Missing Kagome, an inuyasha fanfic

A/N: Okay, so I'm finally back but not with another chapter of The Shadow but a short what if… The Shadow is definitely not forgotten don't worry… I just need a break… The weather here is so dull… Okay, enough blabbing. I wonder, does anyone know the summary of the fourth movie, Fire on the Mystic Island? If anyone does, please send me a copy. My e-mail address is in my bio… Pretty pretty please! Thanks.

Sad to say, I'm going to put period between a question mark and exclamation mark to make it appear. If I don't do that, only the question mark will appear so just pretend that you're not seeing the period, okay? Let's just work together…

Another thing, this happened before Kikyou was killed by Naraku. Much earlier…

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Inuyasha? Of course not.

Missing Kagome

"Inuyasha, don't you want to go inside?" Kagome asked the white-haired hanyou before she headed towards Kaede's hut.

"Maybe later when the food's ready," replied Inuyasha, bending his knees and jumping into a nearby tree. "I'll stay here for a while." He stretched his arms then rested his head on them, leaning on the tree for more comfort.

"Tired?" She looked a little worried as she looked at Inuyasha. 'He must be… We've traveled a long distance and fought many youkais as well.' She thought with concern.

"No, just a little sleepy." He denied, closing his eyes.

"I'll just call you when dinner's ready then." She turned her back to Inuyasha and started walking again. 'He always pretends that he's not getting exhausted…'

Not long after Inuyasha had closed his eyes, he sensed something that made him open his eyes. A soft night breeze was blowing by that made the leaves of the trees rustle. It wasn't the sound of the wind that woke up Inuyasha. It was the sound that went with the wind—a familiar sound of slithering youkais.

'Shinidamachuu!' Inuyasha quickly raised his head to look up into the black starry sky. Pale green snake-like youkais were gliding through the heavens while clutching white glowing orbs. He knew those youkais very well and it meant only one thing. 'Kikyou's somewhere near here!' With that thought in mind, he swiftly descended his perch and followed the soul-catcher youkais.

Inuyasha was running through the forest rapidly, afraid that he might lose track of the youkais that would lead him to Kikyou. He was always like this whenever he saw the soul-catcher youkais. It was like an involuntary reflex. Whenever soul-catcher youkais appeared, he would always follow them without fail. He didn't even know what he would do next after that. Perhaps he simply wanted to see Kikyou to make sure she was still safe. 'After all, it is my duty to protect her… I promised her that.' Inuyasha thought as he continued pursuing them.

Finally, he had reached his destination. He began to slow down as a bright clearing came into his view. The whole place was filled with floating white orbs. The soul-catcher youkais remained gliding around the area depositing the lost souls they had collected. Inuyasha walked around the clearing but he found no sign of Kikyou. 'Kikyou… where are you?' He thought worriedly. "Kikyou!" He called out her name but there was no reply. The forest was silent except for the slithering youkais around him.

'Inuyasha…' Kikyou silently watched Inuyasha from her hiding place, knowing that she was well hidden and couldn't be sensed by Inuyasha. 'He came.' Her eyes looked intently at Inuyasha as he continued to call out for her. Her face was calm and peaceful like usual but her eyes were different; they weren't emotionless like always—they were definitely softer. After taking a final glance at Inuyasha, she turned her back and started to leave.

Inuyasha felt even more worried when his calls remained unanswered. "Where is she?.! It can't be possible that—" He stopped when he noticed that the soul-catcher youkais were beginning to leave. He followed them with his eyes and saw a silhouette of a woman in red and white. "Kikyou!" He knew it was her. His eyes would never lie to him. It was her. "Kikyou! Wait!" He tried to stop her but she only kept walking away like she hadn't heard him. Then, she was gone.

The whole place began to dim as the remaining souls started to dissipate. Inuyasha was alone once more. His eyes stayed fixed in the spot where Kikyou had disappeared. 'Kikyou…'

"I suppose Inuyasha isn't back yet," commented Sango, who was standing beside Kagome outside Kaede's cottage.

Kagome nodded, worry written all over her face. "I told him I'll call him for dinner but when I went outside, he wasn't anywhere near here." She explained then sighed. 'Inuyasha, where are you?'

"Kagome-chan, it's getting late. I'm sure Inuyasha's okay so you shouldn't worry much. Maybe he just went for a walk or something. I think you should eat now. We're heading to sleep already and you should rest yourself too. Inuyasha will be here in the morning, you'll see." Sango said, looking at her friend with concern.

"It's okay, Sango-chan. I'll just wait a little longer then I'll go inside to eat." Kagome told her. "You go ahead and get some sleep. We all need some rest." She gave out a smile to reassure her once more.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Sango looked doubtful.

"Really, I'm all right. You go ahead and sleep. I'll follow you soon." Kagome said with a reassuring smile.

