A/N: Just letting you guys know that I'll be cross-posting this on AO3, not that I'll stop posting here, but this site is having a bit too many issues lately so I'd like to have a backup. Someone also mentioned maybe posting in tumblr, would that be a good idea?

Anyway, it'll take a bit of time to upload all of the chapters and I'll let you know when I'm all caught up with the uploads if any of you want to search for me there.

Chapter 13.- Bitter Aftertastes

This wasn't the first time it happened.

Not the first time he'd been called at night or returned to find the salty smell of tears clinging to her skin. It made him sick to realize he felt reassured at the reminder that she still cared enough for his actions to hurt her. Guilt ate at his entrails every time he returned to the group to find out the girl had spent the night crying, even if her smile was back to normal by the end of the day. It was always hard to look her in the eye until the next day. But he couldn't simply ignore Kikyo when she looked for him.

All of this was his fault.

He should've known Kikyo would've never betrayed him like that, should've noticed that the scent of the one who attacked him wasn't hers. And yet, Naraku played him for a fool. Inuyasha was the one who let the spider do as he wanted, and now, Kikyo was forced to roam this land, plagued by hatred and bitterness while she hunted that bastard on her own. The least he could do now was offer his help in any way he could. Going to her for a night wouldn't really place the group in danger as long as he scanned their surroundings before leaving the area, and he always returned before everyone managed to wake up. They were safe. Reluctantly or not, the silver-haired hanyou had gotten used to the situation. Even the others treated this as an unpleasant but expected part of their routine. Still, he tried to get back as fast as he could, only to find the girl sleeping on the wrong bedding and the so-called warrior wide awake and keeping watch while sitting next to her.

Dark eyes had bored into him as he landed on a nearby branch.

It took him a second to realize it, thanks to Itachi being so close to where the girl was sleeping, but he almost woke everyone up by demanding answers when it dawned on him, because it wasn't just that she was under his blankets, but her scent was all over the silent bastard. Blood spilled from his tongue as he bit down, forcing himself to keep quiet and not kick up a fuss. Kagome had always been an affectionate person. She hugged Shippo and Sango all the time, and it was clear that nothing had actually happened between the two. The girl had cried, and she'd probably held on to the warrior when she noticed he hadn't gone to sleep. Inuyasha didn't have any right to complain when the warrior staying awake meant someone was actively protecting the group in his absence, offering far more to Kagome as her hurting was more than the hanyou could handle. But the iron taste was bittersweet in his mouth. Just thinking about the girl being so close to the male made bile rise in his throat. The image came to his mind with far too much ease.

Still, he could've ignored all of that, but there was something in her actions this morning that almost pushed those demanding questions from his tongue.

Blue eyes stared straight at him as she passed a somewhat hurried breakfast to him. Her voice was soft, if a little quiet, but it seemed to lack the usual tension he'd come to expect from these moments. Before Inuyasha could even attempt to say a word, the girl had turned around to talk to the others. She'd smiled as they ate and kept grinning as they began walking towards the city. And again, something felt different; even if he couldn't quite say why, it bothered him. Unobservant as he was, he still noticed how close to Itachi she got as they walked at the end of the group.

"Ohhh!" Shippo's enthusiastic voice broke his train of thought. "It's a festival!"

"Great, we should just go to the next town," Inuyasha scoffed, not bothering to look in the direction of the small city.

"Now, now, there's no need to rush." Lifting his hands, the monk turned to study the crowds of people joining the path."In fact, this might be a stroke of luck for us. We have so many more people to question coming from more places than we would've been able to get to."

"Good behavior," Sango reminded them with a stern voice and a glare.

"Right, ahem." Avoiding the demon exterminator's gaze, Miroku began to pass around small bags, coins clinging to them."I'll go and secure our accommodations for the night first."

"Don't bother." The hanyou turned his head, arms crossed when it was his turn.

