InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All Things Come Full Circle ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

"Gods, Kagome," Inuyasha sighed as he lifted her up out of the well, "what in the world did you pack in this thing?" he asked, motioning to the oversized yellow backpack he was carrying.

"Don't complain Inuyasha," Kagome replied as she began to walk away from the well, "You were the one who got all that instant food from Mama for me to pack. You took over half of the supplies I had at home! I'm sure you stuffed over fifty packs of ramen in there, I didn't have room for much else and had to bring another bag for all of my things. What in the world are we supposed to do with all that ramen?"

"Eat it? We have Inukigo with us now, and she can eat just as much as I can."

"She wasn't eating much before."

"She was just being self-conscious because she didn't know you or the others. Then she got that hole in her stomach, so that slowed her down a bit. She's fully healed now, Sango and Kaede-baba have had their hands full cooking since you left."

Kagome giggled at the newfound information.

"I suppose they would, having to cook for two hanyous instead of just one. They must be tired of making food by now."

"They haven't complained about it yet, so I guess they don't mind it too much."

"I guess, so how has Inukigo been doing since I left? Other then helping you eat Kaede-bachan out of house and home."

Inuyasha gave a 'humph' but answered her anyway.

"She's been doing okay, I guess."

"What do you mean, 'I guess'?"

"The villagers are acting exactly they way she thought they would."

"Oh. Is it really bad?"

"It depends on how you look at it. They haven't physically done anything to her, or even said anything about her being here, but you can tell that they don't approve of it by the way they look at her. It's like they're disgusted with her."

"But, you're a hanyou and they don't look at you like that."

"Not anymore they don't. They used to, before I started to protect the village. I can tell that they still kinda think that way about me, but they don't show it anymore. The only reason I can think of for them to be that way around her is that they see her as one demon too many. They're fine with me and Shippou because we've been here so long, but I guess they didn't want to see another demon, let alone a hanyou, brought back into their village. She's been spending most of her time by herself in the forest at the edge of the village so she doesn't feel like she's bothering anyone."

"Poor Inukigo. They shouldn't make her feel that way. She hasn't done anything to them."

"Doesn't matter. She's a hanyou, same as I am. We've dealt with people like that all our lives, most of them worse. We're used to the looks, among other things, so it's no big deal." Inuyasha said roughly.

"You shouldn't have had to get used to the looks, or anything else like that," Kagome said, looking up into his eyes, "Just because you're a hanyou, that doesn't mean that you're beneath anyone else. You are just as good as anyone else, so no one has the right to make you feel like anything less."

Inuyasha froze in mid-step and stared back at her in awe.

"Kagome…"

"I think you're perfect the way you are Inuyasha, as a hanyou. No one should make you feel that you aren't just because of what you are."

At that moment he looked at her with so much thankfulness and admiration that Kagome was surprised that she hadn't been knocked over from the force of his gaze.

"A-arigatou, Kagome."

Kagome was surprised by the shakiness in his voice, but when she saw the vulnerable look on his face she decided that she wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Instead, she grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers in his, and leaned into his arm.

"Douitashimashite, Inuyasha." she replied, smiling up at him.

He had been a little shocked by the sudden close contact between himself and Kagome, but when he saw that smile, all insecurities he had went flying out the window and he smiled back at her.

Hand in hand, they continued to walk through the forest towards the village.

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*Jump back to a few hours before, when Inuyasha was just falling asleep in Kagome's room, except this time in the Sengoku Jidai.*

"Arigatou, Sango. That was great!" Inukigo exclaimed as she plopped down on her back on the floor of Kaede's hut.

"Wait till Kagome-chan cooks for you. She's better at it than me." Sango replied as she put away the last of the bowls they had used for their meal.

Inukigo, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara were all presently occupying Kaede's hut, the miko having gone to a neighbouring village to help the healers there deal with a small outbreak of a disease.

"They should be back soon right?" Inukigo asked.

"Inuyasha will probably bring Kagome-sama back some time this evening. If not, they won't be back until late afternoon tomorrow. Kagome-sama told me that Inuyasha enjoys her mother's cooking, so he usually stays there for at least one meal." Miroku replied.