"Okay, if that's what you like…" Sango went inside again although she still looked a little hesitant to leave her friend alone.

"Inuyasha, please come back already." She whispered to herself, putting her hands together in a silent prayer for Inuyasha's safety. 'You're safe, aren't you? Inuyasha, please be safe.' She soon began once again to walk back and forth, time to time looking at the road to see if Inuyasha had returned.

Two minutes passed. Five minutes had gone by. Ten minutes elapsed yet there was no sign of the hanyou Kagome wished to see so much.

Kagome stopped in her tracks and looked at the sky, expecting to see someone clad in red there. But for the nth time that she had looked, she always got the same result—no one was there. She took a deep breath and sighed. Her heart was beating loudly now. She clutched her hands together more tightly and closed her eyes. 'Please Inuyasha… Come back already…' She deeply wished inside her heart, hoping that when she opened her eyes Inuyasha would be staring back at her.

She slowly opened her eyes, afraid that she might get another disappointment. But to her great relief, she found Inuyasha's inquisitive amber pools looking back at her.

"Inuyasha!" She exclaimed in relief, looking very happy to see him. "You're finally back!"

"What's wrong with you?.! You talk like I was gone for so long! I was just gone for a few hours!" Inuyasha looked at Kagome with pointed suspicious eyes.

"Hey! You should be the one explaining!" Kagome retaliated, her temper rising. 'I was very worried about him and I get to be insulted in return! That ungrateful jerk!' She thought angrily.

"Keh! I'm not obliged to explain to you!" argued Inuyasha, raising his nose in the air arrogantly.

"Why you… I was simply asking because you got me so worried, you jerk!" She really wanted so much to say the word that would make Inuyasha slam his haughty face on the dirt.

"Why do you always love to worry?.! It's not like I went to pick a fight with someone!" He bickered. It was much easier for him to argue than to explain himself.

"Well how would I know, right?.! You left without any word! You could have said, 'Hey Kagome, I'm going out for a walk. I'm not going to pick a fight so don't worry, okay?' If you had done that, then I shouldn't have worried anymore!" She glared at Inuyasha the whole time she was talking to him.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome nervously, knowing that she was about to say the dreadful word. That was always the concluding word of their fight—well, most of the time. Right now, he didn't have any options left. It was either remain quiet to lessen his chances of being sat, argue with her some more to get a sure sit, or apologize—no, saying sorry was not included in his possible options. So he only had two options and obviously, the first one looked far better.

He sighed inwardly when he saw Kagome lowering her piercing eyes. His relief was washed away when Kagome's mellow chocolate brown eyes looked at him and she spoke, "So will you tell me now where you went?" Her face was now calm and Inuyasha could tell that she was waiting for an answer from him. And he thought he could avoid explaining himself…

Of course Inuyasha wasn't about to tell her that he went following some soul-catcher youkais to see Kikyou. "Look, I'm here now so let's just drop it." He said those words while making sure that his eyes were safely averted from Kagome.

'Okay… This is bad.' She thought, feeling a tinge of jealousy in her heart. Not to mention, her anger was beginning to resurface. Being around Inuyasha for so long already, she had mastered the skill of translating Inuyasha's weird comments and actions. 'And that one only meant that he had gone to see Kikyou.' She didn't know what had gotten into her that made her say those words but before she could stop herself she had already said, "You went to see Kikyou, didn't you?" 'Great!' She thought, mentally slapping herself. 'Why did I have to say that?.!'

Silence was the only reply she got and Inuyasha was still not looking at her.

That silence from Inuyasha only made Kagome's heart ache even more. 'I guess this is included in the consequences I have to endure because I've stayed, isn't it?' She thought sulkily. "Because I'm only second best…" She muttered to herself then started walking away.

"Hey! You're going in the wrong direction!" said Inuyasha all of a sudden.

Kagome looked behind her shoulder, her eyes glowering at Inuyasha badly. "Who said I'm going to go back inside?" She said in a very dangerous tone. She looked away from Inuyasha then said the thing she really wanted to do that very moment, "I want to stay far away from you."

Before Kagome could take another step, Inuyasha jumped in front of her and blocked her way. "What the hell is fucking wrong with you?.!" He demanded, glaring at Kagome. 'Why is she acting this way?.! What did I do?.!' thought Inuyasha furiously.

"Nothing." She said briefly, matching Inuyasha's glare with one of her own. "Now get out of my way or I'm going to say it." She tightened her fists, trying to control her temper. 'Why can't he just leave me alone in times like this?'

But Inuyasha was determined to fix this as soon as possible—not even sit threats were going to stop him. The only problem was he didn't know the right way of fixing quarrels—especially his quarrels with Kagome. "Nothing, my ass!" He sneered. "Why the hell are you mad at me?.!"

