Disclaimer- I bet you all will like this chapter so I will get right to it, don't own Inuyasha...

Chapter 23-Tell me what you Are

"You three are actually here on time? I'm surprised." Inuyasha said, watching the three girls drag their bags behind them. Kagome, who was still slightly miffed at Inuyasha, only looked away from him. Inuyasha's sigh was heard, though Kagome ignored it.

"That's funny girls; I swear I heard something buzzing around. Must have been my imagination." Kagome shrugged and tried to pull her bag again, though only managed to take a few steps before she felt a tug on her sack. Glancing back, she caught Inuyasha's eyes, which now seemed to swirl in anger.

"Will you stop ignoring me! If I wanted someone to stop talking to me, I would have pissed Kouga off. So stop with the 'all high and mighty' shit and forget about yesterday." His words did not smother Kagome's fury, but rather added fuel to the fire. He almost stepped back at her heated gaze before she wretched her bag away from him, shoving it into the bus's open side and stomping onto the bus. In the process, she nearly knocked Miroku, who was walking off the bus, down the bus stairs.

"Whoa, hurricane Kagome has just hit us. What's wrong with her?" Miroku jerked his thumb backwards towards the bus as he approached the two remaining girls.

"You know Inuyasha; he had to piss her off again." Kikyo said, sighing in realization that she would be stuck with the grumpy girl for the next several hours. "It was a record this time. He only had to speak once before the fire started to surround her." Inuyasha glared over at her.

"Way to go Romeo, you're one for words." Miroku said.

"She's the one who stormed off, not me. Why doesn't anyone ever yell at her?"

"Because you're the one who always pisses her off. When was the last time she started a fight with you?" Kikyo asked, watching a blank thought cross Inuyasha's face. "Exactly, you're the one who always starts the fights."

"Since when do you defend Kagome?" Miroku asked. Kikyo only shrugged.

"It's not like she's here to do it for herself, and Sango is too far in 'la-la' land to notice anything you two are saying." Kikyo responded, watching both set of masculine eyes travel to the girl in discussion. Much to their surprise, Sango was not blushing or even acknowledging their previous conversation, but seemed to be staring off into space.

"Sango, are you Oka?" Miroku quickly walked over to the girl, standing in front of her. When waving his hands in Sango's eyesight, it didn't seem to affect her. Slightly getting worried about her health, Miroku quickly pinched her arm, causing her to yelp.

"Miroku what are you doing! I didn't even do anything to you yet!" Sango said, rubbing her arm. He sent her a small apologetic smile.

"It was the only way I could think of to get your attention. You seemed like you were sick or something. Are you sure you're Oka? I don't want you to push yourself." Sango mentally smiled at Miroku's concern, though only shook her head.

"I'm fine Miroku; I just have a lot on my mind right now. And yes I think I can last through the bus ride there, I don't feel sick." Sango responded happily. Miroku only nodded before turning towards the bus.

"You think we should go on the bus now? By the time we get there, the place will be completely crowded and we won't have a place to sit."

"I forgot about the other groups going! This is going to be an even longer ride now, since it'll be so crowded. Let's hope they put in a movie or something." Sango said hopefully.

"Are you two ready to go yet, we're about to leave once the final group gets here! And I want to get onto the bus before that." Inuyasha said, walking up to the two. Sango quickly glanced at his head, staring for a moment. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I just...thought I saw something in your hair, but I guess not. Let's go." Sango said, grabbing her bags and placing them into the compartments on the side of the bus. Once the bag was secured, she pulled the door to the cubicle and followed her two friends onto the bus, immediately getting hit with a sudden sound difference.

"Damnit this bus is loud!" Inuyasha said, glancing around for Kagome. His eyes found Kikyo, who was now sitting comfortably with Kouga, and soon found Kagome sitting two seats behind them. He took the chance of encountering another argument as he walked down the aisle, stopping next to the seat. Kagome, who now stared out the window, didn't seem to notice him. Either that or she's ignoring me...

"Hey..." He felt dumb, how hard was it to talk to Kagome? She was just an annoying girl, what was there to worry about?

"What?" When Kagome slowly tore her eyes away from the window and gazed up at Inuyasha, she noticed his shifting, as if passing his weight from one leg to the other.

"I um..." At her curious glance, Inuyasha shook his head and steeled his nerves. "I'm sitting with you since the pervert is too busy with Sango."

