The night was young, yet Shippou insisted they camp here for the night. One thing or another was wrong with him; it didn’t matter to Inuyasha. They were stopped for the evening and that was that. He would have to wait ‘til morning to hunt down the latest demon to terrorize Kaede’s village. If there’s one thing he hated, it was to wait and do nothing.

"Good night, Kagome-sama!" Shippou yelled across the small clearing.

"Mmm. G’night Shippou," was the muffled reply from the almost sleeping Kagome. As soon as Shippou began to whine about his ailments, she unpacked her sleeping blanket and lay down obligingly. The long day’s trek had taken a lot out of all of them, herself included. No one should be expected to walk for almost three days straight with little rest. At least Inuyasha didn’t protest, not too much anyway. Kagome speculated that he was just as tired as the rest of them. This demon wasn’t like any other demon they had faced so far. He was extremely fast, always on the move, which made it that much more difficult to keep up with him.

"Why don’t we just wait for the demon to come to us? It’s no use chasing the thing around the country if we don’t even know where to look," Shippou rationalized.

"Sure kid, we’ll wait for him to come eat us in our sleep. I’ll make sure he eats you first," Inuyasha sneered. "The best thing to do now is to keep on his trail. He’s easy to follow, if we could ever catch up with him. And that won’t happen because you slowpokes always have to stop and rest. Hrmph. This would be so much easier on my own," he hrrmphed once more and settled against a tree, watching the forest from an elevated position.

"You… you would let him eat me?" Shippou stammered.

"Of course."

"Kaaaaaaagooommmmee!" the wailing kitsune crawled into the sleeping bag with her.

Sango and Miroku picked this inopportune time to return from the woods. They were off gathering wood for a fire, which wasn’t really needed at this point. The night was warm with a gentle, cooling breeze. The pair looked at each other and decided not to say anything to the dueling demons. Miroku managed to utter some kind of "good night" to the mismatched troop before trying to convince Sango to keep him warm in his sleeping bag.

"Sit!" Kagome gave a halfhearted command and hugged the shivering bundle of fur to her chest. She wasn’t going to be able to sleep if the two youkais went at it all night.

Inuyasha proceeded to land face first in the dirt. A string of curses flew from his mouth in the direction of the small youkai before painfully getting up to go to the hot springs he could smell from here. A warm bath would help to soothe his aching back, as well as remove some of the dirt gathered by the last sit. He removed his kimono with one swift motion and tossed it and his pants into a pile along the shore.

Not caring whether he woke his traveling companions or not, as if they could hear this distance as he could, Inuyasha leaped into the hot springs and landed with a large splash. He waited until the water was somewhat still before surfacing for air. The cool air on his face was a welcome distraction from his angry thoughts. With a single word, that girl could control him. The thought made him furious. He shouldn’t need her to find the shards, he was a youkai! Well, almost. It shouldn’t matter, the jewel was for him alone, not that girl. He didn’t need her. Did he?

The thought drove him mad night after night. He did need her, whether he liked it or not. He needed her smile, her hair, her scent. No. She was a tool for him to get the jewel, that and nothing more. Nothing? But her laugh, her skin, those were the things he needed most. He would give up the jewel just to have her. He leaned back against a rock and sighed. Must it be the same every night? Alone. He couldn’t have her, and that made him angriest of all. It didn’t matter that she had the jewel, it didn’t matter that she was a reincarnation of his former love, it mattered that she didn’t want him. She had another mate from her time. Hojou. He sneered at the thought. Why that boy and not him? That boy couldn’t protect her the way he could, he couldn’t protect her at all! Inuyasha decided that he would protect her. After all, he had promised that he would, might as well actually do it.

