Chapter 6: Enough

"I don't want to know
I don't want to imagine
A world without you"

-Tyler Knott Gregson

Kagome passed the little brunch joint Daichi's family had chosen, except it wasn't a small little brunch joint. It was Fork, a high-end brunch place she'd been dying to go to, where there was an unspoken dress code, and each plate was at least $50. Oddly grateful she had accepted Kyo's credit card that morning, she resisted hitting her head against the steering wheel, butterflies making their way into her stomach.

Strengthening her resolve to just get through this, Kagome eyed the parking status and was surprised to find a space a few storefronts down from the restaurant. Quickly parallel parking, Kagome decided to shoot Inuyasha a text and tell him where she'd parked before touching up her makeup. She'd only just pulled down the visor to check for any smudges when her phone immediately gave a little 'ding.'

Stay in the car, I'm coming.

That was fine, she decided, knowing he'd probably reach her before she had time to make sure she looked decent.

She was glad she had decided to change at Kyo's, ditching the lace romper she had originally been wearing for a more dressed up look, one that thankfully passed the standards of this place. It was a new dress she'd picked up a few days before, a comfortable wrap style that was a dusty light blue, with long sleeves and a low v neck. The fabric was a thin, soft cotton, the belt that kept the dress closed made of more of the same. It reached her knees but had a slit where the two sides came together, allowing her thigh to peek through when she was walking. It was fitted all over the torso, showing off her curves and small waist, before flaring out into a breezy A-line skirt.

She'd curled her hair like she had planned, and it formed gentle waves down her back and around her face. Instead of her usual natural day look, Kagome had gone for a very polished makeup look, even going as far as to wear some subtle false eyelashes, further making her eyes stand out on her face. They'd always been large, and it was her favorite feature to play on. Inevitably, she'd gotten quite good at wearing false eyelashes over the last few years.

She chosen to wear some plain diamond studs that she'd been gifted for high school graduation, pairing them with a long accent necklace that fell just below her breasts. It was a faux gold leaf, with some more chains and little rhinestones falling in around it. Her shoes were shiny nude pumps, with a pointed toe and a high heel, and she'd thrown all her things into a little white clutch. She had a white and beige sunhat on the back seat of her car, one she'd worn to dinner the night before, that would tie it all together. Not wanting to forget it, she reached behind her and plopped the huge thing in her lap, the one brim flopping up to almost her chin.

She realized the dress was a little bit of a stretch, as she could see the very beginnings of her white lace bra in the bottom of her deep v. The bit of visible lace had become somewhat of a signature look for her, a little bit of empowerment to serve as a reminder that she wasn't afraid of her body. She knew she looked good, she was aware that she was attractive, and she wasn't afraid to show it off a little.

Doing a quick head to toe check that everything was, in fact, still put together, Kagome threw her phone into her clutch and turned the car's engine off, seeing Inuyasha approaching the car on the passenger side from her rear-view mirror.

He, in her humble opinion, looked like a huge distraction. His hair was still down, disheveled around his face and shoulders, the short length curling in the humidity. He'd chosen to wear a fitted light blue button down, with several of the top buttons left undone, exposing the tops of his pectoral muscles. The sleeves were loosely up around his elbows again, a bold watch on his left wrist. His pants were nothing like she'd ever imagine him wearing, navy blue skinny cut chinos that were extremely well fitted against his legs, cuffed up at his ankles. His shoes and his belt were the same shade of brown, she realized, and his watch matched his sunglasses.

Inuyasha was fashionable. That was hard to imagine, but here he was, walking off the cover of GQ and up to her car.

For the second time in ten minutes, she fought the urge to hit her head against the steering wheel. Just what was her life turning into?

She watched as Inuyasha checked traffic before coming around to open her door, reaching a hand down to help her climb out, a slight smile her only hello. Holding her hat in one hand, Kagome used Inuyasha's extended palm to help her get out of the car, not sparing a second before dropping his hand and turning around to grab her clutch and keys from her seat. Once she had everything, she shut her door, and made to walk back towards the sidewalk when Inuyasha's hands shot out and grabbed her bag and sunhat from her hands, but she held onto them, clearly confused by what he was doing.

