AN: A small note that I feel is important. The bit about the beads as a disguise came from OrpheusUnderneath's Vices (also a very good fic to read). I know how annoying it is to have ideas used and no credit given. I hope you don't mind that I used this one, OrpheusUnderneath!

"How we need that security. How we need another soul to cling to, another body to keep us warm. To rest and trust; to give your soul in confidence: I need this, I need someone to pour myself into."
Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

Kagome woke up alone in their bed. Any hopes that it was a bad dream were dashed at the empty side of the bed next to her. Even more so when she sat up and found the wrong white-haired Prince watching over her.

"How are you feeling?" Kagome answered her Alpha by slinging the covers off her legs and jumping from the cold bed. At her dresser, pulling on some thick jeans and a sweater, Sesshomaru stopped Kagome with a hand on her shoulder. "I had hoped some rest would make you come to your senses."

"It did. Now, more than ever, I need to go after my mate."

She pulled away from Sesshomaru's touch with ease and started lacing boots on her feet. "Kagome, you can't shift now, and you'll be going into a den of older, more trained wolves!"

"I'm not going to just sit here…."

"Yes, you are!" Sesshomaru roared. "Inuyasha is dead! If you made it to and into Naraku's lair, he would chew you up and spin out your bones before you could lay eyes on Inuyasha's corpse."

That broke her, falling to her knees to sob. "Inuyasha's alive… I know it… Inuyasha is my mate. I would know… if he was dead!"

Sesshomaru got to his knees before her, a strange sight given his status within the pack. "Then imagine how pissed he would be if you came after him? If Inuyasha is alive. He'll return to you. And if you haven't been taking care of yourself, then he will never forgive you."

"I can't…."

"You can and you will. Not just for Inuyasha but for this pack." Sesshomaru growled, suddenly stern. "Inuyasha wouldn't want you risking yours or his pup's life like this." On instinct, her hand went to her belly. It was too soon to tell, not even the slightest change in her weight, but you couldn't hide something like this from a pack of dogs. "I would… I would go after him if I could. And maybe I should? I want him back in one piece just as much as you do, trust me, Kagome. I know what you've heard about the two of us, and our past doesn't bode well for me feeling this way. But I do."

Taking it from her belly, Kagome put a hand on Sesshomaru's arm, smiling as much as she could at him. "I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you too."

She never questioned it; the love Sesshomaru had for his younger brother was always seen by Kagome. Maybe it was because she had a younger brother too? Souta might not believe her love for him either, but she did. Kagome loved Souta dearly, and she showed it the best she could, which included sending him far away, so he was safe.

Sesshomaru patted the hand she had on him, staring at the floor. "You're… a kind person, Kagome. You have a very warm heart."

She broke again at that and Sesshomaru didn't know why. He couldn't; it was something between her and Inuyasha.

oOo

Just as Kagome had come to expect, Aurelian eyes peeked at her from behind the gate as Inuyasha hid. He was waiting for her to finish school and walk her home. With him doing it on and off since the day he helped her with her bullies six years ago, Kagome wasn't nearly as surprised to see Inuyasha waiting for her. She was a bit shocked since he'd been swinging by every day this week.

Keeping herself from skipping (because that would be embarrassing at her age), Kagome made for the gate as quickly as she could without looking overeager. But then she was called to a halt. "Kagome-san!"

She returned to her fleeing when she saw it was Hojo but slowed so he could walk beside her. "Hojo, what's up?"

He was panting as if he had chased after her. And sweating a little, which had Kagome a little curious as to how fast she had been going. "I was wondering… if you were free… tomorrow?"

Her eyes danced to Inuyasha, who fidgeted, his black strands dancing in and out of her sight. "Maybe? Did you need something?"

"Oh… uh… well…" He lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head, "I was wondering if you'd… like to go see a movie?"

That made Kagome stop, Hojo with her, facing each other in silence for a moment. "You want to go see a movie? Like a date?"

