It was like waking up from a restless night, coming to in a place you don't remember being before you slipped from consciousness. His body felt utterly exhausted, his head was pounding, and he could smell blood prevailing over the washing scent of rain. Inuyasha opened his eyes to find Kagome in his hold, his grasp, unable to remember when she'd gotten there, and as if his senses were picking back up to normal strength after a manual reboot, the smell of copper demanded his attention. It was on him. It was on her. He lifted his hands away, noticing the nails and pads of two fingers on his right hand were painted in Kagome's blood.

He'd hurt her.

What the fuck had happened?

He'd hardly heard her question when she spoke, but her expression said it all. She was overtly worried, crying, her cheeks a blustering pink from exertion, and when he finally answered, she hugged him tighter than she ever had before, shaking against him.

Instinctively, he held her in return, trying to support her the best way he could while he had no fucking idea what he'd just done to cause this. His left arm swung around her, his right hand still raised before him, the little bit of crimson doing its job to taunt him traumatically. Her blood felt heavy on his fingertips, the texture thick, hot, turning cold. The scent of it traveled back though his nasal passage to serve as acid pooling on his tongue, burning, painful, disgusting, making him clench his throat so it wouldn't sink down and threaten to make him heave.

Inuyasha thought to speak, to ask Kagome what was going on, but he recalled what he last saw before blacking out, his head quickly shooting to the side to find mistrusting eyes watching him all around. His focus was stolen, hearing Sango shout for someone to stop, to get off, and he looked over, feeling Kagome flinch away to look in the same direction as he. Suikotsu had Miroku pinned against the wall of the abandoned building, both of their faces red and furious and a little battered. Sango was running over, a brick in her hand, but Jakotsu quickly jerked her to a stop by crossing an arm around her waist, and her source of defense was dropped to the wet ground.

It was overwhelming, thinking hastily to figure out what to do first. Kagome had dropped her hold of Inuyasha, running toward Sango to help, and he almost snagged her to halt because that was a fucking stupid idea, but if he didn't break up the fight between Suikotsu and Miroku immediately, he knew with Suikotsu having the advantage that he did, he was going to start swinging until someone physically stopped him. So, he let Kagome go. He had to.

He raced to Miroku, yanking Suikotsu away with a piercing grip on his shoulder, making sure his claws dug in for added effect, and when enough space was created, he punched the guy in his diaphragm, supporting his weight for a small moment as he doubled over from the wind being sucked out of him, and then dropped him to the ground. As if both he and Miroku were on the same track, they both turned their attention to the girls, ready to get them out of harm's way but noticed both of them already speeding over, leaving Jakotsu on the floor, clutching his crotch in wheezing pain.

"Alright!" Bankotsu bellowed, his tone authoritative and working to end any further moves his men may have been contemplating. Knowing he was taken seriously, his eyes landed on Inuyasha, a smile forming on his lips. "Well, that's a fancy trick you've got up your sleeves. Where'd you learn that one?"

He had no idea what Bankotsu was referring to, but the last thing he wanted was for him to know. It made him appear weaker to pull some sort of stunt without knowledge of it, as opposed to keeping him thinking that whatever he'd done was skillfully planned. Instead of saying anything in response, he kept his glare solid on the leader. Silence was just as good an answer in this case. Bankotsu approached, slightly disheveled but looking better than every other lackey at his disposal, and Inuyasha took the opportunity to tuck Kagome behind him.

His hands, his push, his protection was tremendously gentle, softly grabbing her wrist and slowly guiding her behind him. Kagome didn't resist. Even when she was already safely hidden behind his back and he readjusted his hand, giving her hip another sensitive push away from him, she kept going. She knew what he wanted. She understood the message he was sending. Kagome continued to back away until his hands couldn't touch her anymore, and Sango tugged her sweater, urging her to stand with she and Miroku.

Bankotsu opened his mouth to speak, the click of his tongue and the sourness of his potential provocation ringing almost as clearly as if he'd actually had the opportunity to say what he'd wanted before the timely screeches of tires stopped in the street behind him. Red and blue lights flashed bright on the tops of several cars, bouncing off of building walls and shining on glistening skin, the labeled vehicles devoid of sirens but still serving their purpose all the same. Officers jumped out of their car doors, hands prepped on their holstered-pistols, approaching and ordering for everyone to remain frozen.

"Sango!?"

"Daddy!" Sango called, alerting him to her location. She saw him squeeze through the small crowd made up of police and teenagers, and she ran to him to let her worried father know she was perfectly fine.

The seven members were being attained, each of them getting cuffed, and as Bankotsu was pulled away from him, Inuyasha finally felt he could breathe. He turned back to Kagome, a beautiful smile of relief adorning her face, but he felt minimal. His feet were heavy, slapping in the small puddles as he crossed the distance to her, immediately grabbing the crook of her elbow and twisting her arm up to see the wound he'd inflicted, extremely careful not to hurt her further. The small sound that escaped her mouth made his heart thud painfully, and from the side he noticed her pinch her lips together, like she hadn't meant to make any sort of noise at all.

"What?" She asked.

"What did I do?" It was surprising to see him so startled, so shaken, staring at the back of her arm with wide eyes that the luminosity was finally returning to. It wasn't the normal vibrancy she liked, though. It was anxious, scared, unsettled and disturbed.

Still, it didn't immediately click for her, and from her own angle, she couldn't see what, exactly, he was looking at. All she saw was the wet, black sleeve of her sweater, and she couldn't maneuver to see better in his hold.

