A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry I haven't written any new series, but I can't seem to think of a plot that hasn't been taken and overused. Though, this one is probably not the most original, but I felt like writing it. Please, please, please REVIEW! I honestly can't improve or think of plot ideas for my stories if I never get any critique! But, there is a difference between critique and flaming, so please don't flame me!

Anyways, ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Stay away from me lawyers! Back off! I do not own Inuyasha, so HA! Take your briefcases somewhere else!

Mortified of My Being

Why was her life so complicated? Why her, of all people? What had she done to deserve such hardships? Oh yeah, she fell down a well, that's what. She happened to be the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, which every demon and human alike wanted so they could fulfill their petty little desires. She was the only person who could purify even the most tainted of the fragments. But she still didn't see why she had to put up with everything she has thus far. She was only sixteen and a half, and no teenager should witness what she has on her journey with her group.

Footsteps could be heard as Sango and Miroku approached the campsite with the firewood they collected. Kagome could practically feel the tension rolling off in waves from the two.

"Sango, you are being completely irrational about this. I told you, I was simply brushing some dust from the poor girl's—"

"Don't you even start with me, monk! You know as well as I do that you were groping her! She couldn't have been any older than twelve!" Sango fumed.

'My headache just got worse…' Thought Kagome, as she desperately tried to drown out the two's bickering. Trying to study for a math exam, and hearing the monk and demon slayer squabble, were not helping her pounding head.

"My dear Sango, it pains me to hear you say such accusations!" Miroku feigned a hurt expression. Though he knew it best not to tempt fate, his hand always seemed to have a mind of its own…

BANG!

"You lecherous monk! How dare touch me with those filthy hands!" Sango seethed, returning her hand to her side after slapping him.

Miroku winced slightly as he retracted his hand from her, and instead touched his stinging cheek. "Was there really a need to inflict pain upon me?"

"Would you two give it a rest?!" Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. He was perched on a branch in a nearby tree, with tetseiga leaning against his left shoulder.

Sango sighed as she and Miroku both piled the gathered wood next to the fire and sat down. Kirara jumped into Sango's lap and let out a contented purr as Sango pet the little demon.

Kagome sighed, trying to get her mind to go back to studying while there was some peace and quiet. Though, she doubted it would last very long.

'A quadratic equation is…' Kagome sighed in frustration as she closed her book. There was no way she would understand any of this in time for the test. Not without a serious cramming session with Eri and the rest of the girls.

Shippo, who had been asleep in Kagome's lap, woke up to the thud of the book closing. With those innocent little eyes of his, he looked up at her. "What's wrong mama?"

Kagome looked down at the kit. He had insisted on calling her his 'mother' for about three months now. Though, she didn't mind. She thought it was rather cute, actually. "Nothing Shippo, I just can't concentrate on my work."

The kit just nodded and curled back up in her lap. Kagome soon heard the soft sound of him breathing evenly, and she knew he had fallen back asleep. She smiled at him.

She looked up at the darkening sky, as night began to fall upon them. She glanced at Inuyasha, who sat on his branch, keeping watch over them in case any danger should come. She smiled softly. No matter how tired he may be, he always stayed awake to ensure the group's safety. How long had it been since she had seen him sleep? At least three days.

Kagome looked back down at Shippo, who was lightly snoring now. She gently picked him up off her lap and laid him down next to Kirara, by Sango. She stood up and walked quietly over to the tree in which the hanyou was perched on. "Inuyasha?" Kagome called up softly.

Inuyasha looked down at her, lips set in a hard line. "What do you want, wench?"

Kagome sighed. She really didn't like the names she had accumulated in her time spent in this era, which Inuyasha was persistently calling her. Most of the time she simply brushed them off; now was not one of those times, however. "Stop doing that." She said as she started to climb the branches of the tree.

He merely quirked an eyebrow. "Doing what?" He questioned as he watched her slowly getting closer.

Kagome hoisted herself to the limb that he sat upon, sitting down as well. "You know my name, so use it. I'm tired of your insulting nicknames." She scowled at him. Okay, so this wasn't the reason she had wanted to come up here and talk to him, but it was something that had been bugging her for quite some time.

"Feh, whatever." He scoffed, as he directed his gaze to the now star filled sky. It wasn't that he found the sky interesting, but he knew that if he looked at her, she would undoubtedly see beneath his uncaring act. Because that's all it really was; a façade. He would not let this human girl see how much her presence in his life has altered him. His heart was thawing because of this girl—no, woman before him. And he hated himself for it. He absolutely loathed the fact that a mere human could crumble everything he thought he had wanted; only to be replaced by something better.

