InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted ❯ Lost and Found ( Chapter 6 )

AN: In response to reviews:

 

The Kagura thingy will tie in, trust me. I'm sorry to have confused you! Consider it a sort of lure, for now.

 

Although I'm not sure exactly where this is going in the immediate future, I have an idea of the general plot. And Kagura is in it. I'll work on Shippo on Miroku's characters. (Any suggestions? I. e. what would make them more puffy instead of flat? ) Actually, I've got some interesting plot twits to that end… which might be a bad thing because plot twists always make me queasy for some weird reason. Hopefully these twists will add dimension to them. I've got somn' up my sleeve for Kagome too. And Inuyasha. I might end up of thinking of something for Sango too. But that's overdoing it on the plot twists, isn't it? Hm, plot twists. They confuse me, and then I have to reread stuff. So, if you're like me in that aspect, I'll try to keep 'em simple. And straightforward. These twists will occur somewhere soon, I think. I'm worried about rushing it, though.

 

I agree, Hojo is a dolt. And Inuyasha is silly to think Kagome likes him. Oh well. And YES, the Higurashi's bought a car. They needed to because they now live in the middle of nowhere. However, the car is not available for the people in the house because Mrs. Higurashi and Souta went to Tokyo in it.

 

AND, on another note, Howl's Moving Castle, mentioned in a previous chapter somewhere, comes out on June 10th of this year (2005) for the US, some time in 2005 for the UK, and the same for Germany, Israel and Belgium. (I wanna go to Belgium…)

 

For other release dates and stuff about the movie you can visit:

 

h t t p : / / w w w . n a u s i c a a . n e t / m i y a z a k i / h o w l / f a q . h t m l

 

(Without the spaces, of course!)

 

Thank you for the complements! And the criticism! (Yay! Someone loves my partners in crime!) I will keep your comments in mind as I write! But please, please tell me if the chapters are long enough! It's been buggin' me, and I would appreciate a second (and third, and forth and fifth, ect.) opinion! Thanks to those who told me, and I'm going to try to make this one a little longer. Anyway… On with the story! Sorry, it took a little longer than normal because I made Kouga all subtle. Kouga -in now way, shape, or form- is never, ever at at any point is subtle. That's like making Inuyasha all laid back and happy all the time. So, I had to rewrite about 3 pages (heh…)

 

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha in no way, shape or form in any possible way conceivable. Unfortunately for me, but very good for the rest of you.

Haunted

 

Chapter Six: Lost and Found

 

"KAGOMEEEEE!" Shippo wailed again. "WHERE IS KAGOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…" Sango tried to comfort him distractedly. She was still asking Mr. Higurashi questions about the lost girl's whereabouts.

 

"So where do you think she might be? If she took a wrong turn, if she got kidnapped… ugh." It wasn't working out very well. Mr. Higurashi didn't know much of it at all, and he was just as agitated as soon as he realized that, yes, his granddaughter was missing because he sent her out to get some pickles.

 

"I don't know, young lady." He said, brow more furrowed than usual. "But I will use a spell that will bring her home." With that, the old man left the table and hurried up the stairs. Sango sighted and pressed her palms to her face. Shippo sat in her lap, sniffling and sobbing at intervals. She didn't now how to comfort him when she herself was so on edge.

 

The poltergeist, after cursing horrendously for a few minutes, had disappeared with another smoky bang and cackling sparks, yet again setting of the fire alarm and forcing them all into the living room. As Inuyasha would've put it, nobody gave a damn about it. They were too worried about Kagome.

 

"Yes. I already told you," Miroku seemed to have limitless patience. He'd been talking on the phone with the police for ten minutes, but so far nothing had come of it. "Yes, we've gone over this before." He paused for an answer. "No! We know that! Just go look for her! I don't know where she is! If I knew, don't you think I would've gone to get her?" So, his patience had its limits. "No, I don't care how long she has to be gone before she is officially missing! Just go look for her! Now!" He slammed the phone on the receiver, not bothering to listen for a reply.

 

"Wow." Sango couldn't help but be rather surprised by his outburst. The purple-eyed man looked up from the phone to Sango, then Shippo, who was quietly hiccupping on her lap.

 

"I have come to the conclusion that the police here are incompetent fools who sit around and get paid for it." He said quite calmly. He brought his hand to his head and smoothed out his hair in bewilderment. "Is it really so hard to understand that a girl went missing and we want her back?" He grumbled.

 

Sango smiled in spite of her nerves. She'd never seen him so worked up. Of course, she hadn't known him too long either, but his name seemed familiar. Miroku… But now wasn't a good time to think about it.

 

"Will we ever see Kagome again?" Shippo tugged on Sango's shirtsleeve. He'd finally calmed down enough to talk again, albeit not in screams. "Will she come back soon?" The ginger-haired boy asked. Sango looked at him for a moment before answering.

 

"I sure hope so, Shippo." Because she just didn't know.

 

(\ /

(0.o)

_(><)_

 

So, she was lost. Very, very lost. And it was dark. And she was cold. And hungry. But, it could be worse, right? "It could be raining," She said with a giggle. Kagome had resigned herself to spending the night in a dry rice paddy. The ground would be soft, right? She sniffed a bit and rubbed her eyes. And her family probably wasn't even aware that she was gone yet.