"You don't need these, we're inside today." Extending his hand closest to her, he motioned to her keys. "I'll hold onto those, too." He angled to grab them from her, but she moved her hand too quickly.

"Stop being ridiculous, I need my money to pay, and I don't want you holding my keys hostage so I can't leave." Kagome scowled at him then, clearly not pleased with what he was saying.

"You stop being ridiculous, if I wanted to trap you here I would smash the keys." He motioned again for her to hand him the things, but still she didn't budge. Pulling his sunglasses off and tucking them in the opening of his shirt, he addressed her again. "Kagome, stop being difficult. I am taking care of this. Let me take care of this."

"I don't need you do everything for me, Yash." She moved around to the trunk then, popping it to deposit her hat. She did so quickly, carefully tucking it so that it wouldn't get smashed by her suitcase. Satisfied that it would survive, Kagome moved to shut the trunk, but Inuyasha stopped her, finally managing to pull the clutch out of her hands.

"What if I like doing things for you, hmm?" He finally got a chance to really look at what she was wearing as she'd stowed away her hat, eyes discretely roving over her figure twice before meeting her eyes again, lucky Kagome hadn't noticed. "Kagome. I didn't spend the last 5 centuries working to not get to spend my money when I want to and how I want to. It's fine. Money is of no object," he looked around suddenly, making sure they were out of ear shot of anyone else, before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Especially when a man is given the opportunity to spend it on a woman like you."

His breath tickled her neck, her mind immediately reverting to the dream she'd had all those years ago, and she had to work hard to not blush all the way down to her navel, willing herself to take control. He was playing games with her, her of all people. She knew he was aware she was attracted to him, and here he was using it against her.

Grateful the breeze was blowing towards her, the cool air welcome on her warm skin, Kagome took a deep breath and prayed Yash hadn't noticed the sudden change in her demeanor, hoping he chalked it up to her giving into him. To her relief, someone was listening to her, because he remained unchanged, unaware that she'd just been remembering a dream when they'd been doing something much more intimate than arguing.

Inuyasha pulled away then, a wink in her direction, before tossing her clutch into the trunk and shutting it, using the key fob he'd taken from her hands to lock the car while ushering her onto the sidewalk, safely depositing her keys in his pocket. To Kagome's surprise, he rested a hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the restaurant while keeping a close position to her.

Okay, so maybe he was on to something, she decided. It was nice to be taken care of, especially if that involved more of his hands on her body.

That thought immediately took her back to that dream again, much to her chagrin, but she was ready for it, and dodged the emotional response before it hit her. Heaving out a loaded sigh, Kagome prepared to walk the three steps up the restaurant, only to be stopped by Inuyasha quickly stepping in front of her, his intense gold orbs on her brown ones.

"Kagome," his hands were on her arms them, squeezing them gently. "If this gets to be too much, all you have to do is say so, okay? One word, and we're out of here." Kagome nodded in response, unable to look away from him. His hands moved then, down to grasp hers, his mouth parted like he wanted to say something before he shut it tightly. He looked away from her then, moved to step back to her side before she stopped him, the hand that wasn't still firmly grasped in his much larger one moving to grab his shoulder, his eyes snapping back to hers in a second, askance for her actions.

"You were going to say something else," she stated boldly, more like the Kagome she usually was with other men, demanding of him. "What was it?" On Inuyasha's part, he looked thoroughly surprised by her statement, but only for a moment, before a smirk crossed his features and he dropped her hand, moving to cup her face, running his thumb over her cheek.

"I wanted to compliment you, but I couldn't decide on what word best describes you right now. You see," he moved his other hand to join the one her face, forcing the hand that hand been on his shoulder to rest on his chest instead. Not that she would complain about it, seeing as how her other hand immediately moved to join it there. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea." She arched an eyebrow at him, a silent question. His hands moved from her face to run over her shoulders, finding purchase in the small of her back. "Well, the only words I could think of were..."He trailed off, clearly playing with her again, trying to get her to react. Kagome smiled up at him then, coyly, like she would if she were trying to coax someone into buying her a drink. He was teasing her, enjoying her reactions, and she would have none of it.

