InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pepto-Bismol for the Heart ❯ Pepto-Bismol for the Heart ( Chapter 1 )

"Pepto-Bismol for the Heart"

by MidsummerDreamer

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, any of the other characters that they interact with, or the futon. I do, however, own a very nice spatula, which I will use to hit people who read my work and don't review. ^__^

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"Inuyasha, how long are you going to sit out there?" Sango walked to the edge of the clearing where Inuyasha sat in his classic pouting pose, staring daggers at the Bone Eater's well. He looked over his shoulder at her before returning his gaze to the offending structure with a vehement `keh.'

Sango merely sighed. "She said she'd come back, Inuyasha. You don't have to worry. She said she just wanted the afternoon and evening to celebrate her brother's birthday. The sun isn't even down yet." Inuyasha's gaze slid over to the sun for a moment, just now beginning to set. "She's not even late. Why don't you just come back inside? Dinner will be ready soon." At the mention of food, Inuyasha turned and looked at Sango for the first time since their dialogue began.

"What's that?" he asked, poking his chin at the bowl Sango carried with her in the crook of her arm.

"This? Chopped vegetables and herbs. There's a rabbit or two roasting over the fire as well back in-"

"Where's the ramen?" Sango rolled her eyes at the hanyou's one-track mind. Or, rather, one-track stomach.

"There is some left, but Kagome said it was spoiled and we shouldn't use it." This statement earned Sango another `Keh' out of Inuyasha. Nevertheless, he did pull himself to his feet and begin to walk aback towards the hut with her.

"So what are you doing with it, then?" Sango watched as Inuyasha's expression turned thoughtful, and wondered with no small amount of trepidation what exactly was buzzing around between her hanyou friend's fuzzy ears.

"I suppose we'll just throw it out." Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, rounding on her as if she had suggested that he present the tetsuseiga to Sesshoumaru with a kiss.

"Are you crazy?!" Sango stifled a giggle at his outrage. "Give it to me, if you humans are too scared to eat it." Sango's amusement faded somewhat.

"Inuyasha, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to eat it. Kagome mentioned a sickness that one can get from eating spoiled food. Salmon-something, I think it was." Inuyasha merely sneered.

"I'm not concerned about any illnesses that mere humans get. I am part demon; I'll be fine." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked back towards the hut, leaving Sango to stare after him in exasperation.

"Fine," she said, under her breath, "but I don't want to hear any bellyaching from you when you get sick later."

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"Serves you right for eating spoiled food, Inuyasha!" Sango sighed as she listened to her friends fight. Kagome was lecturing Inuyasha, who was currently curled up in a corner, hugging his midsection and moaning quietly. Those soft moans were the only response the unhappy hanyou could manage to offer to Kagome for her reprimands.

Once Inuyasha had gotten back to the hut, he had promptly ripped into the packages of spoiled ramen before Sango could do anything to stop him. He had been almost finished with his third and final helping when Kagome finally returned from her time, ironically bearing an abundant supply of fresh ramen.

Everyone had realized that something was wrong when Inuyasha told Kagome that he didn't want her to make him a helping of the fresh ramen. Soon after that, a slight green tinge became apparent on Inuyasha's skin, which became rather clammy. Then finally, he barricaded himself in the corner, moaning at his discomfort.

"You know, you didn't need to eat spoiled food." Kagome's tone was slightly gentler with sympathy for the suffering hanyou. Slightly. "You know I'll always bring more." As expected, Inuyasha pulled himself out of the fetal position he had curled himself into to defend his choice to eat the toxic delicacy.

"Stupid wench, don't you know it's wasteful to throw food away?!" He grimaced as his stomach gave another twinge. Kagome merely planted her hands on her hips.

"Only when it's good food, Inuyasha," she scolded, "This made you sick, so it would have been perfectly reasonable to throw it out." The only response she got was another disdainful `Keh.'

Kagome sighed. She'd been debating his choice of snacking material with him for the past half hour and he still wouldn't admit that it had been a mistake to eat that damn ramen. She finally decided that the whole issue was pointless. Her primary goal what to convince him to come back to her time with her so that she could take care of him with access to modern supplies and medicine. Arguing with him over ramen was futile.