 

Yes, it could be worse. There could be crazy homeless people who would attack her for her pickle money, or yes, it could be raining. She smacked her arm and winced when her hand came away with a squished mosquito on it. Or she could get all the blood sucked out of her by the millions of mosquitoes around her. But that'd probably happen anyway. She rubbed her arms and kept walking. She'd taken off her flip-flops about an hour ago, she guessed. There were blisters on her feet where they'd rubbed. Of all the things she'd had to get lost wearing, it had to be a short sleeveless dress and flip-flops. She laughed a bit in spite of herself and her situation. As her mother had once said, Kagome never did anything by half. It was all or nothing, and this time she'd definitely gone for the all.

 

She stepped on a rock and flinched. She tried to look at her foot, but it was too dark to see. She brought her foot closer to her face and fell over onto the side of the road. But where she'd assumed was more flat terrain, there was a large slope. "IEEEEE!" She rolled down the hill, and couldn't help thinking, all or nothing.

 

(\ /

(0.o)

_(><)_

 

This was all Kagome's fault. While most of them were worried sick about the lost girl, he was furious. Not only had she yelled at him for no reason- okay she'd had a reason- but now she had the nerve to get herself lost and make the rest of them worried sick!

 

But he was worried sick too. He'd practically forgiven her for the fight. He even felt guilty for making her so mad. His resolve to stay mad was crumbling. Actually, it already had crumbled. He was left with remorse and frustration. He couldn't even go look for her because he was confined to the house property. He'd already tested the limits several times. He was exhausted now.

 

"Kagome, where are you?" He murmured softly. The forlorn words drifted gently on the wind and were carried away by the breeze.

 

He was very worried indeed.

 

_|__|_

(•_•)

---( • )---

(____)

 

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" She'd fallen into an overgrown copse of trees. Now she was mad, too. And in pain. "Of all the stupid…" Her eyes widened and her head came up like a startled deer. Leaves rustled and Kagome stiffened in alarm. Her eyes stared out into the darkness. A twig snapped and her head flung around the other way as she stared. "H-h-hello?" She stammered in a small voice.

 

A fatalistic voice in the back of her head told her that this was it, she was going to die. She believed it. No fear… She took a deep breath and said clearly into the night. "If someone's there, could you help me out?" The rustling came again. So maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say. Her panic mad her babble out one of the stupidest things she could've said. "If you're going to kill me or something, please just get it over with. The suspense is killing me." Definitely not the best thing to say.

 

The sound of breaking twigs came louder, defining the sounds as footsteps. "Hello?" She asked tremulously. She struggled to get up, but her ankle gave way beneath her and she fell over. There was a blinding flash of pain in the back of her head and she fell unconscious. The last thing she perceived was a pair of large boots next to her head.

 

_|_|_

(•.•)

_(><)_

 

Miroku paced the living room. He was frustrated beyond belief and sick with worry. So far, the police had sent one incompetent fool over to the house. So far, all the idiot had done was sit at the table drinking tea and talk about her own daughter. She didn't seem to notice that no one was attending.

 

"…and she's so smart, you know. She could get into any high school around here for miles. One of the brightest in her class. And all the boys are chasing her," The woman chuckled and slurped her tea. "but she'll have none of it! Too busy in her studies, she says." The woman leaned over as far as her large bosom allowed and whispered to Sango confidentially, "You know, she's even had a few proposals. At that age! Yup, the guys are crawling over her…" She placed a meaty arm on the table to push herself away from the table.

 

"Really?" Sango asked politely. Miroku poked his head in the kitchen. Sango was sitting stiffly at the table, nervous energy just radiating off her as she somehow managed to keep absolutely still. It was quite an admirable feat. His eyes strayed towards her chest and she shot him a death glare over the woman's head. The lecherous man backed out of the room quietly as he headed towards the phone for the eighth time.

 

"Hello? Police? I'd like to report a missing person… yes, it's me again. Well, if you'd just do something to help, I wouldn't be calling again! Her? She's just sitting at the table and drinking tea! No, we need someone to go look for her." He felt like he was going to explode… "Hang the time allowance! She's lost! She could be anywhere! Now, GO-" Miroku moved the receiver away from his head for a moment and took a deep breath. "Now, go find her." He concluded in a calmer voice.

 

"I'll see what I can do, sir." The man on the other side drawled. To someone else in the background, then man said with a sigh, "Yeah, it's that loony again, callin' 'bout a missing girl or something. Yeah, I told him."

 

For the first time in a long time, Miroku felt like hurting something. Or rather, someone. The man on the phone would do quite nicely indeed. "Look." He said sharply. "I don't know what you're playing at, but one of the jobs of the police force is to find people when they're lost. What the hell," Miroku silently reveled in his choice of words, "are you paid of, anyway?" He took a deep breath and continued. Screw the rules, he was going to give them a piece of his mind. "Because so far, all you've done so far is sit in that little station of yours and polish your guns. So much for the mighty 'police force'." And he wasn't even done yet…

 

Five minutes later, a very cowed police officer said meekly to Miroku that they were sending out three cars to look for Keiko. "Kagome." Miroku said coldly. "Kagome. Now go get her, and bring her home."

