She was like the air.

Inuyasha inhaled in deeply, the ritual full of intention. He wanted to breathe her in, soak her scent into his very blood. He needed this, needed to hold it in his lungs to live off it later. When the fire dies out and the night chill begins to set in, she will crawl under her sheets, crawl away from him.

He needed her; without a doubt, Kagome was a necessity. He wasn't sure when, but at some point the girl had become as critical to him as his own pulse. Kagome being by his side became a sort of muscle memory; he checked her for injuries, signs of fatigue, signs of happiness. He did not know when, but at some point assessing her well-being became second nature. Having her with him, became his norm.

If she was not around, he was not well. A walking, talking tonic to cure an ache only he had. When Kagome was gone he was filled with unease. Yes, he could write it off easily as concern or make a complaint about the jewel. But the truth was, when they were apart he felt a tightness in his chest that would not release until she was by his side again.

He couldn't survive without her- he sounded a fool but it was the truth; when they first were apart, when he jammed the tree into the well to keep her safe, he had all but let the demon end his life. It was as if his purpose had been lost. He was a fool then, still too naïve to understand the complexity of his feelings; too inexperienced to name the emotion for what it was and call it by its name.

To say he loved her was to say too little. He needed her, depended on her existence like the air around him, took for granted that she would always be there, lying in wait.

He had thought of her like air before, when they first met. It had been so unnatural to have someone constantly sticking to him, relying on him, constantly chattering on as if they were friends, companions. It was so overwhelming that even when she slept at night, the first sound of silence he received all day, her words circulated in his mind, the image of her smile haunted his dreams. She was everywhere; she surrounded him, became a part of him like air and it drove him mad. She had nothing of importance to say, she was pretty, but she was not remarkable. She was air, no presence but surrounding him at every turn. She would have been furious if he had told her that.

But once the discomfort faded, he found that he enjoyed the things she said, the optimistic way she said them. He had never been a friend before, never had an easy relationship in his life. He found himself addicted to it, to the ease and high of being seen in such a positive manner. Kikyo had given him the benefit of the doubt. Kagome knew he was a good person, would defend him to anyone, regardless if it was unwise.

He took that for granted. He became greedy and foolish and she allowed him to take more. Without a second thought, without weighing the consequences, he did.

She gave more. He took more. He breathed, he took.

He couldn't stop, fuck he cant stop.

Kagome was his air. Did she know? Was she aware of how vital she was to his existence? The smallest touch from her could turn his mood, her silent support could lift him up, the laughter and light that flowed from him warmed him in his very core.

Was he obsessed? Without a doubt. If he could go back in time, stop himself from falling into this madness… No. He would warn past him. Soon, you would have a band of friends, taking up her time, demanding her attention. Relish this, soak in as much of her alone as you can. Selfish to the end, he wanted more, needed more.

"Inuyasha, hurry up!" She calls to him with a smile, waving to him, calling him closer. The corners of his mouth turn up in reflex.

She was like the air to him, and he thanked the Gods for that. What a gift he had been given- to have someone want and need him… and to feel that in return.

Inuyasha inhaled, her sweet scent wrapping around him and smiled, a deep appreciation running through him. In a short leap he stood to her right, a cocky grin on his face as if silently saying 'who needs to hurry up?'. Kagome rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips.

Inuyasha silently prayed that she would continue to surround him, that he could always breathe her in.