Kagome sighed as she stared into the campfire that she, Sesshoumaru, Sango, Miroku, and Inu Yasha shared. The five travelers sat around the fire in various stages of fatigue. She glanced back at Rin, who was playing in the field, seemingly unaffected by the evening’s humid spell that caused everyone to feel more tired than usual. Occasionally, Kagome spoke with either Sesshoumaru or Inu Yasha, alternately, depending upon which of the two seemed to be gaining enough energy to argue with the other. Aside from her quick conversations with the rival brothers, no one spoke within the group. Kagome wasn’t quite sure why Sango and Miroku were so silent, but she had a pretty good theory as to why Inu Yasha was being quiet and she knew exactly the cause of Sesshoumaru’s muteness.

Miroku leaned forward, a stern expression on his face. "When we go to rescue Sayaka… Will we be prepared to end all of this?"

Everyone’s attention had become Miroku’s own as he clenched his teeth, his eyes lost in the small blaze in front of himself. "All this time that we’ve taken, so many times we’ve all tried to do this independently, they haven’t worked yet. I think that this time, we should gather as many others as possible. I cannot think of many other enemies that Naraku has offhand, but I’m sure that you can all think of someone, somewhere who will want him dead."

Kagome nodded as she looked back at Miroku. "Kouga-kun will help."

Sango stared at the hanyou woman, whom had been introduced as ‘Kana’, in disbelief. "Kouga of the okami tribe? How do you know him?"

Kagome paused as she stared at the ground for answers. [I guess Inu Yasha didn’t tell them at all…]

Inu Yasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he glared at Kagome. "Feh, I’m sure that Kouga decided to go after her when Kagome disappeared… After all, Kana seems easy enough to go for trash like Kouga is." Inu Yasha added with a huff. His golden eyes refused to meet Kagome’s angry gaze. [Stupid, stupid, stupid… I can’t believe that she’s doing this… She’s not who I thought she was anymore…]

Kagome held back everything she felt and wanted to say as she stood and walked away from the campfire. As soon as she got out of range of the fire, she released her pride and allowed the tears that had been burning her eyes to flow over her cheeks. [Why is Inu Yasha being like this? I would have thought that he would have been more than happy to see me again, but all he’s doing is being bull-headed and rude!]

Upon hearing the rustling of bushes behind her, Kagome growled, ready to test whether the ‘Osuwari’ incantation still worked while she was in a hanyou form. She turned around, though, to see that Sango had followed her. "Kana-chan? What’s the matter?"

Kagome clenched her fists and took a long, deep breath before she answered. "Inu Yasha is… Stupid, stupid Inu Yasha… He had no right to say that…"

"Ano… How do you and Inu Yasha know each other?"

Kagome sighed as she ran her finger over the shard in her chest. "Sango-chan, I’m not really a hanyou… I’m Kagome."

Sango gasped, but was quick to understand. "So that’s why Inu Yasha’s been acting the way he has… He doesn’t like that you and Sesshoumaru seem to be getting along well… He’s just… jealous."

Kagome nodded as she leaned against the base of a nearby tree. "I guess that makes sense… But I would have thought that he’d have behaved better than this… He practically called me a whore just now… Jealous or not, he had no right to say that."

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Inu Yasha’s heated glare finally was met with Sesshoumaru’s cold mask of indifference. Inu Yasha growled and bared his teeth at his elder brother as he subconsciously reached for his Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru returned the gesture with a cool smile. No matter what Kagome thought of his hatred towards his younger brother, Sesshoumaru was not about to lose face in any argument with his hanyou sibling.

"You don’t even care for her, do you? You’re just doing this to spite me, Sesshoumaru. I know you well enough, you’ve always taken such pride in being able to take that which is mine, so now you’re taking her away from me, too, huh?" Inu Yasha’s glared at his elder brother in animosity, daring him to deny the seeming truth.

Sesshoumaru shrugged, but did begin considering his younger brother’s heated accusations. He knew that he had begun to take a liking towards Kagome, but he also knew that it hadn’t been to spite Inu Yasha—that was just a perk. All along he had told himself that he was not to fall for Kagome, but… the more he was around her, the more difficult it had been to abide by that vow.

Kagome returned with Sango only seconds later, tear stains on her delicate rosy cheeks. Sesshoumaru felt anger rise within himself towards his younger brother, knowing that it was Inu Yasha’s hateful words that had caused the girl to cry.

Kagome glanced between the brothers and, in order to show her displeasure from Inu Yasha’s words, sat next to Sesshoumaru. She waited for Inu Yasha’s reaction, and upon seeing his shock, replied his reaction with a heated glare. Inu Yasha wasted no time to look away and even moved to sit nearer to Miroku and Sango.

Clearly, rescuing Sayaka would have difficulties nearly as impossible to overcome as getting past Naraku. They could not do anything at all if they could not learn to work together.

