InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ Happiness at last ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: Well, the usual. Inuyasha and the gang do not belong to me

 

Warning: There is very light sexual content in this chapter and when I say light, it is light. But I just thought I'd warn you all just to be on the safe side :).

 

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Chapter 17: Happiness at last

 

"You should have seen his face Kagome, it was positively hilarious," giggled Sango. "He went from normal to as white as a sheath in the space of a few seconds," she finished with mirth.

 

"Well Kagura did threaten to rip my personal parts out... and looked quite serious about it if I do say so myself," countered Miroku with a grimace.

 

"Considering how much of a letch you usually are, I think I might have actually done you a favor by going through with it," replied the wind sorceress, prompting everyone to burst out laughing.

 

It had been a more than pleasant evening for the gang so far. Everything had started with Yuna surprising everyone yet again with her cooking skills. The meal had been filled with idle conversations mixed with a good dose of compliments directed to the girl who had put everything together. The praise always caused the child to blush in embarrassment, but one could not miss the spark of satisfaction dancing in her eyes at hearing such positive comments.

 

After having their fair share of food, things got rather... interesting. It was Shippo who began the whole thing when he decided to calculate how long it would take him to make Inuyasha snap out of his unexplained sulky mood. From hurling a huge spinning top at the hanyou to biting him, to throwing fox-fire directly at him, he had done it all. It took about a minute of this treatment for Inuyasha to explode and give the kitsune a few good bumps on the head for good measure. This marked the beginning of what could only be called a silly game spree. Everything they could think of somewhat became twisted into a new idea for a game... and the sillier the better. The main idea of the evening was to simply have fun, forget all their problems and enjoy the simple pleasure of being together. Something none of them had been able to do since meeting each other.

 

As enjoyable, as pleasant and as relaxing as the evening turned out to be, the events of the day eventually began to catch up. The joyous atmosphere gradually turned sleepy as the evening dragged on and the games stopped, replaced with casual conversation once again. However, not everyone in the gang was as resistant to exhaustion as the adults and Kagura suddenly found that she had been turned into a makeshift pillow by Yuna.

 

"Aaah! She's so cute," said Kagome in a sweet voice.

 

Kagura's first instinct was to snap back at the girl hanyou for having made fun of the sleeping child, but it died as quickly as it had come when she realized that no taunt had been intended, it was merely a statement of fact. And one that the sorceress could not do anything but agree on. The harsh life Yuna had been forced to live so far had left many marks on her body. One of them was her skinniness, which was most apparent in her hollow cheeks as the rest of her body was always covered with a kimono. The second was the permanent mask of fear and worry warping her features, thanks to the cruelty of her former masters. Now that she was asleep though, it was like those wounds had never even existed. The creased features were now completely smooth and relaxed, there was even a small contented smile gracing the child's lips. The hollowness of her cheeks was always there of course, but it did not seem as apparent as it once had been. All in all, it was a picture that made Kagura's heart melt.

 

"So this is what you really look like Yuna," thought the sorceress fondly.

 

"I'll put her to bed," she said softly and carefully gathered the sleeping child in her arms.

 

On the way to their rooms, the girl let out a small moan, causing Kagura to stop dead in her tracks, fearful that she may have awakened her. She was relieved to find out that it had not been the case. In fact, Yuna unconsciously snuggled deeper in the youkai's arms letting out a long and contented sigh in the process.

 

"Mommy," she murmured in her sleep.

 

A physical blow would probably have had less of an impact on the sorceress than this one single word. If her heart had melted when seeing Yuna's peaceful features, now it had completely liquefied. The warm feeling that always accompanied intimate moments with the child came back, only about ten times stronger, filling her entire being until she thought she would burst. Her vision started to blur as tears formed in her eyes in response to the emotions coursing through her and finally, a shaky and watery smile graced her features as she once again glanced at the sleeping form in her arms.

