This chapter is named after the song "Slip Away" by Mumford & Sons.

Chapter 6: Slip Away

When Inuyasha woke up, the moon was still up in the sky.

He was also oddly warm, mostly on his back and cheek.

Opening his eyes and tilting his head up, he saw that he was sleeping on top of Kagome. She was leaned back against a tree and he was practically covering the entirety of her body with his as she slept soundly beneath him.

He blushed and got up, trying his best not to jostle her. Once he was up, he shook his head and immediately walked away, putting some distance between them as he tried to calm his racing heart.

Unable to resist temptation, he glanced back at her when he was far enough away to not do anything crazy.

He looked at her, taking in the sight of her peaceful face, of her even breathing.

She was beautiful. It was a dangerous way to think about her, but...it was true.

Inuyasha couldn't help but think back to when she'd briefly gripped his hand the night before, when she'd smiled so brightly at him, when she'd shared such a special memory with him and was so kind and receptive of the one he'd shared with her.

There was something stirring in his chest, something he didn't want to linger on for too long for fear of giving it a name he was so adamantly against.

Everything he'd been thinking about the night before was rushing back.

So he looked away from her, walking over to his bag to grab a pair of pants and a simple shirt before going behind a tree to change out of his Robe of the Fire Rat.

Once he'd changed, he caught a whiff of Kagome's scent on the clothing. He couldn't help but bring it up to his face, pressing his nose into the fabric and inhaling her unique scent.

Realizing how crazy he was acting, he pulled the clothing away from his face and went to shove it back in his bag. Once that was done, he settled against a tree that was a good bit away from Kagome, needing to clear his mind in a spot that wasn't clouded by her scent.

It didn't work as well as he'd hoped.

o.O.o

When Kagome started to stir several hours later, Inuyasha busied himself with getting a fire started. It was a little chilly that morning despite it being spring, so he figured Kagome might want to warm up a bit after waking, especially if she planned on bathing like he figured she would.

To his relief, she didn't mention him falling asleep on her the night before. She just smiled like always, giving him her usual morning greeting before stretching her limbs.

"I'm gonna go freshen up," she announced as she got up. "I'll fill up our water containers and then I can find us something to eat, too. I won't be too long."

Inuyasha nodded and lit a match to start the fire.

When Kagome was gone, he took a deep breath.

Why do I feel like I'm doomed…?

O.o.O.o.O

As Kagome went about her hygienic routine, her thoughts drifted to Inuyasha, specifically him falling asleep on her the night before.

His body had been like the warmest blanket she'd ever felt, and the feeling of his steady breathing against her neck had sent shivers all up her spine. She didn't quite have a name for what the feeling was, but it was definitely unexpected.

She could sense the embarrassment coming from him when she'd woken up to see him a chaste distance away from her, so she didn't mention their sleeping positions from the night before. Instead, she tried to think about what their next move should be.

Deciding to focus on getting freshened up, she figured it would be best to wait to think about it until she could speak with Inuyasha.

After she finished getting ready, she went off and found some fruit from a nearby tree. Grabbing a few pieces, she made her way back to Inuyasha with the fruit as well as the newly-filled water containers.

Inuyasha thanked her when she gave him the water and food before he took a sip of the drink and took a bite of the fruit.

Kagome sat across from him, basking in the warmth of the fire.

"Thanks for starting a fire," Kagome said as she ate her fruit. "It's a bit cold this morning."

"No big deal," Inuyasha replied.

Once Kagome finished eating, she grabbed her hair oil and applied it to her locks. She noticed Inuyasha somewhat subtly glancing at her as she did it, but she didn't comment on his perusal.

He was definitely being a little weird, though.

When she was finished with her hair, she put the comb in her bag and eyed Inuyasha.

"So, uh, Inuyasha," she began.

"What?" he asked, his voice curt.

Kagome paused, taken aback by the gruff tone.

Maybe I was just imagining the softness I saw in him last night…

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I was just, uh….what were you gonna say?"

Kagome frowned. "I was just going to ask what you wanted to do next or what direction we should start heading toward."

"Oh," Inuyasha replied. "I don't know."

"Maybe we could find someone else who could look at your sword," Kagome suggested. "Since you weren't totally happy with the answers you got the other day."

