Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Inuyasha, or that is part of the Inuyasha universe, or any of the name brand product and the likes mentioned within the story.

Chapter 28

Inuyasha snuggled further into the woman tucked into his abdomen as they slept. Or at least...As she slept. He couldn't. He still couldn't believe this was real. It didn't feel like it could be. He'd wanted this for so fucking long, and now that it had happened...He still couldn't believe it.

Kagome Higurashi was his girl again.

His.

Not some cat's. Not some other lucky bastard's.

His.

He couldn't stop the pleased smile from spreading across his face even if he wanted to, tilting his head down to deeply inhale. She smelled amazing. Like her...and him...He could still scent the lingering hints of her arousal from the night before too. It pleased him to no end that he was the one who had done that to her.

They had spent the remainder of the night in each other's arms, just kissing each other, their hands exploring exposed areas of skin, slipping under articles of clothing to feel others...But they hadn't had sex, just as he had requested.

Yet...If last night was any indicator, that would be happening soon enough, and while the idea had once angered and hurt him, it now excited him. It was amazing how much a person could change in a month, wasn't it?

It still felt like a dream, though he knew it wasn't. He had awoken at the crack of dawn to feel his demonic blood return. She had stirred just long enough to look up at him as he reopened his once again golden eyes and smiled sweetly before kissing him lazily. She fell asleep again shortly after.

Inuyasha smiled tenderly at the memory. He placed a feather-light, lingering kiss to her shoulder blade before rolling out of bed as delicately as he could.

He wanted to stay there with her longer, but honestly...He had to pee, and he didn't want to ruin a perfect start to the morning by telling her he had ta piss. He'd rather just do it and slip back into bed and hold her for as long as he could.

Shit...He should probably brush his teeth while he was at it too, shouldn't he? That way he wouldn't breathe his morning breath all over her. It was bad, wasn't it? He lifted his hand to his mouth, cupping it and exhaling into it.

Oh yeah.

It was bad.

His nose crinkled in disgust as he quietly unzipped the front pocket of his backpack to take out his toothbrush and toothpaste, and he was faced, once again, by the Altoids tin.

God. That tin was gonna be the death of him. Haunt him in his dreams. She had made it clear that he didn't have to use them if he didn't want to...So...Did...he wanna or not?

He shook his head and grabbed the toothpaste and toothbrush, slipping on his boots as he snuck out of the tent as quietly as he could, leaving the large fabric flap half-open. He didn't wanna chance waking her up by constantly zipping and unzipping it. Besides. He'd know if something threatening moved in on them.

She'd be safe.

He grabbed a water bottle from just on the inside of the tent and trudged over to his preferred tree well away from camp to piss on. If Kagome were awake, he was sure she'd make a thousand and one jokes about him marking his territory, and he rolled his eyes at the thought, absently noticing the way the sun was rising over the cliffs. The morning sky was on fire, and it was gorgeous.

She'd love it.

He lowered his pants enough to pull his penis out and relieve himself, his mind still on Kagome. He should wake her up when he got back. She'd love it. They could cuddle up together and snuggle and enjoy it for a minute...and then he could kiss her hair...and then her neck...and then move on to other things…

That was romantic, right? Having sex at sunrise? That was a good way to do it for the first time...He knew he had pictured it happening this way a few times before.

Or perhaps more than a few times before…

He'd envisioned it a lot over the years, alright? He couldn't help it! He'd pictured their first time at their spot at sunrise, sunset, midnight...He'd pictured taking her against a tree, with her on top, with him on top, with him behind her…

And a thousand other ways too.

The idea that it was here...That he could make love to her…

He quickly finished up his business and brushed his teeth, making sure to get every inch of his mouth he could. He wanted everything to be perfect. But...Condoms.

Fuck.

This shouldn't be as big a deal as he was making it out to be...but...He'd also never had sex before without one. He knew it would be fine. She'd told him it would be fine...and if there was one woman he'd want to free bird it with, it was Kagome…

...But it'd also been a while since he'd had sex. Or since he had indulged himself again. He really hadn't wanted more commentary from his father or Sesshomaru after last time...So...To say he was pent up would be a bit of an underestimate.

