Chapter Nine:

As Kagome and Inuyasha entered the city in his new, black Audi, a sense of dread swept through her. Inuyasha heard her breathing change and reached over to cup her knee with his free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze to bring her out of her pessimistic thoughts.

"Kagome, you're gonna be fine. Please stop worrying. I have another surprise for you by the way." He smiled a devious smile as he removed his hand from her knee to shift gears. Kagome didn't reply, she just looked at him from the corner of her eye trying to assess his giddy demeanor. What is he up to? She thought to herself.

Twenty minutes later, they passed by her apartment building, and when Kagome thought he was going to stop and pull into his own building, he passed it too. She watched the building go past before turning towards Inuyasha and cocking her head to the side.

"Where are we going, Inuyasha?"

His devious grin just spread wider. "You'll see." She scoffed and crossed her arms, turning to look straight ahead and pout. They drove for a few more blocks before he turned down an ally way that lined the back of a row of houses. He pulled into the driveway of the third house down. Now, Kagome was really confused. She was about to ask him where they were, but as she turned to speak, he sealed her lips with his own. Kagome relaxed in the beautiful moment of passionate contact as she pressed herself into him and gasped to allow his tongue access. He gladly plunged inside her mouth to explore its depths as if searching for the slightest way he could convey even more love and desire than he already was. The mood of the kiss went from loving to deep and passionate in a heartbeat. The scent of arousal engulfed the car, causing Inuyasha to groan in pleasure. He internally slapped himself as he pulled away panting. Kagome's chest was rising and falling rapidly as her breathing matched his; a boiling, burning fire ignited at the apex of her legs much to her surprise. How can I kiss do that to me? She thought as she tried to catch her breath.

The lust the fogged Inuyasha's eyes cleared and he smiled down at her. "Come on before I lose control." He hopped out of the car and rushed around to open her door for her. She gingerly stepped out, her thoughts reeling back to the place in question.

"Inuyasha, where are we?" He grabbed her hand and smiled as he dragged her up the steps of the porch and to the back door. It was a tall, skinny, three storied white house with a wrap-around porch and white wicker rocking chairs with blue cushions on the back porch. From the back, it looked like a quaint little home; she instantly loved it, but who's house was this?

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a different set of keys than around his car keys. He fumbled through the different ones until he pulled out a single gold key and placed it in the door. He unlocked the door, opened it then extended his arm ushering Kagome to go in and check it out. She stood still just looking at him with a quizzical look. Slowly, but surly, she stepped into the house. The first room was a kitchen, simple enough. Plenty of counter space covered in granite, a stainless steel front refrigerator with a matching stove and microwave. All the appliances were brand new. The sink was also stainless steel with two sides and very deep. Kagome walked over to it to look out the window above it. Through the translucent white curtains that were pulled to the side, Kagome could see the side yard; a single oak tree with a tire swing hanging from it stood close to the wooden privacy fence that lined the property. She shook herself from the daydreams of children playing happily in the picturesque setting to turn back to Inuyasha. She opened her for Inuyasha to speak first.

"Yeah. This is where we live now. I actually bought the block out so we'd know all out neighbors." He flashed a beautiful, big, loving smile as her eyes softened without losing their curiosity. "Come on. Look around." He reached out his hand and she crossed the room to place hers in it, allowing him to pull her through each room. There was a on open space where a bar rested on the other side of the kitchen, connecting the open space of the doorway that led to living room. She was happy to see her couch and a matching recliner with a much nicer coffee table and end tables than her own positioned in front of large entertainment system with a huge flat screen TV. He pulled her towards the stairs, but instead of ascending them just yet, they walked through the doorway beside them to reveal a spacious den with more couches and chairs positioned around a fireplace. As they continued to walk, she couldn't help the daydream the turned the room into a Christmas scene; the fireplace glowing as several stockings hung overhead, the tree twinkling with numerous presents stuffed underneath it and faint childish laughter ringing in her ears. Inuyasha's voice brought her back to reality once again. "This was all spur of the moment decorating so if you want to change anything, feel free." He smiled at her as the entered another room with a huge mahogany dinning room table under a crystal chandelier. It was quite lavish, contrasting their humble abode. They continued to walk through another doorway and were in the kitchen again. "And now the upstairs," Inuyasha announced proudly as he pulled her to the staircase.

