InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Only Star to Light My Sky ❯ The Only Star to Light My Sky ( One-Shot )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Only Star to Light My Sky



A/N- Okay, this is my very first Inuyasha story. Go easy on me. I'd like to note that the title really has nothing to do with the story…

~*~

It's because he was human, she thought. If only for a night, he was human.

Kagome sighed softly, eyeing the crimson flames that flickered sharply in the shadows of the small sliver of moonlight. It was a day or so after the new moon had spilt its first new rays, platinum falling down to caress the surrounding trees, rocks, dirt… and a certain, sleeping dog-demon.

Glancing over at just that, the priestess incarnate pushed a strand of dark raven hair behind a pale ear, biting her lip unconsciously. She had always told herself that he was a jerk, that the only reason she even helped him was because it was her responsibility as the new Kikyo. But I'm not her, she thought bitterly. I'm not Kikyo.

And it was true. Just because she was the incarnation didn't mean that she was the same person. They shared only a body, an aura, a soul… but not a heart. So why does he even bother with me? There must be some way to switch us, to kill me and bring her back. And she was sure there was. So easily could he simply exchange them, she supposed. So why didn't he?

He was in love with her. She ran a hand through the flames as they licked the sky with tongues that varied as much as the sunset in hues, changed form and shape in ways that could make even the formless pools of water jealous. When she withdrew her hand, her fingers were tinged black and she wiped it off on her jeans, leaving an angry black smudge.

Kagome sat back, legs crossed, her arms braced back against the hard ground. The dirt was firmly packed beneath her and she allowed herself to mull over the recent events. As usual, the only benefits she procured, in fact, weren't beneficial at all-she had more questions, less answers, and was, overall, more frustrated then she was to begin with.

Why was she here, in the middle of the woods, in ancient Feudal Japan? Why was she the lackey of some crazed half-demon? Why was she on a search for the shards of some Shikon jewel? It all seemed so pointless when she looked at it in that light. In fact, why did Inuyasha even *need* her for, when they happened to stumble over the damned things wherever they went?

She leaned forward, the dirt clinging to her dark sweater and jeans as she moved her legs around, stretching out on her stomach. She'd always questioned her destiny, more so than anyone else, as far as she could tell. She wasn't really interested in boys-not even the ones who seemed inclined to fall at her feet at opportunistic times-and hadn't even thought past school, college, and serving her shrine… Until the day she traveled through a well and was rudely dropped into a world of demons and magical combs, crazy hair creatures, thrice-damned dog-demons and foot tall fox creatures. And she wondered why the hell she even bothered anymore. The jewel was in thousands of pieces; how could they ever hope to find them all?

I could just leave. I could go home, block the well… fill it in or something, stick a boulder over it… and I'd never have to do this again. What's keeping me here? But she knew that answer, even if she wouldn't let herself accept it.

Behind her there was a soft rustle of cloth-on-cloth, of cloth-on-grass. The demon muttered something obscene under his breath, his amber, wolfish eyes closed tightly. Kagome reached over and a half-smile twisted her lips in vague amusement-though most likely more in defiance of her dark thoughts. She flicked lightly at Inuyasha's ear, watching as he growled and rolled over, muttering something she could have sworn was along the lines of, "…hit you with my stuffed puppy doll…", but she couldn't have been sure. She withdrew and turned away, facing the fire again.

Now fire has a way of putting people into a trance if they stare at it too long. Almost hypnotically, it causes a person to tune out everything else. Which is why most fighters traveling abroad are always told not to stare directly into the flames.

And Kagome was entranced in these flames, thinking without really thinking. In other words, she was completely zoned out.

Which makes it easy to understand why she didn't notice the dog-demon stir and sit up, wiping his eyes sleepily.

Inuyasha yawned softly, his eyes taking in the scene before him. His long platinum hair was mussed and he ran clawed fingers through it in a poor attempt to tame it, even just a little. He failed pathetically. He did, however, notice the slight silhouette of his female counterpart, splayed on the ground on her posterior, her head resting in her hands as she stared into the fire.

Crazy human, he thought to himself, I don't know where they come up with these things. Staring at the fire as if it's a duel between winged serpents or some such nonsense. The half-demon reached out tentatively, his hand mere centimeters from resting on her shoulder. But he paused, sighed mutely, and pulled back. He bothered the girl enough, though he rarely stopped to actually think about it. No, he would let her alone.

He silently slid back into his sleeping bag, watching her wordlessly. His expression was guarded yet intense, and the feral blood in his veins coursed strongly. He turned away, his back to her now. The mating ceremonies of dog demons were regular, once per year like the wolves. And humans were pretty much whenever. A half-breed like Inuyasha, unfortunately, combined both of those… and every month, just after the new moon, his body called to him to claim his mate.

Well, that never bothered him before. Because there weren't any females around to arouse such instinct. After he had met Kikyo, after he'd fallen in love with her, he'd been tempted many times. But usually he could restrain himself, and if he couldn't, he'd just romp off into the woods for the night.

Thinking of her now, he mentally compared the two-as he often had these past few weeks-and trailed his eyes over her face. So much like her… her nose, lips, so much like Kikyo. But her eyes were different. And the shape of her face. Kikyo was a warrior, her eyes severe and unyielding, while Kagome's were wide and curious, smiling and sweet-when she wasn't sit-sitting him ten times in a row. And the former had made it completely clear that she hadn't needed him or his protection. But Kagome did. She wasn't as strong or as wise, but she was genuine.

