AN: I would like to thank Mumford and Sons for being my soundtrack to the majority of this story, as well as Umekichi. AND WAFF.

k.a.a-inu; That's so sweet of you. :) I hope that you enjoy this chapter a little better than the last. It isn't nearly as depressing, I promise!

ninjamidori; I think you may be happy with how he's doing. ;D

Guest; I honestly don't know if I can.

Warm-Amber92; D: OMG DON'T CRY. I sit here and listen to the most depressing music when I write. I guess it helped with the mood, but still. DON'T CRY!

Saria Forest14; It was an epidemic in Japan, especially after the war. But people did live relatively normal life spans with their condition. InuYasha had extrapulmonary and pulmonary. It can go into a remission with antibiotics even in that time period. So, he has hope! :3

(I literally read about tuberculosis for four days. I started because I have a terrible cough and thanks to Wikipedia and WebMD I think I'm dying.)

I do hope you enjoy this chapter. There's a little something special for you guys in here.

AND

Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, as always. Imma just leave this here...

~Jiru

The nights blurred into days, taking with them the freshness of each wound. Time never stilled as Kagome breached the wall of her feelings. InuYasha had been suffering his affliction for nearly a year, with it fluctuating like rising and falling tide.

Being in the city had caused an influx of sputum and violent change in his symptoms. The woman had taken him to the shattered remains of the hospital, where her mother had been barred behind the empty windows. They'd sent him to the occupation where he was given antibiotics by the medical practioners stationed in cubicles.

The morning after they snuck out of the ryokan, he had been forced to wear a quarantine mask and suffer the stares of those fearful of contracting his illness. Kagome wore one as well, hoping that it would ease the blow to his pride. They hadn't discussed it much further, and left it at the mercy of how his body responded.

She knew that if it did go away, it would return and eventually claim him. Life was fragile in that it was meant to serve a distinct purpose from person to person. Whatever his calling was, she was certain that he still had some time to indulge.

Getting him out of his forest was proof enough of that.

Still, as she ran her fingers over clothing hanging so vacantly on wires, she didn't know how well he would manage on his own. A scowl pressed her lips into a tightline beneath the mask, and she sighed. They ventured to Ginza in hopes of seeing what the fuss had been about. There were new shops, filled with Western clothing and odds and ends.

The newer buildings even appeared dilapidated and haunted as she wande+dred through the plastic liners and dresses suspended by their collars. InuYasha had chosen to wait outside, as the day was warmer with the rebirth of sun's reign. He sat hunkered down, wearing a red haori he'd bought second-hand and a pair of black trousers.

Then there was the cane.

Kagome barely realized she was purchasing a cheap pair of clothes as she stared at it from afar. The shop owneer turned his head, trying to see what she was staring at and outwardly frowned. He merely handed off her written receipt and sent her on her way as he watched her pull down her mask to smile as she exited.

The man was illuminated as she knelt to help him up and send him to his feet. There was something genle in the way he accepted her offering and obliged her with a peck on her forehead. "Did you get what you needed?"

Kagome nodded weakly and replaced his mask, "I think that we should go back before the weather decides to keep us here. I think I've had enough of Tokyo for now." She said, slowing her pace for him.

InuYasha gritted his teeth at the inflamation in his knees, praying that there would be absolution for this, at the very least. "Where should we go?" He asked her, following close behind her as they rounded the busy street in trade for the slums and their tattered infastructures.

Kagome closed her eyes and thought for a moment, and let the warmth of the sun lap at her cheeks. "Why don't we go to America?" She said wildly.

InuYasha stopped and stared at her, completely flabbergasted. "You're an idiot if you think that either of us have enough money to get across all that. Besides, don't you think that you need to have a profession before you go?"

"Me?" She asked, furrowing her brows. "I included you, too. We don't have anything here holding us back, do we? What will be any different there?"

The man reached for her shoulder, "Listen to me." He licked his lips, waiting for her attention to stick to him, instead of the bodies eagerly rebuilding their lives. "If that's the dream you have, go chase it. I can't do that. You think that there's nothing holding me here, but you're wrong. I have-"

"Memories." Kagome said in response, eyes fierce with intent. "You have memories. I have memories. Nippon is a shell of what it was, and I want, the one thing I truly want is to heal. You could get everything you need there. What opportunity do you have here, other than the woods and the wanderers that you find?"

