Disclaimer: Oh, how my eyes doth weep rivers, to knowst that the silver haired visage that doth appear in my dreams shall never be mine! I must avow, my heart dost yearn towards thou, my furry-eared gentleman, but I shalt never have thee.

^_^ A little bit of demented, made-up, messed-up Shakespearean for you all to chew upon! I know it's totally screwed up, but you get the message! Next disclaimer might be a haiku, who knows! ^_~ (It's a little boring to write the same: "I don't own Inuyasha." phrase over and over again, so I thought I'd try something new. Strange, ne? Let me know what you think!)

Author's Note: Well, this chapter is basically a reflection on Inuyasha's thoughts after he rescues Kagome. Not much action, but a bit of fluff and some humor! J Another unannounced appearance of "the voice"! Yay! Review responses are at the end! And school's finally started! Not that it's a good thing… I almost broke my back bringing textbooks home to get covered! Ouch! Anywho, read and review!

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

Chapter 23

A silent dark figure was sitting cross-legged next to the single futon in the hut. The oilcloths that covered the glass-less windows to prevent the brisk night air from entering the room almost completely blocked the moonlight and made it too dark to see anything. But if one had demon eyesight, like Inuyasha, they would still be able to peer into the darkness and distinguish figures and shapes. And that is exactly what Inuyasha was able to do. Through his drooping eyelids and the thick curtain of white bangs, he could barely make out the shape of a young girl who was sleeping peacefully on the ground in front of him.

Kagome had been covered with a light flannel blanket before Sango and Miroku had departed to their respective huts to catch some shut-eye. Kaede had taken Shippou to a different hut to give the couple privacy, murmuring about how Inuyasha should get some rest, too before departing discreetly. But Inuyasha had adamantly refused to leave her side, stubbornly preparing to stay awake the whole night and guard her, as if making sure the teenage girl wouldn't slip away and supposedly die again. After a few hours, when the golden crescent moon had risen high in the night sky, the ever-vigilant dog-demon had noticed that Kagome was shivering in her sleep because it almost autumn and the night had grown chilly. The air still smelled like the smoke from the fire, but it had been distinguished hours ago. The hanyou looked uneasily at the shivering miko, wondering if she would get sick. Muttering softly about "weak humans, Feh!", for even when no one was around, Inuyasha had to keep up his façade and pretend to himself that he didn't care about the girl, he went through great troubles and pains to fetch an extra blanket from the futuristic girl's backpack and cover her with it.

With a series of muted bumps, whispered "ouches", and soft curses, Inuyasha managed to stub his bare toe against a chair leg and get a paper-cut from the sharp edge of one of Kagome's paper "tests" as he blundered around aimlessly in the dark. With help from his exceptional sense of smell, he finally accomplished the task of spreading the quilt gently over the sleeping figure while sucking on his injured index finger, which soon quickly healed. Having decided that Kagome was still sleeping soundly by listening to her steady, quiet breathing, he sat back down by side, crossed his arms and legs, and looked at her.

No words could describe how glad he had been when Kagome opened her eyes and he had realized that she wasn't dead. Though he told himself that he was only worried that she wouldn't be able to find the rest of the shards for him, his own heart spoke differently. The last time he had cried had been ages ago, when his mother had died. After he had rescued Kagome from the fire, and realized he was too late, he had felt a strong wave a despair and sorrow when he thought Kagome died that he was pretty sure he must really care about her. "Yes! Exactly! You love her. How else," his brain argued with him, "would she have elicited such strong emotions from you?"

Silently, Inuyasha shook his head and said to himself in a confused, unsure voice, "But, I don't love Kagome…I love Kikyou. She died because of me. I-I only cried because… because I thought that if the wench died, I would never get the chance to become a full demon!"

"No! You love her, you baka! Don't you get it? Don't call her a wench! She's your mate! That's why you cried for the first time in more than fifty years! You thought you lost her! You stopped loving that undead priestess as soon as Kagome released you from the tree! You don't even want to be a full demon anymore! You don't care about the Shikon no kakera at all! The only reason you stay with Kagome is because you love her! Kagome is your fated soul-mate! You thought you'd lost your mate in the fire! Admit it!" The voice cried triumphantly.

