"Inu…Inuyasha?"

He wouldn't look at her, simply remained staring at the lingering sunset as Kagome stood frozen on the sidewalk unable to think of anything more to say than that. It was somewhat surreal, Kagome thought in bewilderment. Three weeks they had been separated, every day she spent wondering if he was okay, what he was doing, if he had found who he was looking for. Every day she wished that he would come see her, tell her that they had found Kikiyo and learned the secret to the Shikon, or even just to say hi and that they were thinking about her. Every day she battled the urge to head towards the well after school instead of cram school classes. Every night she struggled to stay awake just a little bit longer in case he popped through her window by surprise. Every day she had waited, reminding herself that every day was one step closer to finishing her classes and the freedom to go back to her friends. And of all the times he could choose to come back, this particular moment, the one moment that she herself was just as dumbfounded about as he was, was the moment he decided to make his appearance.

There was no question that he was angry. She could practically feel his muscles tensed, trying hard not to shake and reveal his emotions to her, but to no avail. She knew him too well, knew his thoughts and reactions, knew his behavior during the times when Kouga would hang around for too long. But he was different this time. There was something else mixed in. A chill twitched down her spine, one she hadn't felt since the last time she saw him in true demon form. It warned her of what she already knew: he was dangerous.

When he spoke again, his voice was dark and exact. "I would have expected this from Miroku, not you."

"Wait! It's nothing like that!" she exclaimed quickly in a weak high pitched voice.

"Really?" His head snapped around towards her again, his mouth tight. "And just what did you want to call that little display?"

"But I had no idea…I didn't know…" Kagome wanted to cry, but strangely it seemed like her mind and body were out of synch. Instead she found her fists clenching and starting to shake as an uncomfortable heat began to spread throughout her body, building within her until her original emotions were completely overrun by a strong urge to hit something. She looked back up at Inuyasha whose claws were sunk about a half inch into the tree branch. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked flatly.

He hesitated for a split second, momentarily flustered. "What difference does it make? Obviously I shouldn't have wasted my time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she shot back with a little more spite than she intended.

Inuyasha was quick to fire back. "You were certainly happy enough getting extra friendly with Mr. Wonderful back there."

"What!"

"You heard me." He released the branch to fold his arms across his chest. "Sit there and cry about some stupid test so you can come here and screw around with some scrawny weakling."

Kagome could feel her irritation rapidly spreading. Who did he think he was showing up unannounced and pointing fingers at her for that after all the times she had stumbled upon him and Kikiyo in their own private moments and not said a word? Not once had she ever demanded that he explain himself when she found them together. When he slipped off on his nighttime trysts the last few weeks she had been with them, she had always tried her best not to think about it and just let him be. Even her last day in the Feudal Era when Inuyasha had announced his need to find Kikiyo no matter what, she had quietly accepted it without a word of protest. Maybe she had finally accepted that she would always be second to the priestess in Inuyasha's mind despite everything they had been through together, and that was why she had been able to come be in the present for so long without unconsciously jumping down the well and back to the past. But none of that gave him the right to jump on her for being the focus of another guy's attention. It was convenient enough with Kouga since it got the wolf demon off her back when he was getting a little too possessive, but if Inuyasha really wanted to be with Kikiyo he shouldn't expect her to hang around until Kikiyo got over her hang-ups of the past. Reincarnation of the woman or not, she deserved a little happiness in her life too.

"Why should you care anyways? I thought finding Kikiyo was your top priority," she said, her annoyance clear in her tone.

That hit a nerve, and he seemed to waver a bit. "We have to find Kikiyo to have any chance of putting the jewel shards back together. I thought that was clear."

"So then, have you found her? Is that what you're here to tell me?"

He snarled. "You don't have to be such a bitch about it."

"Excuse me?" she shot back instantly, her anger escalating with each passing minute.

