A/N Hey, everybody! Sorry I'm so delayed this time around. This chapter didn't treat me very well. I only had one thing planned for it so I didn't have much of an outline for it... And I tried writing it in my classes, but it was too rushed... So I had to rewrite it all. Hopefully it's good now. Hope you like it, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! I say all, but we know there's only like...five of us left... Anyways, this is for you guys who are still with me! Whee!
Kagome stared blankly at her wall, a million thoughts going through her mind.
Miroku said it wasn't my fault they died, even if I saw it coming. He said I was drawn to them because of their impending deaths. ...But they would die anyway – I don't cause it to happen.
Could he be right? Kagome almost dared not believe it. By Miroku's reasoning, she had been unnecessarily burdening herself all these years with the belief that she was the main cause of the deaths of those around her. And yet, she was reluctant to relinquish all guilt for these tragedies. She was able to stop them, even if she wasn't expected to.
And if she was capable of saving this new boy, then she would. She discovered a newfound resolve within her, a desire to prove herself, to prove this "gift," Miroku had called it, was not wasted on her.
Reassured, Kagome stood up to seek out Inuyasha when she wavered. Was she mad? Had she forgotten what had happened three days ago? Had she forgotten why she had been diligently avoiding him for the past few days? Kagome sat back down heavily.
What on Earth was she going to tell him? There was no way to convincingly lie. He had already known she was keeping something from him, ever since she saved Sango from drowning. There was no adequate way to explain why her nightmare had had such an effect on her without telling him the whole truth.
Telling him the truth... There's no way he would believe her. No one would. There may be waning demon characteristics, but no supernatural powers existed in the world. Her "gift" was inconceivable as it was.
And yet...would he believe anything else? With all that he had witnessed, the truth now was the only thing that made any sort of sense.
Kagome paused for a moment and considered. What if...what if she did tell him? What would the consequences be? What was she afraid of happening?
Her whole life, she had been anxious about others finding out her secret. She had always believe no one would believe her. But that was only an excuse. In truth, she was a coward. She had been afraid that if by some measure she convinced someone of the truth, they too would blame her for her loved ones's deaths.
Since she had already accepted the blame for herself, she wasn't sure why this frightened her so much. It was probably akin to feeling horrible for having failed a test, but then having to show it to your guardian and obtaining their criticism as well. Except on a much, much grander scale.
Accepting your failures for yourself is one thing, but baring them to the world brings down a new level of shame and guilt that Kagome hadn't been brave enough to own up to yet.
But now? Was she brave enough to tell Inuyasha? What would he think of her? Miroku was convinced she wasn't to blame. Would Inuyasha see it the same way?
With all he had seen and all she had left unexplained, could she afford not to tell him?
Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. If her "gift" included a nice little ability to erase Inuyasha's memory, that would be fantastic. Then again, he didn't deserve to lose any more memory than he already had.
With a sound of frustration, Kagome stood up in one fluid movement. Nothing was going to be resolved whining to herself here all day. She had to find Inuyasha and talk to him.
Was she ready to bare her darkest, most innermost secret and fully reveal it as her own to the first person in her lifetime besides Souta? She didn't know. All she knew was that she had to see Inuyasha. Once she did, she would know what to reveal and, if necessary, what to conceal.
..:V:..
Kagome knocked on Inuyasha's door as she attempted to suppress her nervousness. What was she going to say to him when he opened the door? Suddenly she wished she had fabricated an explanation after all. Having to divulge the truth was becoming a more daunting idea by the second and she anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited.
When the door opened, it wasn't Inuyasha who stood before, but rather Souta. Looking down at him in relief, but knowing it was merely temporary, she asked, "Hey, Souta, is Inuyasha in?"
Souta frowned slightly and shook his head. "Nope. He hasn't been here all afternoon either. I don't know where he is. Didn't even see him in the cafeteria when I went for dinner. I think he mentioned something last night about not staying in the dorm tonight, but it also didn't seem like he was going off campus. I dunno. You should know better than me, right?"
