"OSUWARI!"

THUD

"What the hell, Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he lifted his head up from the hard ground. "I only sai-"

"OSUWARI!" Kagome shouted, anger radiating in her chocolate brown eyes. "OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI!" She finally paused from her relentless assault, catching her breath.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

"Inuyasha you…BAKA!" She turned fiercely and began to storm off.

"Um… Kagome-sama, where are you going?" Miroku asked, the houshi's violet eyes shimmered with worry for his and his dear Sango's friend, "You may get…lost."

"I'M JUST GOING FOR A WALK!" She yelled and stomped away. Miroku sighed. He walked closer to the silver-haired hanyou that lay twitching on the ground.

"Inuyasha, that was uncalled for!" The houshi yelled, "You went too far once again."

"Miroku is right, Inuyasha," Sango shouted, "she worked so hard to make those bentou and you said they were horrible. They don't taste horrible one bit." She picked up a delicious clump of rice from it and popped it into her mouth. She chewed gratefully and swallowed. "See?"

"HOW can you say that it when it burns you tongue?" Inuyasha shouted back as he lifted himself off the ground that seemed to hate him. He wagged his burnt tongue out.

"It has a unique and distinct flavor," Miroku objected, "And you know, it's not like they aren't edible, Inuyasha."

"Keh," the hanyou angrily said.

"Can't even come up with a justified reason, can you," Shippo said through mouthfuls of his bentou. The kitsune narrowed his eyes. "You know you are in the wrong, Inuyasha." The others nodded in agreement.

He let out another 'Keh' and jumped on the tree, moving from branch to branch. 'How dare Kagome and the others blame me? I only spoke the truth', he thought, his feet running and jumping by their own will, seeming to guide an unaware Inuyasha somewhere. 'It's not my fault those people don't understand that stuff is junk!'

Suddenly he reached the forest floor and stopped. Now he knew where his subconscious wanted to go, after all he was standing right in front of it, at the Goshinboku. This was where he lost his beloved Kikyo and died, an arrow piercing his chest, holding him for 50 years. It was there that he was awakened by Kikyo's reincarnation, Kagome, the miko that was born 500 after this time. The hanyou placed his hand on the Goshinboku that connected them, on the scar that he left after residing there for those long years. It seemed forever warm at his touch, a welcoming holiness the tree just naturally gave off.

He jumped onto a sturdy branch and sat there, the green spring leaves rustling as he did so. 'Kagome that bakayarou! She didn't have to 'osuwari' me so many times.' He thought as he rubbed his right arm. He calmed down, though. The Goshinboku allowed him to think a little more clearly. He started thinking. All in all, the food wasn't all that bad. No. If you took away the spiciness of the whole bentou then it could have been a decent meal. 'Not as good as ramen.' He thought, but something began to pain in his chest. 'What is that? Guilt? Like I could ever be guilty for saying the truth!'

But he knew in his heart that he really didn't feel that way. He wanted to apologize inside, he knew he did, but it just wasn't in his nature. 'Nobodies for that matter!' He thought to himself. But he wanted so desperately to. He wanted to holder close and apologize, inhaling her gorgeous, unforgettable scent. 'Like… lavender.' He concluded. 'I always liked lavender.' He smiled. Her chocolate brown orbs for eyes that glittered when she was happy, her silky, raven black hair that blew with the wind, her warm smile she'd give to him. He loved all of that.

'Wait… love?' he suddenly thought, interrupting the series of pictures that were flying through his mind. His cheeks turned rosy. 'I… I love her? His heart began to beat faster. His cheeks turned a deeper red, he was glad no one was there to see it. 'I do?'

He tried with all his heart to deny it, 'No! I can't love her! I can't!' But the spring leaves began to rustle loud, as if the Goshinboku was telling him to face the truth. He stopped trying to deny it.

He sighed and laid his back onto the holy tree, his hands linked behind his head. His cheeks turned rosy once again. 'There's no sense in trying to falsely stuff the feeling down.' He thought, kind of surprised at himself. He never had thought like that before. 'Was this Kagome's influence on me?'

Thinking about her again made Inuyasha blush harder. The words were hard to comprehend, even to think. 'I…love Kagome.'

It started to get easier to think of, 'I love Kagome.'

He repeated it again, 'I love Kagome.'

'I love Kagome.' He had grown to accept them. Now, only one problem stood in the way: Did Kagome feel the same way about him? And would she accept them like he had if he ever told her?

oOoOoOoOo

'Inuyasha you BAKA!' Kagome screamed in her mind as she stomped of into the forest. She went in deeper, her eyes filled with complete rage. 'I always stretch out my hand to him and what do I get? It slapped away by a BAKA!' Without even knowing where she was going, Kagome reached a river, clean, clear, and cool-looking. She used her hand as a cup and scooped up the clear liquid and poured it into her mouth. The water tasted so pure. It calmed her down, if only a little.

She sat on the green dew covered grass. It felt cool and comforting, she needed that. 'Inuyasha! After all the trouble I went through making that bentou! I had to practice so much before I could attempt a successful making of beef meat and honey chicken.' She yelled inside her mind. 'I bet it tastes great! Oh.' Throughout all that fighting she completely forgot to eat some of hers. She smiled a triumphant smile. 'I'll eat it and it will taste great. Not horrible like Inuyasha claimed!' She removed the yellow, worn backpack she carried on her shoulders and placed it on the grass. She took the bentou and lifted the lid. She took out a pair of chopsticks. "Time to eat!"

She placed one bite of beef in her mouth and chewed, slowly. As she swallowed she yelled. "That was GOOD! Why did he say it was-" She stopped. She could feel the spicy flavor emerge from the bite. It was more than mild spicy but it wasn't an exaggerated spiciness. "I get it now." Her face began to sadden, like she had misunderstood something.

"I get it now. Inuyasha is a hanyou, his senses are heightened. No wonder he screamed like mad. It must of hurt really bad. Maybe I shouldn't have given so many "Osuwaris" at one time. I wouldn't feel as bad." But she would still feel upset once she figured it out. 'I guess I was just upset. I didn't want him to dislike it of all people because I...' Her thoughts trailed off while her cheeks turned a slight shade of red. She sighed.

"Can't he just see?" Kagome asked in a pleading voice, her eyes tearing up. "Why can't he see that I… 'Love him'." The tear began to pour now. 'But he'll never love me back.' She concluded. 'He loves Kikyo. Dead or Alive.' The words had pierced her heart, but she knew she couldn't lie to make the pain go away. She knew that with all her heart. Just as she knew she couldn't stop loving him. Her heart chose him, and even if she did have the choice to choose… she knew with no doubt that she would choose him too. 'As arrogant and as selfish as he is,' Kagome thought, blushing as every thought hit her, 'he makes me feel… complete.'