Always and Forever

Inuyasha grumbled incoherently as he walked towards the Well. Kagome was late…again and he had every intention of dragging her back. He clinched his fist in frustration of the fight that he knew was coming. He would tell her about needing to find the shards, she would retort that she needed to go to school. Next, he would make some comment and would be sat a few times. In the end he always managed to get her to come back, he suspected that she really liked being with him as much as he enjoyed having her around, of course he would never admit that. Suddenly his nose twitched and he stopped. Testing the air he confirmed it; Kagome's scent had just appeared. This in and of itself wasn't so odd, maybe she just wasn't in the mood to fight today, but her scent held something else. Something that made his heart stop and then race. Mix in he could smell tears, blood, and fear. With out considering what could be in front of him Inuyasha tore through the forest at top speed.

Inuyasha found Kagome sitting on the rim of the well. She had one arm clutched around her waist protectively. Her opposite elbow rested on her wrist with her hand to her face. Her head was bowed so her slightly mussed hair hid her face from sight. The usually crisp, clean outfit she always wore was slightly torn and smudges of dirt covered her from head to toe. Even from a distance Inuyasha could see her shoulders shudder with each new wave of tears.

"Kagome…?" He asked after clearing the distance faster then even he believed he could. With out even looking up she flung herself into his arms and sobbed even harder. "What's wrong? What happened?" she just nuzzled into him and continued to cry. Not knowing what else to do, Inuyasha sank them both to a kneeling position and let her cry.

"What did you do to her this time you big jerk!?" Shippou's accusation came some five minutes later as he and Miroku approached Inuyasha and the still crying Kagome.

"I must admit Inuyasha, you do seem to have a certain talent for hurting that girl." Miroku pointed out.

"I didn't do anything!" Inuyasha snapped back, "I found her this way!"

"Kagome-chan…" Shippou jumped into her lap and looked up at her. His expression went from concern to confusion then back again. "What happened to your face?" Inuyasha suddenly lifted her chin, more roughly then he intended, to look at her. His eyes went from surprise to concern to rage. Kagome had a black eye and a cheek that was threatening to bruise as well. Across her forehead was a very angry looking cut that stretched from above her right eye to her left temple. Inuyasha was at a loss, if he opened his mouth now he would yell and that would just make her cry again.

"What happened?" Miroku asked gently, leaning over to inspect the cut. Kagome looked away as if in shame and tears swelled in her eyes again.

"What happened Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as gently as he could manage. Kagome looked at him for a moment then took a deep calming breath. Resting her head on Inuyasha's shoulder she began to speak in a slightly shaky voice.

"There is a group of boys at my school that are all really big and mean. They bully everyone around and always get what they want. Even some of the teachers are scared of them. Their leader's name is Kaje. Last night he called me and told me I was his new girlfriend. I told him that he had no right to order me around and he just laughed at me. Then after school today Kaje and his thugs surrounded me. They started to push me and kick me. Kaje told me the sooner I learned my place the better off I would be. Then they left and somehow I ended up here." She finished as a new wave of tears over took her, "I was so scared."

Calmly as he could manage Inuyasha sat Kagome up. He stood, turned, and walked away. His three bewildered companions watched in stunned silence as he disappeared into the trees. There was a pause then and animalistic howl of rage and a large tree came crashing to the ground. Another pause, then Inuyasha reappeared and walked back to the Well. He knelt and pulled Kagome back to her original position.

"Don't worry Kagome, that bastard will never do this to you again." Inuyasha assured her. She wasn't entirely sure why he chose to vent his anger in such a way, but she didn't feel like crying any more. "Now lets get you cleaned up." He lifted her and into his arms and headed for the hot spring.

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The next day Kagome walked into school with her head held high. From the way the boys gave her a wide birth and the girls cast her sympathetic looks the story seemed to have gotten out. The first people to approach her where her friends.

"I heard what happened." The first one said as they reached her side. "Are you ok?"

"Are you sure you should be her today? I mean he could hurt you again." Her second friend cut in before she could answer.

"Number one, Yes, I'm fine – a little sore but fine. Number two, I will not give him the satisfaction of cowering. And Number three" she said as a flash of red and white leapt from one tree to the next off to her right, "I have a feeling that every thing is going to work out." Her friends looked at her as if she might have hit her head too hard before following her into the classroom.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. People, especially the boys, continued to keep their distance. Kagome, to everyone's amazement, seemed not to care or even acknowledge the treat she was under. When one of the thugs brought her lunch she defiantly ate the lunch she brought with her, with the exception of a cup of roman she left sitting on the bench. The cup disappeared a few minutes later without explanation.

