InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Learning from the Past ❯ Baka ( Chapter 3 )

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

Chapter Three: Baka

Disclaimer: Still don't own and never will, so please don't sue.

Inuyasha landed on a tree limb, digging his claws into the bark. Needless to say, he was pissed. The trail of destruction that he left with his claws leading up to where he now was perched was proof of that. Landing a fist into the trunk of the tree, trying to quench the desire to teach her a lesson; he sneered at the image of her in his mind. She was laughing at him.

`How dare she deny him what he wanted? Wasn't she the one that said that she would do anything for him? Wasn't she the one that told him that she would love him for all eternity…..no matter what happened between them?' Inuyasha thought as he clenched his fists and growled low in frustration.

Crouching down on the limb, he found that his right hand had wandered up to the burn on his chest. `And how in the Hell was she able to do that to him. She doesn't know how to use her Miko powers and if she did she shouldn't have been able to blast him like that after healing Miroku.'

“She should have been too weak.” He said looking at the fist size hole in the tree trunk.

Suddenly his anger turned to sorrow. Gripping the limb to keep his balance, he shook his head in defeat. No….she doesn't love him anymore. He had made sure of that. He was the one that made her go back on her promises. He deserved everything that she did to him and more. Everyone was right. He is just a disgusting half-breed, should have never been let to breathe his first breath.

“Inuyasha?” Looking down he saw the stiff form of Kikyo standing there. “Leave me alone, Kikyo.” Whispering and inside his mind hoping that she would just do that. Leave him alone. It was her fault that he did what he did to Kagome.

“Inuyasha, I will not leave. Why did you not retrieve the shards from her? You know that she couldn't have done more to you. She is not that strong and still doesn't have control of her powers.” Kikyo said, looking at him with determination in her eyes.

“Didn't you see what she did!?!” Inuyasha yelled at her. “She healed Miroku and still was able to do that to me. Not even you could have done that. Now leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anyone.” Inuyasha crouched down on the limb and got ready to spring into the air. Taking a mighty leap, he was gone. Leaving Kikyo there where she was.

Getting away from her was the only thing on his mind at the moment. He had wanted to leave her for the last year and a half. But he couldn't. He owed her for what happened in the past. Still, he couldn't shake this feeling that he should be watching his back when she is with him.

Then he remembered what Kagome had said before she walked away from them to help Miroku.

`What did Kagome mean when she said that she knew Kikyo's secret?' Inuyasha thought to himself as he leapt from tree to tree getting further away from the cold, lifeless woman that he had promised his life too. Is Kikyo hiding something from him?

No, she wouldn't do that. They promised themselves to each other in the past. Once the jewel was complete, he was going to wish for them both to become ordinary humans. Just like their promise fifty-four years ago. They are going to be together. His life was hers and hers was his. That was the agreement. Right?

“She couldn't be keeping anything from me. Kagome is just trying to get between us, again.” Snarled Inuyasha as he landed on another limb far from everyone. `Yeah, she's just trying to start shit.'

Looking at his clawed hands, Inuyasha sighed and sat down on the limb ears twitching from the light breeze.

“Give it up, Inuyasha. No matter how much she hates you, she would never lie. That's not like Kagome.” Speaking to him self as he looked to the sky above. Kagome would never lower herself to his level by lying. `Then what is Kikyo hiding, Kagome?'

Leaning up against the truck of the tree that he was in, Inuyasha's thoughts started to wander to her. “Kagome......” He remembered the way she would look at him, like he was wanted and loved just the way he was. The feel of her soft skin under the touch of his ruff calloused hands. The look of unbridled desire she gave to him, no disgust or fear. The way she withered in pleasure under his body. She was so warm and soft, not like Kikyo's cold and hard body.

No, he has never thought to do those things with Kikyo before her tragic ending in the past. He still doesn't see himself being intimate with her once the wish is made. But he could smell differently from her. She never truly wanted him as a hanyou, she had told him in the past that she wanted to wait until he is human. She didn't want to be defiled by a half-breed. She does embrace him when she wants him to do something for her. She does touch his face in a caressing manner when she remembers the past. But she is the one that initiates the touches, not him. She doesn't feel like Kagome.

Kagome was so soft and warm. She never told him not to stop touching her. He was accepted by her just as he is. She didn't care if he is part demon, whole demon, or human. Kagome liked him just the way he is, nothing more or nothing less. She made him feel whole. She made him feel wanted. She made him feel like he does have worth in life, not just a freak of nature.

