Inopportune Tribulations

Prologue: Phychosis

She felt a hand against her shoulder and let out a shriek that could wake the whole neighborhood.

"Kagome, calm down, it's me," a gruff voice said urgently.

The raven-haired miko turned slowly as she took in the sight of her hanyou. "Inuyasha? You scared me," she whispered in near tears.

"I'm sorry, but I heard what happened and I thought I'd check up on you. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm okay. It just feels… feels like there's someone there. Waiting to kill me."

"Look, I know how it must feel, but nothing's going to get you. It's a figment of your imagination."

"But it's not!" she whispered in anger. "She saw it! She wrote about it and everything, it's here… I know it is!" her voice was shaky.

"Kagome, you've been through a lot, you're just imagining things. It's to be expected, but no one's going to get you. Not while I'm here."

"…" Kagome opened her mouth to disagree, but she was cut off by a shuffle. She looked past her love and into the mirror hanging on a wall opposite of her. There it was. The grotesque face looking back at her. The miko gasped and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked with a voice glazed in worry.

She hesitantly opened one eye, and to her dismay? Pleasure? She wasn't sure, but the face was gone. "It's here."

"Listen to me," the hanyou started irritably. "Nothing is going to get you. I'm right here with you, and I will never let anything hurt you." He pulled her into an awkward yet assuring hug. "I'm always going to be right here with you," he whispered.

His whisper was sweet and his hug was warm, and yet, anger bubbled up within Kagome. "Until Kikyou comes along," she whispered angrily.

Inuyasha growled and his arms started to loosen from the girl. "No!" Kagome was above a whisper for the first time since he found her there and panic flooded her scent. Inuyasha quickly wrapped her in his arms again. "I'm sorry," she whispered as tears slipped down her face.

Inuyasha just held the miko as she leaned into his warm skin. She sat there in his arms until she heard a dreaded noise. It reminded her of those horror movies her brother used to watch: the sound of something dying rings through the air, and the smell of putrefying flesh spikes it. She gagged and opened her mouth to tell her hanyou, but she stopped short when his warm embrace turned cold. Literally. His arms felt like ice and his grip was too tight. Kagome turned her head only to find that… that… thing staring back at her. She opened her mouth to scream, her eyes wide as saucers, but the only thing that came out was an asphyxiated gasp. She yanked away from the Inuyasha and tried to run, but the half-demon already had his cold hands gripped in her hair.

"I-Inuy-?" Kagome started. His peeling flesh became clearer as his face came closer to hers. His hands moved from her hair to her throat and down her shoulders. He touched her breasts and she gasped and jumped back, but he already had his deceased hands around her waist. He yanked her closer and nuzzled her neck. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she felt his lipless mouth kiss her. This is a dream. This is a dream, it has to be! she screamed in her mind.

Kagome felt his hands tighten around her and he turned them so Kagome had her back to the mirror on the wall. Inuyasha's grip got tighter and tighter, and Kagome was starting to find it difficult to breathe. He started pushing her back as she dug her heels into the ground. She whispered "no" under her breath over and over again as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to get out of his grip. With a nefarious smile, Inuyasha shoved the miko backward. They both heard a shatter and Kagome felt the now-jagged glass shove its way into her back. She let out a scream as black ate at and eventually consumed her vision

Inopportune Tribulations

Chapter 1: Satire

"Moving!?" Kagome nearly screamed.

"Yes, darling. We have to move in with your aunt Fae and cousin Arden. Unfortunately, we don't have enough money to support ourselves here," Mrs. Higurashi stated solemnly.

"But Arden hates me!"

"Now Kagome, she doesn't hate you, you two just don't quite see eye to eye."

"No, she hates me. And how am I supposed to go to the feudal era and help the guys with everything!?"

"Kagome Lyn Higurashi, I want you to stop yelling, right now."

Kagome sighed and lowered her voice. "Mom, what about Inuyasha?"

"I don't know. You obviously won't be able to use the well anymore, so you unfortunately can't continue your quest. Maybe Inuyasha could still sneak out of there to see you, but you'll have to say goodbye to the others."

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears as she heard her mother's words. She looked away so her mom couldn't see her and nodded mutely before leaving.

The young miko ran to the well house, took a deep breath whilst wiping away her tears, and jumped down. She smiled as a familiar blue glow enveloped her and she landed on the bottom. A clawed hand reached down and helped her up as she was treated with the sight of two adorable dog ears and the man she learned to love.

"There you are! You're late," Inuyasha stated gruffly.

"Sorry," Kagome whispered, much to Inuyasha's confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked a little softer.

"Nothing."

"Bull."

"I'd rather tell everyone at once than say it five different times."
Inuyasha pondered for a moment as to what could've caused the vivacious miko to look so down before curtly nodding and dragging her back to Kaede's hut.

"Everyone sit!" Inuyasha snapped. "Kagome has something to say."

The girl in question looked at Inuyasha in disbelief. "I didn't mean now!" she whispered urgently.

"Too bad, now spill." The hanyou crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome sighed. "Fine, I'm moving," she said fractiously.

She watched as the entire group blinked before Inuyasha spoke up. "Whaddya mean? What'cha moving?"

"No, I'm moving. Going to live somewhere else. My mom and grandfather are selling the house and now I'm going to live with some aunt in Kyoto." she finished with malice.

"…Ki…oh…toe?" Inuyasha started. "Where's that?"

"It's a bit away. I- I don't think I can continue our quest," she finished trying to hold back tears.

"You… you can't just leave! It's your fault the damn jewel broke in the first place!" Inuyasha shouted incredulously.

Kagome glared at him with fire in her eyes. "You think I don't know that!? It's not like I chose to move!" she yelled as tears poured down her face.

"Keh," Inuyasha grunted, rolled his eyes, and turned away.

Inuyasha could be a little more considerate! Sango thought angrily before going over to Kagome. "I'm sorry you have to move. Don't worry, you'll always have a place here, no matter how long it takes you to get back," she reassured the miko with a sad smile.

Kagome turned away from Inuyasha and smiled at her friend. "Thanks," she mouthed and gave Sango a hug.

"Now, now Lady Kagome, don't I get a hug?" Miroku asked coming over. Kagome held out a hand to stop him.

