Hey, hey, hey! I'm back with a cute, lemon free one shot that I hope you will enjoy! Just some random idea I had, and please read and review, as always!

Winter Weather

Walking along the snow-ridden path to the well, the half demon was silent, much like the white snow that now covered the Feudal Era in a blanket of ice. Even the trees, once green and lush in the summer, had turned to white, icicles dangling from their frozen leaves. The demon's red haori contrasted with the whiteness of the ground that surrounded him, and his silver hair cascaded down his back in a banner, swaying gently in the winter breeze. Two twin fuzzy ears poked out from the sides of his head, obvious signs of his dog heritage, twitching every now and then when they picked up a sound.

The dog demon came up beside the ledge of a well, its wooden boards blocked from view by the falling snow and the green ivy that clung to its side. He began to tap his foot impatiently.

"Where the hell is she?" he asked no one in particular, his words echoing once then fading into the cloudy sky. Just then a faint pink light emitted from the very center of the well and the half demon immediately halted his tapping. A relieved expression crossed his emotionless face briefly, and then it turned into a scowl.

A hand reached up from the source of the light and grasped the wooden frame of the well. Much groaning was heard until at last a huge yellow bag was heaved over the side. The demon caught it, displaying his excellent reflexes.

A girl, about the age of sixteen, lifted herself out from the well and sighed, tired. Then she noticed the dog demon and yelped.

"Kagome, I told you two days dammit!" he growled, but his voice held none of the anxiousness as before.

The girl named Kagome raised an eyebrow at him and, finally, came up out of the well. "Nice to see you too, Inuyasha," she greeted him sarcastically and then continued, "Also, it's only been two and a half days. Calm down."

Inuyasha snorted and retorted lamely, "Feh."

Kagome rolled her eyes at the childish act. Then she stood up from her sitting position on the edge of the well and smiled, motioning for Inuyasha to follow her back down the path. Her vibrant green skirt fluttered as she began to walk towards the village where their companions were currently staying, awaiting Kagome's return.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Inuyasha trailed after her, catching up to her with ease due to his longer stride. A strong wind blew from the midst of the woods and swished Kagome's brown tresses to the side, tickling Inuyasha's neck. He uncomfortably moved away.

Kagome laughed, high and clear, and pulled her hair back over her shoulder, restraining it from flying about. "Sorry," she apologized, grinning.

He shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other and mumbled, "No problem."

Raising her arms above her head Kagome stretched, inhaling deeply. "Ah, the feudal era is so much more serene than the bustle of Tokyo."

Inuyasha snorted again. "Everything is much more serene than that city you live in. God, if it isn't cars, its way too many people talking, or music, or…" Kagome cut off his talking by her giggling.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted. "I mean, for a guy who has sensitive hearing, it must be loud." Kagome eyed his adorable ears, fighting the temptation to tweak them.

Not noticing her sudden staring, Inuyasha agreed. "I know," Kagome tore her eyes from his dog ears, trying to focus on other things.

"How is everyone doing?" she politely asked and Inuyasha sent her a weird look.

"Oh yeah, they all died from a demon attack. What do you think? If someone was sick, of course I would've told you as soon as you crawled out of that damn well!" Inuyasha snapped. Kagome frowned, her sunny features falling. Inuyasha, noting this, instantly regretted his comment.

"Look, I-," he began but Kagome cut him off.

"No, no that's fine. You're right I shouldn't have asked, it was a dumb question." Inuyasha could see through her thinly veiled happiness. Yet he left it at that, cursing himself as they approached the village.

Kagome stopped at the rise overlooking the small village. Each hut emitted a fine trail of smoke above their roofs. She smiled at the comforting sight of the modest village, so homey.

Inuyasha continued to march down the hill, unaware of Kagome's missing presence until her scent began to fade. He glanced to the side, and upon not finding her nearby, whirled around only to find her at the top of the incline. She was staring out into space, a small, peaceful smile gracing her lips.

Scowling, Inuyasha called to her, "Oi, wench, stop taking all fucking day."

She heard Inuyasha's voice and dropped her gaze to meet his. "Coming," she replied, running down the hill and catching up. Kagome smiled, a little breathless from her quick rush down the slope. Her hair was mussed up a little and she smoothed it down, grinning sheepishly at Inuyasha who just averted his golden eyes and continued walking with her backpack slung over his shoulder.

Frowning at his stoic behavior, Kagome walked a little slower, so that she was behind Inuyasha. Suddenly the door to Kaede's hut flew open and an orange blur crashed into Kagome forcefully, almost knocking her off balance.

Shippo appeared from the spot on her chest and smiled up at Kagome cheerfully. "I missed you!" he cried out, snuggling into the folds of Kagome's clothes. She peeled him off of her and hugged him lightly.

"It's nice to see you too, Shippo. How are you?" Kagome asked him sweetly and Shippo shrugged.

"I've been fine, but Inuyasha was pouting the whole time you were gone." Inuyasha's ear flicked from his spot ahead of them as they walked closer to Kaede's hut, but that was all the reaction they mustered out of him.

"That's good that you're feeling okay. That means you can have a lolly!" she exclaimed and Shippo cried out in joy. Then Shippo looked to Inuyasha and his bottom lip quivered.

"B-but Inuyasha has your backpack." He gulped.

Kagome asked Inuyasha if he could stop, but he just snorted and shot back over his shoulder, "The brat can wait," She frowned at his turned back and then looked down to the disappointed Shippo.

"When we get to the hut," she promised and Shippo's face lit up. "Okay, Kagome!" he yelled excitedly and jumped off of her arm, running all the way to the hut.

Reaching the flap, Inuyasha held it open for Kagome to enter, and then followed after her. She thanked him and he uttered his famous, "Feh."

Sango smiled up from her seat on the floor. A certain perverted monk was nearby, scheming new ways to reach Sango's rear, no doubt, and Kaede sat in her customary position in front of the big black cauldron she always seemed to have on the fire.

"How are you, Kagome?" Sango questioned, standing up and hugging her friend in greeting, who in turn hugged her back.

"I'm fine," she replied firmly and then her eyes drifted to Miroku, who was reaching up with his hand to its usual destination. She sighed and stopped him, grabbing his hand. "Will you ever learn Miroku?"

He held up an innocent hand. "Good to see you too, Lady Kagome." As soon as Sango realized what Kagome had just rescued her from, she bonked him over the head.

"Lecher!" she screamed and Inuyasha's ears flattened with the shrillness of her voice.

Miroku gave her a huge grin, and Sango groaned, plopping down opposite to Miroku in the room.

Kagome regarded the familiar scene with amusement. "You've had to put up with him for two days in the hut?" She shook her head disbelievingly. "I don't know how you did it," she admitted.

Sango smiled weakly, and then shot Miroku a glare as he tried to scoot closer to her. Inuyasha flopped down to the boards of Kaede's hut and sighed. "She had to put up with him? Half the time she sent him outside, where he came to bother me. Everything that came out of my mouth, he turned into something perverted."

She giggled at his misfortune and he once more averted her gaze. Her laughter stopped abruptly and Kagome looked down at the hanyou with concern. What was wrong? Inuyasha didn't purposely ignore her like this…

Sango and Miroku exchanged questioning glances, and Kagome fell silent as Kaede started a conversation about the herbs she was currently growing in her garden. Inuyasha wasn't participating in the talking, but for the most part he never did. Yet he seemed more quiet and distant today.

She was snapped out of her thinking as Inuyasha stood and walked to the doorway, pausing just before the flap. "I'll be back," he stated and trudged off, Tetsaiga at side.

Kagome stared curiously at Inuyasha's fading figure until Kaede's door flap feel into place, blocking Inuyasha from her view. Now was the perfect time to interrogate him and get the truth out of him. He would most likely not bend, but it was worth a try.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Kagome stated to them suddenly and Miroku grinned perverted.

"…with Inuyasha?" he asked, raising his eyebrows while his grin remained on his lips. Kagome blushed lightly and hurried out of the hut in embarrassment while Sango knocked Miroku over the head, Kaede shaking her head disapprovingly.

It's a wonder Miroku doesn't have concussions with all the smacks he has been getting over the head… Kagome thought humorously as the brisk winter air whipped her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the fresh feeling of the cold on her face.

Opening her eyes after the moment passed, she looked out over the white wonderland, wondering where Inuyasha ran off to. She guessed he was somewhere in the forest.

Walking back into the same forest she had come out of minutes ago, Kagome gazed at the beautiful scenery, her bright chocolate eyes sparkling.

Finally she came upon Goshinkobu, the sacred tree, and luckily caught a glimpse of red. Good thing he's wearing bright colors, she silently thanked anyone listening and sneaked up on Inuyasha, or so she thought.

"Hello, wench," he said moments before she was going to spring out from behind the trunk. Smiling at his alert senses, Kagome motioned for him to come down from his perch in the tree. When he hesitated, she added softly, "Please?"

With a heavy sigh he landed nimbly in the snow beside her, straightening up. "Yeah?" Inuyasha asked warily and Kagome put her hands together in front of her.

"I know you don't like to express things much, but please tell me what's wrong," Kagome requested hastily and Inuyasha's lips pressed together firmly.

"Huh. None of your business."

She nodded. At least he isn't lying to me by saying nothing's wrong… So it was an improvement. Then why was she so unsatisfied? He noticed her slightly slumped form and disappointment seeping into her scent. He growled.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded and Kagome shook her head, cheery features carefully plastered back onto her face. "Nothing, lets just go back okay?"

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "No thanks. I don't want to hear about Kaede's weed garden…" Kagome gently chided him, saying, "Oh come on," but smiled anyways. That was one thing he could always do to her; he could always make her smile, no matter what they were put through.

He crossed his arms stubbornly. "It's a weed garden and you know it," he insisted and Kagome shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, I guess that I'll just have to eat the ramen I brought alone, since no one else really likes it that much," she sighed, her theater skills rising up from the experience she had gotten from the Festival at her school.

His attention turned to her and Kagome was surprised he didn't jump at the chance. Inuyasha nodded finally and set off without a word. Kagome watched him, slight shock apparent on her features. What was with him? He seemed so blasé about everything today, and quite frankly it worried her.

A white cloth floating in the strong wind above caught her eye and Kagome was reminded of Kikyo's soul stealers.

Wait a minute… she thought.

Soul stealers…

Kikyo…

Her mouth hardened into a thin line and her once joyous face darkened considerably. Of course, something about Kikyo was bothering him. She could be the only reason to cause him to be this distant from her.

Kagome felt a sharp pain come across her chest and she nervously placed a hand over her heart. She knew that Inuyasha did care for her, but she also knew he loved Kikyo a lot more. After all, Kikyo was normal in this era, and she was so calm… so impassive, always knowing exactly what to do in any circumstance.

Her eyes trailed to the gray sky and she let a little of her depressed state flow out of her. Now, though, she was as powerful as Kikyo in terms of spiritual power, and Kagome couldn't say that Kikyo was prettier than her…

She sighed, beginning to walk back towards the hut. In his eyes, she is… she thought heavy-heartedly and Kagome turned from the hut to pursue a new direction. She didn't really want everyone to see her in her obviously gloomy state; it made her feel weak to see pity in their faces when she walked in.

Her hair whipped across her face as Kagome realized she was going against the wind, bad idea. But she didn't care, the fresh air felt good on her down soul, letting her pretend everything was alright. Yet the painful reality slowly trickled back into her mind and she stopped cold.

No, don't even try to pretend everything is fine, Kagome fiercely told herself. Then she let a couple of tears leak out of the corners of her beautiful eyes and flow down her cheek. Kagome plopped down onto the hill, and trailed her fingers in the snow, the frosty ice biting at her bare skin.

Eventually her rear began to go numb from sitting in the snow, and Kagome sat up, trudging down the hill with a small smile on her face. At least Miroku wouldn't touch her icy rear now. The hut was warm as she went in, and Kagome closed her eyes. The heat soothed her cold body.

Inuyasha looked up as she walked in and took her place by the fire. Sango raised an eyebrow. "Where have you been?" she questioned.

"Around. It's really nice weather this time of year," she cheerfully responded and Miroku noticed that her clothes were wet.

"Have you been sitting in the snow, Lady Kagome?" he inquired curiously.

Kagome laughed. "Well, it's not that hard to do. The snow is now covering everything." Shippo brightened and happily squeaked, "Oh Kagome! Can we go outside? No one wants to be in the cold around here, and I really want to play!"

Patting the young kitsune on the head gently, Kagome promised him, "Of course. Can you just let me warm up a bit?"

Shippo deflated slightly, a little disappointed, and then Inuyasha smoothly stood. "Come on runt."

He looked up to Inuyasha with surprise shining in his big eyes. "You mean, you're gonna go out with me?" Shippo asked hopefully and the half demon turned around to face him, the slightest hint of annoyance on his face.

"If you don't just stand there and gape, then yeah, I guess so," Inuyasha muttered and then glanced to Kagome.

"You don't have to go now," he stated simply and then disappeared out through the flap, Shippo following excitedly at his heels.