"Oh, Yash," she admonished. "I don't need you to tell me that I leave men speechless." Kagome used her hold on his chest to lean up closer to the left side of his face where a human ear was positioned from his disguise, lowering her voice a tad bit, mindful that any number of the population could effectively be demon and overhear their conversation. "I know what I can do...to a man. It's just too bad that I can't show you." She felt him stiffen under her arms, felt his mouth come to meet her ear, his breath brushing over the skin of neck again.

"And why can't you?" He whispered it, mindful that they were in a very public place, playing right along with her game.

"Because," Kagome ran her hands down his chest then, stopping at his belt, her fingers hooking under the waistband of his pants. "I don't very much like to be teased," she pulled herself closer then, her body brushing against his as they breathed. "And here you are, teasing me. For that, I think I'll just..."she carefully moved one hand down, reaching into his pocket until she felt what she was looking for, wrapping her fingers around it and pulling back slightly. "...go grab Kyo's credit card out of my car to pay for brunch." She was off of him in a flash, faster than Inuyasha had anticipated, it taking him a moment to react before he dashed forward and wrapped am arm around her waist.

They were both laughing as he caught her, his arm pulling her back to his chest, her feet lifting off the ground as they turned with the momentum.

"You're a sly woman, Kagome, do you know that?" Using his other hand to reclaim the keys from her, Inuyasha released her so she could face him. Kagome still had a huge smile on her face, happy to have won their little game, proud of herself for not being afraid to really act like she normally would with anyone else.

"You're much better at playing games than my usual crowd," Kagome decided to say, though she wasn't sure why she was confiding this in him. "They don't put up nearly as much of an effort as you just did." Kagome shrugged, before extending her hand out to Inuyasha. "We're taking too long, we should head inside."

"How often do you play these games, Kagome?" Inuyasha moved to grab her hand, tucking it inside his elbow as he led them up the steps, carefully watching to make sure she didn't catch her heel on one of them.

"Well," she looked at him out the corner of her eye, "whenever I find someone worthy, I guess. But, if it's any measure of success, I've never had to buy my own drinks." Kagome shrugged again, before shooting a carefree smile at him.

"Kagome, it's your body that buys your drinks, don't get confused." He moved his head closer to hers to whisper again. "But it's those kinds of mind games that get you in trouble."

Kagome pulled away from then, her eyebrow raised.

"It's no trouble for me when I always win." She batted his arm away from hers, moving forward to step into the door being held for them by a patron leaving the restaurant. "Stop trying to play games with me, Yash, now isn't the time." She called the last bit over her shoulder, before thanking the stranger who had been kind enough to wait for them.

Somehow, Inuyasha realized, he had just opened a can of worms he didn't even know existed. And he wasn't quite sure how this would pan out.

But, he was excited to see it happen.

Brunch had been fine, surprisingly. Inuyasha being wise enough to claim the end of the table for the two of them, placing her on the outside. Daichi sat in front of her, and his mother next to him. It was nice, if she was being honest, because Inuyasha had turned his chair to where he was facing her a little more, blocking out Rin who had taken the seat right next to Inuyasha.

He shielded her, kept her engaged in conversation with him for most of the meal, and he politely excused them both to walk in the small greenhouse attached to Fork once they'd finished eating. Which, to her relief, both Sesshomaru and Tensho did as well once they'd had their fill of Kari and Rin's conversation, making her feel as if it were less obvious that they were avoiding conversation. They made it back to the table just in time to pay and drop off Inuyasha's car keys with Daichi before leaving in her car, an excuse about furniture shopping being enough for the young demon to accept it and wave them off.

If Daichi noticed that anything was up, he didn't act like it. Instead, he had been keeping his mother and grandmother engaged in conversation about Kira. Apparently, the two women had been planning on him falling in love with the girl his whole life, something that didn't sit well with Kagome. However, she took the distraction for what it was and happily settled into the passenger seat of her car, glad to be out of the line of fire.

