Inuyasha couldn't think. He couldn't move. He wasn't even sure he could breath. His eyes stayed still on the girl before him. Even as she fell to her knees, his eyes stayed on her.

And he couldn't react.

Sango and Miroku beat him to it.

"Kagome?" They both chorused, running to the girl.

The name seemed to break him from his trance and all of his thoughts slammed together before he could discern them. Kagome, his Kagome, his Kagome that was never coming back. His Kagome that was back in the feudal era. His Kagome….

The emotions beat out his thoughts, raining on him so heavily he thought for a second he'd fall from the weight of them. His eyes burned but he didn't blink them. Guilt, dread, fear, pain rushed through him. But something else, something else he'd never felt before. A light in his heart he didn't recognize suddenly lit up and took his breath away. His Kagome was back. He just barely believed it.

Miroku and Sango rushed to her side, skidding to a halt when they caught clear sight of her.

"Kagome?" Miroku asked again in sheer disbelief. She didn't look the same anymore, aged like they had, but there was no doubt who she was.

"That demon got him." Her brows knit together and her eyes never moving from the ground.

"We'll get him back Kagome!" She was barely aware of Shippou tugging at her arm.

"What's going on here?" Sango asked her eyes trailing over the sudden commotion. Her mind still spun but her demon fighting training kept her sharp. She sucked in the scene, while both amazed that Kagome was back, still focused on the problem at hand.

She still held her weapon tightly, eyes barely flickering to the woods to assure herself the demon was gone.

Shippou abruptly stood up on Kagome's behalf. "We need to find that boy. We came looking for him."

Sango stayed for half a second and her mind clicked. "Kawayou, you know him?" She replayed the last few minutes in her head and her breath fell away. "He's your son?" The very impact of the words made her and Miroku take another step back.

Shippou cringed and looked back at Kagome. But the girl didn't budge from her spot, her fingers clenching absently over her bow.

Sango looked up to catch eyes with Miroku. And as the thought struck them both, they fell back. The path in front of Kagome opened.

The girl finally pulled her head up, her eyes finally landing upon the dog demon ten feet away.

Inuyasha's hair caught in the wind, his wide amber eyes glimmering. His arms stayed by his side, legs slightly spread, and he stood unmoving.

Inuyasha couldn't think, any chance he had was blown away when the miko met his gaze.

He closed his mouth, the rush of her scent becoming so vivid in the air, he closed his eyes too.

He'd heard them speaking, but the words didn't sink it. Inuyasha's muscles suddenly stiffened. And he did the only thing he could think of. For the first time in his life, Inuyasha turned and ran.

~*~

A/N: don't shoot me! I swore this chapter was supposed to be longer. But apparently I found I had 3 different chapter 12s on my computer. Which confused me to the point I could only assume those were supposed to be 13 and 14 too. Buttt I'll post the next update early to make up for it. And yes, this is the part of the story where there is a lot of Kag/Inu interaction in the next chapters.

Oh, and if any one read the manga, is there anything the animated series left out about Kouga?

I'm gathering my knowledge through general consensus