Kagome stared at the spot Inuyasha had been not two seconds before and then slowly turned to face her friends. "That was awfully nice of him," she smiled, delighted that Inuyasha was taking time out of his day to bond with the small kit, who often looked up to him as a role model.

Sango shook her head, although a smile was playing on her lips. "I know, and I'm glad that he is finally spending time with Shippo."

Only Miroku was the one who thought anything was wrong, musing, "Something must be astray with him; this is not his usual behavior…" Sango frowned and smacked the monk on the upside of his head.

"Can't you just accept that Inuyasha did something nice for Kagome and Shippo, Miroku!"

The whole time Kaede sat on the edge of the group, listening intently to the conversation. She decided to put in her two senses. "It is not important, the cause of his action. The only thing important here is the outcome. If all goes well, Shippo and Inuyasha will be closer. Now Miroku, can you help me with this pot?"

Kagome mulled over Kaede's words, and came to the decision that she was right. It was not something that she should wonder over now; Kagome was just relieved that she did not have to venture out into the icy wind once more.

Scooting even closer to the fire to the point where she was getting all the warmth she possibly could without burning herself, Kagome joined into the discussion now going on about soups.

Inuyasha trudged through the almost knee deep snow, not caring whether his foot sunk into the white softness or not. Quickly he glanced at Shippo and, satisfied that the little kit was in no danger, turned his gaze back out to the scenery. He so badly wanted to jump into a tree, but knew that he couldn't leave Shippo out here alone, especially in this weather.

A strong gust of wind blew past his frame and Inuyasha was distantly grateful that weather did not affect him; he could stand out here for hours and feel nothing. That was his goal anyways; he needed something to distract himself from Kagome's worried glances she kept shooting him.

It was not like he didn't want her to not be concerned for him; he just didn't want to end up relating to her the problem in his mind at the time. Because it concerned her.

Shippo ran past him in the snow, and if not for being light on his feet, the little fox would have probably sunk down fully. If that would happen, the snow would reach around his neck, trapping him.

Actually, that's not a bad idea if you want to get rid of him for a while, Inuyasha thought evilly and then grinned at his own wicked thoughts. He was being too harsh on the little kid; after all it was not his fault he got annoying at times.

But he is to blame for sucking up to Kagome, Inuyasha reminded himself, remembering the times Shippo would let a few tears fall to get Kagome's sympathy, earning himself a piece of candy or a toy. Brat ain't as innocent as they think.

Suddenly he pictured Kagome in his mind, gently chiding him on the rude ways he always replied to Shippo's genuine comments. His face fell from the earlier small grin to one of total seriousness. Kagome… once again his mind had returned to her, although he tried to stop himself from thinking of her constantly, which only served to make him think about her more.

He felt his fists ball up. How come she was forever on his mind, even though it didn't make a difference if her presence was there or not?

Well that's an easy one, he thought to himself snidely. 'Cause you love her idiot. Inuyasha hastily looked around him, as if anyone near him could've read his thought. Then he sighed, this was stupid. He couldn't deny it to himself, he did love her, and he had loved her for quite a while now, the feeling having grown instead of faded away. Now he could no more stop loving her than stop breathing.

Crossing his arms over his warm chest, Inuyasha moved a little closer to where Shippo was, not wanting to lose him in the white of the forest, it was much harder to pick up scents in snow.

Inuyasha halted abruptly after a moment, his eyes roaming the landscape. Where had the kit gone off to? Wildly glancing around, Inuyasha felt a sense of fear come over him. Oh shit…

Taking off in the direction he had last seen Shippo head towards, thoughts raced through his mind. Kagome's going to kill me… he thought, and then stopped, sniffing the air. Just then, using his sharp eyesight, Inuyasha found tracks leading into a bush, and a mad giggle coming from the leaves.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Sneaky brat, he thought absentmindedly, but his breathing returned to normal. All the while keeping his calm, Inuyasha looked around the trees, faking confusion.

"Where could that kit have wandered off to?" he wondered loudly, and stepped towards the now moving bush, looking behind him and above into the sky, pretending he had no clue.

More laughter emitted from the center of the undergrowth, and Inuyasha slyly smiled, swiftly bending down and scooping up a small fox demon in one quick movement. The kit let out a squeak of surprise, and then began to giggle, tugging on Inuyasha's haori to signal him to let him go.

Inuyasha released Shippo, and the demon plopped into the soft snow with a small thud. Coming up, Shippo had flakes all over him, covering the top of his head, and spread out across his joyous features.

"That was fun, Inuyasha!" Shippo exclaimed, hopping onto Inuyasha's shoulder, and sitting down so that he was comfortable riding on the older demon. "How did you find me?" the kit asked further, his face sparkling with pride and excitement.

Inuyasha chose not to smother Shippo's happiness and replied, widening his eyes at the kit. "Oh, it wasn't easy; believe me it took me awhile to guess where you were."

Shippo's eyes brightened and Inuyasha could almost feel the waves of joy coming off of him. He smiled releculantly and then motioned to the direction of the village. "Oi, why don't you head back and I'll catch up with you later?" he offered. Shippo appeared hurt at his request for him to leave.

Hurriedly, Inuyasha added, "It's just 'cause you shouldn't be outside in this weather for too long, ya know… with the snow… and the cold…" Shippo seemed to get what Inuyasha was saying and the half demon sighed in relief as the young demon took off to Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha had also wanted Shippo to leave for the reasons he mentioned, but mainly Inuyasha wanted to have time to think alone without having to keep an eye or ear trained out for Shippo. This way, he could have his full attention on his thoughts.

Leaping nimbly into a nearby tree, Inuyasha satisfyingly perched himself on the bough, leaning against the tree's scratchy bark. This is the way Inuyasha had grown up, sleeping on branches, and now it was almost comforting to sit up in a tree like this. It… cleared his head.

He focused once more on his thoughts, and an unsettling frown rested on his lips, his brow creasing. What was he going to do? Thoughts of Kagome plagued him all the time, forcing him to focus on her and nothing else. Yet he wasn't given any respite when she left, in fact it only worsened when Kagome was gone, and he would be inclined to go and bring her back.

Not that he minded thinking of Kagome all the time; she was the only one whom he ever really trusted, although he didn't tell her much of his past because to tell the truth, he was ashamed of it. Inuyasha wished he could tell her of how much he cared for her, but his pride and embarrassment stopped him from going further than saying he was going to protect her.

Besides, no matter how much Inuyasha wished he could take it back; Inuyasha had a promise to Kikyo. That was what killed him. If Kagome didn't leave for good to her own time, he would end up going to hell with Kikyo anyways. He ran a hand over his face, no matter what happened, their future seemed to scream doom.

Kikyo used to be what had kept his head up, kept his feet moving during the hard years. Now what they used to share, the kindness Kikyo used to show him, was nothing more than a memory, almost forgotten. Sure, Inuyasha would forever care for Kikyo, but never would he be able to love her again. Never did he want to love her again.

The only thing now keeping him alive was Kagome, from the day she had pulled the arrow out of his chest, trusting him to kill the centipede for her, Kagome had trusted him back, something Kikyo had never been able to achieve. Yes, Kikyo had repeated time after time how she trusted him wholly and completely, but Inuyasha was not fooled. He had seen and smelled the fear creep over her even when he just flexed his claws, had seen her flinch numerous times when he had yawned, exposing his dangerous fangs.

But Kagome didn't fear him at all, nor did she ever doubt him, even when he had transformed into his full demon state. She had been the one who had approached him and embraced him, even when there was no guarantee that she would live. That was just how Kagome was; if someone was in danger, she would gladly risk her life in order to save theirs.

Of course it worried him that she was so kind hearted, it could possibly kill her. A sharp pain pierced through his heart at the thought of Kagome dying, and he gritted his teeth together. No, Kagome would not die as long as he was alive, even if she wanted to leave him in the end, he would protect her.

A wonderful scent reached his sensitive nose and Inuyasha closed his eyes slowly, inhaling the calming scent. Kagome apparently had gone out searching for him since he had not returned with Shippo. Her scent eased his mind, knowing she was around. He patiently listened as her quiet footsteps approached, muffled by the snow.

She came into his view as she stumbled into the clearing. Her head turned this way and that, obviously looking for any sign of him, her long black hair contrasting with the lightness of the snow. Inuyasha waited a moment, watching her eyes roam everywhere in the clearing before dropping to the ground.

Kagome's eyes snapped to the tree as Inuyasha landed on the ground, and she smiled, relieved that she had found him. He looked to her and moved silently over to her form.

"Oi, what is it now?" he asked impatiently and Kagome's smile faltered. She suddenly felt very foolish, she had wanted to come check on him, but now it seemed obvious that he could certainly take care of himself.

Her eyes lowered to the ground and she shook her head. "Oh, nothing, just wanted to see where you were, see if you were going to come back soon," she said sheepishly. He scowled at Kagome's nervous features.

"I can take care of myself thanks," he snapped, why in the hell was she so anxious?

Kagome trailed her toe in the snow, drawing designs. "I know," she muttered. I realize that now, thank you very much. She then brought her eyes up to his face and a smile tugged at her lips. He looked so cute standing there, his ears twitching every now and then, and a scowl planted firmly on his features.

Confusion set into his mind, first she had been nervous, and now she was smiling? His puzzlement must've shown on his face because Kagome shrugged, still grinning. "Don't mind me, I'm just glad I don't have to be in school," she cheerily said, and Inuyasha thought suddenly, I'm glad you're not in school either.

"Feh. You shoulda stayed, there is nothing here to do anyways…" he grumbled, and then almost smacked himself at how mean he had sounded with his words. He winced. Kagome felt her heart drop, but did not let Inuyasha see it, instead saying, "Of course there are things to do here! And don't think a little snow is gonna dampen our spirits!"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What do you mean by that?" he asked cautiously, and Kagome just grinned.

"It means we are going to continue on the jewel search tomorrow, snow or no snow!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. This would make Inuyasha happy, she knew it, because he was always complaining about how they were never gonna get anywhere with the jewel if quote, 'you don't hurry your asses up' unquote.

Somehow, Inuyasha didn't think that this would settle well with every one else, and he asked, "Well, have you suggested it to the others, wench?"

Kagome blanched. She had forgotten about that part. "Um… no, but that won't matter. I'm sure that they won't mind. It must be getting boring stuck inside all day long." I hope, she prayed at the end of her statement.

Inuyasha felt his eyes soften at the enthusiastic priestess before him, his heart swelling with pride for her strong determination. "Feh. Whatever, I don't care either way," he huffed, crossing his arms again, and walking towards the hut. He wanted to see what the other's reaction was going to be to Kagome's proposal.

She watched him go, his silver hair swaying with him as he walked on top of the snow, not sinking in the slightest. Kagome felt a bit of frustration, no matter what she did, Kagome could not help but feel that he was distracted. She sighed, allowing her shoulders to sag. No, she could not compete with the dead. Maybe he had gone off to meet with Kikyo while Shippo had gone back to them. But then Kagome remembered the promise he had made to her that he would never again run to Kikyo. She trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't have broken his promise.

Yes, she realized that it seemed foolish to trust him on a promise, which is just words, but Kagome couldn't stop herself from just trusting him. He had never let her down, and his promises meant so much more to him than just being words.

Inuyasha noticed her missing presence quickly, and whirled around to find her gazing at him with a strange expression on her serene face. A light blush dusted his cheeks. He was grateful she couldn't see it from that far away.

At that moment, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was staring back at her, their eyes now locked. She felt her cheeks burn, how long had he realized she was looking at him? Running up in a flurry of clothing, Kagome stopped beside him, panting from her quick sprint. "Sorry," she apologized. "I spaced out there for a second."

He nodded at her. "I figured," he said, and resumed walking, Kagome tagging along beside him. He cast a sidelong glance to her and found her eyes trained ahead of them, her long sleeved beige sweater fluttering in the wind.

Maybe heading back out on the road was good for him; it would keep his mind from going to Kagome.

The hut came into view, voices carried on the wind to Inuyasha's ears, which picked up pieces of conversation. God, did they ever stop talking? Just then a slap was heard, loud enough for Kagome to register exactly what it was.

"Ouch." Inuyasha winced for the monk, and Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I think that Sango will be glad to get out," she said with a sigh and Inuyasha silently agreed on that part. Sango's irritated yelling increased in volume as the pair neared the door. Pretty soon her voice was blaring at their ears and they walked in to find Miroku cornered, looking scared.

"Sango dearest, it was only one rub!" he protested as the slayer hovering over him seethed. Her glare trained on him was pure malice, promising that as soon as there was enough room to pick up her Hiraikotsu and swing it, he would be dead meat. Miroku gulped.

Kaede was the one who actually figured out that Inuyasha and Kagome had returned and she turned to them, amusement dancing in her eye that was not hidden behind a patch. Inuyasha caught it and grinned.

"You're enjoying this, hag," he remarked, sitting down near the fighting couple. It was only then that Miroku and Sango realized that Kagome and Inuyasha were back, and Sango turned around, smiling at the two of them, then whirling her head around and giving Miroku a death glare. He responded by gulping.

"Uh, nice to see you back from your walk," he nodded to them. Avoiding Sango's withering glare, Miroku crawled to the other side of the fire. Kagome held back a giggle, even though Sango and Miroku were engaged, to any bystander it appeared they had just met, and were sworn enemies.

However, Miroku could be extremely understanding and caring when it came down to it, and the lecherousness was just the outer exterior. And Sango had seen that in him, despite his attempts to always have a grasp on her butt.

She sobered, knowing the same thing could be said about her and Inuyasha. Except he didn't try to touch her, (even though she wouldn't have minded, Kagome thought with a blush, while everyone gave her a weird look) he just was rude and selfish. But, just like Miroku, that was his exterior, what he appeared to be. Even though Kagome had only seen it a couple of rare times, Inuyasha had a gentle side, hidden under many layers that had accumulated over the years.

That was why he kept all of his promises, and didn't go around killing people for vindictive reasons, like most able-bodied demons did. It was because he truly did have a soft heart, and basically he only let two people know about it, her and Kikyo.

Kikyo… of course he would be gentle and caring with her, he loved her. Kagome's heart felt heavy as these thoughts crossed her head, and images of them kissing that one night, about a month after Kagome began to come to the Feudal Era, when Inuyasha had found out that Kikyo was still alive, came to her head.

All the while Kagome was in her own thoughts, Inuyasha was watching her carefully, frowning deeper as her sad expression became even gloomier.

"Kagome, what do you think?" Miroku asked her, trying to include her in the discussion. The priestess kept her head down, having not heard Miroku. The long silence following the question presumed, and the other two spun their heads to face Kagome.

Inuyasha decided to grab her attention, whatever she was thinking about was bothering her, and he hated to see her depressed like this. He needed his happy-go-lucky Kagome back. "Kagome!" he barked and Kagome immediately recognized his voice, snapping her head up to raise her eyebrows questioningly at him.

He motioned wordlessly to the others, and Kagome's eyes slid from him to the three around the fire, each of them staring expectantly at her. She flinched, how long had she been zoned out? "Huh?" she asked.

"Miroku asked you what you thought about Naraku's whereabouts," Sango slowly repeated, as if Kagome would understand her words better if she emphasized each syllable.

"Oh!" Kagome shook her head, now getting it. "Well, I think it has to have a pretty good barrier around it, if neither Inuyasha nor any of us have been able to detect it…." Then she sheepishly stared into the fire, knowing full well that her statement was about as obvious as it got.

Miroku made an 'oh' sound and smiled. "That's interesting…" he said, muffling his laughter. Kagome threw him a scowl, which made him clam up instantly.

Sighing, Kagome laid her head down on her knees. "I don't know guys, I really don't know."

Sango reassuringly smiled at her. "No need to be so sorry, Kagome, none of us has a clue either,"

Inuyasha rested his hands behind his head, relaxing into the wood, attempting to appear calm and in casual. "That's why we are going jewel searching first thing tomorrow."

To Kagome's great surprise, all of them groaned. Shippo gave Inuyasha a pleading look that clearly asked 'Do I have to?' and even Kaede was remorseful. "I'm going to miss the company and help," she sighed, wearily glancing down at her lap. As Miroku and Sango went on about how they should stay until the snow at least got thinner, Inuyasha caught Kagome's eyes.

'I knew it,' he mouthed silently to her, and she felt relief well up inside of her. He had known that they would react this way, so that's why he had gone ahead and say it, so that they would complain to him. Kagome felt immensely grateful, touched that he would be as thoughtful as that.

'Thank you,' she mouthed back. He got her message but remained quiet, his eyes going back to the whining humans in front of him. Shooting them both dirty looks, he yelled over both of them, "We're going whether you like it or not!" They both shut up, sulking, as they slumped against the wall of Kaede's hut.

Shippo nervously came closer to Inuyasha, looking ready to bolt any second. "Um, Inuyasha?' he asked timidly.

Turning his attention to the young kit, Inuyasha snapped, "What?" Shippo twiddled his fingers, keening back and forth on his heels.

"Um, can I stay here with Kaede this time?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, closing his eyes.

"Why are you asking me? It's up to you," he growled and Shippo smiled up at the older demon.

Squeezing Inuyasha's waist, Shippo brightly smiled. "Thanks, Inuyasha!" he cried out, and Inuyasha stared shocked as the little kit returned to his spot in the corner, where his colors and paper was laying on the floor. Shippo reached out for the purple crayon, but then thought better of it and curled into a little ball, preparing himself for sleep.

Kagome started. It must be late by now, she couldn't really tell what time it was when she was outside with Inuyasha, because the gray sky had no way of showing the sun through it's misty clouds. Rummaging through her backpack, Kagome pulled out her pink watch, checking it. It was currently 9:04.

She threw it back in her backpack, and then, accompanied by a little show of effort, pulled out her sleeping bag. The sleeping bag was very bulky, and it took a lot to stuff it into her bag in the first place. Finally the whole thing came out with a huge thud and Kagome rolled it out smoothly.

"You're going to bed already?" Sanso asked her, and then stopped as she yawned herself. "I think I've caught what Kagome has," she teased.

Kagome grinned sideways at her, and then resumed making her bed for the night. Sango laid out her sleeping sheets onto the floor a safe distance from where Miroku was setting his, and she gave him an uneasy look as he grinned at her.

"Nothing to worry about, Sango, my flower," he crooned and Sango narrowed her eyes. Kaede took her customary pillow from the corner of her hut and placed it on the ground. She laid her head down on it, saying her goodnights to everyone. They repeated it to everyone else, until the hut rang of 'Goodnight!'.

Finally Inuyasha yelled out, "Goodnight!" and their noise died out. Kagome smiled humorously at Inuyasha, and he releculantly grinned, pleased she was back in a good mood. Making sure no one was paying him any attention, Inuyasha scooted over to Kagome and began to talk with her.

This went on for a while, both of them wanting to just hear each other's words, enjoying each other's comforting presence. Finally, when Kagome's watch read 9:39 and every other living thing except her and Inuyasha were asleep, Kagome yawned and Inuyasha frowned.

"Oi, go to sleep wench. You're gonna have to get up early," he scolded her, leaning against the wall as he relaxed, Kagome's scent coaxing him into slumber. Kagome whined almost inaudibly, she did not want to stop talking with Inuyasha, she wanted to hear his voice until the wee hours of the morning, she wanted them to lull her to sleep.

However much Inuyasha wanted the exact same thing, he didn't want Kagome to lose any sleep over him. Little did he know, she lost a lot of sleep over him every day, worrying over him the entire night if he was injured, or gone.

She laid her head back onto the pillow, not being able to see Inuyasha's face anymore due to the fact he was now in the shadows. Her lips pursed, there had to be some way she could be reassured he was next to her.

Timidly reaching her hand out, Kagome felt her hand come into contact with his, and she pulled away, as if burned. She knew he would be able to see her blush through the darkness, so Kagome pulled the blankets over her head.

At Kagome's touch, Inuyasha felt like an electric jolt had gone through him, the feel of her skin electrifying, yet smooth and soft. His hand came up from the floor and rested in his lap. He didn't notice Kagome's blush, because he was too busy trying to hide his own growing one.

As he shifted around, his face came into the patch of light flowing in through the window, and Kagome sighed, now relieved she could see him. If she could at least see him around her, everything would be all right, and she would be able to rest easy.

Inuyasha listened closely as Kagome's heartbeat slowed to one of slumber, and her breathing evened out. The sound of his own heart beat, almost in rhythm with hers, sounded in his ears and he allowed his hand to inch forward, reaching out for hers.

He hesitated, no he could not, should not, but he was powerless against his feelings and grabbed her hand gently in his. Automatically, Kagome's fingers curled around his, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A smile crept onto his face at her actions and he lightly squeezed her hand. If he could not tell her when she was awake, he could at least show her when she was asleep.

He drifted off to sleep, still clutching her hand.

Kagome awoke in the middle of the night as she inhaled sharply. She was covered in cold sweat. Rolling over so that her head was buried in her pillow, Kagome blinked back tears. This happened every week at least, she would have a dream about how she was bleeding, running through the forest, blindly searching for Inuyasha. Then she would stumble onto him and Kikyo kissing and she would be so heartbroken and shocked, and would fall to her knees as darkness consumed her.

But Kagome knew that Inuyasha would never do that, and she knew he would help her if she was injured. Suddenly Kagome noticed something warm and comforting was on her hand, and she looked over only to lightly gasp as she realized that Inuyasha was holding her hand. They fit so perfectly together, her smaller hand easily slipping into his.

Keep dreaming, she thought to herself. I put my hand in his during my sleep. Her hopes fell a little bit, and Kagome softly looked up at the sleeping half demon. His face was peaceful, eased by the kindness of slumber, and his mouth was closed tightly. Yet his hair breezed over his face, its silverish color glowing in the very dark light of night. She glanced out the window, of course there was no moon showing, and clouds were covering the sky.

Her sudden movement had brought Inuyasha out of his light doze and he awoke to see Kagome gazing out the window, her hand delicate in his grasp. He stayed still, afraid that if he moved she would take her hand out of his, and the perfect moment would be ruined by him.

She stretched lazily in her sleeping bag, and turned to lay back down when she saw the gleam of gold. Quickly whirling to the supposedly asleep Inuyasha, she found him staring at her with his bright orbs, his face still softer in the grey light.

Clearing her throat, Kagome took her hand from his, knowing it probably made him uncomfortable.

Inuyasha winced as her hand left his, and his fingers curled into his palm slowly, his hand feeling so empty. To hide his disappointment, Inuyasha asked Kagome, "What are you doing up so late, wench?"

She turned away from him, not wanting to explain her frightening, repeating dream. Rather, Kagome found the wall opposite of Inuyasha very interesting.

"Kagome…" he dangerously added. Kagome finally looked at him, a smile planted firmly on her face.

"Oh nothing, just a bad dream, it's really nothing to fret over," she explained. Hey, it was partially the truth. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her, still suspicious, but asked no more; aware she was not going to relate it to him. He sighed heavily. Why couldn't she just trust him? He wanted to help her, if he could.

Kagome slid under the covers of her sleeping bag once more, aware of how alone she felt although Inuyasha was no more than two feet from her. How she longed to place her hand back in his! But she pushed down the need, trying to focus on getting back to sleep.

Bringing up his still tingling hand to hold the hilt of Tetsaiga, Inuyasha watched as Kagome uneasily drifted off into sleep. There was something bothering her, there had been something bothering her for a while now, and it perturbed Inuyasha.

His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, and he gave Kagome one last fleeting look before closing his eyes for the night.

The morning came too quickly for Kagome's liking, and she soon found herself, along with two other unwilling companions, trudging through snow almost up to their knees, Inuyasha leading them. He had been true to his word and had awoken them early, despite their loud protests. So, after about half an hour, they had set off, with hurried goodbyes to Kaede and Shippo.

As her foot sunk into more snow with her footstep, Kagome felt vague annoyance at herself. After all, it had been her brilliant idea to go jewel hunting. Now she was stuck with a very irritable Sango and Miroku, and an always withdrawn Inuyasha.

She sighed, shivering slightly as another cold breeze hit her, chilling her down to the bones. Boy she was going to appreciate it when she got home, and snuggled up under her thick blankets and soft pillows. He thought cheered her dampened spirit, and Kagome felt even willed to go up and attempt conversation with Inuyasha.

"Hey, Inuyasha, where are we headed?" Kagome asked genuinely and he didn't even look down at her. She assumed he heard her.

"I'm actually waiting for you to sense something…" he muttered in answer and Kagome gave him a disbelieving look.

"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" she burst out, a little agitated.

He flinched at her tone but quickly recovered. "Hah. I thought you already knew, idiot," he shot back and Kagome frowned.

"No, I can't read minds, Inuyasha." She sarcastically replied and Inuyasha shrugged.

"Huh. Imagine that." He spoke the words just as sarcastically as Kagome had.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Kagome cried, "Fine. Fine! Be that way! I'll go talk with Sango and Miroku!" He opened his mouth to apologize, but she had already stomped back. Noticing the venomous looks Miroku and Sango had on their faces, Kagome looked ahead back to Inuyasha. He was still glancing back at her with a slightly shocked expression from her angry retreat. Then his emotionless mask slammed back down over his face and Kagome was once more left with herself in the midst of a silent group.

She hugged her form, half from the cold, and half from the loneliness. Briefly Kagome wished that a sacred jewel shard would appear, so that they could be rid of this awful silence. Just then Kagome felt a tingling sensation run down her spine. She stopped cold. That feeling could only mean one thing. Jewel shards were around.

Whirling her head to the direction of which the power was coming from, Kagome narrowed her eyes, trying to perceive how far away it was. It actually was pretty close by, give or take a couple of miles.

Swiveling her head back around to Inuyasha's turned form, Kagome yelled, "Inuyasha! Shards!"

He immediately snapped his gaze back to her, his eyes wide. Sango and Miroku both looked to Kagome, then boarded Kilala. Inuyasha sniffed the air. Yes, there was a demon's scent nearby, and it was strong. He glanced back to Kagome, who was watching him, waiting for a reaction, and his fists tightened. He didn't want her to go with them, didn't want to risk getting her hurt. But he knew that she would follow anyways, no matter how much he tried to persuade her.

