Outside Looking In
Inuyasha silently perched outside of Kagome's house wearing an irritable expression. He was going to drag that irritable git back kicking and screaming if it was the last thing he did. "Vacation...feh!" He growled, sneaking towards a window to peer inside.
It made his mood worsen to find that she was smiling cheerfully, hiding something, a small, brightly wrapped parcel. She giggled with merriment and stood, helping her mother decorate the room with bright streamers of blue and gold. Little twinkling 'stars' were hung around the room, and presents were being stacked everywhere.
Inuyasha frowned deeply. A family thing? He wondered, his nose pressing against the window. He was well aware that it was new years, and the window he was looking through was foggy from the heat inside in contrast to the cold outside.
"Tadaima!" A deep masculine voice called, and he watched as Kagome's head jerked up in anticipation. He winced. Does she have someone she loves? He forced himself to watch for the handsome man bound to enter the room.
A handsome man did indeed enter the room, and suddenly, cries of Happy New Years rang out through the shrine that was Kagome's home. Inuyasha watched the man pick up Sota and toss him into the air, embrace Kagome and place a rather passionate kiss on the lips of Mrs. Higurashi.
Suddenly, Inuyasha felt dirty. He felt like a no good, low down spy. He'd followed Kagome to her time to bring her back from what he thought was her going on a date with some mystery guy. Instead, he found she was celebrating a holiday with her family. He'd never seen Kagome's father before. He watched the happy family embrace at their reunion and tried to remember his own father. It wouldn't come to him. Instead, images of his brother trying to kill him, his mother's death, and other family tragedies came instead.
He didn't have any happy memories, he realized. Even his time with his mother was a melancholy time for him. He'd never had a real family. "So this is what I was missing...by being a hanyou..." He felt an unexpected moisture on his face and cursed, wiping the poinant tears away.
* * *
Kagome shivered, sensing Inuyasha. Her eyes widened, then narrowed and she stood. "I'll be right back." She promised her parents, then stood, walking towards the front door.
With a tolerant sigh, she slipped into her thick jacket and sneakers, then stepped out into the snow. "Inuyasha, I know you're there. Came to bring me back, eh?" She saw the red yukata and white hair of her demon friend and noticed his face was pressed against the window that let one see into the main room. "Inuyasha...?" She asked softly.
He heard her and quickly stood, striding back towards the bone-gobbling well. He could hear her calling out to him and telling him to stop, but only that rosary mojo made him do so.
"SIT!"
He ate snow.
Kagome ran towards him, and knelt beside him, her eyes troubled. "What in the world is wrong?!" She whispered, helping him sit.
Inuyasha was silent for a long time. "I envy you." He said finally. He heard her gasp and lifted his face so she could see the tears rolling down his face. "I envy you and your life here."
Her eyes widened and she lifted a hand to touch his face, but he cringed away.
"Don't..." He growled. "I don't want your pity." He rubbed the tears away with the sleeve of his yukata. When he finally met her gaze again, he didn't see pity. He saw understanding. It shocked him.
Kagome lifted her hand again, and pressed it to his cheek. "You don't have any truely fond memories about your family, do you..." She whispered, feeling his pain. "You sat outside, looking in on my family, and it brought back bad memories..."
He looked away again. "I don't have anything but bad memories." He growled.
She sighed, then grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "Come on." A smile lit up her face as she coaxed him towards the house. "I'll get you some dry clothes, and you can join us, alright?"
He looked towards her in shock. "Kagome...?" He lowered his eyes and tried to pull his hand from her grasp. "I don't belong in there..."
A tolerant sigh. "Inuyasha, you're my friend. My family will always welcome you with open arms." She looked towards him and smiled. "Besides, you haven't met daddy yet...he's been away so long..."
He couldn't argue with that smile, and he let her drag him into the house and give him a fresh yukata. He disappeared into her room to change. While he did so, Kagome went downstairs and whispered something to her mother, who looked delighted. Her father smiled, nodding, and Sota bounced around in joy. Her grandfather nodded sagely.
