Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in anyway.

“We don’t have an eternity to realize our dreams, only the time we are here,”

-Susan King Taylor

Summer is a time when you can enjoy and appreciate nature’s beauty, but that is not the condition that the Inuyasha gang is facing. The sun is burning them, they are dragging their feet along, this is no time to nature’s beauty. No, this is a time to focus on finding shards and to defeat the evil hanyou, Naraku. Over the year Kagome got used to the long trek everyday but this is just too much for her. Her yellow backpack was boring down onto her shoulders making her ache. This sun is burning her up. Her feet felt like they were going to die soon if they couldn’t rest.

Everyone was tired except for the red clad hanyou walking in front of them. Inuyasha didn’t feel tired at all. In fact he was hoping that some yokai would attack them so he could have some practice. He was so bored and didn’t seem to notice that his companions were worn out.

Kagome knew that Inuyasha would not let them rest unless she spoke up. She knew where this was going. This was going to end up with a very angry Kagome and a very pissed off Inuyasha on the ground after a couple of ‘sits.’

Taking a deep breath Kagome said, “Inuyasha, I need a break, we all need a break.”

“Oh no, not again wench” stated a very annoyed half-demon.

“This is stupid, we’ve been traveling for half a day with no break. Everyone is very tired.” said Kagome, determined to win this battle.

“We have to find more shards!” said Inuyasha.

“I don’t feel any shards nearby so we might as well rest.” said Kagome.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala were watching the two. They shook their heads knowing where this would lead.

“Why should we rest? I feel perfectly fine.” said Inuyasha.

“Well we are HUMANS, Inuyasha. You can’t expect too much from us.” said Kagome.

“Feh, humans are so weak.” said Inuyasha

“Well excuse us for being HUMANS. We are no where as being PERFECT as YOU and KIKYO!” said Kagome who was nearly screaming.

“Don’t drag her into this. She didn’t do anything wrong.” said Inuyasha through clenched teeth.

“Of course. Stealing my shards and then giving them to Naraku wouldn’t be doing anything wrong.” said Kagome.

“Well at least she isn’t weak like you.” said Inuyasha who was very angry right now.

“Well at least I am not DEAD and live on other people’s SOULS!” shouted Kagome.

“Don’t talk about her like that!” shouted Inuyasha.

“Sure I can’t talk about Kikyo like that but it’s fine for you to say that I’m weak. It’s fine that she can try to KILL me, but its not fine for me to insult her!?” said Kagome.

“STOP insulting Kikyo!” bellowed Inuyasha.

“For God’s sake Inuyasha. Why do you keep defending her. She’s trying to bring you to Hell. She’s HELPING NARAKU.” Shouted Kagome

At this point Inuyasha was very angry. His face was purple and he was breathing very hard. Hearing Kagome say those words drove him to the edge and before he knew what he was doing, he slapped Kagome.

Kagome was stunned. She had never been slapped by anyone before. The last person that she thought would slap her was Inuyasha. It hurt, not just physically but mentally too. Shakily she brought her hands up to her face and touched it. It stung. Miroku and Sango gasped. Shippo’s jaw dropped. Miroku’s eyes narrowed at Inuyasha, so does Sango’s. There was one thing that they both knew that instance. Inuyasha had gone to far this time.

Inuyasha spoke. His words was cold as ice, “Kikyo did not, and will not betray us. She will be helping us. She will be better then you in every single way. She is more powerful and wiser than you. Your only purpose here is to find the shards. It’s the only thing that you can do and you’re not even good at it! I wonder why I even keep you around and protect you.”

Her heart felt like there were millions of needles stabbing into her chest then being pulled out and stabbed into her heart again and so on. Tears were forming around her eyes. She walked up to Inuyasha and slapped him in the face leaving an angry hand print and yelled, “You, you...BASTARD!” before running away.

It took Inuyasha awhile before his mind register what he just did. He was shocked and turned around for help but saw that there was no help. Sango, Miroku was shocked too, and Shippo looked like he want to choke the life out of him. Inuyasha was still dazed but his mind yelled to him, ‘Run after her you fool!’

And so he did. With his demonic speed he caught up with her in no time. She was running like a frightened deer, not caring that the branched were cutting her. There was only one thing in her, and it was telling her to escape from all the hurt that she was feeling.

“Kagome! Wait! I can explain!” shouted Inuyasha.

Kagome ignored him and kept running. He jumped in front of her blocking her path. She ran into him and he hugged her. She fought him, pounding at his chest demanding release.

“Let go of me!” said Kagome still struggling.

Her eyes narrowed and she started to glow. Inuyasha felt a burning sensation and let go. Right when he released her, she ran away. Inuyasha didn’t go after her because he was in shock for a second time that day.

‘Kagome tried to purify me! Have I pushed too far?’

It hurts to know that someone who loved you so much was trying to purify you. So he couldn’t do anything but walk back to his friends with his head hung down.

Once he reached them, there were questions being thrown at him.

“Where is Kagome?” Sango asked, worried.

“I don’t know. She ran away,” said Inuyasha.

