Wow, you guys are so responsive! I love it. Thank you all so much for your reviews! 16 on the first chapter and in little more than a day's time! Now I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint y'all when you've had so much enthusiasm. Next chapter... ready go!

Disclaimer: No I don't own Inuyasha so stop asking already! Jeez!

"Sango, I should kill you, but I'm not going to." The brown-haired girl glanced up from her notebook to look at her raven-haired companion, giving her a confused glance. The two girls had been sitting in silence, dong homework, for some time.

"Um, why? Is this about last night?" Kagome gave her a look that said, "Duh!" then sighed dramatically. Sango set down her pencil and turned to face her friend. "I'm sorry, you know how he gets when he's had a bad week and my roommate was being a bitch. She wouldn't leave."

"Don't you feel used?" Sango thought about it for a moment.

"No. I know he cares about me. Plus, I like it." Kagome gave a mock gasp before turning back to her own homework. She tapped her pencil idly while she tried to mentally work through the next problem. "What happened?"

Kagome froze. She knew her best friend was perceptive, but this was ridiculous. The girl wasn't supposed to pick up on Kagome's inner turmoil... but she did. Kagome looked over at Sango who was patiently awaiting a response. She chewed her lip a moment before sighing and giving in.

"I stayed in Inuyasha's room last night."

"I assumed you would." Kagome shot a glare at her before continuing.

"He was being all weird. He was hugging me and he broke up with Kikyo a bit ago. He told me that he was scaring off guys. He tried to tell me something but..."

"Whoa Kagome, you're not making any sense... scaring who from where?"

"Guys. Away from me! He broke up with Kikyo because she was mad that he was doing it. He told me he was sorry. Inuyasha! Apologized!" Kagome's eyes were wide with excitement and amazement at her own words. Sango contemplated her words for a little while before shrugging.

"Makes sense."

"What?" Kagome cried. Sango shushed her quickly and they both looked around the lounge at the few others studying there to make sure no one was listening. "What are you talking about?" Kagome whispered.

"Are you blind? The boy has had a crush on you forever. I swear you are the most unobservant person in the world Kagome. Even Miroku pulled his head out of his ass long enough to figure it out." Sango gave Kagome a reproving look.

"Well if that's true, then why didn't he say anything? He's so confident with girls." Sango rolled her eyes at her obtuse friend.

"Stupid, you're the one girl that really matters." Kagome stared at Sango before shaking her head laughing quietly.

"Don't be silly Sango. I'm just his friend. He could have any girl he wants." Sango heaved an exasperated sigh.

"He doesn't want anyone else. I think he's afraid you'll reject him. He's just as stupid as you. I know you've been in love with him since that night you and he..."

"Sango! Shush!" Kagome whispered fiercely, covering her friend's mouth with her hand. Sango rolled her eyes again, prying Kagome's fingers from her face.

"Fine Kagome. Don't face up to it, but sometime soon something is going to happen and you're going to be caught off guard unless you realize what's really going on here." Kagome looked down at her calculus darkly, thinking about what Sango had told her. Was she right? Did Inuyasha really like her that way? She desperately wanted it to be true but she was afraid to get her hopes up too high. What if it was all a figment of Sango's imagination and her dreams?

"By the way... Sango?" She heard a grunt from the girl next to her. "I want my key back." Sango looked up at her in disbelief before beginning to laugh gaining annoyed looks from the other kids studying. When she saw the serious look on Kagome's face she frowned.

"Oh all right," she sighed, digging the item out of her backpack. Kagome smiled as she took the small metallic object and placed it in her pocket. Now her room was safe from intrusion when she least expected it. "Can I ask you for it sometimes?" Sango asked hopefully. Laughing quietly Kagome nodded and smiled when a grin lit up her friend's face. Sango really was hopelessly in love with Miroku and any alone time they got was precious to them both.

"You know, I think Miroku is rubbing off on you." Kagome thought about her word choice, as the grin grew bigger. "Not in that way!" she cried out, sending Sango into a fit of giggles.

"You said it, not me." Kagome went back to her homework, grumbling about perverted best friends and their even more perverted boyfriends.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom. Is Dad there?"

"Yes. You sound flustered dear, is something wrong?" Inuyasha hesitated.

"Well not exactly. I need to talk to you both though." His mother waved at his father to pick up another extension.

"What is it Inuyasha?" came his father's deep voice.

"Dad, do you remember that talk we had about...well...finding a mate?" Inutaisho froze, responding carefully.

"Yes."

"Well I think I found her." Both parents gasped lightly, looking at each other to confirm that they'd heard correctly.

"Inuyasha...so soon? Is it...is it Kikyo?" his mother practically whispered.

"No! Not Kikyo. You remember Kagome right?"