The place certainly wasn't as big as the castle city his mother once lived in, but the number of people coming and going around the group was already bigger than the ones in Kaede's village. His ears twitched at the loud noises of people chattering and laughing, and it'd only get worse when they actually walked in. Not to mention, he was in no mood to deal with the wary glances of paranoid humans. Crossing his arms, the hanyou looked to the side after sneaking a glance at the girl.

Unsurprisingly, she was close to the warrior, laughing a little at Shippo's excited chatter, and her gaze shifting from the fox to Itachi.

"Come on now, Inuyasha." The monk patted his back, dangling the small bag in front of his face. "If you change your mind, you'll need the money."

"Tch, don't forget what we're here for." Clawed hands snatched the bag.

"We won't forget." Sango attempted to reassure him, but it was clear she wasn't in any hurry either. "If we find anything, we'll regroup here."

"See you then." For the first time since this morning, the girl spoke to him. a short sentence, simple and unconcerned.

Kagome smiled and turned around, her left hand quickly grabbing the warrior's, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, already starting another conversation, words about traditions and symbolisms reached him, not turning to look at him even once. A hint of hesitation made Sango falter before entering the small city herself, and he could see Miroku shake his head lightly. Even though every part of him wanted to take off, he couldn't bring himself to move a single muscle.

It's not as if those were the first words she said to him today, and they were always a little awkward after Kikyo called for him. After Kagome reassured him she wouldn't leave his side even if he couldn't make a choice, their interactions were less frosty, if still more than a little uncomfortable. But even then, the girl had always tried to convince him to go into towns. At times, she stayed behind with him, letting the others handle the information gathering. This time, the futuristic priestess simply waved and left. She wasn't being cold; this really wasn't all that different from how she treated the others. Friendly and kind, yet there was a distance he wasn't sure had been there before, even right after their less-than-stellar first meeting.

"Are you sure you don't want to go in?"

"What for?"

"My friend, you know we'll always have your back." The monk's hand fell on his shoulder. "But we'll always have her back too."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!" Reeling back, his voice was louder than he'd wanted to.

"Kagome-sama is a patient woman." With slow steps, Miroku began walking toward the city entrance. "However, even the Buddha has a limit too,"

Scoffing, the hanyou stuffed the bag of coins inside his hakama's sleeves. He'd run around the outskirts of the place, try to see if he could smell anything that could get them a lead. After that, if there was time before sundown, he'd go to the festival, maybe. There was no point in pacing the outside of the city or tapping his foot while waiting in whatever inn Miroku got them. He wasn't going to go looking for her.

He definitely wouldn't.

Lanterns lit the streets, and it felt oddly surreal to see a town so lively at night while still in the Sengoku era.

The sounds and the people were almost familiar. It hadn't been that long since the last time she went to a festival with her family and friends, yet nostalgia crept up, threatening to drown what was left of her decent mood. Only a few moments after getting pulled in by the waves of people, Shippo's cheer and Itachi's questions managed to get her mind to focus on the festivities and trying to find any rumor of suspicious movements or holy places that might be isolated enough for Naraku to hide in. That said, the girl was happy the fox kit had finally run out of energy and was now sleeping in the inn.

Honestly, Kagome was sure Souta didn't have half the stamina Shippo did as a toddler.

Exhausted or not, the girl insisted on going back to the crowded streets, Itachi trailing after her, his hand holding hers as she went through while explaining the various festivals they celebrated in her time, especially the ones the shrine hosted. Her chatter was a little mindless, but the young warrior seemed curious enough, asking questions every so often. Regardless of how much genuine interest he had in the topic and how much of it was done to give her a distraction, Kagome was thankful.

