InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Deep Wounds ❯ A Few Stolen Moments ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Soon, they became disembodied from the world and it was like dancing in a dark void. The only thing around them was darkness and the gentle tune of the music. Kagome felt herself move closer to him and breathed in his spicy cologne before she placed her head on his chest. They moved lightly to the music, not caring what else was happening in the world while they were in each others arms.

Kagome felt that unfamiliar happiness welling inside her chest, just like when he had kissed her for the first time. She began to wonder, was she falling in love with him? Before she knew it, they had stopped moving, though the music still played, and she moved her face closer and closer to his. Their lips met and they kissed long and sweetly, until the song finally faded away and they came back into reality once more.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.09.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 8.7K | Visits: 858 | Status: Completed

InuYasha felt himself waking up and feeling like he was trapped in thick fog. He collected himself and realized what had woken him. The old rotary phone in his room was ringing incessantly and giving the tired teen even more of a headache than he already had. He rolled over, and in a sloppy manner grasped at the phone until he managed to knock it off of the hook. After that he brought it up to his ear.

“Hello?” he asked in a groggy voice, not really intent on talking with anyone at the moment.

“Good morning, little brother.” spoke a cold, calm voice that sent a familiar chill up his spine. Once hearing that voice, tainted with a ridiculing tone, InuYasha sat straight up in his bed before jumping out and looking out the window into the dark night. Seeing nothing but the dimly lit street below and the fading stars in the sky above, he stared briefly at the clock, seeing that it was barely past three in the morning.

“Sesshoumaru.” the teen spat as the image of his older brother appeared in his mind. He had silver hair, just like himself and their father before them. However, he always kept his short and cut neatly, a façade of a business man to hide the monster behind the mask. His eyes were golden as well, but were duller than his, and empty like a black hole. He also has a sneer that meant nothing but pain for the teen, but was hidden by a calm stoical face.

“You seem surprised. I thought my familiar calling card would have had you running like a dog with a tail between its legs.” the man on the other end said, still completely placid, revealing no tell tales signs for his sibling to pick up. “Perhaps it was because of that lovely young friend of yours that you have staying with you. I'm sure that intimate moment between you two last night left you more than just a flushed face. Or maybe it was the fact that you were so racked up on crack that you completely forgot what it is that I want from you.”

“Fuck you. Damned bastard.” the boy cursed into the receiver as he clenched his fist angrily, wishing he could strike his brother at that moment.

“You know I don't swing that way, ass. Of course, I'd certainly enjoy a taste of that girl.” Sesshoumaru mocked, causing InuYasha to growl angrily.

“You won't touch her, and you won't see Shippo ever again.” InuYasha told him bitterly as he felt his blood heating up beneath within his veins.

“Oh, I will. Soon enough.” replied his brother, still calm. “You think you can actually get away, you never can.”

“Burn in Hell you bastard.” InuYasha cursed yet again.

“Shippo is MY god-damned son! Nothing you can do can stop me from getting him.” Sesshoumaru retorted, his anger flaring up, which was never good. “I ALWAYS get what I want, and I want my fucking son! I have connections! If I wanted, I could get your ass put in jail faster than a blink of the eye!”

“So why haven't you?” InuYasha asked, one-upping his arrogant brother. He heard the man gasp in discontent.

“Because I have better ways to make your life hell.” his brother responded, returning to his cool calm self. “We've nothing further to discuss, I suggest you run. Run like the pitiful mutt that you are.”

With that, InuYasha could hear the other line go dead. He had the receiver in a death grip by the end and slammed it down on the base, sitting down on his bed again and savagely attacking the mattress. He punched until he was panting from the effort. Finally, he lay back down again, terrified for the safety of his nephew and of his only friend. He knew he'd have to tell them, but he didn't know how. Shippo hated having to move constantly, always being on the run from his deviant father and his entourage of goons who would take a bullet for him if the price was right. He sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to think about any of it any more. Soon, he was back asleep, but it wasn't a pleasant one. His dreams were only nightmares of the things he knew of his villainous sibling. It absolutely disgusted him.

---12:56 PM---

Kagome had been up at the same time as Shippo again, which was surprisingly early for a weekend when she had stopped to think of it. She fixed him breakfast, which was something a little more nutritious than Super Frosty Sugar Rounds, like he had desperately wanted. However, she convinced him that he'd like what she had made better. Fortunately, she was right, and he pigged out on the breakfast before jumping in front of his beloved television for a few hours.

