A/N: Hey everybody, this is my first story to be posted on any website, so please, if you review, be gentle. I'm a sensitive soul. Anyway, I was watching the 2nd movie the other day, and totally got inspired to write this. If you haven't seen it, then don't get mad at me for the flashback stuff, ok? I warned you. Oh, and this is an Inuyasha/Kagome, so, they're the main characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. He belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

"talking" thinking flashback

Feudal Romance

Inuyasha was walking slightly ahead of his friends, arms crossed, eyes scanning the area ahead of them. Kagome Higurashi was behind him, following silently, with Shippo on her shoulder. Behind them were Miroku and Sango, Kilala on her shoulder. No one had spoken in over an hour, all lost in their own thoughts. The sun was just beginning to set, and they were growing tired.

"Inuyasha, don't you think it's time to find a suitable resting place?" Miroku suggested, watching Sango suppress a yawn.

"We'll go a little farther, first. There oughta be a clearing not to far ahead." the young, volatile, half-demon declared. No one gave any objections, so he continued on.

The sun had set, and the moon was shining by the time they'd settled down for the night. Kagome and Shippo were curled into her sleeping bag, already sound asleep. Sango was curled into Kilala's side, and both were nearly asleep as well. Miroku was half awake, watching the fire. Inuyasha, who'd been sitting beside him, stood, and said, "Listen, Monk, I'll take the first watch, 'cause I ain't tired. Get some sleep. I'll wake you if I get tired."

"Very well, Inuyasha. Good night, then." As he got comfortable, Inuyasha leaped into the tree nearest them, and laid back, arms crossed.

Once he was satisfied that everyone was sleeping, and that there were no unwanted visitors in the area, he allowed his mind to wander. Now that we know Naraku's still alive, we can't focus on just finding the other jewel shards. We have to go back to hunting down that damn bastard. He paused, calming himself down and changing mental topics. That's when his mind flashed back to a point in their latest battle.

Everything was red, and he was losing a part of himself, though he couldn't seem to stop it. That was when Kagome had grabbed him. He couldn't really understand why she was upset, or hear her words at first. But her next words got through. "I love you as a half-demon, Inuyasha!"

For a moment, he'd ceased his struggles, until something snapped, and he sank his claws into her upper arms. What she did next managed to snap him back to his senses, and the transformation reversed.

She kissed me. And I kissed her. He thought, sighing. She also said she loves me, but, does she really? Did she misspeak? Or did I hear her wrong? I should tell her the truth. But, what if she doesn't love me? What if-! His closed fist connected with the trunk of the tree and a frustrated growl escaped his lips. Dammit!

"No…Inu…yasha, don't…leave." Kagome's voice drifted up to his ears, and he was immediately by her side. She was sleeping. Judging by the look on her face, having a nightmare. He gently moved stray, raven, locks behind her ear. On impulse, he placed a light kiss on her forehead and whispered: "I'm right here, Kagome. It's ok." Then he pulled quickly back and returned to his tree. Her moans died not much later, and the rest of the evening was uneventful.

Miroku woke a couple of hours before sunrise and made Inuyasha rest for a while. Sango woke as the sun rose, and headed to the nearby creek to wash her face. When she returned, Shippo and Kagome were up. Kagome'd just finished putting away her sleeping bag.

"Kagome, maybe you should wake Inuyasha. You know he'll be angry if he oversleeps." Sango suggested quietly. Kagome nodded, and Kilala gave her a lift up to his branch.

Reaching over, Kagome gently rested her hand on his shoulder. "Inuyasha?"

His eyes snapped open, eventually focusing on hers. "Yeah?"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Feh. Of course I am." He replied, gracefully leaping to the ground. Shortly afterwards, they were on their way again.

As they were walking, Kagome was watching Inuyasha's back, pondering. I don't get it. I'm pretty sure he remembers, but…. Oh, forget it, girl, he's in love with Kikyo, remember? Not you. Still, he did kiss me back. What does that mean? Do I…actually have a chance?