Inuyasha shook his head. "There's no one else I could talk to about it. If the youkai I saw didn't help, no other one will."

"Why's that?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha scowled. "The youkai I spoke with created my sword and he pretty much refused to give me any solid answers."

There I go, telling her more than I should again. It's like I can't control myself around her.

"I see," Kagome replied. "That's too bad."

The hanyo huffed. "Yeah."

"I suppose we could just walk," Kagome suggested. "I can't stay in one place for too long, so it's best if I keep moving. Do you mind?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Fine by me. We could start heading north again and just stay toward the west since we came from the east."

Kagome nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Should we set off after we eat?"

"Sure," Inuyasha replied.

O.o.O.o.O

Shortly after they finished breakfast, Inuyasha put out the fire and they moved out.

They walked quietly, which for once was troublesome for the hanyo because his thoughts drifted into uncharted territory.

Now that he'd started thinking about Kagome a little extra, he found that he couldn't stop.

Somehow, Kagome's scent seemed stronger and her eyes seemed brighter and her smile seemed bigger.

Inuyasha tried to keep himself from that train of thought. His time with Kagome was temporary. Once he killed Naraku, he would part ways with her.

I can't let this distract me, whatever "this" is. She's just a girl I'm traveling with. Nothing more. I'm not going to be an idiot like Miroku was.

It was still overwhelming, and he'd taken it out on her a bit with his curt response while they were eating.

It wasn't intentional; everything was just so...odd.

He managed to somewhat keep it together for the next few days as they continued their journey north.

Kagome seemed chipper as they kept moving, so Inuyasha let her talk as she pleased, the sound of her voice having become oddly soothing.

Which was yet another problem.

And then the day of the new moon came, and Inuyasha knew he was in trouble.

When evening came around and they decided to stop for dinner, he started to get antsy.

Inuyasha glanced up at the setting sun before looking over at Kagome across the fire he'd built.

"Alright, listen," he said.

Kagome frowned at his serious tone. "What's wrong?"

Inuyasha huffed. "I have to tell you a need-to-know thing. Odds are you would've figured it out anyway."

Kagome nodded. "Okay, what is it?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "Hanyo lose their youkai halves once a month. Mine is on the night of the new moon, which is tonight."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh. So...you're going to turn into a human?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "Yeah."

"Okay," Kagome replied. "Um, is there anything you need me to do?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll just spend the night in a tree. I don't sleep on my human nights, so...I'll just be up there."

I need to be away from her tonight. There's no telling what I'll do in my human state if she's close to me…

Because the feelings he had were growing deeper despite his best efforts to trample them.

Kagome was just too... Kagome for him to shrug off how he was feeling.

Which was why space would be best that night.

"Do you want me to stay awake with you?" Kagome asked. "I don't want you to be lonely."

"Keh," he scoffed, trying to tamper down a blush. "I'll be fine. You just...sleep like usual."

Kagome nodded. "Okay."

She was quiet for a moment.

"So," Kagome began hesitantly, "are you going to get up in the tree before you turn into a human?"

Inuyasha paused. "Probably. It's easier to climb. Why?"

Kagome shrugged. "I kinda want to see what you look like as a human, but if it's private then that's okay."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as his defensive instincts started to take over.

"Why?" he spat. "So you can see what I would look like if I were normal?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "What? Of course not! How could you even think that? I figured by now you would know that heritage isn't what matters to me; it's who someone is." She scoffed. "And you can try to hide it all you want, but you're a great person. That's what I see when I look at you, not someone who's abnormal." She huffed. "So...there."

Inuyasha froze at her words, and then he saw the genuine offense in her eyes and more than a little hurt.

Is it that important to her that I know she doesn't see me as a monster or an anomaly?

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said sincerely. "I'm not used to people being so accepting, so it's...weird."

Kagome's eyes softened. "You don't need to apologize. I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about me thinking anything bad about you or your heritage." She smiled. "I mean, you're grumpy most of the time, but it's alright. I've gotten used to it."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever, woman."

"I hope one day you'll see in yourself what I see when I look at you," she said honestly. "That's all."

Her words were the final nail in the coffin.

I have feelings for her, Inuyasha realized. Romantic feelings...and that's a problem.

