Disclaimer: I don't own anything Inuyasha.

Italics indicate dreams or flashbacks to childhood events.

Bold indicates Inu Yokai talk.

Summary: Since her tragic loss, Kagome felt like she did not belong. Little did she know that someone would be there to make sure she knew where her heart belonged. (I know I suck at summaries; but, I don't want to give away too much of the story.)

Where My Heart Belongs

Chapter 1 -- Life of the Party

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth as the group of loud teens downstairs interrupted his concentration on his business project. He decided that he had made a mistake coming home for Rin's 16th birthday. He saved the file on his laptop and got up to go downstairs.

"Shhhh . . . He's coming," an excited Rin frantically waved her hands whispering to everyone.

The teens scrambled to hide. Inuyasha hid behind a large chair to the left of the staircase. Kagome took a position behind the desk to the right of the staircase.

Sesshomaru sensed something was about to go down. As he walked off the last step, he thought, 'Are they really this stupid?' I can sense where they are.' He turned toward Inuyasha who had whipped out a can of neon green stringy stuff. He ducked as Inuyasha pressed the button to release the contents of the can. Sticky neon green strings flew over Sesshomaru's head towards Kagome who had come out her hiding place to take a shot with her neon pink loaded weapon. She aimed the can and fired its content at the target -- the back of Sesshomaru's head.

There was a dead silence -- for about a second. Inuyasha howled with laughter as he saw his brother's golden eyes widen in shock.

Sesshomaru placed a hand on the back of his head. He growled as he pulled his hand back to see pieces of neon pink sticky string clinging to it. He turned towards Kagome with narrowed eyes -- tinged with pink of their own.

Now, everyone else was laughing as they watched Kagome clutching her chest, staggering from side to side in a melodramatic manner. The weapon's fire deployed by Inuyasha had hit Kagome directly over her heart. She fell to the floor, rolled over once and played dead.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Miroku in an exaggerated dramatic tone as he rushed to Kagome's side, "I'll have to perform CPR!"

Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru growled at their perverted friend as he moved his hands toward Kagome's chest. He froze when he heard Kagome threaten him, "Do you want to pull back a stump?" By then, Sango and Rin had moved behind Miroku. In their eyes, they had the death glare all girls give guys when they have royally messed up. He gasped as he slowly retreated behind Sango, who was now growling at him. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Help."

While all of this was going on, the doorbell had rung. Jaken appeared to attend to the visitor at the door. As soon as the door opened, Kagura came into view. Seeing Sesshomaru, she immediately pushed passed Jaken without being invited. She slinked over to Sesshomaru and said in a sleazy tone, "Just the demon I was looking . . . ," she stopped in mid-sentence and gasped in disgust. She looked from Sesshomaru to Inuyasha to Kagome and purred, "Oh my poor Sesshy-kun." She began pulling the sticky substance out of his hair. "What did you do?" She demanded looking at Inuyasha.

"Keh," Inuyasha huffed, "I thought I took out all the trash earlier -- guess I missed a piece." He finished with a defiant fanged grin.

Sesshomaru sighed heavily at the impending argument. Kagura pointed her finger at Inuyasha and screeched, "YOU ARE SO ANNOYING HALF-BREED." Inuyasha rolled his eyes -- dismissing the screaming banshee.

Kagome giggled at Inuyasha's actions as Rin was helping her off the floor. "AND YOU!" Kagura began, "You are more annoying than that waste of air.

Kagome put her hands on her hips and came back, "And, your point is?" she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head with a fake look of confusion on her face, "This affects me how?"

Sesshomaru smirked at her statement -- trying to hold back a breaking smile.

Hatred of Kagome oozed into Kagura's eyes as she spat out with venom, "You do not belong here. You are nothing more than a Taisho charity case. You are the most annoying. Nobody loves you. You're entire family despised you so much; they had to die just to get away from you!"

Everyone gasped and stared at the two females. Kagome stared at Kagura with a blank expression as she felt her heart drop. 'Don't give in to this bitch,'' Kagome thought trying to calm down. Old memories of her childhood flooded her mind as she was holding back tears that were welling in her eyes.

FLASHBACK BEGINS

"But I don't understand," Kagome whimpered as her lower lip quivered. "How come Momma, Grandpa and baby brother aren't coming home?"

Izayoi embraced the now crying child, "Well, my dear, I . . . I'm afraid they won't be coming back. They went to be with your daddy." Her explanation only seemed to make Kagome panic more.

"B . . . but . . . d . . . daddy's . . . in heaven, " Kagome sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Izayoi said stroking Kagome's long black curls.

