A/N: Okay, so many were shocked when I broke the news that Stay would be ending next chapter… Yeah, I know it was pretty nasty of me but I really intend to end it at chapter 23. Well, it's obvious that I haven't killed Naraku because I wanted this fanfic to be treated as a long (very loooong) episode that can be inserted in the Inuyasha series. I just did this fanfic to resolve the love triangle between Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyou. I really didn't plan to kill Naraku in this fanfic because I still don't have enough information to do an ultimate conclusion on the whole Inuyasha series. So after you read this, you can still go and imagine all the adventures they'll be having afterwards! That's good enough, right?

Inuyasha/Kagome fluff for all of you! I hope you like it! This will be my last author's note for Stay and I really want to thank all of you for reading my work and bearing with me! Thanks for patiently waiting for my delayed updates and for tolerating any typos, wrong spelling and grammatical errors I've committed throughout this fanfic. Also, thanks for all the wonderful reviews that made me improve pretty much, made me cry and laugh at the same time and even made me think about something… It's really nice to think from time to time. Hehe… Even those e-mails that I receive just to say hi! I really appreciated all of those stuffs! Another big thanks to all of the people out there who placed me in their favorite authors list and authors alert list and my story in their favorite stories list! It's been a great honor for me! Thank you very much for everything! You've been great company for almost two years of writing this fanfic!

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Disclaimer: For the last time in this fanfic, I'm going to say it. Nope, Inuyasha is not mine. But I think Rumiko Takahashi has already agreed—okay… I'm shutting up already to get on with the epilogue… Wait! The song in this chapter isn't mine either. It just fits Inuyasha and Kagome so I decided to put it there. It's a lovely song. –smiles sweetly-

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Chapter 23 (Epilogue)

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Kagome suddenly woke up and found herself staring at the ceiling. There was no light inside the room but she could still make out her surroundings. She cringed her eyes then looked again. She sighed mentally when the room didn't change. She was definitely not inside that creepy room again—the room where Naraku had kept her when he had kidnapped her. She looked around and saw everyone sleeping peacefully. Kaede was sleeping on her usual place inside the hut. Miroku and Sango also rested in their respective places—with a good distance between them. Shippou slept together with Kirara, who was curled beside Sango contentedly.

And Inuyasha?

Kagome smiled softly when her eyes laid on her beloved hanyou. She shifted her position and rested on her side so she could look at him comfortably. There he was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed, slumbering quietly. She didn't know why she always felt good when she watched Inuyasha sleeping. She loved to watch Inuyasha sleep; she preferred doing that than sleeping herself. Perhaps it was because she seldom saw Inuyasha sleep or perhaps she found it amusing that a hotheaded, violent hanyou could actually look calm in some circumstances. One of those must be the reason plus he really looked cute when he was sleeping.

Her smile even got wider when she remembered Inuyasha's promise. "He kept his promise!" She thought happily.

"You're not leaving me, right?" She asked.

"I'm not leaving, Kagome. Just go to sleep." Inuyasha replied.

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

Inuyasha didn't usually sleep with them inside the hut when they stayed at Kaede's village so Kagome was really glad when he did. "I guess he's really afraid to have his back broken." But she was still happy anyway. He stayed when she asked him to, that was something special to her.

She continued to stare at him silently, contented and grateful that he had stayed. Quite occupied with her thoughts about the snowy white-haired boy dozing in front of her, she began to hum a song that she had known since she was little—and now she realized how that song reflected her feelings.

"If I never knew you

I'd be safe but half as real

Never knowing I could feel

A love so strong and true

I'm so grateful to you

I had lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you…"

She stood up, trying to be quiet as much as possible, and made her way towards the exit. She was tired of sleeping so she decided to take a look at the stars outside and have a breath of fresh air too. She always loved to watch the night sky, especially when there were a lot of stars.

"Wow…" She gasped softly at the beautiful star-filled sky above her. The stars that night were plenty and all of them were shining brightly to Kagome's delight—pretty much like diamonds sprinkled on a black cloth. The moon was bright and round, illuminating a fair amount of light too.

"What do you think are you doing?"

Kagome slightly jumped at the sudden voice but calmed down immediately. She knew the owner of that voice. She spun around and saw Inuyasha standing behind her. "Inuyasha! Don't go surprising me like that!" She scolded him, keeping her voice down so she wouldn't disturb anyone.

