DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter hasn't been edited.

CHAPTER IV: AN UNEXPECTED MEETING


Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow and set her rake against the gate surrounding her home of three months. The leaves had already begun to fall even though autumn had yet to appear. She decided to tidy them up before they had a chance to get out of control and tidying them was sapping all the energy from her body. Thank goodness she was finally done. Now it was time poetry.

She walked over to the big oak tree in the back of her home and sat beneath it. She'd been writing in her poetry scrapbook earlier today before tending to the leaves. Now, she had free time. Picking up her pencil and notepad, thoughts and feelings gave life to words.

It's been a long, long time since I looked into the mirror

I guess that I was blind

Now my reflection's getting clearer

Now that you're gone

Things will never be the same again

There's not a minute that goes by

Every hour of every day

You're such a part of me

But I just pulled away

Well, I'm not the same girl

You used to know

I wish I said the words I never showed

Setting her things aside momentarily she pondered what to write next. Her mind was drawing a blank. Sooner or later she'd think of something, because writing poetry was something she loved to do. It always made her feel relaxed and peaceful. It was something she started doing after her father died.

Her mother forced her to visit a grief counselor twice a week. Initially, she never wanted to see a counselor but her mother promised that the counseling would help her deal with her father's death. So, she took her mother's advice and began the counseling.

She was so nervous when she walked into Dr. Matsui's office four years ago. He was a child psychologist and he was really nice. He tried everything he knew to get Kagome to talk but nothing seemed to work. Then, one day he presented her with what he referred to as a life journal. In the journal he encouraged her to write down her thoughts, emotions and feelings. She really didn't see the significance of the journal but gave it a try anyway. She wrote in that journal almost every day. Every thought, every tear and every memory of her last four years were written in that journal.

Writing in that book was her refuge. Whenever she felt torn or misunderstood it was expressed through her writing. Her thoughts and emotions became poetry. She smiled as she recalled the memory. It was hard to believe so much time had passed since then. She was just a preteen then; a mere 12 year old. Now she was at the ripe and age of 16.

In a few years she'd be an adult. Flipping over to a new page in her scrapbook, she began to write again and as she did so something flew past her face. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the oak tree, wondering what had just interrupted her. It was a brown butterfly.

Kagome reached for it and it flew towards her; resting upon the palm of her hand. She studied the butterfly carefully and brought it near her mouth. Then she gently blew upon the small, winged creature. The butterfly spread its wings wide and the small movement tickled Kagome's hand. She laughed softly as the butterfly flew away and then closed her eyes and leaned against the oak tree.

She sat there for a while and enjoyed the occasional early autumn breeze as it brushed across her face. Minute by minute the time slowly went by. Daydreams filled her head. Suddenly, she was 8 years old and in another place in time. Her mother, father, herself and Sota were gathered for an outdoor activity.

"Did you catch any Kagome?" Mr. Higurashi asked his daughter. Everyone was catching fireflies after the sun began to descend.

"Yeah! I caught a whole lot of them dad. When are we gonna release them?"

"In a minute, I want to make sure your brother caught some too."

"I got three." Sota said with a huge grin on his face.

"Good for you honey." Mrs. Higurashi said as she patted Sota on his head. "Okay, it's time to release them."

Kagome and her brother spread their hands apart and released the fireflies into the atmosphere. The neon glow from their tiny bodies lit up the night like glitter in the air. The view was breathtaking. Never had she seen such a beautiful sight.

"Wow!" Sota said in wonder.

"Look dad, they're like little diamonds." Kagome said as she jumped to catch them again. "I love catching fireflies dad. I like the way their litttle bodies glow at night."

"I like catching them too Butterfly."

"Can I catch some more dad?"

"Go ahead honey."

Kagome ran around the cherry tree in their backyard. She quickly located two fireflies. "Here's another one." She said as she picked up another firefly. Using her free hand she reached up into some branches hanging low in an attempt to catch more but managed to catch something entirely different. She opened her hand and realized she was holding a butterfly inside of it. She shook her hand to release the butterfly but the butterfly refused to fly away.

"Kagome did you find any more fireflies?" Mr. Higurashi asked as he joined his daughter near the cherry tree.

"I found three and I also found this." She extended her hand to her father.

"You caught a butterfly?"

"Yeah. It's blue and black but it doesn't fly."

"That couldn't be true honey. All butterflies fly."

"Well how come this one didn't budge when I tried to set it free?"

"I don't know. Let me take a look at it." Mr. Higurashi inspected the butterfly and noticed one of its wings was damaged. "Here's the problem, Kagome." Mr. Higurashi said as he pointed to the wing. "This butterfly has a broken wing."

"Broken? I've never seen a broken butterfly before."

"Butterflies wings get broken all the time Kagome."

"Well, how can we fix it?"

"We can't fix it honey."

"What? Why not?"

"Because we can't. That's just the way life is. Once a butterfly's wing is broken, it can't be fixed."

"Then what's gonna happen to the butterfly?"

"Well, I assume eventually that damaged wing will fall off and then it'll die."

Kagome looked down at the butterfly and studied it carefully. "That's not gonna happen. I'm gonna take care of this butterfly and fix its broken wings."

"And just how do you plan on accomplishing that ?"

"I don't know but I'm going to do it."

