InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gone Swimmin' ❯ Chapter 1

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

A peaceful woodland on the hottest day of the year.

A shallow river flowing through the woods.

A naked hanyou sleeping peacefully on the bank.

An equally naked Kagome discovering him there.

'Nuf said.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Comedy | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 03.28.2005 | Pages: 12 | Words: 26.3K | Visits: 23.7K | Status: Completed

This ficwas inspired solely by an absolutely yummy fanart, which was created by a fantabulous artist called PZB.Of course, I shall not deprive other fangirls of viewing this lovely masterpiece. You can find it here: http://www.deviantart.com/view/5377866/Just keep it in mind when you read this story. ^_~

Warning#1: This fic is rated for adult situations and lemon content. Duh.

Warning#2: This story is set somewhere in the later part of the series, so therefore possibly containsspoilersfor episodes that are beyond what has been aired on Cartoon Network so far, and also the 2ndmovie. If you haven't seen episodes beyond 148 or the movie,I wouldn't read this or you're gonna find out thingsyou don't need to know yet. You've been duly notified.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, either the manga (which I have yet to read) or the anime(which I've seen all of), nor do I own the fanart that inspired this little story. I doown the story. Steal it and die.

Gone Swimmin'

By Quickening

It had to be the hottest day of the year that day, Kagome decided miserably as she blinked yet another trail of sweat out of her eyes. She was sprawled out inside her bedroom in the shrine, as close to the large floor-fan as she could get (for all the good it was doing), trying not to move too much for fear of giving herself heat stroke. Heck, forget the hottest day of the year. It felt like it could have been the hottest day of the past ten years. The air was positively sweltering, thick and still and humid enough to choke a horse, and given the fact that her highly-traditional grandfather didn't believe in air conditioning (“This is a Shrine! Newfangled contraptions like that don't belong in a holy place like this!”), there was little to be done except bear with it.

She'd already gone out with Souta earlier to some of the local pools, in the hopes of finding a bit of relief, but every single one of them was filled to overflowing with families seeking the same comfort. Families who probably did have air conditioning in their homes, she thought somewhat sulkily. Finally, after the third attempt, the two siblings had given up and gone home, beginning to feel the effects of the heat on their bodies. Right now Souta was in his room trying to take his mind off of it by kicking some ass in Tekken, but Kagome had no such entertainment. She was too hot to even think about studying; her brain would probably melt, anyway.

So there she was, sweltering, sweating, bored out of her mind…good grief, even shard hunting had to be more exciting than just lying around trying not to suffocate, she groused silently. With that thought came a sudden bolt of inspiration, and she sat up, a little too quickly, and took a moment to stop her head from spinning. Damned heatstroke…

Okay, so maybe it felt like a hundred and fifty degrees in her time, but she'd eat her textbooks if it wasn't a lot cooler in the feudal era. After all, it was five hundred years ago, and it wasn't as if the weather patterns were exactly the same between the two times. Why, just the past spring it had been warm and bright and absolutely gorgeous in her time, but when she'd gone through the well, she'd wound up right in the middle of a raging thunderstorm (not the most pleasant of experiences, believe you me). She'd even be willing to put up with going off to hunt shards (not to mention dealing with Inuyasha's snide comments as to why she'd come back two days earlier than she had to, after having sat him into the ground to get a full four days off) if it meant she could just get away from the heat!

Thus decided, Kagome forced herself up from the floor and gathered a few things together, then headed down to the kitchen to restock on food, and finally stopped by the bathroom, where her mother was lounging in a cold bath, to tell her through the door where she was going.

“I think that's a good idea,” Mrs. Higurashi replied wistfully. “At times like this I wish I could come with you.”

“Oh, trust me, Mama. You don't wish that,” Kagome hastily assured her. “I don't think you'd like that era at all. No modern appliances, no plumbing, you'd have to cook over a fire pit instead of your nice stove…” Not to mention all the youkai that seemed to have a nasty habit of popping up whenever anyone so much as sneezed, but she didn't see the need to relate that little detail to her poor, clueless mother.

“Hmmm…well, I suppose you're right,” Mrs. Higurashi replied thoughtfully. “It would be rather difficult to prepare anything for dinner without a decent stove…Speaking of which, are you sure you're eating right over there? You're taking care of yourself, aren't you?”

“Of course, Mama. Kaede-baa-chan is a good cook, and trust me when I say that all they eat over there is healthy. Nobody's ever heard of good, old-fashioned junk food.” She sighed wistfully. “I'm tempted to bring back a pizza one of these days…although I'm afraid if I do, Inuyasha will force me to bring back a dozen boxes of those every time, too.”

The only reply was a girlish giggle, and Kagome smiled as she headed back to her room to finish packing her bag. On the way out, she poked her head into Souta's room to say goodbye, getting a mere grunt in reply as the boy was too busy desperately trying not to die as he frantically punched buttons on his game controller. Kagome rolled her eyes. “You know, if you don't give that thing a rest, your eyeballs are gonna fall out of their sockets,” she scolded.

“Mmph.”

“Then your brain will melt and start oozing out your ears.”

“Mmph.”

“And then you'll be a drooling vegetable for the rest of your life because you…”

“Goodbye, Nee-chan!”

Kagome giggled at his huffy response and closed the door, practically skipping to the well house, suddenly in a good mood at the thought of finally being able to escape the cursed heat! She didn't see her grandfather, and could only assume the old man was somewhere in the shrine; probably in one of the old storage rooms, which were dark and cool and a good place to escape the heat. Well…if one didn't mind the several decades of dust that covered every inch of the place. Just the thought of all that dirt was enough to make her want to sneeze.

