Awwww...the next to last chapter already! This one's quite a bit shorter than HIA, but I just didn't need 20 chapters this time. Hope you guys like it!

Note- I cried when I wrote this chapter. I honestly did.

Chapter Eight

Love Her Madly

"Just listen to me," Kagome pleaded, "The demons in our village are peace-loving, they wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"We have our orders," Sango repeated, "We have to do as we're told."

"Listen," Kagome said, closing her eyes in thought for a moment and sighing, "What if I brought you into the village? I could probably sneak you in, and then you could see what I mean! If I did that, would you promise to leave them alone?"

The three of them looked at each other, conversing with glances and gestures, until finally Miroku spoke up. "Yes. If you can prove that the demon villagers aren't any danger to humans, we'll leave for good."

Kagome nodded.

"Will you be coming with us, Kagome?" Sango asked, "If we leave, I mean."

"I haven't decided," Kagome murmured, "It's a matter of where I really belong."

Hojo took her hand. "You belong with the humans, with your own kind, Kagome."

Kagome nodded dismissively, looking as if she were about to cry again. "I'm tired," she said softly, "Can I bring you to the village later tonight?"

"You can rest in my tent, Kagome," Sango said with an understanding smile.

"And you can rest in my tent, Sango," said Miroku.

She slapped him.

Inuyasha sat with Tsubaki in the house, both of them not speaking to each other except in short bursts of conversation.

"My lady Kagome, she will be all right?" Tsubaki asked without looking at him.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know. I have no control over what she does."

"Yes, you do. She loves you."

Inuyasha looked at her. "Not anymore. And besides, what good is that if we're not meant to be together?"

Tsubaki sighed. "I don't know, my lord."

Inuyasha smiled, but unlike his usual good-humored smirk, this one was dark and angry. "I can picture it now," he muttered, "She returns to the human world, marries someone human, has completely human kids, lives out the rest of her life with goddamn humans."

"You don't think she'll stay?"

He looked up at her, sighed, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What reason would she have? Nothing keeping her here."

"There's you."

He cracked his knuckles agitatedly. "But then that little human prick is pulling her the other way. Nope," he muttered, giving a pained smile, "I've lost her."

"Okay, shh!" Kagome whispered urgently. They were about to emerge from the forest under cover of night. The slayers had left their weapons behind at Kagome's urging, but had insisted on concealing daggers under their outer robes for absolute safety, and finally Kagome had relented, though she maintained they wouldn't need them.

"Come on!" she hissed, tiptoeing with catlike speed and flexibility out of the underbrush. The three newcomers sludged along behind her, already tired out. Obviously, she did this all the time.

Miroku grabbed Hojo's shoulder to pull him back, and the three gazed in wonder at the sight before him.

"It's beautiful," Sango whispered. Kagome smiled. It was.

The lanterns from the festival were still up, sending speckles of red and white lights to the ground. Fireflies wove in and out of windows, illuminating the forms of sleeping demon families. A few small kitsunes, still up despite the late hour, played tag in the square, giggling and squealing.

Miroku and Sango looked about with astonishment, while Hojo was still sorting out his robes, trying to better conceal his dagger. Kagome watched her friends with pride and kept pushing them back gently into the shadows. They had to stay hidden.

"I can't believe the stupid prank didn't work!" Koga growled, throwing up his hands. Buri wasn't listening, as usual, devoting all his attention to his favorite pastime.

"I'm surprised you don't get nosebleeds," Koga muttered.

"There's the human girl, Koga!" Another one of his cronies stood and pointed. Koga followed his gesture, and sure enough, in the firelight he could just make out her thin, delicate figure silhouetted against the far wall.

"Excuse me, boys," he muttered with a cocky smile, "I'd better go see if she needs to be escorted home."

The gang of troublemakers all chuckled stupidly and elbowed each other as Koga stalked off.

"Oh, god," Kagome muttered, "Here comes Koga. Get back in the shadows, you guys!"

They were all too happy to do so, at least while they were armed with nothing but knives.

"Human girl! What are you doing out here, so alone?" Koga asked as he approached.

"Hello, Koga," Kagome said dryly.

"You look like you could use company," he said.

Kagome smiled. "Not really, Koga. Thank you and good night."

"Aw, come on, human girl. I know we haven't been that nice to each other in the past, but I'm willing to wipe the slate clean about that. Has the half-breed been mean to you again?"

Kagome scowled. "Leave him out of this, Koga."

"My guess is yes. Want me to mend your broken heart?" With that, Koga grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close.

"Let go of me," she said calmly, trying to pull away, but he squeezed her tightly and she winced.

"You're hurting me," she said through gritted teeth, but he ignored her. So she slapped him across the face.

"Stupid bitch! That hurt!" He flung her to the ground and put a hand to his cheek.

"Just leave me alone, then!" Kagome snapped, and then he dove for her.

Right onto the wicked end of Hojo's dagger. "Kagome! Run! Save yourself!" Hojo said, giving the blade one final twist and letting Koga fall to his knees.

Kagome looked at him blankly. "Hojo?" Then she saw that the dagger had pierced clean through Koga's chest, and fresh blood was pouring onto the ground.