She smiled again. "Anyway, I can protect you if you get scared when you're a human."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes again. "Dumb." Kagome just laughed.

o.O.o

When he finally turned human, he grimaced.

He hated how he felt without his youkai power. Everything was darker and quieter, and his emotions were heightened.

Yeah, I need to get up in a tree and away from Kagome soon.

Because the way she looked at him when he transformed was enough to nearly drive him crazy.

She looked at him so intently, as if he were a treasure she'd just discovered. He briefly wondered if she liked what she saw and if that was why she was looking at him like that.

He brushed it off as her just being curious, knowing that trying to look for a deeper meaning, especially as a human, probably wasn't a good idea.

But the way she looked at him filled him with warmth.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome wasn't really sure what she was expecting to see when Inuyasha turned human, but when he finally changed, she nearly blushed.

He was handsome.

He was always handsome, but this was a different type. His hair was black, his eyes were a dark brown, and he had human ears that were only partially covered by his forelocks.

She preferred how he looked as a hanyo, but seeing him in such a new version of attractive put her off a bit.

Kagome was embarrassed by the train of thought; it felt too strange to think of someone who was rapidly becoming a close friend in such a way, so she ignored the pattering of her heart and smiled at him.

"Hello, fellow human," she teased. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Keh," he scoffed.

Even his voice was different. It was smoother and not as gruff as it was in his hanyo form.

Kagome wondered how her name would sound coming from his mouth in that voice.

She blushed, grateful for the moonless night. She turned away from the light of the fire so he wouldn't see her pink cheeks.

Why am I being all blushy? she mused. It's just Inuyasha.

Kagome pushed it from her mind and smiled.

He looked uneasy, so she figured she would come up with something to help distract him.

It must be overwhelming to have such a big piece of himself missing for the night. I would probably feel the same if I lost my miko powers.

"Do you want to play a game?" she asked.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh. First you want to do 'something fun' and now you want to play a game?"

Kagome laughed. "That's because I think you could use it. What kinds of games did you used to play when you were a kid?"

He frowned again but didn't argue. He grew quiet and his face softened a bit; Kagome wondered what memory was playing in his head.

"I played with my mother mostly," he finally replied. "But they were always games with a ball or dice or a board. I don't have anything like that with me."

"Me neither," Kagome admitted. "But it sounds like you have nice memories."

The ghost of a smile came to Inuyasha's face.

"Yeah," he replied simply.

Kagome tried to think of something else they could do, but any other game suggestions were evading her. It would probably have been too dark for anything else anyway.

"Actually," Inuyasha said, "it's time for you to tell me something."

Kagome glanced at him. "What?"

Inuyasha motioned to his looks. "You know about my human night, so now you have to tell me something about you. I don't know how you keep forgetting about our deal."

Kagome laughed. "Right. Let's see...well, you asked me last time if I could tell you about who's after me. Do you still want to know?"

She expected an immediate answer, maybe an eyeroll with a duh, woman tossed in, but he just looked at her quietly.

"You don't have to," he finally said. "Let's not...talk about anything like that tonight. Just tell me something else."

Kagome was a bit confused, but she wouldn't press the topic.

He's been so curious about it...I'm surprised he didn't jump at the chance to learn more.

"Alright," Kagome said. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha replied. "What's your worst fear? Aside from people crying."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'm not afraid of people crying. It just makes me uncomfortable. I'm actually terrified of heights."

"Heights?" Inuyasha repeated. "Why?"

Kagome shrugged. "Being so high up off the ground sounds scary."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Get up." Kagome frowned at him.

"What?" she asked. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and stood from where he was seated.

"I'm gonna show you that being up high isn't scary," he said. "So get up. We're gonna climb a tree."

"No," Kagome protested. "I just said I'm scared."

"Oh, I see," Inuyasha taunted. "Pathetic human."

Kagome huffed. "You're one to talk. You're a human right now, too."

"But I'm also the human who's about to climb a tree," he pointed out. "Are you?"

Kagome got up from the ground and smoothed the skirt of her yukata.

"Fine," she said. "I'll climb a tree. No big deal."

She marched over to the nearest tree and glared at the trunk.

How am I supposed to get in it? I've never climbed a tree before.

"Um...how do I...climb it?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You've never climbed a tree?"

