Hey there everyone!! I know, it takes so long for me to update now a days, but that's because I'm in college, working on weekends, trying to find a better job, and preparing for Halloween. You try making InuYasha's outfit in less than a month. Lol!! At least I'm using my real hair...

I own no one!

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Ch. 15 The First Kiss

"Inuyasha, stop that, be nice!"

The night before, I had received a phone call from Shippou and Kohana, asking me to come to the weekly birthday party, and this year's baby shower. I had been hesitant to agree, seeing as how the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, and former enemy to my half-brother and his friends, which included the very kitsune who was inviting me his home yet again, might cause a stir among the kits I hadn't seen before.

Then the vixen told her mate to "be sure and tell me that Kagome had already promised to come." Once I heard this, I had to fight off a smile as I assured the younger demon that I would, in fact, be there.

I had arrived before Kagome, and found myself being pulled around by Kohana, so I could be introduced to the others foxes in the family, a few of them hanyou or hybrids. I did smile slightly, though, when I learned that one set of twins had been named Sango and Miroku. Those names had taken a moment to match with their faces, but then I recalled the Taijiya and Monk that once traveled with Inuyasha and Kagome.

It was during this moment of reminiscing that delighted cries of "Kagome" could be heard from outside. I walked towards the sound of laughter with everyone else, only to stop outside and catch her familiar cherry-blossom scent, as well as the new smell of the pup I had given her the day before. I looked at her smiling face as she watched her adopted son lift her new pup into his arms, where he was promptly bitten in the pointed ear by a pair of tiny fangs. I bit back the need to chuckle at the kit's yelp until Kagome spoke those words; that name.

Inuyasha. My half-brother, and her first love. The hanyou who broke her heart and left her for a dead woman.

"Mama and Souta named him. They said he reminded them of Inuyasha. And you have to admit, he kind of does."

So. Her family had named him, and not her. The pup did remind me a bit of the half-demon he was named after.

"So," I said as I noticed Shippou's lingering nervousness, and how Kagome seemed to freeze at the sound of my voice. "You named him Inuyasha."

She looked up at me with a blush on her face.

"Sesshoumaru." I nodded to assure her I was truly there, and the surprise faded from her face. Her embarrassment and shock proved that Shippou had not told her about his planning to invite me when she agreed to come. Or did he only finalize his plans to invite me after she had promised?

I mentally shook myself from my thoughts and stepped over to where the pup was trying to get back to his teething on Shippou's ears. When he caught my scent coming closer, he turned towards me with a yip, those little legs kicking in mid-air. I reached out and lifted him away from the fox and towards myself. He barked at me a couple of times, and I leaned forward slightly to lock eyes with him, challenging for dominance. He stood his ground, so to speak, growling at me his warning of "I'm the leader in my mommy's house, so I choose what's good or bad!"

"I'm the leader of my home, and I'm older and bigger than you," I growled, then smirked at the ball of fur who was losing his battle for alpha rights, and continued on, knowing Kagome wouldn't understand. "I'm also courting your new mother. I want her to become my mate."

His eyes widened, and the growl stopped instantly. He sniffed at me for a moment, most likely trying to find some betraying scent that would tell him I was lying. When he found none, his eyes dropped away from mine, and he looked away. He had dropped his challenge. He accepted me as the dominant canine.

Still smirking, I scratched behind the pup's ears, then materialized my tail and rested it on my shoulder like I once did. The pup's own tail began to wag, and I set him on the ground, allowing the tip of my tail to rest a few centimeters on the ground before him, which he then decided was a new toy for him. And as all pups would do, even myself when I was still young, he began to chase after and play with the tip of my tail. I smiled at Inuyasha, even though it was still unusual for me to associate this pup with the baka yarou half-demon whom I had grudgingly almost respected and accepted while he was alive, no matter that he could get on my nerves like no other, simply by speaking.

I had been paying so much attention to him that I didn't realize Kagome has moved until her scent became much stronger, and I felt her arms wrap around me in a hug that I still wasn't used to receiving. A soft "thank you" reached my ears, and I found myself wrapping my arms back around her.

