First he looked like a flying bird or like a red lightning which crashed through the trees. He jumped from branch to branch, his white hair wildly swaying with the wind. He was in hurry.

Eventually he stopped his jumping and dropped himself on the ground, the moon's shining the only light for him at this dark night. He took off with run, his legs never faster. He pressed more power to them, using all his energy but he didn't seem to care if he would faint in that second. Finally he saw what he was looking for.

Inuyasha ran to the well, looked inside it, desperation and near panic in his eyes, yelling, "KAGOME!"

Her eyes flew open. Kagome gasped loudly, sitting up from her sleeping bag. "What?" she heard a familiar voice mumble and looked to left. Beside her was the little Inuyasha, curled up in narrow sleeping bag with her. His eyes were half lidded and tired, he was looking at her with mild confusion of why she had woken him.

"Nothing, Inuyasha", she said tenderly and stroked his bangs. "Everything's all right. Go back to sleep."

"Okay...", he whispered and almost immediately fell asleep again. When Kagome heard his silent, deep breathing, she sighed and touched her sweaty face.

Was it a nightmare? she thought about her dream. I saw Inuyasha. My adult Inuyasha. He looked so scared and worried... She knew it was just a dream. But she couldn't help but think how the things were with him and the others. They obviously had noticed that she was gone. Were they worried? And her family! Had Inuyasha went back to her time to get her and now her family knew too that she was missing? Her mind whispered many questions at her.

I miss them but... she glanced at the child hanyou beside to her. I can't leave him now. I know I have to eventually but... not just yet. He needs me. So she let her worries be for that night and laid down, her face close to sleeping boy. He looked so small and innocent though he had suffered so much. Kagome knew there was many dangers around him especially because he was hanyou. She had to try her everything to protect him.

With a decicion of what they would do tomorrow, she closed her eyes and sent a little prayer for her special person.

Please Inuyasha, don't be worried. I'll be okay.

The next morning was cloudy and Kagome knew right away that this day was going to be rainy. She could smell the depression in the air as she ate ramen with Inuyasha. He was more hungry this morning because when they had hugged each others last night he had quickly fallen asleep in her arms without eating.

"You should eat slower", she smiled at him. "Or else you'll get a stomach ache."

"Keh", he just said. She sat up and rolled her sleeping bag closed, putting it to her backpack. Inuyasha saw her packing and frowned, "What are you doing?"

"We're going to find a village", she said simply and turned to him but was puzzled from what she saw; Inuyasha had put the bowl which was now empty down on the ground and he was hugging his legs. His face was scared and eyes wide.

"No", he whispered. "No."

"What's wrong-" she started to say but then realized. Of course he was afraid, the people were cruel, they had even drove him away from his own home. That was something Kagome could never understand. "Hey, hey", she said softly when she saw him back away from her. She couldn't lost his trust now when she had finally got it. She carefully came closer and knelt in front of him, touching his shoulders. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? But so I can do that, I have to have some weapons, you know? Like a bow. With that I can protect you from youkai's like yesterday. And I can find a weapon like bow only if I'll borrow it from other human."

"No! I can't go to a village!" he cried and buried his face against his knees. "They'll hurt, hurt me."

"No, Inuyasha", she said and hugged him tightly. "They won't, I won't let them. I promise."ยด

He shook his head acutely against her chest, "Please Kagome..." She sighed and thought it over. Maybe she could leave him on the outskirt of the village and quickly get the bow from someone and come back to him. It probably wouldn't take more than fifteen minutes. But she was more scared of what could happen if he would be alone than if he would be with her in the village.

"I know you're scared", she whispered into his furry ear. She loved it when it moved from her voice. "And if you want... I could leave you near the village till I get a bow somewhere. But I have to get it. What if another youkai attacks and I don't have anything to protect you?"

"But..." he murmured softly. "You dealt with that baka youkai before and I didn't die. You were good without some bow. And I-I can protect us too, protect you."

Kagome smiled slightly at that. He didn't sound so sure but it was a sweet thought from so young boy like him. But he was still the same Inuyasha after all, right? Always protecting her, no matter what. "Thank you. But let me take care of protecting us."

