Dissension chap.1

A/n: At one point in this prologue it may seem that there is going to be a "Lemon", but there is not; I apologize to all lemon fans. If there is going to be a lemon in a chapter I will warn you about it.

Alright, I know these "Disclamiers" are really stupid but I have to do one, so here it goes. "I do not own Inu and Co."

Prologue: Hidden Emotions

At nightfall, three days before the new moon, the InuYasha camp was, surprisingly, a scene of complete tranquility.

The night sky was dusted with stars, while the trees surrounding the clearing swayed ominously, telling of a storm soon to come. The night air smelled enchantingly woodsy, telling the story of the old, ancient forest; yet the air was simultaneously crisp and clean. The atmosphere of the clearing and forest, was one of the knowledge of things to come, and being content with them. The moon hung high in the sky, shinning with an unknown inner light.

Miroku calmly stroked the campfire and carefully turned the meat, that was to be dinner, so it would cook all the way. He went about his work in a dutifully and pleasant manner, for Miroku loved the sense of peace that he received while cooking. Sango sat a foot away from the campfire, warming herself and taking in the deep forest scent that surrounded them, while Kirara slept soundly in her lap. Next to her sat Shippo, who was using the light of the fire to aid him in another crayon-on-paper creation. His small figure was hunched over the paper, for he was in deep concentration on his latest masterpiece and was working furiously. InuYasha was sitting in an aged tree near the campfire, lost in his thoughts. He was beginning to feel his demonic powers wane and was suddenly and unusually tired; against his credibility, he found himself falling asleep.

"So Shippo, what wonderful new masterpiece are you formulating tonight?" Miroku asked conversationally as he continued to kindle the fire.

"Nothing much, just something I thought of today" replied Shippo as he continued to work rigorously.

"Oh?" said Miroku, who was waiting for Shippo to elaborate, but was greeted with silence. As the crackling fire filled the silence, Miroku smiled to himself, remembering that Shippo kept his works to himself.

Sango gently placed Kirara on the ground beside her, yawned, and stretched her graceful figure. "While dinner is still cooking, I think I'll take a quick bath in the hot spring we passed earlier. I'm going to leave Kirara with you guys." With that, Sango rose from her place, gathered her bathing articles that Kagome had brought back from her time for both of them, and went off in search of the hot spring. Sango left with a peaceful smile on her lips, tonight she would relax and enjoy life, something she hadn't been able to do since Naraku had massacred her village and turned her brother into a slave working for him. Sango had decided to take Kagome's advice, and just relax at least for one day. 'I wonder how Kagome is. I hope she is alright after her quarrel with InuYasha.' Miroku watched Sango leave with an unusual expression crossing his face, but his expression went unnoticed by the others.

After Sango left, Miroku began to get antsy. He started pacing around the fire, continually kindling the fire, and impatiently checking the meat to see if it was done. Suddenly, as if a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders, Miroku stopped in his tracks and turned to face the remaining members of the InuYasha camp, with a satisfied expression on his face. "I have, er . . . some unfinished business to attend to. Uh, keep an eye on the meat for me will you, Shippo, InuYasha?" Without waiting for a reply, Miroku turned around, facing the forest, and tried to inconspicuously follow Sango.

For the entirety of the past conversation, InuYasha had been drifting in a state of unconscious sleep, and he only vaguely remembered his friends leaving the camp. InuYasha thought nothing more as he let sleep wash over his tried body and pull him into its sweet and not entirely unwanted embrace . . .

InuYasha's eyes fluttered open to complete and total darkness. He looked around himself and found that he was on the ground, underneath the tree that he had sat in earlier. The wind had stopped and the air fell upon the ground thick and heavy, like a dark blanket silencing all living things. 'Since when have I been on the ground? Why is it so freaking dark . . . I don't like this one bit. And where the hell is everyone? The campfire has gone out, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara aren't here. What is going on?' He thought as something caught his gaze. As InuYasha looked across the dying embers, that were the remains of the campfire, he noticed a shadowy figure make its way towards the camp. InuYasha went rigid and willed his breathing to quiet down.

As the figure neared the camp, the embers from the fire cast a few solitary rays of reddish-gold light upon the figure's face. 'Kagome.' thought InuYasha as he visibly relaxed. Kagome, seeing that InuYasha was in fact awake, let a radiant smile wash over her beautiful features. 'That's strange, when she left she was furious at me' That smile and the way the moonlight fell upon Kagome's petite figure, made InuYasha feel weak in ways that he wasn't familiar with.

InuYasha struggled to stand, but before he could, Kagome silently dropped to her knees, beside him. 'What the hell? Why do I feel this way? Where is everyone?' "Kagome, I am really . . . sorr-" InuYasha began, but was cut off as Kagome placed a single, slender finger on his lips. InuYasha looked at Kagome, their eyes locking, and he slowly nodded his head in agreement to stay silent.

Kagome removed her finger from his lips, all the while her and InuYasha's eyes were still locked. Her intense brown eyes overflowed with the fire of courage, hope, hurt, forgiveness, and wisdom. Her eyes told InuYasha that she was praying for courage; praying for the courage to fulfill the wish they both had had since they first met.

