Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Come on people, please tell me that someone has something to say about my story! I don't care if it's criticism or praise, just say something! Review!

The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 4

Meanwhile, Inuyasha had been brooding silently over Kagome, unaware of her desperate call for help. How exactly did this girl manage to fully occupy his thoughts every waking hour of the day, only to penetrate his mind and present herself in every single one of his dreams as well? He sighed, and smiled to himself as an image of Kagome rose unbidden to the surface of his mind. She wavered like a reflection before his unseeing eyes, with long black hair that billowed in the wind. Blue-gray eyes that sparkled with life and happiness, eyes that could manipulate him with a single tear. He hated seeing Kagome cry, especially if it was because of him. His heart ached to think that he was the one who often caused her so much emotional anguish, yet his mind was in conflict over whether or not to give in to his emotions. He had sworn to protect her, not matter what, he thought fiercely, and he would do it, even if that meant protecting her from himself!

Without warning, Inuyasha was interrupted from his meditation by a loud pleading voice inside his brain scream, "Inuyasha!!! Help me!!!!!" He bolted up from his half-crouching position and scanned the area. Had that just been Kagome's voice? But it couldn't be! How could he hear her inside his head? Was he going crazy? Inuyasha was unsure of what to do. If Kagome was in trouble, why wasn't she screaming aloud? Why was she even in the forest? He had warned her to stay out! It was dangerous! "Kuso," he cursed silently, "That girl better have a good explanation for this when I find her!"

He hopped down from his tree and sniffed the air. He paused. Thick waves of Kagome's scent were coming from a dense thicket that was between here and the village. The trouble was, her scent was overlaid with an overwhelming sense of fear and urgency that almost seemed to pull Inuyasha towards it. He began to get worried. Kagome was usually a calm, reasonable girl, he thought, "She wouldn't get scared unless there was a good reason, like, if a youkai was trying to kill her!!!!!!!!!" He had barely caught a whiff of a Neko's scent before the dog-demon leapt with more speed than he could ever imagine into the forest, rushing past the rows of trees so fast that the wind whipped the leaves off of them. "Hold on Kagome, just hold on! I'm coming to save you!"

Inuyasha's perceptive ears picked up sounds of a violent scuffle, as well as more than a few muffled shrieks of pain and angry voices. Kagome's scent got stronger and stronger as he neared the familiar thicket, and he could barely hear, if he strained his ears to the furthest degree, the sound of her voice. The hanyou sped up, moving even faster than before, at a swift pace he never before knew he possessed. He smiled despite the grim situation; it was amazing what a woman could do to give you strength. Then he smacked himself on the head and thought angrily, "She's not my woman and she doesn't have anything to do with my increased speed!"

"Oh yeah?" a smug little voice at the back of his mind said, "Then why aren't you able to move this fast normally? Huh?"

Inuyasha growled at himself and snapped angrily, "Shut up! I don't have time to argue with you!"

"Really, since when did you start being able to argue with yourself?" Inuyasha could have sworn there was a twitch of amusement in the voice.

"Grrr… go away and leave me along, willya?" Inuyasha was ready to stop and seriously hurt himself, but the thought of Kagome pressed him on.

"Hello, idiot, did you realize that I am you? You can't make me leave, you know." Now there was undisguised irony and mockery in the being's tone of voice.

"I told you to shut up! I need ta save my Kagome!" Inuyasha sped up even more, hoping to run away from this omniscient voice.

"And since when did she become your Kagome? You tease her, scorn her, curse her, and hurt her. You tell her she means nothing to you and that she's just a 'Tama detector. What makes you think she doesn't hate your guts and will leave you and become Kouga's woman after the jewel is complete? Ha, he's much more handsome and kind than you, dog-turd!" With this final insult, the voice disappeared from Inuyasha's mind. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief, which wasn't a smart idea since he happened to bump headlong into a solid tree trunk.

"Oww…" he groaned, "I can't believe the things I go through for this woman!" Inuyasha thought of just giving up and deciding that Kagome wasn't in danger after all, that he had just imagined her voice inside his head, when suddenly, a piercing cry rent the air, full of pain and distress. It was Kagome's voice, and it was nearby, Inuyasha could tell. He gasped, "Hang on Kagome, I'm coming!!!!!!" And burst into the clearing where Neko was "playing" with her captive.

Kagome was tied up with strips of cloth from her own school uniform, with a bright blue headband tied around her mouth to keep her from crying aloud. She had obviously been struggling to get free of her bonds for some time, for there were dirt stains and stray leaves all over her clothes, hair, and face. There were scratches and bruises everywhere, most likely caused by the cat-demon's sharp claws and hard blows. But worst of all, what tore at Inuyasha's heart, was the sight of the long dark blood stain that was slowly spreading down the front of Kagome's chest, indicating a very deep and serious wound had been dealt from those deadly claws.

"KAGOME!!" Inuyasha cried. The miko looked up, obviously in pain and struggling to stay conscious, and saw him standing there, looking as if he was the one who had been hurt. Her eyes showed desperation, pain, and relief. She took one more harsh, raggedy breath, before a heavy darkness claimed her and she slumped down onto the earth.