AN: Long overdue…and I apologize. I lost where I was going with this, but I think I can finish this in another chapter or two. Again, so sorry for making you guys wait. This is my first fanfic, and I was so excited that people were actually excited about reading it. Thank you for enjoying my story!

MoMo

CHAPTER 6

As Kagome reached into the cabinet, she stood on tiptoes trying to reach the last cup of ramen. All of a sudden she felt warm hands grip her waist and lift her off the floor almost 6 inches. Kagome grabbed the last container and dropped it onto the counter with the other cups already littering the counter top. As Kagome's feet lowered back to the ground, she began to turn to look at the person holding her. Inuyasha was staring back at her with a smirk on his face. Kagome backed up against the counter and eyed the hanyou warily. Just as Kagome was opening her mouth to say something, the kettle on the stove whistled shrilly. Kagome saw Inuyasha's ears tuck against his head as he zoomed into the living room. Laughing quietly, Kagome opened the cups of ramen and poured them into a large mixing bowl. After pouring the water on top, Kagome grabbed a spoon and stirred the noodles to make sure they were ready and to help cool them down so the greedy dog wouldn't burn his tongue.

Kagome walked into the living room and handed Inuyasha his bowl of ramen. The hanyou snatched the bowl and lifted the spoon to his mouth. Noodles started slurping into the fanged mouth of her companion before Kagome even left his side. However, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha still had his ears lowered on top of his head. Reaching a cautious hand out towards his iridescent mane, Kagome saw the way he froze and shifted his gaze towards her. "Do your ears still hurt?"

"Keh. Like a damn pot could really hurt me. I'm not some weak human, girl."

"I'm not calling you weak, stupid. I know the kettle was really loud and you were awful close to it. Do you want me to try and heal them?"

"Nah, just let me eat my noodles. Just no yelling, k?"

Kagome shot a sharp glance at the normally pissy hanyou because he had not barked at her for trying to mess with his ears. Deciding to wait until he was done eating, Kagome leaned back against the couch.

Inuyasha happened to be keeping tabs on the girl while he was eating his ramen, and noticed she was just sitting there in the dark while he was stuffing his face. Thinking it over, he decided she was fine and he would be finished with his massive bowl of ramen in just about 3 more bites. Finishing his bowl, he stood up from the chair and made to go in the kitchen to actually put his bowl in the sink for once. As he passed Kagome, he casually mentioned that she could turn on 'the box with the people stuck inside.' He heard noise from the living room and figured she was trying to find something to watch. Trying to appear casual, he ambled back into the living room and flopped heavily onto the couch next to Kagome. However, he forgot about how soft Kagome's couch really was and helplessly sunk until his head was almost in her lap. Drawing his arm underneath him to push himself back up, he felt Kagome's hand drift into his hair and begin softly stroking the hair around his ears. Deciding this wasn't such a bad situation, the hanyou slowly started to relax.

Kagome was certain the hanyou would leap from her lap like a cat dunked in a bath, and almost stopped stroking his hair when she felt him place more of his weight against her lap as he relaxed. Knowing he would normally never allow this, she tried to scrutinize his ears to see if they were injured. Breathing out a shallow sigh, she was relieved to see there was no physical damage, at least to his outer ear. Bracing herself for the bitching she was sure to get, Kagome let her fingers travel up the shell of his right ear since it was closest. Lightly stroking, she was awed at how soft they were and how fine the hair was that covered them. After a couple of seconds of stroking, she realized he still hadn't protested at her actions, and glanced down. His eyes were barely open and he was staring blankly at the TV screen. Kagome wasn't even sure what she had placed the channel on, and wasn't too interested in watching TV when she had such an interesting situation occurring in real life.

Figuring this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Kagome kept playing with his right ear and brought her other hand to his left ear. Continuing with the gentle ministrations, Kagome was somehow not surprised when she heard the same low rumble issuing from Inuyasha's chest that she had heard when they had embraced in her room. Peering down at the hanyou again, she realized his eyes were fully closed and his mouth was slightly open in a relaxed fashion. Briefly puzzled, Kagome was shocked when she realized he had actually let himself doze off in her lap. Deciding to enjoy this while he couldn't ruin this with his fat mouth, Kagome settled even deeper into the back of the couch and played with the ears she was secretly fascinated by.

