Whoo-hoo! I'm so happy! Sorry it took so long to update. I got twelve reviews on the first day…but only a few afterwards. Ah, well, the reviews are looking GREAT…150 reviews so far. Geez. I remember when I only had four. Well, things change, and sometimes for the better…BTW, people, while I'm thinking about it, check out my friend branch of tree la's stuff. Her story 300 Years made me cry…and her story Cruel and Unusual Humor made me cry, too, but those were just tears of laughter. Branch of tree la is on my fave author's list for a link.

Anyway, I figure now is as good a time as any to update, seeing as it's the weekend. I just started my junior year of high school…gah, summer ends so quickly. Not that I was exactly working on my tan. They don't call me "the vampire" because I drink blood…and NO, I do not drink blood! That was the point I was trying to make there…they call me a vampire because I'm so PALE, just for anyone who couldn't figure it out from the tanning comment. The things I do to explain myself…but anyway, I'll miss the free time I had to spend on this site.

Anyway, can't wait for the reviews. Not only do they make me feel special (-), but they let me know how people like my writing. As I have mentioned before, I also write original work and I would like to get it published. So prove to me that I'm good enough to make it to the best-seller list and REVIEW!

Or if I'm not good enough, review anyway and tell me so…I can take a flame or two… imagines flames pouring in ;;; Stupid me…I screwed that one up, didn't I? Oh, well, if you don't like my story, tell me so, and tell me why.

Light language warning...but don't run. Mild fluff warning, too, but I wouldn't quite call the situation resolved…you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 13 (Ooh, who's superstitious? Not me…)

Confrontations and Betrayals

Kagome climbed out of the well into the moist night air of the Sengoku Jidai. Looking up, she could clearly see the stars. You couldn't see them in Tokyo…the city lights were just too bright, and they blocked them out.

It was one of the things she was always going to miss about the Feudal Era.

The path to Kaede's village was so familiar that it didn't take much thought to walk it. The village looked almost exactly the same…almost. At the edge of the forest, she could see a new house, bigger than most of the others. At first she couldn't think how a house could have been built that quickly without her knowing, then decided that a merchant must have moved in and hired help to build. It was none of her concern, anyway. She just needed to grab Shippo and head back.

Mom and Souta won't mind having another kid around the house, she thought, making her way to Kaede's hut. Yeah, it'll be just like having a little brother…except he has a fluffy tail. And he can use fox illusions. She grimaced. Okay, I can see where this might not turn out very well…

But if Shippo had, as she suspected he would, stayed at Kaede's hut, it wouldn't be an easy life for him. He would almost have to raise himself. It wasn't fair. And in her world, he could be educated. There were no demons, no battles in the city, less illnesses, and more food. He would be much better off with her.

She ducked into the doorway. "Kaede?" she whispered.

The sound of someone rising off of a futon came from the corner of the dark room. Kaede stood up slowly. "Kagome, is that ye?"

"Y-yeah." She swallowed. "Sorry I didn't come and say goodbye, but—"

"I know ye felt ye had no choice. It is Shippo who might need those words." Even in the dark, Kagome knew there was a solemn look on Kaede's face.

Kagome hesitated. "I came back to get Shippo. I'm taking him back to my world with me."

"That may prove to be difficult."

"Why? Where is he?" Kagome demanded, alarm rising.

"Do not be so upset, Kagome," Kaede said. She moved to the door and pointed out. At the new house by the forest. "Inuyasha took it upon himself to finish raising Shippo. He thought ye would not return for him."

"Inuyasha took Shippo?" Kagome said weakly.

"Inuyasha realized, as I imagine ye did when you returned, that I was too old to care for Shippo. There is no telling how much time I have left. Sango and Miroku are not capable now of taking in a child. Inuyasha realized his search for the Shikon no Tama was proving fruitless."

"So he's settled down?" She stared at the house. "But…why?"

"I suppose Inuyasha and Shippo were both lonely. Inuyasha only has his brother for family. Shippo had only ye, Kagome, and ye left. Taking care of Shippo may serve as a means of keeping from hurting for him."

Kagome was silent, looking down. Had it been true…what Inuyasha had said? Did he love her? Or was that just a lie, made to confuse her? It surprised her that he would take care of Shippo—surprised her a lot. He had hated Shippo…right? Did anything Inuyasha do make sense?

"I think ye should talk to him," Kaede said, as if she could read her mind. Kagome stared at the old woman, a confused look on her face. "Inuyasha sees that he was wrong. He has admitted it. Ye know him well enough to know how rare that is. I suspect he would change for ye much as he has changed for Shippo. He cares for ye, Kagome, and he always has, even if he never showed it."

