Don't kill me just because I haven't been on in forever. We had to get a new computer so the only time I could get on was at my library.

Disclaimer: I don't own, so bite me.

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Feet padded the earth with distinct thumps as the hanyou ran. Inuyasha took a deep breath from the bottom of his lungs and let it out in a snort. It still pained him to breathe…not too terrible. Sniffing delicately, he leapt into a nearby tree. "She couldn't have gotten too far…" In Inuyasha's back stage mind, his demon sorted out through the scents skillfully and locked on to the priestess's aura in less than a second.

Leaves shuddered as the dog demon flew into the sky, and then gracefully landed not ten feet away from the young miko. Kagome didn't even look up from where she was leaning against a tree, used to Inuyasha sneaking up to her on purpose or not. "I'd like some time alone, thank you." The girl retorted to the unspoken plea for her to return to the hut.

Kagome's ebony bangs covered her eyes, so Inuyasha would have had difficulty discerning her mood…if it wasn't for her scent. The sour odor of sadness and anger was surrounding the miko's form. Ignoring her comment completely, the hanyou waltz towards the woman, and looped one arm under her knees with the other around her shoulders. The priestess eep'ed at the sudden movement and then reluctantly snuggled into the warm chest next to her cheek. Inuyasha slowly backed up against the same tree she was previously using and tucked the girl closer to him. Peering up at her protector and lover, the miko reached a small hand up to the man's soft triangles, rubbing one of them gently between her forefinger and thumb. The dog demon spared the woman in his arms a glance, which turned out to be longer than he planned, his hair swishing down from behind his shoulders and dancing around the couple's faces.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha sighed. Shifting her weight, the man nuzzled her neck and nudged her head over to gain better access. Slightly startling the girl, he flicked his tongue out in a sort of apology as the demon lapped the underside of her chin. The hanyou grinned as Kagome gradually and totally relaxed in his hold. He pressed a chaste kiss at the woman's pulse point. Leaning down a bit more, the man soothingly took the lobe of her ear between his fangs and nipped the appendage whispering, "I'm…sorry." His nose made a nest in Kagome's black locks, "I…"

Suddenly, he felt a hand at his cheek, stilling every coherent thought running through his mind at the moment. "I know," the miko whispered back. Relief washed him and turned his bones to water. How come he was at this woman's mercy? Begging her forgiveness, or wanting to, whenever he upset her? Tearing himself apart, and risking his life, his spirit, to save everything she was? The impact of just how much he loved Kagome seemed to hit him full. It forced him to his knees while clutching the woman against his chest. "Inuyasha?" He cursed his human heart for a moment and then blessed it for allowing him to love her in the first place.

"Inuyasha…are you alright?" The demon met her worried gaze and nuzzling the nose, which was just a breath away from his lips. He sighed.

"I'm…so…lucky to have you." He choked out uncharacteristically.

The raven-haired girl snorted cutely to suppress a giggle at the man's antics. "Oh, why, Inuyasha, you are too adorable." Kagome joked as she tapped his nose, much like she would do with Shippo. "Sometimes." She added, laughing outright.

"Keh!" Inuyasha averted his eyes, playing along with the girl in his arms.

Sneaking a look back at the young miko, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. The hanyou set her down on her own two feet. "Let's just get beck to the others, wench." The demon refused to meet her gaze as they silently walked back to the hut. He was immensely embarrassed about the amount of emotion he had just shown near the woods. Feeling a dainty hand slip into his, Inuyasha's golden eyes widened and he peeked down at the priestess next to him.

Kagome smiled gently and squeezed his hand. The half demon immediately looked away with a strip of pink dusting across his cheeks. Finally, the two reached the hut and the miko prepared for instant emotional block from the hanyou.

…But to her surprise, as they entered, all Inuyasha did was squeeze her hand back.

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A tender fire blazed at the center of the hut. A fluffy tail could be seen twitching along with two arms and legs as Shippo slept. Mumbling something about "baka rabbits", he flipped over and began snoring softly, curled up in Kagome's sleeping bag from the future.

The miko, who was settled next to the bag, smiled and gently reached over, brushing the rust coloured bangs from the kit's eyes.