Inuyasha was sleeping much deeper than Kagome had originally expected due to her caring caresses, and he had slowly entered a dream state. Inuyasha pictured himself laying underneath Goshinboku with his head propped up on Kagome's knees while she played with his ears and hair. Feeling bold because he knew it was a dream, he rolled over until he was facing up at her. Meeting her eyes, he reached up a clawed hand and cupped her soft cheek. He smiled when he felt her press her cheek into his palm and marveled at how real her skin felt on his hand. The wind gently blew her hair across her face, blocking her expressive eyes from his view. Reaching up his other hand, he gathered a handful of hair into a loose grip and pulled it towards his face. He saw the confusion cloud her face, but she leaned near anyways. Dragging the tips of hair across his face, he inhaled deeply, enjoying the peace and safety her scent brought to him. Her lips quirked as if she was trying to hide a smile, so he pulled her hair closer to him, bringing her face within a few inches of his. He could hear the way her heart was racing, and he could tell she was trying to moderate her breathing in order to control her heart rate. Her cheeks were rapidly flushing a beautiful rosy tint and she was starting to chew on her lower lip. Deciding he could wait no longer, he leaned up and planted his lips on hers. It wasn't lascivious, nor was it completely innocent. His firm lips were pressed against her petal soft ones, and he could feel her initial shock, but also her curiosity and blooming desire.

As Inuyasha drew back from the kiss, his subconscious began to recognize that he couldn't smell the grass, ground, or vegetation surrounding Goshinboku. Jerking upright, he collided into Kagome's forehead with his own.

"Dammit, bitch! What just happened?"

"I should be asking you! You kissed me out of the blue and then head-butt me like I'm threatening your virtue! What gives?"

"I thought I was dreaming!" Inuyasha shouted angrily then seemed to realize what he had said and swiftly turned his back to Kagome.

"Figures" huffed Kagome quietly as she made to stand up.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Inuyasha snarled.

"It means you were probably dreaming of Kikyo and just used me as a replacement." Discreetly trying to brush away the brimming tears, Kagome was unprepared for her hand to be jerked from her face.

"I was dreaming of you, you stupid girl!"

Kagome froze, as she was still trapped in his fervent golden gaze. "Do you really mean that? Did you actually mean that kiss," she quietly whispered.

Inuyasha shrunk back as if prepared to flee back to his world, but Kagome snatched one of his dragon tails before he could leave the couch.

"Keh. I told you before I was drawn to your scent. I guess I let my guard down when I was asleep and acted on it. Are you mad?"

Kagome lowered her eyes and sniffed. "Is it just because of my scent? Is there nothing else about me that could be good enough for you?"

Kagome "eeped" as there was a sharp tug on the strands of hair currently within Inuyasha's grasp.

"Simple wench! Like you could ever be not 'good enough' for anyone! I don't deserve you and everyone knows it! I can't even protect you from getting hurt – hell, I hurt you more than anybody else! What good could a worthless half-demon be to someone like you? You deserve everything a man could give you, and you deserve it from an actual man!"

"You stupid dog! Don't ever let someone tell you that you're worthless. You catch food for our group, you are trying to train Shippou, you ALWAYS protect me, and if you weren't half demon, you wouldn't have the strength to take care of us. And if you weren't half human, you wouldn't care whether or not you had hurt my feelings! If I didn't think you 'deserved' me, I wouldn't heal your wounds, I wouldn't cry when you left, and I wouldn't freakin' love you!"

Kagome clapped her hands over her face and moved to flee the room, but she felt a strong arm clasp her around the waist and she was dragged back against a hard chest again. Hot breath poured over her ear when she heard Inuyasha whisper, "You love me? Are you sure? You had better make damn sure you meant what you said!"

Kagome drew in a harsh breath and let it gust out. She straightened her shoulders and spun around. Since he had stood up when he had grabbed her, her eyes were staring at his collarbone. "What would you do if I meant it? I'm just a replacement for Kikyo, and a piss-pour one at that, to hear it from you. What do you want from me, Inuyasha? Me, Ka-Go-Me."

Kagome never made eye contact when she made her impassioned speech to Inuyasha's collarbone. Suddenly silver strands swept into her view as Inuyasha leaned down. His nose pressed underneath her ear and his grip on her waist tightened. "If I had wanted Kikyo, don't you think I would be there? If my demon truly wanted her, do you think it would have allowed you to be near me? If I didn't want you near me, beside me, beneath me forever, do you think I would be here now, trying to make you stay?" As Inuyasha made this last impassioned plea, his lips were moving against her skin gently, sensually, until Kagome almost missed his last sentence.

"Forever?" Kagome rasped out as she tilted her head to give the dog hanyou more access.

"You want me to say it again? I'm kind of busy here." Inuyasha drug his tongue up the side of her neck after saying this and chuckled in such a dark, masculine way, that Kagome's legs squeezed together and her mouth went dry. He slid his hand underneath her tank and began to drag his hot, rough palm against her stomach. His damp breath rasped against her ear as he started stroking her belly, causing chills to ripple across her skin. Her knees dipped as they threatened to buckle and the grip on her waist tightened as Inuyasha crowded Kagome even closer to his chest.

"Inu…yasha," panted Kagome as she tried to draw moisture back into her mouth.