Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe or any of the popular name brand apps, products, services, etc. The rest is mine.

Chapter 16

Kagome hazily and slowly awoke to the most wonderful sensations. There was a well-stoked heat throbbing between her legs, and she felt lips pressing tender and almost loving kisses to her clavicle. A masculine hand gently massaged her breast, and she felt an erection poking her thigh. This was a wonderful dream she was having. Now, she just needed to direct said dream man to rub her clit, and her dream would change from wonderful to amazing.

She heard dream man's lips gently smack against her skin as he pressed another kiss to her shoulder...and suddenly, her dream felt a little too real. She opened her eyes as she realized that she wasn't alone, and there really was a naked man hovering over here. She wacked the side of his head and turned on the lamp as she bolted up, and he yelped in pain.

Fuck.

She just hit her boyfriend.

"Inuyasha," she yelled in concern, gathering the poor man into her arms. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized, examining his right cheek. It was pink, but it wouldn't bruise.

"What was that for?" he ground out, clearly trying to get his emotions in check.

"I just woke up...and there was some guy hovering over me and touching me—"

"—Me! I'm 'some guy'!"

"But I didn't know it was you, at first. You scared the shit out of me! What were you doing anyways?"

He mumbled something she couldn't hear, and she asked him to repeat himself.

"I was trying to give you some of the vanilla you like," he blushed, and she smiled softly.

"You wanted to wake me up with sex?"

"No, I was getting you ready for sex. I was going to wait until you were awake for the actual sex," he grumbled.

"Why didn't you just wait until I was awake to start?"

"I thought you'd like the surprise."

"Yeah, well...your surprise scared me half to death! I thought someone was trying to take advantage of me!"

He shot her a look that said that's exactly what he was trying to do.

"Not like that," she sighed. "I thought someone was forcing himself on me."

"Oh," he whispered, looking down rather dejectedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't think...I just know how much I like waking up to that…"

"It's ok," she smiled warmly, cupping his cheek. She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and noticed that since she had smacked him and scared the ever loving shit out of him, his erection had lost quite a bit of altitude.

God...did she know how to kill a mood or what?

"I'm sorry I ruined your master plan," she grinned weakly. He shrugged and gave her a shy smile.

"It's fine. Now I know that move goes into the Pistachio category. I'm sorry I scared you. I really didn't mean to...I just…" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just wanted to give you a nice surprise since I woke up before you and realized that my smoking hot girlfriend was actually here and was going to spend the day with me...I just...I got excited and forgot myself. I didn't think it could come off that way," he smiled smally.

"Why don't we just cuddle instead? Not everything we do has to be about sex. I like waking up to just...you," she asked shyly.

"You're sure after that?"

"Very," she replied with a nod, encouraging him to lay down next to her. He gathered her into his arms and sighed in contentment.

He had thought that she had mostly wanted that out of this arrangement. Sex. And while it was fun, he liked this, too. He loved the feel of her in his arms and the way her small body fit against his. This was nice.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked after a moment, running his fingers through her hair.

"After those three scoops you gave me last night? I slept very well."

"Good," he purred, drawing her closer and nuzzling her neck. "Did you want to go to the farmers market today?"

"We can."

"I'm sure we can, but is that what you want to do?" he pressed, and she giggled.

"Yeah. I'd like that a lot."

"Then that's what we'll do," he decided, placing a kiss on her shoulder. "I really do like having you here with me."

"I love being here with you," she echoed, and his ears started ringing.

"You love being with me?"

Her eyes widened and she blushed. "I didn't say I loved you. Don't start reading into things, Takahashi!"

"But would you still love being with me if I did?"

"Stop being a pain."

"Because then you won't love being with me anymore?"

She frowned and pushed away from him, thoroughly embarrassed.

"I'm going to go and get dressed," she grumbled. He quickly caught her around the waist as she sat up, and he pulled her back down onto the bed. She yelped in surprise before scowling at him - he looked like the cat who just ate the canary.

"What if I told you that I love spending time with you, too? Would that make you feel better?"

"Only if it were true," she mumbled, and his grin widened.

