The Pure Heart

"Jane, Lady Kagome! Jane, Shippo-chan!" Chimed a small group of hybrid demon children, while running off to their village.

"Good bye, everyone! Be good for your parents! C'mon Shippo, lets make lunch." "Right!" proclaimed the little orphaned kitsune on Kagome's shoulder.

Not to far away…

'Damn! I can't get away and this wound is only getting worse!' A demon-slayer's weapon almost whacked off his head. 'Kuso! That was too close for comfort! Damn these slayers, my vision is already getting blurry.' The demon rubbed his eyes a got a glimpse of where he was before he collapsed. A shrine. Although he wasn't able to see he could hear what was going on around him quite well. The demon-slayers were coming pretty fast, but there was a voice that suprized him with mere words.

"Gasp. Shippo! Get out here I need your help!" He could hear her coming closer. He growled but it didn't seem to phase her. Who was this strange girl? How come she wasn't frightened by him? He would get his answer soon enough. The demon-slayers were here.

"Priestess! Back away from that abomination! We'd rather not hurt you." The slayers readied their weapons. 'Priestess!?' Shock suddenly hit him. He was being protected by a Priestess of all people! A PRIESTESS!! "He said 'back away' now DO IT! We have little patience right now!" You could clearly see that this man was beyond pissed.

"I shall do no such thing! What gives you the right to kill him?" she snapped. You could hear that by the way she talked she was not going to back down. This sent the demon into a greater shock. He heard a small child come up to stand by the priestess. "What is it Oka-san?" he asked innocently. This sent everyone into total shock. 'I never would have guessed she was his Mother. He doesn't have the scent of a half-breed.'

"Did you get my bow and arrows?" She had a tone in her voice that seemed like it alone would kill. "Yeah, I got 'em." He handed her the weapon and waited further instruction. "Shippo, get him inside. I'll deal with them. But what ever happens don't go out side." She was dead serious.

"Okay. Got it." The demon could feel that he was being dragged to the shrine as pain engulfed his body. "Leave this place before I make you regret ever coming here." She said in a cold almost enraged tone. That was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

Later…

He groaned and shifted to find a comfortable position. Finding it impossible he decided to find out why. He soon wished he hadn't. His hands were tied up with sacred sutras and rope. His fire-rat haori and inner haori where off to reveal his bandaged chest. A slight snoring to his right caught his attention. There lying next to him was the little kitsune that dragged him in. Having questions that needed to be answered he decided to wake him up.

"Hey, kid." 'What was his name again? Oh, right, Shippo.' "Hey, Shippo." He woke up at the sound of his name. He rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them and looked at the demon groggily. "Hey, you're up."

"Just a question but, What the hell is this?" He indicated his bound hands. Suddenly the kit didn't seem so tired anymore. Looking at the demon with wide happy eyes. He decided to explain. "Lady Kagome was scared that when you woke up you would be really mad and try to hurt someone so she took care of your wounds and tied you up. She told me to watch you and come get her when you woke up." That answered his question but left him a little confused.

"Is 'Lady Kagome' really your Mom?" he didn't know why he asked. He just did. "No, she adopted me after my Father died. She told me I could call her Oka-san if I wanted to." He just shrugged while explaining to the demon. Almost as if reading his mind Shippo stated "If you want untied I have to get Kagome. Demons can't even try to take off her sutras unless they want to be fried to death." With that Shippo left the room leaving the demon staring at his hands hoping not to get killed by the sutras.

Moments later…

"Shippo, I wish you wouldn't tell all my visitors that if they get on my bad side they'll die. It's very unbecoming." The demon expected an older woman at least in her early thirties but who he saw was definitely not even near her thirties. She looked around 15, 17 at most!

"Hello," She bowed to show respect. "my name is Higurashi, Kagome. I am very sorry if Shippo was a nuisance but you can't expect much from him. He's only a child." She noticed him gaping at her and as soon as she made eye contact he awoke from his daze slightly blushing. "Yeah, yeah, now how 'bout untying me? I'd like to be able to move ya' know." She giggled at his blush and untied him.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but, what's your name?" The demon stoped rubbing his wrists and looked away from her and mumbled "InuYasha" She smiled one of the most genuine smiles he had ever seen and replied "Nice to meet you InuYasha." She put her hand out so he could shake it but he just looked at her like she was crazy.

"Well, c'mon. I bet you didn't have lunch since those slayers were after you and now it's going on dinner." InuYasha looked away and crossed his arms across his chest. "Not hungry." But right then a growling came from his stomach saying that he was lying. "C'mon I made enough for everyone" she giggled. Shippo followed her out, InuYasha following him.

