Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I should've finished this days ago, but then I traveled to Korea. I didn't bring my laptop with me, so I wasn't able to edit the chapter. I know that InuKag Week is over already, but it's not for me. Get ready because this is going to be long.

DAY 6: AU

"Kagome!"

It happened so fast. Too fast. He didn't have enough time to shove her to the side before she took the hit. He cursed under his breath. That stupid, idiotic girl. Why in the bloody hell did she push him aside from danger? He was a half-demon, for goodness sake! He didn't need her protecting him. So what's with the big idea; pushing him out of the way at the very last second, taking the hit of the spell–

Oh no. This cannot be happening.

In front of him, was the girl named Kagome. She was three times shorter than her usual self, and appeared much more younger too. Her ebony hair was short, reaching just above her shoulders. Her skirt bunched at her legs, and the white blouse she was wearing looked like it had grown on her. She looked up to him, and her big, brown eyes widened. A large smile took over her face, and she reached out her hand towards him. "Puppy!"

No. The witch did not just turn the wench back into a child. Kagome was troublesome enough when she was a teenager, so turning her back into a kid? This was going to be way troublesome.

"Change her back you old–" Before he could finish his sentence, the old woman was gone. Damn woman. She was injured anyway, so it was no surprise that she'd flee. But now, he was left with Kagome as a child. Alone. Without Miroku and Sango. Said slayer and monk were back at Kaede's hut. At the thought of where those two were at right now, he gritted his teeth. He had an instinct to bring those two along, but guess what he chose to do? That's right, leave them with the old hag. "I swear to god, sometimes I just can't make the right decisions."

Kagome's giggle reminded him that she was still a child. He looked down at her with a frown. She met his gaze, and her already large grin had stretched even wider. Who knew how much the kid could smile before her whole face couldn't handle it? She outstretched her hand again. "Ears!"

Inuyasha sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Kagome, I'm sorry this happened to you." He forced himself to keep his anger to himself because he knew that Kagome probably had lost her memories about what happened. But he snapped anyway. "But why the hell did you do that for?! What if the woman killed you or something? Or... Or..."

Her smile faded away, and she lowered her head. Oh no, she was not going to get away with this. Did she realise how much danger she had put herself into? "Sorry," she said, and a sniff came. She looked up to him again, and tears were falling off her cheeks. "'Gome, bad?"

He was not going to be swayed.

Nope. Nope, nope, and nope.

He was not–

"Kagome, please don't cry," he said in a panicked tone, and knelt on one knee to look at her eye-level. He contemplated his next words, before saying, "Look, I'm sorry for shouting at you, okay? I was just... worried about you."

She nodded, and wiped her damped cheeks with her oversized sleeve. "Puppy not mad?"

"Okay, first of all, name's Inuyasha, you got that?" he said, and she bobbed her head with a small smile. "Second, I'm not mad anymore. Okay, maybe a little, but you understand why, right?" She nodded, but he doubt that she knew the reason why he was angry in the first place. He sighed. "Good, now let's get going." He was about to spin on his heel, when she extended both of her arms. Oh, he knew the gesture too well, but he wasn't going to do it. "You have legs, Kagome. Walk by yourself."

"Please, 'Yasha?"

He exhaled out through his nose. "No."

"Pleeeeeease?"

"You've got to be kiddin' me."

Inuyasha returned back to Kaede's village with a very happy, fully-satisfied, child Kagome. There were numerous of times where he had to stop midway because she wouldn't stop hurting his eardrums thanks to her squealing. After a scolding, only then she learned to keep her voice down. But it didn't last long. A few minutes later, and she was back to screaming in his ear again. She was just so excited to see the scenery as he leapt, and he had no idea why it was so interesting. Well, at least she wasn't crying anymore. Though, his ears were paying the price for it.

During their journey to Kaede's village the outfit she was wearing was too big for her and it kept falling off while he was leaping. So he ended up removing her skirt and kept it in his suikan. The socks she wore were big on her, but it still held onto her legs, so he left it alone. So now, she was only wearing her giant blouse, a weird piece of clothing that held onto her waist, and socks. He'd forgotten to carry back her shoes, so, yeah, those things were abandoned.

