Staring at her reflection in the placid pool she'd discovered, Kagome traced the jagged scar just under her left eye. She normally tried to hide it with her white hair, the black having disappeared after a traumatizing event that none of them ever talked about.
But, this was the first time she'd ever seen her face clearly. The ocean had never been calm long enough for her to get a good look at herself. A frown marred the young face looking back at her. Kagome wanted to ask Inuyasha about the time when she…hadn't been herself, but when she did, his eyes would turn completely red. It took Akinlana to calm him down. She would lead him somewhere far away to sex him up.
If only she had someone to sex her up… She did, but talking about him—just thinking about him—was a major no, no. She knew it was bad, but she couldn't help it. Sometimes she could hear him whispering to her, begging her to tell him where she was. She was no longer under his control, but if she slipped…if she wasn't on guard twenty-four seven…
She couldn't even feel rage against the things he had done to her. The magic he'd used on her, to make her think she wanted to be with him, was too powerful. It dispelled any wrathful thoughts she wanted to have about him. She could still feel it just under her skin. That delicious caress trying to seduce her into giving up her location.
Kagome had failed to mention all this to Inuyasha. What could he do anyway? Not that she didn't have faith in her best friend, but there really wasn't anything he could do, that he hadn't already tried to do. Both he and Akinlana.
Still, even though her lover had turned out to be a complete nightmare, she missed the weight of a man covering her body. The feel of a pair of strong arms around her. She may have been under a spell, and it may have all been fake, but she had felt safe. Maybe that was why she'd been suckered by him so successfully. Safety was the one thing she and Inuyasha hadn't had in a long time. If it hadn't been for that prick trying to kill her two best buds, she wouldn't have found the strength to disobey him, rescue Inuyasha and Akinlana, and escape into the sea.
"How long does it take to get water?"
"I didn't know how long you and Akinlana were going to take," Kagome said. However, instead of laughing, blushing, or giving her the same ol' chauvinistic boast about his 'prowess' in the sack, Inuyasha squatted next to her and looked at her reflection.
"It took us a long time to get here," Inuyasha finally said.
Uncomfortable at how intently he stared at her image in the water, Kagome shattered the smooth surface by dipping the waterskin in the pool.
"I know. I was with you, remember?" Kagome smiled.
"Not always. We both lost it for a while," Inuyasha replied.
Lost it was mildly putting how they'd both went insane. He'd gone completely demonic—so much so that the subjection beads had snapped—and then she'd become consumed in his insanity. Considering the foes they'd been fighting against, the both of them going crazy is what had kept them alive.
All the things they had done… If they had been sane, they would have died. Inuyasha would not have found his true mate—his love for Akinlana rivaled the love he had for Kikiyo—, and she wouldn't have grown as strong as she had. And not just physically, but mentally as well. What amazed her was that they hadn't tried to kill each other. Not when they'd been out of their minds. Not even when she'd gotten powerful enough to take him head-on when he pissed her off.
"Do you think the well still works?" Kagome asked, changing the subject. She wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. The only reason she'd been able to come to the past was because of that damn jewel.
Kagome's eyes narrowed when Inuyasha stood and took a few steps away from her, and slightly turned his body. Something he only did when he was about to say or do something he knew would piss her off. It was what Kagome called his "speak and flee" stance. If he still had his puppy ears, they would have been flat against his skull.
"What, Inuyasha?"
"We're not going to the village first," Inuyasha said.
Kagome slowly stood, making Inuyasha take a larger step backwards. "Why?" she asked.
"You're getting mad at me, and I haven't said anything yet," Inuyasha said.
"I'm not mad," Kagome calmly replied.
"Yes, you are!" a voice called out from above.
Kagome glanced upward. Between the branches and leaves, Akinlana's beautiful face grinned down at her.
"Your claws have punctured the waterskin," Akinlana said, pointing.
Kagome released the skin, water from the punctured holes splashed against her leather pants on its way down.
"I want to go to the Western Lands before heading off to the village," Inuyasha said.
Kagome watched as Akinlana and Inuyasha shared a glance—a 'we need to team up' glance.
"I need to talk to Sesshomaru. He probably thinks we're dead," Inuyasha said.
"And I wanna meet him," Akinlana added.
"We need him. I know he has my sword."
"I want him to acknowledge Inuyasha."
"I want him to know Akinlana's my mate, and—"
"You want to know if he can 'fix' me," Kagome said. She would have laughed at the guilty and sheepish expressions on their faces if she hadn't been so pissed.
"Maybe," Inuyasha mumbled.
"You can't fix this," Kagome said, moving her clawed hands around her body and fanged mouth.
"Maybe," Inuyasha stubbornly replied again. "And even if he can't, that's not the only problem we have, and you know it."
"Listen to him, Kagome," Akinlana said. "We won't know if we don't try."
Kagome took a deep calming breath, then another and another until she could think pass her anger. The well would always be there. The main reason why she wanted to rush back was to see if Shippo stayed in the village. If anything, Sesshomaru might have her kit's location.
"Fine," Kagome said. "Let's go see Sesshomaru."
Kagome opened her mouth to lay down a few ground rules about what Inuyasha could and could not reveal to Sesshomaru, when she felt an aura she hadn't felt in a long time. Tears welling up in her eyes, Kagome whispered, "Shippo."
Ignoring Inuyasha's shouts for her to stop, Kagome took off as fast as she could into the forest.