Chapter Thirty-One

Fallen Angel

It was still dark when the five of them stepped back out into the bustling streets of Tokyo.

"It's been fun," Sango commented with a small smile.

Miroku nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, a lot more fun than I thought it would be."

Sara nudged Inuyasha softly.

"Did you have a good time?"

He looked away, pursing his lips.

He still felt chills as he remembered what Kagome had admitted as they danced (or, rather, moved) around the disco.

She shared his feelings. And everything he had told her afterwards was true.

Inuyasha truly believed that their meeting had been fate. After so many years of suffering, the universe had rewarded him by putting an amazing human in his path.

And he had been about to ruin everything. His brow furrowed even more at the memory.

"Keh."

"In his language that means yes," Kagome replied with a giggle.

Inuyasha shot her a dark look.

"You," he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. "Shut up."

She smirked.

"Or what?"

His heart hammered in his chest at the mischievous gleam in her brown eyes. Inuyasha leaned in, raising an eyebrow.

"Or I'll shut you up in front of your friends," he whispered, lowering his gaze to her lips.

Kagome blushed, though the smile did not disappear from her face.

"That doesn't scare me."

Miroku snorted and Inuyasha straightened his back, clearing his throat and pulling away from her.

"Kagome, you and I need to talk," he muttered, releasing Sango and moving to her side.

She blinked, slightly confused.

"Okay."

"And what do you have to say to her?" Inuyasha asked grimly.

"That's none of your business, demon," Miroku gave him a crooked grin and grabbed Sango's hand, walking towards a traffic light. "I'll call you!"

Sango waved a hand, smiling, and the two crossed the street.

Kagome and Sara waved goodbye and continued walking together with Inuyasha following close behind.

"Tell me, Inuyasha. Did you like us?" Sara asked, turning her head to look at him.

He rolled his eyes.

"You're all bearable."

Kagome gasped.

"Inuyasha!" she squealed, clenching her fists.

"What a tough guy," Sara giggled and hugged Kagome. "See you tomorrow afternoon! Don't forget it!" she added, turning her gaze back to Inuyasha.

He nodded reluctantly, watching her as she turned the corner and disappeared.

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Kagome repeated as they walked in the direction of her family's shrine.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth as a man looked Kagome up and down, but remained silent.

"Your friend wants to talk to me," he replied quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I suspect she has questions about my brother Sesshomaru."

Kagome gasped at the name.

"That's the yōkai who attacked me when I entered the forest, right?"

Inuyasha stared down at her with a frown.

"I heard you say his name," she added with a shrug.

The memory of that horrible morning flooded his mind.

He heard Sesshomaru growl and saw Kagome's face pale. His brother crouched down, ready to pounce on her and tear her apart with his claws.

Inuyasha clenched his fists. He couldn't allow it, he didn't want Kagome to die.

He leapt down to the ground, stepping between them and stretching his arms out.

"No, Sesshomaru!"

The yōkai hissed, waving his hand and releasing Kagome's ankles. Inuyasha swallowed, knowing that he was going to have to fight him to protect her.

Sesshomaru had never let a human out of the forest alive.

He heard the creak of a branch and turned. Kagome had gotten to her feet and was backing away as she limped.

His blood began to burn as he looked at her. Her scent was so intense that Inuyasha's mind blurred.

His body jumped and he caught her, sending her crashing to the ground and pinning her down with his weight.

Inuyasha gasped as another wave of her scent flooded his nostrils.

He couldn't resist. She was his mate and he had to mark her.

"Fuck."

Her scream as he sank his fangs into her skin tensed all his muscles, but he couldn't stop.

The demon part of him had been searching for his mate for over two centuries and he wasn't about to let her escape.

"Inuyasha?"

He blinked, finding Kagome's worried face in front of him.

The two of them were standing on the side of the pavement and she was shaking his shoulders gently.

He shook his head, pushing those memories to the corner of his mind, and grasped one of her hands.

"He knew I wouldn't be able to kill you and was watching me," he explained softly, tugging at her until she was walking at his side. "But he won't hurt you again."

"Why?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Inuyasha looked away, hiding his blush.

"Because he's my brother and he knows... he knows I want to be with you."

Kagome furrowed her brow.