"My brother and his food. He's still the same as he's always been. Although, I'm not one to pass up a good meal either, so I suppose I can't say I blame him."

"Speaking of Inuyasha," Sango piped up, "have you spoken to him yet about what we talked about, Inukigo-chan."

"Spoken to Inuyasha about what?" Miroku asked, leaning in from his position by the wall with interest.

"Butt out monk. It's none of your business, so stop being so nosey." She then turned back to Sango, "No, I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet."

Miroku feigned a hurt look and put his hand to his heart.

"You wound me Inukigo. I am merely showing my concern for our other hanyou companion. May I ask why it is that Sango knows of this talk you must have with Inuyasha and I do not?"

"For your information, Sango knows because I had to ask her about some things first. You don't because you're a lecher and your perverted mind would most likely misinterpret the discussion that I need to have with my brother."

"I'm sure that if you explained it to me fully that wouldn't be a problem Inukigo." Miroku said and he got up and moved closer to the two women.

"Don't touch me Miroku," Inukigo threatened, "I warned you before, don't make me hurt you."

Miroku stopped and held his hands up defensively as he shuffled a few steps to the side and sat down . He remembered that deadly glare she had given him when he had first touched her and wasn't about to find out if what Inuyasha had said about her being serious was true.

"Hai, hai. Now will you let me know what's going on?"

Inukigo sighed. She wasn't really sure if it would be a good idea to tell Miroku about the situation between her brother and Kagome. If he started thinking perverted thoughts and took it upon himself to talk to Inuyasha he could very well make matters worse. On the other hand, he was a man, so maybe he would be able to talk to Inuyasha about some things that she didn't know anything about. She decided that he would probably be able to help. 'He may be a lecher, but he can be serious when he needs to be.'

"I need to talk to Inuyasha about his 'relationship' with Kagome."

"Ah…I see. Go on."

"He is courting her, but hasn't marked her yet. I need to find out exactly what is making him hold off on that. Sango also told me that Kikyou is 'alive' and that Inuyasha runs off to see her repeatedly. I want to know what he actually feels for her now."

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to pick up on the courting problem." Miroku said as he propped his head up with his hand.

"You know about youkai courting?" Inukigo asked disbelievingly.

Miroku nodded. "It took me awhile to pick up on it, I was with them for a few weeks before I noticed it. But when I look back on it, he was courting her before I met them. When I first encountered them Inuyasha became very defensive about Kagome around me."

"You touched her didn't you." Inukigo said, giving him a deadpan look.

"Hai, and I asked her to bear my child too, but that's behind us now." Miroku replied nervously.

Inukigo just stared at him, then sighed and shook her head.

"Do you know why he hasn't marked her?"

"There are a few reasons as far as I can tell. There's Kouga, did Sango tell you about him?" Inukigo nodded and he continued, "And then there's his relationship with Kikyou. I don't really know what he feels for her. I'm not sure that he himself knows. He either still loves her, or he feels a great deal of guilt towards her death and is confusing that feeling with love. I can not say anything for certain, because it is something that he will not discuss with me. He might talk to you, since you are his sister. I truly hope that he does."

"He has never been very open with his emotions, not even with me, although I don't have to fight with him as much to get him to talk. I should be able to get him to say something to me." Inukigo replied, then smirked, "You're a lot smarter than you look Miroku."

It was now Miroku's turn to give Inukigo a deadpan stare.

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment. You truly are his twin, of that there is no doubt in my mind."

"Why, thank you." Inukigo replied smartly.

"I'll have to agree with Houshi-sama on that Inukigo-chan. Your mannerisms are very similar to Inuyasha's." Sango said.

"Yeah, I know. I think that it maybe runs in our family. Sesshomaru is like it too, although he almost sounds polite when he's being rude. I'm not sure if oyaji was like that, I never really knew what he was like."

"Inukigo-chan, if you don't mind me asking," Sango said, "when Miroku compared you to Sesshomaru a couple of days ago, why did you get so upset?"

Inukigo's face hardened as she averted her gaze and then rolled over to lay on her stomach.

"Something happened a very long time ago. Gomen, but it's not really something I like to talk about."

