Well, I'm back with chapter 2! I've noticed that a lot of people really like this story, so I'm happy to entertain. :) I hope you continue to enjoy!

Chapter 2

Golden eyes widened, fluffy dog ears twitching as they took in the conversation.

Inuyasha quickly jerked away from the door at the far back room of the hut, leaning against the wall.

Had he just heard correctly? He? Have a baby with Kagome?

Inuyasha held in the gasp that so desperately wanted to escape.

He couldn't even breathe.

The mere thought of becoming a father sent his heart pounding.

Kagome would be a good mother. She was terrific with the fox.

His ears twitched as his mind began to race.

Kagome hadn't said that they couldn't have a baby because of a lack of love, she had said that they would have to be MARRIED first.

Inuyasha smiled.

He could fix that. All he needed now was the courage.

Inuyasha swallowed nervously.

That was the part he wasn't so sure about. Saying it was one thing, doing was another.

His ears twitched again as he heard Kagome approaching the doorway.

Inuyasha made a move to peer through the doorway again, only to come face-to-face with wide chocolate eyes.

"K-Kagome," he whispered, his face heating up with embarrassment.

"Inuyasha," the miko returned in a whispered rush, her own cheeks rapidly filling with color.

Inuyasha shook his head after a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Come on," he murmured, leading the way to the main room of the hut.

Kagome blinked in confusion before following.

Had Inuyasha heard Shippo? Was he upset?

Inuyasha sighed as he entered the main room and sat down, propping his back against the wall.

"The old hag won't be bad until tomorrow afternoon. I talked to her earlier. Apparently, the was some trouble with that baby she delivered today."

Kagome nodded in understanding.

It wasn't uncommon for childbirth to be rather difficult in this era.

"I see. I sure hope they pull through ok," she murmured as she made a move to sit beside him, gasping as Inuyasha pulled her into his lap.

"I-Inuyasha?"

The Hanyou in question didn't say a word. He didn't trust his voice enough to speak. All he could think of to do at the moment was to hold her, the way he had always wanted to, the way he had never permitted himself to hold her before.

The half-demon didn't miss the way her breath caught in her throat.

He smiled.

No matter how many years went by, Kagome was still Kagome. She was still as shy as she had always been.

Inuyasha's smile faded a bit as he hid his face in her hair.

He was really the one to blame for her apprehension. Of all the time they had spent together, he had never once done anything to really quell her fears.

The half-demon took a deep breath, breathing in her wonderfully familiar scent.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Kagome."

The miko in question gave a puzzled frown.

Inuyasha...apologizing?

"W-what are you talking about, Inuyasha?," she questioned, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Inuyasha sighed, pulling her closer.

"I made you a promise a long time ago, remember?"

Kagome racked her brain, desperately trying to remember.

Everything had kinda been a blur since her return to the Feudal Era.

The miko bit her lip.

That was for the best. Her three years away had been a horrible nightmare. A tale she had refused to recount to anyone, not even Kaede, or even Sango for that matter.

Kagome quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts.

It was best to leave that road untraveled. It was all behind her now.

"I-I don't remember, Inuyasha. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha gave an annoyed scowl.

"You don't remember me promising to protect you?"

Kagome's brow furrowed in slight disappointment.

A promise he made to both me AND Kikyo, she thought ruefully.

"Yes. I remember you making that promise to me and Kikyo."

The miko's words caused a stab of pain in the young half-demon's heart. She was right, after all, and he had failed to protect either of them at one point or another.

"Y-yes, and I failed you-"

"Don't say that!," Kagome shouted suddenly, cutting the angst-ridden Hanyou off.

He could only stare in shocked silence as she continued.

"You-you were always there for me when I needed you the most, Inuyasha. When I was inside the Sacred Jewel, the faith that you would come for me kept me going. It prevented me from making a mistake, and giving the Jewel what it wanted. So, don't ever say that you were never there for me, because, in the end, you were ALWAYS there for me."

Inuyasha was, for perhaps the first time, speechless. He wasn't sure just what he had done to deserve this woman's compassion and devotion, but he would be forever grateful.

The half-demon tightened his hold on her, gently running his clawed fingers through her raven hair.

"Kagome...not a day went by that I didn't think of you. You were always on my mind," he finally murmured, burying his face in her hair once more.