"Kagome Higurashi," he said, his features smoothing out to give her a very serious look. She could tell from his eyes that he wasn't joking around anymore. "I love spending as much time with you as I can, and I don't want this weekend to end," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I don't want it to end either," she whispered back, biting her lip as a little voice inside reminded her that she should be glad that she still had the whole weekend with him. Soon, the summer would end, and then he wouldn't be hers anymore.

She felt her throat restrict at that final thought and pulled him down for a sweet, tender kiss.

He moaned lightly at the contact, and he had a stupid smile on his face again when she pulled away from him.

"What did I do to deserve that?" he asked. She could feel her lips still tingling.

"Nothing," she whispered, pressing her finger tips to his no longer swollen bottom lip and gently caressing it. "I'm just...really glad I'm here. I want to make the most out of this weekend with you."

"Ok," he agreed, moving his head down a fraction to press a lingering kiss to her fingertips. "So let's start with the farmers market. When we get back, we can ask Miroku and Sango on that double date, and then we can see where the day takes us. Does that sound good?"

"Mhmm…" she nodded before a blush rose across her cheeks, and he lightheartedly asked her why she was blushing.

"I was just thinking about adding an amendment to our plans..."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, raising a brow and kissing her shoulder. "What do you want to add?"

"I was just thinking about you...and vanilla ice cream…"

"Ice cream? Or ice cream?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. They were going to a farmers market. He didn't go to them often, but he assumed that they had a bunch of food there.

"The second one," she blushed, and he smirked. Ah. Sex. She wanted sex.

"Yeah?" he purred, feeling his cock suddenly twitch at the idea of play time happening after all.

"Yeah. Why don't we have some vanilla ice cream, then take a shower, then go to the farmers market?"

"Well...if that's what my girl wants.." he sighed dramatically before attacking her neck, and she let out a squeal of joyous delight.

There really was something to be said for having some plain old vanilla ice cream first thing in the morning.

"So, I was thinking I could maybe make you some quiches or something for breakfast in the morning? And I could make a pie for us to enjoy this weekend?" Kagome thought aloud as she twisted her hair up into a high ponytail.

"I see your quiche and raise your a frittata," he replied, adjusting the drawstring backpack on his shoulders.

"You prefer that over a quiche?"

"Yup. It's easier to make."

"Don't pick it because it's easier," she scolded as she began to lead him down to the local permanent farmers market, Stanley Market.

It was like a small village. There were dozens of local farmers who brought their produce and set up stalls on the outside. Then, there were several large buildings on the inside filled with venders who sold everything from gelato to spices to thick slices of bacon to wine to pottery. The overall atmosphere was that of a quaint small town, complete with cobblestone streets, flower boxes, and ironwork signs.

It was the busiest farmers market he had ever been to, and he wasn't even really all that sure it still counted as one. It was more like a food and craft fair.

"I'm not," he promised. "I was just trying to use that as a selling point. I'm picking it because of that layer of cheese on top. Do you not like frittatas?"

"The only real difference between a frittata and a quiche is the crust and that layer of cheese, in my opinion. I'm perfectly fine having a frittata if that's what you like."

"Now I feel like I'm forcing you into it…"

"Stop, Babe," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm here for two days, and the leftovers are for you for the week. It's just breakfast. Stop stressing."

"Ok," he blushed, and she rose up onto her toes to plant a sweet but chaste kiss to his lips.

"So, frittata it is?"

"Frittata it is," he agreed, taking her hand and allowing her to lead him around. They wandered up and down through the produce vendors, looking at the wide variety of vegetables and fruits they had available at this time of year.

Kagome stopped at one who had some beautifully ripe peaches, and she asked Inuyasha if he'd like that in a pie. He said that if it was anything like the cobbler he'd had with her grandparents, he was sure he would love it. As she began picking them, Inuyasha leaned down to whisper into her ear that they reminded him of her ass. She blushed bright red, matching the nectarines the same man was selling.

If he noticed what was going on between the young couple, he wisely chose not to comment.

Inuyasha paid for the peaches and put them into the draw string bag on his back, then wrapped his arm around Kagome and allowed her to lead him again.

"Do you want to get stuff for the frittata now or get something to snack on?"

"And I can't snack on you?"

"Not here you can't," she blushed.

