Author's Note: Here's Chapter 5. Be warned that it has a tiny bit of citrus leanings. I am trying to decide whether to write a lemon chapter to this story. The way I have the story planned it should fit, I've just never written a lemon before. If I do write it it will be posted on my personal website only, and the rest of the story will be written so that you can skip that chapter without missing anything important.

Trulie Hope: Tsuki was on Inuyasha's side of the well when she abducted Kagome. Kagome came back to grab her math book. Hope that clears it up some. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Tsuki and Hana.

Last chapter:

"Hana had sworn to avenge our mother's death. Father's sword had been brought back with his remains and she planned to kill Inutaisho. One morning after I had awakened, she came to me and told me that she was leaving to carry out her plan. Two weeks later a messenger appeared with Father's sword and Hana's body."

Kagome's Gone
by Maia Serrelinda
Chapter 5

The sun was beginning its descent over the horizon and the sky was tinted in shades of red, magenta, purple, and indigo. Inuyasha was still following the elusive trail of Kagome's scent. He could feel his pace beginning to falter ever so slightly and he knew he needed to find a place to spend the night fairly soon. He sped towards a stand of dense trees and spotted a branch in the highest tree that would do. He quickly hunted a small rabbit, built a fire, and cooked it. He ate quickly and warily, knowing that he was an easy target. He washed it down with a handful of clear stream water and then settled into his branch for the evening.

At rest, he looked out over the surrounding lands. He spotted the mountains far off to the north of him, in the direction he had been heading. Inuyasha forcibly turned his mind away from the thoughts of Kagome hurt and in trouble and forced it to dwell on the more pleasant thoughts of her instead. He needed rest and he knew he would probably be facing a fight tomorrow. Worrying endlessly was not going to help.

The hanyou fell into a light doze, thinking of the future. His future. With Kagome at his side. That reminded him that he still needed to settle the whole "mate" thing. He had claimed her but had not followed up on it, nor had he told her what he had done. He worried a little over how she would react, hoping that she would not reject him. He was pretty sure she had feelings for him but he had no idea how deep they ran.

He knew he'd fallen in love with her somewhere along the line, though. That part wasn't up for debate. At first, she had seriously gotten on his nerves, but as time went on, he found himself looking forward to her constant cheerfulness. He had thought her scent was the same as Kikyou's, but that wasn't true at all. It just seemed like it in the beginning. She smelled completely different. It never occurred to him that the reason he thought so was that he was familiar with and so attuned to her scent that the subtle differences became more obvious the deeper he fell in love with her. He loved the way she would always insist on bandaging his wounds, no matter how many times he told her he didn't need it. He'd even stopped protesting so much, craving even that innocent touch. He often found himself closing his eyes and pretending that the silken touch of her delicate fingers on the skin of his torso was meant solely for him, and not his wounds.

He watched her as she slept. Hell, he watched her almost all the time. It used to be that he tried to hide it, at least from that perverted houshi, but he didn't even really try anymore. Sango was on to him from the beginning. He knew she could keep a secret and didn't worry about it that much. Since she had gotten together with Miroku, the houshi didn't really pay attention to Inuyasha and Kagome, a small blessing the hanyou was extremely grateful for. He wondered what they would do after they married. Would they stay in Kaede's village? He hoped so. If all went well with Kagome, he hoped to build her a small hut in the village where they could raise their children - here he stopped and grinned to himself - and she could be near Sango. The two girls - women - had become close friends in the time they had spent together.

That was another thing - Kagome had very definitely matured since she unsealed Inuyasha two years ago. She had filled out a little physically, and the muscles of her arms and legs were sleek and toned with hard use. Her archery had vastly improved to the point where she would have been formidable even without her miko power enhancing the arrows. She had never been un-shapely to begin with, but the constant exercise had honed her body. Her waist had trimmed, and he knew the muscles of her abdomen had tautened also. He'd noticed that there was definition there that hadn't been before. He knew because he looked every time the hem of her top rose. He also noticed that her legs were much stronger than they had been. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep his mind on safe subjects when he was carrying her, because all he could think of was those taut thighs wrapped around him in a far-from-innocent manner.

He felt himself falling deeper into sleep and let the comforting darkness claim him. He slept.

******

Kagome stumbled numbly to her room. She was at a complete loss. She undressed and bathed, slipping into the fresh sleeping kimono that had been left for her. She braided her hair and settled into the comfort of the futon after extinguishing the torches.

Her mind ran feverishly through what Tsuki had told her. She fought to reconcile the information with what she knew of Inutaisho. If what Tsuki had said was true, she couldn't really blame her for wanting to avenge herself on Inuyasha. There had to be a way to prevent it! She had no doubt that her hanyou would be able to defeat the youkai, though she was older and probably more skilled than Inuyasha, at least with magic.