Inuyasha was tender, so tender, as he tried to pull the sleeve out of his way, but it was serving too difficult to see the extent of the damage he'd caused, and as much as he wanted to just rip the fucking thing open to end his madness, he was too fretful with the mere thought of using his claws so close to her skin.

Sango returned to their little group as her father went about getting things in order, picking up on exactly what was happening. She'd witnessed it. It was hard to miss. It was terrifying to watch. She could tell Miroku didn't much know how to help the situation with how concerned and agitated Inuyasha seemed, so Sango wedged herself in between it all, quickly offering her solution. "Here, let's take off her sweater."

Kagome cooperated, pulling her arm free while Sango gently yanked the black sleeve from the end of the cuff in the opposite direction, feeling the slight sting as the fabric of her clothes rubbed against the back of her arm. She realized, cluelessly late, what Inuyasha seemed so upset about now. Since he'd let go after coming to, not once had she thought about the painful grip he'd had on her. Not once had she felt the soreness since. It was lost in the back of her mind, washed away by adrenaline, and she wished it had stayed there. She wished she could have held the knowledge captive, starved it, let it die so Inuyasha never had to know. Because she knew, just from the self-detesting look on his face as he watched Sango help free her arm from the sweater, he was going to retreat behind a wall. A wall he'd worked so hard to come around.

The long sleeve of her white, button up school shirt was wrinkled from the dampness and having sat beneath her sweater sleeve for so long, and as Sango moved aside for him, Inuyasha once more pulled Kagome's arm up by her elbow, eyes colliding with the decently-sized blood stain on the back. He felt like he'd swallowed lead. His stomach was steadily sinking lower into his abdomen. He didn't want to pay attention to her pleading eyes boring into him. He didn't want to hear her say this wasn't his fault. The blood on his fingers may have been mostly wiped away when he grabbed Suikotsu's shoulder, but he had already seen it, the image burned vividly into his memory. What he wanted was an explanation. Inuyasha, still holding Kagome but lowering her arm slightly, turned his attention to Miroku, trusting he'd pick right up on the question in his furrowed brows.

"Your demon blood took over."

Inuyasha's brows pinched together even tighter, fully letting go of Kagome now. "What?"

"Full demon, buddy. You were a full demon. Do you remember anything?" Miroku asked, using the back of his thumb to check that he wasn't still bleeding from his nose. It had only been a small amount to begin with, but his skin was still hot from the hits he'd taken so he habitually kept checking just in case.

Feeling sicker than before, he shook his head unsurely in response.

"Has that ever happened before?"

"No." Again, Inuyasha shook his head. "You're sure?"

"I mean, no." Miroku shrugged, uncertainty holding in his expression. "I'm not a demon, I don't know what it's like, and I've never seen it before. But, you weren't yourself. You hardly even looked like yourself."

"Looked?" He inquired skeptically.

"To put it blunt, you scared the shit out of me." Miroku answered, straight faced, knowing his friend needed the truth. "It's a good thing we followed. God knows what could have happened."

"No…" Inuyasha tone was hoarse, eyes flickering away from Miroku to sit on the asphalt for a moment while he digested the information of his transformation. As ice crept through his veins like a slithering creature dragging its body through dark tunnels, forming nightmares and fear, the hanyou's sight transferred to Kagome, her eyes still large, forgiving, imploring. "Wh- why would - what made you think -"

"Hey! Kids!" Sango's father's voice was deep but calm, jerking all of their attentions his way. Three other officers approached behind him as he waved his hands to beckon them his way. "We need your individual statements. Sango, you're with me."

Kagome sat on the edge of a curb, her sweater beneath her butt to protect her from getting wet, her feet planted on the ground and knees clutched close to her chest. She hadn't looked at her thigh yet, but she'd felt the back of her tights, and she was surprised they were only a little ripped; telling her that her skin was merely sensitive, probably a little scraped, but she'd ultimately be fine with nothing more than irritated redness for a day or two. Sango had finished giving her statement first since she had the least amount of information to give on the entire ordeal, but the disgruntled look on her face told Kagome she'd only gotten part of the lecture of a lifetime from her dad with more to come when they were home. Miroku joined Sango next, having finished pretty quickly, and then Kagome went and sat with them as soon as she'd completed giving her side of the story, leaning her shoulder against Sango's as she watched Inuyasha give his statement in the far distance. His silver ponytail swayed with the nods and shakes he'd give with his head, and his hands hung listlessly by his side, communicating how calm and unanimated he was. She'd claim she was surprised, but with the events they'd all just experienced, she was passed that emotion today. It was like she was zoning, hyper-focused on Inuyasha, steadily becoming convinced that her tension would only decrease when he rejoined the group and sat next to her.

"How are you feeling? Your cheek's starting to ripen up." Sango softly spoke, intentionally keeping still so she wouldn't jostle the support she provided for Kagome while notching her head a bit to look at Miroku's bruise.

"It's fine. I'll slap a raw steak on it tonight and pretend I'm a badass when I have to walk around with a shiner in school tomorrow." He grinned, turning his palm upward so she could slip hers in his grip. "You okay? You weren't hurt were you?"

Sango shook her head, humming a no in reply. "This was kind of cool, though."

"You would think so." He chuckled, holding her hand a little tighter.

Kagome perked as Inuyasha slowly turned away from the cop he'd been speaking to, walking back to regroup but his hesitance was pronounced. Sango's dad, having stepped before the three on the curb then, waved his hand to usher the hanyou in just a little faster. Some of the squad cars had pulled away, transporting the cuffed assailants with them, the street emptying to just a couple remaining, flashing vehicles, their lights now brighter as the sun was setting behind the thick clouds, enhancing the darkness in the sky.

