Yo! Miss me? =) I can only hope you got the update on my other account. If you did, here's the NEW CHAPTER!!!

Disclaimer: Dang it… still don't own Inuyasha.

Haruhi was so groggy, the night had been rough. Kouga's claws had dug into her wrists, severing some of her veins… It wouldn't have been much of a problem for her half demon form, but her meek human form was struggling with the blood loss. Inuyasha had attempted to help her, but she refused. She was nearly delirious from the pain. Human's were far too fragile. Not to mention the fact that Kouga had toyed with her jewel shard, it glowed and throbbed in the darkness. Inuyasha busied himself with making a fire. He acted nonchalant, ignoring her shaking body huddled against a tree. In reality he was worried. He had seen first-hand just how precious a human life was, and how hard it was to keep a human alive.

She looked odd as a human, not the way Inuyasha remembered. Her hair was matted with sweat and lost its previous shine and glossy color. Whenever he did get a glance at her deep green eyes, he was met with a glare. It was as if he was partaking in something secret…

After an hour of silence sitting by the warm fire, she spoke. "I'm not weak…" Her teeth chattered a bit, it wasn't anything compared to what she had been going through. "Don't forget that."

"Whatever." Inuyasha didn't look towards her. He didn't think she was weak. It was quite again. Her Kimono edges were laying on the ground, making it look like she was drowning in fabric. It was as if, with her confidence shaken, her entire body had withdrawn within itself. She appeared so tiny compared to the looming shadows and trees surrounding her. "What did Kouga do?" asked Inuyasha calmly.

"Nothing." Her head was resting on her knees, her legs folded against her torso. She was hugging her knees, her fists clenched. The darkness was overpowering, calling the shots.

"Good."

"Why?"

"He has a history of stuff like this…" muttered Inuyasha, memories flashing in his memory. He had to control his rage, not the time to get angry… Kouga had no right to touch anyone as if he owned them. He needed to learn that he wasn't the best thing on earth. Though, he did seem to have a way with Kagome, she always defended him. Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head, embarrassed at that memory.

"With Kagome?" Her eyes were dim, almost lifeless if it weren't for the reflection of the fire flitting in her dark pupils. Her voice was monotone, emotionless.

Inuyasha glared at her but answered with a harsh bark, "What does it matter?" He crossed his arms, scowling. He wanted to leave her there, she wasn't supposed to be his problem. All she did was cause trouble and ask questions. She was as bad as Naraku himself, if not more annoying.

"It really doesn't matter, does it?" She let her head rest on the back of the tree, her eyes looking up at the starry sky. A faint smile played on her mouth as she remembered what she could. Her memories were her life. She wasn't going to kill Naraku for her memories, she didn't want them as much as she wanted revenge. Though, it would be nice to know if she had a family or a home… Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. No use crying. "I'm going to leave tomorrow, when I'm back to my half demon self…" Her voice was soft, but had conviction.

"You owe me, remember? You ran off once, and I was kind enough to let you go. But now that I know you're such a danger magnet, there's no chance you're leaving again."

"I said I'm going." She glared at him a painfully icy glare. "Try to stop me dog boy."

"With pleasure wolf girl." She stood up, swaying a bit. Pathetic. She leaned against a tree, shifting her weight from one leg to another. Her breathing was heavy and labored, each breath an annoying requirement. She tried to walk forward, but her feet seemed too wobbly. She got about five feet before Inuyasha finally stood up, about two heads taller than her. She took another step and he put out his hand and placed it on her forehead, keeping her an arm's length away. "That was easy." muttered Inuyasha.

"Let me go!" She swung wildly, trying to hit him in the stomach. Even if she could reach, it wouldn't have had much of an effect on his rock hard stomach. He watched her amused.

"Nice try, wolf girl." She gave up and let out an annoyed growl. He grabbed her wrist and lead her back to her place next to the tree. She sat there, glowering at the fire.

"Do you get some sick pleasure in trapping me?" Her voice was clipped at the edges.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"No, I mean it." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "Do you like watching me run around in circles only to come back to the same place?"

He sat there silent.

"Thought so…" She moved her eyes back towards the fire. "I didn't know the jewel mattered to you that much… You're willing to trap me like a mouse for it."

"I'm willing to do much more than that. You're dying in the end of this, remember?"

"I remember. I'm not dumb enough to forget that I'm going to die soon. I guess somewhere deep inside I'm hoping you'll forget."

"Not a chance."

"I know, but can you blame me for hoping? Or would you rather me beg for death here and now?" Her tone was sarcastic. "Pick one dog boy."

"I wouldn't be as cocky as you are right now." He smiled dangerously at her. "You're completely defenseless against me."

"No I'm not. You must be dreaming."

Within a fraction of a second Inuyasha was in front of her, her green eyes open in surprise. His hands had her wrists above her head in an all too familiar position that reminded her of the slave trade. She wanted to say something, but her heartbeat hitched in her chest and her breathing became erratic. She couldn't tell if it was from fear of her life or some other absurd emotion. "You are defenseless, admit it." He smiled to himself as he sat back down, releasing her.

"You won't kill me… I really doubt it."

"Why do you say that?"

"You cared enough to tell me I was defenseless."

"I think you're confusing what I was doing with something kind. You're delusional."

Truth was he did want her to know that she was in danger. Not only around him but around other demons… She had to know that even though she had poison in her words, that wasn't enough to protect her. She was in danger, she was just as fragile as a human. Her mouth got her into enough trouble that it was a surprise that she was still alive. She had already died once, you would think that she would've gotten the message from fate that she had to be more careful. Too bad she didn't seem to care, or if she did she didn't show it.

"Whatever dog boy." Said Haruhi, smirking.

"Go to sleep, wolf girl." responded Inuyasha with a growl. She saw through him better than anyone ever had. It might have had something to do with the fact they both knew the disgraces of being half demon, or it could've been that she was just as stubborn and rough around the edges as he was.