" "

I love you all.

Chapter 3

"Dog Breath?"

Kagome and Inuyasha sat up immediately, fear striking both of their hearts as they realized where they were. Inuyasha balled his fists up as he heard the nickname and guessed who it was from.

"Godammit Kouga!" He jumped from his bed, anger making any cobwebs left over from his nap blow away. "What the hell are you doing in my house? GET OUT!"

"Shut up dog breath, I can't believe you would take advantage of Kagome like that." he sneered, and decided he was too low to talk to.

"Kagome?"

"Take advantage of?" Inuyasha spluttered as he was ignored, "You asshole! I would never touch Kagome!"

"Kouga?" She was still sitting on Inuyasha's bed wiping the sleep from her eyes, tousled hair teasing her shoulders.

"I went to your house and your brother said that you were over here." There was an unspoken question hanging in the air between the three of them.

"Kagome," Inuyasha voiced his concern, still glaring daggers at Kouga, not daring to look at her, afraid of what his eyes would reveal. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Um," She stood up and brushed herself off, not meeting his gaze either, "I was going to talk to you, so I came over, but you were asleep, and I guess I just fell asleep too just like we did as kids."

"Come on Kagome." Kouga beckoned to her, and without looking at Inuyasha, she followed. He sneered at Inuyasha above her head and mouthed "Stay away from my girl." Before taking her out of his house.

"Oh god." Inuyasha fell back onto his bed. "Kagome."

He felt a stirring inside of him and an emotion pushed up from his chest threatening tears. He pushed it back down with some difficulty, and went to get some comfort food in the kitchen, which is where he was found hours later, staring down into a discolored bowl of froot loops.

"How did I know you'd be here?" Sesshomaru asked, not expecting an answer.

"Leave me alone." Inuyasha choked out, not meeting his gaze.

"Inuyasha, you're miserable."

He didn't even bother answering his brother, just pushed his spoon around the bowl, stirring up colors from the bottom, where they settled after inactive hours.

"As much as I don't like you," Sesshomaru stroked the ferret on his shoulder thoughtfully, "This is just pathetic."

Inuyasha managed to lift his eyes and stare listlessly at Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha this is dishonorable, this girl shouldn't have that much of a hold on you."

"Stuff it."

Sesshomaru felt some strange feeling in his heart, 'Do I actually feel some compassion for this person?' He asked himself, surprised.

The doorbell rang suddenly, and Sesshomaru answered it willingly, letting his brother have a few more minutes of peace.

"Sesshomaru?" A disheveled mother asked, trying to tie up her hair, "I have a big favor to ask you and your brother." Her eyes pleaded with him, and he couldn't ignore such a thing. "Could you watch them for me?" She begged, looking too wrecked for a 23 year old girl. Her daughter held her hand, with her baby in the other hand in a car seat, a bag on her shoulder.

He nodded his head, she was their neighbor after all, her predicament hit too hard home for Sesshomaru, being 21 years old himself.

"Thank God." She sagged in relief. "I just got called in to work, and Kagome wasn't home. It'll be until 9-ish." She continued to give him directions on child care quite unnecessarily, such a situation has happened several times. "Thank you so much." She reiterated.

"Don't worry about it."

"Now you be good for Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, Rin." She told her daughter, "I'll be home at 9, so you will have to help them and do what they tell you. Okay?"

"Yes Momma."

"That's my good girl." She kissed her daughter on the head and handed the baby to Sesshomaru before leaving, already 10 minutes late.

"Hi Sesshy." Rin smiled up at him, using the nickname she gave him a few years ago.

"Hello Rin." He smiled down at her, his face stretching painfully, unaccustomed to the expression.

Inuyasha stood in the hallway and watched the interaction.

"Inuyasha, take care of the baby." Sesshomaru passed him the baby in the car seat. "You know all about them from Souta."

Rin tagged along behind him as he made his way into the den, "Sesshy will you play Candyland with me again?"

Inuyasha looked down at the baby in his hands, so tiny and fragile. As if in agreement with his thoughts the baby gurgled, smiling up at him happily. He grabbed a toe and began to suck on it.

"Hey Yukio." Inuyasha greeted the baby fondly, decidedly kicking himself to get over Kagome. "Guess you'll be hanging out with me for awhile."

"Ayahah!"

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha sat the carrier down and picked the baby up gently, "Inuyasha." Even so, a small smile came over his face at holding the baby, at being needed.

They were both in his room, Inuyasha entertaining the baby and subsequently forgetting all about his own problems.

"You know Yukio," He told the baby, tickling his stomach. "I would love to have a baby someday." He babbled in response. "Yeah," he turned onto his back and looked at the ceiling.

"I can almost see my kids, running around the house when I get home from work. I'd have a little girl who'd run out to give me a hug before I even get in the door…"

Inuyasha pulled into the drive after a long day at work, the cars on the road did nothing to soothe his exhaustion. The lights spilled out of the door, lighting up the pathway on the warm night. The sounds of the night a balm for his frayed nerves.

"Daddy!" The four-year old ran out of the house in bare feet and her favorite Cinderella nightgown. Inuyasha smiled to himself and set down his briefcase before picking her up and tossing her into the air, catching her on her way down. "What did you do today sweetie?" He asked her, walking into the house.

"Well, I did a picture for you."

"You did?"

"Yes huh," She squirmed her way down from his embrace and ran off to get it.

"Dada!" His toddler waddled into the hallway, arms outstretched. Inuyasha picked up his son and closed the door with his foot.

He walked into the kitchen, where the smell of dinner led him, a toddler on a hip. He saw the baby in the highchair, baby food making its way down his face. He saw his wife at the stove and walked over to her. Before she could say a word he kissed her passionately. Blushing she made sure that no one saw that display of affection. Her toddler made kissing noises at her and she giggled.