"Ok...then yeah. Let's find something. What do you want?"

"Let's go inside...that's where the good stuff is," she smiled. Twenty minutes later, they were unpacking their loot at a small round table for two tucked away in the corner of the building. It turned out that Inuyasha had a rather voracious appetite for a lot of things...and that included food. They had originally wanted to get something that they could just sample as they walked around, but that went straight out the window the second they had found beignets.

"Let's start with these," Inuyasha said, moving the rest of the food to the side and handing her one.

It was a simple, square, fried doughnut coated in powdered sugar, and she raised her brow at him.

"You want to start with this over the hand pies and puffs?"

"We're adults now, Kagome. We can have ice cream for breakfast and no one can tell us not to," he winked, and she couldn't help but wonder which type he was referring to this time.

"Ok, fine," she agreed and picked up her doughnut, taking a tentative bite out of the corner.

"It's good!" she exclaimed, holding her hand up over her mouth as she chewed and giggled at Inuyasha. He had shoved half of his into his mouth all at once. "Are you worried that it was going to go somewhere?" she laughed, and he shot her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he said after swallowing. "It's just been a really long time since I've had a beignet. It's good, but I've had better in New Orleans. I don't think a better beignet exists."

"You went to New Orleans?" she replied, taking another bite of her doughnut.

"Yeah," he replied, his smile waning softly. "A few years ago."

"What were you doing there?"

"I...Kikyo and I went there for vacation," he replied, finishing his beignet. She paused in eating hers.

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry I brought it up. I wasn't thinking...I don't have to talk about it," he fidgeted, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"I...I don't mind," she decided.

"You don't?"

"I don't," she reaffirmed. "She was a big part of your past, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And are you going back to her?"

"No!"

"Then what does it matter?" she shrugged. "Your time with her...You shouldn't feel like you have to hide it from me. I like knowing. It makes me…"

It makes me feel closer to you. Like you aren't afraid to share the bad as well as the good. It makes me feel like this is real.

That's what she wanted to say, but she couldn't. This was for fun. This wasn't serious. She couldn't keep him...no matter how much she was starting to want to.

"It makes me feel like you trust me," she said instead, and his eyes softened as he reached across the table to take her hand.

"I do," he smiled gently.

"Good," she smiled in return, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"So, why did you guys go there on vacation?"

"She had never been and really wanted to go, and I hadn't either and it was on my 'half' of the country. It was just for a few days. We mostly did sightseeing and ate our weight in...everything. Seafood. Beignets. Everything," he said, finishing off his beignet and drinking some water.

"It sounds like you had a lovely time."

"I'm having a better time right now," he replied without hesitation.

"Good," she smiled softly as he rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "Would you tell me about her?" she asked after a moment when he went to split their elephant ear.

They were interested in so much that they decided it was smarter to just get one of everything that caught their eye and split it so that they could get a little taste of everything - with the exception of the beignets, of course. That was something that he wasn't willing to share. They made a pact that if there was another thing they found and liked a lot, then they could always get more of that too.

"Really?" he replied, unable to keep the surprise from his face even if he had wanted to.

"Yeah...I want to know what she was like. Why you wanted to...marry her…" she whispered the last part, glancing down and away from him.

He had never explicitly told her that he had wanted to marry Kikyo...but it was heavily implied. Hell, he thought he told her something to that extent the day Miroku had set them up, and she had still made it clear that she was interested in him.

"Well..." he sighed, "Have you ever been with someone who you could be yourself around? Where you were completely and entirely and unapologetically you?"

"Yeah." She had. She was with him now.

"I thought I felt that with Kikyo. She accepted me, warts and all, and I loved her for it. She looked past all of my flaws to me. She didn't give a shit about all of the things that bothered all of the other women I've ever been with."

"Like?" she asked, cracking off a piece of her elephant ear and popping it into her mouth.

"Damn, Higurashi...look at you asking all the hard questions today," he joked, trying to lighten the mood a little and ease his nerves.

"Just making conversation," she shrugged with a blush. "Why...are you afraid to tell me what they are?"

"They're probably pretty easy to guess," he replied sheepishly. "I'm a neat freak. I mean a neat freak. Everything has a place and a home, and that's where it needs to go. You know Monica? From Friends?"