"And he's going to respect your decision?"

"I think so," he replied, nodding.

She snorted in disbelief.

"I find that hard to believe."

He could feel the tremors in her hand and the nervousness coursing through her body.

"Stop shaking," Inuyasha squeezed her hand, looking into her eyes. "You have nothing to fear."

Kagome smiled again and rested a hand on his chest. She stood on her tiptoes and Inuyasha closed his eyes, shuddering as he felt her breath on his lips.

"Inuyasha?"

They broke apart and he muttered a curse under his breath, turning towards the voice that approached them.

"I thought I'd never see you again... Oh!"

The girl stopped, staring at Kagome wide-eyed.

'Shit.'

She was just as surprised. She glanced sideways at Inuyasha, looking back at what appeared to be her doppelganger.

"Do you know her?" she asked in a whisper.

"Barely," Inuyasha cleared his throat, fixing his gaze on the human who was watching them curiously a few steps away. "What was your name?"

She frowned, annoyed.

"Kikyo."

The name sounded familiar. The only thing he remembered from that night was the leap his heart had taken at the sight of Kagome and the disappointment when he found out it wasn't her.

"Well," He tugged on Kagome's arm again, moving away from her. "See you later, Kikyo."

Kagome followed him, looking back with a confused expression.

"Wait!" Inuyasha stopped, narrowing his eyes and with his back to her. "Is that why you were staring at me that night?"

He clenched his jaw, looking over his shoulder.

"I thought you were her," he admitted through his teeth.

"Hmm. I see," Kikyo shifted her gaze between the two of them, lingering on Kagome's face for a few seconds. "I've never seen anyone look so much like me before."

"Neither have I," Kagome murmured.

A growl rumbled in his chest. He never thought he would see this human again in such a gigantic city, let alone have Kagome with him when it happened.

"Let's go."

He placed a hand on her lower back, pushing her gently and walking beside her with a serious expression.

"Hey, Inuyasha! If you ever want to talk again, I go to that disco every Friday!"

He ignored the human, rolling his eyes.

"Keh."

Kagome didn't speak again until they reached the shrine staircase. She looked up at him with pursed lips.

"Did you meet that girl at the disco?"

Inuyasha smirked when he recognised the harsh tone in her voice.

"Jealous?"

She shot him a look of hatred and turned her back on him, running up the stone steps as fast as she could.

Inuyasha laughed and caught up with her easily, stopping her and wrapping his arms around her.

"After our fight, the next dark night I went there alone. I was angry and... and I missed you," he admitted, speaking in her ear and tightening his grip as he heard her sigh. "I saw her in the distance and thought it was you. She saw me staring at her and came over to talk to me."

Inuyasha closed his eyes when she didn't answer.

"Nothing happened, Kagome," he assured her, kissing her temple. "I needed to see you again, so I snuck into your house."

She turned her head and looked at him again.

"The day I saw you asleep in my room."

It wasn't a question. Inuyasha nodded.

"You're not angry?" he asked, cocking his head.

Kagome smiled and turned her body, placing a hand on his face and stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"I'm sorry you felt so lonely those weeks," she swallowed, holding back the emotion in her voice. "I wish it had all been different."

He couldn't help but smile. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, he could read everything she felt on her face.

Kagome was too expressive.

"It is now."

Inuyasha pressed their lips together, trying to show her with that kiss how grateful he was for the second chance she had given him.

Kagome broke away as she ran out of breath.

"Yes," she looked around as they reached the temple courtyard, checking that they were alone. "Can you jump up to my window?"

"You doubt my strength?" Inuyasha arched an eyebrow, giving her a smirk. "I've done it before."

It wasn't the first time he'd snuck into her room as a human and she knew it.

"Right," Kagome walked away towards the front door, placing the key in the lock. "See you inside," she whispered after opening the door.

Inuyasha waited until she closed it again and gathered his momentum, jumping up with all his might and grabbing onto her windowsill.

He lifted his body with his arms and sat on it, grinning as he slid the window aside with ease.

Kagome kept leaving it open.

After brushing her teeth, Kagome tiptoed down the hallway and into her room. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Inuyasha sitting on her bed, arms and legs crossed.

He had let down his hair, which now fell over his shoulders and down to his waist.