 

"Yes, sir." The man replied in a small voice. "Good day, sir." Miroku looked at the clock on the wall. It was eleven thirty. Good day?... The other man hung up and Miroku heard him say before the phone hit the receiver, "Crazy, that one is. Absolutely nuts."

 

With gleeful enthusiasm, Miroku said smartly into the receiver, "And don't you forget it!" The man gulped audibly. After putting the phone down, Miroku collapsed onto the couch where Shippo was sleeping, curled tightly into a ball with a frown on his face. The poor kid had finally collapsed from exhaustion. The purple-eyed man leaned back against the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. The dull yattering of the woman in the kitchen droned on, and Sango was at her wit's end. Sharing a look through the open doorway, the two's thoughts were one and the same.

 

"Kagome, where are you…?"

 

(\ /)

(•.•)

_(> <)_

 

"Hey, Kouga." Hakakku greeted. "Whatcha got there?" He did a double take and pushed himself away from the table he was sitting at. "Who you got there?"

 

The black-haired, cerulean-eyed man shrugged. "Found her on our property." He placed the girl on the couch in the main room and grabbed a blanket from the window seat. He tossed it over the body and frowned when it landed on her face. He pulled it back and tugged on the corners so it covered her completely.

 

"A trespasser." Kouga's other cousin Ginta nodded appreciatively. "Whatcha gonna do with her?" He asked with interest. The last one they'd dumped into a lake on a cold autumn morning.

 

"Ahh, I dunno." Kouga replied with a careless shrug. "She's only about sixteen, I'd guess. Nothing too nasty." The two brothers sighed in disappointment. Summer was pretty boring. They wanted to see something interesting.

 

Kouga didn't take a second look at the girl as he stepped over a pile of papers and then a sweatshirt. After a second thought, he turned back to the sweatshirt and put it on. It was getting cold, after all. The room was dark, the curtains over the large bay window drawn for the night. Not that there was anyone who'd peep in. There were some horrible neighbors about half a mile away on their own property, but besides that, they were the nearest people for miles.

 

There was a thump from the room next to him and a muffled exclamation from Ginta, followed by Hakakku's snickers. The scuffle escalated and Kouga maneuvered himself through the pitch-black room with ease as he headed to the "TV room" as they called it. "Hey, you two!" He reprimanded. Why did he always have to play the part of the mature adult?

 

The scuffling stopped with a few snide remarks muttered by Hakakku. Kouga entered the room. Picking his way through the stuff on the floor and flopping against the couch. He grabbed half of a sandwich off of a plate on Ginta's lap. The offended cousin glowered, but didn't dare say anything. As kids, Kouga had always been a good fighter. Now he was great. A cold nose thrust itself in his empty hand, and Kouga absently patted the wolf sitting next to his feet. Another wolf yipped from the other room, informing him that the girl was awake and Kouga got up. The TV wasn't really interesting anyway.

 

He walked out of the room wordlessly and went into the main room where the girl lay. She blinked wide brown eyes and stared unseeingly at the ceiling. The room was nearly pitch black. "Hello?" Her voice was slightly raspy. She cleared it and tried again. "Hello? Anybody there?" Kouga confidently stood next to her head. He could see perfectly well in the dark. She didn't seem to be any harm.

 

"Hey, Ginta!" The girl flinched to hear the voice coming from so near her head. "Turn the light on!" There was a sigh from the couch in the other room.

 

"Why can't Hakakku do it?" Asked Ginta. The girl's eyes raced around the room as she desperately tried to see her surroundings. "He's closer to the switch."

 

"I don't give a damn which one of you does it, just get it done. Now!" With a grumble, one of them got up to flick on the light. Wide brown eyes stared around the room and rested on Kouga.

 

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I am?" The last thing she remembered was going out for pickles. No wait, she'd fallen down the slope and hurt her ankle- it throbbed as she remembered it- and then hit her head- that pounded persistently- and then she must've blacked out…

 

"Why were you on my property?" Kouga asked bluntly. The black-haired girl blinked at the bluntness of the question. After a moment's pause, he demanded again, "Well?"

 

"I didn't know that I was on your property." Kagome said slowly. She was tired. Her arm came out of from under the blanket and rubbed her eyes. "I fell of the path, and down the hill." She tried to sit up and winced. "I think I sprained by ankle…"

 

Kouga stared at her inscrutably. She seemed armless enough, but so did the last guy who'd appeared on his property. Damn neighbors… The girl fidgeted under his stare and looked away. "What's your name?" He asked finally.

 

"Kagome." She replied. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, straightening it somewhat. She winced as she touched the bump in the back of her head. "I was lost, and I was looking for my way back."

 

"Here, let me see." Kouga finally instructed. The girl turned her head to the side and he moved her bluish-black hair away from the bump. "That's gonna need ice." He told her.

 

"I think you're right." She replied, still wincing. "So, what's your name?" She asked him. Kouga dropped her hair and stood up.

 

"I'm Kouga." He turned to face the TV room and yelled, "Hey, Ginta or Hakakku! Go get me some ice!" There was a grumble, followed by a small scuffle. Then, Hakakku stumbled out of the room, rubbing his head gingerly. He walked into the kitchen, which was conveniently located next to the TV room and tossed an ice pack at Kouga. He caught it deftly and handed it to Kagome.

