Disclaimer: All characters from Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and I don't own Photoshop (well... I do own it, but just some software and not the company), but this story belongs to me.

A Moments Hesitation

Chapter Two: Feelings of Fear

It was dark.

And scary.

Even the sound of the wind managed to be frightening. Or maybe it was the way Inuyasha had looked at her before she left. Maybe that was what was causing her so much fear. Or maybe it was simply the fact that it was the middle of the night that made the walk from the well house to the main house look so frightening and forbidding.

She wished Inuyasha was there.

Quickly Kagome walked across the yard, her heart pounding harder than it should. She faced demons on a daily basis for heaven's sake! What was so scary about walking around outside in the middle of the night in her own yard?

A shadowy figure walked near the steps of the shrine, and Kagome remembered just why she should be afraid. Dropping her backpack she sprinted to the door and yanked it open. Tried to yank it open, anyhow. Recent thefts made it where her family had taken to locking their door. Fearfully she looked behind her, preparing herself to ward off an assailant. How was she supposed to get inside? She needed... aw heck. She HAD a key!

Key. Key. Where's her key?

In the bag.

In the bag she dropped halfway across the yard.

The yard where shadows that were probably hiding killers and muggers and kitten kickers. She gulped. After wiping her sweaty palms on her pajamas, Kagome took a deep breath and bolted towards her bag. Her feet pounded against the ground as she approached it. Slamming on the brakes she skidded near the bag, turned on her toes in a move that would have looked very ballet like if it wasn't for the flailing arms, and grabbed the pack as she raced back to the door.

Rooting around in the bag took longer than it should have as she fumbled through the contents. Why did she bring so much junk with her? Great! Just great. She'd get murdered on her front doorstep because she just had to bring the contents of her medicine cabinet with her. Death by deodorant dependence.

From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move. Her heart lurched, threatening to stop. Luckily when her hand in the bag jerked it brushed against the key. Quickly she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Safe.

She was safe.

But doors and windows were so fragile. How easy would it be for someone to break in if they really wanted? Kicking off her shoes, Kagome double checked the lock on the door then went to all the windows on the downstairs floor and made sure they were locked as well. Once she was finished she allowed herself to breathe.

"Well, no chance of sleep now," she grumbled.

Maybe there was some chocolate ice cream. That would make her feel better. Halfway to the refrigerator she stubbed her toe on a chair. Stupid furniture. It was less dangerous just squatting on the floor. Back only a couple of minutes and she was already homesick for the Feudal Era.

Something on the refrigerator made Kagome stop. It was a picture. But there was something odd about it. Forgetting about the ice cream, she grabbed the picture and headed towards her room. Once she was safely in her own room she turned on the light. Her window was closed. Was it locked? Did she want it locked? What if a killer tried to crawl through her window? She crossed the room and locked it. But what if Inuyasha came and he thought she was locking him out. She unlocked it.

Then she cracked it open just a bit.

Eventually she stopped mooning over the window went to her bed and sat down to look at the picture in her hand. She laughed.

"Oh Souta."

It was a family portrait. In the back stood her mother stood on the left and her grandfather stood on the right. Souta stood in front of his grandfather while Kagome stood in front of her mother. That wasn't the unusual thing about the photo. The unusual part was that Inuyasha was standing slightly behind her a little farther to the left.

Kagome let herself fall backwards, laying down. She recognized the picture. But before it had a blue background. Something plain and simple. Now it had a picture of the god tree in the back. She smiled. Someone had fixed the photo.

"Photoshop," she murmured, remembering that her mother bought the program for her brother when he started getting interested in computers. "Looks like the kid put it to good use."

Seeing her favorite dog eared demon finally relaxed her enough to contemplate sleep. Setting the photo on the bed she went to the bathroom to take a quick bath and brush her teeth. As she undressed she noticed the scar on her chest again. Her fingers traced the faint white line.

He had saved her.

Again.

She smiled as she dropped her fingers and studied the scar. There was no way he could have actually gone to Kikyo and still arrived in time to save her. He must have started on his way and turned back. There wasn't time for him to have said more than two words to her before turning back, and that was if he was going at full speed. Inuyasha had come for her, instead of Kikyo. It was almost worth getting the sword shoved through her chest for that.

