Chapter 6

As she sat in the glade near the river Kagome was given a view of the sky she wouldn't have seen if they were resting mere feet away in the dense forest. The night was mesmerizing, the sky of deep midnight blue stretched as smooth silk touched by countless specks of light lifetimes away. Kagome wondered how many of these stars weren't actually there, their light just reaching them now after years of travel.

It took Koga's closest comrades a few minutes to catch up to him, out of breath as always. Kagome had greeted them, thoroughly thankful for an excuse to pull her hands from Koga's without seeming rude as she invited them to sit and rest on her sleeping bag.

"What are you thinking about, sister?" asked Ginta, rubbing a hand over his mohawk and looking at the sky curiously.

"Nothing, really…" the further away she focused her thoughts, the easier it was to drown out the bickering demons just a few feet away. She turned a smile to her friends who always included her in their pack, even when she knew her place wasn't with them. Regardless, it was comforting to know she had family here. "Do you guys want something to eat? I've got some chips if you'd like."

"We'd like!" Hakkaku answered holding his hands out, Ginta following his example. Kagome laughed as she got up and soon produced a couple small bags of barbeque and garlic flavored chips from her backpack, handing them each their own.

"Kagome," Inuyasha spoke her name, trying to hold back a whine as he watched the wolves consume the food. "We still need provisions for our trip, you know."

"Where are you going anyway, mutt?" Koga asked, folding his arms over his chest as he sat down on one of the smaller rocks.

"How is it any of your business?" Inuyasha spat.

Kagome sighed, bringing the conversation back to a less hostile point. "We've got plenty to spare, Inuyasha," Kagome assured him. Grabbing another bag she held it out to the wolf leader. "Here, Koga."

His blue eyes softened as he looked at Kagome, touched by the small offering. He got up and as he took the bag from her he covered her hand with his and then lifted her with a gentle tug, pulling her closer to him. His thumb traced circles in her palm.

"You're always so kind, Kagome. With such tenderness it's no wonder you hold my heart," the wolf demon said, his voice low and charming. "Where are you off to anyway? Do you sense Naraku's jewel shards?"

Kagome frowned at his sweet words as well as his first question. "No, yours are the only shards around here. But," she started, unable to keep her eyes from turning to Inuyasha, "I'm not sure where we're going."

The fair haired half-demon seethed as he watched the wolf demon set the chips on the ground only to stand and hug Kagome's hands to his chest.

"I can't believe that moron. I wouldn't keep anything from you, my dear Kagome. You know I'd trust you with anything, even my life."

The silver-haired young man was getting sick of hearing the wolf's voice. One good swing and that mangy wolf's head would be rolling… Inuyasha flexed his fingers, but was disappointed when Kagome gave him a quick look, brown eyes pleading for no violence. There's no way she'd overlook a single swipe, though. But that jackass has the gall to suggest that I don't trust her. Of course I trust her; she's Kagome. Yet the following thought seemed to come out on its own. My Kagome… He'd never really called her that before, but it felt good. He rolled those two words around in his mind again, feeling a heat smoldering in his chest the more he looked at the wolf demon tenderly rubbing Kagome's hands.

The fire in the half-demon's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Koga, and in an instant the wolf demon threw Inuyasha a mocking grin before switching to a softer smile for the girl in front of him, titling his head as he asked, "The others are going to join you later, right? I hope it's not just you and the mutt."

Kagome frowned again wanting to defend her companion, but Inuyasha had heard enough and decided then to cut in, grabbing Koga by the arm and pulling him a few feet from Kagome.

"Time's up flee-bag! Now leave and take your stench with you."

Narrowing his eyes in disgust, Koga spat "It's always the same thing with you, half-breed! You need to learn to shut up and mind your own business." Koga kept his hot glare on Inuyasha as he stepped back toward Kagome, but he was blocked.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. " Please, no fighting. It's fine."

"No, it's not." Inuyasha shook his head, his hand inching closer to his sword. The wolf needs to know his place, and Tetsusaiga will put him there if he keeps pushing it.

Koga took a step, moving to grab Inuyasha's arm and yank him away but the half demon jumped out of the way landing directly in front of the school girl.

