An: My subscribers informed me that the time jumps were a bit confusing, so I've added age markers. I hope it helps!

Chapter Five: Transformation

"I take pleasure in my transformations. I look quiet and consistent, but few know how many women there are in me."
Anais Nin

Kagome: Age Ten

"Can you explain these to me?" Kagome slipped a finger under Inuyasha's strand of black beads he always had around his neck. "You aren't the type to wear jewelry, and yet, you wear this all the time. It's more than a standard set of beads, isn't it?"

He wrenched back, his torso pushing back while the rest remained sitting on the picnic bench they had claimed. "Who says I don't do jewelry?!"

"I do!" She exclaimed with a laugh. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Sitting back up, he leaned towards Kagome with a grin on the side of his face. "And how do you know that?"

Now Kagome avoided the question, turning and shrugging. "Dunno. Just do."

"Maybe instead of asking stupid questions about me, you should figure yourself out!" Slowly, Kagome turned back, her eyes wide and a pout on her face. She did her best to work Inuyasha over. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from her. "Nope. Pack law states I can't tell you shit."

"Please?"

He refused to look at her, so her pleading face was wasted on the side of his face. But then he flinched, his eyes glancing at her for a heartbeat. "Cut it out!" She turned up the heat, threading her hands together in front of her chest. "Seriously, Kagome, I can't tell you!"

"Then just… show me?"

Deep inside herself, Kagome knew the beads had something to do with Inuyasha's appearance. She was sure she had seen white hair and not black. Toga had white hair for sure, so it wasn't crazy to think Inuyasha did too. Her dreams/nightmares from that night were consistent, Toga and Inuyasha standing over her and Souta with glittering white hair.

When Inuyasha hesitated, she pushed him just a little bit more. "What does pack law say exactly? That you can't tell an outsider anything about the pack? About the magic within it? Well, I already know a lot, so am I really an outsider?" Inuyasha frowned, and Kagome knew she was taking the wrong approach. "Okay, okay, but the law says you can't tell me. It says nothing about showing me. You have to give me that one."

His frown turned to a grimace, but after a few moments of her not giving up, Inuyasha slowly lifted the beads on his neck over his head. The long black locks she had seen on and off for two years dropped the color like sour milk. Kagome had expected the white hair; it was what she always expected Inuyasha to look like. But the ears on top of his head?

"Whoa!"

She leapt up from her seat, touching the tips of the fuzzy dog ears just before Inuyasha slammed the beads back on. He looked around repeatedly, worried someone besides Kagome had seen. But no one was around, the day too cold for others to sit outside like they were. Kagome wasn't cold, and if she were, Inuyasha would warm her back up. He was never cold.

Kagome fell back to the top of the picnic table hard, closer to Inuyasha than when she started, staring him up in his gold eyes with interest. "You have dog ears?"

He hushed her and looked around again. "Yeah, creeped out yet?" She shook her head in earnest, and Inuyasha pressed into her. "Disgusted?"

"Nope."

"Really?"

"Not even a little bit. But I am curious…."

"Of course, you are," he groaned.

"Why do you have those?"

He sighed and continued to lean in close to her, whispering. "So… I never told you this, but not everyone in the pack is full-blooded…."

"Full-blooded?"

"Yeah, some of us have normal human blood mixed in with wolf. We probably would have died out a long time ago if we only stuck with our kind."

"So humans and wolves get married too?"

They both blushed but said nothing about it. "Yeah, sure. Now, it's happened for so long; there are barely any pure breeds left. My older brother is pure and never lets me forget it even though the marks of a purebred are there to tell everyone."

"You don't have marks on your face?"

"You just saw me, did I?" His ears had so thrown kagome; she hadn't paid attention. Did he have marks on his face? "I don't because I'm not full. But I have a high percentage of the wolf, which is why I have ears. Anyone within a certain high percentage has a wolf trail like ears or a tail."

"A tail? That's cool!"

Inuyasha looked away, frowning at the ground. "Cooler than ears?"

Kagome quickly patted his hand and got his attention back. "I'm not sure, but the ears are cuter."