Inuyasha helped Kagome off his back, and they made their way to Kaede's hut. The kid had her face rotated at every angle as she walked; that he was afraid that her head would fall off from all that turning. Well, it was normal for her to be curious in an unknown village (to her), but she didn't have to turn her head every five seconds.

Sango was walking out of the hut, when she spotted them. "Inuyasha! Kagome!" She approached them. Miroku was right beside her, waving at them. Inuyasha noticed that Kagome had stiffened, before the kid moved nearer towards him. As the slayer and monk closed their distance between them, only then they noticed the change towards Kagome. Sango gasped. "What happened?!"

"The witch Kagome and I fought turned her into a kid. I thought the old hag was dead, but at the very last second, she opened her eyes and started chanting something. Before her spell was able to hit me, Kagome pushed me away." He waved his hand towards Kagome. "So this happened after the spell hit her."

Sango crouched down so that she could look at Kagome directly. "Hey, do you remember me?"

Kagome slowly shook her head, before taking a few steps back. Her hands made its way to Inuyasha's leg, and she clung at it as if it was her only support. Inuyasha mentally noted the anxiety waving off her, and made some sort of sign with his face to tell Sango that the kid needed some space. Sango seemed to understand his signal. She gave him a small, almost unnoticeable nod, before standing up.

"So she doesn't remember us, huh?" Miroku questioned, and rubbed his chin. He sighed. "We should allow Lady Kaede to see this. She may know how to remove the spell, or at least, how long it will last."

"Good idea." He glanced at the tiny Kagome, who was peering at his friends from behind his leg. "Hey, you gotta go and see Kaede. She might be able to help you change back. Be a good kid, and listen to Miroku and Sango." He looked up to his friends. "I'm gonna do a perimeter run; make sure the witch isn't hangin' around here. You guys bring her to that old hag."

He turned around. Not more than five steps, and he heard a sniffle. He inhaled sharply, before continue walking. Next, the scent of salt hit his nose. He tensed. He should probably comfort her, but he had to–

"'Yasha don't leave 'Gome!" he heard her cry, and the sound of footsteps ran closer to him. She wrapped both arms around his leg, and hung on to him like some pole. "Please don't! Please don't leave 'Gome!"

"What the–" The kid's eyes and nose were already red. He looked at his friends, and they were giving her sympathetic looks. They were suppose to help him, dammit! "Kagome, calm down. I'm just gonna go and check whether the witch is still here. She could still be around here, you know."

She shook her head and clung onto him tighter. "Please, please don't leave! Take 'Gome with 'Yasha!"

He felt a hand over his shoulder, and Miroku gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, my friend. Sango and I could do a perimeter run. How about you bring Lady Kagome to Lady Kaede?" The monk then chuckled. "She doesn't look like she'll be leaving your side any time soon."

"Yeah, Inuyasha," Sango added, and grinned. "Let us take it from here."

Inuyasha let out a defeated sigh, before nodding. The two of them left, and he was now alone with Kagome again. He gently patted her head, and slowly pried her face away from his leg. He inwardly sighed as his hakama was covered in tear stains. Oh well. "Kagome, it's fine. I won't leave you. Miroku and Sango will do the perimeter run. I'll bring you to Kaede, okay? So will you please stop crying?"

She hiccupped, and gazed at him with those huge, round, brown eyes. The look she was giving was as if she was searching the lie in his words. She probably found none, because she wiped her face, and gave him a nod.

The look on his face softened, and he used his thumb to wipe the leftover tears on her face. Before he could pull away his hand, she took it, and examined his claws. She used her tiny fingers to trace each claw, before she turned over to look at his palm. "'Yasha's hands are soft."

Of all things she could say, that was what she said? His hands were anything but soft. He wanted to tell her that, but realised that he could get distracted if he continues entertaining her. "Let's go, Kagome."

He pulled his hand away from her grasp, and started walking. He didn't have to turn around to know that Kagome was following behind him. As they walk, her words echoed in his mind.

