"Inuyasha, where do you go when you are not with me?" Kikyo asked the half demon. He shrugged and kept walking.
"Theres a monk I visit with. Also your sister, she has a small boy she takes care of. I don't do too much else."
"Your not trying to gather the remaining jewel shards?" There was silence for a moment.
"Yea, I will be. The monk has things to do around here, but I'll let him tag along."
"Do you have a weapon? You will need more than your hands to defeat some of these beasts."
"Nah, I'll be alright. Maybe I can pick up something later."
He didn't know why he kept his female companion a secret. It was not like him and Kikyo were back together. The first night was pure passion, but after that it was mostly awkward small talk. Every visit now ended with a fight, but Inuyasha kept coming back. He was drawn to her. He could feel the hate she had for him, he had to do something to get this guilt to go away. He began to wonder if dying alongside Kikyo, like he should have would let the woman move on to the next life.
The rest of the night was spent in silence. He hurried to the hut in which his eager companions were waiting. Kagome had been in her world for the last week. Something about a test. Shippo had been sitting at the well playing with the cards she left him, waiting for her return.
Inuyasha came to sit with him.
"Hmmph. She should of been here already. She's got until sundown. I'll go get her myself if I have to."
"Why does it matter, Inuyasha? We haven't even tried to look for any more jewel shards, and you still don't have a sword." Shippo pointed out. Inuyasha seethed a little but said nothing. He did need a sword, but where to acquire one.
They heard a THUMP! come from the well. Inuyasha stood up and looked down to see a dark haired girl carrying a huge sack. She looked up and smiled. His heart stopped and started for a moment. She waved and began climbing out of the well.
"Well about damn time! We need to get a move on if we want the jewel shards. I can't wait for your dumb school stuff Kagome." He sneered at her. It was easier to be rude to her than tell her the truth. To tell himself the truth anyways.
"Oh Kagome how I missed you!" Shippo ran into her arms. She hugged him close and kissed him on the cheek. Shippo and Inuyasha both blushed.
"Alright, so what's on the agenda? Where are we going now?" She directed at Inuyasha. He shrugged. He hadn't the slightest clue where to begin.
"Theres been talk about a huge demon destroying the village over the other side of the mountain. Maybe we could go there?" Shippo pointed towards the mountains straight ahead of them. Kagome nodded.
"Well since you can't make up your mind, that's where we'll start. Let's get going." Inuyasha shrugged and started towards town.
"So have those creepy serpent things gone away yet?" The schoolgirl asked. Shippo shivered, and shook his head.
"I think they are getting worse. No one can figure out what they are. Inuyasha do you have any idea?"
"They are the souls of the dead." He muttered. His face growing dark. He wished he could tell somebody Kikyo was the cause of it. Doing so could put Kagome in danger, who knows what would happen.
Kagome gasped. "Where are they going?" No one answered.
They stopped at Kaedes hut one last time to grab Miroku and stock up on some herbal remedies. Kaede bid them farewell and gave Inuyasha the stare down. As if she was trying to figure out something. She was in fact, she was curious as to where he was going every night.
They hurried out of town and was on the dirt path before the evening set. They made camp down by a small pond. They were days from the next village, but neither of them minded. Kagome looked away from the fire she had made and pointed towards the spot they had come from.
"Look, you guys. You can see all the dead souls going through the village. They are circling it and going back into the forest. I wonder why."
Miroku squinted a bit.
"It looks like they are all going to one spot in the forest. Maybe a witch or demon is using them for something. Maybe we should go that way instead. Find out who is disturbing these souls."
"No, no no. We already started going this way I don't want to turn around now. It's there problem not ours." Inuyasha started.
"I agree with Miroku," Shippo said. "I don't want them there anymore, they scare me."
Everyone looked at kagome. She would be the decider. She looked around.
"Why don't we rest here tonight, then figure out in the morning where to go. There is no need to decide right this moment." That settled the group, and everyone chit chatted like normal.
"So what's it like in your time Kagome?" Shippo asked. The young girl smiled, recalling her home fondly.
"There are buildings that touch the sky, and everyone travels in huge metal boxes with wheels. They call them cars."
"Wow! I wish I could see!" Shippo sighed.
"I'll try to bring a book with pictures next time. How does that sound?" Shippo crossed his arms.
"How come Inuyasha can follow you there, but I can't? That's not fair! We've all tried you know," the little boy exclaimed.
Miroku looked embarrassed at that, but shrugged.
"I really don't know. I wish I could bring you with me. Maybe we can figure out a way. Who knows." That seemed to appease Shippo for the moment.
When he fell asleep, Miroku decided to take a walk to settle himself down. That was his excuse, he just felt he needed to give the two awake some time to talk. This was the first time they had been alone since she returned.
Kagome sat with her legs bent and arms embracing them watching the souls go into the forest. Inuyasha came to sit with her.
"Will you come back to the fire and stop watching those dumb souls? Theres no point."
"It makes me sad, why aren't they at rest?"
"Aw, who cares. All I know is that we need to head up that mountain and kill that demon detroying that town. Not meddle with something stupid like those," He waved his hand towards the glowing forest.
"Your right I guess, I'll stop looking." She sighed and returned to the fire.
Kagome couldn't pin point it, but Inuyasha was hiding something. What was he up to the week she was gone. She had thought he would come for her by day three, but there was nothing. She wanted to tell him she missed him, but he would just have something stupid to say.
He was gazing off into the fire. His face looked angry and deep in thought. Kagome just watched him for awhile. He looked up and there eyes met. She blushed, and his face softened. He debated going to her. He wanted to embrace her, pull her into his arms, but he couldn't. Not until he stopped seeing Kikyo. It wouldn't be right. Leading Kagome on.
Inuyasha turned away and laid down. He didn't bother saying goodnight. His eyes stayed open, he just couldn't pretend anymore today. He would just ignore his feelings and sleep.
Kagome on the other hand, pulled a blanket out of her sack and covered herself up. She waited until Miroku returned to lay down for sleep. She tried to hold back her tears from Inuyashas rejection, but a few tears hit the ground that night.