A/N: Ha, last chapter was so long, I cut it into two parts. Behold, my first--and possibly last--attempt at writing a lemon. It really came out bad…I'm not a good writer when it comes to the graphic stuff. I'm really better at the emotional and plot-line things. Please don't make fun of me for my lame-ass attempts. I don't think I'll repeat this type of writing anytime soon. If you don't want to read it, you can skip ahead because after the fight in the beginning, nothing much happens after that. (The majority of the chapter is just Inuyasha and Kagome yelling at each other, but then the rest is fluffy as hell. At least as fluffy as I can get for them, since they are not your normal "I love you!" I love you too!" Let's have sex!" "Okay!" couples. I made them a little more complex, lol.) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. He is only a pawn in my chess game of life. This, by the way, is a rated-R fan fiction so I am not responsible for any ideas, images, or nightmares induced by this story or the ready there of. Thank you!

A Fighter's Story

Chapter 15

Kagome opened the door to the cabin when she reached the top of the hill again, and peered into the dark. Her heart was pounding in her throat, her palms were sweating, but her face was dry. "Inuyasha, I'm back," she called as she closed the door behind her. After a moment's hesitation, she walked into the bedroom and leaned against the door frame casually, like everything was just fine. Inuyasha smiled back at her and waved a hand in a rather cheery gesture for a man who had just come face to face with the bane of his existence. That was what made her suspicious. And made her nerves jump twice as high.

"Hey Kag."

"So, how'd things go?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but only seemed to come off nosey. "I'm sorry," she said quickly after, fidgeting some more. "It's none of my business."

His eyes darkened, but more with affection then anger. Her stomach fell, thinking how mad he was going to be when she told him what she had done at the temple. "Things went fine," he said pensively. He seemed to know that something else was bothering her, but he kept to the subject of discussion. Kagome came over and sat down on the edge of the bed again. "She's moved on and me...I'm living again." He smiled at her slightly, in a short of wondering way, and Kagome felt like a worm; she had to look away.

"I have to tell you something," she said, getting to her feet, wringing her hands together. Inuyasha looked confused, but no less inviting. God, she hated this. He was so...so nice right now, and she had to ruin it all. Why did her luck suck so badly? Kagome raked a hand through her hair restlessly as she paced the length of the bed and back, not looking at him. "I went to the Dovon, while you were with Kikyo. I went to talk to him about your fighting tomorrow, about you being hurt." She glanced up at him and saw that he had gone pale.

"You didn't...pull me out...did you?" His voice was tight, trying hard not to yell. This was a major feat for him, but he had made up his mind to be as civil as he could with her. Kagome deserved to at least be heard out before he started yelling at her.

"No, I didn't pull you out because I knew how you'd react. No, I wouldn't do that." She started wringing her hands again as she paced the length of the bed and back. Inuyasha watched her prowl like a tigress in a cage. "I talked to him about a substitution match."

"Pardon?"

"A substitution match is only allowed in a bout between the final two competitors. If one is injured, then another fighter may take his place in battle and fight for him. But it is only privileged in certain circumstances, when the wound is truly a danger, and the Dovon must approve of the change in the roster. I pleaded to the Dovon, and he allowed this for you. You're not fighting tomorrow 'Yash, someone else is for you." She looked at him again, but he didn't meet her eyes.

Inuyasha felt completely betrayed by this, how could she take him out behind his back?! His hands balled into fists and he heard his heart pounding in his temples and ears. Fury didn't cover this feeling, it cut deeper then simple anger. But she only did it to save my life, another part of him reasoned. It was true, she did it because inside himself, he knew that he would be killed in battle tomorrow as well as she did. However, it was his decision to make, and she took it out of his hands. Maybe that was what I've always wanted, he thought. To die in battle, rather then wasted away and alone. To die like a fighter.

Suddenly he noticed that she was crying. Silently, as she stood by with her arms folded over her chest, watching him from the corner of her eye, tears slowly dripped from Kagome's eyes. Kagome was not a woman to shed a tear lightly, but this journey he had taken her on was causing her to spill buckets. He was shocked to realize that these were for him. She was crying for him and that made the anger and self-pity dissipate. It had been so long, too long, since anyone had ever shed a tear for his sake. The fact that this girl would do so for him was something that left him feeling somewhat hollow in the pit of his stomach, and desperate to make her stop.