After a few moments, a VERY hesitant Inuyasha joined them, his eyes showing more nervousness than he would admit to out loud. Sota stood up and glomped him. "INU-NO-NIICHAN!" The boy called joyously. The demon blinked, and froze.
Kagome smiled, pulling him further into the room.
"Kagome...I'm not sure this is a-"
She just smiled up at him. "It is." She coaxed him into sitting down and pried her little brother off him. "Daddy, this is Inuyasha, a friend of mine."
Mr. Higurashi smiled and nodded. "I've heard of you from my wife and children. They all seem quite enamored with you." At Inuyasha's rather shellshocked and confused expression, he chuckled. "I can guess why."
Kagome ran out of the room, leaving the genuinely embarassed dog demon to fend for himself for a moment. When she returned, about ten minutes later, with hot cocoa or coffee for everyone, he seemed a tad more relaxed. She smiled.
By the end of the night, it was like he was at home. When Sota and the adults adjourned to go to bed, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, who seemed a tad drousy herself. "Kagome..." He said softly, his eyes sad. "I guess I should go..."
"And break my brother's heart?" Kagome smiled sweetly at him. "You know I'm not going to kick you out." She stood and stretched.
He sat there for a moment before standing as well. "You mean...I can stay?" He asked, his eyes wide.
She nodded and smiled. "Let's get you tucked in, Inuyasha." She teased.
He watched her walk up the stairs and followed, his heart caught in his throat.
* * *
Inuyasha woke up before Kagome had, and crept downstairs, silently, to find out what that wonderful smell coming from the kitchen was. When he arrived, he found Mrs. Higurashi standing there, smiling cheerfully, pouring something into a skillet. "Whacha makin?" He asked.
Mrs. Higurashi jumped, spinning towards him. "Oh, Inuyasha." She smiled. "I didn't hear you!" She turned back towards the skillet. "I'm making pancakes and bacon. Kagome and her father both love pancakes, and I guess I've developed a fondness for them as well. Her father is a gaijin raised man. He was schooled in the west."
Inuyasha leaned against the doorframe. "I guess Kagome wants to do that to..." He said, with no small hint of melancholy. Mrs. Higurashi glanced back at him as she put another pancake on a plate and started the next one. A wry grin lit up her face. "You standing under the mistletoe, Inuyasha." She said. "Do you know what that means?"
"No? What's a mistletoe?" Inuyasha blinked, looking upwards.
"See that small green plant? It grows in trees in the west. It's quite popular during holidays. People hang it in doorframes and other places in rooms in hopes to catch the one they like under it and give them a nice suprise." She flipped the pancake.
"What kind of surprise?" Inuyasha asked, blinking.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled, and walked towards him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "That kind of surprise." She laughed softly at his shellshocked expression. "If you catch someone under the mistletoe, you kiss them."
He flushed and looked away as Mrs. Higurashi went back to making breakfast. He moved to the table and sat at it, his mind pondering mistletoe.
"Mom, that smells wonderful..." Kagome moaned from the doorway as she walked in.
Inuyasha watched her pass under the mistletoe and an idea came to him, perhaps a way to repay her for the gift she was giving him by letting him spend these few precious hours as part of a family.
Sota ran in shortly after Kagome, followed by Mr. Higurashi. Mr. Higurashi looked up at the doorframe as his wife set the pancakes on the table and smiled at her ironically. "Mistletoe, love?"
She giggled, and Inuyasha thought she looked remarkably like Kagome when she did that. Without a word, she walked up to him, put her arms around his neck and drew him down for a long, passionate kiss.
A crotchety old voice spoke up. "You're blocking the path."
The pair broke apart, and went to the table, followed by grandfather. A wide smile broke out across Kagome's face and Inuyasha knew that she missed this. He felt wretched. The happy 'itadakimasu' broke from everyone's mouth and they dug into the pancakes.
