The young half man, half demon crept in the window and down the stairs. The house was quiet but he could hear singing from the kitchen, Kagome's mother. Inuyasha stood in the hallway and listened through the open door. Images of his mother's sweet singing passed in front of his eyes. Tender memories that usually made him feel vulnerable, but not today.

RING! RING! Inuyasha jumped a foot and yelped as Kagome's talking contraption screamed. Kagome's mother bustled in and picked it up.

"Hello, Higurashi Shrine." Inuyasha sat back on his haunches and watched her facial expression turn to worry.

"Oh my. I see. Yes, alright. Thankyou." She replaced the thing on its perch and looked at the kitchen anxiously. "Oh dear, what am I going to do…?"

Inuyasha stood up from his crouching position.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, interrupting her mutterings.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Um, Kagome has to be picked up from her school but the amount of things I have to do…" She sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"I'll go get her," he said.

"Oh, but it's raining and you can't possibly drive. You don't want to go out in that," she protested pointing to the window. Heavy rain streamed down the glass.

"I do."

"No, you don't."

Yes! I do! I want to go and get her!" he snapped at her. Golden eyes fell to the floor in shame. "Sorry…"

"It's ok," she said putting a finger under his chin, lifting his face, watching him with her soft mothering eyes. She smiled gently and then tapped his nose fondly. "Thankyou, I have so much to do."

The rain had washed Kagome's scent off the city and Inuyasha had to find his way to her school by memory. He jumped swiftly across the roof tops until he was near the large building. His haori, wet with rain, slapped against the air as he landed on the hard ground among the shallow puddles. Kagome stood outside the gates under an umbrella, clutching the arm of a tall male in black. Inuyasha growled angrily but his face fell slack when he drew nearer, realizing that Kagome was leaning on the boy just to stay upright. She hadn't seen him yet, but the boy had. Kagome lifted her gaze to his face when he pulled her closer, watching Inuyasha warily as he approached. She turned to look at Inuyasha standing in the heavy rain, waiting for her to tell him with her eyes to come nearer.

"Houjo, it's ok, I know him," said Kagome. Her voice was small and restricted. She unhooked her arm from him and walked unsteadily into the rain towards Inuyasha who uncrossed his arms to catch her stumbling form by the shoulders.

"Kagome, I can walk you home if you like," called Houjo, still eyeing Inuyasha with suspicion.

"No, it's fine, Houjo, really," she whispered. The school boy didn't hear her feeble protest and took a step forward. Inuyasha growled, lifting his lips to reveal a glint of his fangs. Houjo stepped back.

"I-I'll see you later Kagome," he stammered, turning and walking quickly back into the school, looking over his shoulder as Kagome and Inuyasha left.

He kept his steps tiny and his pace slow to keep in time with her crawling walk. She didn't tell him what had happened, and he didn't ask. She didn't raise her eyes to him when she asked how he was. He replied, fine, lowering his eyes to her and staring at the top of her black haired head, trying to make her lift her face to him. She wouldn't and they walked in silence until Kagome tripped and fell onto her knees into the shallow waters. He waited for her to get up, but she didn't.

"Come on Kagome. Let's go. I'm getting wet," he growled. She coughed and held her head.

"I can't," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. He knelt down on one knee and pulled off the outer layer of his haori, the full extent of the cold instantly biting him.

"Here," he murmured, his voice tender, his honey eyes soft and sad. He watched her shoulders shake when he draped the red cloth over her head, watched her lower lip tremble and her chocolate eyes swim when he lifted her face to him, watched her head fall onto his chest when he bundled her up and held her to him, gradually lifting off his knees, into a standing position. He sensed her pain and hurt as she cried softly into his chest as he walked. She felt smaller and lighter. He could feel the ridges of her ribs under his fingers. And under the scent of her tears and the rain, he smelt the tinge of sickness on her skin.

"Kagome?" he whispered. She watched him with her soul searching, honest brown eyes from under the hood of red. "I'm sorry," he said holding her closer. It was because of him that she was worried, stressed… sick.

"I'm sorry too," she said. His eyes widened.

"For what? You've done nothing but care about me!"

"I'm sorry about Kikyo," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry that she left you alone…"

Kagome, he thought, his eyes settling on her hand out of the haori. It moved slightly and she pressed her palm against him. Kagome, I'm not really alone, so long as I have you.

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hey, this is all i have so far, there is more to come. Reviews welcome, anything that you feel absolutely HAS to happen im willing to make adjustments -

Thanks for reading,

Sam