And there was the well house. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the burning sun, feeling an immediate difference in the shaded room. Without another thought, she hopped down the steps and into the well, feeling the strange tingling in her spine as the magic opened up and swallowed her in shimmering blue light.

~~~{~@~~~{~@~~~{~@

Well…it had been a good theory, anyway. But Kagome should have known that, seeing as how she was Fate's punching bag and all, normal laws like physics and nature and all that stuff thereby didn't apply to her. As soon as the well dropped her off on the other side of time, the heat once again hit her full-on, making her head spin.

“I don't believe this,” she whined, slowly climbing out of the well and collapsing onto the ground. “It's not fair! It's not supposed to be the same!” She glared at the dilapidated wooden structure, as though it was the well's fault for not dropping her off in the middle of a snowstorm or something, then climbed to her feet and grabbed her bag, her good mood evaporating as she trudged toward the village. She would have gone home again, but Inuyasha had probably already sensed her coming, so there was no point in doing so as he'd probably just drag her back anyway. Stupid hanyou…the heat probably didn't get to him! He'd probably drag her out shard-hunting anyway.

And yet, as she kept walking, there was no sign of Inuyasha. She frowned, confused but grateful nonetheless. Maybe all the humidity was messing with his senses? Maybe since there wasn't any wind and the air was so thick and still, he hadn't smelled her coming? A faint sound reached her ears, rising above the drone and hum of buzzing cicadas and the occasional birdcall; a musical burble drifting through the trees from the direction of the river.

The river!

Kagome brightened as yet another inspiration struck her. She could go swimming now! Inuyasha clearly hadn't discovered she'd come back, or else he would have been there long already with their entire entourage, dragging her off to do more hunting. At home she'd never dream of swimming in any of the rivers (not that there were any close by to go swimming in the first place) because of all the pollution in the water. But in this day and age, pollution was practically nonexistent! So she could take a nice dip without having to worry about possible repercussions like an extra arm growing out of her ear or something when she emerged. She'd even brought her bathing suit, since she didn't like to bathe with a perverted monk close by who enjoyed peeking. She wasn't wearing it, but it wasn't like anybody was around to see her change, now was it? It was the perfect chance to cool off a bit before going to the village. If she was lucky, she'd be able to spend a few hours in the water before Inuyasha finally caught wind of her and came hunting.

Without another thought, Kagome set out for the river, dragging her heavy pack behind her. If she remembered correctly, there was a spot not too far off that was lined on both sides with trees whose branches wove together over the river to provide a thick canopy that blocked much of the sunlight. There were also flat, grassy banks that provided a great place to stretch out and relax in the shade, and the river itself was wide and not too deep, providing a perfect area in which to play. It was a great spot, but Kagome had never had time to swim in it before, being too busy chasing youkai around the country and all. Hopefully, nobody else knew about the spot, although even if they did most of the villagers normally avoided the forest anyway, as it had a tendency to be inhabited by gigantic, hungry youkai.

Well, no time like the presentto try it out, Kagome thought cheerfully as she approached the river. Sure enough, it was just as she remembered it, cool and welcoming, the sluggishly-flowing water providing a bit of a refreshing breeze that chased away the thick humidity enough to make it fairly comfortable. The deeply-shaded banks were dappled with dazzling spots of sunlight that somehow managed to sneak past the thickly-packed branches, and when Kagome slipped off her sandals, the grass was cool and soft beneath her hot feet. This place is magical. I could almost imagine a unicorn walking up to take a drink out of the pool, she thought whimsically as she slipped out of her shorts and top, then her underclothes, and dug around in her pack to find her bathing suit.

A few moments of searching, and a frown began to mar her pretty face. She had brought her bathing suit with her, hadn't she? She remembered having put it in the pack at home…

Her eyes widened slightly. Then again, she'd also pulled it out of the pack, along with a few other things, when she was rearranging things inside to make room for the food. Hadn't she put them back in again? She poked herself in the forehead. “Idiot,” she muttered. “You were probably so eager to get away from the shrine that you left them on your bed!”

Now what was she supposed to do? She couldn't go swimming without her bathing suit! What if somebody actually came along? Like Inuyasha? She looked longingly at the water, and it seemed to sparkle at her tauntingly. She scowled. “Aw, to hell with modesty,” she muttered. She wanted to go swimming, and by golly, she was going to go swimming, darn it! If Inuyasha showed up she'd just sit him a few times until she could finish getting dressed, and if he dragged Sango and Miroku along with him, she was sure Sango would be more than happy to knock out the perverted monk for her. Shippou didn't really matter. He was just a kid and he'd been swimming with them before, anyway.

Thus decided, Kagome neatly piled her things together (she'd put everything back in the pack later on), and strode to the water's edge, feeling a bit self-conscious at being out in the open in nothing but her skin. But right now, the need to cool her sweaty, overheated body was far outweighing her sense of modesty, and when she dipped a foot into the delightfully cold water, she heaved a sigh of blessed relief. Without another thought, she carefully waded into the pool, checking for potentially sharp objects, and was mildly surprised to find that the bottom was lined with smooth, worn stones that made a rather comfortable floor. Wow, she thought, impressed. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think that this part of the river was manmade!

She waded out to the middle of the pool, feeling the slow current tugging at her skin, until the water came up to just below her breasts—its greatest depth—and sighed again as she sank in up to her chin. She took a breath and dunked her head under, counting to thirty before emerging. “Ahhhh,” she breathed, floating on her back in the middle of the pool. “This is just what I needed. I should try to convince Inuyasha to come here when we take a break from shard hunting.” The thought of Inuyasha doggie-paddling around the pool was enough to make her giggle. Then again, getting Inuyasha to relax in any way was almost impossible to imagine. He'd probably just sit up in a tree and grouse about wasting time while everyone else had fun, she thought with a fond smile.

She opened one eye a crack to check her location—it wouldn't be good if the river managed to carry her too far downstream, where the current was more rapid and the waters rougher—and glanced over to the far bank, where a line of thick bushes were growing along the waterside. As she did so, a flash of bright scarlet peeping through the dark green foliage caught her eye, startling her into going under and coming up sputtering.

“I-Inuyasha?” she choked when she managed to clear her lungs. “That had better not be you hiding over there!”

There was no answer, and her eyes narrowed as she sank further into the water. “You'd better get out of here or I swear I'll sit you until your back breaks!”

Again, there was no answer. She frowned. Inuyasha wouldn't be stupid enough to deliberately ignore her, not when she used that tone with him. Maybe she was mistaken, after all. Feeling a bit spooked, but curious nonetheless, she swam to the other side of the river and tried her best to peer through the bushes. There was definitely something red there, but…she didn't think it was a person. For one thing, it seemed too small to be somebody lying on the ground spying on her through the bushes. More like a bundle of clothes piled together rather than somebody wearing them. Finally creeping out of the water—poised to immediately dive back in again if she needed to—she made her way to the bushes and peered over the prickly foliage to discover what was lying there, and what she saw made her eyebrows shoot up into her hairline.

It was definitely a bundle of clothes. More importantly, it was a bundle of Inuyasha's clothes. Nobody else she knew wore a fire-rat haori like that. It was piled haphazardly to the side, along with his hakama and his inner robes, as well. The weirdest thing of all was that Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha's most precious possession, was lying in its sheath on top of the clothes, as though guarding them. Her eyes widened in faint alarm. If the hanyou would leave his sword lying around where anybody could take it, it meant that he himself couldn't be too far away. Her eyes darted around the grassy bank in alarm, prepared to subdue him as soon as she laid eyes on him…

But then, suddenly, she did lay eyes on him, and all thoughts of doing anything to him flew right out of her mind as she gaped in astonishment. He was lying on his back, stretched full-length in the shade of an ancient elm tree, with one arm pillowed beneath his head, and the other resting idly on his stomach. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be deeply asleep judging by the calm, even movement of his chest. An ear twitched occasionally to rid itself of a pesky fly, but other than that, he seemed to be dead to the world.

Kagome's first thought was that she'd apparently been wrong about the heat not bothering him, given the fact that his entire body was glistening with a sheen of perspiration, and his hair was damp where it clung to his moist skin around his face and neck. She frowned slightly. Actually, his entire mane seemed awfully wet, spread beneath him in silver-satin tangles, glowing brightly where the sunbeams managed to touch it through the leaves of the tree. Had he been swimming earlier, after all? Her next thought was, No wonder he took off that heavy outfit.Can't swim in his clothes, and the poor guy must've been dying in all that fur anyway. This was immediately followed up with, Ohmercifulsaintshe'sNAKED, and a brief bout of hyperventilation.