"How could he forgive me for…for what I said to him?" Kagome whispered. "I said…most awful thing. I said he was a half-breed."

"Not tonight," Kaede said.

Kagome looked up. No moon in the sky. "Do you think he loves me?" she asked softly, barely daring to suggest it.

"I think…that is a question ye will have to ask Inuyasha himself," Kaede said. "Perhaps the one ye should ask now is, do ye love him?"

She hesitated…she had never said it out loud before, but… "Yes."

"Then tell him. Now, while you still have the chance."

Kagome didn't need to be told a second time. She ran to the house…ran to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha ran his fingers through his hair irritably. Black, silky hair, the color of every other human in the village. Even though it had marked him as an outcast, he rather liked the silver shade of his hair in hanyou form. He knew his eyes were not their normal golden shade, either. He was human. Vulnerable, weak. The real humans were used to it, but it wasn't comfortable for him. He couldn't pull it off.

Shippo was asleep in the other room. Probably clutching that stuffed fox. Inuyasha yawned. He couldn't go to sleep himself, not tonight. The morning might find him dead.

His human ears were just barely sharp enough to detect sounds outside. Someone came through the door. That silhouette…no, it couldn't be…

Blue eyes turned on him. "I see you're still up."

It was. "Kagome…" He looked away from her. It hurt to have her here. It hurt to be reminded that the wounds were still there.

She glanced around. "Where's Shippo?"

"In his room, sleeping." Inuyasha sat down on the floor. "If you came to take him back, just do it. He's seemed to have warmed up to me, but he'd still rather be with you." He shrugged. "Not fair, anyway…I knew it wouldn't last…"

Kagome seemed to hesitate before sitting down on the floor, a few feet across from Inuyasha. "Do you want Shippo to stay with you?"

"If I hadn't wanted him here, I wouldn't have built the house," Inuyasha stated flatly. "I might've cared enough to stick him with some village family before making my way to wherever, but I wouldn't have invited him to live with me. For obvious reasons, chances of me having my own kids are slim anyway."

"Are these 'obvious reasons' you won't have kids my fault?"

"No! They're mine." He looked up at her. His eyes were brown, human. She couldn't get used to seeing him as a human. Inuyasha seemed uncomfortable, and it might just have been the new moon, but it probably had something to do with her, too. "I ruined all of my chances," Inuyasha continued. "When the rosary broke, I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It should have been my chance to prove myself…to prove that you didn't need the 'sit' spell to trust me. All I proved is I'm a big jackass. None of this ever should have happened, and I'm sorry."

"This isn't all your fault!" Kagome blurted. "I mean, I said some things…things that I shouldn't have! Things I didn't even mean…oh, Inuyasha, I never meant to call you a half-breed."

He shrugged. "That's what I am."

"But it was rude."

"It was nothing compared to what happened to you." He reached for her hand. She pulled back at first, then relaxed. Inuyasha lifted her hand, turning it over and stroking his fingers down her wrist. "Completely healed. Was that your medicine?"

She felt a lump in her throat. She knew it was jumping the gun, but she wanted his hands to be on her waist. She wanted to kiss him. "No. I healed it."

"With your powers," he muttered.

"Yeah."

Inuyasha released her hand, letting it drop in her lap. "You were right. Kikyo couldn't have done that."

She looked down. "I should have told you…that I was developing them."

"No, you shouldn't have. It wasn't any of my business." He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging himself. "If I had behaved like I was supposed to, I would never have had to know that you had them."

"Inuyasha…" She sighed. "This is too much. You acting like this."

"Would you rather me pretend nothing had happened?" he pressed. "Because it would be fairly easy to do that. I just decided I was tired of lying. It's not the example I want to set for Shippo."

Kagome felt the grin coming and couldn't fight it. She covered her mouth with both hands to stifle the giggles.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes suspicious, as if he thought she were making fun of him. It was a comical face; thinking that in hanyou form he'd probably be flattening his ears made it even funnier. "What?"

"Sorry," she gasped between giggles. "It's just you, a family man. I'd never thought I'd see you acting like this." She burst again into laughter.

A smile was creeping its way across Inuyasha's face now. "Yeah, it's gonna take a while to get used to. I might screw up a few times before I get it just right."

