Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. These characters are not and never will be mine. Dammit!

My Heart Is Forever Yours

Inuyasha could sense that his companions were tired from the long day's hunt for the Shikon Jewel. Kagome could detect a shard not far from the village they were staying. They had left that morning at dawn and the demon that possessed the shard was moving swiftly in the opposite direction. It was now nightfall, and though Inuyasha could have kept going, he knew he had to find a place for them to rest for the night.

Sango, thinking along the same lines as Inuyasha, said, "Kirara, fly ahead and find a place we can stop." Kirara leaped into the air, transformed into her larger form, and flew ahead of the group, scanning the area below.

Kagome couldn't help but let a yawn escape her mouth. She was exhausted. They had been going on all day with nothing to show for it. 'If only we all had Inuyasha's half-demon strength,' she thought to herself. 'He probably thinks we are a such a huge burden.'

At that moment, Kirara came back and flew down to Sango. She crouched down to allow them to climb onto her back. Once everyone was settled, she bounded into the air and flew them towards their destination.

Kagome's eyes just started to droop when they landed. She slid off Kirara's back and looked around. She couldn't have asked for a better place. The green grass felt cool under her aching feet and there were plenty of trees for protection. She sighed, breathing deeply the cool night air. 'It couldn't be more perfect.'

Inuyasha sniffed the air and found nothing out of the ordinary, so he sat down beneath a tree and closed his eyes. His ears twitched back and forth, listening for anything unusual.

"Inuyasha, Sango and I are going to look around for a bit. We won't be gone long, okay," said Kagome, so interested in this place she forgot about her exhaustion for the moment.

"Feh..." was all he said and Kagome took that to be a yes.

"I wanna come! I wanna come!" Shippo said as he jumped up and down. "Please," he said, very sweetly.

"Of course you can, Shippo," said Sango. And with that her and Kagome left the guys at the campsite. Kirara was already gone, exploring the premises of their camp for any unwanted creatures.

They were gone for about twenty minutes. Inuyasha halfway opened his eyes when they walked into the campsite. Kagome picked up her yellow pack and pulled out a few towels, soap, and what she called 'shampoo'.

"We found a hot spring nearby. We are going back to get rid of all this grime," Kagome said. Shippo obviously was tired, because he didn't follow them this time, but curled up next to the now sleeping, Kirara. Sango and Kagome were almost gone when Kagome yelled back at them, "No peeping you two!"

"That means you, Miroku," yelled Sango. She would've slapped him had she seen his happy smirk.

They reached the spring, chatting and laughing joyfully. They put their towels and clothes on a nearby rock and slowly slipped into the warm water.

Kagome sighed contentedly. She was glad for the warm water to ease her sore muscles. Though she hated to admit her weakness, she was physically worn out from all the traveling they have been doing lately. It also didn't help that she had not had, what she considered a real bath, in weeks.

Both her and Sango relaxed quietly for about ten minutes, breathing in the cool night air, which contrasted the warmth of the spring. Sango slowly opened her eyes and said, "I think I'm going to wash and go back. I'm getting pruney."

"Okay. I think I'll stay in for a while, though," Kagome answered.

Once Sango was dressed and her hair dry, she headed towards the camp with a wave to Kagome.

When she saw the soft glow of the fire and could smell food cooking over it, she smiled inwardly. 'At least they did something constructive while we were gone,' she thought to herself.

"Where is Kagome?" Inuyasha said in a worried tone as he stood up, hand on his sword hilt.

"Calm down, Inuyasha," Sango said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She could tell by the way he looked at Kagome, that he had feelings for her. He tried, unsuccessfully, to hide it, but she saw it as plain as day and wondered why Kagome hadn't noticed. "She is still in the hot spring," she said, trying not to laugh at the embarrassed look on his face.

As Sango was hanging the wet towel, she felt a hand grope her backside. She turned around swiftly and smacked Miroku, who was grinning lecherously as he rubbed his sore cheek.

Sango went to the other side of the fire, muttering things about "that pervert" under her breath.

"You deserved that, Monk," said Inuyasha with a laugh. Miroku didn't have a chance to answer because of the shrill shriek that filled the air. Inuyasha rose in one swift movement and headed off towards Kagome.

'She's in trouble. I should have known when she didn't come back soon. Dammit!' he cursed to himself. As he reached the trees surrounding the water, he sniffed the air. He couldn't smell anything wrong. When he was in clear view of the spring, he searched for Kagome. When he saw her, he got an eyeful. It took all of his willpower not to ogle her.

"SIT!" was the last word he heard before his face met the ground. He growled as the spell started to lose hold.

"What did you do that for? It's not my fault you scream 'bloody murder' for nothing," he said angrily. In truth, though, he was glad she was safe.

"What do you mean 'for nothing'?" she answered hotly. "There was a gross, slimy snake. It was disgusting and it was slithering right towards me."

"Women!" Inuyasha said underneath his breath. "Scared of everything."

"SIT!"

"Ouch! What'd I do?" Inuyasha asked cluelessly.

"How can you be that thick-headed?" Kagome asked, exasperated. "Now turn around so I can get dressed."

He obeyed with a "Hmph." Not wanting to peek for fear of being 'sat' again, he sat there and played with a blade of grass. "It's not as if I meant to see anything. I just thought you were in trouble."

Knowing that was as close to an apology as she was going to get, she sighed and said, "I know, but... I guess I overreacted. I'm sorry," she said as she picked up her things. She stopped next to him and rubbed right behind his ear, which elicited a purr from him. "Let's get back before they worry about us, okay?"

Author's Note: This chapter isn't a lemon. Others may be but I'm not sure. This is my first fanfic, so please read and review. Thanx all!