"Yes."

Hojo was a popular guy, while she was lucky to have the friends that she did. "Um… I don't know… if I should."

As much as she told herself not to, Kagome's eyes still darted to the gate. Inuyasha was watching, no longer hiding with his arms crossed defiantly across his chest. "Is that your… boyfriend?"

He wasn't. Inuyasha was just her friend, and if you asked him, he would say the same. Kagome didn't kid herself, and it was odd that Hojo wanted to see her outside school. It would be crazy for Inuyasha to like her like that. But… they did see each other all the time, and their relationship was constantly changing… growing. Regardless, Kagome couldn't imagine her life without him, and it was clear that agreeing to a date with Hojo would put their relationship at risk.

"No, I'm not dating anyone. I'm sure you understand, with my background, it wouldn't be fair to anyone. Even someone as thoughtful as you, Hojo."

"You're the thoughtful one, " he said with a bright blush, "considering my feelings so carefully when you have so much on your plate…."

An arm fell heavily over her shoulder, making her flinch. Inuyasha was done waiting. "Yeah, so much to do. And yet, you take up her time?"

"Oh, forgive me, Kagome…."

"You're forgiven, " Inuyasha answered for her, "as long as you don't do it again?"

Hojo was backing up, and even with Inuyasha forcing Kagome to turn from the sight, the message was sent. Now she was being led hastily away, feeling a bit miffed at her friend. "That was very rude."

Inuyasha scoffed, "it sure was, jerk taking up your time with pointless questions…."

"I meant you. I already politely brushed Hojo off. You didn't need to do or say anything." Pulling her, Inuyasha took them off course for her home without a word to ask. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere private," he answered with a growl.

Where he couldn't see, Kagome blushed heavily. It had been a lot of the same this week, Inuyasha showing up at her school, walking her home, diverging to someplace 'private' for a few hours, and then taking her home. Kagome wasn't complaining about any of it either, but she could feel it wasn't going to last. Inuyasha did not indicate this; she just felt it in her bones.

Perhaps it was her happiness? The last time she was this happy, her parents had been alive. That didn't last as long as it was supposed to. Every time Kagome had a little happiness (making a new friend at school, Souta's first steps and words, Gramps making her a Miko), she worried when it would all end. It all felt so… fragile. And nothing felt more so than her relationship with Inuyasha.

He was a wild thing, a wolf or dog and he was beautiful, strong, brave… everything she wasn't. He pulled his arm from her neck to take her hand instead, and she could only imagine it was due to her starting to sweat. Inuyasha's silky black locks fluttered before he with his fast movements, beautiful in their own way but nothing compared to his natural appearance.

Something she would remedy once they were alone, passing several people in the park they were invading. When Inuyasha stopped at a massive oak, looking around over her head, she knew what was coming next. So Inuyasha didn't have to ask or explain as he turned with Kagome's hands in his, pulling her onto his back. She still gasped when he left the ground, a combination of leaping and climbing until they were far from the ground. No one would see or notice them up there. If she fell, it would kill her on impact, but Inuyasha would never allow that. It was why she sat nearly in his lap, and he had his hands clasped at the small of her back.

Well, one of the reasons they sat like that.

Now entirely alone, Inuyasha didn't wait any longer, leaning into her and pressing his lips to Kagome's. She clutched him blindly, her eyes already closed to the sensation that was Inuyasha's lips. It had her grabbing his hoodie, shirt, and even his beads. His kisses constantly tingled all the way down to her toes. With her experience limited, she still knew this wasn't normal and that they were special together. Kagome still found the strength to push him away, the cool, hard beads under her palms reminding her.

"Take them off."

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment in confusion but then smirked and reached for the magic strand around his neck. Kagome helped him, eagerly stripping him of his disguise so she could be with the real Inuyasha. As soon as the black pearls passed his strands, they turned white. It was like pouring bleach of a black shirt, the change instant. Her favorite part was his ears as they popped up like a jack in the box. Inuyasha held her tight when she jumped and giggled each time. Then met her halfway when she grabbed him back and pulled him to her, their lips picking up where they left off.

