LOOK! Quick update! I was feeling unusually inspired today! WOOPI! Love me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha & crew or "duck and run" by 3 doors down. I also don't claim Patrick and Kat.

Duck & Run

Odd Visions

"So…" Kagome repeated the first phrase before continuing, "How was your date with Miroku?" She curled up in the arm chair and watched Sango stretch out on the couch and smile with a slight blush on her face.

"It went well, all things considered. Except for the groping he was a perfect gentleman!" She smiled broadly, "If he wasn't going to be, I was definitely considering bashing his head into the ground. But before I got to that point he took me to dinner AND paid for it! Isn't that amazing?"

"Wow! Did he expect anything from you since he took you and paid?" Kagome brain was weaving in and out weariness and her left eye twitched slightly as she started to shake her head to prevent herself from drifting off into sleep.

Sango's response brought her out of her stupor, "No, he didn't! He just drove me home and walked me to my door and then gave me hug. Didn't even try to sneak a goodnight kiss, or to grope me! But… I made a move on him and gave him a good night kiss! I've never seen Miroku blush that much in all the years I've known him. I actually think this relationship might work out. Who'd have known? Miroku the player with Sango the bad ass. Me, a girlfriend. That just seems odd to me!"

A small, almost genuine smile spread across Kagome's lips as she looked at her new friend, "I thought you guys would be good for one another. You sort of even each other out, you know? You weigh down his overly flirtatious side while he's beginning to pull down your defenses so you relax and flirt. I can tell that he really likes you, probably even loves you, just by the way he treats you. The way he looks at you. But, does this mean he officially asked you to be his girlfriend and not on another date?"

"Yah, you think he does? He's just so… charming! And he doesn't look half bad either! I'm sure he's built like a rock under those clothes, and those blue eyes! I could swim in them!" a dreamy look passed over her face before she returned back down to earth and looked at Kagome, "He did officially ask me out. I was skeptical at first because I thought that he'd just hit on all the girls all the time like he does now. But he promised me that I was his one and only love. I know it sounds corny to fall for that, but I… Well a girl's entitled to be soft sometimes, right!"

"Of course they are. And you're not exactly the softest person most of the time. I'd say it was time for you to lighten up a bit and relax around guys and allow yourself to feminine. You don't have to protect every one all the time, you know?" Kagome cringed as she realized what she had said wasn't the most articulate and socially acceptable sort of thing to say to a good friend, "I don't mean that you're hostile or anything! It's just; you've got a very strong personality. So you need a guy with an equally strong personality or a little stronger so you know it's alright to let your guard down."

An understanding smile passed Sango's face, "It's alright Kagome, I know you mean well by what you say. And I also know that part of that is true. I do have a wall around mean and I always figure that I have to protect everybody around me and myself. It's the way I was brought up I guess, with my dad always gone at different wars and my mom always out protesting things and such. I was left to fend for my own and for Kohaku." A look of remembrance crossed her face and she sighed, putting her arms behind her head, "He resented the fact that I was older and could tell him what to do when our parents were gone. I think he understands now, and we're both so close now. I don't think I could ask for a better little brother. Do you have a little brother Kagome?"

A shifty look passed over Kagome's face before she decided telling Sango about Souta wasn't harmful, "Yes, I do in fact. His name is Souta. He can be annoying, but I love him to death." She'd been about to talk more about him, but decided against it because she was still weary about letting people to get to know her. She felt she couldn't open up to Sango or Miroku yet because she didn't feel as if she could trust them… Inuyasha was different; something about him drew her to him like a moth to a flood light.

Sango nodded lazily before she said tiredly, "It's kind of neat, seeing our entire group starting to get together. Kat and Patrick, with their hell rising dating before Patrick somehow got away with asking her to be his girlfriend and she accepted. Logan and his girlfriend Liberty, an odd couple but totally meant for each other. Miroku and I, even with all his letching…" She paused momentarily before letting out a loud yawn and turning off the TV at the same time before finishing her statement, "Inuyasha and yourself."

"What! What do you mean? Inuyasha and I aren't dating let alone boyfriend and girlfriend!" she was shocked that Sango would say something like that. Inuyasha didn't actually like her. They were always bickering and he'd only invited her over because he felt pity for her. And now he knew one of her darkest secrets, that she cut! She was waiting for the other girl to give an explanation of why she would say something or think something like that when she heard her even breaths from across the room.