Inuyasha sighed again and ducked under the rim of the water, leaving his ears exposed to the cool night air. He moved away from the rock to let the warm bubbles of the spring tickle his skin. Resurfacing, he floated on his back staring into the night sky. For a moment, he forgot all about Kagome. Not for long, however. He began to draw her shape in the stars, a curve here, a long line there. The stars didn’t make for a graceful picture of her, but he didn’t care. It was as close to her as he would ever get that night. Inuyasha groaned with longing for her. He couldn’t stand it. He wanted to feel her warm skin pressed against his, to feel her breath hot against his cheek, to smell the sweetness of her hair, to taste the softness of her lips. A knot gathered in the pit of his stomach, he felt as if he would double over in pain without her. A well-trained hand slipped down between his legs and began to pump rhythmically. He moaned at the touch. It wasn’t Kagome’s, but it would have to do for now. There was no other way to relieve himself, the need for her was too great. The half youkai waded towards the shore and sat chest deep in the water, never once stopping his ministration. He rocked back and forth, his mind reeling, wanting the pleasure to go on, imagining that it was Kagome pleasuring him instead of himself.

"Ooooh… Kagome," he moaned. His moans became louder with each pump of his fist, gradually changing to harsh grunts. He could almost smell her, feel her presence near. That only aroused him further. The edge was near and he quickened his pace to increase the pleasure. He didn’t care if anyone heard him, only that it felt good. A muffled cry escaped his lips as he completed the task and hunched over in a panting heap.

Meanwhile:

Kagome stirred in her sleep. The past few days had worn her out, yet she couldn’t sleep well enough to enjoy the break. Everyone else was out like a light, everyone except her. Realizing that sleep was futile, she untangled herself from the dozing kitsune and got up to take a walk through the forest. Inuyasha was gone, she noted, and decided that her walk had a purpose. The forest seemed eerie compared to the woods surrounding Kaede’s village. These were alien in comparison. Gnarled tress and mist hung around the edges of the makeshift path she was following. She hoped this was the way Inuyasha had come, otherwise she might be lost for the night. If Inuyasha found her in the morning, she would never hear the end of it. Turning back now was pointless, since she had no idea from which way she initially came. It was impossible to tell direction at night. She made a mental note to have Inuyasha teach her to navigate by the stars.

As fate would have it, Kagome nearly toppled into a lake. The brush around the shore was thick and gnarled into a knotted mess, making it impossible for her to see the slight drop in front of her. Steam rose from around the edges and curled skyward, obscuring her vision. She peered out across the vast expanse of water and noted that it was incredibly still. She took off her shoes and socks, venturing to stick her feet in. The hot of the water and the cold of the air made her shiver.

"Just a quick dip," she mused. Kagome gracefully shed her clothes and dropped effortlessly into the water. It was rare that she had the luxury of a hot bath in the Feudal Age, she might as well enjoy it. Her hands played along the top of the water, creating a small ripple that washed over the entire lake. She smiled contentedly and sank down in the water up to her shoulders.

"Too bad the others can’t enjoy this," she sighed. She stretched and yawned. Maybe the bath had made her sleepy after all. If only she could find the camp. That was a definite problem. She wandered all the way out here, and still had no idea how to get back. The moon had risen high over head now, but it was no help. It did, however cast a light across the lake. A perfect reflection of the crescent moon played across the lake due to the lack of waves. Kagome sighed. It was hopeless; she would never get back to the camp. Her only choices were to stay here and wait for Inuyasha to find her, or to wander in the woods and get lost and then let Inuyasha find her. The former would definitely be more comfortable, and Inuyasha wouldn’t gripe so much when he found out she was at the hot springs. Sango and Miroku would enjoy the time here, too. It was settled, she decided to stay at the spring.

Kagome nearly nodded off when she noticed small waves coming from across the normally still lake. It wouldn’t have alarmed her, except they were frequent and steady. Something had to be in the lake with her. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck naked in a lake with some psycho or demon who wanted the shards. Instantly, she was out of the lake and running towards where she thought the disturbance was. The lake was even larger than she had anticipated, and the fog was getting thicker by the minute. Branches slapped her in the face and thickets scratched at her shins, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to see what was in the lake, from a distance of course. It would be crazy to just confront a demon that’s taking a bath. It just wants peace and quiet like the rest of us, right?