"Of course, lovely girl," she replied fondly. His father on the other hand sounded a bit suspicious of his son. He had just been dating that Kikyo girl a short while ago, and now this?

"I thought you two were just friends."

"So did I. But I've thought of her as more without realizing it for a couple of months now. And last night..."

"Inuyasha! You didn't!" she gasped horrified.

"What? No Mom! Nothing like that. She slept in my room because she couldn't sleep in hers. Dad, I growled at her because I wanted her to stop fidgeting...she obeyed and tried to growl back." Inutaisho grunted lightly in thought.

"I see. Do you think she was aware of it?" Inuyasha thought about this for a moment.

"No. She was half asleep. Well...the second time I did it she was. The first time she was wide awake but I don't think she knew why she obeyed." His mother cut in nervously. She was still somewhat anxious about her son's activities.

"She slept in the bed with you then?"

"It wasn't like that Mom. We were on the futon. She was kind of upset and we ended up falling asleep there."

"You feel complete with her." It wasn't a question. Inuyasha didn't hesitate to respond to his father's statement.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"And she not only obeys, but tries to respond to your growls with her own?" the youkai asked, as though clarifying.

"Yea." Inuyasha was getting a bit nervous with the intense way that his father was questioning him.

"That's amazing. I didn't start doing that until after we..."

"Mom!" Inuyasha whined. His father gave a warning word at the same time.

"Dear." Inuyasha's mother laughed girlishly.

"Oops. Anyway, I don't know what your father's opinion is, but I think she's the one Inuyasha. Now you have to make sure she feels the same." She flashed a bright smile at her husband across the room. He returned the smile before answering.

"I have to agree with your mother. It sounds like she's your mate-to-be, but you must make sure she feels as strongly as you do." Inuyasha sat a moment, processing his parents' words. He sighed raggedly.

"You guys are sure? I don't want to screw things up with her. She means everything to me." His parents smiled at one another again.

"If you feel the way you claim and she's already responding the way she is, I would say so." Inuyasha released a relieved sigh.

"Thanks guys. I'll call you again when something happens." The taiyoukai only grunted in response.

"Bye dear!" his mother gushed.

Inuyasha smiled as he hung up the phone. So his parents not only confirmed his beliefs but further encouraged his instincts. He had no qualms about talking to Kagome now. Well that was a lie. He was still nervous about bringing up his feelings. He wasn't sure if Kagome felt the same but he hoped with all his might that she did. He'd only kissed her once... Gods, that had been a long time ago.

Inuyasha sat with his arm companionably around Kagome's shoulders, the pair of them watching a movie in silence. They were sophomores that year and his roommate was with his girlfriend on a date somewhere. A really bad horror movie was on the television and a bowl of popcorn sat disregarded on the floor. He felt her curl into his shoulder when the killer popped up out of the shadows and he laughed at her softly. Feeling his laughter as opposed to hearing it, Kagome looked up at him indignantly. She scolded him for laughing at her and in the process managed to hover mere inches from his face. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but he'd kissed her suddenly. Both of them had been surprised by it, but didn't hesitate to try it again after the initial shock. Inuyasha's roommate had shown up, interrupting their moment. Neither one had spoken of it since though he thought about it constantly.

"Uh... Kagome? Can I talk to you?" The raven-haired girl looked up at her friend and nodded carefully. She was afraid he was going to take back what'd he'd implied with his behavior the other night. Scratch afraid, she was terrified. She almost visibly trembled as she approached the hanyou's side. They were walking around campus, just enjoying each other's company and randomly taking goofy pictures like they did on light sunny days like this. He was silent for a while and Kagome nearly cracked under the oppressive silence before he finally spoke.

"Kagome I think we need to talk about the other night." She froze. She'd been right. He wanted to tell her not to get the wrong idea and remember that they were just friends. He held no greater love for her than their friendship. He noticed her position a few steps behind him and turned to her. "I need to know how you feel... about me."

She swallowed nervously. What if he laughed at her? What if he told her not to feel like that about him anymore? She felt she had kind of thrown herself at him the other night and she was worried he'd held her for the sake of a warm body to make her feel better. Now he was asking her himself and she wasn't sure what to answer him.

"I...I care about you...a lot." She hoped that was ambiguous enough that she could construe it as friendly love later, to save herself some embarrassment. Inuyasha's eyes lit a little at her words, as though he was happy. But that wasn't enough.

"How much Kagome? You have to be honest with me or I'll never forgive you," he said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She chewed her lip, watching the spring sun mixed with the light breeze play the shadows of the leaves across his face. He seemed so optimistic. Taking a step forward he touched her arm in a reassuring gesture, hoping that would give her courage.

"More than anyone," she whispered, her eyes glowing with nervous and heartfelt tears. She finished in an even smaller whisper, "With all my heart."

