A/N: Thank you guys for reviewing. I hope that this story lives up to your expectations. It's been a little complicated to write, I must admit it's hard keeping any light in this story. My buddy's birthday is coming up and seeing how he's not around this year to celebrate with every one, well, let's just say that staying on the sunny side of things has been a challenge, specially with this story. Everything that gets to me between writing chapters is bottled up and let loose in each new chapter I write. So Enjoy.

Chapter 5:..Betrayal..:

Kouga the wolf prince didn't seem to be bothered by Inuyasha's threatening stance and his challenging growls had no effect on him either. He eyed Inuyasha, studying him, calculating if Inuyasha was going to move.

"Well, answer me! Did you need something?" Inuyasha demanded again.

"No. I don't NEED anything from you. I just wanted to say good-bye to Kagome before we took off home and I wanted to make sure she got home safely." Kouga said cooly.

"Thank you Kouga. That was very kind of you. I'm glad you were able to make it today." Kagome said as she slid down from Inuyasha's back.

"Kagome, I'm sorry about Shippo. You must have loved him, specially after you took charge of his care after he became orphaned. I'm sure he loved you like a mother." Kouga said gently, taking Kagome's hands in his.

At the mention of affection towards the dead kitsune, Kagome broke down and started to cry. She never really thought of herself like a mother to Shippo, she just did what she'd hope any one would do for Sota if he ever became orphaned. Kagome sobbed softly and mumbled out a "thank you" in between sobs and then she did the unthinkable. She let Kouga hug her and she hugged back.

"Shhh, Kagome, it'll get better. All wounds will heal someday." Kouga cooed. Neither Kagome or Kouga saw the murder flare up in Inuyasha's eyes as he watched what was happening. It wasn't until Kouga started to stroke her hair did Inuyasha loose it. His face contorted to absolute rage as he snarled wildly.

"Get away from her!" Inuyasha snarled as he tore Kagome away from Kouga, sending her sprawling on the ground.

"What's you're problem, Inuyasha?" Kouga cried as he dodged Inuyasha's flailing claws.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome yelled in horror. "What are you doing?"

"I'm protecting you from him." Inuyasha ground out and momentarily looked at Kagome. He stopped when he saw the expression on her face and his resolve wavered, that is, until Kouga took that moment to land a hard, jaw cracking punch to Inuyasha's cheek. "Oh that's it, wolf boy, you're dead." Inuyasha growled as he turned back towards Kouga with a new lust for blood in his eyes.

"I should just put you out of Kagome's misery right now. I don't understand why she insists on staying with you. Can she trust you not to turn on her too?" Kouga asked as he and Inuyasha squared off.

"Shut up! You're the one who can't be trusted with her. I would never hurt her." Inuyasha snarled. It was obvious that his demon blood was boiling over with rage and he was hell bent on killing his old rival.

"You know, all the times before that we had fought, I was only holding back because I knew Kagome wouldn't forgive me for killing you, now I'm not so sure that she'll be as heart broken if I take care of you now." Kouga spat back. "I'd at least make sure she would never come as close to death as she has with you!"

That hit a nerve! Inuyasha's jaw clenched shut as Kouga's words rattled through him like poison. He never took joy out of putting Kagome in harms way, but it happened and Inuyasha couldn't take it back, as much as he'd like to, he couldn't change the past.

"Shut up! You die now!" Inuyasha roared as he lunged for Kouga.

Kouga easily jumped out of the way as Inuyasha attempted to take him down with his claws and returned with a punch to the back of the head. Inuyasha caught himself before he could hit the ground and immediately turned around and struck hard and fast at Kouga, catching Kouga off guard with his new demon speed and tearing a chunk from Kouga's side. Kouga staggered backwards and quickly inspected his wound.

"You're going to pay for that, mutt." Kouga gritted out and staggered some more.

"Inuyasha! Stop, please!" Kagome cried helplessly.

