Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha . . .

ROCK ON!!!!

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The fire crackled heartily as the hard raindrops beat the window outside. The air was chilly, but Kagome was far from cold.

She stared into the blazing heat, remembering what had happened earlier that day. I . . . I kissed him . . .

Touching her lips with her fingertips, she recalled the sweet, intimate moment she and Inuyasha had. The heiress cracked a smile as she refreshed the memory of the hanyou's surprised yet delighted face. Inuyasha . . .

The woman sighed, glancing down at the silver head that lay in her lap. Lifting a hand, she gently ran her fingers through the sleeping dog demon's hair.

Shippou had barged into the cabin shortly after they shared their kiss. Noticing the awkward faces and sensing the tension in the air, the kitsune announced grudgingly that he would he sleeping with Kaede that night. Before leaving, however, he bounded over to Kagome, stating in a serious face to 'call him if things get out of hand.'

Giggling, Kagome waved as the young fox left. Her laughter further grew as she saw the bewildered eyes of Inuyasha. He had heard what the kitsune had said, and he knew exactly what he was talking about.

It wasn't long after that it began to rain. Kagome had fixed some instant ramen for dinner, each not saying much to the other. As they sat down for their meal, there were hardly any words exchanged, save for the quick glances and shy 'pass the noodles.'

After dinner, the atomosphere completely changed. The heiress had pulled out a book and a blanket, preparing to curl in front of the fire for the duration of the evening when Inuyasha abruptly sat down next to her, wrapping a single arm around her as they stared into the newly lit fire.

Knowing that reading would be useless, she put down her book, shyly asking if she could play with his hair. Inuyasha stared in amusement, then lowered his head onto his lap. Before long, he was fast asleep, his soft snoring the only thing heard over the fire.

She twiddled a strand of hair between her fingers, her eyes falling on the triangular shaped ears that sat atop his head. Out of curiousity, the heiress slowly rubbed one of them. She was rewarded with a loud sigh of content and a sleepy smile.

Kagome sat back against the sofa, shaking her head. Inuyasha . . .

He had come barging into her life, a loud, obnoxious being with the most cocky attitude. She remembered the first time she had met him, right outside the cafe she and Sango were meeting at. His tight officer uniform and fiery golden eyes were enough to make her melt.

But I wasn't ready . . . Her heart was still far too broken at the time to fall for another.

Naraku . . . that bastard . . . Kagome grimaced at the thought of her abusive ex-boyfriend.

Her friends had insisted to take her to a night club one night, determined to find her a boyfriend. Kagome, although men were the farthest thing from her mind, reluctantly agreed. She didn't want to let her friends down.

Just as she thought, the nightclub was a drag. There were no men that interested her, and further more, her friends had abandoned her for their boyfriends. Stepping outside, she was about to call a taxi when a lone figure leaning against the building caught her eye.

At first she thought nothing of the man, but as his presence near her lingered, she became curious. He had approached her, his unique maroon eyes boring into hers. She was mesmorized by his dark, silky black locks, and felt shy as he towered over her with his muscular body.

They began a casual conversation, and he had offered her a ride home. Kagome was surprised to hear that he too had come from a wealthy business family, and his surname was strangely familar, but she never remembered the Wada family's son. Shrugging the feeling off, she enjoyed every last minute of the ride home.

The next few days were heavenly bliss for the young woman. She had never had an older man dote on her, and Naraku's presence in her life made her content. It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

But I was wrong . . . very wrong . . . A few months before her 17th birthday he had called her, insisting that she rush over to his place. Like the good girlfriend she was, she sped over, her heart racing as she wondered about what was so important.

She had found him in his house, the shades closed, the rooms dark. She slowly entered, finally finding Naraku in the living room.

It was then the beatings began.

He accused Kagome of unfaithfulness, of her whore-ish ways of dressing. He slapped her across the face as he yelled at her for flirting with other men. He bent her arm as he hissed in her ear of infidelity. He threw her on the ground as he swore at her.

It was then that she smelled it. The scent of alcohol in the air.

Kagome tried to get away, but it was useless. He was larger and stronger than she was, and he pinned her easily against the ground. She cried and sobbed for him to stop, but it was futile. Naraku wouldn't listen.

Finally, after a bloodly lip and countless bruises, he let her go, warning her that if she tried to run away, he'd find her. Scared for her life, she submitted, her meek personality covered by his overbearing one.

The beatings continued for months. She found a way to climb up to her window at night in order for her mother and brother not to see her bruises. She had a mountain of concealer to hide her damaged skin, and she had a hidden stash of bandages and antiseptic under her bed.

Slowly, her spirit began to break. Her once bright smile was never seen, and her eyes were dull with pain and deception. Kagome had cried numerous rivers of tears in a week. She couldn't tell anyone, not even Sango what was going on. She blamed everything on herself.