He wanted to show her that he wasn't mad, because when he looked at her face, he knew that anger wasn't a possibility at that point. Inuyasha struggled for something intelligent to say. There was so much to ask and so much to know. His brain hummed like he had just consumed more alcohol then he should have.

"So who'll be subbing for me? One of the fighters?"

She shook her head, then pulled the hair from her face and jammed it behind her ears. "None of the eliminated fighters can re-participate. It has to be someone else." She wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"So who is it?" he prompted. Kagome hesitated and looked at something interesting on the floor. "Who is it Kag?"

Her first answer was inaudible so he asked her to repeat herself. "Me," she said, barely above a whisper. Then, suddenly surging with anger, she stared him straight in the eye. "I am. Tomorrow morning , I'll be in the arena." Inuyasha's heart fully stopped, he was sure.

"No..." it was all he could think to say, horror still gripping him firmly. "Kagome, you can't!"

"It's already done," she said, turning away again. "I fought Yusan and made my choice. I'm fighting tomorrow in your stead."

"I forbid it!" Inuyasha yelled. He'd lost it now. He could feel all the blood drain from his face in pure horror at those words, words that had the power to render him utterly mortified. "I won't let you do this!"

"You don't have a choice!" Kagome yelled back, staring him dead in the eye. He couldn't be sure, but there were almost blue flames in those eyes.

"This is my fight-"

"Not anymore!" Kagome sat down hard on the bed again, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off some distant cold. "Now it's my fight." She was too proud to be afraid, but she was nervous.

"Why?" Inuyasha leaned over, grabbing her around the wrist to make her meet his eyes once more. Kagome looked him in the face and didn't turn away. Her crystal eyes shining and defiant. She tried to shake free of his hold, but he held her tightly. "Why is God's name would you risk your life for me Kagome?" Out of desperation, she lied.

"I didn't do it for you! I wanted this, to fight in the Tournament since I was five years old. This was my chance, my one chance to battle." She looked away again, fighting against the burning tears. Cool fingers on the side of her face made her look at him again and she lost the will to cry.

"You're not a good liar Kag. Though that may be part of your reason, you're not telling all." He looked understanding just then, and just a little playful. This was her Inuyasha, not the arrogant fighter he had been before, not the broken pizza boy he had been when they met. This man who was at once both dangerous and vulnerable. This was who she loved, and she couldn't lie to him now, for all the reasons in her heart that she would never begin to understand or comprehend.

"Because...because..." she had to look away. She couldn't look into those golden eyes that would fill with so much fear and resentment once she said the words. Kagome broke away and got to her feet, feeding her anger to protect her fragile inner feelings. She hated being vulnerable, hated that she couldn't control what was happening around her. It had been so much easier with Hojo because she could read him so well. He was an open book. Inuyasha was so different, exciting and bewildering, beautiful and deadly, disorientating and intoxicating all in one man. It was all of this that made her feel as though telling him would be like shattering a mirror. Each shard would torment her with a different picture of the very same thing. Her heart lurched and the words ripped from somewhere deep in her mind. "Nobody can ask me to sit on the sidelines and watch you die like I watched Kouga." Her voice was rough with tears and cracked with emotion. "I couldn't save him, but I'll be damned if I can't save you." Kagome wanted to hurt something very badly, wanted to take on the world. At the same time, she wanted to curl into a ball and sing Mary Had A Little Lamb.

"Whether or not I deserve that devotion remains to be seen," Inuyasha said quietly, watching her every move. "I'm not worth your life Kagome."

"Yes or no, I'm doing this. I won't watch you die." She stamped her foot to get the point across and leaned over him to poke a finger at his chest. When Kagome straightened she was still close enough to him where he could have grabbed her arm if he felt so inclined.

"So you expect me to watch you die instead?" His temper was flaring along with hers.

