So sorry for all the confusion with getting this chapter up! It wouldn't post publicly yesterday even though it came up on my end, so I'm not really sure what was going on. Thanks to everyone who let me know about this issue, and thank you all so much for your patience.

Now finally...enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend who shared her very interesting theories with me about this story. She doesn't like to be named when I mention her, but she'll know who she is :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 7: The Change

The more time Inuyasha spent with Kagome, the more he felt himself growing comfortable with her.

For the next week, he gave her the leftover anpan before walking her home. The days were growing colder, and Inuyasha could tell it was really affecting her.

As they walked to Kagome's apartment building one night, she was visibly shivering.

"Don't you have an actual coat, woman?" Inuyasha asked. "That little thing you have on can't actually help." She always wore a light jacket that was barely thicker than a hoodie.

Kagome waved off his concern. "I'm fine. It's just windy tonight. Normally it's not a big deal."

The hanyo rolled his eyes and gently grabbed Kagome's arm to stop her. Once they'd paused on the sidewalk, Inuyasha shrugged off his jacket, which was a bit heavier than Kagome's.

Before she could protest, Inuyasha settled it around her shoulders, making sure that it was completely covering her upper body.

"Pesky humans," he muttered as he zipped it up to her neck. Kagome laughed lightly, but he didn't miss her embarrassment.

"Thank you," she said. "But aren't you cold?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "It takes a lot to make me cold. Hanyo blood will do that to you."

Kagome nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget you're a youkai." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"You forget about it?" he asked incredulously. "I have inu-ears and silver hair, Kagome. How do you miss those?"

Kagome chuckled. "I don't know. I guess I just don't really focus on it. It's not like it changes who you are as a person."

Inuyasha glanced at her, startled by the casual way she said that.

Wow, he mused silently as they resumed their walk. She doesn't focus on it...so it doesn't bother her?

"Oh," Inuyasha finally said. "Okay…"

He wondered if she would answer him if he asked about her aura...with how much time they'd been spending together and the friendship they'd developed, he figured it might be okay.

"So I actually have a question for you," the hanyo said. Kagome nodded at him, silently encouraging him to ask.

"This might sound weird," Inuyasha began, "but, um, you kind of have a weird aura. Is that a purposeful thing?"

Kagome didn't answer him for a moment.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about," she replied, an underlying uneasiness revealing itself in her voice.

Inuyasha could tell she wasn't being truthful, but he wouldn't push her if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay," he said. "Anyway, I think you need to get an actual coat or something. Walking around in the freezing cold like this isn't gonna work."

Kagome seemed to relax a bit as she laughed at his statement.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied.

Inuyasha eyed her curiously as they continued their trek to her apartment building.

What is she hiding?

"So I have a question, too," Kagome said, changing the subject. "I've been wondering about the bakery. How long have you owned it? You and Miroku both seem kind of young." Inuyasha smiled.

The bakery had always been home to him. His parents bought it when they were poor newlyweds, but it was their absolute pride and joy.

After only one year, Inuyasha's parents had a full book of recipes and a very successful bakery on their hands.

"My parents got Ukiyo up and running before I was born, so it's been in my family since then," he replied. "But I only became the owner about two years ago when I was twenty-one." Kagome smiled.

"It seems like you really enjoy it," she commented. "How did you know you wanted to take it over?" Inuyasha felt his smile falter.

He remembered when the police arrived at the bakery two years prior, having to inform him of what had happened to his mom.

"Your mother has been killed…"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"My mom had just passed away," he continued. "Miroku and I didn't want to let the bakery go, so we decided to take over. I was in school for architecture, so I just dropped out. Miroku finished his degree in accounting, and now here we are."

Kagome reached out and squeezed his hand for a quick moment before releasing it. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I shouldn't have asked." Inuyasha shook his head.

"It's alright," he replied. "The bakery is a legacy, so...I guess it's good to talk about its history. Miroku and I really enjoy it anyway, so we don't feel sad about it too much anymore."

"That's good," Kagome said. "You guys should both be really proud of yourselves."

Inuyasha glanced over at her, meeting golden eyes with blue, and gave a small smile.

"Thanks," he replied.

They reached Kagome's apartment building shortly after, so they paused in front of the door so Kagome could return Inuyasha's jacket.

"Thank you for letting me wear it," Kagome said as she gave the jacket back. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Inuyasha replied. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kagome nodded and smiled a final time. "Yes. Good night, Inuyasha."

"Good night."

o.O.o

Inuyasha had his face buried in his jacket.

He wasn't sure how, but it had picked up Kagome's hidden scent.

And it was incredible.

The calming smell of coconut with floral undertones surrounded him as he buried his face in the fabric, and he wished that Kagome didn't constantly hide her scent.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

Inuyasha jumped and tossed the jacket away from him when Miroku peeked into his bedroom.

I should've closed the door, Inuyasha realized, irritated.

"Nothing," the hanyo replied quickly. "What do you want?"

Miroku chuckled. "I just wanted to see if Kagome got home alright." Inuyasha frowned.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just like always."

Miroku smiled. "Alright. Well, good night."

"Night," Inuyasha replied before Miroku left the room.

o.O.o

Inuyasha had come to the annoying realization that his curiosity and feelings for Kagome had drifted into uncharted territory.

Seeing her made his heart clench in a very obnoxious way, and the sound of her laughter was more soothing than he cared to admit.

He could tell Miroku had picked up on it, but luckily he refrained from any teasing.

Inuyasha was still trying to sort out his emotions.

All he really knew was that he wanted to be near Kagome. He wanted to know about her and take care of her.

