Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the rest of the chars, but I HAVE plans of controlling the world, and therefore somehow find a way to bind Sesshoumaru to me!

A MOMENT IN TIME

*****
She didn’t know what woke her up, if it was the knowledge that someone was waiting for her in the dark, or if it was the simple need of her body to find shelter and safety.

The hanyou sleeping next to her was warm, but the soul inside him did not belong with her, perhaps it never had. Certainly not after the other "her" had found her way back among the living again. Not wanting to think about the doll of clay and bones that was her predecessor, she moved silently away, grateful that no one would miss her yet. Perhaps they never would.

She walked through the forest, the shadow of the trees playing on her skin, making her forget about everything else than the silent pain inside her again. She did not know where she was headed, only knowing that she would find it tonight, find the end of the loneliness that was plaguing her.

After a while, she came upon a small clearing among the trees and entered it, bathing in the moonlight. Knowing that this was her destination, she lowered herself to the ground and waited. What had drawn her here would come for her now.

Silence screamed in the air as she sat there, calm, collected, her face not betraying her thoughts. One hand on her knees, the other in the grass behind her. Waiting.

A flash of silver to her right caught her attention. She turned her head in that direction, seeking him out.

"You’re late." Her voice was as calm, collected, as her face, smooth silk running like water as he emerged from the trees. She watched him come closer, admiring the way he seemed to float above the ground with every step.

"You’re early," was his stoic reply and she smiled at his mock-anger. She knew that he wasn’t angry with her, knew it deep inside.

"Perhaps I am." She turned to face him fully as he stepped closer, and rose to greet him. Moonlight reflected in his silvery hair, running like water across his shoulders. The warm golden of his eyes were not visible in the moonlight, the shine from the orb so high above stealing the colors from them somehow.

"You are." A smile found its way to her lips once more at his arrogance.

"I apologize then." It was his turn to smile now, leaving her breathless as he did. She loved his smile, loved the way it tugged at her heart, gave the golden of his eyes a warmth they would never have otherwise. And most of all, she loved how he smiled that special smile at her, in that special way that made her heart race.

"You are forgiven." As he spoke those words, he took another step closer, narrowing the distance between them. She did not move, did not even dare to breathe, as she waited. He was close enough to touch her now, but he did not extend his arms to her as she had hoped.

"I’ve missed you." The words that were never meant to be spoken found their way out through her lips and took him aback.

Narrowing his eyes, he searched hers for a hint of a lie, of deception, but found none. She met his eyes with her own blue ones that were now sparkling in the light of the silver orb so high above them.

Not expecting an answer, she shrugged, trying desperately not to let him see the hurt inside.

"I’ve… missed you too." Completely stunned by his words, her head shot up again; her eyes claiming his as she searched for the same lie as he had, only moments before. She was both relieved and frightened by not finding it. But then, he never lied. His was the truth, a weapon he wielded as cunningly as his swords. He knew that the truth could hurt as much and be as deadly. That was a knowledge that was new to her, but something she had learned the hard way.

He seemed to take her silence for sorrow, for he smiled slightly again and stepped within arms reach of her. A hand cupped her chin and turned her to him again.

"Does my foolish brother hurt you still?" The question was partly born of sorrow, she realized, but also of concern.

She gazed into his eyes, once more trying to find the reason behind his words.

"No. He did, but not anymore. Now, I’m just concerned for his safety as he seeks his comfort in the arms of that bitch." A hint of anger shone in her words, and perhaps a little jealousy. But a jealousy born of sorrow, not of love. Sorrow that she wasn’t the one whom he turned to for advice and comfort.

The words were true, and he knew that. She had lost one of them, but she prayed to whatever gods there were that she wouldn’t lose the other.

"Good." His other hand found her hair, and he pulled her closer to him, burying his face in the midnight tresses to inhale her scent. She stood there, trembling, with closed eyes. Contentment flowed through her as she was pulled deeper into his embrace. His arms encircled her, her body traveling the length of his.

Confusion filled her. He was so sad. She could feel it in the air around them, feel it in his desperate embrace. It made her want to cry, but she bit back the tears. He didn’t like it when she cried, in that aspect he was just like his brother.

"Will you stay with me until dawn?" The question caught her completely off-guard and she pulled away to meet his eyes. Immense sorrow shone in them and she felt her heart break.

She nodded.

"Until dawn." Then she would have to hurry back to the others, pretending that nothing had happened and pray that the hanyou wouldn’t be able to feel the scent of his brother lingering on her skin.

But for now, there would not exist anyone else than him.

"Thank you." His words were kind and a sad smile played on his lips. She found herself breathless once more as he leaned in closer, not breaking the eyecontact.

She was the one to look away first as the familiar feeling of lust and longing swept through her. Her eyes found themselves on his lips for a moment before letting her own lips follow her gaze.

He tasted of salt, of unshed tears, of joy, of blood, of sorrow; the last emotion dominating him as she kissed him, her eyes closed.

His hands traveled the length of her back once before burying themselves in her hair and pulling her even closer. Her hands twisted in his hair, disarraying the smooth silk that ran like water through her fingers. Concentrating on nothing more than just to feel him, she opened her mouth under the pressure of his, drawing him in deeper, weaving a spell of sadness and joy, replacing them with the overwhelming love that had grown these last months, grown to replace the sadness of the last.