For a moment, I felt jealous of my half-brother. Her scent was calming, and she spoke quietly around demon ears in respect for our hearing. She was powerful and strong-willed, but possessed a kind, gentle, and loving heart. Damn that idiot hanyou for having spent so much time with her. Damn him for being her first love.

But it only lasted for a moment before I hugged her in return, making sure not to squeeze too tightly. After all, that InuYasha had made his choice, and now Kagome could speak of him without the intense sadness she once smelled of at the mention of his name, a sure sign that she was moving on, and ending her time of mourning for her lost love.

The laughter of many kitsune's reached our ears, breaking us apart, even as Shippou called out that if we didn't "break it up", then they wouldn't be able to start the party. Kagome blushed and moved away from me, while I narrowed my eyes at a soon-to-be-hurt fox demon. He merely grinned at me and waved us in, wrapping his arm around his mate's waist and leading her in, while the other kits followed. Kagome bent and lifted her new pup into her arms, her blush still showing as she focused on wiggling her fingers in front of the happy pup's face, causing him to bite and lick at them when they got close enough to his mouth. He finally caught one, and chewed on her fingertip for a second before starting to lap at the injured digit in apology.

I smiled down at her and placed my left hand upon the small of her back, causing her to look back up at me, and start to follow after her son, pacing herself so that my hand continued to rest on her back, yet I didn't have to slow down to keep it there.

Quite a few of the kitsune youkai grinned at us when we walked in, causing Kagome to blush and stroke her puppy's ears, causing him to relax and yawn sleepily. Kagome tried to lay him down on the blanket on the couch that Kohana had laid down for him, but as soon as he sensed his mother start to move away from him, he began to whimper and kick his legs in the air, as though having a bad dream.

Inuyasha spent the rest of the party with Kagome, Shippou, Kohana, or myself, and he seemed to prefer me over Kohana, which surprised her until I pointed out that I *was* an inu-youkai, and therefore more familiar to a pup's mind.

After the party, he didn't want to remove himself from where he was sleeping in my tail. Finally, Kagome lifted the pup, my tail and all, into her arms. She began to pet him, trying to soothe him enough to be detangled from the furry mass keeping him warm. It took effort on my part to keep from just relaxing completely and growl in pleasure when her fingertips began to brush against my own fur as well as her pup's.

"I had better hurry and start heading home if I want to get there before it gets too dark." I raised an eyebrow at her, then made the realization that with an animal in her possession, she could not very well ride on the bus, and I hadn't seen a bike or any other form of transportation around, as most of the youkai had taken the bus or found some other way to get there.

"You walked here?" She nodded, and began to tell me how the short trip here was nothing compared to all the walking she had once done with my half- brother and their group. I was only half-listening, though, my attention drawn to the fact that were she to walk herself home alone, pup or not, she was at risk of an attack by either some weaker creature with some youkai blood, or even another human. I would not allow my Kagome to be hurt.

"You are not walking home alone," I told her, my eyes narrowed and my voice stern, refusing to be argued with.

"I'm not. Inuyasha will be with me." She held up the pup for my approval, and he barked at me to try and prove his ferocity. I merely raised an eyebrow at the tiny bundle of fur, hid my tail again, and began to walk off in the direction of Kagome's home. After a minute, I stopped and turned my head to look back at the priestess, who was still standing where I left her.

"Hurry, Kagome, before it gets dark."

She seemed to jump before holding her koinu close to her and running over to me. When she caught up, I began to walk again, trying to ignore the pup's growls of pleasure as she rubbed his ears and stomach lovingly.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru." I looked over at her, feeling a tug at the corner of my lips that was becoming too familiar when I saw her smiling up at me.

"For what?" I watched as her smile grew.

"For buying me Inuyasha, for walking me home, for caring." Before I could respond, her right arm slipped around my waist and she hugged me as best as she could, her other arm cradling her puppy. I finally allowed myself to smile as I wrapped my left arm around her shoulders, hugging her back for a moment, until the dog named for my brother squirmed against his adopted mother, whimpering for attention. Kagome's arm left my waist as she tickled her pup's stomach, and together we resumed walking.

She didn't seem to mind that my arm remained on her shoulders, and even leaned in closer to me as we made our way to her home.

