InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Heart Has Many Rooms ❯ Part IV ( Chapter 4 )

Okay, well first I must apologize for how late this has been in coming. As you might have guessed, I'm no longer writing for the Inuyasha fandom. I finished this only for the benefit of those who I left hanging for about a year and a half, and because I hated leaving a WIP up, unfinished. I'll admit that I had to barrel through this, having lost almost all interest for Inuyasha. Therefore, I will not be posting any more fiction under this name, so I'll offer thanks to those who stuck around and say goodbye.

 

 

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Kouga felt he'd lived a pretty full life. Not exactly long by youkai standards, but he'd completed most of his goals. Avenged his slaughtered kinfolk by helping defeat Naraku, won the woman of his dreams, continued his bloodline... wait. He hadn't really got around to continuing his bloodline. And it didn't seem as if he'd won the woman of his dreams quite yet. So scratch those last two.

 

Well, one out of three wasn't so bad.

 

But all in all, Kouga felt he was pretty satisfied. Because judging by the look in Inuyasha's eyes, it didn't look like he was going to be doing too much more living.

 

"Inuyasha!" screamed Kagome, as the inu youkai dug his claws deeper into Kouga's neck. But if he heard her, he did not respond.

 

But Kouga heard. And it snapped him out of whatever reverie he'd been in. The ookami snarled, bringing up his legs to shove Inuyasha off. With a firm thrust, the wolf youkai dislodged his rival and jumped to his feet, senses hyperaware. As if he wasn't having a hard enough time with hanyou Inuyasha, now he had to deal with a youkai Inuyasha, and one who seemed to have an extreme desire to kill anything in his way. Which appeared to be mainly Kouga.

 

Inuyasha growled, now on all fours from wolf's powerful kick. He lunged, bringing his fist back for a punch, but instead turned quickly and sharply backhanded Kouga's face. Kouga, having not expected the change in technique, recoiled hard from the blow and staggered, barely keeping his balance. Inuyasha, taking advantage of the ookami's stunned state, spun and struck the base of Kouga's skull, watching with certain delight as the spark faded from his opponent's eyes and he fell to the ground.

 

From the sidelines, Kagome felt her heart stop.

 

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, stop!" she cried as the inu youkai bent forward to pick the limp Kouga up by the throat. "Inuyasha... osuwari!"

 

He paused, perhaps expecting the magical subduing power on a subconscious level, but then only lifted Kouga higher.

 

"No, no... Osuwari!" Kagome shook her head in shock, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Osuwari, osuwari, osuwari!"

 

But Inuyasha did not respond.

 

Kagome leapt up, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had to stop this. If Inuyasha killed Kouga... it'd be all her fault. She'd never be able to forgive herself. Kagome raced forward, legs quickly bringing her to stand in front of the inu youkai. He gazed at her with slight indifference and carelessly threw Kouga to the side. And then Kagome did the only thing she could think to do.

 

She leaned forward and slanted her mouth across his.

 

Inuyasha first stiffened at the unexpected contact, but then relaxed and brought his hands up to fist her hair, drawing her closer. He nipped at her bottom lip in a silent request for entry, growling in approval when her mouth slid open. And Kagome gasped, feeling the searing slide of tongue over tongue, his mouth hard and hot against hers. She leaned further into the kiss, realizing just how firm and warm his chest was against hers, reminding her of the sense of protection that Inuyasha always seemed to emanate. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she pulled back, looking into a pair of honeyed eyes that were no longer clouded by bloodlust.

 

"Um... hi," she said breathlessly. Inuyasha grinned.

 

"Hi."

 

And then Kagome remember exactly why she had kissed Inuyasha.

 

"Shit, shit!" she gasped, looking down at the unconscious Kouga and panicking. She bent down and placed two fingers under his jawline, feeling for a pulse, and sighed in relief when she found faint proof that he was still alive.

 

"We have to get him back to Kaede-baaba's," she said, standing up to face a now incensed Inuyasha. "What?" she asked, confused.

 

"What? What? Keh, I don't believe you! After all of this, you still want to be with him?!" he yelled, fisting his hands in his haori.

 

Kagome shot him an indignant glare. "What the hell are you talking about, Inuyasha? I think I just made it pretty obvious who I wanted to be with!"

