InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity ❯ Osuwari ( Chapter 28 )

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

'What a beautiful day!' Kagome thought as she briskly walked through the forest with the bag swinging casually at her side. She was in such good spirits that she was hard-pressed not to sing. The cakes she had carefully packed would be a treat for InuYasha, and Kagome was certain that he would love them.

InuYasha.

His name alone was enough to bring a smile to Kagome's lips. The last week at school had been difficult. Whenever she saw him, she wanted to run to him, to throw herself into his arms, and he had looked as though he would have liked it, too. In class, it had been difficult to concentrate on her tasks because he was there, always watching her. If the other students knew what was going on, they didn't show it.

But Kagome knew, and that was enough to make her blush whenever she caught his gaze. Once, she'd been trying to do a parallel bar routine, but had slipped off. InuYasha caught her, and as he had let go, his claws had grazed over her belly, those remarkable eyes of his sweeping over her, making her want to kiss him. She'd nearly melted on the spot, and it was only after the fact that she had been grateful that no one else had caught that exchange.

He'd slept at her house every night since last weekend. After he'd tapped on her window in the night, she'd been mortified when her mother had opened her door the next morning only to find her and InuYasha curled up in each other's arms.  Mama had smiled in her gentle way and had amazed Kagome by asking if InuYasha wanted his eggs scrambled or over-easy.

Kagome grinned as she recalled InuYasha's words before he had darted out the back door to run home to change his clothes in time for school.

Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, he didn't look at her as he cleared his throat and said, "Hey, uh, Kagome? Just leave your window unlocked. I'll let myself in."

Afraid to face her mother, Kagome stood frozen to the spot as InuYasha took off out the door.  Mama's laughter broke through Kagome's shock, and when she was finally able to muster up the courage to look at Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome hadn't missed the knowing look her mother had sent her way. "Mama?" she asked, worried that her mother had somehow lost her mind.

"I'll get a key made for him today," her mother remarked before heading out of the room to wash the breakfast dishes. "We wouldn't want him to hurt himself, climbing in and out of your window, would we?"

After that it was a foregone conclusion that he would be there when she fell asleep, and he would be there when she woke. It was a wonderful feeling. It was almost too nice.

It baffled her, though. As much as she loved having InuYasha close, as much as she adored the tender way he always held her close, the way he kissed her, the contact always left her wanting a little more. She'd seen it in his eyes, too, the desire to be closer, to move beyond the innocent kisses. It was as if there was something preventing him from pushing her too fast or too far, and as much as she appreciated his concern, a deeper part of her wished that he'd . . . 'Don't finish that thought, Kagome,' her mind rebuked. 'Making love is a huge thing to you. Maybe . . . Maybe it is to him, too.'

Still, there were little things, hints of yearning that she caught from him. The way his eyes darkened to a shocking topaz spoke to her. She didn't miss his soft sighs, his low moans. He'd kiss her, and she'd feel a rising excitement shooting through his body, as though it took everything inside him to contain what she made him feel.

Last night, as he held her, he asked her, "Kagome, tell me what you want?"

She nestled closer and smiled as the inviting tug of sleep closed in on her. "I want to touch the moon," she whispered.

"What does that mean?"

She yawned, drawing together enough coherence to tell him, "Jii-chan used to tell us this story. He said that a mighty prince once set out to find his princess but he didn't know where, exactly, to look for her. He would know it was her because she would remind him of the comfort of his youth and a girl he used to know. He searched everywhere but never found her until one night, as he lay awake, he promised the moon that he would give anything, if he could only find his true love, his princess . . ."

InuYasha's rumbling nearly soothed her into sleep. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her gently. "And did he find her?"

Kagome forced her eyes open, willing herself to stay awake long enough to finish her story. Idly twirling silvery hair around her finger, she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "The moon watched over him, night after night he dreamed of this girl he used to know, his best childhood friend. When he came to this village, he saw a girl who looked like the one from his dreams, and he asked her to marry him. She said yes. He should have been happy but he wasn't. That night, the young prince couldn't sleep, so he wandered outside to stare at the moon. It was then that he realized that he'd not been searching for the girl he'd asked to marry him. He'd been searching for the woman in the moon, the quiet voice that whispered to him every night. He wished to touch the moon."

InuYasha's gaze seemed far away, as though he understood what the young man in the story was looking for. Kagome grinned, smoothing the hair off the hanyou's face. He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. "So what happened?"

Kagome's smile faltered. It was the part of the story that she hated, the ending. "Nothing. An ordinary man can't touch the moon."

"That's funny," InuYasha whispered, stroking her hair, rubbing her cheek with his infinitely gentle fingers. "I'm touching the moon right now."

His words made her heart ache with emotion so great that she didn't think she could contain them all. "InuYasha . . ."

He pulled her to him, kissed her gently, held her close as warm moonlight filtered through the window. "Go to sleep, Kagome." Rumbling filled the quiet bedroom. Kagome smiled as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "I'll be here when you wake up."

