"Kagome!"

The woman in question stopped, panting as she turned to see who could have possibly called out to her. It was the end of the day for most classes, and very few students were on campus now. Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted the taller man wave to her as he crossed the courtyard. It wasn't every day a handsome man called out to her in public. Come to think of it the last time it happened had been at the bookstore…

"Inuyasha."

The dark haired man was smiling as he approached, and she had to will herself not to act like a starstruck schoolgirl because he was smiling at her. He had called out for her. It was nice that for once the good looking guy was focused on her, even if there wasn't anything to come from it. Her high school years had been spent as a detour sign for her friends, directing the guys to where they were. No more. So if the equivalent of sex on legs was focused on her, she was going to enjoy the hell out of it.

"You have to cross the campus in the dark?" he asked with a frown as he stopped in front of her.

She shrugged lightly, so as not to jostle the bag on her shoulder. "It's how my schedule has been laid out this term. This is nothing," she assured him, "I've had to do labs for chemistry class in my first year even later than this."

Inuyasha's frown deepened. Sure the campus security was good, but the idea of her wandering around even later than this when she was a freshmen really didn't sit right with him. Something he told her in no uncertain terms when he asked "When does the class you have before this one end?"

"About a quarter till seven. Why?"

"Because I can arrive early and wait for you. Walk with you to this class."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that! You probably have a lot of other things to do before class! I wouldn't want you to put yourself out-"

"I want to," he told her firmly. "You're too beautiful to be alone at night. Some crazy person might snatch you up and make you a living doll for their collection… What?" The sudden case of giggles that erupted from the small woman before him was confusing.

"I don't know what I find funnier. That you called me beautiful or that image of becoming a living doll."

Inuyasha laid his free hand on the small of her back and gently guided her to the classroom. "Well I don't know how accurate the living doll theory is, but I'm not wrong about you being beautiful." His other arm shouldered the duffel that his costume was in. It was still Ares, but Kikyo had started having him leave off parts of the armor, wanting the students to study how the muscles moved. Without even glancing down at her he could tell that her scent had changed with his words. She was flattered, that much was obvious, but what wasn't was why she felt the need to contradict him.

She really hoped he couldn't see her blush in with the low light outside the building they approached. "If you say so, Inuyasha."

He didn't like how she brushed his comment off like that either. When they entered the classroom, it was empty. Once again, Kikyo hadn't shown up early for this class to prepare, which was just as well tonight. He was going to get to the bottom of this. As Kagome set her things down at her favorite seat, he dropped his duffel behind the folding screen that Kikyo had left for him to change behind. It was easier than maneuvering in the bathroom stalls, and he always showed up early anyway. He turned to look at her and crossed his arms. "I do say so, Kagome. Ya wanna tell me why you have such a low view of yourself?"

"Do I have to?" she sighed.

"We have time, sweetheart. Spill."

Kagome chewed her lip. Part of her didn't want to say, but she knew he wouldn't be satisfied until she gave him something. At least it was just the two of them. Most of the students wouldn't roll into the classroom until five minutes past the expected time. "Fine," she relented at last. "when I was growing up, I wasn't noticed in my group of friends. They were popular and pretty. Everything came easy to them. In high school, if a boy approached me, it was because he was looking for one of my friends and wanted to pass along a message. That's all I was good for. If I did get a boyfriend, it never lasted long, and I learned later that it was because of a dare -"

"That's a crock of shit."

"Then should I go on about my college life? About how I know very few people outside of classes? I could continue but it's going to get depressing Inuyasha." She visibly winced as she thought about it. Fucking hell her social life sucked, didn't it? And here she thought that getting out of high school would be an improvement. Then again…she did meet the half demon at the bookstore, and now Inuyasha…so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"Keh. You know good and damn well all that stuff you just said is a load of shit." Inuyasha dropped into the chair next to Kagome's and took her hand in his. "First off – your first problem is that these were boys. Boys are incredibly stupid. Their brain's haven't finished fusing together, even if they ain't got that soft spot anymore. Second off – I don't know what your friends from school look like, but I highly doubt that they're any prettier."

"They followed all the trends in the magazines. I didn't." 'Great, add on a half-assed argument. Way to go, Kagome.'

"And you didn't have to. Even not knowing what you looked like in high school I know you didn't need to do all that crap." Inuyasha snorted as his thumb began to rub circles against her hand. "The only opinions you should even entertain listening to is a real man's. And that's only after your own."

Kagome wanted to laugh again. "A real man, huh? And where do I find one of those?"