 

A round of laughter emanating from the common room brought her back to reality enough to make her realize that she was stupidly standing in the middle of the corridor. Hastily, she covered the remaining distance separating her from their room and went in, promptly shutting the door behind her. With great care, she lowered the sleeping child comfortably on the futon and tucked the cover over her, looking every bit the mother Yuna had just called her.

 

There was a long pause during which Kagura looked at the sleeping girl tenderly. Finally, an impulse born from deep within her soul caused her to bend down and kiss the child gently on the forehead. As she did so, words spoken by Kagome what seemed like a lifetime ago, but was really only a bit more than a week, came back to her.

 

"Children do have a tendency to throw our world upside down," spoke the schoolgirl with a dreamy smile on her face. "But in the end, they bring out things in you that you never thought you had. They make you stronger."

 

And it was true. Her initial dream of simply flying around seemed to have vanished somewhere between her meeting with Yuna and her arrival at Kaede's doorstep. Oh, she would fly again, that much she was certain. She loved the gentle caress of the wind on her face too much to simply give it all up, but it would be different now, she had an anchor. She knew now that however far she may go, she would always come back here, because this was were her heart lay, with Yuna and her newfound family.

 

"I am not the wind..." she thought to herself.

 

"Sleep tight Yuna," she whispered with a smile on her face.

 

"... I am Kagura, the wind sorceress and Yuna's adoptive mother," she finished before heading out of the room to wish everyone goodnight.

 

******

 

"You know it's funny how things work out sometimes. A few months back, I'd never have believed that Kagura would end up like this," reflected Sango once the youkai had left with Yuna in her arms.

 

"Yeah and a few months back, I'd never have believed that I'd turn into a hanyou... I still have a hard time believing it actually," agreed Kagome, while giving her new claws a considering look.

 

"Well, as Shippo said, whether a hanyou or a human, you are still you Kagome-sama, and that is what's important," added Miroku solemnly.

 

There was a second of absolute silence following the monk's statement. "Is something the matter?" he asked once he noticed that everyone was looking at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

 

"That is definitively something I'm never going to get used to," said Kagome as if she had not heard the question.

 

"I agree with you on this one Kagome-chan," replied the demon slayer with a shake of her head.

 

The monk's head was going from one face to the other, trying to figure out what the two were actually talking about when Inuyasha butted in.

 

"Keh! Typical! He can't stay wise for more than one reply," mocked the hanyou, causing everyone but Miroku to burst out laughing.

 

"Hmf! I think I shall retire for the night. At least this way, I will not have to face anymore silly insults," snorted the monk in a falsely offended tone.

 

"Trying to take the easy way out are you Miroku?" replied the hanyou, beginning to enjoy this more and more.

 

"Actually," cut in Sango before the man could reply. "I think I'll follow his example. The day has been rather tiresome," explained the demon slayer while stifling a yawn.

 

"Some of you did not need any encouragement," spoke Kaede from her corner. She had both Shippo and Kirara propped against her, happily snoring away.

 

The woman had not really taken an active part in the excitement of earlier. Not that she had been forgotten by the celebrating people, but it was just that she felt content to sit back and watch as the gang enjoyed themselves for the first time in years. Shippo the Kitsune youkai, Kirara the cat youkai, Kagura the wind sorceress, Sango the demon slayer, Kagome the girl from 500 years in the future, Miroku the hopelessly pervert monk and last but not least Inuyasha the hard-headed hanyou. All of these people were as different as you could make them, not very likely to stick together, and yet there they were, all held together by something that went far deeper than mere friendship. These people actually formed a family. Granted, possibly the strangest she had ever seen, but also one of the most tightly bound together that she had ever lay her eyes upon.

 

"The day has been long," agreed Kagome while stretching. "Come on Sango, I'll help you to bed," she added while making her way to the wounded demon slayer.

 

"That's okay Kagome-chan, I can have Kagura help me once she comes back," countered the woman while looking discreetly at someone behind Kagome.

