Chapter 37

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome cried out, struggling to make her weak voice heard over the rushing wind as the hanyou sped through the air, towards the Higurashi estate.

It took him a moment to realize the quiet, shrill protests were trailing from the lips of the miko that lay in his arms. His questioning eyes flashed downward in a look of annoyance as he forced himself to skid to a stop on the tan, paved, sidewalk.

"What is it now?" He demanded, his grip on Kagome shifting so he could look down into her pale face with furrowed brows.

"I still need to go to the grocery store!" She replied, wiggling in his arms but not making any attempt to remove herself from his pleasing embrace. She didn't want to. She knew it, and she would admit it. She was comfortable laying in his arms, with her life in his hands and her heart in her eyes.

Inuyasha rose his nose to the air, taking in a deep breath through his sensitive nostrils. He could taste the food in the air, singling out the scents streaming from Kagome's house. "Keh. I have a feeling your mom already beat you to it." He said, curling his arms around the girl as he took off again, despite her confused cries.

"What are you talking about, Inuyasha? It's my job to get the groceries when I'm here." Kagome protested, but by the time she uttered the last word of her sentence, the hanyou was already walking across the lush grass of the miko's clean cut yard.

"Too late. We're already here and I ain't taking you all the way back!" Inuyasha replied, nudging open the sliding front door to the house with his shoulder. It was almost as though the two had completely forgotten Kagome was still lying in the inu half demon's arms as he stepped inside to the wide eyes of Kagome's Mom, Grandpa, and brother.

"I-Is there...something wrong with Kagome?" Souta asked, stammering on his words by the sight in front of him. Not only did a red hot blush crawl over the little boy's cheeks, but over the two teens as well.

"Hurt leg?" Kagome's mother suggested.

"Woozy head?" Kagome's grandfather added.

"I just…I...hurt my leg, that's it. Yeah. I'm fine now. Inuyasha was just making sure I...Um..." The rest of the broken sentence fleeted her mind as the blush across her cheeks deepened. Wiggling slightly, Inuyasha quickly dropped the girl back to her feet and slowly inched his way out of the kitchen, leaving Kagome behind to defend for herself in the only way the hanyou didn't know how to protect her.

Boom after startling boom, thunder struck the loudest in the hanyou's ears as he stared, carefully, at the girl who stood across the room. Inuyasha examined every movement she made as she ran the brush through her long, long, raven locks. Eyeing her green skirt and white blouse that she had laid on the counter she had laid them on.

That note. He remembered her stuffing it into that green pocket of hers. Now only if she would leave the room, if he could get a moment along to rummage in those pockets. Just to put that curiosity of his to a rest.

Kagome could feel those amber eyes boring holes into her back as she pulled the brush through her silken charcoal hair. She fought the strong urge to turn around and shoot daggers at him with her own brown orbs. He was just waiting for something and she knew it. But how could she keep it from him if she didn't even know what he sought?

"Kagome! Com'mere real quick!" Like an answer to the inu hanyou's prayer, Souta's voice cried up from the bottom of the stairs. Inuyasha's dog ears flicked slightly, moving in the direction of the booming sound that echoed over the thunderstorm progressing outside the window. Kagome even jumped a little when her brother's voice broke the silence of the room.

The unwilling miko sighed heavily before running the brush through her dark tresses one last time and setting down the brush to stand tall and send a glaring look towards Inuyasha. He watched her leave the room without a word. Without a simple 'behave' or 'stay here' as she strode from the room, leaving the entire area for his amusement.

Jumping up with a slight smirk, the hanyou immediatly went for the neatly folded clothes without a thought about it at all. As if there was an alarm surrounding the clothing shed from the miko's body only moments ago, he pushed a clawed hand into the flat pile. Digging, digging, until his sharp nails scraped over the scratchy material of white, crumpled, paper.

This was it. Inuyasha pulled the balled paper from the colored fabric, his golden eyes wide with excitement and anticipation. 'What could it say? What could it say?' Was the only thing he could think as he carefully un-crumpled the dreaded paper to peer at it's worn writing. 'What does it say?' He squinted at the tiny words, reading what he could manage to comprehend.

' Dear Kagome,

Take these special food coupons to the grocery store and get yourself some good fruit. I'm positive your illness will be over soon if you wash it away with sweet juices. Just promise me you'll get well soon. You seem to be very ill lately. I hope you'll be alright.

Don't bother thanking me. I understand. Besides, it was nothing. Really! I'm glad to help a friend in need. Though, would it be right to refer to you as a friend?

I've been thinking, I think it's time you came to my house to eat a nice dinner with me and my parents. They're really nice people, I promise. Anytime you want! That is, if you want to. I just think my family should see the girl of my dreams.

Love you, Hojou.'

Inuyasha blinked, stared, and blinked again. He could feel a heat form in his chest, pounding to get out. It was like with each faded word that the naive boy wrote, drove another nail through his heart. And it hurt. It really did. He could feel his heart breaking as he tore the letter between his shaking hands. Thinking, 'She loves him.' over and over. So why should he care? He didn't know why he should care, and he argued with himself about it, all in his head. He wasn't in love with Kagome, right? Those dreams didn't mean a thing, right? Hojou and Kagome were made for each other, right? So why was the hanyou's heart breaking in two?

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

Woot! Next chapter! Wow. I...yeah...I must really not have a life. I'm too quick on updates.

But that's alright cuz you people LOVE IT!

And let me just say thank you to all my lovely little reviewers and friendly peoples who have me on their alerts and favorites pages! This includes Elizabeth Hemingway, iceprincess421, lythe224, Antilove066, Big City, -x-miya-x-, and little-miss-inu! YOU GUYS ROCK!

Thanks, guys. Enjoy this chapter and stay tuned! You guys are gonna LOVE this next chapter...and cry...slash hate..BUT ANYWAYS! C-ya!