The Fox's Son

Chapter 25 - Kagome's Grief

Kagome sat around the campfire as she watch Naruto prepare their food. He had captured a wild boar and was currently seasoning it with herbs he had picked from the forests. She watched as he prepared the meat with focus.

He was wearing black iga-bakama with plain blue kimono. It was topped off with a black haori and he had bandages wrapped around his arms, stopping at his wrists. His red long hair was still down and a black facial mask still donned his face. He wasn't wearing his hat because it was destroyed earlier. She really hoped he wasn't upset about that.

She continued to watch him as he continued to rub the herb onto the cleansed meat he washed at the nearby river. His red and blue eyes following every action as he prepared their dinner. Although she couldn't see the rest of his face, from what she could see, she could guess that the red head was pretty attractive. Hell, if she wasn't so in love with Inuyasha, she'd probably give him a shot.

She was pulled out of her musings when he cleared his throat. "Is there a reason why you stare?" he said as he stood and began to place the meat over the fire.

"Huh?" she said dumbly.

"Not that I don't appreciate capturing the eyes of a beautiful woman. I am just curious as to why I hold your gaze." he said while not looking at her.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Curious, I guess." she said nervously.

"Hn." he replied as he stood from the fire.

He walked over to the tree where his staff and katanas lay. He grabbed his katana with a wooden box in his hand. Where he had gotten it from, Kagome didn't know. He walked toward her and plopped down beside her. Kagome, herself, was wrapped up in a thick blanket to keep herself warm from the cold night. She was Naruto pull out one of his katana and place it in his lap. He then opened the wooden box to reveal cleaning and sharpening supply. Soon, he began to start sharpening the blade of his katana.

Kagome was then staring off into space when her head suddenly snapped up. She looked up at the sky intensely. She could have sworn she saw one of Kikyo's soul collectors. She felt her heart leap to her throat before she noticed it was a trick of light and let out a sigh of relief. However, she couldn't stop the increasing feeling of sadness gnaw at her.

Unknown to her, Naruto had cast a genjutsu and was observing her the whole time. He felt her anxiety rise before feeling her relief once she realized that it was an illusion. He then felt a wave of sadness wash all over her. Naruto frowned at that. 'So it is as I thought.....' he mused to himself. He continued to say nothing as he sharpened his katana.

Kagome shook away her thoughts of Kikyo and took her mind off of it in the way she always does. She could feel the tears beginning to form at the back of her eyes. Even when the priestess was presumed dead, she still as if she was still in her shadow. It seemed to be that way since she got here. 'Always in her shadow.....' she thought to herself.

Even with her situation with Inuyasha. She could never really figure out if the half demon truly saw her or was she just some rebound girl him, since he couldn't get the woman he loved. 'A mere replacement....' she said inwardly. That's all she seemed to be to him. And if not, just a shard finder. Kagome began to feel her emotions well inside her and she knew she may very well start sobbing soon. She decided that it was best to spend sometime alone, not wanting to trouble Naruto with her problems.

Kagome stood up and gave Naruto a smile that would always fool all of her friends. "I'm gonna go for a walk." she muttered, avoiding eye contact with him as she began to walk away.

"Don't do that." Naruto said, stopping Kagome in her tracks. She turned around to see him staring at her, his blazing and icy gaze piercing her soul. His face was emotionless.