S.M: Yug- Gene. I want to thank you. You've been great. Anyway I just want to do a disclaimer and get on with the story.

Yu-gi: (hugs S.M) it's alright…

Gene: (Looks on in pissed confusion.) What the hell Yu-gi!

Yu-gi: (Gives him a harsh glare) later!

Gene: Serenity has been depressed lately for some reason and She apologizes for the tardiness of this latest chapter. She's been a little distracted. She doesn't own Inuyasha, or any of the other characters or myself or even Yu-gi. But she really appreciates your patients and she hopes you like her latest chapter and will let her know what you think or any opinions you might have. (Walks past Sere giving her a kiss on her forehead and leaves)

Protection from afar only seems to bring me closer.

@~~ Sorry mother, Up in the tree conversation and a meeting with a threat…~~@

By: Yui

Kagome looked up at him very surprised by his outburst. He didn't let go of her but his casual expression returned.

"I need to tell you something about Kikyo."

Kagome was once again trying to pull from his grasp but he refused to let her go.

"Inuyasha!"

She spoke feeling very tense and angry at the hanyou, she felt her body glow and he immediately let go of her but his eyes remained locked with hers as she tripped back a step.

"I'm listening."

She whispered, surprising both him and herself.

"You misunderstood. It wasn't like you thought it was wench."

She gave him a daggered glare and he ignored this and kept speaking.

"She came to me. She asked me if I loved her."

Kagome had since turned away from him but was still halfheartedly listening to what he had to say, trying to ignore the tears she felt breaching her defenses.

"Why the hell are you telling me this. She asked you if you loved her and you 2 were about to consummate your relationship when I interrupted."

She spat in disgust. If she had looked at him she would have noticed that he was hurt he looked as if she had slapped him. He just feh'd and returned to his mocking tone as he continued.

"No you idiot. I didn't say anything and she asked me if I ever loved her and started to walk away. I grabbed onto her arm and I don't know why but I couldn't let go. I was staring into her cold eyes, which held such hatred, but at the same time they showed me the hurt and sincerity with what she had told me. That is when you came upon us."

He said quietly, she just shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Inuyasha grabbed for her wrist but she moved it out of the way and continued towards the well. He was finally acknowledging the scent that filled his nostrils. He scolded himself in his mind for making her cry once again. When he finally followed her he saw her as she jumped into the well.

He cursed himself and jumped in behind her. He looked carefully before he fully emerged from the well and even more carefully before he changed into the boy Shitsoren Mamoru and his uncomfortable modern clothing. And carefully slunk out of the well house, he had just breathed a sigh of relief when he nearly jumped out of his fake skin. He looked around wildly grabbing for the Tetsusaiga that was not there. And he finally set his eyes on an older woman who was giving him a suspicious look. He jumped back slightly uncomposed due to surprise but managed to regain control quickly. She just continued to stare at him.

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

She asked aggressively. He was actually a little nervous about her.

"Ms- Ms. Higurashi you must be. How are you?"

He fumbled as she gave him a suspicious smile.

"Oh my goodness. Why might I ask are you here?"

She asked in a suspiciously happy tone. He just looked up towards the sky where he felt less threatened and made up some excuse about wanting to visit the sacred well and the god tree. The older woman was silent and he felt more unnerved by her silence, so he decided to look down at her only to be met with a brightly smiling face. He was most certainly confused but didn't question it and began to slink away till she latched onto his arm.

"Inuyasha?"

She stated more than questioned but it brought him out of his attempts to get away. And before he was able to deny what she had claimed he dumbly nodded his head. Her somewhat happy look turned sour and she gave him a glare so cold it could have frozen ice.

"Hai… It is I."

He exclaimed not even bothering to hide his mistake from Kagome's mother. She took him by surprise when she grabbed his shoulder and roughly led him into the house sitting him at the kitchen table as she put a kettle of water on the stove. And continued to sit across from him and look him over carefully.

"I don't know how I know but you are Inuyasha. Maybe it has something to do with you coming from the well the past few days after Kagome returned."

Suddenly her looked turned frozen once again at the mention of her daughter's return, and Inuyasha stiffened as well.