"Can't you get it through your thick skull?" Koga asked. All amusement left as his lips formed around the next words, his voice low and serious. "Kagome's mine."

The fire in Inuyasha's chest flared sharply, the tether of uncertainty that restrained him having snapped at the sound of Koga's claim. The air grew charged with hostility, and once locking golden eyes with smooth blue, Inuyasha, having chosen his action, smirked.

He turned to the side and wound his arm around Kagome's waist, pulling her flush against him in a tight hug. He'd never held her like this before, so close to where her heart practically beat against his own. Slowly pulling his face back, he paused to let his eyes sweep over her face.

What's going on here? she thought, slightly frantic. Her eyes widened as he searched her expression, his eyes smoldering with restrained… desire? She blinked a couple times, trying to get a better look. With him still hesitating it dawned on her; he was waiting for permission to continue. Kagome's mind went blank as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

He got his answer.

Closing his eyes, he lowered his face to the side of her neck. There his nose delicately grazed the skin below her ear, shooting a shiver through the length of her body. And then, just as she thought he'd finished, he drew in a deep, deliberate breath. Inuyasha smiled as he savored her scent, enjoying every second of his little plan as he hugged her to him again.

Kagome's eyes had closed, knowing it was futile to control the heat that burned across her fair skin. She was embarrassed yet her body wasn't capable of being unaffected, Inuyasha's strong embrace and their subtly intimate moment too hard to ignore.

Koga made a choking sound as he watched with his fair eyes wide and staring incredulously.

Inuyasha's white ears twitched, taking in the wolf's reaction. I don't even have to say it out loud… Kagome's not yours. He had gotten his point across since the wolf was unusually silent. Even Koga's friends were staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed; a garlic chip dropped from Hakkaku's open mouth and Ginta just stood frozen, not blinking.

The young woman's pulse was racing so fast she felt it thrumming in her ears. Slowly her brown eyes fluttered open to meet Koga's wide eyed disbelief only to look away, uncomfortable.

Recovering, Koga trained his eyes on Kagome's face. He waited for her to pull out of her stupor and push the dog away, but she just stood there, her hands resting on the dog demon's arms. When she avoided his gaze, Koga's felt as if lead gripped his heart. Defeat slowly tempered his rage, and he looked away.

"How's Ayame doing, by the way?" Inuyasha asked, still smirking. The wolf cringed at the question like he would from salt poured in a wound, and he growled and cursed under his breath in answer.

"Guess that means we'll be going," Hakkaku surmised, getting up with his and Koga's bags of chips.

Nodding in agreement, Ginta and Hakkaku said their goodbye from a distance, waving as they followed Koga's example and turned to continue down the riverbank.

"Koga, wait…" Kagome lifted her hand to stop him, yet she didn't really know what else to say. It was inevitable that he'd get hurt, but…

"It's okay. I'm not giving up hope though," he turned with eyes as kind as always. "I'll see you again soon, Kagome." He favored her with an understanding smile and she managed a weak smile in return.

Though the others were leaving, Inuyasha still had his arms around Kagome, giving no impression that he was going to let go. Soon a comforting lethargy was coming over her from his heart's familiar hypnotic and soothing rhythm. But just as Koga was about to disappear down the riverside, the wolf leader paused to break the spell around the couple.

"Next time you spot soul collectors, tell that priestess friend of yours I said hi." The wolf demon grinned as he heard the distinct clench of Inuyasha's jaw. He didn't even need to look back to know the half-demon's smug expression was gone.

Kagome felt Inuyasha's arms loosen for a second. That's all it took… Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. What am I thinking… he's not mine. The realization that Kikyo still held his heart made her jealous, miserable. She avoided his eyes and looked down, slowly retreating out of his hold and he let her. Her fingers curled around the kerchief of her uniform right above her heart.

Every second that Inuyasha didn't say anything made her heart throb, that was, until something happened as she over-analyzed his silence. She clutched the red scarf tighter in response to the familiar ripping sensation; her heart had been torn in two directions… One half of it wanted to forget his reaction and wrap her arms around him enjoying the moment while it lasted, while the other more logical, pessimistic side reminded her of who Kikyo was: she was the one Inuyasha loved. Over half a millennia before I even took my first breath, his heart was already spoken for.