She knew she really shouldn't keep staring at him, given how many times she'd yelled at him for peeking at her, but…but…her eyes appeared to have been glued in place, taking in the marvelous sight of Inuyasha in all his natural glory. She even managed to forget that she happened to be in her own natural glory as she moved cautiously from behind the bushes and further onto the bank for a closer look. She stood a few feet away, hopefully upwind from him, although he was so out of it that she doubted it'd even register if he did smell her, and merely looked.

He was like a work of art, she thought in amazement. Everything about him was a picture of grace and power, from the sinewy, chorded muscles in his arms and legs to the smoothly muscled contours of his beautifully sculpted chest. His form was sleek and lithe, and Kagome was awed; she'd had no idea what kind of body those baggy clothes had been hiding! Okay, so she'd glimpsed him in the buff on at least two occasions already, once when he'd barged into her bedroom after being scalded in the bath and again after she'd accidentally walked in on him (so to speak) when he was in a hot spring with Miroku. At the time, though, she was too busy freaking out at seeing a naked guy to actually take much notice of how utterly gorgeous he was. Compounded with his beautiful features (especially those eyes), he'd probably put any male supermodel in her time to shame. Even with the puppy ears.

As though sensing her thoughts, Inuyasha shifted slightly, muttering under his breath. The hand resting on his stomach idly scratched at his lower belly, inadvertently drawing Kagome's attention toward an area that she'd tried very hard to avoid looking at, and she felt her ears begin to burn as her gaze immediately honed in on that very particular part of his body located right between his well-muscled thighs.

I really, really shouldn't be looking at this, she told herself nervously, and yet she couldn't seem to drag her eyes away. After all, how many times did a chance like this pop up? It certainly wouldn't happen if he was awake…so why not take advantage of the opportunity while it was presented to her? After all, it wasn't as if she was staring at a complete stranger. This was the one man she'd ever loved, the one she'd wanted to be with practically since she'd met him. And besides, she insisted to herself, he's seen menaked before, so it's only fair, right?

After going over this (rather skewed) logic in her mind, she turned her attention back to Inuyasha. She couldn't help but be fascinated at the sight he presented. She was a teenager, after all, and she did have hormones, and she had never seen a man's…thing…so up-close and personal before. So, of course it was only natural to be curious about Inuyasha's particular…thing. Telling herself to buck up, Kagome examined the length of flesh resting limply against Inuyasha's thigh, trying to act critical and scientific about it, rather than giving into the urge to giggle and squeal with embarrassment like a bubble-headed loon. It was just…laying there, looking oh-so-innocent (although she'd heard plenty of stories from her friends that would suggest otherwise). It wasn't all that big, but then again she didn't think it was that small, either. She'd heard that size was a big issue with guys, at least in her time, but she didn't have anything to compare it with to know whether Inuyasha was…well-endowed or not. At any rate, small or not, she couldn't help but think that it looked rather soft, the skin stretching loose and supple over the firm length of flesh. She noted with some amusement the patch of wiry, silver hair that covered his groin and ran in a thin line up to just beneath his navel; aside from his head, it was the only other sign of hair on his entire body. How interesting.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Inuyasha muttered again and stretched in his sleep, muscles shifting smoothly beneath supple skin as he squirmed and released a jaw-cracking yawn that curled his tongue around his fangs (rather like a big, lazy cat), before settling down again into deeper sleep; all this done with Kagome standing stiff as a board in terror of being discovered. She remembered, suddenly, her own state of undress, and her face took on the hue of a cherry as she backed away slowly, deciding that she'd done enough staring and it was time to gather her things and go. She'd been lucky so far, but luck could only last for so long before it ran out.

And right on cue, her foot managed to find one of the few stones that were scattered around the bank in the grass, managing to step on it just so with the tender insole of her foot, hard enough to cause her to release a high-pitched squeal of pain and stumble back to land rather hard on her bum. Owww…

Apparently, even Inuyasha wasn't asleep enough to be able to ignore that yelp, and his eyes immediately flew open, his ears twitching madly as he snapped his head in her direction, rolling over onto his stomach at the same time (and giving her a wonderful view of his sculpted backside) in preparation to attack. His eyes were sleepy, but clearing fast, and he looked rather startled as he fixed an amber gaze on Kagome's shocked countenance, lips parting in surprise at seeing her there. Completely naked.

“K-Kagome!” He blinked at her for a moment, before a dark flush began to spread across his high cheekbones as he took in the sight of his favorite shard-detector sitting before him in nothing more than beads of water. Beads of water that were currently dripping from her soaked hair onto her body, rolling down her shoulders and arms and off her supple breasts…down her slim stomach and between her parted legs into the dark patch of curls that covered her…

Gah! Not now. Please not now, he mentally groaned, gritting his teeth as an all-too-familiar arousal began to stir within his body. He very hastily readjusted his position on the ground as the feeling began to make itself known in a very physical manner, using one hand to grope for his clothes, which were unfortunately well out of reach. “What're you doing here?!” he barked, giving up and deciding to just lay there on his stomach, never mind that he was putting uncomfortable pressure on his half-aroused penis.

“I…I…Sorry!” Kagome stammered, her entire body flushing scarlet. “I didn't mean to peek on you, honest! I was just so hot and I wanted to go swimming and I didn't know you were here until I saw your clothes and…um…” She trailed off, gesturing helplessly.

“Where're your clothes?” he snapped. “Didn't you bring that…that suit-thing you always wear?”

She winced and, finally remembering that she was giving him quite the view as well, squeaked in horror and quickly clamped her legs together before scrambling to her feet, backing away until she finally managed to find the bushes again. “I…uh…left it at home accidentally. I really didn't think I'd run into you here!” she insisted. “I just thought I'd go for a swim and then go find you and…er…”

“Well, you found me,” he snorted, slowly sitting up, being careful to keep his crotch covered with his hands. Heaven help him if Kagome discovered how much her presence-sans-clothing was affecting him. He tried to calm himself down, but it wasn't helping that, with him fully awake and alert, he could scent a faint tang of heady, enticing arousal drifting off of her, as well. Was it seeing him this way that made her so excited, he wondered. Who knew how long she'd been watching him while he'd been sleeping, but certainly long enough to have gotten a good eyeful and, unbeknownst to her of course, the thought of her standing there watching him, both of them as naked as the day they were born, didn't anger him so much as quicken his excitement even more. He gritted his teeth in frustration. If this kept up, he wasn't going to be able to hide it anymore…

“D'you think you could throw me my clothes?” he asked bitingly, pointing with his chin to the pile of garments lying several feet away.

Her eyes widened. “No way am I gonna leave these bushes!” she squeaked. “Y-you'll see me!”

He rolled his eyes. “We both already saw everything there is to see,” he pointed out bluntly, earning another blush.

“Th-then why don't you get your own clothes?!”

`Cause you'll sit me into oblivion when you figure out how much I wanna jump you right now, he thought with dark humor.

“You just want to peek at me again!” Kagome accused, glaring at him.

He glared right back. Well…he supposed that was true, but, “And what were you doin' when I was sleeping, huh?” he challenged. “It's only fair!”

She blinked and opened and closed her mouth a few times. “Th-that was payback for that time I caught you spying on me before!” she protested.

“Keh!” He snorted. “That was months ago already! Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge, stupid girl…” Despite his flippant tone, he really, really wanted her to leave. Maybe if he embarrassed her enough she'd storm off. Probably not without sitting him a few times, but at least then he could take care of his little…problem in peace. It needed to be done soon, though. His control was slipping, his blood stirring as heated thoughts of sinking himself deeply into Kagome's warm, willing body began to fill his mind. He gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might crack. “S-so you liked what you saw, huh?” he asked a bit shakily.

Kagome's face flushed all over again and she gaped at him for a moment before visibly struggling to regain her composure. “Not really,” she shot back, refusing to meet his eyes. As if she'd tell him just how much she liked what she saw. She knew she'd never be able to look at him the same way again; the sight of his naked body was forevermore seared into her brain, making her feel warm and tingly all over, and it wasn't because of the hot day. She was turned on by him, and she knew it. Hopefully, he didn't know it, too, or he'd never let her live it down.

