Sleep Until Forgotten

I woke up with my fist clenched to my mouth, trying to keep my screaming quiet while tears poured down my cheeks.

I look over to see Kohaku passed out against a tree.

I look up then and see that the moon is out, and suddenly I'm super confused about the when and where. Was it the next day, the same night? Are we where we stopped before, or did he move me while I was asleep?

I wipe my forearms over my face and sniffle.

I stand up and start walking off along the path, looking back to make sure Kohaku stayed asleep.

When he disappeared from sight I turned around and ran.

I stayed along the path and eventually I started to notice familiar things, a group of blue flowers, an old wagon in ruins, and after a while, when the moon has disappeared from view, I come up to the village where I had last been with Inuyasha and his friends.

Why am I going back? I ask myself. They only wanted to kick me out, leave me in the dust, so why did I want to go to them?

I stopped on the edge of town.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, I tapped the person in front of me on the back, and when they turned I around I asked, "Are Inuyasha and his friends still here?"

The woman shook her head saying, "No I believe the left just before nightfall, I don't know why they didn't just stay an extra night, but they went off that way," she pointed off to our left, and I thanked her, taking off almost immediately.

I ran until the sun was peeking up over the horizon, I was surrounded by soft swaying grass on both sides, and I started walking, trying to not think about the burn in my legs.

Instead I thought about how I woke up. What was with that? I didn't like crying, so why did I?
It might of been because of a nightmare, but I couldn't say. I don't remember a thing of what I could have dreamt about.

I decided to brush it off, sure I cried, so? I'm not as bothered anymore, so I put it out of my mind and instead think of how Kohaku will react when he wakes up and sees me gone.

I wish I could somehow say sorry to him, but I wanted to do this. I had to go out there, see those weird things that Kagome mentioned, fight my battles, and I couldn't do that while hopping town to town doing little minor tricks.

I want to. I have to. I need to.

Sorry.

Again, my eyes start watering again and I get angry at myself. Enough with the crying already!
Eventually, after what seems like hours of walking, my steps have become staggered, I start tripping on my own feet, and I collapse on the side of the road.

My breathing is harsh, my vision blurred, my mind fuzzy, and I think of just passing out right there.

I stop myself though, I have to get up! I have to go! I need to prove myself!

I pull myself up from the ground, and start walking, holding my stomach to try and quiet the grumbling.

And I keep walking.

I walk until my legs finally give out, on the outside of a town.

~Sango's POV~

How? How could they do this? Of couse 'they' was Kagome, Inuyasha wanted no part in it.
I still kind of blame him though.

If he would've gone after her, we could be on our way to Kohaku by now!

I was furious at Kagome though, so I was walking around, trying to avoid her and kill time at once.

"Ugh. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Gr!" I could just barely hear someone say up ahead.

I walk forward until I see the person on the ground, hands on their head, knees pulled up to their chest, and when I step closer to see who it is, they look up.

I jump forward and wrap my arms around them, I'm probably crushing them, but I almost don't care. I'm so happy now I'm almost crying!

"Yes, I am so glad you're here!"

I can finally start looking for Kohaku again.

"Uh, you're squishing me," the mumbled against my shoulder.

"Sorry," I let them go.

She rolled her eyes, and hugged me again anyway.

"Glad to see you again Sango."

"Glad to see you too."

She pulled away.

"Where have you been?" I asked her.

"Off," she said, looking away.

I shook my head, "Fine if you don't want to tell me, then," I paused. "You still don't have a name, do you?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't."

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well, I know I want it to start with 'C'."

"Okay, well that gives us somewhere to start," I nod.

"Well, I remember, there was a book, something about a pig and a girl and some spider, I think her name was Charlotte. I like that name, it reminds me of the color brown for some reason, it would suit me then huh?" she smiled.

"Yeah, kind of, especially how you are now," I laughed.

She laughed to and said, "Okay, Charlotte it is then."

I stood up and reached a hand down to help Charlotte up.

"Come on, let's go take some of your brown away."

She smiled and took my hand.