"She's out there, Inuyasha. Your life is still connected to hers and I… I should just step back," she slowly shook her head, closing her eyes. "Even the grave couldn't keep her separated from you," Kagome's voice trembled, and as she opened her eyes again she stepped quietly to her sleeping bag. Even after drawn out battles against hordes of demons she'd felt better than she did at the present moment, and so when she reached her bed she crumpled to the ground, arms hugging her bent legs close.

Inuyasha had heard variations of her words before; this certainly wasn't the first time the name of the resurrected priestess shoved a wedge between him and Kagome. The pain Inuyasha had felt at hearing Kikyo's name was one of regret, not longing but Kagome's expression confirmed that she believed it was the latter.

She needed to hear the truth. He just didn't know how his uncoordinated tongue would handle such a confession.

Inuyasha finally opened his mouth. "And what about you, huh?" he asked, his irritation softening as he turned his back to her. "You're from five hundred years in the future and…" he started, already exasperated with how difficult he was finding this. He never thought himself good at expressing emotion, let alone something that'd leave him more vulnerable than he liked. He groaned, frustrated with himself.

"What about me?" Kagome asked faintly, trying to fight the stinging sensation in her eyes. She stretched out on her back and rolled to her side causing some of her hair falling like a curtain across her face.

Inuyasha cringed. There it was- the hushed tone that she used when trying to mask pain. She needed to see his heart more clearly.

"You're from five hundred years in the future and that didn't keep you from me. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Inuyasha waited for her to respond with something, anything. He needed to know she was following him. When the silence became too much to bear he turned and broke the silence with a whisper, but his eyes remained focused on the ground. The movement brought Kagome's eyes to glance through her hair seeing his somber profile. "I'd understand if you don't want to come with me. I just…" Inuyasha hesitated as he grit his teeth, trying not to lose his nerve. He'd already come pretty far, he'd be crazy to leave anything to interpretation.

She waited for him to finish his thought, the pain she felt echoed in his voice as he cursed quietly.

Usually he'd be afraid of a crying Kagome, but seeing the unshed tears glistening in the brown eyes watching him helped his resolve.

"I need you, Kagome. Not Kikyo, not anyone else." He walked over to crouch in front of her, brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. He kept his hand against her cheek, making sure she could look him in the eye. "I need you."

Words failed her as she took in the simple statement. Her dark lashes fluttered letting some tears escape and trail across her face, a couple getting caught in her smile as Inuyasha's admission sunk in.

"Always with the tears," Inuyasha chided softly with a small grin. He used a corner of his sleeve to dry her face and shook his head as he lay down beside her. "No more crying for the rest of the trip, alright?"

"I'll try, but no promises," she answered with a quiet laugh.

"Go to sleep. We'll need to be well rested and sharp tomorrow." Inuyasha said, curling an arm under his head. He watched as she complied, brown eyes already shut and body relaxed.

After a few minutes of watching over Kagome and making sure she was asleep, the half-demon allowed his eyes to drift too. Burying his cheek into the sleeve of his coat, Inuyasha's mind wandered to his mother and something she had told him once a long time ago… the memory eliciting a whispered confession that was so honest and pure he wouldn't have said it completely conscious.

"Kagome…you're all I'm living for."

Inuyasha's breathing soon matched the quiet pattern of the girl beside him. Unseen by his sleeping eyes were her soft lips curled briefly in a smile.

…..

A/N: Guess that was a short one, but I hope it was good! It was an odd one to tackle… sometimes I loved it, hated it, or just didn't know what to make of it. I honestly hope it didn't come out boring or lacking in some sense… I wanted to make it a little longer, but I felt that I shouldn't diverge from Inuyasha and Kagome's night too much. Anyhoo, let me know what you thought in the comments. Constructive criticism is welcome but no flames, please.

And as always, a big thanks to all you readers and reviewers… and I'm sorry I didn't respond to all the reviews from the last chapter, but I will do my best to do so this time around. With my wedding anniversary, my father's birthday, and Father's day these past few days I've been a little distracted. That's another reason I hope this update didn't stink, but if it did I apologize. =/

Take care, everyone! I'll try and update again soon! =)