InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Duck ❯ Destiny ( Chapter 10 )

I'm so happy y'all like this story! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

Okay, enough with the emotions from me, now we have to focus on Kagome and Inuyasha! Why's he blind? What's gonna happen? That's for me to know and for you all to soon find out! Tee hee!

 

Let's get on with it. (In the words of Jane Fonda in 'Cat Ballou'. A good movie, by the way.)

 

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DISCLAIMER: I'll own Inuyasha when the Numa, Numa video doesn't make me want to frolic through a field of flowers.

 

(Chapter Ten: Destiny)

 

(Kagome's Point of View)

 

I slowly regained consciousness, but I kept my eyes closed, somehow aware that someone else was in the room I was in. Sensing danger, I tried to make myself look like I was still sleeping. I rolled over on the bed I was sleeping in and mumbled things to keep up the act. I was still aware of the presence in the room. I heard a door open and someone else stepped inside. I chanced opening my eyes slightly, testing my surroundings. I groaned inwardly, there was no danger. I was in the cabin. I opened my eyes fully and sat up and then froze. Sesshomaru was in the room… Along with Miroku. Why isn't there a fight going on right now? What's going on?

 

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow, apparently amused by my confusion, "You're alarmed by my presence." I readied myself, suddenly finding the need to protect myself. What was wrong with me?

 

I took a moment to concentrate on how different I felt. I felt more powerful and flexible; more light and speedy; my sight had enhanced dramatically, I was more aware of things; I could feel every stitch of the sheets I was in on my skin; I could hear Miroku's breathing like I was standing right next to him. I used my tongue to feel around my mouth, and nearly gasped at the discovery of fangs. I looked at both of them.

 

"What's happened to me?" I asked, knowing Sesshomaru would know somehow.

 

And, strangely, he smiled, "I shall explain," He turned to Miroku, "I will tell her, you go tend to Inuyasha." Miroku left the room.

 

"Where's Inuyasha? What's happened to him?" I asked. He held up a hand.

 

"All in good time, Kagome. But at the moment, we must discuss what has happened to you. Kagome, you are now a half-demon. A cat demon, to be specific."

 

"A cat demon?"

 

"Yes, a cat demon. Cat demons are famous for their intelligence and stealth ability. They can run faster and be quieter than most demons. What they lack in strength, they make up for in speed and sight.

 

"Kagome, you recently ingested a potion that Aki gave you called 'The Lover's Curse'. This potion, once activated by your feelings for Inuyasha, will make you fall asleep after a three day period and transform in to a full-fledged demon. The demon blood in your system could not handle it because you were a human, so you transformed into a demon much like Inuyasha does when he misplaces Tetsusaiga."

 

I could feel him watching me as I digested this. I remember when I was like that, a demon, I mean. I felt so… free. And knowing that Inuyasha was following me just enhanced the feeling. Then I remembered what he said to me in the clearing. My heart sped up and my palms got sweaty; I could feel my face heating up. Inuyasha is in love with me, and I am in love with him.

 

"Ah, you remember that evening," Sesshomaru said, "You know that Inuyasha is blind? Or were you awake for that?"

 

I gasped, then swallowed, "N-no. I didn't know that. Do you know why?"

 

He sighed, "Kagome, this is a very complicated potion. There are many different consequences if the couple does or does not love each other. Or if the feeling is one sided, like what happened to me."

 

I gave him a sideways glance, "This happened to you?"

 

"Yes, but it wasn't like your situation. A few years after Inuyasha's demise, when he was pinned to that tree, I traveled to that village too see for myself. I had been fighting in a war between demons of the west and east, and after this war did I go see Inuyasha. I cursed him. He was supposed to be there during the war. After all, he is also lord of the western lands. I traveled to the village, for whatever reason, but now I realize, I probably shouldn't have, because it is because of this meeting with Kaede, that I am so miserable today.

 

"But… When I laid eyes on Kaede… Somehow I knew that this is where I was supposed to be. Somehow I felt it was destiny for us to meet. And now that I look back on it, destiny wanted us to meet for a different reason than what I thought."

 

His voice trailed and I spoke, "So you were in love with Kaede?"

 

He looked up at me, "Yes, for a time I was. I proposed to her one evening after we were together and she accepted. But a few days later, she fell asleep. But, a long story short, we didn't get mated and I was banished from this village.