The rest of the walk was quiet, and we reached the stairs of the shrine right as the first star appeared in the sky. Kagome froze as soon as she saw it, and pointed it out to me before squeezing her eyes shut and whispering a childish chant.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, grant the wish I wish tonight."

I smiled at her innocent appearance as she silently willed her wish to reach the star. The pup looked at me curiously, then back at his adopted mother with confused but wondering eyes. He yipped at her in question, and her eyes snapped open as she began to blush. In the silence, I recalled her earlier thanks. Trying to fight the smile that had been on my face since her wising moment, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against her cheek, a sign of my affection for her, and then against her forehead as a symbol of my respect, as that's where youkai noble family crests were found.

When I pulled back, her blush had only deepened, and I found I could not hold off the full smile anymore.

"You're welcome, Kagome." She looked at me in surprise and confusion, and my smile became more of a smirk. "For your pup, and for walking you home."

Realization stole over her face, and she scratched her koinu behind the ears.

"Are you mad about his name?" She whispered, so quietly that if I were human, I might have missed it. "My family said he reminded them of Inuyasha, even though his eyes are different colors..."

"He is very much like my brother," I said as I looked down at the happy pup. "He is proud, protective, rash, and demanding."

Kagome laughed and squeezed the topic of our discussion gently.

"That's the truth! I still remember how we would fight when I wanted to come home. Sometimes I had to get Shippou and the others to distract him, but that rarely worked, since he always came to get me then, yelling about my leaving without telling him." She smiled sadly in remembrance as she rubbed her pup's belly, and I felt compelled to draw her from her memories.

"Sometimes," she whispered, "He let me go. He wouldn't come after me if I left after seeing him and Kikyou together."

I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly in order to help comfort her. She reached up and placed her hand atop mine, then lifted it to her face, where I was surprised by her lack of tears. I brushed my thumb over her cheek, and she tilted her head against my hand, still being held by her own hand.

"It hurts less, Sesshoumaru," she barely whispered. "The pain of losing him hurts less now." Her eyes were closed, and her pup was lying still, as though sensing her distress, although I could tell by his eyes and scent that he wanted to comfort her.

The pain of seeing my intended mate upset moved me to do what I did next. I had tasted the skin of her cheek and forehead, a salty-sweet taste that would no doubt drive a man mad if he let it. But I had yet to find out what her lips tasted like.

I soon found out though, when I moved closer to her and pressed my lips to hers, drowning in the sweet, warm softness of her kiss.

"It hurts less, Kagome," I whispered against her mouth, "Because you are no longer alone."

~~*~~ 5 pages?! Wow... Well, Kagome's turn!

My cheek and forehead still tingled, and my lips, well, they felt as though they would NEVER stop tingling.

After Sesshoumaru had kissed me, it had taken a moment to get over my shock and kiss him back. It had taken a few more seconds before I felt a slightly rough tongue touch my lower lip. That had been enough to make me gasp, which Sesshoumaru took advantage of quickly. I had only kissed Inuyasha once, and it hadn't included either of our tongues like this one did.

The kiss had lasted at least a full minute. Then he had leapt up the stairs like he had done before, carrying me in his arms almost right up to my door. There, he had kissed me again, as slow and gently dominating as his last one, before petting Inuyasha once, growling something at him, then telling me goodnight and nudging me towards the door before he left.

I watched him for a moment, following the familiar silver hair until it was out of sight. Inuyasha barked at me, and I came out of my trance and let myself inside, smiling at how the little puppy seemed to be sniffing and looking everywhere at once, scrambling to be put down, then running around and almost seeming to be checking things out.

Of course, the arrival of such an adorable pup sent my family running towards me, asking about the party. Souta had wanted to go, but he had had soccer practice again. Mama had to take him there, of course, and no one was certain that Grandpa could be trusted around a bunch of demons, no matter that he was now almost used to Shippou.

Souta had been really upset when he learned that Sesshoumaru had been there as well, since both he and Mama had loved his tail, and its soft fluffiness. But then, who could blame them? I had made sure to pet his tail when I was petting Inuyasha, just so I could feel the soft fur again. I didn't think he could tell that it was intentional, though I can't be sure. Did he know, and just not mind? I couldn't help but blush at the idea.

