InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Life in Your Eyes ❯ When it Comes... ( Chapter 5 )

Well it's been a long long time since my last post and I apologize. I was crazy busy with school stuff, work and getting ready for ALHC (American Lindy Hop Championships). With school winding down for now and the competition over I have lots more time! Hooray! So enjoy the latest chapter and please review.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or The Raging Quiet. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sheryl Jordan, respectively.

 

 

 

“She's a good woman. I hope Miroku-sama doesn't scare her off,” Kagome stated idly as the monk and his female companion, whom Kagome had learned was a demon slayer, left to return to the temple. Inuyasha had made it clear, after much flailing at Kagome so she would translate, that he was capable of protecting her the rest of the night and that they should get some sleep. The hut was too small for all four of them to sleep comfortably and Inuyasha complained about the monk and tajiya being too close. Inuyasha grunted behind her, taking her arm and turning her around to face him. His eyes glinted in the faint candlelight. His face showed his concern and Kagome tilted her head in confusion. “What? Are you still worried about earlier?” she questioned him. Inuyasha shook his head and drew her to the table. She knelt beside him and watched his hands as they struggled to explain.

 

 

`Me tonight demon human.'

 

 

“Hanyou. You're hanyou tonight. Why?”

 

 

`Sick,' he shook his head to erase the thought. He couldn't come up with a way to get across the idea of his curse. `Sick long time,' he tried again hopefully. Kagome puzzled over it a moment but a light seemed to enter her eyes and she nodded, whispering the word he was looking for. `Leave. No moon. Me, me.'

 

 

“You're yourself when there is no moon,” she interpreted aloud. He nodded emphatically, glad she understood him so well. “Is the curse what makes it so you can't speak?” The hanyou nodded. “Who… who put the curse on you?” Her question obviously pained him and he looked away. “Was it a miko like Naraku said?” Inuyasha nodded with his eyes on the fire, his ears laying back in shame. Kagome struggled with the decision on whether or not she should ask him the one thing she had been fearing knowing since she'd heard Naraku speak of it. “Did she look like me?” Inuyasha's amber eyes shot to her face, seemingly taking in her features for the first time. For a moment he just stared then nodded a little. Looking away from him to hide the pain she knew would shine in her eyes, Kagome raised the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp for breath. She didn't want to cry, didn't want to show how much his small affirmative affected her. The soft growl he emitted in response did not help the situation, turning her hurt into embarrassment. Who was she to assume he had actually cared about her? How could she have been so stupid as to let herself…

 

 

Inuyasha pulled her around and tried his hardest not to shake her silly. She hadn't let him finish and now she was upset. She'd obviously made assumptions, assumptions that made her sad. The scent of her tears was nearly overwhelming to his sensitive nose and he choked on a fierce growl. `You, you,' he gestured angrily, making her pay attention. Kagome shook her head, not understanding what he meant. `You, you alone.'

 

 

That seemed to clarify his meaning but she still pulled away from his hold, standing by the window and staring at the stars as they began to fade with the coming of the morning. “Did you love her?” Her question obviously shocked him and he stood, coming up next to her and placing his large clawed hands on her shoulders to turn her around. She was purposefully avoiding looking at him, trying not to see his answer, getting the feeling that she wouldn't like it. Inuyasha's frustration with her only grew when she wouldn't willingly shift her gaze to him. Finally he clasped her chin firmly in one hand and signed with the other.

 

 

`Long time before. Now, me no want think her.' Kagome took a few minutes to understand him but her eyes took on a slightly hopeful look once she gathered his meaning. `Now, you alone.' Kagome gasped softly in surprise, her brown eyes shining. Inuyasha could smell her shock at his admission, the way her scent sweetened in his nose. `Sun come. Human me,' he explained to her. He stared at the sky for a few moments before he again signed to her. `You me go see monk.' Unsure of why he would want to see Miroku so early in the morning, Kagome only nodded. After a few moments Inuyasha led her over to her futon, motioning for her to try and get some rest, nestling himself down next to her. Kagome sighed in contentment, his warmth easing her into a drowsy state. She didn't sleep though, just dozed, comfortable in her protector's arms. Kagome woke as the sun peeked through the window and Inuyasha again signed that he would return to human with the sunlight's arrival.