Kagome quickly got up and turned the knob for the living room light and realized that Sango was fast asleep, with the blanket from the couch stretched over her long, limber body to be long enough to cover it all. She sighed and went back to the arm chair and sat down in it, curling up into herself before she leaned back a bit and let it rock once or twice. She knew something was bothering her, but she couldn't figure it out yet so she just stared at the ceiling momentarily until it came back to her hazy mind.

Why did Sango say something like that? Didn't she know that Inuyasha had no interest in her? Inuyasha was the type of guy that deserved a drop dead gorgeous girl with no mental issues. Hell, half the time Kagome felt her mind drifting in and out of reality and she had to question herself if she was crazy or not.

She was the least confident creature on the face of the earth. She was always depressed or angry and everybody always considered her the school bitch. She was ugly beyond comparison and fatter than an elephant. She was a worthless whore who sold her emotions to the world without grievances. She was a weak little child who just hung on by a few very vulnerable strings that vied to snap at any sudden change in the weather, her moods, life itself. Worse off, she held a lot of self pity for herself which was why everybody could do nothing but pity her which made her hate them and life and herself even more.

Soon she would honestly be a whore, bedded by that nasty man that dared to change her mother's name. The man that beat her senseless when she was too afraid to fight back. The man that tore her innocence in half and almost took it completely, who would take it completely very soon. The man she waited hand and foot on to please so she could go one more day without the fury of his hits raining down upon her. The man who was so unforgiving of everything. The man that had entered her world and ruined her life. Torn down her confidence level while at the same time building up the barriers around herself.

She hated herself for the state of mind she had. She hated herself for not being more friendly and getting more friends. She hated herself for being so mean to others. She hated herself for not hating others. She hated herself for trusting people. She hated herself for not believing those who meant well for her. She hated herself for not defending herself and being so weak. She hated herself for hating life. She hated herself for cutting, lying, being so worthless. And most of all, she hated herself for hating herself.

Once her mind wrapped around her little tirade she decided there was no chance in hell Inuyasha held any feelings for her other than pity, like everyone else. She quickly brought her hand up to her mouth to fight her sudden urge to retch and sob at the same time, silencing both in one swell swoop. Her hands shook as she fought the urge to cry harder than she ever had before. She bit her lip harshly and finally realized how much Inuyasha's feelings for her meant to her.

She looked quickly to the sleeping Sango and ran towards the door of the house and grabbed her backpack before going quietly out the door and into the fresh air and started running a bit before tripping and instantly sitting down. She pulled her legs into her and put her head in her hands as she let a few stray, foreign tears run down her cheeks before looking back to his house.

He meant a lot to her already, and they'd barely known each other for a week. One week. One incredible week, she had to admit, but a week it still was. It seemed like they'd known each other for forever, from the beginning of time and they were just reuniting from both their different lives and times. A small recognition lit inside her brain and she pictured a well house and a glowing well inside it. The moment the short vision came upon her it disappeared and she cringed, gripping her head and groaning loudly from the throbbing pain.

This was unusual, even for her, to be having visions. Was that what they were? Or was she growing even crazier and imagining things? Her breath heaved out in uneven, dry sobs before she calmed down a bit and brought her backpack up to a sitting point in her lap and started to unzip it. She rustled through the books and clothes and supplies in her bag before pulling out a small pocket knife she always kept with her.

She didn't know why, but suddenly the pocket knife seemed more appropriate to use for the job she was about to deal with. More appropriate than the razor she used many times. This small pocket knife had been passed down from generation to generation through her family and had her name carved into it. When her mother was still with her father, she told her that one of their ancestors had been named Kagome as well.

The knife looked like it had been through a lot. She opened it up and gazed at it curiously, watching it glint in the moon light and pondered how it'd been used so much if it'd only been only a few decades or so since it'd been used last. Had her ancestor been some sort of hiker? Oh well, it didn't matter anyways. It would serve its purpose well, whether it'd been used to skin fish or to play darts.

She pushed it into the soft skin of her right upper arm and waited until a tear of blood welled up before sliding it along her arms for about two inches. She reveled in the feel of it, as if her skin was made out of bread butter. So easily damaged, just like her wits and her emotions. The smallest thing set her off. She paused momentarily where she wouldn't have hesitated before on the second cut and thought about what had Inuyasha had said. She usually would have continued but suddenly found herself disgusted in what she was doing and bored of it.

