InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Death, Trust Me, as You Didn't in Life ❯ Love During a Time of War ( Chapter 56 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 56: Love During a Time of War

Inuyasha slumped against the trunk of the Goshinboku as he stared out over the lands spread beneath him, and grumbled in annoyance.

Damn her... doesn't she realize I'm just trying to protect her? She might be a sorceress, and older than the ice lord, but combat is still a different thing than what she's used to!

He was frustrated with the woman. Very frustrated, in a way that only Kagome had ever managed to frustrate him before.

It wasn't that he thought the beautiful woman incompetent. Not at all. He just wanted her kept safe, and throwing herself into a sword fight, especially when she carried a glorified knife, wasn't smart.

With a sigh, he admitted to himself that he was worried about her... because he... cared. A lot more than he should, truthfully. And how did that happen, anyway? I'm supposed to be concentrating on the war that's about to start, not some crazy-ass woman. But he couldn't seem to help himself - she fascinated him.

And that kiss... he put a hand to his mouth as he remembered, had been something else again. She was delicious. He most certainly wanted to do that again.

He was amazed at how fast she'd garnered his attention away from Kikyou and Kagome, but then again, those two had already moved on by the time he'd really noticed the sorceress, so he truly was free to choose where he wanted to be.

On top of that, she didn't appear to think he was disgusting, since she was the one that had initiated that kiss - and she had been an enthusiastic participator, too. Maybe she was who his mother had been talking about?

He hoped so - because he was very attracted to her, despite her annoying tendency to enjoy irritating him.

He frowned, then. Her statement about being older than his brother had him curious: just how old was she? And how was she so old, and yet human? Was it her powers?

He decided that he'd figure out a way to bring that up to her at some point... and then he caught himself. Is this really what I want? Do I really want to have a relationship with Nyoko?

I do... and that's another strange thing... before, with Kikyou, and then Kagome, I was so uncertain, so afraid of rejection, but now, I don't feel that way. Part of it is Kagome - she always insisted that I was as good as anyone else, and just as worthy of love, and somewhere along the way, I began to believe her. But the other side of it is... I wasted so much time being afraid with her, and worrying about Kikyou, that I lost out on both of them - and I'm not about to do that this time.

That's one thing I have to thank Kagome for - she's my best friend, and she taught me to go for what I want, and to have confidence in myself. I wouldn't be who I am now if I'd never known her.

He smiled to himself, a little sadly... I'll always love her, but I guess it's time to love her as something other than a mate... and go out and find myself someone else to love as a mate with all the confidence she gave me.

Decision made, he hopped down out of the tree, and lifting his head, sniffed deeply, looking for the scent that was just as tantalizing as the woman who carried it. He grinned when he caught it, and took off at a run, determined to make his move immediately - before something came along and interrupted, and before they had to leave on their next hunting trip.

-wWw-

Nyoko sat on the hilltop above the village, and absently watched the comings and goings of the very much enlarged population. Her mind was caught up in thoughts of one certain member of said population...

Inuyasha.

From the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she'd wanted him. There was just something about him that caught her imagination, and tugged on her heart... not to mention what he did for her libido, as well.

Tall, silver-haired and golden-eyed just like his brother, all resemblance stopped there - he was just as irreverent as she was, and much more to her tastes than his admittedly gorgeous older brother. And he was absolutely so much fun to torment...

With a sigh, her thoughts saddened, then, as some of the things Kagome had told her about her best friend and former love interest ran through her mind. He'd had a hell of a life, and it said much for his character that he had turned out the honorable, though easily confused, male that he was.

Her thoughts probably would have wandered all night if it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of the male that she was thinking about, and she was understandably startled when he swooped in from behind her and plopped down next to her. She turned wide eyes on him, and he glanced at her, folding his hands into his sleeves as he did.

"I wasn't trying to say you can't take care of yourself earlier," he started, frowning. He hated apologizing, but it needed to be done - he didn't want any misunderstandings between them.