“`Not really', huh?” Inuyasha echoed lazily, narrowing his eyes in a way that made her extremely nervous. She had a bad feeling all of a sudden…

And then he inhaled, very deeply (Egads, that hadn't been the best idea he'd ever had, his mind and body groaned), and he fixed her with a penetrating, hungry stare. “Your scent would suggest otherwise, Ka-go-me. You're excited by me. I can smell it,” he growled.

“S-smell…?” Kagome's eyes widened and she blanched, looking utterly horrified. How could she have forgotten about his sense of smell? For a moment, Inuyasha was afraid she was going to pass out on him or something. Instead, her mouth worked silently, as she sought to speak. He fully expected her to slam his face into the dirt a few times, but instead, after a few moments of utter silence, she simply whirled around and took off. A mighty splash let him know that she'd reached the river, and he leapt up in alarm, wondering if she'd slipped and fallen in and maybe hit her head or something. But she was up, wading as fast as she could to the other side of the pool, and he thought he heard something like a choked sob above the splashing of the water. His ears drooped at the sound, and he suddenly felt like a complete ass. Aw, shit. He'd only meant to make her go away, but instead he'd made her cry again. He hated making her cry, but how was he supposed to know he'd embarrass her that much?! Hmmph! Stupid human females and their stupid emotions…

He sighed and muttered to himself, before jumping over the bushes and clearing the river in a single leap, landing just in front of her in the water and startling her so that she slipped on the smooth stones beneath her feet. She went down with a yelp, and he sighed and gripped a flailing arm to pull her above the surface, making sure she was steady on her feet before letting go again. To his dismay, she wouldn't look him in the eye. She looked embarrassed and worried and utterly miserable.

Probably thinks I'm gonna yell at her for gettingexcited over me, he thought a bit guiltily. He supposed he needed to ease her fears about that. Even if he'd wanted to—which he didn't—he knew very well how unfair it would be to yell at her for something that he was suffering himself. He was just lucky that Kagome's nose wasn't anywhere near as sensitive as his was, and that where he stood the water was deep enough to hide the obvious evidence of his arousal.

Besides, the fact that Kagome seemed to want him in that way was very, very tempting. He cared about her more than he'd ever admitted to anyone, but for the sake of the quest and the oath he'd given to another, he'd tried his best to keep her at arm's length. At first it had been an easy thing to do. In the beginning when he'd barely known her, it was easy to just think of her as “Kikyou's reincarnation” and the attraction he felt as nothing but longing for his first love. But time passed, and he'd grown to know Kagome better and had begun to realize just how unlike Kikyou she really was. Reincarnation or not, Kagome was her own person despite all of his denial, and the affection he felt for her had nothing to do with her being just another version of Kikyou. Even more, she'd made it very clear that she cared for him deeply and wished nothing more than to stay by his side, even though he'd pledged his life to another. And Inuyasha, being the terribly lonely and self-centered bastard that he was, had only barely tried to discourage her decision. Even though he could almost taste the anguish he caused whenever he'd leave her to go to Kikyou, he still couldn't bring himself to push her away, because he needed her, and not just to hunt for shards.

Everything had only become harder since Kikyou had died, once again by Naraku's hand. The guilt he felt was now doubled at this second failure to protect the woman from that monster. And yet, at the same time, he was well aware that since she was no longer there, the life-pledge he'd given to her was no longer viable. So there was nothing to keep him from accepting Kagome if he so wished, and by that point he could no longer deny that he did wish, a lot.

But Naraku had yet to be defeated, their chances of beating him growing slimmer with each shard that slipped through their fingers, and there was still the question of what would happen to Kagome when and if the Shikon no Tama was ever completed. She was torn between two worlds, after all, and he had no idea which one she would choose in the end. If, indeed, she had a choice and the jewel didn't make it for her. How could he possibly make any kind of commitment to her, aside from giving her his full protection, when their future was still so uncertain? He didn't think he'd be able to survive having his heart broken a second time.

Inuyasha sighed deeply, pondering what to say to her, wondering what he should do. He had never been very good at these heart-to-heart talks. He'd never been any good at talking, period; the amount of craters he'd left in the ground due to Kagome's subduing spell was proof enough of that. But this was different. Things had finally reached the point he'd tried so hard to avoid, and now that he could no longer deny the obvious physical desire they shared, he supposed the next best thing to do was just tackle it head-on.

Besides, he thought indignantly, Kagome had never been one to run away from a confrontation, and he'd be damned if he played the coward to a human girl, even if it did mean having to face all that emotional junk he hated thinking about.

The silence had stretched between them while Inuyasha thought, and Kagome was beginning to get rather nervous. Good grief, was he so disgusted that he couldn't even yell at her about it? Was he just going to ignore her completely from now on? She cringed a little, the thought unsettling. She'd rather deal with being yelled at than given the silent treatment, especially by him. “Well? What are you waiting for?” she finally snapped, and Inuyasha came back to his senses with a start as her nervousness finally communicated itself to his brain. “Go ahead and yell. I don't care! I can't help what my body does on its own,” she continued stiffly, tensed as if bracing herself for the verbal lashing.

He hesitated, and then asked slowly, “Why d'you think I'm mad about it?”

She blinked at him. “W-well, aren't you?” she stammered. “I mean, don't you think it's disgusting to have some human lusting after you or something?”

Lusting? He smiled inwardly as he considered his reply, suddenly encouraged. Maybe now he'd be able to tell her…but knowing him he'd only screw it up again. He wasn't a slick-tongued womanizer like Miroku, after all. But…she looked so dejected, he thought pityingly. He had to at least try to get it right, even if he ended up getting sat into the river. “I'd think it was disgusting…only if it was…anyone else,” he carefully stated, deliberately meeting her eyes.

It took a moment for his words to fully sink in, but when they did, he was rewarded with a soft blush and a childish widening of her eyes as she glanced up at him. His expression softened slightly at the shy expression on her face. “Y-you mean you don't mind?” she asked hesitantly, not quite believing.

He scratched the back of his head. “Well…I'd be a jerk if I got mad at you for it when I…um…never mind…” He trailed off, deciding that maybe he didn't need to tell her everything. He didn't want to embarrass her again, because she usually sat him if she got embarrassed, repeatedly, and he really didn't feel like drowning at the moment.

“When you…what?”

He inwardly groaned. Kagome never was very good at taking a hint.

“Well…uh…” He shifted awkwardly, and decided that maybe he just ought to show her what the problem was. At least then he'd be out of range of any fists flying his way. Wouldn't save him from a severe dunking, but what can you do? So, holding his breath, he backed away a few paces, closer to the bank, as the water level dropped slowly until it was below his waist…allowing her to view his arousal in all its standing glory.

Her reaction wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting.

He'd expected the normal series of “Osuwari!”s of course, with maybe a couple of high-pitched shrieks for added effect, but he hadn't been expecting the rather fascinated expression that slowly covered her face as she openly stared at his cock.

She knew what an erection was, of course, but naturally, she'd never actually seen one before (black-and-white diagrams in school health textbooks didn't count), so she was a bit unprepared for the sight of Inuyasha's sex standing rigidly from his body, curving up ever-so-slightly. She mentally compared it to what she'd seen before, and realized that it had grown much longer and thicker and darker and it kind of glistened and…it was weird, but…it almost seemed alive or something. She had to fight off the urge to reach out and poke it, just to see if it twitched.

Inuyasha was waiting for a response, she could tell. He seemed edgy, and she supposed she ought to say something, but what was one supposed to say to something like this? “Nice dick. Can I touch it?” just didn't seem to be the appropriate way to start off a conversation…

He blinked at her. “Well?”

“Well…what?” she asked nervously, glancing up at him a bit awkwardly. She knew her face had to resemble an overripe tomato by then, but it was to her eternal gratitude that so did his. At least she wasn't the only one suffering from extreme mortification at the moment.

“Well, are you gonna sit me or not?” he questioned gruffly, clearly fighting to act as though he wasn't standing there in all his natural glory being ogled like a side of beef by a starving leopard.

She eyed him curiously. “Uh…do you want me to?” she asked hesitantly, suspecting a trick question.

“No! But it's what you usually do when you get all embarrassed and crap!” he huffed, crossing his arms over his glistening chest and sticking his nose snootily into the air.

“Oh. Um…sorry?” she tried, reaching up to scratch her head sheepishly, realized that she'd left her chest exposed, started to cover it again, and then simply gave it up. What was the point anymore?

She felt Inuyasha's gaze on her, and noted that he was staring somewhere considerably lower than her face. Her breasts were practically tingling beneath the intensity of his gaze. “Um…” she began, and again stopped herself. She couldn't really yell at him anymore, could she? Not with the way she'd been staring at him for the past few minutes…