Without a further thought from either one, Kagome gracefully bent over InuYasha, and gently placed her lips on top of his, all doubt and suspicion of her actions melted away. ' After all we've been through together, this is how it is meant to be, I'm sure' thought InuYasha as he gently kissed Kagome back. He could feel her happiness radiate from her body, and soon he realized he felt the same way. InuYasha never wanted to stop the kiss, if he could stop time, he would surely have stopped it now.

As they parted, InuYasha looked into Kagome's eyes and said truthfully, "I-I love you, Kagome. I always have and always will no matter what."

Suddenly, InuYasha felt his vision get blurry and he had the distinct impression of being in a tree. "Wha-What?" InuYasha asked as his face molded into a look of deep confusion. He looked down to where Kagome lay in his arms, but she was gone. "Kagome! Where are you?" InuYasha said as he looked up and saw Kagome running back into the forest from where she had appeared. InuYasha hastily stood and ran after her . . .

InuYasha woke as he was falling from the tree where he had lay. He hit the ground with a thud; and let himself lay there, embarrassed that it had all been a dream. Kagome was safely in her own time, and had been for a week. She had left furious at InuYasha, for they had had a quarrel over when she could go back to her era. She had said she had finals to study for and he argued by saying that they still needed more shards. She had then proceeded to storm out of the camp, he could still hear her enraged voice shout to the camp, over her shoulder, that she would be back after finals and for him not to go and "Fetch" her.

As InuYasha sat up, he noticed that the campfire was blazing, and, more importantly, that Shippo and Kirara were standing in front of him. Both were wearing a strange expression on their faces. 'How long have they been standing there?'

"InuYasha, are you okay?" asked Shippo, he voice dripping with the same emotion that had consumed his face.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" snapped InuYasha, he could feel the color rising in his cheeks.

"InuYasha?" asked Shippo, again, in the same voice filled with the unrecognized emotion.

"What do you want now?"

"Are you in love with Kagome?" asked Shippo.

"Wha-What! With Kagome? No-no thank you! Plus it's none of your business runt!" stuttered InuYasha, his cheeks burning and his heart pounding in his head. 'The campfire must be radiating heat all the way over here' thought InuYasha, for he began to sweat.

"Then why did you say, "I love you, Kagome" in your sleep, just now?" asked Shippo, his eyes becoming slits of suspicion.

"I-I did not!" yelled InuYasha humiliated, 'I can't believe I said that in my sleep!'

"Yes you did," replied Shippo while Kirara nodded at his side; InuYasha then recognized the expression on Shippo's face. It was a mixture of cunning and understanding. His friend knew, more or less, what InuYasha had dreamt about, and there was nothing InuYasha could do to hide the truth. For one so young, Shippo caught onto matters very quickly.

Feeling helpless, InuYasha said, "Shut up!" and promptly hit Shippo on the head, to hide his embarrassment, and then went to go sit by the fire. While InuYasha was making his move towards the fire, Sango came storming into the camp with her cheeks flushed and eyes flashing murderously. Miroku entered the camp a few minutes later, bearing a red handprint on his face, and he was limping a little, his eyes glittering mischievously.

InuYasha, in an attempt to calm his nerves and mask his embarrassment before Sango or Miroku took notice, laughed a little to himself, "Good view, Miroku?"

"Indeed!" replied Miroku as he contently took a seat next to InuYasha, in front of the fire, and reminiscently rubbed the part of his face bearing the handprint.

Neither one saw the look on Sango's face as she heard their conversation. "WHAT did you say!" asked the demonically furious looking Sango.

"Nothing!" both replied instantly, but were greeted with an aggressive wack from the Hiraikotsu. Sango, then, sat down next to InuYasha, sighing contently at the sight of the massive bumps on both InuYasha's and Miroku's heads, and helped herself to dinner. Soon Shippo came over to the fire to continue his work, as Kirara bounded over to Sango and laid down contently next to her. Shippo's eyes shone with resolution, he would keep InuYasha's obvious secret to himself, for now.

InuYasha gazed into the fire with the rest of his friends, and he couldn't help but think of what Kagome must have been doing at that moment. 'I hope her finals are going well. I was such a possessive ass towards her. I wonder . . . if she is still furious at me. I wonder if she misses us, if she wants to come back, and if she feels the same way as I do . . . aggrh! I sound like a lovesick dog longing for its master . . . Sesshomaru is right, I am pathetic' thought InuYasha hanging his head and letting his moon-sliver hair cover his eyes that over flowed with hidden emotions, emotions that he had spent his life bottling up inside of him, emotions that he would never let other people see.

Emotions that no one would ever know about . . . not until the day he came to feudal era with Kagome.

-----------------------------------------------------

I know that this prologue may seem irrelevant to my summary, but I thought that I needed to get InuYasha's emotions out on the table so that you can understand what fuels his actions in upcoming chapters. Anyways, Thank you for reading the first installment in my new story! And I urge to you to please review, even if you didn't like the chapter. I need to know what you thought of my story and tell me what areas I need to improve on and what areas I am doing right in. So, once again, I urge you to review with feedback, for all constructive criticsm will be deeply appreciated.

- treelovr