His hands roamed her back, never going anywhere else. Kagome liked that, liked how respectful he was towards her. They were sixteen; she was hardly ready for more than the make-out sessions they had daily. Kagome wasn't even prepared for tongue, Inuyasha licking her lower lip but never pushing it when she kept her teeth shut to the appendage. The most she gave him was running her tongue along his fangs. They were sharp, but they didn't scare her, and it was important to Kagome that Inuyasha knew that. He always rewarded her with sweet kisses to her upper lip when she did that, hot with just the right amount of spit left behind.

But her favorite part? When they parted (even if for a short breather), the smile Inuyasha wore made her heart speed up and melt. It was the same one he gave her now, cupping her cheeks to pull her back and look done at her. Kagome really hoped the look on her face made him feel the same way, irreversibly in love.

He was brushing her cheeks with his thumbs while his smile faltered. "Did you… want to go with that guy?"

"Huh?" She was still in the daze that was Inuyasha, so the mention of any other 'guy' was confounding for her.

"That guy! The one that asked you to the movies?!"

Kagome could feel Inuyasha's claws as they brushed her skin, still holding her head. Her hands rested on his hips, dropping from his back when he broke them apart while their legs tangled together between them. Her lips wore Inuyasha's spit, and his hair was a bit of a mess from her hands in it at some point. Add in the humming her body did from his touch like it needed him more than anything else, and he was still asking her this? She responded by tipping up a brow.

Inuyasha huffed, "it's not a stupid or crazy question! You would go with him just to be nice!"

"So, I can't speak for myself? I just follow blindly?"

His hands dropped from her face to her shoulders. "How do you explain being up here with me now?"

"Um, because I want to be? Duh!"

"Oh, come on, Kagome!" He tipped back, making them toter when he forgot their location, "you're with me because you feel obligated or something. Not because you want to."

"What?! Why would I do that?!"

"Because of your fucking heart! You're a," he stopped, and his cheeks turned bright red, but he pushed past his embarrassment, "you're a kind person, so kind it's painful for me. It's why you struggled with those bullies when we were kids, why I stepped in. It's why I can't leave you alone even though I was warned to. Your warm ass heart draws me and anyone within a ten-foot radius to you like a moth."

Kagome didn't know what to say. On the one hand, it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. And on the other, he made Kagome sound weak and helpless; to something as simple as her choice of who she was with. She was complimented and also insulted. It turned into her flushing heavily and smacking Inuyasha's shoulder as hard as she could. They tottered again since she forgot this time, but he kept them steady while she began her tirade.

"Inuyasha Cù Tashio! Have some self-value, would you!"

"I'm serious, Kagome. There's no other reason for you to be with me…."

"Really? You can't think of one other reason for me to be with you?!" He shrugged and looked away, so she grabbed him back, cradling his face as he had hers. "You're my oldest and dearest friend. No one… knows me like you do."

"And no one knows me like you do." He added, quickly interrupting her then going back to silence.

"I can't… imagine my life without you. And I don't want to. So if you want to go back to being friends, I would be okay with that."

He gave her a shake with his hands on her spine. "Why would I want that?!"

Kagome's hands slipped down to Inuyasha's chest with her eyes. "Why else would you be saying these things? When it's so obvious that I'm with you because I want to be."

"Your heart raced when that guy asked you out," her eyes popped up to Inuyasha's in shock, "I can hear that much even with the beads on. Not to mention your excitement was obvious."

His gold eyes searched hers, no doubt hearing her heart pick up now. "How does it compare?"

"Compare? To what?'

"To now? To when I'm with you?"

His eyes danced to her chest and a smile threatened. "It doesn't. Your heart does more than race; it dances with me."

"What about yours?"