InuYasha clenched his jaw. He wasn't necessarily angry, but the notion of leaving his life behind on a chance, that's what it was a chance. A chance suggested by a woman that had been stunted, differently than he was, but still less than whole.

The idea encompassed so much more than he was willing to lose, and when it was expressed by the tension in his eyes, Kagome backed down and nodded. "Alright. I was just suggesting that it would be a good-"

"There is nothing good in that."

Kagome bristled beneath her coat, and began to pull away from him. "The only good in the world is an infant, who doesn't know what kind of darkness surrounds the hearts of humans."

For a moment, InuYasha steadied himself of his cane. Watching her walk away with her small voice, so wrought with conviction, made his stomach knot. She was something that he didn't understand, yet gravitated towards as she stumbled over the rubble of buildings and dismantled weapons; still shanghaied by dirt and brick.

All of that darkness she spoke of, what was it that she saw in him? He was shrouded by the mystery of it all. Every ginger step she took away from him was like watching her walk out of his life. She became small on the horizon, over a hill that lead back to the newly constructed areas of the city.

The red coat billowed in the wind, as did her ebony locks against her pallid flesh. This uncertainty, it grounded him as though it was his grave. When a cough hit his throat, making it had to breathe, he winced as he watched her expression falter.

That fear returned and she bolted back to where he stood, pulling down her mask as she held him up. Reaching into her pocket, she shook, grabbing the bottle of pills given to them. The glass was nestled by a clean hankerchief that she slid beneath his mask, and blotted off the blood from his mouth.

He wanted to tear away from her. Closing his eyes, he leaned his weight onto his cane and let her guide him to the apex of the hill. "At least let me take you home." Kagome whispered.

InuYasha weakly agreed and crept down the valley that lead them to a station. It was smaller than the one in Shinjuku, and held wooden cars instead of the newer steel models. People stood like toothpicks, crammed in side by side.

She shot him a disparaged glance when he gestured for her to climb up the platform. The conductor stood with a pen and paper in his hands, waiting for her to address him. "Tama?"

The old wrinkly man skimmed his list, "Yes ma'am. Around nightfall."

Kagome looked over her shoulder and watched InuYasha climb the steps. "Two to Tama." She said, picking through her envelope. The man took her exchange as he handed her two notes with their destination. InuYasha took his when Kagome gripped his sleeves in panic. The conductor eyed her precariously as she pointed to the hill.

"I left the bags." She breathed, pushing her hands into her hair. "Do I have enough time?"

The man looked at his watch, while InuYasha shook his head. "Kagome, I'll go get them."

"No, you need to sit down if you can. I'll be right back." She said, pulling her mask down to send him a pacifying grin.

The older man replaced his pocket watch, "She leaves as soon as she's full. There's not much room left, so I'll give you five minutes. That should be plenty of time. It's only on the otherside, yes?"

Kagome nodded, "Thank you, I'll be right back InuYasha. Save a spot for me." She said contently. The man felt odd as he watched her feet thud against the oak steps. The conductor offered to assist him into the car, leaving him susceptable to time.

As he entered the passenger car, people smothered one another with their belongings and brushed against their neighbors shoulders. InuYasha could barely move as he held a wide arm in between himself and the space between the window. He could no longer see the girl as she surmounted the hill, leaving him impatiently waiting for her return.

His heart beat a little faster, and his throat tightened when the smoke stacks chimed their readiness. A few of the other passengers sighed, still polite and accommodating to his need for room.

Still, it was far more harsh than the other train had been and filled to its capacity already, and then some. Sucking in a deep breath, he waited.

Closing his eyes, he heard the howls of the whistles and stiffened. There, in the distance came Kagome, tumbling over herself as she ran as fast as her scrawny legs could take her. He instantly pulled down the window and called her name, to which she responded with a panicked cry. It broke his heart to watch her cradling her bag in her arms, barely able to breathe.

The whistles cried once more as the wind stole his voice, and the wheels churned againt the rickety old track. The girl's eyes brewed with a tempestuous storm, hesitant of the tears that were so freely falling as her feet hit the platform. People on the train watched in near horror as she ran as the locomotive sped up its pace.

