My Little Hanyou

-X-

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"Whip him! He doesn't deserve any pity!"

Why are they hurting me? I groan in pain as a whip connects to my back, ripping my red clothes. I can feel the blood dripping down the arch, it's feeling sickening. Why are they doing this?

"Send the half-breed to the deepest depths of hell!"

I groan once more as the feel of leather makes harsh contacts onto my back. The metal chains around my wrists bind me together and clank whenever I get hit. I grit my teeth together so I could not scream. No, I won't give them that pleasure as they continue to torture me.

"No pity! No mercy! They don't deserve it!"

Another whip and this time I have to bite my tongue so not to make a noise. Every time they whip me it get more painful for they are whipping the same spot over and over again. Why do they hate me? I can feel my knees scrapping on the rough dirt as they whip me. I will not cry, I will never give them that. They aren't worth it.

"Suffer, half-breed! Feel the pain in entering our world!"

I groan once again as that person whipping me goes faster as the crowd cheers around me. Mocking and spitting, like I'm no better than dirt. My feet are also tied. I'm on the ground kneeling as they continue to mock me. I can't fight back. They had poisoned me with some sort of herb and when I was asleep and it has caused my powers to vanish suddenly. I can't fight back.

"Suffer the punishment for living! Suffer the punishment for becoming an abomination monster!"

Why do they hate me so? It wasn't my choice to be like this. I can feel pain searing through my entire body. They now throw rocks at me and one comes into contact with my jaw. To my disappointment I let out a loud groan of pain. I can see their smirks and smile of triumph, glaring down at me. I frown as they keep throwing rocks at me; as the whip keeps coming into harsh contact onto my back; as they mock and point at me; as they spit and say mean things. I try not to care but deep down I know it's tearing me apart.

"He has nothing to live for anyway! Why be in this world then? Send him to hell; where he truly belongs! Not here, no one cares if he's alive or not! Half-breeds are an accident! Send them back where he came from!"

More cheers follows with agreement as more rocks and whips come at me. I try so hard not to cry at their harsh words but they effect me so much. I will not cry; I swear it. I won't because I know they're wrong. Someone does care if I live or not. I do have something to live for. And that somebody is all alone right now. Damn these bastards. She's all alone out there in the forest, sleeping when they took me quietly away. Please, Kagome. Be safe.

"He's also been with that witch! The one who wears the tiny kimono! We should have brought her along with us, that witch! She's bewitched many to trusting her, even our great demon exterminator and monk has been with her! We should burn her to the stake!"

No. I growl dangerously and glare up at them. They see my reaction and they get frightened slightly but the stronger men stay where they are and smirk down at me. They know I can't fight. The whips harass my back once again and I groan loudly. I grit my teeth painfully as a growl erupts from my chest. More rocks are thrown at me and sneering remarks.

"Did you see the half-breed's reaction? He cares for the witch! We should have brought her along too! Curse it all!"

"Be calm my brethren. We'll burn the cunning witch as soon as our business with the half-breed is done."

I growl again and struggle through the chains, trying to break them but the thing they gave me is making my demon powers wilt; they are of little use to me now. They whip me again and a large rock comes into contact with my left cheek and I let out a small yelp of surprise. They take pleasure from hearing this and continue to mock me.

"So you, half-breed, care for the miko witch? Ha! That is the most ridiculous thing I've every heard! No one could love you, mutt! Not now and not ever!"

Maybe they're right. Maybe Kagome doesn't really love me. But that doesn't matter right now. I care for her more than she knows and if these bastards even lay one finger on her I will personally tear them apart; when I get my powers back. Just wait you fools, I'll be at your throats as soon as your stupid herb wears off!

"Die you half-breed!"

I can see my vision get blurry. I can feel all the blood running out of my body. I start to get dizzy as more pain is inflicted on me. Why do they hate me so much? I haven't hurt them, I haven't killed one of the innocent or the young. More pain. That is all I know right now. I can truly see the true nature of humans. Evil. Pain. Unending pain go through my body as my heart aches. I don't know if I can live any longer…

Then I hear a shocked gasp. Followed by the strong scent of tears.

"Wait! Stop! What are you people doing?!"

I slowly look up and was both frightened and glad. Glad because now I know she was safe and frightened because she isn't anymore. The last thing I see before I black out is a pair of worried and teary chocolate brown eyes, staring right at me with pain and hurt…

-X-

I wake up suddenly. I have no idea why. There were no noise or movements. It was just night and its stars and moon. Why did I wake up? I have no idea but what I do know is that there's something dreadfully wrong. I can feel it. I get up from my sleeping bag and attempt to flatten my crippled skirt but no prevail. My hair isn't all that messy, I could tell I've only been asleep for a few hours. I start to look around for a certain hanyou, which strangely wasn't here.

I grew worried somewhat. He wasn't here. I look around again and see that Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara are still asleep without a care in the world. I looked puzzled; why was I the only one feeling something was wrong? I look away from them and start to whisper out Inuyasha's name. Surely, since he's always bragging about his superior hearing, he would hear me without me raising my voice too much.

No one answers my call. My worries heightened ten-hold. Where is Inuyasha? I look around the place I saw him last. Under a tree, sleeping quietly. I go to that tree and gasp, covering my mouth. There are footprints around the tree. I could see signs of a struggle but not a very big one. There are many footprints; about 4 or 5. Surely Inuyasha could have fought them off. They look pretty human to me.

