Disclaimer: See chapter one.

From Beneath the Ashes

~~*~*~~ Chapter 6 - Who Says Love Doesn't Conquer All ~~*~*~~

'The sessions with Dr. Richards are helping.' thought Kagome as she looked up at Inuyasha's profile in the dying light of the day. She had managed to convince him to go for a walk that evening and they were now standing at the end of the small pier, that had become their special spot. She was leaning against his chest with her arms wrapped around his waist. Tomorrow they were driving over to pickup Sango and Miroku from the airport. Sango had called last night with their flight times and news that they both had passed all of their classes. She had also hinted that she had some other exciting news that she couldn't wait to tell Kagome and no she wasn't going to tell her over the phone.

Inuyasha, upon hearing they her friends where coming home, had actually volunteered to go with her to get them.

She had also noticed that his dreams were beginning to diminish over the past few weeks. She blushed slightly as she remembered that they were still sharing a room, even though Inuyasha insisted on sleeping on the small couch. Kagome's mother still assumed that they were going to get married soon, however he wanted to wait until he had been cured before they got married. Yet she knew that he was always going to have these nightmares and flashbacks of the trauma that he endured. She had argued to no avail that to wait was silly and why couldn't they just get married now. But he had been insistent, and had blocked out her pleas. However she was beginning to have doubts that they were really going to married. She sighed heavily with exasperation over her dilemma.

Her heavy sigh brought his attention back down to where she was cradled in his arms. "Kagome." He said softly. She turned her head from his shoulder and leaned back slightly to look up into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking." she said, her reply muffled slightly as she buried her head back into his shoulder.

"About what?" he whispered, inhaling her sweet fragrance has her hair brushed against his face.

"Sango said she had something she wanted to tell me when she got here. She sounded so excited but wouldn't tell me over the phone. I was wondering what it was." she hedged, telling the truth for the most part. She didn't want to burden him farther with her doubts and fears about their relationship.

"Kagome, why are you worrying?" he said, reaching up and tipping her head back so that he could look into her eyes. He could hear the tremor in her voice and felt the tenseness of her muscles. He knew that she wasn't only worried about Sango. "Is this about us getting married?"

He watched as a flinch darted over her features and a glimmer of fear passed through her eyes. Sighing he leaned forward slightly and pressed his forehead against hers. When he spoke his breath played gently over her skin, causing a tingle to race up her spine.

"Don't worry my love, we will get married one day. As soon as I am cured we will have a big wonderful wedding and never have to part again."

"But Inuyasha, what happens if you aren't cured? These dreams are never going to go away completely. Does that mean we will never get married?" she cried as she yanked herself out of his embrace. Glaring fiercely at him, her anger rising by the second. "You're being selfish! You're only thinking about yourself! You don't care how I feel about this. I don't care whether you are cured or not, I only want to be with you, but you don't see that. I don't think that you really do love me." she screamed.

"But Kagome. . ."

"No buts, I am sick of this. You need to make up your mind, I cannot wait forever for you to decide if you want to be with me or be cured. I going back to the house, you can sleep on the couch in the living room." she turned, storming angrily off the pier and disappearing into the night. Inuyasha watched stunned as she disappeared, his mind ringing with her words.

~*~

The trip to the airport was quiet. Inuyasha had been waiting with the car when she had come out of the house this morning. Dark patches beneath her eyes testified to her lack of sleep the night before. He had taken her for her word and had not come back to the room last night. Since they had left the shrine, they hadn't spoken more than a dozen words between them. The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Pulling the car into the airport parking, he turned off the ignition and sat quietly behind the wheel. Before he could turn towards her, she slipped out of the car and started walking towards the terminal. He watched he walk away from the car through the windshield, before exiting the car. Following slowly behind her, his thought raced with the words she had spoken last night.

'Will I really never be rid of these dreams? Does she really want to be with me no matter if I am cured or not?' his thoughts echoed loudly through his mind. Confusion and guilt over causing her more pain warred within his soul. He had never wanted to hurt Kagome, he had wanted to come to her a whole man. But in the end it seemed that he had hurt her anyway.

