InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Lecture ❯ SNAKE! er ... snake? ( Chapter 4 )

So, guess what, this will be the last chapter of The Lecture. Woohoo!!! Thank you to ALL who have written to let me know how much you're enjoying my stories!!! Don't worry, the next arc after this is already in the works!! Promise!!! :D

I do have to thank His Lordship Chaos for one of the ideas in this fic. Muchos thank yous!!! :D

Yup, don't own Inu Yasha, never have, never will … dammit.

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Inu Yasha grumbled from his side of the tree. "This is stupid."

"It is not! And we wouldn't have this problem if you hadn't dropped me in the lake to begin with." Kagome called from the opposite side of the large tree. Her clothes were arranged on a nearby branch drying. Inu Yasha's were on a branch on his side of the tree.

"Well, if you hadn't dunked me in the water too, I could have gotten us back to the village tonight."

"Well if you hadn't dunked me in the first … Inu Yasha?"

Inu Yasha tensed at the tone in her voice, "What is it?"

"Do you have poisonous snakes around here?"

Inu Yasha blinked, "Why?"

"Because there's one staring at my hand with an expression that can only mean "lunch."

Inu Yasha was around the tree in a heartbeat. He grabbed Kagome to him, pulling her back and away from the snake hanging from the branch her clothing was on. He looked at the snake and started to laugh. "Kagome, it's a harmless tree snake! At the most it was going to gum your thumb. They don't even have teeth!" Inu Yasha laughed harder, the relief at Kagome being safe and her being afraid of something so harmless making him oblivious to the danger he was getting himself into.

"Inu Yasha …"

Inu Yasha froze and looked up, terror in his face. "Now, Kagome, you have to admit it was sorta funny."

Kagome cracked her knuckles and whispered, "Sit, Inu Yasha."

He promptly did so. Face first.

He was up in a heart beat and grabbed her by the shoulders, "Would you stop that?!?! You abuse it!!!"

"I do not. You just need to learn to behave." Kagome replied primly.

"Like some pet dog?"

Kagome gasped and her eyes searched Inu Yasha's face, "No. Why would you ever think that Inu Yasha? You are not some pet dog."

Inu Yasha looked down, hiding his eyes with his hair, his hands gripping her shoulders didn't move, "No? So then, what exactly am I Kagome?"

Kagome swallowed, "What do you mean?" She hoped he didn't notice how difficult it was for her to get her voice to even work.

"What am I to you?"

Kagome blushed and looked down. It was her turn to want to hide. "I … care about you a lot Inu Yasha. You …"

Kagome shifted again, her hands tangling together, fidgeting.

"How much?"

Kagome tensed, "How much, what?" The words came out in a little strained whisper.

"How much do you care?"

Kagome opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She could feel tears burning the backs of her eyes. "What do you care?"

"Please …"

Kagome took a shuddering breath, and as she spoke, a tear finally escaped to trace a path down her cheek, "I love you, Inu Yasha. I have for a long time." She took another breath and continued in a rush, "But I don't expect anything from you! I just … it's enough to be near you!"

Inu Yasha's hands tightened on her shoulders.

"I tried so hard. Inu Yasha, I really did." Kagome looked down at the ground. "I mean, I know you love Kikyo. I know she was there first. I just … can't compete with that. I wouldn't want to try. Just promise me something Inu Yasha. Promise me you'll be happy. If I know that, it'll be ok." Kagome lifted her face and smiled at him, tears trailed down her face unchecked. "God, look at me, I'm probably such a mess." Kagome tried to lift her arm to wipe at her ears, but Inu Yasha's hand stopped her.

Slowly he reached up and wiped at her cheek with the palm of his hand, the other squeezing her shoulder in what almost felt like a comforting gesture.

Slowly Inu Yasha's face lowered to gaze into her eyes. The shadows slowly lifted and she was able to see everything in the golden depths that were Inu Yasha's eyes. She gasped at what she saw there, so many emotions swirling around. And then, she forgot everything as he whispered against her lips, "Please don't cry Kagome …"

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized Inu Yasha was kissing her. Her first real kiss. She was tense for a long moment, then slowly relaxed against him and that was when she finally realized.