And with this girl in front of him, the reincarnation of his once beloved, he felt different; it was different. The same things he'd loved about Kikyo didn't apply. He felt…

The demi-demon angrily cut his thought off mid-sentence. He didn't love Kagome. Sure, they were… friends. He could admit that to himself. But it didn't hurt his pride any to convince himself that he never loved Kikyo. Even though he had, and still did. But the more he was with Kagome, the less he thought of her past life.

It's okay if you love her, the thought came unbidden. You can't choose who you love. You aren't supposed to.[1]

But I don't want to love her. I want to protect her. He opened his eyes, blinking them. Why did he want to protect her?

He didn't let the reply enter his conscious mind.

"Kagome…" he said softly, forcing his palm to rest on her shoulder, his fingers brushing against her collarbone. He felt her jump slightly, startled, them turn around to look at him.

"…Inuyasha?" She said, stifling a yawn.

"I was just… um, aren't you tired? Maybe I should keep watch for awhile. You should sleep."

She tilted her head slightly, confusion entering her dark eyes. "Well, if you say so."

He smiled faintly, revealing a pointed fang. "I can't protect you if you die from fatigue, now can I?"

He must still be thinking… human… or something. She thought. She did like it when he said that, though. He almost never brought up the fact that he protected her. But he did know she cried for him… he had asked her if he could rest in her lap…

And then he went half demon again and it was back to his icy glares and unfeeling remarks.

"Sleep here," he said, interrupting her thoughts as he slid out of his bag, motioning for her to get in. "It's warmer." His tone sure wasn't. But he was being considerate. Oddly considerate.

"O-okay…" She stuttered slightly, her weariness taking over. When she'd burrowed down into the warmth that his body had left, Inuyasha tucked the top layer around her chin, then turned and faced the fire, though his gaze was upward, at the stars.

His sword lay next to the bag and Kagome reached out and touched it. It was warm. Her pale fingers closed around the hilt and she drew it from its sheath, running a finger along the edge. It drew no blood. But, oh, it was so warm…

She closed her eyes, a soft purr escaping her lips as her cold hands absorbed the heat.

Inuyasha looked back at her at the noise, blinking, then his eyes widening as he saw her. He quickly snatched the blade from her, sheathing it and setting it away. "Don't touch that, you stupid girl…" He narrowed his eyes. "You'll cut your hand off."

So much for him being considerate.

"Fine…" she murmured, watching him.

"And just what are you looking at?"

"You, of course. What else would I be looking at?"

He sighed. "I meant why." He turned back to the sky, unusually quiet. If I just keep away from her until tomorrow… she'll be safe from me, and everything will be back to normal… But his urges were becoming harder to control.

"Inuyasha…"

Damn him if her voice didn't sound seductive… He looked at her.

Her eyes were clouded, a sexy smirk on her lips.

His eyes slid to the sword and he narrowed his eyes. Damn it!

Indeed, the sword had been connected to him the moment his father had died… and it had connected to her because it saved her life. It read the cycles of the dog-demon as surely as it once must have for his own father. And it was trying to help…

"It's cold…" she said softly.

"Don't be stupid, it's perfectly fine out." The night was chilly, but there was no wind. She pouted.

"But Inu, why…"

"My name is Inuyasha." He pushed the sword several feet away, to the other side of the fire. It left a small shallow trail in the dry dirt. Almost immediately, Kagome was normal-or as normal as that girl could be, he amended.

"G'night," she said, seemingly unaware how close she'd come to being thrown against the nearest thing, i.e. a tree or the ground, and claimed as his own.

He curled up next to the fire, sighing softly. He watched the flames until they were embers, burning beneath a layer of ash.

And then they were but cold pieces of carbon, and there was no light. Except for the girl behind him, there was no warmth.

But Inuyasha was a half-breed, and that meant living alone. He'd faced that a long time ago. Kagome didn't seem to care what he was, as odd as that sounded. She didn't hate him like Sesshomaru did, didn't fear him like most humans.

But she did reach out to him then and tug on his hair. "Cold," she muttered, still half asleep.

He moved over to her, on top of sleeping back, and curled against her warm body through the thick sleeping pallet. Her arms slid around his neck instinctively and he didn't pull away. She was still asleep, and he could move before she awoke. But at least she'd be warm for now.

And it would be morning soon. He'd be able to hold himself back. If she is ever with me when I'm human again, he thought, I could let slip all that my weak human heart believes. He'd be sure to keep away from her… both during the new moon, and the day after.

But for now, he'd be content to keep her warm, so long as he wasn't touching her directly. Yes, all he needed to do was fall asleep, and everything would be fine.

If he lost control and hurt Kagome… he'd never forgive himself, much as he was loath to admit that. Kikyo was gone, would always be… so was his mother, and he'd never had friends. She was all he had. He had to keep her safe.

Even if she was just an annoying-human-girl.

THE END

A/N: I think it got kind of muddled, and it really had no plot. I suppose I could do something with the once-a-month thing… ~_~;; I came up with that, and I hope that no one else is going to start using it. It's fannon, not cannon, and I get really pissed when people confuse them. Fannon is when something is used so much that the fans accept it as being true, when really it's completely different from cannon-the original anime. For example, in DBZ, the whole Vegeta-bites-Bulma-to-mark-her-as-his is fannon. They don't really do that. In fact, he probably just seduced her and accidentally fell in love with her. Or at least liked her to the point where he'd be willing to stick around long enough to give her two kids.

But, I'm rambling… so, buhbye.

~AiC

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[1] "You can't help who you love, [Derric]. You aren't supposed to." -Chenille, Save the Last Dance.::fanfiction::authors::disclaimer ::message board::view guestbook::sign guestbook::submit::profile::home::