DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This author has no financial or non-financial relation nor do they possess any right to "Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale" franchise. Full ownership of all characters is the sole intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.

I May Have Miscalculated

Someone upstairs was definitely watching out for her because by some miracle, Inuyasha had yet to figure out that Kagome's hearing had completely returned. By that same stroke of luck, however, Kagome had discovered that once you got Inuyasha talking, he didn't shut up.

"And another thing," Inuyasha huffed as he threw more wood onto their fire - the half-demon having suspiciously demanded they stop in this random cave under the guise that it 'smelled like rain' which he hilariously mimed out for her benefit, "You have got to stop looking at Koga. I don't mean flirt with him. I know you don't do that. Just don't stare at him. It can't be that hard even though I can smell how you feel about his stupid hair and stupid face and stupid height. I'm just as good looking at Koga, okay? Yeah maybe I'm not as tall but that doesn't mean anything. I'm still taller than you. That's what matters."

Kagome sighed as she continued pretending she couldn't hear anything he was saying. First of all, she didn't stare at Koga. Not really. Yeah, he was good looking but she wasn't actually interested. And if she did stare it was mostly out of shock that he'd said something so wildly inappropriate that her brain short circuited. That and he basically ran around half-naked. It was hard not to notice and even harder when she daydreamed about how Inuyasha looked under those billowing robes of his. If she did 'stare' at Koga it was only because she was wondering whether Inuyasha's abs were just as chiseled. Kagome wrinkled her nose as she admitted to herself that yeah, Koga might be a creep but she didn't mind the view just the personality. She never thought Inuyasha would notice and she didn't see the harm in it but apparently harm had been done.

Second of all, at some point Inuyasha had to figure out she could hear, right? Wasn't his nose super sharp? Or was he just trying to make it seem more accurate than it actually is was? The latter would make sense. Inuyasha definitely had an inferiority complex and definitely wanted it known that his senses were better than a humans. Maybe he had been exaggerating all this time as a defense mechanism. Although how the hell could he track so well if his nose wasn't all that good? Maybe he was just high on his newfound ability to say whatever the hell he wanted.

"I mean I'm good looking, right?" Inuyasha sighed as he glanced over his shoulder to look at her and upon realizing he had done so, Kagome smiled which seemed to appease him. Turning back towards the fire, he humphed a soft, "that's what I thought" before letting out a dejected sounding sigh.

"You need to just drop out of that school of yours," Inuyasha continued as stood up and moved to sit beside her, "I mean, I get you need that shit for your world but you won't need it here. When this quest is over. I'll destroy the well if I've gotta because you were born for me whether you like it or not, okay? You...dammit you're the only person who takes care of me. So…so you've got to stay here and at least cook. Otherwise I'll starve."

As dire as that declaration would've sounded on paper, the playful tone of his voice made it clear he was just being dramatic for his own amusement. His new lighthearted attitude was adorable really. When they first arrived at the cave, he'd suggested a little too innocently that it was cold and they should just share the sleeping bag because there was space enough for both of him. Even added in the mischievous comment that he didn't bite hard. It was a miracle Kagome managed to hide her blush when he gave her an adoring little look when he thought she couldn't see.

"Sleeping bag thing is still on the table," Inuyasha hummed as he suddenly collected her small form and drug her onto his lap, "No? That's fair. I was lying anyway when I said I'd behave."

Kagome hummed in lieu of laughing and buried her nose in the crook of his neck earning a contended sigh and his arms holding her incrementally tighter.

"You probably need to go back, huh?" Inuyasha mumbled to himself as he reached up to force her head to rest just under his chin, "Just to get checked out. But you could come back even if you can't hear. I know…I know I messed up but I'll do better. I won't let you get hurt again. Besides I hear good enough for us both if this is just how things are now. And I don't mind it. Its actually kinda nice."

Humming, Inuyasha furrowed his brow as he gave her a light squeeze disguised as an adjustment for her comfort, "Just don't leave me, okay?"

Kagome had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from comforting him. He sounded so sad, so resigned. Like he'd already come to the conclusion she was going to leave him – if not now, some day relatively soon. Maybe in the morning her hearing could miraculously come back and then she could find a way to do something about that tone.

"I love you," Inuyasha mumbled – again with sadness laced in the statement as Kagome began to drift off, "And I'm sorry I let you down."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The next morning came….and went without her saying anything. Mainly because when she woke up, she woke up laying atop her sleeping bag with Inuyasha's arm draped lazily across her waist as he slept on the stone floor. It had taken her a minute to figure out how she got into this position before just chalking it up to a deep sleep and Inuyasha having moved her. Mercifully, Kagome managed to close her eyes and feign sleep just before he began to stir. A small gasp escaped him as he quickly moved up and away from her in favor of settling down by the wall. That reaction had made her wonder whether he'd done something like that before and piqued her interest. Maybe he'd do things like that more if he thought he could get away with it.

By the time, she'd convinced herself she was being stupid and borderline cruel, Inuyasha was already packing up her things and getting ready to go. The opportunity had come and gone to pretend that her hearing miraculously came back after a good night's rest. The journey back to the village was slow with Inuyasha obviously and purposefully going at what a demon might call a light jog and humans a hurried sprint. It was blatantly clear he wanted to drag out their time together when he could talk as he pleased for as long as possible. Every admission and statement were now rushed and slightly desperate. Yelled to the wind or just over his shoulder.

Apparently, he stalked her but that wasn't surprising and it was something she pretty much knew anyway. What was surprising, however, is that he apparently slept in her bed while she was at school and asked her in jest to change the sheets more often because apparently, she sweat a lot and it got musty. Which she most certainly did not'sweat like a pig' and she changed her sheets at least twice a week when she was home, thank you very much. Except, okay, she wasn't home a lot these days and she had been going on the assumption her mom was doing it but maybe, just maybe, that had not been happening and she was sleeping on month old sheets. That was probably something she should do next time she went home.

Other than the surprising admission he felt stupid around her and had tried to learn the things in her textbooks only to have ultimately given up, the rest of the time he just talked about life and waged a bet that Sango would end up married to Miroku. Even went so far as to suggest they were probably already a couple and just hadn't told anyone. Inuyasha then threw in the comment that the same could be said about Kagome and him was added in an almost hopeful tone before he sighed dejectedly and remained silent the rest of the way back to the village.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would tell him all the things.

Cringing slightly, Kagome rested her head atop his shoulder as her stomach churned. She was lying to him. For what? To trick him and get him to admit things he'd been keeping quiet all this time? Was she really that desperate? The most important person to him, so Inuyasha had been saying, had betrayed him like everyone else. This was especially bad when he'd listed his ability to trust her as something he loved. That was the statement that made Kagome want to puke.

Inuyasha deserved so much better.