 

"No Sango, this is something I want to do," she answered with a small smile to show she had perfectly understood the allusion.

 

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the demon slayer nonetheless accepted the help and pretty soon, she was hoisted carefully on the girl hanyou's back and they were heading for their room. On the way, they met Kagura who had a rather dreamy expression on her face.

 

"Kagura? Is everything okay?" asked Sango curiously.

 

Somehow, the question made the smile on the female youkai's face widen. For a second, she looked about to say something, but then, she shook her head as if changing her mind and the her features returned somewhat to normal.

 

"Everything's just fine," she chuckled. "Good night you two," she added before heading for the common room, not waiting for her answer.

 

"That was weird," commented Kagome. "What do you suppose happened?"

 

"I have no idea, but it didn't really seem like something bad," answered the demon slayer.

 

For a while the two girls looked at each other, as if this would help them figure out what had befallen the wind sorceress, but then, they both shrugged and Kagome resumed her walk. It wasn't until she had reached her destination that the girl hanyou broke the silence.

 

"Sango I..." began the girl, visibly not knowing where to start.

 

"You don't have to say anything Kagome-chan. You came back along with everyone else. That's all that matters to me," said the demon slayer.

 

"Even if I..." she started to say, looking dubiously at her clawed hands, but Sango interrupted her.

 

"You came back Kagome-chan," said the woman firmly in a tone that would not tolerate any disagreement.

 

The silence that followed those words spoke louder than anything the two women could have said. It was a moment where all of Kagome's uncertainties were met with Sango's reassurance, a moment where a bond, already strong, found itself reinforced with a new thread. Tears of relief started blurring the girl hanyou's eyes and before she knew it, she had thrown herself against the demon slayer causing a painful hiss to escape the wounded woman's lips. Blushing in embarrassment, Kagome backed away slightly.

 

"Sorry about that," she said meekly.

 

"Don't mention it Kagome-chan," answered the demon slayer with a shake of her head. "But now that you had your reassurance, don't you think it's time you go back to Inuyasha? He looked quite... disappointed by your decision," she said with light chuckle.

 

"I suppose he was," agreed the girl hanyou with a giggle of her own. "But... I needed this more than you could imagine Sango, so let him be disappointed," she finished firmly.

 

"It's nice to see that you have your priorities straight," mocked the demon slayer.

 

"Yep, indeed it is," shot back the girl hanyou and with that, both girls burst out laughing.

 

******

 

By the time Kagome got back to the common room, everyone present had settled as comfortably as possible for the night and, much to her dismay, Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. Frowning a little at that, she wondered a bit about where he could have disappeared to when a whiff of his scent tickled her nose, reminding her of her new ability. With a lopsided grin, she started following his trail. After a time, she didn't even need it as his destination became as clear as day: he was headed for the goshinboku. It didn't take her long to cover the remaining distance separating her from the tree and even lesser time to spot the object of her search.

 

"So that's where you've been," she said lightly, but Inuyasha didn't answer, even though she knew perfectly well that he was aware of her presence.

 

"Don't tell me you're still sulking about Sesshomaru?" she asked incredulously.

 

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to look at her with a disbelieving stare. "Keh! Even the great lord of the western lands doesn't warrant such attention on my part," he answered scornfully.

 

"What the hell is with you? Why does it bother you so much that he did something to protect his lands?" asked the girl hanyou impatiently.

 

"So much for my romantic night," she reflected sourly.

 

"That's exactly it Kagome! Those are his lands! Lands inherited by none other than Inutaisho, who happens to be my father as well," he spat venomously.

 

"That never bothered you before. Why choose now of all time to let it get to you?" she asked again, not understanding in the least why he was behaving this way.

 

"Because I want to have something to offer you Kagome," he said without thinking, causing both people present to freeze in surprise.

 

"Something... to offer me?" asked the girl tentatively. Somehow, everything seemed to fall into place perfectly, forming a picture that she dared not look at yet.

