Other Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Trial ❯ Chapter 18

Sayaka's apology chapter.

 

~*~

 

It was summer again. The air was warm, the berries were ripe, and her vegetable garden was growing. The only thing missing in Kagome's life was company. No one had come to the forest for some time, and she hadn't gone to Vale in nearly a year. She was sweeping her porch to get rid of the stray leaves that had made it there and thought about how she missed the company. Looking down at her miko clothes, she frowned. I didn't realize how frayed these were getting. I need to buy some cloth and make more clothes for myself. She put aside her broom and went to her closet, choosing an outfit she had purchased in Lalivero and, grabbing her bow, arrows, and the long knife, headed out the door. She decided against taking Hiraikotsu because it might scare the Valeans, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to fit in any of the stores with it on her back.

 

Upon entering the town, she was struck by how many children were running around. I guess with Psynergy abundant in the world again, there's no need for them to hide it. Stepping into the item shop, she told the woman what she wanted, and it was given to her in next to no time. She thanked her, turned around, and promptly ran into someone. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she apologized, picking up her belongings. Then she looked at who she had run into. “Jenna!”

 

“Kagome!” Jenna cried, embracing her. “It's been a year since we've seen you!”

 

“It has been a while,” Kagome agreed, standing. “I needed cloth, so I came by.” She looked thoughtful. “You know, while I'm here, I should probably buy some extra food. The stuff I have right now won't last forever.” She and Jenna walked back to the counter and she bought things that she couldn't grow for herself, like nuts and dried meat.

 

“Wait,” Jenna called when she started walking away. “Why don't you stay for awhile? It has been a year, after all, and I want to know what's been happening.”

 

Kagome agreed, and the two of them strolled down to Jenna's home. Kagome told her of how she'd been taking in lost and sick wanderers from her woods. “I'm actually surprised that I haven't come home and seen any of you waiting for me,” she remarked.

 

“We've been looking for you ever since you helped Lara,” Jenna explained. “Did she really have a fever?”

 

“Yeah, but it's not like it was serious,” Kagome said dismissively, but Jenna looked at her with adoration in her eyes. “What?” she asked, nonplussed.

 

“Very few people survive fever,” Jenna answered seriously. “When someone got it here a few months ago, not even Piers and Mia could save her.”

 

Kagome looked down for a moment. “Hey, where is everyone? I would've though they'd all flock around like I was some sort of novelty,” she joked, trying to make the conversation lighter.

 

Jenna smiled. “You have to admit, you are something of a novelty. But as for where they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they're in your forest, trying to find you.”

 

“I didn't know they were looking,” Kagome said, surprised. “It isn't all that hard to find. Just go straight back until you hit the base of the mountains. You'll eventually run into me if you keep looking long enough.”

 

“That's the problem,” the Mars Adept told her. “We can't seem to reach the base of the mountains. There's something there that's blocking us, I guess. Felix has been doing almost nothing except look for you ever since winter.”

 

“I didn't have a problem finding it the first time,” Kagome said thoughtfully. “I wonder why you're having such a hard time. Are you doing anything later today?”

 

“No, why?”

 

“How `bout you come with me?” she suggested. “That way you'll be able to tell the others how to get there.”

 

“Okay,” Jenna readily agreed.

 

Kagome's face lit up. “And since I have help this time, I can get more stuff!”

 

Jenna groaned good-naturedly and accompanied her back to the item store, where she bought more seeds, fruit trees this time, and lots more dried meat. Then they went to the weapon shop and came out with arrows and more knives. The short ones Kagome left at home were nearly paper-thin, and almost as bendy. It was definitely time to replace them. Together they lugged her purchases through the woods, Kagome always making sure Jenna was near her.

 

When the house came into sight, Jenna stopped, her eyes wide at the sight. “Beautiful, ne?” Kagome asked, forgetting to speak in Valean.

 

Jenna didn't understand her exact words, but she could tell by Kagome's tone what she was asking, and nodded. “I've never seen anything like this,” she breathed. “It's so big. And you live here by yourself?”