Thank goodness Kagome didn't have any fear with Kaede. Whether it's because she was old and appears nonthreatening, he would never know. The kid seemed fond of her, so that allowed him to at least move away from her. He leaned at the wall while watching Kagome through the corner of his eye. He had his hands buried in his firerat sleeve, while his legs were crossed. Kaede had just instructed the kid to stand still, thus, allowing her to examine the spell that had struck Kagome.

"Ye don't have to fear, child," Kaede said as she removed her palm from Kagome's cheek. The little girl gave a sigh of relief. "The spell is only a temporary one. It will last about a day. So in the meantime," she looked at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, I suggest ye bring this child to her era. It is safer that way for her."

Inuyasha stood up and stretched his arms. "Usually I'm against the idea, but you're right. I don't want Kagome to be in more danger."

He looked down when he felt someone tugging at his hakama. He found Kagome staring up at him with a worried face. He raised a brow at her expression. She opened her mouth, before closing. Then, she opened it again. "'Yasha follow 'Gome?"

"Yeah." It wasn't as if he had a choice. Take a few steps away from her, and she would be crying for him to bring her or stay. He had enough with making her cry. "C'mon."

Inuyasha gave a quick nod of gratitude towards Kaede, before leading the child out of the hut. Just as they were about to make it to the well, an orange blur passed Inuyasha, and the next thing he knew, Shippo was hugging Kagome.

"Kagome! Sango and Miroku told me what happened. Are you o–"

Shippo's sentence was cut off when she warily took a few steps back. She eyed Shippo skeptically, before turning her face to look at Inuyasha. It was as if she was silently asking him whether or not she should trust the fox. So he reassured her, "Don't worry, Kagome. Shippo may be a runt, but he's your friend."

"He's a fox." It sounded like it should've been a question, but it came out as a statement instead. She observed Shippo from head to toe again, before narrowing her eyes. "You like playing tricks?"

"W-Well... If you don't like them, I won't play tricks on you, Kagome," Shippo stuttered, and took a few steps back. He casted a nervous glance at the half-demon, before facing the slightly-menacing girl. "I promise."

Whatever made her doubt Shippo, all that doubt was gone now. Soon, a smile bloomed over her lips, and she playfully tapped his forehead. "You good. 'Gome like." She flicked her gaze towards Inuyasha. "'Yasha bring 'Gome and 'Ippo?"

"Sorry, kid. But Shippo can't go to the other side like us." She doesn't seem to mind much about that, because she merely nodded, and waved goodbye to Shippo. Shippo's brows furrowed, and he gave the half-demon a questioning glance. Inuyasha shrugged. "Old hag told me to bring Kagome back to her time. It's safer there for her."

"Oh, okay," Shippo said, and returned Kagome's wave with his own. "See you later then, Kagome."

She smiled, and she started skipping towards the well. He doubt that Kagome knew where she was going, but at least she was going the right away. He followed after her. The only sound that emitted between them was Kagome's humming, and he found that he liked hearing her hum. It was soft, innocent, and reminded him when his mother used to–

He shook his head. He was not going to allow his thoughts to go there.

They stopped at the well, and Kagome peered down from above it. Her hands gripped the wooden casing, and her feet tiptoed to get a better view. Inuyasha followed her gaze, and his eyes met the dark, dusty pit of the well. It took her a while, but finally, she asked, "We go in well?"

"Yeah." It was a wonder how she knew she was suppose to go in there. Maybe the well just automatically attracted her since she belonged at the other side? Whatever, it wasn't as if he cared either way. He lifted her up into his arms, and she let out a shriek, followed by a giggle. She squirmed her body inside his arms for a more comfortable position, before settling in between his grasp. He couldn't help but smile at her innocence. Though, there was something he was going to ask her soon. But that's for later. He looked down at her. "You ready?"

She nodded, and held onto him. He stepped onto the lip of the well, before jumping inside. His ears flattened on his skull as Kagome's high-pitched scream echoed as they were falling into the well.

Now that they were here, he suddenly felt the anxiety building in his chest. What would Mrs. Higurashi's reaction be if she found out that he'd allowed Kagome to turn into a kid? He could only imagine a very disappointed face. Worst case scenario, Mrs. Higurashi would probably never allow him to see Kagome again. He stared at the child that had intertwined her fingers with his. She was walking casually beside him, humming as she followed him lead the way to her house. He didn't want to do this, but this was probably the last time he was going to see her, so...