Kagome gave her brother a perplexed expression for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and turning away. "Oh well, it's probably no big deal. Make sure you get your homework done early, kid, and rest up. The dreaded Monday comes all too soon tomorrow."
Souta mock pouted. "I know, I know. And I've already finished all my homework. So there."
Kagome laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll stop bugging you."
Before she was able to beat a hasty retreat, Souta spoke up once again. "Why are you looking for Inuyasha now, anyways, Kagome? Isn't it kind of late? And like you said, the dreaded Monday is tomorrow."
Kagome turned around with a bright smile on her face. "Oh, it's nothing too important. I just have to check with him about a homework question that's due tomorrow morning in Physics."
Souta adopted an expression of the utmost scepticism. "Oh, really? Without your notes even?"
Kagome looked down at her empty hands and shoved them quickly behind her back. "Ah! Well, I was going to ask him to come back to my room in order not to disturb you."
"Yeah. Right. I wasn't born yesterday, Kagome. That was the fakest smile I've ever seen. What are you hiding from me?"
"Erm...nothing. Yet. Can I take a rain check on an explanation? I promise I'll tell you everything soon. Just give me a chance to talk with Inuyasha first," Kagome pleaded.
Souta crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose. As long as you do get back to me."
"Oh, I absolutely promise!" Kagome swore reverently. She quickly stepped up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best, Souta."
"Aw, gross," Souta moaned, wiping his cheek. "Girl cooties."
Kagome rolled her eyes as she used a hand to mess up his hair. "Yeah, right. Catch ya later, kiddo!"
With that, she made her way down the hall, racking her brains as she went. Where could he have I gone? As with Souta, he hadn't made any mention to staying with his brother for the night to her. Even if he'd had that intention, she was sceptical whether the school would allow it on a Sunday night.
After scouring most of their usual hang out spots, including the Tree outside, it had really become dark outside. The sun had gone completely down and only the stars lit up the night sky.
"Really, where is that guy?" Kagome muttered irritably under her breath. "Just when I stop avoiding him, he becomes impossible to find! I shouldn't have to look so hard for someone I'm dreading talking to."
"Kagome? Are you talking to yourself?"
"Sango!" Kagome turned to face the other girl. Sango had been treating her as if she were made of porcelain for the past few days. Now she thought she was talking to herself in some mad delusion probably. Not that she didn't have reason to be concerned, but Kagome didn't need people treating her like she was crazy right now. It could wait until later. "Have you seen Inuyasha?"
"Oh! No," Sango replied, seemingly taken off guard. "I didn't think you had spoken to him for the past few days."
"I hadn't."
"That...would explain it then," Sango said awkwardly. An equally awkward silence followed.
"Well, if you haven't seen him, I guess I better keep looking," Kagome said, starting to turn away.
"Uh, any particular reason you want to find him now?"
"Ummm...to talk..." Kagome replied evasively.
"About what happened a few days ago?"
"Yeah...and stuff..." Kagome wasn't sure how much Inuyasha had told her and she hadn't spoken much to the girl herself except for superficial matters.
Sango seemed about to press more, but then thought better of it and shook her head. "Well, I haven't seen him all day. Oh, well I thought I saw him once, but I can't be sure. He dashed by me in sunglasses and a funky hat. It was probably just some theatre nut, now that I think about it properly."
Slim pickings, but it was all Kagome had to go on. "Where was that?"
"Oh, in was on the staircase between the second and third floor. But I'm telling you, I must have been mistaken."
"Well, it's all I've got. Thanks Sango! I'll see you later!"
"Bye." Sango gave a small wave as her friend dashed off down the hall.
Sunglasses and a funky hat... I swear I saw Inuyasha in the same get up around a month ago. But Ms. Hakaru said my eyes were playing tricks on me. But if Sango saw the same thing...and if he's going to the top floor...that can only mean...the roof!
