Suzu- Hello everyone! Welcome back to my fanfic! Wish me luck on chapters to come, and enjoy the story's plot! And thank you, reviewers! Also, for those who read this fic, guess what the italicized passage right below the 'Chapter 19' is an excerpt from. Which volume of Inuyasha is it, what event? Guess, and the first right answer that comes in, I'll give you a virtual cookie and a virtual hug! Literally! He he…

Kodaku- I wonder what Inuyasha is going to be doing today.

Suzu- So do I.

Kodaku- …….

Suzu- ……..

Kodaku- Okee, moving on…

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Chapter 19

"I said 'let me protect you', okay!" A white haired young man stood in front of me, gripping a rusty old sword. His striking, red hoari stood out among the bones and skulls in the surrounding area.

Kagome blushed. "R-really?"

"Feh." The figure scoffed and prepared for battle. "Just sit tight and watch."

…

"Mmmm…"

Kagome Higurashi's eyes snapped open. Her heart was doing flip flops in her chest again. Mumbling, she sat up for the umpteenth time in the white hospital bed.

"Another dream…about Inuyasha?" Kagome said to herself, testing the words as she said them aloud. "I wonder why I keep on having these dreams…" Her face felt wet, and she yawned.

Touching her finger to her cheek, she found a trail of tears. 'Wow, I never knew yawning produced so many tears.' Feeling a little restless, she glared nonchalantly at the hospital clock mounted on the wall as the sole décor in the room apart from the green plant in the corner.

9:42

Kagome cursed the way the hospital attendants kept her locked up. Somehow, they probably all thought she was a lunatic, or depressed. In fact, depressed really explained why the nurses stared at her pityingly. 'Oh Kami' she whispered to herself.

Kagome turned around to fluff up her pillow when a noise outside, like a click, greeted her. She froze up.

'Probably just a night animal, no need to be frightened.' Kagome chided herself. Still, it was those moments when something interrupts a complete silence that get people worked up. Slowly, Kagome let out an exhale and swung her legs over the bed.

Walking across the tiled floor in her nightgown, barefoot, wasn't exactly comforting, but she really needed something to do, right now. Listening to the flop of her slippers on the cold floor, she trudged her way to the window.

The curtains were drawn tight in front of the glass panes, and Kagome gingerly drew them aside. At the exact moment when the curtains were out of the way, a blur landed on the lawn a few feet from the window.

Kagome let out a strangled cry, and started to inch backwards, avoiding eye contact with the thing outside. It appeared as a dark, ominous shape. She glanced at the clock, and grabbed it in one smooth motion. For defense, she decided.

The shape crouched tentatively, and she saw a flash of gold in that shadow. 'Oh, just a big raccoon…raccoon, yep, that's it. It won't hurt you if you don't hurt it.' Kagome clung to that thought desperately as she backed along the wall opposite the window. Somehow, she felt that it was looking at her. It was rather unnerving.

Suddenly, the shape stood up. It looked the size of a man, or a woman, since it had a mop of long hair that, strangely enough, glinted in the moonlight. Not wanting to see more, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. 'Okay, maybe it isn't a raccoon. Oh man, this is the end…'

The window clicked, and she heard it slide open. She whimpered, body tense along the wall. She could feel tiny vibrations as he stepped into the room, although the sound was muffled, as though he (she had decided it was probably a psycho with long hair from the asylum) stepped. Her throat felt dry, and no will power came to scream. Still….

Keeping her eyes shut, she threw the clock in front of her. 'Betcha didn't expect that,' she thought. A split second later, that thought was ruined as she heard glass shatter. 'Stupid lunatic people with fast reflexes' she cursed silently. Okay, her last hope was to run. She felt her leg muscles tense up for the action.

"1, 2, 3!" She opened her eyes, and suddenly all her previous thoughts left her.