Sango looked at Miroku with concern, but he gave her a look that said that she should probably drop it for now.

"That's ok Inukigo-chan. You don't need to talk about it if you don't really want to."

Inukigo nodded, but still had a distant look on her face. An uncomfortable silence was heavy in the air, and Inukigo began toying with the sleeve of her kimono when she got an idea of how to change the subject.

"Ne, Sango?"

Sango started at the sound of Inukigo's voice.

"Nani, Inukigo-chan?"

"Do you have anything that would be able to stitch fire rat fur?"

"I think so, why?"

Inukigo sat up with a smile on her face, then using her claws cut the seem that held the sleeve of her kimono to her shoulder. Sango looked surprised, while Miroku looked excited, praying that she would pull off more than her sleeves.

"I was getting bored with this kimono. I think it's time for a little change." Inukigo answered as she went about cutting off the other sleeve.

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*Now a few hours later, where I left off with Inuyasha and Kagome.*

"So what do you think, Sango? Does it look okay?" Inukigo asked as she turned in a circle.

"I think it looks great Inukigo-chan. Looks like it will allow for a lot more mobility than it did before." Sango replied.

"I think it looks good too Inukigo." Shippou said looking up at her.

"Arigatou, Shippou," she replied with a smile, then turned back to Sango, "That's what I was hoping for. The long sleeves got in the way sometimes when I was fighting, but this is much better."

"I bet you'll be able to show us how good you can beat Inuyasha up now, right Inukigo." Shippou said enthusiastically.

Inukigo laughed at the young kit. "You really want to see me beat him up don't you?" Shippou nodded, and she chuckled, "I'll see what I can do about getting him to agree to a sparring match, just for you. How does that sound?"

"Great!"

Inukigo couldn't help but keep smiling at the kit. Her ears twitched and she turned to the doorway.

"Inuyasha and Kagome are coming," her ears twitched again, "and they aren't fighting. Wow."

As soon as she had said that, Shippou had jumped up and run off, screaming 'Kagome!' at the top of his lungs. A thud was heard, which sounded like one body colliding with another, then an 'oomph' as someone had the wind knocked out of them, then…

"Ooi runt! Stop doin' that. One of these days you're gonna hurt her!"

"Put me down you jerk! Kagome!!"

"Inuyasha, put him down. He didn't hurt me."

"Keh!"

Inukigo couldn't help but chuckle. They sounded like they were a family. She was brought out of her thoughts when her brother, Kagome, and Shippou came through the door of the hut.

"You really have to stop jumping on people runt. You're getting to big for that…" Inuyasha stopped at the sight of his sister.

"Yo." Inukigo replied calmly.

"What did you do to your clothes?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was bored, so I decided to alter my kimono a bit. Why, is there something wrong with it?"

"Iie. It's just that I've only been gone for a few hours and I come back to find I have different looking sister. It looks fine."

"I think it looks great Inukigo-chan!" Kagome said as she motioned for her friend to turn around so she could get a better look at her.

After Inukigo had cut off the sleeves of her kimono, she repaired the seam so that it would not rip further. Instead of giving up the protection that the sleeves had given her arms, she had made the sleeves into tight, fingerless gloves that reached her elbows. To top it all off, she had taken a strip of left over material and wound it around her hair, tying it up in a high pony tail. Although tied back, her hair was still very long, now falling to just below her buttocks instead of the backs of her knees.

"It didn't take you long to make those changes." Inuyasha said.

"Nope, Sango helped me. Although I kinda gave them a shock when I started ripping off the sleeves," she giggled slightly at the memory, "Miroku looked like he was gonna faint when he thought I was pulling off my clothes."

Inuyasha growled at the thought of the monk eyeing his sister.

"Where was the lecher while you were working on the kimono? You obviously didn't stitch it while still wearing it."

"He was right here and I gave him a little show."

"NANI!!"

"I'm joking Inuyasha. Sango knocked him out and dragged him to the village and told some girls to keep him busy."

"That reminds me, I should go get Houshi-sama and save those poor girls." Sango said as she stood up and moved towards the door.