"Kagome! What's going on?" Cried Sango as she flew in on her demon cat, Kirara. She jumped from her companion's back and raced to Kagome's side, not knowing what was going on and if Kagome was injured or not.

"Inuyasha's gone mad! Please stop him!" Kagome pleaded.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you." Inuyasha snarled as he prepared to attack his injured opponent.

Without words, Kirara had leapt to intervene and stop the fight. She surprised Inuyasha, who had been about to lunge and he stood back for a second. Kirara was blocking Inuyasha from Kouga and growled a soft warning at Inuyasha as she protected the injured wolf demon.

"Move Kirara." Inuyasha demanded flatly. But Kirara stood her ground and growled again and again Inuyasha said, "Move Kirara, I'm warning you". Kirara only lowered her head and tensed her stance and to let Inuyasha know that she too meant business, she let out a more aggressive growl.

"I told you to move!" Inuyasha snarled as he jumped forward and pushed Kirara away, but the cat demon wasn't so easily moved. She turned her head and bit Inuyasha's arm the second his hands made contact with her body and Inuyasha automatically reacted by slamming his fist against the top of her head and then actually bit her shoulder in return, drawing blood as he let her fall unconsciously to the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. Inuyasha turned to her blood curdling scream and suddenly his swirling red world of rage came to a screeching halt at her next scream, "SIT!".

THUD

Inuyasha was momentarily knocked out, but was subdued. With all the excitement and activities, Kagome had forgotten that he was still under her spell, even as a full demon, he couldn't escape the hold she had over him with that one single word.

"Kirara! Please be alright." Sango cried as she went to her companion's side. Kirara wasn't seriously injured, thank god, but she was stunned. Her bite wound would have to be tended to, but the bump on the head gave Sango quite a fright, until Kirara came to and purred at her demon slayer friend as if to say she was going to be okay.

"Kouga. Please, you have to go. I'm so sorry for what Inuyasha did and he's going to know how angry I am at him for this, but I can't totally blame him. Please understand, he's been through so much within the past couple of days." Kagome said as she went to Kouga's side to treat his wounds while she had the chance.

"What about you?" Kouga said. He sat on the ground and watched sadly as Kagome dressed his wounded side.

"I'm fine, I didn't get hurt. You're the one who's injured." Kagome said as she dug in her back pack and pulled out antibacterial ointment and started applying it to the wounds.

"I meant that you've been through a lot yourself. You also had a loss. You almost died. Dammit Kagome, you've suffered enough yourself and all you can do is worry about others!" Kouga was getting increasingly upset. He snatched Kagome's hands up and looked her straight in the eye. "When will you worry about yourself? In your life, you are number one, not me, not Inuyasha or anyone. When you finally come to that realization, I hope you will do what's best for you. If you need anything at all, please come to my land without hesitation. We'll keep you safe."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine." Kagome said politely.

"I know you will, but just incase, please keep my home in mind if you ever need a safe haven." Kouga insisted, rose to his feet and left, clutching his side the whole way.

"Kagome, what do we do about Inuyasha?" Sango asked after Kouga had gotten out of sight.

"I don't know. I guess we need to get him back to Kaede's." Kagome shrugged.

"Well that and I mean, how do we approach Inuyasha about these 'changes' he's going through. He could have killed Kirara and if she hadn't gotten in between them, he would have killed Kouga, no question about it." Sango said.

"I'll talk to him. I think he's not going to feel so hot when he wakes and I'm sure once his senses come back to him, he's going to feel just awful for hurting her." Kagome responded with a fake smile.

"Did he hurt you?" Sango asked as she eyed Kagome.

"No, he restrained his strength against me." Kagome looked to Inuyasha's still form that had been imbedded in the soil and sighed. "He's going to be one hurting puppy come morning."

"Well, serves him right. Maybe he will have learned a lesson." Sango snorted.