"Kagome?" he called, and she responded with a soft hum. He let out a shaky breath, before kneeling in front of her on one leg. "Uh, you might not like this, but... this is probably the last time I'll see you again."

Her eyes widened as her head jerked back a little. Her whole face was in utter shock. "Why? Where 'Yasha go?"

"You see, kid, my job is to protect you," Inuyasha said, slowly, before averting his eyes from her deeply saddened face. "As you can see, you've been turned into a kid because I wasn't fast enough to protect you. I mean, I know the spell only lasts about a day, but I'm not sure if your family would want to see their daughter turned into a child again."

"But 'Gome will turn back!"

"We got lucky that this spell was only temporary. What if the next time you get hit, you can't turn back to your normal self?" he said softly. The way she was staring at him, it was almost too much to bear. "I'm sure your family won't want to take that risk. And I completely understand that."

"No." His eyes widened as she crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes. What does she mean by no? Does this kid really think that her mother would allow her to go into battle after she had just been turned into a child? "'Gome won't let that happen."

There were so many questions swirling in his mind. But among all those questions, laid a question above others. It was a question he was most curious for an answer. "I need to ask you something. You don't even remember me, probably don't even know me at all. So why do you act like you do? Why are you so scared of Miroku and Sango, but not me?"

She looked thoughtfully at the ground. Her arms then fell to her side as she lowered her head. "Because 'Yasha doesn't scare 'Gome."

"Kagome, I've killed people once! I... I lost control of myself and killed. I bet Miroku and Sango hasn't even end a person's life like I do. So what made me an exception?"

"I know." He wasn't sure whether it was her tone or words that made him froze. He felt as if time had stilled as she uttered those very words. She knew? What did she mean she knew? That he killed? If so, why be afraid of Miroku and Sango, and not him? It doesn't make any sense.

"So why... why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Because 'Yasha is lonely," she whispered so quietly, that he almost missed it. She looked up to him, and a small smile crept to her lips. "It's okay, 'Yasha. 'Gome knows 'Yasha feel guilty for killing. 'Yasha actually have good heart."

"How–" He shook his head. "Because I'm lonely? What does that have to do with anything? And that's not a good enough reason why you were afraid of Sango and Miroku!"

"'Yasha's friends are scary," Kagome said, and her face became distant. Her eyes were unseeing as she stared at him. "Girl kills, and man is dangerous."

Kagome was seriously creeping him out right now. Sango kills? Miroku is dangerous? He tried to think of a possible reason why she thought like that, and then it hit him. Sango kills for a living because she was a demon slayer, and Miroku has a Wind Tunnel which makes him dangerous. He looked down at Kagome, and found her staring back at him. This time, she was actually staring at him and was not in some kind of daze or anything. How did she know about Sango and Miroku? She wasn't suppose to remember anything. Is it because of her priestess powers?

Before he could think of a response towards her sentence, Kagome interlocked her hands with his again, and pulled him towards her house. "Come, 'Yasha."

She knocked on the door before he even had the time to stop her. He waited anxiously at the door, expecting Mrs. Higurashi's wrath on him. It wasn't helping that Kagome looked so calm. The door opened, and Inuyasha expected the worst. He forced himself to look at Mrs. Higurashi, who was standing at the door in shock.

"Mrs. Higurashi, I–" He looked at Kagome, took a deep breath, and faced Kagome's mother again. He had to do this, even if there was a chance he would never see Kagome again. "I'm really sorry. There was this witch who turned Kagome into a kid, and... and now, she's stuck like that for about a day, at least."

"Mama!" Kagome said, and threw her arms around her mother's legs. She buried her face into her mother's body, before finally pulling away. She had to tilt her head to see her mother in the eye. "Mama, 'Yasha worries Mama won't let him see 'Gome again. Not true, right, Mama?"

At first, Inuyasha thought that he was going to have a declaration from Kagome's mother that he would never see Kagome again, but then Mrs. Higurashi smiled, before letting out a light-hearted laugh. "Of course not, Kagome." She glanced at him, and she gave him a frown. "Why would you think like that, Inuyasha?"