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~~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ The next day ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~~

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Kouga sighed as he looked over a plateau, seeing the clear plain below. He had been so busy over the previous month that he had not gotten the chance to find and speak with Kagome. He occasionally caught Inu Yasha’s scent on the wind, but never Kagome’s. The fact that Kagome was never with Inu Yasha had begun to worry Kouga. He knew that the hanyou mutt was careless and angered Kagome at times, but this was becoming ridiculous!

The wind blew with a slightly greater force than usual and lifted Kouga’s ebony ponytail in the air as he turned around and headed back to where he had last left Ginta and Hakkaku. [However, the next time I sense that piece of shit around, I’m going to beat the answer out of him… I just hope, for his sake, that Kagome isn’t hurt.]

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Kagome sighed as she led the group, Sesshoumaru shortly behind her and Inu Yasha sulking several yards away from either of them. Kagome had not meant to offend Inu Yasha, but he had gone out of his way to offend her. So, she figured, she’d go out of her way to ignore him. She was not quite sure the permanency of her anger towards him, but it would most likely depend upon his behaviors.

Sesshoumaru raised his nose in the air as he caught a distant scent in the breeze. "Kana-chan, that okami is coming."

Kagome ignored Inu Yasha’s animalistic growl and the grumbling that followed as she turned and rewarded Sesshoumaru with a bright smile. "Arigato, Sesshou-kun. He’ll come on his own, we needn’t run after him."

Sesshoumaru returned Kagome’s smile with a thin, yet unmistakable smile of his own. His harsh golden eyes softened as he noticed her slow her pace so that she would be able to walk nearer to him. Her sweet scent was nearly intoxicating on days such as this, when the spring flowers were blossoming, if only to compliment her. However, the only damper on this otherwise perfect occasion was the scent and sight of Inu Yasha. Inu Yasha even smelled of the anger that seemed to permeate in the air around him.

Sesshoumaru’s blissful reverie was broken upon the arrival of a rather loud okami yokai.

Kouga crossed his arms as he looked over the five. "Oy, Dog Shit, Where’s Kagome?"

Inu Yasha glared at Kouga and shrugged. "It’s not my day to keep track of your woman."

[He isn’t arguing? ‘Your woman’?] Kouga stared blankly at Inu Yasha in disbelief. He shifted his gaze to Miroku. "Houshi, what’s his problem?"

Miroku sighed as he began walking towards Kouga. He stopped, though, when he saw Kana’s arm in front of him. She smiled back at him before she began walking toward Kouga. "I’ll tell him."

Kouga looked the hanyou woman over, though his confusion was more present in his mind than his interest in who she was. "Tell me what?"

Kagome shook her head as she looped her arm over Kouga’s shoulder and began leading him off in the distance. Her normally smiling face took on a sullen expression as she finally got far enough away to explain. "Kouga-kun… Kagome’s… well, Kagome was killed over a month ago."

"Kagome…" Kouga’s face drained of all color as he stared at the hanyou woman in disbelief. "Wait! How do you know Kagome and, more importantly, how do you know me?"

Kagome sighed as she decided that, rather than dance around with half-truths and white lies, Kouga deserved the truth just as much as anyone else did. "Kagome died then, but she was brought back to life very shortly thereafter. Sesshoumaru-sama has a sword that returns a soul to the body, as though nothing had ever happened—that’s why I’m here now. Naraku was the one to kill me, so we decided that it would be best if I temporarily changed my identity. I’ve got a Shikon shard that has been paired with Sesshoumaru’s blood in my chest now—that’s why I’m in this form. For now, my name is ‘Kana’."

Kouga, overcome with the explanation, took in a deep breath. He stepped nearer to Kagome, his eyes flickered with something indefinable. His lip quivered momentarily before he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I knew I shouldn’t have left you in Inu Yasha’s care…"

Kagome pulled herself away from Kouga and shook her head. "Don’t take this the wrong way, but… you’re just not the one for me, Kouga-kun. You’re a great guy. I think that, yes, you should wait until you have nothing more to risk yourself in—when Naraku’s dead—and then go back to Ayamé-chan. However, there is someone that I love. I cannot keep letting you think that you own me."

Kouga’s expression broke into anger. "You mean to say that after he let you die, you still love Inu Yasha?"

"I never said it was Inu Yasha!" Kagome gasped as she considered her own words. She quieted and then reached for Kouga’s hand. "Look, we have a friend in trouble right now. Naraku captured her when he was trying to get to me. We needed to find you anyway because we’re going to need all the help we can get—we’re going to end this. Naraku will die."

Kouga stared at Kagome’s hand for a few moments and then nodded. "Fine by me, Kana-chan. Just so long as Inu Yasha doesn’t get too much of the glory, ne?"

Kagome smiled as she began walking back towards where she had left the others. "Arigato, Kouga-kun… I’m glad you understood."

Kouga smiled brightly as he followed Kagome. "When I was a child, my mother told me that if I truly care about someone, it’s better to let them do what they want to be happy than to follow my own selfish needs."

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A.N. Well, two chapters so far—I’m on a roll!

Well, a few words reveal a whole lot and jealousy has led to a rift between two people who have once been very close. (I swear, I’ve never dealt with anything like it… yeah, right.)