Despite the endless shower of affection being shown by the new loving couple, there was still a certain half-demon passed out from a beating he had received not too long ago. Although it should have been nothing to him, Inuyasha's emotional state had also been attacked which only doubled the pain he had from Koga's relentless assault. As he lay in the dirt curving his body to huddle into himself, his loss of consciousness threw him into a state of delirium in which he saw a tunnel of white and blue light coming toward him and in that tunnel walked a familiar figure of a woman who was shrouded by black shadows. Inuyasha was down on his back completely motionless on the path that the figure was walking and it appeared that the woman was walking closer and closer to him.

Inuyasha, can you hear me? Inuyasha, you must wake up! Wake up, Inuyasha.

He did not move. He just stared off into the direction of the woman to see if he could identify her but to no avail. The white light was too blinding that even with his demon senses he couldn't detect any scent from her, but the voice was ringing in his ear. He recognized it from somewhere.

Listen to me carefully, Inuyasha, the person you care for most in this world will be stripped away from you if you don't do something to stop it.

"The person I care for the most?" he repeated to the figure.

Yes, she is going to be stolen away from you by a demon because you let him steal her heart from you. She loved you first, Inuyasha, but because you became naïve and distant towards her, Kagome's heart now belongs to another.

"Kagome?" he thought out loud "Kagome… is going to be taken away?"

As Inuyasha searched through his memory so he could try and recall the day's events, he remembered what had happened and was disgusted at himself. He had told Kagome that he didn't care for her at all. He had told her that he would always love Kikyo first and nothing could change that. He labeled their relationship as "nothing" and if that hadn't been bad enough he smacked her brutally across the face which sent her flying in the air. Inuyasha could distinctly remember the red smear of blood on his knuckles that was clearly hers. Then Koga showed up and gave Inuyasha a beating which he promptly deserved and would likely never forget.

"It's better this way," he finally said, "Kagome deserves much better than me and Koga can give her that happiness." Inuyasha's voice was filled with a sense of defeat and sadness.

"Kagome is much better off without me in her life. She was right when she said that I'm just full of myself and all I think about are my own feelings. That's why I pushed her away with my words, so I wouldn't have to get my heartbroken again. She deserves someone who will always put her first and who will only love her first. I can't that for her, but Koga can."

Inuyasha hated Koga and he hated losing to Koga even more than that, but seeing as Koga could make her happy he was willing to make this sacrifice for her seeing as it was going to be one of the last things he would do for her.

Is this your final decision, Inuyasha? You're going to give up on Kagome that easily?

"Yes."

As his answered reached the woman's ears, she was finally close enough to him that he could see who she was. She crouched in front of his motionless body with her long black hair draping over her shoulders and her black eyes staring deep into his own. Her white pale fingers reached out to hold his face in her hands and stroked his cheeks tenderly and her usual ice-like demeanor of a face rose into a sincere smile.

If that is what you wish.

Kikyo stood up and held out her hand towards Inuyasha offering to help him up. Inuyasha took her hand in hopes that maybe it would place his mind back into reality and as he took her hand and she brought his body up, Kikyo manifested an arrow in her other hand that was made of her own spiritual energy that glowed the same shade of pink as the Shikon no Tama and with that arrow she plunged the arrow in the same place she had shot it into his chest 50 years ago. Inuyasha's face flushed in shock and pain as he winced at the feeling of her arrow piercing through his skin once again.

This is for your own good. You have to face this endeavor and you must overcome it.

The shock from the arrow jumped Inuyasha back into reality where he was on the ground and Kagome was away from him locking lips with Koga almost vigorously. Normally, this would have sent him off into a vengeful frenzy with his Tetsusaiga clashing against Koga's claws and one of them walking away more bloody than the other, but his reaction could only be summed up into one work: broken. The sight of him and her locked in each other's embrace was far more heartbreaking than he could have anticipated. As he brought up his beaten body to stand up, he just stared over at them with a look that would remind one of a puppy who had just watched his owner abandon him in the stormy rain. He clenched a hardened fist over his chest where he thought his heart was supposed to be and dropped his head and although his head was covered he managed to muster a smirk.

"So this was the pain you were talking about, huh, Koga?" he mumbled to himself realizing that the wounds he had on his body paled in comparison to the emotional pain he had inflicted on Kagome's heart. With this realization in mind, Inuyasha walked over to the hot and heavy couple trying to keep up however much pride he had left. The closer he got to the two, the more he silently begged his heart to shut up so that they wouldn't notice the sound of it shattering. When his shadow casted over them, Kagome looked up and immediately pushed herself off of Koga's lap and fell backwards. Koga's head snapped back to see Inuyasha's figure and instantly jumped up in a fighting ready stance.