Kagome took the broken butterfly and made a small nest for it in the same tree she found it in. Every day she fed the butterfly and tried to think of ways to fix it's broken wing. She was confident it would fly again. However, one afternoon when she went to check on the butterfly, she realized the damaged wing fell off. Her determination was admirable. She continued to monitor it every day. Eventually, the other wing fell off. The butterfly never flew again.

"Kagome?" Her mother called out to her from the backyard but she didn't respond. "Kagome?" She called out to her again and still no answer. "Kagome? What are you doing?" Her mother asked her once she found her sitting beneath an oak tree. "I've been calling your name for the past ten minutes."

"You have?" Kagome replied to her mother as her mind resurfaced back to the present.

"Yes I have. Somebody's on the phone for you."

"Okay mom."

She rose up from the ground. Daydreaming could really distort reality. She'd been sitting under the tree for a whole hour. How did raking leaves and writing distract her to point of daydreaming? It was that darn butterfly.

It made her think of catching fireflies with her family. It was a bittersweet memory embedded in her heart. Her family was together and strong as ever. They were happy and as close as they could be. Every thing was broken now. Thinking about it all made her sad.

How ironic? The brown butterfly flew past her once more reminding her of the broken one that never flew again. A A bittersweet smile spread across her lips. Sometimes she felt like a broken butterfly. She walked away from the tree and went into the house and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kagome!"

"Koga?"

"Who else would it be Sweetness?"

"You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"Nope. I love calling you that."

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Should I answer that?"

"Please don't. So, is there something you need?"

"As a matter of fact there is. You know your man so well."

"You're not my man Koga."

"Not yet but I will be."

"I hope you didn't call me just to say you're my man."

"Of course not. I called to see if you wanted to go to the cinema with me tonight."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven."

"Why don't we meet up at Takahashi Park? I feel like taking my bike out for a quick ride today. Then from there we can take your car to the movies."

"Can you make it to the park by seven o' clock?"

"Of course I can. My legs are pretty fast."

"Oh? Are they?"

"Koga! Don't you dare make an inappropriate comment."

"I would never disrespect you Kagome."

"You'd better not because I'd have to break your neck."

"Is that a promise Sweetness?"

"Koga!"

"Okay! Okay! No more joking. I'll meet you at Takahashi Park at seven."

"I'll see you later Wolf-Man."

"Until then Sweetness."

Kagome smiled and shook her head. She had been at Shikon Academy for three months and had known Koga since middle school, and he still was having a problem calling her by her given name. He was never gonna stop. Today would be their third date.

The first time they went out they double dated with Kagura and Sesshomaru. They went to a museum and Kagome insisted going to a mummy exhibit. Afterwards they went to a pizza buffet. Once they were seated, everybody began eating except Kagome.

All of a sudden she felt sick. She knew eating after the mummy exhibit would be a bad idea. She'd looked at her plate and tried to eat but couldn't get those mummies out of her mind. When Kagura noticed her playing around with her food, she asked her why she wasn't eating. Kagome didn't really want to tell her but she kept asking. So Kagome lied to her but Kagura didn't believe her. To appease her, Kagome decided to eat a little bit of her food, which turned out to be a very big mistake. She turned pale and Kagura, Sesshomaru and Koga each gave her a concerned look.

Immediately, she jumped up from the table and ran into the washroom. After about ten minutes, she returned to the table. She looked from Sesshomaru to Koga and then to Kagura and gathered that they each wanted to know why she emerged from the table so abruptly. She explained to them that she wasn't really sick. She just couldn't get the sight of the mummies out of her head. When she tried to eat she felt as though if she'd vomit. They each understood but decided not to finish their meals. After hearing Kagome's story everyone lost their appetite. It wasn't necessarily a bad date but it was definitely a strange one.

The second time she and Koga went out they double dated with his sister Abi and her boyfriend Bankotsu. They went to see the Broadway production of The Lion King. However, neither she nor Koga could enjoy the play because Abi and Bankotsu made out the entire time they were there. And if that wasn't bad enough they continued their session on their way home. She wouldn't be surprised if they both got mononucleosis.

Now, she and Koga were going on a third date. She didn't want to be a jinx but something had gone wrong the first two times they went out. She couldn't help but wonder if something crazy was going to happen tonight.

"Maybe I'm making too much of the situations."

She walked up stairs and went into her room. Then she went to the closet and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a green sweater and laid the clothes out on her bed.

She wrapped her hair up, put on a shower cap and took off her dirty clothes. Thank God she had her own bathroom. She thought as she grabbed a towel and went into it. She stepped under the showerhead and sang Someone To watch Over Me.. Once she was clean she dried off and went into her room to get dressed. The water dampened her hair, so she brushed it back from her face and pulled it into a ponytail. She went to her closet and pulled out her green boots.

"These will go great with my sweater." She quickly dressed and then took a look at herself in the mirror. "Hmm, Kagome Higurashi, you are one fly chick." Green was definitely her color.

"Ooh! Somebody's got a big date tonight." Sota said once his sister entered the living room. "So, who are you going out with?"

"That's not any of your business."

"You look ugly anyway."

"Get a life Sota!"

"Kagome? Are you bothering your brother again?" Mrs. Higurashi asked from the kitchen.

"No I'm not mom. He started on me when I came into the living room."

"Are you wearing perfume?" Mama Higurashi smiled at her daughter?

"Mom, I always wear perfume."

