I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THEY ARE PROPERTY OF RUMIKO TAKAHASHI!

What Makes Me Different Makes You Beautiful

Prologue

"A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE, INUYASHA!" Kagome scowled as she tugged more. Inuyasha watched Kagome as she pulled her tremendously huge backpack out from the well.

"Well it's not my fault you don't know how to pack, Kagome!" Inuyasha grumbled back.

"That isn't helping!" Kagome yelled back and fell on her backside as the backpack became "un-stuck" and hurled right into Inuyasha.

"Ooph!" Inuyasha caught it and glared at Kagome who was dusting herself off.

"At least you helped a little." Kagome muttered.

"Feh. This thing is only good for the ramen!"

"SIT!" THUD Kagome smacked her hands together, threw the backpack on her shoulder and stomped off. 'Who does he think he is? The ramen God?' she huffed and puffed up to Sango and Miroku, thinking more, 'I can't believe he wants nothing but ramen! There are tons of medical things in here that help him out and he wants ramen! I'll show him!'

"Hello Miss Kagome." Miroku smiled. A bit too nice.

WHAM "HANDS OFF LECH!" Kagome had heaved the heavy backpack on top of his head.

"She doesn't seem to be in a good mood, Miroku." Sango pointed out and lifted the bag from his face while he was sprawled on the ground. "Do you want me to carry it back to Kaede's, Kagome?"

"Yes that would be great. Thanks Sango." Kagome smiled and they walked towards Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha was stomping over and heard a strange sound. "Hmm?" he looked down and saw he was standing on Miroku's diaphragm. "Monk? What are you doing laying around!"

"Mmph." Miroku choked out as Inuyasha lifted his foot off of him. "Bag."

"Ah. Kagome is in one of her moods." Inuyasha nodded.

Miroku stood up. "I wonder why."

Sango shook her head. "That?"

"Yep." Kagome sighed.

Inuyasha scratched his ear some as it flickered. "She did smell different."

"How so?" Miroku asked.

"I don't know. Like it was--"

"Blood." Kagome cringed and sighed. "And pain."

Sango nodded. "We all go through it."

Kagome pulled out a small bottle, opened it and took two capsules out.

"What are those, Kagome? Are they dangerous?" Sango asked.

"No. They're for the--"

"PAIN IN MY---" Inuyasha growled and Miroku hit him over the head with his staff.

"Stomach." Kagome finished the capsules off, drank some water and sighed. "Now for the wait."

Sango nodded as Inuyasha and Miroku came through the entrance.

"I knew it!" Inuyasha pointed to Kagome.

"What are you babbling about now?" Kagome gave him a droll look.

"You ARE bleeding! I could smell the stench of blood on you the moment you came through the well!" Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome picked up her backpack and threw it at him. "Shut up already!"

"Are you indeed bleeding, Miss Kagome?" Miroku took her hands in his, kneeling beside her.

"Eh?" Kagome slapped him and stood up. "You guys are unbearable!" She stormed out with Inuyasha following and Sango standing over Miroku.

"You will never learn will you?" Sango put her hands on her hips.

"Not at the cost of love for you Sango."

"Give it a rest, Miroku." Sango muttered and went to make something to eat.

Inuyasha followed Kagome to the stream. "Kagome, what is the matter with you!"

"SIT!" Kagome had just about enough of Inuyasha.

THUD "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!"

"Leave me alone." Kagome turned away and sat down, taking her shoes and socks off and placing them in the water.

Inuyasha peeled himself out of the ground and stomped over just to see the sadness in her eyes. His temper cooled as he sat down beside her, Indian style. "Kagome."

"Leave me alone." Kagome said meekly.

He didn't understand the mood change and ruffled his coat a bit. "Feh." he turned his head away from her and asked as if it didn't bother him. "You are bleeding, aren't you?"

Kagome remained silent.

"Why?"

Still, she remained silent.

