Chapter Twelve – Falling for You

"Inuyasha, they are here! C'mon! They are here!"

Inuyasha tried to ignore the irritation that was nagging at him. Just when he was about to admit how he felt…

Ugh, this is why I don't like having friends. They get in the way.

"Kagome, quit jumping like that! This roof isn't very sturd-"

With a sudden and piercing crack, the boards gave in around them. With lightning speed, the half-demon grabbed Kagome and pulled her against him. When they landed, he was the one that was against the ground.

"In-Inuyasha!" She coughed and gasped.

The dust filled the air in a thick fog. Kagome searched beneath her for his face.

"Inuyasha! Are you okay!? Inuyasha!?"

There was a low groan and some coughing. Kagome barked out a short laugh of relief.

"Inuyasha, are you hurt?"

"Uh…yeah, but my head hurts."

The girl grinned. He was so reckless, but he had protected her. He had guarded her from injury.

"I want to thank you and smack you all at once! How could you be so wild?"

"You aren't hurt, are you?"

She paused, focusing on how she felt. She didn't feel any pain…

"No, I'm fine. But your head…"

The dust was mostly cleared now. Kagome could see his face. Inuyasha pulled himself onto his elbows. He coughed a few more times and then opened his eyes, looking at her intently.

"Well, at least you are safe."

Kagome felt tears sting her eyes. He had risked pain and death so many times for her, and yet she couldn't find a way to return the favor. Her thoughts bounced back to last night.

"To some people, love is well-worth risking pain for."

"Oh, Inuyasha! Thank you!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Even if he had only done it to keep her safe for the sake of their friends, she didn't care. He was always there for her. The gratitude welled up inside her.

"K-Kagome…"

Inuyasha felt his chest tighten. Her lips felt so soft…

Without stopping to think, he turned his face and pressed his mouth against hers. Kagome gasped in the kiss. It was so unexpected and most definitely shocking. Under normal circumstances, she would probably blush madly and shove him away. But she wasn't thinking clearly, and that didn't really matter much, right? He was kissing her, something that she had dreamed of for a long, long time. She wanted this more than anything else in the world besides defeating Naraku.

Inuyasha…

The young girl returned the kiss, melding her lips with his. It felt so familiar and right. Her heart jumped in her chest. He was gentle, and very warm. His arms wrapped around her middle and he held her close, breathing in her scent. It was everything she had imagined and more. Their breaths intermingled and butterflies exploded in her stomach. They were on their knees, somehow he had pulled himself up from under her.

It didn't last as long as she wanted it to. If it were up to her, she probably would have held him tight and made it last as long as she could. After a moment, Inuyasha pulled his face away from hers, though.

His lips lingered near hers for a moment, fighting within himself whether to ignore their friends' arrival or stop while he could. The first choice was the most tempting. But he had to pull away now, or risk embarrassing Kagome badly. His breathing was hoarse, and the thick layer of dust in the room didn't help.

"Inuyasha." She breathed weakly as he stood up, pulling her up with him.

It took all of his will-power to ignore the wistful tone in her voice.

"Everyone is here."

The half-demon lifted her up into his arms and stumbled out of the wrecked hut. It was right on time, too. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo ran up right then.

"Kagome! Inuyasha!"

"Oh, no! Is Kagome alright?"

"What happened?"

Inuyasha cursed mentally.

"She is fine. The hut collapsed in on itself."

"Oh, we were so worried when you both didn't return last night!" Shippo cried.

"We are fine. Kagome might be a little dizzy, though. It was quite a fall from the roof. We were waiting for all of you."

"I'll help her clean up at camp." Sango stated firmly.

As the group walked off, Inuyasha felt his pulse slow down. Kagome must have fainted, because she laid in his arms unconscious the rest of the way back to camp. She was so beautiful, even covered in dust.

Should I just tell her that I don't know what she is talking about? That she was hit on the head by a board? I don't know what to do, but I do know that she kissed me back. That has to mean something, right?

It would be a hard decision to make, he knew that. Letting her believe what happened…well, happened, would cause different consequences. So maybe it would be best to lie. He fought himself on this all the way back.

Hello, again, everyone! Yes, this is the last chapter. I know that it is stupid of me to let it hang like that (so please don't remind me or yell at me about it) but I finally decided that it would be the best to leave it to you people to assume what you want. Because you can't please everyone, some might like to think that he didn't lie to her, while others would like to believe that he did. So, that is left for all of you to decide.

Anywhoo, I feel really awful for leaving you all hanging like this without any 'real' ending, so I'm writing a 'Chapter Thirteen'. No, it does not continue what happens at camp, but I wanted to do something fun for all of you. You have all been so dedicated and patient with me (and most definitely encouraging) while I've been writing, so I wanted to do something that would give you a laugh after your disappointment on this chapter. And so, my lovely readers, this next chapter is going to be a comical one. Bear with me while I write it up.

When I began writing, I didn't think it would be that great. So I was really shocked that it was such a hit. Thank you for all of your compliments and encouragements! ^.^ I really didn't believe I was that good. (I am still sorta doubtful about my personal stories) I promise that this isn't my only fanfic, so if you want to read more, please add me! ;)