Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I'm just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I've created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.

New Beginnings

"Maybe…maybe I know more about that than you think."

A virtual symphony of shocked gasps rang out behind Inuyasha, completely robbing him of his momentary bravado. Kouga's dumbfounded expression really brought it home to him. This was real; he had actually said that aloud. Nervous would not begin to describe how he felt. All eyes were squarely on him; he could feel them boring holes in his back. He was surrounded, backed into a corner, and natural instincts kicked in. And since there was no enemy to fight, the only thing left was flight. He had never been one to run from adversity, but this was completely different from anything he'd ever faced before. This was the prelude to asking Kagome to be his mate, and he was now realizing that he had absolutely no idea what he was going to do or say. The awkwardness and uncertainty weighed heavily upon him, and he couldn't handle the pressure. He panicked.

"This is stupid," he declared without turning around. "I'm going hunting. Set up camp somewhere that doesn't reek of wolf." With that, he was gone, darting across the open ground until he reached the familiar and comforting shelter of the trees. He glanced back over his shoulder once his body was concealed by shadow, waiting until he saw Kouga depart before treading deeper into the forest. He had a lot of thinking to do.

For her part, Kagome simply stood stock still, staring straight ahead in total disbelief even as Inuyasha made his hasty withdrawal. The only thing her conscious mind was capable of at the moment was repeating his words over and over again. "Maybe…maybe I know more about that than you think." The 'that' of course was loving her, a fact which ballooned her excitement so much that she was hard pressed not to float away on it. The only thing keeping her grounded was past hurt, the part of her that clung despairingly to the memories of Inuyasha abandoning her to go off to see Kikyou. But she wanted to believe him so badly; if only he hadn't been so ambiguous about it! If he really did love her, then everything that had occurred in these past few months made sense. Their closeness, the kisses, the almost-kisses, the attraction, the arousal…all of it would be explained if he felt the same way about her as she did about him. That did seem to be the only logical explanation; Inuyasha wasn't a player, and he wouldn't have allowed all that to happen if he didn't have strong feelings for her. Was it love? She could only hope. No, she could also ask him, communicate with him about it. Her resolve solidified; by the end of the night, she would know for sure whether she and Inuyasha had a future together or not.

"Kagome," Kouga tried for the fifth time, but again received no response. The miko continued to be stand there as lifeless as a statue. He didn't know what disturbed him more: her reaction to Inuyasha's words or the fact that she was ignoring him to think about them. He tried to be angry, but his heart clenched in anguish as it comprehended what his rational mind still refused to accept: Kagome was gone, her heart out of reach.

"Maybe you should go, Kouga," the monk advised, genuine sympathy leaking into his tone. Kouga could only nod dumbly, sparing one more glance at Kagome, who was still oblivious to the world, before speeding off. As he ran, some of the desolation that had gripped him bled away, to be replaced by determination. He would not give up on Kagome so easily. How did he even know how strong her feelings were for Inuyasha? Even if she did…love the mutt, there was no guarantee that the baka wouldn't screw it up. Catching Kagome on the rebound was decidedly less than optimal, but it would be better than not having her at all. He would return, and continue his courtship of his woman. So why did it feel like he'd already lost?

"Kagome-chan," Sango called, waving her arms in front of her friend's face, to no avail; Kagome remained firmly immersed in her stupor. But Miroku had an idea, a sure-fire way to bring their companion back to reality. He crept up behind her, and ever so slowly his right hand inched toward the gentle rise of her ass. Unfortunately, Kagome's hanyou senses apparently came with groping proximity sensors, because she snapped out of it before his hand made contact. Moving quicker than the human eye could follow, she spun toward him, lashing out and pushing him in the chest while simultaneously sticking her leg out behind his. The end result was Miroku lying flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky and wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Oof!" he exclaimed as Kagome stepped on his stomach on her way over him. She resumed their previous course, still looking quite distracted, but at least now aware of the world around her. Sango's lovely countenance came into his view next, as she hovered over him shaking her head. But he could see she was trying to stifle a smile, so that was a good thing.

"You got what you deserved, Houshi-sama," she said, offering him a hand up, which he took gratefully.

"My dear Sango, you misunderstand," he replied as he heaved himself to his feet. "I was merely trying to—"

"Save it, Houshi-sama. You're just lucky she didn't use one of the other moves I showed her."

"You taught her that take-down?" he asked incredulously. Sango merely smirked in response, giving him his answer. "Remind me not to grope Kagome-sama ever again."

"Oh, I think Inuyasha will give you enough of a reminder if you ever try it."

Miroku grimaced. "Good point."

The rest of the gang caught up with Kagome easily enough. The miko was secretly considering tracking Inuyasha down, but decided to give him the time he needed. He would return when he was ready. By late afternoon, however, her patience had begun to wear thin. They were already setting up camp, and darkness was only a couple hours away. She was beginning to get quite edgy; it was becoming harder to sit and wait for him with each passing second.

