DISCLAIMER: Let me tell you all a little story… Once upon a time there was a girl; she had a passion for writing and a love for gay men. But one day, this girl was told she didn't own that one special gay man named Jakotsu that she so happily wrote about. And after finding out that some author in Japan owned him and the series he was created for, of course, she committed a crime worse than suicide, worse than murder, even. Identity theft. I am now Rumiko Takahashi, so yes, I do own Jakotsu, Kagome, Inuyasha, and the series.

I'm thrilled at the reviews! Honestly the last chapter (well, more like all my chapters to be honest) was just me rambling on trying to weave something into the plot. But it turns out that it was a good chapter! At least, according to you.

So here it is, after forever of not updating, Chapter 20.

Enjoy!

Chapter 19 - Home is With You

"I'll take you back home and explain to your mom, I promise." He smiled softly.

Kagome let out a laugh. She lifted her head in a manner that said, "Let me tell you a secret." And he leaned in to hear.

"If nothing works out, you can always be my home."

He looked shocked. The cold air blasted his bare skin, but inside, he was as warm as the sun, and glowing as bright as it too. A smile curved his lips and he looked at her.

He would be home tonight.

Chapter 20 - Uncertainty

Jakotsu paused in an attempt to kiss her. "Wait." He looked down at Kagome, a blush covering his cheeks as just a simple look brought forth a deep feeling.

Kagome's insides twisted. He wanted to stop? "Wh-what?"

He stilled, listening intently for the noise he had just heard. A low sound was coming from one end of the cave, and it wasn't the rain.

There it was again. A faint 'hello' reached his ears. He looked at the girl below him with a panicked look. "Did you hear that?"

Kagome shook her head slowly, confused. "Hear what?"

And it came again.

This time... Kagome heard it too.

"Hello?" A voice echoed though the cave.

"Shit!" Jakotsu jumped up, slipping his shirt on and helping Kagome find hers in the darkness.

"Jakotsu!" She whispered furiously, worried. "Who is it?"

Jakotsu's head shook, as did his hands. "Is it...?" He prayed to the gods above that it was anyone but who he thought it was.

Kagome shut her eyes tightly, similarly praying for it to be anyone other than Inuyasha. Hell, if Naraku walked up to them at that moment, she would've died a happy, happy girl.

Just not Inuyasha.

If it had been him at that moment, her world would have fallen. It was one thing to be falling for Jakotsu, but another to see the man she was already in love with. Her heart might leave Jakotsu before she truly decided on her feelings for him.

Jakotsu pulled her up and dragged her behind a boulder at the side of the cave. "Just stay quiet." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, vowing to keep her safe. He cursed not being able have their moment. He finally finds someone who's willing to reciprocate his love and affection and some idiot wanders into the cave.

"Anyone in here?"

Kagome let out a deep sigh of relief. It sounded like an old man, surely not anyone she knew.

Jakotsu mimicked her response to the voice. "Come on."

As Jakotsu attempted to stand, Kagome hesitated. He looked down at her and pressed his forehead to hers. "I promise, nothing will hurt you."

Kagome leaned in for a kiss and he gratefully accepted, heart pounding in fear and excitement. He jerked to a standing position, demanding an explanation.

"Oh!" A short, stout man of most likely eighty jumped and gripped his chest. "Heavens!"

Kagome limped beside Jakotsu.

"What are you children doing in here?"

Kagome was too scared to speak. He looked harmless but so did Jakotsu at first glance. Then one would find that Jakotsu was a bloodthirsty killer. She shook her head. He wasn't either bloodthirsty or a killer anymore.

"I could ask you the same thing, old man." Jakotsu sneered.

A pair of skeletal hands reached back to grip the thin bunch of white hair that was tied with a black ribbon. He twisted it until as much water as possible dripped off of it and onto the ground. The top of his head, completely free of any hair, glimmered with its slick layer of rainwater. "I suppose you haven't noticed the downfall out there? Why, I was on my way to the Isuriyama village when the storm came," He sat and patted the raindrops from his bamboo-lined peasant hat. "and I walked for what seemed like ages before I found this cave. Thank goodness too, my frail knees were about to give out!" A wheezing laugh escaped him and his eyes warmly met Kagome's. "My dear, what happened to you?"

Jakotsu stepped in front of her. "You don't talk to her, got it?"

Kagome grunted in disapproval. "Jakotsu, he's an old man. What's he gonna do? Stare at me to death?"