Inuyasha had never eaten anything like the pancakes, which were smothered in something called maple syrup, which they'd tried to explain to him, but he didn't really care what was in it. It tasted good. He devoured his share at a relaxed pace, watching Kagome and her father fight over the last piece, Mr. Higurashi giving in when Kagome made her eyes go all dewy.
Kagome noticed how at peace Inuyasha seemed and smiled towards him, her eyes happy. She really was glad he was here. With a contented sigh, she settled down, finishing the last pancake.
When everyone was finished, they went into the main room and presents started getting passed around. Inuyasha hadn't expected to get anything from them, since he was kind of a spur of the moment guest, and was immensely surprised when a few presents got set on his lap. He knew at that moment he had to repay them.
It wasn't like he'd gotten a weapon or anything, just some little things. A scarf, handknitted by Mrs. Higurashi, a white, stuffed dog from Sota, something strange and seemingly useless from Kagome's grandfather. He REALLY hadn't expected to get anything from Kagome. She even surprised him, though, giving him a framed picture of their band, with both him and herself in it.
Kagome smiled as she watched the dog demon open the unexpected gifts. His expression would be engraved into her memory forever after this. For the rest of the day, she watched him, noting every time he seemed moved by anything and took silent note of it. Her hard demon had a soft side, she knew that, but she hadn't been aware that his 'bad ass' side didn't really exist. THIS was Inuyasha, with all of his masks cast aside.
By the end of the day, Inuyasha knew that he'd found a place where he was accepted. A place he could, dare he, call home.
Later, when everyone had gone to bed, he sat up beside Kagome, both of them wrapped tightly in a blanket, since the power had gone out. They were sitting in front of the fireplace, a warm fire still burning in it. Kagome was wearing a gentle smile as she sat beside him.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha said softly.
"Hm?" She looked over towards him, her face curious.
He opened his mouth to speak and searched for the words. "Thank you..."
Her face softened and she smiled at him. "Everyone deserves to be happy once in awhile..." She said, resting her hand on his arm.
"Kagome..."
"Yeah?" She looked up at him again, noticing his bangs were sheilding his eyes. "What is it?"
His hand closed around her wrist and he pulled her to her feet, and pulled her towards one of the doors in the room. Kagome followed him, totally clueless. When he stopped in the doorframe, she tilted her head to the side in curiousity.
"Inuyasha-!?"
He leaned down, muffling the rest of her question with a meek, gentle kiss, that left his senses reeling. He pulled back quickly, licking his lips. Her eyes were huge, and her mouth parted slightly from shock. Without a word, he pointed up at the mistletoe that was hanging from the doorframe.
Her eyes widened and she stared at him for a long moment.
He flushed under her stare. "I'm sorry...I-I shouldn't have..." He started backing away from her, but her hand caught his.
"Don't go." She whispered. She'd wanted that so long. She'd longed for the feel of his lips on hers, and when it happened, she was too shocked to kiss him back. "Please..."
He looked down into her stormy eyes, his chest slightly tight. They were so beautiful, filled with more emotion than he'd ever seen before. "Kagome, I..."
She gently hushed him, pulling him under the mistletoe with her, her fingers running over his lips. She closed her eyes and tilted her lips up for him to take again.
He swallowed, leaning down and sampling her lips once again. Softer than silk, warm, and sweet, like honey. He drew in a ragged breath, burying his clawed fingers deep into her silken hair, drawing her closer to him. It thrilled him that she was responding to his kisses as well. Her tiny hands rested against his chest, clutching his shirt, her small body pressed to his. Heaven.
Kagome moaned softly as they broke the kiss. She let her eyes slowly open and saw tears on Inuyasha's face. Her jaw dropped and she gasped softly. "Inuyasha!" She whispered.