"Where's Inuyasha? I'm hungry," Shippou complained.

"Sorry, Shippou," Miroku replied, "but the only thing Inuyasha is hunting for is answers to life's most important questions."

"Aww, but he said he was going hunting for dinner."

Seeing her opportunity, Kagome shot to her feet. "If Inuyasha's not getting food, I will. I'll go hunting!"

Sango and Miroku shared a dubious look, but chose not to comment on where they knew she was really going.

"Okay, Kagome-chan. Be safe!" Sango called dramatically, a poor acting job if Miroku had ever seen one. He dared not voice that thought aloud; his head was enjoying not having any lumps on it. But Kagome didn't seem to care about Sango's obvious humoring effort, as she nodded and darted enthusiastically off into the forest.

"Things will never be the same," Miroku declared wistfully as he rummaged around in the miko's bag for some ninja food.

"What do you mean, Houshi-sama?"

"Come now, Sango. We both know she's going to look for Inuyasha, and when she finds him…well, let's just say they'll be getting very close tonight." His words were vague, but his tone left no doubt as to what he meant. Sango flushed lightly despite herself.

"I-I don't think they'll go that far so soon."

"Really? You don't think they'll be, shall we say, 'connected in body' by the time they come back to camp?"

"I wouldn't bet on it."

Miroku's grin widened at this, as if a marvelous new idea had occurred to him. Sango was suddenly very worried, and for good reason.

"Bet on it, you say? What a wonderful idea!"

"W-what? I didn't—"

"I accept your challenge, Sango. Now, what are the terms?"

"NO! We are not betting on whether our friends are doing to…that tonight!"

Miroku shrugged nonchalantly, but Sango could tell he was still up to something. "Well, I can understand if you're afraid, Sango."

The taijiya clenched her fists. He's baiting you. Don't fall for it! She knew this, and yet, how could she back down from a challenge like that? The monk was basically calling her a coward! Her warrior pride couldn't take an insult like that sitting down, not by a long shot. And since she couldn't in good conscience beat the monk to a bloody pulp for his indiscretion…

"Fine! If I win, um…I'll think of something."

Miroku chuckled. "Fair enough. Now, what do I get if I win? Hmmm…"

"If it's anything hentai the deal's off," Sango warned, reaching for hiraikotsu. The monk waved his hands as if to physically dispel that notion.

"Nothing like that! How about… How about a kiss?"

"A k-k-kiss?" Sango repeated, turning deathly pale. Kagome's words from the hot spring all those weeks ago came back to her. "It was amazing, Sango-chan," Kagome continued, completely lost in the memory. "I've never felt so alive, so connected to Inuyasha." "He deepened it too; we even tangled tongues." Thinking of doing that with Miroku made Sango blush crimson, but at the same time she was more than a little curious what it would be like.

"Shall I take your silence as a 'yes?'" Miroku posed, clearly amused. Hesitating only briefly, Sango nodded, hoping that she hadn't just made a colossal mistake. I hope Kagome doesn't get too mad at me for this.

"Kirara," the forgotten kitsune asked, "why are adults so complicated?"

*Mew*

Inuyasha sighed again, not quite believing that after hours of contemplation, he had yet to come up with any real answers. There were a thousand and one ways to reveal his true feelings to Kagome, but none of them seemed right, and he hadn't been able to settle on one. But was that really a bad thing? Maybe with something like this, he was better off just winging it. He scoffed inwardly. Yeah, 'cause that's always been my strong suit. He had tasted his proverbial foot—and quite literal dirt—in his mouth too many times to have any illusions about his speaking ability.

But he couldn't put this off any longer. If Kagome was half as anxious as he was, she was probably pacing around the camp by now. Leaping down from the tree he was perched in, he set off to rejoin his friends. It was easy enough to locate the trail they had taken, and he simply followed their scents. Suddenly a new scent reached his nostrils, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. It was Kagome's scent but fresher, as if he was actually smelling her this time and not merely tracking an aroma clinging to nature. His heartbeat doubled and his breathing became rapid. Gulping, he hesitantly swerved into the forest, pushing his way through the underbrush. He tried to calm his nerves as he went, but was largely unsuccessful. This was it. Kagome was alone—he'd yell at her later for that—but this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. One way or another, his life would never be the same after today. There was no room for the status quo; it was either happiness or heartbreak.