 

"Kikyo played a part, a rather big part, in my misery before she died. Kikyo had the ability to see into the future. Some priestesses have that ability, you know. And she saw that Kaede would one day meet me and love me. This disgusted her; Kikyo hated demons. So she had a plan, she had once heard about a potion that would make couples break and shatter any hope of repair. Aki had been Kikyo's master, yes, the same Aki that trained you. You see, Aki is a witch, and witches are capable of making themselves live longer by means of a small, simple ceremony performed every one-thousand years. But anyway, Kikyo went to Aki and told her of what she saw and that she was completely disgusted about this, so Aki suggested the potion. They made it and gave it to Kaede."

 

I was so shocked, "How dare they?! Kaede was so young!" I paused thinking about Inuyasha and Kikyo, "I'm guessing if Kikyo didn't like demons, she definitely didn't like half-demons, did she? So what about Inuyasha?"

 

"Well, years after Kaede banished me, I stumbled upon Kikyo's diary. She stated many cruel and heinous things about Inuyasha, about how disgusted she was about how she felt about him. The night before she said she'd bring him the jewel, she said that she was going to have to make a decision then: turn Inuyasha human or betray him and kill him there.

 

"Kikyo said in her diary that if Inuyasha was turned human, that she'd always remember what he was and that it would always make her sick inside, knowing that she'd first fallen in love with him like a demon. Or perhaps she had never fallen in love with him at all, maybe it was just the fact that a man would look at her the way she'd always wanted one to. So she decided to reform her other plan into something different: she would kill Inuyasha, then herself. But she wouldn't kill herself because she would want to be with him in the afterlife; she would kill herself because she would hate the fact that she would feel such sorrow and pain for a half-demon. She would rather die than feel affection for Inuyasha."

 

I gave a shaky sigh, "The poor guy."

 

He ignored this, "But in answer to your question, Kagome, do I know why Inuyasha is blind, I do not know, but I have a couple guesses. Both concern the fact that you and Inuyasha are indeed in love. But one reason why I think Inuyasha is blind is that you haven't exactly said 'I forgive you' yet. This potion deals with specifics. Inuyasha had to be specific in saying the words 'I love you, Kagome', so that the potion would know when to activate again.

 

"My next guess is that this will be permanent. That Inuyasha will never be able to lay eyes on you ever again. The reason why I guess this is because the potion is simply called 'The Lover's Curse' and I can only assume that there is to be a curse on both sides."

 

I looked out the window, looking at the trees and the sky and the sun. I wondered what Inuyasha was thinking right now, now that he was blind. I couldn't help it; I could feel myself start to cry. It was a silent cry, with big, shaky sobs. Inuyasha had done so much for me, and given up his own sight just to save me.

 

I knew he was disturbed by what he was himself, but I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. But what it must have felt like to know that the only way to save me was to make me a half-demon… Gods… The pain he must have felt. Every horror of his childhood and early adult life must have come back to him even more vividly then. He didn't want the same fate for me.

 

It was in this moment that I understood Inuyasha completely. I could finally feel the connection we shared, how this was all meant to happen. I realized my destiny, and it was outside these walls.

 

I wiped my tears and looked up at Sesshomaru, "Where is Inuyasha?"

 

He jerked his head toward the window beside him and I climbed out of bed and walked over to it. (Somewhat wobbly, I might add.)

 

I saw him. And nothing could have been more heart-breaking.

 

He was standing on the docks with his back to me, but somehow, I knew he was unbearably sad and worried and angry and whatever other emotion he could have felt at this moment without even seeing his face. Miroku was walking away from him, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if he were also deeply troubled as Inuyasha.

 

I put my hand on the doorknob of the door that led out of the room, slipping some shoes on as I did so. I stared at the mirror on the wall next to my door. My hair was longer now and it was a bluish black. I looked at the cat ears that sat atop the crown of my head and moved them a little. They were the same as Inuyasha's, but different somehow. I think they're a bit wider and easily flexible than his. But what had changed most of all the aspects of my countenance were my eyes. They were blue, but they had some of the brown that I was used to spread in the darkest parts of the irises. It gave the impression that my eyes were giving off their own light. I didn't know how my face had gotten so… Pale. It wasn't an unhealthy looking pale; it was a "holy-crap-I'm-completely-and-totally-gorgeous" type of pale. My face looked more womanly, more mature, and I liked that. I liked how I looked. I wondered if Inuyasha would. But, knowing him, he probably would.

