Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or anyone else for that matter. Just borrowing them for my story!

Ch.2: Revelations

The sun was low on the horizon, throwing golden rays on her already perfect skin. She appeared to glow, standing there on the hill, gazing into the sky. Her hair, still long and black, was raised up into the air by the wind, but to Inuyasha, it seemed much more than that. Kagome had a supernatural look to her, as if she belonged somewhere better than this sorry place. He wanted so much to pull her in his arms, like he did every night in his dreams, but he was too afraid that unlike his dreams, she would pull away. He watched for a moment more, then turned and walked away.

She turned and saw him as he was walking away from her. She wanted desperately to run after him, to run to his arms, to feel him near. She watched as the sun lit up his long silver hair. The wind lifted it into the air, and the leaves of nearby trees swirled around him. Her angel. He moved with a grace that was not of this world. How she loved him.

He felt her looking at him, and as hard as he tried not to, he could not stop his own eyes from meeting hers. They stared at each other, both in awe and wonder at the beauty and power of each other. Time seemed to pause as they stood still as stone, statues on a hill, bathed in the last rays of the sun as it disappeared under the horizon.

With this, the spell was broken. They remained a moment, unsure of how to proceed. They had seen the emotions in each other's eyes. Tomorrow was the end of their battles. But what if it was the end, period? Is it better to love than not at all? Or save yourself the pain?

Kagome looked away first, glancing back at the sky behind her. Inuyasha turned and ran toward the camp they had set up in a small abandoned village. He went a hut, lay down on his mat, and stared at the ceiling. Kagome began her slow walk toward camp. If this was to be her last night alive, she was going to enjoy every moment of it. But it wasn't a very good walk, as her thoughts turned toward Inuyasha more and more with each step.

Miroku sat in a beautiful clearing he had found not far from camp. With its thick ring of trees, it was quite private and peaceful. He lay on the ground staring at the sky as it slowly turned a darker hue and stars began to appear. He watched in awe, as the tiny dots seemingly appeared one by one to his eyes. He closed them and saw Sango. On this night of all nights, he could not stop thinking about her. He wanted so much to tell her he loved her. He looked down at his rosary-covered hand. Could he tell her? Would it be fair? He had this hole in his hand, and unless they defeated Naraku, it would stay and eventually kill him. How could he tell her how he felt if it was all for nothing? He couldn't do that to her. He decided that he loved her so much her would spare her that heartache, as he felt in his own heart that he did not have much time. He couldn't say why, but he knew deep down that his end was near.

Sango stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the monk as he lay on the ground. He appeared to be sleeping, so she quietly approached him. She thought that he was dreaming; she could see his eyes moving beneath his eyelids. It did not seem to be a good dream, however, as she saw the saddest look on his face. Before she knew it, she could feel tears sliding slowly down her cheeks. She could not bear to see the man she had come to love with such a heartbreaking expression on his face. She carefully knelt down beside him. She tentatively reached out and brushed an errant strand of hair from his face.

Is it her? He thought. He didn't know what to do. For a moment he just lay there, reveling in the feel of her smooth fingertips on his skin. Then he felt something wet hit his lip. It tasted salty, and he opened his eyes to see his Sango kneeling over him, silently crying, the shimmering drops gathering at the bottom of her eyes, then spilling out, slowly rolling down her face. They gathered at her chin and dropped onto his face once more.

He slowly raised his hand and brushed away a new tear making its journey down her face, beautiful in the moonlight, even as she wept.

She started at his touch. His fingers felt so tender and soft on her cheek. Her voice caught in her throat. She had never felt like this before. His touch sent sparks down her spine, and she feared that she might burst into a million pieces at his simple caress.

She knew then how he felt. She knew that he loved her with all his being, as she loved him. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw his large violet eyes looking back, a concerned look on his face.

"Sango...why do you cry? What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry, Houshi-sama. I saw you here and..."

"What? What is it? You can tell me, Sango."

