Chapter 2: How Do I Leave Her?

I crack my eyes open and look out the doorway. Judging by what little light is filtering in, I'm guessing it's about two hours before sunrise. Good, no one else is awake yet.

With a sigh I look down at the sleeping angel in my arms. I don't want to, but I have to wake her up. If I don't and the others find us like this....

Well, I want to keep her honor in tact.

When the right time comes, I'll take her as mine.

A thrill runs through me at the thought of making Kagome my mate.

I shake it off and try to focus on the task at hand. I have to wake up Kagome without waking the others, slip out of her bed, and act like nothing has happened between us.

I run a clawed hand through her raven locks and whisper her name.

She moans and snuggles further into my chest. In the night, my undershirt had come loose and fallen open. So Kagome was now rubbing her cheek against my bare chest.

Where as normally I would welcomed this gesture and return it with a few of my own, now is not the time to be thinking the thoughts her actions are inducing.

I whisper her name again and this time opt to shake her a little.

This time she moans and her mouth forms into a kiss-ably cute pout.

Hmm.... There's an idea....

Tilting her chin up and holding it with my hand, I lean down and lightly press my lips against hers. She responds in her sleep by adding her own pressure and murmuring "Inu" against my mouth. After a moment I think it registers in her mind that this isn't a dream. Her eyes fly open and she jerks back with a surprised gasp. I can't help but chuckle lightly at the embarrassed flush that flitters across her cheeks.

She whaps me lightly on the arm before cracking a smile of her own and snuggling back into my chest.

"Good morning to you too." She says irritably, but I know her tone is in fun.

She rubs her eyes and glances at the doorway.

"Did you wake me up this early just to laugh at me?"

"No. I woke you up to ask you to move."

She lifts her chin again and glares at me.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want Sango, Shippou, or especially Miroku to find us like this."

"You're right. Shippou would probably run off and try to tell the entire village that we're going to have pups, the wise cracks would never cease to flow from Miroku, and Sango would probably try to exterminate you."

Hmm... Kagome having my pups. Now there's an idea...

I smile as I lean down and capture her lips with my own in a chaste kiss, wrapping my arms around her waist. I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that.

"Ok, let me up, the others will be awake soon."

Kagome snuggles into my neck and wraps her arms tighter around me.

"Uh Kagome...?"

"Not yet. I want to stay like this a little longer. I might not get to ..."

She trails off as I feel my neck become moist and I smell the scent of warm salt water.

I sigh and kiss her on the cheek before burying my nose in the hair behind her ear and breath in her relaxing scent.

"Kagome, we talked about this last night. You know I have to face him. I have to fight."

"I know Inu but... Can't I be selfish just this once? I don't want to loose you..."

"Kagome..."

She's all out crying now. I run my hand through her hair and kiss her neck and shoulder lightly, trying to comfort her.

"Please don't leave me." She whispers desperately into my neck.

I don't want to leave her. I don't even want to get out of this bed much less do I want to walk away from her and meet my almost certain death. Naraku is my past and Kagome my future. I have to resolve my past before I can start a future.

"Kagome, I love you. I love you more than anything. But if I don't settle this, if I don't finish what was started in my past, I won't have a future. Please understand, I'm not doing this for the jewel or Kikyo or revenge. Not anymore. I'm doing this because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If I don't stop Naraku now, there will be no future for anyone. Not for Miroku or Sango, Kirara or Shippou, and not for us or our pups."

Kagome lifts herself up a bit to look in my eyes.

"Pups?"

I smile at her as I wipe the tears from her cheek with my thumb.

"Yeah, pups. I was thinking a boy and a girl. A strong boy like me and beautiful little girl just like her mother."

Sniffle "Will they have your strength?"

"And your gentleness."

"Your courage?"

"With your grace."

"And your kawaii ears?"

I chuckle and kiss her on the nose.

"Only if one of them gets your smile, ok?"

"Ok."

I wrap my arms around her and roll so that she's under me. It's my turn to blush when I see the mischievous smile Kagome is giving me about our positions.

And she's always calling Miroku a pervert.

Ah well, might as well take advantage of the opportunity.

I lean down and capture her lips with my own, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close. Kagome responds by holding my face in-between her hands and adding her own pressure to the kiss.

After a few moments I break away from heaven and come back to earth, pulling away from the kiss and leaning my forehead against hers to stare into her eyes.

"You have about another hour before the others wake up. Try to get some sleep, ok?"

"I'll try."

"Promise?"

"I promise only if you do too."

I smile and sit up, getting off of her.

"Ok, I promise too."

I stand and turn to walk away before turning back around and kissing her again.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"Yes, and I love you, do you know that?"

"I'm still trying to believe my luck."

I kiss her one last time before standing up and walking out of the hut.

..................

So what do you guys think? The next chapters will be in Kagome's POV. Now if I could only think of how to write the next chapter for my other story....