 

I walked out of the bedroom and I looked out the window in the main room at Inuyasha, at the snow on the ground. It was a little cold to me, but I could tell that to humans, it was freezing. It took me a moment to notice the clothes I was wearing. I had on some dark blue cut off sweats that came down to just above my ankles, a white tank-top and a zip-up hoodie that matched my pants. I wondered briefly who had changed me. But the thought left as quickly as it came. I probably didn't want to know. I headed outside.

 

I could barely feel the snow's wintry temperature against the skin of my feet as I walked toward Inuyasha. The butterflies in my stomach went absolutely nuts and even more as I got closer to him. I could feel myself start to tremble as I started to take in his scent. I could smell his scent. I knew what Inuyasha smelled like, but I didn't know his scent.

 

It was absolutely wonderful.

 

He smelled like everything I loved and more. And everything I felt about him, every memory we had had, all of the laughs we shared, and the secrets we told; he smelled fantastic.

 

I stepped onto the dock and walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. I could feel him stiffen beneath my touch.

 

"Inuyasha?" I said experimentally. His head turned slightly and I positioned myself beside him. I caught a glimpse of one of his eyes and nearly gasped.

 

His beautiful eyes. His beautiful, wonderful, sun-colored eyes… They were now glazed over with this milky substance. I found myself wanting to touch his face, to let him know how much I cared for him, how much I didn't care that he was blind.

 

He spoke, "Hi."

 

I smiled, "Hey, there. How are you feeling?"

 

His head turned completely away from me, "Ashamed…"

 

My hand did not leave his shoulder as I stepped in front of him, "Ashamed? Why?"

 

He sighed one of his frustrated, impatient sighs, "Kagome, you know why. I'm ashamed at what I've made you, the life I've now given you… The shame you'll have to live with. I'll hate myself for that forever, always."

 

I glared at him, "You should never feel ashamed of what you are, of what we are."

 

He winced at the 'we are' but then he said, "And why's that?" He clenched his fists at his sides, "Because I'm so loved around the world? Because everyone appreciated me in the past, treated me with respect?"

 

I shook my head, hating the way he was talking, "Who gives a shit what everyone else thinks? What about what I think? What about what Miroku, Sango, and Shippo think? Why does it matter to you if everyone but your friends hate you? I don't care about what other people think, Inuyasha. I care about you; I care about what you think."

 

He was silent for a few moments, then, "I'm sorry… It's just… It's hard for me to believe when someone says they care about me, I'd never believed those words after my mother died… But then I met you. You were always honest with me, you still are, and I really am grateful for that… But in this world, in this time, and with the way I've been treated, its led me to believe that I don't deserve to live. That half-demons don't."

 

His words stung, they hurt me and they were harsh on him. I tried to look at him, but he still wouldn't look at me, he was acting like he could see me if he were to look upon my face. I put my hands on either side of his face to turn him toward me. I was nearly as tall as he was now, so I put his face right in front of mine.

 

"Inuyasha," I said, in a slight whisper, "I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Souta… You are here right now. You are alive right now." One of my hands moved from his face to his robes, some of which I moved to the side so I could feel his chest and the heart beneath it. I felt the sharp intake of breath when I touched him there, "The heart that beats beneath your chest is your own. It is your right to live and no one has a right to take it away from you. You are a living being, Inuyasha. You are a being just like any other human, demon, tree, bird, anything… You have just as much a right to live as they do, and don't ever say otherwise. Your mother and father gave you your life because they wanted to, and they loved you, they still do. They made you a part of life, Inuyasha, and I know that they would be saddened by their son's desire not to live anymore. And if you were to let depression and anger with yourself get the best of you, then I will promise you here and now, that I will follow you in that.

 

"But I will not let that happen to you Inuyasha." My hand moved back up to his face, stroking his cheek lightly, "Inuyasha, I'm in love with you, I love you. You are the most beautiful person I've ever met, and I want to be with you. I want to live out the rest of my life with you. Give me that chance, Inuyasha. Please, let me have that chance."

