Be there for me

The moment had passed, and the three humans stood up again, wiping their eyes dry as they took hold of their emotions once again. Sango and Miroku backed away to give Kagome a little space, while Shippou hopped on top of his momma's shoulders to cling next to her neck. The kitsune now had Kagome back, and would not be leaving her for quite the time being, he was determined.



Moments later, Inuyasha entered the hutt, and stopped when he saw the group standing there. He had her yellow bag, as well as her bow and arrows with him. The hanyou looked at the miko, and started to yell out in a whooping joy at seeing her well and up and walking again. However, his plans were immediatly cut short.



"Sit boy." Kagome said. Whatever happiness that she had had a moment ago was now gone, replaced by a sort of empty sadness. Moments later the hanyou hit the ground with a jarring thud, creating a small crater in the wood paneling of the floor of the hutt. Sango and Miroku looked somewhat suprised at her reaction, and backed away slightly. Shippou, on the other hand, looked immediatly angry after scenting the air, and jumped off Kagome's shoulders to land on the ground.



"Inuyasha, what took you so long? and why, pray tell, do you smell of graveyard dirt and soil?" the kitsune not so much asked as added sarcastically and bitterly as the half demon tried to recover. However, the kitsune and everyone else was suprised when Kagome, not Inuyasha, was the one to answer.



"Because she was with Kikyo, that's why." stated Kagome in a sad and cold, almost whimpering, voice. She formed her right hand into a fist and held it over her chest, seemingly trying to take hold of her heart, as she stared at the one who had betrayed her. Miroku, Sango, and the kitsune looked from Kagome to Inuyasha, and all three of them felt tempted at once to try and comfort Kagome, and hit Inuyasha with their weapons. In the event, they just stood where they were and watched as the confrontation continued.



"Kagome, I knew that you..." Inuyasha started before he recieved another "Sit" command and fell back into the ground, going a little deeper this time.



"You see, I saw you. When I died, my spirit rose out of my body, and hovered in the air above the forest. I saw you there, being comforted by Kikyo." she added to her earlier statement. Sango gasped before holding a hand to her mouth, while Miroku looked downtrodden and depressed. Kagome herself was now devoid of emotion as she went on.



"Inuyasha, many times in the past similar events have occured, but not when I was in mortal danger. I was dying, and you just went off to see Kikyo instead of coming to my side? How was I to know that Sesshomaru was going to revive me with his sword? You may or may not have known this in advance..." he nodded slightly, letting her know that the former was the case, but even so, she let another "sit" out before she continued, "But still. It comes down to a simple matter. I needed you, and you weren't there for me."



"Kagome, I'm sorr.." Inuyasha started, before recieving another "sit". At this point he thought it would be best to just ride out the storm while keeping his mouth closed. At this rate the whole hutt would collapse with how deep and wide the hole in the ground was getting. Kagome looked at his face with her sad eyes, then looked away, not being able to look at him anymore.



"I'm going home. I need some time alone to think. I'll be back to let you know about my decision." said Kagome, as she picked up her pack and after consideration, her bow and arrows. Her adopted son ran up to her tugged on the hem of her skirt.



"What do you mean, by decision?" he asked with those big and innocent eyes of his. She looked down at him and tried to offer up a smile, but it just wouldn't come. Instead her face displayed something more in line with faint sadness. Instead of answering the fox demon, not wanting to upset him anymore, she just walked out the door of the hutt and headed back towards the well.



What she meant by decision, was as to whether or not she would continue on with the gang in search of the jewel shards and in hunting Naraku. She knew that she had the support of Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, but with Inuyasha in the group, she didn't know if she could go on. He had betrayed her emotions for the last time, and she didn't want to see him ever again, the way that she felt right now. But even as she thought this, a small pang in her heart reminded Kagome that she still had feelings for the hanyou.



Her tears began to run again as she lowered her head to prevent anyone from looking directly into her eyes. 'Oh, Inuyasha. Despite what you've done, what you've ever done to me, I still love you, as a friend if nothing else. Oh Inuyasha, why do you torture me so?' thought Kagome as she approached the entrance into Inuyasha forest.



