She had told him that she had wanted to sleep until she couldn't see the sun anymore, so that's what she had done. She had slept the whole rest of the day with him by her side, his fingertips lightly tracing circles on her back. This time, he didn't wrap his arms around her. She needed space. She needed to cry and feel sorry for herself for just a while, and be strong later on, because she knew that you didn't have to be strong all the time. He helped her to see that.

She felt the world on her shoulders and even though he was so there, she felt like he was so far away. Or maybe it was just her. After what she'd seen today, after almost losing someone who meant the world to her, she couldn't connect to him or anybody else. All of her friends had found out about the whole ordeal since it was on the news, against her favor, and now, the calls on her phone wouldn't stop and she couldn't get the break she desperately needed. She wanted to be alone and unbothered, and that was all she was asking for.

The moon couldn't. The room was quiet, filled with obscure. It was the way she wanted things for now. It helped her think. But the darkness made her feel less safe. And one of the biggest reasons why she didn't feel safe, a bigger reason than the darkness that surrounded them, was because tonight, they were the same. He was just as weakened as her.

She turned to face him, to see if he was just as hurt and worried as she was.

It was completely dark, but still, she could see his eyes. She reached out to run her fingers through his mane of now midnight black hair. She ran her fingers across the spot where the fuzzy appendages attached to his head had once set. They were now vanished. There wasn't a trace of half-demon in his features, but she knew that didn't matter to him. What really mattered to him was the conflict that she could feel radiating off of him. He couldn't stand nights like this. She knew. But she loved him, human features and fucked up emotions and all. And she loved him with his silver hair, dog ears, possessiveness, and toughness. She loved all of him completely.

He should know that. But sometimes, she didn't think he did, and she sometimes felt like an idiot for telling him that out loud on that one night. The thought of it still brought a blush to her cheeks and a slight fall to her heart. But she was braver than loneliness and much stronger than depression. And if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be all of those things.

"You okay?" he asked softly, worry apparent in his eyes.

"Are you?"

He snorted, and she could feel him rolling his eyes. "You know how this works, Kagome. Of course I'm not okay. I thought all of those feelings were bad before," he paused, "but now, they're ten times worse. Can you imagine that, wench?"

He was trying to be tough because he was frustrated, but it wasn't working out so well. His eyes were sparkly, and they were almost the only thing she could see. They were softening in sympathy for her, and something else she couldn't decipher.

"Of course I can," she retorted. "It's only for tonight. And in the morning, we can go see Souta and everything will be okay, alright? It's just tonight, Yash."

"What if something else happens, Kagome? What if that bastard pulls another trick? I'm useless right now." He said, his voice wary.

She traced her hand over his lips, hoping to calm him down. "I'm already hurt enough, Inuyasha. I don't know when his next move is, and I'm terrified at that fact, but after what I saw…" she paused, closing her eyes as she felt her throat closing up and nausea sinking into her stomach. "…After what I saw, I think that he knows that he killed me inside perfectly. I think he knows. And this will give us time to at least try to discover his intentions."

"Kagome-" he started to protest, but she cut him off.

"Hold me." She told him.

And he did until she fell asleep, sated from his touch.

XXXxxxXXX

He felt her looking at him strangely as he pulled her closer while they walked to her destination. He knew they were safe here, but the smells of the place were overpowering, almost to the point where he felt like running back and leaving. The smell made his stomach coil up and his throat burn. He found himself wishing he was back in his human form so it would all just go away.

Kagome must've knew, because she gave him a small smile and a nod of her head, leaning into him, understanding him. She knew what was wrong.

When they were near the room Souta was stationed in, he felt her hold his hand tighter in hers, squeezing his hand to death while she took a deep breath. He looked down to see her face scrunched up in determination. He knew what she was telling herself. She was pushing herself not to breakdown at the sight of her little brother.

She gasped at the sight of him, though. And even though he knew she didn't want to cry, the smell of her tears overwhelmed him more than any other scent that was in the hospital.

He watched as she blinked her tears back and slowly walked over to him. She gave him a weak smile, and he watched as Souta smiled back. Kagome's mother was sitting near the window in the room, her hands folded neatly in her lap, a smile on her face and watery eyes as she watched the exchange between the two siblings. Kagome lightly ruffled Souta's hair, letting out a giggle. And for the first time since all of this had happened, she seemed at least a little happy to see her brother awake, his big, brown eyes full of love.