 

I saw the tears in his eyes. I saw the pain. But I saw the love in his eyes, too. He wanted me, and I wanted him. It was simple as that. I brought his head to my chest; he nuzzled the crook of my neck a little. I rubbed my face in his hair, on his ears, breathing in that wonderful scent of his. He was breathing hard and I could smell salt coming from him, from his tears. My arms wrapped around him and I rubbed his back.

 

"Inuyasha…" I whispered slowly, "Inuyasha… I love you… I love you, Inuyasha." He nuzzled my neck again.

 

"Say it, Kagome… Just say you forgive me… Please…" He begged.

 

I ran my fingers through his silver-white hair, gleaming in the morning sun, and whispered in his ear, "Inuyasha, even though I think there's nothing to forgive, I do forgive you. I forgive you, Inuyasha. I love you."

 

His head started to rise off of my chest; he ran his cheek along my neck, then his lips. I could feel him kissing his way up to my jaw, trying to feel his way up to my face with his. I wanted to help guide him, but it felt so good for him to do this, to kiss my neck gently. My fingers fisted in the hair at the base of his neck and I angled head slightly so he could have better access to my jaw. I closed my eyes. He breathed slowly and I shivered at the feel of his warm breath against my skin. His lips left my face and a whimper rose in my throat but got lost along the way when I felt his hands on my face, tracing gentle paths. I shivered again. His thumb ran across my bottom lip then my top lip, the corners of my mouth. I could feel myself start to get weak in the knees, the anticipation was almost unbearable. When his lips found mine, I nearly fainted it felt so good. It was tender, sweet, and passionate all at the same time. The butterflies in my stomach threatened to burst out of me as I kissed him back. The smell of him… The way he tasted… I trembled as we deepened the kiss, our tongues meeting gently in the middle. Not fighting, just dancing. I traced his fangs with my tongue, going completely in his mouth. He tasted warm, he tasted sweet, he tasted more wonderful than anything I'd ever dreamed of. When he came into my mouth with his tongue, he kissed me in a way that made my toes curl in and the muscles in my abdomen tighten.

 

We broke apart slowly, breathless. We were both going insane for lack of oxygen and for lack of our heads.

 

"Inuyasha…" I breathed, still panting a little.

 

"Kagome…" He sounded like me.

 

I looked up at him, not realizing that I was staring at his chest. His eyes were hidden in his bangs somewhere. He slowly looked up at me, and I saw that the milky substance that had covered his eyes was now gone. It was him again, Inuyasha could see again. I smiled at him sheepishly, waiting for his reaction.

 

His eyes widened and he touched my hair and my ears. He grabbed one of my hands and looked at the claws that adorned them now. He examined my body, noting how tall I was. Lastly, he took my face in his hands and looked at me. A look of relief spread across his face as he looked into my eyes.

 

"What?" I said nervously.

 

He smiled, his lips still swollen from our kiss, "Your eyes… They're the same."

 

I was confused, "But… they're-they're blue…"

 

He nodded slightly, "Yeah, they're blue… But they're still the same somehow." He kissed both my eyelids before letting go of my face, "We should go see your family, Kagome. They'll want to know you're okay. Sesshomaru and I told them about what happened…" He looked over into the forest, where the well was. I could sense he was guilty about something, so I kissed his cheek and leaned into his ear whispering, "Race ya!" I gave his ear a quick nip before racing off into the direction of the well. I could hear him behind me, laughing.

 

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I noticed Inuyasha smirking at me as we changed times. When we landed in my time, I put my hands on my hips and demanded, "What is so funny?"

 

He embraced me, rubbing my back and said, "You have a tail."

 

I giggled, and then I frowned as I hugged him back, "But why is having a tail so funny?"

 

I could feel him shake his head against my shoulder, "Not funny, cute."

 

I smirked on his shoulder, "Your ears are cute."

 

"They are not."

 

I rolled my eyes and looked at his face, "Fine. They're dangerous and menacing and no one should ever mess with them."

 

"Right," he said, smiling, "Except for you. You can mess with them." I laughed and gave him a light kiss on the lips, which got carried away for a moment, but a loud bark interrupted us.

 

I looked at him and gave him a look that suggested we should go inside. He nodded and we both jumped out of the well.

 

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"Hello? Hello?" I yelled as we got in the house. I stepped into the kitchen and saw my mother washing dishes over her loud sink, which explained why I didn't get an answer. I saw her turn off the water and dry the last dish in the sink.