Maybe he should use one. Just for the first time, at least. It would help him last longer. That was never a bad thing.

Yeah. That sounded like a good plan.

Condoms this time...and then...they could talk about using them again after that. Just until the edge was off.

He felt giddy at the idea. At the whole fact that this was even real. It was so hard to believe.

He'd wanted this for so long...And she'd said yes to it…

He really hoped he could please her. That was his biggest fear about the whole thing.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the pad of his thumb and index finger before making his way back to camp. Thoughts of women faking orgasms flooded his mind and he began to panic. What if she hated it? What if she felt obligated to make him think he was doing a good job when he really wasn't? He thought he remembered all of the little things that made her feel good, but...fuck! It'd been seven years! What if they had changed, or she wasn't as sensitive, or he had lost his touch or—

His ears twitched, picking up the sounds of rustling within the tent, and he felt his blood run cold. Fuck! He'd spent so much time panicking over the whole idea of sex with her that he'd blown how he'd wanted it to start! She was already awake!

...But...maybe she was changing. That could be a good way to start things too. Innocently walk in on her with her shirt off, bent over the air mattress as she slipped off her bottoms…

He felt his cock twitch within the confines of his basketball shorts, and an excited smile plastered itself over his face at the thought. Maybe he wasn't too late after all…

He quietly snuck back over to the tent, opening the fabric flap wider, and his blood ran cold at the sight that greeted him.

Kagome wasn't awake.

But by trying to be sneaky and quietly slip away that morning…

...He had unintentionally allowed some of the local wildlife an opportunity to sneak into their camp and go through his backpack.

A raccoon stared unflinchingly back at him, its hands buried deep within the front pocket of his bag. The pocket he had left open to get his toothbrush and toothpaste.

The pocket that held a shiny tin of Altoids.

The very thing the raccoon chose to remove right at that moment.

"Hey there little fellow," Inuyasha whispered, smiling at her. "Whatcha got there!" Maybe if he appeared unthreatening, she'd drop them and leave them alone. Unfortunately, that only seemed to make her more skittish as she held the tin closer to her little raccoon chest like a prized possession.

He watched as the raccoon's whole body tensed, and he had a bad feeling.

"Why don't we make a trade, yeah? You put down the condoms, and I'll get you something better. Maybe a pop tart. Do you wanna pop tart? Mmmm...Pop-tarts are sooo good…" he whispered, slowly inching closer to the raccoon, who didn't seem to believe him for a second.

"I'll even let you pick which one," he continued, slowly inching closer to her, beginning to reach out an arm to her. God...How Kagome was sleeping through all of this, he had no idea. They hadn't stayed up that late making out last night…

The raccoon didn't seem the least bit interested in his offer, however, and reared back up onto her hind legs.

Shitshitshitshitshitshit!

She was gonna bolt!

"Come here...Just...give me the condoms," he demanded through clenched teeth. He wasn't gonna let a raccoon mess this up…

He was so close to her...His fingers were just inches away from her and he could almo—

"—Fuck!"

She bolted, scampering up and away from the bag, and towards him. He moved to grab her as she moved to the left of his leg, and his fingers grasped air as she slipped between his open legs, her small back brushing against the fabric of his basketball shorts. He contorted his body around, trying to grab her again, but she was too fast. He completely missed her.

"Get back here you little shit!" he snarled, chasing after the raccoon. He couldn't let her ruin this! He needed that fucking tin! Since when were raccoons awake during the day anyways! He thought that they were all nocturnal.

Was he really that hated that someone up there was sending a raccoon after his Altoids tin? He'd been stressed enough about packing it as it was! Now, this fiend was running off with the fucking thing!

Why couldn't he get a break for once in his life!

