Chapter 21

Gasping, Kagome pushed herself away, nearly falling off the edge of the bed if it weren't for Inuyasha's quick reflexes, hooking an arm around her waist to pull her back. However, that left her with the problem being she was still facing him under a close proximity.

"What the-" Seems she had fast reflexes as well, slapping a hand against his loud mouth. She was already mortified to the bone- he didn't need to include everyone.

All she wanted to do was crawl under a rock and die. This wasn't how she thought she'd lose her first kiss, caught in the moment of lust in a crappy apartment in the middle of a runaway mission. Oh... she groaned to herself, I'm such an idiot. She needed a hard surface to bash her head against for her stupidity.

Inuyasha's hand curled around hers, pulling it away from his face. In the dimness, she could just make out his features, his eyes seeming to glow with the shafts of moonlight glaring in. She had no way of explaining to him what happened and had half a mind to just bury her head under a pillow and will him to forget about it.

"Kagome..." he whispered. It wasn't an accusing or disgusted tone. His voice was tender, husky, and made her breath hitch in her throat. How he was able to convey so much warmth in three whispered syllables was unclear to her, but it sped her heart up so fast... Blood pounded in her ears, making any outside noise distant, yet she could hear his steady breathing, calming her own the more she listened

She wasn't sure who did what first. They just came closer and Inuyasha's mouth was covering hers, caressing her lips slowly. Her hand trembled nervously in his before he twined their fingers, holding tight. When she was brave enough, her free hand cupped his cheek as he angled his head to kiss her better. They tangled themselves in each other, never wanting to let the other go.

Lust was beyond her. She wanted to hear him say her name again, filling her with so much warmth and love. It felt criminal- the actual, real love she held for him had been lying dormant, making her totally unaware of what she felt for him. But maybe, in some part of her mind, she knew all along. When he was gone, she would get upset, even if he were only chasing down demons that tried to hurt her. She would melt with relief when he would come back unharmed. It hurt her when he was angry with her, like a thousand needles. Yet, when everything was alright, she was always so happy...

Inuyasha pulled back, gazing at her with his luminous, heavy orbs. There were so many words she wanted to say, yet she felt that anything spoken would shatter the moment. Her hand caressed his cheek, following down his strong jaw, brushing her thumb over his lips. He was perfection. He was hers.

Suddenly, there were a series of bangs outside, startling them both. Her half-demon lifted his head and stared at the door, his arm unconsciously wrapping around her waist to hold her closest to him. There was only silence, not including the undisturbed companions in the room with them. It seemed someone finally told the couple next door to keep it down.

Realizing they weren't alone, Kagome glanced around, sighing when everyone was still asleep. Whether she accepted it or not, it'd still be embarrassing being caught making out. She glanced up at Inuyasha, smiling at his face in concentration, his dog ears twitching. Without thinking, Kagome reached up, rubbing one ear between her fingers and catching his attention back.

With a comforting rumble, he nuzzled her neck affectionately. "Kagome," he whispered as he drew himself up on his elbows to look at her clearly.

His eyes were a question and her smile widened in answer. "In the morning," she promised, cuddling up to him and placing a teasing kiss against his own neck. "I'll tell you. Just not here."

Inuyasha settled down, sighing contently as he held her. "Sure, little mate."

Kouga smirked to himself as he examined the cheap hotel the little experiment managed to hole herself up in. She didn't even try to make herself scarce, at least to the shapeshifter's nose. Kagome's scent was everywhere; even from a distance, he could pin-point her exact room.

However, she wasn't alone. Three other scents accompanied hers, all of them reeking of Shikon's filtered air. He growled at the memory of it, trapped in a cage, stuck mid-shift...

But there was a different scent among him, not smelling of an average human. Demon blood. His pupils dilated at the scent, riling up his own blood. Growing claws curled into the ground, breaking through the cracked pavement beneath him. Never has he sensed it so clearly before...

Shaking his head, he pulled out his company cell-phone, speed-dialing Kikyou's number. An automated voice message picked up, making him scowl. Stupid humans and their stupid needs.