* * *



Sesshomaru landed with his retainer and loyal follower within the castle grounds of his private estate in the western lands. The events of the past day or so have proven to be tiring to the great demon lord, and so he has come home to rest. Rin herself, being caught up in so much emotional distress and having a long day, was snoozing away on Ah-un when they landed. Cradling the human girl within his arms, Sesshomaru headed inside, where he deposited her upon her private bed before retreating to his own chambers. He left Jaken on guard to take care of any interlopers.



Once he had stripped himself of his armour and went to bathe in his private springs bath, he reflected on the day's events himself and thought about all that had happened. In particular he began to think about Kagome, and what she had done for him, and what he had done for her in return.



'Her and Rin make the perfect sister and sister match. They are good friends, and loyal comrades to one another. Rin is so happy when she is around, perhaps Kagome would consider adopting her, or....coming to live with us.' Sesshomaru smiled as he considered this latter option, before his smile went upside down into a frown. 'No, get ahold of yourself, Sesshomaru. This one is already nagging enough for our patience. Having two human females around, constantly nagging me and Jaken?'



'That would never work. On the other hand, if I had my way with the one known as Kagome, I wouldn't mind the naggings, besides, they would be more like moans rather than complaints.' he smiled openly as he considered this and took in the view of her body, so pale, and the revealing outfit that she wore. She may be young, but she wasn't too young to be his mate. But there was the problem of her being a human.



'So what if she is a human? Father took a human as his mate.' thought Sesshomaru with his lust, before his common cold personality broke in. 'Which is exactly the problem. It led to his downfall, and produced that irritating half demon of a brother, Inuyasha.'



Sesshomaru swam to one of the smooth rocks that edged his pool, and leaned his back against it as the hot water continued to work on his aching joints. 'The only thing I regret about father's death was the fact that I wasn't the one to kill him. But he did die an honorable death, in defense of his chosen pack, I will give him that much.' Much to Sesshomaru's chagrin, his cold side chose to interfere again. 'He died a weak and pitiful death, because those who he chose were too weak to defend themselves. And what would you do if you mated this girl and produced a half breed of your own? Would you love and cherish it like you cherish your relationship with Inuyasha?'



"Enough" spoke Sesshomaru, into the empty air around him, but more to silence the colder aspect of his personality. He decided upon due reflection that he would accept Kagome as a companion if nothing else, should she come to him, and that if he so desired, he would take her as a mate. If they gave birth to half demons, then he would cross that bridge when they came to it. But he did have to admit, in his deepest and most private thoughts, that Inuyasha wasn't turning out too bad when it came to defending his packmates and doing what needed to be done. But he, Sesshomaru, would definitly be a better teacher in the arts of mating.



As he got out of the pool and began to dress himself, he couldn't quite prevent his cold aspect from making one last final thought on the matter. 'She is a fiesty one. It would definitly be arousing to take her by force, I would love a good fight.'



* * *



Miss Higurashi had a basket full of laundry in her hands fresh from the washing machine. Being that it was such a beatiful day outside in Tokyo, she decided to hang dry the clothing instead of throwing them into the dryer. She didn't like using such a noisy contraption anyways. As she parted the door and walked out into the courtyard of their home, she saw what appeared to be a little kid approaching her, although this one was odd in that he had white hair and looked to be deathly ill almost.



Hiding her almost revulsion at seeing such a poor child, she offered up a brave smile and a happy expression.



"Well, hello there. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked. If he was sick, he probably wanted some food or something to drink. With Kagome in the other world, they had plenty of leftover food in the fridge, and she had stocked up on sodas in preparation for her eventual return.



"Miss Higurashi, I presume?" asked the little kid as he looked up to her with purple eyes, she noted with a bit of shock.



"Yes, that's correct. And you are?" she asked in return.



"My name is Hakudoshi. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you." replied the boy, as a pike seemed to appear out of nowhere in his right hand....