Kagome ignored him and tried to focus on the trunk and grabbing onto whatever pieces of bark she could. Every time she thought she'd gained some footing, she'd slip and land with a stomp on the ground.

After she'd spent a solid minute just trying to grip the trunk, she heard Inuyasha all-out laughing behind her.

"Shut up!" she shouted as she whirled around to face him.

The words died in her throat as she watched him laugh.

His smile was bright, his shoulders shook, and his face was full of amusement.

Kagome's eyes widened.

Had she ever seen something so beautiful?

When his laughing fit ceased, he walked over to the tree and gently batted her hands away the branch she was trying to climb.

"I'll show you how it's done, woman," he said. "Watch and learn."

Still a bit distracted by the amusement on his face, Kagome tried to focus on what he was doing rather than the allure of his smirk.

Even without his youkai powers, he was obviously more agile than most humans, so it wasn't hard for him to grab onto a branch and just swing himself up.

"See?" he called down when he'd climbed up high enough. "It's easy."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That is not easy, stupid!"

He climbed down to a branch closer to the bottom so Kagome could see him better.

"Just grab onto that branch again," he said, nodding toward one above Kagome's head. "But grip it more firmly."

Wondering just how good of an idea it was, Kagome reached up to grab the branch. Once she was hanging and her feet were off the ground, she started to feel a bit better.

Maybe this isn't so bad…

"There ya go," Inuyasha encouraged. "Now just get onto the branch and climb up to the next one."

Kagome nodded confidently and continued to climb.

"I'm doing it!" she squealed as she made her way up a few more branches. Then she made the mistake of looking down.

She was a lot higher than she thought she was.

She shrieked and wobbled a bit; she grabbed onto the branch above her and clung to it for dear life.

"I can't believe I let you goad me into doing this," she complained as she squeezed her eyes shut. "How do I get down?"

She felt a warm hand set on her back, and the firm touch helped calm the panic that was already threatening to bubble over in her.

"Relax," Inuyasha said as he helped steady her. "It would help if you opened your eyes."

Kagome groaned and opened one eye to find Inuyasha smirking at her.

She opened her other eye and turned to him, finding herself entranced by the smile on his face.

At such a close proximity, he looked like the human version of a god, which she vaguely realized made no real sense, but her thoughts were a little jumbled at the moment.

"Can you try to sit down on the branch?" he asked. Kagome nodded and allowed him to help steady her.

Once she was seated, Inuyasha plopped down next to her.

"Better?" he asked. Kagome nodded again, apparently having lost all ability to speak with him so close.

She took a breath and gathered herself.

"I can't believe you sleep up here," she said. "I'd be afraid of falling out at night."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I could easily catch myself as a hanyo and I don't sleep as a human, so it's fine. I've never fallen."

Kagome hummed and adjusted her body on the branch. She felt fairly stable, but she was still a bit nervous from how high up they were.

She could see a lot more in the starlight, though, despite the darkened moonless sky, and it was enough to distract her from her fear.

"It's a nice view," she said as she looked around.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. When Kagome glanced at him, his gaze was already on her.

He looked away quickly when their eyes locked, and even though it was dark, his blush was visible by the starlight.

"You over your fear yet?" he asked. Kagome shrugged.

"Getting there, maybe," she replied. She smiled and looked up at the sky, admiring all of the stars.

She remembered when they'd looked at the stars after helping the woman they'd come across with the injured foot...it was the night Inuyasha finally said they were friends.

He'd really grown on her during their time together.

And now, sitting next to him in the tree…

Kagome realized that she was happy. Even though she was up high in a spot where one fall could probably break a limb, she was happy.

"What's your worst fear?" she asked. "We're working on mine. We should work on yours next."

Inuyasha didn't answer her for a moment.

The silence stretched between them for so long that she finally looked at him.

His gaze was set on his lap, and she could tell that he was actively avoiding any eye contact.

"Inuyasha?" she prodded.

She leaned over a bit and gently brushed her hand against his.

Inuyasha finally looked up at her, his brows narrowed and his brown eyes swirling with something akin to conflict.

"Keh," he scoffed, slowly moving his hand away. "I'm not scared of anything."

She might have laughed if he weren't acting so strange. He went silent again, so she didn't push it.

