DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and all its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi. I merely occasionally borrow them for my own twisted purposes.

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We bind ourselves with words. No, we let others' words bind us. We become snarled in them. They ensnare us, strangle us, keep us from the truth of ourselves.

Cur. Mongrel. Half-breed. Outcast.

These are the chains that bind you, that cut you down to less than nothing.

Pervert. Wastrel. Drunkard. Cursed.

These are the walls that trap me, that close me off from my own humanity.

Orphans, we. Alone and reaching.

Come to me. Let me break your chains, raze my walls. With new, strong words let me bind you to me, give you worth, open you to the truth of yourself.

Father. Son. Brother. Friend. Partner. Lover. Beloved.

With these words we find strength, beauty, joy. We become inseparable, bound and free.