Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. But I'm working on it.

I guess it's only fair to warn you- I'm rather slow on updating. I like to try and make sure that the chapter is what I want before I post it. Not to mention that 7th grade is pure hell. Homework, homework, and projects! I think I'll die of stress before I even get to High School. To my first four reviewers...Arigatou!

My teachers are really scary and I have a lot of homework. I'll try my best to update as soon as possible.

The story so far: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru escaped from a H.E.P, but were blown into the ocean with several bullet wounds. Meanwhile, at a Hope, the three mikos, Kagome, Rin and Sango were at the beach gathering herbs when Kagome spotted bodies washed up on the sand.

Chapter 2-Awake

So much time spent in sorrow

That when finally it's time for something more,

I can't seem to believe.

Bodies... Her hand lowered from her open mouth as the situation sank into Kagome. Sango and Rin paused in their work, watching their friend's face pale. They rose to their feet, uncertainly calling her name.

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

When there was no response, they followed her gaze and they too, paled in shock. Finally finding her legs, Kagome broke into a run, her feet skimming the wet sand. The herbs forgotten, Sango and Rin followed. Only slightly out of, breath, Kagome staggered to a stop and dropped to her knees beside the two bodies.

A familiar feeling crept through her, and she knew that one was hanyou, the other demon- but at the moment that really didn't mean anything to her. Sango and Rin knelt beside her, faces grim when they saw the blood stains that had been slightly faded from by the waters.

Standing abruptly, Sango exclaimed, "I'll go get help!"

Turning quickly, she sprinted toward the town, disappearing in the sand. Kagome's eyes swept over the body.

His skin was so pale- like it had never seen the sunlight. She gently pushed his wet bangs to the side, grimacing at the large bruise on his cheek. Leaning over she tilted her head over his mouth, straining to hear his breath. It was faint, but she felt warm breaths on her ear and she placed her hand on his chest in relief.

She glanced down when she felt something hard under her hand. Looking down, she took the small necklace between her fingers. As she read it, her lips tightened. It read "732-828-INUYASHA"

Flipping the tag over she ran her finger over the engraved letters. Hanyou EXE Co. She clenched her fingers around the identification tag until the metal had left a pale indent in her palm. They must have escaped.

Rin saw it, too. Her eyes darkened and she swore under her breath. It was rarer then a blue deer, seeing Rin like this or hearing her swear. Picking at the metal she read mentally, "201-906-SESSHOMAROU" He was even paler than the one Kagome was tending to. Her fingers hesitantly traced the triangular markings on his cheeks, lingering on the crescent moon.

Kagome clenched her jaws together and in one swift movement, she pulled the necklace off and over his head. Following her movements, Rin tugged the chain from around his neck and the two stood for a moment clenching the cold stamps.

Escaping a H.E.P, she knew was skimming the line of impossible. She didn't need to be a demon to know the gnawing hunger they must feel, trapped behind guarded walls. And this little tag was proof of low they were there. This, this was what they treated like, in that place so close to her home. Demons there were specks of dirt that clotted the Earth and needed to be wiped away.

"Yahh!"

With a sudden impulse Kagome swung her arm in a wide semi-circle, flinging the damned piece of metal as far out to sea as she could. Another cry rang this time, from Rin as she hurled Sesshomarou's necklace to the waves. Kagome stood panting, wanting to scream at the red sky. The sound was there, lodged in her throat like a bone.

"Kagome! Rin!"

Sango's distant voice broke through the heavy air and Kagome swallowed painfully before turning around. She was sitting on the back of Kirara, her pet cat-demon. The huge youkai bounded through the air, fire swirling around the creamy paws, dagger-like fangs protruding down to her chin.

Rin cupped a hand around her mouth and called, "Kirara! Down here!"

Her black ears twitched and, Kirara descended. Jumping nimbly unto the sand, Sango hurried to Rin's side.

"Any changes?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. We have to get them to the hospital." She wavered, then continued, "I'm pretty sure that...they're from the H.E.P. a few miles to the North."

Sango's jaw tightened visibly. Her voice strained, she said, "Let's get them on Kirara."

Sitting on her heels, Kagome silently pulled Inuyasha into a sitting position. Shuffling closer, she brought his arm around her shoulders and grabbed his hand to keep it from slipping off. She shivered slightly as the water soaked through her top. The smell of blood made her grimace. Shaking it off, Kagome pulled herself up, bringing him with her. She stumbled a little under his weight, but quickly steadied herself.

"Bastards..."

Kagome glanced down. It had been so quiet that she wasn't sure if he'd really spoken at all. His head rolled forward, mumbling softly. Her eyes softened with something that might have been sympathy.

"You got him, Kagome?"

"Yeah, I got him."

0 O

Rocks hurled through the darkness battering him with their sharp blows. Inuyasha swung his claws madly at the sound of the taunting laughter. Stones continued to pelt at him and bruises bloomed purple and black on his pale skin.

"Where are you, you bastard?"