Kagome ran over to Inuyasha, and pointed to the north. "That way!" she directed. Inuyasha nodded and allowed Kagome to get on his back. They took off, Sango and Miroku not far behind them with Kilala.

Hugging tightly to Inuyasha's back, Kagome welcomed his warmth, sighing momentarily in contentment. But before she could get too relaxed, a tree flew over their heads, and an enormous roar echoed through the forest they were currently running through.

She screamed as an even larger tree crashed down just where Inuyasha had been seconds ago, and hid her face into his hair as they approached the raging demon. It was apparent the demon knew of their presence.

They came out into a clearing abruptly and standing before them, baring it's fangs at them, was a huge demon of sorts. It had twin horns growing from its tiny head that was not proportional to its bulky body at all. The demon's red eyes dully stared back at them, and its fangs protruded from its mouth.

Kagome swallowed, not liking the look of this demon one bit. Another sensation went down her back and she looked up to where its heart was located. The shard was embedded in its heart! Not wanting to make it obvious to the demon that they knew where the shard he possessed was at, Kagome leaned up and brought her lips close to Inuyasha's ear.

"Inuyasha?" she questioned softly, not wanting to startle him. The tactic didn't work. Inuyasha felt shivers run down his body from Kagome's breath gushing against his ear. He almost dropped her. God, it was bad enough what she did to him without going and making it worse! He glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

Kagome hadn't noticed his reaction, nor seen the glare he was now shooting her. She continued, knowing Inuyasha could hear her. "The jewel shard is in its heart," she whispered before leaning back, a little embarrassed at how close she had gotten to him.

She slid a little less than gracefully off of his back, and Sango and Miroku hopped off of Kilala, poised for battle. Kagome reached back for an arrow and nicked it onto her bow, ready to shoot at any second. Inuyasha trained all of his senses on the demon before them. It didn't appear too harmful, but its aura said otherwise. This demon was hiding some type of power, he could tell.

"Hey dumbass! You gonna say something or are you too stupid to talk?" Inuyasha yelled, his Tetsaiga transforming as he released it from its hilt. The demon registered the meaning of Inuyasha's words and roared, uprooting another tree easily and throwing it with all its might to Inuyasha, who dodged quickly.

Inuyasha smiled, grasping Tetsaiga tighter. "Hah. I guess we're gonna go with the second one." This time the demon didn't even try to use trees, he charged towards Inuyasha with unreal speed. Inuyasha barely got out of the way in time. "I knew it!" he growled more to himself. "I knew he was hiding something!" However, the demon did not stop at Inuyasha, but continued on its rampage, Sango and Miroku leaping out of the way.

But Kagome didn't move from her spot, she just coolly raised her bow and aimed towards one if its legs. Inuyasha felt his blood run cold. "No! Kagome get out of the way!" he screamed but Kagome barely even flinched at his voice.

She knew her knees were going to go out any second now, but she willed them to stay up. Her hands shook slightly, making her arrow move from one target to another. Kagome gripped her bow and the arrow until her knuckles were white. She had to be steady, or she might miss.

The demon came closer and closer, and the seconds seemed more like minutes as time slowed down. Kagome noticed from the side that Inuyasha was rushing to her, his steps almost in slow motion. The demon had slowed down to slow motion too, and its footsteps were like enormous thuds.

Kagome waited until the demon was close enough to be in shooting range. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kagome released her fingers from the back of the arrow, and time shot back to normal.

The arrow drove into the demon's leg, instantly materializing it in the purification process. The demon stumbled and began to fall forward, its enormous body towering over Kagome as it dropped. Kagome felt her knees actually go out this time, and swayed on the spot.

Someone crashed into Kagome full speed, and Kagome felt like she was hit by a truck, the breath having been knocked forcefully out of her. Her body flew through the air, but a solid from caught her before she collided with the ground. Opening her eyes as Kagome felt herself placed on the ground, she found a furious Inuyasha before her. She cringed at the angry expression planted firmly on his face.

"Stay here." He ordered her roughly and then spun around to the still alive demon, which was now more pissed off than ever. It crawled up to a sitting position and reached for a large boulder, all the while its red eyes trained on Kagome.

Inuyasha growled. No way was he going to even so much as give her a scratch. With an audible snarl, Inuyasha leapt up and raked his claws through the demon's torso, the flesh ripping. The demon let out a strangled cry, barely alive.

But it was soon put out of its misery as the Hiraikotsu swept through its neck, slicing its head off clean. Inuyasha smirked in grim satisfaction, wiping his hands that were now stained with black blood on his fire rat robe.

Kagome sighed in relief as the demon was slain, and she stumbled over to its unmoving form. Kneeling before its chest, she reached out with shaking hands to the cold skin. As her fingers touched the flesh, it purified until Kagome was at the heart. With a gulp, she broke through its heart and pulled out the shard. Trying not to focus on the blood dripping off of her hands, Kagome slipped the shard into her vial around her neck.

Smiling triumphantly at the fragment of the jewel they now owned, Kagome looked up only to see Inuyasha's angry gaze on her and her smile faltered. Oh no, this can't be good…

Sango came up behind her, interrupting her thoughts. "That was incredible, Kagome!" she praised her, eyeing the stump in which the demon's leg had once been attached to. Kagome weakly smiled in return, still troubled about Inuyasha's mood. What was he so mad about? Surely he couldn't be that furious about her trying to do her job, which was help them defeat the enemy.

Noticing Kagome's worry, Sango frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but decided better of it, knowing it had something to do with Inuyasha. Hefting her Hiraikotsu to her other shoulder, Sango reassuringly patted Kagome on the back.

"If you want to talk, I'm right here," she reassured her and Kagome couldn't help but hug her friend for her concern.

"Thanks, Sango," she said to the demon slayer, breaking away. Sango smiled and walked back to Miroku who was standing beside a transformed Kilala.

Kagome watched her friend leave, her eyes trailing after Sango as the demon slayer came to Miroku, who warmly smiled. She felt a pang of jealousy, even with Miroku's womanizing habits, him and Sango still had a great relationship. Not anything like how hers and Inuyasha's was, unpredictable. She sobered even more. Not that they had any relationship though, Inuyasha was in love wit h Kikyo.

So deep in thought Kagome was that she didn't even notice Inuyasha come up to her, his wrathful expression still in place.

"Fool." He growled and Kagome jumped at the sound of his voice so close. She hadn't realized he had walked up next to her. "Why the hell didn't you move?" Inuyasha asked harshly.

Kagome exhaled slowly. "Look, I was trying to bring the demon down for you, so that we wouldn't have to worry about its speed, so I shot an arrow at it." Her face brightened, and she gave him a half smile. "I brought the demon down so you didn't have to get hurt," she added, blushing a little bit.

The half demon's features darkened, and his frown deepened. "But if I hadn't been able to reach you in time, you-," he gulped, his voice going down to a whisper, "-you would've died." There was a funny hitch in his voice when he recited the last part, and Kagome hung her head. He had been concerned about her, and she had been stupid enough to put herself in danger, therefore placing Inuyasha in danger as he went to help her.

Inuyasha swallowed hard, trying to ease his heart rate back to normal from the early scare he had been put through with Kagome. He closed his eyes in pain, and opened them again to find a very guilty looking Kagome. Her whole figure had slumped from her sadness, and her features were serious, far from their usual bright state.

His heart ached at the down cast look on her face, and he had to physically hold himself from rushing up and embracing her tightly. Biting his lip, he turned away from her, trying to get his attention elsewhere other than her.

Her scent, heavy with sorrow, filled his nose, and he felt himself sadden. Kagome walked away from him at that moment though, her bangs hiding her eyes, in which Inuyasha could smell salt coming from. He opened his mouth, but then shut it with a snap. He knew he had been harsh, but his heart had nearly stopped when she hadn't gotten out of the way of the demon.

Kagome shakily drew in a breath, wiping quickly at her wet eyes, hoping that Inuyasha hadn't caught onto her tears; he already thought she was weak as it was. Her shoulders sagged as she neared Sango and Miroku. How could she endanger herself like that? Inuyasha was right, she was a fool. Then, when she placed herself in danger, she had placed Inuyasha in danger too. That was what hurt her the most, that unconsciously she made Inuyasha vulnerable to injury.

Reaching Sango, she tapped her on the shoulder, keeping her gaze on the ground. "I… Can we talk?" she asked her timidly and Sango appeared surprised momentarily, but it faded and Sango nodded.

"Of course," she told the dispirited priestess. Leading her into the forest, the two women disappeared among the trees, leaving a very confused Miroku and a desolate Inuyasha behind.

Flopping down onto the snow, Inuyasha sat down beside Miroku, who had already set up a small, dry area to sit on by placing a piece of cloth on the ground. Vaguely Inuyasha was grateful that his fire rat robe would not get wet from the snow underneath him.

Miroku remained silent, observing how much more quiet and withdrawn Inuyasha was. Placing his hands on his lap in a meditating position, Miroku glanced at the agitated half demon with his eyes half open. He closed them.

"What are you angry at?" he calmly questioned, as if it were normal conversation. Inuyasha's head snapped up and he scowled.

"Nothing, bozo," he growled.

Miroku dropped the act and stared Inuyasha straight in the eye. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to have to jump to conclusions that may not exactly be true."

Inuyasha glowered at the monk and turned away, muttering, "Feh." A few moments passed and Miroku continued to watch as Inuyasha sat turned away from him. Suddenly Inuyasha quietly said, "God, why does she have to do such idiotic things…"

Miroku's eyebrow rose with interest and he cautiously repeated, "She? By that you mean Kagome, right?" His tone was even and level, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground.

"Of course," Inuyasha snapped, once more looking to Miroku, who patiently listened.

"You are mad because she placed herself in danger," Miroku assumed, nodding slightly. Inuyasha gave him the barest hint of a nod, which the monk caught. Miroku didn't prod further, knowing if he was going to worm anymore information out of the hanyou; it would have to be from Inuyasha's mouth.

"Why does she do that?" Inuyasha spoke again, anger lacing onto his words.

Miroku sighed, knowing that by that Inuyasha meant to ask why Kagome put herself in danger. "Because, ultimately, she wanted to help you."

Inuyasha's brow creased, his claws digging into the snow beside him, leaving long thin trails in the white powder. Miroku noticed but didn't comment. "Stupid girl only makes me fucking go insane when she does that though! She might as well be shooting me with an arrow!" Inuyasha's voice rose and he stifled a growl.

"Inuyasha, she has as much right as anyone here to fight for what she wants. Kagome is trying her best to help you; she may not realize that it is having the opposite effect." Miroku leaned over and put a hand on Inuyasha's knee, catching the dog demon's gaze as he held it with his own.

"But know this. You already call her weak. It gives her confidence when she succeeds in using her spiritual power in battle, and limiting that will only make her suffer." Miroku took his hand off of Inuyasha's leg and once more closed his eyes in his meditating position.

Inuyasha held back another growl. Damn it, if I stop her from fighting, it would only hurt her more! His ears drooped. Why do I have to be such an ass around her? Why do I have to call her weak?

He knew exactly why he called her the mean things he did, like wench and idiot, and on occasion, bitch. It was because he was trying to conceal his true feelings for her. And as part of his lies he had to be rude to her. Otherwise she might find out the truth, and would never be the same around him. It would always be awkward, and Kagome might not even want to be his friend anymore.

Friends… he repeated in his mind, I'll have to content myself with that. Please let it work…

Kagome and Sango came back from their walk in the forest, and Inuyasha's breathing quickened as she neared him. No, their friendship could never be normal as long as Inuyasha held more than friendship for her in his heart.

Kagome felt a little better after relating all her troubling thoughts to Sango, who had listened with her full attention to Kagome's problems. She had cried for a moment, venting her frustration out with her tears. All the while Sango had been there, reassuringly and Kagome was grateful she had such a caring friend.

Now she approached Inuyasha, who now had an unusual emotion in his eyes, and Kagome's breath caught as she noticed how tender his gaze was on her. But it was quickly pushed away and his eyes hardened somewhat as he realized he was showing his emotions.

Kagome gingerly sat down next to both of them and Sango followed suit, falling down to rest beside Kagome.

"Where are we going to now?" Kagome asked them and Inuyasha shrugged, his thoughts elsewhere. Kagome felt pricks at her eyelids. He's thinking of Kikyo, of course. Probably wants to see her right now…

Shaking off her depression, Kagome waved a hand in front of Inuyasha's face and his gaze snapped to her. "Earth to Inuyasha!" she called friendly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he questioned.

Kagome smiled. "Where to next?" she repeated and Inuyasha rested his head in his hands.

"Why don't we try somewhere south?" Miroku offered. "It might be warmer there…"

Sango rolled her eyes. "Only about two degrees warmer, Miroku," she snapped and Miroku only responded with a big grin, which Sango smiled releculantly to.

"Miroku's right," Inuyasha stood in one fluid motion and faced the direction in which the others guessed was south. "Let's head south, maybe we can find something."

Kagome too stood, holding tightly to the strap of her quiver. "I'll keep a sense out for any shards," she added and Miroku and Sango got up, Kilala transforming into her kitten state and jumping onto Sango's shoulder.

