Why hello there! I promised that the hacking and slashing gore would end, and it will…but it will be replaced with drama, romance (well…more of it ), angst, and suspense…oh who could forget the ever lovable SUSPENSE! Trust me…keep a BIG box of tissues by you at ALL times while you read this…you'll need it.

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(Inuyasha's POV)

The night air that fluttered in through the window felt cool against my sweating form as I stayed beside her. Sango was in another hut with Miroku, getting their wounds tended to by Kaede. Kaede-sama had already taken care with helping me work the healing herbs on Kagome. She wasn't physically hurt that seriously, but her stamina and inner strength had all but depleted. Fighting Kaguya within herself…I don't know how she managed. I remember how horrible it had been when she tried releasing my demon form upon Kagome…

!Flashback!

It took all I had to stop myself from unleashing my claws on everyone right from the start. I had no direct control over my body, and all I could feel was this horrible sensation clawing at my insides, crying out for blood. All I saw was red. What little control that I had over my body was steadily slipping away from my grasp. I watched Miroku stand in front of me.

"Inuyasha, snap out of it!" He firmly put his hands on my shoulders in a way that a father would to a son if he had done something wrong.

"You're not gonna sell your soul to Kaguya and forget about us!" My head was spinning, and before I could even grasp what was happening, I felt my hand swipe in a diagonal path from my side up to claw through Miroku. All that was running through my head was what a monster that I was becoming…and to think…I wanted this! I heard Miroku's body hit the floor with a loud THUD as he clutched at his shoulder. Kaguya seemed to be the only one that I had no desire to kill…what a surprise given that it was HER spell.

"Excellent, only by releasing the power of darkness can one realize true freedom." Her words were cold and stung at what little humanity that was left inside my body and not in that damn mirror of hers. I heard Miroku say something, but it was all hazy and unclear to me.

"Inuyasha don't do it! Please stop!" I faintly heard Kagome from behind me. My desire and love for her slowly tried to return, but the need for blood shadowed over it and crushed it like a stick.

"Inuyasha!" I heard her footsteps come closer until she was in my line of vision. She pressed herself into my chest as I felt her clutch my haori with her fists.

"Inuyasha, I'm begging you! Please don't change!" I wanted to embrace her right then and there to soothe her, I wanted more than anything to be the irritable half-demon that I was. I tried to fight my raising fists as well as I could, but the pain…the pain was unbearable. My eyes began to burn as I felt them grow their blue irises.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice calling out my name was a mere whisper as her mesmerizing eyes searched mine, which only made my desires of changing back increase tenfold.

"Try what you will…the human heart he possessed is now locked inside this mirror. He will never be a half-demon again." I felt what very little amount of humanity that I clutched to slip right through my fingers, my eyes tracing its pulse into the mirror. I faintly heard Shippo begin to cry for Kagome.

"Kagome, get away from him! You'll be KILLED!" I knew that deep down, that little kitsune was right. If she didn't run away right now, there would be no stopping me from running my claws through the one person that helped me feel like something other than a monster. But instead of running, she simply threw herself into my chest again.

"I love you as a half-demon, Inuyasha!" Instantly, memories of her telling me that she liked me just the way I was, and that there was nothing wrong with staying as I was, to just be myself, they all flooded in my mind, connecting with each other, and all tracing themselves back to my Kagome. Realization dawned on me that she was right; there was absolutely nothing wrong with being a half-demon…not when you had friends and someone that you loved. A sudden will emerged within me that I HAD to fight my demon blood at any costs. I began to thrash around wildly in my attempts to get my human blood back, my mind swirling with visions of Kaguya holding the mirror with my human reflection upon its glassy surface, taunting me with something I couldn't get. Her cold laughter rang in my ears, but all of that subsided and the several vision of Kaguya dispersed to a single, yet beautiful Kagome running to me, calling out my name. My mind was charging at her while I could faintly hear my human side trying to hold my demonic self at bay. My claws were set; there was nothing…absolutely NOTHING that could stop me now. But there was a wave of beautiful rose pedals that seemed to drift in midair, at their center was Kagome, mere inches away from me. She had no look of horror, fear, pain, but instead her face illuminated with something that even Kikyo couldn't muster up: Love.

"I love you. I love you as a half-demon." I froze dead in my tracks, my growls cut short. My eyes cooled down slightly as I felt the blue in them fade away. Kaguya snapped, flashing me a dark look.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha…why the hesitation?" She began chanting more, and any chance of changing back seemed to be lost forever as I growled. I felt the desire for Kagome's blood claw at my insides. 'No…I could never…NO!' My mind screamed as my fingers lunged at her arms, my claws sinking into them. Just when I thought everyone had given up on me, including myself, I saw Kagome slowly raise her head to mine, unshed tears on the edge of her eyes. She brought her head closer to mine as she shut her eyes. My body screamed for her blood…until…everything just…stopped. I felt her press her soft lips to mine, and everything seemed to just be lost. My growls were cut off as I felt her lips for the first time. Granted, I was bearing my fangs, so she was only kissing my bottom lip, but her kiss was more than enough reason for me to fight.

