Forgotten

Disclaimer-I don't own anything from Inuyasha. They all belong to their rightful owners. I do however own a few of the characters in this story so don't take them from me!

Hey everyone. Since I took such a long time to update I decided I would post this chapter as soon as I could. It is a gift to all of you who have been following and reviewing this story. I greatly appreciate it and I am glad so many of you are enjoying the story.

So this is for all the fans of Forgotten.

Chapter Twenty-One: Journey to the Future

The sun had set long ago and all the occupants of the hut had long since turned in for the night, getting some much needed rest. Or so it would seem, for the two half demons inside the tiny space were wide awake on different sides of the room and were up for very different reasons.

Inuyasha watched the half dragon demon with concern as he tried to figure out what was causing this depression that seemed to be seeping into her; a depression that he had never seen before.

Kagome has always been the bright and happy one of the group, keeping their spirits up even when all hope seemed lost.

So for her to be depressed there was definitely something wrong with her. And that was bothering him to the point of madness. He wanted to help her but to do so he had to know what was bothering her. The only thing was Kagome would just brush off his questions saying she was fine and that he needn't worry about her.

Kagome being upset and depressed was not acceptable, and he was going to fix it. Plain and simple.

Kagome was awake because she kept getting the nagging feeling something was off. As subtle as it was, something in the air had changed and she couldn't shake the feeling that it would be bad once whatever it was manifested itself.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that when the hand appeared on her shoulder she nearly screamed but another hand covered her mouth. Gold and raspberry clashed and Kagome instantly calmed.

Satisfied that she wouldn't scream Inuyasha removed his hand from her mouth then gestured to outside with his head to keep from waking the others. This had to be private between them, he didn't need anyone watching and listening in. So he stood and waited for the girl to get up.

She did so at a terribly slow pace and since his patience was already too thin he swooped Kagome off her feet and over his shoulder as soon as she stood then was out the hut door.

Neither noticed that knowing eyes that followed them until they disappeared from view. A low chuckle escaped their viewer's lips as they closed their baby blue eyes. "They'll figure it out eventually."

In the Forest

Inuyasha only let the girl down when they reached the base of the sacred tree. But Kagome hadn't made the trip there easy; fighting to break free of his grasp the whole way there. And with her half demon strength it was harder to keep a grip on her but he wouldn't let go.

With a gentleness Kagome couldn't recall him having Inuyasha placed her upon her feet and then all but pinned her back to the trunk as he loomed over her. His arms were braced on either side of her, making sure she didn't have a chance to slip away.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked bluntly.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she returned, "You're the one who dragged me out here in the middle of the night."

"I meant what the hell has you so fucking depressed!?" he snarled back before adding as a side note, "And there's nothing wrong with me."

Kagome stared up at him, trying to think of a way to word her emotions. In all honesty, she didn't even completely understand them herself. She lowered her gaze but a hooked finger under her chin forced her to meet Inuyasha's eyes once more.

"Tell me Kagome."

"I uh…I…"

"You can tell me," he released a frustrated sigh. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's bothering you." Shaking her head and lowering her eyes Kagome released a heavy sigh.

Annoyed that she wasn't answering him and trying to avoid him he licked her cheek which made her jump and turn her head to face him once more. "What was that?"

"A way to get your attention… It's a dog demon thing." If she didn't have the heightened senses of a half demon Kagome would have never seen the faint pink dusting his cheeks in the dark. "Now tell me what's bothering you."

She bit her lip as she debated what to say. Kagome really wanted to tell him but she had too much to even process. "I don't… It's a lot of things."

He raised a questioning brow and he gazed at the young half demon and he tried to ignore the affect her scent was having on him. "Like what?"

"My memories, Naraku's plan, Kohaku's betrayal, and the things I can't remember… I keep getting the feeling something bad is going to happen…" she sighed and lowered her gaze for a brief moment, "But I guess I'm worried about how my family will react to me."

"Why would that bother you?"

The girl sighed before gazing up at him with tears in her eyes, which threw Inuyasha off. "Because… Because… Last time they saw me I was a human!" she cried as she clung to him with her tears falling freely now. He grunted slightly in surprise before wrapping her in his embrace, one of his hands stroking through her hair in an attempt to calm her. "But now I'm a half demon! What if they reject me!? What if they don't love me anymore!?"

