I'm so happy!

The Legend of the Dark Forest won Third Place in 'Best Drama' at the 2022 Q1 Inuyasha Fandom Awards run by The Feudal Connection!

Thanks to everyone who voted, and to the person who nominated this story!

Chapter Sixteen

The Human House

Inuyasha was watching the sunset at the top of the largest tree in the shrine. He wore human clothes and sat on one of the branches, waiting for his body to become human.

He could hear Kagome moving around inside the two-story house, and he had smelled her fear as soon as he arrived.

She was scared, though not as scared as she had been that morning in the forest.

Once he felt the tingle of his transformation, Inuyasha pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted her.

Are you home?

He heard a gasp come from her room and couldn't help but smile. Kagome was so loud he could hear her even when he was human.

Yes. Where are you?

Inuyasha hopped down to the ground, dusting off his jacket. He advanced to the front door and glanced suspiciously at the button on the side.

He had seen Kagome's friends press it many times, but he still didn't trust electricity.

After a sigh, he reached out and the doorbell rang inside the house.

Inuyasha heard footsteps behind the door and stepped back, tensing with a jolt.

He was finally going to see Kagome again. He had spent most nights in her room, but he missed seeing her deep eyes and sincere smile.

His brow furrowed as the door opened.

"Inuyasha."

She was there. Her voice trembled as she said his name and her eyes were filled with tears.

It took Inuyasha a couple of heartbeats to react. He didn't know what to do, she was probably still angry. He decided to smile and saw a tear fall down her cheek.

"Hello, Kagome."

At the sound of his voice, she took two more steps and threw herself into his arms, hiding her face in his chest. Inuyasha held his breath in complete surprise.

"I'm afraid, Inuyasha. I'm so scared every day."

He wrapped his arms around her without thinking, feeling very guilty. Kagome was crying and he was the cause of all her problems.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Kagome."

Inuyasha felt her hands gripping his jacket and he let out a sigh, hugging her tighter as he rested his chin on her head.

Up until that day he had only ever hugged Shippo, and it still felt a little weird... but it was nice. Kagome's sweet scent was very soothing, and it probably would be even better if he wasn't in his human form.

"It's okay. I'm here now."

Inuyasha cursed himself inwardly, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Had he really just said that? His damn human side was too sensitive.

He didn't speak or move again until he noticed her calming down. Kagome took a step back, pulling away from him with flushed cheeks.

"Sorry, Inuyasha."

He folded his arms, clicking his tongue.

"Keh, never mind."

Kagome was very nervous and it was making him even more anxious. He cleared his throat, remembering that she wanted to tell him everything that had happened inside the demon forest.

As if he didn't know all too well.

Inuyasha knew that he would eventually end up telling her the truth, but not that day. It was better to wait, as Sesshomaru had said.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Kagome nodded, wringing her hands nervously.

"I don't want to go anywhere public, someone might hear us and I'd rather not risk it. My family isn't home, we could have dinner here."

Inuyasha furrowed his brow, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

"You want to have dinner with me at your house?" he asked incredulously.

Kagome arched her eyebrows.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Inuyasha blinked several times in surprise.

Was she really going to let him into her house? Did she trust him that much?

What would she think if she knew that he'd broken in dozens of times before? Kagome would probably be mad, really mad.

"I've never been inside a house before," he murmured under his breath.

Seeing Kagome's confused face, Inuyasha cleared his throat.

"I mean a girl's house."

She giggled, cocking her head to the side.

"Shouldn't I let you in? Are you dangerous?"

'Yes, and you should stay as far away from me as possible.'

Inuyasha clenched his fists, knowing he would never say something like that to her.

"No."

Kagome smiled.

"I know, Inuyasha. From day one I feel like I can trust you, it's like I've known you my whole life."

'Shit.'

Inuyasha swallowed all the guilt he was feeling and gave her a curt nod.

"Besides, I told you I'd pay next time. I can make ramen and dumplings," she added, opening the door wider to let him in.

So far he had only seen Kagome's room, but the rest of the house was just as cosy. He suspected that, if he walked in there as a half-demon, he could detect the scent of her and the rest of her family around every corner.

Though with his human sense of smell he could only smell Kagome.

He followed her into a rather large room where there was a table on one side. Kagome pointed to it.

"You can sit down. I'll take care of everything."

Inuyasha sat down in one of the chairs, looking around nervously. It was his first time visiting a human house.

Kagome stood behind a white countertop, much like the ones in the kitchens of the Taisho Palace. She lit one of the fires and placed a pot on top.

"When did you arrive?" she asked, looking for something in one of the cupboards.

Inuyasha continued to scan the room with his gaze, looking at everything in it. On the other side, he saw a strange black rectangle right in front of a large sofa that looked very comfortable.

Could it be a mirror?

Glancing back at Kagome, he felt very uneasy. No one had ever cooked for him, and he couldn't offer to help her because he didn't know how to use any of those human devices she was touching.