They actually went furniture shopping, too. Inuyasha had pulled into a nice-looking place just a few minutes down from the apartment, stating it was better to go ahead and get the shopping over with. Altogether, they spent maybe 30 minutes picking out a bed for the current office, Kagome finally convincing Inuyasha on a high-end murphy bed. In her mind, it allowed him to have a comfortable bed in the room, because she'd slept on that futon before and had a crick in her neck for two whole days afterwards, while also allowing him to keep the office intact. When it wasn't needed, the bed folded up as a nice faux cabinet, which would look sharp next to some matching book cases and a new desk he'd been looking at while they were there.

It didn't take much to convince him to go ahead with the whole purchase, and he quickly had delivery set up for the next day. Spending Inuyasha's money wasn't Kagome's aim, but if he was going to have spent it anyway, she was glad to have managed to curb him from over doing it. She'd only be in the apartment for the summer, anyway. She was sure she'd find something by the time Daichi returned home, and then what would the use for brand new bedroom furniture be in a room that was still needed as an office?

Inuyasha had gotten a phone call as soon as they made it back up to the apartment, which is why she was currently sitting on the balcony alone. He'd disappeared into the office, and apologetic look on his face as he did so, and Kagome could tell he would be a while. So, she'd slipped into something more comfortable for the hot weather, a white crop tee and a pair of high waist jean shorts, before making herself comfortable on the settee with a book. Maybe 30 minutes into her reading, she'd gotten a call from Daichi apologizing that he wouldn't be home for several hours, and that he'd text her when he was on his way.

He sounded happy, she decided, and she could hear the voice of a girl laughing in the background. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing for them to spend some time together before Beijing, even if it turned out they were better suited as friends. She couldn't protect Daichi from that pain any more than she could protect herself. Which is what brought on her next thought.

Things with Inuyasha were weird. Granted, they'd been reacquainted for a little over 24 hrs, so things could still be weird for a while. But, she just couldn't get a read on him. She was unable to tell if he was touchy with her because he just a touchy guy, which could be plausible from all the time he spent in Europe, or because he wanted to touch her for the same reasons she wanted him to. It was odd, the way they interacted, like they were dodging each other while also trying to feel each other out. Kagome knew a good part of it had to do with them not knowing what was appropriate with each other yet, what would be too uncomfortable. It was like they were trying to figure out if they were better suited as friends, though Kagome knew her physical attraction to him wasn't helping her find that answer to that too easily. Kagome didn't even know what she wanted from Inuyasha, wasn't even sure if he wanted anything from her.

The telltale 'swoosh' of the patio door opening caused Kagome to look up, not surprised to see Inuyasha there. Suddenly Kagome was nervous.

It was now or never.

"Hey," she said softly. Inuyasha opened the door wider, leaning against the door jamb. His phone was still in his hand, the screen lit like he'd only just ended his call.

"Hey," he said back. "Daichi's off on his date." He moved to cross his arms over his chest. "Should we order in dinner now or would you rather wait until after?" It was obvious that Inuyasha had decided it was time as well, something that caused the nervous knot in Kagome's stomach to tighten, but she ignored it in lieu of focusing on the question he posed.

She'd prefer to cook dinner, rather than eating out again. Her stomach could only take so much of that kind of diet before she got sick, and she was nearing her breaking point. Kagome contemplated. She knew they had little to nothing in the pantry, and that grocery delivery didn't run on Sundays. Though...there were concierge services in the lobby, something she and Daichi had never taken advantage of. Plus, she wasn't hungry yet, and knew they needed to get the conversation started long before Daichi got home.

"I don't want to eat out, but do you think concierge would grab some groceries? We can place the order now, and I can start cooking once it gets here?" Kagome had moved to sit up on her little sofa, looking at Inuyasha expectantly. He seemed to be mulling over her question before deciding it seemed like a good idea.

"Alright, we can do that. I should have a basic order on file with them anyway, so it should only take a few minutes to call down." Inuyasha offered her his hand then, pulling her upright when she took it. "Unless you have something specific in mind?"

