Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. My wish goddess doesn't like me. She never grants me any wishes.

Flashback: "Wake up, Kagome… stop dreaming." Then, he was gone. Kagome blinked slowly as her head pains returned. She wanted to sleep… her eyes shut her from the world.

Tainted

Chapter 3

Kagome yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Boy, what a long night. She couldn't remember a thing… except for some weird dream where a weird guy kissed her. Oh well… it was only a dream… right?

"Wake up, Kagome… stop dreaming."

Was it real? She didn't think so. Even the dream told her to wake up. She chuckled at her own ignorance. Who cares about a dream? She giggled and shuffled into her bunny slippers. It was a nice day, after all. Why waste it? Yawning again, she shuffled her way to the restroom. An alarm from a clock rang to her right and she glanced over. Why in the world would Souta have his alarm on a Sunday? She sighed and rolled her eyes. Kids these days…

Kids… it reminded Kagome of Inu-Yasha, which in turn reminded her of the need to kill him for ditching her in the woods. Growling, she squeezed the tube of toothpaste, now forgotten, in her hand. Toothpaste surged out of the tube and plastered itself on the mirror. Colgate now blocked her reflection.

"Oh GREAT!" This was going to be a fantastic day.

Kagome tromped through the woods, enjoying the tranquil silence around her. It wasn't like the silence the night before, in fact, it was the exact opposite. The sun hadn't entirely risen yet. It was 7:30 but it was autumn. She loved the fall; the exotic shapes and colors of all sorts of leaves and plants excited her and always had her in a good mood.

She had a small suspicion that the white-haired boy was in the woods somewhere. He always was, after all. Gradually, Kagome came upon a clearing. Surrounding trees created a circle where droplets of dew shone in the wan light of dawn. Birds chirped from unseen havens as she looked up, peering at the light, pinkish sky. A movement occurred to her right and instinct had her hiding behind a nearby tree, keeping her actions as silent as possible. Kagome leaned heavily on the tree she was hiding behind and peered at the curious movement. She was struck with awe as a husky young man appeared among the trees, trudging in the mulch as if not noticing the wetness of dew that was seeping into the material of his clothe. A frown etched Kagome's faced as she cocked her head to one side. This man seemed so strangely familiar, but she could not place it. Why was she hiding anyway? Shrugging, she stepped out, making herself visible.

Almost immediately, the man whirled around, dark brown eyes locating her and locking itself on her frame. Kagome smiled nervously and waited for him to say something, but he was just staring at her strangely, as if not believing she was standing there. "Hello there." She smiled warmly at him, trying to overlook the fact that he kept throwing worried glances at the rising sun and back at her. There was no response from him, only the plain worry engraved on his face. What a weird guy…

Smiling, or attempting to, the man gestured to her, then to himself. He nodded and muttered a "hello", then indicated that he has to leave. He turned around then and hurried back wherever he came from, soon merging within the shadows of the trees.

Kagome raised her eyebrows. O…kay…

Well… even if she didn't find Inu-Yasha, she did meet someone interesting… very interesting indeed. In fact, Kagome could have sworn that he had a hint of white in his hair when he apparently didn't when she first saw him… Kagome sighed. Now she was just being crazy. Who ever heard of growing white hair within a minute, if at all? The sun was going to do bad things to her if she stayed outside, fully exposed. Who cares about Inu-Yasha? He can find his own way, and then she could kill him. Working out Plan B in her head, Kagome happily strolled back to her house.

I watch silently from atop a tree. What the hell had she been doing there? I had almost been caught in the act, like a thief caught red-handed. I hope she had not noticed anything bizarre or peculiar about me. I really hope so. I dared not speak, fearing that she might know I was the same person from last night. From in her dreams… I had only implied with finger motions that I had to go, and I was in quite a hurry. She seemed to understand, and I couldn't help it when a "hello" slipped out of my mouth. I had mentally slapped myself, and boy, it hurt.

Speaking of last night, Kagome had terrified me when she screamed. It wasn't till I noticed the recognition in her eyes did I realize that she had probably recalled something from five years ago. I had felt the unfamiliar tingle that shot through my body as I watched her fall. Then I caught her and could finally breathe. Sweat had been trickling down my face as I held her close, breathing in her scent. Sprinting back to her house, I had jumped up to her window and entered through there. But I found myself bound afterwards, not able to leave… I knew I had to complete my task, no matter how painful it was to be for her. I snap a random branch above me and fiddled with the leaves.

I was back in my little-boy form, tugging awkwardly at my hair. Albeit the fact that it's silver-white, I still did not have my fangs or claws. At least I have my ears… I twitch them, as if testing if they work. But… why wouldn't they work? They were ears, after all. Now I'm just being spastic. I sigh and watch quietly at Kagome's departing frame, now only but a dot in the distance. I want, so badly, to follow and just…

I find no way to finish that sentence; there is not a word in the world to describe how I feel right now. I wonder if Kagome is worried about the "annoying brat". He had, after all, been gone for a bit. My mind reminded me that she probably did not worry about me. Why would she? After all, I was just a boy who likes isolating himself in the woods. Scrambling down the tree, I punch it hard. A rustle sounded above me and I stand there, orange and red hues mixing together around me. I cannot think clearly. I scowl at the splintered bark of the oak and turn, lifting my short legs with difficulty, scampering like a lost puppy after Kagome's scent. Cherry blossoms and vanilla. I smile. She hadn't changed, had not changed at all.

Seriously you guys, if this story is confusing, don't read it. I've already said it, it starts out disorientated but ends with a single purpose, and you'll figure out the point soon enough. And I am not trying to confuse you. Can I help it if some people understand it and others don't? If you are so confused, here's the one point in the story that I'm trying to bring out: Inuyasha has a task, which is bringing Kagome back to Sengoku Jidai. I thought I made that pretty clear, but I guess I'll have to go back and change that.