"Inu Yasha!!! You're naked!!!!" She pulled away from the kiss a little as she gasped this.

Inu Yasha blinked away the emotions of the moment, then blushed all over and leapt behind the nearby bush. "You better not have seen anything wench!!!"

Kagome raised an eyebrow, "I didn't see anymore than you've ever seen of me."

A branch tossed in her general direction was the only answer she got.

Kagome stood for a moment as she heard the rustling of cloth from Inu Yasha's direction as he pulled on his pants.

"Inu Yasha?"

"Yeah?" Inu Yasha's voice was rough as he responded.

"Nothing," Kagome stared at the ground and toyed with the grass at her feet with her bare toes.

A hand tentatively touched her cheek, drawing her face back up to gaze into a pair of golden eyes. "Kagome, I can't promise you anything. Not anything that would mean something to you. But, I can give you this promise. If, at the end of all this madness, I'm given the chance to have a life, I … Feh. I'm not good at this stuff."

Kagome just stared up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "It's ok Inu Yasha. I can wait as long as it takes."

Inu Yasha looked down at the small girl near him. He didn't even notice how exposed she was with just her undergarments on from her time. All he saw were her eyes. Deep pools he could lose himself in. Slowly, he found himself being pulled toward those eyes and watched as they slowly slid shut. His eyes only shut when he felt her lips again, needing the confirmation that she was there and this was real. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him as he reveled in the warmth of her skin. He could feel all her emotions in her kiss. He blinked when he felt a warm wetness against his face. He pulled away a little. "Kagome, why are you crying?"

"Oh, Inu Yasha, I just … I'm so afraid. I guess I've been … it's not your fault, but …"

Inu Yasha said it for her, "Kikyo."

Kagome nodded.

Inu Yasha carefully brushed some tears away with his thumb, "Kagome, if I get the chance to have a life after all of this, I would be honored if … if you would consider … that is …I know you have family and friends and tests and things, so you should think about this, but …" Inu Yasha took a deep breath, "I would like the opportunity to ask you to be my mate." He was startled when more tears started falling, "You were supposed to stop crying!!"

Kagome made a sound like a choked laugh, "Sorry … I just … Did you mean it?"

Inu Yasha nodded, "Kagome, you have to trust me though. I need to make sure Kikyo is resting in peace before I can truly be happy with you. I …guess the way to say it is, I want you, but I have a responsibility to Kikyo first. It isn't fair to you if part of me is consumed with another responsibility. Can you trust me?"

Kagome smiled tremulously up at Inu Yasha. His eyes held fear and uncertainty, something she didn't see often within their depths, but also an emotion she was almost positive had to be love.

"I can trust you Inu Yasha, on one condition."

Inu Yasha winced, "And that is?"

Kagome smiled, "You let me help."

Inu Yasha blinked for a moment, then crushed her to him, hugging her tightly against his bare chest, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I don't deserve you."

"Too bad."

Inu Yasha smiled against her hair. "We'd better get going. By now Sango probably thinks either I killed you or you sat me so many times I can't move."

Kagome giggled against his chest and he hugged her in response to the feel of her warm breath against his skin.

"So, Inu Yasha, what exactly do we tell them?"

Kagome then had the utter glee of watching Inu Yasha's eyes widen in horror. "What … what do you mean?"

Kagome grinned, "Well, do we tell them you kissed me and got all cute and emotional?" She batted her eyes at him as she said this, giggling up at him.

Inu Yasha started slowly backing away, "I … I just did it cuz, well, cuz you were crying and you wouldn't stop and I had to stop it and …"

Kagome laughed, "How about we don't say anything and just enjoy watching them trying to figure out what happened?"

Inu Yasha slowly grinned and pulled her close again, "Ooooooooh … I like that …"

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And so ends The Lecture!!! {applause} The story will continue in my next … er … story! :D I don't know what it will be called yet. I don't really title things until after the first chapter is done, so you'll just have to watch out for it. But I can promise you they will be off on the quest once more. And there'll be great fun. :>

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