He could feel her scent change, a jumble of mixed emotions, but the one that stunned him was the unconditional love that suddenly overrode all the others, washing over his senses as well.

He broke the kiss first, reluctantly removing his lips from her warm ones, holding her close and breathing out the question in her hair.

"Do you love me?" He was almost afraid of the answer, afraid of being rejected once more. He could hear the faint smile in her answer.

"I do. God help me, but I do."

Silence filled the air for a moment before she withdrew from his arms, turning her back on him.

"So you do…" His voice was no more than a whisper, and she closed her eyes, willing the tears to disappear once more.

He could feel the salty tinge in the air, smell her pain as she was silent, confused. He had known that she cared for him, cared for him deeply, found his company pleasant, but he did not know how to respond to the fact that she loved him. He did not know how he felt about her, could not name the feeling inside him as he thought of her, saw her.

He found her everywhere, in the shadows of the forests, in the face of strangers he met, constantly carrying her image with him. Every time he smelled jasmins, his thoughts found their way to her, drawing up her picture from his memory, the feeling of her body next to his.

He took a step closer again, encircling her with his arms, entwining his fingers with hers as he grabbed her small hands in his own. She went rigid at the first contact with him, almost trying to break free again before relaxing her head on his shoulder.

"Jaken and Rin are back in the castle. Rin’s birthday is coming up soon." His voice became slightly warmer as he spoke of the human child he had adopted as his own and she smiled.

"Poor Jaken, he probably has his hands full with keeping her back there." A low chuckle was the response to her statement and her smile widened.

"He has. She is so full of life, so wild… So much like you…" He had never meant to say those last words, but they left his lips anyway.

She craned her neck to look up to him, causing their hair to mingle. He stared mesmerized at the black entwining itself with the silver, causing an odd feeling inside him.

He lowered himself to the ground, dragging her with him and seated her in his lap, his arms still shielding her from the outside world.

"Would you follow me instead of my brother?" The question caught them both off-guard, with her recovering first, making herself comfortable against him, stirring his blood as she unconsciously rubbed against him.

"Do you want me to?" He smiled as she answered his question with her own, knowing that he hated when she did that.

"I do. You belong to me, not the hanyou," he stated simply, taking her aback.

"Then I would. But I have an obligation against him and the rest of my friends. I have to find the jewel and bring it back to one piece again. And I have to defeat Naraku." She was desperately trying to make her brain work, but the heart that sped away with love refused to let it.

"That you do."

Silence engulfed them once more, both occupied with their own thoughts.

Her scent was intoxicating, making his blood stir as she shifted against him, the light pressure of her body against his waking the lust and the longing.

She was oblivious as he sniffed her hair silently, but as his arms tightened around her, she became aware of his intentions. A smile formed on her lips as she turned around in his lap, hooking her legs on each side of his and forcing him down on his back in mock-defeat.

A light kiss turned into something deeper, and once more they found themselves falling into something they knew no way out of.


****

Afterwards, they lay with their limbs still entwined together, watching the moon, neither of them moving.

"Dawn comes too soon," she murmured against his neck, her breath making the small hairs in the back stir.

Her only response was a light twitching of the hand that rested on her back.

"It always does. But until then, you are mine." The words struck something deep inside her.

"I always will be." She did not know what made her say those words, especially after he never responded that he loved her, but they were true.

Once more, silence was the only reply she got. She shrank into her sorrow and fears again, but the arms encircling her tightened around her.

She would not cry. She squeezed her eyes shut, but a single tear found its was down her cheek still, connecting with the sensitive skin on his neck, alerting him.

"Please don’t cry." The words that were uttered in kindness only served to draw another tear as she desperately tried not to let her pain show.

"Why?" The question was a simple one, but the answer more complex than he could imagine.

"Be- be- beacuse…"Her voice trailed off into something inaudible even for his superior hearing.

He rocked her gently back and forth as her tears flowed freely into his hair and their discarded clothing.

Her tears stopped as she slowly fell asleep atop of him and he pulled her closer, finding himself in pain at the thought of letting her go.

Back to his stupid brother, who would rather chase after a living doll of clay and bones instead of understanding and accepting what had been given freely right under his nose for so long.

He growled, a deep sound in the back of his throat. Jealousy gripped him at the thought of her going back. She was supposed to share her days and nights with him, not as it was now; meeting once or twice a week in secluded clearings in the forest, fearing that his brother would find out.

He did not fear for her life with his brother, the brat could protect her – he had to admit that – but he feared that it might not be enough to keep her to him, not enough for him to claim her as his when the time was right. He knew about the wolf, Kouga, who also claimed her as his, but the little pup was no threat to him.

She whimpered in her sleep and he decided to wake her up. Dawn was approaching once more, the rays of the sun separating the two.

She woke easily enough, blinking to clear her eyes from the sleep as they donned their clothes once more.

He pulled her close again, inhaling her scent to carry it with him to their next time. His lips met hers in one last kiss as he sorted out those last feelings.

"I love you, Kagome…" With that, he was gone, leaving her behind to find her way back to her friends.

Waiting for their next moment in time…







*****
Owari