InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Humanity ❯ Couples ( Chapter 26 )

Humanity

By Joyfulmusic

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Inuyasha. Never have, never will. This fanfic contains some spoilers. I haven't seen the whole series of either show so I'm not sure how they end. But that's why this is a fanfic.

 

Chapter 26: Couples

 

The sun was still low on the horizon. Colors of blue, purple, and red tinted the clouds, making them look like a painting rather than reality. The breeze that wound its way through the trees was cool, yet not so cold as to be uncomfortable. Birds were waking to greet the morning with a song.

 

Sitting on a branch high above his companions, Inuyasha took note of these things. They made the pain in his heart seem a little crueler. `She called me a mutt. After how much I cared for her, she still turned from me.' His gaze turned down to the sleeping figures as one of them made a slight yawn.

 

It was Kagome, who was just beginning to stir. Her eyes opened slightly but then squeezed shut against the light. She breathed in deeply before opening them again. This time she looked up to see Inuyasha gazing down at her. She smiled as she wiggled out of her sleeping bag, careful not to wake Shippo who was lying on top of it.

 

The hanyou was surprised when she stopped at the bottom of the tree to stare up at him. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were wrinkled. But to him she looked like an angel from heaven above. He jumped down to stand before her, a grin on his face. Motioning for her not to speak he took her hand and led her from the glen.

 

Once they were away from camp she whispered. “Good morning Inuyasha.” He returned the greeting by putting an arm around her. Happily she laid her head against him as they strolled along. Her heart was light and her head spinning with joy. “Where are we going?” She questioned softly.

 

“There's a river not too far from here. I thought we could go and see about getting some breakfast.” He glanced down at her to see that she was frowning. That wasn't the answer she'd wanted. “It'll give us time alone, now that Willa doesn't need Tetsusaiga.” He soothed, kissing her head softly.

 

That was enough to bring the light back into her smile. And for him she was enough to wash away all those thoughts about Kikyou. She was the one he wanted near, and she in turn wanted the same of him. As the birds sang in the branches above the path, Inuyasha thought they sounded perfect. The morning magic had finally won him over.

 

 

Willa moaned slightly when Ed stretched, not quite awake. He blinked then looked to see his arms draped around the girl in his lap. Her head was pressed against his chest, her furry red ear brushing his chin. He smiled as he bent his neck to blow gently across the red fur, causing it to twitch slightly. That reminded him of when he and Alphonse had been little. He'd done that so many times to kittens, always finding the movement cute. Gently he blew against her ear, again causing it to twitch.

 

Her nose wrinkled as she started to yawn. Lazily she blinked, then smiled as he did it again. “That tickles.” Willa giggled, not moving from the position. She felt his lips brush against her ear and then closed at its point, tugging gently. She smiled and closed her eyes. “Stop that, it's not funny.” But she couldn't suppress the giggle as he breathed against the fur again.

 

“Then why are you laughing?” He teased, moving his left hand to tug at the other triangle. His fingers gently rubbed against it, feeling the silk like softness of the fur. She shifted against his chest, moving her head so that her ears were out of his immediate reach. “Hey, I was having fun.”

 

She frowned, though it wasn't filled with sadness. “Well they aren't exactly my best feature at the moment.” But he moved her so that she was lying with her head across his lap. Looking up into his eyes she could see that he hadn't meant to upset her. “They're what makes me different.”

 

Edward shook his head and raised his right sleeve. “This and my leg make me different. But you don't mind. And besides,” His fingers ran through her hair. “I like your ears, always have. Even before you changed I thought how much I wanted to kiss them.” His eyes shown brightly as he blew against them once more.

 

A smile passed over Willa's lips as they twitched. She giggled slightly, as she studied his automail. Her eyes concentrated on the metal as she ran her fingers along the rods. It was cold, especially in the cool of the morning. “But it's not really the same thing, is it? You're still basically human. While I'm…”

 

“Human.” He interrupted. “Remember what the sword smith said, that humanity isn't what you are on the outside. Inside you are the same as when I first met you. And I still love every inch of you, even those cute ears.” His fingers gently rubbed them again, making her smile.