"Yeah, but you're usually trying to impress someone when you do. Are you going somewhere?"

"Koga and I are going to the movies. We're meeting each other at Takahashi Park."

"You're meeting him there? I hope you're not planning to walk."

"Of course not mom. I'm going to ride my bike there and he's going to bring his car. We're meeting at the park and then he's driving us to the cinema in his car."

Mrs. Higurashi gave her daughter a very stern look.

"Why are you looking at me like that mom?"

"You know why."

"Mom please? I don't want to go through this again."

"Kagome, I don't want you leaving the house alone."

"I'm 16 years old."

"I don't care how old you are. I still don't want you leaving the house by yourself."

"I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself."

"Can you really?"

Kagome opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. They were gonna argue. She could sense it in her mother's voice and she wasn't looking forward to it.

"I asked you if you could take care of yourself."

"I heard what you said mom."

"What's your answer?"

"I can try."

"That's not good enough for me. I don't want you leaving the house alone and especially at this hour."

"It's not even dark yet."

"It will be in an hour."

"You're being totally unfair. You never let me do anything." Kagome folded her arms under her breast and glared at her mother.

"That's not true Kagome. I don't mind you going out."

"Yeah, but it has to be a group date."

"That's not true Kagome and you know it. I don't mind you going out with Koga but I prefer that he picks you up from the house. I don't want you taking that bike out to meet him."

"You don't want me taking my bike out to meet anyone."

"Takahashi Park is beyond your neck of the woods Kagome. You don't know what dangers may lie ahead. There may be wild animals roaming about."

"Oh my God!" Kagome groaned irritably. "Do you think the big bad wolf is gonna get me? Huh mom? Don't tell me you believe in that ancient gibberish grandpa is always spouting about demons. They're not real."

Kayame released a frustrated breath and stared her daughter down. "Regardless of what your grandfather believes, you can't deny the fact we're living in a very dangerous world. Anything can happen to you once you leave this house."

"Anything has already happened to me mom! Anything can happen to me in this house! Anything can happen to me while I'm at school!"

"Honey, I just want you to be safe."

"I know mom but you can't just lock me away in this house all the time. I won't be caged within these walls like an animal. You got to live your own life. Why can't I live mine?"

Mrs. Higurashi grew quiet. She knew she wasn't being fair to her daughter but she just didn't want her to get hurt again. "You've been through so much already Kagome."

"Exactly mom. I've had to deal with things that no other 16 year old should have to deal with but I have to live my own life. Please don't deny me that mom. Please!"

"I just don't want to lose you Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi said with tears in her eyes.

"You're not going to lose me mom. I'm a big girl. I can look out for myself." Kagome walked over to her mother and embraced her affectionately. "Please trust me mom. I'll try to be careful."

"Don't try to be careful Kagome. Just be careful."

"You know I will. I love you mom." She whispered before kissing her mother's cheek.

"I love you too Butterfly. Come back to me."

"You know I will."

Mrs. Higurashi hugged her daughter again and released her. Kagome wiped her eyes and walked outside to get her bike which rested upon the grass in the front yard. She hadn't even realized she was crying herself. Her mother always knew how to get to her. She watched as Kagome stepped onto her bike.

"I love you mom." She said again and then she waved at her mother and took off into the night.

Mrs. Higurashi watched her daughter pedal her bike until she was from her view. She hoped she made the right decision. Kagome had already gone through too many terrible experiences. If something else happened to her…. She looked up at the sky and silently prayed a prayer for her daughter. Then she walked into the house to try to calm her wandering mind. She wouldn't be at peace until her daughter walked back into their home tonight.


"This is the life!" Kagome yelled into the air.

It felt so good to ride away into the evening breeze. She loved the feel of the wind upon her face. She was so glad that her mother allowed her to go out on her own. It really meant a lot to her. She looked up into the sky and smiled. The sun had begun to set and it just looked absolutely beautiful; a sight to be seen forever. Her eyes closed briefly feeling her up with peace. She continued her journey to Takahashi Park. When she finally made it there she stepped off her bike and took a long glance at the park.

She didn't know it would be this grand. The sight was absolutely breath-taking. There were tall trees protruding from the ground. Lush and vibrant flowers were displayed in array of oranges, pinks and blues. Birds were singing and dancing around everywhere. Everything was beautiful. It shouldn't have been called Takahashi Park. It should've been called Paradise Park.

She was completely blown away by its beauty. She began to explore the park and noticed that there was a really, really tall tree well beyond the view of the park. Being the wonderer that she was; she decided to get an up close view of the tall tree.

She walked and walked until she came upon a forest. It was hidden far beyond the park. Just as she neared the forest's entrance, she felt chills run up and down her back.

It felt like someone was watching her. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sun had completely set and the daylight was now a distant memory. Fear began to overtake her and she started to panic. She turned to leave the forest, but a moment later, an agonized voice stopped her.

"Help! Help me."

Kagome shook uncontrollably and slowly began to walk away.

"Please! Don't leave. I need your help."

It sounded like a male. Maybe it was Koga. She thought for a moment; then dismissed the thought completely. Koga wouldn't be inside of the forest because they never met inside of it. It was always on the rusted park bench.

"I know someone is out there. I can hear you walking."