 

"Thanks." She placed the icepack against the back of her head and flinched at the cold of it. She was uncomfortably aware that Kouga was staring at her. "So where am I?" She broke the silence.

 

"In the middle of nowhere." He answered enigmatically. "Where'd you come from?" He shot back. Kagome tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

 

"Priestess Lane, a bit outside Maebashi." She replied. "Do you know where that is?" She asked sheepishly. Kouga raised his eyebrows, impressed at the distance the girl walked.

 

"As a matter of fact, I do." Kagura used to live there… That bitch. "You walked that far?" He asked in surprise. Kagome nodded, then winced when it made her head hurt more. "Wow. That's impressive."

 

"Well, it took me more than five hours, at least." She admitted. "I was really lost, I didn't know where I was going." She brought the icepack from her head and gingerly pulled her leg nearer her body to place it there. Yup, it was definitely swollen. It looked sprained pretty badly.

 

"Where exactly where you trying to go?" He asked and started to move upstairs, maneuvering around all the junk on the floor.

 

"I was going to buy some pickles," She said with some embarrassment. "My Grandpa wanted some because we were out. They're one of his favorites."

 

Kouga reappeared with an ace bandage in hand and a wolf at his heels. Kagome flinched at the sight of the large animal. Kouga noticed and tried to reassure her. "Don't be afraid of these guys. They're just like big dogs. Big, smart dogs that don't stink." He added. Kagome frowned slightly at his comment, but kept her mouth closed.

 

Kouga picked up her foot and efficiently wrapped her ankle up in it. After a moment's silence, he asked casually, "Kagome, isn't it?" She nodded. "You got a boyfriend?"

 

Kagome was startled. By the look of this guy, he was quite a bit older than her. "Uhh…" She stalled. "Not exactly…" She replied awkwardly.

 

"Sits well with me." He flashed her a grin and Kagome squirmed uncomfortably. "You're kinda pretty, you know that? You know what? You can be my girlfriend." Kouga announced cheerfully. He put a hand on her shoulder and Kagome carefully removed it. Kouga frowned.

 

"Well, you see, there is someone, but we haven't been going out for a long time, or anything." That was a lie. The guy she had in mind she had never gone out with. Oh well.

 

"That's too bad." Kouga said carelessly. He'd have to scare the guy off at some point. "Well, how about staying for a few days? You could call your family and stuff."

 

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. Wow, this was awkward. "Actually, I'd like to go home and see them. They must be really worried, you know?" She'd only known the guy about twenty minutes and he was asking her to stay at his house! A thought suddenly occurred to her. "How long was I knocked out?" She asked anxiously.

 

"Oh, only about fifteen minutes." He said with a shrug. "not too long. You sure you don't want to stay a while? Like a few days?" He tried again.

 

"Very sure." Kagome confirmed strongly. The wolves were freaking her out, and the room was a mess of papers and other stuff, but strangely, the floor underneath was very clean. As if someone cleaned up around the piles of stuff. And everything was covered in wolf hair. Nope, she didn't think she'd like staying here very much.

 

"I'll take you back in the morning okay?" He looked at his watch. "It's about one in the morning right now." He told Kagome. "We can set out tomorrow morning after some breakfast."

 

"That'd be great." Kagome smiled slightly. Home! She flinched as a thump came from the other room followed by some growling. "Oh, could I call my family?" She was so tired she almost forgot.

 

With an annoyed sigh, Kouga said in a conversational tone to the bickering in the next room, "Can you give it a rest for even a few minutes, guys?" The noises stopped after a bit of grumbling and Kouga shook his head. Turning to his houseguest, he said matter-of-factly, "Unfortunately, the phone line's dead right now." He pointed a finger at the door to the TV room. "My cousins are imbeciles." A curiously grey and black striped head stuck appeared in the doorway and then poked back into the room after glowering at Kouga a bit. "That's Ginta." Kouga introduced informally. "The other guy's Hakakku."

 

"Hey." Came from the other room. Kagome returned the greeting and reapplied the icepack to her head. After a moment's pause, Kouga walked out of the room to join his relatives in the TV room, two wolves trailing after him. What a host. Kagome found herself wondering about how many of the animals there were around the house. With a nervous sigh, she settled down to sleep. She was exhausted.

 

(\ /)

( •.•)

( >)_

 

The woman had finally left. The police were out looking for her. Hopefully, they'd find her soon. Shippo sat dedicatedly by the phone, waiting anxiously for it to ring. He squirmed in his seat on the couch, staring intently as he willed it to ring and tell him that Kagome was coming home.

 

And then it rang. Shippo pounced on the phone and it fell to the ground with him. The small table it sat on was overturned and Shippo lifted the phone to his head. "KAGOME!" The thing was upside down, he noticed with a frown. Hastily, he corrected the mistake and tried again. "KAGOME!"

 

"Uh…" The unfamiliar voice spoke on the other end. "Can I please speak to Mr. or Mrs. Higurashi?" Shippo frowned in puzzlement.

 

"Is it about Kagome?" The ginger-haired kid asked.