"Koga!" she cried, shoving Hojo out of the way and placing a hand on his shoulder. Even though she didn't like the bastard, he didn't deserve a death like this. No one did.

Koga tried to say something and choked on fresh blood bubbling from his throat. His hand gripped Kagome's shoulder tightly.

Kagome began to sob. There was so much blood…it was all over her…

"Hojo, you fucking moron!" she screamed as Koga's grip on her shoulder relaxed and his head lolled forward onto it instead, "You killed him!"

Hojo looked at her, completely calm. "He attacked you!" Miroku and Sango stood mortified, Sango burying her face into Miroku's chest.

Kagome held up a hand. It was covered in Koga's blood. She gasped in horror and stood up, tears spilling down her face.

"I only did it because he was hurting you," muttered Hojo, coming forward and closing his arms around Kagome like a vice.

And then he was picked up and thrown into the wall roughly.

Kagome stumbled forward, straight into a growling chest.

"Inuyasha!" she gasped.

"I told you," he said loudly, "not to bring them here!" His clawed hands grabbed her shoulders and clenched them tightly. She winced in pain.

"Inuyasha, please listen to me," she stammered, arms pinned to her sides, "I thought if I brought them, they'd see how the villagers would never hurt anybody!"

He flung her away from him, and she staggered back in shock. "You thought wrong, didn't you! Wanted to bring your human love and his slayer friends to see exactly where to attack!"

"No! I would never—" she began, but Hojo stepped forward, his nose broken and gushing blood.

"Leave her alone, half-breed! She doesn't deserve you!"

Inuyasha growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Inuyasha, please!" Kagome begged, "Just listen!"

"To what?" he snapped, "I've heard enough from you anyway. You think it's fun, right, playing by my feelings to get what you want?"

"And what about my feelings!" Kagome demanded, "How do you think I feel, knowing that Koga's blood is on my hands? That it's my fault?" She began to sob again.

Inuyasha's expression grew pained as he took in the blood all over her beautiful kimono, all over her. A firm resolve drew over his face as he realized what he had to do for her, however much it pained him to do it.

"Listen to me," he finally said, pulling her close and muffling her cries with his chest, "Get them out of here now."

Kagome looked up. "What?"

"Take them into the forest, and then far away from here. Just get them away from the village." Inuyasha's forceful tone made her eyes widen.

"What about you?" she asked, tears still spilling from her eyes.

"Don't worry about me," he said, a forced smirk on his face, "I'm doing this because I love you."

"Doing what! Inuyasha?"

"Just go. Live with your own kind. Get married. Have children. Everything." He placed a warm hand on her cheek.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere without you!" She laid her head on his chest and screwed her eyes shut.

He pulled her back by the shoulders and kissed her again, tears brimming in his eyes and pouring out of hers.

Then Inuyasha abruptly pulled away, crouched on the ground, and turned Koga's body over. Finding the wound in the chest, he screwed his eyes shut and raked his long claws across it, creating a deep array of clawmarks.

Inuyasha stood up and shook the few drops of blood from his hands, then met Kagome's eyes and smiled grimly.

Kagome realized what he was going to do and shook her head, crying, "No!" She ran forward and threw her arms around his neck.

"If my brother knows it was your human who did it, he won't rest until all four of you are exterminated for disturbing the village and killing one of our own." Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist.

"So you're going to say it was you," Kagome said hoarsely, "to save them."

"No," Inuyasha said softly, leaning his head in close, "I'm going to say it was me to save you. Geez, how many times do I have to save your neck anyway?"

"That's not funny!" she screamed, pounding his chest weakly for a moment and holding him tightly for the next.

"Kagome, I love you, okay?" Inuyasha kissed her forehead, her cheek, and then her lips. "Go with the humans."

He looked up and past her at Miroku and Sango. "Take care of her for me, okay?"

Kagome protested again, tears pouring down her face. "No, Inuyasha!"

Sango buried her face in her hands and began sobbing as well, and Miroku pulled her close and nodded at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, a tear spilling from his eye. "Never forget how much I love you."

Kagome shook her head. "I won't have to, because I'm not leaving you!"

"Yes, you are," he said gently, "By the way, about your name. I was the one who named you. Back when I found you, when I was little, I knew. I knew you were going to be the only one I ever loved."

With that, he pulled her hands off of his waist and Miroku took them, pulling her back into the forest.

"No!" she screamed, "Inuyasha, I love you too! I love you too! Let me go, Miroku! I love you, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha didn't turn around. He didn't trust himself to until, at last, the rustling behind him meant that the three slayers had taken Kagome away…forever.

"Koga!" Jaken cried, "He's dead? How?"

"The lord's brother, Inuyasha! Slashed at him with his claws!"

Jaken looked over the wolf youkai carefully. "Are you certain?"

"Of course I'm certain!" The youkai muttered angrily, inserting a long finger into his nose.

"I must tell Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken hopped away quickly, "The village's law states that the penalty for murder is death by beheading!"

Dun dun dun! But it will be a happy ending, I promise!

Review or I will threaten you!