After hearing the voice again, Kagome knew it wasn't Koga. She ran her hand through her ponytail, not really knowing what to do. The guy sounded like he was in pain but she was scared out of her mind. It was dark and she was inside of a forest. She wasn't the type to turn her back on someone in need of help.

"Why should I help you?"

She waited for an answer and hoped to God that she was doing the right thing. When the male never answered, she began to worry. She ran around inside the forest to look for him.

"Where are you? I can't help you if I don't know where you are." She searched over and over again through trees, leaves and rocks but was unsuccessful. "If this is your idea of a sick joke it's not funny. Did you hear me? If you're joking, I'm so out of here." She searched one final time and then decided to give up. "I'm leaving now." She shouted to the top of her lungs." What a fool she was to have compassion on this person that obviously didn't need her help. She began to walk away and the male called out again.

"No! Don't go! I really need your help."

"That's not going to work this time buddy. I called out to you over and over again and you never answered me."

"I tried-but I'm-barely hanging on. I can't move-please help me-

Kagome listened carefully and followed the sound of his voice. It took her ten minutes but she finally found him. He was lying against that tall tree she'd been searching for. She quickly ran up towards him and sure enough the guy couldn't move. He was dressed in a black Adidas jacket, red Nike tee shirt and a pair of blue-jeans. He wore no shoes and looked about her age. She saw blood dripping on the ground and quickly located the source of its flow. He had an arrow in the left side of his chest which held him in place on the tree.

"Oh my God! You're pinned to the tree! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Kagome panicked.

"Please, help-Me."

"I don't know what to do! You have an arrow in your chest!"

"Pull…you have…to pull it out."

"What?" Kagome screamed in disbelief. "I can't pull that thing out of your chest. You'll bleed to death."

"Please…you have to do it…or I'll die."

"But I may do you more harm by pulling it out."

The male started to choke. "Stupid…I'll die…if you…don't."

Kagome felt torn. She didn't know what to do. If he didn't get medical attention soon he would die. She was certain of it. Why was this happening right now? She didn't know anything about arrows.

"Please…help me. I don't…..want to die." The male said as he choked back tears. Blood continued to spill from his chest.

Her heart broke at the sight of him. This poor guy was dying on a tree and she didn't know how to save him. She watched in horror as his body shook with pain and his blood coated the ground.

"Pl…ease…hel…p…me." The male said once again as he struggled to speak.

Kagome just stood there and looked at him. She was terrified out of her mind. She knew that he probably wouldn't make it even if she did help him. She clutched her hands together tightly as tears splashed down her cheeks.

The male stretched forth one of his hand's toward her. "Please…..Help…me!" He croaked out before his head fell forward and he stopped breathing.

"NO!" Kagome screamed in terror. "DON'T DIE! PLEASE!" She put her hands on the arrow in his chest and began to pull. She pulled as hard as she could but nothing happened.

"Come on you stupid arrow! Come on! Please come out of him! Please come out!" Her tears blurred her vision but she persisted. The arrow penetrated her skin deeply. "Please! Please come out!"

She pulled the arrow so hard that blood seeped from her palms. She winced at the pain but she refused to stop pulling on the arrow. She pulled and pulled and still the arrow wouldn't budge. She pulled until splinters from the arrow's wood embedded themselves deep into her hands. She trembled and bit down hard on her bottom lip to control her sobs.

"Please, God give me the strength to do this. I can't watch someone else die."

Kagome cried and prayed. She yelled and she pulled. She did everything she felt driven to do until she heard a bird cooing in the distance. The ground seemed to shake as the fading sun beat down on her skin. Something was happening. She could feel it in her bones. The atmosphere was shifting.

The trees began to sway and leaves rustled upon the ground. The wind began to gently blow and as the autumn breeze rushed over her. She didn't know why but suddenly she felt peaceful. Then with strength she never knew she possessed, she pulled the arrow out of the male's chest and he fell to the ground with a plop onto his back.

Kagome quickly got down on her knees and checked his pulse. He was still alive but hanging by a thread. She pushed his head back and tilted his mouth up. Then she pressed her mouth to his and began to blow air into his mouth. Her hands went to his and pushed.

"Come on! Please wake up."

She said as she tried to revive him. She breathed and breathed and pressed and pressed and prayed that he would awake. She breathed so much air into his mouth that her lips started to hurt but she wouldn't give up.

Finally, he began to move. She breathed into his mouth some more and he opened his eyes and looked at her.

All of a sudden she felt bashful. He smiled against her mouth and she could feel every bit of it. A swirl of emotions danced across her thoughts. She had never been kissed before. Oh boy! Why did she have to be thinking about that now? She stole a quick glance at him. He was looking right back at her.

"Um, thank…you." He uttered and Kagome froze.

Why did he have to do that? They still had their mouths pressed together and she could tell that he had really soft lips. She could feel his breath on her lips. The light movement tickled her mouth and she moved her face away from his.

"Took you long enough...Wench."

Kagome's smile quickly turned into a frown. "What did you call me? "

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "My chest hurts. I need to get out of this jacket."

Kagome ignored the name he gave her and touched his hand. "Let me get that for you. By the way, my name is pronounced Ka-go-me." She said as she removed the blood-stained jacket from his body.

"I'm...In...Inu...yasha."

"You're Inuyasha!" Kagome said as she loosened his shirt.

The front of it was drenched in blood. He had lost so much of it and was still losing it. Kagome removed his shirt from his body. Then she ripped it into four separate parts.