"Free the beast of carnage that lives inside you, and once you are a full demon bring me the flesh of that girl!" I let my eyes trace a tear that cascaded down Kagome's face, but she didn't pull out of her kiss. I felt the burning in my eyes cool down to nothing as I felt their normal irises take their proper place. My humanity had returned. I gingerly pulled my claws out of her fragile arms as they turned their normal size. I felt the last of my human blood slip out of the mirror and return to me, and the sickening crack of Kaguya's mirror. If she or anyone else said anything, I wouldn't have heard it. My eyes immediately softened as I began to gently rest my lips on hers. 'Kagome…' I closed my eyes and kissed her back, a silent response telling her that her love did not go unrequited. It wasn't a passionately loving kiss, but it was a kiss that I had been dreaming of that lasted for what seemed like eternity but in reality only lasted a few seconds. We slowly, regretfully pulled apart from each other, and I couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl that had warmed my heart and taught me to love again, the only one that I had been dreaming of having this feeling with. My eyes were hardly open, and I was just thinking that this had to be some wonderful dream that I would wake up from any second now.

"Inuyasha…are you gonna be okay now?" I still felt a small bit of her blood on my claws burning, and I felt the guilt return.

"Kagome…" I pulled her into my arms as I rested my head on top of the side of her crown.

"Are you nuts! I could have really hurt you!" I all but whispered into her ebony locks. I wanted to stay like this forever, to never let her go, never stop whispering soft words into her ears. But all good things come to an end, so I pulled her closer, whispering,

"I'll stay a half-demon a while longer…just for you." I felt her nod into my chest, and I knew that everything would be okay.

!End Flashback!

I still felt the soft texture of her lips whenever I closed my eyes. I absentmindedly reach up a clawed finger to them, but shook my head and focused on Kagome. She was lying on a futon with a cloth placed on her forehead. I reached to the cloth, only to find that it was dry. I took it and submersed it into a bucket of water Kaede had set aside for such things. Wringing out the cloth and returning it to her forehead, I pressed it gently to emphasize the purpose of water. She looked so weak…like she just didn't have anything left inside her other than a heartbeat and a pulse. I lay down on the floor next to the beautiful girl that had my heart in her delicate hands, my eyes never leaving her face. Sleep had tempted me for the tenth time that night, and try as I might, it was too much to resist this time; I could feel her body warmth emitting from her frame, her scent coaxing me to let my guard down and rest. I brought my hand up and gently caressed her cheek before sleep covered my eyes and I knew no more.

(Kagome's POV)

My head was still aching slightly as I opened my eyes. My eyes swept over my surroundings as I recognized it as Kaede's hut. I felt someone's soft, but warm breath tickle my right cheek, so I turned my head to find Inuyasha sound asleep at my side. I felt a deep blush creep up my cheeks. I tried to sit up in silence, but I breathed in sharply as I felt like there was something sharp in my side. I could hardly move a muscle without there being pain. Inuyasha must have sensed that there was something wrong, because he sat up, his eyes locking onto mine. I gave him a small reassuring smile, but the hanyou wasn't sufficed with just a smile, or so his facial expressions said. But maybe there was something he was hiding…he had it in his eyes…but I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

(Inuyasha's POV)

!Dream!

I was walking through a field, the scent of fresh grass thick in the air. I suddenly picked up…her scent…Kagome was awake! She was okay! I turned and sprinted in the direction of her scent. As I came near, I could see her figure silhouetted against the moon, standing on a hill as the wind whipped her ebony wave of hair to her side. I walked up to her and put my arms around her from behind. She turned in my arms, at first surprised, but she leaned into my chest as I held her closer. We began to sway gently as I rested my head on hers. She lifted her head as we stopped swaying, gazing into my amber orbs with bright happiness and love. I leaned my head in close, resting my forehead onto hers as we continued to stare longingly at each other, eyes shimmering in the darkness of the night. She began to lean her head in even closer, her eyes softening more, if that was at all possible. I followed suit, determined to feel her smooth lips touch mine again, determined to tell her how I felt, unafraid to hold anything back, knowing that this is what I had desired all along with all my heart. She suddenly jerked back slightly as she shut her eyes tightly, sharply inhaling. I held her gently, asking her what was wrong, pleading for her to let me help her. But she pushed me away completely as I watched her run away from me, repeating the same words that shattered my heart into smaller fragments than the Shikon no Tama…

"We can't be like this…I have to return to my time. I won't come back…I'm sorry." I cried out to her, but her body seemed to fade away right in front of me. I hit my knees, yelling her name over and over again, pleading for her to come back to me.

