Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, VizMedia.

Chapter 38

Last Time…

Kagome's shoulders fell and she sighed. "I know. I just can't believe he would keep that from me."

"I asked him to. And he said he respected my boundaries and expected me to be the one to tell you. An agreement reliant on whether I re-enrolled at Tokyo Tech again. If I didn't, he was going to tell you." Souta wrinkled his nose and asked, "Did I get Inuyasha in trouble?"

"No… yes… I don't know, Souta," Kagome answered truthfully. "I think we've both had a long day and need to get to bed. I'll see you in the morning," she finished tiredly.

Souta watched as she gathered her work again and disappeared in her bedroom. Inside, Kagome was pacing again, hesitating as she stared at her phone. As she reached her hand out toward it, it began to ring, causing her to jump. Kagome took a moment to calm her breathing before answering.

"Kagome?" a worried voice asked.

Frowning in confusion, Kagome answered, "Speaking. Who's calling?"

"It's Ayame."

"Ayame?" Kagome shook her head and held her other hand to her temple. "What— how are you? How did you get this number?"

There was a slight hesitation before Ayame replied, "I looked up your father's file and saw you listed as the emergency contact. I'm sorry. I didn't know how else to reach you and I needed to talk to you—"

"It's fine, Ayame, really." Kagome cut off the other woman's panicked rambling. "Obviously, you really needed to reach me. What can I do for you?"

"It…" Kagome could hear Ayame stuttering on her end of the line.

Trying to make her voice as soft and soothing as possible, Kagome crooned, "Ayame, listen to me, everything will be fine. Just tell me what you needed to tell me."

"Can you meet me? I don't feel comfortable talking about it over the phone."

"Where are you?"

Ayame took a shaky breath over the phone. "I just got done with my shift at the hospital."

"Okay, take the train to Shibuya and I'll pick you up at the station. You can come over to my apartment."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll see you soon, Ayame."

Less than a half an hour later, Ayame sat quietly in Kagome's living room, her fingers wrapped around the cup of tea that Kagome handed her. Ayame smiled in thanks and nodded at Souta as he waved at the two women on his way to his bedroom.

"Night, nee-chan."

"Night, Souta. I'll give you a ride on my way to work tomorrow."

"Kagome, I'm a grown man. I can make it to class on my own. Besides, the campus is out of the way for you."

Kagome turned and put a hand on her hip. "So you're turning down the chance to sleep in an extra twenty minutes and avoid having to take public transportation?"

"Right. See you in the morning!" Souta chirped before disappearing into his room.

Ayame commented softly, "You two are very lucky to have each other."

"Can you mention that to him in the morning? Just so he knows?" Kagome joked. "What about you? Any siblings?"

"No… I… my mom had a tough time. She fell in with the wrong crowd and ran off. Then she had me and left me with my grandparents. My grandmother died before I even met Inuyasha. Then, it was just jii-chan and I until I started university. Then, he joined baa-chan. I've been on my own ever since."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said earnestly. "I can't imagine…"

Ayame shrugged and smiled back, understanding the other woman's sympathy and knowing that she had experienced similar pain in her own life. "You have your own pain to deal with," she voiced aloud.

Shifting uncomfortably, Ayame began hesitantly, "Kagome… I know that it's none of my business, but I'm a youkai and I can't help but notice— there's a lot of Inuyasha's scent in this apartment and none of your husband's. I just want to make sure that it's okay for me to be here or to be privy—"

The sound of Kagome's laughter stunned Ayame and she stared at the raven-haired women with wide eyes. Kagome settled and blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. But don't worry, Ayame, you're not privy to anything clandestine. Kouga and I… well we got divorced several months ago."

The bottom half of Ayame's mouth fell open and she quickly stopped her gaping to sputter out, "Oh… I—okay. Uhh… so I guess this means you and Inuyasha are…" Ayame waved her hands around grasping at empty air.

Kagome supplied, "Dating?"

"That's the word."

"Yeah, we are. Started dating casually and then I guess we fell into a real relationship a few months ago." Kagome shook her head and smiled at Ayame. Ayame weakly returned the smile and Kagome sighed as she sat next to her. "But that's not why you're here. So what's up? You sounded pretty shaken up on the phone."