"Whether it was a good idea or not, Inuyasha, you did eat the toxic ramen, and now you're sick." His response was yet another `Keh,' but it was suitably subdued and sheepish that she knew he saw that she was right. "Since you're sick, you need to come back to my time with me so I can take care of you properly." Inuyasha opened his mouth, no doubt to offer an angry retort about how he didn't need her to look after him, but Miroku beat him to it.

"Oh, so you're going to `take care' of him?" Miroku's voice fairly dripped with suggestive undertones. "You know, Inuyasha, if you wanted an excuse to be alone with Lady Kagome, there are far better ways of going about it than making yourself so sick. Frankly, in this condition, I doubt you'll be . . . up . . . for much of anything but sleep."

"Shut up, Miroku, ya damn hentai!" Somehow, Inuyasha's voice lacked the heat it usually held when telling off the over-sexed monk. Instead, he sounded like he was merely trying to avoid emptying his stomach all over the floor of Kaede's hut. Kagome only flushed hotly.

"Come on, Inuyasha," Kagome decided to try a different approach, cajoling him into acquiescence instead of arguing. "Come back with me and I promise I'll make you some good ramen after your stomach's settled." She kneeled down so that she was at eye level with him, her expression soft and gentle. "Please?" Inuyasha looked at her feverishly for a moment before finally giving in to her appeal with a soft, feeble `Keh.'

"Fine, wench." Kagome was so relieved that he had stopped fighting her that she even forgot to give him hell for referring to her so. Wrapping an arm around his ribcage, Kagome gently helped the ailing hanyou to his feet. Hefting her bag onto the other shoulder, she and Inuyasha headed off to the Bone Eater's well with a brief farewell to the others and promises to return as soon as Inuyasha was well.

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"Does that feel any better, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked from her perch on the edge of her bed. After returning to her time, Kagome had explained Inuyasha's condition to her mother and had taken him up to bed. She decided that he should stay in her room so that she could keep an eye on him. Besides, her bed was the closest to a bathroom, in case he needed to . . .

"Ugh, kill me now." Inuyasha now lay curled up at the top of her bed, holding his abdomen and moaning into her pillows. She'd tried everything to make him more comfortable, but he didn't seem to respond. For now, she just settled for sitting with him and occasionally stroking his hair.

Inuyasha moaned again, mentally kicking himself for ever even touching that spoiled Ramen. `Damn it!' he berated himself internally, `Why do I always have to be so god damn stubborn! Stupid pride . . . stupid stomach . . .' He punctuated the thought with a third moan, convulsing in on himself slightly. He felt Kagome's soft, cool hand smoothing through his hair, soothing his emotions and mind, if not his stomach. He sighed inwardly, momentarily forgetting his gastric discomfort. She was so good to him. She took care of him, thought of him, and comforted him. That is, when she wasn't yelling at him, abandoning him to go home, or - worst of all - sitting him. The thought brought a slight scowl to his face, and he was suddenly made very aware of his troubled stomach as his innards gave a sickly lurch. He sat up suddenly, slightly green, and pushed Kagome back a bit.

"Kagome --!" she took one look at his face, nodded, and quickly got him into the bathroom. It took a few seconds of frantic fumbling before she was able to convey to him the purpose of the porcelain fixture, but in the end Inuyasha managed to avoid making a big mess all over the floor. Kagome held his long, silvery hair out of the way and rubbed his back, trying to comfort him as he retched. Finally, he sat back, exhausted. He looked at Kagome weakly.

"Better?" she asked, combing his bangs aside with her fingers. He nodded feebly. His eyes drooped, and Kagome decided that he should get back into bed. She helped him to the sink so that he could wash the bitter taste of bile out of his mouth, then helped him back to bed. She held back her blankets, ushering him onto the soft mattress. She smoothed the covers over him, and lightly stroked his cheek before standing to leave. She was barely a step away from the bed when she felt something catch her wrist. She looked down to see Inuyasha holding fast to her hand and looking at her with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"Stay." He paused. "Please?" Kagome just stood in place dumbly for a moment out of shock. She didn't think he'd ever said that word before to her. Finally, she nodded, pulling her desk chair over to the side of the bed so she could sit with him. Her hips had barely made contact with the seat when she felt another tug on her wrist, stronger this time. So strong, in fact, that it pulled her completely out of her chair, leaving her sprawled on top of Inuyasha. She looked at him in shock, taken completely by surprise. Her face softened at the pleading, vulnerable expression on his face, so like a sick little boy looking for his mother to comfort him. He carefully rearranged her limbs so that she was snuggled up against him, pressed between his side and the wall. After she finally overcame her surprise, Kagome wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down to pillow against her shoulder. Inuyasha sighed and cuddled closer, finally drifting off to sleep. After a few moments, Kagome joined him.

