InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Confrontation ❯ Simplicity ( Chapter 36 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them!! Well, Jouyoku & Miebi Kokushi is mine, but I'm not bragging!!

Chapter 36: Simplicity

It took a moment for her to figure out that she wasn't sleeping. It was weird, she couldn't even remember falling asleep but she knew she had.

Glancing up at the window above the bed that she was laying on with her Hanyou, Kagome noticed that it was definitely morning, but nowhere near as bright as it should have been. `I wonder what time it is.' She questioned as she slowly pushed herself into a seated position, making sure not to jostle her companion too much as to rouse him.

She heard him groan and she froze. It wasn't that she didn't want to be bothered with him; she just figured that after yesterday he would need all the rest that he could get.

She couldn't help the little smile that formed at the corners of her lips as she stared down at him. She was proud of him for what he did. Her grouchy Hanyou that most people called selfish had laid his own life on the line in order to help their friends. Of course if she ever asked him about this he would no doubt reply with a grouchy `feh' or a `keh', but she knew better, she always did.

Pushing back one of his forelocks from his face she attempted to check the cuts and bruises that were inflicted on him yesterday by Kouga, but found none. His skin was flawless and smooth. It looked like it had never been touched by anything or anyone.

Leaning forward she placed a chaste kiss to his brow and whispered, “Sleep baby, I'm right here.”

He immediately sighed and shifted his body so that he was able to bury his head into her lap. She didn't know how he knew she was now sitting up with her back to the wall, but he obviously did. Once again she smiled as she leaned her head back against the wall and slowly began to caress his ears and the back of his head. She felt his arms encircle her legs and she sighed softly, `even in his sleep he won't let me go.'

Looking towards the window, she could tell by the light that shown through the cracks in the curtain that it was a rather gloomy morning and she couldn't help but to wonder if it was a sign of things to come.

Inuyasha had informed her that it was Kikyo that shot the arrow at them, which also destroyed the well, but she already knew that. The problem now, was how `that problem' could be rectified.

`Maybe if we rebuilt the well and removed the wood from with in it, it would work again.'

Sure she was willing to destroy the well herself in order to stay by Inuyasha's side, but to have someone make that decision for her, just didn't sit right. She had family and friends that would miss her. She didn't have a chance to go through one last time to tell them what she had decided. She wanted to hug her gramps, kiss her mom, and punch her brother one last time, but now because of Kikyo's jealousy, it was possible that she never would.

`I have to believe that there's still hope. I have to, after all I still have the jewel, I could make a wish that the well would reopen and stay that way. I…I could wish that none of this ever happened. Couldn't I? Her thoughts were desperate and needy, but she knew in her heart of hearts that, that wish would be considered selfish and would not be granted.

Sighing softly she looked down at the sleeping hanyou and smiled. `At least I have him. At least we're finally together the way we should've always been.' She couldn't stop the voice that whispered in the back of her mind, `…but at what cost?'

That was something that she was trying to avoid. Was all of this really worth it? Maybe if she would've just gone down the well when he told her to? Maybe if she had just purified the jewel immediately after it was completed? Maybe…maybe…maybe…

There were too many maybes and not enough answers.

The only thing she knew for sure was that she loved this man, and her family knew that. `So doesn't that mean that they'll understand? Doesn't that mean that they knew that this would happen one day?' As hard as she tried, she couldn't make her heart believe what her mind was telling her. She didn't want to just up and leave them with out so much as a, later or a bye! She wanted to do it right! She wanted to pack, buy an abundance of things like Ramen, lightly scented soaps, and toilet paper, but once again, Kikyo hadn't given her that chance.

She tried not to grind her teeth as the thoughts of everything that her predecessor had taken from her swirled around in her mind. Glancing up at nothing a sarcastic smirk graced her fatigued features as a saying she had heard many times before came to mind, `alls fair in love and war.' Finally, she knew what it meant.

Stretching her arms over her head she yawned and arched her back forgetting for a moment that Inuyasha was lying on her lap. After resituating her body she started running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to removes the tangles and knots that she was sure had made a home in her once luscious mane. Reaching the back she felt around for a moment be realization sat in.