"You know you could ask me for my permission, what if I don't want to sit with someone?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha only stared at her before crossing his arms and dropping down into the seat. "Hello, did you not get what I just said?"

"No I understood. Doesn't mean I had to listen to it though." He replied, her groan of frustration leaving his lips to curl into a smirk. Why was it that he seemed to enjoy annoying her?

"You're such a jerk." Kagome mumbled, trying to turn back to the window. Inuyasha instantly grabbed both her shoulders, jerking her back to face him.

"What'd you say!" He asked, causing her to growl at him.

"I said you were a jerk, which you are."

"Take it back."

"No, don't boss me around!"

"I can boss whoever the hell I want to boss around, especially stupid girls like you." He replied, not noticing the disappearing gap between the two's faces.

"Oh that's real mature." She said, inching closer to him. Both being too wound up in the hatred towards the other, neither seemed to see how close the faces had come until Inuyasha felt his nose graze hers. The glares that were once pointed at each other dispersed into different look. Both teens instantly tensed, unsure of how to react to such an innocent gesture.

"Am I interrupting something here?" Miroku's voice broke the moment as both teens scrambled away from each other, Inuyasha nearly falling off the seat.

"Gah! Why'd you sneak up on me like that!" Inuyasha asked, glaring at his friend. Miroku simply smiled as he slid across the seat, letting Sango drop down next to him.

"I don't believe I did. You were just concentrating on other things." Miroku replied, watching Inuyasha's eyes shift from him to Kagome, then quickly the opposite way when connecting with brown.

"Stupid." Inuyasha said, lacking words. Miroku only laughed before turning back forward to see someone he'd rather not. Gatenmaru was now making his way down the aisle, stopping right beside his seat.

"Well what a pleasant surprise. It's been such a long time vixen." Sango glanced up at the boy, who now sat down in the seat across from the girl. She tried to keep a smile on her face as she acknowledged the boy.

"If you're talking to me, my name is Sango." She replied, squirming in her seat as she saw him smirk.

"How I could forget such a beautiful name?" Gatenmaru said, lightly tapping his forehead at his forgetfulness. "My deepest apologies, I'm just so used to calling you Vixen with my friends."

"If you speak with your friends about Sango, you should at least use her proper name. In any case, it seems that your actions are becoming very strong and I would not be surprised if we found you outside of her window tonight." A look of pure abhorrence crossed Gatenmaru's face as Miroku only continued. "But then we'd have the chance to get rid of you and I doubt you'd want that."

"Watch what you say or else you'll be the one leaving, not me." Gatenmaru said, though Miroku only rolled his eyes.

"I do not wish to fight you or get into a conflict at the moment. But if you continue to use your friend's benefits against me for threats, then I will retaliate. And I know you will not be pleased with my actions." As goofy as Miroku was, his words seemed stronger than steel.

"Miroku, are you going to teach me how to snowboard on Tuesday or Wednesday?" Sango quickly cut into the conversation, knowing the two were itching to argue more.

"Whenever you want, why?" Miroku asked.

"Well knowing Kagome, she'll be distracted Tuesday. She's going to want to check out the mountain as soon as possible; she hates being places that she doesn't know." Sango responded.

"And I know that Inuyasha will be watching her like a hawk." Miroku let the words slip by faster than he could catch himself, causing Sango to eye him skeptically.

"And why would that be?" She asked. Miroku only scratched the back of his neck with his hand, trying to think of an excuse. Luckily for him, Kagome stuck her head over the seat.

"Sango, do we know what room we have at the lodge?" Sango stared at her for a moment, as if thinking the answer was written across Kagome's face.

"I think that they will give them to us at the lodge. If they don't, we can always ask July later." Sango replied. Kagome sighed in relief.

"Good, I thought I had just forgot or something." Inuyasha's head now came into view besides Kagome's

"What the hell are you two girls babbling about now?" He asked, Kagome rolling her eyes.

"Do I have to tell you everything that I talk about now? You keep getting nosier every day, you know that?" Kagome replied, sitting back against the seat. He only shrugged and sat back as well, noticing that the bus was now on. It only took a couple moments before the bus would move.

"It's probably because I hang out with you too much." He said, looking over at Kagome. She was now shifting, as if trying to find a comfortable place to sit. "Why are you moving so much?"

"It's nothing." She replied quickly. Inuyasha would have continued to nag if he had not caught sight of Naraku, who now sat with Gatenmaru.