"So... you're going there anyway?" he asked quietly.

"Yes", she stroked his hair. Little Inuyasha raised his head and looked at her with a bit of uncertainty but had apparently decided something.

"If you promise that they won't hurt... I can come with you."

"Are you sure?" she tilted her head.

"Yeah... I... I don't want to be alone anymore", he said and lowered his gaze away from her face. She smiled lovingly and hugged him once more.

"I promise", she whispered. Inuyasha nuzzled her neck slightly, hugging her back which made her heart ache sweetly. She let go of him and stood up, he following her. She grabbed her backpack and together they started their search for the nearest village.

"I bet it's going to rain soon", Kagome said and looked behind her. But Inuyasha was quiet as he trailed after her slowly, his eyes very interested of the muddy ground. He had been like that since the whole morning as they had walked and Kagome could understand that he was scared. Honestly, she was a bit too; what would people in the village say? She herself wasn't a very common sight with her odd clothes and bandaged face. Luckily she had at least changed her skirt to light jeans.

But she had to try. If anything, she had to change the people's opinion about hanyous. Because maybe that was the reason why she had suddenly appeared here, to help him.

Kagome slowed down so that she was walking beside him. She touched carefully his healed ears to get his attention. Little boy raised his head and looked at her with his big yellow eyes which Kaome loved. There was a innocence and curiosity which she rarely saw in adult Inuyasha's eyes. "You know how you can get your nervousness away?" she smiled gently and knelt in front of him.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. Which meant he didn't.

"First you have to laugh", she grinned at his confused expression.

"Like how?"

"Like this", Kagome put her fingers against his sides and tickled. Inuyasha frowned like trying to keep his face blank but slowly he started grinning, grabbing her wrists.

"S-stop!" he was finally laughing happily. "Stop, stop!" Kagome stopped moving her fingers and smiled as he chuckled quietly.

"Now when you laughed, your nervousness came out. Now it's right there", she pointed in front of his nose. "Next you have to blow it away so it can't come back inside you."

"But I can't see it", he frowned, staring his nose so that his eyes almost became twisted.

"It doesn't mean that it isn't there. Blow", he looked suspicious but blew hard, so hard that his face turned red. That made Kagome laugh.

"Is it gone?" he painted. She nodded smiling.

"C'mon, let's keep going" Kagome said and again they were walking through the forest. "You know, there are many things what you can't see but there are still there."

"Like what?" he asked curiously.

"Like feelings. Love, sadness, fear. And... angels!"

"Ang-what?"

"You don't know angels?" Kagome frowned and he shook his head. I guess humans made them up long later.

"What are they?" Inuyasha asked again but then sniffed as raindrop hit his nose.

Kagome noticed that too. "I'll tell you later, climb on my bag", she said and knelt so that he was facing her back. "We have to hurry if we don't want to get wet."

"You can carry me?" he eyed her heavy-looking back bag.

You always carry me. "Of course, you weigh nothing." Hesitantly he climbed on top of her bag, his legs on her shoulders and hands holding her head. She made sure that he was ready, then held on his ankles and started running. The rain made its way down the earth, wetting their hairs as the strange girl carried the little half demon. The ground changed muddier and few times she almost slipped. Inuyasha really felt like a feather. Maybe it was because of his lack of eating.

"I see it!" Inuyasha yelled and she saw him point slightly at left. There it was, over ten huts, just a little local village.

"Okay!" she said and turned a bit, running down the hill faster; she didn't want Inuyasha's bandages get wet and fell from his neck.

They reached the village, Kagome saw two women stand near one of the huts, not caring when the rain ruined their dry clothes. Apparently they heard her coming because they suddenly stopped talking and turned their heads towards them, a scarf covering both of their hairs. "Excuse me", Kagome painted, her wet bangs clinging to her forehead. "Please, give us shelter from the rain."

The astonished women looked at her then their eyes traveled to her large yellow bag and from there upper. Inuyasha was peeking behind her hair, his ears twisting constantly because of the tickling raindrops. Women's eyes widened when they saw him.

"Hanyou!" cried the other one who had old, gray eyes. Her face reflected fear. "Hanyou, Momo-chan!"

