As Kagome felt her consciousness return to her, she instantly wished she could fall back asleep. Her head was killing her and her chest was aching. She tried to open her eyes, only to fail. Her eyelids felt like they were glued down. She needed to open her eyes, she needed to do something.. But what exactly was something? What had she been doing when she collapsed? She wracked her brain, trying to figure it out. She had been so upset about something, but she didn't understand what it was.

At that moment, her ears started picking up the noises coming from around her. Were those voices? Trying to distinguish who the people were, she listened to the voices speak around her.

"He just needs time. It came as a shock to all of us," one voice said. 'Ahhh,' Kagome thought, 'that's Miroku.'

"He said he would go find a way to remove it, is that really possible?" 'That's Shippo.'

"Of course not. No one has ever found a way to remove it. But I don't think any one has been unhappy enough to try either." 'Sango.'

One by one, Kagome was able to match the voices she was hearing to her friends. But there was another voice in the mix. Who was it? Why couldn't she hear them very well? Desperate to hear the voice, Kagome focused intently.

"Once she stops fighting the mark, she won't be unhappy. Then the mutt can stop this stupid hunt for something that doesn't even exist."

As Kagome finally heard the voice, her heart thumped in her chest. Her body felt twice as heavy as it already did. She felt like she was suffocating. In a moment of panic, she called out to the one she needed.

"Koga…" She whispered.

At the sound of Kagome's whisper, every one in the room froze. Koga, who had been on the other side of the room, jumped up at the slight noise.

'She called my name. She needs me.'

Almost knocking Shippo over in his haste, Koga rushed to her side. Reaching out, he stroked her cheek…. And Kagome opened her eyes.

Kagome felt someone stroke her cheek, immediately recognizing Koga's touch. At his touch, she felt like someone had just removed a giant weight from her chest. She had to see him. Had to touch him.

Opening her eyes, she saw his blue orbs floating right above her. They were filled with worry and Kagome's heart ached at the look on his face. She couldn't stand to see him this upset. She had to help him. Slowly, she moved her hand up to rest on his, which was still placed on her cheek. Turning her head, she pressed a kiss into the palm of his hand.

"Koga…." She breathed. Looking up at him, she saw that his face had turned a deep red. Finally realizing what she had done, Kagome came to her senses. Blushing, she sat straight up and scooted away from the man beside her. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Those beautiful blue eyes of his. The more she looked at them, the more she lost herself. Unconsciously, she started to lean toward him… Until someone in the room cleared their throat, knocking her out of her trance.

Looking around, she saw that all eyes in the room were trained on her. Kagome started to panic. What had she just done? Why did she do that? She didn't even love Koga. She loved Inuyasha! Desperate to escape, she tried to stand, only to be caught by Koga as she swayed on her feet.

"Careful now, Kagome. That old priestess lady says that you're exhausted. You should take it easy." Koga whispered, his breath blowing on her ear.

Kagome shivered at the feeling, instantly feeling embarrassed about it. It was like she couldn't control her body's reactions anymore. Her brain knew that she shouldn't be reacting like this, but apparently her body had a different plan for her.

It was all his fault! If she could just get away from Koga, her body would listen to her again. If she just put some distance between them, then maybe the power of the match wouldn't affect her so much.

Placing her hands against his chest, she tried not to let herself get distracted by how strong his chest felt as she pushed herself away from him. Koga's arms fell from around her waist and she looked up at him, careful not to look in his eyes. His face was a mix of adoration and worry. He loved her, it was written all over his face, but she didn't feel the same. Unable to look at him anymore, Kagome turned and ran through the door of the shack.

"KAGOME!" She heard him scream after her, but she didn't stop running. She had to get away from him. He was fast and she needed to put as much distance between her and him as possible. She could hear him chasing after her and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. There was no way she could outrun him, he was too fast. He would catch her any moment.

Kagome was so focused on what was behind her, she didn't pay attention to who was in front of her, causing her to collide with someone for the second time that day. Her and her victim both toppled to the ground, her laying on his back.

"Hey! Watch where you're going would ya…." Inuyasha started to yell. When he turned and saw it was Kagome, his words died in his throat. Kagome's face was buried in his long, silver hair. Inhaling his familiar scent, she felt her mind relax. At least until she remembered that she was being chased by her "soul-mate", a soul-mate that wasn't Inuyasha. Jumping up, she started to run again until Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"Where are you going, Kagome," he asked.

Turning to look at his amber eyes, Kagome's own filled with tears.

"I need to get away from here, away from him. I don't want this. I don't want him." Her voice pleaded for him to understand.

Inuyasha's heart-beat sped up. All he needed to hear was that she didn't want anything to do with that wolf. Wrapping her in his arms, he threw her onto his back, and ran.

They ran for what felt like forever, although it had probably only been a few hours. Inuyasha jumped to a high branch and set Kagome down on it. Sniffing the air, he didn't smell any sign of the mongrel so he sat down beside her. Leaning against the tree, Kagome closed her eyes. She wanted to be relieved that she was away from Koga. Inuyasha was fast, but Koga was faster. Even if he hadn't found them yet, he would eventually.

Part of her rejoiced at the fact that she would see him again, but the other half felt numb. Her energy felt like it was being sucked away. Her eyes ached and she just wanted to sleep. She felt bad for Inuyasha. He had gone out of his way to bring her here, to get her away from Koga, and now she was too exhausted to even speak to him.

Opening her eyes, she saw Inuyasha staring at her, his face only mere inches away.

"Kagome.." He whispered, his breath washing over her. It didn't affect her the way it used to. Before her face would have turned red and she would have been reduced to a blushing mess. Now, though, she just felt wrong. When Koga's breath touched her, it felt amazing….

'No!' She thought, 'I need to stop thinking about him!'

Kagome was pulled out of her thoughts by Inuyasha cupping her cheek. Pulling her to him, he lightly pressed his lips to hers. Kagome's stomach roiled at the feeling of his lips on hers. Her body was fighting to get him away, to stop him from taking her lips. Kagome tried to ignore her body's reaction, pushing them to the back of her mind. When Inuyasha parted her lips and tried to explore her mouth with his tongue, it became impossible. Her stomach convulsed. She pushed him away, leaned over the edge of the branch, and vomited.

When she was finally done heaving, she buried her face in her hands. She was afraid to look at him, but she had to. Peeking between her fingers, she instantly regretted her decision. Inuyasha was staring at the ground with the most depressing look on his face. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned towards her.

"It's okay, Kagome. I know it's not your fault. It's that damn mark. I'm going to find a way to get rid of it. I won't let him have you. I promise."

With those parting words, Inuyasha leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and left her.