AN: First of all, I'm sorry. I wish I had a really good excuse for my 8 month absence, but I don't. And it amazes me that I'm still receiving reviews for the last chapter. Thank you, all of you, for your dedication and support (and even anger for not updating faster) of my story. This story will be finished! I can't tell you HOW many reviews I received from angry readers thinking this story won't be finished. It will be, but in time. I have a full time job, university, and life in general to juggle. I don't find too much time to play at all, let alone type up a 10 page chapter.

Please everyone; I love all of you for loving my story. But please have mercy. I receive countless e-mails from writers who ask me to read their story. As much as I'd love to read each and every one of your stories, there simply isn't enough time. Please don't ask me, that way I won't have to disappoint you.

Disclaimer: I only own this story. I don't own the characters. That honor goes to Rumiko Takahashi.

Warning: There are some strong swear words and a short graphic situation or two. This is a rated M story, afterall.

Sex and Drugs

Chapter 10: Return

Part I: A Chance Encounter?

Where did she go?

When did she leave?

How far had she gone?

Why did she leave?

These were some of the questions currently swimming around in Inuyasha's head as he frantically searched for Kagome's scent again. There were hundreds of smells in the forest, too many of them for him to distinguish that one special scent that seemed to drive him wild.

Damn, I've lost it again. Kagome, where are you!

Inuyasha stopped running through the forest at top speed and looked all around, his nose in the air, sniffing. It seemed forever ago that he woke only to find that Kagome had left. What he couldn't understand is why she had left.

The wind blew suddenly fierce, and her scent, though faint, was immediately distinguishable. Impatient, he hurriedly ran off in a frantic search. His panic now was the same blinding panic he felt when he woke from his nightmare. He just didn't understand why.

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Deep within the dark woods, alone. Gods, Kagome. What have you gotten yourself into?

Kagome hugged her knees tighter and continued to hum a song her mother used to sing to her when she got scared. Feeble and weak as the humming was, the memory, the power of the song gave Kagome strength and kept her alert. But for how long would a mere memory save her? How long until Inuyasha found her?

Kagome looked at the sky just in time to see clouds cover the bright moon, her only source of light and protection. Without the light she would soon be enveloped in darkness, consumed by it.

Stay strong, Kagome. Stay strong, she thought, but without any real conviction.

As time passed the less comforting her mother's song became as long repressed memories – hurtful memories – resurfaced. Memories of her mother singing the song. How could she have forgotten?

A wrinkle of sorrow creased Kagome's forehead as she remembered a tearful girl, age 4, shoved ruthlessly into a dark closet and locked in there for hours until her mother came home from the market. The darkness frightened the girl into hysterics but the bellowing of her father's voice to "shut the hell up" frightened her even more. When her mother came home and inquired about the girl she was told the girl was being punished and would remain locked up until morning. The mother sat by the closet the entire night singing the same song over and over, softly.

Kagome tried shaking her head to clear it of its thoughts, but found it to be impossible. No person should feel this way. But then her sister's words, her father's words rang true in her head. "You're worthless!", "My, my, aren't we the little slut?", "Shut the fuck up, you little whore!", "It's your fault mama died, you know.", "That's right, cower like the little bitch you are. Know your place.", "Why would anyone want to kiss you?", "Come here, little slut, I know you like it."

"STOP IT!" Kagome screamed out in the dark, clenching her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. "Kami, just let it end."

She began to relax again, no longer hyperventilating or crying. The only thing that kept her calm was that she knew, somewhere, Inuyasha was looking for her. And when he came, clad in his awful red jacket, she would be saved from her mental prison.

Just the thought of Inuyasha made her feel safe. And though she tried telling herself she was a fool for letting her guard down, Inuyasha and his fuzzy ears had somehow weaseled their way past her emotional barrier.

She couldn't explain it. Not even Sango, Miroku's steady girlfriend, had managed to break Kagome's defenses and find out about her shameful past. So how was it that Inuyasha could? Hadn't he proved himself to be just another male, perverted, prick? Yes, but he makes you smile and laugh.

Kagome sighed, not knowing what this new feeling was. It was different, and she didn't like different.

Kagome's thoughts were immediately interrupted as her senses began tingling and buzzing with impending danger. Something was coming. A large, dark shape in the distance was slowly getting closer.

She kept as still as she could possibly be, hoping that whatever the dark shape was didn't see her.

Kagome clenched her eyes shut, praying the dark shape wouldn't come over. But as quiet and still as she was, she could hear the crunch crunch of twigs and leaves beneath paws or feet coming closer still.

