Chapter Thirty-three: You won't go away Will You?

Sota came down with a bad cold… but thank god it was only a cold. After his ordeal, he could've easily been traumatized for life after that—any kid would. But instead, he was just amazed that he was used for bait in a vampire war. What a strange kid. But thankfully, he kept his mouth closed about the Inuyasha and all the others, but in exchange, he wanted to know every detail. Kagome spent most of the time with Sota, in his room, telling him everything else she could think of. Mom gave them both a curious look when she saw that the two of them getting along so well, but she just assumed it was the Christmas spirit.

Sota snuffled but was almost spellbound as she told him everything she could answer.

"Wow," he said in hushed tones. "So your da reincarnation of a priestess?" he asked with his stuffed up nose before he sneezed loudly.

"That's what they all think," she answered truthfully as she put a cool cloth on his burning forehead. "But I'm not so sure. I mean… even if I was, what could I do? To be honest, it all feels like a dream sometimes…"

A dream…

Kagome sighed as she looked out at the falling snow. She had spent the rest of Christmas keeping a lookout for Inuyasha and the others. It was strange… before she couldn't go longer than a day without having one of them popping out at her. Now, it was like they forgot about her and just disappeared.

It was like it had all been a very beautiful, and ugly, dream. But it couldn't have been. She knew that she wasn't dreaming when it came to him. He was a part of the dream that she could never forget.

And though he had promised he'd come back, he was taking a long time…

"Kagome?" Sota asked her as he looked to where she was looking. "You ok?"

Kagome sighed again as she looked at him and forced a smile. "I'm fine, Sota," she told him. But that was a downright lie. Most people would be glad that a coven of vampires had just suddenly gone and left them alone, but Kagome was feeling miserable. Meeting Inuyasha and falling in love with him were things she never thought she would do. Then meeting his friends, helping them to fight Naraku, it was all so overwhelming and happened so fast.

'I was never supposed to fall in love with a vampire,' she began to think to herself as she watched Sota examine the new soccer ball that he got from mom over Christmas. 'If only…there was a way for us to be together forever.'

But how that was possible… she had no idea. So instead, she did her best to push her friends out of her mind as she and Sota began playing a game of cards.

*Miroku and Sango*

"So how long will you be gone for?" Sango asked as she watched Miroku pack.

"Just a few days, a week or two at the most," he replied as he finished zipping up his bag. "I know it's a long shot, but I think that we got a good chance here. It's been the only led we've gotten for years. I think that it's worth looking into it."

"Ok," Sango muttered as she worked to put her hair up in a ponytail. "I see."

Miroku looked over at her noticing her anxious look. "Hey," he said and got up to stand next to her. "You have nothing to worry about. We are closing in on them."

Sango forced a smile for him. "Yeah, I know. But we're still no closer to finding that stupid jewel. Just hurry back as fast as you can, okay?"

Miroku nodded. "Of course," he promised. "But why the sudden interest on me returning quickly, Sango? Normally, you're glad when I go on a long trip."

Sango didn't answer right away as she finished her hair and sat down in the only chair in the room. "No particular reason. For some reason I just like having you around sometimes… when you're not being a lecher that is…"

Miroku looked away blushing. "R-Right." He then picked up his bag, "We can talk more when I return."

"I would like that," Sango replied.

Miroku then walked up to Sango. "Well, I better get going. Be careful, okay?"

Sango smiled and told him simply, "You too."

Miroku smiled—and that was when he did something he never did before. He took her hand and brushed his lips against it for a fraction of a second. "I'll be back before you know it," he told her as he stood up. "And when I get back… there's something that I really would like to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked, her face blushing as she looked over at the wall—for some reason—unable to look him in the eyes.

"Why ruin the surprise?" he asked teasingly. "I'll ask you when I next see you."

He gave a little bow as he swung his back over his shoulder and turned to leave the room. "I'll see you all soon. Take care of yourself!" and with those parting words, he left.

