A/N: What to say? I'm glad more people have read this story and started reviewing, hence why I am updating so often. I like reviews. (Who doesn't?) And on weekends, I can update more often than on regular weekdays. I can hopefully get one out all weekend, but unfortunately, I can't get one out every day next week, since our nazist school district makes us go to school up til the 23rd!

Chapter 6: Painful and Beautiful Truth

Inuyasha's heart clenched as he looked at her. Kagome… She stared back at him, with pain in her eyes. Pain because he had just been to see Kikyou, again.

But when he recalled the strange conversation he had with Kikyou, his heart did somersaults once again. How much did she hear? If she heard what Kikyou said about him loving her…he didn't know what he would do.

In truth, Kagome had just come up when Kikyou had said, "Be careful of your feelings for Kagome. Danger lies within them." She hadn't expected Kikyou to be there, and she surely hadn't expected her to say that.

Danger…? Thought Kagome. Danger in Inuyasha's…feelings for me? But…what feelings?

"Kagome…" Inuyasha repeated, coming closer to her.

She stepped back, still looking a bit shocked. He had reacted just like he had before…when he had decided he would go to hell with Kikyou. But, the words said were much different…what was going on? His feelings for me…put him in danger…

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha." She murmured.

That woke him from his stupor. Whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been her to apologize…for whatever she believed it to be. "What?" He asked. "What are you saying sorry for?"

Kagome took another step back, the look of pain increasing. "I'm really sorry…" she turned and started running away.

But Inuyasha wasn't going to have that. He had already had a trying day as it was. "Wait up!" he called, grabbing her wrist and making her stop running. "What the hell are you apologizing for?"

She struggled to get free; she didn't want to be around him at that moment. Not after what she had heard..."Let me go, Inuyasha!"

"No!" he said, gripping her shoulders and forcefully turning her around to look at him. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything!"

Her eyes fell to the ground, and she remembered Kikyou's words. She bit her lip. His feelings for me are dangerous… "Inuyasha…"

"What?" he asked, hanging on to her every word. "What is it?"

She looked into his eyes, and felt tears form in her own. "I'm sorry for coming in between you and Kikyou…I'm sorry for making you feel this way! I'm sorry for everything!" she bellowed, bolting out of his hold and back through the forest. Inuyasha stood there, stunned.

Sorry for making me feel this way? He wondered. She must have…heard that…

My feelings for Kagome are dangerous…I know, because Naraku may use her against me…just like he did Kikyou…but…what feelings? Do I really…love her?

But thinking about her, how she most certainly was going back to the well and to her own time, like she always did, his heart ached. He wanted more than anything to go back and apologize…to hold her close…to make everything all right for her.

He remembered her smiles, her laughs, the way she always made him feel at peace. The way her presence calmed him, how everything felt right when she was near…he realized how, more than anything, he wished that he could spend the rest of his life with that feeling, that wonderful, happy feeling that he never wanted to let go of.

Kagome...

Inuyasha knew how whenever he held her close, and her sweet scent surrounded him, and took hold of him, intoxicated his senses…making him wish more than anything he could stay beside her and make that moment last into eternity…the feeling of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, when he held her close, promising to keep her safe.

All those times…when he promised to always protect her, when she asked to stay with him, when he cried when he thought she was gone, all those times when she was able to bring him back from his youkai side, how she being there made him want to return…

And that time…when they were in the ogre's belly, and he had to use the shikon fragment, how he had started turning into a youkai, and yet because Kagome had hugged him, and her sweet scent once again entered his mind, taking control, his human side forced him to return, because of his desire to protect her…how he never, ever wanted to hurt her…

Kagome…

Her beautiful, angelic face, her chocolate eyes looking straight at him, twinkling with delight, her dark hair swaying in the wind, and her face, smiling, as she said his name, "Inuyasha…"

This was too much for the hanyou. He slumped to his knees, a bemused expression on his face. He blinked his amber eyes, many times, trying to make sense of it all. Inuyasha looked at the sky, which was now turning dark with impending rain. Kagome…

"You have forgotten the love you used to have for me." Kikyou had said. "Forgotten it because you now love that girl, don't you?"

That thought remained in his mind. "You now love that girl, don't you?"

Love her? How was that possible?

"You now love that girl…"

He had hated her when he first met her!

"Now love that girl…"

And now they were just good friends!

"Love that girl…"

It just didn't seem like it could ever happen! But…

Love…Kagome…

Inuyasha's fingers curled into a shakey fist. He slammed it into the ground, making a dent in it. "Why did it have to come to this?" he yelled, as rain started falling on the ground.

Why now…when it's a danger?

Kagome sighed as she sat down in her seat at school. Why did everything have to be this way now? Why does Inuyasha's feelings for me have to be a danger? Why do I always have to put him in danger?

When she came home the night before, she had to endure the question from her grandfather as to why she was home so early. Thankfully, her mother had saved her when she realized that Kagome was not in the mood.

I don't understand…every time we're close to having a "moment" something ruins it! After what Inuyasha said about me helping him by being there…and now I can't, because something bad will happen!

She was suddenly woken from her thoughts. "Kagome-chan!" her friends called, walking up to her desk.

"Hi, guys." She said tiredly.

"We didn't expect you here." Yuka admitted. "We thought you'd be out all month with African Sleeping Sickness."

Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah…It wasn't as bad as they thought."

Eri looked at her, puzzled. "Kagome-chan…you're eyes are red. We're you crying?"

"Huh?" Kagome asked. Is it really that obvious? "No!" she insited. "It was just because I was sick, that's all!"

"Kagome-chan," Yuka asked, sitting down next to her. "Have you been having problems with your boyfriend again?"

The false smile slid off her face. How do they always know? She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Yes."

Eri gasped. "Is that what you've been crying about? He made you cry?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, not him, exactly. Its just circumstances, I guess."

"Is this about his ex again?" Ayumi asked, her usual grin absent from her face.

"No, not that." Kagome told them. "It's just that…" her eyes flew to the window, to look out on Tokyo, and to Mt. Fuji in the background. She remembered what she had heard the night before…she remembered Inuyasha's face when Kikyou told him that his feelings for her were a danger.

He was surprised, I guess…but surprised over what? Surprised because these feelings are dangerous…or surprised because he doesn't have any feelings at all?

"Kagome-chan?" Yuka asked.

She sighed. "It's just because something happened and…it may mean that our relationship can never be the same again."

"What have we told you, Kagome?" Eri said. "He's not worth it. If he keeps doing this to you, break up and go out with Houjou-kun!"

Yuka nodded. "He's much better for you Kagome-chan, we've said that hundreds of times."

"I know." Kagome replied. "I know it might be better if I went out with Houjou-kun, but…" Her thoughts rested on Inuyasha once more, and she formed a perfect picture of him in her mind, catching every feature perfectly.

Taking a small breath, she replied, "I can't because even if he doesn't love me...I'm too much in love with him."

Inuyasha looked down the well, almost as if he was half expecting Kagome to suddenly jump out of it, smiling happily at him like she always did. But he knew, she wouldn't come so easily.

Now that he knew how he really felt, his heart ached for her, wishing she would just come back to him and make everything all right again. Kagome…

He turned around and sat down, leaning against the well, and closed his eyes. Kagome, please come back soon, because…

Now, I realize…

I love you more than anything I've ever known…

A/N: FLUFFY! So…how was it? I'm not sure I got the flow quite right…anyway, I told ya the plot would progress from here. Anyway, I'll let you know, because this story isn't like the first one, the kiss is in here earlier than it was before, so you won't have to wait long.