Author's Notes: Hello everyone! Thank you again for the lovely reviews, and for sticking with me so far! This chapter wasn't written to any music. Dunno why I wasn't feeling it this time around.

Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.

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Chapter 19: Kagome's Family

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Kagome

"I am not getting on your back."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, arms folded over his chest, ears twitching atop his head. At this point all of the poison must have seeped out of him, because Kagome could tell he had control over every action now. She knew from his amused expression that he was going to argue.

"Why not?"

Why not? Why not? Because his simple touch made her skin warm up and her mind get fuzzy and she kept replaying every time he'd kissed her over and over in her head, that's why. If innocent touching did all that, she knew for sure she could not handle being pressed against his back, especially when he wasn't wearing a shirt!

But damn if she was going to let him know that.

"I'm not riding on your back like a horse!" She snapped, trying her best not to blush and failing miserably.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he reached for her wrist again and tugged her towards the front door. "Come on, I don't have time to argue about this with you. Daylight will be here soon, and riding my back is the fastest way for us to travel."

"Uh…" Kagome argued, but she couldn't really find a rebuttal for that. She half-heartedly struggled against him, but she knew it was useless. And she was worried about her family, even if her initial panic had, for some reason she couldn't quite understand, subsided.

Inuyasha opened the front door and led Kagome outside before pulling his hair to the side. With deft fingers, he braided the long, milky-white strands into a thick braid over his shoulder. She was left with a perfect view of his back, and it was just as defined as his front. The world she lived in was just not fair. She gulped and tried unsuccessfully not to follow the lines of muscle that ran down to his butt, which was still mercifully covered by his borrowed pants.

She must have been standing there for an awkward amount of time, because Inuyasha turned to look at her over his shoulder. "What the hell are you waiting for, let's go!"

Pulled out of her revere, Kagome sighed and stepped towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. She suddenly felt horribly embarrassed, and could not for the life of her force herself to climb on.

"For fuck's sake wench, what the hell is taking you so long?" He barked, and his hands swooped under her knees and lifted her to his back himself, pressing her legs into his side.

She tried desperately to keep as much of herself from touching him as possible, which was in turn proving to be impossible. As he straightened up to his full six-foot-whatever height, she was forced to wrap her arms around his neck for fear of falling off and cracking her head on the pavement. She felt his chuckle reverberate through him.

"Hey, don't laugh at me!" She chided.

"Sorry, sorry," he continued to chuckle through his apology. "Don't worry, I won't drop you."

Sango stepped outside then, stopping short at the sight of the two of them. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't comment on it. She kept her eyes solely on Kagome. "You want me to come with you?" She asked.

Even though she was being a bit harsh towards Inuyasha, Kagome knew that Sango was as worried about her family as she was. "That would be nice," she said, meaning every word.

Inuyasha shook his head. He took a step back and bared his teeth. "No way am I carrying you on my back, slayer-bitch. I trust you about as much as I trust my own damn brother – and I don't trust him at all."

"I wouldn't get on your back if it were the only ride out of hell." She spat back. "Don't worry, I know my own way. I'll check on Kohaku and meet you there, Kagome."

"Your brother is fine, I didn't fucking harm the brat."

"Can we please stop the bickering until I at least know my family is okay?" Kagome intervened before they got out of hand again. "Sango, I'll see you at my place."

"Fine," she said, before turning back into her house and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Bitch," Inuyasha muttered.

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about."

"She's still a bitch," he growled

"And you tried to strangle her up against a wall. I think you guys might be about even." She was somewhat surprised when his only rebuttal was a grunt.

"Which way?" He asked, then rolled his eyes when she pointed to the left. "We're not walking down the street, we're going over the street. Which way?"

Sighing, not bothering to argue with him over it, she pointed north through a block of developed houses.

"Get ready," he warned. He didn't wait for a reply before crouching down onto his heels and shooting straight up into the air.

Kagome felt the ear-splitting shriek streaming from her lips as her stomached dropped down into her feet. Her hair whipped around her face, and suddenly they were up, up, up, higher than Sango's roof, higher than the trees. Dark night sky filled her vision, and she squeezed her knees against him as hard and she could and hid her face into his shoulder. Holy shit, she was going to die.

"Oi, knock it off with the screaming, you're hurting my ears!"