The sound of splashing water shook Kagome out of her reverie. She frowned in confusion but kept moving. All was as it should be in the clearing behind InuYasha's house. Was the sound coming from the pond?

As she stepped out of the trees and into the bright sunlight, Kagome gasped sharply. The white dog had been laying in the middle of the path, sunning herself but when Kagome approached, she rose up to block her path. Then she bared her teeth and growled viciously. Kagome retreated a step.

The dog stepped toward Kagome, her growl growing more and more menacing as she closed in. Kagome backed up. Where was InuYasha?

If she didn't think that the animal would chase her, Kagome would have taken off. As it was, she came up flush against a tree and gasped softly. The dog advanced closer. Kagome wondered if she really would bite her.

The dog crouched low to the ground, ready to spring. Kagome closed her eyes and screamed the only word that came to mind. "Osuwari!"

The growling suddenly stopped. A deafening crash rang through the clearing. A groan that sounded unnervingly familiar echoed in her ears. Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes again. The dog had run off and was standing over InuYasha, who was sprawled out flat, face down on the ground. Kagome's hand shot up to cover her mouth as she gasped, eyes widening as she wondered exactly what had happened. Her feet started forward, seemingly of their own accord. She reached his side quickly, ignoring the warning growls issuing from the dog as she sank down beside him.

InuYasha leaned up, a comical look of confusion clouding his features. He looked slightly irritated yet there was a trace of something else in his visage. Kagome's frown deepened. Why would he feel relieved?

"What happened to you?"

"Keh!" His expression darkened, and he snorted. "What do you mean, what happened to me? You happened to me! You said that word!"

Kagome shook her head in confusion as she struggled to remember what it was she might have said to cause this. "What word? The only thing I said was, 'osuw—' "

"Don't say it again!" he yelled. He started to get up then seemed to think better of it. He flushed and let himself flop back onto his stomach before pinning her with a pointed look. Kagome stared at him as embarrassed realization washed over her. He was . . . naked?

Her eyes lingered on the muscled back, the fine sculpting of his satiny looking flesh as it tapered to his waist. If she reached out to touch him, would his skin be as soft as it looked? With a shocked gasp at her own thoughts, Kagome jerked her head to the side a moment too late. She'd seen InuYasha's expression. It was a mixture of embarrassment, irritation, amusement, and something that she couldn't quite identify but that set her body off in delicious little tremors. He knew she'd been shamelessly eyeing him.

She could feel her face explode in crimson fire. "I-I-I should have c-c-c-called before I came over," she stammered as she hastily shot to her feet and turned to flee.

"Kagome! Wait!"

She stopped but refused to turn to look at him. As comfortable as she had become around him, she still wasn't ready to see . . . well . . . that much of him. The sound of his movements drifted to her. Seconds later she heard him rustling around with something, then he touched her shoulder, and she yelped. He pulled her wrist to turn her around, and she saw, to her relief, that he had retrieved his towel. "Don't go?" he asked, an urgency in his tone that erased whatever nervousness that might have otherwise lingered in her.

The dog growled again. She tried to nudge Kagome aside. When Kagome reached down to pet her, she bared her teeth and snarled. With a smothered gasp, Kagome jerked her hand back and took an unconscious step in retreat.

InuYasha looked fit to kill. His gaze settled on the dog, and the growl that came out of him silenced her immediately. Kagome stepped away again. "Dammit, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he said, his tone level, even, though Kagome could sense the underlying rage in his voice.

The dog's head dropped a notch.

"Don't do that again," he warned. "I mean it, Dammit."

It struck Kagome as unusual, the way he said the curse word. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as understanding dawned on her. "InuYasha, you didn't . . . Did you name that dog Dammit?"

He shot her an almost guilty look but shook his head in denial. "Of course not! I didn't name her at all. She already had one."

Kagome's confusion deepened. "If she already had one, then why don't you return her to her owners?"

InuYasha snorted indelicately and planted his hands on his hips as he stared at her as though she ought to know as much. "Keh! She has a name, yes. Everyone has a name. She doesn't have an owner. You can't 'own' a dog; it's degrading. Anyway, she said her name is Dammit."

"You can talk to her?" Kagome flinched at the unintentional caution in her tone. She could only hope he hadn't caught it.

"I'm not a pup, bitch," he ground out. "I'm half dog youkai, remember? Dammit doesn't talk, but she did tell me her name."

"I didn't realize that being half dog youkai allowed you to speak with dogs, InuYasha," Kagome remarked tightly. "And what did you call me?"

He glowered at her. The look reminded Kagome of a pouting child. She wisely kept that observation to herself though. "I didn't mean it that way," he grumbled.

She was surprised to see his shoulders slump, and his chin drop. She tried not to let his reaction bother her. But when his ears flatten against his head, as though he was upset by her outburst, Kagome's anger disappeared completely.