"I hope so. For now, let's get him home and eat some food." Kagome said. "Kirara, I know that you're probably upset with Inuyasha, but we need to get him back, do you think you could carry him?" Kirara glanced to Inuyasha, then back to Kagome and mewed and purred in approval.

The quiet walk back to Kaede's gave Kagome a little time to think. She had informed her mother of current events and had cried against her mom's shoulder about how every thing that could wrong had and how she didn't know what to do. Her mother really seemed to have all the answers and told Kagome that 'with the passing of a loved one comes chaos and with time as mourning passes, so will that chaos. In time, all the clouds will pass to shed light on all that they have shadowed.' Kagome smiled as she remembered her mother's kind words. She was told to take as much time as needed and not to worry because at this point her mother was thinking about doing home study courses so that Kagome could still travel and get her education. Her mother said that Kagome was now needed in this time with her friends so that they could get through these hard times together and the understanding her mother gave her mad Kagome smile now.

"Thanks mom. I hope I can make the right decisions at the right times." Kagome sighed.

"Inuyasha still asleep?" Kagome asked as she entered Kaede's hut.

"Ai, he is. Child, you are uninjured? What happened, Sango was only able to tell us of what she saw, but what started all this?" Kaede asked.

"He got jealous over Kouga comforting me when I started crying and lost control of his anger. No, he didn't hurt me, but he injured Kouga and as you can see, put Kirara out of action." Kagome answered. "I brought ramen back from my time and I thought I would make it for dinner, how's that sound to you all?"

"That sounds terrific. I'd be more than gracious to accept you're delicious food, Kagome." Miroku piped up.

"Just fine for me." Sango said.

"Great. Would you like some, Kaede? I have more than enough." Kagome asked the old miko.

"That would be wonderful. Thank ye, Kagome." Kaede replied.

It didn't take long to prepare the ramen, seeing how Kagome only needed to get the water to boil. She filled each cup and after waiting for what seemed an eternity to the occupants of the hut, handed each cup out. Kagome looked sadly at Inuyasha. She had hoped that he would smell the food and wake up with his usual ramen appetite, but to her dismay, he never even moved. She swallowed hard and went to wake him.

"Inuyasha. Inuyasha, time to wake up." She cooed softly and gently shook his shoulder. She shook him again when he didn't respond and leaned over him even more. "Inuyasha, you need to eat. Please wake up." She begged again. Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open and he let a panicked rush of air escape his lungs as his arms flew into the air and around Kagome and before she could react, he had her pinned to his chest.

"What? Where am I?" Inuyasha asked dumbfounded to his surroundings. He looked around and saw Miroku, Sango and Kaede looking at him strangely. He then looked to the weight he felt on his chest and found he currently held Kagome, who was blushing, firmly to his chest. "Did I hurt you?" He asked.

"No. It's okay. I'm sorry for waking you, but I made ramen and I thought you'd want something to eat." Kagome replied.

"Yea, I'd love some ramen." Inuyasha said as he let her go and sat up. He took the cup from Kagome and began to eat slowly. He saw the bite mark on Kirara's shoulder and vaguely remembered biting her.

"Inuyasha. What's going on with you?" Kagome asked concerned.

"I'm not sure myself. It seems that the littlest thing will make me black out and I barely remember anything that happened after we came across Kouga. I'm sorry for hurting you, Kirara, can you forgive me?" Inuyasha asked. Kirara smiled at him and purred loudly and affectionately at him. "Did I hurt you, Kagome?" Inuyasha leaned towards her so he could look in her eyes.

"No, not physically anyway." Kagome said as she stared straight back. Something in his eyes got to her and she suddenly felt the need to get out and get into the open. "Excuse me please, I just need a little fresh air." She got up and hastily left the hut.

"Inuyasha, I think you should go to her." Miroku said. Inuyasha nodded and left the hut to go after Kagome.