"Bye…" Sango trailed off shyly some time later, though Miroku couldn't possibly hear her anymore. Afterwards, she shook her head, briefly wondering why she was acting like this all of a sudden, and went up to rest in her room for awhile.

*Inuyasha and Kagome*

The giant clock in the center of the city had just chimed midnight.

Tonight, the city was colder than it had been all year. The streets were quiet… but the quiet was just too good to last, because at that moment, the serene and peaceful calm was broken by the sound of running footsteps and of harsh breathing. Who in their right mind would be out at midnight… barefooted and running through empty streets?

Kagome was running as fast as she could go to the park. It was the only safe place she could think of at the moment. She was in a long, white dressing gown that whipped around her, almost casing her to trip as her raven-black hair was flying along with the strong cold wind. Fear that she never felt before was quickly pumping blood through her body—which wasn't a good thing in this case… it would only serve to make him even hungrier.

Kagome continued to run, looking back every now and again, making sure that he wasn't there; but also despairing in the fact that it wouldn't matter. She had been running for so long now, that with each step, it felt as though her body was being torn apart with the effort. But it had to be better than what he had planned.

She couldn't do it anymore… every night he came back to drink her blood and every night she allowed him to. Not that she could've fought him off in the first place… but this time in was different… she couldn't get rid of the feeling that he wanted something else from her that night. Something more valuable and wouldn't ever be able to ever get back if he did take it. That's why she ran… to get away from what he wanted.

It's ironic that he had warned her about this… like he knew this was going to happen. He had told her that she had become his addiction, and that if she ever tried to run away from him, all he would have to do is follow her scent.

And she know that he spoke the truth… she could see it in his eyes. She knew that he would find her. Because when you are addicted to something, you can never forget its taste. That was what he said to her…

That's why she was running to the park, she prayed that the trees and flowers will be able to cover her scent and she could lose him, at least for tonight. She knew that the odds aren't good… but she couldn't think of anything else.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of heavy breathing not far behind her. It sounded like a great beast giving chase to his prey… Terror overwhelmed her and she ran even faster as her breath came out in short pants. Her eyes lightened up slightly as the entrance of the park came into view and she ran pass the gates.

But a part of her knew that he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

She ran across the grass and into a cluster of trees, she knew that it was her best chance. She dove behind a particularly large tree, and prayed for the best. But not long later, she could hear something in front of her. She cautiously looked behind the trunk and froze when she saw that he was just in front of her hiding place. She did her best not to scream—if she screamed now, he would surly find her… and there wasn't anyone else who could help her around for miles…

She stood as quietly as she could as she heard him sniffing the air and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, hoping that he hadn't noticed her. She felt so frightened, that it reminded her of the night that she had met him for the first time… just a few months ago.

But it felt more like a lifetime.

Kagome shivered, but she shook her head to clear her thoughts and calm her nerves. Slowly, very slowly, she moved her head lightly to the side to have a better look from her spot behind the tree. What she saw though confused her and she had to blink to see if her eyes were working right.

Inuyasha was no longer there.

Did that mean that she had won? That she was safe… at least for the moment? Kagome let out a sigh of relief and took a few steps backwards.

"Game over, Kagome," said a voice from behind her.

Her eyes widened and she turned around quickly only to be met with a pair of burning gold eyes. She felt as if she had stopped breathing for a moment and panic began to sink in. She was about to start running but he had seen that reaction coming and he would have none of it. He pinned Kagome's body to the tree and he held her wrists above her head, making it impossible for her to move.

"No. Let me go!" Kagome screamed, knowing that it was useless.

"Go? I'm afraid that I can't let you go." Kagome turned leaned her head as far back as she could, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

"I've told you before," said Inuyasha as he leaned in closer to her. "You are my addition… and once you are addicted to something, you can't give them up."

"But…" began Kagome as she felt Inuyasha put his nose to her neck and take a deep breath; breathing in her scent.

"You shouldn't be afraid, Kagome. There is no reason to, for I would never hurt my precious one… my fallen angel. And now that I have found you, I will never let you go."