"An hour ago," he replied, averting his gaze.

Lies and more lies.

Kagome covered the pot and stepped around the counter, hopping up to sit on it.

"Hey, Inuyasha... I want you to tell me your version of that day in the forest."

Inuyasha swallowed.

"I don't have much to say. I got there before you did and went into the trees, as I always have. I saw some deer in the distance and got distracted, but I got your messages. I went back to the area I had entered and you were nowhere to be seen. You weren't in the woods, you weren't outside... and I started to get nervous. I phoned you, but you didn't answer."

"I was angry and very scared," Kagome said, letting out a shaky breath.

He nodded.

"At that point, I thought you'd gotten cold feet and gone home, so I left too. Two days later was when I got to talk to you, and I found out what had happened."

'Damn it, I'm too good at lying.'

Inuyasha ignored the voice of his conscience.

After that conversation, both of them avoided talking about it again because Kagome said it wasn't safe to do so over the phone. And he had had many days to think about what he would say to her when they met again.

Her eyes were glossy.

Inuyasha felt a knot in his stomach when he saw her sad.

He wasn't good at comforting others, but reading his father's book had been a very good idea. He understood human emotions better now.

"Kagome..."

"I'm fine. I just need a moment," she mumbled, covering her eyes with a hand.

Inuyasha bit his tongue, cursing his human and emotional side again. He stood up and moved towards her in slow steps, stopping just in front of her knees.

"It doesn't matter if you cry. I understand."

"I was so scared, Inuyasha... I thought I was going to die."

Inuyasha shook his head angrily.

"It was all my fault."

Her arms pulled at him and a gasp escaped his throat as he found himself surrounded by her. He could feel her legs on either side of his body.

Kagome let out a long sigh, resting her forehead on his shoulder and entwining her hands behind his back.

"Don't say that. You shouldn't have gone into the woods without me, but I'm not angry anymore."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her again, pressing his lips together. She probably could hear his heart pounding.

"What did you see?" he asked softly, turning his head slightly until he brushed his nose against her hair.

'Fuck, Kagome smells too good.'

"A strange rope wrapped around my feet and something pulled me in. When it finally released me, I saw red eyes... they were just like the ones I saw in my nightmare, Inuyasha," she murmured, suppressing a shiver. "It was about to attack me when another demon wearing red stepped between us."

His arms tensed and Kagome held her breath as she noticed, but she continued speaking after a few seconds.

"It said a strange name, I think it was the other demon's name. Then it turned around, looked at me, and... and its body changed. Its eyes darkened, turning as red as that of the first yōkai. I had twisted my ankle, but I ran as fast as I could to get out of there. It wasn't enough, it caught me and... bit me," Kagome confessed in a whisper, breathing hard and tightening her grip around him.

Inuyasha left a kiss in her hair, as he had seen Sara do more than once, and moved a few inches away from her so he could look into her eyes.

He didn't understand why but he needed to make her feel better.

"Can I see that bite?"

Kagome nodded and lifted one of her hands to her neck. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, showing him part of her shoulder.

Inuyasha's brows drew together as he stared at that wound, which looked so much better than the last time he had seen it. It was completely healed and was clearing up, losing the pink colour.

Soon it would be a white, crescent-shaped scar and it would never hurt again.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, looking up.

Kagome shook her head, her brown eyes fixed on his and a faint blush on her cheeks.

"I rarely feel pain anymore."

"Much better."

Inuyasha lifted his head again and found her face a short distance apart. Kagome continued to stare up at him so intently that his cheeks started to burn.

They had never been that close. He could feel her breath on his face and watched his own breath ruffle her bangs.

Inuyasha wanted to kiss her. He needed to feel her lips again, to remember her taste.

But how should he do it?

Would she want him to?

Her hands left his back and moved up to wrap around his neck. Her fingers caught several strands of his long ponytail and a small smile appeared on her face.

"It's softer than mine."

Inuyasha blinked, unable to comprehend what she was saying. He felt confused, even a little overwhelmed.

To have Kagome so close...

"What?"

"Your hair."

Her nails grazed the back of his neck. Inuyasha closed his eyes as he felt a shiver.

"Kagome, I... I've never been like this with anyone before."

Her fingers stopped stroking his hair and he opened his eyes. Her face was even redder and he felt her hands start to shake.

She was nervous too, which was a small consolation.

"You mean at a girl's house, right? Yes, you've told me that before."

Inuyasha shook his head and rested both hands on the counter, on either side of her body.

"No, I mean like this, so... so close."

Her breath hitched.

"What?"

Well, it was confession time. He couldn't risk kissing Kagome and her noticing he didn't know what he was doing.

"I... I hadn't kissed anyone before I met you."

Her face froze for a second, then hardened.

"Are you telling me your first kiss was with me?" she asked, her voice higher than normal.

Inuyasha nodded, furrowing his brow.

Why was she getting angry?

Her arms left his neck, returning to rest on her skirt.