Kagome muttered a 'no,' and allowed herself to be pulled into the apartment, book forgotten on her seat, Inuyasha closing and locking the patio door behind her.

It did only take them a few minutes to get the order placed, the man on the other end of the line very familiar with 'Mr. Takeshi' and adamant that they'd have everything to them in no more than an hour and a half.

Kagome moved to retreat to the patio but was stopped by Inuyasha.

"It's probably best to talk in here," he stated sheepishly. "The walls are sound proofed. It's why I haven't moved to ritzier place after all these years. Don't want to go through the trouble of getting anything else outfitted for my needs."

Kagome hadn't even considered that someone could overhear them, so used to having all her profound talks with Daichi on the porch, and she was a little embarrassed. They'd had sex talks out there, Kagome going into detail about certain encounters. Who could have heard them?

"Plus," he continued, "I can take this off in here too." She watched him reach up to over his head and give a little twist, surprised when in just a second his hand was on a soft dog ear instead of thin air.

"I-oh." Kagome's words left her in a puff of air. She was unable to form a single concrete thought at that moment, grateful the couch was right there as she plopped on the armrest subconsciously. His familiar aura surrounded her, knocking any air out of her chest at its sudden immense presence. To know this was Inuyasha was one thing, but to see him, to really see him was another.

His overall appearance was the same, his form just as muscular and tall, just as captivating as it was before he'd removed his disguise. His hair was still the same all one length style as before too, just silver strands haphazardly coming to rest around his face instead, his sloppily pushed back look the same. His nails had lengthened back into claws, which she had expected, his now much more familiar hands suddenly falling on her shoulders, checking on her. He kneeled in front of her, bringing his gold eyes level with hers. Atop his head, almost hidden in the charming disarray that was his hair, two familiar triangles swiveled towards her, listening at attention.

She didn't want to cry, but now she knew what 'a sight for sore eyes' really meant and found herself tearing up. Looking at Inuyasha was like coming home, an unexpected burden lifted from her shoulders, and suddenly she felt such relief that she couldn't contain it. All those emotions came to a head then, happiness, comfort, nostalgia and so much more just bubbled over, causing a tear to escape down her cheek. Inuyasha's hands were on her face then, forcing her brain to snap back to where she was, what she was doing.

"Kagome-shit- I'm sorry, here, I'll just put that back on-" he moved his hands from her then, and Kagome caught a flash of something gold there, her hands immediately grabbing it.

It was a cuff, like many she'd worn on her own ears before, made from something familiar that she couldn't quite place. In gold lettering, Kagome saw his name spelt out in kanji, the familiar Inuyasha she'd written a million times over just to have a reason to read it out loud, a liberty she took again in that moment.

"Inuyasha," she said in a whisper, her thumb running over the name. Looking back up at him, she saw concern laced in his sunset eyes.

"It's funny," she started a little surer of herself, "how unruly your hair is now that it's shorter." She smiled then, trying to show him she was okay, that this was fine.

"I picked up a styling wax a few years ago," he said with a little humor. "So, don't think it does that all by itself." He paused then, a hand finding its way back onto her cheek. "You're okay?"

"I'm okay," Kagome smiled reassuringly as she said it, unable to stop herself from brushing some wayward strands of hair from his face. "I just... I didn't realize how much I missed you."

The statement took him off guard, as he pulled back slightly to examine her a little more fully. It was hard, seeing her look at him like that, with relief and joy apparent in her eyes. Part of him was pushing for Inuyasha to forget that it'd been 507 years for him, that it'd been 7 years for Kagome, that they weren't trying to have a conversation about that exact thing right now. But, in that moment, it didn't feel like any time had passed, it was if all the circumstances fell away, leaving just Inuyasha and Kagome and nothing else.

Something fluttered through him, then, something familiar that he couldn't name, something he hadn't felt in such a long time and it was screaming at him. 'Kiss her! Kiss her, you idiot!' The words echoed in his head, insistent, but a larger part of himself said a simple, calm, 'no.'