"You have no chance in hell to win with that knee. I, at least, stand a chance with two legs that can actually work!" They glared at each other for an electric second, but it was Kagome who looked away. "I love you, you idiot," she said quietly. "You cannot ask me to do nothing."

Inuyasha was speechless, his anger once again melting away. What was it with this woman? She could get him royally pissed, then one look at her and it just disappeared, like magic. It just didn't seem fair that she had this quality that made a name with an IQ of 160 feel like a total moron. But that was not the thought that made his eyes go wide and the words choke in his throat. Did she say that she...loved...him? This had to be some kind of mistake. It was allowed for him to be in love with Kagome, a girl he could never have because she was far too good for him. And yet, here she was, saying that she was in love with him. It was like some kind of twisted fairy tale. Something that left the princess jilted and the frog prince too lucky for his own damn good. "Wha...what did you say?" he stuttered.

"You heard me, I know you did," was her reply, sarcasm thick in her voice. Her hands were balled into fists and he saw that she was shaking from head to toe.

"Yeah, I guess I did hear you," he said lightly. He even had that audacity to give a small laugh. It felt like a slap in the face to Kagome and she visibly flinched. Then Inuyasha was silent again and she felt him take her hand into his own. She looked down at her hand in his, so little a thing had her heart beating unbearably. Maybe he wasn't incensed with her after all. "You really shouldn't though." His voice was soft as he pulled her toward him again, taking her other hand as well. "I'm not good enough for you."

"Women often love men who are unworthy of them," she commented lightly. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kagome lifted one shoulder lightly. "It means you can't help who you fall in love with. You just...fall." He understood that completely. He grinned up at her and Kagome felt herself slipping, falling under that spell he could weave over her with one touch of his hand or look in his too-gold eyes. She was melting away right now, leaning downward without even realizing what she was doing until her lips just touched his. It was a breathy kiss, and she was pulling back quickly. But suddenly, he pulled her down again, hands gripping her elbows and caught her mouth with his. She was too surprised to react, tensing unbearably, but he didn't push her back or lessen his hold. He waited for her to relax again.

In a rush of warm breath, Kagome opened her mouth to him and Inuyasha took full advantage of this opportunity. His kiss was hard, hungry, almost as urgent as she felt. One of his hands moved up her arm and rested on the side of her face before slipping further back into her hair. Her eyes were closed and all her senses just centered on Inuyasha, on his hands and his mouth. She was fully at his mercy and she felt no fear, no apprehension.

Inuyasha was in full unspoken agreement with this. He had no idea what had possessed him to kiss her like this, but when he felt her relax into him, when she opened her mouth for his exploration, he couldn't let go. She tasted sweet and exotic, something he just couldn't name but knew he'd want to taste it for the rest of his days. He deepened his kiss, to the point where it made his teeth hurt because it felt so good. His senses filled with the scent of her skin, sweat and lilac shampoo. Inuyasha pulled her closer, his hand caught in her silky black hair, the other hand gripping and relaxing on her upper arm.

They were like this a few minutes, tasting and exploring the other's mouth. The heat and tension was growing tighter, burning hotter, between them. With his knee still laid out, he couldn't very well get up, but then he didn't have to. Kagome pushed him back lightly, not breaking their kiss, and positioned herself straddling his lap, her arms tightening around his neck as she leaned into him. The hand Inuyasha had had around her arm snaked around her waist and pulled her even closer to him.

It was an explosion of heat and pent up lust. Inuyasha pushed forward, driven by the thought pounding in the back of his head that there might never be another time. If she fought in his place tomorrow, then Kagome might...there would never be another chance to show her how he felt. He owed her that much at least. She had been blindly faithful to him, even though he was a total ass many times, this seemed to be the least he could do for her, expose himself one more time.

Suddenly, she was backing away. No, leaning back with a few playful bites at his lips, then looking at him intently. Her eyes, beautiful, huge, blue eyes, were wide as she looked at him.

"You're not just doing this to try and get me to back out, are you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Would it work?" he teased, smirking deviously.

"No," Kagome said while shaking her head slowly. Her smile held a light that made the air catch in Inuyasha's lungs. The quiet beauty that he had always known she was flashed through so brilliantly he nearly had to look away. Kagome sighed as she ran her fingers through his long hair wistfully. He closed his eyes and let the rest of his senses focus on this woman who had so tilted his life and taken his heart.