Kagome was jarred from her thoughts by the outline of the man lying half on the shore and half in the water. He must be hurt! Without thinking she raced to the water’s edge and rolled the man over.

"Inuyasha?!" she nearly fell backwards. "Are… are you alright?"

"Kagome?" he lifted his head to look at her. He must be dreaming. The moonlight created a perfect halo around her coal black hair. It was dripping wet. He guessed she must have been swimming in the lake with him. Funny, he subconsciously knew that.

The startled girl gulped. He was unclothed. She had never seen Inuyasha naked before. With his shirt off, yes, but he was completely unclad. Her eyes wandered over his naked body with a mind of their own. She couldn’t help but be curious. Now was as good a time as any to get a good look at him. What was she thinking? This is Inuyasha we’re talking about. She turned swiftly on her heels and blushed deep red, almost to the point of turning purple.

"I.. uh.. was taking a walk and I.. uh.. thought I heard something, so I came to check it out. And here you are," she motioned behind her with her arms, still not turning around to face him. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Go back to bed, Kagome," Inuyasha slumped back into the water with a small swish. His body was crying out: Take her! You’re naked; she’s here, what’s the problem. His soul was not so compliant. It wanted to her to want him.

"Oh, I’ll leave you alone then," she replied softly. She took a step towards the woods and it tore at his heart. Every time she went away it was as if someone and reached into his chest and ripped off a corner. It was becoming smaller by the day, if it went through any more hurt he might become hard like his brother. He was losing his humanity little by little every day. She could help him; she was the only one that could.

"Kagome?" he looked up at her with pleading, pained eyes. She still hadn’t turned around, but she stopped heading into the woods.

She froze. "Yes?"

"What were you doing in the woods?" He leaned nonchalantly against a rock and folded his arms behind his head.

"I couldn’t sleep, so I took a walk. And ended up here," she purposely left out the getting lost part. It didn’t matter, she decided. "What about you?"

"Pretty much the same. I’m surprised you didn’t get lost though," he added with a smirk.

Kagome huffed indignantly. How dare he think that she would get lost in the woods, even if it was the truth? She crossed her arms across her chest, still fuming.

Inuyasha chuckled at the sight, he didn’t even try to make her mad, and it was already working. The awkward silence that ensued, however, was not amusing. The tension between the pair was so thick it could be physically cut by the untransformed Tetsusaiga.

"Kagome?" his eyes lowered to look at something that seemed interesting beyond belief on the lake bottom.

"What is it?" she took a seat on the rock above him and peered down at him. The only feature of his face she could see was the sculpted line of his jaw; the rest was covered by his unruly damp hair. The muscles in his shoulders tensed visibly as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Before she knew what had happened, Kagome was now soaking wet in the water with her lips pressed firmly against the half youkai’s. Startled, she drew back and tumbled into the deep water, not expecting the sudden drop off so close to the shoreline.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled after her and dove underwater. He didn’t want her to die, that was the last thing he wanted. It took him long enough to muster up the courage to kiss her, and then she would end up drowning because of it. He wasn’t about to let that happen. The translucent water provided no aide to his searching hands, by luck, a beam of moonlight shone over a wispy strand of black hair and a flailing arm. His lungs burned and his muscles ached, but he pushed downward towards that arm. Another second and he felt his lungs would burst.

Strong arms encircled Kagome from behind and she was pulled towards a blinding light. Am I dead? No, that couldn’t be it! She began to cough, signaling that she was in fact alive. Murky water spilled out over her lips onto the shoulder of Inuyasha. Anyone else would have been repulsed, but he welcomed it. She was in his arms; the shivering mass of soaked girl was clinging to him for her life. Nothing could have pried him from that spot.

"Inu..." cough, "yasha?" her forehead slumped against his shoulder, muffling her query.

