Kagome hadn't gone far enough into the jungle to escape the sound of the ocean, when a large form stepped into her path.

"Goin' somewhere, miss?" the man, for it was a man, asked. He was broad and strong and dressed very much like the crew on the ship that had brought them there.

Kagome just managed not to shriek at his sudden appearance. What was he doing in the jungle? She stared at him mutely.

Seeing her confusion in the slowly brightening daylight, he answered without waiting for a question. "Yer grandpa asked us to keep an eye for ya. Guess he figured you might wander away, and here you are, eh?"

Kagome said nothing, desperately searching for a way around, past, or through this man. She had to find InuYasha, she just had to!

"Well, enough of this," the man continued. "Let's get you back home. Ship leaves today, you know."

He was disgustingly cheerful, and Kagome suspected that her grandpa had bribed the man to watch for her. Still, she would not be deterred. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she told him, and made to step around him, deeper into the jungle.

She wasn't expecting him to grab at her, and she nimbly dodged his beefy fingers, darting away with a pounding heart.

"Oh, no you don't!" the man cried, and dashed after her.

Kagome did shriek then, out of fear and rage. "Leave me alone!"

"Ain't no way I'm giving up that payment," the man huffed, close on her heels. "Stop running, damn it!"

He was, for all his size, incredibly agile; dodging branches and vines nearly as nimbly as she. Still, her smaller size held the advantage, and she might have eventually lost him, save that she tripped and went sprawling on the damp ground. The breath went out of her with a whoosh.

"Aha, got you!" the man cried, and if Kagome had enough breath in her lungs, she might have cursed.

The man snatched her from the ground, shaking her til her teeth rattled.

"Little minx, I outta-"

The rest of his diatribe was cut off with a grunt, and his hold on her abruptly ripped away. Kagome found herself staring at a familiar back, and long silver hair. "Inu-" she began.

A terrible snarl rolled over the jungle, cutting off her joyful greeting. She had only heard him make that sound once before, and it did not bode well for the sailor that had touched her. He would kill this man, she knew. Now Kagome did not begrudge him the deaths of Onigumo and Hojo, for such was their deserved fate, but this man was only following orders, and had ultimately intended her no real harm. She could not let InuYasha harm him.

"Don't!" she cried, as the hanyou crouched to spring. He made no answer, but turned halfway to glare at her. Apparently, he did not approve of her interference. The man cowered, 20 feet away, where he had been thrown. He did not reach for the long knife on his hip. He knew fighting was useless.

She needed to distract InuYasha. "Um, just take me away, okay?" she pleaded. "Go? Home, InuYasha's home?"

He spun around completely then, to observe her closely. Did she really mean it? "InuYasha's home?" he asked, and she did not miss the flare of hope in his amber eyes.

"Yes, please. I was looking for you, InuYasha. I want to be with you. Please take me away from here," she told him. She knew she was babbling, but adrenaline ruled her actions. She reached out for his hand, intending to pull him further into the jungle. Hopefully the sailor would escape safely, and she and her hanyou would be long gone by the time he returned with reinforcements. A pang at the hurt this would cause her family hit hard, but she shoved it away. It was InuYasha for her, and nothing less.

The hanyou studied her, hard. "Kagome….with InuYasha?" he clarified.

"Yes!" she agreed, relief making her giddy. Neither paid much attention to the sailor as he gave them a wide berth on his way back to the beach. "Now?" she added, hopefully. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with more sailors, or even worse, her family. She had said her goodbye's in a letter, she wasn't sure she could face them in person.

Instead of swooping her up and carrying her off, damsel style, InuYasha snatched her to him. And then he was kissing her, pressed closely, so closely against her, and just that contact, the feel of him, hot and hard, the muscles of his stomach and chest and arms pressing into her, was the most erotic thing she'd ever experienced. "I missed you so much" she murmured between kisses. "Yes," was his guttural response, and this time she was the one kissing him, wanting to climb inside of him and never come out into the real world again. Finally, she was home.

How long they might have stood there, lost in bliss, was unknown. The sound of her mother's shocked voice flashed over Kagome like ice water. "K-Kagome?"

"Granddaughter!" her grandfather's voice was far harder, drenched with disapproval.

Kagome sprang away from InuYasha. Or at least she tried to. His arms were like steel bands around her, grounding her, keeping her firmly in his grasp. Again his snarl rolled over the jungle in clear warning.

The sailor had indeed, made it back safely, and had returned with not only more sailors, but her family as well. For a moment, there was only the distant sound of the surf, and her grandfather's labored breathing.