"I'm not angry with you!" She argued back, her temper rising even more.

"Yes, you are!"

"I said I'm not!"

"Then why are you fucking shouting at me?.!"

"Because you're yelling at me!" Kagome reasoned out. "I told you I'm not angry with you! I'm angry with myself! I'm angry because I worried about you for nothing! But you know what? NOW, I'm also angry with you! BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH A JERK! Now stop talking or I'm really going to say it!" Her eyes were blazing with anger and her whole face was seething. "Don't you dare follow me! YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" She added before walking past Inuyasha.

"Hey you! Come back here!" yelled Inuyasha impatiently. He did not like the thoughts popping in his head if Kagome went for a walk alone that night—not at all. "Don't you know that it's dangerous to be walking alone at night?.!"

Kagome only kept walking, ignoring Inuyasha's calls completely.

"You wench! I said get back here or—"

"SIT!" Kagome had had more than enough. When she heard Inuyasha body hit the ground hard, she spun around and shouted again. "I told you to stop talking! Also, you can stop worrying about me, I can handle myself! Thank you very much! Hmph!" She quickly turned on her heel and left.

But not before she heard Inuyasha shout, "Who said I was worrying about you?.! Do whatever you want! See if I care!"

Kagome paused for a while but didn't turn to face Inuyasha anymore. 'He's really begging me to sit him, isn't he?.!' She thought irately. "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" She made sure she had said the word ten times to break Inuyasha's back. "Now don't go saying another word or I'll triple them!" And then she continued to walk away.

"I told you Kagome-sama's fine." Miroku said to Sango while he looked curiously at the deep Inuyasha-shaped hole on the ground.

Sango also peered in the hole and nodded. "I think Inuyasha's the one who isn't okay…" She remarked with certainty.

"You guys… Don't tell me…" Finally the spell had lifted so he slowly pulled himself off the ground and out of the hole he was buried into. "You've been listening to us for the whole time." He began dusting off the dirt that had clung on his clothes while glaring at his two companions.

"Well, unfortunately we only woke up on the part where Kagome-sama was shouting like an erupting volcano," said Miroku, who was definitely not keen on hiding the disappointment in his voice.

"So what was it this time?" Sango asked, looking at Inuyasha with high interest.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at Sango and muttered while tucking his hands inside his red sleeves, "You talk like this always happens."

Miroku and Sango immediately rolled their eyes at Inuyasha, obviously saying that 'Well, doesn't it?'.

"Anyway, so what's the argument all about then?" Miroku asked, looking very eager to hear Inuyasha's answer.

Feeling his cheeks burning, Inuyasha instantly looked away and said, "Keh! It's none of your fucking business!"

"Oh… so it's about Kikyou-sama." Miroku said unquestionably.

"I didn't say this is all about her!" Inuyasha denied through his gritted teeth. He really wanted to shred something into pieces and Miroku was beginning to be the perfect candidate for that right now.

"Inuyasha, it's written all over your face," replied Miroku calmly.

Inuyasha was about to insult Miroku but Sango's bothered face caught his attention. "Hey Sango, what's bothering you?" He asked her.

"Aren't you going to follow Kagome-chan, Inuyasha?" Sango looked utterly worried. "It's pretty late already, you know…"

"Keh! I bet she went running back to her home again! I'm not going to beg her to come back! She can stay there for all I care! Besides, she told me not to follow her." Inuyasha leaped back in the previous branch he had been resting on and propped his body comfortably against the tree. "Well, I'm only granting her stupid wish."

"But…" Sango's worry didn't lessen after hearing Inuyasha's words. "She hasn't eaten her dinner yet. She was so busy waiting for you."

'She was really worried… Kagome…' Inuyasha's eyes wandered momentarily towards the direction Kagome took when she left but he quickly averted his gaze from that direction when he felt Miroku's eyes watching him. "Keh! It's still her fucking fault!" He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest and closed his eyes. "I'm going to sleep. You guys do the same. If Kagome doesn't return soon then she went through the fucking well. If she returns then she's here. That's it! You don't need to worry about her!"

Sango still looked unconvinced and she looked determined to change Inuyasha's mind. "Inuyasha—"

"Inuyasha's right." Miroku cut in, putting a hand on Sango's shoulder. "Let's go back inside."

"But…" All other words that were supposed to follow were silenced when Sango met Miroku's eyes. "Okay, let's go inside."

"Inuyasha, we'll be leaving you now."

Miroku and Sango turned their backs and made their way back to the hut.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and leave me alone." Inuyasha muttered, not bothering to open his eyes anymore.

Finally out of Inuyasha's earshot, Sango turned to face Miroku with irked eyes. "Now tell me what's that all about?" She asked him.

