Updated: 08/10/07

Cherrie: As I have previously written on the author's note, my computer crashed and deleted this chapter… along with all my other fan fictions and files. I hope this chapter does not seem rushed or lacked in detail. Enjoy!

Summary: (Set right after eps. 126- Change Heartache into Courage) One night Kagome wakes up crying and sweating from a nightmare. Inuyasha comes down and comforts her, but their comforting eventually leads to Inuyasha marking her. When Kagome wakes up in the middle of the night, she runs away. Why? Is she rejecting Inuyasha?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

"…" Speech

'…' Thoughts

(Italics) Flashback/Dream

'(Italics)' Inuyasha's Demon-side's thoughts

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From Chapter 4

"How am I supposed to do this Kouga? Or have you forgot that she doesn't want to be anywhere near me?" he whispered harshly, each word burning into his flesh

"I will tell Kagome that you will be shard-hunting with us, she will have to agree. You will then somehow to get her to forgive you." He stated; obviously his plan wasn't well developed.

"I wish it were that simple Kouga." Inuyasha sighed, "I don't even know what I did."

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Substitute Love

Chapter 5

IN THE FOREST (NORMAL POV)

"Wait here mutt, I'll talk to Kagome and when I whistle you can come over. Got it?" Kouga asked gruffly.

"Yeah yeah, just go get her already!" he yelled impatiently.

Turning swiftly Kouga ran back towards the cave.

'Mutt you sure are lucky to have Kagome's love, I can't even believe that I'm helping you get her back. You better treat her right.' He thought to himself.

Seeing the mouth of the cave Kouga sped up and after a few skilled jumps, landed softly at the entrance. Padding softly into the cave he took a turn and found Kagome nestled comfortably on top of the furs.

Shaking her shoulder, Kouga gently whispered her name. Turning on to her other side Kagome shrugged out of his grasp and mumbled in her sleep. Chuckling softly, Kouga called her name more forcefully and finally lulled her out of sleep.

"Hm… Morning Kouga." She smiled sleepily.

"Morning" he replied, "Kagome I need to talk to you."

Seeing that he was serious, Kagome sat up and turned her head onto one side, curious to what Kouga was going to say. Shifting uncomfortably, Kouga finally spoke,

"I think we should travel with the mutt, he can just carry our things for us. And plus, he is your mate after all, and it would hurt you physically to be too far away from him."

Upon hearing this, Kagome paled. She wasn't ready to face Inuyasha yet. Yes she accepted that Inuyasha loved Kikyo and she almost forgave him for using her but she just didn't want to face him. Shaking her head furiously she sobbed,

"Kouga we can't! I-I can't I'm n-not ready! P-please no… n-not yet! I d-don't want to s-see him!"

Kouga's heart tugged at her obvious distress, if she kept this on she was going to get sick. Holding her shoulders gently, he tried to calm her down.

"Hey, Kagome, calm down! Inuyasha isn't going to hurt you; he's just going to carry our stuff. Nothing more if it bothers you." He reasoned.

Calming down a little, Kagome gave a faint nod of approval. Seeing this, Kouga whistled for Inuyasha to come.

A blur of red could be seen flashing by before it attached itself to a sobbing girl. Inuyasha crushed Kagome close to himself, softly nuzzled her neck and sniffed her multiple times. Content with holding her, he did not realize that she was panicking until she screamed and started pushing him away. Hurt, he released her from his hold and tried to connect his eyes with hers.

"K-Kagome?" he whispered softly.

Kagome scooted back from Inuyasha and looked at the ground.

"Please don't touch me; I-I couldn't bear it." She cried softly.

Hearing this, Inuyasha's heart broke.

"Kagome I won't hurt you, I'll show you! I love you, so much. I do whatever it takes to get you back. I am not just going to give up on you, on my mate." He stated.