Holding her close to him, Kagome felt her mouth go dry as she felt his fangs brushing her pulse point. She stiffened at the feeling of his tongue over her skin, coating the area in his saliva, before sinking his fangs into her throat.

She closed her eyes in both pain and ecstasy.

Yes, Inuyasha was a vampire…

… and he is no longer after her blood… he wanted her heart.

He let go of her hands and put his arms around her as he held her… and she rolled her head back, allowing him to have more room for her neck. He wanted her heart… and now she realized that she wanted him to have.

She smiled and shut her eyes as the pain became numb and all she felt was pure joy and bliss as he continued to feed.

*End of Dream

Kagome sat bolt-upright in bed—panting as though she really had done all the running in her dream—her heart beating a hundred times a minute. She looked around her dark room and realization slowly came back to her. A dream… it had all just been a dream. She sighed as she fell back onto her pillows and put a hand over her racing heart.

She had been dreaming about Inuyasha for so long now, but this dream was different. Instead of the beautiful dreams she usually had, this one scared her out of her mind… but it wasn't the fact that Inuyasha was chasing her. No, what scared her most was the feeling of his fangs when they bit into her. The second that his fangs were in her neck, she was no longer afraid… she loved the feeling of him there.

Why was that? What was wrong with her?

As Kagome laid there in bed, trying to figure out what was wrong with her, she heard a sudden noise from next to her. She sat upright again in a flash, just in time to see Inuyasha opening the window and slipping into her room.

Kagome sat there in bewilderment. "Inuyasha…?" she gasped as he turned to close the window behind him. "You're here! Where have you been…?" She spoke softly, feeling overjoyed that he had come back to her.

He turned to look at her, clearly surprised that she was awake.

"Inuyasha!" she whispered as she pushed her blankets off her and into his arms.

"What took you so long to come back?" she demanded as he caught her and held her tightly.

Inuyasha didn't answer for a moment before he said, "I don't know… so much has happened lately and… it hasn't been easy for me. It just doesn't seem right."

"What are you talking about?" she asked leaning her head back to look at his golden eyes.

"I feel as if… I… what I mean is…" he never looked so uncomfortable as he did now. "What I mean is that we shouldn't be…" he sighed as he turned his head away from her, his eyes sad, "We… can't be together, Kagome."

"What…?" Kagome asked, her voice soft, not understanding what he was talking about.

"You and I…" he said slowly. "We're too different. You're a human and I'm a vampire. Think about it," he turned back to her and went on, "Is this really what you want? To be with someone who can't go out into the sunlight… who's a complete monster… who's… not like you and your family. I mean, it's our fault that your brother was almost killed?"

"But Inuyasha," she whispered, "Sota's safe. Sure he has a cold, but he's gotten over the worst of it. He doesn't mind that your vampires… he thinks that you're really cool."

"Kagome…" he began again but spoke more softly. "It tears me up inside that I have to live like this… this way. And now that I've met you… it's only made it more wretched for me! I want to be with you…" He paused for a moment to see Kagome was beginning to cry and he looked away again. "But we can't."

"Once we find the jewel," she whispered but he shook his head.

"I don't know if we can find the stupid thing," he told her. "We've searched for years, but never had any luck. The odds of us beating Naraku and finding it are slim to none, Kagome. I don't want to get my hopes up, only for them to come crashing down again. If we fail… we won't ever be together. Kagome… one day… you'll die. But I'll keep on living… until someone kills me."

Kagome stared at him as tears fell. She hated him talking like this… she couldn't ever imagine life without him now that he was in her life. "Then…" she said quietly. "Then turn me into a vampire."

Inuyasha quickly turned back to look at her face in horror. "What? What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Suck my blood and turn me into a vampire like you," she said quietly, her fingers digging into his arms. "That way we can… be together."

"You know I can't do that," he hissed at her, shaking his head so hard that his dog ears shook. "I won't."

"Why not?" Kagome asked him loudly, not caring that her mom and Sota might hear her.

"Because!" he hissed before he let go of her and began to walk around her room in circles. "I lived a cursed life for five hundred years, Kagome. Living in the dark, drinking blood… I can't condemn you to that!"