"What do I do now to make it up to her?" he whispered softly.

"What's that, my friend?" came a voice and a hand dropped heavily onto his shoulder. He looked up and found Miroku looking steadily back at him.

"Nothing, just talking to myself." Inuyasha replied as he turned to the tall man. "Where's Sango and Kagome?"

"They are exchanging gossip but you my friend look like you have a large problem on your mind." Miroku said, a frown creasing his forehead. "You know that I am always here to listen or give you any advice you may need."

"I'm all right. We had better round up the girls and head for home." Inuyasha said as he looked around for Sango and Kagome. But he filed away the words that Miroku said for future reference.

"There they are." Miroku said as he pushed his way through the crowds towards the two chattering girls. When he reached them Kagome squealed as she was pulled up into a tight hug by him. Inuyasha watched silently at her happy face, wishing that he was the one holding her at the moment looking down into her beautiful face. Sighing he watched as the two girls latched onto Miroku and pulled him giggling through the crowds. Following slowly he walked towards the car, wondering if he was ever going to make Kagome smile at him again as she was with her friends.

~*~

Kagome sat on the end of the pier staring out into the darkness surrounding her. Moonlight tipped the small ripples of water on the lake with its silvery glow, yet the beauty of it unseen by her. Her mind spun furiously, trying to sort out her mixed up emotions. Elation, jealously and anger all warred for space within her heart.

Elation because Sango and Miroku had announced that they were getting married and would Kagome please be a part of their wedding.

Jealously because they were getting married, while she had to wait for Inuyasha to finally decide what he wanted.

Anger because Inuyasha had told her later that evening, when she had mentioned Sango and Miroku's wedding plans, that he still wanted to wait until his condition was cured.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, arms enfolded around them, her head buried deep with the confining warmth. 'Why couldn't he see that it didn't matter to her if he was cured or not? She just wanted to be with him forever, like he had promised so long ago.' her mind cried her frustration at her seemingly hopeless plight.

So caught up in her misery, she didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her until warm arms encircled her from behind, pulling her body close against a hard muscular chest.

"I'm sorry, Kagome." a soft voice whispered in her hair.

"Why Inuyasha? Why must we wait for something that may never happen?" she cried unhappily, tears beginning to fall softly down her cheeks.

"I want to come to you a whole man, Kagome." he said quietly, nuzzling his nose into her soft black hair.

"Inuyasha," she started, turning slightly in his arms to look up into his face, "you are a whole man, no matter how much you may not think so." She raised her hand to gently cup his cheek, her thumb brushing lightly over his lips. "You have never been anything else but a whole man. These dreams will fade given time, but you cannot expect them to go away immediately. I will love you nevertheless of what happens."

"Kagome." he said as he looked down into her beautiful eyes and recalled what Miroku had said it him a short time ago.

"Inuyasha, you have to overcome your fear and see that by waiting for a cure is only hurting Kagome. If you truly love her, you would stop making her wait for you and marry her already. She has loved you since the day that she met you and has waited through a terrible time for you to return to her. Don't make her wait any longer."

He realized at that moment that he had indeed been hurting the woman that he loved by holding her at arms length, struggling alone to regain his manhood. When all along, she had been right their waiting and supporting him through all his bouts of depression and anger. Looking down now at her made him realize that no matter how much he wanted to wait for a cure, everyone had been right, he would probably live with the nightmares of his experience forever. And in this moment, he knew that he no longer wanted to wait until his was cured. Leaning back, he took Kagome's hands into his and gently brought her fingers to his lips.

"Kagome, would you marry me?" he asked softly. Her eyes widened at his softly whispered words, tears gathering at the corners, threatening to spill over.

"Yes." she said.

~~*~*~~

A/N: Aww, he's finally admitted to himself that he no longer wants to wait for a cure, realizing that he will be with this pain for the rest of his life. The next chapter is underway and soon shall be available. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

~ DBZ Vegeta