Now InuYasha was even more curious about Kagome. She adopted a demon child, protected him, offered him food, and seemed to accept him. A demon and complete stranger! 'Well, half demon.' He was utterly confused. 'Sigh…I'm going to get one BIG headache from doing this much thinking.' Soon they entered a room filled with the smell of food. Kagome got out three bowls, and dished everyone up. After they were done Shippo went to sleep and Kagome went out side. Being as curious as he was InuYasha followed her not taking any time to conceal himself and grabbing his haoris on the way out. He figured it was the best time to get some answers.

"Hey, Kagome. Can I ask you some Questions?" She looked back at him waiting for him to continue. "Why aren't you afraid of me?" He leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. "Why should I be afraid of you? I've been around demons all my life. I tutor some half demon children from a village." He looked away.

"Are you disgusted by half demons?" His tone was bitter and he sounded as if he himself hated them. She looked a little shocked by his words. If he was looking at her he would have seen hurt and anger in her eyes and he wouldn't be in such a shock as she blew up.

"Never! They are just the same as us! They get hurt, they bleed, they're sad, they're happy, and it doesn't matter what heritage they have if they are treated the same as a human child they will act the same. Yes, every one acts different but I mean that if they were accepted by someone they could live out a normal life! Love is love and it doesn't matter who it's between! Human, demon, or mix, it doesn't matter!" At that moment she started to cry remembering how her friends and adopted family were treated because they were different. Even she was treated badly just for being with them.

Then she felt arms wrap around her. She was paralyzed by shock but quickly recovered. "Please don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please stop." He was whispering but you could still hear the shakiness in it as if he himself were going to cry. "It's okay. You weren't the one to make me cry. I was just remembering the past." He was confused but didn't let her go. He felt like he could tell her anything and she would understand. He felt safe. He felt accepted for who he was. He didn't feel alone anymore.

"I'm a half demon…And you're the first person I ever met that didn't hate me for it." He tightened his grip a little. She now understood why he asked those questions and she understood why those slayers were after him. She hugged him back to show that she knew, how he felt, and how much pain he had been through. They walked back to the shrine.

"If you want to stay with me and Shippo you're always welcome. It'd be nice to have more people around the shrine, but you don't have to stay if you don't want to." She showed him to his room. "Thanks…For everything. I don't know how I could ever repay you." She smiled another beautiful smile and said "You don't have to. Anyone can stay here. It's almost too big for Shippo and me. Good night InuYasha." She waved a little and left to her room.

'I don't know what it is but, I like being with Kagome. Is this how it feels to fall in love?' He blushed at the thought. He was falling for Kagome. He barely knew her and he could open up to her. He was able to trust her. He hadn't been able to do that for a very long time. For the first time in a long time he had a good nights sleep. But his dream was very…Disturbing to say the least.

Dream…

It was spring. He was around 5 years old. He was running around and laughing. To his eyes the sakura petals were like snow. This was the one place where he could forget about the villagers that hated him. Not only did the sakura blossoms remind him of snow, they reminded him of his mother. They were both so pretty.

For a moment he thought he saw his mother. Then when he got closer and listened carefully he heard sobs of 'Don't go!' and 'Please don't leave us!' He was in the tree above the sobs and saw what they were crying about. There was an older girl lying on the ground. Her heart was weak and her breathing slow. She was dying. She looked so familiar. Then he was his true age and it hit him. It was Kagome.

The children around her were half demons, humans, and demons alike. He saw Shippo he was on the ground by her head gently shaking her. His eyes pleading, filled to the brim with sadness and tears. He started to yell at the sky asking the gods not to take his Mother away. Tears streamed down his face landing on Kagome's face and kimono.

InuYasha turned his face away and closed his eyes trying to make the pain go away. It just wouldn't stop. It felt like his heart was being ripped out. He didn't know maybe it was, he didn't care. Suddenly the crying stopped. Everything went black. The pain only eased a little. It made sense that after Kagome died the world would go black. After all, Kagome was the only light he ever saw in the world. Slowly his mind stopped working. His scenes closed. It was like dying…But much worse. The dream ended like that.

This dream occurred almost every night for the first month he lived with Kagome and Shippo. He was good at hiding it. Although, tonight the dream was more severe. This time he would find out what killed Kagome. This time he would be so terrified he could wet his pants. (really just for laughs)

InuYasha's eyes suddenly shot open to meet familiar sapphire like blue ones filled with concern. Once again, he marveled at how beautiful Kagome's eyes were.

"Are you alright InuYasha? You fell onto the floor. What happened?" (He likes to sleep in the rafters) One of her delicate hands rested on his forehead. "Nothing much, just a nightmare." Kagome smiled sweetly and sat next to the bed she made for him. "I'm right here so you won't need to worry about nightmares anymore." InuYasha just lied there with his eyes closed enjoying Kagome's scent, which wasn't that hard cause she was sitting so close. Before either knew exactly what happened, InuYasha's head was in Kagome's lap and he was sound asleep.