"Touch me, and I'll kill you," she said playfully before giving him a friendly hug. After he let go, she looked over at Shippo, who hadn't said a thing since she told him her news. Kagome kneeled down and held out her arms. "Do I get a hug from you?"

"No." Shippo answered austerely. "Why should I show you compassion!? You're leaving us!"

"Aw, come on Shippo, it's like I was telling Inuyasha. It's not like I'm choosing to leave you, and I'll come back any chance I get. I could never abandon you."

"Kagomeee!" Shippo cried as he ran into her arms sobbing. She gave him a tight hug as they said their goodbyes.

"Now Shippo, I think we should go help Kaede," Sango interjected a little later.

The kitsune sniffed. "Why?"

"Because I think she needs our help."

"But…"

"Just come along, you can talk to Kagome-chan after."

"A-are you sure?"

"Positive," she finished with a smile and led both Shippo and Miroku out. She needs some time alone with Inuyasha. Why don't these two get that?

"Well aren't you going to say goodbye?" Kagome asked, incensed.

"Why? You just said you'd be back anytime you could."

"To Shippo, truth is I don't know if I'll be able to come back at all."

Inuyasha stayed silent and pouty. Finally, he turned to face her and sighed. "So… how long are you staying there?"

"Until I'm around eighteen, but even then, I'm not sure if I can get the shrine back…"

"What if I take you to the well and back. I'm fast enough to stay out of view."

"That might work. I'll run it by mom, but until then, I guess this is goodbye?"

"…Yeah, whatever."

"Inuyasha? Please?" Kagome pleaded as she opened her arms.

Inuyasha blushed slightly, but the thought of losing another woman he loved and not even saying goodbye made him swallow his pride and hug her. Kikyou's death was still the freshest memory in his mind, and if this was the last time he was going to see Kagome, he wanted to be nice… well as nice as he could be. He walked over to her and enclosed her in a gauche hug.

"I'll um… bye."

"Bye," Kagome responded thickly as tears fell on his Robe of the Fire Rat.

"Come on now, no crying."

"I'm sorry, it's just… I got so used to being here."

Inuyasha let go of her and backed up a bit. "Kagome, I-"

"He already said goodbye!" Shippo called as Sango tried to stop him from running in.

The hanyou in question glared at the fox before turning away again. "When are you leaving?"

Kagome caught her adoptive son before answering, "We'll be packing all day tomorrow, but we're not leaving until Friday." Seeing the blank looks she was getting, Kagome clarified. "That would be in six days."

After saying many more tear-filled goodbyes, Kagome went back through the well and started on packing up her room.

*That Friday*

Kagome was packing up the last of her trinkets and was going through her closet one last time. The shrine looked so empty, and everything echoed. It broke her heart, but there was nothing she could do about it, which was probably worse.

"Ah!" she screamed curtly as the top shelf of her closet dropped several items and tons of dust. She coughed as she cleared the things into the trash. "What is this?" she asked under her breath as she picked up a small book. She opened it up and there were pictures inside; her as a child, her with her father and her little brother. She smiled through her tears as she saw a few rouge pictures of Inuyasha and the group. She brought a camera one time, but after it poured, there were only a few pictures that hadn't gotten ruined. She placed the photo album inside her last box and taped it up before carrying it down stairs.

"Ready," Kagome called to her mother.

"Oh good, the moving truck is just down the shrine steps. Will you help me carry these suitcases down?" Mrs. Higurashi asked with a sorrowful smile.

"Sure," her daughter muttered under her breath as she picked up multiple bags.

When the truck was loaded, the Higurashi family got in their car and started the long drive to Kyoto. The entire time, Kagome was in her own little world listening to the new iPod her mom got her to "make up for it." She was trying desperately to ignore her little brother that was playing with one of his stupid dolls that he swore were action figures. She sighed multiple times under her breath and pretended she couldn't hear her mother trying to cheer her up. Nothing could cheer her up now.

After a little while and many stops, they finally pulled up to an old Victorian house. It was black and dismal. And Kagome hated it.

As they got all their things out of the trunk, Kagome heard someone creak down the stairs. Arden, great… she thought sarcastically as the snooty bitch made her way over to the car.

"MeMe*! You look-!" she stopped short and looked her cousin up and down. "Have you gained some weight?"

Kagome sighed under her breath. "Hey Arden, good to see you too…"

They shared an air hug and Arden "supervised" her family as they carried in their bags. That was the thing about Arden, she was really picturesque. She had sparkling eyes, the perfect hair, nails, and figure. And she knew it. So she was real supercilious about it. Everyone was below her. Especially Kagome. Arden did everything in her power to make her miserable, but in that "nice" way your parents always say you're imagining.

Kagome sighed as she put her suitcase down in her new room. It wasn't the fanciest, but it was nicer than her old room, as much as she hated to admit it.

She put her suitcase on the bed and unzipped it. Everything that was really valuable she put in her case. She wasn't about to trust the movers with her valuables. She pulled out multiple glass figurines, and her latest discovery: her photo album. She looked through it one more time before taking out a picture and putting it on the shelf in her new closet.

She put the picture she pulled in the edge of the mirror topping her new dresser. It was picture of her and Inuyasha. She threw her arm around his neck and took the picture before he could complain. He looked shocked and he had blush, which was a contrast to Kagome's hurried smile and worried eyes. She giggled under her breath and finished unpacking.

A little bit later, her mom was calling her down for dinner. When she came down stairs, she saw that the movers already came and her mom and aunt had already unpacked most of the boxes.

"I could've help," she said dejectedly.

"Oh no dear, it was no trouble," Fae said with a smile.

"Yeah, I mean, it was difficult enough without having to deal the emotional wreck you must be after moving," Arden added in as Kagome glared at her.

"Whatever," Kagome sighed as she took her seat at the table. Dinner was quiet other than a few things from Arden such as, "You really shouldn't eat things like that" or "So many?"

Before she knew it, Kagome was sulking in her room again. She already missed everybody, especially Inuyasha. He was still hurting because of Kikyou; she could see it on his face. She was sad herself, but there was a bright side, she finally had a chance with Inuyasha.

"Well, 'had' is the keyword here," Kagome mumbled as she picked up that picture she loved so much. It was probably the only way she was going to see him again. She was setting it back into the edge of the mirror when she jolted back. There, in the corner of the reflective glass, was a smoggy face. It looked to be a young man and he was terribly burned. She gasped and whirled around.

