One Heart – Chapter 7

"Feh!" Youkai Inu-Yasha glared at her for a moment. Suddenly he shook his head and laughed.

"So, that's what I used to look like on the night of a new moon. At least I don't have to worry about that any more. And, I didn't even need the Shikon no Tama to become a full youkai."

"You sound like you like being split in two," Kagome's voice was strained. Apparently this was a possibility she hadn't considered fully. If his youkai half was content with the way things were, how would she get him back together with his human half?

"I'm not split in two. Well, at least I'm not a half of anything. For the first time in my life, I'm really a full youkai. I never felt this strong. I run faster than ever, and my senses are all more sensitive. Good riddance to that weak human part of me."

"Weak human? Are you forgetting that I'm human…" Kagome pulled away from him and turned to look out the window. She was having a difficult time keeping her voice from wavering. How could he want to stay like this? What would happen to his human half? Could they even survive apart from each other? The questions filled her mind as she looked out the window into the darkness.

Youkai Inu-Yasha looked at Kagome's back, not knowing how to respond. How could she not be happy that he had finally achieved what he had wanted for so many years?

"I would like to go home now." Kagome's voice was soft. She turned slowly to face him.

"I told you, this is your home now."

"You can't just walk into a house and claim it. This isn't the Sengoku Jidai, you know. There are laws here, and one of them says you can't steal another person's property. Somebody obviously lives here, even if they aren't here right now. And, anyway, this isn't my home. I would like to go back now."

Youkai Inu-Yasha glared at Kagome. "You're my woman. You'll do as I tell you."

His woman? Did he really see her that way?

"You can't order me around like that. I want to go home now."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Youkai Inu-Yasha moved towards her.

For the first time since she had gotten to know him, Inu-Yasha was frightening her. This wasn't like him. He could be arrogant at times, but he had always had a soft side, too. At this moment, though, it appeared that his soft side had been left with his human half.

Kagome's mouth started to form the word osuwari when she noticed that the rosary that usually circled Inu-Yasha's neck was missing. The realization sank in that she was alone in a strange house with an angry full-youkai version of her Inu-Yasha minus the one thing that allowed her to control him. She backed away from him, glancing nervously around the room. She was having difficulty keeping from crying.

"Stand still, wench. Unless you want me to drop you." He reached her and quickly picked her up, carrying her back through the window they had entered through. He sat her down while he closed the window behind them.

"What are you doing?" Kagome was puzzled by the sudden change in his behavior.

"You said you wanted to go home. I'm taking you home." He turned to pick her up.

"It would be easier if I just rode on your back. You know, like I always do."

Youkai Inu-Yasha's surprised expression was hidden from her in the darkness. He turned around so she could get on. Kagome reached out in the darkness, feeling where he was before climbing onto his back. Her arms circled his neck while her legs straddled his waist. He gently grabbed her legs, pulling her tightly to him as he quickly sprinted into the darkness.

Human Inu-Yasha had run from the Higurashi house, stopping when he reached the courtyard. He glanced around, suddenly aware that he had absolutely no idea how to find Kagome. For the first time since he had come through the well he really missed his hanyou senses. Normally he would have been able to catch her scent and follow it. However, now he glanced around the darkness with no idea which way to go. He felt useless. Kagome was out there, somewhere, with that youkai and he had no idea how to find her.

He wandered around the courtyard, trying to figure out what to do. If that damned youkai hurt Kagome, he would kill it.

He found himself at the foot of the Goshinboku tree. Its leaves rustled in the breeze and he could see the moon peeking through the branches. This was the one thing that connected him to his own time. That connected him to Kagome. After all, it was right here that they had met. Well, this place, but in his time.

Human Inu-Yasha slumped against the tree. The bark was rough on his skin as he put his back to the tree and slid downwards, ending up in a crouch at the foot of it. He had no idea how long he was there, but was startled by something moving. It flashed past him and seemed to jump to Kagome's bedroom window.

He quickly got up and ran as fast as he could into the house. The front door slammed behind him as he took the stairs to Kagome's room two at a time. He slid to a stop just inside her bedroom.

Standing there staring at him was his youkai half. Kagome was just climbing off the other's back and hadn't noticed him.

"What the hell did you do with Kagome?" Human Inu-Yasha demanded of the youkai.

Youkai Inu-Yasha just snarled and turned to Kagome.

"You wanted to come back, so I brought you back. Surely this isn't why you wanted to come here?" He waved a hand in Human Inu-Yasha's direction.

Human Inu-Yasha stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"You had no right to run off with Kagome. If you had hurt her…"

"You'd what?" Youkai Inu-Yasha laughed. "You're just a weak human. You couldn't do anything to me."

Kagome stood, looking from one to the other. Their arguing was making her nervous. She felt she had to do something. Just as the two started moving towards each other she stepped between them.

"Stop it, already. If you are going to act like this then you're both going to have to leave." She looked nervously at Youkai Inu-Yasha, not quite sure how he would react. His lack of the rosary had her worried. If he got out of hand, she would have no way to stop him.

Youkai Inu-Yasha simply laughed again. "Saved by a girl. You really are a pathetic human."

"Don't forget. I'm just a pathetic human, too." Kagome had started to become angry. Why couldn't Inu-Yasha's youkai half accept his human half? She was starting to really worry that her plan for bringing the two back together was going to fail miserably.

Youkai Inu-Yasha reached out and cupped his hand under Kagome's chin. "You might be human, but you will never be pathetic. Besides, you have me to take care of you. You don't need to be strong."

"She doesn't need you to take care of her. She's got me." Human Inu-Yasha shouted.

A knock at the door startled them all.

"Is everything all right, Kagome?" Mama's voice was full of concern as she opened the door and stepped into Kagome's bedroom.

"You boys need to keep the voices down. Souta is asleep. He has to get up for school in the morning and I don't want you to wake him up." She turned to Kagome. "Actually, you need to get some sleep, too, dear. You miss enough school when you are gone. You can't afford to miss any when you're home."

Kagome sighed. How could she worry about school when she had to play referee to Inu-Yasha's two halves?

Mrs. Higurashi glanced at the two Inu-Yasha's with Kagome.

"Well, I'll have to get some blankets and pillows. Do you think the two of you can behave well enough to stay here tonight?"

"Feh!" Youkai Inu-Yasha turned and glared at his human half. "I'm not staying here with him." He turned and glared at his human half. "You better keep your hands off her." Then, he darted to the open window and jumped out, landing silently in the branches of the tree outside Kagome's window. He propped himself against a branch so that he could keep Kagome's room in view.

Human Inu-Yasha glared at his youkai half. "Well, at least he's not in the same room. I'll sleep on the floor in here, if you don't mind. Someone has to make sure he doesn't try something with Kagome – again."

Kagome sighed. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night.