 

The man's voice was puzzled." No, I'm calling to see if Mr. or Mrs. Higurashi would be interested in purchasing-"

 

The child interrupted the solicitor politely. "Then you're wasting my time. I'm waiting for Kagome." Shippo explained patiently. "'Bye." He hung up, not bothering to wait for a response from the solicitor on the other end.

 

He would wait. Miroku passed through the room and gave the determined kid a sympathetic pat on the head. "She'll call, just you wait." Shippo said confidently. Miroku nodded absently and headed towards the staircase with a yawn. He looked at the clock on his way out. One thirty already? He looked back at the forlorn yet stubborn Shippo, waiting for a call from Kagome and remembered another small boy waiting for a call from a loved one. As he marched wearily up the stairs, he pushed the memory to the side and headed for his room.

 

The call for that little boy never came.

 

_|__|_

(•_•)

---( • )---

(____)

 

Kagome awoke feeling like crap. She squinted as the sun came through the curtains, blinding her. She decided to keep her eyes shut. For a moment, she wondered what had happened to make her feel so bad. And why was she sleeping on the couch? She tried to sit up and a pounding headache roared into life inside her skull. With a groan, she rubbed her temples and swung her legs out from underneath a blanket. With a yelp, her eyes shot open and she remembered the events of yesterday.

 

She wanted to go home. She tried to stand up, but her ankle was definitely sprained, maybe even broken. Great. She sighed. Kouga came into the room, munching on a piece of toast with what appeared to be leftovers of some kind smothered over it. "Want any food?" He asked, indicating the toast. She was hungry, but she'd rather get home and then eat that stuff.

 

"Nah, I'm okay." She said quickly, regarding the toast dubiously. "What time can we go?" Kagome looked at her "savior" anxiously. He took his time, chewing carefully and then swallowing. Kagome fidgeted impatiently.

 

"Now?" He asked. "Now would work." Kouga shrugged carelessly. It seemed to be a habit of his. He walked over to the couch, a few wolves trailing behind him as usual. "Here." He offered his free hand and Kagome struggled to get up.

 

"Thanks," She winced slightly and limped heavily out of the room, leaning on Kouga. She looked at him uncomfortably. She didn't really want to be in such a compromising position with him. She didn't even know him.

 

"No prob." He finished off the last of the toast concoction and they went through the kitchen. On passing through, Kagome waved goodbye to Ginta and Hakakku, who returned the sentiment and continued eating the leftover toast stuff.

 

Limping heavily, Kagome made it down the steps and to a surprisingly modern car with Kouga's aid. She'd actually been expecting an old beat-up pick-up truck or something similar. Opening the door for her, Kouga carefully helped her into the seat, mindful of her ankle. He didn't seem to bad, actually. He was being very considerate to her. As she buckled her seatbelt, Kouga got in on the other side and started the car. "It's a pretty long trip, even by car." He informed her. "Probably about an hour, actually." Kouga said thoughtfully as they went down the dirt road.

 

"Mm." Kagome replied eloquently. She was still half asleep. The dirt road soon joined up with the lonely highway that Kagome had been traveling down for most of last night. Kouga glanced at the exhausted and muddled girl next to him. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he reached into his sweatshirt pocket and tossed her a bag of snacks. Kagome looked at them dubiously.

 

"You look like you could use 'em." Kouga explained. "They've got caffeine in them." Kagome nodded wordlessly and opened the bag. She popped a few of the snacks in her mouth and then ate a few more.

 

In a conversational tone, Kouga asked her, "So, how long you been in the neighborhood?"

 

(\ /)

(0.o)

<( )>

' '

 

Shit. He'd never felt so helpless in his life, and the guilt was starting to eat away at him. He kept thinking of the last words he'd said to her: "Well, aren't you the self-centered brat. Well, you can just rot in your room until the next millennia."

 

What a thing to say. Now he regretted it. "Kagome…" He murmured. It was almost dawn. She'd been missing for 16 hours. "Come back…"

 

As they said, "you never know the worth of water until the well is dry." He wanted Kagome back. He wanted to stop worrying. He wanted everything to go back to normal. He didn't like floating around the property, completely helpless. Kagome…

 

The poltergeist laughed suddenly, harshly, a bitter sound that filled the silent morning air. He wanted her to come back and yell at him. It was pathetic, really. He wanted her to come back so she could scream insults and abuses at him. He wanted her to be near again. He wanted her to come back and eat lunch on the porch with him. He wanted her to slap Miroku and laugh at Shippo, to talk with Sango and roll her eyes at Mr. Higurashi. He wanted Kagome back.

 

_|__|_

(•_•)

---( • )---

(____)

 

Home at last! Kagome rejoiced in her head as they turned down Priestess Lane, idly chatting. Kouga didn't look too happy, though, Kagome noted. The strange caffeine snacks that he'd given her had done wonders, though and she felt as alive as ever, although dirty and in need of some attention.

 

"Well, here we are." Kouga said slowly with a sigh. He stopped the engine and came out of the car. He walked around the front of the car and helped the injured girl out of her seat. As she left the car, Kagome had been expecting a great hullabaloo. She was surprised when there wasn't one, and slightly disappointed.