He ran after the raccoon, chasing it into the tree line and through the brush. After about ten minutes of staying on top of it, however, he knew what he had to do. Admit defeat, turn around, and try to at least salvage some of his plan...or keep chasing her and have his plan ruined altogether…

He watched as it scampered up a tree in the distance, leaping across one tree limb to another, and his shoulders slumped, bowing in.

It was time to give up. Kagome had said they were optional. He just...Might make a fool of himself the first time. Maybe if he explained that it had been a while? Fuck, but that didn't sound great either! "I came too soon because I haven't had sex in forever and you feel so good." Yeah. Great. He was really looking forward to that conversation. And the disappointment on her face when he got off before she could even get there…

He sighed and began trudging back to camp, trying to hype himself up.

He wanted to have sex with her on their trip. He could admit that. Who knew how much time they had together...he didn't want to waste a single moment or opportunity. Maybe he'd just...find a way to compensate for it?

Get her off a few times before they had sex?

Maybe once more after it?

That...that would work, right?

He didn't know every detail about her sexual history, but it was hard to imagine that she hadn't been left...unfulfilled before from that. Hell, her story from last night proved that...Maybe...maybe if he disappointed her this one time, in this one way, he could still make it up to her so it wasn't a shitty experience. He'd just...Resort to old faithful and eat her out until he couldn't breathe because her thighs were clenching his head so hard.

Yeah.

Yeah!

This was still salvageable!

This could still work!

This was gonna be fine! Better than fine!

It was gonna be great!

He'd leave her head spinning so she didn't know which way was up. Just not with his dick. But so what? He never needed that before!

He didn't need to make her cum on his dick anyways! The important thing was that she did...right?

Right.

He clapped his hands together once, still amping himself up for his new plan of attack when he broke through the tree line, coming face to face with the tent. He was gonna go in there and wake her up and they were going to have sex.

Him. And Kagome. Sex. They were gonna do it.

The thought made him grin, something he never would have believed was possible about a month earlier. But now…

He paused outside of the tent, straining his ears to make sure she was still sleeping. Her breathing was still low and slow, meaning she was, in fact, still sleeping.

Perfect.

Everything was still salvageable. He quietly pushed the flap of the tent aside and ducked in, kneeling to take off his shoes as he watched her sleep. She was beautiful. Even now. Was that a strange thought to have? To notice how gorgeous she was when she was sleeping? He hoped not. He didn't think it was.

He tossed his shoes off to the side and crawled up to the edge of the air mattress, stretching his body along the length of it before trying to quietly slide back into it. He should have known that wasn't possible. The second he placed his raised leg down onto the top it made a loud plasticky squishing sound that made him cringe. Shifting his upper body onto it only made more of that same sound, and he internally tossed his hands up into the air as she rolled over to face him.

Shitshitshitshitshit!

He committed to rolling the rest of the way onto the mattress, giving up on trying to be sneaky about it. What was the point?

He quickly slipped his arm under his pillow, angling his body to face hers, and flipping the top of the sleeping bag back over himself right as she opened her eyes.

"Morning," he breathed, trying to calm his racing heart as she blurrily regarded him. Silver hair. Gold eyes. It was morning.

Oh no! It was morning!

She hadn't meant to fall asleep last night - they normally didn't...But...She supposed that all things considered...But...still…

"Morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as guilt washed over her. "Sorry...I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"It's ok," he reassured her, tilting her chin up to look at him. "I did too."

"Mmmm...liar," she yawned, covering her mouth with her fingers. "You're awake."

"Because I just woke up," he smirked, pulling her body flush against his. He felt her legs naturally entwine themselves with his, and it made him smile. The feel of them together...This felt right. Natural. Comfortable.

He didn't know why he'd thought he could find this with someone else. Maybe the years had blurred his memory, but this...This feeling he was experiencing right now...He didn't think that was possible with anyone but her.

"Sure you did," she smirked, her eyes slowly becoming more alert.

"I did!" he promised, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I hadda pee."

She crinkled her nose up and he laughed, his hand moving to the top of her shoulder to play with the strap of her shirt.

"What! It's true!"

"Doesn't mean I need to know…"

"Well, you weren't believing me, woman!"

"Mmm...Still not sure I do," she mused as her eyes landed on the necklace he still wore around his neck. Her fingers came up to the charm, delicately taking it between them and running the pad of her thumb along the length of the tooth. It felt smooth and warm to the touch, probably because he had "slept" in it. Like an idiot. He could have popped the air mattress with it. It would have made a memorable story though.

She liked having memorable stories with him.

"It suits you, you know," she murmured, watching him watch her play with it.

"I like it," he replied softly, the pad of his thumb running gently across the skin of her arm.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he confirmed shyly, his cheeks heating ever so slightly. "You gave it to me."

A soft smile spread across her face and he nervously tilted his head down to press a tender, lingering kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he saw that her smile had widened, and it made him bashfully chew the inside of his lip.

"The sun's arising," he pointed out as casually as he could. "Wanna watch it?"

"Mmm...Yeah. And I think I need to pee too," she decided, rolling to the side of the air mattress. He watched as she dug through her things to find her toiletries, and he pulled her back down onto the "bed", making her squeal. "Yash!"

"I don't want ya ta leave yet," he pouted, kissing her upside down lips, and he felt her breath against his throat as she laughed.

"So you can wake up and pee and clearly brush your teeth, but I can't?" she lightly complained, when he released them. He bit the inside of his cheek when he looked up, realizing that he could see down her shirt.

Fuck him.

God.

Could he really touch those later?

He tried not to whimper at the thought.

"Fine. Go. But get back here soon so we can watch, ok?" he pressed, letting go of her and watching her breasts sway to the side before disappearing as she sat up.

"As soon as I can," she promised, grabbing a bottle of water and slipping on her shoes before disappearing from the tent. She swore she could feel his eyes on her ass the whole time.

Probably because he was, in fact, staring at her. He ran his fingers through his bangs, a soft, awe-filled smile on his face. She was his again. She was really his again. His to laugh with and fight with and confide in. His to hold and kiss and...touch.

He never would have thought this would be possible before a few days ago. He didn't think the stars would ever align so that he could be with her like this again.

He sat up, raising his arms above his head as he stretched, and tried to figure out his next move. He did want to watch the sun rise with her. Maybe he should rearrange the bed? So that their heads were by the entrance? That made sense, right?

Right.

He quickly moved everything around, smoothing out the sleeping bag on top again, and sat back on his haunches, pleased with himself. How should he wait for her? Just...Laying on top of the sleeping bag? Or under it? Should he be in a sexy pose maybe? No no no no that's too presumptuous. Maybe he should put on a shirt? But then he'd probably just end up taking it off again if they had sex...Unless she wanted him to keep it on?

He glanced back down his body and exhaled.

He was putting too much thought into this, wasn't he? He was making it too complicated.

Inuyasha crawled back into the bed and laid down with his chin on his arms. It was probably the best move. Casual. Comfortable. As natural as he could look right now while internally screaming for her to get back.

At least it didn't take her too long.

He heard her approaching the tent long before she reappeared, and he felt his heart leap into his throat as he tried to bat his nerves down.

This was Kagome.

Even if they didn't have sex right this second, it wasn't like he wouldn't still enjoy the sunrise with her. The important thing wasn't the sex. It was the intimacy and feeding the embers of that connection they shared again.

Sex would help.

But not everything always had to be about that. He knew that.

...Though he still really did wanna do that with her. He had for years. Fuck! He wasn't gonna freak himself out!

"Hey," she greeted, ducking into the tent and putting everything away before joining him on the air mattress. "You rearranged everything?" she observed, and he jerkily nodded his head.

"Yeah - thought we could watch the sunrise better this way."

"Mmm, good thinking," she praised, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's beautiful."

It was too. She loved the sunrises here. So clear and vibrant...She loved the way it set the water on fire as the sky exploded with vivid oranges and yellows and reds…

"Y-yeah," he agreed, trying to calm himself still. The feel of her head on his shoulder was making his heart race, even as he reminded himself that they didn't have to do this right this second.

She had said they could when he was ready.

But…

He was ready.

"So listen," she began, snuggling further into his arm. "After breakfast, I was thinki—"

"—Do you wanna have sex?"

...Nice.

Smooth!

God, it was a wonder he wasn't a virgin still, with the way his voice squeaked at the end of that. He couldn't believe he fucking just...blurted it out.

He felt her pull away from him and he turned his head away from her, letting his bangs fall over his eyes and hiding as best he could as he sat up and ran his hands down his face. This wasn't even remotely close to how he wanted this to go. Not even a little.

Kagome was rather surprised as well. She knew that they had talked about that last night, but...now? They'd just woken up.

"Inuyasha, I—"

"Forget it," he rushed to say, unable to look at her. He felt like he was fifteen all over again, asking her if he could touch her boobs over her shirt. He'd done it with about as much tact and in almost the same way.

"I...I don't want to. Forget it, I mean," she replied honestly, sitting up beside him and pushing her hair behind her ears. "I'm just surprised. I know I'd said when you're ready...And I remember you said today, I'm just...We just woke up, so I'm surprised…"

"Yeah. No. That's fine. I...I don't know what I was thinking," he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head as a blush fanned across his cheeks. "I was just...having a moment," he shrugged. "Just thought...I...I don't know what I was thinking," he mumbled, turning to look off to the side again.

Fuck...Could he have been a bigger fucking idiot? Of course she didn't want to have sex with him. Right now, at least.

Kagome watched him as he continued to beat himself up, trying to figure out what was going on in that head of his. He still wasn't looking at her. What had happened? She had woken up no more than fifteen minutes ago, and he was asking her about sex? She felt confused - like she had missed something…

What she did know was that he had been up long before she woke up, even if he had slept. If she had to guess...he was probably thinking about their conversation from the night before. Which must have lead to him thinking about sex…

Was he just laying here for hours doing nothing but thinking about it? He looked nervous and also embarrassed...but...the fact that he was so nervous...if she had to guess…

He was psyching himself out. Probably putting a lot of pressure on himself. Probably making this a much bigger deal than it was. Not that it wasn't a big deal, but he looked like he was about to die.

Was his goal to just...get the first time over with? Because then it was just. Done. Over with. The other times wouldn't matter as much.

She needed to get him out of his head.

"It's ok," she soothed, cupping his face and encouraging him to look at her again. "I want to have sex with you soon, just...not this exact second. Can you watch the sunrise with me? You went through all this trouble to rearrange everything…"

She watched him jerkily nod and lean his cheek against the top of her head, breathing her in. Kagome heard him shakily exhale, and she took his hand in hers, running her thumb across his knuckles.

"It's beautiful," she commented, taking in the way the sky was slowly lightening to a vivid blue.

"Yeah," he agreed, his body still tense against hers.

"I forgot how much fun camping is," she continued, trying to distract him. "It's been...years…"

Since her father was alive.

"It's been a while for me too."

"Really?" she replied, surprised. "I'd think you'd do it every year at least…"

"We really only went with your family," he shrugged, the movement making her pull away from him to look up at his face. "When y'all stopped, we did too. Didn't really wanna spend a weekend in the wild with Sesshomaru. Miroku isn't into it 'cause Sango ain't. Kouga...well...Don't really wanna go with a bunch of stinkin' wolves...So we all kinda just...stopped. For the best though," he continued. "Wouldn't quite be the same without y'all."

"Yeah...I...same," she breathed, and she felt him pull her closer to his side and nuzzle the top of her head. They sat together in amiable silence for a moment, just enjoying the moment and each other's company. The view was, quite frankly, hard to beat.

"Sorry," he mumbled, breaking the comfortable silence and rubbing the skin of her arm. "About...pushing, again. For...yeah…"

"You didn't push," she reassured, breaking from his hold so she could look him in the eye. She could see the guilt in them. The same guilt he always got when she would say not yet when they were younger. "I just...I wasn't in the mood right that second, is all. I didn't stay up all night like someone else," she tried to tease, but his ears drooped into what she liked to call "airplane mode". Not really a good sign. "Hey," she murmured, cupping the side of his face. "What's going on in that head of yours, hm? Why don't you tell me?"