Inuyasha's temper was also on the rise. "You told me you were coming back here to go to some stupid school so you could take some stupid test, and I come here and find you flirting with some questionable wuss."

"Just because I'm back here to study doesn't mean I have to be doing it every waking moment. Besides, for your information, he was flirting with me."

"What difference does it make?" He crossed his arms across his chest and raised his nose towards the sky, exacerbating Kagome even more. But there was a muted undertone to his angry ranting that made Kagome's eye twitch in distrust. She was growing more and more convinced that he was hiding something from her, and it only added to the fire.

"Look, did you find her or not?" she shouted up at him, her patience teetering on a thin line. His silence answered her question completely, not to mention the fact that he had quickly turned his head the other way with a huff. "Then what are you doing here?"

"Obviously wasting my time," he muttered just loud enough to assure Kagome would hear him, turning his head back to stare right at her this time. His eyes flashed, daring her to say what he knew was just inches away from slipping through her lips as if he didn't care.

Kagome had reached her limit, now absolutely seething and struggling to maintain control. She too was shaking, her fists clenched at her side and her eyes sparking with anger. "That's it! I'm done with this, and I'm done with you! Come back when you're ready to talk to me like a civilized person and not flying off the handle for no reason whatsoever." She started to walk down the street again slowly, concentrating on each step to distract her attention away from Inuyasha back in the tree. Unfortunately Inuyasha wasn't done.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes at her back as she started walking down the road again. "Go run back to your stupid boyfriend. It's not like we need you anyways."

She heard him and froze, feeling the tears pricking her eyes but refusing to let him see it. Her voice was quiet, low, and filled with malice. She had never sounded so furiously intent to crush his face into the ground.

"Inuyasha…SIT!"

It was the only thing she said before running down the road towards the temple and not looking back, a fortitude of black thoughts storming through her head all focused towards the dog demon who she left laying moaning in a six foot hole of his own creation. She hoped it took him a long time to get back up again.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Shippou's fox instincts sensed danger well before Inuyasha arrived back at Kaete's village, and it took him about three seconds before he made himself scarce. Even Kilala looked up from where he was sleeping and instantly relocated somewhere away from the approaching melee. Sango and Miroku weren't so lucky. The remaining humans were killing time waiting for their teammates to return by assisting some of the villagers bandage their wounds after another random demon attack when they saw the hanyou approach from the direction of the well. But something was strange.

"Hey Inuyasha," Miroku smiled at him. "Where's Kagome? I thought you were going to find her?"

Inuyasha didn't have to say anything. The eye daggers he shot at the monk were enough to shut him up instantly as he stomped straight past them and out the other side of the village, never so much as uttering a word. Miroku sighed in relief, grateful to still be in one piece, then exchanged an exasperated look with Sango.

"You think they got in a fight again?" Sango shook her head, not really asking."I'd say that's a safe bet," Miroku groaned. "Weird since he was acting so concerned before he left. I wonder what could have happened."

"Well if he's going to keep acting like this we'll never get anything accomplished," Sango spit out angrily. "This search for Kikiyo is already going nowhere. What if Naraku already has her and we're running around for nothing? Kohaku could already be…"

Miroku wasn't prepared to deal with two upset teammates and quickly jumped to do what he could to prevent it. "Don't worry. No matter what Kagome still has a shard, and if nothing else, Naraku doesn't seem to find Kohaku expendable. I'm sure as long as there are pieces out of his possession, he'll leave Kohaku alone."

It settled her a little bit, but Sango still didn't seem satisfied. "Still, one of us needs to do something. This behavior is getting out of hand!" She folded her arms across her chest and gave Miroku a hard stare.

"Er, Sango, I…" Based on Inuyasha's earlier reaction, Miroku was pretty sure he wanted to be nowhere near the dog demon right at this particular moment. His instincts were further reinforced as Shippou emerged from his hiding place with a worried look on his face.

"Was that Inuyasha that came through here? It was scary! I don't think he's ever been this mad before! I don't know about you guys, but I'm staying far away from him until he calms down!"

