'Gasp' She updated! Yep! That's right I finally updated. I'm sorry for not updating sooner. It's just that I have been incredibly busy. I'm a freshman in High School and taking all these advanced classes for the IB program. This is the first free time I've had for weeks! Since I had planned for a sad ending plus I got one request for a sad ending, there is going to be no sequel and a sad ending...live with it! Although...the epilogue makes it a sad/happy ending.

Chapter 7

After ruminating over his discussion with 'the voice' Inuyasha leapt from 'his' tree. Examining it closely he discover a large bald oval on the large oak, where much of the outer bark was missing. Sniffing it, he reached out with one hand and made a series of gashes over the tree on that spot. 'Mine' he thought as he surveyed his handy-work. Sighing, he walked slowly towards the house, occasionally sniffing, to make sure no one was near.

"Inuyasha" said a voice from behind him

He jumped, startled, "Damn it! Don't do that!" he shouted

Kagome's eyes filled with hurt, "Sorry for being worried about you!" she shouted back, as tears began coursing down her face.

"Uh..." Inuyasha shifted a little nervously. Her crying was making him acutely uncomfortable...and he didn't know why. In fact, he didn't know why he was snapping at her. "...d-d-on't cry" he stuttered out, uncomfortably, unconsciously unused to apologizing.

"Why not you idiot?!" demanded Kagome through her tears

Faced with this direct question, Inuyasha felt some weird feeling come over him. It felt as if he wanted to punch something. Since physical was probably not a good idea, he did the next best thing...he went vocal. "Because I hate to see women cry!" he snapped back

"Why?!" she shouted, "Why? Does it make you feel less manly!"

"How should I know? Damn if I know anything!" he said infuriated

"Well excuse me! I'm not the one who got all snappy all of a sudden!" she shrieked back, just as Miroku and Sango came tumbling out of the back door.

However, Inuyasha and Kagome were to caught up in their argument to notice until Sango and Miroku clapped their hands over their mouths and shouted, "STOP IT!" Inuyasha winced, and involuntarily flattened his ears.

"It's dinner you two! So pipe down!" said Sango. She handed Inuyasha a cup of Instant noodles. "Put hot water in it and go to your tree." She was about to say something more, to Kagome's defense when Miroku interrupted her.

"We need to talk to Kagome" said Miroku, cutting in.

Looking back and forth between, Sango's glare, and Miroku's calm gaze, he shrugged, flattened his ears and went inside. Miroku and Sango guided Kagome to her room.

"That self-centered, immature jerk!" said Kagome scathingly, as she paced the small confines of her room, still angry enough to rant.

"Kagome. That's enough" said Miroku sharply. Kagome and Sango looked at him stunned, he'd never talked to either one of them that way.

"Miroku. She has a right to rant," protested Sango, her eyes narrowed, "You don't know the difference between the Inuyasha of the past and the Inuyasha of the present."

"Perhaps I don't" he said quietly, "But maybe that is why I can understand him now better than either of you."

They looked up at Miroku uncomprehending. Miroku decided to explain, "Because you knew the Inuyasha of the past, you are expecting the Inuyasha of the present to be as he was in the past. But as you have forgotten the past 9 years he has probably undergone highly traumatic incidences that have lead him to abandon all thoughts of politeness to hide his weakness. Also there is his amnesia to consider. Parts of his defensive personality will rise without him understanding what is happening to him. Quite possibly Kagome, he has no idea why he snapped at you or what he was feeling. Mainly anger and irritation I would guess. This Inuyasha is not the same one you once knew. Perhaps he is a little, but incidents have created great gaps and flaws in his character, so do not presume too much. Treat him as a stranger, a new person."

Silence greeted his words. Sango looked chagrined as she rolled the words around in her head. Kagome was thinking. Her face was somber as she gazed out of her window, looking at a sullen and confused Inuyasha. 'Perhaps' she thought, 'perhaps Miroku is right...'

Inuyasha leaned against his tree, an empty ramen cup below him on the dirt beneath his limb. His thoughts were confused and annoyed. 'Why was I so mad?' he wondered, 'what happened then? What was that burning feeling inside of me?'. His arm itched, and he raised the sleeve absentmindedly to scratch the dark scar, that contrasted so painfully with his lighter colored skin. 'How did I get this scar?' He was so puzzled and lost. He didn't know what was happening and why. 'Why did I protest when I was told to kill her? It's not like I've know her for very long.' His thoughts changed to Kagome. 'Who is this girl? Why is it she makes me feel safe inside? What is this warm tingly feeling I get when she's near? Why is it I want...I want to protect her?' He snorted forlornly, 'protect her from what?' He thought bitterly, 'why do I need to protect her, when I am the one being taken care of?'

His troubled thoughts followed him in sleep. As the stars in the night sky winked at him from above, his head drooped as he fell into a troubled sleep.

Sango and Miroku left Kagome's room soon after Inuyasha fell asleep. Kagome got up silently and locked her door and window. She pulled out the small wooden box, and went through the procedures once again. As she gently removed the tip of her finger from the glowing pink sphere it's glow increased by at least double. Smiling softly in satisfaction, she replaced it into it's container and slid the box beneath the middle of her mattress, where a small square, the exact size of the box, had been cut into the bottom.

A/N There ya have it folks! The next chapter!

To my reviewers:

Lllitle-Oni-08: Yes I agree with you completely, Kikyo's not so bad, it's just the 'My sole purpose is to defeat Naraku and drag you to hell Inuyasha' attitude of the new Kikyo is just infuriating. I think Kikyo was originally very nice. In fact, if you remember to that time when she got resurrected, she did NOT want to come back in fact... 'Inuyasha, do not say my name' remember? So I sympathize with Kikyo quite often. I like the original Kikyo. I could also have an immensely long discussion about Kikyo, so I want get into that now. Thanks for the review. I love your story as well!

To my other reviewers: Thank you for your reviews, I hope you are still with me, and still reading this story.