"Called your mom, and she's on her way." He said to Kagome, and she stiffened at the thought of how panicked her mother must be right now. It made sense that he'd taken the liberty to inform her mom of what had happened; he had her number stored in his phone having known Kagome since she was a little girl. He wasn't just her best friend's dad giving her mom a courtesy call, though. In that moment, he was an officer telling her mother something bad had happened. And, she knew her mom. She knew that even though Sango's dad most likely told her Kagome was fine, given her family's history, she wasn't going to take a full breath of air until she saw it, herself.

"Who can I call for you?" Sango's father asked Miroku, and Miroku was polite and punctual in handing over his own dad's phone number. Sango's dad turned to Inuyasha then, "And, you?"

"Oh, my uncle is too old for something like this. I can get myself home, it's not too far." He answered.

"We can -" Kagome spoke, about to offer him a ride, but Inuyasha interjected, his tone holding low and resolute.

"I can get myself home." He couldn't do it. He couldn't face her. He couldn't face her mom. He needed time to come to terms with everything, to accept what had happen, what could have happened, to think. He needed time to curse himself for hurting Kagome, to curse Kagome for not listening to him. He needed time to wash his fucking hands in scalding hot water to rinse the lingering scent of her blood away. He didn't care that it was a small amount; any amount was too much.

"Well, go now, then. Don't stop anywhere; go straight home." The officer instructed, walking away to call Miroku's parents.

Kagome stood, leaving her sweater on the ground. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"

"Fine." He answered. It was straight forward, brusque. Closed off.

A dull ache was forming in the center of Kagome's chest. He was looking at her when he said it. This wasn't subconscious, he was actively shutting her out.

"I've gotta go."

"But -"

"Stop." Inuyasha said, direct. "Not right now. I need to go."

Kagome's lips sealed, his words increasing the ache, more so because she'd caught the slight waver in his tone at the end. He turned, walking over to where the fight had begun, and she watched him all the while as he grabbed his book bag, hoisted it over his shoulder, winced slightly, the pain evident in the way his eyes shut and lips curved downward, recovering like nothing fazed him and grabbing her own bag for her on his way back over. He set it down beside her sweater, avoiding her gaze as he walked away.

Soft, cold fingers grabbed at her pinky, pulling Kagome's attention back to Sango. Her best friend made a grabby-hand motion, ushering Kagome to sit back down next to her, and when she did, Sango firmly wrapped her arms around Kagome's shoulders, pulling her head to comfortably lay against her chest.

"Give him space." She whispered. "I think that's what he needs most right now. He'll come around, babe."

—

Inuyasha shut the door noisily as he entered his home, dropping his bag in the entry and immediately undoing the buttons of his shirt. He tried using the glass of a framed picture to see the damage he so clearly felt, but the reflection wasn't bright enough. Though, looking down at his body, he could see a solid, speckled bruise on the side of his ribcage that wrapped towards the front, already darkening in the center, but also outlined in dim, yellows and greens.

"I've been calling you." Totosai mentioned sternly, jerking Inuyasha's attention toward the doorway of the living room. "Oh, that explains it. Big one this time?" His tone had softened, erring on the side of concerned but appearing mostly neutral.

Though Inuyasha was apprehensive to answer, not exactly enthusiastic about the entire incident, nor proud of how it ended up playing out, he spoke truthfully. "All of them."

"At once?"

"Yeah."

"Come on." His uncle waved him forward, heading back into the living room where the tv hummed with dialogue. Inuyasha followed, removing his ruined shirt entirely and dropping it to the side of the little table his uncle slowly lowered himself down to sit at. "You smell weird."

"Thanks." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, waiting to make sure Totosai didn't need help before he sat down in front of him, his knee immediately beginning to bop agitatedly.

"I mean, you don't smell like you. Stop that, it's annoying."

Huffing, Inuyasha readjusted his sitting position, taking the opportunity to grab his cellphone out of his pocket. The screen was slightly cracked, his frustration building further, and he dropped the damn thing on the table with a disgruntled huff.

"Could it be because I have seven other guys' scents all over me?" He retorted roughly.

"Smells like a demon."

Amber eyes curiously and heatedly met the buggy ones of his uncle, the level expression on his face waiting for information on what, exactly, had taken place. Though he was old, Totosai's demonic senses were as sharp as ever. Nonetheless, how could he possibly have picked up on something like that?

"Miroku said I transformed in the middle of the fight. Said my demon blood took over. Can that really happen?" Inuyasha asked, brows furrowing inquisitively.

"To half demons, yes. I'm surprised you're questioning it since you lived out the ordeal." His uncle said.

"That's the thing; I blacked out. I don't remember shit. One second I was on the floor getting the crap beat out of me, the next I'm standing and -" His body tensed, his muscles aching with soreness, his head giving a throb, his heart sinking a couple inches as he recalled the image of blood on his hand. Inuyasha sighed thickly, bracing his elbow on the table as he ducked his face, resting his forehead within his palm. "I was holding Kagome. She was hurt, and it was my fault."

There was a bout of silence, the air heavy in the room. He heard, felt, Totosai scoot a couple inches closer, his naturally-trembling hands gently inspecting a scrape on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, but -"

"But, she's okay."

Inuyasha untucked his head, looking at his uncle who merely spared him a glance before going back to the wound. "Yeah. She's okay."

"Then, focus on that. And, be grateful."

