Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas.



Author's Notes:

1- Before all, thank you again for all the wonderful reviews : ) You guys keep adding fuel to the fire that's powering my writing, so please, keep reviewing : ) You're feeding my ego and I love you all for it.

2- I know a lot of you are wondering where I'm going with this and how it all ends. I wish I could tell you, but frankly, I haven't a clue either. My mind is running the wheel, and it is still refusing to tell me anything but what it wants me to write : ) So, trust to my mind : ) Oh, before I go getting stuff thrown at me and death threats or what not . . . I've come to a bit of a traffic jam. *holds her hands up to forestall reviewers* I'm slowly unclogging the thought process' though, so don't worry.

3- Wow . . . 5 people have me on their fav. Author's list. What a compliment, I mean . . . WOW! I'm so speechless there. This is my first EVER writing of any type that I've ever posted, and to get such an overwhelmingly good response is just . . . well, I'm speechless. Thank you all so much for making my first jump into writing a memorable and enjoyable one. And, with that said, on to the story.



Last time :



Kagome's been sealed to a tree. There may be a way to break the spell. But, InuYasha has something he needs to take care of first.



Chapter 5 Part 2





InuYasha walked out of the well house cautiously, unsure of what he was about to do. "She deserves to know what happened," he muttered to himself for the hundredth time, trying to reassure himself of his course of action. Still, he didn't look forward to telling Kagome's mother that her daughter might not be coming back to her . . . ever. Mrs. Higurashi had been very kind to him . . . and he had failed to keep her daughter safe.

He approached the door to the Higurashi household with every fibre of his being shivering in dread. Sota answered his knock, a smile of greeting blossoming on his face as he found his hero at the door. "InuYasha!" he cried. His smile slipped from his face as he took in the hanyou's ragged appearance and drawn face.

"I . . . I need to speak with your mother, Sota." As if summoned, Mrs. Higurashi appeared at the door to the living room behind Sota.

"Come in, InuYasha. Sota, go help your grandfather in his office."

"But, Mom . . ."

"Now Sota." Picking up on his mother's strained tone, he retreated up the stairs, shooting worried glances behind him the whole way.

Seating InuYasha on the sofa, Mrs, Higurashi perched next to him.

"What's happened to Kagome, InuYasha?" she asked quietly.

Slowly, InuYasha recounted the events of the last two days , since Kagome had come back through the well. He glossed over the bandit's attempted rape and the developments in his relationship with Kagome, figuring that what he did have to tell her would be more than enough to take in without adding that to the mix.

Mrs. Higurashi sat beside him, sobbing, as he fell silent. They remained that way for a few moments, then suddenly InuYasha moved, kneeling in front of the crying woman with his head bowed.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Higurashi. I . . . I failed you . . . and I failed her . . . and now I may have lost her . . ." he murmured, tears spilling down his face silently. He felt Mrs. Higurashi move, and steeled himself against the blow he knew he deserved. Instead, he found himself wrapped in a tight embrace.

Kagome's mother hugged him tightly. "Don't you DARE blame yourself, InuYasha! I always knew how dangerous it was for her to be there with you . . . and you've done a wonderful job protecting my daughter." She felt the boy in her arms break down completely, the stoic mask he kept up falling as he sobbed helplessly, all the stress of the last few days overwhelming him at last. She held him tighter, her own eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated on comforting him. 'This poor boy . . . he's had to be strong for so long . . . and he's been all alone most of his life . . .'

"I know you'll bring her back to us if you can, InuYasha." she murmured, stroking his hair as she'd done to Kagome so many times. "You know . . . she cares about you a great deal." She felt him stiffen and smiled to herself. "There have been many times that she's come home crying, and I've wanted to knock your head in for hurting her heart . . . but you care just as much for her, don't you?"

InuYasha pulled away from her so he could look into her calm, mature eyes. She smiled at his obvious confusion. "Mother's know these things, dear." He smiled at her wry tone, and then jumped as she took his clawed hands in her own. "InuYasha . . ." she said slowly, staring into his eyes to be sure he understood everything she was about to say, "I look upon you as a son." She watched his golden amber orbs widen in surprise. "And . . . I would be honored if you saw us as your family and this as your home. You are welcome here . . . anytime." She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to reply. "Even if . . ." she swallowed, holding back tears, "even if you can't break the spell holding Kagome . . . you're welcome to come here when the quest is done . . . if you want to."

