It was July, and the ground was bloated with moisture. The trees dipped in exhaustion, even the birds remained in their nests to spite the weather. It was one of those days in which you could find Inuyasha and his gang of sorts walking in the plains, all having there own dilemmas.

Shippou had retreated into the tree's hours earlier, saying that he was sensitive to heat, and would follow in the shade which Sango envied.

She herself was worried about the heat affecting her little cat demon friend, in fact she was so lost in her mind she failed to see Miroku's dilemma. His eyes followed the outline of Sango's derrière as she walked, his hands itching painfully.

It was all he could do to turn and look into the clouds, where of course Inuyasha had his problems. The handsome dog demons' arms were twitching again. He wanted so badly to leap into the sky, his muscles protested.

The only problem with all this was Kagome, who was perhaps having the most urgent problem of all.

So, unaware of the tribulations in the group, they continued walking along a soaked gravel path, Sango pointing the way weakly.

"Sango are you sure about this? I mean this wouldn't be the first time we've been wrong about Naraku's castle," Inuyasha complained. He had stripped off his outer kimono like shirt and draped it over Kagome, as she had begged for shade.

Sango, lost in thought again, failed to hear Inuyasha's words and responded,

"We're just killing time, Inuyasha," and kept walking while Inuyasha growled, looked to where Kagome was and froze. He could no longer see her, and flew into a panic while wildly looking around.

"Ka-go-me!" He cupped his hands and yelled frantically, then saw in the corner of his eye. She was there, the red kimono like shirt inches away from her outstretched hands. Her head was buried in the grass, but Inuyasha could still hear the whimpered cry with his advanced senses.

"Inu-ya…sha…" She was crying, but as Inuyasha approached he could see she was suffering a great deal and it broke his tender heart. He grabbed his shirt and covered her with it, picking her up gently in a bridal position and carrying her to the nearest retreat. He barely made out the next words she said.

Sango and the rest had stopped, making there way back, but Inuyasha waved them away calling, "I'll take care of Kagome, you find shelter farther on" To which the group was stunned. This was too strange, and the group decided they might as well, hot as it was.

When they had disappeared from sight, Inuyasha looked down from his kneeling position and frowned.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" He demanded, and pulled the shirt away to see Kagome had actually cried. This only upset him more and he grabbed Kagome's shoulders, shaking her.

"I'm…it's…" Kagome opened her eyes and started crying again, the heat forgotten. She leaned over and hugged her not-so-secret love whimpering the last words, to which Inuyasha clutched her to him. He buried his face in her raven black hair, whispering words between the two of them.

It was later when Inuyasha opened the door to the room Miroku had conned for them and carried Kagome in. Sango looked strangely at them, noticing the newly budded affection between the two. It was odd, but she was in no form to complain, as it stopped Inuyasha from yelling at Miroku.

The new arrivals sat down, Inuyasha first, pulling Kagome into his lap stiffly. At this the two members of the group who didn't know Kagome's secret gaped.

"Well, Inuyasha, what exactly did you two do back there?" Miroku hinted, eye brows lifting suspiciously. Inuyasha blinked solemnly, and stood, pulling Kagome up to where she wrapped her arms around his waist. Inuyasha stroked her hair and looked over to the deeply curious others.

"Kagome…is…"

As he finished the rest, a deep wailing filled the air. Shippou jumped from behind Sango and Kagome separated from Inuyasha to hug the little guy.

"You can't Kagome," He cried, Inuyasha's face in darkness as he left the room.

"What will we do? What will Inuyasha do? You know he is hopeless without you!"

Kagome nodded, her eyes bloodshot from withholding tears. She explained there was no other choice, and stood up to go outside. He was waiting for her there, leaning against the wall and she could tell he was deeply hurt, scarred almost beyond anything she could do.

"So you're…" He started casually, although quiet.

Kagome nodded and held herself from running into his arms. It didn't actually matter, because at that moment Inuyasha lunged forward and pulled Kagome into a tight embrace.

"I…I need you. You understand that, don't you?" He pressed Kagome into his chest, somehow hoping that maybe if he never let her go she would stay with him forever. It was so touching so Kagome found no wrong in what was acceptable. She stroked the back of the one embracing her and felt minute drops of moisture soak into her hair.

She didn't try to look up, didn't try to stop him, because she knew if he didn't let her go now, there would be irreversible damage to his heart.

Inuyasha held her until the sun rose, and by that time she was well asleep. She was slumped in Inuyasha's chest, light reflecting off her hair. Inuyasha griped Kagome's arms, fully aware of what he was going to do.

Her eyes lifted and in the blurry outline of Inuyasha she saw his mouth lean down and engulf hers. She surrendered all she had to him, blowing common sense out the window. He only let it last a minute, then pulling away and stroking Kagome's face, he pulled off his kimono and put it on her.

Kagome nodded and reached into her pocket to get the gift she'd made many a night ago while she was at home. It was a doll, a chibified version of herself and Inuyasha standing side by side. His sword was extended with one hand, and the other wrapped itself around her. They were sewed together, so he would remember that she would never forget him.

Then he kissed her again. He kissed her again because she wanted him too.

Kagome went to her new home that day and never once took off the kimono that still and, she hoped, forever would hold Inuyasha's scent and his amazing heat.

She was silent all that day, and the next, choosing to sit in her fabricated version of her old room, so, so far away from that window. She wanted Inuyasha to come back for her, maybe so terribly that it was the reason he finally did.

It was a few weeks later when Inuyasha finally tracked down Kagome in the dead of the night, though it took him hours to do so, far away as she was from the old well. He stepped into her room and fell to his knees as the scent of the one he had kissed overwhelmed him.

She was sleeping, still in his kimono, clutched to it painfully as if she could be near him if only she could keep it with her at all times. It struck a chord in Inuyasha's heart, scarred and beaten though it was. He knew she wouldn't awaken for hours, so sat beside her on the bed.

Still, it wasn't enough. He had her gift, which had helped him for a time in holding her presence with him, but he knew it wasn't enough. He reached down and tried to pull the girl into his chest, but it was far too hard. Instead he lifted the sheets and pulled her into him the way she had probably dreamt of many times.

Kagome felt the heat before she opened her eyes. She didn't want to open them, didn't want to see it was her cat, her brother scared or something else. She wanted it to be Inuyasha, wanted to feel his heat, and did.

It flowed around her, pulsed through her veins as the hot-blooded half-demon more comfortably wrapped himself around her. It was indescribable, the familiar scent engulfing her mind, the scalding blood just beneath his skin tempting her with its tantalizing feel.

Inuyasha opened his eyes to see Kagome suffering again in his arms. It sent an arrow of ice into his heart, but when she finally stopped it melted without a trace. He tipped her chin up and joined with her, swirling his taste, his tongue around inside her. She pulled herself to him, and her eyes flew open to see his beautiful face.

She knew that this was going to hurt later, this feeling that it could never be, but Inuyasha had other ideas. He whispered in her ear, "I've returned for my kimono," and she flew away from him, pressing the fabric against her skin.

"NO! It's all I have left of you! Please don't take it!" She was now fully inside the red garment and inuyasha picked her up and separated the folds of his jacket.

"I've returned for my jacket- and everything inside it"

End

OMFG! That made my cry SOO hard! Can you believe this, it was all a dream. Absolutely everything I just wrote down, minus the fancy words, was a dream I had last night. Amazing isn't it? I can only write the good stuff when I sleep. Oh well, please tell me what you think! This made my heart hurt…