Kagome set the glass of water and the plastic-wrapped toothbrush on her desk and opened the top drawer of her wardrobe.

"I bought these for you a couple of days ago," she whispered, pulling out a pair of grey pyjamas and tossing them on the mattress. "So you'll be comfortable when you stay here."

It was a little lighter than the colour of his eyes and she had thought about him as soon as she saw it in the shop. She pulled out another one for herself and saw his lips curl upward.

"Am I going to be spending a lot of nights in this room?"

A blush spread across her face and Kagome sighed.

"Only if you want to."

Inuyasha stared at her, still smiling, and held the pyjamas in his hands.

"Turn around," Kagome demanded, already unbuttoning her dress. "Don't look, Inuyasha!"

He huffed in annoyance, turning his back to her as he pulled off his shirt.

"Who do you think I am? A pervert like your friend Miroku?"

Kagome clenched her teeth.

"He's not a pervert!"

She finished changing and looked back at Inuyasha, who was watching her with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

Her eyes drifted down his body and she bit her lower lip.

Another colour that suited him.

"Since he's with Sango," she added quietly.

His eyes twinkled.

"I knew it," he replied with a victorious smile.

Miroku had a somewhat turbulent history, but that all changed when he and Sango met. From that moment on he was only interested in her, and he had been proving to her for three years that he had changed.

Though Sango still had the occasional bout of jealousy.

"Here," Kagome took the toothbrush out of its wrapper and held it out to him after she'd put some toothpaste on it. "Brush your teeth."

Inuyasha held it between his fingers and she showed him her teeth, shaking her hand in front of her face as if brushing them.

Inuyasha mimicked her, cleaning his teeth quietly as Kagome picked up their clothes and placed them on her chair.

She watched him take the glass of water and gulp it down.

"No! You..." Kagome sighed as he set the now empty glass on the table, looking at her with a confused look on his face. "You have to spit the water, not swallow it."

Inuyasha frowned.

"You could have warned me earlier."

"It doesn't matter," she said, laughing softly and pushing the sheets of her bed down. "Come here."

Inuyasha laid down beside her, resting his head on her pillow and wrapping his arms around her.

Kagome closed her eyes, sighing deeply.

"You're so warm."

"Are you cold?" he asked, glancing at the sheets.

She shook her head.

"No," she leaned her head against the curve of his neck and sighed again. "But I like your warmth. I always have."

Inuyasha buried a hand in her hair, stroking the nape of her neck.

"Sleep well, Kagome."

"You too."

Kagome was the first to open her eyes the next morning.

The first thing she saw was several strands of silver hair, almost white, so close she could brush them with her nose.

Inuyasha's chest was slowly rising and falling. He was still asleep.

Kagome moved very slowly so as not to wake him, resting her head on one of her hands and watching him carefully.

His face had a calm expression that she had only seen on a couple of occasions. It seemed that Inuyasha only relaxed in his sleep.

She watched him wrinkle his nose and open his golden eyes slowly, fixing them on her.

"Good morning," Kagome greeted with a smile.

"Hmm," Inuyasha stretched, yawning. "Hi."

His arms caught her, hugging her tightly until she was lying on his chest again.

Kagome giggled, moving a hand up until it stroked a furry ear.

"I'd missed them."

Inuyasha turned his head until their gazes connected.

"Do you prefer me as a half-demon?" he asked, flicking his ears.

She shook her head.

"I like you in all your forms," she murmured, kissing his jawline.

Inuyasha growled and rolled over her, claiming her lips in a kiss that awakened every cell of her skin.

Kagome sighed when he pulled away, panting softly against his lips.

"I should go."

She could spend hours staring into those sun-golden eyes and tracing the dark brows that adorned them.

"You can stay a little longer," she proposed, running her hands through his hair and lowering her gaze to his lips. "My family wakes up late on weekends."

His pupils dilated.

"Kagome..."

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his again, trapping his lower one between hers and biting down gently.

She heard him growl and his arms wrapped possessively around her, sinking her deeper into the mattress and pressing his body against hers.

Kagome gasped as she felt something hard against her leg. A cloud of butterflies exploded in her stomach, spreading throughout her body.

"Fuck," Inuyasha hissed, breaking the kiss and shaking his head as he sat up on the bed.

