to forget how good the kind mother's cooking is. Kagome leans over to give her mom a quick hug before saying a short good-bye.

"We will, Mom. Promise. See you later!" And with that, the two teens race out the door, knowing that there's a friend in need…and they can't keep him waiting any longer. Mrs. Higurashi watches them leave with great curiosity. She had forgotten about the half-demon and Kagome's relationship with him, but now she remembers…and she's finding herself fascinated…

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"…He's not doing so well…is he?" Shippo chews on his bottom lip nervously with small fangs as he paces in the grass, Kirara at his side. Sango merely sighs softly and shakes her head. It hadn't taken long for the wound gracing his shoulder to become a bit too much to bear, and Miroku had eventually given in to it, asking to lie down rather weakly. Sango refused to let him up to go back inside, however, and much to everyone's surprise, including her own, she had gently convinced the monk to lie with his head in her lap. Too out of it to even think like a Hentai, which caused quite a bit of concern on Sango's part, he had relented and done so. Not even a minute later he was asleep.

"Don't worry, Shippo-chan…I'm sure Inuyasha will return soon…hopefully with…Kagome." The little kitsune nods in agreement, but he's very worried nonetheless. With a soft sigh, Sango looks down at the sleeping priest in her lap and tenderly pushes his dark bangs out of his pale face with shaky fingers. There have been many times when someone's life was in danger. Inuyasha has nearly died so many times that she's lost count. She herself has come close to fifteen, Shippo only a few times, and Miroku…well…with him it's hard to tell. Just having the Kazzanna on his palm is a death risk…but he's come close to dying by other means almost twenty or so times…and these totals aren't even including battles related to the demons they've encountered or Naraku, with his demonic traps and servants.

"…You're really worried, aren't you?" Sango gives a faint jump at Shippo's sudden statement. Instantly she blushes and glances away. The little kitsune grins softly and pads over to rests his chin on her knee, his worried green gaze locked onto the unconscious Miroku. "It's okay! You don't need to be embarrassed, you know! My daddy always told me to be honest about your emotions!" The little fox grins brilliantly when Sango flushes deeper and adverts her gaze to the sky. She never really gets a chance to reply, however, for suddenly Shippo freezes, catching her attention quickly. "It's them!"

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"Ack!" Kagome releases a soft squeak as her foot slips on the rock wall. With a gasp she grabs for the well's ledge, but her shoe only slides down further on the damp stone. "Inu…!" Her cry is cut short as a clawed hand wraps around her wrist quickly. The hanyou leans down over the ledge and grabs her bag's strap with his other hand, pulling her up in one swift movement. Blushing faintly, Kagome gives a brilliant grin. "Thanks!" Golden eyes roll slightly, but his one hand remains wrapped around her wrist.

"Com'on!" He demands, tugging her down the hill rather impatiently. She follows without hesitation, but his pace is a bit too fast for her to handle, resulting in a few stumbles along the way. With a low growl Inuyasha turns around and suddenly scoops her onto his back. Startled, she wraps her arms around his neck instinctly. "I said com'on," he grumbles, quickly breaking into a full out run. "Not a good time to be slow!" Out of reflex Kagome snaps back at him.

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose you know!" Both teens are silent for a moment as they realize that fighting is something they used to do almost constantly. The only problem is…neither knows why they fought so often. Their troubled thoughts are quickly pushed aside, however, as they near their destination.

"It's them! They're back! They're back!" Inuyasha barely has time to come to a stop before a small blur of blue and brown rams into Kagome's side as she slides off he hanyou's back. She lets out a faint gasp of surprise and pulls away, only to be stopped by Inuyasha, his arm moving to wrap around her waist. "Kagome!" The thing currently attached to her side squeals happily and wags a fluffy light brown tail in glee. "You're back! I missed you so much!" Kagome stares down at it in shock, her brown eyes confused. Noting this instantly, Inuyasha leans over and whispers softly into her ear.

"That's Shippo…the little fox? We meet him right before the Thunder Brothers. He…adores you…Can't you remember?" Kagome blinks and gently pries off the squealing demon child from her waist. Holding him up with her hands around his own little waist, she studies him curiously. Large slightly hurt green eyes stare up at her as the small fox bites down on his bottom lip with small glittering fangs.

"Do…do you remember me, Kagome?" He questions meekly, trying his best not to sound so disappointed. For a moment the miko can only stare at him as she chews on her own bottom lip thoughtfully.

'Kagome!'

'Shippo-chan!'

'YAY! Welcome back! Did you miss me? Did you bring me any candy?'

'Silly! Of course I missed you! As for the candy…I dunno…have you been a good little kitsune…?'

'Hai! I even stopped Sango from killing Miroku! Tho' I did let her slap him a few times!'

'Hee hee…alright then, I say you deserve…this!'

'Lollipops! YAY! Thank you, Kagome!"

Suddenly Shippo finds himself being hugged tightly against Kagome's chest. He instantly snuggles into her neck, greedily taking in her scent and warmth. She's the closest thing to the mother he's ever had, and he missed her horribly. Kagome closes her eyes and dives deep into her memory, searching for something. The little fox feels perfect in her arms…and suddenly she realizes this is what she's been missing at night. Shippo would often sleep curled up in her arms, much like her cat tends to do. A soft smile forms as she giggles softly and begins to tickle the little fox playfully. Instantly Shippo squeals and squirms in her grasp. Their play only lasts a few moments before Inuyasha carefully interrupts, gently grabbing Kagome by the elbow and pulling her towards path leading to the cabin.

"Com'on," he urges softly, knowing full well that she's needed. Kagome glances down at the large white box attached to her backpack. She had nearly forgotten…there's a friend in need…

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And there you have it, my friends! -beams- Another chapter! Just like I promised! Of course…it did take a while… -twitches- I am soooo sorry about that!

And oh! I've got a new story! (I know, I know, I haven't even finished this one yet, but I can work on two! You'll see!) So check it out! I hope you enjoy that one as well! Until the next chapter…Je ne!

And oh! Reviews would be wonderful! -giggles-