"Keh! I was just asking you!" He defended, narrowing his eyes at her.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked, dismissing their previous conversation. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I should ask you the same question!" He replied. "Do you know that it's pretty late already?!"

"I was tired of sleeping. I've been sleeping the whole day! I need to move my muscles." She explained, massaging her arms lightly. "Besides, I also like to watch the sky." She added, looking up at the sky once more. She heard Inuyasha sigh behind her.

"Come." Inuyasha said, standing beside Kagome.

"But I don't want to go back inside yet." Kagome whined, pouting a little.

"Who said we're going back inside?" Inuyasha said, squatting to offer his back to Kagome. "Come on."

Kagome was confused but she clambered onto Inuyasha's back.

Inuyasha wasted no time and began to speed away from the village.

"Inuyasha, where are we going?" Kagome asked while they passed by more houses silently like they were thieves trying to escape.

"You said you wanted to watch the sky." He replied to Kagome.

Still, Kagome didn't understand Inuyasha's point. "I was already doing that before we left." She told him.

"I know," said Inuyasha. "But it's better here." He stopped on top of a hill that was overlooking the whole village. He carefully put Kagome down and said, "You can see more sky here."

It was true. Kagome could practically see all of the village houses and the planting fields. The sky seemed wider there and the landscape was breathtaking. Even though the whole place was dim, the stars made it look very enticing. She turned to stare at Inuyasha with astonishment and gratitude in her eyes. "He really brought me here just so I can watch the sky?" She thought, appreciating the sweet deed Inuyasha had done for her. "He's really unpredictable sometimes…" She could feel her heart beating faster and her stomach seemed to be filled with fluttering butterflies."Um, thank you…" She said, blushing slightly. She looked down at the grass awkwardly so she didn't have to look at Inuyasha. She could feel that she was blushing even more and she didn't want Inuyasha to see that.

Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome's blush because he was busy trying to hide his own blush when Kagome had thanked him. "Keh! It's not like I did something special." He said defensively, crouching on the grass-covered floor.

"But you did." Kagome thought, glancing at the hanyou from the corner of her eyes. She sat down beside Inuyasha and looked up at the night sky. "Do you often come here?" She asked curiously while her eyes stayed fixed on the stars above.

Sensing that Kagome's eyes weren't turned to him, Inuyasha turned his head to look at Kagome. "Not really. I just go here when I want to be alone." "And when you're on the other side of the well." He mentally added, tilting his head upwards to see the sky as well.

"It's pretty nice here." She said, smiling again.

Then silence. The silence wasn't deafening or irritating. It was warm and comforting. The silence between them meant understanding and contentment. Inuyasha was used to silence because he didn't like talking much but this silence was different. He liked—no, loved this silence—the peace that he found only when he was with Kagome.

"Your voice…" Inuyasha started.

"Huh?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha with puzzlement in her eyes.

Inuyasha wasn't looking at her; he just kept his eyes on the stars as he continued. "Your voice… it's nice." He said with sincerity.

"You mean…"

"I heard you singing… a while ago." Inuyasha explained then added with a slight blush on his cheeks, "I liked the song."

Kagome couldn't help the blush that was spreading all over her face. "I thought you were sleeping." She told him, shifting her gaze to the houses below them.

"I was," said Inuyasha simply. "but your voice woke me up."

"Sorry about that." She said in return.

"I wasn't really asking for an apology, you know." He said, looking at her directly with his eyes partially annoyed.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha sideways then smiled. She didn't know why but she did the moment she looked at Inuyasha. "I like that song too." She said, returning her gaze to the stars with that smile still on her lips.

If I never knew you

If I never felt this love

I would have no inkling of

How precious life can be

-

And if I never held you

I would never have a clue

How at last I'd find in you

The missing part of me

-

In this world so full of fear

Full of rage and lies

I can see the truth so clear

In your eyes

So dry your eyes

-

And I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you

Inuyasha thought about the past events that had transpired and how everything had led him closer to Kagome. Out of nowhere, a thought haunted Inuyasha's mind like a ghost. "What if I never knew Kagome?" He thought out of curiosity. "Keh! Then the Shikon no Tama wouldn't have returned, Naraku wouldn't have returned, Kikyou wouldn't have returned, I wouldn't have to go searching for stupid Shikon shards…" He glanced at the girl sitting beside him and thought, "And I'd still be fucking asleep and pinned on the Goshinboku. Alone and anguished…"

"Kagome,"

"Hm?" Kagome turned to him with a beautiful smile on her lips.