She immediately clamped her teeth shut as she felt the free-fall back down to earth, her tummy doing somersaults. She waited for the jarring impact of concrete and bone, but was pleasantly surprised when Inuyasha's landing – and subsequent leap into the air – was smooth and effortless. After two or three more bounds her stomach settled into the rhythm, and at the fourth, she chanced a peek from his shoulder, keeping her eyes skyward, not daring a look down. The few hundred or so stars she could see seemed to expand, to fly towards her as she and Inuyasha leapt into the atmosphere. The air she breathed in was crisp and cool, and she eased back a little, letting the wind catch her hair in a way that sent it tumbling and tossing behind her. She kept her grip tight on his bare shoulders, her elbows locked straight, and she leaned back as far as she could.

Exhilarating.

Breathtaking.

Intoxicating.

She was flying. Flying. Up into space and back down to earth again. The rooftops rushed up at her faster and faster, and then they were gone, and she was in her own bubble of unblemished, unmarred perfection surrounded by the night sky.

"Keep your eyes out, Kagome. Are we getting close?"

"I can't look down!" She gasped, her voice breathless in her own ears.

"Keh!" Inuyasha stayed earthside when he landed this time, and turned his chin over the shoulder not supporting his hair. "Which way?"

Getting her bearings long enough to figure out where they were, Kagome pointed a bit more to the west this time. "That way, about ten or so blocks down."

"Got it." He said, then crouched and leapt into the air again.

This time Kagome was ready for it. She locked her eyes skyward and leaned back again. A holler of excitement passed her lips this time, not a scream of terror, and she picked one hand up, reaching towards the stars as if she could catch a handful between her fingers and take them home.

It felt so right, flying like this on Inuyasha's back, the wind in her hair, the feeling of weightlessness as the youkai moved fluidly beneath her. Too soon it would over as Kagome led the way to her house.

Inuyasha landed at the bottom of the shrine steps and allowed her to climb off his back. She was struck aware of the sudden loss of warmth and tried not to think about it too much.

"A shrine? You live in a shrine?" Inuyasha asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. His golden eyes turned to lock onto hers. "You're a shrine maiden?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "What?" She asked, and she could feel that her voice hadn't lost the breathlessness from the ride over. "It's not so uncommon today, there are still lots of shrines around. Besides, it's not like I practice or anything, much to the dismay of my grandfather."

The tips of his mouth curved into an amused smile, and Kagome was again caught up in him. She felt adrenaline rushing through her veins, left over from flying amongst the stars. She was alive and giddy, and more than anything, she wanted to kiss him.

Something about her face must have changed, because suddenly, Inuyasha's eyes turned dark, mirroring her own desire. The air between them sizzled, she couldn't look away from him. She let him gather her up in his arms, felt them wrap securely around her waist and her feet leave the ground as he pulled her to him. He was going to kiss her, she knew, his lips millimeters away from her own. He paused there, and she couldn't think straight, couldn't string together a comprehensive rationalization. She didn't want to. She just wanted him to kiss her!

"What the hell are you doing to me?" He growled, before crushing his lips to her.

What the hell was she doing to him? What the hell was he doing to her? She was the one going crazy, constantly plagued by thoughts of him, constantly wanting to touch him, to taste him, just like she was doing now.

He backed her up into the torii gate at the base of the stairs so she was pressed between the rough, painted wood and his hard chest. He kissed her there, his hands wrapping in her hair, pressing his need up against her. Her hands moved across his abdomen, memorizing the lines that rippled across before her hand moved up to rub an ear.

He moaned into her, and she could feel her hands trembling like her insides were trembling. She was going to explode. He'd kissed her enough times now that she knew what to expect, yet it still shocked her to the core, the way her toes curled, they way her fingers dug into him, the way she responded to him with just as much intensity. He drew back slowly from the kiss, hooded eyes gazing into her. "Kagome." He said, and she shuttered at hearing him say her name.

"Ah-" was all she could say back as he bent to nip and lap at the sensitive skin where her neck and shoulder met.

"What the fuck are you doing to me?" He repeated, his hands moving up her sides to cup her breasts. She leaned into him, her body craving more. "I need you right now."

"Me too." She breathed, tugging at his ear, pulling his mouth up to hers again. "I need you right now too."