They walked up the wooden steps to the second story. It was a carpeted hallway with several doors lining the way. Inuyasha opened each one to reveal three bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the rooms had Kagome's bed in it, and a look of disappointment flashed over her face briefly; not too briefly for Inuyasha to miss it. "This isn't your room, it's just where I put your bed. I know you like it and all, but my bed's way more comfortable. You'll see." He grinned as he finished showing her to two hall closets and laundry room before opening the final door to reveal another set of stairs. He escorted her up them after flicking on the light switch. Before reaching the top, he stopped and turned to her. "Close your eyes," he said, a look a excitement in his eyes.

"What are you up too?" Kagome asked with a smile as she complied to his demand. He led her up the remaining steps carefully. Kagome tried to listen intently to pick up any clues but it was fairly silent. She heard a door open once they had stopped climbing, and suddenly, Inuyasha was behind her with his hands over her eyes, using his chest to gently push her forward into the room.

"You ready?" She nodded, frantic to see what the surprise was. "Ok. I hope you like it." He released his hands' hold over her eyes. "Open," he breathed into her ear. Her eyes shot open to take in her surroundings. She gasped at the beauty. The room what mostly white; beautiful paintings lined the walls, spaced out perfectly symmetrical. The bed was directly across from the door; it was massive and covered with a big black comforter that was begging Kagome to come to it, it looked so comfortable. She ignored the bed's plea and gazed around the room more. Two black side tables framed the bed and a black ottoman rested at the end. To the left of the bed was a set of doors, glass in the center, revealing a small balcony beyond them. There was a black dresser on the left wall; a matching chest-of-drawers next to it. On the right wall, two doors were closed in the corner and black vanity rested perfectly in the center. On the same wall as the door, there was a black entertainment system with a TV resting inside it. Kagome stepped further into the room, speechless. She turned to Inuyasha with faint tears brimming her eyes.

"It's perfect," she whispered as he stepped closer to her. She threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly. "Perfect," she repeated, even softer than before.

"I'm glad you like it. If you wanna change anything, feel free. A lot of this stuff was in my old room and the rest of the furniture matched so what the hell." He chuckled. "Come on. I think you'll like the bathroom." He pulled her to the door on the right hand side of the vanity. He opened it to reveal a bathroom straight out of the Greek god's palace. It was white marble, with two sinks and a huge mirror. There was a jecuzzi tub in the right corner and a shower next to it. There was another door that was open revealing where the toilet was, along with another sink. The walls were all mirrors, causing Kagome to see herself in at least twenty different angles. She shook her head in awe.

"You're right. I like it. Actually," she turned to face him, "I love it." He smiled and ushered her out of the bathroom to show off the walk-in closet that was the door on the left side of the vanity. All her clothes had already been moved and it looked like some new ones had been added. She smiled seeing her clothes on one side and Inuyasha's on the other. He had really outdone himself. She beamed up at him with a smile that could light up all of Tokyo for a year it was so bright. "You're truly something, you know that?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a sweet, short kiss of gratitude on his lips. He breathed in her scent as it relaxed him so.

"I'm glad you like it. I felt like we needed a bit more a change than just you moving into my apartment. This place is ours." He leaned down and kissed her again. He could feel happiness radiating from her, which made him all the more happy in return. She moved slightly from his embrace and grabbed his hand as she headed towards the balcony.

"I want to see the view. Then the front of the house." She giggled at the thought of not knowing what her own house looked like from the front. They stepped outside to be met with a cool rush of fresh air that whipped around them as a gentle breeze brushed their skin. It was a beautiful day today. She stepped up to the railing and looked out at the suburban streets below. The houses around them looked to be the same design as theirs, but they were each unique in a way. Some only had a small front porch, others didn't have a balcony. Kagome looked down at their yard to see another big oak tree standing alone on the right side of the walkway that she could only guess led to the front door. She turned back to Inuyasha, taking in the balcony before meeting his eyes. Two blue Adirondack chairs sat high enough for one to see over the balcony but not tall enough to see anything below; a small, round glass table sat in between them. Kagome smiled Inuyasha as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back inside; she giggled whole heartily as she wiggled in a playful attempt to get down.

He closed the door to the balcony with his foot and threw Kagome onto the bed. She squealed with laughter as she landed on the cushiony surface. She propped herself up with her hands and the blanket that had been calling her name caressed her palm, confirming her previous suspicions of how comfortable it was going to be; the mattress was also kindly supporting Kagome's backside as if explaining how right Inuyasha was about his bed being more comfortable.