He came upon her rather suddenly, but his natural stealth allowed him to remain undetected. Or maybe that was because Kagome was concentrating really hard on something. Regardless, the sight of her filled him with dread. She looked to be struggling with herself, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. He hurled himself forward, hollering as he went.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome kicked at a stone, mentally berating herself. Did I really just tell them I was going hunting? That has to be the lamest excuse ever. I've never gone hunting in my life! She knew they hadn't bought it, but was grateful they humored her anyway. At least she was out of camp, and could look for Inuyasha. Now, how would she go about doing that? One option was to backtrack to where they met Kouga, find his trail, and follow it until she found him. But that could take hours, and she was reluctant to stray too far from camp in case he returned on his own. So that left just searching the surrounding area and hoping he was sitting in a tree somewhere nearby. Frustration set in after about fifteen minutes of searching and not catching a hint of his scent.

Suddenly, a brown blob darted out of a bush directly to her right, startling her and sending her jumping back a good ten feet, hissing like a frightened cat. She stopped as she saw what the creature was. A rabbit. A stupid, furry rabbit. She had accidentally stumbled upon its hiding place, forcing it to scurry away. Now it sat perched on a rock, gazing at her warily with one eye. The insolent little rodent gave her an idea, one that revolted her at first. It took her several minutes to talk herself into it. Well, you did tell them you were going hunting. Still, could she really bring herself to kill, even if it was for food? Meat was an essential part of the diets of human and youkai alike. And so far, Inuyasha was the only one who provided it. He was the only one who had to take life, or get his hands dirty doing it. Hell, he was the sole reason why any of them ever ate meat. If it weren't for Inuyasha, she probably would have become a de facto vegetarian by now. Miroku's travel funds barely covered the occasional stay at an inn, never mind hearty meals for the six of them. That was one reason he usually resorted to phony exorcisms.

Why did Inuyasha have to hunt all the time when she, as a hanyou, was perfectly capable of doing it? In many ways, she reflected, she still behaved like a human. And if she was going to remain a hanyou for the rest of her life, she had to start acting like one. So now her mind was made up, but there still remained the actual catching and killing of the rabbit. Catching the critter was the easy part; a short burst and an even shorter chase later, and she had it pinned to the ground by its neck. But how did she dispatch it? Claws? Suffocation? Why hadn't she put any thought into this?

Then she made the mistake of looking into the creature's eyes, and her fragile resolve collapsed like a tower of cards. Huge and black the orbs were, but filled with absolute panic. The rabbit's breathing was unbelievably fast, the little legs flailing wildly as it tried to break free. Kagome tried to hold back her tears, but they came unabated as she raised her free hand to deliver the finishing blow. She lost count of the number of times she started to strike only to stop while her hand was still in the air. Eventually, the rabbit ceased struggling; it was still breathing hard, but seemed resigned to its fate now. Either that or it was too exhausted to continue. Kagome trembled in indecision, wavering at the point of no return for what seemed like hours. But she had to do this, if only to prove to herself that she wasn't the most helpless hanyou to ever roam the planet. If Inuyasha saw her like this, agonizing over some stupid rodent's life, what would he say?

That thought cinched it for Kagome, as she closed her eyes and plunged her hand downward. She heard her name being called just before a large weight slammed into her from the side, tackling her to the ground. The lucky rabbit slipped from her grasp and scampered in the undergrowth. Kagome struggled for a moment before her mind caught up with her and she recognized the voice. She went completely limp, sobbing into the familiar haori as Inuyasha carefully lifted her to sit in his lap.

"Kagome," he uttered softly, "what the hell were you doing?"

It took the miko several minutes to calm down enough to answer. "I'm sorry," she muttered, eyes downcast.

"For what?"

"For being so weak."

Instantly, Inuyasha understood. "Baka!" he spit out without thinking, only succeeding in making Kagome feel worse. Sobering when she became even more miserable, he sighed.

"Kagome," he tried, but she still refused to raise her head. "Kagome, look at me," he ordered, gently gripping her chin and lifting it. Finally their eyes locked, and he saw so many conflicting emotions in those chocolate orbs: sadness, remorse, relief, self-loathing. Was it any wonder she was crying? He tenderly ran his thumb along her cheek, wiping away the stubborn moisture that clung there.

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, Kagome," Inuyasha continued. "Just because you can't kill a rabbit doesn't make you weak. Killing…it's not easy."

"B-but you kill animals for food all the time!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I do it because I have to. I don't enjoy it."

"I know that," Kagome told him. "I just didn't realize it was so hard."

"Feh. Do you have any idea how long it took me to be able to kill?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at rapt attention, waiting for him to continue. It took a minute or two to gather his thoughts as long forgotten memories came flooding back.