"Of course," she snorted.

"Yeah. Hi. I'm the guy version of that. Except I just have a drawer of clutter, not a whole closet."

"It can't be that bad…"

"Oh, but it is," he laughed, shaking his head. "It can be a lot for some people to handle."

"Or, it can be nice knowing that you never have to ask for help around the house," she countered with a shrug. "I can't imagine most women having a problem with a guy wanting to do the laundry."

"When I need to use a certain kind of detergent and everything has to be sorted just so and you can't come anywhere near the laundry room when I'm doing it? Yeah...they kinda develop a problem with it. She didn't care about that. Or how obsessed I am with my job. Or how…" he paused, blushing and lowered his voice. "Or how dominating and commanding I am in the bedroom. Or lack thereof, at times…"

"Ah…" she blushed.

"Yeah," he agreed, scratching the back of his head. "Like you said...I'm not exactly colonial. Not everyone is as willing as you are to go along with my wants. I've never forced someone to do what I want to do...but I still want what I want some of the time, and that can be a problem in terms of sexual compatibility."

"Your wants haven't been that bad," she tried, smiling softly to reassure him.

"Not everyone likes the dirty talk, though. Or lets me look at them. Or command them."

"Look at them? Like, sex in the dark?"

"Like when your leg is over my shoulder and I'm touching you," he explained, and she tilted her head to the side. Oh God. How was she not getting this?

"I like seeing how wet I make you," he mumbled, nervously looking around as her eyes finally widened in understanding. "It's one of my kinks, and not everyone I've ever dated likes it. It reassures me that you want me and you like what I'm doing. It's not always physically all that obvious in other ways, and it turns me on...and you know I like to watch now, which wasn't always the case...I don't think everyone I date from now on will go along with all of that..."

She noticed his comment hinting that he would eventually go on to date more people than just her, and she tried to ignore the sting. That was the plan. What he was saying wasn't wrong, but fuck if it wasn't like taking a knife in the chest.

"That doesn't sound all that bad. Those can't be all of your flaws," she said instead, pushing past their conversation on his "kinks".

"I can get pretty jealous and territorial when other guys are interested in the woman I'm with," he winced.

"Ah…"

"And I have a hard time sleeping in late...0830 is normally pushing it for me, unless I'm exhausted or jet-lagged. Sometimes I have a hard time being around people...I need to recharge my social battery, so I just want to stay in and lay on the couch and do absolutely fucking nothing. And flexibility - I suck at that. I need to make plans and stick with them. And when I'm in a bad mood, everyone knows it and I can't hide it...what do you think? Have I scared you off yet?"

"I think...that you being so open and honest about this only makes you more attractive to me," she blushed, and he reached across the table to take her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"You know I'm only telling you all of that because you asked, right? I don't like showing my warts."

"I appreciate it. I like to hear about them. So...you could show your warts to her? That's what did it for you?"

"It wasn't just that," he explained as she redirected him back to their original topic. "It was that she just didn't care, and it felt like she loved me despite them. I had never really been with anyone like that before her. And...I thought I had a real connection with her. I opened up to her about everything, and I thought she was doing the same thing. I don't know...maybe she really was, but I don't think doing it meant anything to her. Not if she was sleeping with other guys on the side. Even if it was just for sexual gratification alone since I wasn't there...we didn't have that kind of relationship. I never wanted an open one. I just wanted her...and she didn't feel the same way, so I ended it."

"Do you regret it?"

"I regret her cheating on me, but I don't regret the relationship. I think it was the first real, adult relationship I've ever had. It leaves a mark on you, and hopefully it's only made me better for what comes next."

"And what does come next?"

"I...I want something real after you leave," he admitted. "I'm twenty eight. I want to find who I'm supposed to be with. Settle down. Have a family. Become a Captain and lead my own unit...Maybe get a dog?"

"Sounds like you have it all figured out, Takahashi," she smiled wanly. She was happy for him. She really was. She just...God, she was stupid. There was a small part of her that wished she was included in those life plans.

Why did she have to like him so damn much?

"Not all of it. I still need to find the girl."

Her. She was right here. She could be the girl.