“Aaaaah” She screamed as she pulled as much of her hair over her face as she could. `Oh, Kami! Oh hell no! Where's…where's my hair!' She thought frantically as she felt around the bald spot that sat just below the crown of her head.

“What…who…where is he!” Inuyasha shouted as he jumped from the bed and crotched low to the ground prepared to spring on the assailant.

“Oh, Kami please tell me this shit is not happening! Tell me I'm dreaming!” The miko shouted not even noticing that Inuyasha had awakened.

“Kagome, what's wrong? Why'd you scream like that?” The hanyou asked as he sniffed the air, but smelled nothing out of the ordinary. Turning his attention back to the frantic girl that reminded him of a weeping willow tree at the moment, he scowled as he stood to his feet and walked over to her. “Kagome…”

“My hair, where is it? What happened? Where's my damn hair, Inuyasha!” She shouted as she continued to feel around the edges of the bald spot as if she expected what was missing to return at any moment.

Grabbing her head he pulled it down so that he could see what she was talking about. “Oh,” he whispered as he ran a single clawed finger around the diameter of the area. He figured the area devoid of hair was about the size of the mouth of a teacup, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why she was so upset about it. After all it would grow back, wouldn't it? “Feh, its just hair. Why are you so upset?”

Glaring up at him she replied through clenched teeth, “you ass! How about I pull out a patch of yours and see how you feel about it.”

Stepping back away from her, he smirked, “as if you could.” He didn't know why he said that but before he could think about it she had already launched her self at him her tiny hands grabbing and clawing at his head. “Oi, watch the ears!” He yelled as he pretended like he was trying to get away from her.

He didn't know whether to laugh at her or throw her off of him so instead he continued to jostle with her as she tugged and yank viciously on huge parcels of his hair. “You're going to have to do better than that.” He teased as he felt another hard yank. `Shit, that hurt!'

She was furious! How could he be so insensitive? This was her hair that he was making light of. Sure a huge bald spot in his head didn't bother him, but she was woman and she was always taught that a woman's hair was her most prized possession, next to her virginity. Tightening her fists around a large section of his hair she yanked back with all her might, but all it did was piss her off even more because not even a strand came out. “You insensitive jerk!” She yelled shoving him away from her and slouching to the floor next to the foot of their bed. `I really hate him sometimes.' She thought as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She didn't know if it was the frustration of the past events or if it was the knowledge that she now had to walk around with a huge bald spot in the back of her head, but what ever it was she didn't have the energy to hold it in any longer. Letting her head fall forward into her hands she let the flood gates open and she sobbed like baby. Not only for her hair, but for her family that she may never see again, for her best friend that was now on the run from Kouga, for Ayame and all the other women that had the unfortunate luck of crossing paths with the infamous, Jouyoku.

He didn't know what to do or say. She was crying over hair. Hair that would grow back in a few days or a few months in her case, but here she was crying…balling her eyes out over hair. Scooting closer to her he pulled her into his lap and rocked her gently. “Kagome, Keade had to cut it in order to stop the bleeding. If…if she hadn't you might have died.” He whispered the last part as if it was forbidden lore.

She quieted a little, but she didn't reply. Some part of her knew that there was a good reason for a patch of her hair being missing, she just never thought that it would be something life threatening. Snuggling deeper into his chest she sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to will the tears to stop.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha whispered as he softly kissed the top of her head.

Smiling up at him she kissed his chin then whispered, “I'm sorry, I overreacted.”

“Keh, don't worry about it, but…when did you become so vain?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes shot daggers into his face. “Did you…did you just call me, vain?” She hissed.

`Oh hell, I knew I should've stayed in bed.' He thought as he stared down at her unable to blink, move or figure out just why in the hell he would say something so stupid!

“Inu…yasha…” she stated in a low menacing tone.

“I didn't mean it like that! What I meant to say was…”

Honestly, he meant to say exactly what he said, but now that he heard it out loud he realized that it was something that he should've kept to himself. `Fuck! Think, think, think!' He thought frantically as he felt her shift her body so that she was almost out of his lap.

