"Kokoru, you silly girl! Stop running from me!" I heard Inyasha's voice and picked up my enraged pace. I couldn't see him right now. It just hurt too much. "Kokoru, stop!" He kept calling. I heaved in the sobs in my throat and wiped the tears from my face.

"Inuyasha, just leave me be!" I shouted back without turning my head to face him. I couldn't get the image from my mind. His banter with Kagome. His arms around Kikyo. Kagome. Kikyo. When would it end? I just needed to get away. "I'm leaving. Goodbye!" I got to the well and jumped in without a second thought. Kagome could have the bastard.

My home screamed in silence as I walked through the doors. All the lights were off. My parents were both workaholics so they didn't even know I was able to travel to a different world. They probably wouldn't care, either. And as an only child, they often forgot I even existed.

I walked through the hall and punched the ON button to the stereo, cranking the volume up full blast.

I WANNA LOVE YA, AND TREAT YA RIGHT
I WANNA LOVE YA, EV'RY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT

WE'LL BE TOGETHER WITH A ROOF RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS

Bob Marley cried out at me: Is this love that I'm feeling? I sighed, feeling the words sink hard into my chest. Yes, and it was the worst feeling ever. I threw my backpack, empty from Shippo's last raid in it, onto the floor by the door to my bedroom. I slid out of my shoes. The wooden floors felt cool and gentle on my sore feet. I had journeyed so far this last trip to the feudal era. We had done so much. But, I just don't know how much longer I can handle being shoved to the background.

I stripped out of my clothes piece by piece as I walked through the halls to the sauna room. A nice soak is probably the best thing for me right now.

The stereo continued to blare on, reflecting my sorrows and hopes while the steam relaxed my tensed muscles.

For weeks, I would walk over to the well near Kagome's home and just stare at it. Then, I would turn and walk away to my school.

I had no real friends since I was never around for school events, and yet I kept almost perfect grades. People began to hate me for it. I didn't care. I just listened to my MP3 player whenever I could, drowning out the harsh whispers I knew were floating all around me. So, what? When I couldn't listen to music, I read.

I felt so stir crazy in my own world, and my panic rose miles every day that I wasn't with my friends through the well. It only took two weeks to wear me down. I finally just had to pack my bag and go back. What if Inuyasha had pulled another stupid move and hurt himself? I bet he and Kagome were fighting so she would hurt him worse by running off and getting into trouble. I could just see it now.

When I got to the other side, things were eerily quiet. I assumed the group was off searching for more shards, but there was at least someone hanging around the well to keep me posted if I came by.

I couldn't find anyone for miles. All day I searched. Not even the old lady was around, which was the weirdest of all. Where would she go off to?

I'd just settled into the crook of a tree for the night when I heard blood curdling screams come from nearby. Before even thinking, I jumped to help.

Beyond the trees, I could faintly see… me! I saw myself being held down by a demon, and my body was slowly melting away from venom. The more I watched, the more I could feel it!

I crippled over in the pain, but my eyes could not pull away from the scene. Behind the demon was a woman, laughing cruelly. It was Kikyo.

"Why scream? You have no one. Inuyasha is mine." And suddenly, the demon holding the me in the clearing down was Inuyasha. His eyes glowed red and his fanged jutted harshly rom his mouth. His claws had ravished my limbs, and his fangs inched closer to my neck. There was nothing left of a soul in his eyes. I knew he was gone. As I watched from beyond the scene, I could also see from the eyes of the captured and tortured me. I was in both places at once.

"Inuyasha!" I cried out, trying to wrestle my damaged arms free so that I could press them to Inuyasha's face. He snarled at the movement and his claws dug deeper.

"You will never have him. Just as Kagome never could!" Kikyo laughed harder, and I could tell now that she'd been successful in stealing Kagome's body. She had her strength back, and it was all over. The woman Inuyasha must have known hundreds of years before had completely vanished. Or maybe she was never there to begin with.

"What have you done with my friends?" I said with the breath left in my aching chest as the demon I used to know acted as guard dog to his mistress.

"Oh, their souls are safe and sound." The orbs fluttered around the clearing in a façade of peacefulness.

"No!" The screams ripped from my throat, and I thrashed my body. I managed to slip an arm from underneath Inuyasha and reached out towards his face. He recoiled, and I could hear more laughter. Quick as lightning, Inuyasha's clawed hand pinned mine back down to the earth. His fingers intertwined with mine like a distorted version of the daydreams I'd had many times before. So many times, I had imagined being looked down on by this man and his lips leaning down towards mine as they were just now. Never once had I thought my dream would come true but in such horrific reality like this.

"Inuyasha," I said in a cracked and desolate whisper. My body disintegrated with venom and pain, and I took in a ragged but resolute breath. I closed my eyes to the snarling fangs bending down to my neck to take away my life.

"Kokoru." He called my name, his voice soft. Not at all like the demonic growl. I opened my eyes and his eyes were golden again. The clearing had disappeared. I blinked and my room came into focus.

"Inuyasha?" My voice was a croak of emotion. Tears were already forming in my eyes as I watched the man watch me from his kneeling position by my bed. "I-" I couldn't finish whatever I was going to say because the sobs leaked from deep inside of me. I threw hands in front of my face to cover the emotion and hide from the man I loved.

"Kokoru," Inuyasha said my name with hurt, and he then crawled up into the bed with me and encircled his arms around me as I wept.

Not once has this man ever held me the way he was holding me now. I pressed my face into his chest, feeling like a child in the midst of a tantrum.

"Kokoru, do you fear me so much?" I could feel the whisper of the words on the crown of my head and Inuyasha held me tightly. My sobs had died away somewhat by the time he asked this.

"No, I fear myself for loving you like I do."

The stiffness I felt building up in Inuyasha relaxed as I said this. He brushed back my mussed golden brown hair from my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"Me, too." His words were like bullets to my hurt. He didn't like that I loved him. Of course he didn't. I squinted my eyes closed as the emotion began to pour forth as well.

"I'm sorry for hindering you-" I began to say but was interrupted as Inuyasha cupped a hand on my wet cheek.

"No, I'm afraid of myself for loving you too, Kokoru." Our eyes stared at one another. The white haired man's lips collided with mine after a moment, so it took me a second to get my bearings. He loved me? The hand cupping my cheek drifted down to my neck and his fingers lightly traced to the back of my head to pull my lips harder against his. Heart fluttering in chest, I obeyed the silent command and kissed back. My hands flew to the man's face as he turned his body towards me and pulled me into his lap.

Is this love? Is this love that I'm feeling?

"I won't ever hurt you like that," He said with his lips still brushing against mine. His fingers traced invisible sketches on the skin of my upper arms.

"How do you-"

"You talk a lot in your sleep. I came to wake you and bring you back to everyone. Shippo was worried. I was worried…" Inuyasha gave a soft smile, showing a tiny pointed fang in the process.

"I just don't think I understand," I removed my hands from Inuyasha's jaw and pulled my head back so my mind wasn't swimming with the image of his lips.

"You silly girl, I love you. Not anyone else. Now, will you come back with me, already?" His voice was filled with laughter as he stood up from the bed and held out a hand towards me.

I took his outstretched fingers and leaned up to press my lips back onto his. "As long as it's with you." He smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around me to press our bodies together as our lips melded.

"Always." He whispered.