Kagome was suddenly curious, reaching up and placing a hand over his heart to try and feel it. It was pounding, from what she could tell. Closing her eyes, she swore she could hear it. It was faint, and she was sure it was her imagination. And yet, there it was, the sound of Inuyasha's heart in her ears. It was the first time she had ever tried to listen or feel a heart, so she had no clue what was 'normal'. And Inuyasha was far from average, making it hard to be sure. When a clawed hand gently pulled hers away, opening her lids to breathtakingly metallic irises that sparkled, Kagome knew what Inuyasha meant when he said her heart danced for him.

"You make my heart race, dance, fucking cartwheel." Inuyasha stopped to press his lips to hers for a short second, and she whimpered when he pulled away again. "Kagome… do you wanna… be my mate?"

Her head tilted on its own, "what's a mate?"

Inuyasha's flush returned and traveled down his neck. "It's like a… wife. We don't have to go into the details now; just know it's forever."

"Oh." Nothing sounded better to Kagome; to be with Inuyasha forever? It was the dream, her dream, and Inuyasha was offering it to her. And yet, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel fair to Inuyasha in the slightest. "Is it something we would do now?" When Inuyasha turned purple and shook his head hard, she knew not to ask more. He was always telling her more about himself and the pack, but there were things he couldn't tell her, and she understood that. "Then… you should wait and ask me that when we're old enough to do it."

"Why?"

"I would hate for you to regret it."

He was back to cupping her cheek and brushing it with his thumb. With one hand on her back to keep her steady, Kagome could think of no other place in the world she would rather be. "Would you regret it?"

"No." She said without hesitation. "But I love you too much to put that on you."

"You wouldn't be putting anything on me that I didn't want…."

"How much of your senses are dulled by the beads?"

Kagome needed the subject changed. Sure, it was apparent, and Inuyasha wasn't fooled, eyeing her closely for several moments before pulling the beads he left on her lap into his hand. "About half. I should… probably get you home soon…."

She knew what that meant, leaning in effortlessly to pick back up on their make-out session. Kagome loosely wrapped her arms around his neck as she bowed into him uncomfortably. But it was the best she could do in their position, and she wasn't complainl=ing, wrapping his soft strands around her fingers. He did the same, wrapping his arms around her ribs to grab the ends of her hair.

Time passed unknowingly with them wrapped up together until the sun began to set. "Shit, I have to get you home."

It was the same every day this week. Inuyasha and Kagome would have to race her to her home to keep her from getting in trouble. They always strolled before and stopped a few times to sit somewhere and chat. Inuyasha would tell her about his pack, and she would tell him about her day. They shared as much as they could before they reached the shrine steps where Inuyasha would leave her. But the very start of this week had been different, and that included how long they stayed out.

Kagome told Gramps she was studying late at her school. She thought she was sneaky, and the guilt ate at her, but not as much as the thought of losing Inuyasha, who insisted no one knew about them even when they were friends. She didn't get it, but then again, Inuyasha let it slip that Gramps knew Toga. Which meant he knew something about the pack.

With all her fibbing, Kagome had felt successful in leading Gramps astray. When they neared the shrine and Inuyasha slowed to a walk, his grip on her hand tightening while he cursed under his breath, she knew something was up. Her fears were confirmed when not only Gramps but Toga stood waiting for them at the bottom of the shrine steps.

Gramps had angry arms crossed over his chest and a red look to his face, while Toga (standing out even with his white hair and striped face missing) looked calm. Kagome wasn't sure which man scared her more.

"Inuyasha, get in the car."

Toga gestured gently to a red sports car she had never seen before. Toga was quiet while Inuyasha shook his head softly and refused to release her hand. "No, father. I won't. Not yet."

"Not yet?" Gramps roared. "Haven't you done enough to Kagome as it is?!"

"I will handle this, Seann Chù." Toga tried,

Gramps clucked his tongue in a manner of disrespect that Kagome would never attempt towards Toga. "Like you've been handling it? Oh yes, you've done such a bang-up job so far…."

