Chapter 29

Those lips. Those pretty little lips that Inuyasha found himself unable to resist lately. Why were they getting so close? Drifting nearer as the hanyou stood before the miko?

"Kagome? What are you…" His voice gently trailed off as he watched her move even closer, her eyes nearly closed. Was she asleep? That had to be it.

'Kagome is asleep and is doing all this without even realizing it. She doesn't know what she's doing, not at all.' Inuyasha told himself but wasn't able to stop his arm from raising and tenderly stroking the side of her face. How he had always loved the feel of her skin underneath his fingers.

"Never leave me, Inuyasha…." She sputtered, tears streaking her cheeks almost out of no where as she spoke in a voice so soft it was eerie.

"No, Kagome. Never. I won't, I won't." The hanyou whispered back, his voice an echo, slipping past her little human ears.

"Inuyasha?" She pleaded, the tears streaming down her face and putting a frown to Inuyasha's.

"Yes, Kagome! Yes! Whatever you want…whatever you want…" Inuyasha cried out. Why couldn't she hear him? Why didn't she stop crying.

He caressed away her tears with his trembling fingers. Trembling from surprise, shock, excitement, and want.

"Please?" She pleaded again and all the hanyou could do was hang his head. She couldn't hear a word he said, not one word. Then…she wouldn't mind at all if he just spoke three words that she couldn't hear?

"Kagome…I think I….I love you."

Warm lips touched his own as if those words alone had reached her ears. His eyes widened in shock and his head pulled upward as Kagome's soft hand spread over his chest.

"Mmmm…." Was all Inuyasha could manage through those pressed lips. She tasted so good and her lips were so light, like he could barely feel them. But he wanted to feel them. He wanted to feel her again but here, he couldn't feel a single thing. Not her soft caress or the tickle of her sweet words in his ear. But he accepted the kiss, returned it, cherished every living second of it. Until it was all over.

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Inuyasha bolted upward, his amber eyes wide and searching the room for something that he wasn't even sure existed. His chest heaved as he breathed and he could feel his entire body glistening with the moisture of sweat.

'A dream. Just a dream.' He told himself

The hanyou hung his head, breathed, and let the sweat drip from his forehead. So it hadn't happened at all. Kagome hadn't kissed him, he hadn't said that he loved her, and most of all, Kagome could hear him. Couldn't she? His entire body trembled with the thought. But he shook it off. It was just a dream. He couldn't control his dreams or the way they played out, the way they went. Just because he said so in the dream didn't mean he loved Kagome in real life. No way. He wouldn't admit it, even if it were true.

He glanced down, over his shoulder, his heart pounding and his eyes searching for that pale girl who kissed him in his dream. Kagome.

And there she lay. Just as he had left her the moment he crawled into her bed. There she lay, knees to chest, curled up and searching for more warmth.

Gently, he pulled the covers over her slim form and rose his eyes to the window. He could see the first few rays of daylight beginning to seep through the curtains; his cue to move back to the flat pillow on the ground.

He adjusted himself uncomfortably on the pillow. He could feel the hard carpet beneath the pillow that lay flat on the ground. Did Kagome seriously expect him to sleep on that thing? He was so used to sleeping on hard, uncomfortable ground, but when he could just as easily be sleeping on a big comfy bed, he'd find a way to luxury while he still had a chance at it.

Almost without even having to think about it, the hanyou slid his clawed hand into the soft fabric of his Firerat robe. His fingers worked around inside the clothing until his long, pointed nails tapped against something that gave off a soft 'tink' at the touch. He gently tugged it from his haori and held the goldpendant in his hands, his eyes dancing over every link that chained the necklace together. He silently wedged the long nail of his thumb finger into the slit, right above the hatch. He wiggled the finger around, prying open the golden, heart-shaped, locket. His eyes danced over the small, cut-out, pictures inside. He could still remember when the picture was taken. It hadn't been during the best of times, but he couldn't help but smile at the sight of them both with their mouths opened wide to cry out a few harsh words to one another.

When he had received the gift, he acted like he wasn't flattered at all. He didn't even wear it. It was his own little secret that he still kept the token of love in his possession. What would Kagome think if she knew that he really did appreciate it? What would she do if she was awake to see as the hanyou slipped the long necklace over his head and pulled his silver hair out from under it to hide the golden links. He tucked it under the purple rosary bead necklace and let the locked part hang just under the collar of his white Yukata. That's right. She never had to know.

The seconds, minutes, hours passed by as Inuyasha's lids grew heavier and heavier as he fought the battle to stay awake. He couldn't go back again, not to dream of kissing Kagome again. Surprisingly, that's not what got him. It was that she couldn't hear him, couldn't hear how frantically he cried out to her, and that he couldn't feel her as she touched him softly, begging him, pleading for him to never leave her side.

Still, something inside of him wanted to dream again. Something inside of his wanted to kiss Kagome just one last time, and that was what pulled that blanket of sleep over his head and made his lids lower.

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"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out, his eyes bolting open as he shot up straight, his entire body tensed.

"Just missed her." Souta replied, as it was the normal question asked in the house. He didn't even need to wait for the rest of the sentence.

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered, his eyes turning to the small boy who stood in the doorway. What had he said? He couldn't remember? Had he screamed her name, mentioned her at all?

"Kagome." Her little brother replied, nodding his head and stepping forward into the room, a small smile on his hopeful lips.

"What? Where'd she go?" He asked. Wasn't this the day Kagome got off of school? Like a break? Inuyasha had learned the days of the week. Or at least which days Kagome didn't have to go to school.

"School, duh!" Souta replied, raised his arms and then dropping them quickly. "She'll be back. For now, wanna play hide and seek?"

Inuyasha stared at Souta for a moment, then turned his amber eyes to the window, his brows furrowing.

"Hell! I'm goin' to school!" He shouted, standing up on his feet and placing his hands on his hips, making up his mind.

"Inuya-" But before Souta could utter another word, the hanyou was off, swiping the bandana from Kagome's desk but not bothering to put it over his silvery dog ears.

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"Oooooh….." Kagome moaned, her head falling and clunking to the desk before rising again with her hand to her head.

"Owww!" She cried, all her classmates turning to stare right at her. She peered around, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Was this day ever going to end? No. She doubted it. A pop quiz was today and she hadn't studied in the least bit. Not with Inuyasha always on her back, peering over her shoulder when she didn't give him any attention for over a few minutes.

"Miss Higurashi! Is there something wrong?" Kagome's professor asked, his thick, gray brows furrowing as he turned his back on the blackboard and the white squiggles that confused Kagome so much.

"Uhhh…no, sir." She muttered, her cheeks turning bright red. She hadn't meant to cry out so loud.

"Then may I continue?" He asked, his voice gruff and accusing as he acted as if he was really waiting on her word.

"Yes, sir." Kagome replied, her eyes moving across the room to where Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi sat, staring hard but sympathetically at her.

Slowly, as the professor returned to the board, Kagome lowered her eyes to her booklet, staring hard at the tiny squiggles she couldn't possibly understand. Even now, when she could be paying attention, learning something new, her attention had drifted.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

The moments passed with the monotonous and low mumbles of the professor at the head of the room and the even louder ticking of the clock. She waited, wishing something would break the silence. A cough, a sneeze, anything at all. Anything but what happened.

"Yo, Kagome!"

"Oh no…"

Kagome's hands fluttered up to her face as her cheeks burned even a deeper red. No. No way. She knew that voice and knew that red kimono that covered the built body of the boy who burst through the classroom door.

"No…way…" She moaned, listening to the shocked gasps of her classmates and the wide eyes of her friends at seeing who it was. But why was everyone so amazed? Surely his clothing wasn't that odd. But Kagome knew once she looked up as she the uncovered ears perched on his head.

"AH!" She screamed, bolting up from her chair. "SIT!"

"Wh-WHA!" Inuyasha screamed as the necklace of prayer beads began to glow and forced his face to the polished tile floors.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome cried out his name as she rushed forward in a flash and grasped the portion of silvery hair that hung down over the hanyou's shoulders. She yanked it along with her as she darted out the door, leaving her friend's shocked faces behind, surprised at who walked through the door.

"Ow, OW!" He screamed in protest as he was dragged out the door and into the hallway.

Kagome shut the door behind her and turned to face Inuyasha with a red face full of fury, embarrassment and shock.

"What in the world are you doing here!" Kagome asked, staring angrily at Inuyasha as he stared up at her, fuming as well.

"I came to see you, I thought you would be happy! Excuse me!" He retorted, clenching a fist as he sat on the ground, looking up at Kagome.

"Your ears!" She screamed, thinking of another thing he'd done wrong.

"Wha? Oh…I guess I forgot."

"FORGOT?" Kagome screamed, her words echoing awfully loud through the empty hallway and alerting the students and teachers inside.

Quickly, a door crashed open and the head of a neighboring teacher poked out to glare at them meanly.

"AH!" Kagome cried, dropping down and grabbing Inuyasha's head, pushing it into her chest to cover his ears.

Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do. The teacher's eyes widened as they lowered to the shocked look on the hanyou's face as his face was shoved onto Kagome's chest as she covered the top of his head. The teacher slowly slid the door closed, getting the point, or what seemed to look like it.

"Mmhmmay…." Inuyasha murmured, his voice muffled and barely audible. And as soon as Kagome realized why, she shrieked and pushed Inuyasha away again, staring at him with wide eyes into his shocked face.

"W-Wow…" Was all he could muster in a wavering voice. His cheeks were bright rosy, matching Kagome's.

"SIT, BOY!" Kagome cried, her brows furrowing at his remark as she crossed her arms over her chest, holding onto her shoulders as she watched Inuyasha's face smack onto the ground in front of her.

"Ow! You're the one who shoved me onto you!" Inuyasha shouted out, pulling his face from the tiles on the floor to glare at her.

"You didn't have to say 'Wow'! I didn't mean to do it!" She cried back, their words echoing through what seemed like the entire school.

"What! You wanted me to say 'Oh, thanks, Kagome! That was really nice, I like that a lot!' or 'Goodness, Kagome! That was amazing, do it again!" He mocked.

"SIT!"

Smack.

"OUCH! STOP THAT!"

"SIT!"

Smack.

"I WAS KIDDING!"

"SIT"

Smack.

"Oooooh…."

..:---.-.-..----:..

Hmmm...

-cackle-

Okay, that's enough of that. On to the next chapter.