While he had done that, she washed up and changed into some comfortable house clothes, which were nothing more than a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a dark blue hoodie. She had left her hair down and had then joined Shippo in his cartoon watching. When it finally was getting late in the morning, she knocked on InuYasha's door a few times, getting no answer. She let it be, but now it was time to try again. After all, she was dead set on getting him to clean the pigpen he called a bedroom. Thus, would her cleaning spree be complete.

She knocked on his door and waited. When she heard no movement from within, she knocked louder. However, she still got no reaction out of the lazy boy. So, she held her nose and slowly opened the door, half expecting to find a monster made of dirty clothes about to attack her upon entry. All she found though, was her friend who was snoring profusely, which made her giggle lightly.

She walked over to his bed and poked him with one of her fingers. This only caused him to roll over. She prodded him again, and he rolled onto his back. This gave her an idea. She smirked slightly as she climbed up on the bed, and lowered herself down until she was just above his stomach before falling down on him. He let out a gasp of air and shot up, causing her to go rolling off the edge of the bed.

He hopped up and ran around to where she was, not knowing that it was her. However, all he found was Kagome sprawled on the floor, laughing and snorting loudly like there was no tomorrow. She held her side and then started coughing as the stink attacked her nasal passages.

“Oh God! It smells SO bad in here!” she screamed between laughs as she got up and ran out of the room, breathing the clean air in deeply. “Air! Air!”

“Serves you right.” he told her.

“You were the one who wouldn't wake up.” she told him, sticking out her tongue at him.

“Feh, whatever.” he replied as he stretched out and blinked from the bright light of the hallway. “What time is it?”

“Nearly one-thirty.” she told him as they walked out into the living room. “There's leftover eggs and sausage in the fridge if you want it.”

“M'kay.” he said, leaning against one of the walls before raising an arm and smelling himself, which made him cringe. “First, I think I'll take a nice hot shower.”

“All right.” she told him as he disappeared back down the hall. While he did that, she made her way back into his room with a can of air freshener in hand. From what she could tell, he'd never clean his room if she'd have asked. So, she thought it best to take on the task herself.

As she entered the room, she sprayed profusely before flipping on the overhead fan and making her way to the window across the room. She opened it and sprayed some more as the stench was masked for the time being. She set to work, picking up all of the clothes first. When she had cleared the main area of the room, leaving a large pile of smelly garments in the center, she went to the closet. There she found most of his clothes stuck in one of the corners.

As she picked them up, she snagged a loose corner of carpet. She placed the clothes in a pile and then went back to the closet to see what she had found. The carpet still stuck up a bit and she pulled it back. All she could see was floorboard until she accidentally lost her balance and pushed a little on the end of one of the boards. It cam up out of place and Kagome felt herself becoming more and more curious about this boys secrets.

She pulled the board out of placed and set it aside as she looked within. There she saw a wooden box wedged within and carefully pried it out of place. She set the box down and got up before walking to the door and sticking her head out. She heard the shower still running and went back to the box to quickly examine what was inside, knowing he'd have to be done soon.

She knew that it wasn't polite to snoop, especially after he had been so hospitable towards her, but she knew next to nothing about him and doubted that he would be able to open up enough to tell her himself. She opened the box and set the lid on top of the board and looked inside. She was a bit taken aback by what she had found within.

It was a small bag of white powder, a small clear tube, and a rectangular mirror with raised edges. She knew exactly what it was and was surprised. She never expected that InuYasha would have problems like that. He always seemed level-headed and strong. She couldn't imagine that he'd ever need drugs. However, she didn't have time to think on it more, as the shower stopped running and she had to scramble to put everything back in its place.

She got it hidden away again and went to his bed, pulling off the sheets and pretended as if she hadn't found what she had. She dropped the sheets into the large pile of dirty clothes as InuYasha walked into the room, unaware that she was in there, and was wearing nothing more than a towel around his waist.

“EH!” she exclaimed when she saw him nearly naked, her eyes caught on his sexy, chiseled torso. She could feel her cheeks heating up and new that she was blushing deep red. “I go, uh, living room.”

With that she dropped the sheets in the pile and fled from the room, thoroughly embarrassed. She ended up sitting in the living room on the couch with Shippo, watching television for a while until InuYasha came out wearing a pair of tan cargo shorts and a white muscle shirt. His long hair hung loose down his back.

“Sorry about that.” he said to Kagome as he sat on the other side of Shippo. “What the hell are you doing in there anyway?”

“Cleaning.” she told him. “If you notice, it doesn't smell nearly as bad as it did.”