"Seann Chù, I want to mate with Kagome." Inuyasha offered suddenly, even after Kagome had already told him to wait. He was calm and sure, so she did nothing more than hold her breath and his hand.

Gramps turned purple, lifting a hand to strike Inuyasha but Toga stopped him both moving so fast it didn't seem real. "He is the next Beta! Watch yourself, Seann Chù; I will still judge you under the pack laws!"

But Gramps didn't flinch, staring hard at Inuyasha. "Have you lost your mind? Mate with Kagome? Over my dead body!" Ripping it from Toga's hold, Gramps turned on the other elder with them. "If you're to judge me, then judge your son. My son's wishes were clear, and therefore the pack is to respect them!"

Toga held up defensive hands. "I know. I supported Gealach's decisions; you know this."

"Then do your part, and I'll do mine!"

Gramps ripped Kagome's hand from Inuyasha's and pulled her up the steps of the shrine. She watched him fade in the distance, not saying or doing a thing to stop her from getting taken away from him. It would be the memory that played the most in her dreams to come along with Gramps forcing her to pack her things and shipping her far away to a cousin in England.

oOo

It had been a long day, and the wolves had whined when she tried to leave on time (as usual). Kagome had stayed past closing time (well past) and was now locking up in the dark. It was why she was confused, a couple of boys/men hanging around the wolf exhibit when the Zoo had closed an hour ago to guests.

They leaned over the railing, trying to see the wolves who were locked up in their beds for the night. "Excuse me, but you can't be here. The Zoo is closed for the night; you'll have to come back tomorrow."

The pair shifted, looking her over and then pushing away from the exhibit to saunter closer. She still had her walkie on her hip, something required for her job, and was turned in at the security office each evening. Even with the two men much larger than her, Kagome didn't even think to reach for it and call security.

"She's cute."

"You like playing with wolves?"

It wasn't a hard guess since she came from the 'employees only' exit and had a wolf on her shirt. But these two didn't seem like they were all that observant. "Maybe. How do you know that?"

They circled her, as the wolves did around their prey. "Maybe we've been watching you?"

"Or maybe someone told us?"

Listening carefully, the beating of their hearts didn't match their words. "That's not it; you're lying."

They both stopped, one in front and one behind, looming. "Maybe, just like you heard our hearts, we smell the beasts on you?"

Shit, these guys were wolves. Kagome shoved the one in front of her hard and elbowed the one behind in the gut, then took off as fast as she could. The men were wearing beads somewhere because their faces had no marks, and they didn't have a dog or wolf trait to give them away… unless it was hidden somewhere else, so Kagome didn't know if they were full or partial-bloods. If they were partial, she stood a chance to outrun them. Inuyasha had explained it to her years ago; the beads disguised those with full or high percentage pack blood. Toga was full-blooded, hence the marks on his face and white hair. Inuyasha was somewhere around ninety-nine to ninety-three percent pure. It was why he had white hair and dog ears.

These guys must be even lower than that as she kept the distance between her and them. If they were that low a percentage that they didn't have any traits, the men couldn't be wearing beads; they wouldn't have smelled the wolf on her. Unless they lied, and it was that they were watching her? But she was sure their hearts didn't lie, so they had to be low-blooded.

Or it was because they weren't alone, Kagome skidding to a stop as another man stood between her and her path. Instead of two wolves after her, it was three, and this one didn't hide his traits like he was supposed to in public. The streaks on his eyelids told Kagome instantly that he was a pureblood but not from the same bloodline as Toga or Inuyasha, his hair a flowing chestnut.

"Ah, my little bird in a cage. Long time no see."

She took a step back, the man's eyes hauntingly familiar. "What?"

Hands wrapped tightly around her biceps; the two men had caught up and her. On instinct, she put a foot back between the one that held her and bent forward hard. Kagome slung the guy over her head to the ground, using his grip on her and her back muscles. He was still sputtering on the floor when she turned on her heel and ran the other way. His buddy was too stunned to stop her, but she threw a punch to his jaw for good measure. Kagome was no match for a pure-blood but these lesser idiots she could handle.