He kissed her, again and again, and she felt herself melting into him. "Inuyasha, please?" She begged between kisses. She could feel how wet she was for him, the throbbing between her thighs a steady rhythm with her heartbeat. She vividly remembered how he'd pressed his fingers into her on Sango's rooftop, the way they'd stretched her open and filled her. Her body ached to be filled again. He needed to fill her again right now.

"Please!" She begged.

Something changed in him then. He stiffened, and his lips stopped moving on hers, and he pulled back, eyes wide and clear.

What the hell was he doing? He should be kissing her, he should be pulling her closer, not gently setting her down on her feet and stepping away.

"Fuck." He growled.

"Inuyasha, what? What's wrong, did I-"

"Shut up," he snapped. "You didn't do anything, just… stop talking for a second." He closed his eyes and took a deep, visible breath.

Kagome's mind scrambled, trying to figure out why he'd suddenly pushed her away. She was still shaking, her need for him so strong.

He sighed and opened his eyes. They were clear still, all traces of the hooded lust that had been swimming in them earlier gone. "We can't do this right now Kagome, we need to check on your family."

Her family! "Oh. Oh yeah. I, uh… forgot." She said. And she had. She'd forgotten to be afraid for her family, although she hadn't forgotten the threat against them. That worried Kagome. Or at least, it should have worried her.

…Now that she thought about it, she hadn't been worried for her family the whole ride over. She'd been exhilarated instead, her body pumping with adrenaline, excited to be flying amongst the stars. And then of course, she'd been consumed with thoughts of Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha.

It didn't make sense to her. It was like there was a wall of some kind, a mental block. Her family was in danger. And her mind didn't give a damn.

Something was very wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on it. It was something she would need help with. She couldn't figure it out on her own.

"Inuyasha…" she started, following him as he made his way up the steps. She touched her hand to her lips. They felt swollen from his kisses. "I think we have a problem."

"Yeah, your family, that's why we're here."

"No, not my family – I mean, yes, my family is a problem, but this is different. I can't…" How could she explain what it was that was happening to her? "…I feel like one of my emotions have been completely turned off. Like there's a specific fear section of my brain that's been cut out and now there's a big empty hole there."

He didn't turn to look at her, just kept his pace moving up the steps. "Are you trying to tell me you don't experience fear? Cause you seemed pretty damn scared to me when we started the ride over here."

Kagome bit her lip. She had been scared when Inuyasha had taken that first jump into the sky, but this different. Fear wasn't the right word, it was…

Worry.

"Why am I not worried about what's happened to my family?" She asked as they reached the top of the steps and made their way across the front courtyard.

"Your grandfather doesn't have any shields or barriers set up or anything, does he?"

Kagome huffed in annoyance. He was avoiding her question. "No, he sells love talismans and good luck charms."

"Good, you can never be too careful." He said as they reached Kagome's front door. He moved to grip the handle but Kagome stepped in front of his hand, blocking his way.

"Answer me."

He pulled back, his eyes darting away. "Answer what?"

"Why am I not worried about what's happened to my family?" She repeated, her tone much more firm this time. "I was terrified for them, I remember being terrified for them, so why am I so calm about it now?"

He took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. "Keh." He said. "How should I know?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. Something wasn't adding up here. She has been out of her mind with worry, and then-

"Calm down!" He'd told her.

Demanded her.

Calm down.

Her eyes widened in shock. "You… You spelled me!" She accused, a shaking finger pointing straight at the guilty party. "You spelled me into being calm! You turned me into one of your zombies!" Her voice had grown to a high-pitched screech and she bared her teeth in anger.

"O-oi!" Inuyasha said, taking another step back. "Don't freak out."

"Freak out? Freak out?! You have two choices, hanyou, you either un-spell me right this instant or I fry your brains out!" She cried, raising both her hands to show off the sparking energy that had, in the last few seconds, appeared with her anger.

"What else have you been spelling me to do?" She continued, wracking her brains to remember all her actions during the past week. Everything at the moment was blurring together with her anger. What had he made her do?

A horrible thought shot straight through her. The kiss under the tori gate. Had he spelled her to kiss him? Was Sango right about it all? Was he spelling her to need him so much?

"Would you fucking listen to me before you try to purify me?" He snapped, dodging as she swung at him.