Inuyasha pulled his shoes off and stepped up to the side of the bed Kagome's feet tangled off of; he slowly removed her shoes and cast them on the floor next to his own. One knee was placed on the bed between Kagome's legs, followed by one hand, then the other, then the other knee as he slowly crawled on top of her to be inches away from her face. The look in his eyes lit a fire in the pit of Kagome's stomach as her body began to crave his touch, his embrace, his kiss… him. She raised her right hand to gentle brush his cheek as it moved to cradle his face in her palm before sliding to the back of his head and pulling him into one of their unforgettable, undeniable kisses. The feel of his soft lips against hers sent electricity crackling through her body like lightening had struck them both. Her other hand joined to tangle her fingers into his hair as he thrust his tongue inside her mouth and deepened the kiss. He lowered her back to the bed as his hands began to trace her sides, one stopping at her hip, the other moving up and down her slowly. He didn't want to push Kagome too far but his beast was growing excited as his pants became tighter in the front. He broke the kiss to allow her some air as he placed of trail of light kisses from the corner of her mouth, down her jaw line, the side of her neck, stopping at the spot where her neck meets her shoulder to suckle and nip, causing her body to shiver with delight as a low moan escaped her lips. He was about to move further and allow his hands to begin to work on her breast when the doorbell rang, shattering their moment. With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha raised up from where he rested on top of Kagome.

"Our friends are here to welcome us to the neighborhood," he said with a disappointing tone. She giggled at his obvious frustration, though she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel the same.

"Wait, what do you mean 'welcome us to the neighborhood?'" Kagome asked.

"I told you, I bout out this row of houses. Now Sango and Miroku live to the right of us, Kirara and Shippo live to the left, Sesshomaru and Rin live across the street, and Koga and Ayame live to the right of them. Well Sesshomaru's not too happy about living somewhere so small but he agreed to it when Rin begged him." Inuyasha snorted. "Oh, and Sango's little brother and some of his friends live next to her. She wanted to be able to keep them in check when they throw their freshman parties." He chuckled loudly at the thought of the young kids trying to buy alcohol and impress girls fresh out of high school.

Kagome's eyes were wide with surprise and excitement. She threw herself at Inuyasha, tackling him to the floor as she squealed with delight. "THIS IS AWESOME! I was a little upset at not living as close to them anymore when you wanted me to live with you but now I can see them whenever I want! Oh, thank you Inuyasha! You're the best!"

He laughed as he tightened his hold around her and rolled her over on the floor so he was on top of her again. "Anything to make you happy and keep you safe, Kagome." He leaned down and began to kiss her when the doorbell rang once again. He groaned as he lifted himself off the ground and helped her up. They raced each other down the stairs; Inuyasha cheated when he slid down the banister but him falling to the ground with a crash made Kagome feel better. She swung the door open still giggling at Inuyasha's goofy misfortune and was greeted by her four best friends, their men still standing in the yard.

They squealed and tackled Kagome as a whole, all five of them landing on Inuyasha who was trying to get up from his fall. A load thud could be heard from the street and after the high pitched shrieks of the girls had settled, the men calmly came inside.

"Oh I'm so happy to see you guys! How awesome is this?!" Kagome exclaimed as she led her friends inside to sit in the living room. Inuyasha was rubbing his head as he and the guys walked into the kitchen to make some coffee and escape their squealing better halves.

"I know! It's so freaking awesome! We always said we wanted to live next door to each other!" Sango beamed.

"I know! If only Inuyasha knew about your plan to have a swimming pool spread over both your backyards." Rin laughed.

"Really," Kirara agreed.

"We'll have to see what we can do about that." Kagome smiled wickedly at her best friend.

"Indeed. Don't forget I get the diving board end."

The girls just laughed together and caught up with their lives since the last time they had seen each other. The men watched from the kitchen at the entertaining display that was the female nature.

"So you're getting a pool, brother?" Sesshomaru smirked at the girls ridiculous planning. Inuyasha just shook his head.

"We'll see." He took a sip of his coffee, never taking his eyes off Kagome. He immediately lost himself in his thoughts of how much he cared about this girl. She was all he could see when he closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was unnerved unless she was right there. Is this really what love was? It felt more like an obsession.

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru's voice brought him out of his cloud of thought.

"What?"

"I asked you how you two have been. Sessh said you weren't mated yet." Miroku asked before sipping his coffee.

"So what?" Inuyasha defended.

"So are you planning on mating?" Koga asked.

"Yes, are you? I know you didn't make a separate bedroom for her." Sesshomaru so smugly added.

"I did."

"No. You didn't. You have guest bedrooms but her clothes are in your room. I know. I put them there." Sesshomaru stated flatly. Inuyasha cut him a glare through narrowed eyes.

"We haven't talked about it yet. She's not ready."

"You haven't even brought it up?!" Shippo whispered rather loudly. He was shocked at all the trouble Inuyasha had gone through to possibly be turned down by Kagome. "What are you gonna do when she says no?"