"Right here," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. Kagome sounded defeated even with that sad attempt at sarcasm. Her gaze had settled on their joined hands, and he gave hers another squeeze to get her to look up at him. Inuyasha needed her to see that he was serious. That he meant every word.

That… shit what was he going to say? Those blue eyes had managed to toss every thought he had out the window. He couldn't remember what he was going to say next. At all.

He knew that reaching over and brushing his fingers against her cheek wasn't in the plan. Neither was finding himself leaning forward as the hand that grazed her cheek drew her towards him. Or maybe she was leaning forward too, he couldn't be sure. Inuyasha knew he could feel her breath hitch against his lips as they grew closer…she was so close he could…

The loud bang of a garbage can being emptied somewhere in the hallway jolted them back to reality. Kagome looked embarrassed as she sat back in her seat, muttering an apology and trying to compose herself. She'd…she'd just…she'd nearly kissed him, hadn't she? A man she barely knew. This was not her. She didn't do things like this, but…part of her wished they hadn't been interrupted.

Fuck.

Inuyasha leaned back and cleared his throat. Damn, he'd been so close too! He hadn't meant for it to go that far, but everything about her drew him in and he forgot himself. She did blush prettily when she murmured her apology, though to him, she had no reason. He'd been the one to reach for her hand, touch her cheek, pull her close. His own apology came out sounding kind of hoarse, so he stood and moved to change into the costume while she busied herself with unpacking her materials.

Class would be starting soon.


Kagome thought she would have been partially glad to finish class this night. She could go back to her apartment, change into her pajamas, and binge on what was left of her ice cream. Spend the weekend trying to forget how she had nearly made a fool of herself with Inuyasha and the almost kiss. Try to forget how defined his muscles were in the wrapped toga that had been underneath the armor.

It didn't help that when he stepped out in just the toga, exposing the majority of his chest, she'd nearly whimpered. She was pretty sure her expression had given her away, if his cheeky grin was any indication. He'd asked if she was alright, like they hadn't been millimeters from kissing minutes before. Kagome shouldn't have been surprised that he was cut like an actual god. The way that dark blue shirt she first saw him in had hugged his form was proof enough. And then, as the weeks had moved on, pieces of armor had been taken off. The first time she'd seen his bare arms her first thought had been what it must feel like to be wrapped in them.

He probably gave great hugs.

If only her thoughts had stopped at hugging, she might have been alright. That night had been almost as embarrassing as this one. It was like he knew what she was thinking down to the dirty details. Kagome had a shit poker face and knew it, but this was beyond her expressions giving her away.

Tonight the last vestiges of his armor was gone, standing before everyone in the wine red toga that was held in place by a metal brooch on his left shoulder. There was still the wrap underneath that it was belted to, but for some reason she felt like he was more exposed now than ever. Maybe it was because of earlier when they were talking. Or maybe it was the fact that he wasn't breaking eye contact with her during the entire class period. Hell – maybe it was because she was seeing two inches of skin above his knee caps now. Kagome couldn't put her finger on it, but something was different.

As the last of the students filed out, Kikyo gave them a parting wave, mentioning that she had a date with her TV and a Mad Men marathon on the DVR. Kagome couldn't help but marvel that her instructor trusted a student and a volunteer enough to lock up behind them. Then again…she could simply be a few French fries short of a super-size order. It didn't really matter in that moment, because Inuyasha had finished changing into his regular clothes and was looking at her expectantly.

Oh shit, she was being asked something.

"You alright Kagome?" he repeated.

"Uh…yeah," she swallowed. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I said it's pretty late. You want me to walk you to your dorm?"

She shook her head. "Oh no that's alright. No, I have an apartment off campus."

"Then let me walk you to your car?"

Inuyasha looked determined to be a gentleman, she could tell that much, so she felt guilty about what she said next. "I don't drive."

His brows lowered. "Then how are you getting to classes – and you'd best not say by walking."

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Alright then, I won't."

"Fucking hell," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. This small woman, this tiny woman that was sitting before him did not just tell him that she walked to classes and back in the dark, and then also walked back to her apartment after her last class – alone. Could he smell toast burning? Was he having a stroke? He glanced down at her, and she wasn't giving any indication that she was joking.

Fuck.

He'd been teasing about the living doll scenario earlier, thinking that she had a god damned car that she was using. And to know that she didn't…and living off campus….even the closest apartments were a good ten minute walk from here, and they weren't the best ones that a female college student should choose if she were living by herself. The city wasn't dangerous per se, but it wasn't good for a woman to be walking alone at night on principle. The world wasn't like it used to be years ago. Hell it wasn't even safe for a man to walk alone at night in some places. Her words earlier reminded him that her lack of social connections outside of class meant she did live alone and fuck he wanted to scream.

