A/N: Okay, I lied. Originally, there was no fluff, but I suffered fluff withdrawal. Plus it was too short and stupid. So I totally rewrote this chapter to make it more interesting. (The reason I'm posting so late.)

And to the person who asked if I was doing a lemon: No, I will not be doing a lemon. The main reason is because I don't read lemons, so I don't write them. However, there will be not so subtle "hints" as to what is going on or the ever popular "cut off right before the action" so you get the idea, but sorry, no lemon.

Chapter 13: Fearing Loss

Kagome sat on the grass in the middle of the meadow. It was the first open space they had seen after so many trees. It was filled with flowers of every color, and she sat among them, standing out from the sea of flowers. She was sitting on the edge of a hill, giving a view to the entire meadow spreading out behind. She smiled as she picked one of the flowers. I'm so glad we're out of the forest. After trees for days, a meadow is a nice change.

She looked over at the hanyou, who stood with a face of disgust. "What's with that face, Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Keh!" he replied.

"Really, can't you cheer up? It's so pretty!"

He folded his arms. "We're not supposed to be looking at 'pretty' things, get it? We're looking for Mouryoumaru."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then why did you stop here when I asked you to?"

"Cuz if I didn't, you'd complain. And I would rather not have a complaining woman on my back all day."

She rolled her eyes. Whatever, Inuyasha. "Come on, sit down, will you?"

"Keh!"

"C'mon, your legs must be tired from running all that way!"

He looked away stubbornly. "I don't get tired like you pathetic humans. I don't know why I even stopped here! It's just because you women get all googly eyed at things that are pretty…"

"Sit." she replied, watching the arrogant hanyou fall face first into the ground.

He managed to lift his head up from the ground. "Hey, what was that for?"

"You're acting like a baka! Can't we just sit and talk, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

He growled in annoyance, but managed to sit up. He still had that scowl across his face. "Well?" he asked.

"Well what?"

"You were the one who said you wanted to talk, now start talking!"

Hmm…I have an idea…"Okay…how about I ask you a few questions?"

"Whatever."

She waved a blue flower in his face. "Why are you so unhappy?"

"Because I'm stuck in a field, with a pathetic woman who thinks looking at flowers is fun. Get that out of my face."

She pulled the flower back and held it. "So, if we weren't in a meadow, would you be happier?"

"I'd be happier in this field if we managed to find Mouryoumaru in it."

He's got a one track mind…once he sets his mind to something, he won't let go…but…She looked down at the flower. He said that he always thought of me. Is that true? He…he told Kikyou that once does that mean…?

She closed her eyes. No. I'm positive he said that just to try to keep me from walking away. There's no way he could ever think of me that way…

Kagome opened her eyes. "Hey, Inuyasha,"

"What now?"

"I've got another question."

"And?"

I wonder how he'll answer this… "Once we defeat Naraku, what do you plan on doing?"

He seemed to be really thinking about it for a moment. "I don't know. It seems like all I've been thinking about is finding and killing him. I don't know what I'm going to do after."

"Well…is there anything you'd like to do after?" she asked.

He sighed. "I guess I'd probably go back to being on my own again. After all, I've lived most of my life like that."

"What?" she asked. "You think you want to back alone?"

He shrugged. "What else can I do? You don't understand, Kagome, it's a hanyou thing. No one wants you around for very long. Youkai want to kill you, and humans are afraid of you. No one accepts a hanyou."

"I do." she said immediately. "I want you around."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Kagome…"

She continued. "It doesn't matter to me that you're a hanyou, Inuyasha. You're just you. I wouldn't have you any other way. That's why I…" she paused. "That's why I don't like it when you talk about becoming a youkai. Because…because I'm afraid that you'll one day leave me…"

He didn't answer. He seemed to be thinking over what she said.

She looked up at the sky. "I know you keep wanting to be a youkai…I know its what you really want…but I guess I'm a little selfish. I don't want to become one. I just want you to stay the way you are. But…" she sighed. "I guess it is hard being a hanyou. I mean, I wouldn't know. But I think I get the general idea." She remembered her friends in her time. "I mean, I've been called some things for being with you, but still, I don't care. No one should care about the things others say."

Kagome turned and looked back at Inuyasha, and suddenly she noticed he was much closer. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Kagome," he said. "You're worried about me becoming a youkai?"

She nodded, pleading her heart to stop beating. "Yeah. I mean…I don't like you like that. You're not the person you are now."

"I know." he replied. "That's why I decided not to become a youkai."

She stared. "Y-you're not?"

"I decided long ago that it might be too dangerous. But now I finally know its not what I want. I can't control myself when I'm like that. And when I wished for that, that was before…before I met you."

Kagome felt herself blush as she looked up into those amber eyes of his. It was hard not to get lost in them, but what he had just said made it impossible not to break away. "Inuyasha…" If he doesn't like me…why is he saying this? Why can't I stop myself?

