This is my first fanfic, so be gentle please.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, or any other of Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

Prologue

Her jet-black hair cascaded around her shoulders, tears dried on her cheeks as pools of more waited to be shed in her eyes. It had happened so fast, her body wasn't sure what it was suppose to do anymore.

::Flashback:: She briefly noticed someone standing by the stairs as she descended them into the night. ::End::

With her legs bent one beside and one under her as though she'd slid out of a position on her knees, she sat frozen in shock on the wet concrete.

::Flashback:: She was aware of someone behind her but didn't think anything of it at first...until the footsteps got faster. The streets weren't lit up enough to make her comfortable and the lack of busy traffic made her more aware of the person's presence. ::End::

Her skirt was torn at the hem, the shoulder of her shirt ripped in such a way that it hung permanently off her arm. Her hands and knees stung from the scrapes and cuts she'd just acquired, they bled but she wasn't exactly concerned about an infection at the moment.

::Flashback:: She looked back over her shoulder to see the man only feet behind her, glaring at her from under his lashes. She picked up her pace and rounded the corner to get to a different street. Dead end. it was an access alley for apartments. And she was trapped. ::End::

Staring down at her attacker who was now laying in front of her, his hand outstretched as if he still reached for her, Kagome became aware of her surroundings very slowly;

One: Her hearing returned as her heart rate slowed and the pounding of her pulse no longer drowned out every other sound in her ears. She could hear soft dripping of the earlier rain coming down the metal apartment access stairs on either side of her.

Two: The dank alley way had a bit of a draft but she was suddenly colder than she thought she would have been in any other circumstance, certainly more than she had been when she'd turned into the alley at a sprint.

Three: A movement in the ink-black made her look up, wide-eyed as an instinctive thought crossed her mind; another attacker there for back up, to make sure the job was done…until instead, InuYasha's face made itself clear in a dim light.

Four: InuYasha had just saved her life, or at least her virginity, she was pretty sure he'd saved both in any case.

"In-InuYasha…" Kagome breathed, feeling the tears threatening to spill once more.