*Disclaimer – Inuyasha and all of the other characters do not belong to me do don't sue please! I've gotto save for college!

Two Hearts

The world is a harsh place. It's cold and unforgiving, and if you fall there is no hope or forgiveness.

I came to terms with that fact in the early years of my life. I had to if I wanted to survive. Life for a half-breed youkai is hard – very hard; especially if you have a Great Lord Inu-Youkai for a father and a human miko for a mother. The inu is strong, but the human is weak. A dangerous combination.

Why couldn't I have been an inu-youkai crossed with a kitsune? Hell! Even an Inu-youkai crossed with a Neko-youkai would be better that human!! At least I would still remain full Youkai.

Why human?

…

I still remember that day like it was yesterday. Ofukuro was still alive and there was going to be a festival in town. She warned me not to go, but like the foolish pup I was, I went.

I chose good spot on the roof to watch the festivities. The town was lavishly decorated with colored rice paper and beautiful paintings. The sounds from the celebrating villagers were invigorating and the exotic food smells were intoxicating. I was having the time of my life, but it all ended when a little girl saw me when she looked up. She screamed and pointed at me. I can still remember the terror that was displayed on her face, and high pitched ringing in my ears. All of the town's people turned to stare at me. Everything, even time, seemed to stop.

There was silence. Then all hell broke lose.

All the women carried their children and ran for the safety of their homes. The men ran to get a weapon, any weapon, as long as it was sharp. At first, I was confused at what the humans were doing, and I thought it was hilarious because they looked like ants who had just had their trail broken, scampering around the camp in disorder.

My humor turned to even more confusion when the men began firing arrows at me. One hit the roof only 2 feet from my claws. I thought it was another game and began catching their arrows in mid-air. Then a man, I think he was the leader of the village began passing sharp long sticks around to his men. And suddenly I knew that this was not a game any more.

Fear. That was the feeling I felt as the men began hurdling their spears at me. I frozen in emotion until a spear struck me shoulder.

It was a lucky shot, but Kami-sama, it hurt. And I did the only thing that came to my mind. I ran. And the men ran after me. To my knowledge today, it was the only time in my life that I have ever run from anything. Anything.

The spear, I remember, was getting in the way, so I wrenched it out viciously with a cry. The blood was great and soon my vision doubled. And still the men pursued me into the forest, but they gave up after searching for thirty minutes. I was glad that they left because I had almost run out of hiding places.

But my day was not over, not by a long shot.

Some youkai saw me with a bleeding shoulder and a spear near by and began making fun of me because I was a weak "half-breed" who could not even take on a puny human. Their teasing was violent and I thought the abuse would never end.

But they did get tired of a rag doll after an hour or so and I was left to die. I had two dislocated shoulders, three cracked ribs, and a broken wrist to add to my bleeding shoulder. But thankfully my legs were only scraped badly, and I could stumble home.

My injuries healed after a considerable amount of time, but the wound to my heart and pride would forever remain open.

I am… one-of-a-kind. No other youkai would dare mix blood with a human. But I was never alone because Ofukuro had always been there for me and I always had a place to call home. So, the day she died was the day I died. I was alone, with no one or thing to care for me. And that was when I started going out of control.

I began to pick fights with other 'full' youkai. Some times I won, others I didn't. But it didn't matter to me if I lived or died. I did not back away from another fight, no matter what the consequences. I had nothing to live for.

Then I met her. Kikyou.

She is… she was beautiful.

With deep blue eyes that shone brightly as if there were a piece of the heaven within her, and beautiful hair as black and as rich as raven's wing. Yes, Kikyou was beautiful.

The first day I met her, I was shocked. I had sensed some mysterious power in that area, and when I arrived, I saw a harmless looking human girl. But as I observed her from my tree branch, she suddenly swirled and fired her arrows in my direction, pinning me to a tree.

Okay, I admit it. I was caught off guard.

But Kikyou did not kill me then and there. She just looked at me and began to walk away. I snarled and asked why she did not kill me.

"It would be a waste of arrows," she had said simply and left.

I was embarrassed and angry. Not only did the creature I loathed for casting me as an outcast defeated me, but I was not killed for my recklessness. So the next day, I arrived at the same place and saw Kikyou standing there alone. This time I did not observe or hesitate and attacked. It was a relatively short fight, which ended in my favor.

