Kagome had been so surprised when Inuyasha tackled her she had simply fallen to the ground without fighting him. She'd stayed stunned until he got up, and then she was mad. Why was he attacking her? What had she done to deserve this treatment? She jumped to her feet, intending to give Inuyasha a beating Naraku couldn't match, when something was shoved roughly over her neck. She stood there in mid strike for a few seconds, before she heard Inuyasha's words.

Understanding dawned as she felt the weight of the subduing charm pull her to the ground. Along with knocking the breath from her for a moment, it gave her the chance to stop and think. What was going on?

"Inuyasha. I… please leave. I need some time alone." Kagome said quietly, trying to get her anger in check. Seeing Inuyasha made her blood boil, and not just in anger, at that moment, and she wanted to be away from him.

Inuyasha helped Kaede to her feet, and the both left with one weary eye on her. As soon as she couldn't hear their footsteps any longer, she lifted herself from the dusty ground.

And she cried.

Inuyasha doubled back once Kaede was with Sango and returned to check on Kagome. He made sure not to make any noise coming up to the cottage, since she might take it for an attack. Or she might just attack him anyway.

As he neared the cottage, he saw Kirara go into the cottage ahead of him. He hid underneath a window at first, hoping to discover what she was up to, when he heard her crying. Peeking into the building, He saw Kagome sitting against a wall, knees to her face, her arms hugging them close, her body shaking with racking sobs. Her long hair covered her face, and Inuyasha discovered that he felt like holding her and comforting her.

Was this what being human was about, emotions and social contact? He'd never noticed it on the new moon, but he craved contact with his new friends now in a way he never had as a half-demon. He felt more patient, more caring and forgiving, because loosing them was that much scarier now.

Then there was love. Despite the fact that Kagome didn't seem to care for him, he continued to love her. That feeling warped and changed leapt and spun, but never went away. It was no longer a need to protect and claim that made him love her, but a need to comfort and nourish, to care for her.

But she was miserable right now. Never mind that she had tried to kill Kaede, to kill him, moments before. Never mind that she had sent him away, he forgave her as soon as he heard those sobs. There was more to this then anyone could understand.

And maybe, just maybe, he was to blame, how could he expect her to love when he had changed her so much. So it wasn't on purpose, he was still indirectly responsible for how she was now. And hadn't he hated being half-demon? He'd worked relentlessly for a way to become a full demon, not just to settle for half-demon.

Maybe she wouldn't work because she didn't want to be a half-demon, and thought if she didn't learn it would go away.

"Kirara? I want to go home. I miss Mom, Souta, and Grandpa. I miss my friends and the shrine, and being a normal girl. I want to go on a real date, go to a nice High School, and eat at WacDonalds like everyone else. But I don't want to go like this, and I don't want to loose my friends. I want to be able to see everybody whenever I want and to watch Shippo grow up and… and see Inuyasha, discover how he really feels. I'm so afraid of this body, of him, of-"

When Inuyasha heard her talk about him, his foot slipped, and he fell half-way through the window. Kagome jumped up, bearing her claws, and Inuyasha looked into her eyes for a moment.

He'd never been so afraid in all his life.

"Inuyasha, I hardly think Lady Kagome's earlier behavior warrants such an extreme measure. I never remember us tying you up when you were angry, although I must admit she makes a lovely picture." Miroku's dry voice had a hint of curiosity in it, but Inuyasha ignored it.

Kagome lay in the center of the room, hands and feet bound, glaring murderously at Inuyasha. Kaede, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo were all seated around her; but Sango had to hold Shippo, who kept trying to go to Kagome and free her.

"Miroku, will you shut up?" Inuyasha spat, and then looked back at Kagome. He hated seeing her like this, but he knew it was necessary. They'd probably agree once he told them what he'd seen. But would Kagome ever forgive him for this?

"Alright, I know what you guys are probably thinking, but this is a bit different from the problem with Kaede. There's more going on here then we realized. When I came to check on Kagome, I made some noise and…" Inuyasha looked at each of his friends in turn, hoping they'd believe him. "Kagome was transforming. She was becoming the mindless demon I became without Tetsaiga. She's beginning to change… and it's all my fault."

Inuyasha had never really felt like crying before this, but right then, with all his guilt and fear, one tear fell to land on his cheek, and he looked away from his friends, Kagome, everyone.

Then he ran. Ran from the cottage, from the village, all the way to the God tree. He lumbered up into the tree and perched there, wanting to scream, cry, or hit something. Kagome hated him, his friends would blame him, and in the end, after everything they had gone through, all the things they'd survived, he would loose Kagome to the demon blood he'd been so proud of all his life.

He sat there for awhile wallowing in that guilt, but self-pity wasn't really in his nature, no matter what form he took. He knew he would fight for his friends and Kagome until there was nothing left for him to give, and this problem was just another enemy. They would fight it as they had fought all the others, and triumph, just as they had before. He simply had to believe he would win.

At just about that time Miroku showed up underneath the God tree, and stood there looking up at him. Silently Inuyasha jumped down beside his friend, and refrained from flinching when the monk laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. He shrugged the hand off, and turned to his good friend.

"We'll beat this, like we beat Naraku. No one will take Kagome away from me, not even Kagome herself."

A/N: sorry it's taken so long, having comp probs. I just got this new laptop, and its my first time using windows. I'm used to using Macs, but unfortunately Macs aren't what school uses. See you later!!