"I don't know Sango, I think you might end up saving Miroku from the girls. I think I just heard a slap. He might have groped one of them a few too many times." Inukigo said.

"*sigh* You might be right Inukigo-chan. Baka houshi." Sango mumbled as she exited the hut with Kirara at her heels.

Inukigo looked towards the door for a few moments before turning back to Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou.

"She's in love with him, isn't she." she said, more statement than a question.

Kagome giggled slightly while Inuyasha just looked uninterested.

"Yeah, they haven't said anything to each other, but Miroku-sama did ask her to live with him after we beat Naraku, and she accepted. It's pretty obvious that they love each other."

'I know another couple who are just as obvious.' Inukigo thought as she regarded her brother and Kagome. After entering the hut they had sat down next to the fire, side by side, and were rather close. She had never seen her brother in such close proximity to someone before. He had never even stayed that close to Kikyou for more than a few moments. 'He's very serious about her. More so than he ever was about Kikyou.' That reminded Inukigo about the discussions that she needed to have with both of them very soon.

"So, what direction will we be heading out in when we leave tomorrow Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"West. There were a few rumours about some abnormally strong youkai in that direction. They might have Shikon shards."

Inukigo tensed when she hear which way they would be heading. Inuyasha was the only one who noticed. He knew what was wrong so he didn't draw attention to it.

'She's worried about running into Sesshomaru. I really hope that we don't for her sake. It would bring up things that she hasn't gotten over yet.'

"You think that it might have some connection to Naraku?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shrugged.

"It's possible. If it is him I hope that the coward shows his face so I can get a good shot at him."

Kagome nodded in agreement, then noticed that Inukigo was being very quiet.

"Hey, Inukigo-chan? Daijoubou ka?"

Inukigo started when she heard Kagome speak to her.

"Oh, I'm fine Kagome. I was just thinking about something that's all." Inukigo replied. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable cooped up in the small hut and felt she had to get out. She quickly got to her feet and made for the door, stopping and turning slightly as she reached it. "I think I need to get some fresh air. I've been in here all afternoon. You'll know where to find me if you need to, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha nodded. "I'll be back in a while." And with that she dashed off out the door.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a concerned look on her face.

"What was that about?"

"It's not really something you need to concern yourself with Kagome. It isn't really any of your business."

"But I'm her friend and she's upset. I want to know what's wrong. Inuyasha, please?"

Inuyasha looked like he was debating whether or not he should tell her, and Kagome noticed that he looked slightly uncomfortable.

"You're worried about her too," Kagome stated, and Inuyasha nodded, "What made her so upset?"

"It's a touchy subject for the both of us, although I've gotten over it. I don't think that she wants it brought up yet."

"I'm not going to start using it against either of you, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, I know you wouldn't do that."

"Well then, you know that you can trust me with this. What about our conversation got to her?"

"*sigh* When she heard we were heading west."

"What's to the west that would have her so upset?"

"Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome questioned and Inuyasha nodded solemnly. "Whatever it is has to do with you too right?"

"Yeah, but I…Kagome please don't make me bring up my past." Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome was shocked by the look on his face. It was the same one he had gotten when they were walking through the forest. He had even said please. 'He said that he's gotten over whatever is affecting Inukigo-chan. He's lying.'

"It's okay Inuyasha," Kagome said laying a hand on his shoulder, which caused him to look over at her, "You don't have to tell me right now. But whenever you do want to I'm here for you. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha replied. 'You're always here for me Kagome.'

"So you're sure that Inukigo-chan will be alright?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine in a little while. She just needs some time to herself. It's better that she deal with this now than deal with it after we leave."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." 'What could have happened between the two of you and Sesshomaru? Why won't you tell me? Is it really that painful? Oh, Inuyasha, I hope we don't run into him on this trip. Seeing him now could end up being more than either you or Inukigo-chan can bare.'

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"Damn it! Damn IT! DAMN IT!" Inukigo swore as she ran through the forest. She was far from the village, further than she normally went when she had wanted to be alone over the past few days. She knew that Inuyasha would be pissed if he came looking for her and she wasn't where she said she'd be, but at the moment she didn't really give a damn. She had needed to clear her head, and at the moment running as fast her body would permit was one of the few things that would have some effect. That, accompanied with the extremely loud cursing and the destruction of almost everything in her path forced her to get as far away from the village as her conscience would allow.

