Hi everyone! I decided to write to this story too, but I'll try to keep only two stories going at a time, okay? Sound like a deal? I hope you all enjoy it! I just *love* Inuyasha!

*warning* This contains naughty potty-mouth words, suggestive dialogue, sexual situations in the later chapters, and it *is* going to be a lemon… or more than one lemon. This is your chance to not read this if need be.

Disclaimer: I do *not* own Inu-Yasha, so you can not sue me! ::sticks tongue out while pulling bottom eyelid down and blows a raspberry:: So there!

Chapter One

~prologue~

I have been engaged for three years now, and frankly, I don't know what to think about it. It came as a real shock at first, of course, why wouldn't it? I didn't know the guy! I've never heard of his name before! Who did my father think he was, throwing my life away and stomping on it with the grimy toe of his shoe? He never cared about me. I could tell from the beginning. We never had a lot of money, but how is that my fault? He says that no one 'respectable' will ever have me, let alone ask for my undernourished hand in marriage. Humph. Like he knows anything. Houjo follows me around everywhere! I had to literally yell at him so he wouldn't enter the lavatory behind me!

When I first heard of the engagement, I was furious! I stomped, threw things, and had a conniption that I was quite proud of. I was punished afterwards, mind you, but I would have done it all over again if I had the chance. My father beat the living tar out of me that day. I deserved it, and put him through hell ever since. I didn't care. He never showed me one ounce of respect, care, or love, so why should I give him the time of day?

I cried after that, but only when no one was looking. I locked myself in my room and didn't eat for a week. I was wearing away, but at the last minute, I realized that he shouldn't hold that kind of power over me. No one should. I snuck food for a while, hoping he would worry and that the precious 'engagement' would be cancelled. No such luck. I had never been so alone after that. I had never wanted someone who cared for me, someone who could love me, more than anything in my entire life at that moment.

I never asked for much during the pitiful years of my existence. I never knew how much I was asking for until I actually had it.

~

Kagome sighed as she folded the parchment of her letter, sealing it with wax for the mail deliverer. The room she now resided in was a dim musty bed chamber, smaller than her last room, with an impending feeling of doom and death craned into every corner. She hated sleeping here, but at least she had a bed. Her father had taken it away the previous year because of one of her temper tantrums and the few words that were blurted from the depths of the strange mouth that couldn't have possibly been hers.

It was hers though, and she didn't even try to apologize. She was whipped with her father's leather belt that night, hanging by a thread of life. If he had struck her one more time… one final time…

She shuddered. That happened a year ago, she needn't think of it now. She could have sworn her father knew what he was doing to her though. She could have sworn he knew not to strike her that final blow; the blow which would have ended her life.

Now she was seventeen, and she was beginning to think that there was no real engagement… which was fine with her. Three years of never meeting her fiancé, of never receiving a letter from him… or even a single rose? What kind of groom-to-be was he?

After her tears could no longer fall over the matter, and her rage slowly diminished, she realized that having a fiancé that she had never met before did have its perks. She could tell off Houjo when he became annoying, and remind him that she was a bride-to-be whenever he started to act a little too friendly toward her.

She grinned at the thought. She loved being able to say the magic word, 'fiancé,' to make him behave or stop stalking her. Sure he was nice and all, but she didn't feel anything for him. If he had died she wouldn't have been too terribly upset.

So when he father called her into his study that day she was a bit more than bewildered. He never allowed her to enter any of his private rooms in the house, least of all his work area. He didn't trust her enough. He didn't want her grubby fingers touching all of his belongings.

She snorted in disgust. Oh yes, he had plenty of little toys and collectable items, but what did she own? Nada. She was lucky to be able to wear a clean garment every day of the week, before she had to wash them all again. She probably owned what… five things?

Anxiously, she timidly made her way down to his study, finding that her hands and legs were trembling so bad that she could barely support her own weight as she grasped for the hand railings and sides of the walls. Was he in a good mood or a bad mood today? The day before yesterday had been horrendous! She had said one thing out of line and he had pounced in an instant. Usually he gave her more of a warning than that! He struck her black and blue, and whipped her five time for good measure. She was so sore the next morning that she didn't have the strength to get out of bed during the whole day yesterday. She was awed with herself that she had managed to even sit up today, let alone walk about the dank house in a stupor. She had nearly passed out when she had stood. What more could he want with her?