 

“Yes, until another unfortunate soul gets lost in my forest,” the miko sighed. “It's not that I hate helping people, but they do tend to show up at my doorstep with less than excellent timing. Usually I'm in the middle of something and I hear shouting, so I have to put down what I'm doing, go get the person, bring them back, take care of them, then finish what I was doing in the first place.”

 

“You poor thing,” Jenna said sympathetically. “Did you want me to stay here and help for a bit?”

 

“Your parents would worry,” Kagome reminded her. “You didn't leave them a note or anything of the sort to say where you went.”

 

“I'm nineteen years old,” she told her. “I can look after myself, and they know it. But I guess you're right. I will come back, though.”

 

“Okay. Thank you for helping me carry my things back here,” Kagome waved to her as she left her sight. Now I'm by myself again. Oh, well, there's always someone who's bound to be in some sort of trouble soon.

 

~*~

 

Jenna waited impatiently for Felix to come home. He had gone out earlier that day to go to Vault for some reason, but she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd stopped by the forest to look for Kagome one more time before coming home. Felix, where are you?

 

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard the sound of the door opening and Felix's voice calling, “I'm home.”

 

“Felix, you'll never guess what happened,” Jenna said excitedly, bouncing over to him.

 

He looked down at her, a tolerant smile on his face. He was such a good brother! “What happened?” he asked, knowing that was what she wanted.

 

“I met the witch of the forest,” she announced, using the name the children had given her.

 

He paled. “Did she give you a name?” he asked calmly, though his eyes showed he was anything but.

 

“Nope, but she didn't have to. You were right, Felix, it is Kagome!”

 

Felix grabbed her shoulders. “Where did you see her?” he demanded, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

“In the item shop,” she replied. “She was buying cloth to make more clothes for herself, though why she only got white and red is a bit beyond me. But that's not all. She took me to her house! I can take us back there and we can see her now.”

 

“Show me,” he commanded. She didn't need to be told twice; she was already out the door almost before he finished, him on her heels. They got to the edge of the forest when she slowed down. She walked in, heading straight back and ignoring the darkness at the edges of her vision. After a while, she stopped, frowning. “What's wrong?” Felix asked.

 

“This doesn't feel right,” she said. “I don't know what's wrong with me.” Her vision started going black, and the last thing she saw was Felix, looking at her worriedly.

 

~*~

 

Felix saw Jenna fall and tried to reach her before she fell, but was too late. “Jenna? Jenna, say something!”

 

The color was draining from her face, and her breathing was very shallow. Afraid of what he would find, he checked her ankle; there, barely visible, were two very small punctures. The holes themselves were swelling slightly and turning a deep red. Poison. Slinging her over his shoulder, he was about to return to Vale when a pack of wolves appeared, blocking off his escape route. A couple he could deal with on his own, but hindered by his sister, he would have to fight one-handed and make sure none of them came near enough to hurt Jenna.

 

This wasn't his day for fighting. First off, he was right-handed, but Jenna was over that shoulder, so he had to use his left. Then, the wolves had him surrounded and were attacking from all sides. He had to keep spinning around to keep them from latching onto Jenna, which left him more vulnerable. He used his Psynergy to keep them away, but he could only do that for so long. The longer the fight lasted, the weaker he became. He was by no means near to giving up since that would mean both he and Jenna would die, but he could only keep this up for so long.

 

He was bleeding from the claw and bite marks they had managed to give him. There were so many! Every time he destroyed one, it seemed like three more would show up to take its place.

 

At length, one of the wolves knocked his sword out of his hand. It was killed in the process, but now he had no weapon other than his Psynergy, and that was fading too quickly. One of the demons darted in and bit his right calf, and he collapsed, unable to stand on just one leg while holding Jenna and fending off the other demons. This is it, he thought dazedly, feeling the effects of too much blood loss. I'm sorry, Jenna. He saw the wolves fly at him, and waited for them to get it over with.

 

Fate had other plans for him. “Hiraikotsu!” a voice shouted from the forest, and a giant boomerang flew between him and the demons, destroying the ones it hit. It circled, then flew back to the person who threw it. His eyesight was blurry, so all he could see was a strangely dressed woman who seemed to have an ethereal, blue glow around her. Felix saw her catch it and destroy the rest of the demons like it was the easiest thing in the world. After that, his strength gave out, and he sank into unconsciousness.