"Ya came for 'nother beatin there, mutt-face? 'Cause I'll gladly take ya on, I don't think you've fully understand how much Kagome has suffered because of you!" he raised his fist in the air prepared to strike.

"Koga, stop it!" she yelled from behind him.

"No, Kagome, it's alright," Inuyasha retorted, "He's right, I deserve whatever punishment that comes at me. I was so angry and I hurt you so much. I was such a fool. You didn't deserve such hatred."

Both Koga's and Kagome' eyes widened in disbelief and shock as Inuyasha just spilled out how he had truly felt about everything that happened leading up to this moment.

"Kagome, I had a very good reason for my actions. I had to keep you at a distance because I figured it would be better for you and for us. I had been trying to fight back the feelings that I had for you because I knew if I told these feelings and accepted them then we would have become lovers and, as happy as that would have made me, there is a huge risk being together with me."

"What risk?" Kagome asked completely engrossed in his story.

"You already know the story about how Naraku deceived Kikyo and me all those years ago. He was able to crush us so easily because we were blinded by our love and we couldn't stand the fact that the person who we loved more than anything could hurt us this much. As a result, we became naïve and our blindness of love turned to hate and I was sealed for fifty years and Kikyo lost her life. I couldn't allow something so horrible happen to someone I love a second time. I cursed myself every day for having these feelings because the more I loved you, Kagome, the more pain I would have caused."

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

As Inuyasha continued talking, Kagome could feel the truth in his words and with every word he spoke her heart pounded harder and harder against her chest. She clenched a fist over her heart and prayed that Koga couldn't hear it. It wouldn't matter if Koga had heard it; he could look at the deep color of red that had stained her face and he'd know she was enthralled by him. Koga tried to listen to the mutt's story, but his patience was growing thin with each pound of her heart.

"And so, Kagome," Inuyasha concluded, "I am so sorry."

"Hmph, so even you can be sentimental when you want to be, huh, mutt-face?" Koga retorted with a sneer.

Inuyasha disregarded his comment and just had his eyes locked on Kagome the whole time. He had hoped that what he told her had crossed her heart so it could heal over the wounds he had originally inflicted on her. He thought that perhaps, with a small miracle, Kagome's heart could be mended again and she could forgive him. Koga could feel the intense stare Inuyasha was giving off which made him even more anxious. He had already been tapping at his forearm to keep his hand busy from punching the dumb mutt in the face, but the more Inuyasha stared the harder Koga clawed at his arm.

"So, can you forgive me?" Inuyasha continued gazing off into Kagome's eyes.

She was silent for a moment.

"Kagome?" the two demons asked in suspense of her answer.

"Inuyasha," she started.

"Yes?"

She took in a deep breath, smiled at him, and brushed her hand to his cheek.

"Thank you so much for telling me the truth. I appreciate it, I really do, but I really wish that you had told me this earlier because maybe, if you had, we could have been together."

Kagome dropped her hand from his cheek and stood by Koga's side and held his hand in hers. Inuyasha could feel his chest tighten. The worst was still to come.

"But, maybe you were right. If we had been together, Naraku would stop at nothing to separate us and probably kill us in the process. I thank you for telling me how you really felt about me, but it's too late for us now. You say that you're over Kikyo, but how do I know if you won't go running off the second you hear her name? I love Koga and he loves me and there's nothing you can say to change that. We can still be together, Inuyasha, but only as friends. I can still help you look for the Sacred Jewel shards. You and I together with Sango and Miroku and Shippo, but I want to live with Koga from now on and I want you to accept my decision. You and Koga hate each other, I understand that, but deep inside you must know that I'm going to be much happier with him, don't you?"

Although Koga didn't show it, he was elated by Kagome's words. She had truly grown to love him as much as he loved her and decided to choose him over Inuyasha. With his spare hand, Koga covered half of his face so she couldn't see how red his tanned skinned face had become. Despite his happiness, Koga couldn't help but feel sorry for Inuyasha as he stood there broken beyond compare. He was staggering on the lines of heartbreak and depression. Inuyasha knew from the very beginning that he wouldn't have been able to change her mind, but he grew hopeful and wanted to see if telling her the truth about how he felt and being straight about it then maybe that could have been enough. Inuyasha gave himself a defeated smile and dropped his head then staggered over towards Kagome to slowly hang his head in defeat on her shoulder. He buried his head in her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her into him so she could not escape. Kagome was taken off her balance and staggered backwards away from Koga and had to grip onto Inuyasha's back to hold herself steady.

