The next morning, I woke with the same anxious feeling, I'd had since falling into a restless sleep. I realized how dark the room was, and turned my head towards the window, where I could see the barest amount of sunlight falling lazily across the windowsill. It was early, too early to get up, at least that's what I told myself. I laid down for a while, staring up at my white ceiling, willing myself to forget what had happened yesterday—the fight, the look on Inuyasha's face, and the way I felt afterwards, I willed it all to go away. But after staying up for most of the night, replaying the argument in my mind, it was practically seared into my memory. Regret washed over me, and I closed my eyes. It couldn't be real.

Sitting up, I did my best to stifle a face-splitting yawn, blinking a few times to get the sleep out of my eyes. I ran my fingers through my long, dark hair, and then let my head rest in my hands. My mind continued to conjure scenes from yesterday's skirmish, and I sat there, mulling them over. As hard as I tried, I couldn't figure out how everything had gone so horribly wrong. Shaking my head, I went down to the kitchen for a glass of water, sipping it as I made my way back to my bedroom.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, and placed my half-empty glass on my nightstand beside my pink phone. Had he tried to call me?

I snatched my cell and opened it, checking the screen: no new messages, no missed calls. My heart sank. Should I call him? I picked at the material of my soft yellow sheets, debating. I dialed his number, and listened while it rang until his voicemail picked up. I closed my eyes and snapped the phone shut, letting out a deep sigh. What now?

I glanced around my room and my eyes caught Inuyasha's red jacket I still had draped over my desk chair. In his anger, he'd forgotten to take it back, and the sight of it brought me to an all-time low. Resigned, I got up and dressed in jeans and a light sweater, thinking some fresh air would be good.

Walking outside, I folded my arms across my chest and kept my eyes on the ground, putting one foot in front of the other. Without being fully aware of the direction my feet were taking me, I found myself at the lake. The sun had risen barely above water level, causing specks of light to glitter across the surface. Transfixed, I trailed off the beaten path, stopping at the edge of the grass. I took my shoes off, making my way over to the water. I stood for a while, staring in the distance. I'd always loved it here, warm and serene, but it felt different without him. The wind picked up, and I wrapped my arms tighter around my middle, berating myself for not bringing a jacket. Too late now.

I stayed where I was, pondering the severity of the situation. I pulled my cell from the pocket of my jeans, still no messages. I thought about calling him, again, but thinking he'd just ignore it, I opted for a text, instead. Staring numbly at the keyboard, I finally wrote: "I'm at the park." I hit send, and waited. After what felt like hours, I decided it wasn't worth standing out in the cold any longer.

Just as I was about to turn around, I felt something heavy being draped around my shoulders. My breath hitched in my throat, as I imagined Inuyasha's smiling face behind me. I turned, and met a blue gaze.

"Hi," he breathed. His eyes were bright, and his cheeks were turning pink from the cold. Sweat glistened on his brow, as he stood in front of me, smiling.

"Hi." I said, dumbfounded. I hadn't expected to see him again, so soon. "What are you doing here?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Could ask you the same thing." His eyes wandered to the space beside me. "Where's your bodyguard?"

I blinked once, "Excuse me?"

His gaze came back to me, "You know, Mr. Possessive." He said, in a slightly mocking tone.

My brow furrowed, "I don't appreciate that, Koga." I told him, seriously. I started to remove his dark-blue windbreaker from my shoulders. "I'm going home," I said and took a step to the side, beginning to move away from him.

He stepped in the same direction, reaching out his hands to stop mine from removing his jacket. He kept his hands on my shoulders, patting it in place. "It's cold out here." I stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." He stared at me, innocently, dropping his hands to his sides.

"It's okay," I shivered and pulled his jacket tighter, the unfamiliar material caressed my cheek, and I frowned at the sensation. I shook my head and added, "Thanks for the jacket" My eyes met his.

"No problem." He said, returning my stare. We stood in silence for a few seconds.

Awkwardly, I asked, "So, what are you doing here?" My gaze moved a little to his left. It felt wrong to be here without Inuyasha, and even more so to be here with Koga.

He crossed his arms over the white wife beater he had worn underneath his windbreaker. "I was out for a run, and I noticed you standing here." He said nodding at where I stood. "Thought I'd say hi."

"Do you run every morning?" I asked, curiously.

He nodded. "Most of the time, with my dog." He said, smiling again, his pearly, white teeth contrasting sharply against his tanned skin.

My gaze went to the space beside him, indicating the missing canine. "He's not with you, today."

The smile left his face. He tilted his head to the side, staring at me. "Thought I'd go by myself today."

I raised an eyebrow, still avoiding his eyes, "Any particular reason?"

He tilted his head toward me, smirking. "If I said in hopes of seeing you, would you believe me?"

My gaze shot to his as I stared at him, and then, his smirk spread into a wide grin.

I smirked back at him and rolled my eyes. "Does that smile always work for you?

He laughed. "Most of the time."

I laughed with him, and for a moment, felt the tension lift from my shoulders. But my stomach dropped the second I looked up and saw Inuyasha, staring at us from the top of the hill. His hands were balled into fists, and his expression was contorted in rage. In his eyes, I saw betrayal. I felt a sudden weight in my chest, expanding until I felt completely rooted to the spot. I was speechless as he swiftly turned and started running away from me. I snapped out of my trance as a surge of adrenaline helped me to break away from Koga, throwing off his jacket, and racing after Inuyasha.

"INUYASHA, WAIT!"

But by the time I reached the spot where he'd stood, he was gone. I remained there, feeling numb, until I felt the pressure of Koga's hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked, first at his hand, and then at him. In his eyes, I saw sympathy. I let his hand stay where it was as I turned back to the space where Inuyasha had disappeared, my heart breaking as a feeling of utter hopelessness engulfed me.

I let Koga comfort me, but his hand, warm on my shoulder, felt wrong. It wasn't Koga I wanted to comfort me. We stood on that hill, as I flashed back to the last time I had been alone, and it was someone else holding me together.