Authors note: I am so sorry for the long wait on the update. My computer broke, and didn't have the money for new one. Then had to get stuff for the kids. Sigh life got in the way…again. But im back! Enjoy the show! Fyi I do not own any chracters in the story only the plot! Thank you! I hope everyone reviews!

He looked at the odd girl who had purchased him not more then 4 hours ago. Within the first hour the girl had made him question everything he had known for hundreds of years. She cried for him. Bowed to him and didn't flinch away from his touch. She even gave him his name back.

He still didn't believe all this wasn't some cruel joke she had hatched up just to give him hope and crush it. And hope he tried desperately to not let in. he failed. He was oh so hopeful. And that frightened him.

" come on Inuyasha! Our home is just around this corner!" the girl called Kagome yelled to him waving her hands excitedly.

Not sure how to respond to her enthusiastic hand waving Inuyasha picked up his pace to catch up to the girl who was now a good 5 yards away. 'I cant get lost in thought again. I got to stay closer to her.' He chastised himself for getting caught up in his own mind. Slaves were supposed to walk 6 ft. behind their masters no farther and no closer. 'I've got to be careful.'

The odd duo rounded a corner and came to a stop at the bottom of some steps. "whelp this is it. My family gave this shrine to me to run. So its just us who are going to be living here." She smiled over at Inuyasha as she held her hand out towards the shrine steps. Kagome started up the steps not paying attention to where Inuyasha was standing, expecting him to follow her.

Inuyasha stood silently and stone still at the base of the steps, 'a shrine?! I'm going to live at a shrine…what the hell.' He had never lived at a shrine let alone been to one. It just wasn't heard of for demons to enter a shrine. They were unclean and shrines were supposed to be for prayer and the gods. Not a place for dirty demons. Let alone bastard half breeds.

Inuyasha took a hesitant step away from the pure white marble steps at his dirty clawed feet.' I don't belong here.' He thought to himself painfully.

Kagome stopped her climb up the shrine steps when she didn't hear the naked slaps of Inuyasha feet on the steps. She turned and looked down the steps she had ascended and saw him standing on the sidewalk just staring at the steps. She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and slightly tilted her head to the right," um, Inuyasha?" when he didn't respond she started her descent back down the steps towards him.

"Inuyasha? Are you ok?" Kagome asked him gently while reaching for him arm slowly as to not spook him. When her hand touched his shoulder his head snapped up towards her to meet her gaze." Are you ok?" she asked him again.

'how can I tell her. How can I tell her I'm too dirty to enter a shrine? Fuck this is so god damn pathetic!' Inuyasha growled to himself not realizing he growled aloud. He instantly felt his mistake as his collar shocked him making his legs give out from under him. He crashed to his knees hard and his hands came up to grasp at the blasted collar.

"oh! Inuyasha! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Kagome yelled panicked to see Inuyasha on his knees in pain. " I'm sorry! I wont ouch you again!" Kagome pleaded to him thinking he had growled at her for touching him, " if it means you wont get hurt I wont do it again! I promise!" she cried out to him as she went to her knees in front of him.

Despite the pain the shock gave Inuyasha he felt a surge of panic when Kagome swore to not touch him again. He couldn't loose that touch! She was the only person who didn't recoil from him in so long! Just the thought of her not touching him made a strange ache chest form making it hard to swallow.

Kagome watched and Inuyashas' head snapped up to meet her gaze and his clawed hand moved to grasp her hands. He shook his head no frantically, his eyes filled with an emotion she could only label as fear. Her eyes softened and she smiled at him. He didn't want to loose her touch. She sighed knowingly and stood bringing him with her his hand still in hers.

" ok, so I guess I wont stop touching you." Kagome giggled out to him. " if it wasn't my touch that made you growl what was it?" she asked him quizzically.

Inuyasha looked from her hand to his feet,' I feel so god damn foolish.' He pointed to his dirt stained feet and then towards the steps and shook his head no.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him," Inuyasha its just a little dirt. It washes right off. Don't be silly." Kagome laughed at him as she pulled his clawed hand towards the steps," now come on."

