Kestrel: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god!!! I can't believe I did that!!! (blush) How embarrassing...THANK YOU!!!

Chapter 4: Moonlight

Theirs was a friendship that ran deeper than blood, that was stronger than anything. But could it truly survive this? Sure they'd been through all seven hells and lived to tell the tale. Sure they'd been hurt before and stayed by each other's side. Sure they were best friends, and shared an unbreakable bond, but could one night's mistake break them apart? Sure it could.

Inuyasha averted his gaze from the mark on the valley in between Kagome's neck and shoulder and closed his eyes. Last night had been his dream come true, but he was sure it was not hers. She wasn't thinking at the time; he knew that much. "If Kagome was thinking she never would have done this with me." Kagome would not have done...that without love... "I never told her I love her." She wasn't a loose girl, she would only have gone this far with someone she was sure loved her, with someone she loved. So she was indeed not in the right state of mind, just like he had not been. Just like he had let instinct take over and marked her as his mate. The bite would heal soon enough, leaving behind a tiny scar. A scar that would forever make her his.

"What am I going to do know? What is she going to say when she wakes?" He smirked as he thought of Kagome sitting him until he was so deep in the earth he could no longer hear her 'sits'. But it quickly faded when her face popped into his mind, and turned into a frown. Now, under usual circumstances, he would have had to fight a smile at the thought of her smiling lips, and star like eyes. But in this image she wore a look of disgust. She looked ready to sprint away at any moment.

For a few minutes the idea of not telling her played in his mind. But he soon tossed it out. Inuyasha knew that she would eventually find out, and the longer he waited the more she would hate him. Maybe if he told her now she would forgive him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for her to be tied down to him. Maybe she wouldn't mind. But then he thought of her words from that morning...of how she wanted to be with Kouga after Naraku and the jewel were gone. What would he do then? What would he do without Kagome?

From the day she released him from the sacred tree she had become his life. He didn't go anywhere without her, didn't leave her side. He would protect her forever, and long after.

With a long, weary sigh he tightened his grip on her. "Might as well enjoy this for now..." She overwhelmed his scenes. The feel of her, the sight of her. Her steady breathing brushing the fine hairs of his neck...her scent. Time seemed to have frozen this moment. Destiny must have decided to allow him these minutes of peace, of contentment. It was still dark outside, but the moon shone brightly through the cave's entrance and to Inuyasha's relief all was quiet but the song of the nocturnal crickets. The demons that had threatened their lives that day had long since given up; had long since gone.

Her skin was warm against his own. Her leg was wrapped around his', and one of her arms was laid across his chest while the other huddled for warmth against his side. Kagome's black hair was draped over her shoulder, Inuyasha's haori covering up anything below that until half way down her thigh. What he wouldn't give to be like this for ever.

Kagome's head moved from the crook of his neck and nestled into a more comfortable position, extending her neck to the moonlight.

He couldn't help but place a kiss to her forehead, and then to her cheek, and lips, and down her neck till he encountered the mark...

He could practically hear his heart shattering at this very instant and it must have made a rather loud crash, because at that second Kagome's eyes opened up and widened considerably.

His own were shut tightly as he heard her sharp intake of breath. His ears flattened so far back it hurt, but at the moment he didn't care, and his hold on her tensed as he prepared for the long string of 'sits'.

He waited and waited, but the 'sits' never came, instead he felt her fingertips at the base of his left ear. Slowly she rubbed it, and stroked it, urging it forward to its upright position, yet the ear wouldn't budge. So she gently ran her fingertip back to the tip of the ear and coaxed it forward. It was comforting, and quite pleasurable. Her touch was light and soft...and genlte...and...and...

As Kagome moved her hand to the other ear she heard a low rumbling sound coming from deep within Inuyasha's chest. "Is he ....Is he purring?!" She looked up at his face, his eyes were closed but now there was a grin on his face instead of the tight frown. She ran her hand through his hair, and pushed it back from his eyes.

When she stopped her ministrations, he looked down at her in wonder, and she hid the blush that had crept up her cheeks under her bangs. Inuyasha's arms slipped from her waist as Kagome lifted herself up, and modestly wrapped an arm around her exposed chest. She looked around the cave; it was still dark both outside and in, making it hard to find any clothing. Yet the ray of moonlight illuminated a path that led from the mouth to the wall of the cave, giving Tetsusaiga a silver glow, making the sword look magically mysterious. She felt Inuyasha stand behind her and both began to search for their clothes in the eerily silent darkness. She found her panties and her bra, her shoes and her skirt, but her shirt was in shreds.

"Inuyasha..." Her voice was timid and coated with shyness. He was dressed in his pants and was about to his under kimono on. The moonlight was also affecting his appearance in much the same way as Tetsusaiga, making his hair even more silver.

"Yeah?" His on the other hand was filled with fear.

"Umm...My shirt, its..." She held up the blouse for him to see.

"Oh, sorry." Inuyasha removed his white shirt, and handed it to her. No way was she going to walk around in that bra thing of hers. The short skirts were bad enough.

Kagome took his offering with a grateful look, and put it on. It almost covered her skirt, leaving only a hem of green cloth visible, a V shape opening at the chest. It was a comfortable shirt, and she was thankful for the warmth it brought her in the chilly night.