"DAMN IT! Of all the places we could possibly go, we just had to be heading for the fucking Western Territories. DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" she screamed as another unfortunate tree fell at the hands of her claws.

She had been gone for a few hours, and the night was now pitch black, not that it affected her any. She could see perfectly well in the dark.

'Aniue! C'mon! You said you'd play with me if I was good while you were away. I want you to show me how to fight like you do. Please, Aniue?'

Inukigo stopped and shook her head to rid herself of the unwanted memories

"Kuso. Kuso! KUSO!"

"You know, talking to yourself can be considered as a sign of insanity."

Inukigo whirled around and snarled at the figure behind her.

"Shut up, Inuyasha! What do you think you're doing sneaking up on me anyway?!"

"It wasn't very hard. You're not paying attention to your surroundings. Over your cursing and the falling trees, you wouldn't hear a fifty foot oni until it stepped on ya," his tone then grew more serious, "You aren't where you said you'd be."

Inukigo snorted as she turned her back to him again.

"Keh! Like I give a damn. You found me didn't you?"

Inuyasha ignored the tone she was using with him. He knew why she was so upset. The possibility of meeting up with Sesshomaru always did this to her.

"Yeah, that wasn't too hard either, even though you were downwind. All I had to do was follow the trail of destruction, and I could hear you long before I could see you. Although, I don't need to worry about any youkai coming after you. Your scent and aura scared them all shitless."

Inukigo smirked half heartedly.

"Maybe, but that didn't save the bear youkai and the boar youkai that were too slow to get out of my way."

Inuyasha gave his own smirk at seeing his sister starting to calm down, but he knew that it wouldn't last long. She was still pissed - he could smell the anger coming off of her in waves and her youki was flaring madly. 'Good thing she has Touitsaiga with her, or her demon blood would have taken over long ago.' Well, he'd just have to fix that.

"You should stop picking on the poor defenceless trees and the weak little demons sis." Inuyasha said cockily as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"Hmm?" Inukigo turned to see what her brother was getting at, and her eyes widened a fraction when she saw that he was ready to pounce on her. "You wanna spar?" she asked curiously.

"Yup. You're pissed off, and I want it out of your system before we leave tomorrow. At the rate you're goin' that'll take you all night, and then you'll be bitchy tomorrow cause you didn't get enough sleep. What faster way to work it off then by fighting someone who can fight back?"

"You're on," Inukigo said as she lowered into a crouch herself, "You sure you wanna do this?" she asked arrogantly.

"Keh! C'mon so I can kick your ass!" Inuyasha replied with a smirk.

"You asked for it."

They stood still for a moment regarded each other, then somewhere in the forest there was a resonating crack, one of the trees that Inukigo had only partially knocked down getting ready to fall the rest of the way over, and the two hanyous lunged at each other in a blur of red and white.

They started off fairly evenly matched, neither really getting a good hit in, which was greatly due to the fact that Inukigo had been running through the forest for hours and was already a little tired. They kept a fairly good rhythm going while they fought - charge, punch, dodge, kick, block, grab, throw, and then starting all over again from the beginning. It went on like that for quite some time, neither was taking any serious hits, until Inuyasha got sloppy, putting too much force behind his punch so that when Inukigo moved to the side he stumbled on ahead and gave her the perfect opportunity to dropkick him in the back. He was eating dirt faster than Kagome would have been able to say 'osuwari.' They stayed in that position for awhile catching their breath - Inuyasha face first on the ground cursing while Inukigo sat beside him with her right leg still laying across his back.

"You…fucked up…Inuyasha," Inukigo said, "What…did I tell you…about fighting…gracefully?"

Inuyasha lifted his face from the ground and glared back at her.

"I still say…that it's a…load of bullshit." he replied haughtily.

"Suit yourself," she answered, pulling her leg back so he could sit up, "Had enough?"