I look around again frantically. Inuyasha was still no where to be seen. What if they've got Inuyasha? If so then why? What did he do? I've been watching him for these past years and he hasn't done anything that would anger them. What happened? I can tell that Inuyasha's in trouble. I can tell because I can feel a slight tugging at my heart.

I go towards the rest, quietly sleeping, and shake them awake. I shake Sango first and try to wake her up quickly. "Sango!" I whisper loudly. "Please, Sango, wake up! Something's gone wrong!"

Sango opened her eyes sleepily and looks at me blankly. "K-Kagome?" she says softly. "Is it time to go shard hunting already?"

I shake my head furiously. "Sango, something's wrong. Inuyasha isn't here and I found footprints where he was sleeping. I think he got kidnapped!"

Sango shot her eyes wide open and sit up quickly, knocking Shippo off of her. "What?" he eyes me wearily. I doubt she knew what kidnapped meant but the expression she was giving me told me she was alert. "Footprints?"

I nod. "I think they've took Inuyasha. I can't find him anywhere and I'm really, really worried." I say.

Sango gives me an unbeliever's look. "Kagome, you're over reacting. Maybe Inuyasha went off to go somewhere and those footprints were made by him." she said, trying to convince me.

I shake my head angrily. "No! sango, the footprints are different! They're all different, not Inuyasha's! There are broken twigs everywhere and the bark of the tree as been scratched off. I'm not kidding Sango, someone took Inuyasha!"

Sango sighed and got up slowly. She must still be sleepy. She walks to where Inuyasha was sleeping and examines the spot. After she does she frowns and her eyes are wide with alert. "You're right." She murmurs. "There is a sign of a struggle- a little one anyway." She then looks up and stares at me seriously. "Wake Miroku-sama up." She said. "This could be a bad situation."

I do as she says and wake up Miroku. He acted the same as Sango but gets up immediately when Sango said it. In other times I would have smiled at this but not now. We were wasting too much time. Miroku was preparing and waking up Shippo and Kirara while Sango was too busy getting dressed in her fighting clothes.

"I'll go ahead okay?" I call out to them as I get my bow and arrows. "I'll follow the tracks first and you'll follow okay?" I say and started to run from them. I can hear their protests and warnings of going off alone but I couldn't wait for them. I can feel the pull getting stronger, becoming even more desperate. As I run I clench the fabric on my chest as sweat from fear and running roll down my cheeks. Please, Inuyasha, don't be too badly beaten up.

I follow the tracks in a hasty run. I can see that they were dragging something, probably Inuyasha. I follow the tracks quickly and find myself at the village. My heart rate quickens as I see the prints get fresher. I follow them until I'm in the center of the village where a huge crowd as been gathered, yelling and throwing rocks at someone- a half-breed I hear.

I can feel tears spring into my eyes as I dreaded whom they were yelling to. I can hear whips and rocks being thrown. I can hear the painful grunts and groans at the person they were tormenting. Without hesitation I run towards the crowd. I squeeze myself through the bodies until I reached the middle.

What I saw made my heart ache and my tears fall. "Wait! Stop! What are you people doing?!" I yell out to them as I rush towards the half-breed in the center. The second I see his pain filled, golden eyes my own eyes fill with his pain. It felt like a thousands knives were stabbed through my heart as I watched him watch me with eyes forever scarred at the crowd's words; which were no silenced by my sudden appearance.

Then he closes his eyes and collapses chest first onto the bloodied dirt, rocks all over, his face lying sideways and I knew he just blacked out. I run to his side and inspect his wounds as I knelt. I gasped at the multiple whips that were inflicted on his back, the blood oozing out of them like a river. I then see that his wrists and ankles were tied together in a very rusty chain, yet it seemed strong enough. I also tremble at the bruises on his body, they have already turned a deep purple, some even bleeding. I check his face, his tough yet delicate face, and see that they were sad and whimpering. His brows were etched as a sad frown as I could see one tiny tear at the corner of his eye that hasn't been released yet.

My eyes that were sad and hurtful turned into hate and resent. My frown deepens as my fringe covers my eyes, tears of anger and sadness combined pouring out of them. My body shakes with unlimited anger and grief and my teeth are clenched together to stop myself from yelling at them like an animal.

I slowly turn around, getting up. I stand a little bit shakily at the suppressed anger swelling inside me. Tears are still rapidly falling from my eyes yet not as sadly, more angrily and enraged. I turn towards the person who had whipped him so bad. Once my eyes come into contact with the old man's eyes I instantly glare, my hate growing. He trembles and steps back. I ha no idea why he did but my glare must have been pretty good if he did- that or he's just a stupid coward that gets his kicks from whipping defenceless hanyou's.

When he retreated so that he was one with the crowd- mostly men but some women- I instantly noticed the bloodied whip he was holding. I grit my teeth and clench me fists together so not to thrash out at the man. When he sees where my gaze was at he drops it and steps back even further.

Once the whip hits the ground there is utter silence. The echo of the handle of the whip connected to the hard ground rings in everyone's ears as I glare at every single one of them. My disgust for them is so high it would break a thermometer at its peak. How dare they just take him and torture him like this? This is not justice; this is famine. If we were in my era then they would be locked up already. Darn this undeveloped society.

One of the larger men stepped up from my glare at glares right back at me. "What are you doing here witch? We don't welcome the likes of you." He said in a deep and angry yet slightly afraid voice.

Witch? They still believe in darn witches in this time? Good grief! I do not falter in my step and glare right back at the tall man. "For your information," I said through gritted teeth. "I am no witch and what do I care if I am not welcomed in this evil village?" I hiss.

