Whoa, holy crap, that's a lot of reviews! I'm shocked at the big, positive response this story got. I definitely wasn't expecting this many reviews, you guys rock! It almost makes me upset that this is a quick 3 chapter story, but it is what it is:o)

Full of Grace

Chapter 2- Complete

In all honesty, he didn't think of Kagome much after their meeting. That's not to say Kurama didn't think of her at all. He did.

When he spotted a few children dancing giddily, he thought of her. And when he spotted a young girl wearing a light blue skirt, similar in color to the dress Kagome had worn, she appeared in his mind. And when he caught sight of any blue eyes, it was suddenly her blue eyes he was seeing.

…So maybe he did think of her often. It wasn't constant or excessive, just a small reminder now and again.

Had he not seen her with the hanyou, he doubted he would have thought of her at all. It was possible she might have appeared in his thoughts otherwise, but that fact that she knew about darker things, held knowledge that the majority of the human population would never know… it made her noteworthy.

And so his thoughts drifted toward her now and then, a little less each day… until he saw her again.

It was completely accidental, and she bumped into him quite literally. Her bundle of groceries—at least ten different types of ramen—sprawled out in front on them and she let out a quick, polite apology as she gathered them up. He bent down to help and she glanced up to flash him a thankful smile, only to recognize him immediately.

She stared at him with a completely stunned look, and he himself was equally surprised at the twist of fate, but he knew his face didn't betray it as hers did. He merely offered her a friendly smile in return.

"Shuichi!" she exclaimed. That was as far as she got, however, before she caught sight of her watch and winced. She hurriedly threw the remaining scattered items into her bag, while telling him apologetically that she had to hurry or she'd be late, and Inuyasha would drag her back to someplace or other. Kurama didn't quite catch that last part.

Kagome was gone as quickly as she had come and the girl was in his thoughts once more. Again, time passed; enough so that she was almost completely forgotten, and then came another fateful meeting. And then another. And another. All brief meetings with only a few words exchanged before one of them excused themselves for some reason. At the café, at the park, at the movie Kuwabara convinced him to see, she started to appear everywhere he was.

"I'm not stalking you, I promise," she told him jokingly when they met yet again at the library.

"Perhaps I'm the one stalking you," he countered. It delighted him when she answered with a blush.

"I'm just here to pick up a book," she told him. "…Which you probably already knew because, ya know, library and all."

Her face was easily read. He could tell she was chiding herself for such a silly response. Kurama hid a smile and, to help her get past her self-inflicted embarrassment, he said, "I see you're still having trouble with math." He gestured toward the book she was holding, titled Math for Dummies.

Kagome looked pleased that he remembered such a trivial thing, but then she quickly changed gears and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Yes, unfortunately the dreaded quadratic formula still hates me with a fiery passion." She eyed him with a considering glance. "Hey, you didn't happen to change your mind on the whole 'you pretending to be me' thing, did you?"

She sounded and looked so hopeful that he laughed. "Sorry, I still stand at a firm no." He paused. "Although…."

The hopeful look was back. Before he could continue, Kagome interjected, "You've suddenly realized that you'd look fabulous in a skirt and want to switch places with me?"

That startled another chuckle out of him. "Well, that, and I was going to offer my services as a tutor."

Her eyes widened. "Would you really?" Before he could even think to respond, she had pounced and was hugging him with enthusiasm. "My mother's gonna love you."

She must have realized how it sounded, because she suddenly let go of him as she added, "Because of the tutoring and the good math grades and… and stuff."

In an attempt to hide her blush (and failing miserably), she searched around for a piece of paper and scribbled her name and phone number down. Kagome gave it to him and was off once again, but this time he knew for certain they would meet again.

They had bi-weekly tutoring sessions. Truly, she needed more help than such few meetings could give, but he was busy with his own work and the trouble his friend Yusuke always seemed to attract. She had other obligations, as well. At first, she claimed her need for such spread out sessions was because she was sick often. He recognized it instantly as a lie, but didn't call her out on it. It wasn't even that she was a bad liar; she would have been halfway decent with anyone else, but Kurama knew exactly how to read her.

It wasn't long before she spilled it all in one big heap. She didn't see the use in keeping it a secret anyway, she claimed, because he knew about demons, anyway. By the end of the session—which they got nothing math-related done—he knew all about Inuyasha, the Feudal Era (including her companions there), her birth date, what size shoe she wore, and that her favorite candy was chocolate.

He told his side much more slowly and in pieces. The first thing he let slip was his name.

"Kurama," she said, his name rolling off her tongue in a way he found he enjoyed greatly. She said it a second and then a third time before she beamed at him. "I like it."

Kagome bugged and prodded him for more information. At first, she acted rather haughtily, demanding to know about him. After all, he knew all about her.

"You volunteered that information," he reminded her in a deliberate taunt. She frowned most prettily at that.

When her commands didn't work, she began pouting instead. She looked up at him with her innocent, doe eyes, put her hand lightly on his forearm and asked him to please share. She just wanted to know him better. Understand him. And while the act was near perfect and those eyes were compelling, he did not waver. He only told her what he wanted her to know, when he wanted her to know it.