"Be grateful? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Without missing a beat, Totosai flicked his nephew in the nose, ignoring the audacious glare that held no hostility toward him, personally. "Knock it off. We've talked about your self-destructive habits and how you need to move on from them. You've not only admitted that you, yourself, weren't conscious of what was happening, but also that you had no control over the turn of events. So, it's not your fault. What more do you need? Let it go. Something bad happened, yes. The whole situation was bad, if you ask me. But, Kagome is fine, you're fine, and truthfully, you weren't a demon long enough to have actually pulled any stunts you should really regret. So, yes, be grateful."

"How the hell could you possibly know how long I was transformed?"

Totosai gave a little smack to the large, developing bruise on his side, bringing a deep grunt from Inuyasha's throat as he flinched away. "That's how. You think you have rapid healing abilities now, but as a full demon you'd heal significantly faster. You're gonna be feeling this for a couple of days."

Surprisingly, his adoptive uncle's abstract way of telling him everything was alright actually started to make him feel like it was. Inuyasha relaxed a bit, running his fingers through his dirty bangs. "Why did it happen in the first place?"

"You were in danger. Chances are, your instincts kicked in and took over to get you out." He replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired as hell. Sore. Kind of relieved, though. Cops showed up and all of them were arrested."

"Good. That's finally done with. You need to eat before you go to bed. I made a stew." Totosai said, gesturing to the kitchen across the hall. "And, grab a bag of frozen peas on your way back. The mark on your temple is hurting me just from looking at it."

The hanyou gave a lazy chuckle, carefully picking himself up from the floor to serve himself a bowl. He brought Totosai a serving, as well, knowing his uncle had most likely been waiting for him to eat. For the first time that night, Inuyasha checked his phone notifications, noticing the four missed calls from Totosai. He also noticed he had nothing from Kagome.

He felt like a dick for leaving her there the way he had. He was worried; he hadn't even asked if she was okay before coming home. He was stuck in his own head. He could even admit, by the end of it all, that he was scared to actually touch her in case he'd hurt her again. And, all she most likely wanted as a source of comfort was just that, his touch. It wasn't wrong to take time to process things, Inuyasha understood that, but he shut her out along the way when all she was trying to do was help, easily falling back into his old, secluded routine. Months ago, he may not have even noticed this mistake, nor cared if he had, but he'd made progress. He didn't want to be like that anymore. He didn't want to push Kagome away.

He checked the time, noticing it was just a few minutes passed seven-thirty. "Hey, is it alright if I go check on Kagome tonight?"

Totosai blinked up from his spoonful of stew, not used to his nephew asking permission. "Finish your dinner, first. And, curfew still stands. Ten o'clock, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha acknowledged that with a simple nod. He basically scarfed down his food thereafter, never realizing how hungry he actually was. He could have easily gone back for seconds with room to spare, but he forewent it, washing is bowl and heading upstairs for a quick shower; one he had to repeatedly adjust the temperature on. His muscles were aching, begging for hot water to soften them up, but the sting was almost too much on some areas of his body.

Finally, he got a good look at himself in the mirror, running his towel over the reflective glass to clear the steam his shower had caused. They'd done a decent number on him, but not as bad as he'd expected. Still, it was decent enough that he laughed, wincing immediately from the way his muscles flexed around the bruised area of his ribs, almost making him laugh even harder. Surprisingly, he felt worse than he looked, which he was thankful for. His face wasn't too bad; some scabbing on his left temple and a nice bruise coming in on his cheek, just beneath his right eye. The speckled contusion on his side, deepening in shade by the minute, was honestly the worst of it all. Other than that, he had a nice scrape on his shoulder that extended upward a little, and smaller, red marks littering his skin here and there that would most definitely fade by morning.

He'd considered climbing the tree at the side of her house to knock on her window, but he'd opted against it, standing awkwardly in front of the door. The lights were on in the kitchen and living room, and he could pick up the scent of her mom inside. She had to be upset, he fully expected it. Who wouldn't be in this situation? This was his fault. And, he knew he needed to face the music.

Stiffly, he knocked on the surface of the door, his stomach churning as he waited, focusing on the steady approach of footsteps from within. Kagome's mom opened it up, her welcoming expression shifting into slight consternation, her lips parting and brown eyes dragging over his face; the only afflictions she could see as they weren't covered by clothing.

"Oh, no. I didn't think it'd be this bad." She spoke softly, opening the door wider to allow him in, shutting it behind him.

"It's actually not that bad." He respectfully brushed off.

"Mind if I take a look?" She asked, notching her head toward the kitchen so he'd follow.

It was an offer he'd usually decline from anyone, considering he'd be fine in a few day's time, but he felt inclined to allow her anything she wanted at the moment. It was a simple request, one that wouldn't bother him any, so he didn't attempt to resist, walking into the kitchen behind her and taking a seat in the chair she pulled out for him. Her hands were cold but gentle, pushing his bangs out of the way to get a good look at his temple. Honestly, the lack of heat to her touch was soothing since the area was sort of tender and burning.

"Your head has to be killing you." She said.

"I'm fine. Really." Inuyasha insisted.

"I work in an emergency room, Inuyasha. You can't fool me." She smirked. "A pain killer will help, let me give you one. Have you eaten? I can make you something; you shouldn't take this on an empty stomach." Kagome's mother had walked away, a bottle of pain killers already on the counter, and she unscrewed the top, taking two and setting them out before she went on to her next task.

The half demon stood quickly, anxiety creeping over as he suddenly felt obligated to stop her before she got too far, and as her attention turned back to him, he bowed his head slightly, feeling the way his own lips curved downward in the disappointment he felt toward himself. He couldn't accept her kindness. Not now. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He could hear the surprise in her tone.