Shaking her head softly Kagome responded,

"P-please stop playing with my emotions, I-I accept what you have done. Just please stop toying with me."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, he still didn't understand; what had he done wrong? Why did she keep thinking that he was playing around with her? Did he not prove enough to her that he loved her?

"K-Kagome, please listen to me. I NEVER meant to hurt you, not even when you first unpinned me from the Goshinboku. I have always treasured you Kagome. Please believe me." He pleaded, eyes trying hard in vain to connect with hers.

"How, how can I believe this now? After that? How can you expect me to just understand? I-I don't think I can ever grasp this Inuyasha, I'm sorry." she whispered tiredly.

"No, don't say that Kagome. You can understand; don't give up please. It's a simple misunderstanding! I don't know what I did wrong and I would correct it in a heartbeat if I knew what's wrong!" he explained.

"No Inuyasha, you can't correct this. Let's- let's just get going; I really am not in the mood for arguments right now, I'm tired. But just know this Inuyasha; I'm not mad at you." She ended the conversation and slowly started getting up.

A soft groan escaped from her lips as her legs trembled with effort to hold her weight up. Tenderly, Inuyasha cradled part of her weight in his strong arms. When Kagome opened her mouth to protest he shook his head,

"No Kagome, just let me take care of you." He said softly and Kagome just nodded, not having the heart to decline.

Truth be told, Kagome was still a bit sore from their mating. And the fact that she hadn't eaten since didn't help. Sensing that his mate was hungry he slowly lowered to the floor again and said that he would be back, making her promise that she would wait for him. Finding some fruits and a small rabbit, he quickly made a fire in the forest to cook the rabbit and return to his mate. Once the strips were golden brown, Inuyasha grinned and sped back to the cave. When he arrived Kagome looked up at him. Silently, Inuyasha handed her the strips of meat and the berries, gesturing for her to eat it. Giving a small smile she began to consume the food.

'The least I could do is to provide for her.' He thought.

When Kagome finished the last piece of meat, she started to pack her bag. Seeing this as a sign of setting out, Kouga quickly ordered his wolves to stay behind and take care of the cave. He then chose two wolves to go along with him. They replied enthusiastically. Strapping the wolves with some provisions for the journey, Kouga told Kagome that he was ready. All he got was a faint nod in return.

Slowly, the group traveled towards the north, where they suspected Naraku resided. All three of them walked; Inuyasha did not carry Kagome. The two wolves walked behind the three companions. Kouga was in the front, with Inuyasha and Kagome walking side by side. Inuyasha noticed that Kagome started to slowly move away from him and frowned. If she didn't start walking in a straight line again she would very easily twist her ankle since there was a pretty smooth path in the forest. Moving over, Inuyasha tenderly grabbed her elbow and brought her back on course. Mumbling thanks, Kagome returned to her silence.

'I guess that's the most I can get out of her today' Inuyasha thought with a sigh.

Suddenly the ground shook violently causing Kagome to loose her balance. Immediately, Inuyasha reached forward and enveloped her in his arms. A great big insect demon emerged from the ground. Judging from its looks, it was another one of those centipede demons.

"It doesn't have jewel shards!" Kagome yelled over the noise of the roaring of the demon.

As soon as she finished her statement, the centipede demon crashed its body down on her. With quick reflexes, Inuyasha managed to jump a safe distance away.

"Are you okay Kagome?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"Ya, thanks Inuyasha" she replied with a ghost of a smile.

Kouga was jumping around furiously trying to land a good hit on the centipede's head. Surprisingly, the centipede was a lot more agile than any of them thought and managed leave a shallow cut on kouga's left arm. Grunting, Kouga decided to land back on the ground. Concerned for her friend, Kagome yelled over to him.

"Are you alright Kouga?"

"Ya, it's just a small cut. I'll survive." He grimaced as he saw the blood trickling down.