"I'm glad. I...I care for you too Kagome. You're my everything. I was stupid for a while there." He laughed. "Very stupid. Kikyo was never the one for me. It was you all along."

Kagome looked a bit shocked and he didn't blame her. This was probably very surprising to her. He'd had a suspicion that she liked him for a while now but for some reason he'd denied it, fueling his feelings of self-doubt over the last few years. He was glad that it was out in the open now. He smiled when Kagome finally seemed to come to terms with and understand what he was saying to her. She grinned and threw her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

"Do you mean that?" she whispered in disbelief. Inuyasha gave her his most reassuring smile, his golden eyes aglow with relief.

"Of course I mean it. Have I ever steered you wrong?" He thought a moment, his face scrunched into a slight frown. "Don't answer that." She laughed at him wholeheartedly. He loved the sound of her laughter, the way it filled his ears and the fact that it was for him and him alone. 'My mate,' he thought possessively. No one could take her from him now. His perfect world was shattered in a few words.

"Hey dog breath, get your hands off my woman." Damn it. Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see Koga standing with his hands on his hips, glowering at the hanyou. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the wolf youkai before snorting impolitely in his general direction. Kagome released her grip on his neck but didn't move from his side.

"Hello Koga." Kagome contrived to smile at the dark-haired boy but Inuyasha could see the way the smile didn't reach her eyes. The idiot youkai, on the other hand, managed to stay blissfully unaware of her discomfort.

"Kagome," he said smoothly as he approached her and clasped his hands about hers in an endearing fashion. Or so he thought. Inuyasha growled at the contact making Kagome look over at him nervously. She didn't want to hurt Koga's feelings and if it had been a week ago or so she wouldn't have had a problem with his flirtatious attentions. Now it was an entirely different matter. Inuyasha had yet to do anything like he usually would have, but he was obviously testing her. She smiled sweetly at Koga then pulled her hands from his grasp. He looked shocked. "Kagome, what's wrong? Dog breath here making you nervous?"

"Why I oughtta..." Kagome placed a hand on the arm of the angry boy next to her to keep him from attacking the confused one in front of her.

"No Koga. I don't think you should walk around saying things like that anymore. I'm not your woman, nor will I ever be, so you should probably stop."

"Kagome, I don't understand..." He was interrupted by Inuyasha's growl.

"That's because you're such an idiot you don't understand a plain rejection when you hear it." Kagome gave him a warning glance.

"Inuyasha," she admonished. He turned to the side and gave a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. The side of her mouth twitched with an oncoming smile but quashed it in favor of a serious look for Koga. "Don't worry about it Koga. I just think you should, you know, stop hitting on me." Koga opted to stay oblivious for a few more moments.

"Is this mutt face threatening you? If he is I can..."

"No Koga. Go on." He huffed a bit but took off elsewhere, leaving Kagome to stare at Inuyasha awkwardly. "Thank you for letting me handle him myself."

"Feh. I wouldn't have let you for much longer," he pouted. "If he hadn't left I would have pounded his ugly face into the ground." Kagome smiled and walked over to him. She slid her arms around his waist under his crossed arms and pressed her face into the gap between his shoulder blades. He smiled despite himself and twisted to pull her to his chest. He took a brief sniff of her scent, to calm his nerves if nothing else.

"What am I going to do with you, huh?" came her muffled question. He laughed, a devious smile dawning on his face.

"Well I know a lot of things..."

"Inuyasha!" She jolted up and blushed when she saw the look on his face. He only laughed harder. When she began to pout and pull away he stopped. Crushing her back against his chest. His head dipped down of its own accord and brushed his lips over hers. It was like their other kiss all over again. They stared at each other's lips in shock. Kagome contemplated scolding herself for liking it but realized she was allowed to enjoy it now. She smiled shyly which Inuyasha found to be an irresistible invitation. He dove back in and kissed her fully this time.

Kagome's head was spinning with all the new feelings erupting in her. There was no way this was really happening. Inuyasha wasn't kissing her so tenderly and his arms were not wrapped tightly around her waist. They weren't in the middle of the green where anyone could... Oh gods...

She pulled away quickly and looked around. There were people wandering around who were either ignoring them or staring at them in mild disgust. A few were laughing. Kagome ducked down to hide in Inuyasha's shirt. The feeling of her nuzzling his chest was making waves of heat float through his body. Inuyasha realized for the first time why she was doing what she was doing and found himself blushing as well. He placed a protective arm around her shoulders and led her down the stairs on the hill back to their dorm.

So that's the second chapter... I guess. I know Inuyasha's out of character. But he's got both parents... that has to be a positive thing, right? Makes him less gruff and antisocial. Kagome's all "I'm unworthy!" Hmm... Anyway, please keep reviewing! I love hearing your comments and feel free to IM me. I'm online all the time. Thank you college!