Inuyasha and Kagome were silently walking toward the village. The hanyou was awfully quiet as he walked beside the schoolgirl. His shoulders were a little hunched over and he had a thoughtful expression on his face. Kagome glanced up at him for a second and if she didn't know him better, she would have thought that her bag was too heavy for him. She frowned – he had something on his mind and it was serious, no doubt about that.

'What should I do? What should I…' Inuyasha repeated in his mind. 'I'm cursed, I know that. Every time I try to tell Kagome that I love her, something bad happens…' he thought miserably and sighed. 'What if I make her say it first?' that idea almost made him smile, but then another thought crossed his mind. 'Damn… I don't even know if she feels the same way. I mean, she sure likes me, but does she love me?'

"Hey, Inuyasha?" the girl on his mind spoke and he startled.

"Wha?" he asked a little breathlessly.

"What were you thinking?" she asked and smiled at him.

"Nothing!" he said and smiled nervously, as if guilty of something.

Not really having what to talk about at the moment, Kagome didn't speak again. She just looked at him with the corner of her eye and saw that the thoughtful expression was back. That sent cold chills down her spine – when had Inuyasha been thoughtful? Only when Kikyou was on his mind… Oh no, not her again!

'Wait a minute!' the hanyou's eyes widened in realization. 'She said she liked it when she kissed me.' he thought happily. 'You don't kiss people just like that if you don't love them… Well, at least I don't do that…'

"Too bad we forgot to wait for Kai." when he heard her say that, he almost tripped.

How could she think about that stupid, weak, ugly human creep?! It was all over with the dream demon and she should have already forgotten about Kai, like she had never seen him. When he thought about him… She had kissed him too. It didn't matter if Shamashir had made her do it – it just pissed Inuyasha off.

"And why would weee want to do that?" the hanyou asked sarcastically and looked her only with the corner of his eye.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Kagome waved a hand dismissively. "He was worried about you too. Show some gratitude, Inuyasha."

"Keh." was his answer, with the intention to not speak anymore.

"I'm sure Mama would think of an excuse…" the girl said and little too carelessly and that did it for Inuyasha.

"Can't we stop talking about that looser?!" he snapped and dropped the bag, as they stopped walking. "Yeah, I know I'm an insensitive jerk! I don't take you on d-d-d-dates, I am not even close to someone you would want to show to your friends…" he stopped only to take a deep breath and then continued with new force. "Souta told me how good you were doing while I…"

A faint rustling was heard from behind Inuyasha and without a second thought he pushed the stunned Kagome behind him. He cursed the wind for not blowing in the direction HE wanted and prepared to attack. A second later, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara came out of the bushes.

"That's right, Inuyasha, first yell at her and then protect her." Miroku teased his friend and he growled.

"I'm glad everything is back to normal." Sango smiled.

"Well, if this could be called normal…" Shippo said and Kirara mewed.

"Watch your own fucking business." Inuyasha snapped and was off in the woods.

Later that day, Kagome and the others were at Kaede's hut. She had explained to them what had happened in her time, and her friends were left in real shock, realizing just how close Inuyasha had been to death. While the girl was telling her story, she just couldn't help but say some 'nice' word about the hanyou, instead of his name. It was good that he hadn't come back yet, don't you think?

It was early evening when Inuyasha decided to return. He entered the hut and not paying attention to the looks his friends were giving him, and especially Kagome's glare, he went in the back of the hut and sat down cross-legged. When he passed by then, they saw only his right side, but when he sat down, they all gasped at the big gash on the left side of his forehead. The whole left side of his face was also in blood.

"What are you staring at?" the hanyou snapped at them.

"God, Inuyasha, what happened to you?" Kagome asked, concern not hidden in her voice, and went to him.

"Humph." he lifted his chin high and refused to look at her.

Ten minutes later his face was cleaned and his forehead bandaged. Everybody had stayed silent until Kagome was ready. She took away the first aid kit and went back to her previous place by the fire. The others gulped, knowing what was coming. Good that Kaede wasn't there – for an old woman like her, fights like Inuyasha and Kagome's were really depressing.

"Can you tell us now what happened?" the girl asked with cold and firm voice, there was not a trace of the concern from a while ago.

"Why do you care, anyway?" Inuyasha asked, completely unshaken, but decided to save himself from a few shouts. "I got distracted and hit a tree. Laugh all you want."

That explanation, of course, made Kagome even angrier. Just when she was going to burst out yelling at the hanyou, Miroku stood up and that caught her and Inuyasha's attention. He glared at each one of them and went first to Kagome, took her right hand and took her outside of the hut. Then, going to Inuyasha, grabbed him by the rosary and despite his protests, dragged him out to Kagome. Sango, Shippo and Kirara decided to stay inside, sure that they would hear what was this all about.

"Listen to me, both of you." Miroku started, his voice dangerously low and threatening, and the two in front of him froze. "I am sick and tired of you… of your impulsive and unnecessary anger, Kagome-sama, and of your impulsive and unexplainable stupidity, Inuyasha." he said and after taking a breath continued. "We all know what you want to say to Kagome-sama, Inuyasha. The whole world must've guessed by now…"

The mention of his 'secret' made the hanyou blush and stiffen even more. Kagome was too stunned to react in any way. She thought that she must be really stupid or thickheaded not to understand what Inuyasha had been trying to tell her. Inside the hut, the others were barely managing to keep themselves from laughing, while Miroku continued to speak.

"…I will leave you here, and don't you dare show yourselves in front of me before you have cleared your relationship." with that, the monk turned his back on them and entered the hut.