"My goodness", whispered the younger one and they both backed away from them.

"No, wait!" Kagome took few steps towards them. "He's just a child! We need shelter! Please!" But they didn't hear her, just stared at Inuyasha like he would had been the most horrible monster they had ever seen. Kagome felt a irritation rise inside her. "Oi!" she snapped and moved closer so that she could had now touch one of them. "I said he's a child! We are both wounded, can't you see? What kind of people you think you are?"

"What is happening here?"

It was a firm voice and women turned around, bowing slightly when they heard it. Kagome saw a man walk towards them, wearing a dark kimono, his hair short and black. Beside him walked two other men, both very strong-looking and a boy, not much younger than Kagome.

"Kurou-sama, it was not our fault!" cried out the younger one of the women.

"Calm down, Yuko-san", the black-haired man said calmly who Kagome believed to be the headman of the small village. "Who is this woman?"

"There's hanyou on her back!" hissed the other women. The headman had eyed at Kagome just quickly but now he turned his head from two women and looked at her fully and saw Inuyasha.

"How dare you come to my village", he spat, eyes full of anger. "You have no right even breathe here!" Kagome felt Inuyasha tremble slightly as he heard the headman's roar. She didn't know was it from fear or just cold but she knew he had suffered far enough of people's prejudices.

"Everyone has right to breathe where they want to", she said. Not yelling but firmly. "I'm asking for shelter, we have no place to go."

"I can see that", the headman narrowed his eyes. "And here is no place for you either. Disappear."

"You can't just-"

"Oh I can, you youkai's whore!" he shouted, steadying the men beside him. "Keep your dirty mouth shut. God knows where that has been."

Kagome gasped at his rude words, completely speechless. He spoke nothing like honourable man; he spat shameful yells to her like a bandit though he didn't know anything about her. She just couldn't understand this time's intolerance.

But as Kagome choose to stay quiet, Inuyasha opened his mouth. He was small boy but even a small boy knew what word 'whore' meant. "Leave Kagome alone", his voice wasn't very loud, unsure but somehow protective at the same time.

"Did that thing say something?" whispered woman named Yuko to her friend. The headman had heard it and looked so angry that he couldn't even speak.

"He's not a thing!" Kagome yelled now, making the women flinch. Suddenly, before Kagome had even time to notice, one of the headman's men grabbed her arm tightly.

"Filthy human", the muscular man growled, squeezing her, making Kagome gasp. She tried to struggle away but the man kept his hold and turned to headman. "What are we going to do with these, Kurou-sama?"

When the man wasn't watching Kagome saw from the corner of her eye as the Inuyasha reached his hand and scraped man's hand with his claws. He cried out and immediately pulled his hand away. Kagome backed away, ready to run. The man's scratch wasn't all that bad but he was whining and squeezing his wrist like it had been burned.

The other man seemed ready to attack at her but the headman raised his hand. His angry expression had changed back to calm which Kagome knew was faked. "I say this one more time", he said softly, his dark eyes boring into hers. "Go away or I'll let my men skin you alive."

Kagome took another step back and eyed around. She noticed how few people had come out of their huts, staring at them with nothing but cold, hateful eyes. The rain poured down as Kagome understood truly for the first time how cruel humans were to hanyous. She felt sick. "Fine", she said softly. She squeezed Inuyasha's ankles and backed away. Step after step, her gaze never leaving the people of the village. When she felt that she was far enough, she turned around and run back to forest.

The headman gave an angry face at the empty place where the intruders had been until he smiled calmly once again and turned to the villagers. "There's no need to worry. The hanyo and his whore mother are gone. Again our small village survived from these events so you can sleep your night in peace."

The few people bowed to him and went back to their huts.

"We can always trust on you, Kurou-sama", said Yuko and bowed to him.

"Yes, like always", the headman said. "Now we should all get out of this rain."

With that they walked back to their huts. Little did they know that the youngest, dark-haired boy turned his head and looked in to forest where those two had ran to.

His eyes weren't cold.

AN:

My big thanks to Srt Kagome Taishowho helped me when was being difficult! To you thanks for reading and comments are love for me~

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha