The Storm

By: AniuLonewolf

Chapter 3 – Realizations

Even with the rain making his sense of smell weaker than normal, it was still easy to find Kagome. It didn't take him long to find her at the base of the God Tree. Her back was turned to him but he could see that she was cold – for she was only in her high school uniform. Stupid girl always forgot to bring a coat.

But his feet faltered on the branch he was crouched on, in a tree a few feet away from the branches of the God Tree. He was sheltered from the rain in the healthy tree he was perched in and he could clearly see that Kagome was shivering. Thunder rumbled through the skies as lightning danced in the clouds. His mind was running over things to try and say to her, how to apologize. But he was scared she was going to reject him.

After coming to the realization that he loved Kagome, he was suddenly so afraid that he had messed up his chances of telling the girl. Before he realized his feelings, how many times did he argue with Kagome over stupid things? How many times did he run to Kikyo, and still expected Kagome to be there when he came back?

o-o-o-o

Kagome was getting cold. Even with the tree sheltering her from the rain, it still didn't give her any warmth. She wrapped her arms around her legs, bringing her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes, thinking that if she didn't think about the cold, she would just be numb to the wind. That was until something suddenly fell over her shoulders and her head. She looked at her arm and her eyes widened when she saw red.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered.

"Yeah it's me," His voice came from behind her. She turned around and saw him leaning against the trunk of the tree. "You shouldn't be out here Kagome, a demon could've attacked you and you're probably going to get a cold from being out here in the rain."

"Hmph. Why do you care?" She said crossing her arms in front of her. But even though she was keeping up the angered act, she couldn't help but note that the tone in his voice has changed - it was softer. Either his was softer, or hers was colder from the anger that was still pent up inside of her from their fight. Or maybe both of their voices had changed. "Anyways, I twisted my ankle and resting it before I go home."

Inuyasha sighed and slowly pushed himself away from the trunk of the tree and walked around to kneel in front of her. But when he looked up at her, he saw that she was soaked to the bone and also that she had been crying. Something in his chest ached when he saw the shape she was in – for it was his fault that she was out here in the middle of a storm and crying. It was his fault.

"Kagome," He started, trying to keep eye contact with her. But she kept her eyes on the roots of the tree, not wanting to look at him. He could see from the little glimpse of her eyes that they were burning with the rage their fight had left her with. "I wanted to apologize for the fight earlier. I never take into consideration the troubles you go through, trying to live in both worlds."

Kagome's eyes snapped up when she heard what he was saying. Inuyasha apologizing? It was practically unheard of for the half demon in front of her to say he was sorry. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were lowered, almost covered by his soaked white bangs. It had shocked her so much that she almost couldn't form any words but she regained herself and a small smile formed on her lips. She reached a hand up, her fingers suddenly aching to touch him but after a moment to think about what she was about to do, she let her hand drop to her lap.

"I don't have a family anymore Kagome," Inuyasha continued on, his words shocking Kagome once again. He never opened up to her about his past or anything about him so hearing his thoughts and feelings out loud were something new. "I don't have anyone to miss me, so I forget that you do. You have a family on the other side of the well and I should have realized that you would probably want to go see them before we went to our final battle with Naraku." He looked up at Kagome, his golden eyes glowing on their own, not needing a light source like the moon. "I'm sorry Kagome."

Kagome's heart was quivering in her chest. She took in a shaking breath and smiled warmly down at the half demon kneeling in front of her. Her anger was gone, washed away by his kind words. There was Inuyasha in front of her, his haori around her shivering frame, his white undershirt soaked through from the rain but he didn't show a shiver.

"Thank you Inuyasha." She whispered, her voice unable to grow in volume. Her body suddenly rocked with another shiver and she pulled the haori more around her but she kept her eyes on the half demon. "Thank you for understanding that I have to go home now and then." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "I don't like fighting with you."

"I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused because of my stupidity." He whispered back.

Three times? Inuyasha apologizing not once, but three times in a matter of minutes. Kagome couldn't help herself and reached her hand up, resting it under his bangs on his forehead. "Do you have a fever? You're not acting like yourself."