The villagers protest and spit on me but I don't move from my spot; afraid that if I move my anger will explode. The man who stepped up glared at me even more powerfully and my gaze did falter a little bit, as much as I hate to admit it. "Be gone, witch." He said angrily. "We are not the evil ones. You came with your half-breed friend, you've bewitched a demon exterminator into befriending him and you've tricked a monk to join your evil quest, we are not the evil one's; you are. We ought to burn you on the stake!"

There were cries of agreement and happy rage. I start to feel a little frightened by it. I draw my bow and arrow and ready them as they approached me. When they saw I had a weapon they back up a little. I wasn't going to shoot them- even if they deserve every single bit of pain they got- for I still cared for them, even a little. I cannot shoot an innocent- as far they go anyway. "Don't step any further." I warn. "I will shoot." I lie.

My lie must have been obvious since I saw people smirk, some secretly snickered. One of them who did was the man who stepped up. "You are a miko! You cannot purify a human. We are not tainted nor are was demons or half-breeds." His face then turned dark. "For all I'm saying, you should be pointing your weapon at that half-breed over there than us. Isn't it a miko's job to purify the tainted soul?"

Kagome gulped as her hands shook both with fear and rage. "Tainted?" I repeat. "Tainted? Then I should be purifying your evil souls! What has he done to you? He hasn't done anything wrong yet you still torment him!"

The man glared at me. "We are not evil souls, witch!" he yelled, his saliva dripping out of his mouth and onto his thick beard. "If anything you and him are! He had no right in entering this world. He shouldn't have been born!" he yelled. He then turned towards the others who had their shovels and rakes ready. "Come! We shall burn this evil witch!"

I drop my arrow and bow as they approach me slowly, the look of amusement and pleasure in their eyes. I kneel down and put my hands over Inuyaasha's body, as if to protect him. "Stop!" I yell, tears pouring down my face again. "Don't come near us!" I yell pleadingly. Yet they still advance. I wait for the pain as one of them lifted their shovel to hit me but it never came.

"Stop!" Someone yells before they strike me. I look up and find that Sango, Miroku, Shippo and big Kirara had arrived, all with angry faces. "Get away from them." Sango orders. I can see her face turn red from anger, as they didn't move away from me. "Get away from my friends now!"

No one moved and the one who confronted me before spoke out. "Demon exterminator, we do not wish to harm you." He said. "We are merely here to burn the witch and slaughter the half-breed." He stated.

This only made Sango even madder. "Are you all a bunch of crazy fools?" she yells at them, preparing her boomerang to throw. "Step away from them or I'll have to force you!"

No one budges. They didn't fear a DEMON exterminator. Miroku then stepped up, his staff ready and his eyes glaring. "What kind of fools are you? There are no such things as witches. People from way back believed in those fairy tales but now we all know that they are not true. Why must you stick with your witches beliefs?"

One of them stepped up, someone different and younger, his eyes ablaze as he held hi pitchfork. "Witches are real. They've killed my mother! I will not tolerate any other and the words of someone so foolish as to be put under a spell!" he yelled.

Miroku glared at them all. "You are a bunch of fools." He said under his breath. "Fine." He said out loud. "But still, Lady Kagome is not a witch. She hasn't bewitched me or put me under a spell. Release her and our hanyou friend!"

The elderly one had enough. "Enough! If you will not co-operate with us then we'll have to kill you. Are you with us or not?" he asked heavily. When he saw that neither of them moved back an inch his features went dark. "Then so be it. Attack!"

I gasp as all the villagers start to run towards my friends. I can see that both Sango and Miroku were doing well but Shippo wasn't and Kirara was troubled not to hurt them yet fight them off at the same time. "Guys!" I yell out to them. Sango looks at me for a second then says something to Kirara. She nods and leaps out of the large fight. She then lays down and motions me to get on her, along with Inuyasha. I look towards Sango with a troubled expression.

Sango sees and grunts as she repelled an attack. "Go Kagome! Inuyasha needs safety and so do you! Go and we'll be just fine! We'll be right behind you!" she yelled before she was caught up in the fight again.

I nod sadly and put Inuyasha onto Kirara- a fair bit of effort for it too. I then hop onto Kirara myself and hold on to Inuyasha so he wouldn't fall off. She then stands and takes off to the skies. I look back with tears in my eyes as the village and my two best friends were fading from view…

-X-

They had reached a deserted den at the outskirts of the forest. Kirara let them down at the enterance and helped Kagome put Inuyasha lean against the wall. After that Kirara stood up again and went outside, Kagome followed. "You're going back aren't you?" she asked softly.

Kirara nodded and Kagome gave her a sad smile and hugged her smooth mane. "Be careful okay? Be back safely." She whispered to the neko. She let go and the big Kirara flew away, only becoming a moving dot in the eyes of Kagome's after a few minutes.

She then turned and went back to Inuyasha. He was panting heavily as beads of sweat rolled down his face. Kagome gave a sad look. "I'm so sorry Inuyasha." She whispered to him. "If only we were there sooner, you wouldn't of have to go through all that pain." She said sadly. She then out Inuyasha down in a lying position and started to take off his top. When she did she could tell his wounds were still open. Kagome shook her head sadly and went out of the den to get his shirt soaked. When she did she came back in and damped it over his forehead and cheeks to wipe off his sweat.

Kagome then made him turn around and started to take off his reddened shirt. She then damped his wet shirt on his whip wounds and she heard him grunt in pain. She continued even more careful and gently. She then realized that it was still night and he might get cold.