He looked at her and blinked back the tears. "I...Thank you, Kagome...you gave me the perfect gift." He whispered. "You gave me a family, just for a little while...I'm forever indebted to you..."
She felt an ache in her heart and embraced him tightly. "Inuyasha, you will always have a family here. Just like you and Miroku and Sango and Shippo are my family in your time..."
He didn't know when they'd fallen to their knees, but they knelt, holding each other tightly, trying to make time stop for each other. They didn't know how long they'd held each other, till the room began to grey from the raising of the sun. Inuyasha looked towards the window and swallowed the urge to howl with emotional agony. "Kagome...I think I love you." He whispered, his heart preparing for the shattering blow she was sure to deal it.
Kagome's eyes widened and she stared up at him. "Wh-what about Kikyou...?" She whispered.
"Kikyou was a long time ago." He said, his face somehow stubborn, despite the softness of his features. "You gave me my life back, gave me something to live for and fight for...you gave me the chance to have a normal life, no matter how breif the time was..." He cupped her face gently. "You're so much more than she ever was..."
Kagome blinked away tears. "Oh, Inuyasha..."
"I know you can't possibly love me...I'm just some dense, stupid, overly- possessive demon...who thinks violence is the best way to solve all his-"
She laid a finger over his lips, her eyes smiling at him. "You baka. You don't know anything. I love you more than anything, Inuyasha!" She hugged him tightly, resting her cheek against his chest. "I'll never be able to love anyone else..." She nuzzled him. "So protective, and always worrying about me...so vulnerable, and strong, and..."
He hushed her gently. He helped her to her feet and the mismatched pair walked up to her room, where she returned his clean and now dry clothes to him. He changed, well aware of her eyes following his every movement. When he was done, they stared at each other for a long time, before they met in the middle of her room and shared a final passionate kiss before he lept from her window and darted towards the bone-gobbling well, his presents hidded in his yukata.
Kagome watched him go, her eyes soft, her heart going with him as he jumped into the well, disappearing from her time.
Inuyasha silently perched outside of Kagome's house wearing an irritable expression. He was going to drag that irritable git back kicking and screaming if it was the last thing he did. "Vacation...feh!" He growled, sneaking towards a window to peer inside.
It made his mood worsen to find that she was smiling cheerfully, hiding something, a small, brightly wrapped parcel. She giggled with merriment and stood, helping her mother decorate the room with bright streamers of blue and gold. Little twinkling 'stars' were hung around the room, and presents were being stacked everywhere.
Inuyasha frowned deeply. A family thing? He wondered, his nose pressing against the window. He was well aware that it was new years, and the window he was looking through was foggy from the heat inside in contrast to the cold outside.
"Tadaima!" A deep masculine voice called, and he watched as Kagome's head jerked up in anticipation. He winced. Does she have someone she loves? He forced himself to watch for the handsome man bound to enter the room.
A handsome man did indeed enter the room, and suddenly, cries of Happy New Years rang out through the shrine that was Kagome's home. Inuyasha watched the man pick up Sota and toss him into the air, embrace Kagome and place a rather passionate kiss on the lips of Mrs. Higurashi.
Suddenly, Inuyasha felt dirty. He felt like a no good, low down spy. He'd followed Kagome to her time to bring her back from what he thought was her going on a date with some mystery guy. Instead, he found she was celebrating a holiday with her family. He'd never seen Kagome's father before. He watched the happy family embrace at their reunion and tried to remember his own father. It wouldn't come to him. Instead, images of his brother trying to kill him, his mother's death, and other family tragedies came instead.
He didn't have any happy memories, he realized. Even his time with his mother was a melancholy time for him. He'd never had a real family. "So this is what I was missing...by being a hanyou..." He felt an unexpected moisture on his face and cursed, wiping the poinant tears away.
* * *
Kagome shivered, sensing Inuyasha. Her eyes widened, then narrowed and she stood. "I'll be right back." She promised her parents, then stood, walking towards the front door.