"Mama," Kagome started, intending to plea with the one most likely to understand.

"How could you?" her mother interrupted, heartbreak in her voice. Kagome's heart withered.

"You were just going to leave with no goodbye?" her mother asked, and Kagome could barely stand the sight of her tears.

"Mama, I didn't mean to-" she started.

"Of course you did," Tomo broke in, "or you never would have done this. Sneaking away, Kagome?" he asked. "I taught you better than that, girl." He tossed her now open letter at her feet.

Kagome lowered her head in shame. He was right, she did know better. She had known the hurt she would cause when she left that note, it had been no accident.

"I'm sorry, Mama, Grandpa." She fought not to cry. At her back, InuYasha growled when the scent of her tears reached him, and his arm around her tightened.

He brought her back to herself and her purpose as nothing else could. Her head lifted, and despite the tear that trailed down her cheek, her gaze was strong, unwavering. "I want him."

The sailors now echoed her family's gasps. Kagome knew that with those words she had just ruined her reputation at every port they might have reached. Perhaps even home. She no longer cared. "I love him, and he loves me. I'm staying here."

"Kagome, you don't know what you're saying!" her mother cried. "You have your friends, school, and your whole future back home. You have us!" she finished.

Her daughter swallowed hard. "It's not enough, not anymore."

Her grandfather's mouth tightened. "Leave us," he ordered the men. They grumbled and complained, but he was resolute. "We will return shortly, wait for us at the treehouse!" Kagome didn't think he'd ever sounded so sure of himself.

The men drifted away, clearly reluctant, whether for her safety and that of her family, or at the loss of hunting the hanyou at her back, she wasn't sure. It didn't matter, they were alone. Still, a gaping divide stood between them, and Kagome didn't know if she could ever breach it. Still, she had to try.

From the safe circle of InuYasha's arms, she extended a hand, pleading. "Grandpa, please. You know I love you both. But this…this place, this man," here, she reached her other hand down to cover InuYasha's where it rested against her ribs, "has changed me. I'm not the same girl I was when I got here. I want more than the life we had. There is freedom here, and I want it. I can have it, with InuYasha."

"Oh, Kagome," her mother sighed. She knew there was only one outcome here.

"You should not have snuck out, like a thief, like someone ashamed of her actions," her grandfather insisted.

"You would have said no," Kagome countered. "You wouldn't listen when I tried to tell you about what happened while I was gone. You didn't want to hear."

He sighed, admitting the truth in her words. "I'm listening now, granddaughter."

Kagome's heart leapt. Carefully, she gave a gentle pat to InuYasha's arm, silently asking for release. He growled a warning at her family, but let her go.

She crossed the distance between them and embraced her mother, while reaching for her grandpa. They stood there, embracing, and crying more than a few tears. Knowing they had little time, that the ship would not wait much longer, Kagome told them of her adventures, of the bravery of her hanyou, and the accommodations that he provided for her. She tried to assure them of her happiness, of her determination, of the rightness of Kagome and InuYasha.

They might have argued further with her, but the sound of a conch being blown in the distance killed that hope. The ship was preparing to leave. "You have to go," Kagome told them, trying to smile.

"How can we leave you?" Hana asked, reaching for her daughter again.

"I'll be fine. InuYasha will see to it," Kagome murmured, hugging her mother tightly.

"We could stay, I suppose," her grandfather mused.

Kagome's whole being lit up at this thought, but she knew better. " You need to go back, Grandpa. Both of you. You have your research to compare with your friends, and mom you have your job," Kagome answered. She could not believe that she was being the voice of reason here. "Your lives are there, and mine is…..here." With that, she stepped back, and InuYasha again wrapped her in an embrace. An almost subsonic growl echoed through her, soothing and calming her. "I'll miss you both. I'll love you always."

Hana sobbed, but Tomo nodded. He and the hanyou exchanged hard looks. Despite the language barrier, something ancient, male, and universal passed between them. Kagome would be fine.

"Let's go, daughter," he said to Hana, and took her elbow to lead her back to the ship, and their own future.

Kagome waited until she couldn't see them anymore for the dense jungle foliage, and then turned to InuYasha. "Take me home."

And he did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

So sorry I've been away so long. I kind of lost the thread of this story for a while; was unsure where to take it and how to get it there once I did figure it out. I hope this chap satisfies. There will likely be another chapter sometime in future, but I give no timelines. Just stay tuned, and Happy Summer!