Ignoring the hanyou wasn't what Kagome wanted. With or without last night's decision, Inuyasha would always be dear to her, and she very much planned on keeping her promise to stay by his side. At the end of the day, rough around the edges as he was, the hanyou always did his best to protect her and the others, doing all he could to keep them safe. Perhaps it wasn't in the manner she would've wished, but Inuyasha cared about her. Just because she realized she had to put an end to her hopes for a more romantic relationship didn't mean trying to salvage their friendship wasn't pointless. All she wanted was to get some distance to let her heart get used to the idea of putting her feelings to rest, heal a little, and move on. So when the hanyou insisted on staying behind, Kagome pushed down her usual urge to pull her silver-haired male and try to get him to relax and have a little fun.

For her to move on, she needed some space.

With gentle tugs, Itachi helped her push through the crowds.

Waking up this morning to find herself under the young warrior's bedding almost had her wishing to be ambushed. She didn't remember getting back to camp, let alone falling asleep. And while a part of her was beyond thankful Itachi woke her up early to let her try to get as presentable as she could, another could barely bring herself to look him in the eye. Still, Kagome pushed forth and thanked the older teen for bringing her back. Only the lack of pity in his gaze allowed her to cool down the heat rushing to her cheeks. Gradually, her embarrassment died down as the day went on. Kagome couldn't help but feel somehow lighter as they walked. It was comforting, in a way, knowing there was no point in trying to pretend she was fine because he could see through her forced cheer. It shouldn't. Kagome didn't want to add her emotional turmoil to someone who was likely carrying quite a heavy burden by herself. But she couldn't deny that he'd done quite a lot to help her, and it was quickly becoming a constant.

"Gramps will likely nag you to help out with preparations if we manage to get back in time for the next festival," Kagome laughed as they weaved through the crowds. "Feel free to reject it; honestly, we have enough to hire help, but Jii-chan likes to keep as much as he can under the family's care."

"I'm being given room and food without being asked for anything in return." His voice was soft but still managed to rise through the noise.

"He'll have you sweeping the shrine steps if you're not careful." Although something told her he likely wouldn't mind it. "I will probably ask you to help me clean the shed. Who knows what's in there."

"Talking from experience?"

"Kind of…" The girl winced a little. "A Noh mask with a Shikon fragment was brought to the shrine some time ago, and things got…messy."

Messy wasn't the right word for it. To this day, she still didn't know how many people died when the mask went out of control, but she remembered the empty cars on the streets. But this really wasn't the time for her to get lost in depressing or dreadful thoughts.

"Let's make sure we clean that shed together then," The grip on her hand tightened for a second; it looked like the young warrior noticed there was more to her words. "Though we should probably start making our way back to the inn."

"You noticed, huh?"

"I don't think there are many people around who could keep up with Shippo-kun," he smiled softly at her. "I don't think I've seen a kid be so excited for a pinwheel."

"At least he didn't get out his spinning top," Kagome added; in that way, they were lucky the kit didn't try their illusions.

Despite knowing they should be prioritizing searching for rumors, it had been impossible to reign in Shippo's enthusiasm, so most of the afternoon was spent going from a food cart to a game or toy stall. Every coin in the kit's bag was gone, alongside a good portion of her own. The few rumors they'd heard about a couple of shrines were too vague and unremarkable to be valuable clues. Sango and Miroku probably got far more done, but Kagome was thankful for the levity this outing gave her.

A flash of blue caught her eye as they slowly made their way to the inn.

Standing out from the waves of pinks, reds, and yellows, a flower kanzashi was almost forgotten in the corner of the stall. For a second, the girl faltered, slightly tugging Itachi's hand back. There was probably enough money in her bag left to buy it, but it'd be a good idea to save the extra funds. Helping others in their travels was always good, although it rarely gave them anything other than gratitude, and if they were lucky, a meal. Relying on the monk was always an option, but they'd had a couple of close calls. Besides, it's not like she'd had many opportunities to wear a hair ornament that looked delicate enough to break or get torn after a bad fall. Even if she managed to get it to the modern era, it'd probably share the same fate as all the clothes that could only accumulate dust inside her closet. Aside from festivals she was likely to miss, there weren't many places to wear it.

