Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

840 words, originally posted on 4-2-14

A note: A cute reviewer told me that Inuyasha was a little yandere last chapter (thanks Kin-Sung!), and she's totally right, though I didn't intentionally write him that way. I think Inuyasha is naturally a tsundere character, but I didn't mean to make him a psycho! I tried to explain away his behavior a bit in this chapter, and I promise he'll come around eventually (at least a little).

Thanks also to My Eternal Anguish! I love your reviews, you guys! Keep them coming, since they keep me going! See you on Friday.

"Maybe it's true that I can't live without you,

And maybe two is better than one.

There's much time to figure out the rest of my life,

And you've already got me coming undone.

And I'm thinking two is better than one."

Getting Closer

Kouga slid slowly down the kendojo wall in relief. He held and arm over his eyes and listened to Kagome wish the last of their biking safety customers well as they left.

"Please return for our next class," she told the newcomers, handing her a schedule with times and dates as she made her way out the door. After the last person had left, Kagome whirled back into the main room, pulling a startled Kouga up off the floor with both hands and doing a little twirl in his arms before giving him a huge hug.

"You were fantastic!" she gushed, beaming up at him. "I couldn't imagine a better first class if I had conducted it myself."

"Eh…" Kouga murmured, rubbing his neck shyly, "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Kagome."

The pair had the gym to themselves; Kagome had insisted that Inuyasha's attitude would only put off the customers and make Kouga nervous on his first day speaking in front of such a large crowd. While Kouga conceded that he wasn't very comfortable in a public speaking role, mostly because he was still a little self-conscious about his accent, he wasn't convinced that the number of people who showed up would constitute a crowd. He had been pleasantly surprised when more than double the amount of people he expected attended their first class.

It was obvious that several of the patrons were regulars at the dojo, but there were quite a few new people as well. For the first time, Kouga thought that he might actually be able to continue working with Kagome for more than a few weeks, which was exciting enough in its own right. The prospect of their bicycle classes growing also meant that he might start making money at his shop, which was a hope he hadn't dared entertain since moving to America.

"All you needed was a little encouragement," Kagome argued. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't have eventually figured out yourself. And I thought you'd be nervous talking to so many people, but you're a total natural," she gushed.

"Well, back home, I'm…" Kouga started before trailing off embarrassedly, a brilliant flush lighting his face.

"You're…" Kagome promted, smiling brightly.

"Well, see, back home, I have a pack. A pretty big one. And I'm sort of like the leader, so it's not talking to big groups that bothers me so much as it is talking in English."

"We can talk in Japanese when it's just us if that makes you more comfortable," Kagome offered kindly.

They had never discussed it, but it was fairly obvious from her appearance and comments she had made that Kagome had grown up in Japan, at least for awhile. In fact, with the possible exception of Miroku, it seemed all Kagome's friends were from his beautiful eastern island. Kouga assumed at some point they would become closer and share their pasts, but thus far their relationship had been dedicated to spontaneity and living in the moment.

"That's ok," Kouga assured her, "it's better for me to practice my English." He hesitated for a moment, and then ventured, before he could change his mind, "You speak English very well. You don't really even have an accent. Have you lived in the United States that long?"

"Hmmm," Kagome bit her lip thoughtfully, "I suppose about ten years now or so. My family still lives in Japan, on that shrine I told you about. Actually, we named this dojo after my shrine!"

"Really?" Kouga asked, a bit surprised to learn she was so sentimental.

"When I first moved here and met Inuyasha, and we decided to open a business together, I still missed home an awful lot. So he offered to name our place after something I loved." Kagome smiled fondly at the memory. "I've long since accepted that New York is my home, but I still remember those days when I first moved and it was so hard. I can't imagine how much worse it is for you, leaving an entire pack behind. Even Inuyasha didn't have to deal with that; as a half demon, he wasn't really accepted into a pack."

"I can't imagine why," Kouga muttered bitterly under his breath, but Kagome heard him.

"I know Inuyasha has been giving you a tough time, but I swear he's actually a really sweet guy," Kagome grinned ruefully. "He can get a little protective, just like Sesshoumaru, and he's not used to sharing me with anyone else. He'll come around, I promise."

"I can understand being protective about someone like you, Kagome, if nothing else," Kouga confessed quietly.

As usual, Kagome didn't make the moment awkward at all, but had a unique way of putting him completely at ease. Punching him lightly in the arm and standing, she quipped, "I don't think I'm the one who needs protecting in this relationship."

"Hey!" Kouga protested, but as she collapsed into giggles, he couldn't hold it against her.

Life really was so much better with a friend.