Kagome got a few stones and firewood from outside and dumped them in the middle of the den. She got out her matches, that she always kept in her pocket, and lit a fire.

She then pulled Inuyasha gently towards the fire so he could get warm. She wrapped up his wounds when they were clean with his robe. She sighed tiredly when she had finished and sat beside him as he slept. She was so full of grief and pain right now. What had they done to him? What did they say? She was furious with the villagers for being so mean and heartless.

As she looked at Inuyasha' sleeping face she grew even more guilty. Why hadn't she woken up sooner? Maybe then she could've stopped it from getting anymore worse. She sighed sadly as she looked out of the mouth of the den. The moon was at its peak and it shone brightly in the sky. How she wished to be like the moon; to bright up Inuyasha's night when there is no other light in the night. She had failed since she didn't look out for him. She wished so strongly to mend Inuyasha's heart but it had only been torn open again.

She then heard a groan and she looked beside her. Inuyasha was stirring in his sleep, more sweat rolling down his face. Kagome went over to him and wiped it off, somehow her touch made him calm again, it also made his eyes snap open. "K-Kagome?" he said in shock.

He then tried to get up but flinched at the pain from it. Kagome softly pushed him back down and smiled sadly at him. "Hey, Inuyasha." She said weakly. "Feeling better?"

This night's events suddenly hit him like a rock; like a dozen rocks to be exact. His eyes refilled with pain as his heart ached at their harsh words. Why did they hate him? He hadn't done anything to them. He sat up, ignoring Kagome's protests and shook his head. "The things they said." He said softly. "You shouldn't have heard them."

Kagome could feel new tears grow in her eyes. She embraced Inuyasha. "Inuyasha." She said rocking him slightly. "Oh Inuyasha." She said as tears felt.

Inuyasha let himself be held, be touched, be cared for; be loved. He could feel his own tears gathering as he listened to Kagome's soft and gentle words. "You didn't deserve any of that Inuyasha." She said sadly. "You deserve so much better than that." She said softly.

Although her words were soft and quiet they hit Inuyasha's ears like a bomb. Although they were nice and comforting they made his heart ache with longing. Why was it that he felt like he was being cut when she said those words even though they weren't meant to bring pain? Inuyasha could smell her sadness and distress and knew the answer why. He wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth anything. The words of the villager's were still fresh in his head. He didn't deserve anything.

Kagome hugged him softy as she continued to rock him. "Inuyasha," she said as she felt his body go stiff with memories. "Those villager's words were not true. You are great. You are much better than they are. Your soul is not tainted, it is pure. You have a good and deserving soul and you shouldn't let it be scarred by their words." She said softly as she rested her chin on his shoulder, tears pouring out of her eyes. "Don't listen to them. Listen to me. They do not speak true words but I do."

Inuyasha let himself be rocked by the person he cared so much for. He could feel his throat being clogged up from unshed tears. He hasn't felt this long in such a long time. Long ago when he was being assaulted he would be with his mum and she would be rocking her and speak such soft words. A lot has changed but when he felt Kagome's touch and her words he felt safe again, like nothing would be able to hurt him as long as he were in her arms.

Kagome felt his body relax a little. "Are you listening Inuyasha?" she asked softly. "I will be with you forever, I promised didn't I? I will not leave you, ever. I will stick by your side everywhere you go. I'll always be there if you need me even though I arrive a little late." She giggled softly yet it faded the moment it left her mouth. She felt so guilty now because she wasn't there for him fully. "I am so sorry, Inuyasha." She said sadly.

Inuyasha's ears tweaked into her direction as she stopped rocking him and started to tremble in small sobs. Worried, Inuyasha pulled back a little so that he could see her face. Her eyes were covered by her bangs and silent tears ran down her cheeks. "Kagome?" he lifted her chin up so she could look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head as she looked away. "I-I wasn't there for you entirely though." She said through her sobs. "I should've been there sooner. If I ran faster or I woke up earlier than you wouldn't have to go through all of that. I could've stopped it so that your suffering would be shorter but I didn't. I arrived when it was too late, when you blacked out and I couldn't do anything about it. I'm so sorry." She sobbed.

Inuyasha's expression softened. She was always crying and spilling her tears for him even though he didn't deserve it. He tilted her chin and wiped away her tears. "Kagome, you've done more to me than any other had." He said truthfully. "If you didn't arrive any sooner than I would bet my Tetsusaiga that they would of killed me. You saved my life Kagome," he said. "And you've done it more than once." He said truthfully with so much love in his eyes that he was practically waving a sign.

Kagome smiled softly. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She said softly. She then hugged him again and this time Inuyasha returned it, his grip strong and possessive. They stayed like that for awhile and Kagome started to pull back but Inuyasha held her tight. "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha breathed in her scent. It was frightened yet relieved. It was sad and depressed but comfortable and warm. "What happened?" he asked, his nose at the crook of her neck. "What happened after I blacked out?"

Kagome sat still and took in a deep breath. "They accused me of being a witch." She said sadly. "They started to threaten me and insult me. They were about to hit me with shovels and pitchforks and they said they were going to burn me on a stake." She said quietly as new tears gathered in her eyes but she forced them away.

Inuyasha growled at the pain and sadness in her voice and the little sniffle she gave out. How dare they do that to her? She is the farthest thing from a witch. She was beautiful and smart, she was nice and warm, and she was caring and polite. Those villagers must have been blind to overlook these points. "And?" he said, trying to hide the anger in his voice. "Then what happened?"