I'm screwed, he realized.

He realized his predicament when he was bagging up the anpan for Kagome. She was stopping by the bakery to see Shippo and Miroku before Inuyasha walked her home. He had decided to bake a fresh batch for her, figuring the warmth of the bread would help since she absolutely refused to wear a coat.

Not that he really minded. He would normally offer his jacket to her, which she would usually decline, but there were times when she would give in and let him slip it over her shoulders.

It gave Inuyasha an excuse to have something with her scent on it.

He heard Kagome's laugh as he was getting the anpan together, and when he walked out with it and saw her bright eyes and happy smile, he felt like he'd been shocked.

Kagome caught his gaze and smiled at him.

"Hi, Inuyasha," she greeted warmly.

It was in that moment that he knew he was doomed.

"Hey," he replied awkwardly as he handed her the bag. "Fresh anpan for once to keep you warm when we walk."

Kagome took it and kept the bright smile on her face. "Thank you."

Shippo tugged on Kagome's sleeve to show her a new trick, and when she looked away, Inuyasha couldn't help but keep his eyes on her for an extra moment.

He could feel a frown creep onto his face as he continued to realize just how hard he'd fallen for her. He hadn't felt that way since Kikyo, and even then it wasn't as strong as his feelings for Kagome.

Inuyasha tore his eyes away from her and shifted his gaze to the ground, not wanting to be caught looking at her like Miroku always seemed to notice him doing.

When it came time for Shippo to go home, Miroku walked with him while Inuyasha and Kagome departed in the direction of her apartment.

Inuyasha was overly aware of her as they walked; he fixated on how far apart they were, how she clutched her jacket tighter around her in the wintery chill, how her nose and cheeks were bright red from the crisp air.

He could tell she was colder than usual because as soon as he offered her his jacket, she accepted it.

"Do you not have a coat?" he asked, not bothering to sound polite. "Because it's stupid of you to walk around in this weather with a jacket that's hardly any better than a hoodie."

Kagome's eyes widened at his brusque tone. "Well, no," she admitted. "I don't have a coat. But it's alright, really. We're almost to my building anyway."

The finality in her voice told Inuyasha that she wanted him to drop it, so he did.

But that protective instinct didn't go away.

o.O.o

"We're going to the store," Inuyasha said when he got back from his walk to Kagome's apartment building. "Come on."

Miroku looked up at him from where he was seated on the couch and frowned. "It's almost ten. What could you possibly need this late?"

"Kagome doesn't have a coat," Inuyasha said seriously. "She always looks like she's turning into an ice cube every night and it's getting on my nerves. Now let's go."

Miroku's eyes widened as he got up. "Yeah, let's do that."

o.O.o

The next day, Inuyasha kept the coat under the counter to surprise Kagome. He would give it to her after Miroku and Shippo left to keep her from feeling put on the spot from the unexpected gift.

Per usual, Shippo and Miroku left before Kagome and Inuyasha did, so before Kagome could start to leave, Inuyasha stopped her.

"Hey, um," Inuyasha began, "we have something for you."

Kagome seemed intrigued. "What is it?"

Inuyasha walked over to the counter and pulled out the coat from underneath. He wasn't sure what size she would wear, so he'd just guessed to the best of his ability.

When Kagome caught sight of the coat, her eyes widened.

"Is that for me?" she asked. Inuyasha scoffed.

"Duh," he replied. "Now put it on before we leave, alright?"

Kagome took the coat from him and looked at it in disbelief. Inuyasha could smell tears, but before he could ask what the heck her problem was, Kagome set the coat on the counter and walked straight toward Inuyasha.

She wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she said softly. Inuyasha's eyes widened at her actions, but he soon returned the hug and engulfed her in an embrace.

He was a bit disappointed that he still couldn't catch her scent despite their close proximity, but the feel of her in his arms made up for it.

When she pulled away, Inuyasha felt her absence immediately.

She looked up at him and smiled, causing yet another pang in Inuyasha's heart.

He could have kissed her.

He wanted to kiss her.

But he didn't.

Instead, he grabbed the coat and handed it to her. "Alright, Jack Frost, put it on."

Kagome laughed and pulled the coat on before zipping it up. "It's so warm. I can't thank you guys enough."

Inuyasha shrugged and led her out of the bakery before locking the door behind them.

"No big deal," he replied. "I just hated seeing you cold."

Kagome laughed lightly. "I'm definitely not cold anymore."

The warmth in her smile told Inuyasha it was true.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome curled up under her thin blanket, her new coat wrapped tightly around her body as she lay in bed. She snuggled into the warm fabric and marveled in the kindness of the gesture.

She'd been vulnerable for the last few years, but somehow she'd sunken into a new type of vulnerability.

And she didn't know how she felt about it.

But the softness in Inuyasha's eyes when he looked at her, the warmth of his body when they'd shared an embrace, and his thoughtfulness made her all the more eager to just give in to this new vulnerability that he unknowingly offered. Her feelings for him had deepened, and she could tell his feelings for her had deepened as well.

But he'd asked about her aura, and she'd had to lie...it made her wonder how many more lies she would have to tell. If he found out about her past, would he still want to see her?

She wouldn't think about that unless it ever came up, but hopefully it wouldn't.

Regardless of the risks, she wanted to see him, over and over and over again.

Could this be where my unhappiness ends? she wondered. With Inuyasha? With the kindness that's constantly being shown to me in the bakery?

As she drifted off to sleep, warmer than she'd been in a very long time, she allowed herself to dream that this was the case.

To be continued...

Much love.