Had this whole chapter done then my computer updated and it was lost. So upset! I hope I can recreate it as I had it. Here we go

Chapter Ten:

Kagome was exhausted. They decided to skip dinner, no one had an appetite after seeing so much death. She was one of them. Unfortunately, that meant no stopping either. Being new at controlling so much power, Kagome got easily tired after using them. It took more out of her than she originally thought. Digging holes all afternoon didn't help much either. Sesshomaru had told her the more she used her power, the less tired she would be afterward and she hoped he was right.

Normally she would just ask Inuyasha to carry her, but now she was on her own. Of course, he would most likely agree to it in a heartbeat, but she didn't know if she could handle being so close to him. It hurt to be near him now and she could only imagine how much harder it would be to touch him. She still loved him, she knew she did. She just needed time to decide if she could forgive him. The old Kagome would just smile and say everything was all right. The new Kagome wasn't so naive. He hurt her, badly, and now he would have to prove himself to her. Saying that he loved her was not enough.

So...she walked. Making sure no one knew exactly how tired she really was. She had a feeling that Sesshomaru knew, he kept looking at her every five seconds. No way in hell was she going to admit it though. Not even to him.

"Kagome?" Shippo looked at her from his perch on A-Un's back.

"Yes baby?" Kagome gave a tired smile.

"Why did you let that bear go? He was a demon, and he killed all of those people!" Shippo was confused about what happened.

"Yes he did, but he didn't do it by choice Shippo. The jewel shards in him were very tainted. If not for them, the bear would not have done it." Kagome explained softly.

"BUT HE WAS A DEMON!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Yes he was, and so are you, Kirara, Inuyasha, and Lord Sesshomaru that doesn't mean you're evil. There are good and bad demons just like there are good and bad humans. That bear was not an evil creature honey, he just wanted what most of us want, to live in peace. You should never judge anyone based on what they are, it's who they are that matters." She looked over at Inuyasha who was smiling at her, she turned her head to hide her blush.

"Beautifully said Lady Kagome." Miroku smiled at her. "You truly are a special creature."

Kagome blushed harder. "I'm nothing special Miroku. That's just what I believe."

"And that is what makes you special." He smiled. "Before I knew you, I would have killed that bear without any hesitation. To me, a demon was evil no matter what the situation. That is how most humans see them. But, meeting you has opened my heart and my mind, and I'm a better person for knowing you."

Sango and Shippos both agreed with him. "He's right Kagome. Just look at us! Demons, humans, half-demons, brought together by a single person. You brought us together and you made us a family. That sounds like a pretty special person to me." Sango put her arm around her heart sister.

"Thanks, guys." Kagome smiled. "I'm a better person for knowing all of you as well."

The mood in the group lightened as they set off walking again.

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From the shadows a demon watched his obsession walk away. He would be patient and wait for his prize to be alone. He had almost got to her earlier, but he was caught by the half-demon.

He wasn't created to be that strong or smart, his sole purpose was to capture the Miko. It seemed like the perfect plan to give the bear demon the jewel shards as a way to bring her out and it had almost worked. He knew Naraku would not be happy with him for losing the girl and the jewel shards so he could not fail again.

He looked at the two dog demons who protected her fiercely, they would be an issue. The girl was never alone without one of them around her. So for now he waited in the shadows for his opportunity to strike.

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Night had fallen and they still had a little ways to go before they reached the village. By now, the humans in the group were dead on their feet. Miroku suggested they stop and rest, but Kagome wanted to sleep in her own bed tonite. It was pointless to stop now when they were so close.

"We could take Kirara and A-Un and get there a lot faster? I don't know about you but I'm ready for bed." Sango suggested with a yawn. The kids agreed as they were falling asleep on the back of the dragon.

Kagome knew it was a good idea but didn't know what to do. Kirara was tired as well and she didn't want her to have to carry three people, and with Jaken and the kids on A-Un's back there was no room for her there either. She looked to Sesshomaru who had his back turned to her. The bastard knew what he was doing, he wanted her to go with his brother. Ass.

"I know you probably don't want to Kagome, but I can carry you. It would be a lot faster and I can see how tired you are." Inuyasha prayed she'd agreed. The only other option was if Sesshomaru carried her and he definitely didn't want that.

Kagome could see the look of longing on his face. She was tired and being carried sounded like heaven right now, so did a bed. She looked back at Sesshomaru who was giving her a look that said 'stop being so damn stubborn'. With a sigh she nodded.