 

~*~

 

“Felix, Jenna, answer me!” Kagome pleaded, kneeling beside the downed siblings. “This is just great.” Picking both of them up using her Psynergy, she ran back to her house, towing them behind her. A stray branch whacked them at times, but she was in a hurry and couldn't help that.

 

There wasn't enough room for both of them to be on the table, so she laid them out on the floor. First grabbing some towels from table, she set them over Felix's bleeding wounds, then turned to Jenna. She saw the symptoms of poisoning and ran to get some of her antidote supply and pillows. Letting the antidote drip into her mouth, she made sure none of it spilled out and put Jenna's head on the pillows, keeping her heart above her lower half, as that seemed to be where the poison was coming from.

 

Once she had finished with Jenna, she tended to her older brother. Felix wasn't poisoned, thank goodness, but he did lose a lot of blood and was beginning to look flushed. Checking his limbs, she saw a lot of cuts still bleeding. “Felix, you sure did make a mess of yourself,” she muttered.

 

Going to her sink, she wet a towel and started sponging off the blood with cool water, hoping to both clean him and get his temperature down. She managed to stem the flow of blood somewhat, but in order to bandage them, his sleeves and pant legs would have to come off. “Darn you for wearing long sleeves and pants,” she said more to herself than him, and she said it in Japanese, so even if he had been awake, he wouldn't have been able to understand her.

 

His boots were in tatters, so she removed them first. Then the gloves came off, and his overshirt. Why he was wearing a green scarf-like thing in the middle of summer she had no clue, but that was lost as well. His belt and scabbard were a bit harder, but she managed after some tricky maneuvering. That left his pants and shirt. Buying herself some time, she fetched some blankets, just in case, and pried his shirt off. She had to be careful since she didn't want even one thread caught in one of his cuts, but it did come off. That just left the pants. Being extra careful and blushing madly, she tugged them down, leaving Felix without anything on except his boxers, which she refused to take off; there were no holes made by teeth or claws, so it was safe to leave them on.

 

The obstacles out of the way, she bandaged his arms, legs, chest, and back, where she had found more bleeding wounds. Satisfied that Felix would be okay for now, she went back to Jenna to look for the reason she was poisoned. She scoured her legs and found what she was looking for on her right ankle. These need to be drained. Getting one of her bendy knives, she ran it through a candle to sterilize it, then lightly scratched the swollen points and watched as poison drained out of them.

 

Kagome felt that she could leave them for a few minutes and went into a different room. Opening a closet, she grabbed her two cots and set them up. Out of necessity she had made a “sickroom” for people who were ill when they came to her. Normally she only had one visitor at a time, so she only had two cots, one for the patient and one for herself. At times, the patient needed constant care, so she found it more prudent to stay in the same room. Now Jenna and Felix would take both of the cots.

 

Returning to her patients, she found them still in one piece, which was good, but neither of their minds had returned to the land of the living, which wasn't. She used Lift on them to take them to their respective cots and set them down. “This should be interesting,” she said to herself.

 

She wasn't wrong. Jenna came along nicely, recovering from the poison with no permanent injuries, though she didn't wake until almost a week later. Then she had to deal with fever. Kagome just thanked God that Felix wasn't awake; he also had a fever, and it was all she could do to convince Jenna that she wasn't going to die if she listened to Kagome and did everything she said, so she couldn't imagine trying to deal with both of them.

 

Once Jenna's fever broke, she moved her out of that room and into Kagome's room. Felix's fever was being stubborn, and she didn't want Jenna to re-catch it.

 

Jenna didn't just sit around and do nothing. Kagome showed her where things were stored, and when she needed Felix bathed, she had Jenna do it since she was his sister. Kagome also walked her through the steps of how to make soup using the balls in the pantry. Jenna was amazed at the concept of a pre-made soup that only needed hot water to make it edible. She also tended the garden, as Kagome was preoccupied with caring for Felix.