"You know what. Give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

"Let me see it," he said, holding out his hand. There was no hesitation as she handed him her device, and part of him was thrilled that she had some trust in him. The other part wished she had been more pushy to get an answer before she gave it to him, but that was his paranoid brain talking, trying to create images of what could happen if he weren't around to look out for her. The only thing that was keeping him from going down that particular dark hole was the feel and scent of Kagome as she stood behind him, trying to peek over his shoulder to watch. "I'm putting in my number," he offered, sending a quick text to his phone through her number so he'd have it for his contacts. "You call or text me anytime, day or night. I don't care what time it is, if I'm in the middle of eating or even asleep. I don't like the idea of you walking by yourself back and forth to campus – even in broad daylight – so call me and I'll come get you."

"That… Inuyasha, that's very sweet, but I can't ask that of you. You have your own life. You can't drop everything to come give me a lift to classes…"

"The hell I can't," he cut her off. "Ain't nothing that I need to do in a day that's more important than your safety."

Kagome felt her cheeks heat up. No one outside of her family had ever said something like that to her, and her gut was telling her that Inuyasha meant every word. "You don't even know where I live," she replied, feeling stupid for even saying it.

"You're right," he grinned. "I don't, so you're gonna have to give me directions when we get to my truck."

"I – I'm sorry. What?"

"I'm taking you home." He turned and shouldered his duffle bag, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can gape at me like a fish all you want but I'm not going anywhere till you're walking with me, Ka-Go-Me."

"I…I don't know…" Why was she digging her heels in about this? They'd talked for a few months now; they were practically friends, and he was offering to drive her home. Like a gentleman. She felt safe around him, so it wasn't that. Was it…the near kiss? Nah, it couldn't be. He'd never brought it up again, so she shouldn't think on it either.

Right?

Right.

Kagome picked up her bag and sketchpad and stood up. Inuyasha only grinned wider and she was not going to think about how much she liked seeing him smile. She wasn't. Drawing him broody all night had been nice, but the way he smiled lit his face up, giving him a boyish charm….shit she was thinking about his smile. Dammit.

Inuyasha made sure to lock the door to the classroom behind him after Kagome went through, before placing a hand at the small of her back and leading her out to the student parking lot. As far as she knew he was only a volunteer, but to his good fortune she didn't think to ask why a "guest" was using student parking or why there was a student parking sticker in the corner of his windshield. He did have to admit that he liked the sight of her sitting there in the passenger seat, and it took great effort on his part to ignore the urge to lean over and get that kiss he'd almost gotten an hour and a half before. Instead he asked her to lead the way as he started the engine and backed out.

On the drive to her apartment he discovered two good things. One being that the apartment building was not the one he was thinking of. It was in a better part of the town and had a good reputation for being affordable for students and well taken care of. The other was that his own house was a five-minute drive from the apartments, so it would be a cinch to come pick her up whenever. A very good thing, because said apartment was a ten minute drive from campus, and he wasn't about to begin to calculate how much time she spent on foot by herself trekking back and forth.

Nope, not going to go down that hole again. He had to unclench his hands from the steering wheel as it was. He unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out, darting around the front of the truck to open her door before she even reached for the handle.

"I could get it you know," she smiled.

"Yeah, but what kind of decent man would I be if I let you?" he grinned back. "Now, what's your apartment number?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm gonna walk you to your door."

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha really wasn't going to let her walk by herself, was he? The man was waiting for her to lead the way. 'It's not like the apartment is an all-girl's dorm,' she reminded herself. There were plenty of people who were bringing "guests" up to their place. Whoever was in the apartment beneath hers certainly had no qualms about keeping things on the down low, but from the sounds she heard at night whoever was with them was certainly going down low and the tenant appreciated it.

Wordlessly, she reached behind the seat for her sketchpad and shouldered her bag. The door was shut behind her and before she could blink he was waiting for her at the front door with it held open. Maybe it was late and her brain was fried, but she hadn't seen him move. There was no way a human man was capable of that kind of speed. Now a demon on the other hand…but…Inuyasha wasn't a demon.

The elevator should have been the logical choice, but Kagome wanted to be selfish and stay with him for just a little longer, so she turned left and began to go up the stairs. He followed without complaint, nor did he voice using the elevator instead. She secretly hoped that he enjoyed her presence as much as she did his.

"About…earlier," he said suddenly, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "What…what happened before class. I have to ask…"

'Oh god, here it comes. It was a mistake. That wasn't what he intended-'

"…do you…you have a boyfriend?"

