Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to sangoscourage for all the help and inspiration. I'm going to try to work faster; I know how I want it to end. With that said, on with the show…err…story!

Sakura sat still in Sangos lap as Kagome applied something she called ointment to the little scrapes she got. "So," Sakura said and lifted her said so Kagome could apply the medicine to her chin, her eyes were closed tightly, even though it didn't hurt in the least. "Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are brothers?"

"Half brothers!" they both snapped at the same time. From Inuyasha it was an angry growl, from Sesshoumaru, it sounded like a warning that Sakura better get it right next time.

"Whatever." Sakura said and moves over to holds Shippo who held onto her clothing tightly. He missed her dearly. "You two don't act like brothers, I'd be happy as hell to have a brother."

"Language!" Kagome warned.

"I don't have to listen to you!" Sakura said, stunning everyone, she knew what they were thinking but honestly, she didn't hate Kagome, she hated the way Kagome treated her most of the time, the same way her mother seemed to treat her.

"You have us." Ginta reminded her.

"I mean a biological brother, you know, someone to grow up with." She looked across the fire at them. "Don't get me wrong, I love you both very much."

"I'm so glad you're back!" Shippo said and launched himself into her arms. Sakura hugged him and laughed.

"I can tell." Sakura was in a new dress Kagome got her, a white one with cherries covering the fabric, her other one had burned the last time her body heated up, her hair was still a mess, she growled at Kagome for trying to brush it earlier, surprisingly, it was Sesshoumaru who reprimanded her for it. Something about not biting the hand that feeds you.

Sakura picked up a brush, fixed her hair and braided it loosely, grumbling lowly to herself. "Sakura?" Inuyasha asked, the girl looked up as she was nearing the end of her braid. "We passed a forest while we were looking for you, it was really messed up."

"Burned to a crisp." Miroku asked.

"Oh…that…" Sakura said and tied a big bow at the end of the long braid. "I did that… it was kind of an accident."

"Kind of?" Sango asked.

"Okay, it was somewhat an accident, somewhat defense, I didn't mean for it to get that bad."

"Defense against whom?"

"Whoever it was, it doesn't mean she should be so destructive!" Kagome scolded. "What kind of child is even that destructive and violent?"

"Kagome…" Sango warned.

"What kind of woman dresses like a common whore?" Sakura asked.

"Silence child." Sesshoumaru said.

"I know where this is headed" Miroku said softly.

"Know what?" Kagome yelled. "I'm getting sick of you and your smart mouth!"

"And you think being around you is fun?" Sakura shouted, standing up. "Part of the reason I left was so I wouldn't have to be around you!"

"I've been nothing but nice to you!"

"I never asked you to be!"

"Know what?" Kagome stated. "I'm starting to see why whoever threw you into the river did what they did!"

"Kagome don't!" Rin yelled, seeing Sakura's skin glow.

Before Kagome had a chance to say anything else, a fire whip was lashed at her and burned her right sleeve, it fell off in little papery flake. "Mention my mother again and I won't hesitate to burn you alive you dirty bitch!" Sakura ran off, away from the campsite and into the surrounding forest.

Kagome screamed and punched a tree "What's her problem with me?"

Shippo and Rin glanced at each other and then to Kagome. "You can't tell?" Rin asked her.

"Tell what?"

"You scare her." Shippo said. "She flinched every time you come near her and she tries to keep a distance from you. She doesn't hate you, she's just scared."

"Scared of me why? I never hurt her."

"Well you're naturally scary." Inuyasha mumbled.

"Sit boy!" Kagome yelled and watched with satisfaction as Inuyasha got up close and personal with his old friend, dirt. "She used to let me do her hair when she first came to us."

"When she was still to stiff and fore to fight, and she was taking medicine from Kaede." Shippo reminded her.

"I think you remind her of her mommy." Rin said.

"What does her mother have to do with any of this?" Kagome questioned.

Rin bit her lip. "I probably shouldn't say it but…Her mommy was the one who tried to kill her."

Everyone was stunned into silence, except for Sango, whom Sakura told her one night after she had to shake her out of a nightmare, and Sesshoumaru who had been told before.

Kagome took the moment of silence to reflect on Sakura's time with them. When she was still healing, it was true her head was a little fuzzy because they had given her pretty strong medicine to take the pain.