Why does he keep comparing the two? But things have changed; he doesn't compare Kagome to Kikyo anymore. He compares Kikyo to Kagome. Kagome is always on his mind. He was fine just remembering her, because he never thought that he would see her again.

Ever.

Now, she is back. What in the Hell was he to do now? Slumping forward and resting his head into his hands, Inuyasha let it all go and cried. He hasn't cried since his mother died and was forced to running for his life. He couldn't stop the tears as they pooled in his eyes and streaked down his cheeks.

He cried because he was an idiot for thinking that he had ever loved Kikyo. He cried because he knows that he has always loved Kagome. He cried because he ruined everything with her for Kikyo. He cried because of the stupid promise that he made to the dead priestess.

He had marked Kagome as his mate, life mate even. He had had doubts about doing it at first, but came to the conclusion that Kikyo and him could never be again. She was a walking shell of what she once was. That it wasn't really Kikyo after all. He had to move on and Kagome was his savior. Kagome was alive and full of love for everyone and everything. She loved him for who he was and not what he could be. She never wanted to change him. She just wanted him to be true to himself. And he loved her more than life itself.

They mated by the roots of the God Tree under a full moon. He had never felt desire like that before in his life. Kagome glowed like a Goddess that night. The sounds that she made and the way her body moved with his was….magical and hypnotic to him. That night their souls soared up together, twisted around one another and became one under that full moon. He had marked her. She was his for eternity.

Then she came to him a couple of months after mating with Kagome.

He told her that he was with Kagome and that they were mates. That he had moved on. That they could never be again. She was now longer the Kikyo that he had known and he was now longer the Inuyasha that she had known. That they were different now then their past selves. That the love that they had shared was only companionship in disguise.

The look that Kikyo gave him tore him down. She looked so lost and alone that his heart bled for her. How could he have moved on with his life when she was still walking around searching for peace? He felt dirty. He had betrayed her again.

She had left him that night with such pain on her face only to return several times after that pleading to him that she held his life and he in return held hers. That he belonged to her and no one else. They could be like they were in the past with the power of the jewel. She told him that she feels that she still loves him some where beneath the hatred within this clay body of hers. She wanted to live again and have a family.

She did this for several weeks wearing him down until finally he couldn't take it anymore.

So in the end, he broke down and accepted his fate to Kikyo. She told him that he'd have to get rid of Kagome. He knew that Kagome had to go back to her time. She was better off there. She would get over him after all he is a no good half-breed taking up space. She would find some one in her own time that could love her the way that she deserved. She would eventually forget that he ever existed. She would forget.

He betrayed Kagome for his guilt over what he thought was his first love. He pushed her away and was not nice about it. It killed him to be that way to her, but he had to reject her to remove his mating mark from her.

There were only two ways for a mating mark to be removed, through death or through rejection. Even though they were marked life mates there are ways to reject ones mate, if the female doesn't produce offspring or if either mate is unfaithful with another willingly. Once the mark is removed then either mate would be free to find another. So it was either kill Kagome or reject her. There was no way he could kill her so he chose the lesser of two evils so to speak.

By meeting with Kikyo when she called to him was in fact considered unfaithful to his mate due to the willingness of his actions to meet with Kikyo in secret and to lie to Kagome about the meetings.

When it started to fade away, he had second thoughts about the whole Kikyo thing. But she would show up at the right moments to refuel his guilt that he confused for love. The last time that he saw Kagome was on a night of the full moon in late spring. Kikyo had called to him. He didn't know that Kagome was there until it was too late.

She saw and heard everything that Kikyo and he did. She heard him confess his undying love for Kikyo and no one else. She saw the embrace that they shared and the kiss that Kikyo gave him. `Gods, I was such a fool' Inuyasha thought as his anger started to rise again. `I had the perfect love from the most wonderful girl and I betrayed her for guilt of a past love.'

He didn't know she was there until he smelt the distinct aroma of her tears and the movement of the underbrush in the forest as she ran. She ran from him. She ran from what he did. She ran from the pain that he caused her. At that moment he couldn't do anything but stand there. He felt his mark leave her for good. The connection was broken. He had lost her, the one he truly loved, forever.