"Talk. Fast." She seethed.

"Yeah, so I spelled you, okay? But you were on the verge of panic and panic is not a good thing. I didn't want you freaking out and falling off my back on the way over."

"What else have you spelled me to do?"

"Nothing!"

"Why do I need you so bad? Why can't I stop thinking about you?"

"Oi, if you're obsessed with me it's not because of anything I've done, you crazy bitch!"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying!" He roared, dodging her again. "I haven't spelled you to do anything other than stay calm over your family, dammit!"

"Undo it!" She roared back.

He stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Kagome, I don't think-"

"Undo it!"

He inhaled deeply, then let his breath rush out in one big whoosh. "Fine." He growled, stalking over to her and grabbing at her shoulders. "Look me in the eyes."

She raised her lashes and glared into that unique golden color she still couldn't seem to get enough of.

"Kagome, your family is in danger. You shouldn't be so calm."

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then terror slammed into her. Oh god, she was going to be sick! She whipped around and dashed for the front door, yanking it open and rushing inside.

It was pitch black, the inside lights were off. If what Miroku had said was just a bluff, they should be sleeping soundly in their beds, but if not…

She flicked the kitchen lights on and raced for the stairs.

"Mama?! Souta?! Jiji?!" She cried, taking the steps two at a time and slamming her mother's bedroom door open. "Mama!"

The room was dark, her mother's bed unmade. Although she could see the room clearly enough she still turned on the lights to make sure. She also checked the adjoining bathroom and closet.

Finding not one trace of her mother save for the smell of her perfume that always saturated the room, Kagome rushed to her grandfather's room, finding it in the same state: empty. Souta's room was dark and quiet and deserted as well.

Slowly, the stark loneliness creeping through her chest and enveloping her heart, Kagome crawled into her little brother's bed, pulling the recently-washed sheets over her head and curling up into a ball.

She tried really hard not to cry.

She failed.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but it didn't seem like more than a few minutes before Inuyasha quietly entered the room and lay a clawed hand on her covered shoulder.

"Oi." He said softly.

Kagome sniffed.

"Hey, are you crying?"

"No." She lied, but her wavering voice betrayed her.

"Well stop it." He demanded, but his voice didn't match his words. He kept his tone calm and quiet. "You need to be strong for your family."

Sighing, Kagome pulled the sheets away from her face. Inuyasha kneeled over her, his braided hair hanging down over his shoulder, his eyes sharp and focused. She tried to think back to the moment when his features, although always beautiful to her, had stopped being so alien. She wondered what her mom would have thought about his ears. Would she have cringed in horror or reached up to give them a feel?

Not that it mattered right now.

"My family is gone," she said, all cares about spelling dissipated for the moment. "Do you think Kikyou killed them?" As she allowed herself to speak the words she felt her eyes immediately fill with unleashed tears. Her vision was too blurred to see Inuyasha's hand reach towards her, and she jumped a bit when she felt the rough pads of his fingertips on the sensitive skin under her eyes.

She couldn't help the gasp that slipped between her lips as he wiped at her tears as they fell from her face.

"No." He finally answered. "I don't think she killed them. Come with me."

Kagome stiffened for a moment, wondering if he'd spelled her again, but her panic was still tight in her chest, she was still scared for her family and she didn't want to follow him, she wanted to stay curled up in her brother's bed and cry herself to sleep. She couldn't feel an emotional block in her head. All these things told her he hadn't spelled her. He was just being gentle with her.

So she let him slip his hand between her fingers, let him help her off the bed. She followed him down the hallway and the stairs and into the family room.

"I found this." He said, picking up a deep green envelope that had been placed on the coffee table and holding it up for her to see. It was small for an envelope and a perfect square, with Kagome's name written in gold in large, fancy, looping letters. Kagome had never seen anything quite like it.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a message. From Kikyou." His eyes turned hard and he set his jaw. She could see his muscle jump as he clenched his teeth in anger.

Kagome's eyes widened as she grabbed the envelope from his hands and ripped it open. The paper she pulled out was square and flat and the color of eggshell. There was nothing on it.

"What is this?" She looked up at Inuyasha, confused. But he didn't have to answer, because just then a small hologram popped up from the center of the paper, a miniature Kikyou stood on the palm of Kagome's hand.