Not quite, but almost.

Stupid idiot. How could he not see that this scar wasn't something she would ever be ashamed of. Heck, every time she looked at it or touched it she was reminded that he had come for her. He had saved her, just like he was always saving her. Wait... did he know that's how she felt?

"Maybe I'm the stupid idiot," she told her reflection.

Climbing into the shower she washed up, and thought about how she should talk to Inuyasha about this. He didn't seem to want to hear the words from her. Maybe it would take more than words this time. Maybe it was time to grow a spine and take a little action.

But... what action?

He seemed to not want her to touch him. If she tried anything along the lines she was currently thinking (Bad Kagome, she scolded herself), he was sure to bolt. Leaning against the chilly tile she let the hot water pour over her as she tried to think of a solution. The picture sitting on her bed floated through her mind and she smiled. Proud not only of her brother's new technological skills, but also of the fact that he had put so much effort into making Inuyasha a part of their family. Who knew that Photoshop could take something special and make it even more special?

Hmmm...

Photoshop...

An idea struck her. But was she brave enough? Secure enough in their relationship for such a permanent decision? There was only a moments hesitation, then she let out a laugh and mentally made her plans for the next day. She only hoped that her mother wouldn't kill her.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Something was seriously wrong with Kagome. She was acting like something was after her. But when he sniffed the air he couldn't find any scents that didn't belong. So why was she running around like demons were on her tail?

Well aware that his good intentions had only lasted a few moments after the light in the well faded, Inuyasha kept to the shadows to keep an eye on his miko. Even if he couldn't be with her, she still needed his protection. She was nervous. No, not just nervous. She was scared. Didn't the idiot know that he would protect her? Oh... yeah... she thought she left him on the other side of the well... Leaving her without protection just wasn't an option. So if he had to watch her from the shadows for the rest of their lives, then so be it. He would devote his life to keeping her safe.

Finally she was in the house. He listened as she locked the door. Then watched as she moved through the house and locked all the windows. Was she trying to make sure that he stayed out? Didn't she know that she didn't have to worry about him anymore? To keep her safe he would stay away from her (though not so far that he couldn't be there in a heartbeat if she was in danger), so she shouldn't have to worry about him coming into her house.

Now that she was inside, it was safe to go to his tree. In one leap he was on his branch and watching through the leaves for Kagome to enter her room.

And waiting.

What was taking her so long?

Finally she came in her room and turned on the light. She looked tired. Worn out. Beaten. He saw her look at the window. Her fear wrenched his heart. Did she see him? Was that why she was coming to the window?

No. She locked it.

She was locking him out.

His heart dropped. This was the end. She didn't want him. She didn't want him anywhere near him. The one thing he was afraid of was finally coming to pass. He really had ruined everything after all. He was truly the idiot that Shippo called him.

Then a miracle happened.

She unlocked it.

And she opened it slightly.

Inuyasha's ears flicked forward as he felt something stirring in his chest. Hope. She was standing there, watching. Waiting. Did she sense him? Should he show himself? Should he start apologizing? Would he be able to tell her he was sorry without messing things up even more?

Before he could get his frozen muscles to move him forward she walked away from the window and sat on her bed. She was holding a piece of paper and smiling. Laughing.

"Oh Souta."

What had the brat done to make her so happy? After smiling stupidly at the paper for a bit she flopped down on the bed and stared at it sappily a little more. What the heck was on that piece of paper?

"Photoshop," she finally said, not that it made any sense to Inuyasha. "Looks like the kid put it to good use."

Setting the paper carefully on the bed, Kagome walked into her bathroom. Inuyasha waited. Curiosity was driving him insane. He needed to see what was on that paper, but he didn't want to be caught in her room. He didn't want her to know that he couldn't even give her ten minutes worth of space before he was driven to be beside her.