 

 

But as the sun rose and the pair expected Inuyasha's hair to darken and for his ears to return to normal, they did not. Inuyasha blinked at Kagome a few times in disbelief. Why was he not weak and human again? “Inuyasha?” Kagome questioned, coming more fully awake. “Aren't you supposed to…”

 

 

“Yes.” Both of them stared at one another. Inuyasha's hand flew to his throat, completely thrown for a loop at the sound of his own voice. It as low and raw from disuse but it was there all the same. “K-Kagome?” he croaked out in faint fear. The young woman let out something that sounded like a sob and threw her arms around his neck, holding herself against him. The hanyou remained silent in shock, still afraid to believe it was all real. Part of him was still waiting to wake up and have it be a dream. Kagome's gentle shaking brought him out of his daze and he returned her embrace wholeheartedly. “Kagome,” he whispered affectionately, burying his nose in her hair. He wasn't sure if hers were happy tears or not but she soon stopped, looking up at him with a watery smile that shined with an emotion he'd never thought to see again. Inuyasha slowly brought his mouth to hers, kissing her just as he had always wanted to do. Shyly she responded to his kiss, moving with him when his lips parted just enough to taste her. A slow rumble began in his chest as a sign of his happy mood. The kiss was not overly long but the two remained nestled in each other's arms for a good while afterward to hold onto the comfortable feeling between them.

 

 

“I'm so glad for you,” Kagome finally told him in a whisper, a yawn escaping her. Inuyasha squeezed her close and whispered hoarsely for her to get some sleep. Pulling the blanket up over them both, Inuyasha tucked Kagome against his side while periodically taking in her scent. The warmth of her body and the sweetness of her scent soon had him dozing as well.

 

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Miroku's look was obviously lecherous in nature and Inuyasha didn't appreciate it much. Apparently the monk had misinterpreted the nature of the cure for his curse and assumed he and Kagome had… Well they hadn't and even if they ever did at all, it wouldn't be for a long, long time. She sat huddled against his side across the table from Miroku and Sango in the temple, the pair opposite making it obvious that they didn't believe him. Oh they believed that he was cured, there was no reason to doubt that, but they had obviously already come to their own conclusions about how it had happened. Kagome was content to ignore their “knowing” looks and simply stay as close to him as possible. Part of it was their discussion of her late husband's cousin and the battle they'd had with him the night before. Inuyasha could tell she was still afraid of the man and it irked him to know she felt fear. He would protect her, he had promised her. But Naraku was a formidable foe and it was hard not to feel at least a small amount of anxiousness over the fact that he would not be easy to defeat.

 

 

“My master was a scribe who happened to record your misfortune Inuyasha. He noted how it was you were supposed to have been freed from your curse but he was very vague on the specifics,” Miroku intoned from his side of the table.

 

 

“That's because he was a drunk old fool,” Sango muttered, glancing away when Miroku shot her a glare. “Mushin made it a priority to confuse anyone and everyone around him. He loved playing games,” the warrior woman stated with a deep sigh. Inuyasha stared at the pair, hoping that they would have further information to help them defeat Naraku instead of just this nonsense about his own life. It was evident, at least to him, that Naraku was after Kagome for some reason and he had a feeling he knew what it was. There was no reason to dwell on his past when they had far more important things to deal with. “He mentioned something about a pearl of great value and that a great woman's power was necessary to retrieve it but his writing turns into riddles and no one has been able to decipher them yet. We just assumed “great woman” referred to a miko.”

 

 

“It mentioned the pearl?” Inuyasha questioned softly. He was still unused to using his voice and he was still working out the intricacies of speaking. After having spent so long alone and then with people abusing him, he wasn't entirely sure what a proper tone was in normal conversation. Kagome almost always spoke softly and Miroku only laughed loudly so he decided it was best to keep his voice down. Miroku nodded, throwing him a questioning look. “It's where my father's sword is hidden away. I don't know where it is or how to get to it but it must be what Naraku's after. He must know how powerful it is.” Kagome squeezed his arm slightly in support and he tossed her a grateful look out of the corner of his eye. It was a relief to know she was there for him.