Hesitating at the door outside of his study, she resolved that it would be best to get whatever it was over with before his mood took a steep curve downhill. The more time she wasted on dawdling, the more his mood would worsen.

She knocked swiftly and quietly three times, holding her breath as she waited for either the pleasant voice of his when he never really paid attention to her, or the booming roar he used when something had not gone his way and he needed to take his anger out on something… or more accurately… someone.

"Come in, come in," The voice called absently, almost cheerily.

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief. Hopefully she wouldn't get a beating any time today. She pushed the door open slowly, not wanting to anger him. When she saw his face she didn't think it would be possible to anger him. It shocked her to say the least. She stood in the doorway there, gaping at him. A wide smile stretched over his face, and his eyes sparkling with some untold secret that he obviously thought amusing. He was positively beaming at her.

"Y-you c-called for me?" She asked shakily, not knowing what to expect with this man. She had never seen him like this!

"I have just received a notice from your fiancé m'dear."

She blinked. My dear? She thought rather disgustedly.

"You are to meet him by the forest for your first get together." He was smirking on the inside, a deep writhing mass of pure hatred toward her gathering in the pit of his stomach. He would finally be rid of his pesky daughter. She wouldn't need any of her belongings he supposed, so she needn't know. It wasn't like she had much to her name anyway.

When her brow furrowed and the words had sunk in, his grin widened. A spark of rage ignited behind her eyes and he sneered. She glowered at him and he didn't dare let his true feelings, or the secret that only he knew, escape through his lips. He had chosen a being that would make her life positively miserable. If she thought it was hell here, wait until she saw what her new life would be like. That is… if her so-called 'fiancé' didn't kill her first.

"What do you mean?" She asked, knowing that this was payback for every moment of havoc she had caused during all of her seventeen years.

He snorted disdainfully. "You know perfectly well what I mean, sweet heart. I want you out of my sight for the rest of your life, got it? I don't even care if you return or not after this little 'date.' You will probably have a… wonderful time." He could hardly contain the chaotic laughter that rippled inside him. He only wished he could see the face of his 'beloved daughter' when she saw who… no, what… her fiancé was.

Kagome glared defiantly at her father, her fists clenched at her sides, and her jaw clenched tightly. "Fine. I'll meet whoever this fiancé of mine is. To tell you the truth, I don't even believe he exists!" And with that, she turned on her heel and fled the confinements of his unknown territory, not feeling welcome at all.

Her father lounged in his chair, feeling more than pleased with himself. "He exists Kagome, pet," he murmured to himself in a low rumble. "Oh he exists."

*          *          *          *          *

Kagome had purposefully worn her most expensive gown that night, a lilac color with a touch of lace, the smooth fabric traveling to the floor in an enormous heap. She would make the best of this 'date' just to spite her so-called 'father.' She couldn't believe that he was even remotely related to her! She despised him almost as much as he despised her! Oh did she despise him more? She didn't know, and didn't care one way or another.

Kagome made her way to the edge of the forest, where the dark, immense trees began and where the path and civilization ended. She stood on the dirt path, looking around nervously. It didn't seem real, perhaps that was she wasn't angry or sad or frustrated. She didn't believe her father. That must have been why. Was he giving her an opportunity to run away? She was actually considering it when she heard scuttling in the brush behind her, causing her to tense and whirl around almost immediately. She could see a silhouette, but by now the sun was beginning to set, and the pine next to the person obscured her view, along with the darkness of the forest from which he came. She took a tentative step forward, her eyes narrowing slightly to get a better view.

"H-Hello?" she asked, her voice sounding high and unsure even to her own ears. She made a face in disgust at herself and straightened up taller, trying to look at least sure of what she was doing. "Who's there?" She called, her voice almost normal this time around. Was this supposed to be her fiancé? Was it really true then? If it was… why was he emerging from the forest? Myriads of questions raced through her mind, none receiving answers, to her great disappointment.

"Are you Kagome?" A deep gruff voice questioned. He scuttled to the side a little, eyeing her suspiciously.

