(I know, I know, you're thinking "FINALLY!! What The Hell was taking so long, and for such a skimpy chapter?!" But, I still don't know what I'm going to do with this *puts on ashamed face* I have no control over my writing, it comes when it wants to and leaves when I need it, worst of all: if I think of a good idea it totally trashes it and puts together something messier and more to its liking. I'm PO'd Irish Chick/UtterChaos247, and I have a problem....

Enough rambling on to-- Chapter 2

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Blue eyes flitted around the vague diagrams and confusing lines drawn on the board that was the mall map. Kagome gently bit her bottom lip as her eyes gave up on the colorful maze and turned to gaze at the young boy beside her. A sense of helplessness rose within her as he shifted on his feet nervously. His large brown eyes strayed upwards toward her, but he immediately looked away once he saw her attention was on him.

Todd Casil, an adoreable eight-year old boy whom she had found just an hour before. The poor kid got separated from his mother and almost got picked up by a complete stranger (that guy had most definately been a pervert, kami did that ever make her angry). It was pure luck that Kagome had stumbled upon them, she was thankful she arrived before anything could happen. Though his behavior now made her worried. Maybe he was just really shy, but to her Todd seemed too jumpy and nervous...

Sighing, the young woman kneeled in front of the boy. Catching his gaze, Kagome gave him a small smile. "I can't make hide nor hair of this map, and I know I said I'd bring you to the Security office to call your parents, but if you know the way, perhaps you wouldn't mind me taking you home myself?"

A slight squeek escaped him as his eyes stayed rivetted on hers. He raised a fist to cover his mouth before giving her a hesitant nod of approval.

She gave him a reassuring smile before offering her hand. After he finally grabbed on, she stood up. "Well, then we should get going, shouldn't we? Don't worry, I can at least get us to the parking lot without getting turned around." Kagome joked with him, trying to get Todd calmed down a bit.

Fifteen minutes, and two frantic outbursts while trying to find her car, later, the two found themselves strapped in and pulling out of the parking garage. Her car was filled by an almost comfortable silence apart from the few questions on Kagome's part and directions from him. Focussed on the road, she almost didn't catch the quiet mumbling of the boy beside her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Todd taking out a wad of stuffing from his pocket and began whispering to it. This went on for a few minutes and she frowned at the way he acted, as if conversing with the fluff-ball. Unable to ignore it any longer, she cleared her throat to grab his attention.

Todd quickly shut up and turned two large, innocent eyes to her. He instinctively pulled the stuffing to his chest in a protective fashion.

Trying to keep her voice in a care-free and curious tone, Kagome spoke up. "Hmm, what's that you have there, Todd?"

Blinking, he looked down to the bit of fluff in his hands before holding it out to her for her to see. "This is Schmee."

Talking to one's self is usually a cause for concern. Having casual chats with an inanimate object that you've named is just as bad, if not worse. Though she couldn't just jump the gun with this. Surely it could be brushed off as a type of imaginary friend...? She couldn't tell. Needless to say, Kagome had no idea how to react or respond to the small child beside her.

Sensing her inner struggle, or maybe he just noticed the way her face scrunched up in confusion, Todd explained. "Well, It's not all of him. See, if I carry Schmee around or bring him to school everyone's a lot meaner to me. So that's why I only take a little bit of Schmee with me outside and leave the rest of him in my room. That way the kids have less they can make fun of me for."

Kagome nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. He said that all so matter-of-factly, it nearly broke her heart to think that he was used to such ridicule on a regular basis. Apparently the kid didn't have that many friends. But she shouldn't get so worked up about it, in school you make new friends every year. And it's not like Todd only had a bit of stuffing to talk to. Children can be cruel, but he had to have a few buddies to play with. Hiding her concern, Kagome chirped out a reply. "Oh, so Schmee is your stuffed animal. Lemme guess... a dinosuar?"

"Bear." His voice lightened up a bit as he got used to the conversation between them. There was even a tiny smile on his face as he watched her drive. Then he noticed his surroundings. "Oh, t-take a left here. Look, see, there's my house."

He pointed to a small home a few doors down. Following his direction, Kagome made it and pulled into the driveway. It was a nice house, the same simple design used on the other homes they'd passed. But it was dark, almost all of the lights were off inside. Turning to Todd, she frowned a little. "Are you sure they're home? Maybe they're out looking for you..."