"Kagome?"

"No, it's nothing," the miko shook her head. "Let's head back."

She began to pull them back to the center of the town when she heard it.

"…bad luck, I tell you. Burial mounds don't just break like that…"

Burial…mounds?

It wasn't exactly a notable holy place, but both the Shikon and Naraku liked to mess around with the dead. Turning back, she could see dark eyes narrowing just a little; Itachi had noticed it too. With a silent nod, the girl began to pull them in the opposite direction, tracking the voice to a man leaning on a cart, racks of fabric messily displayed on the sides. A second man was scoffing, taking another gulp from a jug that'd surely only make his flush more evident. Slender fingers tightened their grip. Her school uniform always seemed to attract the wrong sort of attention, and she was in no hurry to find out if her few lessons with Sango gave her enough practice to try and push back a couple of drunk men. Shoving past an asshole leering at her and trying to question someone imbibed with liquid courage was not the same. It was a good thing Itachi insisted on staying with her.

"Excuse me, sorry." Pasting a smile on her face, she decided to hope for the best. "Could you explain a bit more about that burial mound?"

"Huh?"

"What's it to ya?"

"Just curious," she said. "My friends and I are traveling around; the more trouble we can avoid, the better."

"Friends?" The man with the sake bottle glanced at Itachi with glassy eyes.

As if following a script, the second man turned to leer at her, his gaze focusing on her uniform and all the patches of skin it didn't cover. Repressing a shiver, Kagome willed herself to keep smiling. They were still close to the main streets, and even if that wasn't enough to keep the vendor's hands glued to his side, the miko doubted Itachi wouldn't struggle to push them back. Though it looked like the first man was still sober enough to place a hand on the drunk's shoulder in a not-so-subtle warning.

"All we want is to stay out of trouble," Itachi said.

"Then stay away from Minato town," the first man offered them a nod. "Weird things are going on over there."

"Weird things, yeah right, it's just a bunch of bullshit stories," the other scoffed.

"It's fine if it's just a story." Experience had her taking out the bag with the coins she had left. "We're also fond of odd tales."

"Now that's something I can do. You're not locals, are you?"

"We come from Edo," the girl said with a smile. "This is the first time we've traveled this far in this direction."

Letting out a low whistle, the man waved at them to follow to the back of the cart, sending the other man back to whatever inn they were staying at. Pushing some parcels back, he motioned for them to sit before offering them a drink only Itachi politely accepted. Despite her initial reservations, the merchant was far more agreeable than she'd expected as he began to share a story about a deadly group of mercenaries and a daimyo who decided to double-cross them, even taking the leader's sword as some sick sort of memento. To appease the vengeful spirits, a memorial stone was placed, but only a few days ago, the merchant had passed by the memorial to find it broken in half. A bad omen, the man insisted as he warned them to stay well away before asking for news from Edo. Sharing what they'd heard and giving a few warnings of her own as she tried not to focus deeply on the implications of his tale, the girl forced back the urge to sigh.

The Warring States period was one of the most brutal time period of this country. And yet, somehow, that detail was easily buried when her attention was often pulled by the chaos constantly whirling around the Shikon. The hunt for the fragments kept them in the countryside more often than not, away from the political turmoil and human-borne atrocities. The fields of human bones and broken armor became occasional backgrounds that'd fade from her mind before the stench of decomposing bodies could finally washed off her skin. Squabbling feudal lords never truly affected their journey, and Kagome wasn't excited to find out how much of a mess a single shard could create if it fell in the hands of a power-hungry daimyo instead of an obsessive painter. Azure eyes couldn't help but glance over to Itachi as the merchant spoke. He'd willingly agreed to join her journey despite the risks, and the girl doubted he'd take back his support, even if that meant being unwillingly dragged into a more formal battlefield.

No, it was true that the Shikon affected humans with the same ease it did anyone else, but it clearly preferred to go to youkais. Besides, Naraku had never been interested in getting involved in human politics.

