Chapter 20

"Do you really want to go back that badly?" Inuyasha asked when Miroku and Sango went out, with Shippo trailing along to observe them. Sango was going to try her luck with an ATM machine and, if it worked, they planned to get some new clothes and dinner for all of them. Kagome expected that they wanted her to have this conversation with her illusions and come to a conclusion on what she was going to do. Her half-demon certainly didn't waste any time.

Kagome sighed, leaning back on the leather chair. "I don't think I'd be able to handle it if you were forced to kill another being from my imagination again," she mumbled, not meeting his gaze. Ever since she realized that Inuyasha could possibly love her, she didn't know what to do.

It explained every action she questioned before, especially when he scared her guy friends away. But did he actually want to love her? She felt like she took his free will away, forcing him to think he had to stay by her and love her. And I've been so terrible to him, too... she thought regretfully.

Shaking her head, she returned to the topic at hand. "But if my brother was able to endure it for years-"

"He probably never had his illusions fight to the death," Inuyasha replied, "Since he's been trapped there his whole life, his imagination never got a real chance to grow and get stronger. When you think about it, the people there only strained your mind to create what they wanted to see, regardless if it were dangerous or not. If you were put through that alone..."

If Inuyasha wouldn't kill her creations, she would be able to face it. But she knew that all her illusions formed in that giant testing place would be hostile, with the scientists getting her nerves on edge. "I know..." She would be risking her life every day, evading her own illusions to face another day of surviving.

"And they wouldn't just put us back into that same room we were stuck in, either," Inuyasha reasoned, "They'd put us somewhere where we'll never have a chance of escaping. That special air they use would make sure that we would fade away completely... Who knows if Kikyou would offer that special society to us again, too..."

Kagome grimaced. "I... I understand..." Going back wouldn't be the smartest idea. And it isn't guaranteed that her brother is even alive.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" Kagome shook her head. "You aren't looking at me."

Not wanting to give each other another reason to argue, she raised her gaze, meeting his eyes. Her heart did a painful lurch in her chest, causing her to look away once again. Why couldn't she notice earlier? All his affection and concern he showed for her had just been shrugged off as something normal. Now that she knew, everything he did for her seemed heavier, as if every little thing had a purpose. I brushed this away for so long. "Sorry," she apologized, "I just have a lot on my mind, is all."

"It's understandable..." Oh, if he knew what she was really thinking...

"Inuyasha?" she murmured, waiting for his responding hum. "Do you ever wish... that you were born normally? A human with no abnormal ties to me?"

He was quiet for a long time, making Kagome glance up at him as he leaned forward in his own chair. "I never thought of it," he finally answered, "Why?"

Kagome shrugged nonchalantly, though her heart was weighed down so much with the doubts and questions she had that it felt life-threatening to keep eye contact. "It's nothing. I just thought that, since you're real, now, you'd want to experience life for yourself. I mean, you stuck by me all these years, you were lonely weren't you?"

"No..." he hesitated before continuing, a strange determined look in his eye. "Kagome, all I wished for was to be real. I wanted to exist because I wanted to always stay by your side. I-I thought I was fading away and, as long as you were happy, I was fine with that. If you don't want me around anymore, I rather fade away than leave you."

Kagome's mouth twitched down at his confession and she had to look away, forcing herself not to cry. Now that she was older, she knew that Izayoi faded because everything she wanted was within Inuyasha. He made her want nothing more. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously as he bowed to look at her face. "Oi, Kagome. What's wrong?"

She smiled slightly. He always had this strange sense of knowing how much something was bugging her. "Nothing," she chuckled at his overly concerned expression, "I'm just happy that you want to stay by me. You're right, I am a brat sometimes."

Inuyasha visibly relaxed and crossed his arms. "Keh! You're just stupid. If I weren't there for you all the time, you'd be completely hopeless and miserable. Now stop being upset and start smiling before I force you to."

Kagome rose a brow, smirking at him. "Force me to? That's a new one."

Her half-demon mirrored her smirk before standing and picking her up smoothly. She didn't complain, curious to what he'd do. "Resorting to old tactics," he said to her as he set her down flat on the bed. "Do you seriously not remember, little mate?"

Blushing at his mischievous tone and the teasing look on his face, Kagome sidled away from him, her thoughts racing when he followed her onto the mattress. "Wh-What...?"