“Like what you see?” she questioned instead, snidely throwing his earlier question back in his face.

She expected a series of indignant sputters, maybe an insult or two. She was not expecting the sudden glance and the almost wicked smirk that crossed his lips as he eyed her, nor the finger that pointed downward at his exposed cock, nor the somewhat playful, “Ain't this proof enough for ya?” that left her sputtering for a response, instead.

“It's…you're…urgh…why does…erm…”

He outright grinned as he watched her stammer and turn even redder, the flush spreading from her face the whole way down her breasts and stomach, and decided that it was fun to badger her like this…as long as she didn't wise up and sit him, of course. “Why what?” he asked innocently. “Why's it look like this? It's cause I wanna mate with you, dummy.”

She froze and gave him a scandalized stare, mouth hanging open in shock. “Y-you…ergh…” she tried again.

He let loose a snort of laughter. “Whatsa matter, Ka-go-me? I thought you knew stuff about mating.”

Her expression changed from embarrassed to insulted in a second. “I do know stuff about…mating,” she huffed indignantly. “But…but I've never been…propositioned before!”

He looked quizzical. “Prop-o…what?” he asked, ears flicking at the sound of the unfamiliar word.

She pouted and glanced away, her arms moving unconsciously to cross beneath her bosom, nicely lifting and framing her firm breasts for his viewing pleasure. He gulped as his member gave a twitch, and had to bodily force his hand down to his side to keep from reaching out and tweaking a soft nipple the way Kagome liked to tweak his ears. He wondered if she'd enjoy it half as much as he did when she touched his ears; his instincts were assuring him that she would.

“Propositioned,” Kagome was muttering self-consciously. “Nobody's ever told me they want to…to mate with me before.”

A dark eyebrow arched as he fought back a grin. “Really?” His ear flicked again. “Well, that's good for them. I'd have to kill `em if they did.” He tried to sound as unconcerned as possible, but inside he was practically howling with glee. The thought that nobody had ever touched her before, the thought that he might be the one allowed to taste what no other ever had, nearly made him tremble.

And then, he abruptly realized that Kagome was glaring at him and he cringed, realizing that he'd somehow managed to say something to piss her off. Again. “As if you have any say in it!” she huffed indignantly before he could open his mouth to question her.

He blinked, then scowled as the words registered, suddenly not-so-elated. “Of course I got a say in it!” he growled back, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He was not exactly sure that he liked where this conversation was heading, and he hated not being sure because with Kagome, anything could happen.

“Not from where I'm standing,” she was growling at him, clearly readying herself for battle. “It'd be one thing if we were actually…you know…together, but we're not! You don't want us to be. So who do you think you are to dictate my love life for me?”

His scowl deepened as he opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't get the chance as she continued vehemently, “You just don't get it, do you? You can't keep me at arm's length and refuse to…to…and then try and tell me that I'm not allowed to be with someone else who does want me! It doesn't work like that!” She shook her head, feeling exasperated and hopeless all at once. “Inuyasha, let me say this once and for all. I don't belong to you. And if you can't give me what I want, then don't you think I have the right to look for someone who can?”

Inuyasha stared at her, completely taken aback by her serious words. Where had this come from? Judging by the expression on her face—a strange mix of relief and dread—he could tell it was something she'd been wanting to get off her chest for a long time now, but had always been afraid to talk about before. Apparently, getting naked in front of each other was all it took for her to bolster enough courage to let loose the pent-up frustration she was obviously harboring, and Instinct was screaming at him not to take her lightly. So, instead of getting defensive, instead of yelling back and insulting her, Inuyasha forced himself to calm down and seriously think about what she'd just said. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do—every nerve in his body was screaming at him to either run away or fight back, do something to take her mind off the subject—but for once he used his brain instead of his instincts, and thought.

Kagome, for her part, was getting a little nervous, nearly squirming beneath the weight of the uncharacteristic silence that met her angst-ridden spiel, wondering if she'd gone just a bit too far. Way to ruin the moment, moron, she scolded herself darkly. And things had just been getting so interesting, too. For a moment, she'd almost let herself hope that…but then of course Inuyasha had to go and open his big mouth and piss her off with his fat-headed, chauvinistic ideas about her life and…and…well, if she hadn't scared him off before, she most likely had done so now. The poor boy was so terrified that he couldn't even talk, she thought with a bit of grim humor, noting the way he gazed down at the water with his brow furrowed and his fists clenched. He appeared to be deep in thought. Or comatose. She wasn't sure which. She rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smirk a bit, her anger easing somewhat. “Oh, for the love of…Don't think so hard, you might hurt yourself,” she chided, gently teasing.

His eyes snapped up and he fixed her with a vaguely insulted look, which faded at the small smile she graced him with in return. “Look,” she began, “I'm sorry I went off on you like that. I just…it's been…well, it's just been a weird day so far.” She scratched her head sheepishly and sighed, somewhat dejectedly. “I'm going swimming. That's what I came here for anyhow. You can do…whatever.” She shrugged and gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she stepped around him, carefully not looking at his crotch again, and dove into the water to swim back to the opposite shore, allowing the blessed coolness to soothe her flushed, aching body. I wonder if I hold my breath long enough, whether I'll pass out and then wake up to find out this has all been just a reallybizarre dream, she thought hopefully. But there was no way fate was that kind to her.

As was demonstrated when she emerged from the water, kneeling on the smooth riverbed to catch her breath, and wiped the excess water from her eyes, only to open them and find herself face-to-head with…Inuyasha's penis. Which was still very much aroused. She couldn't help the high-pitched shriek of surprise that escaped her throat as she frantically backpedaled, inhaling some of the river in the process when she fell in headfirst.

She heard an amused laugh, and then his voice, slightly mocking as he mimicked, “Oh, for the love of…It doesn't bite, ya know.”

“That…wasn't…funny!” she choked, coughing up the water that clogged her lungs. “Are you…trying…to drown me?!”

“Now why would I wanna go and do a thing like that?” he asked innocently.

She shot him a waterlogged glare through the strands of hair that insistently clung to her face and straggled over her eyes. “Because you're twisted,” she grumbled, earning another chuckle. She heard splashing and then Inuyasha's long legs came into view, just before he crouched down in front of her (his lower half thankfully submerged although the sight of his glistening, naked chest didn't do much to calm her nerves, either), and regarded her with a strange, unfamiliar light in his eye. She blinked at him, then blinked again as he reached out to carefully push the hair away from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek in an almost-caress before falling away again.

“Wh-what's gotten into you?” she asked suspiciously, more than a little unnerved by the hanyou's uncharacteristic display of affection.

He merely smiled at her; a slow, sensual smirk that fair knocked what little breath she still possessed right out of her. “You said I could do whatever, right?” he questioned innocently, raising a heavy eyebrow the suspicious glare she immediately threw his way. “Don't look at me like that. I'm not gonna eat ya,” he snorted with an amused smirk.

“Sometimes I wonder,” she muttered, pursing her lips sulkily.

“Kagome…” His hands were suddenly on her face, gently cradling it between them, and his eyes were dark and serious as he regarded her. “Y-you're right,” he began hesitantly, grimacing as if the words were difficult to spit out. “I don't…that is…you should be able to be with whoever you wanna be with. I ain't got any right to say otherwise…until…I make you my mate.”

Her eyes widened in surprise; clearly, this was the last thing she'd expected to hear coming out of his mouth. “S-so…what? Are you actually agreeing with me? If some other guy asks me out, you'll actually let me go without a fuss?” she stammered, trying to comprehend what her ears were telling her. Then her eyes narrowed in speculation. “Wh-what if Kouga-kun shows up again and starts putting the moves on me?” she challenged. “Are you gonna just let him?”

Inuyasha looked as if he'd just swallowed something sour; she could practically feel him bristling at the mention of that name. His mouth tightened into a thin line, but the hands on her face remained steady and gentle. “It ain't my business if you decide ta go off with that wimpy wolf,” he practically growled, although the look on his face would suggest otherwise. “Y-you can make your own choices.”

Kagome's jaw dropped as she stared at him in wide-eyed wonder. He saw the shock and dropped his hands to his sides, scowling and looking away. “I-Inuyasha…what…what's the matter with you?” she stuttered, looking him over as though suspecting him of being somebody else entirely. “You…you're actually scaring me here. S-snap out of it!”

“Keh,” he snorted, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. “Stupid girl, make up your mind! You just said you wanted to be able to choose for yourself, didn't you? I'm sayin' that you can choose who you want, and I won't try ta stop you anymore!”