Kagome sprinted up the last flight of stairs and made her way down the third floor corridor until she reached the door leading to the roof. As she suspected, the lock had already been picked. I've found you now, Inuyasha... she thought triumphantly. Without a thought to her earlier trepidation, she flung open the door and scurried up the ladder to the trap door. As she opened it, her eyes immediately honed in on the dark silhouette by the railing.
"Inuyasha! Finally, I've found you!" she exclaimed as she climbed all the way up, letting the door drop close with a clang.
The silhouette started visibly but didn't turn around. "K-Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice spoke up, obviously nervous.
"Yeah...what's wrong?"
"Um...ehehe, nothing. Just...don't come any closer."
"What?" She had already taken a few steps forward.
"Ah...just stay where you are. Don't come any closer to me."
"What's the matter, why don't you want–oh." Kagome felt her stomach drop out as her heartbeat sped up drastically. Realization had struck her. He...he was afraid of her. He didn't want her to be near him, to touch him. He must think her crazy, psychotic even. She knew she had been out of her mind that morning a few days ago, but she thought he had been there to support her, protect her. But, if he was now afraid of her... "I understand," she said with a slight sniffle. "I won't bother you again." She turned to go.
A slight scuffle alerted to the fact he must have turned around. "Oh? What oh? What do you understand? What are you thinking about, Kagome? W-why won't you bother me again?" his voice sounded almost panicked.
Kagome continued gazing down at the trap door. With a slight laugh, she said, "You must think I'm crazy. I always keep secrets from you. And then I exhibit such odd behaviours that defy any explanation. And a few days ago, I nearly lost my mind. I did lose it in fact. But you brought me back. You helped me regain my senses. I came to apologize for what I've put you through. I thought I might even try to explain. But...but you're afraid of me now. Maybe the best apology I can offer is to leave you alone from now on. My troubles shouldn't be yours and I could never–"
She was interrupted by a rustle of movement and then two strong arms enveloping her from behind. The two of them collapsed to the ground as he buried his face in her neck, hugging her ever tighter. "Oh god, oh god, oh god," he muttered repeatedly. "Kagome, I'm not afraid of you, I've never been afraid of you, I'll never be afraid of you. And I will never let you leave me."
Kagome choked out a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding. Gripping his arm with her hand, she said, "T-then why...?"
Inuyasha let out a long, slow breath which inevitably travelled down her back, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. "Because...well, to start off, it has everything to do with me and not you. But it's hard to show you. I'm...I'm different tonight."
"Different? Different how?"
"My...appearance. My body. My blood. My everything. It only happens once every month. There's nothing I can do about it. It's part of who I am. But I don't like it and it changes people's opinions of me. So I hide. I wasn't going to hide from you forever though. I was going to show you. When...when the time was right. But I guess that time's right now."
"I'm...really confused," Kagome admitted. "But I'm glad you trust me so much and I swear that I'll also–"
"Shhh," Inuyasha hushed gently. Holding one of his hands out in front of her face, he said, "Look."
Kagome gently took his hand in hers and examined it in the dim light. "Inuyasha, your claws are gone! What's happened?"
"I told you, I changed. For tonight, I'm not the Inuyasha you know. I'm not a half demon anymore. I'm just a weak human."
"A human, really?! Let me see–!" Kagome eagerly pulled out of his embrace in order to turn around and face him.
This time, she was sure her heart stopped.
She stared at the boy before her in shock. She blinked several times as if to dispel the image, but after a few moments, it became apparent that this was no illusion.
It was Inuyasha's face and features, but the colours were all wrong. His normally snowy white hair was jet black and blended in with the night sky around him. His golden eyes shone no more; their darkness nearly drowned her.
As she gaped at him, he opened his mouth to try to placate her obvious distress. When he did, she could see that his fangs had shrunk to normal canines
Despite Inuyasha's obvious attempts to get her to talk to him, Kagome's ears were muted. She could hear nothing in her shock and horror. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear in his anxiety and Kagome's eyes honed in on it. It was a human ear. His dog ears were gone from the top of his head to be replaced with these ones on the side.