He thought back to his time with Kikyo and how their sexual relationship had always been more mechanical. There was the mutual attraction, the lust that drove them to it, but it seemed more a release. She had touched him as little as possible and never liked to lay near him. Inuyasha had felt that all right, just her way, but it was different with Kagome. She wanted to touch him and he wanted her to. Her slender form that he had fought with and trained alongside, he wanted to feel all of her and wanted her to feel all of him.

He opened his eyes and suddenly, couldn't take being that far from her mouth and leaned forward. It caught her off guard, how fast he kissed her, how passionately. It sent a shiver down her spine and back again. Kagome felt like she was losing herself in this and went right along with it. Her hands once functioned, but she couldn't remember what they were supposed to be doing. They just seemed to stay there, caught in Inuyasha's soft silver hair. Hair that she had longed to run her fingers through for a while now, that she only had a chance to ruffle or pull on every now and then.

They sat there for another few minutes, Kagome unsure of how to proceed and Inuyasha too deep in the kiss to realize what was going on anywhere else. But Kagome over came her fear, as she often did. This was no time to be shy after all. Her hands limply ran down his back and she blindly felt her way under the hem of his shirt and up his back, easing the cloth up slowly. Inuyasha took the hint and broke from her long enough to pull the shirt over his head before his arms were around her again and she was pressed against his bare chest.

Before long, Inuyasha slipped a hand between them and located the zipper to Kagome's sweatshirt. He wanted to relieve her of such an article of clothing and slowly pushed it over her shoulders and down her arms. As she was ready to toss it off, she winced as the cloth touched the bruise forming on her ribs from that landed kick in her fight with Yusan. Inuyasha saw the pain and concern outmatched his lust for the moment.

"Kag, are you alright?" She nodded, taking the sweatshirt off slower and smiling playfully at him.

"Never better."

He grinned and kissed her softly on the mouth before leaning back a little. Then he zeroed in on the bruise and his intake of breath was harsh. "Yusan do that?"

"Yeah, only landed one good kick on me," she said, running a hand down the bruise. Inuyasha's hand materialized next to hers on the injury. Cool fingers grazed her skin and made her shiver unbearably.

"If that hurts, you shouldn't do anything strenuous tonight. If you are so intent on battle." Kagome inwardly sighed. She'd seen and experienced far worse in her time then a bruise, but once this started, he wouldn't let it drop. Nothing strenuous, like battle. Like sex. Just thinking it made her blush again. That was where they were heading and she wasn't one to stop it. Then she really sighed and looked at him again.

"Inuyasha, love," she began, situating her arms on his shoulders casually. "It's just a bruise. I'm fine."

"You could have bruised a rib," he argued.

"What about you?" she retorted. "You've got a broken leg if I'm not mistaken, yet here you are, ready and willing to put out."

He blinked back at her, color rising to his face dully. Kagome blushed at her own up-front behavior, but she had never before backed down from a challenge. Inuyasha was mostly surprised because he, himself, had all but forgotten about his knee. There was barely any pain at all now. The ice had done it's job to numb most of the swelling away and the pills Kagome had give him had succeeded in blocking much of the pain now to a dull ache. He hadn't even thought about his leg in the midst of their activities.

"Well, that's different," he said stubbornly. Kagome rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"'Yash, I'm fine! I could do flips and cartwheels right now if I wanted to." She gave him a meaningful look. "But that's not what I wanna do right now." She saw the heat burning behind his eyes with satisfaction. He wanted it as much as she did, but he was determined to ruin it wasn't he? She wouldn't let him.

Inuyasha wanted to concede, wanted to except what she was offering, but some part of him wanted to fight over their doing this. A veil still hung between them and he couldn't make himself cross it, he couldn't tell her that he loved her. And he wanted to so badly, but he couldn't just say the words to her, couldn't make the barrier go away.

She felt his hesitation and a sad look crossed her face. Her fingers clasped around the back of his neck and drew him to her. She leaned her forehead to his and let out a deep breath. "It's ok you know," she said offhandedly. "I don't want to get you into something you'll regret later."

"Christ Kagome, do you really think that?" He pulled back and took her face in his hands. All he had to do was say the words, but they caught in his throat when she looked at him with such conviction and sad understanding. It was just so hard, harder than he could have ever imagined, just to say a few simple words. His chest burned, like he wasn't getting enough air. Kagome smiled, a looking a little lost. Yeah, part of him mocked. You've really given her a reason to think you love her!

"I should go get the couch ready," she said, looking away and breaking the hold he had on her. Mostly, she just didn't want him to see her cry again. And oh, how she would cry over this once she fled the room safely. As Kagome started to get up, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down. If he ever wanted to keep her with him, it was now, and he knew what the price would be. So he sucked it up his ego and pride and let it out.

"I love you Kagome," he breathed. Kagome froze her movements, air catching in her throat. Did he really just say what she thought he said? No, he couldn't have, could he?

"What did you say?" she whispered, annoyed with how shaky her voice sounded.

"I said that I love you. It took me so long just say those godforsaken words so you better hear them." He leaned back enough from her so that me could met her eyes. Then he took her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes, burning with enough emotion to make her breathless and on the verge of tears for the millionth time that night.

"This isn't just another trick to get me to pull out, right?" There was such hesitance and hope in her voice that all he could do was smile in an amazed way.

"No trick," he said as he placed a gossamer kiss on her forehead. "No lies." He placed a delicate kiss on each eyelid. "Just me," he whispered, eyes meeting with hers as his mouth descended on hers for a brief moment. There was no barrier, no safety. There were both bared, shattered against the rocks of what could be their last night together for all time. "Just stay with me, one night. If anything..." He couldn't finish it and Kagome felt the tears well in her eyes. He was so coaxing, so tentative, and she was so in love. All she could do was nod. "Yes?" She nodded again and his arms went around her and held her close.

Kagome let herself be held and she let herself feel all of it. She was tired of this side stepping and ring-a-rounds. She was tired of lonely nights and mornings, tired of missing Hojo so bad she couldn't breathe. She wanted it all one more time before she died, and if she was going to die in the morning, then by God, she'd have it all with this man. Just this once, she wouldn't worry about where she would land, she'd only worry about the jump.

That was when the embrace shifted from comforting and casual into a more hormonally driven action. Inuyasha was still without a shirt, and Kagome was only human after all. Inuyasha pulled away to leave a fleeting distance between them, reaching out to caress her shoulders lightly. A fire kindled itself, a blazing heat beginning to form between them. Kagome tentatively reached out, caressed his bare chest with a feather-soft touch. Inuyasha growled in the back of his throat as she bit down on his bottom lip. Kagome smiled and nibbled lightly.

Thought all but disappeared amidst a sea of contact and response. Passion was a word that had long been absent from the lives of both people. It had been over three years for Inuyasha, not since before Kikyo left him. For Kagome, there had been a moment of weakness one night on the first year of her tour. No time for either before had been like this. Electricity and heat was what surged between them. They pulled apart only long enough to breathe, then they returned once more to the clinging, desperate actions of the moment before.

Kagome ran her hands over the hard muscles of chest and back, feathering along, never staying in one place to long. The shock of her cold fingers against his bare, hot skin made Inuyasha shiver. It was a very erotic sensation. She felt like she was in total control of the situation. He was at her mercy. That was until Inuyasha turned the tide, a little at least.

He caressed her…stroking, touching, teasing. He brushed his lips against hers lightly, deepening the kiss as his touch grew more demanding. He caught her lower lip between his own and nipped lightly.

Kagome took in an uneven breath in anticipation. Her pulse pounded through her veins erratically, making her entire body tense and relax, tremble and go still. She was in control one second, and spiraling the next. It was strange what love could make a person want, and what hormones could make a person feel.

Now, because of his leg, he could not change his position fairly well, so Kagome took the initiative to remedy their situation. She shifted, moving to a kneeling position off of his lap and next to him on the bed. The first thing she did was help Inuyasha lay back further on the bed, adjusting his knee so that he wouldn't be hurt during the next actions she planned to take. Next, she pulled at the zipper on her jeans and slid the tight denim from her legs. The last articles of her clothing soon followed until she was bare.