He sighed and looked off to the side, but he didn't tell her. Not at first.

"I'm just nervous," he finally mumbled. "I want...I don't want to waste a single second with you. But I also don't know how well this time is gonna go. It's been...a while since we were close like that. And it's been a while too. For me. Since I had sex. And I'm just...What if I ain't any good? And I know I'm not gonna last long and I just...I figured, if we knock one round out now, then maybe we could try again later and it would be better? I don't know," he chuckled, running his hands down his face and sighing. "Fuck, I sound a mess, don't I?"

"You sound like a man putting way too much pressure on himself."

He tilted his head to look at her, raising his brow at her.

"Really now? Ya don't say…"

"Well you do! Inuyasha, the first time with a new partner...It's not always what the movies make it out to be. Your limbs get all awkward and you're suddenly all elbows and you question everything you do. Does this feel good? Is this right for them? Am I pushing too far? How's this angle? I know that. I'm not expecting a fantasy, and I don't want you to put pressure on yourself about it either. It's...I know it's a big deal, but also it's…" she trailed off trying to think of the right words to say.

"Us?" he supplied, running his fingers through his bangs.

"Yeah. It's us. We trust each other and…" she paused, swallowing. She couldn't say loved one another. She didn't know if that was still true or not. She knew how she felt, but she couldn't put words in his mouth. She wouldn't do it. "We care deeply for each other. I don't want you stressing out over sex, alright? When it happens, because it will, it will happen naturally and whatever does happen is ok. I don't expect you to be a sex god," she teased, and he couldn't help but snort.

"Maybe I am," he teased. "Maybe when we do, you're going to be so exhausted you need to call inta work sick."

"Mmm...yes...I can see it now… 'Hello, Carra? I'm sorry. I can't come in to work today. My boyfriend fucked me so hard I can't walk.' I'm sure she'd get a real kick out of that."

"Maybe if you gave her all the dirty details…"

"Oh yeah - that's exactly what my boss wants. Details on my sex life."

"You never know. Maybe if you write about it, she'll give ya a raise."

"Might give me a new column - ten ways to drive your demonic man wild with lust."

"Looking for some pointers on that?"

"Dunno - do you have some suggestions for me? Could make a hell of a pitch."

"Depends...Every demon is a little different…I only know what works for dogs."

"So, it would be a very specific article, is what I'm hearing."

"Mhm...Specific ta me."

"Well, do you want a bunch of random people knowing what makes you horny?"

"I don't care who all knows. I only care about one caring enough ta wanna know."

"It's Jake from State Farm, isn't it?"

"Depends - he in khakis? I gotta thing for those."

"Khakis kink? Hot."

"You look at a pair of khakis and tell me they don't scream 'take me'!"

"So, adding khakis to the top ten list?"

"Bet your sweet ass ya are."

"But I'm not wearing Khakis! How can my ass be sweet?"

"I'll make an exception this once."

"Only once, huh?"

"Yup. When we leave, I'm taking you right to the store. Gotta get you into a pair of them."

"Is this foreplay? Should I be taking notes?"

"I'm surprised you haven't started yet. This is important, valuable information I'm imparting on you."

"Mmm...I think I got it all in my head. Khakis are a kink of yours...and buying a pair at the store is foreplay…"

"And watching you put them on," he nodded. "And most importantly, take them off again later…"

"Now, should I be wearing a thong with these, or go sexier? I was planning on granny panties..."

"Oh, it's granny panties or bust. For sure."

"So sexy."

"I don't think you can get sexier," he replied honestly...but he wasn't talking about the khakis or the panties anymore. He was talking about her. Right here. Right now. Giant smile on her face...eyes bright and shining...the sun peering in through their tent and bathing her in its warm morning glow…

She was the sexiest, most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"You're stunning, Kagome. The sexiest woman I've ever met. Ya could be wearing a thong or granny panties or depends. It don't matter. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and that ain't never gonna change."

Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat at the sincerity she saw in his eyes. The truth behind them. He still adored her. After all this time. All these years...When he looked at her, he saw home. A place of belonging. Of love and comfort. He saw someone he needed on every level. Emotionally, as well as physically. When he looked at her, she could feel the sincerity of his words.

The truth of his desire.

She swallowed as that knowledge washed over her and took in the way he looked as his eyes glowed in the warm morning light spilling across his features. The way it highlighted his cheekbones and glimmered across his silver hair. The way it caressed his strong jaw and the skin of his shoulders and the side of his pectorals.

Her eyes flitted across him, landing on his eyes once more. She watched the way they softened as they moved from her own eyes across her face, down to her lips. There was an unspoken question in them. A silent need he couldn't bring himself to act on or ask of her.

He didn't need to ask her, though.

She already knew the question.

And she already knew the answer.

She didn't hesitate.

Once she saw that look in his eye...his silent worship of her...his silent need to touch her. Kiss her...She took charge.

Kagome wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, encouraging him to lean down and press his lips to hers. Softly. Gently. Tenderly. It was light and sweet. She could taste the mint on his lips from his toothpaste, and she sighed in sweet contentment. She felt his lips tighten against hers before they relaxed again - continuing to lazily kiss her.

She liked this.

She'd missed this.

She felt like she was home.

Really, truly, honestly home. He parted from her for a moment to breathe - the tip of his nose brushing against the side of hers as she heard him slowly exhale. She gave him a second to catch his breath, something he was thankful for, when she tilted her head to the side and took his lips back with hers. She kissed him slowly, running her nails up and down the back of his neck as he pulled her a little closer.

It felt surreal still.

All of it.

Like it was a dream. It was like she was in her bed fantasizing about him on that mechanical bull all over again.

Only this time it was better. He was tangible. Tasteable. She could feel the heat of his bare back against her palms as she slid them up and down his skin. She could smell the scent of his old spice around them. She could feel him pulling her closer to him too. Moving his lips against hers...increasing the pressure and the passion between them…

This time, it was better because this time...This time it was unquestionably real.

He was really here with her, and she was really here with him.

And he couldn't fucking believe it anymore than she could.

It felt great being held like this. Feeling desired in this way.

He could feel her eagerly leaning into the kiss, matching the movements of his lips perfectly. He could feel his heart jump into his throat as she palmed the bare skin of his shoulders. Lightly ran her nails back down his back.

He groaned at the feeling.

His head was beginning to fog. He couldn't think. Only feel. Taste. Touch.

He wanted more.

Needed more.

She was setting him on fire as her teeth took his lower lip between them, nipping it as she pulled ever so slightly away from him, pulling it down. His arms wrapped around the middle of her back, drawing her even closer to him.

He wasn't letting her escape. Not even for a second.

Not now.

Not ever.

He felt the hot exhale of her breath against his skin as she chuckled in response to his actions, willingly dipping her head back in for more and pulling herself flush with his bare chest. The fabric of her shirt was too much. He wanted it gone as she lowered her lips to his jaw, scraping her teeth against the skin there. He felt himself moan lightly at the feeling.

"Kagome," he breathed as one of her hands scraped against his scalp, her nails prickling the skin.

She smiled at his breathy call for her, and nipped his skin before soothing it with her tongue.

"Yash," she replied in kind, tilting her head up just enough to catch his eye. Her hand continued to travel north, along the crown of his head, before the tips of her fingers connected with the fleshy base of his ear. She felt his breath hitch in his chest against her own. She watched in satisfaction as his eyes fluttered shut. He tilted his head further into her hand, silently encouraging her to rub his ear, and she obliged.