"Do you think it was better if I didn't know you?" He wanted to ask her but he already got the answer the moment he saw Kagome's smile. A smile that clearly said 'I'm glad that I'm with you, Inuyasha.' "Nothing." He said, smiling contentedly to himself.

"I thought you were about to say something…" She said, looking somewhat disappointed.

"I forgot." Inuyasha said plainly.

"Fine. Don't tell me anymore." Kagome sighed in defeat and returned to her previous musing.

If I never knew you

I'd be safe but half as real

Never knowing I could feel

A love so strong and true

-

I'm so grateful to you

I had lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you

"What if I never knew Inuyasha?" Kagome thought, taking a quick look at the hanyou beside her. "I wouldn't be bringing the Shikon no Tama back here, I wouldn't be facing any dangerous youkais… and I would be like any normal high school girl thinking about school and how to get to college. But I know that that's not what I really want…"

"Inuyasha," She said his name to catch his attention. She needed to ask him something.

"I remember now." He said, still not looking at Kagome's direction.

"Huh?"

"The thing I was going to tell you." His eyes glanced sideways to check if Kagome was listening. Of course, she was. She always listened when he had something to say. "Well, most of the time." Inuyasha thought. This time, he turned his head towards her so that his eyes were looking straight at her. "I'm glad that I have met you." He said, a small but warm smile painted on his lips.

Kagome smiled softly at Inuyasha's words. She didn't have to ask anymore to get an answer from Inuyasha. "Me too."

I thought our love would be so beautiful

Somehow we made the whole world bright

-

I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong

All they'd leave us where these whispers in the night

But still my heart is singing

We were right

"I almost forgot to return it."

When Inuyasha turned his head, Kagome's hand was outstretched to him, giving him his red haori.

"Keep it for a little longer." He told Kagome, not taking the fabric from her. "It's cold here, you'll need it. Just return it later."

Kagome murmured her thanks then replaced the warm clothing around her. She loved having Inuyasha's haori around her. It always made her feel safe and warm—like Inuyasha was hugging her. He would always give it to Kagome whenever there was danger to protect her—even if it meant that he would be hurt in return. "He always protected me… from everything. Even from Kikyou." Kagome lightly leaned her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and smiled contentedly at the starry heaven. "As long as Inuyasha's beside me, everything will be all right. I'll be safe."

If I never knew you

If I never knew this love

I would have no inkling of

How precious life can be

-

There's no moment I regret

Since the moment that we met

If our time has gone too fast

I've lived at last...

Inuyasha immediately blushed at Kagome's action but he soon relaxed when he saw the contented smile on her lips. A smile crept on his own lips as he thought, "You're safe now, Kagome. I'll never leave your side again."

He didn't notice it much before but he realized now that he was happy whenever he lent his haori to Kagome. He didn't know why exactly—probably because he felt that he was protecting her or more probably he really liked the way Kagome looked when she wore his haori. "Okay, so she does look a little cute." Inuyasha agreed to the voice speaking in his head. "And there's no fucking way that I'm going to let that wimpy wolf take her away from me." He thought possessively.

"A wishing star!" She removed her head from Inuyasha's shoulder quickly and turned to him. "Come on! Make a wish!" She said brightly.

"Keh! I don't need it! You're the one who saw it anyway." He scowled. "You should be the one making a wish." He pointed out.

"I know but I thought I'll just give it to you." She replied thoughtfully.

"I told you I don't need it." Inuyasha repeated stubbornly.

"You don't want to make a wish?"

"I don't have any." Inuyasha replied indifferently.

"You don't have any?" Kagome repeated. "How come?"

"Because I already got you." He thought but he didn't say that. "Because I don't have one, okay?!" Inuyasha snapped. "That's enough for me…"

"You wasted that wishing star!" She said, sulking a little but she cheered up after a few seconds. "Oh well, I also can't think of anything to wish for at that moment." She thought. "Maybe he really can't think of one too…"

I thought our love would be so beautiful

Somehow we'd make the whole world bright

I thought our love would be so beautiful

We'd turn the darkness into light

And still my heart is singing

We were right…

We were right

"I think it's about time that we come back." Kagome said, standing up. "Maybe we can start the quest again tomorrow morning." She added, knowing Inuyasha would be very happy to get back to business.