Said man began digging through his sack, throwing out a small blanket and a jug. "Ah, here we go!" He pulled out a long, thinly cut fabric, a wad of cotton, and a bottle of something. "Come here, miss, let's clean those wounds."

His eyes were kind and sincere, but Kagome hesitated still. "I-I don't want to burden you with—"

Jakotsu picked her up, slinging her into his arms bridal style and taking her to the old man. Apparently her well-being was more important than any other risk. The old man could've been a demon, but Jakotsu seemed to not care. "If you try anything, I'll make sure those sick hands are never used again, understand?"

Or maybe he did care. She blushed at his threat.

He blinked uneasily. "Young man, I don't plan on doing anything but helping her." He immediately perked up. "Oh! I never did introduce myself to you. My name is Yuudai. I am a priest in the Southern Village."

Kagome glared at Jakotsu. "See? He's a priest."

He rolled his eyes, aggravated at the fact that Kagome was completely missing the chance that this might just be a trick. This was why he never liked women; they were always so oblivious.

"So, why are you so far from your village?"

A sad smile graced Yuudai's lips. "My granddaughter sent news of her pregnancy coming to an end, so I left at once hoping to reach Isuriyama village to be there before the baby was born. But sadly," He looked out to the entrance of the cave, where winds blew fiercely at the heavy rain. "I fear I may not make it in time."

Kagome felt sympathy towards him. She felt guilty too, being here and accepting his help, when he was missing an important family event.

Jakotsu yawned, obviously caring to the least extent. "So, when you're done, you can go ahead and find your way to the baby."

"Jakotsu!"

He stared at her with wide eyes. "What did I say?"

Yuudai patted her newly bandaged leg. "It's no problem, child. Let him vent. You must have been stuck in this cave far longer."

Kagome blushed, thinking back to the entire list of things that happened in the cave. "Yeah… well, that doesn't give him any right to be a jerk."

Yuudai smiled and began packing his medicinal supplies. "All done."

Kagome bowed gratefully.

Jakotsu cleared his throat and pointed towards the storm. "Thanks, now if you'd like, we can walk you to that boulder down there, but after that, I think we'll be turning back arou—Oof!" What was Kagome's deal now? All he wanted was to continue with their intimacy.

"Feel free to stay as long as you need, Yuudai." She smiled at him and turned back to Jakotsu. "He's a nice guy who might have saved me from an infection. Now be nice Jakotsu."

He walked towards her until she was between the wall and himself. He was about to yell, to give her a piece of his mind, but her scent calmed him. "But I want…" He sighed and buried his face in her neck, causing her breathing to halt and her blush to return. "I just want us to…to, you know. I— I've never…"

"I know." She wrapped her arms around him and stared at the cave ceiling in disbelief at her luck. She smiled despite of everything. How could she have been so lucky to have Jakotsu fall for her? What were the odds of that ever happening?

"Kagome? Kagome?"

"Inuyasha!" Shippou called as he sputtered out the water. His grip on Miroku's sash was tight so that the wind wouldn't take him away. "Inuyasha, let's go back! Kagome's in her time and she's safe!"

Sango nodded heavily, shielding her eyes from the sharp rain. "Shippou's right! Going back to the well won't do us any good!"

Inuyasha sniffed the air, then the ground. They didn't understand. Kagome had been away, but then her scent came back to him as the wind began blowing and the rain flooded with the smell of her.

She was back.

"Then turn around! Go back to Kaede, I'm going to find her!" He jumped from branch to rock, to grass, and back up to a branch.

Miroku stopped and dug his staff into the ground for support. "Inuyasha?! Inuyasha!" He cursed. Inuyasha made it so obvious of his feelings for Kagome. Why then didn't he show them to her when she was actually there. Instead he waited for her to disappear for days before he let them loose. "Dammit."

Sango grabbed his arm and leaned into him for a better chance at standing still. The wind was strong and the raindrops were like bullets. "Should we follow him, Miroku?"

Shippou whimpered next to him at the thought. Miroku shook his head. "I suppose we should. At this stage of desperation, I'm afraid Inuyasha might do anything to get her to come back."

Sango nodded and started running. Miroku and Shippou followed.

Jakotsu's eye twitched unconsciously as he sat there in the silence.

Well, perhaps silence was the wrong word.