"Did I scare you?" Inuyasha asked as he quirked a brow.

Kagome stared wide-eyed at the hanyou. Finally, she nodded and smiled. "Inuyasha! How did you find me!?"

"I followed your scent," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the word… which it kind of was…

"How come you came?"

"You said you were moving today, so I thought I'd find out where you moved to. Nice house."

"Yeah, I guess, but it's kind of creepy…"

"Yeah? How do you figure?"

"I don't know. It just gives me the creeps…"

"Probably just in your head. So, did you run my plan by your mother yet?"

"What plan?"

"I'll take that as a 'no.'"

"Oh! You mean you taking me back to the feudal era?"

"Yeah. I mean, Naraku may be dead, but the jewel still left a world of destruction behind. Now you're the one who wanted to clean that entire thing up, and you're not bailing now."

"I know, Okay? I know." Kagome sighed. "I'll run it by mom?" she asked in an exasperated voice.

"Keh."

"Now get lost before I get an ear-full from Aunt Fae."

"Fine, but I'll be close, 'kay?"

"Fine, now leave."

Kagome closed the window behind Inuyasha and went over to her mirror. What was that earlier? Probably just jitters from being in a new home. But a dead jitter? I didn't even think I was that weird… And is just me, or does this room smell like a rotting animal?

Kagome shook her head and opened the window. After all, it was an old house and there were bound to be some gross smells around. After she got some fresh air, she turned off her light and sat down on the bed.

"Might as well get some sleep…" Kagome whispered and laid back. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

Hssss…

Kagome sat up and looked around wildly. No one else was in the room. "Wind, must be the wind."

She laid back down and closed her eyes again. She kept telling herself that she was just scaring herself, but for some unknown reason, it wasn't working. Maybe it was the whispers that were building up louder and louder in her ear. She kept trying to block them out, trying to tell herself that they were just in her head, but they kept getting worse. Nothing was understandable, just a loud hissing, like thousands of people talking at once. Kagome squeezed her eyes tighter and balled her hands in the sheets, but she still couldn't get them to go away. Finally, she sat up, about to get a glass of water, when the voices suddenly stopped. The young miko tried to calm her racing heart and ragged breath as she looked wildly around the room.

Rorrim…

Kagome gasped is squeezed her eyes shut again.

Rorrim…

INUYASHA! She sucked in breath to make her thought a sound when she felt is familiar presence. She turned around to see him climbing through the window.

"What the fuck's the matter with you?" he whispered hoarsely. "I could smell your panic for miles away!"

"S-sorry, bad dream," Kagome whispered back.

"Whatever." Inuyasha turned to leave before his love grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave!" Kagome whispered in panic. "Just… stay here? For tonight?"

Inuyasha thanked the fact that she couldn't see his blush right before he shot her down with a "Why the hell should I?"

Tears started welling up in Kagome's eyes. "Because I just left my home, all my friends, and I'm scared. Please?"

"…Keh."

Kagome was lying on the bed while Inuyasha was sitting at the end of it. She was just about to fall asleep when-

Rorrim…

Kagome gasped and snapped her eyes open. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?"

"…Nothing…"

"Whatever."

Kagome warily laid back down and started counting the cracks in her ceiling hoping she could get some sleep before that voice came back. She tried everything, counting sheep, singing songs in her head, day-dreaming, but nothing was working. She was just about to give up and take some kind of sleep aid when that whisper tickled her ear again. Kagome held in her gasp and looked at the back of Inuyasha's head. There is no way he didn't hear that!

Rorrim…

"Inuyasha," she whispered again.

She got a groan in response before a long silence. "What?" he finally answered.

"Will you sleep… up here?"

Silence.

"…Why?"

"I'm scared, and cold." It was a lie when she first said it, but then a shiver ran through as goose bumps ignited on her skin.

"…Fine." Inuyasha hesitantly stood up and laid down on the far end of her mattress. That didn't help, however, when the young woman snuggled up to him as soon as his back touched the plush cushion.

"Good night, Inuyasha."

"G'night."

The last thing Kagome heard before she fell asleep was that cold voice. Except this time it wasn't right in her ear, it was more that light, far away sound that you hear from your parents' room at night.

Rorrim…

*(May May)

Inopportune Tribulations

Chapter 2: Emulated

Why was Kagome so blissful anyway? Her back hurt, she hadn't gotten any sleep, and the worst part was the headache that perforated through her head. So why-? A soft snore cut her thought off as she smiled wide. "Oh yeah," she alleged as she turned as inconspicuously as she could and looked up at the hanyou beside her.

"Good morning," he garbled, her turning having woke him up.

"Oh, sorry. I tried not to wake you," she whispered back.

"Is the sun up?"

"Well, I'd say so,"

"Then I should've been up a while ago."

"Inuyasha, you don't get much sleep often, why don't you just rel-?"

"MeMe! I told you to get down here!" Arden called up the stairs. Kagome gasped; maybe that's the reason she had woken up still sleep-deprived. It must have been her cousin's shouting.

"Get out!" she whispered raucously.

"How come?" Inuyasha whispered almost angry.

"I'm in a bed with a boy. That won't exactly allow for good assumptions!"

"It's not like we did anything,"

"It doesn't matter! Get out!" she strained her voice to stay quite as he sighed and walked over to the window.

"I'll be close, okay?"

Kagome nodded vigorously as she heard a knock at her door. Before the knock even finished, Arden slammed the door open.

"Kagome, who were you talking to?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Talking? W-who was talking?" the miko asked with a nervous laugh.

Arden narrowed her eyes even further as she took in the site of the younger woman. Walking over to the closet, she yanked open the door. Finding nothing, she scoured under the bed and any other crevice you could think of before regarding her cousin again. "Whatever, just get your ass downstairs. I need your help with making breakfast."

"W-why my help?"

"W-why stutter? And because you're the only one here, dumbass."

Kagome blushed a little before muttering an "oh" and heading to the kitchen. She and Arden finished cooking bacon, eggs, and French toast right when everyone got home.

"Yum. Smells good!" Souta called from the front door. "Oh, and Inuyasha's here!"

Kagome paled thinking of her anything but insipid cousin; there was no way they were going to get along. "Um... he is?"