 

She closed her eyes. If she were part cat she thought she might have purred like Pharaoh. “Hmm.” Was all she mumbled, soothed by the gentile motion. But when he stopped she looked back up at him. His face was still starring down at her. “What is it?”

 

He frowned slightly. “I was just thinking about what we'll do next. Roric wants you to help people with the sword he made. That would mean that we couldn't settle down. We would have to do some traveling, for a while at least.” With a sigh he continued. “Of course I'm used to that. Al and I went all over the place looking for the philosopher's stone.”

 

Willa sat up, bringing her legs to her chest. She wrapped her arms about them and laid her head on her knees. “You shouldn't have to do that because of me. I can go on my own and come back home every once in a while. That way you, Al, and Mora wouldn't have to move at all.”

 

Closing her eyes she waited for his protest. But to her surprise he stayed quiet. The seconds of silence seemed to last forever. Presently she felt his hand gently rubbing her back in a circular motion. He leaned over closed to her and whispered, “Don't ask me to stay behind.”

 

She smiled slightly, turning to gaze at him. He'd brought his head down to be level with hers. “I'm not asking you to do anything. It's just that you should have the choice. You can decide to do whatever you want. But you don't have to come with me. I only wanted you to know that.”

 

He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the head. When he backed up, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Then I choose to be with you. So don't ever ask me to leave or stay without you doing the same. And you do realize that means that Al and Mora may come with us.”

 

She groaned and rolled her eyes dramatically. “All four of us together, just roaming the countryside? Don't you think that's going to be just a bit conspicuous? I mean, seeing as how one of us is a suit of armor, and another has dog ears. Won't that be just a little much for the people around here?”

 

“We travel with Inuyasha.” Shippo chimed in, causing his elders to jump slightly. He smiled and continued speaking. “And there is five of us. Six if you count Kirara. But we do it all the time. Sure some people get scared when they see Inuyasha, but that's just because he's so mean.”

 

Willa frowned at the little kitsune. “You not supposed be listening in on other people's conversations. Besides shouldn't you still be sleeping?” She glanced up and noticed both Sango and Miroku were still snoozing peacefully. However the miko was gone, and a quick glance upward reviled the same was true for Inuyasha.

 

The young boy sat down with a plop between the couple, though there wasn't much room. “I couldn't sleep. It got cold without Kagome. With her in it, the sleeping bag stays warm. So after she left it cooled down. And now I'm wide awake!” He smiled up at Willa.

 

The alchemist couldn't help but grin. Though the child had interrupted them, he reminded him of when he and his brother were little. Alphonse would always tag along when he and Winry were trying to play. Though, he hadn't minded it too much. To him, being a big brother was the greatest adventure. “So you think we'll be alright?” Ed asked the young boy, who nodded gleefully. The alchemist looked up to the woman he loved, who was still frowning. “See, if Shippo thinks it'll be fine then it probably will be. After all, we won't have to worry about Inuyasha's temper.”

 

A loud yawn attracted the trio's attention. Miroku was stretching, his hand already roaming to the matt next to his. With a loud smack, Sango woke up, her handprint on the monk's face. “Lecher.” She hissed, sitting up and scowling at him. The campsite was too small to lay the pallet farter from his without being too close to the fire.

 

Stroking his cheek Miroku turned to the others. “Morning.” He called, his voice full of sleep and yet at the same time fairly cheerful. Stretching again he felt the muscles in his back ease. He hoped that they would be able to find a decent place to sleep after this.

 

“Morning.” Willa greeted, trying not to giggle. She felt a slight pinch at her side, and winced. Turning to look at Edward she saw he had that stupid grin on his face. She smiled back at him, realizing he wanted her to hear what he was thinking. Opening her mind she heard his thoughts. `He really does like her, doesn't he?' She nodded slightly. `I thought so.'