Kurama told her a little bit about his friends and how they, too, knew of demons and fought alongside him. He was careful not to name them, however. She was just the type to go hunt them down. Kuwabara would melt under her gaze, Kurama knew, and Yusuke would probably let his mouth run away with him.

She never stopped asking, but it did lessen considerably and Kagome soon learned to wait for him to share what he would, even if she was impatient. In the meantime, his tutoring continued, and her math grades improved—which was remarkable, considering the amount of distractions.

She was the first to instigate any sort of romantic relationship between them, but that didn't surprise him. It was on one of his tutoring days that she received her first hundred in what was probably a very, very long time. Needless to say, she was ecstatic. The minute he walked through the door, she sailed into his arms and planted a kiss right on his lips.

Kagome jumped away when she became aware of just what it was she was doing, but Kurama didn't let her get far. He took hold of her wrist and brought her back, kissing her gently, but insistently. Kagome melted against him.

From then on, they began their actual relationship. He finally revealed it all to her, not sparing any of the gory details. She hung onto his every word, interested and not shocked or appalled by anything he had done in his past. And when he was done, she kissed him deeply and thanked him.

"For what?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"For telling me."

It felt wonderful to have someone want him, love him, as deeply as she did. She took him as he was, every piece of him, and that was something he never thought he could find from any human girl.

He didn't feel her presence there, not right away. It wasn't until the bed dipped under her weight that he truly awoke from his sleep. His motions were automatic as he lifted the sheets just enough to allow her to crawl into the bed beside him.

Kurama shifted so that he was on his side, facing her, though he never did open his eyes. From the way the mattress moved under her, he could tell that Kagome was doing the same.

It was natural, the way his hand reached out and encased her warm, smaller one in his under the covers. Her other hand came up to push away the red locks that had fallen into his face, and did not leave afterward. Her fingertips gently caressed the side of his face.

"We were supposed to meet up earlier," Kagome reminded him.

Her voice was soft and there were no traces of anger or disappointment. She just simply stated the facts as they stood, and all the while her fingers trailed down his cheek lovingly.

Her pointer finger was tracing teasingly over his bottom lip when he responded. "I know."

Her hand pushed away his bangs and her fingers skimmed just underneath the small cut on his forehead. "You were fighting." A light accusation.

"Yes." There was no point in denying it. "As were you."

Her wandering hand paused. "How did you…." But she cut off before she finished.

He could smell it on her; her hanyou friend, along with the small kitsune, and a foreign, demon presence still lingering on her skin. That fresh, outdoorsy scent mixed in with the musk of demons, it was the scent she always brought home with her. She had been there not too long ago.

A silence swept over them, but it was the farthest thing from uncomfortable. Kurama was merely… content. Content to lie there resting with her by his side, their fingers intertwined. He thought wistfully that all days should end just as this one did.

Her hand had resumed its exploration of his features, trailing lightly over his eyebrow, tangling momentarily in his hair, and tracing the line of his jaw. He felt oddly disappointed when she finally pulled her hand away.

Their blanket of quiet stayed wrapped around them for a short while longer as both were still, the sound of their breathing the only noise and their chests rising and falling, the only movement. He felt sleep tug at him once more until…

"I love you."

Although she made no move as to indicate it, Kurama knew her pulse had sped up a great deal. He could feel her gaze, searching his ever blank face, even though he had not opened his eyes once since she had crawled into his bed.

He gave her hand a small squeeze. "I know."

He was not at all surprised when she kicked him. "That's not quite the answer I'm looking for, fox."

A smile tugged at his lips upon hearing her dry reply. She knew. He knew for certain she did. Otherwise, he would have never gotten away with only a light kick in the shin and a nonchalant comment in response to his words. The love they felt was as obvious to themselves as it was to each other. The glances exchanged, the words spoken, the actions performed; at this point, there was no mistaking their feelings for one another. They had just never gotten around to vocalizing it before.

And so, slowly he blinked open his eyes and met her blue ones, still waiting, needing to hear it said. As long as it remained unspoken, there would be that inkling of doubt. His smile turned soft as he freed her from that uncertainty.

"I love you, too."

If only for the dazzling smile that broke out on her face, it was entirely worth it. Kagome looked as though someone had told that Santa was, in fact, real and she was getting twice as many presents this year. She leaned forward, kissing him on the lips, and then gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Now was that so hard?" she asked haughtily, eyeing him with a mock critical stare.

His hand tightened on hers and pulled her forward. He turned her around in the process, and she was quickly on her side facing the same way as he was, her back pressed against his chest. He rested his cheek against hers and hummed his agreement.

"Infinitely," he teased.

Kurama couldn't be sure, but he would venture a guess that Kagome was blushing. Her cheek seemed to get just the slightest bit warmer as he held her, although it could have just been his imagination. He brushed his lips against her cheek before he drew back and buried his face in her hair. His arms tightened around her, and he proceeded to fall asleep once more, this time with her in his arms.

And in that moment, he knew for certain she belonged there.

-End Chapter 2-

AN: Again, thank you to all the reviewers. You're all completely awesome. Thanks also to everyone who's put the story in their favorites or on alert! Only one more chapter and this short story is wrapped up.