"You fell into the lake, you’ll be alright now," he answered as reassuringly as possible. Her hair was matted to her cheeks and he did the best he could to brush it away. It stuck stubbornly to her face as she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Why did you kiss me?" The look in her eyes was one of pure confusion. He expected to find contempt or anger, but was pleasantly surprised that she wasn’t furious. The questioning look in her eyes burned a chasm into his very soul, chipping away at the very fiber of his being. He felt that she already knew what he was thinking, and made no audible attempt to answer her question. His own hand unconsciously moved from her cheek down her arm, and finally up to her hand resting on his shoulder. Long fingers coiled around the middle of her hand, drawing her fingers to his lips. Kagome froze. Why was he doing this? Regardless, the touch sent shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes tightly thereby heightening her other senses.

Inuyasha became more aggressive since she didn’t pull away. He wanted her something fierce, yet he forced himself to be gentle at the same time. Questing hands ran down her sides exploring every dip and curve of her smooth body. Kagome let out a soft moan, and he was afraid that he had hurt her. Lips pressed against his assured him otherwise. The kiss swept through him like a brushfire. Everything else went out the window, the demon, their traveling companions; that had nothing to do with the two of them at this moment. He was totally engulfed in Kagome. Even waterlogged she still smelled of vanilla and something else indescribable. Carefully, he laid her down on the soft ground and positioned himself above her.

"Kagome," he whispered into her neck. Being careful not to scar her, he trailed his fangs against the soft flesh of her collarbone, nibbling lightly as he went. His ministrations were rewarded with a loud moan from the girl below him. She writhed beneath his touch, wriggling her hips against him. That wriggle did—things---to him. It took every ounce of self-control for him not to strip her and plunge his engorged penis into her right then and there. He couldn’t hurt her, so he managed to restrain himself for a while longer. "I want you so badly," he breathed against her skin.

"Mmmm," she nodded into the tangled mess of his hair. Her hands danced across his slick back, sending shivers down the half youkai’s spine. A soft mewling sound escaped her own lips when Inuyasha decided to pull her shirt over her head and tease her stomach with his tongue. Kagome was in pure ecstasy; she had wanted to be with him for so long, but like this? She always imagined it to be different; at this point she didn’t care, she needed him as much as he needed her. Slowly, she rubbed the inside of her leg against the outside of his thigh. He grunted against her stomach tickling the sensitive skin around her navel with his hot breath. "More," she moaned.

More than happy to oblige, he fiddled with the lacy contraption separating him from her breasts. It wouldn’t come off the way it was supposed to. Groaning in frustration, he lifted the "thing" over her head and tossed it in the pile that was soon to be the rest of her clothes. Since he had already removed his lips from her flesh, he took a moment to drink in the sight of her. She was beautiful, an absolute angel in the moonlight. Eyes, then fingers, then lips grazed her skin from the top of her brow to the lower part of her abdomen. Kagome nearly cried out with yearning when he passed over her breasts. With a smirk, Inuyasha looped around her navel and worked back up to her left mound. The touch sent Kagome reeling. Hot lips encircled the pebbly nub protruding from her breast. Kagome nearly lost it, her head thrashed back in pleasure and she grabbed the hair at the back of Inuyasha’s head with a death grip. At the same time, Inuyasha kneaded her other breast with a free hand. He licked and lapped and bit at the tender flesh of her chest, enjoying the reaction it pulled from his lover. Her eyes shut tight and her mouth wide open, breathing in pants and gasping every time his tongue found the erect nipple atop her soft flesh.

"Inuyasha, let me," Kagome breathed. Her hands wandered down his taut abdomen to the erect member between his legs. Inuyasha nearly yelped and bit down lightly on her breast. Groaning and panting he continued to pleasure Kagome as she did the same for him. Her fingers seemed to know all the right places to touch him, snaking around the shaft and grazing the head. He lurched forward and caught her lips in a fiery kiss. Their tongues battled and intertwined unrelenting. Kagome pressed herself up against him to deepen the kiss, plundering his mouth with her capable tongue.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss Inuyasha removed her hands from his swollen member and clasped them delicately between his claws. "Are you sure?" asked the sweaty dog demon breathlessly. "If you’re not we can stop, I…"

"Shhhh," she scolded. "I want to be with you, I have for a long time."