"You looked so sad...I couldn't stand to see you that way...my heart felt like it was going to break."

He looked at her. "You have seen me sad before. Why is it different?"

She looked at him, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

"It is different because...because this time someone I...someone I...love is sad." She continued to look at the ground, tears splashing on her legs.

She felt his hand come up to her face and tuck a long black strand behind her ear.

Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned over and captured her lips with his. He kissed her with all his soul, desperately trying to convey the love that he felt for her into that one perfect kiss. He raised his hands to gently cup her face, memorizing the curve of her cheek, the softness of her skin. He then pulled away from her slowly and waited for her to open her eyes.

"Sango...I'm sorry." He looked down at his lap.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Houshi-sama. I should have told you earlier, so long ago..."

"But I do. Sango, I...we...we cannot be."

She looked up sharply, a desperate look on her face.

"But? Why? Houshi-sama, please...I can't help how I feel. I...I love you."

"If we start something now, and the worst happens tomorrow, if I left you alone, I couldn't bear it."

"If we start something now, we would have each other, and that would be something. That would be enough for me," she cried.

"I cannot do that to you. I..." he stammered, "I could never hurt you so."

"But don't you see? To not have you at all would be far worse than not having you at all," she said, tears freely streaming down her face.

"You may think that now, but I think that in the long run this is best." Tears were falling to his robes as he slowly stood.

"Perhaps when this is over, if we are both alive, then..." he stopped. All he heard is the sound of her weeping and it broke his heart. "Sango, you know how I feel. But I cannot say it. If I were to, I would not have the willpower to do what I must." With this, he turned and walked away, his form disappearing into the trees.

Sango curled into a ball and sobbed until she had no more tears. She stood, and brushing off her kimono, started her journey back to camp.

Inuyasha lay on his mat with his eyes closed, but not sleeping, when he sensed her. He turned his head to look at the doorway.

She stood there, back lit by the fire in the middle of the camp. She wore a nightgown from her time, the gauzy white fabric swirling around her, pink ribbons fluttering in the air. Her hair was down, gently swaying in the nighttime breeze. She was a vision. She started to walk towards him.

InuYasha sat up, a questioning look in his eyes. Am I dreaming? He thought. She had reached the bed and sat beside him. She slowly reached out a slender hand and laid it on top his. She looked into his eyes. He was frozen. She raised her other hand and traced the line of his jaw.

He raised his clawed hand and gently stroked her cheek. He ran his fingers through her beautiful hair, wondering at the silkiness of it.

He looked at her and felt the emotions swirling around them as if they were tangible threads weaving around them. It seemed as if the entire world had faded away, leaving them alone in their small hut. They could hear nothing but the sound of their hearts.

He cupped her face in his other hand, and she leaned into his touch. He smoothed back the hair from her forehead. She looked at him, eyes shining.

"Inuyasha, I...if this is it, I want you to know that...I love you. I always have." She said, tears threatening to roll down her face.

"Kagome, is this a dream? Are you really here?" He asked, his voice starting to quiver.

"Yes, I am here with you. I am where I belong."

"Oh, Kagome," he said, as he pulled her quickly to him, embracing her with all of his soul, desperately needing to feel her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around neck, and held on as if her life depended on it. She breathed deeply, his hair smelling softly of trees.

She pulled back after what seemed like an eternity, only long enough to place a kiss on his lips. She ran her fingers through his hair. He only held her tighter as he kissed her for the first time. It was like nothing he had ever felt, and he never wanted it to end, but unfortunately, air was a necessity. They looked into each other eyes for a moment.

He placed his hand behind her, and slowly lowered her to the bed. He lay down beside her, and gently smoothed her hair.

"Kagome, I love you. I have for a long time. You've visited me in my dreams every night for so long...I love you so much."

He leaned down for another kiss and her arms circled around him. They were together all night, focusing only on each other and the love they shared, but at the back of each of their thoughts, they were pushing tomorrow as far away as possible.