She had planned to make it to the back gate and climb out, but that was blocked by the pure-blood with familiar eyes. The mon was starting to rise, which meant even the half-bloods would be able to turn and chase her in their bigger, more potent wolf forms. Had they already turned? Was she just being played with? They had been from the start, pretending to be lost guests and like they knew her. It had been five years since anyone had truly known her, yet these monsters played as if they did. It filled her with… questions.

Instead of running, she stopped and faced the approaching men. The two she had put down were behind the pure-blood, jogging to keep up while the pure-blood came at her in his proper form.

Her blood ran cold at the sight of the wolf that killed her mother and father.

Kagome would never forget the orangy-red fur and stained teeth. Teeth that showed as the wolf snarled at her. When she was a child, Kagome thought she imagined the size, but she hadn't as the giant wolf leered over her. Craning her neck, she stared the man that murdered her family in the eye.

"It was you." He barked in response. "Why? My parents lived a simple life; they never hurt anyone. Why did you kill them?!"

"Your parents were killed for abandoning their pack!" One half-breed shouted.

"A pack that's now dead thanks to their selfishness!" The other screamed.

Kagome shook her head at them. "My parents weren't wolves. They didn't have a pack to be responsible for. And even if they did, then they had every right to leave the pack if that's what they wanted. Pack law is…."

"Fuck pack law! That was all made by some stupid wolves long before our time! They should have saved their pack!"

Looking around the beast that snarled over her, Kagome glared at the one dumb enough to speak. "Stupid or not, it's the law, and therefore, my parents did nothing wrong. Because they were never part of any pack!"

Hitting her in the stomach hard, the wolf knocked Kagome to the ground; the wind knocked from her as well. It growled, long, sharp teeth all she could see. She laughed because it was funny. The death she thought she'd escaped years ago had caught up to her. Kagome was going to be torn apart by the very creatures she had come to love more so dearly. Would they throw her body into the exhibit? Condemn her wolves to death for their actions? Kagome couldn't even think about it, closing her eyes tightly and putting her hands up on instinct.

Snarls broke her out of it, wondering if the half-breeds were actually fighting their master for a piece of her. But the one fighting the leader wasn't a half-breed.

White fur flashed with red, the two wolves rolling around on the ground. Kagome caught flashes of teeth and eyes as the pair fought. The other two men did nothing (to her surprise), backing off and out of the way. Did Toga have that much clout that lesser wolves back away? Or was it more pack law that Kagome wasn't familiar with? She only knew what Inuyasha had told her; there could be a lot more she didn't know.

The red wolf went down, sporting a bloody paw and the white wolf grabbed her so hard and fast, Kagome didn't know they were moving until they leapt over the back gate. Toga was fast! But, Kagome had never seen him run before or even fight.

Kagome had her fists wrapped around fur like a leash as Toga took off at full speed. The world was a blur around her as they moved faster than a car. Otherwise, she would have worried about someone seeing them, but as it was, no one would know what they had seen.

When Toga stopped, she recognized the location instantly. It was the last place she had been happily with Inuyasha, the tree they had climbed and made out in before them, as Toga shrugged her off to the ground. A strange night, she walked over to the trunk in a daze. So many things were buzzing in her brain, so many questions. But with her palm on the rough bark of the tree, she only had one.