It wasn't until the end of the day that things started to heat up. Kagome walked calmly towards the main gates of the school when two of Kaje's thugs stepped up to block her path.

"Kago-chan!" Kaje smoothly called behind her, "If I didn't know better I would think you where avoiding me. What do you think about that little discussion we had yesterday?" Kagome gripped her books and gulped. She remembered being witnessed to the last girl who had done what she was about to do. The poor girl had been in the ICU for two weeks and now walked with a limp; then again she hadn't had a pair of golden eyes watching over her. Summoning up all her courage she turned to face him. Kaje's thugs had formed a circle around them. The rest of the students watched from beyond the living barrier, unsure and afraid. She could see her friends in the crowd, all looking very nerves.

"Don't call me that! I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of avoiding you, and I would hardly call it a discussion! Now if it pleases Your Majesty" her voice was now dripping with sarcasm and anger, "I'm going home!" The students drew a collective breath and Kaje's lighthearted smirk turned dark.

"So the little bitch did learn her lesson the first time." Kaje ground out as he closed the distance between them, "Looks like she needs another…" He was within three feet of her but Kagome kept her head held high, almost daring him to try anything. Kaje clinched his fist and cocked it back with a growl.

SMACK!!!! Kaje went flying back as Inuyasha landed where he had just been standing. The crowd gasped and started surprised murmuring.

"SHUT UP!" Kaje yelled as he climbed to his feet. The crowd obeyed. "So you've been fucking someone on the side, have you Kago-chan. And a real loser too from the looks of it." His voice held amusement that didn't reflect in her murderous eyes.

"I told you not to call me that! And for your information, no, I haven't. But even if I had it's no concern of yours. I don't belong to you."

"That's what you think you little whore." He spat, "I'll deal with you in a minute. As for your odd looking friend, I doubt he knows the severalty of the situation in which he finds himself."

"Bah!" was Inuyasha's response as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Someone as pathetic as you could never scare me."

"Really?" Kaje sounded darkly amused, "Then you really don't know who you're dealing with." Kaje charged. Inuyasha didn't even blink or uncross his arms before kicking him in the head. Kaje slammed into one of his thugs and both crashed to the ground. "GET HIM!" the leader roared jumping to his feet and he and his men rushed the dog demon. Inuyasha smirked and cracked his knuckles. Kagome sighed, she knew the best thing for her to do at this moment was stand still.

Five minutes later Kaje's men were lying all around Kagome and Inuyasha. Many of them sporting injuries that looked like they would really hurt in the morning, hell they looked like they really hurt now, but nothing life threatening. Kaje himself was lying at the dog demon's feet. He seemed to have come out the worst of his men. He had a bone sticking several inches out of his right arm and, from the way he was clutching his side, several broken ribs. A side from the broken nose he had gotten when Inuyasha had kicked him he was sporting a black eye, bruised cheek, and a nasty cut on his forehead. Kagome noticed several long cuts along his chest, legs, and back that looked suspiciously like claw marks. The unhurt dog demon looked down at him in disgust and anger. It was as if her wanted to beat the guy more but didn't consider it worth the energy.

"Know this," Inuyasha more growled the spoke, "If you ever come near Kagome again, you would live long enough to regret it." He turned and stepped up to Kagome, "Are you ok?" Kagome nodded but she looked pale and when he placed a hand on her back to guide her away she was trembling. The crowd parted to let them pass. Once away from the on lookers Inuyasha picked her up and ran the rest of the way to the shrine. Inuyasha leapt through her open window and sat her on her bed.

"Thanks Inuyasha." She sighed as he sat next to her.

"You were very brave, you know." She smiled at him and stood up.

"Only because I knew you were there." She replied and left to take a nice long hot shower. When she returned Inuyasha had a bowl of hot roman waiting for her. She had a sneaky suspicion that she would find a fire pit in her yard in the morning, but at the moment didn't care. She accepted the food and sat next to him again on her bed, eating in silence.

"Why are you still shaking?" Inuyasha asked as they finished.

"Still a little shaken up I guess." She replied. He hesitated.

"Kagome, do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you silly." She almost laughed at the question. He smiled slightly, put his hands on her shoulders, and pushed her back onto the bed. "What are you do…"

"Shhh…" he replied and slipped his hand under her shirt. With his hand on her abdomen he began to rub in firm circles. She didn't know exactly how it worked but Kagome could feel all her muscled unwinding and the stress she had built up through the day floating away. A moment later Inuyasha slipped into bed next to her, spooning her. He pulled the covers up around them and continued rubbing her stomach.

"You'll always be there to protect me won't you Inuyasha…" She sighed just as sleep over came her.

"Always and forever, my Kagome." The dog demon whispered before he himself slipping into unconsciousness.