 

One night Kagome woke up to Felix thrashing around on the cot. It wasn't a very big cot, so if he didn't stop soon, he could topple the entire thing over. Getting up, she felt his forehead and quickly snatched it back. Wanting to confirm her fears, she took out a homemade thermometer and stuck it in his mouth, holding it closed with her fingers. She broke into a cold sweat when she saw the numbers rise quickly. When the numbers finally stopped, she let out a hiss. His temperature was nearly one hundred four!

 

Very glad that she had moved Jenna out of this room, she brought Felix to the cooler floor as carefully as she could with him not helping in the least. I need to install a sink in there, she thought ruefully as she went into the kitchen to get some cool water. She needed light to see by, so the fire had to remain lit, but she removed the blankets until he was stripped to his boxers; she didn't have any men's clothing on her, and with him sick, she couldn't go out and buy or make some.

 

She sponged off most of the sweat on his body with cool water, hoping to bring his temperature down somewhat. “Felix, I need you to wake up,” she whispered urgently. “I need you to drink something.”

 

To her surprise, he obeyed. His glassy eyes opened, and she was struck by how much they looked like Inuyasha's right before he died. Felix's eyes weren't golden, but their glassy appearance was almost exactly the same. “Don't die on me, Felix,” she pleaded. “Don't leave me, like Inuyasha,” she added so softly she was barely aware of saying it.

 

“Kagome?” he asked weakly.

 

She nodded, lifting his head to her lap and pressing a cup to his lips. “You need to drink.”

 

He pushed it away. “Am I dead?” he asked.

 

“No, but if you don't drink, you'll be close to it.”

 

He still looked confused. “I thought you died in Prox five years ago,” he said, sounding uncertain. “Are you sure I'm not dead? Or if I'm not, were the past five years all a dream, and we're still here with Saturos?”

 

“It wasn't a dream,” she assured him, bringing the cup back to his lips. “Drink.”

 

This time he did as he was told, sipping the cool water. “Would you like something to eat?” she asked.

 

“Okay,” he agreed, allowing her to put his head back on the ground. She went to the kitchen, made the soup as quickly as she could while grabbing a few berries along the way, and returned. He opened his eyes at her arrival. “Menardi, why are you doing this?” he asked.

 

Menardi? He must be delirious. She sat down and brought him into a sitting position. “You need to eat,” she urged, bringing the food to his lips.

 

“Where's Sheba?” he demanded harshly. “What have you done to Sheba?”

 

“She's at home, I suppose,” she said. “I haven't seen her in some time.”

 

“Don't lie to me, Menardi,” he said, sounding hurt. “I just saw her a few minutes ago, then you and Saturos did something to her.”

 

“Sheba's fine,” she assured him, wondering what the two Proxians had done to make Felix behave that way. “However, you aren't, now eat.”

 

“You won't hurt her?” he asked anxiously.

 

“No, now stop talking and eat. You have a fever to beat.”

 

He paled. “A fever might not mean anything to a Proxian, but it's deadly to most humans,” he said. “I don't want to give it to Kraden or Jenna.”

 

“That's why you're in here and they're out there. Eat!”

 

He complied. She had to feed him, but he would accept the food. He hadn't been able to eat in some time, so he was close to starving; she would give him food, but he always asked for more. Well, they say to feed a fever. He finished everything she had brought with her, but was too tired to keep eating. “Sleep, Felix,” she said, laying him down on the floor. “I'll be here tomorrow.”

 

He remained delirious. He kept calling her different names, but the most common one was Kagome, the one from Prox. Unfortunately, he was still bent on protecting Jenna. It got to the point where Kagome had to forbid Jenna from entering because even though he was delirious, he knew Jenna was in danger whenever she came into the room and would put up a fuss until she left. To make up for the exile, Kagome had Jenna prepare their meals and get her cool water whenever she needed it.

 

One morning Kagome woke to the sun on her face. This isn't right. I just slept the entire night without Felix waking me up. Is something wrong? What if something went wrong and he couldn't wake me up? Panicking, she flipped over so fast she upset the cot, and they both went down with a loud crash. Getting her scattered wits back together, she looked in Felix's direction to see him blinking sleepily over at her. The crash must have woken him up. Darn it! “Sorry about that,” she apologized sheepishly. “How are you this morning?”