Inuyasha almost banged his own head against the wall in frustation and growled in a quiet voice, "Shut the hell up!" He glanced at the object of his inner turmoil to make sure Kagome was still asleep. She was, probably because she was still tired from the fire. He thought vehemently to his 'voice', "I don't love Kagome! And she's not my mate!" He sighed, then added, more to himself than the 'voice' "I-I guess I do care about her, but I'm just not sure that I like her in that way. I don't know! I'm just so confused about all my feelings! I'm not sure who I'm supposed to love!" Inuyasha admitted to himself.

"But," he thoughtfully mused, "Until I can figure out my feelings, and hers, I'm not going to say anything. It's confusing. I'm not sure if I love Kagome, or whether she loves me. And either way, I can't let anyone know my feelings, or else youkai such as Naruku will target Kagome in order to hurt me. And no matter what, I don't want Kagome to get hurt."

A/N: So, that's the end of chapter 23! Did you like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! I welcome any c and c! And also, I'm sorry, I'm sure some of my readers expected Inuyasha to fall on his knees and proclaim his undying his love for Kagome as soon as he saw her open her eyes, but it ain't like that, huns! Sowie to disappoint! But even if you flame me, I'm not changing it! Inuyasha can't admit his feelings yet, because Kagome hasn't confessed hers, and he's still undecided about the Kikyou issue. Got it? Don't get me wrong, I like Kikyou as less as everyone else, but we still got plenty of unresolved issues to clear up before Kagome and Inuyasha can get together! That's why the title's what it is! Okie-dokey? And I'm still going to have some fun with this couple! They're so meant for each other! And Kouga, Kikyou, Naruku, and a bunch of other characters still have to make their appearances, so be patient! I told you this story is gonna be long! ^_^

Review responses:

Liz ~ Thanks! Yeah, I know, Shippou becomes a demolished teddy bear once in a while! ^_^;;

hera goddess ~ THANK YOU!!!!!

Raiye ~ Wow! I'm so glad that you love my story! I must write more for you!

totally-wicked ~ Hiya! Wassup? How's school? Thanks for reviewing! Did you seriously cry? ^.^

just peachy ~ Ooohh… o.O Didya really put me on your favorite list? *gasp* I'm honored! Heh, heh. Did I scare you when I said that Kagome was dead? Sry! 6_6

Itadakimasu ~ lol! If I become a bestseller novelist, I'll make sure to tell everyone to read your stories, too! You're a great writer! ^_^ *gives her a thumbs-up* Sooo…when are you going to write chapter 4 or Adoption? I can't wait! Oh, to glomp someone is like latching onto them or hugging them in a crazy way… ^_^ *glomps Itadakimasu* Arigatou for reviewing! *blows her a kiss* Ja ne!

aBacus ~ Dun worry! I'm very lazy sometimes, too! I wish we didn't have to sign in every single time! It's so complicated and takes too long! Yep, I agree. Inuyasha is always so sweet when it comes to Kagome, ne?

KaGoMiAkA ~ ARIGATOU!!! Here's da next chappie! I put it up as fast as I could write it! Enjoy!

chickittychick ~ Hee, hee. Yep, I'm a perfect straight-A student! *coughs modestly and blushes* Thanks for the compliment! I think you're a good author too! And school is dragging me down a bit, I try, for my fans! ^_^

Lil-RinTwin ~ Thank you so much! *bows* I'm honored that you think that it's the best fic ever, but I'm really not that good! *blushes* Thanks! Yes, don't worry, I will definitely continue!

Rain ~ Yes! I love fluff! Fluff is good! Yes! FLUFF! FLUFF! FLUFF! Arigatou for reviewing!

C-Chan ~ I know, I almost cried while I was writing it, too! I just love sappy moments that make me cry! ^_^;; Yes, I will continue to write whenever I can, though high school kinda takes away most of my time…