She was rewarded with the biggest smile she had ever seen on Inuyasha's face. She gave a small smile in return. It was worth the awkwardness seeing how happy it made him. Inuyasha knelt down in front of her and she hesitated for a moment before climbing on his back.

She was not prepared for the feeling she got being held so close to him. It felt like coming home. The smell of him, the heat from his body, Gods how she missed this. She missed him. She wasn't alone, Inuyasha closed his eyes at the feeling of her pressed against him. He held her thighs tighter than normal hoping she wouldn't change her mind. Then he almost whimpered when she put her arms around him. His demon was purring with his mate being so close to him. He would never take this for granted again.

It took no time after that to reach the village. Reluctantly the hanyou and Miko separated, both missing the feeling of one another when they did. Kagome smiled at him when they walked the small distance to Kaede's hut and Inuyasha's heart soared when she accepted his hand. The others gave a small smile as they watched the pair walk hand in hand to the hut.

Shippo was the first one to enter and Kaede had never been more relieved in her life to see him. She had been so worried about the kit since the day he disappeared and seeing him unharmed was a blessing. But what surprised her most was seeing Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru enter as well. She apparently had missed a lot!

"Kagome! Ye have returned!" Kaede wrapped the young woman in a hug. She was like a granddaughter to her and she was happy to see her back.

"Lady Kaede! It's so good to see you!" Kagome hugged her in return.

"Tell me, when did ye return? It would seem I have missed much in your absence." Kaede shot a glance at the tall daiyoukai by her doorway.

The group all sat around the fire as they updated Kaede on what was happening. She was surprised to hear of a seal on Kagome's powers, but not by how strong she had become. Hearing about her sister, she shot Inuyasha a knowing look. Now that didn't surprise her at all.

"There's a little more to it than that, but for now we're all pretty tired and should probably get some sleep. I was going to head home tonite, but with how late it is I'll probably wait until morning." Kagome said sheepishly.

"Of course of course. Ye must be exhausted. Please make yourselves at home. We will make room." Kaede pulled a futon out for the children as Sango and Miroku sat by the fire.

"This Sesshomaru will wait out in the forest. Jaken, stay with Rin." Sesshomaru said as he walked out.

"But My Lord!" He looked defeated as he was left behind again.

With a full hut, Inuyasha decided to sleep outside as well. He didn't want to leave Kagome but knew she would be safe here. He gave her one last look and went outside.

A few hours later Kagome was awoken but a wiggling kit. He must have been having some dream because it looked like he was running. She tried to go back to sleep but gave up when she realized this dream wasn't ending anytime soon. With a sigh she rubbed his head and went to take a walk.

She stood on the porch of the hut for a minute and enjoyed the gentle breeze of the night. It was getting warmer out and the wind felt nice. She decided to head to Goshinboku and take some time to think about her situation. She felt Sesshomaru nearby but didn't want to disturb him if he was asleep. As she walked she thought about how her life would have been so much different if she hadn't fallen down the well almost four years ago.

Would she be getting ready for college? Would she have a boyfriend? It felt surreal to think about it. She had missed so much by coming here. She missed out on her prom and hanging out with her friends at the mall. Late-night talks she used to have with her mother, birthdays, parties, dates. She should feel sad about missing out on so much but found that she couldn't.

Sure, she missed her family and friends in her time, but she had that here too. If things were different she would have never met Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Shippo, Rin, Sesshomaru hell even Jaken. They were her family now. She couldn't imagine her life without them. Or a life without Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha." She breathed out as she reached the base of the tree. She put her hand near the mark that was proof of his 50 year imprisonment. What would her life be like without him? Would she know that she missed him even if they never met? Would she feel like something was missing? For all the hurt and tears, there was also joy and laughter. If she knew all of this before, would she change anything? He had hurt her more times than she could count...but, hadn't her also made her smile. Hadn't he saved her at the risk of his own life? Made her smile when she was sad? Made her so angry that there were Inuyasha shaped holes scattered all of Japan? Wasn't he always there? He may have gone to Kikyo when she called, but hadn't he always came back to her. Would she change anything? No, she wouldn't give up any of the good moments to avoid the bad ones. She loved him, the good and the bad.

"It's funny how someone can break your heart, and you still love them with all the little pieces."

"Would it help if that someone never meant to break it in the first place?" Kagome jumped as Inuyasha spoke from his perch in the tree.

"I know you never meant to hurt me Inuyasha, it doesn't make it less painful though." Kagome whispered as she looked at the tree.