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Inuyasha awakened slowly, groggy and unsure of his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he felt better than he had the night before. He felt tired and a little weak, but his stomach wasn't complaining at all. Next he noticed the warm weight pressed against his side, and the soft warmth under his cheek. He opened his eyes fully and stared at the sleeping figure of Kagome. Her arms were still wrapped around him, but at some point during the night, she must have pulled him closer, or he must have wriggled against her, for instead of resting against her shoulder as he had last night, his head was pillowed quite comfortably against her breasts. He stiffened for a moment, worried she would notice his position and punish him with a rousing round of sits. He peered at her warily, but finally decided that she was firmly asleep. Satisfied that she wouldn't punish him, Inuyasha decided that he should seize this opportunity while he had the chance. Slowly, careful not to waken the sleeping girl with any sudden movements, Inuyasha returned his head to its previous position against the round swells of her breasts.

So soft, he mused. He'd always had a bit of a `thing' for Kagome's breasts. To him, they weren't so much sexual as symbols of wellbeing. They spoke to him of comfort, safety, warmth, a mother cuddling her child. Of course, these were all things that he somehow identified with sex on one level or another, so it wasn't so much of a jump to go from comfort to arousal, but still his mind insisted that he was not a pervert for snuggling up to Kagome in this manner because he wasn't really getting any sexual thrill from it. Only comfort. Only comfort, he insisted in his head as he nuzzled his face against her softness.

And it was true. Here, wrapped in her arms, snuggled against her in the warm bed, pressed against the indescribable softness that can only be found in a woman's body, Inuyasha felt safe and loved for the first time since his mother had died. Not that he thought of Kagome as his mother . . . His brow creased at the thought. Well, he kind of did, a little, maybe. She was, after all, a very loving, nurturing person. So maybe he thought of her as a mother, not his. Mostly he just wanted her. She gave him the same love and acceptance that his mother had offered. Maybe that was it. Maybe she just reminded him of his mother. His brow relaxed, satisfied that he was not truly as sick in the head as he had feared. Unfortunately, Inuyasha's moment of relaxation was cut short as Kagome picked this moment to wake up.

"Mmmm . . ." Inuyasha smiled despite himself at her sleepy moan of comfort. He watched her carefully, apprehensively as she slowly opened her dark-coppery eyes and focused them on him. She started slightly at seeing him so close to her. "Inuyasha!" But she recovered quickly. She smoothed a hand over his brow, pushing his bangs back and lightly grazing his ears. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was soft and gentle. The very sound of it made something inside him melt.

"A little better," he replied, though he kept his reply soft and as pathetic as his pride would allow, hoping to make her think that he wasn't quite feeling one hundred percent yet. His ploy paid off when she pulled him back to her embrace, returning his head to pillow against her breasts as she cooed and whispered comforting things into his ear. He snuggled against her happily.

"Well, even though you're a bit better, I really think you should rest here a while longer." She punctuated her statement with a gentle stroke over one of his ears. He suddenly felt as if he'd been plunged into one of the hot springs that ringed Kaede's village. Kagome's voice phased out, and Inuyasha quickly found that spontaneous thought was pretty much impossible when faced with the sensation of Kagome's soft fingers stroking up and down his ears. Up and down, up and down, up and down, up and . . .

"Inuyasha, are you sure you're feeling better?" Inuyasha was knocked out of his reverie when Kagome suddenly stopped her exquisite movements and asked him a question.