InuYasha dropped his belongings on the floor and pushed himself closer to the window, forcing himself up with the strength his arms. "Kagome!" He cried out, holding his arm out the window, not caring how dangerous it was.

One man tried to pull him back inside the car, but he wriggled free, keeping his eyes set on the panting woman trying to keep up. "Wait for me! Wait for me!" The girl screamed over the noise in the station. Pedestrians waving their farewells barely had time to move out of her way as she barreled through the throngs of people to find him.

He hung out from the shoulder, dark hair whipping his face as he tried to see how far away she was. When she found his extended hand, she jumped in her step trying to touch him, grasp the tips of his outstretched white fingers.

She was so close, she breathed, feeling her lungs expunge all of their air in place for suffocation. Daring as it was, the train left her behind, with the man fighting his way to the caboose. Yet, as it zipped away, leaving her slumped upon her knees, a heavy hand fell upon her shoulder.

InuYasha pushed through the people near the window, and saw him gripping her shoulder as she wept. "Kagome!" He whailed darkly, "Find me in Tama! Run, now!" He pleaded, voice raped of any semblance of its normal tone. There was no warmth left in him as he fell against his back, bloodying his mask and hands with his furious coughs.

In his ire, his fist beat against the floorboards, tearing the skin from his cold knuckles. Blood splattered across his clothes and cheeks as he gritted his teeth, holding his head in failure. Kagome was at the mercy of another beast, and she didn't even realize it.

Licking his lips, his body felt weak and woozy as his eyes lolled in the back of his head. There, he was left limp and vacant as he tried to retain at least some alertness.

In his mind, the last image that scrolled across his vision was the look of victory across that bastard's face. He had followed her there and waited in the darkness for his opportunity to capture her in her stillness.

For, as the girl realized the softness of a hand pressed against her taut shoulder, she raied her eyes to see Koga's frowning face. That one instance of sympathy made her leap to her feet and wrap her arms around him. She sobbed uncontrollably, letting herself become one with the fabric she drenched.

His large hand sank against her back and held her close to him. As he stared at the vanishing cars of the train, he smirked triumphantly. The sea didn't seem as deep now that he had accomplished at least one leg of the journey. "I can't believe I found you here! I'm so glad I did, otherwise you would have been all alone."

The woman's ears curtled at his feigned soothing tone. There was a hush, with only the clatter of trampling feet ascending various points on the platform. She brushed her hand through her hair, clinging tightly to the bag in her hand. It hadn't been worth it to go get it. It was selfish. She had wanted the damn thing so badly. InuYasha needed her and she was drifting further away.

Koga cleared his throat and reached into his cotton pocket for a tissue. He graciously blotted at her mottled cheeks, "Why don't we wait for the next one and head back together. I would really enjoy the company, and that way, you won't have to worry so much." His teeth were spread in a daunting smile that Kagome believed in.

She was unsure of his intentions, and why he was there in the first place, but Tokyo was the city where dreamers used to find solace. Everyone had business to attend to, and he must have had his fair share. "I..." A snivel tore her breath away as she closed her eyes, reliving the moment. "I just want to go home."

The burly man ruffled his short hair and looked over his shoulder. That geisha had no idea what she was talking about. Kagome was as good as his by the end of it. "Listen, why don't we get you cleaned up and get you something to eat?"

"That's very nice of you, Koga-kun." Kagome smiled weakly. "I just have to wait for the next train. I have to." She pleaded, fighting the storm raging beneath her skin. "I feel at a loss, and the hole in my heart can't possibly grow any bigger. I need to be here and find InuYasha."

The man shot her a narrow glare, barely acknowledging her frantic behavior. She wasn't paying any attention to his offer and it was damn near impossible to not want to slap her. Those dewy gray eyes were stealing the very last shreds of his humanity. He had to have her. Now wasn't the time, he deduced dejectedly. "Fine, so be it, Kagome." He nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I'll wait with you and we can go home together. I had to tend to family matters, and put my father to rest. It's been very hard to manage the past few months, and I'm sorry if I came off too strong at first."

Kagome shook her head, plucking the facial mask from around her neck. "It's alright, Koga. We all have our own share of despair, and I can't let all of this get to me. There's always an answer, right? I guess that you turned out to be what I was looking for." She said brightly, feeling her nerves begin to settle. "My mother passed recently, and I'm sorry for your loss as well." Her voice was subtle in its grieving. Her heart ached for InuYasha and the look on his face. She never wanted to see him like that. It felt like failure.