Her heart shrank.

"Don't go."

He glanced sideways at her and ran a hand through his hair, lying back down beside her. She grabbed his chin and turned his head, kissing him deeply and tracing his lip with the tip of her tongue.

His fingers dug into her waist.

"Kagome, I... I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, sighing heavily.

She panted as she felt the heat emanating from his body.

"Just don't stop," she whispered over his lips.

It was all so intense she couldn't think. She just knew she didn't want him to pull away, she wanted to feel him closer.

Inuyasha let out a growl, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead on hers.

"Shit."

Kagome opened her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly.

"I've never felt this, Kagome. I've never... I've never wanted anyone before."

His gaze was piercing through her as if he could see into her soul and read her thoughts. Kagome swallowed.

"Neither have I."

Inuyasha watched her intently for a few seconds and turned away again, combing his long hair and huffing in frustration.

Kagome still found it hard to believe that his words were true, so she let out what she had been wanting to ask for a long time.

"Haven't you met a demon that caught your attention?" she felt a small pang at the memory of their encounter with Kikyo. "Not even a human?"

Inuyasha leaned his back against the wall, shaking his head.

"Demons don't feel those human urges," he looked at her from the corner of his eye, making a chill ran down her back. "Or so I thought."

He stood up, tying his hair into a high ponytail and glancing down at the chair where his clothes were.

Kagome cleared her throat.

"Inuyasha."

His eyes returned to her, waiting.

"I've given it a lot of thought, and I... I want to be your mate."

Inuyasha froze.

"What?"

"My family already knows, and so do my friends," she added, shrugging. "I could still see them even if we're together."

His expression hardened and he sat down beside her.

"They will grow old and die, Kagome. You won't."

She clasped one of his hands in hers.

"I think it's worth it," she replied, smiling at the sparkle in his eyes.

"What about your work?" Inuyasha insisted.

The few weeks she'd been at the hospital had been amazing, though there was a downside to everything.

Kagome ran a hand up her face, combing her bangs.

"I'll be able to be a doctor for a few years and when the time comes we'll figure something out."

He didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and sitting on his lap.

"You're the only one for me, Inuyasha."

The half-demon shivered, burying his hands in her hair and staring into her eyes.

"Fuck," he growled, his gaze sweeping over her face. "You make this so hard for me."

Kagome smiled.

"Then don't resist," she whispered, seeking his lips.

Inuyasha pulled away, letting her fall gently to the mattress. He turned around and moved toward the window, clenching his fists.

"No, Kagome."

His refusal brought tears to her eyes. Inuyasha sniffed the air and looked back at her, furrowing his brow at her expression.

"I want to be human when that happens. At least the first time," he explained softly, averting his gaze to the ground. "So I can't hurt you."

Kagome sighed in relief. He wasn't rejecting her.

He moved closer again, crouching down in front of her and grasping her knees with his claws. Kagome gasped as she felt his sharp nails on her skin.

"Thankfully you're already marked," the demon added in a deep voice. "All that's left now is..."

Her cheeks flared.

"Having sex?"

Inuyasha nodded, pursing his lips. He was blushing as well.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing his head against her chest and burying her nose in his hair.

His woody scent soothed her instantly.

"Next month," she murmured, kissing the crown of his head.

Inuyasha held her in his arms and his raspy voice startled her.

"You will be mine forever," he whispered, tracing the skin of her neck with the tip of his nose until he reached her mark. "My mate."

He kissed it and Kagome held her breath as an electric impulse ran down her spine. Inuyasha looked into her eyes and gave her a crooked smile.

He knew exactly what she had felt.

"I'll come back this afternoon," he announced, standing up. "When are you coming to the forest?"

She looked away as he began to change his clothes, wringing her hands nervously.

She didn't know if she was ready to face her worst fears again.

"I'll think about it."

Inuyasha nodded, walking over to her and bending down to kiss her one last time.

"Goodbye," he murmured, opening the window.

Sunlight illuminated his figure and Kagome opened her eyes wide. The morning breeze made his hair flutter and he looked like an angel fallen from the sky.

No one would say he was a demon if they saw him at that moment.

"Goodbye, Inuyasha."

When she blinked again, he had disappeared without a trace.