"Muh?" Inuyasha replied oh-so-intelligently. Kagome looked at him in concern. He was behaving so strangely that she was concerned that his food poisoning might be escalating. His eyelids were drooping, but that could be from the bad night's sleep he'd gotten last night. However, he was panting as if he'd been running hard for a long period of time, and a rosy flush graced his cheeks and nose. She raised a hand to feel his forehead. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, pushing against her hand . . . almost hungrily. He felt clammy and hot to her touch. Maybe he had a fever.

"I'm going to get the thermometer and some Tylenol, Inuyasha," Kagome told him, getting off the bed. "I'm afraid you're getting worse." She turned to go get the items from her bathroom medicine cabinet, but was brought up short by a hand that suddenly clamped down onto her wrist, arresting her forward motion. With a distinct feeling of déjà vu, Kagome suddenly found herself being pulled backwards to land atop the warm body of the ailing hanyou. She looked at him for a moment in shock before he finally spoke.

"Kagome, don't . . ." Inuyasha trailed off in mid-sentence, as if in a daze. She felt one arm wrap around the small of her back more tightly, pressing her body against his.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Kagome pushed against his shoulders lightly, trying to make him loosen his grip. He only pulled her still closer. His glazed eyes blinked sleepily at her for a moment, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Finally, he settled for merely pulling her head down to snuggle under his chin, holding her still closer.

"Don't go," he finally spoke, "Stay." Kagome lay completely still in his arms, not quite understanding what was happening. After a moment, she struggled up into a sitting position.

"Inuyasha, what on earth has gotten into you?" Her voice was nearly frantic now. This was so unlike the usually belligerent hanyou's typical behavior that she was worried that he might be hallucinating. All of a sudden, her fears were put to rest.

"Nothing, bitch, I just want you to stay here, is that so wrong?" There we go, that was the hanyou she knew and . . . loved . . .

"Not at all," she said softly. "Here, let me move so that I'm not crushing you." He merely `keh'd' in response, but allowed her to maneuver herself into a more comfortable position, curled against his side between him and the wall. Once settled, she sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. Inuyasha sensed Kagome relaxing, and took her sigh as a cue that she might be going to sleep, despite the fact that she'd only recently woken up. He waited for a few minutes, until he thought she might be asleep enough not to notice him if he tried something.

Slowly, carefully, Inuyasha moved his arm around her waist so that he was holding her more securely and pulled her closer to him. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her delicate scent deeply and pressing his lips to the crown of her head. He stayed like that for a moment, savoring, before easing back a bit to look at her. He was shocked when he looked into her face to see her big brown eyes staring out at him, wide and solemn. A slight tinge of color gracing her cheeks told him that she was aware of what he had been doing while she supposedly slept. He felt his heart rate speed up at getting caught, and suddenly found it hard to meet her gaze.

"S-sorry," he muttered, "I - sorry."

"Don't be," she replied, never breaking his gaze. "I don't mind. I kinda like it." Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief.

"Y-you do?" He continued to watch as she nodded in response, a rosy flush coming up over her cheeks. He felt his own face heat simultaneously, and bend his head to hide the coloring against her hair. "Then . . . could I try it again?" He waited, tense and afraid, until he felt her nod. He pulled back, looking once into her eyes quickly, before moving to press his lips to hers.

Kagome inhaled sharply at the intimate contact. She hadn't expected him to do that. Maybe some more cuddling, or a few more kisses on her forehead, but she hadn't thought he'd want to . . . with her . . .

Did he?

Sudden doubt creeping into her mind forced Kagome to pull back from Inuyasha's kiss.

"Inuyasha, wait," she whispered, "I don't think I can do this." She tried not to meet his eyes, not wanting to see his reaction, but something just wouldn't let her look away. She saw the hurt and confusion hit him, like running into a wall.

"Why not?" She sighed.

"Inuyasha, I . . . I can't be your substitute for Kikyo." At the mention of the dead miko's name, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and collapsed against the bed slightly. She hurried on. "I know what she means to you, but because of that, I can't . . . do this . . . with you." She waited for his response, dreading his hurt and anger. It wasn't what she'd expected.

