Kagome sighed listlessly in the bathtub, sinking down until she was covered up to her nose. Since the day of the encounter with Kouga, Inuyasha had been avoiding being in the cottage when Kagome was home. Though he still came in to eat and to sleep at night, besides that the half-demon was always gone, out hunting or whatever he chose to do during the day. While Inuyasha being gone so much meant she had much more free time to bathe, it also left her feeling surprisingly lonely. She hadn't realised how much she depended on the quiet company of the taciturn Inuyasha until he wasn't around anymore.

Cleaning up the tub after her bath, Kagome knew the opportunity had presented itself to talk to Inuyasha when he appeared in the doorway after his transformation. It was the night of the new moon and Inuyasha was human.

They stared at each other across the small distance of the cottage. "I...just came to get my sword and then I will be gone for the night." Inuyasha affirmed, walking in to the cottage.

When he moved to pass her, Kagome gripped his arm. "You will do no such thing." She said with authority. "It is dangerous out there for you tonight. You should stay here."

"I ain't staying here." He stated, the silent 'with you' not spoken but already heard between them.

"If...if I am such an imposition to you, I can leave." Kagome said quietly, averting her gaze from his so he wouldn't know how much the idea hurt her. All she could see in her mind was images of the gaping wound in his abdomen from the last new moon. She wasn't sure her heart could take it if it happened again. She knelt down to retrieve her bow and arrows from beneath the bed.

He knelt beside her and stayed her hands. "Don't be stupid." He huffed. He gave her a considering look before releasing her hands. "Fine, I'll stay here. But don't expect to be chummy."

She looked at him for a moment before snapping back. "Fine. I have work to do anyways."

Standing, Kagome busied herself with whatever chore she could think of. While she was tidying the kitchen, she felt Inuyasha's gaze on her face. Her cheeks burned with the attention, but she refused to make the situation more awkward by engaging him.

The tension in the little cottage could have been cut with a knife. It was a relief to both when Shippo came bounding through the door, chattering on about what he had been up to that day.

Congenial conversation carried them through most of the evening until the little fox's eyes began to droop. When he retreated to the rafters for the evening, the tension between the other two housemates returned.

Kagome took a heartening sip of her tea before broaching the matter at hand. She peaked up between her eyelashes at Inuyasha as she confessed "I don't know what I did to upset you, but I am sorry."

Inuyasha tensed. "Sorry?" he repeated, looking at her with furrowed brows.

"We...don't spend time together. Like we used to." Her lips quirked up to a small smile. "I miss it."

"Kagome..." he trailed off, looking at her with intense eyes over the distance of the kitchen table.

She reached across the table to slide both her hands in to his much larger grip. "I don't understand what has driven you away, but I am here if you need me to listen."

He gave her a thoughtful look as his hand seem to tighten on hers almost reflexively. "You mean, you're not afraid?"

"Afraid?" She looked confused, thinking back to what had been frightening about the incident. "You mean afraid of Kouga?"

"No, you idiot." He admonished, gripping her hands tighter so she was pulled towards him. "Afraid of me!"

"Why would I be afraid of you?" She said plainly. "Sure, you looked different and acted different, but you were still Inuyasha. I'm not afraid of you when you look like this, and I'm certainly not afraid of you when you look like that."

He seemed stunned for a moment before answering with a sneer. "Well you should be afraid. I have very little control over my demon form."

"It didn't do anything to hurt me," she reminded him. "I think you are underestimating yourself."

"Well I think you are putting too much faith in me." He snapped back. "I have killed in that form, Kagome. Killed for less rage than I felt the moment when I thought that Kouga would take..." His jaw closed audibly as he swallowed the rest of that thought.

She patted his hand, trying to provide comfort for pain that she did not fully understand."We're a team, Inuyasha. A family." She told him seriously, persevering through the surprised look he gave her. "And we need to work together. "

"So...you're not afraid?" He reiterated, looking desperate.

"No, but I am annoyed that you keep asking me." She said with a little scowl.

He matched her scowl back. "Well, then you're an idiot."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

The fell in to a comfortable silence, both watching the hearth fire crackle and warm the small cottage. Neither withdrew their hands from where they rested together on the table.

When Kagome released a jaw cracking yawn, she knew it was time to turn in. "I had better head off to bed." She admitted.

"Hm, sure." He responded sleepily, his eyes half lidded as well.

She looked at the bed, then looked back at the human Inuyasha. "You look exhausted." She told him honestly. "Why don't you take the bed? I'll stay up and keep watch, just in case."

"I'm fine." He growled as best as he could with his human voice. "You take the bed."

Thinking back to the last New Moon, Kagome considered the size of the mattress. "We could...share?" she offered tentatively.

He stared at her. "Share?"

"You know, the bed." She babbled nervously. "Since it is the new moon and that is when you used to use it. It is pretty big for just one person."

He continued to stare at her. He cast a glance up to the rafters where Shippo was sleeping soundly before looking back at her with serious eyes.

"Okay." He answered, his voice so quiet Kagome wasn't sure she had heard it.

She smiled encouragingly at him. "Alright then. Let me just get changed."

He quickly turned his back to face her as she rummaged around in the trunk at the foot of the bed. Producing her sleeping shirt she quickly changed before diving under the covers to keep warm as a winter chill froze the night.

Hearing the rustle of the covers, Inuyasha turned around to face the bed with a hesitant look on his face. She opened the covers invitingly. "Well, aren't you coming?"

He slowly began unbuttoning his plaid shirt before folding it to rest atop the cedar chest at the bottom of the bed. He pulled off his socks to leave him only clad in breeches before he slid beneath the covers, laying on the edge to leave as much space between them as possible.

Kagome modestly rolled to face away from him. She could feel the heat from his back as he moved to do the same. "See, is that so bad?" She asked, trying to hold the quiver from her voice at the unexpected depth of feeling she experienced from laying beside him. Though they had shared the bed when he was sick, she had not been aware of just how much warmth he emanated that night. Even in his human form, the heat was almost roasting when added to warmth of the fire.

"N..No." He stumbled. Rolling over, she could see the tension in his shoulders in an outline from the fire.

Smiling, she pushed herself up to lean over his upper shoulder and look down on him. He met her gaze with surprise. "Hey." She said. "It's just me. "

Slowly a smile inched across his face. "Kagome." He breathed, staring for an extra moment before rolling his eyes. "Now get off me, woman, and get some sleep. Try not to hog the bed like last time."

With a little laugh Kagome resumed her position on the other side of the bed facing away from him. "Good night, Inuyasha." She whispered with a smile.

"Night, Kagome." He answered just before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.