“Why didn’t you catch her?” Miroku asked, also worried.

“She tried to purify me…” whispered the half-demon.

Everyone was in shock. “K-Kagome tried to purify you?” asked Shippo again, not sure if he’d heard right.

Inuyasha nodded. Everyone sulked. It was not a good sign. Kagome trying to purify Inuyasha was not a good thing. It didn’t seem like she was going to get over it soon.

Inuyasha walked over to Miroku asking, “Do you think she will be back?”

Miroku sighed and nodded and wisely said, “Yes but it won’t be the same. You pushed her too far Inuyasha. You have taken her for granted too many times. I think this would be the last time.”

The hanyou nodded and walked away.

That night Inuyasha went to sleep with the scene that morning in his mind, and his hurtful words to Kagome haunting his dream.

~*~

It has been a week and the Inuyasha gang didn’t go anywhere. They stayed in camp for a week. Inuyasha tried to go after Kagome, but Miroku said that it would not be wise and that Kagome needed some time to think. The week passed slow and dreadfully for everyone. Everyone missed her. She was the one in the group that kept everyone together. She was the one that cheered everyone up everyday. Without her life seemed to be duller.

One morning the hanyou was sitting on a tree sulking when a breeze blew his way. He smelled a familiar scent and quickly jumped down the tree running towards it. He came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Kagome was walking down the hill with her backpack on her. Suddenly Inuyasha wanted to go into hiding, ashamed of himself for what he did.

When Kagome got to the bottom he started to ramble on and on.

“Listen Kagome, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what took over me. I didn’t mean it. Will you forgive me?” asked Inuyasha.

“I forgive you,” said Kagome smiling weakly.

He went forward to hug her, but she didn’t returned the hug. Instead she pushed him away. He was shocked. Then she walked towards him and got a hold of his necklace. There was a faint glow on it, and she pulled it over his head. Inuyasha was confused and hurt. He didn’t understand why she took it away.

She looked at him and smiled. Her smile was different this time though. It didn’t reach her eyes. There was no sign of the fire that they once held. It was like it was trapped beneath the ice.

“There, now you don’t have to be bound to a useless shard detector like me!” said Kagome with a fake happy voice.

“Haven’t you forgiven me yet?” asked the hanyou with his ears flattened on his head.

“I forgave you a long time ago. Don’t I always?” said Kagome.

“But then why break our bond?” asked Inuyasha. Inuyasha was beyond hurt. The rosary was a bond that tied them together. Without the rosary it was like he lost half of himself. Kagome was cutting the connection that they have.

“I said that I would forgive you. I never said that I would forget.” said Kagome who sounded cold all of a sudden. She then turned and walked towards camp leaving a forlorn hanyou.

Kagome’s heart cried out for her to comfort Inuyasha, but she knew she shouldn’t. He had taken her for granted so many times. She couldn’t let herself get hurt again. Tears threaten to fall but she quickly pushed them back.

Inuyasha was too shocked to do anything. After twenty minutes he walked towards camp to find that everyone was packed up and was waiting for him.

Kagome called out with her fake cheery voice, “Come on Inuyasha. Naraku is not going to be waiting for us ya know.” She turned around and started to walk away. Miroku and Sango turned to look at Inuyasha. They looked desperate, telling him that Kagome acted differently around them too.

Each step that Kagome took hurt terribly. The wound in her heart was being opened and ripped apart all over again. She wanted to run to Inuyasha and hug him, but knew that she couldn’t. The wounds hurt now, but she know that in time they would slowly heal. It’s time to say goodbye to the past, no matter how much it hurt.

Inuyasha trudged after everyone, sulking. He did it. He’d managed to break Kagome. ‘Good job Inuyasha. You did it. You broke Kagome. Now she will never be the same ever again.’ Inuyasha said to himself. Kagome’s words kept repeating itself in his head.

“I said that I would forgive you. I never said that I would forget.”

He knew now that he managed to push away the only person in the world who could love him so much. It was his fault. And he knew it too. He now realized how much he loved Kagome. How much he missed the fire in her eyes, and her real happy voice. He realized how special she was. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew that it was too late. Just when he realized that he loved her, he managed to push her away. Now it was too late to go back now. He couldn’t take back those hurtful words or the slap.

His heart felt like someone was stamping on it. If this was how Kagome felt every single time that he went to Kikyo. If this is how Kagome felt every single time he said hurtful stuff, he deserved the pain that he was in right now. Now all he hoped that he could do was to help heal the pain that he inflicted upon her in the first place.

He regretted everything that he said earlier but it was too late to regret. He pushed her too far away and now there was no turning back.

Ahead of then Kagome walked alone. Her hands in her pocket clutching Inuyasha’s rosary tightly silently hoping that all of the events so far was just a nightmare. She knew all of this was real but can’t keep herself from hoping. The stung on her cheek from Inuyasha’s slap. The stung on her hands after slapping Inuyasha. The ache in her heart all the time Inuyasha went away. What she told Inuyasha was true. She had forgiven him but she can never forget what he did.