Noticing that the young priestess was occupied, just when he was about begin explaining the "Kouga issue", as he dubbed it, the demon scowled, rolling his eyes. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Inuyasha scooted closer to Kagome and lifted her up and over, into his lap with two clawed hands carefully resting on her hips. At first, the girl protested, but seeing as to how she was holding everyone up, she closed her mouth and snuggled gratefully in her protector's embrace.

Sango could be seen rolling her eyes from across the flames along with Miroku, who was patiently waiting with his staff jingling quietly in one hand. "Now, Inuyasha, would be the appropriate time to discuss you deal with Kouga, am I right?" The monk prodded.

Sighing, the hanyou looked down and smoothed Kagome's hair out of her eyes. Raising his golden orbs once more, he spoke, "Yeah." Nervously, the demon cleared his throat again and ran clawed fingers through his sliver locks. "After you left, it was harder to get a hold of him. I wanted to calm him down as much as possible, maybe to get him to change back…I'm not sure, but I didn't want to kill him. But he went so fast, he-he was fully transformed, plus, he had two jewel shards in his legs, I could barely stand up to him…" Kagome rested a hand on top of one of Inuyasha's, her calming scent wrapping around him. Taking a deep breath, the hanyou continued, "So after a while of just holding his attacks back with weak defenses, I decided that if I was ever going to get out of there alive, I had to attack back." Inuyasha paused and then began in a lower tone, "I…I think I killed him with the Bakuryuha." Immediately, the hanyou felt the girl in his hold stiffen.

Miroku's eyes widened as Sango gasped, "Do you really think that could happen, Inuyasha?" The taijiya whispered, "Do you really think, that even with the jewel shards embedded in his legs, you killed Kouga?"

The dog demon shook his head to clear it and shrugged, "I don't know, everything's so foggy, I'm not really sure what happened…he sent an attack, and I deflected it—barely. He sent another, and I drew the Tetsusaiga and did Bakuryuha. Afterwards, when the dust cleared, he wasn't there, except for the gash left by Bakuryuha."

Kagome could see Inuyasha's face in her minds eye, and from his tone of voice, he sounded regretful and…waiting to be punished. The notion of Kouga being killed had set her on edge, he was a good friend of hers, annoying and bigheaded, but what full demon wasn't? To Inuyasha, he was just competition, right? But in the way he explained it, it sounded like he was killing off a companion. The young miko replaced her hand on his and brushed her thumb back and forth across his fingers.

With the priestess slowly relaxing again and her pleasant touch, Inuyasha continued, trying to bring hope to the group. "He might have escaped though, I was too weak to check his scent, but with those jewel shards in his legs, somehow, I doubt he's dead."

The monk shifted from across the fire, his staff clanking delicately. "Then, does that mean there could still be a fully transformed demon barraging the forests and towns nearby?" He looked to the demon slayer, who was inspecting the dimming fire in front of them.

"It could." She whispered. "From what I gather from Inuyasha's story, he's not dead. Every sign points to that." Sango paused and the hanyou felt Kagome snuggle further into his chest. He managed to smile fleetingly. "If Kagome is what Kouga's after, a demon will go to any limit to save or claim his chosen." At the tightened hold on her waist, the miko gulped. "He's probably still out there fully transformed and ready to take back what he thinks is his." The taijiya raised her maroon gaze until it landed on the couple across from her. The hanyou had determination in his eyes and the girl with part fear and part sympathy for the wolf, who would have to get his heart crushed. "After Inuyasha heals, I suggest we move out of here and find some rumors about a transformed wolf demon." She looked to Miroku, "agreed?"

The priest nodded and leaned his staff against the hut wall. "And now, I suggest that we all get some sleep."

As the group got ready for bed, Inuyasha slipped Kagome into the sleeping bag with the runt and promised her that he was not but a foot away, leaning on the hut wall with the Tetsusaiga in his grasp. The hanyou sighed. With a bit more rustling, suggestions, and a slap, everyone was quietly taking breather from their daily, hectic lives.

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Sorry that was kind of short, but hey, I do what I can.

Flames are welcome, but I love a good review.

-KikyouHater-