“I guess.” he said, sighing deeply and staring blankly at the television set.

“Are you okay?” she asked him, noticing that he seemed a little bothered.

“I'm fine, I didn't sleep well is all.” he answered, running his fingers through his hair. He sighed again and slumped against the couch before staring back at the television.

Kagome wanted to talk to him about his own problem. After all, he was trying to help her, it was the least she could do to help him. Besides, he was the only friend she had and she cared about him very much. She didn't want anything bad to happen to him or to Shippo. Then, an idea came to mind. She would take him out someplace alone and try and talk to him about it. As far as she could tell, Shippo didn't know, and InuYasha seemed uncomfortable about being at home.

“So, I was thinking.” she said, getting his attention again. “We've been cooped up here in this stuffy apartment all weekend. We should go out for coffee or something.”

“I guess.” he said, raising an eyebrow at her. “When and where do you suggest we go?”

“I know this great place a few blocks from here.” she told him. “It's always the best later on in the night. I figure you and me can hang out and the squirt can chill at the neighbors.”

“Awe, do I hafta?” the boy asked sadly, looking up at the two older kids.

“They don't let in kids your age.” she told the child, hugging him lightly.

“Well,” InuYasha began. “I suppose we can, but first, can you deal with the mess you left in my room?”

“HA! Mess that I left?” she laughed. “That's all your doing. I just put it in one convenient spot. You deal with it.”

“Keh.” he said unhappily, crossing his arms. “Will you at least help me haul it down to the laundry room?”

“Fine. I've got a couple of things that need to be washed anyway.” she answered. So, the two set to work cleaning up the rest of InuYasha's room.

---The Apartment: 8:47 PM---

Kagome stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a curling iron in hand. She finished curling the last lock of her straight hair, and then grabbed a large pink claw clip and put the curls up on her head, giving it the look that she had it all in a ponytail, but without the hassled. From there, she grabbed her bag of hair junk and shuffled through it until she found her hot pink colored hair gel. She randomly streaked it through her hair and then went to do her makeup: smoky looking eyes and plain glossy lips. It wasn't anything really too done over, after all, they were only going out for coffee. Still, she wanted to look good.

When she finally finished she stood back and checked herself out. She had chosen a pair of long black cargo pants with a hot pink t-shirt that had long black sleeves that were like fingerless gloves at the end. On the front of her shirt was a black star. She smiled in approval of herself and shut off the bathroom light before heading into the living room to put her shoes on.

Once there, she found InuYasha sprawled out on the couch, wearing the same clothes he'd worn all day. She cringed and knew they must be starting to smell by now. After all, she had him haul all of his dirty clothes down to the laundromat that was four blocks away and he had to walk the entire way there and back. She walked over to him and sat down on the arm of the couch and nudged him.

“Don't tell me you plan on wearing that?” she said, pretending to sound disgusted.

“What's wrong with what I have on?” he asked in response. Personally, he thought there was nothing wrong with what he had on aside from the faint stench of sweat.

“Those clothes reek.” she told him as he shrugged it off. She sighed and then decided to take matters into her own hands. “Fine, I'll pick something out for you.”

“Keh. Whatever.” he said before stretching out and putting a foot up on top of the coffee table. She raised an eyebrow at him, sighed, and then turned back down the hall and into his room. She shuffled through the baskets of clothing that had yet to be put away and picked out something decent for him to wear.

“Here.” she said as she threw the clothes in his lap. “Go put `em on.”

He picked up the clothes in one had and looked at them before getting up and going into his room to change. As he did that, she sat down on the couch and grabbed her bag, shuffling through it for a pair of shoes to wear. She picked out her favorite pink open-toed heels and slipped them on. A few moments later, InuYasha emerged from his room, adjusting his clothes and looking over at her as if he was seeking her approval.

He wore a pair of black cargo pants with a plain green t-shirt underneath a black dress shirt with short sleeves. Kagome walked over to him and circled him a few times, straightening out a few things before grabbing a hairbrush and attacking his head with it, ending with her tying the long mass into a braid.

“Hm?” she said quizzically, examining him again. “Looks good, except I have one more thing that will perfect it.”

She went back to her bag and shuffled through it again, retrieving a pair of rectangular black rimmed glasses with green tinted lenses. She put them on him and smiled pleasantly, nodding in liking. “There, now it's perfect. Let's drop the squirt off at the neighbors and hit the streets.”

“All right.” he said, walking over to the television set and shutting it off.

