Kagome walked silently through The Forest of Inuyasha. She had been walking for a few hours now and could feel the cold, wet snow seeping into her clothes. She sighed as she looked up into the sky. It was almost dark! As she realized this she looked around and realized... SHE WAS COMPLETELY LOST! "Ah crap!" Kagome whined. She was so loud that a few birds flew out of the trees they had been resting in. Kagome sweat dropped in annoyance. She was getting nowhere fast. That's for sure. "What am I supposed to do now?" complained Kagome "I'm cold, lost, soaked to the bone and-a-and ACHOOO!" Kagome sniffled "Great! Just GREAT! I caught a cold too!" she wiped her nose on her sleeve. She kept going though. 'So what now?' Kagome asked herself 'Do I just keep going until morning or wha-' she was cut short from her own mind as she stopped dead in front of the Goshinboku. "How did I-" she trailed off as memories flooded back to her. The first time she'd seen him- When Mistress Centipede had attacked... she remembered it all once she had just lightly brushed the face of the bark with her finger-tip. "Inuyasha..." she lowered her head and her bangs fell across her eyes.

Silently from the shadows a pair of bronze eyes watched her in somber. She too knew the feeling to well. Her long ginger, striped, tail twitched in the shadowed moonlight. Her light red-orange colored hair seemed to float in the wind, while her sensitive nose twitched at the scent of the girl. She could smell the salty tears from where she stood. She raised a clawed and striped hand to her mouth as sobs turned into gasps of misery. She felt her mid-arm as she felt a slight heat rise. "Oh shit!" she wispered to herself. Her voice was a soft high pitched girly voice, but it was just a tad deeper. "What the hell is up with my arm?!" she hissed. She removed her hand slightly to see a small red glow seeping from it. Usually it only glowed a soft pinkish red. But now it was a full on bright red that she had to wear extra clothes over to conceal, besides her stripes on her slightly peach colored skin. Her cattish-like ears twisted and turned as she listened to the girls' breathing steady. She watched as the strange girl fell to her knees- her face in her hand and her heart on her now-damp-sleeve.

"Why," sniff "Why am I so... lightheaded?" Kagome thought aloud. She braced herself on all fours. Her arms gave out after a few minutes and she landed with a soft, Whumpht into the snow.

The figure approached the semi-conscious girl, her tail twitching in worry.

"Inu-" sniffle "Yasha." she wispered slightly as exhaustion claimed her.

"Hey! WAIT! Don't make me have to carry you to the village!" the tiger like girl yelled "Aaaaaah SHIT!" her eyes trailed to the unconcious miko. It was either leave her out here, and address the situation as 'Not my problem' or take her back to the village, have her find out what she was, spilling it to the other villagers, and being chased out of the only home she had ever known. She picked Kagome up and lightly threw her over her shoulder "Man... sometimes I hate being hanyou..."

~*~

The icy river water flowed past as a small stone skipped the water, leaving little ripples forming and spreading through the water. The cold winter water nipped at his bare feet as Inuyasha waded though the shallows. Cold, yes. But what was more important? Cold feet or a full stomach? He could feel his hakama become heavy from the water, but none-the-less. He had set up some small fishing nets that he had been given from an old man who had no need for them any longer. Inuyasha held an un-transformed Tetsusaiga at the ready in his left hand, in case he needed to spear the fish.

"Inuyasha?" came a small voice of a young girl "Oh Inuyasha!"

"What is it?" he asked as the little village girl appeared from behind a tree "And why are you so far from your village Usagi?" he questioned, glaring at her.

"You dropped this!" she said cheerily as she handed him the small locket.

"Oh! Thanks." he said as he tried to drag his dripping hakama out of the water with him. Making sure they weren't about to fall off he approached the girl.

"Here!" said Usagi, bright smiled as always. Her hair was in a small bun on the right side of her head, and her deep blue eyes gleamed in satisfaction as she completed her self employed mission by handing him the locket. Something about her was familiar, yet it wasn't. "Well I guess I'll be on my way!" she said cheerily as she turned around.

"Wait!" Inuyasha called as she was just about to leave. He knew he might regret this "I ain't letting you leave all by yourself." he said "C'mon, I'll go with you." he extended a hand, which Usagi gladly took.

They were silent for a while until Usagi turned to Inuyasha, her eyes full of questions for the hanyou. She was hesitant but then she finally turned away, to unsure to ask which made Inuyasha blink in confusion. "Uhm... Inuyasha?" she asked slowly "That girl... in that drawing..." Inuyasha looked over.

"Yah?" he replied reluctantly.

She turned around, curious to see what his answer would be "D-do you..."

"YAH?"

"D-do you love her?" she finally managed to ask.

He was shocked, his eyebrow twitching "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Do you LOVE her!" she yelled, which made crows fly out of their nests in reply to her question.