Ayame frowned into her tea. "I think someone was following me." She closed her jade-colored eyes. "Been following me," she amended. "It's so hard to tell here. There are so many scents," she murmured under her breath.

"I'm glad you feel like you could come to me, Ayame, but what good am I about something like this?"

"I thought you could talk to Kouga…"

With a smirk, Kagome assured her, "If that's your reasoning, then I can still offer a member of the Tokyo force to be at your disposal. Why didn't you just call Inuyasha directly in the first place?"

Wringing her hands together, Ayame shrugged. "He and I haven't really spoken since your father's funeral and we kind of ended with an argument." She glanced up at Kagome with a hint of a blush.

"Sounds like Inuyasha, alright," Kagome commented wryly. "You know better, though, Ayame. If you mention something like this, he's going to help."

"I also didn't need to hear the arrogant bastard going on and on about how I can't catch the scent." Ayame rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. "He's right, though. He'd probably grab onto it before I could."

"That's between us. We don't need to feed his ego," Kagome warned playfully. Her expression sobered and she knit her eyebrows in contemplation. "Tell me more about what makes you feel like you're being followed— not that I doubt you—" she added quickly. "I just want a clearer picture."

Ayame's grip on the mug tightened and she quickly put it down on Kagome's coffee table before she broke it. "It's difficult to explain… I've been sensing something for at least a week, hopefully not any longer than that. I do my best to lose them on my way home from work, but I don't know if I've succeeded or they just want me to think that I have."

Kagome frowned in bemusement. "Why would someone be after you?"

"I don't know," Ayame whispered. She blinked quickly and Kagome could catch the hue of red that contrasted against her jade eyes as she fought back tears. "I don't—" her voice caught on a stifled sob.

Immediately, Kagome reached out and wrapped her arms around the other woman comfortingly. "It's okay," she promised. "We'll figure it out."

Kagome continued to utter soft assurances and waited several moments for Ayame to settle down. Once she did, Kagome pulled away while Ayame wiped at her eyes.

"Look, it's late. Why don't you crash here for tonight? I'd feel better knowing you were here than at home alone, especially when you've admitted you're not sure whether they've followed you there."

Ayame took a moment to respond and Kagome thought she was going to refuse. Then, Ayame asked quietly, "Would that be okay?"

Smiling warmly, Kagome guaranteed, "It's no problem. Hey, are you working tomorrow night?"

"No, I'm off tomorrow night."

"Perfect! Then you can catch up on your sleep here, if that's alright with you? And then, once I'm done at work, we can go see Inuyasha after and get his opinion."

"Thank you, Kagome."

The two rose from the couch and Kagome showed Ayame to the second spare bedroom, leaving her for a moment to return with a set of pajamas and another set of clothes.

"Oh, you didn't have to—"

Waving a hand at her, Kagome brushed away Ayame's protests. "You're a guest in my home. And a friend. You need my help and I'm giving it to you unequivocally."

She spoke gently yet with such firmness in her voice that Ayame knew it would be futile to argue with her. Ayame's expression softened and she smiled at Kagome.

"Inuyasha's lucky to have found you, you know," she commented. "As someone who's grown up with the cocky son of a bitch, trust me when I say that he couldn't have done a better job than finding you."

Kagome smiled to herself wistfully. "I think I'm the lucky one a lot of the time," she admitted.

"As long as you don't tell him that. Might go to his head."

Taking on an overexaggerated look of horror, Kagome gasped, "Kami forbid."

They laughed quietly until Kagome wished Ayame good night and returned to her own bedroom. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Kagome stared at it thoughtfully before sighing and finally settling in her bed. She kept tossing and turning in bed before groaning and reaching for her phone. Chewing on her lip, she dialed.

There was a click after only one ring.

"Everything okay?" Inuyasha asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"I'm sorry," Kagome moaned. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Yeah, me, neither it's four in the morning," Inuyasha whined. His voice sounded muffled and Kagome knew he had his face buried in his pillow. "But something has you worried, so spit it out."

At her silence, Inuyasha spoke again, his voice much clearer and more alert than a moment before. "Kagome? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine."