 

“What are you to talking about?” Sango demanded, striding toward them with a scowl. They both shook their heads in protest, so she rolled her eyes. “I know what you were doing. He's asking you questions with his mind. And you nodded to him. What did he ask?”

 

Willa bit her lip, trying not to look guilty, though it wasn't working. Edward grinned, staring up at the slayer. “I only asked if she thought he was a pervert with every girl. And she just let me know she did.” He gave her the most sincere smile he could conjure up.

 

The scowl eased slightly on the woman's face. “That's not what you asked.” She murmured turning from them. “But I'm not sure I want to know the truth.” Her eyes were focused on the Monk who was pretending to meditate. Then glancing around, she asked, “Where's Kagome and Inuyasha gone off to?”

 

Holding his head high with pride and folding his arms across his chest Shippo answered. “They left early. I think Inuyasha said something about fishing. But I don't think that's what Kagome was going with him for.” He looked around, trying to act grown up. “I think she just wants to be alone with him.”

 

Smiling Willa placed a hand on the kitsune's head. “Thank you very much Shippo. Now could you tell me which direction they went in?” When he pointed she stood, pulling Ed with her. “I'm sorry we can't stay. But I'm sure Mora and Al are waiting for us to get back. Thanks for all your help.”

 

Sango smiled and gave the other girl a hug. “We'll miss having you around. But I understand how much you want to go home. Maybe we'll see you soon.” Then she bowed slightly to Edward. “And it was very nice meeting you. I'm sure you'll take good care of Willa.”

 

He gave a single nod then turned to the monk, who had risen from his meditation. Holding out a hand and shaking with him, he gave a nod as well. “It's been good meeting all of you too. If you'll take it a little easier, maybe you'd have more luck with women.” He made a slight motion to the slayer that only the men could see.

 

With a bow Miroku bid them farewell. “Have a safe journey.” He stepped toward Willa and took her hand in his. He gave it a gentle kiss. “May you find yourself as you travel these lands.” Then he moved to stand beside Sango. Gently he wrapped his arm around her waist, shocking the girl completely. “I shall try to change my ways.”

 

Shippo was already waiting on the path. He had obviously decided to lead the way to the river. It wasn't very far but the child wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. He'd become fond of the couple. They could be a lot of trouble. But they had also been fun to have around.

 

Edward took Willa's hand in his and waved to the others before following the kitsune. As they walked down the dusty road he watched the child. The boy was dashing back and forth, looking at various things along the way. Suddenly he stopped and turned back to them with a sad expression.

 

“Maybe you could travel with us.” Shippo pleaded, jumping onto the alchemist's shoulder. His eyes filled with tears and his lip quivered. “I don't want you to leave Willa. You've made Inuyasha be nicer. He's so much better when you're around. Don't go away. I won't interrupt you again.”

 

Shaking her head she took the boy into her arms. “We have to go Shippo. The others are waiting for us to come home. But I'm sure I'll see you again.” She hugged him close as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Please don't cry. It just wouldn't work, us traveling with you. There'd be too many of us. Inuyasha wouldn't like it.”

 

The boy nodded, pulling away and wiping the tears with the back of his hand. “I know. I just don't want you to. But I'll try to be strong.” He peered up at her, his lip still quivering. “I don't think I want to lead you to the river. Inuyasha would make fun of me for crying.”

 

Willa nodded and sat him on the ground. “Alright then, you go on back to camp and dry your tears.” She kissed the top of his head lightly. “Be good for Kagome. And don't let Miroku get out of hand. You have to make sure he doesn't upset Sango too much. Okay?” He nodded, then after a quick hug ran back toward camp.

 

As she stood Edward put an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. “You're going to miss him aren't you?” She nodded, sighing slightly. Ed gently nudged her in the direction of the river and they began walking again. “It'll be fine. We'll see them again soon.” He soothed, fully believing in his words.