Chapter five

Unattainable Beauty

"Kagome, I'm sorry. Please, just listen to me?" Kouga begged.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" She nearly spat out.

"I got stuck with my little brother. I tried to call you, but nobody answered. I swear."

Kagome bit down on her tongue as she stared into his eyes, just trying to find a sign if he was lying or not. She just couldn't tell.

"I'll forgive you just this once. But next time call my cell phone, OK?" She said in a calmer voice.

Kouga shook his head and then hugged her tightly.

"I wouldn't hurt you on purpose, Kagome. I love you."

Her eyes went wide at those words. He... loved her?

She didn't say anything back.

XXXXX

"Don't worry about it. Just go, and have some fun." Kagome said cheerfully.

Inuyasha put on a smile and walked out the door. She closed the door after him and stepped into the living room, where the kids were watching T.V.

Sigh.

"Do you two always have to watch T.V.?"

Rin and Shippo didn't say anything.

Sigh.

"Well, I guess I'll have to eat all the ice cream by myself." She said.

"NO!" They whined.

She smirked as she walked into the kitchen with the two of them trailing after her.

"Sissy, where did daddy go?" Rin asked.

"He went to go hang out with some friends."

"Oh," The girl said as she took her bowl of ice cream and ran off into the living room.

Kagome walked in after them, a bowl of ice cream in her hand as well. They were watching t.v. again.

Twitch.

The screen went blank and the two kids started to yell in irritation.

"You'll have to catch me first!" The girl yelled as she put down her ice cream and ran out the back door, remote still in hand.

Rin and Shippo chased after her, since she had the remote.

"Get back here!" Rin yelled at her.

Kagome simply jumped into the hammock(sp?) and waited for the two to catch up to her. It was dark and the stars were shining down on them brightly.

"Where is it?" Shippo asked.

"What?" Kagome said innocently.

"The remote!" Rin said impatiently.

"Oh that? I threw it over the fence."

"What!" Both kids yelled into her ear.

"Ouch. Chill out, and get in with me. You can watch t.v. any old time, but how much of me do you get to see?"

They both crawled in next to her and she placed an arm around each other.

"All the time." The little boy beside her said with agitation.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Kagome said in voice mocked with hurt.

"It is." He joked.

She began to tickle him, almost knocking him out of the hammock, along with herself and Rin.

"You're gonna pay for that, little man."

He squealed as she tickled him until he started to cry. She only stopped due to Rin attacking her with small hands, that were trying to tickle her but only made her grunt in pain.

"OK, OK, enough." She called out happily as they began to settle down.

They laid in the hammock for a good bit, the sound of crickets welcoming them into sleep.

But, before anyone could fall into slumber, Rin asked Kagome a question.

"Kags, when's mommy coming back?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know." Kagome said truthfully.

'I don't know if she's ever coming back.' She thought to herself as she involuntarily pulled the kids closer to her.

"I don't know." She whispered to the night air.

XXXXX

Inuyasha shut the door to the car and waved to his friends as they drove off. He bounced up the steps two at a time, feeling tired and energetic at the same time. Drinking did some weird things to people.

He unlocked the front door and looked around the empty living room. The kids weren't in there.

"Hm." He said thoughtfully as he checked the downstairs bedroom, finding it empty as well. He went up the stairs quietly and checked both rooms, finding them bare as well.

Fear grasped his heart and held onto it tightly as he tripped down the stairs. He looked throughout the living room again, searching hopelessly, thinking that his eyes were betraying him.

He ran into the kitchen and found it vacant, except for a bowl of unfinished ice cream. That's when he noticed the back door unlocked and slightly ajar. He opened it slowly, afraid of what he might find on the other side.

His eyes met darkness at first, until he ventured out into it and stared down at three glowing white faces in the moonlight.

A few tears lingered in his eyes, knowing that they were okay brought his heart back to its normal pace, but did nothing for the emotions dwelling in his eyes.

When one of the small faces stirred, it brought his attention back onto the oldest one of them all.

"My Kagome." He said quietly.

His eyes widened as he thought about what he had just said.

'Wait, what the hell did I mean by that? My... Kagome?'

She was a child compared to him.

'A child grown up. One that knows more about love than I probably do.' He told himself.

"What am I thinking?" He scolded himself.

He reluctantly shook the young girl out of her dreams and into the waking world. She looked up at him with warm brown eyes, that were filled with tiredness.

"Inuyasha," She said with a smile as she stretched.

He carefully picked Rin up and helped Kagome out as she got Shippo.

"Did you have fun?" She asked him as he opened the door for her.

"Yes." He said quietly. His thoughts earlier still bothering him.

"And did you have any trouble with the kids?" He asked, shaking his thoughts from his mind.

"No. Of course not."

They walked up the stairs and entered the kid's bedroom, placing them in their beds.

"Thanks for watching them tonight. I really needed to get out of the house."

Kagome looked up at him and smiled.

"I know."

He hesitated before he asked her, "You can stay if you'd like. Since it's early in the morning."

Kagome didn't look at him strangely at this statement. She had always spent the night when she stayed with the kids late. And she didn't want to wake her parents up.

"Thanks. I think I will."

As they went out into the hall, Kagome was suddenly stopped by a hand holding onto hers.

She turned back around and looked up at him.

"Inuyasha?"

He pulled her into a tight hug, as he whispered into her hair, "Thank you, for everything. I don't know where I would be if you weren't here to help me." He said in all seriousness.

The girl in his arms just hugged him back after realizing what he was talking about.

"You're welcome."

They pulled back and he stared down at her with a smile on his lips.

"And you'd be just fine, even if I weren't here. You're strong, Inuyasha. Never think otherwise."

He stared at the girl curiously as those same words folded and unfolded in his mind, registering what she meant by it. She really was one of the best things that ever happened to him.

"Thanks."

They locked eyes for a moment. His eyes were intense and almost fiery. He brought his face closer to hers and she closed her eyes, not sure of what she should expect.

He kissed her on the forehead and told her good night. He left her in the hall, staring at the same spot he had been in once her eyes re-opened.

"Night." She whispered before she ran down the stairs and made herself comfortable in the extra bed room.

She didn't sleep much that night, knowing that the same man that had kissed her so innocently and yet giving her a look as misleading as a push up bra, was right above her.

XXXXX

Inuyasha's head raced with so many thoughts that his head hurt. He tried to stop thinking about the young, illegal girl underneath him.

'Underneath him!'

'Oh, stop being so perverted!' He yelled at himself in frustration.

He finally popped two pills into his mouth and just stopped thinking about Kagome. Instead, he thought about the night he had had with his friends, and the hot woman who had hit on him.

She was gorgeous, yes, but not in the same innocent way that Kagome was.

She wasn't sweet, or pure like the girl below him was. Her body was sculpted the way a man would create her, and yet it was undesirable compared to Kagome's, which was untouched and perfect in every way. This woman seemed reachable, whereas Kagome seemed like the a hidden flower that only bloomed at night, only caught by those who watched them carefully.

He would have to watch her carefully from now on.

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