True, she was depressed at the moment. But right now she had no reason to truly be upset, did she? Inuyasha had taken her in for a weekend and prevented her from returning to that hell hole she called home. She was going to sing for a band that appreciated a little bit of what was her. Even if they were just pretending like she thought they were to like her, it wouldn't hurt her to indulge in a little dream once in a while, would it?

She would sit in the driveway of Inuyasha's house for a long time in the moonlight, considering the blood that trickled its way down her arms to the earth beneath her. She could have sworn there was a few silvery drops of blood that dripped from her arm and she felt another head ache coming onto her and she worried that she would swoon and pass out. The vision came swiftly to her of bright, searching golden eyes and a red hatori and yukata. Feudal era robes? Who was wearing them? Was it the man with the piercing golden eyes?

Once she shook herself again she stood back up and looked around, walking around the back of the house to find a hose and she turned it on a little and washed her arms before grabbing some bandages out of her bag so she wouldn't get the blood on Inuyasha's hoodie. After she'd cleaned herself up she grabbed her bag and quietly made her way back inside before returning to the arm chair and curling up in it.

She yawned once and looked at her watch to realize it was three in the morning. She shrugged to herself and said to herself through her yawn, "Maybe I should stop this all." With that her midnight eyes were hidden from the waking world and she drifted into the land of dreams and visions.

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((After Miroku left the girls and before Sango fell asleep))

Miroku knocked on his friend's door and when he heard a soft grunt pushed it open to find Inuyasha sitting on his window sill, peering out of it with an angry-concentrating look upon his face. Miroku walked towards him and placed a gentle hand on his friends shoulder, "Whatever it is, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine."

The angry youth turned violently towards him and scowled, "No, everything will NOT be ok. Something is wrong with Kagome and there's nothing I can do about it! And there's no possible way she'll ever love me and trust me enough to tell me what it is even! And then some guy tries to steal her away from me just when I've finally found her! Then, not to mention, her being so incredibly nice to Patrick. What if she likes him and not me! I don't think I could deal with that retard going out with Kagome."

A short snort came from Miroku as he shook his head and patted his worried friend, "Don't worry, I don't think you have anything to worry about with Patrick. Remember who he's dating? Katarina Stratsford. If he left her for Kagome, there would be hell to pay. Plus, if you hadn't noticed he's totally in love with that crazy girl. Yes, I know, neither of us can quite grasp the idea of Patrick settling down, but with Kat I think it's finally possible for us to at least consider it."

Golden eyes looked at him hopefully before he masked the weak emotion, "Keh, like I care! I was just testing you." He was angry at himself from blurting out all that nonsense before he turned back to Miroku and asked in an offhand sort of way, "So, you think she liked Kouga?" the worry was evident in his voice.

An even louder snort was heard from Miroku as he shook his head fervently, "Oh no! There is no possible way Kagome even remotely liked him. If you ask me, I would have told you she HATED that filthy wolf demon. Trust me, even from knowing Kagome for a week, I feel I expect better than that from her. And so should you. She's got more sense than you give her, and I have a feeling she likes you, if anybody."

"What? That's ridiculous! How could she like me? I'm a filthy half breed and we're always fighting. It seems like everything I say pisses her off and that she HATES me."

"Well, you aren't the easiest of people to get along with when you're in a mood…" He almost hesitated to say this, but figured being hit in the head would not be so much of a consequence.

"A mood? Hah! What are you talking about? I'm perfectly nice to her! I even let her stay at my house!" Inuyasha looked outraged that his friend would even consider saying something like that.

"You are nice to her, but sometimes your anger outweighs the good. You yell at her and insult her all the time. Like calling her derogatory names. But even through all of this, I feel you both belong together. It feels eerily natural and like déjà vu to see you two bickering so much. Something is odd about it all. Like it all happened before." Miroku's eyes unfocused slightly and he felt a pull at his heart strings. And then he saw a woman in odd pink and black armor walking towards him, but her face was still slightly blurred and for some reason a jingly staff was in his vision. But before he reached his hand out to touch the staff the delusion disappeared.

Miroku laughed and shook his head, "Man, I must have eaten too much pizza! There HAD to have been something weird in it. Seeing stuff!"