Unfortunately, my mom noticed my blush, as well as everyone else. Grandpa gave me the look only grandparents can give, and Souta began teasing me, asking over and over again why I was blushing. Mama finally sent them out, and sat down next to me with some tea, smiling as she asked something I wouldn't have expected from anyone else.

"So, Kagome, what do you think about Sesshoumaru?"

I could feel my face get even hotter, and knew I was blushing more at the mere mention of his name.

"Mama, I... Well, I like him, but..." I felt her wrap her arm around my shoulder, and I rested my head against her own shoulder.

"But what, Kagome?" I breathed deeply and sighed as I told her how I felt about everything.

"I really like him, Mama. I think I might actually... be falling in... well, love with him... But I feel bad, since..."

"Since you think you might be betraying Inuyasha?" I nodded, looking down at the floor. "Kagome, look at me." I did as she said. "Now. InuYasha loved you, and I know you loved him. But he's gone, sweetheart. I miss him, too, he was almost like a nephew or son to me. But he chose to go with her, honey. And do you remember why?"

"He said... I deserved more than half a heart..."

"Do you know what he meant?"

"That he'd always love Kikyou, too, and couldn't fully love me?"

"Yes and no. He'd love Kikyou, but it almost meant he would never be able to get over her and move on with his life. He knew he'd always be feeling as though he was betraying Kikyou by being with you. And now, you're doing the same thing. Inuyasha wanted you to move on, to fall in love again, I know he did. He wouldn't want you to be so upset."

I sniffed and hugged her tightly while she went on.

"If you truly think you're in love with Sesshoumaru, then I suggest you try to make peace with Inuyasha's memory, and try to move on. Otherwise, you might miss out on your second chance at love." She smiled and hugged me. "Even if he IS Inuyasha's own older brother, and far older than even your grandpa. I think he's rather nice. And very handsome." Her smile grew to a dreamy grin. "Besides, that means your children would end up having the same puppy ears as Inuyasha did, wouldn't it? Or would they have tails, like Sesshoumaru does? Either way, they'll be so cute!!"

I stared at her in shock for a minute, then began to move away, using the excuse of saving my puppy from Souta's clutches, where he was no doubt having all the fur petted off of him. My mother merely nodded, busy thinking about her grandchildren that I hadn't even planned on having yet.

After rescuing Inuyasha from Souta, I made my way to the God Tree, where I always felt the closest to the hanyou. Maybe it was his being pinned here for fifty years that made his presence seem to emanate from the bark. But I went there nonetheless. After all, if I was going to say goodbye to my half-demon love, then I needed to do it where I felt the closest to him.

I let the pup run around and play in the grass, while I placed my hand over the kanji of Inuyasha's name. I whispered his name, and pressed my forehead against my hand on the wood.

"Inuyasha," I repeated, "I was told I needed to come and tell you goodbye. Mama said you wouldn't want me to live in the past, and that you'd want me to fall in love again, even if it was with someone you never really could get along with. I think I'm love, Inuyasha. But you see, the person I love is, well... he's Sesshoumaru. He's changed some from how you knew him, though. He's nicer, although I can still see a bit of the old Taiyoukai in him."

I smiled. "Inuyasha, I still love you, but I've also accepted the fact that you're gone, and that I needed to move on. I'll always love you, but I'm not going to spend my life mourning you. You understand, right, Inuyasha?"

A nudge at my ankle had me looking down and into a pair of blue eyes, which seemed to almost flash golden in the sunlight. I was startled for a second, then smiled as I realized it was my tiny Inuyasha, who must have heard his name and came running. I smiled and lifted him into my arms, where he immediately began licking at my cheek, making me laugh. I pointed out the symbols for his inherited name, sounding out each one to him, so he knew which name was his own. After a delighted yip and another lick on the cheek, I set the pup down and headed back towards the house. After all, dinner still needed to be made, and I owed it to my mom to cook.

At the door, I noticed Inuyasha wasn't beside me anymore. I looked around for him, wondering if he had caught Buyo's scent and gone running after him. But instead of chasing after my fat cat, Inuyasha was sniffing around the base of the tree I had just left. A quick whistle had him running back to me, though, especially when I mentioned food.

