Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine.

Everyone was starting to worry. No one had been foolish enough to think this was something Inuyasha would bounce back from right away, but his behaviour was, concerning to say the least. When he'd awoken, Miroku had wanted to shield him somehow, protect him from seeing the damage he'd wrought.

Sango had felt her heart break when Inuyasha had smiled bitterly at his bloody hands, eyes haunted.

Shippo knew that he had no reason to be fearful, yet he caught himself cowering in Inuyasha's presence. Staying out of his way. Keeping his head bowed. Making himself appear as small and non-threatening as possible. From one youkai to another. Please don't hurt me.

Kagome would have given anything for Inuyasha to truly be his former self again. He'd allowed her to comfort him for only one moment. He'd vehemently denied feeling any guilt about what he'd done and turned away from her. It had taken all Kagome's resolve not to cry. To shed the tears she knew he was keeping inside. But she knew what he really needed was reassurance. She would not leave him. They had sat together in silence until darkness had overtaken them.

The next day had seemed to go on forever. Inuyasha hadn't uttered a single word. He shied away from contact of any kind and offered no opinions or suggestions on what they should do next. They had discussed it and agreed to give him his space, at least for now. They reasoned that if they stayed by him, he'd eventually ask for whatever it was he needed, one way or another.

But when night fell, Kagome began to think they'd made a terrible mistake. Whatever had been coursing through his mind had now come to him in his dreams. Normally, he was a very light and very silent sleeper. Tonight, Kagome awoke to the sound of whimpering.

Inuyasha was on his side, curled up tightly into a ball. His breaths were short and sweat dripped down his forehead. Miroku and Sango had awoken as well, watching their friend apprehensively.

"What should we do?" Sango whispered, "I don't want to embarrass him." Miroku nodded thoughtfully. A sensitive situation indeed.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha moaned, almost too quiet to hear.

"Sango, you and I will do nothing, pretend we don't know anything about this. Kagome?" She nodded.

Crawling to him, Kagome pulled her pyjama sleeve over her hand and dabbed away at the sweat.

"Shhh," She crooned, "I'm here." His eyes opened and he jerked upright, staring at her. His expression was unreadable. "Are you alright?"

His gaze dropped. She tried again.

"Do you want something to eat?"

He shook his head. She reached for his hand, but he inched away from her. Swallowing her disappointment, Kagome sat back, leaving a gap between them.

"If you change your mind, I brought some hot chocolate packets. You liked those, remember? If you want one, just wake me up, ok?" Nervous gold eyes darted to her before settling on the ground again.

For a while, she feigned sleep, hoping, praying, for him to disturb her. If he let her, she'd make him all the hot chocolate and ramen he wanted and hug him until her arms went numb. But nothing came and she eventually drifted into restless sleep.

In the morning, he was gone. They called, they searched, they took to the skies, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Kagome refused to give up and had taken Kirara for another search.

"I worry that we handled this badly," Miroku mused as they packed up their campsite, "Perhaps leaving him alone with his thoughts wasn't the right thing to do." He looked down in surprise at Shippo. The kitsune was tugging Miroku's robe and looking very guilty.

Sango and Miroku crouched down to listen.

"I think he left because of me." He whispered miserably, "He woke me up last night, said he was sorry and ran away." Shippo started to cry, "I didn't mean to be scared of him! I couldn't help it!" Sango gently took Shippo into her arms and stroked his hair. Of course, Shippo's instincts would tell him to stay clear; Inuyasha's strength far outweighed his, even as a hanyou. And with youkai, instinct often overtook reason. Comforting the sobbing child, Sango realized that despite being at least fifty years old, Shippo was just that; a child. A child that had just seen someone he loved and respected committing what could only be called murder.

"Don't blame yourself Shippo," Miroku told him, "It's not your fault." He wished he could say more, but couldn't bring himself to voice any lies, even if they would bring temporary comfort.

Kagome returned, looking dejected. No one needed to ask. No one argued when Miroku suggested they move on. Inuyasha would catch up.