She coughed into her hand, a little embarrassed. "I kinda knew that," she said sheepishly. "It's just that when I get mad, my mouth kinda overruns my common sense."

He snorted at that, then chuckled. "Anyway," he brushed off the unpleasant subject, "I just wondered... when you said you were older than Sesshoumaru - did you mean that?"

"Of course I did - I don't make shit up like that, Inuyasha." She shook her head, slanting a quick glance at him from under dark lashes. "I won't say how much older, but..."

"Keh. It's okay, I don't need to know, but... it does beg the question - you are human right?" At her nod, he finished, "Then how are you still alive? And how long will you live?"

One black brow arched; he sounded intent, as though he really needed to know. It sent a thrill of hope through her.

"The better the sorceress, the longer lived we are - and I'm the best." She didn't sound as though she were gloating, her voice was simply matter-of-fact. "And I'll live as long as my power remains - or as long as I choose."

Inuyasha was quite pleased to hear that - it meant that her life didn't depend on him mating her and sharing his youki. He could do so, but it would weaken him, and shorten their lives. With her having her own power source, his could be used only for him, guaranteeing that they could be together for a very long time.

He came out of his thoughts to the sound of her voice. "Why the curiosity, Inuyasha?"

Stiffening, he swallowed hard - the moment of truth was at hand. I can do this... I have to do this if I want her. I will do this... Taking a deep breath, he held it for a moment, and then let it out.

"When you... kissed me, did you mean it?"

She looked startled, completely caught off-guard. "W-what?"

He turned, then and stared at her, meeting her gaze with solemn golden eyes. "Was it just another of your pranks and jokes, woman? Or did you mean it - if I wanted to give my life to you, spend it with you, would you accept?"

Stunned, she stared at him. "Are you sure this isn't kind of sudden on your part?" she choked out. "I mean, I know that not all that long ago, you were stuck between Kikyou and Kagome. I won't be your rebound relationship, Inuyasha."

"No, its not to soon for me. I've watched you, you know, and while you are an annoying bitch," he rolled his eyes, "that's just one side of you - and I like what I've seen of all of you. As for my past with Kikyou and Kagome... I waited and was timid and too scared to fight for what I wanted, and it cost me. I'm not going to let it this time. So if you'd be so kind as to give me an answer to my question?"

A huge smile grew on her face, and with an excited squeal, she pounced on the blushing half-demon, and proceeded to kiss him senseless.

Guess that means we're courting, was his last hazy thought, before he succumbed to the advances of his woman.

-wWw-

Kisho found Kikyou on the path back from the hotsprings above the village - it was the women's time to bathe, and she was laughing and walking along with all the others heading home when he came upon them. The moment she caught sight of him, she blushed, to the amusement of the women with her... he had to smile at the knowing smiles they were sending her way.

She waved her goodbyes to them as they all continued on, and smiled at him as she waited to see what he wanted.

He drew a deep breath, and then let it out, trying to regain his normal confidence. Finally, after looking at her for a moment, he gestured ahead of himself. "Walk with me?" he asked.

She frowned slightly, a little confused, but nodded, and turned to walk slowly at his side, obvious curiosity in her gaze. "Is... everything alright?"

He glanced at her, then looked away. "Yes... it's just that I have something I want to say, and I'm not sure how to go about it. I... never thought to find myself in this position - or at least, not for a long, long time," he chuckled dryly.

With an encouraging smile, Kikyou said, "Well, it's probably just best to come out and say it, then."

Pausing in his stride, he waited for her to stop, and then, gathering his courage, stepped forward and took her hand in his, before looking down at her, solemn blue eyes meeting her warm brown.

"With the battle that is coming, I didn't want to face the possibility of death without telling you... how I feel. I thought long and hard about whether I should wait and say something if I actually do make it, but... I didn't want to face eternity with not having told you that... I love you, Kikyou. If I do live... would you... be my mate?"