"What did you do?"

She suddenly asked him pulling his attention back. He gave her a strange look and held his hand in the air and returned the spell that disguised him. And soon he was the silver haired hanyou she knew and once respected. Her glare towards him never faltered in fact it darkened looking at the real him.

"What do you mean?"

He asked numbly as if he was totally unaware of Kagome's change.

"Poor Kagome."

She muttered, as she looked away but only for a moment before she looked up into his confused golden eyes.

"You really don't know what you've done to her have you?"

She asked in a kinder tone giving him a chance to speak for the first time. He stuttered for his trying to ask him what exactly he had done to her and finally he found his voice to speak.

"Not really. I know she felt betrayed because she thought I was going to hell with Kikyo. But I wasn't, Kikyo wanted to talk to me and tell me her feelings then Kagome…"

He stopped and looked at his claws, which were tapping the table finding it more interesting than Kagome's mother.

"So that's why she's been so sad. I mean it must be horrible seeing the man or half man you're in love with so intimate with another woman, even if he doesn't love you. I mean Inuyasha how would you feel if you saw Kikyo so intimate with another man?"

He looked at with at the older woman with a mix of surprise and anger at her assumption.

"I DO NOT LOVE that pile of mud and bones. I did once this is true well at least thought I did. But I don't."

He finished seemingly confused. Now it was Ms. Higurashi's turn to look at him with surprise.

"Alright Inuyasha I believe you. But if I believe what Kagome says and the way she acts and her friends you do not care for her either."

She said with slight contempt in her voice. Inuyasha flinched unnoticeable at her words, and looked away once again.

"And you're not denying your dislike of her."

He felt a rush of heat surging to his cheeks and rose to his feet. He stared at the woman before a nervous smile made it's way to his cheeks.

"I love Kagome dearly… Like a friend. I can't see my days without her around. She makes things more interesting and enjoyable. So you assume much to say I don't care for her."

She had to let out a small smile as well as a long sigh. She raised her hands in resignation and rose to get the teapot from the stove. She looked at the moment going into thought about her daughter as of late.

"That's a sweet sentiment but, Inuyasha- but you might be to late. She's been talking an awful lot about a boy from her school. She hasn't actually come out and said she's in love, but she talks about him all the time like she does with you."

Those words caught Inuyasha's attention. As Higurashi-san knew it would. She heard a strange noise and turned around slightly startled to see a shorthaired boy in front of her. She had to give him a smile. They both turned around when they heard a gasping noise erupt behind them.

They both turned quickly not all to surprised when they saw Kagome standing behind them still in shock from him being in her house and with bright red puffy eyes still tearing. Ms. Higurashi and Inuyasha stood there looking at the disheveled girl in front of them.

"Kagome what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Why are you here? You should get going Yui's gonna be waiting."

She stated sarcastically then left the room, ignoring Sango, Shippo, and Miroku who had just appeared behind her. Everyone looked after her, then turned their attention to Mamoru.

"Aren't you that boy from lady Kagome's school?"

Mamoru or Inuyasha in reality ignored his question and went after her. Inuyasha was concerned about a faint aroma he found in the air while she was there.

"But why would I smell blood? And why was her hand over her cheek, and most of all why was she crying?"

He followed after her fading scent and ended up outside. He looked around not seeing her and walked around the property for a minute and finally found her in his tree looking around not really seeing anything.

"What are you doing?"

He asked her, her teary gaze was settled on him and she shrugged. That's when he noticed the source of the blood he smelled. Her cheek was scratched and a trail of dried blood was running down her face almost like a bloody tear.

"Feh… What the hell happened to you?"

She looked at him strangely softening as she looked at him, she felt something familiar but not really sure what.

"I'm fine"

She replied shortly, still not really wanting to talk with him. But he being who he (really) was couldn't take a hint when she turned away from him and jumped up onto the branch she was sitting on and nearly knocked her off. She was angry but didn't let that get to her. She sat back against the tree and just looked at the guy in front of her. She let her sense draw where they might and they all concentrated on the boy in front of her. She finally caught onto something. 'He's not normal.' She said in her mind, she didn't know exactly why or how but she knew something was off about the guy before her. She was ripped from her thinking by a sensation burning through her cheek. She blinked her eyes and saw her classmate gently brushing his fingers over her cheek. And she wasn't fully aware but she thought she heard a growl come from him.