"Inuyasha, what are you . . ."

"You win, Kagome," he whispered in her ear, "you can be with Koga, I won't stop you."

Kagome was shocked a little but she smiled and slowly eased her arms around him. She pushed him slowly off of her and asked him if he could tell the others of her decision and he accepted. Koga quickly grabbed her arm and yanked her in the direction of their new home. He wouldn't tell her right then, but Koga would later tell Kagome that he was jealous of the fact that even after all that strife she went through with the pathetic mutt she would let him hug her like that and even smile at him. Koga picked up Kagome and threw her over onto his back and were about to head off when a certain hand ripped Kagome off of Koga and swung her into Inuyasha's body with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and another holding her hand warmly in his hand and his lips pressed firmly against hers. Koga turned around abruptly to just see the cur kissing his soon-to-be wife.

Kagome was more shocked than anyone. The feel of his surprisingly hot and eager lips moving around hers and his tongue wrapping around her tongue feeling the sweet texture of inside her mouth sent a jolt of new rapture that Kagome had not experienced before. When Inuyasha pulled her in closer into him and maneuvered his tongue deeper into her mouth the sensation grew like a raging forest fire. With the lingering feel of his tongue in her mouth, Inuyasha reluctantly pulled away and placed one last kiss on her flushed lips. The enchantment of the kiss was broken, and Inuyasha gave Kagome back to the now murder lusting wolf demon. He smiled confidently and walked off, but with a few parting words.

"Yo, flea-bag!" he hollered back at them with his hand waving in the air, "if I find out that you made Kagome cry for any reason at all, I'll skin your hide and hack you to bits!"

"Why that mangy lil good for nothing-"

Koga was cut off by Kagome's hand tugging at his with her eyes gazing up at him as if she was begging for something.

"Hey, Koga," she whispered to him, "Take me home."

Koga grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his face and pressed it firmly against his cheek and kissed her fingers. The light brushing of his lips on her fingers sent an exciting twinge into her body which made Kagome smile. Koga looked down at her innocent smile and remembered how-as he believed it to be-Inuyasha kissed upon that smile that he had broken once before and became slightly enraged. He gently dropped her hand from his cheek and looked her directly.

"Hey Kagome," he grumbled roughly, "can you do me a quick favor before we leave?"

"Sure, Koga, what is it?"

"Open your mouth for me, would ya?"

"Uh, okay."

She didn't know how or why this could benefit to him but it was an easy enough request and so she followed suit. With her mouth nearly wide open and her tongue out, Koga just stared at her and cupped her chin and leaned in somewhat forcefully and crashed against her lips. His lips encircled around hers in perfect sync and connection that there was barely any room to draw breath. Wherever his tongue touched while exploring the walls of her mouth left behind a welling of amazing heat and pleasure that resonated throughout her. His hands clasped around her waist and brought her into his body and grinded his body against hers as his hands crawled up her backside and grabbed a handful of hair and tilt her head back to rip apart their heavy kiss so he could bring the same pleasure down to her neck. Koga's heavy breathing on her skin was almost like a tease, he knew what she wanted him to do to her but he kept himself at bay just to make her crazy. Koga breathed heavily over the small nape of her neck just to feel Kagome's body shiver and move in anticipation. He made a quick glance at her face to see the aching and feverish look in Kagome's eyes and smiled. He smiled like a wolf about to pounce on a poor helpless rabbit and just like the wolf he was, Koga sank his fangs onto her neck and gnawed on her. He rotated his head side to side to make his fangs trace around her neck before finally biting her playfully. Kagome's voice slipped out in a very high and seductive voice that gave Koga the incentive to continue "eating" her as he pleased, but before he could he had to make one small announcement.

He pulled away from her neck and stood up straight to give the illusion he had actually calmed himself.

"Kagome," he started, "you and I are going to start a whole new life together. We belong together, you and I, so you have to promise me something: don't let any man kiss you the way that mongrel did! I'm the only one who can make you feel this way! You got that?!"

His approach may have seemed a little violent had it not been for the streak of crimson running across his face. Koga was blushing from ear to ear and Kagome couldn't help but laugh half-heartedly under her breath. She smiled warmly at the love-crazed wolf and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"I hear you, Koga, and I promise I won't let that happen."

With new found confidence in himself and his bride-to-be, Koga whipped Kagome into his arms and pressed her firmly to his chest and dashed off to the wolf demons den where Koga could finally finish devouring his wife where they had left off earlier that afternoon.