The Boyfriend

Disclaimer:
InuYasha, Kagome and anyone else you saw in the manga or anime does
not belong to me. Yukio does. If I saw so much as a shiny penny for
this story, you think I’d be writing fanfiction still? Okay, I
would… Damn other authors and their more interesting universes…

Genre:
Angst, Romance

Rating: M

Codes: Inu/Kag

Feedback: Keeps my
muse talking and the stories coming! Do tell. But if you have a
flame, use it for something more productive, like setting your
clothes on fire.

The Boyfriend

Chapter 26

“I don’t understand,” Sango said quietly
after Shippo had fallen asleep. “I thought a miko had to be a
virgin?”

“Well, in my time, no one’s really sure about
that anymore,” Kagome answered. “Only the girls who dance for
kami really have to be completely pure. And different shrines do it
differently. I had a friend my first year in junior high that hated
living in a shrine and doing the miko duties, but another friend said
she got paid really well for it and wanted to dedicate her life to
becoming a priestess. My grandfather talked about it a lot, but
didn’t really make me participate in much of anything.”

“So, it is most likely just a measure of being
pure,” Miroku surmised. “In which case, I am not surprised that
you have reacquired your powers, considering how often you bathe. You
must have washed away the impurity of that boy long ago.”

“I suppose the only way to know for sure is to
get the last shard and see if I can purify it,” Kagome said.

“We’ll figure out how,” InuYasha said. “I’m
sure Naraku’s already working on another way right now.”

“Since he sent the saimyoushou out with those
birds, do you think it has something to do with Abihime?” Kagome
asked.

“I don’t think she’s one of his minions,”
Sango said.

“I believe he is trying to use her,” Miroku
agreed. “But I don’t see how gathering human blood will get him
into the border between this world and the next.”

“Well, I don’t know if he’s planning that
with her,” InuYasha said, “But she’s going around slaughtering
humans and we just can’t allow that.”

“So are we going to go after her?” Miroku
asked.

“She won’t be hard to track, with the way
she’s coated in the scent of blood,” InuYasha confirmed.

“But what about Kagome-sama?” Miroku
continued. “Doesn’t she have to go back and take care of Tama?
And go to school?”

“But I can fight again now,” Kagome began, but
InuYasha interrupted her.

“Yes, she does. But Kirara can take her back and
I’ll stay and help fight Abihime.”

“You can’t just—” Kagome tried again.

“Kagome… it’s not just you that I have to
protect when I am protecting you,” InuYasha said. “You must go
back and go to school for Tama. I’ve seen how hard you have to
study now… come back after school. Kirara will be waiting for you.”
Kagome sulked, but didn’t argue anymore. That didn’t mean she was
done, however.

“What if something big happens? How will I know?
What if you need me?” Kagome demanded. InuYasha was quiet.

“Check the well every day,” Sango answered for
him. “If we need you, we’ll send Kirara and she will bring you
back to us.”

“All right, I give up,” Kagome agreed. “But
you better not get killed while I’m away!”

“Feh! I remember when you used to leave for days
at a time and if I tried to stop you, you would sit me!” InuYasha
growled lightly at the memory. Kagome grinned sheepishly.

“I guess I’ve been in the sengoku jidai too
long; my priorities have changed,” Kagome offered. InuYasha shook
his head as he settled down to try to sleep against the wall near the
door. He remembered her conversation with Eri, about going back to
high school. She had sounded as though she had given up entirely. He
supposed that she had and her mind had started making decisions
without including school in the equations. She was almost back to the
Kagome she was before, but these small things remained to constantly
remind him of what she had lost. And what he had almost lost forever…

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but it’s a stopping
point for now—there’s about to be a jump forward as I move past
the rest of the anime, as no progress is really going to be made in
the story. I feel terrible for how long the updates have been
stretched out, but I haven’t been able to write anything in months,
so you’re just getting my cleaned up story that I’ve already had
written. For anyone who wonders, yes, I’m recent with the manga
from Japan, so I know Takahashi tainted Kagome, too, hehehe. Is that
a great minds thing or just a kooky coincidence? Until next time,
Take care!