With a tolerant sigh, she slipped into her thick jacket and sneakers, then stepped out into the snow. "Inuyasha, I know you're there. Came to bring me back, eh?" She saw the red yukata and white hair of her demon friend and noticed his face was pressed against the window that let one see into the main room. "Inuyasha...?" She asked softly.
He heard her and quickly stood, striding back towards the bone-gobbling well. He could hear her calling out to him and telling him to stop, but only that rosary mojo made him do so.
"SIT!"
He ate snow.
Kagome ran towards him, and knelt beside him, her eyes troubled. "What in the world is wrong?!" She whispered, helping him sit.
Inuyasha was silent for a long time. "I envy you." He said finally. He heard her gasp and lifted his face so she could see the tears rolling down his face. "I envy you and your life here."
Her eyes widened and she lifted a hand to touch his face, but he cringed away.
"Don't..." He growled. "I don't want your pity." He rubbed the tears away with the sleeve of his yukata. When he finally met her gaze again, he didn't see pity. He saw understanding. It shocked him.
Kagome lifted her hand again, and pressed it to his cheek. "You don't have any truely fond memories about your family, do you..." She whispered, feeling his pain. "You sat outside, looking in on my family, and it brought back bad memories..."
He looked away again. "I don't have anything but bad memories." He growled.
She sighed, then grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "Come on." A smile lit up her face as she coaxed him towards the house. "I'll get you some dry clothes, and you can join us, alright?"
He looked towards her in shock. "Kagome...?" He lowered his eyes and tried to pull his hand from her grasp. "I don't belong in there..."
A tolerant sigh. "Inuyasha, you're my friend. My family will always welcome you with open arms." She looked towards him and smiled. "Besides, you haven't met daddy yet...he's been away so long..."
He couldn't argue with that smile, and he let her drag him into the house and give him a fresh yukata. He disappeared into her room to change. While he did so, Kagome went downstairs and whispered something to her mother, who looked delighted. Her father smiled, nodding, and Sota bounced around in joy. Her grandfather nodded sagely.
After a few moments, a VERY hesitant Inuyasha joined them, his eyes showing more nervousness than he would admit to out loud. Sota stood up and glomped him. "INU-NO-NIICHAN!" The boy called joyously. The demon blinked, and froze.
Kagome smiled, pulling him further into the room.
"Kagome...I'm not sure this is a-"
She just smiled up at him. "It is." She coaxed him into sitting down and pried her little brother off him. "Daddy, this is Inuyasha, a friend of mine."
Mr. Higurashi smiled and nodded. "I've heard of you from my wife and children. They all seem quite enamored with you." At Inuyasha's rather shellshocked and confused expression, he chuckled. "I can guess why."
Kagome ran out of the room, leaving the genuinely embarassed dog demon to fend for himself for a moment. When she returned, about ten minutes later, with hot cocoa or coffee for everyone, he seemed a tad more relaxed. She smiled.
By the end of the night, it was like he was at home. When Sota and the adults adjourned to go to bed, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, who seemed a tad drousy herself. "Kagome..." He said softly, his eyes sad. "I guess I should go..."
"And break my brother's heart?" Kagome smiled sweetly at him. "You know I'm not going to kick you out." She stood and stretched.
He sat there for a moment before standing as well. "You mean...I can stay?" He asked, his eyes wide.
She nodded and smiled. "Let's get you tucked in, Inuyasha." She teased.
He watched her walk up the stairs and followed, his heart caught in his throat.
* * *
Inuyasha woke up before Kagome had, and crept downstairs, silently, to find out what that wonderful smell coming from the kitchen was. When he arrived, he found Mrs. Higurashi standing there, smiling cheerfully, pouring something into a skillet. "Whacha makin?" He asked.
