The familiar and expected thud of Inuyasha falling to the ground made her shake her head. "Kagome, what that even necessary?" he called in outrage to her.
"Yes! Stop picking on Shippo!" she advised him as she entered the trees that surrounded the clearing they had settled in the build their fire.
"Hey, where are you going?" she could still hear Inuyasha call to her.
"Don't go too far," Miroku warned kindly from within the clearing.
Kagome didn't respond to their calls as she walked farther into the woods. She knew how far she could stray and how far she couldn't. Every once in a while it was nice to just get away from everything, even for just a few moments. If she wasn't fighting demons with Inuyasha, she was back at home attending school and working on school work. Or even hanging out with her friends and family. She sighed.
She stopped and looked around herself. Behind her she could see the faint glow of their fire, but only if she really looked. All around her was darkness and trees, as if keep her safe from everything. This is far enough, she thought.
As she looked around herself to find a place to sit she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned into the direction of the movement, but couldn't see anything there. She shook her head and sat down on a tree trunk that had been turned over. "Probably by demons…" she said to herself quietly.
"What about demons?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.
Jumping, Kagome turned around. "Inuyasha!"
"What?" he asked casually, sitting down beside her.
"You didn't have to scare me like that!" she chastised him. When he only shrugged, she shook her head.
"I didn't mean to," he defended himself automatically. "Anyway, what about demons?"
"Inuyasha, you only have demons on the brain." Kagome sighed.
"Well?" he prompted.
"I just… I was just thinking that this tree was probably knocked down by demons is all."
"Probably was," he agreed in a bored tone.
"Why'd you follow me?" Kagome asked suddenly.
"Oh well," Inuyasha started and turned away from her as he answered. She could see his face growing slightly flushed. "I knew you couldn't really protect yourself," he finished quickly.
"I can too protect myself!" Kagome defended herself.
He shrugged.
She turned around him angrily. I can't believe he even said that, Kagome thought angrily. I have protected myself numerous times. And I'm not stupid enough to get into trouble knowingly in the first place!
She glanced over at the silent Inuyasha. Inuyasha didn't normally sit around in silence, and it seemed uncomfortable even doing so now. Yet he didn't leave.
And he had followed her. To protect her.
She suddenly smiled as she felt warmth go through her at the thought of Inuyasha actually wanting to protect her. Normally it seemed that he only protected her for the Shikon Jewl, but this time something was different. It seemed more personal. It was as if he wanted to protect her and not the Shikon Jewel.
"The Jewel shards are safe," she whispered, as if to test why he had truly came after her or the shards.
"Oh," he said absently as if he hadn't even been thinking about them. Kagome saw him sit up straighter, and he continued in a tone that was more his, "I'm glad they are. I don't know what we'd do if you lost them."
"I know," she whispered. The response was certainly a strange one, but no other words would come out of her mouth, because she felt taken back by his response. He wasn't thinking of the Skikon shards.
"We should go back," Inuyasha's voice piped up form beside her suddenly.
"Not yet," she stalled. She didn't want to go back and loose this moment. The moment she mattered and not just the Jewel. He had came after her. "It's not dangerous. You can go back if you'd like," she offered.
"No…" his voice trailed off with the answer.
She sighed contently and started to look around herself again. It was so… unique. You couldn't find scenery like this in the modern day. It was full of life, color, and even secrets. She wasn't sure how many people would see secrets in trees, but personally she never knew what was behind the trees or hiding in the trees above her head. The darkness shrouded everything in an air of mystery and privacy.
Privacy.
She glanced over at Inyasha and saw he was watching her. "What?"
"You look like you're thinking hard," he said. He looked bored.
"Well… I'm just thinking about the secrets."
He looked at her curiously, as if she had piqued his interest, "Secrets?"
She smiled at him mischievously. "The ones in the tress, of course."
He groaned. "Kagome…"
"What? Don't you feel the secrets in the trees. You never know what's in them."
"Nothing is in the tress, Kagome," he said irritably and patronizingly.
"Then it would be fine if you go back," she shot back. She didn't like that he was being patronizing to her of all people.
"There is enough secrets in the world then make them hidden in tress."
"Do you have secrets, Inuyasha?" She knew the answer was yes, but she couldn't help but ask.
He sighed. "Of course I do." He looked at her seriously. "Don't you?"
She swallowed hard. He could seem like a different person when he sounded so serious. "I have secrets." She glanced around her, and her eyes landed back on him. "This world. You."
"The people at home know about me," he defended.
"Not all of it."
He sighed. "Don't you have better secrets then me and this world?"
She was silent. Is there anything better than you and this world? she asked silently. Instead of answering out loud, she stood up. "Are you coming, Inuyasha?"