 

"Yeah, you sure did. Because if it was me, you wouldn't give a fuck about that yaze ookami," he spat, turning to face away from her.

 

"I don't believe you, Inuyasha! How can you even say such a thing?" Kagome shouted, walking around to get in front of him. "He's my friend and you almost killed him with your stupid youkai brawl!"

 

Inuyasha shot his arm out to wrap around her upper bicep. "He almost killed you, Kagome."

 

There was a pregnant pause, and Kagome stared at Inuyasha's countenance in shock. There, she could see it. Etched in the lines of his face, glinting in the backs of his pupils— worry. Pain. The cogs were turning in his head. He was blaming himself, running through what he should've done differently. Cursing himself for being so careless in her protection.

 

"I'm still here, Inuyasha. I'm not going anywhere."

 

He enfolded her into a tight hug. "You don't know how scared I was, Kagome. When I realized that he'd thrown me into that tree, knowing there wasn't anything I could do to stop it... and then seeing how injured you were... I just, you know, lost it."

 

"It's okay, Inuyasha. I'm okay," she whispered, pressing her cheek against his chest. "But we have to hurry. We need to get Kouga-kun to Kaede-baaba before it's too late."

 

The hanyou nodded.

 

The trip back to the village was quick and silent, Inuyasha carrying Kouga in his arms and Kagome on his back. When they arrived, Kaede quickly went to healing the wolf youkai and didn't bother to ask questions. The old miko could tell that something substantial had happened between them in the forest. So she turned the pair out, where they now sat at the edge of the hut, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

 

"Inuyasha..." Kagome was first to break the unsettling calm, turning to her companion with hesitation. "Why did you come after me?"

 

The hanyou stuffed his hands in his haori. "I dunno. I guess I just realized something."

 

"So, you told Kikyou that you couldn't go with her?" Kagome asked slowly, trying to piece the events together.

 

"Well, not exactly," he replied. "She told me that I wasn't the same Inuyasha who once gave her my word. So I was free of my promise."

 

Kagome sat in silence for a few moments, mulling this new information over. "So, that's it, huh? You only came after me because Kikyou refused you."

 

Inuyasha watched in small horror as her eyes watered. "No, no! Kagome, that's not it at all! You don't understand!"

 

"Actually," Kagome said, turning away from him to wipe her tears, "I think I understand perfectly."

 

The inu youkai groaned and then put his hand under her chin to force her into looking at him. "Wait, don't start that... let me try and explain..."

 

"Explain what? That you don't lov—" Kagome bit off the last word and turned away again, shoulders shaking.

 

"Okay, just listen. I'm gonna try and explain this to you, okay? Just listen," He sighed heavily. "Let's just say that my heart is... is a house, okay? And there's lots of rooms in this house, you know, one for Sango, Kirara, Shippou, and even that perverted monk. And yeah, there's a room for Kikyou, and it's always gonna be there even if she's moved out," Here Kagome choked back a sob. "But, hey, listen. There's this other room, too. And it's the biggest room in the whole house, much bigger and nicer than Kikyou's or anyone else's. And it's the most important too, because it's right in the center of the house, holding it together. This room... it's your room, Kagome. You're what holds this heart, together. It's you, you and no one else."

 

Kagome merely stared at Inuyasha in shock.

 

"So, do you get it now?" he asked gently, giving her a wary look.

 

And then Kagome lunged forward and buried her face in his neck, sobbing freely.

 

"Why are you still crying?" Inuyasha moaned, circling his hands around her waist. "Don't you believe me?"

 

"I-I'm cr-crying bec-cause I'm ha-appy..." she sniffed, before she broke into another sob.

 

The hanyou shook his head. "Mou, I don't understand you women. You cry over everything."

 

And then Kagome laughed, and the pair headed inside.

 

And though the rest of story is muddled from too many times told, it's agreed that Kouga recovered fully and traveled in search of a youkai mate, which it is rumored he found and produced many offspring with. Sango and Miroku were also married and had many many children, much to Sango's chagrin. And Inuyasha supposedly used the Tama to give himself a shorter lifespan, so that he would not have to live alone, without his mate's love. And though happily ever after is a myth of fairy tales, Inuyasha and Kagome did live long and content lives, filled with many trials and sorrows, but with enough love to make it worth the effort.

 

And that, my friends, is all that one can hope for.

 

 

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Fin.