A flash of golden amber caught in the light, and Kagome was immediately mesmerized. Did this person have… golden eyes?!?

"Y-yes," she said quietly, and realized that he was probably too far away from her to hear her. She opened her mouth to repeat it louder this time when he cut her off.

"Good. Follow me."

She gaped at him. "What?! What do you mean, 'follow me?!' I don't even know who you are!" She thought quickly, trying to remember the name her father had told her was her fiancé three years back. "Are you…" she paused, biting her lip, "Nusha?" She made a face. That didn't sound right.

She heard a small snort from his direction. "It's Inuyasha, not 'Nusha.'"

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess," he stated carelessly.

"Hey! It's not like I meant it!" She shouted. Who did this guy think he was?!? Obviously he didn't know sarcasm when he heard it.

"Whatever. Are you coming or not?" He turned around and looked at her expectantly from over his shoulder.

Kagome had half a mind to say, 'No!' but realized that anywhere had to be better than at her father's house. He'd be furious with her if she returned so soon anyway. What was it he had said? 'I don't even care if you come back,' or something like that. She shrugged. What difference did it make?

She hurried to where he stood, looking impatient already. She crossed her arms. It wasn't like she did anything wrong yet! She couldn't believe this guy!

"So where are we going?"

He gave her an odd look, and led her deeper into the forest, staying in the shadows so that she couldn't see his form. He didn't want to hear her scream where people lived close by. It always happened that way when a human came in sight of him. He clenched his fists, drawing blood because of his sharp claws. She wouldn't notice it though. She was only a weak human. Why couldn't he be full demon and have a full demon for a mate? Why did he always have to go for second… no third best?

"I'm taking you home."

She blinked, halting in her rush to keep up with him for a few milliseconds, and then had to jog to catch up. "Wh-what did you just say?"

He shrugged carelessly again, which was starting to really get on her nerves. "I'm taking you home."

She tried to smile, but it faltered. "You mean to your home, right?"

Again with the shrug. "I suppose. I do live there."

She pushed that to the back of her mind, telling herself it was nothing that she needed to worry about. "Do you live in the forest?"

"'Course. If I didn't… let's just say it wouldn't be good, alright?" There was an edge in his voice now that frightened Kagome to no end. It was almost like the way her father's voice was like before he beat her. This time it was different though. Her father would yell at her as if not realizing what he was saying, his mind on something else that was the subject of his rage. He just happened to take it out on her. This time though, she had said something to make Inuyasha mad at her. His anger was directed at her alone, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Inuyasha?" She asked tentatively.

He froze for a minute, his heart skipping a beat when his name came out in her voice. He had liked it. He liked her voice, and now that she was to be his mate, he would like to feel the power of making her scream for mercy, his name more of a plea for release, and then a shout of pleasure that he had caused. If he wasn't careful… he might do something to her before the mating ceremony. He didn't want to be subjected to that. Not only was it frowned down upon, but he was disgusted with himself for feeling such things for a mere human girl. Even if she did have the body of a—

He started walking again, faster this time, and more briskly. Kagome had paused behind him, greatly confused and thinking that they might have been in danger of something.

"Did you hear something?" she asked nervously, her eyes darting around in the darkness and seeing nothing.

"No," was the gruff response.

"Then why did you stop?"

"Feh," was the only response.

She decided to drop it. They continued on for a while in silence. Inuyasha didn't seem to mind the quiet, but it unnerved Kagome. She was befuddled, and didn't know where they were going or what they were doing. She was following a complete stranger. Sure he had known her name, and she knew his, but that was hardly enough to call them even remotely close to one another. They were alone too! Without a chaperone!

"I-Inuyasha… I-I think I should go back now," she said in a half whisper. She didn't feel comfortable all alone, with him, a complete stranger, in the middle of the forest of all places!

At this he finally stopped, and when earlier she would have been glad since she had a stitch in her side and her feet were aching, now she only wished that they had kept moving. He whipped around and came face-to-face with her, his golden eyes finally coming into view. Instead of falling into their depths like before, she gasped and took a step backward before she had the chance to bump into him. His eyes were on fire, blazing hatred and anger at her like never before. His glare was so intense that her blood had suddenly run cold, her face rapidly paling. She found it hard to breathe as his rage blew off of him in waves. She tried to take another step back when a rough hand clasped her wrist to the point where it felt it would almost break. Kagome gave a yelp of pain as his claws dug into her soft flesh.