Inuyasha also stood up then looked at Kagome. "No, we shouldn't leave the village yet." He said.

"Why?" She asked, looking a bit surprised that Inuyasha didn't want to go shard hunting.

"Maybe the day after tomorrow. We all need some rest." He said casually, bending his knees to help Kagome get onto his back. "You need some more rest."

Kagome smiled gratefully before climbing on Inuyasha's back. "Let's come back here again some other time. I like this place a lot." She told Inuyasha. The next thing she knew, they were running swiftly back towards the village.

"I'm glad you liked it." He whispered to her.

Kagome's smile didn't vanish for the rest of their trip.

And If I never knew you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Empty as the sky

Never knowing why

Lost forever

If I never knew you

Upon arriving at Kaede's cottage, Inuyasha gently settled Kagome to her feet. "Are you sleeping again?" He asked her.

"Maybe a few hours." She answered, taking Inuyasha's haori off and giving it to him. "Are you coming inside?"

He took his haori from Kagome and wore it. "Inside?" He took a glance at the mat that covered the entrance of the hut and was surprised to see two sets of eyes peeping from inside. He blinked his eyes and the eyes were gone. "Nosy people…" He thought to himself.

"Inuyasha?"

"Okay, I'm going inside." He finally said.

"Really?" Kagome sounded overjoyed.

"Yeah." He said and walked inside. He paused a moment to look around the room before he went to his previous spot on the corner.

Kagome went to her sleeping bag and lay down.

"Don't plan to go outside anymore, okay?"

Kagome smiled. "Good night too, Inuyasha." And she slept peacefully once again.

-

Morning came and Inuyasha wasn't in the hut anymore. Kaede went outside to give some offerings at the shrine and to visit her sister's grave. Kagome and Shippou were still asleep while Miroku and Sango were preparing breakfast.

"I told you Inuyasha was with Kagome-sama last night." Miroku said knowingly to Sango then smiled lecherously. "I wonder what they did the whole evening…"

"Eh?!" Sango blushed instantly. "What are you thinking about?! We're talking about Inuyasha and Kagome-chan here!"

"So what? Now that Inuyasha has finally resolved his feelings, I don't think there's nothing wrong if—"

"So you were spying on us! You lecherous bouzu!" Inuyasha angrily barged in, pointing an accusing finger at Miroku.

Miroku gently pushed Inuyasha's finger aside and said, "Now, now, Inuyasha. We were just concerned about Kagome-sama. We thought that she might be in trouble again."

"You were thinking of something else." He stated matter-of-factly, knowing Miroku very well.

"Of course not, Inuyasha!" He denied, trying to look hurt by Inuyasha's words. "But do tell me Inuyasha, did you finally get to—"

"Agh! Shut up!!!" Inuyasha hurriedly interrupted, turning his back to them. "I'm getting out of here!"

"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku held Inuyasha's sleeve to stop him from leaving. "You don't need to be shy about it…"

"Shy about what?" Kagome asked while she wiped sleep from her eyes. "Good morning everyone!" She greeted brightly.

Miroku released Inuyasha's sleeve that made him crash to the floor. "Okay, Inuyasha, you can go now. We'll just ask Kagome-sama about the details." He said, turning his interest towards Kagome.

"Details?" The young miko looked at Miroku's excited face then to Sango's 'Miroku's-doing-it-again' face then to Inuyasha's extremely horrified face. "Details about what?"

Of course, Miroku was more than glad to answer Kagome. "About what you and Inu—"

Before Miroku could complete his statement, Inuyasha quickly placed his hand over his mouth and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?!" He asked, blushing terribly.

"Inuwathya, I khent bweadh." Miroku said even with Inuyasha's hand over his mouth.

"You can breath through your nose!" He retorted.

"I twougt gyou thwer lheabhing?"

"I changed my mind." He said. "Now shut up and don't ask stupid questions, okay?" He gave Miroku an 'Agree or Die' look so Miroku wasn't left with much choice.

"Ofhay."

Inuyasha took his hand off and sat on the floor beside Miroku, looking very relieved.

