Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha. Those are the property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I thank her whole-heartedly for giving us such an amazing manga/anime to read/watch.

One Heart – Chapter 6

Kagome clung to Youkai Inu-Yasha as he grabbed her and jumped from her bedroom window. He landed effortlessly on the hard ground below and quickly sprinted to the stone wall surrounding the shrine courtyard. He cleared the wall in one easy leap and quickly ran through the dark, following the path he had taken earlier that day.

Kagome wasn't sure how to react. His appearance had caught her off-guard. She knew he would be full youkai, but for some reason the idea of him looking like his half-brother, Sesshoumaru, had never occurred to her. Even now, she found herself looking up at his face as he ran through the dark, the only light coming from an occasional street lamp. His features were the same as always, with the exception of his ears. However, now there were two slender streaks of purple on each cheek, and, even though she couldn't see it in the dark, on his forehead was the shape of a crescent moon.

The chill night air cut through Kagome's thin pajamas and still-damp hair. She shivered against the cold.

Youkai Inu-Yasha felt her shiver and pulled her closer to him as he ran. Now that he had Kagome back, everything was working out perfectly.

He continued to run, hugging her slender frame against him for warmth, until they reached their destination. Youkai Inu-Yasha had taken note of possible places for him to take her to. Now he stopped in front of a large, unoccupied home. It was nothing less than a mansion. He knew from earlier that the scent of humans had been very faded, indicating that nobody had been there for a while. The building and grounds were immaculate. It would take very little preparation to make the place suitable as a home for himself and his chosen mate.

He quickly circled the house until he found a window that wasn't secure. He pushed it open and jumped through, still holding Kagome tightly against him. He carefully set her down and closed the window.

"Where are we?" Kagome looked around her in confusion. So much had happened so fast that she hadn't had the time to sort things out. Now she stood in the middle of a stranger's house, shivering in her pajamas while Youkai Inu-Yasha made sure the place was uninhabited. He left the room without answering.

It only took him a moment to check the main floor. He walked back into the room where Kagome waited. It was dark in the room except for the moonlight which spilled through the windows, but by the furnishings, it was apparent that this house belonged to someone of some wealth.

"Where are we?" Kagome repeated.

"Your new home."

Human Inu-Yasha quickly searched Kagome's bedroom for any sign of where she had gone. The tub of water for his footbath lay on the floor by her bed where she had put it. Nothing seemed to be out of place, and there was no sign of a struggle. He ran down the stairs and checked the living room and kitchen, but found no sign of her.

"Can I help you find something?" Kagome's mother walked into the kitchen while he was looking.

"Did Kagome come down here?" He tried to keep his voice calm. There was no need to alarm her mother. At least not yet.

"No. She took your footbath upstairs and hasn't been down since. She's probably in her room." She paused, studying his expression.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Mrs. Higurashi sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and indicated a second one.

Inu-Yasha quickly sat down. This wasn't going to be easy.

"She's gone. I went to her bedroom after I finished my bath and she isn't there. The window was open, though, and Kagome would never leave it open like that….."

"You think she went with your other half, don't you?" Mrs. Higurashi's voice was calm. She didn't appear to be concerned that his youkai half may have taken off with her daughter.

"I think he took her. Aren't you worried?" He was confused at Mrs. Higurashi's lack of concern for her daughter.

"Worried? Inu-Yasha, you would never hurt Kagome. That I'm certain of. I never worry about her when she's with you. I know you'll always keep her safe."

He was shocked by her confidence in him. However, it wasn't him that Kagome was with. She was with his youkai self. How could her mother not be worried?

"He's a youkai. There's no telling what he'll do." Human Inu-Yasha found himself getting angry. Angry at his youkai self for abducting Kagome. Angry with Mrs. Higurashi for her apparent lack of concern over her daughter's disappearance. But, mostly angry at himself for not being able to protect Kagome from his youkai half. He ended his speech with a fist slamming against the kitchen table.

"Calm down, Inu-Yasha. Believe me, I know you would never hurt my daughter. Even if you are split into two right now, I honestly believe that neither of your halves would hurt her."

"Well, I'm worried about her, even if you're not. And, I'm not just going to sit here while he's got her who-knows-where. I'm going to find her."

"And how do you think you're going to do that?" Ji-chan's voice interrupted. He was standing at the doorway, apparently having woken from his nap in his favorite chair.

"Well, I…. I don't know, but I've got to do something." Human Inu-Yasha turned to glare at Kagome's grandfather. He seemed as unconcerned about Kagome as her mother was. Why couldn't they understand? He had to get her away from his youkai self.

"Are you sure he took her? Maybe she went with him willingly." Ji-chan sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

Mrs. Higurashi stood up and walked to the stove. She picked up a tea pot and put it on a burner, turning the flame on to warm water for tea.

Human Inu-Yasha didn't answer. For the first time since discovering that Kagome was gone, he had to face the fact that perhaps she had gone willingly with his youkai half. The prospect was not something he wanted to think about.

"NO," Human Inu-Yasha shook his head. He refused to believe it. Kagome wouldn't have left with his youkai half. Not willingly, at least. And, she would never have left without telling him. Would she?

His chair scraped against the kitchen floor as he quickly stood up. "I'm going to take a walk."

Mrs. Higurashi watched as he left the room and then turned to the stove, where the water for Ji-chan's tea had started to boil. She poured his water and placed a tea bag in the cup, setting it in front of him on the table before she sat back down.

"He really cares about her."

Ji-chan simply nodded as he sipped his tea.

"What do you mean, my new home? I already have a home, thank you, and I really would like to go back there now." Kagome stood shivering in the dark. The cool night air had chilled her already, and now she stood wearing nothing but thin pajamas in an unheated house. She was tired and worried, and more than a little angry at the fact that she was taken from her house without even being asked.

Youkai Inu-Yasha glared at her. "What do you mean, you want to go back. You belong here, with me."

He moved towards her, grabbing her roughly by her shoulders. Kagome looked up at him in surprise.

"You want to go back to him. That's why you want to go home, isn't it?" his voice had become raspy and his anger grew. "You want to go back to that weak human male I saw you with earlier."

He shook her slightly. "Who is he? Why do you want to go back to a lowly human like him?"

Kagome's eyes opened wide with surprise. He had never been so rough with her before, even though he hadn't hurt her. More than that, his question could only mean one thing. He had no idea what had happened to him.

"He's you."