They started off down a pathway that directed to the south, the day already starting to fade into night. Pretty soon, about thirty minutes down the road, they stopped, deciding to camp in the clearing they had come across. Or rather, the humans had finally told Inuyasha if they didn't stop for the night they would make him carry them, and Inuyasha had plopped down on the first clearing they come to first.

"Happy?" he asked bitterly as they set up for the night. Kagome smiled at his pouting frame and shook her head playfully.

"Oh come on, Inuyasha. Admit you were tired too," she teased and Inuyasha huffed.

"I do not get tired as easily as you weak-," he started but then cut himself off as he realized he was calling her weak once more. He could see Kagome's features sadden slightly and he quickly corrected himself. "- as you humans,"

Kagome smiled again, touched that Inuyasha was trying to make her feel better. She slid into her sleeping bag and looked up into the cloudy sky. You couldn't really tell the difference between night and day with this weather, every moment seemed like night, except lighter.

The gray sky slowly lulled her into sleep as she drifted into slumber. Goodnight Inuyasha. Sweet dreams…

Inuyasha carefully concentrated on Kagome, who now was sleeping peacefully, along with the others who had fallen asleep almost the same time as Kagome. Scooting closer to Kagome, Inuyasha reached out with a shaking hand to touch her, and then drew back, afraid she would wake.

His hand once more crept closer to Kagome until he gently rested it on her cheek, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He was so relieved she hadn't gotten hurt during their brief fighting, although she could've easily been crushed by the demon's falling body. His hand tightened in her hair at the thought, and Kagome stirred.

Inuyasha jumped backwards, nearly smashing against the tree in the haste of his retreat. He felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Inuyasha moved to wipe his forehead with his hand and was shocked to find himself sweating. His eyes widened and they flew to Kagome's sleeping form. Even unconscious, she held power over him and could easily make him nervous.

He settled into the trunk of the tree, uneasily falling into sleep.

Inuyasha awoke to the presence of demons, and instinctively he jumped to his feet, ready to kill any intruder. Strangely, he saw none, yet still felt the presence of something out there… what was it? Looking around, Inuyasha noticed that he hadn't been asleep for very long, the logs in the put out fire were still smoking slightly, and the night was as dark as ever.

Movement above the tree caught his attention and he moved his gaze upward. Wide eyed, he watched as soul stealers glided between the tree tops, drifting toward him slowly.

His stomach lurched. What did Kikyo want with him now? Glancing down to Kagome, Inuyasha was relieved to see her still asleep. His eyes slid once more to the silver beings slipping through the trees, and Inuyasha approached the direction in which they were. He would go and see what Kikyo wanted, and then come back to camp post haste.

Footsteps light and soundless, Inuyasha stepped over the sleeping figures of his friends and walked into the surrounding forest.

Inuyasha trundled through the thick woods, following the soul stealers as they led him to their mistress. The scent of graveyard soil filled his nose, and he knew that he was getting closer.

Leaping over a fallen log, Inuyasha found himself beside a lake, the moonlight's reflection casting a glow over every thing surrounding the water. Every thing was covered in a light layer of white, but the lake was not frozen. Inuyasha cast his gaze over the scenery until his eyes fell on a particular priestess, waist deep in water. Her long, dark brown hair fell down her back and into the water, and she appeared to be transfixed at the moon, her back turned to Inuyasha.

He raised an eyebrow. What the hell was Kikyo doing out in a pond, clothes still on? Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, coming to him on the breeze barely in a whisper.

"So you came, Inuyasha…" she breathed, turning her head to him, her eyes meeting his. He frowned. Well of course, you kinda sent the soul stealers to bring me…

"Kikyo… what do you want?" he asked impatiently, wanting to get this over with. Inuyasha didn't want this meeting to end up hurting Kagome if she accidentally came across them.

The dead priestess sadly smiled and waded out of the water, coming to the shore until only her feet remained in the cool lake. Inuyasha warily watched her, ready to move if she came any closer.

"Did you not want to see me, as I wanted to see you?" she asked, her eyes sad and beseeching. For a moment Inuyasha felt a pang of guilt come to him for her sorrow, but he quickly pushed it away. That was how he always ended up feeling sorry for her. It would not work this time.

After he said nothing, Kikyo sighed, her eyes sliding down to the ground. "It appears not," she said in an emotionless voice. Her usual stoic expression now turned to one of sadness and regret, and Inuyasha couldn't help but go over and lightly embrace her. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head down on his chest.

I shouldn't be doing this… he told himself, and he stepped back, ending their short hug. His eyes mirrored hers, full of regret. "I…I can't do this, Kikyo, I-I just can't."

Her face became even more melancholy, and desperation seeped into her scent and voice. "Why not, Inuyasha?" she asked, reaching out to him.

He retreated farther from her pleading form and shook his head. "Be-Because of Kagome," he said in a low voice. "I'm sorry,"

The sorrow on her face turned to one of wrath and she pulled back. "My reincarnation?" Her tone was disbelieving, and she deflated suddenly. A low chuckle came from her mouth, and Kikyo looked back up to Inuyasha, humor dancing in her eyes.

"That's just too bad, Inuyasha."

The inhabitance of jewel shards close by woke Kagome up, shivers running constantly down her spine. She sat up in her covers, scanning the area. There was someone out in the woods with many jewel shards. Her eyes immediately drew to where Inuyasha had been when she fell asleep, yet his spot was empty, and she couldn't see him in the branches of any trees either. A sense of dread filled her, what if he was already battling the demon who possessed the shards alone?

Kagome scrambled to her feet and quickly roused the others, who instantly were awake once hearing Kagome's panicky voice.

"What's the matter, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked hastily, all the while packing up camp speedily. Kagome answered him, her voice filled with worry.

"Someone with many jewel shards is in the forest nearby, and Inuyasha is missing!" She stopped briefly, heaving her bow and arrows onto her shoulder. "And I think Inuyasha has gone to fight it," she added in a voice merely a whisper, but the two listening could clearly hear the concern in her tone.

Sango mounted Kilala, and Miroku followed suit. Kagome hopped onto the front of Kilala, before Sango, as to lead the way using her tracking powers. "Go Kilala!" Sango shouted and Kilala took off in a whirl of fur. "To the south!" Kagome yelled and Kilala followed her orders.

The winter air was frigid as they raced through the forest, and Kilala's pounding footsteps jerked Kagome in her state of panic. As they rapidly approached the demon, Kagome's fear rose. Oh Inuyasha, where are you? She wondered as they rushed through the night.

Inuyasha was taken back, and his temper flared. How dare Kikyo tell him too bad! It was his decision, and he was going to do whatever the hell he felt like! A snarl rose to his mouth and he ground out, "And what the hell does that mean Kikyo?"

Kikyo flinched. He had never used that type of tone with her; he had always been kind and gentle, sometimes withdrawn but never angry. Her eyes were slightly fearful at this sudden change of mood, and she stepped back.

I have to do this… Kikyo thought to herself. Even if it means helping Naraku, I have to do his for the sake of my heart too. Swallowing hard, Kikyo looked Inuyasha straight in the eye, trying to devoid herself of any emotion.

"It means that you will not get there in time to save her," she told him simply and Inuyasha felt dread starting to fill him. Taking two quick steps forward, he grabbed Kikyo by the shoulder, his eyes flashing.

"What are you talking about? Kagome is back at camp…" Isn't she? Doubt begin to cloud his mind.

Kikyo felt the fear take a hold of her once again and she replied, "Check her scent. She is gone from camp; Naraku has taken her north along with him."

Inuyasha lifted his nose to the fresh night air and took a sniff. His breathing stopped as he realized Kikyo was speaking the truth; Kagome was not at the campsite. Fear gripped him. Naraku's taken her… he thought blindly. Rage over took his mind. That bastard will pay… He growled audibly and released Kikyo roughly. She stumbled.

His nose once more went to the air and he smelled in the direction of north. Yes, Naraku's scent did head north. Instantly, without another word to Kikyo, Inuyasha sped off to the north in the direction of Naraku's scent, his only thoughts being to rescue Kagome. Maybe if he had checked the air a little better, he might have noticed that Kagome's scent, along with the others, had gone south of camp, not north. But he didn't, and he rushed north trailing Naraku's stench, unaware he was falling right into Naraku's trap, unaware he was actually going farther and farther away from Kagome. Unaware he was actually putting Kagome in the gravest danger of all.

Kikyo regarded Inuyasha's hurried retreat with coldness as she realized just how much Kagome meant to the half demon. Her heart burned with jealousy for the young woman who had stolen her place in Inuyasha's heart, and Kikyo gripped her bow hard.

Kagome deserved the fate Kikyo and Naraku had planned for her. Kikyo now knew that she felt no remorse over the young priestess's certain death, only heavy regret that she had to put Inuyasha through such misery.

But once he knows that she is dead and not coming back, he will return to me. He will stay with me, where he was supposed to be all along. A bittersweet smile came to her lips and she drifted into the forestry around her, the soul stealers trailing behind her.

Kilala tore through the night sky, the flames around her paws illuminating in the darkness that surrounded them. Kagome felt another shiver down her spine; they were getting closer to the enemy. Yet she heard no fighting, or yelling.

Her brow creased. What if Inuyasha was not there? What if the demon had already killed him? Kagome felt a sharp pain in her chest and she very nearly fell off of Kilala's back. Her hand tightened around Kilala's fur, so that she could keep her balance better. Wherever Inuyasha was, she prayed he was alright.

Soon they burst into an open field, right by a village. The village had been uprooted, the huts smashed and bodies strewn everywhere. Kagome gasped, closing her eyes. The demon had already gotten to this village. Sango sadly dismounted Kilala and walked cautiously over to the dead huts, searching for any signs of life.

"No survivors," she called out to Miroku and Kagome, her voice mournful. Miroku hung his head in prayer for the dead, and Kagome bit her lip. Suddenly Sango's eyes got big in horror and she yelled, "Watch out!"

Kagome barely had time to mutter a confused, "Huh?" before something crashed into Kilala and sent the cat demon and the two riders flying. Kilala gave a howl of pain; her fangs bared as she slammed into the hard ground and lay motionless. This time there was no one to catch Kagome, and the priestess slammed into a tree. Her form crumpled to the ground in immense pain and she squeezed her eyes shut as she held her stomach in a kneeling position.

Miroku managed to land on both feet and he bent down beside Kagome, concerned. "Don't move," he commanded, "you might have broken something."

A high cold laugh echoed through the open space, and it made the fine hair on the back of Kagome's neck stand up. Sango and Miroku whirled to the source and out of the trees emerged a female demon clad in all white, her skin pale like the clothes she wore and her hair a dark, jet black. Her eyes were crystal blue, and her kimono floated elegantly down to drag in the snow.

Surrounding her in a pack were enormous white tigers that came up just above her hip. Their fur was thick and their bodies were well equipped for a long amount of running. They growled ferociously at the trio of humans before them, and the woman quirked one, thin eyebrow.

"This is what Naraku sent me to defeat? Humans?" A cruel smile came to her lips.

Naraku? Kagome thought. I knew it. Miroku tensed before her and shouted out, standing up, "Naraku sent you?"

The demoness ignored his question, her eyes suddenly finding their way to Kagome. "So this is the priestess I was to destroy. How interesting."

Kagome's blood ran cold as she realized that Naraku had sent the demoness to kill her. Sango rushed forward, yelling, "No way are you going to get near her! Hiraikotsu!" The boomerang swung out to the demoness but before it could even touch her one of the tigers jumped in front of her.

The Hiraikotsu sliced neatly through the tiger and came back to Sango, who caught it with an angry expression on her face.

The demoness smiled. "My tigers will die for me willingly. It is useless to use that… thing." She sniffed, giving the Hiraikotsu a disgusted glance.

The cold eyes of the demoness rested on Miroku, and he froze. "You. Monk. Stay out of the way, I'm going to slaughter that miko."

Miroku stood in front of Kagome, blocking her from view. His hand came to the prayer beads holding the Wind Tunnel in, but Naraku's wasps appeared out of the air to fly beside the demoness. She only frowned.

"Thos wasps again," she snarled, yet did nothing to harm them. Miroku made a grunt of frustration and instead gripped his staff in front of him. The demoness walked effortlessly towards him, her tigers following close behind her form.

Sango ran to the demoness, wanting to stop her from going near her beloved, but the demoness gave her a sidelong glance and swished her hand towards Sango, conjuring up blades much like Kagura's.

The demon slayer did not expect this and a blade cut her across her chest, sending her flying back into a heap on the ground. Miroku dropped his staff and rushed to her, yelling, "SANGO!"

Kagome was left alone at the bottom of the trunk, clutching her aching side as the demoness made her slow way to her. The priestess knew Inuyasha was going to come. He just had to.

Miroku, who was now cradling Sango's in his arms, cried out to Kagome, "RUN!"

Reality struck Kagome and she stood up, ignoring the sharp pains in her side, and ran into the woods. The demoness scowled and sent more blades flying to Miroku and Sango.

"How dare you interfere," she growled as the flashing blades tore through Miroku's shoulder. The monk fainted over Sango, his hand still grasped in hers. The demoness sneered, "Pathetic," then disappeared into the forest with the white tigers running behind her as she took off through the forestry after Kagome.