Miroku placed his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and said happily, "So I guess I'll just have to ask you some other time, right?"

Inuyasha immediately showed his sharp claws to Miroku and growled.

"But then again, maybe not." He quickly said while laughing nervously and edging away from Inuyasha.

Kagome didn't have a single clue of what their conversation was all about. She looked at Sango quizzically and asked, "Sango-chan, what exactly are we talking about here? Miroku-sama said he was going to ask me about details… details on what?"

"Details? Oh yeah, details!" Sango said, trying to keep it cool even though she could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her. "Details on how—um, how to cook ramen! I guess…" "Wow, that was so sensible." She thought with full sarcasm.

"Ramen?" Kagome said, not looking quite convinced.

"Of course ramen!" Miroku came to Sango's rescue. "Inuyasha loves to eat ramen and we thought of making some for him! Right, Inuyasha?" He turned to Inuyasha for some more help.

"Keh!" Inuyasha ignored him and folded his arms in front of him.

"Ungrateful bastard…" Miroku thought, throwing a glare at Inuyasha. "Well, anyway, I guess I'll just go get Kaede-sama so we can eat breakfast. Be right back!" He said, hastily rising up and going outside.

"I thought he was going to ask for the details?" Kagome said, looking at Sango questioningly.

Sango shrugged uncaringly. "Maybe he doesn't want to know anymore."

-

Everyone was silently eating his or her breakfast inside the cottage—well, except for Inuyasha and Miroku. Miroku really wanted to say something but he still hadn't managed to say one complete sentence without Inuyasha cutting him.

"Inuyasha, will you—"

"No."

"Do you—"

"No."

"I was just going to—"

"Shut up."

"Will you listen firs—"

"No."

Miroku sighed in defeat. He really wasn't going to get what he wanted from Inuyasha. He looked at Kagome and his eyes sparkled with new hope. Maybe…

"Kagome-sama can you please—"

"That's it!" Inuyasha put his bowl and chopsticks down and did the same with Kagome's. "Kagome, come with me." He stood up and took Kagome with him outside.

"Hey! But I'm not yet finished eating!!!" Kagome's protest could be heard from outside as Inuyasha continued to drag her.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" Miroku called out to them.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!!"

-

Back inside the hut, all of them looked at the direction of the exit with bewilderment etched on their faces.

"What happened just now?" Shippou asked; his food had been suspended halfway to his mouth.

"I don't have any idea…" Kaede said, returning to her food.

"What's Inuyasha's problem? I was just trying to ask him to hand me the plate of fish." Miroku said, looking clueless like the others.

Silence for two seconds then Sango giggled.

-

"Inuyasha, can you tell me why we are here?" Kagome asked curiously after spending ten minutes of silence in the same hill they had visited last night. It was not far away from the village but still far enough from prying eyes of any meddlesome villagers.

"And Miroku." Inuyasha added mentally. After hearing Kagome's question, he didn't move or open his eyes. He just continued to lie down on the soft grass with his hands at the back of his head.

"Inuyasha!"

"Shish Kagome! Will you keep your voice down? I can hear you, okay?!" He finally spoke, scratching his head but still not opening his eyes.

"How will I know when you're not answering me?!" She argued, throwing annoyed glares at Inuyasha. "Aren't we going back to finish breakfast?" She asked.

"I thought you wanted to go here again." He said.

"It would have been better if we went here after I finished my breakfast." She said, looking at him sourly.

At last, Inuyasha opened his amber eyes and looked at Kagome seriously.

"What?" Kagome demanded, still very annoyed with him.

"You're so hard to please." He said then turned his gaze to the bright blue sky.

"And you're such an annoying jerk." She replied with pure honesty.

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear Kagome because he didn't answer anymore—or maybe he was ignoring her.

"Why do I have to be stuck with him this morning?!" She grumbled in her head. Finally getting tired of doing nothing but glower at the hanyou resting next to her, she also allowed herself to recline on the inviting, green meadow. She also looked at the sky and began to lighten up. It was such a nice day. The white clouds floating on the peaceful blue heavens looked very soft and comfortable. Kagome began to wonder how it would feel to be able to sleep on those clouds. "Maybe… it isn't bad to be stuck with him after all…" She thought, turning her head to look at Inuyasha, who was lying beside her. As soon as she did, she found herself looking into Inuyasha's eyes. Her cheeks turned red at once and she found out that she couldn't look away from him. Her eyes seemed to be magnetized to Inuyasha's golden yellow orbs.