Inuyasha gave a slight growl and pulled away from her hand, his eyes burning. "Will you try and be serious, because I am!" His voice softened. "I just -." He gave a frustrated growl. "I've realized that I've been causing you so much grief every time I argue with you about going to your time. We're so close to getting Naraku and I don't want to leave anything unsaid."

Kagome's brows met in the middle in a slight frown. "What are you saying? You're starting to sound like you're on your death bed."

"Well, we don't know how this fight is going to end. I don't even know if we stand a chance against him, he has almost the whole jewel. He's going to be so powerful…."

"Inuyasha, stop." Kagome cut him off with a stern tone in her voice. "I think I know where you're taking this and I'm not liking it. You're not going to die. No one is going to die in this fight with Naraku. I won't let it."

Inuyasha took a moment to let the almost proud feeling swell in his chest. He hadn't ever taken the time to observe and admire how much Kagome had grown; physically stronger with her priestess powers and talent in using a bow and arrow and also emotionally. When they had first met, she was screaming and running away from monsters five times bigger than her and now she was speaking with such strength as they were about to head off to battle Naraku.

"I just… I've realized how I've been acting towards you." Inuyasha spoke, his eyes catching another tear roll down Kagome's cheek and a shiver rock through her body. "I have much to atone for. A lot of my past has been following me around I guess." He tried to say with a light laugh.

But Kagome's eyes darkened. "Yeah, in the form of a dead-but-not-dead woman." Kagome's voice was dark but Inuyasha could see another tear roll down her cheek. But before she could reach up to wipe it away, Inuyasha raised his hand to softly rub the tear away from her cheek.

"I hate seeing you cry Kagome," The half demon whispered, his fingers lingering on her cheek. "And I hate that I'm the one who always makes you cry."

"Weither it's us fighting or not, I'm always crying because of you." Kagome whispered, adverting her eyes from Inuyasha, looking down at his hand on her cheek.

Inuyasha pulled back as if he had been electrocuted. "W-Why?" His heart sped up in his chest. This was the fear he had felt in the tree tops before going up to Kagome. He was scared that Kagome wouldn't return his feelings for all the mistakes he had made in the past.

"Because if I'm not crying because we fight, I'm crying every time you go off to Kikyo because I know I can never be with you." She hiccupped, placing a hand on her lips as if to hold back a sob in her throat.

Inuyasha's eyes widened at her confession and his hands seemed to move before his brain could react. His arms wrapped around her shivering shoulders and pulled her to his chest. "Kagome, do you remember when we were fighting Kaguya and she was locking away my human heart?" Inuyasha asked as he held Kagome to him.

Kagome's eyes were wide from Inuyasha pulling her into a hug. Over the four years of travelling, they didn't have much contact other than riding on the half demon's back, Inuyasha catching her from falling or pulling her out of danger. Hugging was a close contact that only happened a handful of times along their travels. But she was shocked again when he asked her his question.

Of course she remembered that fight with Kaguya, the princess from the moon. Her magical mirror was locking away Inuyasha's human heart, making the half demon transform into his demon side and become Kaguya's slave.

Kagome could feel the blush rising on her cheeks as she also remembered the only way she could save Inuyasha from becoming fully demon was kissing him. It was their first kiss, and one that Kagome drifted off in her daydreams about.

"Remember what I said after you saved me from transforming?" Inuyasha asked, holding her just as he held her after he was free from Kaguya's hold.

"You said you would stay half demon for a while long, just for me," Kagome whispered, her tears falling down her cheeks and onto Inuyasha's already wet undershirt.

"I would stay a half demon for you if you wanted," Inuyasha's voice rumbled in his chest where Kagome's hands where curled trying to keep warm.

Kagome pulled her head away from his chest to look in his eyes. "I thought you wanted to become a full demon." That was why he was after the Shikon Jewel in the first place. Inuyasha had been through so much in his life; his mother being hated for being in love with a demon, her son Inuyasha not fitting in anywhere. Humans feared him for his power and strength but didn't accept him for his dirty demon blood. Demons looked down at spat on his human side, his weakness and being lower than them.

"You've shown me that I don't have to choose," Inuyasha said, his fingers reaching up to brush a stray wet strand of hair away from her face. "Kikyo wanted me to change into a human. And I thought the only way I could be powerful if I was a full demon. But you've shown me who I really am. Even if everyone else thinks I'm only half a life – half human and half demon. You were the only one who has made me feel whole," He took a deep breath and locked eyes with the girl in front of him. "And I love you for it."