“She may be lost to me, but I can make sure that she stays safe.” Inuyasha said to no one but himself as he wiped the tears from his face. “I can follow her, watch over her until the jewel is complete.” Then what? Would he steal the jewel from her? Would she give him the jewel like they had agreed upon before? Would she go back to her era for good this time? Looking up to the sky once more, Inuyasha decided that he would think about that when the time came. For now he would be there for her, unknown to Kikyo, so she can remain safe.

Keeping his decision to himself, Inuyasha traveled back to where he had left Kikyo. Gliding through the forest with a determined look on his face, Inuyasha's mind still raced with thoughts of her.

Landing in front of Kikyo, Inuyasha suppressed the feeling of disgust that suddenly rose up in him as he looked upon Kikyo's cold emotionless face. “Let's go.”

“And where do you think we are going?” Kikyo questioned him.

“She has our shards, so we will follow her. She might even know where Naraku is.” Inuyasha stated as he turned and walked away from the lifeless woman hiding the disgust in his eyes that he holds only for her.

Kikyo looked at his back with a questioning glare. `He's hiding something. Humph....No matter, once the jewel is safely in my hands; Inuyasha won't know what hit him.' Smiling to herself she follow the retreating back of the man, no, thing that she once loved. `Nothing will save you or the one that you truly want.......nothing.'

Feeling like he had been ran over by a hundred demons trying to see who could get to the virgin first, Miroku groaned. Cracking one eye open so the light from the sun didn't hurt his already throbbing head, he looked as best as he could at where he was.

The first thing that he saw was a camp fire. `Sango must have set up camp' Miroku thought to himself. Opening up his other eye, he saw that they were in a clearing and not the meadow where they fought the lizard like demon. Miroku was confused as to what happened. The only thing that he could remember was being hit by the demon's claws, the sight of his own blood splattering out of his chest then a bright blue light.

Sitting up the best he could do and opening his robes to look at his chest, Miroku was shocked at what he saw. There were no bandages but what shocked him the most was there were no wounds. He shook his head with confusion. `I distinctly remember seeing the slashes and the blood where the demon hit me' Miroku thought trying to convince him self that he was indeed wounded. But his body was telling him differently. Yes, he hurt but it was more like he was hurting from stiffness not from bleeding open wounds.

Still looking at his chest in amazement, he heard the sound of cloth being moved. “So you are awake, Miroku? How do you feel?” came a girl's voice that he thought he would never hear again. Looking up from his chest, Miroku focused on the figure that the voice came from.

“Kagome? Is that you, Kagome?” He said in a shaky voice.

“Yes, it is me. Why does everyone keep asking me that question? Is it so hard to think that I wouldn't come back?” She said as she crawled over to him with a smile on her face but sad eyes where the smile didn't reach.

“Am I dead because I remember that I had been severely wounded in battle and now I'm having visions of you?” Looking at his chest once more in shock, Miroku said.

He watched as a pair of hands touched his chest and heard her voice say “No, Miroku, you are not dead. You were unconscious when I healed you. Looks to me like I did a pretty good job of it too. Your wounds are completely gone.”

Suddenly realizing that she was in fact right in front of him, he threw his arms around her slender figure into a tight embrace. “Oh, Kagome, we have missed you so much! We didn't think that you would ever return to us.”

Feeling so much better and being who he was, he let his cursed hand drop to her nice, round bottom for a squeeze. “Ahhhh.....you letch!!” Kagome said as she pushed out of his embrace and connected a hand to his cheek. “Even when you are hurt, you still find time to be a pervert.”

Before Miroku could say anything to his defense, he heard a yawn and then her voice. “So I hear the letch is feeling better” Sango said, rubbing her eyes from being woke up so abruptly. “Will he ever learn?” Shippo said imitating Sango. Both looked from Kagome to the Monk with a bright red handprint on his face.

“I'm offended that you would think that this simple monk would do such a thing. I was merely making sure that Kagome was really here and not something that my mind conjured up.” Coming quickly to his own defense, Miroku said closing his eyes and putting his hands in a prayer like manner.

Squinting one eye open at the sound of twinkling laugher, Miroku saw Kagome with her head down but her shoulders shaking with her laugher. `Gods, I have missed her laugher. She was always such a cheerful person.'

Lifting her head, Kagome said, her voice full of mirth “You haven't change a bit, Miroku, and I'm happy for that. I would hate to have seen any of you change who you are.” But as quickly as her smile and laughter came, they were gone the next instant.