He wanted to slap himself for his stupidity but instead he blurted without thinking, “I meant to say that with or with out hair you'd still be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.” `Stupid, stupid, stupid!' He yelled in his head. `Of all the things I could've said, I say something as stupid and transparent as that!' Sitting back with a heavy sigh he tried to prepare himself for what ever would come next.

She could see straight through his remark, but she wasn't going to let him know that. He was right, crying over her hair did make her seem rather vain, but his comment…well it was a once a life time thing, so for today she would let it all go and try to believe that he really meant it.

Leaning down so that she was on all fours she slowly crawled towards him. She watched him flinch as if he was expecting her to hit him or something. Smiling sinfully she waited until her nose was touching his before whispering, “Don't worry, I still love you.” She then closed the distance between them with a light brush of her lips against his.

`Oh shit, she believed me! She really believed me!' Lifting his arms he encircled her waist and pulled her closer to him while he deepened the once chaste kiss. `She is, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.' He thought to himself. He could've sworn he heard his youkai sigh, but maybe it was just his imagination.

“Ex…excuse me,” a timid voice said from the door to their room.

Pulling away from him, Kagome looked at the door and blushed, “Rin, please come in.”

“No, that's okay. I was just checking to make sure everything was okay. I…I heard all the noise and well…”

Removing Inuyasha's possessive arms from her waist the miko stood to her feet and walked over to the door, “every things fine in here.” Glancing over her shoulder as she walked up to Rin she continued, “I just needed to vent, that's all. So are you hungry?”

Inuyasha growled at the interruption and the retreating backs of the two women, but he didn't dare move, at least not for another 10 minutes or so. “Fucking, Sesshomaru.” He hissed as he stuck his hands in the sleeves of his haori and shifted his hips a little trying to make room in the front of his hakama.

After sitting for what seemed like hours he finally felt the stiffness in his lap loosen and just in time for the Ramen he knew was waiting on him.

“Oi, where's Sesshomaru?” He asked as he walked into the sitting room.

Kagome smiled at him while handing him his breakfast, but she didn't know so she didn't respond.

Looking up from her soup, Rin smiled lightly as thoughts of the night before danced in her head.

Staring down at the girl, Inuyasha couldn't stop the growl that slowly started to build up in his chest. What in the hell was she smiling at? Why did she smell even more like Sesshomaru today? `What the hell…' He thought as he took a strong sniff. His eyes grew to the size of large saucers his mouth hung open as he pointed at her and stuttered with disgust, “y…you...him…the two of you…ewwwwww! Nasty!”

Rin just looked down at her bowl of miso soup and blushed even more.

“Inuyasha, what happened?” Kagome inquired as she walked back into the room. “Is something wrong with the food?” She asked looking from Rin to her hanyou then back again.

Still pointing his finger, “She…they…ewww, gross! You let him rut you? Ewwww” He stated with a shudder. Looking at him you would've thought he was freezing cold.

“Rut…?” Kagome repeated as she glanced down at Rin.

Shaking his head Inuyasha walked towards the door with his Ramen in hand mumbling, “That's just nasty.” By no means did he mean to embarrass the girl, but Sesshomaru should have known better than to leave her here, with him. Especially after doing something like that.

Stopping at the door he asked in a sarcastic manner, “So are you going to tell me where my dear brother is? Of did your `mate' tell you it was a secret?”

“Mate…?” Kagome whispered as she looked from Inuyasha to Rin. `What in the hell am I missing? Who rutted her? She's mated?'

Rin wanted nothing more than to curl up and die. In all the years that she had none Inuyasha he had always been brash and rather sharp with his tongue but it was never directed towards her.

Why hadn't she made sure that she took a bath before her lord returned her here? Why didn't she insist on it? Maybe it was because after their second love making session she was too sore and tired to speak. Perhaps she enjoyed feeling the remnants of him on her skin. What ever it was she didn't think that it was fair that Inuyasha rubbed it in her face. Shrugging her shoulders she whispered, “I don't know. He just told me to stay here until he returns.”

“Rin, you and Sesshomaru are mates?” The miko stated more as a statement than a question. Not waiting for a reply Kagome ran to her and threw her arms around her neck in a congratulant type of hug. “I'm so happy for you!”

“Thank you,” the younger woman whispered shyly. Her cheeks were the color of red wine.