This was Inuyasha, sitting before her.
He was human.
He was the boy in her dream.
..:V:..
Inuyasha couldn't begin to comprehend what was going through Kagome's mind. She had seemed completely accepting of his transformation when he had told her about it, but once she turned around, she seemed to have seen her worst nightmare. She gaped at him wordlessly, her eyes opened wide in horror. Inuyasha had often been the victim of a horrified gaze, but it especially stung coming from Kagome. Did she think him some sort of freak, some monster now that she had seen the full extent of his transformation? Half demon one night, full human the next. How could this scare someone so much that they stared at him with those piercing eyes?
"K-Kagome, I don't know what you're thinking, but I–"
Suddenly, Kagome let out a soul-rending wail. Inuyasha froze. As he watched, her eyes became unfocused and she clutched her head in apparent despair. Her fingers raked through her hair, clawing at her scalp, as tears streamed seamlessly down her cheeks.
She stared at him in horror and anguish, but seemed to be seeing through him at the same time. Her body began to tremble and she started mumbling gibberish Inuyasha couldn't make out with his now human ears.
Okay, his human transformation could be a bit of a shock, but Inuyasha was fairly convinced it didn't warrant this extreme a reaction.
"Kagome? What's going on? Please talk to me. I'm sorry this is such a shock, but if we could just talk it out... At least tell me why you're reacting this way. I know me changing like this is really sudden and kind of freaky but...is it that bad? Just...please, Kagome. Talk to me."
She seemed not to acknowledge his words in the least, but instead her own grew louder until he could make them out.
"No, no, no, no, no, no... Oh no, no, no, no, no, no... This can't be real, it can't be you. Oh no, I don't want to see it again, oh don't make me see it again..."
In horror, Inuyasha saw that her nails had really started to claw at her forehead as if to physically dig out what was obviously affecting her psychologically. She pressed her palms into her eyes even as a trickle of blood ran down her temple.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, ripping one of her arms away. But as soon as he touched her flesh, it was as if he were thrust into an alternate reality.
Immediately Inuyasha noticed that the night air was different. It was warmer and there was no trace of snow on the ground. They also didn't seem to be on the roof anymore, or rather he didn't because Kagome was gone from his view.
When he tried to look around, he found he couldn't, as if he had no control over his eyes. He also felt no sensation in his body, no feeling of existence. All he could do was see.
His gaze was swung downwards and a cold fear swept through his mind. Lying at his feet was himself. It was his human body, bloody and beaten and on the verge of death. His eyes were growing dimmer with each passing second and his rattling breath couldn't pull in nearly enough oxygen as it needed.
The body Inuyasha was trapped inside but couldn't control fell to its knees and soft feminine hands reached out to shakily caress his dying self's face. With a slight smile, his dying self tilted his head towards her hands. With a last intake of breath, he sighed, "Kagome..." before letting go of his strength and slipping into death.
Inuyasha realized it with a shock. The body he was trapped inside...the eyes he was seeing through...they belonged to Kagome. He was seeing himself die through Kagome's eyes!
"NOOOOOO!" a heart-breaking scream rang out and Inuyasha was violently shoved backwards.
He was back on the roof and Kagome stood, dishevelled and panting above him.
"It can't happen, it can't. Oh god... Why, why, why?!"
Inuyasha froze where he had been pushed back and took a moment to collect himself. A million ideas sprang to his mind, trying to explain what had just occurred logically and with reason, but all were rejected in the span of a second. He was curious and confused, but above all, scared. He had just seen his own death. It was terrifying. But was it real?
"K-K-Kagome...? W-what was that just now?" He tried to keep out the tone betraying him as the petrified twelve year old boy he was. He wasn't sure he succeeded.
It also didn't seem to matter. Kagome was completely lost within herself, continuing to moan and mumble as if she didn't even know he was there. Her behaviour definitely wasn't helping him to calm down. It only served to agitate him further.
