A/N- Ahhhh! I almost have one hundred reviews! I love you guys! I am so glad you guys like this story. I was nervous because it's my first one. It might get pretty angsty soon. Be prepared for some bumps in the road for our favorite couples relationship. Sorry Tiger of the Wind, I can't give them too much fluff just yet. There were so many great reviewers for the last chapter, so this one is dedicated to Starhawke, Priest, Rachel, and Tiger of the Wind. Thank you to everyone else who reviewed! Enjoy!

Disclaimer- Nope, the fabulous Rumiko Takahashi has ownership over these incredible characters!

The Colors of Emotions

Chapter 21

Don't Leave My Side

Inuyasha soared from treetop to treetop. Kagome's screaming to let her down had quieted, and she now lay limply over his shoulder. Inuyasha stopped on a wide branch and settled Kagome in front of him in a cross-legged position. She was half-asleep and almost tipped off the branch.

"Oi, Kagome? Wake up!" He yelled.

"I'm suddenly really tired." Kagome yawned. She would have fallen off the branch had Inuyasha not had a tight grip on her waist to hold her steady.

"You didn't have enough sleep idiot. You woke up from a nightmare right?"

"Miroku needs to learn to shut up." Kagome briskly answered. Inuyasha decided that she wasn't in any mood to discuss it.

Once she was situated, he leaned against the trunk of the tree and crossed his arms over his chest. Kagome was scowling at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Well first off. Why do you get the comfortable spot on the branch?"

"If I sat further out on the limb, and you were against the trunk, then if you 'sat' me, I would snap only the part of the branch from where I was sitting when I fell. This way, if you say 'sit' I'll break the whole branch and you'd be coming down with me." Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly, though he knew he would never let her fall.

Kagome glared at him. "Fine. Now why did you interrupt my bath, drag me in the woods, and stick me in a tree?"

"You are gonna tell me exactly what happened yesterday with that kotsonu. No lying!"

"I don't want to." She defiantly snapped.

 "Kagome!" Inuyasha growled threateningly.

"Why is it such a big deal?"

"Would you just tell me what happened?"

"Fine." Kagome dejectedly agreed. There was no getting out of this one. He was going to be mad, she knew he would be. She had basically almost committed suicide. It was irresponsible to not take Kaede's warning seriously. But Rin's innocent face flashed in Kagome's mind, and the miko readied herself for whatever wrath the hanyou could bestow.

She decided to be brief, "Well, the kotsonu carried me to a little clearing. He hit me a couple times and-"

"You make it sound like it's no big deal that the bastard hit you!"

"Shut up and let me finish! Anyway, so the kotsonu said he wanted his magic back. I told him it was stupid because his magic was mixed with my miko power. He pulled out a little bottle and said if I willingly drank the potion, my soul would separate along with the magic, and he could take the half that had the demon energy in it."

"What! Kagome you couldn't possibly be that stupid to think you would be the same person with only half a soul!"

Kagome immediately got defensive. "I'm not stupid! Losing the demon energy would get rid of my power. I hate it! And since when did you mind if someone only had part of a soul and was a complete freak!?" Kagome didn't know where that last bit had come from. Images from her dream flashed in her mind.

"Where the hell did that come from? Why are you involving Kikyo?"

"I…I didn't mean it like that. It's nothing!"

Inuyasha didn't believe her for a minute. "You are so bad at lying."

"Do you want me to tell you the rest?"

"Feh, keep going." Inuyasha pushed the reference to Kikyo in the back of his mind for 'questions to ask Kagome later.'

"I wouldn't drink the potion. I knew if the kotsonu got his power back he would be near invincible. He…he slashed me with his claws a-and said something about… persuading me to do as he says."

Inuyasha noticed her slight falter and realized that it was difficult for Kagome to repeat the incident. But he dismissed it and let her continue. He needed to know why she attacked. He needed her to tell him why she would willingly let herself die. He couldn't let her recklessly attack anything she wanted.

