Chapter 5: From This Moment

The darkness of night easily took over the sun as shadowy clouds came about and cried with great distress and crackled with laughter like the sky itself had a twist sense of humor and furthermore a split personality. The trees easily fell victim to the great powers of the wind and the rain would pelt anyone into a watery pulp if they ventured outdoors. All the animals that had a brain stayed in their homes or under a type of shelter from the rain. But of course there was always one of the animal kingdoms dumb enough to venture out, that of course was a hanyou, Inu-Yasha. Half human and half youkai, he himself stood outside the front porch of his cousin's house, his arms where crossed and he was leaning against the beam of wood that held the front porches ceiling up. A small waist high wall protects him from the rain.

The house was completely made in an old-fashioned Japanese style home and very sturdy. He loved her home but he would never tell Nankinmai that. Furthermore he loved this home even more because it was out of the city and hidden in the woods, well kind of hidden if you didn't count the road that led to her home and the mailbox. But anyways he watched the rain as it fell from the crying heavens.

His long silver hair was pulled back in an lose fitting ponytail, he wore a pair of baggy jeans and a simple white T-shirt and no shoes. About his neck was a necklace made of teeth and prayer beads that were given to him by Nankinmai, for protection against evil spirits, sadly it did not keep strange girls away from him, like Leeta and his cousin that sometimes just plain out right scared the shit out of him.

"How is she?" he asked as he caught Nankinmai scent as she stepped out onto the wooden deck while cleaning the water from her hands onto a rag and then straightened up her thin glasses. "My honest opinion? Better then she was an hour ago, though she is still asleep. She had a good many bruises especially one the size of a baseball on her right thigh." She sighed, "Cuts, scratches, one black eye, a sprang wrist and a long but deep cut upon the left side of her face which looks like it was made by a knife or claw and bruised ribs." She said at last then added, "I'm no doctor and grandmother Kaede is seeing if I missed anything seeing as she is a healer and all."

Inu-Yasha nodded slightly and eyed his cousin, "There's something you're not telling me, Nai-chan." He said in a composed voice, "I don't think you really want to know." She said and walked up beside him. "What could be worse then seeing my friend here beaten to a blood pulp?"

"Try abuse and sexually assaulted."

Inu-Yasha's clawed hand instantly snapped the strong wood railing beneath his hand. "Nani?" he asked in a whisper as if he did not believe what he had just heard. "Just what I said, but that's just a guess . . . she carried a . . . few . . . bite marks made by human-like teeth, kind of like yours and what she keeps mumbling in her sleep just adds to it." she spoke sadly and shook her head, as a deep growl came from Inu-Yasha's chest. "What kind of a sick bastard would do that to a woman?!" he growled once again and narrowed his eyes.

"Men." Nankinmai said off handly, "Well some." She added seeing the violent look that danced in her cousins amber eyes. Inu-Yasha was disgusted and infuriated at the news he had heard, a man that should do that to a woman should be taken out and shot! No that would be too merciful, indeed. How dare someone hurt Kagome! His kind-hearted Kagome!

He blinked, whoa! Hold the phones and pull back the horses! Did he just say . . . yep . . . he said 'his', his! She wasn't his! No way in heck was she his, she most likely was disgusted by him, being a hybrid and all. But that was beside the point! He had only known her for a few days or heck even a couple of weeks and all ready he had developed feelings for her!? This is insane!

He let go of the railing that fell from his hand and Nankinmai looked down at the destroyed railing of wood that rested above the waist tall wall. "Dude, you broke it!" she pointed out like a surprised girl, "That's the sixth time this month! That's it, your going to an Anger Management course Inu-chan."

Inu-Yasha suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the wood and then at Nankinmai and just stared at her, "Lets not and say we did." He said in annoyance as a small old lady walked out from the front door dressed in priestess attire and her hands behind her back. Her long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail and an eye-patch over one eye. The two college students looked at their grandmother.

"She is awake." Kaede stated

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Kagome awoke to find herself in a strange room that was fashioned in old Japanese style and it was very nice, but she could not help the fact that she was somewhere and not knowing where did not help her understand why she was here. She sighed and placed a hand onto her face that was confusing, indeed.

The last thing she remembered was running into the forest and Naraku did not follow her for some strange reason, then she saw that woman and then Inu-Yasha and that was it. ["INU-YASHA! OH KAMI!"] She thought as she moaned and closed her eyes but opened them again when she heard a sigh of relief; she looked to her left to see an old woman leaving the room as she spoke over her shoulder. "Glad to see ye awake child."

That's when Kagome sat up and instantly laid back down when a large amount of pain shot through her nerves she ran one bandaged hand through her clean raven-black hair and sighed, once again she noticed something else, she was wearing a thin white inner kimono piece instead of her clothing. Where were her clothes?

Well it didn't matter much . . . seeing as they where beyond ruined now.

She suddenly gulped when she heard footsteps approaching and the first thing she thought was, ["Oh Kami don't let it be him . . . don't let it be Naraku."] she thought and closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them unable to keep the suspense and wonder from her tired mind, so she opened her eyes slowly.

As she opened them she saw the bare feet of a man, then a pair of baggy jeans with a belt around the waist, clawed hands, ["No please"] she thought as she stared at the clawed hands that formed into fist and then loosened. She then took note to the long silver hair . . . silver hair! Her eyes widened as she acknowledges who it was before her!

Those dog-ears!

Oh those k-9 ears!

Those amber eyes of freedom!

She could stare at those orbs of gold for all entireties if she could. It wasn't Naraku! No! It was, "Inu-Yasha . . . " she spoke his name in a whisper in a horse voice. Was that her voice!? Wait, why was he staring at her like that? Why was he looking at her with such a caring expression?

["Oh don't let this end, I want it to last. Don't let this be another dream."]

"How are you feeling?" he asked and she said nothing but stared at him and then closed her eyes and looked away. ["What am I thinking? I'm going to be hurt again! He looks at me with affection or is it lust? I can't handle this! I can't! No one can love me or show affection for me . . . oh kami Naraku is right! His right!"]

Suddenly tears formed in her eyes, "Kagome . . . " Inu-Yasha said in a worried tone and reached out to brush her hair away from her face, but she jerked away, causing him to flinch and draw his hand back. She wouldn't let him touch her. Well duh! She had just been hurt and she is afraid. He sighed as he looked at her frail form. [I promise, I promise Kagome, from this very moment, I will protect you from harm. I promise you will never be hurt again"]

"I promise." He whispered to himself
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[A/n: Ya no new words lol, anyways I hope you all liked this chapter and heheh let me assure you Naraku will get his in the end =^-^= Oh and fair warning lol I some times (okay most of the time) put strange twist and events into my stories. BWAHAHAHAHHAHAH!

Oh and Nankinmai the tooth around your neck is one of Inu-chan's baby teeth hehehe, Something to pick on him with. Lol