He settled, instead, for placing a kiss on her forehead, before directing her to get comfortable on the sofa and excusing himself to make some drinks for the two of them.

Kagome watched him walk away before sliding from the sofa's arm rest and getting a little more comfortable on the part of the sofa you're actually supposed to sit on. The sofa was comfortable, one of Kagome's favorite places to sit in the apartment, and she found herself falling right back into the familiar comfort. The throw blanket she'd gotten from a spring break trip to Mexico was thrown over the back of the couch, a welcomed warmth on her bare legs. She pushed her back against the arm rest, facing the kitchen and watched Inuyasha putter around. He must have been uncomfortable, she realized, his shirt now untucked from his pants, his belt thrown over the back of a bar stool. She wanted to tell him he should go change, but the words died on her lips. They needed to get through this sooner rather than later, so she was contented to watch as he began making a pitcher of something for them to drink.

After just a few seconds of silence, Kagome decided it was too quiet in the apartment and fished her phone out of her back pocket. Connecting to the little bluetooth speaker on the bar only took a moment, and then Kagome was playing a local band's music through the apartment on low. It was a group she'd followed for a while, their sound subdued enough that she and Inuyasha wouldn't have to work to talk over it, but they always had a deep message in their lyrics that she enjoyed. The song playing now was mostly a soft piece, the center of attention being the lead singer's voice. It was one of her favorites, and she couldn't stop help but sing along under her breath. Conscious that one of Inuyasha's ears was trained on her, a reminder that his hearing was incredibly sensitive, Kagome turned the song down to the lowest level she could hear it on by adjusting the volume on her phone.

Inuyasha emerged from the kitchen carrying the little white serving tray that usually lived on the leather ottoman, a large pitcher of something she'd seen him dump a few different kinds of alcohol into taking up most of the space. It was smart, she decided, giving them no excuse to leave to escape the conversation when it was finally underway. Putting the tray on the ottoman, he handed her a glass of the drink he'd made- unsurprisingly delicious- before settling in on the couch, mirroring her position against the arm rest.

"Where do we start?" It was Inuyasha that spoke, and Kagome had to agree that she had no idea where to begin. How do you just open that conversation? Looking down at her lap, she realized she still had possession of the little cuff he'd worn on his ear.

"This material looks familiar, but I can't place it." Kagome extended the cuff out to him, which he graciously took and placed in the breast pocket of his shirt for safe keeping.

"It's made from my fang," he stated simply, moderately impressed that she'd recognized it. "It's called a glamour. It works better if it's imbued with something from the person it's been made for, so our pack uses fangs. When a child is young, they use their father's fang until their teeth come in."

"It completely suppressed your aura. How does it do that? Do you get to choose what you look like?" Kagome was fairly interested in that, astonished that someone had even created such a device.

"You don't, no. There's a regulatory board in charge of it. The goal is to make you look as much like yourself as possible without giving away that you're a demon. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how it suppresses my aura, but I do know it has something to do with the binding of spiritual energy to the fang."

"Spiritual energy like...mine?" Inuyasha looked at her critically then, as if he'd not thought of that before.

"I, well, yes. I suppose that would probably work." He shrugged then, as if it wasn't a concern of his. "I know some of the board members, I could ask them, if you'd like me to. I'm sure they'd be very interested to meet you." Kagome waved her hand at this, not really wanting to get involved with that.

"We're getting off topic. We don't have a lot of time." Taking a deep breath, Kagome steeled herself before asking the hardest question she had. "Why haven't you sought me out on your own yet?" Inuyasha took a sip of his drink before answering her question.

"I always knew that I had to wait until after the well shut to approach you, otherwise what purpose would it serve? You wouldn't know me, and I would be strange man." Kagome accepted that, so she nodded, prompting him to continue.

"And then I realized how young you were after the well closed. Just on appearances alone, I could have passed as your father. I couldn't do it. I knew you would be hurting, and that you would need that connection but...the way we left things, with the intention of a relationship, I just couldn't. I kept asking myself how much I would be helping you if I was a part of your life, but I was way too afraid that you would want to pick up where we left off, and I couldn't carry on a relationship with a 15-year-old girl."

