After the Rain

Chapter one- After the Battle Field

It was finished now. Kagome duty here in the feudal era was done, Naraku was dead and the shikon jewel was complete. Kagome stood alone in the middle of a bloody valley, all around her, her friends lie breathless, everyone but Inuyasha, who had left them a month back, setting off to find his beloved Kikyou. Rain started to pour down and Kagome, for once in her life, felt so lonely that it hurt. She was lost and wet and cold. She just sat in the rain, memories flooding back to her. After hours her body was numb, she rose and started to walk west.

She fended for herself for food, eating mostly berries and small game. She drank from the rivers and whenever she seen a demon she just ran. She traveled like that for almost two months when she came to a small village.

The village had fires burning and a riot was obviously in hand, this didn't surprise Kagome, what surprised her was the fact that in the middle of the center square, was a small baby, set on a platter alone. Slowly Kagome pushed herself through the crowd and slowly got closer to the babe. She struggled on the platform and stood in front of everyone. Each person commenting on her odd clothing and strange looks.

"Get off the platform, or you shall too be burnt to your death!" One of the villagers cried.

"Why is this babe about to be burnt?" Kagome asked shyly, but keeping her exterior strong.

"It is a disgrace to our village!" another villager cried

"It's a dirty blooded half demon!" A woman cried out of the large crowd

"What do you mean by 'dirty blooded half demon'?" Kagome looked at the child and picked it up along with the bundle that was wrapped tightly around it.

"It's mother was a miko, and it's father was a inu youki!" the woman cried out again.

Kagome stood shocked at her luck. "Where is it's mother!" Kagome cried viciously.

"His mother was killed, like he shall be!" another grown man barked.

"He shall not die, I will care for him, I will take him out of the village!" Kagome said determined.

"Heh, you are you to act as his mother, you strange girl." The woman spoke up again. The rest of the crowd grew quiet, waiting for her answer.

"I am Kagome Higarashi. A traveling miko and the slayer of Naraku himself." Kagome stood with pride among the villagers, each started to mumble of her claims.

"If you are such then prove yourself!" one of the men cried out again.

Kagome just nodded and raised her bow, letting her miko powers flood into the arrow. She released the string and the arrow soared with her power to the ground, flaring on contact, then dying. Looking up at the villagers she could see them mumbling between themselves once again. Kagome took the advantage she slowly crept out of the Village Square.

Out of the village Kagome mumbled reassuring words to the small babe. She walked for a long while, only to run into a solid form when she was in the middle of recovering the baby.

"Oh I am sorry-…" she mumbled as the figure turned to her, another figure stood beside the first. Kagome looked up and almost dropped the baby. "Inu-yasha?" she stumbled backwards.

"Hi, and you are?" he grumbled coldly. His amber eyes bore into her deep chocolate ones. 'Great he doesn't even remember me!'

"Oh no one. I just thought I recognized you but I must be mistaken-…" Kagome took his failure to recognize her to her advantage. "I just thought that you might have been the same half demon that had helped to defeat Naraku, but I was mistaken, that half demon was traveling with a great beauty."

Inuyasha just stared at her in disbelief. "Naraku is dead?" He was flabbergasted. he hated to be at a loss of words.

"Yes he is, but I heard that the group that killed him, no long had breath." Kagome looked at the ground, wondering if he was actually falling for it.

"Do you know if anyone made it out alive?" Inuyasha now looked at her fully, not even sparing a glance at the small Hanyou.

"I think, I heard that the miko, oh what was her name-…"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha interrupted.

"Oh yes, Kagome, how could I forget, I heard that she was still alive, but I also heard that the strong Hanyou that had been traveling with her had left her for dead." Kagome just smiled to herself, she was pretty good at this.

"I didn't do such a thing!" Inuyasha growled.

"You? You are Inuyasha the great Hanyou? I will not believe that you left Kagome for dead." Kagome smirked to herself at his reaction.

"I am, and I did not do that to Kagome, she can't still be alive after facing Naraku!"

"Of course I could've killed Naraku! It would've been easier if you hadn't abandoned us!" Kagome lost her cool.

"You aren't Kagome! Your just an imposter." Inuyasha chuckled to himself. "The Kagome I know would never had had a Hanyou such as the one you are holding."

Kagome just laughed at his stupidity. 'It must be the new moon tonight, if he cannot sense that the child is not mind, never mind that he cannot sense me.' "Inuyasha I am no imposter." She smiled cruelly at him. "Sit boy!" Inuyasha yelped at the words and crashed into the ground.

A tear slid from Kagome's eyes. "Inuyasha, you are a foolish one." With that she walked away from him, thought she knew it was not forever.