Every minute movement of her fingers shot hot arrows of desire through his body, electrifying his already sensitive skin. The heat he already felt in his veins turned to fire, and everything was suddenly too hot. He felt like just the pair of basketball shorts he was wearing was too much. Her touch was too much. Everything was too much. He could feel the burning ache stirring within him, his cock beginning to stiffen as the pangs of need thrumming in his blood intensified. She lightly ran her fingers up to the tip of his ear and he couldn't do it anymore.

It was too much.

He captured her lips with a bruising force, and she could feel his fangs scrape against her lower lip. The air around them began to shift as a low growl vibrated from the depths of his chest and along the length of her own body. She could feel herself responding to his call. Feel the aching in her core slowly strengthen. What had once been slow and then passionate was now becoming desperate.

His tongue ran across her lips, encouraging her to part them and allow him entrance. She obliged. In seconds she felt him daring her to come out and play, and she had no desire to say no as they continued to reacquaint themselves with one another. Her tongue explored his mouth, running down the tip of a fang. She felt his hand smooth its way up her back until his fingers entwined with her hair. He guided her, encouraging her to tilt her head back to grant him better access to her lips, and he growled in pleasure at how pliant she was to his desires.

They could both feel their actions becoming more fevered. Frenzied even, as he began to cover her body with his, slowly encouraging her to lay back on the air mattress.

She felt him release the back of her head and heard the air mattress shift as he braced an arm to the side of her head, supporting himself as he moved over her body. She could feel the length of his hardening erection against her leg as he moved, and it only made that ache intensify.

He wanted her.

She'd known that. He'd already asked her if they could have sex. But hearing a request and feeling his need were two very different things, and she knew in that instant that she wanted him to ask her again.

She wanted to say yes.

Inuyasha slipped his other hand under her shirt, splaying his fingers over the hot skin of her abdomen. She whimpered against his lips, arching her back to silently encourage him to move his hand. The move only made the rumbling in his chest intensify, which affected her in turn. He could smell it. The heady scent of her arousal perfuming the air. It was becoming more than he could take.

He didn't think he could handle her laying willingly below him, asking for him to touch her...whimpering little sounds of pleasure...smelling that fucking good...His restraint wasn't that good right now.

He pulled away from her, turning his head and burying it in the crook of her neck, allowing them both a chance to breathe.

"Yash?"

His name was thick and a little raspy on her lips, and he was pleased that he had made her sound that way...even if he would need to slink off into the woods in a few minutes to...handle...his erection.

"Yeah," he breathed, his hot breath fanning across the exposed skin of her shoulder.

"Ask me again."

Ask her again...He furrowed his brow in confusion for a moment before he understood what she was asking him.

He pushed himself up onto his palms, the air mattress shifting and squeaking under his weight as he stared down at her face from above. He wanted to look her in the eye when he did this. Wanted to take in that beautiful flush across her skin. Wanted to remember that salacious look in her eyes...remember how they told him how much she wanted him.

Fuck, she could make him come undone. Her hair splayed out like an inky, wavy, black halo around her shoulders…The slight part between her lips as her chest heaved...The way her beautiful cerulean eyes had darkened like storm clouds rolling in over the fields…

She was fucking stunning.

Fucking perfect.

And he was the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

"Kagome, do you want to have sex with me?"

"Yes."

A/N: IT'S HERE! NEXT CHAPTER! WE BEGIN THE ERA OF SMUT!

Also, exciting news! SAUCY IS JOINING THE RIDE! Starting ch 31, Saucy will be editing this fic! GET EXCITED GUYS!

And...A special shout out to Samantha_p_93 on AO3! She not only binged the fic over the last few days...but also left reviews for nearly every single chapter as she went. They freaking made my DAY!

I seriously appreciate the love from you, and from everyone! They make me smile whenever I get the notification, and I swear I read each and every one of them even if I've become HORRIBLE at responding to reviews! You all ROCK, so THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW GUYS!

Also special shout out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

zizi08, Alita Reinhart, HammyJessa, Lola1991, Reesexxoo, LayLay, Momo Neko Hitsugaya, LucyDEU

Until next time!