Summer Heat

Oooppps! I forgot to say that I don't own any of these characters! I just torture them incessantly. So let me know what you think of this chapter.

Chapter 3 -- What about Kikyou?

Inu Yasha padded up the stairs with the "kool-er" clutched in both hands. When he and Souta had returned from the store, Inu Yasha had told the boy that he wanted to take some of the popsicles to Shippo and the others but he didnt want them to melt so Souta had "fixed him up" with the "kool-er." Then much to Inu Yasha's delight Souta had left for a friend's house. Apparently Kagome's mom and grandfather had gone out of town that morning and expecting Kagome to return with the hanyou had placed the boy in the care of his friend's parents. He reached the top of the stairs and moved cautiously toward Kagome's room. The sounds of her pencil scratching on paper drifted beyond the closed door. He wondered if she was mad at him for ruining her homework. Well, she wouldn't be mad soon, he would make certain of that. Balancing the "kool-er" in one hand he opened the door.


Kagome looked up from her recopying to see Inu Yasha enter the room with a ice chest in one hand. The hanyou's ears were tilted back slightly in apprehension. He probably expected her to yell at him or sit him but she just couldn't be mad, not now. Not after the feel of his lips on hers. A blush returned to her cheeks as she thought of it. "Hi," she said, putting down her pencil. "You ready to go back?"


Go back? She wanted to go already? His ears pricked in curiousity. And she wasn't going to yell at him for messing up her homework? Inu Yasha put down the chest to hide his confused expression. No they wouldn't go back just yet. He straightened and walked over to her, looking down at her. "I don't want to go back yet Kagome."

"What? Why? I thought you were anxious to find the jewel shards?"

"I am," he admitted, "But...Souta's not here." He reached out, cupping the back of her neck as he bent down.


Oh Kami, was he going to kiss her again? Her breath quickened at the thought. Closer and closer the hanyou came, his face inches from hers. She could feel his breath on her cheeks and almost let him. Kagome put her hands on his chest and regretfully pushed him back. She couldn't do this, not knowing how he felt about Kikyou, knowing that Inu Yasha would go to hell with her after the battle was over. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't.


Inu Yasha nearly whined in disappointment. Why was she pushing him away? He could scent the fact that she did want the same thing he did but there was also sadness in her scent. What had he done to make her sad? He had thought this would make her happy and that was the one thing he wanted most. "Kagome?" he whispered, huskily, his desire heavy in his voice.

She just shook her head. "I can't do this," she whispered, not looking at him.

"Why?"

"Kikyou." That one word cut him like a knife. He sat on the floor and lowered his head. Kagome was close to tears, he could smell them gathering in her sky blue eyes. Kikyou. The subject had been the source of all of Kagome's tears.

"I won't lie to you Kagome. I will go with Kikyou when all this is over," he hurried to finish, as a choked sound fell from Kagome's lips, "But for now I want to be with you...I would rather be with you once than never."

Silence thundered in the room. Then suddenly she was in his lap, her arms around his neck, face buried in his shoulder. The sound of her tears hurt him more than anything ever had. He held her, stroking her silky raven hair. Eventually she stopped crying and pulled back from him, her tears made her eyes sparkle beautifully. He reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her face. "I love you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Those words made his heart expand with joy. He had never heard those words from Kikyou. "I love you Kagome." He looked over at the chest. "Now...can we use those popsicles?"