To silence the girl Inuyasha pushed her back flat against the trunk and covered her mouth with his hand. They locked gazes instantly. "Shut up you stupid girl." He saw a flicker of rage pass through her eyes despite the tears, "If there's one thing I know about your family is they wouldn't hate you… Even if you're a half demon now."

Seeing the doubt in her eyes Inuyasha growled, "Hell they accepted me the moment I walked into the house, and I was being a complete asshole. They love you Kagome, and they will no matter what." He removed his hand from her mouth and the girl did nothing but stare at him.

She was shocked by what he just said. From what she could remember of the half demon, and what she had seen over the last few weeks he never said anything like that. The fact that he had just to reassure her spoke volumes and she couldn't stop the heat that rushed to her face or the way her heart pounded in her chest.

The two just stared at each other and Inuyasha was suddenly over whelmed by the strong desire to kiss her; and that thought caused him to blush furiously. In the blink of an eye he was standing six feet away with his back to her.

Kagome blinked in confusion, trying to process what had just happened… why Inuyasha suddenly become so nervous. "Um…"

"Feh, let's get back to the hut." Inuyasha grumbled before he started his dead march towards Kaede's hut. He stopped when he very nearly collided with Kagome who had appeared right in front of him. 'Dammit! I forgot she's just as fast as me now... If not faster.'

"What's wrong?" she whispered with concern swimming in her eyes, "You seem anxious… Did… Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't be stupid!" he snapped causing the girl to flinch slightly. "You did nothing." Tucking his arms into his sleeves he began trekking back to the village. Inuyasha froze however when he heard a faint whisper from her, his ear flicking in her direction. Slowly he turned to face her. "What?"

Kagome kept her back to him and her head bowed making it impossible for him to see her eyes.

"What did you say?!" he growled when she didn't answer.

"I said…" she finally faced him and the tears in her eyes floored him, making his stomach do flips. "Why do you still hide things from me?"

That left him stunned and speechless. What did she mean, 'still' hide things from her? He had never hidden anything from her… Except maybe his feelings for her. So with a growl of anger he marched up to her until he towered over her, his eyes gleaming down "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I don't know…" she looked up at the stars for a moment, "I just have this feeling that you've hidden things from me before… and I don't like this feeling."

The two stood in an uncomfortable silence as neither could figure out what to say. Her eyes widened however when he reached out and began to caress her cheek, his molten eyes tender as he gazed down at her. Kagome's heart raced in her chest, but because of how loud it was in her ears Kagome didn't realize that Inuyasha's heart was racing in rhythm with hers.

"You stupid, stupid girl."

That made her anger spike, "Who are you calling st-!" She was cut off by his lips crashing down on hers. One of his arms snaked around her waist to pull her flush against him while the other hand fisted in her hair to hold her still.

She was stunned for a minute before she began to respond in kind. Her arms wrapped around Inuyasha's neck as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues battled for dominance and Inuyasha smirked into the kiss when Kagome moaned gently.

When Inuyasha pulled away from the kiss she let out a whimper of protest which turned into a surprised squeak when he pulled her forward into a tight embrace. Kagome could feel the small tremors of his body and slowly moved her arms from his neck to around his waist to return the hug. "Inu… Yasha?"

"Never again."

"What?" when she went to turn her head to look up at him his hand came up and pressed her head gently back into his shoulder.

"Never again will I let anything hurt you. Nothing is going to happen to you." He growled; a fire of determination in his eyes as he glared off into the forest. "I won't lose you again… I can't lose you again."

Kagome blinked in surprise for a minute before fisting her hands in the back of his haori, burying her face into his chest. "You won't… I swear to you."

"I'm going to protect you this time."

His words confused her. He had always protected her. Even with huge gaps in her memory she still remembered that clearly. Inuyasha had never let her down. He had even almost gotten himself killed a few times just to make sure she was safe.

"Nothing's going to take you from me. I'll protect you with my life."

"I believe you." She whispered before placing a gentle kiss on the side of his neck. "But there's one thing you're forgetting."