"Keh! Yeah right!" Inuyasha said getting to his feet, "You've still got some anger in you, so it's time for round two," he added as he pulled Tessaiga from its sheath and transformed it, "Draw your sword. I'm showing you how to use it."

Inukigo looked up at him, then down to the sword at her hip, then back up at him again.

"Do I have to?" she whined.

"Yes, damn it! Now get up and stop acting like a pup."

"Fine," she sighed as she got to her feet. She drew her sword and it stayed untransformed, "Okay, how do I get it like that." she asked, pointing at the Tessaiga.

"Concentrate on using it to protect yourself and those around you, and the sword will transform." Inuyasha replied smartly as he brought the Tessaiga to rest on his shoulder.

'Cocky bastard. If you weren't my brother I'd smack you so hard…' she stopped her train of thought. She wasn't exactly thinking about protecting anything at the moment. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating solely on using the sword for the protection of herself and others. It was quiet for a few moments before the sword pulsed in Inukigo's hand and her eyes shot open. 'What the hell was that?' She stared at the Touitsaiga curiously and then before her eyes the sword transformed into a nearly exact replica of the Tessaiga, the only difference being the slightly more slender blade.

"Woah…" Inukigo exclaimed.

"It'll transform faster with practice. You won't need to concentrate so hard once you get the hang of it," Inukigo nodded to acknowledge that she heard him, "I guess I should show you how to fight with the sword before I tell you how to use the 'Kaze no Kizu', otherwise you'd probably let it loose without watching where you're aiming it."

Inukigo stared at Inuyasha angrily.

"Ooi! I'm not stupid you know. I can use the sword, I'm just not very good at it," she said as she forcefully brought the sword down to the ground off to her side to give some emphasis. As soon as the sword touched the earth, the 'Kaze no Kizu' shot out across the ground and through the forest, tearing up everything in its path.

Both hanyous looked on, Inukigo looking nervous while Inuyasha looked annoyed.

"You were saying?" Inuyasha said flatly.

"Heh heh, umm…oops?" replied sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of her neck.

"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha replied, holding up his sword, "Get ready, I have a feeling that this is gonna take awhile."

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A few hours later, just outside the village, two figures could been seen coming through the forest, one carrying the other.

After the accidental 'Kaze no Kizu', Inuyasha had made Inukigo learn how to fight with her sword the hard way - by coming at her head on and making her defend herself with nothing but her sword. To say he had tired her out was a huge understatement. By the time they were finished Inukigo was barely conscious, which was why he was now carrying her back to Kaede's hut on his back. She appeared to be asleep, with her head laying comfortably on his shoulder and her arms draped around his neck. At some point the tie had come loose from her hair, and it now flowed around them in the slight breeze.

"So," Inuyasha asked, knowing his sister was still awake, albeit barely, "did I manage to get all that pissiness worked out of your system?"

Inukigo gave a soft chuckle, to drained to do much else.

"Hai, Inuyasha, along with every bit of energy that I had in my system. You better not get mad at me tomorrow if I complain about being tired, cause it's all your fault."

"Okay, I won't," Inuyasha said as he smiled slightly. His expression then turned serious as he turned he head to watch his sister's face, "You're not gonna act up like this again while we're travelling are you?"

Inukigo opened her eyes slightly so she could look back at her brother since she could feel his gaze on her. He could see the exhaustion in her half lidded eyes and knew she was close to falling asleep.

"I don't know. I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."

"That's alright. I know it still bothers you." Inuyasha replied, focusing ahead of him again.

"It still bothers you too, you just handle it better than I do." Inukigo said crankily.

Inuyasha chuckled.

"Yeah, but I've kicked his ass a few times over the past year so that helped a bit. He's one arm short now too."

Inukigo's eyes opened a little wider.

"You cut off his arm?!"

"Yup. Did it while he was in his demon form too." he said proudly.

"Inuyasha, if I wasn't so tired I'd pat you on the back and shake your hand."

"Really? I'm surprised that you're not a little mad at me for doing it."

"Inuyasha, you know it's not like that. Not anymore anyway." Inukigo said as she closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry," Inuyasha said sincerely. There was a pause before he spoke again, "I can't promise that we won't run into Sesshomaru on this trip sis."