Inuyasha raced through the dense foliage, swerving in and out of trees and basically hauling ass. He had to reach Kagome in time; there was no way he was going to let her suffer under the hands of Naraku. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, threatening to burst out at any second due to the stress.

His foot landed on top of the snow and he leapt off of the ground once more, only coming down to collide with the ground less to save time.

He growled his frustration at the fact that he had been as stupid as to let Kagome fall into a trap, all because of him. If he had not gone to seek out what Kikyo had called him for, if he had ignored the soul stealers and remained with Kagome, none of this would have happened. It was his entire fault, and guilt clouded his mind.

Naraku's filthy scent met his nose, stronger now, and Inuyasha snarled, taking an extra long bound and landing amongst Naraku's thick aura. Bringing the long sleeves of his fire rat robe up to his nose to cover the offending smell, Inuyasha scanned the area, searching for some sing of movement in the haze.

His eyes picked up a man coming towards him and Inuyasha drew Tetsaiga with the hand not being used to shield his nose. "Come out you bastard!" he yelled.

As the form drew nearer, Inuyasha realized that there was another small shape beside it, only about a third of the man's height.

The aura cleared a little bit and the two stepped into Inuyasha's field of vision. One of them was Naraku, and the other was his minion Kanna. She held her mirror firmly in her grasp as always, and her black eyes dully stared out at him from her albino bangs. Naraku held his usual smirk on his yellow skin, yet this time it seemed more arrogant.

The way he was smirking fueled Inuyasha's already furious temper up once more till Inuyasha had to restrain from shaking. "What the hell have you done with Kagome?" he growled, narrowing his dangerous golden eyes at Naraku.

Naraku chuckled, low and deep. "Fool. You have once more fallen into my trap. What will you do now Inuyasha?"

The dog demon blanched. "What do you mean by 'trap'?" he asked carefully.

Kanna stepped forward and held her mirror out to Inuyasha, so that the half demon could see better. "She's not here," Kanna said simply, her mirror showing Kagome running through the forest, holding her bleeding side while the demoness chased her along with the tigers.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "No…" he whispered, holding limply onto Tetsaiga.

The girl stepped back so that she was once more standing behind Naraku and just stared at the half demon.

Naraku laughed this time, amused. "Inuyasha, I have sent a demoness to kill her. Kikyo helped me with my plan by sending you in the opposite direction. Kagome was actually fighting the demoness south of where you were while you were with Kikyo."

Inuyasha felt himself shaking with rage. Kikyo… Kikyo tricked me! A growl rose in his throat. That bitch will pay…

Turning around, Inuyasha ran back through the woods, summoning speed he never knew he had so that he was running as fast as the wind around him. His body shook, but not from the running. Angry tears welled up in his eyes and threatened to fall, but he wiped them before they could drop. Right now was not the time to be crying, he had to get to Kagome before it was too late.

His figure whipped through the late night, his movement frantic as he rushed to reach Kagome.

Kagome stumbled blindly through the forest, not knowing where she was going or caring. The demoness was still giving chase, and Kagome was steadily tiring, her already sore body screaming for her to rest. But she continued, yet in the back of her mind she knew there was no escape, the demoness would catch up sooner or later.

A branch snapped behind her and the growls of the white tigers floated to her ears, closer than she had first thought. Her eyes widened and she tried to run faster, but in her haste Kagome did not see an uprooted root and she fell hard, rolling to face the sky in the freezing snow.

Her breathing was shallow, and her heart raced as Kagome heard the taunting footsteps of her pursuer closing in on her. The demoness's face appeared in her field of vision, blocking the gray night sky. A wicked grin was on her features. She unsheathed a sleek sword, and held it at her side.

"It's been fun, but I thought a strong priestess as yourself would put up more of a fight," she sneered. The blade rose and came down, and Kagome rolled to the side, barely evading the sharp end. A gash formed down her back though, and Kagome winced. She was too slow in her current state. She kneeled, trying to ignore the pain long enough to survive the fight.

The demoness raised an eyebrow. "Stubborn priestess," she growled. Kagome frowned; she was so stupid for leaving her bow and arrows in the village outskirts with Sango and Miroku! Her eyes moved to the sword now moving towards her, and she avoided death once more, jumping off to the side and landing in a wobbly kneeling position.

She had to get close enough to use her spiritual power, yet somehow avoid getting hit by the blade at the same time. A fierce expression came to her face, she had to try!

The demoness was now getting annoyed, and she raised her arm. "Don't move or you'll death will be that much more painful!" she snarled, and brought the sword straight down. Kagome moved to the side, the edge of the blade catching her arm, and grasped the demoness's arm.

Immediately her spiritual power flowed out of her trembling hand, and the demoness began to scream in horror. Her whole body began to melt, and she howled in agony. Finally, in a last attempt to stay alive, the demoness used her other hand and sliced her claws through Kagome.

Kagome felt her flesh ripping all through the side of her right half. Shrieking, she let go of the demoness's hand, falling to her knees as her figure slumped forward.

The demoness's breathing was harsh, and her whole frame was violently shuddering, most of her skin having been melted off.

"Y-You bitch," she cried, her tigers forming a circle around her, some whimpering at their master's wounds, some growling threateningly at the dying girl that had dared to harm their mistress. The demoness raised her sword to shoulder level, and aimed. "Your head is mine," she smirked bitterly and swung the sword.

Kagome watched in slow motion as the blade came closer and closer to her vulnerable neck. Inuyasha, you're too late, she thought, although a stubborn part of her refused to believe he had not come in time. He always came.

Guess there is always a first, she thought sadly, bowing her head. I hope he has a good life with Kikyo… were Kagome's last thoughts as the blade lowered.

Inuyasha raced on, his mind going a mile a minute, much like his body. By now he could smell Kagome's blood all over the place and he released a yell of frustration and hurt at the strong metallic smell. His form moved now through the tree branches, Kagome's weak scent nearing.

His demon side raged at the hatred pumping through his veins, his fangs bared in a silent snarl. Yet he did not transform, knowing in the back of his head he could help Kagome more in his half demon state.

The amount of Kagome's blood increased and Inuyasha's blood boiled at every step towards her. Bursting into a small open space, he came upon the battle scene. The demoness was clutching her burnt body and glaring down at a figure in front of her. "Y-You bitch," the demoness cried, and Inuyasha's heart stopped as he realized the bloody form now crumpled to the ground was Kagome, and he watched in horror as the demoness raised her sharp blade to Kagome.

"Your head is mine," she growled and Inuyasha felt animosity burn in his chest as the grave situation Kagome was in was made real to him. He tore across the distance that was between him and Kagome, and just before the blade drove into Kagome's neck, he ripped it out of the demoness's hand and threw it with all his might in the opposite direction.

The demoness staggered back in shock and Inuyasha took this opportunity to stand in front of Kagome, guarding her from further injury.

Kagome noticed that there was no pain in her neck and looked up to the demoness's gasp. She gasped herself. Inuyasha had come! Joy and relief flooded through her before another wave of pain washed over her, making her collapse fully to the snow.

Inuyasha heard her plop into the snow and whirled around. "Kagome! Kagome are you okay? Answer me Kagome!"

She turned her head slightly to face him and weakly smiled. "Inuyasha, you did come for me…" she breathed, and then her head limply fell to the side as she fainted.

Inuyasha stood, his bangs covering his eyes. The demoness laughed behind him. "It seems I didn't have to make that last blow. She is already as good as dead, she cannot live."

The half demon turned his body to meet hers, his eyes still hidden and his fists shaking savagely. "You… you are going to pay for this," he managed to get out.

The demoness smirked. "What are you going to do?" She pointed to Inuyasha and the tigers leaped up, all of them attacking Inuyasha at once.

Inuyasha swung his claws in front of him and they were sliced to ribbons with the ferocity of his swing. They were connected with the demoness in his mind, they would suffer too. Blood dripping off of his still quivering hands, the tigers' remains dropped to the earth in a gory shower of blood.

"NO!" the demoness cried out, reaching in front of her. "MY PRECIOUSES!" She frowned at the furious half demon.

"Damn half breed, killing my pack!" Inuyasha ignored her comment and jumped forward, claws bared dangerously. The demoness was taken back, and barely dodged in time, due to her injuries that Kagome had given her.

Inuyasha charged again, this time leaving no time for the demoness to escape. His claws slashed through her body, raking diagonally across her shape. For a small second, the demoness stood stock still, not even breathing, her eyes wide and staring at nothing at all. Then her body burst into pieces and, like her tigers, rained to the ground, staining the white snow crimson.

He felt grim satisfaction in her painful demise, a disgusted look coming over his face as he stared at her remains. A very sharp intake of breath from Kagome snapped him out of his thoughts and he rushed over, all the while scanning her body for injuries. Each of her huge wounds brought a blow to his stomach and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Kagome, please don't die," he whispered, "I love you…"

Kagome stirred a little, not waking up fully, and moaned in anguish from her burning wounds. Inuyasha reached out slowly and gently lifted the hem of her school uniform to reveal blood covering her stomach and still pouring out of the slash on her upper body. He grimaced and lowered the shirt, averting his eyes. Reaching up to his cheek, Inuyasha noticed it was wet. Suddenly Inuyasha smelt more blood, not coming from the wound on her torso he had checked, but from some point on her back. He growled loudly.

She hissed lowly in pain as Inuyasha carefully turned her over to examine the wound on her backside she had received from the blade. His eyes widened, and the tears flowed down his cheeks, this time stinging his eyes. A sob broke from his lips.

He had to take care of her injuries now, or it might risk getting infected. Quickly yet still careful, Inuyasha turned her over to deal with her biggest problem, the injury from the demoness's claws. Taking off his outer haori, Inuyasha got his undershirt and ripped it into shreds, makeshift bandages.

Then he tore the lower part of her upper school uniform and used that to clean the blood from around the wound, melting the snow to serve as water. Nimbly he tied one strip of his undershirt over her wound, tightening it. She cried out softly and he cupped one of her cheeks in his hand, reassuring her with his voice and touch, even though she was unconscious.

Inuyasha flipped her over so that she was face down in the snow, and washed away the small amount of blood that had collected around her less dangerous wound. Using the other strip of his undershirt, he wrapped it around and around her, covering the other wound. Gathering up his outer haori, he covered it over her exposed upper body and made sure she was protected from the cold, bone-chilling wind that was now blowing over the frozen Sengoku Jidai.

Lifting her frail body from the ground so that she was in his protective grasp, Inuyasha realized just how cold she was. Almost all the heat had left her petite body, and the icy snow she had lain on for so long seemed to have seeped into her skin, leaving it tinged with blue. He brought her even closer to him, so that Kagome was practically connected with his chest. Determined to at least get her to a place that was sheltered from the wind, Inuyasha headed slowly through the forming blizzard to a cave he had seen before.

He was frustrated beyond belief that he could not go faster due to the fear he would injure Kagome more by running, which might jar her wounds. So he trudged through the deepening snow, forced to resume his pace.

Emotions swirled in his head, and he felt a wave of guilt over come him. If only he hadn't been so blind, if he had stayed with Kagome instead of feeling sorry for Kikyo and seeing what she wanted. Then Kagome would not be hurt like this, nor not trust him. He knew as soon as he saw her horrible injuries, that she would never trust him again. She had trusted him to always come, and he had failed her. Tears dripped down his face and plopped onto her unmoving one.

Anger and rage bubbled up too. Kikyo had betrayed him, by going with Naraku no less! She had purposely told him a lie, a lie she had known would end up hurting Kagome. His lips curled into a snarl. That damn bitch, I don't owe her anything now, he thought furiously.

But the sadness came then, and most of his anger faded away. No, in the end it was his fault Kagome was in this state. If not for his stupid, non thinking head Kagome would be peacefully asleep still, snug in her sleeping bag. The sorrow deepened as Inuyasha began to understand Kagome would hate him from now on, the scars that would remain on her for weeks serving as a reminder of his failure.

His ears drooped. Every time. Every time she would ignore him would be like a shot to the heart. Every time she would not trust him would be like a dagger twisting in his chest. And the time she would leave to never come back to the feudal era would kill him. He gazed down at the dying woman in his arms. It did not matter if she hated him, as long as she came out alright. He could at least care for her, even if she did not return the favor.

The cave came into his line of vision, and he breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Good, Kagome would be out of the cold very soon. Picking up his pace slightly, Inuyasha felt the hard rock of the cave beneath his feet and he allowed some of the tension to flow out of him. Kagome would be warm enough now. He stepped into the dark cave, relying on his keen senses to detect any threats. Finding none, Inuyasha realized that he faced another problem. Where would he put Kagome? She needed to be somewhere soft and comfortable.

His brow creased, and he bit his lip. Fortunately, his sense of smell picked up something and moving his gaze to the side, Inuyasha found a discarded fur blanket. He didn't even question where it came from, just grabbed it and arranged it into a makeshift bed. Setting Kagome down gently so as not to hurt her, Inuyasha kneeled down beside her and placed Tetsaiga beside him on the rock floor.

