A/N: Whoo I guess the ending to that chapter people didn't like heh:sweatdrops: well I wrote the next chapter so calm yourselves! And yes, this took forever for me to get it right!!! I tried so many different versions it isn't funny... Well, once again you guys set a record for reviews on a chapter! 10 reviews last time wow. And like a while bunch of favorites and alerts and even a c2. You guys are the greatest and so here's chapter 11! ((and for all of your who liked the little title insertion:points at like 1st and 2nd chapter: remember when I had a way with my stories...was I right?? eh? eh?)) Just a warning: MAJOR FLUFF ALERT!

AR... blah blah blah you know the drill by now...

DISCLAIMER: and by chapter 11 I hope you still aren't trying to sue me 'cuz I still don't own Inu-Yasha, babe.

Inu-Yasha, Stay With Me!

Chapter 11

Much to Kagome's body's relief, she let Inu-Yasha's body gently slide back onto the ground that was soft with the rain. She put her head down on his chest and continued to let out pained howls and tears. Why did this happen? Was she getting what she deserved after wishing Kikyo away so many times? These questions made their way through Kagome's terribly fuzzy mind startling her at their clarity. She gripped Inu-Yasha's haori in her balled fist as she tried to calm herself. One more tree fell on top of the one already blocking the path way to the village, that was Kagome's last chance of getting back. Kagome was now stuck there with Inu-Yasha's quiet form.

"Inu-Yasha... I'm sorry!" She screamed out between frantic sobs. "My one chance to save you, and I couldn't. After all those times you came close to dying for me, all those times you protected me when I couldn't, and I couldn't even do this." This was not the way Kagome pictured her ending. She pictured it as Inu-Yasha admitting that he loved her and her admitting it too. Then they would embrace in the sunset and that would be her happily ever after. Never did she think that the arrow that now protruded from his chest, fired by her hand would be his end.

"I'm..I'm sorry...Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry..." She felt her head being moved slightly.

"...F-for what?"

"Huh?" Kagome picked her head up slowly as Inu-Yasha's slowly opening amber eyes stared back at her. "Inu-Yasha is it really you?" She asked reaching up and stroking his cheek, afraid the rain would once again fool her.

"No, it's Shippo. Yeah it's me!" He said sarcastically and pulling away from her hand.

"I thought that you... You were.. I was... WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?"

"I see you're happy to have me back.." He mumbled. Kagome shook her head.

"You fell, and stopped breathing for a while, I thought that you were dead! And I got scared.." She said looking to him with warm tears coming down her cheeks. "I was so scared I thought I let you die."

"I told you I wouldn't let something like this kill me."

"Inu-Yasha you would have had no control over whether it did or not." Kagome said gripping her leg that was now throbbing due to her adrenaline rush being gone. He turned his attention to her now.

"What'd you do to yourself? You're bleeding from everywhere!"

"I tripped a few times coming to find you, but Inu-Yasha it doesn't matter, you're back." She plopped her head back to his chest her back once again heaving. He started to smile and nudged her head with his hand.

"So you were worried you'd never get to tell me that you loved me, huh?" Kagome's head shot up.

"You...heard that? I thought you were unconscious!" She started to squirm in place as her face turned bright red.

"I knew what was going on I just couldn't open my eyes." He grinned at her smartly.

"So you knew that I was-"

"Kissing me? Yes." She looked away embarrassed as her cheeks took on a dark flush.

"I still can't believe you heard that." She said putting her free hand over her eyes, making an attempt to block everything out. Inu-Yasha dropped his grin since Kagome wasn't finding the situation very funny.

"What're you so upset about?" He asked quite ignorant.

"Inu-Yasha," She said slowly. "How can you even ask that? I mean when you found out, I wanted to tell you, not for you to just over hear me and be like, "Oh Kagome's in love with me." I wanted to tell you when the time was right." She looked back up to his face that seemingly looked like an I'm sorry for you face and she looked back down. "This is just all wrong..." She let out a wavering sigh as Inu-Yasha gingerly picked himself up cringing only when he slowly pulled out the arrow, other than that, having no pain left in his body.

"Well, sometimes things aren't going to be so convenient." He also looked down away from the girl only seeing her slightly jump when another roll of thunder sounded. He fidgeted with the arrow he now held in his hands. "This whole fiasco wasn't exactly the greatest thing to ever happen, but Kagome what helped me through it was knowing you were still with me and next to me the whole time. I know you never left my side, and I remember I'd wake up slightly only to hear you crying for my sake. And everytime I did hear you and how determined you were to help me, I remember I kept hearing myself say 'Inu-Yasha, you gotta keep going. Not for your sake but for Kagome's.' That's the only thing that kept me from giving up. Kagome I have to be honest with you for this one time, that was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. Even though it makes me sound weak ... it was truly horrible, but not just because of what I was feeling but what it was doing to you."

"Inu-Yasha..." Kagome looked up to him, whispering his name softly as the rain pulled his hair to his side hiding his face. She could however see his hands sitting in his lap, they were trembling softly. She scooted over to him whimpering and grabbing her leg a bit before reaching her free hand to his hands as he looked up at her sharply.

"Kagome..." He looked as if he were trying so hard to keep something in, whether it was tears or words Kagome could not tell but she knew what ever he was keeping in wouldn't be held in for long. Upon feeling her touch on his hands, he dropped the arrow as it made a soft indent in the mud in front of them. He looked back up from their hands to Kagome's face that was still lined with tears, not being able to stop his feelings any longer. He took his hands from hers and pulled her into a protective embrace and sat there in silence for a minute or two, reveling in the presence of the still dumbfounded teenage girl. Kagome tried to move her head from his shoulder, her chin still bleeding and managed to put her forehead to his shoulder. He loosened his grip only slightly and continued to talk in a nervous tone, one Kagome had never even heard before.