She starred into his falsely dark eyes and couldn't control the burning blush that was staining her face as he placed his face steadily closer to her own. As he looked at the scar on her cheek which as he looked closer ran down the left side of her face from her forehead down to her lips. He felt guilty for not being there to protect her. But he also felt confused because as he got closer to him he felt a faint but familiar scent. He shook off the thought and kissed her cheek, pulling back to look at her shining red face. He sat down across from her just watching her, as she fidgeted uneasily.

"Um… Why are you here?"

She asked quietly sounding almost nervous. He mumbled something but soon spoke up loudly making up some excuse about wanting to see the shrine and her mom started talking to him. She gave a queer look and just shrugged.

"What happened?"

He asked her once again trying not to sound as concerned as he was. And he watched her in surprise as her features tensed and he could tell she was getting angry. She tossed her eyes up to his sparking with fire.

"Why don't you ask Yui when you go over to her place? I'm sure she'll love to tell you."

She bit out with an uncharastically sarcastic tone in her voice. Inuyasha just looked at her puzzled. The fire in her eyes slowly died and she looked away towards the sky once again. While he tried to make some sort of sense out of what she said, and got as far as remembering the girl she was speaking of.

"Isn't that girl your friend? Why would I see her at all?"

"Feh"

She mumbled unconsciously and began again.

"She was my friend but she's been acting strange ever since the day before I went to get my friends."

She started curling her knees up to her chest and spoke.

"I left school early as I know you already knew, but when I came back she was waiting for me in front of my class. She was staring at me, and out of nowhere she attacked me. She lunged at me and scratched my face and arm (she said fully removing her hand from her cheek) she was so vicious and cold. I swear if Hojo-kun and Miroku didn't pull her off me she would have killed me."

She finished in a cynical tone.

"Might as well have."

She added quietly to herself, but her partner in the tree heard her perfectly and gave her a frown but didn't say anything about it.

"Something's definitely happened to her, she used to be so sweet, and my best friend, never so cold and hard towards anyone. And her nails have never before been as hard as diamond and as sharp as thorns. Well at least…"

She contemplated to herself, not finishing her thought. Not really talking to the boy that was accompanying her but just thinking out loud. But she looked up when she felt his eyes staring at her and blushed deeply when she saw him watching her intently. Her cheeks turned bright red and he didn't look away.

"She told me that she was going out with you tonight and that I'd better forget my notions before she shows me her true power, also saying that and I quote "Mamoru and I are in love so you just better get your grimy little sites off of him. He's mine and we'll be together for the rest of my souls life." She's really lost it but there is something so familiarly threatening about her."

She admitted to Mamoru, as she jumped down from the high branch landing gracefully beneath. Inuyasha had to think about everything she said and let it sink in as he sat on the branch dumbly not acknowledging he was alone. Kagome headed for the house only to be halted by Mamoru once more. He called to her jumping from the tree and catching up to Kagome. When she turned to face him he roughly ran his finger along her deep cut. She winced but gave him a smile and she looked up at him for a moment in silence. He was about to ask what the hell she was looking at but she spoke first.

"Mamoru-kun, Thanks. You're really a nice guy and I'm really glad that you were here for whatever reason you are. I just needed feel to like someone was concerned for me, even if they really aren't. I have to help her I just get so scared like-"

She didn't finish; she quickly kissed his cheek and waved as she left Mamoru, running towards her home. He was blushing noticeable and confused so he just decided to slowly leave. He left the shrine grounds and found himself in front of a girl with short sandy hair, he allowed his hold on the illusion crystals power lessen so he might catch onto a familiar scent. And was very surprised at what he found. He gave the girl in front of him a weary glare, and she returned it.

"Yui-san"

        He stated flatly and she just nodded with a slight smile as she approached him slowly staring into his eyes.