A grenade rolled to his feet and the explosion threw him carelessly to the edge of the cliff. His hands caught the edge and blood stained the sharp rock. He looked down, snarling in anger.

There were thousands of them. Corpses on top of corpses on top of corpses. They were floating in an ocean of think oozing red. An ocean of their blood. His hand slipped and he fell.

Inuyasha twisted in the bed, panting hard. The sound woke Kagome from her sleep and slipping off of the couch, she made her way to him. Kagome brushed aside his bangs and her hand came away soaked in cold sweat.

The nightmare haunted hanyou groaned in his sleep. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Kagome pressed her cool hand on his hot forehead.

"Shh. It's alright." She whispered, her voice calming and soft. "It's okay."

He must have heard her, for he soon quieted and fell back into a quiet state of dream. Leaving his side, Kagome went back to her spot on the couch beside her sleeping friends and quietly watched, in case the nightmares should return.

0 0

Warmth.

It was the first thing he felt.

He frowned, struggling to remember. The H.E.P, the guards and the grenade...

The feeling of a hand coming on his forehead made his eyes snap open, gold and wide in fury. His hand shot out closing around a pale, smooth throat as he sat up snarling.

For a moment, time stopped as furious gold met startled blue.

Inuyasha froze in numb surprise. It was a female. At the H.E.P he'd seen them before, but they were musk rats compared to the girl he held around the throat.

Her ebony hair fell in thick waves around her face, spilling over her tense shoulders. The low light of the sunrise played shadows onto her high, defined cheekbones and the gentle curve of her jaw. Her soft skin was flushed, most likely because he was close to choking her.

What really caught him were her eyes. They were the most fascinating shade of blue. The soft, husky hue was mixed with a dewy gray. Lined with dark, long lashes they looked like the sky before a spring shower. Now, they were wide in shock, staring at him.

"Who are you?" His throat was scratchy and dry, his voice was like sandpaper. Inuyasha swallowed, trying to restore some moisture.

"Who are you?" he repeated in a low growl.

The girl tried to speak, but only managed to utter a strangled sound. He loosened his grip just enough so that she could speak

"Please, you shouldn't move yet," she pleaded as soon as she could breath. "You're wounds will reopen if you do."

This time, it was his eyes that widened slightly, astounded. Those words coming from a human. It was completely unexpected. In his entire life...

He closed his hand around her throat again, claws nicking the delicate skin, and he bared his fangs. "I'll ask you one more time. Who are you?"

Forcing herself not to wince, Kagome answer his question, "Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."

Inuyasha glared at her. Knowing her name hadn't helped the situation at all. Seeing his inability to continue, Kagome slowly lowered her hand to the wrist that held her neck, closing her long fingers around it gently. Inuyasha jerked it back immediately. Kagome rubbed her throat, masking her surprise. She hadn't expected him to recoil like that. Then again, his past experience with humans hadn't been the kind to make him trust her, were they?

She might want to be careful.

She approached him slowly, like one might approach a frightened animal. He tensed, eyes wary, ready to spring. Raising her hands, palms facing him, she stopped.

"It's all right, I'm not going to hurt-"

"Where am I?" Inuyasha interrupted. This couldn't be the H.E.P.

A smile tugged at Kagome's lips. In a voice as reassuring as she could make it she told him, "My friends and I found you and your friend washed up on the beach. This is a Hope."

His eyes widened, a tiny bit, yet again. A Hope? His mother had told him about them when he was younger, before-...when he was younger. She'd been to one and supposedly, it was the equivalent to heaven.

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha hissed, "Wench, have you lost your mind? Hopes don't exist- sorry to burst your bubble." At least they were talking, and he wasn't trying to choke her.

Kagome shook her head. "And I'm just as sorry to pop yours, but yes, Inuyasha they do."

Evading the topic, Inuyasha bared his fangs again. "My name."

Tilting her head in confusion, Kagome repeated, somewhat dumbly, "Your name..."

Ignoring the pain that shot through his body, he sat up again. "How," he began, his eyes dark with suspicion and rancor. His hand shot out again and grabbed her neck, again, pulling her face toward his own. Eye to eye, he finished, "do you know my name?"

Gasping at the feel of his hand tightened around her neck- again- Kagome coughed. Her eyes were beginning to water.

"Your tag...I read your name on the tag." She bit her lip when she say the red stains showing through the wrappings.

It took a moment for him to realize that she was talking about the identification necklace. At the H.E.P he'd been known by his id number- 732- 828. Only a few called him by his name, and humans were most certainly not one of them. Hell, most of the demons there didn't even have names.

"I threw it," the girl- Kagome- continued, "into the ocean." Her voice was soft.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. Thrown it away? Why...His free hand patted the front of his chest and sure enough, it didn't come in contact with the necklace that had occupied that space since the day he'd been born.

"I know that you're confused, and I'd gladly explain the situation to you, if I weren't being held by neck," Kagome tried. "Not to mention that I have to change your bandages."