"Well, knowing Inuyasha's behavior, he wouldn't get Kagome-sama if he knew we were watching him." Miroku stated knowingly. "It will be best if we slept now and tomorrow we'll find everything back to normal. Inuyasha will go looking for her, don't worry anymore." After giving the final reassurance to Sango, he went to his sleeping place and prepared to rest.

Sango looked at the direction of the exit then sighed. "I sure hope you're right, houshi-sama…" She was tired too so after saying her final prayers that Inuyasha would go looking for Kagome soon, she also went to sleep.

"She hasn't eaten her dinner yet. She was so busy waiting for you."

Almost two hours had passed but Inuyasha definitely couldn't sleep. Whether he closed or opened his eyes, the worry he felt for Kagome's safety still stayed unwavering inside his heart.

"Inuyasha!" She exclaimed in relief, looking very happy to see him. "You're finally back!"

'Maybe I shouldn't have shouted at her like that… To think that she was actually worried for my sake…' Inuyasha began to feel the guilt of his actions and it was surely not giving him a happy feeling. 'Damn it! I can't stand the waiting anymore! I'm going to look for her now!' The fear that he was starting to feel in his heart was too much that he leaped to the ground and began speeding towards the direction Kagome took. 'She's going to pay for making me worry! That Kagome!'

'That Inuyasha! Why does he always have to be so annoying when we fight?.! He should have simply said yes when I have asked him! As if it's not obvious by the way he's acting! He's always making things worse!' thought Kagome while she stomped her way deeper into the forest. The moon was bright so it wasn't that hard to see her way but also because of that, Kagome began to notice that she was quite alone—and unprotected—in the forest. That was not a good situation to be in.

A sudden grumbling noise from her stomach disrupted the silence around her. "I'm already hungry…" She murmured, clutching her complaining stomach and sitting on a nearby log. 'I forgot to eat because I was so worried about Inuyasha but then he had to go insulting me and yelling at me… He must be really mad at me now for sitting him so hard…' The longer she thought about Inuyasha, the more she felt guilty about her action. 'Maybe I overdid it this time… I mean, I know he didn't mean what he had said back there. But… he still acted like a jerk!' She stood up and made her way towards the Bone-Eater's Well.

'That wench! Why does she have to go to the forest this late?.! Doesn't she know that a lot of youkais can sense the Shikon shards she's carrying and they might attack her?.!' Inuyasha found out that the best way to keep himself from worrying too much—and blaming himself too much—was to put the blame on Kagome.

Inuyasha followed Kagome's scent and cursed mentally when he found himself standing in front of the well.

"She really went back?.! What is she thinking?.!" He glared furiously at the wooden square frame of the well and placed one foot on its brim. "Keh! If she thinks that I'm going to go and get her there, she's dead wrong!" He removed his foot from the edge and turned to leave. "Why do I have to be the one to give in?" 'Because she is always the one giving in so you can fix things.' He heard his conscience say but he only ignored it.

"Didn't you find her, Inuyasha?"

When Inuyasha had returned, he found Miroku leaning on the tree he was resting on and waiting for him. "Find who?" He questioned, avoiding Miroku's probing eyes.

Miroku ignored Inuyasha's attempt to act oblivious of the subject he was talking about. "So you didn't find her? Didn't she return to her time?"

Knowing that it was useless to go on with his pretense, he finally answered Miroku's question. "She did." He said uncaringly.

"And you didn't talk to her." Miroku didn't say it as a question but as a statement. He knew Inuyasha was not going to give in that easily.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku like he just suggested to him that he should commit suicide. "Are you crazy? She's mad at me. It's better to stay out of her way." He walked towards Miroku's side and sat down on the ground.

"Kagome-sama's not really mad at you. She was just upset." Miroku cleared, also taking a seat right next to Inuyasha. "You see she was really worried about you while you were having this moment with Kikyou-sama—well, that is, without her knowledge."

"What moment are you talking about, you perverted monk?.! I didn't even talk to Kikyou!" He contested, blushing furiously. "Why don't you fucking sleep and stay out of my problems?.!"

"But you did go to see her, didn't you?" Miroku continued, paying no attention to Inuyasha's order. He was enjoying this task very much so sleeping didn't seem like a nice idea.

"I just saw her for less than a fucking minute!" Inuyasha rebutted, looking flustered with the course of their conversation. He hated it when Miroku was trying to pry things out of him. "Don't you want to sleep?" He asked, looking very pissed off.

Again, Miroku disregarded Inuyasha's attempt to stop their conversation. "So you did see her…" He remarked with a grin on his lips. "Why do you always have to be sneaky when you're going to see Kikyou-sama? You're only making Kagome-sama more depressed as it is." He commented, trying to look like an elder brother giving a brotherly advice.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha wasn't appreciating Miroku's effort even a bit. "Sneaky?.! I'm not being sneaky! What the hell are you talking about?.!" He really wanted was to have Miroku out of his sight as soon as possible.

