Chapter 1 " His Promise"

The day was hot; the sun was beating on the five travelers. The young black haired, gray-eyed girl was losing her pace and started to fall behind her fellow comrades. 'It's so hot; I don't know how much more of this I can take?'

"InuYasha, can we start heading back to the village, I am getting really tired and I would love to be able to relax and have a nice hot bath."

InuYasha turned and glared at Kagome, and then saw the others faces. He knew that he was out numbered so for once he gave in to them.

"Alright fine but I want to make it clear that we are only going to be staying there for no more then two days and then we start looking for the shards again."

As soon as he finished saying that Kagome put a huge smile on her face. Kagome, for some odd reason started to walk a little faster then she was before. Moving more quickly she made her way past InuYasha, but not before she grabbed InuYasha's wrist and started to drag him along behind her.

"Hey Kagome, slow down I thought that you were tired and hot?"

"I am, but since we are going back to the village, the faster that we move the faster we can get there, and that means the sooner that I can take a nice hot bath."

Just then Sango had an idea. "Hey Kagome, why don't we ride on Kirara, this way you do not have to drag InuYasha behind you!" Sango smirked.

InuYasha gave her a glare that was no doubt a glare of silence. She smiled at the half-demon. Kagome ran right over to Kirara and got on. Miroku and Shippou were also on the fire-cat back. InuYasha preferred it like this, this way he could think to himself while he followed the others.

'Man, why did I give in to her? I know that once we reach the village she is going to want to go back to her world. I mean yes, she is done with school and all but since she hasn't been back to her home for over a month she is going to want to go back and stay there for awhile.' InuYasha kept on thinking to himself. He knew that the had feelings for Kagome, now that he realized that the Kikyou he knew now was not the same Kikyou that he knew fifty years ago. She was now a dead Kikyou, a dead woman that was collecting souls of other dead people just to stay alive. She had wanted him to change, but Kagome was different; she never wanted him to change, like Kikyou did. This is one of the main reasons why he had fallen in love with Kagome. He just hadn't told her yet and, he knew that he was a coward for not telling her. Once he had overheard Miroku and Sango talking one night, Sango telling Miroku that Kagome told her that she was in love with InuYasha. Since then he had wanted to tell her but couldn't. He was too scared. He had never shared his feelings with anyone, well not really. He didn't now how to put the things that he wanted to say into words. 'Kagome I promise you this, that when the time is right, may that be today or tomorrow or next week I will not hide my feelings from you anymore, I will tell you the truth. This is a promise that I make to you and myself.'

Chapter 2.

In the village Kaede was in her herb garden weeding, when she looked up to see a fire ball in the sky.

"Well it looks like they have finally returned. I guess I will go and put on some supper then. They must be hungry for being gone for so long." Slowly Kaede walked into the hut to start preparing the dinner.

Moments later she was joined by five starving travelers. "Well I was wondering when ye would be returning?"

InuYasha sat down next to Keade, "Don't worry, old hag, we will only be here for a couple of days." InuYasha smirked while he looked into the pot that was over the fire.

"Kagome," Kaede said.

"InuYasha, sit boy!" Kagome commanded.

With a wink of an eye InuYasha was smashed into the floor of the hut.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?"

Kagome didn't answer; she just looked into the fire that was cooking their meal.

"InuYasha, don't be so disrespectful to the elderly." Kaede scolded him

InuYasha got to his feet and stormed out.

"Man what is his problem, just because Kagome told him to sit, as punishment for how he had insulted Kaede?"

"That is the very thing, Shippou..." Miroku interrupted. "InuYasha hates it when Kagome says her command. It makes him feel powerless; especially since he has feelings for Kagome it makes it worse."

Kagome looked at Miroku 'What is he talking about? Could what Miroku is saying be true? I mean it has been three years and I thought that InuYasha only loved Kikyou.' With these questions going through her head she ate her dinner. When she was finished, she put some of the left over soup in a cup to take to InuYasha. She figured that he was hungry since he had not eaten anything all day, and it was the least she could do since she did make him mad.

InuYasha was sitting against a tree that was located by the river.

"Hey!"

InuYasha just looked up at her.

"What do you want?" InuYasha smirked at her, he was still disappointed at her for what she did to him earlier.

"I brought you some dinner, and I hoped that we would be able to talk without anyone around?"

InuYasha looked up at her. Her eyes were twinkling from the reflection of the stars. He held out his hand to expect the cup of soup.

"InuYasha, why haven't you ever told me that you hated it when I say that command on you? I mean, yes I have not said it a really long time, but still why didn't you tell me?"

InuYasha didn't say anything, 'Man why is she asking me this, she is so beautiful. She has changed so much since the first time we met three years ago. She is going to be eighteen in a couple of days, and with each passing day she gets more beautiful.'

"Are you going to answer me?" Kagome asked him with an eager look on her face.

"I would have thought that you would have figured it out by now I mean it has been three years."

Kagome didn't say anything for a moment then found her voice.

"You never tell me anything, InuYasha. I mean you say I should know things but in actuality I'm really not sure what to think. You won't tell me anything, nothing about how you feel about life, or how you feel about me....ha!"

Kagome couldn't stop herself in time. She had said some that she shouldn't have. 'Oh no, I said a little too much.'

InuYasha stared at her, for the first time in a long time he gave into his emotions and agreed with her. He put his head against the tree and gathered up his thoughts.

"Kagome, before you came along I didn't want to trust anyone. I wanted to hide my feeling from everyone even you. For the past three years I have watched you grow more and more beautiful." Kagome eyes widened. 'This is the first time that he has called me beautiful!'

"InuYasha, I thought that you have promised Kikyou that you will protect her?"

InuYasha put his head down again not looking at Kagome.

"I know I promised her that, but if that person doesn't want you to keep a promise you made to them it is hard to fulfill that promise."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Then, what is the matter, InuYasha?"

She grabbed is arm to make him look at her, but to her surprise he grabbed her hand instead. Holding her hand he gazed into her eyes slowly leaning into her.

"Kagome, I promised myself something and well, I promised myself that when it was the right time I would. I would..."

InuYasha was a hair away from her face then he did it he put his lips to hers. She was tense for a moment then relaxed. She put her arms around his neck, and both leaned upwards so they where on their knees. When he pulled away from her he left his forehead against hers.

"I promised that I would do that."

Kagome smiled at her hanyou

"It took you that long to do that? I'm glad, InuYasha, that you made that promise."

Kagome hugged InuYasha and whispered softly in his ear,

InuYasha will you promise me something else?" Kagome moved her head so that she was looking right into her hanyou's eyes. "Will you promise me that you will not hide from me anymore?"

InuYasha smiled at her and kissed her soft lips once again. When he pulled away he whispered "I promise you that I will never hide from you again."