He looked away suddenly, breaking the spell his eyes seemed to have on her. He looked at some skylarks in the air. "So…what are you planning on doing once we defeat Naraku?"

"Umm…" She was still trying to get the pace of her heart back to normal.

He suddenly looked at her with concern. "Are you…are you going back to your world?"

She blinked, satisfied that her heart flutterings started settling down. "Yes. But…not permanently. I think I'll continue what I'm doing now, going between the worlds. But...I don't know. I want to do that, but I guess I'm not going to be needed here…"

"You'll be needed." Inuyasha replied. "Some people need you."

"Who?" she asked.

He didn't answer, but looked down for some reason. "Some people."

She was silent for a second. "Hey, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

She grinned. "You ever rolled down a grassy hill?"

He stared. "What the hell are you getting at?" He then noticed the hill behind him. "Oh no! What are you trying to do?"

"Come on! It's fun!" She said, lunging forward. She had meant to push him down the hill just to see how he would react to rolling down it. After all, she needed something to break the seriousness of the conversation. She pushed against his chest.

As Inuyasha lost his balance, he grabbed her shirt to hold on.

Since he was heavier, he fell down the hill, along with Kagome.

He grabbed on to her as they rolled down the hill, just to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. He was heavier than her, and they were both stuck in a tangle of limbs as they fell. When they hit the ground, Kagome landed face up, with Inuyasha on top.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?"

"I thought it would be funny!" She replied. "I didn't know I'd fall too!"

"IT WASN'T FUNNY!" He yelled. "SINCE WHEN IS PUSING SOMEONE DOWN A HILL FU…funn…" A giant blush grew on his face as he realized what position they were both in. Kagome's face also turned bright red.

"G-g-GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed, trying to push him off. She didn't need to; he immediately jumped off of her.

"That was an accident!" he yelled.

"Yeah, right!"

"Do you think I want to do that to you?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" she said without thinking. When she realized what she had said, she looked away. "I mean…nevermind. Forget it. It was an accident right?"

Inuyasha wondered why she would suddenly change her mind about it, but he didn't ask.

"Look, just don't ever let Miroku find out."

"You didn't need to tell me that one." Inuyasha replied, getting a laugh from Kagome. She smiled at him, and they both walked back up the hill.

Naraku laughed from the shadows in a completely black world as Inuyasha stood in front of him, Tessaiga drawn. "You overestimate your skill, hanyou."

"Keh! In case you forgot, you're a hanyou too!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Not anymore." He stepped out from the shadows, holding the complete shikon no tama. It blazed with a tainted light. He closed his eyes and held the shikon no tama.

"No!" Inuyasha cried, running toward him, but he was stopped by a barrier. He could do nothing as Naraku became one with the shikon no tama and became a yokai.

He laughed evilly as his body became more stronger, his eyes blazing an evil red. The light from the tainted shikon no tama was all over him, but suddenly, the light was no more. Naraku grinned. "I am complete, hanyou. No longer will you be able to oppose me."

"We'll se about that! KONGOUSHOUHA!" He yelled, sending dozens of diamond spears at Naraku. But they did nothing. They bounced off his body.

Naraku smiled. "I am immortal, hanyou, which you, unfortunately, are not." He sent a tentacle at him.

Inuyasha tried to stop it with Tessaiga, but it was too strong. Tessaiga broke.

Kagome, who was standing far off to the side yelled, "NO!" As it pierced through him. She ran towards him. "INUYASHA!" She cried.

He lay on the ground, a giant hole in his chest. "Kagome…sorry…" And he closed his eyes.

"Inuyasha…? INUYASHA!"

"INUYASHA!" She cried.

He jumped about three feet, looking at her. "Kagome? Kagome!"

She blinked and looked around, and noticed that it was all a dream. They had camped out in the meadow, and it seemed that Inuyasha hadn't fallen asleep yet. She took a few deep breaths. It was a dream…but it was a dream of my worst fear…Inuyasha…you can't…

He came next to her. "Kagome? What is it? Was it a bad dream?"

She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. "Inuyasha…"

He sighed, and pulled her close to him. "Kagome, don't worry. I'm here. And I'll always be here, to protect you."

Kagome sniffed, burying her face into his haori. Inuyasha…but I'm afraid…I'm afraid that you might not always be here…

Naraku floated in the air, inside his barrier. He followed Byakuya on his giant paper crane. "Are you sure its here?"

Byakuya looked through the fog. "Yes. There it is."

They floated down through the fog to the mouth of a cave. Naraku removed his barrier as he landed on the ground. Byakuya remained in the air.

Naraku walked into the wet cave. He saw a dark shape in a corner. He smiled. "It's been a long time, Mouryoumaru."

A/N: I'm so evil! Anyway, I hope the meadow scene didn't seem too forced. I've just had a visual of Inuyasha and Kagome rolling around in a meadow for a long time.