He flushed heavily with that and looked away again, but this time with a smirk. "The guy with the tail is already talking about getting it removed."

"What? You can do that?" Inuyasha nodded, and Kagome grabbed him hard, pulling his attention to her entirely. "Please, don't ever get rid of your ears!"

He had his hands up in defense while she held the front of his shirt harshly. "I won't, jeez! I said the guy with the tail, not me! Getting my ears removed would hurt too much!"

She released him, and he slung an arm over her shoulders from her shivering. Kagome couldn't explain it, but the idea of removing a wolf trait like that disgusted her. It created a mixture of sorrow and anger inside her belly that made her quake from it. So she wasn't cold, she was red hot, but she didn't turn Inuyasha's comfort away either.

"The beads are bad enough, hiding as you all do."

Inuyasha squeezed her, "that's for humans. They wouldn't be able to handle the truth. And it's been hidden for so long now; it would only cause problems."

"It doesn't cause problems for me."

"That's 'cause you're special."

She pulled away a little, looking up at him. "Special?"

"Yeah, I mean…." He froze and turned pink. Kagome found it adorable. "You're my best friend, Kagome. My only friend. The only one I… like. I'm risking a lot telling you this shit, but I can't help it. I want you to know me like no one else has. And I… I want to know you too."

Giving him a playful shove with her shoulder, Kagome hoped to lighten the mood a little. "You do know me better than anyone."

"What if… you found out something about me that you didn't like?"

"Like what?" She asked, leaning into his side without fear.

Inuyasha stiffened under her but relaxed quickly, pulling her into him tighter. "You could see something bad or scary or… hear something not good about me."

"There's nothing bad or scary about you, Yash. And what can anyone say about you that isn't good?"

"They might say I'm a terrible son."

She wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed. "No one would say that!"

"But I am. Being here with you? Telling you as much as I have and still wanting to tell you more? Even feeling the way I do about you… It goes against everything I was asked and ordered to do."

"If it's so wrong, then your Alpha would have ordered you to stay away. Then you would have no choice."

Inuyasha gently pulled away, holding her at arm's length. "He did."

"Huh?"

"My father ordered all of us to stay away from you. Me specifically."

She didn't understand; why would Toga make such an order but mostly… "If he ordered it, then how are you here? I thought the Alpha's orders were absolute?"

"They are unless the order goes against a wolf's livelihood. An Alpha can't command a wolf to their death."

"I don't understand?"

Inuyasha took his hands and eyes off her, standing before her with his hands in his pockets. He had never looked more vulnerable to her than he did at that moment. "I guess… leaving you alone would be like death to me."

oOo

Kagome: Age Twenty-Five

"Hello."

She looked up from the tennis shoes she was lacing, finding a tall, dark, and handsome man standing over her. "Hi."

"Miroku." He said, holding out a hand to her.

Kagome took it and shook it a few times before returning to her lacing. "Kagome."

The man, Miroku, sat next to her on the grass. He had on 'work out' clothes, same as her. But he looked too old to be a pup, just like Kagome. "Word out there is that you prostrated yourself to get into this pack?"

She had, but it wasn't… like that! Kagome knew in an instant who told Miroku that tale. "Do you believe everything Inuyasha tells you?"

Miroku laughed, "no, I typically believe nothing he tells me," he leaned in to whisper, "like, how this is all about you escaping Naraku?"

"That, unfortunately, is true."

He leaned back with a sad smile on his face. "Sorry to hear that. But, you're not alone."

"What do you mean?"

Miroku continued to offer her a sympathetic smile that she didn't get until he held up a hand. In the middle of his palm was a hole. It had primarily healed, but no way was the hand fully functioning. Something he proved when he couldn't flex it into a fist. "Even I was five, Naraku killed my father. It seems my great grandfather was once in his pack. And even though my family left wolf packs behind two generations ago, Naraku still came after us. This isn't my only scar, but it's the most effective. A constant reminder of my near-death experience."

"Like we need one," Kagome murmured, not a scar on her save for the nightmares she always had, "the ones on our hearts are enough."

"I agree. How old were you?"