"You stupid wench." She looked up at him, slightly shocked at the lack of heat in his tone. "I don't want Kikyo. I want you. If I did want Kikyo, I'd go to her." He spoke as if explaining something simple to a very young child. "I love you Kagome. I feel guilty and sad for Kikyo, and I have to keep trying to help her, but I love you." As Kagome watched him speak those words, it was as if a light clicked on in her head. She knew it was true. "Never forget that." He punctuated his final sentence with another kiss, just as gentle, but deeper this time, more intense.

Kagome felt as if she were flying. Not only had Inuyasha just told her that he loved her beyond a shadow of a doubt, not only had he just admitted that he didn't love Kikyo, but he was also kissing her. He was KISSING her! She felt his arms come up to grasp her upper arms, pulling her closer and increasing the heat of the moment considerably, and suddenly began to feel nervous. She pressed the flats of her palms against his chest and pushed at him weakly.

"W-wait, Inuyasha," she gasped through his kisses. He pulled back reluctantly.

"What's the matter, wench?" His voice carried notes of frustration, but also concern.

"It-it's just that I . . . I've, um . . ." Kagome floundered and flushed hotly, unsure of her footing in this new territory. "I've never . . ."

"You're a virgin? I know." Kagome was speechless at his frank, calm response. "First lovers always leave a trace of their scent on each other. Yours is completely untouched."

"Oh." Kagome wanted to ask him about himself, but held back, not wanting to hear that Kikyo had been the first to make love to him. Inuyasha heard the unspoken question and answered her anyway.

"I am, too." He blushed, looking away. "A . . . virgin, I mean." Kagome was slightly surprised.

"You mean you and -"

"No." Inuyasha cut her off abruptly. "We never did that. She thought she'd lose her powers. It's not true, she wouldn't have, but that's what she thought." Kagome nodded dumbly, not sure what to say. She reached out and slowly took his hand. He looked down at their intertwined hands pensively for a moment before pulling her over to him and snuggling her into his lap. She leaned her head against his shoulder and enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her.

Inuyasha reveled in being able to touch her like this. He ran his hands along the concavity of her waist, stalling before making his next move. Slowly, giving her ample time to stop him, he brought his hands up, over her ribcage to cup the soft swells that he had previously used as a pillow. Keeping his touch gentle, almost reverent, he slowly moved his hands over her soft flesh, biting back a moan as she gasped and arched her back to push herself more firmly into his grasp. Now sure of her willingness, he lowered is mouth to the side of her neck to sample the soft skin there.

"Inuyasha . . ." Kagome moaned at his ministrations. His movements against her became more frantic, slightly rougher at her moans, and after a moment, she found herself on her back on the bed with Inuyasha balanced above her on his forearms. She gazed up at him, arousal shining in her eyes. He had that look of feverish stupor on his face again, but this time she had no desire to take his temperature. He leaned down and claimed her mouth again, and a moment later she felt his hand moving up her thigh. She cried out and fisted her hands in his hair when his hand made contact with the juncture of her legs. He stroked her there for a moment before slipping a few fingers underneath the elastic of her underwear. Kagome clutched him as he stopped to cosset her soft curls before finding the exquisitely sensitive bundle of nerves hidden at the top of her folds. She cried out again, holding him tighter, and Inuyasha began nuzzling her neck, moving down to her shoulder, her collarbone, and finally settling between her breasts. He pushed the hem of her shirt up with his nose and stopped abruptly.

"What the fuck is this thing?" she heard him mumble to himself. Apparently it didn't faze him, because a moment later she felt a sharp tug and heard a ripping sound. Before she could muster up the mental power to reprimand him, he was suckling at her breasts, and all she could do was moan.

Inuyasha was in heaven. All the times he had dreamt of Kagome's breasts, and now he was happily suckling away at them. Not only that, but his tender ministrations had her clutching at his head, and doing things that could only be described as sinfully good to his ears. He redoubled his efforts on her soft flesh and one again began exploring the rest of her body. He fumbled and tugged her skirt away from her writhing form, then gave her panties the same treatment he'd given her bra. Pulling his mouth away from her skin for a moment, he disposed of her shirt and took a moment to take in the sight of her, fully naked and revealed to his hungry gaze.