"I put Kagome in a dangerous situation, and I promise it'll never happen again."

"No, you didn't." Her smile steadily reappeared, leaning her back against the counter as she turned to fully face him. "Believe me, I know my daughter. That girl has a will of her own. She's so much like her father, it's scary sometimes. Stubborn, tough as nails, and any good advice you give her is in one ear and out the other until she realizes the mistakes she's made on her own. She got the crying from me, though."

He tried not to chuckle, but couldn't help it with the lighthearted energy her mother presented. It faded quickly, though. He still felt responsible. "She told you everything?"

"She told me everything. Inuyasha, it's okay to feel bad and worry, but given what you've already been through, why do you want to punish yourself more? It's alright. It wasn't your fault. Things happen." She walked over to the fridge with the two pills in hand, pulling out a bottle of water and handing both over to the half demon. "I'm just glad you're okay."

He took the medicine, thanking Kagome's mom with a small smile of appreciation.

"Mind taking this up to Kagome?" She turned back to the bottle of pain killers, shaking out a single pill before going to the fridge again to grab a bottle of juice to pour into a cup. His smile grew a little wider then, always having teased Kagome for never being able to take medicine with water or else she'd choke. "She's got a little headache, too."

His steps were soft as he headed up the staircase, but he noticed that the closer he got to her room, the stronger her scent became, the better his entire body began to feel, ailments washed away with her beautiful, sweet energy. Knocking gingerly, he waited for her little hum inside to enter, carefully twisting the knob and opening her door.

Kagome's head rested at the foot of her bed, her tv on and playing reruns of her favorite show while she stared at her notification-less phone that she held above her face. Her eyes flickered upward toward her door, expecting to see an upside down version of her mom, but instead was greeted with the unsuspected sight of her boyfriend coming in. Immediately, she dropped her phone beside her, twirling over to her stomach to lift herself to sit on her knees, watching him gently kick the door closed behind him.

"Head hurt?" He asked, his tone husky, and she nodded in response. Inuyasha rounded the corner of her bed, stopping in front of her as she twisted to face him at the same time. First, he handed her the pill, watching her pop it into her mouth. Then, he gave her the small glass of juice, keeping his hand out to take it back from her when she'd finished, walking the few extra steps necessary to place the glass on her nightstand.

Slowly, wobbling slightly, Kagome rose to stand on her mattress, and having caught her unsteadiness, Inuyasha held his hand out for her to take, to stabilize her, curious to what she was even doing. Her eyes were large, almost pleading, but in a different manner than before. Her cheeks were rosy, just the way he liked them. Her hair was dry, beautifully wavy, like she'd blowdried it after her shower which he knew wasn't that long ago with how fresh her shampoo lingered. And, she was comfortably dressed down, little pajama shorts donning her legs, a band tee, and for the first time since entering, he realized the sweater he'd given her a while back covered her arms.

Kagome gave his hand a little yank, pulling him to stand directly in front of her again, and it seemed like the closer he got, the bigger her pout became. She stood taller than him, snaking her arms around his shoulders and tucking her face in his neck, sighing out shakily. It didn't even hurt when she touched him. Even if it did, he'd take the soreness with a smile. Inuyasha pushed his hands inside the sweater, wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer into a firm, adoring hug.

"I'm sorry." He shuddered, breathing her in. She shook her head, squeezing him tighter for a small moment before peeling away and inspecting the immediate injuries on his face. "I'm fine, stop. Let me look at you."

"Why? I'm totally fine. You were the one in a fight. I've been so worried."

"I promise, I'm okay." Inuyasha's hands had drifted down to her bare thighs, tenderly grazing his thumbs over the silky flesh. "Come here. Please."

Kagome lowered herself to sit on the edge of her bed, accepting the balance he offered her along the way. He remained standing before her, his fingers stroking through her hair, starting just above her ears and traveling down to her shoulders where he guided the length to sit behind her back. "Can I see it?"

"It's not bad. It really isn't." Kagome attempted to assure him, but his gaze held steady, unyielding.

"I need to see it."

She eventually nodded, shrugging her sweater off at the same time that he'd glided his hands over her shoulders, pushing the clothing down her arms. Inuyasha took a seat next to her, rolling the small sleeve of her tee shirt up over her shoulder to take in the large bandage her mom had no doubt covered the injury with.

"We have more, don't worry. You can take it off." Kagome said, watching him. But, once he started to peel it away, she turned her head to the other side, hiding the minor wince she gave from the adhesive pulling against the tender skin at the back of her arm.

The two cuts were generally small, scabbing a bit but the ointment that was smothered over them made them look wet and greasy. The flesh around them was slightly swollen, red, but what really got him was if you looked closely, which he was, you could see the markings of his fingers circling around her arm. He'd stopped breathing, staring at what he'd done, loathing what had come over him, what had made him turn on the girl he cherished more than any living person in the world.

Inuyasha forced himself to look away, pushing his chest to sigh out. "Where are the bandages?"

"There's a couple on my desk."

He stood, crossing the room and throwing the old one in the small waste bin next to her book bag, grabbing a fresh bandage and opening the packaging on his way back to her. As gently as he possibly could, Inuyasha placed it over her wound, smoothing the adhesive edgings out before taking his fingers away. Kagome was quick to unfold her shirt sleeve and readjust her sweater to cover her arms again, turning her entire body to face him.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop. It wasn't your fault, it was mine. You kept telling me to get away from you, but I wouldn't."