Then Miroku noticed that something was missing. “Where is Inuyasha?”

Kagome looked away from him, this action made him want to re-ask the question in a different way. Shippo cleared his throat and answered him.

“You should have seen it! Kagome was so brave and confident of herself! He was mean to her and she scared Inuyasha away!” Shippo said full of excitement.

Sango sat down next to Kagome, who was not looking at any one. “Well, I guess that you should know what happened while you were unconscious.”

Before Sango could finish telling Miroku what had taken place, he was laughing so hard that he almost fell over where he sat. “I wish I would have been awake for that, he needed to get put in his place for making you leave us so long ago!” Then composing himself “Kagome, you should not be embarrassed about what you did.”

“I'm not embarrassed about it Miroku, I'm just not proud of myself for stooping that low.” Kagome stated as she played with the coals of the fire with a stick. “Well, I guess that the story telling is not over for today.”

“Now that everyone who I want to hear this is awake, I will tell you what happened and why I am back. This is going to be a long story and may be hard for me to get out. So, bare with me, please.” Not looking at any one, Kagome said. “And I will try not to leave anything out, but I will if I must.”

For the next hour Miroku, Sango, and Shippo sat around the campfire listening to Kagome's story. Miroku couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had respect for Inuyasha but after hearing from Kagome what had happened, he was re-evaluating his thinking. From the looks on both Sango and Shippo's faces, they were thinking the same thing. What surprised him the most is that through out the whole story, Kagome never once shed a tear.

`She has changed.' Miroku thought `She is still pure of heart that much I can see through her aura, but it is darker. She is no longer innocent in the mind and body. Her aura gives off the sense of a woman who has lived a life of turmoil. She has grown into a strong young woman, both in body and soul' Miroku looked at the young women. He knew that she would have had to eventually strengthen up, but not like she did. No one should have had to go through that.

Looking from Kagome, Miroku rested his eyes upon the lovely Sango. He hoped that she will be able to trust him with his love when the time came. He hoped that after what happened to Kagome wouldn't tarnish her feeling toward him. He wants to have many children and grow old with Sango, if she still wanted him.

“What are you looking at, MONK?” Blushing a deep red that would compete with Inuyasha's outfit, Miroku closed his eyes. “My dear Sango, I was only appreciating the way the fire's light highlighted your beauty.”

“Humph......you were probably thinking something perverted, knowing you.” Readying her giant boomerang, she sneered at him.

Holding his hands up to ward off the angry demon slayer, Miroku said in a slightly higher voice “No. no, Sango, I would never think of you in that way.” Seeing her face fall to a frown, Miroku realized that what he just said wasn't any better than thinking perverted thoughts of her. Feeling the need to get away from her to save his manhood, Miroku jumped up from the fire. “I think that we will need more firewood, I will go retrieve some at once.” He then proceeded to run out of the clearing.

Getting a fair distance away from the temporary camp, Miroku began to lecture himself about the way he seems to say the wrong things to Sango.

“Why do I say stupid things to her? I didn't mean what I said that way. I should just tell her how I really feel and get it over with.” Miroku said to himself as he searched for dry firewood. He remembered the time when they promised to be together after Naraku is destroyed. He knew that the only way to be happy with any one, preferably her, is to get rid of this curse. He doesn't want any of his children to end up with the curse. He couldn't leave Sango with child if his wind tunnel decided to take him before Naraku is destroyed.

Sighing to himself, Miroku decided to stop the depressing thinking and get some firewood, before they come searching for him and find him talking to himself.

“Damn Monk...” Was all that Sango said as he sprinted out of hearing range.

“So, he still hasn't told you that he loves you.” Kagome asked from behind her hand which was trying to stifle her humor in the situation.

Sango bent her head down to hide her increasing blush “He doesn't love me, Kagome. He just wants some one to give him children.”

Kagome just sat there for a moment looking at her naïve friend before speaking again “He does love you and you love him. I don't see why you two can't tell at least each other. It has been four years now” Scooting next to her friend before speaking again. “You two shouldn't hide it from each other. You should just tell him then the ball is in his court to proceed.”

“Ball is in his court, what do you mean by that, Kagome?” Looking up suddenly with a confused look on her face.

“What I mean is you tell him first then you leave it at that. He will need to take the next step in the conversation. What do you really have to loose, Sango. If he doesn't love you like you say then he should be able to tell you. At least you will know how he feels.” Kagome said as she looked into the flames of the fire.