"My mother died in spring," he said at last. "All during the summer and fall, I survived on fruits, nuts, whatever edible plant life I could find plus the meat I stole from human villages. Then winter came, and all of that disappeared. Humans can be very protective of food when there isn't much of it to go around. I was nearly slain a couple times. I knew I would have to go hunting, but I was just a brat, and I couldn't bring myself to kill an animal that had done me no wrong. I don't know how many rabbits I caught and let go. Finally it got to the point where it was either kill an animal or starve to death. So I did. I killed a rabbit. Afterwards, I was so guilty that I said a prayer for it. I don't do that anymore, but I still have respect for all the animals I take. And I'm still grateful." His story told, Inuyasha closed his eyes as poignant emotions bubbled within him. But somehow, just the simple act of sharing some of his past with Kagome seemed to make him feel better. Until he smelled her renewed tears, that is.

"Wh-why are you crying now?" he groaned.

"It's so sad!" she balled, frantically drying her eyes. "Almost everything you say about your past is just horrible!"

"It gets better."

"Inuyasha?" she wondered. He tried to think of something to say, but it was useless. How could he possibly tell her how much better his life had gotten since she came into it? How could he ever hope to communicate how much she meant to him? For a man not skilled with words, such a task could prove impossible. But he knew a place to start, a non-verbal way to show her everything she was to him. He raised his right hand, caressing her cheek as he slowly leaned closer. Kagome seemed to realize what he was doing almost immediately, as her eyes widened and then drooped closed. She leaned forward as well, and this time there were no friends or annoying animals to interrupt them.

Their lips met in a burst of effervescent heat, and it was like coming home for both of them. It had been far, far too long. They had reached an oasis; weeks of wandering in the desert with parched throats were at an end. And they savored the cool nourishment, indulging in each other to their hearts' content. The kiss remained chaste for all of two seconds before both of them opened up at the same time. Perhaps they were sharing some sort of mental telepathy, connected by their lips? Or maybe it was just that they wanted the exact same thing, and were equally determined to get it. Their tongues tangled, plundering, pillaging, fighting a battle that both wanted to win but would be equally as content to lose. And they did lose. They lost themselves in the kiss, the devastating passion that seemed to set their bodies and souls afire with want. Those same souls were stripped bare when they finally pulled back to gaze into each other's eyes. No secrets, nothing remained hidden as they searched and found exactly what they were looking for in the other's shimmering orbs.

"Inuya—" Kagome started to say, only to be cut off by Inuyasha's lips. While the first kiss had been ardent, tinged with hints of longing and desperation, this one was far more languid. They took their time, leisurely exploring, memorizing the contours of the warm caverns in which they would be happy to spend all eternity. The languorous pace did nothing to cool the heat of their bodies or the rapid beating of their hearts. When they pulled back a second time, Inuyasha was in a state of tranquil euphoria. As if kissing her wasn't enough, just a glance at her told him everything he needed to know and gave him the courage to say what he needed to say. She wanted this as much as he did. But he would never be satisfied with just a glance. He wanted to look at this woman for the rest of his life. He wanted to watch her smile, laugh, cry out in ecstasy. He wanted to see her bring new life into the world, glow with pride as she observed their children, and finally grow old and weary as life inexorably waned. He wanted to watch her, and be by her side through all of it. Nothing else in the world mattered.

"Kagome," he breathed, testing out his voice to make sure he still had the ability to speak. A bit shaky, but it would have to do. Gripping both her hands firmly in his, he finally gave voice to his strongest desire. "Stay with me," he said simply. "Forever."

Kagome lit up with excitement at that last word, but it was restrained. "Inuyasha?" she questioned, silently pleading for something more substantial, hoping he could finally say the words she longed to hear. He didn't even hesitate.

"Kagome, I want to spend my life with you. I never want to leave your side. I want to have children with you, raise a family. I want… Would you…would you be my mate?"

As much as she wanted to say yes, and shout that answer to the heavens, there was something holding Kagome back. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was, and Inuyasha soon caught on without Kagome having to voice her concern. Far from being upset, he smiled wistfully at the memory.

"The last time I saw Kikyou, I told her I wasn't going to hell with her, and she released me. She said I was free to live…and love."

Kagome's eyes opened wide as saucers and Inuyasha met her stare unblinking, silently conveying everything left unsaid, confirming the deepest desires of her heart. This time it was Kagome who initiated the lip lock, as she firmly planted her lips on his. Inuyasha responded instantly, rising up and pulling her closer. Unconsciously Kagome moved until she was straddling his hips, wrapped intimately around him.

"Inuyasha…I love you too," she managed to mutter before her lips were hungrily consumed once more.

Adult Content Removed - see author's profile for information on where you can find the full chapter

Drowsiness snuck up on them rather quickly, and they slipped into slumber snuggled together under Inuyasha's haori. A passing observer would have witnessed a truly stunning display. Two glowing auras, fierce crimson and gorgeous blue, rose into the night sky, swirling around each other until they were impossible to distinguish. Then they descended as one back into their hosts, and the darkness of night reclaimed the small clearing.