"Are you still mad at me?" Inuyasha asked, looking doubtful.

Kagome would have managed to giggle at how much Inuyasha looked like a little lost puppy but she was still busy trying to stop herself from blushing. "No—well, not anymore." She managed to say.

"Good." Inuyasha smiled in relief at her.

Kagome smiled back before returning her gaze at the sky.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?" She looked at Inuyasha again only to find that he hadn't taken his eyes off her yet.

"I'm sorry about leaving you again that night..." His eyes reflected his true emotions and Kagome clearly saw that Inuyasha was truly sorry.

"It's okay…" She smiled to reassure him. "You've returned to me, so it's okay."

"How come you always say it's okay?"

"Because it is okay. I'm so glad that you're alive." Her eyes lingered for a moment before she looked up at the clouds again. "You really made me worry… when you blocked that arrow."

"Well, you made me worry too! You were actually just standing there!" Inuyasha said, also looking at the sky. "I was scared when I thought that you might die…"

"I thought you already decided to go with Kikyou..." Her reply was soft as she remembered that night.

"You always love to jump into stupid conclusions!" He scolded her.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, I'll try to lessen them; don't worry." She told him.

"You should or I'm going to get mad at you." He said determinedly. "And promise me one thing." He added.

"What is it?"

"Promise me you wouldn't go blocking arrows for me anymore." Inuyasha told her. "It's pretty scary, you know."

"Only if you promise me you'd do the same." She countered. "You don't have much good luck in dodging them, you know."

"Forget I said anything." He said. "Of course I can't promise that. Whenever you're in danger, I'll be there for you. Who cares about damn luck?!"

"No promises made then." She said with a triumphant smile. "I want to protect you too, Inuyasha. Let me." "Can I tell you something?" She asked, looking directly at him.

Inuyasha turned his head as well to look at her and waited for what she had to say. His eyes looked quite interested that he kept them connected with Kagome's warm brown eyes.

"Remember the moment you stopped that arrow from hitting me?" She started.

"How could I forget? That hurt like hell!" Inuyasha told her, rolling his eyes.

"So you do remember." She concluded, ignoring his jesting. Inuyasha was still looking at her with high interest, maybe because he didn't know where she was leading him. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I still haven't told you my answer."

"Answer?" One of Inuyasha's eyebrows was raised and his face told Kagome that he was still clueless. "Did I ask a question?" He asked hesitantly.

Was he really that dense? Kagome knew Inuyasha was never good in picking up clues here and there to come up with a complete idea. He always needed to be given the thought directly. "I love you, idiot! There! That's my answer!" Kagome said in frustration.

Inuyasha blinked, eyes wide with wonder. "Answer to what?"

"To you!" She answered hastily.

"Really?" He sounded rather amused.

"Do you really think that I hate you?" She asked, glaring a little at him.

Inuyasha smirked. "You look cute when you're pissed off." He said, his smirk widening.

"You were playing around, weren't you?" She accused, her chocolate brown eyes burning. She really wanted to wring Inuyasha's neck at that moment—or maybe twist that mouth of his so he couldn't smirk anymore.

"Maybe." He sat up and gave Kagome another arrogant smirk.

"Jerk." Kagome muttered under her breath before sitting up.

"I wasn't actually expecting any reply from you." He was all of a sudden serious again when he said those words. "I already knew that."

Kagome couldn't understand how Inuyasha managed to change his mood so fast. One moment he was this annoying, playful jerk with a matching irksome smirk on his face and the next, he'd be this serious, caring guy with beautiful amber eyes. But even if she didn't understand, she didn't care. "It's part of Inuyasha, that's all I need to know." She thought. "How did you know?"

"I heard you." Inuyasha replied in an 'Isn't-it-obvious?' voice.

"You should have said so!" Kagome exclaimed, blushing furiously. "If you did, I wouldn't have said it anymore!"

"If I did say that, I wouldn't have heard you say it again." He explained, smiling mischievously at her.

"You're so unfair. You made me say it twice but you only said it once!" She protested, pouting her lips.

"Since when did we keep track of the number of times we'll say 'I love you' to each other?!" He replied, looking taken aback.