Kagome gave out another small sniffle. "But I was okay." She said with a small smile. "Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara came to my rescue. They started to fight and Sango told me to get away on Kirara. So here we are, Kirara dropped us off her and returned to the battle in the village." She said sadly. "I hope they're okay." She said worriedly.

Inuyasha nodded. Kagome was about to pull away again but he held on tight, not wanting to let her go. "I'm sorry too Kagome." He said. "I wasn't there to protect you and I failed you by letting my weaknesses surfaced. You saw my weak side and you should have never had seen that in a protector."

Kagome shook her head. "I've seen your weak side many times before and it's nothing to be ashamed of. We need a weak and strong side to ever become powerful. It just shows that you're balanced. If you didn't have a weak side then you would be power hungry and mean, which you definitely aren't." she said softly. "In my eyes you're the most powerful being in the whole world."

Inuyasha's arms tightened around her waist. Even with her comforting words he would still hear the villagers yells and screams loud and clear in his head. Kagome must have known what he was going through for she patted Inuyasha's back. "May you sit on my lap?" she asked.

Inuyasha was a little bit shocked but gave her, her wish. Kagome leaned against the den's walls and patted her lap to Inuyasha and he sat on it. He leaned back against her as she wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. She then started to rock her and comb his hair. "Inuyasha, Inuyasha the great hanyou." She said. "Not weak but powerful. Not tainted but has a heart made of gold. Inuyasha, the ignorant and stubborn." She said with a small smile.

Inuyasha smiled too and let the words pass. He could smell her get more comfortable and relax and he couldn't help but feel relaxed too as she started to rock him. He felt her small fingers gently comb his smooth silver hair and could hear her comforting songs. He did know the song surprisingly. It was something his mother used to sing him: My Little Hanyou

"My little hanyou, why do you cry?

You're eyes so bright and shining.

See the bird go flying by

One day you'll not be crying."

Then Kagome sang louder and Inuyasha could feel his soul relax at her voice.

"Watch the sea; so vast and beautiful,

Like your soul, like your heart.

Big and wonderful as a jewel

Never shall we break apart."

Inuyasha felt a tear slide down his face at the words. He could hear her love in her words. He could smell her newly created tears as they slid down her face; both happiness and sad.

"The world is dark but you're the light.

A pure being despite their words.

One day you'll soar as you take flight

Their words will not cause you hurt."

Kagome sang with all her heart. She remembered this song from when Inuyasha had been singing it to himself when he thought he was alone. She put all her love in this song as tears of love, joy, sadness, pain, worry, anxiety, comfort and freedom poured from her eyes as she continued to rock him.

"The stars gaze on you, they see no fault.

The moon not judging as it gives you light.

Whether your heart or mind gets caught

I will be there to for you throughout the night."

Inuyasha could feel more tears slip from his eyes as he stared out at the moon. Never before had he felt so comfortable and safe in the arms of the one he cares for. At that moment he knew that he loved her.

"My little hanyou, why do you cry?

Your eyes so bright and shining.

See the bird go flying by

One day you'll not be crying."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha wept silently as Kagome had a hard time to continue singing because for her tears. But, suddenly, Inuyasha started to sing too and she could feel her voice go in time with his own; both beautiful and in sync.

"My little hanyou, why do you cry?

I'm here for you now so do not gloom

I care for you. I shed tears from my eyes

And that's because I love you…"

They stopped singing then and Kagome stopped rocking him. Everything was silent for a moment, nothing was said. They both gazed out at the moon and sky and marveled how pretty it really was. Inuyasha then got off from Kagome's lap and sat beside her.

Even though she missed the warmth he gave her she turned around with a small smile. Then, unexpectedly, Inuyasha embraced her and it took awhile before Kagome returned it. Inuyasha sniffed her hair and her neck, savoring the smell of her, the feel of her, the warm sensation he was feeling when their skins touched. He nuzzled her neck and purred in content, all the worries and sadness he had before were now gone, gone away along with their fire. "I love you Kagome." He said in her ear.

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing but want to. She embraced him more tightly as tears of joy and happiness sprang from her eyes. She couldn't have believed what he said. Did he just say that because he thought of her as Kikyo? No. She was through thinking like that. He'd said it to her and her only with such feeling, such emotion in them. And plus, he confessed it first. Kagome combed his hair and smiled contently.

Inuyasha frowned, as she didn't respond. Why didn't she? Didn't she love him? That made his heartache twice as bad, the feeling of hurt and sadness washed over him again, as he no longer felt any comfort or contentment. He tightened his grip on her, his teeth clenched. "I will not let you go." He said softly. "Even if you don't love me I'll still not let you go. I'd die first before I see you in the arms of another man." He said angrily.

Kagome began to panic. What was he saying? That she didn't love him? When she felt his grip on her tighten she tightened her grip around him as well. "Baka." She said softly as she lifted her head and nipped his ear slightly. "You big baka."

Inuyasha didn't know why she was calling him a baka and he grew angry with her as he drew a wrong conclusion. 'She doesn't love me!' he thought angrily. 'She just used me, the bitch!' He pushed Kagome away from his forcefully and she hit the wall of the den hard. Inuyasha stood up glared down at her confused and slightly frightened face. "You bitch!" he yelled. "Call me a baka eh? You were just using me weren't you? Just trying to get your hands on this half-breed so that you could crush his heart!" he yelled angrily at her, his eyes flicked red and back again.