She supposed that was as close to an actual apology as she was going to get out of him. She hitched the back pack strap up on her shoulder and remembered the cakes in her bag. With a sigh, she lowered the bag and dug out the treats. "Here," she said, thrusting the plate at him. "I made these for you."

He looked momentarily surprised but took the plate she offered. She watched in disguised amusement as his ears perked back up, just a little. "Thanks," he said softly as Kagome closed up the bag and swung it back over her shoulder.

"I'll see you later, InuYasha," she said as she turned to go.

"Kagome, wait! I . . . I need you . . . err . . . your help. With my hair. I can't wash it very well. Alone. Without you."

'Yep,' she thought with a wry grin, 'his acting is really, really terrible.' She giggled softly. "Why aren't you bathing in the house?" she questioned, her curiosity sparked.

He made a face. "Why? I've always bathed in this pond. It's good enough."

Kagome couldn't help it. Her mouth fell open in astonishment at his remarks. "You mean you never bathe in the house?"

"What's so strange about that?"

Kagome shook her head. If he didn't know why that would be considered strange then she wasn't about to tell him. "I suppose I could help," she agreed. His smile returned, and his ears shot up. She loved how they reacted to his mood. She shook her head as he pointed at a flat rock that jutted out over the water. Izayoi InuYasha was way too cute for his own good.


Kagome stared in wide-eyed amazement as InuYasha stuck an entire cupcake into his mouth in one bite. They sat on the steps of the patio watching the sun dip lower to touch the horizon. In the stillness of the early evening, Kagome sighed.

"Dammit," he called, holding out a cupcake to the dog.

Kagome's gaze narrowed on him. "InuYasha . . . you can't give that dog that cupcake."

He frowned. "Why not? You brought too many for just me, anyway."

"Never mind that. It's chocolate!"

"So?"

Dammit stared at each of them as though she understood the disagreement. Then she moved over to sit patiently next to InuYasha, as though she knew that he would win the battle.

Kagome could swear that the dog was smiling at her in a completely condescending sort of way. "So you can't feed dogs chocolate! It's bad for them!"

"Keh! I'm half dog youkai, and I eat chocolate. It don't hurt me. Why would it hurt Dammit?"

"No, InuYasha!"

He looked as though he wanted to argue it more. But then he made a face and cast the dog an apologetic look. "Sorry. Kagome says no."

Kagome's mouth fell open as her brows drew together in chagrin. "Don't make me out to be the villain!" she complained. "It's a known fact. If you don't believe me, ask a vet—any vet!"

InuYasha didn't bother to comment on that. Instead he picked up the plate and headed into the house. As he opened the glass doors, he picked up the pace. Kagome heard the faint trill of the telephone.

She caught Dammit's stare and flinched at the accusing in the animal's eyes. "Don't look at me that way! Chocolate really is bad for you, I didn't make that up!" Cautiously, Kagome reached out to pet the dog's head. Dammit ducked away and growled.

Kagome frowned. That dog really hated her. Her hand dropped away, and she sighed.

InuYasha stepped back outside and shut the door before handing Kagome a can of soda. "Thanks," she said as he slipped his hand around the can and popped it open for her. He sank down on his haunches behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's beautiful," Kagome remarked softly, her eyes shining as she watched the sun sinking lower.

"Yeah," he agreed, "it is." Kagome turned her head at the wistfulness in his voice. He was staring intently at her. A pleasant lurch in her belly erupted, and Kagome leaned forward to kiss him.

He seemed surprised as their lips touched. She heard him set his can aside just before his arms wrapped around her, drawing her back against him. He sank back and pulled her closer, and she turned to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. As though she was afraid to let him go, she whimpered softly when he drew his lips away from hers. He fluttered kisses on the end of her nose, over her eyelids, across her cheeks. Then he sighed and hugged her, nestling her against him and rocking her gently in his arms.

'Does he feel this?' she wondered. 'This sensation of complete contentment? This feeling that we belong together?' She smiled to herself. More and more often lately she'd been thinking about what it would be like, to spend a lifetime with InuYasha . . . The thoughts were almost too nice.

Kagome sighed, too, but for completely different reasons, she supposed. As much as she loved being here with him, it was getting late, and her mother was probably getting worried. She savored the feel of being held in his arms for another few minutes, though, before she leaned away enough to see his face.

"I'd better get home," she explained with an apologetic look.

InuYasha shook his head and pulled her back against him. "Your mom called. I told her you'd stay here tonight . . . unless you don't want to?"

'Why did he have to sound so broken when he'd said that?' she wondered. Even if she had wanted to go home, how could she, after hearing the sadness in his voice? All she wanted was to take that emotion away from him so that he would never feel it again. She sighed and kissed his cheek. "I'll stay with you, InuYasha." She grinned as he relaxed. 'I'll stay with you forever.'