 

"Yeah... a place to live," he answered while turning away to hide the reddening of his cheeks.

 

Before she could say anything though, he continued, the words stumbling out of his mouth in an unstoppable flow.

 

"He has the lands, the wealth. He has the means to ensure his potential mate security, while I, as a hanyou, have nothing. The only thing I have is myself. That's why it's bothering me, because for once... he has the better end of the bargain," he finished sourly without turning back.

 

"Does he now?" asked the girl hanyou softly, causing Inuyasha to turn a tentative glance to the woman behind him.

 

"All the riches in the world cannot possibly compare to what you have already given me Inuyasha," she said with a smile.

 

Her smile widened when she saw his confused expression and she moved closer to him. "You've given me your heart Inuyasha and nothing is more precious than that," she whispered and before he could come up with any reply, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

 

"I might just get my romantic night after all," she reflected before losing herself completely in the moment.

 

******

 

Inuyasha watched dreamily as the eastern sky began to turn gray, indicating that dawn was fast approaching. A satisfied, if maybe a tad incredulous, smile appeared on his lips as the events of the night before came back to his mind. Kagome's warm body pressed against his own, the still tingling mark on his neck, all of those assured him that it had not been a dream. He and Kagome were now officially mates. It was strange because he had not exactly meant for things to happen so fast. He had merely wanted to propose tonight, not go all the way. But with Kagome, one had to be prepared for everything.

 

--Flashback--

 

Inuyasha didn't know exactly when things began to go out of control like this. Maybe it was when their tongues started to dance in each other's mouths, turning a sweet and tender kiss into a hot and passionate one, making his blood boil and his heart thunder in his chest. Maybe it was when Kagome's hands began to play with his ears in the most exquisite way possible, turning his legs into jelly and making him almost lose his balance in the process. He didn't know for sure, and quite frankly, he didn't care.

 

He did know one thing though, there was nothing casual about the way his hands started exploring her back, eliciting encouraging moans from the girl pressed against him. There was also nothing casual about the way she answered his ministrations with teasing caresses of her own, going increasingly lower with each pass. But when her scent suddenly exploded in answer to her growing excitement, all senses of casualness left his mind and quite probably hers too. That was also when his last thread of sanity blared into life, reminding him that there was something they needed to accomplish before they could give in to their primal desire. It took every ounce of will power he had to still his hands and bring them to the girl's shoulders to push slightly away. Even as their mouth began to separate, he could feel her reaching forward, not willing to end their kiss just yet.

 

"I... Inu... yasha?" she whispered hoarsely, trying to contain her own raging emotions.

 

"We're... not... mated... yet," he answered in a tone very similar to the one she had used a mere second ago.

 

"Who cares, let's do it after," she shot back and leaned forward with every intention of continuing where they had left off.

 

"We... can't," he argued, stopping her well short of his mouth.

 

"Oh come now, it's not like you're going to dishonor me! We're practically mates already," she replied, frustrated.

 

"That's not it at all!" he snapped, effectively silencing her. Taking a deep breath to settle his racing emotions, he spoke, his voice softer this time. "Kagome... it's not a matter of honor or dishonor. It's a matter of recognition," he explained.

 

"What do you mean?" asked the girl, confused by this statement.

 

"The bond between mates is something that can be felt by other youkai. It's a way to tell whether a male or female has already been claimed. The thing is that if we make love before bonding ourselves, it changes the feel of the link. Youkai calls it an impure bond and it is seen as something as low and despicable as rape," he clarified.

 

"I see... so in short, you want us to become mates before making love, so that other youkai will not think that you forced yourself upon me," she summarized.

 

"That's about the core of it," agreed Inuyasha.

 

"So how do we do it?" she asked suddenly, causing the male hanyou to goggle at her.

 

"You mean us? Here? Now?" he stammered, taken aback by Kagome's straightforwardness.

