Chapter 1

Night fell over the sky and the stars revealed themselves from a hiding place that no one can find. Kagome looked down at the ground and sighed. She looked back up at the orange colored sky that was slowly being covered by the inky blue of night. Kagome continued walking through the lively woods. Suddenly the forests’ song was silenced by an unnatural wind from the north. It was a cold harsh whisper that seemed to scream in Kagome’s ears. She stopped walking as a wave of fear washed over her. She turned slowly to her left expecting to see Inu-Yasha but was surprised to find him a few steps behind her and further beyond him stood Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou. All with an acute sense of awareness of the surrounding forest.

“Inu…” Kagome began but was silenced by Inu-Yasha holding a finger to his lips. Inu-Yasha stood staring ahead as if waiting for something, for what, Kagome had no idea. All she knew was that she had to stay incredibly still and quiet. She looked at Inu-Yasha for some sort of clue. Then suddenly his golden eyes narrowed, he crouched in a fighting stance, put one hand on his sword and growled. Kagome slowly turned her head preparing for the worst. And there in front of them she saw… nothing. There was nothing there. Just a narrow, rugged path that led through the woods. The forest suddenly came back to life and Kagome turned to find Inu-Yasha but found a large, red blob directly behind her. Kagome jumped back and let out a terrified scream. She only stopped when she realized that the red ‘blob’ was Inu-Yasha. He stared down at her with a perplexed _expression on his face, “What…?” Kagome caught her breath and put a hand to her chest.

“Oh, it’s just you. You scared me! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Oh…I didn’t mean to scare you…sorry” Inu-Yasha replied apologetically without thinking twice about what he just said. Kagome looked at him with a strange look on her face. One of confusion, with a small hint of shyness.

Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

Inu-Yasha, realizing his mistake, became nervous and his golden eyes darted every which way. Making every attempt to avoid looking into Kagome’s soft brown eyes.

“Err…uh…I mean let’s keep going. We have to find a place to camp before it gets dark.” Inu-Yasha managed to stutter out. He quickly turned and walked ahead, hiding his blushing face. Kagome smiled to herself, bit her lip gently and turned to find the others. Sango, the beautiful youkai exterminator, ran up to her with a question burning inside of her, “So, what did he say?” Kagome looked down to hide her blushing face. “Ummm…nothing. Just that we had better hurry and find a place to camp before it gets to dark. That’s all. Nothing more nothing less.” Kagome quickly replied and turned to start walking.

“Ah…for Kagome-sama to blush like that, he must’ve said something out of the ordinary. Perhaps something like ‘I Love’…” the delinquent monk’s thoughtful statement was interrupted by an annoyed and defensive voice coming from in front of them that screamed, “Did not!” Miroku chuckled to himself and looked down at the small little kitsume youkai, Shippou, who then jumped up and sat on Miroku’s shoulders.

“That stupid dog-boy had better say something to Kagome-chan before someone snatches her away.”

“I would have to agree with you on that, Shippou-chan.” Miroku said.

“So do I.” Sango chimed in. Kagome turned around to avoid their faces and looked down at the ground.

“If he doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t say anything. Just leave him alone. You can’t make people feel the way that you want them to it’s not fair to the other person.”

Kagome’s sweet voice painfully whispered from in front of the three self-proclaimed ‘matchmakers.’ The looks on their faces’ were a little less than confused but became somber when the meaning of Kagome’s words finally dawned on them. Kagome turned around and smiled. This was her feeble attempt at lightening the mood, something that she did quite often but in this instance only showed her angst. She then walked backwards and motioned for them to follow.

That smile. It’s so fake. She tries so hard to hide what she’s feeling. She tries so hard to be strong for everyone else. Why? Why can’t he just say something to her? How can he not love her?

Sango thought dejectedly to herself as she followed Kagome through the tranquil woods.

Kagome walked at a medium pace with her hands behind her back and randomly kicking rocks when she saw them. She pondered about that strange force she felt earlier and the wind that followed. She shuddered at the thought of the wind. It scared her. For what reasons, she did not know. And hopefully, they wouldn’t encounter who or what made that horrible force. She continued to walk through the moonlit forest following the small red dot in the distance. The events of earlier that were plaguing her already anxious mind, vanished when she found herself looking up at the twinkling stars in the sky.

They shine so brightly. Every night. I wish I could to.

She let out a dreary sigh and looked at the ground.

Inu-Yasha…

He walked slowly, knowing the others would soon catch up. He wondered what happened earlier. That wind didn’t sit quite right with him and it made him apprehensive. But his thoughts were soon sidetracked as he thought about her. Everything about her was astonishing. She took his breath away more times than he could count. All he wanted was to be with her, but she would never love him.

Damn it! Why do I feel this way? I’m strong. I’m not supposed to be rendered helpless by a woman! A woman! A woman. Yes, that indeed was what she is. A woman. My woman…

He looked at the ground and let out a weak chuckle.

Ha! Never. She’ll never feel that way. People never feel the way you want them to. They never feel the burning passion that you do for them. Damn me! Damn this passion! It’s freaking eating me alive!

Inu-Yasha screamed in complete torment in his mind. It seemed to echo through out his whole being. He looked up at the sky that grew darker with every step. In his mind, a battle of anguish, self-resent and love, raged on with each attack only proving to be in vain. That love he so cleverly locked away deep in his soul. That love that he told himself he never would feel. Love that he would never find, the love he would never give. That love, hidden from sight, now broke free of its clever cage and began to make itself known in Inu-Yasha’s soul.

Never…why do I believe? Why do I believe that she will love me the way I am? Why do I believe we will be happy together? Why do I believe that damned lie called love?

Inu-Yasha cried furiously at himself as he continued to walk through the deep forest.

Why do I love her? Why?

He stopped walking and his angst-ridden golden eyes found themselves gazing at the crescent moon.

Why…

“…Kagome… why do I feel this way?”