“What if he does the same that Inuyasha did to you.” Sango looked at Kagome just as Kagome's eyes darkened with an unknown emotion. “Don't ever talk about Miroku like that, Sango. He is nothing like Inuyasha. I mean that even though he is a pervert, he would never hurt you like that.” Whispered Kagome.

As suddenly as the conversation started it ended. Kagome stood up from her and proceeded to dig through her backpack for something to eat. Sango knew that Kagome didn't want, no, wasn't going to talk about it anymore. Sango then realized that Shippo had been too quiet the whole time. Looking for said kitsune, Sango saw him snuggled in Kagome's blanket asleep.

`I wish sometimes that we could be more like you, Shippo.' Sango thought as she got up to help her friend cook.

Deep inside a mountain cave not far from the group of friends, evil blood red eyes suddenly open.

“She has returned.” a voice whispers within the cave.

Seconds later, through out the cavern, mounds of demon flesh begin to pulse with dark energy.

“I can feel her.” whispered the voice again.

Slowly the pulsating flesh begins to fuse together.

“Soon my little Miko...I will come for you.” Out of the darkness following the whispered voice, the evil sneer of Naraku came.

“Soon, I will be strong enough to welcome you home.”

After dinner, Kagome found herself sitting by a stream not too far from camp. Having taken off her shoes and socks, Kagome let her feet dangle in the water. Taking a bath was the furthest thing on her mind at the moment. She knew that she probably stunk to high heaven from not cleaning herself since she arrived back in feudal Japan. But all she could think about was him.

She still couldn't believe that she didn't crack when she saw them. She was proud of herself for standing up to him. But she felt bad at the same time for physically hurting him.

“I don't know what came over me at that moment.” Talking to no one special, Kagome kicked her feet in the water.

Crinkling up her nose, Kagome laughed. “Oh, but it did feel good to do that. Surprised the hell out of him. The look on his face was priceless.”

Smile turning to a frown, Kagome looked to the stars. “Then why in the hell do I feel bad for doing that to him. He did after all deserve it.”

Letting the tears that have been building since her talk with the others fall, Kagome cried. She cried for herself and no one else. She still felt the pain of loving some one but not having that love returned. She was cursed to live a life without a true love. The soul that she carried seems to be fated to never find its soul mate.

Wiping away the tears, Kagome splashed some water onto her face to hide the fact that she had been crying. She didn't want to look weak to her companions. She didn't want them to see her like she was in the past. Like she needed a hero to protect her.

She was done with having a hero complex. She doesn't need to be protected any more. She was her own protector now.

Then her thoughts betrayed her again by thinking of him. He could still turn her to mush on the inside, even after two years without him. She almost gave into him about the shards. She almost turned tail and ran. She almost flung herself into his arms and begged for him to take her back.

She had been disgusted with herself. Thinking like a silly little school girl again. Her disgust had been the only thing that saved her from breaking down. She hadn't expected to feel like that seeing him again. She didn't know what to expect, true fully, when she saw him.

She had to be strong. She had to bury her feelings to complete her mission. Secretly what she wants is to crush him as he did her. Kagome took a deep breath closed her eyes and exhaled softly. “No, Kagome, you can't be selfish and you definitely can't lower yourself to his level. He made his choice. You and everyone else must live with it.” Kicking her feet angrily in the water.

Suddenly without warning her aura flared. “A demon is near.” She stood quickly and searched with her eyes for the intruder. Not seeing anything, Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on the demon energy.

Opening her eyes wide, she realized that it was familiar and unexpected.

Gathering her shoes and socks, Kagome began to walk extremely fast back to camp. Trying not to look like she was fleeing, she looked back over her shoulder just in time to see a flash of red. She was no way in hell going to see or talk to him twice today.

`Didn't he have something better to do than bother her?' she thought as she narrowed her eyes.

Looking forward once again, Kagome suddenly stopped within an inch of a big red wall. “Damn it all to Hell!” she breathed out in frustration, looking up only to meet amber eyes full of an unreadable emotion. “Why are you here now?”

“Why are you back? Didn't I tell you not to come back here ever again?” Inuyasha said taking a step back from the fiery woman in front of him.