Kagome stared at the figure before her. He stepped forward, and she lost herself in his captivating stare. Molten gold were his eyes, and snow white was his thick hair. Fuzzy white ears pocked their way out of the whiteness, and a traditional red hoari covered his well-built figure.

So many emotions were on his face, but the one that stood out the most both frightened and exhilarated her. Suddenly, a river of unshed tears broke free, and those amber eyes widened as he drew near to comfort her. The schoolgirl paid no heed to her tears, but looked up at him instead. She shivered. If only she could break free of this unknown sadness, and see clearly. Somehow, she felt so glad to see him.

This was Inuyasha. Her heart told her so.

All of her suppressed memories broke free once more.

"Feh, human weakling…"

"Kagome, just let me protect you."

"Inuyasha, osuwari!"

"At first, I didn't want you here, but then I realized…that I still want you with me"

"I wanted to see you! Because, like her, I couldn't bear to not see you again."

"You don't have to be with me, you know! If you find me sickening, just go."

"Inuyasha…I understand."

"It must have hurt, Kagome, I'm sorry…"

"…I'm sorry…"

"NO! Inuyasha! Don't come any closer!" Kagome shivered again against the wall of her cold, monotonous room. She bit her lip as she looked defiantly at the hanyou. She wouldn't remember if she didn't have to.

…But she was unhappy without him.

…But he didn't want her with him…they weren't meant to be together.

…Love across time… that was unheard of…

"Kagome, I'm sorry." Inuyasha looked down at her quaking form. His heart broke doubly at the site. 'What should I say?'

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes. She probably looked like a mess right now. "Inuyasha," she cringed at the name, "we don't belong together. Don't you get it? I live in this world, you live in yours…our worlds weren't meant to come cross over."

Inuyasha knelt down beside her, but she drew away. "Kagome—"

"NO! Don't say it!" She stopped and sniffed a little, then looked back up at him. Her eyes were wet with tears, but they were clearer. "I…I loved you. No…I think I still do, but do you love me?"

"I—"

"No!" With that, an irresistible urge came upon Kagome. How she wished she could have died right then and there. Couldn't she have never gone in the well? All it did for her was to eat away at her heart. But she couldn't bear not loving Inuyasha… In one swift movement, she wrapped her arms around the figure in front of her and buried her head into his soft, white hair.

She pressed her face to him, she was way beyond the 'shame and improper' stage. "I know this isn't meant to be. I'm sorry I ever met you. This is all my fault…" she started crying again. "Please, help me…I don't know what's wrong with me…" Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her back. 'He's so warm' This just made more tears fall.

How did she ever come to love him this much?

Inuyasha's heart was thumping rapidly in his chest. 'Should I tell her? It might only make her sad."

'You're a half demon, half human. Why would she ever need you for anything?'

'I know I'm the one that needs her, but…'

'Forget it, you know telling her will only make her hurt even more…'

'I know, but…but I have to try'

Inuyasha made up his mind. Kagome, the thought of Kagome made him happy. Kagome made him feel accepted, loved, and he could never thank her enough for that. It pained him to see her like this.

He might only be a hanyou, but it was because he's a hanyou that she loved him.

Kagome didn't fall in love with a demon, or a human, but a hanyou…

Kagome fell in love with him, just the way he was…

…and being a hanyou, being who he was…

…he could help her…

He tightened his hold on her. He breathed in her scent. He loved Kagome, and he wouldn't let anything get in between that. Not his heritage, not Kikyo, not time…

"Kagome…I love you."

And all time drew still.

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Suzu – Okay. Draaaammmaaaaa! Anyways, review and tell me what you think. I know this chapter was short, but I have a case of writer' s block. Plus, I'm not that great at fluff, but, of course, I can't rate fluff either. Did you guys like it, even a little?

Suzu- Remember, guess the passage at the beginning of the chapter! If you want to take a challenge, guess all of the quotes appearing when Kagome's memories come back again. Bye everyone, see you next chapter!