Okay. I have not posted in ages and ages…but of course you already knew that! I am SO SO SO sorry! I know that some authors go months without posting, but when I started writing, I promised myself that I would not be that kind of writier! And now look at me! I just want to give my heartfelt apology to all those waiting for this chapter to be posted, and to thank you all so much for being patient with me. Oh, and star2bcaught, Miroku wasn't really surprised that Sango had a type; he was just worried that she had someone (who wasn't him) in mind when she said that. And now, onto the story!

Disclaimer: D-I-S-C-L-A-I-M-E-R. What is there not to get?

XxX

Chapter 7: Realization

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Kagome woke to the sound of the alarm clock blaring into her ear. She groaned and turned over, trying to block out the insistent noise. She was just getting comfortable when-

"KAGEKI! SHUT OFF THE DAMN ALARM CLOCK!"

InuYasha's voice cut though Kagome's pleasant state of half-asleep. She turned over again and rolled her eyes and glaring at InuYasha's form balled up underneath the covers in his bed. She growled and slammed off the alarm clock.

"You know," Kagome grumbled, "You could turn off the alarm clock yourself every once in a while. I don't know why I do it every single morning. Honestly," she ranted on as she slipped out of bed, "I don't know how you got up in the morning before you had me here." Kagome paused as she glanced over at InuYasha's bed. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that he had gone back to sleep and was now snoring soundly.

"I-nu-ya-shaaa!" Kagome bellowed, stalking over to his bed. When he refused to stir, she yanked off his covers swiftly, and pushed him onto the floor.

"What the-" InuYasha managed to say, before Kagome started poking at him with her foot.

"I! Thought! I! Told! You! To! Get! up!" Kagome said, punctuating each of her words with a jab to InuYasha's ribs.

InuYasha groaned and turned over, catching hold of Kagome's foot and staring up at Kagome. Kagome swallowed. His purple eyes seemed to hypnotize her, and she couldn't think strait. The room seemed to start spinning…and then Kagome realized that it actually was. InuYasha had flipped her over by pushing her foot back. Kagome landed on the ground heavily and winced. What is wrong with me? She wondered. Usually she would have caught a throw like that and at least blocked her fall, but everything had just seemed so fuzzy…

InuYasha pushed himself up as he smirked at Kagome on the ground.

"Hey, chibi," InuYasha said his voice threatening, but his eyes teasing, "don't ever try to wake me up like that again."

Kagome watched him as he walked into the bathroom. She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and grinned. "Not much of a morning person, is he?"

XxX

Kagome went though her classes as usual, and chatted freely with her friends at lunch. Miroku seemed much happier today, and Kagome saw him exchanging glances with Sango. Something had finally happened it seemed. Kagome smiled. She had always known they would be good for each other.

At football practice, Kagome practiced hard. She tried to put the worry that she was feeling out of her head. For some reason- just a hunch really- she felt that something bad was going to happen. However, as much as she tried to put it out of her head, it was affecting her performance today. She got yelled at more than a few times, and left the field feeling frustrated and downhearted.

I have to snap out of this! Kagome said to herself, shaking her head from side to side. I need a distraction…

Just then InuYasha came up from behind her. "Hey chibi, want to go get something to eat?" Kagome looked up in surprise.

"Um…" Kagome paused. Eat dinner? Alone with InuYasha? Then she mentally smacked herself. What was she thinking? This was dinner with two guys, not some kind of date, after all. Plus, it was just what she needed to distract her. "Sure," Kagome agreed. But as she followed InuYasha down the hall to change into her street clothes, she couldn't help but wonder why she felt so nervous.

XxX

InuYasha ran a hand through his thick black hair as he sat in front of his closet. Kagome had gone into the bathroom to take a shower, so he was all alone. For the fiftieth time, InuYasha wondered why he had invited Kagome to go get something to eat.

It was just because the poor kid looked so damn pathetic. InuYasha reminded himself. That's all.

Now his only problem was deciding what to wear. For some reason InuYasha couldn't decide on one outfit. Whatever he tried on looked too casual, or just plain stupid. The water in the bathroom shut off and InuYasha looked up. He needed to decide, and now. Growling, InuYasha reached in and grabbed some pants and a t-shirt at random, pulling them on and then running a brush quickly through his hair. There.

InuYasha flopped down on his bed and shut his eyes. He just needed to chill out. What am I getting so worked up for?

XxX

Kagome trotted after InuYasha as he walked down the street, hands in his pockets. She couldn't help but notice how good he looked. He was wearing a black t-shirt over a pair of dark jeans, and it looked like he had actually brushed his hair for once in his life. Kagome looked down at herself. She was wearing a blue polo shirt and a pair of shorts.

I wish I was wearing a dress, and that we were going to see some sappy movie instead… Kagome sighed, and then widened her eyes as she realized what she had just thought. A blush flooded across her cheeks. Where had that come from?! I don't even like InuYasha that way! He's a jerk, and a slob, and rude, and-

Kagome's train of thought broke off as she ran strait into InuYasha's back. "We'll eat here," InuYasha said, grinning at her. "Oh, and try not to be too clumsy, chibi."

Kagome's stomach turned over. All right, well maybe he's not that bad. Kagome followed him into the ramen shop InuYasha had picked out. Kagome rolled her eyes. Ramen. Of course. How romantic.