 

“I'm okay,” he said, sounding still half-asleep. “What happened?”

 

“I fell,” she confessed. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

“It's fine,” he assured her. “How long have I been here?”

 

Kagome checked her calendar. “It's been some weeks,” she said. “You were fighting a fever and recovering from blood loss, so it's not surprising it took so long.” Not to mention you haven't had shots.

 

“Really? I don't remember much, just you taking care of me, and Jenna…” He trailed off. “Where's Jenna?”

 

Kagome frowned. “I don't know. I'll go find out if you want.” She stuck her head out the door. “Jenna?”

 

“Yes?” her voice floated back to the miko.

 

“Where are you?”

 

“Weeding the garden. I did this yesterday, and what do you know, they're back this morning! I swear, they're out to get me.”

 

“Just don't use fire to get them out,” Kagome warned her. “I still need those vegetables.” She turned back to Felix, who was looking at her from the floor. “She's weeding my garden for me,” she informed him. “Since she recovered, she's been helping around the house so I could care for you. Wait there and I'll get you something to eat.” She left before he could say anything and prepared the regular soup and berries. She put it in front of him and watched how he attacked it ravenously. Poor guy. He must be starved. He probably needs something more substantial than soup and fruit. Looks like I have to go hunting again.

 

“Why do you stay here all by yourself?” he asked between bites.

 

“I have my reasons,” she answered.

 

He frowned, putting the food aside for the moment. “I don't remember much while you took care of me,” he began, “but I do remember thinking you were the person who died in Prox five years ago, and you didn't correct me. Why?”

 

“You also thought I was Menardi and a bunch of other people, and I didn't correct you then, either,” she reminded him.

 

“You're hiding something from me,” he accused her. “You said, `Don't leave me, like Inuyasha.' I've only heard that name once, and that was from Kagome, the girl who died in Prox, you!”

 

She froze. How could he possibly remember that? He was delirious at the time, how could he remember anything?

 

He was talking again. “Why didn't you say something earlier?” he asked, looking at her with hurt eyes.

 

“I couldn't,” she said, unable to look at him. “The Wise One needed me for something and forbade me to say anything to you, and by the time I was released from my duties, we had already met, and it was impossible for me to tell you.”

 

“You were on business for the Wise One when we met in Contigo?”

 

She nodded.

 

“What business?”

 

“I'd…rather not say,” she replied evasively. “Let's just say that I was needed on top of the Lighthouses at the same time you were lighting them.”

 

“You were there for all four?” he asked incredulously.

 

“No,” she corrected him, “just Jupiter and Mars. I saw you fight Karst and Agatio, then that three-headed dragon on Mars.”

 

“I knew I saw movement up there,” he muttered under his breath, though she heard him anyway. “I don't see how you couldn't have told us once the Wise One released you.”

 

“You would have wanted to know why I didn't tell you earlier, and things probably would have gone downhill. Your parents would've wanted me to stay in Vale, and then I wouldn't have been able to live here.”

 

“What's wrong with living in Vale?” he asked defensively.

 

“Nothing,” she assured him, “but if I'd stayed there, I wouldn't have found something important. Besides, I like living here. It's calm, quiet most of the time, and very rarely do people bother me.”

 

“What was so important?”

 

She smiled sadly. “It has something to do with my past, and it binds me here.” She noticed that he wasn't eating. “What are you thinking? Eat, eat!”

 

Felix still had a sour look on his face, but complied. She rose to her feet. “Jenna's been almost out of her mind with worry for you, so I'll let you two be with each other for awhile, okay?”

 

He nodded, so she went out the door and into the garden. “Jenna, Felix is awake and wants to see you.”

 

Jenna jumped out of the carrots and rushed inside. Kagome smiled and took over the weeding. It feels nice to be outside again, she thought, letting the breeze blow on her, making her hair fly behind her. She threw herself into her work and got lost in it. She was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jenna standing there, leaning over her. “It's time for dinner,” she said.