"And now, somehow, 7 years have passed. How?" Kagome helped herself to another sip of her drink as she stared him down.

"To be honest, I kept telling myself you were probably too young. My great nephew is your age, Kagome. I had a hard time deciding when you would be adult enough for me to pursue a friendship with you. I had half made up my mind to wait until you'd turned 20, but then I was posted to Berlin for work and I just assumed I'd decide when I got back for good." Inuyasha set his glass down on the tray then, giving her all his attention.

"And when is that supposed to be?" Kagome had only finished half of her drink, but she found herself abandoning it on the tray as well, not wanting to use the alcohol as a coping mechanism.

"December." Inuyasha shrugged then. "I can't give you a straight answer, Kagome. The last time I saw you, you were this little infant. I couldn't imagine you being..." Inuyasha just gestured to her then, in an up and down motion.

"You saw me as a baby?" That threw her, not expecting him to have done that. Inuyasha smiled then.

"You and Daichi were born at the same hospital, within a few hours of each other." Ah, okay, that made more sense to her. She really couldn't imagine him hopping in her window when she was young just to peep in on her, finding the image too creepy for this Inuyasha. She had known about their birthdays, her own being, technically, the day before Daichi's. How strange was it that she was now best friends with someone she'd been near so young?

"Why doesn't he know?" The question flew out of her mouth of its own accord, her mind not having decided to ask that yet.

Inuyasha sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, mindful of his ears. "The only other person, besides me, that even knew you'd been born was Shippo. Up until yesterday, at least." That hurt, Kagome decided, that Shippo had known she was alive and had helped Inuyasha keep it a secret. "I was under the belief that I would most likely not live to see you be born, especially as things became tense politically in the west. Many powerful demons fell, Kagome, it was something our family has been lucky to have avoided, but it was a looming fear nonetheless. It wasn't until the early 1900's that I thought I would probably live to see you again, if I had survived that long already. Kagome, I had never considered that before, not since I submitted to the well being irrevocably closed.

"It was then that I realized how much danger you would be in as a child, if people knew you'd been born with the jewel inside of you. Shippo- he was such a big help- he went around and made sure any records of your existence in the feudal era were altered or lost. We were lucky- there was no way to pinpoint when you would be born, so a lot of people who heard the story assumed you'd already lived and died. Anyone who knew you directly was brought into the loop of destroying the evidence, of doing whatever we could to protect you. We started keeping vassals posted at the shrine at all times, just in case I had incorrectly remembered how many years were in between us." Inuyasha was staring at Kagome intently, and she resisted shivering under his gaze.

"When I saw you in that nursery, I realized I hadn't done enough. You were so little, Kagome, so fragile. You were the lightest baby I've ever held, and I was terrified that anyone could just come and," he shuddered, choosing not to finish that thought. "It would have only taken just the smallest amount of pressure, Kagome, it would have been a soundless crime. I couldn't tell anyone you were alive, no one, because no matter how loyal the guards were at the shrine, how loyal would they be in the face of endless power?" Inuyasha moved closer to her then, his legs resting against her blanketed ones.

"I didn't want anyone to know the whole story until you were officially safe, so I promised myself I would tell it to Daichi when was older. It's the only one of my battles that I haven't told him about, and he has never been happy about that. Even now, he pressures me over it. Recently, I got worried he would seek you out on his own if he knew the truth." He smiled then, trying to lighten the situation.

"This family has no boundaries, honestly. I'm sorry if that hurt you, but it was the best choice, I think. I wasn't sure what would happen when we met again. I loved you, Kagome, I loved you so much." Inuyasha brushed a hand over her face then.

"There was nothing I wouldn't have done for you, nothing I wouldn't have faced for you. But, I'd spent so long thinking I'd never see you again, centuries operating under the assumption that you would only ever be a memory. My first thought was 'I need to protect her,' and I had never thought about what would happen when that was over, once I was faced with the living, breathing you." Inuyasha cupped her face, running his thumb over her cheek carefully.