"W-what?" Kagome stopped on the flight of stairs and looked up at him. "What makes you think I have a boyfriend?"

Inuyasha shrugged, feeling a bit of a blush run up his neck. "I mean…I don't want to do anything that might land you in hot water with your boyfriend."

She tried not to laugh outright as she started up the steps again. "It's funny that you think I have one, considering what I told you."

"But you don't? Not even in another town?" God he hoped that didn't sound as hopeful out loud as it did in his head.

"No," she shook her head. "Not even in another town." The relieved grin she glimpsed as he followed her made her bite down on her lip. She shouldn't enjoy that that made him so happy. They only knew each other through the art class, and she had her doubts that he would have spoken to her otherwise under other circumstances.

When she voiced that thought, they'd reached her door. A bit disappointing, but she also wasn't expecting anything either. It's not like it was a date. They weren't dating. They weren't even a couple.

"How do you know that?" he countered, standing toe to toe with her in front of her door. Inuyasha glanced up over her head, cataloguing the door number to memory. "How do you know that I wouldn't want to speak to you if I'd seen you for the first time in a café or something?"

She set her bag and sketchpad to rest against the door, giving a small shrug. "There's more noticeable women out there in the world."

"And you think you're not one of them."

"I know I'm not one of them, Inuyasha."

"Feh," he scoffed. "There you go with that again. You mean to tell me that you don't think anyone would be interested. What about that half demon you've talked about? You don't think he'd be interested in you?" It was probably a dirty trick, leaning into his plan like this to gauge her opinion of him, but fuck it. She'd brought up the half demon in conversation before a few times, and he'd even mentioned that he'd "run" into him on an occasion or two.

Kagome tried not to groan. He wasn't making this easy for her, and why did he have to bring up the guy with the cute ears in the bookstore anyway? That wasn't helping the situation at all. "I don't," she muttered. "I only ever see him there when I have to buy new supplies for class. Not exactly a way to form a relationship."

"Fine. What do you think of him, then?" Inuyasha shifted on the spot, hoping he wasn't fucking his chances up. She looked unsure, and he wasn't taking that as a good sign. Then… her scent changed. He had to resist the urge to actually sniff the air visibly. The experimental drug only transformed his features; Mushin hadn't developed it to muffle the senses, and he'd nearly outted himself as the half demon he really was. Or just a weirdo.

"I… I think he's handsome, and very kind…" Her cheeks felt warm and glanced down, hoping it wasn't noticeable. She shouldn't feel guilty saying this to the man before her, but…she'd never been in a position where she nearly kissed the half demon either.

"So he hasn't ever tried to make a move? Not once?"

"Well, I mean… he did hold my hand as he led me around the store the last time I stopped in."

"Keh. He's gonna have to do better than that."

"Do better…what? I-Inuyasha?" Kagome looked up upon hearing his hand connect with the door behind her. his gaze was set on hers as his other hand came up to cup her cheek again. She was pretty sure he could hear how her heartbeat had picked up as he leaned in until their noses touched. He couldn't be about to – could he? No, no there had to be another reason –

"That half demon needs to get his head on straight," he murmured, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. That little intake of breath was hard to ignore. "I'm a patient man, but I don't think I can wait for him to decide if he's going to scoop you up. Not when I'm right here…"

With the first brush of his lips against hers, Kagome couldn't contain the small noise she made. It felt so nice that the second kiss became more urgent, swallowing her moan before it could escape. His mouth slanted over hers, showing her exactly what he could offer. Kagome forgot everything but him as she let herself enjoy the kiss. She stepped closer, reaching out for his shoulders as the hand on the door dropped to wrap around her waist.

Oh god, she had been right. Even holding her to him felt wonderful. The way his tongue darted out against her bottom lip had nothing to do with that either, but it damn sure didn't take away from it. she wished it didn't have to end but…well…she couldn't exactly invite him in, could she?

No.

Well…

No.

Fuck.

She was going to have to have a talk with her libido later. After her meeting with Ben and Jerry. Probably have to bring the 'tachi in as a compromising tool. God knows the image she was looking up at would fuel her dreams for the weekend.

Inuyasha could only pray that he didn't look as smug as he felt. That kiss had been everything and more. The only part about it he wished he'd could have changed was that he'd had to get the kiss looking like a human. That was something he could mull over later when he tried to figure out how to get her to see that he was the man with the ears she was guiltily pining over too. Right now, he wanted to commit the vision of her flushed face and kiss-swollen lips to memory.

"After that," he smiled, tracing her jawline delicately, "I don't know how long I'll be able to wait."