He couldn't help but feel like he was intruding. So he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching them with his lips curved up slightly.

"Hey, sis," Souta rasped, and then frowned at the sound of his voice. "I know I sound weird-"

Kagome interrupted him with tears in her eyes. "I know, you sound weird because you're so exhausted and worn," she pulled up a seat next to the bed. "But hey, I like it. It has more pain in it. And pain just makes you stronger." She leaned over to kiss his cheek, making him frown and wipe at the spot she had kissed him and wipe the kiss away with his hands.

"Not cool, Kagome." He told her, his voice monotone.

She smiled wider, tears still obvious in her eyes. She ran a hand through his messy, black hair. "I'm glad you're okay. You know how much of a big baby I can be. I cried my eyes out for you. I'm sure Mama told you." Kagome sent a smirk over to her mother who smiled weakly back. Instantly, Kagome's smile lessened. There was so much pain in her eyes that it shocked him, and shocked Kagome more.

He instantly knew that she must've been thinking that there was something much more wrong than just a broken leg. She frowned at her mother, but quickly turned back to Souta and smiled.

"How're you doing, squirt?" Kagome asked, her voice laced with worry now.

"It's not that bad," he responded. "It doesn't hurt as much. I can watch cartoons all day. The nurses are pretty hot," Kagome giggled at his bluntness, "but the food here really sucks. My doctor is a cool dude. He says it'll only take about 3 or 4 months to recover, cause it wasn't that bad of a break. But 3 or 4 months without soccer…I don't know if I'll be able to survive."

He watched as Kagome laughed again, throwing her head back. The sound was music to his ears. It was something he'd been waiting to hear. And she was the most beautiful girl he knew when she laughed. It was nice seeing her face when she did. It was nice seeing her happy, even if it wouldn't last.

Mrs. Higurashi stood to her feet, giving him a smile as she walked over to him. She hugged him tightly, and he returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm. "It's nice to see you and Kagome here together." She told him as she pulled back, making his cheeks heat up.

They weren't together. Not yet. Not if it wasn't really what Kagome wanted right now. They both needed to focus on other things instead of improving the relationship. That's how he felt. He couldn't watch someone him or Kagome loved leave this planet, and he couldn't watch that, knowing it was his fault.

Kagome gave him a small smile before standing up and walking over to pull her mother into her arms.

"How long are you staying?" Kagome's mother asked her.

"Not long," she replied, a frown on her face. "Maybe just a little while. You know why, Mama. We need to figure out his next move-"

"Who's next move?" Souta interrupted, confused.

Kagome looked at her mother, her eyes accusing. "You haven't told him?"

Mrs. Higurashi looked down to her feet instead of in her daughter's eyes. "How could I, Kagome? He doesn't need that. What he needs is time to recover. Worry will just worsen his condition, and none of us need that. This family-" she paused, looking at Inuyasha to show he was family, too. "This family doesn't need it. He's fine."

Kagome shook her head angrily. "How's he fine? How's he okay when he isn't aware of what's going on?" She all but yelled in her mothers face, making her give her daughter a warning look.

He stepped forward, closing his hand around her arm and trying to pull her away. "Kagome-"

She jerked her arm away from him. Tears were in her eyes now, and he wasn't sure why.

"Dammit, Mama, he at least deserves the truth. And I thought I could trust you to tell him. Because if you don't, he won't ever know what's going on and why the people around him are getting hurt."

"Kagome-" her mother tried, but Kagome hissed.

"I'm leaving." She shook her head at her before turning her attention to her little brother. "Souta, I'll see you tomorrow. Be strong, and I love you."

And with that, both of them were gone, leaving Souta confused and Kagome's mother hurt.

XXXxxxXXX

They had barely made it into her bedroom before she was pressing her lips against his. He didn't know what had gotten into her, but whatever it was, he liked it. It had been a long time since he'd seen her like this, so in control. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and his around her wait, trailing down to her round bottom. And then, she began pushing him back to the bed, crawling on top of him and still refusing to break the kiss.