She did dress her up a couple of times but whenever she turned her back, even for just a second, when she turned back around she saw whatever she had given Sakura in a heap on the floor and Sakura gone.

What should have made her realize it was when she had brought Sakura a sleeping bag and tried to show her how to use it. Sakura backed up into the wall of Kaede's hut and moved a few steps away when Kagome got closer.

Kagome was so blinded by excitement that she didn't notice. She loved Shippo but it was nice to have the little girl around, she always wanted to know what it was like to have a little girl and then out of nowhere, one shows up. It seemed like a perfect chance, she was trying so hard to get Sakura to like her she didn't stop to think Sakura may need space.

"I just made things worse, didn't I?" Kagome said.

"Don't blame yourself." Sango said and squeezed her friends shoulder. "Give her time to warm up to you, and as for tonight, she'll come back when she gets hungry."

Sesshoumaru stood and started to walk off in the same direction Sakura ran off in.

With Sakura:

Sakura laid sprawled out, face down in the grass she had fallen in. It was cold, but she didn't want to move.

"Sakura?" she heard a female voice call, she flinched but stayed still. "Sakura, what have you done?"

She lifted her head, it wasn't dark anymore and it was warm. She looked down at her clothed and saw that she wasn't in the dress anymore; she was in a pale blue summer kimono. She hated blue, but her mother loved it on her. She looked around and saw she was in the field near her old home.

"Sakura," the voice said again and someone kneeled beside her. "Why did you kick that little boy? You need to apologize to him, sweetheart." She looked up and saw a girl who was younger than her mother, Kohana. She hadn't been working there very long but cried like a baby the first night, believing she had been hired as a maid. Sakura calmed her down and brought her dinner in her room.

"No" Sakura said stubbornly. "He said I was lonely then had the nerve to ask me if I wanted him to keep me company."

"Ah, I see." Kohana said and scooped the little girl into her arms. "He made you remember a bad thing."

"Mhmm." Sakura mumbled and hid her face in Kohana's clothing.

Kohana didn't yell at her, just sat with her and rubbed her back. "You don't deserve to be scared Sakura, I wish I could get you out of here."

"Don't." Sakura sniffled. She wouldn't even ask Kohana to try. Leiko was vicious with her workers, there where only the harshest punishments for those who tried to run from her. She didn't want to risk it.

"That's right," Kohana said and sat her down. "Because you're going to get out on your own, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded and smiled. "And you too Kohana."

Kohana smiled and held the little red head close to her. "Until then sweetie, try to behave." Sakura dried her eyes and looked up at her friend. "Don't be so hostile towards those who show you kindness, if you do that, you'll never have a single friend." Kohanna started to fade away slowly. "Give people a chance," she said softly. "Don't blame one person for what another did to you, alright?"

Sesshoumaru found Sakura passed out in the grass and kneeled by her, he was about to reach out and shake her awake when she mumbled, "Alright Kohana, I'll be good." and started to slowly lift her head.

Sakura looked up at Sesshoumaru and smiled sleepily before sitting up. "You were worried about me." She said softly.

"Don't flatter yourself girl," he said. "Are you ready to go back?"

"Can I go with you?" She asked softly. He sat beside her and she curled up, her head on his leg.

"That won't help you. You need to stay." She needed to be able to face people without seeing people who had hurt her.

She knew he was right. "At least I didn't have this problem when I was traveling with you and Rin. At least I had my dignity."

"You wont have that much longer if I have to carry you into camp." He warned her.

She giggled she curled up tighter. "Carry away oh great one," she said. "I'm too tired to walk."

He picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder; she was asleep before he reached for her, he wasn't completely heartless, he wasn't just going to leave her.

The rest of the night was quiet, no one spoke that night but Kagome unrolled some sleeping bags and she and Sango put the children to sleep for the night.

Kagome tucked Sakura carefully into the sleeping bag she picked for her and rubbed her hair softly. "We'll work things out in the morning." She whispered. "Goodnight Sakura."

A/N: Big thanks again to sangoscourage, without you this chapter would never be. Thanks to everyone else for sticking with me, I'm going to start on the next chapter tomorrow, it's summer and nothing can stop me! R&R, please and thank you.