"It's been awhile since we've actually spent some time together." Kagome gazed up at the night sky. It was the night of a new moon. Inuyasha had left Kaede's village before his transformation, leaving Kagome and the other's sleeping peacefully in one of the huts. Unknown to Inuyasha, Kagome had seen him leave, and she knew exactly why. Inuyasha feared that in his human state, he would only draw demons to the village...demons that might take advantage of his powerless state and harm Kagome and the others. So he normally stayed out until first light and would return before the others awoke. This time, Kagome followed him. He had argued with her to go back, but to no avail.
Kagome shifted her gaze from the sky to the black-haired Inuyasha. "You know...you don't have to leave everytime there's a new moon." He turned to look at her. "I leave because--" Kagome cut him off, finishing his sentence. "--because you don't want demons to come take advantage of the situation. We can take care of ourselves, you know...I'd feel better if you'd sleep in the hut with us that way we can give you at least some protection."
"I'll think about it." Inuyasha sighed a bit and stood up as Kagome walked towards him. "Now..Will you please go back to the village? I can't guarantee your safety out here."
Kagome stumbled forward as her foot tangled on a tree root, falling into Inuyasha's chest. He grabbed her arms to keep her from falling to the ground. Kagome regained her footing, realizing what had just happened. She looked up at Inuyasha, her face hot from blushing.
Inuyasha looked at her, his expression calm. Without warning, he moved his grip from her arms to her back, pulling her into an embrace. Sudden surprise made Kagome's eyes widen, but she quickly found Inuyasha's embrace warm and calming. Kagome relaxed into his arms. 'Why can't he be like this all the time?' She thought to herself. 'He's probably just thinking about Kikyou....' The thought made her feel out of place.
"Kagome..." Her heart skipped a beat. 'My name...He said my name.' He pulled away from her enough to look her in the eyes. They had hugged before, but this time...this time was different some how. Kagome's heart fluttered as Inuyasha gazed into her eyes. He wasn't looking through her this time as he had before when he almost kissed her so long ago. He was looking at her, and her alone. "While I'm in my human form, it allows me to think a little more clearly than usual. And lately during these cycles, I've been doing a lot of it..." He trailed off, gathering his thoughts, but still gazing solidly at the woman in his arms.
"I care about Kikyou...You know that." Kagome felt her stomach lurch at those words. 'Why is he treating me like this if he's just going to tell me about Kikyou?' Inuyasha could see plainly how his words had affected her. "Don't judge what I'm saying too quickly, Kagome. I love Kikyou, but it's out of respect not passion. I felt sorry for her because she seemed burdened by her duties as a priestess, just as I do with being half-demon. For awhile I thought it could be more than that, but...I realized what had been staring me in the face the entire time. Something that everyone but me knew... " He trailed off again, his brows furrowed and his face contorted in a mixture of emotions.
" I love you, Kagome. Even if you don't feel the sa--." He was cut short by Kagome. "I do feel the same way, Inuyasha...I love you, too." A tear of pure joy squeezed from the corner of her eye as she smiled whole-heartedly at him. Inuyasha simply stared at her in shock. "You..you do? Even though I'm a.." Kagome continued to smile at him. " I fell in love with all of you; Demon, half-demon, and human." A wide smile spread across Inuyasha's face as her words made his heart feel as if it would leap from his chest.
A look crossed Inuyasha's face, one that Kagome had never seen before. His gentle eyes, still gazing at her, were tinted with strong emotions. He slowly closed the gap between them as his lips touched hers in a tender kiss. After what seemed an eternity, they slowly parted. Kagome slid her arms around Inuyasha's middle and hugged him tightly.
"We should probably get back to the village. The other's will be worried that something happened to me." Kagome released her grip on his torso reluctantly only to have Inuyasha grasp one of her hands in his. She smiled inwardly at his actions. "Let's go Inuyasha."
The couple walked hand in hand under the moonless sky, as their fingers entertwined just as their souls had already done so long ago...