"At least we'll be together…" she whispered.

"A life that you would never normally want!" he walked back and taking hold of her shoulders, actually shaking her slightly as if hoping to shake some sense into her. "I'm a monster Kagome. A monster, you understand? You already have a wonderful life here with your friends and family. I couldn't take that away from you! And I know that you would never want to give that up do you?"

Kagome looked down and asked quietly, "What about my feelings? Do you even care about them?"

"Of course I do," he whispered back.

Kagome raised her head and gazed into his eyes. "I told you before that I wasn't afraid. I want to be with you. And I am willing to take any risks! Inuyasha…" She reached up to hold his face in her hands. "Please… don't leave me… not now, not like this… not after all we've been through already…"

She let go of one of his cheeks to take his hand and placed it over her heart. He shucked in a sharp breath as his cold hand came in contact with her warm body, and she knew he could feel her heart. "You can feel it, can't you?" she asked him softly. "What I feel for you is real. It always has been. Even though I rather remain a human, I'll do whatever it takes to stay with you."

Inuyasha stared at her for a long time before his hands wrapped around her and he held her close. "Kagome…"

"I love you Inuyasha," she whispered. And while she never came out and said this to him before, it felt so good for her to admit it now, "Now and always."

"Kagome…" he whispered again before his hands moved to encircle her waist and he then leaned in and kissed her passionately. Kagome tensed for a moment, not knowing if she should go along with the kiss or stop. But their kiss was so gentle and loving; she never wanted him to stop. Kagome slowly closed her eyes, enduring everything as Inuyasha deepened his kiss further.

Afterwards, they pulled apart, gazing into one another eyes as if they could see one another's souls.

Inuyasha smiled. "I love you too, Kagome," he said softly. "And I… I don't ever want to let you go."

She stared at his burning eyes, suddenly feeling as if her heart would explode with happiness. "Inuyasha…" she whispered.

"But Kagome…" he went on. "I can very lose control. If we're not careful I could…" he gulped. "I could end up hurting you and—" But he was cut off when Kagome placed her finger over his lips smiling.

"It's okay Inuyasha," she whispered. "I just said that I'm willing to take risks. But…" she paused for a moment. "You won't… go away will you?"

Inuyasha looked into her eyes for a very long time before he leaned in and they met in another tender loving kiss overflowing with stimulation and joy. And that was all she needed to know.

They both sat down on the bed, his arms around her, kissing her tenderly, sliding his hand down her side. Kagome cherished every second of the feeling of his soft skin against hers. Her heart raced against her chest but it shortly passed as they became more intimate.

She lay back, adjusting to the close intenseness of the moment. Inuyasha then motioned on top of her and deepened the kiss. Kagome let out a low moan and buried her hands in his beautiful hair as they're lips parted and he began kissing her neck, holding her close to him.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered.

Inuyasha then leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers once again. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck, deepening the kiss even more. As egger as Inuyasha was as well, his hands were stroking her hair, and what seemed like a gentle kiss, lead even further as the two began making out deeply like how they did in the closet that day. Kagome never wanted him to stop. She felt this mysterious energy going throughout her body whenever she was near him, making her feel all the more comfortable and safe.

But then all of a sudden, Inuyasha flinched away nervously from Kagome, jumping off the bed and kneeling down in the middle of the room on the floor.

Kagome sat up. "Inuyasha? What's wrong?" she asked as she stood up and walked over to him, kneeling down beside him. She placed her had on his cheek to see his face. His eyes were a dark crimson red.

"Your eyes," she whispered in shock. She had seen his eyes flash red before—but she always just assumed that she was only seeing things.

"I'm sorry. I don't know…" he gasped. "I almost lost it for a moment. You see… when my eyes get like this," he gestured towards his glowing red eyes, "It's almost like the animal part of me takes over… it's not…" he gulped, "It's not a pleasant experience."

She stared at his red eyes before she smiled. Kagome gently ran her fingers through his hair smiling. "You don't have to be nervous around me, Inuyasha. I trust you… just relax."

