I do not own "Inuyasha" or any of the characters in this story

"I Think I Love You… So What Am I So Afraid Of?"

Kagome ran up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't bare to see Inuyasha like that. There was no way she could handle it. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She threw herself on her bed and sobbed into her pillow.

It wasn't too long before her mother politely knocked on the door. "Kagome?" she asked in a worried tone. "Are you okay?"

"No…" Kagome replied, raising her head from her pillow.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's Inuyasha…"

"What about him? Did he do something to you?"

"Not really. It's just that…" She inhaled sharply, tears streaming down her face as she said. "I LOVE HIM!"

"… Oh," Mama said, her voice implying that she knew about this already. "Why is this a problem?"

"Because he loves Kikyo. Yet, he keep taunting me!" She sniffed. "He shows up from the Feudal Era, offers to help Grandpa clear out the back yard and… He takes his kimono top off!"

"It's a hot day out! I don't blame him."

"I know, but the worst part is he knows that he's doing to me… He just has to! I've tried so many times to tell him how I really feel, but…" She stood up from her bed and dried her eyes after she had calmed down a little bit. "I don't know… What do you think?" She walked over to the door and opened it, but it wasn't her mother who was on the other side. Her eyes widened.

"I think I've been waiting for you to realize it for months," Inuyasha said as he leaned against the doorframe.

She shook her head. "You did not just hear all that."

"I did."

Tears came back to her eyes. "Oh, man!" She ran back over to her bed and grabbed her pillow, purring her face in it. "Now nothing between you and me will ever be the same again!"

He walked over and sat down next to her, reaching his arm around her and pulling her close to his side, much to her surprise. "Kagome, I love you too."

She looked up at him. "You do?"

"Yeah. But I was afraid to tell you." He shrugged. "After all, we got off to a rocky start. I called you stupid all the time, and I even said that Kikyo was cuter than you--"

She buried her face in her pillow again and cried a little louder than before.

"Woaw! Kagome, don't cry! I'm sorry…" He reached his other arm around her and hugged her. "I won't bring Kikyo up again. I promise."

She looked up for a moment. "Where's Mama?"

"She went downstairs when I showed up behind your door. She figured I could handle it from there."

She stood up and dried her eyes once more. "Maybe I should go tell he that I'm fine."

Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and stood up. "Hold it."

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"If you love me, you tell me so."

She was confused. "You just heard me spill my guts out before I answered the door."

"You said you loved him. I wanna hear you say you love me."

She stared at him blankly. Was he kidding. "Huh? Inuyasha, come on. You already know how I feel about--"

"--Just say it," he urged with a smirk.

She looked away. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because once I say it, it can't be taken back. And if you should change your mind about… you know… the whole Kikyo thing…"

She stood there for a moment, trying to think of a way to make her feel better. "I know. I'll teach you."

She blinked, and gave him a strange look. "What?"

He gently placed his hands on her upper arms and sat her down on the bed. "This is what you do," he began. "When you really love someone, you erase all over thoughts and images of your mind for a brief moment. Nothing else is supposed to matter, except the person you're talking to." He gently placed his hand on her cheek. "You're heart might beat a little faster, like you're taking a big chance. But in the end, it's worth it." He leaned in closer, and stopped just about an inch short of her lips. "Kagome, I love you."

She listened as he spoke these words slowly, as though he was trying to make this moment last.

He pulled away for a moment and said, "Now, you try it. Only this time, substitute my name for yours."

Kagome smiled meekly. "Inuyasha, I… I…" This was it. She was going to say it. And after this moment, her greatest dream would be realized. It would be forever Inuyasha and K… K…

KIKYO! That dreaded name pushed itself back to the front of her mind.

"I… I can't do this!" She threw herself on the bed and cried into her other pillow.

He sighed, slightly annoyed. "Why?"

"Because you love Kikyo. You'll always love Kikyo, in some way. I know I can never change that, but the way you look at her…" She punched her fist into the mattress. "This is all your fault for looking so cute today!"

He smirked. "You think so?"

"Yes! You just had to take your kimono top off!"

"It's a hot day."

"And you're a hot guy!"

He burst out laughing. "Well, that's an added bonus to this relationship!" He carefully PRYED her up from her tear stained pillow and held her close to his side again. He smiled gently as he placed his hand under her chin, and directed her gaze to his eyes. "Kagome -- not Kikyo -- Kagome," He took a breath and said, "I love you -- you, you, you, you, YOU."

She didn't appear to be convinced.

"Huh… Okay, then!" He stood up and marched towards her window.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He ignored her as he shoved the window upward. "Hey!" he hollered.

Grandpa, Mama, and Sota all looked up at him. "What is it, Inuyasha? Is Kagome all right?" Mama asked.

"She's just fine, I just wanted to tell you something…" He inhaled a deep breath and hollered to the top of his lungs, "I LOVE KAGOME HIGORASHI!"

Kagome jumped up from the bed and grabbed his arm. "Inuyasha, stop that! I get the point!"

He surprised her by taking her in his arms. "You really believe me this time?"

"Uh, yeah…" she looked out the window, and saw that her whole family was staring up at them in bewilderment.

"Well, it's true. I love you Kagome! And you?"

"I… I…" she gulped and closed her eyes. "I LOVE YOU, TOO!" Those last four words came out a little scratchy because she had been crying. But the moment felt his warm lips against hers, and heard her family clapping and cheering from the garden, she smiled through the kiss, and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

When the kiss ended, he smiled at her, pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered again.

"I love you too," she said with a smile.

And they would never be able to say it enough for the rest of the day.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, Inuyasha was VERY out of character in this one, but that's what I was going for. There's not much else to say, except that the title was inspired by the song, which was by... I think it was The Beatles, I can't remeber... Anyway, I don't own the song. Please leave a review!