InuYasha stared at her, speechless. She . . . she saw him as a son? And would let him live here . . . even though he had failed to protect her daughter?! This was . . . this was an acceptance he'd never expected . . . ever! After a few moments of stunned silence, he found his voice again.

"You would . . . accept . . . a hanyou . . . into your family?" he whispered hoarsely.

Kagome's mother sighed. "InuYasha . . . when are you going to realize you are MUCH more than just your heritage? Kagome doesn't care about that . . . and frankly, neither do I."

She stood, pulling him up beside her. "I'll walk you to the well house," she said, sliding an arm through one of his. They walked slowly from the house towards the well. "Bring her back to us if you can, InuYasha. I know you'll try your best." She gave him a small nudge towards the well.

He turned after a few steps and returned to her, giving her a small, quick hug. "I promise I'll bring her back . . . and . . . thank you." A slight blush stained his cheeks, and he quickly stepped away, leaping to the edge of the well, and then abruptly jumping in.

"I know you will, InuYasha . . . and you're welcome . . . son," she whispered in to the dark.



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InuYasha returned to his own time feeling better then he had in days. Jumping out of the well, he walked across the grass to Kagome's still form. Cupping her face gently between his two hands, he brushed his lips lightly over hers.

"I'm coming for you Kagome. We have to beat Naraku together . . . and there is still a lot that needs to be cleared up between the two of us," he whispered.

He leaped lightly into the branches above Kagome, resting his back against the trunk carefully with his legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles. His back was still slightly tender from the bandit's attack, but the wound had healed nicely. He was very relieved at that, since he would be the sole defender of the jewel shards they had collected so far for the next few weeks. He fingered the necklace where it lay, then moved his fingers over the prayer beads he still wore. As much as he resented the spell on them, he would probably never get rid of them - even if Kagome were to ever remove them. They, above all, were a physical representation of his connection to her. He looked down at her still form, then stared back up at the sky above.

Sango and Miroku were retrieving the items Kaede had requested as necessary for the attempt to reach Kagome to get the information they needed. Shippo had gone with them . . . the little kitsune was an emotional wreck, and they hoped that letting him help in the preparations would snap him out of his depression over Kagome. The old miko herself was buried in ancient scrolls, combing through them to gain as much information as she could get out of them.

InuYasha glanced back down as movement near the base of the tree caught his attention. Some villagers and their children were laying flowers at the base of the tree, their expressions sorrowful. He frowned at them. "They act as if she's dead and gone," he growled to himself.

He watched a tiny girl run back across the clearing from her mother. He'd never paid much attention to the village children, although he knew Kagome played with them from time to time. Actually, he'd never paid attention to any of the humans in the village. Most of them watched him with suspicion, and a few with open hostility, so he avoided them as much as was possible. He'd never really thought of why . . .but now he realized most of them had been just children themselves when he'd attacked the village on the day Kikyo sealed him to the tree.

He watched the young girl as she ran up to hug Kagome's legs. "Please come back to us soon, Lady Kagome," she whispered, before running back to her waiting mother.

"One month, Kagome," he murmured. "I can live without you that long . . . I think."



To Be Continued (I swear)





AN : AHOY THERE! WAFF ALERT! Hehehe, okay, so not quite so sappy, but I thought I just had to throw a scene in there with the present day Higurashi's. Sweet, ne? Okay folks, Chapter 6 will be up on Sunday, and don't forget . . . Chap 6 Part 1 will be safe, Chap 6 Part 2 is what you lovingly call a LEMON! And what I call a tastefully done love (sex) scene. There's some cute and mushy stuff in there too.

And yes, if you are not old enough, don't read it. You won't miss very much that will affect the later story by not reading it, it just adds a little flavor . . . sort of like the whip cream on the hot chocolate Sunday . . . of course, there are those of us who like nothing but whip cream (oops, did I say that out loud?)

Duh, on a last note . . . okay, I'm a MAJOR hentai, and have been looking for perverted pictures * throws up her hands* don't kill me, I'm just curious . . . so, if you know a good place where I could see some, give me a web addy : P Fuel my brain somemore ; )