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"What do you do when the one person you want comfort from the most is the one who caused your pain? How can I want so desperately for him to wrap me up in his arms but also want so much for him to leave me alone."
― Amanda Grace, But I Love Him

"Kagome sweetie," Mrs. Higurashi sniffed as she sat across her daughter, sipping her tea. "What caused you to come out to visit your old mom?" She smiled.

Kagome couldn't help but feel her stomach turn at the sight. She was happy to see her mother, she was scared she would never see her kind face. To her, her mother was like her closest friend. She knew her inside out and visa versa. Kagome knew whenever her mother was sad even if she was smiling, she also knew if her mother was angry, even if she had a bored look on her face. But...this is her mother, she should be feeling a ray of sunshine from that smile. She shook her head of the feeling and returned the smile, her pearly whites on display.

"Oh you don't look a day past 40," She teased as she saw her mother wrinkle her nose at her. "I'm kidding." She giggled. "You look beautiful, Mama, just like your daughter," She winked. She saw an emotion fleet past her mother's grey eyes. It went by too fast she couldn't put her hand on what it was. She frowned. How come she couldn't read her own mother anymore?

"Yeah," Mrs. Higurashi smiled slowly. "My beautiful...beautiful baby girl," She blinked rapidly, breaking eye-contact from her daughter. "Sorry, the pain meds I took earlier must be kicking in," She coughed, smiling reassuringly at the concerned look shot at her. "Don't worry, Kaggy. I'm an old woman, I've just got minor back pain." Kagome just nodded, seeing that such pains would be common to a woman her age.

"Take it easy then, Mama," She chided, placing a gentle hand atop of her mother's. "Get Souta to help with all the lifting and make use of that boy," She winked. The woman flashed her a smile as she pried her hand away. Something thumped in the cobalt-eyed girl when her mother broke contact. She wouldn't dare let the playful look in her eye falter as her heart squeezed in tense pain.

Something wasn't right.

"Kagome?"

Her head was throbbing by now as an answer seemed to struggle in Kagome's mind. She couldn't place the emotion hiding behind her mother's eyes, yet it was just so damn familiar.

"Sweetie, are you alright?"

She squeezed her eyes shut tight as the throbbing intensified, her hands clutching at her head painfully. She felt as if her brain was about to explode. A brief image flashed in her mind, too quick for her to properly see it before it seemed as if flashing lights were before her.

"Kagome are you okay? Do you need to take your medicine?"

The image appeared again, this time allowing her to see the picture entirely. She was confused, she didn't understand what she was looking at. Why was her mother crying? Why was Souta holding her and what...what was that thing on the floor? Why was it in her room? Wait...is that even her room? Her heart was racing a mile a minute as she watched the horrid look cross her baby brother's face, his eyes disgusted and shocked at that bony, fleshy thing. It looked like a skeleton with skin.

Kagome's eyes shot wide open when she felt water being pressed against her lips, the glass holding it prying her lips apart as the cooling liquid entered her system. She shuddered at the refreshing feel as she let the glass slip from her lips, blinking her hazed blue eyes and stared up at her mother. She was surprised at the warm smile she gave her.

"Feeling better?" The older Higurashi cooed as she patted her daughter's arm, that same smile plastered on her face. Shouldn't she be scared at what just happened? Pushing the thought aside, she nodded her head, playing with her fingers as she sought for anything to get out of this uncomfortable situation. It just doesn't feel right.

Momma Higurashi had other plans, however. "I heard from a little bird that you have a man on you," She winked. "A little Kouga Ookami?"

A blush arose on the younger Higurashi as she let out a little huff. "He asked if we could have some dinner and I took him up on it," She smiled gently, "Besides, he could help me regain some parts of my memory, seeing that we were close in college."

"Oh, you two were just adorable together!"

She laughed. "It sounds like you want us to get together, Ma." She shook her head as she felt a tug on her lip, causing her to grin. "I don't think I'll be getting a boyfriend for awhile, Momma. Inuyasha is just so damn protective of me."

Kagome only blinked for a second after staring at her mother, her eyebrows furrowing with curiosity. For a second there, she could have sworn that the woman was scowling. She mentally shook her head at the thought, deducing it to only being apart of her imagination. Her Momma was far too happy of a woman to even bother making such a face.

"Oh...Inuyasha doesn't want you to have a boyfriend?"

The younger Higurashi shrugged. "I wouldn't really put it like that, more like he doesn't think the right guy has come along for me."

Clench. "And what did he say was the right guy, sweetheart?"

Kagome blushed. "He said...that he's closer to me than I think. That he's someone that knows the best of me and has seen the worst of me. That he's someone that loved me when I was beautiful and when I was so...so skinny. That he's someone that has always loved me no matter if someone said otherwise." She tilted her head innocently. "The right guy is the one that everyone thinks is not." She waved her hand as she looked off to the side, not being able to see her mother's reaction. "He sure is weird, he told me that while he was visiting one time."

