I think it was long before that. In episode 13, (manga vol 5) when Kagome witnesses his human night for the first time, she cries for him when he is wounded and poisoned. He tells her she smells good while admitting he lied earlier about telling her the opposite. If it wasn't love at that point, it was well on the way.
I don't think either of them would come close to considering it that early, much less admitting it. Even to themselves. But then, by the time the grand epiphany finally strikes, a person has generally had the feelings for a very long time.
Also, there have to be strong feelings involved for Kagome to feel the jealousy and hurt every time Inuyasha runs off to Kikyo. Likewise his feelings of guilt when he goes.
Then there is the time she got hurt and he took her shards and sent her home. He tried to seal the well so she couldn't come back because he couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt or killed. She fought to return to him, because she couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again.
Yeah, I think they fell in love pretty early on. They just spent most of the series in denial.
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