Not anymore.

By the time the story was over, and they'd left the back of the cart with an apology for his friend's earlier behavior and a bottle of sake Miroku would be thankful for, the streets were half-empty already. But the silence between them was comfortable, her hand in his despite getting lost in the waves of people no longer being an issue. The rest she got while listening to the tale meant her feet were no longer killing her, but she felt way beyond exhausted. She was certainly going to take her time bathing before going to sleep today; the awkwardness from her interactions with Inuyasha was definitely going to drain what little energy she had left.

Kagome's smile still felt off.

He'd seen the way she acted as she went through the festival. Picking her scent from the crowd had been annoying, but he couldn't stop his feet from jumping from roof to roof. As usual, the kit was stuck to the girl's side, pulling her along, wasting the time that should have been spent investigating, playing around instead. It should've annoyed him; it normally did. What caused him to almost start sprinting away from the obnoxiously loud city, though, were the black eyes staring right at him. It was intentional. The so-called warrior had waited until Kagome was distracted to turn around and look at the roof he was hiding in. And yet, the human man said nothing, going along with Shippo's whims, pretending he didn't know they were being followed. And it was on purpose, no doubt about that. The bastard had looked back more than once, as if baiting him.

She looked…normal.

The way she laughed and talked to both the kit and the warrior sounded the san as always. Yet, none of that seemed to matter. Golden eyes had refused to move from the way the girl seemed to cling to Itachi. Even when they returned to the inn, she seemed to remain close to the warrior as she explained the possible lead they'd uncover. But there was something off when she talked to him. Over and over, the words demanding an explanation got stuck on his throat.

And then, she asked if Kikyo knew anything.

His occasional visits were something everyone was aware of. There was no way to hide it when the shinidamachuu were so evident when calling for him. Everyone knew it, still, no one ever said anything about it. Especially not Kagome. Inuyasha stammered his way through a lame response as he explained the undead miko had been trying to get some leads herself before making an excuse to leave and jump on the inn's roof. Something was changing, it was undeniable, and he didn't like it.

The overly sweet and metallic scent of blood reached his nose.

Golden eyes narrowed as he found the warrior leaving the inn. Paranoia wasn't always necessary; Kagome taught him that, but old habits were hard to kill. If the warrior had been able to notice his presence when the festival was in full force, he'd likely be able to sense the hanyou now that most townspeople had retired and the merchants were starting to pack up. Honestly, at this point, even Inuyasha agreed there really was nothing too suspicious about the man; still, the hanyou followed the man through the streets and stopped in front of a vendor who was well on his way to packing his wares. From where he was, the hanyou couldn't quite see what was it that Itachi bought, but considering where they were, it really couldn't be anything suspicious.

Yes, paranoia wasn't always helpful.

"Is something the matter, Inuyasha-san?"

Unsurprisingly, even the warrior's voice cut through the silence. Emotionless. Clenching his fists, sharp claws digging into his flesh, the hanyou jumped down, landing right in front of the man, blocking the street.

Hateful glares and insulting looks had been thrown his way for as long as he could remember. And when it wasn't that, it would be that special mix of wariness and revulsion. Even at his worst, there was still some disgust in Sesshoumaru's eyes when he looked at him. It was natural. People like him were never welcome anywhere. Until he met the time-traveling girl, he never thought it was possible for him to be accepted without having to change, but he'd learned how a person's gaze looked when they were grateful or just content. But ever since the man arrived in their era, the hanyou could find nothing but pure indifference in those black eyes. Aside from the slight variations of emotions he showed to the girl, the warrior could hide everything in order that placid mask of his.

"What are you doing?"

"I missed the chance to buy something earlier," the warrior said, apparently unbothered by his rude tone. "I was simply checking if I could do so now."

"Not that…why are you sticking around?" The words left him without permission.