"Kagome I... All this time you've been with me, and all the small things you do for everyone, it's all just..." He exhaled as he tried to think about what he wanted to say exactly. "The more I've gotten to know you, the more that I've come to realize how wrong I was about you in the beginning. You're not weak, you've already proven that. You're not stupid, you've thought through a lot of plans. And the biggest thing is, you're not Kikyo." Kagome pushed back slightly.

"What're you saying?"

"You aren't her. You're two different people, you're Kagome and she's Kikyo and for a while I was thinking about you as just her. But once I got past that, I realized everything you said along the way was true. Your heart belongs to you and Kikyo's to her, it just so happens that you are her reincarnation. Because I know one thing, if you were Kikyo you would have never cared so much or gone so far. You've really made being a half demon so much easier." He said swallowing. Kagome pulled back from his embrace, the rain starting to let up.

"Inu-Yasha, why are you saying all this.." She said wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"It's because," He clenched his jaw down and closed his eyes. "Kagome...I..I'm in love with you."

"You are?" She asked quietly looking at Inu-Yasha with puffy eyes.

"Yes," He said giving her a slight nod as she clung back to Inu-Yasha's chest, her heart exploding in happiness. The tingle that started in her stomach ran throughout her whole body as she cried for everything she'd been through. The battles, the meeting Inu-Yasha, the stupid fights they'd always have, the meeting of the rest of her friends... Kikyo. She cried for all of it, all of them but laughed while she did so. "Kagome, why are you crying?" Inu-Yasha asked concerned.

"Because, Inu-Yasha," She looked up laughing and dried her tears. "I never thought you'd actually feel the same way about me." She took her arms and through them around Inu-Yasha's neck and clung to him desperately. The thunder sounded more faintly as a cool breeze whipped through the remaining trees and the two stayed locked together. Kagome stopped herself from crying anymore, her body trying to keep from falling over. She had bled a lot and she was starting to get light headed. Inu-Yasha felt her start to slip a little in his arms and sat her gently back on his cross-legged lap.

"Kagome, are you sure you're ok?" He looked at the girl suspiciously. Kagome kept trying to keep her head straight and look ahead.

"Inu-Yasha I'm just so glad you're all right right now-" Hardly being able to finish her sentence, Kagome fell limp in Inu-Yasha's arms.

"Kagome?!" He shook her frantically. "Kagome?!" After a minute he picked her up; remaining calm he would be able to get back to he village if he carried her. If he had enough strength at that point anyway. Standing up weakly it took Inu-Yasha a moment or two to get his balance back. Even after he had run away from the village, a few weeks of laying down had made his legs lazy with non use. The now cool dampened air only helped to freeze his feet more that were now covered in the sloppy mud as he attempted to pick Kagome up bridal style. He adjusted to her weight in his arms and turned in the direction of the village. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't noticed the two huge trees that rested on the path way to the village and groaned quietly to himself.

'I have to get Kagome back to the village, if not she's going to die of blood loss.' He thought to himself quietly. He put the girl down once again and took off his already muddy haori. 'It's better than nothing.' He thought as he wrapped it tightly around Kagome's leg. He struggled to pick her up again and upon having her in his arms, he began to climb up the trunks.

"This would be so much easier if my legs weren't so tired." He growled as his hand slipped from the wet trunk. He was imagining how foolish he must look right then, trying to climb over two huge trees while still holding tight over the girl he needed so desperately to live. Eventually making it to the top of the fallen obstacles, he sat on the top of them and slowly slid down so his feet hit the ground sending a wave of cold back through him. However, he pressed forward on the pathway stumbling every so often but never once falling completely.

The village finally came into view and how horribly the storm had displaced everything. Pieces of thatched roofs were everywhere along with baskets and multiple plants and bushes. Pieces of wood stood stuck in the group upwards, a dangerous thing if Inu-Yasha were to trip. He finally (through a lot of careful maneuvering) found his way back to Kaede's hut, the roof was half torn off but it was still standing. Inu-Yasha breathed a sigh of relief as he walked up to the doorway, the bamboo curtain blown completely off. Looking at his comrades completely horrified and confused faces he laid Kagome down where he had be resting only that morning.

"Inu-Yasha how did ye survive in this?" Kaede immediately looked at his expression which remained in a deep state of panic.

"Right now, treat Kagome. Her wounds are bad, I'll tell you everything that happened afterwards."

"Of course." The old woman went to get her herbs and Inu-Yasha slid down the wall to the floor at the foot of Kagome's bed. He looked to Miroku and Sango who seemed scared out of their wits, and Shippo cradled in Sangos arms next to Kirara then back at Kagome. Kaede unwrapped his now blood dipping haori and put it aside as she began to treat Kagome's wounds on her leg and chin.

'I made it, she's alive.' He said quietly to himself as he closed his eyes tightly.

'And most of all, she loves me too.'

XxXxXxX

A/N: Wow long chapter huh? Well there is going to be another chapter after this I promise :) :hears some groans: HEY HEY HEY:brings out scary author bat and groans turn to sad "yeys": Whoo-hoo! Well, my internets been out for a while that's why it took almost a month but happy almost 4th everyone! And please drop a review you're only gonna get one more chance after this chapter D:. Well, thank you all again and hope you enjoyed the finally surfacing "I love yous!"

((And thank you to my friend Nati for all her help and support!))

'Till Next Time!

A Friend in Words,

--KB