"What kind of name is 'Inuyasha'?" Arden asked crinkling her nose dexterously.

"My name, bitch," Inuyasha growled callously from the opening to the kitchen.

"What did you just call me?" Arden asked in rebuttal.

"You heard me," he said with a glare.

"MeMe, are you going to let this freak talk to me like that?"

"He's not a freak. And I don't control what he can and can't say," Kagome said in only a lightly rebellious tone.

"What's going on?" Fae asked as she entered the room with groceries.

"Some guy here to see MeMe," Arden answered innocuously.

"Oh? Nice to meet you, I'm her Aunt F…" the woman trailed off as her eyes drifted to the top of the hanyou in question's head. "Cosplay?"

"Cos… what?" Inuyasha twitched his ears at the unfamiliar word.

"Oh! They moved!"

"Um… Aunt Fae? Inuyasha's a bit… different I guess you could say," Kagome started to explain.

"Different? I thought you said he wasn't a freak," Arden whispered so only her cousin and the one in question could hear. At Inuyasha's growl, Arden saw a lustrous fang poking through. Her face visibly paled. "Fake fangs too?" she asked with a nervously smug laugh.

"No, real," he answered in a growl with a smug smile playing on his own lips.

"Wh-what the hell are you?" Arden stuttered as her face paled further.

"Now Arden, Inuyasha is a little… delicate to explain…" Mrs. Higurashi started.

"Well, why don't you try, sis?" Fae asked calmly trying to defuse the situation.

"Okay… so, there's a well on the shrine grounds. It's called the Bone-Eater's well, and like everything else in our shrine, it has a peculiar legend. Legend says that it can pass certain spirits from other times through it. Well, unlike everything else in our shrine, this legend was true. Inuyasha is from five hundred years in the past. He and Kagome travel through the well all the time together. He's a very trusted friend," Mrs. Higurashi finished trying to ignore the disbelieving stares she was getting from her family.

"…You can't really belief one of father's old legends?" Fae started with a small chortle.

"Well no, I didn't at first, but isn't the proof right here in front of you?" Mrs. Higurashi gestured to Inuyasha.

"Forget it, it's obviously too complicated for their underdeveloped brains to comprehend," Inuyasha sneered whilst crossing his arms across his chest.

"Now, now Inuyasha, that is no way to make a first impression," Kagome's mother scolded him as if talking to a child.

"Feh."

"Mom, maybe we should listen to Inuyasha. Let's not go into any more details. I mean, it was hard enough for me to believe and I was living through it," Kagome interjected.

Fae sighed. "So what you're telling me is that one of father's tales was actually true, and he's the proof?"

"Yes. We usually keep it a secret, but he's a big part of Kagome's life, and I knew it'd be easier if you knew," Mrs. Higurashi explained and glanced at her blushing daughter.

"Well, I don't know why you think we'd buy this but-" Arden was cut off by her mother's glare.

"It is hard to believe, but you will show your aunt respect young lady!"

"No, no, that's quite alright. Let's let the kids all get to know each other. You three go on upstairs, we'll put away the groceries."

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked pulling out some things to put away. Her mother grabbed them from her hands and smiled lightly.

"Go ahead Kagome."

"…Okay…"

By the time they got upstairs, Kagome could taste the abhorrence in the air. Between Arden hating her, being weary of Inuyasha, Inuyasha hating Arden and Kagome hating Arden and being angry with Inuyasha for showing up in the first place, it was just a lot of emotion hanging around.

"So… here we are!" Kagome tried to find a jovial voice.

"Yeah, her new room matches both her inside and outside. Bland and frumpy," Arden commented with little interest found in her voice.

Inuyasha's growl could be heard by the offender, and her eyes widened in way that didn't show fear as much as caution. "Don't talk about her that way," Inuyasha snapped.

At Arden's smirk, the hanyou narrowed his eyes. "Oh come on, don't tell me you think she's actually interesting," she said with a humorous laugh.

"Inuyasha, don't," Kagome muttered barely audible above her humiliation.

"I'm the only one allowed to make fun of her. MeMe-" Inuyasha mocked, "-shouldn't have to take that shit from even me, never mind you."

"Oh? And tell me, what are you going to do about it?" Arden asked with a cynical brow raised.

"You don't want to ask that question," Inuyasha's snarl was feral.

"Inuyasha. Don't," Kagome said a little more forcefully.

"Why not? This bitch doesn't seem to realize that-!"

"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome called out as the dog demon crashed into the floor beneath him.

Arden's eyes widened still as she looked at the hanyou. "I can't believe I was actually starting to fear him… Turns out he was just a dog that follows orders," Arden snickered.

Inuyasha's growl was muffled by the floor. "Kagome… why do you always do that!" He shouted as he rushed to his feet.

"You were getting too rowdy! Arden can't help that she doesn't like me, and I don't want you two fighting about it all the time!" Kagome yelled back.

"…" the glare on the hanyou's face was absolutely deadly.

"Kagome, chill, I doubt this guy can even understand what kindness is," Arden interjected.

"Hm, if that isn't the pot calling the tea kettle black," Inuyasha sneered.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Like you don't know what it means," Inuyasha snorted.

"Knock. It. Off!" the shout echoed through the room and down the halls.

"…MeMe, you yell now?" Arden asked with a semi-nervous laugh.

"Believe it or not, I am capable," Kagome stated with a glare to her cousin. "And beside everything you guys have against each other in the few moments that you've known each other, I'd rather you two at least try not to-"

Rorrim…

Kagome stopped as soon as the whisper reached her ears. It was too soft to tell the gender, but she was looking at Arden and hadn't seen her mouth move. "…Inuyasha, knock it off," Kagome whispered, her eyes still wide with fear.

"Knock what off?" Inuyasha whispered back. Kagome shook her head, that wasn't it, that wasn't the whisper, but if it wasn't him, Arden, or herself… then who-?

Gniniatretne s'ti ,thgif meht tel

Kagome jumped. That was the first time the whisper had said anything more than "Rorrim."

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked in a louder voice than before.

"…" Kagome's brow furrowed as she looked around the room slowly.

"What?" he asked more urgently.

"I… uh… thought I heard something, but I guess it must have been nothing…"

Eurt ton s'taht wonk htob I dna uoy, the voice whispered hauntingly as if in another language.