Staring at the two women, Inuyasha grunted as he stepped onto the porch and sat down to eat his breakfast. “Feh, what ever, just take her to the river so she can wash that stench off of her. She's stinking up my house and clogging up my senses.”

“Inu…yasha!!” Kagome screamed out of embarrassment for Rin.

Whenever she screamed his name like that it always made him feel like a child being chastised and just like a child he always wanted to run and hide. Sitting as stiff as he could he didn't dare blink or move, but he did pray that she would spare him the sitting that he knew he deserved for bothering the embarrassed girl. Truth be told, it didn't really bother him that his brother had mated with her, hell a small part of him was happy for them, but he had a reputation for despising his brother to up hold.

“You insensitive jerk!”

Squeezing his eyes tightly closed he sat and he waited, `one…two…three…four…' he counted silently knowing that the next thing out of her mouth would be the one word he hated more than Naraku. It never came, instead he heard two sets of fast approaching foot steps walking up behind him then around him, and then they were gone.

Opening his eyes slowly he squinted at them as they walked in the direction of the river. “Feh, she can't sit her mate.” He gloated to himself with a smirk and a chuckle. Preparing to finally take a bite of his Ramen he froze as a voice came to him on the breeze.

“Inu…yasha SIT!”

“Shi…” He hissed as his face hit the ground with more force than he was prepared for. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was sitting on the top step of his sturdy wooden porch and well as of right now, his head was laying between the broken boards of the bottom two. “Bitch” He hissed as he waited impatiently for the subduing spell to wear off.

Simonkal of Inuy

The Great Dog Lord stood at the edge of a cliff that over looked the sea. He had always liked coming here to think of things others would not understand, but today his thoughts were of people he would much prefer didn't exist, which included Inuyasha, his half-breed insolent brother. It occurred to him recently, that regardless of how much he tried to distance himself from him the more it seemed that their lives would intertwine.

It started out simple enough; he only wanted the fang that should've rightfully been his to begin with, but that eventually led to him finding a human charge then a hunt for the half-demon, Naraku, and from there it seemed that everything went haywire. He kept being pulled into these battles that he had to admit, really had nothing to do with him, but because he was traveling the same route as his halfling brother he would occasionally cross paths with these various demons.

Their lives it seemed was nothing more than the chaotic stitching in an anxious blind maidens tattered tapestry. There was no direction, there was no reason, and there was no purpose. It was simply chaotic, unruly, ass-backwards, senseless, tempestuous, and as much as he would've liked to deny it, he knew that it was also connected, interwoven, linked, and knotted, from the beginning to the end.

`Father must really be enjoying this.'

When had he stopped actually wanting the Tetsusaiga? When had he stopped wanting to watch the life drain from his brothers' eyes? When had he stopped totally and utterly despising everything about him?

`I will still eventually kill him.' He told himself in an attempt to hold onto some of what he once believed to be true.

Shaking his head he dismissed any further thoughts of the hanyou. He needed to focus on his immediate task. He had to make sure that what he had decided would not be noticed should it fail, and if it did, he really didn't care because this was not something that should've involved him in the first place.

He grimaced slightly at that thought. `If it was Rin, wouldn't I do any and everything with in my power to bring her back? Or would I follow her in death instead?'

After he had left the others in the field with the heart broken wolf, he and Rin had traveled back to his home in the Western lands. Instead of going inside they slept beneath the stars in the garden that his father's late human mate loved so much.

Though her visits her few and rather short lived Izayoi and his father would spend hours out there walking and talking about things, which at the time eluded him. He remembered thinking on one such occasion as he stood glaring hatefully down at them from his balcony, `what in the hell could a ninjen woman say to a demon lord that would cause him to follow her around like a love struck pup?'

Perhaps that why he was here now, doing what he would've deemed unspeakable if asked to do so a few years ago. Perhaps all the changes that he sensed with in himself were all because of one girl…one woman…one human, his mate.

Flashback

He listened as her heart rate slowed and he smiled. For the second time she had given him what he needed without him having to ask.

He sat with his back against the base of one of the large willow trees, its branches fell down all around them as if it was sheltering them from the eyes of would be peepers. She was laid comfortably on his chest; little droplets of sweat covered her bareback and her forehead.

