The trek to the west fared better than Kagome thought it would. Granted, Sesshomaru made them run while he cruised on his cloud with Shippo.
Still, Kagome was happy about the separation… and guilty at the relief she had felt when Sesshomaru took Shippo. She didn't know what to say to the fox. He had changed so much. He wasn't the little fox-demon that she remembered. Inuyasha comforted her, by giving her a wink and kneeling with his back facing her.
Just like old times, Kagome rode on Inuyasha's back in front, while Akinlana took guard in the back of the group. Did she need to travel on Inuyasha's back? No. She could keep pace with her demon friend no matter what speed he ran. She could jump just as high as he could, too.
No, they did this for entertainment, if not for a bit of nostalgia of the days that had gone by. Times when they were innocent of the horrors of the outside world. And, because they could hear Sesshomaru's warriors whispering about them. Wondering who she was. They knew who Inuyasha was. But, they couldn't tell by her scent if she was human or demon.
Hilariously, they concluded that she might be Sesshomaru's half-sister. They'd heard of The Dai having a half-human sibling, and Inuyasha no longer looking the part, they transferred his identity and their loathing onto her.
Kagome ignored them all. She didn't bother correcting them. No, the fun would begin once Sesshomaru heard them.
They traveled well into the night before Sesshomaru landed to make camp. She knew it wasn't because the Dai was tired, even though manifesting a cloud of yoki was essentially a mass of pure power.
No, Sesshomaru stopped because his warriors were ready to collapse. They had run all day trying to find the Dai, only to turn around to run back to the West without really stopping to rest.
"Why are we stopping?" Inuyasha said. "If they can't continue, leave them."
Kagome silently agreed. Not that she didn't sympathize with the exhausted demons, or because Inuyasha and she could, and have, run for a week straight without stopping. But, because Sesshomaru had said he may have information in his library about what was happening to her, when she had questioned why they were headed to his territory.
But, she didn't say a word. Sliding off Inuyasha's back, she walked into the surrounding forest to gather wood for a campfire. Spying a fallen tree, she waved her hand. A dark-pink web fanned out, blanketing the dead tree, cutting into the thick wood until the tree fell apart into carriable chunks.
She didn't need the warmth or the light the fire would make, but she still made a campfire when it was safe to have one. The act made her feel human. But, after grabbing a few logs, Kagome knew she errored when she turned and saw the group of demons staring at her.
"Whatever," she mumbled, walking to the center of their little campground. Kneeling, she dropped her load next to Akinlana. The two of them circled the logs with large rocks, before Akinlana smiled sweetly at her, and, being a Fire Inu, lit the stack with the snap of her fingers.
"Inuyasha and I will survey the area. Make sure nothing pesky is lying in wait," Akinlana said standing, after giving Kagome a wink.
"Ah huh." Kagome rolled her eyes, but she didn't comment further. The two needed some alone time. Who was she to deny them that?
The wild inu kissed her on the forehead before scampering off.
"Kagome?"
She looked up from the flames and scooted over. An invitation for Shippo to come sit next to her. They sat side-by-side in awkward silence. She didn't know what to do. What to say. She should say something, right?
"Ah, were you with Sesshomaru this whole time?" she asked. "You two seemed really chummy."
Shippo shook his head. "I stayed in the village with Rin, Miroku, and Sango. But, after they all…"
"Died?" Kagome said, trying not to sound indifferent. After so many years, she couldn't help feeling a bit disconnected from her old friends. Not that she didn't care, but…there was no great impact being told they were, in fact, dead. In that sense, she was still human. Mankind was not meant to hold onto the pain of losing a loved one…
"Yeah… But, they lived a long life—longer than most humans," Shippo said. "They had a lot of kids—Miroku, you know? —and they were happy. Very happy."
"That's good," Kagome mumbled. She hoped Shippo wasn't going to suggest they go and visit Sango and Miroku's children… grandchildren? Might be great grandchildren now. While seeing them would be nice, she didn't know them. They were strangers to her.
"Sesshomaru took over Inuyasha's territory. He protected them and the village." Shippo smiled. "He protected the well, too…after I told him it was your way home, that you were from the future."
Kagome didn't care if Sesshomaru knew about her or not. "Do you know if it still works?"
Shippo shook his head. "The day the jewel was destroyed, the magic I could always feel coming from it disappeared. It's just a well now."
"Didn't think so…" She still wanted to see the well for herself, but she knew it was a long shot—it still working.
The jewel's power is what kept the doorway between the past and the present open. And, even though she ventured into the past, time still flowed forward. The future she knew would be the past. Her family would all be dead.
My family is dead.
Not a new concept. She and Inuyasha talked about so many things in the hundred years they'd been together. Her family not being alive had been one of them.
But…
There had always been a secret part of her that held the belief that she'd go home one day. That the well was still working, and the gods hadn't completely turned their backs on her. That they would let her see her mother, her brother, and her grandfather again.
But, why would they?
How many times had she called out to them? How many times had she begged and pleaded for their help, and been met with nothing but pain and suffering?
"You… You've changed," Shippo said.
"And you really have grown," she said softly.
"You've been away for a long time," Shippo said. His words were spoken gently, but they had an inquisitive edge to them. Not quite accusative, but close.
"We didn't have a choice," Kagome said, unsure of how to talk to him. She'd been excited beyond measure when she'd seen him. But, the demon in front of her wasn't her little Shippo—wasn't the fox child she remembered.
He was handsome. Strong. Gone was the baby fat and rosy cheeks. His fingers were long and his claws sharp. His hands scarred from fights she hadn't seen. No more paws…
"I know," Shippo said.
His voice was so deep. A man's voice.
Kagome frowned. Her chest ached. She'd missed so much.
"Sesshomaru explained that the jewel had to have been the one to take you and Inuyasha away. It was the reason why you both disappeared."
Kagome sneaked a glance past Shippo, to the dark forest. Just out of reach of the fire's light, she could see Sesshomaru watching them. "He was right. We all knew the jewel was more than an object of power. Destroying it came at a price. I'm just glad Inuyasha and I were the ones who paid it."
"I would have only been in the way," Shippo said.
"You would have died," Kagome said bluntly. "Inuyasha and I, there had been so many times we thought we'd never see the next day. We wouldn't have been able to protect you."
Kagome awkwardly patted Shippo on the back. "Count yourself lucky you were left behind."
She glanced back in Sesshomaru's direction and shivered when his nightglow eyes shined back at her.