 

“What?” Looking up, she saw the sun setting. “I've been working all day?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Yup. You looked content to stay out here and work, so we didn't bother you. You could have told us that you hadn't died in Prox,” she said reproachfully. “I know the Wise One said not to, but you could've afterward.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Kagome said contritely. “Next time it happens, the second I'm allowed to tell you, I will.”

 

“I can accept that,” Jenna said, forgiving her. “I don't know if Felix will, but he'll come to terms with it eventually.” The two girls walked inside.

 

Kagome was almost surprised to see that everything was set on the table; she was used to eating on the floor with one eye on Felix. “Looks like I get to eat like a regular person again,” she said lightly.

 

They sat down together, all three of them, though Felix had a blanket around his waist. Jenna had told her he was very surprised to discover that he was only in boxers, and had quickly wrapped up in the blanket. Over dinner Kagome and Jenna chatted while Felix listened, catching up on what had happened here while he was sick. When they were done, Kagome took their dishes and put them in the sink, resolving to wash them after she had figured out what she was going to do with her guests. “Now that you guys are better, care to tell me why you guys were in my forest?”

 

“We were looking for you,” Jenna explained. “I had just been there, so I thought I'd show Felix, but when I came to the forest, I couldn't remember the way. Somehow I got poisoned, and I guess Felix was defending me against demons and got hurt.”

 

“So what are you going to do now?” Kagome asked. “You two have been here for some time. I'm sure your parents and friends are worried about you.”

 

“They probably think we're fine,” Jenna said dismissively. “We defeated the three-headed dragon, after all, as well as Karst and Agatio.”

 

“I need clothes,” Felix stated. “I can't go back in just a blanket.”

 

“I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind,” Jenna teased him. At Kagome's inquiring glance, she went into more detail. “Felix is old enough to be married, and almost all the girls have their eyes on him. He's a powerful Adept, and a celebrity to boot.”

 

Felix shook his head. “The only reason they'd go for me is because Isaac already has Mia and Garet has you.”

 

“What about Ivan?” Kagome asked.

 

“He's only seventeen,” Jenna explained, “but he's off-limits; Sheba's claimed him, so that leaves Piers and Felix. Piers is a Lemurian, so he's already lived for centuries, and that scared most of the girls away from him. So that leaves Felix, and isn't it lucky for them that he isn't half-bad-looking?”

 

“Wait, you're finally going out with Garet?” Kagome addressed Jenna, who blushed and nodded. Kagome had noticed that she had taken a shine to the other Fire Adept years ago, but they hadn't gone anywhere with it, to her knowledge. “Well, good for you. You'll be good for each other.” Then she turned to Felix. “So, have any of these fine young Valean ladies taken your fancy?”

 

He stared at the table, not answering. “Touchy subject?” she whispered to Jenna.

 

“A little. I'll tell you later,” Jenna whispered back.

 

Kagome rose and winced as her sore back made itself known. “I need a bath,” she muttered to herself. “You guys can do whatever, I guess. I'll wash the dishes and then clean up a bit.” She went to the sink and Jenna joined her while Felix went back into the sickroom, pleading weariness. “So, what's going on with him?” she asked, up to her elbows in soapy water.

 

“He's been in this forest a lot, looking for you,” Jenna explained. “I don't know about now, but he's been obsessed with finding you. I think he's in love with you. That hasn't stopped the girls back home from putting the moves on him, but he basically ignores them.”

 

“I was afraid of that,” she sighed.

 

“What's wrong?” Jenna asked, concerned. “Do you not love him?”

 

“I do love him; he was my best friend while I was here, but I don't know if I love him like he wants me to. I had already given my heart to someone else before I met any of you, and even though he's been dead for two years now, I can't forget him. Felix needs someone who will make him happy and isn't permanently stuck in the past.”

 

Jenna put a hand on her shoulder. “I think there's only one person who can give him the happiness he deserves,” she said softly. “Think about it.”

 

Kagome didn't know what to say. Sure, Felix was good-looking, but she could never forget Inuyasha, her first love. Besides, Felix would probably want to stay in Vale, whereas she couldn't even think about leaving her friends' graves behind.