She was oblivious to the dark aura omitting from her mother, unaware of the subtle cracks going along the tea cup in the older woman's grasp. For Mrs. Higurashi, getting to know Inuyasha only made it much more difficult to comprehend the situation at hand. What happened to the sweet, shy boy who would fumble with his words and make an extra effort to showcase his manners to her? What happened to that little boy who came up to her while her daughter was out to ask for her blessing for Kagome's hand? What happened to that boy who had the purest golden eyes she has ever seen? And where...where did that carnal look come from?

Akane Higurashi couldn't believe how low her son-in-law can go. The moment she met him, the moment she saw that boy enter her home with her baby girl on his arm, glowing, she knew...she thought he would take good care of Kagome. For someone to make her daughter laugh like her husband did, for someone to make Kagome open up after that terrible car accident...Who wouldn't have thought? Just like her daughter, she was raised with an open-mind. She didn't believe that Inuyasha, a half-demon, would inflict any pain to her daughter. But to manipulate, brainwash, erase all of the mistakes, all of the sins he has committed onto her baby girl...Not even Kami is that merciful. She would have never imagined him to go so low.

Then again...no one would have predicted what he did.

"You don't say..." Mrs. Higurashi muttered, sipping her tea.

With Inuyasha...

"What the hell are you doing back here, you Wolf-Cub." A certain silver-haired hanyou growled as he exited his car, slamming the vehicle door shut.

After that event at the Higurashi shrine, all he wanted to do was pour himself a nice glass of wine and watch some shows in hopes to calm himself down. But no, it seems that Kami has no mercy. Sitting at his doorstep was the last person he ever wanted to see. Well, him and possibly Kikyo.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Dog-Turd." Kouga spoke smoothly as he stood from his seat on the pavement, his hands tucked warmly away from the frosty, September air. He knew it was dangerous to be around Inuyasha, especially in this situation. With catious grace, the wolf youkai approached the suspicious hanyou with a casual smirk, his eyes trying their best to come across as matured and warm rather than distant and alert.

"What do you want."

"Oh straight to the point I see? Maybe you have changed a bit, Mutt Face."

"Quit with the name-calling, Fleabag."

"Well aren't you a hypocrite."

"Kouga," Inuyasha growled, clenching his fists. "What. The. Fuck. Do you want."

He was quiet for a few seconds, his bright-blue eyes staring deeply into amber-gold. As he thought, Inuyasha really hasn't changed from when he first met him.

Flashback

"C'mon 'Gome, it'll be much easier if you just say 'yes' already!" Kouga coaxed as he roughly tried to wedge his fingers in-between hers. "You know I'll make sure you have a good time, if ya know what I mean."

Kagome let out a nervous laugh as she gently tried to pry her hand away from him, a bit taken aback with his forwardness. This wasn't the first time Kouga has asked her out, and it wasn't the first time she's said no. "You know I only think of you as a friend Kouga," She said gently as she successfully pulled her hand away from his. "Besides, I have a boyfriend and I don't think he'd like it if you kept pursuing me."

He snorted. "Yeah that Inutrasha guy or whatever? Pft, that mutt isn't worth your time."

Kagome bit her tongue, trying to reign in her anger. This guy seriously can't take a hint. And to top it off, he even insulted her man! "Why you-"

"Stay away from my girlfriend, Mutt-Face!"

Before she could even blink, she was pulled away from her pursuer and pulled behind her overprotective boyfriend. Kouga blinked at the scowling hanyou before him, cocking an eyebrow at the man. A half-breed huh, He thought as he looked the man before him up and down, his eyes sharpening at his rival's bright gold one's.

From a normal person's eye, it would just seem that a guy is telling another guy to back off his girl. Pft, pathetic humans. With a trained eye like his, Kouga immediately disliked this man. His "cute act" of "being a protective boyfriend" was a gesture of battle, with the way he was standing. His bared fangs were dripping with saliva, growing lust for the taste of blood. More animal-instinct was showing than necessary and an untamed wildness seemed to be emitting from his fierce expression. He couldn't believe the kind of man Kagome chose over him, the kind of person she thought would provide her safety and security.

This man...is an animal.

End of Flashback

"How's Kagome, Inuyasha. Surely you would know since you've been visiting her." Kouga quipped as he narrowed his eyes, a scoff released from the hanyou.

"What, you gonna get angry at me for that? As her husband, I got every right to visit her." Kouga didn't miss that edge of possessiveness in Inuyasha's tone. Snarling, he flicked his bangs out of his face as a full scowl donned his features.

"Husband? She hasn't told me she had a husband." He mocked slightly, seeing the red flash before the silver-haired man's eyes. "She doesn't even act like she has a husband, especially since we have a date happening soon."

Snap.

A calm, collected face maintained on the wolf's face as Inuyasha flashed before his eyes, the two men mere inches away from each other. He could see the pain in the depths of those golden eyes, all the doubt and uncertainty that came from suspicion of the past. He nearly pitied the lost look in his eyes, nearly.