"Didn't we go through this before?" Black eyes stared straight into him. "I just want to help the person who saved my life."

Of course he did, that was the most normal thing anyone could do. No one could see anything wrong with that, even though it revealed nothing about the man or his intentions. Itachi gained nothing from getting involved with them, nothing except a chance to stay close to the girl. Kouga was likely right, but it felt wrong all the same. Because there was something more the warrior was hiding. This wasn't the sort of infatuation that fool Akitoki, or the wolf felt, but he believed Miroku's assessment about him not wishing to harm her. Still, this determination had been present from the very start.

"The wench ain't the type to keep track of that shit," Inuyasha snapped at the man, whatever self-control he'd had this morning fading.

"Her keeping track of what others owe her hardly matters." This time, there was a bit of edge in the warrior's voice."Ensuring her safety is the least I can do."

"She doesn't need you to keep her safe."

"From what I can tell, she won't need anyone to protect her once her training gets far enough." Yes, there was something else in Itachi's words now, no doubt about it. "Until then, all I intend to do is offer my help."

"We can take care of that, so just leave." He couldn't stop himself from speaking.

Carelessly lashing out wasn't going to help. If Kagome heard about this, there'd be hell to pay. For whatever reason, the girl was clearly fond of the man; trying to kick him out without any motive or excuse would end with more than eating dirt once or twice. He didn't care. Even knowing full well this would lead to nothing, the hanyou couldn't keep quiet when those black eyes seemed to regard him as if he was nothing. It didn't matter if his interest was harmless or not.

"When Kagome herself decides my presence is no longer wanted, I'll leave," Itachi said, and despite the indifference in his voice, it felt like the warrior was baiting him. "As for her safety, I don't believe that's up to anyone but her."

"The hell you want to say?!" Inuyasha was yelling now.

"Nothing more and nothing less than what I said." The bastard was still calm. "Her safety and well-being is my priority."

Bare feet stumbled as the warrior walked past, not even trying to avoid him. Regular humans shouldn't have that kind of strength; regular humans didn't have that kind of power…the stench of blood didn't cling to their skin like that.

Only a few days ago a portion of the forest had all but been burned to the ground, and yet, the warrior hadn't looked even the slightest bit winded, even though Inuyasha knew for a fact that this supposed human male hadn't slept at all the day before. It shouldn't be worrisome; after all, it was obvious that the man would never betray Kagome, so his added strength would be helpful when fighting Naraku. But he hated it all the same. Especially after the words he just said. It wasn't just that Itachi was attempting to become the priestess' protector; he truly intended to keep going with this misguided training of his, and just the idea of it made him taste ash in his mouth. Because Kagome wasn't a fighter. Unlike everyone else, the girl had lived a peaceful life, and even if she could get a little better, she was still weaker than anyone else. Sure, her accuracy was sharper these days, but her arm still wasn't as perfect as Kikyo's, her condition was still lacking, and even now, her techniques were unreliable. Pushing her to the frontlines would only endanger her even more than anyone else.

…right?

Sharp fangs pierced through his flesh, letting blood spill again. This was a bad idea from the very beginning. His emotions after meeting with Kikyo were always a bit volatile and noticing the odd feeling he got from the time traveling miko's actions, his impatience had hit an all-time low. This outburst was pointless, but he couldn't help but feel like staying quiet would be like conceding…something. No, Inuyasha may not be as cunning as Miroku, but he'd heard the slight accusation in the man's words. Right now, Kagome needed protection, and the hanyou wasn't enough to do so.

And he couldn't even deny it after leaving camp.

Last night was the first time Kikyo called for him since the warrior joined the group, and of course, no one ever mentioned the dead miko, so there was no way Itachi would've known about this semi-regular habit of theirs.