Only then did Inuyasha realize that the hand squeezing the girl's neck was wrapped with a white bandage. The hand that still lingered on his chest slid down, encountering the rough material wrapped around his abdomen. He pressed the wounded area gingerly and only years of covering pain kept him from wincing.

"Well?" She smiled, hopefully and expectantly.

He released her neck with a push and sat back in the bed, propping himself up against the pillows. Again, Kagome rubbed her neck and hurried over to a small cabinet beside the bed as Inuyasha watched. For the first time, he realized that she was wearing priestess robes.

Quickly shuffling through the sanitized objects, she gathered some ointment, medical scissors, wrap bandages and closed the cabinet. Smiling, she pulled a chair over next to the bed and sat down, setting the stuff on the covers.

Inuyasha breathed in her scent. It was like scanning a human. Under their main scent, there was usually something that indicated their nature. It couldn't tell exactly what they were like...but it was still useful.

His family- the demon side anyways- had gradually gained a sort of gift. Along with the scent, they could if they wished, see an image along with the smell. Being only half-demon, Inuyasha had to try harder. Yet another reminder to his cursed human blood. Breathing in without a sound, Inuyasha took in her scent, pulling it deep, hoping that he would receive an image.

It was like seeing a flash of a movie. He was standing under a tree. A sakura tree, fluffy and in bloom with flowers the softest shade of pink. Looking up, Inuyasha could see a sky of blue between the dipping petals. A gentle breeze played through the branches and silently dispatching from the colony of petals and branches, blossoms floated down around him, brushing against his skin.

Then, he was back in on the bed, the girl sitting by the bed.

Inuyasha scoffed. He wouldn't trust her, no matter what her scent said. But...

The girl had moved, leaning over him, hand on his shoulder and other arm slipped gently behind his back. Jerking away, Inuyasha growled warningly at her.

"What?" he demanded angrily.

Making up for the patience he didn't have, Kagome repeated, "I have to move you off the pillows if I'm going to wrap your stomach and I don't want you moving by yourself just yet."

Crossing his arms, Inuyasha looked exactly like a little boy refusing to hold hands with a girl. "No! Leave me be."

She shifted a closer. "Am I going to have to chase you around this bed?"

She was teasing him- joking around with the lightness to her voice that made him still and relax. Smiling appreciatively, Kagome untied the small knot that held the wrappings in place.

"Raise your arms," she instructed with a motherly kind of sternness.

Hesitating only for a moment, he obliged. Moving slowly, she pulled the now stained bandages away from his body and wrapping her arms around him, unwound them. Discarding the used strips of material, she pulled a towel from a bowl of water that had been set on the table by his bed. Twisting the cloth, she squeezed out access water back into the bowl.

"This might sting."

With the towel, she gently dabbed at the opened wounds, wiping away the blood. It did sting...

She glanced at him with an "I told you so" look. Continuing her work, she chastised, "See? I told you that your wounds would reopen."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply with a retort, but with nothing to say, settled with a huffy, "Feh."

Grinning in surprise at his reply, Kagome straightened and set the towel back into the bowl of water. Kagome pulled a small jar from the pile of supplies that she had brought and twisted the cap open. Dipping her index and middle finger into the container, she pulled them back out, now covered in a ginger scented jelly.

"This is some medicine. It'll help to keep your wounds from getting infected."

Smearing the ointment over the newly cleaned injuries, Kagome sighed. "You took the worse of the beatings. Your friend, Sesshomarou only had a few grazes and one bullet wound. But, those have already started to heal and-"

"Where is he?" Inuyasha had almost forgotten about him.

Pointing to the other side of the room where a green curtain hid the other wall from Kagome said, "He's over there, sleeping. He'll be fine."

Scoffing, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Too bad."

Kagome laughed softly, wrapping new bandages around his ointment covered stomach. "I can tell there's some deep love between you two."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes again.

With a final inspection, Kagome stood up. "There! Good as new." When he didn't reply, Kagome chuckled. "No, no! There's no need to thank me or anything!"

What was with this human? Inuyasha watched as she placed the things back into the cabinet. Could it be that she was telling the truth? Was he really in a Hope?

"Girl, are you a miko?"

Kagome glanced over her shoulder at him. "My name's Kagome- not girl. And yes, I am a miko."

Inuyasha knew the only mikos left in the world were in Hopes.

So...this was really...

Kagome walked toward the door and smiled again.

"Now, you stay put! I'm going to get you something to eat now that you're awake. I'll be back in a second."

She pushed open the door and Inuyasha caught of glimpse of what was outside. He might have gasped, except he was too stunned. There were more humans, some dressed in strange white clothing. But...there were demons, too. Together. Talking. Laughing.

The door shut, cutting off his view of the simple, yet to him, extraordinary scene.

But he'd seen enough. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. A picture of hope.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Corny, right? Either way, I had to write this while trying to keep true to my original draft, while improving it. That proved to be harder than I though. Either way, please review.
Any mistakes? Tell me- please!