A/N: It has been brought to my attention that I need to be corrected. 6 people threw blunt objects, one threw a butcher knife. Okay, and on we go:

Chapter 16: Realizations

"Kagome-chan! Inuyasha!" Sango yelled from the sky.

Inuyasha stopped his running and they both turned and looked. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were all riding on Kirara. Kagome got off Inuyasha's back as Kirara descended, slowly landing on the ground.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome said. "Is Miroku-sama okay now?"

Miroku nodded. "Mushin was able to get all the poison out."

Shippou ran over to Kagome. "And they decided to come and get me!"

"Well, I'm glad." Kagome said. "Now we're all together again." She glanced at the slowly darkening sky. "And just in time too."

"I saw a hot spring just a little ways that way." Sango said, pointing.

Kagome smiled. "Oh, I missed that…"

Sango glared at Miroku. "You make dinner."

He grinned. "Don't worry my dear Sango, I have no need to spy on you now. After all, I'll be viewing to my heart's content very soon."

While Sango slapped him, Kagome's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and Inuyasha stammered, "Wha-wh-wh-WHAT!"

Sango blushed many different shades of pink while Miroku just smiled. "Ah…I forgot you don't know yet. You see, Sango and I…" He took her hand. "Are engaged."

The hanyou's mouth fell wide open. "WHEN did this happen?"

Miroku had a lecherous grin plastered on his face. "Many things can happen when you spend time alone."

"Wow! Congratulations, Sango-chan!" Kagome said, running up and hugging her friend.

Sango gave a small smile. "Thanks, Kagome-chan."

Miroku looked over at the kitsune youkai, who didn't look at all surprised. "Shippou, you look like you expected this."

He grinned evilly. "I did. After all, Kaede told me the story of how she walked in on you two when you were kissing."

This earned two other shocked faces from Kagome and Inuyasha. "You were…You were doing this BEFORE you left?" Inuyasha asked, looking like his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

Kagome saw how red Sango was, and she decided the conversation was over. "Come on, Sango! We don't want to waste all our hot spring time here!" And a grateful Sango followed her to the hot spring.

Once they were gone, Miroku grinned. "You know, Inuyasha, we could just follow them right now…"

"Try it, monk, and you'll eat that staff."

Kagome soaked in the warm water. Man…I missed this…At least we're all back together.

She sighed. So many things have happened since we split up though. Sango and Miroku got engaged…and now I'm starting to think that Inuyasha might like me…

Kagome remembered what she and Rin had talked about the other day. "Kagome-chan!" The adorable seven year old had said.

"Rin-chan!" She replied. "How is everything?"

"Good! Sesshoumaru-sama is taking care of me!" She said.

"Well, it's a good thing to know that he is taking good care of you, Rin-chan." Kagome answered.

Rin smiled. "And it's a good think that Inuyasha is taking care of you."

"Well…he's always done that. I don't think it will be any different."

"Are you his mate?" Rin asked.

Kagome was taken aback by this question. "Um…Rin…do you…do you know what that means?"

Rin shrugged. "No, but Sesshoumaru-sama seems to think so."

At that moment, Kagome heard Sesshoumaru say, "Then why do you drag your mate with you?"

Kagome stared at them, not only in surprise of what he said, but also because she was wondering what Inuyasha would say.

"She's…she's NOT my mate!" Inuyasha yelled, making Kagome feel a little bit disappointed.

"You like him, don't you Kagome-chan?" Rin asked.

Kagome stared. "What? No. Of course not."

The girl grinned. "I can tell. I knew that Kagura liked Sesshoumaru-sama. And I think Sesshoumaru-sama liked her. He's been sad ever since she died."

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "We thought that."

"But if you like him, you need to find out if he likes you!"

Then Sesshoumaru called for Rin. "Bye, Kagome-chan!" Rin said, and left.

After Sesshoumaru left, Kagome had intended to ask Inuyasha about the new moon night. I just got good advice from a seven year old…She thought, walking up to him. She wished she could ask him, but she couldn't do it. The knowledge that it might not be true stopped her.

Kagome smiled, looking at Sango. "I'm really happy for you, Sango-chan."

Her friend smiled. "Thanks. I guess I should have told you before there was something going on between us."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "How long?"

Sango blushed. "Kagome…"

"Come on! How long?"

"Well…Ever since the night we found Naraku."

Kagome stared. "That long? So you did lie to me when I said asked if there was something going on the night after!"

"Well…I didn't exactly know that we were going to end up getting married by then, Kagome-chan." She replied.

"Yeah but," Suddenly Kagome laughed. "You and Miroku-sama."

"What's so funny?" Sango asked dryly.

"It's just…thinking about you two when you first met, and thinking about you two now…"

"Not much has changed. He still felt the need to grope me three times on the return trip. And I still felt the need to remind him that I don't like it when he does that." Sango smiled. "So, now you know all about Miroku and my private life, so what about you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome gulped. "M-me and Inuyasha?" She remembered the night he tried to kiss her.

"Well, did anything happen with you are him. After all, you were out here alone?"

Besides him trying to kiss me and him declaring that he thinks about me all the time… "No. Not unless you count him getting jealous when Kouga showed up." There are some things I have to keep to myself…

She sighed. What's the point in telling her if I know it will amount to nothing?