“Awe, are you sure I can't go with you Uncle Yasha?” the little boy asked as he took his uncle's hand and made his way to the door.

“Yea, I'm sure, but we'll go somewhere later on, okay?” the older boy responded as the group locked up and headed down the hall. The two teens dropped Shippo off safely and made their way onto the street, ready for a relaxing night on the town.

---Café De Musique: 9: 14 PM---

“Come on, it's just up here!” Kagome said, grabbing InuYasha's hand and pulling him towards the door of a large building that resembled a nightclub. There were multicolored neon lights lining the overhang of the building. The sidewalk outside was lined with intricate brickwork and lined with beautiful blooming plants. In bright lights the name flashed for all to see: Café De Musique.

“I thought you said this place was close by?” InuYasha said breathless as he stopped just outside the door. Kagome stopped and looked back at him, placing her hands on her hips and letting out a sigh.

“I'm sorry that I haven't been here in a while. So quit being a baby.” she told him. “Now come on, this place has the best cappuccinos in town.”

“Are you sure we're even old enough to get in?” he asked her as they walked through the front doors. Inside was an expansive lounge area with overstuffed red couches and wooden coffee tables that were stacked with art books. Along the far left wall was a long bar with a black counter top lit by various colored lights and round beige swivel stools with a modern-esqué backrest on them. To the far right corner was a rather large dance floor made of thick clear glass with multihued lights beneath it that alternated as well as overhead lights that swirled around dancers moving to a techno beat.

“Yea! This is a coffee lounge. They don't serve any alcohol, but you do have to be at least fourteen to get in.” she informed him as she lead him towards the bar. “That's why we couldn't bring Shippo.”

“KAGOME!” called a voice from the bar. Kagome looked up and waved at a girl behind the counter, taking a seat nearby. The girl walked over to them and leaned against the counter, a wide smile on her face.

“Hey Kat, what's the scene?” Kagome asked her, scanning the coffee list behind the girl.

“Not much.” Kat replied, glancing over at InuYasha as smiling before turning back to Kagome. “It's been forever, where have you been hiding?”

“Lots of places.” Kagome replied vaguely. “Can we get a couple of double dark chocolate and mocha caps?”

“Yea, it'll be right up.” Kat told her, writing down the order and passing it to the guy at the cappuccino machine. “So, who's the eye candy?”

“This is my friend InuYasha.” Kagome said, noticing that InuYasha had blushed and turned his head away.

“Cute. So where'd your mom disappear to? I doubt she'd let you out of the house, let alone go out with a guy.” Kat asked inquisitively, glancing over at InuYasha every so often.

“She's at home or so I assume. I kinda ran away.” Kagome told her as the girl's eyes went wide and her smile broadened. “I'm temporarily living with him and his nephew right now.”

“I knew you'd have the guts to do it eventually. Way to go.” Kat told her as she passed them their cappuccinos and winked in InuYasha's direction. “Well, I gotta jet. I'm sure the other customers would like some attention as well. Have fun you two.”

“Thanks Kat.” Kagome said, passing the girl a few dollar bills she pulled from her pocket before reaching for her drink. It was a frothy beverage in brightly colored mugs and as she downed the first sip, she felt herself go all warm inside. It was a comforting feeling.

“That was, eh, slightly embarrassing.” InuYasha remarked, watching as Kagome's friend walked away. His face was slowly changing to bright red to normal and Kagome smiled at the fact that he had blushed that way.

“For you.” Kagome said, nudging him lightly. “Now hurry up and drink your cap so we can hit the dance floor.”

“Keh.” InuYasha scoffed, taking a drink of his own cappuccino. “I don't dance.”

“Oh really?” Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him. A smirk spread across her face as she set her drink down on the counter and snatched his from him, setting it down as well. “Come on.”

With that she grabbed him by the hand and tugged him over to the dance floor where a plethora of dancers had now gathered. They were moving around wildly to an upbeat techno song that blared from the large speakers near the DJ booth. Kagome began to move around like the others while InuYasha stood still, aside from being bumped around by the others on the dance floor.

“DANCE!” Kagome yelled at him over the music. He could only watch as she smiled brightly and twirled beneath a bright disco-type light that lit up her face in many hues of brilliant color. She was happy and that made him happy as well. So, he gave in and began to move around to the music with her, having a great time as the thoughts of his predicament temporarily slipped to the back of his mind. Right now, it was only Kagome.