Kagome gasped again before grabbing the sides of her head. She ducked her head down and squeezed her eyes shut. Thoughts eddied around her mind as she felt her face get warmer and warmer.

And then, she woke up.

Kagome looked around the room and saw that she was wearing the same bed clothing she'd woke in. She blinked a few times before sighing in relief. It was just a dream, she thought with a small smile.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered from beside her.

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?" he asked almost silently.

"Yeah, just having a dream about you and Arden meeting," she said with a small laugh. "It didn't go too well."

"No it didn't. And it wasn't a dream; you passed out." Inuyasha paused, looking her over. "You're shivering, are you cold?" he asked in a whispered.

Kagome looked down. She realized she broke out in a cold sweat and was vehemently shaking. Kagome shook her head and sighed. "I think I need a nice soothing shower," she answered as she stood and sighed again. "I'll be right back," she finished as she grabbed a fresh pair of pajamas.

The hot water poured down Kagome's back as she stood there under the constant stream. She had been in the shower for a good twenty minutes, and she had been clean for a good fifteen minutes of that time.

She sighed before cutting off the water and yanking on a towel. She walked over to the cloudy mirror and swiped her hand across it. She cringed. The black circles under her eyes were nothing compared to the red in said eyes and the paleness of her skin. Even after her scalding shower, not even her cheeks were ruddy. She removed her hand from the cool mirror and turned to leave before stopping. She glanced back down at the mirror…

Her hand's reflection was still there. Kagome stared wide-eyed and petrified, as the reflection didn't move. She looked at the rest of the mirror; it seemed to be normal. When she looked back at the corner, the hand was gone. Sighing, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the reflective plane. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself. It's just the exhaustion, she thought.

She pulled her head away slowly and watched as her reflection followed. Smiling, she closed her eyes with a sigh of relief. However, when she opened them, the face staring back her didn't seem quite right. Sure it was her, but for some reason she couldn't put her finger on, it seemed off, like there was something different.

The longer she stared at her reflection, the weirder it became. First it was her eyes; they weren't as bright as before. Then it was her hair, it was flatter than a moment ago, and finally her eyes widened. Rorrim… Kagome thought thinking back to the odd whisper that had haunted her earlier. A thought coming to her, Kagome grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and wrote the word down before holding it up in front of the mirror. Brilliant! Kagome thought to herself as she figured out the puzzle. Though now, it seemed extremely obvious that rorrim was mirror backwards.*

She put the piece of paper down and looked back at the mirror. Her reflection was still bothering her. Something was off. But what? She shook her head before grabbing the mirror and turning it around. It was too creepy to look at the thing, and she wasn't just going to ignore it. Satisfied that nothing could be seen reflecting back to her, she smiled and walked out of the bathroom.

By the time she left the bathroom, she had completely forgotten that she brought a change of clothes in there, and for good reason at that. She walked into her new room and saw Inuyasha sitting on her bed.

"What took you so lon-?" Inuyasha cut off when he saw her.

Curious, Kagome looked down and saw the tiny towel that barely covered her. Flushing red for a moment, Kagome quickly ran back into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and turned around to find her clothes. Picking them up, she turned toward the south wall. Her mouth dropped, and so did her reflection's mouth.

The mirror was hanging innocently on the wall, reflecting Kagome off its burnished surface. She reached out with a trembling hand and clutched the edge of the mirror. She watched her reflection deftly as she slowly turned the mirror over again. She watched it for a moment, and when nothing happened, she quickly got dressed and went running back into her room.

She smiled at Inuyasha who was still blushing slightly. "I was kind of psyched to have a bathroom attached to my room, but now…" she trailed off, glancing back at her bathroom door.

Kagome thought back to her first night here. Maybe that face wasn't a mistake of the eye; it had been in my vanity mirror after all, she thought as her vision trailed to her dresser. Sighing and shaking her head, she turned back to Inuyasha. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours, but long enough to give us a scare."

"And you and Arden?"

"Haven't spoken since you passed out."

"I see, well let's head downstairs, I'm starving," Kagome concluded as she started walking toward the door.

She let Inuyasha walk in front of her and she stopped in the doorway. She looked back at her vanity mirror and back into the bathroom. The mirror over the sink was reflecting the shower curtain, Kagome realized before shaking her head. She walked back into the bathroom and turned the mirror around again. She turned to follow after her hanyou when she heard the mirror shaking against the wall. She turned around just in time to see the mirror fall off the wall and shatter into thousands of pieces on the floor.

*If you're curious as to what he was saying earlier, just use the same concept. I was kind of hoping some people caught on to it, but for those that didn't, there you go.

 Inopportune Tribulations

“What the hell?” he breathed out as he crouched next to Kagome. “What the hell happened?”

“Uh…” Kagome muttered in a shaky voice as the scent of tears hit Inuyasha’s nose.

“Kagome?” he asked with a tentative hand on her back.

She balked slightly before raising her head. “Oh this? It… it, uh, fell,” Kagome muttered with a fake smile desperately wiping at her tears.

“Fell?” Inuyasha asked skeptically as he looked at the shattered pieces. “That doesn’t look like an accident; besides, wouldn’t it have fallen into the sink?”
Kagome looked at the south wall; he was right. The mirror had been hanging directly over the sink, and if it had fallen off the small nail as she said, then it would’ve at least hit the sink. But it hadn’t. It had hit the bathtub; which is on the north wall.

“Kagome!” Inuyasha called out again. The miko jumped and focused back on him.

“Y-yes?”

“I said, tell the truth,” Inuyasha repeated. “I know this wasn’t some freak ‘fall off the wall’ accident,” he finished staring at her hard.

“Uh… weren’t we going to get some food? I’m starved.”

Inuyasha looked her up and down with calculating eyes before sighing. Now wasn’t the time, but he was going to get her to tell him eventually. “You’re right, let’s go,” he said as he helped her up.

Kagome was shaky, but okay to walk on her own. It took some time, but once she finished cooking their food, she had forgotten completely about the mirror upstairs. Inuyasha and she ate and talked for a little while, before Kagome decided to get some unpacking done. Going upstairs, she hummed happily as she took trinket after trinket out of her boxes. Going into the bathroom with some conditioner, she froze.