Standing up, he went to her and gripped her shoulders, halting her frantic movements. "Kagome! What the hell did we just see?" he asked slowly and deliberately to help suppress his panic.
Slowly Kagome's tremors abated and she looked up at him with a tear stained face. Eyes widened in disbelief, she pressed her fingers to his face as if making sure it were real and whole before her. "I-Inuyasha? You're okay? You're still okay?"
Inuyasha swallowed his frustration and fear in order to calm her. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm still here, perfectly alive. But, what did we just see?"
Her eyes met his in surprise. "S-see? What did you see?"
"That's what I'm asking you! I know you saw it too! I was looking out of your body, your eyes! I...I was on the ground...I was...I was dying. Why did I see that when I touched you? What was it?"
She let out a choked sob and pulled his head down so their foreheads could touch. "I hate it. I hate it so much. But as much as I hate it...it's true that that is how you are going to die."
Inuyasha gulped. "I-I'm going to die? Like that? H-how? How could you know that?! It can't be true. It's impossible! No one can see the future like that!" his voice was verging on hysteria. He would have been pacing frantically about the roof if not for Kagome's caressing hands and cool forehead.
"I can see the future," she said quietly. All of a sudden, she seemed to have pulled herself together. Her time for tears was gone, she needed to comfort her friend. "I can see the future when it comes to these sorts of things."
Instead of trying to follow what she was saying, Inuyasha stubbornly resisted. "How? You can't prove something like that! You can't see the future!"
"I did when it came to saving Sango's life. You wanted to know, didn't you? You wanted me to tell you how I knew she was in danger. I didn't want to tell you then. I didn't want to tell you I saw her drowning before it actually happened. I didn't think you'd believe me. Or you'd think I was crazy. Which maybe I am. But it doesn't change the fact that the visions I see come true. Every single time," Kagome's tone rang with finality and despair.
Inuyasha was shaking. Somewhere within him, Kagome's words were hitting home, but his mind still refused to process them. What was Kagome trying to tell him? She could see visions of the future? Visions of people dying? They always came true? There had been others other than Sango?
Others...others dead. It hit Inuyasha like a ton of bricks. Kagome's parents...Kikyo...Hojo... All of them had died. Had she witnessed them all...twice?
He raised his own hands and took her face in them. He then pulled their heads apart so he could look into her eyes. "You've seen them all? You've predicted all of their deaths?" What he was saying finally reached his brain. Letting go of her, he stepped back. "No, that can't be. It's impossible!"
Kagome felt him slipping away from her. "Inuyasha, please. Please listen to me. Can you really explain it any other way? Can you explain how I knew about Sango? Can you explain why I've been looking for a boy with long black hair for the past three months who I knew went to this school but couldn't seem to find? Can you explain what you just saw now with your own eyes?!"
"Stop it! Stop it!" Inuyasha shouted, covering his ears.
"You always wanted me to tell you before! You always wanted me to explain! You sounded so accepting, that you would believe anything I had to tell you. So why won't you believe me now?!" Kagome cried desperately.
"Because!" Inuyasha yelled and Kagome noticed there was a hitch to his voice. When he turned his face towards her, she was startled to see tears at the corners of his eyes. "Because...I don't want to die. I don't want to die, Kagome."
"Oh god." In making Inuyasha see the truth about her, she was forcing him to believe his death was at hand. Without thinking, she rushed over to him and embraced him tightly. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry."
Inuyasha's legs seemed to give out and they sunk to the ground once more. "I don't want to die, Kagome. I don't want to die," he kept repeating.
"I know, Inuyasha. I know. I don't want you to either. That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to stop it. What I said was true. I have been searching for you since I came to this school. In fact, I came to this school solely to search for you. I have been having this vision since September. I came here to see if I could stop it. Too many people have died because I wasn't able to stop it. Or, they probably would have died anyways, but I would have had the ability to stop them if I'd tried hard enough. I was determined not to make the same mistake with this new boy. And I am even more determined now that I know it's you and not some random boy I don't know." She stroked his raven hair softly as his arms snaked around her waist and held her like a child would his mother.