Kagome sighed. "I didn't come up here to get into an argument." He still didn't look her way. "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shook his head to clear him of the thoughts that had previously been nagging his mind. "What, Kagome?" He turned his head to look at her.

"Finally; you looked like you were in your own little world for a while." Kagome said. She looked at his golden orbs and noticed the strained look in them. "Inuyasha, you should get some rest. And before you say 'I don't need as much sleep as weak humans', I already know that; but it has been at least three days since you've slept." Kagome tried to make her voice sound as if there was no room to argue, but instead it sounded more of a plea.

"Feh, I'm not tired." Inuyasha scoffed.

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying!" He tried to defend himself, but it was poor. He knew he was indeed tired, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"Yes you are. Now go down there and get some shut-eye. I'll keep watch for a little while." Kagome offered.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow again, mockingly. "You? Keep watch? Nuh uh, no way Kagome."

"I'm perfectly capable of keeping watch." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes. "If I sense anything, I'll wake you up. Please, just sleep; if only for a couple of hours."

Inuyasha sighed, noting that he wasn't getting anywhere in this argument. "Fine, but only for a little while." He said, jumping down to land softly on the ground. He leaned his back against the same tree and closed his eyes.

He was already half asleep when he heard a muffled 'Thank you' from Kagome. He was too tired to reply, and soon drifted off to sleep.

He heard the light sounds of footsteps, as someone tried to keep quiet as they walked past him. His eyes remained closed as he caught the scent of the person. "Kagome, no matter how sneaky you try to be, it's never going to work." He cracked an eye opened as he heard a soft gasp and the sound of her shoe-covered feet stop.

Kagome turned to look at him. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you." She was putting her books away in her bag as she said this.

Inuyasha shrugged. He opened both amber eyes and glanced at the barely lit sky, with the sun not even visible yet, only its faint rays. "You should have woken me sooner." He grumbled. "I was only supposed to sleep a few hours."

Kagome looked at him with a smile. "I had planned on it, but you looked so deep in sleep, I didn't want to disturb you." She walked over to sit by him.

He frowned. "Did you get any sleep? Don't tell me you stayed awake all night?" If she had, he would no doubt end up carrying her on his back today.

"Yes I got some sleep, and no I didn't stay awake all night." Kagome answered, yawning softly.

Inuyasha's ear swiveled towards the sound. "You're still tired." He noted.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm just not completely awake yet." She said groggily.

Inuyasha glanced over at where the others were laying. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were all still sound asleep. He'd have to wake them up in about an hour to get moving.

Kagome seemed to follow his train of thought. "How long until we reach the village with the demon rumors?"

Inuyasha turned back to her. "A few hours, I'm guessing. Five hours at the most."

Kagome nodded. Five hours, she could deal with that. Maybe. If a certain couple could restrain themselves from constant bickering. Kagome wished they would just confess to one another already; things were getting out of hand. Even Shippo was getting a bit annoyed at them.

Kagome noticed how close the notorious flirt and her best friend had gotten while they slept, with Miroku's hand dangerously close to Sango's behind. She sighed as she realized that this morning's quiet would end as soon as her friend woke.

A light, cool breeze floated through the camp, and the air was suddenly a bit nippy. Kagome shivered slightly as goose-bumps made their way onto her skin.

Inuyasha seemed to notice this and sighed, shrugging out of his haori, and placed it around her shoulders. "Wench, can't you ever bring something warmer to wear?" Of course, he had to say something somewhat insulting to make up for the fact that he was being nice and letting her use the fire rat robe. Well, he really didn't, but he can't seem like he's gone all mushy. He had his tough guy rep to keep.

Kagome ignored his rudeness and simply clutched the fabric closer to her. "Thanks." When she thought he wasn't looking, she inhaled deeply the scent the robe carried. His scent. She smiled softly as the familiar masculine aroma greeted her. She'd never say it aloud, for fear of sounding silly, but she loved the way he smelled.

