Disclaimer: This is so obvious it's ridiculous. If I owned Inuyasha, I wouldn't be spending my free time writing here now would I?

Author's Notes: Yeah, yeah… I know. I said it would take a little while but it's here now isn't it! I got reviews…! Yay! So I was happy… so I wrote more. See how it works? Anyway… you don't want to listen to my psychobabble… so um… I'll see you at the end!

Diverted Fate

Chapter One

Search and Rescue

"Inuyasha!"

A cold sweat broke out on Kagome's brow.

"You can't leave me here damn it!"

She tossed and turned, flinching massively.

"Help me…"

Kagome shot awake, breathing as though she had just run miles. Looking around she realized it had simply been a dream, a nightmare. She had been having them ever since she had run off. They didn't mean anything. They couldn't. At least… that's what she forced herself to believe.

She shook her head to clear it of the last lingering remnants of the dream. She sat up and wiped a hand across her forehead. It was slightly earlier than dawn. Seeing as she was already awake, she decided it was as good a time as any to get moving. If she was going to get anywhere at all, she first had to get to her feet. A surprisingly hard task considering her left side seemed to have gone back to sleep of it's own accord.

Wiping a hand across her face once more to rid herself of some of the grogginess, she slid out of her sleeping bag and stumbled her way over to the small stream she had come upon last night and had stayed beside.

Looking at her reflection, she knew she could have looked better. Her face was unusually pale and her eyes were slightly bloodshot, probably a result of her rough night. She dipped her hands into the cold water and splashed it across her face.

Kagome grabbed a towel from her over-stuffed pack. As she tugged it out, the Shikon shards she was carrying fell to the ground. She picked them up and stared at them thoughtfully.

It hadn't quite been three weeks since she had left… she had gone home only once since then. Kagome might have stayed home but she had quickly realized that Inuyasha would eventually have to come to get the shards… and of course he's go to her time. Or maybe that was just one of her half-hopes… Even so, she realized that wouldn't be the wisest choice. If he did come, she didn't know that she would be able to face him. Not to mention what questions her family would ask. She didn't really feel like trying to be cheerful for anyone.

Considering that… she couldn't make herself leave her own time or the Sengoku Jidai completely. Taking away either one would be like ripping a piece of her soul from her. She knew from experience that it wasn't a pleasant sensation. So it was simple, Kagome had stayed here, even though she had had to keep moving on her own. She knew Inuyasha knew she was still here as well. He would have caught her scent the moment she had climbed from the well most likely.

So Kagome moved around daily. Mainly she was still looking for the Shikon shards. She wasn't dumb. With the two shards she had kept, she would eventually run into Inuyasha again. She might as well have more shards when she did.

That was all she had really done with him anyway. She was just the weak little shard detector who constantly needed to be watched over. They were better off without her.

"No!"

Kagome threw the small bottle back into her pack. She wouldn't think about that now. She wouldn't let herself. That wasn't going to help anything. She forced her thoughts away from that and dug out her clothes.

She hadn't seen much point in continuing to wear her school uniform. Somehow… that had stopped seeming so important. She had missed so many days of school already and it was so hard to keep up. She had in no way however, forgotten her promise and debt to get the Shikon no Tama back together. Maybe that's why she'd stayed. That was one thing she hadn't really figured out yet. Why.

Of course she had. She loved him.

"Not gone think about that remember?" she berated herself. She sighed heavily and pulled her shirt over her head. It was a simple white shirt that she wore with a black shirt she had found in her closet. At least that way her mother wouldn't have to constantly be replacing school uniforms. That is… if she ever did go back to her time and start school up again anytime soon. The administration had started to wonder why she needed so many replacement uniforms anyway. It surprised her that she hadn't thought of it sooner.

She pulled her pack over her shoulders and began to walk towards the woods that surrounded her on all sides. She was mildly hungry. She'd be able to find something later.

^. ~

Inuyasha walked away from Kaede's hut. Three weeks! Three weeks and they were still blaming him! What was he supposed to do? He couldn't go get her. That wouldn't be fair to her. He knew he'd have to get the Shikon shards from her sooner or later, but he had decided on later.

He wasn't looking forward to it.

There were few things that scared him. One of them had been losing Kagome. And now it seems he had. He knew she was still here in the feudal era somewhere. He had caught her scent when she came back. He did wonder though, why she had. Didn't she say that…?

He realized now that he should have gotten the shards. That was probably why. If nothing else, that was all. But he didn't know if he really wanted to. Once he had the shards, Kagome would have no reason to stay anymore. He'd never see her again. Ever. That was probably one of the worst possible things he could think of. But it would come to that. He knew it would… eventually.

Somehow his feet had led him to the well, interesting how your subconscious can lead you to wherever it wants without you realizing it. Her knelt beside it and stared down into it.

What should he do now?

Just as he did this, a rather annoying ball of fluff attached itself to his head.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing! You can't just sit here if you're not going to do anything! We have to find Kagome! Find some more shards! Something! Stop wasting our time!" Shippo yelled at him.

Inuyasha grabbed Shippo's tail and brought him to eye level.

"Go bother someone else, runt."

Shippo squirmed to get out of his hold.

"Let me go!"

"Whatever ya want."

Inuyasha's eyebrow ticked from annoyance and threw Shippo a fair distance. He then got up and stated walking towards the forest. He needed some alone time.

Author's Notes: See. First Chapter! ^^ I know that was mostly from Kagome's side but I really didn't have much for Inuyasha to do this chapter. He'll have more next time. Gotta go now! Byeness.