"Fine." He dropped the situation much too fast for Kagome's comfort, though she didn't complain. It was better than getting into another conversation about Naraku.

"I can't wait till we get there. This is my first time being on a mountain." She admitted. "My family hates the cold weather; we always went on trips to somewhere hot when we went anywhere."

"It's not that great, except for snowboarding." He replied, trying not to keep Naraku out of his sight. After the last experience with the boy, he was not going to let him do anything tricky.

"I heard there's a trail that you can walk on around the mountain. I want to check it out before we leave." Why do I bother telling him this kind of stuff? It's not like he even cares... Kagome thought, glancing at Inuyasha. She noticed his gaze was towards the front of the bus, not bothering to look at her while they were talking. She was about to yell at him when he responded.

"What day are we going to go?"

"We?" She repeated. He only nodded in understanding.

"Well yea, if I don't know what day we're going then I have no clue what time I can tell Miroku we can go snowboarding."

"You mean you'd want to go...with me?" At the timid question, Inuyasha forced his eyes away from Naraku and back at Kagome, who now gazed at him, shock outlining her pretty hazel eyes.

"Why wouldn't I go with you?" She can be really stupid at times; of course I'm going with her. Like I was going to let her go out there on her own, that screams danger.

"Well I just thought you'd rather want to stay at the lodge or something." She replied quickly.

"Kagome it's not safe out there for you to go alone. Knowing your luck, you'll get yourself caught in another hole or something, then what would you do? I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger, idiot." He watched a smile creep on her lips. He instantly tensed when she leaned against him, resting her head into the crook of his neck. He went to pull away before she sighed.

"Thank you for worrying. What would I do without you?" His muscles were tight, but were slowly winding down into a comfortable rest. Why did she always cause him to relax so easily?

"Probably be dead by now?" He suggested, causing her to smile.

"I guess your right." She yawned, causing him to glance down at her.

"You're not falling asleep this early, are you?" She shook her head lightly.

"Nope, just resting." She replied. He didn't say anything, knowing she would be out within minutes. Whatever He thought, resting his arm around her waist, if she's asleep then she can't get in trouble. He glanced over her head out of the window, watching the sun slowly fade away.

With barely any sound coming from the dark bus, the ride was almost finished. They were less than a half hour away from the resort, though only two people were awake to realize the milestone.

One of the two who were stirring was Inuyasha, who never liked to sleep. His eyes had barely moved from the window, only to check on Kagome and glare at Naraku. He had watched the moon rise from the horizon, the stars barely being seen from the cloudy sky. The ride was slightly comforting, taking Inuyasha away from the tension at the camp. He could only hope that it would stay this way at the mountain, though he highly doubted it.

"Inuyasha?" his gaze once again lingered on the outside world, but slowly moved across the seat to see a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Sango, what are you doing up?" He asked, watching her turn her body to face the back of the seat.

"I couldn't get to sleep, I never got used to sleeping during trips." Sango whispered, Inuyasha nodding in understanding. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Only do it when it's needed, and I'm not tired." He replied.

"I see." She responded simply. He was getting ready to turn back towards the window when a sentence caught his attention. "What are you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He quickly looked down at Kagome, seeing if his sudden outburst caused her to wake.

"In the fire...I saw something that wasn't human." Sango replied truthfully, his eyes edging her on. "And it was you."

"...You do realize how absurd you sound?" He asked, watching her head nod. "Well do tell what you saw that was so 'inhuman' about me."

"You had dog ears on your head. And your hair, it seemed lighter...like it was changing color or something." The statement sent a cold chill down Inuyasha's spine as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Dog ears?" He repeated, her nod signaling his statement was correct.

"Dog ears, like a Husky's." She left no room for discussion on the description, she knew what she saw. Since she couldn't tell what his reaction was, she simply stared in his direction.

"Are you crazy?" He asked suddenly.

"No. I know what I saw."

"You're asking if I had dog ears on my head."

"And you're not denying it."

"Because I think the answer is obvious."

"I saw them."

"You couldn't have seen them!" Sango tried to glare at him, though it was half-hearted. Unlike Inuyasha, Sango was able to keep her cool in conversations, where as Inuyasha lost his lid every time he started to argue. The only person who seemed to get under her skin was Miroku and his wandering hands...

"I know what I saw, and they were there."

"Damnit Sango, stop and listen to what you're saying. How on earth would I have dog ears? I'm not a dog!"