Kagome was confused and hurt. What was he saying? She wasn't using him. Why would he think that? "What are you talking about Inuyasha?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

Inuyasha growled. "Don't think you can fool be bitch! You claim not to be like those villagers but you're exactly like them! You want to hurt me, break me apart! That's why you did! That's why you were so nice and understanding towards me! You were using me so that you could hurt me like those villagers did only much, much more worse!" he yelled at her.

Kagome was growing more frightened by what he said and more hurt. She stood up and yanked on his arm. "What are you talking about Inuyasha?" she asked worriedly, tears dripping from her eyes.

Inuyasha yanked his arm away from her touch and ignored her tears as he glared at her. "You heartless bitch." He hissed through gritted teeth. "I'd rather go with Kikyo in hell than stay with you for my entire life." He said harshly.

His words cut her deep, as she was confused like a fish when it visits a game house. Kagome yanked on his arm again. "Inuyasha! W-What are you saying? What are you-" But just then she was slapped. Kagome turned her head around and stared into her attacker, tears shining by the moonlight. "Inuyasha?" she sobbed.

Inuyasha just glared at her but his heart was breaking with every tear she shed. He would have done anything to make her feel better but in his mind she had betrayed him, not knowing that his conclusion was wrong. "Just shut up Kagome." He hissed. "I never want to see your face again." He then turned and ran outside the den, disappearing through the trees.

Kagome's whole body went limp as she fell to the ground on her knees sobbing quietly. She stared at the ground as her tears dampened it. "W-What just happened?" she asked herself.

-X-

Inuyasha ran through the forest. A lone tear trailed down his face but he furiously wiped it away. 'Damn her! Why did she have to hurt me so much? I'd rather have the whips than be hurt by her.' He thought angrily. He could feel his demon powers returning and he made use of it, as he would slash anything unfortunate enough to be in his way.

'Why me? What did I ever do?' he asked himself angrily as he accused his entire misery on Kagome. 'It's her fault I feel this way. She was the center of my pain. I should've killed her when I met her.' He thought regretfully. 'Then I would have suffered none of this.' He thought bitterly as he continued to slash up trees and poor animals. He then ran so far and for so long that he reached a river. A very still and clear river.

Inuyasha stood beside it and stared at his reflection. He could see the wound that she had treated and his scars that she tried so hard to cure. He could see his hair slightly neater from her gentle combing and the pain in his eyes she had caused. He then saw that Kagome was right behind him, a sad and depressed look on her face as tears fell down. Angrily, Inuyasha slashed at the water and after the ripples died she was not there anymore. 'Damn her!' he thought angrily. 'I could never love that bitch!'

He then stared at the hand he used to claw at the water. It was wet yet he could still smell Kagome's scent on it. It was the same hand that wiped her tears away and the same one that slapped her right across her cheek. He felt a great guilt pile on his heart as he wondered what had happened between them in that short period of time.

He recalled what she had said and replayed it in his mind over and over again. He suddenly doubted what he thought she meant by the word baka. 'What if she didn't mean that at all? There are plenty of other reasons why she would call me baka and not answer me.' He though regretfully. 'But then if she did mean something completely different then…' his heart almost burst in his chest as he quickly took off to the direction where he had left her.

'No, no, no, no!' he chanted in his mind. 'Please, Kagome no!' he hoped with all his heart that Kagome hasn't left him yet. 'Please Kagome, I'm sorry! Please be there when I return!' he thought to himself. He saw the mistake he made his temper and sadness had clouded his right mind. Now that he knew she didn't mean it the way he originally thought he was racing back towards her. 'You are a baka Inuyasha! How could you think that she would do something like that? How can you be so stupid?!'

He ran through the forest with all his demon powers could let him. After a very long while he reached the den once again and panted as he went inside. "Kagome!" he called out as he entered but he was greeted with silence. Inuyasha's heart sped up at the thought of her leaving him. 'No. Please don't leave me Kagome!' he searched the den for any signs of her backed away from him in a corner- which would also pain and frighten him- but she wasn't anywhere in sight.

Inuyasha then tried to sniff her but when he did he grew terribly angry. It was the villagers again mixed with Kagome's sadness and fear. He whizzed around and started to head back to the village, his eyes flicker to red then gold again, his temper up high. 'If they hurt you Kagome I swear I will make them pay!' he vowed to himself as he neared the village, and to his horror there was ink black smoke coming from it making his fear and anger rise as his eyes turned into blood red…

-X-

Kagome's hands and ankles were tied together in a very tight knot with ropes that gave her blisters whenever she tried to untie them. Her tears haven't stopped falling since Inuyasha slapped her and she was shouting like a wild animal as the villagers lead her to a giant wooden pole that seemed like a large pencil. "What are you going to do with me?" she whimpered as a strong man gripped her arms really tight.

The man gave a small smirk down at the young woman. "You know what witch." He said coldly. "We're going to burn you at the stake like we said."

Kagome's fear rose as they neared the wooden pole, dry branches and hay were stacked underneath it. "W-Where's Sango, Miroku and Shippo?" She asked. "And where's Kirara?"

The man grunted as he motioned into the crowd. Kagome looked over and gasped. Her friends were knocked out, including Shippo. They had their ankles and wrists bided together and guards surrounded them. Kagome could see their hurt and sad eyes as she walked passed them. She could see their injuries too, not as bad as Inuyasha's but still bad. Shippo was beside Sango, crying his heart out to her and Sango kept on glaring at the guards. Miroku just sat there, calm as ever but his eyes shifted around, trying to work out an escape plan.