 

"Mom?" I said. She froze and then turned quickly to look at me.

 

"Oh, Kagome! Kagome!" She was over here in a heartbeat hugging the life out of me. She hugged Inuyasha, too, telling him over and over how thankful she was. The rest of the family came in the kitchen, hearing mom's cries of joy. When they saw me they went crazy and wouldn't let me breathe. I hugged Souta the most, for he was the most tearful out of all of them. After he cried, though, he kept telling me how cool I looked.

 

"-and you have a freaking tail, Kagome!" He was saying at dinner. Inuyasha sat on the other side of me, nearly choking on his steak trying to keep from laughing at my brother's fascination with it, "That's awesome!"

 

"Now, Souta… How many times have I told you not to say that word?" My mother said sternly.

 

Souta rolled his eyes, "It's not a cuss word, Mom. It's an embellisher, used to enhance the word or words that follow it."

 

I laughed out loud and ruffled his hair, the way I always did.

 

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(Inuyasha's POV)

 

I smiled as I watched Kagome with her family. I occasionally contributed to the conversation, but for the most part, I just watched what was happening. Kagome's mother had leaned over to me during Kagome and Souta's little spat about how hard she was rubbing his head ("I barely touched you!" And, "Did not!" And, "Did too!", etc) and whispered in my ear, "Thank you…"

 

I had been thinking about asking permission of Kagome's mother and the rest of her family to be mated to Kagome while I was over here, and decided to do so after dinner when Kagome had gone upstairs for a shower. (She mentioned this during dinner at some point, giving me the chance to devise a plan.) I snuck a peak over at Kagome. She and Souta had stopped fighting and she was looking over at me. I reached for her hand under the table and she took it shyly. I watched as a blush tinted her pale cheeks. I laced my fingers through hers, rubbing my thumb against the back of her hand, feeling the soft smallness of it. I looked up at her face again and it was filled with love, adoration, and affection and I could tell the same look was spread across my face, because that's what I felt at that moment when I looked into those beautiful blue eyes. Sure, they were a different color, but they still held a sense of… Kagome, I guess. They were still her eyes, and the honey-brown that I had seen before was flecked in her irises… She practically glowed. It took me a minute to realize that there had been an awkward silence during the looks Kagome and I had exchanged and the topic of conversation abruptly turned to the weather.

 

Kagome and I looked away from each other, and I felt the hotness grow in my cheeks as well. I let go of her hand reluctantly, but before it returned to my knife, I brushed the back of my hand over her wrist slowly, wanting to feel the softness of her hand again.

 

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After dinner, I helped Souta clear the table and wash the dishes. Kagome's mother had gone to get some sort of medicine that she'd dropped off, so Souta was left with that duty. Kagome's grandfather had left to see to the shed around the back of the house and bring the dog in.

 

Souta and I stood and the sink, cleaning the dishes off. I leaned over to him and whispered, "Souta, when do you think your mother will be back?"

 

He looked at me, lifting an eyebrow, "Why are you whispering?"

 

I shrugged and continued to whisper, "I guess I just want to keep this between us: man to man, alright?"

 

He smiled and said, whispering, "Alright… She should probably be home in about half an hour, why?"

 

I sighed quietly, "Well, I know it's still really early to be thinking about what I'm thinking, especially just after Kagome's woken up after the curse, but I feel like it's now or never."

 

We both looked at each other for a moment; I tried to pass the meaning of my words through my eyes… And suddenly, the meaning hit him and his eyes got incredibly wide and he gasped, pointing at me. His words seemed to struggle out of him as he tried, and eventually succeeded, in saying (in a whisper), "Oh, my God!"

 

"Shh!" I tried to say, but he was already going on and on about how "cool" and "awesome" it will be to have me as a "brother-in-law".

 

Well, at least I know he approves…

 

I waited until he stopped for breath to say, chuckling, "So I'm guessing I have your approval for this?"

 

He reverted back to his whisper, "Absolutely!" I smiled at him and we got back to work. We continued like this for a few minutes and then he said, kind of reluctantly, "Inuyasha?"

 

I looked over at him, "Yeah?"

 

"Um… I was wondering..." His voice sounded oddly high-pitched, "I-If… If you could tell me how to kiss a girl?"