Kagome's eyes were tearing up at the brief inside look of how Inuyasha felt about his life but her heart stopped beating when she heard his last words. "What?" Was all that came from her mouth.

"These past four years being with you, in our adventures of finding the jewel shards and meeting Miroku and the others, the two of us have been through a lot. I don't know what's going to happen when we fight Naraku but I wanted to tell you now," He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "That I love you Kagome and I'm so sorry for being so stupid and blind to what was going on right in front of me."

Kagome still stayed quiet, Inuyasha's words rendering her shocked.

Inuyasha's heart started pounding again, scared that she was about to reject him. All of his life he had been rejected. No one wanted to be with him for who and what he was. Kikyo wanted to change him so he was human, demons looked down on him for being half human – no one loved him for who he was.

He was about to backtrack his words, "But if you want to return to your world after we defeat Naraku, you don't have to -"

His words were cut off when Kagome crashed into his chest, hugging him. "Inuyasha, I love you as a half demon." She silently cried, repeating the words that she said to him in Kaguya's castle. "You may be stubborn, thick headed and have a hot temper but I love you the way you are." She murmured into his chest but Inuyasha could hear every word perfectly.

"Kagome," his words came no louder than a whisper as he hugged the girl from the future. "Thank you."

Kagome pulled away just slightly to look up at his golden eyes. If she could name one thing about Inuyasha that she loved it would be his eyes, second would be his dog ears on the top of his head. "I wouldn't change anything about you." She whispered as she leaned closer to him, her eyes turning from his eyes to his lips.

Their lips touched in a soft, almost afraid kiss. A kiss shared between them had only happened once during the battle with Kaguya and never again but it was something that drifted in their thoughts from time to time. Inuyasha was afraid of kissing her too hard would hurt her. Their lips moved together, getting used to the feel of the kiss and overcoming the fear of hurting each other.

Kissing underneath the God Tree, Kagome would have thought that this was a dream. The only thing that reminded her that it wasn't a dream was that in her dreams they wouldn't be kissing in the middle of a hurricane that was still raging around them. The wind blew their hair around their faces as they kissed and the wind almost blew Kagome from her feet if Inuyasha wasn't holding on to her.

When the need for air was greater than their kiss, the two pulled away. They stood there for a moment, still holding each other close as the rain fell down on them.

"I wouldn't change anything about you," Kagome repeated what she had said before their kiss as she reached up and ran a finger over one of his white fuzzy dog ears on the top of his head. But she had to giggle, "Except your stubbornness. You could be a little more reasonable from time to time."

Inuyasha gave a gruff laugh, but couldn't contain the swelling that he felt in his chest. His heart was fluttering from the wonderful feeling of confessing to Kagome and sharing a kiss with her.

A crack of thunder echoed through the sky, making Kagome jump and reminding them that they were standing out under a tree in a severe rain storm.

"We should probably get back to the hut. You're soaking wet." Inuyasha chuckled as he pulled a strand of wet hair away from Kagome's face.

"What are you talking about? You're wet too." Kagome laughed, running her fingers through Inuyasha's long wet silver hair.

"Yes, but I'm also half demon and I won't get sick as easily as you will," Inuyasha pointed out, putting his hand on Kagome's forehead, checking for a fever. "We need to get you dried off. I can feel that you're getting a fever."

With that said, the two were about to make their way back to the village when Kagome gave a gasp out in pain. Looking down, she remembered that she had hurt her ankle in her run to the well. Without saying anything, the half demon picked up the raven haired girl.

Holding her bridal style, Inuyasha and started walking back to the hut to get some dry clothes and be by the warm fire. "You're probably going to have one nasty cold in the morning." Inuyasha said as Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck.

"I'm not going to get… ahh ahh achooo!" Kagome was cut off in her sentence by sneezing.

"Sick?" Inuyasha finished for her with a smirk.

"Hmph" Kagome pouted, resting her head on Inuyasha's chest but not before letting out another sneeze.

Inuyasha only gave a slight chuckle before picking up his walking pace to get back to the village. "Who's being stubborn now?"

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

The Storm by AniuLonewolf