Her tongue was rubbing wildly against his, and then she broke away, panting before latching onto his bottom lip with her teeth and sucking on it, making him groan out in approval. And then, she was pressing her lips harshly against his again, and he could feel anger in her kiss. He reluctantly pulled away from her and she groaned, looking at him with hurt and anger in her eyes.

"Are you going to say you're done with me after this like the last time, Kagome?" he asked, a bit of apprehension in his voice as he looked up at her, amber eyes completely intense, lustful, and almost, just almost hurt. And he almost had a look of forlorn on his face, and her eyes softened, anger dissipating from her eyes to let the hurt really show. "Stop. We can talk about this- talk about all of it if you need to."

She shook her head. "I'd rather not. I don't want to. I want to get rid of it, I want you to get rid of it before it gets worse. Please, Inuyasha." She muttered as she let out a deep sigh and pressed her lips against his again, only to get no reaction from him. His cock was hard against her, but he was angry, and she was causing it. He wanted to be let in, and she couldn't deal with that right now. What she could deal with, though, was the feeling of him rocking gently in and out of her, making her gasp and her nails slide down his back, digging into his skin. She didn't want conversation. She wanted comfort, and she wanted to find it in him and not through words.

He still wasn't reacting. She pulled away, angry. So angry to the point where she could cry, but she chose not to. "You don't even fucking understand." She spat, gracelessly spilling uncongenial feelings that were stirring inside of her. She tried to move away, but he held her, keeping her legs folded on either side of his hips and her hands on his covered chest.

"You just don't know how much I do understand," he said to her, his teeth clenched and his jaws tightening as a result. "You're scared when you know you have no reason to be."

"I don't have a fucking reason?" she retorted, her cheeks flushing from anger and from the feel of him hard beneath her. "I have plenty of reasons. My brother almost died a similar way my dad did. Dad meant a lot to me. Souta does, too," she said angrily. "And whether or not you see it, you became my fucking world, Inuyasha. And somehow, just when I though it was impossible for you to fuck things up even more, you did! I can't lose you, and I can't lose whoever this is, boy or girl, growing inside of my stomach. It's something you gave me, you and only you. And it'll happen soon. I can feel it. And you can't even tell me, fuck, you don't even know what you did! I can lose the two most important people in my life. Soon, this baby will be kicking me from the inside, but you always have!"

His eyes briefly flashing red and then back to gold, he sat up and pulled her closer even though she tried to fight him and pressed his lips hard against hers. She kissed him back acerbically, biting his lip almost hard enough so that she drew blood. She swiftly broke away to yank his shirt off, but before she could, he panted something in her ear.

"Kagome, I don't wanna fuck you like this anymore."

She paused, her heart going a bit faster while it missed a few beats, making nerves coil up in her stomach and explode. She had never been so tired of emotions. Not even when her Dad died and people gave their grief. Inuyasha was making all of this happen so quickly.

"How do you wanna fuck me, then? I never knew there was a difference." She said, her voice quiet.

She watched as he rolled his eyes and let out a groan. "I don't even want to fuck you. It's not like that anymore. You're having my kid and things are changing and I don't think you'll ever know what's going on inside my head, and if you did know, you would refuse to believe it all and deny everything."

She shot him a quizzical look, her body still pressed tight against his. Inuyasha?

She cupped his cheek, her eyes softening and she felt stupid and she felt like a bitch. And she was being a bitch, just because she could. She fucking hated that. She hated treating him like this, jumping on him like this. She hated seeing that strangeness in his eyes. "I'll believe you because I don't know any better."

He scoffed, leaning into her to kiss her neck, his hands trailing down her back until they reached her bottom. He squeezed her softly before roughly pulling her against him. She tried not to be so vocal, she tried not to break down, she tried to let him know that she still wanted an answer. But a moan escaped her lips anyway.

"I didn't want fucking. I wanted things to stay like this, Kagome." He kissed her neck again, and she moaned, pushing into him even more. He growled, pulling her close. She moaned his name and he smirked against her skin. "I like making you feel these things. And I fucking love you moaning my name, baby."