Inuyasha, Miroku, sat around a campfire. Shippou had already fallen asleep, since it was late. "Inuyasha, I don't know what's the big deal. After all, Sango is engaged to me—"

"I said no monk, get it through your head before I make sure you remember!"

Miroku grinned. "So, what about you and Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh! What do you mean? Are you talking about something like that?"

The lecherous grin did not leave the monk's face. "Of course I'm talking about that."

Why does he always know? WHY! It's not as if I'm going to tell him…about THIS.

He turned around. "Keh! You're out of your mind!"

"Inuyasha…" Miroku said. "Stop lying. I can tell these things."

Do not pound monk into the ground even though he deserves it…do not pound monk into the ground even though he deserves it… "Look monk, even if there was something there, it doesn't matter. Kagome deserves someone better."

"Don't you think that's for Kagome-sama to decide?" The monk asked.

I can't believe I'm talking to MIROKU of all people about this...But if I didn't talk, he'd assume something else happened. "Well…don't you get it? She deserves someone from her own time, someone who isn't a hanyou."

"So, are you saying that she doesn't know what's good for her?"

"She…she doesn't…You don't get it. I'm not even worthy to be around her. Look at how many times I've hurt her. Look at how many people I killed when I wasn't myself." He looked at his hands. "These hands have spilled so much blood…enough to disgust anyone. I'm a hanyou. And hanyou's aren't supposed to be with anyone."

He realized he had said all that. He turned around and grabbed Miroku by the collar. "Repeat that and you're dead!"

Miroku held his hands up in surrender. "Don't worry, I believe you. And I want to see my wedding day."

Inuyasha put him down and stared into the fire. It's true. Kagome deserves someone from her time…and she deserves someone human. She's probably only staying with me because she's being nice. She could go back to her own time in a heartbeat and never want to see me again. And that's what I'm afraid of.

He blinked. But does that mean…that I love her? I knew that I really liked her…but love her?

"Inuyasha," Miroku asked. "If Kagome-sama did turn out to…well, you know…what would you do?"

If she did actually…no that's not possible…only in a dream. "If she did, I would first use some of your ofuda's to see if it was a youkai in disguise."

"And if it wasn't a youkai?" He asked, his violet eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Well, I'd hit myself a couple times, to see if I was asleep…and then I would think she was out of her mind. But if she wasn't then…" I'd probably grab her and kiss her…wait…I did NOT just think that…then maybe it is true…maybe, after all this time I do love Kagome…

"Ah…I see." Miroku grinned. "Well, it was a matter of time before you started having feelings for Kagome-sama."

DAMNIT, DID I SAY ALL THAT? He grabbed Miroku. "You're dead."

"Inuyasha, if you kill me, then you will probably have to face Sango's wrath. I'm pretty sure she wants me to see my wedding day too…"

Do not kill monk even though he deserves it…do not kill monk even though he deserves it… "If I don't kill you, will you swear never to tell ANYONE we had this conversation?"

Miroku crossed his heart. "Not a soul. You have my word as a follower of Buddha."

"Yeah, like that's good enough…" Inuyasha grumbled, this time dropping the lecherous monk. "If you do tell, I will kill you."

"I got it, I got it…" Miroku said, standing up.

Inuyasha also got up and walked a few steps. He looked at the ground. "It doesn't matter anyway. Like I said, I'm beneath her…" And he continued walking away.

He didn't realize he had walked to the direction of the hot spring. His ear twitched and he immediately stiffened when he heard voices.

"Kagome, aren't you going to tell me what happened between you and Inuyasha? I can tell more went on then you're telling me." Sango asked.

"I told you, nothing went on. We're the same as before."

Inuyasha stopped. Oh no…If she sees me, she'll kill me! He dove behind some bushes. However, he could clearly see the hot spring from this angle. He didn't want to look, because he could only imagine how much trouble he would get in with Kagome if she caught him peeping. And what Miroku would say…he shuddered. He didn't want to think about that.

"Kagome, you're blushing."

Without thinking, he popped open his eyes. But he didn't get the best of views. Sango was already clothed, and Kagome was wrapped in a towel, combing out her hair. But it was true that a small blush had crawled up her cheeks.

"You're imagining things, Sango. It's just the heat from the hot spring."

"You can deny it all you want, but I know something happened between you two."

His heart lifted when he heard that. Inuyasha looked at Kagome. He had never before really looked at her like this. He realized that she was more beautiful than he could ever think of her being. His heart pounded as he watched her, while just thinking about her nowadays sent fire up through his veins.

After taking one last look at her, he got up from the bush and walked away, just to get away. I…didn't know…but…Kagome…He saw a picture of her in his mind, a perfect image of the girl he had known for so long. Thinking about her was pleasurable, it was something that he could do for hours. It was like he had known all along, yet never realized until his human night. No matter how many times he denied it since then , he had somehow known it was true.

It is true…I…I never noticed it before, but…

I'm in love with Kagome…

A/N: SQUEE! How was that? This is probably the last bit o fluff before a few angsty chapters…(Just a few more before the kiss, I promise!) I was originally not going to let Inuyasha figure out his own feelings until the kiss, but I couldn't help it and decided to make him know now. (And, it helps the next couple of chapters, too!) So, you may still throw blunt objects at me if you want, but I hope there are not as many since Puppy boy finally gets it.