“You…” Her mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish for a moment, before, “Y-you…you…stupid…idiot!” she cried, smacking him hard on the arm and making him jump and yelp with surprise. “Don't you get it yet? After all this? You are the one I want! You've always been who I wanted but…but you never wanted me before!”

He blinked at her, then smirked and snorted through his nose. “Oh, yeah? Who said?” he challenged arrogantly.

She blinked and faltered. “Wh-who said…what?” she stammered, suddenly confused.

His smirk widened. “What, you think this is the first time you left me like this?” he questioned snidely, pointing down at his submerged crotch again. A blush once again suffused her cheeks, and he added wickedly, “I lost count of how many times I've had to…take care of myself `cause of you.”

“T-take care of?” she repeated uncertainly.

Without warning, he rose from the water, fisted his hand around his cock, and pumped a few times in demonstration. “Like that,” he replied bluntly. Kagome's face flamed as realization struck her. “Oh,” she squeaked, looking everywhere but at him. “S-sorry. I…erm…didn't know…”

“You weren't supposed to,” he snorted, dropping down into the river again.

They knelt there in silence for a few moments, Kagome casting uncertain glances at Inuyasha, biting her lip uncertainly. “D-does it…um…hurt like that?” she questioned faintly.

He shrugged. “It ain't comfortable,” he admitted.

“C-can I…um…do anything to help?”

He shot her an incredulous glance. Did she even realize what she'd just offered?!

Seeing his startled expression, she squirmed. “Well…it's…kinda my fault you're…that way,” she added sheepishly, scratching at her arm absently. “I feel…responsible.”

“Well…there's one way you can help,” he muttered, eyeing her slyly. Then, seeing her nervous expression, he grimaced. “But you ain't ready for that yet,” he grumbled. And he'd be damned if he forced her to mate with him, no matter how much he wanted it. That wasn't how he wanted things to go at all. If he wanted to keep her, he knew very well that he'd have to take it a lot more slowly than his body was telling him to. “You really wanna help me out?” he questioned.

She bit her lip uncertainly. “I-if I can…depending on how you expect me to…help out,” she replied cautiously.

“C'mere,” he demanded, gesturing at her to move closer to him.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “You wanna help me out or not?” he snorted. Then, smirking evilly, “It is all your fault, you know…”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, fine,” she sighed, moving closer to him in the water. “But if you try anything…”

He didn't reply, merely reached out to grip her hand and pull her behind him into shallower water, where he then brought her closer to his side, draping his other arm around her shoulders. Then, meeting her gaze squarely, he brought her captured hand down to his crotch and wrapped it firmly around his erection. He expected her startled reaction and tightened his hold when she tried to pull away. “You can help like this,” he mumbled, his eyes going dark and hazy at the feel of her warm, soft hand wrapped firmly around his penis. “Do it for me,” he gasped, releasing her hand and leaning back on his arms.

Her eyes were wide and her face scarlet with embarrassment as she held him uncertainly. “H-how?” she squeaked. “I don't…”

“J-just…move your hand,” he grunted. His clawed hand came up to cover her own, guiding her movements up and down over the thickened length. “Like that,” he gasped. “Just like that.” He let go and leaned back again, closing his eyes as she continued to stroke him, pumping him slowly in her fist as she kept her eyes fixed firmly on his face. She'd never seen an expression quite like that one on those dear features before, something like a mixture of pleasure and pain, his eyes closed tightly and his ears flattened to his head as he panted beneath her ministrations. She lowered her gaze to his stomach, noting how it quivered with tension as the shallow water lapped around the smooth muscles. His legs were parted as if to give her better access, and his entire body was stiff with that same tension, as though he was holding himself back with effort, but every once in awhile she felt him jerk beneath her fingers, his hips thrusting upward slightly to drive himself into her hand. “H-harder,” he grunted after a few long moments.

Kagome obeyed, tightening her hold on him and quickening her movements, and he moaned deep in his throat as he threw his head back, muscles convulsing in his throat as he swallowed against the erotic stimulation she was providing him. Her embarrassment was fading swiftly beneath the weight of her fascination; she had never seen Inuyasha looking so…vulnerable before. She could hardly believe she was touching him in such a way…and that he appeared to be enjoying it so immensely.

Curiously, she lay her other hand on his lower stomach and the muscles jerked beneath her touch, a whimper escaping his throat as she stroked him gently. She made her way southward, still petting his smooth flesh, beneath the base of his erection. There, she softly cupped and caressed the heavy, silky testicles between his parted thighs, feeling the heated weight of them in her palm, fondling and squeezing gently and earning a deep groan of pleasure, before gliding up to join her other hand in pumping, the skin pulling loose and supple over the thick, swollen length.

The double stimulation was nearly too much for him; his hips thrust violently beneath her, straining into her hands, and she could feel him, hot and engorged, throbbing against her fingers. She smiled wonderingly to herself, sliding one hand up to cover the head, and felt the moisture gathering beneath her palm that signaled the beginning of his release. She pushed her thumb into the head, scratching lightly over the little slit with her nail before dragging it down along the underside of his cock over the dark vein and following up with a tightening of her fist and a long, hard stroke up to the head again…

And Inuyasha finally lost control, his back arching gracefully as he thrust his hips violently upward, a harsh cry that sounded suspiciously like her name straining from his lips. She felt his penis spasm in her fingers as a stream of milky liquid erupted from the tip, flowing over her hand and arm and spattering onto his legs and stomach and the water surrounding them, warm and thick. Kagome pumped him a few more times until the torrent finally ebbed, leaving him limp and soft in her hands, still twitching with aftershock. With a groan, Inuyasha collapsed back onto his elbows, his chest heaving as he panted for breath, his upper body once again gleaming with sweat.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, while he sought to regain his senses, and when he finally opened his eyes to lock gazes with her, she offered him a hesitant smile. “A-are you…okay?” she asked uncertainly, wondering if maybe she'd been a little too enthusiastic in her treatment.

But the slow, lazy smile he graced her with, as well as the burning, lidded eyes that bore into her own, eased her discomfort as much as it quickened her breath. “Give me a moment,” he murmured. “I'll let ya know…once I can move again…”

Her eyes widened even more. “O-oh,” she stammered. “I-it was okay then? Did I…hurt you?”

His eyes traveled down to where she still held his expended cock in a loose, caressing grip. Her eyes followed his gaze, and she squeaked and abruptly released him. He smiled again, flashing a fang. “That was everything but painful,” he replied with his usual blunt honesty. Then, his eyes once again meeting hers, his look turned darkly sensuous. “You've got surprisingly talented hands,” he added huskily, “much more than mine. Maybe I should let you take care of me from now on, if I got that to look forward to…”

Kagome glanced away, unconsciously hiding said hands behind her back. “Well…er…I guess that's that then,” she replied inanely. “I guess I'll just…go get my things and…be on my way…”

“Not so fast…”

She suddenly found their positions reversed, with her lying on the bank half-in and half-out of the water, and Inuyasha hovering over her, straddling her waist with her arms held in a gentle grasp. He gazed down at her through lidded eyes, a slow, lazy smile spreading across his features. Her own eyes widened at the dark hunger she saw burning in them. “Wh-what?” she squeaked.

“D'ya think I'd just take my pleasure an' not return the favor?” he growled. His smile turned darkly sensual. “It's your turn now, Ka-go-me.”

She barely had time to gasp before his lips were sealing over hers, fair knocking the breath right out of her. She lay stiffly beneath him, fighting off a sense of panic as his weight pressed into her. But slowly, as the initial shock wore off, Kagome felt herself melting beneath his ministrations as he plied her mouth with long, drugging kisses that made her senses reel, slipping his tongue between her lips to twine sinuously with her own, suckling and nipping softly at her soft lower lip with sharp teeth. And all the while his hands trailed a path of heat across her body, stroking and caressing every inch, dragging his claws ever-so-lightly over her soft belly and across her breasts, making her arch and squirm beneath him. Everything seemed heightened, his scent, his taste, the feel of his calloused palms, the heavy weight of his muscled leg as it nudged between her thighs. And then…his hand, gliding down, touching her there, at the source of all her passion, caressing lightly across her slick folds before slipping carefully between them, inside of her, and a low mewl erupted from her throat and vanished into his mouth, which curled into a smug smile at her reaction.

She shuddered and squirmed as he began to stroke in and out of her, slipping a second and then a third finger into her silken heat, mindful always of his claws even as he felt her trembling against his newly-aroused body. He released her lips so she could gasp for air, trailing his mouth over her throat, across her collarbone, down to her chest, pressing hot, wet kisses to her silken flesh, using his teeth to mark her, leaving little love bites behind to prove that she was his. He reached her breasts, lapping softly at the valley between them, feeling her taut nipples brushing across his cheeks, and turned his head to take one into his mouth, sucking hard as she gasped and panted into his ear. He nipped lightly with his teeth, soothed the bite with his tongue, wondering if there was anything as delicious as the taste and feel of a woman's flesh, of Kagome's breast in his mouth. He couldn't seem to remember why he'd tried to deny her for so long.