Kagome smirked up at him, and Miroku flinched. "Inuyasha already told you everything there is to know about me."

"Not everything," Miroku leaned in again to whisper, "you have a little gift, don't you?"

"Gift? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind." Miroku sat back again. The other pups were still off a good foot away, chatting away. Kagome couldn't help but notice she was the only female on the field. "You know, I'm not supposed to be here?" Kagome looked back at the man as he looked at the pups. "I'm not a part of this pack. I joined a different one after I escaped Naraku."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm on… loan. I'm not much of a fighter by any means. I can't shift with my low percentage, and I only have one good hand. But, with Inuyasha dead set on taking out Naraku, I had to come. Inuyasha gave me his word for revenge."

Kagome huffed, and Miroku looked back at her. "I wouldn't trust Inuyasha's 'word' if I were you."

It had been less than twenty-four hours since Inuyasha 'dumped' her; to say it still stung would be an understatement. Miroku gave her a warm grin. "He may not make the best choices in how to go about it, but Inuyasha is nothing if not a man of his word."

"Except when it comes to me." Kagome thought bitterly. Miroku going on about Inuyasha being a stand-up man didn't make her feel any better. It made her feel worse.

Her feelings were interrupted, shouts of excitement and confusion coming from behind. Kagome and Miroku turned the pups in a tisy about something. The three took off, and Miroku and Kagome got to their feet quickly to follow. She heard it before she saw it and knew instantly what the sound was. So did Mirokuas he picked up his pace. They both rounded the corner of the compound, a huge yard filled with what looked like an adult playground sprawled before them. It would be where they trained if they ever got started. Currently, two giant wolves were using it for some kind of brawl.

The pups were cheering the pair on, not getting the situation at all. Kagome supposed it looked like play or practice to most, but to those who knew Inuyasha, they knew it wasn't fun and games. Miroku proved how well he knew the white wolf, edging in closer with concern on his face. "He's going to kill Koga."

The other wolf, the same size as Inuyasha but a chocolate brown, was Koga. Kagome only knew him now as a wolf, but somehow, he had pissed Inuyasha off to the point of murder. Miroku seemed to believe Inuyasha would do it too. Kagome wasn't so sure, but one or both of them would definitely be hurt by this stunt. Another man stepped out of the house, Sesshomaru glaring at the scene before turning to her and Miroku. "We have to stop them."

He calmly spoke like it was no big deal while his face wore a look of pale worry. It had Kagome wondering if she knew Inuyasha at all since she struggled to believe he would hurt a fly while everyone else worried about blood on the field.

Sesshomaru and Miroku moved in while she stood back to watch. The pups started jumping with excitement, thinking the Alpha was going to get involved in the brawl too. Inuyasha flipped Koga over and was close to ripping his throat out when Miroku jumped on his back as much as he could. Inuyasha shook him off hard, slinging the human like a rag doll. It allowed Koga to get up and pounce Inuyasha. Sesshomaru watched them roll for a few moments until they got back on their paws and squared up to each other.

Jumping between, he held up his hands to stop them. "Stop this, now!"

Koga whined and sat back on his hindquarters, shifting back to a man. He instantly obeyed his Alpha, his hazel eyes bouncing over to Kagome as she shifted on her feet. But Inuyasha?

The white wolf howled and stomped. He wasn't ready to stop even with his Alpha's command. Sesshomaru growled and stepped up, pointing a finger towards the pups. "You have a job to do!"

Inuyasha's muzzle flicked their way, but his eyes landed on Kagome instead. What bit of calm he had evaporated, turning back to Sesshomaru and Koga to step closer with a growl. It seemed like he planned to take out Koga and Sesshomaru, but Kagome didn't understand why?! The only orders wolves could ignore from their Alpha were ones that threatened their livelihood. So how was Inuyasha's threatened?

Kagome didn't know how but she was standing in front of Inuyasha. His massive form towered over her, teeth bared as he continued to growl at the men now behind her. Inuyasha's fangs dipped past his jaw, and his eyes were wild, but none of this stopped her from stepping up to him. When she put her hands on his fur, his eyes flicked to her and back.

"Yash… cool it."

Another growl rumbled from his chest, and he stepped closer to the men again. Kagome didn't back away, getting pressed deeper into his fur. Digging her fingers in, she wrapped herself around his neck as much as she could. It left her on her toes, bending back to press her face into the juncture at his chest.

"Breathe, Inuyasha. It's all okay. Nothing is going to happen to you or anyone you love. You're safe. Just breathe."

A few tears leaked out that she rubbed into his fur. Her heart was aching pain as she'd never experienced before. In her arms was the man she loved more than anyone before. Or anyone after, she would never love like she did Inuyasha. But he belonged to someone else, and that would never change.

Arms wrapped around her, and she felt wetness on her shoulder. It woke her up, pushing on Inuyasha's chest to break free of his hug. The tears he had on his face only confirmed the truth. He would never be hers. Inuyasha would mate with someone else, and she had to move on. He at least felt guilt for what he did to her, but that didn't bring her any comfort. Instead, it only made her feel sick, pushing the rest of the way out of his arms and doing her best to keep from running away. Miroku grabbing her before she could altogether flee helped, catching her arm and holding her in her weakened state.

"Wait. Leaving now will only make it worse. He needs to see you."

Kagome didn't get it, looking up at him sideways to find his eyes behind her. She looked as best she could in her position, watching as Sesshomaru quietly reemed Inuyasha. Inuyasha's head was down in respect, but his eyes were pulled towards Kagome, watching out of the corner of them. She told herself she didn't care, but a few words slipped out and were heard. Things like "you agreed" and "you're needed" as well as "all dead". She didn't pretend to understand, and her broken heart told her she didn't care. But Miroku did, keeping her from running away and ruining her chances of joining the pack.

After all, that's what he meant about 'he needs to see you', right? That Sesshomaru needed to see her be strong and dedicated? What was more loyal than forcing yourself to be around the man that broke you all so you could survive?

oOo

Kagome: Age Twenty-One

She closed the gate tight and spun, Inuyasha waiting for her. "The way you rushed out last night, I Didn't expect to see you today?"

"What gave you that impression?"

Stepping up to him, Kagome got as close as she dared. "When we were kids, whenever you freaked out and ran home, I didn't see you for a while after?"

"That was when I was a child. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Then why did you leave? A phone call? Who was calling you?"

Inuyasha chuckled, "so many questions tonight? Is it my turn to be on the block?"

"I'm serious, Inuyasha. What are you up to?!"

Now, he stepped up to her, towering over her with his gold eyes ablaze. "You worried I was running home to someone?" Kagome silently tilted up her chin in defiance, but that was her biggest fear at the moment. "I told you, I don't have a mate, and wolves don't date."

She shook her head at him, clearing her mind as best she could with him so close. "You say that, but then you also tell me that we were dating when we were kids…."

"I also told you, you were special. And that hasn't changed, Kagome."

He was fingering a curl at her ear, one that had escaped her high ponytail and tickled her cheek. "What was last night?"

"You tell me. You were the one that kissed me."

"I did not…."

"Yeah, you did. Forcing yourself on me just like our first kiss…."

Inuyasha wasn't taking this seriously, so she turned, wanting to leave him behind and praying he wouldn't let her go. Her prayers were answered when he grabbed her bicep and turned her back around. His arms circled her, holding her tight to him so she couldn't escape. "Do you want to discuss last night or just… do it again?"

She really wasn't sure. It needed to be discussed; it did. But at the same time, Kagome craved Inuyasha's lips on hers again. It was like a drug, one she'd been jonesing for since she was cut off at sixteen. It was easy to get addicted again, never truly kicking the habit.

Inuyasha either took advantage of her hesitation or got tired of waiting. Or both, folding into her and bending her back with his mouth. She got her hands up but instead of pushing him off or lessening the pressure he put on her, she grabbed the back of his head and pushed him harder onto her. She opened her mouth to his without question, and he invaded it without struggle. Their tongues swirled around one anothers' sloppily. But she wasn't complaining, and neither was he, pressing his hands into her spine to run up her back and straighten them.

Kagome expected him to end the kiss there, but instead, his hands went back down fast, grabbing her ass hard and lifting her off the ground. When she wrapped her legs around him, his arms returned around her middle, holding her tight to him. The way he clutched her, it was hard not to believe she was precious to him. Kagome felt very much like the stuffy a child held at night to chase away their fears. Inuyasha needed her, and it showed in his touch, taste, and lips.

His tongue, too, the two of them learning together the proper way to French while 'on the job'. All of this was why she knew something was up when Inuyasha pulled away from her harshly and quickly. He said nothing, slinging her around to his back and running. Kagome wanted to ask, but the speed and suddenness had words sticking painfully in her throat. It was faster than Inuyasha had ever raced with her on his back before. Her eyes struggled to keep up, and her mind spun, so she dug her face into his neck and hid.

But then Inuyasha skid to a stop. Her head popped up on instinct, and none of her was shocked to find Naraku and his lackeys blocking their path.

"First, Toga keeps me from this one. Now, the task has fallen to you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha carefully pulled her down and off his back to stand at his side. "Someone has to stop you, and you're madness."

"And that has to be you? The second-born Prince to your pack? Before that, it was the Alpha that protected this woman. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. But it's more than that, isn't it, Inuyasha?"

"What is he talking about?" She asked, pulling on Inuyasha and scratching him with her fear.

He wrapped around Kagome's belly with the back of his arm, his elbow in her button, and his hand on her hip, pushing her back. "Mother fucker is crazy. I'm here because you have a hardon for Kagome, and I'm the best."

"The fastest. Not the strongest…."

"Strong enough to kill you, fucker."

"Oh, but haven't you heard?" Naraku growled, and Kagome could hear the movement behind them. "I don't travel alone. Unlike you, Inuyasha. Who wants Kagome to himself, don't you?"

"Fuck you!"

"I find it interesting. The Beta of a pack breaking pack laws for a deserter?"

Inuyasha's hand squeezed Kagome's hip. "She's not a goddamn deserter! Your pack was fucked up! That's why it fell, nothing more, nothing less!"

"Isn't it also fucked up that your pack will never let you be with Kagome?"

She was half listening, mostly confused, but paying closer attention to the two wolves coming up from behind. "Yash…"

"I know, I know."

He said that but didn't take his eyes off Naraku. A young wolf jumped, and Kagome let him tackle her, grabbing his shoulders and putting her feet in his stomach. With his momentum, she tossed him high and far to Naraku's feet.

Back on her feet, Kagome kept her back to Naraku, watching the other wolf. Naraku growled behind, and she still didn't face him. "You will not give me your back, Higurashi!"

It was the growl that haunted her dreams, making her freeze in terror. It took amber eyes of concern on hers to break her out of it, not realizing that she was shaking hard until Inuyasha grabbed her tight. His hand was threaded in her hair, and Naraku laughed beyond them while Inuyasha cuddled her.

"I think I found my means to end your pack, Inuyasha. Kagome, I have decided not to kill you." She tore away from Inuyasha's stare to glare at Naraku. "Instead, I'll have you join my pack instead."

"No." She stated easily.

"Join or die."

"Neither, asshole," Inuyasha growled.

Neither of them had been paying attention to the wolf behind them. He grabbed Kagome and shoved her forwards while yanking Inuyasha back, separating them. Kagome flew to Naraku's feet, slowly looking up with her fear. She couldn't help it, her anxiety on high; Kagome struggled to breathe as she sat at the feet of the man that murdered her parents. Deaths she had witnessed. Blood that she could still smell in her mind choking her in her dreams. She swore she could still smell it on Naraku's skin. The blood of her mother and father soaked so deeply into his skin that years later, he reeked of it.

The lump in her throat was her heat, stretching and tearing her esophagus to the point of being mute. Naraku said nothing, bending down to crouch before her. Face to face, she stared into the soulless black eyes of a monster, the third time in her life, and the first time had been enough.

There was nothing she could do; her body wasn't listening to the screaming her brain did for her to get away, not even as he lifted her chin with a claw and dragged his talon across her throat. "If you don't scream, it's not as fun."

Kagome managed to squeeze her eyes shut, refusing to give him the terror in her eyes as he ripped her throat out.

"Come on, pretty bird, sing for me?"

A sick cracking sound had her eyes flying open, Naraku rolling back and away from her. "You want singing? Turn on a radio, fuck-hole!"

Inuyasha pulled her to her feet, but she struggled to stay on them, shaking so hard. Inuyasha glanced around, five wolves plus Naraku; they were outnumbered. And they were all starting to shift, the moon sitting on the horizon. Inuyasha stripped off his beads and shoved them into Kagome's pocket.

"Hold on tight and don't let go."

It was all Inuyasha said before he stepped back and shifted before her eyes. If she weren't already in shock, Kagome would have enjoyed the show as Inuyasha's body changed into a giant wolf. It was an impressive and interesting show.

He had to grab her with his jaws and toss her to his back like before, taking off hard and fast, faster than ever before. This must be what Naraku meant when he said Inuyasha was quick, he was leaving the other wolves behind so quickly; Kagome turned around as much as she could to see they were dots behind in a few heartbeats.

Kagome still didn't lessen her hold on Inuyasha's fur, and he didn't slow down. He was going round and round. He actually raced through a car wash, mid-wash, before taking her to her home. He shifted back and shoved her inside, grabbing his beads out of her pocket first, risking exposing his body only. There was no one in her halls as usual, even as she shook with her keys. Inuyasha had to take them from her and open her door.

Stumbling inside, she turned on the lights and subconsciously looked for Naraku to be lurking somewhere inside. Her door slammed shut behind, spinning from the shock, only to find Inuyasha leaning heavily against it. He pulled his hands through his black locks and growled. "Fuck, that was too damn close."

He was still naked, and it didn't bother her, but she needed something to do. "I… I might have… pants…."

She was soggy with fear-sweat and car wash water, squishing as she walked. It had nothing to do with her continued shaking. She wasn't cold. Her hands would barely function as she pulled open a drawer and then another, searching blindly. Hands grabbed hers, stopping her and reaching in for a pair of sweats. Kagome wasn't even sure if they fit or if he put them on; her mind was mush from the fear it was still reeling from.

"Kagome…"

"I'm sorry I froze like that," she interrupted, "It won't happen again. I'll… I'll be ready… next time…."

The ponytail she had before was a wreck, most of her hair falling around her shoulders in a wad. Inuyasha still managed to get his fingers in it without pulling her strands. He had her tilted back to look him in his helicon eyes that were streaked with red. "There won't be a next time."

"Yash…"

"I'm going to tear Naraku apart before he can get that close to you ever again!"

She shook her head; her body shook along with it until she was goo. Inuyasha had to hold her off the floor as she crumbled in his hold. The anxiety and terror that had her struggling to breathe was waining but still there, clutching her heart tight.

"I'm not leaving you tonight. I'm going to stay right here and keep guard. So relax. I got you, Kagome."

That broke her, sobbing against his chest as he cradled her to him. At some point, he lifted her and carried her to her bed. She was a mess, falling asleep in Inuyasha's arms at some point. He was brushing her cheeks and kissing her gently when she woke. Or rather, that's what woke her, the bed still warm from where he slept next to her.

"I'm sorry, baby, but I have to go. It's dawn; Naraku won't be coming. I made sure to cover our scent so you'll be safe." He was standing over Kagome, just to the side of her bed, with his weight pressed into her pillows. She curled into him as much as possible, rubbing her face against his wrists. "You should call in today, stay home from work."

"I think… it would be worse if I stayed here… alone."

He nodded, leaning down and pressing his lips to her forehead for a quick second. "I'll be back as soon as I can. But I have to at least check-in. If I stay gone too long, they'll ask questions and figure out where I've been going all these nights."

"Don't they know where already?"

"Not… exactly."

She shook her head at him, "bad puppy."