"I know. It's okay. Can't really avoid him forever."

"I'll still try to avoid him. Who knows. He might be at the castle instead of wandering around so we won't have to worry about him."

"Thanks, nii-chan," Inukigo said softly as she nuzzled his neck and rubbed her cheek against his. It was a blatant display of affection, reserved only for close family members and mates, something that she used to do quite often. 'Something else that I've missed in the year I spent without her.' he thought as he bumped his cheek gently back against hers to return the gesture. She sighed happily and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." he replied quietly, but she didn't answer him. Her soft, even breathing told him that she had fallen asleep and he smiled slightly. He could now see Kaede's hut, where his friends were located. He looked up into the sky with the intention of trying to judge the time by the position of the moon. 'Shit,' he cursed to himself, 'It'll be a full moon in a few days. Inukigo will have her human night while we're travelling. She's not gonna like that.' After discovering that little bit of information he went about his original task and determined that it was some time after midnight. He had told the others not to wait for them to come back, because he figured they would be late, but he didn't think they would be this long. 'Knowing Kagome she's still awake and worrying about us even though I told her not too.'

But you like it when she worries.

Inuyasha didn't argue with the voice in his head. He did like the feeling that he got when he knew that she worried for him. It showed that she cared about him.

He was at Kaede's hut now, and when he pulled back the reed covering that served as a door sure enough, there was Kagome sitting next to the fire in her 'pajamas' while the rest of his friends slept in various locations across the hut. She didn't notice them at first because she was busy reading one of her books, but she turned when she heard the covering fall back into place. She became alarmed when she saw Inuyasha carrying an unconscious Inukigo on his back.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Unable to put his finger to his mouth and tell her 'shh' because he was still holding up his sister, he mouthed 'be quiet' to her so she wouldn't accidentally wake their friends and Inukigo. He then set about scanning the hut for an appropriate place to put his sister. Kagome realized what he was doing, went to retrieve a pillow and blanket, then laid the pillow on the floor. Inuyasha crouched in front of the pillow, then carefully removed his arms from her legs and her arms from his neck. Kagome carefully lowered Inukigo onto the pillow then covered her with the blanket. Inuyasha was very surprised that she hadn't woken up. When Inukigo was settled Kagome asked Inuyasha her question again, this time in a more hushed voice.

"What happened Inuyasha? Why did you have to carry her back?"

"She's just tired. I found her running through the forest. She was pretty mad so I decided she needed to let off some steam. We spared for awhile, then I taught her how to fight with her sword and use the 'Kaze no Kizu'. By that time she was so tired she couldn't even sit up. She'll be fine once she wakes up."

"I was wondering what took the two of you so long."

"Bitch, I told you not to worry and go on to sleep. You better not complain to me tomorrow that you're tired."

"I won't. It was my choice to stay up and wait for you. I'll live with it," Kagome replied, then turned to look at Inukigo, "So you two were fighting. Shippou-chan will be sorry that he missed it."

"Keh! He would have been disappointed. She was already a little tired when I found her, so she didn't fight as well as she normally does. And besides, if I'm the one that had to carry her back, do you really think that she kicked my ass?"

Kagome giggled as she made her way over to her sleeping bag and crawled in.

"I guess you're right. Well, oyasumi Inuyasha." Kagome said sleepily as she rolled over onto her side.

"Oyasumi, Kagome." Inuyasha replied. He then got up and moved to sit against the wall by the door so he could watch over all his friends while they slept. After determining that there was no danger he allowed himself to doze off and join his companions in sleep.

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There's chapter two. Hmm…I expected more reviews. Oh well. I realized that not everyone knows the few Japanese words that I sometimes use in my writing. I tend to forget. So, from now on, I'll have a word list at the end of every chapter.

Arigatou - thank you

Douitashimashite - you're welcome

Kuso - shit

Aniue - respectful term for older brother

Youkai - demon

Nii-chan (Onii-chan) - big brother

Kaze no Kizu - wound of wind (or wind scar, as it's known in the American version)

Iie - no

Hai - yes

Ooi - hey

Oyasumi - good night

If I missed one or more, let me know.