"Gah!" he yelled as he stepped back "Why would I tell something like that to a brat like you!?"

"Soooo... You don't?" she asked simply.

"It's not like that! It's just..." he looked away. Reaching into the neck of his hitoe he pulled out the locket and gave a long sigh. "Okay... So what if I do?" he opened it and stared at the faded out picture of Kagome. Gods he still loved her! But it had been four years since they had seen one another- when the well had closed up, and he was afraid she had forgotten him. He traced a clawed finger on the locket, then snapped it back shut. He stuffed it back into his hitoe and turned back to Usagi.

"Well, have you told her?" asked the interested little girl.

He cocked his head "Er.. Once or twice." replied the hanyou, turning his red face away. "So what of it?"

She shrugged "I dunno, but you should tell her more."

He sighed and lowered his shoulders in defeat. He shook his head in doubt "I would if I could kid..."

"But why can't you?" asked Usagi. She was flustered as to why he wouldn't express his feelings.

"Because!-" he started out harshly, which made Usagi cringe "Sorry..." he apologized "Because she isn't here anymore." he turned his head away.

"You mean she's dead?" she asked sadly.

"No she was forced back to her own ti- Er, country." he stated pitifully.

"Oh..." Wow he must be miserable she thought I mean, surely he must be really sad about that girl... she kinda looks like me though. Oh hey isn't that-

"Usagi!"

"Hiroshi!" Usagi called as a small boy rushed forward. She ran off, but just before she crested the hill she turned and waved. "Bye Inuyasha!" she called.

He waved slightly, then turned and left.

~*~

Kagome fluttered her chocolaty eyes to the bright hut she now lied in. It was a small, warm hut with only one window. She sat up and noticed that her clothes were hanging up over a small fire to dry. She looked down at herself and noticed she was covered in a light yellow kimono. "Wha-" she turned as a small girl, about Rin’s age, entered the room in a purple colored kimono.

The girl turned around "Lady Kaiya! She's up!" the girl smiled at Kagome. She walked over and sat down "So what's your name?" the girl asked.

"Oh, It's Kagome." she said. She rubbed her head "So what's your name?"

"Tsukiko. It means moon child." she replied proudly. She scowled at Kagomes' clothes "Those clothes of yours are really torn up and wet. Lady Kaiya says that it might be days before you can wear those again." her light brown hair brushed around her shoulders and her dark brown eyes followed the flames as she waited for her sister and Lady Kaiya.

"Tsukiko?" came a voice. A little girl peeked from around the corner. She had black hair and light indigo eyes that seemed to sparkle in the firelight. She wore a dark green kimono and had her hair up in pig-tails. "You called?"

"Rini, she's woken up." she pointed to Kagome and stood up.

"Oh good!" she said gleefully "Lady Kaiya will be over here shortly, in the meantime would you like some tea miss er-"

"Kagome," she said "My name is Kagome." Both girls were endearing in a way she decided. She let the girls pour her some tea, making sure that they didn't spill it or burn themselves. The tea wasn't particularly an interest to her, but what did interest her was how she had gotten here.

"Rini? Tsukiko?" came a voice from outside the hut. The shadow of the person the voice belonged to lingered outside the window. For now, Kagome wasn't very worried. If this 'Lady Kaiya' lived around children she certainly wasn't going to be a harsh person. The women came into the room.

Kagome was mesmerized by the sight of Lady Kaiya. She had long light-orange hair and big expressive chocolaty brown eyes, much like Kagomes'. She also wore a long, soft looking, beige kimono. Her brown eyes flickered in fatigue and Kagome guessed she had been running... or crying. "Lady Kaiya, I presume?" Kagome asked quietly. She stood up only to stumble. Lady Kaiya rushed over and caught her before she could fall.

"Are you alright?" she asked, holding Kagome by the shoulders "You shouldn't be walking, you twisted your ankle when you fell." she slowly helped Kagome sit back down.

"Thanks." it as then that she realized her ankle was indeed swollen. She winced as she felt it.

"Better not to mess with it." she said. "Tsukiko please go get some ice from the river."

"May I take Rini with me?" asked Tsukiko suddenly.

Lady Kaiya smiled "But of course." she pointed to a small basket by the huts entrance "Make sure you get a lot of it." The two girls ran out the door, and just as they did a small black neko entered the hut. She looked about the same size as Kirara’s small form. But instead of having black or yellow rings around its' tail, it had blue rings. "Ah Kihala!" Lady Kaiya said "Take this to Lady Kaedes' hut." she handed Kihala a small paper rapped in a small orange ribbon.

"Mew." Kihala grabbed the pack with her mouth and was off. Kaiya watched her go approvingly and then turned back to Kagome.

"That was Kihala, my adopted daughter Akakos' neko." she rubbed her neck "She's the one who brought you here."

"MOM!" speak of the devil...