Guess what? InuYasha still isn't mine! Isn't that surprising?

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Kagome met Kaede before she reached the village, and she told Kagome that InuYasha had gone to the tree to sulk. So, she turned around, and began to walk to the tree, thinking about everything that had happened under the tree. Over fifty years ago, Kikyo had bound InuYasha to it because of Naraku. She had fought her first demon, Mistress Centipede, by it.

That was the first time InuYasha protected me. He never admitted it, but he did. She smiled wryly. Of course, he did try to kill me immediately afterwards, so maybe it doesn't count... She could just see the top of the tree, slightly higher than the others, as she thought of the most important thing that had happened by the tree.

She had met InuYasha there, and that was how everything had begun. The tree was right in front of her now, and she looked up at its emerald green leaves, then bowed her head, other memories coming to her. This was near where InuYasha had promised to kill Naraku for Kikyo, and where he had tried to kill her. This was where InuYasha had thought she was Kikyo, and laughed when she could not handle Mistress Centipede. This was where, in her own time, she had sat, desperate for a link to InuYasha, when he had chosen Kikyo. Pain stabbed through her heart at the last thought.

Why does this hurt? She wondered, resting her hand on the trunk of the tree to steady herself, This shouldn't hurt anymore! I don't love him! I love Hojo! This can't hurt me anymore! She rested the side of her head against the rough bark of the tree, trying to compose herself, and closed her eyes. After a moment, she moved away from the tree. It was just the leftovers of the way I felt before. It wasn't that it actually hurt me now, it was just because I'm so used to feeling pain when I think of InuYasha being with Kikyo. She assured herself, and walked around the tree.

InuYasha was sitting under the tree, almost exactly under where Kikyo had bound him. He looked up when he heard Kagome approach, then scowled and turned his back to her.

"What do you want?" He asked darkly as Kagome sat down next to him.

"I just want to talk." She said softly.

"About what?" His voice was low, and annoyed sounding.

"About why you tried to attack my boyfriend, maybe?" Kagome said dryly. He stood up abruptly.

"I don't like him." He said flatly. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You don't even know him. He's really nice, a lot like Akitoki-" Kagome started



"Yeah, well, he's obviously related to him. What do I care?" InuYasha interrupted snarling slightly. Kagome was starting to get annoyed.

"I don't know. Apparently you do, or you wouldn't have tried to use Tetsuaiga on him when you attacked!" She said exasperated. InuYasha froze, then whirled to face her, his hands balled into fists.

"I did NOT use Tetsuaiga! I don't need it to beat a pathetic human!" He yelled.

"I saw you draw it! It's a little hard to miss!" She yelled back, temper rising.

"Yeah, right! Anyway, why do you even care about him? He doesn't DO anything!" InuYasha asked, still yelling, and shaking with rage.

"I don't know!" Kagome yelled, tears of fury streaming down her face, "Maybe it's because he's always there for me, he would never hurt me, he doesn't love someone else, and HE DOESN'T ALWAYS GO CHASING OFF AFTER MY SOUL'S PREVIOUS INCARNATION!!" her voice rose with each reason, until she was almost screaming. InuYasha's jaw dropped.

"Wha-" he started, but Kagome talked over him through clenched teeth.

"I love him because he loves me, Kagome, and doesn't care about who I was before!" She was crying hard now, and turned her back on InuYasha, who was staring at her.

"Kagome-" He started hesitantly.

"INUYASHA, SIT BOY!" She yelled, and ran as the beads yanked him to the ground.

InuYasha picked himself off the ground, wincing slightly.

"Damn it, Kagome." He muttered, staring after her. He almost followed her, but something stopped him.

"He would never hurt me" Her words echoed in his head. He was shaking with rage. When had he ever hurt her? He protected her! He would never hurt Kagome!

Oh, really? What about all those times she saw you with Kikyo? A little voice inside his head pointed out. He shook his head. No. They did not matter. Kagome had said it was alright, every time.

Do you honestly believe that? The voice asked again, determined to make him feel guilty. He shook his head, trying to dislodge it. You know it hurt her. Why do you think she always went home right afterwards? She wanted to get away from you. She didn't want you to see her. The 

voice went on viciously. Why do YOU care if she has a boyfriend in her era? You don't love her, after all. Kikyo is the most important thing to you. She has been since the day you met her. InuYasha clenched his teeth, his hands were balled into fists.

"That's not-" he started, but the voice cut him off. Every time Kikyo is in trouble, you run off to help. Admit it- if it came down to a choice between Kagome and Kikyo, you would chose Kikyo. You want what she wants- to die with her. To be with her forever.

"No." He said slowly, "I don't..."

Then what do you want? To live with her body of bone, grave soil, and stolen souls? The voice laughed derisively. You don't want that. You would feel guilty about it, eventually. You want to die in her arms, like you think you should have, fifty years ago.

"No, it's not!" He snarled.

Really? Then why do you act like it? The voice asked, a little too sweetly. And this time, InuYasha did not have an answer for it.

Back in Kagome's era, a boy was staring into a well, about fifteen minutes after Kagome had left. He could see the bottom, and thought he could something glimmering there. He shivered. He was certain he had seen his girlfriend go in here with her family, and then jump into the well. Hojo had not seen Kagome since. He made a decision: he was going to find out what was going on. Tentatively, he set a hand on the weathered wood of the well, jumped in, met a blaze of colored light, and fell through stars.

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Hojo goes down the well…. The plot thickens!