They were quiet in the tree for a while longer, having fallen into a more comfortable silence.

Eventually, Kagome did start to grow tired. By the third time she yawned, Inuyasha practically ordered her out of the tree so she could get some rest.

He helped her back onto the ground, and when she felt his hands on her waist as he helped steady her, Kagome's cheeks warmed and she couldn't help but look up at him once more.

"Thanks," she said, her voice quiet. Inuyasha nodded and moved away from her.

"Good night, Inuyasha," she said as she started to walk over to her bag.

"Good night, Kagome," he replied before he climbed back up into the tree.

She finally got to hear her name in his human voice, and it just made the blush on her cheeks take that much longer to fade and the beat of her heart skip.

It took even longer for her to fall asleep.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha watched the sky as he waited for the sun to rise.

I knew it was a stupid idea to be near her while I'm human.

He thought about her asking him what his worst fear was…

He gently banged his head against the trunk of the tree.

How could he tell her that his worst fear was falling in love?

Maybe it's not really love I'm scared of, Inuyasha mused. It's the weakness that comes with it. I can't ever let myself become that weak. I've seen what it does to people, like what it did to Miroku.

Inuyasha thought about the small touches he and Kagome had shared that night; they'd been accidental, but no less powerful over him.

He huffed. Stupid human emotions.

And the guilt.

Especially when she'd offered to tell him more about Naraku.

Asking her not to, solely to save himself from guilt or giving in and just telling her everything he was hiding from her, had only landed them in a tree, so...he supposed it didn't really work that well after all.

Finally, when the sun began to rise, he climbed down from the tree and walked over to where Kagome was still asleep.

He went to start a fire since it was a bit chilly that morning, but he paused when he caught sight of Kagome.

The sight of her sleeping so peacefully and so soundly did a number on him.

He glared up at the sky. If the sun would just rise…

The light broke over the horizon, and as soon as he saw the first rays of sunshine, his powers returned.

It became easier for him to tamper down the emotions that had begun to overwhelm him. He was annoyed to find that those emotions remained, but they were at least a bit easier to shove to the back of his mind.

But it was still a bit difficult, especially now that he could so easily pick up Kagome's scent with his renewed sense of smell.

He sighed and walked away, figuring he'd get the fire going and let her sleep in a bit. She'd stayed up rather late with him, and it wasn't like they had a real goal in mind.

Which was a problem in itself.

Maybe it was time to leave.

He'd contemplated it after meeting with Totosai, but Kagome's kindness had roped him right back in.

Now it wasn't just her kindness...it was his feelings for her.

He grappled with himself as he got a fire going, knowing he was thinking selfishly but unable to think any other way.

But he would do what he needed to do.

When Kagome finally woke up, she stretched a bit before looking at him.

"Good morning," she greeted as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Hey," Inuyasha replied gruffly.

Kagome smiled. "You must be glad to be back to your usual self, huh? No more being a 'pesky human.'"

Inuyasha frowned at the fire and tried to work up the nerve to tell her that they couldn't travel together anymore.

"I've been thinking," he began. "And...we should part ways."

Kagome's eyes widened and he saw a flash of hurt go through them.

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

Inuyasha didn't meet her gaze. He shrugged, uncertain of what to say.

Kagome went silent for a long moment.

Inuyasha looked up at her, dreading what she might have to say.

Her brows were drawn and she had a frown on her face.

"I know exactly what's going on here," she said.

Inuyasha froze. "You do?"

Kagome nodded. "Of course."

Have I been that obvious?

"You're not used to having a friend," she said simply. "I've seen your human night, which is a big deal, right? I know it's scary to let people in, but I would never do anything to hurt you. You can trust me."

Inuyasha wasn't sure whether he should breathe a sigh of relief or feel even worse.

She was partially right, though. He was glad that she was apparently still oblivious of his feelings for her, but that didn't make it better. He still had those feelings, and he knew they weren't going away anytime soon, at least not with her around.

And he hadn't let her in by choice; she'd forced her way in with every touch, every smile, every chiding remark and every time she said his name.

I can't stay with her. I can't let myself fall into this weakness.

But the look in her eyes…

"If it's what you really want," Kagome finally said, "then...okay. I can go."