"Or you could make it your alter ego," Kagome suggested. "But then you'd need a second name to go with that side of your personality…"

"Does Nekoyasha sound okay to you?" He looked so serious that Kagome burst out laughing again. Both of them doubled over, trying to stifle their laughter to keep Shippo from waking up.

It seemed too strange…Inuyasha acting this way. It was all she had ever wanted, for him to enjoy being with her…to enjoy being with him. The laughter started to turn into sobs. Kagome tried to hide it, but the tears just kept coming…

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Inuyasha sounded alarmed. She felt his hands on her wrists, trying to pull her hands back from her face as gently as he could.

"Why does it have to be like this?" she sniffed, looking into his eyes, now violet-blue. "Just as soon as you start acting the way I'd always wanted you to act, everything's too screwed up to piece it back together."

"To piece what back together?" Inuyasha shifted so that he was closer to her, brushed his fingers against her cheek. His touch was cool and soothing against the hot tears. "Our friendship? Is that what you think is screwed up now?"

"We were never friends, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.

He looked hurt. "I thought we were."

"So did I, but I was only kidding myself." She looked down, away from his face, but she didn't push his hand away. He was stroking her cheek gently, and it felt nice. "I wanted so much to be close to you that I would never admit to myself that you wanted the same thing. The only reason you even put up with me was because you needed my help. Our relationship should have been professional and nothing else…and if I hadn't gone and gotten my hopes up, none of this would have happened."

"You weren't listening to me at all, Kagome." The half-suppressed pain in his voice made her look up. He wasn't crying yet, but his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Just before you left, I told you I loved you. I wasn't just trying to keep you here hunting down Shikon shards. I meant what I said."

"Do you always mean what you say?" she demanded, eyes still brimming with tears. "Do you always say what you mean?"

Inuyasha felt a lump in his throat and swallowed it. "No," he admitted. "I don't."

"Then how am I supposed to know what's the truth and what's the lie?" She wrapped her arms around herself. "You told me once…no, several times…that my stench was unbearable. You told me I wasn't as good as Kikyo. You told me I was no good, that I was worthless. Now you tell me you love me. Don't you understand, Inuyasha? Do you see why it's so hard for me to believe you?"

"Yeah. I get it," he said glumly. "I'd just been hoping that…well, maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Nothing." He stood up. "Forget about it. It was stupid anyway."

"Inuyasha!" she said exasperatedly. "Just tell me. Please."

"I don't even have a right to ask, Kagome. You'll probably be more content not knowing about it. It'll make it easier when you leave us again."

"When I leave you again?" she said.

He hesitated. "You were planning on going back home again, weren't you?"

"Why? Did you want me to?"

"Will you believe me when I answer?"

"Well…you did say you were tired of lying," she said slowly.

"You can't really prove that I wasn't lying then," Inuyasha said darkly.

"Look," Kagome sighed. "Enough of the mind games. I promise I'll believe you, whatever you say. Do you want me to leave again?"

It took a couple more seconds, and Kagome thought at first that he wasn't going to reply to her. Then he looked into her eyes. "No. I don't want you to leave."

Kagome felt her heart speed up, but she resisted it. It still wasn't a complete explanation. "Tell me why."

He sighed, and it was almost a growl. "I love you, damn it. I meant it then and I mean it now. Is that reason enough for you to stay? Or at least visit once in a while, when you're not doing your tests and all?"

The intensity in his tone was impressive. "Inuyasha…" she began.

"And…that was what I was going to ask. Something I have no right to even suggest. I was going to say that you could stay here with me. Shippo needs a mother figure. He misses you. He clings to that fox you got him all day long because he can smell you on it." He gave a short laugh. "Once or twice, when he wasn't looking, I snatched it up and did the same thing. Yes," he said at the mystified expression on her face. "I enjoy your scent. It was easier for me to deny it back then. Now that I've finally said it, my senses are gone…I can't smell a thing."

There was some hesitation in the movement, but she rose to stand directly across from him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "If I get close enough, will you be able to smell me?"

"Maybe," he said tentatively. "How close were you…?"

Kagome pulled him closer into an embrace. His arms slid around her waist and his face was resting on top of her head. Breathing in her scent. "Well?" she whispered.

"Not as strong," he murmured. "But yeah. It's still there."

"Well, well…isn't this touching?"

The voice jerked the two of them out of their embrace. It was Kikyo. Smirking.

"You," Inuyasha snarled. "You were not invited here."

"I invited myself, Inuyasha. Hadn't we two planned once to make a home together?" she prodded.

"A long, long time ago." He moved away from Kagome. "That time is past. I've moved on and so should you."

