As daylight waned, Kagome, Sesshoumaru and Entei struck out for the twilit village. Glancing sidelong at the impassive demon lord, she was glad to see that he was more or less back to his former intimidating self. Youkai genetics were truly a remarkable thing.

As if to reinforce the notion, her injured limb gave an angry twinge no matter how gingerly she attempted to readjust the straps of her backpack. Frowning, Kagome wondered how much longer her bow-arm would be out of commission. Though everything seemed peaceful enough at the moment, years of youkai surprise attacks had made the young miko understandably paranoid. With Miroku and Sango still recovering from their own injuries, she couldn’t help but worry about the state of Edo’s defenses–especially when she and Sesshoumaru had gigantic targets on their backs.

Mouryoumaru’s parting words to her had been no empty threat–of that, Kagome was certain. And by now, no matter where he was lurking, Naraku would surely have been informed of her return, by Kagura if nothing else. Shikon no Tama aside, as long as Kikyou’s soul walked the earth, Naraku would never let her rest. Kagome could only guess at what twisted schemes he was hatching at this very moment. Whatever it was, she knew she couldn’t afford to sit idly by–she needed to come up with a strategy.

Looking at Sesshoumaru again, Kagome drew comfort from his presence. It had been a crazy plan–and an even crazier risk–bringing him over to their side. But regardless of the personal cost, she was thankful she’d been able to win his allegiance. If they were going to defeat Naraku, they needed him. She needed him.

Faintly reflective, his golden eyes slanted toward her, catching her mid-stare. “What is it?”

“N-nothing!” she stammered, tearing away from him with a blush.

They walked on a little more in awkward silence. At the outskirts of town, a small, but sturdily-built structure came into view. Kagome paused beside it.

“Well,” she announced, fidgeting with her backpack straps again, “here’s my stop.”

Sesshoumaru sniffed. “It reeks of Inuyasha.”

Kagome grimaced. She’d spent a fair part of her afternoon cleaning out the place. Not well enough, though, it seemed–judging by his tight expression.

“Er, well, he did use to live here, with Kikyou…but it’s a nice house, and I needed somewhere to stay.” Biting her lip, Kagome dug the toe of her boot into the dirt, the tension weighing on her like a heavy quilt. “So…I guess this is goodnight, then.”

With one last inscrutable glance, he turned, disappearing wordlessly into the gathering darkness. Kagome released a pent-up breath, clambering wearily up the porch steps.

Perhaps the best thing about this house was that the doorway was wide enough for Entei to pass through. The clack of his hooves followed her across the threshold, the horse settling down beside the hearth as Kagome knelt to rebuild it, a spark from his fiery tail accelerating the process. As the flames rose to a cheery blaze, she cast him a grateful smile. It was nice, not to be so totally alone.

She had considered asking Sango if she could stay with her and the kids but ultimately had decided against it. Though things were better between she and the taijiya now than they had been before, Kagome didn’t want to push it.

After a light dinner of dried meat and some of Kaede’s jaw-breaking rice crackers, the young miko changed into a t-shirt and pajama pants and laid her bedroll out across the planked wood floor. Exhausted as she was, she slipped with difficulty into a restless, dream-filled sleep. Sesshoumaru was the prime subject, of course. In her dreams, she watched him push past the door of the hut, in blatant disregard of their earlier agreement, his glinting eyes intent upon her as he closed the short distance between them…

Sweating, Kagome awoke, her heart throbbing–her lower half, as well. Blearily, breathlessly, she sat up on her elbows, staring ahead as her sleep-fogged mind registered the approach of a familiar youki signature.

As her thoughts began to clear, the reed door cracked open, and a little round face peeked through.

“Kagome-chan,” Shippou asked shyly, “can I sleep with you tonight?”

Kagome relaxed–outwardly, at least–smiling at him warmly. “Of course, you can, Shippou-chan.”

The fox-kit pattered over, snuggling at once into the crook of Kagome’s arm. Stroking his cheek, she lay down on her side, curled slightly around him–berating herself for the sliver of lingering disappointment she felt.

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi