As my friend said, I'm on a roll!! Another chappie done!

Happy Reading!

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CHAPTER 7

Kagome stared at him dumbfounded. "A beast man? What is that suppose to mean?" She eyed the pinkish bumps on his head which he called his ears, stared at the his bare toes, and for the life of her, couldn't figure out whether he was a man or an animal.

"You know, you sound just like the hime when we first met. You even looked at me the same way. Are you sure you're not pulling my leg? It's hard to believe your story you know." The being who called himself Inuyasha leaned back on his haunches, his turn to study her.

Kagome blushed involuntarily at the scrutiny, and averted her eyes. There was something about the way he looked at her that unnerved her, almost as if his golden orbs probed the hidden corners of her lonely soul. Somehow, she realized that she wanted to know more about this mysterious person, because she couldn't fully think of him as anything but a person.

"Well, I wouldn't know what the hime would look like after ten years, but I can tell you that you almost smell the same. And I'm never the type to forget a scent. Although you looked a lot more like someone I knew once, a long time ago." His tone turned gentle, prompting Kagome to look at him.

Kagome's curiosity was piqued with the tender look that had softened his rather doggish features. She cocked her head to the side and studied him in fascination, noting the faraway look in his eyes. "She must be a special person." She murmured softly. She felt a little disappointed, but shoved the thought away; chalking it up to finally finding someone she could be real with, only to find that his mind got easily distracted.

Her murmured observation broke the spell he was under. Shaking his head a bit vigorously, he turned his attention back to her. "You said you're not from here, so where are you originally from?"

Now it was Kagome turned to have that faraway look. "I'm not sure if I'm in the same planet as the place I grew up in. It was in a city. Well, not really in the city. Our house was next to the family shrine just at the edge of the city. There, a tree stood majestically, towering over others. My grandfather said it was almost as old as time itself, and our ancestors revered it, calling it the god tree. Though I don't understand it quite well, I always feel at peace in its shelter. It felt more familiar than the walls in my room, more comfortable than my clothes, and offers more rest than my bed. I remember a saying about the soul knowing where it had been even if its physical body didn't. I always fancied myself to be someone who had made the acquaintance of the tree long before I was born into this life." She paused and smiled at the memory of spending some summer nights hidden in its thick boughs, hidden away from the world, with the rustling of the leaves lulling her to sleep.

With the memory of that special place, she got up on her feet, excited for once ever since she found herself in this strange world. Inuyasha looked at her in alarm. Kagome bestowed on him one of her best smiles, and dragged him up. "C'mon. Come with me." That said, she skipped to the edge of the clearing.

Inuyasha followed her progress with a look of disbelief mingled with curiosity. When she smiled at him that way, she looked just like the hime more than ten years ago. The same grin, the same twinkle, and the carefree way she skipped ahead. It felt like he was seeing the little girl who befriended him at the time when everyone feared him, feared his heritage. It was only then that he noticed that this girl neither ran from him nor cried out monster, and he didn't even know her name.

"C'mon, hurry up or I'll leave you behind." She called cheerily over her shoulder at the edge of the clearing, clearly ready to step into unfamiliar territory.

Deciding to abandon his suspicions for the meantime, Inuyasha replied back. "You wanted to know what a beast man is. I'll tell you. We're called such since we're half beast and half man, and I can easily catch up with you with my abilities."

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They've been wandering inside the forest for awhile when Kagome gave out a delighted yelp. Without warning she ran forward and stopped at the base of an ancient tree.

Inuyasha hanged back a bit. Of all the trees she could choose, why does she have to choose this one, he thought disgustedly. It was the same thought that crossed his mind when the hime first ran amok into the forest, ready for a bit of adventure.

Kagome traced the bark lovingly with her hand. It was thinking about the god tree at home that brought to mind what her grandfather said before one summer night when he found her staring at the tree. It was said that in every forest, there was one tree that stood out among the rest. It was called the god tree for it was the oldest, and the place where the wisdom of the world resides. It was the same for the god tree at the shrine before the forest was turned over to give way to the city.

Kagome touched one of the gnarled stumps and raised herself fluidly unto the lowest branch. Testing the strength of the branch, she reached up for another and slowly started the climb up. She was halfway up when she decided it was the perfect place.

Lowering herself gingerly on the wide branch, she let her feet dangled below her. It was the same feeling that she felt back home, that she could almost believed she is home, saved for the leather tunic and breeches she had on. Kagome leaned her back against the trunk, comfortable despite its crumbly appearance.

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"You must seriously enjoy tree-climbing back home."

A dry voice interrupted her reverie and she looked around and found the beast man on the other branch, balancing easily on his legs as he crouched down to her eye level.

"I guess." She gave out a quiet laugh. "I grew up without a father, and in some way, I felt the god tree back home had known my father. There are times I feel like my father was right there inside the tree, wrapping me in his embrace, having the leaves rustle to sing me his lullaby. I know its silly, but I always felt that way around god trees. As if they're somehow used by the departed spirits to talk to the ones they left behind." Kagome closed her eyes and settled herself more comfortably. It was one of the things her friends didn't understood about her, but it was something they tolerate especially when she gets irritated and stressed during rehearsals.

"I'm sorry." Inuyasha said quietly. He felt such an intruder on her moment even though this particular tree meant more to him than just a tree. It had been his prison for an indefinite length of time before the hime found him.

"Don't be." Kagome said, giving him another smile. "It was a long time ago, and I don't remember him well. All I know is that he's here inside me, communicating with me through the power of the god tree. What about you?"

Inuyasha felt a twinge of annoyance. It wasn't like he didn't love his father, because that would be a lie. Rather, he blamed his father somewhat for his cursed existence. Even in this place, beast men weren't welcome by many. They couldn't get along with their beast kind since they were treated lowly, unable to fend for themselves. Although humans were much more tolerant of his kind, not many would be willing to offer them much for fear that their beast blood would lead these half-lings to kill their benefactors in the future.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that." The raven-haired girl said quietly.

Inuyasha realized that he must have let out a sound to indicate his reluctance. "It's okay. Guess I just blamed my dad somewhat for my lot in life. I don't fit in with any of my kin after all. And not many would take lightly to my kind. A lot of us either get it in their head to wreak havoc or choose to hide out and lead a quiet life somewhere in the mountains. It's a tough life." He snorted indifferently.

"I bet it is." She said sympathetically. "The world is too cruel to the people who are different from them. It is the sad reality that a lot of us have to live with."

"Yeah, but you can either choose to live with it, or die to escape it." Inuyasha blurted out without any conscious thought.

"I'm glad you choose to live with it." Kagome had faced him and smiled that gentle smile that reminded him so much of the little girl. "If it weren't for you, I might have broken down in exhaustion, what with carrying such a big secret on my back."

Inuyasha eyed her curiously and decided this was the right time to ask. "What's your name then?"

"Higurashi Kagome."