"Oh Kagome," he moaned, almost with pain in his voice. "I… I love you," he murmured half expecting her not to hear him.

She pulled his head down onto her shoulder and cradled him lightly in her arms. "I know, I know," she breathed into his ear, her hot breath making every hair on his body stand on end. "I love you, too."

That was all he needed to hear. Now besides being a primal act, their coupling would be one of love. It’s what he wanted, what they both wanted. Lifting his head he seized her lips again in a passionate kiss that would curl a girl’s toes. His tongue ravaged her mouth, sweeping back and forth until no corner of it was left unexplored. With unexpected strength, Kagome rolled Inuyasha onto his back. She scooted down his body, trailing soft kisses along his neck and chest. It was his turn to be pleasured. And pleasure him she did; every touch sent flames coursing through his veins until he almost radiated heat. She pinched and sucked on his nipples, watching as he thrust his hips at her wildly. A wry grin spread across her thin lips.

"Have I neglected something?" she queried coyly.

He grunted in response, his throbbing member ached for release. Obediently, she lowered herself to his member, tracing her fingers over the shaft. It jumped in response. Lowering her lips to the tip she carefully sucked on the head taking him wholly into her mouth. Inuyasha cried out and gasped for air. His hands groped blindly for her, wanting to urge her on while his hips rocked against her in need. Kagome continued to bob her head slowly, whirling her tongue around the tip of his head.

"Ka… go… me…"

She only smiled and continued her work, never pausing. She did, however, add her hands to the work that wouldn’t fit into her mouth, slowly squeezing and kneading his shaft and balls beneath. Much to Inuyasha’s surprise, and delight, Kagome seemed to know what she was doing. Had she done this before with Hojou? No. He pushed the thought far from him mind. She would never. Besides, he was enjoying this too much to be thinking clearly anyway. The last thing he needed was to go on a jealous rampage over something that most likely never happened.

"I’m… I’m…" he tried to push her away. His body shuddered and he knew what was coming. He was. She held fast to him, not wanting to stop pleasuring her lover. A tingle that originated in his groin and swept through his body sent the half youkai over the edge. He threw back his head and screamed out his lover’s name. Undaunted, Kagome continued and lapped up every drop that he produced. She licked her lips and proceeded to kiss the inside of his thigh, causing his now limp member to twitch slightly.

"You didn’t have to…" he barely managed between pants. "But," he grinned devilishly, "since you did…" He flipped her onto her back once more and removed the last remaining cloth that separated their naked flesh: her skirt and panties. She moaned at the near contact of his fingers with her swollen nether lips. The flesh between her legs ached for his touch, and he was more than happy to satisfy. Starting at her bare foot, her shoes and socks had been thrown off somewhere in the fray, he kissed along the inside of her smooth leg, pausing every once in a while to suckle on the soft skin. After what seemed like ages to Kagome, the dog demon reached his ultimate goal. Pleased to find her already wet, he went about the business of giving her as much pleasure as she had given him. After all, he was supposed to take care of her. Her heady scent filled his nostrils as he nudged the sensitive flesh of her folds. He flicked his tongue against the soft flesh between those lips. Kagome moaned and rocked her hips against his face. His questing lips found the sensitive nub contained within the fleshy folds around her womanhood. She bucked and screamed every time he suckled and licked at it. Regretfully, he moved away from the nub and towards her slick opening. He lapped at the juices that had already collected there and then thrust his tongue into her. Almost as exciting as the effect this was having on her was the effect it was having on him. While she thrashed and moaned senselessly, his member stood at attention again, ready for him to continue. Kagome was nearly mindless with pleasure when, with a smug grin, Inuyasha pulled back.