In just a few minutes, she was free of all her clothing, and he stared at her with that predatory look in his eyes that made heat pool between her legs. He kissed over her naked body, making her shiver with delight as she arched against him, wanting, needing more. He pushed her knees apart, his grip strong. And her body quivered as he kissed there, as he licked there.

"Fuck," she breathed out, her chest heaving and her pants endless. "Fuck, fuck…oh, fuck…Inuyasha." She cried his name softly, completely losing herself.

Her voice whenever he did these things to her always caught his attention, but that didn't stop his assault on her. If anything, he made it worse in the most lovely way. A way when her stomach curled with arousal and a way where he made her feel hot all over, a way where he made her feel heaven.

"Your fucking tongue, Inuyasha. Please," she cried out, begging and losing all her pride. Inuyasha possessed that ability and she hated him for that. So two seconds later, her legs spread wide, he had her seeing stars right there, and he had her shaking. He rose, his face glistening and a smirk on his face.

He held her instead of driving into her with mad pleasure. He let her recover and he gave her butterfly kisses as she was slowly, but surely, brought down from her high. "What did you mean when you said you didn't want to fuck?" She asked him softly. After all, the statement was still bothering her, and her heart was racing at the possibility of an answer she didn't want to hear. Was he finished with her? Tired of her because he was noticing the changes in her body, too? The bitchiness and wild mood swings annoyed her, also. She didn't want to be left alone by him, though.

He licked at her neck lethargically, imagining, wishing he could take her as his. He wouldn't risk anything. He sighed, nipping at her neck, determined to leave at least a love bite. "I meant I wanted to make love to you. Last time you were like that, you left. You took too long to come back to me, Kagome. I know how your mind works. I promise you, this is nothing compared to what you think."

She sighed. He still couldn't say it and he never would be able to.

With her back hurting and her heart hurting just as worse, she laid for him and spread her legs as he crawled atop of her, placing kisses over her chest and licking at her neck once more. He wouldn't have the balls to do it. To mate her, make her his. Never.

She growled when she felt him slide into her slowly, her eyes shutting tight as she felt that comfort she needed. And then, he was moving inside of her slowly, gently, whimpering at the feel of her tight around him as she whimpered back when he brushed against that special spot inside of her. There was a short burst of stars beneath her lids, and she panted heavily, her breath ghosting against his cheek as he buried his head into her neck, his nose nuzzling against her smooth skin.

Her nails sunk down into the skin of his back easily and he flinched, and she realized that she'd have to ask him about that, later. Her legs slid tight around his waist, keeping him in place as he whispered sweet things to her.

In here, it was just them, making love to each other in darkness, unaware of everything besides the jolts they felt whenever they touched. He was quicker, faster, eager to break her world into a million of pieces. And she was wet around his cock, wet and deeper than the ocean and still tight. And for the rest of his life, he'd liked to think that that she opened up for only him, only let him do these things to her.

It wasn't just sex anymore, he knew that. It was love, and yet, he still couldn't tell her. Maybe he could whenever it was all over, but not now.

In here, it was just them making love in darkness even faster, letting out muffled cries into each other's mouths as they completely broke in pieces and whispered things over and over again to each other. "I won't leave you" and "You feel so good" and he just wished she'd say "I love you" again when he didn't even have the balls to tell her the last time.

In here, it was just them, making love in the darkness and to darkness, but they weren't alone. Never alone.

A/N: I seriously can't wait until it's finished, so you guys can expect updates much faster and shorter chapters. I love this piece, I really do, and I'm proud of it, but it's taking me too long and the last chapter, I only got 6 reviews and that absolutely broke my heart. ;(

I'm sorry if I'm failing you guys. I know it's pretty boring and could use a little speed, but I'll get there soon enough. But 212 reviews? It's so much more than I expected and I can't thank you guys enough; I mean it. I look for encouragement through you guy's reviews and when I start feeling suckish about all of this, I give up for a while. But I won't do that anymore. It only took me about 4 months to finish If It Hadn't Been For Love and with All I Need, I'm going on fucking 5 months, and then it'll be 6 months and 7 and blah blah blah. But Kagura and Kagome WILL be meeting next chapter and if not, sometime soon. Once again, I'm sorry guys. I just feel like a huge glob of disappointment. /;

Anyway, reviews or constructive criticism, please?