Another day passed. Then another. A dark cloud had seemed to settle over the Inu-tachi. Even Kirara's ears were drooping. Everything just felt wrong.

That night, Shippo said something interesting.

"Kagome," he asked shyly, "Do you know where Inuyasha is?" Kagome started, looking at Shippo in surprise.

"Of course not, if I did, he'd be here." A lump caught in her throat. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…we haven't seen him for three days but I can still smell him on you. It should have faded by now."

Miroku and Sango stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. They clearly seemed to understand something Kagome didn't and headed off together.

They returned about an hour later.

"We have a theory." Miroku announced.

"And if we're right," Sango added, "we have a plan to bring Inuyasha home."

First, we stir up a nest of demons, prompting them to attack us.

There were centipedes everywhere. All those legs made Kagome's skin crawl. It just had to be centipedes Sango found, it couldn't possibly be anything else. Sango hacked at them with her Hiraikotsu. Miroku disintegrated them with his sutras. Kagome purified them with her arrows. Even Shippo managed to destroy a few. But they just kept coming.

Make sure to use all your arrows. And when you have none left, run away.

Kagome turned and ran into the trees, fully aware that she was being pursued. But it had to be genuine, this was all part of the plan.

Now Kagome, I'm sorry, but this part is very important; you need to bleed. The danger has to feel real, or he won't fall for it.

Bracing herself, Kagome pretended to trip over a root, sending her crashing into a jagged rock. She couldn't see the shallow gash in her shoulder, but she could feel the warmth of her blood seeping into her blouse. The centipede hissed, a little too close for comfort now. Hand pressed over the wound, Kagome scrambled to her feet and ran. More centipedes had joined in their pursuit. Relatively small, but still plenty large enough in her opinion. She stopped short. The trees ended at the top of a ridge.

She was trapped. The monsters were almost upon her. She closed her eyes.

Trust him. He'll come.

His enraged snarl was like music to her ears. In a matter of seconds, the centipedes were in pieces at his feet. He ran to her, pulling her against him. His expression was panicked, guilty and relieved all at once.

"Kagome, are you alright?" His voice was soft, instantly calming. She drew a shaky breath, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Yes. I am." She looked up at him, drinking in every detail. He leaned back, ears flattened, uncomfortable with her scrutiny.

Sango and Miroku arrived right on cue with Shippo and Kirara in tow.

"Inuyasha!" Sango exclaimed, managing to sound genuinely surprised. "Where did you come from?"

"Keh!" He snapped, standing and glaring at the pair, "Not important! I've got a bone to pick with you. How does a demon slayer let a nest of giant centipedes get the drop on her? And you!" His attention turned to Miroku, looking fierce. "What exactly kept you from using your Wind Tunnel? Are you brain-dead? I leave you alone for a few days and look what happens!"

Shippo peered out from behind Miroku's back. Upon seeing the hanyou, his eyes widened and he leapt onto Inuyasha's chest, bunching his little fists in the soft fabric and crying.

"Inuyasha! Why did you leave us? Don't you like us anymore?"

"Aw come on runt, stop that!" Inuyasha protested, cheeks turning pink. "Crying is for girls!"

"He missed you, we all did." Kagome said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Please stay. I don't have any arrows left. What if more demons attack?"

If I know Inuyasha, he's feeling very conflicted and guilty. He likely desires to protect Kagome more than ever, yet I imagine he doesn't trust himself to be near her. So, he's keeping an eye on us from far away.

In his current state, we have no hope of convincing him we want him back, he'll never believe that. What we need to do, is show him that we need him back.

Kagome rested her head against Inuyasha's shoulder as he carried her back to where they'd dropped their supplies.

"Will you help me with my bandages?" she asked quietly. His ears twitched. Another sign of shyness.

"Uh, yeah. I guess. You guys really are useless you know."

Kagome sighed contentedly. Miroku was probably right, but there was one thing she had to say, whether he believed it or not.

"I'm really glad you're back."

She couldn't see his face, but she felt him hold her a little tighter.

FIN

A/N: Bit of an experiment this one, I hope it paid off!

Shooshkipoo