Inuyasha held his ground and gripped Kagome hand tighter pulling on her arm slightly. She looked back at him as he shook his head no.

"ok, so that not the problem. What's wrong then?" she asked getting more confused as Kagome let Inuyasha pull her off the steps to stand next to him.

Inuyasha dropped her hand and instantly missed the touch he had been starved to have for years, but brushed it aside to deal with the matter at hand. He pointed at himself then towards the shrine and shook his head no.

"ok? So you don't want to go?" Kagome asked confused and slightly hurt.

Smelling the hurt in her scent Inuyasha shook his head no frantically, that scent on her didn't smell right he didn't like it one bit. He pointed at himself again more forcefully and walked towards a pot of flowers at the base of the steps and grabbed a hand full of dirt and rubbed it on his arm. He pointed to his dirty arm then to himself and back towards the shrine and shook his heard no again.

Kagome stood there just staring at him for a moment puzzled by his gestures. She put finger to her lips and rested her chin in her palm thinking." Dirt, Inuyasha, shrine? Dirt on Inuyasha and shrine?...dirty Inuyasha….oh…oh!" you could see when Inuyasha odd movements made sense to Kagome for her face fell in despair. "oh Inuyasha no! No! your not dirty!" she practically yelled at him.

Inuyasha was slightly taken aback by her reaction and once again stepped away from her expecting a harsh reaction. But stopped when a flash of pain went through the blue eyes filled with tears that were staring at him.

Kagome calmed herself at Inuyashas' reaction," you don't have to worry about that Inuyasha, you aren't dirty. Nothing about you is. I promise." She spoke softly to him as she once again grabbed his hand.

Inuyasha shook his head no pulling his hands from hers, and pointed to his ears and the to the dirt on his arm again. 'yes I am damn it!'

Kagome sighed, "just because you are a half demon it doesn't mean you have dirty blood. Just because you are stuck being a slave doesn't mean you aren't allowed in a shrine. Nothing about you is dirty. Please come with me. This is your home now. Just you and me. No commands no punishments. no beatings. You can be as free as we want here. The gods here will not judge you. This is a Shinto shrine. We can house many gods but we mostly house and care for sacred objects. I believe the gods here are humble. So come with me and lets go home." She held her hand out to him again letting him make the choice.

Out of all the words spoken to him just now two rang loud in his head,' home. Free? this is my home? I can be free here?' Inuyasha locked eyes with Kagome a look of desperation washed through him. 'free?'

Kagome knew that look. Desperation. She had said what he needed to hear. Free." Yes, Inuyasha you can be free here." She smiled a watery smile.

Inuyasha looked past her up towards the shrine. He could see the second set of auburn colored Torii gates at the top of the steps and the top of a large tree. 'free?' he asked himself again and looked back towards Kagome, 'I can be free?' he asked. Knowing she couldn't hear him he raised an eyebrow at her and glanced back behind her.

Kagome laughed softly, "yes Inuyasha, free. Go." She told him as she stepped aside to allow him access to the pristine white marble steps.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, down at his feet then the steps, and the back up at the Torii gates. 'free' and that's all it took. Inuyasha bent his knees and jumped.

Kagome laughed a joyful laugh as she watched Inuyasha jump high into the air over the Torii gate at the base of the steps and land in front of the upper most gate. She ran up the steps to catch up with him. When she caught up with him, she was smiling and out of breath. She leaned forward and looked around at Inuyashas face. He was staring down at his feet his toes mere centimeters for crossing over the line onto the property.

He was breathing heavy. His lungs not used to his speed anymore. Swear pooled at the corner of his temple. Staring down at his feet he didn't even acknowledge when Kagome came to rest next to him.' Can this be real? I'm afraid.' Inuyasha glanced up from his feet towards the property in front of him but instead of green grass his eyes came in contact with blue eyes. 'Kagome?'

Kagome smiled at him and held out her hand towards him," come on we will go together." Kagome waited patiently to see what he would choose her hand extended out to him.

'together?' Inuyasha glanced at her hand and back to her face. 'is this real?' he brought his hand up and grasped her hand his breathe hitching in his throat as she smiled and pulled him across the threshold.' Its real!' Inuyasha smiled.