She could hear Inuyasha's relieved puff of breath and she settled against her pillows, staring at the twinkling lights that permeated through the gauzy curtains of the glass wall giving her a view of Shibuya.

"But someone isn't," Inuyasha guessed.

"When was the last time you spoke to Ayame?"

"Ayame? What happened?"

"Nothing, she's okay. She's spending the night here."

"Kagome, what the hell happened?" he demanded.

"Nothing happened… but I don't have a good feeling… I can't explain it."

Inuyasha rolled over in his bed and groaned, rubbing at his face with his free hand. He pulled the phone away so he could glance at the time, groaning again. He sat up and rested his elbows on his bent knees. "I'll talk to her tomorrow," he promised.

"Oh, I know you will. I already told her you would," she quipped.

Unable to fight the smirk curving his lips, Inuyasha chuckled. "Thanks for letting me know."

Kagome's soft laughter filtered through his phone and Inuyasha took a deep breath. He raised a quizzical brow when Kagome called out his name.

"Yeah?"

"Ayame mentioned that you two haven't spoken since my father's funeral. I didn't press Ayame on it, but please don't tell me that I got in the way between you two again."

"Oi, you aren't getting in the way of anything for me. Except maybe a full night of sleep." He frowned at her silence. "Kagome?"

"What—"

"I was being an idiot and didn't want to listen to her advice when she was right. She called me out on it. I didn't appreciate it and stormed off." Inuyasha sighed. "I promise it's not as big of a deal as it sounds. Don't dwell on it, Kagome."

"Okay," she finally agreed after a long silence, but Inuyasha could still hear the reluctance and curiosity in her voice.

"It's water under the bridge and is irrelevant. Kagome, trust me."

Inuyasha heard her sigh but when she repeated her agreement, it was with more confidence. Then, he heard shuffling sounds.

"What are you up to?"

"Well since I can't sleep, I might as well try and get the work I didn't get done earlier… done."

Inuyasha smirked at her huffiness and Kagome narrowed her eyes at her phone.

"I can tell by your silence that you have that annoyingly smug look on your face. Get rid of it."

"Not my fault you were procrastinating."

"It is when you're so distracting."

"Want some company?" he asked, as if he didn't hear her.

"Inuyasha," Kagome groaned. "If you come over, I can't focus on my work."

Inuyasha was already pulling a t-shirt on over his head and walking out of his apartment, heading for the stairwell to the roof. "I'll be on my best behavior."

"Sure you will," Kagome droned.

There was a faint scratching sound and Inuyasha knew that she had begun to make notes in the drafts of the big contract she was trying to close. That slightly dampened his mood. Despite his assurances, he had planned on distracting her mildly, since they were both awake. He inhaled deeply when he met the brisk air of the spring night. Inuyasha tensed his legs and was airborne within a heartbeat, the nightlife below him blurring by.

Kagome frowned at the silence on her phone. She lifted her eyes from the contract to glance at the screen to make sure they hadn't lost the call or that he hung up on her. Seeing that the call was still ongoing, she called out, "Hello? Inuyasha?"

She startled when her bedroom door opened, a grinning Inuyasha stepping through. He held his phone up and ended the call. Kagome blinked at first, then immediately scowled at him.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here? I should have known that you bullying the superintendent into giving you his copy of my apartment key was a bad idea— mmph!"

Inuyasha effectively ended Kagome's tirade by simply moving her files away from where they were spread out across her covers and lowering his head to capture her lips with his. Kagome soon responded, pressing back and immediately sliding her hands up his arms to cross behind his neck.

Once Inuyasha moved his lips to her neck, nipping at the spot just below her ear, Kagome breathlessly whispered, "I told you that you would be distracting."

Kagome felt his lips curve against hers in a satisfied smile before he pulled away, his gold eyes bright from the exhilaration of his run from his apartment and subsequent greeting.

"I didn't say I wouldn't be," he pointed out. "Just said that I'd be on my best behavior."

"And this is the best you could do?"

Inuyasha gave her another quick kiss, but his hands continued to slowly roam up her sides, light, teasing touches that didn't help Kagome in slowing down her breathing. She yelped, only to have Inuyasha muffle the sound by pressing their lips together again. Kagome had yelped because Inuyasha suddenly tightened his grip around her waist and tossed himself into her bed, rolling them so that he didn't crush her with his weight. It was his turn to be muffled by a kiss when Kagome ground her hips against his, causing him to groan lowly.

