Perched on a high branch in the tree, concealed among the leaves, Inuyasha watched the path closely. For three days now he had been waiting for his baka brother to come back with news about Kagome. Every time he thought about what she had done to herself he wanted to puke. Guilt and shame over what he had said to her seemed to cling to him and he wasn’t able to shake it. He knew better than to say what he had but he had been as upset and angry as she had been over the cruel murder of the gentle giant and his mother.
At the time he had just wanted to kill Naraku slowly and in the most cruel and painful way possible. Since the spider hanyou wasn’t there for him to take his anger out on he lashed out at his pack members. As usual, Kagome had been on the receiving end of the worst of it. It was always her he took his anger out on. Sure, he didn’t mean it, she knew that, but he still did it. He has always lashed out at her, he knew he shouldn’t but he did.
Now he felt like shit. Yes, he understood that what she had done wasn’t his fault, even Kouga and Sango, who after reading Kagome’s journal entry had slapped him in the face so hard she had loosened a couple of his teeth and he wasn’t sure if she would be talking to him for months, said he hadn’t been the real cause of it. But he knew what he had said sure helped add to the guilt she was already carrying around. It had almost certainly pushed her further towards the edge.
While they didn’t blame him for her actions they sure as hell did for what he said. Everyone, including the fairly mellow Kaede, was angry about what he had told her. There also seemed to be the opinion that no one wanted her around him for a while. Kouga had bluntly told him that he had done enough damage and that he wasn’t going to let him close enough to her to do any more.
While he had grumbled and snarled, using his normal gruff attitude, quite frankly he understood Kouga’s reasoning. As he well knew he had a knack for speaking before thinking. This time that bad habit had seriously hurt the one being that had always cared for and been there for him. He didn’t even want to think about how much his careless words had hurt her. Of all the beings in the world he was one of those that knew beyond a shadow of a doubt just how much words could hurt. Now he had done the same thing to someone he loved that had hurt him as badly as a child.
Over the last few days he had heard Kouga and the members of his pack speculate as to whether or not Kagome would ever come back again. While they worried that she may not, they all seemed to be fairly certain that she would come back eventually. That was something he never questioned. He <i>knew</i> she would. She had too much honor and responsibility to abandon them and their quest. His Kagome would come back to them. It was then that he vowed to change. Once she came back he would never call her names, yell at her, and blame her for things, etc ever again. No more of that stuff. He would be nice to her and care more about her feelings. It was time he showed her that he didn’t mean some of the things he said.
Soon, he was drawn out of his musings by the tickle of his brother’s powerful aura on the back of his neck. Kouga, who had been nervously prowling the path to the well for hours, came into view just as Sesshomaru did. Perking up his ears, he listened for news about Kagome.
Sesshomaru told him they had let her out of the hospital, whatever that was, and that she was home. Hearing that, Inuyasha’s heart skipped a couple beats then began to race. Quickly, he decided to wait a few hours then he would go through the well and see her. However, that plan was put aside when Kouga headed for the well to go see her.
Sesshomaru began to head towards Edo. After passing under the tree he was perched in, the taiyoukai stopped and looked over his shoulder up to where she was sitting. Giving him a look so frosty that he was sure his blood was turning to ice, he said, “Come to Edo. Kagome’s mother has asked that I bring her friends to see her. She thinks it might make her feel a bit better. She specifically asked that I bring you along. Even though I voiced strong opposition to it I agreed to do so.” Then he continued down the path.
Jumping out of the tree, Inuyasha followed his brother at a distance.