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Kagome clenched her hands as she woke up, sighing softly. Inuyasha was carrying her on his back as he ran. "Mmmm. . ." she
sighed, and he slowed to a halt.
"You're awake." He remarked and lowered her to the ground.
"Yeah. . ." she said, rubbing her
eyes and trying to clear the cobwebs out of her mind. Suddenly it all came flooding back to her, everything that happened
the previous night. Her eyes locked with his amber and chocolate latched together. Kagome reached out slowly touching his
face. "Inuyasha."
He moved away from her. "Don't, Kagome." He had to pool all his strength into the small motion. It was the most difficult
thing he'd ever done.
Kagome pulled her hand back, feeling as though she'd been burned. "I'm sorry." Somehow, she'd thought that something
had changed, that maybe he had chosen her out of love. It was clear to her now, that Inuyasha was telling her he didn't want
her in any way, shape, or form. He was rejecting her.
Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his
eye. She didn't understand. Maybe someday she would. He flexed his hands sporadically, trying to resist the urge to pull her
to him, to tell her how much he loved her. But he did. He resisted. It was best, she would never be safe with him.
Kagome stood up, she felt numb. Before she knew what was happening, she was running, as fast as she could. She couldn't
stop. Her breath was coming heavily in her chest, and tears poured from her eyes, but they felt like they were being ripped
from her soul. She kept running, she couldn't feel her legs anymore, but she ran on blindly, as though she could outrun the
pain. Suddenly she fell, hitting the ground hard without even trying to soften the blow. She lay on the grass; heaving air
into her lungs, dry sobs breaking through her catching breath.
Inuyasha followed her at a safe distance.
He felt like the scum of the earth. He could smell her tears. With a hoarse groan, he knew he couldn't stop himself, he knew
he couldn't let her think he didn't love her. He couldn't.
His feet pounded the ground and he raced along,
following the trail of tears. He found her, laying face down in the grass, sobbing her soul out. "Kagome." He whispered.
"No." she said firmly, and tried to move away, but her energy was spent and her legs could not support her weight.
"Leave me alone Inuyasha." She croaked anguish filling her voice.
Inuyasha caught her as she fell, holding
her in his arms like a child. "Kagome."
"No!" she screamed, "I understand Inuyasha! I get it! You don't want me around you! You don't love me!"
"Stop
it!" he snapped angrily. "You don't understand anything."
Kagome stopped trying to get away. "I understand
enough." She refused to meet his eyes, and focused on the silvery sky through the canopy of tree limbs above.
"No
you don't." Inuyasha told her. Kagome looked at him in surprise at the feeling in his voice. "You don't."
Kagome
stared into his amber eyes, now a murky golden. "Then tell me. Tell me what's wrong with me. Make me understand."
"I don't want to hurt you, Kagome, but I love you too much." He said sadly. "Every person I have ever cared about died
terrible deaths. They all suffer because they choose to love me. I can't let that happen to you. The jewel. . . we have all
the pieces now." He told her, "You have to go home, Kagome."
Kagome shook her head wearily, "I'm not going
anywhere, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha refused to look at her, and focused his eyes away on some faraway unseen object. "You have to Kagome. I can't.
. .I have to know you'll be safe."
"Inuyasha. . ." Kagome whispered, catching his face in her hands and turning his face toward her. "Look at me." She
demanded softly. There was shadowed pain in those golden eyes. "I love you, Inuyasha. Nothing will change that, not even trying
to force me away."
He sat down heavily, leaning against a smooth-barked tree. He didn't say anything, but just pulled her against his
chest, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. The wild black mass smelled soft and sweet. It sent
his nose reeling and desperate for more of the scent. He made a decision, silently and unconsciously, that he would never
let her go. Nothing but his own death could separate him from this girl. Nothing would take him from Kagome.
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