 

Kouga noticed her sigh and shrugged. Maybe she did want to stay with him, after all? He grinned as he helped her up the walk. With a great bang, a spectral figure was suddenly in their path. "Inuyasha!" Kagome greeted cheerfully. Kouga stopped dead in his tracks. Not only was the figure in front of him floating in the air, not only could he see through him, but he was demon. "Fool…" He murmured under his breath. Kouga decided not to get involved.

 

The ghost-demon didn't answer. The grin on his features slowly melted away and was replaced by a cold, neutral look. He glanced at the pair, color draining from him as stared with distaste. Literally, Kouga noted. The color was being sucked up, leaving a drained grey in it's wake. Kagome's arm jabbed him in the ribs suddenly as her ankle gave way. Kouga caught her gently. When he looked up again, the front door was open and people surged out, looking exhausted. The ghost was still staring.

 

"Kagome!" An older girl rushed up to hug her. "We were so worried!" She gasped, shedding a few tears in relief.

 

"Sango!" Kagome greeted just as warmly. She let go of Kouga's arm and met the other's embrace. "Sango" moved back and started to bombard the girl with questions as Kagome was slammed into by a small kid. "Oof!" Kagome fell against Kouga's chest. He could feel the almost tangible death glare that the ghost was giving him.

 

"KAGOMEEEEEEEEE!" The kid screamed. Kouga winced at the volume. "WAHHH! I WAS SO WORRIED! I MISSED YOU!"

 

"I missed you, too Shippo." She patted the kid on the head. Another man arrived at a more dignified pace.

 

"Kagome!" He exclaimed, arms wide. After a moments pause, Kagome hesitantly returned his hug. After a moment, she squirmed out of his hold, a blush on her face. The older girl whacked the man on the back of the head gently. Kouga growled involuntarily. So this must be the boyfriend.

 

"…and then I fell down a hill and sprained my ankle-" Kagome was watching Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye as the others crowded around her, Shippo firmly stuck to her shoulder.

 

"Oh, Kagome…" Sango lamented. "I'm so sorry!" She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Is it okay now?"

 

"Yeah, it's better. Kouga wrapped it for me. He found me on his property, that's where I fell." The three of them turned their attention to the black-haired man in the driveway. "He was really nice."

 

Kouga grinned at the girl. The ghost was starting to make him uncomfortable. "No problem, Kagome." He put his keys in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

 

"Please, come in." Kagome's boyfriend smiled and indicated the door. Kouga felt his insides crawling with disgust. A charmer. He'd be easy to intimidate. The smile on his face felt plastic as he agreed.

 

Sango helped Kagome up the walkway. The two paused as they passed by the ghost and Kagome whispered something to him. Kouga's abnormally sharp ears caught the words. "Come on, don't just stand there!"

 

"Get away from me!" He snarled, his face flushing with color. He disappeared with a tremendous bang. Sparks showered the ground and a thick foul black smog surrounded the two girls. They coughed and moved away, appearing on the other side of the cloud.

 

Kouga and Miroku hurried up the towards the two of them, moving around the large black cloud that was as thick as when it appeared. Sparks flew out of it at random intervals. "Are you all right?" Miroku asked the two girls.

 

"Yeah, fine." Sango replied in puzzlement. Kagome was staring at the black cloud looking slightly hurt and confused, her hand still reaching as it had been before. She turned away slowly as the other three continued to walk ahead, talking. She limped heavily up to the door, thinking.

 

_|__|_

(•_•)

---( • )---

(____)

 

He was such a fool. She was such a… bitch. Wods could not describe how much he hated her right now. He and the others had been worried sick about her all night, and she had the nerve to come up, casual as you please, hanging onto some guy's arm! She'd probably done it on purpose, to get them all worried about her, and had really run off with some boyfriend. That… Kouga.

 

After all he'd done, worrying and feeling guilty and, and pining after her. He'd tried so many times to leave the premises, nearly fading into nothing on several occasions before he retreated. To see her walking up the drive with a cheerful smile was like a slap in the face, only much more painful.

 

How… how could she?! He rushed by the old tree where they'd spent numerous hours in eachother's company, then whizzed through the forest so fast that the trees became brown blurs. The angry and hurt poltergeist zipped through the walls and furiously slammed into his urn.

 

There he stayed for several hours, seething, nursing the resentment and anger inside him. She probably didn't even notice that he wasn't with the rest of them, celebrating her return. She was probably all busy with Kouga. Then the door opened, and a cautious feminine voice that he was currently busy despising called out. "Inuyasha? Are you there?"

 

He summoned the tide of emotions that he was feeling and prepared for battle, popping out of the urn with a bang like a shotgun. Kagome flinched. Black smoke spewed out of the tope of the urn and Kagome coughed, stumbling out of the shed as the thick cloying stuff invaded the small space.

 

He was prepared to give her hell, and that's exactly what she'd get.

 

(\ /)

(•.•)

(><)

 

Kagome felt much refreshed after a shower. She felt even better after a good meal. Sango laughed as she stuffed food into her mouth. She hadn't eaten much the day before, only a small breakfast. And the caffeine snack things weren't very filling, so she was hungry. Starving, in fact. Shippo sat on her shoulder the entire time, refusing to let her out of his sight. Kagome had to admit that she felt very treasured as they all crowded around her. But there was something missing… or rather someone. Where was Inuyasha?