"Here you are, this incredible thing that happened to me, the first person besides my own mother to look at me and see me. The impact you've had on my life, Kagome..."The way Inuyasha was looking at her had her breath caught in her throat, hooked on his words.

"I care about you, very much, I need you to know that. There is nothing in this world I'm more sure of than that. I don't want you to think that I've spent all this time pining after you, only thinking of you, because that's not true. There have been others, Kagome. But the love you gave me, the love you had for me, it gave me the strength to love myself. I don't know if I ever would have valued myself, realized my own worth, if you hadn't first." It was a heavy silence that followed Inuyasha's statement, Kagome taking in his words and trying to formulate a response.

"I can't pretend," Kagome began slowly, "that losing you, that being separated from you, being cut off from everyone, wasn't the hardest pain I've ever faced. It was hard, Yash. I was just this normal 15-year-old girl that was concerned with her grades and the cute boy down the street and then you happen." Kagome met his eyes then, unaware of when she looked down.

"You were...you were everything to me. I never thought you could be a possibility, but you were. I was young, I was so young, but I loved you, really loved you." Her smile was genuine towards him, remembering the brash Inuyasha who had fought to protect her with everything he had, but was really this hurt little boy inside.

"I can't pretend that this is something I just stepped over and kept moving. It was work for me to even breathe sometimes. But I knew you for one year, not even really. How could I ever think that in the 500 years after me that you wouldn't happen upon someone who saw what I did?" Kagome leaned into his touch then, drawing comfort from him.

"I always wished you could see yourself the way I saw you. You deserve to be loved, Inuyasha. You deserve to have someone look at you and see the sun, because that is what you are. You are the sun. You are so kind, so loving, even then, even underneath all that pain. I don't think I could live with myself if you had spent all that time waiting for me, all the experiences you would have missed out on. It would kill me to think that I stopped you from being happy for 500 years. I will always care about you, I will always want you to be happy, whatever that looks like." She reached her hand up to keep his on her face.

"I want you to know, you did the right thing. If you had come to me at 15, regardless of how you look, I would have wanted that relationship with you. I would have wanted everything from you, and I wouldn't have understood why you couldn't give me that. Even at 18, I think I would have immediately looked at you and thought we would just run off together, that you were there to save me from myself." Kagome smiled a little sadly then.

"I don't expect anything from you, Yash, I don't want anything from you. I just want you, however you come, whatever you want to give. Having you here," she motioned around their general space, "seeing you, hearing your voice, knowing that you are alive. That is enough. I have spent years agonizing over your loss, thinking you were dead. It is a relief to just get to talk to you again." Kagome pulled their hands down to rest in her lap then, holding his one hand in both of hers, the tips of her thumbs running over his sharp nails.

"I am so glad that we met like this. There would never have been a right time, there would never have been a right way. I've had years to imagine the life you led, years to conjure up what kind of woman caught your eye after me, years to wonder if I knew your descendants. I have had years to come to terms with you having led a life without me, just as I have fought to live a life without you. I am hurting, yes, but I will always be hurting. I will always carry the scars of that experience with me. It is not your fault, has never been your fault, I will never blame you for any of this. I'm not saying everything is just okay and we can just go on about our lives, because it's not. I don't know where to go from here, where we fit into each other's lives now, but at least I have the chance to be in your life."

It happened in a flash, her blanket falling to the floor from the movement. She was pulled flush against him, encased in his arms, her bottom on top of his legs. Without missing a beat, Kagome wrapped her arms around him return, snuggling into his neck.

"I have never deserved you, Kagome." His voice was a whisper against her earlobe. "I don't think I ever will."

Kagome sighed, but didn't know what to say in return, choosing to lose herself to the familiar solace that was Inuyasha.

A/N: Hi all, first thing's first:

This chapter was once much larger, but I've restructured the story because I felt the variance in the length of my chapters, particularly after uploading this one, was hindering it. I didn't want anyone to be distracted from the story I am telling because this is disjointed in basic format.

As of 3/4/2018, this has been edited for grammatical errors and clarity.

Formatting errors resolved 3/21/2018