Inuyasha knew he wasn't being himself. He had never really opened up this much before. Then again, he hadn't really had that much of a reason to.

All the half-demon's thoughts were brought to a halt, however, when he felt the girl gently begin to massage his ears.

"I-I missed you too, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. "You have no idea how much. I tried that damned well every day, and everyday, it just...it just didn't work!," she shouted, burying her face into his shoulder as the sobs she had held in for the better part of three long years finally overtook her.

Inuyasha was speechless. He had never really heard Kagome use such language before, nor had he ever seen her shake so violently. Just what had she been through in those three years?

The half-demon shuddered. Truth be told, he probably didn't want to know.

"I-I never stopped looking for you," the miko whispered finally when her voice was stable enough to speak again, "I never forgot you. I couldn't."

It was in that moment that all of Inuyasha's fears seemed to melt away. He pulled back slightly to look at her face.

Tears were sliding freely down her cheeks now, causing Inuyasha's heart to ache painfully.

How could he not have known? How had he not seen how deep her devotion to him truly was?

It was then that the half-demon felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her again. Now wasn't the time for holding back. He had held back for far too long already.

Taking one last deep breath, Inuyasha finally gave in.

Kagome let out a gasp of shock before wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing the half-demon back for all that she was worth.

They had kept each other at arm's length for too long. They had thought that they were protecting the other, when all they had actually done was hurt one another.

Kagome felt the happy tears sliding down her cheeks and smiled. There was absolutely nothing in the world that could compare to this.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he tried desperately to maintain some sort of self-control. Every touch felt like lightning to his overly-sensitive body. He felt her begin to rub his ears again and shuddered.

It was a lost cause. Kagome had always been able to shatter any self-control he managed to build up.

Kagome tilted her head slightly, deepening their kiss and causing Inuyasha to let out a soft moan of satisfaction. She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her when she felt their tongues brush for the first time.

Finally, Inuyasha tore his mouth away, a dark blush filling his cheeks.

The two sat quietly for a moment, waiting for their voices to return and their breathing to go back to normal.

With two words, the silence was finally broken.

"Marry me."

"W-what?," Kagome questioned in a rather dazed tone.

Inuyasha swallowed nervously. He hated feeling so vulnerable like this

"Please, Kagome? I-I know I can take care of you."

Unable to look her in the eyes anymore, the Hanyou turned away.

"I-I love you."

His ears flattened against his head at her sharp gasp. It was when he felt her bury her face into his chest that hope began to fill him again.

Kagome simply couldn't believe her ears. Had she fallen asleep? There was no way that this wasn't a dream. Then again, if it was a dream, she wasn't so certain that she wanted to wake up.

"I love you too, Inuyasha. Yes. Yes, I will marry you," she murmured, holding him tighter.

Inuyasha released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and smiled, running a clawed hand through her soft hair again.

One thing was for certain, sleep wouldn't come too easily tonight, but Kagome couldn't honestly say that it wasn't worth it.

Emerald eyes glinted happily as they took in the sight before them.

Shippo did a back-flip, landing with a small 'thud' on the wooden floor. He held his middle and index fingers up in a 'v' shape for a little victory pose, much like he'd seen Kagome do when she hit her target with her bow and arrow.

The little fox would have to be sure to thank Kami for making his wish come true.

"Hehehe! Boy that was fast," he giggled quietly.

Not wanting to alert his new parents of his current state of awakeness, he quickly crawled back into the cot and covering himself.

Now all that was left was to wait. Wait for the wedding and a little baby brother, or sister!

Shippo yawned. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter in which order those events took place.

One thing was for certain, the little fox wasn't know for his patience!

A/N: Well, there ya have chapter 2! I'm SO sorry it took me so long. I'm currently in the middle of launching my own novel career, so my time is, unfortunately, very limited. I am open to any advice that you may have. I have never published a book before, so I'm kinda playing it by ear. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have one last chapter planned for this fanfiction. That being said, feel free to leave feedback, or request a fanfic. If you do request a fanfic, please be patient with me. I promise to get to them as soon as I can. I plan on keeping my profile list updated regularly, so that you can see when which fanfic is scheduled to come out. Until next time, see ya! :D