~*Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I never have. I never will. … Fiddlesticks.

"…" - speech

'…' - thoughts

~*~*~ - change in scenery or time

Rating: PG

Genre: Romance

Love's Like That

~*Kagome*~

Sunset is approaching, and we are at Kaede's small village.

Shippou is assisting the old miko with her duties, and Sango is with Miroku. He is reading palms of the village girls again. She supervises.

I am in the forest, standing next to the great Goshinkobu. My back faces the front of the tree as I look upwards. Its branches sway in the autumn wind and my hair is gently blown. The forest is unusually silent. Not even the cries of small birds break the peaceful tranquillity.

I look down.

I am not wearing my usual school uniform. The green and white clothing have been replaced by something more suited for the season. Long sweatpants cover my legs, and I am wearing a bright blue T-shirt. I have nothing over my bare arms.

The wind blows a little harder now. It is cold.

And so I shiver. I should have worn something with longer sleeves.

But then a warmth is draped over my body. I look down at myself again, this time in surprise.

I see arms covered in a red coloured jacket. They are wrapped lightly around my stomach. A warmth presses against my chilled back. Something rests upon the top of my head and I close my eyes. My hands entwine in his clawed ones.

I am not afraid.

I know it is him.

He leans into the tree, pulling me against him. I sigh and accept his heat, relaxing in his embrace. No words are spoken, for none are needed. We are content to be with each other.

I wish I could stay like this forever.

But then something draws my attention to the edge of the forest. And I see it.

A long, eel-like youkai that is flying through the air. It twists in flight, coming nearer to us. Several more of its kind appear, some bearing balls of light.

She has summoned him. She is waiting for him. And I know. He will go to her.

My hands tighten almost desperately on his, but then feebly let go. My body slackens as I expect the warmth to leave. To follow the soul catchers to the undead miko. A pain starts to build in my heart.

But the warmth- it's still here.

I turn around in surprise.

He allows me to, loosening his hold before tightening it again.

I look into his deep, amber eyes. He looks into my blue ones. There is no restraint. No hesitation. The sadness has faded. I see only caring. And- dare I say it? -love.

Somehow, I know.

I know that he sees only me. That he loves only me.

I look at him questioningly. My first words are spoken.

"What about…?"

One ear flicks. He looks at me. And his gaze is warm.

"I will never leave you."

He draws closer to my face, and his lips brush against mine.

And that's when I know.

I know that it is a dream.

Suddenly, I am whisked out of his arms, and instead, am watching another scene.

One that I have seen before.

He is still by the tree. But I am not with him.

Now, instead of me, I see another woman; A woman wearing a pair of red pants and a white shirt. Her hair is pulled back with two loose locks falling gracefully over her shoulder. I cannot see their faces. He is hugging her tightly. She returns it.

And now he speaks to her.

"I will never leave you. Your life belongs to me, and mine to you."

A fresh wave of pain rolls over me at the words not meant for me, but for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I wake up with a start.

Sitting up, I discover that I am in the forest. I am next to the Goshinkobu.

I remember walking here, my feet leading to the place where I had first met him. The great tree is the only visible link I have to my world. I remember sitting down among the roots. It had been two hours after noon.

I look into the sky. Th moon has risen.

I must have fallen asleep.

And my mind returns to the dream I had.

I reflect on it. I reflect on the man who had been in it with me.

I almost wish he were really like that. I wish that he would choose me and love me. I wish that there would be room in his heart for only me. That he would allow only me to reside there. I wish he would forget her. That he would not leave when summoned. That he would not- leave me, yet refuse to let me go.

But if he were like that, he wouldn't be the man I have fallen in love with.

Even if he cannot make a decision, I still love him. Even if his heart is torn between two women, I love him for who he is.

And the person in my dream was not him.

But I so wish it were.

Yet I don't.

Love is strange like that.

I stand up, brushing my long sweatpants off.

A hard wind blows through the forest, carrying a chill with it that makes me shiver. I really should have worn a jacket. I rub my arms and suck in a hissing breath through my teeth. Having slept in this temperature, I will probably catch cold.

And then a warmth is thrown over my head.

I look up in surprise and find a red haori draped over me. I turn around, seeing white. My gaze travels upwards. And I see his face.

His eyebrows are drawn together in a scowl, and his white clad arms are crossed. Honey coloured orbs glare at me, but I can recognise a subtle softness reflected within the deep pools. A softness that had not been there when we had first met- under this very tree.

Pulling the warm fire rat fur garment around my body, I hear his first words.

"Where were you, wench? The runt's crying, Sango's worried and the bouzu blames me! You didn't come when Kaede-baba called. And now I find you standing in the forest, in the freezing cold, with nothing on that covers anything. Are you trying to get sick?!"

His voice his rough, but I can hear the underlying concern.

I do not answer.

His expression softens subtly and shakes his head slowly. The dog-ears atop of it flick this way and that.

The next time he speaks, his voice is less harsh. "You had everybody worried, girl. Now lets go back to the village. You missed dinner."

I study him silently, and then a small smile alights my face.

Walking over to him, I hug him tightly, and then step back before he can react. He looks surprised, and a light blush creeps onto his cheeks. But he does not push me away from him. So I slip my hand in his. He stiffens slightly, but then immediately relaxes, accepting my hold. Tugging me closer to his body, he leads me towards the village.

As we walk quietly through the forest, I glance at him. The scowl has left his face, and has been replaced by an almost peaceful expression. I feel elated to know that it is I who has allowed himself to become more relaxed. But there is that ever present stain of doubt and indecisiveness in his face.

I know that he is unable to make a decision.

I know that his guilt still hovers over his thoughts.

I know that half of his heart still mourns after her.

I know that he could never be the boy in my dreams- not in a long time.

But I also know that he cares for me.

He protects me.

He loves me.

I am certain of that. Even through his harsh exterior, I can see it in his eyes.

And for now, that's all I want.

I will be content with that.

I don't want the boy in my dreams.

All I want is him. And all of the frills that come with him.

Because I love him.

It's funny. Back home- can I really call it home, now?- there's a boy who's sweet, charming, handsome, well-mannered, and someone who has the approve of the entire student population who's trying to win my affection.

Yet I have fallen in love with a rude, arrogant, loosely-mouthed hanyou, one who is neither human, nor youkai. It happened without me even knowing when I had begun to care for him so much. It happened without him neither of us even trying. Heck, he's someone who has a past love trying to drag him to hell.

But love's like that, you know?

And I love Inuyasha.

It's as simple as that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[The first installment of a series. All are individual stories describing thoughts, relationships with other characters, etc of people from Inuyasha that start out with dream sequences.

As most of you may be able to tell, the first part of the story was a dream sequence. And the second was reality.

If you couldn't figure out who was talking/thinking, even after the subtitle, you need to go and bang your head against some bricks.

I'm trying out a new writing style! ^-^

Anyway, you've read, now I will ask you to review as well.

Hope you enjoyed it!]