"I know that Kagome, but I'm sorry for it anyway." He jumped down to stand next to her.

"I know, I've made mistakes too no one is perfect Inuyasha."

They stood in silence for a while, each trying to figure out what to say to the other.

"I still remember the first time I met you." Inuyasha spoke in a soft voice. "It was weird for me then. To everyone else, fifty years had passed, but to me, it felt like I was only asleep for a day." Kagome looked at him as he looked lost in a memory. "When I woke up, all I could remember was Kikyo shooting an arrow at me. So when I saw you at first glance I was angry. I thought it was her coming to finish me off." He gave a dark chuckle. "It only took me a minute to realize you weren't her, and the first time I spoke to you I insulted you. I didn't care who you were I was just pissed, and when I get like that I strikeout." He looked over at her. "You'll never know how much I regret that day. How I wish that I could make our first meeting better. You deserved better, you rescued me and I was a dick."

"You didn't know me back then Inuyasha, for all you knew I was there to kill you."

Inuyasha smiled at her response. Even now after all he put her though, she still stood up for him. Yep, he really was a dick. "It was hard for me to get close to you back then. Here you were this happy young girl always smiling. It pissed me off." Kagome giggled. "I wanted to hate you, what the hell did you have to be so happy about anyway. You never let anything get to you and you always tried to find the positive in everything, even me." He whispered softly. "I never had that in my life before. Even when my mother was alive, there was always a sadness around her. I never got to be carefree and happy. My life was shit from the moment I was born and I was mad that I couldn't have been more like you. I was jealous." Kagome's eyes widened at his admission. "So, I put you down. It wasn't fair to me that you could be so happy when I couldn't...but, you're Kagome, and you never gave up on me. It took a while, but I found myself wanting to be near you. You made me smile and be happy, I never had that before." He smiled at her then. "And eventually you had something of mine that no other person has ever had."

"What?" Kagome asked quietly.

"My trust." He smiled at her gasp. "No one had ever gotten that from me before. Ever. I trusted you with my life and my heart. Little by little I let you in and started to fall pretty damn hard. You were the first person besides my mother to know about the new moon. That night when you held me, I had to pretend to be asleep because I was afraid I would do something stupid like blurt out how much I loved you." He laughed at the memory. "Being human my emotions are a lot stronger than normal. I still can't believe I told you I liked your smell." Kagome laughed as Inuyasha blushed. "That was fucking embarrassing."

"Why were you embarrassed! You have no idea how happy I was when you said that." Kagome smiled.

"Come on Kagome! I couldn't say that shit to you! I was a filthy half-breed, and you...Gods you were perfect! There was no way you'd ever want someone like me! Hanyou's don't have mates or get the girl! I thought if you knew how I felt you would laugh at me!"

"Don't ever say that again Inuyasha! How many times do I have to tell you?! You're perfect just the way you are!" Kagome was pissed he would say that. She thought they'd been through this! "I would have never laughed at you." She was sad he felt that way about her.

Inuyasha put his hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. "I know that now Kagome, but back then...that's just how I felt. I know you don't feel that way now. When I saw you cry for me...I started to think maybe, just maybe, you returned my feelings. I wasn't sure, but I started to hope that maybe one day you would love me in return." They smiled at each other for a moment until Inuyasha frowned and looked away.

"But then...then Kikyo." Inuyasha couldn't look at Kagome. He knew he would just see pain. "When she returned, I didn't know what to do. You have to understand Kagome, that she was the first person who showed me any kind of friendship. I was alone for years before I met her, and her death was still fresh in my mind. I felt so much guilt. Here I was, living and moving on without her, and she was dead. I felt like I had to make it up to her somehow." He looked back at her. "Please, try to understand, back then I didn't think I could ever have a future with you. There was so much shit that stood in between us, and I thought I was fooling myself to think we could ever be together. So, if I couldn't really be happy, I could at least do something for her. I felt that if she needed me to die with her to find peace, that I owed her that much. My life wasn't worth anything anyway..."

Kagome was silent. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she knew he wasn't finished.

"Once I made up my mind, I knew I couldn't risk having you around. If I was with you, I knew I would second guess myself...so, I tried to send you away...when you came back and asked to stay with me, I knew I made a mistake. I knew that my feelings weren't one-sided anymore. But, I had already made a vow to Kikyo...I couldn't go back on my word. It was all I had."