Miroku, on the other hand, wanted the opposite. "Then you should have just said to Kagome-sama that you've gone to see Kikyou-sama instead of trying to pretend that you didn't do it. That's what you call being sneaky." He said, his eyes looking at Inuyasha accusingly.

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under Miroku's condemning eyes. "But Kagome always gets mad..." He said more to himself than to Miroku.

"I told you Kagome-sama's not mad, she is unhappy because you always go to see Kikyou and you keep it from her afterwards. Then you won't leave her alone when she wants to stay away from you. You should be honest with her. That's the least you can do to repay her kindness and understanding. Don't you know she's sacrificing a lot just to be with you?" Miroku sighed and shook his head from side to side. "Yet you always shout at her and make her feel bad."

Inuyasha was starting to feel the guilt he tried to suppress coming back. Again, he pushed it aside, still unwilling to give in. He couldn't find anything to refute in Miroku's words so he simply remained silent. 'Damn, this talk isn't making me feel any better.' He thought.

"I guess it's not easy to do," started Miroku. He looked sideways at Inuyasha only to find that he was looking at the other direction. 'He's really not easy to convince…' He thought, smiling a little. "But it's already obvious so there's no use denying it when you've done it. Kagome-sama isn't asking you to stop seeing Kikyou-sama, she just wants the truth from you."

Inuyasha looked at Miroku for a while without saying anything. Then, he yawned. "Are you done with your lecture?" He asked sleepily.

Miroku heaved out a sigh. Maybe he needed to leave Inuyasha so he could think things over. "I hope Kagome-sama decides to go back in the morning. We must start our journey again pretty soon." He stood up and grinned at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha,"

"What?" He said through gritted teeth. 'Don't tell me he's not yet through?.!'

"Don't you think now's a pretty good time to go looking for Kikyou-sama?" He enjoyed the blush that spread all over Inuyasha's face.

"Miroku…" Inuyasha got to his feet and growled threateningly at Miroku.

"What?" Miroku tried to look innocent. "Kagome-sama's not here so—"

"If you don't shut up soon, I'll personally rip your tongue into pieces!" He barked, revealing his sharp claws.

"Hey, I was just kidding…" Miroku slowly backed away, looking cautiously at Inuyasha's hands.

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for a joke?.!" He yelled crossly. "If you say one more word, I swear my claws will go straight to your throat!" And that was how Miroku and Inuyasha's serious conversation ended that evening.

Inuyasha didn't sleep even for a while. His mind was occupied with all the things that Miroku had told him.

"Keh! He talks like it's just easy to do!" Inuyasha grumbled, pouting his lips like a kid. "I can't just go to Kagome and say, 'Hey Kagome, I just went to see Kikyou. Well actually, I only saw her for a few seconds so that's okay with you, right?'" Inuyasha scratched his head lightly with one clawed finger and closed his eyes, imagining Kagome saying exactly the same words to him.

"Hey Inuyasha, I just went to see Kouga-kun. Well actually, I only saw him for a few seconds so that's okay with you, right?"

Almost immediately, Inuyasha's blood boiled at the thought. "How can it be okay?.! It's not okay!" He looked into the moon and sighed. 'Now I can't sleep. If I do, I'm going to have a nightmare. Kagome with that wimpy wolf? Keh! Impossible!'

He spent the remaining hours of supposed sleep to completely convince himself that Kagome wouldn't go with Kouga.

"Inuyasha! How could you?.!" Shippou called out from below Inuyasha's tree. His eyes were burning with anger as he looked up at Inuyasha. "You fought with Kagome—again?.!"

'Great. More nuisance.' He thought with pure irritation. "Go away! I don't want to talk to any of you!" He ordered, not planning to get down soon.

"Houshi-sama, Kagome-chan still hasn't returned." Sango said worriedly, her brown eyes looking sideways at the monk.

"Don't worry Sango, Inuyasha told me last night that Kagome-sama had returned to her hometown." The monk reassured her. "He personally made sure that Kagome-sama was safe, didn't you, Inuyasha?" He grinned at Inuyasha widely.

"Keh!" He scoffed, looking away to hide his cheeks that were flushing brightly. "It's not like I went to the other side of the well to check on her!"

Miroku cringed his forehead in confusion. "I thought you said—"

"I only followed her scent up to the well." The impatient hanyou interrupted. "She definitely went through. Where would she be if she didn't go back there?"

"Still you should have checked on her." Sango insisted, shaking her head disapprovingly at Inuyasha. "Aren't you worried about her?" She added.

At last, Inuyasha looked at them and said indifferently, "Apparently no, unlike you guys."