The boy just shook his head before pointing to a window on the second floor. "Ah-uh. See? My daddy's working in there, you can see the computer light."

"Oh." She could think of nothing else to say. Kagome was a bit hesitant to let him go. With his behavior and everything he had said, it made it seem like Mr. and Mrs. Casil were abusive parents. Or at least negligent. "Maybe I should walk you to the door and have a small talk with one of your parents, so they understand why I had to bring you home and everything."

Todd just shook his head. "That's okay. Daddy gets angry when anyone interrupts him when he's doing something."

She let out a wistful sigh and nodded. Kagome really didn't like the idea of dropping him off like this, but it was already dark out and Shippou was waiting for her. There wasn't really anything she could do for Todd. "Alright then..." She smiled. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Todd. Perhaps we'll run into each other again later, hmm?"

It took him a moment, but after gathering the courage, the small boy returned her smile three-fold. It was very cute. And Kagome giggled a bit as he scrambled to untangle himself from the seatbelt that was still buckled, without flopping out of his seat. After finally freeing himself, he opened up the car door and had to jump down to get out. He turned back to her, so small that only half of him was visible over her passenger seat. He searched her eyes for a moment before saying, "Thank-you, 'Gome."

Her face softened and the smile became less forced. She sat there and watched him let himself into the house. After a final wave goodbye, Kagome let out one more sigh and started pulling out of the driveway. Entrapt in her thoughts, she drove off, almost missing the shack beside Todd's home. This house was trully horrifying. There was no grass on the front lawn, but there was a sign that read: "Keep Off the Loose Soil." It was a one-story...house (?), its windows were boarded up and even the atmosphere around the structure screamed 'darkness.'

Just passing by it, Kagome had to catchher breath. Such a place had to have been abandoned for quite sometime...but...something was off. Its garage door was open, and inside, a small and banged up car was parked. Kagome had to crane her neck uncomfortably to keep it in sight. Did someone live in that deplorable house?

Suddenly she shook her head, realizing how she had slowed down. Something like the state of somebody's home shouldn't bug her like this. It was sad, but she wouldn't gawk openly at it. But Kagome couldn't keep a shiver from running down her spine as she glanced back in the rear-view mirror. Again, she shook her head vehemently in order to clear her head and then decidedly sped up. She needed to get home.

As her car turned a corner and was out of sight, he turned away from his window. It would seem that young woman was even more hospitable than he had originally assumed, bringing Squee home like that. Strange... it was not everyday he saw an actual being who has not yet been affected by the majority's degeneration of society and it's moral decay. Ah well, it was nice of her to show Squee some kindness, but he wouldn't go so far as to say she was a nice person.

No, because that would be incorrect. He thought while climbing down the stairs and into one of the rooms under his house. He had finished with that scumby man long ago, now he was bored. Humans are not naturally kind. They like to give a facade of goodness and strength, but after you've been lulled into their false image, they tear off the veil previously placed over your eyes so that you can look upon them in thier true forms. Disgusting...

Letting out a sigh, the young man ignored the faint screams and sobs that radiated in the hallway and walked into one of his more personal rooms. Thinking on such a large scale always worked him up so. Now, with all of this energy, perhaps he'll draw something. He has had a busy week. What with the cafe, the convience store clerk, ...Devi..., that Edgar Vargas guy...

His schedule has just been jam-packed. And he already tried to kill himself last Saturday after one of his more serious bouts of lonliness... so drawing sounded like a nice escape. Maybe he'd do another comic of Happy Noodle Boy.

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Sorry if there are any mistakes or if I got a little scatter-brained at the end of Kagome's part (I was half asleep). Also, can someone tell me if I need to change the way I switch POVs? Usually people put a line or something but (and I did this last chapter too) I tried to transition the view through a sentence or two ..... Lemme know if that confuses anybody, cuz I'll edit that if that's the case. But other than that, ...OH, tell me if you find any other mistakes. I don't have word, I'm using WordPad, which doesn't have spell check (I dont' think) and I read through this, but you know how it is. If you've written it, you're not going to see your own mistakes that easily. ...Um..... that's it I guess, I'm going out of the country tomorrow, so I can't promise an update, but I will be bringing my notebook so maybe I'll have time to write something... Later then.