"Damnit Kagome!" Inuyasha turned quickly, about to rattle her shoulders till she told him as he saw her eyes water. "Feh." He turned away again.

Shippou popped out from behind a tree. "Inuyasha! How can you be so mean!"

"Shut up." Inuyasha glared at the little kitsune.

"Don't you know Kagome has female problems?" Kaede walked behind them and Inuyasha turned to Kagome who was blushing terribly as she was just humiliated.

"What kind of female problems?" Inuyasha poked Kagome a few times.

"Leave me alone Inuyasha." Kagome gritted out. The mean ass mood was back again.

"Come, Inuyasha." Kaede beckoned and turned halfway from them as Shippou ran up to her and looked back.

"Why should I?" Inuyasha asked.

"If you want to understand, you'd come." Kaede said calmly.

With a final huff, he stood up and looked back to Kagome. "I'll be back for you."

As he walked off, Kagome thought about his last words. How she wished they meant more than what he actually did mean. "I'll be back for you." She'd savor that but knew she shouldn't for it would only mean her disappointment. After all, he didn't love her. He loved her former self. She sighed. He loved her dead, not alive.

"You see, Inuyasha, when a woman hits puberty, her body changes." Kaede said calmly and poured some tea for herself, Shippou, and Inuyasha.

"What changes?" Shippou asked.

"She begins to look more like a woman, and less like a child." Kaede points out as Sango and Miroku step in.

"Sango, have you gone through those changes?" Inuyasha looked up to see her blush.

"Why uh…yes." she muttered and Miroku shook his head.

"Inuyasha, a woman is a woman because of the changes." Miroku said astutely.

"No she's not." Sango challenged. "She's a woman because of how she thinks, acts, and lives. Not because of a physical change."

Kaede shook her head, "You are both right. A woman is not considered a woman until these changes are through. Kagome is still young and about half way through her changes."

"What changes? Kagome seems the same to me." Inuyasha was quite interested.

Kaede sighed, "That is because you met Kagome after she began changing. Her body is not like a child's anymore."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "She's still younger than me."

"That may be true but as far as humans go, Kagome is evolving into a woman. Your mother did so too Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked down in sorrow. Sango patted his back, "Don't worry, this only goes on for a week. I'm sure you can handle it."

Inuyasha pffd, "Feh. A week of these mood changes." He grumbled, stood up and stormed out. "Great, just great!" His nose caught a scent of a male demon near where he left Kagome. He took off into sprint and reached her just as she was being attacked.

"Get away!" Kagome cried and kicked, punching at the demon as much as she could. She looked to the side. 'My arrows!' she tried to reach for it but couldn't get that far.

"Wretched female!" the demon threw her up against a tree, flicked out his claw and sliced her uniform in half, letting the skirt fall to the ground.

"AIEEEEEEEEEE!" she screamed and tried to cover herself.

"Hey, mind if I CUT IN!" a familiar voice rang through Kagome's ears as she looked over to Inuyasha running up with his tetsaiga in full form, slicing the demon in half.

Kagome began to fall as Inuyasha caught her and set her down. Aware of her partial nudity aside from the undies she'd worn that seemed to make his senses tingle, he quickly took off his fire rat coat and threw it at her. "This is so typical." he muttered. "You get in danger and I have to save you!" he turned around to see her crying into his fire rat coat.

He stopped for a second and then knelt beside her, "Hey. Hey! Kagome! Don't you start crying now!" he was in total confusion.

"I'm-----I'm sorry!" Kagome managed to get out. "I always get into these things. You're right, absolutely right! And to think of how I treat you with all the sits and everything." she paused and looked down at him imbedded into the ground. "Oops…"

Inuyasha pushed away from the ground moments later and sighed, "Actually, I'm getting pretty used to it." he muttered. "Come on, let's get back to Kaede's before nightfall."

