"Hmm… I guess that nobody is home." Kagome muttered, noticing the dark windows of her family's home. She and InuYasha walked up the pathway that led to the front door. She took out her key and opened the door. As always when she opened the door to her home, InuYasha's senses were filled with the scents of good food, floor wax, and of course Kagome. He inhaled it in deeply and felt peace flow into his core. He felt like he was home. Kagome showed him into the area, he remembered, she called the "family room" and InuYasha sat down on the soft couch thing.
"You can stay here if you like. I've got to run and get some things from my Mama's sewing box. I won't be gone long, I promise. Is there anything I can get you while I'm gone?" She asked politely.
"Yeah, get me one of those "sodey-pop" drinks." He replied gruffly before picking up the remote control. He wrinkled his face as he tried to remember the way you turned the little black box in the corner with the hard stick thing.
Kagome rolled her eyes at InuYasha's lack of manners, but smiled in spite of herself and nodded her head. "Ok, I'll be right back, and by the way, it's the red one." She pointed at the remote and grinned at his frustrated expression. InuYasha grunted in thanks and pressed the red button. Instantly the box flicked on, and he soon was absorbed in an infomercial about a special new kind of rug cleaner. 'I wonder how they get the people into those little boxes.' He wondered to himself as he watched this supposedly magic potion take out a spot on the white fluffy thing on the floor. Kagome had tried to explain to him once about how cameras were used, and how it was not the real people, but their pictures in the television, but the conversation has gone over his head. In a few minutes Kagome was back with a tape measurer and a can of Coke in hand. InuYasha gulped at the sight of the long, white snake looking thing. "What are you going to do with that thing?"
"Sorry InuYasha, but it looks like I am going to have to measure you myself." She blushed slightly. "I'm not that great at it, but I'll give it a try. InuYasha gave her a wary look.
Kagome smiled, "Relax, I'm just going to measure you so that when I go to pick up my dress, I can get you a suit as well. It'll save you from having to try anything on. Stand up and hold out your arms to the side. InuYasha sighed, and did what she asked, all the while muttering something about stupid dances and stupid girls that want to go to them. Kagome blushed as her hands slid the tape measurer over InuYasha's broad shoulders and down his arms. She could feel the heat pulsing from his body, and feel the strong muscles ripple in response to her touch. InuYasha felt his heart start to pound in his chest as he felt her slowly caress him with her hands. He closed his eyes and reveled in the urges that it gave him. He suddenly wanted to take her small form in his arms and crush her to him, to bury his face in her silky hair, to never let her go.
"Ok that's all done, now I guess I'll have to measure your waist. Hold still." She blushed shyly at the thought of wrapping her arms around the half-demon's waist. 'Damn it Kagome!' She silently cursed herself. 'Why do you feel like such a stupid little girl when you are with him? You know that he will never love you as you love him. There is only room for one person in his heart, and that's…Her…' Still, as she wrapped her arms around his waist, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Her heart raced in her chest and she felt dizzy. She took a chance and quickly glanced at his lips. She couldn't help but imagine the feel of them against her own.
"Kagome." InuYasha softly said as he felt her soft touch. At the sound her name, she looked up from what she was doing, and her gaze immediately locked with his. Neither InuYasha nor Kagome could utter a word or read the expressions on the other's face. A familiar feeling overwhelmed him, and he looked at her in wonder as he slowly lifted his hand to her cheek and tenderly brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes. 'Kagome', he thought, as he placed his other hand on her shoulder blade. 'I haven't been honest with myself.' He realized. 'I can't pretend forever that she doesn't mean anything to me, even if I wish it wasn't true.'
"InuYasha." She whispered his name smiling slightly. InuYasha closed the small gap that was between them and stroked the soft skin of her neck. He felt that he had to kiss her, or he would die. "InuYasha." He loved it when she said his name; it felt so right coming from her lips. Her distinct scent of lilac and sage over powered him, and he breathed deeply of it. He began to lower his face to hers, and instinctively Kagome's eyes fluttered closed. She tilted her chin slightly towards him to catch his kiss. The kiss never came. InuYasha quickly released her, stepped back from her and shifted his eyes to the ground.
"Finish up already!" He snapped at her. Upon seeing the hurt and bewilderment that flooded Kagome's face, he mentally kicked himself. 'Great! You've upset her again. How can you intentionally upset her all of the time? She should be treated like an angel, and you treat her like dirt. You don't deserve to have her stick around with you. She constantly puts herself into danger for you, and this is how you repay her.' InuYasha closed his eyes. "Kagome I..." She quickly returned to her work, measuring his chest and the seam of his leg, refusing to look up at him.