Like a shot, Inuyasha's hand wrapped around her bare foot, sliding a talon delicately against her sole. With a squeal, Kagome struggled away from the ticklish sensation, cursing Inuyasha's strength as he held her still. He laughed when she sat up to beat on him, releasing her ankle to grab her wrists in both hands, pinning her to the mattress.

"Jackass," she breathed, "I hated when you did things like that!"

"Oh? And torturing me with your dolls was any better?" his head descended and Kagome forgot to breathe when his lips made contact with her neck. She could feel his canines scrape against her skin and grew hyper aware of his body hovering over hers as his warm breath created goosebumps on her flesh.

"Inu-"

He blew a loud raspberry against her skin, laughing once more as she squirmed beneath him. "You fall for everything, don't you?"

She grumbled at him, blushing furiously at her own thoughts. Though, she couldn't stay angry the longer she looked at his stupid grin and soon, she was laughing herself.

Kirara meowed just as the door opened, with Sango and Miroku walking in carrying bags of delicious smelling food.

"I think we just interrupted some foreplay games," Miroku said as he set the fast-food bags down on his bed.

"Ah, um, Kagome?" Sango held out a plastic bag filled with clothes. "I found some clothes in your size. Do you want to change now?"

"Get your fucking minds out of the gutters," Inuyasha muttered as he released Kagome. Sitting up, Kagome got her revenge by shoving him off the bed before grabbing the change of clothes.

"You're such a child," she told him with a teasing smile. He only smirked as he crossed his arms under his head.

"As long as I can get away with these sights you've been giving me," he pointed at her dress. Kagome realized that from his angle, he could see a lot from down there.

"You perv!" she growled and smacked him with the bag she held before stalking away to the bathroom, hearing him chuckle.

The clothes Sango picked out for her looked really cheap, but they would do for now. A dull green tank-top and some baggy jeans she stylized herself with some scissors she found to make them shorts. Unfortunately, she was still barefoot, but if Inuyasha can manage himself with bare feet, she could too.

A flash of silver caught her eye in the mirror and she looked down at her wrist, frowning at the thin silver chain wrapped around it. "Hey, Sango?" Kagome called as she walked back into the main room. "Can you take this off somehow?"

Sango glanced at it and shook her head. "Once it's on, you can never take it off. Fortunately, it'll only shock you if you go on Shikon's property, so it's just a useless trinket at this point."

Kagome nodded, accepting the cheeseburger Inuyasha handed her as she sat down next to him. Smiling, she bumped his shoulder playfully, gazing at him fondly when he bumped back, savoring his first meal. Yes, she could see herself easily falling in love with him, if she hadn't already.

"I wanna eat!" Shippo complained as he sat on the floor next to Kirara, who was snacking on a chicken drumstick.

"Keh, it'd be wasted on you," Inuyasha replied, taking another hearty bite of his burger. "You won't die of starvation until you exist."

Shippo crossed his arms, the act on the little kid only making him look adorable. "Kagome!"

Kagome tore off a bit less than half of her own meal, handing it to the fox kit and ignoring Inuyasha's disapproving look. "You'll be visible before you know it," she assured him with a smile.

"I take it you made up with your illusions," Miroku commented as he watched Kagome's burger disappear into thin air as Shippo ate it. "Have you come up with a plan yet?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha before nodding. "We'll stay away from Shikon a bit longer. At least until we find out a sure way to get my brother out of there. It wouldn't be smart just charging in without a plan."

Miroku nodded. "If that's the case, I still own some temple property my late uncle passed down to me. You can stay there until the coast is clear."

She smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."

Kouga cursed as the scent trails led to a train station. "Dammit all, she's going to take hours to track at this rate."

"Can you do it, or not, wolf?" Kikyou asked, hardly feeling the cold breeze that came along with the sun going down.

He scratched his head as he looked down at the tracks. "If I follow these tracks to each station, eventually I'll pick up her scent again." Blue eyes slid over to the woman, "You said they escaped last night. She ain't too far. Her scent is still strong here."

Kikyou looked at the direction the train would be headed. She just wasn't the type to travel. "I'll leave it to you, then. Bring Kagome back in one piece." I'll break her pretty little neck when I get a hold of her. All this trouble could have been avoided if that little pest hadn't been so conservative about her power. That was the only reason she managed to escape so easily. Little miss Dreamer will have so much fun in dark solitary. Maybe she'd kill herself. It'd certainly save Kikyou some grief. Running over fifty projects at the same time was wearying. It was simply fun to set two experiments against each other to lower the population.