And so did her reflection.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror with wide eyes. Taking a tentative step backwards, she dropped the soap without acknowledging it left her fingers. Her mouth fell open, but her reflection stayed staring. T-there’s no way, she thought.
The girl in the mirror opened her mouth and spoke: Yaw on s’ereht-t.

Kagome screamed and huddled on the floor with her eyes squeezed shut. Inuyasha came running in and kneeled down beside the beautiful miko.

“Kagome?” he muttered, confused.

“Hm...?” she moaned back shakily, her head still in her hands.

“Why… are you on the floor? You’re going to get cut…”

“No, the mirror is back,” Kagome said, looking up. Her eyes widened as she looked at the tiny glass shards scattered on the floor. She flinched as she looked down at her bloody feet.

“Too late. Looks like you’re already cut,” Inuyasha sighed as he put a gentle hand on the top of her abused appendage. “I was going to head back, but you obviously-”

The gears turned agonizingly slow in Kagome’s mind. “Two,” she finalized whilst cutting him off. “You’ve been here two days… just enough time for another Naraku-like demon to start collecting shards and terrorize the world. Go without me, I’ll be fine.”

“No one else can see the jewel.”

“Didn’t Sango say she could kind of sense them too*?”

“Yeah, but I’m guessing that’s only within close proximities, and who knows how far out this jewel is. You remember how spread it was the first time you shattered it…”

“Oh yeah…” Kagome thought for a moment. She didn’t have to think about whom else could see the jewel. No, that part was easy. It was deciding if she really wanted to say that brought her anarchic thoughts to an abrupt cessation …

“Kikyou,” they both said at once.

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome. “You would really be okay with that?”

“No, but we need her, so it doesn’t matter what I think.”

“…” Inuyasha was contemplative before looking her directly in the eye. “Kagome, I do not like the idea of leaving you alone like this.”

“Really, I’m okay; it’s just… been a long day,” she lied ambiguously as she slowly stood on her shaky limbs.

“Clearly,” he muttered.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up is all.”

“…You sure?”

“Yup.”

“I can bring you back too…”

“No, no, I’m going to wait and settle down before I go back to gallivanting in the woods again.”

“Yeah, that may be a good idea. Get some rest and I’ll be back in a couple days. Oh, and Kagome?” he asked with his hand on the window.

“Yes?”

“Get in a good punch or two on Arden from me,” he finished with a wink.

Kagome’s wry smile faded as Inuyasha hoari did too. Standing still for a moment, Kagome didn’t know how to slow her thoughts. The idea of Inuyasha and Kikyou wasn’t a happy one, but it had to be done. She sighed as she slowly turned back to the bathroom. The broken mirror on the floor seemed to be taunting her endlessly. It had seemed so real: the mirror on that wall… intact.

She just had to keep busy, that’s all. Doing something took her mind off the other something in the damned house she was stuck in. Mind set, Kagome went back to unpacking. She didn’t get far before a small scratching sound began itching the back of her ear. Stopping to listen carefully, she focused on the sound until she could clearly hear it. It reminded her of how loud her sharpened pencil always sounded if the rest of her class was silent. She looked around slowly, not expecting much…

And that’s why what she did see surprised her so much.

***

It was raining in the feudal era, as Inuyasha walked through the forest and tried to convince himself that leaving Kagome was the right thing to do. He kept slating himself the more he thought about the look on her face as he had hopped out the window. He shook his head as a familiar scent reached his nose and he remembered why he left in the first place: to get Kikyou's help. He sighed; he knew that Kagome wasn’t okay with this, but he couldn’t just go back there. She was right: it’s time this jewel was gone.

Three months ago, they had finally defeated the jewel, but the process had led to horrible disaster: a once again broken jewel. They had cornered the malevolent Naraku and had finally finished him off with a single arrow from Kagome’s quiver. The only the problem? Kagome managed to shatter the jewel with the same technique as the first time. And that’s what they were trying to fix now. Sango and Miroku still tried to help, but with their wedding over with and their lives together just beginning, it was way too leisure, and so it was up to the hanyou and miko. Once Kagome and he completed the jewel, they could live their lives out.

Together, Inuyasha added in his mind with a smile. His eyes sparked when he saw Kikyou's clay form enter the clearing, and he tried not to stare to long. He knew he was still in love with her; he wasn’t in denial, but there was something about spending the rest of his life with her that just didn’t seem appealing. They could never grow old together; never have a family together. All it could ever be was the two of them and only the two of them until he died. Of course, he didn’t age like a human, but he did get older at a dawdling rate and even though Kagome wouldn’t live nearly as long as he did… the concept of following her to old age added completion to his completely incomplete life. Was that redundant? Probably, but so were the throws of his heart.

“Your aura called to me,” Kikyou drawled as she brought his attention from his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh- uh- yeah, I needed to talk with you.”

“Then speak,” the command was sharp, as though she thought she was literally speaking to a dog.

“I need your help,” Inuyasha started, hating the way the words sounded from his mouth.

“Naraku is dead. What do you need of me?”

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. She knew very well what he was there for, but she was making damn sure he worked for this “privilege”.

“I need you to search for the jewel with me. You’re the only one that can see it.”

“Besides Kagome.”

Inuyasha gave a curt nod, “Besides Kagome.”

“And where is the young miko?”

“Not… here,” Inuyasha said carefully.

Kikyou snorted. “Of course; she’ll never know responsibility.”

“Will you help?” Inuyasha asked quietly as he lowered his head.

Kikyou looked at him for a moment; her stare was scrutinizing as she took in exactly what he was asking. Finally, with a sigh, she reached into her kimono and produced a small portion of the gem. “Here-” she tossed it to him “-I will help you this much, but I’m only slowed down with the aid of others.”

Inuyasha picked up the stone and stared it over. Add this to the collection he and Kagome had managed to get a hold of, and they would have around three quarters of it already complete and in their hands. That would take some of the pressure off until he could find an opportune day to return her to this era. He nodded. “Thank you,” he muttered as he looked up, but she was already gone. He smirked. There was no negotiating when it came to that woman, was there?

Staring at the jewel as he turned and walked away, Inuyasha felt a cold chill feather up his spine. The plume of chilled air made his breath catch and he slowly turned around. The damp forest surrounding the clearing was at a silent standstill. It wasn’t a silence that was comforting or heavy, but one that was deafening. His ears twitching to and fro as he tried to place what was wrong in the air.

