InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silence the Fairytale ❯ Undeniable ( Chapter 19 )

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

For the last couple months, Inuyasha knew Kagome had been acting out of sorts. She was quieter, less hot tempered and brash. She began to focus on her practices fervently, as if trying to distract herself from something.

And Inuyasha continually lied to himself about what she was distracting herself about.

He knew... he was confused himself. But he...

...

She...

...she was a child, really... and... she had so much ahead of her still...

He knew she was ready for courting according to humans, but to him she was almost just a pup.

Almost.

His youkai side didn't ignore her as he might have quite liked.

Instead, he distracted himself much the same way she had. He scoured the countryside for something he might deem a proper den for the winter, pushing any inklings he had deep down inside and locking them up tight. Discipline had taught him to do that, and well. He had pushed away his most precious memories, next to those sentimental things he hid, things that might have otherwise haunted him day in and day out.

So hiding how Kagome was changing him was not as difficult.

"Inu... I'm tired, can we please rest?"

His ears twitched guiltily.

Another way to distract himself was travelling.

Nonstop.

And Kagome had been the one to suffer the consequences of his merciless drive toward nothing, not complaining a bit and only asking to rest when she simply couldn't go on.

He knew she was especially tired if she used the pet name she had given him. Though at first it had irritated him, being called 'Inu-chan' like a little girl...

But, when she had dropped the suffix, his heart melted at the affectionate name. She used it mainly when she wasn't thinking completely, when she was tired and distracted. It seemed she hardly noticed the fact she said it at all, if she even did know.

But he wasn't going to be the one to bring it to her attention.

He led them off the path they were walking, to a more secluded area near a large stream. Rather like a field, trees dotted the landscape and far off they came closer and closer together to form a forest.

That was Inuyasha's destination.

It was easily another 3 ri... he doubted they could reach that on foot by sundown. Lifting his head to calculate the sun's position, he supposed it was a bit past the middle of the day.

Kagome wouldn't be able to walk that far in that amount of time, unless he pushed her again. And when he looked back at her, as she stood there waiting on him without question... he knew he didn't want to do it.

But he hated camping out in the open... especially on his human night.

He refused to endure it without the cover of the trees.

He stood still, watching Kagome who watched him, and they stared at one another quietly. Both said nothing... and the silent intensity in the look Kagome gave him made his blood boil.

Becoming quickly uncomfortable, he tore his eyes away and gestured roughly at the ground.

"Keh. Rest already, would you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw Kagome flinch, as if she had been jolted awake.

"...right," was her answer.

Continually, he gazed at Kagome, under his bangs and a curtain of hair. The wind blew gently, tossing her raven hair into the wind and causing radiant displays of color to flash through her soft locks as the sunlight dappled and played on it.

She sat down easily, relief flooding her face as she slipped her feet into the cool water of the stream. She was barefoot, and he was sure the rough terrain was hard on her delicate feet. She had begun to form callouses, and her worn yukata was past the point of saving, months of nonstop walking wearing the thin material.

Inuyasha was sure at night she was cold... often, he covered her with his haori. The first day he laid it upon her, she had been shivering incessantly and he could hear her teeth chatter inside her skull.

So he stripped off his hinezumi haori and laid it down upon her, and she curled up under the warmth of it quickly.

That morning, she had awoken with a look of inquiry in her eyes as she tenderly fingered the material. But all he offered was a 'keh' as he took the garment back.

It had been a nightly ritual since, and she had the decency to not comment on the obvious concern.

Well... he was unsure if it was decency or mutual embarrassment.

Perhaps it was both.

...but either way, it had not been discussed.

And for that, Inuyasha was relieved.

Though somewhere deep down inside, he enjoyed wearing his haori after it was covered in her scent, taking secret whiffs of her throughout the day in a way she wouldn't notice.

It soothed him, and he found he was more than willing to relinquish his clothes for her warmth if only to hang on to that privilege.

Though he couldn't deny the necessity of finding her proper clothing for the change of seasons. He had been having a rough time, finding it hard to find a village that contained enough extra clothing so he wouldn't feel guilty for stealing... but he was beginning to think he would have to resort to other methods to obtain the things Kagome so desperately needed.