She had her money on the wolf.

"Heh, because I always do the dirty work," Kouga snorted, lowering himself down onto the tracks. "At least this one's attractive enough to chase," he muttered to himself before starting to run, his speed three times faster to the train itself.

Kikyou tucked her hair behind her ear as she returned to her car. Now all she had to do was wait. Honestly, why can't Naraku do this himself? The lazy bastard...

Apparently, they weren't the only occupants in the motel. Kagome grimaced to herself as their neighbor's lovemaking sounds reached through the walls. It didn't help the fact that she faced Sango and Miroku, who were spooning each other with their hands locked together, already asleep. And it certainly didn't help that she felt Inuyasha's breath disturb her hair- though it was her fault for inviting him into bed with her. She didn't know all this would happen! All she wanted was to have Inuyasha sleep more comfortably, since he's been sleeping sitting up for so long.

It was like the gods were messing with her, teasing her with all these activities at once. 'This could be you if you remembered Inuyasha's creation sooner' haha, gods, ha-ha, she snorted softly, turning away from Miroku and Sango and facing Inuyasha. He had put up a fight when she tried coaxing him to take the bed, but he quickly subdued to the idea when Kagome was setting up a place for herself on the floor. They can share the bed, Miroku had said, while Shippo and Kirara were sleeping soundly on the two chairs big enough for the both of them.

Inuyasha slept near the edge, giving her all the room she needed to be overly comfortable. But she couldn't sleep with the constant pounding of a bed frame knocking hard against the wall behind her along with the constant moans. Her envy towards Miroku and Sango's easy-going relationship was mixing with her affection for Inuyasha. With all the noise, while looking at Inuyasha's peaceful face, she felt herself growing...aroused.

She shifted, squeezing her thighs together as she forced her gaze away from his face, looking at his chest, at the skin exposed at the base of his neck. She could see part of his collarbone when he breathed out. Stop analyzing him, she groaned in her mind, stupid, teenage hormones!

Her eyes rose up to his mouth and her face heated up even more as her mind thought of the endless possibilities. Oh, Inuyasha would be so freaked if he ever found out, she thought with some miniscule measure of guilt as her inner theater got graphic, with Inuyasha being the star. Licking her lips, she slid a hand between her thighs, stopping with a small squeak as Inuyasha shifted slightly. What am I doing?!

With a heavy sigh, she realized in a small part of her mind that it was futile. I wonder what his lips would feel like... Slowly, Kagome inched forward, the blush staining her face a vivid red. There! Her lips brushed against his, though it did nothing to quell her. Instead, her blood heated and she found herself pressing a bit harder, marveling at the softness she didn't expect. Enough, already! She opened her eyes-

-and stared into molten gold orbs.

A/N: So I counted up everyone's reviews based on my thoughts of their good interest and I decided I'm staying to post stories on this site again, therefore, I can stay to go over Halloween (I guess I can make a creepy one-shot for the holiday to make up for this decision), though, after Halloween, I will slow down the writing process. Go to my profile for a little more info on this.

FridayzGirl: We'll see about all that in the future :)

Dwarg91: Yep! I figured the irony that Inuyasha's mother would influence Kagome to create Inuyasha would get to some people.

Flare the Hedgehog: I have an idea, myself, about how to spawn Sesshomaru in this story. Also, Tetsusaiga will be coming later, if at all.

darkcreeder: After this chapter, what do you think? ;)

letsxgetxrecklessx: The thing you've all been waiting for is here! Let the fluffiness end and the sexiness commence (with a bit more fluffiness)!

Warm-Amber92: Well, that would be an example of a 'speed-through' plot that I mentioned. Won't be happening again, I promise.

Sahora: So my resurrection technique worked? I mean, um, congratulations on getting better! x)

ForeverxWeird: Yay! *hugs again*

Bai Hikari Tsubasa: Thank you ^-^

InuandKaglove4Life: After this? She better!

Guest: I think she already has an idea ^-^'

HopelessRomantic153: Yes, but the whole purpose of writing this was to be an October special- meaning I update this until the end of October. That's the only reason I've been updating everyday (and spamming the hell out of the people who alerted me)

alexischic:... Do I get Sesshomaru's mokomoko-sama now?

LET'S GET IT ON~!

FxA