"You really can see the future, can't you?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," she replied simply.
"And you've seen all of their deaths before they happened? Your parents, Kikyo and Hojo... You predicted them all?"
"Yes."
"But...when your parents died...you were only six..."
"Yes."
"And you saw them die before it happened?"
"Yes. But then...I-I just thought they were bad nightmares. I didn't understand what they meant. I had a bad feeling the night the murders happened and I tried to stop my mom, but I didn't succeed. And then I chased after her...but that caused her to cry out and it alerted the burglar. When he was distracted, my dad tried to get the gun, but the burglar ended up shooting him. And then he shot my mom when she ran forwards. It was all my fault you see. I saw the murders before they happened...but I did something wrong and I ended up causing them myself." Kagome hung her head over Inuyasha's.
He gave her a comforting squeeze. "You can't be blamed for that. You didn't intend for it, you were just trying to stop it. Your parents wouldn't blame you either, I'm sure."
Kagome was silent for several moments.
"Kagome?"
"I...I had a dream the other night. It was the night before you found me in my room. They were...blaming me for their deaths."
"Who, your parents?" Inuyasha sat up in order to look Kagome straight in the face.
"...Everyone. Everyone was blaming me. But it started with my parents. They said I was stupid, that I saw it coming but I didn't save them. That I caused their deaths myself."
"Kagome–"
"That was just the beginning. Kikyo came next. She was mutilated just the way she was from when she died. Her right side was torn and bloodied from where the car hit her at full speed. I hadn't been able to save her either. Again, I had seen it months beforehand. I was still confused though! Confused and scared. I didn't know what it meant. My parents had died the first time, but it was when I was six and I thought that maybe I had turned myself around. That my memory was flawed and I had actually seen the nightmares of my parents dying after it had happened instead of before. Because otherwise it wouldn't have made sense. I had been able to fool myself with that. And so, when the visions of Kikyo's death came to me, I didn't know what to do. They made me nervous, but I wanted to ignore them. I thought if I did, nothing would come of it. But I was wrong, just like the first time. Kikyo saw me that day and rushed across the street. I suddenly knew what was going to happen seconds before it did, but I was frozen with dread and fear. She died just like in my vision.
"And she was also blaming me in my dream. She accused me of ignoring my visions and causing her death. She was so angry that feeling sorry for the girl who'd lost her parents had led to her own death."
"Ka–" Once again Inuyasha tried to interrupt, but once again he was cut off. Kagome seemed intent on finishing.
"Hojo was last. He was so cold and cruel, but I guess he had a right to be. Twice before I had witnessed my loved ones' deaths and twice before I had been unable to stop them. You would think by the third time I could have done something...
"But...when I started having visions of Hojo, I froze up. My best friend in the whole world...the best one I'd ever had...he was going to die? I didn't know what to do, I wasn't sure there was anything I could do. I had tried before, and I had failed. I was starting to believe I was only given these visions to torture me. I wasn't sure there was any other reason for them. I couldn't imagine what I could actually do about them. Hojo...Hojo had been stabbed in my vision. How was I supposed to stop that? My fear clouded my thoughts.
"I'm not even sure what I was thinking the night that it happened. I had been on edge for the past few months, knowing what was to come, but not when. It was late that night and I just wanted to get back to the orphanage as quickly as possible. I was such an idiot. I asked Hojo to take the shortcut with me. But that just took him right to the scene of his murder. In my dream he accused me of having lured him there. Of having practically killed him myself by doing nothing about my visions. It was horrible. They all said their blood was on my hands, that it was all my fault. What could I do but believe them?" She finally looked up at Inuyasha with lost eyes.
"Kagome, that was just a nightmare formed of your fears. You parents, Kikyo and Hojo would never actually blame you. They couldn't. They loved you."
Kagome smiled slightly as she remembered Miroku's similar words. "You're probably right... But I've had so many visions that were real, Inuyasha. Who's to say it wasn't one of them? I can't separate my visions from my nightmares anymore. They're often all the same."