"Because, well, I was afraid that you were mad for allowing this to happen," he said, and averted his eyes from the woman in front of him. His ears flattened as he bowed his head. "I wasn't fast enough to pull Kagome away from that witch."

"Oh, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said, and gently held his hand. He was shocked to find his hand covered in warmth, and he looked up to the source of it. Mrs. Higurashi was giving him a reassuring smile, and it reminded him so much about his own mother. "Some things can never be avoided. You don't have to blame yourself for it."

"But... But what if Kagome gets turned into a child and has to grow up again? We were only lucky that this is temporary."

"If she turns back into a child, I don't mind raising her again," she chuckled, and her eyes held that familiar motherly kindness Inuyasha knew. She squeezed his hand as she continued. "Besides, she would be happier if she grows up with you by her side this time."

His face was flushed at her words. He opened his mouth to say something, but found that his words were stuck in his throat.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "Come on now. How about you two come inside?"

He was really glad that Mrs. Higurashi wasn't mad at him. He had gotten so worried, that it was almost hard to breathe back there. But now, he could relax since Kagome's mother wasn't mad at him. Again, this woman had never once showed hatred towards him. Even after putting Kagome in danger multiple times, she still accepted him. It was a type of kindness he had never seen before. So this must be where Kagome had gotten her kindness from.

Speaking of Kagome...

The kid was now playing a game called 'hide and seek' with him. Before they started, Mrs. Higurashi had changed her into some of her toddler clothes, making it easier for her to walk around. After that, the kid had explained to him how the game works. Someone would be the seeker, and everybody else becomes the hider. Kagome wanted him to be the seeker, so here he was, easily finding Kagome for the fifth time in the row. She had no idea that his ears could easily catch the sound of which direction she was going, or that he could easily follow her scent. It upset her though, that no matter where she hides, he would always find her in less than a minute.

Kagome pouted as she crossed her arms. "No fair! 'Yasha cheated!"

Inuyasha snorted. "No I didn't. You're just bad at hiding." He noticed that her bottom lip was protruding, and realised that she was upset again. He decided to give in this time. "How about you hide again, and I'll try to find you? Hide in a better place this time."

Her face instantly lightened up as if she had gotten this new crazy idea on where to hide. It was worrisome. "Okay!"

He closed his eyes and counted to twenty. He heard Kagome's feet padding on the floor and the front door being open. It doesn't matter if she went out, he could still hear the faint sound of her footsteps. He heard the sound of the well house door being slid open, and then the sound disappeared from there. He smirked. Nineteen, twenty.

He started to pretend searching for her. To make this work, he went outside so that she could hear him and know where he was. He could smell her scent at the well house, and knew she was still in there. "Kagome! Where are ya hiding ya little squirt?"

He could hear her muffled giggle in the well house, and a small smile tugged at his lips. As he was about to call her again, he heard her scream, and he was already forcefully slamming the well house door open. In there, Kagome was waving her hands frantically and running around. "Cockroach!"

She saw him, and instantly made a beeline towards him. She hugged his leg, and he wasted no time to step on the bug. A crunchy squish could be heard, before the disgusting scent of the cockroach hit his nose. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, before shifting his gaze towards the now sobbing child.

"C-Cockroach attack 'G-Gome," she said in between sobs and clenched her fist at his hakama. She looked up to him, and there were tears at the corner of his eyes. "'Y-Yasha saved 'Gome."

He crouched down at hugged the child. She allowed her face to be buried into his chest. He softly patted her back. "Shh... It's okay, kid. I killed it already, and you saw it."

She nodded and answered with a muffled, "Thank you."

Yup, that's enough hide and seek for now.

"Inuyasha, I have to bring Grandfather to the hospital because he's been having a fever. Are you sure you don't want me to take Kagome with me? I don't want to give you too much trouble taking care of her."

What was this woman saying? He was the one that allowed Kagome to turn into a child in the first place. Why was she acting as if this was her fault? "I don't mind taking care of Kagome," he said, and Kagome nodded vigorously at his side. "I'm the one who allowed this to happen. I promise I'll take care of her."