"I don't know how, why don't you tell me?" She asked innocently, though she knew that she was hitting every nerve he had. Whatever he was hiding, Sango was treading dangerously close and he was not happy about it.

"What am I supposed to tell you!"

"Tell me what you are." She said softly. A moment of silence followed her statement before Sango sighed. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Why should I tell you anything?" He whispered harshly.

"Because I'm your friend. And no matter what you say, I promise to keep it between us."

"I can't believe you."

"Why would I say anything?"

"Because I'm a freak." Sango paused, trying to find the right response.

"We all are different. Whatever it is, it's just something else that makes you special, not a freak."

"I..." Her words had gotten to him, though he wouldn't admit it. To be special, not a freak...to be like everyone else. Would she really believe herself if he told her? "I can't do it."

"Why not?" She asked, realizing his voice seemed strained.

"If I tell you, you'll be in direct danger. No matter if I trust you or not, I do not want to put you in that situation." His eyes widened slightly when he felt a small hand cover his on the seat, their thumb smoothing across the top. He glanced at Sango, who he could tell held a warm smile on her face. The gesture was comforting, almost as if she could feel his emotional struggle.

"Did you know I could braid my hair with one hand?" Sango suddenly asked. He shook his head. "I can also write with either hand and know every line to 'The Breakfast Club'."

"What's your point?"

"Can you do any of that?"

"Why does it matter if I can or not?" He asked, slightly angered at his confusion.

"Can you?" She asked again.

"Well no, I'd never braid my hair." He replied.

"So I'm different...and I told you. Somehow I telling you this may put you in danger, but I'm not really sure if it will. I can't predict the future and neither can you. So tell me, how can you be so sure your secret will harm me?"

He stared at Sango, who was patiently waiting for his answer. No matter how he looked at the situation, he was stuck. Hadn't she proven that no matter what the secret was, it could always lead to danger? But mine's different. I know mine can hurt her; hers is so small that it won't have any effect on my life. He reasoned.

Her words raced through his head again. He wasn't sure how she could be affected by his secret; he only assumed what would happen. There really was no way to prove that she would be hurt in the end. Other than telling her and seeing what actually happened. Did that mean that he should? Would he finally let someone know just who he was?

"I'm not...like everyone else."

"Of course not, I don't think I could make dog ears pop out of my head." Sango tried to lighten the mood, but it was ineffective.

"No, it's..." He growled in frustration before slowly moving his arm away from Kagome, bringing both hands behind his neck to the clasp of his silver chain. "It's easier to just show you." He replied slowly, as if waiting for her to reject his idea.

"Go ahead, I don't mind." Inuyasha soon realized that Sango's smile was probably one of the reasons Miroku fell for her. It seemed that when she grinned, you just wanted to join along. Sure Kagome's always made Inuyasha feel something indescribable, but Sango's calmed him down instantly.

Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha unclasped the necklace that hung around his neck. Slowly, as if afraid going too fast would overwhelm Sango, Inuyasha pulled the necklace away from his neck and let it rest in his hand, placing his other back onto the seat before closing his eyes. He felt a small surge of energy run through his body and he welcomed it. Sango wanted to see who he really was, and there was no turning back now.

Sango stared in amazement as Inuyasha's body seemed to tremble slightly, a small child hiding from the boogieman. Though it was dark and the only light she had to support her weak eyes was the lights at the ceiling of the bus, she had noticed his hair now sported the dog ears she had seen before. As for the color, it seemed someone had splashed the black canvas with silver paint, letting it cover all sight of dark. She looked down until she came to his hands, which now had sharp claws on each nail.

Trying to keep her amazement hidden, she now saw the enlarged canines of his teeth, which were now biting his lower lip. An awkward question of how the teeth didn't puncture his lip whisked through her mind, as well as a thousand other. Finally she looked up to his eyes, which were now slowly emerging from his eyelids. His eyes, which were once a deep brown, were now dark amber.

"Inuyasha...what...how..." Sango couldn't seem to focus on just one question.

"Sango, don't scream but...I'm half demon."

...I didn't...I wouldn't...I did! Yup, you all guessed it. I decided to leave it like that! I know you all hate me at the moment, don't try to deny it. Me and my cliffhangers must really drive you up walls. LoL. Anyways, what will Sango do now? How will she keep it from Kagome? Is hurricane Kagome going to attack the south side of America!...Don't answer that...see ya soon!

Chapter 24- A Promise, A Lie, and A Dangerous Game