Youkai exterminations.

He would have to be a human lackey. Again.

He shuddered at the thought, but it couldn't be helped. At least if he earned the clothes, he wouldn't feel bad.

He just knew too well what it was to go without.

Crossing his arms, he let his gaze drift back to Kagome, and he found himself openly staring at her yet again.

Her head was tilted back towards the sky, allowing the small warmth of the sun to bathe her, the bottom of her dirty yukata becoming damp at the edge of the water. Kagome's face slightly flushed in the simple pleasure of all these things.

She had to have been very uncomfortable.

She hadn't washed herself in days, finding it hard to find warm enough water. Her clothes hadn't been cleaned either, and though she stank of dirt and sweat, Inuyasha didn't mind.

He was too frustrated lately to mind anything she did.

"K'gome..." Inuyasha mumbled before he realized it.

He caught her attention easily, her azure eyes opening to greet him in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

"Why don't you get cleaned up? You'd probably feel much better... that is, if the water isn't too cold. I don't need you sick," he suggested quietly.

He felt strangely out of character, though the suggestion wasn't so strange. The quality of his voice, though...

It didn't feel like him speaking.

Kagome's face spread into a slow and warm smile, gifting a blush just for him as she said, "You sure? Will we be able to make it to where you wanna go today?"

Inuyasha's mouth answered before his brain could.

"I was going to carry you. It's a long way, and you're tired."

The soft pink in Kagome's cheeks deepened to a healthy rose red as she averted her eyes.

Hardly did he carry her, unless she was sick or injured.

And he had been avoiding touching her for the specific reason of what her nearness did to him.

She tingled, and made him feel more alive than running through the treetops at top speed in the cold winter nights, the air biting him almost to the point of pain in freezing temperatures.

But she...

...She was a lush spring that warmed him from the inside out, refreshing him from those awful days that seemed further and further away the more time they spent together.

"O-okay..." she said softly, and she stood. Grabbing hold of the navy obi that held her dingy gray yukata closed, she tugged at the knot in the back to try and free herself. After a few moments, Inuyasha noted the difficulty she was having.

She had tied the knot extra tight so it would not fall open under any circumstance considering the amount of time she wore her clothes.

Sliding in behind her instinctively, Inuyasha came to her rescue.

Brushing her hands away lightly, he spoke low under his breath, "You really can't do anything without me, can you?"

Kagome went still, and remained silent.

As he tugged on the obi, untying the reslient knot, he unconsciously drew closer to her person. His nose brushed against her hair just the barest amount, smelling her gently, catching her natural scent beneath the grime.

...She's so soft...

Shaking his head and scowling, he forcibly pulled himself away as he tugged the obi away from her body, allowing the yukata to fall open easily.

Stepping away from her, Inuyasha waited with an arm outstretched as she slid the garment off her body and handed it to him.

She kept her eyes off of him as she waded into the stream which was thigh deep and kneeled as best she could.

"I'm going to rinse out your clothes, Kagome. They're filthy."

She dunked beneath the surface once and began scrubbing her head with her fingernails as she finally turned her eyes to him, "You sure? I can take care of it..."

"I'm sure. Just get yourself clean."

He began to make his way down to the bank as Kagome asked, "Would I be lucky enough to have soap left?"

Inuyasha blinked and frowned, dropping the clothes where he stood and went back to their small carrying pack that lay next to Kagome's quiver and bow.

Pushing Buyo off the top of it, who rolled down it in true fur ball fashion, Inuyasha dug through it.

He pulled out a small bar that lay in a leaf, that had dwindled down to nearly nothing and held up his prize to Kagome.

"There's barely enough... you sure you don't want to save it?"

He watched as Kagome's face visibly fell and Inuyasha sighed.

"Nevermind, use it. If anything, I'll make another one if I absolutely have to."

Though he hated to. The smell of the oils bothered his nose and stuck there for hours on end. He could almost taste it..

"Really?" Kagome sounded hopeful.

Damn female needs.

"Yeah, yeah. Use the damn thing, and then we'll use whatever's left for your clothes."