"No?" Shippou repeated, not really believing Inuyasha's words. 'Yeah right. Why can't he just admit that he has feelings for Kagome? He's such an idiot!'

"No." Inuyasha said more certainly. "So stop making me get her because I'm not doing it!" He folded his arms obstinately and looked away from them.

Both Miroku and Sango's eyes stared at Inuyasha incredulously. After exchanging quick looks, they came up with a plan to make Inuyasha get Kagome once and for all.

"What if Kagome-chan didn't make it through the well?" Sango said, looking at Inuyasha suggestively.

"Didn't make it?" Shippou looked fearfully at Sango. "You mean she was—"

"Maybe she got attacked when she was about to jump in." Miroku hinted, looking secretly at Inuyasha's reaction. It was hard to see his face but he was sure that the hanyou was listening to them.

"Do you think I wouldn't know that if that were true? She can't be attacked, I didn't smell her blood anywhere. She didn't even scream." Inuyasha told them, looking victoriously at them. 'Those fools! They're just trying to make me worry so I'll go and get Kagome! Well, I'm not falling for their trick!' He thought.

"She won't have the time to do that if she were swallowed whole, am I right?" Sango looked at Inuyasha challengingly.

Inuyasha smirked. "I didn't sense any youkais around the area." He reasoned. 'Give up, you won't win.'

But Miroku was still confident. "You wouldn't sense it if it chose to hide its youki." He said in a dead serious tone, making Inuyasha look at him. "There are some powerful youkais who can do that." He went on, knowing he already made Inuyasha doubt his decision.

At the mention of powerful youkais, Miroku knew that Inuyasha would be thinking of one particular youkai—and he was right. Inuyasha was now uncertain if he really shouldn't see Kagome's condition anymore. 'What if Kagome was kidnapped by Naraku? I wouldn't allow that! I should have sensed him! But…' He was now considering Miroku's words. 'Better go and check.' He finally decided. He swiftly leaped down his post and sighed. "Fine! I'm going to go and see Kagome! But I'll tell her that it's only because you guys forced me!" After making things clear with them, he went off.

"And he told us that he's not worried." Sango commented, smiling contentedly at the way things turned out. Finally, Kagome was going back.

"He's such an idiot," said Shippou with a sigh.

"Let's just hope he doesn't fight with Kagome-sama again on their way back here." Miroku said and turned to leave to do some palm reading—of course, with the village girls.

Sango and Shippou nodded in agreement and went after Miroku. Sango needed to keep an eye on the monk or he'd be harassing girls within less than a minute out of Sango's sight.

"Damn it! This is so troublesome! I'm going to make Kagome pay for making me suffer this much!" Inuyasha continued his tirade as he went to Kagome's room to look for her.

Unlike what he had expected, Kagome wasn't there.

"Where the hell is she?" He griped, opening the door of Kagome's room to look for in the entire house. "Oi Kagome! Show yourself now or I'm going to get really mad!" He shouted as he went downstairs.

When he reached the living room, he saw Souta sitting on the floor, reading some sort of book with lots of pictures. "Hey kid, have you seen Kagome anywhere?" He asked.

"Neechan? Well I haven't seen her," answered Souta, looking puzzled. "When did she return?"

"She left last night." Inuyasha told him.

"Why don't you ask jiichan? Mama's not here so you can't ask her." Souta advised, standing up. "He woke up late this morning because he drank too many sake last night. I think he's sweeping in front of the shrine. You want me to come with you?"

"No need." Inuyasha said and left instantly. 'Where is she?.!' He began to feel nervous, his heart thumping dangerously in his chest.

Inuyasha quickly ran back towards the Bone-Eater's Well when Kagome's grandfather gave him his answer. Kagome hadn't returned in her time—she was missing.

'Kagome! Where are you?.!' The moment he went out of the well, he scanned the whole surroundings and tried to search for a clue of her whereabouts. There was nothing suspicious around the place. The scent of the air was normal. The grass was not disturbed. 'Then where is she?.!' Inuyasha was beginning to panic. He hated it when Kagome was back on the other side of the well but he hated it more when Kagome was missing—without any trace.

When Kagome went missing, Inuyasha worried double about her. He didn't know what to think anymore. There were many possibilities of what might have happened to her and those possibilities didn't give him any comfort or reassurance. It only made him think about her more and more. It only made him think that if he didn't fight with her, she would have been safe—she wouldn't be missing and he wouldn't be like this.

He ran through the forest, making sure that he covered every possible place.

"Kagome! Answer me! Where are you?" He shouted at the top of his lungs while he jumped from tree to tree. Every second was important to him. He must find Kagome soon. "Kagome!" He had circled the whole forest thrice already but there was no sign of the miko he was looking for. But he was not giving up—never. He went back to the village rapidly, hoping for nothing but Kagome's safety. 'Please! Just let her be safe!' He repeatedly thought as Kaede's cottage came into view.