They danced through several songs, finally returning to their spot at the bar, their legs like Jelly as they walked and both were out of breath. Kagome grabbed her drink and sipped it. It was barely warm anymore, but she didn't care. InuYasha was enjoying himself and the dark aura that had seemed to envelop him that entire day seemed to have lifted. Still, she knew she would have to press him on the matter, and it might make him fall back into that same rut.

“InuYasha?” she asked him staring into her cup before looking over at him and flipping her hair over her shoulder. He looked over and raised an eyebrow curiously. “Is there something up with you?”

“Nope.” he replied, turning away from her and pretending to concentrate on drinking his cappuccino.

“Are you sure?” she asked, prodding at him for answers. “Because it seems like there is. I know it's probably none of my business, but I'd like to know.”

InuYasha glanced her way and sighed. He knew that he'd have to tell her eventually and this was as good a time as any to let her know. “Well, you see, it's my brother.”

“Your brother?” Kagome asked, finding this answer to be completely different from what she had expected him to tell her. However, she took interest in what he was saying, for he had a look of despair across his face and she could sense that he was feeling troubled even more than before.

“Yea.” InuYasha replied. “He found us, that is, Shippo and I, again. I knew it some time ago, but there was you and I couldn't, well, here's the thing. When I was little, my brother enjoyed womanizing. One time, after I had run away, I found out he raped a fourteen year-old girl. He let her go, but she ended up getting pregnant. He was determined to hide his indiscretions, so he kidnapped her and held her captive until she had her baby, who was Shippo. After he was born, he killed the girl and hid her body where she could never be found.”

“That's horrible!” Kagome said, disgusted by what she had just heard.

“That's not all of it.” InuYasha told her before continuing with his story. “He also runs a black market adoption agency and kidnaps children to sell off to the highest bidder. With Shippo, he got what he had said was `A free deal.' I found out about this when Shippo was about a year old and I took him and gave him his name because my brother hadn't even bothered to do it himself. Well, when Shippo got away, he lost a big amount of money because he was selling him to a rich oil driller. He's been after us ever since and now we have to leave.”

“When?” Kagome asked, shocked and disturbed by everything she had been told. She felt such anger towards his brother that she nearly broke her mug when she set it down on the counter again.

“As soon as possible. I wanted to let you know.” InuYasha told her, sighing deeply. “I just don't want to have to leave you like this.”

“So take me with you!” she said, thinking about what an adventure it would be to get out of her town and somewhere where everything could be done anew.

“I can't put you into that kind of danger. He already is trying to kill me in one way or another, I can't let you risk that.” he argued. Kagome shook her head lightly and placed a hand on his arm.

“I realize that, but I've always been safe with you.” she told him sincerely. “If not for you, I'd have nowhere else to go. You are my only friend and I want to go wherever you go from now on. Danger or not, I'm going to go.”

“Are you sure that's what you want?” InuYasha asked, still feeling a tad skeptical on whether or not she should.

“Yes, it is. I have nothing here in this town if you're gone.” she answered. “Even if I stayed, I'd end up leaving anyhow. So, why not leave with you?”

“Okay, you can come with us. We can get things ready tomorrow and then head out early the next morning.” he told her. Kagome squealed lightly and hugged him around the neck.

“Let's dance some more.” she told him, grabbing him yet again and leading him back to the dance floor. Just as they got there, a slow dance song came on and people started pairing up. The two, who had gotten caught somewhere in the middle of the former mosh, now stood awkwardly. Silently, InuYasha extended a hand to her and they began dancing.

Kagome felt that unfamiliar happiness welling inside her chest, just like when he had kissed her for the first time. She began to wonder, was she falling in love with him? Before she knew it, they had stopped moving, though the music still played, and she moved her face closer and closer to his. Their lips met and they kissed long and sweetly, until the song finally faded away and they came back into reality once more.

---Main Street: 12:38 AM---

InuYasha and Kagome made their way down the street, following the lamplight. Neither talked, but both were smiling as the walked hand in hand. The world around them was no more than a blurry daze, the only important thing being the person next to them. Kagome sighed contentedly and gently brushed against InuYasha who, in turn, rubbed her hand before leaning over and kissing her briefly.

When they finally got back to the apartment building, InuYasha had Kagome get Shippo while he checked out the apartment. He knew that his brother was watching them, and had to make sure everything was safe before he would let Shippo and Kagome go inside. Everything checked out okay, with no signs that anything was out of place. So, Kagome returned with Shippo.