The full moon was setting, dawn was on it's way. He needed a plan. If he got close, the one with demon blood would surely sense his own beast and attack. It's surprising that it hadn't already.

Kagome; the name had been imprinted in his mind since the day he met her. All innocent and pretty, Shikon finally birthed someone attractive. He was set to claiming her, if only she didn't screw up and lost control of her ability. Kouga thought he'd never see her again. Now that he has another chance, he won't let her slip away again. When he had her for himself, Shikon could kiss his ass.

He stood up, rounding the building like a predator preparing to pounce. She did a good job of getting out of Dodge; Shikon wouldn't have a clue where to search if they didn't have a demon that had her scent engraved in his senses. Unlucky for them, he didn't plan on giving her up.

When Kagome woke up, Inuyasha was gone from her side, making her heart skip a beat. Slowly, she sat up, noticing that her friends were still fast asleep. Nothing changed beside Inuyasha's absence and Miroku sleeping on the floor. She stood, tip-toeing across Miroku's unconscious body and reached the door.

She could sense Inuyasha even before she opened the door. The sun was just rising, nearly blinding her from being in the calm dimness of the room. Inuyasha was sitting just in front of her, leaning against one of the thin wooden beams that held the place up as he stared out into the distance.

"Why are you up so early?" Kagome asked after closing the door behind her.

"Couldn't sleep," he muttered as she joined his side. Comfortable silence stretched between them as Kagome used the cold, fresh air to wake herself up, folding her arms tightly against her stomach to keep the warmth of her own body heat with her. Finally, he looked at her, "About last night..."

Her face heated at the memory as she absently brought a hand to her lips. She sucked in a deep breath, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. That was kinda surprising, wasn't it?" Her gaze slid over to him, watching his reaction.

"Keh." Inuyasha glanced away, muttering, "It wasn't a bad surprise..."

She turned her body to sit facing him, smiling shyly. "Just yesterday, I was so mad at you. When I left, I tried to understand why you were so protective of me. Then... I remembered. I remember what I thought that made you real."

He looked at her and shrugged off his haori, tossing it over her. "I have my own guesses," he admitted, "It's how I... feel about you, right?"

Kagome nodded, fixing the haori to cover her lap. Her gaze lowered to her hands, resting on her thighs. "That's why I asked you if you would really want to stay with me... I thought I was forcing you to-"

Inuyasha frowned at her. "Stupid," he chided lightly, making her look up, "It took me a long time to admit it to myself. Even if you forced me to love you, I wouldn't complain." He shifted in his seat, drawing his leg, opposite of her, up to rest his arm on. "But when you started falling for those boys in your school... there were times where I wanted to fade away, because you looked happy with them and your friends. It was like you didn't need me anymore."

"I don't want you to leave me," Kagome replied, not liking that knowing look in his eye.

"If I didn't know that by now, I'd be a complete idiot," he smirked. "I live as long as you want me, Kagome."

Blushing, Kagome sidled next to him, leaning against his shoulder and spreading the haori over both of them. "That's gonna be a long time," she murmured, intertwining her fingers with his underneath the haori.

Inuyasha sighed, sounding relieved. "Thanks, little mate."

A/N: Unfortunately, I had to cut this short because I need my sleep for tomorrow. I'll be away the whole day so don't expect an update until Tuesday (I'll try to make two chapters that day to make up for the absence)

Dwarg91: Hell yeah!

FridayzGirl: ^-^

Warm-Amber92: I was gonna go for an angst turn but then I thought that you guys are going to suffer enough later ;)

vampireinu95: If you're gonna get caught for something... :)

Sahora: I was posting stories on a different site (link via profile) but I'm back now :D

letsxgetxrecklessx: You asked for it enough, eh?

HopelessRomantic153: *mimics Pink Panther tune while Kouga sneaks around* I have ten days to write up that one-shot to perfection :D

alexischic: Boxed, please! ^-^

InuandKaglove4Life: Kagome sucks at being sneaky x)

okiedokeybunny: It wasn't that big... okay, for you guys, it was pretty major.

Dark Shining Light: Do your homework! I'm not about to be blamed!

See ya next time.

FxA