"The kiss you gave me suggests otherwise."

"I regret the kiss. Deep down, I was imagining you were someone else entirely."

"And yet on the surface, you were kissing me, not this other person." Kikyo stepped into the hut. "But it doesn't matter either way to me…your brother has been far better company than you have been, Inuyasha."

"My brother?" he said almost dumbly.

"You haven't forgotten me yet, have you, Inuyasha?" Another form entered the hut behind Kikyo. The white hair, golden eyes, the purple stripes on his cheeks…

"Sesshomaru, get out," Inuyasha growled.

"Do you intend to force me out, little brother?" Sesshomaru taunted him. "I'm a more powerful demon than you are…although you don't appear to be a demon at all." He took a closer look at Inuyasha. "Black hair and blue eyes. My, my, Inuyasha, you look more and more like your mortal mother every day."

"And you get uglier and uglier every day."

"Childish, of course." His gaze turned to Kagome. "Your mortal is back so soon?"

"She's not mine," Inuyasha said at the same time as Kagome said, "I'm not his."

"That was a peculiar embrace we caught the two of you in, for two who do not belong to each other." Kikyo's face was serious, not smiling anymore. "I had heard you slit your wrists, Kagome. Later, I heard it told that you had survived and left Inuyasha for your own world. Now you have returned to him with open arms?"

"Leave her alone!" Inuyasha snapped.

"You have not let the poor girl say a word in her defense, Kikyo," Sesshomaru said softly. "Or has she forgotten how to speak?"

"I haven't forgotten how to speak," Kagome replied. "You could say I'm too disgusted to speak."

She didn't even see him move. He was standing in front of her, his hand starting towards her face. At first she thought Sesshomaru would slap her, but he lifted her chin, inspecting her as if she was a hunting dog he was considering buying. "Hmm. You're braver than I had given you credit for."

"Sesshomaru, let her go," Inuyasha said.

"You're in no position to negotiate, Inuyasha. If you know what is good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut. Not that you were ever intelligent enough to take good advice, but there it stands."

"If you knew what was good for you, Sesshomaru, you would let her go," Inuyasha stated.

"Are you threatening me, Inuyasha?"

"I'm just warning you."

"Maybe you should listen to what he says," Kagome suggested.

"While he is a mortal I have nothing to fear from him," Sesshomaru said impassively.

"That wasn't what I was talking about, but besides that, he's only a mortal for one night out of the month."

A rare smile played across Sesshomaru's lips. "And that, little mortal, is where you are wrong." He glanced back at Kikyo. "She's a feisty one. Do you think I should take her?"

"Enough, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha took a step towards him.

"Inuyasha, such a fool." The tiny pink vial was out in an instant, uncorked. With a single motion, Sesshomaru had thrown it at Inuyasha. The liquid covered his face and upper torso.

Inuyasha blinked, then smirked. "That was your whole plan? To come in here and douse me with water?"

"When you wake up tomorrow, I fear you will not quite be yourself. The priestess will not be here to help you either." Sesshomaru now had a firm grip on Kagome's upper arm.

"Let me go."

"Take his sword from him. You are coming with me."

A fear filled Inuyasha's stomach…she had come here only for a short visit. Would she become Sesshomaru's slave now? Even with her new powers, could she save herself from Sesshomaru?

"Take the damn sword yourself," Kagome retorted. "I'm having no part in it."

Sesshomaru's eyes gleamed dangerously. "You're my servant now, girl. Take the sword…" He held up a clawed hand. "Or I will punish you."

"Sesshomaru, I'll give you the Tetsusaiga, just leave her alone," Inuyasha pleaded.

"What?" Kagome stared at Inuyasha in disbelief, her eyes round with amazement. He would give up the Tetsusaiga for her?

He really meant it. He really loved her.

"My servant will obey my orders." Sesshomaru was preparing to strike. So was Kagome.

She lashed out first. A flash of light erupted from her hand and moved through Sesshomaru's side. He let out a hiss, his hand feeling the bleeding spot.

"That was a warning," Kagome said firmly. "If you don't leave Inuyasha alone, there's more coming."

"I'll leave him alone. As soon as I have the sword, there will be no need for me to bother him!" A poison sprayed from his claws, not at Inuyasha, but at Kagome. She let out a shriek and jumped back, tripping. The poison hit her in the leg, melting part of the dress's skirt. She winced as it bit into the skin of her leg. Blood seeped from the injured flesh.

"An eye for an eye," Sesshomaru said, walking past her to Inuyasha.