 

I nearly dropped the plate I was holding.

 

"What?" He looked at me with his face impossibly red and gave me a look that said 'Please don't let me repeat that'. I sighed.

 

He whispered quickly, the words jumbling together so much that I could barely understand him, "It's just that… I asked this girl out that I've liked for a while and she said yes, and I'm thinking of taking her to the festival downtown the day after tomorrow, and I just want to know how to kiss her the right way when I drop her off afterwards."

 

I processed this and thought for a moment. Kagome told me about her "date" with this Hojo guy, so I can only assume that "asking her out" meant he was going to take her on a date and that this festival was the place he wanted to take the girl.

 

I stared off into space while drying a dish with the towel, "So let me get this straight. You're planning on kissing this girl?"

 

"Yes." I heard him say.

 

"And you've like her for a while, correct?"

 

"Er… Yes, I should think that was obvious if I wanted to kiss her."

 

I smiled closing my eyes and nodded, "You are planning to kiss this girl you have liked for a while. You care about this girl." I looked over at him and he just stared back at me, confused.

 

"Yes." He said.

 

I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Look, Souta. If this girl means a lot to you, then I don't think you should plan on kissing her," I saw him begin to have a look of disappointment on his face, I understood what he felt, so I reassured him, "That does not mean that you shouldn't kiss her. Just that you shouldn't plan on kissing her."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Well, for one thing, it can take away the… the feeling of the moment when or if it happens. And also, if you really care about this girl, you really shouldn't plan on kissing her because she'll probably just think that you're out with her for that certain part, not for her company. I know that sounds…" I tried to think of a word that Kagome would use, "Really cheesy, but it's true. If you really care about this girl, you'll just let it happen and won't know when it's coming."

 

"But how do I know when?" He looked worried.

 

"Trust me, Souta. You'll know." I let go of his shoulder and started to dry the dishes again.

 

"You still didn't tell me how to do it…" He said silently.

 

"Well, Souta… The first time it happens, it'll probably be a little awkward, but still memorable. It actually kind of depends on how long the kiss is and if she enjoys it…" I trailed off, remembering how Kagome reacted to the way I'd kissed her on the dock.

 

"How do you know if she likes it?" He asked.

 

I set the dish down and looked around the living room for any signs of Kagome, her mother, or her grandfather. I leaned over to Souta, "It depends on where she puts her hands. Like let's say you do kiss this girl, and while you're doing this, she puts her arms around your neck, what can you observe from that?"

 

He thought for a moment, considering this, "Well, I'd think that she'd want to continue a little longer."

 

I nod, "Right. So, now she's kissing you back, right? And the back of her nails scrape a little against the back of your neck, where your hair starts to end, what can be observed from that?"

 

Again, Souta thought for a moment, "I would hope that she thinks it's a good kiss."

 

I tilted my head to the side, considering, "You'd think that, but not just yet. If she grabs the hair at the base of your neck, then that definitely means that she likes it, that or she sighs or makes some other noise to let you know that."

 

Souta looked to the side, biting the nail on his thumb; he stopped and looked up at me, "What do I do with my hands?"

 

I nod, "Ah, well… If her arms go around your neck, then your hands should be on her waist, a polite distance away from her backside, mind you." Souta laughed quietly and covered his face with his hand. I continued, "But, if you want to be really romantic and wow her, put her face in your hands and just look at her and don't be embarrassed if you look at her like you do when she's not looking, and then kiss her. It's basically what I said before, about not planning it, so don't get to eager if you do decide to do that, just let the moment come. That's very important, Souta, let the moment come.

 

"Oh, and a way to tell if she does like you kissing her with her face in your hands is to just listen for a sigh, as I said before. She'll probably have her hands on your chest, so she won't be able to put her arms around your neck." I looked at him, smiling. He smiled back at me.

 

"Thanks, Inuyasha." He said, "This was a great help."

 

I ruffled his hair, not quite as hard as Kagome did it, but teasingly, like a brother would, "I'm always glad to help… Let's put these back in their places." I motioned toward the stack of clean, dry dishes. He took the stack, but seemed to hesitate as he put them in their proper place.

 

"Should-should I be worried about… About what I should do with my tongue?"