Inuyasha let out the breath he'd been holding in and then shook his head, "I know I can be a little… Opinionated. That's it. There's no way she likes me." He stood up while he said this and lies down upon his bead and put his hands behind his head before closing his eyes.

Miroku guessed his friend had pulled one of his 'immediate sleep' stunts or he didn't want to talk anymore and accepted this. But before he left the room he said in the direction of Inuyasha, "I think there's no way she can't like you."

With that he made his way down the hall to one of the empty room and made himself comfortable and went over the events of the day. There was definitely something odd and comforting about Kagome showing up in their town and in their lives. As if she was one of the last pieces of the puzzle of their lives. Before he let himself ponder much longer on that topic his mind thought over the date he'd had with Sango the night before.

He smiled to himself as he congratulated himself on controlling his wants and hand throughout the night and then for succeeding in winning Sango over as a girlfriend. She belonged with him; there was no doubt about that. Something about her made him want to give his life to her and her every need. There was something about her that made her special and unique from the other girls he hit on. And now he didn't have any reason to womanize, since he now permanently had his woman.

Well, maybe not permanently. But he was sure that if it wasn't permanent that when it ended he would lose it. Become celibate maybe and lead a life of holiness. The idea seemed so obscure and ridiculous that he laughed, but stopped himself halfway through it. Dedicating his life to religion didn't seem near enough of an outrageous idea. This was all so odd, but he had to get some sleep or he'd never get up in time to go back asleep.

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Inuyasha opened his eyes once Miroku left the room and stared at the ceiling fan and silently wished that it was on so he could have SOMETHING to do other than focus on the confusing problems he was facing. He knew he had to face them in his mind some time or another, but groaned when he realized it would start now.

"Does she like me?" he questioned aloud and smiled softly to himself and just imagined what it would be like if she did. They'd lead the perfect life together. Not perfect by everybody else's standards in the world, but their own. A nice house like this one. Heck, why not this one? He could fix it up. Maybe they could even have a few animals. Hell, why not a few babies and children to throw in the mix of crazy? Yes, their life would be full of chaos, but it would be a chaotic dream.

Then he thought back on having children and realized what would have to happen if that were to happen. He'd have to marry her. His mind baulked at the idea since his demon side only considered mating the right way to put a relationship in concrete. But this new wave stuff ordered that all married. Why did he even think about mating anyways? It's not as if his father or his grandfather had told him about it. Both of them had married their wives and then had 'sex' to have children. Love making and mating seemed two totally different things to him.

His mind slowed down and considered mating Kagome. The idea seemed very right in his mind. Kagome in his arms for forever, to never leave his side. Kagome's soft porcelain skin against his own. Her sweet lips pressed against his. Before he could get excited over all this he remembered her cutting herself and his mood darkened and he felt his hackles rise. Who would dare to drive her to that? For some reason he knew she wasn't just being 'emo' when she did it, either. She must have a damn good reason to.

Before long his mind drifted to other things and he fell asleep. In his sleep he had a few strange dreams that seemed to him more memories than dreams. A girl, yelling his name and some 'SIT' word. An older looking Japanese uniform swishing around pale, untouched legs. A hand reaching across his vision with a red feudal era sleeve to it. A curse that sounded strangely familiar to his own voice and curses. A laugh, the butt of a staff, a small cat looking animal, a fuzzy tail, black and pink armor… All of these swirled together as he fought to figure out why all of these meant SO much to him.

The whole house stirred as all four of the inhabitants encountered similar dreams, all fighting to figure out why they needed so badly to figure out what they meant.

BlackParade: Aww! You're awesome, that'd you'd be sad if I died! Hahah

Sailor-Saturn550: Thank you!

Pay Backs a Bitch: Nah! I can't read you like a book. You just seemed similar to me, and I know I'd use GOOGLE! Hehe

Topazchik08: Glad you didn't lose interest!

Frenchie607: I KNOW! I love 10 Things I Hate About You… It's my favorite movie, and Heath Ledger playing Patrick in that movie is SOOO hot!

Fantin4Sun: no, Kouga has a 1 in a million chance to get with Kagome… Hehehehe.

Tinkies: Continuing! Hehe

Mimi: Review? Don't you mean update?

SSJ04 MewTwo: New chapter. Sorry about the last one, it kind of sucked.