"And what might that be?" he whispered back.

"Now I can protect you." Kagome felt him tense at her words. "I'm a half demon now, and I know I might never be as good as you in battle but I'm not going to let you die for me. I'm going to protect you to."

His grip on her tightened to an almost painful level as he growled into her ear, "No."

"What do you mean no?!" she growled back as she tried to free herself from his embrace so she could confront him properly but Inuyasha refused to release her.

"I'm not letting you risk your life!" he hissed. Just the thought of losing her again had his heart freezing in his chest. He loved her too damn much to let that happen… But he also knew that he wasn't strong enough to live through losing her again. She was everything to him and he wasn't about to let her go. Not now. Not ever.

"It's not your choice." She hissed back.

"You're not going to risk your life!" Inuyasha snarled back, his claws lightly digging into her flesh. "There's no fucking way I'm going to let you! I don't care how much stronger or skilled in battle you've gotten! You're not fucking putting yourself in harm's way!"

"So what I want doesn't matter?!"

"Would you stop fucking arguing with me!?" he hissed. "I said you're not risking your life!"

"And I said it's not your choice!" Kagome finally broke free from his grip after she spread her wings since Inuyasha hadn't expected it. She hovered a good five feet over him, her eyes almost red with her anger and hurt. "I choose how I live and I know I can't live without you in my life."

Before he could even respond to her words Kagome vanished in thin air. Inuyasha's eyes widened and his heart beat in panic as he searched desperately for the girl. Taking a quick sniff of the air he found her scent and quickly raced after it…

Completely missing the girl hidden in the shadowed branches of the Sacred tree; her raspberry eyes filled with hurt.

Back at the Hut

Everyone sat around the fire as Kaede handed out the bowls of stew. Just as they were about to enjoy their meals Inuyasha came bursting through the door, looking around but not noticing anyone.

He cursed under his breath, "Dammit."

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he got to his feet and made his way towards his friend. That is when Inuyasha finally seemed to notice him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." He turned to leave but…

"Where's Kagome?" Amokura asked in a serious, and slightly suspicious voice. Inuyasha instantly froze on the spot. "I know you two left the hut together last night."

Now everyone was staring at the young half demon as he stood there silently. They waited for him to answer but Inuyasha seemed to be lost in his own world again. Blood dripped from his hands when his claws pierced his palms. His golden eyes a dark yellow instead of the normal amber.

"What's going on?" Kean hissed, his eyes narrowing at the half demon.

Growling under his breath Inuyasha ran out of the hut and back into the forest in search of the girl.

Kagome stood on the edge of the well staring down in the darkness. Uncertainty kept her frozen on the spot, the wind gently blowing her hair making that the only movement. Her eyes glazed over as she debated what to do.

She truly wanted to go back to the future but she didn't feel safe doing it on her own. Releasing a sigh she closed her eyes, her senses still on high alert.

'Come on Kagome… Just jump in…' she thought. Right when she was about to step into the well,

"There you are you-"

Inuyasha trailed off when Kagome let out a startled scream and began to topple backwards. Rushing forward he caught the girl before she fell onto the ground. However a second later she was on the opposite side of the well glaring at him.

"What are you doing here!?"

That instantly set his temper roaring, "Looking for you bitch!"

"Stop calling me that!" she growled out at him, spiritual energy gathering around her hands as they fisted at her side.

"Then stop acting like one!"

"Why you…" Kagome flew across the clearing and slammed her elbow into Inuyasha's stomach, knocking him off his feet. However, with his fast reflexes he caught her wrist and pulled her to the ground with him. Growling, Kagome twisted just enough to slam her knee into his stomach with as much strength as she could muster.

Gasping he released her wrist only to pin her to the ground by her neck, snarling in her face, "Would you calm the fuck down!?"

"Screw You!" With that she slammed her head into Inuyasha's knocking him off balance and then putting her palm against his chest she shot him away with some spiritual energy so he flew a good ten feet in the air and slammed on the ground a few feet from her. In the blink of the eye she was on her feet and in a battle stance.

"Dammit Kagome!" Inuyasha growled as he got to his feet as well, glaring at the girl with a deeply bottled rage. "Stop acting like a spoiled bitch!"