Kagome stirred in her sleep, groaning softly in pain. Tears shined on her tightly shut eyelids, and a few seeped down her cheek. Inuyasha watched dismally, yearning to reach out and reassure her that he was there. As more tears slid down her face though, he couldn't hold back any longer and delicately lifted her into his lap, so that her head rested on his shoulder snugly.

She unconsciously snuggled closer to Inuyasha, causing a light blush to dust his features. He did not protest, but instead wrapped his arms securely around her, sighing contentedly.

But the ease did not last long, and Inuyasha soon found himself thinking about the topic that now haunted his thoughts. About if Kagome would ever even forgive him for his stupidity. For not being there for her. The scent of her wounds was a constant smell in his nose, and the salty air of her tears still hung around them. All of these served as a constant reminder of his ignorance.

Leaning his head over her shoulder, Inuyasha closed his eyes, trying to block out the feelings of guilt and sorrow and self hate that bubbled up inside of him. He grit his teeth together, and squeezed his eyes shut, but it was to no avail. The tears sprung to his eyes and before he knew it, he was sobbing silently against Kagome's neck, all the pent up emotions lurking inside of him finally being released. She would despise him forever.

"Inuyasha…," a voice weakly called to him, and he instantly stopped, craning his neck so that he was looking up at the side of Kagome's face. She opened her eyes until they were half lidded, and turned her head slowly so that her eyes were locked with his teary ones. She looked so vulnerable and frail; it made a dull ache pound in his chest.

"Inuyasha…please don't cry…," she managed to mumble, her voice barely above a whisper. He looked away, unable to hold her gaze any longer due to the pain it brought him. She sighed and relaxed into his embrace that he had around her, too tired to say anything more.

As soon as he was positive she was once more unconscious, Inuyasha turned his head around to look at her face, lightened in her slumber. Even though she had numerous wounds, it somehow seemed that she was happy with his presence. His heart lifted hopefully. Maybe there was hope after all.

He sat with her for an hour, aware that, even though the clouds revealed nothing, it was already morning. Yet it seemed like night, and the sky began to darken even more. As more and more time passed, Inuyasha thought he faintly heard thunder in the distance, but shrugged it off. Inuyasha stayed awake despite his sleepiness, and always watched over Kagome.

A loud crack boomed across the black sky and Inuyasha flattened his ears. Great, rain, he thought sarcastically. Worriedly, his eyes flitted down to Kagome. Should he move further into the cave to avoid her getting wet? If wet, she might be at risk to become sick. Already, her wounds were barely healing on their own. Thanks to Inuyasha's caring attention, her injuries had not become infected, nor grown to become deadly. He was thankful for her continuing good health, but would not risk sickness, which would slow the healing process.

So, standing smoothly, Inuyasha decided quickly that he would retreat deeper into the cave, and take along the warm blanket that was underneath them too. Draping the soft fur over Kagome, he walked a little ways into the back of the cave then paused at what seemed to be a good place. Crouching down, he checked for any sharp rocks that might cut Kagome. Upon finding none, he spread the blanket out and set her down alone, deciding releculantly that she would be all right in the warmth of the dry cave. The steady beat of rain lulled his tired body to sleep, and he shut his eyes as he drifted off.

The soft noises of Kagome waking up brought him awake, his gaze snapping to her. Her eyes were fluttering, and her intake of breath was much deeper. Inuyasha watched as Kagome turned her head to one side and opened her eyes fully, yet her movements were slow.

"Kagome?" he questioned and she smiled shakily. "Yeah," she murmured, still dazed from her battle wounds. She tried to clear the fog from her mind to recall the events since the last time she was fully conscious, but her brain was not cooperating. Just then the memory of becoming semi-conscious only to hear the gentle sobbing of Inuyasha flashed through her mind and she glanced quickly over to the half demon, who wore a worried expression on his face.

"Inuyasha…" she muttered quietly, aware she was treading on dangerous ground, "Why were you crying earlier?"

His ears picked up her question and his eyes widened. She had remembered? Once more his shoulders resumed their sagged state and he averted his eyes, his features taking on a show of guilt. Kagome frowned, what was bothering him? She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her torso as she moved, causing her to stop stiffly with a gasp.

Inuyasha placed a considerate hand on her shoulder and caringly pushed her back down; making sure her wounds didn't hit the ground hard. "I-I," he started, fully ready to make up some excuse about her hallucinating in her haze of pain, but as he looked at her, he saw the sad worry in her eyes and stopped.

"I was just concerned about… What I mean to say is I was… afraid you wouldn't… forgive me for-for not reaching you in time." He admitted, a little shocked at his revelation. Kagome bit her lip, a gentle yet determined expression on her face now.

"But Inuyasha… why would I need to forgive you? You never did anything wrong in the first place…" Kagome inhaled sharply, it hurt to talk too much due to the slash across her stomach.

His ears shot up in shock at her question. "Anything wrong?" he cried out, "I let you get hurt! I put your life in jeopardy! Of course I did something wrong!"

She sighed, leaning against the rock wall behind her while staring at the light drizzle of rain outside the cave. "No, Inuyasha, you didn't. You saved me, you didn't let me die. You came in time, so please don't feel guilty," she pleaded.

Inuyasha scowled. "Sure, I got you out alive, but look at the condition you're in! You can't- you can't even talk without it paining you, Kagome!" His ears flattened against his head as he heard her take another sharp intake of breath.

"You… you can't always be there for me, Inuyasha. I know you tried your best, and I'm grateful for that." Kagome rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Don't blame yourself," she whispered, resting her tired body for a moment.

I may not be able to always be there for you, Kagome, he thought gently, but I can try… and I will. She scooted shyly closer, leaning herself against his side.

Blushing, Inuyasha tucked his arms into his sleeves and relaxed from his early anxious state. Relief was circulating through his body from Kagome's understanding. She had actually told him there was nothing to be sorry about. He couldn't help it, a smile crossed his lips.

Kagome noticed this and mirrored his smile. It was good that he was getting away from his guilt. Her eyes roamed to the cave's entrance again and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Hey, Inuyasha, is it morning? I can't tell, because morning and night seem the same…"

He chuckled; his chest lighter as the previous guilt lifted from it, but a little remained from Kagome's pain. "It's morning," he confirmed.

She nodded. Her limbs were sore, but she needed to get up. Glancing to Inuyasha, she tried to stand up, her knees trembling.

Inuyasha did not say anything, just stood up too and offered Kagome his shoulder, helping her up too with his other arm wrapped around her waist. She blushed at the sweetness of his gesture. "T-thank you," she quietly, accepting his offer.

He managed to get her up on her feet and cautiously slackened his grip on her. She slumped down, although she had braced herself, and Inuyasha caught her.

"Can you do this, Kagome?" he asked and Kagome gave him a fierce look. "Of course! I'm not weak you know?" As soon as these words left her mouth she fell onto Inuyasha as her legs would not support her. Clinging to his haori, she let out a defeated grumble.

He couldn't bear the defeat on her face and heaved her back upright. "No, you're gonna get over this," he gritted out, and Kagome looked up to him in mild surprise, but it changed to a smile.

"Okay," she replied, and carefully took a step forward, her knees shaking as her weight came onto her front leg. Her knee started to buckle but Inuyasha determinedly helped her again.

She smiled at his kindness, and kept on pushing herself. After a few, long, minutes, they reached the entrance to the cave, and Kagome took a quick glance around her at the snow still lying on the ground. The Feudal Era had remained a frozen ice land.

He stopped before they took a step into the snow, and turned her around. "Hey!" she protested, but a little weakly, since she could not do anything about it.

Inuyasha stayed firm, keeping his eyes ahead. "No," he told her, "I don't want you to get sick."

Kagome was mildly surprised at his open concern, but did not mind the change. She did not resist his decision any more. The next hour flew by in a whirl, with Kagome slowly but surely regaining the strength in her body as she made her way around the cave.

As she stood proudly by herself in the middle of the rocky shelter, Kagome felt a little bit of her self esteem creep back to her, the part that had been lost during the battle. While she had fought the demon with the tigers, she had felt unsure of her abilities, vulnerable because of her inexperience. She had never been trained to be a priestess; she only possessed the power to become one.

Yet Kagome remembered how her spiritual powers had come out when her life had been most threatened, and how she had grabbed onto the demoness's hand and forced her purifying powers to flow into the demoness. So she had potential, but it would take some more practice to be able to handle demons like that.

Inuyasha watched her struggle from his position leaning against the rocks. She had improved a lot from her earlier fragile state but she still had a long way to go to recover. He was still mildly astounded that Kagome had forgiven him, but hey, it was Kagome whom he was talking about. She was a very forgiving person, and rarely held grudges.

Kagome wobbled more from her shaky stance and finally gave in to the impulse of sitting down, almost crashing against the wall in a spot next to Inuyasha. It was now around midday, and the only reason Kagome knew this was because Inuyasha had mentioned it to her.

Smiling up at his wary face, Kagome had a sudden thought. What if he was hungry? She was, for sure. But as she scanned the cave for any sign of her yellow backpack, Kagome realized that it was not there.

"Hey, Inuyasha," she questioned, now remembering that she had left her supplies with Sango and Miroku, "did you find out what happened to Sango or Miroku?"

Inuyasha blanched. He had completely forgotten about the two. But he had sensed that they were alive somewhere in the midst of his searching the night he had been lured into a trap. "Well, um, no, but I can tell you they were alive…" he paused here, and looked sheepish, "…um, about a day ago. I'm not so sure right now…."

Kagome frowned and hoped her friends were all right and somewhere safe and warm. "I hope they're okay," she said aloud, voicing her thoughts.

Inuyasha snorted, trying to blow off the note of worry in his voice. "They're too stubborn to die," he remarked.

She smiled releculantly at his reply, and in her heart somehow knew they were at least going to come out alright. Briefly she wondered if they were in the same spot as the night of the battle with the demoness.

A question popped into her mind and her brow creased. "Inuyasha?" she started, a little carefully, "why weren't you there the night of the fighting?"

He winced very visibly and Kagome's frown deepened as she noticed this. Why was he so affected by her question? A number of answers, all not nice, came to answer her question.

"I…uh… was…," Inuyasha stuttered, glancing anxiously to Kagome. He knew he would have to have told her some time, but his stubborn hope had wished she wouldn't ask him. The confusion and growing dread on her face made him avert his eyes. She would have to know the truth.

But he didn't want to hurt Kagome with his answer. If he told her he had gone to Kikyo, no matter the reason, it would pain her and she had barely forgiven him for his lateness in the battle. Inuyasha realized it would hurt her more to relate the truth to her.

"Kagome…" he began, and Kagome heard the pleading tone in his voice. She didn't want to intrude on his personal doings if he didn't want to tell her. It made her sad that he couldn't tell her about it, but she couldn't expect him to just reveal everything to her when she asked.

Looking down, Kagome managed a smile. "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay," she reassured him, and he sagged in relief. He wanted to thank her for understanding, but couldn't find the words to. So, instead, reached for her hand and grasped it in his, bringing a gasp out of her. A releculant grin came to her mouth as she saw the ease in his features, a big difference from his earlier tense expression.

The afternoon was spent inside the cave as a mild blizzard came down upon them, blowing for hours. They talked at some times, and at others they didn't need conversation, each other's presence was sufficient enough. So by the time that night fell upon them (once more told to Kagome by Inuyasha, the whole cloudy thing was really blowing her time schedule into whack) the fierce gusts outside had subsided and had left behind snow pile up knee-length.

Kagome got up once again to circle the cave, exercising her still stiff limbs. Inuyasha hadn't moved from his spot since the morning, at which time he had been helping Kagome around. Completing her turn around the rocky cave Kagome walked back over to him, and sat down, a smile on her features.

"Miroku and Sango are sure to be worried now," she joked, plopping down in front of the half demon in a whirl of school uniform.

He rolled his eyes. "More like Shippo is driving them nuts in your absence."

Kagome shook her head. "That would mean they were at Kaede's, remember? We left Shippo there."

Inuyasha made an 'oh yeah' sound, closing his eyes as his hands came up to rest behind his head. "Maybe they are at Kaede's. I didn't smell much of their blood that night. It was mostly your-," he stopped himself, shooting a glance over at Kagome, who had sobered.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to say that-,"

Kagome cut him off, raising a hand. "You don't have to apologize, Inuyasha, there's nothing-," she halted very abruptly and Inuyasha looked to her to see why she had stopped talking. His eyes widened.

The air around her was glowing a faint pink, and she was staring in disbelief at her hands, then at her whole body, which was taking on a glow too. Inuyasha started to go to her but stopped as he realized this was something that only she could handle.

Her long black hair seemed to have a wind of it's own as it began to blow all over the place. The light pink that had shone before had changed to become a darker pink, and Kagome shut her eyes as it swirled around her. The hairs on the back of Inuyasha's neck stood up at the spiritual energy near him and he could feel his demon blood rearing up, yet he held it at bay.

The moment ended as quickly as it had come, leaving a very shocked Kagome and Inuyasha behind. Yet Kagome held a slow wonder on her face. She had been healed. Her own powers had healed her.