Inuyasha barged in the cottage and spotted Miroku, Sango and Shippou having lunch.

"Inuyasha! Finally! You took so long!" Shippou said then looked past Inuyasha. "Where's Kagome?"

Miroku noticed the troubled expression on Inuyasha's face. "Inuyasha, what happened?" He asked immediately.

"Kagome is missing." Inuyasha said hurriedly. "We have to hurry and look for her. She might be in trouble."

"What?" Sango instantly stood up, dropping the chopsticks on her hand. "But isn't she—"

"Well she's not fucking there!" He hollered frantically. "Now let's go and find her!"

Miroku and Shippou had also stood up, looking very worried. But still incomparable to the worry Inuyasha was feeling.

"Inuyasha, did you sense anything weird around the well?" Miroku asked as they ran back towards the well's direction. Miroku, Sango and Shippou were all aboard Kirara while Inuyasha raced beside them.

"No," said Inuyasha. "Do you think this has something to do with Naraku?" He really didn't want to think that Naraku had gotten Kagome but he couldn't deny to himself anymore that it was possible.

"I'm not sure but…" He caught Inuyasha's eye and saw the intense anxiety that he was feeling. "It is possible."

'Kagome… please wait for me. I'm coming so please wait for me!' Inuyasha thought and increased his speed. "Let's split up. You go that way." He instructed and went to the other direction.

Their search went for hours but they didn't have any improvement. It seemed like Kagome had vanished just like a ghost, leaving no trace behind. Inuyasha looked at the sky and cursed mentally. The sun would be setting soon and he still didn't have any idea where Kagome had gone. 'Kagome, help me find you… I want you to come back to me now…' He continued to run and run, not knowing where his feet were taking him. He only had one thing in mind—Kagome.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped when he reached the Goshinboku, his eyes spotting a raven-haired girl seated at the back of the Goshinboku. "Kagome!" He spoke her name with relief and happiness. But the moment he did, she vanished.

Inuyasha stared hard at the place where he thought he had seen Kagome but she didn't appear anymore. "Kagome…" He whispered her name helplessly. "Where are you?" He closed his eyes and saw Kagome's sad face. 'Why is she upset?' He asked himself.

"Because I'm only second best…"

He opened his eyes all of a sudden and looked at the direction of the well. "Kagome!" He rushed to the well, recognizing that scent very well.

"Oh no, I'm late! Inuyasha's going to be really mad at me!" Kagome said fearfully. She paused when she saw Inuyasha standing just a few meters from her.

"Kagome!" He walked closer to her, his heart beating furiously because of joy. 'She's safe. She's not hurt.' He looked into her eyes just to make sure that she wouldn't disappear like a while ago.

"Inuyasha, I'm rea—"

"Just where the hell were you? I was so wor—" He stopped instantly when he realized what he was about to say. He quickly looked away, his cheeks slightly blushing.

"You were what?" Kagome asked curiously, looking at him patiently for his reply.

"I was…" He took a glance at Kagome but abruptly looked away again. "I was worried." He said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Really?" Kagome asked Inuyasha but secretly, her heart felt very wonderful after hearing Inuyasha's words.

"Well yeah, who wouldn't worry after you left without any word to me?.!" reprimanded Inuyasha.

Kagome smirked. "Well, look who got a taste of his own medicine. That's how I felt last night." She informed him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Inuyasha looked taken aback for a while but then he turned his back and said, "Keh! That's not the point here!" Then he walked away, leaving Kagome alone again.

Inuyasha sat under the Goshinboku and watched the warm yellow and orange sky turn pitch black. 'She's really annoying! I was worried about her but she didn't even look grateful!' He thought grumpily. "We fought again…" He sighed helplessly. 'Will we ever fix things again?' He wondered.

Kagome arrived and stood in front of Inuyasha. "Can I stay here with you?" She asked kindly with a smile.

Inuyasha took a quick look at her then averted his gaze. "Do whatever you want." He said unconcernedly.

"I guess that's a yes." She took a seat on the left side of the moping hanyou and remained silent.

"Kagome?"

"Hm?" Kagome looked into Inuyasha and saw sincerity and concern in his amber orbs. She found his eyes very comforting that she didn't have any plans of looking away.

Inuyasha was looking straight at Kagome's warm brown eyes. He really thought he was going to lose her. That thought scared the life out of him. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Being a hanyou, I'm not used to someone worrying for me or someone waiting for my return. I don't usually explain myself but…" He paused before continuing. "From now on, I promise you that I'll do my best to be honest with you… So you won't worry anymore." He took another pause and looked guiltily at the ground. "I just realized that it's not good to make someone worry…"

Kagome was deeply touched by Inuyasha's words. A soft blush began to creep on her face and she was glad that Inuyasha wasn't looking anymore. "Inuyasha… you were really worried about me?" She said, also looking down at the grass.