She then got more bold and had actually crawled into his lap, placing her hands on his shoulders and pressed her lips against his once again, exploring his mouth. Inuyasha closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her again. She felt his hands slid up her, and her skin felt as if they had been burned wherever he touched her.

Moments later, he wrapped his arms around her waist again as they both slowly leaned back on the floor, Kagome on top, kissing each other romantically through the night.

*Naraku*

"Naraku where do you think you're going at a time like this? Dawn is almost here and you're planning on leaving all of a sudden?" Byakuya asked in mild surprise. "That's not like you… especially since we've lost a number of our vampires already, you're getting a little more impatient."

"I won't be going far, Byakuya," Naraku said as he smiled darkly. "I am merely setting things up for the end."

"The end?" Byakuya asked, uninterested. "Why do you say that? Has something happened? Are you planning on going to get Inuyasha?"

Naraku chuckled as he held up a single black rose and glazed at it, as if lost in thought. "I have no intention of killing Inuyasha just yet… but that is what will happen before this is all over."

"How do you know that for sure?" Byakuya asked with his eyebrows raised.

Naraku smiled as he crushed the rose in his hand. "It's simple really," he said as the crushed petals fell to the floor. "You'll see. We know his weakness."

*Inuyasha and Kagome*

Inuyasha and Kagome lay in bed together, cuddled in each other's arms enjoying each other's company as they slept. But all too soon, dawn was slowly peeking its head beyond the horizon and the sun began to glister through the window, waking Inuyasha. He slowly opened his eyes and yawned widely before he glared at the light that was slowly creeping into the room.

That was when he heard a slight sigh next to him and he looked over to see Kagome was still sleeping peacefully next to him. He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she shifted in her sleep slightly before she moved closer to him, with a tiny smile on her face.

He sighed grimly as he stared at her beautiful face. What had he done? He had come here last night planning on breaking things off with her once and for all, but instead he only fell deeper in love if that was possible.

How could breaking up with someone turn into this instead? But how could he stay away from her when she looked at him the way she did last night? Her complete stubbornness and sweet, pure blood was what first attracted him to her in the first place.

When he looked at her now, he could swear to God that if he still had a breath in his body, she would have taken it away. Her, now, closed eyelids were hiding the deep chocolate-brown that shone with the perfection of light and purity, her hair was a black as a raven's feathers, and her skin was so perfect that it looked like almost like porcelain.

She is an angel; she had to be an angel. He on the other hand, was a demon straight from hell…

'Kagome…' he thought as he looked at her. 'I know I should stay away from you, but I just can't help myself. But is not how I want you to live your live. You deserve to be surrounded by love, warmth, family, friends—not the life that I'm forced to live now.'

But he just couldn't stay away from her. He fought back a groan as he looked at the window and could see that it was going to be a bright day today. He couldn't stay here—he had to get back to the others. He kissed Kagome one more time before he gently disentangled himself from her arms and legs.

Once he was out of the bed, he stood up and went to the window so that he could stare out at the feeble rays of light that were steadily growing brighter.

He opened it and stuck his head out to look around him cautiously; he hated to leave, but what other choice did he have at the moment?

"…Inuyasha?" whispered a hoarse voice. Inuyasha turned around to see Kagome was waking up and sat up to look at him. "You're leaving?" she asked, keeping the blanket wrapped around her as the cold hair came into the room.

"Dawn is almost here," he told her. "Better leave now before the sun catches me out. Or worse… your mother."

Kagome sat up, holding the blanket up to her chest, looking over at him. "Stay… please?"

"But Kagome—"

"I know," Kagome sighed as she leaned back. "I understand. But you will be back right?"

He paused for a moment before he went back to her and gave her a long kiss, full of passion. "Always," he whispered. She blinked… and then he was gone. She sighed as she pulled the blanket up and covered her head as she rolled over, already missing his strong arms.

(What do you think? Just what happened last night? I'll leave that up to you. ;-) So yeah, the prologue had been a dream all along, too bad, but still I hope you enjoyed this chapter.)