 

 

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Lacking any further information on the subject, the newly formed group parted ways, Inuyasha taking Kagome back to the hut she had shared with him for several weeks now. He was amazed at the sensations having all his senses back gave him. The smell of the fields, the air, the trees, the animals, Kagome… Mostly he was enthralled by the scent and feel of Kagome walking beside him as they trekked toward the small cove they lived on. He could smell the sea in the air, much more pungently than he'd been able to in the past and the salt nearly made his nose burn. His eyesight was far more acute than he remembered, even on his nights as a hanyou. The aspects of daylight that he'd been missing out on for over fifty years… But nothing compared to Kagome's beauty, her scent, her warmth. Nothing affected him like she did. “Will you ever tell me everything?” Kagome asked somewhat suddenly, startling him from his silent memorization of her every feature. With an internal sigh Inuyasha glanced at the lovely young woman at his side. He had intended to tell her eventually but he just wasn't ready to tell her all about his past. So much of it was painful.

 

 

At the same time he wanted to share it all with her. She had the right to know. She was involved in the dangerous part of his life now and he had long since sworn to protect her. However he knew that his past would hurt her. He'd tried to explain to her before that she meant a lot to him but now that he had the use of his voice, he didn't know what to say to her. Nothing seemed enough to explain what she had done for him in the short time they had known one another. She had accepted him, cared for him, loved him… He knew as much from her actions and the way she looked at him. It was there clearly in her bright brown eyes for anyone, including him, to see. “Yes. Just… Not here Kagome,” he murmured, taking her hand in his and leading her back to the hut on the cove. Once inside he watched her bustle about, making tea and a light meal for the two of them. She obviously needed something to occupy her mind for a bit. Her nervousness was rolling off her in waves, nearly clogging his nose in its intensity. Meanwhile the half-demon was contemplating what to tell her.

 

 

“It was a long time ago Kagome,” he told her when she finally sat still long enough for him to tell her anything. She'd set the food and tea in front of him and he'd encouraged her to sit as well. At first she wouldn't look at him and it hurt to know she was so afraid to hear about his past. Hadn't he proved to her in the last couple of days that he cared a good deal for her? “I met her after I had been alone for nearly ten years. She was nice to me, she didn't throw things at me or curse at me for existing. Even though she was a miko.” Inuyasha felt himself fondly remembering his early days with Kikyo and a sad sort of smile came to his lips. “She let me live near her, for a while anyway, but I was too uncomfortable being near the village so I usually left to stay in the forest.” His memories turned a little more sour. “She was the protector of this jewel, the Shikon no Tama. She had obligations and I had originally looked for her to steal it. But she eventually, after a year or so, offered me an alternative. Use the jewel and become human, live the rest of a human life. We never talked about it but it was assumed I would stay with her as husband and wife.” At his words Kagome stiffened considerably, turning her face completely away. He could smell her pain and it made his heart clench. She knew how it ended, how could she be so hurt by the story she'd asked for him to tell?

 

 

Kagome sucked in a breath and let it out shakily. “And you agreed?” she asked in a soft voice. She couldn't look at him right now. She felt numb, wanting to cry and yet desperately holding it in so that she wouldn't make a fool of herself. He murmured a gentle “yes” then tried to explain himself. But Kagome wasn't ready to hear it. “It's ok Inuyasha. I understand. I'm sure you would have been very…”

 

 