Grabbing the sides of his Mokomoko-sama he wrapped it around her shoulders and held her tighter against him. He could feel her lips turn up at the corner so he knew she was smiling. The feeling of contentment and completeness that he felt was almost overwhelming.

“Milord,” She whispered quietly.

“Rin, you do not need to call me that when we're alone. You are now my mate and the lady of these lands, there is none higher than you.”

“I know, but…I don't feel comfortable calling you by your given name. I still owe you so much. If it weren't for you I would not be here. If you hadn't taken my in, I would have surely fallen into the wrong hands.” Sighing softly, “out of respect my love, I will continue to call you as you are.”

Sesshomaru was a little stunned at the pet name. “What did you just call me?”

Blushing, the new Lady of the Western Lands replied hesitantly, “my love?”

“I think I like that. Since you find it hard to use my name, when we are together and alone, I wish you to call me that. Is that okay with you?” He couldn't believe that he was actually compromising with a human, but she wasn't just any human, she was his human, his mate.

“Of course, love.” She whispered as she tried to snuggle closer to his chest.

Kissing the top of her head lightly he advised, “You should get some sleep, I believe you will be having quite a busy day tomorrow.”

He knew that with the coming of day break he would need to set in motion the preparations for their mating ceremony. Had she been a youkai he would not have to concern himself with such things but since she was human, he would have to perform the same ceremony that his father perfected or rather created when he mated Inuyasha's mother.

The main purpose of the ceremony was to bind the two as one so that her life expectancy would match his. His father had been so thorough when requesting the ritual that he had them include a sort of clause, you could call it, that bespoke of pups and should there be any the surviving mate would remain alive at least until the offspring was strong enough to care for itself. At least that's what he believed to be true. He would need to make a trip into the mystic forest to speak with his fathers' eldest acquaintance, the ancient knowledge tree in order to get the specifics.

Thankfully Rin had already been well schooled in etiquette, and things of that nature, however the royal seamstress would be paying her a visit in order to fit her for more elegant and extravagant Kimonos. Though it didn't sound like much he knew she would find it overly bothersome and rather annoying.

“My Love,” Rin whispered interrupting his thoughts of her. “Will you help that wolf, Kouga? Will you bring his mate back?”

Sesshomaru's heart sank. He hadn't thought about it, well not yet at least. So he answered her as earnestly as he could, “I don't know if I can.”

Lifting her head she looked at him, “don't be silly. You're Lord Sesshomaru, there's nothing you can't do.”

The innocence in her eyes and the honesty in her voice spoke to him. That unwavering, never-ending bottomless pit of belief that she had for him poked at him annoyingly telling him that he should at least try.

At times like these he wished that she didn't believe that the sun rose and sat with him. “Rin it's not that simple. The female wolf youkai was not only damaged physically, but she was also hurt mentally…and unfortunately that's not something that my fang can cure.”

She thought that over for a moment before she spoke again. “I…I just feel really bad for Kouga. I have you and you have me, but he has no one now.” Resting her head against his shoulder, she whispered, “He shouldn't have to be alone, no one should have to be alone.”

End Flashback

That was the statement that spoke the loudest to his soul and had him here on this cliff when he could've and should've been in the confines of his home, with his mate.

He had to ask him self, `if the roles were reversed would I have begged for him to help me? Would I have wanted him to at least try? Would I have insisted?'

`Try,' He didn't know the meaning of the word. When had he ever had to `try' to do anything? Either it could be done or it could not, but there was never an instance when he felt the need to `try' something just in case. “This is such a waste of time.” He stated coldly as he turned away from the cliff.

Pulling his father's fang from his sheath he held it at his side as he stared down at the body that he snatched from the village like a common thief. `A thief, huh?'

Raising the sword he immediately spotted the goblins attempting to drag her soul into the underworld. Seeing this baffled him, `Why does her soul still linger, what is she fighting for? Perhaps this will work and if it doesn't…' Lifting the Tenseiga above his head he brought it down swiftly in an arc fashion over her body.

Until Next Time…(If you're feeling kind, you can leave a review, otherwise…)