Inuyasha sat down pulling Kagome into his lap. He was relieved she didn't fight him. This was hard for him to do, but she deserved to know all of it. "As time went on, I fell deeper and deeper for you. I tried to push you away so many times and I mean it when I say I did it to protect you. I didn't want you to love me, it would only make it so much harder for you when I was gone. Every time I went to Kikyo, I knew it hurt you. I knew how mad you were, but I felt obligated to her. I was the only thing that she really knew in this time other than Naraku. She was just like me, a hurt soul with no one in the world. I knew how it felt and I didn't want her to go through that. So, I went to her. We never did anything but talk, but It made me feel better like I was paying her back for being there for me all those years ago. I knew I didn't love her, at least not really. My feelings for you were so much stronger and it made me see that what he had fifty years ago wasn't really love. We were friends yes, but we never really knew each other. We were just two people who didn't want to be alone anymore."

"But, I still felt this need to protect her. Maybe it was guilt or maybe it just made me feel useful, I don't really know. I just needed to do it. Then one day, I went after her and you got hurt. When I found you and thought you were dead...Kagome I lost it." he hugged her tighter to him. "I ran off for a while and seriously thought about just ending it right then and there. I couldn't live in a world knowing you weren't a part of it... When you woke up...it was the first time I had cried since my mother died." He squeezed when she gasped. "That was the day that I knew I couldn't die with her. I knew if I couldn't live without you, I couldn't die without you either."

"But, Inuyasha...why did you keep going to her then? If you felt that way, why didn't you say something to me?"

Inuyasha sighed softly. "I wouldn't die with her, but I still felt obligated to go see her. Even more so with the guilt of knowing I would be breaking my promise. As for not talking to you about it...Kagome, I knew that if I told you how I felt and you told me you felt the same way...well...there's no way I would be able to wait to be with you." He was glad she couldn't see his blush. "Ummm so I thought I would wait until things were settled. You had school and with Naraku around and Kikyo still popping up, I figured it wasn't the best time. I know now that I should have said something, but I was just trying to keep you safe. I have a lot of enemies out there and if they knew we were together that would just put you in more danger..."

Kagome was still blushing at the thought of him wanting to "be" with her, but she could see what he meant. She wouldn't want to wait either. "So, that's why you were always pushing me away? It makes sense Inuyasha, but you have to understand...you have hurt me so many times. It's hard for me to take all of this in." She wanted to forgive him but still...it hurt.

"I know. That day i sent you back home, I knew there was a good chance I had lost you for good...I risked it anyway to keep you safe, but I know now that was the biggest mistake of my life. I should have talked to you first. I don't know why I didn't. I was scared. A part of me was happy you would be home safe for once, but my heart knew I was making the wrong choice."

"Inuyasha, that day I saw you again, when I walked into the camp and seen you holding her...I gave up." She ignored his stuttering and kept going. "My mind and my heart were fighting on what to do, and when I saw you with her like that...it broke me."

"Kagome...I am so sorry. The only reason I did that was it was her last request of me.." Kagome turned and gave him a weird look."When I told you that I decided to come back and get you?" at her nod he continued "that day I told Kikyo I wasn't going to hell with her. I told her that you were my choice. She was hurt but she said she kind of already figured it out...she asked me if she could just have the time that was left till you came back. She just asked if I could hold her for a while so she could have some good memories for when she left." He shook his head as he sighed. "I couldn't deny her that. She released me from my vow! She only asked for that one thing and I couldn't find it in me to say no...but i swear! Nothing else happened! All she asked was to hold my hand and for me to hold her for a little while. I know it was still wrong, but I never did anything beyond that."

"I believe you Inuyasha, and I understand why you did it...but... it was still painful to see."

Inuyasha turned her around so she was straddling his lap. They both blushed at the position, but he needed to look her in the eye for this. "Kagome, I know that I have hurt you, a lot. You have no idea how badly I wish I could do this all over again the right way, but I can't. I can't take back all the things I've said and done to you. All I can do is ask you to please forgive me. I know I don't deserve it and I know I don't deserve you, but please. I love you so much Kagome, and if you give me another chance, I will spend the rest of my life making up for every single thing I have ever put you through. You will not go one day without knowing how much I love you. You can sit me whenever you want and I will take it with a smile. Please Kagome...Be my mate, my wife." His eyes were bright with unshed tears as he held his breath waiting for a response.

"Inuyasha...I..."

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Oh god! I'm such a bitch! But, honestly there are a few different ways I can go with this and I haven't made up my mind yet! But, don't you worry! I'm still in quarantine so I'll probably be back tomorrow!