The birds.

A forest was never quiet. You could always hear animals scurrying and, at the very least, thousand of different birds singing their songs. But there were none. No chirping, no scurrying, no swaying trees or wind. There was no soft chirp of crickets or the annoying buzz of bees and mosquitoes. Just the dripping of water, and even that was wrong. It had been raining not a few moments earlier, and yet, the water dripped from a single source: a small shrub was dripping water into a puddle of water. That wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, especially right after a pouring rain. And yet, that was the only sound he heard; the only plant that seemed to be dripping anything.

The air turned heavy, and it became hard to breathe. The hanyou walked over to the pool of water and stared at his reflection for a moment. His ears popped as his eyes pulsated painfully. The water rippled so briefly that Inuyasha wondered if he had actually seen it.

After a short moment, he decided it was nothing, but a small movement out of the corner of his eye kept him from moving. His irises shifted to the left and stared at the edge of the murky water. Nothing. There was nothing there but the moss and pool of liquid. And yet. Something still bothered him as he watched his distorted reflection. There was something wrong. The movement happened again, and Inuyasha stared harder at the edge of the pool.

Something small and black started to squirm its way out of the water: first one, then two more on either side. At first, the hanyou thought they were twigs floating to the surface, been a fourth showed and they gripped the edge of the pool. Fingers. Staring at the grotesque hand, Inuyasha was frozen to his spot. The blackened color of the skin was moldy and the scent a powerful smell that brought tears to his eyes. The finger nails were broken and some started to rip off and bend backward as they dug into the dirt.

It seemed like time had slowed down, that the hand was moving in almost slow motion, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before another movement brought his attention to the right side. Another hand was clawing at the dirt. More mangled and filthy than the other one, Inuyasha had to look away from its twisted appearance. Standing quickly as he finally grabbed his bearings, the water rippled again as to blinded eyes stared back at him from a garbled face whose gender could not be discerned.

Inuyasha could feel all the color from his face pale as he quickly back away from the pool.

***

Kagome opened her eyes to see the worried face of her mother. “Sweetie? Are you okay?”

Kagome sat up slowly as she rubbed her throbbing head. “W-what happened?”

“We heard you scream and when we got up here, you were passed out.”

“Did you clean up the broken mirror?” Kagome asked cautiously and looked at the bathroom.

“Your mirror broke?” her mother asked as she turned around to face the bathroom as well. With confusion on her face, she turned back to Kagome. “It’s fine…”

Inoppertune Tribulations

Disclaimer: I do not own the original story line and this is a non-profit story. Enjoy :)

Inuyasha jumped back from the pool and quickly ran from the clearing. There weren’t many things in this world that could get his heart thumping, but that was definitely one of them. He figured that as long as he had the jewel pieces that had been currently collected, he didn’t have to be here, right? He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt the undying urge to get to Kagome.

Something’s wrong, he thought as he weaved his way through the trees and back towards the well.

***

Kagome stood on shaky legs and walked into her bathroom. Looking at the mirror, there was something different. Her eyes were a shade darker, her hair a little more flat. And then she realized. Those were the same things that had been wrong before. But… but maybe they weren’t some creepy apparition, maybe it was just the days’ toll on her. This was just herself, a much more tired version of herself, but still herself.

She put a hesitant hand on the glass of the mirror and held it there for a second before pulling it away. She sighed in relief when she realized that there was no left over reflection this time. Maybe she hadn’t been lying to Inuyasha; maybe it truly was just the fact that she was tired.

Or at least that’s what she’d tell herself.

“Sweetie, why did you scream earlier?” her mother asked in a still worried tone.

“I… uh… don’t remember screaming,” she started. “I was taking a nap; I must have had a nightmare or something.”

Her mother took in the lie for what it was: a lie.

Kagome saw the looked on her mother’s face and waited for the questioning to start. To her surprise, however, her mother nodded with a smile.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that; maybe you’ll sleep better when Inuyasha comes back.”

“Maybe,” Kagome responded back with a semi-nervous laugh. “Whelp, I better continue unpacking.”

Her mother stood there for a moment still looking her daughter over. “Sure, I’ll call you down when dinner’s ready,” she finished with a smile.

Kagome smiled at her mom thankfully as she shut her door. She turned back to her room and looked at that corner which, not so long ago, didn’t seem as innocent as it appeared. That scratching she had heard. That horrible sound that seemed to tear her ear drums out wasn’t scratching at all.

It had been the soft grinding of teeth.

Or at least, Kagome had presumed it was a person at some point in time.
The gruesome scene had been flesh peeling away from a broken and shriveled body. The ribs were broken in and piercing the fleshy organs kept within. The organs had been blackened with age and practically melting off their stems. There was no sign of legs, just a pool of endless blood circling around the scarred stomach. And the arms- Kagome shivered- the arms were melted to the walls of the corner. The point where the flesh became plaster was incredibly hard to tell, and the ear lobes were scalded into the disintegrating flesh of the shoulder.

Then there was the face.

There was no hair, no expression, just burnt flesh peeling back to show the skull beneath. The only thing that had made the face… well, a face- was the desperate and pleading black eyes that seemed to stare directly at Kagome.

Kagome shivered again and immediately tried to change her thought path. She thought back to Inuyasha. He was probably all over Kikyou by now…

“Hey.”

Kagome jumped and whirred around to face the window. “Inuyasha!” she exclaimed as he dug through his kimono.

She gasped when he brought his hand out carrying a very large chunk of the jewel. “From Kikyou,” he answered the unspoken question as he tossed it to her. He slowly stepped off the window sill and looked around the seemingly empty room. “Everything okay here?” he asked still turning his head slowly from side to side.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Something… weird happened when I was down the well,” the hanyou started as his molten eyes finally found her chocolate ones.

“Weird?” A cold chill iced its way through Kagome’s veins. “What kind of weird?”

“I dunno, the creepy kind; the kind that sends chills up your spine.”

“What happened?”

“I’m sure it ain’t nothin’, but… I dunno, guess I’m seeing things.”

Kagome’s look turned almost urgent. “Seeing what things?”

“Seeing… faces and getting these odd feelings like someone’s watching me…”

“What did the face look like?”