Inuyasha froze as he noticed there were no longer wound scents on her. Their eyes met and she broke the connection to peel off one of the bandages on her side. The cloth fell to the ground and underneath it was no scar, or injury. Just her newly healed skin. Kagome scrambled to take off her bandages on her back, and Inuyasha had to go to her and take it off, revealing no wound either. He dropped the torn undershirt in his hands and fell back into a sitting position.

"You're all healed," he voiced the obvious, and scanned Kagome again, once more finding no signs of scratches or anything.

It took Kagome a little longer to register what had happened, but once it did she leaped onto Inuyasha, throwing her arms around him in a relieved hug as she laughed.

He was taken by surprise, but then rested his arms around her too, allowing himself to embrace her back. She realized what she was doing and pulled back, her shyness coming back to her as she kneeled in front of him, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she giggled.

Inuyasha was about to ask for what she was sorry about but then remembered he wasn't supposed to enjoy her hugging him. He had never even mentioned his love for her to anyone, and would take the secret to his grave. Suddenly, an image of him kneeling over an unconscious Kagome the night of the incident flashed into his mind. His eyes widened as he replayed his distraught words, "Kagome please don't die; I love you,"

Did she hear me? He fretted, blushing. Suddenly finding his feet immensely interesting, Inuyasha asked Kagome cautiously, "Uh, Kagome, how much do you remember of the battle?"

Kagome tilted her head to the side and gave him a puzzled look. "I remember fighting her, and then you coming, and then…" She trailed off, concentrating on the past.

Inuyasha waved his hands in front of him. "No, its okay, that's all I needed to know," he tried to stop her; he didn't want her to try and think about it, then she might remember!

Kagome shook her head, "No, I know there is more I remember…"

He slumped against the wall. "More?' he gulped nervously. "How much more?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, now noticing that Inuyasha appeared troubled. His whole body was tense, Kagome could tell just by looking at him. Scowling lightly, Kagome gently pushed on his leg. "Hey, you're the one who asked the question…"

He flinched at her touch, still extremely wound up. "I was just curious; there was absolutely no reason I asked you that. Why would there? You know, it's not like I'm hiding anything… I mean because I'm not…" Inuyasha realized he was babbling and snapped his mouth shut, deciding not to open it again.

Kagome crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Now I'm positive you are, Inuyasha. Did something happen while I was unconscious?" Her expression became worried, and fear began to creep into her scent. His ears flattened against his silver hair at the change. He didn't want her to be anything but content, but this was something he couldn't just blurt out. He had kept this secret for a long time, concealing it the best he could.

But he couldn't hold another thing back from Kagome, not when he had just withheld his meeting with Kikyo from her and she had understood. His mind fought against his heart, his mind telling him that he shouldn't, that Kagome would not want his love, while his heart willed him to go and embrace her, to tell her that he loved her, no shout it. To yell it out to the world, to shout it out in the mountains so that it echoed in every rocky crevice.

He scowled at his stupid feelings, knowing he should go with reason, although he yearned to do just what his heart told him to. Decided, Inuyasha came out of his thoughts and was about to speak when he noticed the look on Kagome's face, and his speech faltered.

Her expression was filled with emotions, first hope, then disappointment, and he caught a hint of betrayal that showed but was quickly hidden. She knew he wasn't going to tell her. The lie he had prepared in his mind faded away as the two locked gazes.

Kagome sadly searched Inuyasha's eyes, and found that guilt now flooded them. Her frame sagged; he had planned to lie to her. Then why wasn't he telling his excuse to her? Seconds passed by and she waited for his reply, bracing herself for his lie.

Inuyasha's head was spinning as thousands of thoughts rushed in all at once. No, he couldn't confess. Even if she did return the feeling, which he was almost positive she didn't, he could not ask Kagome to leave her family for him, and he knew she would not want him to cross over to her time for good. Every way he saw it, Inuyasha perceived that it would lead to heartbreak. His heart grew cold at the comprehension and he looked away. He wasn't going to be the one to set up Kagome for misery later on.

But, even a couple of moments with her knowing that I love her, will be sufficient enough to keep me satisfied the rest of my life... it dawned on him and he knew in his heart that he was going to tell her. His heart couldn't take anymore hiding of its feelings, and his brain was in constant exhaustion from trying to restrain himself from becoming too soft around her, as he wished to do. He never liked being rude to her, it was all an act to try and make her think he did not love her. But, he still wasn't sure how she would handle the truth.

Gulping, Inuyasha kept his eyes trained on the ground, avoiding the uncertain gaze Kagome held on him. "Kagome…"

Her eyes widened at the sound of her name on his lips. It was spoken so caringly, and it made Kagome's skin tingle. She tried to catch his amber eyes, but he would not give up his stare on the rocks below them.

"What else do you remember of the night?" he asked, raising his eyes, and Kagome saw the turmoil going on behind their depths. She closed her eyes and focused on her memories of the night. The demoness's face swam in her mind, rage clearly written across her scarred face as she drove her claws into Kagome's side. The spinning of her head as Kagome dropped to her knees.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched deeper. There were other things she didn't even know to have remembered. A figure in red coming between Kagome and the blade, halting the certain death that had awaited Kagome. Kagome remembered her whole body going rigid and the trees spun as she slumped to the ground. The demoness gasping, and the sound of flesh ripping were the only things she heard next, for her eyes were closed tight with the pain.

But a much calmer memory came to her senses next, and she remembered a soothing presence with her, at her side. Kagome looked to the half demon; it was Inuyasha who had drove her to fight for survival. All she had wanted to do was sleep, and let herself drift off from the pain, but Inuyasha had arrived, holding her, and she found the will to live. He was the only thing that had stood between her and the next world.

Kagome probed deeper in her mind. There had to be more! A very tiny memory answered her searching, and Kagome dove herself into it. She had opened her eyes at Inuyasha's touch, and through her blurry vision Kagome could make out him talking, mouthing something important. She struggled to hear, but the memory ended abruptly, leaving Kagome with questions.

What had Inuyasha mouthed that was so important to her? That made her have the will to fight from the brink of death?

Inuyasha watched the emotions simultaneously appearing on her face. Each one showed her getting deeper and deeper into her thoughts, and finally her expression came to one of confusion. She opened her brown eyes and glanced at Inuyasha questioningly. He grew nervous under her scrutiny, and Kagome voiced her question to him at his nervousness.

"Inuyasha… what did you say to me… right after the fight with the demon?" she asked, piecing the whole thing together in her mind so that the memories connected to form one, long memory. Yet that memory in which he spoke to her remained detached from the others, not being able to connect with them.

His face was grim, and his jaw set, showing his determination. There was no way around it now, she remembered and the decision was made for him. It was confess it now or keep it the rest of his life in misery, and regret for what could've been.

"Kagome," he began, careful to keep his anxiety at bay in his voice, so that it did not shake. He mustered every ounce of confidence he had and met Kagome's gaze, keeping it in his own, intense one.

Kagome's eyes grew bigger as she viewed the unchecked emotions playing in his golden orbs. They were inches from her face, and Inuyasha's hands were firmly, but lightly, gripping her shoulders. When had he gotten so close to her? Kagome felt like she couldn't breathe from his nearness, making her already racing heart almost jump out of her chest.

There was no way she could break the eye contact, even if she had wanted too. His eyes spoke words of their own, openly showing his feelings. "Kagome…" he repeated. "There is something you need to know. I- I can't… I won't keep it from you any longer, not without… without regretting it miserably."

Freezing in his arms, Kagome waited, her breathing coming in short little breaths.

"I realized something the past years I have been traveling with you. Something… that I see now was unavoidable even if I had tried to stop it." Inuyasha paused, scrounging for the words in his mind, trying to put his feelings into words.

"But I didn't try, and before I knew it, I had it. This… this feeling… this emotion… that now dominates my every thought, my every breath. Even after I told myself I would never allow myself to care for someone after the disaster that had happened with Kikyo… I thought that love was something I couldn't have, I didn't deserve because I was a half demon." He hung his head, concealing the sadness on his features.

Kagome gasped, her heart pumping faster and faster with each of his words. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Inuyasha picked up his head, cupping Kagome's face lightly in his hands, ever careful to not scratch her. "Kagome… I love you," he murmured quietly.

Kagome was at a loss for words. She had certainly lost the little ability she had had left to speak. Her mouth was probably agape right now, but it wasn't important. She stared in shock at Inuyasha, who in turn waited anxiously for her reaction, reply, anything to signal she was still with him.

A few tense, long moments passed and Kagome had still not replied to Inuyasha's confession, in fact it seemed she was in something of a daze. Thoughts were rushing through her head, and emotions came with those thoughts. Disbelief at what she was hearing was one of the many feelings. Could Inuyasha really have said what he had? Shock that Inuyasha actually loved her, not Kikyo. That she just wasn't a copy, which is what she originally believed. And last of all, overwhelming joy and happiness that rushed through her whole body, head to toe.

Inuyasha began to have doubts about Kagome's feelings toward him, if there were any. She sure wasn't responding, and she looked on the verge of bursting into tears. Trying to swallow the growing lump in his throat, Inuyasha meekly asked, "Kagome?"

This snapped her out of her silent stage, and she found her voice again. A sob tore from her lips and she blinked back tears, her eyelashes glistening in the held back tears.

His heart clenched painfully at her show of tears, and he hugged her to him, trying to comfort her. She allowed him to hold her momentarily, resting her head against his neck.

After a couple of seconds, Kagome pushed back from his embrace, a sweet smile brightening her features, although the tears she had tried to stop had slid down her cheeks. She looked so utterly ecstatic, her smile radiant. Inuyasha relaxed and felt relief wash over him at her expression, his chest lightening considerably as an enormous smile spread on his face.

Searching his face, Kagome found his expression tender, and emotions he had concealed for so long displayed finally in his eyes, released from their prison. She watched, mesmerized, as all of the emotions crossed simultaneously in the golden pools that she now stared deeply into. Her mind registered the meaning of his words fully at that moment, and her smile widened.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Kagome hugged her to him again, laughing lightheartedly. Inuyasha smiled at the sudden change in her mood and tightened his arms that were around her waist, so that he was embracing her back.

She quickly drew back, a smile planted firmly on her mouth. "You do?" she asked, just to make sure that what she had heard was right.

Grinning, Inuyasha nodded. "I do," he confirmed and leaned forward until his face was up close to hers, to the point where Kagome could feel his breath on her face. Hardly believing what was occurring; she moved forward and closed the space between them, her lips slowly covering his.

Kagome was surprised at her own boldness, but her shyness soon faded away as the kiss deepened.

Inuyasha felt lightheaded, and couldn't think straight. His heart was pumping rapidly in his chest, to the point that it was pounding in his ears. If kissing Kagome was always like this, he never wanted to stop.

But pretty soon they had to break the kiss for air, both of them breathing heavily from their previous activity. Kagome's cheeks were flushed and Inuyasha could feel his face burning, too. She looked him in the eye, her eyes sparkling with excitement and joy. "I love you too… so much."

His face lit up at her words and he moved in for another breathless kiss. A few moments passed and they once more pulled away, each of them expressing their feelings openly on their face. They loved each other. No one could change that now.

They both knew that each other were the ones they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with.

Inuyasha's ear flicked towards the cave entrance, interrupting the emotional moment. Kagome noticed it and turned her head to face the entrance, the white snow still lying over the land. Yet there were some figures in the distance, she could not make them out though.

Turning back to Inuyasha, she found him gazing steadily at the figures coming through the snow. A small smile came onto his features and his eyes slid back to Kagome. "Guess they did make it after all," he told her, smile still in place.

Kagome whirled her head back around. Sure enough, the forms were starting to look awfully familiar, one person having a huge boomerang on her back and the other, a staff in hand.

"They're alive!" she squealed, and Inuyasha nodded, although some relief showed on his face.

"Told you they were too stubborn to die," he smirked. She looked back to him, and for a brief moment studied him. He was the happiest she had ever seen him, and he wasn't trying to conceal it for once. He looked so… content and at that moment he glanced to her, and found her gaze.

The love was plain in his eyes, there for the entire world to see. Her bright smile faltered as she wondered; would he revert back to the same withdrawn, cold hanyou once with their friends?

He took her hand and wrapped his warm one around it, their hands intertwined perfectly together. Standing up, he waited for her to rise too. She did, slowly, never breaking the eye contact with him.

To her immense shock and delight, Inuyasha kept holding her hand, saying as he looked down at her, "Come on, they're not gonna wait around forever."

She smiled beautifully, and reached up on her tippy-toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He blushed, muttering, "Feh."

He stepped forward and tugged on her hand. Kagome followed, their hands still locked as they approached their worried friends.

There was no guarantee that they would survive the fight for the jewel, or the trouble of time, but they both knew this. That they would overcome any obstacle that threatened to separate them, and would succeed. Because love can conquer all, and overcome any obstacle.

Finis!

Just a cute little (or not so little it was 37 pages long) one-shot. I love Inuyasha/Kagome pairing… so much that it's almost the only pair I write about. Please check out my profile and other stories!

By the way… I updated Inuyasha's Demon Mistake and The Eternal Bond, Trust today. For those of you who read them… of course.

-kikyohater92-