Kikyou was stunned. She'd known for a while now that she had feelings for the beautiful fire elemental, but hadn't really thought anything would come of it, and so hadn't allowed herself to hope. It had happened so suddenly, too... but she had been told something, once, she remembered, by a samurai that she was caring for after a battle. He had told her that in times of war, love often blossomed at a much quicker pace than during peace; it was as if each person knew that time could very well be short, and that they needed to make the most of it.

She hadn't really taken his words to heart, then, but now...

Tears flooded her eyes and she beamed at him, catching him off-guard - it looked as though he'd been preparing for rejection. As he tentatively smiled back, she threw herself into his arms and held onto him, crying happily into his haori.

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully, and she pulled back and laughed, nodding.

"Of course it is! I wasn't sure that you felt the same, but I love you, too," she said, blushing shyly as she looked up at him, her heart rate increasing at the look in his eyes.

And that's how she found herself wrapped in Kisho's arms, having the living daylights kissed out of her in full view of anyone and everyone in the village.

Not that either of them cared.

-wWw-

Miroku grinned at the spectacle ahead of them, casting a knowing look at Sango, who was blushing and refusing to look.

"Oh, come, now, Sango, my dear - don't tell me that you are embarrassed by that show of affection! It is a happy time for them," he said, smiling widely as he looked back at her.

She narrowed her eyes on him warningly. "It's sort of a private thing, monk, that's all!"

He shook his head at her. "If they had been worried about others seeing, they would not have done it in front of everyone, you know. If they are not embarrassed, why should you be?"

"Not all of us are perverts, Miroku - they probably expect everyone to have good manners and look away," she shot back hotly, bringing hiraikotsu around threateningly.

He winced, but held his ground. “Sango, what has made you so afraid of affection?” he asked knowingly. “If you look around, everyone seems to find that kiss perfectly acceptable – after all, they aren't doing anything perverted. You are the only one that is upset by it. Why is that?”

And as quickly as that, Sango's worst memory of her father came crashing to the forefront of her mind, and she turned away, paling. But she knew that Miroku wouldn't back off...

“My... father was very strict about certain things,” she began reluctantly. “One of those things was public affection. The one, and only, beating I ever received from him was once when a young slayer from our village kissed me in full view of his father and mine. I learned that day never to do such things... and I am still not comfortable with it, even though I know he is gone and cannot harm me again.” She sighed at his expression. “My father was a good, honorable man – but he had his quirks, and that was the biggest one.”

Miroku was shocked, though he probably should not have been. So... all these years that she had beaten on him for his hentai behavior was because of an early lesson of pain at her father's hands.

He finally nodded at her in understanding. “I am sorry that I never asked before this, Sango, my love. I did not mean to bring back unpleasant memories. I... obviously, was not taught the same,” he chuckled at her rolled eyes, “but I will try to curb my tendencies. But I would hope that you, also, would try to open up a little – to not be so hidebound. No one would think you improper for small displays of affection, you know.”

She eyed him dubiously. “I'll try... but I wouldn't call your groping a 'small display of affection', monk, so I'll still crack your head for you every time you grab my rear.”

With another chuckle, he nodded acknowledgment, and then reached out slowly and took her hand in his as they continued to walk, smiling happily at her burning cheeks and shy return smile.

Ah, progress. Finally.

-wWw-

Satori stared at her mirror with complete disgust, dismayed by the outpouring of suddenly courting couples.

This is a war, you idiots! Shouldn't you all be thinking about fighting, instead of... that?!

“Ugh... I can't believe them – isn't anyone paying attention to the fighting that's coming up?” she asked rhetorically, her nose wrinkled with annoyance. “Love... what a waste of time that could be better spent annoying and/or killing things,” she sighed.

Kagura stared at her, a brow cocked dubiously. “Oh, please – do you mean to tell me that you don't enjoy the company of the male of the species at all?”