Mrs. Higurashi jumped, spinning towards him. "Oh, Inuyasha." She smiled. "I didn't hear you!" She turned back towards the skillet. "I'm making pancakes and bacon. Kagome and her father both love pancakes, and I guess I've developed a fondness for them as well. Her father is a gaijin raised man. He was schooled in the west."
Inuyasha leaned against the doorframe. "I guess Kagome wants to do that to..." He said, with no small hint of melancholy. Mrs. Higurashi glanced back at him as she put another pancake on a plate and started the next one. A wry grin lit up her face. "You standing under the mistletoe, Inuyasha." She said. "Do you know what that means?"
"No? What's a mistletoe?" Inuyasha blinked, looking upwards.
"See that small green plant? It grows in trees in the west. It's quite popular during holidays. People hang it in doorframes and other places in rooms in hopes to catch the one they like under it and give them a nice suprise." She flipped the pancake.
"What kind of surprise?" Inuyasha asked, blinking.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled, and walked towards him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "That kind of surprise." She laughed softly at his shellshocked expression. "If you catch someone under the mistletoe, you kiss them."
He flushed and looked away as Mrs. Higurashi went back to making breakfast. He moved to the table and sat at it, his mind pondering mistletoe.
"Mom, that smells wonderful..." Kagome moaned from the doorway as she walked in.
Inuyasha watched her pass under the mistletoe and an idea came to him, perhaps a way to repay her for the gift she was giving him by letting him spend these few precious hours as part of a family.
Sota ran in shortly after Kagome, followed by Mr. Higurashi. Mr. Higurashi looked up at the doorframe as his wife set the pancakes on the table and smiled at her ironically. "Mistletoe, love?"
She giggled, and Inuyasha thought she looked remarkably like Kagome when she did that. Without a word, she walked up to him, put her arms around his neck and drew him down for a long, passionate kiss.
A crotchety old voice spoke up. "You're blocking the path."
The pair broke apart, and went to the table, followed by grandfather. A wide smile broke out across Kagome's face and Inuyasha knew that she missed this. He felt wretched. The happy 'itadakimasu' broke from everyone's mouth and they dug into the pancakes.
Inuyasha had never eaten anything like the pancakes, which were smothered in something called maple syrup, which they'd tried to explain to him, but he didn't really care what was in it. It tasted good. He devoured his share at a relaxed pace, watching Kagome and her father fight over the last piece, Mr. Higurashi giving in when Kagome made her eyes go all dewy.
Kagome noticed how at peace Inuyasha seemed and smiled towards him, her eyes happy. She really was glad he was here. With a contented sigh, she settled down, finishing the last pancake.
When everyone was finished, they went into the main room and presents started getting passed around. Inuyasha hadn't expected to get anything from them, since he was kind of a spur of the moment guest, and was immensely surprised when a few presents got set on his lap. He knew at that moment he had to repay them.
It wasn't like he'd gotten a weapon or anything, just some little things. A scarf, handknitted by Mrs. Higurashi, a white, stuffed dog from Sota, something strange and seemingly useless from Kagome's grandfather. He REALLY hadn't expected to get anything from Kagome. She even surprised him, though, giving him a framed picture of their band, with both him and herself in it.
Kagome smiled as she watched the dog demon open the unexpected gifts. His expression would be engraved into her memory forever after this. For the rest of the day, she watched him, noting every time he seemed moved by anything and took silent note of it. Her hard demon had a soft side, she knew that, but she hadn't been aware that his 'bad ass' side didn't really exist. THIS was Inuyasha, with all of his masks cast aside.
By the end of the day, Inuyasha knew that he'd found a place where he was accepted. A place he could, dare he, call home.
Later, when everyone had gone to bed, he sat up beside Kagome, both of them wrapped tightly in a blanket, since the power had gone out. They were sitting in front of the fireplace, a warm fire still burning in it. Kagome was wearing a gentle smile as she sat beside him.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha said softly.
"Hm?" She looked over towards him, her face curious.