An expression of pure rage was fixed upon Inuyasha's face. "You…you…"

"It will not kill her. It may take her a while, but I'm sure she can heal it with nothing but minor scarring. Unless…" Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "…you refused to give me the sword. Then I'll be sure to do more damage, slowly, until you hand it over to me. You did offer it for her protection, didn't you?"

"Inuyasha, don't worry about it—"

"Be silent, mortal."

"Here." Inuyasha pulled the Tetsusaiga from its place at his side and handed it to Sesshomaru with shaky hands. "Take it. Just don't hurt her."

Kagome's eyes were wide. "I-Inuyasha…but you'll turn into a full demon again…"

"I can guarantee he won't," Kikyo said softly. "Inuyasha will be a mortal for the rest of his life."

"What!" Inuyasha pivoted. "That's what you put in that potion!"

"So surprised, Inuyasha. So naïve at times."

"You bitch! You—you betrayed me!" His eyes were wide with horror. "You gave him the tools he needed to defeat me."

"I have what I came for. Enough of this drama." He held the Tetsusaiga carefully with his left arm, on which he probably had another human arm implanted.

"I'll be back for it!" Inuyasha shouted at Sesshomaru's retreating back. "I'll be back go get the Tetsusaiga again and you know it!"

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder. "But Inuyasha…you're nothing but a mortal."

It was the hard truth. And that seemed to wound him more than anything.

The noise had woken Shippo up. Apparently, the kitsune had been too frightened to enter the room at the time. But as soon as Sesshomaru and Kikyo had left, with the Tetsusaiga, he was inside hugging Kagome. While Kagome held the tiny fox-demon in her arms, Inuyasha checked on her leg.

"It melted your skirt," Inuyasha muttered. "We'll have to get you clothes."

"I'm not wearing Kikyo's old things," Kagome said darkly.

"I…really wasn't going to suggest that." He seemed a bit embarrassed. "You left one of your other outfits here."

"A school uniform?" she asked. He nodded. "Oh. I thought I had remembered them all…" She stopped. "Why are you blushing?"

"I, uh, kept it. It's in my room." The blush intensified.

It took her a moment to realize why he kept it. "Oh…" Now she was blushing too.

"Why're you red, Kagome?" Shippo asked, his arms still around her neck.

"Never mind…" Inuyasha must have been using the uniform as a comfort object. Her smell undoubtedly lingered on it, like it had on Shippo's stuffed fox.

"It's way past your bedtime, Shippo," Inuyasha said. "I'll take care of Kagome. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Shippo shook his head and clung to Kagome more tightly. "I'm staying with Kagome."

"Kagome probably wants to get home and put some of her medicine on her leg," Inuyasha said softly.

"It's really not as bad as it looks. I can stay here tonight."

He stared down at her. "You sure?"

She shrugged. "Well…as long as you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind…" His words trailed off as Shippo began to chatter excitedly.

"…and you can sleep with me Kagome, and in the morning Inuyasha will cook us something—did you know Inuyasha can cook, because he cooks really, really good and…"

"Shippo, you're going to overwhelm her," Inuyasha said wearily.

"Tell you what," Kagome said, looking at Shippo as she said it, but watching for Inuyasha's reaction out of the corner of her eye. "Why don't we all sleep out here tonight?"

"Yeah! It'll be like a…a…what did you call those things again when lots of kids sleep in the same house?"

"Slumber party?"

"Yeah, those!"

"Alright, alright. Get your futon and drag it out here," Inuyasha ordered Shippo. Shippo half-bounced, half-skipped to his room. Kagome followed Inuyasha into the other room. Inuyasha didn't get his futon right away, but reached for a box he had hidden under the tatami matting. A secret compartment. Nice.

"Here's your uniform." He pulled it out of the box and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She set the clothes down. Inuyasha turned his back to her and she stripped off the ruined dress. "Where are Miroku and Sango?"

"They left," he said. "Sango has pretty much given up on avenging her family. She's returned to her old profession. Miroku…well, I don't know what he's doing. I don't think he can fight Naraku alone, so I guess he'll be looking for someone to bear his child."

"It would be a lot easier if they went together." She slipped her shirt over her head. "Sango could probably solve Miroku's heir problem."

"Sango can hardly stand Miroku. And to him, she's just another pretty face."

"Not true." Kagome pulled on her skirt. "Sango likes Miroku, but she won't admit it to him because she feels like he does think she's just a pretty face. She thinks he could never be faithful to her."

"She's probably right."

"No. Sango's not the only one who has told me what's on her mind."