Inuyasha, clad only in his boxers, watcher her with half-lidded eyes and a smirk that gave away all the perverted thoughts in his head. Kagome blushed fiercely, thanking all the Powers That Be that it was night and pretty much dark in the room. There had been a time when Kagome thought Miroku to be the most perverted creature to ever walk the earth, but now she had a theory that all men were that way. Miroku was just honest about it. What was it about men?

Kagome didn't really want to ponder the inner workings of the male psyche. She was far more captivated by the movement of one male's body. She smiled devilishly, moving just out of reach to touch and tease him with her hands and mouth.

When Inuyasha did finally catch her again, Kagome was as out of breath and excited as he was. That made him feel a little more justified, if only a little bit. Kagome let herself be caught because she knew if she had to wait another minute she would melt. They moved together without a word passing between them. They really didn't need words. It went without saying that they both knew each other so well by that point that communication wasn't needed to predict where their bodies would move.

Where Kagome moved, Inuyasha followed as best he could. And when she positioned herself over him, Inuyasha moved with her so that they met halfway. (I would use phrases like 'the stars exploded in their passion' or perhaps words like 'manhood' or 'womanhood' but frankly, I think that's tacky and actually, kind of funny. I want this piece to be on the serious note, even if it does such without too much detail or vulgarity. I am a virgin after all, so sue me!)

A light coat of sweat on her body caused Kagome's thick black hair to stick to her neck and back when she flung her head back at the height of her ardor. Her body tensed and she bit into her bottom lip to keep from crying out. This feeling was so intense it was almost painful, felt so fitting she wanted to moan. In fact, she did, several times in fact.

Inuyasha moved with her at a steady pace, panting and growling at the same time. His hands held securely to her hips and her hair fell around him, trapping him in a curtain of black. Sweat had broken out across his body as he rocked with the primitive rhythm she set. Each small movement, each breathy whimper from the woman above him, sent his spiraling closer to the edge of his sanity.

When tension was at it's peak, when bodies and minds could no longer hold to such a pace, when force over through reason, Kagome fell from her pedestal. She lost control of herself from the last time as she shuddered once, twice, and then reached her climax. Inuyasha quickly followed suit, releasing the remnants of his control into the void of oblivion. Kagome collapsed to the side of the bed, stretching out first like a contented cat, then cuddling against Inuyasha with the last of her energy.

"Well, you are a frisky one, aren't you?" she chuckled.

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. Kagome reached behind her and tossed the covers of the bed over their cooling bodies. "I could say the same for you," he retorted, placing a sated kiss on the top of her head and inhaling the lilac scent of her hair once more. "You still smell like flowers," he whispered with a smile.

Kagome smiled against his chest. "My mother's favorite flowers were lilacs, so I always wear something that smells like them. Shampoo is the easiest for someone as make-up deficient as myself." Inuyasha sighed and yawned. Kagome looked up and smiled at him. Quickly she joined his yawn with one of her own.

"I think you should rest up," he said rationally. "You'll have to get up in a couple of hours to warm up."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You sound like Sango." They both laughed, but settled down to rest. Kagome rested her head on Inuyasha's chest, just over his heart so that she would fall asleep along with the sound of his breathing and the song of his heartbeat. It was everything she had imagined that it would be. If there was one place she wanted to be if it was to be her last night, here, in the arms of this man, was where she would be even if she was given that choice a million times.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. Exams were a bitch and the clean-up was worse. I finally edited this chapter enough to get it put out, even if I still hate it…blah. The final chapter is coming soon, get ready! Though I am probably going to write an epilogue too. So, technically, two chapters left. Be ready! Unfortunately, because of the limited time I had on my computer, I didn't get a chance to do my usual reviewer responses. I was bummed. I'll do them next chapter, swear! Thanks to all who reviewed this chapter--and please review again. (This Chapter was dedicated to Terenity Rose, thanks for the support and for loving my work! And this Chapter is dedicated to Leomae, because I promised the Lemon chapter would be yours!)