His only response was Kagome launching at him and trying to punch him in the face but he was able to just barely dodge it, blocking every move she made. It was tricky, and not just because of her speed. Obviously she had been trained well.

Growling in anger again he caught her wrist and brought her arm up behind her back and gripped her shoulder with his free hand, keeping her back to him.

"Calm the fuck down!"

"Let go!" she hissed as she struggled to get her arm loose from his grip. A small eternity passed with her failing to get free from his grip and she finally gave in. "Okay… I'm done."

Inuyasha hesitated a moment before slowly releasing her and Kagome stepped back and turned to face him, rubbing her wrist slightly.

"…Sorry…"

"We need to talk about last night." Inuyasha stated calmly.

"I said everything I need to say." She returned before heading towards the well again. Snarling Inuyasha grabbed her arm and turned her back to him.

"Can you just hear me out!?"

"Why!?" tears pricked her eyes as she glared at him. "You've made your opinion pretty damn clear and you've also made it clear that I don't get to decide anything."

"That's not-"

"Just leave me alone!"

"I can't lose you again!" That caused Kagome to freeze and stare at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"W-what?"

"I can't lose you again." He whispered while keeping his eyes hidden beneath his bangs. "It will destroy me… I just… I can't… I'm not strong enough…" Kagome noticed the small tremors of his body. "I can't live without you…"

"Inuyasha…" She gently pulled her arm from his grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck. Inuyasha still refused to meet her gaze. With a small smile she leaned forward and brushed her lips across his in a whisper of a kiss.

However, when she began to pull away from him Inuyasha's lips latched onto hers in a desperate but passionate kiss to which she quickly responded to. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him and he flicked his tongue over her lips asking her for permission to enter. After a moment's hesitation she opened up and allowed him to explore.

Eventually the two had to pull away for much needed air. Inuyasha brushed some of the hair from her face and leaned into her touch when Kagome gingerly touched his cheek.

"You won't live without me." She whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Feh." He noticed when Kagome glanced at the well from the corner of her eye. "Do you want to go through?"

"Huh?" was her brilliant answer as she turned her attention back to him. Inuyasha chuckled and walked to the rim of the well and held his hand out to her.

"C'mon, I think it's time we paid your family a visit."

Nodding her head nervously Kagome took hold of his hand and joined him on the rim of the well. Her grip tightened drastically right when the two jumped through and were met with the blue light that would bring them to the future.

Souta continued to practice his soccer kicks against the side of the well house when Buyo decided to have one of his moments of energy and ran right by his feet causing Souta to kick way to the left.

He blinked in surprise when he saw the ball in the hand of his hero who was standing near the door of the well house. "Hey kid."

"Inuyasha…" he said in a bit of surprise. The half demon hadn't been here for almost six months and had rarely come to visit after he delivered the news of his sister. "What brings you here?"

Inuyasha tossed the ball back and then held his hand out through the well house door. Souta raised a questioning brow at this. He opened his mouth to ask when he saw another hand reach out and take hold of his hero's. The boy's eyes widened in shock when he saw who stepped out of the small building.

He instantly noticed the changes in her appearance but he knew who it was. How could he not recognize… "Kagome?"

His sister turned to face him with an uncertain look on her face as she stared at him. Inuyasha squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Um… hey there Souta… Long time no see…"

With tears in his eyes Souta ran forward and threw his arms around his sister's waist, "Kagome!" he sobbed into her stomach as the girl in turn wrapped her arms around him as well, gently stroking his head in an attempt to soothe the boy. "I thought… I…"

"I know…Shh…" she whispered, Inuyasha having informed her as they had travelled through the time light that he had told her family of her supposed death. "I'm here…"

The sound of the door opening brought everyone's attention to Ms Higurashi who was standing on the porch of the house. She stared silently at the group with tears in her eyes as her gaze fell upon on Kagome. "...Oh my God..."

Well there you have it. The end of chapter twenty one. Once again, I'm sorry for how long it's taken for me to update this story… But hey, life kept getting in the way. Anyways, I will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Thanks to all who have sent in reviews and favourited this story. And thank you for sticking with me throughout everything. I love you guys.