 

Was he still mad at her? It stung to think that. She'd been missing for over half a day, and he couldn't put aside a petty quarrel? She'd put it out of her mind completely when she'd gotten lost. Kagome sighed, melancholy. She just didn't get it.

 

Kouga watched Kagome out of the corner of his eye as he conversed with the rest of the household. She was preoccupied and staring in Miroku's direction. Kouga growled so low in his throat that it escaped human hearing. What was so great about that guy? Then he noticed that the kid, Shippo, was staring at him in bravely belligerent way as he clung to Kagome. Kouga stopped growling, and the kid relaxed slightly.

 

Kagome picked up her plate and put it in the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder as she went, "Thanks for the great meal, Miroku!" The man inclined his head politely. So he could cook. Was that it? Well, he could cook too. Kouga stared at the man, perplexed as the others put their own dishes in the kitchen. Miroku soon did the same. Kouga followed him. Miroku shook his head at the dishes piled in the sink and turned to the other man. "They always leave me with the dishes." He complained with a rueful grin. What a pansy! He did the dishes! Kouga almost laughed. What a way to lure in the ladies! But still, if he was Kagome's boyfriend, he'd have to be gotten rid of.

 

"Hey." Kouga said roughly. Miroku looked up, hot water spilling over his hands as he scrubbed at a frying pan.

 

"Yes?" The purple-eyed man asked as he worked. Kouga looked him up and down and took a step closer. He was a few inches taller. He was pleased when Miroku moved away slightly. "Um, I don't swing that way…" He said politely. Kouga backed away immediately.

 

"And neither do I." He snarled. Far from being intimidated, Miroku looked at him curiously. "Stay away from Kagome if you know what's good for you." He growled.

 

Miroku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said flatly.

 

"Don't play stupid." Kouga snarled. "I've seen the way you two behave." He only got more belligerent when Miroku began to smile slowly. "You think it's funny then, do you?"

 

Kouga took a step closer, and this time it was obvious what his intentions were. Miroku merely sighed and turned off the water. He dried his hands on a towel and moved away from the sink. "If you think there is something between myself and Miss Kagome, you are very much mistaken." He grinned ruefully, calmly. "She's not interested in me." His grin widened. "Unless you're saying that she told you that she is interested and is just pretending not to,"

 

"No, no." Kouga broke off the pervert. "But, does she have a boyfriend?" He tried. Miroku frowned as he thought.

 

"Well, there's Hojo." Miroku began. Kouga was standing in front of him, arms folded over his chest as he listened intently. "But he's from Kagome's old school and just came up to visit. They've only been out once. Kagome doesn't really seem to see anything in Hojo, though." He mused.

 

"Huh." Kouga shrugged. Then she must be shy. He headed out of the room, casually throwing a thank-you over his shoulder as he left to say good-bye before heading home.

 

He came upon Kagome, Shippo and Sango in the living room. Shippo watched his every move through wide green eyes as he said goodbye. "See you around, Kagome." He winked and Kagome waved, unable to walk him to the door due to her ankle.

 

"Bye, Kouga!" She called cheerfully. "Thanks!" He waved and closed the door behind him. Shippo snuggled closer to Kagome. The raven-haired girl patted him on the back. "What's wrong, Shippo?" She asked.

 

"I don't like Kouga." Shippo explained. "He's kinda scary." Kagome nodded absently and patted him on the back again.

 

"Oh, he's okay Shippo. Just a bit on the…" She searched for the right word. "…feral side." She decided finally. She changed the subject abruptly after a moments pause. "Anybody seen Inuyasha?"

 

Everybody shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. Sango and Miroku were in the process of setting up a card game. "Strip poker?" Miroku suggested with a twinkle in his eye. Sango promptly kicked him under the table and he winced. "Ouch."

 

"It's what you deserve." Sango said self-righteously. "Can't you keep your mind out of the gutter for even five minutes!" She asked in exasperation as Miroku's eyes started to wander from her face. She put an arm over her chest and hit him on the head to get his attention. "Let's make a bet."

 

"A bet? On what?" Miroku asked, eyes how firmly on her face. Well, at least he was making an effort…

 

"If I win, you have to think clean thoughts for a week." Sango announced. Miroku raised his eyebrows at her.

 

"And if I win?" Miroku's mouth slowly turned up in a grin. "What do I get?" He asked. Sango noticed in apprehension that he was rubbing his hands together slowly.

 

"Uhh…" She hadn't thought about that part. "Name it, and it has to be appropriate! Nothing that you wouldn't let Shippo see." She said firmly.

 

Miroku looked disappointed. "That's not fair." He protested. Then he grinned. Sango looked at him nervously. "Then you can't hit me, not matter what I do." Sango blinked.

 

"That's it?" She asked incredulously. Her eyes narrowed. "For how long?" She looked at him suspiciously.

