Reasoning

I don't own InuYasha

Though the weather was warm and clear, the night sky littered with stars, one hanyou refused to enjoy it. Instead he scowled up at the moonless sky, believing it to be mocking him. Damn it! InuYasha thought. How much longer am I stuck like this? He fisted his clawless hand, annoyed to no end by the human appendage that was in his line of sight.

Soft foot falls came from his left. "InuYasha?" He gritted his teeth, loathing the pity that seemed to saturate her voice on nights like these. He caught a whiff of recently heated ramen. That was one thing he hated about being human. Although he could smell things within a close range, her scent would always disappear, resulting in the fact that if she ventured too far from camp, he would then be sent into a panicked--if not inward--frenzy because his lack of scent tracking would be quite the handicap. Besides, he missed her scent when it disappeared for the evening.

Kagome sat beside him, carefully balancing the two cups of ramen, passing on to the silently seething InuYasha. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she looked up at the stars. "Wow, it's such a beautiful night."

"If you say so," InuYasha snorted.

Kagome looked at him, a hint of mischief gracing her smile. "I do say so. Come on, InuYasha, cheer up! I brought you the biggest container of ramen I could find."

InuYasha glanced down at his dinner, and then at Kagome's noticing that hers was relatively smaller. "Thanks," he muttered before sighing. "I'm sorry Kagome, I just hate these nights. You know that."

Brown eyes of understanding locked on to exasperated violet ones. "Do you still wish to become a full demon?" Kagome asked quietly, studiously watching the flames of the campfire a few feet away.

"Don't know," InuYasha replied. "But I haven't ruled out the possibility." He eyed Kagome from the corner his eye. "Why? You like me as a half-breed or something?"

She didn't answer him right away, seemingly afraid of the response she had in mind. After a moment of contemplation, Kagome said, "I do. I do like you as a half demon."

InuYasha covered his shock with a snort. "Well that's a first," he said. "Why?"

Still refusing to look him in the eye, Kagome replied, "Because you're strong, and not just physically, but you're full of courage. You're caring and kind-hearted. Don't deny it, I can see things other than jewel shards you know. My favorite aspect of your personality would have to be your protectiveness. Sure, you cover it up with a shell of ferocity, but that's what adds to the beauty of your soul. And…"

As she spoke, InuYasha cupped her face, gently turning her head so she'd look him in the eye. When their eyes locked, Kagome found herself lost in his violet depths and wound up stumbling through her sentence. "And…and-and-and…"

Hanyou and miko leaned toward each other, eyes sliding closed. InuYasha softly silencing Kagome's stammering. She wrapped her arms around her neck, her slim form pressed against his muscular one, soft lips encasing one another, tenderness in the embrace. Pulling away for need of air, Kagome gently ran a fingertip along his chapped lip.

"That's why," she whispered.