"So, you want a dog huh?" she asked, forcing herself to smile.

"Over a cat?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "Yeah. I definitely prefer them. I don't mind cats. I'm just not a fan of having one as a pet myself."

"I can't say that I blame you. We have a family cat. Buyo. I love him, but I always wanted a dog too."

"Well, I guess that answers the age old 'are you a cat person or a dog person?' question, right?"

"I'd say so," she replied, finishing her elephant ear.

"So what about you? Since we're digging deep this morning...why Hoho?"

"Hojo," she giggled in correction. "I don't know...I guess there was a lot of what you said about the flaws, and he was my first real relationship as an adult, too. He was...oh god, this sounds so stupid…" she moaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Tell me," he encouraged with a wide smile. "It's only fair," he teased further, and she groaned.

"You're really going to make me say it, huh?"

"You'd better believe it."

"Fine," she sighed. "He was the first person who made me feel beautiful and special and wanted, and he drew me in like a moth to a flame."

"That's not stupid," he calmly replied, leaning forward to pull her hands away from her face. "Look at me, Kagome," he demanded when she shifted her eyes away from him. "That's not stupid," he repeated. "I'm serious. It's not. You should feel that way when you're in a relationship."

"I know," she sighed.

"Did...did you really not feel that way before him?"

"I didn't...and then I did with him. Then he made me feel so...so completely hideous and unattractive after we broke up. I sometimes still feel that way now."

"Even...even with me?" he asked smally, his brow furrowing as he tilted his head to the side.

"At the beginning," she blushed. "Not so much now."

"Did I do something to make you think that you aren't beautiful?" he asked, wracking his memory for something he had said or done that would have made her feel that way.

"No! It's hard to explain…"

"I see," he whispered, looking away from her.

"It's...Inuyasha, look at you. You're perfect. You're like a twenty on a scale of ten."

"And? What does that have to do with anything?" he demanded.

"I'm just...not. Being around you at the beginning just made me feel very self-conscious because I found you so attractive."

"So, finding me attractive makes you feel unattractive?"

He really didn't understand women. What did one have anything to do with the other?

"I...It's…"

"Complicated?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's like...I saw you as this great, perfect, completely unattainable being that I could never be with because, let's face it...we're not even in the same league. You're like pro level...and I'm five year old kiddy practice."

"So you felt unattractive because you thought that I would find you unattractive, even though none of that is true," he stated flatly.

"In a nutshell? Yes. I guess it's just one of my flaws," she shrugged, looking away from him.

"Yeah," he sighed. "It is. Damn, Darlin'...I knew you had a monster living in you during our first date. I didn't realize it was so big and took up so much of you." He gently squeezed her hand again, and she glanced back up at him. "Stop feeding the fucker, will ya?" he smirked, and her face softened slightly as her lips turned up ever so little at the corners.

"I'll try," she promised, and he leaned back to finish his elephant ear.

"Good. Do you still feel that way with me? Because you know I find you attractive, right?"

"Yeah," she smiled weakly. "I know you do."

"That didn't sound convincing," he replied. "Kagome...you're gorgeous. I've always meant that when I've said it. I don't just call you smoking hot for giggles. I've seen every square inch of you, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing."

"I know," she replied, squeezing his hand. "I know you think that. And when we're together, I feel that too. You wouldn't...react the way you do if you didn't find me attractive, I think."

"I wouldn't. Do you know what you put me through after Miroku set us up? A cold shower couldn't handle it, and I thought about you the whole time," he told her bluntly, and her cheeks lit up at the thought of him touching himself while thinking of her. That was the second time that had come up now.

"I believe you," she said a bit more firmly this time, but he was still unconvinced.

"Good," he sighed, and he guided her face forward to place a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, trying to reinforce everything he felt he was so clearly failing at saying.

"You want to know what I see when I look at you?" he asked honestly. "Right now, I see a beautiful woman who was completely destroyed by some asshole and doesn't see her self worth anymore.

I see this stunning creature who I dream of touching and holding and being with all week, and she is completely shattered...and it hurts because I want to make it better, but it's not something I can do. I can't just whip out the Elmer's and piece you back together.

You have to.

