*I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters in Inuyasha…unfortunately!!

**Also this is my very first (I'm so proud) fanfic so go easy on me. :)

Ch. 1 Shattered

Kagome sat crumpled under a big cherry tree on a warm sunny day. The suns rays shone through the branches of the tree and illuminated Kagome's soft skin. There wasn't a single cloud, yet as cheerful as the day was, deep down inside of Kagome, her heart and soul had been torn apart; ripped by the very person she loved the most. Tears had stained her beautiful face, evidence of the scene that had occurred during the night in the forest. Kagome was replaying it over and over in her head, unknowingly wrecking her heart even more to pieces.

Flashback

"I love you Inuyasha. You mean the world to me; I use to regret ever breaking the Sacred Jewel, but when we started to search for the shards together I grew fond of you, so fond that I started to like you and then eventually I grew to love you," Kagome said spilling out every emotion her heart ever felt for the hanyou.

Over the past few weeks, since they almost got killed by Naraku Kagome had been thinking how close the end could have been for her, and still she would not have said those three words to her favorite hanyou. Now that Naraku had been defeated, her only time to act was now, before something else came up. She only hoped that he truly felt the same way for her.

"Kagome I…I," Inuyasha stumbled on his words, "I don't know what to say."

"Say you love me," Kagome pleaded, bearing him her heart and soul. Inuyasha looked deep within Kagome's velvety, chocolate brown eyes and almost drowned in them, he didn't know how to say how he felt without hurting her, the person who he cared for deeply, just not in the same way.

"Kagome, I…love Kikyo."

Kagome froze. 'Did he say it wrong? Doesn't he mean I love you Kagome? I know I look like the girl, but…but doesn't me mean me?'

"I've always loved Kikyo. I owe my life to her. I just figured that you, Kagome, would understand." Kagome stiffened at his words. Inuyasha reached to touch her face, but she flinched and he withdrew his hand. She felt a huge lump in her throat, burning her, wanting to come out, but she held it in. Her face went pale, and her hands were cold and clammy; her heart pounded irregularly. Deep in side her, when he spoke those words of loving Kikyo, her heart shattered and she hoped that maybe it was for the best. That way nobody would have to pick up the pieces and rebuild it and then re-shatter it, she wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Kagome, you will always be my friend, I will always protect you, no matter what," Inuyasha said. He looked at her not knowing precisely what to do, wanting to comfort her; he hated to see her cry.

"I understand Inuyasha" she managed to squeak, "after all; I should have known that you would never truly love me like you love Kikyo. I'm such a fool!"

"Kagome you're not a fool," he stated, "if anything I'm…"

"No, don't say it. If you truly love her, don't say that you're a fool. It's one or the other, not both of us," Kagome said with a hint of cruelty in her voice. She quickly looked up at him and gave him a half cheesy smile and a quick hug. 'Get over it girl, don't let him see you cry.' "I hope you will be happy," she whispered and turned on her heel and started to walk deep into the forest.

"Kagome…"Inuyasha started as he started to follower her, "don't do this, please."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't hold them in any longer, her only chance at love was now lost and there was nothing she could do about it. She heard Inuyasha's footsteps following close behind her and sighed. "Sit!" A loud 'uh' sound came from Inuyasha, followed by a hard thud to the ground. Now she was angry. "Can't you just leave me ALONE? Why do you insist on making it harder than it already is? Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! SIIIIIIIIIT!" she yelled profusely and ran as fast as her feet could take her, hearing only Inuyasha's shouts and pleas growing faint.

End Flashback

Lifting her head from in between her legs Kagome looked up and lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the light. 'Great, now what am I going to do? Sango and Miroku are always together with their new found love and now Inuyasha and…and Kikyo.' Tears re-appeared at the edges of Kagome's eyes, but they were hesitant and eventually did not fall.

"I guess I'll have to go home, there is no use for me now. Naraku is gone, all the jewel shards are collected, and love is in the air." Kagome groaned as she felt a stab at her heart; she was utterly and completely empty. Inuyasha left to be with Kikyo, and when he left he took Kagome's love with him. She was now an empty shell, with no soul, no love, and a shattered heart. 'Who could ever love me now?'

"I don't want to leave, or move on, but I have to. I want this pain to subside," Kagome breathed into the breeze. She gently laid her head on her knees and let the tears escape and flow freely from her eyes.

Little did Kagome know that there was a certain wolf demon hiding behind one of the trees watching the heart breaking scene go down in the night, and he was certain that he would get his chance with Kagome. He truly loved her, with his whole being, but with Inuyasha in the way all the time, she never gave him the time of day.

"Don't worry Kagome. I'll make the pain go away," a deep downy voice said, from beyond the trees, "I promise love, and I should probably go thank mutt-face for giving me this great opportunity." His blue eyes smiled from within and his heart knew that she would indeed give him his chance.

*Okay tell me what you thought of my first chapter. Criticize if you like, but tell me what you liked most!!!

**Hope you liked it. :)