A few final licks to her breasts and he was moving on, trailing down her heaving stomach, flicking playfully at her navel before traveling lower, to her parted thighs. Her scent was intoxicating, arousing him to painful heights and he fought the near-overwhelming urge to plunge into her, surround his swollen length with her body and take her fully as he was meant to do. But he had promised, at least to himself, that he would wait to claim her, although it was getting harder and harder to remember that promise. So he lifted her hips and, parting her folds with his careful fingers, pressed his eager mouth over her entrance and thrust deeply into her, shuddering with reaction as the first heady taste of her flowed over his tongue. She squealed and bucked beneath him, and he tightened his grip to hold her steady as he fervently lapped at her flesh, at the tangle of nerves hidden in her folds that made her shake and mewl, her hands fisting into his hair to hold him against her. He drank her in until she was little more than a trembling mass of sensation in his hands, her erotic cries coming in a steady stream to his ears, and when he pulled the little nub between his lips to suck ever-so-gently, Kagome finally lost control and found her release with a keening wail.

He buried his face against her, suckling her, drinking her in, feeling her release flow over his chin as he held her hips to his mouth, milking her for all he was worth. And when the flow finally ebbed, leaving her a heaving, breathless, shaking mass in his arms, he lowered her back to the ground and crawled up her body, feeling his engorged, distended member brushing enticingly over her shivering stomach. Her closed eyes fluttered open to meet with burning, golden orbs that were filled with nothing so much as masculine satisfaction and pure desire. “How did that feel?” he questioned huskily, his voice little more than a low, purring growl in his throat.

Kagome shivered at the sound of it, closing her eyes again. “It felt…indescribable,” she breathed, shivering as one clawed hand came up to stroke her breast. “I…I want more,” she admitted, her voice a mingling of embarrassment and desire as her own hand came up to touch his chest. In reply, Inuyasha's lips covered hers in a deep, lingering kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her hips firmly against his, so that she could feel the warm, rigid erection pressing hard against her belly. She parted her thighs and lifted her hips, letting the engorged length come to rest against her inner folds, slipping sensually over the heated passage. Inuyasha's breath hissed through his teeth as he instinctively ground against her, trembling with the urge to impale her and sink deeply into her welcoming body.

“P-please,” Kagome whimpered, slipping her hand between them to touch his aching head, pressing her fingers against the leaking slit. “Please come into me. Let me feel you.”

“K-Kagome,” he groaned as her sensual words sent another surge of arousal through his body. “N-not yet…it's not…”

“But why?” she whispered, and he was shocked to hear the edge of tears in her voice, his eyes snapping open to meet hers. “I…I love you, Inuyasha. Maybe…you don't want to hear it, but it's the truth. And maybe you don't love me back, but can't you pretend, at least for a little while, that I'm someone important to you? The jewel will be completed soon and who knows whether or not I'll be able to stay here, but if I have to go I want this memory to take with me, something that I'll never be able to forget even if I can never see you again. That's all I'm asking.”

He silenced her with another kiss, lingering softly, feeling her words wrap warmly around his heart. He'd always known, deep down inside, how she felt. But this was the very first time she had ever openly admitted her real feelings toward him, had ever spoken those three words that he'd never expected to hear from anyone. When had anybody ever told him that they loved him before? Perhaps the last time was his own mother, whom he could barely remember, anyway. Kikyou had never said as such, not in so many words, and he wondered vaguely, if she'd been able to tell him so now, whether they would warm his soul half so much as Kagome's admission did.

Easing the kiss, he opened his eyes to regard her with a soft, tender expression that Kagome could not remember seeing before. Her breath caught slightly as she met his gaze, feeling his unspoken emotions settling around her like a warm, soft blanket. Inuyasha was a man of few words; she knew that. Maybe he would never be able to say what she wanted to hear, but his actions right now were telling her everything she'd ever longed to know. His lips came to rest on hers as his hand glided over her body in a sensual caress, slipping between her thighs to stroke her, arousing her all over again, preparing her for what would come. He settled his weight fully against her as his instincts began to take over, drawing back to position his swollen member over her entrance, and slowly eased himself between her folds. She shuddered at the feel of his arousal slipping into her, parting her in an uncomfortable manner. He hesitated at the first hitch of her breath, straining to keep himself from thrusting completely into her, well aware of the thin barrier touching his tip that spoke of her virginity.

“I…I think it'll hurt you,” he panted in her ear. “I-I'm sorry.”

“How do you know that?” she whispered back, tightening her arms around his neck. “H-have you ever done this before?” The thought of him having taken any other woman before her sent a brief surge of jealousy through her.

“Idiot,” he murmured, nuzzling her ear. “It's just…instincts. I'm a hanyou, remember? Who would've wanted me to touch them like this?”

She smiled briefly though her discomfort. “Any woman who isn't too blind to realize how beautiful you are,” she breathed, her hand coming up to caress his face. His eyes widened at her words, the flush in his cheeks darkening in embarrassment and her smile widened. “Finish what you started,” she commanded softly, trailing a finger over his lips. “I can bear it.”

Inuyasha released a low groan, sealing his mouth to hers again as he withdrew and then plunged back into her with a hard, slick thrust, their hips coming together with a dull slap. She immediately stiffened in his arms, a pained whimper escaping into his mouth, and he went perfectly still as she fought to adjust to the unfamiliar object invading her body. After a long, tense moment, he felt her begin to relax, felt the tight muscles around his penis begin to loosen, and when he met her gaze, she nodded her consent to continue, lifting her legs from the water surrounding them and draping them around his waist. They held their breaths as the movement caused him to slip within her, sliding deeper, and he growled low in his throat as he pulled out and eased back in, then again, and again, beginning a steady pace in and out of her willing body.

The only sounds around them were the birds singing, the buzz of insects in the trees, the water lapping around their hips in time to their movements, the slap of their thighs as they came together, Kagome's soft cries and his own harsh grunts as he quickened the pace, driving into her harder and faster. Sitting up, he pulled her with him, never breaking the pace, seating her on his lap as he continued to thrust. His hands gripped her waist tightly as he lifted and settled her over his length, impaling her over and over again while she panted and strained above him, arms thrown around his neck for support as she buried her head in his shoulder. Her breasts bounced against his chest, distended nipples an erotic caress against his skin, and her ebony hair streamed over his shoulders and down his back, blending with brilliant white that trailed into the water surrounding them.

She panted his name, her walls shuddering around him, pulling at him, and he growled a reply as he readjusted, laying her on her back again, lifting her hips to drive into her as deeply as he could, straining against her as her muscles squeezed his thick length forcefully, creating delicious, mind-bending friction between them. They were both coming to the edge, the pace frantic, no longer slick and graceful glides so much as desperate, forceful lunges as he sought desperately to bring her to release. When he finally felt her clamp tightly around him, her walls shuddering powerfully in a way that triggered his own release, he uttered her name on a hoarse cry and let go, his seed spurting into her body in a flood of heat. He pumped into her a few more times before his strength gave out and he let her go, collapsing on top of her exhausted body, hugging her to him as he sought to regain control of himself.

It seemed like hours had passed before Kagome's prone body shifted under him, her chest heaving in a gentle sigh as she opened dazed eyes to look at him. Her expression turned shy when she met his intense gaze, the fading blush in her cheeks darkening all over again. “Are you okay?” he growled, his heavy brows knitting together in a worried frown. “D-did I hurt you?”

She smiled and shook her head, suddenly finding it difficult to speak. Inuyasha, however, seemed to take her silence as a bad sign, because he seemed to withdraw into himself a little, even as he withdrew reluctantly from her body. She shivered as he pulled himself free and rolled onto his back, suddenly finding the unseasonably hot day unbearably cold without his comforting weight warming her tired body. Self-consciously, she sought his hand, twining her fingers around his childishly. To her eternal relief he didn't pull away. Rather her pressed his palm to hers and laced their fingers together, gazing sleepily up at the hypnotic sway of the leaves through half-lidded eyes.