"I don't -- have -- a -- family -- anymore," Kagome managed to say between sniffles. "Nobody -- wants -- me -- I -- don't -- belong . . . ," she was crying so hard she could not finish her sentence.

"You can belong to our pack, Gome," six years old Rin piped up giving Kagome a hug. "I can be your sister; Inuyasha can be your brother. Mama and Papa can be your Mama and Papa; and, Maru can be our puppy."

"I am no one's puppy," Sesshomaru barked as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to look away from them.

Inu put a loving firm hand on his son's head and ruffle his perfectly in place hair, "You're my pup," he smiled and winked at Sesshomaru. He walked over to Kagome and picked her up. "Rin is correct. You may be part of our pack," he kissed her forehead "we'd love to have you in our pack."

-- Later that night --

Sesshomaru tossed and turned in his bed trying to sleep. Distant intermittent sobs and sniffles and the heavy scent of tears were assaulting his senses. He knew it was Kagome. He got out of bed and went down the hall to the door of her room. He stood outside for a moment contemplating what he should do. Finally, he knocked.

Kagome stopped sniffling so she would not wake anyone else. She stared at the opening door and saw a glowing blue light. A moment later, she saw a white dog the size of a Great Dane cautiously enter. Kagome sat up to see glowing red eyes and the markings of Sesshomaru. She cocked her head to one side and questioned him softly, "Sesshomaru?"

He made no sound as he easily jumped onto the bed next to Kagome. He moved his head towards her face and quickly licked the tears from her cheeks before curling up and laying down. Kagome giggled and laid back down on her side facing Sesshomaru's dog form. She pulled the covers up over her shoulders and placed her hand on his head. Sesshomaru inhaled deeply and let out a long heavy sigh. He felt her calming down as she stroked his fur. Both soon fell asleep.

-- With Inu and Izayoi --

"Calm down, my love," Inu assured his mate, "I'm very positive that was Sesshomaru's aura." They both got up, put on their robes and headed down the hallway. They noticed Kagome's door open. "She's been crying," he told Izayoi.

Both adults peaked into her room and were greeted by glowing red eyes and a low non-threatening growl of the Inu Yokai language, "I've already taken care of the situation father."

"Well done, pup," Inu proudly growled back to his son.

Izayoi gently touched her mate's arm and smiled up at him, "Don't they look so adorable together?"

Inu smiled back to his mate, "Yes, they do." They closed the door and went back to their room.

Sesshomaru laid his head back down -- falling asleep once more.

END OF FLASHBACK

SMACK!!!

Kagome was brought out of her thoughts of her tragic childhood. She saw Kagura put a hand to her burning cheek. Everyone staring at the person who slapped her.

"This is my birthday party," Rin growled at Kagura poking a finger into her chest, "You are the one who does not belong here! GET! OUT!"

Kagura opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a menacing growl right behind her. Kagura swallowed hard trying not to indicate she was now frightened at the thought of being in the presence of more than one angry Inu Yokai.

"Kagura. Leave. Now." Sesshomaru ordered her as he gripped her arm and pulled her to the front door. He opened it, shoved her out and slammed the door in her face. He turned to see everyone in a circle around Kagome.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked quietly. Sesshomaru clenched his teeth waiting for the Kagome's tears to fall.

Staring at the floor and fighting back the tears stinging her eyes, Kagome answered "No," there was a slight pause, "We can't play pin the tail on the donkey."

"Huh?" everyone asked in unison.

"Sesshomaru just threw the jackass out the front door." Kagome said as she looked up with a mischievous grin. "Did you guys seriously think I'd let someone like that get under my skin so easily?"

Everyone busted out laughing. Sesshomaru, relieved, unclenched his teeth and let a minute smile escape.

"What's all the ruckus in there?" a jovial male voice boomed from the dining room entrance.

Rin explained, "Nothing, Dad. Kagome's just being the life of the party, as usual."

"Is that so," Inu stated. "Your mother is ready to serve the cake." He moved to the side of the dining room entrance to let the ravenous teens pile inside.

As Kagome neared Inu, he looked at the neon green string sticking to her shirt and arched an eyebrow in curiosity and asked "What happened to you?"

"Friendly fire," she stated with a smile as she passed him to sit at the table next to Inuyasha.

As Sesshomaru approached, Inu eyes twinkled as a huge smile came to his lips at the sight of the neon pink strings sticking to the back of his son's hair. "And, what happened to you?" he inquired as if he didn't already know.

Sesshomaru, assuming his normal cool, calm and collected self, passed his father and merely stated one word, "Kagome."