Inuyasha's eyes developed a coldness comparable to Sesshomaru's as he glared at Shippo. In fact, if you couldn't tell they were brothers before, you definitely saw it through this look. "She won't say no. I hope not at least. Anyway, she's going through some things and I'm not trying to spring this on her to have even more on her plate so just drop it." He let out a small growl to let the fox demon know he was overstepping his bounds.

"Still, you should talk to her about it. Your beast is going to get anxious soon and if it accidentally takes over because it can't take anymore, it could hurt Kagome. Have you thought about that?" Sesshomaru always knew best, dammit. Inuyasha looked down at his feet, contemplating his half brother's words.

"I'll talk to her about it soon. Now get off my back!" Inuyasha snapped at the group. Before Sesshomaru could retort with another snide comment, commotion from the living room interrupted their discussion.

"YOU PERVERT!"

*CRASH*

They looked up to see Miroku was unconscious on the floor with a seething Sango standing over him. His face was red and swollen on one side and the smug bastard had a smile on his face. Somehow, he had slipped into the living room to grope his girlfriend's posterior and was now suffering the consequences.

"OOO he makes me so mad! Can't take him anywhere I swear!" Sango had steam coming out of her ears. "I better get him home before he wakes up and has to face the wrath of someone other than me." She grabbed his foot and started dragging him towards the door.

"Yeah we should be going. We need to get dinner started." Ayame chimed in as Koga came walking out of the kitchen with the rest of the men. Everyone decided to take their leave to give Inuyasha and Kagome some alone time to enjoy their house.

"Ok guys. I'm glad you stopped by. Don't be a stranger." Kagome grinned as she waved from her front door. Once everyone was gone, she closed it and turned around to find Inuyasha. He was still in the same spot in the kitchen from when he was chatting with the guys earlier. He was staring into space, lost in thought.

"Inuyasha." Kagome called as she waved her hand in front of his face. The fog over his golden pools lifted as he shook himself back into reality.

"I'm sorry, you same something Kagome?"

"What's on you mind? You're thinking so deeply, it must be important." He set his cup on the counter and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to his chest. He kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on it as he slightly swayed, enjoying the feel of her warmth.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about me." Though he couldn't' see her face for her head being tucked under his chin, he felt her frown. She pushed back slightly to look up into his eyes to search for the answer to her question or whether or not he was lying maybe?

"Talk to me please," she pleaded as she tried her best to convince him with her determined eye contact. Like always, he got lost in the incredibly deep chocolate pools. With a long sigh he looked up at the ceiling before looking back down at her, smiling slightly though his eyes evoked a sadness of some type.

"It's nothing I want to bother you with right now. You have enough on your plate you know." He hoped that answer would deter her from further questioning.

"Inuyasha," she warned. Well, this is Kagome they were talking about. Of course she wouldn't give up easily on this one.

"Fine." He had to phrase this very gently so she didn't freak out and try to push him away like she always did when she felt cornered. "Don't worry, it's nothing that needs to be handled right now. In fact, I figure even if you say yes, it'll be a LONG time before you decide you want too, I guess I'm just contemplating the possibility that you might… what I'm trying to say is will you… I mean… Ugh!" So much for perfect phrasing Inuyasha you doof. "You know I love you right?" he asked a little too tersely as his frustration got the better of him. She gave him a confused look as to why he was pointing out the obvious. She nodded her head in compliance, though. "And you love me, right?" His voice was softer this time, sweeter. Her eyes softened and a smile graced her lips as she nodded again. "That's basically what I'm thinking about. Just, how far do you want our love to go in time?" he asked in almost a whisper as his eyes bore into her, searching for any hint of fear or rejection or doubt. He was surprised when he saw sadness. "No! I mean, I just want to know how you feel because I could do this forever, for the rest of our days, and-" she silenced him with a her index finger pressed to his lips. Her secret smile was back and she looked up at him with all-knowing eyes.

"Inuyasha Tasho, are you asking me if I would want to be your mate? Hypothetically of course." She smiled at him to let him know the teasing in her voice wasn't mocking but playful. He stared back at her, wide eyed and holding his breath as he nodded ever so slightly. "Well, if you were to ask such a question, I would probably, hypothetically, accept whole-heartedly." His mouth stretched into a genuine smiled beneath her finger as his laugh-lines appeared and his eyes squinted with excitement. He playfully bit her finger before taking her face in between his hands and kissing her passionately in their kitchen. He had been searching for her his entire life, and now that he had her, he wasn't ever going to let go. He was head over heels in love with Kagome Higurashi, and it felt good.