“Grrr, you're not listening. Who's telling the story here Kagome?” Inuyasha snarled at her, slapping his hands down on the table and making the dishes rattle. Kagome flinched away from him and he instantly settled down, not willing to scare her any more than he had already. Her somewhat tentative trust in him probably wouldn't hold through another one of his tantrums. She let out a shuddering breath and he sighed in response. “It didn't work out Kagome. It doesn't matter if I wanted it or not because we ended up being tricked, betraying one another. She thought I'd… That I'd found another woman and she cursed me. She used the jewel and bound it to my youki until it was contained within me. That pearl I was talking about, the one that holds Tetsusaiga, it was trapped within the Shikon no Tama and it somehow disappeared. My guess is it's absorbed into my body somewhere.” Kagome had sunk into herself a little, hunched over as she faced away from the table. He could see that she was pulling away from him, trying to shield herself from his words. “She cursed me to live my life, my normal lifetime, as a human because she thought I had changed my mind on her. I lived like that for fifty years. Now I've met you and…”

 

 

Kagome heard him trail off and couldn't help her curiosity. “And what?” she asked breathlessly.

 

 

“You lifted my curse Kagome, isn't that enough?” She knew that but it was difficult to understand what that meant exactly with such doubt plaguing her mind. Did it only mean that she had purified the curse from him, being a miko and all? Was it the fact that she loved him with all her heart? Or did it require that he love her in return? “She told me the only way it would lift is if I…” He stood abruptly, agitatedly pacing the floor near the fire pit. “I had to fall in love Kagome,” he murmured, keeping his eyes averted. “There were no promises that whoever she was would love me in return. Kikyo wanted me to suffer, to love a woman who wouldn't love me for who I was. Because she believed I hadn't loved her the way she wanted me to.”

 

 

A soft rustling made it obvious that Kagome was moving. Part of him was sure it was away from him so he was surprised when he felt her hand gently resting on his back, her delicate fingers flexing against the tense muscles there. “But what if that's not it? What if it's only because I'm a miko too and I somehow… I don't know Inuyasha…” He stiffened. Did she not love him like he'd thought? He could have sworn he saw it in her eyes, in her smile and felt it in her lips when he kissed her. “I know I asked you to tell me but I didn't want to cause you pain.”

 

 

Inuyasha did then what he couldn't remember ever having done in his entire life. He stayed and faced his pain and fear. There was nothing left in his life but this young woman to live for anymore and maybe she didn't love him now but he felt that she could grow to love him someday. “Kagome,” he whispered, drawing her to him in a gentle embrace. Her arms slipped around his waist and she held herself to him tightly. “Let me stay. Let me protect you. You don't have to l-love me…”

 

 

Kagome laughed softly, interrupting his speech. “I do love you, you idiot,” she sighed, pressing her face into his chest in slight embarrassment. Inuyasha had admitted, or as close to admitting that he might ever get, that he loved her but it was still scary to admit to her own feelings. The young widow closed her eyes as she felt his fingers gently raise her face. His lips fell to hers and softly kissed her. His thoughts were more clear in that one short kiss than in any spoken words, signed meanings or gestures he'd shown in the past weeks. `I love you,' his lips seemed to say, `I adore you, possess you. You own my soul, my heart.' She was meant to be with Inuyasha. She could feel it thrumming throughout her entire being. Where everything with Koga had felt wrong, everything with Inuyasha felt perfect. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he kissed her… Kagome realized that Koga being a demon had very little to do with her discomfort with him because Inuyasha was hanyou and it didn't seem to cause any kind of problem. Their souls seemed to resonate with one another, a new and somewhat scary feeling. To trust someone so completely, to love someone like that… Kagome smiled as Inuyasha slowly pulled away from her lips.

 

 

“Kagome,” he whispered. She didn't seem to need to hear anything more. Even the way he said her name made his feelings very clear. Standing on her tip-toes, the young woman brought her lips back to his. Inuyasha sighed roughly through his nose, dragging her back against him with his arms around her waist. His heart swelled with feeling, emotions he'd never had before bowling him over. “Kagome…” Her name left his lips in a whimpered plea. So much had suddenly changed for him and it was more than a little frightening. What if he lost her? What if she changed her mind? What if something happened to him, who would protect her? But Kagome seemed to understand his fear, soothing it with another kiss, drawing him into a swirling eddy of emotion.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Look forward to at least a few more updates in the next couple months on this and my other stories! I'm not going to demand reviews, that's silly, but they are encouraging...