Anger flooded across her face like a dam breaking. “Who the hell do you think you are to boss me around? You don't own me.” Kagome said through clenched teeth, readying herself to leave. “Now get out of my way.”

“No!” He growled out as he grabbed Kagome by the shoulders to keep her there. “Why are you back here!?!”

Before she could get a word out of her mouth, Kagome found her self being pulled up to his chest, her lips being crushed against his. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't seem to get her body to work. She soon found herself within his iron embrace threatening to take her soul.

`No!' She thought as his tongue begged for entrance to taste her. `I can't let this happen.'

A hand moved fluidly up to the base of her neck, the other found its way to the small of her back to deepen the kiss. `No.......he made his choice, Kagome, you must stop this.'

Her senses seemed to flood back to her all at once when Inuyasha ground his hips into her. `No! His choice was not you!'

`NOT YOU!'

Letting instinct take over, Kagome soon found her self glowing with her Miko powers. She felt her powers burn with the desire to rid her body of the assault. With a flash of light and a howl of pain from Inuyasha, she was free from his embrace.

“How dare you touch me?” Stepping forward, Kagome slapped him across the face. As soon as her hand cleared his cheek, Inuyasha grabbed her wrist to prevent another slap. Getting close to her face again, Inuyasha growled out in a low whisper. “You never seemed to mind it before when I did that….bitch.” The last word that tumbled out was visibly forced from between his lips.

Fighting the physical flinch that wanted to take over her body, Kagome smirked with her bruised lips up at him. “Like I said before. You. Don't. Own. Me. Do you sense you're mating mark on me?” Seeing his eyes flash with hurt, she continued. “No, I think not. You made sure of that now didn't you?” Gathering her Miko powers up into her clenched fist at her side, she defiantly looked at him. “So, unhand me and get out of my way if you know what's good for you.”

With the look of defeat, Inuyasha let her hand drop and stepped to the side of the path. He didn't look at her as she past in front of him. Only when her back was turned to him did he look at her. He watched her leave the clearing by the stream, never taking his eyes away until she faded into the tree line.

When Kagome was out of his sight and hearing distance within the safety of the trees she broke out into body jerking shivers. `Oh Gods.' Crossing her arms over her chest. `I can still feel his heat radiating around me.' Leaning her back on a tree trunk and sliding to the ground, Kagome just sat there waiting to get control of her body. Her heart was throbbing in her ears and her breathe was short and erratic.

“Why do I let him do this to me?” Kagome whined to the trees as she hid her face within her hands “Why can't I forget him?” she whispered out.

Inuyasha stood where he was. He didn't dare move. If he did, he would only go to her and try to talk to her again....or maybe more. His blood was boiling. The need to be close to her was overwhelming. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she chastised him. He didn't know if it was caused by anger....or by something else.

Just the touch of her brought back so many memories of their times together. Her softness. Her warmth. Her smell. Feelings that he hadn't felt in over two years came flooding back with a vengeance. He wanted her. No not just her body, but all of her, like he had once before. He was addicted again and the need to feed his addiction was growing, soon it will unbearable.

“I'm sorry, Kagome.” He whispered as he looked to the spot where she had disappeared into the trees. The decision that he made earlier that day was slowly being forgotten and being replaced with a new idea.

`What ever I have done, I will try to make it up to you. I know now that I can never live without you again. I will get you back even if it kills me, Kagome.' Finally getting the nerve to move, Inuyasha took to the trees and left the opposite way Kagome went. As he moved from branch to branch letting the wind calm him, his thoughts were on her.

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Getting control of her self, Kagome got to her feet and made her way back to camp. She could feel the demon energy that Inuyasha gave off fleeting away from her senses. `Goodbye, Inuyasha.' She thought as she reached camp.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were all asleep. Kilala was being a buffer between the letch and Sango. With that sight, Kagome was able to smile. Maybe they will tell each other soon about how they feel. `They at least deserve to be happy' she thought as she turned away from the slumbering couple and their chaperon.

Making her way to her bed roll and scooting the bed hog, also known as Shippo, over to give her room to crawl in. Laying on her back and pulling the blanket up to her chin, she looked to the stars. Kagome knew that sleep was not what her mind or her body, for that matter, wanted. Her mind and body wanted to think about amber colored eyes, silver hair, calloused hands, and soft lips.

“Inuyasha, why do I still love you?” She sighed out into the night as she brought a hand up to touch her lips. “Why can't I move on?”

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