Kagome made a happy noise and made her way in all her glorious nudity to Inuyasha, plucking the leaf from his hand and rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek.

He swallowed thickly, watching her hips sway as she walked back to the water with a small bounce in her step.

He supposed he could stand the taste of soap for that.

Frowning deeply, he tried to quell the arousal that hit him suddenly and he crouched down to hide any evidence of thus as he focused intently on scrubbing her clothes loose of any grit before using the soap to finish the process.

"Thank you Inuyasha!" she called out as she worked a light lather into her hair and Inuyasha eyed her as the suds dripped between her shoulder blades and down the lush curve of her backside.

All he could muster was simply an aggravated, "Keh!"

...she was going to destroy him...

He knew it.




Kagome shrugged her freshly dry clothes on as Inuyasha put out their small campfire. She was successful in at least tying her obi knot this time, though careful to make it not quite as tight. Kagome then raked her fingers then through partially wet strands of her hair, fighting against the snags and knots that were there.

"When are we leaving?"

Inuyasha lifted his eyes to her, strangely detatched as he cleared his throat, "Soon. I'm just putting everything away."

Kagome nodded, tossing her head back as she threw her hair over her shoulder. Inuyasha's eyes kept looking to her, then darting away. He was acing strange again, and Kagome put forth an effort to ignore it.

Bending down, she went to pick up her bow and quiver... and at that moment she heard Inuyasha hiss, "Ite!"

Kagome blinked and turned around, watching Inuyasha nurse a hand to his chest and looking more than a bit irritable.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

Inuyasha frowned at her, the question obviously hurting his manly pride as he bit out, "I'm fine, damnit. Just a fucking scratch, that's all."

Glaring right back at him, Kagome stomped over to him and snatched his hand away from him as he yelped in surprise.

Sighing, she looked at the deep cut in his hand and bent over to see what had offended him... and it was a dagger that some random villager had attempted to woo her with.

Not that she found it wooing material, but, the effort was at least appreciated.

I guess...

"Just a scratch, tch... sure..." Kagome gave sarcastically, and lifted her sleeve to her mouth, biting it.

Tearing a piece off, she ignored Inuyasha as he protested.

"Hey, that's all the clothes you have left! Don't fuck it up for something so stupid!"

Kagome snorted at him as she began to wrap the piece of cloth around his hand, "Don't be a baka. You're bleeding and you'd do the same for me."

Inuyasha snapped his jaw shut as he looked at his hand in an almost hateful manner.

Tying it off, Kagome smiled at her work. "See? That should help keep dirt out."

Nodding at her, Inuyasha only watched her gather the last of their things and dump them unceremoniously into the small bag. Shouldering it, she picked up her bow and quiver, setting that to her back as well she went to Buyo.

"I think we're done!" Kagome declared, picking up her cat and cradling him to her chest as she turned to Inuyasha.

"Ready to go?"

She was caught off guard.

Inuyasha was giving her those eyes again.

...the electrifying ones that froze her to the spot, paralyzing her and making her unable to escape him.

He walked up toward her, towering above her...

...enveloping her smaller frame into his strong arms.

He then lifted her up bridal style, holding her close to his body as he took off suddenly across the field.

Blinking at the sudden action, Kagome lifted her eyes wearily to look at Inuyasha. Her eyes outlined his jaw bones, the way his throat flexed as he swallowed... and she watched as if in slow motion he lowered his face to look at her.

..his eyes following her features...

...tracing them and burning her flesh with those golden hues....

She felt her body begin to tremble of its own accord, though she barely realized it. Her eyes were glued to his for an eternity, and for whatever reason, in that moment, she had her answer for herself.

How she felt about Inuyasha.

They were written in his eyes, as she stared at her own reflection there intently, her features melted there, in that soulful mirror, into a look of something she could recognize finally.

A certain emotion....

She stopped breathing.

...she had done it, she had made a horrible mistake.

She hadn't meant to. She had fought it, denied it, pushed it away...

But she couldn't help it.

It had happened before she realized it, before she could prevent it.

...she had fallen in love with Inuyasha.