Disclaimer: Roses are read, violets are blue, I don't own Inu-chan, so please don't sue!

Author's Note: Ohayo minna-san! Hope you like this chapter! There's some fluff, and a bit of humor. Please review! Warning: There's a new character that's going to enter the story in the next chapter! Please continue reading! And much thanks to totally-wicked for her review! Arigatou! Your encouragement keeps me going!

The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 10

During the late hours of the night, when the sky was painted a shade of midnight black and none but small wood creatures stirred outside, Kagome was awoken by the sounds of someone groaning softly next to her. She glanced at her watch, which glowed with an eerie green light. It was exactly 12:04. She sat up, easing the blanket off her and looking around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave. There was a small lantern in the corner of the cave, which cast a small ring of light upon the form of a human sitting a few feet away. Inuyasha was kneeling on his sleeping bag, without a top shirt on, doubled over and rocking back and forth. His left hand was rubbing his right shoulder softly, and from the back of his throat came soft noises of pain.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered softly, "Are you okay?" The aforementioned dog-demon started at hearing her voice. He had tried to stay silent to prevent the sleeping girl next to him from awakening, but she had heard him anyway.

"Go to sleep, Kagome." He answered in a gruff voice, trying to hide his pain from her penetrating gaze. He turned around sharply, putting his back to face her, but the quick and sudden movement caused another sharp stab of fresh agony to twist into his shoulder, and he made a low sound of discomfort from his chest, sounding almost like a growl. Inuyasha held his breath and stroked his shoulder, trying not to cry out loud. As a human, he had a much lower endurance for pain, and right now, his shoulders were aching excruciatingly.

Kagome inched closer to him and whispered regretfully, "Do your shoulders still hurt?" Inuyasha inhaled sharply as another wave of pain racked his bent-over body, then nodded weakly. He was loath to admit his weakness, preferring to endure the pain alone, but Kagome was sympathetic and comforting. "Don't worry, by morning, you'll be a demon again, and your shoulders will heal. In the meantime, do you want me to massage them, so that they'll feel a bit better?"

Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome took his answer as a yes, and crawled over to him and gently pushed him onto his stomach. Using soft, gentle hands, Kagome slowly worked his abused skin and muscles, feeling him tense up and then relax as she moved over his entire back. Unlike last time, her hands did not hurt his shoulders, instead, they soothed his pain and made them feel less strained. She lingered over certain areas of his body, massaging them until she felt the tight knots of his muscles slowly loosen up. Inuyasha closed his eyes under her gentle actions, and Kagome smiled softly as she felt his taut nerves slowly but surely relax. He leaned on his stomach, eyes closed, and looked so peaceful that one would not be able to recognize him as the suspicious demon that had been released from the sacred tree months before.

As he lay there and enjoyed Kagome's gentle movements, Inuyasha thought to himself, "I just realized something. This is the first new moon in all my years of living that I've ever relaxed! Usually, I always go and hide in a cave or tree, alone and frightened. But now, Kagome's here, and- " He paused and thought for a second, "Being around her makes me feel…comfortable. My shoulders don't hurt that much anymore. I like laying here, breathing her wonderful scent, feeling her soft hands caress my skin- Gah!!! What am I thinking! Get your mind off Kagome, you baka!" He berated himself angrily, "She's just here to help me detect the shards! I don't like her at all! Or do I…?" He tried to restrain his temper and avoid hitting himself on the head.

"Um, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked tentatively, "What are you thinking about?" Inuyasha turned around to face her and automatically snapped back, "You." Kagome

looked at him, shocked, and Inuyasha realized his fatal mistake. He panicked, and growled quickly, "What! No, I wasn't, I was thinking about, ah, you know, you and, like, e-everyone in our group." He stammered out with a frenzied look on his face.

Kagome smiled at him indulgently, not believing him, yet willing to save his pride, said with a shrug, "Okay, sure." She continued massaging his shoulders, unperturbed, but Inuyasha was no longer relaxed, although his shoulders felt much better. He sat up abruptly, and drew away, feeling uncomfortable about his admittance.

"You know, you shouldn't get any ideas into your head. I wasn't really thinking about you specifically, I wasn't just thinking about everybody I know in general." Inuyasha continued, determined to salvage the remains of his stubborn pride. Kagome just nodded, and stood up, secretly laughing at him inside her head.

"Well, there's only a couple more hours left until dawn, and you'll turn back to a demon then, so I'll just see if I can catch some more sleep until Shippou comes back with help." Kagome said to him, and she lay back down on her sleeping bag. Inuyasha followed her example, and was about to drift off to sleep when a soft whisper reached his human ears, "Inuyasha, are you asleep yet?" Kagome was still awake.

"No, not anymore. What do you want?" He asked sleepily. Kagome asked him whom he thought Shippou would bring back to help them escape. "I dunno, probably Sango and Miroku." The two other members of their group had split apart from Inuyasha and Kagome about a week ago, heading south to find a demon that was heard to be close to Sango's own village. The youkai was rumored to be weak, and the two thought they were capable of handling it on their own. Besides, the female exterminator wanted to check on her own friends and relatives, and the lecherous monk was more than willing to accompany her.

Kagome frowned in the darkness, and asked, "But do you think they'll be able to move the rock pile in front of the entrance? Even with Miroku's Air Rip? And if not, how will they get us through the hole? What if we can't fit through it!"

"We'll see. 'cross the bridge when we come to it," Inuyasha murmured drowsily, "G'night, Kag'me…" He muttered, before the exhausted dog demon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Good-night, my Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, half-to herself, half-to Inuyasha. She was unaware that she had called him 'hers.' "Sleep well."