Kagome's head lay against his shoulder with his arm and top layer of clothing around her. Her soft snoring was pleasing to him, and it actually would have lulled him into a deep sleep too… had it not been for Yuudai's random noises. The off-beat snores that rose up from his throat came in all tones and lengths. If there was no snore, there was gurgling.

Jakotsu prayed that he wouldn't grow old like this man here.

The sky outside was becoming a bluer black, what with the clouds finally lifting, and the rain was finally clearing. It must have been early in the morning, very early. Definitely not before six, since it was still dark out.

Kagome stirred and mumbled something before pressing her face into Jakotsu's bare arm and scooting closer.

He blushed and looked away, even though he knew they had become very close. A small smile crept onto his lips whenever he thought of them together. It made him shake his head in frustration —he'd never been one to fret over someone like this. Sure, Inuyasha was someone he liked to think about bedding, but never like he thought about Kagome. She plagued his thoughts even in his dreams.

But… he supposed that was what it felt like to really care about someone, not just the sex.

"Jakotsu…?"

The soft voice broke him from his thoughts. He turned to see Kagome's bright, thought dreadfully sleepy, eyes staring at him. "Yeah?" Those eyes made his voice catch in his throat and nearly had him stutter.

"Did you sleep at all?"

He shook his head.

Kagome's brows furrowed in either extreme thought or slight anger. "Jakotsu. Why not?"

"Someone had to protect you, you know." He winked at her, suddenly feeling his playfulness come back to him.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah. From the old man, right?"

He grinned tiredly. "Yep."

Kagome smiled, unable to restrain herself. He was really cute. "Jakotsu?"

He hummed in response.

In her dream, she spent a good deal of time trying to get Jakotsu to kiss her. But he wouldn't, no matter what she said or did. And strangely, when he finally did decide to kiss her, she didn't get excited about it. It made her confused and angry, bringing up thoughts like maybe he didn't like her as much as she thought, or maybe she didn't like him the way she thought she did… She wanted to know how they both felt. "Can you—" Her breath caught and her cheeks flushed. "Can you kiss me?"

Jakotsu stared at her for the longest time, it seemed.

She stuttered under his set gaze. "Y-you know, you don't have t-to do it if you don't want to." Though she mumbled, she continued.

"I was just… just thinking that maybe you would want-"

And he did.

Kagome's eyes widened and then slowly closed as Jakotsu held her cheek while he kissed her. It was gentle but it made her heart pound.

He moved away and stared at the ceiling, a pink tint on his cheeks. Every time he kissed her, he would experience two very different feelings. The first was an eruption of warmth in his stomach at the very thought of kissing her. He was so happy and so aroused whenever his lips touched her. He honestly cared.

The second feeling was one of fear. Of surprise and uncertainty. He told himself often recently that this girl was one of a kind and possibly the one for him. He liked her, there was no denying that. However, it was hard to push old thoughts out of his mind.

This second feeling was not very strong, fortunately. And the more he was around her, the faster it faded. Regardless, it still bothered him that it was there.

Kagome simply watched him with half-lidded eyes as he basked in his thoughts. Was he happy? Did he mean it? Now her paranoia had increased tenfold. Maybe the old man should have just left, so that Jakotsu could continue to show his affection toward her.

"You're the first girl I've ever kissed." He broke the silence.

Kagome's face flushed. "I-I am?" Dumb question.

He snorted. "Well, duh. I've never liked a girl before."

Her heart did a flip. He said he liked her.

"Hell, I've never actually sincerely liked anyone before." All of his thoughts poured out.

Kagome's heart raced. Did he know he was saying all of this? It seemed as though he wasn't thinking before he spoke.

He was thinking though. He was thinking a lot now. He liked Kagome quite a bit, but he wasn't sure how he had grown to like her as much. And she had hated him for a long time, but now she liked him back. Was she over Inuyasha? Was he just the next best thing after the half demon?

"But I'm scared." He spoke honestly.

Kagome tensed and looked at him, color draining from her face. "Scared? Why are you scared?"

Because she didn't feel this way about him before they went back to her time. She didn't even want to touch him before a few days ago. Would she go back to Inuyasha if she saw him soon?

"I'm afraid-"

"Kagome!"

Jakotsu stilled, in speech and in motion. He looked to the entrance of the cave with narrowed eyes, heart pounding. Of course. He was not worthy of the kindness of the Gods.

It was Inuyasha.

Dragon