"Kagome -"

"No, you don't know what happened, so let me tell you." She persisted, meeting his eyes with adamancy. "We followed you, and it was my idea so don't get mad at Miroku. By the time we caught up, things were already going downhill. They were all hitting you. Sango had been on the phone with her dad the whole time so they could get a tracking on her phone location and meet us there, and we were just trying to wait it out." There was a slight tremble in her tone, in her bottom lip, reliving how difficult it was to see Inuyasha on the ground, to stand there helplessly for agonizing second after agonizing second. "But, then there was this horrible feeling in the air, and you were telling them to stop, and you were having trouble breathing, and Miroku said it must have been your demon blood taking over, so we all ran in to try and help. But - but, you'd already transformed. And, you didn't know who I was. You only seemed to know who Bankotsu and his friends were. The fight had stopped, though, and I just wanted to calm you down but I didn't know what to do. You had warned me multiple times to back off and get away. I didn't listen. I grabbed you, and that's when you grabbed me back. Next thing I know, you came to. So, if you think that you attacked me, you're wrong. That wasn't the case at all."

"Why?" Inuyasha pressed, his tone taking on severity. "I told you to go home, why didn't you listen to me?"

"Imagine what could have happened if I did go home."

"Yeah, you'd be fine."

"I am fine."

"No, you're not. You got hurt. Miroku got hurt. Sango almost got hurt. Why couldn't you just do what I said? It could have been so much worse."

"But, it wasn't." Kagome returned the sharpness in his tone. "If we weren't there to make sure the fight didn't continue further, demon you would have been provoked. And believe you me, you were a lot stronger than usual."

Inuyasha's face twisted, a clenched groan stumbling from his throat. "Oh my god, you're not making me feel any better."

"Listen, as much as I want to make you feel better right now, it's more important that I'm honest. The fact of the matter is, no one knows how far you would have gone in a situation like that. Not even you. You don't even remember it. And, I know that's what's freaking you out right now because when you came back your hands were on me, but if the fight kept going, we were more worried your demon side wouldn't have known when to stop."

"Then, how come I showed restraint with you? You said I didn't know who you were."

Kagome sighed, taking a moment to allow the question to hang in the air. "I don't know. I like to think it's because of the obvious. That you, the real you, were in there. If I got close, you stepped away. If I pushed forward, you yelled at me to keep my distance. And, when I told you I was scared, you came back. But, like I said, I don't really know, nor do I feel it's right to romanticize the situation."

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, feeling weighted with disappointment. "You were scared?"

"Of course, I was." She admitted.

"Then, why…"

"Because, I love you. So, it didn't matter." It was almost said matter-of-factly, but the hint of her faltering voice, the sweet melody hitching slightly, softened the touch. It felt like his heart rose back to its normal spot, his stomach fluttering lightly, a warm sensation tingling over his skin. He still didn't like what he'd done, he still hated that she'd gotten involved, that she didn't listen to him, that it had been such a shit day, and there was no washing that away. But, there was muting it. All of that was momentarily pushed aside for the feelings she'd so confidently stated.

"Fuck. Damn it." Inuyasha whispered, notching his head away slightly as he gave a small, breathy chuckle.

Kagome blinked, realizing what she'd said. She'd been wanting to say it for a while now but had been holding back since they, technically, hadn't been in a relationship for a significant amount of time. At all. There wasn't a single part of her that was sure it was an appropriate moment to have confessed her deep feelings. Maybe it was the most inappropriate moment of all. Or, maybe it was too soon. Nonetheless, his reaction wasn't what she'd expected - which was, honestly, fair. Shyly, feeling her face heat tremendously, she ducked her head out of plain view, not bothering to try and dispute it, take it back, or even simplify it all. That would only make matters worse.

"Saying something like that right now isn't fair." Inuyasha said. He felt his blush, hot, maddening, his stomach crumbling into shambles as he glanced over at how she tried to hide herself. Her raven hair fell around her face, shadowing the majority of it, but he could physically feel how nervous she was. The hanyou reached over, giving her chin a little flick upward with the side of his curled finger to make her look at him. And, she did, her round eyes large, wary. "I love you, too. I'm still mad, but I love you, too. Have for a while."

Kagome's chest deflated as she giggled, ducking her head again, but he swiftly leaned in to prevent her from getting far. Inuyasha stole her lips, kissing her, his hands cradling the crook of her jaw. God, it was one of the most beautiful kisses he'd ever received from her; delicate, grounding, like she was melting into him with the utmost amount of trust he hadn't realized he'd earned. Even after everything that had happened, she held onto him as if he was the only thing that mattered, and he could feel it, taste it, drown in it, and honestly believe it was true. And, that sort of sincerity was what finally helped him understand that there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. Not of himself. Not of her. Not of the world. Not even of what he couldn't control. How had he come so far in such a small amount of time? The changes within were so monumental, even he was blown away. But, thankful. She'd taught him so much just with her smile, her forgiving nature, her acceptance, her stubbornness, her touch, her laugh, her tears, the support she provided. And, fuck, he wanted to say it again. He wanted to tell her he loved her over and over, a sense of liberation vibrating through his entire body. He was uplifted. He was happy.

Kagome had been clutching the front of his shirt, almost clinging to him in case she fell apart from her instability. She'd never imagined the release of such heartfelt emotions could be so terrifying and incredible at the same time. It was almost as if she couldn't breathe, her lungs refusing air and only aiming to take him in. Only him. Only Inuyasha. He made a small noise in his shuddering exhale, his kiss deepening, moving closer to her, and she moved her hands to hold the sides of his waist. The half demon hissed, grunted as he inadvertently flinched and pulled away slightly.