 

The girl hanyou grabbed two strands of silver hair from Inuyasha's head and yanked them forcibly forward, bringing his face within an inch of her own. "Now look here Inuyasha. In the last two weeks I've died, got revived, had to fight not one but two youkai hellbent on getting the jewel, had two close friends kidnapped and, to top it all off, I was turned into a hanyou. Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me so far?" she asked firmly, almost to the point of anger.

 

"N... no," he stuttered nervously.

 

"I didn't think so. You see, there were a few things I wanted to do when I settled here permanently. Spend relaxing time with Sango and the others, get to know Kagura and Yuna better, improve my healing skills with Kaede, but most of all, I wanted to be with you and become your mate. So mister dense, are you going to deny me, now that my blood's boiling?" she questioned again.

 

There was a second of stunned silence on Inuyasha's part. He wasn't sure if the girl had done it on purpose, but when she had spoken her last sentence, her scent had peaked once again. He instantly felt his own desire explode inside of him and it took everything he had not to give in.

 

"Fine," he whispered his agreement hoarsely. Not that he had much choice in the matter, the woman had made sure of that.

 

"Close your eyes and concentrate on me. Open yourself to me as wide as you can. Trust me and no matter what, don't try to fight back," he instructed.

 

He waited for the girl to comply before bringing his head to the side of her neck, searching for one precise point where her flow of life-energy converged. Once he found it, he licked and nipped the skin gently, preparing it for what he was about to do (and causing a strong shudder of pleasure to travel down Kagome's body in the process). When he considered he had softened the spot enough, he abruptly sank his fangs in her warm flesh, causing a momentary opening in the flow of her life-energy. He immediately sent his own strand through that hole before it closed and suddenly he could feel her. Not as an outside presence like before, but as a sort of pulsing awareness deep within his soul. He knew then that his part of the bond was now in place. He felt a deep satisfaction well up inside of him until he noticed that Kagome was as stiff as a statue against him.

 

"Kagome?" he asked softly while backing away to look at her face.

 

The girl was just standing there, staring at nothing with her eyes opened as wide as they would go.

 

"Kagome?" he repeated more firmly this time, concern quickly flooding his being. If he had hurt her in any way, he would never forgive himself.

 

Fortunately, his voice seemed to bring her back to reality because she suddenly let out a long breath and the tension drained from her body. Before he had time to ask anything though, her head shot up and he could see anger burning in her eyes.

 

"You conceited little jerk! You could have told me it would hurt like that!" she snapped.

 

"Hurt?" he asked carefully. He hadn't known about that part.

 

"Yeah hurt! Dammit I thought I was gonna pass out!" she continued.

 

"Sorry," he amended. "I didn't know about that."

 

Kagome looked at his meek expression for a while before huffing in annoyance. "Well in any case, it's done. So, are we mates now?" she asked, anger replaced with impatience.

 

"Almost. All that's left is for you to do exactly as I did," he said.

 

Kagome blinked once before an evil smile appeared on her lips. "Do I now. Well then, let's get to it," she shot back mischievously.

 

As he closed his eyes and opened up to her in the same way she had done earlier, he could not help but gulp down in apprehension. The look on the woman's face had been anything but reassuring. He felt her tongue graze his skin slightly in preparation and he unwittingly braced himself for what was to come. Surely the woman had been exaggerating, it could not be...

 

White hot pain obliterated his thought as she sank her fangs into his neck. It was a pain like none he had ever felt before. It felt like something was trying to rip his soul apart, not pleasant at all. He dimly realized that Kagome had definitively not been exaggerating when she had said that she had almost lost consciousness, he himself was barely holding on to it. Luckily, it didn't last long, but it had been so intense that, for a minute, all he could do was stand there, trying to get his brain to function again.

 

"So, you still think I was exaggerating?" she teased once he had recovered enough to understand her.

 

He merely growled in answer, but stopped short when her teasing smile turned roguish. "So we're mates now aren't we?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him, her scent peaking once again.