"You're going nowhere. You got that? Nowhere!"

She stared, not able to break eye contact, and her breath came out in tiny whimpers as her body began to tremble. After a moment, she nodded her head, wide-eyed. He released her and turned back around, not even glancing in her direction. It was as if he could feel her presence, or he knew she was there. She shivered. No, that couldn't be it.

"Feh. Weak human," he growled out under his breath, making it sound like a disgrace. He could smell her blood when his sharp claws pierced her skin and cursed himself mentally. How could he have forgotten how fragile they were? He would have to be more careful next time.

Kagome didn't comprehend what he was going on about. She rubbed her wrist tentatively, watching every move Inuyasha made. He could really hurt someone! The worst part was… he seemed to not even realize how much damage he could inflict.

She felt something warm and sticky on her arm and lifted it to her nose, then licked it. Blood. She was bleeding. She winced as she found one of the gouges he had caused. "Your nails are sharp," she complained, worried more about her arm than what she had said.

He tensed, then sent over his shoulder, "Come on. We have to get to where we're going before nightfall or we'll have some unwelcome visitors."

Kagome followed him silently, mainly listening to his little warnings of upturned roots and to beware low-hanging branches. Twice he saved her from walking into a tree, and one time he stopped her just in time from stepping on a poisonous snake that she hadn't been able to see or hear.

"Are you sure there was a snake back there?" She asked for nearly the thousandth time. She didn't seem to be able to fathom that she could have died by a snake bite when she hadn't even known it was there.

"Yes," he said exasperatedly. It was irritating him, that she wouldn't believe him and that she wouldn't shut up. "So stop asking," he growled out.

Kagome's eyes had gotten used to the dark a little more by now. They must have spent three hours of walking to where ever they were going. She kept scanning the tall darker objects around her, which she assumed to be trees, and the lighter color of bushes, and then the lightest color of nothingness. She knew now that she wouldn't be able to stand whoever this person was. Her father must have been proud of his pickings. They both had tempers that could alight the entire planet, but this Inuyasha character also had a domineering air around him, that everything had to be his way, and she didn't like that at all.

He was so selfish, and they had only just met! If she couldn't stand him now, how was she supposed to stand him later when she actually had gotten to know the guy? And he was silent, and always brooding. He had an attitude problem of a four year old and a preadolescent teen. She just couldn't wait to find out how big his ego was.

Note the sarcasm.

So here she was, gazing about her, trying to find the best escape route before they arrived to wherever it was they were going. He shouldn't be able to see her disappear since it was so dark and he was facing the opposite direction. She should be able to escape… even if she might get lost in this big…dark…scary forest that had who-knows-what living in it.

She just wouldn't have to think about that part yet. Not until the time came anyway. Not until after she lost Inuyasha.

A thought just occurred to her. "How come you knew the snake was there, and warned me, but I didn't even see it?" She asked, trying to distract him for a while. It was coming up; the perfect opportunity. She could just see it! There were trees all around, but veering to the left was relatively level ground. She could get a head start, by the time he realized she was gone he wouldn't know where to go, and she would be free to do… whatever.

Just keep him busy Kagome, she thought to herself. Just keep him busy. After this little chat he won't expect me to talk for a while, so it'll give me plenty of time.

"No reason. I live around here and know the ways of the forest. You don't," he said flatly.

She seemed to accept his answer, much to his relief, but something wasn't right. Her heart was beating faster all of a sudden. She was excited about something; ready for something. Inuyasha suddenly became alert. Did she know something he didn't? Were they in danger? Was someone waiting to attack him before he took her to their final destination? It happened to half-breeds before, and even demons if they had a human in their grasp, willingly or unwillingly.