Unimaginable fear welled up inside her. Was it a bear? A great, huge bear that would tear her from limb to limb? Or worse, was it a person? A stark raving lunatic that just escaped from prison and was coming after her with an axe?

But the footsteps didn't stop. They kept coming closer and closer, a steady pace to Kagome's hiding place.

The closer the dark shape came the more convinced Kagome was that it was a person. And a person could mean a whole lot more trouble than a forest animal.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, but Kagome was too frightened to open her eyes.

"Ain't ya gots no concept of time, lil' lady?" a raspy voice spoke, slightly slurred.

Kagome jumped two feet in the air and let out a high pitch squeal of surprise. She looked up in terror and expected to see a tall, shady man, with a white mask and a chainsaw like in those American horror movies.

Instead, she saw a somewhat balding, harmless looking old man in overalls holding a brown paper bag in his right hand.

"I said… ain't ya gots no concept of time?" The man said again, somewhat louder and a little annoyed.

"E-Excuse me?"

"Ain't none too bright, are ya? Just a pretty lil' face, and none brains, neither." He said, still a little slurred. He then shot her a toothless grin that didn't quite reflect the annoyance and sharpness of his eyes.

"Well, no. I mean, I was just-" Kagome tried explaining.

"Whatchoo doin' out so late, pretty lil' lady? And in the middle of the …dark… forest of all places." The man cut her off. He paused, waiting for a reply, while taking a swig of whatever bottle hid inside of the brown paper bag.

"I was just out for-" Kagome started, but was cut off again.

"Nobody ain't out here 'cept the raccoons." He grinned again, "…and maybe them smutty prostitutes."

"I was just out for a walk and got a little distracted and wandered off from my friend and I know it's late and I really should be getting back to him." Kagome started rambling on. Something about his behavior didn't register with his eyes. He swayed from side to side a little as if he was drunk, but his eyes… they were sharp, and they were clear.

"What's the hurry? It's gots to be only 1 in a mornin'. Still early, yet!" He let out a bark of laughter and took another swig from the bottle. Except, Kagome didn't hear any liquid inside the bottle, and definitely didn't see him swallow.

"Really, I must be getting back. My friend, he's probably worried about me." Kagome took a tentative step back, now very wary of this supposedly drunk, old, harmless looking man.

"Aw, don't ya be worried abou' getting back to that wretched friend. Prolly' forgots all abou' ya and went back to whate'er hole 'e crawled outa!" The old man laughed again, but the laugh was mirthless.

"No, he wouldn't do that! He's-" She started to protest.

"Seriously," He started, effectively cutting Kagome off again. "You can' trust no hanyou. That fer sure." Kagome must have given him a look of surprise, for he grinned again. "Oh yeah, I know your friend is a hanyou. Saw ya two lil' lovebees flirtin' by the lake."

"You're wrong." Kagome said fiercely. "He happens to be one of the few people I trust and…and care for!" Kagome's words took even her by surprise, and knew instantly they weren't a lie.

"I'm never wrong." Suddenly, the man's voice changed from being raspy, somewhat slurred, to strong, forceful, and hauntingly familiar. His eyes narrowed and he tossed the bottle aside. It landed, hollow and empty a few feet away.

"W-what?" Kagome's voice cracked. She took another step backwards, away from the stranger.

"Hm," He smiled viciously. "Don't look so surprised, stupid girl. What were you thinking? Wandering around a forest, in the middle of the night? Did you think I was a harmless old drunk?" Kagome's silence told him everything. "Heh, yeah, most of the other young girls thought so too."

Kagome turned around to run away but he grabbed her wrist and kicked her feet out from under her. She landed hard on her back, knocking the air out of her lungs. She laid there gasping for air while the man knelt down and pinned her hands above her head and moved his mouth next to her ear, then whispered.

"Nice to see you, again Kagome. Your father will be so pleased when I tell him I've found your hiding place." He chuckled and blew in her ear, causing her to shudder in revulsion.

"Naraku," Kagome spat out venomously.

"So you do remember me." He said sweetly. "I've missed you too, dear Kagome. Well, maybe not you personally. But I've missed looking at your body."

Naraku licked Kagome's jawline slowly, loving the way she gagged in response.

"Get the HELL off me, Naraku! Or I swear on my mother's grave you'll never be able to use your lower half again!" Kagome cursed.

"That is what is known as an empty threat." He chortled.