 

He hardly had time to nod before she sent him crashing to the ground, claiming his lips with a ferocity he had not known possible.

 

--End flashback--

 

There were a few things he had imagined about his first night with Kagome. The feel of her skin, the way her body would move against his... but the woman had effectively thrown everything out the window. The way she used to behave had led him to believe that she might actually be somewhat submissive to his advances. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She had struggled with him, fought savagely to try and be on top instead of him until he managed to pin her down with his superior weight. He hadn't exactly known where all this aggressiveness had come from until he saw that her eyes were tinted with red, telling him that her youkai blood was roaring. It did not exactly surprise him considering that his own was pounding rather strongly in his ears. The difference was that he had been trying to hold it back while Kagome had visibly embraced its awakening. Before he had much time to contemplate this though, her scent peaked again. Every rational thought instantly left his mind and his youkai blood started roaring in his ears. The last rational communication between the couple was a sort of satisfied growl coming from Kagome when she saw that he had finally let go of his inhibitions.

 

As afraid as he had been at letting his youkai blood run free, Inuyasha had to admit that this time, it had been one of the most exhilarating experience of his life. He unconsciously started to wonder what people could possibly find attractive in a tame mate that quietly lay under you when you seek pleasure. Kagome's answers to his pleas had been what made the whole experience so incredible.

 

"They don't know what they're missing," he reflected wryly and couldn't suppress a light chuckle at the thought.

 

As this idle questioning filled his drowsy mind, the object of his thoughts stirred lightly in his arms and opened her eyes. There was an instant of confusion as she blinked the sleep out of her gorgeous golden-brown orbs but then a bright smile graced her lips as she realized just where she was.

 

"So it wasn't a dream," she said softly.

 

"Unless we both had the same," replied Inuyasha in the same tone.

 

There was a long and comfortable silence during which Kagome snuggled closer to Inuyasha and the male hanyou tightened his hold on the girl. It was broken after a time when Inuyasha chuckled lightly.

 

"You know Kagome, you really are the craziest girl I've ever met," he noted wryly.

 

"Oh really, and why is that?" asked the girl while playfully poking one of the numerous scratches present on her mate's chest.

 

"Any other woman would have wanted some sort of ceremony accompanying their mating, but not you. All you wanted was me... and boy did you ever want," he explained, his tone going increasingly dry toward the end of his sentence.

 

"Hmpf! It's not my fault that you're such an attractive and sexy hanyou. Hell just being near you makes my blood warm up," she shot back, her finger tracing tantalizing circles on the rippling muscles of his chest.

 

"And besides," she added before he could get a word in edgewise. "Who said I gave up on having a ceremony in the first place?" she added with a mischievous smile.

 

"What do you mean?" asked the male hanyou, frowning in confusion at this.

 

"There's a pair of rings in my backpack that my grandfather gave me especially for that purpose," she explained, her grin never leaving her face.

 

Inuyasha's blinked once, then twice before the full meaning of Kagome's words hit him full force.

 

"Surely, you can't possibly mean..." he trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

 

"Why not? We are hanyou after all," replied the girl, giggling softly at her mate's reaction.

 

He stared at the girl in his arms for about a second in complete bafflement. He tried to find any sign saying that she may have been joking, but found none and that surprised him even more. Still, he had to admit that what she was implying did make sense... in a very twisted kind of way.

 

"You really are crazy," he said, a lopsided grin appearing on his face, replacing his dumbfounded expression.

 

"You know it and love me for it," she replied huskily.

 

"Damn right," he shot back before bending down and claiming her lips in yet another passionate kiss.

 

And, as the two once again let their passion roam free, the sun finally decided to rise over the horizon, shedding its warm light on the new couple, blessing their union with all the warmth and glory of its golden radiance.

 

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Author's note: Well, that's it for this, Kagome and Inuyasha are finally mates :). Only two more chapters to go :).