!End Dream!

(Inuyasha's POV)

I jerked my head up as I heard her inhale sharply. She cringed as she opened her eyes, and then looked at me. When she realized that she wasn't the only one awake, her cringe turned into a warm smile, a small smile, but it still held every bit of beauty as her full smiles. I tried smiling back, but the memory of both what she said at the camp before this whole Kaguya resurrection thing happened and what she had said in my dream were still haunting me. I looked away and out the window, staring at the stars. I heard her try to sit up, but there was another sharp inhale. I immediately placed one hand behind her shoulders, my other hand resting gently on her stomach as I carefully lifted her to a sitting position. I couldn't bring myself to look at her directly in the eye, not for what she had said, but for what I had DONE. I failed in my duty to protect her with my very life, and it almost cost me the one that I love most. I could do absolutely nothing as I felt her slip almost completely through my fingers…I was powerless…

I was weak.

My thoughts were interrupted as she gently lifted her hand and placed it on my cheek, turning my head so that we were looking at each other eye to eye. She smiled another brilliant smile of hers, but I could see the sadness in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" She said softly. I couldn't look at her, so instead I replied,

"It's nothing…just forget it. Go back to sleep…Kami knows you need the rest after…what happened…"

"Are you okay? I mean, those were some pretty bad cuts you had." I smiled inwardly. That was my Kagome; always thinking about everyone else first before worrying about herself.

"They're healed…for the most part. Are you okay, though? I…I tried protecting you…" She never stopped smiling.

"I've been meaning to thank you for that." I turned to look at her, surprise completely overtaking any other feeling that I had within me.

"I've been meaning to thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I'd have been dead a long time ago." I covered my eyes with my bangs as I felt the guilt pour on me relentlessly.

"But…Kaguya almost took you…"

"You were there to support me. That's the same as saving me."

"I don't see how-"

"When Kaguya claimed that her claw swipe would be the final blow and I saw where she was aiming, I knew that I had to fight her. I knew that I had to win. Because of you, Kaguya couldn't stand up to me." Her words were amazingly sweet to my ears. I felt pride swell up inside me, and I, once again, screwed up a perfectly good moment to tell her how I felt…

"Like hell I helped you! You did that all on your own. And besides, if I'd had lost you to the likes of her…well…let's just say that the day I stop protecting you is the day I let you go mate with Koga."

"Whaddya mean 'the day you LET me mate with Koga?'" She said softly, but dangerously. I gulped, knowing that if I didn't say something good real quick, I was gonna say hello to Mr. Extremely-painful-damn-subjugation-spell…

But then again, I never knew what to say.

"Would you want to mate with Koga?" I asked softly, not in anger, but in sadness. She smiled at me again, lifting my head so our eyes could meet once more.

"I don't want to mate with Koga. We're just friends, and besides, I like someone else."

"Who is it that you like?" She shook her head. I tried pressing the question, but she refused to say anything more, but instead lie back down and fell asleep. I lay back down beside her, making sure that she was sound asleep before I placed a comforting arm around her middle. So, who WAS this guy that she liked? Could it be…no…I need to stop getting my hopes up. No one could ever love a disgusting hanyou like me. I know that she said that she loved me a while ago, but the question is did she mean it? I've wanted to ask her, but I'm really shy when it comes to things like that. I could blow off steam and rant about anything whenever I wanted, but when it came to telling people about how I felt (especially Kagome) and try to open up, I can't do it. I never felt this way…EVER. And who could blame me? I've felt rejection, even from someone I thought I had loved, but I couldn't take it from her…not my Kagome. I look over at her sleeping frame, and my worries seem to dissolve inside me, leaving only this serenity that I couldn't put into words. Her scent is too much for me to handle with a conscious mind. I pulled my arm regretfully away from her as I settled for leaning my head in closer to hers. Nothing wrong with it, for she had turned her head, leaving me to gaze upon the glistening ebony abyss of her hair. I deeply inhaled her scent, feeling drowsy and yet excited all at once. It's a mixed emotion, but in the end all it does is take me into a deep slumber where nothing's wrong and I'm with my Kagome.

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NOT THE END PEOPLE! I know it was long and everything, but trust me, there's gonna be some pretty dramatic stuff coming up. R & R!

P.S.- why is it that only three people keep reviewing? Ah well!