“Hell, I don’t know. I ran away too fast. All I know is that something isn’t right. And I’d rather stay here to protect you if things should… get out of hand? I really don’t know, Kagome, it’s just a feeling.”

Kagome nodded. “I can’t say I’m disappointed. I was getting kind of worried.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Inuyasha finished with a finality that had Kagome feeling safe for the first time since they had left the shrine.

“Kagome! Dinner!” Mrs. Higurashi called from downstairs.

“We’re coming!” Kagome called back as she hurried to put her boxes away. She didn’t want to trip on them in a klutzy moment when she forgot they were there.
After she was satisfied she couldn’t possible trip on any of the edges, she and Inuyasha made their way to the kitchen.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Forks hit plates and jaws chewed, but those were the only sounds. There was no idle chit-chat, no asking for more. They ate what they were given and didn’t complain.

That’s odd… Kagome thought as she chewed thoughtfully on a teriyaki covered chicken bone. She sighed and started to stand right as her brother did. Souta’s klutziness combined with her own created a disastrous collision that ended in Kagome covered in sauce and grease.

“Souta…” Kagome’s piqued voice ground out from behind her throat. She sighed with angry eyes and she tried to wipe at least some of the liquid from her form. After wasting several napkins, she realized she’d have to take another shower. She sighed again as she walked gloomily up the stairs.

The miko slowed down the closer she got to her room; she didn’t want to have to use that bathroom again. It was too… creepy. Too odd. When she reached her door, she closed her eyes and tried to center herself. This is stupid, she thought. I shouldn’t be afraid of a bedroom… or a bathroom for that matter.

When the smell that had saturated her hair became too much too ignore, she finally opened her eyes and turned the knob. Walking into her room, she weaved through the maze of packed boxes, searching for her dresser.

“Aha!” she said with a triumphant smile and pulled open her pj drawer. Just as she was about to pull out her favorite pink nightgown, her hand froze.

-She weaved through the maze of packed boxes-

Kagome’s brow furrowed as she turned her head to look behind her, hand still poised for the pjs. Her chocolate orbs widened at the sight before: all the boxes she had so carefully hidden from tripping distance were scattered across the room like they had been before.

Footsteps coming up the stairs interrupted her turning thoughts. Inuyasha walked into the room and opened his mouth to say something. Stopping short, he looked around the room with a puzzled expression.

“I thought you were going to take a bath. Why did you bring all the boxes back out?”

So it’s not just my imagination, Kagome thought as she turned her silent, wide eyes to the hanyou. “I didn’t,” she whispered shakily.

Inuyasha looked at her surprised before his expression became one of confusion again. “You must have…”

“But I didn’t.”

Her curt tone and slightly angered expression made him bite his tongue. There was no help in saying he didn’t believe her. “Okay, well don’t freak out. I mean… maybe…” Inuyasha tried to think of an explanation that sounded at least a little believable. “Maybe you didn’t put them all away?”

“This is all of them.”

Inuyasha stayed silent for a moment. “Well, I don’t know, but go take your bath. Try to relax.”

Kagome’s expression turned terrified as she looked between him and the bathroom door. “But-”

“I’ll be right in here. If you need anything just call. You’ll be fine,” he assured her as he picked up the clothing she still had her hand reached out for. He walked her to the bathroom door and put her nightgown in her hands. “I’ll be right out here.”
Kagome nodded slowly before walking into the room and shutting the door.

Inuyasha let out a sigh and turned back to the room. Looking around once more, he decided to entertain himself with her picture box until she came out.

After a little bit of fiddling, he finally figured out how to turn it on and change the picture. Going through, he stopped on some show with two men fighting each other. Easily seeing through the fake hits and kicks, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and snorted. Humans, he thought.

He was about to change the moving picture again, when suddenly, it changed for him. It took him a moment to see through the steam, but he finally saw that it was a woman in the shower. Not just any woman. Kagome.

Turning crimson, Inuyasha looked away, but alas, he is male, and his eyes “accidentally” found their way back to the screen. He took in her form: her perfect curves and silky skin, the scalding water pouring down over her soapy, raven-black tendrils, her supple chest and her delicate fingers.

Inuyasha blushed brighter as he realized how openly he was gawking at her. He didn’t understand, though. He’d only seen this magic box a few times, but the few times he had seen it, it had never shown people he knew. Why was it showing him Kagome?

The miko stopped the scrubbing of her hair and Inuyasha heard a slight gasp. She stood there for a moment, completely still, before she fells heavily to her knees. The rest of her body fell forward and splashed into the water as her head rolled forward.

Inuyasha gasped and stood quickly, but before he could fully gather what he’d just seen, the screen turned to static.

For just a moment, the screen was white with little black flecks in it, and then, as though it never happened, the screen turned back to normal. It showed Kagome standing and washing her hair and humming a soft tune. Inuyasha didn’t understand. Hadn’t he just seen her die?

The hanyou sat back down slowly. He was contemplating going into the bathroom. He knew that if there was nothing wrong, Kagome would be furious at the intrusion, and she would’ve called for him had she needed help. Right?

Again, Kagome stopped washing her hair. She just stood there, still in the burning water. This time, however, she didn’t fall to the shower floor. Instead, she turned. Her body was facing forward, but her head turned in choppy motions, like the picture was skipping. She looked directly at Inuyasha with deadly eyes for just a moment before the picture skipped again and she was staring away from him like before.

Her hand reached back towards the knobs on the back wall of the shower. The first thing she did was turn the blue knob all the way to the left, then she turned the red knob all the way to the right. The steam in the room thickened and every drop that hit her flesh seared it and turned it raw. Blood flowed down the drain with the water and bits and pieces of her bone started to show through. She gripped the wall on the outside of the shower and he skin practically melded to it. Lifting her feet off the ground, Inuyasha could see thin strands of gooey flesh.

Eyes widening with horror, Inuyasha tried to get his shaky limbs to work. He had to get in there and-

“Hey.”

The hanyou jumped as his heart throbbed painfully against his chest. Whirring around, his eyes were as wide as saucers as he took in the sight of Kagome. A perfectly fine, not melting Kagome in a long, lacy nightgown.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked as she took in his frazzled appearance.

He flipped back around to the TV screen.

“And welcome back to Monday Night RAW!”