"This little girl appeared by this stream, and he moved in to attack her. I was in some sort of barrier. I watched as he got closer to the girl and the power just surged through me to protect her." Kagome didn't want to go on. She knew Inuyasha would think she was stupid for risking her life on purpose. She knew he'd be mad. The thought stressed her. She wasn't in any mood to fight with the hanyou. 'Maybe I can lie and tell him I didn't know what I was doing when I attacked.'

"What happened next?" Inuyasha pushed further.

Kagome suddenly remembered the feeling of knowing she would probably die, and the pain that practically ripped her apart when she unleashed her power. She didn't want to talk about this, especially not to someone who only wanted to tell her what an idiot she had been. Tears sprang in her eyes. Before she knew it, the pain, exhaustion, and total feeling of insecurity consumed her.

Inuyasha watched in horror as Kagome's small form shook with sobs. "W-why are you crying?" He asked in a panic.

Kagome's answer was a loud sob. She started to tilt over to one side of the branch and Inuyasha was quick to grab her before she fell. He held her close to him as she clung to his haori. Inuyasha instinctively rubbed her back in small, soothing circles.

Kagome began to mumble into the fabric, and Inuyasha had trouble understanding her. "Shh, Kagome calm down. I can't understand you when you're mumbling."

Kagome pulled away slightly. "Inuyasha, I won't let anyone die because of me." The determination in her voice surprised the hanyou. He gave her a moment to compose herself before talking.

"So you attacked the kotsonu."

'I can't get out of this one. He already knows what happened.' She realized. So she told the truth, "Yes. I realized I was bleeding pretty heavily, but I risked it. And don't give me any of that lecture about how stupid I was. I know I could've died." She took a deep breath. She had stopped crying, but her emotional instability was driving her into hysterics.

She continued after a moment. "But I would have rather died taking that demon down with me. If I am going to die, then I will die knowing my life was used to save somebody. No one will die because of me." There was that determined spark in her eyes again.

"Kagome, that little girl wouldn't have been worth your life."

Kagome's anger flared. "She was to me! I don't care if I have never met her. I knew what I was doing. I knew I was weak. I don't care if I was wounded. I knew what I was doing!"

"Kagome, we need you, you can't die on us." Inuyasha calmly stated. It seemed to settle Kagome down a bit.

"I know."

"From now on, you need to follow the rules. You can't attack when you're wounded. And you need to keep a check on your emotions."

"I'm not an idiot. I know all of this already."

"I've been a bad protector of you so far. So-"

"What do you mean?" Kagome cut him off. He wasn't a bad protector. She had very rarely been seriously hurt, and she knew he blamed himself when she was.

Inuyasha continued as if her interruption had never happened. "So you are not to leave my sight unless I tell you that you can. If you can't keep in control of your power, then I will."

"No! I can control my power."

"Well if you are going to attack even when you're too weak, then I am going to stop you. No more running off. Got it?"

Anger flashed in Kagome's eyes. "I told you I don't need a babysitter."

Inuyasha saw the warning signals. "Kagome calm down. You're getting mad."

This only served to make Kagome angrier. "I don't need you to tell me if I'm angry or not!" She yelled.

"Calm down wench!" He gruffly ordered. His sincere and calm attitude disappeared in a flash. He was in charge, and she needed to learn it.

The next few moments were nothing that the miko or hanyou expected. Kagome felt as if her energy was being sucked out of her body. The jewel shard around Kagome's neck flashed blue. The light blinded Inuyasha for a moment and he lost his focus on the world around him. Kagome shrieked and her body lurched backwards on instinct. The young miko lost her balance and was soon toppling to the hard ground below.

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I am leaving for vacation this week, but I will give you guys another chapter before I leave because I know this cliffhanger was pretty evil of me. Hee Hee.

Please review!

Lots of Love,

Vold