In truth, the blood didn't really bother him; it was the fact that Inuyasha was holding Kagome as if he owned her. But then he had to remind himself that Kagome was the dog's. Suppressing a snarl, he jumped up again to land a kick on the demon's right side. The centipede fell down with a thud; it wasn't down yet. It screeched and aimed straight for Inuyasha. Expecting this attack, Inuyasha neatly side-steeped the centipede and dug his nails into the centipede's side. Or at least tried to; the sides of the centipede were as hard as a rock. Projecting himself back on the ground, he prepared for another hit. Then, a pink arrow whizzed by his left cheek and land straight at the throat of the centipede demon. With a cry, the demon exploded; pieces of it flying everywhere. The acid on the pieces of the centipede melted everything in its path. Seeing this, Inuyasha hurried over to Kagome and pushed her to the ground. He covered her with himself; hiding her from the acid. Kagome blushed at the closeness and could not help to pretend, even for that moment, that she and Inuyasha were still together. Too soon did the moment end. Lifting himself off of her, Inuyasha asked,

"Kagome, are you alright? The acid didn't burn you anywhere did it?"

"No, I'm fine." She answered.

"Hey Kagome! You alright?" Kouga shouted from the other side.

Standing up and dusting herself off Kagome threw a smile Kouga's way signaling that she was fine. Running up to the pair Kouga commented,

"Well that was weird…" he muttered.

"Ya, I don't know why the demon decided to attack all of a sudden; centipede demons usually stay underground." Inuyasha shrugged.

Kouga nodded then looked up at the sky, "Well it's starting to get late. Let's find somewhere to camp."

Inuyasha and Kagome both nodded and followed him to a nice clearing. At once, Kagome took out her bathing supplies and told the two males that she would be back after a long bath in the hot spring. Once she left, Inuyasha tried to start a conversation with Kouga.

"Oi, wolf." He said nonchalantly, perched up on a branch.

"Whadda ya want dog turd?" Kouga replied while starting a fire.

"Do you know what I did to Kagome?" he asked; getting extremely uncomfortable with the subject.

Kouga snorted, "I would never tell you; you have to figure it out yourself. Kagome deserves at least that from you."

"Keh."

The conversation was finished.

AT THE HOT SPRINGS (NORMAL POV)

Dipping herself in the Hot Spring, she sighed with satisfaction.

'Nothing better than a nice dip to relax your muscles!' she thought contently.

Scrubbing herself with her modern-day bathing supplies, she hummed a soft tune.

A soft voice surprised her,

"Why miko, are you here alone? Shouldn't your protector be here to keep you safe?"

Covering herself for modesty, Kagome turned her head, trying in vain to search for the person. Out of the fog of the forest stepped her incarnation.

"Kikyo..." Kagome breathed.

"I am glad you still remember me since you seem to have forgotten that Inuyasha is mine." She glared.

"Kikyo, aren't-aren't you dead?" Kagome asked.

Kikyo scoffed, "As if that fall could kill me. I have become even stronger thanks to the incident and know I repeat, did you forget that Inuyasha is mine you little reincarnation?"

Panicked, Kagome shook her head from side to side and replied,

"No Kikyo, it's not what you think. Inu- Inuyasha, he- it was just an accident. He still misses you very much. It's you he wants."

Kikyo looked smug.

"Well now that we have this figured out, I will have to rid of you for Inuyasha to have a future…with me."

Slowly she walked towards the hot springs. Taking out her bow, she prepared as she drew an arrow out from behind. Seeing Kikyo take out her weapons, Kagome quickly erected a small barrier around the hot springs.

Kikyo fired.

The arrow bounced off the barrier harmlessly but Kagome still winced reflexively. Kikyo notched her arrow in preparation for her second shot.

"You will not be so lucky this time."

This arrow, unlike the first one; glowed with immense miko power. Releasing the string, the arrow flew true to its target, breaking the barrier. Kagome screamed and managed to dive out of the way; she just didn't get far enough. A slash was bestowed upon her upper left arm. A moderate amount of blood flowed from the wound.