I see a woman who is smart and funny and witty and kind. I see a woman who saw a stranger who was lost and hurting and reached out to him and tried to ease the pain a little. How can you not see that?"

"It's just something I need to work on."

"It is," he agreed. "And I'll be there to give you as much Elmer's or Super Glue or whatever you need to help you with it."

"I appreciate that," she smiled...and this time, he knew it was real.

"Good. So, this is clearly one of your flaws. Come on. What else do you have hiding? I already told you all of my warts."

"Oh, you want to keep digging, huh?" she smiled as she broke their apricot and almond galette in half.

"You bet your sweet ass I do."

"First it was a peach, now it's sweet. You sure you don't wanna stick it in there, Takahashi?"

"Only if you really want me to," he replied, wrinkling his nose and taking a bite of his half of the pastry.

"I'm just saying that you seem to have a fascination with it today."

"Squeezing. Touching. Nothing more."

"Mhmm…" she snorted, eating her galette.

"Stop changing the subject! What...do you not trust me enough to talk about them?"

"No...it's just not something I've ever done before," she shrugged.

"And you think I make a habit of it?" he countered, raising his brow.

"Well...obviously you don't."

"Obviously?"

"You want me to tell you or not?" she giggled, and his response died on his tongue.

"Yeah. I do."

"I hate cauliflower."

"That's a flaw?"

"Yup. I hate it. I don't care what you do with it. It's not rice. It's not pizza dough. It's not taco shells. It's sure as hell not mashed potatoes. It's just mushed cauliflower that will always taste like cauliflower."

"So...never make you cauliflower?"

"Not if you want to touch my sweet ass later that day."

"Duly noted," he gulped.

"Or cilantro. It tastes like soap. Or buffalo chicken wings. Or anything with blue cheese. I'm really fun at football parties."

"Really? Buffalo wings?"

"It's the sauce. It's god awful. And blue cheese shouldn't exist."

"You're killin' me, Darlin'," he grinned. "Ok, so what else?"

"I'm nowhere near as clean as you are. I'm not a slob, but when I come home, I kick off my shoes and where they land is where they land. And my jacket always ends up on the closest piece of furniture. And my backpack goes...wherever. And I can never find my car keys in the morning."

"Oh, you really are trying to kill me," he groaned, and she laughed airily at his pained look. "You know, they make this thing called a key hook. So you can find your keys."

"I know. I have one," she told him, and he looked like he was going to lose his mind.

"And you don't use it?"

"Takes the surprise out of my mornings. I like the drama of it all."

"You're stressing me out," he groaned, leaning his head into his hands. "I'd have to be that guy to find your keys and put them away for you so you could find them."

"And ruin my whole morning? You wouldn't dare!"

"I wouldn't just dare, I'd fucking do it."

"Monster!"

"Neat freaks - we're the worst kind."

"Clearly!" she groaned. "If it helps, I'm very picky about how my books are stored. About as compulsive as you are with the laundry, it sounds."

"Ok, so you aren't a complete loss. I guess I can keep dating you," he teased.

"Oh, we were thinking of breaking up with me, were we?"

"You don't use a key hook!" he exclaimed, and she giggled.

"I guess I can make an effort if it bothers you that much," she sighed in mock exasperation.

"It really does," he winced. "Ok...so what else?"

"Ummmm...I lose track of everything when I'm reading? I have to set alarms on my phone to pull me out and be a productive member of society again. And I hate math. It took me years to figure out how to do a 20% tip in my head."

"Just take 10% and double it," he smirked.

"Yeah, I know that now...but it took a while, ok?"

"Ok," he chuckled. "So...how does it feel getting all of that out in the open?"

"It...it actually feels pretty good."

"See?" he replied, his smirk morphing into a full smile. "Glad I forced you to do this?"

"Please! I started all of this by asking you about Kikyo."

"You did," he agreed, splitting their plum tart with honey and black pepper. "It...it doesn't hurt as much now, you know," he confessed.

"What doesn't?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Our breakup," he whispered softly. "I used to think about her all the time, and I used to want to call her and talk to her but I knew I couldn't…"

God...why was he telling her this?

"...but since I started dating you, everything has gotten so much easier...and it just doesn't hurt anymore. I still miss the illusion of what we had, and the dream of what we could become...but the sting is gone."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he responded with a smile.

