Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own InuYasha or any of the other characters.

{A/N:} I apologize SO much guys! My mom, not that I'm blaming her or anything, reprogrammed, or something, our computer cause it got a virus from LimeWire, I suspect. Unfortunately, my chapter that I was working really hard on got deleted. But I'm over my writers block so I'm ready to write!

I would like to thank all of you who have favorited my story, who have added me to their author subscribing list, story subscribing list, and to my reviewers!

My thanks goes to:

(these are in no particular order. It's just how they are in my inbox.)

moonlight ookami, Thesta, TyniNightmare, Animefreak Rin, sadtenshi, llebreknit, Silently-Spoken, Lady Kira94, starfire1994, foxwolfinulover, and Fiary Demon26

That may not seem like bunches to some of you but to me, it means alot. :)

Oh. Another thing. These characters may be somewhat OOC but the upside to this problem is that I'm free to do that (as long as I disclaim it!). XD

Chapter 3: Realization

You go there, you're gone forever
I go there, I'll lose my way
We stay here, we're not together
Anywhere is
To leave the thread of all time
and let it make a dark line
in hopes that I can still find
the way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to
begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish
It's either this or that way
it's one way or the other
it should be one direction
it could be on reflection
the turn I have just taken
the turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end

-Enya

Sango quickly surveyed the mess below her from atop Kilala. Her heart thumped savagely in her chest, threatening to burst out, as she looked at the furrows in the ground. Her imagination ran wild, thinking maybe Kagome had been caught in InuYasha's furious path. Maybe he had lost his temper, lost his sword and killed Kagome and they just hadn't found her mangled body yet. Maybe something much worse had happened...

Sango shuddered.

When she voiced her fears the the monk behind her, he pushed them away saying, "Kagome is too hurt to be out here Sango. Kaede wouldn't have let her up out of her cot."

Sango scoffed, nudged for Kilala to stop, and turned her eyes to meet his."Seriously Miroku. Do you think Kagome would let these two fight-"

"Yes."

"-over this? Look at it from Kouga's perspective: He's already trusting InuYasha somewhat to protect Kagome. Otherwise, Kouga would never leave her alone. But InuYasha betrayed Kouga's trust and left Kagome unguarded. I know Kagome can handled herself to a certain extent but she's not strong enough to beat off every demon that comes her way. Anyways, seeing Kagome like this hurts Kouga, I think. It probably makes him feel like he failed in protecting the one that he loves."

Miroku's eyes narrowed slightly,"And how do you know all of this?"

Sango shrugged,"I don't. That was purely guess it's what I would feel like."

"Hmm. Well," he looked thoughtfully at her,"You described the feelings quite accurately."

She nodded her head focused her attention back to the disastor below her. She nudged for Kilala to begin flying again, searching for a safe place to land. After a few seconds she saw a clear spot on the left edge of the decent-sized clearing.

She pointed to it and said,"There, Kilala! Land there!"

The cat briefly nodded her understanding and turned left, flying to it.

"What are we doing?" came a soft voice from behind Sango.

"Shippo?" Miroku's voice asked. She felt shuffling behind her. The voice got louder until the source was in her lap, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes.

"Are we going to find Kagome?" he asked. Sango smiled, although she wasn't sure if Shippo would want to see her, depending on her condition.

"Yes, Shippo, we are." Sango answered softly. Shippo smiled back at her gratefully before his smile turned into a surprised look as Kilala landed, throwing him off. Hands caught the tiny demon.

Miroku chuckled. "Be careful Shippo. This ground isn't very soft."

Sango laughed along with Miroku as she unmounted Kilala and put Shippo down. Miroku slid off seconds later, allowing Kilala to revert to her tiny self.

Sango looked around."Maybe we should look in the woods. We already saw from the sky what was out in the clearing."

Shippo and Miroku agreed. They walked around or over fallen trees. Reaching the treeline, Sango paused. Miroku stepped beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What is it?"

Sango looked from the dark trees to his concerned face. She shook her head and muttered,"Nothing."

That wasn't going to pass with him though. He pulled her back with the hand on her shoulder."No. What is it? Do you sense something?"

She sighed, realizing she wasn't getting out of her situation without explaining to him."Well, if you must know...I was just thinking-"

She motioned behind her at the destroyed land."InuYasha did this. Or something else did. Just imagine that he's probably around. He might even be demonized. Or, the something might still be here. I just don't want to go running in there because something might be waiting for us."

Miroku's hand disappeared from her shoulder and his staff was in fighting position."True. I hadn't thought of that."

"I'll be just a minute Kouga," Kagome said abruptly,"I need some time to think."

In truth, she didn't want to go in there and explain why she was there. True, no one would dare ask except Ginta and Hakkaku but that was still explaining to someone. She didn't want to have to relive the nightmare of InuYasha all over again. The look on his face as he prepared to kill her.

Kouga looked down to her,"Well, I'll think with you."

Kagome smiled,"I know you want to protect me after what just happened, but I swear I'll be fine out here. He wouldn't come to find me, not after what just happened."

"I know that but I still don't feel right leaving you here alone."

"Listen, I'll be out here for just a minute. If I need you, I'll call for you."

She searched his eyes, looking for any sign that he was cracking but his eyes were unreadable.