 

I looked over at him; now he looked extremely nervous. I said, "I honestly don't think you should worry about that with your first kiss, Souta. But if you feel things going that way, I think you should pull away slowly if you're not sure what to do. If it does come up, and you can't do anything to stop it, just follow your instincts, don't think too much. That's the fastest way to ruin a kiss is to think too much."

 

He nodded, breathing out. He looked up at me again, "How do you know so much? I mean, I know the only girls you've ever been with are Kagome and that other girl, the priestess, the one that wasn't very nice to Kagome."

 

I nodded, "Yeah, that's true. But a lot of times when Kagome had been doing her homework, I read her books. Some interesting stuff. I learned all that from the human behavior books she has and those picture books, the ones with the articles in them."

 

He nodded, understanding, "Magazines." Then he said, "What did it feel like? When you and Kagome kissed for the first time?"

 

I smiled, remembering, "Well, the first time we kissed it was because Kagome was trying to save Sango, Shippo and Miroku from me." At his confused look, I filled him in on the story quickly so I could get back to what I was explaining, "But the second time, the official one… It was incredible… I just felt like I-like I knew, somehow…"

 

He tilted his head, "Knew what?"

 

I bit my lip, "It's hard to describe… It's like… It's like I knew that she was the one for me, the instant we kissed. I felt like I could see our future together, I felt everything about her. Her kindness, her gentleness, her spirit…"

 

"Wow," was the only thing he could say.

 

Kagome's mother and grandfather came in at that moment and Souta and I jumped. I walked over to them saying, "I have something very important to ask you, do you mind if I talked to you all for a minute?"

 

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We sat down at the kitchen table silently and I faced Kagome's family in the dim light of the overhead lantern above our heads.

 

I got right to the point, "I want to be mated to Kagome, or I want to marry Kagome in demon terms, if you prefer." They all looked at me. Kagome's mother smiled, her grandfather's expression was unreadable, and Souta was about to bounce out of his chair with excitement. I silently thanked him for his support.

 

Kagome's grandfather looked at me seriously, "And what makes you think that you are worthy of marrying or being mated to my granddaughter?"

 

I smiled, "I am in love with her. I have spent almost four years chasing after someone that I thought I wanted, when, in reality, that woman was always by my side, waiting for me to turn around. I will always protect her, and I will always be in love with her. So here I am, turned around and waiting for my chance to finally give her and myself what we've always dreamed of. May I have your permission to marry your daughter, granddaughter, and sister?" I addressed all of them, looking at each of their faces seriously.

 

"You need all of our approval in order to ask her?" Ms. Higurashi asked. I nodded. She smiled and said, "Well, in that case, I say yes."

 

I smiled, "Thank you."

 

Souta nodded enthusiastically and then my eyes landed on Kagome's grandfather. We stared at each other for a few moments and then… he smiled at me, "Welcome to the family, Inuyasha."

 

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The euphoria I felt after that discussion downstairs threatened to burst out of me as I came closer and closer to Kagome. I knocked on her door and she told me to come in. I shut the door behind me and stepped into the room.

 

She was sitting by her window, looking out at the moon and she smiled when she saw me. She wore the same kind of pants she was wearing earlier, but they were white and her shirt was long sleeved and powder blue. The kind of blue that brought out her hair, eyes, and the color of her skin. She looked absolutely beautiful. She walked over to me and hugged me tightly. I embraced her back and knew that this was how I would feel for the rest of my life.

 

I had a thought suddenly, "Kagome… Do you ever think about what it might have been like if we had never met? If I was still pinned to that tree and you hadn't fallen down the well?"

 

I felt her nod against my shoulder, "Yeah, sometimes. But if we'd never met, and I was still here, somehow I'd always know… I'd always know that something was missing from my life and I'd never be happy.

 

"I realize that it's a little complicated, our relationship, because of the times. But there's only one word that repeats in my head over and over when I think about this, us."

 

"What word?" I asked, curious.

 

She pulled away slightly and took my face in her hands, bringing my lips down, almost meeting hers. I closed my eyes and shivered as I felt her warm breath spread slowly across my lips when she whispered, "Destiny."

 

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Ha ha! Another chapter up! Tee hee!

 

Well, I suppose I should say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc., so there.

 

I want reviews people! Please!

 

Wishing you all well and Season's Greetings,

 

Oddery (Insert Emoticon Here)