Kagome passed her friends and she tried to yank back towards them. "Shippo!" she called out crying. Shippo turned towards her and cried even more as he tried to get past the guards to come to her. The guards just pushed the kitsune away rather roughly. This made Kagome's anger rise. "Don't you dare touch him!" she yelled furiously as she tried to yank her arms from the other guards beside her. "Hurt him and I swear you will regret it!"

The guard who had shoved Shippo smirked but lookked a tiny bit worried. "What will you do witch? You'll be burning in the flames of hell before you can chant a curse on me." He mocked.

Kagome tried to claw her way to him, intent on punching him full on, on the face but her guards held her back and roughly pulled her away from them and towards the stake. Kagome whimpered as she tried to struggled her way out of this but the villagers were too strong and it seemed the entire village was here to witness her death- excluding children.

There were two stools at either side of the stake and she was forcefully shoved onto one of them and pushed against the hard wooden stake. She then felt arms around her with a long rope as they started to tie her on the stake. She tried to struggle and scream but her guard's mighty arms stopped her struggles and the village's cheers drowned her screams. Kagome continued to cry as they finished tying her up and took off the stools. Kagome whimpered as she was tied tightly on the stake, a pile of burnable objects below her. She looked towards her friends once more and she could see them struggling with all their might to get past the villager's but they had no such luck. They had taken away their weapons and they had given them the same herb that made Inuyasha feel weak and unable to use his powers.

Kagome looked up to the horizon and saw so glimpse if light. A dark cloud covered the moon and shadows seemed to consume them. Another tear fell when she saw them bring a torch of fire. 'Inuyasha…' she thought. 'I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say it but I thought you knew already. I thought you knew that I loved you.'

They then brought the torch flame down to the pile of twigs and branches and the whole thing was on fire a second later. Kagome felt the heat under her feet and screamed as black smoke clouded her vision, that and her tears. She could feel the fire climb on above her ankles and she started to scream in pain. She could faintly hear her friend's screams but it was covered with the villager's cheers.

Kagome could feel her tongue getting dry from screaming and the heat. The black smoke had entered her lungs and made her cough terribly. The heat from under her feet were slowly and painfully climbing up her leg. One last tear fell from her eye. "Inuyasha, I love you." She whispered in a raspy voice.

She then heard a mighty howl and the stake she was tied to was broken off from the fire. Kagome looked up tiredly at her savior and saw it was Inuyasha but he seemed different somehow. He ripped off the ropes that attached Kagome onto the stake and lifted her up to her feet.

Kagome coughed terribly as the burn on her legs hurt like they were still on fire. When she breathed in the cool air she still coughed yet new tears sprang from her eyes.

Inuyasha saw her condition and his rage lifted up ten-fold. He howled once again and turned to the villagers. "You. All of you." He said in a more darker and lower tone. "You hurt me. That okay. But hurt her. I do not like it one bit. Now you all must die!" he growled furiously at them.

The villager's started to back up in utter terror from him, the weak ones were screaming and running away like animals. The wiser one's and braver one's held there place for they knew he would surely strike if they ran like prey.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara got free from the guard's hold and ran towards Kagome. "Kagome!" cried Shippo as he approached her.

But then Inuyasha turned his mighty glare at him and growl warningly as he stood between him and the still coughing Kagome. Shippo didn't notice though, he was too caught up in worry that he didn't even realize that Inuyasha was in full demon form. He ran straight towards Kagome but then he heard another growl and Inuyasha stood in front of him again. "Stay away from MY mate!" he growled fiercely.

Shippo then noticed him and whimpered away. Kagome saw this and walked straight up to Inuyasha, touching his shoulder. "I-Inuyasha." She said in a raspy voice. "Please…. Do not… hurt them." She breathed. "I-I need… some water. M-my throat… it hurts." She said pleadingly.

Inuyasha understood that she needed something and he growled in understanding. Without warning Inuyasha picked up Kagome bridal style and rushed off to the nearest stream. Kagome looked back at her friends and gave them a reassuring smile before she could no longer see them.

Inuyasha took her to a nearby stream. Kagome limped towards it and sat on the edge, dipping her burnt feet into the cool water. She winced in pain when the two elements combined but later on she found it relaxing and peaceful. After awhile she sighed and drank some of the water with her hands as a cup. She knew it was clean, it was clear after all. After she had a drink she looked towards Inuyasha who hadn't moved since putting her down. Seeing him made Kagome heart ache. She turned her head back to look at the water then at the sky. The cloud was gone and the moon was shining beautifully. Tears began to fall from her face as she sang the other part to their song even though her voice was a little off:

"My little hanyou, why do you make me cry?

In the middle of the midnight sky?

You hurt me like no one had before.

I don't know if you love me anymore."

She heard this song when Inuyasha was asleep and singing it. He was sweating and she figured he was having a bad dream. She had memorized the words for some reason. She had no idea why. She continued to sing even when she thought her heart might break.

"Your trust in me is so very small

You curl yourself up just like a ball.

You kill for pleasure you kill for fun.

This is the reason why you're shunned."

Inuyasha had turned normal the second Kagome left his arms. As he heard him sing it with her back facing him he felt so hurt, and this time it was his fault.

"Why must you hurt me like you did?

Why do you hurt, why do you fib?

Can't you see I'm suffering now?

You don't show respect, you don't even bow."

Kagome sang with all her heart just like the last time. This was the other part of the song. The first one was for comfort while this one is for seeing what you did wrong.

"My tears fall for you but you don't care.

It's just not right; it's just not fair.

Can't you see the words you speak,

Can hurt like jumping off a peak?"