"Did he tell you? Or did you know from the start what and where Inuyasha and I were up to?" The wolf tilted its large head at her, remaining in his battle form. "This tree? It's the last place I saw Inuyasha. Well, not the last place, but I'd rather not think about the real last time I saw him." She turned, facing the wolf with her arms crossed, hoping to hide her shaking heart. "Did you know that Gramps was going to send me away?" As much as a wolf could, he looked shocked. "I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. Not my friends, Souta or Inuyasha. At least they called, Inuyasha left me to my fate all alone." The wolf hung his head in shame, and she felt the need to forgive, stepping up and rubbing the top of his head. "It's okay; it was for the best. I got the best education I could ask for. I studied Zoology at Cambridge -specializing in wolves (she said with a wink). Inuyasha got to move on and take his place in the pack. I'm sure he found and picked a more appropriate mate or wife and is doing well for himself. I have no doubts that you're proud, Toga." Unable to take it anymore, Toga's gold eyes reminding her so much of Inuyasha and the life she once had and missed, she leaned in heavily. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him as much as she could. "I missed you, Toga. You barely saw me as a kid, and then I never saw any of you anymore. But you were so kind to me; I'll never forget it."

"Toga is dead."

The message and words came so suddenly; Kagome was less thrown by the voice coming from the dog. But then she realized the person she mistook for Toga was shifting back.

Taking many quick steps back, Kagome stared wide-eyed as the wolf became a man she didn't recognize. "Who are you?!"

He chuckled darkly, removing the space she'd made in two hasty steps. His hand hooked the back of her neck, and she heavily flushed as he pulled her in closer to his -ripped- naked body. "You don't recognize me? Really? I knew you instantly."

The amber eyes on hers danced, and she struggled to breathe. "Inuyasha…"

He let her go, and the weight she'd put into his touch had her stumbling back. "Dad is dead, and Naraku is gunning for you and other deserters, so I'm stuck saving your ass."

"Wha…what?" Inuyasha stood before her like it was any other day when she hadn't seen him in five years. Five years of thinking about him almost non-stop, never expecting to see him (let alone speak) to him again, and now he paced in front of her… naked.

His white hair fluttered to a stop with him and his ears pressed back to the back of his head in irritation. "With Toga dead, Naraku has decided to take back up, killing those who left his pack. And that includes your father."

"I… I don't understand." It was a lot of information to compute. "My father? And Toga?" Kagome fell to her knees in a heap. "Wha… what?!"

She had her fists in her eyes, wiping tears away angrily from her confusion and shock. Gentle fingers wrapped around her wrists, the claws longer than she remembered as she watched them peel back her hands from her eyes. "I get that it's a lot, but try to keep up," Inuyasha said with a growl that didn't match his face or heart, warmth bleeding from him into Kagome as she crumbled, "your father was once in the same pack as Naraku. Both he and your mother left their packs to have you. They wanted an average life for you and Souta. But your father's pack died out because of war and lack of members to keep it going. So Naraku wants to kill off all those that left him and the others for dead. Even the children of those who left. Which is you, Kagome."

"No… no, no! Then that would mean…."

"You're a wolf, Kagome."

His face was inches from hers; even with his message sent, Inuyasha didn't pull away from her. "If that's true, then why was I left out of the pack? Why did you forsake me?"

Inuyasha grimaced, and a growl rumbled in his chest. "Your father didn't want you in any pack. Not his or your mother's. It is pack law that we honor those wishes. I broke that law by being with you.."

"Is that why you left me? Why you let me go?"

With that, Inuyasha tossed her hands away and got to his feet. He stepped back and started to shift, signaling the end of the conversation. "I'll be keeping guard over you until Naraku is stopped. Try not to play with any more wolves, Kagome."

White fur burst over his body as he grew. Inuyasha stepped towards Kagome as if to offer her a ride but instead stuck his long, pink tongue out, licking Kagome from shoulder to the top of her head. If she knew less than she did, Kagome would have thought it was affection. But with other wolves looking for her, then they would use her scent against her. However, the ride she took on Inuyasha's back should have masked a lot of her smell; the lick seemed like overkill.

He pulled Kagome up the same as before, putting more holes in her uniform to toss her to his back. Dropping her to her roof, Kagome wondered if Inuyasha followed her scent or already knew where she lived? He didn't shift back or stay so that she couldn't ask -about that or anything else as he leaped away into the night.