Kagome's gasp in response was breathy, her hands flying away from him and held up defensively, and she could tell just by the look on his face, and the way he tried to conceal it, that she'd hurt him.

"It's fine, don't worry." He grumbled as she yanked up his shirt to look. Despite his feeble argument, he straightened his spine, allowing her to look at the colorful bruise decorating his ribcage. Her eyes widened, a frown marring her lovely, swollen, pink lips, and he raked his fingers through her hair, gently massaging her temple as she teared up just the tiniest bit. "Hey, it's okay." Inuyasha soothed. "I'm okay. It's over now, so it was worth it."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was." He smiled. "You can't convince me otherwise. Stop looking at it."

Complying, she dropped his shirt and he leaned forward, placing a lingering kiss to her forehead before checking the time by pulling his phone out of the front of his jeans pocket. He had a good forty-five minutes before the alarm he'd set told him to head home, and he planned on spending that in the most serene way possible.

Inuyasha pat his hand on the mattress closer to the wall to tell her to move out of the way, and when she scooted over, he curled around her, laying along the length of the bed so his head could rest against the pillows, pulling her down with him. She was extremely cautious about laying too close to his side, minding her distance, but Inuyasha ushered her closer, his voice a smooth rumble as he said, "Come here."

"I don't want to hurt you." She whispered anxiously.

"You won't. Just move slowly."

Kagome tediously, tenderly cuddled up to his side, resting her head against the front of his shoulder, tensing when he tensed, and then softening as he relaxed. He was glad his long sleeved shirt covered his other markings or he was sure Kagome would absolutely refuse to come near him. His arm wrapped around her, leisurely rubbing up and down the curves of her side as they sank even more into the cushion, content, comfortable, watching the reruns that flickered on the screen of her tv.

It wasn't long before she was drifting off. Her breathing deepened, her body molding perfectly against him, and if his stupid phone wasn't about to go off, he'd have never chosen to disturb her peace. He'd silenced his phone when he realized she was dozing and was unfortunately waiting for the vibration to alert him, appreciating every single second that her weight was comfortably braced against him. He was quick to turn off the alarm the moment it signaled he needed to leave, rousing his favorite person by shifting his hand into her hair, giving a little massage until she stirred.

"Hey," He whispered, gifting a tiny kiss to her head. "I've gotta go, baby."

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, adorably confused before coming to. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay, don't move. I'll walk myself out. Go back to sleep." Inuyasha slid his arm from beneath her, but she sat up anyway, blinking a few times to wake up further. She was groggy, justifiably exhausted from the day, and it was cute.

"I want to walk you out." She half-whined, and he was sure that was just her sleepy voice. He chuckled, holding her hand for support as she stood and followed him down the stairs. The kiss goodbye was small and sweet, and he promised to text her when he got home even though he knew she was going right back to bed when she got to her room.

—

"Alright, is anyone else here grounded?" Sango griped, crossing her arms vexingly. The four teens stood in a misshapen circle in the hallway, waiting for the bell to chime and tell them class was about to begin. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku all grimaced, saying nothing in response. "Seriously!? It's just me!?"

"Sorry, babe." Kagome's amused frown deepened, trying not to laugh at how dramatic Sango came off. "How long's the sentence?"

"Two weeks! He took my cell phone and laptop! He's picking me up from school everyday in his squad car, and said if he's busy, he's making someone else from the precinct come get me and take me home!"

"Yikes. Harsh." Inuyasha remarked, the fully formed bruise on his cheek crunching slightly beneath his eye as he wrinkled his nose.

"Oh, come on! Where is the justice? I did this to save your ass, Inuyasha, and you're not even a little in trouble?"

He shook his head, laughing. "Don't you think what I got was punishment enough?"

"No." She stated simply.

"I get to walk around with this shit on my face." He pointed, still humored.

"I don't know, I think I look pretty cool." Miroku said, adding to the conversation with a charming smile.

"For someone with a black eye, you're enjoying yourself a little too much." Kagome giggled.

"For the first time in my life, I feel tough. Let me live in my moment, Kagome."

She stifled her giggle, turning and carefully tucking her face into Inuyasha's chest as he'd been more publicly affectionate that morning more than ever. The hanyou welcomed her in, laughing as he rubbed her back.

"Besides, the ladies like what they see." He boasted, pretending to flip the nonexistent length of his hair.

"What ladies?" Sango notched her head at him, her lips pursing with attitude and brown eyes staring at him speculatively.

Miroku froze, an awkward, thin-lipped smile curving his lips as he glanced at her. "You. You're the only lady in the whole world."

The bell rang, but she kept her stare solid on her boyfriend.

"Wow, you're so pretty." He grinned wider, poking the tip of her nose before flinching away, as if she'd bite. "I'm gonna go now."

"Mhm, yeah." She agreed, stealing Kagome back from Inuyasha as even the half demon looked weary of her.

Epilogue

Kagome had been studying tirelessly, her nose crammed in textbook after textbook, forcing herself to absorb as much information as she possibly could before year's end. Final examinations were her nightmare. The bane of her high school existence. Since Inuyasha had started tutoring her at the beginning of the year, her grades had increased and she'd even actually felt less stressed when it came to tests in general. Final exams, though - they were a different story altogether. She was determined to get a high score, to pass with flying colors. The only downfall was, it seemed like everything she'd learned over the past months had completely slipped from her memory with the anxiety and pressure that came with the end of the school year.