Once they were finished dressing they both sat together awaiting, but dreading, the unavoidable. Inuyasha sat against the hard wall Indian style, while Kagome sat with her legs folded beneath her across from him. He couldn't help but like the way she looked in his clothing...

"I'm sorry." It seemed like the only thing he could say.

"Don't be. It's okay...it wasn't your fault." Inuyasha was surprised at this, he had been expecting hurtful words, insults, but this? No...

It was quiet again. The tension still hung in the air between them. "You don't hate me?" He was afraid, so very afraid that she would hate him.

Kagome's face shot upwards seeking his eyes. "Why would I?" Her tone was firm, but filled with wonder.

"Well...I umm..defiled you?" The last part was said as a question. Had he defiled her?

"Just because I was a...a virgin before this Inuyashsa, doesn't mean you defiled me." This made her wonder if she had been his first too, if he had slept with Kikyo before, yet somehow she doubted that. "Kikyo wouldn't have let him touch her unless he was human." But she was saved the trouble of asking him when he told her:

"If it counts for anything...then...it was my first too." He pulled his head down letting his hair cover the blush, as Kagome's heart beat again in relief.

Once again the silence returned threatening to eat them whole. And when it seemed as if nothing else could be said, Inuyasha spoke.

"Please don't get mad, please..." He looked at her, his expression filled with hurt, as she waited on the rest. "I-I...UGH!" He was beginning to get irritated at not being able to tell her. This may be his only chance. "I..." he took a deep breath and braced himself, "I may have-actually I did-mark you as my...mate?" Everything was quiet. Not even the crickets stirred. He sighed shakily and went on because, because it was now or never. "I love you..." It came out as a choked whisper, but if he hadn't said anything now, he might never again have had the chance to. For a second he wished that Kagome hadn't heard. Inuyasha'a eyes returned to the ground as she remained silent.

"Did he..." Kagome was shocked. Inuyasha had just told her he loved her after they had slept together, after he had made her his mate, after he had saved her life and in the process prolonged her lifespan. Her head was spinning, way too many unexpected things had happened, and all in less than twenty four hours. She was having a very hard time taking it all in. She still felt as though it were all a dream.

"Mate?" She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, "As in wife?" Strange, what a strange day she'd had.

Inuyasha nodded his head, his gaze still diverted to the rocky ground.

"Do you mean it?...That you love me?" What if he was just saying that so she would stay with him, so that she wouldn't leave his time after this. What about-

"What about Kikyo? Aren't you supposed to love her?" Inuyasha's head shot up, he was stunned. He had just told her he loved her, he expected rejection not that stupid question.

"What the hell do you mean Kikyo?!!! I just told you I love you! How can you think that I would say something like that if I didn't mean it!" Inuyasha was exasperated, his tone of voice showed it. His hands that had once rested on his lap flew out to grab at the ground, his claws unconsciously scratching the stone ground. "How can you even ask such a thing?!!" And then in a gentler voice he said, "Now...now I'm not so sure I ever loved her in the first place." His whole form showed his sadness, she still hadn't told him how she felt.

"I-I love you too Inuyasha." Inuyasha stared at her in amazement, his jaw hitting the floor.

Kagome giggled and crawled closer to him. Her hand reached up and began to rub an ear, while the other twitched. Once again she heard the low rumbling in his chest, and as his head leaned into the touch, encouraging the action, she began to laugh.

Inuyasha's brow wrinkled, but his eyes remained closed in ecstasy. "WHAT?!", he demanded quite irritated.

"Inuyasha...you...you're PURRING!" Kagome said in between laughs. Inuyasha's eyes shot open and narrowed.

"I AM NOT!!!", he said defensibly. She only laughed harder as he pulled his head away.

"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!". By now her laughter had died down to giggles.

"I think it's cute.", Kagome said.

"Demons aren't cute!" Kami! What had gotten into this girl? Hadn't she seen his fangs, his claws? He wasn't cute! He was a demon! He was mean and scary, and people ran at the mere sight of him.

"You are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Wench!!!"

"SIT!" Kagome waited as the rosary pulled him down into the ground and then added, "Don't call me a wench."

With a tiny playful huff, she made her way to and lay down on the hard rocky ground that had served as their bed not too long ago . "It's still dark outside, and I'm still tired. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Inuyasha." With a loud yawn she closed her eyes.

When the spell wore off, Inuyasha stood and went over to Kagome, still rather dazed and too happy to care about much. "She loves me. She loves me. She loves me." He lay next to her as she turned to face him.

Her eyes twinkled when she opened them and the moonlight reached them. Her cheeks glowing a luminescent white. His heart stopped at the sight and once again he knew that without her he could not live.

"Kagome, please don't leave me. I-I don't want to be alone."

Kagome's heart swelled at the sadness in his voice, and at the broken expression on his face. "He's so afraid of being alone." She scooted closer to him and kissed his lips before curling into his chest and saying, "As long as you don't leave me."

With a smile and a new feeling of contentment he told her, "I wont." And proceeded to wrap his arm around her waist protectively and tuck her head under his chin, as they drifted off to sleep, under the roof of a mostly dark cave; their bodies illuminated by the silver trail of night's light.

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A/N: I was supposed to update last Saturday, but incidents beyond my control kept me from it. Sorry, but hey look at the good side: A long chapter with some fluff.

By the way, thanks for all the reviews.

-Luminescent