"Fine, never mind." She slumped her shoulders, giving in to Inuyasha. "Guess I really can't force him to say something he doesn't want to say." She sighed mentally. She hugged her legs close and placed her chin on top of her knees, looking down at the grass.

Inuyasha had been watching Kagome all the while. "Is she really THAT upset?" He wondered, feeling guilty little by little. "Do you want to go back now?" He asked, eyes not precisely looking at her.

"Okay…"

"Are you all right?" He asked again, looking a little bothered.

She looked at him briefly to give a faint smile. "I'm fine."

"You don't look FINE." He wanted to tell her. But instead he kept silent and stood up. A lump was forming in his throat and he kept glancing worriedly at Kagome.

Kagome did the same but she kept her head bowed down. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Why am I acting this way? Inuyasha cares for me. I know he loves me. He already told me… he just doesn't want to say it often." She thought, slowly cheering up. She raised her head with a smile on her lips and said, "Okay, let's—"

"I love you." Inuyasha said the words in a low voice but he knew that Kagome would be able to hear them—well, he hoped so.

"What did you say?" She looked at Inuyasha with wide eyes, unsure of what she had heard.

Making sure he had his eyes safely turned away from Kagome, he repeated the same three words—a bit louder this time, "I said I love you."

"You what?"

"I said I LOVE YOU! Okay?!" He said, shouting the three words loud and clear.

"You do?" Kagome looked like she couldn't believe Inuyasha's words.

"Great. After I had said it three fucking times in a row, you doubt me. Just great." He said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Wench, are you toying with me?" He asked, looking irked.

Kagome smiled sweetly. "No." She said simply.

Inuyasha didn't know how she did it but the instant she smiled at him, he didn't feel even a bit annoyed. Somehow, she made him feel light and relaxed.

"… I believe you."

No more words followed.

Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha knew how it happened but the next thing they knew, both of them had their eyes closed and were leaning forward to share their very first kiss. Words weren't enough to describe it; all they knew was that it felt just right to be kissing each other.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as he continued to kiss Kagome. Her lips were warm and soft that send a tingling wonderful sensation through his body. He deepened the kiss, not getting enough of Kagome. "I'll never be alone again…" He sighed to himself.

Kagome's heart was beating loudly inside her chest. "I can't believe I'm finally kissing Inuyasha!" She thought happily, smiling contentedly. "Finally, I can say that I'm truly happy. As long as Inuyasha's here with me…"

When Inuyasha and Kagome pulled apart to gasp for air, Kagome smiled at him. "I thought you'd never say that to me." She told him.

"Keh! I was going to… I just needed some motivation." Inuyasha said defensively.

"Yeah, a lot of motivation." Kagome agreed, grinning. "A lot of beatings, several holes in your stomach and an arrow shot to your back."

"Well, at least I already said it!" He said, still defending himself.

"Yeah, I'm glad you did." She said sincerely. "Let's go home? Let's walk this time."

Inuyasha nodded and began walking while Kagome strolled on his right side.

The two had just finished coming down the hill and they still had a long way to walk.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha shyly.

"Huh?" He looked at Kagome sideways but kept on walking.

"Can I… um, hold your hand?"

Inuyasha didn't know why he kept on blushing but he did. After a few moments of awkward silence, he said, "Keh! Capricious wench!" Then he took Kagome's hand and held it lightly.

"Thanks." Kagome murmured, holding Inuyasha's hand gently. A contented smile tugged on Kagome's lips as they continued their walk. Their walk might be long but she didn't care—she was holding Inuyasha's hand. Inuyasha would never leave her again.

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"Kagome, you'll stay here with me, right?" He held Kagome's hand more securely as if afraid that she would suddenly let go and leave him.

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Even after we kill Naraku?"

Kagome squeezed his hand lightly and smiled softly. "Yes, I'll still stay with you." Her reply was certain and true. "I'll never change that decision anymore."

Inuyasha smiled in satisfaction. "Good." He looked down at their linked hands and thought, "Because I never want let go of this hand again." "I'm not losing you again, Kagome…" He promised to Kagome and to himself.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen." She replied with a smile.

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A/N: The END! Stay is now officially finished. Now, after reviewing, don't forget to brush your teeth… Remember, too much sweetness is bad for your teeth. See you on my next fanfic, people! Thanks for your time!