When he heard the water running and the fruity scent of "body wash" tickled his nose, he knew he was safe for quite some time. Once she started bathing, he had all the time in the world. Besides, even when she was done with the bath she still had that loud heat blowing thing that dried her hair, so that was another ten to thirty minutes that he had. Not to mention the time it took to put that lotion on her legs and arms and brush her hair and teeth and floss... he had plenty of time!

Carefully he pried open the window and crawled inside. Once by the bed he peered down at the paper, not wanting to move it or touch it so he wouldn't arouse any suspicion. But seeing his own face on the paper startled him into picking it up. It was the family photo, the one he saw downstairs on Kagome's mother's desk. And somehow his picture was there too.

This magic... this Phoh-toh Shop... it put him in their family picture. It made him part of their family. The kid had done this, if he understood Kagome correctly.

The brat was on his side.

His ears drooped. But that was before the attack. Would he be so willing to have him in the family if he knew what he had allowed happen to his sister? Had his foolishness cost him not only Kagome, but the family he had always craved?

Sitting on her bed he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. He had to be careful not to let it lull him to sleep, so he opened his eyes and studied the picture. If the paper was just folded a little bit... it would be a picture of him and Kagome. It looked like his arm was around her. Protecting her. Like family... like a friend... like a ... a mate.

Mate.

How stupid was he? He had his chance and he blew it. He didn't deserve to be in this picture with her. Some other...

His hands twitched. Some other guy? Some other guy in their family picture? Some other guy with his arm around Kagome? Some other guy protecting her? Some other guy... WITH HER????

"No," he growled.

But what could he do? She wasn't his. Not anymore. But how could he ever stand to see her with anyone else? The thought alone made his blood boil. How long did he have until Some Other Guy takes her away from him? Until she loves someone else? Would he survive it?

Would the world?

The shower turned off and Inuyasha waited for the loud blowing thing to start up before he stood up. He made sure that the picture was just where she left it. Uh oh... he had folded it on accident... and now there was a line! Quickly he tried to smooth it out, but it wasn't working. It was just a little line... surely she wouldn't notice... would she? He stood back and looked at the paper. It bent a little bit where it had been folded, making a little tent on the bed. She'd notice.

On impulse he took the photo, re-folded it, and put it under his shirt near his heart. Then he made his escape.

His heart beat heavily in his chest. He shouldn't have given in to curiosity. He shouldn't have picked up the paper. He shouldn't have gone inside her room! Now she'd know he was there. She'd hate him even more for his stalking her like this. But it was protecting, not stalking! What... what if she looked at him in revulsion? With hate?

Finally Kagome put him out of his panicked misery and walked out of the bathroom. The suspense was killing him. She had changed pajamas too. He supposed the ones that she wore outside to sleep smelled like smoke and dirt. Why did her pajamas cover nearly every inch of her body when the regular clothes she wore showed so much of her skin? No one saw her when she slept. Maybe it got too cold for her at night. She already used that heavy sleeping bag of hers... what else could he do to protect her from the chill. His cheeks blushed when a wayward thought popped into his head and he pushed it right back out. He couldn't let him think THOSE kinds of thoughts anymore. Besides, she wouldn't be coming back. Now she would always have that nice warm and comfortable bed.

So why wasn't she climbing into that nice warm comfortable bed? Did she notice the picture was gone? Why was she touching the rumpled covers like that and smiling?

The fear faded as she pulled back the blankets and crawled under. Good. She hadn't noticed. It was a good thing she wasn't always so smart. But reasons like that are why she needed him to protect her. She didn't have a good enough nose to know that someone had been in her room. Satisfied that he had gotten away with his breaking and entering, Inuyasha made himself comfortable for a night of miko watching.

"Good-night, Inuyasha," she whispered softly.

Poor confused girl.

It was a good thing he was there to watch out for her.

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Author's Note: This is part two of a three part story. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated, reviews are treasured, and flames are disregarded. TP-ing a person's home, however, falls under the 'flame' category.

Thanks for the very kind reviews. Interesting that I'll write drama, but I have a hard time reading it unless assured of a happy ending (I'm one of THOSE people who'll read the end of the book first to make sure there is a happily ever after). Luckily with my drama I KNOW how it is going to end.

I already know what is going through Kagome's head, but you're free to guess.