Kagome laughed lightly, prompting Inuyasha to open his eyes and bite back another groan. Kagome's lips lifted into a triumphant smile and she leaned down to place light kisses along his collarbone. She hummed lightly and settled against him, pillowing her head on his chest, her smile widening when his hand snaked along her arm to intertwine their fingers.

"You're going to leave me hanging?" he playfully whined.

Lifting her gaze towards his, Kagome rolled her eyes. "I didn't imagine our first time together in years would include having my little brother and your youkai best friend in the next few rooms."

"Hey, me neither, but I was ready to go!" he griped, his complaint marred by his grin.

"Hmm… believe me, I know." To prove her point, Kagome shifted as she lay on top of him and the sound of Inuyasha's sharp intake of breath filled the air around them.

Inuyasha let go of her hand to wrap his arms around her torso and rolled them onto their sides. He brushed her bangs from her eyes while the arm she was nestled against rubbed her back. In turn, Kagome traced patterns across his chest idly. They remained silent, lost in their own separate thoughts, but still connected to each other.

Finally, Inuyasha cleared his throat and leaned back against Kagome's pillows to stare at the ceiling. He breathed in her scent as it swarmed him, relaxing with each one. He asked quietly, "So let's say the next time I'm over and you don't happen to have an overabundance of house guests?"

Kagome chuckled and angled her head up to look at him. Sensing her movement, Inuyasha didn't turn his head, but his golden gaze slid towards her. Kagome wrinkled her nose.

"I don't like the idea of planning it out like that… it feels so clinical. I say, if it happens, it happens." She laughed again. "Which, knowing you—"

"I'm dragging you over to my place where no one ever crashes."

Kagome's next reply was cut off by a large yawn and she felt Inuyasha's torso rumble as he laughed. He turned back towards her and kissed the crown of her head as he felt a wave of lethargy come over him.

"Finally able to put your mind to rest?"

"No, the idea of having sex with you just happened to make me sleepy."

Inuyasha growled and poked her in the ribs, but she merely swatted his hand away. With another yawn, Kagome nodded to his previous question and pressed herself closer to him, nestling her head on his shoulder. Inuyasha felt her kiss the exposed skin of his shoulder from where his sleeve rolled up.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She hummed and took a deep, even breath. "It feels like that's all I'm doing is thanking you."

"Unnecessary," he mumbled.

"Very necessary," she replied.

"Kagome?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Inuyasha held his breath, waiting for something. He could hear himself swallow in the silence and continued to wait, anxiety rising and causing his chest to tighten. He lifted his chin from where he rested it on top of Kagome's head to lean back and peer at her, wondering if perhaps Kagome had already fallen asleep. At the sight of her, he released a trembling breath. She peered up at him, the false moonlight from the Tokyo skyline catching in her light brown eyes. They were filled with awe and warmth— all directed at him. This was the sight that caused Inuyasha to lose his breath.

The corners of Kagome's lips quirked up slightly in contentment. She reached up from in between them and cupped his cheek. Inuyasha gulped again in anticipation and Kagome's smirk stretched into a complete smile.

"I love you, too," she said, as if it were the most obvious, simple truth.

Hearing her say that to him for the first time in years gave Inuyasha such a feeling of completion he was shocked to blink and then feel Kagome's fingertips pat his cheeks gently, dragging away the wetness.

"Inuyasha?" she asked worriedly.

"I never thought I'd be able to hear you say that to me again," he confessed, his voice rough.

Kagome reached up to kiss him, murmuring, "I love you," against his lips repeatedly, punctuating each statement with another kiss.

"Have I satisfied your need to hear those words from me now?" she teased as she settled back down, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No fucking chance," Inuyasha snorted. Despite the gruffness of his words, his actions, as usual, spoke the truth as his fingers traced Kagome's face delicately. "Better get some sleep."

Yawning once more, Kagome nodded. "Won't find an argument from me," she said, sleep slurring her words.

Inuyasha chuckled under his breath and tugged her closer to him. It was the best night of sleep either of them had in years.

Edited May 2019