And, as she listened to Koga expose the trivial aspects of his day, there was nothing sincere. She progressively dissolved and forgot how to adhere to his voice, and become engaged. He just stared back at her with a burning behind his eyes. He was animated, exburant with every word that fell out of his mouth. She could see why girls fawned over him like they did. However, she could never have seen herself falling in love with him.

It was like staring at a kettle. You could stand there all day and the damn thing wouldn't sing. The second you look away, the world could here the song it made...

Expelling a sigh, Kagome forced a smile and glanced towards a chart in the midst of the station. A few people were looming around it like crows on a fence. "I guess we need to see which train is going to take us to Tama."

Koga blinked at her, completely enthralled by the movement of her rosy lips. "Uh, yeah. I'll walk over there with you. Don't want anyone kidnapping you." He teased halfheartedly.

Leaning down, he smelled the sweet scent premeating from her hair and reveled in her closeness. The urge to grasp at the exposed, tender flesh upon her neck was too much to bear. Just once he wanted to feel her and make the temptation disappear. Yet, as he walked with her, he realized that she was going to remain distant.

Even as she read the schedule, she found more delight in arriving before midnight than she had the duration of their conversation. He studied her expressions, her passions, her ethereal way of thinking and moving like she was connected to everything. Everything in the world moved for her.

This was obsessive.

Never had his heart beat with such a tempo! Merely existing next to her, even through her aching, he wished to possess her affection. She talked about InuYasha and all of the places they had been and about her mother. Fabricating stories about a father that he had never met was grandoise and far reaching in an intangible realm.

But she gave him the benefit of the doubt and opened herself up little by little. The afternoon wore on as his lies became more suited for a story book. Kagome almost jumped out of her skin when she found a beaten metal car slid up to the platform. Her eyes shined like diamonds as she dug around her pocket for her note.

Koga could hardly wait to get into the warmth of the train as they seated themselves and sped off into the haze. When she fell asleep from exhaustion, his hands roamed over her supple skin; tracing circles over her cheeks and collar. He chewed at his lip as she groaned, hoping that she would remain in this state.

The remaining fervor in her marrow, rattled her bones when she turned to him, hand searching for it's mate. "InuYasha..." She murmured. The stalky wood arm rest cradled her as Koga held his breath, gripping to her small hand. He quaked beneath the static rolling through his fingers.

A blush firmed planted on his cheeks as he watched her in silence. The trip would be over soon, and his plans would come to fruition.

A little longer. He told himself as he glanced at the changing terrain. A little longer and he would offer her a life that she couldn't refuse. If InuYasha died, his chances of obtaining her would be increasingly resolute.

It was like blowing down a house of cards. A smirk curled at the corner of his lips. There was nothing to do now, but let the world unravel.

And, in that, Koga's mind wandered to InuYasha. Such a sap of a human being couldn't possibly sustain himself without the help of others. It would only be a matter of time, wouldn't it? The tuberculosis would slowly deteriorate his organs and leave him mute as he faded into the back of everyone's minds.

With a sigh, Koga lolled his head back and dreamt of the moment. All the while, Kagome lay still, full of hope and wonderment that InuYasha was waiting for her.

In Tama, the late evening swallowed the landscape with darkness. The only lights shown brightly from the lanterns, and one or two street lamps, hanging over the streets like willows. A young man had been quick to help InuYasha rouse from his faint and offered him a seat in his exchange for conversation.

When the train had stopped, Jakotsu, the young man, had brightly expressed his admiration for someone with such a strong will. InuYasha had garnered the attention with hesitance, finding this boy's enthusiasm to be wrought with more lustful gazes that Kagome had ever given him.

Yet, he let him escort him off the steep steps and into the wet cobble street. InuYasha searched through the herds of people, hoping that maybe she would have already been there. When he didn't see her, his eyes landed on the rickshaw, laying in a blanket of ice and thrush snow.

Jakotsu waved his goodbye and helped his brother pull luggage from the cart, leaving the man alone. Finally. His mask came tumbling off his face as he breathed in the fresh air and unadulterated nectar on the gentle breeze. The only thing he feared here was that Kagome wouldn't return.