However, during the course of the evening, Kagome found herself enjoying it. There was a football game playing on the TV in the corner, and she and InuYasha commented on it, talking about all the bad plays, and what they could have done better. They talked about school, hobbies, and anything else that came into their heads. They disagreed on almost everything, but they both enjoyed arguing, so that wasn't a problem.

They had just started back towards the school when the conversation turned to families. InuYasha started talking about his. He was telling her about his father and his mother, when he noticed that Kagome hadn't said anything for a while.

"So, Kageki. What is your family like?" InuYasha asked. Kagome started, and looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wha…What?" Kagome stammered.

"What is your family like? Do you get along with them? Do you miss them?"

Kagome's eyes began to fill with tears as raw wounds were reopened. She had been careful not to think about her family too much. Every time she remembered them, something inside her seemed to break, and Kagome was afraid that if she tried to remember to much, she would shatter into a million pieces, and wouldn't be able to be put together again.

"Um…I…" A tear dripped down Kagome's cheek, and she turned away from InuYasha, swiping at the tear so that he wouldn't see, but it was too late.

"Uh, hey! I didn't mean to make you upset. I mean, I understand. Everyone gets homesick." Kagome looked back at InuYasha, and he looked so alarmed that she was forced to laugh. For some reason, InuYasha always made her feel better, whether he was trying to or not. Before, if Kagome thought about her parents, she would have been depressed for days. But now, one look for InuYasha soothed the wounds.

They arrived back at the room, and they were both chatting again like normal. They changed into their pajamas (Kagome changed in the bathroom, as always), and went to bed.

"Hey, InuYasha." Kagome said to the dark room, just as she was going to sleep. Her voice was heavy and slurred.

"Yeah?" InuYasha replied, his voice just as tired as hers.

"Thanks." And then Kagome fell asleep.

XxX

Kagome was walking down the long white hallway again. She knew that she was dreaming. The whole thing had that slow, liquid feeling that dreams always do, but she couldn't seem to wake herself up. Kagome glanced around, fear already welling up in her chest as she looked for the dark shape.

In this dream, Kagome didn't waste any time. She started jogging down the halls, not pausing to peer into the doors on either side of her. She knew what lay inside. Up ahead, Kagome saw nothing but corridor stretching on and on, fluorescent lights glowing dimly. Then Kagome heard it.

A faint scrape came from behind her, far down the hallway. Kagome didn't turn to look, but only ran faster, knowing what came from behind. As Kagome's breath began to come ragged in her throat, she heard faint footsteps coming closer. They advanced slowly, then faster.

Then, just as before, a wall loomed up out of nowhere, where miles of hallway had once stretched. Kagome looked to either side of her, then back at the door that stood in her way. She swallowed and pushed at the door. It was locked.

Kagome pushed harder, and finally risked a glance behind her. The dark shape oozed forward, but this time Kagome could see that it held the shape of a man. She began to claw at the door, sobs reverberating off the cold, white walls, and tears streaming freely down her face. This was it. Kagome knew what was going to happen, but she couldn't help flinging herself at the door, time after time, hoping that the next time, it might have been unlocked.

"Please…" Kagome pleaded to the empty hallway. "Please…"

And then Kagome could feel the dark shape behind her. It was closing in and cold began to seep into Kagome's bones. She could smell its evil, a rank, decaying smell crowned with the smell of roses. It smelled like a whole field of blood red roses, all dying and rotting away. Kagome screamed, and felt the blackness wind around her feet.

"No! Please, help me. Don't…" Kagome gasped as the darkness slithered up her body, towards her head and throat. She screamed again, her voice piercing the empty whiteness. "INUYASHA!"

Kagome began to writhe as the darkness enveloped her whole body. She had never felt pain like this before. Her only hope was that soon, it might all end.

XxX

A sharp pain on Kagome's cheek was what brought her to the surface. Her eyes snapped open as she gulped in lungfuls of precious air. She could just make out the figure of InuYasha above her. He was sitting on her waist, and had her hands pinned on either side of her head. Kagome's cheek throbbed slightly, and she realized that InuYasha must have slapped her to wake her up.

Kagome's face was drenched in tears, and her breath was still coming in short gasps, broken by small sobs. InuYasha climbed off her slowly when he realized that she was awake and sat down on the side of her bed.

"Was it…was it another dream?" he asked hesitantly. Kagome nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Then InuYasha did something completely unexpected. He pulled her up and into a hug. (A/N Just so you guys know, InuYasha is not making a move on Kagome. He thinks that she's a guy, remember? He's just trying to comfort her in whatever way he knows how. Nothing weird!) Kagome froze up, unable to move. InuYasha began to release her, afraid that he had done the wrong thing, when Kagome managed to choke out, "My family…my family is dead." Then she latched onto InuYasha and completely broke down.

This was what she had needed: someone who could comfort her and hold her until she stopped crying. This is what she had wanted all along.

Kagome cried until no more tears would come, and InuYasha set her gently down back onto her bed. Kagome closed her eyes immediately, completely exhausted. Her second to last coherent thought was, I am in love with InuYasha.

The very last thought that crossed her mind before she drifted to sleep was, Shit.