"Thank you for everything, Kagome. I mean it. You've...you've made my life so much better without even trying."

How did someone even respond to that? Here they were, sitting in the middle of Stanley Market...and he was just...baring his soul to her.

"You've helped me too, you know. You're the only guy I've been even a little interested in since Hojo. It's been nice remembering what it feels like to be wanted."

"I wanted you from the start," he admitted with a blush. "Maybe not the exact second I saw you the first time, 'cause I thought you thought there was something wrong with me...but within the first five minutes. I knew I wanted to talk to you and get to know you. I was just too chicken shit to do something about it."

"You thought I thought there was something wrong with you?"

"You kept looking at me and looking away! It took me a minute to figure out that you just thought I was hot," he replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, don't worry...I don't think that anymore."

"You don't?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I think you're sexy," she smirked, and he laughed.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's not," she shook her head firmly.

"It it!"

"No! Hot just means you're physically attractive. Sexy means that you're really physically attractive, but there's more to you than just looks."

"I think you're making this up."

"I'm not! Google it!"

"I don't want to Google it."

"Because you know I'm right?"

"Because they mean the same thing and you know it...you're just trying to save face."

"If I wanted to save face, I'd just change the topic instead of trying to get you to Google it."

He laughed wholeheartedly as he watched her finish her half of the tart.

"Alright fine - let's agree to disagree since we both know I'm right," he decided, picking up a puff-like pastry with a spinach filling they had found. "This next?" he asked as she drank her water, and she glared at with an affirmative nod.

"Sure - that next," she agreed when she was done, allowing him to drop the subject as he split the puff in half.

She bit into it and moaned in delight, and he shot her a look.

"Should I be jealous?"

"Maybe…"

He snorted and bit into his and moaned back at her.

"Oh...No...Not jealous. I understand," he groaned, and she giggled.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"What?"

"I've never liked your spinach puffs! Never!" quoted, raising her fist and shaking it.

"Pull the lever, Kronk!" he replied, making her smile grow.

"Wrong lever!" they laughed, finishing the quote together.

"God...I haven't seen the Emperor's New Groove in years."

"Well, maybe that's what we can do when we're done here," she suggested with a shrug.

"Do you actually want to watch it, or do you just want to cuddle on the couch and make out?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Is there a reason we can't do both?" she countered, and his smile widened.

"No...no reason at all," he agreed as she picked out a hand pie for them to try. It was like a western omelet wrapped in a flakey pastry crust that you could eat on the go, and shaped in a half circle like a calzone.

She deftly split it and gave him the other half. He bit into it and commented that he liked it, but the spinach puff might have been better. They continued sampling their pile of treats and casually talking and laughing, and by the time they left the market, neither could remember the last time when they had such a wonderful morning.

A/N - Update 1/2/2020

I plan on posting again January 10 as Saucy still needs some time to get the edits done on the next chapter. In the mean time...I've started a new (and currently unedited) story, A Heart's Abduction. If you remember chapter 12, the preview of that story was at the end of it. Chapter 2 is going up tomorrow, 1/3!

Still recommending a lovely Rin/Sesshomaru saga you can read by Elohiniar. It's 5 books long. It starts with Sesshomaru's Heart (Vol 1), and it's been a lovely angst filled saga so far that's worth a read.

And on that note, I'd love to promote a new story you guys love every time I post! So tell me some of your favorite stories so we can spread the word and help someone else find a new favorite.

And as always…if you've read and reviewed, THANK YOU! Even just a few words brightens our day, so thank you for showing us some love! And I always respond because if you've taken a second to share some thoughts, then you deserve a reply!

Until next time!

-Lemon Lush

A/R:

To: Christopher

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed. Thank you for dropping a little love, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

To: Guest

Of course! And thank you for leaving another wonderful review! They really make us feel special! I totally agree…some wonderful bonding and expressing of love was just what we needed! Thank you again for the amazing review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's more happy fluffy bonding!

To: iPod Reader

LOL! You're so right on both counts! Probably why Inuyasha is so good for her right? Thank you for leaving a great review, and I hope you enjoyed this newest chapter!