"Of course I was! I checked on the other side of the well but you weren't there! I thought you were in serious trouble," said Inuyasha, looking petulantly at her.

All of a sudden, Kagome looked perplexed and exclaimed, "But I was there!"

"No, you weren't!" Inuyasha objected. "The old man and the kid said you weren't there! I also checked in your room!"

"You must have missed me. I went out with Mama to help her with the groceries," explained Kagome. "Souta and jiichan didn't see me because I came so late last night and they also woke up late this morning. So that's why both Souta and jiichan said you were looking for me. I thought they were just playing games with me."

"What?" Inuyasha muttered, narrowing his eyes at Kagome. "You thought they were just playing games? I was running around here worried like hell thinking that you were hurt and you thought they were just playing around?.! You're heartless!"

"Hey! You said you don't care whatever I do!" Kagome defended herself, looking at Inuyasha triumphantly.

"Keh! Shut up!" Inuyasha said, ignoring Kagome's look. "Just promise me you won't do it again."

"Fine!" She muttered in reply.

"Good!" Inuyasha said contentedly, tucking his hands inside his sleeves.

The silence followed—but it wasn't deafening anymore. Instead, it was a peaceful kind of silence.

Kagome looked up at the twinkling stars and smiled with satisfaction. Everything seemed beautiful that night for her.

"Can I ask you something?" It was Kagome who spoke.

Inuyasha remained quiet, waiting. That was Kagome's cue that it was okay to continue.

"You went to see Kikyou yesterday, didn't you?" She really wanted to hear Inuyasha admit it. She didn't know why but somehow, she thought that if Inuyasha was able to admit it then maybe—just maybe—it wouldn't hurt so bad. 'Because he had told the truth…' She thought.

Inuyasha looked sideways at Kagome but she was not looking at him but at the starry sky. "I followed the Shinidamachuu but I wasn't able to talk to Kikyou. When I saw her, she was already leaving." Inuyasha explained. 'Does she believe me?' He wondered.

"Okay." She didn't look at Inuyasha. 'Is he telling the truth? He promised me but still I can't help but doubt his words.'

"Okay?" Inuyasha repeated, looking uncertain. He narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "You don't believe me, do you?"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha's eyes and asked, "Did you tell me the truth?"

"Stupid! Of course!" He snapped at her.

Even though Inuyasha was rude, Kagome believed in him. She loved him so he believed in him. Together with love, there was always trust. She smiled at him softly, her brown pools looking intently at Inuyasha's golden yellow eyes. "Then I believe you."

Inuyasha's heart lightened at those simple words. He never heard it often and it was definitely good that he had heard it from someone he valued greatly. 'Thank you, Kagome.'

Another silence fell. Kagome was looking at the stars, comfortable with the feeling that Inuyasha was beside her. Although words weren't exchanged between them, being together was enough for her.

"Inuyasha,"

There was no reply from the hanyou.

She turned her head to see Inuyasha and found him leaning on the Goshinboku's trunk, his eyes closed. "Are you asleep?" She asked softly.

Still, no answer came.

A smile crept on Kagome's lips as she watched the sleeping hanyou's face. 'He looks really tired.' She observed, tracing the features of his face with her eyes. He looked so peaceful whenever he slept. She hesitantly leaned on his shoulder then relaxed at the warmth of his body. All of sudden, sleeping seemed like a pretty inviting idea. And she slept serenely, knowing that she was safe.

"Hey! There they are!" Shippou pointed at the clearing where the Goshinboku stood.

"Ssshh! I think we better not disturb them." Miroku told them, seeing the calmness on the couple's faces. "We better get back to the hut and prepare dinner."

Sango agreed completely. "Yeah, I'm starting to get hungry." She said with a soft smile.

The three turned their backs to leave the couple to themselves. They knew they needed some time alone—after what had happened.

Something around them suddenly woke Inuyasha and made him snap his eyes open. He raised his head carefully and saw pale green soul-catcher youkais gliding through the night sky—calling on him to follow them. He looked down on Kagome's head that was leaning on his shoulder and smiled softly. There was something more important than following those youkais that night. He preferred to stay with Kagome. He nuzzled Kagome closer to him and closed his eyes once more. He may be tired but it was all right with him. Kagome was back with him.

'You are definitely not second best to me, Kagome.' He wanted so much to whisper to her ear.

Perhaps Kagome had heard him because a grateful smile had appeared on her lips as she continued to sleep.

A/N: Finally, I am finished. It took me so long to write this one. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading. Now I'm back to writing The Shadow… Wait for it!