Miroku flashed Sango a nervous smile and nodded vigorously, looking for a way out of what he was convinced was a poor choice of ways to spend an evening. Sango did not seem impressed.

"Honestly, you two are pathetic," she announced, rolling her eyes. "What's going to happen when a real crisis comes along?" And with a look of firey disapproval thrown towards the other two, Sango took off in the direction Inuyasha had stomped through moments before. Shippou and Miroku stood frozen, watching her as she went.

"I thought Inuyasha was scary," Shippou announced in a shaky voice, "but Sango might be worse."

Miroku sighed and nodded. "You obviously have never crossed the true wrath of a woman before. We should probably go and wait for everyone inside Kaete's hut where it's safe," he said matter of factly, as if it didn't concern him that Sango had just snubbed him.

Shippou blinked a couple of times, not quite understanding everything, but pretty sure that Miroku's option really was safer for the time being. But as he trailed nervously, he turned to look toward where Sango had just followed Inuyasha. It was strange, but for some strange reason he suddenly found himself a little less frightened of the demon and slightly more in awe of a human than he had ever felt before.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

By the time Sango caught up to Inuyasha it was obvious that his mood had cooled somewhat, much to her relief. After her little outburst towards the other two pride wouldn't let her back down from having a little talk with Inuyasha, but as she was out searching for him she quickly realized that she didn't have the first clue as to how to approach this particular demon when he was fired up like this. Before, Kagome had always been the one to calm him down, and the rest of the group had always been silently thankful to be free of that headache. Thinking back, no one had really stepped up to the task over the last few weeks either, probably accounting for the frequent eruptions and constant disappearances they continued to endure. And now her big mouth had forced her straight into the volcano.

"Kagome's so much better at this than I am," she sighed to herself. "It's hard enough keeping Miroku in check, and he doesn't have a lethal temper."

Still, being a demon hunter, she had to be prepared for all situations involving demons, including those that didn't involve battle. With an air of caution she softly made her way down the slope to where Inuyasha was now sitting and sat down a short distance from him. He grunted under his breath, acknowledging her presence without looking directly at her, but didn't make a move to go anywhere. She took it as a good sign. In front of them the sun was stretching its final rays over the rice fields in preparation for its nightly rest, and a single star was just visible over the horizon. Sango prayed the tranquil setting would be an asset in keeping the hanyou's temper down.

After a few minutes of silence, Sango decided to make the first move. Delicately she cleared her throat. "Inuyasha?"

"Are you still here?" he grumbled softly, his tone not matching his intention.

"I was…we were all worried about you. You really haven't been yourself lately."

"Humph. Yeah, so?"

Obviously this was going nowhere. Sango tried a different approach. "So did you find Kagome? How is she?"

His body tensed instantly, and Sango could see his face darken just a bit more. "She seems to be keeping herself plenty busy," he replied viciously, sending a slight tremor down her spine. Something in her subconscious told her that pursuing the subject was probably not the most intelligent of choices, but she was also fairly certain that their absent teammate was at the root of this current problem.

"Was she okay? You ran off so fast, and it seemed like you thought she was in some sort of danger."

She didn't think his expression could get any worse, but it suddenly took on a sour look on top of the dark overtone. "Oh, she's just grand," he spat. "Couldn't be better."

Sango eyed him questioningly, not sure what to think about his words. "Really? So she was okay? Nothing was wrong?"

"I wouldn't quite say that," Inuyasha muttered angrily just beyond Sango's hearing, but the slayer's perceptions were keen. She was on the right track.

"She must have been happy to see you," she continued innocently. "She's been gone for quite a while now." Sango by now was starting to piece together an image of what was going on, and she decided to bait him for more information. "We all thought you would stay longer, or maybe Kagome would come back to see us for a little bit after you found her."