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Shippo interrupted.

"Hmm? Shippo?"

"That's the second time you've sighed, are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry, Shippo."

Any further explanations were forever squelched as two people from the village ahead of them came running up.

"Please, help us!" the mother begged as she faced them.

"What's going on, ma'am?" Sango asked, stepping forward.

"Our village, it's under attack! There's a large demon destroying everything!" the young girl, maybe 10, stated, waving her arms to emphasize her point.

"Do you know what sort of demon it is?" Miroku asked.

"No, Monk. But it's incredibly large. Is there anything you can do?" the mother replied.

"Keh. Big don't always mean powerful. You two stay away from the village for a while, and we'll deal with it. Get on, Kagome." Inuyasha commented, dropping to his knees as Kagome complied and climbed onto his back.

"Right. Kilala!" Sango agreed, her, Miroku, and Shippo mounting the fire-cat.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" the women chorused as they ran off.

As they entered the village, a familiar sensation washed over the miko riding the half-demon's back. She let out a small gasp as she placed it.

"What?" Inuyasha demanded, running towards the over-sized demon.

"That demon has two Sacred Jewel shards in his chest!"

"Two? Are you sure?"

"Yes, positive." Kagome stated as Inuyasha put her down and prepared to face the demon. Kilala landed next to her, letting Miroku and Shippo off.

"Hey, demon! Why dontcha pick a fight with us instead o' this village!" Inuyasha taunted, flexing his claws. "Or are you afraid?" He smirked as the demon roared, turning to face him.

"I fear no one. Especially not a half-dog demon and a pack of humans!" It sneered, raising one of it's enormous clawed hands. Inuyasha leapt into the air, meeting the challenge head-on.

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" The attack slashed the demon's claws, causing him to swipe at Inuyasha with his other hand.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's boomerang sliced through the offending arm, stopping the attack. She caught her weapon as Inuyasha landed. Kagome notched an arrow, aiming it at the demon's chest armor.

"Go!" she cried as it flew, surrounded in a pink aura, towards its target. The armor shattered on contact.

"You broke my armor, human wench! I'll eat you alive for that!" It snarled, swiping at her with his remaining hand.

"Over my dead body, bastard!" Inuyasha growled, drawing his Tetsusaiga and slashing through the demon's hand.

"I can still beat you, half-breed!"

"Die! Wind Scar!" The powerful attack cut through the large demon with ease, and the two shards fell to the ground.

Kagome stepped forward and picked up the two pieces, which instantly purified, and put them in the bottle with the others. "Well, I guess we can move on, now. I got the shards."

"That was surprisingly easy." Sango commented.

After reassuring the remaining villagers that there was no other demonic threat in the area, they continued on their way.

"Hey Kagome, I'm hungry. When's lunch?" Shippo asked.

"Don't know. Is anybody else hungry?" Kagome pondered.

"I'm starved." Sango replied.

"As am I." Miroku stated.

"Inuyasha, what do you say we stop for lunch?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha sighed in defeat.

"Ok, fine, let's eat."

"Kagome, d'ya have any more ramen?" Inuyasha asked after they'd found a place to eat.

"Yep, but it's the last one. Sure you don't want to save it for later?"

"Yeah, there's a creek nearby, we can have fish." Shippo suggested.

"I s'pose that'd work. You guys get the fire ready. Wanna go fishing Kilala?" Inuyasha offered. The two-tailed cat 'mewed' in response, and followed him quickly.

When lunch was over, they packed up and headed out again. They traveled for nearly two hours in silence, before Shippo spoke up loudly. "Why isn't anyone talking? This silence is really starting to bug me!"

"Oi, runt, can't you find something to think about?" Inuyasha teased without looking at him.

"Are you trying to tell me you've been thinking these whole two hours?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!" He growled, spinning on Shippo and raising his fist.

"Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, calm down. Shippo, stop trying to pick a fight with him." Kagome said calmly, catching Shippo as jumped to her. Inuyasha turned back around and resumed walking. Kagome watched him for a moment, then decided to talk to him later. She continued to walk as the sound of a slap came from behind her, followed by Sango cursing under her breath, while Miroku rubbed his now-red cheek with a smile.

That night, they found a small cluster of trees just big enough for them to camp in, and ate dinner. Afterwards, they talked about random things for a while. Kagome, sitting between Inuyasha and Shippo, decided that then was as good a time as any. Leaning over to Inuyasha, she whispered, "Inuyasha, is everything ok? You've been awfully quiet lately." The half-demon in question stiffened, not responding right away. Finally, he whispered, "Come with me, Kagome." Before standing and walking wordlessly past the trees. Kagome followed him, smiling and waving at her friends.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kilala watched in confusion as first Inuyasha, then Kagome, disappeared behind the trees. "Oooookkaaayyy." Miroku said.

"Wonder what got into them." Shippo commented.

"Maybe he wants to talk to her privately." Sango thought aloud. When Miroku made to stand, her eyes locked with his and she said, "Don't you even think of spying on them this time!" With a sigh, he complied, noting how close her hand was to her weapon.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha didn't say a word until they were completely alone, and away from prying eyes. Kagome followed, patiently waiting for him to break the silence. Is he ok? she thought, worriedly. She stopped when he turned to her, a frighteningly serious look in his eyes. "I need to ask you something, Kagome. And I need you to be completely honest with me, ok?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Kagome, what did…what did you mean, when you said you love me as a half-demon?"

Kagome's eyes widened, and she felt herself blush. Well, it was bound to happen, so, be honest. You promised. "I meant…it's just that, I know you wouldn't be yourself if you transformed. And, I…I couldn't-can't-bare the thought of losing you, especially not like that.." She paused, staring at the grass next to her feet, took a deep breath, and blurted the rest. "I'm in love with you, Inuyasha, and I need to be with you. It's where I feel I belong, even if…you don't feel the same. I know that you love Kikyo, and, I think I'm starting to come to terms with that."

She wasn't brave enough to look into his eyes, or anywhere near him, after she finished. She didn't have a choice, however, when his clawed hand gently guided her head up by her chin. He paused, taking a moment to stare into her eyes, before speaking.

"Kikyo's in the past. It took me a while, but I've gotten over her. I asked you that because I…I love you, too, Kagome, and I wasn't sure if that was…what you meant. I know I've said this before, but, I need you with me. I always will." When he was done speaking, he dropped his hand to his side, not breaking eye contact.

Kagome was speechless for a moment as his words slowly sank in. He loves me. He really, actually, loves me! "You're not just saying that, are you?"

He smirked, "Want me to prove it?" And without waiting for her response, he wrapped his arms securely around her waist and his lips claimed hers without hesitation. She gasped, and he took that chance to delve into her mouth. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Eventually, they broke for air, and she rested her head on his shoulder while he buried his nose in her neck. Neither spoke for a few minutes, re-living the moment in their minds. Finally, Inuyasha stood, once again locking eyes with hers. "Kagome, I want you to know that I'll never leave you."

"So, what happens after we defeat Naraku and complete the Sacred Jewel?"

"You do whatever you want to with the jewel, as for us…that's up to you. If you decide you'd rather live in your era, I'll go with you."

"What? No! You don't have to do that, I'll be happy here, but, will we…always be together?"

Inuyasha smirked again, knowing what she was trying to ask. "Kagome, I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with you. Don't worry about that. We can work out the details later." He smelled the salt in the air before her eyes filled with tears, and before that big smile that he loved so much lit up her face.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Pal." She teased.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Wench. C'mon, let's get back to the others before they get worried." And they turned back towards the group, his arm around her waist, a small smile on her face.

The End