Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (or that song by 50 Cent). Woo, this is the last time I have to say this for this story. But, the evil disclaimer will still plague me through many other fanfics. It never dies…(shakes fist at disclaimer).

Chapter Four

Inuyasha sighed and collapsed backwards. Kagome rushed to his side. "Inuyasha?" His eyes were closed and Kagome shook him, trying to wake him up. "Inuyasha!" she repeated again, slightly louder than the first time. "INUYASHA!" she yelled frantically, but he showed no signs of waking up.

Kagome fell to down and buried her face in his bloody clothes. "N-no…you can't be dead!" she sobbed.

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly, and almost immediately, his face contorted into an expression of sheer and utter pain. He let out a sound that was a mix of a whimper and a moan.

"Wh-where'd that damn wolf go?" Inuyasha asked blankly.

Kagome's head shot up and she looked him straight in the eyes before hugging him fiercely. "Inuyasha! You're alive!"

Inuyasha groaned. "I won't be for long if you keep strangling me!"

Kagome got off of him and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." She looked around the bloodied battlefield and managed to pick out Kouga amongst the surroundings. He was horribly injured, despite the fact that he had the aid of the Shikon Jewel. He'd been thrown into the surrounding forest from the blast of the Tetsusaiga's Wind Scar and had taken down at least four trees. His head was badly injured, at least a cracked skull and some pierced skin. His legs were crushed, he'd almost lost an arm, and, on top of all that, he was out cold.

"You don't have to worry to much about Kouga anymore Inuyasha. I'll take of the rest." Kagome got up and started walking away, but she barely got three steps away before Inuyasha started whining.

"Where are you going Kagome?" Kagome's head dropped.

"I'm going to get the jewel. Kouga still has it, in case you've forgotten."

"I know, but…" Inuyasha decided not to question Kagome's strong will to help him. After all, he had unintentionally declared he loved her.

Kagome slowly made her way, very slowly, to where the unconscious Kouga lay. "Alright, easy does it, Kagome," she muttered to herself, preparing for the worst. She knelt down beside Kouga and sat there for a while, watching the pattern of his breathing. His chest rose and fell slowly, but between extremely long intervals. Kagome looked down to see the arm that the Shikon Jewel had nastily been shoved into. Luckily, the jewel still stuck out a little bit, at least enough for Kagome's delicate fingers to pick it out.

She took a deep breath and turned Kouga's arm over, then quickly removed her hand, just in case the wolf awakened. Luckily for her, he didn't. 'Okay, here we go.' Kagome put two fingers on Kouga's wrist to steady it, and then her right hand went to work. Her forefinger and thumb managed to get a good grasp on the jewel. Despite the warm blood and muscle closed over it, Kagome managed to extract the jewel from Kouga's arm. The breath that she had held was slowly released and sheshuddered. 'I'm never digging into someone's arm again,' she thought wincing.

"I'm sorry Kouga," she said softly, now looking at his at his beaten face. After hesitating a moment, she got up and ran back over to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! I got it," she said as she ran back over to him. She waved the jewel in the air. "Go Kagome, it's your birthday. Gonna party like it's your birthday…"

Inuyasha could breathe easy now. He let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank the Gods she's safe. If he'd gotten up and done anything to her, damn, he'd wish he was never born.'

The million-mile-per-hour buzzing of wings brought Inuyasha out of la-la land and back to reality. Kagome had stopped a few feet away from him. A swarm of Naraku's venomous insects had surrounded her and she squealed. One of the wasps took the jewel from Kagome as she panicked. The insect jail finally deteriorated from Kagome who quickly ran over to Inuyasha.

"Kagome, are you alright? Where's the jewel?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay I guess, but…they got the jewel. Oh well…I guess we should look at those wounds, huh?" Kagome said and started to gently pull off Inuyasha fire-rat haori.

Inuyasha was completely confused. They had lost practically the whole Shikon Jewel! He grabbed Kagome's hands, stopping her from what she was doing. "Baka! Are you mentally challenged or something! You practically gave away the Shikon no Tama!" Kagome lowered her gaze, returning to dressing Inuyasha's wound. Inuyasha sighed and let go of her hands. "Why Kagome?"

The two sat in silence as Kagome finished putting bandages on Inuyasha, who was obviously feeling a lot better.

"There," kagome said, finishing off the bandaging and standing up. "You're good to go." Inuyasha pulled on his clothes.

"Feh."

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned to face Kaede's village.

"Kagome, why?"

Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha. "Why what?"

"Why would you practically give the jewel away? We could've been done our quest in a mere few days!

"We could have, but then what Inuyasha? What would happen then?" Kagome asked with a little whine.

"Easy," Inuyasha said, slowly getting up. "I'd make my wish."

"There you go! You answered your own question." Kagome turned back around and started walking.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't you want me to make my wish?" Inuyasha yelled, hi anger rising.

Kagome stopped. She sniffled and clenched he fists at her side. "No, I don't want you to make your wish! I don't ever want to complete the frickin jewel okay!" Her voice echoed through the air. Inuyasha looked taken back. He'd never seen Kagome that mad. He opened his mouth to say something but Kagome spoke first. "Let me guess, you're going to ask why?" She turned to face a very confused hanyou. "Because I don't want to leave." Tears ran down Kagome's cheeks. "I don't want to leave Sango or Shippou, or that pervert Miroku. Or even Kikyou and Naraku! And I sure as hell don't wanna leave you." Kagome fell to her knees, her body shaking from sobs.

"But…Kagome…"

"Don't you get it?" Kagome grabbed the edge of her skirt. "I don't want to go home, I don't want to leave your side. I can't…because…it's all because I love you Inuyasha. Not Kouga, not Sesshomaru, not Hojou, just you!" Kagome's tears had run out, and she was now hiccupping every three words.

"Wow," Inuyasha managed to squeeze out. He shifted over to sit beside Kagome and put his am around her. He pulled her closer so that she was leaning on his shoulder. "Um…I…I love you too Kagome."

As if on cue, it started to rain. Inuyasha had never been happier, sitting in the rain with Kagome beside him.

He hugged her closer. "I love you too"

The End

There, a nice, big sappy ending for you. My friend Mon-gua (aka: Tangled Up Inside) helped me write it, 'cause I'm not much of a romance writer but it deserved a happy ending. Well, I could've posted the alternate ending, but that's just evil.

Thank you to,

WolfSisterKorrina, Cute-Girl-Kagome2001, YoukoMayu, HYPERPISCES, waterdragon1111, Sahrah Marmlade, Mystic-Soul, Lady Moon Dragon, Falling Tenshi, Mrz. Potter, and Tangled Up Inside….

…for reviewing me. I love you guys! (Hugs reviewers)

I hope that'll you'll read my other stories, I know some of you already have, and anything I post inthe future.

Don't forget to review on your way out!

Cya!