Hey! Here's Chapter 2 of The Golden Book, perhaps you will understand the title better now! Anyway, get reading and don't forget to review!

Inuyasha carefully jumped into the nearest tree as everyone climbed into their sleeping bags. He went into his usual pouting mode when a glint of gold caught his eye. It was a small book next to Kagome's bag. It's didn't look like it belonged, so Inuyasha waited until he thought everyone was asleep until he jumped down from the tree and retrieved it.

Safely back up in his tree, he opened the small book. Inside was imprinted in tiny golden characters "Kagome Higurashi."

'I haven't ever seen this before.' Inuyasha thought as he turned to the next page to see some things written out in black ink calligraphy. 'What's this?' he wondered to himself as he began to read.

"The desperate shout of "I" was heard by none, the beast stood, and realized that that there was no "I" and slowly passed like a grain of sand in the wind."

'Did Kagome write this? She musta been in a bad mood.' he thought, turning the page to again find it filled with writing.

"A leaf falls, the wind blows. A hanyou silhouette in the tree, Everyone sleeping except for me"

'Hey, she's talking about me isn't she! I gotta read more of this, she's not a bad writer.'

"I glance around Sitting on the cold hard ground

Solitary he sits above I look on in undying love

Up in a tree sits a certain hanyou Looking down on the land below

Sitting alone in the tree If only he loved me"

'Whoa,' Inuyasha thought, almost falling off the tree branch he was currently perched on. 'Now I know she's talking about me! And she's not saying. that she hates me. She's saying. she loves me?'

Inuyasha's mind was racing. 'Whoa, I never knew, what am I going to do. What if I'm wrong. Hmmm, maybe I should read some more."

"I love him, but he does not love me. I am second, always second. I am like Kikyo to him, a substitute for the human he loves. When he looks at me, he sees Kikyo. When he smells me, he smells Kikyo. When he listens to me, he hears Kikyo. Tell me, how does one stand such torture, I do not know. Someday I will tell him, but I know that he will not feel the same for me."

On this page, there were large tear smudges on the page, and the calligraphy was shaky. It was as if the writer was in a great pain. Inuyasha added another drop to the collection as the tears escaped from his amber eyes.

'I never knew that was how she felt. It never showed that she was in that much pain, all because of me. It was all my fault. My fault.' that last words repeated themselves in his head. 'She still thinks that I love Kikyo, but I love her! She accepted me for what I am, and she didn't try to change me.' Inuyasha looked down at the girl on the ground, the moon shining on her face.

'Her writing is beautiful, I must admit.' He thought, unable to keep his gaze from landing on her. He wished with all of his might that he was next to Kagome that very moment. He wished that he were there to comfort her and to keep her warm. 'Kagome, I want you to be my mate.' He whispered, wishing Kagome could hear.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

The next few hours passed very slowly for the lonely hanyou. The sun glimpsed over the horizon and he looked up to see Kagome looking at him. Everyone else was asleep still, but it looked like Kagome had been up for a while. Her eyes were a little red and Inuyasha realized he could sense the salty smell of tears coming from her. 'She was crying?' he thought, surprised.

Jumping out of his tree, he walked over to Kagome's sleeping bag.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Inuyasha." Kagome said monotonously, sighing loudly.

Inuyasha was fighting to keep his youkai instincts at bay. He paused in order to wring himself into order. His whole youkai half was saying, 'What are you doing! Go kiss her!' while his human side argued, 'She doesn't even know your feelings yet! What if she doesn't want to rush things, what if she doesn't even love you.'

'AHHHHHH, shut up both of you! I am going to decide what to do.' Inu Yasha said to himself.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay?" Kagome asked, realizing that there was something wrong with him, standing like a statue as this internal debate was going on.

"Huh? Uhh. yah."

"How about getting some breakfast." Kagome suggested.

"Feh, I am a servant am I?" Was the best Inuyasha could do to hide his thoughts, but he walked off to find something to eat.

Meanwhile, Kagome was puzzled at the look Inuyasha just gave her. It had looked like he understood how she felt, and felt the same way. The look was one of worry and concern. Had he smelled her tears?

'But he loved Kikyo.' She reminded herself, 'He can't love me.'

A tear formed and dropped to the earth. She watched it soak into the ground as another took it's place.

'I can't cry today.' She told herself, 'I can't.'

Kagome pulled herself and began to prepare for breakfast.

"Up so early Lady Kagome?"

Kagome jumped, it was Miroku. The monk stood, watching her cook.

"I couldn't sleep." she said, trying to hide her red eyes.

"I see, I suspect Inuyasha is hunting then?"

"Yup."

By the time Inuyasha returned, everyone was up. Sango had noticed Kagome's red eyes immediately and demanded to know what happened.

"We'll go take a bath later." Kagome said, hinting she would tell Sango then.

"Okay." Sango said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Kagome, may I talk to you?" Inuyasha said, startling everyone. Even Shippo stopped to question the hanyou's sanity.

"Yes." She said simply.

"Alone?" he added.

"O, right, yah." she stuttered.

"Feh, jump on my back." He leaned over, allowing her to climb on.

Immediately, he was off, jumping through the canopy to an especially peaceful tree. When they got to the tree, he set her down on a large branch and looked at her for a moment.

"Kagome." he said "Promise you won't sit me."

"What did you do?" She asked innocently.

"Well." He began, taking out the small golden book he was reading earlier. "Is this yours?"

Kagome gasped. "You didn't. you didn't. read it. did you?"

Inuyasha could almost feel the sitting that was to come. He knew he had to do something to avoid severe pain.

"Kagome, I. Love you." He blurted out before he could think about what he would say.

She looked up at him. One would say her expression was awe, one might say it was love, anger or just plain confusion.

"What about. what about Kikyo?" She managed.

"Feh, that woman." Inuyasha said spitefully. "I thought I loved her, but she wanted to change me. She never liked me the way I am."

"I love you too Inuyasha, but I assume you already gathered that from my poetry book." She said sarcastically, if it's possible to be sarcastic in a situation like this.

"You're a pretty good writer you know." He said truthfully.

"Arigato."

Their eyes met for a moment. That moment was infinite, and a speck of time. It lasted forever, and ended too soon. In that moment, everything happened, that moment lasted for more then just a moment.

"Are you going to kiss me now?" Kagome whispered, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Inuyasha whispered back.

He leaned forward, putting his lips up to hers. They met for what seemed like all space and time. They only parted when Kagome ran out of breath.

Inuyasha was unable to keep his youkai blood suppressed any longer.

"Kagome, will you be my mate?" he asked, too late to stop himself.

Kagome sat, stunned at what she had just been asked. 'Oh. my.. God. What do I say? Am I too young? What would my mother think? What would my friends think? What would I do? Would he want to have children? This is too fast.' Her mind raced, thinking of every possible question. But through all the questions, she knew what the answer would be.

"Yes." She whispered.

He smiled at her. 'My mate.' He thought happily.

"We should get back." Kagome said, standing up, steadying herself with the trunk of the tree.

She climbed on his back and off they went, soaring above the canopy, only to land back into it and soar above it again.

When they got back to the campsite, they could hear a scream. "HENTAAAAIII." And then a "konk"

"Why lady Sango, I was only raising my hand when." Miroku's voice began.