Oh! Wow! He was gorgeous. She admired his lean upper torso. He was slim but he was toned. His muscles were well defined even with the blood covering them. He had piercing golden eyes and his hair was silver like twinkling starlight. His look was extremely exotic and she found that daringly beautiful. Her heart fluttered wildly at the mere sight of him as her belly quivered nervously. Calm down girl. You have to keep your mind on the matter at hand.

Below her Inuyasha wiggled his nose before gazing at her curiously. If he wasn't so tired he'd ask her why she was wondering around in a forest by herself.

Kagome took one of the four parts of his ripped shirt and folded it until it resembled a small flat square. Then she placed it over the wound in his chest.

"We need to apply pressure here." She said as she pulled his hand. "Press your hand over the cloth." She instructed him.

He listened to every word she said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I need for you to hold it in place over your wound."

She wrapped up the remaining pieces of cloth and wound each piece around the folded cloth covering his wound. When she was finished, she noticed that he was staring at her. Her cheeks flushed bright red.

Something about her innocent blushes stirred something within him. Something he refused name. "Thanks. ..Wench."

Kagome rolled her eyes. A slight blush still played at her features. "Come on. We need to get you to a hospital." Kagome dusted off her clothes and stood up. "Can you stand on your own?"

"I don't think so."

"Give me your hand." She helped him sit up. "Put your arm around my shoulder and try to lift yourself." To her surprise he stood up quite easily but then his legs buckled and he began to slide to the ground.

Kagome sized him up for a moment. He was kind of thin. She probably was strong enough to lift him. With a hand to his back, she helped him stand again. Then she crouched down before him.

"Climb onto my back." She instructed him.

"I can't…..you'll drop me."

"No I won't. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"I can walk just…..fine. Besides, I'll only slow…you down."

"Look Inuyasha! You're still bleeding and I need to get you to the hospital as soon as I can. Please trust me!"

He didn't know if it was desperation to get help or whether he actually trusted her not to drop him but he decided to do as she asked of him. He lifted his arms and placed them around her neck and slowly with her assistance hoisted himself onto her back.

Kagome took a deep breath and then exhaled before straitening her body as much as possible. He was heavier than he looked but she was confident that she could carry him. She wrapped her arms around his knees, holding him in place and he kept his arms around her neck. Then he laid his face upon her back, closing his eyes his eyes as she carried him away out of the forest and into safety.

She walked pass many trees as they began their journey from the forest to the park. Occasionally, Kagome went down the wrong path, so Inuyasha had to point her in the right directions. He slipped a few times from her grasp but he never hit the ground. She kept her promise that she wouldn't drop him.

When they safely made it out of the forest and had reached the park's end Kagome crouched down and let Inuyasha step off of her back and he began to stagger. Blood began to seep through the cloth that Kagome wrapped over his wound and she knew it probably was on the back of her sweater. He needed help and he needed it fast. She looked around for her bike but couldn't find it.

"I can't find my bike. We're going to have to walk Inuyasha."

He shook his head. "I…..have…..a car." He pointed towards the park's parking lot.

"Thank God. We would never make it to the hospital if we had to walk."

Hand in hand, they slowly made their way to the parking lot and Inuyasha reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. Kagome took them from his hand and unlocked the car. She opened the back door and helped him into the back seat of his car. As she buckled his seat belt, she made a confession.

"I must warn you Inuyasha. I'm not a good driver. I don't even have my driver's license yet."

He smiled at her and closed his eyes.

"No. You have to stay awake."

"But…..I'm….so tired."

"I know, but please try to stay awake until I get you to the hospital." She reached out and touched his cheek. "Don't you want to see your family again?"

He opened his eyes and stared at her. Something about her seemed very familiar. It felt like he knew her but, how could he?

"Inuyasha? Are you still with me?"

And for a reason he couldn't explain he wanted to touch her. So he reached out his hand and cupped her cheek.

Kagome blushed and cast her eyes to the ground.

"We need to get you to the hospital Inuyasha."

He smiled and dropped his hand from her face. "Okay…Kagome….I'll stay awake."

She closed his door and stepped into the driver's seat. "Myoga...Myoga Memorial...is the nearest hospital. Do…you...know...where...it is?"

"Yeah, I know where it is." She had passed it on her way to Takahashi Park.

"Hold on Inuyasha. I'm going to try to get you to the hospital as quick as I can."

She cranked his car, said a brief prayer and then drove away into the night. Everything was going to be alright.


Kagome sat outside in the waiting area. By now Inuyasha was almost out of surgery. She was thankful that she didn't get into any accidents on her way to Myoga Memorial Hospital. Inuyasha gave her his cell phone to call his parents when they arrived at the hospital. His parents weren't at home when she tried to reach them. So she left them a message on their voice mail.

"Kagome!" She heard a familiar voice call her name and she looked around the waiting room.

"Kagome, over here." She looked around again and spotted Sesshomaru and his parents walking towards her.

"Where is he? Where's Jr.?" His mother asked her.

Kagome looked puzzled for a minute. Then she figured they must've been referring to Inuyasha. When they made it over to where she stood she began to explain what happened to him.

"I was supposed to meet a friend at the park and he hadn't made it there yet. So I decided to explore the grounds. I started roaming around and I ended up in that forest towards the back.