But he didn't smell any predators in the night, and he knew the sun hadn't set completely yet. He didn't hear a single sound with the exception of his and the girl's footsteps and breathing. It couldn't be something that frightened her then. He paid careful attention to every sound she made. Her heart began to beat more and more rapidly. Her breathing came in quick shallow gasps, as if preparing for something, as if she hadn't been walking for nearly five hours now. Yes, that was correct, five hours with only three stops. He had to give her credit for that at least.

But she wasn't paying attention to him any longer. He couldn't feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. Her breathing wasn't even, as it should have been. She still seemed… excited for some reason. Almost as if…

No.

But it was too late. Right after he had passed the large Goshinboku tree that signified that they only had half an hour to go, she took off. He immediately cursed himself for his stupidity and sped after her, rolling his eyes at her lame attempt. If she had known her attempt would have been fruitless, she might not have wasted more of their time, keeping them out later than he would have liked. In order for that to happen though, he would have had to show her who he really was… what he was. He wanted to delay that for the last possible moment. It was his job to keep them both safe, but with her running into things and taking off like that, it was a little impossible.

He growled out a warning, the deep grumble low in his chest. Not only was she dumb enough to place herself in danger, she was dumb enough to think she could get away with it too. He leapt up into the tree, only using half of his strength. First so she would think she had gotten farther than she really would have, second to scare the daylights out of her when she finally thought she had lost him (he smirked at the thought), third because it was stupid and dull anyway, and fourth he was keeping an ear and eye out for other demons while the others of each pair were concentrated solely on her.

When she was almost directly under him she slowed and looked over her shoulder, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she panted for breath. He smirked. She thought she had won, had she? Think again.

With that, he leapt from the branch and into the air.

*          *          *          *          *

Kagome was running, running as if the devil himself were at her heels. She wouldn't slow down or look over her shoulder, if she did he might catch her. Inuyasha might catch her.

She had been running for nearly ten to fifteen minutes when she slowed, finally allowing herself a backward glance. She didn't see any movement behind her. She heaved a sigh of relief. She was safe… for now.

It was when she pivoted to continue on her way when something dropped in front of her path. She screamed, scrambling backward as her heart leapt into her throat. She gazed wide-eyed and unseeing at him as she tried to run once again, backward so as not to break eye contact with him.

"Calm down woman!" He growled, pouncing on her. He pushed her on her shoulders, bringing both of their weight to come crashing to the earthen floor. 

She gave a short yelp before hitting the ground, but he had managed to slide his left hand up along the side of her neck to cradle her head from hitting the ground on impact. He even landed so that his weight wasn't pressing into her or suffocating her, so he didn't knock the wind out from her lungs. He had landed on the balls of his feet, then his knees, his right knee between her spread legs and his left to the side of her other one. She gazed up at him, heart beating rapidly as understanding lit in the depths of her eyes.

"I-Inu…yasha?"

He could tell she was still terrified, and he growled, nuzzling her neck in an attempt to reassure her that everything was alright. She gasped, her entire body had gone stiff. He didn't care though, nor did he pay it any attention. He was too busy taking in the scent of her, burying his nose in her thick dark hair, branding it into his memory so that he would always be able to find her, no matter where she went. He wouldn't let her get away again. It was a screaming challenge to his demon-side. Sort of a 'prove yourself worthy, ha ha you can't get me' sort of thing. But to his human side, she was scared, and he respected that. He didn't want her to be scared of him. For some odd reason, it made him resent what he was.

"You can't get away from me, bitch," he bit out, hearing her gasp in outrage. "Even if you hadn't looked back and had never slowed, I would have been able to catch you."

Kagome squirmed beneath him, trying to get him to release her as she glared at him angrily. He only tightened his grip around her in response and growled dangerously. She froze, her entire body going stock-still.

"What are you?" She asked in a small voice, a tiny bit of awe mixed in with mainly fear, anger, and hatred.

He snorted, then decided to ignore her. He didn't like all the material she was wearing. It was too puffy, and the stuff with tiny holes in it itched. "You might have been a little faster if you weren't wearing this damn thing," he added as an after thought, picking up a slightly torn piece of cloth from the rest of the lilac material.

"Hey! You ripped it! And don't try to change the subject because it won't work! Now answer my question!"

Her anger had replaced her fear and he grinned. Good, she wasn't scared of him any more. He nuzzled her neck again, a small smirk adorning his face.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! And didn't I tell you to get off of me?!" She brought her hands up and tried to lever him off of her chest, but to no avail. He was practically all muscle! And he wouldn't let go of her! "Oh!" she huffed, glaring at him for all her worth. "I suppose you find this funny, eh?"

He butted her chin up and started nuzzling the other side of her neck, nipping her earlobe in the process.

"I said—ungh!" She gasped again, and he realized that every little sound she made, be it protest or pleasure, it urged him on. "I-Inuyasha!" She searched wildly for something to say, anything! "Don't we have to get somewhere?"

"It doesn't matter if we're a little late," was the reply, and she gulped. What exactly did he mean by that?!?

"Get off of me right now damn it all!" She screeched, clenching her eyes shut for effect.

He tensed automatically, then forcefully placed all of his weight onto her small form. She gasped in pain. Why was he hurting her again?!

"You don't tell me what to do, you got that?!" He growled, pushing on her more forcefully to get his point across. "Understand?!?"

She gasped for breath, tears forming as she numbly nodded her head, the only thing she could do since her lungs had long ago deflated.

"Good," he said in a low, menacing voice, slowly lifting the worst of his weight off of her. He eyed her suspiciously, looking for a hint of rebellion from her, and then got up off of her. He sat back on his heels, watching her carefully.

Kagome gasped for breath, laying on her back for a while as she gazed up into black nothingness. Her chest was heaving with every gulp of air she took in, thankful for its soothing coolness. She noticed a small gap from between the tree's branches and looked at a tiny ray of light longingly. She wouldn't be stuck in this dark forest forever, would she? She saw a hint of the sky and saw that it was steadily getting darker out. The moon and stars would be out soon.

Slowly, she rose up onto her forearms, noticing Inuyasha studying her quietly from not too far away. She looked away, a slight blush covering her cheeks. She didn't want to meet his eyes after that. What he had done had felt so right, but again it resulted in him hurting her.

It must be that stupid dominant crap, she thought suddenly. Like earlier, he always has to have his way.

It was then that she remembered the rumbling growls she had heard coming from deep within his chest. He had sounded like some kind of animal! Kagome sat up, eyeing him curiously, almost suspiciously. She tried to see what he looked like, but again, the only thing that stood out were his eyes. That and his pale hair. It must have been blonde.

"Why are you here… with me? Answer truthfully, please," she added at the last moment, remembering that he didn't like being ordered around.

He studied her cautiously, then replied slowly, "Because you are going to be my mate. Didn't your father tell you?"

Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly fell open. Did he just say… mate?!

"Yes… my father did tell me, but… mate? You're… different from most kinds of people, aren't you?"

His anger automatically soared once more. "Different? From most people?! How do you know I'm not 'most people,' huh? Answer me that!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay? Jeeze! You don't have to have a conniption…"

"I'm not having a conniption!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

She winced. "Yeah… sure. Look, why don't you just tell me whatever you are, because I'm going to find out anyway. That is if we're going to be married… or if I am your… 'mate.'"

He growled. "There's no if about it! You are going to be my mate! Your father and my mother already agreed!"

She looked at him as if he was a complete oaf. "Oh! So you agreed to marry me even though you didn't even know me or see me or like me?!?"

"Argh! That's not what I meant!"

"Then what do you mean? And hurry up because it's almost dark out and you said we shouldn't stay out later than dark, and I don't plan of finding out why!"

He smirked, holding his head high. "So you do heed my warnings."

"Only because I don't know anything about this place," she shot back, causing his slowly swelling pride to pop.

"Whatever."

"Weren't you even the slightest bit annoyed or upset that your mother decided who you were going to marry?!?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean mate?"

She groaned in frustration. "Yes, yes, whatever!"

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't you now? Why don't you just leave me and carry on your way? Why don't you…" he sniffed disdainfully but plundered on anyway, "take me… home?" It had been extremely hard to force that word out of her mouth. As far a she was concerned, she didn't have a home.

"I am taking you home," he said softly, and her heart leapt, "To my home."

A sinking feeling entered the pit of her stomach. So that answered most of the questions running around in her head, she wasn't supposed to ever plan on going back. She should have been elated, but was she? She couldn't tell.