The inu youkai female glanced at her slave, and flicked her fingers dismissively. “That, my dear, would be lust, not love. There is a time and a place for such endeavors, of course, but this isn't one of those times or places.”

The wind witch blinked. “With a good looking male, anyplace can be good,” she disagreed. “Haven't you ever had blood lust turn to plain lust?”

“Of course I have,” she purred, an evil smile crossing her face as certain memories played across her mind. “But it isn't only males that can induce that sort of lust in me, my dear Kagura. Perhaps you should be more wary of me than you have been so far... with enough blood, even you might look good to me.”

Blanching, Kagura stared at her in horror. “W-what?” she asked. “Y-you can't be serious!”

“Oh? And why not? Have you ever tried it? Who better to know how to touch a bitch for pleasure than another bitch?”

That stopped Kagura cold. I guess I hadn't really ever thought of that before...

Satori took a good, long look at her slave, then, taking note of her regular, attractive features, and curvy form with approval. “Yes, perhaps I will find another use for you, Kagura... maybe we will see if you can satisfy my lust when it is time.”

Kagura was left wondering if Sesshoumaru knew about his mother's proclivities... and hoping that she wasn't about to find out about them herself...

In depth.

-wWw-

Kagome gave a sigh of relief when they landed back in the well-clearing, having left Sugimi in the other realms with his hime. She was getting quite the headache trying to figure the whole thing out, but as soon as she could wrap her brain around everything she'd been told so far, she'd be on to see a few other things, as well.

Time was running out, she knew, the countdown to the battle with Ungai counting down steadily, and that only added to the pressure she felt over the whole thing – she hated the fact that the entire world was sitting on her shoulders right now, because kami knew she was way too clumsy, and was very likely to drop the world on its collective ass unless they were all very, very lucky.

Sesshoumaru had been silent since they'd left the deep past, many, many things running through his mind after the revelations of earlier. The things they'd been told called into question things he'd believed all his long life – and that was leaving him very unsettled. However, he wasn't so far gone that he wasn't aware of his mate's distress, and he knew that they needed something to take their minds off their current paths.

They needed something else to concentrate on for a little while.

With that thought in mind, he decided to track down his brother, and see what had been going on since they left. With a glance at his preoccupied mate, he said, “Come, miko – we should check in with Inuyasha and then the children.

Startled, she blinked, and looked up at him, her mind so occupied with tying itself in knots she'd almost forgotten where they were. “Oh! Sure... sounds like a good idea. Goodness knows I'm certainly not getting anywhere with my thoughts – I feel like I'm chasing my own tail,” she said, just as a most peculiar look crossed her face. She looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry.

He frowned slightly. “What is that look for?”

She clapped a hand over her mouth, trying desperately to keep it in, but finally gave up the fight, and collapsed in laughter. “Oh, gods... the visual... it's enough to make a saint laugh,” she chortled.

Annoyance beginning to make it's way into his voice, he asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“W-well, you know, what I said a minute ago... about chasing my tail?” she gasped out. He nodded abruptly. “My mind popped up with this picture of you... in your true form, and, and...” she broke off into a spurt of new laughter, and he glowered at her.

It wasn't hard to guess the rest of that explanation.

“Woman, cease that ridiculous display. This one would never lose his dignity and do something so foolish.”

She collapsed back into laughter at that. “I... I know,” she howled, “that's why it's so funny!”

He sighed, glaring at her with irritation as she lay on the ground clutching her stomach and moaning in pain between bouts of laughter.

Perhaps this has been too much for her and Amaterasu-kami was wrong about what she could handle?

It seems to this one that her brain has finally broken.

-wWw-

A/N: Several ppl asked for a chapter about all the different couples, so I decided to oblige – and this is the insanity that came out. As for Satori and Kagura... well, I couldn't resist messing with those two... and hey, Satori looks a great deal like Sesshoumaru – so maybe Kagura can just pretend?

After all, that's about as close as she's ever gonna get to him...

Amber