Sesshomaru glanced from Kagome and then to his parents. They shared mysterious looks with each other that the girl didn't notice.

"Shortly after I made it there I heard someone yelling for help. I went to looking and that's when I found Inuyasha. He was pinned to a tree by an arrow in the left side of his chest. He wanted me to take the arrow out but I was reluctant to do so. I thought he would die, so I was hesitant about pulling it. When he passed out I panicked and pulled the arrow anyway.

Sesshomaru and his parents continued to exchange strange glances with each other as Kagome spoke of her and Inuyasha's journey through the forest. She was staring out the window while she spoke, oblivious to the nonverbal communication taking place among the Takahashis.

"He fell on the ground and I resuscitated him because he stopped breathing. When he came to I made him a bandage to cover his wound. Then I carried him on my back out of the forest and park and I drove him to this hospital in his car. Then I called you guys because I know you had to be worried about him."

Sesshomaru and his parents stared at Kagome when her story was finished. Reluctantly she met their gaze. Golden eyes and questionable expressions overshadowed her; forcing her to stand still. A chill slid down her back as a feeling of helplessness crawled about her skin. Suddenly she felt like crying. Why were they staring at her and what was happening to her body? Before she knew it a single tear slipped from her eye.

Sesshomaru made a strangled sound in his throat and he and his parents stopped staring. Something was whispered between father and son and before Kagome had a chance to dwell on the mysteriousness of the situation, Mrs Takahashi's arms wen't around her.

"You saved my baby's life!" The woman muttered.

Kagome sobbed into Mrs. Takahashi's shirt as the strange feeling began to dissipate. She stood there for a moment longer trying to get these strange emotions she was experiencing under control. She'd never been embraced by a stranger, but could tell Inuyasha's mother was really shaken up too. Her hand went to Mrs. Takahashi's back in an attempt to comfort her and when her tears subsided she released Kagome and began to speak to her.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving my Jr. He could've died but you were there to help him. I don't wanna think about what would've happened had you not been there. Thank you. We're forever indebted to you."

Kagome bashfully offered Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi a smile.

"Takahashi? Are the parents of Inuyasha Takahashi present?" A nurse asked as she entered the waiting room.

"I'm Mrs. Takahashi and this is my husband." Mrs. Takahashi said as she she waved the nurse toward them.

The nurse walked over and introduced herself. "I'm Nurse Yurasai. Dr. Ryoko is the doctor that operated on your son. He asked me to bring you guys to his office."

"How's Inuyasha doing?" Mr. Takahashi asked with a very stern look on his face.

"Right now he's resting. He just came out of surgery. r. Ryoko is expecting him to make a quick recovery. If you folks would follow me to his office he could explain your son's surgery in detail."

"You guys go ahead." Sesshomaru said to his parents. "I'll wait out here."

Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi nodded their heads and followed Nurse Yurasai to Doctor Ryoko's office.

"Let's go get some air." Sesshomaru suggested before leading Kagome outside and onto one of the hospital benches.

"I'm glad your brother's okay." Kagome spoke with relief.

"Inuyasha's stubborn. If you hadn't helped him he would've found a way outside of the forest."

"Leaving him there wasn't an option. I couldn't forgive myself if had. I would've done the same thing for anyone."

" I suppose you would. It's in your nature to do such things. "

Kagome blushed nervously and Sesshomaru smirked at her.

"Have you called your mother yet?"

"Yeah, but it'll take her a while to get here. We live in Hosenki Hills."

While she spoke her eyes flickered wildly and she began to feel lightheaded. She touched her head and swayed against Sesshomaru.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm a bit exhausted. I guess I should've ate something before I left home."

"Let's go back inside. I'll get you something to eat."

They began to walk back into the hospital and Kagome swayed again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I…feel a little…dizzy."

Sesshomaru lifted her easily and she stiffened in his arms. He noticed the change within but didn't speak of it. He brought Kagome back to the waiting area and placed her in a chair before leaving to get her some water. When he came back with her drink he noticed she was missing from her seat. He scanned the waiting room briefly but she was nowhere to be found.

"Somebody help!" A woman screamed as she ran from the bathroom. "We need help in the ladies restroom. There's a girl passed out on the bathroom floor. Her hands are bleeding! Somebody help her! I don't think she's breathing!"


Kagome stretched her arms and yawned.

"Mmmm, that was some really good sleep."

She turned over in her bed only to realize that she wasn't in her bed. She then rubbed her eyes. Hmm, not only was she not in her bed, she was also not in her home.

"Oh my God! I'm still at the hospital."

She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 2:00 in the afternoon. What the heck was she doing in a hospital bed? Better yet, what the heck was she doing still at the hospital? She began to recall last night's events.

She brought Inuyasha to the hospital. She talked to his parents and then went outside with Sesshomaru but that was all she could remember. She looked down at her hands. They were bandaged up and they were sore. She did cut up her hands pretty badly when she was trying to remove that arrow from Inuyasha's chest.

"You're awake." A nurse said as she entered Kagome's hospital room.

Kagome offered the lady a smile.

"How are you feeling this afternoon?"

"I feel okay I guess, but my head kind of hurts."

"Well that's to be expected. You did take a really nasty fall last night."

Kagome looks puzzled. "Excuse me? I fell last night?"

"You don't remember?"

Kagome shook her head. "That last thing I remember is talking to Sesshomaru."

