When Kagome caught the sight of Kouga heading towards her, she turned her face away. The cuts and bruises were minor but the marks on her back were still bad. She knew he would blame Inuyasha for not protecting her when it really been her own fault or so she thought. She didn't want Kouga to accuse Inuyasha. He had tried his best. " Hey Kagome!" Kouga waved to her as he walked up beside her. " Are you still with that mutt? Don't you ever get tired of him?" He asked as always. " Hi Kouga. How are you?" Kagome asked ignoring his questions. He gave her an odd look. "Hey, whats wrong with your face?" His blue eyes swept over her. " Nothing. I just had a run in with a demon while I was out taking a walk." she lied. Inuyasha walked up and stood in front of her. " What do you want, now?" Inuyasha stayed firmly in front of Kagome. " I don't have to have a reason to stop by and see Kagome, Mutt." Kouga barked at him. "Well, you've seen her so now you can leave." Inuyasha said. Kagome smiled to herself as the two began yelling insults at each other. She walked over to Shippo and Kilala.

Inuyasha continued to fight with Kouga until a thought occured to him. ' Maybe I could leave Kagome with Kouga. Wait... what am I thinking? Leave Kagome with him?' He looked over at Kagome and was swept away by his love for her. ' I don't want to lose you, Kagome. And if keeping you safe means sending you away with Kouga then I have no other choice.' He turned back to Kouga who was glaring at him with annoyance. " Kouga, I want you to take Kagome back with you." Kouga looked at him in surprise. " What? Why the heck do you want me to do that?" It took Inuyasha a few moments to answer. " Naraku has been after her. I don't want her to stay here if it means he'll come after her again. He won't find her with you." Kouga could see the sincerity and concern in the hanyou's eyes. " Fine, i'll gladly take her." Inuyasha nodded beginning to walk to Kagome but stopped. " Keep your hands off of her or i'll break your neck." Then he began walking again. Kagome looked at him as he walked beside her. " Kagome? I need to tell you something." He sat down. " I'm sending you back with Kouga. Your not safe with me right now and I don't want you to get hurt again." His heart broke with every word he spoke. " I promise to come back for you as soon as it's safe. Do you understand Kagome?" Kagome just looked at him not trusting her voice. " I don't want to leave you, Inuyasha." she said finally her blank look turning into anxiety. " Please don't do this to me." she begged him. But Inuyasha couldn't lose her, she meant too much to him. " Kagome, I don't know what else to do." Kagome wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his robe.He lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. What happened next was something Inuyasha would remember forever. He bent his head over hers and met her lips with his own. The kiss filled him with so much warmth and happiness as well as sadness. The world around them drifted away as he held her closer. When they broke apart, Kagome stood. " Keep your promise, Inuyasha." was all she said. She gathered her stuff and left with Kouga.

Kagome's heart was breaking into a millon pieces as she walked away from Inuyasha. ' I don't want you to leave me. Don't you know how much i've come to love you?' she thought to herself. She had forced herself not to cry so Inuyasha wouldn't feel bad about what he was doing. But it became increasingly hard to fight the tears. Kouga sensed her sadness but didn't know how to make her feel better. " Don't worry, Kagome. The mutt will come back for you." he told her. But Kagome didn't say anything just continued to follow Kouga. They traveled for hours until finally they came upon Kouga's tribe. He took her into the cave behind the waterfall leading her past the group of wolf demons who were looking hungrily at her. " Rules are still the same with Kagome." he told them. " You lay a finger on her and i'll kill you." The tribe backed up, afraid of the leader. Kagome curled up on the large soft pelt in the corner of the cave. She sat up when she felt the eyes of everyone follow her movements. The scratches on her back began to hurt again so she stepped out of the cave. She sat on the edge of the cliff where the cave was set. She remembered the night where Inuyasha had turned human and asked to lay his head on her lap. How wonderful it had been to have him so close to her. ' Are you thinking of me, Inuyasha?' She missed those dog ears of his so much. But she also missed Sango and Shippo and Miroku and Kilala.' What am gonna do without you all?'

Naraku was fuming. ' Where did she go?' He had sent a Sanyosho to spy on Inuyasha and Kagome only to find out that Kagome had disappeared. He couldn't think of where she would have gone. Inuyasha wouldn't say anthing that might have given away her whereabouts. So he would have to find the girl before he could continue with the next step of his plan. This might prove to be alittle more difficult than he wanted.

Inuyasha had watched Kagome and Kouga until they disappeared, hating himself. Sango, Shippo, and Miroku hadn't helped much either. " What were you thinking sending her away like that?" Sango yelled at him. " What else was I supposed to do? Naraku would've killed her." he had yelled back. " Kagome didn't want to leave but still you made her, you bully." Shippo shouted. Inuyasha whacked him on the head. Miroku just gave that look that only made him feel even more like a jerk. He looked at Kilala. " You gonna yell at me too?!" She just meowed. He marched past her and far away from the group. He knew he had done the right thing for Kagome but that didn't mean he was gonna feel good about it. ' Kagome, your safe from Naraku and thats all that matters. But I sure am missing you right now.'

