Hi all. Gary here. It occurs to me that I haven't posted a disclaimer since the first chapter. One would think that this would be enough, but others (including various patent attorneys – joke!) do not share this belief, so here goes. I do not own Inuyasha, or anything even remotely related to him and his universe. There, I said it. Someone give me a cookie.

I'm posting this chapter at 1:00 in the morning, on Eastern Time. I was lying in bed, thinking about what I'll write about next; and suddenly I sprang to the computer and this chapter just flowed right out. All over the keyboard. It took me an hour to clean everything up. (Okay, enough with the jokes already.) My writers block must have given me a temporary respite. So this opportunity could not be wasted. Now, on to the story.

Chapter 18: Oh, That's Got To Hurt

Oblivious to the exchange in the previous chapter, the group walked along the path. They had been walking for a good part of the day, in a stubborn silence. Kagome was in front, absolutely refusing to meet Inuyasha's or Tobias's eyes. Inuyasha hung near the back next to Tobias, trying to figure out how to repair the damage that the recent encounter with Kikyo had wrought. Tobias seemed troubled by it all.

After several unsuccessful attempts to get Kagome's attention, Inuyasha just about had it. He leaped over her head and grabbed her shoulders, glaring into her eyes.

"Kagome," he barked. "Tell me. What-" What he wanted was never known, as a result of Kagome's next few words.

"Sit, sit, SIT!"

Inuyasha crashed into the ground and jabbed himself on a protruding rock. He got a mouthful of dirt, and struggled to spit it out as he barely managed to lift his head.

"Kagome..." he spluttered. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Inuyasha! About how you're sorry, and it was a fluke, or whatever lies you're planning to tell me! All I know is that Kikyo almost killed me and you just stood by and watched! I thought you cared about me! But no~o, it's your precious Kikyo that matters! I don't ever want to see you again!" She stomped off. On her way into the wood, Tobias stepped into her path.

"Kagome," he began.

"Just shut up already, Tobias! Inuyasha has got me angry enough, and I don't need you to help! Always playing the goddamned peacemaker! Well, I'm sick of it! I need an hour to myself, so I can seriously think for once in my stupid LIFE!!!" Tobias looked absolutely scandalized as Kagome pushed past him and stormed away.

"Where are you going?" Inuyasha called weakly.

"TO TAKE A BATH!!!!"

Inuyasha got to his feet, while Tobias was looking in the direction that she had gone.

"Wow..." Tobias managed. "She is seriously pissed off."

"You think I don't know that? Fucking idiot," snarled Inuyasha. Tobias stepped over.

"I need to talk to you for a minute, Inuyasha."

At the lake, Kagome had eased out of her clothes and sank into the water. She let out a small moan as the cool water flowed over her parched skin. This...felt nice. She had been absolutely blazing hot all day walking in the sun, and a cold bath was just what she needed. As she absently toyed with some pebbles at the water's edge, her thoughts drifted to the events of that morning.

I cannot BELIEVE that Inuyasha let her do that. I thought he cared about me! Right before Tobias walked in on us...wasn't he going to say...he loved me? To Kagome's surprise, what welled up inside her was not anger, but sadness. Didn't he...mean it? After all that we've done, he would just abandon me to Kikyo? I shouldn't be surprised, she thought sorrowfully. He has probably always loved her...and just seen her in me...I wonder – what is THAT?

A small snap of a dry twig breaking caught her attention. A figure cautiously emerged from the shrubbery around the lake.

"Hentai! SIT!" she bellowed. But there was no sound of a body slamming into the earth, no muttered growls and curses. What was going on? The figure walked out of the shadow, revealing itself to be Tobias.

"Tobias!" Kagome snapped. "Get out of here! I'm not wearing anything!" Tobias, quite expressionless, tossed her clothes in a bundle past her head to land on the shore.

"I told you, I don't want to talk to you right now!" she shouted. Tobias shook his head slightly.

"It's important," he said simply. Kagome growled to herself.

"Don't you dare look...or I'll give you a beating you'll never forget," she warned as she crawled behind a bush with her clothes and towel. After hurriedly drying and dressing herself, she came out from behind the bush to glare at Tobias.

"Well?" Kagome demanded. "What is it? Do you have any reason at all to be interrupting my bath? Or are you-" Tobias made a motion to silence her, walking slowly around the edge of the water until he was fairly close.

"It's about Inuyasha," he said quietly. Kagome's eyes blazed.

"Don't talk to me about him!" she roared. Tobias flinched a little, but did not back down.

"I told you it was important. Will you at least trust me enough to hear what I have to say?" Grudgingly, Kagome nodded. "Good. Then let me begin.

"I think you're being too hard on Inuyasha." He had only made it this far before Kagome cut in like a bandsaw.

"Too hard on him? He would have let me die right there! If it wasn't for you, I don't know-" Tobias interrupted her interruption.

"Kagome, I know this is hard, but let me speak for a minute. Without interrupting. After I'm done, you can talk all you want," he hastened to add, seeing Kagome's expression. "I really think you are too hard on him. Going off on him like that is bad for both of you.

"Based on what I heard from you and him earlier today, I can guess what's going to happen. He's going to get all mopey and depressed, and he's going to skulk around a lot and become all moody and snappish. This, of course, will cause you to react accordingly, and your relationship goes into a death spiral. You see what I mean?" Kagome nodded, a fraction.

"You think I'm ignorant of what you two are sharing? Since the day we met, you can't keep your hands off of each other. I think this is more than simple lust, here. I think you two actually have something." Kagome lowered her eyes. She was getting upset again.

"I thought so too," she murmured. "But we don't. He only loves Kikyo."