"Doppelganger, it wasn't so hard tracking your family down. I want you to remember how easy it is that I can find you and your family, and how easy it is that they bend to my will."

Kagome's mouth fell open and her eyes darted to Inuyasha, who was listening intently to the message.

"You have something I want, and now I have something you want. I propose an exchange. I will give you back your family if you cease helping Inuyasha at once and deliver him in the morning in his mirror. I will erase your memories, and this time I promise you will not get them back. You will be able to live in peace with your family without the burden of knowing of youkai and their toll on this world. I will give you until noon to make this exchange. If you decide to ignore this message, I will be forced to harm your family. On the piece of paper is the address where we will meet.

She disappeared then, and Kagome and Inuyasha stood in a tense silence. Kikyou's words sunk in, and Kagome knew exactly what she had to do.

"Inuyasha…" she started.

"No." He said. "Hell no. No fucking way am I going back to being under that bitch's control. Fuck no!" He started pacing back and forth across the carpeted floor.

"Inuyasha, you heard her, she's going to hurt my family!"

"I'm sorry for your family, Kagome, but there is no way in hell I'm going back!"

The panic started to kick in again. "You'll let her kill them? You'll let her kill my mom and my twelve-year-old brother and my eighty-year-old grandfather? They're innocent in all this! They're all I have, my only family, Inuyasha you can't be that cruel!"

"Cruel? Cruel?!" He roared, turning on her, his eyes wild and his fangs bared. "You don't know the meaning of cruel! You have no idea what that bitch makes me do under her control. You have no idea the nightmare-inducing acts I've been forced to commit! Cruel would be taking me back and handing me over!"

Taken aback at his outburst, Kagome could only shake her head in disbelief. "What does she make you do that's so awful?"

"You don't want to know." He growled.

"I do! I want to know what she makes you do that causes you to hate her so much!"

"She fucking makes me hunt down and kill youkai and hanyou." He said, his voice shaking with barely-suppressed rage. "She makes me track down youkai, ones that have done nothing to harm humans, ones that are doing nothing but living their lives peacefully and rip their fucking throats out. Every fucking time I get out of the mirror I murder ten more of my people. And that's not even the worse of it." He stopped then, breathing heavily, pinning her down with his gaze, anger radiating from every inch of him.

"Don't you fucking talk to me about cruel." He sneered, then turned his back to her.

Stunned into silence, Kagome felt her cheeks dampen again. The horror of what Inuyasha had been through was too much for her. How could she turn him in, if that's what he was forced to do?

But how could she not, for her family?

She reached out towards his back, wanting desperately to comfort him, but not knowing how, even the smallest bit.

"Inuyasha, I-" She started, her mind a tumble. What could she do? How could she fix this so her family stayed alive and Inuyasha was safe from murdering his own people?

She didn't have to think too long though, because a quiet knock sounded on the door.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome stiffened at the same time, and Inuyasha growled, low and long.

"Who the hell…? Kagome wondered, turning to peer through the kitchen and to the front door. It was five in the morning, who could have been visiting so early? "Kikyou?" She wondered aloud.

She heard Inuyasha sniff beside her. "No." He said. "Doesn't smell like her."

"Maybe the paperboy?" She said and moved to the front door as the mystery guest knocked again. She reached for the door handle and turned the knob.

"Kagome!" Hojou said, smiling that cute smile. He stood on her front doorstep, in jeans and a hoodie, his hair tasseled from what Kagome could only assume was sleep.

"Hojou!" She cried, utterly confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Sango called me and woke me up, said I needed to get over here fast, that it was an emergency?" He said, stepping through the doorway. Dumbfounded, Kagome stepped aside to let him in.

"She what?!"

"She called me. What's the emergency?"

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but her faced drained of color when she heard the low, warning growl from behind her. She opened her mouth to warn him to run, but it was too late. Inuyasha pounced, grabbing Hojou by the front of his shirt and slamming him back into the kitchen wall.

"Who the fuck are you?" He growled.

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Ta-daaaa~! All done! I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll be posting the next chapter of From the Future next, so keep an eye out for it.

Please review and let me know what you think! Also, come say hi to me on my new tumbler page under SugarRosFanfiction!

~SugarRos