Five days had past and Kagome's back had healed considerably. Her face wasn't scratched anymore only a few small bruises remained. Kouga had done his best to ensure her privacy and was very kind to her. Whenever she woke in the morning the tribe would already be up and out searching for food and supplies. So it always gave her time to bath and change. Today she wore a long sleeved pink shirt, pink shorts, and white shoes. She had stayed to herself most of the time she had been with Kouga and never getting much sleep. She was sitting on the pelt sifting through her things to pass the time when a familar voice rang through the cave. " Kagome." said Inuyasha as he walked into the cave towards her. Her eyes overfilled with tears of joy. " Inuyasha! You came back for me." She rushed into his waiting arms vowing never to leave them again. " Kagome... I couldn't stay away. I can't stand not being with you." he whispered to her. She looked up at him and asked the one question that was most important to her. "Can I come back with you Inuyasha?" He hesitated, thinking over her question before answering, " Your better now and stronger. But I still can't put you in Naraku's path. I'm sorry, Kagome, your gonna have to stay here." Kagome pulled herself free from his arms. " I can't be here anymore. You can't make me hide like a coward!" She walked out of the cave to find Kilala waiting there. She hopped on her back and called for Inuyasha. Inuyasha sighed and followed her. " Your not coming, Kagome and thats final." he crossed his arms across his chest. " Besides your still not fit enough to fight any demons." Kagome's eyebrow twitched. " Inuyasha?" she said. "What?" His ears perked up sensing what was about to come. " Sit boy." Inuyasha was thrown to the ground. " Ahhh." Kagome got off Kilala and returned to the cave. She left Inuyasha cursing at her under his breath. She heard. " Sit boy." Her voice echoed in the empty cave. Inuyasha was once again thrown to the ground. To make matters worse for Inuyasha, he was still on the ground from the "sit" spell when Kouga returned. " What did you do now, Mutt?" Kouga asked with a arrogant smile. Inuyasha jumped up and hit Kouga on the head. " Remember my warning, you mangey wolf. Keep your hands off Kagome." He hopped on Kilala and was gone. " Yeah? Well, with you out of the way then I'll keep her and make her my woman!" He laughed and turned around. SMACK! Kouga had turned around only to be slapped across the face by Kagome. " I'm not your woman!" she said each word slowly to make sure Kouga got the point.

Inuyasha left Kagome only feeling a little better. " Well, at least she's healing and seems to be in good hands with Kouga." Still Inuyasha wanted to be the one who was protecting Kagome and not Kouga. "Naraku, one day you'll pay for all the harm you've brought to my friends." He closed his eyes imagining himself ripping Naraku to pieces. ' I can just smell him, now. That rancid smell of his.' And indeed Inuyasha could smell Naraku but he thought it only to be his imagination. " Day dreaming, Inuyasha?" A woman's voice said mockingly. He opened his eyes to see Kagura sitting on her feather in front of him. " What the hell do you want?" he demanded. ' So I did smell the scent of Naraku.' he thought to himself. " I was justing leaving from an interesting meeting with your brother, Sessomaru when I happened to come upon you, sitting there with your eyes closed like an idiot." Kagura laughed and flew away before Inuyasha could draw out Tetsuiga. " Sessomaru?"

Kouga looked at Kagome and wished that she would just give up on Inuyasha and stay with him. " Kagome? I didn't mean to upset you earlier. Please forgive me." He waited for her to answer him but was suprised at her response. " It's alright,Kouga," she said. " I'm not angry anymore. You've been really kind to me the whole time i've been here and I don't know how to repay you for your generosity." He started to speak but Kagome interupted. " I have to leave now, Kouga. Inuyasha might need my help despite what he might say. Thank you and i'll see you around." She picked up her things and rushed out of the cave. " Kagome, wait!" He followed her out and watched as she tried to climb down the mountain. He sighed and lowered his hand to Kagome. She looked up at him glancing back and forth between his hand and his face. " Let me take you back to Mutt Face, okay?" He picked her up and put her on his back. " Lets go then." he said as he jumped from the mountain, secretly enjoying the feeling of Kagome's arms wrapped around him tight as he jumped.

Inuyasha and Kilala landed on the ground near a river to get a drink of water and think about what Kagura could possibly have to talk about with Sessomaru. ' Why on earth would Sessomaru talk to Kagura? But then again with him you never know.' Inuyasha suddenly shook his head as if trying to clear the thoughts from his head. " What the hell do I care what he does?" Then, as if on cue Sessomaru appeared in front of the river with Jaken and Rin by his side. " Hello little brother." he said in usual calm voice. Kilala walked away from the river and towards Inuyasha. " Sessomaru. And why the hell have you got to always show up and bug me?" Inuyasha stood where he was but had his hand on the handle of his sword waiting for his brother to try something. " You should treat your brother with more respect, you ungratful half demon." said Jaken. Inuyasha growled at him hating that he constantly was reminded that he was only part demon. " I only came to let you know that tonight is the night of the new moon." Sessomaru told him, his face expressionless. Rin walked over to Inuyasha, " Good afternoon, Lord Inuyasha." She gave a polite bow. " Lets go Rin." Sesshomaru turned away leaving Inuyasha behind. " Coming Lord Sessomaru. Goodbye Lord Inuyasha." She rushed to catch up with him. Inuyasha had forgotten that tonight he would turn human. " Damn it." He jumped back on Kilala and they flew back to where Miroku and Sango and Shippo were. " Inuyasha, tonight you have to be extra cautious." Miroku reminded him. " No duh." came Inuyasha's reply. " Inuyasha, be serious. Where did you go today? Did you go see Kagome?" Shippo hopped on the hanyou's shoulder bombarding him with questions. " Yeah, I went to go see Kagome. Had to make sure that stupid wolf kept his hands off of her." Inuyasha sat down and stared out at the horizon. ' Kagome, why do things have to be this way?' he thought to himself sadly.