It was already 10:15pm when Inuyasha heard the telltale music coming from the studio that alerted him to Kagome's presence. Like he usually did, Inuyasha pushed the buffer to the studio's door and leaned against the frame as he watched Kagome hold an arabesque. He knew from talking to her that this was one of the most challenging positions on her damaged body because of the expanded joints.

Listening with his advanced hearing, he winced as he heard the creaking of her hip. To the untrained eye, she looked like a beautiful, elegant statue. But to someone with senses like his, you could see the tremble in her hands and the desperate flex of her thighs as the attempted to hold her position. But in a sudden moment of weakness, her pose faltered and she cried out as her hip gave way and sent her crashing to the hard wood of the studio floor.

Inuyasha winced. He knew how much it meant for her to be independant and defeat her personal barriers alone. That and that alone is why he didn't prevent her fall. Because you can not grow if you do not first get over the obstacles.

What he wasn't ready for was what came after. Kagome lay in a crippled heap on the floor for a moment before pushing herself up onto her elbows. He watched quietly as she stared at herself through her inky black bangs for what seemed like an eternity. Inuyasha smelled her scent change from upset to aggravation to pure rage. Kagome was seething as she pulled herself unto her hands and knees and crawled to the chair by the stereo. Once she pulled herself to a standing position, her hands held the back of the wooden chair with an iron grip.

He still couldn't see her face, but heard the beginnings of a rage filled scream and smelled the salt as tears poured down her face. Before he could make a move to comfort her, Kagome gripped the chair tighter and lifted it off of the ground. Her next move truly surprised him as she took a few steps back and then, with a louder cry than before, hurled the wooden chair into the glass wall.

The mirror shattered and glass fell in large chunks as the chair toppled to the floor. Kagome was choking out angry sobs as her knees bent and she looked at the mirror in front of her. But once her eyes met her own, she made her move. Inuyasha had to intervene once Kagome began to punch the cracked mirror. Wrapping his arms around her middle, he gently brought her backwards, but his presence did nothing to lessen her anger. She kicked and screamed as she pushed against his arms. "HOW DARE YOU! IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU ARE WEAK! YOU ARE NOTHING!" She hollered, tearing at Inuyasha's arms with slick, blood coated hands. Turning his back to the glass, Inuyasha drew her close and pulled her down to the ground. Settling her in his lap, her screams softened to chest wracking sobs as she held her face in her hands, blood pouring from the gashes in her knuckles, sending thick lines to drip down her forearm.

"It's my fault." she sobbed, leaning her face into Inuyasha's T-shirt clad chest. "It's my fault. If I hadn't begged… if i hadn't forced them to go out with me.. If i...if" she sobbed harder, her thin shoulders shaking. "Kagome, Kagome it's not your fault. It was a freak accident. You couldn't have known about the weather change when you-" "I knew the weather was gonna get bad." she sobbed, her heart-wrenching gasp and sobs made his ears pin to his scalp as he rubbed her side in a calming manner, hoping to help her get out of this tunnel of despair. "I knew we had a warning. But i was leaving the next day and it was my birthday and I wanted to thank them for everything and I was gonna be gone for 6 months and.." she gasped, her hands shaking as she tried to catch her breath.

Inuyasha brought his right hand over her legs and pulled her closer, pressing his lips to the top of her head as he let out a small "shh" in an attempt to distract her. After a moment she began to calm, her violent shaking mellowing into a sad quiver. After around 30 minutes, Kagome finally spoke again, her voice rough from the violence used before. " Momma had suggested we stay in and watch a movie.." her words, barely over a whisper. Inuyasha had no trouble, though. Because he had been hyper focused on her since the moment this had begun.

"I wanted to go to a new okonomiyaki restaurant that had opened in Osaka and thank everyone for the support they had given me.. Momma and Sota for constantly supporting me no matter where I went and Kawaguchi- Sempai for making me what I was and being my family away from home." She paused to take a shaking breath. " Then the weather turned when we were on a mountain road and the driver lost control. We slid onto the gravel and he overcorrected and went sideways. An oncoming car hit our nose.. I was in the front seat.. And we flipped and landed upside down. The engine came into the cab and crushed my legs. My head hit the dash and i fell into a coma. I woke up 2 days later. The police officer told me what happened after that. Momma and Sota were ejected from the car, despite their restraint belts, and died shortly after the crash. Kawaguchi-Sempai was stuck upside down. The rear of the car was stuck in the ditch and she drowned when the water level rose past what she could avoid. Our driver survived with only a broken nose and a shattered collarbone. We both got some serious bruising. According to Hikomatsu-chan it took 15 minutes for the paramedics to arrive. By that time I had lost 2 quarts of blood and Momma and Sota had bled out. They had no chance. No one died quickly. No one was spared my selfishness." By the end of her confession, Inuyasha's ears had to strain to hear her.

It was truly a traumatic experience. His heart broke for the frail woman he clutched to his chest. She lost everything.. On her birthday nonetheless. She lost her only family, her coach and her career within minutes. "I'm so sorry. So sorry.." He offered, holding her close. She was so small, so gentle. She had been forced to become so brave.

They sat for a long time like that. Him holding her as if she was the most precious and fragile piece of china the world had ever seen. And she, clinging to him like a rock on violent shore.

He took her home after that, assuring her that she didn't need to clean up and that by the morning everything would be fixed. And when she made her way back to the studio by noon the next day she was stunned.

The blood and glass had been cleaned from the floor and the scuffs buffed out. And the floor to ceiling mirror had been replaced along with the wooden chair. But there was a new addition to the room. A modest, wooden butsudan sat with it's doors open, revealing the photos of her Mother, brother and coach, with incense already burning in offering. Fresh tears stung her eyes as she rubbed her bandaged knuckles and made her way to the shrine. Kneeling gently on the zabuton, she took the incense and held them between her hands as she offered up prayers to her loved ones. Placing the incense back in their holders she kissed her fingertips and touched the faces of each of those memorialized. "I hoped you would like it." A rough voice sounded behind her. Smiling, Kagome stood and turned to face Inuyasha. "It was kinda hard to get their pictures but once i did it was-" he was cut off when Kagome pulled him into a bruising hug, her face buried in his chest. Once he got his bearings, Inuyasha brought his arms up and circled her gently. "Thank You, Inuyasha. It's beautiful."

"Feh" he brushed her off, his cheeks pinking. "You need ta get settin up. Kids'll be here in 30 minutes for class." He grumbled, but made no move to extricate himself from her grasp.

"You're right." Kagome sighed, leaning back. A quick smirk flashed on her face as she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.

Dumbstruck, Inuyasha stood there as she giggled and gracefully strutted away "And you will be assisting me!" she called, looking over her shoulder at him. "Hey! I ain't agreed to that!" he growled playfully, following her. Something had changed. And it was something he found worthy of exploring.