 

“Oh, by the way, I think I can give you your room back,” Jenna said after awhile. “Now that Felix isn't sick anymore, I can just stay with him.”

 

“Okay,” Kagome agreed.

 

“Do you mind if I bathe real quick?” the Fire Adept asked. “I think I might need it.”

 

“Go ahead. You know where it is.” Jenna left. Kagome finished scrubbing and drying the dishes and put them back in their respective places.

 

The next morning Jenna came up with a solution to Felix's more immediate problem. “I'll just go back to Vale and get some more clothes for him,” she announced as the three of them ate breakfast.

 

“I don't know if you should go alone,” Kagome spoke up. “It seems like every time you leave, you forget how to return. I'd go with you, but who would stay with Felix?”

 

“I'll be fine,” he stated. “However, I won't be fine returning to Vale with just a blanket.”

 

“Okay, it's settled, then,” Jenna said decisively. “Kagome and I will go get some of your clothes and bring them back. Don't get into any trouble while we're gone,” she warned Felix. “And, Kagome? You might want to change before we leave. You're a little conspicuous right now.” She could see her point, as she was wearing her usual priestess outfit. As soon as she put on her Laliveran clothing, they set off for Vale.

 

~*~

 

Felix watched as the two of them left. Not knowing what to do with himself, he wandered around the house. So far he'd only been in the kitchen and the sickroom, so the entire house was new to him. The walls of the main room had pictures on them, and he meandered over to see what was in them. They weren't like anything he had seen before, except in Kagome's book that she had showed him. In one picture it looked like a two-tailed cat was playing with what looked like a child, but had pointed ears and a tail.

 

He moved on to the next picture. A man and a woman were sitting next to each other, laughing. The woman had black hair and a pink stripe over her eyes and was wearing strange clothing, not like Kagome's, but similar. The man wore purple robes of some sort, and his right hand wore a glove and strange beads. On the woman's shoulder was the cat from the picture before.

 

Intrigued, he looked at the one hanging next to that one. This one looked human enough, but his hair was almost as long as Menardi's, and it was silver. He didn't have human ears; instead, two triangular ones rested atop his head. His clothes were very similar to Kagome's, except his shirt was red, whereas hers was white. Next to him stood Kagome, wearing those indecent clothes that she wore the first day she arrived in Vale. The two were talking and smiling at each other. This must be Inuyasha, he said to himself.

 

The more pictures he saw, the more he was convinced of that. There were group pictures and ones where there were only one or two people in them. In one of them Kagome and the man dressed in purple robes were looking at each other. The man had a serious expression on his face, but Kagome looked nonplussed. In the picture right next to it, Inuyasha and the other woman looked like they were yelling angrily at the man while he looked sheepish, and Kagome still looked nonplussed.

 

The one that held his attention the most was one of her and Inuyasha by a fire. Kagome was asleep on the man's shoulder, and he was looking at her, a tender expression on his face. If he wasn't completely sure that that person was Inuyasha, then this picture proved it.

 

The sound of the door opening startled him; he hadn't been aware that he'd spent the entire time looking at pictures. “Having fun?” Jenna asked from the kitchen.

 

“Tons,” he responded, strolling over to them. Glancing down, he saw that they had more clothes than he needed. “What's this?” he asked.

 

“Oh, well, Kagome didn't think it best for you to try walking out of here so soon after recovering, so we brought some extra clothes.”

 

“Some extra clothes?” he asked skeptically. They had brought enough for a whole week at least!

 

“And some extra company,” Kagome added, moving aside to show the grinning faces of Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Sheba, and Piers. “We ran into them, and they wanted to come along. I didn't mind, so they're here on an extended visit, too.”

 

He hadn't been expecting that. “Well, I guess we're staying for awhile,” he stated. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed.” He grabbed his garments from Jenna and walked out, ignoring the appreciative glances from Mia and Sheba.

 

Changing quickly, he rejoined them in the main room, where all the pictures were. They were studying the pictures and asked Kagome all sorts of questions, but all she said was that they were her old friends and family. She had a sad expression on, so Felix assumed she missed them terribly. Why doesn't she go back? Surely she would want to see Inuyasha at least. Did something happen to them?

 

~*~