When he spoke it was soft and full of malice. "I'd say she was too preoccupied with her new boyfriend to spare us any of her precious time." He let off a small laugh. "I'll bet Kouga is just going to shit himself when he hears about this."

Sango froze. This was certainly information she was not prepared for, and she found herself completely at a loss as to what to say next. It didn't seem right. Kagome wouldn't lie to them about school just to go back home to see a boy. Not after how upset she had seemed about having to leave. Not with how she obviously felt about Inuyasha. But then again, Kagome had been unusually subdued when Inuyasha ranted about Kikiyo lately. Maybe she had finally gotten tired of being pushed to second place whenever the priestess was involved. After all, Kagome may have the patience of a saint when it came to the dog demon, but everyone had to have a breaking point sometime, and in Sango's opinion Kagome had far exceeded anyone's expectations of where that point should be.

But what surprised Sango even more was seeing Inuyasha's pained expression when she looked back over towards him. She couldn't remember ever seeing Inuyasha look so vulnerable. His eyes expressed a mixture of uncertainty, fear, and sorrow that looked as though it came from somewhere in the depths of his soul, like he was searching for something important that was just out of reach. And then, for a moment her mind went blank. It was as if she was caught in the middle of something beyond her comprehension, an ancient and intense power that radiated from within Inuyasha that originated somewhere outside of his control. She watched Inuyasha's face go blank for a second while at the same time getting a faint but very noticeable feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was no doubt that the source of the feeling was Inuyasha, but she had no explanation as to how she knew this either. She felt her hands starting to shake slightly, and found herself inching backwards, trying to get it to stop so she could think clearly again. And then, as quickly as it started it was gone again, leaving her wondering if she had felt anything at all.

When she looked up again she found him looking at her. "Did you feel that too?" he asked softly.

"For a second," she said softly, unsure of what she had just experienced. "Like for some reason Kagome was in danger."

"It's been hitting me like that ever since she left. I kept ignoring it, but then it got so overpowering that I just had to go back to make sure something really wasn't wrong." His face soured again. "And then I get there and all she's doing is kissing some boy. Don't know why I wasted my goddamm time."

Sango was still dazed from her shared experience, but not enough to miss the fact that Inuyasha's tone didn't quite match his words. She frowned. After spending the last three weeks on a nonstop obsessive search for Kikiyo, it seemed a little inappropriate for Inuyasha to suddenly fixate himself on the fact that Kagome was getting some attention from some other boy. She had figured that Kagome had moved on too finally with her decision to go home in the middle of all of this. But why the feeling of danger? Was there something more going on?

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "you obviously care a lot about Kagome, so why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

He tried to hide his reaction, which came out something like a hiccup in the middle of a deep breath. "Why don't you tell the monk you'll have his children?" he shot back, obviously not pleased with the direction of the conversation all of a sudden.

Sango's cheeks pinked up in the darkness, not prepared for his snide retort. Still, she supposed he had a point, and she tried to think of the situation from that perspective. "It's strange," she said after a minute. "When you think about it, we're more alike than you might think. When I was growing up in the demon hunter's village, there weren't a whole lot of children other than Kohaku and I. Even though we played with each other, since the grownups were so focused on training, that's what we wanted to do too. We were supposed to be demon hunters, so I devoted everything I had in me to learning the skills and techniques to survive on the hunt. It was hard, but it was all I knew, and I loved it."

Inuyasha certainly didn't appear riveted by her sudden outpouring about her childhood. "Yeah, so what's your point?"