She carried the little boy, who was sound asleep when she had gone to get him, over her shoulder and into his own room. She laid him down on his bed and tucked him in, staying there a few minutes to watch the angelic child. She was glad that he hadn't had to grow up around his father and that someone like InuYasha had been there for him. She thought about what he might have had to deal with and her own pained life brought tears to her eyes. As long as I'm here, I'll protect him. I love him and I won't let him suffer like I had. That is my vow to him. With that, she brushed his hair from his eyes and then got up. She walked to the door, glancing back a moment, before she shut it quietly and made her way to the living room, pulling her hair down in the process.

As she passed InuYasha's doorway, an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her into the dark room. She let out a surprised gasp that was muffled as a set of lips brushed against her own. The warmth of them sent a warm tingled down her spine that made her move closer and deepen the kiss. As she did, his arms enveloped her and held her gently, making her feel more secure than she had ever felt before.

Slowly they made their way over to the bed. They laid next to each other; Kagome snuggled against his side, her head in his neck while his arms continued to hold her. She breathed in deeply, smelling his spicy cologne that still mingled with his clothes. He sighed, and leaned over to kiss her on her head. She smiled, and then propped herself up on one arm, staring at him through the darkness.

“Do you think we'll have more moments like this?” she asked in a delicate whisper, looking into his bright eyes and wondering if this would be the last time they could be close. After all, with Sesshoumaru still after him and Shippo, things probably wouldn't be as calm as they were then.

“I believe so, and I'd do anything to have more moments like this one here.” he replied in a hushed voice, bringing a hand to her cheek and caressing it softly. She smiled at him softly and leaned down to leave a chaste kiss upon his lips.

“Good, because when I'm with you, I feel a happiness I could never find anywhere else.” she told him. He smiled back at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her down over him and kissing her with a gentle fervor that left her lips tingling afterwards.

Silently, she repositioned herself so she was gently straddling him and began rubbing his chest. She removed his shirts and rubbed his bare muscled chest, leaving butterfly kisses lightly on his skin. Soon, she too had removed her shirt and the two were busy kissing the other as the fire within them slowly roared to life. However, this stolen moment was cut short as InuYasha rubbed her arms, feeling the fresh cuts that had scabbed over.

He moved her aside and sat up, holding her arm and looking at the cuts etched in her skin. His voice became unusually reprimanding as he said, “Kagome, what the hell?”

“Why don't you tell me?” she said as she quickly pulled her hand back and hung her head in shame before she grabbed her shirt from where she'd let it lay. With that she rushed from the bed and out the door before he had the chance to say another word.

He sat there in shock, surprised by the last few moments. Has she found out my own dark secret? God, I said that to her so harshly! I'm so stupid. I have to go make sure she's okay. Curse my damned stupidity!

“Kagome?” InuYasha called as he made his way into the living room. She sat on the couch, clutching her shirt and shaking uncontrollably. She looked up when she had heard her name, but quickly hid her face away when she saw it was him. He walked over to her and sat down, gathering her up in his arms and holding her closely.

“I'm sorry.” she said in a choked whisper, looking up at him long enough for him to see the tears in her eyes. “I don't know why, it's just so hard to quit.”

“I shouldn't have said that so insensitively.” he told her, kissing her forehead and lifting her chin so he could wipe the tears from her eyes. “You, you know, don't you? About my own problem, that is.”

“Yes, I do. I found out earlier today.” she said to him, finally hugging him gently.

“You aren't ashamed of me?” he asked, surprised by the gentle tone in which she'd spoken.

“No. Just like me, you have a difficulty in your life. I think that, together, we can overcome them both.” she told him. “I can understand why as well. With all the stress you must put up with, being constantly on the run, there'd have had to be some way you could be able to forget about it all, even for a little while.”

“Yea.” he said, smiling briefly and so very thankful that he had her in his life. “Come on, let's go to bed. Do you want to stay with me tonight?”

“No, not tonight. I'm sorry.” she said, pulling away from him finally and sliding away a little. “I don't think it would be a good idea, not with Shippo and all.”

“All right then, I'll see you in the morning.” he told her, leaning over and kissing her gently on the cheek before returning to his room. He felt a little hurt, but didn't want to push her into anything.

Kagome watched as his disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door gently behind him. She sighed and got up, getting out her pajamas and putting them on. Then, she laid down on the couch and closed her eyes, reflecting on everything from the day. Today has been wonderful, and we've broken through some big barriers. Now, all that's left is to come to terms with it all. Today may have ended in a funk, but tomorrow is a bright, new day.