Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha.

Hello, Readers!

I'm so pleased that you all liked my brain-child! I'm so flattered by all of your positive reviews, thank you all so much! Well, on to the Story!

Enjoy! 3KuwaiiEmmieChan

P.S. I'm afraid numbers have never been my strong suit… ':]

THE STUFF.

Chapter Two.

It was Day Three.

Kagome was due back any moment now, and Inuyasha waited for her up in the Goshinboku, keeping his golden eyes peeled for any sign of the school-girl from the future. His feet swung in time with his impatience, slowly growing more and more agitated as he waited. He was a man of action! He hated all this waiting around for her to come back to this time, where she belonged.

If it was up to him, she would never go back to her own time again… He would just have to make it without the delicious ramen treats she always brought back for him. He hated it when she left him to go do her school-thing, wasting the precious time they had for roaming the country-side in search of the Jewel shards; not to mention the ever-present threat of Naraku.

Plus. He missed her. Not as if he would ever make the admittance aloud, but that didn't stop the truth; he missed her when she left him for days at a time. He was always wondering about her, hoping she wasn't in any danger, fighting his instincts to go through the well to check on her well-being. If he randomly showed up before she was due back, he would receive a good "sitting" for sure.

He closed his eyes and pictured his raven-haired friend in his mind's eye. He couldn't help the small smile that graced his features as he drank her in from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She had been maturing at an alarming rate lately, her body more of the soft curves of a woman versus the planes and angles of the girl he'd first met. She'd even stopped wearing her uniform, replacing it with tight t-shirts and small shorts; more comfortable for their adventures, she'd said.

He'd enjoyed the change, but he couldn't tell her that. Instead, he hid his appreciation behind his rude and gruff exterior, confusing her all the more. He knew she had deeper feelings for him, and that scared him. It scared him a hell of a lot. He never said the right things, and almost always ended up making her angry… or cry. He really hated to see her cry. It made him feel like the worst kind of low-life scum to make a girl so nice and vibrant as Kagome cry.

A soft noise from the bottom of the well, announcing Kagome's arrival, pulled him from his thoughts. He immediately jumped down from the tree, making his way over to help her out. The inu-hanyou slowed as he moved in closer… Her scent was… was… different. He inhaled deeply again and again, seemingly unable to catch his breath, wondering what the change was, trying to ignore his body's intense reaction; his mouth was watering, his skin erupting into goose bumps, and his suddenly very large erection straining against his fundoshi.

He moved out of the way of her large yellow bag as she heaved it out of the well, and was fighting the temptation to jump down there and ravish her on the spot. Instead, he reached his hand down, as he often did, to pull her out. The skin of her hand was deliciously warm and soft as she gripped his, and he tugged her out quickly and with little effort, making her fall against him once her feet hit the ground. His mind went blank as he draped his arms around the woman in front of him, smirking as he heard her heart beat speed up, tightening his grip in his excitement. He held her against him, reveling in the feel of her soft curves against his hardness; he put his nose in her hair, smirking when she began to tremble.

He groaned when the scent of her arousal assaulted him, his breathing becoming labored, making him lightheaded. She smelled so damn good… too good. His hands began their own adventure, rubbing up and down her back, her arms, her sides… He couldn't control himself as he dipped his head to run his tongue along the pulse of her neck, wondering if she tasted as good as she smelled. She jumped in surprise before melting against him completely, surrendering to his gentle ministrations; he growled in satisfaction as he moved to taste more of her… all of her.

Her soft sigh brought his attention to her mouth. Grasping her chin, he lifted her face to meet his, moving in closer as he watched her pink tongue dart out to moisten her lips.

"I-Inu… yasha…?" She breathed, making him even harder. He couldn't look past her mouth. Her cerulean eyes slid closed after a moment and he couldn't hold himself back anymore, even if he'd wanted to. He moved in, felt her warm breath on his lips, his own eyes closing…

"KAGOME'S BACK!"

The young, excited voice of Shippo coming closer made him step back away from her. What has gotten into him? He looked down at her and couldn't help but mirror the disappointment in her eyes. The hanyou took a step back behind Kagome as their companions reached them in the glade, trying to get a hold of himself. Where had all this come from?! Why couldn't he get a grip on himself?

His eyes caught the movement of the fox kit jumping into Kagome's arms, making her hair fan out around her shoulders. His mind went blank again as he caught her scent, and he watched his own hand move over to her hair and stroke it softly. It was so soft… His hands moved to her shoulders where he slowly rubbed her muscles, feeling they were tense. He moved even closer to put his nose back into her raven locks, smiling as he felt her begin to relax under his fingers.

Just as he let his mind run away with him, Miroku's voice suddenly jerked him back to the here-and-now. "Inuyasha… What exactly are you doing?"

Inuyasha jumped away from her, as if burned. His face glowed with the ferocity of his blush, and his wide, startled eyes jumped from each of his friends, finally landing on Kagome.

What exactly am I doing? His mind raged at him.

"I…" He gave her a pleading look. "I'm sorry."

And with that, he bound off into the trees, needing to get away from his friends… Away from her delicious scent that still lingered on his skin, driving him mad. He'd just run it out, he thought as he jumped from tree to tree. Or maybe a dip in the spring will cool his heated blood… All he knew is that even though he'd run away, the desire to take Kagome with him is what frightened him the most. She trusted him, and now all these wild feelings were erupting from nowhere…

She probably hates me, he thought wryly. I would hate me. How could I have jumped her like that? He slammed his fist into a tree, leaving an impressive hole. I'll give her (and myself) time to cool off before I come back.

For dinner, maybe.

But he wasn't even as hungry for ramen as he was for his time-traveling friend.