"Then you'll just have to have faith. Faith in the feelings and impressions they left with you when they were still alive. You can believe in that much, can't you?"
Kagome took Inuyasha's hand in hers and squeezed it. "I think I finally can. I know my parents loved me... And I know Kikyo and Hojo saw me as a genuine friend. I've always known this... But what happened to them was terrible. And I could have stopped it, but didn't. I just... I've felt responsible all these years. And through my guilt, I've warped what I believed their feelings for me were. I can't erase my feeling of responsibility for their deaths. I just...can't. But maybe I can still trust in the fact they don't blame me for it. And if I do everything in my power from now on to save future victims, like I did Sango, I might somehow feel their deaths were not in vain."
She sat up straight and faced him squarely. "And so I'm going to promise you, Inuyasha, here and now, that I will not rest until I change that horrifying vision of your death. I won't let it happen. I will do anything it takes. You are so important to me now that losing you would be the same as losing myself. I will even sacrifice my own life to save yours because I don't think I could continue on anymore without you."
Inuyasha's expression wiped clean from his face as he stared at her. After a moment he slumped forward and let his head fall on her shoulder. "I think my heart just stopped. The thought of you dying is even scarier than my own death. Please don't ever die just to leave me alive without you. That would be much worse than my death."
"Looks like we both can't live or die without the other..." Kagome noted, raising a hand to rake her fingers through his hair. "When did we become so dependent on each other, huh? When did it become so hard to separate from you...?"
Inuyasha lifted his head until they were nose to nose and he was looking straight into her eyes. "Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"Can...can I kiss you?"
Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. When she didn't respond right away, Inuyasha sat back and started fiddling with his hands. "It's just... I know we're just really good friends and I love our relationship how it is. B-but I really like you, Kagome. Being around you is comfortable. You...understand me and let me be myself. And...you're so strong and so fragile at the same time. I always find myself seeking your warmth, but also wanting to protect you. I want to stay by your side forever, Kagome. I...I think I really love you."
Kagome stared back at him a moment longer before saying, "Yes."
Inuyasha met her eyes, confused. "What?"
"Yes, you can kiss me."
Joy leapt up along with nervousness in his throat and he hastily tried to gulp them down. "O-okay." Hesitantly, he reached his hands out to cup her face. Before moving closer, he asked, "Kagome?"
"Yes, Inuyasha?" Her voice came out barely more than a whisper.
"I don't think I'm any good at this," he admitted.
She gave him a warm smile. "I don't think it matters."
Swallowing once more, Inuyasha leaned forward on his knees and brought their heads together. His lips pressed against hers gently and instantly recognized their warmth. Kagome responded to him immediately, pursing her mouth over his and bringing her hands up to his chest. She inhaled his scent as she closed her eyes and let herself be taken away by the sensations he was evoking in her.
Inuyasha leaned into the kiss, slowly working his mouth over hers and drinking in her taste. The sweetness of her mouth intoxicated him and he savoured each moment of their connection. He could feel the heat rising to his face, spreading a blush like wildfire on his cheeks, but Kagome's arms slid up to entwine around his neck and he didn't dare stop. His hands travelled into her hair, his fingers sliding through the silky strands.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome breathed as she pulled away slightly. As he looked at her with dazed eyes, she continued, "I think I love you too."
If Inuyasha had still had his dogs ears, she swore they would have perked up. "Re-really?"
"Yes," she said, snuggling closer to him and tucking her head under his chin. "You care so much about me... You understand me so well. You believe in me when I doubt myself and my sanity. You're so brave, when something so horrible has happened to you. And now, something else is on the horizon. But I want to be there with you to face it. I want to save you."
Inuyasha tightened his embrace and held her closer. "I want you to save me too. I do believe in you. And I would also still love you if that vision ended up coming to pass. I wouldn't blame you, Kagome. Not ever."
"And I won't let you die," Kagome replied stubbornly. "Not ever."