The arrow that managed to miss Kagome, sunk into a boulder and disintegrated into thin air with a faint pulse.

AT THE CLEARING (NORMAL POV)

Poking the fire with a thin twig, Inuyasha sighed.

"When will Kagome finally forgive me? I don't even know what I've don't wrong! Stubborn wench… I just want her back with me."

Deep in his thoughts, Inuyasha almost missed the faint scream of fear.

"Kagome!"

Almost as fast as the speed of light, Inuyasha tore through the woods to save his beloved.

AT THE HOT SPRINGS (NORMAL POV)

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he tore through the last barrier of bushes.

Kikyo was holding another arrow and pointing it at the intruder. Seeing that it was Inuyasha she relaxed her arms and turned the arrow back on Kagome.

"Greetings, Inuyasha. Just give me a few more moments and we will soon be together." Kikyo said as she raised the bow and pulled back, ready to fire.

Inuyasha had mixed emotions. First, how is it possible that Kikyo is still alive? Second, even though it is Kikyo, No one would harm his mate if he had any say about it. He took a small leap and stood between Kagome and the arrowhead.

If Kikyo was shocked, she did not say anything. She only looked at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I will not let you harm my mate. Just leave Kikyo. We were over 50 years ago. I've already moved on long before you were dead for a second time." He growled.

"What has she done to you? Has she drugged you? Tell me Inuyasha has she seduced you into marking her? I sense the mark on her, and I know that it was done without consent right?" Kikyo questioned, "Right Inuyasha?"

Hearing the accusations made; Kagome couldn't help but allow her heart to break off into even more pieces. She could not help but think,

'Am I so repulsive that Inuyasha would not touch me unless he was drugged?'

Kagome involuntarily let a few tears to run down her cheeks. Her fists clenched, pained.

"Stop spitting lies! Kagome has only been too good for me! Our mating was consensual. We mated because we loved each other, not because of the dirty things that you've accused Kagome for!" Inuyasha saw red.

No one would badmouth his mate. Behind him he heard Kagome gasp in surprise and his attention was quickly drawn to her. Looking down at her naked form, he saw that her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails tore through her skin and her hand was bleeding. Slightly alarmed, he paced over to her and crouched.

"Kagome, your hand…" he trailed off and took a gently palm in his hand. He wiped off the blood with his thumbs and tenderly washed her hands in the spring water. Kagome could only stare at him with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, Kikyo was disgusted with their- or more accurately Inuyasha's open display of affection. The girl, much to her relief, did nothing to encourage his actions. Bristling slightly, she remembered her task. Raising her bow again she spoke,

"Inuyasha release the girl; she and I have a score to settle."

Inuyasha turned around to face Kikyo and stood up.

"You will not harm a hair on Kagome. Leave Kikyo, before you make a mistake." Inuyasha said calmly.

Kikyo shook her head, "It's too late now Inuyasha, I will not allow that girl to live any longer. She has corrupted you!"

Kikyo pulled her bow back and released an arrow. Quickly, Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga and reflected the arrow. The arrow drew the sword's powers and Tetsusaiga returned to its normal form.

"Stop it Kikyo! You will never hurt Kagome. I won't allow anyone hurting my beautiful and wonderful mate. I swear this on my life!" Inuyasha yelled with such intensity that Kagome had to gasp.

Inuyasha whipped his head around and looked straight into Kagome's eyes,

"I will allow no one to hurt you Kagome. You are too important to me. I would die if I were to lose you."

Kagome's eyes filled with tears, of relief.

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Cherrie: Again, this story is evolving into something that even I don't know what will happen to it. I am very sorry for the slow update. I have nothing to blame it on except I was lazy. This chapter was previously deleted from my computer and that is one of the reasons that some parts may not flow perfectly. I feel that the chapter does reach my standards and I hope it reaches yours too! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Ps. If you find anything wrong with the contents, spelling or grammar please let me know!