He opened his mouth to speak and searched for the words. "Thank you..."
Her face softened and she smiled at him. "Everyone deserves to be happy once in awhile..." She said, resting her hand on his arm.
"Kagome..."
"Yeah?" She looked up at him again, noticing his bangs were sheilding his eyes. "What is it?"
His hand closed around her wrist and he pulled her to her feet, and pulled her towards one of the doors in the room. Kagome followed him, totally clueless. When he stopped in the doorframe, she tilted her head to the side in curiousity.
"Inuyasha-!?"
He leaned down, muffling the rest of her question with a meek, gentle kiss, that left his senses reeling. He pulled back quickly, licking his lips. Her eyes were huge, and her mouth parted slightly from shock. Without a word, he pointed up at the mistletoe that was hanging from the doorframe.
Her eyes widened and she stared at him for a long moment.
He flushed under her stare. "I'm sorry...I-I shouldn't have..." He started backing away from her, but her hand caught his.
"Don't go." She whispered. She'd wanted that so long. She'd longed for the feel of his lips on hers, and when it happened, she was too shocked to kiss him back. "Please..."
He looked down into her stormy eyes, his chest slightly tight. They were so beautiful, filled with more emotion than he'd ever seen before. "Kagome, I..."
She gently hushed him, pulling him under the mistletoe with her, her fingers running over his lips. She closed her eyes and tilted her lips up for him to take again.
He swallowed, leaning down and sampling her lips once again. Softer than silk, warm, and sweet, like honey. He drew in a ragged breath, burying his clawed fingers deep into her silken hair, drawing her closer to him. It thrilled him that she was responding to his kisses as well. Her tiny hands rested against his chest, clutching his shirt, her small body pressed to his. Heaven.
Kagome moaned softly as they broke the kiss. She let her eyes slowly open and saw tears on Inuyasha's face. Her jaw dropped and she gasped softly. "Inuyasha!" She whispered.
He looked at her and blinked back the tears. "I...Thank you, Kagome...you gave me the perfect gift." He whispered. "You gave me a family, just for a little while...I'm forever indebted to you..."
She felt an ache in her heart and embraced him tightly. "Inuyasha, you will always have a family here. Just like you and Miroku and Sango and Shippo are my family in your time..."
He didn't know when they'd fallen to their knees, but they knelt, holding each other tightly, trying to make time stop for each other. They didn't know how long they'd held each other, till the room began to grey from the raising of the sun. Inuyasha looked towards the window and swallowed the urge to howl with emotional agony. "Kagome...I think I love you." He whispered, his heart preparing for the shattering blow she was sure to deal it.
Kagome's eyes widened and she stared up at him. "Wh-what about Kikyou...?" She whispered.
"Kikyou was a long time ago." He said, his face somehow stubborn, despite the softness of his features. "You gave me my life back, gave me something to live for and fight for...you gave me the chance to have a normal life, no matter how breif the time was..." He cupped her face gently. "You're so much more than she ever was..."
Kagome blinked away tears. "Oh, Inuyasha..."
"I know you can't possibly love me...I'm just some dense, stupid, overly- possessive demon...who thinks violence is the best way to solve all his-"
She laid a finger over his lips, her eyes smiling at him. "You baka. You don't know anything. I love you more than anything, Inuyasha!" She hugged him tightly, resting her cheek against his chest. "I'll never be able to love anyone else..." She nuzzled him. "So protective, and always worrying about me...so vulnerable, and strong, and..."
He hushed her gently. He helped her to her feet and the mismatched pair walked up to her room, where she returned his clean and now dry clothes to him. He changed, well aware of her eyes following his every movement. When he was done, they stared at each other for a long time, before they met in the middle of her room and shared a final passionate kiss before he lept from her window and darted towards the bone-gobbling well, his presents hidded in his yukata.
Kagome watched him go, her eyes soft, her heart going with him as he jumped into the well, disappearing from her time.