"That's truye. You were talking with him last night and you became dizzy. You almost passed out so Sesshomaru brought you into the hospital. He went to get you some water because you were exhausted and then you went missing. You were later found sprawled out on the ladies restroom floor. You passed out and hit your head on one of the sinks in the bathroom. You have a wound on the back of your head but its a minor cut.

"I passed out and hit my head on a sink?!"

"Don't worry honey. You'll be fine."

"Has my mother been here?"

"She was here all night."

"Where is she now?"

"She went home to get your brother and grandfather. They were really worried about you."

Poor Sota, she thought. He probably thought that something awful had happened to her again She remembered how terrified he was the day she was… She stopped the direction her thoughts were going. She refused to bring that day up again.

"Kagome, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"That's good. You looked like you were lost a minute ago. Your doctor wanted me to check on you."

"Who's my doctor?"

"His name is Dr. Goryomaru. He's a really good doctor. He had you stitched up in no time."

"I got stitches?"

"You sure do. You've got some in your hands and a couple in your head. I don't think you understand how much your body went through yesterday. You didn't eat anything yesterday and you gave yourself a pretty good workout with my nephew."

"Who's your nephew?"

"Oh that's right. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Nurse Matsui."

"You're Miroku's mother?"

"Yes. Miroku is my son."

Kagome looked confused for a moment. "I wasn't with Miroku yesterday."

"I know that. I was referring to my nephew Inuyasha. You do know that my son and Inuyasha are cousins, don't you?"

"I never knew that. Miroku told me they were best fiends but I had no idea of the blood relation."

They're best friends and have been since they were little boys. My husband, Miroku Sr. and Inuyasha's mother Izayoi are brother and sister."

"I never knew that." Kagome repeated again. "But then again I didn't meet Inuyasha until yesterday. He was supposed to return to school this week."

"He was but he got hit with that arrow and nobody knows who hit him with it."

"Really?" Kagome asked Nurse Matsui in disbelief. "Does Inuyasha know who did it?"

"He doesn't really remember. He said that he heard a noise and the next thing he knew he was pinned to a tree."

"How strange? Do you think someone was trying to kill him?"

"I'm not certain of that but I am certain of one thing, Kagome. If you hadn't been there my nephew would've died. You're an angel, you know that?"

Kagome blushed at the compliment. "Thank you Mrs. Matsui but I'm hardly an angel."

"You are to me. Are you hungry?"

"Very."

"Alright, I'll have some food brought in to you. Oh, when you get a chance, stop by and visit my nephew. He's in room 212."

"Is there any reason why I need to go there?"

"I believe there is but only you can find out why. I heard that he kept asking about you."

"Why was he asking about me?

"I don't know. I just know what his doctor and his parents told me. They said that all throughout the night he kept calling out your name."

Kagome blushed and lowered her head so that Nurse Matsui wouldn't see her face.

"I'll check on you later. It was nice meeting you Kagome Higurashi." Nurse Matsui said before extending Kagome a smile. Then she exited her room.

He wanted to see her? She wondered what for. Maybe he probably wanted to thank her for helping him. He did almost die yesterday and if she hadn't been at Takahashi Park, she never would've found him. Somebody was watching over him.

Somebody was watching over the both of them. There was just no way she was strong enough to pull that arrow out of Inuyasha's chest. Divine intervention was the only explanation.

Kagome closed her eyes. A feeling of tranquility wrapped itself around her. It was both calming and relaxing at the same time. She felt like she did when she was a little girl when her family was together and as happy as ever.

She could still remember their road trips. They traveled to different parts of the world. Every day was an adventure for the Higurashi family. They were living the impossible dream.

Kagome sat there and thought about her childhood for a while. Those days were filled with endless happiness. A smile slowly began to form upon her face. Her life was beautiful once upon a time.

"I take it that smile is for me."

Kagome opened her eyes and continued smiling. A male had entered her room but she didn't know who it was. There was a huge vase of flowers covering him.

"Are you going to show me your face?"

"You don't recognize my voice?."

She should've known that Koga would be the first person to visit her in the hospital.

"How sweet. You came to see me."

Koga lowered the flowers from his face and walked over to Kagome's bed.

"These are for you Sweetness."

Kagome looked down at the bouquet. Two pink roses surrounded ten white ones.

"Thank you Koga. They're really beautiful."

"You put them to shame."

Kagome blushed. "You're really sweet Koga." Kagome said as she motioned for him to place the flowers on the table next to her bed.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I kind of have a headache and my hands are sore but I feel okay. Did my mother tell you what happened?"

"Yeah, she did. I practically called your house about fifty times."

"You did?"

"Of course I did! I was worried about you. I didn't see you when I came to the park and I went ballistic. I called your mother and she cried so hard on the phone."

A lump began to form in Kagome's throat. "My mother is always crying."

"She was really worried about you Kagome. I believe she thought something happened to you."

Kagome felt exposed. She didn't want Koga knowing her deepest secrets.

"Why do you say that? Did my mother say something?"

"Well, yeah she did."

"What did she say?"

If her mother told Koga….she'd never forgive her.

"She said that you had to be alright because she couldn't handle it if something else happened to you."

Kagome looked frantic. What if he knew? "Is that all my mother said?"

"Yeah, that's it. She repeated it over and over again."

"My mother is like that Koga. She's always worried about me."