Kagome may have thought he hadn't seen this, but he had. His ears caught the sound of her inhaling, and he could see her from the corner of his eye. He felt the corner of his lip lift ever so slightly. He had no idea why, but the scene warmed his heart. He mentally cursed himself for letting the small things she did get the best of him. But he couldn't deny what he felt for her, at least not to himself. He had known for some time that the girl meant something more to him than some simple shard detector. If he was being honest with himself, then he'd admit that, yes, he even loved Kagome. He usually tried to tell himself that he felt no such thing for her, but his lies were hollow. He couldn't tell her any of this though; his pride was too large to swallow. He doubted she even liked him anyway.

Inuyasha's ears drooped at the thought. This action did not go unnoticed by the miko, who had been watching him as different emotions flew across his face. She tilted her head in a curious manner. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

His eyes snapped to look at her as he quickly composed himself again. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

But, when did Kagome ever listen to him? "You're lying; what's wrong?" She repeated with softness in her eyes.

Inuyasha cursed whatever kami had given her the ability to look like that. He hated that look; that look that made him want to tell her what was on his mind. That one, simple look that she used on him and didn't even realize it. It was enough to drive a man crazy. "It's nothing, Kagome." His ears remained low to his head.

Kagome sighed. She reached forward, cautiously, with one hand and rubbed the little white appendage on top of his head. It twitched at having been touched. Inuyasha almost wanted to purr at the feeling. She smiled and continued to massage small circles on his ear. "I love your ears, please don't pin them down." She whispered, before she knew what she was saying.

Inuyasha quickly looked at her. "You—what?" 'Did she actually just say she loved my ears? No, I must have heard that wrong…'

Kagome blushed and looked away; his ear still gently being caressed by her thumb. "I-I..." She gulped. "I've always liked your ears, and I hate it when you pin them to your head." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

Inuyasha was taken aback. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "K-Kagome. My ears signify me as a hanyou. They shouldn't be loved." His eyes averted her own.

Now it was Kagome's turn to be shocked. For someone who had so much pride, he was acting ashamed of himself. Kagome frowned. She hated it when he did this; making himself out to be a no good half-breed. It angered her tremendously when he did that. She placed her fingers under his chin to make him look at her. "Stop doing that, right now." She ordered.

Inuyasha's golden eyes look at her. "Stop what?"

Kagome moved her hand from his ear and ran her fingers through his snowy locks. "Stop being so ashamed of yourself. I hate it when you do this." She looked at him with her warm chocolate eyes. "You constantly think that you are worthless because of you being a hanyou. I'm sick of it. There is nothing to be ashamed of…" She smiled.

Inuyasha refused to meet her gaze. "But I am a hanyou. I'm not welcomed among demons or humans. I'm a filthy half-breed."

"You are infuriating, you know that? Listen to me, Inuyasha; so what if you aren't a full demon or human? It doesn't matter to me, or Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, or Kaede. Being a half-demon is not a curse. Because of your demon half, you have the strength to protect your friends; and your human half allows you to care enough to protect us!" She sighed.

Inuyasha looked at her, surprised. He had never thought she would say anything like that. "Kagome…" He couldn't finish that sentence. He was too stunned. Instead he found himself leaning closer to her.

"I-Inuyasha, um, what are you—"But she was cut off by Inuyasha's lips covering her own. She felt herself stiffen. She slowly relaxed and kissed him back. It was a soft, gentle kiss; her first kiss. Which ended much too quickly for her liking.

Inuyasha looked at her and smiled. Swollen lips, slightly messy hair, eyes glazed; Inuyasha didn't think she could look any cuter. "Kagome, I…" He was struggling for words.

Kagome smiled and put a finger to his lips. "I know, Inuyasha." She smiled. "I love you too."

Inuyasha smiled; glad she knew what he was trying to say. She knew he was never good with words, and probably never will be. She had been around him long enough to understand him, better than anyone else.

Unknown to them, their private conversation hadn't been so private. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara all had one eye peeked open as they listened in on the confession. They smiled and went back to pretending they were asleep. They would at least give them a little time before the tsunami of questions and teasing fell upon them.

Kagome smiled. Maybe falling down that well was a good thing after all. She knew she still had her fair share of hardships ahead, but she would face them, and Inuyasha would be by her side to help her. Together, they would take anything that life threw at them.

A/N: Well, there ya go! One more story to add to my collection. Please, for my sanity, REVIEW!!!! PREASE?! If I get enough reviews and/or PMs, I may end up writing a new Inuyasha novel, story, whatever you want to call it. BUT ONLY if you click that beautiful little button that is calling to you, begging you to click it. Go on, click the button…you know you want to………