Abandoned by SesshouYasha

Betrayal

This is a challenge by Deadly Teardrops

-*-

Kagome tossed her mustard yellow backpack, which was more crammed than usual, over the edge of the well. She looked down at her feet and moved the right one up by a notch in the bricks. She looked up again; ready to pull herself up, when she saw a hand reaching for her's. She looked past it and saw Inuyasha's face, looking down on her. "Are you going to take it or not?" He said in his usual impatient tone. Kagome grabbed his hand and he pulled her back into the Feudal Era effortlessly. Once the hanyou saw her in the light, he noticed that her eyes were shimmering, more than usual.

"Pfft, what are you crying about now?" Kagome said nothing, but embraced him, head in his chest. Inuyasha was stunned, but hugged her back, knowing that something must have been horribly wrong. The moment hung in the air, like it was never going to end. Finally, Kagome let go and looked up to face Inuyasha.

"I don't know why they hate me, Inuyasha! I don't know why they did it! But it was horrible of them! They betrayed me, like I did something to hurt them! What did I do wrong, Inuyasha? What did I do that was so wrong?"

Inuyasha stood there and said nothing. He blinked a couple times, then let her go. She turned and sat on the edge of the well, and started to explain.

"As soon as I got back, I ran into the shrine. My mother sat on the couch, crying. She took one look at me and returned to the handkerchief in her hand, sobbing even harder. Gramps gave me a disapproving look. Souta wouldn't look at me at all."

A tear fell from Kagome's brown eye and landed on her leg with a small splash. She took a deep breath, as if gasping for air, and continued.

"I turned to the right and found my three friends {SY: I can't remember their names} sitting there, all looking at me with 'smug' written across their faces. I asked what was wrong, and Souta just turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs. Mother started sobbing the word 'why' over and over again."

Inuyasha was already bored with the story, but he sat there none the less. He wasn't really listening, but he felt that Kagome didn't need to know that.

"My gramps asked me why I did it, he asked my why- why I-" Kagome couldn't finish her sentence. After a few fallen tears and multiple deep breaths, she said, "Why I sold my body! My friends, the only people that I could confide in, had told my family that I was a prostitute! They wouldn't listen to me when I told them that none of it was true, they believed my friends over their own flesh and blood!" She sobbed harder. "And the next day, they told me to get out! They said that they didn't want me soiling the family name anymore! Gramps threw my things out into the street, and Souta was already painting my room blue when I got home from school. I have nowhere to go in my time anymore, Inuyasha! My only friends betrayed me, so I can't stay with them, and my family won't listen to my pleas! My only choice now is to stay here!"

Inuyasha had only heard the last part of Kagome's story. "Well, what are you going to do when we finish the Shikon Jewel? There are only two shards left, you know."

Kagome waited a few seconds, as if thinking, until she replied. "I'll think of something." Truth was, she had been thinking about that ever since she came home from school to find her clothes run over and soiled in the street. She explored almost every possibility, but she couldn't think of anything.

-*-

Inuyasha walked ahead of everybody, leading the group down a road studded with rocks and sand. Miroku stood next to Sango, and either he had an unnoticeable limp, or his arm around her neck was a sign of affection. It surprised Kagome when Sango didn't argue. Shippou was sleeping in Kagome's bike basket, and Kirara snoozed on a pile of clothes in her backpack.

Now and then, Sango would look over her shoulder, to see if Kagome was still there and holding up okay. Inuyasha would do the same, but not as often.

Thoughts ran through Kagome's mind, about what she was to do. With Naraku now dead, and just two remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, she didn't know what she was to do. She could stay in the past, but what was she to do? She would have completed what she was meant to complete, and she would be useless.

A long hour passed, and Kagome's legs were tired of biking. Inuyasha must have noticed her lagging behind, because he jumped head and found a clearing where they could all rest. It was in the shape of a perfect circle, and the trees surrounding the clearing stood tall enough to cover the whole setting. An immense boulder stood in the middle of the circle, so the whole group could rest their backs against if they choose to. Off to the side was a small pond, water clear enough to drink.

The group spent the night there, enjoying the water, shade, and soft ground to sleep on. When the sun had gone down, everybody lay around a fire, Inuyasha in a tree, keeping close watch for any danger.

Though Kagome's eyes were closed, she couldn't sleep. She was still thinking about options after the Jewel had been completed. 'Maybe I could stay with Lady Keade, I'm sure she wouldn't mind me staying around? Or perhaps I should just stay with Inuyasha? No, he wouldn't want my problems following him around anymore.'

Kagome's eyes burst open. She had an idea, one that seemed to have the best outcome. She looked at the tree where Inuyasha sat. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing heavily. His ears would twitch every now and then, but he never woke.

She stood up quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping Shippou next to her. Grabbing the few items of hers that lay near the rock, she stuffed them in her backpack. Trying to stay silent, she tiptoed over to her bike, swung the large bag over her shoulders, and walked to the tree where Inuyasha had nodded off. She climbed the tree with a little bit of difficulty, but finally reached his resting place. She reached inside his shirt and pulled out the glass bottle that contained most of the Shikon No Tama. She slipped it into her backpack and climbed down again. Grabbing both handles of her bike, she walked it to the edge of the clearing. With tears in her chocolate eyes, she took one last look at her friends, and continued into the forest.

-*-

...So? What do you think? ^_^ Please rate and review!