 

"A week seems fair." Miroku inspected his nails, then cracked his knuckles. "So what are we playing?" Sango shuffled the cards with renewed vigor. She was not going to lose this…

 

(\ /)

(•.•)

_(><)_

 

Kagome winced and stumbled back. She yelped as her ankle twisted slightly and she fell out of the shed on her rear. "Inuyasha?" her voice was slightly panicked. "Are you alright?"

 

The spectral figure bloomed out of the thick cloying smoke he'd created. "What the hell is your problem?" He roared. Kagome blinked.

 

"What?" She pulled herself upright gingerly with the help of a nearby sapling. Her brown eyes looked at him innocently.

 

"What the hell was that?!" His crimson sleeve flapped as he pointed towards the house furiously. Kagome just looked at him blankly.

 

"Don't pretend you don't know!" Amber eyes glared into brown. "You were hanging onto that Kouga like a leech!" Kagome blinked. She still didn't get it.

 

"…and then before that, it was Hojo. That weak pathetic idiot! They're both idiots!" He snarled. "And you just show up casually after a night of worrying! You scared the shit out of Shippo! He was sitting by the phone all night! The least you could've done is called!"

 

"No, I couldn't!" Kagome snapped back. "Kouga said the phone was dead!" She glared back just as fiercely.

 

"Bullshit!" Inuyasha spat back. "We all saw the way you two were all snuggled up!" Black smoke was blooming out of the hut, sneaking over the ground and twining around Kagome's ankle's.

 

"Well, you're not as observant as you think, idiot!" She argued fiercely. "I sprained my ankle! I couldn't walk!"

 

"You're walking fine now!" Inuyasha observed heatedly. "All you ever have is excuses! 'Oh, Hojo lent me his jacket, even though it was ninety degrees outside!' 'I sprained my ankle, but I'm fine now!'" His eyes flashed. "Bullshit!" He reapeated.

 

"I'm not lying!" Kagome cried. "I'm not lying! I don't have any feelings for Kouga, or Hojo!"

 

"I don't care about your feelings!" The black smoke was pooling around her shins now. There was a brief pause in which both of them simply glared at eachother. Hesitantly, Inuyasha broke the silence. "So what really happened?"

 

"What?" Kagome was startled, her temper soothed slightly from the lull in the argument.

 

"What happened between you and Kouga?" He asked again, stubbornly. "No lying." The smoke pouring out of the shed lessened slightly as the poltergiest's temper calmed slightly.

 

The anger and belligerence came back full force. "Why do you care?! It's not your problem!"

 

"Oh, so now I can't just ask you a question without you blowing up in my face!" Inuyasha was furious again as well.

 

"You're such an idiot!" Kagome yelled at him, her fists clenched tightly around the poor sapling's branches.

 

"GO AWAY!" Inuyasha roared back, fully colored with rage. Kagome glared back just as belligerently.

 

"I think I will!" She shot back venomously. The smoke was curling about the forest floor again. Limping heavily back up the hill took a long time, but the angry young woman finally made it to the top without mishap. As fast as she could, she stormed back into the house, gingerly removing her shoes at the door before she stomped up the stairs to her room.

 

Miroku shook his head at Kagome's passage through the living room. He looked back at his cards, eyes narrowed in concentration. His hand hovered over one card, then the next. He finally selected one and put them down on the table.

 

Sango grinned and selected a card immediately, followed by another, then another, then another. Mioku winced as she put down three more cards. "Draw two, draw two, skip, reverse, reverse, reverse, skip, reverse and then a one." She grinned at him and said one dreaded word.

 

"Uno."

 

_|__|_

(• . •)

---( • )---

(_____)

 

"That's it," Kagome told her empty room as she packed hastily, throwing open one dresser drawer, pulling clothing out of it by the handful and slamming it closed. She stuffed the handful into her suitcase and opened another drawer, grabbed a handful and slammed it in a most cacophonous manner. Shippo snuck in through the partially opened door and watched her with wide eyes as he bounced on to her bed.

 

"Kagome…?" He asked in a small voice. She was acting really scary. What had Kouga done to her? "What are you doing?" The ginger-haired boy asked nervously.

 

She stopped her haphazard packing to pause and look at Shippo before going back to her work. "I need to get away from that jerk," She accented the word with a loud bang from the dresser. "before I explode!" She announced.

 

"Where will you go?" Shippo asked in concern. "There's nowhere for miles!" He waved his small arms in the air.

 

Kagome paused again and sat heavily on the bed next to Shippo. She wearily tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "That's a good point…" She ruffled the small child's hair. "I just need to… to get out of here for a while!"

 

Shippo frowned at her. "Well, why don't you just go for a walk?" He asked obviously. Kagome snorted at his suggestion and reminded him of the last time she'd "gone on a walk." "I'll go with you!" Shippo cried enthusiastically.

 

Kagome smiled at the kid's eagerness to be helpful. "We'll probably end up getting both of us lost. And besides, my ankle's still in pretty bad shape." She look wryly at the damaged limb.

 

"Oh, yeah." Shippo said with a defeated sigh. Suddenly Kagome remembered the ballroom. It seemed like a good escape. It was so quiet in there, and the room was so peaceful. With a satisfied smile, she picked up Shippo. "I've got the perfect place." She told the small boy with a smile.

 

 

AN: Long enough? Longer? Tell me whatcha think? OOC? Anything? Let me know!