Swooping down, he kissed her hard and released her just as fast, dodging her hands in his hair. "I put my number in your phone. If you need me, call, and I'll be by your side before you can go to voicemail." Kagome didn't doubt it; she'd seen his speed last night. It still made her giggle at the thought, and Inuyasha smiled brightly down at her. "That's my Kagome. Don't let that fucker get to you; he'll never touch you again."

She nodded meekly, believing his every word. "Okay."

oOo

Kagome: Twenty-One (a month later)

She was having that dream again, and not the one where Naraku killed her father in front of her. No, this was a nice dream, one of her favorites. It'd been a while since she'd had it, but they were all the same.

She was running, deep in the woods and far from any metropolis. It started with her on her roof, jumping from top to top and then hastily jogging next to streets until she reached a forest. The location of her dream changed, starting when she was living in England. This was the first time she'd had it since moving back home, and with the last month she'd had, she needed this.

Inuyasha had been by her side consistently, which helped her with the fear of Naraku's return. But it did nothing for the ever-mounting sexual tension between them.

Yeah, this workout was a necessity, feeling like her body was going to self-combust every time Inuyasha took her to and from work or anywhere she needed to go to mask her scent. Riding on his back with him between her legs? Not to mention the times he licked her before leaving her to go scout; she was in hell. They hadn't kissed in a month, but Inuyasha still spent large portions of the night in her bed. None of it bothered Inuyasha; he would lay beside her and spoon without struggle. At least, she was pretty sure he was okay. His jeans didn't exactly reveal anything, and Kagome had never been this close to a man before. She had no clue what it was supposed to feel like when a man was… turned on.

Her legs pumped under her just like real life; only in this dream, she had four legs. When Kagome dreamed of running, she was a wolf, just like Inuyasha. Large and robust but with black fur instead of white. It wasn't as startling as Inuyasha's, but it did have a pretty blue color to it in the moonlight. She also wasn't as fast as Inuyasha, but that seemed right. He was unbelievably quick, and she couldn't even dream of being that fast!

Pausing, she caught her breath and looked up at the moon. It was full, round, and heavy in the sky. As a child, she had marveled at the satellite. Was her obsession with the moon always about her wolf blood? Had it been screaming out to its master all her life, bowing to it in reverence? Is that why she found it so breathtakingly beautiful, night after night?

Taking her attention from it, she froze when another white figure took up her vision. Now her dreams included Inuyasha in his wolf form. Because he stood at the edge of the tree line, staring at her in his gloriousness.

He was slow to approach, too, like he was wary of her. Then he circled, sniffing her carefully. It made her self-conscious, bowing and tripping away from him and his inquisition. When she tried to run, he leapt in front of her, stopping her. Like she could ever outrun him, in any form, dream, or reality.

She felt her strength drain away, not wanting to fight Inuyasha in any form did it. It was like she was a balloon deflating, shrinking before Inuyasha and his size. Her bones moved and quaked ad her organs shifted around. It hurt, causing her to fall to her knees and grab what she could. As quickly as the pain came, it was gone.

On her knees, naked in the forest, Kagome realized that she was awake. You don't feel in your dreams, and if she did, it would have her waking in her bed. Not in the forest she dreamed of. And she felt all, the pain gone but not the sensation of the cool moss under her knees. Or the evening dew on her skin.

A hand touched her, and she fell back, pushing away from them on her ass as quickly as she could. Inuyasha fell to his knees before her, his hands up to try and calm her. "It's okay, your safe."

Pulling her knees back up, she tried to hide her nudity. Kagome had already seen Inuyasha naked a hundred times now, so it no longer bothered him like it heated her. Kagome kept her stare to the mossy ground while feeling Inuyasha's stare on her. He held the distance she put between them and sat on the forest floor.

"Looks like you've got more than fifty or sixty percent." She shook her head, unable to form words, and Inuyasha sighed. "How long have you been shifting?"

Kagome shook her head again, "I don't… I haven't been…."

"Kagome, you're not dreaming. This is real. And you… you have a lot of wolf blood in you -more than I ever thought. This won't be the last time you shift; it's going to keep happening. This is your life now." She looked up, feeling tears in her eyes from her mixed emotions on the subject. "You're a wolf, baby. Through and through."