The amount of hesitance in her voice caught his attention.

Inuyasha looked at her across the fire. "You say that like you don't want to."

Kagome shrugged. "Because I don't. I like traveling with you. I kinda thought you liked traveling with me, too, but if you really don't then we can just...part ways."

Inuyasha grimaced. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

"But it doesn't seem like you really want to part ways, either," Kagome said gently. "Right?"

Of course she can tell...but what else can I do?

Her blue eyes were shining as usual, but he could see there was a hint of worry in them.

She really didn't want Inuyasha to leave.

It had been a really long time since someone wanted him to stay.

"Yeah," he finally said.

I'm a selfish bastard…

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry. I won't spread any of your secrets."

Inuyasha nodded, unable to speak. It was a silent agreement: they wouldn't part ways.

They were quiet for the rest of the morning.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha as they walked.

There was something off about him. She figured he might've still been uneasy from being human, but it was well into the evening and he'd barely spoken.

Normally she'd be able to coax a bit of a conversation out of him, but he'd been filled with one-worded answers or just simple grunts whenever she spoke to him.

But she just took it in stride. Maybe he'd be over it by the time they ate dinner.

He wasn't, though, and he remained rather stoic for the rest of the night.

When Kagome prodded him on his shift in demeanor, he'd just said a brisk, "I'm fine, woman."

So she left it at that.

But she was a little worried.

Finally, she got him to thaw a little after dinner.

"So, Inuyasha," she said, "can I ask you something?"

Inuyasha looked up at her and frowned. "What?"

"Do you know how to do a handstand?"

His frown turned into a look of confusion. "A handstand?"

At Kagome's nod, he scoffed. "Keh, of course I do. Why?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know how to do one."

"I thought you knew fighting skills," Inuyasha pointed out. "How do you know that stuff without knowing how to do a handstand?"

Kagome smiled. "I don't know. I guess I just never bothered learning. Can you teach me?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Why do you even need to know one?"

"Oh," Kagome said, feigning innocence. "I guess I don't...I just figured that you're probably really good at them so who better to learn from?" She reached for her bag and pulled out her knitting supplies. "Never mind, though."

"Keh," he scoffed again. "You're damn right there's no one better to learn from."

Kagome hid her smile. Sometimes stroking someone's ego is a good way to get them to open up.

He stood up and easily dropped onto his hands, holding himself up for a moment before flipping the rest of the way over onto his feet.

"See?" he asked. "Easy."

Kagome clapped lightly. "That was great."

"Now you try," Inuyasha ordered.

Kagome smiled and got up. She made sure the obi on her yukata was tight enough to keep from any indecent flashing before she bent over in a similar fashion as Inuyasha.

She kicked her feet a bit to give her momentum to get on her hands, but the force knocked her balance off.

She landed on her back with a big whoosh of air.

"Ouch," she wheezed.

Inuyasha was standing over her in an instant.

"You alright?" he asked. Kagome nodded and coughed.

"Yeah, just knocked the wind out of me," she replied. "Maybe I'm not cut-out for handstands."

"Probably not," Inuyasha agreed.

Kagome laughed and took the hand he offered to help her get up. "That's not very encouraging."

Finally, he smiled.

"Never said I was a good teacher," he said.

Kagome shook her head, the smile never leaving her face as she made a few other attempts at a handstand.

The first time she managed to keep herself from flipping over was what Kagome considered her success.

"Alright, I'm done," she said, sitting down on the ground. "I don't think I'm a handstand kind of a woman."

Inuyasha chuckled. "You can barely climb a tree and you can't do a handstand."

Kagome breathed a laugh. "You say that like I'm completely hopeless."

"I never said you were," Inuyasha replied.

Kagome paused at his tone and looked at him, seeing a sincere look in his eyes.

It was gone before she really got to admire it, but he didn't shy away from her gaze.

"So what else can't you do?" he asked, going back to teasing her.

He was like that for the rest of the night, and Kagome was grateful that he didn't recede back into whatever sort of shell he'd hidden in that day.

She would take any excuse to see him smile, to hear him laugh, to help him see all the happiness that having someone with him could bring.

And if the way he smiled at her before she went to sleep was any indication, she was pretty sure he was on his way there.

To be continued…