"Don't apologize to me InuYasha." She said sadly shaking her head. "It's okay. It was stupid of me to… anyway; I'm done with your measurements. You don't need to stick around any longer." Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and she turned from him, so he wouldn't see the heartbroken expression on her face. 'InuYasha…Why can't you love me?'
"Kagome, you're crying." InuYasha said softly. He placed his hand on her shoulder to turn her towards him again. He couldn't stand to hear Kagome cry, and every tear she shed pierced his heart like a knife, especially knowing that he was their cause.
Kagome quickly wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. 'How does he always know when I'm upset?' She wondered. She took a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face and shook her head. "No, it's okay InuYasha. I'm fine, see? You might as well leave anyway, since I'm not going to be at home the rest of the day. Besides, you deserve a break too. You've worked harder than any of us, I mean protecting me...us, all of the time." 'Why can't I just get it?' Kagome silently cried. 'He is never going to love me, he may care for me, perhaps like an older brother would care for a younger sister, but he will never love me the way I wish he would.' She resolved her mind and truly smiled at him and made a face, which caused an amused smirk to appear on InuYasha's face.
"Fine, have it your way bitch. Why would I want to hang out around here all day? I have more important things to do. Besides, the entire place reeks of your stench, and it is enough to make me sick!" He lied relieved to see a bemused smile play upon Kagome's cheeks. 'Good!' He realized in relief. 'She isn't upset with me anymore.'
"Good and I don't care if you ever come back!" Kagome muttered just loud enough for InuYasha's sensitive ears to hear her. Deep down, she knew that he would be back, weather she liked it or now, and if necessary, he would drag her back to his era kicking and screaming.
"Well fine then! Maybe I won't come back!" InuYasha said folding his arms into the sleeves of his kimono. "It's not like I NEED you or anything!"
Kagome smirked and shook her head at his blatant lie. 'Oh InuYasha!' He glanced at her from under his bangs and wondered if his words had any effect upon her. Their glances met, and she saw his eyes twinkle in amusement 'He's toying with me!' She realized smirking. To his dismay, InuYasha felt the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smirk of his own.
'Damn she is beautiful!' He thought as he studied her face, committing every inch of it to memory. He saw her squirm under his gaze, and he felt his face go red. Suddenly he was looking forward to this "dance" thing.
Kagome's cheeks burned, as she realized his eyes had never left her, and she quickly looked away. 'I wish I knew what he was thinking.' It frustrated her that after all of this time together, certain parts of him still remained a mystery to her, and she knew his thoughts were just as unpredictable as his behavior. She cleared her throat and chuckled nervously to herself. "Well... um... I had better get going now, I mean, I have a lot of stuff to do." She said reaching out and gently pushing InuYasha towards the door. 'She wants me to leave?' InuYasha asked himself. He felt reluctant and confused, but he nodded. His instincts told him to go with her…just in case anything would happen to her. He would never forgive himself if Kagome was in trouble, and he wasn't there to take care of her. 'She'll be fine by herself.' His mind reminded him. 'Besides, nothing too bad ever happens in this time anyway.' He was still unconvinced, and he thought back to all of the times, she had been in danger because of remaining with him. Guilt flooded his heart. 'How much pain have you gone through because of me?' He wondered sadly. 'How much have you suffered?"
"You okay InuYasha?" Kagome's worried voice broke into his thoughts. "You're kind of spacing out on me." She took a hesitant step forward and placed her hand on the crook of his arm, unsure to what his reaction would be.
InuYasha could feel his body's involuntary response to her gentle touch, and he resisted the urge to take her small hand in his own. He sighed inwardly. 'You are such a pathetic coward.' He taunted himself. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine Kagome. I was just thinking…." He paused and then shook his head. "Never mind."
"Is there anything that you want to talk about?" She pressed him anxiously. He looked different to her just then, almost caring. To her disappointment his features suddenly hardened again.
"Keh! Why would I want to talk about anything with you! It's not like you'd understand or anything!" He snapped. "Anyway, I thought you had to go somewhere, so leave, but you'd better be back to the village by sunset! If you're not, then I'll personally come up here and throw you in the well!"
Kagome rolled her eyes at him and grinned. "I promise I will be back by then. Scout's Honor!"
InuYasha just looked dumbly at her and wondered what "Scout's Honor" could possibly mean, and what she was doing with her fingers. He saw her giggle, and turned away from her, quickly shrugging his thoughts off. Kagome can be so strange sometimes!