Inuyasha resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to face her while they were talking. "You've spoken to Miroku as well?" It didn't surprise him at all that she would speak with Sango—they were both women, and women liked to talk about such things. But as for Miroku…well, that was somehow surprising.

"You can turn around if you want. I'm done now." When he turned, she continued. "Miroku admitted to me that he had feelings for her, but he feels like he's not good enough for her. He doesn't think she feels anything for him whatsoever."

"Why didn't you tell him that Sango cared about him? Or it would even make sense for you to tell Sango what he told you. But they're not together."

"I'm a friend, not a matchmaker. Besides, both of them told me those things with a promise that it would never be repeated to anyone."

He shook his head, obviously confused. "But it would solve the problem…they could be together."

"If they can't solve the problem themselves, it probably won't work out anyway. One of them has to confess…" She stopped. Inuyasha was standing closer than she had realized.

"It doesn't always work like that, though," Inuaysha said softly.

He wasn't talking about Miroku and Sango, Kagome realized. "Tell me again."

Suspicion grew in his face. "Why?"

"Just tell me."

He took a step closer, tilting her chin up so she looked into his eyes. He was close enough that Kagome would barely need to lean in to kiss him. "I love you," he said.

"I've loved you for a long time now."

"You—" He broke off, starting to pull back. "Are you just saying that because—"

"No, I mean it, Inuyasha." She drew him back to her with a gentle hand on his cheek. "When I went back to my era, there was this boy. His name was Houjo. He was intelligent, nice, friendly, outgoing…the perfect guy. Every girl at school was in love with him, and he asked me out on a date."

"Date?" Inuyasha repeated.

"It's like…well, you don't have a word in this time that means quite the same thing. To go on dates is sort of the same thing as courting. Except it's less formal. On dates, you do things like go to movies, go to dinner, go to dance clubs…and Houjo took me to dinner and a movie. He liked me, but I couldn't return the feelings. I told him so when he took me back home. And I realized I couldn't love him because I was in love with you."

"What happened?"

"I came back here."

"For Shippo."

"I didn't think you'd ever want me back," she admitted. "I thought too much had happened and that you really only wanted me to help you find the Shikon shards."

"Of course I wanted you back," Inuyasha said in disbelief. "I—"

"I'm ready!" Shippo bounced into the room. "Inuyasha, why haven't you brought your futon in?" he asked.

"Uh…" Inuyasha seemed caught off-guard. "I'll be right out, Shippo."

"Okay!" Shippo skipped back out.

Inuyasha reached down for the futon, then looked up at Kagome. "Sorry about your dress. It…looked really good on you."

She felt her cheeks flush again. "I can buy another one."

"Will you wear it next time you visit us?"

"If you want me to."

"I do."

"Gu-uys! Come on!" Shippo whined from the other room.

Inuyasha lifted the futon. "I'm coming, you impatient little weasel."

"I'm a fox!" came the giggling reply.

Kagome caught Inuyasha's arm before he walked through the door. He turned to face her and she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thanks…for keeping Sesshomaru from killing me."

Inuyasha's gaze lingered on her as she walked past him, out the door and into the other room. A slow smile worked its way onto his face.

Maybe she meant it.

Okay, I realize it was kind of lame how it went from fight to "slumber party," as I put it, but you've got to realize everyone was tired as hell and there was no way they could take on Sessho and Kikyo without some well-deserved rest. Anyway, I wanted to write in some fluff, but don't get to thinking all the issues are resolved between Inuyasha and Kagome. Besides, they have Shippo interrupting what could have been a tender moment. LOL

More chapters coming…Inuyasha has to return to being a hanyou, right? What will Kagome decide to do in regards to the Feudal Era and her school life? (Although it's almost summer…she could spend most of the summer in the Feudal Era if she needed to.) Plus, will something develop between Kikyo and Sesshomaru? (Should it? I rather like the idea; opinions please…) And will Inuyasha regain the Tetsusaiga?

Find out on the next episode of…Demotion! dramatic music

…God, I need to get a life…

On that note, I have been considering a sequel. It would be mostly Inuyasha/Kagome with some Miroku/Sango. Should I write it? I have tons of ideas ready, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

Oh, yes. I nearly forgot. My chapterly threat. IF YOU DO NOT REIVEW, I WILL FORCE YOU TO WATCH SIX HOURS STRAIGHT OF POKEMON AND WATCH YOUR EYES BURN OUT AND YOUR BRAIN TURN TO JELLY. So review…or else…