She wondered how far away Inuyasha was now. The moonlight that illuminated the room reminded her of the way his hair seemed to shine. Again, she thought of the claim that Tsuki had mentioned. This time she couldn't quite hold back her elation at the thought. She knew she loved him. She'd loved him since almost the beginning. Only now that the hunt for shards was over did she allow herself to give in to those emotions. She loved him absolutely, completely, with a force that sometimes stunned her in its ferocity. She would gladly give up her life in the present time to be with him. They could settle in Kaede's village and raise a family...

That thought brought a blush to her face. She did not know if she necessarily wanted children - at least, definitely not yet. She was still only seventeen, and even if seventeen was an old maid in this time, she was determined to wait. She shifted restlessly as she thought of children...specifically, how one got children in the first place. Lately it was becoming more and more difficult to contain her thoughts when she was near him. She just knew he would be able to smell her arousal so she diligently avoided all thoughts of him. Now, however, she was alone and there was no risk of him finding out.

She had been in love with him for so long, but was attracted to him at first sight. Long, thick lashes resting on sculpted cheeks...and let's not forget his hair. She desperately wanted to run her hands through it to find out if it was as soft and silky as it looked. This naturally led to his ears. She'd touched his ears before she had unsealed him but had not really been able to touch them since. She wondered if they were an erogenous zone for him. She certainly hoped so! It was one of the things she loved most about him - those adorable ears that telegraphed loudly and clearly whatever he was feeling at the time. Most people didn't notice, but she had made such a study of him that she had quickly picked up on the expressiveness of his ears. They drooped adorably when he was feeling sheepish about something, they twitched when he was angry, they perked when he was anxious or alert. She knew she would accept whatever he chose to do with the completed jewel - she intended to give it to him - but she hoped he would not use it to turn human. She loved him the way he was and while his human side was certainly attractive, there was just something irresistible about him as a hanyou. She recalled the few times that she had seen him shirtless and swallowed. Sometimes she thought she would go crazy wanting him. She made a point of bandaging all of his wounds, even if they really didn't need it. She was careful not to let her fingers linger too long as they slid across the warm skin covering taut muscle. It always surprised her that the scars from his wounds completely disappeared, leaving behind unblemished skin. Thanks to her Jaken and to her brother, she had even gotten to see him nude. His legs were as finely shaped as they were powerful. She would have loved to get a view of him from behind but was grateful that she'd at least gotten to see that much.

Kagome wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Oh sure, she had kissed him once, but that hardly counted. She had done the only thing she knew of that might snap him out of his transformation. It had worked, too. Neither of them had acknowledged it later or even mentioned it again. It was as if it had never happened.

There was no denying it. Kagome wanted him, badly. Now, it looked like he might return her feelings. On that giddy thought, Kagome slept.

******

The relentless chirping of nearby birds woke Inuyasha from his slumber. The sun had not yet risen but it was gradually getting lighter. The hanyou stretched slowly, working out the kinks from the night. Jumping down to the forest floor, he quickly splashed cool stream water on his face and stood quietly. He sniffed the air almost unnoticeably and, picking up the scent trail he had been following, sped off north, in the direction of the mountains.

******

Kagome woke to the sound of falling rain beating on the roof of the house. She opened her eyes and yawned, stretching. She turned to look out the window and saw that the rain was falling steadily but softly. Sitting up and throwing back the covers, she noted that it seemed to be getting just a little chillier. She lit the few torches around the room since the day was overcast. She walked over to the dressing table and sat. Removing the small ribbon, she deftly unbraided her hair and combed it out. Rising, she took off the sleeping kimono and entered the bathing chamber.

Once she had washed, she decided that it was early enough still that she had time to soak in the hot spring for a short time. This time choosing the tea rose scent, she relaxed as the scent unfurled around her, soothing her. She soaked for half an hour before rising.

Walking back into the bedroom, she saw that more clothing had been laid out for her - a cream under kimono similar to the one she had worn yesterday, and another yukata. This yukata was a deep blue with tiny pink sakura blossoms embroidered on it. It had a peach colored sash to go with it. Both were similar in style to what she had worn the day before, only today's clothing was made of a slightly heavier fabric in deference to the changed weather. She dressed quickly and, remembering that she had seen a hair clip that would match her outfit, sat once again at the dressing table. She brushed her hair out and then gathered the front part of her hair, braiding it swiftly and fastening the end of the braid with the clip. The rest she allowed to hang loose down her back. During her soak she had thought about it, and knowing that she had no bow with her and could not focus her powers enough to use them alone, she had no hope of stopping the coming battle unless she could convince Tsuki to at least discuss it calmly.

She rose again and made her way to the dining room, steeling herself for the discussion to come.

******