Graciously, he closed his eyes and gripped to his cane as he weaved through central bonfire gathering as they roasted a boar. It wasn't hard to find the monk standing there with a flask in one hand and a woman in the other.

As the heat of the fire crisped his flesh, he noticed that that woman belonged to the inn in the outskirt town. "Oi, Miroku, I need to speak with you." InuYasha called, gaining his friend's attention, as well as the attention of the blushing woman.

"As you can see I'm entertaining, but I don't see as a minute would be much of a problem." Miroku grinned, as Sango giggled upon seeing InuYasha's bewildered expression. He was polite enough to keep his mouth shut as the lude monk ushered him inside his home.

Upon closing the door, he sat InuYasha down in a chair. "Have your symptoms worsened?" He asked with concern, motioning to the bloodied cotton around his neck. Instinctively, he poured a cup of tea from his kettle and offered it to him.

"Yes, but you remember Kagome?"

"Ah, of course. Beauty like that only comes through this town one in a life time." Miroku chided, glancing out his window. "Well, twice if you count that pretty thing. I really like her. She came hoping through here on business."

"Sango?" InuYasha asked.

The man's round cheeks lifted in delight. "You know her, as well? Take you out of the wildnerness and you become an animal don't you?"

"No. I'm trying to ask you to do something." InuYasha barked, strangling out a cough.

"I understand, InuYasha." Miroku reached for a small stool and sat upon it, reading the thick lines that ran course around InuYasha's eyes. "Did something happen?"

"We were separated on the train and I wanted to make sure she made it back here. If she does, will you tell her to wait here?"

"Of course. I wouldn't send any woman into the winter cold."

For a moment, it was quiet as Miroku ran his eyes over the man. His hands wrung around the cup, spilling the hot liquid over his fingers and onto the thin haori. The desolation in his eyes lead the monk to believe that there was more going on that he was willing to share, and let him have the privy of knowing he still had some secrets.

"Love is turbulent, you know that." Miroku sighed deeply, patting the man on the shoulder. "There's one more train that comes through. It rattles the whole place, so no one will sleep through it anyway."

With a nod, InuYasha cleared his throat and forced out a cough. There was no blood this time, but the force made his throat burn with the strenuous movement. "If there's a man," He sucked in a breath, "If there's a man, get her away from him. I'm pretty sure he followed her to Tokyo when we stayed in town. She adores Sango, so it shouldn't be hard."

Miroku smiled softly. His cherubic face hid the myriad of emotions playing silently behind his eyes. "Done." Was all he said as he grabbed a satchel and placed baked goods inside. Handing it to InuYasha, he gave him his space as he left.

There was no point in stopping him from whatever he was doing, and he let him be as he shucked his belongings onto the buried rickshaw. He slid the cane into the nook, as he pulled the cart from its resting place.

The past week had been of a sound haze. There was nothing that he could do. Kagome had crept under his skin and he wanted to love her. It sickened him that Koga had been so caluculating and was probably taking advantage of her situation. He wasn't much of a threat to her safety, he thought darkly.

It didn't change the circumventing formulas that pulsated through the very heart of the situation. There was still that chance that she was in danger. Men, especially, were not to be trusted in these conditions. The war had brought out the worst in humanity, and some how managed to give life to Kagome as she opened her arms to those around her.

A hiss cut through his mouth as he entered his forest. Raising his eyes, he brought himself to halt. This was where it all started. He could blame her for making him run across the country, but he wouldn't have known what existed if it hadn't.

He longed for the gentle touch of her hands, and the serendiptious sound of her laughter. Plumes of his breath caught the cold night as he looked back at the buildings in the distance. The sky read an hour well before haunting, and if it was any consolation, he would wait for her there. Hesitantly, he looked down at the cart and grabbed his axe and slid it into the waist of his trousers.

The cane was left abandoned with his medical mask. He didn't need those damn things, he didn't. He glowered. The crushing weight of his body on his knees and feet were brutal, but he wouldn't be eviscerated in his territory.

With each wobbling step, he breathed and adjusted to the pain robbing him of solace. Kagome's safety was more important than feeling sorry for himself and his ailment. And in that, he steadying himself along the backs of the buildings as he made his way to the lonely drop off. The cold night whistled through his clothes as he perched upon a stump.