Kagome struggled against his iron grip and bucked her hips trying to throw him off balance. It worked. She took full advantage of her now free legs and kneed him, as hard as she could, in the balls.

Naraku immediately let go of her hands and clutched his crotch.

Kagome jumped up and sprinted further into the woods, trying to place as much distance between her and Naraku as she could. A few seconds later she heard a bellow of rage and looked behind her. Naraku had got up, pulled off the balding wig, revealing long black hair, and ran after her.

She ran harder and faster than she ever thought possible, but knew that Naraku, with his inhuman speed, was catching up fast.

Trees whizzed passed her in a blur, fallen trees, plants, and rocks slowed her frantic escape deeper into the woods.

Suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath her feet and she fell headfirst into a deep ravine that she failed to see in the dark. Her skull cracked against a large rock at the bottom causing her to see stars and her leg smashed into a rotten log, cracking it.

Kagome's vision went black. When she woke only moments later Naraku was standing above her with a royally pissed off look on his face.

He grabbed her by the neckline of her shirt and slammed her up against the nearest tree then bit her ear so hard it bled. Kagome cried out in pain.

"I think I'm going to thoroughly enjoy you before returning you to your father." He spat while moving his hand agonizingly slow up the bare flesh of her belly towards her breasts.

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He was close, but not close enough. He could smell her fear and another man's arousal. Someone was hurting his Kagome. Someone was going to pay.

Inuyasha could feel his youkai emerging, completely enraged at the fact that another man was hurting his Kagome and was gaining pleasure from it. He jumped from tree branch to tree branch, faster and faster still, his eyes starting to see crimson. He could feel the inherited purple marks on his cheeks starting to show, and did nothing to quell it.

Inuyasha heard Kagome's scream and snarled, picking up the pace even further. He would not allow someone to hurt his Kagome like someone hurt his mother.

Jumping to the ground Inuyasha ran blindly through the forest, all of his senses heightened. It took him only moments before Kagome and a man came into view. And the man, Inuyasha saw, was touching his Kagome in places he wasn't allowed to touch.

He growled ferociously and landed with a thud next to his Kagome and her attacker.

"Don't you fucking touch Kagome!" Inuyasha threatened. Naraku only grinned in response. "You let Kagome go or I'll force feed you your own balls!" Inuyasha's aura flared and Naraku's grin was wiped from his face.

"Ah, so you must be the… hanyou she spoke of." Naraku responded maliciously. "Coming to her rescue, are you? Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy? She is a whore, after all."

"Don't you fucking talk about Keiko that way!" Inuyasha flung himself at Naraku in a blind rage, determined to punch him in the face as hard as he could, but Naraku easily stepped out of the way.

When Inuyasha turned around to see where his opponent had gone he saw to his dismay that his opponent had in fact disappeared.

"Don't fucking run away you coward!" Inuyasha yelled out.

"Inuyasha, stop, he's gone." Kagome said weakly. Inuyasha look around and suddenly realized that he should be more worried about Kagome than about chasing after some perverted asshole.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, rushing to her side. "You're bleeding. What did that son of a bitch do to your head?" He asked picking her up and holding her bridal style.

"Nothing. I was running from him and fell down a ravine. I think I hit my head and blacked out for a moment."

"But your ear, your ear's bleeding." He stated.

"He bit me, after I kneed him." Inuyasha smirked despite himself and felt, rather than saw, the crimson fade from his eyes and purple marks on his cheeks disappear. The threat was gone and his inner youkai was subsiding.

Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He felt a slight blush creep up his neck and into his cheeks before holding her closer to the warmth of his body.

He started walking back in the direction in which he came, never letting go of Kagome, but holding her ever tighter.

Their journey back to the house was long, calm, and quiet. Neither of them spoke, both unsure of what to say. Inuyasha's mind was filled with torrents of thoughts, though. He couldn't help but wonder, who was that man? Why did Kagome make me give up so easily? I could have found him and then beat the shit out of him.

It didn't help that he felt an unexpected wave of jealousy when he saw the man touch Kagome's breasts.

"Kagome," he started uneasily. "You knew that man, didn't you? But he isn't your father?"

After a moment's hesitation Kagome spoke, "No, he isn't my father, but he's just as bad. His name is Naraku Onigumo, and he's a friend of my father's."

The finality in Kagome's tone told Inuyasha that's all she was going to say about the attack.

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Kagome couldn't help but snuggle into the crook of Inuyasha's neck. She was so thankful that he had shown up and didn't forget about her as Naraku had said.

Even though Naraku had gone, his words remained and they frightened her.