"Thought you should know."

Suddenly, something glowed in Inuyasha's eyes that he didn't expect would. Realization. A growl emitted from the depths of his throat as conclusions were drawn up in Inuyasha's brain, all the stories Kikyo told him finally making a sick, twisted sense. Insecurities bottled up inside him as he felt his youkai threaten to break out, his emotions running wild. Kouga swallowed, knowing the dangerous game he entered himself into. No amount of words can penetrate this hanyou's brain, however, emotion sure as hell can.

"She betrayed me!" His eyes were bleeding red, violet, jagged lines running across his cheeks. He felt his claws elongate as he bared his fangs at that conniving wolf. "She reeked of your smell, she accepted ever single damn hug, gift, everything!" His thoughts were racing, adrenaline pumping through his blood as he felt his demon rattle in its cage, itching for release. "She is the one at fault, she's the one who betrayed me!"

Kouga wasn't stupid, he could sense Inuyasha's youkai blood beginning to course through his veins. Provoking him would get his ass beaten six feet under. However, he was finally making progress. With Inuyasha this vulnerable, he had to take that risk. With a sturdy, calm voice, he said, "In order for her to betray you...you trusted her." He heard a growl reverberate in the half-demon's throat.

"But you let accusations break that? Tell me, hanyou, has she ever sneaked out at night saying she has work?"

Crack.

"Has she cancelled your wedding reception, your damn honeymoon, because she had a crisis to handle?"

Growl.

"Has she," His voice was beginning to crack, "Has she ever...ever held an ounce...of hatred, malice...anything but love and happiness for you? You, a fucking half-breed, the most fucked-up person to ever be with!" Inuyasha let out a low snarl as before he grabbed onto Kouga's collar, lifting the wolf-demon off the ground carelessly. Kouga didn't care, his emotions running wild as his words kept throwing insult after insult and reopening old scars.

"You fucking wretch! You fucked up piece of shit! She trusted you, I trusted you! I gave her up, I moved on, because once she told me how much she fucking loves you and that she will never leave you because of your blood, I thought I could leave her here. I thought you would never hurt her. But you don't understand, you don't fucking get it! You don't understand how she never did shit to you, that all of this is your fault! You and your damn condition, your damn blood!" He was being choked at this point, feeling Inuyasha's claws digging into the skin on his neck, already pricking the skin and causing trails of blood to seep down the length of his throat.

Blinking back the cloudy look on his lightening-blue eyes, he bared his fangs at the enraged demon before him, whispering coarsely, "Half-breeds can't exist, can't you see? They're too...unstable." It wasn't like hanyous weren't allowed to live, rather it would be harder for the child to live if they don't have the correct...environment. Clearly...Inuyasha didn't.

"You're just a sickness that'll spread."

He felt his consciousness slowly slip as Inuyasha's infuriated grip refused to seize. Inuyasha's eyes begin to fill to the brim with dark emotions, tears of Kami-knows what rolling down his cheeks as he tried to reign in his emotions, tried to grab ahold of himself once more. Tried to prove to Kouga, to every damn one, that he can control it, he can take his demon. That he doesn't need those stupid...stupid pills to keep him contained, trapped. He was just as normal as anyone else, just as sane. What really drove him crazy, what made his skin crawl, was those looks. Those malicious, judging, PITIFUL looks! People needed to stop treating him as if he was crazy- he wasn't! He was normal. He is normal.

Slowly, he willed his hands to loosen their steel grip on the barely conscious youkai, his arms shaking wildly in a controlled effort. Kouga, not taking any chance of possible death, held still as Inuyasha eased his hold, knowing that any slight movement could cause him permanent damage.

Once feet touching the pavement once more, Inuyasha released Kouga roughly, pushing the man a good distance away from him. A few seconds of silence fell between the two, Kouga's shallow breaths and Inuyasha's harsh ones the only sound omitting. Then, Inuyasha felt the edges of his lips tug, a crazed, awe-struck smile slowly making its way up his face. Staring amazingly at his claws, he let out a laugh. No, it wasn't a laugh of relief or joy. To be completely honest...No one knew what laugh that was. It horrified the full-youkai to no end.

"I...I can control it." Inuyasha finally voiced, his open palms quickly turning into fists. A chuckled resonated from the depths of his throat as he cracked a few of his knuckles, his eyes narrowing. "I'm as stable as you, Kouga, I'm as stable as Miroku and I'm damn sure as stable as Kagome." A feral grin. "I don't need to be cured."

The condition is as bad as we thought, Kouga thought grimly as Inuyasha gave him his back, his rough hands reaching for his house keys. A look of despair donned his features, something he never imagined himself showing to someone like Inuyasha. Pity and anger swelled in his heart as he turned away sharply, his fangs bared out as he walked down the streets aimlessly.

He can't be cured.