Inuyasha offered to help on multiple occasions, but he had his own studying to worry about, and Kagome refused to hold him back just so he could focus on her. She was also petrified of him finding out that all of his work had gone to waste since she couldn't seem to remember any of it. At all. The worded text in her books was like a different language. She was hopeless. She was done for.

Around this time of year, the school's library stayed open on the weekends so student's could cram whatever information they could handle before their tests arrived, and Kagome stuck herself in the library during almost every free moment she had. It was generously quiet, despite the number of people there, and she had all the information she could need at her disposal. With her laptop in front of her and her glasses on her nose, she was knee deep in topics she should have already known.

Truth be told, she was hell-bent on proving she could get herself the scores she needed to, and her subconscience was just seemingly playing along. Inuyasha and Kagome were accepted into different colleges - him, of course, heading to an Ive League; not all that far from each other, but distance was distance. She was confident things would work out fine, but she realized quickly that she wouldn't have his stupidly-unfair, photographic-memory-inhabiting, genius brain to rely on anymore. So, as if backing up her determination, the slate of her memory was wiped clean and she started from nearly scratch. And, with how much effort she'd been putting forth lately, if she didn't get at least a "B" in every subject, she was going to personally destroy the grading system.

Noticing movement at her side, Kagome glanced up from her laptop screen, a bottle of water and a bag of food being slipped next to her on the table. Her brown eyes followed the toned arms upward, meeting the pleasant stare of her hanyou.

"You need to eat." He whispered, minding the silent environment of the room. He'd done this multiple times over the days, during lunches, after school, on the weekends, slipping in to bring her water or a snack and then leaving her alone. She missed him, and she expressed that as best as possible with her grateful pout. They wanted to spend as much time as they could with each other until they had to pack up and leave for college, but this came first. When she allotted herself a break, it was also Inuyasha time, and they took advantage of every free second they had. To squeeze in extra moments, sometimes he'd come over to her house and just hang with her while she worked. She felt so bad that she couldn't give him more attention, but he didn't complain. Often. And, they knew they still had another month and a half after high school ended before he had to report for his college orientation.

Kagome was jittery the entire way to school that morning. Tests were done. Things were calming down. Scores were being posted. There were two determinable moods between the seniors that day as she entered the gates: lax and high-strung. It wasn't difficult to figure out which category Kagome landed in.

"There you are!" Sango greeted, running to her as she entered the locker area. "Okay, before we look, we have to run through the guidelines. If we didn't score well, what do we do?" The question was asked expectingly. They'd gone through this before. Sango had been doing her best to provide support while Kagome continued to increase the weight on her own shoulders. She'd already been accepted into a pretty good college; there was no reason to be so stressed over the final exams, and Sango had insisted so on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, Kagome's brain only had the capacity for academic information up until the aforementioned doomsday, so the helpful advice Sango had given her was in one ear and out the other, and there was no retrieving it now.

"Burn the school dow-"

"No."

"Cry?"

"No!"

"Look, you're not gonna like any of my answers then, because they all have to do with crying and arson."

"Oh, god." Sango murmured hopelessly, hooking her arm through her best friend's and guiding her through the busy halls.

"Where's Miroku and Inuyasha?"

"Miroku's already checking, but I haven't seen your lover boy, yet."

"He's not here?"

"Don't think so. He'll show up soon, though. You think he'd miss an opportunity to see that he ranked in the top five, as per usual?" Sango lightheartedly joked.

Kagome sighed heavily, her stomach churning, palms sweaty, unbelievably nervous to see what her grades were. Everything intensified as their classroom came into view. There was a large board in the hall posted that showed the highest ranks, but that wasn't what she was interested in. She wanted the paper that broke it all down for her, telling her how she scored in each, individual category, and she knew that was sitting on her desk in a little envelope.

"Okay, ready?" Sango asked, picking it up from the surface of Kagome's table. Kagome took in a deep breath, nodding. "Want me to open it first?"

Another nod from Kagome, a little squeak leaving her throat as she pinched her lips together in agitation. Sango readily opened the tab of the envelope, unfolding the paper and reading it through, a smile growing on her face before she wordlessly handed it over to Kagome. Confused, expecting a little more preparation, Kagome took the paper, observing the beautiful scores she'd succeeded in attaining. Mostly "B's" and two "A's" decorated the official paper, and Kagome had to swallow the happy dance she wanted to do that would have no doubt caused her skirt to fly up, her bouncing bound to be too enthusiastic.

"You did it!" Sango cheered elatedly, bouncing for her friend and giving her the biggest hug. "No one has to die now! What a good day!"

"Shut up! What did you get?" Kagome laughed, following the creases to fold her paper as it was.

Sango crossed to her desk, opening her own envelope as she mumbled her prayers for "C's". "Hey! I got a "B" in history! What a happy, little surprise!" She giggled, showing her best friend her passing scores. "Well, that's that for high school. It's been real, yo." She said, patting her hand on her desk.

"We still have another week."

"Yeah, and we're gonna learn so much." Sango sneered jokingly, leading the way back out to the hall.

Kagome looked around for the silver hair and pointed ears, the corridor filled with all the senior students who had no obligation to be in their classrooms at the moment. At the far end, at the scoreboard, she finally spotted her favored half demon, making a gloating face toward his own best friend. She took off in his direction, excited, happy to see him and to breathe and to show him how well she'd done.

He was surprised to see her running to him, but braced for impact immediately, smiling as he caught her in a firm hug. "Did you pass?"

"Flying colors!"

"I fucking told you, you would! I'm so proud of you!"