Koga studied Kagome's profile. She looked scared, like she didn't want him to find something out about her.

"Kagome, are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm sure."

"I know it's none of my business but it feels like you're hiding something."

Kagome felt like she was going to panic. She had to calm down before Koga read her thoughts. She'd never been good at hiding her emotions.

"Koga, I'm a complicated person."

"I don't believe that. You seem to be a very loving person."

"Your opinion of me is biased."

"I can't help it. I thought I was going to lose you yesterday."

"Well you didn't Wolf-Man. As you can see I'm totally fine."

"I really care about you Kagome."

"I care about you too Koga."

"No. I really, really care about you."

Koga leaned over and cupped Kagome's face. Then he tilted it so that her eyes met his gaze.

"I...love...I love you, Kagome."

"Koga stop it! You don't love me."

"Yes I do."

"But we haven't even dated for that long. You're not even my boyfriend."

"It doesn't matter. I think I fell in love with you the day I met you."

"Why are you telling me this now, Koga?"

He stared at her for a while and then leaned closer to her.

Kagome cringed. He wanted to kiss her. She'd been kissed before but it was unwanted and she had no control over that situation. Other than that she'd never been kissed again. She wasn't sure if she wanted a kiss from Koga either.

He brought his face closer to hers and she turned her head. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she didn't know how she'd react if he kissed her. Then it happened. He turned her face back towards his lowered his lips. He pressed them roughly against hers.

As soon as she felt his lips she knew she didn't want him to kiss her. She stiffened in his embrace. When he tried to pry her mouth open she froze up and Koga felt every bit of it.

He looked at her and she dropped her eyes to the floor. He smirked, mistaking her refusal of him as playing hard to get and wrapped an arm around her back.

What the heck was he doing? Couldn't he tell she didn't want him?

Koga leaned into Kagome's embrace and brought his face dangerously close to her neck, nuzzling it. Then before Kagome had a chance to push him away he began planting kisses into the crook of her neck.

"Stop it!"

"Oh come on Sweetness. You know you want this."

"Stop it!"

Koga laughed.

"I mean it! Take your hands off of me! Now!"

Koga stopped immediately. He was sure she was joking with him but couldn't tell by her voice that she was upset with him.

"Kagome?" She refused to meet his gaze.

He reached out his hand to caress her cheek and she backed away from his touch.

"I think I'll go now." Koga said as he looked away from Kagome.

She could tell he was hurt. It was evident in his voice. She liked Koga but she didn't want him that way.

"You're such a tease."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're always joking around like you want me and the second I try to kiss you, you flip the script and put on the Little Miss Innocent act. You know I like you. If you don't want me stop jacking me off."

"Get out! Get out of my room now and don't come back!"

Koga angrily opened the door to Kagome's hospital room and slammed it shut behind him.

Kagome ran a nervous hand through her hair. She felt bad. Koga genuinely cared about her but she couldn't help the way that she was. Two tears slowly began their journey down her face.

"Hey girl!" Sango said as she entered Kagome's room followed by Miroku.

They each brought flowers and balloons into Kagome's room and placed the items on a table in the corner of the room.

"How are you feeling Kagome?" Miroku asked as he and Sango walked over to her bed.

Kagome had her heead down and she didn't respond.

"Did you hear me Kagome?" Miroku asked. He started to call her name again but stopped when he heard her crying.

"Would you like to talk to Sango alone, Kagome?"

Kagome didn't answer him she just nodded..

"I'll catch up with you girls later." Miroku left the room.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you sick or something?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Well, what is it? Tell me?"

"Koga…was…here."

"Koga! Did he do something to you?"

"It's my fault anyway."

"Did he say something to you? It's obvious that you're upset."

"He told me he loves me."

"What? But he's not even your boyfriend is he?"

"No, he isn't."

"Why would he even tell you something like that?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he said he was really worried about me and he thought he was going to lose me yesterday. He said he loved me and of course that threw me off balance because I wasn't expecting him to say that. Then he kissed me."

"He actually kissed you"?

Kagome nodded.

"Then what happened Kagome?"

"He started kissing me on my neck and I…just…froze…up…and he tried to touch me again and I backed away from him. He got really upset and left the room."

"That's not the reason why you're upset though, is it Kagome? It's not the fact that Koga left the room angry. It's because of your reaction to his kiss, isn't it?"

Kagome wiped at her tears aimlessly.

Sango reached out to her best friend and embraced her.

"I don't know why I thought I'd change. I'll never be normal again."

"Don't say that! You are normal."

"No I'm not. I chase away every guy that's interested in me. Maybe I should just stamp the word frigid across my forehead."

"Stop it Kagome. You're not frigid and Koga had no right assuming he could put his lips anywhere on your body."

"I led him on. I wasn't trying to though."

"You can't help the way that you are Kagome."

"I don't want to be like this Sango. I don't want to freeze up when a guy tries to kiss me. It's almost like it's a natural reaction. What am I doing wrong? No matter how normal I try to be I always end up feeling broken. I' don't like feeling this way. "

"Kagome, you're my best friend and I love you. Desite what you've been through you're still very strong and courageous. I don't know anybody that has gone through the things you have and lived to walk away from it. You're gonna get through this. I'm going to be by your side every step of the way. We'll get through it together."


Chapter contained lyrics from the song Here With Me. Please leave a review and thanks for stopping by.