The field was alive with howls and yelps from the creatures roaming their hunting grounds, and he listened to the melodies until the moon arched into the center of the sky. The stars sent letters to lovers that had passed, and he thought of Kikyo. She would have been disappointed that his love for her diminished over the years. Still ever present, and transfixed by the desire of unfinished longing.

Kagome was slowly flooding the well with a need that was stolen from the aggrivation of the war. He was a man, a worrysome one at that. If she chose to be his and stay in the throws of his forest, he would love her until the day he died.

He felt guilty that no other woman could sway his heart or replace the deathly quiet with a flourish of color and vibrance. If it weren't for his nerves, and the fear that she may not come back to him, sent him into a mute frenzy.

His heart trembled in tune with his hands as his legs shifted, resounding into a crescendo of anxiousness as the first signs of the train appeared. Pushing himself to his feet, he peered around the corner, brushing his coarse hair from his eyes. "Please be on that damn thing." He mouthed, feeling his body tighten.

He was throwing all of his hope onto the chance that she would be there. And, that chance was almost as lost as her want to immigrate. Waiting on baited breath, the locomotive came barreling through the blackness like a banshee whailing.

"Please." InuYasha muttered, stumbling to the door of the train. The conductor steamed the door and parted it, removing his hat to scratch his tired head. The light spilled onto the ground as passengers began to dismount. His eyes skimmed over the windows, just hoping to see her face.

"I told you, Koga-kun. I'm going to get some sleep and maybe I'll see you soon. We're both going through a lot of changes, and I really just want to go home."

That voice made InuYasha's body unravel and numb itself to any affliction. For, there in the mouth of the car, Kagome brushed away Koga's hands as he tried to help her.

"Please, Kagome." He pleaded, eyes shining with desperation. How many times she had denied him made his blood boil.

"I said - InuYasha!" The girl exclaimed, throwing herself off the train as she saw his lanky form nervously waiting for her. Koga glared at the man as she ran to him, completely ignoring his presence.

Kagome's arms wrapped around InuYasha's waist and let her head fall against his chest. She was overcome. It seemed that he was relieved and let his body fall slack beneath her grasp. All the while, Koga huffed and glowered at the display. People behind him nudged at his back for him to move and he decided his next action.

Sucking in a breath, the man forced a smile and called Kagome's name. "I'm glad you found him! I was happy to keep you company!"

InuYasha smirked and waved a weak thanks. "I'm glad you were there to help her." He rasped, his voice curt with blantant disregard and apprehension.

Kagome waved as Koga slid back into the train. She let out a sigh of relief as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "How are you feeling?" She asked, beaming at him with her swollen eyes.

The man gripped her hand and began to walk with her. "I'm fine. I told you not to worry about me, didn't I? All I've done today is hope you were going to make it here."

Kagome frowned and inched her way over the snow capped steps. "Can we just go home?"

InuYasha rolled an eye over her and furrowed his brows. "Where is your home?" He asked, trying to make out her expression in the dark.

Silence clung to her throat as the main street in Tama shown dimly. It was empty aside from the last glint of the fire lazily kissed the shadows.

"I," Kagome swallowed, "Let me... let me come home with you." She eventually whispered, feeling his hand tighten around hers.

"You know what will happen, don't you?" InuYasha said vacantly, staring into the depths of the forest growth. It was all decaying around them, and the town was sleepless in their own homes. He assumed Miroku had taken Sango in for the evening and knew all too well.

Kagome reached up and grabbed his chin, pulling him down to look her in the eye. The look he had seen crawl across her face in Shimbashi was eagerly manifesting. "That you'll die? That I'll become attached and that we will dissolve as people? You don't want me to see your uncertainty?"

The man licked his lips and breathed warmly on her face. "Kagome, I don't know how long I'll live. If I'm lucky, another twenty years. If not, it could be tomorrow. I can't protect you from your feelings, but I can protect you from mine."

"No. I would rather throw myself to those wolves than to leave you. If I am afflicted, what does that matter? You are the only thing that I have, and it's wrong for me to feel so strongly about my attachment to you."

"You're all I have and I don't think of it as a burden. I have the trees, my axe, and you, remember?" InuYasha grinned, biting his lip.