Mrs. Higurashi gave him a sympathetic smile, before flicking her gaze at her daughter. She crouched down and pushed a strand of her daughter's hair above her ear. "You be a good child now, alright? I don't want you to be giving Inuyasha too much trouble."

"'Gome be good!"

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled, before giving her goodbyes to him and her daughter. She led the old man out of the door, and Inuyasha waited until her footsteps were no longer in his hearing range. He turned his head to look at Kagome, who was busy drawing pictures with these things called "crayons". Mrs. Higurashi had given them to her after their game of hide and seek, since Kagome no longer wanted to play that game anymore.

He was about to do something other than stare at Kagome, but the kid stopped him before he could do so. "'Yasha, look!"

He glanced at her, and his eyes widened at the picture she drew. He made his way closer to her, and sat beside her. On the paper, there was a figure in red with white hair, and beside it, was a girl with black hair. Even if he could barely recognise himself in the picture, he still knew it was him. "Is that me?"

"Mhm," she hummed, before pointing towards the girl beside him. "That's 'Gome!"

She didn't have to say it for him to know, but he nodded anyway. He smiled at her, before commenting, "It's pretty."

"Thank you!" she chirped. Abruptly, she blinked a few times, before a wide yawn escaped her lips. Her eyes were half-lidded, and a lazy smile appeared at her lips. "'Yasha pretty... too..."

He blushed at her words. He then lifted her up with one arm, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. It was obvious that the kid needed some sleep. He made his way to Kagome's bedroom, and laid her gently over the bed. She dug her feet into her blankets, before pulling the sheets over her body. She stared at him with those half-lidded eyes, and yawned again. He couldn't help but chuckle softly at her expression, and he sat down on the floor, right beside her bed. He started patting her slowly, and he was startled when her palm touched his cheek.

"'Yasha tell story?"

He glowered at her, and she smiled innocently at him, even if she was pretty much failing to keep her eyes opened. He sighed, before nodding. There was one story he remembered that his mother had told him before she died. "'Kay, but you gotta sleep after that, got it?"

So he started telling her a story about a king and queen in a land. She half-listened to him as she nodded with those sleepy eyes. Soon, her breathing slowed down, and she finally fell asleep.

His mind returned to conciousness when he felt someone caressing his cheek. He slowly lifted his eyelids, and found Kagome – who had returned back to her normal, teenage self – stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"Hey," she greeted. Right now, she was lying down at her side, her head propped on her elbow. She smiled at him. "Thank you for taking care of me, Inuyasha."

He realised that he had fallen asleep after staring at Kagome's sleeping face for hours. It was just so relaxing, that he didn't realise when he laid his head on the mattress and slept while he was still in a sitting position on the floor. But wait – did Kagome just thanked him for taking care of her? Did she remember all the things he did when she was a kid?

As if she had read his thoughts, she laughed. "Yeah, I remember. Every single second of it."

He lowered his head in embarrassment. He didn't have to see his own face to know that it was as red as his firerat. Gods, he wished that she didn't have to remember. He thought it would all go away once she had reverted back to her normal self, but that doesn't seem to be the case. "Dammit."

She laughed again, and sat up straight. He realised that she had changed into one of her modern clothes. How long had he been asleep anyway? It must be pretty long if Kagome had the chance to change before he could be awake. But Kagome interrupted his thoughts when she said, "Honestly, you're going to be a great father one day."

His face felt warmer. "'Don't think so," he mumbled.

"I think so," she said, and moved her face closer to his. A playful smirk appeared on her lips. "And it's going to be with my kids."

He rubbed his eyes, and stared at her face.

He must be dreaming.

"Nope, you're not dreaming Inuyasha."

No, he wasn't dreaming.

Not at all.

A/N: Whew! That was a long chapter. I didn't know how to end it, so I kept on writing until I found a suitable place for an ending. I even cut off half of the ideas I planned on writing because it was getting too long. Not sure if this could be considered as an AU or not, but just imagine that this is an AU where Kagome turns into a child.

And only one more chapter to go to finish InuKag week. I'm so late at finishing this, I know. The next chapter will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for reading.