~Charlotte's POV~

I sighed, sinking lower into the already cooling water, this was awesome.

Knock, Knock.

I sink even lower into the water and cross my arms over my chest.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"Me."

I roll my eyes, "Go away Inuyasha."

"I want to know why you're back," I could hear his head hit the door as he leaned against it.

"So do I."

"You don't know why? So what, you just came here not of your own will? Just putting this out there, but that wouldn't be the first time," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes again and grinned, "Is it weird I'm not surprised?"

"Eh, maybe, but you are kind of weird."

"I am not weird! How am I weird?"

Before I got answer I heard someone stomp up to Inuyasha and say, "Will you leave her alone!" it was Sango. "Who knows what she went through? You're probably traumatizing her," I laughed at what she said.

I heard her start pushing Inuyasha away, and as she was walking I heard her start to say, "I would really like to get a chance to-" and that's all I heard before she was too far away to make anything out.

She came back a while later with one of Kagome's towels and a kimono.

I tried to turn it down because it seemed a bit too detailed when it'll get dirty before we even leave, but Sango went into how the castle was going to give it to me. And if I turn it down they're going to kick us out and I still won't have anything to wear.

I agreed, but I still felt overdressed.

Dried off, clean, dressed and fed. I was sitting down, leaning against the wall with Shippo in my lap.

I was brushing my hands through the hair on his tail, trying to work out some of the knots, and everyone else was sitting in a circle, talking.

I wanted to ignore them, but I couldn't help the little snippets floating over to me.

"But what if she..."

"It's too dangerous..."

"...would help..."

"I don't care...What if..."

"Well maybe we could..."

"...didn't work?"

"...out again..."

"What'll happen..."

It was all extremely annoying.

Sango and Miroku were on my side, Kagome against me, and everyone else really didn't care much. Not even Inuyasha, though he was talking.

I kind of was going to guess that Kagome would get her way and have me kicked out again, her being the little princess priestess of the group.

I looked up to see their progress, and when I did Kagome was sulking. Arms crossed, lip out, eyebrows scrunched together. The perfect image of someone who didn't get their way.

I perked up a little, but didn't want to get too excited.

Sango got up from the group with a grin on her face, and walked over to me.

"Come on Charlotte, while Miroku is performing his 'exorcism'," she actually used are quotes, "we're going to show Inuyasha and Kagome what you can do."

I rose an eyebrow, "And how are we going to do that?"

She looked at me as if it was obvious, "Duh, we find someone that volunteers to do your thing on, and they'll see."

We had found a farmer who was walking into his home, when we told him what we would do he said he would help, but that he doubted he would fall to a girl like me.

Stupid dress made me seem weak.

I just shook my head at him as Sango led him off to where Inuyasha and Kagome were waiting.

"Okay, stand here," Sango said putting her hands on his shoulders to stop him.

He nodded and crossed his arms, head raised, and a smirk on his face.

I bet he thought we were joking and fooling around.

I stood in front of him and concentrated, so as to not affect my friends around me, and I yawned.

His eyes fell shut and I stepped aside as he fell forward, and landed on his face.

I grinned and crossed my arms.

Kagome shook her head, "He's so faking it, you can tell."

She leaned down and shook his shoulder, "Come on, you can get up now."

After shaking him for a while, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, and she looked up at me.

Inuyasha then leaned down and messed with him, slapped his cheeks, kicked his sides, but after Sango had pulled him away not wanting out volunteer to get hurt. Still nothing.

I was standing next to him, and Sango looked up at me and smiled while nodding.

I tapped his side with my foot, and he rolled over and pulled himself up to his knees, eyes wide.

Kagome looked at me again then back to the man, "Where you faking?"

"No, I was standing there then she," he points at me, "yawns and everything goes black. It seemed like a couple seconds later I woke up. What did you do? What are you?" he asked me, eyes still wide.

"Like you said, I only concentrated on you, yawned, and you were out. And I'm only a little girl, remember?" I grinned again.

He just shook his head, turned around, and took off.