Sango remained unaffected. She stared out towards the night sky where by this time the sun was beyond the horizon and a few stars were starting to make an appearance in the deep rose sky. "My mother died when Kohaku was still a baby," she continued, "so I never really knew her that well. Many of the other women of the village were sent away soon after when the demons started attacking our village more frequently. I didn't think about it at the time, since it was just my father, Kohaku, and I. We were able to stay together as a family, and that was what mattered. I stayed and trained in our village until I was old enough to go out with the other hunters on assignments. I knew that our village was different from most, but sometimes when we would travel to other villages on assignment I would see other girls who were a little older and just how different they were from me. They were always so giggly and concerned with their hair and trying to get away with wearing makeup when they thought their mothers weren't looking. I used to wonder what their obsession was with staying so ridiculously clean and proper all the time. But what really baffled me was why they would go from acting normal to acting like complete idiots when they were around boys. I remember going home praying that I didn't lose my mind when I got to be their age.

"Then there was one time I remember we were in a village where we had fought off a giant snake demon. It was the first time I had been allowed to be the one to make the final kill, and I was thrilled, especially since the entire village had been out watching us do our job. We were finishing up with the headman and collecting our payment when I noticed there was a group of girls who were pointing and laughing at me from over in a corner. I stomped over and demanded to know what was so funny, and they just laughed even more. The madder I got, the more they laughed. Finally when I turned around to leave, I heard one of them say to another that I would never attract boys as long as I dressed like a boy. Then another one said that it didn't matter since my hair was a total disgrace as well, which for some reason threw them into another fit of giggles. I was so upset that I stomped out of the house and waited out by the gate until my father finished his with the headman and we could go home.

"That night I told my father about what the girls said, and I told him how upset it had made me, but I didn't understand why. I mean, what difference did it make if boys looked at me or not? I had just killed the demon that had terrorized their village for months, and all they could say was that my hair was ugly and I wore boy's clothes. My father just smiled at me when I was done ranting and told me that the only reason that no boys were looking at me was because he had personally made it clear that anyone who did would suffer his own personal brand of punishment. Then he laughed too. When I got mad and asked him why he was laughing about that, he told me that soon enough I would wish that he would start punishing the boys that were bothering me, and that right now I should just focus on my training and stop worrying about stupid girl talk."

Inuyasha grunted, but it didn't have its normal effort behind it. "So what, you want me to help you out and dish out some punishment on Miroku's ass?"

Sango smiled. "Thanks, but I think I can handle that on my own. But you've just made my point for me. You and I, we grew up warriors from the very beginning. We haven't known anything different, which means we're not like everyone else. When boys started paying attention to me I didn't have any idea why, and I didn't have a mother to explain to me what was really going on. I assume that you started working through your questions about girls through your relationship with Kikiyo. But in both our cases, by the time we needed someone to ask our questions to, we were alone with no one we could trust with something personal like that."

He seemed a little surprised, as if seeing Sango in a new light suddenly, but there was still an air of skepticism in his voice. "Sorry Sango, it's great that you feel you can talk to me and all, but I try to keep my personal business to myself."

"I didn't expect you to really," Sango said, not at all disappointed, "but I do have one more thing to add." She stopped and caught his eyes, visually relaying the seriousness behind what she was about to say. "I think you're wrong about Kagome. Whatever you saw was somehow not what it seemed to be. I know this because unless you can suddenly broadcast figments of your imagination to affect other people's emotions, whatever you're feeling about Kagome being in danger has to be real because I could feel it too." She paused, as if carefully choosing her words for what she was about to say next. "And if you believe me about that, then maybe you should think about this as well. I think you should reexamine whatever it is that's telling you we need to find Kikiyo as well. Because I have no doubt that there's a reason behind this search, but I'm also really getting the impression that Kikiyo doesn't necessarily want to be found.

She wasn't looking for a response, nor did he surprise her with one. Silently Sango got up and started to walk back up the hill towards the village, leaving Inuyasha alone to consider her suggestion. But about five steps from the top, she turned around one last time. "Inuyasha," she called, "if you do get that feeling again, Kagome won't get mad if you come to see if she's okay. In fact, I think she'll be happy to see you again."

"What makes you say that?" He tried to sound indifferent, but the curiosity was there. Sango caught it and smiled as she once again started towards home.

"Because if it was Miroku, I would want him to come for me too."