Kagome just smiled and leaned back against the wall. She was trying to figure out her feelings for him. They had just met a month ago and they had so much in common. Did she love him? Was it palatonic or love-love? She had never felt this way about a person. It was like they were old time friends. After staring at the 'kid' in her lap for a good 15 minutes she fell asleep as well. (he is mentally a kid in my book)

Sun up… (Be ready for romance and down right embarrassment!)

He was so comfortable he didn't want to move. He knew Kagome was near by her scent. It soothed him into a state of peace. When he finally decided to open his eyes he realized why he was so comfortable. His HEAD was in Kagome's LAP, while HIS ARMS were half way around her WAIST! His face was suddenly blood red but he didn't move. It may have been embarrassing but it felt right to him to be this close. Hoping she wouldn't be to mad when she woke up he put his arms all the way around her waist and decided to go back to sleep.

Kagome woke up and stretched her arms a little and realized that the 'child' she was looking after that night was still in her lap. She could tell by the sun shining in the room that it was time to prepare breakfast. Not wanting to be ruff with him she started to stroke his silver hair that seemed to catch the light so perfectly. She gently scratched behind one of his cute dog like ears. Suprizingly the reaction she got from him was a deep rumble in his chest that seemed to be…purring? He snuggled up to her more enjoying the feeling of her hand scratching behind his ear. She giggled.

Groggily lifting his head up to see what had felt so good and why it stopped, he saw Kagome giggling with her hand stroking his hair. Embarrassed he asked with a blush on his face "What's so funny?" She smiled and started scratching behind his ear again. "It was so cute. You started to purr like a cat!" He barely registered what she had said because he was purring again.

'I do not purr! It's growing. There's a BIG difference! And ME a CAT! No way!' If he wasn't enjoying it so much he might have said exactly that. To bad, he was. He enjoyed it so much that he was completely oblivious to the world. He only heard Kagome's voice. He only paid attention to her scent. He only felt her scratching his ears and her in his arms. He didn't see anything because his eyes were closed, but they would have been trained on her if they were open.

She just sat there giggling at how he was a dog demon yet he acted so much like a cat. She closed her eyes. It was amazing how you could never guess what he was going to do next. And now she would be proven how right she was. She suddenly felt a slight warmth on her lips. Her eyes shot open only to see his closed. He was kissing her! Giving in to temptation she kissed him back only to have him deepen the kiss. They broke apart and InuYasha's face immediately turned red. Stuttering, he was able to make out an apology.
"S-S-Sorry!" He quickly turned around. 'What the hell was I thinking!?! How could I kiss her? I don't even know if she feels the same way!'

"What are you sorry for?" Kagome just stared at him with concern and a little sorrow in her eyes. She now realized her true feelings for him. She loved him. But did he truly love her? InuYasha was blushing like mad. He practically glowed red. "I-I'm sorry for kissing you without your permission. It was stupid of me. I'm sorry." The scarlet blush on his face never went away and Kagome figured out why. Why he had kissed her, slept in her lap, and why he always made sure she was safe. He loved her to. An understanding smile adorned her face. Quickly she walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek, and left to prepare breakfast.

'Wha--? Did-did she just kiss me?' InuYasha's face was so red it was almost black. He never acted this way over a girl and he didn't know why he did now. 'Here comes the headache again. Sigh. I've got to stop thinking this much.'

After breakfast was done, and the dishes were washed, it was time to head into Kagome's favorite village to get more supplies. This was InuYasha's first outing with Kagome so she asked him to behave himself.

'I'll behave as long as no one starts getting on my nerves, or starts hitting on you. Then I won't be responsible for my actions after that.' He smirked evilly while thinking of ways to torture any man that comes within 3 feet of Kagome. When he saw half demon children come running to greet her he was quite confused. "Kagome, who are these kids? Where did they come from?" Kagome let the kids lead her to the village by either her hands or kimono. "From my village silly!" Kagome was as happy as he had ever seen her. Then he remembered who her 'family' was.

When they reached the village his suspicions were proven. Demons, humans, and half demons everywhere. He didn't get those nasty glares. He got the exact opposite. The girls of the village were saying things like 'He's so handsome!', 'I wish he would talk to me.', and 'Kagome gets all the cute ones! How does she do it?' He wasn't use to this sort of treatment from anyone but Kagome. (She would tell him he was cute, small stuff like that)

Then he felt Kagome tug on his sleeve and she began to pull him somewhere. They came to an old hut and waltzed on in. "Ohaiyo, Oka-san! Ohaiyo, Oto-san!" Now InuYasha was nervous. He was going to meet Kagome's 'parents'. But the encounter actually went pretty well. "Ohaiyo, Kagome-chan. Are you going to introduce us to this handsome young man?" Her Mother was a beautiful half demon. Black hair, Blood red eyes and lips. "This is InuYasha, Oka-san." She simply gave InuYasha an understanding look before fetching her husband. "Ryumaru, Kagome has someone she wants you to meet!" A full demon with pine green hair, and brown eyes walks into the room carrying a sword. InuYasha looks at it nervously. Obviously Kagome's Father noticed. "Sorry to scare you I was training some students outside. It's just a blunt piece of metal." InuYasha knew that he probably wasn't going to get mauled by Kagome's family. He just didn't like the thought of her father getting the wrong idea, especially with a metal object in his hand. Blunt or not.