Kagome brushed back his bangs, pressing her mouth over his chapped lips. The taste of iron was still dulling his saliva, but the absence of cigarettes made him that much sweeter. She was done crying and resolved her attractions in this one gesture.

The damning cold was wrapped around them, peeling through the orafices in their clothing. She could feel her body thrum with heat, igniting a pulsating cry. It ran to her toes as she indulged in him and the way he rasped her name into her mouth.

Today's divergence proved to be agonizing as her hands fisted in the woodsman's shirt. The stars could fall from their celestial blankets, and tumble down like feiry chariots and she would still be more captivated by this man than any unearthly treasure.

In the back of her mind, she wondered why he told her to run. She had paced and meandered through her life like a caged bird, circling the same terrain until she was utterly spent. This freedom and safety which he provided, no matter his condition, made her heart rupture at the admiration that spilled into her pores.

She craved this closeness. Being with Koga, and listening to his stale words create a masterpiece of his all encompassing life, was not enough to make her feel any differently. And, as the forest creaked and hummed against the winds, Kagome found herself struggling against the rickshaw. Her back pressed into the harden wood, while her hands gripped to the edges in an attempt to hold herself up.

InuYasha's long arms pinned her in place, absorbing her warmth into his own body. He needed to feel her. These past few days were torturous, building to this point where he should have relented and stopped these peddling emotions from beseiging his judgment. No respectable man would have enclosed a woman as if she were nothing more than a body.

Yet, Kagome willed him, swallowed the rationality still bleeding into his mind. If he passed come morning, he wanted to remember what she felt like as he transcended. Every muscle in his body ached in this dire weather as his legs trembled upon her sliding her hand into the fold in his haori.

The feel of her tiny fingers grazing his flesh made him hiss. Even through the blackness that engulfed them, the hint of incandescence gleamed against her eyes as she lured him closer in this frantic dance.

Kagome's legs wove around his abdomen as she steadied herself atop the cart. Her fingers quivered in their attempts to free herself from her coat. "I can't the damn buttons undone!" The girl whined in the midst of a pant.

InuYasha held her hair out of her face, trailing languid kisses down her throat and collar. "Fuck it, Kagome." He huffed, drunk off of her taste.

"I-" She gasped. Her hands wound into the roots of his hair, pulling him closer as his teeth grazed the nape of her neck. Each touch sent shivers to her cuticles, her stomach, her heart. "I need this."

InuYasha swallowed, pushing her back against the slanted rickshaw. He fumbled with the button on his trousers as she fumbled with the hem of her dress. One hand leaned against the side of her head as he breathlessly slid himself into her, eliciting a hoarse groan.

Kagome closed her eyes, silently crying out as he began to move. Her hands shook. She clawed at him, wanting him deeper, wanting him closer than humanly possible. She parted her eyes to see the strained expression on his face, lost in somesort of illusion.

Each thrust was vigorous, powerful as she held on to him. All the while, he was careful to keep her safe with his own body, hiding her from the rest of the world. The girl kissed him softly, barely able to catch her breath.

She thumbed over his cheeks, feeling the cold sweat clinging to him. He stared at her with this fervor that made gooseflesh rise all along her body. Crying his name over and over, the man became eratic and stifled a cough as he rested his forehead on hers.

In the wake of the moment, Kagome lolled her head back, mouth part to whisper anything that wanted to come out. It had been abrupt, painstakingly new and she didn't care about the small trails of blood left behind.

All of the mystery was gone.

What remained was opportunity, and one that she would take with her to her death bed. That static in her veins ripened as her hands played with the strands of his hair. Weakly, he grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled it against his chest, staring at his axe laying in the snow. The faintest of howls billowed in the forest, making the girl tense.

"Hush, Kagome." InuYasha said drowsily, smiling against the askew breast of her coat. "No wolf is going to take you from me. I feel guilty that it took one nearly killing you to let me find you, but I'm glad that it happened." He laughed.

Kagome sniveled at the cold, "I never knew that this would happen. I thought you were going to leave me that first day."

He shrugged, "I thought about it, but you just show up out of nowhere and took me away from that loneliness. I don't look at you as a burden. I should be thankful. The only downside was that my symptoms worsened. They come and go. I need to rest, but I don't want to take you away from what you know."

Kagome nudged his chin until he looked at her. "I know you."