"How was your day?" She asked

"Lonely." He conceded and smiled in ecstasy, "I love being home."

"I love you, Inuyasha."

"I love you too Kagome."

Inuyasha snapped back to reality. "Whoa." He shook his head like a dog to rid such thoughts and Yukio giggled insanely.

"You think so buddy?" He smiled and "attacked" him hungrily, "eating" up his feet and legs. Yukio giggled some more and grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's hair.

"Gah," he winced and looked down at the tiny hand and the boy it belonged to. "Hey let go will you?"

"Wuv Ayahah." He said solemnly, his chubby face trying so hard to be grave.

"I love you too Yukio." Inuyasha conceded, prying his hair out of his iron-like grip. "How about some Cheerios?"

"Yah yah yah!" the boy cheered, and tried to get to his feet, his chubby little legs holding him for a few steps before failing. The 12 month had been trying to walk desperately; he was doing well with understanding words and talking, even playing, but he just hadn't managed to get a hold of those feet.

"Come on buddy I'll carry you." He brought the baby downstairs, where they kept the cheerios and the baby food he eats.

Inuyasha sat the baby on his lap at the table and preparing for some serious drooling, he dumped a few handfuls of cheerios onto the table in front of them.

"Go to town." He gave the baby permission, accepting the slime that came with it.

"Inuyasha, Mika said that she has to work until one." The three hours had flown by; Inuyasha loved taking care of the little one. Sesshomaru still had Rin attached to his hip and didn't show any emotion at the news. "They're staying overnight."

Sesshomaru and Rin went across the street to get a sleeping bag and other necessities for the two of them. Inuyasha looked at the boy sleeping on a blanket on the floor of his room.

It struck him as sad, that Mika was so young, and the baby was such a big step. He knew that Mika could have gotten an abortion, after she got pregnant from another loser and a night of drinking. Inuyasha realized how close the baby could not have even been born. He reached down and traced the soft curve of a cheek, watching his tiny little chest rise and fall.

Feeling suddenly protective of the little boy he wanted to fight everything that would harm him in life. The inevitable bullies at school, the first girl to dump him, the first time he realized that nothing would last forever, anything that would hurt Yukio. Inuyasha sighed, he knew that he couldn't save Yukio from all the horrible things that would happen in his life, he had to go through them, as millions had to before him.

Inuyasha changed Yukio into a pair of pajamas when Rin gave them to him. The baby didn't even wake from his slumber, tired from all the games and cheerios. Smiling at him, Inuyasha curled up with the baby on the floor, covering them both with a blanket and pulling a pillow off of the bed. "Goodnight Yukio." He looked down at the baby, his eyes softening. And wrapping a protective arm around him, they both slumbered until the early hours of the morning.

"OUCH!" Inuyasha jolted awake as someone tried to climb into his window.

"What the hell!" He jumped to his feet and grabbed an arm of the person, flipping on a light. "Kagome?" She rubbed her head guiltily.

"I just wanted to talk to you, I couldn't sleep." She smiled up at him, she was in a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt.

"Why did you try to come in my window?" He asked, still trying to come to grasp with being awake. "Are you CRAZY! You could have fallen and killed yourself! Are you honestly that stupid?"

Her smile fell, at his words and she tried to make some kind of defense. "I…I really needed to talk to you."

"Momma?" Yukio crawled over to them, their voices waking him up.

"Hey Yukio." Kagome smiled down at him, well acquainted with the baby.

He yawned widely and smiled up at Inuyasha. "Ayahah, nite nite."

"I was sleeping Yukio, and it's time for you to go night night too."

He yawned again and curled into the blankets, smiling up at them as his eyelids fluttered.

"Come here." He beckoned to Kagome angrily, and walked into the den, Rin safely upstairs in the guest bedroom.

"It's three in the morning, Kagome, what in the world possessed you to come over now?"

She sat down on the couch, shivering to herself. "I just had to talk to you, I didn't get to talk to you this afternoon and I couldn't get to sleep until I could."

He glared at her, arms crossed.

"Don't be mad at me."

He just grunted in response.

"Inuyasha, about the other night."

"Forget it, Kagome."

"No, you didn't let me finish."

"Feh, then say what you want," He turned his face away. "Don't expect me to care."

She grabbed his face and forcefully turned it back to her. "LOOK at me, Inuyasha."

He glared.

"I used to have the biggest crush on you." That got his attention and held it. "I remember back in 8th grade writing all sorts of love poems to you, and I used to have daydreams where you'd fall deeply in love with me and we'd get married and have lots of kids." She blushed. "I got wicked jealous when you dated Sara back in 9th, I used to hate her so much. She really liked you too.

"This year I really started to like Kouga, and maybe even started to fall in love with him." This time she couldn't meet his eyes, and she looked away rather than look into her best friend's eyes and watch the betrayal he must feel.

"This came at such a bad time," she tried to compose herself, "If it was just a few months earlier… I'm sorry."

He glared at her still, arms crossed.

"Can we still be best friends?" She asked cautiously, not used to his silence.

"Do you think you can do that?" his voice trembled with controlled rage, "Do you think you can come in and completely reject me like that and then ask to be friends?" He breathed in deep trying to repress his feelings.

"Please."

"Kagome, I think you should leave." His eyes were closed, and he clenched his jaw.

"No, I don't want to." She looked at how angry he was and hesitated a moment before flinging herself into his arms. His muscles tensed, and she half-expected him to hit her, before she felt him slump.

"I need you Inuyasha." She cried, "I need you to be there for me, like always." She hugged him as tight as she could.

Inuyasha looked down at the girl in his lap and hugged her back, 'I need you too Kagome.'

"Okay," he said, stroking the back of her head, "Okay."

So? What do you think?