"What!?" Kagome nearly screamed at him. She ached for him; this was so not even fair. He brought her to the edge and then backed off. If she could have, she would have hit him in the jaw, but he had somehow managed to pin her wrists to the ground in the time it had taken him to remove his face from between her legs. He positioned himself above her, propped up on his elbows after letting go of her wrists. He nipped at the base of her neck, and she sighed contentedly, almost forgetting the injustice he had just performed. Tentatively, he prodded her opening with the tip of his phallus. Her heat surrounded him and drove him further. With a quick thrust she felt a shift and a tear and then a sudden fullness. She yelped in pain.

"Shh," he soothed, "just, ah, don’t move. I’m sorry," he managed. Every muscle in his body was frozen in place. He had hoped not to hurt her, but he knew it would no matter how he prepared her for it. Her eyes were shut tight and her teeth clenched. The pain gradually subsided from a stabbing pain to a somewhat—interesting— soft pressure. He waited until her body relaxed around him before thrusting gently into her. Each thrust brought him closer and closer to the edge. He only hoped that their act was having the same effect on her as it was on him. Indeed, it was. She rocked her hips against his in a slow, instinctive rhythm, grinding their bodies together. His hair toppled over onto her shoulders as he leaned down to whisper words of encouragement into her ear. Her arms went around him and nails dug into his shoulder. It didn’t really hurt, rather aroused him further, now thrusting hard into her. She nipped at his jaw line and trailed kisses down onto his neck.

"Oooh, ah, don’t, stop," her plea rung in his ears. He didn’t want to stop, ever. He wanted the pleasure to continue always, but he knew it would be over soon. His thrusts became frantic, pushing himself to the hilt in her and pulling almost all the way out then ravaging her body some more by plunging all the way back in. Kagome cried out with each thrust, encouraging him to continue. Their bodies smacked together, moving as one in their primal dance.

"Kagome, I want you to cum with me," he grunted in her ear, feeling that he was nearing the peak of his orgasm. Again, he picked up the pace of his desire.

"Mmm, yes," she breathed as a response. She hungrily matched his pace as she felt she was almost over the edge. It felt so good, she wanted more even though her body couldn’t take much more of this. She felt as if she would shatter into a million pieces at any moment. Her entire body went rigid as her inner walls clamped down on Inuyasha’s member contained within her. Her head thrashed wildly as she screamed due to the oncoming orgasm. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her as he continued to thrust into her. Her vision blurred and her ears rang. She pulled herself up against him, her chest rubbing against his; that was all Inuyasha could handle. He grunted and thrust one final time, emptying himself into her. The pleasure was almost too much to bear. Inuyasha nearly blacked out, slumping on top of his lover as a boneless mass.

"I’m…" pant "sorry…" pant "if it hurt," he apologized.

"No," she assured, smoothing the hair away from his face. He looked more handsome to her than at any other moment, the moonlight tangled in his damp hair, sweat streaking his back, and his face slack from exhaustion. "It wasn’t bad. It was very, very good as a matter of fact."

Inuyasha smiled and rolled the two of them over, him on his back and her cradled against his chest. He had never felt more complete in his entire life. It didn’t matter that he was only half demon, it only mattered that he was with the mortal woman he loved. Kagome shivered in his arms, jarring him from his thoughts. "Cold?"

"A little."

Her clothes were still wet from their romp in the hot springs, so they were no good for a source of heat. His kimono was still dry however, since he had been smart enough to take off his clothes first.

"One minute," he reluctantly scooted out from under her and snatched the kimono. "Here," he stretched it out over her, and lay back down next to her. She moved against him, skin on skin. Content, the pair drifted to sleep.

***To Be Continued***

Like I said, I promise the next chapter will have more plot, this one just kind of skewed into the lemon territory, I hope you enjoy it anyway ^_^

--GE-chan.