Then, that fateful night came. The night when Kouga called her to meet at the park. She was reluctant at first, knowing that if Naraku found out, he'd beat her to hell. But she went anyway, and was horrified to find his attempts to rape her. She was relieved to have someone find them and scare Kouga away, but was even more terrified to have Naraku find them.

He had taken a large branch and used it to beat her. Her arm was soon useless, and her face was bloodied up and hardly recognizable. She nearly cried with relief when he left her with the cell phone, her tears of pain soon turned into tears of joy.

With much trouble she dialed Sango's number, asking her to meet her at the park. She stayed away from the bushes, fearing that Naraku would return, but sat under the shadow of a large tree near the sidewalk. As soon as she saw her best friend's car drive up, she stumbled out into the open, and fainted before the demon slayer.

Two weeks later she awoke in the hospital, her head aching and body broken. She had suffered a concussion, and her arm was broken in three places. While in the hospital, she recieved a single envelope with a note inside. It read, "I'm finished with you. Goodbye."

Although she knew the note was from Naraku, she couldn't find it in her to rejoice. She was in too much pain, in too much sorrow to say anything. Kagome knew she loved him, no matter how much he had beat her.

She slowly slipped into depression, her once vibrant personality replaced with a solemn, dead one. She felt as though she was a zombie living among the living. Her life had no meaning anymore, her heart more broken than her body had been.

Suddenly her Jii-chan had a great idea: to have her join his campaign. By then, she had healed some of the scars of her heart by herself, but it was far from being in perfect condition. Hoping that the campaign would help her, she accepted her grandfather's proposal.

That same day, that very same day, Inuyasha entered her life. His gruff ways and tempermental attitude were far from her ideal man, and she had to admit, she despised him at first.

But there was something about the hanyou that was different. He didn't respect her for her social status; if she read him right, she would have to earn his respect.

Kagome soon found herself closely tied with the hanyou. After Seiji hired him as her personal bodyguard, she was more shocked than irritated to share a bathroom with him. The heiress found herself to be tempermental with Inuyasha; after almost a year of being alone, to have someone be with you 24/7 was quite unnerving.

Little did she know that her prayer to have something or someone heal the wounds of her heart was answered. As time went by, she found herself yearning more for Inuyasha's company. The bodyguard, how crude he was, was a great impact on her life. She began to realize that she was slowly falling for him, and it scared her.

The night of the ball, when they were on the balcony, Kagome felt her heart thumping as she leaned in to kiss him. However, she didn't realize that it was too soon. She pulled away, the reminder of Naraku still too fresh in her mind.

Time went by slowly after that. For a few weeks they hardly said a word to each other, not knowing if the other was mad. Kagome could feel her grandfather scheming up ideas to get them back to speaking terms, but they wouldn't work. They needed time.

After moving back into the Shrine, they seemed to be on level ground; each were somewhat easy in the other's presence. Kagome wondered how things would get back to normal when he came back.

They were in the grocery store when she spotted him. His long black hair and evil eyes couldn't be mistaken for anyone else but Naraku. She felt as though her whole world came crashing down as she saw him step closer and closer towards her.

I wouldn't have made it . . . I wouldn't have made it without Inuyasha . . . The hanyou never left her side. Even after hearing her story, he stuck by her. He was her bodyguard, her confidant, her friend . . .

Kagome didn't realize her feelings toward the hanyou until the incident at the nightclub. When the shot was heard, her heart tore in half, her head throbbing as she cried out his name. She was relieved to have him live, but she was frightened of what she found out.

She cared for him. Deeply.

She never admitted it, but the reason why she engulfed herself in scroll studying was to cast away the feelings the hanyou sowed inside her. She didn't want to go through the same thing she went through with Naraku.

But he was different. He bothered her, irritated her, and bribed her to spend time with him. Kagome found herself light-hearted and free-spirited around him, and she couldn't help but fall more for him.

Our kiss . . . our first true kiss . . . She reminisced the perfect moment they had earlier. The hanyou in her lap stirred, and she looked down at his angelic, sleeping face.

As much as I hate to admit it . . . he's squirmed his way into my life . . . Inuyasha . . . She leaned down, gently brushing her lips against his forehead.

The clock rang midnight as it echoed throughout the cabin. Gently moving, she positioned herself into a more comfortable position to sleep in. She took the blanket beside her, and after wrapping it around both of them, leaned her head against the cushion behind her.

Right before she drifted off into sleeping bliss, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, Inuyasha's strong muscles rippling beneath. Blushing slightly, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

Inuyasha . . . I don't know what I'm feeling for you . . . but I'm beginning to like it . . .

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AN: whew, another chapter! this one's a bit long . . . hope you liked it! I thought it would be nice to see what Kagome's been thinking throughout the story . . .

well, for all of those who liked the story "The Life to My Soul," I'm going to be fixing it very soon. I've been rereading it, and I find some parts I can fix. Scratch that, MANY parts I can fix. My vacation's coming up, and I'm going to make it into an even BETTER story! now that's tight . . .

well, thanks guys for all the reviews!

Stay tuned!