Did someone tell him about what had happened with Kagome and Kikyo? So far, Inuyasha hadn't bothered to think about what sort of explanation for his sudden disappearance they'd give him. Hell, he didn't even stop to think that anyone would give the group's newest addition any more information about what was going on. But after this encounter, the hanyou wouldn't be surprised to find out the man had been told some version of the story. And a part of him dreaded to learn if it was Kagome who explained the situation or how she explained it.

Hot water helped her muscles relax as she let out a content sigh.

Going straight to the thankfully-empty onsen had been the right call; she was finally relaxing. It likely wouldn't last for long, considering Sango was also getting into the water. The older girl had started to enjoy taking her time when taking baths, but Kagome had learned how to pick up on her friends' emotions, and it was clear the demon exterminator didn't choose to join her for a mere soak. Acting normal had been a hard but still doable task this morning. After all, their interactions had always been slightly awkward, but her actions at the entrance of the city were far too unusual to fool anyone. And unlike the monk, Sango was a bit more straightforward. Kagome hadn't decided what to say to her yet.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to say anything yet.

It wasn't that she was unsure of her decision, this wasn't a whim. Her emotions were just a little too messy for her to feel comfortable to start talking about it again. Last night's crying session had been as freeing as it had been embarrassing, and going into details now would likely end in a repeat performance. Over the last few months, Kagome had come to love Sango like an older sister. She trusted her with her life. But the demon exterminator had so many things to worry about the miko didn't want to add one more burden. Now that they realized Naraku might be hiding behind a holy person, there was no need for the older girl to worry about one more thing. And…Sango couldn't see through her smiles.

Which was a good thing.

Being cheerful was one of the things that helped the group's mood remain upbeat. Really, Kagome was happy to take on that role. So it was a good thing they didn't realize there was more to her melancholy aside from a bit of love trouble. Yet, the girl had kind of unloaded everything on Itachi, but he was…different. He'd been able to see through her with ease. Maybe there was still a connection of sorts between them, or maybe, the warrior was just as observant, or his presence had a calming effect on her. That he didn't seem to offer empty platitudes to try and soothe her definitely helped.

"So…" Sango started. "It looks like Shippo had fun."

Ah, so she was trying to be subtle.

"Pretty sure he would've gotten sick from all that candy if he was a human," Kagome played along. "Still might."

"Youkais are sturdier than us…and you…had fun?"

"Well, we mostly got dragged along." The miko smiled. "It was nice though. We haven't gotten a rest in a while."

"Kagome-chan, are you…is everything alright? You know with…?" Trailing off the older teen glanced at her, worry in her eyes.

"It's fine." No, this wasn't enough of an answer. "I just…"

Lying wasn't really an option, and refusing to answer would be far more concerning. Biting her lower lip, the priestess weighed her options. Sango would take her side, but she didn't want there to be a need for anyone to take sides. She still needed more time to figure out how to explain things.

"I guess I just figured there was more than one way to keep my promise," Kagome said, her voice a little strained. "You met up with Miroku-sama, right? At the festival?"

"Huh? I…yes…"

"Well,?" The miko took her chance. "How did it go?"

Red dusted the exterminator's cheeks. At least, it looked like her friend's love life wasn't as hopeless as her own.

A/N: Kagome is most certainly struggling, it's not exactly easy to get some space and time to settle her emotions when the priority is still to hunt down Naraku, but she's doing the best she can.

On the other hand Inuyasha is certainly trying to deal with the fallout of last chapter, there's a lot of guilt to deal with, for a lot of things. He definitely placed Kikyo in a pedestal, so it's unintentional but he's still overcompensating his protectiveness by underestimating Kagome's potential out of fear of loosing her. And noticing she's trying to place some distance while getting close to Itachi is more than just to test his limits. He's not quite lashing out just yet, but he's not being subtle about trying to show his dislike with the new situation.

As for Itachi…drastic is something he would absolutely do, but he's a little too patient to rush into things. To him her safety has way more weight than someone else's feelings, and standing back waiting for a miracle to happen to get her soul back isn't an option.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly, appreciated.