She picked up her torn skirt and wrapped the fire rat coat around her, not saying a word till she got back to Sango and Kaede. At least some female comfort was still around. "Oh Kaede! Sango!" she cried and ran into Sango's arms.

"What is the matter Kagome? And why are you wearing Inuyasha's fire rat?" Sango asked with a hint of pervasion.

"It was awful! This demon attacked me and tore my clothes and if Inuyasha hadn't come when he did, I don't even want to think of what could have happened!" Kagome cried.

"I feared this would happen." Kaede said with a fearful face. "Since you are being visited by your curse this week, many male demons will try to make you their mate, forcing you into bearing children and living under their rules and female demons will want to kill you for taking their males."

"But I thought I couldn't reproduce right now." Kagome sniffled some.

"No you can't but when a male demon mates, their mate is in heat. You are in danger of being forced to mate with a male demon. Your scent is driving them crazy." she pointed out.

"But what about Shippou and Inuyasha? How are they able to stand it? And what about Kirara? How come she isn't attacking me?" Kagome asked quickly.

"One at a time. Shippou is too young to mate and Inuyasha is but a half demon, but I'm sure you are wearing on his ability to stay away. Even now, Inuyasha is not himself. Kirara will not attack you because she is not a demon that can take a human form. You are no threat to her kind." Kaede answered.

"So…this means I have to be away from Inuyasha for a week?" Kagome looked over to Inuyasha who was sitting in the corner, head down and eyes closed.

"It would be best." Kaede insisted.

Inuyasha looked up and his golden orbs had grown a little blue, no one could notice it and his eyes looked like he had been rubbing them or they were agitated. But the truth was that his demon form wanted out. His hands burned as he held the hilt of the tetsaiga. It wanted out. It wanted freedom. It wanted Kagome.

But he couldn't let them know that. He was far too proud to let his male instinct of his demon form out after Kagome. He didn't know if his demon form would spare her. It had countless times but now, he wasn't quite sure.

He just didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He knew she loved him but how far would her love go if he let his full fledged form out after her. He wouldn't do it. He stood up and looked at them all. "I'll be back soon." he walked out and Kagome looked at Kaede.

"It has already begun. His demon side is wanting to take you as a mate but his human side doesn't want you to be harmed."

'Or maybe…his human form just doesn't want me.' Kagome thought sadly and curled up on a mat. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams." Sango said and laid down, making sure Miroku stayed on the opposite side of the hut.

Miroku looked out the entrance and walked out. "I need some fresh air. This is getting a bit too much right now."

Shippou cradled himself against Kagome and fell asleep almost instantly. Kaede nodded her goodbye to Miroku and laid down on another mat. "Now, all we can do is hope Inuyasha has it in him to be strong. Not just for him, but for Kagome's sake." she said to herself, not knowing that Kagome wasn't asleep. Sango was out like Shippou but she heard it loud enough and frowned.

'Please be strong Inuyasha. I don't want to be afraid of you.' Kagome sighed, 'But if he did attack me…what if I could forgive him? It is in his nature…' she drifted to sleep on that thought.

Miroku caught up with Inuyasha and looked up at the stars. "Your human form will emerge in a few nights. Are you prepared."

"Feh. I'm always prepared." Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked up at the stars as well. 'it's Kagome that should be prepared if anyone.'

"It's happened already, hasn't it?"

"What are you rambling about now?" Inuyasha asked.

"Your demon form is trying to overpower your human form for Kagome." Miroku frowned.

"So what? It's not like I can't control it."

"And that's why you left?" Miroku asked and Inuyasha stayed silent. "You left for her safety. If I had to choose, I think I'd pick you to be her mate."

"Shut up Monk, you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not ever going to mate her."

"We shall see." Miroku said calmly and closed his eyes.

"Feh. Whatever." Inuyasha muttered yet he was worried that what Miroku said was a real prophecy. He liked Kagome and would do anything to keep her safe. But was it love…?

Reviews please!

Kage1586