'What was I thinking…'

Kagome groaned as she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin atop them.

She had panicked as soon as breakfast was over. She had gone too far. This was not the same as mindless banter with Kouga.

Sirius was not Kouga. His eyes and his touch had revealed volumes about the depth of his emotions. She could not let him develop feelings for her.

'It's just wrong…'

She had seen emotions in Sirius that she had wanted to see in Inuyasha.

'What does it matter? I'm not in love with Sirius…'

However she tried to fight it, the truth was that she was hopelessly in love with Inuyasha. The only reason for her attraction to Sirius was because of all those glimpses of Inuyasha that she could see in him. But it was not enough…she didn't want a substitute. She wanted the real thing.

'Oh, why can't that moron behave a bit more like Sirius…'

She had run like the wind all the way from Sirius' house to their tent. She had run till her legs had cramped and she had stitches in her side. She did not know who she was running away from – Sirius or herself - and she did not care. She just needed to get away from it all.

'What was I thinking…'

She banged her head against her knee, hurting both parts in the process.

The flap of the tent opened, revealing a blood red haori. Inuyasha walked in, looking concerned.

"Poop-head said you wanted to be left alone…"

Kagome turned her face away.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"What's the matter, Kagome?"

"Nothing! Go away!"

Instead of leaving, as she had expected him to do, Inuyasha came closer, and stood in front of her. Still Kagome kept her face averted from him.

"Kagome, talk to me…please."

Kagome looked up. She was surprised to hear the pain and anguish in his voice. His bangs fell darkly upon his face; his eyelashes were quivering with an unknown emotion.

"You're being so cold ever since we fought…it's tearing up my heart. I can't go on like this – I want my old, loving Kagome back."

He knelt down in front of her, like one doing penance, and placed a hand upon her knee. Kagome's heart started dancing faster and faster within her chest. She almost held her breath, her whole body shivering – whether from the cold or his touch, she didn't know.

"What can I do to make things better for you?" he asked in a voice as small as a butterfly's wing.

Something burst within Kagome. The tears that were sealed away in a dark place through all his harsh words gushed and spilled out at his gentleness.

"Go away, Inuyasha!" she repeated as she buried her face within her knees.

Inuyasha embraced Kagome, who was sobbing bitterly. His finger coaxed her face up, as he wiped her tears with his thumbs. He knew that of he, Kagome and Kikyou, she was in the most difficult place. Even so, she had always stuck by his side when she could so easily have run away. When he honestly looked at it, what he was going through did not even compare.

"I've hurt you a lot, haven't I?" his voice was hoarse, broken.

His eyes looked into hers, full of sorrow and regret.

"I'm sorry…it won't happen again."

Kagome pulled away slightly, looking at his face through a haze of tears.

"What are you talking about? You've already chosen Kikyou."

Inuyasha shook his head, his silver mane falling loosely over her arms as he drew her in a tighter embrace. His cheek brushed against hers, causing goose pimples to rise all over her skin. His lips ghosted over her ears as he whispered.

"I chose you, Kagome…it has always been you."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know if she could dare believe what she just heard. Her breath came in slow, halting gasps.

"But-"

"Shh...don't cry."

"No...it can't be..."

His lips claimed hers before she could say another word. It was like the swift assault of the storm, without the slightest warning.

Before she could realize, her senses had begun to slip as she was bathed and engulfed in his aura.

The soft urgency of his lips took her by surprise, its dark intensity threatening to drown her in oceans of desire. His fangs grazed lightly over the corners of her lips, making her shiver in delight. She opened her mouth fully to him, their breaths mingling in ecstatic trance.

His wandering hand sought and found the nape of her neck while hers roamed all over his back. She crushed her body against his, holding him tighter than ever, holding on to every fiber of his being, as though she wanted to weld every part of her body with his. Through that one kiss she sought his heart and soul, and he answered with a matching passion, pouring all his love into the act. At that moment time and space had dissolved, the quest had dissolved, the earth had dissolved, reality had dissolved – only the lovers remained, all else was forgotten…

It was a kiss she would remember till the hour of her death.

The flap of the tent opened, revealing a blood red haori.

Inuyasha walked in.

Roused from her reverie, Kagome smiled bitterly to herself.

Her hands were clutching the empty air, her body was pressed against nothing.

She opened her palm, releasing the air trapped within. Just like that, she released her dream.

She knew it was all just a dream, sheer wishful thinking...

What a contrast between her dreams and reality...

He hadn't even bothered to say hello, much less notice her anguish.

She was expecting as much. How could it be something other than a dream? Nothing more could ever come of their relationship as long as Kikyou was there to poison things.

If she could even call it a relationship, that is…

Kagome shook her head, trying to banish those crazy, stupid thoughts from her mind.

Inuyasha walked up to her rucksack nonchalantly and started rummaging through it.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kagome asked, her voice spiked with irritation.

"I'm looking for ninja food. You said you'd brought some," he replied, still without looking up. Putting his nose against the bag he sniffed around the edge. "Damn! I can smell it alright. Why don't I see it?"

Kagome took a deep breath. She knew things were going to become unpleasant.

"The reason you can't see it, Inuyasha, is because I already shared it with Sirius."

The hanyou slowly raised his head from the bag.

"You did what?"

"You didn't want to have breakfast so I gave it to Sirius," Kagome said defiantly.

Flames of fury swirled within his golden eyes.

"You bitch! You promised to give it to me!"

Kagome stood up from where she was sitting and gave Inuyasha a withering look. It pleased her to see the look of panic in his eyes.

'Yeah, you know what's coming your way, don't you?'

"You promised…" he said in a smaller voice.

"Well, that was before you made dinner plans with Kikyou!" Kagome thundered, "I've had enough of your bad moods and belligerent attitude, osuwari!"

The beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed as he was pulled down with an unseen force toward the ground.

"Aaaarrrgghhh! What the hell are you doing?!"

"You selfish jerk, you're always making me so mad! Osuwari! Osuwari! Why don't you ever leave me alone? Osuwari! Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka! Osuwari!"

Kagome tossed her head and marched out of the tent, leaving behind an Inuyasha-shaped crater, a cloud of dust coming out of it.

"That felt good…"