"Please." she pleaded.

She waited. And waited.

And finally-

"Okay." he swooped down, wrapped his arms around her upper back gently, and placed a kiss on her cheek. He kept his arms around her for a minute and Kagome couldn't deny the warm sensation she felt in her heart. This felt good. Someone who genuinely cared for her, who loved her, was there before her.

Kouga sighed as he pulled back. "I'll be right inside the cave. If he, or anything for that matter, comes, call me and, like before, I'll be here in a second."

She nodded to show she understood. Kouga leaned her against a boulder so that she could stand.

He looked at her for a second longer and turned on his fur-covered foot. He was gone before she could blink twice.

Kagome sighed too, but it wasn't because she was defeated or giving up; it was because she was still shaken. To hear Kouga confirm her worst nightmare of InuYasha willingly going demon changed her outlook on the situation. Before, she thought,Okay, it was an accident. He would never do such a dangerous thing! But now....now she realized he hadn't cared. He was determined to accomplish one thing: To kill Kouga.

Scary thing is that he might have. Had she never came and listened to Kaede, she wasn't sure that he would have lived. Kouga's strong, yes, but InuYasha had nothing holding him back. No thought of what Kagome would think; no compassion; nothing. Kouga might pick fights with InuYasha but he had never really tried to kill him before.

A shiver ran throughout Kagome.

A breeze ran its fingers through her hair, throwing it gracefully behind her shoulders and making it dance. Kagome closed her eyes and slightly raised her arms, combing her fingers through the breeze, feeling it swirl around her fingertips and continuing on with its journey.

The wind seemed to engulf her, protect her, to sing to her. Kagome managed to maneuver her way to the ground without touching the rock. The ache in her back flared up.

Whispers erupted around her. Ancestors from a hundred years ago sang,

'Ergo radius solis et umbra,'

'Ignis, aqua caelum, luna,'

'Terra, stella, hierns et aestas,'

'Autumnus et tempus vernum...'

Although she couldn't speak ancient Japanese, she could understand they meant to comfort her and Kagome suddenly felt at peace. Every feeling of dread, hopelessness, and agony of realizing what really happened were gone. Oh, she remembered that they had happened, but she no longer cared. For the first time in a long time, she smiled and her heart felt lighter.

She kept her eyes closed for a long time, basking in the sunlight shining on her and the contentment within her. Her pain vanashed, along with her depressing feelings.

Kouga watched her, his eyes curious. By the look on her face, she was complacent. It made him smile, too. His fingers itched to touch her, to hold her and share her happiness.

'Ergo,'
'Terra, stella,'
'Hiems et aestas,'

The murmur in his ear made him flinch with surprise, but not with fear. He had heard them before. The time when all his comrades had been slaughtered, they sang him into calmer waters. They, and Kagome, were the reason he hadn't flown off the deep end, though he was tempted to do so.

He couldn't handle the thought of his lost brothers anymore. He took, or rather, tried, to take a step forward. His foot took the step, but the rest of him stopped as though it had met some sort of shield.

"Kagome!" he cried, struggling to reach her. He stopped his efforts as, to his amazement and horror, she began to rise in the air, still and continuing to smile. It was eerie, to be truthful, the way she looked as though she was still sitting on the ground, legs crossed under her, Indian-style.

To his trained eyes, he could see the shimmers of a faint pink light forming around her. It looked like her miko light she used in dire times to ward off demons or to purify them.

Not wanting to be purified if he was correct and she was to lose control over her powers, he started to moved to hide behind something. As he pulled back, he noticed nothing happened. He hadn't moved his foot, as he thought he had. He was paralyzed!

Suddenly, there was pink light everywhere. The smile on her face disappeared. Her body snapped straight and it seemed as though someone had grabbed her chest and yanked forward, the way her legs and arms flew behind her. She rose into the sky and she began to spin slowly. She stopped, facing him. She opened her eyes, now glowing pink and smiled to him. With one last burst of light, the light ceased and she began to fall. Without thinking, he ran to her and didn't stop to think of how he had gotten through the barrier. When he didn't feel like waiting on her to come to him on the gorund, he jumped into the air and caught her. Feeling her in his arms....what a feeling. The void in his heart was immediately filled with her cleansing soul.

Landing nimbly on the boulder, he searched her face, looking for changes or seeing if she was hurt. When he was satisifed, he gently laid her on the flat top of the rock and shook her.

"Kagome, baby," he whispered, leaning in and resting his forehead on hers. He felt her heart stutter and a small moan escaped her lips.

"Kou...ga...."

He snapped backwards,"I'm right here Kags, like I always am."

Her eyes fluttered and opened.

"Kouga...I'm so tired...."

He grinned, glad nothing too serious was wrong except a bout of the sleepiness.

"Well baby, I'll take you in so that you can rest." he murmured, stroking the side of her face.

"Please."

Okay guys! Review and tell me what you think!

Sorry it isn't longer but I'm so tired and I wanted to get something up tonight. :)

Ohmygosh! I can't believe how well this is working out! This entire story is being made up as I go so for this to come out like it did, it's, well, nothing sort of a miracle!

P.S. I know the thing with InuYasha transforming so easily may not match up with the real stuff but I enjoyed writing it that way so...yeah.