Kagome flushed and trembled slightly as his eyes darkened and his tongue came out to wet his mouth in a vaguely predatory way - or as if he were looking at an abnormally large bowl of ramen. Suddenly self-conscious, she moved her hands to cover herself, only to be stopped suddenly and emphatically.

"Don't do that!" A slight snarl was present in her hanyou lover's voice. "Don't you dare cover the least bit of your body, Kagome. You're mine, and I want to see you." Kagome slowly removed her hands, revealing her smooth skin to Inuyasha. He froze for a moment, drinking her in, before suddenly resuming his assault on her body. He brought his mouth to the side of her neck, suckling there urgently. Kagome moaned, reaching around to cup his shoulder blades. Not breaking contact with her neck, Inuyasha slowly slid a hand down to grasp his throbbing length and bring it to rest against the wet heat between Kagome's thighs. Once in place, he tore his mouth from her skin to whisper a final few words to her before consummating their love.

"Kagome," he huffed in her ear, "are you sure you're ready for this? If not, you have to tell me now. I won't be able to stop after this." Kagome's response was to run her hands through his silky silver locks and thrust her hips up to him gently. He gasped unsteadily as she made contact with his turgid length. She smiled.

"I'm ready, Inuyasha. Please, make love to me."

Inuyasha shuddered at her words, words that he had longed to hear almost since he first met her. With a deep breath, he braced his arms and thrust his hips forward, smashing through Kagome's barrier deep inside her. Kagome inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes closed at the intrusion, clenching his hair in her fists for a moment.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" In a rare display of tenderness, Inuyasha nuzzled his face against her neck, trying to keep his lower body dead still while she adjusted. Kagome took a few deep breaths and then nodded her assent. Inuyasha braced his weight on his arms above her and began to move.

Kagome exhaled on a moan at the sensation of his hard length within her. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that it could be like this. Each movement, every touch of his body to hers, triggered a lightning storm along her nerve endings. Tingling warmth flashed up and down her limbs, while a fuzzy heat built steadily before her eyes, flushing her face, making her feel as feverish as if she had been the sick one earlier. She moaned and clutched at her lover as he began to move more quickly and with increasing urgency.

Inuyasha felt himself beginning to fall over the edge of consciousness into blissful oblivion. The shocks of lightning Kagome had felt transferred to him, slowly working the aching sting where they were joined into a throb of sensation. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and vaguely foundered for the strength to keep his body under control, for Kagome's sake if nothing else. He felt his control slowly but steadily dissolving, the lighting heating his blood to the point where nothing could stand against it. Gradually, his awareness shrunk until the only thing it included was the place of their coupling. All other sensation, the sound of their pleasure, the smell of their heat, the feel of the rest of their bodies, was completely lost to him. Frantically, he hurtled forward, never slowing, never ceasing, and mindlessly pounding his body against his love. Suddenly, he felt a surge, and all of a sudden all of the lightning seemed to coalesce in one spot - that one spot, where her body fused with his. He felt her convulse and cry out under him, and everything went white.

Kagome lay panting as she out the final frenetic movements of her lover. He didn't yell or moan, or utter any sound at all at the end. His body simply went rigid above her, and suddenly contracted all around her. He clutched her to himself fiercely as he spent himself inside her, holding her as if he were his only tether to reality, every muscle quivering with tension. Finally, he collapsed, pressing her into the mattress with dead weight. She held him as best she could, waiting for him to come back to himself.

Inuyasha once again had the experience of regaining consciousness pressed against indescribable warm softness. In a last-ditch effort to force some energy back into his weary limbs, he lifted himself onto his arms, only to discover that that softness was Kagome. She lay under him, sated and sleepy, watching him with love shining in her eyes. He smiled crookedly at her. She smiled back, opening her arms for him to cuddle against her once more.

They lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying the sensation of being together, until Kagome spoke.

"I just realized I forgot to tell you something." Inuyasha yawned and waved a dismissive hand.

"Save it for tomorrow, wench."

"It's important, though." She paused a moment. "I love you, too. If forgot to tell you before. I love you, Inuyasha." Inuyasha smiled in contentment.

"Glad to hear it, mate." Kagome smiled in return. Finally, the two new lovers fell out of consciousness, wrapped in each other's arms and hearts until daybreak.