"I didn't want to mate a human," he spat the name out like some gruesome disease, "but I have no choice." Once again she wondered what he was. "I loathed you the moment I heard your name, and I may continue loathing you, so get used to it." That wasn't what he had wanted to say, and he could tell Kagome was shocked from it, but he didn't go into more detail.

They were silent for a while more, and finally it was Inuyasha's turn to start the conversation. "Do you want to see who I really am? What I really am?" He closed his eyes and ground his teeth together. She had been right, she would find out sooner of later, and he didn't want to have to face her rejection in front of his mother.

Kagome took a small step toward him. "Yes," she said softly, yet it left no room for doubt or an argument.

"Very well." He walked over to the last ray of sunlight that streamed through the leaves of the tree. It didn't help much, but it would give her an idea. When he was directly next to it, he sent her a look that wrenched at her heart it was so pitiful, so sad and lonesome. "Do you promise not to scream?" He always asked that question, and every time, they always screamed. He didn't even know why he bothered any more.

"I promise," she breathed softly.

He entered the light painstakingly slow, so at first it was the sleeve of his kimono that she saw. It was a bright berry red color, darker than that of a ruby, yet lighter than the color of blood, but not by much. Then she realized that the 'pale blonde' hair she had assumed she was seeing from within the shadowy forest was really pale white hair that was so beautiful she had to keep herself from running her hands through it. Next came his face; his handsomely chiseled face that didn't hold a single mark or scar. His mouth was set in a pensive frown and his luminous gold eyes were watching her every move, his dog ears following every gasp and intake of breath that issued forth.

Wait a second… dog ears?!?

It was then that she knew what he was. He had to be a demon, or part of one. Her eyes widened and she noticed that when they did, his narrowed. If was as if he could see her in the ebony shadows just as clearly as she could see him…

Oh. So that was how he had seen the snake. And he had been able to steer them clear of practically every tree in the forest! She tilted her head to the side, wondering if she liked what she saw. He was definitely different, but not in a bad way. Oh no, far from it!

Inuyasha stood there, glaring at her as if daring her to speak, daring her to poke fun at him, to call him a horrendous beast or monster. He waited patiently for the ear-piercing scream to echo throughout the entire forest, but realized that it should have come already. He blinked, looking puzzled for a minute. Why hadn't she screamed?

She took a step toward him, hesitantly, then another. He tensed, wondering if she was about ready to try to beat him, or hurt him. It was stupid to try really, although most humans did anyway. They always thought they were invincible. They didn't know how much strength a demon—or even a half-demon for that matter—held over them. He didn't want to accidentally harm Kagome. For some reason, she felt different to him. Almost to the point where he could trust her. Not that he was ever going to, mind you.

Kagome came within three inched of him, and he could see the awe and wonder in her eyes, the almost disbelief that all human eyes betrayed whenever they set their sight on a demon. He was getting ready to leap away from her intoxicating smell when he felt it. It took all of his control to keep from gasping aloud. A light touch flicked his ear, and then it returned, softly caressing both now with thumb and fingers each. He leaned into it, swooning as a peaceful expression crossed his face. Someone giggled, and he snapped to full attention, swearing to never allow her to do that to him again… for Kagome had been rubbing his ears.

"Come on," he said in a not-so-friendly voice as he pulled away from her reach. "You said yourself that it was getting dark out. You don't want to be attacked by demons now, do you?" He sneered, half of his mouth twitching upwards.

She gulped. "N-no. But how will we get there in time? It'll take forever!"

"No it won't," he stated firmly, and she raised her eyebrows.

"It won't?" She asked in an unbelieving manner.

"No."

"And how is that mister smarty-pants?" She crossed her arms defiantly.

The look he sent her racked shivers up and down along her entire form. Slowly she uncrossed her arms, looking at him nervously.

"Hop on," was all he said, turning his back to her. "I'll get us there in not time."

Well, I hope you like the first chapter so far. I have to call a friend to see if I got the Inuyasha tree correct. I forgot it and someone borrowed my manga! Anywho, please review and tell me what you think! It'll mean a lot! Thank you!