"We're the same you and I. Left to be alone, by the one we love. Never knowing how they'd feel if someone else wasn't in the picture. Feeling betrayed. I know the real you and I know what you really crave even if thou denies it."

She said in an almost seductive tone, which for some reason caught the dog man's attention.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She came even closer till she was only mere millimeters apart from him. She reached close her hands around his cheeks and he didn't reject her he just stood in place almost statue like. She gave him a bright grin as she closed the distance between them, and kissed him with a savage hunger it almost brought out Inuyasha's animal side but he finally regained control and pushed her away.

"What are you doing you crazy girl. I don't know you."

He yelled momentarily forgetting why he was mad in the first place.

She looked at him that cynical smile never leaving her lips. She had a strange smell that was almost like death but he chose to ignore it. She reached for his hand and wrapped it within her own and stared down at it for a moment, then looking up to meet Inuyasha's baffled eyes. She held onto his hand tighter as she spoke.

"Mamoru, I really like you. There is just something about you. I've had my heart set on someone else but they aren't around yet so I think you'll do just nicely."

She told him in an enticing tone. And he lessened the gap between them by pulling her closer.

"Why the hell are you claiming that we're lovers? As I said I don't know you, and without love the whole argument kinda falls apart. And why did you threaten Kagome?"

He interjected. Pulling away only slightly. She just shrugged pulling him towards her. And kissing him once again. This time she let it be more gentle and sweet resisting her own urge for him, and showing him her emotions. He felt something familiar and allowed himself to be kissed but didn't return it. She pulled away and looked up at him not seeming disappointed that he didn't kiss her back. Her hand was still linked with his and didn't seem to notice the shirt on the ground behind him and followed her.

Kagome had returned into the house after parting with Mamoru, to find her mother giving her a weird smirk, which soon faded when she got a full glimpse of her daughter.

"Oh my god… What happened to your face? Did that boy do…"

She cut herself off thinking about the truth she knew of the boy. Plus Kagome's protests.

"It's OK, I just got in a little fight, no big deal. But- where'd Shippo and the others go to?"

"Souta showed them to your room."

She said while pointing upstairs, by the time she turned around Kagome had vanished, she just laughed to herself and continued what she was doing.

Kagome ran upstairs to find Miroku sprawled on the floor in front of her dresser with something in his hands and Sango holding her boomerang over him and Shippo on her bed laughing hysterically. She walked in fully to look at what he had in his hand and her face just about burst into flames and she grabbed the article of clothing from him and lightly stepped on his head and put her underwear back in the drawers. And turned to them bright red. She went over to her window and looked outside seeing something on the ground. It kind of looked like a coat or a sweatshirt form her room. So she decided to run outside and see what it was, with little Shippo following behind.

"This must be Mamoru's."

She said to herself as she picked up the dirty yellow sweatshirt. She looked over at Shippo who had landed on her shoulder and he nodded.

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Hello everybody I just want to say thank you to all of you who have read my story and like it so far. I hope that you liked this latest chapter as well. Sorry it took so long I've been having a pretty depressing spell and haven't been fully into my stories. But I'm getting back to them and I hope you like them, and will continue to give me your helpful inspiring and encouraging reviews.

Thank-You

My eyes burn with tears, only because you're gone.

My soul aches with fear at what is no longer near.

I reach in hopes of finding peace, but yet none is found.

They say it takes time, they say it'll get easier.

But what's the point when you're gone.

Why did you have to be so foolish, why did you feel you had to go?

Why did you have to leave everyone who cares for you alone,

Why did you selfishly end your life with a crash?

Our prayers are with you, and we'll meet you again one day.

That's what everyone says.

Trying to console their feeling of inferiority towards death with such lukewarm sentiments.

Not wanting to accept and express that they can't except you're gone.

My heart feels struck, but with time happy memories of the times we've shared will soften the blow you left.

But till them all I'm left with is my tear, and cries to soothe me.

My memories both good and bad to pull me through acceptance.

For you who was like a brother,

I will always have a place in my heart for you.

You will never be forgotten.

For My friend Jeffery York who died Tues. the 29th of Oct in an ATV accident. I hope you're happy, And are at peace...