"That was really good, Houshi-sama." Sango smiled at him when he sat by the fire.

"You think so?" Miroku grinned at her, his obviously fake anger completely gone.

"You scared even me!" Shippo said and they all chuckled, and waited to hear what the two outside were going to say to each other.

The hanyou and the girl stayed silent for a while. The first to come back to reality was Kagome. She shook her head slightly and cleared her throat. That seemed to make Inuyasha snap out of his shock. He slowly turned his head toward her and waited for her to say something. She walked in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, spit it out." she said, her confidence completely restored.

"W-What?" the hanyou stammered, feeling somehow unsure that this should be the time and place for him to tell her something that important.

"Don't give me this, Inuyasha." Kagome said, sounding really irritated, witch made Inuyasha wince. "Let's get it over with, ok?"

"I h-have n-no idea w-what you are t-talking about." he just couldn't stop stammering and at the same time hoping that she would back off and leave him alone. Considering all the bad things that had happened to him lately, he was sure that this time he was going to die.

On the other hand, Kagome had completely lost her patience and she wanted answers. She wasn't thrilled or excited anymore; she was irritated and annoyed of waiting beyond imagination. Right now she wouldn't care even if the earth opened and swallowed Inuyasha.

"Now, listen to me carefully." she said, a hidden threat in her voice. "You, yourself, said that you had to tell something to me. And, Inuyasha, you can be one thousand percent sure that I am not gonna leave things like this." well, the hanyou didn't know what 'percent' was but be got the main idea of her words. However, her next question really pissed him off. "Why can't you say it like a normal person?"

"Because I am not a normal person, Kagome!" his anger gave him courage to yell at her, and she was left in complete shock from his next words. "I am a pathetic and disgusting hanyou that knows shit about feelings and how to express them. A complete looser and an outsider… You wanna know what I've been trying to tell you? Well, I love you! Happy now?"

Kagome stayed on her place, stunned and unbelieving, while Inuyasha glared at her. He waited for an answer but when she didn't say anything and just continued to stare at him, he started to worry. "Kagome?" he eyed her closely and she seemed to snap out of her trance.

The look she gave him sent cold chills down his spine. It was like she was saying 'Is that all?' Suddenly, he felt like the biggest idiot in the whole world. Not being able to stand her look any longer, the hanyou turned his back on her and walked away. After only a few steps he sighed and sat down on the ground cross-legged, his hands in his lap.

"Houshi-sama, they are too quiet." Sango said a little concerned.

"You are right." the monk nodded and looked toward the door. "It didn't go like we planned."

"Yeah, who would've thought that Inuyasha thinks such stupid things about himself." Shippo said, sounding concerned too.

"We will have to go out and talk some sense into their thick heads, if Kagome-chan doesn't open her mouth soon." the demon exterminator said and Miroku and the small kitsune in her lap nodded.

Inuyasha hung his head down in despair. Why wasn't she saying anything? Why wasn't she yelling, or crying, or even laughing, damnit?! The more time passed, the more depressed the hanyou was becoming. Those five minutes since his rather stupid confession seemed like an eternity for him. Right now he would have gladly died to save himself from this embarrassment.

Kagome stared at his back and didn't dare to move even a finger. She just couldn't believe what he had told her, or maybe because of something else? Actually, after the first few seconds, she accepted it but her own behavior was unbelievably stupid. The man she loved just told her that he loved her too and all she did was stare at him and by doing that she involuntary pushed him away.

As she came back to her senses, his words echoed in her mind: pathetic, disgusting, looser… Her left eye and brow twitched and she fisted her hands in anger. If a few minutes ago she was embarrassed, now she was, by Inuyasha's standards, really pissed off. How dare he talk about himself like that? She was taking this as a personal insult. Gritting her teeth, she walked toward him. Hearing her move, he stiffened and imagine the surprise when she slapped him on the back of his head.

"The hell… What did you do that for?" he yelled and rubbed his head, while she walked in front of him and kneeled on the ground. "W-What?" he asked a little uneasy of the slightly hurt look she gave him.

"Tell me something." Kagome started firmly. "Have I told you that you are disgusting or pathetic?" he didn't answer, just looked aside and dropped his hand in his lap. "No, I haven't, because I like you for what and who you are. And if I ever hear you talk like that, you know what I'll do." she grabbed him by the rosary and pulled him closer to herself.

"What do you care, anyway?" Inuyasha mumbled, still refusing to look at her.

"Will you stop that?!" she almost yelled in his face. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Of course I care! I love you for God's sake!" at her words, the hanyou's eyes widened and his breath seized in his throat. Seeing that he wasn't breathing, Kagome smiled and pulled his rosary slightly. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times. "And here I thought that I was the stupid one. Haven't you really realized how I feel by now?"

Inuyasha shook his head slightly and swallowed again. The others had come out of the hut and were now standing by the door. There was no way that they were going to miss something that important. Kagome placed her hands at both sides of Inuyasha's head and leaned even closer toward him. He worriedly looked first at her hands and then their eyes met.

"Now, be a man and say it again." Kagome said seriously.

Inuyasha looked at her for a second or two and smiled. That was absolutely unexpected reaction, but it made the girl in front of him really happy. "I love you, Kagome." he said and a few tears slipped from her eyes.

"Aren't you going to kiss me now?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

"Hell yeah!" despite the light blush on his cheeks and the others watching them, the hanyou grinned and leaned toward her, kissing her as deep and as passionate as he was capable of.

THE END