"I don't believe you," she hissed, lifting her chin and narrowing her eyes at him.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Kagome stammered, and it made him smile.

Why was that so strange?

"But... But have you seen yourself, Inuyasha? How can you say you haven't kissed anyone? It's impossible, it can't be true," she commented quietly, scowling at him in disbelief.

Inuyasha's grin widened.

'So she finds me attractive, huh?'

"Well, it's the truth. You stole my first kiss, Kagome," he whispered, lowering his head until their gazes were on the same level.

She held her breath and her eyes grew wide.

"Are you serious?"

Inuyasha nodded, his gaze fixed on her. He watched Kagome swallow as her brown eyes lowered slightly, down to his lips. She looked back into his eyes instantly, blushing even more.

He felt just as nervous, though he was used to hiding his feelings and knew she wasn't seeing it on his face.

"I've never kissed anyone before either," Kagome blurted out suddenly.

'What?'

How could that be true?

Inuyasha scanned her face with his gaze, completely confused.

Kagome was so beautiful. He hadn't noticed it at first, but that human was very striking. Her eyes were very expressive, she had a beautiful smile and was really charming.

Who wouldn't like her?

Inuyasha felt a pang in his chest as he thought about the human who had been talking to her the night they met and tried to walk her home.

Would Kagome still be talking to that idiot?

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

He blinked at the sound of her voice, snapping back to reality. Kagome was frowning slightly but she hadn't moved an inch away.

Inuyasha cleared his throat again, feeling a surge of anger inside him.

"What about that guy?"

"What guy are you talking about?" she asked, raising her brow.

Inuyasha looked away, snorting softly.

"You know, the one who wanted to walk you home the night of the disco."

Kagome was pursing her lips to keep from smiling.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, straightening up to pull away from her though he didn't move his arms, which still trapped her between his body and the countertop.

Kagome let out a giggle and it only pissed him off more.

"What's so funny?"

"Are you jealous, Inuyasha?"

He clenched his jaw, shooting her a look of hatred.

Jealousy? Was that what he was feeling?

"Keh, of course not," he grunted through his teeth.

Kagome let out a long sigh.

"Hojo is just a friend. I know he's interested in me, though I don't feel the same way. I've told him many times but he keeps insisting."

Inuyasha arched an eyebrow.

"And who are you interested in?"

Kagome bit her lower lip and Inuyasha's eyes followed the movement. He liked too much that nervous tic.

Her hand went up to his face, stroking his cheek, and he held his breath at the touch.

"Why do I feel so good when you're around, Inuyasha? Why do I feel so... safe?" she asked in a whisper, looking into his eyes.

Inuyasha could no longer resist. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, pressing his lips to hers.

That fire-like sensation made his skin crawl again and he sighed as he felt a chill run down his spine.

Her other hand appeared on his other cheek, cupping his face and pulling him closer to her.

A small growl echoed in his chest. Kissing her was incredible, and he didn't want to stop.

He took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her waist. Kagome caught his bottom lip between hers and Inuyasha mimicked her, following the movement of her lips.

When the tip of her tongue brushed his lower lip he thought he was going to lose control.

Her taste was so addictive that Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss her as a half-demon, when he sensed everything so much more intensely.

He also used his tongue to taste her lips, panting softly against them.

Holding Kagome in his arms was the best feeling he had ever had in his life. It was like being finally home after more than two centuries of searching. Her sweet breath caressed his face and she kept running her thumbs over his cheeks as she separated and pressed their lips together again and again.

The kiss was growing more intense and they both gasped as their tongues brushed together for the first time.

Inuyasha pulled away, resting his forehead on hers and opening his eyes. His breathing was heavy, and he smirked when he saw that Kagome was also panting.

'Human kisses are fucking amazing.'

He noticed a strange smell, like burning, and he raised his head with a frown, looking around them.

"What is this smell?"

Kagome gasped, her eyes widening.

"The dumplings!" she shouted, pushing him away and jumping back to the floor.

She ran to the frying pan and sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, they aren't burnt."

Inuyasha rested both arms on the counter, watching her as she placed the food on the plates and divided the ramen into two bowls.

He wanted to kiss her again.

'Get a hold of yourself, you idiot.'

He helped her carry everything to the table and they ate dinner while she told him about her graduation and the speech she was preparing.

He told her some stories about Shippo, making her laugh.

After they finished, Kagome brewed some tea for both of them and they sat together on the sofa. Inuyasha was lost in thought, thinking about what he was going to do.

He didn't want to go another month without seeing her, but he couldn't tell her that he was the demon that had bitten her in the forest either.

He needed a plan, and quickly.

Kagome set her mug down on the coffee table, sighing and resting her head and a hand on his chest.

"Can you stay with me for a while? I don't want to be alone," she asked quietly.

Inuyasha glanced at the window. It was nightfall and there were still hours before sunrise.

"Okay. I'll stay until you fall asleep," he agreed, wrapping an arm around her and resting his cheek against her head.