She had been back for three weeks. Three weeks of living in the feudal era. Three weeks of working as a priestess under Kaede. Three weeks of being with her friends again. As well as three weeks of Inuyasha avoiding her.

When she had first come through the well he had practically yanked her arm off bringing her into his arms. Afterwards, they had talked briefly both unsure how to say what had been on their minds during their separation. It wasn't fair to say they never spoke. In the beginning, he was never too far from her, but now within the past few weeks, he seems to be content with keeping to himself and using every excuse in the book to get farther away from her.

The second morning after she returned she awoke to find the village gossip was about her. It felt like the whole village was waiting on them like they were some form of entertaining show of 'will they, won't they'. She felt their stares, no doubt that Inuyasha did too. So he was coping with it the only way he knew how.

Avoiding the hell out of it.

Suddenly there was an increasing amount of 'exorcisms to be done' in neighbouring villages, or Inuyasha going for longer hunting trips than usual saying 'there wasn't anything worth hunting in this place'. He wasn't fooling anyone though. Miroku and Sango had already tried to call him out on him one night they had all gathered at the couple's hut for dinner. Inuyasha countered with a simple "Keh, whatever" and continued to eat his meal while Kagome sat watching the ordeal internally screaming.
It had almost made her seriously question coming back through the well. But every time their eyes locked and she saw a slight blush on his face and felt the same heat rise in her cheeks, she knew she made the right choice.

But what was his major malfunction? She was always used to him being reserved but this was ridiculous. She knew she had grown considerably in the last few years for how she hasn't lost her temper with his antics yet. Somehow she believed that perhaps he had grown too, but here he was the same old half-demon that put up very sturdy walls around himself.

Kagome was at her wit's end and she decided tonight would be the night she confronted him. There was no speak of exorcisms, no hunting needed to be done, firewood was stocked, and she knew where Inuyasha was currently sulking. After finishing her chores with Kaede for that day she had collected all her courage and set off toward the object of her thoughts who was up in the same tree bordering the village.

He had to have seen her coming a mile away. Kagome could swear she saw him stiffen when she started walking his direction. Most villagers had gone in their homes after another hard days work, and it had noticeably gotten colder as the day drew on. 'Now or never' she silently chanted to her self as she drew closer.

"It's cold stupid, go inside," Inuyasha said when she got into earshot but he hadn't even looked in her direction.

"It's not that cold." She challenged, but like clockwork, she felt a wind breeze past her and she couldn't help but let out a tiny shiver.

"Keh." Was his only response. She made her way to the base of the tree and promptly sat down making herself comfortable against its trunk.

"You're not going try and run away from me?" She inquired as she lifted her gaze toward him. He wasn't high in the tree but too high for her to climb without her straining herself. He was thrown off by her bluntness but quickly recovered.

"What makes you think I'd run dummy?" Inuyasha quickly chastised still not looking anywhere near her general location.

"Oh please, your so–" Kagome started but was cut off as another brisk wind sent a prompt shiver through her body. Maybe tonight wasn't the best night to confront him, or maybe she should have brought a blanket. All thoughts fell from her head as a flash of red and silver dropped down in front of her. She gasped at his sudden intrusion to her personal space but welcomed his proximity more than his adamant refusal to look in her direction.

Inuyasha quickly shed his robe and draped it over her sitting form, while muttering something under his breath she new was demeaning to her somehow. As he was making sure she was covered he looked over her face and their eyes were locked in a confused battle of a stare. They were frozen like that, in their proximity, Kagome suddenly wasn't as cold and she didn't think that was his robes doing.

As if ice water had been poured on his head Inuyasha was yanked out of his trance and made the quick distance between them by jumping back up in the tree on the same branch he was once on, as if that moment they shared didn't happen.

Kagome knew she had become a calmer more understanding person in recent years, but something in her snapped back to her quick-tempered 15-year-old self. She jumped to her feet letting his robe fall from her onto the ground. She whipped around to face the tree and look up at his resting form on that god-damn branch.

"What exactly is your problem Inuyasha?!" She screeched, she noticed him flinch at her sudden outburst but he kept his gaze elsewhere which only served to anger her more. "What do you want me to do? Leave? If it bothers you so much maybe I shouldn't have returned." She didn't even believe the words that were coming from her lips, she knew he wanted her here, but her reason was out the window after three weeks of his games.

"Of course not, why would you say something so stupid?" He turned his head to her and replied quickly after her last comment. Like she suspected, he wanted her here she knew that, but maybe getting a rise out of him is what she needs to get an explanation.

"Why? Why?! Because of what you just did!" She yelled back up to him, they were in a staring contest know completely different from the won't they were just in.

"And what did I just do?" He asked matter of factually his voice higher in volume and she didn't think it was because of the distance between the two of them.

"You pulled away from me." She said feeling some her anger being replaced with a bit of her sadness and shattered ego that she'd carried around with her for the past few days. "You always do that. Pull away when I get close." She noticed his face contort into confusion as her words lost their fire. "What are you so afraid of?!" She half shouted and half sobbed at the half-demon who looked like he had just got slapped.

"Kagome…." He started in a suddenly sombre tone. "I didn't mean to… shit. Look Kagome I'm not good at this stuff you know." He sputtered out but his words did nothing to calm the priestess down.

"Oh great! Like that makes it all better!" She spat at him. He suddenly jumped from the tree again with renewed annoyance.

"What do you want me to do then?!" He shouted to her almost sounded as if he was pleading.

"Tell me." She said calmly.

"Tell you what?" He replied.

"Tell me why you're avoiding me?" He started to turn away from her and he brought his hand up to his head in annoyance. "Tell me what you're scared of?" As she finished he snapped his face to her and quickly marched up close to her to have their faces inches apart. He was angry, but there was a desperation in his eyes that Kagome could see clear as day.

"You're finally back Kagome! Don't you understand that that's something I didn't think was ever gonna happen! Do you think I'm ready to go blabbing about the feelings and junk and somehow fuck this up like I have everything else." He looked down suddenly almost seeming ashamed.

"What are you-" She started but he cut her off but grabbing her shoulders which cause a small gasp to erupt from her. "Don't! I know what you're going to say, I know you care about me but please understand-" As Inuyasha stared at her he looked as though opening up about this caused him pain. They stayed locked there for a moment, Kagome could've sworn she saw tears well up in his eyes before he blinked them away and then he spoke words that split Kagome's heart in two.

"-this" He gestured to the two of them by nodding his head. "is something that I'm not ready to possibly destroy yet!"