Kikyou was trapped without her bow in between a huge rock, a tree and me. I raised my arm to deliver the final blow, but something stopped me. I think it was the absolute fear and hatred in her eyes that stopped me.

When Kikyou saw my hesitation, she asked haughtily, "Aren't you going to kill me? It would give you pleasure wouldn't it?"

"Che!" I said, her words striking a chord in my ice heart. I turned and walked away. Although I could not see it, I could feel her shocked gaze follow me until I was out of sight. And it was like that everyday. I would arrive in our battle zone and we would fight. Each time someone won, the latter would come up with an excuse to not kill the other.

Then one day I saw Kikyou sitting on a hill and hid in the bushes to watch her. She knew I was there, and she asked me to come out. It was the first time we were together not fighting. And I was not about to take any chances by letting my guard down.

Kikyou asked me many questions, but they were without malice. So I 'barked' her some answers; it seemed to satisfy her. She admitted that she did not kill me because I looked like a human. Because I looked like her.

"What's this, you got a complaint? That's not like you," I growled.

Kikyou smiled sadly, "It's not like me after all, huh?"

And for some reason, my cold heart melted, and began pulsing like a steadily beating drum.

The next few days, I did not fight with Kikyou. We took long walks and talked. And although my guard stayed up, the barrier was slowly deteriorating with every smile Kikyou gave me. Then she asked me about the Shikon no Tama, and told me that if I were to use it to become human, the jewel would be purified and disappear. I thought about it, and surprised myself when I agreed.

Never had I seen so much joy in Kikyou's eyes. "Tomorrow at dawn. I'll come here bringing the Shikon no Tama."

Kikyou's joy was contagious because I could almost feel the ghost of a smile on my lips. Tomorrow would be a day I would never forget.

And it was.

I waited at the appointed spot, and then I heard a rustling in the undergrowth. I could barely contain my joy. Kikyou had come and although the thought of becoming human was… slightly overwhelming, the prospect of being with Kikyou for the rest of my life was invigorating. I quickly turned around…

"Kikyou…?" I asked.

I barely dodged the three arrows shot at me. Looking up, I saw Kikyou with her bow drawn. Her face held so anger and loathing for me, I could practically feel the heat from her icy stare.

"Kikyou?!" I asked again, not wanting to believe that this was the girl I had met and… and… fallen in love with.

"DIE INUYASHA!!!" she shouted, and shot more arrows at me.

I didn't know what to do. My legs and arms seemed frozen in their places, and all I could do was stare dumbly at her enraged face. It was still beautiful, even though she was outraged and trying to kill me.

What got me to my senses was when she shot an arrow at my head. I quickly dodged and ran into the forest. Never. Never since that time when I was young had I acted so cowardly. But my icy heart had changed over the past months, and it had came alive pulsing with warmth and love. I could not handle being betrayed with this weak heart. I desperately wished that I had not let Kikyou get so close, and for the pain to go away.

That night, for the first time since Ofukuro died, I cried myself to sleep. And when I was all out of tears, I cracked my knuckles and swore to get the Shikon no Tama from Kikyou.

To become a full demon, no matter what the cost.

The next morning was bright. I couldn't tell if the sky was blue because there was a red haze over my eyes. Quickly and quietly, I and sprinted to Kikyou's village like a predator hunting its prey. The villagers were just getting out of their huts to start breakfast. Good. I smirked. Surprise was my forte.

I attacked the village. I laughed as villagers ran out of their huts frightened, and jeered as villagers tried to attack me. Weaklings.

The smirk never left my face as I wrecked and created havoc, but inside me, deep inside me, I was crying. When I stole Kikyou's Shikon no Tama, I saw Kikyou running up to me. Her right sleeve was covered in blood. Amiably I wondered when she got the wound. I didn't actually attack anyone in person… I just turned the village into a bon fire.

She aimed her arrow at me and fired.

Funny. I didn't feel any pain as the arrow imbedded itself in my heart, and nailed me to a tree.

Slowly I could feel my heart getting slower… slower… slower…

Numbly I heard Kikyou tell her little brat sister to cremate the Shikon no Tama with her. And I welcomed the relief of pain as the darkness came.

And I slept.

Author's Note: Wow that was a long write! *grinn* I didn't think that I should write it, but thanks to the encouraging reviews from my other fics, I decided to write and post this for the heck of it. … I initially wanted this to be a short story, but my sister thinks it could be longer actually… all wells, ^__^ Please review me! I need to imporve so much yet…

~BlindSeer