"Kagome, wait up." Inuyasha called after her. She slowed and stopped to wait for him to catch up. "Is something wrong?" He stupidly asked.

"Lots of things seem 'wrong', but right now I'm mad at you for you're behavior today. You let your anger and jealousy get the better of you and you acted horribly. Inuyasha, what if you had killed either Kouga or Kirara? You think I would forgive you? You almost lost control and that scared me. You promised you weren't going to become a killing machine and you almost broke your promise to me today." Kagome scolded. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head as she spoke. He was embarrassed about his behavior and was mad at himself for hurting Kirara.

"Kagome, I wouldn't intentionally hurt you and I'm sorry for today. Please forgive me." Inuyasha said in a low voice. Kagome turned to face him and swore she saw a couple of tears streak down his face.

"Inuyasha. I promised I'll stay by your side and I'm not going to break that promise, but if I feel that my safety is in danger, I'll leave. Understand?" Kagome asked seriously.

"I'll keep you from harm, don't you worry about that. As long as I'm around, you're safety won't be jeopardized, I'll see to that." Inuyasha said proudly.

"It's not the world you need to protect me from, Inuyasha. It's you." Kagome said harshly. Inuyasha looked at her in shock as if she had just smacked him. He frowned a bit and then smiled as he grabbed her and hugged her to him tightly.

"I'm responsible for you now and with you by my side, neither of us have anything to worry about." Inuyasha's voice sounded almost dangerous. Kagome felt a shiver run up and down her spine when he spoke. He looked into her eyes and smiled wider. "I know of a perfect place to build a hut." He announced.

"A hut? For who?" Kagome asked.

"Huh? For us. I can make it big enough so we both have enough privacy to sleep and you can stay as long as you want, free of charge." His boyish charm made Kagome relax and smile. To Kagome, this was all one big slumber party for Inuyasha and at that thought, Kagome giggled.

"Inuyasha, that's a wonderful idea. We can have our privacy from the village and be near Sango, Miroku and Kaede. So were is this place?" Kagome asked.

"You'll have to wait and see. Tomorrow, we begin with a fresh start. I'll drag Miroku off with me to start building and you can spend the day as you wish." Inuyasha replied.

"I think that would be nice. I will look forward to tomorrow then." Kagome giggled as she released herself from Inuyasha and skipped back to the hut. 'While I have the chance, I should go check on Kouga and see if he's alright.' Kagome thought as she turned in for the night.

'Things will certainly change as of tomorrow. She's just excepted a home from you, Inuyasha. You'll need to buckle her down even more if you want to be sure she'll stay with you.'

'Damn you! Will you leave me alone? Because of YOU, I could have made a big mistake.' Inuyasha snarled at the relenting voice that plagued him every time he thought he found a little peace.

'What? Killing that wolf snot? Would have served him right. We'll let him live for now, but he has been warned and if he goes near her again, we'll kill him.'

'I doubt he'll come near her again. He's reckless, not stupid.' Inuyasha snorted.

'We'll see. But trust me, when the time comes, it's either got to be you or her.' The voice snarled back.

'Who are you?' Inuyasha cried.

'Who am I' The voice echoed back.

'YES!' Inuyasha mentally screamed.

'Why, I am your hatred and jealousy, in other words, I am YOU!' And with that, the voice was gone, leaving Inuyasha with so many questions.

End of Chappy

A/N: Okay, I am going somewhere with this fic. But I'm a bit disheartened by the lack of reviews. But as long as I know this is getting read, I'll finish it, but if you haven't reviewed yet, please take this time to do so now, I would be so grateful. Otherwise I have to assume that my works aren't being read and that makes me feel like I've only wasted my time with these fics. So to keep authors like myself writing, we need reviews. And no flames! If you don't like it, tell me why and if you're going to be slanderous, then be adult enough to do it with a signed pen name so that I may read you're terrific works be inspired by your fabulous writings that are so much better than mine. Thanks.

Sunny.