After a few conversations they finally left for home, but a suprize guest was waiting outside. He was tall, black hair in a high ponytail, sky blue eyes, and fully dressed in fur and armor. (Thank Kami!) You guessed it. It was Kouga.

"Hey, Kagome!" He grabs her hands in his. "How is my fiancé doing this evening?" For the first time InuYasha has been with Kagome she showed true rage. "KOU---GA---!!!! How many times do I have to tell you I am not your fiancé! I don't love you!" With the glare Kagome was giving Kouga you could have thought her eyes were portals to hell. InuYasha was inching away a bit, so not to get her anger taken out on him. "KOUGA! SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, S---I---T---!!!" Kouga was in a crater type hole shaped like a body.

"C'mon InuYasha. We're leaving!" Kagome started stomping away. "You shouldn't worry too much about that. Kouga has worn Kagome's patients on that subject quite thin. She'll be back to normal in an hour or so." her Mother chuckled. InuYasha swallowed hard before he followed Kagome to the shrine. The whole walk there she was talking trash about idiotic wolf demons that don't know when to keep their hands to themselves.

At the shrine Kagome was in a much better mood. They had picked up Shippo from his friend's hut and he was able to return Kagome to her usual state of bliss. Nothing eventful transpired over lunch making it quite dull. Later, while Kagome was taking a bath and InuYasha in a tree sleeping, Shippo decided to play a few 'harmless' pranks. Which ended up in him running for his life from a P.O.ed hanyou.

"Ahhh!!! Kagome! Kagome, help!" InuYasha was chasing Shippo around the house and it sounded like a heard of elephants. "You ain't getting away that easy runt!"

Kagome came out of her room, still in a loosely tied yukata, and Shippo ran between her legs. Before InuYasha could use his breaks he crashed into Kagome. As for Shippo, he kept running until he was at Kagome's village a mile away.

"Ow! Are you alright InuYasha?" Kagome lifted herself into a sitting position, a leg on either side of his waist. "Yeah, fine. Sorry 'bout that."

Her liquid sapphire eyes met his crystal gold ones and held. Their bodies were unable to move. It was so quiet that even Kagome could hear the rapid beat of twin hearts. They were lost in each other's eyes unable to tear them away. Both afraid to break the enchanting silence they just sit/lay there motionless. Obviously their hearts thought different, for they both screamed the same thing, "KISS damn it!"

Silently obeying their hearts they edged closer and closer together. By reflex, their eyes slid shut before they shared the most passionate kiss either experienced so far in their lives. The more time that passed the deeper the kiss became. Inuyasha's arms snaked around Kagome's slender waist untying the sash that held her yukata around her.

Her skin was smooth to the touch. Her scent, intoxicating. Her kisses sweet and delicious. He loved her…and he would make sure that she knew it before this day was through.

His body was pressed up against her own. She was a little frightened at the idea, 'cause she had never done this before. Yet, he was being so gentle with her. He made sure his claws didn't harm her and that he didn't lose control of his passions and desires. She loved him with all her heart. But something in the pit of her stomach told her to be wary of the future. And she was right.

When Koga found out about Kagome mating with Inuyasha he tried to hurt Kagome. Luckily Inuyasha fended him off with ease. Mainly because he had a family to protect. Kagome was bearing his pups and he wouldn't let anyone hurt them or Kagome. He was just normal, overprotective, Inuyasha. But that was fine with Kagome 'cause she still loved him.

During the fight Koga had made a comment about lousy half-demons and the village said if they ever saw him again he would die on the spot. Of course, after Inuyasha's display Koga took their words seriously and never bothered the village again.

5 years later

"What does everyone want to eat?" Kagome was getting ready to prepare lunch for her husband Inuyasha and three kids. Shippo of course was the oldest at age 12. Then came Yuki the oldest of the pups, he was the michivious one. Next was Amai the youngest of the pups she was the timid and quiet one. Both turned 5 a few days ago, Yuki was born 15 minutes before Amai.

In unison the whole family cheered, "RAMEN!!!!!!!!" Kagome didn't even need to ask. Ramen was the family favorite. ( Guess why? DADDY! Guilty as charged! )