I was awoken the next morning by delighted barking and a familiar voice speaking softly to the pup, who quieted almost instantly. I cracked open one sleepy eye, and tried to glare at my little brother, who stood at the end of my bed, giving my dog a bite of whatever he had been eating. Souta must have seen the glare, because he smiled sheepishly at me.

"Morning, sis!" I muttered back a greeting, wanting nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep. His next words woke me up quickly, though.

"That Kouga guy's here."

I shot up in bed, my eyes wide. Kouga's here?! What the hell was he doing here?! Frantically, I scrambled out of bed and ran to the closet, snatching a shirt and skirt before racing to the bathroom to change. When I came out about fifteen minutes later, still brushing my hair, I was surprised to hear growling and barking coming from my living room. I hurried to see what was going on, but stopped short at the sight before me.

Kouga was leaning down, growling at my little Inuyasha, who was bravely standing his ground with his own childish barks. It was almost like watching the wolf demon argue with his former rival so long ago. The mere memory was enough to make me start laughing as I watched the two stare each other down. Immediately, my Inu ran over to me, pawing at my ankles in a silent request to be picked up, which I gladly did.

Of course, this caused Kouga to glare at the pup who now rested happily in my arms. But the wolf prince received his own glare. After all, I had decided to forgive Sesshoumaru because I had begun to love him. But Kouga had always been thickheaded and possessive, and I could stay annoyed with him longer.

With one hand on my hip, I cleared my throat to draw attention away from the pup I held and back to myself. His scowl quickly became a charming smile; no doubt he was trying to get on my good side.

With a sigh, I shook my head at the centuries-old wolf prince.

"Kouga, what are you doing here?"

His face dropped, and he became almost sheepish as he stared at the ground sadly.

"Well, I found out you were speaking to Sesshoumaru again, and I was hoping you had forgiven both of us..." He sounded so heartbroken, so sad and dejected that I couldn't help but accept his apology. After all, it would be cruel to forgive one and not the other. And I try not to be cruel to people, although sometimes it can't be helped.

"Okay, Kouga, I forgive you.... I just don't want to find you two fighting again, understand?" He nodded to me, a smile on his face again.

"I'll try not to fight with him, Kagome." He lifted the hand that wasn't holding Inuyasha and held it between his own. "One day this week you and I are going out on another date, and this time, maybe Dog Face won't show up."

Inuyasha seemed to snort and snapped at Kouga's hand from his place between my arm and chest. Kouga looked down at the pup and bared his fangs, growling back.

"Hey!" I snapped, glaring at the ookami youkai. "Don't growl at Inuyasha like that! He's just trying to protect me!" Very slowly, the wolf's blue eyes slid up to my own, a disbelieving look etched across his features.

"Inu... Yasha?" I nodded, and the puppy in my grasp barked his agreement.

"Yeah, Sesshoumaru bought him for me the other day, and my mom and brother named him Inuyasha, since he reminded them of him. Sesshoumaru said that Inuyasha's just as proud as his brother, so it works." I smiled happily at the prince, inviting him to share in my joy, only to see the shaded look on his face.

"Kouga? Are you okay?" I waved my hand in front of his face, and watched as his eyes cleared up, and he nodded slowly.

"I'm fine, Kagome. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you now, although I wish I could stay. But I might be able to get a day off this week for us to go out." He smiled and nodded slightly at us, before saying goodbye and showing himself out the door, leaving me confused in the living room.

"Okay, I have no clue what that was about." I looked down at my puppy. "Do you, Inuyasha?" He yipped at me and jumped so that he could lick my cheek. I put him down on the floor and smiled at him.

"How about some breakfast, boy? Let's see if you like Ramen as much as Inuyasha did!" I laughed and followed my now speeding pup to the kitchen, so I could start cooking for us both.

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Okay!! To me, this is a great place to leave off and end with an Epilogue. I honestly can't think of much else I can add. But I want your opinions, okay? Oh! And I have VERY special plans for the epilogue, too!! Trust me, it'll be good!!

Well, hope to hear from all of you soon!! Thanks!!