"Your father will be so pleased when I tell him I've found your hiding place"

Naraku knew. Soon, her father would know. And soon he would come for her. And soon her new friends would be in danger. To what lengths would her father go to get her back? Would he kill?

But how does Naraku know? The answer came to her as easily as the question. Kikyou.

Kagome frowned and a wave of despair washed over her. Her friends were now in danger because of her, and it was all Kikyou's fault. If Kikyou hadn't shown up….

But Kikyou had shown up, and it was clear to Kagome what now must be done. She would have to leave her new friends for their safety. She would have to leave Inuyasha.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha's face at the exact moment he looked down at her. She smiled despite herself and laid her throbbing head back on his strong shoulder for support.

She didn't want to leave Inuyasha. Not when she just found him. Not when she just began to feel again.

He made her feel important. He made her feel cared for. And even though he could be a prick, (and a complete pervert, Kagome thought), she found that she cared for him to, more than she wanted to admit.

But for his safety, and the safety of her friends, she had to leave.

After a few moments of content silence something dawned on Kagome. Inuyasha had called her Keiko. Who's Keiko?

"Back there, under the tree… when Naraku grabbed me. You told him not to call me a whore. Rather, you told him not to call Keiko a whore. Who's Keiko? …Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha said nothing, she knew he was trying to ignore her. But Kagome persisted.

"Inuyasha, who's Keiko?"

"That's none of your damn business." He said suddenly angry.

"I see." Kagome felt hurt and fell silent. Apparently Inuyasha felt guilty for snapping at her because he sighed and spoke.

"Keiko was my mother." Inuyasha said.

"Was she called a whore often?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha remained silent.

The rest of the walk back to the house was spent in silence. But Kagome couldn't stop thinking about what she had to do. She had to leave tonight. She couldn't waste one more moment at Sango's Dojo. She had to go back home tonight, but didn't want to leave without saying good-bye to the people… to the person that she would miss the most.

She knew how she would say good-bye.

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Inuyasha walked up the main stairs in the house and then up a second flight of stairs into the dusty attic where Kagome's bedroom was. He sat her on her bed, told her to change, and headed down to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth.

When he returned he sat on the bed next to her and carefully cleaned the dried blood off her ear, never taking his eyes off of hers.

When he was finished he stood up and looked down at her.

"Get some sleep, Kagome. We'll talk in the morning." He said before turning and walking away. He reached the top of the stairs when she called out to him, which he expected, but almost dreaded. He wouldn't have the courage, or control to say no.

"Wait, Inuyasha. Stay. Just for tonight." Kagome pleaded.

He stiffened and turned his head to look at her, then with great effort made his way back to her bed where she made room for him.

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AN: Just a few random notes:

THIS STORY WILL BE FINISHED! Lol, so stop asking! I'm sorry if I took a very long break from this story. But I really have NO intention of abandoning this story. It will be finished, hopefully in about 5 or 6 chapters.

Whew, that was a tough chapter to write. I tell ya, not writing for 8 months made it really difficult to write this chapter. I hope – really hope – it didn't suck too badly. My writing is rusty. So, what does everyone think about Naraku entering the story? I wasn't sure if I should put him in or just another random character. But I felt that if I wanted evil and sinister, Naraku was probably the best candidate.

So, I'm sure everyone by now has realized that the funny in the story is pretty much gone. As much as I love to write comical stories this story's plot just isn't too comical, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'll try throwing in some comic relief in the next chapter or the chapter after next so that you all won't stop reading this story completely, haha.

I'm going to skip the usual responses to reviews this time. There's no way I can answer about 150-200 reviews, lol. I guess that's what I get for not updating for 8 months. Anyway, if you have a question that you really want answered be sure to review this chapter and I'll try my hardest to answer it at the end of the next chapter.

Just as a reminder, this story is rated M for a reason. Language, plot, graphic situations all contribute to this M (Mature) rating. No one under the age of 18 should be reading this story as it is inappropriate for young readers. So for the few of you that have reviewed this story getting me to cut down on swears or graphic situations because you feel uncomfortable then you should understand that you shouldn't be reading this story. I rated this story M for a reason. I will not change anything in this story to suite your needs. If you are a parent afraid that your child is reading this then you need to control what they look at on the internet because there are FAR worse stories than mine out there. If there is excessive swearing or particularly graphic situations I put a warning at the beginning of each chapter.

I will try to have the next chapter out sometime next week or the week after, depending on how much time I have between my job and other things.