Inuyasha could feel his heart being squished by a thousand tones of guilt. His mother would sing this to him when he did something bad. It would always hurt him but the way Kagome was singing it, it was a thousand times worse. Hearing it from her, knowing he had disappointed her again and again, hurt him to the core.

"My little hanyou, why do you make me cry?

In the middle of the midnight sky?

You hurt me like no one had before.

I don't know if you love me anymore."

Kagome felt tears once again clogging up her voice up she kept it back. She needed to sing this. She needed Inuyasha to understand that she had her limits- although they are far.

"My little hanyou, why do you make me cry?

I have my limits; they will run out as time goes by.

You trouble me and I do the same to you

Please just get along with me and I will love you."

Kagome stopped and breathed in. she took another sip of water and got up. She trotted away from the stream and away from Inuyasha. She stood up, her feet no longer burning, as she stared at the beautiful moon. She put her hand behind her back as a breeze blew softly on her face, drying her tears. "Please Inuyasha." She pleaded. "Please understand that I can't take much more of this. If you do it again and again I might not find it in my heart to love you anymore. I would think that this was all for nothing." She said quietly.

Inuyasha then came up to her and embraced her from behind. He sniffed her neck and whimpered an apology yet he still didn't get a reaction from her. "I'm sorry Kagome." He said truthfully. "I really am. I didn't know what I was thinking. Please forgive me. I'll do anything for you, please just don't be mad at me." He said as he gave her a tighter squeeze.

"I'm not mad at you." Kagome said silently, still not moving from his embrace. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now." She stated truthfully.

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head and hugged her even more tightly. "I'm really sorry Kagome." He said in her ear. "What could I do to make it better? I'll do anything, promise. What will it take me to do so that you could love me again?"

Kagome turned around and faced him, a sad look in her eyes. "I never stopped loving you." She whispered and then she gave him a small smile. "How could I not love you? You're as adorable and cute like a giant puppy." She joked.

Inuyasha smiled slightly too but his eyes held so much pain as he gave Kagome a questioning look. "So, you love me? After all I've done you still love me?" he asked.

Kagome smiled warmly at him and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. "Yes, Inuyasha. I do love you." She smiled.

Inuyasha stared at her for awhile before kissed her in return. He nibbled on her lips gently and Kagome let him in. Inuyasha's hold on Kagome tightened. After awhile they both needed air so they parted slightly. Kagome had a flushed face and Inuyasha just smirked at her. Kagome frowned up at him. "What are you smiling about?" She said with a pout.

Inuyasha kissed her lips again and Kagome let out a small moan. He pulled away and saw her red face. He chuckled and then laughed. Kagome glared at him, her face so red that it would a tomato in shame. "What's so funny?" she said angrily.

Inuyasha's hold on her tightened as he kissed her forehead. "You're just so cute when you're blushing."

Kagome stared up at him lovingly, the blush still on her cheeks. They stared at each other for awhile before Inuyasha felt a rubbing sensation on his ears. He purred as Kagome giggled and continued to rub the base of his ears. "They're so cute!" Kagome whispered softly as she giggled.

Inuyasha then snatched her hands away from his ears. "Oi, wench." He said. "Don't get used to it! I won't let you do that all the time!"

Kagome smiled. Fine, fine whatever." She said. She then remembered about the rest of the gang and gasped. "Inuyasha! The others! They're still in the village!" she cried worriedly.

Inuyasha nodded and put Kagome on his back and started to run again towards the village. When they traveled though they saw that no one was in trouble. Sango, Miroku and Shippo were riding towards them on big Kirara. They met at the middle and hopped off to the ground. Sango embraced Kagome tightly as she returned the hug. "Kagome! I was so worried! When they lit the fire I thought I was going to kill every single person there!" she cried happily as she let go.

Kagome gave her a smile. "You didn't need to do that Sango." She said. "I was going to be okay anyway." She then was hit my something fluffy. She immediately hugged it in a bone-crushing hug. "Shippo!" she cried. "Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried!" she then pulled away from him and examined him. "They didn't hurt you did they?" she asked seriously.

Shippo shook his head. "No. They didn't do any big damage. I'm okay." He said proudly.

Kagome smiled and sighed with relief. "Well that's because you're a strong boy aren't you?" she said happily.

"Yep!" Shippo said with a huge smile.

Miroku then steeped up and was about to hug Kagome but was stopped by a demon exterminator and an angry hanyou. He chuckled nervously and looked innocent. "I'm glad you're safe Kagome." He said. "It would have been a terrible tragedy if you had burned." He said thoughtfully.

Sango hit him on the head, hard. "Of course it would have been a tragedy! If she had burned we would've been grieving for weeks or months without end!" she cried furiously.

Kagome smiled but when she and Miroku talked she could see dried tear trails on their faces. She smiled at that, to know that they cared enough to shed a tear for her. She then turned to Kirara and patted her on the head. "Thank you Kirara-chan! I wouldn't have done it without you." She said warmly.

Kirara turned into mini Kirara and mewed softly. Kagome then turned to Shippo. "So how did you guys escape?" she asked.

"We escaped by running away while the villagers were still shocked from Inuyasha's full demon appearance." He answered. "It was no problem." He then went off to play with Kirara.

Kagome smiled again and turned to Inuyasha. "Well I guess everything's back to normal right?" she said.

Inuyasha stepped up and held her around her waist. They both looked up at the moon. "There is no such thing as 'normal' as long as we still draw breath." He said with a smile and kissed Kagome's forehead. "Nothing will ever be the same."

-X-

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