“Are you…regretting?” Kagome whispered after a few silent moments, and he heard the worry in her voice, the fear that now that he'd finally gotten what he desired, he'd no longer have a need for her. In reply, he rolled over, draping a leg across hers and pulling her against his body, cradling her back and shoulders on one arm as he used his free hand to tilt her chin, taking her lips in a soft, reassuring kiss. When he withdrew, she was breathless all over again, her large doe-eyes dazed with need. “No,” he murmured back, smirking a little at his effect on her. “Are you?”

“Never,” she whispered, cuddling into him, stroking her hand lightly over his side. He twitched beneath her touch, growling lightly in his throat and she grinned at the thought that he was ticklish there. “So what now?” she asked. “Do we pretend this never happened?”

“Keh,” he snorted. “We don't have to pretend anything. But it ain't like anybody's gotta know our private business, now do they?”

“Hmm.” She made a noncommittal sound in her throat. “But…you do realize that Miroku and Sango and even Shippou have always had the uncanny ability to know when anything happens between us, right? I mean, not that anything like this ever happened before but…you know what I mean.”

“Keh,” he snorted again. “They'll keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for `em. It ain't their business, anyway.”

Kagome giggled at his typical display of egotism. She highly doubted that their comrades would agree with that sentiment, being the overprotective friends that they were. Then she released a long sigh, cuddling closer to him for a moment, before reluctantly sitting up. “I guess we should probably clean up,” she stated reluctantly. During their play, the sun had lowered considerably and the shadows had deepened, a slight chill beginning to color the humid air. She moved to stand, but Inuyasha's sharp intake of breath stilled her actions, and she looked at him, startled, only to find him staring intently at her belly. Or rather, somewhere below her belly.

“I hurt you,” he said softly, accusingly, as he reached out to touch one of her inner thighs. She blinked and looked down at herself, realizing with embarrassment that there was blood smeared across her skin. She hastily turned away, wincing as the sudden movement pulled abused muscles.

“I-it's okay,” she assured him, stammering a bit on her words. “This always happens after the first time. It's when you…um…”

“When I broke you,” he finished softly, looking at her regretfully. “I really hurt you, didn't I?”

She blushed again, dropping her eyes from his. “But it was necessary,” she replied softly. “And…you made me feel so good afterwards…it barely even hurts anymore. I'll be fine soon, I promise.”

He drew in a deep breath, then he rose to his feet, picked her up into his arms, ignoring her surprised yelp, and carried her further into the stream where he lowered them both into the water. “What're you doing?” she questioned uncertainly.

“Cleaning us up,” he replied, running his hand over her thighs, cleansing the blood and remaining evidence of their passion from her skin. “Cold water's good for numbing pain, right?”

She smiled and kissed his smooth cheek, resting her forehead against his temple. “I didn't realize you could be romantic,” she told him sweetly. “It's a nice change.”

“Keh.” His cheeks darkened. “I'm just doin' what any good mate would do for his partner,” he muttered. “Don't go readin' into it!”

Her breath caught at the words. “Are we really?” she breathed, watching him hopefully.

“Really what?” he asked suspiciously.

“Mates,” she supplied. “Am I really your mate now?”

“What d'ya think that was all about?” he huffed, waving in the general direction of where they'd lain, the definite impression of their bodies flattening the wet grass. “Yes, you're my mate now, and I'm yours, so don't go getting any more funny ideas of runnin' off to some other male, got that?” He narrowed his eyes at her warningly and she blinked.

“I already told you that you're the one I love,” she replied patiently. “You're the only one I'd ever run off to.”

“Good,” he stated simply.

“The same thing applies to you, too, you know,” she added hesitantly. “You won't…think of any other woman when you're with me…will you?”

By “any other woman”, he knew immediately that she meant “Kikyou”. He stopped his ministrations and looked at her long and hard, seeing the genuine worry in her eyes as she waited for his answer. She really did fear that he still only saw her as her reincarnate, and he supposed he'd never given her a reason to think otherwise. So instead of getting insulted, he nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “Whose name was it I called when I came in you?” he breathed into her ear, feeling her shiver against him. “Would I call your name if I was thinkin' about her?”

“I suppose not,” she whispered in reply, cuddling into him.

He smirked and slipped his hand further between her thighs, stroking her carefully while she gasped. “I'll be glad to prove it to you as often as you want, Ka-go-me,” he purred. “But not right now `cause I can tell you still hurt.” He reluctantly withdrew before he gave himself another erection; as it was, he was already half-aroused just by washing her body. He had the feeling that now that he'd had one taste of her, he'd never be satisfied until he could consume her, over and over again. “You gonna go back again?” he questioned.

“You don't want to look for shards?”

She seemed very surprised at this, and he shrugged and muttered, “Too damn hot for shard hunting. Besides…I thought you might wanna…rest up a little.” And heal from whatever damage he'd caused her, he also meant, before he gave in to his body's demands and mated her all over again. She seemed genuinely touched by his concern, kissing him softly in thanks.

They withdrew from each others grasp and Kagome trudged to the shore where her things lay, dressing gingerly and throwing everything haphazardly into the pack. She left the food out, though. “Um…Inuyasha,” she began hesitantly, watching as he examined the ramen cups. He grunted a reply. “It's hot as blazes over in my time, too, and the heat wave is supposed to last all week,” she continued. Another grunt. Kagome rolled her eyes, realizing that at times Inuyasha reminded her very much of her brother. And considering what she'd just experienced with him, that wasn't exactly someone she cared to be reminded of. “Anyway, this is a nice area to go swimming in,” she continued, “so I'll probably come back tomorrow. To go swimming again…”

His ear flicked in her direction as he set the cup down. “I see,” was all he said.

“I…wouldn't mind some company,” she shyly went on. “I mean…it seems a lot more fun to swim with somebody than by yourself, doesn't it?”

His ear flicked again. “Depends,” he grunted.

She blinked at him, slightly wounded that he hadn't jumped at the chance to accept her not-so-subtle invite. “On what?” she pouted.

She saw him glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and a definite smirk twitched at his lips as he replied casually, “On whether or not you forget to bring that silly suit thing with you again.”

She stared at him for a moment, stunned speechless. Was Inuyasha actually flirting with her? Her shock melted into a warm smile and she released an amused chuckle, shaking her head fondly. “I'm sure that can be arranged,” she assured him. Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck from behind, hugging him tightly before she kissed his cheek softly and released him, snatching up her pack and making her way back toward the well. Inuyasha, a small grin still twitching around his lips, watched her disappear into the trees, then glanced back at the water.

It had been a good idea, he decided, to have widened this part of the river and line it with those rocks all those years ago, when he'd decided to dig out his own private bathing area where he could relax and swim in peace. All that hard work he'd put into it - if for no other reason than to ease his own eternal boredom - had paid off in ways that he'd never expected. Hell, if he'd known this would have occurred, he'd have found a way to lure Kagome there a lot sooner than that…never mind the promise he'd made to himself to keep her at arm's length.

This was, however, one promise that he was looking forward to breaking, over and over again. It now seemed to him rather stupid to have made it in the first place, since he felt more protective toward Kagome now than he'd ever had before he claimed her. One thing was for certain. He couldn't wait for tomorrow, and he had the distinct feeling that neither could she.

This impression was heightened when the object of his desires abruptly reappeared from the trees again, shedding pack and clothes as she hurled herself into his surprised arms, knocking them both back into the river. The ramen flew every which way, as he sought to catch her, unnoticed as they fell into the water and floated away. He was too busy kissing her as she sought to wrap herself around him. “Inuyasha,” she panted against his lips, “there's still hours left to sunset, right?”

“Uhn,” he grunted, lifting her against his hips, his blood heating with desire.

“And nobody even knows I'm back, so nobody'd get suspicious, right?” she breathed, running her hands through his mane of hair, stroking his ears gently.

“No,” he groaned, feeling arousal rushing straight to his loins.

“So why not take advantage of it? It's such a beautiful day and all,” she gasped, grinding herself over his erection.

“I thought…you hurt…” he panted, holding her against him, feeling her warmth caressing his swollen member.

“I feel better,” she replied shortly, reaching down between them to fist his erection, clinging to him with one arm and both legs. “And I've been wondering…what it'd be like…to mate in the river…”

Inuyasha groaned and sank to his knees, the water rising to their chins as he opened burning eyes to fix her with a feral, hungry look. “Let's find out,” he growled, before sealing his lips over hers.

So that's just what they did.

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I'm sorry…did somebody say “plot”? What's that?

This story was edited by myself just after I finished it, so forgive any potential mistakes or overabounding cheesiness I might have missed, as it's rather difficult to edit ones own work.