"You see what I mean?" Tobias said angrily. "You keep on saying that, it's going to be true. You're pushing him away for a few mistakes he made. Now, I'm not saying what he did was right. He was being a complete jackass; both in not helping you and holding me back." Tobias's expression became angry for a second, then it softened. "But what I am saying is that you should...try to forgive him."

"What are you getting at?" Kagome asked, a little suspiciously.

"My point is, you two have something I haven't seen, since...well, ever." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And for me, that's saying something," he murmured.

"What?"

"Never mind. You two have planted the seeds of a beautiful relationship...why let one run-in with a dead ex-girlfriend ruin everything? I mean, telling him you never wanted to see him again? That was harsh, Kagome. That was really harsh."

Much as Kagome hated to admit it to herself, Tobias's words had struck home. She had been unnecessarily hard on Inuyasha. She hadn't really meant what she said, she was just mad. Didn't he realize that?

"I wasn't serious when I said that," Kagome said, voicing her worries. "Doesn't he know that?" Tobias's face fell.

"That's the problem," he muttered. "That's the problem."

"What's the problem? Tobias..." She came a little closer. "What happened?"

Tobias looked up and fixed her with a wavering gaze. "He left, as soon as you did. He said you didn't care about him anymore, and he was going to the only person who at least accepted him." Kagome gasped in shock.

"Does that mean..."

"I think so." Tobias's eyes dropped; he couldn't look at her. "He's gone to Kikyo."

Part of Kagome wanted to shout, 'Fine! Let him leave!' and stomp around a lot. Part of her wanted to just let go, and accept that he chose Kikyo.

The other part did not.

Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes. She couldn't let him go. She did care about him! And she had to prove it to him before it was too late! "Which way did he go?" she asked, in a shaky voice. Tobias pointed sorrowfully. She bolted in that direction.

Tobias stood alone, near the lake. He lifted his eyes. A grin of satisfaction was evident on his face.

"Tobias, old boy," he crooned to himself, "you're a cool man, you are." He ambled towards where Kagome was headed.

Kagome rushed through the woods. Oh gods, please don't let me be too late, please please... She caught sight of a figure walking slowly ahead. His fire-red kimono gave him away. Inuyasha! He hasn't found her yet! Her heart leapt as she raced towards him.

Inuyasha heard footsteps coming his way from behind. He turned around just in time for Kagome to jump at him and crush him in a bone-cracking hug. She held him tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Ka-Kagome?" he asked, shocked. Not knowing what to do to calm her down, he hugged her back awkwardly.

"Don't go, Inuyasha," Kagome wailed. "Don't leave me. I didn't mean what I said, I'm sorry, I was angry, I, I, don't leave me, Inuyasha." She cried and cried as she clung to him; as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would vanish.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha repeated. "What – I – what is – "

"Don't go to Kikyo, Inuyasha," she sobbed. "I didn't mean those things I said. Don't let her take you to hell. I do care about you, Inuyasha." And what she said next, Inuyasha would never forget.

"I love you."

It was as if everything had vanished except for him and the miko crying into his kimono. Inuyasha's entire mouth went dry as his brain struggled to wrap itself around this new concept. What had wrought this change in her? Half an hour ago, she was shouting that she never wanted to see him again. Now, she was sobbing into his embrace and proclaiming her love for him. Right now, he didn't care. Inuyasha pulled her off of him, to hold her at arms length. He looked her right in her eyes, red and puffy from crying.

"I love you too, Kagome." He raised her up a little and kissed her.

He could taste the salty residue of her tears on her lips. She wasn't crying anymore; now she was putting all of her desperation and sadness into the kiss and the embrace. Her eyes closed and her body began to go slack as she melted like butter under his loving embrace.

But this was not a kiss of passion, not one to be taken to the next level as they had this morning. This was a clear, "Make me believe that you love me" kiss. And it had succeeded with flying colors. They had to break apart for air, and Kagome softly panted for breath under the combined exertion of her recent mad dash and the bruising kiss.

"Kagome," Inuyasha murmured. His hands traced gentle patterns on her back, making her shiver involuntarily. "Love...now can you tell me what that was all about?"

Kagome's head snapped up. "What it was all about?" She could hardly believe her ears.

"No! No, not that. I truly believe that I love you, and I am so glad you love me too. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you were crying and running like that."

She sniffled a little. "Tobias told me you were going to Kikyo. He said that you said that I didn't care about you anymore, and I couldn't lose you." Her eyes brimmed again. Inuyasha tightened his hold on her to reassure her that he was most definitely not going anywhere.

"What?" He was stunned by this. "Tobias told me to leave until you had calmed down. I was just going to the nearby village." Kagome's eyes brightened; but almost simultaneously Inuyasha and Kagome both turned red with anger.

"TOBIAS!!!!!" Inuyasha hoisted Kagome onto his back and they sped off towards the unsuspecting man.

Tobias was walking leisurely through the forest, stopping to admire the trees and the wildlife. He looked up from a particularly interesting flower to see Inuyasha and Kagome advancing on him, Kagome brandishing her heavy iron pot.

"So," Tobias said cheerfully, "did you two kiss and make up?"

*BLAM*

*POW*

*WHACK*

*THUD*

*OOF*

*SPLONG*

"Splong?"

"Splong?!"

"Ow..."

"Oh well." "Oh well."

*BAM*

*CRUNCH*

"Inuyasha, that's enough."

*THUNK*

"Sit!"

Thud.

"I said that's enough!"

"Grr. Fine. Let's set up camp...alone." Inuyasha and Kagome walked off, holding hands.

A very heavily beaten up Tobias rose to a painful sitting position. Well, he thought grimly, at least they're mad at me together.

Hey all. This chapter is almost THREE TIMES the length of the previous one. Aren't I nice. So review, already. And Lasako, it's great to see that you're back. Did my advice help any? Review some more, just to be sure.